Chess Publishing ECO : B00-B99 Volume 2 Second Edition
CBV to PDF
by Scorpionchess
Thanks to
Echai the master Uploader & his invaluable successor bandidobk
All friends who made the All in one Cbv
Dedicated to
Dearanna She inspired the idea
Introduction to the second Edition If the first edition had no introduction, the second need one ! The publication of the first edition of this series in 2013 represented an innovation in chess books shared at forums : It is part of a new trend that migrates from simple sharing to the creativity . This publication mainly benefited of the work made in the background by many forums members (Sharers, collectors, Cbv & pgn makers) and as I'm unable to name All, I just want to thank All of Them . Special thanks must go to the master sharer & Uploader Echai & his successor bandidobk : without their invaluable work & perseverance to update the chess publishing thread, this second edition would never have been released . This second edition has an updated material & also some improvements, especially to enhance readability ...and I will let you discover the rest . All your suggestions are welcome and will be as far as possible taken into account in the next editions. S.C 06/10/2014
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1 1...b6 idea. N,N [Glenn Flear]
B00
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.c3 b4 This natural-looking move may in fact be the source of Black's problems. [ After 4...f6 5.ge2 c5 Black avoids ceding his dark-squared bishop: 6.0-0 cxd4 7.xd4 d6 8.f4 a6 gives a complex position where Black is playing a slightly provocative Sicilian. ] 5.ge2 This rarer move is apparently quite dangerous. [ However I still like 5.f3 which isn't easy for Black. Critical is then f6 6.g5 h6 7.xf6 xc3+ 8.bxc3 xf6 9.0-0 d6 10.d2 e5 11.f4! when White gets great attacking chances. ] 5...c5 Probably not best. [ White has comfortable development after 5...f6 6.0-0 ] [ Possibly 5...d5!? is the move, but that's another story! ] 6.a3 xc3+ [ W h i t e wa s c le a r l y b e t t e r a f t e r 6...cxd4 7.axb4 dxc3 8.b5!? d5 9.xc3 dxe4 10.xe4 in Vovk, Y-Brethes, F Calvi 2005 ] 7.xc3 cxd4 8.b5 This isn't new (Mr. Mon tign ac th ou gh t it wa s). d6 9.g4! This however is! [ Black was doing well after the slower 9.xd4 d7 ( 9...a6! ) 10.e2 ( 10.b5! ) 10...a6 11.0-0 c5 12.f4 f6 13.e5 dxe5 14.xe5 xd3 15.cxd3 0-0 Schubert, SFr o e h li c h D il l , A W o m e n 's B u n d e s li g a 1995. ] 9...f6 [ Or 9...f8 10.xd4 f6 11.h4 bd7 12.f3 with a comfortable edge to White. ] 10.xd6+ xd6 11.xg7 g8 12.xf6 d7 13.h6 xg2 14.f4 f8 and White has a clea r advanta ge as poin ted o ut b y Roland Montignac.
2 Aagaard,Jacob De Weerd,Warner Essent Open Hoogeveen NED (1) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2389 2071 13.10.2000
1.e4 c6 2.b5 A contest of anti-theory begins. f6 3.d3 g6 A sensible decision rather than get something akin to a Spanish or some double e-pawn opening black elects for a Pirc/Modern where white has played d3 and Bb5, which cannot be terrifying. 4.f3 g7 5.c3 0-0 There is no hurry to play this black could well play ...a6 at once and not commit his king. 6.g5 a6 7.xc6 bxc6 8.d2 e8 9.h6 h8 10.0-0-0 d6 11.h4 g4 12.dg1 b8 13.g5 b4 14.a3 a5 15.f3 eb8!? 16.d1 xd2+ 17.xd2 d7 18.b3 c5 19.e3 c6 20.g4 e8 21.f4 d4 22.f3 f6 23.f5 d5 24.e5 xe3+ 25.xe3 d4 26.xd4 cxd4 27.exf6 exf6 28.xd4 c5 29.e2 e8 30.f4 e5 31.fxg6 fxg6 32.g5 fxg5 33.xg5 xg5 34.hxg5 f8 35.d5 f2+ 36.e3 xc2 37.f6+ 1-0
3 Acosta,Alejandro2 Jaramillo,Gonzalo Abel Open Cali COL (6) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2346 20.12.2000
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 g4 4.e3 f6 5.c3 e6 6.e2 e7 7.d5 exd5 8.exd5 xf3 9.xf3 e5 10.e2 0-0 11.f4 g6 [ 11...ed7 12.f3 e8 13.d2 c5 14.0-0-0 a5 15.g4 a4 16.g5 fd7 17.h4 b6 18.d4 f8 19.he1 1/2-1/2 Rohl,JRogers,I New York 1998. Black's position looks precarious, and when the much higher rated player agrees a quick draw, and he is as enterprising a man as Ian Rogers, then you can safely conclude that equality and counterplay were in short supply. ] 12.d2 c5! [ 12...e8 13.0-0-0 d7 14.h3 f8 15.d3 a6 16.g4 b5 17.a3 c5 18.dxc6 xc6 19.g5 d5 20.e4 xe4 21.xe4 xe3 22.xe3 d5 23.c3 c5 24.f3 c8 25.xd5 c7 26.d7 xf4+ 27.b1 f8 1
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 28.h4 b4 29.axb4 xb4 30.e4 a5 31.f5 b5 32.h5 b8 33.b3 f8 34.h6 g6 35.e5 e6 36.f6+ f8 37.xh7+ 1-0 Bresciani,N-Oppici,G Bratto 1999. The game ref erences hint that white should castle long in this line as he is much better equipped to attack with a space advantage and the bishop pair. ] 13.g4 b5! Black takes his chance to get active. 14.xb5 e4 15.d3 h4+ 16.f1 e8 17.f3 [ 17.f5!? ] 17...c4! 18.xc4 [ 18.d4 c5 and black's counterplay with ...Bf6 and pressure on the b- and e-files is very much alive. ] 18...g5! 19.fxg5 xe3 [ 19...xe3 A bit early to give up, especially c o n s i d e r i n g t h e s i ze o f t h e u p s e t , b u t wh it e's p os it ion is a ru in , f or e xam p le : 20.e2 c8 21.d4 xe2 22.xe2 e8+ ] 0-1
4 Adams,Michael Vanderwaeren,Serge (ol) Moscow [Alexander Volzhin]
B00 2640 2275 1994
1.d4 e6 2.e4 b6 3.d3 b7 4.f3 c5 5.c3 cxd4?! [ The usual 5...f6 is better. ] 6.cxd4 b4+ 7.c3 f6 8.e2 d5 9.e5 e4 10.0-0! This pawn sacrifice gives White a lasting initiative. Such sacrifices are one of the mo st dif f icult p ro ble ms in ch ess. I t's absolutely impossible to calculate all the variations to the very end, you need just to feel it! xc3 [ 10...xc3 was the alternative. 11.bxc3 A) 11...xc3? Grabbing the pawn here is e xt re m e ly d a n ge ro u s : 12.b5+ c6 ( 12...f8 13.a3+ g8 14.ac1 a5 15.d6 a6 16.c7 with an overwhelming a d v a n t a g e .) 13.xc6+ xc6 14.c2 xd4 15.xd4 xa1 16.c6+ f8 17.a3+ g8 18.xa1 c8 19.b5 White is clearly better as Black's pieces a r e u n c o o r d i n a t e d . ( The spectacular
19.c1 is not so good: xc6 20.xc6 d7 21.e7+ f8 22.c8+ xc8 23.xc8+ e8 and in the endgame Black's chances are by no means worse. ); B) 11...e7 12.g3 0-0 13.h4 and White is ready to launch a strong K-side attack. ] 11.bxc3 xc3 12.e3!? c6 [ Unfortunately, Black cannot castle in view o f t h e t yp i c a l B i s h o p s a c r i f i c e : 12...0-0 13.xh7+! xh7 14.g5+ g8 15.h3 e2+ 16.h1 and Black has to give up his Queen. ] 13.b2 e4 14.a3 d7 [ 14...a6!? was worthy of consideration, aiming to close the dangerous a3-f8 diagonal by playing either Nc6-e7 or b5-b4. ] 15.fc1 e7?! This move doesn't follow on from the previous one. After this inaccuracy White's initiative progresses without obstacles. [ Although 15...0-0-0 looks very dangerous, it was Black's only chance. After 16.e1 f6 17.f3 g5 18.b5 b8 19.d3 White's position is very strong, but there is no direct win. ] 16.xe7 xe7 [ The other recapture loses on the spot: 16...xe7 17.b5 xb5 18.c7+ e8 19.a3 ] 17.b5+ f8 18.c2! c8 19.xc8+ xc8 20.c1 The difference in activity of the two Rooks makes Black's position untenable.. b7 21.e1 f6 22.f3 g5 23.d3! f7 [ 23...f7 24.h4 and White wins a piece. ] 24.exf6 gxf6 [ 24...xf6 is bad as it allows 25.c7 ] 25.f4 e5? Losing on the spot. [ 25...d8 was slightly more stubborn, but Black's position is bad anyway: 26.h5! ( t h re a t e n i n g Q h 6 ) h6 27.f4! e5 T h e o n l y wa y t o p r e ve n t R c 7 . 28.xf6+ xf6 29.xf6 e7 ( 29...exd4 30.c7+winning ) 30.dxe5 winning. ] 26.c7! The final blow. d6 27.xb7 1-0
2
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 wh e n t h e b i s h o p r e m a i n s o n t h e l o n g B00 diagonal. ] Aleksandrov,Danila 2254 Turikov,Viktor 2311 12...h5! 13.e3 c7 14.fe5 g6 [ Not 14...xe5 15.xh7+ xh7 16.xh5+ White Nights Open (7) 30.06.2000 g8 17.xe5 ] [Neil McDonald] 15.xd7 xd7 16.ad1 c7 17.f3 f4 Black gains the two bishops with balanced 1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.d3 e6 [ If Black is planning to challenge White in ch a n ce s. A ga me o f ca t a n d m o u se n o w the centre with an early d7-d5 advance, then ensues lasting right up until the final move. he does best to adopt a move order that After simplification White presses for the win doesn't allow his opponent the chance to in the endgame, but he has misjudged the play Ng5. Unless of course White is made strength of Black's counterplay. 18.d2 xd3 of plastic and chips and you want to block 19.xd3 fd8 20.e2 ab8 21.b3 f6 the position at all costs! Thus, in DEEP 22.c1 a5 23.f2 a8 24.g3 a7 JUNIOR-Akopian, Dortmund 2000, play 25.a3 c6 26.f2 ac8 27.e3 a6 went 3...f6 4.e2 e6 5.f3 d5 28.f4 e7 29.c4 b5 30.fd1 xc4 ( 5...e7! ) 6.e5 fd7 7.g5! e7 31.xc4 xc4 32.bxc4 xd1+ 33.xd1 Too late! 8.g4 h5 ( Instead 8...g6 9.h4 b8 34.e3 b2 35.d2 b1+ 36.f2 f8 h5 10.h3 was good for White in Gleizerov- 37.e2 e8 38.d1 b7 39.d3 f5 Filipovic, Ljubljana 2000.) 9.g3 f8 40.c2 h5 41.f4 g5 42.e5 f7 43.h3 10.0-0 a6 Here a human player would be h4 44.h2 f6 45.d6 xd6 46.xd6 thinking about pawn breakthroughs, perhaps e5 47.c6 f4! 48.xe6 g3 49.g6 wi t h f 4 - f 4 , b u t m o r e l i k e l y w i t h c 2 - c 4 . g4! 50.fxg4 f4 51.f6 xg2 52.xf4 xh3 Instead the computer just messes around 53.f5 xg4 54.xc5 h3 55.c8 h7 and allows Black to block things up even 56.g8+ h4 57.g1 h2 58.h1 g3 further. 11.xa6 ( Already 11.c4 59.b3 g2 60.c1 h5 61.c5 xc5 was interesting, as if Black takes on c4 with 62.c4 h1 63.xh1 xh1 64.c3 g2 the pawn there is Qf3, attacking both a8 and 65.d4 c8 66.c5 f3 67.d5 e3 68.a4 f7. ) 11...xa6 12.c3?! c5 13.d1 c4 d3 69.c6 c3 70.c5 b3 71.b5 a8 14.e1 c8 15.h4 h7 16.f3 g8 72.c7 a3! a n d t h e ga m e e ve n t u a lly f in ish e d a s a 0-1 lifeless draw. ] 4.f3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.e2 e7 7.0-0 d5 B00 8.exd5 So far play has followed DD415, 6 Grosar-Filipovic. In that game White chose to Apicella,Manuel 2510 block the centre with Porrasmaa,Timo 2216 [ 8.e5 The game move tries to keep things ECC Halkidiki GRE (5) 26.09.2002 more fluid. ] [Jon Tisdall] 8...xd5 A difficult choice. [ 8...xd5!? may have been more accurate, 1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 as the aggressive 9.c4 h5 10.d5 exd5 5.e3 e6 6.h3 h5 7.d5 exd5 8.exd5 11.e1 c6 doesn't work for White. ] xf3?! This game does little to dispel the 9.dxc5 bxc5 This keeps over the important d o u b t s a r o u n d t h i s m o v e - t h e m o r e d4 square, but it leaves a hole on c4 and the complicated c5 pawn becomes slightly vulnerable. [ 8...e5 9.g4 g6 remains the best bet. ] [ D e s e r v i n g a t t e n t i o n w a s 9...xc5!? 9.xf3 e5 10.e2 e7 11.0-0-0 0-0 Assuming W hite cannot do anything fast 12.f4 ed7 13.g4 Typical procedure from Black must then have fully equalised. ] W hite - straightforward pawn storming has 10.a3 0-0 11.f4 bd7 12.c4? enjoyed great success. c5 14.d4 e8 This is too routine. I like the idea of 15.g5 f8 16.f3 fe4 [ 12.h3! to answer h5 with 13.h2 [ 16...fd7 17.h4 ]
5
3
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.xe4 xe4 18.b5 [ 18.d3 c5 19.b5 e7 20.f5!? ] 18...e7 19.hg1! Preparing the road forward for the f- and g-pawns. a6 20.d3 e8 21.f5 c5 22.xc5 dxc5 23.g6 fxg6 [ 23...e5!? was possible, preventing Qh5. White's initiative continues, but Black is on the board 24.d6 ( 24.gxh7+ h8 ) 24...cxd6 25.c4 h8 ] 24.fxg6 h6 25.d6! cxd6?? [ 25...d7 is the only move, when Black looks lost , but no clean KO is obvious. 26.ge1 d8 27.dxc7 g5+! ( 27...xc7 28.c4+ h8 29.xd7 xd7 30.f7+- ) 28.b1 xc7 and Black's position is precarious but not yet lost. ] 26.c4+ h8 27.d5 1-0
7 Ardelean,George Catalin Barbu,Iulian Banc Post Int (11) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2426 2282 27.09.2000
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.f3 f6 5.d3 b4 6.e2 d5 7.g5 [ 7.exd5 xd5 8.0-0 xc3 9.bxc3 bd7 10.e1 0-0 11.a6?! xa6 12.xa6 c5 13.d3 cxd4 14.cxd4 ac8 15.d2 b5 16.b2 a6 17.a4 b4 18.a5 c6 19.f1 b5 20.e3 b8 21.d2 d5 22.h3 7f6 23.ab1 xa5 24.c4 bxc3 25.xc3 c7 26.a5 d6 27.d3 f4 28.f1 bc8 29.ed1 h6 30.b4 d7 31.c5 6d5 32.c4 c3 33.e5 d5 34.xc6 xc6 35.g3 fe2+ 36.h2 xd1 37.xd1 c3 38.c1 d5 39.a3 b7 40.b1 c6 41.c5 a5 42.e1 a8 43.b3 a4 44.a3 b5 45.g2 c4 46.d6 xd4 47.f3 e3+ 0-1 Ascic,P-Lovric,B/Pula 1999 ] [ 7.e5 e4 8.0-0 xc3 9.bxc3 xc3 10.e3 e4 11.e1 c5 12.c3 xc3 13.dxc5 e4 14.xe4 dxe4 15.g3 f8 16.a3 g8 17.c2 d7 18.fd1 c7 19.cxb6 axb6 20.d2 c5 21.ad1 h6 22.d4 d3 23.d6 c4 24.b3 h7 25.f3 xa2 26.xa2 xb3 27.ad2 e3 28.xd3 e2 29.e1 exd1 30.xd1
xd1+ 31.xd1 c8 32.a1 d5 33.a7 g6 34.f2 c2+ 35.g3 b5 36.a1 b2 37.a3 b3 38.d6 b2 39.a3 b3 40.d6 c4 41.f4 b2 42.g3 h5 43.h4 a2 44.a3 e2 45.d6 f6 46.c1 c4 47.exf6 gxf6 48.b1 a2 49.b4 f5 50.c3 c2 51.d4 e5 52.b2 exd4 53.xc2 d3 54.d2 e5 55.f2 d4 56.g4 b4 57.gxh5 b3 58.h6 g8 59.e1 c3 60.h5 h7 61.f4 b2 62.d1 b1 0-1 Simonet Pons,M-Gallego,R/Escaldes 1999 ] 7...h6 8.xf6 gxf6!? Not the most natural move in the world, but having an extra centre pawn and some chances on the g-file is an interesting way to inject some dynamics into the position. [ 8...xf6 9.0-0 xc3 10.bxc3 0-0 11.exd5 exd5 12.e5 d6 13.g4 c8 14.g3 d7 15.xd7 xg3 16.f6+ gxf6 17.fxg3 g7 18.ae1 d8 19.e7 c5 20.b5 a6 21.e2 e6 22.b1 db8 1/2-1/2 Brandenberg,K-Krafzik,J/Germany 1999 ] 9.a3 xc3+ 10.bxc3 c6 11.e5 f5 [ 11...e7!? Preparing to castle long and keeping options of chipping away in the centre was interesting Also ] [ 11...g8!? has its merits. Closing with ...f5 robs black's position of some of its flexibility. ] 12.d2 g5 13.g3 e7 14.f4 a5 15.g1 0-0-0 16.b3 xb3?! After this black does not have much to do. [ 16...c6 ] 17.cxb3 c5?! 18.b4 cxd4 [ 18...c4 19.c2 h5 will presumably not keep white out forever, as he has all day to prepare the break g3-g4 under eventually favourable circumstances. ] 19.cxd4 b8 Here too black faces a nearly infinite defensive chore. 20.f2 c8 21.gc1 c7 22.d2 hc8 23.xc7 xc7 24.b5 e7 25.b2 c7 26.b4 d8 [ 26...c3 27.xc3 xc3 28.e2 and the rook will be driven out. ] 27.e3 f8 28.xf8 xf8 29.c1 g8 30.f3 c8 31.g2 d7 32.h3 f6 33.exf6 f8 34.h4 xf6 35.e2 e8 Black has prevented a direct invasion, but now endures a hostile hard-handed massage 4
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 for the rest of the game. His plan is straightforward, and he can implement it with a h e lp i n g o f s lo w t o rt u re . First h 3 +g4 i s played to create a potential passed pawn. 36.c3 d7 37.c2 b7 38.d3 f8 39.h5 f6 40.c1 e8+ 41.h4 d7 42.h3 f8 43.f1 f6 44.c2 b8 45.c3 b7 46.e2 b8 47.f3 c7 48.g4 fxg4 49.hxg4 d6 50.a4 e8 51.g3 A new regrouping, where white will tie black to the h6 pawn before preparing the advance of the g-pawn. f7 52.c3 d7 53.d3 f8 54.c1 Preventing any activity on the c-file black cannot trade rooks as the white king would rush in on the h-file. f6 55.h1 e8 56.h2 d7 57.f3 e8 58.e3 d7 59.h1 e8 60.h7! Preparing escort service for the g-pawn. d7 61.g5 hxg5 62.fxg5 f7 63.g6 e7 64.g1 g7 65.f4 e8 66.g2 f7 67.g5 e8 68.h6 1-0
8 Aronian,Levon Pedersen,Erik It Morso DEN (3) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2584 2400 11.02.2002
1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 xe5 4.f4 c6 5.c4 b4+ [ 5...f6!? is annotate d elsewhere on the site, and is probably the critical line - if it works... 6.c3 b4 7.e5 d5 8.exf6 dxc4 9.e2+ f8 10.e3 xf6 11.0-0-0 e6 12.e4 e7 13.f3 c3 14.b3 a5 15.b1 a4 16.b5 axb3 17.axb3 xb3 18.cxb3 xe4+ 19.d3 a5 20.c4 xc4 21.bxc4 e7 22.d4 xd4 23.xd4 ha8 24.e3+ d7 25.he1 a1+ 26.c2 1a2+ 27.d3 d2+ 28.e4 f5+ 29.xf5 xd4 30.c5 xc5 31.xc3 f8+ 32.g5 e7+ 0-1 Orso,M-Bordas,G/Budapest HUN 2000 ] 6.c3 a5 7.f3 You know a line is not terribly well explored when moves like this appear to be novelties. [ 7.e3 prevents black from taking up annoying possession of the a7-g1 diagonal, but the Be3 is poorly placed. h4+ 8.g3 e7 9.f3 f6 10.0-0 0-0 11.e1 ( 11.e5
g4 ) 11...g4 was fine for black, though he could also have taken the pawn on e4. 1-0 Levi,E-Tu Hoang Thong/ASK It Canberra AUS 1995 (57). ] 7...b6 8.e2 e7 9.bd2 d6 10.d3 A strong, simple, sensible yet far from obvious move. White just wants to play Nc4 and annex the bishop pair. f6 [ 10...f5!? looks like an interesting way to try and take advantage of still having the knight on g8. ] 11.c4 d5 [ 11...e6!? was worth a look. While the reaction ...d5 reminds me of Milesian handling of this kind of position, here black just cannot find sensible squares for the Nf6. In fact, I begin to understand lines where this piece comes into play via h6... ] 12.xb6 axb6 13.e5 g4 14.h3 h6 15.g4 f6 16.exf6 xe2+ 17.xe2 gxf6 18.f2 Black's kingside is seriously s h a t t e r e d . 0-0 19.g1 h8 20.b4! I like this move a lot - white relies on the positive energy of his position, and doesn't mind making a real mess of his queenside in order to get his dark-squared bishop on the long diagonal and the show on the proverbial road on the other flank. f7 21.b5 a5 22.e3 d6 23.d4 g8 24.g5 And now its time for the can opener on this side. f5 25.g6 h6 26.g7 e8 27.g6 b3 28.axb3 xa1 29.xh6 A terrific by white - it seems to me that you can only convert advantages with this kind of awesome brute force when you are young... 1-0
9 Ascic,Pero Rogulj,Branko TCh-CRO Rabat CRO (1) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2347 2411 07.09.2003
1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.d5 ce7 4.e3 f5 An idea of Miles that makes an interesting change from the better-known plan with 4... Ng6, followed by ...Nf6, and typically ...c6. That's not bad either but a timely h2-h4-h5 generally gives W hite space and pressure. 5.f3 f6 6.d3 Miles has had two 5
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 noteworthy games in this line: [ 6.h3 A) here 6...fxe4!? 7.fxe4 g6 ( 7...xe4? 8.h5+ g6 9.d3 is catastrophic for Black) 8.f2 b4+ 9.c3 a5 intending ...Bb6 is possible.; B) 6...d6 7.f2 c6 8.c4 c5 9.g3 g6 10.c3 g7 is like a Saemisch King's Indian (Beliavsky,A-Miles,A St.Vincent 2000) and ] [ 6.c3 d6 7.d2 g6 8.0-0-0 g7 9.h3 f4 10.f2 0-0 11.b1 is presumably some sort of Pirc, Campora,D-Miles,A Seville 1993. In both cases W hite's space advantage gives him the better options but this type of ga m e s u i t s t h o s e wh o p r e f e r a c l o s e d centre. ] 6...fxe4!? An interesting interpretation, leading to more open piece play than in the previous note. 7.fxe4 g6 8.c3?! [ 8.d2 is surely less complacent but then c6! 9.c4 b4 looks fine for Black. ] 8...b4 9.d2 a further imprecision. White hasn't noticed the storm clouds gathering... xc3! 10.xc3 xe4! stealing a pawn. White doesn't have any real compensation but is able to keep Black on his toes with vigorous play. 11.c4 d6 12.c3!? [ 12.xg6+?! hxg6 13.g4 h4+ is too easy for Black. ] 12...e4 13.e2 0-0 14.0-0-0 f5 [ 14...b6 with ...Bb7 comes into consideration. ] 15.d6! One might as well be hung for... xd6 16.g4 b6 17.h4! Keep going lads... xh4?! [ If 17...b7 then 18.g5 c8 19.h5 f4 20.h6 tries to trouble the waters but e6 steadies the ship. ] 18.h3 f3 19.xd6?! [ 19.b3+! h8 20.f4 is even more d a n g e r o u s . F r i t z t h e n s u g g e s t s xf4 21.xf4 b7 but chances are approximately equal. ] 19...cxd6 20.c4+ f7 21.xe4 b8 22.c4 Black has of course totally lost control, but with the benefit of hindsight, I think that he's still better. [ 22.xf3 is insufficient after b7 ] 22...b7 23.xf7+ xf7 24.xh7 e7 25.f4 c8 Black has retained only one ropey pawn from his pawn-grabbing spree. However
W h it e's at ta ck h as ru n ou t of ste am a n d Black's king proves to be pretty safe. White's however is another matter... 26.f5+ [ The ending after 26.c3 e6 27.f5+ xf5 28.gxf5 f6 clearly favours Black. ] 26...g8 27.g5 xg5 28.xg5 xc2+! A fine blow that finally tips the balance in Bla ck' s f a vo u r. 29.xc2 e2+ 30.c3 xh1 31.f4 [ 31.xd7? loses the bishop to e5+ ] 31...e1+ 32.d2 e5+ 33.c2 e4+ 34.c1 xg4 35.b3 d5 36.e3 g2 37.f2 f1+ 38.b2 e4 39.d4 0-1
10 Bakre,Tejas Popchev,Milko TSGM December (3) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2446 2452 17.12.2001
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.e2 e7 7.0-0 c6 8.a3 d5 9.e5 d7 10.bd2 [ 10.b4 f8 11.e3 g6 12.d1 0-0 13.g3 e8 14.h4 cxd4 15.cxd4 f6 16.exf6 xf6 17.h5 e5 18.hxg6 e4 19.c2 exf3 20.d3 e6 21.f5 xf5 22.xf5 hxg6 23.xg6 e7 24.d3 g5 25.c3 g7 26.f1 ae8 27.ac1 a6 28.b5 a8 29.e1 c8 30.d2 d8 31.a4 axb5 32.xb6 xa3 33.xb5? f5 34.c3 a2+ 35.c1 b8 1-0 Grujic,L-Popchev,M Belgrade 1991. Presumably this result is reversed, unless some horrible clock accident occurred . ] 10...g5!? 11.e3 f8 12.d1 g4 13.e1 cxd4 14.cxd4 g5 15.e2 h5 16.b3 g6 17.a6 [ 17.xg6!? fxg6 18.xg5 xg5 19.ac1 was an interesting alternative â (+) black's bishop is potentially a strong piece, but d4 is more secure and white can occupy the cfile quickly. ] 17...xa6 18.xa6 0-0 19.b7 c8 20.xg5 xg5 21.ac1 e7 Black has a pleasant position and in the very long run he also has chances of laying siege to the pawn duo d4/e5. The d4 pawn is the softest spot on the board. The rest of the game is a good 6
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 illustration of black's possibilities in this type of st ruc tu re . 22.a6 c7 23.c3 b8 24.d3 fc8 25.dc1 g7 26.g3 c6 27.d2 f6 28.exf6+ xf6 29.e3 e7 30.d3 f5 31.f4 f7 32.e5 xe5 33.dxe5 h4 [ 33...xc3 34.xc3 xc3 35.bxc3 c6 ] 34.h3 hxg3 35.hxg4 d4 36.f3 d7 [ 36...xc3!? ] [ 36...h8!? were better ways of trying to squeeze a bit more out of the position. ] 37.xc6 xc6 38.xc6 xc6 39.g2 cxe5 40.xg3 c4 41.xc4 dxc4 42.g2 c5 43.e3 b5 44.f4 d3 45.d1 a5 46.f3 b4 47.axb4 axb4 48.e3 e5 49.fxe5 xe5 50.d4 c3 51.bxc3 bxc3 52.xc3 ½-½
11 Bareev,Evgeny Bauer,Christian It Enghien les Bains FRA (6) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2709 2612 17.04.2001
1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.f3 b4 5.d3 f6 6.e2 d5 7.exd5 xd5 8.0-0 xc3 9.bxc3 0-0 [ 9...bd7 10.e1 ( 10.a4 0-0 11.a5 h5 12.g5 xe2 13.xe2 h6 14.f3 e4 15.a2 c5 16.d2 g6 17.f3 ac8 18.a3 fd8 19.axb6 axb6 20.b3 cxd4 21.xd4 e5 22.d1 d5 23.b5 c4 24.b4 d2 25.e1 b1 26.b2 bxc3 27.xc3 xc3 28.xc3 xc3 29.xb6 xc2 30.xc2 xc2 31.b3 dd2 32.f3 g5 33.g3 g7 34.h3 h5 35.e4 d1+ 36.g2 cc1 37.a3 f5 38.xe6 g4 39.a7+ f8 0-1 Vatnikov,J-Gurgenidze,B Bad Liebenzell 1995.) 10...h5!? 11.a4 xf3 12.gxf3 0-0 13.h1 fe8 (1/2-1/2, 23 ) S h erze r, A -O live ira , P Ph ilad e lp h ia 1993 ] 10.f4 c8 [ The thematic 10...h5 is still very playable: 11.xc7 xf3 12.xf3 ( 12.gxf3 d5 ) 12...xf3 13.gxf3 d5 ] 11.fe1 c5 [ 11...h5!? ] 12.dxc5 xc5 13.c4 bd7 14.a4
This position should be completely OK for b l a c k , b u t B a r e e v i s e xt r e m e l y g o o d a t exploiting the dynamics provided by doubled pawns and the bishop pair. e8 15.a5 e5 16.e3 c7 17.f5 bxa5 18.d2 e4 19.d4 b6 20.g5 xc4 [ 20...e5!? 21.c3 g6 22.f4 ] 21.xc4 xc4 22.eb1 It seems a bit unfair tha t black sh ou ld h ave such a ha rd t im e showing any clear advantage at all with two extra pawns, but the famous bishop pair and white's active pieces create a very complex situation. d5 23.b5 ad8 24.c5 h6 [ 24...e3!? 25.f3 a4!? ] 25.h4 e3 26.f3 g5 27.g3 h5 [ 27...e2!? 28.d3 d2 29.xe2 ( 29.f5!?; 29.xe2 xf3! ) 29...xf3 30.gxf3 xd3 31.cxd3 b3 32.f5 xa1 33.d4 h5 34.xa5 xg3 35.hxg3 d8= ] 28.c7 f4 29.xd8 xd8 30.c3 [ 30.c8!? ] 30...e6 31.xe6 A surprising decision [ 31.xe6 fxe6 32.d3 looks better. ] 31...fxe6 32.f1 b8 33.b5 d2+? [ 33...c8 ] 34.e1 c8 35.bxa5 xc3 36.xa7+f8 37.7a3 xa3 1-0
12
B00 Baumegger,Siegfried 2355 Freitag,Manfred 2389 TCh-2002-3 Fuerstenfeld AUT (10) 15.03.2003 [Jon Tisdall]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 b6 3.f3 b7 4.d3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.e2 e7 7.0-0 The most popular move at this point. W hite will react according to Black's reply. d5 Ah-ha! This move again! as we discussed in March's email bag, White hasn't been finding this idea easy to meet. In particular, Black feels fairly happy with the French-style closed centre seen in the game. [ The alternative 7...c6 is covered in the ebook. ] 8.e5 fd7 9.e3 c6 10.a3 c4 A couple of other moves have been played here, illustrating that there is no hard and fast rule 7
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 concerning the placement of Black's king! [ 10...g5 11.bd2 h5 12.b3 g4 13.e1 c7 14.f4 0-0-0 15.c2 b8 16.fc1 dg8 17.a4 h4 18.b5 f6 Hiermann,DAschenbrenner,R Austria tch. 2002 ] [ 10...a6 11.e1 0-0 12.g4 f5 13.exf6 xf6 14.g5 f7 15.xe7 xe7 16.f3 f6 17.h3 e5 Trabert, B-Epishin,V Lausanne 2001 ] 11.c2 a5 12.bd2 h6 With the centre firmly closed Black can calmly prepare long castling and action on the kingside. This is frustrating for White who cannot easily open the queenside. 13.e1 c7 14.h4 0-0-0 15.h5 dg8 16.g3 b8 17.g2 f8 18.f3 c6 19.h2 e8 Why hurry? 20.g4 b7 21.h3 h7 22.f4 c8 23.g4 d7 24.f2 e8 25.ae1 c8 26.e2 f8 27.h4 d8 28.h1 c6 29.f1 fg8 30.b1 f8 31.f1 g5 After a period of heavy manoeuvring, Black grasps his chance to open lines. 32.hxg6 h5 33.f6 [ If 33.f2 then xh4 34.xh4 xg6 is fine for Black ] 33...xf6 34.exf6 xf6 35.f2 xg6 36.xg6 fxg6 37.f3 h4 A pawn sacrifice to lever open W hite's king. 38.xh4 xh4 39.xh4 g5 40.fxg5 xg5 41.e3 h8 W hite is powerless to halt ...e5 f or long. 42.f3 h5 43.c1 e5! With his remaining pieces joining the fray White's insecure king becomes the decisive factor. 44.e3 h3+ 45.e1 g4 46.f5 h7 47.f3 e4+ 48.d2 xf5 49.xf5 g6 50.e3 a6 51.f2 a5 52.e7 b3+ 53.d1 h5+ 54.c2 h7 Note the relative safety of the two kings in this game! 0-1
13 Belamaric,Goran Mestrovic,Zvonimir chT Bled SLO (7) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2208 2434 20.10.2000
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e5 6.e2 e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.a3 [ 8.h3 h5 9.e1 e8 10.d5 b8 11.d3 The beginning of a pointless pilgrimage. g6
12.d2 bd7 13.c4 b6 14.b3 fd7 15.a4 g5 16.b5 xe3 17.xe3 f8 18.a5 c5 19.a2 c8 20.b4 d7 21.a4 b8 22.a6 bxa6 23.xa6 xa6 24.xa6 e7 25.c4 f5 26.f3 e8 27.a6 d7 28.e1 g6 29.exf5 f4 30.de4 xf5 31.f1 h4 32.h2 xg2 0-1 Mazi,L-Mestrovic,Z/Bled 1995. ] 8...e8 9.h3 h5 10.d5 b8 11.d2 g6 12.f3?! This allows black to gradually encroach on the kingside. Mestrovic is a steady practitioner of this variation as black, and seems to thrive on players going astray against the somewhat shapeless black position. h5 13.h2 h4 14.g4?! f4 15.c4 d7 16.e2 g5 17.xf4 exf4 18.b5 to prevent the N using the newly formed e5-outpost. a6 19.xd7 xd7 20.c4 h5 Black now has the power to slowly infiltrate on the dark-squares, and to open lines against the white king. 21.c3 f6 22.c1 e7 23.g2 e5 24.e1 d4 25.b3 f6 26.d2 e5 27.c2 [ 27.c5!? ] 27...g5 28.c1 xc3! 29.xc3 [ 29.xc3 hxg4 30.hxg4 xe4! 31.fxe4 f3+ ] 29...hxg4 30.hxg4 xe4! a promising piece sacrifice. 31.fxe4 xe4+ 32.f3 xg4+ [ 32...f5!? looks better, creating a nastily advanced pawn roller. ] 33.f2 h4+ 34.g1 xc2 35.xc2 e8 36.d3 The worst is over now, white is relatively safe once the knight comes to the defence. e4 37.h2 f6 38.b3 g5 39.f2 e2 40.h3 d4 41.g2 g7 42.h5 e5 43.g1 f8 44.g4 a1+ 45.g2 e1 46.c8+ g7 47.h3 g6 48.g8+ g7 49.c8 a1 50.h8 g1+ 51.h2 g3 52.g8+ g7 53.c8 e3 ½-½
14 Beliavsky,Alexander G Miles,Anthony J 1st ch-Europe (9) [Carsten Hansen]
B00 2640 2579 12.07.2000
1.d4 c6 2.e4 e5 3.d5 3 dxe5 Nxe5 4 Nf3 is the main line, but Beliavsky, like Miles, isn't 8
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 afraid of choosing his own path through the jungle. ce7 4.e3 f5 5.f3 f6 6.h3!? This move looks a bit bizarre, but the idea makes sense: transfer the knight to f2, from where it protects the e4-pawn and controls the g4 -s q u a re , wh i ch o t h e rwi se wo u ld b e i n Black's hands after an exchange on e4. [ Other possibilities are: 6.c3 d6 7.d2 g6 8.0-0-0 g7 9.h3 f4 10.f2 0-0 11.b1 a6 12.ge2 d7 13.c1 b5 14.a3 b8 15.b3 Campora-Miles, Seville 1993, and now b4 would have given Black at least the initiative. ] [ 6.d3 f4 7 6...fxe4!? fxe4 c6!? is also an interesting option 7.f2 g5 8.c4 g6 9.c3 b4 10.b3 e7 11.0-0-0 c5 12.xc5 xc5 13.b1 d6 14.ge2 b6 15.c2 d7 16.a1 e7 , and Black is do ing f in e , P a ra m os Dom ingu e z-I ze t a , Spain ch 1993. ] 6...d6 7.f2 c6 8.c4 c5 9.g3 g6 10.c3 g7 This looks a bit like a Saemisch Variation of the King's Indian, in which neither side are familiar with the moves. 11.g4 f4 [ 11...fxg4 is far more interesting, but also more challenging for Black 12.fxg4 h5 ( 12...0-0 is also playable) 13.e2 xg4 14.xg4 hxg4 15.xg4 0-0 16.g1 with an initiative for White. ] 12.d2 g5 13.b4 [ Or 13.h4 h6 14.hxg5 hxg5 15.xh8+ xh8 16.h3 g6 17.a4+ f8 18.0-0-0 h4 19.e2 with a long struggle ahead ] 13...b6 14.bxc5 bxc5 15.d3 h5 16.h3 f7 17.e2 g6 Now it looks like Black is slightly better, although the closed pawn structure limits the advantage considerably. 18.a4 f8 19.ab1 e7 20.c2 hxg4 21.hxg4 xh1 22.xh1 d7 23.a3 b8 24.b1 b6 with a fairly balanced game. 25.c3 h8 26.g1 c8 27.d2 a6 28.xa6 xa6 29.b1 d8 30.a4 c7 31.b5 c8 32.f1 e7 33.c6 h4 34.d2 g2 35.b7 d7 36.a6 b6 37.f1 h4 38.e1 g2 39.d2 h4 40.b5 c8 41.e1 g2 42.d2 h4 43.b3 d8 44.c6 ½-½
15 Blimke,Dalia Gaprindashvili,Nona 2nd ch-EUR Women (10) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2209 2376 02.05.2001
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.a3 g6 5.f3 g7 6.g5 e7 [ 6...c8!? as McShane tried in a similar position against Tukmakov, deserves attention. ] 7.h4!? h6 8.f4 d6 9.d2 An interesting deployment against the Miles/ McShane Hippo - white prevents expansion with ...g5 and keeps an eye on h6. d7 10.e2 a6 11.h2 b5 12.g1? b6 13.d1 d7 14.f3 White seems stumped, and only hoping to lure b l a c k i n t o c a s t l i n g k i n g s i d e . 0-0-0!? W hile white has been trundling around planlessly, black has made some sensible m o ve s, b u t t h is c o n ve rt s t h e q u e e n s i d e expansion into weaknesses, and is very risky indeed. [ 14...d8!? ] [ 14...f5!? ] [ 14...0-0? 15.f4 h7 16.h5 g5 17.xg5! hxg5 18.xg5+ g8 19.h6 f6 ( 19...h8 20.h7+ g7 21.xf7! ) 20.f4+- ] 15.0-0 f5 16.d3 fxe4 [ 16...g5!? beats a path to d4 and tries to open all lines on the kingside - this definitely deserves attention and is presumably a reason for castling the other way. ] 17.xe4 xe4 [ 17...g5!? is still a natural way to try and get going on the kingside. ] 18.xe4 f5 19.b3 c6 To justify castling opposite sides black should be aiming to hook onto the h4 pawn, but grows understandably uneasy about how peelable her own king cover is. It is probably already too late to try and race: [ 19...e7 20.a5 ( 20.g3 g5 21.hxg5 hxg5 22.xg5 f7 ) 20...b7 21.c4 xh4 22.xh4 xh4 23.fe1 and black's king cover is going, with c4-c5 the main threat. ] 20.fe1 he8 21.c1 d5 22.c4! bxc4 23.bxc4 c6 9
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 23...xc4 24.b4+- ] 24.c5 c4 25.cxd6+- xd2 26.xc6 xf3+ 27.gxf3 d7 28.xa6 xd6 29.xd6 xd6 30.xd6+ cxd6 31.xd6 1-0
16 Bologan,Viktor Martin,Andrew D 4NCL Birmingham [Andrew Martin]
B00
23.10.2005
1.e4 b6 What to play against Bologan? An unorthodox opening reduces the chance of getting theoretically outplayed and sidesteps the opponents preparation. Not that Bologan would have prepared anything special for me other than a good night's sleep! 2.d4 b7 3.d3 g6 Maybe this is trampling on Glenn's ground, maybe not. The Owen move-order often allows Black to set up a favourable version of the Hippo. 4.f4 f5! A sharp and necessary move. White must not be allowed to mass his forces in the centre or Black will be squashed. 5.e2 fxe4 6.xe4 xe4 7.xe4 c6 8.f3 f6 9.e2N Bologan played this quickly but as he was suffering from a virus we should not read too much into that. It looked like he wanted to get the game over as quickly as possible. My own f eeling is that Black is f ine here. He ca n develop effectively and can look forward to a central pawn break in the near future. [ 9.d3 would have been a nice sight for me, leading to a game I knew well: g7 10.e5 0-0 11.xc6 dxc6 12.0-0 d7 13.c3 c5 14.c4+ d5 15.dxc5 e5 16.fxe5 xf1+ 17.xf1 f8 18.e2 e7 19.d2 xe5 20.c4 d4+ 0-1 Serpik, I-Blatny, P/Los Angeles 2003 ] 9...g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.d1 e6 12.c4 e7 13.c3 ae8= Thematic play. Now Black plans either ...d6 and ...e6-e5 or maybe ...d7d5 and ..Ne4 if allowed. 14.g3 [ I expected 14.e5 which I was planning to answer with the simple d8 with ...d6, ... Nf7 and ...e5 as the coming plan. ] 14...d6 15.g2 d8 16.e3 a8! Still no problems for Black in fact it is White who has to play very well just to stay on the
board. 17.f1 e5 The aforementioned break 18.fxe5 dxe5 19.d5 d4 20.d2 g4 21.g1 xf3 22.xf3 xf3 23.xf3 e4+ So, far, so forced. I was still happy and felt Black to be a little better. But great players do not cave in. 24.g2 [ 24.xg4 c8+ 25.h4 ( 25.g5 f5+ 26.h4 h5# ) 25...f6+ 26.g5 xg5+ 27.xg5 f5+ 28.h6 h5# ] 24...c8 [ W i t h h i n d s i g h t m a y b e 24...e5! was better: 25.e2 ( 25.b3 c8 26.xe4 xc4-+ ) 25...f3 26.e3 xc3 27.bxc3 d8 ] 25.e1 f5 I had designs on his King. 26.f1 d7 27.e2 xc3! An unconventional decision but a good one. Black gets to preserve his passed pawn and poses questions to White about his pawn structure. I didn't see myself getting mated. 28.bxc3 h6 29.f4 e7 30.c5! I saw this move but it came as a surprise! Is that a contradiction? Well, that's how it was. e3 31.cxb6 axb6 32.c4 f7 33.d6! cxd6 34.xe3 b7+ Still OK, but by now I was getting into mild time-trouble and starting to get worried by the nature of White's counterplay. Here the game changes course. [ 34...xe3! l e a d s t o a d r a w : 35.xf7+ ( 35.xf7 b5 36.b3 e4+ 37.f3+ d5 38.xb5 f8 39.d3 xf3 40.xf3 c2+= ) 35...h8 36.f6+ g8 37.xd6 xc3 38.xb6 d2+ 39.f2 d5+ 40.h3 h5+ 41.g2 d5+= It's hard to say why I didn't play this line. A combination of over-optimism and underestimation of the opponent has to be the answer, although I'm having problems admitting it! ] 35.f2 b5 36.b3 e4?! [ Just 36...e7!= holds easily and crucially, protects the Queen! ] 37.a4! On to the mistake in a flash. g5 [ 37...xf4+! 38.gxf4 ( I missed 38.xf4 a7+ ) 38...h1 39.axb5 xh2+ 40.f3 d5 was a much, much better try. I just didn't play this part of the game very well. ] 38.xe4 xe4 39.axb5 d5 40.d4 g4 41.d1 g5 42.e2! Now wriggle as he might, Black cannot escape defeat. h3+ 43.e1 b1+ 44.d1 e4+ 45.d2 g5 46.c1 f3 47.b6 e8 48.b2 b5+ 10
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 49.a3 h5 50.a4 xd4 51.xd4 h7 52.b4 a6+ 53.b3 e2 54.b7 d1+ 55.b2 e2+ 56.a3 e1 57.b8 1-0
17 Brancaleoni,Maurizio Tomescu,Vlad Open Cesenatico ITA (2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2196 2417 10.09.2001
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.d5 exd5 7.exd5 xf3 8.xf3 [ 8.gxf3!? Sharper, but not terrifying. e5 9.e3 e7 10.d2 0-0 11.0-0-0 c5 12.dg1 e8 13.f4 d7 14.e4 a6 15.f5 df6 16.g5 d7 17.d3 b5 18.c4 a4 19.b1 b5 20.b3 xb3 21.axb3 c7 Black has seized the initiative with active play on the queenside and the better pawn structure. 22.c2 fb8 23.d2 f8 24.a1 h6 25.h3 d7 26.f4 f6 27.a2 b7 28.h5 d4 29.c3 xc3 30.xc3 e8 31.d3 e5 32.e1 eb8 33.e3 bxc4 34.bxc4 b3+ 35.c2 8b4 36.xe5 dxe5 37.d6 a8 38.f6 gxf6 39.xf6 b6 40.xa6 xb2+ 41.c1 xf2 42.xb6 xf6 43.d7 bxb6 44.d8+ g7 45.c7 bd6 46.e2 c6 47.xe5 ce6 48.g3+ g6 49.c3+ g8 50.f3 a6 51.e3 a1+ 52.b2 a5 53.e8+ g7 54.e5+ g8 55.c6 a6 56.d5 gb6+ 57.c1 f8 58.e4 a5 59.h4 e6 60.b8+ g7 61.g3+ f8 62.b8+ g7 63.f4 a1+ 64.b2 aa6 65.g4+ f8 66.d5 eb6+ 67.c2 a2+ 68.d3 g6 69.f4 g3+ 70.e4 e2+ 71.f5 g6 72.xf7 gg2 73.d5 gf2 74.f3 e1 75.g6+ e7 76.f6+ 1-0 Timoshenko,G-Miles,A Moscow 1990. ] 8...e5 9.e2 e7 10.0-0 [ 10.e3 A) 10...0-0 11.f4 ed7 12.d2 A1) 12...e8 13.f3 b6 14.b3 d7 15.0-0 c5 16.h3 c8 17.d3 d8 18.ae1 a5 19.d2 b6 20.e4 xd2 21.xf6+ gxf6 22.xd2 xe1 23.xe1 e8 24.xe8+ xe8 25.f2 c8 26.a4 e7 27.d3 f8 28.g4 h6 29.e4 f8 30.b4? f5 31.xf5
cxb4 32.g4 ( 32.xh7 h5 ) 32...a5 33.g3 g7 34.c4 b2 35.d3 f5 36.d1 a1 37.g4 xa4 38.gxf5 a1 39.h5 c3 40.f6 xf6 41.xh7 xf4+ 42.f3 f5 43.xb7 e3+ 44.g2 0-1 Frendzas, P-Ibragimov,I Peristeri 1993.; A2) 12...c5 13.f3 d7 14.0-0-0 ae8 15.d4 d8 16.he1 xe1 17.xe1 e8 18.g4 xe1+ 19.xe1 h6 20.h3 a6 21.e3 e7 22.xe7 xe7 23.b4 cd7 24.d2 h7 25.e4 f6 26.f2 g6 27.e2 b6 28.d3 a4 29.c4 b2+ 30.b3 d1 31.e1 g7 32.c4 f6 33.f3 d7 34.c1 e3 35.f2 d4 36.e2 b6 37.e1 g5 38.c3 1/2-1/2 Dlugy, M-Miles,A USA-ch 1989.; B) 10...c5!? 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.f4 g6 13.0-0 0-0 14.e1 d5 15.f2 b8 16.ab1 e8 17.b4 c7 18.d4 ab8 19.b5 cxb5 20.xb5 xb5 21.xb5 d8 22.e2 b4 23.b5 xc2 24.f5 e4 25.e3 f8 26.a3 d2 27.h3 a6 28.g4 h6 29.d1 d2 30.xg7 xg7 31.f6 xf6 32.xf6 axb5 33.f1 d4+ 0-1 Koelle,A-Storm,R Germany 1991 GERchT2. ] 10...0-0 11.e1 [ 11.e3 fd7 12.d2 g6 13.b5 f6 14.d4 e8 15.c3 e7 16.c4 xd4 17.xd4 f5 18.c3 c5 19.d3 xd3 20.xd3 g5 1/2-1/2 Gruenfeld,Y-Miles,A Biel 1995. ] 11...a6 12.a4 e8 13.f1 h6 14.a5 f8 15.e4 g6 16.a3 ed7 17.xf6+ xf6 18.f3 h4 19.c4 h5 20.g3 g7 21.g5 d4 22.xe8+ xe8 23.a4 e1 24.e3 b1 25.b4 e5 26.c2 b2 27.c3 f3+ 0-1
18 Brendel,Oliver Hille,Ingo Bundesliga 2000-1 (7) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2394 2244 28.01.2001
1.e4 c6 2.f3 f6 3.c3 d5 4.e5 d7 [ 4...e4 is more in keeping with the spirit of the opening, and black has had very 11
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 reasonable results - here are a sampling of some that are both encouraging and fairly representative of the ideas employed. 5.d4 ( 5.b5 g4 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 xc3 8.dxc3 e6 9.f4 d7 10.0-0-0 a6 11.d3 b5 12.he1 b8 13.b1 e7 14.h4 c5 15.h5 c4 16.f1 c6 17.g4 c7 18.xd5 exd5 19.e6 d6 20.xd6 xd6 21.xf7+ d8 22.xg7 e8 23.g5 b4 24.g6 hxg6 25.h6 e7 26.xg6 bxc3 27.h7 xb2+ 0-1 Vogelmann,P-Renette,H NED 1998.) 5...g4 6.e3 ( 6.e2 e6 7.0-0 e7 8.e3 xc3 9.bxc3 0-0 10.h3 h5 11.d3 a5 12.fe1 c4 13.ab1 b6 14.d1 g6 15.e2 h6 16.d2 xe3 17.xe3 c5 18.f4 c8 19.b2 c7 20.f1 cxd4 21.cxd4 c3 22.xc3 xc3 23.f3 fc8 24.xc3 xc3 25.b3 c7 26.c3 h4 27.f3 g3 28.f1 d3+ 29.e2 c2 30.a3 xf4 31.f2 c1 32.a6 b2 33.e1 e4 34.f3 g6 35.e2 xc3 36.f3 a5 0-1 Dansker,GIppoliti,H Buenos Aires 1993.) 6...e6 7.d3 b4 8.0-0 xc3 9.bxc3 xc3 10.b1 xd4 11.xb7 xe3 12.b5 0-0 13.xc6 b6 14.a4 a5 15.h3 h5 16.d3 e7 17.xb6 cxb6 18.xa8 xa8 19.d4 b4 20.f4 g6 21.f5 exf5 22.xf5 c5+ 23.h1 e8 24.f3 xe5 25.xg7 f8 26.f6 xg7 27.xb6 h6 28.xa5 e2 29.b5 e5 30.a5 xc2 31.a6 e4 32.g1 g3 0-1 Cioara,A-Pizzuto,S/ Castellaneta 1999 ] 5.d4 b6 To get the light-squared bishop out before playing ...e6. [ 5...e6 is a posit ion more often seen via the French, though even there it is rare, and even there Black prefers to put his N on e4. ] 6.a3 f5 [ 6...g4!? ] 7.h4 d7 8.f4 e6 9.f3 Now this looks like a clumsy French from black. a6 10.e2 a7 11.0-0 c5 12.e3 c7 13.h1 0-0-0?! 14.a4 c4 15.xc4 dxc4 16.e2 cxd4 17.xd4 b8 18.g1 White has a clear edge as the c4 pawn is weak and black's king exposed. e7 19.e4 f5 20.d6! xd6 21.exd6 xd6 22.e5 e7 23.xc4 c6?? [ 23...c6 24.b6 dg8 25.ad1 ] [ 23...c8 24.e5+ a8 25.c7 +- ]
24.e5+ c7 25.xa7+ 1-0
19 Campora,Daniel Hugo Salgado Gonzalez,Julio XXVII Open Sevilla ESP (2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2542 2063 12.01.2002
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 d7 [ 4...g8!? is an interesting option - it takes two moves for this piece to reach a decent square in any event, and the traditional route to b6 is hardly a dream outpost. On the other hand, one has to wonder if the option of getting the Bc8 out is worth playing a French with a lot of silly preliminary horseplay. ] 5.f3 b6 6.b5N g4 [ 6...d7!? ] 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 Now white has an easy advantage, either thanks to the bishop pair, or a better pawn structure after a capture on c6. e6 9.0-0 g6 10.d1 g7 11.a4 a5 12.b3 0-0 13.xc6 bxc6 14.a3 e8 15.e2 f6 [ 15...d7!? ] 16.c3 fxe5 17.dxe5 d7 18.f4 g5 Tempting, but white is quite well placed to use the open lines on the kingside. [ 18...a6!? ] 19.g3 gxf4 20.gxf4 h4 21.d3 h5 [ 21...a6 22.g3 h8 23.g4 h5 24.h2 ] 22.e1 h8? [ 22...a6 23.g3 h8 24.d4 ] 23.xc6 xe5 24.fxe5 xe5 25.g3 [ 25.g3 g8 26.xe6+( 26.xa8 is possible as well. )] 1-0
20 Campora,Daniel Hugo Salgado Gonzalez,Julio XXVI Open Sevilla ESP (2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2513 2079 13.01.2001
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 We get a thorough look at t h i s l i n e t h i s m o n t h . 3.c3 e5!? Nic e t o co n f u se p e o p le s o e a r ly. . . 4.b5 12
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A look at some of the alternatives, in encouraging form - I like to give the potential daring defender something to look forward to it is always best to get to know what one can look forward to, while keeping in mind that daily life in these lines is likely to be far more pedestrian. [ 4.exd5 xd4 5.f3 ( 5.e3 f5 6.b5+ d7 7.d3 xe3 8.xd7+ xd7 9.xe3 f6 10.ge2 d6 11.0-0 e7 12.ad1 0-0 13.e4 b6 14.c4 h6 15.c5 bxc5 16.xc5 g4 17.d2 f5 18.e4 xe4 19.xe4 ab8 20.c1 b4 21.dd1 a5 22.b3 b6 1/2-1/2 Szabo,Z-Furhoff,J Budapest 1994. ) 5...g4 6.xd4!? xd1 7.b5+ e7 8.d6+ xd6 9.f4 g4 10.f3 c5 11.0-0-0 cxd4 12.xd4+ e7 13.d5+ e6 14.e1 d6 15.fxg4 f6 16.g3 a5 17.f4+ e7 18.d5+ f8 19.ed1 xb5 20.c3 a5 21.xd6 e7 22.d7 c8 23.e1 b6 24.xe7 xe7 25.d5+ e6 26.xb6 axb6 27.f2 hd8 28.e1 b5 29.h3 c4 30.b3 c6 31.e2 a8 32.b2 ca6 33.a4 bxa4 34.b4 a3+ 35.a2 c6 36.e1 b5 37.f2 d6 38.c5 d1 39.b6 g6 40.a5 c8 41.xa3 c6 42.b3 f5 43.gxf5+ gxf5 44.g3 h5 45.h4 b1+ 46.a2 g1 47.e3 xc2+ 48.b3 cg2 0-1 Lind,J-Laveryd,P Ro n n e b y 1 9 9 8 . B l a c k s e e m e d t o h a ve control all the time, but it is easier on the nerves to know this in advance? ] [ 4.xd5 xd4 5.e3 c6 6.c3 b4 7.c4 f6 8.a3 a5 9.b4 b6 10.f3 xf3+ 11.gxf3 e7 12.g1 g6 13.d2 e6 14.xe6 xe6 15.xb6 axb6 16.f4 exf4 17.xf4 0-0 18.f5 e7 19.e5 fe8 20.f4 d5 21.xd5 cxd5 22.d3 f6 23.f3 xe5+ 24.d2 e4 25.af1 d4+ 26.c1 c4 27.g3 ac8 28.b1 xc2 29.b3 xh2 0-1 Licardo,R-Bozinovic,B Zadar 1998. ] 4...dxe4 5.d5 A brief theoretical summary, and I mean brief - there are not a lot of tests in these lines. [ 5.dxe5 xd1+ 6.xd1 d7 ] [ 5.e3 exd4 6.xd4 d7 ] [ 5.ge2 d7 6.d5 ( 6.dxe5 xe5; 6.xe4 exd4 ) 6...ce7 7.c4 ( 7.xd7+ xd7 ) 7...f5!? ( 7...f6!? ) 8.0-0 f6 ] [ 5.xe4 exd4 6.f3 b4+ 7.d2 ( 7.c3
dxc3 ) 7...xd2+ 8.xd2 ge7 9.xd4 0-0 ] 5...a6 6.a4 b5 7.xb5 [ 7.b3!? d4 8.xe4 f5 9.g3 g6 10.f3! xb3 11.axb3 d6 12.0-0 ] 7...axb5 8.xb5 ge7 9.g5 [ 9.dxc6 xd1+ 10.xd1 f5 11.c3 c5 12.f3 d6! 13.e2 e6 14.a3 b3+ 15.e1 0-0 16.fxe4 f5! 17.f3 fxe4 18.xe5 f2+ 19.d2 e3+ 20.d3 f5 0-1 Tomson,H-Panus,V USSR 1994. ( 20...f5 21.f3 d5+ 22.d4 c4+ 23.c2 xd4 24.cxd4 xe2-+ )] 9...f6 10.e3 f7?! Probably a disimprovement on theory, though things remain reasonably messy. [ 10...b8 11.a4 xb5 12.axb5 d4 ( 12...b4!? ) 13.xd4 exd4 14.xd4 xd5 15.e2 xb5 16.c3 c6 17.0-0-0 g6 18.he1 h6+ 19.b1 f7 20.xe4 f5 21.c4+ xc4 22.xc4 c6 23.e4 xe4 24.xe4 f5 25.b4 g7 26.b7 e5 27.g3 g5 28.a2 h5 29.dd7 e8 30.b4 e6 31.c4 g4 32.b3 f4 33.d1 fxg3 34.fxg3 f5 35.b5 d4+ 36.b4 cxb5 37.cxb5 c8 38.b6+ d5 39.h6 c2 40.xh5 b2+ 41.a4 a2+ 1/2-1/2 Ulibin, M-Mohr,G Voskresensk 1990. ] [ 10...d7 11.dxc6 xc6 12.xc6+ xc6 13.g4 ] [ 10...a5!? seems less reliable than Mohr's choice as it seems better to target the b2 p a w n i n a p o t e n t i a l e n d i n g . 11.xc6+ ( 11.a4 xb5 12.axb5 b4 ) 11...xc6 12.dxc6 xd1+ 13.xd1 a6!? ] 11.dxc6 xd1+ 12.xd1 e6 13.a4 d5 14.e2 e7 [ 14...xe3 15.fxe3 c5 16.c3 ] 15.d2 b4 16.xb4 xb4+ 17.c3 e7 18.b4 hd8 19.0-0 b3 20.xd8 xd8 21.a5 c2 22.g3 g6 23.c4+ f8 24.a1 f5 25.a6 d3 26.a7 a8 27.e6 b5 28.d7 g5 29.a5 d3 30.c8 xc8 31.a8 xa8 32.xa8+ e7 33.h8 h6 34.h4 c1 35.h7+ d6 36.h5 f4 37.xe4+ xe4 38.hxg6 f3 39.d7+ xc6 40.g7 h7 41.d8 b2 42.h8 1-0
13
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 21 Cebalo,Miso Buric,Danijel 8th Metalis Open (7) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 22 2473 Cebalo,Miso 2241 Mestrovic,Zvonimir 25.02.2001 Croatian Cup (2) [Glenn Flear]
1.d4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.e4 g4 4.e3 e6!? Strangely, this move is either very rare, or new. It d o es n 't lo ok it , b ut mo st ga m es e ith e r continue ...e5, or feature ...e6 after ...Nf6. Black's flexible order is unusual. 5.h3 h5 6.c3 [ 6.d5!? ] 6...d5 7.exd5 exd5 8.b5 b4 9.g4 g6 10.e5 ge7 A handy difference - now white must justify his pawn pushing, and black is nicely solid. 11.h4 h6 12.xg6 xg6 13.h5 h4!? Black could try [ 13...xc3+!? first. ] 14.d3 xc3+ Risky - black could try just [ 14...f3+!? ] 15.xc3 f3+ 16.e2 f6 17.c5 planning Rh3 followed by transferring this to the e-file. 0-0-0! 18.xc6 bxc6 19.h3 [ 19.xa7 he8 20.ad1 g5!? ( 20...e4 gives black similar counterplay to the game but it must be better for white not to have traded minor pieces - his king has better cover.) 21.d2 d7! since there is a threat of Ra8 and Ne4. ] 19...g5 20.xg5 xg5 21.g3 he8+ 22.f1 d6! 23.xa7 e4 24.a4 de6 25.a6+ d7 and rather alarmingly for white, who seems to have been playing sensibly and strongly, black's king is saf est, and grim defence is now the order of the day. 26.d3 xg4 27.e1 xe1+?! [ 27...xg3! 28.xg3 xe1+ 29.xe1 c1+ 30.e2 xc2+ and black should win the queen ending. ] 28.xe1 e4+ 29.f1 c1+ 30.g2 h4 31.h3 g5+ 32.f1 g4 33.e2 e4+ 34.f1 c1+ 35.g2 xb2 36.f3 e7 37.e3 e6 38.a5 d8 39.g3 b5 40.a3 c5 41.dxc5 e1 42.d3 xd3 43.cxd3 a1 44.xg7 e7 45.d4 xa5 46.h7 a4 47.xh6 xd4 48.c6 d7 49.f6 e7 ½-½
B00 2515 2402 08.05.2002
1.d4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.e4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e5 6.b5 d7 7.d5 cb8 8.h3 h5 9.g4 g6 10.h4 h5 Mestrovic rejects [ 10...h6 which he used with a bit more success, though arguably not because of the positions he got. 11.h5 h7 12.g5 a6 ( 12...hxg5 13.xg5 a6 14.g4 g8 15.e6 fxe6 16.dxe6 xe6 17.xe6+ e7 18.g6+ f7 19.xf7+ xf7 20.c4+ e8 21.d5 1/2-1/2 Jonkman,HMestrovic,Z Wijk aan Zee 1999.) 13.f1 b5 14.a3 0-1 Medvegy, N-Mestrovic,Z Budapest 1999. ] 11.g5 e7 Mestrovic's improvement over [ 11...a6 12.f1 b5 13.d2 e7 14.g1 c8 15.a4 b4 16.a2 b7 17.c3 a5 18.cxb4 axb4 19.b5 1-0 Piket,JMestrovic,Z Sremic Krsko 1998. ] 12.d2! This looks like a strong new move. White takes a bead on the h5 pawn and the Nd2 is very well placed to react to changes in the centre or on the queenside. [ 12.g1!? c6 13.dxc6 ( 13.f1!? ) 13...bxc6 14.e2 c7 15.d2 c5! 16.xc5 dxc5 17.c4 d7 18.d3 b6 0-1 Soylu,S-Mestrovic,Z/Nova Gorica SLO 2001 (46). ] 12...c6 13.e2 b6 14.a4 cxd5 W it h o u t t h is m o ve it is h a rd f o r b la c k t o complete development on the queenside as the pressure on c6 and the possible battering by the advance of the a4 pawn leave this flank under strong pressure. But black could try to wait: [ 14...a5!? 15.f1 a6 16.g3 b4 17.c1 Taking on c6 will only give black a centre and an immediate threat with ...d5 as compensation for the h-pawn. cxd5 18.exd5 c8 is a critical and logical plan, where black has mounted pressure on the queenside as compensation for the doomed h-pawn. ] 15.exd5 a6 16.a5 d7 17.de4 Not just an obvious post, but a stop on the way to eating h5. ac5 [ 17...dc5!? 18.xc5 14
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 18...xc5 19.xc5 ( 19.g3!? still wins a pawn.) 19...dxc5 20.b5+ f8 21.d3 with a safe advantage.; B) 18...xe4 19.xe4 xc5 20.xc5 dxc5 21.xh5 where black has practical chances for the pawn due to the general lack of king safety. ] 18.g3 Black has lost the opening battle, though he does his best to dispute this. f5 19.xh5 [ 19.xh5!? xh5 20.xh5 0-0 21.g3 ] 19...0-0 20.f4 e8 21.g3 e4 22.cxe4 exf4 23.xf4 fxe4 24.0-0 e5 25.xe5 dxe5 26.h5 [ 26.d6!? ] 26...c8 27.xf8+ xf8 28.g2 f5 29.d2 d6 30.c4 c5 31.xf5 xf5 32.f1 e3 [ 32...d7!? 33.c2 d8 34.f5 ] 33.xf5 exd2 34.f3 f8 35.e4 d6 36.xf8+ xf8 37.f5+- f7 38.b3 a6 39.d1 e4 40.xe4 g6 41.h6 b4 42.e5 xa5 43.c5 c7+ 44.e4 a5 45.c6 b5 46.c2 d6 47.f3 e7 48.e2 e5 49.xg6 d6 50.d3 a4 51.bxa4 bxa4 52.g6 Black must find an improvement, by move 14 at the latest. 1-0
23 Christiansen,Larry Mark Benjamin,Joel ch Seattle USA (3) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2563 2577 27.09.2000
1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.d5 ce7 4.f3 g6 5.h4 h5 6.g5 [ 6.g3 c5 7.g5 f6 8.d2 d6 9.c3 d7 10.e2 6e7 11.h2 g6 12.c1 c6 13.e3 xe3 14.xe3 b6 15.xb6 axb6 16.dxc6 bxc6 17.0-0 b5 18.a3 c8 19.fd1 h6 20.f1 e7 21.e3 b6 22.ac1 g4 23.xg4 xg4 24.d3 c4 25.xc4 bxc4 26.e3 hb8 27.b1 b7 28.f3 e6 29.d1 d5 30.a1 d6 31.e2 d4 32.f2 c5 33.c3 d7 34.d2 e6 35.e2 ab8 36.e1 a4 37.a2 b3 38.a1 xd1 39.xd1 xb2 40.xb2 xb2 41.a4 g2 42.a3 d6 43.a5 c7 44.a6 b8 45.a7+ a8 46.a6 xg3
47.xf6 xa7 0-1 Meissner,H-Miles,A/ Slough 1997/CBM 62 (47) ] 6...f6 7.c3 b4 [ 7...c5 also looks tempting, but Benjamin had a painful experience in this line: 8.a4 b4+ 9.c3 e7 10.xf6 xf6 11.d6 cxd6 12.g3 d5 13.xd5 d6 14.b5+ f8 15.0-0-0 g4 16.e2 e7 17.c4 c8 18.b1 c6 19.d2 f6 20.e1 e6 21.c2 g8 22.e3 f8 23.c5 c8 24.d5 d8 25.cxd6 f7 26.c1 d7 27.c5 xc5 28.xc5 xd6 29.c2 d7 30.c4 a6 31.e3 xd2 32.xd2 c5 33.f3 a5 34.xe6+ xe6 35.d7+ g6 36.f5 1-0 Ivanov,A-Benjamin,J Parsippany 1996. ] 8.a3 There seems little point in asking that b la c k d o t h i s, b u t wh it e d o e s b o ls t e r d 5 quickly this way. An earlier game was more direct: [ 8.d2 c6 9.e2 xc3 10.bxc3 cxd5 ( 10...f4!? loo ks saf er.) 11.xh5 f4 12.f3 e6 13.xf6 xf6 14.exd5 c5 15.g3 d6 and white's splintered queenside offers black reasonable compensation for the pawn. 16.e4 xe4 17.xe4 d7 18.b1 b6 19.e2 c8 20.c4 g5 21.hxg5 xh1+ 22.xh1 xg5 23.e4 f5 24.f3 e7 25.a4 f4 26.g4 h8 27.c5 dxc5 28.d6+ f6 29.d1 d8 30.a5 bxa5 31.a6 e4 32.xe4 e8 33.f3 h4+ 34.e2 xe4+ 35.fxe4 xg4+ 36.d2 f2+ 37.c1 e3+ 38.b2 xd1 39.d7+ e7 40.d8+ xd8 41.d6+ c8 42.c6+ b8 43.d6+ b7 44.d7+ b6 45.d6+ b5 46.d7+ 1/2-1/2 Mortensen,E-Hoi,C/ Ostrava 1992/ CBM 33 (46) ] 8...xc3+ 9.bxc3 c6 10.c4 d6 11.d2 a5 12.d3?! [ 12.xf6 gxf6 13.f3 is very primitive, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth a serious look. cxd5 ( 13...f4? 14.g3 g4 15.b3 ) 14.cxd5 f5 15.exf5 e7 and now 16.d3 give white some chances to seize the initiative. ( or 16.b1!? )] 12...g4 Not only sidestepping the possibility of doubled pawns, but preparing ...f6. 13.e2 f6 14.e3 f4 15.xf4 exf4 Now black clearly has the be tter prospe cts - the e 5 square is a fine outpost and white's pawn 15
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 structure is shattered without recompense. The Bd3 is nothing to write home about either. 16.0-0 c5 17.f3 e5 18.fb1 c3 19.xe5 xe5 20.a4 g5 21.hxg5 fxg5 22.a3 g4 23.d2 h7! keeping b7 under watch and preparing to monitor the key e5 square as well. 24.c3 xc3 25.xc3 e7 26.g3 f3 27.a5 f7 28.f1 b8 29.e1? White should sit and wait, though black could advance his king to g5 and prepare ...h4. f5! 30.d2 xe4 31.xe4 xe4 32.e3 xe3 33.xe3 f6 34.f4 g6 35.a6 b6 36.c3 f8+ Black's rook invades. 0-1
interesting struggle where Black's king was the most vulnerable. ] 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 g6 So White has two bishops and a lead in development, whereas Black has possibilities to hit back at White's centre with ...c6 as well as possible access to e5 and c5. Now Cicak decides that his position is sufficiently promising to warrant an ambitious choice. 9.0-0-0!? I prefer [ 9.e2 g7 10.0-0 with a pleasant edge. ] 9...g7 10.g4 bd7 11.g3?! [ 11.g2! is a better square to reinforce control of e4 and d5. ] 11...c6 12.e2 a5 Sometimes this type of pawn expansion on the kingside lacks bite when Black hasn't committed his king. In any 24 B00 case White is committed now and he naturally Cicak,Slavko 2500 c o n t i n u e s i n t h e s a m e v e i n . . . 13.f4?! Gonzales,Jayson 2464 Boldly advancing and hoping to create threats IX Malaga Open (6) 01.03.2006 before Black's counterplay gets dangerous. Safest however is [Glenn Flear] [ 13.a3 avoiding anything nasty. Note how the alternative ] 1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 [ 13.b1 can be met by the sensational 5.e3 a6 There's no real consensus here but xc3! 14.bxc3 xe4 with great play for the this move is clearly intended to stop any queen! ] annoying B-b5 ideas. Also fairly popular are 13...c8? [ 5...e5 ] [ Fritz is quite fond of 13...xe4! 14.xe4 [ 5...e6 ] xa2 as Black will obtain a third pawn for [ and 5...g6 ] the piece and White's king will be insecure e. 6.d5 g. 15.c3 ( 15.d4?? xd4 16.xd4 [ White generally delays this advance until he a1+ ) 15...a1+ 16.d2 xb2 ] has advanced his development, for instance 6.e2 e6 ( Maybe 6...e5 is better as Black 14.d4 cxd5 15.e5?! [ With hindsight, it seems that this tempting obtains a stake in the centre.) 7.0-0 e7 move isn't as good as 15.exd5! when White 8.h3 h5 9.d5 exd5 10.exd5 b8 s e e m s t o b e a s h a d e b e t t e r e . g . b5 11.d4 and White had a pleasant space ( 15...0-0 16.he1 ) 16.g5 ] advantage in Binham, T-Horn, P Bonnevoie 1998. The f 5-square is a problem as is 15...e4? This doesn't impress. Instead Black Black's lack of play. The game didn't last had an interesting idea [ 15...dxe5! 16.fxe5 c7! using the pin very long and finished rather elegantly... g6 along the b8-h2 diagonal and another one 12.f4 e4 13.xe4 xe4 14.f3 f6 down the c-file to get reasonable chances e. 15.f5 0-0 16.d4 e8 17.e1 bd7 g. 17.e3 e4 18.e6 e5 with double18.g3 g6 19.h6+ f8 20.f5 e5 edged play. ] 21.ae1 h5 22.xh5 h4 23.fxg6 xg3 24.xf7+ and Black resigned due to mate 16.xe4 dxe4 17.e6 f6 [ After 17...xd4 18.exd7+ xd7 19.xd4 with xf7 25.g7# ] xa2 White has the simple 20.c3 as a1+ 6...b8!? 21.c2 xh1 22.d1 costs Black his [ Alternatively Black has 6...e5 7.e2 xf3 queen. ] 8.gxf3 c6 9.f4 ed7 10.d4 c5 11.d2 b5 12.e5! Stripunsky, A-Bonin, J Nassau 18.exf7+ f8 [ Unfortunately for Black 18...xf7 is met by 2000 and the line rapid opening led to an 16
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19.b3+ e6 20.b6 and suddenly Black's c5 9.b4 b6 10.f4 0-0 11.c4 g6 queen is trapped. ] 12.g3 d6 13.exd6 e8+ 14.e2 f6 19.b3 c7 20.g5 d7 21.g4 15.0-0 cxd6 16.b5 d8 17.d2 g4 The turning of the screw. The problem isn't so 18.d4 ac8 19.ac1 e5 20.fe1 c7 much that Black is a pawn down, it's more that 21.f1 a6 22.e4 g6 23.ce1 f6 he can't do much while W hite threatens to 24.h1 dc8 25.4e3 d7 26.a4 h5 simplify and pick up the e4-pawn. xd4 27.f4 g4 28.e7 h4 29.xh4 h5 [ If 21...h6 then White can simply play 30.g3 xc3 31.xd7 xg3 32.h3 d5 22.xg7+ xg7 23.he1 hxg5 24.fxg5 33.f3 xf3 34.c4+ xc4 35.gxf3 xh3+ retaining a clear advantage. ] 36.g2 h2+ 37.g3 xd2 38.ee7 h6 22.xd4 c5 Giving the exchange for a 39.xg7+ f8 40.h7 cc2 41.h8+ g8 breath of fresh air, but it's not enough to save 42.g4 g2+ 43.f5 g7 44.xd6 c6 the game. 23.c3 xf7 24.xc8 xc8 0-1 Kudrin, S-Miles,A USA-ch 1989. ] 25.b1 d7 26.h4 d5 27.h5! Rooks need [ 5.bd2 xf3+ 6.xf3 e7 7.a3 a5 open lines. e6 28.hxg6+ hxg6 29.h7+ 8.b4 b6 9.b2 0-0 10.c4?! c6 [ Or 29.h3 ] 11.b3 h4! 12.g3 h6 13.d1 d6 29...g7 30.c4 A neat way of imposing his 14.d5? e6 15.h5 g6 16.e2 f5 will. 17.exf5 xf5 18.0-0 ae8 (0-1, 41) [ 30.xg7+ xg7 31.c4+ d4! Garcia, G-Miles,A Matanzas 1995 White's is less clear. ] pieces are posted terribly artificially and 30...g8 31.c7 f5 32.b4 his position is a disaster. ] [ 32.c8! xc8 33.xg7+ is the crispest 5...xf3+ 6.xf3 xd2+ 7.xd2 f6!? way to win but the text is good enough. ] 8.0-0-0 d6 9.c4 32...e6 33.xb7 e3 34.c6 g4 35.f6+ [ 9.e3!? retaining the queens looks worth a e8 36.a8+ d7 37.xd5+ c7 test. Black is very solid in the game 38.c6+ b7 39.c3+ b6 40.b3+ c7 continuation, even if the position is rather 41.b7+ dour. ] 1-0 9...xf3 10.xf3 g4 11.e5 xf3 12.gxf3 dxe5 13.he1 e7 [ 13...f6 14.f4 ] 25 B00 14.xe5 d8 Black's position should be good Comas Fabrego,Luis 2520 for a draw thanks to his better pawn structure, Teran Alvarez,Ismael 2392 but he gets into some trouble by being a bit III Open Dos Hermanas ESP (5) 09.04.2002 careless. 15.de1 [ 15.xd8+ xd8 16.b5 b6 17.g5 g6 [Jon Tisdall] 18.xf7 f8 19.d5 h6 20.e5 c6= - white's pieces are very poorly placed. ] 1.d4 c6 2.e4 e5 3.dxe5 xe5 4.f3 b4+ After Plaskett made life uncomfortable 15...d7 16.1e3 f8 [ 16...c6!? ] for black in one of the main lines (see [ 16...f6!? ] Plaskett,HJ-Sherwin,J/ 4NCL Birmingham 2002) it is worth taking a look at this old Miles 17.b4 a6?! [ 17...d8 ] favourite, and a very solid alternative for black. 18.b5 axb5 19.xb5 b6 5.d2 [ 19...c6 20.b6 d8 21.eb3 c8 [ 5.c3 d6 ( 5...xf3+ 6.xf3 c5 7.d3 22.xb7! ] d6 8.d2 e7 9.b4 b6 10.c4 0-0 11.0-0 e6= (0-1, 32) Martin,B-Miles,A 20.h5 Double threat of Bb5 and Rxh7 - black Auckland 1992. (32)) 6.bd2 xf3+ has managed to lose control. d8 21.a3 [ 21.xh7 f5 22.d3 ] 7.xf3 e7 This ultra-provocative approach i s w e l l s u i t e d a g a i n s t a n a g g r e s s i v e 21...d4 22.a8+ c8 23.a6 d7 24.c3? opponent like Mr. Kudrin - this game is Overdoing the finesse. Simply [ 24.xh7 p o s e d m o r e p r o b l e m s f4 entertaining enough to be quoted in full: 8.e5 17
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 25.xg7 xf3 26.g3! and the win is getting nearer. ] 24...d6 25.xh7 g6 26.h4 c5 27.g4 f6 28.g3 d8 29.xg7 xf3 30.xc8+? [ 30.g3! Allows white to maintain a healthy extra pawn and initiative: f6 ( 30...xf2?? 31.d3+ ) 31.d3+ d6 32.a7+ ] 30...xc8 31.xc8 xc8 32.b2 xf2+= 33.b3 b7 34.h4 a6 35.h5 h2 36.g5 h4 37.f5 b5 38.xf7 xh5 39.a4+ a6 40.g7 h4 41.f7 ½-½
26 Dammer,Christian Juegel,Marcel SVM-chT1998/99 (8) [Glenn Flear]
B00
27 Darnstaedt,Frank Hille,Ingo Bundesliga 2000-1 (2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2330 2244 15.10.2000
1.e4 c6 2.f3 f5 3.exf5 d5 4.d4 xf5 5.b5 e6 6.xc6+ bxc6 7.e5 c5 8.h5+ g6 9.e2 g7 10.f4 [ 10.g4 e4 11.f3 cxd4 ] [ 10.b5+!? ] 10...cxd4 11.g4 e4 12.0-0 g5 13.g3 e7 14.d2 xc2 15.df3 d3 16.e3 0-0 17.xg5 f6 18.xd3 xd3 19.xd3 g6 20.e3 d7 21.h3 c6 22.f3 f8 23.e5 xe5 ½-½
22.02.1999 28
I was sent this pleasant game from a reader. The featured queen sacrifice is unclear but Black has all the fun! 1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5 3.c4!? [ 3.d3 is probably best, see the e-book. ] 3...e6 4.cxb5 axb5 5.xb5 b7 6.c3 b4 7.d3 f5 8.e2 f6 9.g5 fxe4 10.xe4 xe4!? Queen-sac!! A nice move but this position isn't new! 11.xd8 xc3 12.h5+ [ 12.bxc3!? xc3+ 13.d1 xa1 Borrellas Comellas- Gardenas Santiago, B a r c e l o n a 1 9 9 6 a n d n o w 14.xc7 is unclear. ] 12...xd8 13.f3?! After this tame move Black has the initiative, instead [ 13.g5+ c8 14.xg7 is critical. ] 13...a5 14.h4+ g5 15.h6 e4+ 16.f1 a6+ 17.e2 f5 18.a3 d2 19.g7 hf8 20.xh7 g4 21.h4+ g5 22.h6 gg8 Black now has a winning attack. 23.h5 f5 24.h7 f6 25.f7 gxf3 26.g3 xe2+ 27.f2 g4+ 28.g1 e3# 0-1
Dautov,Rustem Bauer,Christian 15th ETC Gothenburg SWE (4) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2595 2641 02.08.2005
1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.d3 f6 4.e2 e6 [ Blatny has shown a preference for 4...c6!? 5.c3 e5 ] 5.f3 d5 6.e5 White obtain some space advantage and at first sight a good looking French as his advanced centre is secure, but things are actually far from clear... fd7 7.c3 c5 8.0-0 e7 9.e3 c6 10.a3 Otherwise Black can aim to capture on d4 and continue w i t h . . . N b 4 . c4 Closing the wing now that White has committed himself to a2-a3, in a similar way to a well-known line of the French Defence Advance variation (1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 Qb6 6 a3 c4). A practical choice by Christian Bauer as his opponent is known to f avour long-forcing theoretical lines. [ For those seeking a more dynamic game, 10...g5!? 11.bd2 h5 was successful in Hiermann,D-Aschenbrenner,R Austrian Ch. 2002. A closed centre at times allows flank action to take precedence over development. ] 11.c2 b5 [ After the alternative method of stabilizing the queenside with 11...a5 12.bd2 h6 18
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.e1 c7 14.h4 0-0-0 15.h5 dg8 Baumegger,S-Freitag,M Austrian tch. 2003 Black was ready for anything. ] 12.bd2 a5 13.e1 h5 Bauer doesn't want White to overrun him with a general advance on the kingside and competes for space and influence even here. 14.f4 g6 15.ef3 If Black now did nothing much, it wouldn't be e a s y f o r W h i t e t o f in d a co n vi n ci n g wa y through. However staying totally passive is generally unwise as this gives plenty of time (and space!) for the opponent to come up with an testing idea. So Black now decides to test the water on the queenside.. . b4! 16.g5 [ After 16.axb4 axb4 17.xa8 xa8 Black is better placed to exploit any action on th e f la nk. I nst ea d ope ning th e f -f ile gives Black something to think about (the f7-square!) ] 16...xg5 17.fxg5 b3! With the queenside totally closed and Black has thus a safe haven for his king. If f7 is well-secured it's hard to see how White will achieve anythingpositive. 18.d1 b6 19.f2 e7 20.g4 hxg4 21.xg4 a4 22.ab1 h7 23.f6 d7 24.f2 ah8 25.f1 It's come down to the ffile versus the h-file! Both sides have possibilities to improve but with such a small a r e a o f t h e b o a rd a va i l a b l e f o r c o n t a c t , manoeuvring is required to create problems for the opponent. a7 26.f3 b5 27.c1 c7 28.g3 b8 29.a1 Dautov is wary of a potential piece sacrifice to get the b-pawn through. c6 30.h3 a8 31.h2 b8 32.e2 d7 33.b1 b6 34.d2 a4 35.c1 b6 36.g3 c8 37.e3 e7 38.f3 c7 39.g2 f5! This move (blocking the f-file) suggests that Black is thinking of going for the whole point. 40.e2 bh8 41.f4 h4 42.h1 e8 43.f1 f5 A canny retreat showing Black's intention to put his rook on h4. 44.g1 eg7 45.h2 h4 46.g4 h5 47.d2 d8 With potential threats against the g5-pawn, hence W hite's next. 48.f6 b7 49.h2 c6 50.f1 xf6 51.exf6 d6 Heading for e4. W hite needs to keep his dark-squared (and so-called bad bishop) in order to defend g5. 52.g2 e4 53.xe4 dxe4 54.e3 White must blockade the e-pawn at all costs, but this turns out to be possible. d5 55.e5
b7 56.fg2 d8 57.g3 d5 58.f2 a6 59.h2 8h7 60.g1 h8 61.h2 b7 62.g4 xg4+ 63.hxg4 xh2 64.xh2 a6 65.g3 a4 66.f2 b7 67.g3 c6 68.g2 b7 69.f2 c6 S o t h e re wa s n o b r e a k t h ro u g h a f t e r a l l . However it shows that the under-rated Owen's defence can be played with confidence in 2600+ encounters. ½-½
29 David,Alberto Rogers,Ian Olympiad Bled SLO (13) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2511 2557 08.11.2002
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 [ Unimpressive was 5.h3?! xf3 6.gxf3 d5 7.g5 e6 8.d2 ( 8.e5 h6 9.h4 g5 ) 8...e7 9.0-0-0 d7 10.h4 h6 11.xf6 xf6 12.exd5 exd5 13.h3 d8 14.hg1 e7! Best. ( 14...xd4? 15.e3+; 14...xd4? 15.g4! ) 15.de1 c6 16.a4 b6 and there was no way for White to hit at Black's solid set-up, Vallejo Pons-Rogers, Bled ol 2002 ] [ Also less accurate than the game was 5.b5 d7 6.e3 e6 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 a6 9.a4 b5 here it's possible as the sac o n b 5 i s u n s o u n d 10.b3 a5= Sedina-Lazic, Turin 2002 ] 5...e6 6.h3 h5 7.b5! This was played in a later round than the above game and clearly Alberto David had prepared a tricky line for his opponent. a6 [ 7...d7 8.d5 xf3 9.xf3 ce5 10.g3 c6 11.dxe6 fxe6 12.e2 b5 13.0-0 f6 14.f4 c4 15.xc4 bxc4 16.e5 was unpleasant to meet in Rogluj-Buric, Bizovac 2001 ] 8.a4 xf3 [ 8...b5? is bad after 9.xb5 axb5 10.xb5 d7 11.d5 ] [ 8...d7 is probably the best chance to revive the line for Black. ] 9.xf3 d5 10.exd5 xd5 11.0-0 e7 12.fe1 0-0 13.xd5 xd5 [ If 13...exd5 then 14.b3 ] 19
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.xd5 exd5 15.f4 f6 16.c3 ac8 17.d1! So simple yet so strong. Black loses a pawn and ultimately the game. d8 18.g4 e6 19.xe6 fxe6 20.xe6+ h8 21.xc8 xc8 22.e1 c6 23.e5 d8 24.e3 g8 25.g3 g6 26.f4 f7 27.f5 e7 28.f3 gxf5 29.xf5+ g6 30.f3 g5 31.f1 b5 32.e2 e8 33.d3 c5 34.f4 c4+ 35.d2 f8 36.e3 [ 36.xg5 xf3 37.gxf3 xg5 38.e3 would also probably win ] 36...h4 37.e2 f7 38.g3 f6 39.e3 d8 40.f4 f6 41.e3 e7 42.e5 g5 43.f3 f7 44.xf7 xf7 45.f4 e7 46.a3 g6 47.f3 f5 48.g4+ g6 49.g3 a5 50.h4 h5 51.c7 The remaining moves of the actual game were clearly not those given by "This W eek in Chess". b4 Ignore the following nonsense and just look at the variations below! [ The following plausible variations show that White is winning 51...a4 then 52.f4! xh4 ( 52...xa3? 53.bxa3 b4 54.gxh5+ xh5 55.cxb4 ) 53.gxh5+ xh5 and d5 falls after 54.f5 or ] [ 51...b4 52.xa5 bxa3 53.bxa3 xa3 54.gxh5+ f5 55.h6 d6+ 56.f3 g6 57.g4 xh6 58.f5 and White wins as Black loses both remaining pawns. ] 52.xa5 bxa3 53.c7 b4 54.f4 e7 55.g3 f8 56.e5 1-0
30 De Toledo,James Mann Limp,Eduardo Thelio 1st Mario Covas (8) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2384 2462 05.02.2001
c4 25.c2 a8 26.xa8+ xa8 27.f1 a7 28.e2 f6 29.exf6 gxf6 30.c3 a2 31.fe1 f8 32.d1 b1+ 33.e2 a2 34.d1 a7 35.h3 f7 36.d3 e7 37.c5 g8 38.h4 g6 39.h3 xd4 40.xd4 b1+ 41.e2 b2+ 42.f3 c3+ 43.e2 d2+ 44.f3 e5+ 0-1 Lindsay,F-Nogueiras,J North Bay 1997/ 98. ] 10.d5!? xd3 [ 10...exd5 is obviously very scary, but not reacting to d5 means suf f ering as well. 11.exd5 ( 11.e5!? ) 11...xd5 12.e1 xd3 ( 12...0-0?? 13.e4 xd3 14.xd5!; 12...f8!? ) 13.xd3 All of these lines are frightening for black, but a materialist preparing with a computer might pull them off. ] 11.xd3 a6 12.c4 0-0 13.g5 exd5 14.exd5 d6 [ 14...b5!? 15.a3 xa3 16.bxa3 b4 17.xa6 xa6 18.xf6 gxf6 was worth trying as this position is quite defensible, if ugly. ] 15.fe1 d8 16.ad1 b5 17.a3 bd7 18.xb5 xb5 19.xb5 b8 20.a4 a6 21.xd6 xb2 22.e4 b4 23.xf6+ xf6 24.d6 xa4 25.d7 c4 [ 25...e4 ] 26.xf6 gxf6 27.d4 xd4 28.xd4 f5 29.c6 c7 30.f1 a5 31.e7+ h8 32.c1 b6 33.c6 d8 34.c8 a4 35.c6 a3 36.a8 g7 37.xa3 f6 38.g3+ h6 39.e3 a8 40.e8 a1+ 41.e2 a2+ 42.f3 a3+ 43.e3 a8 44.g3 1-0
31 1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d2 e6 4.gf3 f6 5.d3 c5 6.c3 e7 7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 a6 9.e2 c8 A risky novelty. [ 9...xd3 10.xd3 d5 11.e5 fd7 12.a3 c6 ( 12...a5 13.b3 c8 14.b2 a6 15.e3 c6 16.e1 c8 17.d3 1/2-1/2 Johansen,D-Miles,A Melbourne 1991. ) 13.b4 a6 14.b5 axb5 15.xb5 c7 16.b2 a5 17.b3 0-0 18.fc1 b7 19.c3 a7 20.b4 xb4 21.axb4 xa1 22.xa1 b5 23.b1 b6 24.a3
Deep Junior Akopian,Vladimir SuperGM Dortmund GER (6) [Carsten Hansen]
B00 2660 13.07.2000
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 f6 4.e2 e6 We looked at 4...Nc6 in Nevednichy-Blatny. 5.f3 d5 6.e5 fd7 This position is by definition really a French Defense, but since p e o p l e o n l y a r r i ve a t t h i s p o s i t i o n f r o m Owen's Defense and never via a French move 20
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 order, I deem it to be an Owen's Defense. 7.g5 e7 8.g4 h5! [ After 8...g6 9.h4 h5 10.h3 f8 11.f3 xg5 12.xg5 d7 13.f6 g8 Black appears to have a slight problem on the dark squares... 14.g4 hxg4 15.xg4 h7 16.h3 xf6 17.exf6 c6 18.b5 The dark-squared bishop is gone, but Black is left with a bad 'French' bishop, and White has all the squares he could want for his knight. 0-0-0 19.d2 d6 20.xc6 xc6 21.0-0-0 d7 22.e2 b8 23.a3 a5 24.e3 h8 25.f3 with a huge advantage for W hite, Gleizerov-Filipovic, Ljubljana 2000. ] 9.g3 f8 10.0-0 a6 Black wisely decides to get rid of the light-squared bishops. 11.xa6 White could at this point also consider the sharper 11 c4!?, intending 11... Bxc4 12 Bxc4 dxc4 13 Qf3 with a dual threat on a8 and f7. xa6 12.c3 c5 13.d1 c4 It's in Black's interest to keep the position closed. Black has considerable problems getting his pieces coordinated, and only by closing the position will he find time to regroup his pieces, which at present are anything but coordinated. 14.e1 I'm not sure the computer knows what it's doing. Th e correct plan is to proceed to attempt opening the queenside with 14 b3 or even play 14 b4 to gain a space advantage on the queenside as well, after which Black is left at W hite's mercy. c8 15.h4 h7 16.f3 g8 17.g5 xg5 18.xg5 b8 19.d2 Finally White gets on the right track. c6 20.b3 a5 21.e3 xg5 22.hxg5 g6 If not White would play g6 with devastating effect. 23.f3 c7 24.f6 c8 25.f4 f8 26.b4 c6 27.f3 e7 28.h4 g8 For the remainder of the game Black just hangs on, while White tries to break through. This doesn't happen thanks to Black's excellent defensive play. 29.a4 g7 30.c1 c7 31.a5 b5 32.e3 d7 33.h1 a6 34.d1 e8 35.h2 e7 36.h1 g8 37.f3 e7 38.h3 f5! 39.xf5 exf5 40.e1 c6 41.f3 e6 and the last hole ge t s s e a le d . 42.h1 c8 43.e3 e7 44.f4 e6 45.e1 ½-½
32 Delchev,Aleksander Mestrovic,Zvonimir Christmas Open (3) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2560 2387 16.12.2002
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e5 The Mestrovic variation. 6.b5 exd4!? [ 6...d7 7.dxe5 ( 7.d5 is critical as has been well covered by my predecessor Jon Tisdall. ) 7...dxe5 8.d5 e6 9.d2 f6! This may be even more solid than ( 9...h6 10.0-0-0 d6 11.e2 0-0 12.c4 a6 13.hg1 b5 14.xe6 fxe6 15.g4 f6 16.g3 d4!? A practical decision otherwise White's looming attack would be too da nge rou s 17.xd4 exd4 18.xd4 f4+ 19.b1 e5 20.g2 ad8 21.f3 d7 22.xe5 xd1+ 23.xd1 xe5 with enough Black square control as compensation 24.f2 d8 25.f1 f4 26.f2 d2 27.e1 d4 28.d3 e3 29.c1 f2 30.c3 e3 31.xe3 xe3 32.e1 f4 33.e2 g5 34.a4 f7 35.h3 c5 36.axb5 axb5 37.a2 d3 38.xf4 gxf4 39.f1 f6 40.h4 d2 41.b3 h2 42.c4 bxc4+ 43.xc4 xb2 44.xc5 h2 45.h5 d2 46.c4 1/2-1/2 Brkic,AMestrovic,Z/Zadar CRO 2002) 10.0-0-0 b4 11.d3 a6 12.c4 xc4 13.xc4 xc3 14.xc3 e7 15.a3 0-0-0 White has the nominal advantage of bishop over knight but there is nothing for him to hit at. 16.d2 f8 17.b3 e6 18.d5 f7 19.c4 g6 20.g3 ed4! 21.xd4 ( 21.c5 xd5 22.exd5 a5 23.d3 xd3 24.xd3 f3 is certainly not better for White) 21...xe4 22.xd8+ xd8 23.e6+ b8 24.d1 xd4 25.xd4 xd4 26.g8+ a7 27.xg7 e2 28.xd4 exd4 29.b4 e1+ 30.b2 c3+ 31.b1 d3 ( 31...xa3 playing for more doesn't look bad) 32.cxd3 xd3+ 33.b2 d2+ 34.b3 d3+ 1/2-1/2 Stevic,H-Mestrovic,Z/Zadar CRO 2002 ] 7.xd4 e7 [ 7...d7 8.xc6 xc6 9.0-0-0 e7 10.e5 dxe5 11.xe5 c8 12.he1 d7 13.c5 was a complete disaster for black in N e ve r o v- U m a n s k a y a , C ze c h R e p u b l i c 21
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 2002 ] 8.h3 The looks tame but [ 8.xc6+ bxc6 9.e5 xf3 10.gxf3 ( 10.exf6? xf6 ) 10...dxe5 11.xe5 d6 12.a5 0-0= doesn't impress. ] 8...d7 9.xc6 xc6 10.0-0-0 0-0 This reminds me of Qxd4 against the Philidor. Black generally has less counterplay in these type of positions than in analogous oppositeside castling struggles in Sicilians (there is no semi-open c-file for Black to press against White's king). 11.g4 e8 12.g5 d7 13.h4 f8 14.h5 e7 By using the e-file, Mestrovic tries to keep his pieces relevant and to hold back the white attack. However one's im p re s s io n is t h a t W h i t e m u st b e b e t t e r a r o u n d h e r e . 15.h4 e5 16.d2 b5 17.dh1 ab8 Finally threatening to destabilize W hite's hold on the centre. Capturing on a7 is foolhardy as Black can counter with a quick ...b4 and ...Ra8 with an inevitable recapture on a2. 18.d5 [ 18.g6 h6 19.f4 is tempting but after d7 Delchev presumably couldn't find anything concrete. ] 18...xd5 19.exd5 c5! Striking back quickly 20.dxc6 e6 21.h6 xc6 22.c3 bc8 23.e4 e5 [ A l s o c o n c e i v a b l e w a s 23...xa2 for instance 24.hxg7 xg7 25.a3 xa3 26.bxa3 e6 with a playable game. ] 24.b3 g6 25.xe6 xe6 26.g4 c4 27.hxg7 xg7 28.f6+ xf6 29.xc4 bxc4 30.gxf6 a6 31.d4 The ending is not without interest but the chances are about equal. e4 32.e3 e6 33.h5!? Trying for more than a repetition e5 34.h6 f5 35.d2 xf6 36.c3 d5 37.d4 f5 38.b4 Having the more ac tive k ing co mpe nsa tes th e small material deficit. g7 39.h1 h5 40.a4 f8 41.b5 axb5 42.axb5 e6+ 43.c3 d4+ [ Allowing the advanced passed pawn to live on with 43...f6 44.b6 d8 45.e1! may prove too dangerous. ] 44.xd4+ xd4 45.xd4 xb5 46.xc4 f5 ½-½
33 Dervishi,Erald Salmensuu,Olli EuTCh Leon ESP (2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2501 2436 07.11.2001
1.e4 c6 2.f3 f5 This continues to get a steady workout, largely thanks to a fleet of determined Finns. Nevertheless, it seems to fall short of equality in the sensible, safe lines, though as our selection this month shows, the wilder lines can be great fun. 3.exf5 d5 4.d4 xf5 5.d3 [ 5.b5 d6 6.e5 f6 7.0-0 d7 8.xc6 ( 8.f4 looks more worrying but there is Finnish experience in this variation as well. dxe5 9.xe5 g6 10.xc7 xc2 11.d2 c8 12.g3 e6 13.c1 e4 14.xc6+ bxc6 15.a5 d6 16.d2 xg3 17.hxg3 0-0 18.e1 f5 19.xe4 dxe4 20.c3 e8 21.f1 h6 22.e3 xe3 23.fxe3 f7 24.ac1 c8 25.c5 xf1+ 26.xf1 e7 27.e5 d6 28.xe4 c5 29.g4 g6 30.dxc5+ xc5 31.d4+ e5 32.d7 c2 33.xh7 xb2 34.xa7 e4 35.a3 e5 36.g1 g5 37.f1 g4 38.g1 c2 39.f1 b2 40.g1 e2 41.a4+ xe3 42.xg4 xa2 43.h2 a8 44.h4 e4 45.g4 d2 46.h7 d8 47.e7 e3 48.g3 e2 49.f4 e1 50.xe1 xe1 51.g5 f2 52.g6 xg2 53.f5 f3 54.g7 a8 55.g6 g4 56.h7 f5 57.g8 xg8 58.xg8 1/2-1/2 Tuovinen,J-Paakkonen,T Helsinki 1999. ) 8...bxc6 9.f3 xe5 10.xf5 f7 11.f4 d7 12.xd7+ xd7 13.d2 e6 14.b3 d6 15.g3 a5 16.a4 hb8 17.fe1 b4 18.e2 ab8 19.f3 with a clear, simple advantage for white. c4 20.e1 c5 21.dxc5 xc5+ 22.xc5+ xc5 23.b3 d4 24.d1 d5 25.e4 d3 26.xd3 xd3 27.cxd3 xb3 28.d4+ c6 29.xa5 e5 30.h4 xd3 31.e4 d5 32.c3 d6 33.a5 c6 34.a6 g6 35.f4 e7 36.f6+ e8 37.a4 a7 38.d4 c5 39.f2 d7 40.f4 e7 41.g4 h6 42.e3 g5 43.c4 d6 44.h5 e5 45.c2 c6 46.f2 b5 47.d2 d4 48.a2 d8 49.a7 a8 50.a6+ d5 51.xh6 xa7 52.xg5 a2+ 53.g3 a3 54.f6 e4 55.h6 xf3 56.f5+ e6 57.f4 22
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xg5 58.xg5 h3 59.xc5 f7 60.c7+ g8 61.g5 e3 62.e7 h1 63.xe3 f7 1-0 Shaw,J-Salmensuu,O EuroTeam Leon ESP 2001. ] 5...g4 [ 5...e6!? is an interesting alternative that has had good results. 6.0-0 f6 7.e1 e7 8.xf5 exf5 9.g5 d7 10.e6 f7 11.f3 ( 11.g5+ must be better, though black unravels reasonably quickly here as well. g8 12.f4 e8 13.c3 h6 14.f3 e4 15.e5 xe5 16.dxe5 d8 17.xe4 fxe4 18.f3 f5 19.g3 h7 20.h1 hf8 21.f1 g6 22.e2 exf3 23.xf3 xf3 24.gxf3 h8 25.d3 xd3 26.cxd3 g8 27.g2 f7 28.f4 e6 29.f3 f8 30.g4 g6 31.f1 c5 32.b3 h5+ 33.h3 g5 34.g2 h4 35.e1 xf4 36.xf4 gxf4 37.f3 xe5 38.c3+ f5 39.h3 b5 40.b2 c4 41.dxc4 bxc4 42.bxc4 dxc4 43.c3 f6 44.xf6 xf6 45.xf4 c3 46.e3 f5 47.a4 c2 48.d2 f4 49.xc2 g3 0-1 Von Buelow,G-Sell,A Germany 1993.) 11...he8 12.c3 d6 13.g5+ g8 14.f1 e7 15.d3 h6 16.f3 g6 17.g3 e4 18.c4 f4 19.c5 fxg3 20.cxd6 gxf2+ 21.xf2 xf2 22.xf2 xd6 23.e3 f8 24.bd2 xh2+ 25.e1 g3+ 26.f2 ae8+ 27.d1 xf2 28.xg6 e2+ 29.c1 e6 30.xe6+ xe6 31.e5 c5 32.df3 xf3 33.xf3 e3+ 0-1 Vasiliev,M (2405)-Demuth,M (2030) W erfen 1994. A brutal upset, and one of those games that makes riskin g weird defences so satisfying. ] 6.h3 xf3 [ 6...h5!? ] 7.xf3 f6 [ 7...xd4 8.h5+ g6 9.e5 ] 8.c3 [ 8.b5!? keeping a grip on e5 is more thematic, and seems to me to be the only way to try and maintain an advantage. ] 8...e5 Black should not have serious trouble now - in fact this position must be roughly equal. 9.dxe5 xe5 10.e2 e7 11.c2 0-0-0 12.0-0 e8 13.f4 c4= 14.xe7 xe7 15.b3 d6 [ 15...d6!? ] 16.g5 b6 17.d2 h5 18.ae1 f4?! [ 18...f4!? ]
19.f3 g6 20.g3 xg5 21.xg5 f6 22.f4 bd7 23.g2 c5 24.f5 fe4 25.xe4 dxe4 26.fxg6 hxg6 27.h4 a5 28.e3 d8 29.b4 axb4 30.cxb4 a6 31.xe4 [ 31.a3+- ] 31...xb4 32.xg6 xa2 33.b3 d4 34.a3 d2+ 35.f2 xf2+ 36.xf2 f8+ 37.g2 f6 38.h5 b4 39.f3 d6 40.f8+ d7 41.f7+ d8 42.g7 d2+ 43.h3 d1 44.g4 d5 45.h6 h1 46.g5 1-0
34 Dorfman,Josif D Miles,Anthony J Tilburg [Alexander Volzhin]
B00 2610 2595 1992
1.d4 e6 2.e4 b6 3.f3 b7 4.d3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.e2 This set-up is White's most popular choice, and this position has been tested many times. e7 7.0-0 c6 8.a3 The idea behind this move is to prevent 8... cxd4 9. cxd4 Nb4 a5 9.bd2 [ The seemingly strong 9.e5 d5 10.c4 is just a blunder in view of b3! as in Zelcic - Filipovic, Ljubljana 1999 where Black ob t a in e d a m a t eria l a d va n t a ge : 11.cxd5 xd5! 12.e4 The only chance to c o m p l i c a t e . ( 12.a2 xc1 13.xc1 xa2 ) 12...xa1 13.xd5 exd5 14.c3 b3 15.e3 cxd4 16.xd4 0-0?! Black begins to play superficially and allows W hite to get some counterchances and finally to escape. Black had many better p o s s i b i l i t i e s . ( I n m y o p i n i o n , 16...c5 exchanging Black's only bad piece, was the correct decision: 17.xc5 xc5 18.xd5 0-0 and Black should win without difficulty.) 17.xd5 xd4 18.xd4 Now White's Knights are very active. g6 19.g4 h8 20.d1 c8 21.h4 xh4 22.f3 e7 23.f4 f5 24.exf6 xf6 25.e5 d6 26.d5! f5 27.xf5 gxf5 28.f7+ g7 29.xd8 xd8 30.e3 and White managed to draw. ] 9...c4 10.c2 c7 11.e5 Probably not the best move. This position seems to be critical 23
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f o r t h is lin e . I t h a s o ccu re d ma n y t im e s, primarily in Anthony Miles' games. Some examples: [ 11.d5 was played in Blees - Miles, Komotini, 1992. Black gained the upper hand very quickly: e5 12.g3 g6 13.e1 0-0-0! A brave and correct decision! The Q-side is blocked and it's very difficult for W hite to open files there, while Black's pawn chain on the K-side is much more flexible. 14.g2 b8 15.b1 d6 16.e3 c8 17.f3 hf8 18.d1 d7 19.e2 f5! Black has succesfully executed his plan and outplayed his opponent very nicely. 20.g2 f6 21.exf5 gxf5 22.b4 Desperation, but White's position is bad anyway. The rest is just agony. cxb3 23.c4 f4 24.f5 xd5 25.cxd5 xf5 26.g4 ff8 27.e4 c5 28.e6 a6 29.xc8 xf1 30.f5 a6 31.gxf4 g8+ 32.h1 xf2 33.b2 d3 and W hite res igned. A very instructive game for the understanding of positions with pawn chains. ] [ 11.e1 Probably this move is the most p r o m i s i n g f o r W h i t e . 0-0 12.b1! ( The immediate 12.f1 allows b3! ) 12...ae8 13.f1 d6 14.g3 and White is ready to launch a kingside attack ( with e4e5, Ng5, Nh5, etc). The game Sermek Filipovic, Bled 1999 continued: e5 15.f5 h8 16.g5 g8 17.h4 Black has managed to avoid a direct attack, however h i s p o s i t i o n r e m a i n s c r a m p e d . xg5 18.hxg5 g6 19.e3 f6 20.bd1 b5 21.d2 fxg5 22.dxe5 dxe5 23.xg5 h6 24.f3 c6 25.d5 Now White's advantage is clear. f7 26.e3 e6 27.b4 g5 28.ed1 f6 29.d6 e8 30.xe6 xe6 31.xa7 b3 32.c7 h5 33.d6 e8 34.xe6 xc7 35.xh6+ , and Black resigned. ] 11...b5 12.f4 0-0 13.g4 xg4 14.xg4 This position also looks good for W hite but Black has a very importantresource: b3! 15.xb3?! An ambitious but quite dubious plan. White intends a direct attack on the Kside, but his resources are rather limited as his Q-side pieces are still undeveloped. [ T h e m o d e s t 15.b1 is more accurate, although here Black can also achieve good play after xd2 16.xd2 xe4! 17.xe4
f5 The game K. Georgiev - Miles, Biel 1992 co n t in u e d : 18.f3 fxe4 19.xe4 ae8 20.be1 a6 21.g3 f6 with a balanced position. ] 15...cxb3 16.f5 exf5! Black must play precisely to parry W hite's kingside attack. 17.exf5? [ 17.xf5 would be met by d5! with the idea of Bc8 ] [ correct was 17.xf5 and after d5!? 18.e5 ( 18.exd5 ad8 ) 18...f6!? the position is unclear. W hite still does not have time to comfortably take the b3 pawn as he lags behind in development. ] 17...d6! Now Black is taking the initiative. 18.e4!? By sacrificing a pawn White neutralises the very strong light-squared Bishop. [ 18.f6 g6 19.h3 fe8 with the idea of Re2 was dangerous for White. ] 18...xe4 19.xe4 xh2+ 20.h1 ae8 21.f3 g3! The key idea of the Queen swap is to obtain the e2 square for the Rook. 22.a4 White hopes for counterplay on the Qside in the forthcoming endgame. [ Unfortunately White cannot keep the Q u e e n s o n : 22.h5 is met by e4 with the idea of Rh4. ] 22...xf3 23.xf3 d6 24.e3 It would seem that W hite is completely OK at the moment, but Black came up with an unexpected and excellent resource. g5!! [ T h e t e m p t i n g 24...e4? doesn't work: 25.axb5 fe8 26.xa7! and White wins: xe3 27.xe3 xe3 28.a8+ f8 29.b6 ] 25.g4 [ Of course, both 25.fxg6? fxg6! ] [ and 25.axb5? g4 were losing for White ] [ 25.xg5 does not solve White's problems: bxa4! ( exploiting the weakness of the back rank) 26.h6 a3 27.bxa3 b2 28.b1 e2 29.xf8 xf8 and White is in trouble as the b2-pawn is worth a Rook. 30.c4 ( 30.a4 c2 31.g1 a3 ) 30...c2 31.g1 xa3! ] 25...e4 26.axb5 fe8 27.xg5 e2 White is in trouble not only because the pawn o n b 3 wi l l b e v e r y s t r o n g s o o n b u t a l s o because his King is badly placed. 28.g1 xb2 29.f2 ee2 30.b6? [ A blunder but the position was lost anyway, 24
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 for example: 30.xe2 xe2 31.b1 b2 with Ba3 to follow. ] 30...xf2! 31.bxa7 g2+ 32.f1 bf2+ 33.e1 g1+ White resigned. So let's draw some conclusions. Although Owen's Defence has a dubious reputation I can't claim that W hite has an easy way to get an opening advantage. In my opinion, the lines W hite chose in Kaidanov - Kengis and Sermek Filipovich are the most unpleasant for Black. 0-1
35 Dubiel,Jacek Przewoznik,Jan chT Zakopane chT (2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2359 2414 03.09.2000
d6 32.e1 1-0 Golubev,M-Markowski,T/ Biel 1995. ] 12...0-0 13.xe5 dxe5 14.xe5 b4 Now black is free and active and the pawn is not likely to mean much with kings on opposite flanks and opposite coloured bishops. But black does not have much in the way of winning chances to look forward to. 15.e4 xe4 16.xe4 d6 17.d3 g6 18.f3 ae8 19.c3 c5 20.he1 xe1 21.xe1 d8 22.e4 b5 23.b1 e8 24.e2 e5 25.d3 b4 26.cxb4 xb4 27.f3 a5 28.a3 c5 29.a2 xe2 30.xe2 b6 31.e8+ g7 32.e5+ g8 33.e8+ g7 34.e5+ g8 35.e8+ ½-½
36 1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 I'll be honest up front - I am not terribly keen on this way of playing against 2.Nf3 - and while recommending 1... e5 would be neither daring nor anything to do with this section, it is a bit more respectable than these very stodgy lines. 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e6 6.h3 h5 7.d5 exd5 8.exd5 xf3 9.xf3 e5 10.e2 a6 11.0-0-0 e7 12.d4 This isn't bad, but winning a pawn takes most of the dynamics out of the white position. Those who try to blow black's head off here with pawn-storming aggression ... tend to blow black's head off: [ 12.f4 g6 ( 12...ed7 13.g4 g6 14.h4 b5 15.d4 0-0 16.h5 b4 17.hxg6 bxc3 18.gxh7+ h8 19.g5 cxb2+ 20.b1 e8 21.h3 f8 22.g2 1-0 Hoffman,A-Fiorito, F/Villa Martelli 1996.) 13.g4 d7 14.g5 0-0 ( 14...h6 15.gxh6 gxh6 16.e4 f6 17.g3 h4 18.d4 f8 19.f2 g8 20.c3 d7 21.f5 g5 22.d2 xd5 23.xg5 xg5+ 24.b1 e3 25.e1 exf5 26.e4 e8 27.d3 g7 28.xg5 xe1+ 29.xe1 hxg5 30.f6 g2 31.g1 f4 32.xg5 ge6 33.h6+ e7 34.h4+ f8 35.h7 1-0 Servat,RBermejo,L/Buenos Aires 1997.) 15.h4 e8 16.h5 gf8 17.d2 c5 18.dxc6 bxc6 19.h6 g6 20.e4 d5 21.c3 f6 22.xc6 dxe4 23.c4+ h8 24.f7 e6 25.c4 d6 26.xd6 e7 27.xd7 xf7 28.xd8+ xd8 29.xf7 xf7 30.d4 g8 31.xf6
Ehlvest,Jaan Blatny,Pavel 88th NY Masters (4) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2602 2452 20.01.2004
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.a3 f6 5.d3 d5 6.e5 fd7 The central structure is reminiscent of a French Defence. White will want to meet ...c5 with c2-c3 to maintain the centre, so he must lose a tempo with his queen's knight. Nevertheless, Black's queenside pieces aren't particularly active and White has chances to retain a pull. 7.f3 e7 8.e2 c5 9.c3 a6! A typical aim for Black in these closed French type positions is the exchange of his bad bishop. 10.f4 c8! 11.0-0 xd3 12.xd3 a6 13.d1!? Keeping queens makes sense for White who has the safer king in any middlegame. c6 14.e3 a5?! [ I believe that most 'Frenchies' would be satisfied with their position after 14...0-0!= The text eyes up the light-squares in order to make White regret playing both a2-a3 and c2-c3 so early, but for tactical reasons this move is the source of Black's later woes. ] 15.d2 g6?! The problem with this move is an imperceptible weakening of the a1-h8 diagonal. However [ now 15...0-0?! is met by 16.g4 when fd8 can be met by the strong continuation 17.xe6 fxe6 18.h6 f8 19.xe6+ h8 25
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.g5 with both a material and positional advantage for White. ] [ Black had better options such as 15...c4!? and ] [ 15...cxd4 16.cxd4 c8 as the text leads to trouble. ] 16.b4! Seizing the initiative as we shall see... c4 17.e2 cxd4 [ If 17...cxb4 18.axb4 b5 then I quite like 19.xc4 dxc4 20.fd1 with d4-d5 in the air. ] 18.xd4 c8 Everything seems to be holding f i r m o n t h e q u e e n s i d e , b u t . . . 19.xd5! ...there are problems elsewhere. exd5 20.e6 f6 [ 20...fxe6 21.xh8 etc. ] 21.exf7+ f8 An unfortunate concession, but the natural [ 21...xf7 22.fe1 he8 is refuted by the calm 23.e6+ g7 24.xc4 xc4 25.e3 and Black is helpless in the face of Rae1 and or Rf3. ] 22.e6 Blatny is bus t ed! He is naturally an optimist and a fighter but all his tricky play c a n ' t c h a n g e t h e i n e v i t a b l e r e s u l t . h5 23.fe1 b7 24.xc4 dxc4 25.xh8 f4 26.g7+ [ or 26.g4 ] 26...xg7 27.e5+ f6 28.xf4 xc3 29.e8 xf7 30.xf7+ xf7 31.xc8 xa1 32.xc4 e5 33.b5 e6 34.f1 d5 35.c8 d6 36.a4 c5 37.c7 c4 38.xa7 b4 39.e2 h5 40.f4 d6 41.f3 c5 42.g3 The moral of this tale is that even with a closed centre leaving the king in the centre too long can be dangerous. 1-0
37 Fedorchuk,Sergey A Miles,Anthony J 2nd IECC Ohrid MKD (7) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2503 2562 07.06.2001
1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 xe5 This system had a very nice record in this instalmentâ []s games. 4.c3 [ 4.f4 g6 A) 5.f3 c5 6.c4 d6 7.c3 ( 7.e2 f6 8.f5 e7 9.c3 0-0 10.g5 c6
11.0-0-0 c7 12.hf1 b5 13.b3 a5 14.xf6 gxf6 15.d4 a4 16.f3 axb3 17.xc6 xc6 18.h3 xf5 19.exf5 xf5 20.d5 fe8 21.f3 bxa2 22.xf6+ f8 23.xc6 a1+ 24.d2 b4+ 25.c3 xb2 0-1 Boey,J-Keres,P/ Varna 1962.) 7...f6 ( 7...c6 8.g5 h6 9.h3 b5 10.b3 a5 11.a3 a7 12.e2 0-0 13.e3 b6 14.xc5 xc5 15.g3 a4 16.a2 b4 17.axb4 xb4 18.e3 e7 19.0-0 h8 20.g4 f5 21.gxf5 xf5 22.d3 c5+ 23.h2 e3 24.f3 xf4 25.xe3 xg5 26.g1 e5 27.h1 d5 28.gf1 g5 29.xa4 xe4 30.xe4 dxe4 31.e3 f6 32.c5 h6 33.d1 xh3+ 34.xh3 xh3 35.c4 e3 36.h2 e2 37.e1 f1 38.d3 g2 39.a1 e3 40.b3 h5 41.e1 g4+ 42.g1 e3 43.a8+ h7 44.f8 g3+ 45.h1 g2+ 46.xg2 xg2 47.e8 f2 0-1 Winawer,S-Schlechter,C Monte C a r l o 1 9 0 1 .) 8.f5 e7 9.g5 c6 W e have already seen that Black is not afraid of trading his kingside pawn structure for some dark-squared domination. 10.xf6 gxf6 11.d2 b5 12.b3 h5 13.0-0-0 b6 14.he1 a5 15.a4 b4 16.e2?? 0-1 Rosenberg,JMarder,S Copenhagen DEN 2001.; B) 5.e3 d5!? A rare and - Black gets very quick development but this needs rather serious analysis as there are many, many ways that White could have tried to grab material quickly. 6.xd5 ( 6.exd5 f6 7.b5+ d7 8.e2 b4+ 9.c3 0-0 10.d4 xc3+ 11.bxc3 e8 12.0-0-0 e4 13.d2 e7 14.d4 a3+ 15.b1 xd5 16.c4 xd4 17.xd4 xc3+ 18.a1 xd1 19.xf7+ xf7 20.xd7+ e7 21.xd1 d8 22.e2 f6+ 23.b1 d4 24.f3 b4+ 25.c1 xf4 26.e5+ g8 27.e3 xg2 28.c5 f4+ 29.d1 b1+ 30.e2 e4+ 0-1 Reinhardt,E-Rossetto, H Mar del Plata 1961.) 6...d6 7.d2 ( 7.b5+!? is critical as White appears to prevent castling - unless Black wants to s t a r t s h e d d i n g p a wn s b e f o r e h e h a s developed.) 7...e7 8.c3 b4 9.0-0-0 f6 10.d3 ( 10.d3!? ) 10...e6 11.f5 e5 12.b5+ d7 13.xb7 0-0 26
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.ge2 a5 15.d5 xd5 16.exd5 fb8 17.xc7 c8 18.b7 xf5 19.xe7 xc2+ 20.b1 d2+ 0-1 Zapolskis,AS u l s k i s , S K a u n a s L T U 2 0 0 1 . A ve r y seductive game, but I wouldn't venture this as Black without some double checking. ] 4...c5 5.f4 c6 6.f3 [ 6.c4 d6 7.f3 e6 8.xe6 fxe6 9.a4 b6 10.xb6 axb6 11.0-0 f6 12.g5 e7 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 xe5 15.e2 a5 16.b4 xb4 17.xe6 e7 18.xg7+ xg7 19.d2 d5 20.c4 xd2 21.xe5+ d8 22.xf6+ xf6 23.xf6 e8 24.a4 ee2 25.f8+ e7 26.g8 d6 27.g7 c6 28.h1 a2 29.g1 h5 30.g6+ c5 31.g5+ xc4 32.xh5 b5 33.axb5 cxb5 34.g4 b4 35.g5 b3 36.g6 b2 37.g7 g2 38.h7 c5 39.xg2 b1+ 40.h1 d3 41.h8 b6 42.h6+ a5 43.g8 e4+ 44.g2 xg2 45.xg2 b5 46.hg6 b4 47.6g3 a4 48.h4 d5 49.e3 b3 50.ee2 1/2-1/2 Akopian,V-Miles,A/Moscow 1990/TD (50) ] 6...d6 7.a4 b6 8.d3 d5 9.xb6 axb6 10.e5 ge7 Black has a sound and active position. W hite's main chore will be finding gainf ul employment f or his dark-squared bishop. 11.0-0 f5 12.h4 xd3 13.xd3 d7 14.d2 g4 15.e1 0-0 16.h3 d7 17.d2 a4 This move is so much fun to play on e as s u me s it is ve ry st ron g - t h e ro o k influences most of the board from this entry route. 18.c3 g6 19.xg6 fxg6! Continuing to bank on increasing the activity of his rooks, and creating a crowbar - Black wants to undermine W hite's kingside pawn wedge, and this recapture gains the space he needs on this flank to advance. Black can keep White's centre under control with piece play, but one should not underestimate the element of risk when playing so dynamically. 20.g3 e7 21.h2 h5 22.b3 e4 23.ae1 c6 24.d2 f5 25.c3 The tension of the position will not be dissipated by the trade of queens - Black must still prove that his activity is worth odd pawn structures. h4 26.gxh4 xh4 27.xc6 bxc6 28.g3 f5+ 29.g4 f7 Clearing the way to the h-file for the Rf8. 30.xe4 dxe4 31.e1 d8 [ 31...h8 must be roughly equal, but Miles decides to keep more life in the position. ]
32.e3 d1 33.e2 e6 34.f2 f1 35.a4 c5 36.a5 bxa5 37.g5 [ 37.xc5 f3 38.f2 c5 and White is rat he r sh ort of m oves, wh ile Blac k ca n create trouble with ...c4, trying to pass his a-pawn. ] 37...h1 38.xc5 xh3 39.xg6 g3+ 40.h7 e3 The time control is over, and White's position is in ruins - the Black e-pawn ha s m o re t h a n su rvive d a n d t h e re la t ive strength of the kings is decisive. 41.g8 g5 42.fxg5 xg5+ 43.h7 g7+ 44.h8 g3 45.h2 xe5 46.a3 g4 47.b2+ e4 48.c3 h4+ 49.xh4+ xh4 50.xa5 e2 51.g7 f3 52.f6 e3 0-1
38 Filipenko,Alexander V Filipovic,Branko 11th Open Ljubljana [Neil McDonald]
B00 2370 2435 2000
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.e2 e7 7.0-0 c6 8.dxc5! This is a significant improvement on [ 8.a3 as played in Gomboc-Filipovic in the same tournament. ] 8...bxc5 9.e5 d5 10.c4! b6 11.c3 Now Black has no compensation for the weak square on d6 and backward d pawn. His next move makes things worse but I don't like his position in any case. c7? 12.b5 b8 13.g5! The exchange of dark square bishops leaves W hite with a huge positional advantage. c8 [ If 13...xg5 14.d6+ f8 15.xg5 wins. ] 14.xe7 6xe7 15.ad1 White's immediate plan is simple- tie down the black pieces to the defence of the d7 pawn. a6 16.c3 g6 17.e4 a7 18.d2 0-0 19.fd1 xe4 20.xe4 d8 21.b3 c7 22.h4! The next stage in W hite's strategy is to exploit the passive Black pieces by beginning a direct attack on his king. h6 23.h5 f8 24.h4 e8 25.f4 c6 26.e3 c7 27.e4 d8 28.g4 e7 29.d6 c8 30.g2 a5 31.f4 a8 32.f6+! h8 [ 32...gxf6 33.exf6 c8 34.xh6 mates. ] 27
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 33.xd7 xd7 34.xd7 c8 35.xe7 A very straightforward win for W hite which made 7...Nc6 look bad. So it seems 7...d5 should be preferred. 1-0
39 Gagunashvili,Merab Savchenko,Boris TCh-TUR 2011 (12) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2603 2630 08.07.2011
1.d4 e6 2.f3 A non-committal move that has become popular of late because, amongst other reasons, it avoids 2.c4 Bb4+. b6 [ After 2...f5 White has tried no less than 17 moves! One that takes Dutch players out of their normal scenario is 3.d5!? e.g. exd5 4.xd5 d6 5.g3 f6 6.b3 a6 7.e3 d5 (Vaisser likes playing the Stonewall) 8.g2 c6 9.c4 dxc4 ( maybe 9...c5 10.c2 ce4 11.0-0 d6= ) 10.xc4 b4+ 11.bd2 d5 12.0-0 xc4 13.xc4 c5 14.fd1 Vachier-Lagrave, M-Vaisser, M French league 2011, and W hite later converted his small pull. ] 3.e4 b7 4.d3 Play has led us into Owen's Defence. c5 5.c3 f6 6.e2 c6?! A rare try, and not one that I'd recommend. [ The most commonly played move is 6...e7 then 7.0-0 c6 (here d4-d5 is just bad) 8.a3 a5!? ( although 8...d5 may transpose to the line below emanating from 6...d5, White has an extra option with t h i s m o v e o r d e r : 9.e5 d7 10.b4!? but it's not clear if this offers W hite anything ) 9.g5 c4 10.c2 h6 11.xf6 xf6 12.bd2 c7 13.ab1 Black has no immediate problems, but has to be careful a b o u t w h e n a n d w h e r e t o c a s t l e . e7 14.e5 b5 15.b4 cxb3 16.xb3 xb3 17.xb3 a6 18.h5 g6 19.f3 h7= Czebe, A-Filipovic, B Basel 2009. ( Or perhaps 19...0-0 )] [ A solid line is introduced by 6...d5 e.g. 7.e5 fd7 8.0-0 e7! ( Black needs to be wary of leaving his g5-square undefended, for example 8...c6 9.a3 c4 10.c2 c7?! 11.g5! e7 12.h5 xg5 13.xg5 f8 14.d2 e7 15.ae1 g6 16.f3 h5
17.a4+ c6 18.f6 and White won material in Anisimov, P-Vlasov, E Warsaw rapid 2010) 9.e3 c6 10.a3 c4 11.c2 b5 12.bd2 a5 13.e1 h5 14.f4 g6 15.ef3 b4 and White never looked like breaking through in Dautov, R-Bauer, C Gothenburg 2005. ] [ I'm not so keen on 6...cxd4 7.cxd4 b4+ 8.d2 c6 9.c3 d6 10.0-0 xc3 11.xc3 0-0 12.ad1 e7 13.e5 Kulicov, O-Novotny, M Frydek Mistek 2011, when White had a pleasant edge. ] 7.d5! This looks to be spot on. Black cannot capture on d5, so it's understandable why 6... Be7 7.0-0 Nc6 is more popular (when d4-d5 w o u l d l o s e a p a w n ) . e7 8.c4 By consolidat ing his pawn wedge , W hit e ensures a space advantage. d6 9.c3 g6 [ Black could opt for closing the centre with 9...e5 (with a type of Czech Benoni) but then 10.c2! followed by Ba4+ would be better for White. The early ...b6 and ...Bb7 looking out of place here. ] 10.dxe6 [ H e r e a g a i n 10.c2 comes into consideration, but Gagunashvili opts to force the pace, angling for something more than a positional pull. ] 10...fxe6 11.g5 d7 12.e5! Breaking up Black's structure and leaving the e6-pawn ch ro n ica lly we a k. dxe5 13.xe5 g7 14.xe6 [ Although Black's position looks dodgy, he d o e s h a ve a n u m b e r o f r e so u r c e s , f o r e x a m p l e a f t e r 14.b5 xg2! 15.g1 ( 15.d6+ f8 isn't that clear either) 15...0-0-0 16.e2 c6 17.xe6 b4 with counter-chances. ] [ Otherwise 14.0-0 0-0-0 15.xe6 h6! 16.xd7+ xd7 17.e6 xd3 18.xg7 offers Black some play for his pawn. ] 14...f7 [ Taking the piece is not really a good idea: 14...xd3?? 15.xg7+ f7 16.e6+ xg7 17.xe7+ g8 18.xb7 e8+ 19.e3 g4 20.d5+ and Black can resign. ] 15.xg7 c6 16.e6+ Safest, as White retains his extra pawn and avoids middlegame complications. xe6+ 17.xe6 he8 18.0-0 xe6 19.f4 The bishop pair, 28
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 plus an extra pawn n atu rally o f f e r W hit e something to look forward to, although Black's activity complicates the task of exploiting his a d va n t a ge . e5 20.e2 e4 21.b5!? I'm surprised that Gagunashvili opted for such a complex move when a simple continuation presented itself. [ An alternative is 21.xe4 xe4 22.ad1 ae8 23.e3 when Black is running out of compensation. ] 21...g5! 22.e3 g8 23.ad1 [ Deciding not to chase a second pawn. In general with a material advantage it's best to avoid unnecessary complications, but it seems that White can indeed snatch the apawn: 23.xa7 d6 24.b3 g4 25.a4 f5 ( 25...f3+ 26.xf3 gxf3 27.g3 ) 26.b5 and Black's play isn't worth two pawns. ] 23...g4 24.h1 f6 25.c7 h5 26.f3!? Hoping to open lines for his rooks and bishops. gxf3 27.xf3 xf3 [ Plausible is 27...xf3 as 28.gxf3 f6 29.d5 xc4 30.xf6 xf6 wouldn't be as easy a technical ride as White would like. However the first player is still for preference. ] 28.d7+ g6 29.gxf3 xf3!? [ Or perhaps 29...g5 as 30.d5 xd5 31.cxd5 xf3 32.xf3 xf3 33.xa7 f5 would still be complicated. ] 30.xf3 g5 31.d6+! A precise move that enables White to ultimately emerge from the c o m p l i c a t i o n s w i t h a n e x t r a p a w n . h7 32.d5 xd5 [ 32...xf3?? 33.f6+ ] 33.xd5 xf3 34.f5 e1 35.xh5+ g7 36.g5+ h8 37.xg8+ xg8 White has some major trumps in the endgame: Bishop versus knight, a passed pawn on the edge an d B la c k h a s h is pa wn s st u ck o n d a rksquares. Despite all these points, White still has some work to do. 38.d2 d3 39.b3 f7 40.g2 g6 41.f3 f5 42.h4 a6 43.h5 b5 [ If Black temporizes with 43...e5+ 44.g3 d3 White prepares an invasion via e4 with 45.h6 g6 46.f3 ] 44.cxb5 axb5 45.h6 e5+ 46.e3 g4+ 47.d3 g6 [ If 47...c4+ simplest is 48.d4 when White retains a b-pawn. ]
48.e4 f6+ 49.e5 g4+ 50.e4 f6+ 51.d3 g4 52.c2 e5 53.a4! Pawns on both rims give the knight an impossible task. c6 54.a5 [ After 54.a5 b8 ( 54...xa5 55.xa5 xh6 56.b6 c4 57.b4 g5 58.c3 f5 59.d4 e6 60.c5 c3 61.xb5 c2 62.e3 ) 55.d3 a6 56.e4 h7 57.d5 g6 58.c6 Black's position is hopeless. ] 1-0
40 Gallagher,Joseph G McShane,Luke J Bundesliga 2000-1 (10) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2519 2460 10.03.2001
1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 d6 5.c4 d7 6.c3 e7 7.h4!? White takes advantage of black's lack of fianchetto on this flank, and stakes out a bit of space. h6 8.h5 c6 9.e2 e7 10.d5 ce5 11.d4 This looks like a clear safe advantage for white. f8 12.a4+ [ 12.0-0 followed by rumbling the f-pawn forward deserves a serious look. ] 12...d7 13.b3 c5 14.c2 d8 Creating a home for the Ne5. Black is now reasonably solid since it will take white some time to regroup his queen and Nc2. 15.e3 ed7 16.a4 exd5 17.cxd5 h7 18.0-0 0-0 19.f4 e8 20.a3 f6 21.f3 xc3 This weakens the e4 pawn to the extent that it is now black who takes over the driving seat. [ 21...d4!? ] 22.xc3 df6 23.d3 e7 24.ae1 xe4 25.xc5 xc5 26.xe7 xd3 27.xb7 xb2 28.b5 xa4 29.a1 [ 29.xd6!? c5 30.c7 ] 29...c5 30.bxa7 xa7 31.xa7 d8 32.c7 f6 33.c6 d3 [ 33...ce4 gave some chances for a microscopic edge. ] 34.g3 a8 35.xd6 a1+ 36.h2 a2+ 37.g1 e1 38.e4 xe4 39.xe4 f3+ 40.f1 f5 41.d6 ½-½
29
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 41 Geller,Efim P Chiburdanidze,Maia Aruba [Alexander Volzhin]
B00 2525 2505 1992
O we n 's D e f e n ce h a s a ch e ive d a ce rt a i n amount of popularity during the last decade. Strong players such as GMs Anthony Miles and Artashes Minasian to name but two, are among the adherents of this opening. 1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 [ 3...f5? This move is just bad. But I was s u r p r is e d t o f i n d t h a t a c c o r d i n g t o m y database Black has scored more than 50% in this line! 4.exf5 xg2 5.h5+ g6 6.fxg6 g7 A) My database contains only games where 7.gxh7+ was played. This move is recommended in lots of theoretical manuals. However in my opinion it's much weaker: f8 8.hxg8+ xg8 9.g4 xh1 10.h4 ( 10.c3 f8 11.e3 f6 12.h3 h4 13.g6 c6 and Black was better in Lombardy - Regan, USA, 1974.) 10...d5! 11.h5 e6 12.g2 xh5 13.xa8 d5 14.xa7 c6 15.a4 h1! and Black has tremendous compensation for the sacrificed piece. The game Shmit - Vitolinsh, Riga, 1969 c o n t i n u e d : 16.f1 xd4 17.c4 e6 18.xd5 exd5 A1) 19.c3 was better, although after c6! ( 19...f3 20.ce2!; 19...h4 20.xd7! and White is winning in both cases. ) 20.f4 h4 21.g2 xg1+ 22.xg1 xf4 Black has excellent compensation for the exchange and can decide whether to take a draw by perpetual check (Qg5-c1), or to try to for more.; A2) 19.f4 h4?! This inaccuracy a llo ws W h it e t o e sca p e . ( The natural 19...f3! was simple and good. After the forced 20.g2 xg1+ 21.xf3 h4! 22.a8+ h7 Black has a winning attack. ) 20.a8+ h7 21.xd5 h3+ 22.g2 xg1+ 23.xg1 e2+ 24.f1 xg2+ 25.xg2 xf4+ 26.f3 xb2 27.xf4 xa1 28.c3 b2 29.e3 c1+ and a draw was agreed. A very
exciting game!; B) 7.f5! This is the refutation! f6 8.h6!! This is the idea behind White's p r e vi o u s m o ve ! xh6 9.gxh7 xh1 10.g6+ f8 11.xh6+ f7 12.h3! and Black is hopelessly lost, for example: f8 13.g6+ e6 14.c3 d6 15.0-0-0 d5 16.xd5 xd5 17.b5 c6 18.f5+ d6 19.f4+ e5 20.dxe5+ ] 4.f3 g6?! This move contradicts basic opening principles. [ Either 4...c5 ] [ or 4...f6 should be preferred. ] 5.g5! Immediately exploiting the drawbacks of Black's previous move. This sortie makes the normal development of Black's forces difficult. c8 [ 5...e7? is evidently bad in view of 6.f6 ] [ 5...f6 also cannot be recommended, as this move seriously weakens Black's position. 6.e3 g7 7.d2 e7 8.h6 with h4 to follow with a clear edge for White. ] [ and if 5...e7 then 6.e3! is very unpleasant, as the dark squares on the K-side are seriously weakened. ] 6.c3 g7 7.0-0 d6 8.e1 d7 9.e5! W hite has completed his development and begins action in the centre. d5 [ The pawn sacrifice cannot be accepted: 9...xf3? 10.xf3 dxe5 in view of 11.a6! b8 12.b7 winning the Rook ] [ In my opinion, 9...dxe5 10.xe5 gf6 was relatively better, although after 11.a4! B l a c k s t i l l h a s t o s o l ve m a n y d i f f i c u l t problems. ] 10.a4! a6 [ 10...a6 is strongly met by 11.b5! ] [ 10...a5 gives up the b5-square forever: 11.b5 intending Rc1 and c4 with strong pressure on the Q-side. ] 11.e2 e7 12.f4! [ 12.xe7? xe7 leads White nowhere, as he cannot exploit the bad position of Black's King, and after evacuating the King with Re8 and Kf8, Black will play c7-c5 obtaining good prospects. ] 12...c6 [ After 12...h6 13.xe7 xe7 the following sacrif ice loo ks ve ry p ro mising: 14.xg6! fxg6 15.xg6+ f7 16.xh8+ xh8 30
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.h4 intending to transfer the Rook to the K-side via the a3-square with Qh5 and f4-f5 with a growing attack. ] 13.c3 a5 [ 13...h6 14.f6! is similar to the game. ] 14.h4! h6 This move seriously weakens the g6-square and gives White a target, [ but 14...a6 15.c2 f8 16.h5 was hardly better. ] 15.f6! All White's pieces occupy active positions and are ready for the decisive attack. By sacrif icing a pawn (and a piece soon) White opens files near Black's King. xf6 [ Nxf6 is the alternative to the text, but White attacks in a similar way to the game: 15...xf6 16.exf6 xf6 17.xg6! fxg6 18.xe6+ f7 19.d3! with decisive t h r e a t s , f o r e xa m p l e : e7 ( 19...g8 20.h5+- winning e7 21.ae1 d6 22.hxg6+ g7 23.h5+ h8 24.g7+ ) 20.ae1 g8 ( 20...g8 21.e5+ xe5 22.1xe5 ) 21.e5+ xe5 22.1xe5 e8 23.f3 f5 24.xf5+! gxf5 25.h5+ ] [ Probably, 15...0-0 was relatively best, although Black's position is bad anyway: 16.xg7 xg7 17.d2! e7 18.h5! g5 19.xg5! hxg5 20.h3! with a decisive attack, is just one variation that illustrates W hite's resources: h8 21.xg5+ f8 22.h6 g8 23.h5 h8 24.e3 e8 25.g5 f5 26.xf5 exf5 27.h7 and Black is hopelessly lost. ] 16.exf6 xf6 [ The attempt to protect the weak e6- and g6s q u a r e s w i t h 16...f8 fails as 17.b5! leads to a tragicomic position where Black h a s t o p l a y d8 , as there is no other d e f e n c e a g a i n s t N e 5 . 18.c4 with an overwhelming advantage. ] [ 16...0-0 Here this move is even worse than a move previously: 17.h5 g5 18.xg5! xf6 ( 18...hxg5 19.g4+winning ) 19.d2! and Black has no compensation for the weak position of her king, and accepting the Knight sacrifice loses on the spot: hxg5? 20.xd5! h7 21.f6+! ] 17.xg6! fxg6 18.xe6+ f7 19.d3! g8 [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 19...e4 is the main alternative to the text, but it doesn't help Black: 20.e1! Preparing a new sacrifice (Rxe4), which works whatever Black replies!
h7 ( 20...g5 is no better: 21.1xe4! gxf4 22.xf4+ xe6 23.g6+ e7 24.f6+ d7 25.e5+! xe5 26.g7+ wit h a qu ick m a t e .) 21.1xe4! dxe4 22.xe4 g7 ( 22...g8 23.xg6+ h8 24.d5! e8 25.e6 e7 26.g6+ ) 23.d5! and Black is hopelessly lost. ] 20.ae1 Now White is threatening Rxc6 with N e 5 + t o f o l l o w . e4 Allowing a brilliant combination. [ 20...g7 preparing to evacuate the King to the g8-square, was more stubborn, although White has a huge advantage after 21.xc6 xc6 22.e5+ g8 23.xc6 d7 T h e o n ly m o ve . 24.e7+ ( The tempting 24.e6? fails to h5! ) 24...xe7 25.xg6+ g7 26.xf6 ] 21.1xe4! dxe4 22.c4!! Black resigned as her position is absolutely hopeless: [ 22.c4 A) 22...a6 23.xc6 exf3 ( 23...b7 24.e5+ f8 25.e8+! ) 24.f6+; B) 22...g7 23.xc6+ e8 24.e5; C) 22...g7 23.xg6+ h8 24.xh6+ g7 25.g6+ h8 26.g5 f8 27.f7+ h7 28.e6 We can only admire the youthful energy of 67 year old Efim Geller. ] 1-0
42 Gerber,Richard Miles,Anthony J Open Crans Montana SUI (5) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2432 2562 21.04.2001
1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 xe5 4.f3 b4+ 5.c3 xf3+ 6.xf3 c5 7.c4 f6 Here we get a little course in how Miles, the hero of most of the sections of Daring Defences, makes a living in what might appear to most to be tedious backwaters. Mainly, by not having anything against putting in very long days at the office when the job requires it. 8.e3 [ 8.g3 e7 9.0-0 0-0 10.b4 d6 11.f4 h6 12.e5 f5 13.g4 e7 14.d3 ( 14.xf5 d5 ) 14...b6+ 15.h1 h6 16.h5 f5 17.e2 h8 18.e3 g6 19.d2 b6 and black finally completed his 31
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 development, achieving a truly murky and daring position. 20.f3 b7 21.ad1 a5 22.a3 g4 23.g1 axb4 24.axb4 a3 25.b2 aa8 26.b5 d6 27.h3 dxe5 28.xe5 xe5 29.fxe5 ad8 30.f2 h5 31.xd8 xh3+ 32.h2 xd8 33.g3 xg3 34.xg3 d2 35.f2 xf2 36.xf2 d5 37.d7 g6 38.g3 g7 39.e6 c5 40.e5+ h6 41.c7 cxb4 42.cxb4 b5 43.xb5 xb4 44.d7 e7 45.h2 g5 46.e5 f4 47.g1 f5 48.d6 xe6 49.xe6+ xe6 50.xf4 c5+ 51.h1 f5 52.g3 d4 53.g2 e5 54.e3 g4 55.f2 c3 56.e3 g5 57.xg5 xg5 58.g4 f4 59.g5 g4 60.h1 h3 61.g1 d4+ 62.h1 g3 63.g6 hxg6 1/2-1/2 Salimaki,J-Jouhki,Y Helsinki 1998. ] [ 8.f4 d6 9.d2 e7 10.b5+?! ( 10.0-0-0 0-0 11.h4 c6 12.g3 e5 13.e2 g6 14.e3 xe3 15.xe3 f4 16.f1 e8 17.xf4 xf4 18.f3 e6 19.b3 a5 20.e3 a4 21.b2 axb3 22.axb3 a5 23.g3 h3!? 24.d2 ea8 25.c2 a2+ 26.c1 g5 27.g2 g4 28.c4 h5 29.f4 d7 30.e5 e6 31.exd6 cxd6 32.xb7? b8 33.c6 xb3 34.d4 c3+ 35.d1 a1+ 36.e2 xc4+ 0-1 Solomon,S-Miles,A Melbourne 1991.) 10...c6 11.e2 0-0 12.0-0 g6 13.g3 e7 14.b4 b6 15.h5 f5 and black has a very comfortable game. 16.c4+ h8 17.exf5 xf5 18.d1 d5 19.e2 ae8 20.h5 f6 21.b1 d8 22.d2 e5 23.a3 c4 24.xc4 dxc4 25.b2 d3 26.fe1 d5 27.f3 f5 28.a4 a6 29.a5 a7 30.d2 h6 31.a2 xf3 32.gxf3 xf3 33.d1 f6 34.c1 f5 35.ae2 g4 36.d2 f3 37.d6 f5 38.e7 d5 39.d2 f7 40.e8+ h7 41.dd8 f6 42.e5 g6 43.ee8 f8 44.e1 xf2+ 45.xf2 xe8 46.xe8 xe8 47.f5+ g8 48.f2 e6 49.e5 f7+ 50.e3 d5 51.d4 f1 52.c5 g1+ 53.d4 xd4+ 54.xd4 g5 55.c5 h5 56.d6 g4 57.g3 f7 58.b6 e6 59.e1 c5 60.xc5 e5 61.h4 e4 62.f6 f7 63.b6 e8 64.xb7 b5 65.b6 f3 66.c5 g2 67.e5 h4 68.d4 f3 69.b8 g3 70.hxg3 hxg3 71.xg3 xg3 72.e3 g2 0-1 Perdomo,C-Miles,A Ubeda 1997. ]
8...xf3 9.gxf3 e7 10.g1 g6 11.d4 f6 12.a3 a6 13.c2 d6 14.e3 0-0 15.0-0-0 e6 16.f5 d8 17.b3 e8 18.g3 d7 19.f4 f8 20.f5 xb3 21.axb3 g5+ 22.c2 e5 23.xe5 dxe5 24.d7 e7 25.d5 h4 26.b4 c6 27.d6 ee8 28.gd1 ed8 29.d7 ab8 30.f3 e8 31.xd8+ xd8 32.xd8+ xd8 33.f1 g5 34.d3 f4 35.h3 e7 36.e3 xe3 37.xe3 f6 38.fxg6 fxg6 39.f2 g5 40.g3 b6 41.c4 c5 42.b5 axb5 43.cxb5 c4 44.h4+ f6 45.f4 h6 46.g4 exf4 47.xf4 g5+ 48.hxg5+ hxg5+ 49.g4 e5 50.xg5 xe4 51.f6 d5 0-1
43 Gicev,Blagoja Blatny,Pavel 2nd IECC Ohrid MKD (11) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2336 2547 12.06.2001
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d2 [ 3.d3 e6 4.f4?! Not terribly logically directed aggression which doesn't do much to stifle the Bb7. c5 5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 b4+ 7.c3 f5 and Black could be satisfied with his unorthodox opening in this recent game. 8.e2 fxe4 9.xe4 xe4 10.xe4 c6 11.f3 f6 12.d3 0-0 13.0-0 e7 14.a3 xc3 15.bxc3 c7 16.d2 ac8 17.g3 f5 18.a4 d6 19.a5 b5 20.a6 fe4 21.ac1 c4 22.e3 d5 23.fe1 c6 24.e5 xa6 25.a1 xa1 26.xa1 a8 27.c1 a5 28.d3 c4 29.xc4 bxc4 30.c2 b8 31.b2 f6 32.e1 d6 33.c1 b3 34.d2 a4 35.h3 a3 36.g4 b2 37.d1 a2 0-1 Csapo, Z-Puschmann, L Budapest HUN 2001. ] 3...e6 4.gf3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.d3 c6 7.a3 d5 8.e5 d7 9.0-0 a5 [ 9...e7 10.e1 g5!? This leads to a very standard type of King's Indian reversed type of position, and the game well illustrates Black's ideas in this variation. 11.h3 h5 12.g4 hxg4 13.hxg4 c7 14.f1 0-0-0 15.g3 dg8 16.b4 c4 17.f1 a6 18.a4 d8 19.b5 a5 20.g2 f6 21.a3 xa3 22.xa3 h4 23.exf6 xg4 24.e5 xe5 25.dxe5 xg3 26.fxg3 c5+ 27.d4 xa3 32
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 28.xb6 g4 29.f1 f8 30.f4 h8 31.f7 e7 32.xa5 c5+ 33.d4 c6 34.bxc6 xa5 35.cxb7+ c7 0-1 Braig,F-Scherer,M Schwaebisch Gmuend 1997. ] 10.e1 c8?!N Black envisions combining ideas of Ba6 and using the c-file, but only achieves surrendering the bishop pair without sufficient compensation - as well as keeping the position a bit too open. [ 10...c4 11.c2 b5 led to very complex play where a French aficionado like Lputian felt right at home as Black. 12.f1 h6 13.h4 b4 14.d2 b6 15.f4 bxc3 16.bxc3 a4 17.g3 a5 18.b2 b3 19.ad1 c8 20.h5 e7 21.e3 a7 22.d2 c6 23.b1 b8 24.g3 g6 25.f6+ d8 26.h5 g5 27.e3 xd4 28.cxd4 xb2 29.c3 a2 30.xa4 c7 31.xc6 xc6 32.f3 e7 33.h3 g7 34.e4 f8 35.ec3 b2 36.a4 f6 37.b5 a5 38.a3 b4 39.exf6 xf6 40.xb4 xb4 41.1c3 c6 42.e3 d7 43.de1 b2 44.f3 d2 45.a5 xa5 46.xd5 exd5 47.e7+ c6 48.a7+ b6 49.xg7 c3 50.c8+ b5 51.c7 c2 52.c3 b4 53.c5 b3 54.e7 xc5 55.xd5+ b3 56.xf6 d1 0-1 Narciso Dublan,M-Lputian,S Linares 1996. ] 11.c2 cxd4 12.cxd4 a6 13.f1 xf1 Chess is not so simple that one can toss off a bishop and then just plonk one's pawn's on those colour squares and claim to be solid and quit a potentially bad piece. The lightsquared bishop protects a lot of potential pawn weaknesses, and has long-term career prospects outside the pawn chain. 14.xf1 b5 15.e3 a4 16.g5 [ 16.c1!? would have reduced Black's tactical possibilities. ] 16...e7 [ 16...h6 17.h5 ] 17.xh7 g6 18.g5 xg5 [ 18...xd4 19.xd4 xg5 20.f4 This kind of position demonstrates the dark side of Black's strategy - White has all sorts of way to crack open Black position, using p a wn b re a k s o n e it h e r f la n k, wh e n h i s unopposed light-squared bishop will steadily increase in strength. Black presumably entered this whole adventure intending the game continuation and
missing White's 22nd. ] 19.xg5 xd4 20.xd4 xc2 21.ac1 e4 22.a7!! Taking picturesque advantage of Black's weak last rank and dark-square ventilation - and it will get worse. d4 [ 22...b8 23.b7! ] 23.c7 [ 23.a6! ] 23...f6 24.xf6 h7 25.d6+xf6 26.xe6+ e7 27.xf6 d3 28.ce1 d5 29.e6 h5 30.e5 h7 31.d5 g5 32.d1 c8 33.5xd3 g7 34.f5 1-0
44 Glek,Igor V Polak,Tomas 10th Open Valls d'Aosta ITA (6) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2601 2482 14.02.2002
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.f3 b4 5.d3 f6 6.g5 h6 7.xf6 xc3+ 8.bxc3 xf6 9.0-0 d6 10.d2 e5 11.f4 e7 Kramnik's choice. The confrontational [ 11...exd4 is also very playable, but riskier 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 g5 14.f3 e3+ 15.h1 0-0 16.cxd4 d7 17.h4 g5 18.e1 ae8 19.f2 d5 20.c4 b7 21.f5 c8 22.ae1 c5 23.xd7 1/2-1/2 Tkachiev, V-Minasian,A/Cannes 1995 (23) ] 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.c4 [ 13.b5+ c6 14.c4 0-0 15.f5 d7 16.h5 b5 17.b3 c5 18.dxc5 f6 19.f3 c8 20.xf6 xf6 21.xf6 gxf6 22.d5 b8 23.f1 g7 24.b3 e6 25.c6 bd8 26.d1 f5 1/2-1/2 Maljutin,EKramnik,V/Sochi 1990/TD (55) ] 13...0-0 14.h5 d7 15.ae1 ae8 16.e3 f6 The fact that this upset is scored so smoothly illustrates the most salient point of the position, and that is white, with nearly a full set of pawns to worry about, has a hard time not making things worse. White should be thinking of bailing out. 17.e2 h8 [ 17...d6 18.ef3 exd4 19.xf6 should again hold for white. ] 18.f5?! [ 18.ef3!? looks better - defending the centre is a thankless task, but aiming to 33
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 crea te b a la nce by co un te r p un ch in g a t black's soft spots is more attractive. A) 18...exd4 19.xf6 ( 19.cxd4 doesn't help black as the pressure on f6 a n d f 7 g i v e w h i t e a t l e a s t e q u a l i t y .) 19...gxf6 20.h5 is again at least equal for white.; B) 18...d6 19.xf6 gxf6 20.h5 is at least a draw f or white, since th e only winning try, .. .f5, just gives up all shelter around the black king. ] 18...d6 19.b5? exd4 20.cxd4 c6 21.c4 xd4 winning material without compensation. 22.c3 d8 23.e5 d5 24.ef3 f6 25.e4 c8 26.d3 xc3 27.g4 xe5 28.g3 g8 0-1
45 Gomboc,Miha Filipovic,Branko 11th Open Ljubljana [Neil McDonald]
B00 2160 2435 2000
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.e2 e7 7.0-0 c6 This leads to a different type of centre to [ 7...d5 8.e5 fd7 as played in GrosarFilipovic. Here Black looks for active piece play rather than a gritty blocked structure. In particular, he keeps his queen's bishop active. The drawback is that Black isn't staking much of a claim in the centre, so White has direct attacking chances. ] 8.a3?! Much stronger is 8 dxc5! as played in DD416, Filipenko-Filipovic also in the Ljubljana tournament. With 8 a3 White plans to restrict Black further with 9 b4. Filipovic neutralises this idea with his next two moves, but this leaves him with less influence on the centre. a5 9.bd2 c4 10.c2 c7 11.e5 Attacking c4. b5 12.f4 0-0 13.ef3? This retreat is totally inconsistent. [ White should continue 13.f5! for example d6 14.g4 with definite attacking chances. ] 13...h5 14.g3 g6 15.e5? This just weakens his light squares. He had to play [ 15.f5 with unclear play. ] 15...f5! 16.exf6 xf6 17.e4 g7 18.xb7 xb7 White's next move doesn't help but he
already had an unpleasant position. 19.e4 b3 20.b1 d5 21.ed2 f6 22.xb3 cxb3 23.d2 a5 24.a4 bxa4 25.a1 a3! 26.xa3 a4 27.c4 fe8 28.b4? [ Necessary was 28.e2 though after eb8 Black would be ready for a breakthrough on the queenside with Bf8 and a4- a3. ] 28...f8 0-1
46
B00 Grischuk,Alexander 2606 Lima,Darcy 2525 FIDE WCh KO New Delhi IND (1.2) 28.11.2000 [Jon Tisdall] 1.e4 b6 Been a while since a (coming) world championship semi-finalist faced this. 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.e2 e7 7.a3 [ 7.bd2 A quick look at how to react to n a t u r a l d e v e l o p m e n t : cxd4 ( 7...c6 8.dxc5?! bxc5 9.e5 d5 10.e4 c7 11.g3 f6 12.exf6 gxf6 13.h5 0-0-0 14.h6 hg8 15.g3 f5 16.0-0-0 g6 17.d2 g4 18.f4 f6 19.h3 g7 20.he1 e4 21.xe4 fxe4 22.xe4 a5 23.b1 c4 24.e4 e5 25.xc4 exf4 26.xf4 a6 27.e4 f6 28.d6 g6 29.c2 g5 30.xg6 xf4+ 31.xf4 hxg6 32.xg6 xa2 33.h4 c7 34.b1 d5 35.e4 b5 36.d4 xd4 37.xd4 e8 38.c4 e1+ 39.d2 a5+ 40.c3 a1 41.c2 b1 42.e3 xb2 43.d3 b7 0-1 Rausis,I-Kveinys,A Riga 1986.) 8.cxd4 d5 9.e5 fd7 10.a3 a5 11.b1 a6 12.c3 xd3 13.xd3 c6 14.h4 a7 15.g5 c8 16.h3 f8 17.b5 xb5 18.xb5+ d7 19.f3 0-0 20.d3 xg5 21.hxg5 c7 22.d2 c4 23.e3 c2 24.c3 c7 25.c1 g6 26.h3 fc8 27.a4 c4 28.b3 4c7 29.f4 b8 30.f2 a6 31.g4 b4 32.d2 c6 33.f3 h6 34.gxh6 xh6 35.g3 g6 36.g5 h5 37.g2 g7 38.h1 xf3+ 39.xf3 xc3+ 40.g4 c2 41.g1 e3+ 42.f3 f5+ 43.g4 g3+ 44.xg3 xg3 45.xg3 c3+ 46.f2 xb3 47.e2 b4 48.d3 xa4 49.b1 b4 50.xb4 axb4 51.c2 f8 52.b3 e7 53.a4 d7 34
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 54.b3 c7 55.xb4 b8 56.a4 a7 57.b5 b7 58.a4 a6 59.b4 b5 60.c5 a5 61.d6 b4 62.f5 gxf5 63.e7 b3 64.xf7 b2 65.g6 b1 66.xe6 f4 0-1 Solomon,S-Miles,A/ Melbourne 1992. ] 7...c4 8.c2 b5 9.bd2 c6 10.f1 [ 10.a4 led to adventure: a6 11.e5 d5 12.e4 c7 13.axb5 axb5 14.xa8+ xa8 15.fg5 h6 16.xf7!? That's what he's here for. xf7 17.h5+ f8 18.h4 The threat of lifting a rook to h3 seems hard t o m e e t . . . db4! Feels right, though computers like Qa5 to play Nc7 and Nd8 to protect black's king. Maybe they can get away with this, but a good counterattack is more likely to work. 19.cxb4 ( 19.b1 d3+ 20.xd3 cxd3 21.h3 xd4 ) 19...xd4 20.b1 xb4+ 21.f1 f5 22.g5 e7 23.f7+ d8 A) 24.xe6! xg2+ ( 24...b7!? ) 25.xg2 b7+ 26.e4 xe4+ 27.xe4 dxe6; B) 24.xf5? xe5! 25.g1 hxg5 26.xg5+ c8 27.f4 A typo clearly, though white is clearly going down here. f8 0-1 Crouch,C-Burnett,R/ Coulsden 1999. ] 10...a5 [ 10...c7!? looks more flexible. ] 11.g3 c7 12.0-0 a6 13.d5 0-0 14.e1 exd5 15.e5 e4 16.xe4 dxe4 17.xe4 b3 18.b1 xe4 19.xe4 c5 20.g4 Presumably e young, ambitious and powerful Mr. Grischuk was not pleased with the holes beckoning to black's knight. Black's kingside can be defended by ...Qc6-g6. ½-½
47 Grosar,Kiti Filipovic,Branko 11th Open Ljubljana [Neil McDonald]
B00 2210 2435 2000
was very strong f or W hite in GleizerovFilipovich from the same tournament. ] 5.c3 f6 6.e2 e7 7.0-0 d5!? After White's reply the black queen's bishop is shut in. On the other hand Black's position becomes secure against any sudden assault in the centre. A French type pawn centre is reached. 8.e5 fd7 9.bd2 c6 10.a3 White intends to encroach on the queenside with 11 b4, which persuades Black to close the position further. c4 11.c2 b5 12.e1? This is too routine. Following 10...c4 there is no real pressure on W hite's centre, so it is possible for him to build up an attack on the kingside. The obvious strategical plan is to prepare the advance of the f pawn, and for this task the rook is best placed on f1. Therefore [ 12.e1!? g6 13.f4 h5 14.df3 followed by g3, Ng2, Ne3 and an eventual g4 seems to be the correct continuation. Mean while Black could ad vance on his queenside, with an interesting battle in prospect. ] 12...a5 13.f1 b4 14.3d2 h5! Black prepares to blockade the kingside. 15.f4 White achieves the desired advance, but it has no punch as his pieces aren't on the best squares. g6 16.g4? This is horrible as White's kingside pawns are crippled. He had to play more patiently for example with [ 16.g3 ] 16...hxg4 17.xg4 b3 18.b1? [ Not 18.xg6? g8 but rather than burying the bishop on b1 he should have played it to d1. ] 18...b6 19.f3 0-0-0 20.e3 dg8 21.e2 d8 22.1d2 h5 23.g2 gh8 24.g5 This is a tactical blunder, but White was already strategically lost. After all, how can he ever bring his rook on a1 into the game? xg5 25.fxg5 xe5! 0-1
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 c5 Black has to be careful with his move order. For example [ 4...f6 5.e2 d5?! ( 5...e7! ) 6.e5 fd7 7.g5! e7 8.g4 g6 9.h4 h5 10.h3 35
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 48 Grosar,Kiti Mashinskaya,Iulia V ECC Women Halle GER (2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2223 2335 25.09.2000
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 f6 4.d2 A very sensible continuation, akin in philosophy to the Tarrasch French - no structural damage today, thanks - a pin with ... Bb4 is ruled out. e6 5.gf3 c5 6.c3 d5 I am not a big fan of this move, but I suppose that might not be relevant to admirers of French-type positions. Nevertheless, I can't help feeling the lines where Black tries to keep the position open are more in keeping with the spirit of the opening. [ 6...cxd4 7.cxd4 e7 8.0-0 A) 8...0-0 9.e1 d6 10.a3 bd7 11.e5? ( 11.b4 should keep white with a safe spatial advantage, and explains why this lovely game has not replaced the standard plan of trading bishops on a6 - but it is still nice to know.) 11...dxe5 12.dxe5 g4 13.c2 c8 14.b1 c5 15.e2 xf2+ 16.xf2 xf2 17.xf2 xe5 18.e2 g4+ 19.g1 b5 20.d3 c7 21.h3 fd8 22.xb5 e3 23.g5 c2 24.b1 b6+ 25.h2 f2 26.d1 e3 27.b3 d7 28.g3 xg3+ 29.xg3 dc7 30.f2 f5 31.c4 xc4 32.xc4 xc4 33.d2 c2 34.g4 d4 35.b4 e5 36.b5 h6 37.a4 e4 38.e3 g6 39.a1 c3+ 40.f2 xh3 41.g2 c3 0-1 Zuckerman,B-Adorjan,A/New York 1984.; B) 8...a6 9.xa6 xa6 10.e5 ( 10.d5 exd5 11.e5 e4 12.xe4 dxe4 13.d4 c5 14.g4 g6 15.h6 d5 16.exd6 xd6 17.ad1 f5 18.e2 d3 19.c2 0-0-0 20.e1 f6 21.xd3 exd3 22.xd3 xd3 23.e6+ b7 24.xf6 he8 25.g3 e2 26.f7+ e7 27.b3 ed7 28.e3 d1 29.xd1 xd1+ 30.xd1 xd1+ 31.g2 c6 32.f3 d5 33.f4 b1 34.b3 b2 35.g5 xa2 36.h6 e6 37.xh7 f7 38.h6 b2 0-1 Archangelsky, M-Kveinys, A/Cappelle la Grande 1994.) 10...d5 This kind of position is very similar to lines in the c3 Sicilian, and may even transpose.
It is quite a popular system for black there. 11.e4 0-0 12.a3 ac7 13.e1 f5 14.exf6 xf6 15.g3 fd5 16.d3 c8 17.d2 e8 18.h3 d6 19.ac1 xc1 20.xc1 a8 21.e4 xe4 22.xe4 c8 23.xc8+ xc8 24.d3 a6 25.f1 b5 26.e2 b6 27.d1 b7 28.c2 c4 29.c1 d5 30.d1 a5 31.e2 a4 32.g3 f6 33.g4 g6 34.b3 axb3 35.xb3 e4+ 36.e3 c6 37.h4 g7 38.a4 bxa4 39.b8+ f8 40.g5 d6 41.e8 e7 0-1 Peralta,E-Nogueiras,J/ San Copiapo 1992. ] 7.e5 fd7 [ 7...e4 They tell you to exchange pieces to relieve cramp, but this seems to also rob black of a lot of the long-range potential for manoeuvering - white's N on d2 is also somewhat of a problem piece. 8.0-0 e7 9.e1 xd2 10.xd2 c6 11.c1 a5 Black begins the process of liberating or exchanging the Bb7. 12.e2 White could consider ceding the a6-f1 diagonal in order to keep the bishops on the board. ( 12.g3!? ) 12...a4 13.g3 h6 14.h4 c8 15.c4 dxc4 16.xc4 0-0 17.d3 a6 18.dxc5 xc5 19.e3 xd3 20.xd3 b4 21.e4 a3! 22.bxa3 xa3 23.c4 d5 24.xc5 bxc5 25.ec1 xa2 26.xc5 a6 27.5c2 a3 28.g2 a8 29.g1 d8 30.e1 a6 31.g2 c3 32.e1 d5 33.e4 a4 34.e2 xe2 35.xe2 b8 36.ec2 e4 37.c8+ xc8 38.xc8+ h7 39.f4 g5 40.hxg5 hxg5 41.f2 gxf4 42.gxf4 a4 1/2-1/2 Hellers,F-Ehlvest,J/New York 1993. ] 8.a3 Intending to stake some space on this flank, but it seems to me that fooling around on this side of the board only helps black find something to do. On the other hand, this plan makes it harder for black to rid himself of the Bb7. [ 8.e2 c6 9.0-0 e7 10.d1 cxd4 11.cxd4 b4 12.b1 c8 13.f1 a6 14.d2 xf1 15.xf1 c7 16.a3 c6 17.b4 b5 18.d3 a6 19.f4 b6 20.g4 g6 21.h6 c4 22.f4 f5 23.g4 d8 24.g5 f7 25.xe7 xe7 26.gxf5 gxf5 27.h1 g8 28.g1 d7 29.ac1 b2 30.xg8 xg8 31.xf5 f8 32.xe6+ xe6 33.g5 xg5 34.xf8 c4 35.g1 h6 36.f4 g6 37.f5 h5 38.e6+ c7 36
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 39.c5+ b8 40.xd5 b6 41.c6 c8 42.c1 1-0 Sermek,D-Minasian,A/Cannes 1996. ] [ 8.0-0 c6 9.e1 is a very logical plan that led to complex play: e7 10.f1 c7 11.g3 0-0-0 12.g5 xg5 13.xg5 f6 14.exf6 gxf6 15.e3 h5 16.xh5 dg8 17.c1 b8 18.b4 c4 19.e2 a8 20.f3 f8 21.f4 f7 22.g3 e7 23.f4 f5 24.g4 xg3 25.hxg3 h6 26.h3 b8 27.e2 c8 28.f3 g5 29.e3 g7 30.ce1 h8 31.xe6 xe6 32.xe6 gh5 33.e3 b7 34.e8 xh3 35.gxh3 1-0 Tiviakov,S-Reinderman,D/ Singapore 1990. ] 8...c4 9.c2 b5 10.0-0 c6 11.b4 cxb3 [ 11...a5!? ] 12.xb3 e7 13.e1!? A nice move that opens the way for the white queen and also sends the N on a nice orbit - c5 and more likely f4 are attractive squares. a5 14.xa5 xa5 15.d2 c7 16.d3 b6 17.f4 c4 18.c1 Black's problem is that there is no secure place for the king. g6 19.f3 a5 20.h3 h6 21.f4 0-0-0 22.d3 df8 23.a4 b4 24.cxb4 axb4 25.b1 b6 [ 25...a5 26.xb4! xb4 27.b3 ] 26.a5 [ 26.e3!? to gradually cut off b4 by using the c5 square was a serious option. ] 26...xa5 27.xb4 xb4 28.b3 c6 29.xb4 xb4 30.xb4 c7 31.f4 [ 31.d3 b8 32.xb8 xb8 is reasonably solid. ] 31...h5 32.fb1 a3 33.1b2 xc2 This piece wasn't doing much - black should just keep the Nc4 as white gets an initiative in the sterile looking ending that arises. [ 33...c4!? ] 34.xc2 b8 35.d2 xb4 36.xb4 a8 37.h4 d7 38.h2 b5 39.d6 c6 40.b2 a4 41.c5 a5 42.f3 b5 43.a2 b7 44.g3 b1 45.f4 h1 46.g5 h2 47.d6 c6 48.c2+ b6 49.c7+ a7 50.a5 a6 51.d8 b5 52.h6 a6 53.g7 b4 54.d2 c3 55.a5+ c4 56.xf7 xh4 57.xe6 xd4 58.xd4+ xd4 59.f6 e3 60.xg6 f2 61.xh5 xg2 62.f4 f3 63.f5 c8 64.e6 e4 65.g6 d4 66.f6 d3 67.d2 a6 68.c3 c8 69.g6 f4 70.d2+ e4 71.c3
f4 72.f6 e4 73.e7 d7 74.d2 b5 75.b4 d7 76.c3 b5 77.e6 c4+ 78.f6 b5 79.g5 e8 80.d2 b5 81.f6 e8 82.h6 f5 83.g7 e6 84.c3 h5 85.f8 d2 ½-½
49 Gulko,Boris F Lima,Darcy I American Continental (7) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2602 2543 16.08.2001
1.d4 b6 2.e4 e6 [ 2...b7 3.c3 e6 4.f3 b4 5.d3 f6 6.e2 d5 7.e5 e4 8.d2 A) 8...xd2 9.xd2 ( 9.xd2 0-0 10.f4 e7 11.h4 f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.g4 c8 14.e5 f8 15.h3 c5 16.h5 h6 17.g4 f6 18.h5 h6 1/2-1/2 Dinescu,A-Tomescu,V/ROM 1993 (18) ) 9...e7 10.g4 g6 11.e2 c5 12.c3 a6 13.xa6 xa6 14.0-0 d7 15.f3 0-0 16.e3 fc8 17.fd1 cxd4 18.xd4 b8 19.f1 c6 20.f3 e8 21.d3 f8 22.h4 g7 23.1h2 f8 24.g4 e7 25.d4 c6 26.e2 c5 27.g5 e7 28.f6+ h8 29.f3 h6 30.f4 c7 31.e3 e7 32.f3 c7 33.e3 e7 34.f3 1/2-1/2 Zetocha,CTomescu,V/ROM 1993 (34); B) 8...xc3 9.bxc3 e7 10.0-0 c5 11.dxc5 bxc5 ( 11...xc5!? ) 12.ab1 c7 13.c4 Now white straightens out his pawn structure while maintaining the more act ive po sitio n . dxc4 14.xc4 d7 15.a5 c8 ( 15...b6 16.b5+ c6 ) 16.fd1 a6 ( 16...0-0? 17.xb7 xb7 18.a6+- ) 17.d3 ( 17.b3!? ) 17...b8 ( 17...xf3!? ) 18.d2 Once the N gets to c4 black faces a grim defensive task trying to ever get active. 0-0 19.f4 g6 20.b3 a8 21.c4 d5 22.e4 xe4 23.xe4 b8 24.db1 xb3 25.xb3 b8 26.d6 xd6 27.exd6 c4 28.e3 c5 29.e5 d7 30.xc5 xc5 31.c7 c8 32.a3 f8 33.a5 b7 34.xa6 e8 35.a7 c5 36.a5 e4 37.e5 f6 38.c5 e4 39.e5 f6 40.a5 d5 41.a4 c3 42.f2 h5 43.f3 d7 37
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 44.c4 a8 45.a4 a7 46.a5 b7 47.a6 recommend the gambit course of the game. a7 48.a4 xc7 49.dxc7 xc7 xd5 8.d2 ( 8.0-0 xc3 9.bxc3 bd7 50.e4 b6 51.e5 b5 52.a3 b4 10.a4 0-0 11.a5 h5 12.g5 xe2 53.a1 c5 54.g3 c4 55.a4+ b5 13.xe2 h6 14.f3 e4 15.a2 c5 56.a3 b4 57.a1 c4 58.h3 c5 16.d2 g6 17.f3 ac8 18.a3 fd8 59.g4 hxg4 60.hxg4 c4 61.g5 c5 19.axb6 axb6 20.b3 cxd4 21.xd4 e5 62.e4 c4 63.a2 b4 64.d4 d7+ 22.d1 d5 23.b5 c4 24.b4 d2 65.e5 a7 66.d6 b5 67.a1 b6 25.e1 b1 26.b2 bxc3 27.xc3 68.b1+ a5 69.c6 1-0 Rasik,V-Blatny, xc3 28.xc3 xc3 29.xb6 xc2 P/CZE 2001/The W eek in Chess 357/[J 30.xc2 xc2 31.b3 dd2 32.f3 g5 Tisdall] (69) ] 33.g3 g7 34.h3 h5 35.e4 d1+ 3.f3 b7 4.d3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.e2 e7 36.g2 cc1 37.a3 f5 38.xe6 g4 7.0-0 c6 8.e5 d5 9.dxc5! This move 39.a7+ f8 0-1 Vatnikov,J-Gurgenidze,B gives black some problems. bxc5 10.a3!? Bad Liebenzell 1995.) 8...xc3 9.xc3 c7 bd7 10.0-0 e4 11.xe4 xe4 12.xe4 [ 10...0-0 11.c4 f5 12.d1 g5 13.d6 xe4 13.e1 f6 14.f3 g6 15.b3 0-0-0 xd6 14.exd6 f4 15.xf4 gxf4 16.b5 16.f2 d7 17.b2 hd8 18.e2 b7 b6 17.a4 f7 18.c4 g7 19.xf4 19.f2 a5 20.a4 d5 21.g3 b4 22.c3 g4 20.h6 d4 21.xd4 cxd4 22.g5 c6 23.g4 f6 24.f4 h5 25.h3 hxg4 xg2+ 23.f1 a6+ 24.e1 g1+ 26.hxg4 f7 27.f3 h8 28.c4 b4 25.d2 dxc3+ 26.bxc3 xd6+ 27.c2 29.g3 c5 30.d1 g6 31.xe6 c2 xg5 28.xg5+ f8 29.g1 e4+ 30.b2 32.d2 xb3 33.dxc5 hd8 34.xb6+ b8+ 31.b3 e8 32.g8+ e7 33.g7+ c7 35.xd7+ xd7 36.d4 xa4 37.c3 f6 34.f7+ e5 35.f4+ 1-0 Jelen,Ic6 38.b5+ xb5 39.cxb5 d3+ Filipovic,B Bled 1999. ] 40.h4 e7 41.xf6 gxf6 42.xf6 d5 11.b5 b8 12.c4 db4 13.e4 a6 43.b6+ b7 44.f5 a4 45.f7 d7 46.g5 14.d6+ xd6 15.exd6 d8 16.d1 xe4 c8 47.f8+ b7 48.f7 c8 49.f6 c6 17.xe4 f6 18.d2 b7 19.b3 a5 20.a3 50.g7 d8 51.g8 b7 52.e8 c6 a6 21.f4 0-0 22.d3 a4 23.d2 d8 53.f5 a3 54.e3 a2 55.a3 d2 56.g5 24.b1 b7 25.b4 axb3 26.bxb3 xe4 f2+ 57.g4 xc5 58.b7 27.xe4 e5 28.e3 f5 29.xc5 xc5 1 / 2 -1 / 2 Mi kh a lc h is h i n , A -G u rg e n id z e , B 30.xc5 f7 Volgodonsk 1981. ] 1-0 7...e4 8.0-0 [ 8.d2 xd2 ( 8...xc3 9.bxc3 d7 10.0-0 f5 11.exf6 xf6 12.ae1 0-0-0 50 B00 13.xe4 dxe4 14.g5 e5 15.xe4 g6 16.f3 he8 17.d5 xd5 18.c4 b7 Gunnarsson,Jon Viktor 2368 19.c3 h6 20.d1 c6 21.fe1 a6 Degraeve,Jean Marc 2540 22.d2 g5 23.e4 e6 24.b3 xc4 34th Olympiad (10) 07.11.2000 25.xc6 xc6 26.xe5 xe5 27.xd8+ [Neil McDonald] xd8 28.xe5 e6 29.xe6 xe6 30.f2 d7 31.e3 c5 32.e4 d6 33.c1 1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.f3 b4 g8 34.f5 h7+ 35.f6 xc2 36.g7 5.d3 f6 6.e2 d5 About time for a quick h5 37.f6 g4 38.f4 h4 39.g5 g3 40.h3 survey of this rather popular position in the 1. e4 41.xh4 xg2 42.xg3 e4 e4 b6 system. W e can see some serious 43.g4 b5 44.g5 b4 45.f6 c4 46.h4 names in this section, though we are still a5 47.f5 a4 48.h5 b3 49.axb3 cxb3 obviously in theoretical backwaters. 7.e5 50.e2 b2 0-1 Usachyi,M-Gurgenidze,B [ 7.exd5 Has not posed black problems, but Biel 1994.) 9.xd2 c5 ( 9...xc3 10.bxc3 it is not clear that the sharper path of the c5 11.g4 0-0 12.h5 h6 13.h4 a6 game is any better. In fact, looking at the 14.g4 xd3 15.cxd3 f6 16.f4 cxd4 games and stats, one can hardly 38
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.cxd4 c6 18.f3 fxe5 19.xe5 xd4 20.g6 c2+ 21.e2 xa1 22.g5 f5 23.c1 h7 24.e5 e8 25.g4 h5 26.g6+ g8 27.g1 a4 28.xa1 xf4 29.d4 c8 30.e3 c2+ 31.d3 c3+ 0-1 Seidel, A-Wornath,K Wiesbaden 1998.) 10.g4 0-0 11.h3 h6 12.a3 xc3 13.bxc3 a6 14.xa6 xa6 15.0-0 cxd4 16.cxd4 c8 17.d3 b8 18.fc1 c6 19.b3 e7 20.a4 a5 21.d2 c6 22.c3 c7 23.c2 c8 24.ac1 h5 25.g3 f5 26.h3 e7 27.c4 dxc4 28.xc4 xc4 29.xc4 d8 30.f3 b7 31.h2 g6 32.g4 hxg4 33.hxg4 e7 34.g3 g7 35.g5 d5 36.f3 e7 37.e4 g5 38.d6 f4 39.c8 h8 0-1 Shaw,TFuller,M Sydney 1995. ] 8...xc3 [ 8...xc3 9.bxc3 xc3 10.b1 c6 11.e3 b4 12.c3 ( 12.f4 d7 13.g5 f8 14.d2 e7 15.a4 a5 16.b5 c6 17.fc1 xb5 18.axb5 f5 19.g4 h6 20.h5 e7 21.h3 g6 22.e1 e7 23.f4 h5 24.g5 d8 25.g2 c6 26.bxc6 xc6 27.f5 e7 28.fxe6 fxe6 29.f4 f5 30.xh5 e7 31.g6 d7 32.c3 c7 33.g4 c4 34.f4 c6 1/2-1/2 Gronn, AOstenstad,B NOR 1992.) 12...e7 13.d2 a5 14.f4 c5 15.f5 c6 16.fxe6 fxe6 17.h3 c8 18.g6+ d8 19.f7 cxd4 20.xe6 c7 21.cxd4 xd4 22.f3 xe6 23.xe6 d7 24.g5 c5+ 25.h1 xe6 26.xe6+ c8 27.f7 e8 28.xc5 bxc5 29.fxb7 xe5 30.d2 1-0 Boege,WGutmann,M Badenweiler 1994. ] 9.bxc3 xc3 10.e3 [ 10.d2 e4 11.f4 h6 12.g4 g5 13.h5 d7 14.a3 g8 15.xe4 dxe4 16.d2 h7 17.c4 a6 18.fe1 g4 19.d5 f5 20.h4 exd5 21.e7+ c8 22.cxd5 xd5 23.ac1 b7 24.e3 ae8 25.h4 xe5 26.ce1 f5 27.g3 xa2 28.xe4 fxe4 0-1 Braennstroem,S-Wolf,S Germany 1992. ] 10...c6 [ 10...h6!? 11.a4 c6 12.a3 e4 13.e1 g5 14.f4 f5 15.d2 a5 16.f3 e7 17.e1 h7 18.g4 h5 19.g5 f5 20.e2 h4 21.g2 e3 22.g6 xg2 23.gxh7 xe1 24.xe1 xh7 25.xe4 dxe4 26.g5 h6 27.f2 e7 28.c3
c8 29.e3 g6 30.b1 f6 31.xe4 g2 32.c5 d5 33.d3 d7 34.exf6 gxf6 35.f5 xh2 36.fxe6+ xe6 37.f4 g8 38.e4 g4 39.e1 d6 40.ee3 f2 41.f3 d5+ 42.f5 xf3 0-1 Dahlhaus,FMueller,H Germany 1995. ] [ 10...e4 11.e1 c5 12.c3 xc3 13.dxc5 e4 14.xe4 dxe4 15.g3 f8 16.a3 g8 17.c2 d7 18.fd1 c7 19.cxb6 axb6 20.d2 c5 21.ad1 h6 22.d4 d3 23.d6 c4 24.b3 h7 25.f3 xa2 26.xa2 xb3 27.ad2 e3 28.xd3 e2 29.e1 exd1 30.xd1 xd1+ 31.xd1 c8 32.a1 d5 33.a7 g6 34.f2 c2+ 35.g3 b5 36.a1 b2 37.a3 b3 38.d6 b2 39.a3 b3 40.d6 c4 41.f4 b2 42.g3 h5 43.h4 a2 44.a3 e2 45.d6 f6 46.c1 c4 47.exf6 gxf6 48.b1 a2 49.b4 f5 50.c3 c2 51.d4 e5 52.b2 exd4 53.xc2 d3 54.d2 e5 55.f2 d4 56.g4 b4 57.gxh5 b3 58.h6 g8 59.e1 c3 60.h5 h7 61.f4 b2 62.d1 b1 0-1 Simonet Pons,M-Gallego,R Escaldes 1999. ] 11.g5 d7 12.f3 h6 13.h3 e7 14.f4 h5 15.a3 a4 16.xe7 xe7 17.g4 hxg4 18.fxg4 af8 19.h5 d7 20.f4 g6 21.af1 gxh5 22.xf7+ xf7 23.xf7+ c8 24.g5 c6 25.g6 e8 26.g7 g8 27.e7 b4 28.g5 b7 29.f6 e4 30.xe6 e1+ 31.g2 f2+ 32.h1 f3+ 33.g1 e3+ 34.g2 g5+ 35.f1 c1+ 36.g2 d2+ 37.g1 e3+ 38.g2 f2+ 39.h1 f3+ 40.g1 c6 41.xg8 g4+ 42.f1 h3+ 43.g1 e3+ 44.g2 g5+ 45.f1 f4+ ½-½
51 Handke,Florian Poley,Vladimir 34th Rilton Cup (4) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2467 2402 30.12.2004
1.d4 b5 2.e4 a6 3.f3 b7 4.d3 f6 [ If White's primitive attack in this game is to be f e a re d t h e n Bla ck sh o u ld p la y 4...e6 5.e2 f6 to get back to the standard position. ] 39
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 5.e5 More aggressive than the usual 5 Qe2. d5 6.g5! A strong move that is awkward to meet. e6 [ After 6...b4 7.e4! ( 7.xh7? can be met by xh7! 8.xh7 e4! 9.xf8 xc2+ 10.f1 xf8 11.c3 g6 ) 7...xe4 8.xe4 d5 9.0-0 I prefer White. ] 7.f3 e7 8.xh7 c6 9.c3 0-0-0 10.g5 f6 11.exf6 xf6 [ Alternatively 11...gxf6 12.xf6 xd4 13.cxd4 b4+ 14.d2 xd4 15.e4 b4 16.0-0-0 didn't give Black enough for his piece in Wallner,K-Humer,W corr 1989 ] 12.xf6 xd4 13.xb7+?! Spectacular stuff! White gets plenty of wood for the queen by eliminating Black's active pieces. [ M o v i n g t h e q u e e n w i t h 13.f4 seems strong e.g. e5 ( 13...xg2 14.xd4 c5 15.f4 xh1 16.e4 ) 14.d5 d6 15.g4! e6 16.xd8 xd5 17.e2 xd8 18.0-0 ] 13...xb7 14.e4 f7?! [ I prefer 14...f3+ 15.gxf3 f7 which messes up W hite's kingside pawns and threatens 16... Qxf3. ] 15.cxd4 e8 16.c5+ b6!? [ After 16...xc5 17.dxc5 Black's major pieces can't generate enough immediate t h r e a t s t o s t o p W h it e f r o m c o m p l e t in g development. The three pieces are probably favourite to outplay the queen longterm, but things remain fairly unclear. ] 17.b4 e5! Black must get his rooks into action. 18.d5!? Rather daring to say the least! I'm surprised that he didn't opt for [ 18.0-0 exd4 19.a4 when things are double-edged but Black's king is in some danger. Black's defence would then hinge on d6 ] 18...xd5?! [ 18...e4! comes into consideration, then (if you d on't min d) I'd like to de scrib e th e position as 'unclear'! ] 19.e4! d4 20.0-0 xc5? [ 20...xa1! is really going into the lion's den but after 21.e3 a7! Black might be able to survive e.g. 22.b3+ ( or 22.xd7+! nobly continuing with the attack c5 23.bxc5 a5! 24.c6+ a6 ) 22...d4 23.xd4+ exd4 ]
21.bxc5+ a7 22.d2 b8 23.a4 xc5 24.e3 e7 25.axb5 xh2 It's either this or r e s i g n i n g . 26.xh2 h8+ 27.g1 h4 28.f3 h2+ 29.f2 h4+ 30.e2 1-0
52
B00 Handoko,Edhi 2407 Torre,Eugenio 2535 2nd Dato' Arthur Tan Malaysian Open (3) [Glenn Flear]
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.f3 b4 5.d3 f6 6.e2 d5 7.exd5 [ A reasonable try as 7.e5 e4 8.d2 xd2 gives Black no particular problems. ] 7...xc3+ [ A number of strong players have opted for recapturing with the queen. This is most commonly done immediately e.g. 7...xd5!? 8.0-0 xc3 9.bxc3 0-0 10.f4 c8 11.fe1 c5 Bareev,E-Bauer,C Enghien-lesBains 2001 with a good position for Black. ] [ Also possible is 7...xd5 although 8.d2 xc3 9.bxc3 e7 10.0-0 d7 11.a4 gives White a small initiative. ] 8.bxc3 xd5 9.f4 bd7 Now it's 'Blunder o f t h e w e e k ' t i m e . . . 10.xc7?? c6 The threats to the bishop and the queen's rook (via c3) cost W hite a piece. An astonishing oversight for a 2400-player. 0-1
53 Hector,Jonny Gausel,Einar ch-Nordic Aarhus DEN (3) [Neil McDonald]
B00 2538 2533 08.09.2003
1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 xe5 4.f3 Simple Chess. Johnny Hector has a great respect f or slightly of f beat openings and d o e s n 't s e e k a n o u t - a n d - o u t r e f u t a t i o n . Instead he relies on natural development to yield a space edge. f6?! [ M i l e s u s e d t o l i k e t o f l i c k i n 4...b4+! here, as to give White a choice. After A) If 5.bd2 then White's development is slightly gummed up. A recent game 40
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 continued xf3+ 6.xf3 f6!? ( 6...e7 was Miles's preference in Garcia,G-Miles, A Capablanca Memorial 1995) 7.g3 d6 8.d3 g6 9.c3 c5 10.b4 xg3 11.hxg3 b6 12.c4 f6 13.a4 g4 14.0-0 xf2+ 15.xf2 xf2 16.xf2 d7 Escofet,J-Kliman,D Montevideo 2003 and Black's superior pawn structure means he's fine, despite having had to give up two pieces for a rook.; B) 5.c3 xf3+ 6.xf3 c5 7.c4 f6 8.f4 d6 9.0-0 e7 10.g3 g6 11.e3 b6 12.d2 0-0 13.f4 d7 gives Black a respectable-looking Classical Scotch type position, Tiller,BHouska,M British League 2002 ] 5.xe5 xe5 6.d3 b4+ 7.d2 e7 8.0-0 d5 This move is not new, but hasn't be en te s te d a t such a high le vel be f ore . 9.exd5 d6 10.g3 xd5 The centre is liquidated, but Black has fallen slightly behind in development. This is enough for Hector to obtain an edge. 11.e4 c5 12.b1! a5 [ After 12...0-0 the time and space gaining 13.b4 is a nuisance ] 13.b3 0-0 14.c4 The bishop is trapped by the knight. In such an open position this is s i g n i f i c a n t . d8 15.a3 Now the bishop leaps to life and Black's position starts to creak. g5 16.h4 b5 17.xd6 cxd6 18.c4 [ 18.xd6? is bad after f5 and it's White who finds himself tangled up. Hector instead f i x e s t h e we a k n e s s , h e ' l l g e t r o u n d t o pressurizing it later when his pieces are all in play. ] 18...b6 19.c2 h6 20.bd1 g4 21.d2 a4 22.b1 c7 23.d3 c8 Giving up the d-pawn as a bad job. Instead [ 23...c8 24.bxa4 a7 25.c5 is grim. ] 24.xd6 axb3 25.xb3 c6 26.c5 f5 27.xf5 xf5 28.e1 d7 29.c4 There's no particular hurry for White, he will improve his position and avoid any Black counterplay. dd8 30.b2 d7 31.e4 f3 32.be2 a3 33.4e3 xe3 34.xe3 f5 35.e8+ h7 36.g4! Playing for more than a basic pawn-up ending with [ 36.e4 Hector recognizes that as Black's rook and knight are tied down, White's king is relatively safe whereas Black's is
gradually exposed. ] 36...f3 37.e3 d1+ 38.h2 b1 [ 38...d4 may oblige White to take the winning ending with 39.d3+ ] 39.h5 g8 40.g2 d1 [ 40...h7 resists longer ] 41.e8+ h7 42.e4+ g6 43.hxg6+ fxg6 44.h8+! xh8 45.e8+ h7 46.xd7+ g8 47.c8+ 1-0
54 Hoekstra,Matthew D'Onofrio,Lee C 29th World Open (4) [Neil McDonald]
B00 2221 06.07.2001
This game contains a survey of recent games in line with ...a6. The line in the game is very unusual and interesting and not as bad for Black as the results. Black's flashiest game in t h e s u r ve y c o m e s i n p r o b a b l y h i s wo r s t variation - Resika-Galaras. Black made the most of his trumps, but the line is not one I can recommend, though it is not without its dangers for W hite. Maybe I am just getting timid in my old age? 1.e4 a6 2.d4 e6 [ 2...b5 A) 3.f3 f6 4.e5 d5 5.c4 bxc4 6.xc4 e6 7.0-0 e7 ( 7...b7 ) 8.xd5 exd5 9.c3 c6 10.b3 a5 11.e1 a6 12.f4 c7 13.e2 a6 14.g3 e6 15.d2 g6 16.h6 b8 17.c2 b4 18.a3 c4 19.d2 a4 20.ad1 b3 21.h4 c4 22.h2 d8 23.c1 b5 24.d2 xh4 25.ge4 e7 26.d6+ xd6 27.exd6 e2 28.b1 xd1 29.g5 1-0 Arias Santana,M-Vaglio,J San Jose CRC 2001.; B) 3.a3 b7 4.c3 e6 5.f3 f6 6.d3 c5 7.dxc5 xc5 8.g5 c7 9.0-0 c6 Black has reached a sensible position a kin t o t h e T a i m a n o v S icilia n . 10.d2 d4 11.xd4 xd4 12.d1 g4 13.f4 xf4 14.xf4 e7 15.c3 e5 16.xe5 xe5 17.c2 c4 18.b3 b6 19.d3 hc8 20.c1 d5 21.f3 c5 22.f2 d8 23.e2 dxe4 24.xe4 xe4 25.fxe4 d3 26.f2 d7 27.e3 e5 28.e2 d7 29.f2 c8 30.d1 dc7 41
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 31.c1 c6 32.d2 d4 33.b1 c6 34.c1 a5 35.e5 a4 36.b4 d4 37.d1 f5 38.h3 h5 39.e4 c4 40.c5 d8+ 41.d3 d5 42.e1 g4 43.e2 h4 44.xd5 exd5 45.g3 f3+ 46.d3 g5 47.e3 g6 48.h4 e6 49.b7 d4 50.cxd4 xd4 51.d6 f5 52.xf5+ gxf5 53.f3 e6 54.e3 d5 55.e2 e4 56.f3 d4 0-1 Thiruchelvam,MSinkevich,P Witley ENG 2001.; C) 3.d3 b7 4.f3 f6 5.bd2 c5 6.c3 e6 7.0-0 e7 Black should wait with this - either take on d4, play ...Nc6 first, or swit ch pos ition type s with .. .d5 . 8.e1 c6 9.e5 d5 10.dxc5 xc5 11.e4 This variation gives W hite a very dangerous initiative as he gains a lot of time against Black s dark-squared bishop which he can use to make usef ul an d direct threats. e7 12.g5 f6 ( 12...0-0 13.xe7 cxe7 14.d6 b8 15.xh7+ xh7 16.g5+ g6 17.g4 f5 18.g3 h5 19.gf7 1-0 Rosten,O-Roe,S Glorney Cup U20 1995. ) 13.exf6 gxf6 C1) 14.h4 fxg5 15.h5+ f8 16.g6+ g7 ( 16...hxg6 17.xh8+ f7 18.h7+= ) 17.xh8 e8!; C2) 14.h6 Black has no safe home for his king. b6 15.a4 0-0-0 A bold decision. 16.axb5 axb5 17.e2 White seems destined to start landing punches first, since the movement of the Pb 5 in vit es m ost o f h is a rmy in . . . f5 18.ed2 ( 18.g3!? ) 18...hg8! ( 18...b4 19.a6 ) 19.xb5 g6 20.c4?! The drawback with this is that it makes Ba6 problematic, and that move would draw the teeth of Black's attacking chances. ( 20.c4!? ) 20...db4 21.e3 c7 22.b3?! dg8 23.g3 f4 Now Black is in charge - everything converges on the W hite king. 24.d4 fxg3 25.fxg3 xg3+! C2a) 26.hxg3 xg3+ 27.h1 ( 27.f1 h3+ 28.f2 g2+ mates. ) 27...h3+ 28.h2 xd4+; C2b) 26.h1 xd4 27.bxd4 3g4 28.c5 xc5 29.xd7+ xd7 30.xe6 c6 0-1 Resika, N-Galaras,A Ikaros GRE 2001. ] 3.f3 b5 4.d3 b7 5.0-0 c5 6.c3 f6
7.e2 [ 7.bd2 ] 7...c6 A very provocative variation which got a workout in recent practice. 8.d5 e7 9.d6 g6 10.e5 xf3 11.gxf3 d5 12.h1 A very extreme position. Black has surrendered the bishop pair to do some very nasty things to W hite's pawn structure. On the other hand, White has also wedged his centre in Black's face. This is one of those positions that just seems unlikely to be equal due to the concessions both players have made. df4 [ 12...f5 is even more committal - it will take so long to get his kingside developed, and it will be hard to keep a lid on the position in the meantime. Also, e5 is far more secure after this advance. 13.a4 b4? 14.cxb4 cxb4 15.xa6 h4 16.b7 a5 17.xd5 xd5 18.f4 d4 19.a5 e4 20.f3 d8 21.a6 h4 22.h5+ g6 23.xh4 xh4 24.a7 e7 25.a8+ d8 26.e3 0-0 27.b7 h3 28.d2 h4 29.g1 g5 30.xe4 f3+ 31.g2 fxe4 32.xd7 h8 33.e7 b8 34.d7 1-0 Kulesza,MChetverik,M Karvina CZE 2001. ] 13.xf4 xf4 14.e4 xd3 15.xd3 g5?! Again Black makes a risky line riskier with extremism. All of [ 15...f6!? ] [ 15...g6!? ] [ 15...g5!? give Black counterplay against W hite's jagged pawns and kingside. The ga m e m o ve d o e s h a ve a lo gica l b a s is , isolating the e5 pawn and undermining e5 it is just obviously much riskier. The bottom line is whether White can crank open some lines of attack before Black can complete development and mount pressure on White's hyperextended pawns. If this line is to be playable for Black, then he must be able to coordinate and consolidate a bit first intuitively I would suggest that 15... g6 is the most likely candidate. ] 16.d2 c4? [ 16...g7 first must be better, making it harder for White to put his N on e4. ] 17.d4 g7 18.e4 g8 19.g1 h8 20.xg5 xe5 21.xe5 f6 22.xe6 xg1+ 23.xg1 fxe5 24.g8+ f7 25.xd8 xd8 26.xd8+ e8 27.b7 f7 28.c5 e8 42
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 29.xa6 1-0
55 Holzhaeuer,Mathias Barmbold,Jens 72nd ch Seebad Heringsdorf GER (3) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2362 2270
1.e4 c6 2.f3 f5 3.exf5 d5 4.b5 Let's get quickly acquainted with some of the main ideas of this offbeat defence. My old impression of this one has always been that it is not bad for a surprise and not nearly as bad as it looks - quite tricky really - though statistically black tends to get spanked for his boldness. A closer look indicates that it is tricky but nearly as bad as it looks, with white ha vin g a varie t y of wa ys to ge t a lastin g advantage. [ 4.d4 xf5 5.b5 e6 6.xc6+ bxc6 7.e5 c5 8.h5+ g6 9.e2 g7 10.f4 cxd4 11.g4 e4 12.0-0 g5 13.g3 e7 14.d2 xc2 15.df3 d3 16.e3 0-0 17.xg5 f6 18.xd3 xd3 19.xd3 g6 20.e3 d7 21.h3 c6 22.f3 f8 23.e5 xe5 1/2-1/2 Darnstaedt,F-Hille,I/ Germany 2000 ] [ 4.h4 e5 5.h5+ g6 6.fxg6 f6 7.g7+ ( 7.g5 c5 8.d3 e7 9.e2 d7 10.0-0 0-0-0 11.f5 e6 12.g7 he8 13.h6 e7 14.c3 d4 15.h5 xh5 16.xh5 c6 17.e3 xc2 18.ac1 b4 19.xa7 xd3 20.b6 f4 21.f7 xh6 22.xd5 e2+ 23.h1 e6 24.xe7+ xe7 25.f8 ee8 26.f3 xc1 27.a3 xa2 28.d6 e6 "0-1" Jurkovic,A-Tribuiani,R Nereto 1998. Presumably white actually did deliver mate before his flag fell or some other oddity.) 7...xh5 8.gxh8 xh4 9.xh7 d4 10.g6+ d8 11.g3 g4 12.xg4 xg4 13.g2 xc2+ 14.f1 xa1 15.xd5 c6 16.g2 f5 17.c3 d3+ 18.g1 c2 19.e4 e1 20.xd3 xd3 21.g2 f6 22.f3 c5 23.h4 e7 24.g4 g8 25.h5 xh5 26.xh5 f4+ 27.h2 xh5 28.gxh5 h8 29.d3 xh5+ 30.g2 d4 31.e2 e6 32.f4 h8 33.fxe5 xe5 34.f3 d5 35.f4+ xf4 36.xf4 a5 37.e2 b5 38.a3 h3 39.e3
h2+ 40.f2 c5 41.e3 a4 42.f3 c4 43.dxc4+ xc4 0-1 Sorsa,N-Kiik,K/Pori 1997 (43) ] 4...xf5 5.e5 a6 [ 5...d7 6.xc6 ( 6.h5+ g6 7.xg6 f6 8.h4 presumably allows some cool sacrificial continuation?) 6...bxc6 7.a4 e5 8.h5+ g6 9.xe5+ f7 10.xh8 h4 11.c3 e4+ 12.f1 e8 13.e3 xa4 14.f3+ f6 15.b3 d4 16.c3 e5 17.e3 f5 18.xe8+ xe8 19.d4 c2 0-1 Lahti,J-Porrasmaa,T/Kuopio 1998 (19) ] [ 5...d6 looks the most sensible, but it has a deplorable record. 6.d4 f6 7.0-0 d7 8.c3!? cxe5 9.dxe5 xe5 10.e1 d6 11.f3 g6 12.f4 c5 13.b4 1-0 Tissir,MClery,D Cappelle la Grande 1997. ] 6.xc6+ [ 6.xc6 d7 7.xe7 axb5 8.xf5 xf5 9.d4 ( 9.e2+ f7 10.d4 f6 11.e3 b4+ 12.c3 xa2 13.xa2 xb1+ 14.d1 xa2 15.cxb4 c4 16.f3 xb4+ 17.f2 xb2+ 18.g3 e8 19.d3 e6 20.h4 c6 21.g5 e4+ 22.h2 c3 23.f1 xg5 24.hxg5 c2 25.g3 xd4 26.h4 e5+ 27.f4+ g6 28.d3+ xg5 29.xc2 xf4+ 30.f2 h5 31.g3 d4+ 32.g2 c4 33.d2+ f6 34.e3 b4 35.e8 b3 36.f8+ e6 37.c8+ d6 38.xb7 e2+ 39.h3 xf3 40.b4+ e6 41.h2 e2+ 42.g1 b2 0-1 Seyffer,B-Poethig,H Germany 1984.) 9...f6 10.d3 g4 11.0-0 d6 12.c3 c6 13.e2+ d7 14.xg4+ xg4 15.h3 f6 16.e3 h6 17.a4 b4 18.e2 ae8 Braun-Poethig, Germany 1984 (1/2-1/2, 48 ) though black's compensation for the pawn is ... abstract. ] 6...bxc6 7.f3 [ 7.d4 e6 8.xc6 h4 9.c3 d6 10.e3 f6 11.d2 e4 12.xe4 xe4 13.0-0-0 xg2 14.hg1 f3 15.xg7 xd1 16.xd1 f8 17.g1 f7 18.g8+ f8 19.g7 c8 20.e5 1-0 Dudek,R-Gross,G/ Germany 1997/GER-chT (20) ] 7...e6 8.d3 c5 9.h5+ g6 10.e2 h5 11.d2 This is one of the best positions I have seen for black in this little survey, but he still has plenty of weaknesses to guard. h6?! Black should not trade this piece - it is his better bishop, and the pawn weaknesses are 43
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 easier to tolerate with more material on the board and greater chances to create complications. 12.df3 xc1 13.xc1 g5 14.h3 f6 15.g3 xh3 16.xh3 g4 17.h2 [ 17.xg4!? hxg4 18.xh8 gxf3 19.xg8+ f7 20.g4! fxe2 21.f4 ] 17...gxf3 18.xf3 e7 19.e5 f8 [ 19...xe5+ 20.xe5 ] 20.xf6 [ 20.xh5+!? ] 20...xf6 21.g5?! [ 21.e2 ] 21...d7!? [ 21...h6 ] 22.xh5 f5 23.e2 [ 23.g4 ] 23...g8 24.f4 e5 25.f1 exf4 26.gxf4 g6 27.h7+ c6 28.h3 gf8 29.h6 8f6 30.d2 d4 31.c3 b5 32.b3 c6 33.cxd4 cxd4 34.c1+ d6?? [ 34...b6 leaves white with progress problems - he has managed to pacify his extra pawn and repair black's structure on the queenside. ] 35.g5+- d5 36.e4 xf4 37.c5+ e6 38.c6+ e5 39.h5+ 6f5 40.xf5+ xf5 41.f6+ e5 42.xg6 1-0
[ 12.d5 leads W hite nowhere: after 0-0 13.c4 d7 Black controls the important c5square and has excellent prospects. ] 12...f7 Black has to waste a tempo because 13. exf5 was threatened, for example: [ 12...0-0 13.exf5 xf3 14.fxg6 with a clear extra pawn. ] 13.d5! This unexpected and well calculated breakthrough in the centre of the board is the only way to fight for an opening advantage. fxe4 14.xe4 exd5 [ Black has to accept the sacrifice, as quiet continuations like 14...0-0 15.dxe6 xe6 16.f5 intending f6 give White a strong attack for nothing. ] [ 14...xd5 was the alternative to the text, but it's no better: 15.c4 c6 16.h3! ( threatening Ng5) xe4 ( forced) 17.xe4 c6 18.d3! e7 19.ad1 with tremendous compensation for a pawn. ] 15.ae1! T h e p o i n t . d8 The only way to avoid immediate loss. Such a move cannot be good, however it's best! [ The alternatives are hopeless: 15...dxe4 16.xe4 xe4 17.xe4+ d7 18.xa8 ] [ 15...f8 16.g5! hxg5 17.fxg5 xf3 18.xf3+ g8 19.e8# ] [ 15...0-0 16.g5! hxg5 17.h3 g6 18.fxg5 g7 ( 18...c8 19.h6 f5 20.xf5 gxf5 21.e6 ) 19.xf8+ xf8 56 B00 ( 19...xf8 20.xg6+- winning ) 20.e6 f7 21.f1 and White wins. ] Ilincic,Zlatko 2545 Now it's clear that Black's idea has Filipovic,Branimir 2410 16.g3 Jugoslavija 1997 failed: for the cost of only one pawn White has a l a r g e a d va n t a g e i n d e ve l o p m e n t , a n d [Alexander Volzhin] Black's King feels very unsafe in the centre of 1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.f3 b4 the board. c6 [ Black can't prevent Nf5 as 16...c8 fails to 5.d3 f6 6.g5 h6 7.xf6 xf6 8.0-0 17.c4 ] xc3 9.bxc3 d6 10.d2! White should play actively and try to exploit his development 17.f5 a6 [ 17...g6 18.h4 g8 19.e3 with a large advantage, otherwise he will have no advantage ] compensation for his weak Q-side pawns. [ Quiet continuations like 10.a4 lead White 18.g4 g8 19.e3! White simply doubles nowhere: 0-0 11.a5 e5 12.e2 c6 Rooks on the e-file and prepares the decisive 13.a6 c8 14.d5 e7 15.d2 g6 penetration. f6 [ 19...c8 is no real improvement in view of and Black was already slightly better in 20.h4+ d7 21.fe1 ] Liberzon - Larsen, Geneva, 1977. ] 20.fe1 c8 21.f3! Black has failed to 10...g6?! A novelty of rather doubtful value. coordinate his forces and now material loss is [ 10...e5 is the usual move here. ] 11.f4 f5 This is the idea behind Black's unavoidable. f7 [ 21...xf5 22.xd5 f8 23.xc6+previous move. 12.f3! 44
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 winning ] b8 18.xd7 xd7 19.b5 ee7 20.c4 22.c4! dxc4 exd4 21.xa5 d5 Allowing the queen to [ 22...xf5 23.xd5 f6 24.xc6+co m e t o t h e d e f e n c e . 22.xb7 xb7 winning ] 23.exd5 xe1+ 24.xe1 d6 25.a5 xc2 23.xc6 xf5 Forced. 26.cxd4 c3 27.a6+ a7 28.d1 f5 [ The attempt to hold onto his material 29.h3 g4 30.hxg4 fxg4 31.e8 xd5 advantage would lead to disastrous 32.c8 c6 33.xg4 1/2-1/2 Nikolaidis,Kc o n s e q u e n c e s : 23...a7 24.e7 f8 Minasian,A Panormo 1998. (59) ] 25.d4 b5 ( 25...xe7 is no better: 11.f4 e7 A rare move, and one that has the 26.xe7 xe7 27.xc4 f8 28.c6 a8 Kramnik stamp of approval, though it looks 29.e4 f7 30.d8+ xd8 31.xa8 very passive. with a decisive material advantage.) 26.e4! [ 11...exd4 12.e5 dxe5 and Black can resign: d7 27.xd7+ xd7 A) 13.fxe5 g5 14.f3 e3+ ( 14...xf3 28.e6+ d8 29.c6# ] 15.xf3 xe5 16.e1 f6 17.cxd4 24.xa8+ c8 25.e4 White has a decisive xe1+ 18.xe1+ d8 19.fe3 d7 advant age, an d converts it to a win very 20.g6 c8 21.e8+ b7 22.e4+ c6 convincingly. 23.e7 1/2-1/2 Sepp,O-Vetemaa,J Brugge [ 25.e7 was not bad either: xe7 26.xe7 1995 - though white must be better here?) xe7 27.c6 and although there is still a lot 15.h1 0-0 16.cxd4 d7 17.h4 g5 of play left, W hite should easily win the 18.e1 ae8 19.f2 d5 20.c4 b7 game. ] 21.f5 c8 22.ae1 c5 23.xd7 25...f8 26.h3 h5 27.h2 g6 28.1e3 b5 1/2-1/2 Tkachiev,V-Minasian,A Cannes 29.a3 f5 30.c6 d7 31.d5 f5 1995.; 32.a8 d7 33.g3 f7 34.c6 f5 B) 13.h5!? A very scary idea that has 35.d4 c8 36.g5 g8 37.a4! bxa4 not won supporters despite it leading to a 38.xa4 e8 39.e5 f8 40.c6 d7 very nice win over an ex-world champion. 41.xc4 The rest is easy and needs no g6 14.e2 c6 15.fxe5 e7 16.e6 commentary. b7 42.g5 f6 43.b3 c6 B1) 16...xe6 44.c4! g7 45.c5 d7 46.d3 f7 B1a) 17.xe6+ fxe6 18.xg6+ d8 47.cxd6 xd6 48.xg6! b5 19.ad1 and white should be able to [ 48...xg6 49.xg6 xd4 50.g7++net back a pawn while black is winning ] c o o r d i n a t i n g h i s f o r c e s . ( 19.cxd4 49.dxd6+ cxd6 50.xd6+ xd4 20.ad1 ); 1-0 B1b) 17.f2 0-0-0 ( 17...0-0 18.cxd4 ); B2) 16...f5 17.b3 0-0-0 ( 17...dxc3!? 57 B00 was perhaps rejected due to the po ssib ilit y o f 18.xf5 but this doesn't Jakic,Ivan 2255 s e e m s o u n d : gxf5 19.h5+ d8 Filipovic,Branko 2462 20.ad1+ c8 21.xf5 g8 22.g3 Christmas Open (2) 16.12.2001 d8 ) 18.cxd4 xd4 19.xd4 xd4 [Jon Tisdall] 20.e5 hd8 21.ae1 a4 Very risky, inviting the white bishop in, though black 1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.c3 f6 seems to be beating a path to the white 5.f3 b4 6.g5 h6 7.xf6 xf6 8.0-0 king. 22.b5 xa2 23.d1 xc2 xc3 9.bxc3 d6 10.d2 e5 24.xd8+ xd8 25.d7+ b8 26.d1 [ 10...g5!? This looks a much safer g8 27.b5 ( 27.e7 xg2+ 28.f1 alternative to the main line. 11.e2 e5 c4+ 29.e1 h4+ ) 27...a6 28.e7 12.e3 d7 ( 12...c6!? ) 13.b5 0-0-0 xg2+ 29.f1 b3 30.e8+ a7 14.a4 a5 15.ab1 White has the better of 31.e2 h3 32.e1 h4+ 33.d2 it as black must exercise great care over his g5+ 34.c3 1-0 Ionescu, C-Smyslov, king position. he8 16.fe1 g6 17.d3 45
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 V Sochi 1986. A very entertaining game, but practice seems to be correct that the line is not objectively good for white. ] 12.g4 [ 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.b5+ ( 13.g4!? 0-0 ) 13...c6 14.c4 0-0 15.f5 d7 16.h5 b5 17.b3 c5 18.dxc5 f6! 19.f3 ( 19.xe5 c7 20.f5 c8 21.f4 h5 ) 19...c8 20.xf6 xf6 21.xf6 gxf6 22.d5 b8 23.f1 g7 24.b3 e6 25.c6 bd8 26.d1 f5 1/2-1/2 Maljutin,EKramnik,V Sochi 1990. (55) ] 12...g6? [ 12...0-0 ] 13.f5 g5 14.f6 f8 A very ugly move, but black is understandably concerned about the state of his kingside after. [ 14...d7 15.h5 ] 15.a4 a5 16.b5+ c6 17.d3 d7 18.ab1 d8 19.c4 c7 20.g3 Black's position is ugly, passive and precarious. a6 21.e3 xd3?! [ 21...b7 is probably tougher, the bishop is worth having to harass white's knight. ] 22.cxd3 e8 23.c4 e6 24.d5 cxd5 [ 24...e8 25.dxc6 xc6 26.b5+black's queenside is going. ] 25.e3 [ 25.exd5 was simple and strong: A) 25...e8 26.f2 b8 27.xa5 c5 ( 27...bxa5 28.a7+ c8 29.xb8+ xb8 30.b1+- ) 28.c6 a8 29.d4+-; B) 25...xf6 26.xf6 xf6 27.xb6 xd5 28.xd6+- ] 25...b7 [ 25...dxe4 26.d5+ b7 27.xb6+ xb6 28.b1 c8 29.xb6+ a8 30.b5 and white's attack should be decisive as the black rooks are unlikely to play a role in the rest of the game. ] 26.xd5 c8 27.b5 c6 28.e3 a6 29.fb1 b8 30.h4 As black is thoroughly bound, white probes to win a pawn on the o t h e r f l a n k . xf6 This prolongs the game considerably. 31.xf6 xf6 32.f3 d7 33.xf7 gxh4 34.d5 xd5 35.xd5 c5 36.a1 [ 36.xd6 xa4 37.c4 ] 36...d8 37.h2 b7 38.h3 c6 39.xh4 e6 40.b5 f4 41.d4 xg2+ 42.g3 e3 43.f3 c4 44.e2 c8
45.d3 b7 46.a2 c7 47.h2 a3 48.b3 c4 49.xh6 d5 50.b5 dxe4+ 51.xe4 exd4 52.cxd4 g7 53.d3 c7 54.e6 c8 55.d5 d7 56.d4 c8 57.c6 d6 58.bxb6 1-0
58 Jamrich,Gyorgy Bordas,Gyula FSIM November (2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2225 2186 05.11.2000
1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.d5 ce7 4.g3 [ 4.f3 g6 5.e3 f6 6.bd2 W hite's lackadaisical development is far from most accurate. g4 7.g5 e7 8.xe7 xe7 9.c4 d6 10.d2 0-0 Black has a very comfortable position ideas of breaking up the centre with ...c6 or . . . f 5 a n d kn i g h t s r e a d y t o wo r k o n t h e kingside - white is not at all up to the task of trying to keep a lid on all of this. 11.h3 f6 12.d3 c6 Now that White has released pre ssu re on d 6 b la ck can p ry op en th e centre while white stumbles back in panic. 13.dxc6 bxc6 14.h2 d5 15.exd5 cxd5 16.e3 b8 17.b3 d4 18.c4 e4 19.e2 e3 20.xd4 exf2+ 21.xf2 e8 22.f3 a6 23.d4 xc4 24.bxc4 b4+ 25.f1 c3 26.d1 e4 27.e1 g3+ 28.g1 e3+ 0-1 Segura,J-Ong Chong Ghee Istanbul OL 2000. ] 4...g6 5.g2 f6 6.c3 c5 7.a4 b4+ 8.c3 e7 9.b3 c6 10.d6 f8 11.a3 b6 12.d2 c5 13.h4 h5 14.h3 b7 15.g5 c8 16.b4 cxb4 17.xb4 a5 18.a3 c6 19.b2 b5 20.0-0 b6 21.d1 g4 22.h1 f6 23.h3 b7 24.f3 h6 25.e3 g8 26.ab1 h8 27.fd1 8f7 28.e2 g5 29.hxg5 xg5 30.xg5 xg5 31.h2 g8 32.d5 f7 33.c1 xd5 34.xd5 xc3 35.bxb5 c6 36.d2 c2 37.xa5 h4 38.g4 h8 39.d1 g8 40.f1 h6 41.h1 xd2 42.xd2 c1 43.e2 h3 44.h2 c3 45.ad5 h6 46.d1 g7 47.5d3 c5 48.xh3 f7 49.g3 g5 50.g2 e6 51.xc1 xc1 52.e3 c4 53.d2 f4 54.b3 c5 55.d1 e3 56.a4 e6 57.d3 g5 46
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 58.f2 f4 59.d2 h2 60.f1 h4 61.a5 xg2 62.xg2 h1+ 63.g1 h3+ 64.f2 h2+ 0-1
59 Jansa,Vlastimil Hlavnicka,J Czech Extra League 2000-1 (2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2467 2305 19.11.2000
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 f6 5.f4 d7 6.f3 h6!? [ 6...fxe5 This move seems to give white a freer hand, and seems inferior to me than keeping the tension - I see no reason to liberate the Bc1 somewhat, nor lose control over g5. 7.fxe5 0-0-0 8.b4 e6 9.e2 e7 10.0-0 h5 11.bd2 g5 12.b3 g4 13.e1 e8 14.c5 g6 15.ed3 b6 16.f4 f7 17.a6+ b8 18.a4 xe5 19.dxe5 xc5+ 20.bxc5 e7 21.e3 h4 22.e2 h3 23.g3 g6 24.cxb6 axb6 25.f4 d3 26.b4 d4 27.f4 e4 28.f2 xa6 29.xa6 c6 30.a4 xe5 31.a7+ c8 32.a8+ xa8 33.xa8+ d7 34.xd8+ xd8 35.cxd4 f3+ 36.f1 xh2+ 37.e2 f3 38.xh3 e7 39.f4 xd4+ 40.xd4 xd4 41.c1 c5 42.b1 a4 43.xb6 xa2+ 44.f1 a1+ 45.f2 a2+ 46.e2 f6 47.c6 a5 48.f4 a2+ 49.e3 a3+ 50.d3 f5 51.xc5+ f6 52.c4 f5 53.f4+ g5 54.e2 c3 55.e4 f5 56.e5+ f6 57.e3 c2+ 58.f1 f5 59.e5+ f6 60.e4 c3 61.e2 f5 62.a4 b3 63.e3 c3 64.a5+ f6 65.d4 b3 66.c4 b1 67.f2 c1+ 68.d3 g1 69.e4+ e7 70.g5 a1 71.g7+ 1-0 Stucl,B-Vombek,D AUT 1993. ] [ 6...0-0-0 7.b5 e6 8.e3 ge7 9.bd2 e4 10.b3 f5 11.f2 a6 12.e2 h5 13.bd2 g5 14.fxg5 fxe5 15.dxe5 g7 16.b3 xe5 17.c5 c6 18.a4 g4 19.b5 d6 20.d2 xf2 21.xf2 xf3 22.gxf3 e5+ 23.e2 e3 24.f4 xc3+ 0-1 Starcevic,A-Eklund,L Lidkoeping 1994. ] 7.e2 e4 This manoeuvre leads to fascinating early complications. 8.bd2 f5 9.xe4
[ 9.b3!? leads to great complications and seems to me to favour white. A) 9...e3 10.xe4 ( 10.e6!? ) 10...xg2+ 11.f2 dxe4 12.e6 d6 13.e5!+-; B) 9...a5 10.e6!? xe6 11.b5+ B1) 11...c6 12.xe4 dxe4 ( 12...xe4 13.xb7 ) 13.d5; B2) 11...c6 12.xa5 d3 13.g1 e3 14.f2; C) 9...xf3 10.xf3; D) 9...0-0-0 10.xe4 dxe4 11.d2 D1) 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 xd4 13.c4! ( 13.d1? c6! ); D2) 11...e3 12.e6! ( 12.xe4? a5! ) 12...e8 D2a) 13.c4 xg2+ 14.f2 h4 15.d5 b8 ( 15...xd5 16.b6+ axb6 17.xd5 ) 16.e3; D2b) 13.f2!? a5? 14.a3 c2 15.xa5 e3+ 16.g1 exd2 17.xa7 c6 18.xd2 xa1 19.c4+- ] 9...dxe4 10.d5 exf3 11.dxc6 xd1+ 12.xd1 fxg2 13.g1 bxc6 14.a4 0-0-0 [ 14...f7!? 15.xc6 d8 16.xg2 g6!? ( 16...e6 )] 15.xc6 e6 16.xg2 c5 17.b4 b6 18.d2 e7! 19.g2 d5 [ 19...fxe5! ] 20.f5! xc3 21.fxe6 fxe5 22.xd8+ xd8 23.g5 e8 24.d2!+- d4 25.c1 xa2 26.c2 e4 27.xa2 e3 28.c1 d8 29.h3 f8 30.g2 f3 31.g4 f4 32.e2 e7 33.b5 c5 34.f3 g6 35.g5 b6 36.e5 a4 37.d5 This game is also found in databases as Votava-Mikhaletz from the same event... 1-0
60 Jobava,Ba Oleksienko,M Al-Ain Classic Open A 2013 (6.1) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2705 2622 24.12.2013
1.d4 d5 2.c3 c6 3.e4 dxe4 [ 3...f6 4.e5 d7 5.a4!? New and slightly strange. ( after 5.xd5 Black has db8 6.c3 xd4 to regain the pawn. Then 7.e3!? is critical e.g. xe5 8.f3 d6 47
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.c4 e6 10.b5 e7 11.e2 a6 Sergeev, A-Vlassov, N Novokuznetsk 2012. W hite has superior development for the pawn, but Black is cramped though not in immediate danger.) 5...b4 6.f4 b8 7.e3 f5 8.c1 e6 9.f3 e7 10.e2 a6 11.0-0 h6 12.d2 8c6 13.d1 a5 14.b3 h5!? 15.e2 h4= Zeller, F-Bauer, C Switzerland 2013. ] 4.d5 e5 5.d4 g6 6.e3 [ After 6.xe4 f6 7.a4+ d7 8.b5 a6 9.xd7+ I don't think that White has anything special e.g. xd7 10.xd7+ xd7 11.f3 e8 12.e3 e5 13.dxe6+ xe6! 14.g5 e7 15.0-0-0+ c8= Strikovic, ANava Pereda, C San Sebastian 1994. ] 6...e5 7.dxe6 xe6 8.ge2! This is new and could well be an improvement in a position where White hasn't done that well. [ An early game continued 8.xe4 c6 9.d1 a5 10.d4?! f6 11.xf6 gxf6 12.c4 f5 13.e3 c5 14.e2 0-0 15.xe6 ae8 Ostojic, P-Knaak, R Budapest 1977, and Black was better. ] 8...f6 9.0-0-0 xd4 10.xd4 g4 11.b5+ c6 12.xc6! [ 12.e2 0-0-0 gets White nowhere. ] 12...a6 13.a4 xd1 Taking the exchange and then accepting that he will be in for a rough ride. [ Instead 13...d7 14.d5 d6 looks precarious, but I can't (nor can the computer!) see any way to exploit White's lead in development. ] 14.xd1 e7 15.xe7+ xe7 16.c5+ e6 17.e2 [ Or 17.f3!? ad8 18.b3+ e5 19.e1 with scary-looking pieces, but again it may not give any advantage. ] 17...hd8 18.d4+ e5 19.b6 Now Bc7+ is threatened, hence Black's next move. dc8 20.e2 f8 21.d4+ f5 22.g3+ g6 23.f4 exf3 Opening lines for White's bishops is fraught with danger. [ Instead giving himself some wriggle-room with 23...h5 makes sense. After 24.f5+ h6 25.h4 b5 26.b3 c7 the struggle remains unclear. W hite has practical compensation (great bishops!), but nothing concrete. ] 24.c3 fxg2 25.c2+ g5?
[ Necessary is 25...h6! but after 26.f5+ g5 27.e3+ g4 28.d4+ Black has to play the unfortunate e4 . Nevertheless 29.xe4 e6 30.b4 a5! is highly complicated, though probably better for White. ] 26.e3+ g4 27.d4+ h3 28.f5+ xh2 29.h4+ [ 29.h4+ xg3 30.h3# is quite an original mate. ] 1-0
61 Jones,Gawain C Smirnov,V Australian Championships (2) [Gawain Jones]
B00 2561 2392 01.2010
Longue 90m 1.e4 c6 2.f3 f6 3.e5 I noticed when preparing for the game that this hadn't yet been discussed on ChessPublishing but it must be critical. g4 [ 3...d5 would be more in the Alekhine spirit and I think should be recommended. 4.d4 d6 5.c4 b6 would transpose directly in t o a f a irly co m m on A le khin e p o s it io n examined in the archives. ] 4.d4 When preparing I was somewhat surprised to see how many games had been played in this line recently. The Icelandic IM Stefan Kristjansson used it against many strong players in the Beijing Mind games tournament in 2008. That tournament was only rapid but still this line has to be taken seriously. Black, rather than trying to equalise out of the opening, is trying for a double edged position without much theory where W hite has to play on his own. Objectively W h ite sho u ld b e b e t te r b u t h e ha s to b e careful not to advance his pawns too far or he might find himself with some problems to d e f e n d t h e m . d6 5.h3 h6 6.c3 My computer was broken for this game and so was using my fiancée's, which didn't have a computer engine, but I saw the following Areshchenko game which looked promising for White. [ 6.b5 has also been played but I'm doubtful whether W hite wants to trade off his light-squared bishop here. a6 48
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 After the game my opponent informed A) 7.a4 b5 8.b3 e6 ( 8...dxe5 9.d5 6...a6 a5 10.0-0 b7 is extremely unclear.) me this was the main move. [ The Areshchenko game ran 6...g6 7.f4 9.exd6 xd6 ( 9...xd6 looks rather more g7 logic al. P erh ap s B la ck wa s sca red o f A) 8.d2 f5 9.0-0-0 Immediately would 10.d5 but after a5 Black is still definitely be a scarier way of playing, 10.g4 is a big i n t h e g a m e 11.dxe6 xb3 12.exf7+ threat. ( 9.g4 does not yet win the piece xf7 13.axb3 0-0 14.0-0 b7 due to dxe5 10.dxe5 xd2+ 11.xd2 gives Black extremely good typical when Black has the d4 square f or his Marshall compensation for the pawn, in knight ); the shape of the two bishops and semiB) 8.b5 Again I'd be reluctant to play this open f file for the rook to attack down.) move. W hite wants to decrease the 10.c3 f5 11.e4 d7 12.c3 pressure on his centre but he then always gave White a fairly comfortable advantage has to watch out f or t he c5 break . 0-0 which the strong GM converted quickly in 9.xc6 bxc6 10.d2 f5 Korneev-Guerreiro, Malaga 2009 1-0 (25); B1) 11.g4 is th e mo st f o rcin g dxe5 B) 7.xa6 is given as played by Ni Hua 12.dxe5 xd2+ 13.xd2 b7!! b u t s e e m s u n l ik e l y! I g u e s s t h is wa s ( 13...h6 14.0-0-0 would leave White imp ut inc orrectly an d he also t ried 7 . with an extremely comfortable Bxc6; advantage with the better pawn structure C) 7.xc6+ bxc6 and the offside knight on h6) 14.gxf5 c5 C1) 8.0-0 f5 My guess is the Ni Hua15.e2 a6+ 16.e3 ( 16.e1 b7= Kristjansson game ran 9.c3 ( 9.e1 is Black's idea ) 16...h6+ was also played against Kristjansson by B1a) 17.e4 just favours Black b7+ Martin del Campo in the Beijing Rapid 18.d5 ( 18.d3 fd8+ ) 18...xd2 tournament and after e6 10.g5 d7 19.xd2 xd5+ 20.xd5 ad8+ 11.exd6 cxd6 12.d3 e7 13.c3 h6 21.xc5 xd2 when I prefer Black 14.xe7 xe7 15.e4 0-0 16.c4 with the active rook on the 2nd rank.; White was slightly for preference but the B1b) 17.g5 xg5+ 18.f4 h6 game ended in a draw.) 9...e6 10.g5 19.e4 when White can claim a small d7 11.h4 h6 12.xf5 hxg5 13.e3 advantage; b8 14.c4 e7 15.e1 d5 16.d2 B2) 11.0-0-0 b7 12.g4 c5 13.d5 c5 when the following moves are too B2a) 13...dxe5 14.xe5 xe5 garbled to decipher and although Ni Hua 15.xe5 d4 is the computer's top went on to win Black is doing very well at suggestion but understandable not to this point, a sort of super-French.; tra d e o f f t h e d a rk squ a re d b is h o p C2) 8.xh6 was a previous game of my which is a good defender but Black opponent's when after gxh6 a strange seems to be doing ok as the direct p o s i t i o n a r o se wh e r e B l a ck ' s p a wn 16.h4? xd5 17.h5 xh1 18.xh1 structure has been compromised hugely fails to ( 18.hxg6 b7 seems to be but in return he has the bishop pair, winning for Black too 19.g5 fxg6 some open lines f or his rooks and a 20.xg6 e5!-+ ) 18...d6; potential break with c6-c5. Rybka slightly B2b) 13...d4 14.xd4 cxd4 prefers White which is probably correct 15.xd4 c6?! ( 15...c5 had to be but he has to be very care f ul or th e tried ) 16.b4! b6 17.xb6 axb6 bishops will come to live with decisive 18.dxc6 xc6 19.he1 left White a effect. 1/2-1/2 Roy Chowdhury-Smirnov, pawn up in Areshchenko-Kristjansson, Parramatta 2009 (34) ] Reykjavik 2009 although seems [ 6.xh6 It's tempting to worsen Black's premature to resign so I guess we're structure but gives Black good counterplay just missing the rest of the score. ] gxh6 7.c3 g7 8.b5 when the lines will [ 6...e6 7.d3 b4 8.xh6 gxh6 9.e4 be similar to 6.Bb5 ] 49
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 g7 10.exd6 cxd6 11.b5+ e7 12.a3 d5 13.d2 b6 was HaznedarogluKristjansson, Beijing 2008 0-1 (32) when 14.c4! looks strong for White as c7 15.c5! dxc5 16.dxc5 xb5 17.d6+ e8 18.xc7 gives White a decisive attack ] 7.g5 [ 7.exd6!? is the computer's top suggestion but a human doesn't want to give away his centre so easily although after cxd6 8.d5 e5 9.xe5 dxe5 10.xh6 gxh6 11.f3 W hite's structural advantage is obvious. Nevertheless I prefer the game continuation but it's probably only a matter of style. ] 7...f5 8.h4 d7?! We decided afterwards that this was probably the losing move! [ 8...c8 is a definite concession but not so easy to exploit 9.f4 Not forced of course A) 9...f5 10.xf5 xf5 11.g4 d7 12.g2 Must favour White with his huge centre but he has to play accurately or Black will dismantle it with a well timed g5 o r h 5 b re a k . ( 12.d5 h6 13.h4 g5 shows it's not all one way traffic ); B) 9...dxe5 10.dxe5 ( 10.d5!? ) 10...e6 11.g4 xd1+ ( 11...f6? 12.xh6 gxh6 13.f5 g8 14.e6 Black's pieces are a sorry sight) 12.xd1 g8 13.f5 d7 14.g2 0-0-0 and Black has survived. White might regret his over-expansion. ] [ I r e m e m b e r h o p i n g f o r 8...d7? w h i c h a l l o w s t h e p r e t t y 9.e6! fxe6 ( 9...xe6 10.d5 also picks up a piece) 10.xh6 when Black cannot retake the piece due to the mate on h5 gxh6? 11.h5# ] [ 8...g6 takes a defender away from the vital e6 square. 9.e6! fxe6 10.xh6 gxh6 11.xg6 hxg6 12.g4 g5 13.xe6 xd4 14.g6+ d7 15.0-0-0 gives White great play for the pawn ] 9.g4 [ 9.exd6 was played in a previous game which also resulted in a quick win for White. cxd6 ( 9...b4!? is an interesting try 10.c1 exd6 ) 10.g4 ( 10.d5 b4 11.c1 looks very strong for White as the knight is trapped on b4 and so Black will have to play with rook and pawn against two pieces, a definite concession here.) 10...g6 11.d2 d5 12.0-0-0 g8 13.a4 a7 14.e1 e6 15.b6 d6 16.c8 b4 17.xa7 xa7
18.g2 a4 19.xd5 b5 20.xg6 1-0 Caspi-Spence, Gibraltar 2008 ] 9...g6 I thought at the time that Black's best was to try sacrificing a piece [ 9...dxe5!? 10.xh6! exd4 11.xf5 gxh6 12.e4 shouldn't be too difficult to convert though ] 10.d5 d8 [ 10...xe5 11.f4 traps the knight in the centre of the board. ] [ 10...b4 11.xg6 hxg6 12.a3+- ] 11.f4 e6 again the only move to prevent dropping a piece 12.dxe6 fxe6 [ 12...xe6 13.xh6 gxh6 14.f5 also picks up a piece but sets White more practical problems than the game c o n t i n u a t i o n . e7 15.f3 0-0-0 This position should be an easy win for W hite as long as he can get his king to safety but Black has a surprising number of t ricks, f o r e xa m p le 16.fxe6 ( 16.d5!? delaying the capture until the king is castled looks like the strongest move here.) 16...fxe6 ( 16...xe6 17.d5+- ) 17.c4 d5 ( 17...b8 18.e2 ) 18.b3? ( 18.d3 d4 19.e2 b4+ 20.f2 should be good enough for W hite too) 18...c5! isn't at all clear ] 13.xg6 hxg6 14.d3 df7?! [ 14...f7 had to be tried although 15.e2 d5 Otherwise Qe4xg6 was coming 16.0-0-0 gives White a huge position. Not only does h e h a ve t h e t wo b ish o p s a n d a le a d in d e ve lo p m e n t b u t h e e ve n h a s a b e t t e r pawn structure. Black will have to watch out for an f5 break or h4-h4 opening up the king. ] 15.xg6 c6 16.f1 d5 17.f5 Immediately go in g f o r t h e kil l b4 18.d4 xc3+ 19.bxc3 [ I had a pleasant choice between the game or 19.xc3 xc3+ 20.bxc3 which should be a fairly easy ending for White ] 19...d7 [ 19...0-0 was necessary but 20.xh6 xh6 21.0-0-0 followed by f6 and g5 and Black won't survive long. ] 20.fxe6+ xe6 21.xf7+! xf7 22.f5 xg5 23.0-0-0 I don't have to take the queen immediately:) e7 24.c5+ f7 25.xe6+ xe6 26.f1+ This line has been seen more 50
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 frequently recently but Black has to play 63 a c c u r a t e l y o r a ll t h e wa s t e d t i m e i n t h e Kaidanov,Gregory S opening with his g8 knight will cost him dearly. Kengis,Edvins 1-0 Gausdal [Alexander Volzhin]
B00 2555 2575 1991
1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.e5!? A relatively rare continuation. Juan Mas,Santiago However it deserves serious attention. d5 Fraga,Jose Carlos Open Mallorca ESP (3) 04.12.2000 7.dxc5!? [ 7.0-0 e7 ( I would prefer 7...cxd4! 8.cxd4 [Jon Tisdall] e7 ) 8.a3 ( White could exploit Black's inaccuracy on the previous move by playing 1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5 3.c4 b7 4.f3 8.dxc5! The recapture with the Bishop leads This doesn't appear to be a terribly critical line, to Kaidanov - Kengis with an extra tempo for but white has had good results with it - though White. bxc5 9.a3 0-0 10.c4 there is very little evidence yet 'theoretically'. w i t h a c l e a r e d g e f o r W h i t e . A f t e r f6 bxc4 5.d5 11.c2! is very unpleasant and Black has [ 5.xc4 e6 6.e3 d6 7.e2 f6 8.bc3 problems with his King.) 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 bd7 9.0-0 b6 10.b3 d5 11.e5 fd7 The game has transposed to the Alapin 12.a4 xa4 13.xa4 e7 14.f4 0-0 Sicilian (1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. d4 15.f5 exf5 16.xf5 c5 17.h1 cxd4 cd 5. Nf3 e6 6. cd b6 7.a3 Bb7 8. Bd3 Be7 9. 18.xd4 c8 19.g4 h8 20.h5 g6 0-0). a6! 10.xa6 xa6 11.d3 ac7 21.h3 f5 22.xg6 1-0 Kruck,M-Schaaf,R 12.bd2 0-0 13.e4 f6! 14.exf6 gxf6 Baunatal 1998. ] The strong centralized Knight and open g5...d6 6.xc4 d7 file promise Black good chances. 15.d2 [ 6...c5!? ] h8 16.ac1 c8 17.c2 b7 18.fc1 7.c3 g6 8.f4 g7 9.f3 b6 g8 19.g3 g4 White has run out of [ 9...gf6!? 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 g4 ideas while Black has many ways to 12.e6 fxe6 13.g5 ( 13.dxe6 de5 ) increase the pressure (Ra8-g8, Bd6, f5). 13...xc3+ 14.bxc3 exd5 15.e6 c8 20.e5?? A gross blunder. fxe5 21.f3 16.xd5 ( 16.xg4 f6! 17.h3 dxc4 xg3! The refutation is not difficult to find. 18.f4 xg2! ) 22.hxg3 b5 23.h6 xd4 24.f7 f5 A) 16...xd5 17.xd5 c6 18.0-0 and W hite resigned in Maiwald - Miles, ( 18.g7+ f8 19.0-0+ df6 20.e6+ Oostende, 1991. ] g8-+ ) 18...cxd5 19.g7+ d8 7...xc5 8.0-0 e7 9.e2 c6 10.c4 20.e6+=; [ 10.e4 This move was recommended by B) 16...gf6 ] Kaidanov in his notes in Informant and his 10.b3 c5 evaluation of the position is that W hite is [ 10...f6 ] clearly better. However Lautier - Miles, Biel 11.dxc6 xc6 12.e3 f6? 199 2 p roved tha t t his evalu ation is to o [ 12...b8!? ] optimistic: c7 11.d1 b5 12.bd2 a6 13.xf7+! xf7 14.b3+ e8 15.xb6 13.b3 c8 14.g5!? xg5 15.xg5 h6 d7 16.g5 d5 17.d1 h6 16.h5 xe5 17.c5! g6 18.e2 d5! [ 17...e6 ] ( 18...xe4?? 19.gxe4+winning ) 18.exd5 hxg5 19.dxc6 xc6 20.fxg5 19.xd5 xd5 ( 19...xd5? 20.xe5 0-0 xg2 21.g1 xh2 22.gxf6 xf6 23.d2 21.ge4 , intending Rxd5!) 20.xe5 0-0 h5 24.d5 h4+ 25.f2 21.ge4 e8 22.b4 c6 23.d3 f6 1-0 24.d4 g7 25.f4 c7 26.a3 ae8 27.e1 e5! 28.fxe5 xe5 29.de3 e6 30.xe6+ xe6 31.c5 xe3 32.xe3 62
B00 2083
51
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f7 33.d4 h7! with a balanced position. ] 10...db4 11.e4 f5 12.exf6 xf6 13.c3 e7 [ 13...0-0 is premature: 14.a3 a6 15.c2 intending b2-b4 with a clear edge. ] 14.a3 a6 15.b5 d5 [ 15...0-0 16.f4 ] 16.c2 [ 16.xd5? doesn't work in view of exd5 17.d6+ d7 18.xe7+ xe7 19.xb7 c6 and White loses a piece. ] 16...d8! [ 16...0-0 17.cxd5 exd5 18.d3 with a clear advantage ] 17.cxd5 [ 17.e1 dxc4 18.g5 c5! ] 17...exd5 18.e1 xe2 19.xe2+ f8 20.g5 It may seems that Black's position is critical. However he has something in mind! c5!! 21.xh7+ xh7 22.xh7 [ 22.xh7 a6 ( 22...a6 23.a4 xa4?! 24.c7!! is bad for Black.) 23.c7 f7! Now Black is threatening g7-g6 or Rd7, winning one of White's pieces. Here a draw was agreed as both players were already in time-trouble. Generally, this line seems to be rather unpleasant f or Black. In both Lautier - Miles and Kaidanov - Kengis White held the initiative throughout the game and Black had difficult problems to solve. So undoubtedly we can expect new encounters in this line. ] ½-½
64 Karjakin,Sergey Heberla,Bartlomiej Artek ol U16 (4) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2250 2330 14.09.2000
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e6 6.h3 [ 6.e2 e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.d2 d5 9.exd5 exd5 10.e5 xe2 11.xe2 e8 12.xc6 bxc6 13.d3 b8 14.a4 d6 15.f3 h5 16.g3 e6 17.ae1 xg3 18.hxg3 xg3 19.e2 g6 20.g2 h4 21.ff2 xf2+ 22.xf2 xg2+ 23.xg2 g5+ 24.f1 h5 25.b3 e8 26.c3 h4 27.e2 h3 28.g3
xe2 29.xe2 xg3 30.e8+ h7 31.xf7 g2+ 32.e1 g3+ 0-1 Kercher, P-Jaracz,P Bad Wiessee GER 2000. ] 6...h5 7.d2 [ 7.g4 g6 8.d3 d5 9.e5 e4 10.e2 h5 11.g5 h4 12.f4 f5 13.g2 e7 14.gxh4 h7 15.g1 d7 16.c3 0-0-0 17.c2 df8 18.0-0-0 a5 19.g4 c6 20.dg1 c4 21.xc4 xc4 22.b3 d3 23.e1 e2 24.4g2 c5 25.d1 c4 26.b3 e2 27.d1 a6 28.f3 xc3 29.bxc3 a3+ 30.d2 xa2+ 31.c2 xc2 32.xc2 xc2+ 33.xc2 xh4 34.h1 fh8 35.gh2 cxd4 36.cxd4 b5 37.d3 b7 38.e2 a5 39.f2 4h5 40.f4 c8 41.d3 b4 42.e1 b6 43.h4 a4 44.b2 b3 45.d2 b5 46.c3 b4 47.xb4 xb4 48.d2 a3 49.bb1 b2 50.h3 c4 0-1 Mamombe,K-Medina Colindres,J Istanbul OL 2000. ] 7...e7 8.0-0-0 0-0 9.g4 g6 10.d3 d5 11.e5 e4 12.xe4 xe4 13.e2 f5 14.exf6 xf3 [ 14...xf6 15.xe4 dxe4 16.e5 d6 ] 15.xf3 xf6 16.e2 a5!? [ 16...e7 is safe and sound. ] 17.f4 e8 18.h4 c5 19.b5 b6 [ 19...c4 20.c7 xd4 ] 20.c7 cxd4 21.xa8 xa8 22.d3 c4 23.b3 a6 24.a3 e5 25.g5 exf4 26.gxf6 xf6 27.xb7 c8 28.g1 g6 29.h5 e5 30.xh7+ f8 31.h6+ g8 32.h5 d3 33.hxg6 d2+ 34.d1 h8 35.xh8+ xh8 36.h1+ g8 37.g7 f7 38.xa7 xg7 39.xd2 f6 40.a4 d6 41.xf4+ e5 42.g4 e4+ 43.c1 xf2 44.h5+ d6 45.d4 c5 46.b4 b5 47.c4 1-0
65 Karpov,Anatoly Miles,Anthony J Skara [Alexander Volzhin]
B00 2725 2545 1980
A sensational loss by the World Champion in such an "exotic" opening. 1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5 3.f3 b7 4.d3 f6 5.e2 This seems to be the most natural White set-up. e6 6.a4 c5! 7.dxc5 52
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 7.e5 c4! ] [ 7.c3 doesn't looks very promising either: the position after c4 8.c2 is similar to Dorfman - Miles, but obviously Black has an extra tempo. ] 7...xc5 8.bd2 b4 9.e5 d5 10.e4 e7 11.0-0?! [ 11.g5!? looks more ing as was played in Volovik - Kozlov.V, USSR 1987. The game c o n t in u e d : 0-0 ( 11...f6?! 12.exf6 gxf6 13.e5! ) 12.d6 c6 13.h4 f6 14.exf6 gxf6?! This move allows a beautiful c o m b i n a t i o n . ( 14...xf6 w a s b e t t e r .) 15.e5! Picturesque! Now Black has to decide which of the three pieces to take! fxg5 ( 15...fxe5 16.h5 f5 17.xf5 exf5 18.f7+ h8 19.e8+- winning; 15...xd6 is probably best, although White's attack is very strong after 16.xh7+! ) 16.h5 f5 ( 16...f6 17.xg5+ with Nf7+ to follow.) 17.xf5 exf5 18.f7+ h8 19.g6+! and Black resigned. ] 11...c6 12.d2 c7 13.c4 bxc3 14.xc3 xc3 15.xc3 b4 16.xb4 xb4 17.ac1 b6 18.e4 0-0 Now it's cle ar that W h it e h a s n 't m a n a g e d t o re f u t e B la ck ' s opening experiment. Moreover he hasn't even got a minimal advantage. However Karpov doesn't want to admit this and therefore he starts overreacting. 19.g5 [ 19.xh7+ This tempting sacrifice doesn't work here: xh7 20.g5+ g6! 21.g4 f5 22.g3 d4! Intending Qg4 and if 23.h3 then h5! with the idea of Qh4 parrying the attack. ] 19...h6 20.h7+?! Continuing the venture. [ 20.xb7 xb7 21.e4 with equality was better. ] 20...h8 21.b1 e7 Now I definitely prefer B l a c k . H e h a s a p a i r o f s t r o n g B i sh o p s , W hite's Q-side is seriously weakened and W h it e 's t h re a t s o n t h e K -sid e a re e a sily parried. 22.e4 ac8 23.d3 xc1 24.xc1 xb2 Black has won a pawn for nothing. It's difficult to say what Karpov was h o p in g f o r a n d wh e re h e m i sca lcu la t e d . 25.e1 xe5 26.xd7 b4 27.e3 d5! 28.xd5 xd5 The rest is easy and needs no commentary. A clear extra pawn and a pair of strong Bishops give Black a decisive advantage. 29.c3 c8 30.e2 g5 31.h4
g7 32.hxg5 hxg5 33.d3 a5 34.g3 f6 35.g4 d6 36.f1 e5 37.e1 h8 38.f4 gxf4 39.xf4 c6 40.e2 h1+ 41.d2 h2 42.g3 f3 43.g8 g2 44.e1 xe2 45.xe2 xg3 46.a8 c7 0-1
66 Karpov,Anatoly Zhu Chen FIDE GP Dubai UAE (2.2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2693 2505 04.04.2002
1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.d2 e6 4.c3 g6 5.d3 g7 6.gf3 e7 7.e2 d6 8.0-0 a6 9.e5 d7 10.e1 d5 [ 10...dxe5 would give black some squares and a potential target on e5. The game choice leads to a poor and slow French which Karpov handles very instructively. ] 11.f1 c5 12.h3! Creating a route to g4 for the Nf1. c6 13.1h2 h6 14.h4 White create s an amazing amount of lasting pressure just by keeping the h6 pawn in his sights. b5 15.f4 b6 16.e3 c4 17.c2 e7 18.b4 cxb3 19.axb3 b4 20.cxb4 c6 21.ec1 xb4 22.d1 a5 23.e2 b8 24.g4 h5 25.f6+ xf6 26.exf6 4c6 [ 26...8c6 27.c5 a6 28.xa6 A) 28...xa6 29.c7 ( 29.e5 ); B) 28...xa6 29.e5 ] 27.c5 d7 28.xd5 xf6 29.b5 a7 30.d6 a6 31.f4 g4 [ 31...d5 32.xd5 exd5 33.xa6 xa6 34.e1++- ] 32.c1 d7 [ 32...c8 33.bc5 xe2 34.xc6 xc6 35.xc6+- ] 33.b6 xe2 34.cxc6 An unusual and drastic invasion. xf3 35.gxf3 e5 36.xe5 f6 37.e6+ 1-0
53
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 67 Keskinen,Sauli Porrasmaa,Timo 2nd HCC Helsinki FIN (8) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 68 2292 Keskinen,Sauli 2220 Salmensuu,Olli 05.03.2002 2nd HCC Helsinki FIN (5) [Jon Tisdall]
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 d7 [ 4...e4!? ] 5.e6 fxe6 6.f3 [ 6.d3!? ] 6...g6!? A sensible novelty. [ 6...e5 is more common, despite its lack of success. 7.xd5 exd4 8.c4 e6 9.g5 f6 10.e2 f7 11.f4 d6 12.0-0 d5 13.ae1 h6 14.xd5 hxg5 15.xg5+ g8 16.g3 b5 17.f3 h6 18.f7 1-0 Golubev, M-Sergeev,V/Kiev 1995 (18). ] 7.h4 g7 8.h5 e5!? 9.g5?! [ 9.h6 f6 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd5 g4 and black's activity should give him comfortable play. ] 9...xd4 10.hxg6 hxg6 11.xh8+ xh8 12.xd5 f8 13.c4!? [ 13.e3 ] 13...f5 [ 13...b5!? 14.xc7+ xc7 15.f7+ d8 16.c3 ] 14.b4? [ 14.e3 ] 14...de6 15.d5 [ 15.b5+? was probably the idea behind white's odd 14th move, but it doesn't work: c6 16.xc6 xd1+ 17.xd1 a6 18.a4 c5-+ so now white is stuck with a terribly misplaced piece on b4. ] [ 15.f3 ] 15...d6! 16.c3 c6 17.b3 a5 18.xe6 xe6 19.c2 xd1+ 20.xd1 f4 21.e3 d3 22.e2 a4 23.c4 f4+ 24.f3 b5 25.xf5 gxf5 26.f1 [ 26.xf4 bxc4 ] 26...e6 27.g4 f4 28.e4? The beginning of a suicide run. f6 29.f5 f7 30.g2 g5 31.xc6 e6# 0-1
B00 2292 2428 01.03.2002
1.e4 c6 2.f3 f5 3.exf5 d5 4.h4 This line doesn't get played very often, for reasons that will become obvious - almost no one can be expected to be prepared as white in this variation. On the other hand, one might argue that since it seems to win huge mounds of material, it would get more off-the-cuff tests. e5 Yee-hah! Please fasten your seat belts. 5.h5+ g6 6.fxg6 f6 7.g7+ xh5 8.gxh8 xh4 9.xh7 d4 10.c3 [ 10.g6+ d8 ( 10...e7 11.d3 f4 12.xf4 xf4 13.c3 xc2+ 14.d1 b4 15.g3 d4 16.e3+- 1-0 Lalic, SToll,A/open, St Heliers JER 1997 (71)) 11.d3 f4 12.f7 ( 12.g8 e8 13.xf4 xf4 14.a3 e6 15.g3 xa3 16.xf4 exf4 17.bxa3 xc2+ 18.d2 xa1 19.e2 d4 20.f3 d7 21.xa1 h8 22.e1 c5 23.e4 f8 24.e5 d6 25.g5 b5 26.g6 e5 27.g7 f7 28.g8 c4 29.b8 a6 30.a8 c7 31.xa6 c3+ 32.c2 xa2 33.h6 b3+ 34.c1 a7 35.d1 xa3 36.h5+ d6 37.xb3 xb3 38.f5 b2 39.xf4 e5 40.f8 b4 41.b8 xf2 42.xb4 xg2 43.b5+ f4 44.h5 f2 0-1 Pavasovic,D-Gross,G/It open, III-IV 1995 (44)) 12...b4+ 13.c3 g4 14.g8+ d7 15.g7+ c6 16.g3 f3+ 17.d1 d4+ 18.d2 f3+ 19.d1 d4+ 1/2-1/2 Naiditsch,A-Doettling,F/ Dortmund GER 2000 (19). ] 10...f5 11.xc7 g7 [ 11...c8 12.b5+ xb5 13.xe5+ e7 14.xe7+ xe7 15.xb5 xc2 16.d4 b4+ 17.d2 e7 18.c1 f6 19.c3 d3 20.f3 d7 21.f2 d6 22.g3 b5 23.he1 b4 24.a4 h8 25.g2 a5 26.c5+ xc5 27.xc5 1-0 Sylbing,GOudejans, M/Haarlem NED 2001 (27). ] 12.b5+ f8 13.c5+ g8 14.xd5+ h8 OK, now the main meal is over, and white is the exchange and fully four pawns ahead. Now the question is, can he just develop and get his king to safety, or is he too gorged to run? In this day and age we tend to believe 54
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 that we have the defensive technology to 17.h4 xf3 18.xf3 xf3 19.gxf3 xh4 avoid the kind of embarrassing defeats that 20.d2 f6 21.c4 h5 22.a4 a5 23.a3 our greedy chess forefathers suffered in the f4 24.e1 f8 25.e4 e7 26.f1 h5 golden age of sacrifices. But some people 27.b1 h4 28.b4 axb4 29.xb4 a8 clea rly re m em b er th e p o te n tia l p owe r o f 30.b5 f7 31.a5 bxa5 32.axa5 c8 ram pa nt d evelop me nt . 15.g3 gets a few 33.b7 e8 34.ba7 d7 35.a8 xa8 things out of his face and prevents ...Nf4, but 36.xa8 d8 37.g1 e2+ 38.g2 f4+ it does perforate the kingside. 39.h2 e7 40.c3 d7 41.e4 e7 [ 15.a4!? ] 42.g5 d7 43.e6 xe6 44.dxe6+ e7 15...e7 The threat of ...Nf4 looms again. 45.h3 c6 46.xh4 b6 47.g3 xe6 16.0-0 e4 17.d3 This gives me the creeps as 48.a6 c5 49.xc6 f5 50.c8 f6 it gives black a free hand on the kingside. 51.f8+ e7 52.h8 f6 53.h4 d4 [ 17.e2!? ] 54.f4 f5 55.fxe5 xe5+ 56.f3 g5 17...d8 18.c4 f3+ 19.h1 d4! 57.h8 f5 58.e3 f6 59.a8 e5 Bringing the last piece into the attack, and 60.f8+ f6 61.f4 g6 62.f3 e6 preparing the romantic finish. 20.b3 exd3 63.e4 e7 64.f5+ gxf5+ 65.xf5 f6 21.xd3 h4! 22.g2 g4 An interesting 66.h5 g7 67.g5 e5 68.g6+ f7 picture of initiative vs. material. 23.h1 d4! 69.h6 f6 70.d5 e7 71.h7+ f6 Black's attack is so dominant that even 72.h6+ f7 73.xd6 e8 74.e6 d7 [ 23...e1!? is an option. ] 75.xe7+ 1-0 Sarkar,J-Glinert,S New York 24.f3?! USA 2001. ] [ 24.gxh4 to try and extend the game by 8.g3 c6 making black take the queen was probably [ 8...e7 9.0-0 ( 9.h4!? ) 9...0-0 10.c4 c8 the only move. xh4! continues to improve 11.c3 d6 12.e1?! d7 13.b4 a5 the position via attack, and the queen isn't 14.bxa5 xa5 15.a4 Black has again going anywhere. ] achieved a kind of old-fashioned Spanish 24...xf3+ winning everything. 25.f2 xh1 with traces of a King's Indian. I am not sure 26.c4 xh2+ 27.f1 xg3+ An awesome how to assess this, but it looks playable and display of the Daring spirit. obscure. White has lost a tempo with his c0-1 pawn, Black has fooled around with his light square bishop. c5 16.b2 f5 ( 16...h3!? 17.g2 xd3 18.xd3 f5 ) 17.exf5 xf5 69 B00 18.a3 d7 19.b4 aa8 20.xf5 xf5 21.xc5 dxc5 22.g2 e4 23.xe4 xa4 Koch,Jean Rene 2507 24.xa4 xa4 25.e3 f7 26.f4 d7 Degraeve,Jean Marc 2589 27.a1 f6 28.a8+ f8 29.xf6+ gxf6 vs Select GMs (3) 24.06.2001 30.g4 g7 31.xf8 xf8 32.h4 f7 [Jon Tisdall] 33.f5 d7 34.e6 h5 35.h6 f8 36.xd7+ xh6 37.xc7 e8 38.f4+ The stem game is a rapid duel - this whole line g7 39.g2 a4 40.c7+ h6 41.f4+ is in a grey zone - it bears resemblances to g7 42.e4 d1 43.e7+ g8 44.e8+ 1...Nc6 lines, old Spanishes, Old Indians. In g7 45.g6+ f8 46.xf6+ g8 short, the kind of obscure, slightly 47.e6+ f8 48.f6 d2+ 49.g1 d1+ disreputable openings we house here, which 50.g2 c2+ 51.h3 g6 52.d6 aim to take the battle out of the books as 1-0 Kurniawan, B-Glinert,S New York USA quickly as possible. 1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 2001. ] 3.d3 f6 4.e2 c6 5.c3 e5 6.d5 e7 9.c4 b4+ 10.f1 0-0 It is probably more 7.f3 g6 [ 7...d6 8.g5 d7 9.a6 xa6 10.xa6 flexible to postpone castling a little bit. [ 10...cxd5!? ] h6 11.xe7 xe7 12.bd2 0-0 13.0-0 g5 14.b3 f5 15.exf5 xf5 and Black 11.h4 cxd5 12.cxd5 h6 [ 12...c8!? ] has a reasonable position. 16.d3 f6 55
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.a3 d6 14.c3 e8 15.h5 f8 16.h4 Now White has annexed a bit too much space. c5 17.f5 d6 18.b5 a5 [ 18...8d7 19.f3! ] 19.g2 h7 20.h4 c8 21.xe8 xe8 22.f3 xf5 23.xf5+ h8 24.xh6 6h7 25.e3 xe3 26.fxe3 a4 27.hh1 g8 28.ac1 c8 29.hf1 c7 30.e2 c5 31.xc5 bxc5 32.g4 f6 33.c3 b8 34.f2 d7 35.c2 g5 36.f2 c8 37.f5 b7 38.xa4 f7 39.c3 c4 40.f2 e7 41.g3 c5 42.c2 b6 43.h4 d3 44.e2 c5 45.xg5 fxg5+ 46.xg5 d7 47.h4 f7 48.g5 g8 49.f2 f8 50.a4 d7 51.b5 f8 52.g6 d8+ 53.h3 d7+ 54.f5 d8 55.h6 1-0
70 Kogan,Artur Spassky,Boris V Corsico [Andrew Martin]
B00
1997
We are about to see a masterpiece by Boris Spassky. Black very instructively tinkers with his opening move-order, trying to find the optimal way to reach a Hippo position. 1.e4 b6 Yes, I know this isn't strictly part of my brief but this is a very grey area and we soon transpose to a Hippo. 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.e2 d6 Spassky is very fond of this move order. By encouraging White's Bishop to go to d3 he figures that he cuts out some tricky lines. The overall idea is to go into a Hippopotamus system but he plays ....d6, ... Nd7 before ...g7g6. Note how effective this refinement is in this game. Black never need to play ....Bf8-g7 and uses the g-file later for attack! [ Developing the queenside first isn't the only way, as the following example shows, again with Spassky at the helm. 4...g6 5.0-0 g7 6.c3 d6 7.d2 d7 8.g3 Perhaps White s h o u l d h a v e p l a y e d f 2 - f 4 h e r e . h5!? ( 8...e7 9.f4 0-0 10.e2 a6 11.f3 c5! demonstrates how Black counterplay might co m e a b o u t .) 9.h3 gf6 10.e1 0-0 11.f3 h7 Before Bg5 ties him down. 12.e3 e5 13.d2 e7 14.g5 xg5 15.xg5 e8 16.c2 f6 17.ad1 h7
18.h6 e7 19.dxe5 Xie Jun-Spassky, B/ Tallinn 1998 White's a little better with the pawn on h5 looking out of place. ] 5.0-0 d7 6.f4 Kogan is in a belligerent mood. Spassky reacts coolly. [ 6.c3 gf6 7.d2 c5 8.e1 e7 9.a3 c7 10.b4 0-0 11.b2 fd8 12.g3 f8 13.c1 ac8 14.e2 a5 15.h3 g6 16.e3 g7 17.f3 b8 18.b1 a8 19.c1 a6 20.b5 b7 Shabanov, YGaprindashvili, N/Satka 2004 ] 6...g6 7.f5?! He really wants to punish Spassky for messing around , but it's here that the advantage of delaying ...Bg7 comes to the fore and 7 f5 is revealed as premature aggression. gxf5! 8.exf5 e5! 9.g3 gf6 Black suddenly has an extra central pawn which con ven ien tly co vers t he e f ile an d threatens to move f orward at the earliest o p p o r t u n i t y . 10.c3 Kogan doesn't really know what to do and lurches on with his ' attack' exd4 11.ce4 e7 12.a4 Further indication that White is at a loss. The advance of the rook's pawn is easily parried. a6! 13.e1 g8! 14.h5 [ Black defends comfortably after 14.g5 for instance: e5 15.xf6 xf6 A) 16.xf6+ xf6 17.e4 0-0-0 18.e2 de8 19.xb7+ xb7 20.a5 b5; B) 16.h5 d7! 17.ad1 ( 17.h6 g5 18.xg5 xg5 19.xg5 xg5 ) 17...c8 18.xf6 xf6; C) 16.h5 g5 17.h1 c5 ] [ Maybe flicking in 14.a5 b5 was called for and then 15.e2 with a difficult game to assess. It must never be forgotten that Black is a pawn up! ] 14...e5 15.h6 d7! Connecting the Rooks and Queen as well as getting the King to saf ety. Such original play is typical o f S p a s s k y a t h i s b e s t . 16.hxf6+ xf6 17.h5 g4 With the simple plan of ... Qe7 and ...Rag8 and a massive attack to follow. 18.ad1 Kogan is running out of time and moves. If he retreats his Bishop the Black attack builds rapidly: [ 18.d2 e7 19.a5 ag8 20.g3 f3! ] 18...h4 Now White is lost. 19.xf6+ xf6 20.g5 xh5 21.xf6 g8 22.xe5 xg2+ 23.f1 dxe5 24.xe5 hxh2 25.b5+ d6 56
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ He was hoping for 25...axb5 26.xd4+ [ 29...g6 30.b3 d2+ 31.c2= ] d5 ( 26...c8?? 27.e8# ) 27.exd5+ 30.b2 b5 31.xg7 d2+ 32.b3 xg2 and at least the game continues. ] 33.e5 f2 34.e3 f6 35.b2 e5 36.a4 0-1 d4+ 37.xd4 exd4 38.d3 f4 39.c4 h4 40.f3 d3+ 41.xd3 xb4 42.xf6 b3+ An interesting idea for white in the 71 B00 opening, and a very thematic handling of Kosintseva,Tatiana 2373 black's chances in the later stages of the Grabuzova,Tatiana 2388 game. 52nd ch-w Elista RUS (4) 13.05.2002 ½-½ [Jon Tisdall] 1.e4 c6 2.c3 f6 3.d4 d5 4.e5 g8 5.f4 h5 6.e3 [ 6.e2 f5 7.e3 e6 8.a3 g4 9.f3 h6 10.f2 e7 11.d2 f5 12.0-0-0 d7 13.d3 a5 14.d2 xe2 15.xe2 c6= 1-0 Aronian,L-Mudelsee,M Pardubice 1996. (49) ] [ 6.f3 g4 7.e2 e6 8.e3 h6 9.f2 f5 10.g3 h4 11.xh4 xe2 12.xe2 xh4 13.gxh4 g6 14.b5 a6 15.d3 e7 16.0-0-0 xh4 17.xh4 xh4 18.e2 0-0-0 19.f3 h3 20.f2 h7 21.d3 f5 22.a3 dh8 0-1 Hausmann,IGrabuzova,T Nova Gorica 1999. (32) ] 6...g4 7.f3 h6 8.b5!? An original approach, rather than cope with the pressure from the Bg4 white banks on a counterpin. d7 It is not completely clear that white wants to take on c6 - black will get some counterplay on the b-file in that case - but it is clearly risky to allow his queenside to be fractured so early. 9.h3 f5 10.f2 xf3 11.xf3 0-0-0 12.0-0-0 h4 13.a4 e6 14.c5 [ 14.c3!? looks more likely to keep black under pressure. ] 14...xc5 15.dxc5 a6 16.a4 d4 17.c3 d5 18.xd5 xd5 19.xc6 bxc6 20.cxd4 hd8 White's fragile pawn structure provides black with at least enough compensation for th e p a wn, b u t th e we a kne ss o f h 4 h e lp s balance the frailty of white's central pawn constellation. 21.b1 8d7 22.b4 xd4 23.xh4 e2 24.xd5 xd5 25.c2 xf4 26.g5 d3 27.d2 xe5 28.c3 c4 This is a bit adventurous. [ 28...f6!? 29.e1 but basically white's bishop has become strong enough to balance the extra pawn. ] 29.e1 a3+
72 Kramnik,Vladimir Ehlvest,Jaan (ol) Moscow [Alexander Volzhin]
B00 2725 2600 1994
A spectacular game at the very highest level. 1.f3 b6 2.e4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.d4 b4 5.d3 f6 6.g5 h6 7.xf6 xf6 8.0-0 xc3 9.bxc3 d5 A rare move. In my opinion it's inferior to the usual [ 9...d6 ] 10.exd5! xd5 11.e5 0-0 12.h5! [ The straighforward 12.f4 g6!? is unclear. After the text f4-f5 is the real threat. ] 12...d8 This retreat is forced. Black has to lose a tempo, otherwise it's not clear how to develop his Knight. [ 12...c6?? is just a blunder in view of 13.c4 xe5 14.dxe5 ] [ 12...e7 13.ae1 d7 14.g6! fxg6 15.xd5 exd5 16.xe7 and White has an obvious endgame advantage. ] 13.c4 b7 14.d5! White exploits Black's lag in development and breaks open the centre. d6 The only move. [ 14...exd5? just loses on the spot: 15.f5 g6 16.xg6 ] [ 14...d7 is also bad in view of 15.xf7! xf7 16.dxe6 and beside s his extra pawn, White can exploit the weakness of the light squares near Black's King with Qg6. ] 15.ae1 exd5 [ 15...d7 here is as bad as it was a move previously: 16.xf7! xf7 17.dxe6 ] 16.f5 g6 17.h3 g7 18.xf7! This sacrifice destroys the seemingly safe position of Black's King and gives W hite a very strong attack. 57
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Th e t em p t in g 18.xg6?! fails to c8! ( O f c o u r s e , 18...fxg6 is bad in view of 19.e6 ) 19.h4 fxg6 20.e7+ g8 21.fe1 c6! parrying White's attack. ] 18...xf7 Black had two ways to capture the Knight, but both of them have drawbacks. [ 18...xf7 Now Black doesn't control the e6square. 19.e6! f4 ( 19...c8 20.xd6 xh3 21.xg6+ f8 22.gxh3 with an obvious advantage in the endgame. ) 20.g3! d2 21.xg6! f8 ( 21...f6 i s n o b e t t e r : 22.xf6 xf6 23.f5+ e7 24.e5+ d7 25.f5+ c6 26.cxd5+ ) 22.d3! ( intending 23. Rg6+ or 2 3 . Q g 4 + Q g 5 2 4 . R g 6 ) f7 23.f4! with unavoidable mate. ] 19.xh6 g8 The only move. [ 19...g8 20.e3 ] 20.f4? This move ruins an otherwise excellent combination. [ T h e n a t u r a l 20.e3! gives White an unstoppable attack: A) 20...d4 is the alternative, but it is even worse in view of 21.c5! and White wins: xc5 ( 21...bxc5 22.c4+ f6 23.h4+ g5 24.h6+ g6 25.e6+ xe6 26.f8+ ) 22.c4+! xc4 23.f4+ g7 24.e7+; B) 20...d7 21.h7+ f8 22.f3+ f6 23.xg6 and Black' position is hopeless. ] 20...d7! [ 20...dxc4? is met by 21.f5 with a quick mate. ] 21.f5 h8! White certainly underestimated this move and instead hoped for [ 21...g5 22.f6! with a decisive advantage: xf6 23.h7+ f8 24.g6 with unavoidable mate. ] 22.fxg6+ [ In his calculations White had missed that after 22.xg6+?! Black has the very strong f8! 23.xd6+ cxd6 with a clear advantage. ] 22...g8 23.f4 xf4 Playing this move, Black offered a draw which was accepted. [ After 23...xf4 24.xf4 c5 Black is considerably better, but he was in time trouble and was satisfied with a draw against such a strong opponent. ] ½-½
73 Kritz,Leonid Yu Shaoteng Anibal Open Linares ESP (10) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2453 2522 10.03.2002
1.d4 b6 2.e4 e6 3.f3 b7 4.d3 c5 5.c4 Quite rare - letting black get a kind of Sicilian/Hedgehog position is not considered a way of extracting the maximum against the Owen's. cxd4 6.xd4 c6 7.xc6 xc6 8.0-0 h4!? [ 8...c7 9.c3 a6 10.e2 e7 11.f4 g6 12.e3 c5 13.xc5 bxc5 14.e5 d6 15.d5 1-0 Hoepfl,T-Steppuhn,T/ Regensburg 1998. (52) ] 9.e2 c5 10.d2 f6 11.f3 h5 12.a3 a5 13.e5?! A very ugly move. [ 13.b3!? ] 13...xf3 14.gxf3 [ 14.xf3 xf3 15.gxf3 h5 ] 14...g8 15.f4 a4 16.e4 a7 17.h1 f5 18.e2 e7 19.e3 g5! 20.g1 [ 20.f4 xe2 21.xe2 gxf4 and ...Bd4 will be unpleasant. ] 20...h6 21.ae1 c6 22.f4 h4 23.f3 [ 23.fxg5 hxg5 24.g2 g4 ] 23...gxf4 24.xc5 bxc5 25.xf5 White understandably wants to swing his fists a few times before the end of this game, and this looks the only practical chance. exf5 26.e6 f6 27.d5 d8 28.xc5 c7 [ 28...c7!? ] 29.d6 e7 30.xf4 [ 30.d5 ] 30...dxe6 31.g6 e8 32.xh6 d7 33.f3 d4-+ 34.a8+ c8 35.g2 b7 36.d1 xg2+ 37.xg2 g8+ 38.f1 d7 39.c5 c7 40.h4 e5 0-1
74 Lanzani,Mario Kos,Toni Mitropa Team Cup (6) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2419 2400 30.11.2000
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.f4 e5 A move that has served black well - all of the references here are worth examining. 5.d5 58
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 5.dxe5 g4 6.f3 ( 6.d3 dxe5 7.xd8+ xd8 8.f5 b4 9.b5+ c6 10.a4 xe4 11.xe4 d1+ 12.f2 xf5 13.c3 d3+ 14.e3 e1+ 15.xd3 xe4+ 16.d2 f1 0-1 Afek,Y-Markowski, T Paris 1995.; 6.d2 dxe5 7.f5 b4 8.xd8+ xd8 9.d3 d4 10.ge2 xe4 11.xe4 xe4 12.0-0 c5+ 1/2-1/2 Klinge r,J-Mestro vic,Z S ara jevo 1988. ) 6...dxe5 7.xd8+ xd8 8.fxe5 d7 9.d5 c8 10.f4 d8 11.h3 h5 12.0-0-0 e6 13.e3 c5 14.xc5 dxc5 15.d3 g6 16.he1 c6 17.e3 0-0 18.f5 c7 19.g4 e8 20.f1 h6 21.d6 d8 22.f5 xd1+ 23.xd1 f8 24.d2 d7 25.c4 g5 26.xg5 xe5 27.c3 hxg5 28.d1 c8 29.d6 d8 30.e2 b6 31.d4 b5 32.b4 d7 33.b7 e8 34.xd7 xe4+ 35.a5 a4# 0-1 Buljovcic, I-Nikolic,S Titograd 1965. ] 5...e7 [ 5...d4!? 6.e3 c5 7.fxe5 dxe5 8.f3 d6 9.g5 0-0 10.e2 h6 11.h4 b6! 12.b1 g4 13.d2 e3 14.d1 xd1 15.xd1 f5 16.c3 fxe4 17.cxd4 cxd4 18.0-0 exf3 19.gxf3 h3 20.f2 b4 21.e2 g6+ 0-1 Krivec,J-Zelcic,R Pula 1996. ] 6.f3 exf4 7.xf4 g6 8.g3 e7 9.d3 g4! 10.e2 f6 Black's control of e5 guarantees him comfortable play. 11.0-0 0-0 12.h1 e7 13.ae1 a6 14.d1 d7 15.c3 ae8 16.e3 xe3 17.xe3 d8 18.a7 c8 19.f2 e5 20.xe5 xe5 21.xe5 xe5 22.a4 c5 23.dxc6 xc6 24.b3 e6 25.d1 g5 26.b1 g6 27.g1 e8 28.d2 ee5 29.f2 h5 30.f3 h4 31.gf1 e7 32.xd6 h6 33.d8+ h7 34.e5+ f5 35.exf6+ g6 36.h8+ xh8 37.fxe7 1-0
to be originally the idea of the swashbuckling Englishman Milner Barry. exf3 [ 5...e6!? looks safer and sounder. ] 6.xf3 xf3+ 7.xf3 We have a position with a kind of Blackmar Diemer Gambit feel to it . Th e wea kn ess o n c7 is a n in t eres tin g a s p e c t o f w h i t e ' s c o m p e n s a t i o n . g6!? This gives black some additional options. The stem game was brutal and interesting. [ 7...f6 8.f4 a6 9.h3 g6 10.g4 g7 11.0-0-0 d7 12.g3 c8 13.e2 0-0 14.h4 c6 15.h5 xd5 16.hxg6 xc3 17.h4 f6 18.g5 a5 19.gxf6 h5 20.gxf7+ xf7 21.xh5+ 1-0 Milner Barry,PMieses,J Margate 1935. ] 8.f4 a6 9.g3 [ 9.0-0-0!? to set up a la Milner Barry definitely deserves attention as the pressure against c7 costs black time to defend, but costs white more time to pursue. The difference is the option h6 10.g4 xf4+ 11.xf4 d6 when white's spatial grip and lead in development def initely offer compensation. ] 9...h6 10.xc7 d7 11.e2 f6 12.e5 [ 12.d6!? looks very primitive, but there are advantages from softening black's kingside pawn structure. ] 12...f5 Black has returned the pawn in order to stop white castling and slow the pace of the opening, and the result is a very messy position. 13.d6?! [ 13.d3!? gives good chances of a small, safe advantage, but white wants more. ] 13...exd6 14.d4 0-0 [ 14...f4! 15.h4 g5= would show that black has nothing to fear. ] 15.f1 h5 16.xd6 g5? It is hard to understand what prevented black from playing [ 16...xc2 which was presumably one of the attractions behind posting the queen on f 5 i n t h e f i r s t p l a c e . 17.d1 e8 leaves white's king in more trouble than 75 B00 black's. ] Levi,Eddy 2247 17.f2?? g7?? [ 17...d8 and the bishop on d4 falls as Rigo,Bernard black has ...Qd2+ up his sleeve. ] ch Melbourne AUS (9) 07.01.2002 18.xg7 xg7 19.e4 d8?? [Jon Tisdall] [ 19...e3 leaves black very much in the game. ] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.d5 e5 5.f3!? A rare blast from the past, which seems 20.xf7+ 59
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 20.xf7+ g8 ( 20...xf7 21.xg5+ ) 21.f8+ both relieve black of his queen. A sadly typical game of this month's crop, where some interesting opening ideas fail to get a proper test due to some hair-raising blunders. ] 1-0
Partly due to the position being non-typical, and partly because the queenside structure allows white to play a4 quickly, when he is well placed to use the lines that open since there is no Nc3 being displaced by black's bpawn. c7 10.e2 c5 11.b3 b6 ( 11...e7 ) 12.a4 b4 13.d2 ( 13.g5!? ) 13...bxc3 14.xc3 b4 15.ac1 xd3 16.xd3 e5 17.e2 h5 18.c3 g5 19.d6 e3 20.d2 xd2 21.xd2 c6 76 B00 22.c4 e7 23.e5 f6 24.d6+ f8 Liasota,Evgueni 25.b3 e8 26.fd1 f6 27.c5 xd6 Chetverik,Maxim 2315 28.xd6 c8 29.cd1 f7 30.h5+ Tenkes Kupa Harkany HUN (4) 19.11.2000 Jonathan,R-Dewachter,M Szeged 1994 (0-1, [Jon Tisdall] 60) ] 1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5 3.d3 b7 4.e2 f6 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 b4 10.bc3 xd3 5.f3 e6 6.0-0 c5 7.c3 c6 A line that has 11.xd3 b4 12.d1 e7 13.d5 b8 [ 13...exd5 14.e5 gives white good produced reasonable positions f or black: compensation. ] 8.e3 [ 8.c2 c8 9.a3 b6 10.h1 cxd4 14.dxe6? [ 14.f4= White is about to go to pieces in 11.cxd4 a5 12.b3 b4 13.a4 e7 14.d3 spectacular fashion. ] d6 15.b2 d7 16.d2 f6 17.f4 g6 18.f2 h4 19.f3 0-0 20.h3 d8 14...fxe6 15.d4 d6 16.h3 [ 16.g3 h5!? ] 21.f1 f5 22.b1 f6 23.g3 g7 24.f3 e8 25.h4 h5 ( 25...h6 ) 26.g5 f6 16...0-0 17.g4?? h2+ 18.h1 xe4! 27.d5 exd5 28.e5 dxe5 29.fxe5 e4 0-1 30.f4 d2 31.d1 xb1 32.xb1 d4 33.xd4 xe5 B00 A) 34.xe5! xe5 35.xg6 b2 77 36.e7+ g7 37.e6+ f7 38.xh5+! Licina,Anita 2195 xe7 39.h4+! and the more knights Sucher,Johannes 2234 white loses the closer is victory: 10th Open Aschach AUT (6) 30.12.2001 A1) 39...f6 40.xf8 xh4 ( 40...xf8 [Jon Tisdall] 41.xb4+ ) 41.g6++-; A2) 39...xe6 40.e3++- guards the 1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.a3 e7 last rank and wins the queen.; 5.f3 f6 6.e5 e4 A3) 39...f7 40.g5++-; [ 6...d5!? 7.xd5 exd5 8.b4?! B) 34.fe6? xd4? ( 34...c2 35.g1 This only creates targets. d6 9.d3 d7 a8 ) 35.xd4 e7 36.g3 f6 10.0-0 f8 11.exd6 xd6 12.e5 e6 37.xb4 e5 38.xf8 xf8 39.e1 d5 13.c3 0-0 14.c2 g6 15.h6 g7 16.f4 40.f3 f6 41.e7 f7 42.xg6+ h7 f5 17.ae1 c5 18.e2 f6 19.bxc5 bxc5 43.g5 1-0 Szabo, Z-Chetverik,M/ 20.b1 ab8 21.e3 cxd4 22.cxd4 c6 Gyongyos 1998. ] 23.fe1 a4 24.f1 c2 25.xb8 xb8 [ 8.a3 cxd4 9.cxd4 b6 10.e3 e5 26.c3 e4 27.a5 b6 28.xb6 axb6 11.f2 exd4 12.bc3 d6 13.d5 xd5 29.c1 e6 30.c6 xe5 31.dxe5 f7 14.exd5 e7 15.xd4 c7 16.h3 xd5 32.a4 e7 33.b5 d4 34.c4 xc6 (1/2-1/2, 41) Praznik,N-Hechl,G Finkenstein 35.b3 a8 36.h3 xa4 37.d5 c8 1994. ] 38.g4 c2 39.f2 b5 40.e1 b4 41.d2 [ 8.h1 cxd4 9.xd4 This kind of position b3 0-1 Holzmann, H-Portisch,F Sicilian-ish but with a pawn on c3 instead of Balatonbereny 1996. ] a N - often poses black some problems. 7.xe4 xe4 8.d2 b7 9.g4 0-0 60
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10.d3 f5 11.exf6 xf6 12.0-0 c6 13.f3 White should have a slight advantage here as black must be very wary about his more exposed king - though black does have active pieces as well. e7 14.c3 d8 15.g5 g6 16.h4 g7 17.e4 [ 17.f4 ] 17...e7 18.h5 gxh5 19.xh5 f5 20.h3 Black has problems coordinating his pieces properly - the Rf5 has no stable home. f7 21.g3 g5 22.g4 f3!? A nice confusionary tactic, but it doesn't quite seem to solve his problems. 23.e2? [ 23.c2 is harder to meet - white threatens on g5, and Nh5 also packs more punch with the light-squared bishop keeping an eye on the kingside - black would still have troubles coordinating here. ] 23...f7 24.f4 h8?? [ 24...f3+! and black secures a plus by getting the bishop pair and simplifying the position. ] 25.e5+- f6 26.h5 f3 27.xf3 xe5 28.xg7 xf3+ 29.h1 h2 30.e4 xf1 1-0
16...cxd4 17.cxd5 e5 18.e4 b8 19.c6 d6 Black wants to deny the rook a c c e s s t o f 6 . 20.fc1 hc8 21.b3 This still looks more comfortable for white, but th e p o te n t ia l we a kne ss o f d 5 m ak e s t h e position a bit trickier. b6 22.f1 cb8 23.6c2 c8 24.c6 cb8 25.6c4 8b7 26.e2 a6 27.1c2 a5 28.d3 e7 29.c5+ xc5 30.xc5 xc5 31.xc5 d6 32.a5 a6 33.e4 b6 34.a4 c5 35.dxc6 xc6 36.xd4+ e6 37.a4 d6+ 38.d3 f5 39.a5 d6+ 40.e2 xg3+ 41.hxg3 f5 42.e3 c6 43.d3 d6+ 44.e3 c6 ½-½
79 Maljutin,Evgeni Kramnik,Vladimir Sochi [Alexander Volzhin]
B00 2340 2490 1990
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.f3 b4 5.d3 f6 6.g5 h6 7.xf6 xf6 8.0-0 xc3 9.bxc3 d6 10.d2 e5 11.f4 e7!? In a well-known position Kramnik finds an 78 B00 int ere st ing way to de via te f rom "o f f icial" Maki,Veijo 2376 theory. Salmensuu,Olli 2428 [ Black has another way to deviate from the TCh-2001-02 FIN (2) 20.10.2001 main line: 11...exf4!? This move was tried in [Jon Tisdall] Sp a ssky - Mile s, 1 9 8 3 b u t h a sn 't b e e n played since, although White failed to prove 1.e4 c6 2.f3 f5 3.exf5 d5 4.d4 xf5 a n a d v a n t a g e : 12.g3 ( 12.f3 e7 5.b5 d6 6.e5 f6 7.0-0 d7 8.xc6 13.xf4 0-0 seems OK for Black.) 12...g5 bxc6 9.f3 xe5 10.xf5 f7 11.f4 13.a4 c6 14.e2 0-0-0 15.a5!? xa5 d7 12.xd7+ xd7 13.d2 c5!? 16.a6 White's attacking plan looks similar Varying from to the Rauser attack in the Sicilian Dragon [ 13...e6 14.b3 d6 15.g3 a5 16.a4 (of course Black's King is on the K-side in hb8 17.fe1 b4 18.e2 ab8 19.f3 that case). xa6 17.xa6+ d7 18.c4 1-0 Shaw,J-Salmensuu,O/Leon ESP 2001 xc4 19.b5+ e7! ( Not 19...c8 (63) where black never quite equalized and 20.xa7! with a decisive attack: a5 21.d5 went down after a long massage. The new b8 22.a6 and mate is unavoidable.) move is trickier, but does not look better. ] 20.xc4 e6 21.xc7+ d7 and Black is 14.c4 slightly better.Undoubtedly this line [ 14.b3 screams out to be played, but requires further practical tests. ] access to e6 is not necessarily worth so 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.b5+ c6 14.c4 0-0 much: cxd4 15.c5+ c8 16.e6 b8 ] 15.f5 White embarks upon a very ambitious 14...g5 15.g3 e6 16.ac1 b u t d u b i o u s p la n wh i c h le a d s h i m t o a n [ 16.cxd5 exd5 17.ac1 must be a safe and inferior position in just a couple of moves. d7 lasting edge for white. ] 16.h5 b5 17.b3 It may seem that White 61
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 has strong pressure on the f-file (f7 is the main target), but Black's next two moves prove that this conclusion is far from accurate. c5! 18.dxc5 f6! Black is seizing the initiative by exploiting the unstable position of White's pieces. 19.f3 [ 19.xe5 is the main alternative to the text. c7 20.f5 g4! Black wins the exchange, but very precise play is required: 21.f3 xe5 22.xe5 ae8! It's necessary to drive away the strong Knight immediately, otherwise W hite would obtain strong counterplay: ( 22...xc5+ 23.h1 xc3 24.f1 ) 23.d7 xe4 24.g4 e7 25.xf8 xc5+ 26.h1 xc3 with a clear advantage for Black, for example: 27.f1 c6! 28.d1 xf8 29.d8+ e8 30.h5 g6 31.xe8+ xe8 32.c5+ g8 33.xa7 e1+ 34.g1 e2 and White can't mantain the material balance. ] 19...c8! [ 19...xc5+ is not so good , as it allows W hite to escape: 20.h1 ad8 21.xf6 gxf6 22.g4+ h8 23.h3 h7 24.f5+ g7 25.g4+ and Black cannot avoid repetition. ] 20.xf6 xf6 21.xf6 gxf6 In this endgame Black is the exchange up and has excellent winning chances, although good technique is required. 22.d5 b8 23.f1 g7 24.b3 e6 25.c6 bd8 26.d1 f5! 27.d3 fxe4 28.g3+ f6 [ In my opinion, 28...h7 was much more to the point, leaving White little to hope for, for example: 29.xe4+ f5 30.d3 e4 31.xb5 f4 ] 29.xe4 d5 30.c7 xe4 31.cxd8+ xd8 32.h3 xc2 After this inaccuracy the win becomes problematic. [ 32...g5 w a s b e t t e r : 33.g3+ f4 and W hite can't mantain the material balance. The "active" 34.g7 fails to g6 winning the exchange after a King march to f6. ] 33.xh6+ g6 34.h3 d6 35.e3 b1 36.e2 c6 37.b2 g6 38.a5 xc3 39.xb5 c1+ 40.f2 c2+ 41.f3 xa2 Black has managed to win a pawn, but the small number of pieces on the board promise White good drawing chances. 42.c6 e4+ 43.g3 a3+ 44.f4 e3 45.b2 d3
46.e5! Liquidation to the Rook ending is the simplest way to draw here. f5 47.g4+ xg4 48.xg4 Now the outcome of this exciting encounter is clear. Black's extra pawn means nothing here. e5 49.f3 d4 50.b7 f5 51.g3 a5 52.d7+ c5 53.e7 d4 54.d7+ e5 55.e7+ d4 It's premature to draw final conclusions about the strength of Kramnik's 11... Qe7 because of the lack of practical material. However I feel this move is definitely playable, and sooner or later it will become popular, especially if White manages to find something tangible in the sharp main line 11...exd4. ½-½
80 Mamedov,Nid Ipatov,Alexander IsBank TCh-TUR 2013 (5.1) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2602 2590 03.07.2013
1.e4 b6 2.c3 b7 3.f4 This anti-Owen's Defence set-up is surprisingly popular and not really covered in the books. e6 4.f3 d5!? A strange-looking move, but Black has to do something about White's centre. [ The Nimzo-style 4...b4 looks more logical: 5.d3 ( 5.e2 e7 6.d3 d5 (a pertinent moment as ...d4 is threatened) 7.d2 d4 8.d1 xd2+ 9.xd2 0-0 10.e2 f5 11.0-0 c5 12.e5 bc6 Gasik, P-Nguyen, P Warsaw 2012, with easy equality) 5...d5 6.d2 dxe4 ( 6...d4 is less clear in this case, due to 7.b5! xd2+ 8.xd2 c5 9.e5! and d6 is weak) 7.dxe4 f6 8.b5+ bd7 9.e5 xc3 10.xc3 d5 Perez Pietro, CGarcia Palermo, C Buenos Aires 2013, with near equality. ] 5.b5+!? A strange move and a new one. [ Instead 5.exd5 exd5 6.d4 f6 7.b5+ c6 8.d3 e7 9.g4!? c5 10.e2 xg4 (White has enough practical compensation with Black's king so vulnerable) 11.g1 c4 12.f5 h6 Jakubiec, A-Schandorff, L Danish league 2012, with a complicated struggle in prospect. ] [ Alternatively 5.e2 has been tried: dxe4 6.xe4 e7 7.d3 h6 8.d2 c5 9.0-0-0 c6 10.g4 (again this ambitious thrust) c7 62
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 11.f5 (maybe a bit over-enthusiastic) exf5 12.gxf5 xf5 13.g1 Czakon, J-Jaracz, P Chorzow 2013, and White didn't really have enough compensation this time. ] 5...c6 6.e2 d4 Pushing back White's pieces. 7.b1 c5 8.d3 f6 It seems to me that Black has achieved a fine opening. He has a lion's share of the centre, and is not behind in development. However, I think this type of position is easier for him if the darksquared bishops were already exchanged, see 4. . .B b 4 a bo ve . 9.0-0 e7 10.a4 c6 11.a3 c7 12.e1 Now the question is: What will Black do with his king? Neither flank looks that safe, but Black needs to make a decision sometime. h6 [ T h e c o u r a g e o u s 12...0-0! looks fine: 13.e5 a6 14.g3 e8 and I don't see anything concrete for White. ] 13.e5!? a6 [ I t ' s r i s k y t o c a p t u r e o n e 5 : 13...xe5 14.fxe5 d7 ( 14...xe5?? 15.f4 ) 15.b5 b8 16.g3 with a strong initiative for White. ] 14.g3 g8 A committal move, but Ipatov obviously didn't fancy castling short. [ After 14...0-0 15.d2 h7 16.ae1 I can't see a clear plan for Black, but there a g a i n , W h i t e d o e s n ' t h a ve a n o b vi o u s breakthrough. So maybe this was the way forward. ] 15.ac4 b5 16.xc6 xc6 17.e5 b7 Now White trades on the a-file, so that Black can't run away with ...0-0-0. 18.axb5 axb5 19.xa8+ xa8 20.f5!? [ Opening shop on the other front is plausible, for example 20.d2 b7 21.c3 as if lines start to open, then Black's king and king's rook could well prove to be the wrong way round. ] 20...d6? [ Less dangerous would be 20...exf5 21.xf5 b7 ] 21.f4 Now matters are tricky because of potentially dangerous discovered checks along the diagonal. exf5 22.g4! A strong blow. xe4 [ Black's king is about to be cut down after 22...xg4 23.xd6 d7 24.xc5 ] 23.dxe4 xf4 24.f6+ f8 25.h7+ e7 26.xf4 White has an extra piece, but the
knight on h7 is somewhat out of play! e5 27.exf5!? Giving up the bishop, but forcing a line which involves freeing the knight. [ Otherwise 27.xb5 b8 28.d3 would be reasonable. ] 27...xe2 28.f6+ e6 29.h3+ d6 30.fxg7 xg2+? Caving-in. [ Instead 30...xg7! is necessary: 31.xh6+ g6 32.f8+ e5 33.e7+ e6 34.g5+ d6 and Black wriggles out. ] 31.xg2 xg2 32.g4! Threatening both of Black's pieces. f3 33.f6! [ Af ter the slack 33.g3?? Black has the s t r o n g m o v e e7! and the knight doesn't escape. Black even has the better chances here! ] 33...xg4 34.xg8 The bishop has to be given up for the g-pawn. f6 35.xf6 e6 36.g8 xg8 37.xg8 c4 38.xh6 d5 39.f2 b4 40.f5 c3 41.bxc3 It's all over. 1-0
81 Martinovic,Sa Stevic,H ch-CRO 2014 Porec CRO (1.5) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2537 2620 03.02.2014
1.d4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 f6 [ The following is quite innovative: 5...ge7 6.0-0 h6 7.e1 g5! I like this plan. With a closed centre advancing the g-pawn like this can be annoying for W hite. 8.c3 g6 9.a3!? A cont roversia l choice . xa3 10.bxa3 a5 11.a4 e7 12.g3 g4 13.d2 h5 14.f1 0-0-0 Getz, A-Gelashvili, T Dallas 2013, with dynamic play. ] [ T h e d i r e c t 5...b4 forces White's next move 6.a3 whereupon Black can attack the centre in thematic style: c5 7.c3 c6 (this looks similar to certain lines of the Advance Caro-Kann) 8.dxc5 xc5 9.b4 b6 ( after 9...e7 10.0-0 c8 11.b5 a6 12.bd4 xd4 13.xd4 g6 14.d2 h6 chances are balanced. Capturing on h6 would allow Black to become 'ruler of the d a rk s qu a r e s ' .) 10.b5 Abravanel, CForthoffer, P French league 2006, and now 63
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black should probably accept the need to d e f e n d d 6 w i t h c7 with an acceptable position. ] [ The idea of 5...e7!? is also to get the gpawn advancing: 6.0-0 g5!? 7.e1 d7 8.c3 0-0-0 9.b4 f6 10.a4 a6 ( w i t h d o u b l e - e d g e d p l a y ) 11.b5?! Over-optimistic. a7 12.exf6 xf6 13.a3 McShane, L-Speelman, J Blitz 2000, and now Houdini suggests f8! with an edge for Black, as White's attacking pretensions are stymied. ] 6.e3 [ Feller angles to hold onto his e5-pawn wedge by supporting it with his bishop: 6.f4 ge7 7.g3 fxe5 8.dxe5 g6 9.bd2 c5 10.0-0 0-0 11.c3 b6 12.e1 ce7 13.b4 Stopping Black expanding on the queenside. c6 14.d4 d7 15.2b3 e4 16.f3 f5 17.f1 h5 18.d2 Feller, SBricard, E Caen 2011, and W hite's grip earns him a pull. ] 6...fxe5 This is already a novelty! [ Black tried 6...g4 without capturing on e5 in the following: 7.bd2 ge7 8.exf6?! Giving away the centre like this doesn't yield a n y a d v a n t a g e . ( keeping the tension (and space edge) with 8.0-0 looks better) 8...gxf6 9.h4 xe2 10.xe2 h5! 11.b3 d6 12.c5 b6 13.d3 e5= Scheeff, V-Taeger, W German league 1999. ] 7.dxe5 g4 8.bd2 ge7 9.g5!? [ A better try for an opening pull is 9.h3 h5 10.0-0 when a later ...Nf5 could be met with B-f 4, when g2-g4 is a threat. Of course Black can capture on f3, but I prefer White if he obtains the bishop pair. ] 9...f5!? A surprise. [ Also possible is 9...xe2 10.xe2 d7= when White has more space, but Black is not particularly inconvenienced as his pieces will all find good squares (N on f5, B on e7, f-file for the rooks). ] 10.xe6 [ B l a c k is b e t t e r a f t e r 10.xg4 xe3 11.fxe3?! xg5 ] 10...xe3 11.xd8 xd1 12.xc6 [ Or 12.xg4 xf2!? 13.xf2 ( 13.xc6? xg4 ) 13...xd8= ] 12...xf2!? [ Another way to a satisfactory game is with
12...xe2 13.xe2 xb2 14.ab1 bxc6 15.xb2= ] 13.xf2 c5+ 14.e1 xe2 15.xe2 bxc6 Phew! After all that, we can calm down and notice that material is about equal. It's not clear who has the better minor piece, and White's passed, but isolated, e-pawn could turn out to be either a strength or a weakness. 16.d3 f8 17.hf1 d7 18.b3?! The knight isn't great over here, but it isn't yet a problem. [ Better is 18.f3!?= with the idea of bringing over the other rook to help protect both the f-file and the e-pawn. ] 18...f2! To thwart ideas of R-e1, supporting the e-pawn. 19.c4?! [ 19.ad1 e6 20.d2 is a better way when Black isn't able to achieve anything concrete, as c5 can be met by 21.c4!= ] 19...ae8 20.d2 xe5 21.f3 dxc4+ [ Although 21...e3+?! looks like a blunder, (with 22.d2 in mind) Black rescues himself with exf3 23.gxf3 d4 with reasonable compensation. However, the game continuation is clearly a better try for an advantage. ] 22.xc4 c5+ 23.d3 d5+ 24.c2 c5 25.ae1 Black has an extra pawn, but naturally his queenside structure could be better! f4 26.b3 d6 27.d2 df5 28.xf4 xf4 29.f3 g5 30.h3 h5 31.e4 Martinovic builds a light-squared fortress which will be tough to overcome, as there is n o e v i d e n t w e a k n e s s i n h i s c a m p . c5+ 32.d3 d5+ 33.d4 The trade of rooks isn't a problem unless White is forced to capture on d5 straightening out Black's structure. d6 34.e4 e6 [ After 34...xd4+= White could recapture either way. It's hard to imagine that he is worse. ] 35.a4 a5 36.d4+ d7 37.c4 e5+ 38.f3 e3+ 39.f2 d3 40.f3 [ 40.xc6?! would unnecessarily give Black some winning chances with d2+ 41.f3 xa2 ] 40...d6 41.e2 [ Again 41.xg5 is plausible, but again there is d2+ ] 41...d5 42.e4 c5 43.d3 f5 44.e2 g3 45.d3 c8 Trying his luck on the 64
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 q u e e n s i d e . 46.e8+ b7 47.e4 b6 48.c4 d5+ 49.e2 d6 50.d4 c5 51.f3 b4 52.d4 c5 When all else fails, this pawn advance has to be tried. 53.f3 a4 The point is to leave White with a weak pawn on the queenside. Then there would be a real target. 54.bxa4 a5 55.g4! h4 56.e4 xa4 57.e5 A fine defensive plan: the trade of rooks enables White's king to help blockade the c4-square. xe5+ 58.xe5 c3 59.c4 b4 60.d3 d4 61.d2 e5 62.a3+ No t a l t o g e t h e r n e c e s s a ry, b u t p e r f e c t l y adequate. a4 63.e4 xa3 64.c4! [ 64.xg5?! would allow Black to get the cpawn moving with b3 ] 64...f4 65.xc5 c6 66.e6 c1 67.d4 b2 ½-½
28.bxc5 g6 29.c6 bxc6 30.dxc6 c7 31.d4 c8 32.h4 g7 33.h2 h5 34.c7 g5 35.hxg5 g6 36.b5 xg5 37.xf8 1-0 Fedorov,A-Ivanov,V Moscow 1995. ] 6.e5 f6!? [ 6...ge7 7.d3 f5 8.f3 a5 9.g5 c5 10.h5 g6 11.h3 h6 12.f3 c7 13.0-0 c6 14.g5 ce7 15.f6 g8 16.g4 c4 17.e2 g5 18.h5 g6 19.gxf5 f4 20.xh6 xe2+ 21.h1 exf5 22.h7 f8 23.xg5 xc3 24.g7 e4 25.h7 xf6 1-0 Berg,E-Marder,S Copenhagen 1996. ] 7.b5 The start of an unimpressive plan, I think. I would be tempted to try f4 and Bd3, since the stability of a B on d3 is one of the advantages of not having to worry about ...c5 based counterplay - and ...f6 means slight ventilation for black on the kingside. But then, I am hardly a connoisseur of the white side of 82 B00 the W inawer French. d7 8.xc6 xc6 Maslak,Konstantin 2306 9.h5+ d7 10.h3 b5 11.f4 e8 Zajarnyi,Anatolyi 2380 12.xe8+ xe8 13.h5 e7 14.h4 f7 Chigorin Mem (7) 08.11.2000 15.h3 fxe5 16.dxe5 e7 17.f4 g6 18.g3 c5 19.b1 c6 20.h1 d8 21.b2 [Jon Tisdall] dd7 22.d1 f5 23.g4 f8 24.c1 df7 1.e4 c6 2.c3 e6 3.d4 b4 4.a3 xc3+ 25.e3 xf4 26.xf4 xf4 27.xf4 xf4 5.bxc3 d5 A surprisingly rare continuation, 28.d2 d4 29.g5 d5 30.b1 a6 giving the game more of the feel of a French 31.be1 f2+ 32.c1 d3 33.cxd3 xd3 Defence - where the N is rather oddly placed 34.h3 c4 35.h5 b5 36.g6 h6 37.h4 on c6. The cons of this are obvious - the c2+ 38.d1 xc3 39.f4 xa3 40.d2 counterplay based on ... c5 is absent. On the a2+ 41.e3 h2 42.f7 xh5 43.g1 other hand, black can try to justify this by xe5+ 44.d2 e2+ 45.d1 a2 46.g3 d4 47.e1 b4 48.d7+ e5 49.xg7 b3 hitting out at e5 at once. [ 5...d6 6.d3 ge7 ( 6...e5 7.e2 ge7 50.b7 b2 51.xd3 cxd3 52.g7 b1+ 8.0-0 0-0 9.f4 f6 10.e1 d7 11.h4 53.xb1 g2 54.b7 f6 55.xa7 xg7 g6 12.g3 h8 13.f5 ge7 14.h4 56.a3 d7 57.d2 h5 58.a5 d5 e8 15.f3 g8 16.g4 g5 17.f2 d5 59.a8 g5 60.g8+ h4 61.g6 e5 18.exd5 xd5 19.c4 d6 20.d5 e4 62.g7 h3 63.g5 h4 64.g1 h2 21.xe4 e5 22.c3 d4 23.d3 c5 65.g4 h3 66.g5 h1 67.g3 h2 68.g5 24.e3 b5 25.xd4 cxd4 26.xd4 d6 a5 69.e3 a1 70.xd3 g1 71.xe5 27.c5 e5 28.d4 d6 29.c5 d8 g2 72.g5+ f3 30.c6 e7 31.c5 f7 32.d1 a6 33.c7 0-1 d7 34.xe7 1-0 Sumaneev,D-Yemelin,V Elista 1995.) 7.e2 0-0 8.0-0 f5 9.c4 e5 10.d5 a5 11.f4 fxe4 12.xe4 f5 13.d3 d7 14.d2 a4 15.b4 xc4 16.xc4 xe4 17.xe4 a5 18.fxe5 g6 19.xf8+ xf8 20.exd6 cxd6 21.f1 axb4 22.axb4 e8 23.xe8 xe8 24.d4 e5 25.c4 e7 26.f5 d7 27.c5 dxc5 65
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 83 Mikac,Matjaz Mestrovic,Zvonimir chT Bled SLO (5) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2420 2434 18.10.2000
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e5 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.xd8+ Unusual to a s k b l a c k t o d e ve l o p t h i s r o o k , b u t o n e difference becomes clear in the game. [ 7.b5 xd1+ 8.xd1 d7 ( 8...d6 9.xc6+ bxc6 10.d3 0-0 11.d2 c8 12.a4 a6 13.b3 fd8 14.g5 e7 15.xf6 gxf6 16.d1 d4 17.g3+ h8 18.c3 ad8 19.cb1 xe4 20.e1 ed4 21.c1 f8 22.c3 a4 23.f3 e7 24.a3 d3 25.f1 h4 26.h3 e4 27.f5 xf1 28.xf1 d5 29.g4 xf5 30.gxf5 xh3 31.e1 c5 32.xe4 xf2 33.c2 h5 34.e7 g7 35.xc7 h4 36.d2 e3 37.xc6 h3 38.f1 e1 39.h2 g3 40.d2 b1 41.g4 xb2+ 42.d3 h4 43.c4 g5 44.a4 g2 0-1 Mooser,SBiro,S/Rieden 1996 (44)) 9.xc6 xc6 10.xe5 xe4 11.xe4 xe4 12.0-0 f6 13.c4 d6 14.a5 0-0-0 15.d3 e8 16.b3 e5 17.d2 e4 18.c4 e8 19.e3 c5 20.fd1 d8 21.f3 xe3+ 22.xe3 xd3 23.xd3 d6 24.f2 e8 25.d5 f7 26.f4 e5 27.e3 g6 28.d3 c6 29.e2 c7 30.g3 d6 31.d4 c5 32.d2 e5 33.d4 c5 34.d2 e5 1/2-1/2 Lehmann,K-Seul,G/ Germany 1989/GER-chT (34) ] 7...xd8 8.b5 d6? [ 8...d7 ] [ 8...xf3 9.gxf3 a6!? ] 9.xa7 This is it - quite an easy move to forget about, really. 0-0 10.xc6 bxc6 11.e3 b8 12.b1 b4 13.0-0 xc3 14.bxc3 xe4 15.xe5 e2?! [ 15...e6 followed by Ra8 gave better chances to save the game. ] 16.xc6 xf1 17.xb8 xb8 18.xb8 b5 19.c4 a4 20.a6 c6 21.b4 d6 22.c5 c4 23.f1 b5 24.e1 f6 25.d3 f7 26.f4 a4 27.e2 xc2 28.d4 a4 29.e2 e5 30.d2 e8 31.f4 f7 32.c3 d7 33.b4 d1 34.a4 g5 35.g3 f5 36.xf5 e2 37.a5 h5 38.h4 gxh4 39.xh4 g5 40.b6 e4 41.g6
c3 42.a5 f1 43.f4 e4 44.b4 f6 45.h4 g4 46.xh5 xg2 47.g3 f3 48.g7 f6 49.f5 d5+ 50.c4 e2+ 51.d4 e6 52.d6 e7 53.e4 d5 54.e5 c7 55.f4 d1 56.f5+ d7 57.a5 c2+ 58.f4 d3 59.g5 d5 60.f6 c7 61.f7 e7 62.c8+ 1-0
84 Mohr,Georg Cander,Mitja chT Bled SLO (2) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2492 2255 15.10.2000
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e6 6.h3 h5 7.d5 exd5 8.exd5 e5 9.g4 xf3+? If statistics are anything to go by, this is a serious mistake. Black aids white's development - he now castles quickly, and also finds it easier to mobilize his kingside pawn mass. the immediate retreat of the Bh5, on the other hand, has had reasonable success, so this would appear to be an error. [ 9...g6 10.d2!? clearing the way for the fpawn is definitely the way to frighten black in th is va ria tion - wha t results is sh ee r chaos and the whole line can be assessed with the cliche 'deserves further testing'. But black should take special note, as despite some very unusual handling by white, the lower rated player manages to work up a formidable attack. ( 10.b5+ ed7 11.e2 e7 12.0-0-0 a6 13.d3 xd3 14.xd3 0-0 15.d4 c5 16.dd1 e8 17.f5 fe4 18.xe4 xe4 19.h4 d7 20.f3 f6 21.g5 e5 22.d4 c5 23.h5 xd4 24.xd4 e5 25.xg7 xg5 26.h6 e7 27.h5 f5 28.dd1 f8 29.de1 e4 30.f4 f7 31.xe4 g4 32.f3 xe4 33.c3 g6 34.f3 e7 35.c4 xh6+ 36.f4 f7 37.g3 g6 38.d3 e8 39.h5 d8 40.xf5 g8 0-1 Ivanov,VNesterov,J/Moscow 1995.) 10...e7 11.g2 h5 12.g5 h7 ( 12...fd7!? ) 13.0-0 f5 14.h2 d7 15.f4 g6 16.f3 e7 17.g3 c5 18.dxc6 bxc6 19.d4 h4+ 20.h2 d5 21.xc6 xc6 22.xd5 c8 23.xe7 xe7 24.xa8 xa8 25.c5 f8 66
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 26.xe7 xe7 27.e1+ e6 28.b4+ d8 29.ad1+ d7 30.f5 d5 31.d6 c6 32.fe1 c8 33.e3 f6 34.e7 b7 35.b4 b6 36.d2 e5 37.xe5 fxe5 38.xe5 e8 39.d6 e1 40.f8+ b7 41.f7+ a6 42.c4+ b5 0-1 De la Riva Aguado,O-Spraggett,K/Santiago 1995. ] 10.xf3 g6 11.0-0-0 e7 12.g2 d7 13.f4 h6 [ 13...f5 14.g5 0-0 15.f3 c8 16.h4 a6 17.h5 e8 18.c4 b5 19.b3 b6 20.e2 b4 21.h6 g6 22.d4 bxc3 23.xc3 xg5 24.fxg5 xg5+ 25.b1 f4 26.f3 d7 27.dg1 f5 28.h5 f7 29.d3 f3 30.hg5 f5 31.d4 f6 32.xf6 xf6 33.xf6 f7 34.d4 d7 35.xf5+ gxf5 36.g7+ f8 1-0 Kovacevic, P-Kostic,N/Bela Crkva 1990 (36) ] 14.d4 0-0 15.h4! Giving black the choice of opening lines against his own king or having a pawn mass stuffed in his face. A glance at the other flank is enough to confirm that this game is likely to feature one-way traffic as black does not have a glimmer of counterplay. xh4 16.h2 f6 17.g5 xg5? Black banks on three pawns and a relatively safer king for a piece, but with a long term attack still on the cards, he will find that a piece is a piece. [ 17...xd4 18.xd4 e8 ( 18...h5 19.e2 ) 19.e2 ( 19.gxh6 allows ...Re1+ and/or Qf6, which hinders the attack a bit. )] 18.fxg5 xg5+ 19.b1 e5 20.d3 f3 21.f2 xd4 22.xd4 xd3 23.xd3 f5?! This creates weaknesses, but sitting still does not hinder white from training all of his guns on the kingside either still, something more solid was called for: [ 23...ae8 24.dg1 f4 prevents immediate catastrophe. ( 24...f6 25.e4 e5 26.d2 h7 27.g5+ g8 28.xh6! )] 24.e2 f4 25.d4 f7 26.dg1 xd5 27.xh6+- f3 28.h7+ f8 29.h8+ e7 30.e1+ e5 31.xe5+ dxe5 32.e6+ d7 33.xa8 1-0
85 Mohr,Georg Mestrovic,Zvonimir chT Pula (2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2492 2434 12.09.2000
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e5 6.b5 [ 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.xd8+ xd8 8.b5 xf3 9.gxf3 a6 10.xc6+ bxc6 11.e2 h5 12.ad1 d6 13.d3 0-0 14.b1 f5 15.c3 fxe4 16.fxe4 f4+ 17.xf4 xf4 18.f3 df8 19.f1 h4 20.f2 f6 21.f1 fh6 22.g1 b4 23.c4 a5 24.h1 e1 25.g2 h3 26.d2 d6 27.f1 xf3 28.g3 f2 0-1 Vrana,F-Kos,T Charleville FRA 2000. ] 6...d7 [ 6...exd4 a la a Steinitz Spanish/Ruy Lopez is probably better. ] 7.d5 cb8 [ 7...xf3 8.xf3 e7 9.0-0-0 a6 10.xd7+ I don't see the point of giving back the bishop pair. ( 10.f1!? and then h4!? perhaps? ) 10...xd7 11.h4 ( 11.b1 b5 12.c1 b4 13.e2 c5 14.dxc6 xc6 15.g3 a5 16.hd1 b8 17.d3 a4 18.c4 c8 19.d1 e7 20.c5 a6 21.cxd6 xd6 22.c5 d8 23.xd6 g6 24.c2 xd6 25.cd2 e7 26.f1 d7 27.e3 c8 28.d5+ f8 29.f6 dc7 30.xd6 c1+ 31.xc1 xc1+ 32.xc1 f1+ 33.d1 xf2 34.g4 b3 35.axb3 axb3 36.c6 g7 37.h3 e3+ 38.b1 a7 39.g5 a2+ 40.c1 a1+ 41.d2 xb2+ 42.e1 g2 43.e8+ h8 44.d6 g7 45.e8+ h8 46.d6 xh3 47.c7 g8 48.xf7 e3+ 49.f1 xg5 50.f2 h5 51.e1 h3 52.d2 h5 53.c1 e3+ 54.fd2 c3+ 55.b1 h4 56.b5 f3 57.d6 h3 58.b2 h2 59.c4 h1 60.d8+ g7 0-1 Hendriks, W-Mestrovic,Z Wijk aan Zee 1999.) 11...h5 12.g3 g8 13.e2 g6 14.f4 g7 15.d2 0-0-0 16.hf1 exf4 17.xf4 h6 18.f3 g4 19.f4 de8 20.d2 hf8 21.e1 e7 22.g5 ee8 23.ff1 b8 24.a3 e5 25.f4 e7 26.e2 fe8 27.fe1 f5 28.exf5 xc3 29.bxc3 xe2 30.xe2 gxf5 31.e1 xe2 32.xe2 a4 33.e7 1/2-1/2 Medunova,V-Zielinska,M W arsaw 67
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1999. ] 8.h3 xf3!? A change from the man who plays this the most. But it doesn't seem to improve his chances much - this piece will be sorely missed later. [ 8...h5 9.g4 g6 10.h4 h6 ( 10...h5 11.g5 a6 12.f1 b5 13.d2 e7 14.g1 c8 15.a4 b4 16.a2 b7 17.c3 a5 18.cxb4 axb4 19.b5 0-0 20.xb4 c5 21.f3 h7 22.b3 f5 23.e2 g8 24.0-0-0 f4 25.xc5 dxc5 26.c6 d6 27.c4 d7 28.g2 f7 29.h3 e8 30.g2 a8 31.a2 b8 32.6xe5 xe5 33.xe5 f5 34.exf5 xe5 35.f6 d7 36.xd7 a5 37.c2 b4 38.e6 c3 39.xf7+ 1-0 Piket,J-Mestrovic,Z Sremic K r s k o 1 9 9 8 .) 11.h5 h7 12.g5 a6 ( 12...hxg5 13.xg5 a6 14.g4 g8 15.e6 fxe6 16.dxe6 xe6 17.xe6+ e7 18.g6+ f7 19.xf7+ xf7 20.c4+ e8 21.d5 d8 22.g5+ c8 23.0-0-0 c5 24.f3 b5 25.f1 c6 26.h3+ b7 27.c3 d8 28.c2 de6 29.xe6 xe6 30.dg1 h7 31.d2 c6 32.e3 f4 33.f5 e8 34.xf4 exf4 35.h4 d5 36.xf4 dxe4 37.fxe4 xh5 38.xg7+ xg7 39.d6+ b6 40.xe8 h2+ 41.b1 h6 42.f1 e2 43.d6 a5 44.f5 g5 45.g1 e3 46.g6 c5 47.e6 c7 48.e5 e4 49.c2 d7 50.d3 e1 51.d4 d1+ 52.e4 e1+ 53.f5 f1+ 54.e4 e1+ 55.f5 f1+ 56.g6 e1 57.f6 f1+ 58.g6 e1 59.a3 b4 60.axb4 axb4 61.f7 e4 62.b3 b6 63.cxb4 xb4 64.f6 e4 65.e6+ c7 66.f3 e3 67.d2 xd2 68.e7 c5 69.e8 xe8 70.xe8 c6 71.d3 b4 72.d8 c4 73.f7 c5 74.e6 c3 75.b3 a5 76.a8 c7 77.a4 b5 78.c4 d8 79.d5 g5 80.e4 c2 81.xc2 b4 82.b2 c3 83.b1 e7 84.d5 a3 85.c6 c2 86.b4 1/2-1/2 Jonkman,H-Mestrovic,Z Wijk aan Zee 1999.) 13.f1 b5 14.a3 c5 15.g6 fxg6 16.hxg6 xg6 17.xc5 dxc5 18.xe5 g5 19.xg6 xg6 20.h3 e7 21.f5 g5 22.h5+ xh5 23.xh5 d7 24.g6+ d8 25.e5 g5 26.e4 f4 27.f5 xe5 28.0-0-0 f8 29.xc5 xf5 30.e6+ e7 31.xf5 f6 32.h3 b6 33.f4 d6 34.f5 g8 35.c3 h5 36.c2
c4 37.g1 e3+ 38.d3 xd5 39.g6+ e5 40.g2 e7 41.xg7 xg7 42.xg7 h4 43.h3 d5 44.e6 b6 45.g5 e7 46.e6 d6 47.b3 d7 48.c4 e5+ 49.c3 bxc4 50.bxc4 c5 51.f4 f3 52.d3 g5 53.g6 a5 54.a4 g1 55.g2 h3 56.d5 h2 57.g2 h3 58.e2 f6 59.f3 g1+ 60.g3 e2+ 61.xh2 c3 62.g3 xa4 63.e4 c3 64.c2 a4 65.f3 a3 66.b3 a2 67.xa2 xa2 68.f8 b4 69.e4 c6 70.e6 e5 71.f4 xc4 72.xc5 xc5 73.e4 e5 74.e3 d5 75.f4 d4 76.g3 e3 77.g2 d3 78.g3 f2 79.g2 e4 80.f1 d2 81.g2 e2 82.g1 f3 83.f1 h4 84.f6 f2 0-1 Medvegy,NMestrovic,Z Budapest 1999. ] 9.gxf3 e7 10.d2 0-0 11.0-0-0 f5 12.exf5 xf5 13.dg1 a6 [ 13...xf3 invites a vicious attack: 14.e2 ( 14.h6 f7 ) 14...f8 15.h6 f6 16.e4 f7 17.h5 e7 18.h2 h8 19.hg2! gxh6 ( 19...g6 20.xg6 hxg6 21.xg6+- ) 20.xh6+- ] 14.g3 f7 15.h4 f6 16.h5 h8 17.a3 c5 18.b1 a6 19.f1 b5 20.b4 cd7 21.d3 f8 22.g6 e7 23.e4 xe4 24.fxe4 h6 25.f5 f6 26.g6 f7 27.hg1 a5 28.e6 e7 29.d3 axb4 30.axb4 c5 31.xf7 c4 32.e2 xe4 33.f3 f6 34.xf6 xf6 35.xf6 gxf6 36.g8+ h7 37.e6 f5 38.f3 d8 39.b6 1-0
86 Moreda,Lucas Polak,Tomas 9th Valley Saint Vincent ITA (6) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2309 2505 08.02.2001
1.e4 b6 2.c3 b7 3.d4 e6 4.a3 d5 5.exd5 exd5 6.f3!?N An interesting idea, but white f in ds tha t th e p rice o f c rea tin g concessions is that his position becomes rather artificial [ 6.f3 f6 7.d3 e7 8.0-0 e4 9.e2 0-0 10.c3 d7 11.e1 e8= Walta,P-Blanco,M Moscow 1994. (1/2-1/2, 88) ] 6...e7 68
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 6...f6 7.g5 e7 ( 7...bd7 avoids white's tricky concept.) 8.b5+ c6 9.xf6 xf6 10.xd5 ] 7.g3 f8 8.b5 [ 8.f4!? ] 8...a6! 9.xc7 a7 10.f4 c6 11.0-0-0 [ 11.f3 f6 ] 11...g5 12.e5 xe5 13.xe5 f6 14.g3 c8 Black crowns his original opening play by winning material. 15.xa6 xa6 16.xa6 xa6 17.d3 a7 18.e2 h5 19.he1 e7 20.b5 h6 21.b4 h4 22.b1 g7 23.f4 g4 24.c1 xe1 25.xe1 e7 26.d2 f5 27.c3 d7 28.d3 d6 29.e5 f5+ 30.a2 e4 31.e3 xe5 32.dxe5 c6 33.d4 c5 34.e6+ f6 35.e7 xd4 36.cxd4 c8 37.c1 e8 38.c6 xe7 39.xb6 d2 40.a4 e2 41.a5 c4 42.b5 xa5 43.xa5 xg2 44.xd5 f6 45.h5 xh2 46.d5 g3 47.d6 f7 48.h7+ e8 0-1
[ Now that Black has safely castled the move 16...xb4! is a more serious proposition e.g. 17.c5 bxc5 18.dxc5 f4! as after ( not 18...xc5? 19.dc1 d6 20.xf6 xf6 21.xb4 ) 19.xf6 gxf6 20.d7 xd7 21.xd7 c4 Black seems to be OK. ] 17.a3 b8 18.e1 fe8 19.bd1 c6 Preparing ...b5 in order not to stay too passive. 20.c2 b5 The idea is to fix White's pawns on dark squares (rendering W hite's bishop impotent) and gaining control of d5. 21.c5 c7 Preparing ...Rd5 which would give him a satisfactory position. Instead after [ 21...d5 22.e5 d7 Black will have problems to capture on e5 without exposing his queen. ] 22.d5! One way of avoiding the blockade! White's better harmonized pieces now come to the fore despite the loss of a pawn. xd5 [ 22...exd5 23.xf6 gxf6 24.xf5 leaves Black under pressure with broken kingside pawns and White's intended Nd4 will further strengthen the bind. ] [ The immediate 22...cxd5 23.xf6 gxf6 87 B00 24.d4 c8 gets into hot water as 25.c6 threatens a decisive fork. ] Morozevich,Alexander 2717 Chernyshov,Konstantin 2531 23.xd5 cxd5 24.xf6 gxf6 25.d4 c8 TCh Sochi RUS (7) 25.04.2005 26.c6 The extra pawn is a minor detail, Black's position is a shambles. Just look at the knight! [Glenn Flear] e5? [ 26...c7 27.c5 f7 would be a better 1.e4 e6 2.d4 b6 3.f3 b7 4.d3 f6 chance. ] 5.e5 e4 6.0-0 f5 [ Another idea is to wait one tempo with 27.c7 f4 [ Saving the piece with 27...d7 is hopeless 6...e7 before deciding between ...f5 or ...d5 after 28.xf5 e6 29.d1 ] e.g. 7.c4 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.e1 d7 10.c3 xc3 11.bxc3 f8 12.d2 e6 28.cxb8 xb8 29.c6 d8 30.e6 c8 13.f1 g6 14.f4 h5 15.f5! gxf5 16.g3 31.c7 d8 32.c1 f7 33.f3 d4 34.xa6 with an edge to White in Wells,P-Blatny,P d3 35.xb5 d2 36.c4+ g6 37.d1 d7 38.e4+ h6 Puvermuehle 2000 ] [ For the record, 38...f5 regains the piece but 7.xe4 xe4 8.c4 c6 9.g5 after 39.xe5 xc7 40.xd2 the result [ 9.c3 is well met by xf3 when White remains the same. ] wo u ld h a ve t o m ake t he co nce ssio n o f 39.f5 xc7 40.xf6+ h5 41.g4+ capturing with the pawn. ] 9...xb1 10.xb1 e7 11.f3 d5 12.exd6 Black is in a mating net. 1-0 xd6 13.b4 d8 [ It would be foolhardy to play 13...xb4? 14.a4+ f8 ( 14...c6 15.xb4 ) 15.c5 bxc5 16.dxc5 xc5 17.a3 b8 18.fc1 b5 19.xb5 xb5 20.xc7 and Black is in serious trouble. ] 14.b2 f6 15.a4 0-0 16.fd1 a6!? 69
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 88 Mrdja,Milan Lovric,Branko It Montecatini Terme ITA (6) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2435 2357 17.02.2001
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.a3 f6 5.e5 [ 5.d3 c5 6.dxc5 bxc5 7.f3 c4 8.xc4 xe4 9.xe4 xe4 10.0-0 e7 11.e1 b7 12.e5 0-0 13.h5 c6 14.f4 xe5 15.xe5 d6 16.xg7 xg7 17.e3 g8 18.g3+ h8 19.xf7 xg3 20.hxg3 e8 21.xe6 c6 22.f1 f8 23.d1 xc2 24.d4 g6 25.b3 e4 26.c4 c8 27.e3 e8 28.b3 f6 29.d1 g6 30.b4 e5 31.f1 c2 32.g4 g7 33.c1 c3 34.e2 xe2 35.xg7 e1+ 0-1 Szabolcsi,J-Henley,R Budapest 1981. ] [ 5.g5!? appeals to the develop and threaten school. Black had to take great care in A) 5...h6!? 6.xf6 xf6 7.f3 c6 ( 7...a6!? ) 8.e5 f5 ( 8...d8 ) 9.d3 f4 10.d5?? ( 10.g3+- xd4 11.gxf4 xf3 12.e2 ) 10...d4 11.xd4 xd4 12.e2 exd5 13.0-0-0? xa3-+ (0-1, 37) Drapal,V-Leko,G Hrabyne 1996.; B) 5...e7 6.d3 c5 7.dxc5 bxc5 8.f3 c4 9.xc4 xe4 10.xe4 xe4 11.xe7 xe7 12.0-0 c6 13.e1 g6 14.d2 e8 15.d5 c8 16.ad1 a5 17.b4+ d6 18.f4 f8 19.xe6 xe6 20.xe6 xc2 21.g5 e7 22.d5 f6 23.e3 e7 24.f4 f6 25.g3 e5 26.f4 e2 27.e1 d2 28.h4 h6 29.e6+ fxe6 30.d8+ e8 31.xd6+ g8 32.xe6+ h7 33.e4+ 1-0 Conquest,SJadoul,M FRA 1991. ] 5...e4 [ 5...d5 6.xd5 xd5 7.g4 A) 7...f5 8.g3 b7 9.e2 e7 10.h3 c6 11.e3 f7 12.g5 g8 13.d5? (1/2-1/2, 63) Starck, I-Wolf,S Stralsund 1988. ( 13.h5+! ); B) 7...d6 8.g5 d7 9.e2 b7 10.f3 c6 11.0-0-0 h6 12.h4 g5 13.d5 exd5 14.xd7+ xd7 15.g3 e8 16.xd5 g7 17.e1 xe5 18.xe5 xd5 19.xg7 hg8 20.c3 g4 21.h4 c6 22.d2 h5 23.g3 e6 24.d3 d5
25.g2 f5 26.f4 f7 27.xf5+ d6 28.xe8 xe8 29.b3 c5 30.d3 d4 31.d2 b5 32.g6 xg6+ 33.xg6 e6 34.b4 f5 35.h4+ e5 36.bxc5 d5 37.f4 xc5 38.f5 d8 39.b4+ b6 40.xd4 a5 41.e7 e8 42.d6 d8 43.e5 d5 44.e4 c5 45.f5 c3 46.f6 1-0 Ciganikova,A-Dubinskaya,M Tallinn 1997. ] 6.xe4 If this really is a new move, then all I can say is that this line must be extremely untested. [ 6.f3 doesn't look that impressive. xc3 7.bxc3 e7 8.d3 0-0 9.0-0 d6 10.e1 d7 11.exd6 cxd6 12.a4 f6 13.e4 xe4 14.xe4 e8 15.h4 c7 16.d2 e5 17.g4 e4 18.g5 d5 19.g3 f8 20.h5 e3 21.xe3 xg5 22.xe8 xe8 23.xg5 xc3 24.e3 h6 25.b1 c4 26.c3 h7 27.f3 e4 28.c1 e6 29.f4 f6 30.g3 e6 31.e5 f6 32.f4 xa4 33.xh6 e7 34.e3 f8 35.f3 d7 36.h6 b5 37.a1 h7 38.hxg7 xg7 39.a6 h8 40.h5 g8 41.h6 e7 42.g3 h8 43.g2 g8 44.g6+ h8 45.h2 c7 46.h5 d7 47.f8 e6 48.h3 f5 49.a2 g8 50.c5 a6 51.g2 f7 52.h4 g7 53.f3 e8 54.f2 h6 55.e7+ xe7 56.xe7 e6 57.b4 f6 58.a2 h5 59.a5 g6 60.c7 xg3 61.f2 f4 62.xf4 f5 63.e5+ f7 64.a1 e7 65.e2 d7 66.d3 h4 67.e3 c6 68.h1 f5+ 69.d3 h6 70.g1 e7 71.c2 a5 72.f4 h2+ 73.b1 f2 74.g7 e6 75.h7 g2 76.h6+ g6 77.h8 c6 78.f8 e7 79.c8 b4 80.cxb4 xb4 81.f5 g1+ 82.b2 f1 83.f6+ 1/2-1/2 Cetkovic, M-Filipovic,B Becici 1994. ] 6...xe4 7.e2 b7 8.f4 d6 9.exd6 xd6!? This indicates nervousness about castling kingside. [ 9...xd6 10.g4 0-0 11.d3!? may have made black feel uncomfortable, though white has nothing clear here - at any rate there is nothing wrong with the more original course chosen in the game. ( 11.h5 g6 doesn't accomplish anything, and white must beware of being kicked back in disarray by ...f5. )] 10.e3 c6 70
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 10...d7!? ] 11.g4 0-0-0 12.0-0-0 h5 13.h3 [ 13.xh5? d5 14.f4 a2 is nothing to a l l o w f o r a p a wn t h a t a l s o a c t i va t e s a piece. ] 13...g5 14.e2 d5 15.b1 g4 16.h4 e7 17.g3 d6 18.h4 e7 This "feels" justified, but in fact repeating moves was better. W hite is now forced into the weaknesses in black's camp. 19.c3 a5 20.b5 f5 21.f6 xe3 22.fxe3 hf8 23.h3! g3 [ 23...g3 24.h4 rounds up a kingside pawn. ] 24.hxg4 a6 [ 24...hxg4 25.h7 threatens f7 as well as going behind the g-pawn - nevertheless this looks preferable to the game. ] 25.c3 h4? 26.e2 e5 27.e7 g7 This seems an abrupt end to the game, so I suspect the game score is incomplete, but black has insufficient compensation for the pawn(s). 1-0
89 Nevednichy,Vladislav Blatny,Pavel zt 1.4 Budapest HUN (2) [Carsten Hansen]
B00 2589 2512 18.06.2000
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 f6 4.e2 c6 From my records, the earliest game with this move stems from 1975. But it has mainly been the German correspondance player Caprano who has made use of it. It aims to challenge White in the centre immediately, rather than build-up on the queenside as is customary in Owen's Defense. 5.c3 e5 6.f3 [ It makes less sense to close the centre. After 6.d5 e7 7.c4 g6 8.g3 b4+ (since W hite has weakened his dark squa res dram a tically by pla cing all h is central pawns on light squares, it makes s e n s e f o r B la ck t o e xch a n ge t h e d a rk squared bishop to take advantage of this. However, also 8...h5, intending ...h4 to provoke further weaknesses or 8...c6 can also be considered) 9.d2 xd2+ 10.xd2 e7 11.c3 c5?! I'm not a great fan of this
move that locks the centre. Both 11...c6 and 11...0-0 are in my opinion better moves 12.h4 h5 13.ge2 d6 14.f3 f8 15.d1 8d7 16.ec3 g6 17.f1 h7 18.h3 df6 19.a3 c8 20.xc8 xc8 21.0-0 0-0 22.f2 , and White holds the better prospects because he controls the possible breaks on both queenside and kingside, Mortensen-Jakobsen, Denmark ch 1989. ] 6...exd4 This is the critical line. [ Also 6...d6 has been tried out. Now 7 d5 makes more sense than in the above example, because Black's dark-squared is now caged in by his own pawns. However, even better is 7.0-0 e7 8.dxe5 xe5 9.xe5 dxe5 10.d2 0-0 11.c4 d7 12.d1 g5 13.e3 xe3 14.xe3 e7 15.f3 c5 16.c4 e6 , and Black has just about equalised, Berg-E.Pedersen, Denmark chT 1998. ] 7.0-0?! Although White receives some compensation for the pawn, I don't trust this approach by White. [ 7.e5!? is probably more like it. In the present example, Black's position soon looks like Swiss cheese. d5 8.e4 d3 ( 8...de7 9.cxd4 d5 10.d3 ) 9.xd3 de7 10.f4 h6?! this isn't a good idea, and I don't understand how Black could convince himself that this was playable. Much better was 10...Ng6 followed by ...Be7, with about equal chances. 11.0-0 g5?! 12.g3 g7 13.bd2 0-0 14.h4 f5 15.exf6 xf6 16.hxg5 hxg5 17.h7+ g7 18.e4 , and it is pretty obvious that things haven't exactly gone according to Black's plan, Stefansson-Balinas, New York 1989. ] 7...dxc3 8.xc3 d6 [ 8...c5 is probably Black's best move, although 8... Be7 9 e5 Ng8 followed by ...h5 also can be tried out. ] 9.b5 a6 Now White & Black together take the game to more complicated hunting grounds. The main problem for Black is that the solid-looking 9...Nd7 can be met with 10 Ng5, and if Black answers 10...Be7, then 11 Nxf7 Kxf7 12 Bxc6 Bxc6 13 Qc4+, and White e n d s u p w i t h a n e x t r a p a w n . 10.xc6+ In my opinion a suprising decision. [ A more natural way for White to follow up is the more direct approach 10.e5!? axb5 71
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 11.exf6+ d7 12.fxg7 xg7 13.e4 with a better game for White. ] 10...xc6 11.e5 xf3 12.xf3 dxe5 13.g5 e7 14.fd1 c8 15.xf6 xf6 16.c6+ Obviously, White has plenty of compensation for his two pawns. None of the Black pieces work together, perhaps with the exception of the bishop on f6 and the pawn on g7! That Black manages to escape this is an astonishing accomplishment. f8 17.d7 e8 18.ad1 18 Nd5!? is probably even stronger. c8 [ 18...d8 19.xc7 xd7 20.xd7 is obviously not very interesting for Black. ] 19.d5 e6 20.xe6 fxe6 21.xc7 h5 22.xe6+ White picks the wrong pawn to win back. W ith Black as tied up as he is, White can always return to pick up the e6-pawn. Instead White should have opted for 22 Nxa6 after which 22...Rc2 can be answered with 23 Rb7, threatening the b-pawn as well as Rb8+. g8 23.c7 h7 24.g3 [ 24.xa6 c2 is far from ideal for White, since 25.b1 hc8 leaves Black with sufficient compensation for the pawn due to his active pieces. Notice the consequences of White wasting time with Nxe6. ] 24...h4 [ 24...a5!? is possibly better, although White still holds an edge after 25 R1d6. ] 25.1d6 hd8 26.xd8 xd8 27.d5 Having seen most of his advantage vanish, White adopts a safety-first policy and throws even more of it away. Correct is [ 27.xa6 h3 28.f1 c1+ 29.e2 with a clearly bad ending for Black. ] 27...h3 28.f1 g5?! [ 28...b5!? ] 29.c3 c1 30.xb6 xb2 31.e4 c1 32.xa6 c4 33.f3? And here White lets go of his remaining advantage. Correct is 33 Nd6 followed by Nf5 and Rg7. c2? Black returns the favour. Given the complications earlier on, the players may be in time trouble at this time. Correct is 33...Bh6! followed by ...Rc2. 34.f4! g6 35.g5+?? White throws the win away. [ Here 35.fxe5 is simplest. The e-pawn decides. ] 35...h6 36.xh3 exf4 37.xf4 xf4 38.gxf4 h5 Black steers safely towards a theoretically drawn position. 39.a4 xh2
40.a5+ g4 41.g1 a2 ½-½
90 Ni Hua Gonzales,Jayson 7th Open Dubai UAE (5) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2638 2474 08.04.2005
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.b5 a6 6.xc6+ bxc6 7.h3 h5 Although this variation has been played a few times over the years this is the first time at such a high level. 8.g5 [ Another way of introducing this pin is after a couple of preliminary moves: 8.e2 e6 9.g4 g6 10.g5 e7 but it's not clear who has benefited from this early pawn advance. ] 8...b8!? With a threat that White doesn't take seriously... 9.0-0!? Ni Hua decides that if Black spends time capturing on b2 then the open b-file will favour the better developed player i.e . W hite. B lack now h as severa l opportunities to venture the risky b-pawn grab but clearly decides that getting developed is more important [ Instead Geller,E-Makropoulos,G Athens 1988 continued with 9.d3 e6 10.0-0 d7 11.ae1 f6?! ( 11...h6! 12.c1 g5 ) 12.c1 b7 13.e5 g6 14.e2 f7 when White's position was the easier to play. ] 9...d7 10.d3 e6 11.fe1 h6 12.h4 g5! A more dynamic way to catch up in development and keep W hite on his toes. W ith Black's light-squared bishop on the kingside there is little risk of ...g5 leading to excessive self-weakening. 13.g3 g7 14.d2 b6 15.b3 c5! Gaining influence o n t h e d a r k s q u a r e s . 16.d5 e5!? Black takes the opportunity to obtain the bishop pair, but there's no hurry to occupy this square and maybe [ 16...0-0 17.ab1 g6 just waiting and seeing could have been envisaged. ] 17.xe5 xe5 18.ab1 0-0 19.d2 Two knights against two bishops is often difficult to judge when the pawn structure has yet to be decided. White at least can count on access to the c4-square as Black's light72
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 squared bishop is out of touch on h5. g7 20.c4 b7 21.a5 c8 22.b4! Creating some action where he is strongest before Black can get any counterplay up and running. cxb4 23.xb4 e8 24.eb1?! [ More precise is 24.c6 d7 25.c4 but in any case it will be hard for White to maintain his central bind for long when the bishops start to flex their muscles. ] 24...g6 25.c6 d7 White has won the battle for the b-file but meantime Black hasn't panicked. He has reorganized his pieces to exert latent pressure against the centre . 26.b8 c8 27.f3 exd5 28.xd5 [ 28.xd5 c6! 29.e3 d5 is no improvement. ] 28...c6! 29.c4 [ 29.xc6 falls short after xc3 30.c4 f6 31.e7+ xe7 32.xc8 axc8 as Black has too much wood for the queen. ] 29...d5! The centre blasts open and Black's bishops start to come into their own. 30.exd5 xc2 [ The alternative is an endgame edge with 30...cxd5 31.xc8 xc8 32.xd5 f8! ] 31.d6?! [ A better practical chance is 31.xc6 xb1 32.xb1 with a pawn plus a strong knight outpost on c6 for the exchange. Instead the text is trappy but not very convincing, but it's easy for me to write that as I'm not in time trouble! ] 31...xb1 32.d7 xb8! White doesn't have e n o u g h f o r t h e q u e e n . 33.xb8 exb8 34.xc6 xc3 35.xc3 xa2 36.f6 e6 37.h4! With the d-pawn about to go White tries one last desperate shot... gxh4 38.xh6 a5? I suppose the a-pawn was the nearest thing to his clock! That's the only explanation I have for such a move. W ith a minute or so more in hand I'm sure Gonzales would have found [ 38...b5! when the d-pawn soon falls and there aren't any useful checks. W hite could already resign. ] [ 38...xd7 would also give winning chances but after 39.g5+ f8 40.h6+ e8 41.h8+ e7 42.xh4+ Black will have to give up his f-pawn to hide his king which would give White some practical chances. ] 39.g5+ f8 40.c5+ Black can't escape
from perpetual check. ½-½
91 Novak,Danijel Mestrovic,Zvonimir TCh Medulin CRO (7) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2359 2387 15.09.2002
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d6 3.f3 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e5 6.b5 d7 7.d5 cb8 8.h3 h5 9.g4 g6 10.h4 h5 11.g5 e7 [ 11...a6 12.f1 b5 13.d2 e7 14.g1 c8 15.a4 and White had the advantage in Piket,J-Mestrovic,Z Sremic Krsko 1998. ] 12.g1 [ 12.d2 Cebalo,M-Mestrovic,Z/Pula CRO 2002 was a very interesting idea, intending to mount pressure on h5. This is annotated in the database, and I believe Black had some interesting methods to achieve counterplay. ] 12...c6 13.e2 A new move in the continuing adventures of Mestrovic. It is very logical for W hite to keep the pawn on d5 and the continuation [ 13.dxc6?! was unimpressive: bxc6 14.e2 c7 15.d2 c5 16.xc5 dxc5 17.c4 d7 18.d3 b6 19.g3 xc4 20.xc4 d8 Soylu,S-Mestrovic, Z/Nova Gorica SLO 2001. ] 13...b6 14.a4 cxd5 This game is worth comparing with the Cebalo - Mestrovic encounter. I would again be tempted to keep the tension between c6 and d5. [ 14...a5 to stabilize the queenside and develop with ...Na6-b4, bringing pressure to bear on c2 and d5, and to use the rook on the c-file, is a more harmonious plan. ] 15.exd5 c8!? Black has some tricky ideas in mind - he argues that his active piece play means he does not need to take the kind of stabilizing precautions mentioned in earlier notes. 16.d2 a6 17.xb6!? I would not feel terribly comfortable with surrendering this bishop, even if it does have some obvious st r u ct u r a l a t t ra ct i o n s. B u t W h it e ' s m o r e tempting alternative is not so convincing, and the capture on b6 does give Black long range problems to solve. 73
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 17.a5 is the critical move. A) 17...d7 gives White a number of easy wa y s t o m a i n t a i n a p l e a s a n t s p a t i a l advantage, as well as eventual access to the weakness on h5 18.a4!? ( 18.de4; 18.ce4 ); B) 17...b4!? probably justifies Black's setup: 18.b5+ ( 18.axb6 xc2+ 19.f1 h3+= ) 18...d7 now this is less of a concession W hite has wasted time with the bishop, and the pressure on h5 is relaxed, and there is no completely satisfactory way to guard c2 and keep all of his pieces active. Rc1 is passive and leaves a5 unattended, and Ba4 is even clumsier. ( 18...f8 19.axb6 xc2+ 20.e2 xa1 21.xa1 axb6 22.f1 is messy but must favour White.) 19.a4 0-0 ] 17...axb6 18.c4 b4 [ 18...c5 was a temperate option. 19.a3!? b4 20.e3 d4 also creates some pressure on h4, without losing control. ] 19.xb6 [ 19.e3 h3 would again justify Black's plan. ] 19...h3? Incomprehensible - the chaos caused by this is highly temporary. Probably Black missed White's next move. [ 19...xc2+ 20.xc2 ( 20.d2? f5 ) 20...xc2 21.xc8 xc8 22.d2 f5 was more sensible, though the passive Be7 gives White some chances for advantage. If the bishop manages to emerge, however, it will be a monster. ] 20.b5+! The cleanest way to win material as the king is much better placed on e2. f8 21.xa8 xc2+ 22.e2 xh4 23.d3 xa1 [ 23...xd3+ 24.xd3 xa1 25.xa1 g4+!? looks like a much better try - Black will at least own the kingside. ] 24.xg6! fxg6 25.xa1 g8 Black's king will be safe on h7 but his potential for counterplay can never be anywhere near compensation. Compared to the previous note, n o w win n i n g k i n g si d e p a wn s wi ll m o s t l y expose his own king. Still, there are some practical chances until White can return the Na8 into play. 26.b6 h7 27.b1 [ 27.a5!? deserved attention, to stabilize the
knight. ] 27...d4 28.d7 f4 [ 28...d8 29.e4 ] 29.e4+- White now regains coordination and the result is never in doubt. f7 30.b6 f8 31.f3 e8 32.d3 f4 33.e4 f8 34.c4 f5 35.cxd6 h3 36.f1 xd6 37.xd6 d4 38.b5 g2+ 39.f2 xg5 40.e4 c1 41.b3 g5 42.f1 f4 43.e3 h2+ 44.f2 b4 45.d2 h4 46.h1 c4+ 47.d3+ e4 48.xe4 xb2+ 49.d2+ xd3+ 50.xd3 g6 51.d6 b6 52.c4 b3+ 53.d4 f6 54.e1 1-0
92 Odeev,Handszar Merrit,Mario 34th Olympiad (4) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2442 2159 31.10.2000
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.b5 [ 4.g4 e4 5.f3 g6 6.h4 h5 A) 7.d3 xd3 8.xd3 e6 ( 8...hxg4 9.fxg4 d7 10.g5 g4 11.e3 xh4 12.xh4 xh4+ 13.f2 xg5 14.d2 h6 15.0-0-0 g4 16.g3 e6 17.g2 f5 18.df3 b4 19.d2 xa2+ 20.b1 b4 21.e2 a5 22.h4 h5 23.h3 xf2 24.xf2 e7 25.f4 xh4 26.xh4 xh4 27.h2 g5 0-1 Mateu,X-Narciso Dublan,M St Cugat 1993. ) 9.g5 d7 10.a3 ge7 11.e3 f5 12.f2 ce7 13.d2 g6 14.e2 c5 15.f4 cxd4 16.b3 c8 17.bxd4 xd4 18.xd4 c5 19.g3 b5 20.xc5 xc5 21.b4 c4 22.c3 e4 23.a2 xf4 24.h2 0-0 25.a4 c4 26.d2 c8 27.g6 fxg6 28.d1 b3+ 29.e1 xc3 30.g5 c1+ 0-1 Agostino, J-Ippoliti,H Buenos Aires 1992.; B) 7.g5 e6 8.e2 b4 9.a3 c5 10.f4 e7 11.c3 bc6 12.xg6 xg6 13.c2 cxd4 14.cxd4 b6 15.d3 c8 16.a3 a6 17.f4 ge7 18.h3 g6 19.b4 a7 20.d2 c4 21.e2 ec6 22.xe6 xc2 23.xd5 xd4+ 24.d1 g7 25.e3 b5 26.xb5+ axb5 27.a4 c3+ 0-1 Krynicki,H-Markunas,G Polanczyk POL 2000. ] 74
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 4...d7 [ 4...e6 is perhaps the most solid option. 5.f3 ge7 6.0-0 a6 7.a4 b5 8.b3 a5 9.d2 c5 10.dxc5 ec6 11.c3 xc5 12.e2 c4 13.xc4 dxc4 14.g3 g4 15.e4 d5 16.xc5 xc5 17.h3 xf3 18.xf3 d8 19.e3 d5 20.xd5 xd5 21.fd1 e7 22.xd5 exd5 23.c5+ e6 24.f4 d4 25.d1 d8 26.f2 d5 27.d6 f6 28.f8 fxe5 29.fxe5 g6 30.d6 xe5 31.xe5 xe5 32.e1+ d6 33.e8 f5+ 34.g3 d5 35.d8+ e4 36.e8+ e5 37.d8 e3 38.f8 d3 39.cxd3 cxd3 0-1 Tietzen,S-Babula,M Passau 1999. ] 5.c3 e6 6.f3 f6 [ 6...a6 7.d3 ge7 8.0-0 g4 9.bd2 g6 10.h3 h5 11.b3 h4 12.e2 xf3+ 13.xf3 g6 14.e1 1/2-1/2 Robson,P-Thurlow,K ENG 1997. ] 7.0-0 ge7 8.e1 0-0-0 Castling long is risky, castling long early is very risky. It will prove difficult to break the pin on the Nc6 without paying a high price. 9.b4 g4 10.bd2 g6 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 h6 13.a4 f7 14.xc6 bxc6 15.a4 b7 16.b5 c5 17.a3 c4 18.a6+ b8 19.c5 xc5 20.dxc5 Black's king is now seriously out numbered, and the rest is rather sad. d7 21.d4 e7 22.c6+ xc6 23.bxc6 c8 24.ab1+ a8 25.b7 b8 26.eb1 1-0
93 Orso,Miklos Bordas,Gyula FSIMB October (6) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2346 2186 12.10.2000
1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 xe5 4.f4 c6 5.c4 f6!? [ 5...b4+ is the main line: A) 6.d2 e7 ( 6...h4+ 7.g3 e7 8.e2 xd2+ 9.xd2 d6 10.0-0-0 f6 11.gf3 0-0 12.h3 d5 13.exd5 xe2 14.xe2 xd5 15.c4 b6 16.g4 xc4 17.xc4 e6 18.b5 fd8 19.xc6 bxc6 20.d4 d5 21.he1 e8 22.b3 f8 23.b2 ad8 24.c3 g6 25.a4 h6 26.f5 g5 27.xe8+ xe8 28.d3 e1
29.b4 h5 30.gxh5 g7 31.c5 e4 32.c3 h6 33.xc6 xf5 34.xa7 e4 35.b5 f5 36.xc7 xh5 37.e6 f4 38.d4 f1 39.b4 f3 40.e3 f2 41.e2 a8 42.f5 g6 43.d6 d1 44.xf2 d5+ 45.b6 xd6+ 46.a7 e4 47.b5 d7+ 48.b6 1/2-1/2 Milov,VMiles,A Isle of Man 1995.) 7.c3 f6 8.e2 xc3 9.xc3 xe4 10.xg7 g8 11.d5 xg7 12.xe4 d4 13.d3 xc2+ 14.xc2 d5 15.e2 xe4 16.xe4+ dxe4 17.0-0 d7 18.c3 f5 19.d5 0-0-0 20.e3 e6 21.f2 d3 22.e1 f7 23.a3 c5 24.c2 c7 25.f2 b5 26.h3 h5 27.g3 c4 28.h4 g7 29.ee2 b7 30.cd2 a5 31.xh5 b4 32.axb4 axb4 33.g4 c3 34.bxc3 bxc3 35.c2 fxg4 36.f5 b3 37.f6 c7 38.c1 gxh3 39.b1 a6 40.xb3 c2 41.xc2 0-1 Lazarev,E-Lutikov,A USSR teams 1968.; B) 6.c3 a5 B1) 7.f3 b6 ( 7...e7 8.e2 b6 9.bd2 d6 10.d3 f6 11.c4 0-0 12.xb6 axb6 13.0-0 e8 14.e1 h6 15.d2 d7 16.f2 c5 17.c2 f8 18.d4 d7 19.e3 h8 20.b4 xd4 21.cxd4 e6 22.c3 c5 23.d5 d4 24.xd4 cxd4 25.ee1 ec8 26.d3 e8 27.xd4 b5 28.e5 dxe5 29.xe5 d7 30.f5 d6 31.xc8 xc8 32.a4 d7 33.e3 c2 34.g3 f6 35.e1 f5 36.h3 a2 37.e3 1-0 Knaak,R-Przewoznik, J/Dortmund 1992/TD (37)) 8.e2 d6 9.e3 xe3 10.xe3 f6 11.bd2 e7 12.0-0 0-0 13.ae1 d7 14.h3 ae8 15.f2 h8 16.e5 g8 17.exd6 xd6 18.g5 xe1 19.xe1 d8 20.de4 c6 21.c5 e8 22.d1 h6 23.d4 e7 24.c5 f5 25.f2 h6 26.d5 g6 27.ge4 b6 28.xd7 xd7 29.b3 1/2-1/2 Rytshagov, M-Valkesalmi, K/Jyvaskyla 1998; B2) 7.h5 e7 8.e3 f6 9.g5 xe4 10.xg7 xe3+ 11.e2 f8 12.xf6 d6 13.d2 e6 14.b5 a6 15.c4 xc4 16.xc4 b6 17.f1 d4 18.d1 xe2 19.e1 d7 20.f5+ d8 21.xe2 c5 22.f6+ c8 23.g4+ b8 24.d2 d5+ 75
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 25.c1 xg2 26.h6 a7 27.d7 f2 28.d1 e3+ 29.b1 e2 30.a4 g8 31.xh7 g2 32.c2 f3 33.d3 xf4 34.a3 h8 35.a2 hxh2 36.ab1 b6 37.b3 f2 38.d5 c6 39.h1 d5 40.b3 f5 41.a4 a5 42.f1 g4 43.f3 f4 44.xf2 xf2 45.f1 xf1 46.xf1 d4 47.d3 dxc3 48.bxc3 e5 49.d7 f6 50.h7 f4 51.d7 g6 52.b2 a6 53.c8 a7 54.d7 f6 55.h7 d6 56.e4 d2+ 57.c2 xc2+ 58.xc2 e3 59.d3 b6 60.c4 c7 61.d3 b5 62.axb5 cxb5 63.c2 d6 64.b3 c5 65.e2 a4+ 66.b2 b4 67.cxb4+ xb4 68.f3 a3+ 69.b1 c3 70.d5 d2 71.a2 c5 72.f3 e3 73.d5 f3 74.xf3 xf3 75.b3 e3 76.a2 d2 77.b3 d3 78.a2 c3 79.a1 b3 80.b1 a2+ 0-1 Nossein,F-Elkaim,O/ Paris 1993 (80) ] 6.c3? [ 6.e5 Screams out to be played, and is surely the reason no one dared this move order before. d5 ( 6...e7!? ) 7.b3 g4 8.e2 xe2 9.xe2!? ] 6...b4 Now black has swift development and central pressure. 7.e5 d5 8.exf6 dxc4 9.e2+ f8 10.e3 [ 10.fxg7+ gives black a frightening lead in d e v e l o p m e n t . xg7 11.xc4 d4!? ( 11...e8+!?; 11...e6!?; 11...d4!? )] 10...xf6 11.0-0-0 e6 12.e4 e7 13.f3 c3 14.b3 a5 15.b1 a4 16.b5 axb3 17.axb3 xb3 18.cxb3 xe4+ 19.d3 a5 20.c4 xc4 21.bxc4 e7 22.d4 xd4 23.xd4 ha8 24.e3+ d7 25.he1 a1+ 26.c2 1a2+ 27.d3 d2+ 28.e4 f5+ 29.xf5 xd4 30.c5 xc5 31.xc3 f8+ 32.g5 e7+ 0-1
94 Owczarzak,Jerzy Przewoznik,Jan chT Zakopane chT (4) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2249 2414 05.09.2000
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.d5 exd5 7.exd5 xf3 8.xf3 e5 9.e2 e7 10.e3 c5 This is a little sprightlier than just developing - besides annexing a bit of the centre, it prepares a vista on the d8-a5 diagonal for the Be7. [ 10...0-0 leads to solid and fairly stodgy play - the two daring defenders in the examples here show the toughness and resilience of black's position, but it still isn't too lively. 11.f4 ed7 12.d2 c5 ( 12...e8 13.f3 b6 14.b3 d7 15.0-0 c5 16.h3 c8 17.d3 d8 18.ae1 a5 19.d2 b6 20.e4 xd2 21.xf6+ gxf6 22.xd2 xe1 23.xe1 e8 24.xe8+ xe8 Black's argument is that he is solid and white's bishop isn't great, but it takes some determination and a bit of assistance to make a living from this type of position. 25.f2 c8 26.a4 e7 27.d3 f8 28.g4 h6 29.e4 f8 30.b4 f5 31.xf5 cxb4 32.g4 a5 33.g3 g7 34.c4 b2 35.d3 f5 I don't understand this move at all so will chalk it up to a time scramble - this pawn otherwise would seem to be hanging. 36.d1 a1 37.g4 xa4 38.gxf5 a1 39.h5 c3 40.f6 xf6 41.xh7 xf4+ 42.f3 f5 43.xb7 e3+ 44.g2 0-1 Frendzas,P-Ibragimov,I/ Peristeri 1993) 13.f3 d7 14.0-0-0 ae8 15.d4 d8 16.he1 xe1 17.xe1 e8 18.g4 xe1+ 19.xe1 h6 20.h3 a6 21.e3 e7 22.xe7 xe7 23.b4 cd7 24.d2 h7 25.e4 f6 26.f2 g6 27.e2 b6 28.d3 a4 29.c4 b2+ 30.b3 d1 31.e1 g7 32.c4 f6 33.f3 d7 34.c1 e3 35.f2 d4 36.e2 b6 37.e1 g5 38.c3 1/2-1/2 Dlugy,M-Miles, A/USA-ch 1989/CBM 19/[King] (38) ] 11.f4 Taking on c6 might seem logical, opening the position with the bishop pair, but black's main problem is lack of space and manoeuvring room, and capturing en passant would solve most of these difficulties. 76
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.f4 g6 13.0-0 0-0 14.e1 d5 Black has a sensible and fully playable position - solid, central presence and the b- and e-files for active counterplay. 15.f2 b8 16.ab1 e8 17.b4 c7 18.d4 ab8 19.b5 cxb5 20.xb5 xb5 21.xb5 d8 22.e2 b4 23.b5 xc2 24.f5 e4 25.e3 f8 26.a3 d2 27.h3 a6 28.g4 h6 29.d1 d2 30.xg7 xg7 31.f6 xf6 32.xf6 axb5 33.f1 d4+ 0-1 Koelle,A-Storm,R/ Germany 1991/GER-chT2 (33) ] 11...g6 12.d2 a6 13.a4 0-0 14.0-0 d7 15.h3 ae8 16.g4 d8 17.f5 Something is wrong with a position when trouble is caused b y t h e b lu n t e s t m e a n s a t a n o p p o n e n t ' s disposal. e7 18.f2 e4 This loses material. [ 18...e5 19.a5!? ( 19.g5 fd7 20.h4!? )] 19.xe4 xe4 20.fxg6 xe2 21.gxf7+ xf7 22.ae1! A nasty tactic. xf2 [ 22...xd2 23.xe8+ f8 24.xf8+ xf8 25.e3++- ] 23.xe2 fxe2 24.f4 Threatening mate and the d-pawn. If white had taken the d-pawn, I do not see what would have prevented him from winning. f6 25.g5 [ 25.xd6 xc2 26.g5 d4+ ( 26...xg5 27.d7+- ) 27.h1 ce2 28.f4 ] 25...2e4 26.f3 [ 26.xd6 xg5 27.g2!? ] 26...d4+ 27.h1 4e7 Now black can make fortress faces. He survives, but narrow escapes against lower rated opposition is not the best PR for this subvariation. 28.c3 e5 29.h4 g6 30.h5 g7 31.hxg6 hxg6 32.d3 e4 33.f3 4e7 34.d3 e4 35.f3 4e7 36.d3 ½-½
below may help. After reviewing the possibilities following W hite's 4th move my recommendation is that Black should immediately decide what to do with his king's bishop. Either continue with 4...g6 as Spassky did with a hippopotamus-style development in mind or more directly with 4...Bb4 5 Ne2 Nc6 or even 5...Ne7. 1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 [ White can also consider the cautious 3.c3 e6 4.a3 but an extra tempo for Black in a French with .. .Nf6 and ...d5 or a Modern/ Hippo with ...g6 can't be bad. ] 3...e6 4.c3 g6 [ I don't like 4...f6?! 5.ge2 A) 5...c5 6.d5 a6 7.a4 exd5 8.exd5 xd5 9.xd5 xd5 10.f4 e6 ( 10...e7+ ) 11.e4 a7 12.0-0 e7 13.a3 was indeed dangerous for Black, Speelman,J-Basman,M British ch. 1984; B) 5...d5 6.e5 fd7 7.f4 e7 Peters,J-Sahovic,D Lone Pine 1977 as 8.g4 looks unpleasant. ] [ I personally prefer 4...b4 which the reader a s s o c i a t e s wit h S o lt i s b u t a f t e r 5.ge2 to play A) 5...d5?! 6.0-0 is a safe edge for White; B) Othe rwise Black could try 5...e7!? 6.a3 xc3+ 7.xc3 d5 8.e5 a6!? in French-style as in Vigliraki,MKhetsuriani,B Agios Kyrikos 2000; C) 5...c5?! 6.a3 xc3+ but ( 6...a5 looks less natural, Black can double the cpawns and hope the bishops don't get too lively ) 7.xc3! favours White ( 7.bxc3 d6 doesn't look bad. ); D) 5...c6!? 6.e3 e5! I prefer this to ( 6...f6?! 7.a3 or; 6...ge7 ) 7.d5 ce7 with chances for counterplay based on either . ..f5, or ...c6 or even just simply piece-play e.g. 8.a3 ( 8.0-0 f5!? ) 8...c5 9.d2 g6 10.b4 e7 11.c1 h6 95 B00 intending ...Bg5 and then if 12.g3 simply f6 followed by ...c6. This dynamic Owen's with Nge2 handling reminds me of 1 e4 Nc6 2 d4 e5 N,N 3 d5 Nce7 etc. ] [Glenn Flear] 5.ge2 [ A couple of more recent encounters may I n a n s we r t o Mich a e l A yt o n 's qu e ry wh o give food for thought: 5.f3 g7 6.g5 wanted to know how Black should develop e7 7.d2 h6 8.h4 d6 9.g4 d7 against W hite's Bd3, Nc3 and Nge2 set-up 10.0-0-0 a6 11.b1 b5 Toth,Ch-Lima,D against the Owen's Defence, I hope the lines 77
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Brazilian ch. 1996 ] 16.e3 ab8 17.c3 h5 18.e1 xb2 [ 5.e3 g7 6.d2 d5 ( 6...d6 in hippo19.d2 xe3 20.xe3 xd2 21.g3 c5 style is less committal, with ...a6, ...Nd7 0 - 1 S a vi c , M - F u r h o f f , J B e l g r a d e Y U G and either . ..b5 or ...c5 to follow on the 2001. ] queenside and ...h6 before developing the 4...xf5 5.b5 d6 6.e5 f6 7.0-0 d7 king's knight on the kingside) 7.f3 d7 8.xc6! 8.h4 gf6 9.e5 e4 10.xe4 dxe4 [ 8.f4 cxe5 9.fxe5 g6 10.a4 c6 11.g5 h6 12.gxe4 f5 13.exf6 xf6 11.c3 e6 12.e2 h5 13.e3 e7 14.f3 e7 15.0-0-0 0-0-0 16.e2 14.d2 a5 15.c3 b6 16.f4 h7 didn't give quite enough compensation for 17.d1 c4 18.c1 g5 19.e2 g6 the pawn, Ionica,I-Gaprindashvili,N Varna 20.a4 h4 21.b3 xe3 22.xe3 h3 23.g3 2002 ] 0-0-0 24.c1 hf8 25.c4 e4 26.c3 5...g7 6.h4 c6 7.g5 ge7 8.h5 xd4 xf1+ 27.xf1 d3+ 28.e2 f8+ 29.g1 9.hxg6 hxg6 10.xh8+ xh8 11.xd4 xe2 30.xe2 f5 31.c5 b6 32.cxb6 b4 xd4 12.f3 g7 13.0-0-0 f8 14.h1 33.g4 xg4+ 34.g3 f3 35.xc6+ b7 e8 15.f6 g8 and White has 36.c7+ xb6 0-1 Upton,T-Jouhki,Y compensation but Black is OK, Rogers,IPanormo GRE 2001. ] Spassky,B/Reggio Emilia 1983/4 8...bxc6 9.f3!? [ 9.f4 xe5 10.xe5 g6 11.c3 c2 12.f3 e4 13.g3 xg3 14.xg3 d8 96 B00 ( 14...xb1 15.axb1 d7 16.fe1 e6 ) 15.d2 d3 16.fe1 g6 17.f3 g7 Paehtz,Thomas Sr 2451 18.g5+- (1-0, 61) Wadsack,W-Hainzinger, Salmensuu,Olli 2431 J Austria 1996. ] ECC Panormo GRE (6) 28.09.2001 9...e6 [Jon Tisdall] [ 9...e4!? 10.f7+ d8 may be better, strangely enough. Black would like to keep 1.e4 c6 2.f3 f5 This variation enjoyed his light-squared bishop as a justification enormous popularity in recent weeks, but the for the ugliness of his structure it seems to question remains if it has more than surprise me. But then again, the game is not quite as value. Since the Finnish team seemed to play clear as it appears to be at first glance. ] it fairly regularly at the European club championship one might argues that it does, 10.g4 g6 11.xg6 hxg6 12.f4 b4 on the other hand, when this happens to 13.d3 [ 13.e2!? ] black... 3.exf5 d5 4.d4 13...0-0-0 [ 4.b3 xf5 5.b2 a6 6.h4 e6 7.d3 [ 13...f7!? ] f7 8.f3 d6 9.0-0 Having lost control of the centre, white has forfeited the assets 14.d2 d6 15.c3 b8 Very bizarre, but black of f ered him. h5 10.e2 xf3 the move g4 by white means he has his own 11.xf3 0-0-0 12.d4 e5 13.dxe5 xe5 ugly spots to worry about. 16.xd6 [ 16.g3!? ] 14.e1 xf3+ 15.xf3 g6 16.h3+ b8 17.d3 xd3 18.cxd3 f6 19.e2 b4 16...cxd6 17.g3 f6 [ 17...e5!? looks completely unclear to me. I 20.c3 c5 21.d2 d4 22.b2 d5 don't know how black has managed it. ] 23.e4 f4 24.c2 b6 25.d1 he8 26.f3 d5 27.c1 h6 28.d2 e3 18.b4 g5 19.g2 b7 [ 19...h6!? ] 29.xe3 dxe3 30.f1 xe4!! 0-1 Dutreeuw, [ 19...e5!? ] M-Salmensuu,O Panormo GRE 2001. 20.fe1 he8 Black seems to be on the ( 30...xe4 31.fxe4 f8+ 32.e1 a5+! )] [ 4.b5 xf5 5.0-0 e6 6.e5 ge7 7.d4 w r o n g t r a c k - h a v i n g p l a y e d b i z a r r e l y , a6 8.xc6+ xc6 9.xc6 bxc6 10.h5+ provoked a gash on the kingside and then g6 11.e2 d7 12.e1 d6 13.xe6+ somehow repaired much of his own structure, xe6 14.xe6+ d7 15.e2 he8 it looks far more logical to try and use the h78
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 file or the possibilities to play ...e5 earlier. By suddenly centralizing, black in f act is p l a y i n g r a t h e r p a s s i ve l y . 21.a4 b8 A sign that things have gone wrong. 22.b5 c5 23.b3 e4 24.e3 Now f3 comes with considerable force. f8 25.f3 f4 26.fxe4 xg4+ 27.h1 h8 28.a2 dxe4 29.g2 f4 30.dxc5 d5 31.d2 1-0
97 Pein,Malcolm McShane,Luke J Norkom European Masters (6) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2424 2480 26.11.2000
1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.d2 e6 4.gf3 d6 5.d3 g6 6.b3 [ 6.0-0 g7 7.e1 e7 8.f1 h6 9.c3 This quiet system with Re1 and c3 was Geller's standard treatment of Modern/Pirc positions, and he just outplays his opponent without making any real theoretical statement. d7 10.g3 It is probably worth noting that Geller's unassuming setup does rule out the trendy plan of ...g5 by sending a N round to hop into h5 if needed. a6 11.f4 e5 12.e3 0-0 13.d2 h7 14.ad1 e8 15.h4 g8 16.h5 gf6 17.hxg6+ fxg6 18.h2 f7 19.b3 ae8 20.d5 e7 21.b4 f7 22.c1 a8 23.c4 a5 24.a3 ff8 25.b1 axb4 26.axb4 a7 27.a1 fa8 28.b2 f8 29.e2 h5 30.c3 f4 31.f1 xa1 32.xa1 f6 33.g3 4h5 34.c5 bxc5 35.bxc5 xa1 36.xa1 dxc5 37.a7 c8 38.xc5 e8 39.a3 hf6 40.f3 d7 41.h3 c6 42.e7 cxd5 43.xd5 c6 44.b2 a8 45.a2 b7 46.b1 a8 47.g2 e6 48.a3 df6 49.h4 a6 50.e7 e6 51.a3 a6 52.b2 d7 53.c2 a2 54.c8 xd5 55.exd5 xb2 56.e4 f8 57.xe8 a1+ 58.g2 a6 59.e7 f6 60.d6 g5 61.f7 f6 62.c7 e6 63.xg6+ h8 64.e7 g8 65.f5 d4 66.e8+ f8 67.d7 f6 68.g6 1-0 Geller, EVasiljevic,D/Pancevo 1987/TD (68) ] 6...g7 7.b2 e7 8.0-0 d7 9.e1 h6 10.b1 g5 11.f1 [ 11.f1!? ]
11...g6 12.c4 White adopts a nonconfrontational war of nerves approach. Again, this makes the game of interest for how the position is played, rather than any critical test of black's setup. g4 13.fd2 g5 14.a4 h5 15.e3 To prevent ...h4-g3. 0-0-0 16.a5 f5 17.axb6 axb6 18.d5 xb2 19.xb2 [ 19.dxe6 c3 20.exd7+ xd7 and white will obviously be under attack if he takes the f5 pawn. ] 19...exd5 20.xd5 c5 [ 20...fxe4 21.c4 xd5 22.cxd5 xd5 to grab a pawn deserved serious attention t h e l a c k o f a wh i t e s q u a r e d b i s h o p i n defence means risks of course, but black looks quite solid here to me, and white's pieces are not terribly well coordinated. The game does not seem particularly safer at all. ] 21.c4 e5 22.a2 de8 23.a1 hg8 24.b4 [ 24.exf5!? xf5 25.a8+ xa8 ( 25...d7!? 26.xe8 xe8 27.b4 ) 26.xa8+ d7 27.a7 e6 28.c5! ] 24...xe4 25.xe4 Natural once one notices the possibilities based on ...Nf3+, but maybe that was worth allowing anyway: [ 25.xe4!? fxe4 26.xe4 xd5 and black wins material by avoiding though the position remains messier than expected after ( 26...f3+ 27.h1 xe4 28.f6 b8 29.d7+ c8 30.f6= ) 27.f4!? gxf3 28.cxd5 ] 25...fxe4 26.xe4 d8 27.ef6 [ 27.a8+ xa8 28.xa8+ d7 29.ef6+ e6 ] 27...b8 28.b5 h4 Now it is distinctly white's king that is the less secure. 29.xe8 xe8 30.a3 g5 31.e3 f8 32.e1 Bolstering the kingside - white's main problem is his position is rather passive. The Nd5 is pretty but it is really mostly serving a blocking role, and it is far unsteadier than the Ne5. W hite must also be on guard against the softening thrusts g3 or h3. [ 32.b4 g3 ] 32...f5 [ 32...xc4 33.e8+ xe8 34.xe8+ a7 35.xc7= ] 33.e4 h3 Quite cool - there is a reflex tendency to assume that allowing Rf4 should 79
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 be avoid ed , b ut a trad e o f roo ks do esn't bother black. 34.f4 c8 35.e4? [ 35.xf8 xf8 36.e4 hxg2 ] 35...e6 36.e3 g8 [ 36...hxg2 ] [ 36...xd5 37.cxd5 xd5 is playable but black still prefers to keep his king snug rather than cash in. ] 37.f4 g6? Time pressure? 38.e7 b1 Time? [ 38...b1 39.xg8 xg2 ( 39...hxg2 40.f8+ a7 41.a3+ ) 40.f8+ b7 41.e2 f3 42.d2 ( 42.xf3?? gxf3 43.d2 g6+ ) 42...g2= ] 0-1
98 Philippe,Christophe Bordas,Gyula FSIMB December (5) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2306 2186 07.12.2000
A game that only demonstrates that this line is rather unpleasant for black at the moment Black does a bit better than an earlier game but is never close to holding his own. 1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.d5 b8 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 g6 [ 7...a6?! 8.g5 bd7 9.0-0-0 g6 10.b1 g7 11.d3 c5 12.he1 b5 13.e5 dxe5 14.d6 e6 15.e4 a7 16.c6 h6 17.xf6 xf6 18.e4 g7 19.xc5 0-0 20.xd7 xd7 21.xd7 xd7 22.a3 a8 23.a5 a7 24.e3 f6 25.b6 d8 26.c5 f6 27.c3 g7 28.c8 d8 29.xd7 xd7 30.c6 a5 31.c4 bxc4 32.xc4 e7 33.dxe7 1-0 Philippe,C-Bordas,G Budapest 2000. ] 8.g5 g7 9.0-0-0 bd7 10.e2 c6 11.f4 c7 12.g4 h5 [ 12...h6 13.h4 h7 14.e5 g5 ( 14...dxe5 15.xe7! ) 15.dxc6 xc6 16.g2 c8 17.exd6 e6 18.f5 gxh4 19.fxe6 0-0 20.exd7 xd7 21.e7 ad8 22.xb7 xc3 23.xd7 xd7 24.c6 xb2+ 25.xb2 b8+ 26.a1 dd8 27.he1 g5 28.d7 xh3 29.b1 1-0 Sutovski,EJaracz,P Koszalin 1999. ] 13.g2 c8 14.he1 hxg4 15.e5 dxe5 16.fxe5 xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.xe5
xd5 19.e2 xc3 20.xd5 b4 21.a3 h5 22.h4 cxd5 23.axb4 c7 24.g1 f8 25.xg4 f6 26.e3 b6 27.xg6 xh4 28.h6+ f7 29.g7+ e8 30.g8+ d7 31.f8 e5 32.g7+ c6 33.b5+ b7 34.xc7+ xc7 35.f2 f4 36.xf4 exf4 37.g7 f3 38.d2 d6 39.xf6 c5 40.e3 xb5 41.xf3 a5 42.e3 c4 43.d8 b5 44.d4 c6 1-0
99 Pierrot,Juan Facundo Garcia Palermo,Carlos H 32nd Open Mar del Plata ARG (4) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2414 2470 10.04.2001
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.0-0 e6 6.c4 e7 7.c3 0-0 McShane and Miles prefer to wait, filling out the Hippo contours with d6,Nd7 and a6/h6. There is no reason why black should not be a b l e t o p l a y t h i s s ys t e m a b i t m o r e 8.e5 Intending to press with Ne4, Bg5. xf3 [ 8...f6!? ] 9.xf3 bc6 10.e2 d6 11.e4 d7 [ 11...d5 looks better at once since keeping the dark-squared bishops gives black more chances to play against d4, which is consistent with a plan involving ...Bxf3. After 12.cxd5 exd5 13.c2 f6 14.exf6 xf6 15.c3 black should be closer to equality after d7!? ( or 15...a5!? The game continuation is not so bad for black either, but it seems more limited. )] 12.g5 d5 13.cxd5 exd5 14.c2 f6 15.exf6 xf6 16.xf6 e6 17.c3 xf6 18.fe1 d6 19.ac1 af8 20.f3 d8 21.b3 The long-term vulnerability of c7 and d5, plus white's ability to pile up on the c- or efiles gives black rather passive prospects. B id s f o r a c t ive p la y a re lik e ly t o l e a d t o increased career options for white's bishop, so black is best advised to sit tight, but this is rat her un ple asa nt as it is dif f icult to se e anything to look forward to. e6 22.g3 g7 23.e5 8f7 24.ce1 f4 25.e2 xe2+ [ 25...e6!? ] 26.1xe2 c6 27.c2 d7 28.h4 80
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 28.b4!? ] 28...c8? A very hard move to understand [ 28...f5 is both far more natural, trying to exploit the drawbacks of white's last move, it is a rare chance to do something a bit active, and black's prospects must be improved if he can trade a few more pieces. 29.xf5 xf5 30.e3 might keep white very marginally better. ] 29.h5 Now white achieves some welcome softening of blackâ []s position. d6 30.b3 gxh5 31.xh5 h8 32.ee5 g7 33.e3 Now white's position is far too active and b l a c k c a n h a r d l y k e e p h i m a t b a y . f7 34.eg5+- h6 35.e5 g8 36.f2 f4 37.xh6 fg4 38.h2 f4 39.eh5 f6 40.h6 1-0
probably would give more attention to [ 13.c1 which has the same goals with less risk. It seems to me that black has difficult problems to solve, and that white's plan of gxf3 deserves more tests. ] 13...xe2 14.xe2 xb2 15.b3 d4 16.hg1 First he gives one in front of his own king, now white makes the more conventional offer of just about any pawn black wants on the kingside. White has a huge advantage in development and a lasting target in black's king. h6 [ 16...xh4 17.c4 was probably worrying one tends to avoid further greed once a bit has led to trouble - but it is not clear that this version is more dangerous than the game. ] 17.c1 to sacrifice on d4 and play Bb2 if black castles. d6 18.c4 f8 19.f4 b5 [ 19...xf2!? ] 100 B00 [ 19...a6!? ] Plaskett,Jim 2474 20.xb5 cxb5 [ 20...d7!? looks better - the b-file might Sherwin,James T 2339 come in handy, and there are plenty of white 4NCL Birmingham ENG (9) 04.05.2002 pawns still up for grabs. ] [Jon Tisdall] [ 20...b7 21.d5!+- ] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 xe5 4.f3 f6 21.d5 b8 22.e5 This looks insolent to me recapturing on d4 at once would give white a [ 4...b4+!? ] 5.c3!? Extremely rare - almost all white clear advantage, but Plaskett wants all lines players react to the pressure on f3. W hite, open. dxe5 23.fxe5 b6 [ 23...a6 would create counterplay against being Plaskett, prefers an original and w h i t e ' s k i n g . 24.xd4 e6 25.b2 energetic approach that quickly puts the fate but here white still has the advantage since of both players in the balance. b4 6.d2 his rooks are so superior to their xf3+ 7.gxf3 e7 8.e2 g6 9.0-0-0 c6 counterparts. ] So far both players proceed logically and s t a k e o u t t h e i r t e r r i t o r y . T h e o b v i o u s 24.xd4 e6 25.e4 c8 26.xg7 c5 battleground will be control over f4 and e5. In 27.d6 c4 28.xc4 xc4 29.xh6 xh4 order to maximize his grip on these squares 30.g5 b4+ 31.c1 d7 black has had to soften his position on the d- 1-0 file a bit, so that white has clear opportunities on his two open files. 10.b1 d6 11.h4 B00 [ 11.g5?! xg5 12.xd6 e5 13.d1 101 Ponomariov,Ruslan 2743 e7 and black gets a grip on the dark Vlassov,Nikolai 2462 squares. ] 11...f4 12.e3 e5 Black now appears to FIDE GP Moscow RUS (1.2) 01.06.2002 have set up the desired grip on the central [Jon Tisdall] holes, but it is both not as firm as it looks, and it has also taken a very long time to set up. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 e5 A move best 13.e2!? The beginning of a characteristically kept for faster time controls, as in this game. e n e r g e t i c P l a s k e t t p e r f o r m a n c e . M o r e 4.dxe5 d4 5.d5 f5 The most popular move, pedestrian players (like myself) could and despite a truly dreadful track record. 81
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 5...ge7!? intending first to gain control of d5, then castle queenside and press down the e-file, is a rare bird, but has led to more interesting play than the catalog of disasters after ...f5: 6.g5 ( 6.xe7 xe7 7.f3 g4 8.e2 xf3 9.xf3 0-0-0 10.0-0 h5 11.xh5 xe5 12.g4+ b8 13.h3 xe4 14.e2 g6 15.f4 d3 16.cxd3 f5 17.f3 d4 18.d1 xh3 19.g3 d6 20.g2 hh8 21.e3 h7 22.e1 c5 23.b4 f4 24.gxf4 g5 25.bxc5 xc5 26.b1 d7 27.fxg5 f5 28.a4 g4 29.xd4 xd4 30.e4 xf2+ 31.xf2 f7+ 32.g1 c8 33.eb4 c5+ 34.d4 d6 35.xb7+ xb7 36.xb7+ c8 37.c6+ xc6 38.xc6 g8 39.xa7 xg5+ 40.f2 b8 41.a3 1-0 Mach,HJaeckle, M GER 1998.) 6...e6 7.f4 d7 8.b5 ( 8.f3!? ) 8...a6 9.a4 ( 9.xe7!? ) 9...b5 10.xe6 xe6 11.b3 xe5 12.g4 f5 13.h5+ g6 14.h4 g7 (0 - 1 , 3 2 ) K r e u zh o lz, M -J a e ckl e , M G E R 1999. ] 6.exf6 [ 6.h3!? is an odd but dangerous move aiming at speedy development: A) 6...ge7? 7.h5+ g6 ( 7...g6 8.f6+ f7 9.c4++- ) 8.g5! e7 9.xe7 cxe7 10.exf5 xf5 11.xe7+(1 - 0 , 2 6 ) T o d o r o vic , G - B u d i m ir , D N i s 1995.; B) 6...fxe4 7.c4 xh3? ( 7...f5!? ) 8.h5+ g6 9.xh3 ce7? ( 9...c8 ) 10.g5 c6 11.e6!+- b5 12.c7+ xc7 13.f7+ 1-0 Crawley,G-Kemp,P Swansea 1987. ] 6...xf6 7.g5 e6 8.xf6 gxf6 9.c4 b4+!? An interesting idea - black at least gets a good bishop or unsettles the white king but it still seems insufficient long-term value for a pawn. [ 9...f7 10.e2 c5 11.0-0 d6 ( 11...e5 12.b3 f5 13.g3! ) 12.g3 0-0-0 13.a3 e5 14.a2 (1-0, 34) Bryson, D-Mohr,G Moscow 1994. ] 10.xb4 xc4 11.xc6 bxc6 12.h5+ [ 12.e2!? c5 13.0-0 ] 12...f7 13.c5 d6 14.xd6 cxd6 15.e2 c5 Black has some compensation for the pawn now - two open files for his rooks, and active pieces and pawn levers to create
counterplay - but it is still very nebulous. 16.f3 e7 [ 16...d7!? ] 17.f4 hb8 18.b3 a5 19.d2 [ 19.a4!? ] 19...a4 20.d5+ [ 20.g4!? ] 20...xd5 21.exd5 g8 22.ae1+ f7 23.g4 g5 24.e6 xd5 25.he1 axb3 26.axb3 d3 27.cxd3 a2+ 28.c3 xh2 29.e7+ g6 30.d7 f2? [ 30...h3! 31.ee7 h5= ] 31.ee7 g5 32.xh7 f4 33.hf7?! Presumably white eliminates black with a draw, or time was pressing. The FIDE champion could capitalize on black's inaccuracy with: [ 33.h6! ] 33...g5 34.h7 f4 ½-½
102 Prie,Eric Flear,Glenn C Perpignan [Glenn Flear]
B00 2429 2489 12.04.2004
1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.d3 f6 4.e2 c6 5.c3 e5 6.g5!? White develops his 'bishops before knights'. The idea of B-g5 is known in 'Blatny's variation' albeit only at a later stage. h6 7.h4 e7 [ 7...g5 8.g3 exd4 hopes to win a pawn but after 9.e5 Black will have a ragged looking position. ] 8.d5 b8 9.g3 d6 10.c4 White confirms his space advantage, but in return Black obtains an outpost on c5. 0-0 11.c3 bd7 12.h4 Angling for further control, but in the meantime Black counters on the other wing an d cen tre . c5 13.c2 a5 14.h5 c6 15.dxc6 [ If 15.f3 cxd5 16.cxd5 then a6 would be annoying. ] 15...xc6 16.0-0-0 c8 17.f3 b7 18.d5?! [ Afterwards Prie claimed a small edge to W h it e wit h 18.h4! fd8 19.xf6 xf6 20.d5 which may be so but Black then doesn't have to exchange on d5. Best could be the solid alternative e7 and Black 82
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 doesn't have that much to worry about. ( on the other hand 20...b5 looks risky. )] [ 18.de1!? holds the e-pawn and prepares Nh4-f5 when Black would continue with ... Rfc8, or ...Rab8 with ...b5 to come. ] 18...xd5 19.cxd5 d7 Now Black has the s a f e r k i n g a n d t h e m o r e d yn a m i c m i n o r pieces. 20.h4? [ 20.d2 coming to the defence of his king looks better. ] 20...b5 21.b1 b4 22.d3 xd3 23.xd3 fc8 24.f5 Finally getting to f5, but s i m p l i f i c a t i o n d o e s n ' t d e t e r B l a c k . xf5 25.exf5 c3! [ 25...c5 is also unpleasant but the text wins a tempo. ] 26.e4 ac8! 27.bxc3 [ 27.c1 is met by g5 when White has no t h in g b e t t er t h a n a m ise ra b le qu e e n ending following 28.f4 xc1+ 29.xc1 xc1+ 30.xc1 exf4 31.xf4 xf4+ 32.xf4 xd5 ] 27...bxc3+ 28.c2 b2+ 29.d3 c2 30.c1 b5+! The clearest way to victory. 31.d2 c4 32.d3 d4 33.xd4 exd4 34.xc2 xd5 On paper material is equal, but the white king is open to the wind whilst Black's still has intact defences. The result is therefore hardly in doubt. 35.e1 g5+ 36.d1 xf5 37.f4 g4+ 38.c1 xg3 39.e8+ h7 40.cc8 Setting a final boobyt r a p b e f o r e t h r o wi n g i n t h e t o we l . xf4+ 41.b2 xg2+ 42.a3 h3+ 43.a4 xh5 0-1
103 Puljek Salai,Zorica Solaja,Branka chT (Women) Pula (7) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2271 17.09.2000
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 f6 5.bd2 c5 6.c3 c6 7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 b4 9.b1 a6 10.e1 d3 11.xd3 xd3 12.b3 a6 13.d5 A rare move but perhaps the critical variation. [ 13.e5 d5 14.e4 c7 15.d2 c4 16.d1 d3 17.a3 e7 18.g5 xd1 19.axd1 f6 20.d2 f7 21.c3 c4
22.h1 hc8 23.g1 c6 24.h3 ac8 25.f4 xf4 26.xf4 b3 27.a1 a6 28.e3 g5 29.g3 f5 30.f4 g4 31.g1 h5 32.h4 d5 33.e1 b5 34.g3 b8 35.xd5 exd5 36.c3 bc8 37.ac1 c4 38.f2 8c6 39.e3 e8 40.d2 d8 41.e1 c7 42.d2 b6 43.e1 xc3+ 44.xc3 xc3+ 45.xc3 b4 46.axb4 b5 47.d2 xb4 48.d3 a5 49.d2 c4 50.c2 xc3 51.bxc3 a4 52.b2 a3+ 53.xa3 xc3 54.a2 xd4 55.b2 d3 0-1 Villegas,J-Bolivar,J Barranquilla 1999. ] 13...b7 [ 13...c5 14.a4 c8 15.b4 b5 16.b3 b6 17.b2 g4 18.d4 xd4 19.xd4 c7 20.2f3 e5 21.ac1 xf3+ 22.xf3 b6 23.b3 0-0 24.c5 ad8 25.d6 b7 26.f4 a8 27.c3 f6 28.d1 a5 29.a3 c6 30.dc1 de8 31.h4 a7 32.xd7 xd7 33.c7 d4 34.xd7 d8 35.cc7 xd7 36.xd7 axb4 37.axb4 f5 38.g3 fxe4 39.e7 f6 40.b7 d8 41.xb5 d4 42.b7 g6 43.d7 f7 44.f4+ e7 45.g5+ f6 46.xf6+ xf6 47.f1 e5 48.e2 d5 49.b5 h6 50.c7 d6 51.b6 xd7 52.xd7+ xd7 53.e3 c6 54.xe4 xb6 55.e5 c5 56.xe6 1-0 Torre,E-Cardoso,R/Bauang 1973 ] 14.d6 The main idea, and the reason Cardoso tried so hard to keep the Bf8 out fast. It seems a bit surprising that this pawn is so hard to play around. h6!? [ 14...c8!? ] 15.e5 d5 16.e4 f5 17.g3 [ 17.c5 bxc5 ( 17...c6 18.d3 ) 18.xb7 c8 ] 17...g5?! [ 17...g6 is much more solid. Now disaster could (and should) strike on f5. ] 18.d4 f7 19.d2 h5 20.c3 g7 21.ad1 [ 21.gxf5!? exf5 22.xf5 g6 23.xg7 f8 ( 23...xg7 24.e6+ xc3 25.xc3+ g6 26.exd7 ) 24.e6 xc3 25.bxc3 xg7 26.exd7 ] 21...xc3 22.bxc3 d5 23.c4 b7 24.b5? [ 24.gxf5 exf5 25.c5+ g6 26.c6 and with everything attacking and even 83
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 another sacrifice on f5 looming, black will 8.0-0 b5 9.c2 g4!? Ambitious 10.exf6 be hard pressed to survive. ] gxf6 11.h3 h5 12.e1 0-0-0 Very dodgy 24...h4 25.f1 g4 26.h3 g5 27.d4 ag8 13.a4 b4 14.e2 xf3 15.xf3 [ 27...gxh3 To ensure the g-file opens was ( 15.xa6+! b8 16.gxf3 ) 15...b7 worth considering. 28.xh3 ag8 29.f3 16.d3 e5 17.f1 e4 18.e2 a8 h6 ( 29...a6!? )] 19.d2 a5 Dhar,S-Hutchinson,N/ 28.hxg4 fxg4 29.e3 xe3 30.xe3 h6 Torquay ENG 2002 ] [ 30...h3! 31.c7 ( 31.f4+ e8 32.xg4 5.d2 hxg2 33.h2 xh2!-+ ) 31...hxg2 32.f4+ [ 5.e2!? f6 6.f4 ge7 7.g3 g6 8.e2 g6 33.xg4+ f5-+ ] d7 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.b4 f5 11.xf5 xf5 31.a3 a6 32.c7 h3 33.g3 hxg2 12.a4 f7 13.a5 g6 14.a3 e4 15.f2 34.h2 g5? h5 16.a4 e7 17.b5 e8 18.b3 b6 [ 34...c1! 35.dxg4 xg4 36.xg4 h5-+ ] 19.c4 Van Haastert,E-Van Wissen,M/ 35.dxg4 xh2 36.xh2 h8+ 37.h3 Hengelo NED 2002 ] xh3+ 38.xh3 g6 39.f4 f5 40.xg5+ [ 5.d3 T h i s i s h a r d l y c r i t i c a l ge7 xf4 41.h4 f3 42.xe6 f2 43.f4 ( 5...xd3 6.xd3 f6 7.f4 d7 8.f3 1-0 0-0-0 9.0-0 ce7 10.b3 h5 11.a4 f5 12.a3 gh6 13.xf8 dxf8= Godard,MLa zic, M/S t A f f rique 2 00 2 /I XM21 2 (3 1 )) 104 B00 6.e2 d7 7.0-0 xd3 8.xd3 f5 9.g4 h4 10.g3 0-0-0 11.g5 e7 12.xh4 Question Nimzovich xh4 13.d2 f6 14.f4 fxe5 15.fxe5 xg3 N,N 16.xg3 h5! 17.g5 e7 Arutunian,D[Glenn Flear] Gelashvili,T/Batumi GEO 2002 ] [ 5.f3 f6 6.b5 ge7 7.exf6 gxf6 8.h4 Here's a summary of relevant games from g6 9.0-0 d7 10.d2 a6 11.a4 e5 2002 compared to ECO's main line. White has 12.e1 g7 13.f4 b5 14.xg6 hxg6 good chances to retain an advantage if 1. He 15.c2 e4 16.a4 b4 17.a5 d6 18.b3 aims to meet ...f6 with f4 maintaining the f7 19.c5 h5 Djurhuus, R-Furhoff,J/ centre 2. He avoids a premature Bd3. 1.d4 Stockholm 2003/IXM213 (35) ] c6 2.e4 d5 3.e5 f5 [ 3...f6 4.d3 g6 5.f4 g7 6.b5! d7 5...f6 6.f4 fxe5 7.fxe5 h6 8.df3 f7 7.xc6 xc6 8.f3 h6 9.c3 f7 9.e2 [ 9.d3 g6 10.e2 d7 11.0-0 e7 10.exf6 exf6 11.e2+ d7 12.0-0-0 e8 12.b4 h5 13.a4 h4 14.g5 xd3 15.xd3 13.d3 c8 14.h4 White retains an f5 16.xf7 xf7 17.g5 h5 18.f6 g5 initiative due to superior development. d6 19.g4 hxg3 20.xg3 h3 21.xf5! 15.xd6 xd6 16.h5 f5 17.hxg6 hxg6 good compensation as Black's king is stuck 18.h7 Milos,G-Loureiro,L/Sao Paulo BRA in the centre, so the queen's rook never gets 2002 with advantage ] into play. exf5 22.xf5 g4 23.xg4 h6 4.c3 24.f1 g6 25.f5 g8 26.h1 h6 [ 4.f3 e6 5.e2 f6 6.f4 ge7 7.g3 27.h5 f7 28.f4 c6 29.e6 d7 8.c3 fxe5 9.dxe5 g4! freeing the f5and White won in Golikov,A-Juegel,M/FIDE. square for the knight 10.bd2 f5 11.a4 com 2002/IXM213 (50) ] xf3 12.xf3 c5 13.b5 0-0 1/2-1/2 Makarov,M-Abrashkin,B/Samara 9...e7 10.g3 g4 [ 10...g6!? ] RUS 2002 ] [ 4.b5 e6 5.f3 f6 6.0-0 ge7 7.e3 11.d3 g5 12.xg5 xd1 13.xe6 b8 a6 8.d3 d7 9.bd2 xd3 10.cxd3 14.xg7+ d8 15.xd1 Smagin-Sahovic, g6 11.exf6 gxf6 12.b3 b6 13.c1 Biel 1990 d6 Erdos,B-Gross,G/Savaria HUN 2002 ] 4...e6 [ 4...d7 5.f3 f6 6.b5 a6 7.a4 e6 84
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 105 Reichstein,Boris Blatny,Pavel Millennium II Open (4) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 106 2223 Rosandic,Denis 2541 Filipovic,Branko 04.03.2001 Christmas Open (4) [Jon Tisdall]
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d2 e6 4.gf3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.d3 c6 7.0-0 c7 8.e5 [ 8.a3 d5 9.e5 d7 10.b4 e7 11.e1 0-0-0 12.f1 h6 13.e2 b8 14.b1 c4 15.c2 g5 16.d2 df8 17.c1 f6 18.b5 cxe5 19.dxe5 fxe5 20.a4 g4 21.e1 h5 22.g5 xg5 23.xg5 e4 24.e7 c5 25.xc7+ xc7 26.d1 a6 27.bxa6 c6 28.e3 hg8 29.h3 xa6 30.g3 c5 31.hxg4 hxg4 32.e3 xa4 33.xa4 xa4 34.xc4 dxc4 35.d4 c5 36.xc4 a8 37.e3 a1 38.exe4 b7 39.e3 d8 40.h2 dd1 41.c2 a2 42.d4 xf2 43.xe6 dd2 44.xc5+ bxc5 45.xg4 b6 46.e5 c2 47.c4 f6 48.e3 a5 1/2-1/2 Novak,I-Cvetkovic,S Strbske Pleso 1978. ] 8...d5 9.e4? A naive approach by white in this type of position white almost always keeps a close eye on the possibility of black using the b4 square. [ 9.dxc5!? ] [ 9.a3!? ] 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 cb4 11.b1 [ 11.e2 c2 ] 11...c8 Now ...Nc2 and ...Ba6 if needed, will oblige white to surrender the bishop pair. 12.a3 c2 13.xc2 xc2 14.c3 xd1 15.xd1 e7 16.e3 f4 17.h1 f6! Much stronger than trading in the Bb7 to fracture white's kingside pawns. This game is worth filing under how to execute a misguided opponent in this opening. 18.d2 [ 18.f5 xg2 19.xg7+ f7 ] 18...fxe5 19.dxe5 xg2! 20.xg2 0-0 21.fc1 xf3+ 22.g1 c5-+ 23.b4 xb4 24.axb4 xc1+ 25.xc1 f4 26.c4 xc4 27.xc4 f7 28.h3 g6 29.h2 f5 30.g3 d5 31.d6+ xe5 32.c8 b7 33.xa7 a6 0-1
B00 2248 2462 18.12.2001
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.e2 e7 7.0-0 c6 8.e5 d5 9.dxc5 xc5 10.b4 e7 11.a3 f5 12.c4 c7 13.b2 0-0 14.bd2 g5!? An improved version of [ 14...e8 15.fd1 g5 16.b3 h8 17.b5 g4 18.e1 d8 19.c2 g5 20.a4 f7 21.a5 bxa5 22.xa5 c8 23.d3 e7 24.f4 with a firm grip on the position (1-0, 83) Gligoric,S-Filipovic,B Podgorica 1996. ] 15.fd1 g4 16.e1 g5 17.b5 [ 17.b3 is probably more accurate since black does not mind his knight being chased around to the kingside. ] 17...e7 18.b3 g6 This is obviously superior to the previous game where black used much more time putting his pieces on inferior squares. 19.g3 A big commitment, and one which gives black a clear plan of action. [ 19.c2!? f4 20.f1 may not look like the most active procedure, but it keeps things out of harm's way while preparing to just double on the d-file, which must be white's primary plan. Still, d7 is easily defended and it remains white's job to find a long-term plan. ] 19...h5 20.a4 h4 21.a5 b8 22.c2 f7 23.axb6 axb6 A very interesting position - a black rook on h7 will defend his main weakness and prepare action on the h-file. W hite has some annoying obstacles to overcome, since pushing c5 to break through on the queenside will cede the d5 square for a happy black piece. 24.d6?! Looks a waste of time. e8 25.d4 hxg3 26.fxg3 c7 27.dd1 h7 28.d4 f4! 29.gxf4 xf4 30.d2 g3 Black could have played the brutally straightforward [ 30...xh2 31.xh2 xh2+ 32.xh2 d6 when the black queen enters the game with decisive effect. ] 31.df3 gxh2+ 32.h1 g7 White is helpless against the methodical advance of t h i s k n i g h t . 33.g2 h5 34.f2 g7 85
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 35.xf4 Getting rid of one bishop does not o f f e r r e l i e f , a n d wh i t e c a n n o t a vo i d ye t another painful tactical blow. xf4 36.e3 xe5! 37.a3 [ 37.xe5 xf3+ 38.xh2 g2+ 39.h1 xf2+ 40.g1 h3# ] 37...xe3 38.xe3 h3 39.h4 g1 This must have been an extremely satisfying move to play - I know it would have been for me. 40.f1 xf3 41.fxf3 g4 42.f6 f7 43.e5 d6 44.b2 bg8 A ferocious demonstration of the trumps of the black position, and a game worth studying for 1...b6ers. 0-1
107 Roschina,Tatiana Filipovic,Branko 3rd Hilton Open (4) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2293 2444 04.01.2001
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 c5 5.c3 f6 6.e5 d5 7.0-0 e7 I am a little reluctant to go into heavy examination of these type of positions as I think they are probably well covered under the c3 Sicilian, which often transposes - lines with b6 are some of the more interesting attempts to liven up the position for black, though not without risk. 8.e1 [ 8.e2!? c6 9.dxc5!? bxc5 10.c4 b6 11.c3 f5 12.exf6 gxf6 13.h4 0-0 14.g4+ h8 15.g6+ hxg6 16.xg6 1-0 Thorhallsson,T-Poettinger,H Liechtenstein 1996. ] 8...c6 [ 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 0-0 10.c3 f5 11.exf6 xf6 12.g5 e8 13.e5 c6 14.c1 c8 15.b1 b4 16.e3 d6 17.g4 c6 18.g3 e8 19.e2 d8 20.e1 h5 21.h3 xg5 22.xh5 h6 23.h3 f4 24.a3 c6 25.d3 xg4 26.h7+ f8 27.g6 d7 28.d5 e7 29.f3+ f4 30.xf4+ xf4 31.xf4 e5 32.h8+ g8 33.h7 f7 34.h5 g4 0-1 Oral,TAntoniewski,R Pardubice 1996. ] 9.bd2 cxd4 10.cxd4 0-0 11.e4 f5 12.exf6 gxf6 This type of position is rather typical of Sicilian players trying to sharpen
things as much as possible against lowerrated 2.c3 types. And this game is a happy tale for the favourite , who is rewarded for risktaking. 13.h6 f7 14.c1 h8 15.c3 xc3 16.bxc3 g8 17.d5!? e5 18.xe5? [ 18.e4! should give white an edge. ] 18...fxe5 19.e4 c5 20.c2? [ 20.e3 was more prudent. ] 20...exd5 21.xd5 W a t ch f o r it . xf2!!-+ 22.e3 [ 22.xg8 xg8 ( 22...xc2+ ) A) 23.xf2 xg2+ 24.f1 ( 24.h1 xf2! 25.h3 g3! ) 24...xf2+ 25.g1 d2+; B) 23.g3 d2+-+ ] [ 22.xf2 xf2+ 23.xf2 xd5 with a pawn less and continuing king troubles was the proverbial lesser evil. ] 22...xc2 23.xb7 xe3+ 24.xe3 g5! 25.e1 f8 26.h4 h6 27.d5 d6 28.c4 f4 29.a3 d4 30.h2 f4 31.h3 c1 0-1
108 Roselli Mailhe,Bernardo Cristobal,Ruben zt 2.5 Mar del Plata ARG (7) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2428 2342 25.08.2001
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.e2 [ 4.c3 d7 5.d2 f6 6.f4 g5!? This move seems to be a recurring theme across the website, featuring in Budapests, Albins ... ( 6...e6 7.df3 h6 8.e2 e7 9.g3 e4 10.e2 0-0 11.exf6 gxf6 12.0-0 h8 13.xe4 dxe4 14.d2 f5 15.c4 g8 16.e3 ad8 The opening here has been interesting and double-edged and black is eventually outplayed, rather than suffering because of his choice of defence. 17.h1 f6 18.e1 e7 19.h3 g6 20.f2 g7 21.g1 dg8 22.d2 c6 23.af1 d8 24.g4 h4 25.h2 c5 26.c4 e8 27.dxc5 c7 28.b4 d8 29.e2 d7 30.b5 xd2 31.xd2 f8 32.gxf5 xf5 33.xf5 exf5 34.d7 xd7 35.xd7 c7 36.g5 xf4 37.xf5 xf5 38.xf5 e3 39.f3 e2 40.e3 h5 41.g4 g3+ 42.g2 1-0 Wedberg, T-Bodin,S Stockholm 86
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1996.; 6...h6 7.e2 fxe5 8.fxe5 0-0-0 9.gf3 e6 10.0-0 e7 11.b4 df8 12.b3 f7 13.a4 g5 14.a3 g4 15.fd2 h5 16.b5 cd8 17.c5 e8 18.a5 g5 19.b6 cxb6 20.axb6 axb6 21.a4 c6 22.b3 g6 23.xe7 xe7 24.b4 d8 25.b5 c8 26.xb6 f3+ 27.xf3 gxf3 28.xf3 xb6 29.d6+ c8 30.xb6 1-0 Shaked,T-Carlin,A Las Vegas 1994.) 7.df3 gxf4 8.xf4 h6 9.d2 xf4 10.xf4 fxe5 11.dxe5 e6 12.b5 ge7 13.e2 a6 14.xc6 xc6= Black has absolutely no problems now. 15.fd4 0-0-0 16.0-0 e4 17.g3 g6 18.e3 dg8 19.f6 d8 20.h6 c5 21.f3 g7 22.b4 b6 23.a4 hg8 24.a5 b5 25.bxc5 c6 26.d4 xc5 27.h1 e7 28.e3 ge8 29.ge2 c7 30.d2 e4 31.af1 g8 32.1f2 b7 33.h3 h5 34.h6 h4 35.xh4 e7 36.hf4 g5 37.g1 h7 38.df3 g3 39.e3 a8 40.d2 hg7 41.e3 c7 42.e2 g7 43.g4 h8 44.xg8 xg8 45.g5 b1 46.f6 e8 47.d4 b4 48.cxb4 a4 49.f8 1 - 0 N e u b a u e r , M - W a c h , M M u re c k A U T 2001. ] [ 4.f4 e6 5.f3 ( 5.c3 e4 6.f3 f5 7.exf6 gxf6 8.d3 d7 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.b4 d6 11.a4 ge7 12.a5 g6 13.xe4 dxe4 14.fd2 f5 15.b5 ce7 16.b6 a6 17.c4 d5 18.bxc7 xc7 19.b6+ xb6 20.axb6 xb6 21.b3 c6 22.a4 b8 23.a3 a7 24.e3 d7 25.b1 a8 26.h1 e7 27.c4 d5 28.b2 c6 29.a4 g8 30.c4 d6 31.b5 e7 32.a2 g7 33.d5 xe3 34.dxc6 d2 35.cxb7+ b8 0-1 Zolnierowicz,KGross,G Trier 1997.) 5...e7 6.d3 ( 6.e3 h5 7.d3 h6 8.0-0 xd3 9.xd3 f5 10.f2 g5!? 11.fxg5 xg5 12.b5 b8 13.c4 a6 14.a4 dxc4 15.c3 b5 16.xa6 b6 17.a3 e7 18.b4 xb4 19.b2 d5 20.e4 g8 21.c1 g4 22.g3 xg3 23.hxg3 h4 24.gxh4 f4 25.h1 xh4 26.h2 d5 27.f3 xf2 28.xf2 d3 29.e3 xf2+ 30.xf2 c6 31.f1 b7 32.d2 e4 33.h6 g6 34.h8+ g8 35.h3 g7 36.g1 h7 37.h4 g5 38.g3 e3+ 39.g2 xd4 40.e1 a7 41.e2 d3 42.g4 c3 43.g8+ d7 44.f2 c7 45.f8 a4
46.f3 c2 47.e7+ b6 48.g5 xa2 49.c1 d1 50.f1 xc1 51.xc1 c5 52.e1 d4 53.f3 c3 0-1 Stangl, AHoloubkova,M Germany 1994.) 6...h6 7.0-0 0-0 8.a3 a5 Very sensible, clearing the way for pawn-based counterplay on the queenside. Black has a pleasant position with easy play. 9.b4 c4 10.e2 b5 11.d2 a5 A bit hyperactive - after something a bit more patient like ( 11...d7!? white must find a way to develop without allowing black to play . ..a5 with more force later.) 12.bxa5 xd3?! ( 12...c6 ) 13.xd3 c6 14.b4! c5 15.dxc5 c7 16.h1 ( 16.c6!? ) 16...xc5 17.c3 c6 18.d4 ( 18.fb1!?; 18.e2!?; 18.g5!? ) 18...xd4 19.xd4 fc8 20.e2 xa5 21.xa5 xa5 22.b4 a4 23.b3 f5 24.fb1 h5 25.c3 e4 26.a2 h4 27.xb5 xb5 28.xb5 xc3 29.g1 ce3 30.f2 xe2+ 0-1 Wang LiCai Lu Suzhou, Jiangsu CHN 2001. ] 4...e6 5.g3 g6 6.b5 Very rare if not new. [ 6.h4 f6 7.h5 f7 8.f4 d7 9.c3 is a more popular setup, and this is one of the higher profile matches from this position. g6 10.d3 ce7 11.d2 fxe5 12.fxe5 0-0-0 13.f3 f5 14.xf5 gxf5 15.g5 e7 16.e3 e8 17.g5 h6 18.xf7 xf7 19.d2 g7 20.0-0-0 f8 21.df1 g5 22.g4 e7 23.gxf5 xf5 24.xg5 hxg5 25.xf5 exf5 26.g2 g4 27.xd5 g5+ 28.c2 f4 29.e6+ d8 30.hg1 g3 31.g6 xg6+ 32.hxg6 hg8 33.d3 xg6 34.e4 g4 35.f3 a5 36.a4 e7 37.d5 h4 38.c4 b6 39.b3 d7 40.ff1 e7 41.f3 h2 42.g2 fh8 43.fg1 2h4 44.e1 f8 45.d2 f7 46.g2 1 / 2 -1 / 2 He b d e n , M- Ro ge rs , I E d i n b u rg h 1985. ] 6...ge7 7.c3 d7 8.d2 a6 9.e2 White is content to have created something to get his teeth into on the queenside if black decides to try and live there. f5 10.xf5 xf5 11.0-0 e7 12.f4 h6 13.f3 0-0-0 Black chooses the sharpest option and both sides mount gradual attacks on their respective flanks. It seems that white must be a bit better as it is easier for him to strip away enemy king cover, but the position is 87
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 extremely complex, and getting at black's king proves surprisingly difficult. 14.b4 dg8 15.b5 b8 16.bxa6 xa6 17.a4 g5 18.a2 gxf4 19.b3 c5 20.c4? It is tempting to open every conceivable line in the direction of the white king, but this looks a bit optimistic. Recapturing on f4 was more solid. e4 [ 20...cxd4! looks better since 21.xd4 e4 gains time for black and 21.cxd5 allows 21... d3. ] 21.xf4 cxd4 22.cxd5 xd5 23.c2+ b8 24.b2 b4 25.b5 d8 26.cc1 b6 Black should be at least equal here. 27.d2 g6 [ 27...a2!? ] 28.b1 hg8 29.g3 h5 30.xb4 xb4 31.xb4 xf3 32.xf3 h4 33.f2 xg2+ 34.f1 xh2 35.xf7 h1+ 36.e2 h2 37.a5 d8 38.c6 xf2+ 39.xf2 b6 40.xb6+ 1-0
109 Rosito,Jorge Larsen,Bent Najdorf Mem Great Final (1.3) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2424 2486 02.10.2002
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e6 6.h3 h5 7.d5 exd5 8.exd5 b8!? A very rare alternative. It seems to be safer than the more popular options. 9.g4 [ 9.e2 e7 10.d4 xe2 11.xe2 0-0 12.f5 e8 13.b5 c8 14.xe7+ xe7 15.0-0 a6 16.b3 bd7 with a solid position for Black, Golubovic,B-Muse,M Tucepi 1996. ] 9...g6 10.d3 [ 10.e2!? is the acid test for Black's idea how to meet the threat to the queenside pawns? e7 ( 10...a6!? is the logical and probably necessary novelty - the discovered check is in fact the least of White's threats when Black should be OK.) 11.b5+ bd7 12.xb7 b8 13.xa7 xb2 14.d4 0-0 15.0-0-0 and Black did not have compensation in Palac,M-Muse,M Tucepi 1996. ] 10...bd7
[ 10...e7 11.d4 c6 ( 11...c5!? ) 12.xg6 hxg6 13.f3 c5 14.de2 bd7 15.f4 Wallner,W-Mohr,G Lienz 1988. ] 11.d4 [ 11.xg6!? hxg6 12.d4 to prevent Black from fianchettoing his bishop deserved attention, but Black can try for active play against White's various light squared targets with e5 ] 11...xd3 12.xd3 g6 This looks like a much more harmonious way of developing for Black. 13.0-0-0 g7 14.f4 c5 15.e2 0-0 16.f3 e8 17.g5 [ 17.f5!? looks more promising in terms of creating activity against Black's king, but possession of e4 guarantees Black comfortable counterplay. ] 17...fe4 18.xe4 xe4 19.he1?! [ 19.b4? e8 ] [ 19.f2 ] 19...e7 20.f2? [ 20.c3 xd4 21.cxd4 d7 22.d2 ] 20...xd4 21.xe4 xb2+ 22.xb2 xe4 23.xe4 xe4 24.d4 f5 25.h4?! [ 25.gxf6 f7 26.f5!? was a very tempting alternative, when W hite will at least have some activity. Allowing Larsen to have a full technical grip is just booking a seat for a nostalgic look at one of the game's great endgame players. ] 25...c5 26.dxc6 bxc6 27.c1 c5 28.b2 f7 29.d3 b8 30.a3 b7 Protecting everything. Stage two will be activating the king and centre pawns. 31.a6 e6 32.a3 d5 33.h5 c4 34.h3 d5 35.hxg6 hxg6 36.h8 [ 36.e5 d4 and the bishop is missed in defence. ] 36...d4 37.g8 b6 38.d8 a5 39.a8 b5 40.d8 d6 41.b8+ a4 42.c8 b6 43.c7 b4 44.c8 a4 45.a3+ c4 46.a8 c3 47.xc3 xc3 48.xa4 c4 Zugzwang - White must relieve the pressure on c4 and so allow ...Rb2. 49.a8 b2 50.a6 xc2+ 51.d1 d2+ 52.e1 g2 53.xg6 d3 54.d6 c2 55.g6 c3 56.d5 d2+ 57.f1 xg6 0-1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 110
B00
A) 8...c6!? is the most critical, making it hard for white to keep up the inconvenient Roza,Peter bind on the light squares. 9.c4 b5 Yadao,Israel 10.dxc6 bxc4 11.cxd7+ xd7 12.e2 Australian Open (5) 02.01.2001 e5 13.0-0 c6 14.f4 c5+ [Jon Tisdall] ( 14...exf4!? ) 15.h1 d4 16.fxe5 8e7 17.ad1 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.f4 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.d5 e5 0-0 20.cd5 xd5 21.xd5 ae8 5.f4 g6 6.g3 e5?! 7.dxe6 xe6 8.b5 22.fd1 b6 23.d6 xb2 24.e6 f6 d6 9.xd6 cxd6 10.xd6+ This game is 25.h5 f7 26.g5 xd6 27.xh7+ really a theoretical footnote - the safe and f8 28.h8+ e7 29.xg7+ f7 simple 30.xf7 d6 31.e5+ d8 32.xd6+ [ 10.xd6! should discourage black from c8 33.d7+ b8 34.c6+ 1-0 Eberle, tryin g this line ve ry of ten - it is ha rd t o J-Koenig, F/Nuremberg 1987 (34); believe that his temporary activity can be B) 8...a6 9.c4 b5 10.b3 f6 11.0-0 worth a pawn, even though black survived c5 12.dxc6 xc6 13.g5 e5 14.e2 after xd6 11.xd6+ e7 12.xe4 c8 c5 ( 14...a7 would prevent the Rh8 13.c3 f6 14.0-0-0 hd8 15.xd8 xd8 going, but black's real problem is that his 16.e2 h5 17.g3 h4 18.gxh4 h8 19.f3 king is caught in the center and subject to g4 20.g5 xh4 21.xe6 fxe6 22.xg4 attack - still, this looks a better try.) 15.f7 xg4 23.d2 e5 24.e2 g6 25.d1 e7 16.xh8 xh8 17.ad1 d4 a4 26.a3 h4 27.e3 f6 28.b3 h3 18.d5 xd5 19.c3 f4 20.cxd4 fxg3 29.f1 h5 30.f4 f7 31.f2 h3 21.xe4 gxh2+ 22.h1 d8 23.dxe5 32.d1 e7 33.g4 c3 34.e3 d6 e6 24.xh7 h6 25.xh6 gxh6 35.e2 f5 36.d3 c8 37.xf5+ exf5 26.d4 g6 27.fd1 ge7 28.f4 c8 38.e3+ f6 39.d2 h8 40.h3 h4 29.xd5 xd5 30.xd5 xd5 31.xd5 41.f3 g5 42.fxg5+ xg5 43.c4 f6 c2 32.d6 a5 33.f5 xb2 34.f6 xa2 44.d3 a6 45.b4 e5 46.e3+ d6 35.e6 f2 36.e7 f7 37.d8 e2 47.c3 f4 48.c5+ d5 49.d3+ e4 38.f8+ 1-0 Gallagher,J-Baker,C/ 50.d7 xh3+ 51.c4 xa3 52.xb7 f3 Barnsdale 1989/TD (38) ] 53.e7+ f4 54.c6 f2 55.f7+ g3 56.c7 f3 1/2-1/2 in Seret,J-Castro Rojas,O Nice 8...a6 9.xd7+ xd7 10.h3 f6 11.e2 [ 11.d1 0-0-0 12.d4 xd5 13.a7 c6 1974. ] 14.0-0-0 e6-+ ] 10...e7 11.xe4 b6 12.h5 f5 13.g5+ f7 14.d2 xb2 15.b1 xc2 16.gf3 11...xd5 12.xd5 xd5 13.d1 b5 14.c4 b4+ 15.f1 e5 16.g5 d6 17.h4 e8 17.xb7+ d7+ 0-0-0-+ 18.f7 e7 19.xh8 xh8 20.a3 0-1 a4 21.c5 xc5 22.xe5 g6 23.h2 e8 24.h5 e5 25.xe5 xe5 26.h3 e3 111 B00 27.c1 f4 28.c4 xf2+ 29.xf2 exf2 Rudd,Jack 2193 30.c1 e3 31.d1 f4 32.b3 c5 33.g3 Briggs,Philip J 2200 fxg3 34.xg3 xh5 35.e2 g5 36.f3 Smith & Williamson ch (5) 03.08.2001 f6 37.xf2 h2+ 38.g1 c2 39.b4 b6 40.d5 b7 41.a4 a2 42.a5 b5 43.f4 [Jon Tisdall] c2 44.f1 h6 45.e4 c6 46.d3 h5 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.d5 e5 47.e6+ b7 48.d7 c6 49.e8 h4 50.g2 c4 51.f7 xb4 52.e6 c4 5.f4 g6 6.g3 f5 7.b5+ 53.b6+ a7 54.h2 c3 [ 7.h3!? ] 7...d7 8.h5? This is just a primitive threat 0-1 and more likely to just lose time than break through. [ 8.h3 89
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 continuation stretches black hard to shake B00 off white's bind. ] Sax,Gyula 2563 Hummel,Markus 2173 23...e4 24.c3 e5 25.e1 a6 26.d6 [ 26.e7!? to take on e5 and keep pressure Open Pula CRO (1) 18.05.2001 on the seventh looks better. ] [Jon Tisdall] 26...g6 27.xd7 [ 27.xe5!? ] 1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.a3 f6 5.d3 c5 6.f3 c4 7.xc4 xe4 8.xe4 27...f8 28.d2?! [ 28.xe5 f2 29.g3!? looks unnecessarily xe4 9.d5 risky, but since the black rook cannot take [ 9.e2 led to a game of minimal theoretical on c2 due to the reply Bxg7, black will be interest as black replied with a series of pushed back. ] errors: xf3?! 10.xf3 d5? 11.b5+ d7 29.g1 c7 30.e5 e6 12.c4 d6 13.cxd5 exd5 14.xd5 e7+ 28...e4 15.e3 0-0 16.0-0 f6 17.f3 ac8 W ith his pieces all in play again, black is 18.ac1 e6 19.h3 h6 20.d3 xc1 fighting. 31.e3 g5 [ 31...f5!? 32.g3 d4 33.xe4 xc2!= ] 21.xc1 d8 22.c4 e7 23.g3 b8 24.g2 h7 25.h4 f8 26.d3 d7 32.g3 h5?! 33.h1 f5 34.h4 e6 27.c6 d6 28.f5 e7 29.e4 xe4+ 35.xe4 d4 36.c3 xe4 37.xe4 f1+ 30.xe4 e6 31.c2 f8 32.b7 c7 38.h2 f5 39.f4 xg3 40.xg3 b1 33.f3 e7 34.e4 f6 35.d3 e6 41.f2 g6 42.f4 f6 43.e4+ e6 36.e2 d7 37.d5 f8 38.d4 f6 39.h5 44.d3 h1 45.c4 xh4+ 46.xc5 g5 f7 40.c4 e7 41.xe7+ xe7 42.f4 47.c4 e4 48.f8 h4 49.b4 f4 50.e8+ d8 43.a4 e8 44.b5 b8 45.c6 d7 51.e5 g4 52.e2 f4 53.b5 g4 d6 46.a6 c7 47.d3 b8 48.b4 c7 54.e5 g3 55.h5 e6 56.h7 f7 49.a5 bxa5 50.bxa5 c8 51.c3 e7+ 57.xh4 f2 58.h7 xg2 59.xa7 a2 52.c5 b8 53.b4 d7 54.b5+ c8 60.g7 xa3 61.b4 f6 62.g8 d3 55.d6 f5 56.d5 a6 57.xa6+ d8 63.b6 58.c5 1-0 Rodriguez,R-Aaron,M Bangalore 1-0 1981. ] 9...f6 10.dxe6?! B00 [ 10.0-0!? deserved serious attention, 113 making black pay to get rid of the d5 point. Sermek,Drazen 2590 xf3 11.xf3 xf3 12.gxf3 exd5 13.e1+ Kozul,Zdenko 2565 e7 14.xd5 c6 15.g5 f6 16.f4 ] Rapid 1hr Solin-Spilt CRO rapid (18) 20.12.02 10...fxe6 11.e2 c5 12.0-0 0-0 13.g5!? [Glenn Flear] This leads to some amusing tactics. xf2+! No fear. 14.h1 b7 15.d3 h6!? An exciting untheoretical game in the St. [ 15...g6!? 16.xh7 h4! ( 16...xh7 George 1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5 3.d3 b7 17.h5+ g8 18.xg6 h4 19.h7+ ) 4.d2!? White usually plays 4 Nf3 and Qe2 17.g5 g7!? ] maintaining a solid centre which lays the 16.h7+! foundation for action on either wing. Sermek [ 16.h7 f3!! ( 16...h4 17.xf8 g3 has an ambitious idea in mind. d6 5.f4 18.h7+ ) 17.xf3 ( 17.gxf3 xf3-+ ) T h e b i g p a wn f r o n t r e q u i r e s a vi g o r o u s 17...xf3 18.g6 and while white is counter. e5! 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.fxe5 e7 t e m p o r a r i l y a f l o a t , t h e N h 7 d o e s n o t 8.e6!? inspire confidence. ] [ 8.gf3 g6 9.a4 softening up the black 16...h8 17.e4 xe4 18.xe4 h4 queenside is another idea ] 19.e2 c5 20.xc5 xf1+ 21.xf1 bxc5 8...fxe6 9.h5+ g6 10.gf3 e7 11.e5 22.f8+ h7 23.d2! 0-0 12.e4 [ 23.xc5 e1+ 24.g1 e2 reverses [ 12.xg6 hxg6 13.xg6 d5 would offer roles for minimal cost. The game Black a useful bishop pair and good 112
90
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e6 21.eg5? xc4! 22.e4 ac8 23.b1 h5 24.b3 b5 25.g4 fxg3 26.hxg3 c6 27.d3 c5 28.g4 h8 29.xc6 xc6 30.f5 g6 31.f4 a3 32.e5 c7 33.gf3 fc8 34.c4 xc4 0-1 Shabalov,A-Klinger,J/Werfen 1990. ] 7.e5 e4 [ 7...g4 leaves the knight misplaced in the long run: 8.f3 c5 9.bd2 0-0 10.0-0 e8 11.e1 b6 12.c4 c6 13.h3 h6 14.c2 e7 15.ac1 d7 16.c5 c7 17.d4 g5?? 18.e6!+- xg3 19.exd7 xf2+ 20.xf2 h4+ 21.f1 ed8 22.2f3 f6 23.e3 xd7 24.ce1 f8 25.e8 d8 26.xf8+ xf8 27.xg6 hxg6 28.e2 f5 29.e5 xe5 30.xe5 g3+ 31.e1 e4 32.b4 a5 33.a3 axb4 34.axb4 a8 35.e7 a1+ 36.e2 a2+ 37.f1 a1+ 38.e1 f8 39.xb7 g3+ 40.f2 e4+ 41.e2 1-0 Nippgen,GReichenbach,W/Oberursel 1972. ] 8.xe4 dxe4 9.xd8+ xd8 10.c3 f5 11.0-0-0+ c8 12.ge2 h5 13.h4 c5 14.d4 g4 15.d2 e8?! At high tempo agressivity tends to come out first, but by putting a premium on activity rather than threats to the e-pawn Black could likely have solved his problems: [ 15...d8!? 16.de2 e3!? ( 16...xd2 17.xd2 b4!? )] 114 B00 16.e6 Tempting, but the simple [ 16.xe4 xd4 17.xd4 xe5 18.e1 Shabalov,Alexander 2601 should favour white who has full Benjamin,Joel 2577 mobilization. ] ch-Playoff Seattle USA (2) 07.10.2000 16...xe6 17.xe6 xe6 18.hd1 b6 [Jon Tisdall] 19.b5 e7 20.xc7 White is banking on 1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 This game was played at this tactic to shatter the black position, but it a fast tempo, but Benjamin is not joking with turns out to be much trickier than it would putting his knight on c6. A quick data check appear. xc7 21.d8+ b7 22.xc7?! shows that "Shabba" has had some unhappy No w t h e a b se n ce o f p ro t e ct io n o f t h e f 4 experiences facing this move in the past. square turns out to be a vital dif f erence. 3.dxe5 xe5 4.f4 g6 5.g3 f6 6.d3 White should play [ 22.xa8 xa8 23.xc7 xf2 24.d7 ] d5 23.xd8 xf2 The e-pawn is [ 6...b4+ 7.c3 c5 8.e5 e7 9.e2 d5 22...xd8 10.xg6 hxg6 11.d2 g5 12.e4 b6 suddenly a real terror. 24.d7+ c8 25.xf7 13.0-0-0 f4 14.xf4 gxf4 15.f3 e3 26.g5? [ 26.e7! e2 ( 26...a5?? 27.d1 ) 27.b4 and it seems that white's grip on the centre f4!? allows black to fight on ( 27...e1+ should be worth something, but mutual 28.xe1 xe1 29.xa7 xh4 30.xg7 )] insecure kings and those bishops ... make life hard to predict. e6 16.c4 0-0 17.d5 26...e2 27.d2 e3! d6 18.hd1 h6 19.exd6 cxd6 20.xd6 0-1 development for the pawn ] 12...xf3!? An interesting exchange sacrifice that takes the sting out of white's attack. K o z u l r e l i e s o n h i s ( n o w) s a f e r k i n g f o r compensation. 13.gxf3 c6 14.g5 [ I t h i n k t h a t W h i t e s h o u ld p l a y 14.g5! when a continuation such as xg5 15.xg5 d5 16.e4 xe5 17.0-0-0 gives Black insufficient compensation ] 14...cxe5 15.0-0-0 d5 16.hg1! [ 16.b1 is too slow as after xd3 17.cxd3 ( or 17.xd3 f5 ) 17...f5 the pin on the fifth rank costs White material. ] 16...xd3+ 17.xd3 xa2 18.xe7! [ 18.c3 a1+ 19.b1 d6 is better for Black ] 18...a1+ 19.d2 xg1 20.g5 [ If 20.g5 then e5 is strong. ] 20...xe7 21.xh7+ f8 22.h8+? This loses instead [ 22.h5! w a s n e c e s s a r y w h e n g6 23.xg6 xh2+ 24.c1 g8 25.xe6+ h8 offers White at least a draw but perhaps no more. ] 22...g8 23.xe6+ e7 24.e3 f6 25.xg7+ xg7 26.xg7+ f7 27.f5 d8+ 28.e2 d5 0-1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 115 Shabalov,Alexander Blatny,Pavel 86th NY Masters (2) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2623 2452 06.01.2004
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 f6!? Braver then the more obvious 3.. .e6 . 4.e2 c6!? Dynamic stuff. A combination of the Owen's and the Knights Tan go! Bla tny has bee n playing this recently against strong opposition so must have faith in this eccentric development. 5.c3 e5 Black gains a stake in the centre and enables his knights to have stable squares from which to operate. 6.f3 d6 According to my database Blatny has had this position five times in the last year! Usually White will play d4-d5 at some point, but there is no consensus as to when it's most a p p r o p r i a t e . 7.0-0 It's worth comparing the game continuation with other tries as the 'main line' has yet to crystallize. [ 7.g5 e7 8.d5 b8 9.xf6 xf6 10.bd2 a6 11.c4 d7 12.e3 g6 was fine for Black in Kanovsky,D-Polak,T Brno 2003 ] [ 7.d5 e7 8.a4 a6 9.a5 c8 10.a3 d7 11.e3 g6 12.g3 e7 13.h4 h6 14.h5 led to White pressure in Al Modiakhi, M-Blatny,P Bermuda 2003. This may explain why Blatny now likes to meet d4-d5 with ... Nb8, and a4-a5 with bxa5, see the main game for instance. ] 7...d7 [ Otherwise 7...e7 8.d5 b8 9.a4 c6 10.c4 a6 11.c3 0-0 12.b3 c5 13.c2 a5 Kritz,L-Kunin,V Griesheim 2003 was solid. ] 8.a4 Played in order to obtain a concession from Black on the queenside. [ Against 8.a3 Blatny has tried a couple of ideas... e7 ( I prefer this to 8...h6 9.d1 a6 10.c4 e7 11.c2 g6 12.d5 g7 13.b4 db8 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.b3 0-0 16.a3 Mitkov,N-Blatny,P Lindberg 2003 which favoured White) 9.e3 f6 10.fd1 0-0 11.ac1 h8 12.b1 g8 13.b4 g5!? with interesting counterplay, Epishin,VBlatny,P Bastia 2003 ] [ 8.a6 c8 9.xb7 xb7 10.a4 g6 11.d5 e7 12.a5 g7 13.c4 0-0 14.c3
h6 15.e1 c5 16.e3 f5 and again Black had interesting play in Baklan,V-Blatny, P Bastia 2003 ] 8...e7 [ 8...a6!? was possible to meet a timely a4a5 with ...b5. ] 9.d5 cb8 10.a5 bxa5 White can't be allowed a major bind with a5-a6. 11.e3 [ Later on, recapturing the pawn proves to be h a r d e r t h a n yo u ' d e xp e c t , s o p o s s i b l y Shabalov should have stuck with 11.xa5 c6 12.dxc6 xc6 13.a1 where White has arguably the better structure, but Black isn't under any immediate pressure. ] 11...c6 12.c4 a6 13.bd2 ac5 14.a3 f5! An excellent counterstrike that disturbs W hite's hold on the centre. 15.exf5 0-0 16.e4?! [ If 16.dxc6 xc6 17.c2 then b8 with promising counterplay. Even so that would have been better than losing the d5pawn. ] 16...xe4 17.xe4 cxd5 18.cxd5 f6 19.b1 xd5 20.d1 h8 Black has the better chances in this complex middlegame. He has nominally an extra pawn but his main trump is a grip on the central area which White's pieces find hard to challenge. 21.d2 f6 22.b3?! [ 22.xa5 balances material, but after f4 23.e3 e7 Black is very comfortable. ] 22...c6 23.c1 c8 24.h4 Seeking to mix things on the kingside. It's dangerous to open the h-file in front of his king so Black prefers to concentrate his efforts where he is s t r o n g e s t . a4! White will again regret not having taken the a-pawn when it was hanging. 25.a3 b6 26.g5 Desperately putting all his eggs in the attacking basket. [ If 26.a2 then f4 takes the initiative. ] 26...xb2 27.a2 f4 28.g4 d4 29.e3 h5!? Exchanges help Black, but this move also deflects the White queen from his king. [ 29...b4 30.d2 d5!? was also possible ] 30.g3 d5 31.ac2 b7 Keeping it simple. The battle is won if he doesn't fall for any tricks. 32.xc8 xc8 33.xc8+ xc8 34.h2 e2 35.h3 d1 36.f7+ h7 37.f4 xb1 38.g5+ g8 39.f3 xg5 40.fxg5 f4 Giving back the piece to steer 92
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the game towards a winning ending. Also possible was [ 40...b5 41.g6 e4 42.xe4 e5+ ] 41.xf4 xf5 42.d5+ f7 43.xf7+ xf7 44.c1 g4 45.g3 g6 46.f2 e6 47.e3 d5 White never did get his a-pawn back! 0-1
116 Shabanov,Yuri Minasian,Artashes Aeroflot Open (1) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2463 2576 05.02.2002
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.e3 0-0 8.h3 h5 9.d2 xe2 10.xe2 [ 10.xe2 d5 11.e5 d7 12.f4 b6 13.g3 f5 14.exf6 xf6 15.c3 g6 16.g4 d7 17.ae1 ae8 18.f5 exf5 19.xf5 h8 20.h6 g7 21.xf8+ xf8 22.f4 d8 23.f2 xe1+ 24.xe1 e6 and black had no problems, 0-1 Szegi,VSafranska,A/Sala 1994 (42). ] 10...d5 11.e5 d7 12.f4 b4 [ 12...f5!? is probably the most reliable option, and had the Miles stamp of approval: 13.b3 ( 13.exf6 xf6 14.f3 b6 15.ad1 c4 16.c1 e7 17.b3 b6 18.b5 d7 19.a3 e7 20.xe7 xe7 21.e5 xe5 22.xe5 f7= 1-0 Leski,MMiles,A/San Francisco 1987 (37).) 13...a5 14.a4 f7 15.ad1 f8 16.c4 b4 17.a3 dxc4 18.axb4 cxb3 19.b5 b4 0-1 Checa,C-Miles,A/ Sevilla 1994 (48). ] 13.f3 c5 14.d1 [ 14.f5!? is the most energetic and critical response that could have brought white success the one time I have seen it tried: exf5 15.a3 cxd4 16.xd4 c6 17.xd5?! ( 17.xf5 ) 17...xd4? ( 17...dxe5= ) 18.xd4 g6 19.ad1 e8 20.e6 0-1 Klinova, M-Rooda,K/Hoogeveen 1999 (34). This possibility is another argument for adopting Miles' 12...f5. ] 14...cxd4 15.xd4 c5 16.f2 b6 17.c3 c6 This must be a relatively successful Fr e n c h -t y p e s t r u c t u r e f o r b l a c k . 18.ad1 ae8 19.a3 f6 20.b4 xd4 21.cxd4 e7
22.d3 fxe5 23.dxe5 d4 24.f2 [ 24.xd4 xd4+ 25.f2 xf4 26.xd7 f5 27.d3 g5 ] 24...d5 25.d2 c8 26.de1 c3 27.e4 a6 28.xd4 xa3 29.c1 a1 30.h2 xc1 31.xc1 a2 32.c4 xc4 33.xc4 a6 34.g3 g5 35.g2 gxf4 36.gxf4 b8 37.g3 f7 38.f3 c6 39.e4 e8 40.c1 f7 An odd place to stop - for example. [ 40...f7 41.e1 and the game continues. The score is probably not the whole story a n d t h e r e i s s o m e t yp e o f e r r o r i n t h e record. ] 0-1
117 Shavtvaladze,Nikoloz Remizov,Juri White Tower Open (5) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2314 2266 07.10.2000
1.e4 a6 This may not have quite the stamp of audacity it had before people like Miles did things like beat Karpov with it, but it still has that touch of daring, in the sense of daring your opponent to come and get you. 2.d4 b5 3.d3 b7 4.f3 f6 5.e2 e6 6.g5 c5 7.c3 cxd4 8.cxd4 [ 8.xd4 is an interesting alternative - this kind of pseudo-Sicilian structure poses black some different problems to solve as the standard methods of using the c-file as a springboard to counterplay do not apply with a white pawn on c3 instead of a N. This game rapidly loses its theoretical interest as black gets generous without reason. e7 9.d2 d6 10.0-0 bd7 11.f4 h6 12.h4 0-0 13.ae1 c5 14.b1 c8 15.a3 a5 16.xb5 a6 17.c4 a4 18.e5 dxe5 19.fxe5 e8 20.f2 b8 21.f3 b6 22.c2 g6 23.fd4 c7 24.c1 fc8 25.e3 g5 26.xg5 hxg5 27.xf7 xf7 28.xg6+ e7 29.xg5+ d7 30.g7+ d8 31.f6+ d7 32.g7+ d8 33.d1 b3 34.g5+ d7 35.g7+ d8 36.h1 xd4 37.xd4+ d5 38.f8+ d7 39.g7+ d8 40.g5+ d7 41.cxd5 xb5 42.dxe6+ c6 43.d6+ b7 44.xb6+ xb6 45.e3+ a6 46.d3 93
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d8 47.xb5+ xb5 48.h3 xb2 49.e7 e8 50.d3+ b5 51.d7 1-0 Sanchez Almeyra,J-Stranjakovitch,J/Cannes 1990 (51) ] 8...h6 9.h4 e7 [ 9...c6!? is more entertaining - the threat to gain the bishop pair with Nb4 is coupled with an idea of charging the g-pawn forward to undermine d4. 10.a3 ( 10.e5 a5+ ) 10...e7 ( 10...g5!? ) 11.bd2 g5! 12.g3 g4 13.h4 ( 13.e5 xd4 ) 13...xd4 14.d1 g8 15.e5 c6 16.c3 h5 17.g3 xh4 18.gxh4 xh4 19.e2 f4 20.f1 h3 21.c2 xf1+ 22.xf1 d6 23.e3 e5 24.d1 e7 25.f1 f3 26.g2 xg2 27.xg2 g5 0-1 Lazaridis, S-Moulin,P/ Groningen 1982. A thoughtprovoking little rout, and something to file away for future reference for ...a6 devotees. ] 10.a4 c6!? I can't help feeling I have seen this idea before, but I cannot produce any evidence to back this up. For the sacrificed pawn black gets a very nice pair of bishops and constant pressure against both white's central pawns, and on the b-file. [ 10...bxa4 11.xa4 allows white to claim a small plus - the rook supports the white c e n t r e , a n d t h e a - p a wn i s a l o n g t e r m target. ] 11.axb5 b4 12.xf6 to relieve the pressure against e4. [ 12.c3 axb5! ] 12...xf6 13.bxa6 xd3+ 14.xd3 b6 15.0-0 xa6 16.d2 0-0 17.c1 fb8 A long tactical sequence exploiting various p i n s a l o n g t h e a - f i l e i s o ve r . B l a c k h a s excellent compensation as it is very difficult to ward off the threats to white's pawns and keep the bishops from raking in and causing damage. 18.c2 b7 19.xa8 xa8 20.e5 [ 20.c3 a1+ 21.c1 xc1+ 22.xc1 xd4 23.xd4 xd4 24.c2 and black is better - strong bishop, nice compact and active position. But white's choice in the g a m e d o e s n ' t d o m u c h e xc e p t f u r t h e r expose his position. ] 20...e7 21.h3 e4 22.c1 a1 23.c3 xc1+ 24.xc1 xf3 25.gxf3 xd4 26.e1 c5 27.g2 b6 28.e3 xe3 29.fxe3 xe3 This should be a matter of
technique but black makes a very big meal of it indeed, and after prolonging white's agony to an amazing degree, he eventually lets him off the hook. 30.e2 g5 31.b4 f8 32.g3 e7 33.h4 f5 34.exf6+ xf6 35.hxg5+ hxg5 36.b5 e5 37.c3 d5 38.g4 d6 39.a4 d4 40.b6 c6 41.h5 d3 42.b2 d2 43.g6 f4 44.f6 e5 [ 44...xb6 45.xe6 c5 46.f5 d4 wins easily as white's king does not return in time. ] 45.f5 xb6 46.e4 c5 47.d3 d5 48.d1 e6 49.c3 f5 50.e2 g6 51.e4 f5 52.c5 e3 53.e4 f4 54.c3 c5 55.e4 b4 56.f2 a5 57.d3+ f5 58.f2 b6 59.e4 e3 60.c3 f4 61.d1 g6 62.e2 h5 63.e4 h4 64.xd2 xd2 65.xd2 h3 66.d3 h2 67.d2 h1 68.d1 ½-½
118 Shaw,John K Matin,Adam 4NCL [Andrew Martin]
B00 2433 2433 21.11.2004
1.e4 b6!? Why not? In actual fact the moveorder Black adopts is rather cunning. He's aiming for a Hippopotamus system but by playing ...b6 and ...Bb7 first he is trying to talk White out of aggressive systems involving f2-f4 and/ or Be3, Qd2. 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.f3 d6 5.d3 d7 6.0-0 g6 7.a4! John Shaw is a methodical, logical, classical player and he usually goes for a nagging edge with W hite rather than the quick attack. I underestimated 7 a4 and immediately made a bad move. g7? [ Of course 7...a6 is forced, I know that now. ] 8.a5 bxa5 Horrible. The more I looked at [ 8...e7 9.a6 c8 the less I liked it: 10.g5 ( 10.f4 0-0 11.d2 e5 12.h6! exd4 13.xg7 xg7 14.xd4 e5 15.f4 xd3 16.xd3 ) 10...h6 11.e3 0-0 12.d2 h7 13.fe1 The problem is that B la ck h a s n o go o d p a wn b re a ks in t h e centre, let alone the usual Modern idea of attacking and dismantling the centre as and 94
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 when necessary. I looked but I did not see. ] 9.e3 gf6 10.d2! I'm not sure how big W hite's advantage is here. It's in between substantial and life-threatening I think, and so I had to find some way to play on at the same time keeping some chances. I soon reconciled myself to the ultimate loss of the a7 pawn after that it was easier.. 0-0 11.b3 c6 [ The alternatives leave Black with nothing to do. At least in the game White has choices to make, it's still murky and he could go wrong. 11...b8 12.xa5 ] [ 11...b8 12.xa5 ] 12.xa5 c7 13.f4! These positions are so difficult to play because one is making original jud gem ent s on virtu ally e very move. Fo r instance should White take on b7 or not and then just play against the a pawn? For Shaw maybe that was the best approach although 13 f 4 cannot be wrong indeed it looks as though Black may be mated e.g. Qe1-h4 etc. Where is his counterplay coming from? [ 13.a2 fb8 14.f3 c8 15.fa1 ] 13...ab8 14.e2 a8 The first glimmer of light appears at the end of the tunnel. 15.b3 c5 16.dxc5 dxc5 17.a2 White is still playing very well and very logically too. He seems to have a total grip. I knew that playing passively would be useless and cast my eye over the position for an unusual idea. b4 18.d2 b8 The first stage is to get the big p i e c e s o u t o f e xp o s e d p o s i t i o n s . 19.c4 d5! For better or worse. At least Black is going down in flames. This came as a surprise to John Shaw. Chugging along without c o m p l i c a t i o n s wa s n o l o n ge r a n o p t i o n . 20.exd5 exd5 21.xd5 [ 21.e5 xe5 22.fxe5 d4 23.d2 dxc3 24.xc3 d5! is, I would say, unclear. Black is fighting. ] [ 21.fa1 dxc4 22.xc4 b6! ] 21...xd5 22.b3 e8 Now I was very happy. The game seemed to have utterly changed. S u d d e n ly W h i t e h a d t o m a ke a m a ss ive mental readjustment from attack to defence. Furthermore, in this inspired frame of mind, I had spotted an excellent combination. 23.d2 xc4 24.xc4 xc4!! Based on White's a wk wa r d p ie c e s. I t h i n k t h e id e a wo r ks : 25.xd7
[ 25.bxc4 xe3 transposes. ] 25...xe3! 26.bxc4 d4 27.h1 xf4! Shaw was visibly upset and who wouldn't be? The point is that he can't play 28 Rg1 due to 2 8 . . . B e 5 . T h e Q u e e n a n d Ra 2 a re ve r y remote indeed. 28.aa1 xa1 29.xa1 xc4 30.xa7 xc2-+ Some care is required in the endgame but it must be an easy win. 31.f1 c4 32.a8+ g7 33.a1+ d4 34.a7 f6 35.g1 e7 36.a1+ f6 37.h3 e2 38.h1 e5 39.a7+ h6 40.f7 e1 41.xe1 xe1+ 42.h2 e5+ 43.g3 e2+ 44.g1 d1+ 45.f2 d4+ 46.f3 c4 47.g4 [ For one horrible moment I thought I had been mated e.g. 47.f8+ g5! I'd seen this move some time ago of course but panic sets in when you are winning cleanly and the opponent gets even the slightest chance. ( 47...h5?? is the blunder of the year: 48.g4+ g5 49.h4+ xh4 50.h6# )] 47...d3+ 48.g2 g5 49.f8 e2+ 50.g3 e3+ 51.g2 c3 52.c8 h4 53.c7 xh3+ 54.f2 xg4 I will play 1... b6 again and this time with an early ...a6. What price 1 e4 b6 2 d4 Bb7 3 Nc3 ( 3 Bd3) a6!? . It's bound to gain time on the clock and the idea is the same e.g. ...d6,...Nd7 and only then ...g6,...Bg7,... Ne7 etc. 0-1
119 Shirov,Alexei Martinsen,Stig K Simul Bergen NOR (1) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2718 10.02.2001
It's not every day you get to see an offbeat defence against a very top player, and this kind of game is why - one should at least pick as reputable a line as possible. The game is not terribly interesting, but has a kind of historic appeal. 1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e6 6.d5 exd5 7.exd5 xf3 [ 7...e5 8.e2 xf3+ 9.xf3 xf3 10.xf3 e7 11.0-0-0 0-0 12.he1 e8 13.d4 d7 14.e2 c5 15.dxc6 bxc6 16.de1 d5 17.g4 ab8 18.h4 h6 19.f5 95
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xf5 20.gxf5 b4 21.xe8+ xe8 22.g1 e7 23.xa7 a8 24.e3 xh4 25.xh6 xf2 26.g2 d4 27.e2 e5 28.a3 a4 29.c3 e4 30.d4 xd4 31.cxd4 f6 32.a4 f7 33.d2 d6 34.f2 xd4 35.b3 c5 36.c3 d3 37.c2 c4 38.bxc4 dxc4 39.f4 d5 40.a5 xf5 41.b2 d6 42.a6 b5+ 43.c2 b6 44.a7 a6 45.b4 e6 46.c5 b5 0-1 Rotman,DDavid,A Geneve 1996. ] 8.gxf3!?N e5 9.f4 ed7 10.f3 e7?! 11.0-0-0 a6 12.e1 d8 13.g1 g8 14.d3 e7 15.h3 c5 16.xh7 xh7 17.xh7 f8 18.f5 f6 19.h4 xh4 20.h6 f6 21.xg7 xg7 22.xg7+ xg7 23.h8+ g8 24.h6+ g7 25.f6 1-0
120 Soylu,Suat Mestrovic,Zvonimir 6th HIT Open (7) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2376 2417 31.01.2001
A heavyweight theoretical duel from a full-time, die-hard Nc6-er. 1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e5 6.b5 d7 7.d5 cb8 8.h3 h5 9.g4 g6 10.h4 h5 Mestrovic follower should note that his choices here are based on long experience: [ 10...h6 11.h5 h7 12.g5 a6 ( 12...hxg5 13.xg5 a6 14.g4 g8 15.e6 fxe6 16.dxe6 xe6 17.xe6+ e7 18.g6+ f7 19.xf7+ xf7 20.c4+ e8 21.d5 d8 22.g5+ c8 23.0-0-0 c5 24.f3 b5 25.f1 c6 26.h3+ b7 27.c3 d8 28.c2 de6 29.xe6 xe6 30.dg1 h7 31.d2 c6 32.e3 f4 33.f5 e8 34.xf4 exf4 35.h4 d5 36.xf4 dxe4 37.fxe4 xh5 38.xg7+ xg7 39.d6+ b6 40.xe8 h2+ 41.b1 h6 42.f1 e2 43.d6 a5 44.f5 g5 45.g1 e3 46.g6 c5 47.e6 c7 48.e5 e4 49.c2 d7 50.d3 e1 51.d4 d1+ 52.e4 e1+ 53.f5 f1+ 54.e4 e1+ 55.f5 f1+ 56.g6 e1 57.f6 f1+ 58.g6 e1 59.a3 b4 60.axb4 axb4 61.f7 e4 62.b3 b6 63.cxb4 xb4 64.f6 e4 65.e6+ c7 66.f3 e3 67.d2 xd2
68.e7 c5 69.e8 xe8 70.xe8 c6 71.d3 b4 72.d8 c4 73.f7 c5 74.e6 c3 75.b3 a5 76.a8 c7 77.a4 b5 78.c4 d8 79.d5 g5 80.e4 c2 81.xc2 b4 82.b2 c3 83.b1 e7 84.d5 a3 85.c6 c2 86.b4 1/2-1/2 Jonkman,H-Mestrovic,Z Wijk aan Zee 1999.) 13.f1 b5 14.a3 c5 15.g6 fxg6 16.hxg6 xg6 17.xc5 dxc5 18.xe5 g5 19.xg6 xg6 20.h3 e7 21.f5 g5 22.h5+ xh5 23.xh5 d7 24.g6+ d8 25.e5 g5 26.e4 f4 27.f5 xe5 28.0-0-0 f8 29.xc5 xf5 30.e6+ e7 31.xf5 f6 32.h3 b6 33.f4 d6 34.f5 g8 35.c3 h5 36.c2 c4 37.g1 e3+ 38.d3 xd5 39.g6+ e5 40.g2 e7 41.xg7 xg7 42.xg7 h4 43.h3 d5 44.e6 b6 45.g5 e7 46.e6 d6 47.b3 d7 48.c4 e5+ 49.c3 bxc4 50.bxc4 c5 51.f4 f3 52.d3 g5 53.g6 a5 54.a4 g1 55.g2 h3 56.d5 h2 57.g2 h3 58.e2 f6 59.f3 g1+ 60.g3 e2+ 61.xh2 c3 62.g3 xa4 63.e4 c3 64.c2 a4 65.f3 a3 66.b3 a2 67.xa2 xa2 68.f8 b4 69.e4 c6 70.e6 e5 71.f4 xc4 72.xc5 xc5 73.e4 e5 74.e3 d5 75.f4 d4 76.g3 e3 77.g2 d3 78.g3 f2 79.g2 e4 80.f1 d2 81.g2 e2 82.g1 f3 83.f1 h4 84.f6 f2 0-1 Medvegy,NMestrovic,Z Budapest 1999. ] 11.g5 e7 And here is the sensible new move. Black reserves the option of kicking the Bb5 with ...c6. [ 11...a6 12.f1 b5 13.d2 e7 14.g1 c8 15.a4 b4 16.a2 b7 17.c3 a5 18.cxb4 axb4 19.b5 0-0 20.xb4 c5 21.f3 h7 22.b3 f5 23.e2 g8 24.0-0-0 f4 25.xc5 dxc5 26.c6 d6 27.c4 d7 28.g2 f7 29.h3 e8 30.g2 a8 31.a2 b8 32.6xe5 xe5 33.xe5 f5 34.exf5 xe5 35.f6 d7 36.xd7 a5 37.c2 b4 38.e6 c3 39.xf7+ 1-0 Piket,J-Mestrovic,Z Sremic Krsko 1998. ] 12.g1 c6 13.dxc6 [ 13.f1!? must be more testing - taking on c6 seems illogical. cxd5 14.xd5 c6 15.h3 ] 13...bxc6 14.e2 c7 15.d2 c5! 96
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.xc5 dxc5 17.c4 d7 18.d3 b6 T h e d 4 s qu a r e give s b la c k co u n t e r p l a y. 19.g3 xc4 20.xc4 d8 21.d3 0-0 22.d1?! c4 23.xc4 d4 24.e3 a5+ 25.c3 xe4 26.e2?! [ 26.d1 ] 26...b8 27.b3 a6+ 28.f3 c5 29.ge1 e8 30.ad1 xe3 31.fxe3 g4 32.h2 e4+ 33.f2 c5!? Preferring to attack to winning the queen, when white can hit f 7 a n d ge t s a b it o f p e a ce a n d qu ie t . 34.d5 xd5 35.xd5 e6 36.e4 c4 37.d2 f5 38.e3 fxe4-+ 39.e2 f4 40.d1 a6 41.e2 xa2 42.e1 ef8 43.d1 xh4 44.g2 g4 45.g3 xg3 46.xg3 xb2 0-1
121 Sprenger,Jan Michael Ristic,Alexandre Open Metz FRA (3) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2326 2155 09.04.2001
1.e4 a6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.c3 [ 4.c4 d8 5.f3 f6 6.e2 e6 7.0-0 c5 8.e3 cxd4 9.xd4 e7 10.c3 0-0 11.c2 bd7 12.fd1 c7 13.h3 b6 14.ac1 b7 15.a3 ac8 16.b4 b8 17.a2 a8 18.f1 e5 19.a4 d8 20.f4 g6 21.g5 b8 22.xf6 gxf6 23.c5 b5 24.c3 h8 25.ce2 d5 26.d2 e5 27.c3 c7 28.g3 cd8 29.e1 f4 30.xf4 xf4 31.de2 g6 32.d1 f5 33.h5 c4 34.cc1 e5 35.xd8 xd8 36.c3 xc3 37.xc4 d2 38.c2 bxc4 39.xc4 e5 40.c2 c6 41.f1 h6 42.f4 g7 43.g4 fxg4 44.hxg4 g8 45.g2 f8 46.g3 d3+ 47.h4 h6 48.f5 c3 49.e2 d4 50.f4 d1 51.e3 d2 52.e4 xf4 53.xf4 h1+ 54.g3 e2+ 55.g2 xf4+ 56.xh1 e5 57.g1 d5 0-1 Martin, AGorbatow,A Schwarzach 1999. ] 4...d6 Most games reach this position via the Scandinavian/Centre Counter move order (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 a6) so one could argue that we are straying out of our territory a bit. It is worth doing a quick mention nonetheless, and I know that as
esteemed a personage as David Bronstein has toyed with the black side of this system, though I could not locate games of his that I am sure I saw with my own eyes... [ 4...d8 5.f3 f6 6.g5 e6 7.d3 e7 8.e2 c6 9.d1 b4 10.0-0 xd3 11.xd3 0-0 12.fd1 c6 13.e5 d5 14.xe7 xe7 15.g3 xc3 16.bxc3 f6 17.d3 d6 18.e3 b6 19.f3 a5 20.f2 a6 21.e1 fe8 22.b1 ab8 23.e4 c7 24.d2 d6 25.e4 c7 26.d2 d6 27.e4 1/2-1/2 Timoshchenko,GGorbatow,A Arco 1999. ] 5.ge2 [ 5.c4 f6 6.ge2 b5 7.b3 b7 8.f4 d7 9.0-0 e6 10.d3 c5 11.dxc5 xc5 12.g3 0-0 13.ad1 c6 14.e5 h8 15.f4 bd7 16.d3 xe5 17.xe5 e8 18.e2 e4 19.h3 d8 20.c3 xd1 21.xd1 f6 22.d3 a7 23.b3 e5 24.b4 a5 25.d5 xf2 26.xf2 c8 27.h4 g5 28.h6 axb4 29.cxb4 e7 30.a3 d8 31.c3 e6 32.f1 xf2 33.xe6 xe6 34.xf2 g8 35.g1 b6+ 36.f1 d4 37.h3 f4+ 38.e1 f2+ 39.d1 f1+ 0-1 Wegener,D-Mozes, E Budapest 1993. ] 5...b5!? [ 5...g4 6.h3 f5 7.f4 d8 8.g3 g6 9.f3 c6 10.0-0-0 f6 11.d5 This does not look worth repeating for black. b8 12.d3 bd7 13.he1 xd3 14.xd3 c5 15.d2 d7 16.d6 cxd6 17.xd6 c8 18.xf6 gxf6 19.d5 e6 20.xe6 fxe6 21.h5+ d8 22.b6 c6 23.xa8 xg2 24.c7 g1+ 25.d2 xf2+ 26.e2 e5 27.e6+ d7 28.e3 g2 29.c5+ c7 30.f7 g8 31.e6+ d6 32.c5+ d7 33.xf8+ xf8 34.d5+ c7 35.e6 d8+ 36.e3 d7 37.xe7 xe7 38.xe7 e8 39.xf6 e6 40.g7 e7 41.f6 e6 42.g7 1/2-1/2 Drasko,M-Gorbatow,A Arco 1999. ] [ 5...f6 6.f4 d8 7.g3 e6 8.g2 d6 9.d2 bd7 10.0-0-0 b6 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 d5 13.e5 f6 14.g2 xe5 15.dxe5 xd2+ 16.xd2 g4 17.f4 b8 18.f3 h5 19.h3 e3 20.d3 f5 21.hd1 e7 22.c3 c6 23.cd3 f6 24.h4 a5 25.a4 a8 26.e4 h6 27.f3 f7 28.e3 d7 29.d4 fxe5 30.fxe5 97
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 af8 31.e2 g5 32.hxg5 fg8 33.f4 xg5 34.e2 h4 35.gxh4 xh4 36.f1 h6 37.d3 b6 38.b3 c5 39.f4 c6 40.d2 h2 41.e1 h6 42.f2 g1+ 43.d2 gg2 44.xg2 xg2 45.d1 f5 46.e1 f3+ 47.c1 d4 48.xf3 xf3 49.d1 e2 50.b2 d4 51.c1 d7 52.b1 c6 53.b2 b5 54.axb5+ xb5 55.c3 h2 56.b2 c4 57.bxc4+ xc4 58.e1 e2 59.a1 c6 60.d3 b4 61.xb4 xb4 62.h1 xe5 63.h4+ c5 64.c3 d5 65.b3 e5 66.c3 d6 67.c4+ d5 68.a4 a6 69.c2 c5 70.b3 a8 71.c4+ d5 72.a4 e4 73.c2 e5 74.d2 f4 75.e2 c8 76.xa5 xc3 77.a6 c2+ 78.d1 b2 79.a3 f2 80.e1 f3 81.a8 b3 82.h8 a3 83.e2 a2+ 84.e1 a3 85.e2 1/2-1/2 Ghinda,M-Sygulski,A Potsdam 1985. ] 6.f4 d7 7.a4 b4 8.e4 f6 9.2g3 xe4 10.xe4 d5 11.f3 c6 12.xc7 xd4 13.b6 [ 13.c3 bxc3 14.bxc3 c6 ] 13...e5 14.c3 bxc3 15.bxc3 f5 16.d2 e6 17.a5 f4 [ 17...c5 18.c4! ] 18.c4 c6 [ 18...d3+ 19.f1 d6 20.b3 ] 19.0-0 c5+ 20.xc5 xc5+ 21.h1 e6 22.b3 e7 23.g3 [ 23.b6!? ] 23...ab8 24.a3 xa3 25.xa3 b2 26.xe6 xe6 27.c4 ½-½
W ith a dynamic posting thanks to the p re m a t u r e d 4 -d 5 . 10.c3 0-0 11.a4 Pushing the bishop away but at the cost of a misplaced knight. d6 12.e3 At this point, White may well have had plans of a queenside pawn expansion, but he isn't given time to consolidate... cxd5 Ivanov has a combination in mind but I wonder if [ 12...e7 is b e t t e r e . g . 13.ac1 cxd5 14.cxd5 xd5! 15.exd5 e4 with a good game. ] 13.cxd5 xd5!? Aiming to simplify and damage White's centre. The piece is regained, but does this lose a pawn? 14.exd5 e4 15.c3?! Unambitious. The attempt at refutation involves [ 15.xe4 xe4 16.xb6! when Black has some play for the pawn but nothing concrete e.g. axb6 ( or 16...e7 17.fe1 fe8 18.e3 b4 19.ed1 ) 17.xe4 e8 18.d4 f4 19.c3 ] 15...exf3 16.xf3 e5 17.e2 eg4! [ After 17...xd3 18.xd3 g4 19.h3 xe3 20.xe3 I would also prefer Black slightly, but the text leaves an extra pair of minor pieces on the board and thus enables Black to gain more pressure. ] 18.h3 xe3 19.xe3 e8 20.f3 e5 21.ac1 c8 Opposite bishops are often misunderstood. The standard obsession with drawish endgames masks the fact that with oth er p ie ces o n th e b oa rd t hey can b e a powerful force for the player with the initiative. Here dark-square play is more relevant as W hite's isolated d-pawn (stuck on a light square) is more of a liability than an asset. Indeed the simple plan of ...Rc5 and ...Qc7 122 B00 p u t s i t ' s l i f e i n i m m i n e n t d a n g e r . 22.a6 Stein,Alex 2362 Not an ideal square, but at least in this way Ivanov,Alexander 2590 White holds onto the d-pawn. c5 23.fd1 Cutting the bishop off from the rest of 7th Foxwoods Open (5) 25.03.2005 b5! W hite's forces. 24.d6 Enabling the queen to [Glenn Flear] come to the rescue. [ 24.xb5?? xc3 ] 1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 f6 4.e2 c6 [ 24.xb5 is possible but Black then obtains 5.c3 e5 6.d5 An imprecision which already a strong initiative with xc1 25.xc1 a5 suggests that W hite was not prepared for 26.a3 d2! ] Black's opening. [ After 6.f3 d6 W h a t e l s e ? 7.d5 24...a5 25.b7? Right square, wrong piece. Black's dark-squared bishop cannot be Better is [ 25.b7 e.g. b4 26.e4 xc1 27.xc1 developed outside of the pawn chain. ] when although Black has good chances to 6...e7 7.f3 g6 8.0-0 c6! 9.c4 c5 98
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 pick off a pawn in the complications, there would then be opposite bishops.. .. Naturally one shouldn't get 'obsessed' with the idea, but you never know, they could offer drawing chances to White! ] 25...c6! 26.xb5 b6 27.c7 xb5! Two pieces for the rook is adequate for the win. [ N o t h o w e v e r 27...xc3? 28.xd7! and W hite's d-pawn would be converted from a burden into a decisive passed pawn. ] 28.xb5 xb5 29.xa7 xb2 30.a4 b4! [ Instead 30...xd6 is also not bad, but the t e x t l e a d s t o a d e c i s i ve w e a k e n i n g o f White's kingside. ] 31.a5 f4 32.g3 f3 33.e3 a8! A great square combining attack with the slowing down of the a-pawn. 34.a3 e4 35.a6 g5! Now it becomes clear why provoking g2-g3 was so important. The lightsquares around white's king are indefensible. 36.f4 d4+ 37.xd4 f3+ 38.f2 xd4 The threat of ...Re2+ is too strong. 39.e1? Resigning before playing this move is less humiliating. 0-1
36.e3 a5 37.a3 g6 38.f2 h5 39.f4 g4 40.h4 f5 ½-½
124 Ter Sahakyan,S Petrosian,TL 74th ch-ARM 2014 (9.4) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2574 2654 21.01.2014
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.c3 f6 4.d4 e5!? A ve ry un u su al ch oice, a t t his p oin t, b u t certainly a reasonable option. Black transposes to a sideline of the Scotch Four Knights (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 and now 4...d6!?). However the move order from the Nimzovich, as here, looks more logical! [ By opting for 4...g6 Black seeks a type of Pirc Defence. The knight on c6 (so early) is slightly unusual, but White's 'classical' setup isn't particularly aggressive. 5.e3 g7 6.d2 g4 7.e2 0-0 8.0-0 d5!? 9.exd5 xd5 10.xd5 xd5 11.h3 f5 12.c4 a5 Bjornsson, Si-Kristjansson, St Icelandic league 2013, lef t W hite with only a tiny space advantage. ] [ The main line here is 4...g4 5.e3 e6 123 B00 6.h3 when White is able to keep a pull e.g. h5 7.d5 exd5 8.exd5 e5 9.g4 xf3+ Teixeira,Ricardo da Silva 2341 10.xf3 g6 11.0-0-0 e7 12.d4 Lima,Darcy 2525 ( White has also scored well with the plan of 67th ch Teresina BRA (8) 14.12.2000 12.g2 followed by f2-f4) 12...h6 13.h4 [Jon Tisdall] Kapnisis, S-Papadatos, I Paleochora 2013. ] Avoiding ...Bg4 and thus maintaining a A solid and uninspired Hippopotamus - worth 5.h3 c o m p a r i n g wi t h t h e e f f o rt s o f M i l e s a n d space edge. e7 [ Here 5...exd4 makes sense (after White McShane. A good illustration of how even the h a s s p e n t a t e m p o o n t h e s lo w h 2 - h 3 ) oddest of openings can look distinctly 6.xd4 and then g6 gives a dynamic game respectable if enough care is exercised by that could have transposed from a Scotch, both sides. 1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 a Philidor, or Three Knights opening! The 4.ge2 d6 5.g3 g6 6.g2 g7 7.e3 d7 8.d2 h6 9.h4 h5 10.0-0-0 e7 11.f3 b8 following involves both sides playing principled moves: 7.g4! g7 8.de2 h5! 12.f4 a6 13.g4 f6 14.gxh5 xh5 9.g5 h7 10.f4 f6 11.h4 fxg5 12.hxg5 15.xh5 xh5 16.e2 h7 17.f4 d7 g4 Vajda, L-Lu Shanglei, Golden Sands 18.h5 gxh5 19.xh5 h8 20.xg7 xh1 2012, with chances for both sides. ] 21.xh1 xg7 22.f1 h8 23.xh8 xh8 24.c4 h1 25.g2 xg2 26.xg2 d5 6.d5 [ 6.b5!? looks more like it originated from a 27.cxd5 exd5 28.h3+ d8 29.e5 c8 Spanish, Old Steinitz Variation, e.g. 1.e4 e5 30.f1 f5 31.g5+ d7 32.h3 c6 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 etc). d7 7.d5 b8 33.xf5 xf5 34.d2 b5 35.c3 c5 99
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 8.xd7+ ( if W hite retreats with 8.d3 B l a c k c a n h i t b a c k a n y w a y w i t h c6 ) 8...bxd7 9.e3 c6 10.d3 a5 11.0-0 cxd5 12.exd5 0-0 13.d2 a6 14.a4 fc8= Sredojevic, I-Todorovic, GN Serbian league 2011. ] 6...b8 7.g3!? White breaks new ground already! [ Other moves have been tried here, but it certainly isn't clear where the light-squared bishop is best placed. Here is an example: 7.e3 c5 8.dxc6!? (I might have been tempted to leave the structure intact and play a sort of Old Benoni with a space edge) bxc6 9.c4 0-0 10.0-0 a6 11.xa6 xa6 12.e2 c8 13.ad1 c7= Nanu, C-Rasinaru, G Deva 1998. ] 7...0-0 8.g2 c6 9.dxc6 bxc6 10.0-0 bd7 11.b3 A second fianchetto by White in an erstwhile classical opening is a rare o c c u rre n c e . c5 12.e1 e8= 13.b2 I'm not a great fan of placing a bishop on b2 against the d6-e5 wall, especially as f2-f4 looks a long way off. Nevertheless, it essentially stops Black seeking any pawn breaks, so the players both go into m a n o e u vrin g m o d e . b8 14.e2 f8 15.ad1 c7 16.e3 a5 17.a3 b7 18.h2 bd8 19.g4 Not really worrying. xg4 20.hxg4 c8 21.g5 g4 22.f3 h3 23.g2 h5 24.c1 [ More enterprising than offering a repetition with 24.f3 but also suggesting that b2 wasn't such a great square after all. ] 24...e7 25.f4!? The tension mounts as W h i t e go e s f o r ki n g sid e e xp a n si o n . e6 26.f2?! [ A f t e r t h e m o r e s o l i d 26.e2 xe2 27.xe2 chances would have been balanced, but as W hite isn't then going anywhere on the kingside this wouldn't have been a very coherent follow-up to his previous move. ] 26...f6!? It's a wise idea to nibble away at White's pawns before he gets settled. [ However it might have been better to have gone about this task in a diff erent way: 26...exf4 27.gxf4 h6! as 28.gxh6 dro ps m ate rial t o h4 29.e2 c5+ 30.e3 xe1 ] 27.gxf6 xf6 28.f5 g5?!
[ More natural is occupying the outpost with 28...d4! ] 29.e2 f7 30.a4 White has the 'threat' of playing c2-c4 with a bind, so Black is 'honour bound' to pre-empt this with his next move. d5! 31.c5 c8 32.e3 h6 33.c4! Forcing Black's hand. d4!? A committal move, b u t o n e t h a t sh o u ld b e go o d e n o u gh f o r equality. 34.c1 a7 35.d3 c5 36.a4!? A safe positional choice. White stabilizes the queenside and now prepares to lay siege to c5, noting that e5 and a5 will also require attention from his opponent. On the other hand, b3 and e4 will remain W hite's weak spots. [ 36.b4 axb4 37.axb4 cxb4 38.xb4 is more double-edged. ] 36...b6 37.c2 b7 38.e2 b8 39.a3 c6!? Sharpening the struggle. [ After 39...ec8 40.b1 I can't see how either player would be able to make progress. ] 40.b1 xa4 41.xc5 b7 42.d6!? [ Possibly 42.b4 xb3 43.xb3 axb4 44.c5!? when I think that White's pieces are slightly better than his opponent's, although m y co m p u t e r o n ly c o n sid e rs t h is t o b e equal. ] 42...xb3 43.c1 c6? Sacrificing the exchange, but not in the best manner. [ Promising is 43...bc8!? 44.a3 ( after 44.c5 xc5 45.xc5 a4 White may miss his knight) 44...a4 45.c5 ( 45.xa4 xa4 46.xb7 xc4 leaves Black a clear pawn ahead ) 45...xc5 46.xc5 c8 and Black has excellent compensation for the exch a n ge , e sp e cia lly a s t h e d -p a wn is mobile. ] 44.xb8 xb8 45.c5 a4 46.eb2 b5 47.f1 The presence of the knight on d3 (rather than a bishop, see the previous note) limits Black's options. So it seems that White is the one seeking a way to make progress. c8 48.d1!? b8 49.c1! xd1? Not good. [ However 49...xc5 50.xb3 axb3 51.xb3 looks prospectless for Black. ] 50.xb5 xb5 51.xb5 f8 52.b7 The c-pawn is going to be more dangerous than the a-pawn, although having the only rook helps! e8 53.d3 c2 54.c6 xd3 100
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 55.b8+ e7 56.c7 a6 57.c8 xc8 58.xc8 Ter Sahakyan has noticed that the apawn is going to drop. d6 59.f2 a3 60.a8 c5 61.xa3 b4 62.a7 c5 63.e2 b6 64.a1 There is no immediate breakthrough, so W hite will have to think something up on the light squares. This will involve improving all his pieces one after another. f7 65.d3 d6 66.b1+ c5 67.f3 b5 68.h5 c3 69.b2 a4 70.b1 d6 71.f3 c6 72.c1+ b5 73.b1+ c6 74.b4 c5+ 75.c4 d7 76.h5 b6+ 77.d3 c5 78.b1 a4 79.e8 Finally the bishop is ready to take on a more active role, thus limiting Black's knight to a certain extent. c3 80.a1 b4 81.c6 c5 82.d5!? b4 [ 82...xd5? makes life easy for White after 83.a5+ ] 83.a8 d1 84.b8+ c5 85.c8+ b4 86.c4+ b5 There is no apparent Zugzwang and no pawn breaks available, so White will need all three pieces to squeeze away at Black's king. This takes time, indeed, lo t s o f t i m e ! 87.c2 g5 88.c7 f6 89.b7+ c5 90.b1 f2+ 91.e2 g4 92.b3 g5 93.c2 c4 94.b7 f6 95.c7+ b5 96.d3+ b6 97.d7 e3 98.d2 c6 99.a7 g4 100.c2 f2 101.a1 g5 102.a6+ b7 103.e6 f6 104.e2 h1 [ 104...xe4?? 105.f3 ] 105.g4 It was 44 moves since the last pawn mo ve , s o it wa s a bo ut tim e! No w h e h a s another 50 moves to try and make further inroads. f2 106.f3 c7 107.a6 e7 [ More natural is 107...b7 ] 108.a7+ d6 109.b3 f6 110.c4 The king is advancing up the board. This finally feels like progress. c6 111.a6+ b7 112.a2 h3 113.g2 f4 114.f1 b6 115.a1 e7 116.a8 b7 117.a5 f6 118.b5 e7 119.a2 f6 120.a1 c7 121.c1+ d6 122.b6 d8+ 123.b7 e7?! [ Better is 123...f6! 124.c6+ ( 124.c8!? ) 124...e7 125.c4 d7 126.b5 e7 127.c7 and White probes away, but hasn't found a chink in the armour...yet! ] 124.c8 Black is now too tangled and soon
drops the e-pawn. e8 125.b5+ e7 126.c5 b6 [ After 126...d6 127.c6+ e7 128.a6 Black is in Zugzwang. ] 127.xe5+ For the record, it was 66 moves s i n c e W h i t e l a s t c a p t u r e d a p a w n ! d6 128.e8 d3 129.e5+ d5 130.f6 gxf6 131.exf6 d2 A race, but one that Black will not win. 132.a4 c5 133.d7! [ Less clear is 133.f7 g6 134.b3+ d4 135.d7 f8+ as White's king doesn't have an easy route to the kingside. ] 133...g6 The f8-square is covered, but Black's knight is not comfortable here. 134.b3+ d4 135.e6 f4+ 136.f7 Now Kf7-g7xh6 is a threat. g2 137.d1 e3 138.f3 d3 [ 138...d1 goes down to 139.xd1 xd1 140.d8+ ] 139.g6 d1 140.d8+ d4 141.xd1 c4 [ 141...xd1 142.f7 ] 142.e2+ Time to call it a day! 1-0
125 Therkildsen,Thomas Philippe,Christophe IM Le Touquet FRA (7) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2108 2357 31.10.2001
1.e4 c6 2.f3 f5 3.exf5 d5 4.h4 The attempt at outright refutation option. This generally leads to massive chaos and black's outnumbered forces very active. Despite this, I have a feeling a cool head should be able to t a ke t h e m o n e y a n d ru n , b u t p ro vid e a n overview of games in the line to help arm potential players of either side of this line. e5 5.h5+ g6 6.fxg6 f6 7.g5 [ 7.g7+ xh5 8.gxh8 xh4 A) 9.c3 f5 10.g3 d4 11.e2 0-0-0 12.b5 e4 13.f3 xc2 14.g8 a6 15.d1 c5 16.f7 d7 17.xh5 axb5 18.a3 d4 19.g5 e4 20.e3 g7 21.fxe4 e8 22.d3 dxe4 23.dxe4 h3 24.d2 xb2 25.c3 xe4 26.xb2 xe3+ 27.e2 e7 28.d1 b4 29.axb4 xb4 30.a8+ d7 31.h8 f5 32.f1 g6 33.f3 e7 34.d3 f7 35.f5+ 101
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 59.e8+ d7 60.e3 g2+ 61.f7 d6 36.xh7 d5 37.d3 e1+ 38.c2 g1 62.d3+ c7 63.f8 f1 64.f7 e2+ 39.c1 e1+ 40.d1 e2 g1 65.d5 c6 66.d4 c7 67.e7 41.d7+ 1-0 Lambert, A-Mueller,H GER e1+ 68.f6 f1+ 69.e6 c6 1996.; 70.c4+ b7 71.c5 1-0 Lalic,S-Toll,A B) 9.b5 e4+ 10.f1 f4 ( 10...h3 St Heliers 1997.; 11.g1 0-0-0!? ) 11.f3 f5 12.d4 g6 C2) 10...d8 11.g3 ( 11.d3 f4 13.xh7 xc2 14.c3 f5 15.xd5 12.g8 e8 13.xf4 xf4 14.a3 d1+ 16.f2 xd4+ 17.e3 0-0-0 e6 15.g3 xa3 16.xf4 exf4 18.d1 c5 19.xd8+ xd8 20.c4 17.bxa3 xc2+ 18.d2 xa1 19.e2 d4 21.h5 e7 22.e1 d7 23.h7 d4 20.f3 d7 21.xa1 h8 22.e1 ec6 24.e4 b4+ 25.e2 d6 26.a3 c5 23.e4 f8 24.e5 d6 25.g5 d4+ 27.f2 c5 28.b4 b6 29.b2 b5 26.g6 e5 27.g7 f7 28.g8 1-0 Samoilov,I-Ferencz,I Budapest 1998.; c4 29.b8 a6 30.a8 c7 31.xa6 C) 9.xh7 d4 10.g6+ ( 10.c3!? c3+ 32.c2 xa2 33.h6 b3+ g4? 11.xd5 f5 12.xh5+ xh5 34.c1 a7 35.d1 xa3 36.h5+ 13.f6+ e7 14.xh5 xc2+ 15.d1 d6 37.xb3 xb3 38.f5 b2 xa1 16.d3 a5 17.g5+ f7 18.e2 39.xf4 e5 40.f8 b4 41.b8 xf2 e6 19.a3 b3 20.g3 c5 21.e3 42.xb4 xg2 43.b5+ f4 44.h5 d4 22.c2 a6 23.e4 c6+ 24.b1 f2 0-1 Pavasovic,D-Gross,G Bled d5 25.f3 xe4 26.xe4 b6 1995. ) 11...g4 12.xg4 xg4 13.d3 27.d5+ e7 28.xb3 xb3 29.xd4 ( 13.g2 xc2+ 14.f1 xa1 exd4 30.c2 b5 31.e1+ f7 32.e4 15.xd5 c6-+ 16.g2 f5 17.c3 d5 33.h4 c5 34.a4 f5 35.f3 f8 d3+ 18.g1 c2 19.e4 e1 36.b3 f7 37.c4 1-0 Salmensuu,O20.xd3 xd3 21.g2 f6 22.f3 c5 Porrasmaa,T Helsinki 1997.; 10.d3?! e4 23.h4 e7 24.g4 g8 25.h5 xh5 11.g6+ d8 12.g8 e7 13.b3 e6 26.xh5 f4+ 27.h2 xh5 28.gxh5 14.a3+ d7 15.h7+ g7 16.c3 f5 h8 29.d3 xh5+ 30.g2 d4 17.g3 g4 18.h3 f3 19.xh5 xh5 31.e2 e6 32.f4 h8 33.fxe5 xe5 20.g4 xg4 0-1 Berg,E-Johansson,R 34.f3 d5 35.f4+ xf4 36.xf4 a5 Stockholm 1994. ) 37.e2 b5 38.a3 h3 39.e3 h2+ C1) 10...e7 11.d3 f4 12.xf4 40.f2 c5 41.e3 a4 42.f3 c4 ( 12.g3 f6 13.d1 f5 14.f3 43.dxc4+ xc4 0-1 Sorsa,N-Kiik,K Pori h4 15.g3 f5 16.f3 h4 17.g3 1997. ) 13...e4 14.c3 f3+ 15.f1 1/2-1/2 McAleer,J-Toll,A Viborg 1996.) h3+ 16.e2 g2 17.d1 exd3+ 12...xf4 13.c3 xc2+ 14.d1 b4 18.xd3 d7 19.c2 e8 20.d3 15.g3 d4 16.e3 g4+ 17.e2 e1+ h6 18.xd4 xe2+ 19.xe2 exd4 C2a) 21.d2 h6+ 22.f4 20.xd4 f8 21.e2 g7 22.f3 d6 C2a1) 22...xf4 23.xe1 xe1 23.hd1 c5 24.a3 c6 25.ac1 xb2 ( 23...h3+ 24.c2 ) 24.gxf4!; 26.b1 xa3 27.xb7 b4 28.h4 a5 C2a2) 22...f3+ 23.c2 xh2; 29.a1 e8+ 30.f1 c3 31.a2 d4 C2b) 21.b3 f3 22.d2 h6 23.d4 32.b6+ c7 33.g6 xf3 34.gxf3 xd2 24.xd2 d1+ 0-1 Jahr,Uh8 35.e2 d7 36.ee6 xh4 Poethig,H Germany 1982. ] 37.a6 h1+ 38.g2 h8 39.a7+ [ 7.d1 c5 8.g7 g8 9.e2 xg7 c8 40.f4 b8 41.f7 d8 42.f5 b4 10.h5+ f8 11.d4 xd4 12.h6 43.b6+ a8 44.f6 c4 45.dxc4 d4 1 / 2 - 1 / 2 R o d r i g u e z L o p e z, R - F e r e n c z , I 46.a6+ b8 47.c5 xc5 48.xa5 Budapest 1998. An odd result since xb2-+ d5 49.f3 d3 50.xc5 xc5 51.e3 seems to win. ] f5 52.xd3 xf2 53.e4 c8 54.e5 d8 55.f8+ d7 56.a8 7...c5 [ 7...e7? 8.b5 d6 9.b3 b4 10.xc6+ e2+ 57.f5 f2+ 58.g6 e6 102
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 bxc6 11.0-0 h6 12.g7 g8 13.g6+ d8 14.f3 a6 15.xe5 1-0 Vidarsson,J-Ulvin, D Gausdal 1988. ] 8.d3 [ 8.d4!? xd4 Black loses some of his initiative by not having the threat/option of playing the N to d4 later, so perhaps the m o r e d r a s t i c ( 8...xd4!? should be considered, when 9.xe5+ d7 10.d1 e8 is interesting.) 9.d3 e4 10.e2 e6 ( 10...g8!? ) 11.c3 hxg6 12.b5 e5 13.xg6 g8 14.h6 xg6 15.xg6+ f7 16.f5 a6 17.c3 d6 18.f4 exf3 19.xf3 ( 19.xf3 ) 19...d4 20.d3 e6 21.e3 f5 22.xd4 xd4 23.xd4 c5 24.xf6 xf6 25.0-0-0 d4 26.d5 g5+ 27.b1 0-0-0 28.h4 xc2+ 29.xc2 f5+ 30.c1 xd5 31.xd5 xd5 32.h5 xa2 33.h6 d3 34.h7 c4+ 35.d2 c2+ 36.e3 e2+ 37.f4 f2+ 38.e4 e2+ 39.d5 xg2+ 40.xc5 c2+ 41.d4 xb2+ 42.xd3 1/2-1/2 Brendel,O-Gross,G Germany 1996. ] 8...d4 [ 8...e7!? 9.e2 d7 ( 9...g8!? ) 10.0-0 ( 10.f5?? xf5 11.xf5 d4 ) 10...0-0-0 11.f5 e6 12.g7 he8 13.h6 e7 14.c3 d4 15.h5 xh5 16.xh5 c6 17.e3 xc2 18.ac1 b4 19.xa7 xd3 20.b6 f4 21.f7 xh6 22.xd5 e2+ 23.h1 e6 24.xe7+ xe7 25.f8 ee8 26.f3 xc1 27.a3 xa2 28.d6 e6 0-1 Jurkovic, A-Tribuiani,R Nereto 1998. Presumably black lost rather than white losing on time in this position. ] 9.d1 [ 9.xe5+!? d7 ( 9...e7 10.xe7+ xe7 11.d1 g4 12.e3 xe3+ 13.fxe3 g4+ 14.d2 ) 10.d1 e8 11.f4 and black has yet to justify his sacrifices. By comparison to the note above in Brendel-Gross, black has a pawn less and no access to e4. ] 9...d6 10.c3 c6 11.e2 e6 12.g7 g8 13.h6 e7 14.g5 d7 15.h5+ d8 16.h3?! xh5 17.xe7+ xe7 18.xh5 xg7 Black's lead in development is uncomfortable for white. 19.g4 f6 20.d2 f8 21.f1?? [ 21.hf3 ] 21...g5 22.xh7+ f7-+ 23.g6+ xg6
24.h5 h6 0-1
126 Tian Tian Bordas,Gyula FSIMB December (1) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2224 2186 02.12.2000
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.h3 h5 8.d5 exd5 9.exd5 xf3 10.xf3 e5 This kind of position is quite solid for black if white has committed his king to castling short. 11.e2 0-0 12.e3 a6 [ 12...c5 13.a4 a6 14.b1 d7 15.c4 ae8 16.c3 d8 17.a5 g6 18.b1 c8 19.e1 d7 20.d3 f6 21.c2 e5 22.f3 g3 23.xg6 hxg6 24.e2 e5 25.f2 f6 26.g4 h5 27.gxh5 xh3 28.e4 h2+ 29.h1 g3+ 30.g1 f5 31.e6 h2+ 32.h1 gxh5 33.ae1 e5+ 34.g1 xe6 35.dxe6 h2+ 36.h1 f4+ 37.g1 f6 38.g3 g6 0-1 Spisak,CPrzewoznik,J Lubniewice 1995. ] 13.d4 fd7 14.f4 c5 15.dxc6 xc6 16.f2 f6 17.a3 d5 18.f3 c7 19.xd5 xd5 20.xd5 xf4 21.b6 e5 22.e1 xb2 23.b1 xa3 24.xc6 bxc6 25.b3 d6 26.d3 b4 27.b3 c5+ 28.h1 c4 29.a5 ae8 30.xe8 xe8 31.d3 h6 32.d2 b8 33.h2 e7 34.c3 g5 35.e2 e6 36.f1 b5 37.f3 e7 38.d3 d6+ 39.xd6 xd6+ 40.g1 b1+ 41.f2 c1 42.d3 xc2+ 43.f3 c5 44.g4 f2+ 45.e4 e2+ 46.f3 e8 47.h4 e6 48.g5 hxg5 49.hxg5 d6 50.e4 xd3 51.xd3 h7 0-1
127 Tkachiev,Vladislav Minasian,Artashes op Cannes [Alexander Volzhin]
B00 2575 2540 1995
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 f6 4.c3 e6 5.f3 b4 6.g5 h6 7.xf6 xf6 8.0-0 xc3 9.bxc3 d6 10.d2 e5! The main line. 103
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 As we have seen in previous games Black's attempts to deviate from it are hardly s u f f i c i e n t . 11.f4 exd4 The most popular continuation. 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 [ 13.h5 the main alterna tive, was played in Ionescu - Smyslov, Sochi 1986. However, in my opinion this move is inferior to the text: g6! ( Grabbing the second pawn is too d a n g e r o u s : 13...exf4 14.ae1+ f8 15.e4 , and White's attack is very strong.) 14.e2 ( The endgame af ter 14.xe5+ xe5 15.fxe5 dxc3 16.e4 d7 is clearly better for Black.) 14...c6 15.fxe5 e7 16.e6 f5! ( 16...xe6 17.xe6+ fxe6 18.xg6+ and White has some compensation.) 17.b3 0-0-0 Black has successfully completed his development and k e p t t h e e x t r a p a w n . 18.cxd4 xd4 19.xd4 xd4 20.e5 A) The easiest route to the win was by l i q u i d a t i n g t o t h e e n d g a m e : 20...c5! 21.xc5 Forced. ( 21.xh8+? d8+ ) 21...bxc5 and soon Black will win the weak e6-pawn.; B) 20...hd8?! 21.ae1 a4? A m is t a k e a ga in . ( 21...4d6 ) 22.b5 xa2 23.d1! Now Black is in trouble. xc2 24.xd8+ xd8 25.d7+ b8 26.d1! It becomes clear that Black has overestimated the strength of his Rook on the seventh rank. He cannot create real threats for White's King, while White's epawn is unstoppable. g8 27.b5 a6 28.e7 xg2+ 29.f1 b3 30.e8+ a7 31.e2 h3 32.e1 h4+ 33.d2 g5+ 34.c3 , and Black resigned. ] 13...g5 14.f3 e3+ The only move. [ 14...xf3? 15.xf3 xe5 16.e1! Probably Black underestimated this move. White's attack is very strong even after the Qu e en swa p . f6 ( 16...xe1+ 17.xe1+ f8 18.g6 and W hite wins.) 17.cxd4 xe1+ 18.xe1+ d8 19.fe3 Now White's Rook is ready to penetrate to the seventh rank, while Black's forces are u n d e v e l o p e d a n d u n c o o r d i n a t e d . d7 20.g6 c8 21.e8+ b7 22.e4+ c6 23.e7 and Black couldn't avoid huge material losses in Sepp-Vetemaa, Brugge 1995. ] 15.h1 0-0 Black should play very carefully
to avoid a quick loss. [ For example, both 15...dxc3? 16.e6! 0-0 ( 16...fxe6 17.e5! xe5 18.g6+ e7 19.f7+ ) 17.exf7+ xf7 18.c4 ] [ and 15...xf3 16.xf3 xe5 17.cxd4 e7 18.e1! ( borrowing Sepp's idea) xe1+ 19.xe1+ d8 ( 19...f8 20.g6 ) 20.xf7 are clearly insufficient for Black. ] [ However, 15...c6 is worthy of consideration, after 16.cxd4 0-0-0 17.c3 e7!? a position with mutual chances arises. Of course, this line needs practical tests. ] 16.cxd4 d7! Black has successfully completed his development and has sufficient co u n t e rc h a n c e s d u e t o h i s s t r o n g l ig h t squa re d Bisho p. His on ly p ro b le m is t h e vulnerable position of his Queen. The position af ter Black's 16th move is critical for the evaluation of the whole line. [ In one of the first games in this line (Dautov - Kengis, Daugavpils, 1989) Black played the inaccurate 16...c5? which was refuted by force: 17.e1! xf3 ( The alternatives a re n o b e t t e r : 17...f2 18.e4! xe4 19.xe4 and Black's Queen is trapped as he can't stop Re2; 17...f4 18.d5! xd5 19.h7+ xh7 20.xd5 a6 21.d3+ winning a piece.) 18.gxf3 xd4 19.e4 a6 20.xd4 cxd4 21.xa8 xa8 22.ad1 and White won this endgame. ] 17.h4 Probably not the best move. It's obvious drawback is that Black's Queen is le s s re st ri ct e d a n d ca n o c cu p y t h e v e r y comfortable g5-square. [ However,the natural 17.c3 is also not so clear: ad8 ( 17...e4?! 18.c4 intending e6, and White is better.) 18.c2 d5 19.ae1 f4 and I can't see how W hite can exploit the unsafe position of Black's Queen. ] 17...g5 Now Black has little to worry about. At the right moment he can play c7-c5 undermining W hite's pawn centre. 18.e1 ae8 19.f2 d5! Provoking c2-c4 which makes White's centre more vulnerable. 20.c4 b7 21.f5 c8 22.ae1 c5! 23.xd7 [ 23.e6 is the alternative, but it doesn't give White anything: fxe6 24.xe6 f6 25.xe8 xe8 and Black has everything in order ] [ The position after 23.xd7 xd7 24.f3 ( 24.d5?! g4! is dangerous for White as 104
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 it's not clear how he should protect the c4pawn. ) 24...f4 25.dxc5 xc4 26.cxb6 axb6 27.xb6 xa2 is equal, so a draw wa s a g r e e d . A s h o r t b u t t h e o r e t i c a l l y important game. ] ½-½
128 Tukmakov,Vladimir B McShane,Luke J 22nd Open Arbo ITA (7) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2582 2480 27.10.2000
1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 g6 [ 4...d6 5.0-0 d7 6.c4 g6 7.c3 g7 8.e3 e7 looks inspired by the heroic efforts of Miles against Baburin seen in the p r e v i o u s r e p o r t . 9.c1 Compare with Baburin-Miles and Ehlvest-Baburin - here white has not had to play either a3 or h3, and black has also left out these little moves. Mc S h a n e , li k e M il e s, h a s t h e n o s e f o r danger in these positions, and is quick to pre-empt expansion with d4-d5, avoiding the horrible squeeze that befell Baburin. c5! 10.d2 0-0 11.fd1 b8 12.b1 d8 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.g5 f6 15.f4 e5 16.xe5 xd2 17.xb8 xd1+ 18.xd1 xb8 19.d7 f8 Black would have a pleasant position if he could evict the rook, but this beast has arrived to stay, so it is wh i t e w h o e n j o y s t h e b e t t e r c h a n c e s . McShane can never quite get the piece out of his hair. 20.c2 a6 21.a4 f7 22.f1 h6 23.d1 g5 24.h3 f8 25.d7 h6 26.e2 a8 27.g3 g7 28.g4 b7 29.h4 f8 30.e3 h5 31.hxg5 hxg4 32.gxf6 h6+ 33.d3 xf6 34.e5+ f7 35.h2 f4 36.xg4 f3 37.f6 xe5 38.fe4 xe4+ 39.xe4 xc3 40.bxc3 b5 41.cxb5 axb5 42.b3 f6 43.d6 c4 44.d1 d5 45.d4 e7 46.e5 xc3 47.xe6+ f8 48.c2 xa2 49.f6+ e7 50.a6 b4 51.a7+ f8 52.e4 d8 53.f6 d6+ 54.e5 h6 55.b7 c3 56.c7 c2 57.xc2 c6 1/2-1/2 Bagaturov,G-McShane, L Arco ITA 2000. ] 5.g5 [ 5.0-0 g7 6.g5 f6 7.e3 h6 8.d2 f7 An interesting twist on the trendy Hippo.
9.c4 0-0 10.c3 d6 11.ad1 d7 12.e2 e7 13.b4 f5 14.c2 f6 15.b5 f4 16.d2 c6? ( 16...a6! ) 17.xd6! xd6 18.e5 e7 19.exd6 xd6 20.c5 e7 21.fe1 b5 22.e2 f7 23.de1 f8 24.e4 g5 25.h4 h6 26.hxg5 hxg5 27.e5 e8 28.c3 c8 29.xc6 1-0 Karaklajic,N-Puschmann,L Budapest 2000. ] 5...c8!? This looks like an improvement over [ 5...e7 6.h4 d6 7.bd2 c6 8.c3 f6 9.e2 d7 10.h6 f8 11.g5 e7 12.c4! h6 13.f4 f6 14.h5 g5 15.g3 e7 16.e3 g7 After much toing and froing Black has again achieved the h6+g5 double f ianchetto f ormation. It is worth noting that despite white's rather indirect a p p ro a c h , h e s e e m s t o h a ve g a i n e d a definite advantage - in particular the Ne3 is wonderfully posted, and it is really this piece which black must neutralize - it renders virtually all central pawn breaks by black impossible by having access to f5 and d5, a n d d 6 via c4 . 17.0-0-0 0-0-0 18.d2 f8?! A p l a n l e s s i n t e r l u d e . 19.dc4 ( 19.a6!? ) 19...b8 20.c2 e7 21.f3 c8 22.h2 hd8 23.g4 a6 24.e2 b5?! This seems -advised, but this is not a strain of the English Defence for nothing. It seems that if you carry the proper passport all manner o f really outra geous goings-o n merely lead to complete pandemonium, whereas if some f oreigner were to give these things a try, total disaster would be likely to result. But black's problem is still finding something to do, and this is very d i f f i c u l t i n d e e d wi t h t h e wh i t e k n i g h t s constantly in his face. 25.d5 ce5 26.a5 c5 27.a4?! ( 27.dxc6 xc6 28.a4!? or; 27.xb7 xb7 28.b3 would scare the hell out of me if I were black, particularly the former.) 27...c4 28.axb5 axb5 29.d2 c5 30.e1 c7 31.a1 b6 32.g1 c7 33.b4 cxb3 34.xb3 d7 35.b1 e8 36.d4 a6 37.f1 a5 38.g2 cd3 39.dxe6 ( 39.xd3!? xc3 40.xb5+ xb5 41.d2 d3!? ) 39...xc3 40.exf7+ xf7 41.d2 f4+ 42.g3 b4! 43.xa6 xa6 44.ef5 ( 44.xb4 d3 45.b2 xd4 46.xd4 e2+ 47.h3 with at least a draw for black.) 44...c4 45.d1 e5 105
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 46.a1 a3 47.f2 a8 48.xa3 bxa3 49.b3 d5 50.exd5 b8 51.d1 b2 52.c6 xh5+ 53.g2 f4+ 54.g1 a2 55.xe5+ xe5 56.xh6+ e8 57.f5 a1 0-1 Gofshtein,L-McShane,L Arco ITA 2000. Very impressive tenacity from McShane, but a unjust end to some sophisticated strategical handling f rom Gofshtein. ] [ 5...f6!? ] 6.bd2 d6 7.0-0 g7 8.c3 d7 9.e1 Another solid, Russian kind of deployment white is well placed to move in if black tries to take a stake in the centre, and in the meantime, white plans to inch forward. This position is a bit easier to play for black than the rather grim version McShane got against Gofshtein - for one thing he knows where White's king lives very early, and the Bg5 is floating a bit. h6 10.h4 e7 11.d5 e5 12.b4 g5 13.g3 f5 Black appears to have achieved very reasonable chances - the Bg5 has been walled in and the Bb7 is liberated but black's position is a bit loose and the e4 square will be useful for white. 14.exf5 xd5 [ 14...xd5 15.d4!? ] 15.c4 f6 16.e3 f7! [ 16...b7 17.c4 is rather unpleasant as it is not easy to shake off the pressure on the light squares without loosening his position further. xf5? 18.xf5 xf5 19.xe5+- ] 17.h4!? e4 [ 17...gxh4 seems to give white the better of it after either recapture. ] 18.b5+ c6 19.f1 A very neat idea. d5! [ 19...exf3 looks a bit too risky: A) 20.c4 xc4 21.xe7+ xe7 22.xd6+ ( 22.xd6+ e8 23.xc4 xf5 ) 22...e8 23.xc4 d7 and black defends.; B) 20.xd6 e4 ( 20...fg8 might be possible - it also might be forced - but just looks too passive. I can understand someone not wishing to contemplate a position where this has to be played.) 21.c4 xf5 22.gxf3 xc4 23.xc4 B1) 23...xc3 24.xe4 f6 ( 24...h7 25.d3!+- ) 25.xe7 xe7 26.xe7+! xe7 27.d4!+-; B2) 23...xd6 24.xd6+Nice variations - Black does the sensible
thing and consolidates his chunky centre and gets his king to safety. ] 20.d4 0-0 21.hxg5 hxg5 22.c4!? c5 23.bxc5 bxc5 24.b5! [ 24.e6 A) 24...xf5!? A1) 25.xf8 xg3 26.fxg3 xf8 ( 26...d4!? 27.d5 xd5 ) 27.cxd5 xd5 28.xd5 d8; A2) 25.xf5; B) 24...d4!?; C) 24...xe6 25.fxe6 xe6 26.cxd5 fxd5 27.c4 ad8 28.xd5 xd5 29.b1 ] 24...d4 25.d6 d7 26.g4 xf5?! I t a p p e a rs t h a t b la ck f in a ll y slip s in t h i s incredibly complex battle. [ 26...e3!? should keep black in with full chances: A) 27.fxe3 xf5 28.xf6+ xf6 29.g4!? ( 29.xf5 xf5 30.d3 d7 ) 29...e6 30.e4! e7 31.xf6+ xf6 32.exd4 e3!? ( 32...xd4 33.h5 ); B) 27.xf7 xg4 28.xg4 xf7 ] 27.xf6+ xf6 28.xe4 g6 29.g4 c6 30.xg5 g7 31.e4 f5 32.f4 [ 32.xf6+ ] 32...d3 33.ad1 [ 33.xf6+ ] 33...d4 34.xd3 ae8 Now black gets some practical chances thanks to white's exposed queen and the sof t spot on f 2. I assume time pressure was a major factor after all this. 35.h4 e6! 36.e2 h6 Black's counterplay has now reached serious proportions. [ 36...fe8 37.de1 ] 37.f4 g6! With a vicious threat to double on the h-file, as well as ... Bxe4 followed by ... Qxg3. 38.h4 g4?? [ 38...xe4! 39.xe4 xe4 40.xe4 xh4! would have completed black's fight back. ] 39.f6+! xf6 40.xf6 h5 41.b8+ f7 42.c7+ 1-0
106
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 129
B00 Valet,Richard 2148 Barmbold,Jens 2270 72nd ch Seebad Heringsdorf GER (7) 23.11.00 [Jon Tisdall]
33.xb6 axb6 34.e3 d2+ 35.g3 g8 36.e7 xb2 37.xc7 xa2 38.xc4 c2 39.g4 ½-½
1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 xe5 4.f3 f6 5.e2 c5 [ 5...b4+!? is an interesting way to prevent a knight coming to c3-d5. 6.bd2 xf3+ 7.xf3 e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.c4 d6 10.c3 c5 11.e3 xe3 12.xe3 e6 13.g3 e5 14.d2 ad8 15.fe1 c6 16.g2 c5 17.ad1 b6 18.b3 d5 19.exd5 xd5 20.xd5 xd5 21.xd5 xd5 22.e2 xd1 23.xd1 c7 24.d2 e8 25.d7 b8 26.d4 c5 27.f4 f8 28.h4 b6 29.d5 c7 30.a4 1/2-1/2 Kudrin,SBenjamin,J/Reykjavik 1986 ] 6.0-0 e7 [ 6...xf3+ looks much better, as seen in the next note - it hampers white from expanding so quickly on the kingside. ] 7.xe5 [ 7.c3 xf3+ 8.xf3 d6 9.e2 0-0 10.a4 b6 11.xb6 axb6 12.a3 d7 13.e3 c6 14.d4 h4 15.f3 g6 16.d2 f4 17.c4 a5 18.e3 g6 19.f2 f6 20.b4 h5 21.a4 f4 22.e3 g5 23.b5 d7 24.g4 h4 25.h1 h3 26.d4 g6 27.c3 h5 28.d4 h7 29.e5 f4 30.exd6 hxg4 31.fxg4 xg4 32.d3 xd3 33.f6 f3+ 34.g1 xd4 0-1 Al Hadarani,H-Cobb,J Elista 1998. ] 7...xe5 8.c3 0-0 9.h1 d6 10.f4 d4 11.xd4? This relieves black of his main worry, the wandering queen. [ 11.d3 poses black more problems. b6 12.a4 a6 13.e2 c5 14.b3 h5 15.b2 g4 16.f5 f6 17.e1 xe2 18.xe2 e8 19.c4+ h8 20.f3 c6 21.e6 g8 22.h4 d8 23.d1 e7 24.h3 h6 25.g4 1-0 Jakovlev, D-Zubkov,K Moscow 1996. ] 11...xd4 12.b5 b6 13.c3 c6 14.a3 f5 15.exf5 xf5 16.c4+ h8 17.d2 ae8 18.ae1 e4 19.e2 d5 20.h3 e7 21.h2 f5 22.f3 xf3 23.xe8 xe8 24.xf3 e2 25.d3 h4 26.c4 xg2+ 27.h1 g1+ 28.h2 g2+ 29.h1 g1+ 30.h2 f3+ 31.xf3 dxc4 32.e3 d1
130 Van Wely,Loek McShane,Luke J Dutch Open Blitzchess blitz (4) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2700 2460 24.02.2001
Included for the sake of occasion and completeness - it is always interesting to see such a daring defence roll up such a big name, even if just in a ratty blitz game. More evid en ce to su gge st t ha t t his o pe n in g is McShane's calling. 1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.d3 e6 4.f3 d6 5.0-0 d7 6.e2 e7 7.h4 h6 8.e1 g6 9.bd2 g7 10.f1 0-0 11.1h2 c5 12.c3 cxd4 13.cxd4 c6 14.a3 c8 15.e3 f6 16.ad1 h5 17.g5 e7 18.b1 a5 19.hf3 g4 20.f4 c4 21.e5 dxe5 22.dxe5 b5 23.e4 xe4 24.xe4 cxe5 25.xe5 xe5 26.g5 f6 27.d2 c7 28.g3 d4 29.f4 xf2+ 30.g2 e5 31.g5 xe1 32.xe1 c5 33.f1 fd8 34.f3 d7 35.b1 cd8 36.a2 f8 37.h1 d6 38.g2 e4 39.e2 c6 40.h3 e3 41.f4 f2+ 42.xf2 exf2 43.h2 c5 44.f3 f1 45.xf1 c2+ 0-1
131 Van den Doel,Erik Kogan,Artur VI Open Lisboa POR (9) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2547 2504 26.11.2000
1.e4 c6 2.b5 This is seen more often than I would have thought. Black's play in this game leads to a very interesting position. f6 3.d3 d4 4.a4 b5 This is a kind of weird mirrored and reversed Trompovsky ... 5.c3 bxa4 6.cxd4 a6 7.c3 a3 8.b3 c5 9.dxc5 a5 10.ge2 e6 11.d2 xc5 12.a4 b4 13.xb4 xb4+ 14.d2 b5 B l a c k s e e m s t o h a ve a r e l a t i ve l y a c t i v e position, but the a-pawn will be a serious 107
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 weakness sooner or later, and black has no real targets. [ 14...xd2+!? 15.xd2 d6 16.hc1 d7 17.e5!? ] 15.d1 0-0 16.ec3 h5 17.0-0 g4 18.h3 e5 19.e3 fc8 20.f4 c6 21.f2 b4 22.d4 c7 23.d5 exd5 24.d4 b8 25.xd5 xd5 26.xd5 h4 27.c5 b5 28.e5 e7 29.f5 f6 30.e4 h8 31.d4 c1+ 32.h2 c6 33.exf6 gxf6 34.xf6 1-0
counterplay on the kingside. xg6 26.f3 h4 27.f4 hxg3 28.fxg3 xf4 29.xf4 c6 30.a2 and now control of the a-file proves to be the pivotal aspect of the position. f8 [ 30...gh6 31.b4 h5 32.g4 threatening to break through on e6. ] 31.ea1 g8 32.a7 e8 33.h4+- g7 34.xg7+ xg7 35.g4+ g6 36.xe6 e8 37.d7+ g8 38.xc6 e3 39.a8+ g7 40.d7+ h6 1-0
132
133
Van der Wiel,John TH Hoogendoorn,Joost sf ch Leeuwarden NED (3.2) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2495 2388 10.03.2002
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 d7 5.c3 [ 5.e2 f6 6.0-0 e6 7.c3 ge7 8.b4 g6 9.b5 a5 10.a4 b6 11.e3 a6 12.bd2 h5 13.fe1 f7 14.f1 e7 15.3d2 h4 16.g4 hxg3 17.fxg3 h3 18.ab1 fxe5 19.dxe5 f5 20.bc1 axb5 21.d1 xe5 22.d4 ec4 23.h5+ g8 24.g4 xh5 25.gxh5 c5 26.f2 b2 0-1 Shabalov,AArdaman,M/Philadelphia USA 1999 (26) ] 5...f6!? 6.b5 a6 7.a4 [ 7.e2 g5 8.0-0 0-0-0 9.b4 b8 10.bd2 h5 11.b3 b6 12.a4 h4 13.a5 b5 14.c5 e8 15.d3 g6 16.xb5 g4 17.e1 fxe5 18.e2 exd4 19.cxd4 e5 20.ed3 xc5 21.xe5 g7 22.bxc5 f6 23.b3 e8 24.xg4 1-0 Wohl,A-Yadao, I/ Surfers Paradise AUS 2000 ] 7...e6 8.exf6!? gxf6 9.h4 g6 10.0-0 d6 11.e1 ge7 12.d2 f7 [ 12...0-0-0!? 13.b4 ] 13.a3 b5 14.b3 f5 15.xf5! xf5 16.f1 h5 17.a4 ag8 18.axb5 axb5 19.e3 e7 20.xf5 xf5 21.c2 After some very patient and very instructive manoeuvring, white has finally annexed the bishop pair and increased the scope of his f o rc e s . H e h a s p a id f o r t h is b y a l lo wi n g counterplay on the g-file, rather than ever taking on g6 which would have made black's position more solid. h4 22.g3 g6 23.f3 h4 24.d1 g6 25.xg6+ To dull black's
Vitic,Ivan Mestrovic,Zvonimir TCh Medulin CRO (5) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2332 2387 13.09.2002
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.c3 g4 5.e3 e5 6.b5 d7 7.d5 xf3 A very unusual move, and a sign that Mestrovic's various experiments in the Ncb8 line have not satisfied him. 8.gxf3!? [ 8.xf3 e7 9.0-0-0 a6 10.xd7+ ( 10.f1!? ) 10...xd7 11.b1 and Black has some difficulties completing development, Hendriks,W-Mestrovic,Z Wijk aan Zee 1999. ] 8...e7 9.f4 exf4 10.xf4 a6 11.e2 g6 12.e3 e7 [ 12...h4 cries out to be played, hindering the advance of the f-pawn and trying to c o n t r o l f 4 . 13.d2 e7 14.0-0-0 f6 gives Black interesting counterplay. ] 13.d2 c5!? [ 13...f6 14.0-0-0 e7 seems far more natural, and a solid version of the previous note. ] 14.dxc6 bxc6 Now Black has lines to use against all potential homes for the White king, but with care White's bishop pair and slightly better pawn structure should be more relevant. 15.c4? [ 15.0-0-0!? must be better. I find it very hard to understand White's manoeuvrings which begin now - they simply seem to wast e time. ] 15...de5 16.e2 xc4 [ 16...g5! gives Black very active play on the dark squares. ] 108
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.xc4 e5 18.e2 a5 [ 18...g5!? ] 19.0-0-0 b8 20.d4 b4? [ 20...b6!? to try and dislodge the Nc3 so that Black can use ...Qb5 to consolidate the qu e e n s i d e lo o k s l o g ic a l . 21.b3 a5 22.a4 is just an interesting position. ( 22.b2 f6 23.xd6 e7! )] 21.xb4 xb4 22.xa6 0-0 23.a4 b7 24.a7 xa7 25.xa7 c5 White's bishop looks very silly but not silly enough to compensate for the pawn. 26.d5 h4 27.f4 d7 28.c7 f2 29.d2 [ 29.f1 ] 29...f5! 30.e2 h4 31.d1 Black does a good job of wriggling, but White should be well on his way to scoring the full point here. f6! 32.e5?! [ 32.exf5 ] 32...dxe5 33.xc5? The beginning of a s e r ie s o f t im e - wa s t i n g m o ve s a n d o t h e r methods of allowing counterplay. [ 33.fxe5 was simple and superior. ] 33...c8 34.d6 exf4 35.xf4 g5 36.e5 g4 37.d6 f4 now Black has been allowed to create total chaos. 38.g1 [ 38.a4 ] 38...h5 39.c3? White should be pushing pawns with m ore au thorit y than this . d8 40.h3? [ 40.b5 ] 40...xd6 41.hxg4 hxg4 42.xg4 d7!-+ Suddenly Black is much better as his pieces are more active and his pawns in motion. White's pieces are virtually useless and Black threatens to check and usher the f-pawn in by force. 43.g1 [ 43.b5 e7+ 44.f3 ( 44.f1 f3; 44.d3 f3 45.g1 f2 ) 44...e3+ 45.g2 f3+ ] 43...xc7 44.f3 d7 45.g4 d3 46.f1 f7 47.f5 d5+ 48.e4 e6 49.a4 e5+ 50.d4 f5 51.b4 g4 52.a5 g3 53.c4 g2 54.a1 e1 0-1
134 Wells,Peter K Minasian,Artashes European Club Cup [Alexander Volzhin]
B00 2545 2565 1995
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.d3 f6 Now White has two different ways to develop his b1-Knight - to c3 or d2, and currently it's difficult to say which is more promising. Let's deal with 4.Nc3 first. 4.c3 e6 5.f3 b4 6.g5 h6 7.xf6 xf6 8.0-0 T h e k e y p o s i t i o n o f t h i s l i n e . f8?! Extremely risky. Black keeps the Bishop pair and transfers the Bishop to the g7-square ( after g7-g5 ) . However such a retreat cannot be recommended as W hite's development advantage is now very big. The position is similar to a Trompovsky (1.d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 e6 3. e4 h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6), but obviously Black has lost some tempi. [ The usual 8...xc3 9.bxc3 d6 will be considered in subsequent games. ] 9.d2 e7 [ 9...g5 i s p r e m a t u r e , a s 10.e5 e7 11.e4! leads to a clear edge for White. ] 10.fe1 d6 11.b5+?! Beginning a very interesting but quite dubious attack. [ In my opinion White could obtain a clear edge by simple means. The natural 11.d5! wa s ve ry st ro n g e5 This move is forced. ( 11...g5?! leads to terrible consequences after 12.e5! and Black is in trouble, for example: g7 13.exd6 cxd6 14.dxe6 fxe6 15.c4 e5 16.d4 with an overwhelming a d v a n t a g e .) 12.b5+ d7 13.a4! and White has a strong initiative on the Qside, and after the unavoidable exchange of light-squared Bishops it will be difficult for Black to protect the weak light squares on the Q-side. ] 11...d7 12.d5 d8 13.b4 Now White wants to occupy the important c6-square, so Black's reply is forced. c5 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.e5!? This spectacular move is the point of White's combination. Unfortunately, Black has many defensive resources here. dxe5 [ 15...cxb4 16.xd7+ e7 17.xb4 b6 18.xb6 axb6 19.c6+- winning ] 16.ad1 c8 [ 16...cxb4 17.xd7+ e7 18.xb4+ f6 109
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19.xb7+- winning ] 17.c6 b6 18.a4 f6 19.a5 [ 19.xe5 fxe5 20.xd7+ f7 21.xc8 xc8 22.d7+ e7 ] 19...c7 20.e3 e7 21.d3 b6 22.c6 b8 23.d8 g5?! The last ten moves for both side s we re f orce d, bu t no w Black ha s t o choose between the text and some alternatives and he probably makes the wrong choice. [ In my opinion, 23...f5 freeing the f6-square for the King was better, and I can't see any way for White to increase the pressure, for example: 24.e8 b7 25.xb8 xb8 26.c6 a6 ] 24.e8 b7 25.xb8 xb8 26.h5? After this mistake White has little hope. [ White could exploit Black's inaccurate 23rd move: 26.c6! A) 26...c8 27.d8+ f7 28.e8+ g7 29.c4! and Black cannot hold onto his extra piece: b7 ( 29...xc4?? 30.d7+ xd7 31.xd7+ , mating. ) 30.xb6 axb6 31.d7 d6 32.xc8 xd8 33.xb7 , and the endgame is equal.; B) 26...a6 27.d7+! xd7 28.xd7+ e8 29.b7+ d8 30.xb8+ c7 31.e8! b6 32.b8+! xa5?! ( It's better to take a draw by repetition with 32...c7 ) 33.c3! (threatening b2-b4) c4 34.b4+ cxb3 35.axb3 ( threatening b3b4 , m a tin g) d3 The only move. 36.c4 xc4! The only move again! ( 36...a6 37.b5+ a5 38.d7 with the idea of 39. Rb5+ Ka6 40.Bc8# xc4 39.b4+ xb4 40.xh8 with a large advantage) 37.bxc4 Despite being a pawn up Black's position i s c r i t i c a l : a6 ( w h a t e l s e ? ) 38.c5 and W hite's c-pawn is very dangerous: g7 39.e8 f8 40.f7 g7 41.g8! and the c-pawn is unstoppable. A picturesque position! ] 26...a8! 27.b4! [ 27.c4 c7 28.d6 g7 29.b5 b8 30.xa7 d8-+ winning ] 27...c4 28.b5 f5 29.xc4 f6 30.exf5? T h i s m o v e a ll o ws B la ck t o co m p le t e h i s development. [ Although objectively White's position was already bad, 30.xe5! was a good practical chance, as Black has to choose the only
correct continuation among many options: d6! Other moves are not so good: ( 30...xe5?? 31.d4+ f4 32.g3#; 30...xe5 31.d8+ g7 32.d7+ g8 33.f7+ h7 34.g6+ g8 35.f7+ and it's a draw by perpetual; 30...xe4 31.d4! xe5 32.d8+ g7 33.d7+ g8 34.f7+ is similar to the previous line) 31.f7 xh2+ 32.h1 c8! and Black wins as 33.g3 doesn't work in view of xg3 34.fxg3 xe4+ 35.h2 xc2 ] 30...e7! 31.xb6 [ 31.fxe6 d8 32.e2 xd1+ 33.xd1 xc4 34.d3 e4 35.xc4 e5-+ winning ] 31...xb6 32.fxe6 d8 Now the fight is over. W h i t e h a s n o t h i n g f o r t h e p i e c e . 33.e1 xd1 34.xd1 d4 35.e1 g4 0-1
135 Wojtaszek,Radoslaw Bezold,Michael Bundesliga 2009-10 (8) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2640 2517 06.02.2010
1.d4 e6 2.f3 b6 3.e4 b7 4.d3 You can try this yourself. If you enter the following moves: 1 e4 b6 2 d4 Bb7 3 Bd3 e6 4 Nf3 you reach the same position as the game, but with a B00 label. This won't change any assessments but complicates the task of seeking games in a particular section. g6!? A dynamic option where Black seeks a double-fianchetto. If he continues with ... Bg7, ...d6, ...e6 and knights to e7 and d7 then this development plan is often called a 'Hippopotamus', so W ojtaszek opts f or a destabilizing move. 5.g5!? f6?! I don't like this move: as a consequence, Black will have problems to organize his forces with any sort of harmony. [ Most stronger players have opted for the no n -co mm itt a l 5...c8 e.g. 6.c4 g7 7.c3 c6 8.d5 e5 9.xe5 xe5 10.d2 g7 11.0-0-0 and White had an aggressive set-up in Rublevsky, SChernyshov, K Ohrid 2001, but Black had no pawn weaknesses. ] 6.e3 h6 7.d2 f7 8.c4! 110
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 I am convinced that, even for players who begin with 1 e4, an early c2-c4 is the way to challenge the soundness of Black's set-up. If Black doesn't do anything dramatic White will obtain a clear advantage (space, harmonious development and control) in a type of English Defence. f5 9.c3 b4 Now the position looks more like a real 'A40' (English Defence) than a 'B00' (!) but the knight should really be on f6 rather than f7. 10.exf5 gxf5 11.d5 Aiming to pressurize Black's position whilst he has a lead in development. f6 12.d4! [ Instead after 12.0-0-0 xc3 13.bxc3 e5 Black would be able to keep everything together. ] 12...e5 13.xe5! Striking while the iron is hot! [ T h e s l o w e r 13.e3 would again allow Black the breathing space necessary to obtain a decent position: d6 14.a3 xc3+ 15.xc3 c6 16.dxc6 xc6 17.0-0-0 0-0-0 with only a small pull for White due to the potential of the bishop pair. ] 13...xe5 14.e2 d6 15.f4 h4+ [ After 15...bd7 16.0-0 White will be able to capture on e5 and then f5 with a clear advantage. ] 16.g3 g4 17.fxe5 xd4 Taking the piece, but probably without enthusiasm. [ After 17...xe2+ 18.xe2 c5 19.b5 cxd4 20.a3 the complications favour White e.g. dxe5 ( 20...c5 21.b4 ) 21.axb4 e4 22.c7+ e7 23.xa8 exd3+ 24.xd3 a6 25.c7! xc7 26.xa7 b8 27.xd4 etc. ] 18.exd6+ f7 19.0-0-0 Strong, but not the most incisive. [ The direct 19.e7+! g8 20.xf5 xc3+ 21.bxc3 xc3+ 22.f2 b2+ 23.f3 c3+ 24.g2 leaves Black in a hopeless state. ] 19...f6 [ After 19...xc3 then 20.e7+ g8 21.xf5 wins. ] 20.hf1 g5+ 21.b1 c8 The fact that Black has an extra piece doesn't compensate for his suffering. It must have been evident to the players that Black's king will be dethroned long before he can get all his pieces out. 22.h4! f6 [ After 22...g6 23.e7+ g8 White probably has several ways to win, one
being 24.xc7 a6 25.c6 b8 26.d7 ] 23.e4 e8 24.c2 [ Playing for the attack is perhaps the most fun in such positions, but simplifying and winning material was possible: 24.dxc7 a6 25.xf6 xe2 26.xe2 xf6 27.d6 d7 28.a3 ] 24...g6 25.g5+ g8 26.xf5! Tempting and, of course, impossible to meet satisfactorily. xf5 27.xf5 h6 28.a4 f8 29.xh7+ g7 30.dxc7 e5 31.xb4 a6 Bezold wanted to move his knight at least once before resigning! 32.c3 f6 33.d6 1-0
136 Yudasin,Leonid Blatny,Pavel 92nd NY Masters (2) [Glenn Flear]
B00 2568 2452 02.03.2004
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7 3.c3 e6 4.d3 Not bothering with a2-a3, see Game 2. f6 5.ge2 c5 6.0-0 c8! Blatny likes these tricky moves that take his opponent out of the comfort zone. 7.dxc5 bxc5 Still threatening ... c4 winning a piece. Note that Black now has a central pawn majority which makes it harder for White to find any pawn breaks in that zone. 8.g3 h5!? Very manly and obviously not flinching at the prospect of having his king stuck in the centre again! [ 8...c4 9.e2 d5 seems wrong as opening the central arena must favour W hite e.g. 10.exd5 xd5 11.xd5 xd5 12.f3 xf3 13.xf3 d7 14.d1 when Black has problems to complete development. ] 9.h4?! I'm not sure about this. Why not [ 9.e5 h4 10.ge4 xe4 11.xe4 c6 12.f4 with extra space and everything under control? ] 9...c6 10.e1 d6 11.f1 b8 Out of harm's way but still pointing in the right d i r e c t i o n . 12.b3 e7 13.g5 g6 B rin gin g t h e h 4 - p a wn in t o t h e e qu a t io n . 14.d2 h7! 15.a4 e5 Coming to the central area to influence the dark squares where W hite has some problems. 16.ad1 xg5 17.xg5 d6 18.b5+ I don't think that Blatny cared that his king had to move! f8 111
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19.g3 h6 Another tricky move from the wily Czech player. Yudasin doesn't sense the danger... 20.h2? Normal enough but a fatal mistake! instead [ 20.c3 covering d4 was required when the continuation f4? 21.gxf4 f6 22.g2 g6 fails as White has 23.g3 ] 20...f4!! Surrounding the White queen. 21.gxf4 f6 The cool intermezzo that makes Blatny's combination so special. 22.g3 g6 23.xg6 fxg6 24.xd6 c7 White has enough wood for the queen but his position is a collection of tactical weaknesses! 25.e5 [ 25.d7? is bad after a5 hitting b5 and e1. ] 25...e7 26.dd1 d8 27.c4 Trying to bring his pieces onto effective squares but his kingside is so shaky. .. xh4 28.c3 a5 29.xd8+ xd8 30.d1 [ If 30.e4 then xe4 31.xe4 d1+ 32.g2 xc2 33.e2 f5 etc. ] 30...xf2+! Piling further humiliation onto his opponent. 31.xf2 h4+ Now everything goes with check. 32.e3 g3+ 33.d2 xf4+ 34.d3 d4+ 35.e2 xe5+ 36.d3 xh2 37.f1+ e7 38.e1 d6+ 39.e2 d4 40.b5 g4+ 41.d2 h4 42.xe6+ xe6 43.xe6 xe6 It's fitting that Black's h-pawn is the decisive factor as 8...h5 was a courageous move. A truly great game from Black. 0-1
137 Zawadzki,Stanislaw Heberla,Bartlomiej ch-Pol u20 Brzeg Dolny POL (9) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2335 2364 15.02.2001
33.axb5 cxb5 34.g4 b4 35.g5 b3 36.g6 b2 37.g7 g2 38.h7 c5 39.xg2 b1+ 40.h1 d3 41.h8 b6 42.h6+ a5 43.g8 e4+ 44.g2 xg2 45.xg2 b5 46.hg6 b4 47.6g3 a4 48.h4 d5 49.e3 b3 50.ee2 1/2-1/2 Akopian,VMiles,A Moscow 1990. ] 6...f6!? There is nothing wrong with ... d6 a la Miles. 7.e5 g4 8.c4 [ 8.e4 b6 ] 8...d6 9.e4 [ 9.g5!? is similar, but it seems more logical to bring more firepower to bear first. ] 9...b6 10.fg5 h6 [ 10...dxe5!? leads to interesting complications, and looks safer to me - after all white's king is not exactly safe yet either, and the move accelerates black's development. Though after a closer examination of the game, maybe white is simply 'bluffing'. 11.xf7+ e7 12.f3!? ( 12.d5 b4 ) 12...d4 13.a3+ c5 14.b3 ] 11.h5 [ 11.exd6 0-0 and white must solve the problem of his king. ] 11...0-0 12.xf7 [ 12.e6 fxe6 ( 12...d5 13.xf7 ) 13.xe6 xe6 14.xe6+ h8 ] 12...xf7 13.g5 d5 14.d3 f5 15.d2? [ 15.xf5 xf5 ] 15...xg5! 16.fxg5?! g4 17.h4 xe5 As they say, black has compensation for his material advantage. A thought provoking game, as white's 'natural' threats were made to look terribly primitive. 0-1
138 1.e4 c6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 xe5 4.c3 c5 5.f4 c6 6.f3 [ 6.c4!? d6 7.f3 e6 8.xe6 fxe6 9.a4 b6 10.xb6 axb6 11.0-0 f6 12.g5 e7 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 xe5 15.e2 a5 16.b4 xb4 17.xe6 e7 18.xg7+ xg7 19.d2 d5 20.c4 xd2 21.xe5+ d8 22.xf6+ xf6 23.xf6 e8 24.a4 ee2 25.f8+ e7 26.g8 d6 27.g7 c6 28.h1 a2 29.g1 h5 30.g6+ c5 31.g5+ xc4 32.xh5 b5
Zilberstein,Dmitry Blatny,Pavel National Open (3) [Jon Tisdall]
B00 2324 2433 09.03.2002
1.d4 b6 2.e4 b7 3.d3 f6 4.e2 c6 5.c3 e5 6.f3 exd4 7.e5 d5 8.cxd4 [ 8.e4!? has the best track record. Here is an example of an unrated player shoving GM Blatny around: a5 9.xd4 e7 10.b5 b8 11.0-0 a6 12.xb7 xb7 112
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.d4 c5 14.f3 d8 15.g5 g6 16.f4 e7 17.f3 1/2-1/2 Koo, O-Blatny,P/ Las Vegas USA 2001 (45). ] 8...b4+ 9.f1 [ 9.d2? xd4 ( 9...f4 ) 10.xd4 f4 11.g4 ( 11.xb4 xe2 12.xe2 h4 )] 9...c8 [ 9...e7 10.a3 c8 11.d2 d8 12.g3 e6 13.c3 c6 14.xd5 xd5 15.e4 b7 16.e1 0-0 17.g2 f5 18.exf6 xf6 19.xd5 xd5 20.e4 xe4 21.xe4 af8 22.e3 d5 23.e5 d6-+ 0-1 Hamberger,H-Lovric,B/Celle Ligure 1997 (35). ] 10.d2 xd2 11.xd2 d8 12.c3 e6 13.c4 ef4 14.g3 a6 15.xa6 xa6+ 16.g1 xc3 17.bxc3 d5 The control of c4 a n d d5 give bla ck a sm a ll b u t la st in g advantage. This is also one of those types of small disadvantages that are tough to play, with far more opportunities to worsen the position than improve it. 18.g2 0-0 19.ac1 c4 20.he1 b5 21.e2 xe2 22.xe2 a5 23.d2 [ 23.c4 bxc4 24.xc4 fb8 still gives black a nagging edge, with a better rip on the queenside and the massive knight on d5. ] 23...a6 24.e4 c6 25.b2 b8 [ 25...b4!? ] 26.c4 [ 26.c5!? led to interesting complications, but is very risky. d6 27.d7 b7 ( 27...d8 28.xb5 ) 28.c4 b4 29.exd6 cxd6 ( 29...d3? 30.e5 ) 30.e1 f6 31.cxb5 cc7 32.e8+ f7 33.f8+ e6 34.b8 and white's poorly coordinated pieces are not worth the pawn. ( 34.e2+? d5 )] 26...b4 27.c5 d6 28.d7?? [ 28.cxb5 xb5 29.exd6 cxd6 30.e1 ( or 30.d3 would more or less equalize. )] 28...d8 29.d5 xc4 30.xc4 bxc4 31.e6 0-1
139 Adams,Michael Pechenkin,V Canadian Open (3) [John Watson]
B01 2699 2346 13.07.2009
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.f3 xd5 4.d4 This is the equivalent of 3 d4 Nxd5 4 Nf3, which is a more common order. g6 [ 4...g4 is seen in this month's game Tzermiadanos-Shen Siyuan. ] [ 4...f5 5.d3 xd3 6.xd3 f avours W hite, a s you can verif y in th e recent Archive game Wan Yunguo-Laylo. ] 5.c4 A relatively slow line. [ 5.c4 b6 6.c3 g7 7.c5 is featured in Kovalev-Pluemer. ] 5...g7 6.0-0 [ Emms suggests 6.c3 , in order to avoid the next note. ] 6...0-0 [ 6...b6 7.b3 c5!? tries to break up White's centre immediately: 8.dxc5 xd1 9.xd1 6d7 A) Perhaps White gets something out of 10.g5 0-0 11.c4 h6 ( 11...xc5? 12.xf7 with the idea xf7 13.d8+ f8 14.xc8 ) 12.e4 h7 13.bc3 f5 14.d2 xc5 15.b3 , but this looks manageable following ba6 16.xc5 xc5 17.e1 e5 18.e3 b6; B) 10.c3 xc3?! ( 10...xc5 11.d5 ba6 ) 11.bxc3 xc5 12.e3 xb3 13.axb3 a6 14.c5 c6 15.d4 d7 16.e1 0-0 17.xc6 xc6 18.xe7 fe8 Rausis-Thorhallsson, Cappelle la Grande 1993. Rybka likes White, but this is one of those opposite-coloured bishops endings in which progress is extremely hard to make - what's his plan? ] 7.e1 g4 [ 7...c6 8.c3 b6 9.b3 g4 has been played a fair amount, for example, A) White can also choose to hit the bishop with 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 and now: A1) 11...e5 12.dxe5 xe5 13.d2! ( 13.h6 g7 14.xg7 xg7 followed by ...Qf 6 is okay f or Black) 13...g7 14.e4 e5 15.g3 d3 Lagudin-Piskur, Slovenia 1996) and here I b e l i e v e t h a t 16.h4 keeps some 113
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 advantage (White had the bishop pair in an open position).; A2) 11...a5!? 12.a4 e5 13.dxe5 xe5!? 14.xb7 d3 15.d1 e7 16.f3 xc1 17.xc1 ad8 (Dautov) and Black has some compensation for the pawn, although I would still take White after 18.a3 d2 19.c2 fd8 20.f1!; A3) 11...--; B) 10.f4 e5!? 11.dxe5 xd1 12.xd1 c4 13.bd2! ( After the alternative 13.fd2?! 4xe5 14.xg4 d3 15.e3 xf4 (Cao Sang-Palkovi, Budapest 1995) it's W hite who is playing to equalise.) 13...xb2 14.c2 fd8! 15.ab1 d3 16.xd3 xd3 17.xb7 d8 18.xc7 e6 19.c4 xf4 20.xf4 e6 21.a4 xc3 The advantage of the bishop pair over the knights just about compensates for the pawn deficit. With accurate play the game should be drawn. 22.d4 d5 23.a5 d3?! ( 23...d8 24.xa7 xe5! (Dautov) is simpler. Now Black has to work hard for half-a-point.) 24.2f3 c4 25.h3 h6 26.a1 f4 27.a4 c3 28.b5 xb5 29.xf4 ac8 30.a4 c1+ 31.xc1 xc1+ 32.h2 c6 33.g5 d5 34.d4 c5 35.e4 xe4 36.xe4 f8 37.f4 a5 38.d4 e7 39.g4 c3 40.d5 c4 41.xa5 xf4 42.g3 b4 43.a8 e6 44.a5?! xe5 45.a6 b3+ 46.f2 a3 1/2-1/2 Klovans-Dautov/USSR (Game 46) 1986/The Scandinavian/ [John Emms]; C) 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 a5 ( 11...e5 12.dxe5 xe5 13.d2! g7 14.e4 ) 12.a4 ( 12.f4! a4 13.c2 with the idea c4 14.e2 xb2 15.b5 e5 16.dxe5 a3 17.xb7 ) 12...e5 13.dxe5 xe5 14.xb7 d3 15.d1 - analysis by Da u t o v a n d n o w B l a c k m ig h t t r y c5! 16.xd8 axd8 17.xc7 xb3 , when the game is about equal following 18.d2! xa1 19.xb6 h6 20.f4! xf4 21.f2 g5 ] 8.c3 e6 [ 8...c6 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 e6 transposes. ] 9.h3 [ 9.bd2 , probably better, has been played in several games, for example, d7 10.h3
xf3 11.xf3 (the point White has clamped down on e5 now Black has to play for ...c5 if possible) 5b6 12.b3 c5 13.g5! A) 13...c7! has the idea ...c4 and comes c l o s e t o e q u a l i s i n g , e . g . , 14.h4!? ( 14.d2 c4 15.c2 d5 16.h6 ) 14...c4 15.g3 c6 16.c2 d5 17.d2 h6 intending ... b5-b4.; B) 13...f6?! 14.h6 g7 15.d2 cxd4 16.xg7 xg7 17.xd4 c5 18.xe6! fxe6 ( 18...xe6 19.xe6 ) 19.b4 c4 20.e2 d5 21.ad1 ae8 22.bxc5 f6 23.b3 1-0 Zapata, A (2530)-Sariego, W (2435), Linares 1992. ] 9...xf3 10.xf3 c6 This standard structure is designed to restrict White's bishops. Here, as in most openings, it gives White a slight e d g e t h a t i s d i f f i c u l t t o c o n v e r t . 11.a4 Another safe move which looks for space on the queenside (perhaps contemplating a5 to stop ...Nb6 at some point), while preventing a n y s u r p ri se e xp a n s io n b y B l a ck o n t h e queenside. [ Bertona-Gomez Laosa, Aragon 2003 was also favourable for White following 11.d2 f6 12.d1 ( 12.g3!?; 12.xf6 with the better ending) 12...h6 13.e4 d8 14.f3 d7 15.b3 h7 16.d6 c7 17.g3 7f6 18.c4!? h5 19.h2 b4 20.d1 ad8 21.c5 d5 and Black is holding his own. ] 11...a5 12.a3 d7 13.d2!? [ 13.c2 prepares for 5b6 14.b3 e5 15.e3 , to capture with a piece on d4, but Black can play something slower like 13... Qc7. ] 13...5b6 Black prepares to break in the centre. [ 13...c7 14.c2 fe8 is a solid alternative. ] 14.b3 e5 This break is always doubleedged: On the one hand, it opens the position for the bishops (the one on b3 gains in range) but if Black can isolate and blockade a pawn on d4, that will in and of itself limit W hite's bishops and other pieces. 15.c2 exd4 16.cxd4 [ 16.xd4 c5 17.c2 would be desirable, but c4 is strong. ] 16...f6 17.g5 bd5! 18.e5 b6 A standard spot for the queen. Black should 114
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 be okay here. 19.ae1 h6 20.h4 h7!? [ 20...ad8 is natural and good. Black probably can't undertake anything positive, but he's in no danger. ] 21.5e2 g5 [ Or 21...hf6 ] 22.g3 [ 22.xg5 hxg5 23.xd5 cxd5 24.e3 ad8 25.xd5 xd4 ] 22...f4!? 23.e7 [ 23.xf4 xb3 ] 23...d5 24.xg5 hxg5 25.7e4 ad8 T h e g a m e i s s t i l l a b o u t e q u a l , a lt h o u g h Black's pieces are better-placed and he has what chances there are. 26.h1 f6 [ 26...f4! ] 27.4e3 d5 28.f3 xd4!? Daring. [ 28...f6!? 29.xd5 cxd5 30.b3 c6 keeps in touch with f6. ] 29.xg5?! [ 29.xd4 xd4 30.xg5 g7 ( 30...xb2 31.xf7! ) 31.xf7+ xf7 32.xd8 xf2 33.e8 f1+ 34.h2 f4+ draws. ] 29...xb2 30.h4 d6! Covering both g6 and f6. 31.h5 d8 32.g3 g7?! [ 32...g7! keeps everything defended and contemplates ...gxh5. Then Black is a solid pawn up. ] 33.g1 f6 [ 33...f6! ] 34.xd5! xd5 35.b3 d4 36.xd4 xd4 37.xb7 xa4!? 38.hxg6 xg6 [ 38...f4! ] 39.e5+ g8 40.g3 e6 41.g5+ g6 42.d2 a3 43.e4 c5 44.f4 g5 45.a7 xf4 46.xf4 Of course this is draw, but with a 350-point rating difference, Adams pla ys on . He m a ke s re a l pro gre ss, e ve n wining a pawn, but can't get through in the end. g7 47.xa5 d8 48.af5 d7 49.g2 gd6 50.c5 e6 51.g4 g6 52.fc4 dd6 53.g3 f6 54.c3 e1 55.f3 ee6 56.f4 h6 57.f3 g7 58.f5 e1 59.xc6 xc6 60.xc6 f1+ 61.g2 a1 62.e6 b1 63.f2 a1 64.d6 b1 65.f3 f1+ 66.e4 g1 67.d7+ h6 68.f3 f1+ 69.g2 a1 70.g3 g1+ 71.f4 f1+ 72.e3 e1+ 73.f3 f1+ 74.e4 g1 75.d5 xg4 76.e6 a4 77.xf6 a6+ 78.e5 a5+ 79.d5 a7 80.e6 g7 81.d6 f7 82.d1 f6+
83.e5 a6 84.d7+ f8 85.d6 xd6 86.xd6 f7 87.e5 e7 88.f6+ f7 89.f5 f8 ½-½
140 Ahn,Martin Sebastian 24th ECC Kallithea GRE (2) [John Watson]
B01 2321 18.10.2008
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 g4 4.b5+ This is a very interesting approach, helping Black's development but hurting his piece coordination. Last month, in Goh Wei Ming's excellent update, he looked at 4 Nf3, [ 4.e2 and ] [ 4.f3 , the main line. There are 6 other games with 4 f3 in the Archives. ] [ I also showed a game with 4.d3 xd5 , when 5 h3! seems best but the move 4... Qxd5 is probably all right for Black after 5 Nc3 Qd7 and ...Nc6. ] 4...bd7 [ 4...d7 leaves Black cramped after 5.e2 xd5 6.c4 f6 7.c3 or 7 Nf3. ] 5.e2 xe2 6.xe2 [ 6.xe2 xd5 7.c4 5f6 8.bc3 e6 9.0-0 e7 is another line it seems solid enough f or Black, the more so because W hit e's knight is so passive on e2 an d therefore ...e5 becomes feasible. ( 9...d6 is a more ambitious way to proceed )] 6...xd5 7.f3 [ 7.c4 (before ...e6 and ...Bb4+ can interfere) 5f6 8.c3 ( 8.f3 e6 9.0-0 c6 transposes to the game.) 8...g6!? 9.f4 (9 Nf3 is simple and mildly better for White I wouldn't like to play Black in such a position, but he has a fairly standard setup) h5!? 10.g5 h6 11.h4 df6!? (artificial Black hunts down the bishop at the cost of time a n d s p a c e ) 12.0-0-0 g5 13.g3 xg3 14.hxg3 g7 15.f3 0-0 16.e5 with a substantial advantage, Rodriguez Vila, A (2467)-Cubas, J (2369)/ Serra Negra 2002. ] 7...e6 8.0-0 This type of position is discussed in the forum. I find it in White's favour, which is not surprising in view of his greater central 115
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 control. [ 8.c4 b4+ 9.f1!? 5f6 10.d5?! A Rodriguez, A (2498)-Fiori, N/Buenos Aires ARG 2003 now 0-0! 11.dxe6 e8 12.exf7+ xf7 yields an attack worth more than a p a wn . T h u s 9 B d 2 sh o u ld p r o b a b l y b e preferred. ] 8...c6 9.c4 5f6 10.f4 [ Another instructive recent game went 10.b3 e7 11.b2 0-0 12.c3 e8 13.ad1 b6 ( 13...a5! looks more accurate, when 14.e5 ad8 15.f4 might be tried, intending a slow advance on the kingside) 14.e5 a5 15.a3 bd7 16.d3 c7 17.f4 ad8 18.g4!? should probably allow for defence, although it can be dangerous for Black, e.g. , g6 19.h1 f8 20.f5?! ( 20.df3 ) 20...exf5 21.gxf5 8d7! 22.e4 xe4 23.xe4 xe5? 24.dxe5 xd3 25.xd3 d8 26.f3 f8 27.e6! and W hite's attack is too strong (Qc3 is one threat), Flores, D (2359)-Fiori, A (2136), Ezeiza 2001. ] 10...e7 11.c3 0-0 This could be considered a sort of main line. Black lacks positive prospects, but, again, his restraint centre (my term) makes it hard for W hite to do anything. 12.a3 e8 13.ad1 f8 [ White played too passively after 13...a5 14.c1 f5 15.d2 ad8 16.fe1 d6 17.d1?! e5! 18.e3 e4 in RiazueloSpitz, France 2001. ] 14.e5 g6 15.g3 a5 16.d3 c5? This runs into concrete problems based upon Nb5. [ The stereotyped 16...ad8 would have kept Black's disadvantage minimal. ] 17.xg6 hxg6 18.b5 ac8?! This fails tactically. [ But 18...cxd4 19.c7 ad8 20.xe8 xe8 21.e5 isn't attractive either. ] 19.dxc5 a6 20.c7! xc7 21.b4 a4 22.xc7 c8 23.xe6 fxe6 24.xe6+ f8 25.xc8+ 1-0
141 Al Modiahki,Mohamad Tiviakov,Sergei 3rd ACT Amsterdam NED (5) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2564 2668 19.07.2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6 6.g3 g4 7.g2 c6!? W hen you think about it, 7..c6 is logical, blockin g t h e act io n o f t h e Bisho p o n g2 . Perhaps the combination of ...a6 and ...c6 could be seen as a luxury. [ 7...c6 has been most common: A) 8.0-0 e6 9.f4 b4 10.xc7 A1) 10...c8! is my suggested imp roveme nt : 11.f4 xb2 12.a4 b4 ( 12...b5?! 13.c4 a5 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 xd4 16.xd4 xa4 17.xb7 xc4 18.a7 ) 13.c3 a5 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 b5 16.c5 xc5 17.dxc5 0-0 18.d6 fd8; A2) 10...e7?! 11.a3 xb2 12.d2 c8 13.fb1 xa3 14.xb2 xb2 15.b1 xc3 16.xc3 d5 17.c5 xf3 18.xb7 xc7 19.xf3 d5 20.xd5 exd5 21.d6 1-0 Senff, MPfleger, M/Bad Wiessee 2005; B) 8.h3 h5 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.f4 b4 11.a3 xb2 12.a4 xf3 13.xf3 xd4 14.b3 a5 15.b4 xb4 16.axb4 e5! 17.xe5 c4 18.xf6 gxf6 Delchev, ASulava, N/Hyeres 2001 ] 8.f4N [ 8.0-0 e6 9.a4 ( 9.e1 e7 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 0-0 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 f6 14.c3 c7 15.f4 b6 16.c2 g6 Dworakowska, J-Ogloblin, N/Moscow 2004; 9.f4 d8 10.d3 d6 11.e5 f5 12.e2 0-0 13.h3 h6 14.ad1 e7 15.a3 bd7 16.fe1 fd8 17.h2 ac8 18.xd7 xd7 19.xd6 xd6 20.e4 xe4 21.xe4 cd8 22.c3 xe4 23.xe4 c7= Cristian, S-Rentner, D/playchess.com 2004 ) 9...a5?! ( 9...bd7 10.f4 b4 ) 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 e7 12.f4 Sh a b a lo v, A -G o n za le z, R/P h ila d e lp h ia 2004 ] 8...d8 He intends a solid build-up with ...e6, .. Bd6 etc. As usual, the Knight on c3 is slightly misplaced and the time W hite uses to redeploy the Knight Black uses to develop. 116
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.h3 [ 9.0-0 e6 10.e1 d6 11.xd6 xd6 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 f5 14.e3 0-0 15.h4 g6 ends up solid, but passive from Black's side. ] 9...xf3 10.xf3 xd4 11.0-0 e6 12.ad1 Modiahki could be relied upon to play sharply p e r h a p s e ve n s a c rif ice a p a wn a s h e re . Tivia k o v wa nt s to win an d th in ks h e ca n d e f e n d t h e p o s i t i o n o u t . G a m e o n ! b6 13.a4 [ 13.e3 c7 ( 13...xb2 14.a4 xa2 15.b6+- ) 14.e4 bd7 15.xf6+ xf6 16.f4 a5 17.a3 e7 does not really garner much for White. ] 13...b5 14.b3 bd7 15.c4 a5 16.g4 The riddle for White is that he is trying to find a way through and is labouring under the illusion that he holds the advantage. Therefore he MUST play very actively. But the reality check is that Black is already a bit better, without really doing very much and picks W h i t e o f f a s h e c o m e s t o wa r d s h i m . h6! 17.g3 c8 [ One can understand the reluctance to play 17...0-0-0 but this was also playable: 18.e3 e5! 19.g3 b4 20.f4 e4 21.f5 he8 ] 18.e3 a8 19.g3 e7 No draw, thank you! 20.c7 b4 21.d4 [ 21.f4 c8 22.e5 xe5 23.fxe5 d7 retains the Black advantage although an a n a l y s i s o f 24.xd7 is necessary: xd7 25.xf7 cf8! 26.xg7 c8 27.e3 d8! 28.h1 hg8! ( 28...g5 29.g1 hf8 30.xc6! ) 29.h7 g5 30.f2 d1+ 31.f1 f8 32.f7 xf7 33.xf7 e1-+ 34.e8+ d8 35.f7 e4+ ] 21...0-0 22.fd1 c5 23.b6?! [ H e s h o u l d s e t t l e f o r 23.xc5 xc5 24.4d3 and hope that there is compensation enough. I doubt it after e7 ] 23...ae8 24.f4 ce4! Sharply seen. A fork will follow on c5. 25.xe4 [ 25.xe4 xe4 26.xe4 c5+ ] 25...c5 26.a3 xa3 27.c2 d8 28.xd8 xd8 29.g2 xd4 Against players with an active style, 3...Qd6 works very well. 0-1
142 Almasi,Zoltan Tologontegin,Semetery Chigorin Memorial 20th (8) [Danny Gormally]
B01 2707 2338 03.11.2012
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e5 e6 7.f4 d8 [ 7...d5 has been played. 8.xd5 xd5 9.f3! with the idea of Bc4, should ensure some advantage for White. ( 9.d3!? d7 10.xd7 xd7 11.c4 f5 12.xf5 xf5 13.e2 0-0-0 14.0-0-0 1/2-1/2 Macak, S (2400) -Epishin, V (2562)/Odense 2011) 9...d8 10.d2 d7 11.0-0-0 xe5 12.xe5 where White enjoys a useful lead in development. ] 8.d2! [ 8.e2 g6 9.d2 bd7 10.f3 g7 11.h6 xh6 12.xh6 b6 13.0-0 d6 14.h3 0-0-0 15.ad1 bd5 16.xd5 xd5 17.c4 f6 18.xd5 cxd5 19.e3 he8 20.fe1 f7 21.h6 g8 22.d2 d7 23.e3 b8 24.de1 f7 25.a5 g5 26.a3 b6 27.b5 c8 28.e2 g6 29.c3 h5 30.d2 e8 31.e6 c7 32.f1 d6 33.e3 d7 34.d2 b7 35.b3 c8 36.a4 a8 37.a5 bxa5 38.a3 a4 39.ea1 c6 40.e3 e8 41.e2 b7 42.f3? ( The simple 42.xa4 is almost winning for W hite) 42...d6 43.3a2 h4 44.c2 e5 45.dxe5 fxe5 46.f5 d4 47.xe5 d5 48.f6 dxc3 49.bxc3 b5 50.b4 bc5 51.e2 d7 52.e7 xc3 53.xg5 a3 54.d1 3c7 55.d5 c5 56.d2 c2 57.e3 a2 58.d3 b2 59.b6+ xb6 0-1 Haslinger, S (2524)-Tiviakov, S (2674)/Roosendaal 2012 ] 8...g6 9.0-0-0 bd7 10.d5! This pawn sac has been seen before. Black's position is very solid, and if he can get mobilised any danger will pass for him, so it's important for White to act quickly. xd5 [ none of the other captures offer a save h a v e n e i t h e r , f o r e x a m p l e 10...cxd5 11.xd7 xd7 12.xd5 which is obviously not much fun for Black. ] [ 10...xd5 11.xd5 xd5? ( 11...cxd5 12.b5! also looks pretty horrible.) 12.xd7 xd7 13.c4! e6 14.c3 is immediately 117
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 catastrophic ] 11.xd5 xd5 12.c4 c7!? After this W hite can force a clearly better endgame, where Black can only fight desperately for a draw. The problem is that reasonable alternatives were thin on the ground. [ 12...5f6 13.c3 gives White very clear compensation. He already has a threat of ta k in g o n d 7 an d winn in g m at e ria l. g8 14.e2 and although Black remains solid, given his lead in development, and easy play, I'd much rather take White. ] 13.cxd5 xe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.dxc6 c7 16.d7+ [ a nice option and quite possibly better was 16.b1! xc6 ( 16...g7 17.d7+ xd7 18.cxd7+ d8 19.g3 a6 20.d3 is better for White as then the plan of ...Ra7 is not so effective, as W hite is in time to defend the d7 pawn) 17.c1 b6 18.c3 f6 19.c4 with very dangerous attacking chances for White. ] 16...xd7 17.cxd7+ d8 18.g3 c7? This ending looks very uncomfortable, which might explain why Black was not able to put up much resistance (perhaps he thought he was already lost.) [ But even in difficult positions we should look for a plan, and if he had found the clever idea of 18...a6! with the plan of ...Ra7 followed by b5, he would most likely been a b l e t o s a v e t h e g a m e . 19.g2 a7 20.b1 b6= ] 19.h3 e6 20.d3 d8 21.hd1 Now W hite has managed to preserve the annoying pawn on d7, which ties Black down completely. h5 22.c3+ b8 23.g2 h4 24.g4 h3 25.xh3 h6+ 26.b1 f4 27.b3 b6 [ 27...xh2 28.g2 b6 29.f3 h7 30.f1 heading for b5, and W hite maintains uncomfortable pressure. ] 28.f1 xh2 29.f3 g5 30.a6 h7 31.c3 c7 32.b5 f6 33.a3 e5 34.c2 a6 35.c6 h4 36.f3 h7 37.c6 h4 38.e4! c7? [ 38...xg4 39.dc1 xe4 40.c8+ b7 41.xd8 d4 would have enabled Black to show stern resistance. ] 39.f3! White has co-ordinated beautifully, and now is free to go on the rampage with his
rooks. h2 40.c6 f2 41.xe6 a7 42.c1 xd7 43.e8 b8 44.cc8 d1+ 45.a2 dd2 46.e7+ 1-0
143 Amin,Bassem Sengupta,Deep WCh-Junior Gaziantep TUR (11) [John Watson]
B01 2561 2454 13.08.2008
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e2 Again White makes this modest move (compare Maze-Bauer), simply t r y i n g t o u s e h i s s p a c e a d v a n t a g e . f5 Black responds naturally, but he can also consider [ 6...g4 ] 7.e5 This seems to go well with Be2. bd7 8.f4!? White doesn't often set up with Ne5 and f4 versus the Scandinavian, but perhaps he sh o u ld . Ge n e rally t h e kn ight re tre a ts , is exchanged, or is supported by Bf4 or Qe2, for example. Now g4 is becoming a major theme, e6?! [ 8...h5 is more accurate. ] 9.0-0!? [ 9.g4! e4 ( 9...g6 10.0-0 with f5 next, or e4 11.c4! c7 12.f5 , etc. ) 10.xe4 ( 10.0-0 d5 11.xd5 exd5 may also f a v o u r W h i t e .) 10...xe4 11.d3 and White has bishops, space, etc. ] 9...h5 Either this or [ 9...h6 is necessary see the last note. ] 10.e3 b6 11.f2!? [ 11.d3 e7 12.xf5 exf5 13.d3 e6 and ...0-0-0 offers Black safety. ] [ 11.a4 is a useful interpolation. ] 11...c7 Black can't castle without protecting f7. Now White discourages 0-0-0: 12.a4! a5 13.f3 e7 14.e2!? e4 15.g3 xf3 16.xf3 g6 [ 16...h4 17.e2 h3 leaves the h-pawn a later target after 18.g4 ] 17.ae1 f8!? 18.b3 bd5 19.c4 b4 20.e4 xe4 21.xe4 g7 Now White has space, but at first it looks as though there's nothing else. However, the knight on b4 is out of play, so White has some ideas of attacking Black's weakened kingside . 22.e1 h4? 118
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Soon we see how badly this move weakens 14.f3! would've left White with a pleasant the kingside, especially by allowing White to bind on the centre. ] use g4. 23.h3 d6 8.ge2 e6 9.b3 A new move from Anand [ 23...f6 24.g4 e7 25.e2 ( 25.d5!? ) and it's nothing spectacular but it does seem 25...ad8 26.c3! and d5 follows. ] to secure a slight advantage. 24.xg6! This should win. [ 9.0-0 doesn't seem to yield much edge e7 [ 24.c3 a2 defends. ] A) after 10.e1 0-0 11.a4 Black could've [ But 24.g4! with the idea f5 is quite equalised in Hamdouchi, H (2617)-Borgo, awkward for Black, threatening Nxg6, but G ( 2 3 9 7 ) L u g a n o 2 0 1 2 w i t h a5! also f5 with attack. ] ( inste ad af te r 11...a6?! 12.a5 c6 24...f5? 13.b3 b5 14.axb6 cxb6 15.d5! [ Black has to accept by 24...fxg6 25.xe6 White has much the better game and went ( 25.c3 a2 ) 25...d8 26.f5! f6 on to win. ); , w h e n W h i t e n e e d s t o f i n d 27.d5! B) 10.h1 0-0 11.a4 a5 12.e4 c6 , for example, cxd5 28.fxg6 f8 29.xh4 ] ( 12...c6! 13.xf6+ xf6 14.c3 d7 25.xe7! fxe4 and Black is very close to equalising.) [ 25...xe7 26.xf5 ] 13.c3 fd8 14.c2 was slightly better for 26.g4+ f7 27.g6+ xe7 28.g7+ W hite in Gharamian, T (2658)-Prie, E e8 29.xh8+ f8 30.xh4 With 2 extra (2526) Charleroi 2011 ] passed pawns and threats against Black's [ 9.e3 c6 ( possibly Black should accept exposed king, White wins easily. d3 31.h7 a slightly worse position with 9...e7 10.0-0 f5 32.g8+ f8 33.xe6+ e7 34.g8+ 0-0 ) 10.a3 e7 11.0-0 ed5 12.f2 f8 35.g6+ d7 36.xe4 xb2 37.d5 0-0-0 led to interesting play in Edouard, R xa4 38.g3 e8 39.dxc6+ bxc6 40.d1+ (2607) -Bauer, C (2679) Switzerland 2012 c7 41.f5+ b7 42.d7+ b6 43.c7+ but after 13.b4! h5 14.e4 xe4 15.fxe4 b7 44.d6+ f6 and here White should be somewhat 1-0 better after 16.h4! which holds up Black's play on the kingside ] 9...c6 10.e3 a5 It's logical to go straight 144 B01 after the bishop pair but it's not the only option [ 10...0-0-0 is surely a critical way to play this Anand,V 2772 position and in fact Black seems to have Van Wely,L 2679 re aso na b le ch an ces h e re , f or exa mp le 75th Tata Steel GpA (7.6) 19.01.2013 11.d2 e8 12.0-0 b8 ( 12...h5!? ) [Tom Rendle] 13.ad1 e7 and chances are very balanced. 14.d5?! is met by c5 ] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.d2 g4 6.f3 d7 Probably the most 11.0-0 xb3 12.axb3 e7 13.f4 0-0 14.e1 fd8 It's hard to believe that Black is sensible retreat. [ 6...h5 7.g4 g6 8.f4 gives White good more than minimally worse but Anand keeps chances and was covered in two games by up the pressure with some accurate moves This prevents Van Wely from playing Eric Prié in the archives, Golubev-Kislinsky 15.d3 ...c5 and freeing his game. d6 and Koepke-Kislinsky ] [ 15...a5! is probably a slight improvement [ 6...f5 has also been tried but White keeps and now after 16.f2 b4 White has to s o m e a d v a n t a g e wi t h 7.c4 ( 7.g4!? ) decide how to make progress. One option is 7...b6 8.ge2 ] 17.d5 d6 18.dxe6 xe6 19.xb4 xb4 7.c4 b6 but Black should be holding a draw fairly [ 7...c6 was seen in Fedorov, A (2598)co m f o r t a b l y h e r e a l t h o u g h wi t h 20.e2 Mamedyarov, S (2542) Batumi 2002 but it and Ra4 White still has the easier position to just seems to give W hite an easy game: play. ] 8.e2 e6 9.e4 d8 10.0-0-0 b5 11.d3 a6 12.f4 b4 13.xb4 xb4 and now 16.f2 c6 17.e4! xe4 18.fxe4 f5?! 119
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 g7 10.h1 f5! 11.c4 ( After the game Kasparov recommended 11.e3! xd3 12.xd3 0-0 13.xd7 xd7 14.f5 although in my opinion, Black keeps a tiny advantage.) 11...e6 12.e2 ( threatening g2-g4 ) h5! 13.e3 d8 14.g1 0-0 15.f3 d5! 16.xd5 Forced, as ( 16.e2 fails to xf4! ) 16...exd5 with a clear edge. ] 6...f5 7.e5 e6 8.g4 g6 9.h4 bd7! The best line [ 9...b4 does not solve Black's problems as the game Campora - Cu. Hansen, Palma de Mallorca GMA 1989 proved: 10.d2 e4 11.f3! xc3 12.bxc3 xc3 13.b1 b5 14.b3 d7 15.xc6 xd2+ 16.xd2 c7 17.d5 with a clear advantage. ] 10.xd7 xd7 11.h5 e4 12.h3 [ 12.0-0 gives W hite nothing real: d5 13.xd5 cxd5 14.d3 d6 15.c3 g6 16.d2 d8 17.g2 gxh5 18.g5 e7 19.xh5 0-0-0= with equality, Westerinen Prie, Andorra 1994 ] 12...g2 The idea of this move is that if White plays Rg3, then Black will gain a tempo with a later Bd6. [ 12...d5 is the main Black reply and is probably best as the move played here was disastrous for Black. White then usually tries 13.d3 0-0-0 ( 13...d6 14.d2 c7 15.xd5 cxd5 16.e2 f4 17.0-0-0 gave White a small edge in the game Ochoa de Echaguen - Denker, New York 1989) 145 B01 14.d2 b6 15.xd5 exd5 with good counterplay in the game Rublevsky - Lastin, Anand,Viswanathan 2765 Russia (ch) Elista 1995. ] Lautier,Joel 2660 Biel 1997 13.e3! [ St ro n ge r t h a n 13.g3 d5 although [Alexander Volzhin] White's chances are still preferable. ] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 13...b6 [ 13...b5 14.d3 b4 does not solve Black's f6 5.f3 c6 problems as he will soon be forced to part [ 5...g4 ] with a Bishop by taking on e4 after 15.e4 ] [ 5...f5 are the alternatives. ] 14.d3! 6.c4 [ 14.b3?! c5! would give Black good [ 6.e5 was tried in the World title match counterplay ] between Kasparov and Anand. White didn't 15.f3! The point. The bishop is obtain any advantage from the opening, 14...d5 mo re o ve r t h e W o rld Ch a m p ion , wh o is trapped on g2 and White's task now is not to famous for his great knowledge of opening give up too much material for it. [ P r e vio u s l y 15.g3 had been played, the theory, found himself in an inferior position game Bauer - Prie, France (ch) 1996 after 15 moves! The game continued: e6! continued with xc3 16.bxc3 d5 17.d2 7.d3 bd7 8.f4?! ( 8.xd7 ) 8...g6! 9.0-0
This is unnecessarily weakening and ultimately it costs Loek the game. [ 18...b6 was better although White is somewhat better after 19.c4 d7 20.e5 e8 21.g4 b7 however Black's still very solid so he definitely should have played this way. ] 19.exf5 exf5 20.c4! e4?! After this Black is just losing a pawn. [ 20...h4 was a better try but after 21.g3 e4! 22.d5 ( would be a big mistake due to 22.gxh4? g6+ 23.g3 xd4 and Black regains the piece with a good positio n) 22...xd3 23.xd3 f6 24.xf5 xb2 25.a2 f6 26.ae2 White is clearly better ] 21.c5 g6 22.xe4 fxe4 23.b1! f6 24.xe4 xe4 25.xe4 Anand is a pawn up and makes the rest of the game look very easy indeed c6 26.f1 d7 27.e2 a6 28.d3 ad8 29.ae1 f7 30.e3 h5 31.f1 g6 32.b4! d6 33.h3 6d7 Black is unable to do more than wait and now Vishy clamps down on the kingside as well. 34.g4! hxg4 35.hxg4 f8?? A blunder that brings the game to a swift conclusion 36.g5 xd4 37.e6+ [ 37.e6+ f6+ 38.c2 f7 39.e4 and the Bishop is still lost on f6! ] 1-0
120
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 a4 18.e2 b5 19.h6 0-0-0 with complicated and double-edged play. ] 15...b4 [ After 15...xc3 16.bxc3 xc3+ 17.d2 xd4 18.f2 xf3 19.xf3 White has a big advantage, according to Anand. ] [ 15...xe3!? was interesting: 16.xe3 a3 17.c1 ( 17.bxa3 xf3 18.d2 xg4 19.h6 Black is slightly better) 17...b4 18.f2 xc3 19.bxc3 xc3 20.d2 xd4+ 21.xg2 and White's chances looks preferable. ] 16.f2! xc3 [ 16...xc3 was not better: 17.bxc3 xc3 18.b1 xd4 19.xg2 xe3 20.xe3 with a clear advantage. ] 17.bxc3 xc3 18.b1 xd4 [ Both alternatives 18...xf3 19.xf3 xd4 20.xb7 ] [ and 18...xe3 19.xe3 xf3 20.xf3 fail to make Black's life easier. ] 19.xb7 d8 [ 19...h3 was another try which would be met by 20.xf7! c5 21.f5!! xe3 22.xe3 b2 23.xc5 0-0 24.g3! with a decisive advantage, as was pointed out by Joel Lautier. ] [ 19...f4 20.g3 d6 does not help either because of the beautiful 21.a3! xh5+ ( 21...xa3 22.e4! winning ) 22.xg2 g3+ 23.f1 winning ] 20.h6!! The idea behind this spectacular move is very beautiful and was not appreciated by Lautier. gxh6? [ B l a c k c o u l d s t i l l f i g h t w i t h 20...xe3 21.xe3 e5 22.hxg7 g8 23.g1 ( 23.h6 h2! ) 23...xf3 24.xf3 with a big advantage, according to Anand. ] 21.g6!! The point! It's not very often you see such a beautiful combination on the board, especially in a game between two top players. e7 [ Other moves were also losing: 21...xe3+ 22.xe3 fxg6 ( 22...hxg6 23.d4 ) 23.c5 ] [ 21...f6 22.xf7+ xf7 23.xf7 xe3 24.xd8+! xd8 25.xe3 h3 26.xa7 ] [ 21...xe3 22.xf7+ f8 23.xd4 xd4 24.xe3 ] [ and the main idea is to checkmate the B l a c k K i n g a f t e r 21...xd1 22.xe6+ with Bh6 and Bf7 to follow. ]
22.xd4 xd4 23.d3! The simplest. d8 24.xd8+ xd8 25.d3! [ 25.d3 h1 26.b2 e8 27.f6 It is remarkable that White still has not won the trapped Bishop, but he doesn't need it! Black resigned. A very beautiful game by Vishy Anand. ] 1-0
146 Ansell,S Martin,Andrew D 4NCL West Bromwich [Andrew Martin]
B01
01.05.2005
No w, a ra re p e rso n a l d isa s t e r u s in g t h e Scandinavian. I've been meaning to experiment with 3...Qd6 for some time what a beginning! 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6!? I think the punctuation is correct. Some things I like about this move particularly the dynamic aspect of the centralized Queen. But t h e Q u e e n is e xp o se d a n d b lo cks in t h e Bishop on f8 for the time being. Black's plan of ...a6, ...b5, ...Bb7, ...e6, ...Nbd7, ...Be7 and eventually ... c7-c5 is easy to understand though. 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6 6.d3! This prevents 6.. b5 for the time being: g4 [ 6...b5 7.a4 b4 8.e4 and Black is already much worse. ] 7.h3 xf3? There is no excuse for this move. Ceding the Bishops at this stage is weak. I thought I might be able to make up for this concession by developing quickly but this is simply the wrong view of the position. [ Instead 7...h5 is correct and then Black should be able to equalize comfortably: 8.g4 ( 8.e4 xe4 9.xe4 c6 10.c3 g6!; 8.e3 c6 9.e2 b4 ) 8...g6 9.xg6 hxg6 10.g5 d5= Looking at it now I really cannot find any reason for playing 7...Bxf3. I must have been having a very bad day! ] 8.xf3 c6 9.e3 0-0-0 10.0-0-0 b4 This seemed absolutely necessary in view of White's idea of Ne4, which is his main trump. For instance [ 10...e6 11.e4! xe4 12.xe4 and already the White position is winning. ] 11.a3 xd3+ 12.xd3 e6 13.e1! A nice move. I'd analysed 121
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 13.hd1 e7 14.d5 exd5 15.xd5 xd5 for 8.e2!? xg2 9.f3 h3 10.f4 16.xd5 g6 and saw that Black was e6+ 11.e5 which gave White some surviving. The point of 13 Re1 is to play d4compensation in Plaskett - Houska,J, d5! again, but this time with added power. ] Islington 1998?) 8...g4 9.f3 e6 10.d2 13...e7 14.g5 d7 0-0-0 11.e5 c4 12.d3 e6 and Black [ 14...b6 15.d5 seemed horrible. ] was fine in the game Ponomariov 15.d5! e8 After much thought and mental Hauchard, Belfort 1998 ] torture. Actually, I could have saved myself 7...f5? This leads to disaster. the mental recrimination by simply admitting [ T h e c r i t i c a l l i n e i s 7...xd4 8.c4 that Black is lost and resigning. Yes, it's that ( White can force a draw with 8.g6 e6+ bad! 9.e5 (threatening both the knight on d4 [ 15...exd5 16.xf6! ( 16.xd5 xd5 and 10.Bc4) b6 10.c4 e6+ 11.e5 17.xe7 he8 18.e5 c6 might just be d6 12.g6 e6+ 13.e5 1/2-1/2 as in s u r v i v a b l e) 16...xf6 17.xd5 Smith - Sermek, Auckland 2000. Can he do is disgusting. ] better?; I t h i n k t h a t 8.g3!? 16.xe7 xe7 17.e3! I must say that looks interesting.) 8...e6 9.xe6 ( And not Ansell finishes the game incisively . I was 9.g6 b6 10.xh8 xc4 when the already getting short of time and could find no knight on h8 is trapped.) 9...xe6 10.f3 answer to the direct attack on the King. d6 xf4 11.xf4 e6 12.0-0 e7 13.e4 To try and cover the possible need to play ... d5 14.fe1 d8 15.c4 d4 16.f3 d7 Kd7 18.a7 he8 17.e5 d4 18.f3 d7 19.e5 d4 [ 18...e5 19.a4! ] 1/2-1/2 Mortensen - Bronstein,D, Hastings 19.dxe6 g5+ 20.b1 xe6 21.xe6 fxe6 Challengers 1996 ] 22.e4! G a m e o v e r . e5 23.c5 c6 8.c4 xe5 9.dxe5 c6 24.b3 e8 25.xb7 One mistake in the 3... [ After 9...xd1+ there is 10.xd1 d7 Qd6 and you get gunned down. That was the 11.d5 but the text leads to even greater valuable lesson taught to me from this game. horrors. ] 1-0 10.e2 xg2 11.0-0-0 e4 12.d5 0-0-0 13.e3 xd1+ 14.xd1 g6 15.d3 b8 16.d8+ c8 17.e6 d6 18.d5 147 B01 A strong argument against moving your queen Arakhamia Grant,Ketevan 2425 too much in the opening. Mashinskaya,Iulia 2300 1-0 3rd EIWCh Varna BUL (4) 30.05.2002 [Nigel Davies] 148 B01 Baron,Ta 2455 I must admit that I am suspicious about the merits of 3...Qd6 and this game may point to Kurajica,Bojan 2529 20.11.2010 its potential vulnerability. 7.Bf4 offers a pawn 4th Mediterranean Open (9.7) for fast development and whilst Black has [Gawain Jones] d o n e O K s o f a r , t h e p o si t io n l o o k s ve r y dangerous to me. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 g4 4.e2 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6 6.e5 c6 c6 5.d4 0-0-0 6.c4 f5 7.e3 xf3 [ 6...e6 7.f4 looks very unpleasant for 8.xf3 xd4 9.xd4 e6+ 10.e2 c5 Black. ] [ Last time I looked at this line I concentrated 7.f4!? White continues his development and on 10...e4 which didn't solve Black's problems - see Bruzon Batista, L (2641)offers his d-pawn. At the moment it looks as if he has nothing more than a draw by repetition, Kurajica, B (2525) La Laguna 2010. I've but in such a sharp position there may be ad d e d in a f e w mo re re ce n t e xa mp le s . improvements for White. 11.0-0 [ 7.xc6 xc6 8.f4 ( Are there any takers A) 11...xd4 12.a4 The first practical 122
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 line.' I still don't see how White can hope for encounter of the forum's suggestion. xe2 an advantage here. 13.xa7 A) 13.0-0!? xe2 14.a3 ( 14.a8+ A1) I e x a m i n e d 13...g4?! with the is probably a draw although allows Black threat of ...Rxg2 for a draw but 14.a8+ to try playing on with the dangerous c7 d7 15.h3! foils Black's plan and leaves 15.a5+ b6 16.a7+ c6 17.b4 e6 White with a great position.; but I feel this is rather foolhardy.) 14...e5 A2) and 13...xb2 la s t t im e : 14.a3 15.b5 ( 15.c5 g4 16.f4 is another d3 15.b5 f6 16.ad1 c2 17.c1 suggestion of AlanG, but I would be rather d2 18.a8+ ( 18.c5!? ) 18...d7 scared playing this as White as a knight on 19.a4 c6 20.cd1 cxb5 21.xb5+ e3 dominates the position rather.) 15...e6 c8 22.xd2 xd2 23.c5+- winning for 16.c5 g4 17.g3 b8 18.a4 e5 White.; 19.a7+ c7 20.b5+ d7 21.xd4+ A3) 13...d6 A new try but this doesn't e7 given by gewgaw, when Black's king s a v e B l a c k . 14.a8+ d7 15.c5!? has escaped the worst with good chances ( 15.xf8 xb2 16.a3 looks like the to convert the extra piece. In particular easiest when Black won't survive long.) watch out for ...Rxd4!; 15...d4 16.xf8 d1 17.d2 xd2 B) 13.a3 is the safest although allows 18.xg7 f6 19.xh8 xb2 20.c6+ Black to equalise with a6=; bxc6 21.a4 b4 22.fe1 g4 23.f8 C) 13.a8+ 'allows Black at least a draw d5 24.a5 1-0 Lyell, M (2202) -Ivanov, and he might even be able to play f or M (2438) Zdar nad Sazavou 2010 saw more with' c7 14.a5+ b6 15.e5+ the lower rated Englishman grateful to c8 ( This looks more reliable than ChessPublishing!; AlanG's 15...d6 16.a5+ b8 B) 11...xd4 12.a4 e6 13.c3 d6 which isn't so clear.) 16.d2 This was B1) Bruzon chose 14.f3! which looks actually tried in a correspondence game strong. My critical line from the previous w h i c h w o r k e d o u t w e l l f o r B l a c k . d3 annotation ran f4 15.fd1 xh2+ 17.f3 e6 18.0-0 d6 19.c3 b4 ( Looking at the game now I wonder 20.b3 d7 21.e4 c5 22.xc5 whether 15...a6!? might be an xc5 23.c3 d4 and I feel Black really in t e re s t i n g m o ve o rd e r ke e p in g t h e can't have any problems. Lopez, A (1670)queen active although 16.b4 xc4 De h a yb e , A (1 8 8 8 ) Ch e s sf r ie n d . c o m 17.e4 b5 18.c2 e5 19.ac1 2003. ] looks extremely dangerous.) 16.f1 a6 [ A practical game saw 12...d3 13.c3 dxe2 17.c5 xc5 18.xb7+ xb7 19.xd8 14.a8+ d7 ( 14...c7 simply loses to h1+ 20.e2 xg2 21.e4 15.b5+ ) 15.xb7+ e8 16.d5 c8 and White has a decisive advantage.; when Top Notch gives 17.a4 with good B2) 14.b5 e5 15.xd6+ cxd6 winning chances. The queenside pawns are 16.f3 b8 17.ad1 ( I looked at extremely fast! ] 17.fe1 previously.) 17...f6 18.d3 c5 19.fd1 d7 20.c3 hd8 21.b4 13.a3 This was gipc's line on the forum. [ 13.0-0!? looks critical to me. With another b6 22.dc1 e5 23.c5 dxc5 24.bxc5 look at this variation I believe that W hite c7 25.a3 a6 26.c6 d4 with very should try this but still White has a question strong compensation. Trygstad, K mark on how to react to 12... Nf 6. xe2 (2301)-Kasparov, S (2492) Leros 2010 ] 14.a3 11.a4 And I thought this the critical test. I've A) L a s t t i m e I s a i d 14...e5 15.c5! added in my annotations from last time. cxd4 gives W hite good chances but perhaps 'This is now forced as' B l a c k c a n h o l d . b8 16.a4 e5 [ 11...xd4 12.xa7 e5 13.c3 ( 16...h5!? looks like a promising idea is great for White. ] 17.c4 h6 18.fc1 c6 19.b6+ c7 12.xa7 'when' e5 20.a5 e6 looks very artificial but if White [ 12...f6 'has been discussed as the critical 123
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 has no killer blow then Black will be able to consolidate.) 17.b5 d7 18.ac1 d8 19.c6 bxc6 20.xc6 and the computer starts to like White...; B) 14...e6 15.a8+! d7 16.xb7+ e8 17.b5 ( 17.c6+ is the perpetual draw f o r W h it e .) 17...e7 ( 17...d6 18.c5 e5 19.ae1 also looks good for White. ) 18.c5 e5 ( 18...d3 simply loses to 19.c6 as the line given by Top Notch illu stra tes : d2 20.c7 d1 21.axd1 xd1 22.c6+ f8 23.a8+ d8 24.xd8+ xd8 25.cxd8# ) 19.c6 b8 20.a4! xb7 ( 20...c5 21.fc1 doesn't help.) 21.cxb7 f6 22.a5 d7 23.fc1 d5 24.a6 g5 25.c4+is an excellent line given by Top Notch when the passed pawns are far stronger than the piece. ] [ 13.f1!? linksspringer is another interesting possibility. It look rather artificial but it does keep the bishop. e6 14.d2 c5 ] 13...e6 We decided this wasn't so good and I think this is a case of our analysis outstripping both players. [ 13...d3 was my mainline. A) 14.0-0-0!? "look an interesting attempt to me which I don't think has been m e n t i o n e d b e f o r e " xe2 15.a8+ ( 15.b1!? ) 15...c7 16.b5+ c6 17.a4 gives Black extreme practical problems. While the computer informs me it's a draw, I'm not completely convinced.; B) 14.a8+ c7 ( 14...b8?! was tried in a Corr. game but 15.xb8+ xb8 16.0-0-0 e5 17.xd3 xd3 18.xd3 xa3 19.bxa3 f6 20.e1 an d W h it e co n ve rt ed h is e xt ra p a wn . Kovac, S-Nielsen, J (2048) ICCF email 2005. ) 15.b5+ c6 16.a7+ c7 17.b5+ is simply a draw. ] 14.a8+ [ 14.b5! was our choice when Black's position is tough. A) 14...c5 immediately is better but 15.f4! A1) 15...c7 16.a4! xf4 17.f1 xh2 18.xf7 e7 ( 18...b8 19.b4! ) 19.0-0-0 and White's attack must be simply too strong.;
A2) 15...xa7 16.xa7+ b8 17.fxe5 xa7 18.h5 and White has something with pressure on f7.; B) 14...b4+?! Actually this is probably the mistake. 15.f1 B1) 15...d3 16.f3 d7 17.a8+ b8 18.a4 c5 19.d1+And again Black's king is unlikely to survive. ( 19.b4 actually looks even easier. ); B2) 15...c5 16.a5 ( 16.a8+ b8 17.a4 looks very strong too.) 16...d3 17.f3 e7 18.e1 f4 B2a) 19.b4! is actually stronger (a better computer now :)). Black cannot k e e p t h e b i s h o p . d4 ( 19...d6 20.b6+- ) 20.g3 b8 21.xd4 xd4 22.c5+ c6 23.xc6 both win a piece.; B2b) 19.g3+- Continuing the line for a few more moves b8 20.b4 c6 21.xc6 bxc6 22.bxc5 cxb5 23.cxb5 d5 24.g2 and White is material up and with the safer king. ] 14...b8 15.a5 This controls the e5 square but allows Black to gain time with Ne7-c6. [ 15.xb8+ xb8 16.c2 e5 obviously favours Black with the central pawns. ] [ 15.a4 I initially thought was an improvement but Black has absolutely no problems here. d3 16.f3 d2+ 17.f1 xa3 18.xa3 f6 19.d1 with a very complex position. It's one of those positions in which both sides have ugly positions. Black's king is vulnerable and his d2 pawn is fairly likely to drop. On the other hand the pawn d oes a goo d job kee pin g W hit e's rooks out of the game. A possible continuation runs: d7 20.g3 hd8 21.a5 ( 21.g2 d4! 22.a5 c7 23.a8+ d7 ) 21...c7 22.a8+ b8 23.a5 d4!? 24.b3 e5 and I'd select Black. ] 15...d3?! It's hard to refrain from this move to try and stop White castling but the pawn now becomes vulnerable. [ 15...e7 would exploit the precarious nature of W hite's queen. 16.f3 ( 16.0-0 c6 17.a4 d3 18.f3 xa3 19.xa3 e5 20.h5 d6 21.c5 d4 and Black's queen and knight dominate the board. Black of course always has to be careful in this line as his king is still somewhat 124
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 vulnerable.) 16...c6 17.xc6 bxc6 18.0-0 d6 19.g3 b4 ( 19...xb2 looks very risky. ) 20.a8+ c7 21.a7+ b7 22.a5+ b6 23.d2 e5 with a very complex position. ] 16.f3 [ 16.d1 looks to pick up the pawn but Black can again exploit W hite's queen position with e7 17.xd3 ( 17.f3 c6 18.xc6 bxc6 19.0-0 is extremely complicated but subjectively I'd prefer to be Black.) 17...xd3 18.xd3 c6 19.g5 b4+ 20.e2 d4+ 21.f1 d8 and Black has taken over the initiative. ] 16...d2+ 17.e2 e7 18.hd1 f5 This allows White a clear advantage. [ 18...c6 was the alternative but here too W hite has an edge with 19.xc6 bxc6 20.a6+ c7 ( 20...b7 21.xb7+ xb7 22.b1 is a clear extra pawn.) 21.c2 and W hite aims to win the d2 pawn and slowly consolidate. It's important that xb2? loses to 22.ab1 xc2 23.b7+ d6 24.xd2+ xd2+ 25.xd2 ] 19.b5 d4+ Kurajica acknowledges the opening hasn't gone well and offers liquidation into a clearly worse middlegame. [ 19...c5 was the alternative but 20.f1! l e a v e s W h i t e c l e a r l y o n t o p a s xh2 21.a8+ b8 22.xb7+ d7 23.xd2+ e7 24.xb8 xb8 25.e4 should be a decisive advantage with the three passed queenside pawns. ] 20.f1? Baron presumably overestimated his position and thought he was mating swiftly but this lets Black off the hook. [ The straightforward 20.xd4 was much better when Black would have to grovel t e r r i b l y a f t e r xd4 21.xd2 xd2+ 22.xd2 ] 20...xf3 21.a7+?! And this is the wrong way. It looks logical to force the king forwards but it becomes surprisingly safe. [ Instead he should have settled for 21.gxf3 when c5 22.b4 xf2 23.xf2 xh2+ 24.f1 h1+ 25.f2 h2+= is drawn. ] 21...d7 22.gxf3 e7! Suddenly the knight looks really offside on a7 and the d2 pawn prevents W hite from launching a decisive attack. 23.c5?! And this is probably the decisive mistake. Baron cannot adjust to the
sudden swing in fortunes and is still trying to crash through on the queenside but ceding d5 is terrible. [ Instead he could have still bailed out with 23.xd2! xd2 24.b4+! f6 ( 24...e8 25.xd2 actually favours White as xa7? loses to 26.d1; 24...d6 25.c6+! is the cunning idea.) 25.xd2 xh2! and Black is still for preference but W hite stays in the game. ( 25...xa7 26.f4+ e7 27.c7+ f6 28.f4+= is a draw. )] 23...d5! The rook now dominates the board. 24.b5 [ 24.xd2 giving up the knight was White's best chance but with accurate defence Black is clearly bette r xd2 25.xd2 xa7 26.d1 b8! 27.b4 c7 28.c6+ f6 29.xb7 d6 and Black has successfully developed his kingside pieces. ] 24...xh2 25.d6 f6! Running the king to safer pastures 26.e4+ g6 27.e2 h6 A human move creating shelter for the king which has just run from c8 to g6 with all the major pieces still on the board. [ H o w e v e r t h e f e a r l e s s 27...f5! was the quickest route to victory as 28.g1+ f7 29.g5+ g8 leaves the Black monarch safe. ] 28.xd2 xd2+ Exchanging off pieces simplifies Black's task. [ 28...e5!? pinning and winning the knight was also possible, for instance 29.c3 h7 30.d1 xe4 31.d3 h1+ 32.c2 xa1 33.xe4+ g8 34.xb7 xc5 35.d8+ h7 36.xh8+ xh8 37.c8+ h7 38.xc5 xa2 with a clear advantage in the queen and pawn endgame but playing in such a fashion is very foolhardy. ] 29.xd2 f5! Black's king has found safety and now White can't prevent Black's kingside pieces finally coming into the game when W hite's position will be hopeless. 30.d7 White tries to complicate the issue. [ It's easy to see that 30.d6 e5+ 31.f1 xc5 offers White no respite. ] 30...e5 31.g1+ h7 32.xb7 fxe4 It's amusing that Black can have a completely wi n n i n g p o s it i o n wi t h o u t d e ve lo p in g h i s kingside pieces and the king march makes q u i t e a n i m p r e s s i o n . 33.b4 b2+ Nothing wrong with this check but missing an 125
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 immediate win. [ Instead 33...xc5! activating the rook wins as W hite's king is too vulnerable. 34.bxc5 exf3+ 35.xf3 f8+ 36.g2 e2 and Black will mate shortly. ] 34.f1 b1+ 35.g2 exf3+ 36.h2 xa2 37.xf3 d5 White's queenside pawns look a little scary but Black does have an extra piece. 38.xd5 exd5 39.e1 g6 40.e5 f6 41.xd5 e7 42.d4 b8 43.e4 d8 44.g3 c7+ 45.f3 h5 46.e3 g5 47.d3 h4 48.c4 h3 49.b5 f5 50.e1 f4 Not a perfectly played game but nevertheless very interesting and proof that even GMs find it hard to navigate correctly in this minefield. The theoretical onus is still on White. 0-1
149 Becquart,Julien Sacliez,Alain 6th Open, Elancourt (3) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2105 2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.b5+ d7 [ I believe that 3...bd7 may be underrated . It is certainly true to say that 3...Bd7 is played much more often. After 3.. .Nbd7 a pawn sacrifice is usually involved-something like 4.c4 a6 5.xd7+ ( 5.a4 b5 6.cxb5 b6 ) 5...xd7 6.c3 c6 7.dxc6 xc6 but you can see from both of these small lines that the game is very messy. ] 4.e2 xd5 5.d4 White plays for coordination. At some point he simply intends c 2 -c 4 , t a k in g t h e ce n t re in a f a vo u r a b l e manner. g6?! [ It looks as though 5...f5 is better. Black will not fianchetto his King's Bishop aiming for an ...e6 set-up, or, when White gets too frisky, maybe even . ..e7-e5! A) 6.c4!? b4 7.a3 e5 8.f3 e4 9.e5 f6 10.a4+ c6 11.c5 fxe5 12.xb4 xd4 13.xb7 xc5 14.0-0 d7 15.xa8 0-0 What an unholy mess! 16.c4 c7 17.a5 ( Fritz suggests 17.d2! a6 18.a5 xa8 19.xc7 xc7 20.xe5 ) 17...xa5 18.c4+ h8 19.b7 b6 20.xb6 axb6 21.e3
d4 It is tough to know who to prefer at this point-the Bishop[ on d4 acts as an effective 'stopper' . Eventually Black won! Le Thi Phuong Lien-Chau Thi Ngoc Giao/ ch-VIE w, Dong Thap VIE 2003; B) 6.f3 e6 7.0-0 e7 8.a3 0-0 9.c4 This would be more representative. It is difficult to cast off the notion that White is at least slightly better but, as the game goes, Black sustains his position. f6 10.h3 h6 11.e3 bd7 12.b3 c6 13.c3 c7 14.ac1 fd8 15.fd1 e4! Each exchange decreases White's edge. 16.a4 f6 17.d5 c5 18.d2 d6 19.c3 xc3 20.xc3 e5 Again Black went on to outplay his opponent. Bellaiche, A-Bergez,L/GM, Evry FRA 2003 ] 6.c4 b6 7.c3 g7 8.e3 0-0 9.d2 White will borrow a plan from Fischer: h4-h5, s a c , s a c , m a t e ! f5 If this is the best that Black has he really does have serious problems but [ 9...c6 doesn't look great either after 10.c5! c8 11.d5 e5 12.h6 ] 10.g4! c8 11.0-0-0 c6 12.h4 Direct and almost impossible to meet. e5 13.d5 d4 14.h5 There should be no hesitation. xe2+ 15.xe2 d7 [ B l o c k i n g w i t h t h e d i s g u s t i n g 15...g5 is legal but little else. Black's position is gh a st l y a f t e r 16.c5 d7 17.h6 h8 ( 17...f6 18.e4 ) 18.f3 f6 19.e4 ] 16.f3 [ I quite like 16.hxg6 too. Black's position is horrid: fxg6 ( 16...hxg6 17.f3 xg4 18.h4 f5 19.dh1 f6 20.g5!! ) 17.f3 b8 18.h3 h6 19.f2 f7 20.h3 ] 16...a4 17.e4 f5 18.g5! [ 18.c5 xc5 19.xc5 f7 ( 19...f6 20.hxg6 xg6 21.gxf5 xf5 and Black scrapes an existence.) 20.hxg6 hxg6 21.h2 ] 18...fxg4 [ 18...e4 19.d4 e7 was the only try. White is still much better after both 20 f4 and 20 Ne6 but it's still a game. ] 19.hxg6 hxg6 20.e6+- f7 21.h2 f6 22.fxg4 xe6 23.dxe6 3 Bb5+ can be overlooked in the rush to play 3 d4 or 3 c4 but it remains an interesting line where White is 126
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 trying to disturb the natural flow of Black's development form a very early stage. My experience is that Black players know this line much less well than the variations stemming from the other third moves. As a practical choice for W hite, recommended, although beware 3...Nbd7! 1-0
and it is for that reason that I have to give the n o d t o B l a ck h e r e . O ve r t h e b o a r d , t h i s position is just a lot of grief for White. 13.f2 c5 As White has so obligingly put his King o n f 2 , B la ck' s B ish o p f in d s a n e x c e lle n t square. 14.b1 a5 15.b3 f7 Here, rather than 0-0-0 which would allow Bh3+. 16.d3 ad8 17.d1 f5 Tactical threats abound. W hite has not solved his problems, 18.b2 d7 Just threatening to pile up on the pinned 150 B01 Knight with ...Re8 and ...Rde7. 19.c2 xd1 Belaska,Premysl 2295 20.xd1 d8 21.e2 e8 22.b4 axb4 [ 22...xe3+ 23.xe3 xe3 24.bxa5 Sikora Lerch,Jan 2345 exc4 25.xc4+ xc4 26.xb7 xa5 TCh Czech Republic 2002 27.a7 c6 28.xc7+ e7 is, of course, [Andrew Martin] completely lost for White. ] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.c4 23.b3 a4 24.d3 c3 25.d2 e7 Clearly playable, but allows Black a free hit at 26.xc3 bxc3 A very simple win for Black, the centre. b6 5.c3 e5! It turns out that underscoring the unpromising nature of 4 c4.4 White has rushed his central expansion and Nf3 is much, much better. White's problems in fallen into not exactly an opening trap, but t h i s l i n e a r e t w o f o l d : 1 ) H e c a n n o t consolidate his early central gains quickly certainly a line to avoid. 6.dxe5 [ 6.d5 c6 7.e3 b4 8.b3 a6 9.0-0-0 enough. The White centre is shaky. 2) Having e7 10.ge2 1/2-1/2 Krupkova, P-Sikora won the pawn, he find developing a clumsy Lerch, J TCh-CZE 2003 says nothing, apart experience. In particular, he cannot anchor that Black is very comfortable in the final a n y o f h i s m i n o r p i e c e s i n t h e c e n t r e . Me an while, Bla ck uses th e d 4 squa re t o position. ] strong effect. 6...xd1+ 7.xd1 c6 8.f4 f6! [ 8...e6 is different and I'm not sure I like it 0-1 as much as the game move. Yes, Black forces b2-b3, but it's a move White wants to B01 ma ke a nd t he B isho p blocks t he e f ile . 151 Benjamin,Joel 2552 9.e3 c5 10.b3 0-0-0 11.f3 f6 12.f5 Schroer,Jonathan 2359 xe3 13.xe3 xf5 14.exf6 gxf6 15.e2 26.09.2011 b4 16.f2 he8 The position on which US Chess League 2011 (5) 8...Be6 stands or falls. Black's active, White [Milos Pavlovic] has two Bishops. Take your pick. 17.d4 d3+ 18.xd3 xd3 19.ad1 e4= 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 This is the first Bluvshtein, M-Paschall, W New York 2003 ] time that a game in the Scandinavian 9.exf6 gxf6 10.f3 g4 11.e3 Defence featured in one of my updates. a5 4.c4 c6 5.e2 f5 6.d3 At first sight this The point being that [ 11.e2 b4+! is embarrassing for White is a modest approach but actually White has a dangerous attacking idea in mind. f6 who has to move the King. ] [ Relevant is: 6...e6 7.g4 g6 8.f4 e7 11...xf3 12.gxf3 d4 Let's take stock. 9.f3 h5 10.e5 h4+ 11.f1 W hite has an extra doubled pawn. He also Safer and probably stronger was: ( 11.d1 ) owns the Two Bishops. In return Black owns 11...e7 12.f5 exf5 13.g5 b5 14.b3 b4 the centre and has a particularly strong Knight 15.a4 f4 16.xf4 0-0 17.g2 d5 on d4. Black has easy development with Bb4+, 18.f3 d8 19.c5 f5 20.xd5 cxd5 0-0-0 and Rhe8 being the easiest moves in 21.xh5 c8 22.d4 xg5 23.xg5 f6 the world to play. I know I am always very And now with 24. Bxf6 Rxf6 25. Raf1 White happy when I see a clear plan of campaign 127
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 i s w i n n i n g , M u zy c h u k , A ) - R e p k o v a , E Dresden 2008 ] 7.d2 c7 8.h3 e6 [ 8...h5 I think this is more to the point even if it allows White the g5 square, its surely the safest option. 9.f3 bd7 10.0-0-0 A) 10...e6 11.d4 g6 ( 11...h7 12.xe6 fxe6 13.xe6 e5 14.c7+ f7 15.xa8 xe2 16.xe2 d6 17.f4 xf4+ 18.xf4 xa8 19.he1 ); B) 10...b5 11.d4 bxc4 ( 11...g6 12.xb5 cxb5 13.cxb5 b8 14.f3 With attack.) 12.xf5 g6 13.d4 cxd3 14.xd3 e5 15.a6 b6 16.xb6 axb6 17.he1 c4 18.g5 g7 19.xc6 White is clearly better, Muzychuk, A -Blazkova, P /Stockholm 2008 ] 9.g4 g6 10.f4 e7 11.f3 bd7 12.0-0-0 White has a very dangerous initiative here. b5N [ 12...b6 13.de1 f8 14.b3 Already we can consider Black's position bad. d6 15.e5 xe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.fxe5 fd7 18.e4 g8 19.d4 h5 20.g5 xe4 21.xe4 d5 22.f1 g6 23.xd5 cxd5 24.ef4 h7 25.b4 b8 26.d6 c6 27.1f3 Black has a difficult endgame. d8 28.b3 d7 29.d2 e7 30.xe7 xe7 31.c3 g7 32.c8 h8 33.xh8 xh8 34.f3 g8 35.c3 f8 36.a4 e8 37.c8+ d7 38.a8 a6 39.c3 c6 40.b4 c7 41.c4 dxc4 42.bxc4 White won in Short, N -Liu Dede / Mallorca 2004 ] 13.b3 a5 14.de1 c5 [ 14...a4 15.xe6 fxe6 16.f5 b4 17.b1 e5 18.fxg6 hxg6 19.xe5 ] 15.f5 exf5 16.d4 Alternatives were stronger it seems: [ 16.g5!? xb3+ 17.axb3 h5 18.e5 f8 19.xc6 ( 19.f3 c8 20.e2 d6 21.he1 g8 22.h4 With strong compensation. ) 19...xg5 ] [ 16.gxf5 h5 ( 16...xf5 17.d4 xb3+ 18.axb3 g6 19.xc6+- ) 17.hg1! a4 18.xf7+! xf7 ( 18...xf7 19.xg7 g8 20.xf7!! xf7 21.e5+ g7 22.xb5!! cxb5 23.g2+ f8 24.xa8++A fascinating line!) 19.e5+ f8 20.g2 With a winning attack for White. ] 16...0-0-0 17.gxf5 xd4 18.fxg6 xb3+
19.axb3 b4 20.f2 d7 21.gxf7 xf7 22.hf1 hf8 23.g2 After a more or less forced sequence of moves the position is about equal but Joel managed to outplay his opponent. xc3 24.xc3 d5 25.xf7 xf7 26.e8+ d7 27.e4 c8 28.e8+ d7 29.e4 c8 30.e5 d7 31.h2 f5 32.e1 b7 33.g1 g5 Suddenly it is Black who controls the game. 34.b1 h5 35.d2 b4 36.a2 f4 37.g2 a4 38.e4 c1 39.bxa4 f1? Black missed an opportunity to beat his famous opponent: [ 39...c3+! 40.bxc3 ( 40.b3 xe4 41.dxe4 f4 ) 40...a3+ 41.b1 bxc3-+ ] 40.d4! The only but good move. d1 41.f2 d2? The last and decisive mistake. Black was still ok with: [ 41...b1+ 42.b3 xd3+! 43.c4 xd4+! 44.xd4 xb2 And Black is not worse anymore. ] 42.f7+ c7 43.e5 xc2 44.xc7+ a6 45.c8+ a5 46.c7+ xa4 47.a6# 1-0
152 Bevilacqua,Andrea Drazic,Sinisa Open A Trieste ITA (1) [Neil McDonald]
B01 1978 2497 04.09.2005
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 xd5 Black isn't satisfied with symmetry after [ 3...exd5 ] 4.f3 [ I can't resist giving the following game by Nimzowitsch in view of its pretty f inish: 4.c3?! If White wants to refute the early black queen move, it has to be through utilising the c-pawn with c2-c4 at some point, rather than bringing out the knight immediately. b4 5.f3 f6 6.g5 xc3+ 7.bxc3 c6 8.xf6 gxf6 9.e2 g8 10.0-0 d7 11.c4 h5 12.d5 0-0-0 Black can be pleased with his active set up, but now he is out calculated by his great opponent: 13.d4!? ( not 13.dxc6? xc6 14.c1 xg2+! 15.xg2 g8+ 16.h1 xf3+ 17.xf3 xf3# ) 13...h3? ( Black is better after 13...g5 14.g3 exd5 ) 14.g3 g6? ( Here 14...e5 is unclear.) 128
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.dxc6! A) Or 15...h6 16.cxb7+ b8 17.f3 and wins. ( or 17.c6+!? ); B) 15...xc6 16.xc6! xd1 17.fxd1 bxc6 18.c5! Now Black is suddenly in a mating net based on Ba6+. g8 ( Or 18...b7 19.ab1+ a8 20.d8# ) 19.ab1! 1-0 Nimzowitsch, A-Fleuss/ Zurich 1906. ] 4...f6 5.c4 [ Perhaps the most irritating line for an ambitious player of Black is 5.e2 d8 The black queen gets out of the way of Ne5 and Bf3 before b7-b6 is played. 6.0-0 b6 7.e5 More or less forcing the simplification that follows. b7 8.f3 c8 9.g5 e7 10.d2 0-0 11.xb7 xb7 12.f3 xf3 13.dxf3 h6 14.h4 d8 15.h3 f8 16.c4 a6 17.fd1 c6 18.d3 and White has a very small but persistent positional advantage, and Black, one of the top Chinese GMs, was unable to gain more than a draw in a long struggle in Wei ChenpengZhang Zhong/Wuxi CHN 2005. ] 5...d8 6.c3 b6 It makes sense to clear the way for Bb7 as soon as possible. It is inadvisable to aim for a too quick c7-c5: [ 6...e7 7.d3 0-0 8.0-0 c5?! 9.d5! s t o p p i n g N c 6 a n d c r e a t i n g a p o we r f u l passed pawn in the centre. a6 10.f4 exd5 11.cxd5 e8?! ( 11...d6 ) 12.d6! f8 13.a3 e6 14.b5 d7 15.b3 c8 16.ad1 b6 17.c4 with considerable pressure for White in Kovalev, A-Zakhvatov, V/Cherepovets 1997. ] 7.e2 b7 8.h3 [ More vigorous was 8.g5 ] 8...bd7 9.e3 a6 A useful precaution against Nb5, especially in view of his next move. 10.0-0 d6 11.a3 White has played the opening solidly, but he can't find any plan apart from the advance of the queenside pawns. This will create an imbalance which will suit Black just fine. 0-0 12.b4 e8 13.c5 Obviously this loosens the light squares, but White was probably afraid of Black gaining counterplay after say [ 13.b3 e5 etc. ] 13...f8 14.c2 h6 15.fd1 d5 16.xd5 xd5 17.e5 xe5 18.dxe5 bxc5 19.bxc5 h4 20.d4 e7 21.a4 d7 22.xa6?
So Black has finally managed to entice a tactical blunder out of his much lower rated opponent. Still, after [ 22.g4 h8 Black can strengthen his position with moves like Qc6 and Rab8, etc. ] 22...xa6 23.xa6 xg2! 24.xg2 c6+ 25.h2 xa6 Drazic regains his pawn and can begin the process of wearing down his opponent by exploiting the holes in the white kingside. 26.g1 xa3 27.xh6 d8 28.c4 f3 29.h4 d3 30.e3 d5 31.g5 g6 32.b1 e4 33.g1 g7 34.f4 d5 35.a1 xe5! 36.a8+ [ Or 36.xe5 xe5+ 37.xe5 xe5+ 38.g2 xa1 ] 36...h7 37.xe5 xe5+ 38.g1 f6! Black decides to force the white queen onto a more passive square rather than simplifying immediately with [ 38...xa8 39.xe5 ] 39.g2 e1+ 40.f1 h2+ 41.g2 e4+ 42.xh2 xa8 43.e2 d5 44.e3 e5 45.a3 d4 46.g1 h6 47.c6 d1+ 48.h2 c2 49.f8+ g5 50.h4+ f5 51.c8+ f4 52.g1 xc6 0-1
153 Bielczyk,Jacek Sabek,Pascal Katowice [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2380 1992
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.c4 b6 5.c3 e5 6.d5!? A continuation which deserves serious attention. c6 [ 6...c5 was tried in the game Wagner Dinstuhl, GER 1991: 7.f3 0-0 8.e2 e8 9.0-0 with a small advantage for White followed. ] [ 6...b4 w o u l d b e m e t b y 7.b3 a l t h o u g h t h e p o s i t i o n a f t e r a6!? is far from clear. ] 7.f3 b4 8.e3!? An interesting idea. cxd5 9.c5! d4 [ A p r i n c i p l e d d e c i s i o n , a f t e r 9...6d7 10.xd5 White was slightly better. ] 10.xe5! [ 10.cxb6 xb6 was unclear. ] 129
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10...dxc3 [ 10...xc5 also came into consideration: 11.b5+ 8d7 12.xd4 xd4 13.xd4 0-0 14.0-0 with a small advantage for White. ] 11.xd8+ xd8 12.0-0-0+ e7 13.cxb6 axb6 14.c4 cxb2+ 15.xb2 a3+ This loses control of the e1 square. [ 15...e6!? deserved attention: 16.xe6 xe6 17.c4 d7 ( 17...b5!? 18.b6 a6 ) 18.d2!? c5 19.he1+ d5 looks good for Black. ] 16.a1 f6?? Missing something interesting. [ 16...e6 was necessary and after 17.xe6 xe6 18.c4 the position looks dangerous for Black but things are not so clear after b4 19.xb6 c3+ 20.b1 a5 21.a4 with advantage to White ] 17.g6+! hxg6 18.c5+! Surely Black did not think his king could be mated so easily. It's curious that W hite could sacrif ice his pieces in either order to clear the e-file for his rook. xc5 19.he1+ e6 20.xe6+ Black resigned. 1-0
154 Blesic,Vaso Karaklajic,Nikola Belgrade Premier League (9) [John Watson]
B01 2301 2303 13.10.2008
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.b5+ d7 4.e2 [ The other game from this month saw 4.c4 g4!? 5.f3 c8 (the basic Portuguese idea to provoke f3 and then recover the pawn) 6.c3 bd7 7.d4 b6 8.b3 bxd5 9.e4!? ( 9.xd5 xd5 10.e2 g6!? ) 9...e6 10.e2 b5!? (compare the main game this stops c4 and prepares ...Bb7) ( 10...e7 11.0-0 0-0 12.c4 b6 13.e3 should give White a small advantage) 11.0-0 e7 12.a4 b4 13.c4 ( 13.a5! -compare what follows) 13...bxc3 14.bxc3 a5 15.c4!? b4 16.e3 0-0 d there's nothing particularly wrong with Black's game, Grekh, A (2391)-Muzychuk, M (2436), Lviv 2008. ] 4...xd5 5.d4 b5!? [ An original idea, to prevent c4. The main line goes 5...f5 (I have over 900 games
with this in my database!) 6.f3 e6 7.0-0 e7 , when a typical continuation is 8.a3 0-0 9.c4 b6 10.c3 c6 11.e3 f6 and Black might play for ...Qe7 and ...Rfd8. ] 6.f3 e6 [ The only other game I have with 5...b5 went 6...g6 7.0-0 g7 8.bd2 0-0 9.e4 a6 10.c3 f5 11.g3 c8?! ( 11...e6 ) 12.a4! bxa4!? ( 12...b4 13.c4 f6 14.f4 ) 13.xa4 with a definite advantage, Haznedaroglu-Ayaz, Istanbul 2004. ] 7.0-0 d6 8.e5!? 0-0 9.a4 This is the key idea, but Black seems to have enough queenside play to neutralise White attempts there. b4 10.d2 [ Black's activity compensates for the bishop pair following 10.c4 bxc3 11.bxc3 c6 12.xd7 xd7 ] 10...c6 11.df3 h6 12.d3 e8!? 13.d2 a5 14.c4 [ 14.fe1 would be more patient. ] 14...bxc3 15.bxc3 b6!? [ 15...ce7 ] 16.g4!? f5 17.e3 e7 18.c4 c6 19.fe5 e4 20.g3 f6 Versus Bxh6. 21.f3 xc4 22.xc4 d5 23.xd5 exd5 24.f4 xe5 25.xe5 g6 26.h4 [ Better seems 26.f2 c6 27.c2 ] 26...c6! Preparing ...Ng6. 27.fe1?! [ An active line suggested by Rybka is 27.ab1 xc3 28.g3 f8 29.b7 ] 27...g6 28.g3 h4?! Trying to complicate, although [ 28...b8 appears better. ] 29.xc7 xg3 30.xg3 xc3 31.d6? [ 31.e6! f7 32.d6 ] 31...c2 32.ac1 ac8 33.e8+ xe8 34.xc2 e1+ 35.f2 a1 36.c5 xa4 37.xd5 f4 38.g3 a2+ 39.g1 a4 40.xf4? The last move before time control, I imagine. White could draw after [ 40.a5 ] 40...xf4 41.gxf4 d2 42.d7?? [ 42.a5 xd4 43.f5 ] 42...a3 The pawn queens. 0-1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 moment. ] B01 Sharp, too sharp. Perhaps the Bologan,Viktor 2665 8...c5?! Gofshtein,Leonid D 2522 alternatives will have to be considered : [ 8...b6 9.d5 exd5 10.xd5 xd5 ACP Blitz Prelim4 blitz (12) 15.04.2004 11.xd5 e7 12.g5 f6 13.e4 g6 [Andrew Martin] 14.h5 ( 14.f4 ) 14...c6! ] [ 8...e7 9.f4 b6 10.d2 0-0 11.a4 The increasing t endency in internationa l b4= I think I like this line best of all. Black chess towards faster and faster time limits is avoids any slaughter with his King stuck in leading to an obvious lowering of quality in the middle and concentrates on the basics the games. It seems to me the emphasis is of development. ] switching very much away from aesthetic considerations towards the outright brutality of 9.f4 c6 10.e1! [ 10.e5! also looks pretty strong. competition. Chess is becoming less an art Essentially W hite is getting on the case more a sport. This doesn't matter too much on before Black castles it's as simple as that. this site where opening information is xe5 ( 10...b6 11.c4 d8 12.dxc5 ) paramount. Quite often in these quick games 11.dxe5 d7 12.f3 b6 13.b1 e7 the opening is the only part of the game of 14.e2 ] interest. Take a look at this recent massacre! 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6!? 4.d4 10...b5? Horrible but blitz mode is full of such f6 5.f3 a6 6.e2 e6 Having played . .. aberrations. [ If we are talking damage limitation then a7-a6,Black probably feels that his Queen's 10...cxd4 11.xd4 b6 was probably best Bishop belongs on b7. However it will take but Black's failure to get castled is making quite some time to get it there! W orth me very unsettled. ] consideration is [ 6...g4!? which aims for harmonious 11.d5! POW! But Black was asking for it. b6 development: 7.0-0 e6 8.e1 e7 9.g5 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.g5 With attack! Bf3 is 0-0 ( Either 9...bd7; 9...c6 10.xf6 coming up and e6 hangs. Already Black is gxf6!? could have been preferred.) 10.xf6 dead. a7 14.h5+ e7 15.xe6 xe6 Light fare, easily digested. 8 g3 xf6 11.e4 d8 12.c3 d7 13.b3! 16.d6+ White begins to work up an edge. His Rooks could well be a dangerous move!. are influential whereas the Black Rooks 1-0 have yet to enter the fray. b8 14.ad1 e7 15.e5 f5?! ( 15...xe2 16.xe2 B01 d6 minimises White's edge. Black is very 156 nearly equal here.) 16.c5 b6 17.f3 Bologan,Viktor 2692 Fedorov, A-Gashimov,V/Dubai UAE 2004 ] Grafl,Florian 2428 7.0-0 bd7 8.g3!?N If the 3...Qd6 variation 9th Amplico Life Rapid rapid (9) 20.12.2009 is to be exposed as insufficient it will surely [Neil McDonald] hinge on the insecure position of the Black Queen. In time-honoured fashion with 8 g3!?, 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 White plans a quick Bf4. [ Of course 3.c3 is the main move here. ] [ Instead 8.g5 does not seem as incisive: 3...g4 4.e2 c6 5.d4 0-0-0 e7 9.d2 b5 10.f4 b6 11.d5! Direct, vigorous attacking play by Black. It If Black were allowed to play ...Bb7 in peace intimidates lower rated opponents and doesn't his position would be fine. c5 12.dxe6 allow a higher rated player a calm positional xe6 13.e3 c5 14.xc5 xc5 15.ad1 advantage. 6.e3 b7= Dabo Peranic,R-Sermek,D/TCh-CRO, [ I n t h e a r ch ive s yo u ca n a ls o f i n d 6.c4 Rabac CRO 2003 What's wrong with Black's which incidentally is the move I recommend game. Castles comes next and all the entry for W hite in 'Starting Out with 1. e4'. One points on the d file are covered. Perhaps good point about delaying c2-c4 is that Black will even have kingside chances in a after Black's next move his queen can't go to 155
131
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f5 or h5. However, as we shall see, the queen check on a5 contains a lot of energy. ] 6...e5 7.c4 a5+ 8.d2 b4 9.d5 xf3 10.xf3 d4 [ For 10...xd2+ see the relevant note to the game Morozevich- Rogers in the archives. ] 11.c3 a6 12.e2!? Bologan withdraws his bishop from a possible future attack by f7f5 and e5-e4. [ The natural move is 12.b3 in order to secure the c4 pawn. But then Ivanchuk achieved active play in the following high profile game: a5 ( Grafl himself has tried 12...g6!? here in Novkovic, J-Grafl, F/ Austria AUT 2009.) 13.c1 f5 14.0-0 f6 15.g3 b8 16.g2 he8 17.e1 h6 18.e3 a6 19.h3 d7 20.e1 c5 21.h1 g5 22.f4 exf4 23.xe8 xe8 24.xd4 xe1+ 25.xe1 xc3 26.e8+ a7 27.f2 fxg3 28.xg3 d4 29.d6 cxd6 30.xd6 c3 31.h2 a1 32.b8+ b6 33.d8+ a7 34.b8+ b6 35.d8+ a7 and draw agreed Leko, PIvanchuk, V/Mukachevo UKR 2009. ] 12...f6 13.a3 he8 14.axb4! This is the idea behind 12.Be2- Bologan sacrifices the exchange in order to trap the black knight on a1. [ I f i n s t e a d 14.0-0 t h e p a wn g r a b xc3 15.xc3 xe2+ 16.xe2 xd5 looks better for Black, notwithstanding the fact that W hite has certain attacking chances. ] 14...xa1 15.xa1 c2+ 16.f1 xa1 17.d1 The black knight is now shut in, and given time White will trap it with 18.Ba4 and 19.Ke2. Therefore Grafl has to break open lines in the centre as a matter of urgency. c6 18.g5 b5 [ The critical line is 18...cxd5 19.xf6 ( Not 19.xd5? b5! or; 19.cxd5? xd5 20.xd8 xd8 21.xd5 xd5 22.e2 b5 and White can't win the imprisoned knight and meanwhile b4 is a target: 23.e3 d4 24.h3 f5 and Black is winning.) 19...gxf6 20.cxd5 b5 to stop 21.Ba4 21.e2 a6 with a bizarre position- W hite is still the exchange down and can't easily capture the knight, but Black can't rescue the knight either. ( Thus if 21...a5? 22.xb5 xd5
23.a4 and White wins due to the double threat of 24.Rxa1 and 24.Na7+. )] 19.xf6 [ Not 19.dxc6 as after bxc4 the black knight has the b3 square. ] 19...gxf6 20.c5 a5 21.bxa5 b4 22.e4 xd5 23.a4 b3 24.e2 c2 25.xf6 ed8 26.xd5 xd5 27.h4 d4+ 28.e1?? [ After an exciting fight Bologan makes a horrible blunder. The game should be a draw af ter 28.d2! xc5 29.c1! d5!? ( Black would be worse af ter 29...xa5?! 30.xc6 )] 28...xc5 Now White is going to lose the vital b2 pawn as well. 29.h3 c1+ 30.d2 c2+ 31.d3 xb2 32.f4 a2 33.xb3 xb3 34.fxe5 c5+ 35.c4 d7 36.g3 a4+ 37.b3 xh4 38.g7 xe5 39.a6 b8 40.g3 g4 41.xh7 a7 42.h5 f6 43.f5 xg3+ 44.b4 f3 45.h5 xa6 0-1
157 Bologan,Viktor Tiviakov,Sergei TCh-CRO Gp1A (9) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2690 2637 12.09.2010
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e5 This strikes me as the most critical option against 5....c6 . bd7 7.c4 And it was only a matter of time before we had a look at this move. Instead we have seen [ 7.f4 ] [ and 7.f4 in the archives. ] 7...c7 8.f3 This is a very direct plan and Black has to play accurately to prevent a quick loss. b6 9.f4 d7 Black hopes to exchange queens on g4. [ 9...d8 is the other option of course. 10.e5 This seems to be the most sensible o p t i o n h e r e . ( 10.h3 doesn't look so effective here as Black can ignore the pawn and play e6; 10.0-0-0? allows g4 ) A) 10...g4 11.g3 h5 12.h3 ( 12.f3 was Grischuk's attempt but never really troubled Tiviakov.) 12...h4 13.f4 e6 14.e3 bd5 15.exd5 xd5 16.d2 132
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xc3 17.bxc3!? ( 17.xc3 d5 18.d2 e6 19.c4 e4 20.f3 f5 21.a3 h5 22.d1 d6 23.e3 f6 24.xd6 xd6= Hossain, E (2460)-Tiviakov, S (2669) Turin 2006. ) 17...a5 18.e2 d5 19.0-0 0-0-0 20.d3 f6 21.h2 f7 22.e3 e6 23.c4 f5 24.d5! saw Black encounter some serious problems. exd5 25.xa7 d6 26.xd6 xd6 27.ab1 d7 28.a8+ c7 29.xb7+ d6 30.a3+ 1-0 Womacka, M (2478)-Pizzuto, S (2168) Schwarzach 2010.; B) 10...e6 11.e3 fd7 12.g3 f6 13.0-0-0 a6 14.b1 bd5 15.cxd5 xd5 16.e2 ( 16.xd5 xd5 17.e3 looks slightly better for W hite thanks to the bishop pair.) 16...e6 17.f3 b5! 18.h4 e7 19.h5 was rather unclear, Saric, I (2580) -Drazic, S (2531) Pula 2010.; C) 10...bd5 was tried by Epishin against Gashimov in Ourense 2009 but didn't work out too well: 11.xd5 xd5 12.e2 e6 13.c3 e4 14.xe4 xe4 15.d3 0-0-0 16.e3 c5?! 17.c2?! ( 17.dxc5 xd3 18.d4 winning the exchange is the obvio us st ep .) 17...d7 18.g3 g6 19.b3! h6 20.xe6 fxe6 21.c4 hf8 22.0-0 f4 23.fe1 xg3 24.hxg3 f6 25.b4 and he successfully converted his structural advantage.; D) 10...-When Black has tried a few different moves: ] 10.h3!? Seeing as Black plans to use the g4 square this move makes sense. Therefore it is perhaps surprising that the move hasn't been played before. Black is obliged to take the pawn or else his last looks rather foolish. [ I looked at 10.xb6 in the notes to BulskiStopa which ended in a quick W hite victory. ] [ 10.e5 with a parallel to 9...Qd8 has been playe d a f ew tim es a lth o ugh a ga in g4 seems satisfactory for Black. A) Keeping the queens on with 11.e3 wa s a t t e m p t e d in S wie r cz, D (2 5 0 1 ) Tiviakov, S (2634) Wroclaw 2010 although fd5 12.xd5 xd5 13.d2 h5!? 14.e2!? xg2 15.0-0-0 f6 was quite p r o m i s i n g . 16.h4 ( White isn't actually losing the piece as 16.g3 h4 17.e3 xe3 18.fxe3 threatens a discovered
attack on the Black queen. d5 19.c4 f7 leaves a complicated position but one in which White doesn't have as much for t h e p a w n a s h e d o e s i n t h e g a m e .) 16...fxe5 17.xe5 g6 and White never got enough for the piece.; B) 11.xg4 xg4 was tried in a recent game. ( 11...xg4 has also been played by, amongst others, Tiviakov himself and Black doesn't seem to have any major problems. ) 12.g3 g6 13.0-0-0 h6+ 14.b1 0-0 15.a5 d8 16.e2 f6 17.he1 bd5 18.xd5 xd5 19.b3 f8 20.f3 d8 21.c5 and White had a temporary initiative although he couldn't convert it to anything more than that Lastin, A (2643) -Lenderman, A (2601)/ICC 2010. ] [ 10.0-0-0 has been the most common but g4 as Tiviakov has played previously seems ok for Black. 11.xg4 xg4 12.f3 e6 13.xb6 axb6 14.c7 b5 15.d5 xd5 16.xd5 xd5 17.xd5 c8 18.a5 cxd5 19.xb5+ c6 20.d1 e6 and Black was holding Vokarev, S (2521) Tiviakov, S (2697) Bhubaneswar 2009. ] 10...xc4 [ 10...xd4 11.d1 c5 12.e3 f5 13.g3 looks very risky with the Black king stuck in the centre. ] 11.xc4 xd4 12.b3 e6 13.d1 b6 14.0-0 so at the cost of a pawn White has a large lead in development. However Black's position looks solid and there's no way to break through. The real problem for Black is his c8 bishop which will struggle to get out of his own pawn chain. Meanwhile White can set Black some problems on the kingside and on the open lines. e7 15.e4! xe4 16.xe4 0-0 17.e5 The White bishops clearly outrank t h e i r c o u n t e r p a r t s a n d wi t h t h e k n i g h t s exchanged Black's kingside suddenly looks much more vulnerable. Black has to watch out for a rook swing and subsequent sacrifice on g7 while c3 , Bc2 is also on the cards . c5 I think the point of the move is to allow the queen to defend the e6 pawn laterally so that ...f6 will be playable and thus he won't have to weaken himself with ....g6. [ 17...a5 is another option but 18.d3 d8 19.g4 g6 20.xd8+ xd8 21.d1 b6 133
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 22.a4 leaves White with great compensation for the pawn as Black still really struggles to develop. ] 18.fe1 a5 19.e3 Simple play by Bologan who is preparing nasty business on the Black king. d8 20.xd8+ xd8 21.d3 f8 [ 21...b6 would be more actively placed but now 22.xg7! is very strong. I think the f o l l o w i n g l i n e i s f o r c e d : ( 22.f4!? ) 22...xg7 23.g3+ f8 ( 23...h8 24.g4+- ) 24.xh7 f6 25.h6+ e7 26.g8 d4 27.f8+ f6 28.g7 c7 29.h7 xf2+! 30.f1 ( 30.xf2 f4+= ) 30...c4 31.h8+ e7 32.xf7+! xf7 33.h7+ e8 34.xc7 cxb3 35.axb3 leaving White clearly better in the endgame as Black still has problems to develop his queenside while the g and h pawns will be able to swiftly advance down the board. ] 22.a4 f6 23.c7 f5 I don't like this move but it's really tough to offer Black any su gge st io n s . 24.c4 f6 25.b5 a6 26.xa5 This leaves White with a commanding position but he had an even stronger possibility. [ 26.d8! would have exploited the undefended c8 bishop. f8 ( 26...xd8 27.e8+ f8 28.xd8 xe8 29.xe8+ f7 30.xc8+- is simply a free bishop.) 27.xe7 xe7 28.e8+ xe8 29.xe8 and surprisingly Black has no way to hold onto the c8 bishop. f8 30.d8 b6 31.xc8 xb2 32.a4+ e7 33.b3 and White should convert. ] 26...e5? The position is already difficult but this just loses. [ 26...c6 was probably necessary but after 27.c3 f8 28.e5 White completely dominates the board. ] 27.d8+! Def lection! xd8 28.e8+ f8 29.b3+ e6 30.xe6+ xe6 31.xe6+ h8 32.c8 e7 33.xb7 At the end of the forced line W hite has f inished up with an extra pawn but more importantly there's no way to prevent the a pawn running home. e4 34.a4 f6 35.c7 c4 36.a5 An interesting idea employed by Bologan and Black players will have to take this positional pawn sacrifice into account. Maybe they'll revert to the older 9...Qd8. 1-0
158 Boros,Denes Motylev,Alexander 11th EICC Men (4) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2485 2705 09.03.2010
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 [ 4.g3 was also tried recently. f6 5.g2 c6 ( 5...c6 was played successfully by Nisipeanu against Topalov in the archives) 6.ge2 f5 7.0-0 e5 8.d3 0-0-0 9.b4!? from a non-threatening start suddenly White decides he wants to play an aggressive game. A) Taking the pawn must be critical although 9...xb4 10.b1 looks dangerous with play along on the b file but ( 10.a3 a5 seems ok for Black.) 10...d7 11.a3 c6 and it doesn't seem like White should have enough for the pawn with .. .Bh3 coming next to trade off one of the attackers.; B) 9...e4 10.e3 e6?! It turns out White has better attacking chances with that pawn on the board than without so taking the pawn was necessary. 11.b5 b4 12.d4 e5 B1) 13.xe4 is an extra pawn as xe4?! ( 13...xe4 14.xf5! c3 15.f3 ) 14.dxe4 xe4?! 15.g4+ is winning; B2) 13.f4!? c5?! ( 13...exf3 14.xf3 xd4 looks exceedingly dangerous but h a d t o b e t r i e d) 14.xe4 xe4 15.dxe4 and White had everything he could hope for in the recent game Sedlak, N-Caspi, I Rijeka 2010. ] 4...f6 5.f3 [ 5.c4 bd7!? 6.b3 ( The natural 6.f3 seems to favour White a little although b6 7.b3 g4 was evidently Black's idea) 6...c5 was an interesting idea 7.ge2 cxd4 8.xd4 a6 9.e3 e6 10.e2 e7 11.0-0-0 e5 12.g4 c5 13.f4 xb3+ 14.xb3 c7 15.g5 d7 16.f5 looked like a Sicilian which had really gone wrong for Black, Simeonov, S-Chatalbashev, B Plovdiv 2010 although the aggressive Bulgarian actually went on to win. ] 5...g6 [ 5...a6 used to be the mainline but is played 134
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 less these days 6.g3 g4 7.h3 h5 8.g2 c6 9.d5!? ( 9.0-0 has been examined in the archives a couple of times ) A) 9...e5 is the alternative place for the knight 10.f4 ( 10.g4!? g6 11.xe5 xe5+ 12.e3 seems better for White, the bishop on g6 is in danger of being trapped while Black's kingside is difficult to develop.) 10...xf3+ 11.xf3 xf3 12.xf3 b4?! ( 12...e5 13.dxe6 xe6+ 14.f1 0-0-0 15.g2 d6= ) 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14.he1 h6 15.e5 b6 16.f4 c5 17.d4 xd5? This loses but the position is already very unpleasant 18.xf7 xc3 19.e6+ 1-0 Samhouri, AAbdulla, A Abu Dhabi 2006.; B) 9...b4 10.f4 c5 11.e3 a5 ( 11...d6 is also possible, it's not clear which square the queen stands better on.) 12.0-0 bxd5 B1) 13.xd5 xd5 14.d2 a4 ( 14...c5 15.b4! xb4 16.g4! g6 17.xb4 xb4 18.e5 d8 19.c6+! is a very pretty tactic bxc6 20.xd8+ xd8 21.xc6+ d7 22.xb4 leaves W hite with an extra exchange although Black has reasonable drawing c h a n c e s wit h t h e b ish o p p a ir a n d a pawn. ) 15.b3 d7 16.g4 g6 17.c4 f6 18.e5 c8 19.g5 d7 20.xd7 xd7!? ( 20...xd7 21.xb7 b8 22.g2 would also leave White with the more pleasant chances.) 21.f3 c6 22.ad1 and surely White's play is worth a pawn, look at the king on d7! Calistri, T-Chabanon, J Clichy 2006.; B2) 13.d2 0-0-0 14.e2 was Janev, E-Panbukchian, V Plovdiv 2010 which White won quickly but I'm sceptical that he has enough compensation after b6 15.c4 b4 16.g4 g6 ] 6.b5 The reason 5...a6 and 5. ..c6 have been more common in the past but maybe Black shouldn't be so worried. [ 6.g3 g7 7.g2 a6!? ( 7...c6 would be more normal and probably what Motylev had in mind.) 8.f4 c6 9.d2 0-0 10.h6 was played twice by Bodiroga in the recent European Individual Championships. A) 10...f5 was played in the first game 11.xg7 xg7 12.h4 e6 13.f4 bd7
14.f5 c4 ( 14...d5 would be more prudent ) 15.g4!? A1) Again the proof of the pudding is in the taking! 15...xg4 But this looks very dangerous. I examined a few lines which a re win n in g f o r W h it e : 16.g1 e6 ( 16...gf6 should be tested) 17.e4 exf5 18.xf5+ gxf5 19.g5+ h8 20.xg4 fxg4 21.f5 g7 Initially Rybka said this position was a draw but I didn't believe it and continued a few moves... 22.xg4+ h8 ( 22...f6 23.xd7 is very dangerous too but I guess is Black's best hope.) 23.f5 g7 24.0-0-0! fd8 defends the knight but n ot th e kin g ( 24...fe8 25.xd7 The exchange looks like a small price to pay for such a huge attack.) 25.xh7+ f8 26.d3! e8 ( 26...xd3 27.cxd3! and despite his extra rook Black is lost: c5 28.h8+ e7 29.e1+ d6 30.h6+ c7 31.d5+ c8 32.f4 e5 33.xe5 and Black isn't any significant material up anymore while the attack is still raging.) 27.h8+ e7 28.e1+ d6 29.xe8 xe8 30.xe8 xd3 31.cxd3 Is a forced line leaving W hite a pawn up as xd3? 32.e4+! c7 ( 32...d5 33.f6+! is another pretty tactic showing that Black still has to watch out for his king's safety. xf6 34.e5+ c4 35.c5# ) 33.xd7+! picks up the piece.; A2) 15...ae8 16.g5 d5 17.e4 c7 18.b3 d5 19.c4 xe4 20.xe4 W h it e h a d m o r e s p a c e a n d B l a c k ' s attempt at counterplay b5 21.c5 e5 22.0-0 g8 23.ae1 had rather backfired, The queen is stuck on a6, especially after White's subsequent b4. Although Black managed to hold on to the draw it's understandable he varied the next time he played this variation. Andriasian, Z-Bodiroga, P Rijeka 2010.; B) 10...e6 11.h4! Aggressive play and surprisingly effective a5 12.h5 xh5 13.xg7 xg7 14.e5 f6 15.g4 fxe5 16.gxh5 f4 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.0-0-0 d7 19.e3 h8?! Black's position was already teetering but here it collapses ( 19...af8 20.dxe5 g4 21.f3 e6 135
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 22.e2 xe5 23.xe5+ xe5 24.xf4 xf4 allows Black to get into an endgame but W hite should be able to co nvert .) 20.xh8 xh8 21.h3! Picking up a piece c5 22.dxe5 1-0 Azarov, S-Bodiroga, P Rijeka 2010. ] 6...b6 7.f4 [ Another recent game ran 7.c4 c6 8.c3 g7 9.e2 0-0 10.0-0 g4 11.a3 d8 12.e3 e8 was Diamant, A-Kurajica, B La Laguna 2010 when critical looks 13.c5 c7 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 when xd4!? 16.xd4 e5 17.xe5 xd1 18.xc7 xa1 19.xa1 xc7 20.d1 would have left Black in an extremely unpleasant ending but he should be able to hold the draw. ] 7...d5 8.d2 an unconvincing novelty [ John Watson gives 8.e5 f6 9.g3 a6 10.c4 axb5 11.cxd5 a6 12.b3 a5+ 13.d2 d7= as a line from Karolyi's survey in NIC 90 ] 8...c6 9.a3 [ 9.c4!? looks more critical when Black can c h o o s e e i t h e r cxb5 ( or the safer choice 9...f6 10.c3 f5!? attacking b2 and giving Black reasonable chances.) 10.cxd5 is very messy but I feel should favour White as the doubled d pawns control more relevant squares than the doubled b. The g a m e m i g h t c o n t i n u e g4 11.a4!? One of the most difficult aspects of chess, converting one advantage (the doubled b pawns) to another (a strong initiative). xf3 ( 11...bxa4 12.xa4+ d7 13.c2 g7 14.a5 d6 15.b3 is awkward for Black. ) 12.xf3 bxa4 13.xa4 xb2 14.d3 g7 15.e2 0-0 16.0-0 b3 17.a5 b6 18.b1 xd4 19.b4 e5 20.xe5 xe5 21.xb7 and Black still has difficulties with his undeveloped queenside. ] 9...g7 [ Of course not 9...xb2? 10.c4 b5 11.d6++- ] 10.c4 c7 11.ce5 White has used a lot of time to put his knight on e5 which can be pushed back easily with ...Nd7 and so Black has e qu alis ed com f o rta bly. T he p osit io n reminds me of an Alekhine and if we compare this position with 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4. Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5 c6 we see that while White has made another two 'useful moves' (whether
Bd2 is really useful is debatable), Black has played three he's fianchettoed his bishop and played the queen to c7. Hence Black should be very comfortable. 0-0 12.c4 b5!? Black starts to press for more than the half point [ B l a c k ' s a l t e r n a t i v e p l a n w a s 12...d7 13.xd7 ( 13.d3 e5! ) 13...xd7 14.0-0 g4 15.c3 b6 16.e2 xf3 17.xf3 e5 18.dxe5 c4 and Black has definitely equalised ] 13.b3 a5 14.a4 b4 I'm not totally happy about Motylev's plan. True he has gained space on the queenside but he has ceded control of c4 and c5. Chances remain balanced. 15.0-0 b7 16.c1 d7 [ I like 16...c5 trying to exploit White's previous 17.h6 cxd4 18.xg7 xg7 19.d2 d7 ( 19...f6?! 20.xd4! ) 20.xd7 xd7 21.xd4+ f6 and Black can continue to have fun with play along the c file. ] 17.h6 [ 17.xd7 xd7 18.h6= is safer ] 17...xe5 18.xd5?! This doesn't work but [ 18.xe5 c5 19.xg7 xg7 favours Black as d4 is loose and the bishop on b3 is also in danger of being trapped. 20.c3 ( 20.d2 f6! 21.f3 c4! 22.a2 c3 23.bxc3 xc3 is very unpleasant for W hite) 20...bxc3 21.bxc3 fc8 and Black's making progress, c3 and d4 are going to be a constant headache for White. ] [ 18.dxe5 c5 19.xg7 xg7 20.c3 c4 21.d1 ab8 and Black's play on the queenside is starting to worry White. ] 18...xh6 19.xh6 g4 20.h4 cxd5 21.xg4 c8?! [ T h e s i m p l e 21...xc2 22.d7 a6 23.fe1 xb2 is a safe extra pawn for Black ] 22.g5 f5 23.fc1 fc8 24.h6 f6 Black hasn't yet picked up the pawn but he's still definitely got the advantage with pressure o n t h e c f il e a n d M o t yl e v u se s h i s 2 7 0 0 technique to outplay his opponent rated 220 points lower. 25.e3?! [ 25.c3 was necessary to hold on to the pawn ] 25...a6! no w c2 is do om e d 26.c3 c6 27.h4 bxc3 28.b3 e6 29.f3 e4 136
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 30.h3 b6 31.e1 c2 32.ac1 f5 33.e3 bishops and a big lead in development. ] c3 34.g5 xd4 35.xe7 f6 36.xf6 8.g2 c6 9.h4 b4 10.a3 Not the best xf6 37.f3 g5 38.fxe4 fxe4 39.f3 exf3 m o v e h e r e b u t i t ' s g o o d e n o u g h f o r a 40.e5 d4 41.d5 f2+ 42.f1 e8 reasonable advantage. A success for Black and I wonder if 5...g6 will [ 10.0-0! looks rather strange but Black is see more high rated adherents? lacking a good move here - for example d5 0-1 ( 10...xc3 11.bxc3 a5 doesn't help W h i t e h a s t h e v e r y s t r o n g 12.b1 and Black's position is pretty much lost here as after 0-0 13.c4 h5 is again a very strong 159 B01 threat. ) 11.xd5 exd5 ( or 11...cxd5 12.c4! Brkic,A 2584 0-0 13.h5 e4 14.f3 ) 12.h5 f6 13.c3! Bogdanovski,V 2444 d6 14.hxg6 fxe5 15.dxe5 c7 16.c4! Karpos Open 2013 (6.20) 13.03.2013 and White is obviously doing very well. ] [Tom Rendle] 10...xc3+ 11.bxc3 d5? [ 11...a5 was completely necessary here 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 4.d4 b u t W h i t e i s s t i l l b e t t e r a f t e r 12.b1! f6 5.f3 f5 This normally would ( 12.d2 is safer and keeps a small edge transpose but it does give White the option to after a4 13.b1 ) 12...e4 13.xe4 play more aggressively, something that Brkic xc3+ 14.f1 xe4 15.xb7 but at least immediately does. here Black has some counterplay. ] [ Black normally chooses the more solid 5...c6 which can be found in several games 12.h5 f6 13.hxg6 fxe5 14.xh7 It's obvious the opening has been a disaster for Black g8 in the archives. ] [ 14...xh7? 15.gxh7 h4 16.d3 6.e5! is completely hopeless for Black ] [ 6.c4 is obviously reasonable as well but after e6 7.e2 e7 8.e3 bd7 9.0-0-0 15.dxe5 [ 15.c4! f4 16.xf4 exf4 17.e2 b6 10.b3 Black was absolutely fine in is even stronger ] Laznicka, V (2480)-Popchev, M (2460) Brno 16.f4?! After this Black escapes 2005 ( 10.d5!? looks more testing here, for 15...d7 example bxd5 11.h4! g6 12.xg6 s o m e w h a t a n d t h e g a m e i s a l l o w e d t o hxg6 13.xd5 exd5 14.b5+ c6 15.xb7 continue [ 16.c4 would've kept a complete bind and and White probably has the better chances after e7 17.b1! a5+ ( 17...xe5 although it remains complicated after c8! )] 18.xd8+ xd8 19.xb7 d7 20.b8+ 6...e6?! d8 21.xd8+ xd8 22.b2 5xg6 [ 6...c6 should probably be preferred here as 23.xg7 is a simple win for White.) 18.f1 it lessens the impact of both g4 and Qf3. Still, 0-0-0 19.d6 c5 20.g5 xc4+ 21.g1 W hite should be a little better after 7.f4 White should be easily winning ] ( 7.g4 isn't dangerous here as after e6 8.g5 d5 9.e4 d7 Black has no 16...a5 17.h3 0-0-0 18.d2?! [ 18.xd5 was more accurate here - possibly problems and White will probably come to Brkic was worried about c5 but after regret pushing the g-pawn so early.; 7.c4 19.d2 exd5 ( or 19...cxd5 20.c4! b6 is a better option for White is he still wants 21.e2 ) 20.e2 he has a much better to go in for g4 e6 8.g4 g6 9.h4 bd7 version of the game ] 10.xd7 xd7 11.h5 e4 12.xe4 xe4 19.xd5 cxd5 20.e3 e4 13.c3 0-0-0 was only a little better for White 18...a4 i n S v i d l e r , P ( 2 7 1 3 ) - A d a m s , M ( 2 7 1 6 ) Even though White is two pawns up he has to Frankfurt 1999) 7...bd7 8.d3 xd3 be careful here as his pawn structure is dodgy and Black's pieces are suddenly very well 9.xd3 e6 ] coordinated. 21.d3 g2 Obviously Black 7.g4! g6 [ 7...e4 is just bad here after 8.xe4 xe4 isn't interested in an exchange of queens at 9.f3 d6 10.e3 and White has the two t h is st a ge . 22.h5 xg4 23.g5 h4+ 137
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 24.d2 b6 [ 24...b8! is more flexible and it's no longer clear that White is better at all here. ] 25.xb6 The can't be allowed to land on c4 axb6 26.g3 h8 27.f1 xg3 28.xg3 df8 29.g5 [ 29.c4!? dxc4 30.c3 h2 31.gf3 wa s wo r t h c o n s i d e ri n g a l t h o u g h B la c k should be holding here with g2 ] 29...h2+ 30.d3 d7 31.f5 exf5 32.gxf5 and here I assume Black lost on time as it's rather a premature time to resign. [ After 32.gxf5 h3+ 33.d2 c8 Black's rooks are both very active and it won't be easy for White to win. All in all a very strange game - Brkic was basically winning from the opening before letting Black back into it. Black should definitely prefer the more solid lines with .. .c6! ] 1-0
160 Brkic,Ante Muzychuk,Anna 12th ch-EUR Aix les Bains FRA (9.67) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2592 2528 31.3.11
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.f3 xd5 4.d4 g6 Muzychuk keeps faith with her speciality. 5.c4 b6 6.c3 [ 6.c5 has been looked at a couple of times in the archives, most recently in Friedel, J (2551)-Pechenkin, V (2372) Edmonton 2009 by Neil. The lines are pretty similar to the mainline seen in this game. ] [ Last time I examined this variation I had a look at 6.a4!? in Ni Hua (2657)-Muzychuk, A (2523) Wijk aan Zee 2010. ] [ While the older 6.h3 was looked at in detail by Alexander Volzhin over ten years ago but has since fallen out of fashion. ] 6...g7 7.c5 d5 8.c4 c6 [ 8...xc3 is Black's other option which was looked at by John W atson in Kovalev, A (2533)-Pluemer, D (2172) Dresden 2009. Black continues to have grave problems in this line. ] 9.0-0 [ Should Black's line continue to be f a s h io n a b le t h e n t h e m o ve o rd e r 9.b3
wi l l b e p r e f e r r e d - a s I p l a ye d m y s e l f . However White is now forced to commit his queen to b3 and so Black can generate c o u n t e r p l a y wi t h a q u i c k . . . b 7 - b 5 . 0-0 10.0-0 xc3 11.bxc3 b5 This is Black's try to exploit the queen already being on b3. 12.cxb6 ( 12.d3 e6 13.c2 d7 14.a4 a6 15.g5 was seen in Sjugirov, S (2643)Smagin, S (2551) Olginka 2011 when e8 keeping e7 defended would have left Black with a fully respectable position.) 12...axb6 13.g5 ( I tried 13.e1 which I think I prefer: a6 14.xa6 xa6 15.g5 a7 16.a4 f6 17.h6 g7 18.xg7 xg7 19.e5 and White has a pleasant edge although failed to convert. Jones, G (2562)-Welling, G (2371) Gibraltar 2008.) 13...e6 14.e4 Polgar, J (2686)-Tazbir, M (2527) W arsaw 2010 when a6 15.xa6 xa6 16.g5 d5 17.f6+ xf6 18.xf6 b5 would have been completely fine for Black. ] 9...e6!? This speciality of Jacek Tomczak has recently caught a flurry of interest. [ 9...0-0 10.e1 continues to put Black under pressure, see Vuckovic, B (2525)Vukanovic, S (2358) Bar 2005 annotated by Andrew Martin in the archives. ] 10.g5 This move results in a long forcing variation. [ 10.b3 is the alternative which has scored much b etter f or W hite . xc3 ( 10...b5 11.cxb6 axb6 12.g5! Sacrificing the d4 pawn to wreck Black's structure and weaken his king. xd4 13.xe6 fxe6 14.h6 d7 15.ad1 c5 16.c2 f6 17.b4 d7 18.e4 c8 19.fe1 gave White great play for the pawn. Van der Velde, W (1 9 7 8 ) -A k o t c h i k , V ( 2 1 2 8 ) H o o g e v e e n 2008. ) 11.bxc3 xc4 12.xc4 d7 13.b1 b6 14.cxb6 axb6 15.xc6 A) 15...xa2 regains material equality but 16.e5 is unpleasant to deal with. a7 ( 16...xe5 17.dxe5 0-0 18.c4 a5 19.e6 e5 20.exf7+ xf7 21.e6 ) 17.f4 and Black is in a lot of difficulty.; B) 15...0-0 16.c4 c8 17.b3 a6 18.b2 fc8 and Black has some counterplay for the pawn with queenside pressure but can it really be enough? I'm sceptical and certainly Najer successfully 138
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 converted here: 19.d2 c4 20.e1 e6 21.h4!? c8 22.h5 a5 23.h6 f6 24.d1 ca4 25.c2 c4 26.b3 a8 27.g5 xg5 28.xg5 c8 29.e4 a5 30.d1 c7 31.d2 h5 32.g3 d5 33.b3 a8 34.e4 h5 35.g3 ha5 36.b2 d5 37.e3 a3 38.b3 xa2 39.c4 f5 40.d5 1-0 Najer, E (2608)Zurek, M (2421)/ Pardubice 20041 ext ] 10...xc3 11.xe6 xd1 12.xd8 xb2 13.xb2 xd8 14.xf7 So the forcing variation has resulted in an interesting queenless middlegame position. W hite has the bishop pair and superior development but if Black succeeds in developing peacefully then he will be doing well with a ready made outpost for the knight on d5 and pressure on the backward d4 pawn. The position reminds me of certain Alekhine positions, White has the initiative but should Black successfully coordinate he has good long term chances. a6 Developing the knight immediately looks right. [ The specialist tried 14...f8 against Shirov but after 15.c4 b5 16.e2 a6 17.a4! xc5 18.axb5 A) 18...cxb5 19.c3 b3 20.a3 b4 ( 20...xd4 21.d1 e5 22.xb5 ) 21.xb4 xd4 22.d1 e8 23.d3 and W hite has the better chances with strong pressure against Black's position. The open board favours W hite's bishop pair and gives him the advantage despite the pawn deficit.; B) 18...b3?! 19.a3 xd4 20.d1 e5 S h i r o v , A ( 2 7 2 0 ) - T o m c za k , J ( 2 4 2 0 ) Warsaw 2006 when 21.f3! f7 22.xc6 b8 23.xd4 exd4 24.e1 would leave White with a decisive advantage. ] 15.ad1 [ 15.ab1 has been seen in the earlier games to defend against the ...Nxc5 threat but the rook doesn't do much on the b file as Black is happy to play ...b7-b5 anyway. f8 16.c4 c7 A) 17.fe1 b5 ( 17...f6 also worked out we ll f o r B la ck f o llo win g 18.e3 b5 19.cxb6 axb6 20.c3 b5 21.b3 d7= Saric, I (2500)-Tomczak, J (2449) Szeged 200 8 but t he im med ia te .. .b5 is m ore forcing. ) 18.f1 d5 19.g3 f6 20.g2
d7 21.e2 a5 22.be1 b4 and Black started to take over. It's interesting to see how easily he managed to reroute the knight round to d5 followed by gaining space on the queenside. Yilmaz, M (2477)Onischuk, V (2505) Kharkov 2011.; B) 17.c3 b8 18.fe1 d7 19.e2 Dubinski, M (2082) -Tomczak, J (2448) S z k l a r s k a P o r e b a 2 0 0 7 w h e n d5 ( 19...b5 20.b3 e6 21.be1 be8 looks fine. ) 20.b2 fe8 21.be1 b6= ] 15...d7 16.fe1 c7 17.e2 hf8 18.b3 d5 19.de1 ae8 So again Black has fully coordinated and with his strong knight on d5 I doubt he can really be worse. The computer gives White a slight edge, presumably due to the bishop pair, W hite's spatial advantage and Black's isolated e pawn but I don't see ho w h e 's t o m a ke p ro gre ss. Ce rt a in ly in practice Black hasn't had any signif icant difficulties defending here. 20.g3 b6?! This gives Ante the chance to claim an edge. [ I w o n d e r i f 20...e6! might be a more accurate move order to prevent the following variation. Black can reroute the bishop round to c7 followed by ... b7-b5. ] 21.cxb6 [ 21.xd5! could have exploited Anna's move order. cxd5 22.c6+ d8 23.f4 h6 24.g2 f6 25.e6 would have left Black under unpleasant pressure. ] 21...axb6 22.g2 f6 [ I quite like the idea of 22...e6!? followed by ...Rf5, ...Bf8-d6 which looks very solid. ] 23.h4 a8 24.h1 a5 25.f4 b5 26.he1 a8 27.f3 b4 28.d1 b5 29.g4?! It was hard to suggest a good plan for White but this ambitious approach by Brkic shouldn't have worked. I'm going to hazard a guess at mutual time trouble as both sides start to err. xh4 [ 29...e6!? was also fully playable. ] 30.g5?! A logical continuation of the plan but this makes matters worse. [ 30.h1 g5 31.f5 would at least keep Black's bishop out of the position although h5!? 32.gxh5 f8 33.e5 e6 looks a little better for Black. ] 30...h6? But this plays into the Croatian's hands. [ Instead 30...xb3+! 31.axb3 f8 139
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 looks very good for Black. White cannot hold o n t o e i t h e r f 4 o r g 5 p a w n s a n d 32.h2 xf4+ 33.e2 xg5 34.xh7 e4+ 35.f2 h4+ 36.g1 f6 is looking very good for Black. ] [ 30...f8? immediately f ails to 31.xd5 xd5 32.g4 although still h5+ 33.gxh6 f6 is hardly clear. ] 31.gxh6 f8 32.xd5 xd5 33.g1?! [ 33.h1 re t a in e d t h e a dva n t a ge . f6 34.g2 h5 35.xh5 gxh5 36.f5 ] 33...h5?! [ 33...g5 was better when it is White who has to play energetically to keep the position level. 34.xg5! ( 34.h1 xf4+ 35.g3 f8 36.h7 h8 and with the d pawn successfully blockaded the advanced h pawn is nothing to fear.) 34...xg5 35.d5! The same idea as the following note. It's interesting that the exchange and a pawn down White is certainly not worse. A) 35...xd5 A1) 36.h2 e5 37.h7 exf4 38.e4! ( 38.h8 d3+! 39.e2 xh8 40.xh8 g3 and only Black can win) 38...d1 39.c3=; A2) 36.g7 a8 37.h2 e6 ( 37...a3+ is the initial suggestion of the com put er bu t 38.g4 h5 39.xh5 gxh5+ 40.g5! leaves Black in trouble as the h pawn cannot be stopped.) 38.h7 f5 39.h8 d3+ 40.e2 xh8 41.xh8 a3 should be a draw.; B) 35...h5 36.dxc6+ xc6 37.e6+ d7 38.xg6 e5 39.g4 h2 40.xe5 g2+ 41.h5 h2+ 42.g5 g2+= ] 34.xg6?! Missing a strong shot. [ Instead 34.d5! would have kept the h pawn and left Anna in trouble: cxd5 35.g7 f7 36.xg6 f6 37.g3 ] 34...f6 35.g4 xh6 36.g7 e6 37.xe6 xe6 38.f5+ d5 39.c1 h8 40.g5 xg5 41.xg5 Move 40 has been reached and a totally level endgame has resulted. d6 42.g6+ d7 43.d5 cxd5 44.xb6 a8 45.f4 xa2 46.e5 d2 47.b7+ e8 48.b5 f7 49.xd5 xd5+ 50.xd5 f6 51.e4 An interesting game, hardly devoid of errors but Black's try of 9...Be6 is important as Black was really suffering in the mainline. I think 10.Qb3 is a better try for an edge as I'm
not convinced there is anything Black should worry about after 10.Ng5. ½-½
161 Bronstein,David I Lutikov,Anatoly S USSR (ch) [Alexander Volzhin]
B01
1960
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.b5+ d7 4.e2!? This move has achieved a certain degree of popularity in recent practice and it's considered to be the most dangerous f or Black in the 3. Bb5+ line. We begin with this brilliant game (one of the first where 4. Be2 was played). xd5 5.d4 g6?! Black plays in a similar fashion to the main line with 3.d4, but this is a different position! The difference will become clear after White's 8th move. [ 5...e6?! is also not good. Black voluntarily restricts his light-squared Bishop. 6.f3 e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.c4 b6 9.c3 c5 10.dxc5 xc5 11.a3 e7 12.e3 f6 13.c2 c6 14.fd1 c7 15.d4 with a clear edge in Zakharov - Remizov, Moscow 1992. ] 6.c4 b6 [ 6...f6?! was played in Yakovich - Hania, Leeuwarden 1995. This move def initely cannot be recommended as it blocks Black's main idea - creating pressure on the d4square. 7.c3 g7 8.f3 0-0 9.0-0 c6 10.f4 g4 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 White is clearly better due to his control of the centre and his pair of strong Bishops. bd7 13.e1 b6 14.d3 d7 15.ad1 ad8 16.b4! Black has no counterplay and White starts a pawn attack on the Q-side. e8 17.e3 e5 This move leads by force to a hopeless position, but it's not easy to find a real improvement. 18.c5! c8 19.d5! cxd5 ( 19...f5 20.dxc6 xd3 21.xd3 xd3 22.cxb7 and the pawn queens.) 20.xd5 xd5 21.xd5 d7 22.f3! Now Black can't avoid material loss. xd1 23.xd1 c7 24.xb7 e6 25.b5 e7 26.xa7 c7 27.b5 f5 and Black resigned. ] 7.c3 g7 8.c5! White exploits the 140
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 drawbacks of Black's set-up very convincingly. Because of the position of the Bishop on d7 the Knight can't go to d5 and has to retreat to c8 where it has no prospects. c8 9.d5!? A very ambitious continuation. Now both Black's Knights look miserable. 10. Qb3 is also an unpleasant threat. Black's reply is forced. c6 10.b3 b6 The only move again. [ 10...cxd5 11.xb7 c6 12.b5! is bad for Black. ] 11.f3 0-0 12.e3 cxd5 13.xd5?! W hite has to choose between several possibilities, and the one he picks is not the best. [ 13.d1! is very strong, and although Black has plenty of plausible continuations here I can't see an acceptable defence: A) 13...c6 14.xd5 bxc5 15.f6+ exf6 ( 15...xf6 loses on the spot in view of 16.xd8 xd8 17.xc6 xc6 18.b7! ) 16.xd8 xd8 17.xc5 with a decisive advantage; B) 13...xc3+ 14.xc3 e6 15.h6 f6 16.xf8 xf8 17.e2 and Black has no compensation for the exchange; C) 13...e6 14.xd5! exd5 15.xd5 and Black can't avoid material loss: c6 16.xd7 xd7 17.xd7; D) 13...e8 14.xd5 a4 -this attempt fails to 15.c7! xb3 16.axb3! and White wins material: d7 17.xd7 xd7 18.xa8; E) 13...c6 is just bad in view of 14.xd5; F) 13...e6 Relatively the best. The alternatives are clearly insuff icient: 14.xd5 d7 ( 14...c6 is bad as it loses a piece: 15.f6+ xf6 16.xd8 xb3 17.xf8+ xf8 18.xc6 b8 19.axb3 ) 15.c6! ( 15.a3 is not so good in view of bxc5 16.f6+ xf6 17.xa8 d6 and Black has good compensation as a ll h is m i n o r p ie ce s a r e ve ry a ct ive .) 15...e5 16.c7 xf3+ 17.xf3 d6 18.0-0 with a huge edge as the c7-pawn is very strong ] [ White's other possibilities are not so good: 13.0-0-0 with the same ideas is strongly met by e6 14.xd5 exd5 15.xd5 f6! (th at 's t he d if f e re nce! ) 16.xa8 a4! which is very good for Black ]
[ and 13.xd5 allows c6! and Black has sufficient counterplay. ] 13...c6 14.d1 c7 15.b5 b7 16.d4 b8 17.gf3 e5?! This careless move allows a brilliant combination. [ 17...e6! forcing simplification was correct, and gives Black equal chances: A) 18.e4 xd4 19.xd4 ( 19.xb7?! xb3 20.xd7 xc5 21.xc5 bxc5 with a clear advantage for Black) 19...c6 20.xc6 xc6 is also OK for Black.; B) 18.xc6 xc6 19.xc6 xc6 20.0-0 e7! and after transferring the Knight to d5 Black has little to worry about. ] 18.xf7+!! B r o n s t e i n a t h i s b e s t ! xf7 19.xc6 xc6 [ 19...xc6 was no better: 20.g5 e8 21.d8! Now Black is completely tied up: f8 22.xf7 xf7 23.h6! and White wins: e4+ ( 23...d6 24.xb8 e8 25.h3 e4+ 26.e3 xg2 27.f1 c4 28.xe8 xf1+ 29.d2; 23...xc5 24.c3 ) 24.d2 d4+ 25.d3 xb2+ 26.e3 d4+ 27.xd4 exd4+ 28.d2 ] 20.d8+ f8 21.xe5 bxc5 22.h6!? [ Here White has a pleasant choice: besides t h e t e xt t h e r e a re a f e w o t h e r wi n n i n g continuations: 22.xf7 xb3 23.h6+ g7 24.axb3 ] [ or 22.xc6 ] 22...c4 [ 22...xb3 23.axb3 bb7 24.xf7 xf7 25.xc8 ] 23.xb7 bxb7 24.xf7 xf7 25.xc8 xg2 26.g1 b7 27.xf8+ xf8 28.xf8 xf8 29.g5 An excellent game! 1-0
162 Bruzon Batista,Lazaro Kurajica,Bojan IV Open La Laguna ESP (7) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2641 2525 10.04.2010
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 g4 4.e2 c6 5.d4 0-0-0 6.c4 f5 7.e3 xf3 [ Instead 7...f6 resulted in a quick White in in DeFirmian, Waitzkin in the archives. ] 8.xf3 xd4 9.xd4 [ 9.g4 is White's other option but the recent 141
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 game Jovanovic, Z-Mrdja, M Sibenik 2009, g a v e B l a c k l i t t l e t o w o r r y a b o u t c2+ 10.xc2 xg4 11.0-0 f6 12.xa7 e6 13.h3 e4 and a draw was already agreed. ] 9...e6+ 10.e2 Kevin asks if we can examine this position. I have tried to copy in as much of the analysis from the forum as possible and attempted to credit it to the right p e o p le b u t I a p o l o gise if I ' ve m is qu o t e d someone. Black has two main tries to regain the piece when Black will have an extra pawn. In the meantime W hite tries to use his development advantage to fire up a quick initiative. On the surface I would prefer White, but perhaps with accurate play, Black s h o u l d n ' t h a v e a n y p r o b l e m s . e4 I doubt I can get to the truth of these positions but certainly to play this line Black has to be happy with certain scenarios: A) Black has to be content with a draw. W hite has various lines which end in repetition, especially with Qa4xa7-a8-a4+. B) Black has to memorise lots of forcing variations or else he will lose very quickly. Of course this point can also apply to W hite who needs to know how to keep compensation for the sacrificed material. C) Black has to be happy to soak up pressure before hoping to convert his extra material, Black doesn't get much play of his own in the following positions. [ 10...c5!? has been played very rarely but it's the main topic of discussion on the forum a n d I p re d ic t t h a t B la ck will swit c h h i s attention to this move if he's to continue playing the line. I've tried to add all the useful notes from the forum coupled with a few notes of my own but I doubt I can get down to the complete truth of the position as there are so many possibilities. A) 11.c3 cxd4 12.d5 d6! didn't get W hite anywhere 13.xd4 e6 14.xa7 exd5 15.c5 xc5!? 16.xc5+ xc5 17.c1 b6 18.b4 Jurkovic, ANevednichy, V Bizovac 2008 when b7 19.bxc5 c8 would result in an ending a pawn up.; B) 11.c2 cxd4 ( 11...xd4 12.c3 a6 should also be investigated) 12.0-0 f6 13.c5 Milov, L-Pitl, G Barcelona 2009 when I'd probably go for b8 with good
chances for an advantage.; C) 11.a4 feels like the most critical test o f B l a c k ' s o p e n i n g t o m e . cxd4 T h i s i s n o w f o r c e d a s ( 11...xd4 12.xa7 e5 13.c3 is great for White. ) 12.xa7 when C1) 12...e5 C1a) 13.a3 is given by gipc but his line finishes in a draw following C1a1) 13...e6 looks good for White: 14.b5! b4+ 15.f1 c5 ( 15...d3 16.f3 d7 17.a8+ b8 18.a4 c5 19.d1+- ) 16.a5 d3 17.f3 e7 18.e1 f4 19.g3+-; C1a2) 13...d3 C1a21) 14.0-0-0!? look an interesting attempt to me which I don't think has been mentioned before xe2 15.a8+ ( 15.b1!? ) 15...c7 16.b5+ c6 17.a4 gives Black extreme practical problems. W hile the computer informs me it's a draw, I'm not completely convinced.; C1a22) 14.a8+ c7 15.b5+ c6 16.a7+ c7 17.b5+ is simply a draw.; C1b) 13.f1!? linksspringer is another interesting possibility. It look rather artificial but it does keep the bishop. e6 14.d2 c5; C1c) 13.0-0!? xe2 14.a3 e6 ( 14...e5 15.c5! gives White good chances b8 16.a4 e5 17.b5 d7 18.ac1 d8 19.c6 bxc6 20.xc6 and the computer starts to l i k e W h i t e . . .) 15.a8+! d7 16.xb7+ e8 17.b5 ( 17.c6+ i s t h e p e r p e t u a l d r a w f o r W h i t e .) 17...e7 18.c5 e5 ( 18...d3 simply loses to 19.c6 as the line given by Top Notch illustrates: d2 20.c7 d1 21.axd1 xd1 22.c6+ f8 23.a8+ d8 24.xd8+ xd8 25.cxd8# ) 19.c6 b8 20.a4! xb7 ( 20...c5 21.fc1 d o e sn ' t h e l p .) 21.cxb7 f6 22.a5 d7 23.fc1 d5 24.a6 g5 25.c4+is an excellent line given by Top Notch when the passed pawns are far stronger than the piece.; 142
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 C2) A p r a c t i c a l g a m e s a w 12...d3 13.c3 dxe2 14.a8+ d7 ( 14...c7 s i m p ly l o s e s t o 15.b5+ ) 15.xb7+ e8 16.d5 c8 when Top Notch gives 17.a4 with good winning chances. The queenside pawns are extremely fast!; C3) 12...f6 has been discussed as the critical line. C3a) 13.a8+ allows Black at least a draw and he might even be able to play for more with c7 14.a5+ b6 15.e5+ c8 ( This looks more r e l i a b l e t h a n A l a n G ' s 15...d6 16.a5+ b8 which isn't so clear. ); C3b) 13.a3 is the safest although allows Black to equalise with a6=; C3c) 13.0-0!? xe2 14.a3 ( 14.a8+ is probably a draw although allows Black to try playing on with the dangerous c7 15.a5+ b6 16.a7+ c6 17.b4 e6 but I feel this is rather foolhardy.) 14...e5 15.b5 ( 15.c5 g4 16.f4 is another suggestion of AlanG, but I would be rather scared playing this as White as a knight on e3 dominates the position rather. ) 15...e6 16.c5 g4 17.g3 b8 18.a4 e5 19.a7+ c7 20.b5+ d7 21.xd4+ e7 given by gewgaw, when Black's king h a s e s c a p e d t h e wo r s t w i t h g o o d chances to convert the extra piece. In particular watch out for ...Rxd4!; D) 11.d2 xd4! apparently first suggested by Michael Ayton, this looks ve ry c o m f o r t a b le f o r B l a c k . ( 11...cxd4 12.0-0 d7 has been given as slight edge B l a c k o n t h e f o r u m b u t 13.c5! keeps enough compensation in my view.) 12.a4 b6! 13.f3 ( 13.b3 with the idea of 0-0, Bf3, Na5, a3, b4 has been suggested by linksspringer. His line continues d7 14.0-0 f6 15.f3 e5! when Black's successfully consolidated his position.; 13.0-0-0!? GJ f6 14.f3 xd1+ 15.xd1 e6 16.e5 d6 17.xf7 f4+ also f avours Black.) 13...d8 14.0-0 e6 15.a3 b8! 16.b4 f6 17.fb1 c7! 18.b2 g5!? 19.bxc5 xc5 20.ab1 b6 given as clear edge to
Black by linksspringer and I think it could be sim p ly win n in g f o r h im a s W h it e 's attack has disappeared.; E) 11.0-0 The most straightforward move b u t h e re W h i t e h a s a l o t o f d i f f e r e n t alternatives. E1) 11...cxd4 12.c5! is Stefan Buecker's suggestion. Personally I don't like recapturing on d4 with the pawn ever, as it allows W hite to open up Black's k i n g w i t h c 4 - c 5 - c 6 . ( 12.d2 is also possible ); E2) 11...f6!? was offered by gewgaw and look like a perfectly respectable m o ve t o m e . 12.e1 ( 12.a4 cxd4 13.f3 a6 diffuses White's attack.; 12.d2 xd4 merely transposes) 12...xd4 13.c2 is unclear but I have a feeling that Black should be doing well with the rook on d4 and fairly safe king.; E3) 11...h5!? is another interesting su gge st io n b y S t e f a n B b u t it lo o k s rather artificial to me E3a) 12.a4 cxd4 13.xa7 xe2 14.a8+ c7 15.a5+ d7 ( 15...b6 GJ is a very risky winning try. 16.a7+ c6 17.a3 e6 18.c2 d6 19.b4 is very dangerous for Black as he hasn't even started developing his kingside.) 16.a4+ e6?! ( 16...c7 17.a5+= a d ra w lo o ks l ike a f a i r o u t c o m e .) 17.c3 with an extremely strong initiative.; E3b) 12.f3 a6 13.d2 ( 13.c3 cxd4 14.b5 e5 15.e2 also gives W h i t e d e c e n t c o m p e n s a t i o n .) 13...xd4 ( 13...cxd4 GJ allows the typical break with 14.c5! ) 14.e2 e6 15.b3 d7 16.ad1 f6 looks ok for Black but White still has an a dva nt age a nd t h e mo ve .. . h 5 looks rather irrelevant.; E4) 11...h6 12.c2 cxd4 13.c5 is another thematic line given by Stefan B but I confess I'm rather confused as to why Black would put the knight on h6 ra t h e r t h a n t he m o re a ct ive f 6 f ro m where it can jump to d5 and hold the centre.; E5) 11...xd4 143
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 E5a) 12.e1!? doesn't seem in the spirit of the line at all, the queen looks s o p a s s i ve o n e 1 b u t a t l e a s t t h e que en m igh t ju mp ou t to a5 a nd it h e l p s s u p p o r t t h e b 4 b r e a k . f6 13.d2 d6 14.b1 is given by linksspringer when White still seems to have at least some compensation, for example following: g6 15.b4 h6 16.b3 cxb4 17.xb4; E5b) 12.c2 was another line of analysis given by TopNotch but can hardly be a winning attempt as this allows the trade of queens with e4 ( 12...f6 13.c3 b6 14.b4= ) 13.xe4 ( 13.a4!? would transpose t o 1 2 . Q a 4 .) 13...xe4 14.c3 w h e n i n s t e a d o f d4 ( A l a n G ' s s u g g e s t i o n o f 14...h4 would give Black a decent position and indeed following 15.g3 h6 16.g4+ e6 White is struggling to keep enough initiative going for the pawn.) 15.b5 d2 16.g4+ e6 17.xa7+ b8 18.b5 xb2 19.ab1 E5b1) 19...b4 20.a3 xb1 21.xb1 f6 22.f3 b6 23.a4 c8 24.a7+ c7 was another long line given on the forum but this gives W hite a chance for an advantage with 25.a5! GJ ( 25.b5+ c8= ); E5b2) 19...xb1 20.xb1 and despite the simplification of the position, White still has a dangerous initiative, i.e . f6 21.f3 e8 22.a4 e7 23.a5 d8 24.c3 d6 25.a6 b6 26.d1+winning material.; E5c) 12.a4 given an exclamation mark by TopNotch but I'm not so sure. I haven't managed to find any analysis on this move except the note that we shouldn't believe our computer's evaluation! Let's look a little further. xe2 13.c3 e5 was bizarrely agreed drawn already in Gaponenko, IKharitonov, A Rethymnon 2009. White has a few different ways to continue but perhaps the most logical would be E5c1) 14.ad1 f6 15.xa7 e6 16.b5 d6! successfully
consolidates the extra material.; E5c2) 14.fe1 b8 15.d5 f6 doesn't get anywhere either.; E5c3) 14.xa7 e6 ( 14...h4? 15.fd1! reminds me of the mainline when White has a decisive advantage.) 15.b5 b8 16.b6 e7 17.xd4 cxd4 18.xd4 c6 and Black successfully completes his development with the advantage.; E5c4) 14.b5 f6 ( It's far too greedy to try and keep the rook with 14...d7? 15.ad1 f6 16.xa7 e6 17.b6 is winning for White due to th e th reat of 1 8.Na7 + an d 19 . Nc6+; 14...b8 15.xd4 cxd4 16.e8+ c7 17.xf7 looks wrong f o r B l a c k .) 15.xa7 ( 15.xa7+ d8 16.b5 d7 ) 15...e6 ( 15...d7 also seems reasonable. 16.fe1 b8 17.a5 b6 18.c3 e5 19.f3 f6 20.c6+ d8 and Black's centre looks quite i m p r e s s i v e .) 16.b6 ( 16.a8+ b8 17.a7+ c7 18.b5+ is simply a draw) 16...b8 17.ad1 g4 18.f4 e3 19.a7+ d7 20.xd4+ cxd4 21.xd4+ d6 22.xe3 c5 23.d1+ e8 24.d4 b6! favours Black. ] 11.0-0 This looks more accurate than 11.Nc3. It's important to get the king to safety and develop the kingside rook, even if White has to sacrifice the e2 bishop too. [ 11.c3 xd4 12.c2 ( 12.xd4 gives Black a favourable endgame position after xd4 13.b5 d8 14.xa7+ b8 15.b5 e5 Lyell, M-Korpa, B Budapest 2010. ) 12...e6 13.0-0 d6 14.b5 e5 15.f4? ( 15.xd6+ still gives White ad e qu a t e co mp e n sa t io n f o r th e pa wn .) 15...c5+ 16.h1 e3 17.f3 Zakic, SSavic, M Subotica 2008 when the simplest f o r B l a c k l o o k s t o b e d2 forcing an exchange of queens with a decisive advantage. ] 11...xd4 [ The most common recapture although Black has also tried taking with the rook although this leaves Black's back rank very vulnerable. 11...xd4 144
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 12.d2 has been White's practical choice A1) 12...f4 13.a4 xd2 14.ad1 f6 15.xa7 d7 16.f3 c6 17.xd2 xd2 18.d1 h6 19.b4! This looks slow but Black still has no time to develop his kingside and so is simply lost e6 20.b5 g6 Spraggett, K-Shaw, J Gibraltar 2006 when the most precise finish would have been 21.a8+ b8 ( 21...c7 22.b6+! ) 22.bxc6 bxc6 23.b1 d6 24.b7+ d8 25.d1+-; A2) 12...e6 13.a4 xd2 14.ad1 xd1 15.xd1 f6 16.xa7 a6 17.d4 d6 18.a7 a6 19.d4 d6 20.a7 and both players were forced to repeat 1/2-1/2 Boskovic, DSavic, M Vrnjacka Banja 2009.; B) 12.a4! was suggested on the forum and looks exceedingly dangerous for Black. One line where I managed to beat my computer ran: xe2 13.xa7 B1) 13...xb2 14.a3 d3 15.b5 f6 16.ad1 c2 17.c1 d2 18.a8+ ( 18.c5!? ) 18...d7 19.a4 c6 20.cd1 cxb5 21.xb5+ c8 22.xd2 xd2 23.c5+winning for White.; B2) 13...g4?! with the threat of ...Rxg2 for a draw but 14.a8+ d7 15.h3! foils Black's plan and leaves White with a great position. ] 12.a4 [ 12.b3 looks inaccurate e6 13.c3 d6 14.b5 c5 15.f3 c6 16.xd6+ xd6 17.a4 e7 and Black has succeeded in completing his development. Rodriguez Lapetra, P-Alvarado Diaz, A La Laguna 2010. ] 12...e6 [ 12...xb2 was far too greedy 13.xa7 e6 14.f3 Black never gets time to take the rook f6 ( 14...xa1 15.xb7+ d7 16.d1+ d6 17.c5 is hopeless.) 15.c3! xc3 16.xb7+ d7 17.c6+ e7 18.xc7+ d7 19.ad1 ( 19.fd1 l o o k s e v e n b e t t e r a s xc4 loses to 20.ac1! ) 19...g5?! ( 19...xc4 was necessary although White's still winning after 20.c1! a6 21.fd1! ) 20.xd7 g7 21.e8+ was a complete demolition in
Meijers, V-Antoniewski, R Martigny 2005. ] 13.c3 So White has completed his development while Black hasn't moved a single piece on the kingside. True, Black has gained a pawn, but he will have to suffer for a long time before he can hope to utilise it. d6 The most logical looking move, both developing one piece and looking at starting a counterattack. [ 13...b6 was tried by the Dutch expert on the Scandinavian but he had to suffer a little. 14.ad1 ( 14.a3 f6 15.b4 and the players wi m p e d o u t i n G r a b a r c zyk , B - M i l o v , L Frankfurt 2008. Of course White has good compensation for the pawn and it's disappointing not to be able to see how the game might have continued.) 14...xd1 15.xd1 f6 16.b4! Dynamic play by the young IM. A) 16...c5 looks like a potential improvement f or Black. 17.e4 a6 18.xa6 ( 18.c2!? is a better winning attempt. ) 18...bxa6 19.g5 cxb4 20.xf7 g8 seems roughly level.; B) 16...xb4 17.b1 a5 18.a3 xc3 19.xb6 cxb6 20.c5! bxc5 21.a6!? A f l a s h y w a y t o g e t a d r a w ( However 21.f3 would leave White with all the winning chances Black's exposed king will c o s t h i m a t l e a s t a c o u p l e p a w n s .) 21...bxa6 22.c6+ b8 23.b6+ 1/2-1/2 Brandenburg, D-Tiviakov, S Hilversum 2008. ] [ 13...f6 resulted in a quick White win but the game was hardly convincing 14.b5 ( 14.ad1 b6 15.xd8+ xd8 16.d1+ c8 17.b4 with similarities to 13...Qb6 would be my attempt as White.) 14...b6 15.b4!? The start of a piece sacrifice. I wonder wheth er this was intend ed or a blunder? I am highly doubtful whether this piece sacrifice is objectively sound but Black now has to play extremely accurately. c6 16.c5 cxb5 17.xb5 c7 18.xa7 d5 19.fc1 Slightly illogical, why not place the other rook on c1 so that we can play Rfd1? b8 20.a4 c7 21.e2 a8 22.b3 e7 23.a4 Around here Black's position collapses. Maybe d4 is the first mistake ( 23...d2 followed by ...Bf6 leaves Black with good chances of converting the extra 145
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 piece. ) 24.a5 a6? Leaving Black's king u n g u a rd e d . . 25.c6! And the attack breaks through hd8 26.f3 b8 27.xa6 1 -0 V u c k o vi c, B - Mi la n o vic , D B e o g ra d 2006. ] 14.f3! This novelty looks strong. Bruzon is not concerned about Black's plan of ...Qf4-h2 as once the rook moves from f1 there's no mate, and he makes sure his attack will come first. [ The rather f orcing line 14.b5 e5 15.xd6+ cxd6 16.f3 b8 17.fe1 c5 18.b4 has been played twice against fellow ChessPublishing writer, Eric Prie. Apparently Emms and Houska claim a slight edge to black here. I haven't seen the analysis but certainly following A) Eric played 18...xc4? the first time he reached this position, allowing the knockout 19.xb7! e7 was Brunello, SPrie, E Arvier 2007 when White has great compensation f or the pawn f ollowing: ( 19...xb7 20.ec1 d5 21.c7+! xc7 22.xa7+ wo u l d b e m a t i n g) 20.ac1 d4 21.a6; B) 18...c7 A n i m p r o v e m e n t 19.ac1 e7 20.e3 d7 21.d1 c8 22.c5 hd8 23.d3 c7 24.a4 dxc5 25.xd8 xd8 26.bxc5 c6 27.b1 d4 28.c2 h4 29.xc6 xc6 30.g3 h5 and Black had consolidated his extra pawn. D'Amore, C-Prie, E Arvier 2007. ] [ 14.fd1 has also been tried but it seems too automatic e5 15.g3 b8! 16.b5 a6 17.xd6 cxd6 18.f3 f6 19.d3 d7 20.b3 c5 21.b4 d7 and again our French contributor had completed his development successfully and could attempt to convert his extra pawn. Michna, C-Prie, E San Sebastian 2009. ] 14...f4 15.fd1 xh2+ 16.f1 So Black has gained another pawn and forced the king to f1 but Bruzon has accurately calculated that his king won't encounter any problems on e2. Black's king, on the other hand, has four pieces directed towa rds it and he swif tly regrets his retarded kingside development. e7 [ 16...a6 was offered as a possible improvement by MnB. His line runs 17.c5 xc5 18.xb7+! xb7 19.xd8 h1+
20.e2 xg2 but this looks extremely dangerous to me and indeed White must be c l o s e t o w i n n i n g w i t h 21.e4 b6 ( 21...g4+ 22.e1 g1+ 23.d2+- ) 22.c1 as Black does not have perpetual g4+ 23.f1 h3+ 24.e1 h1+ 25.d2 h6+ 26.c2 and the checks have run out when White has more material and better placed pieces. ] 17.xa7 c6 18.a4 c7 This doesn't save Black. [ 18...h1+ 19.e2 h2 20.c5 b8 21.b6+ c7 22.a5 looks lost to me, the extra pawn is looking extremely irrelevant. ] [ 18...g6 looks like Black's best to me. A c o u p l e s a m p l e l i n e s m i g h t r u n : 19.c5 ( 19.g3 xg3 20.fxg3 xg3 21.f2 is rather unclear) 19...b8 20.b6+ c7 21.a5 ( Of course White always has his draw with 21.a8+ c8 22.b6+= ) 21...e5! 22.c4+ c8 23.d6+ xd6! 24.cxd6 d8 seems ok for Black but I think White still has a small something following: 25.d7+ xd7 26.xd7 xd7 27.g3 ] 19.c5 e5 20.a5+ c8 21.b6+ b8 [ 21...c7 was the only way to survive although in my view W hite has the advantage. Of course, on the practical level, this isn't a good choice for Black as White always has at least a draw. 22.g3 ( 22.c4+ c8 23.d6+ b8 24.xf7 xd1+ 25.xd1 f8 26.xe5 xe5 seems to hold on for the second player.) 22...xg3 23.fxg3 xg3 24.c4+ c8 25.d6+ b8 26.c3 and the knight on d6 dominates the position and thus the bishop looks more relevant than the kingside pawns. ] 22.d7! Now Black's king's trapped. xd7 23.xd7+ c8 24.b6+ b8 25.d1! And the other rook swings into the game when there's no way to avoid dropping a large amount of material. A disaster for Black but the line certainly still has life, especially in the 10...c5 line when I think 11.Qa4 is critical but I can't find an advantage for White. 1-0
146
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 163 Brynell,Stellan Hodgson,Julian M Bundesliga 2001-2 (14) [Nigel Davies]
B01 164 2505 Bulski,Krzysztof 2598 Stopa,Jacek 27.04.2002 ch-POL Warsaw POL (6) [Gawain Jones]
Here we see the solid 10...Bxc3, forcing White to accept doubled pawns on his queenside. This weakness is not a serious problem if he plays accurately and mass exchanges lead to a draw. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 f5 7.d2 e6 8.e2 b4 9.0-0-0 bd7 10.a3 xc3 11.xc3 c7 12.e5 [ 12.d2 b5 13.a2 e4 14.b1 0-0 15.g5 d5 left Black with a very solid game in Enders - Wahls, German Ch., Binz 1995 ] 12...b5! This may be Black's best, but it is not his only move. [ He can also play 12...xe5 13.dxe5 d5 14.d2 0-0-0 15.g4 g6 16.f4 h5 17.h3 hxg4 18.hxg4 xh1 19.xh1 b6 as in Morovic Fernandez - W ahls, Cienfuegos 1996 ] [ A further possibility is 12...d5 13.d2 b5 14.b3 h5 15.xd7 xd7 16.a5 g6 17.he1 0-0 as in Morovic Fernandez Rodriguez, Cienfuegos 1996, though this looks rather passive for Black because of the blockade of his queenside pawns. ] 13.d3 [ 13.b3 e4 intending ...Bd5 is super-solid as usual. ] 13...0-0 14.xf5 exf5 15.f3 d5 16.xf5 xc3 17.xd7 With his queenside so weak White has to exchange Black's knight. [ 17.bxc3 f6 would be very dangerous. ] 17...xd1 18.xf8 xf8 19.xd1 Gallagher - Prie, French Team Ch., Clichy 1997 was agreed drawn at this point. xh2 20.e4 h6+ 21.f4 g6 22.e1 g3 23.e3 f2 24.b3 h6 25.c3 f5 26.e6+ h7 27.g3 xd4 28.xc6 a5 29.c5 f6 30.b1 a4 31.b4 d8 32.d3 xd3 33.cxd3 e6 34.c1 e1+ 35.c2 e2+ 36.c3 e1+ ½-½
B01 2416 2494 14.01.2010
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e5 bd7 This is a very topical position in the line 7.f4 [ 7.f4 is White's most aggressive setup b6 8.g4 g6 ( 8...e6 was seen in ShirovIvanchuk. Here Saric tries to do without this move but runs into difficulty.) 9.g2 g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.a4 a5 12.h1 fd5 13.e4 c7 14.c3 f6! 15.d3 f5! 16.gxf5 xf5 17.e2 was very messy and hardly a safe way to play for White although he went on to win Radulski, J-Saric, I Zagreb 2010 ] [ 7.c4 is yet to be seen in a featured game on ChessPublishing but resulted for a quick W hite win here. c7 8.f3 b6 9.f4 d7 10.xb6 An interesting swap so as to lessen the power of ... Qg4 axb6 11.0-0-0 g4 12.e3 f5 ( Maybe 12...e6 should be attempted although I prefer White after 13.d5! ) 13.d5!? xd5 14.xd5! cxd5 15.b5 e5 16.xe5 c5 ( The analyst that l i v e s i n m y c o m p u t e r s u g g e s t s 16...f6 17.xf6+ f7 18.d4 xa2 19.b1 a4 20.d3 e6 when it looks like Black has s u r vi ve d b u t W h i t e h a s t h e s u r p r i s i n g 21.c7!? xe3 22.fxe3 when despite being the exchange down W hite is doing very well as the rook is trapped on a4 and B la ck 's p a wn s a re d ro p p i n g l ike f lie s .) 17.d4+ d8 18.d3 d7 19.g5+ e7 20.xg7 xd4 21.xd4 f6 22.xb6+ d7 23.c7 was an impressive game by my namesake 1-0 Jones, R-Zeidler, S Cardiff 2010. ] 7...d5 8.xd5 xd5 9.e2 xe5 10.xe5 xg2 11.f3 g6 12.e2 and here Stopa deviates from Caruana, FMilanovic, D in the archives but it doesn't work out well. e6 [ 12...h5 was played in that game. ] 13.d5 White needs to play aggressively or he'll suffer with his pawn deficit. cxd5 14.0-0-0 f6 Critical, and obliging W hite to sacrifice the piece. Alternatively: [ 14...d7 15.xd5 h6+ 16.b1 c6 147
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is possible but I don't see how Black is going to develop his kingside and so must be practically lost. ] 15.xd5! xe5 16.c4! White's barbaric play is effective. He's already threatening mate in one which obliges Black to sacrifice his queen. e6 Forced [ 16...h5 doesn't prevent the mate 17.f7+! xf7 18.b5+ ] 17.he1 exd5 [ 17...g5+ 18.f4 followed by a subsequent Bxe6 is curtains. ] 18.b5+ So far White has played perfectly but here he should have continued with [ 18.xe5+! when after the forced line fxe5 19.xd5 e7 20.xe5 f8 21.e4 f7 22.xh7 Black would be experiencing great problems. True he has rook and two bishops for the queen and two pawns but his king is still stuck in the centre and he continues to have difficulty in developing his queenside. ] 18...d7 [ 18...f7 is the suggestion of the fearless computer 19.xe5 fxe5 20.xd5+ ( 20.xd5 is no longer as efficient as g6 21.xe5 h6+ 22.b1 d8 and Black's pieces are starting to get out of their s t a r t i n g b l o c k s .) 20...e6! 21.f3+ ( 21.xb7+ e7 and once Black's pieces are de ve lo p ed , he 'll b e ab le to u se h is material advantage.) 21...g8 22.xb7 e8 23.xa7 is highly unclear but Black can continue with either h5!? ( or 23...e7 with a satisfactory position. )] 19.xb7 [ 19.xd5?! 0-0-0! 20.xe5 fxe5 21.xe5 h5! followed by ...Rh6-c6 and Black's taking the upper hand. ] 19...d8 20.f4 [ 20.xe5+ would keep the advantage with similar ideas to those which we have already seen: fxe5 21.xd5 e7 22.xe5 f7 23.f4+ f6 24.c7 e8 25.xa7 W hen W hite's picked up a lot of pawns which should give him the advantage but the position is still not so clear. It's important that W hite succeeds in keeping Black's pieces offside as they'll control a lot of squares if they work together. ] 20...e7! Perhaps White overlooked this [ 20...xe1 loses 21.xe1+ f7 ( 21...e7
22.b4+- ) 22.xd5+ g6 23.f5+ h6 24.a5! e8 25.d2+ h5 26.xe8 xe8 27.e2+ and the piece drops. ] 21.xd5 g6 22.c4 An interesting choice. White pushes his passed pawn! Black needs to develop his kingside quickly which isn't so easy h5! This looks like the best way to do it with ...Rh7-e7 themes and also threatening ... Be6. [ 22...e6 immediately doesn't work as 23.c6+ f7 24.xd8 xd8 25.xe6+ g7 26.d1 w i n s t h e q u e e n b6?! 27.d7+ h6 28.h3# ] 23.c5?! Again I wonder if White overlooked Black's reply. [ 23.xe7+ xe7 24.b7 would keep Black struggling to hold. ] 23...e6! 24.c6+ f7 25.xd8 xd8 26.xe6+ g7 27.d1 a5 The difference now is that the king doesn't get mated on h6. So White's regained one piece but is now a piece f or two pawns down, while his own king's vulnerability gives Black some counterplay. 28.c6 [ 28.d7+ h6 29.c6 ( 29.xf6 xc5+ 30.b1 g8 and White's attack gets no further. ) 29...c5+ 30.d2 f2+ and Black has taken the initiative. ] 28...c5+ [ 28...h6! running the king to safety would promise Black good winning chances. ] 29.b1 The game now proceeds logically and a draw is the result. A fair result in the end perhaps, but Black's risky opening shouldn't be repeated and he'll have to go back to alternative 12th moves. e7 30.d7 e8 31.a3 f8 32.a2 a5 33.c7 h4 34.h3 a4 35.a1 c1+ 36.a2 c5 37.a1 c1+ 38.a2 c5 39.a1 ½-½
165 Burovic,Ismet Monange,Serge op Torcy [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2375 2070 1991
The following gambit was introduced in the early nineties. This game shows that Black's attacking potential should not be 148
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 underestimated. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 g4 A very interesting but dubious line. Black sacrifices a pawn hoping to get active piece play, but W hite's defensive resources are huge and it's quite difficult to get full compensation. On the other hand White has to tread very carefully, otherwise Black's initiative may become extremely dangerous. 4.f3 f5 5.c4 Very natural but probably far from best. It may seem that now Black is in trouble as W hite has an extra pawn and a ve ry s t ro n g p a wn c e n t re . B u t B l a c k h a s s o m e t h in g in m in d ! e6! 6.dxe6 c6! The point. 7.e2 [ White couldn't solve his problems with 7.e3 b e c a u s e o f b4+ 8.c3 e7! For only a pawn Black has a huge advantage in development and great activity for all his pieces. It's extremely difficult to find a suf ficient def ence for W hite. 9.d5 0-0-0 10.a4 xd5!! A fantastic blow! 11.cxd5 h4+ 12.d1 ( 12.g3 loses the Queen: xc3+ 13.bxc3 xa4; 12.e2 is hardly an improvement: d4+ 13.xd4 xd4 14.d1 e5+ with a decisive attack) 12...xd5+! Another very nice blow! 13.xd5 e1# Wang Zili - Damaso,1996. ] [ Of course 7.exf7+ xf7 (now or later) should not be considered seriously as it gives Black an important tempo for developing his Rook (Rh8-e8). ] 7...b4! Aiming at the c2 and d3 squares. 8.g3 c2+ 9.f2 g6 10.e3 c5! A brave and correct decision! Black plays for a direct attack on White's king. [ The hasty 10...xa1 spoils the attack: 11.exf7+ xf7 12.d3 and after Nb1-c3 W hite wins the Knight back and has two pawns for the exchange, with a playable position. ] 11.a3 xe3 12.xe3 g4+! Excellent! After this unexpected sacrifice Black's attack becomes unstoppable. 13.fxg4 g5+ 14.f3 [ 14.f2 didn't help W hite either: f4+ 15.f3 xd4+ 16.e1 b4+ 17.e2 xb2+ and Black wins. ] 14...fxe6! After this simple move the game is over. Black opens the f-file for his Rook and the White king is in dead trouble now. 15.d3 0-0+ 16.f5 exf5 17.dxc5 fxg4+ 18.g3 h5!
[ Of course, 18...e3+ wins easily, but the text leads to forced mate. ] 19.h3 [ 19.xg6 h4# ] [ or 19.h4 e3+ 20.h2 g3+ 21.h3 xd3 and White has no defence against Bd3-f5. ] 19...h4+ 20.h2 g3+ 21.g1 e3# 0-1
166 Camps,Ronald D Tiviakov,Sergei IV Open Alajuela CRC (1) [John Watson]
B01 2098 2645 09.07.2008
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 [ The latest adventure with 5...a6 played last week was Van Oosterom-E Berg, Maastricht 2008: 6.g3 g4 ( an option is 6...f5 ) 7.g2!? ( 7.h3 h5 8.g2 c6 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.f4 b4 11.g4 g6 12.a3! xb2 13.e1 was the exciting game Caruana-Strikovic, Lorca 2005, featured in this column with Fabiano's notes. Check out the Archives.) 7...c6 8.e3 ( 8.h3 h5 9.0-0 would transpose to the Caruana game here 8...Bxf3 9 Qxf3 0-0-0 10 Be3 doesn't improve for Black) 8...0-0-0 9.h3 h5 ( 9...e6!? 10.g5 xd4 11.xd4 xd4 12.xd4 xd4 13.xe6 fxe6 14.0-0 g6 isn't entirely clear, especially since Black can counter the attack on e6 by 15.fe1 d2 ) 10.e2 e6 11.0-0 ( 11.0-0-0 is equally interesting, but makes it harder to assault Black's king d5 m i g h t f o l l o w) 11...d5 12.xd5 exd5 13.c4!? dxc4 14.xc4 b4! 15.fc1 ( 15.e2!? followed by attack on the king.) 15...xc4 16.xc4 f6 17.d5 f7 18.dxc6 xc4 19.cxb7+ b8 20.d4 d5 21.c6+ xc6 22.xc6 b4 23.a3 d2 24.c5 d3 25.f1?! ( 25.d1 hd8 26.f1 ) 25...b3! 26.d1?! ( but 26.b1 c3! isn't thrilling) 26...xb2 27.e4 a5 28.d7 g6 29.d4? d2 30.xf6 xd7 ( 30...e8 31.xd2 xd2 is the computer solution. ) 31.xh8 d1+ 32.g2 d2 0-1. ] 149
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 6.g5 An interesting move. [ In Gashimov-Tiviakov, Reggio Emilia 2008, Tiviakov lost on the Black side of 6.e5 bd7 7.f4 d5 , but he certainly had improvements. White decides to go another way. ] 6...g4 7.e2 bd7 8.d2 e6 9.f4 b4 10.a3! b6 [ White has a considerable advantage in all t h e l i n e s a f t e r 10...xb2 11.0-0 f5 ( 11...xf3 12.xf3 b6 13.fb1 a5 14.xb7; 11...b6 12.fb1 d8 13.xb7 ) 12.a2 b6 13.b1 d8 14.xb7 e7 15.c7 ] 11.0-0 e7 12.a4 d8 13.c4!? 0-0 14.fd1 [ The conventional and probably better course is 14.c3 b6 15.b3 with advantage. ] 14...b6 15.xb6 axb6 16.h3 [ As so often (and against the traditional idea), exchanges make it easier for the side with space: 16.e5 xe2 17.xe2 ] 16...f5 17.e3 e8?! [ We've seen the theme 17...b5! 18.cxb5 d5 before, in the Caro-Kann: 19.d2 cxb5 with total control of d5. If 20.xb5 , then b6 21.f1 xf4 22.xf4 xb2 wins White's a-pawn next. ] 18.b3 e4 [ 18...b5!? 19.cxb5 d5 20.g3 b6 21.c4! ] 19.e3 c7 20.d2 d6?! 21.ac1 [ 21.f4 ] 21...c5 22.f3 [ 22.f4 cxd4 23.e5 ] 22...f6 23.d5!? e5 [ A clever response is the easy-to-miss 23...exd5 24.xd5 d7! , when 25.c2 f5 repeats, and here 25...Nf5 is a try for advantage. ] 24.b1 xb1 25.xb1 e4 26.g4 g6 27.f4 e5 28.xe5 xe5 29.c3 [ Or 29.bc1 ae8 30.e3 ] 29...e7 . Here White would have a comfortable but limited edge after 30 Re1. The game continued in technical fashion for a long time, with White losing after inaccuracies. 0-1
167 Carlsen,M Djukic,Ni 41st Olympiad Open 2014 (3.3) [Neil McDonald]
B01 2877 2521 04.08.2014
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 Black sidesteps any critical theory by bringing the queen back home. White is given a freer hand but at least the lady will never become a target of Bf4 (after 3...Qd6) or Bd2 (after 3... Qa5). Incidentally, GM Nikola Djukic plays this opening system regularly so Carlsen must have played through a lot of 3...Qd8 games in preparing for the present encounter. It is a st ro n g en d orsem en t f or th e lin e t ha t t h e W orld Champion was persuaded to play it himself as Black three rounds later against Caruana, one of his biggest rivals. 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 6.h3 xf3 Not letting White build up an initiative in the centre with [ 6...h5 7.g4 g6 8.e5 ] 7.xf3 c6 In return for the bishop pair and a slight space disadvantage, Black will achieve a full development, get his king to safety and avoid any weaknesses in his pawn structure. For some players he has paid too high a price. But others will enjoy having a secure position with the chance to outmanoeuvre the opponent. It's no wonder that Carlsen was willing to play this line as both W hite and Black. He likes a game without theory, in which he can outplay his opponent from a position where he has either a small advantage or a small disadvantage- it is all the same to him! 8.d3 Consistent with his plan to make his opponent think for himself. Djukic has played many games with [ 8.e3 e6 Here are some examples. These segments- they are not the complete gamesend with more or less equality. As you can see Djukic replies to 0-0-0 by W hite with Bb4, whilst against 0-0 he tries to put his knight on d5 and cement it there with b7-b5. 9.d3 ( Or 9.0-0-0 b4! 10.e4 xe4 11.xe4 d5 the exchange of queens is a cold shower on W hite's attacking aims. 12.xd5 cxd5 13.c4 dxc4 14.xc4 d7 and Black was fine in Erdogdu, M (2467)Djukic, N (2503)/Novi Sad 2009. ) 9...bd7 A) 10.0-0 d6 150
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A1) 11.ad1 0-0 12.fe1 ( 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 g6 14.c4 keeping the black knight out of d5, so Djukic prepares c6-c5 to attack d4 instead. e8 15.f4 c7 16.f3 c5 Dastan, B (2371)Djukic, N (2545)/Skopje MKD 2013.) 12...e8 13.e4 xe4 14.xe4 f6 15.d3 d5 16.d2 b5 stopping White kicking back the horse with c2-c4. Ali Marandi, C (2383)-Djukic, N (2534)/ Sarajevo BIH 2014; A2) 11.fe1 0-0 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 g6 14.c4 e8 15.ad1 a5 16.a4 b6 17.b3 d5 once again the black knight lands on d5 with balanced chances.; A3) 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 f6 13.d3 d5 14.d2 f6 15.e4 ( 15.xf6 gxf6 16.e4 f5 17.f3 0-0-0 Klino va, M (2 302)-Djukic, N (2 551)/ Cappelle-la-Grande FRA 2014.) 15...f4 16.c4 0-0 17.fe1 fd8 18.ad1 b5 19.f1 d5 20.d3 g6 21.g3 ac8 Sp a s o v, V (25 7 3 )-Dju kic, N (2 5 5 1 )/ Kragujevac SRB 2013.; B) 10.0-0-0 b4! 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 f6 13.c4 xe4 14.xe4 e7 Palac, M (2578)-Djukic, N (2528)/Neum BIH 2014. I hope these extracts give you some idea of how to play against 8.Be3. Ca rls e n go e s h i s o wn wa y a n d t a ke s Djukic out of his tried and trusted opening lines. ] 8...e6 9.g3 Carlsen fianchettos on g2 and hopes to eventually soften up Black along the h1-a8 diagonal with an advance of his queenside pawns. In a later game from the Tromso 2014 Olympiad Karjakin preferred [ 9.e2 against Iotov- see the archives. ] 9...bd7 10.g2 d6 The most active square for the bishop. In the only other game with 9.g3 Black preferred [ 10...e7 with a solid enough position after 11.0-0 0-0 12.b3 c7 13.b2 ad8 in Bojkovic, N (2434)-Voicu Jagodzinsky, C (2 2 9 0 ) / P lo vd iv 2 0 0 8 . T h e d ra wb a ck o f course is that on e7 the bishop doesn't support the freeing e6-e5 break. ] 11.0-0 0-0 12.a3 Preparing b3-b4 in the distant future. c7 Djukic is building up his game sensibly. He is angling for the e6-e5
advance to negate White's space advantage. However, he has to be sure that he is freeing his game rather than opening lines for his opponent's bishop pair. 13.d1 ad8 14.b3 fe8 15.b2 a6 16.e2 e5 At last Black has completed his preparations and carried out the pawn advance. Objectively speaking it is equal, but Carlsen is able to probe away with no worries. Perhaps it was better to try for the initiative with [ 16...h5!? 17.c4 ( After 17.h4?! e5 18.c4 e4 19.c3 e3! Black has dynamic play in view of the weakness on g3.) 17...h4 18.b4 ( If 18.g4?! f8 heading for g6 when White has to worry about the hole on f4.) 18...hxg3 19.fxg3 e5 only now. The position remains equal, but Black has more potential counterplay as the white king's defences are slightly eroded. ] 17.c4 exd4 Again this should be OK, but as the World Champion loves to play 'without an opponent' Djukic might have done better to keep the tension with [ 17...e4 for example 18.e3 ( If 18.c3?! e3! 19.f4 e4 gives Black counterplay as 20.xe3? fails to xg3 21.xg3 xe2 ) 18...c5 19.d5 b5 with a double edged game. ] 18.xd4 e5 19.c2 c5 20.f3 xb2 21.xb2 f8 The Magnus Magic starts to have its effect: a couple of imprecise moves by the opponent is all it takes for Carlsen's relentless technique to turn a 'dead equal' position into one where he is winning. [ It was better to keep the knight active with 21...e4 for example 22.e1 ( Or likewise 22.h4 df6 ) 22...df6 ] 22.h4 Unleashing the bishop and preparing a long journey with the knight to e3 where it eyes the hole in Black's centre on d5. g6 [ Black can bring his knight into contact with the hole in White's own structure on d4, but he is uncomfortable after 22...e6 23.f5 b6 24.ab1 as the white horse looms over his kingside. ] 23.f5 e7 24.e3 b6 25.b4 Finally White plays the pawn advance he prepared with 12. a3. c6 26.xd8 xd8 27.b1 cxb4? A serious mistake that concedes a potential passed pawn on the c-file and dissolves the base for his knight on d4. He had to stand his 151
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ground on c5 with [ 27...b8! keeping the option of Nd4 to activate his game. ] 28.axb4 e5 29.c3 d3? Losing a pawn. He might have tried [ 29...h5 though White keeps his advantage with 30.h4! ( but not immediately 30.c5 as Black gets counterplay with h4 31.g4 g6 and 32...Nf4. )] 30.a1! I'm sure Carlsen enjoyed making this queen retreat into the corner. He excels like Karpov in manoeuvring his pieces on the first rank. Now Black has no good way to defend a6. h5 [ There could have been a pretty finish after 30...a5 31.bxa5 bxa5 32.b7 d6 the queen has to defend e5 33.c5 e6 ( i t ' s m a t e a f t e r 33...xc5 34.b8+ ) 34.b8+ e8 35.c6! xc6 36.xc6 xc6 37.f5! with the unstoppable double threat of 38.Ne7+ winning the queen and 38.Qxg7 mate. ] 31.xa6 h4 Finally Black switches to aggressive mode but it is too late. 32.g4 d2 33.c5! Creating a passed pawn along the bfile is more important than being a pawn up. bxc5 34.b5 ed7 35.b6 f4 36.a8+ h7 37.f3 A bit of housekeeping is needed on t he k ingside be f o re th e pa sse d pa wn decides the game. xf3 38.xf3 d4 39.b7 b4 40.d1 T h r e a t e n i n g 4 1 . g5 . e5 Black can't keep up a blockade of the pawn as attempts to stop 41.g5 fail to Nd5 ideas. For example [ 40...g6 41.g2 b6 ( Or 41...b2 42.f4 t h e n 4 3 . g 5 .) 42.d5 xd5 43.xd5 w h e n B l a c k l o s e s t h e r o o k a f t e r xb7 44.d6+ ] [ If instead 40...g5 41.d6 b2 42.d5 xd5 43.xd5 b8 44.d8 and wins. ] 41.g2 fd7 42.c2 f4 [ Or 42...b2 43.f4 xc2 giving white a pleasant choice between 44.fxe5 and ( 44.e4+ )] 43.d5 Threatening 44.Rxe5. f6 44.xc5 b8 45.c8 [ The blockade on b8 will crumble after say 45.c8 ed7 46.d5 a4 47.e6 ] 1-0
168 Carlsen,Magnus Short,Nigel D Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (4) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2810 2696 19.01.2010
1.e4 d5 A surprising number of Scandinavians were seen in Corus. Tiviakov of course has 3...Qd6 as his main defence but Short and Ivanchuk also gave it a try despite knowing that their opponent, in their preparation for Tiviakov, would have looked at it. 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 [ B l a c k ' s b e e n s t r u g g l i n g a f t e r 3.f3 recently. I wonder whether Nigel was going to play xd5 4.d4 g4 transposing back into the game ] 3...g4 [ 3...xd5 4.f3 g6 is seen in the following game ] 4.f3 [ Magnus evidently didn't feel comfortable or ready for the supposed critical 4.f3 ] 4...xd5 5.h3 xf3 6.xf3 c6 A new move for the site. Instead John Watson examines alternatives in his notes to TzermiadianosShen Siyuan in the archives. 7.e2 [ 7.c3 has been tried by White in a few recent games but I prefer Carlsen's move as t h e n h e c a n p l a y c 4 i n o n e g o . d7 A more dynamic reply compared to ( 7...e6 8.c4 d6 9.0-0 0-0 10.d2 d7 11.e4 e7 12.b3 7f6 and White maintained his typical advantage but Black was very solid in So-Strasser, Bad Wiessee 2006 1-0 ((35)) 8.d2 e5 9.dxe5 ( 9.d3 might be a better attempt although exd4 10.cxd4 f6 shouldn't be anything for Black to fear, despite my computer's opinion!) 9...xe5 10.e4 e7 ( 10...d6 would be a more aggressive continuation 11.f3?! 0-0! and White cannot gain a piece due to the pin on the e file.) 11.c4 xc4 12.xe7+ xe7 13.xc4 d8 was completely fine for Black and he even went on to win in Szabo-Varga, Budapest 2009 (51) ] 7...g6 8.0-0 g7 9.d1 0-0 10.c4 c7 So Black has a reasonably solid position but I'd prefer W hite with more space and the bishop pair. 11.e4 152
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 11.b3!? looks awkward to deal with xd4 is critical and wild complications ensue! ( 11...b5 12.a3 bxc4 13.xc4 d5 14.b7 c7 15.xc7 xc7 16.f3 gives W hite a pleasant advantage, Black will struggle to get his queenside pieces out.; 11...c8 would keep the queenside solid but is extremely passive.; 11...b6 A concession weakening the queenside 12.e3 ) 12.xb7 e6! 13.xa8 ( 13.e3 b6 14.xb6 xb6 15.f3 is probably s l i g h t l y b e t t e r f o r W h i t e .) 13...b6 Black threatens Nc7 trapping the queen so W hite has to act fast 14.h6 ( 14.c3!? migh t b e pla ya b le bu t d e f in it e ly n e e d s analysing.) 14...xf2+ 15.h1 ( 15.f1 g3-+ ) 15...c7 16.xf8 xa8 17.xe7 ( 17.h6 d4 ) 17...xb2 A) 18.d8+ g7 19.f8+ f6 20.d6+ g5 21.e7+ f4!? ( 21...h6 22.f8+= ) 22.f6+ A1) 22...e4 23.xf2 xa1 24.f3+ is winning for White as Black's king is in deep trouble e5 ( 24...f5 25.d5+ e5 26.f6++-; 24...d3 25.d2+ e3 26.g5# ) 25.e2+ f4 26.e4+ f5 27.g4#; A2) 22...e5 23.xf2 f5 24.b4! ( 24.g4!? xa1 25.d3 e6 is extremely unclear) 24...xb4 25.f1! is a truly bizarre line which looked pretty forced and which ends up in a roughly balanced position.; B) 18.c3 forces Black to be careful xc3 19.d8+ g7 20.f8+ f6 21.f1 e3 and the computer claims the position is a draw: 22.d1 a6 23.xa8 g5 24.d6 d3 25.e7+ h6 26.f8+ g5= Of course all of this is probably not forced but definitely some fun to analyse! ] 11...f5!? Nigel goes for some counterplay [ 11...d7 12.c3 f6 13.h4 ] [ 11...e6 is the other critical move targeting the d4 pawn. 12.e3 ( 12.d5 is the other op t io n b u t I 'd pre f e r n o t t o rele ase t h e tension in the centre cxd5 13.cxd5 c5 14.c2 bd7 looks acceptable for Black) 12...c8 13.c3 f5 14.d3 f4 ( 14...d7 would be somewhat similar to the game) 15.g4! ( 15.d2 xd4 ) 15...h5 ( 15...fxe3?! 16.xe3 gives Black problems
f5 17.xf5 gxf5 18.d5 f8 19.xe7 ) 16.xe6+ xe6 17.d5 ( 17.d2 f3 ) 17...cxd5 18.cxd5 a6 19.d4 xd3 20.xd3 a6 gives White a slight advantage as Black's pawn advances has rather weakened himself. ] 12.e3 h8 Nigel takes a time out to give his king a bit more safety [ However 12...d7 with the following sacrifice looks interesting 13.b3 h8 ( 13...b6 14.c3 ) 14.xb7 e6 gives Black some compensation for the pawn 15.d5 dc5 16.b4 ( 16.xc6?! c8 17.b5 d4 18.xd4 xd4 is good for Black.) 16...b8 17.a3 cxd5 18.cxd5 d4 ] 13.c3 d7 14.b3 e8 15.f4 This move is not necessary yet but it's understandable leaving Black with the chronic weakness on e7. [ 15.a3 f7 16.xe7 xe7 17.xe7 fe8 18.a3 e6 19.d5 cxd5 ( 19...ef8 20.dxc6 bxc6 21.ac1 xc3 22.f3! ) 20.ac1 ( 20.cxd5 ef8 when the pins are extremely annoying.) 20...d4 is perhaps slightly better for White but nothing special ] 15...f7 16.b2 ad8 17.f3 so White has a definite advantage here with the bishop pair and potential use of e5 while the e7 pawn will be a permanent weakness. Black on the other hand tries to get some counterplay going on the kingside and the d4 pawn isn't always so secure. f6 18.d2 g7 19.ad1 g5! Nigel doesn't want to be squashed by Magnus and so goes for broke on the kingside 20.e2 g8 21.f1 Just removing the king from the g file although [ 21.c3 looks like an interesting alternative with the idea of Ba5 to try and force Black to compromise his position. ] 21...h6 22.g3! Exploiting Black's previous to reroute the knight to a stronger square. g6 [ 22...gxf4? 23.xf4 xg3?? ( 23...g5 24.xc7 xd2 25.xf5 g5 26.xe7+is hopeless for Black ) 24.xh6# ] 23.d3?! This throws away some of White's well constructed advantage. Instead Carlsen should have played [ 23.h5 immediately when White retains a clear advantage ] 23...gxf4! 24.h5 153
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 24.xf5 e5 25.dxe5! The queen sacrifice is the only way to continue for W hite here ( 25.e4 xf3 26.gxf3 e6-+ ) 25...xd3 26.xd3 xf5 27.exf6 exf6 Is messy. Black is material up with queen+pawn for the rook and bishop but Black's king is rather vulnerable while the two bishops are extremely strong here. It's about balanced ] 24...c5 [ 24...e5 is the other option but allows the strong sacrifice 25.dxe5! More active than ( 25.e2 ) 25...xd3 26.xd3 When I prefer White, he has total control over the position and Black now has no counterplay. ( 26.exf6 looks strong f or W hite if it were not f or xf3+!-+ )] 25.c2 [ 25.dxc5!? xd3 26.xf6+ exf6 27.xd3 leads to a curious position. W hite doesn't have the bishop pair in this variation but t h e b i s h o p a n d k n i g h t a r e ve r y s t r o n g pieces combining attack and defence, while W hite rules the d file. Black has queen + pawn for rook and bishop but one of the so called Irish pawns will drop on the f file. I'd actually prefer White here but I like playing material down but with the initiative. Chances look roughly balanced objectively. ] 25...e4 26.e2 [ Understandably White didn't want to allow 26.xe4 xh5 27.xf5 ( 27.f3!? ) 27...f3 which is very messy ] 26...g3+ 27.xg3 fxg3 Black's kingside play has netted him a pawn but now his attack has stalled while his pawns are rather more advanced than ideal. 28.d5! Time for White to seize the initiative cxd5 29.cxd5 [ 29.xe7! looks very strong for White g7 30.xg7 xg7 ( 30...xg7 31.cxd5 ) 31.c1 gives White a pleasant advantage. The two bishops are very strong and Black's king is vulnerable. A sample line could run dxc4 32.xd8+ xd8 33.xf5 c3 34.f4 c2 35.e2!+- ] 29...xb2 30.xb2+ [ Again 30.xe7! is favourable for White f6 ( 30...g7 31.xc7 ) 31.xc7 g7?! 32.d6! ] 30...g7 31.c1 Carlsen tries to exploit Black's weakened king and so keeps the
queens on. The other option would be [ 31.xg7+ xg7 32.e5 when despite b e in g a p a wn d o wn W h i t e h a s s li g h t l y better prospects due to his activity and Black's terrible pawn structure. ] 31...d7 32.de1 f8 33.e5 [ 33.f4 would retain some chances for an a d v a n t a g e a s b5 34.e6 wields unpleasant pressure ] 33...b5! once Black gets his knight to d6 he shouldn't really be worse. 34.c5 d6 35.xa7 Carlsen decides to regain material equality or else he might well be worse. e4 36.d4 e6! This manages to trade the position off into a level ending 37.d1 exd5 [ 37...f2! 38.d2 e4 would be an immediate draw ] 38.xd5 xd5 39.xg7+ [ 39.xd5? c3-+ ] 39...xg7 40.xd5 f6 White has a nominal advantage in the endgame but Black held comfortably. 41.xe4 fxe4 42.e2 e6 43.d4 f2+ 44.e3 xg2 45.xe4+ d5 46.d4+ e5 47.e4+ An interesting game. White got a comfortable advantage out of the opening but Black defended well and held the draw. However he failed to solve the opening problems Black has been facing in the 2...Nf6 line. ½-½
169 Caruana,F Carlsen,M 41st Olympiad Open 2014 (6.3) [Neil McDonald]
B01 2801 2877 08.08.2014
1.e4 d5! I believe this is the World Champion's first Scandinavian Defence in a serious game. Was he influenced by the fact that he was playing for Norway in his homeland? More likely he had studied the variation prior to his game with Djukic a few rounds earlier and realised it was a solid and reliable defence that avoided theory. It was theref ore a good choice against Fabiano Caruana, who is exceptionally well prepared in the open ing. 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 The safest retreat, albeit a little passive. On the other hand, W hite has a lead in 154
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 development, but he no longer has a pawn on e4 to spearhead his attack. 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 Carlsen continues to copy his game with Djukic. You may like to look up this game in the archives for a discussion of the early moves. 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 c6 8.e2!? A rare move. Of course Caruana had no idea that Carlsen was going to play this variation as Black, so he is unlikely to have spent days studying it. e6 In the only other game with 8. Ne2 Black preferred to fianchetto on g7 and aim for a quick e7-e5: [ 8...bd7 This may be less accurate than 8.. e6, for reasons explained below. A) White has an aggressive plan available with 9.d2 g6 ( Or 9...e6 10.g4 ) 10.0-0-0 g7 11.g4 etc.; B) 9.g3 g6 10.g2 g7 11.0-0 0-0 12.d1 e5 13.b3 c7 14.dxe5 xe5 15.f4 fd7 16.a4 c5 17.b4 So far this is Fedorchuk, S (2647)Danielsen, H (2501)/Kolkata IND 2014. White has the proverbial advantage of the two bishops, but it isn't much. After b6!? 18.xb6 axb6 19.b3 fe8 Black would be very solid. ] 9.g4! This pawn thrust was suggested above in the variation after 8...Nbd7. But because he has preferred 8...e6, Carlsen can avoid the attack by offering the exchange of queens. On t h e o t h e r h a n d , W h i t e ' s ki n g s i d e s p a c e advantage is also of value in the endgame. d5! The black queen returns to d5. 10.g2 bd7 11.g3 c4 [ The bizarre computer variation 11...b4+?! leaves White with an edge after 12.c3 d6 13.xd5 xg3 14.xc6! xf2+ 15.xf2 bxc6 16.e1 etc. due to his long range bishop and better pawns. ] 12.b3 xb3 Evidently Carlsen wasn't bothered by the opening of the a-file as he planned to castle queenside. Nonetheless avoiding the strengthening of White's pawns with [ 12...b6 was very natural. ] 13.axb3 d6 14.c4 a6 15.e3 0-0-0 16.0-0-0 he8? Since the battle is going to be fought on the kingside, it seems strange to remove the rook from the h-file. Instead [ 16...f8 followed by Ng6 would immediately bring up reinforcements. For
example if 17.g5 It may be wrong for White to push his kingside pawns without more prep arat ion . g8 18.h4 e7 19.g3 fg6 and Black's knight gains access to the f4 square. ] 17.g3 f8 18.f3 Already White could get his kingside pawns rolling with [ 18.g5 g8 19.h4 ] 18...g6 19.h4 f4 20.h5 xe3+ 21.fxe3 e7 22.e4? It looks like a fine idea to conquer space in the centre and get the knight to d6, but this is the wrong plan. He should have played [ 22.h6! to undermine the black kingside pawns and leave Black with problems along the f-file. For example A) 22...g8!? 23.g5!? ( Also good for White is 23.hxg7 xg7 24.df1 with pressure as taking on g4 would cost Black the f7 pawn.) 23...e8 24.hxg7 xg7 25.e4 and the pawns on f7 and h7 are more of a liability than the pawn on g5.; B) 22...g6 23.df1 f8 Black's problems along the f-file haven't gone away and the white pawn on h6 will be very strong in the endgame. Of course Black is far from lost in these variations, but it would have taken all Carlsen's resourcefulness to defend successfully against a player like Caruana. ] 22...h6! This little move is a whole lesson in strategic play. W hite's last move gave the World Champion a vital breathing space to consolidate his kingside by preventing h5-h6. He also clears h7 for his knight and creates a fine post for it on g5. 23.e5 h7 24.e4 f8 25.d6+ c7 26.g2 g5 The situation on the kingside has turned around. The black knight blocks White's pawns from expanding with g4-g5, which means they become passive and potentially weak. The horse also helps guard the f7 pawn. Meanwhile, it may look pretty, but what exactly is the white knight d o i n g o n d 6 ? 27.hf1 f6! The pawn that would have been a feeble fellow requiring careful defence after 22.h6! is transformed into an attacking weapon. 28.c2 fxe5 29.dxe5 c8! In order to maintain the knight on d6 White must defend it again with 30.c5 but now the black knight can return to e7 155
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 when the d5 square is opened up to it. e7 31.b4? Since Caruana is planning 32.Bxd5 this pawn move is understandable. However, he could have kept a defensible position with moves like [ 31.a1 d5 32.d2 which deal with the threat of Ne3. Of course it isn't easy to play such extremely passive moves when you've been pressing for the advantage. ] 31...d5 32.xd5 It is unpleasant to give Black a passed pawn, but with the pawn on b4 hanging as well as the threat of 32...Ne3+ t h e k n i g h t w a s i n t o l e r a b l e o n d 5 . cxd5 The strength of the knight on d6 is purely visual. The Uzbekistani SuperGM Rustam Kasimdzhanov was watching this game live a n d r e m a rk e d t h a t t h e wh i t e kn igh t wa s terrible on d6- it should be on d4, blocking the passed pawn and putting pressure on e6. 33.b5 Perhaps the last realistic drawing chance was [ 33.b3 e.g. f3 34.a2 xe5 35.xf8 xf8 36.e1 when White will at least pick up the e6 pawn. ] 33...axb5 34.xb5+ c6 35.d6 f3 36.b4 a8 37.a1 xa1 38.xa1 xe5 39.a7 White has lost a key pawn as after [ 39.e1 f3 he would drop the rook upon 40.xe6 d4+ ] 39...b8 Now Carlsen's technique is more than good enough. 40.a3 b6 41.a7 bxc5 42.a6+ c7 43.bxc5 d7 44.a7+ c6 45.g5 xc5 46.f7 d4 47.e5+ d5 48.d7 d3+ 49.c1 xd7 50.xd7+ e4 White resigned as Black's passed pawns soon cost him a rook e.g. [ 50...e4 51.xg7 e3 52.d7 ( Or 52.e7 d2+ 53.c2 c8+ ) 52...e2 53.gxh6 c8+ 54.b2 d2 ] 0-1
with previous columns and Michael Melts' new book. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e5 [ 6.g3 g4 7.g2 e6 8.h3 ( we saw 8.0-0 e7 9.h3 in our game Socko, B (2631)Tiviakov, S (2686)/Eppingen GER 2008, almost transposing after xf3 10.xf3 , but White has castled and this gives Black a tempo more to set up: 0-0 11.f4 d8 12.d3 bd7 13.e2!? e8 14.fd1 f8 with rough equality) 8...xf3 9.xf3 e7 10.e2 bd7 11.c3 c7 12.f4 d6 13.xd6 xd6 14.d2 0-0 ( 14...e5! ) 15.0-0 ad8 16.ad1 e5 17.g2 fe8 and Black had equalised in Lanin, A (2457)-Tiviakov, S (2697)/Dagomys RUS 2009 ] 6...bd7 7.f4 [ Here 7.c4 c7 8.f3 b6 9.f4 T h i s i s , a s Me l t s s a ys , a ve r y p o p u l a r position. Black sometimes plays 9...Qd8, but there's also a lot of experience with d7 10.0-0-0 , which looks to favour White, but the exchange g4 11.xg4 xg4 12.f3 e6 seems to achieve complete equality, Simacek, P (2493)-Sedlak, N (2592)/Budva MNE 2009 (and earlier games). ] 7...d5 [ 7...xe5 is legitimate, but I think not quite equal: A) 8.dxe5 b4 9.d2 ( 9.d2 d5 and 9...Ne4 are considered equal) 9...e4 10.e2 xd2 11.xd2 f5 is equal, according to Melts. Then 12.0-0-0 g6 13.a3 a5 14.f4 is worth a try.; B) 8.xe5 d8 ( 8...b4 9.a3 b6 10.e2 f5 is given by Melts, when 11.b4 a5 12.0-0 d7 13.f4 keeps some kind of edge ) 9.d2 ( 9.c4 f5 10.0-0 e6 ) 9...f5 10.0-0-0 may well be better for White, if only by a limited margin. ] 8.xd5 170 B01 [ Tiviakov doesn't lose many games with 3.. . Qd6, and in this one he doesn't go down Caruana,Fabiano 2646 easy: 8.g3 Milanovic,Danilo 2552 A) 8...xe5 9.xe5 xc3 ( 9...b4 10th EICC Budva MNE (5) 10.03.2009 10.a3! wit h t h e id e a xb2? 11.a4 ) [John Watson] 10.bxc3 a3 11.d2 transposes; B) 8...xc3 9.bxc3 xe5 10.xe5 a3 An interestin g back-and-f o rth game. I've ( 10...g6!? ) 11.d2 b2 12.d1 xa2 merged quite a few other games from this ( 12...e6 13.e2 - Melts ) 13.d3 f6 month, most by Tiviakov, and compared them 156
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.f4 e6+ 15.e2 f7 16.0-0 e6 17.c4 e5?! ( 17...e7 ) 18.dxe5 e7 19.exf6 xf6 20.c5! 0-0 21.c4+ ( 21.d6 ) 21...e6 22.xe6+ xe6 23.d6 f7 24.fe1 f6 25.e4!? ( 25.f3 d8 26.b4 ) 25...d8 26.g3 g6 27.e2 xd6?! 28.cxd6 xd6 29.e8+ f8 30.c4+ d5 ( 30...f7?? 31.xf8+ xf8 32.b4 ) 31.xf8+ xf8 32.xd5 cxd5 33.c5+ f7 34.xd5+ e8 35.xb7 xc2 36.b8+ f7 37.xa7+ Mastrovasilis, D (2580)-Tiviakov, S ( 2 6 8 4 ) / B u d va M N E 2 0 0 9 . A f t e r 9 4 moves, White managed to claim a victory, but that really shouldn't happen. ] 8...xd5 [ Tiviakov has also played 8...xe5 , but 9.dxe5 xd5 10.xd5 cxd5 11.c4 should yield some advantage. ] 9.e2 This pawn sacrifice is the way Anand played against Tiviakov in Wijk aan Zee 2006. Other moves include [ a) 9.f3 , as played this month in Pikula, D (2570)-Tiviakov, S (2684)/Budva MNE 2009 it l e d t o a q u i c k d r a w: b6 ( 9...f6 is also played) 10.e2 f5 11.c3 ( 11.0-0? e4! ) 11...e6 12.0-0 e7 13.e5 0-0 14.e1 d8 15.b3 d5 1/2-1/2 ] [ b) 9.d3 g5 10.g3 g7 ( 10...xe5 11.xe5?! f6 12.g3 f5 is suggested by Melts here 11 dxe5 improves, but 11...Qa5+ is a good equalizer) 11.e3 ( 11.h4! xe5 12.dxe5 a5+ 13.d2 xd2+ 14.xd2 g4! ) 11...xe5 12.dxe5 f5 13.c3 ( 13.d1 ) 13...h5 14.h4 g4 with some advantage for Black, Stojanovic, D (2469)Tiviakov, S (2684)/Budva MNE 2009. ] 9...xe5 10.xe5 xg2 11.f3 g6 [ 11...g5!? - Melts ] 12.e2 [ Th e A n an d ga me we n t 12.d5?! g4! (easy to miss) 13.dxc6 ( 13.xg4? e4+ 14.d2 xe5 ) 13...bxc6 14.e2 xf3 15.xf3 d8 and Black had some advantage. ] 12...h5!? Still in theory. Also previously played were [ 12...e6 ] [ 12...f5 ] [ 12...e6!? ] 13.0-0-0 Apparently a new move.
[ 13.h3 f6 was K Szabo-Khernazhitsky, Za la ka ro si 2 0 08 , wh e n Me lt s su gge s t s 14.f4 ] 13...g4 14.h3 [ The truly adventurous player might try 14.hg1 e6 15.b1 0-0-0 16.xg4!? hxg4 17.xg4 f5 18.f3 with the attacking ideas d5 and c4. ] 14...xf3 15.xf3 e6!? 16.b1 f6!? [ 16...d5!? 17.d3 0-0-0 might be better. Maybe W hite is a little short full compensation, but he certainly has free play. ] 17.h2 d5 [ Or 17...0-0-0 18.a3 a6 19.a5!? d7 20.de1! e5! 21.dxe5 fxe5 22.xe5 d6 ] 18.d3 e6?! I don't get this. 19.g6+ e7 20.he1 d8 [ 20...h6 21.g3 d8 22.c4! with the idea xc4?? 23.c7+ ] 21.a1? [ 21.f4! ] 21...h6 22.d3 f7 Now Black is okay again. 23.c4 f5 24.e3 d7 25.a3 e7?! Over the next few moves he gets careless. [ 25...g6! was a strong move. ] 26.d3 h8? [ 26...e5! ] 27.e2 hd8 [ 27...e5 28.e3 hd8 is unclear. ] 28.f3 h7?! [ 28...g6! 29.xe6+ f8 is about equal, since 30.fe3 allows f7 ] 29.xe6+ f8 30.fe3! g6 31.d5? Some kind of hallucination. W hite stands better after [ 31.b8! a6 32.a7! f7 33.f5 ] 31...cxd5 32.cxd5 f7 [ or 32...c5 with the idea 33.c3 e7 ] 33.e4 The d-pawn won't last. c5 34.3e2 xd5 35.c2 b6 36.f4 d3 37.d2 d5 38.ed1 xd2 39.xd2 d3 40.a4 a5 41.h4 g8 42.a2 xf2 0-1
157
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 171 Caruana,Fabiano Strikovic,Aleksa Narcisco Yepes Memorial (2) [Caruana]
B01 2381 2498 02.07.2005
GM Fabiano Caruana was on my ChessFM (ICC) radio show and had prepared a few games for the listeners/viewers. We didn't get to this one and he agreed that I could share the game with ChessPublishing readers. The verbal commentary is wonderful and, although the game itself is a few years old, I think it's still of theoretical value, and I've included a game or two. The original annotations are extensive, and I've excerpted few of his main comments, since I hope that he will publish the complete version else where. [All annotations are his except as noted by "jw:"] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6 6.g3 g4 7.h3 h5 8.g2 c6 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.f4 b4 11.g4! This was a new move at the time and was found over the board. Previously White had played exclusively 11.a3. It is interesting that although my idea found few followers for a long time, in Wijk aan Zee 2007 Peter Svidler chose it against Sergei Tiviakov and won! For sure he had accurately checked all the consequences of it and concluded White had, if n ot a n ad va nt age, t he n go od p ra ct ica l c h a n c e s i n u n c l e a r p l a y . g6 12.a3 Th ere is n o t urn in g b a ck, a s I 'm alrea d y committed to sacrificing at least one pawn. For the material I receive a strong attack along the b- and c-files also notice all my pieces two bishops glaring down the board at b7 and c7, knights waiting to hop into any entry squares in the centre - in particular Ne5 rooks coming in on b1 and c1 and my queen will quickly swing around to the centre or queenside) are aiming at Black's undefended king. At f irst t he compu ter estimates th e position as hopeless for W hite, but after 5 minutes its evaluation drops to roughly -0.2, which is not bad for the machine considering a two pawn deficit! [ jw: The only other game I (jw) found with this line went 12.e2!? xb2 ( But after 12...e6! , Black is threatening the d-pawn and b-pawn. Then 13.ab1 xd4 14.xd4
xd4 15.e5 b6 doesn't look like sufficient compensation) 13.e3! e6 14.ab1 a3 15.b3 a5 16.e5! with an almost winning game, although W hite went astray: d5 17.xd5 exd5 18.xc6 bxc6 19.fb1 d7 20.b7 ( 20.xc7! ) 20...d6 21.xd6 xd6 22.f4+ ( 22.e5+ d7 23.xg7 ) 22...d7 23.h4 he8 24.h5 ( 24.1b2! and 25 h5 will win something) 24...xc2 25.1b2 g5?! 26.hxg6 xg6 27.g5 e7 A m e s z, J ( 2 1 8 5 ) - V a n B e e k , A ( 2 2 7 0 ) / Vlissingen 2000 and here 28.f6+ d7 ( 28...f8 29.h8+ e7 30.e2+ ) 29.h3+ wins material. ] 12...xb2 [ [ j w : ] T i v i a k o v c h o s e 12...c4!? against Svidler in Corus 2007, annotated by Jonathan Rowson ["JR"!] for ChessPublishing. The game (with selected notes) went 13.g5 d5 14.xd5 xd5 ( 14...xd5 15.e5 xd4 16.g4+! e6 17.xc6 looks winning. ) A) 15.e5 xe5 16.xd5 xd5 17.dxe5 e4 18.d2! , when xc2 ( jw: but 18...e6 19.fd1 c5 looks reasonable) 19.xc2 xc2 20.fc1 g6 21.e6 is good for White.; B) 15.c3!? d8 16.b3 d3 ( 16...xc3 17.c1 d3 18.e1 e4 19.e3 and it looks like White's initiative is about to grow" - JR) 17.c1 c2 18.e3 e6 19.b4 e4 20.d2 xe3 21.fxe3 e5 22.g3 exd4 23.cxd4 d6 24.xd6 cxd6 25.ac1 d7 26.c4 with some advantage for White. ] 13.e1! Black has an important choice now. Strikovic prefers to develop, which is probably t h e w a y t o g o . e6! An interesting move, preferring to finish develop rather than go pawn hunting. [jw: I'll just show a condensed version of FC's analysis and comments on 13...Bxc2, following his main line, although he also covers 13..Qxc2:] [ 13...xc2 14.a2 ( Actually, the slow 14.e3!? should be considered) 14...b3 15.c1 A) 15...d5 16.xc2 xf4 17.b2 xa3 18.e5 xg2 ( 18...a5!? 19.a1!! ) 19.xc6 f4 ( 19...bxc6? 20.b8+ ) 20.xb7 xh3+ 21.g2 xc1 22.xc1 158
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f4+ 23.f3 e6 24.b8+ d7 25.xd8 xd8 is a decidedly odd line leading to an equally odd position! White has good play after 26.e4; B) 15...d3 16.b2 xa3 17.e5; C) 15...e5! 16.xc2 xa3 ( 16...exf4 17.b2 xa3 18.e5 is a formidable attack ) 17.b1 xb1 18.xb1 exf4 19.xa3 xd4 20.xd4 xd4 gives Black an amazing four pawns for the piece, but White is very well coordinated, and has an initiative after 21.b1!? e4 22.bc1 c6 23.c4 xc4 24.xc4 ] 14.b1 xc2 15.e5 [Fabiano:] n White's compensation is clearly visible. But Black has defensive resources. Now comes a large and unpleasant choice for Strikovic, who must separate between two main moves: 15...Nd5 or 15...Bd6 (other moves such as Bxa3 or Rxd4 are not very serious). Both are almost impossible to fully calculate, so the choice is partly intuitive." d6!? [ [Fabiano analyses various options here, including 15...Nd5!, which I've only take his m a i n l i n e o f ] 15...d5! , a natural move brin gin g t h e knigh t t o t h e d e f e n s e a n d opposing the bishop's demand of the long dia go n a l, wh ich le a d s t o a lo n g f o rce d variation after 16.c1 xf4 ( 16...b2? 17.xd5 exd5 18.xc6 ) 17.xc2 xg2 18.xg2 xe5 , when the position has undergone a remarkable transformation: Bla c k h a s s a crif ice d h is qu e e n f o r t wo bishops and two pawns, but at the same time has rebuffed W hite's attack and left W hite with many weaknesses, whilst receiving good control over both the light and dark-squares. In fact I feel Black is only very slightly worse at the maximum. 19.a2 c4 20.e2 xd4 21.d1 xd1 22.xd1 c5 looks like formidable compensation. ] 16.xb7!! [jw: Here Fabiano analyses the move 16 Bxc6! at great length, with absurd complications, ultimately good f or W hite] xb7! Tenacious defence! So what happens after 16... Bxe5? In conclusion, it is a tough nut to crack but leads to a f orced win for White. [ 16...xe5? 17.xc6 xf4 18.a7 d7 looks very dangerous for Black but it isn't easy to see a knockout for White. I spent a
long time (therefore later on I was in serious time trouble) trying to break Black's defenses and eventually I found it! 19.d5! ( 19.a8+? b8 leads nowhere) 19...d6! 20.b4! This somewhat illogical backwards move was t he mo st d if f icult p art o f th e combination. Surprisingly W hite has no o t h e r w a y t o m a k e p r o g r e s s . c4 ( 20...b3 21.b7+ b8 22.c6# ) 21.e2! The final point, after which Black can no longer defend. I should mention that the entire attack starting with Rxb7 doesn't w o r k w i t h o u t t h i s r e s o u r c e . xe2 The queen had no other square to cover the critical points a6 and c6 22.b7+ b8 23.c6# ] 17.xc6 c8 18.e5! xe5? My opponent cracks under the sustained tension. A possible alternative was 18. ..Bd3 with a probable draw. 19.dxe5 d5 20.xd5 exd5 21.e7+ Not blindly taking the material. After this strong move W hite gets a huge advantage. d7 22.xd5 Black is up a lot of material but is so uncoordinated and has a terribly weak king that White is near winning! [jw: There's much more, but since this finishes the opening stage, I'm going to show t h e m o ve s o n l y: ] d3?! 23.b4 c4 24.d2 e8 25.c1 b3 26.xc7 h6 27.c6+ f8 28.d5?? c4! 29.xf7+ e8 30.c6! xd5 31.e7+ f8 32.f4+ g8 33.xg7+ xg7 34.f6+ h7 35.f5+ g7 36.f6+ h7 37.f5+ g7 38.f6+ ½-½
172 Casper,Thomas Speelman,Jonathan S Bundesliga [Andrew Martin]
B01 2390 2580 2002
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 Having recently made a video recommending this system, I approve of Speelman's choice. If White chooses straightforward development i.e. d4,Nf3 Bc4 Bd2 etc it's difficult to work up any advantage at all. Furthermore, If White's play is too routine, Black can easily take over the game. In that video, I thought that Black 159
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 should aim to put his Bishop on f5 and follow up with ...e6, ...Nf6, ...Bb4, ...Nbd7 etc . Very solid stuff. Here we see an exception to that rule when W hite goes off the beaten track early. 4.g3 Glek favours this idea against almost any Kings Pawn opening. The plan is very interesting i.e. an eventual b4-b5, prising open the long diagonal. That takes some preparation but Black must be aware. f6 5.g2 c6! [ 5...g6! 6.f3 g7 7.0-0 0-0 8.e1 c6! Braga's method is noteworthy-piece play above all. But I like Speelman's move too and it is logical, shutting down the diagonal. 9.h3 e5 10.d3 e8 11.e3 b4 12.a3 d6 13.b4 a5 14.c5 d8 15.b5 d7 16.e3 d4 17.xd4 exd4 18.d5 ( 18.xe8+ xe8 19.d5 d8 20.e2 c5 21.e7+ f8 22.xc8 xc8= ) 18...f6 19.xe8+ xe8 20.e1 d7 21.b1 d6 22.a4 e6 23.f4 f6 24.xe6 fxe6 25.h4 h6 26.d2 f5 27.e1 f7 28.e2 e8 29.d2 b6 30.c4 xc4 31.dxc4 f6 32.e4 e7 33.d1 g8 34.d3 f7 35.a3 f8 36.d3 g8 37.a1 f7 38.e1 g7 39.e2 h5 40.g2 d6 41.d1 c5 42.d3 d6 43.e1 e7 44.e4 f7 45.e2 e7 46.g4 hxg4 47.xg4 h6 48.e4 f7 49.e2 g7 50.f1 f4 51.xe6 xh4 52.e4 h3+ 53.e1 g4 54.h1+ h5 55.a8 g4 56.h8+ g5 57.d8+ h6 58.h8+ g5 59.d8+ h6 60.d5 d6 61.h1+ h5 62.e4 h7 63.g2 b4+ 0-1 Ehlvest,J-Braga,F/ Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002 (63) ] 6.ge2 White keeps the diagonal open, hoping for the b4 idea mentioned earlier. If he tries 6 Nf3 then I think Black should go for the normal plan: [ 6.f3 f5 7.0-0 e6 8.d3 e7 9.h3 h6! 10.e2 bd7= A typical position where the battle lies in the difference between the two light-squared Bishops. It's up to Black to prove that the pawn c6 is a more effective blocker than the pawn d3. I think he can do this with active play: A) 11.a3 0-0 12.e4 h7 13.b4 c7 14.b2 ( 14.xf6+ xf6 15.b1 ae8= ) 14...a5; B) 11.d2 d5 12.c4 d8 13.e1
7b6 14.e5 0-0 15.d2 h7 16.ad1 xc3 17.xc3 d7=; C) 11.d2 b6 12.ab1 a5 13.h1 0-0 14.e4 xe4 15.dxe4 g6= ] 6...g6! 7.0-0 g7 I like this active method. g7 is a much better square than e7 or d6. 8.b1 0-0 9.b4 d8 10.a4 e8 11.b5 d6 Note how Speelman left his Queenside pieces at home to be able to cope with this 'threat' 12.d3 c5 And now counterplay is threatened with the help of ....c5-c4 13.e4 xe4 14.xe4 d7 15.d2 b8 16.c3 xc3 17.xc3 f6 18.g2 b6= 19.e4 xe4 20.xe4 d4 21.e1 e6 22.a1 a5! Sp ee lm a n is in h is elem en t - a ma s te r o f simple positions and endgame structures. Casper tries to break Black's hold on the game and should really draw but his position worsens as time trouble approaches. 23.bxa6 xa6 24.a3 fd8 25.a1 xa1 26.exa1 c4! 27.dxc4 xc4 28.b1 g7 29.c3 d5 30.xd5 xd5 31.cb3 c8 32.1b2 [ 32.xb6 xc2 33.6b2 must be a draw although Black could play on forever- not easy at 30" per move. ] 32...d4 33.b4 xc2! 34.xb6 c1+ 35.g2 xa4 36.b7 g5 37.7b4 c4 38.xa4 xa4 39.b5 f6 4 g3 has to be respected, but I think that Black can attain a position of equality as long as he pays due respect to the upcoming b4-b5. Here Speelman did just that. 0-1
173 Cheparinov,Ivan Lorenzini,Martin XI Anibal Open (5) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2572 2412 01.03.2005
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 f5 6.c4 e6 7.d2 c6 8.e4 d8 Avoiding doubled pawns at the cost of a loss of time. 9.g3 [ 9.xf6+ xf6 10.c3 d6 holds no terrors. ] 9...g4 10.c3 bd7 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 e7 [ 12...d6 is a more active deployment and sh o u ld b e p re f e rre d , a lt h o u gh t h e re i s 160
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 nothing really wrong with the game move. Nevertheless, against strong opposition, one should avoid overly quiet play. 13.e2 c7 14.g4 d5 15.a4 a5 16.g5 5b6 17.b3 c5 18.h4 c4 19.c2 d5 20.h5 1/2-1/2 Movsesian, S-Istratescu, A/Ohrid 2001 ] 13.0-0 0-0 14.fe1 White has a moderate edge with two Bishops and the possibility of probing the Black kingside. Black's problem is that he doesn't seem to have an active plan. Perhaps he should play ...a5, ...b5 and plant a Knight on d5. a5N [ 14...e8 15.ad1 a5 is sim ila r 16.d3 b6 17.c1 ad8 18.c2 f8 19.f1 g6 20.e3 c7 21.c4 d5 22.g3 b5 23.e3 dd8 24.h4 f8 25.h5 h6 26.g4 8h7 27.e5 Thipsay, P-Koeller, O/Biel 1999 Throughout Black has been hampered by his inability to trouble White with counterplay. ] 15.a4 c7?! An imprecision. [ I c a n s u gge st 15...d5 16.d3 e8 as a modest improvement. Black is solid-he must wait. ] 16.f5! fe8 17.f4 b6 18.xe7+ xe7 19.e2 Now the White position is starting to look very nice. ee8 20.d6 d8 21.d3 f8 22.g3 g6 [ 22...h5 23.e5 f6 24.ae1 g6 25.h2 hardly helps. ] 23.ae1 h5 24.h2 g5 25.e3 hf4 26.h4! One can play such moves when the opponent's pieces are tripping over each other's toes. h6 27.xg6 xg6 28.h5 e7 29.f4 f6 30.e5 f5 31.f3 c2 32.g3 Because 32...g6 33 Qh4 is too unpleasant to contemplate. I'll summarise by saying that I don't think 9 Ng3 holds too many terrors for Black as long as he plays 12...Bd6! a little later on in reply. Above all, he must avoid an over-passive reaction. 1-0
174 Chiburdanidze,Maia Klaric,Zlatko Banja Luka (3) [Nigel Davies]
B01
1985
4.Nf3 is another interesting alternative. It will of ten transp ose b ack in to th e main line s should White play a later d2-d4, but he can delay this move or even omit it altogether. Here we see Black pin the knight with 4...Bg4, but White uses this bishop move to develop here kingside in novel fashion. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.f3 This natural developing move can transpose into the lines with d2-d4, but also be a prelude to some other plans of development. [ The immediate 4.h3 invites Black to occupy the centre with e5 ] 4...g4 The move with independent significance. [ Both 4...f6 ] [ and 4...c6 can be met by 5.h3 , preventing the pin. ] 5.h3 h5 6.g4 g6 7.g2! c6 [ After 7...c6 White can consider 8.b4 ] [ 7...e5 would be bad because of 8.0-0 intending Re1 and d2-d4. ] 8.0-0 0-0-0 9.a3 e5 10.b1 [ Chiburdanidze also mentioned the weirdlooking 10.a2!? , once again with the intention of playing b2-b4. ] 10...c5 11.d3 [ The immediate 11.b4!? could conceivably be met by xc3!? 12.dxc3 xd1 13.xd1 xc2 though this seems to offer White excellent compensation after 14.b5 ( or 14.e3 xb1 15.xb1 )] 11...e4 12.h4 exd3 13.xg6 dxc2?! W inning a pawn but accelerating W hite's initiative. [ 13...hxg6 would have been more solid. ] 14.xc2 hxg6 15.e3 e5 16.fe1 c5 [ 16...d6 is answered by 17.f4 ] 17.b4 xe3 18.xe3 f6 19.a4 With a very strong attack. Black has an extra pawn, but no real counterplay. ge7 [ 19...b8 is met by 20.e4 intending Nc5. ] 20.e4 [ And not 20.b5 because of d4! ] 161
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20...f4 21.b5 d4 22.c2 d5 [ Or 22...e5 23.c5 etc. ] 23.bxc6 xe3 24.cxb7+ b8 25.c5 d6 [ After 25...d6 there is 26.c6! ( xc6 27.d7# ) ] 26.fxe3 xh3 27.a6+ xa6 28.xc7+ xc7 29.b8+ d7 1-0
175 Chomet,Pascal Collas,Didier Championnat de Accession (2.5) [Eric Prié]
B01 2317 2425 08.2005
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 e4?! 6.d3! xc3 7.bxc3 xc3+ This is suicidal. Although even without taking the pawn Black's survival only hangs by a thread... [ 7...g6 8.0-0 g7 A) 9.e1!? 0-0! 10.xe7 c6 11.e3 xc3 12.d2 b2 13.c3 Of course and not 13.Bxg6? as in the Reprintsev game commented by Andrew. h6 ( 13...g4 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3; 13...e6 14.b1 xa2 15.xb7 ) 14.e1 xd2 15.xd2 xd2 16.xd2 e6 17.e4 a5 18.c5 Thus, past the surprise effect, Black does not manage to equalize in this line either.; B) 9.d2!? My young opponent, who was having quite a good run in the league, although visibly surprised by the variation, only spent half an hour to retrieve all the best moves over the board! 0-0 10.e1 c6 B1) 11.c4 is c r it i c a l a3 ( 11...a4 12.c3 xd1 13.axd1 ) 12.c3 xd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.cxd4 xd3 15.xe7 f5! ( 15...xc4? 16.h6 d8 17.e1! c6 18.d5! a4 19.e5; 15...xd4? 16.h6 ) 16.h6 fd8 However, Black should be able to hold thanks to his activity and the presence of the opposite coloured bishops.; B2) 11.h3! On the other hand represents, I reckon, the refutation of Black's optimistic 5th move after which I c a n n o t s e e h o w h e wi ll d e ve lo p h i s
queen's bishop whilst continuing to have the move c3-c4, with or without Rb1, hanging over his head like a sword of Damocles. f5 12.c4 a4 ( 12...a6 13.xf5 gxf5 14.d5! xa1 15.xa1 a5 16.d4 Provides White with a winning attack.) 13.d5! The Qa4-Qd1 vis-Ã -vis gives W hite supplementary t a c t i c a l m o t i v e s . d4 ( 13...a5 14.b1 xd3 15.cxd3 xd1 16.bxd1 b6 17.xe7 ) 14.xd4 xd4 15.xe7 xa1 16.xa1 xd3 17.h6 f6 18.cxd3 f7 19.e1 And Black has to part with his queen to avoid mate.; B3) 11.e4?! As in the Lacasa-Sanchez g a m e o f t h i s s u m m e r . d8!? Possibly an improvement, with unclear play, as W hite should play here 12.h3 ( 12.c4 a4 13.d3 g4 14.c3 xd1 15.axd1 c5!= Dranischnikow, E-Prie, E Rheinland Pfalz ChT1 2005) 12...c5 13.e2 e6 With unclear play. Partly f rom my notes in ChessBase MEG A 2006. ] 8.d2 a3 [ 8...b2 9.0-0 White's lead in development is crushing. ] 9.0-0 [ 9.e5!? d7? ( 9...d6 10.f3 f6; 9...e6 10.h5 e7 ) 10.xf7! Gamback, BPaasikangas Tella, J Aaland-Stockholm 1997 W ith the idea xf7 11.f3+ e8 12.g6+ hxg6 13.xa3 ] 9...d7 10.e1 What impresses me in this game is the methodical quietness of the white moves on one side when related to the feeling of helplessness of Black on the other side, totally unable to check the opposing natural initiative after his 6th move 'over provocation' and forced to weaken his position one move after another. c6 11.f4 e6 12.d2 a4 13.c4 f6 14.f3 d7 [ 14...e7 15.d6 ] 15.ab1 b5 [ 15...0-0-0 16.g3 d5 Only move to parry the threat of Qf4. 17.xf7+- ] 16.e5 xd4 17.xd7 xd7 18.xb5 d5 19.a4 [ 19.c4 cxb5 ( 19...e7 20.a6 ) 20.cxd5 b7 ( 20...d8 21.dxe6 fxe6 22.bd1 ) 21.h5 a3 22.xe6+ f8 23.c6 162
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Wins too. ] 19...c8 20.e5!? [ 20.bd1! Would have spared White a couple of moves e7 The black queen has no squares! ( 20...e7 21.xd5 ) 21.c4 0-0 22.cxd5 exd5 Black ends up in a miserable position with only 2 pawns for the piece. ] 20...f6 21.g3 I really like this game because White has missed several clearer opportunities by not calculating (or calculating too much and becoming muddled afterwards!) and the attack is still overwhelming! [ 21.c4 fxe5 22.cxd5 xd5 23.g4 c5 24.b3 ] 21...f7 22.ed1 e7 23.c4 b6 24.xc6 a3 25.b3 xa2 26.d7! xd7 27.xd7+ e7? [ 27...g8! was more stubborn. 28.h3 h5 A) 29.c5 xc5 ( 29...xc5 30.d8 ) 30.b7 f8 31.xg7+ xg7 32.xc8+ h7 33.xe6 c2 34.b7; B) 29.e4 xb3 30.xe6+ h7 31.f5+ g8 32.d5+ h7 33.xh5+ g8 34.f7+ h7 35.d5! The point, White has to provoke the occupation of the c5 square by a rook. ( 35.d4 xg3! 36.fxg3 c5 ) 35...c5 36.d4 And that is why 28.h3 was more precise than 28.h4. White must have various other ways of continuing the attack (for only one pawn!) but this is a nice one. ] 28.xe7+! Tragicomic, Black's king bishop eventually leaves the 8th rank on move 28 just to pointlessly attend the end of the game! xe7 29.b7+ e8 [ 29...d8 30.d3+ e8 31.d7+ f8 32.d6+ g8 33.xe6# ] 30.xc8+ f7 31.b7+ g6 32.e4+ h6 33.h4+ g6 34.g4+ h6 35.f4+ g5 36.xg5+! It is mate in 3. 1-0
DVD for ChessBase on the Scandinavian because it shows a good way for Black in one of the 3...Qd6 critical main lines. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.c4 a6 6.ge2 b5! [ If you wish to embark on an adventure, why not try 6...c6 The 3...Qd6 shoreline is littered with the corpses of adventurers who have gone bef ore you. To be serious, I believe that 6...b5 is simpler and thoroughly thematic. ] 7.b3 b7 8.f4 b6! It's surprising to me that 8...Qd8 has been played more often than this very logical sideways step. Presumably Black has felt in the past that the Queen would be hassled by a4-a5 and thus avoided 8...Qb6. To me, that isn't a dangerous idea. For the moment, g2 is en prise. [ So, what of 8...Qd8? 8...d8 9.0-0 e6 10.g3 ( 10.e1 e7 11.g3 0-0 12.d2 c5 13.dxc5 xd2 14.xd2 bd7 15.ce4 xe4 16.xe4 xe4 17.xe4 xc5 18.e2 fd8 1/2-1/2 Pavlov, M-Hasangatin, R/Alushta 2004) 10...d6! Black regains the tempo he lost after 8 Bf4. 11.g5 ( 11.xd6 cxd6 12.e1 0-0= ) 11...e7 ( 11...h6 12.xf6 xf6 13.d5 might be a bit awkward for Black.) 12.e1 0-0 13.d5 c5 14.dxc6 xc6= Parligras, M-Svetushkin, D/ Bucharest 2002 I think what we are seeing is that Black has more than one good way to meet 5Bc4 ] 9.f3 e6 10.d2 [ 10.a4 is the traditional way to give the Black Queen ' a bit of hassle' but I recommend not to panic: Solving any problems instantly. c5! 11.axb5 ( 11.a5 a7 ) 11...axb5 12.xa8 xa8 13.0-0 cxd4 14.xd4 c5 ] 10...c5! The Black Queen supports ...c7-c5 wonderfully well. Already Black has a good game. 11.dxc5 xc5 12.0-0-0 0-0 13.b1 c6 One can't ask for more from the opening. 176 B01 Black is fully developed and his queenside Chulivska,Vita 2262 attack seems to be further advance than any comparable White initiative on the Kingside. Stanislavskaya,Kristina ch sf (Women) (2) 16.05.2005 One can reach similar positions from the Sicilian or Caro-Kann, but not quite as good! [Andrew Martin] 14.g5 e7 15.h4 a5 16.a4 b4 17.b5 This is not the most interesting game in the ad8 [ 17...fd8 ] world, but I am featuring it on my forthcoming 163
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18.f4 xd1+ 19.xd1 d8 20.xd8+ xd8 [ After 20...xd8! presumably White continues the hoovering procedure with 21.d2 (the best move) and then ( 21.c7 xc7 22.xc7 c5 ) 21...xd2 22.xd2 d7 is only slightly better for Black. Yet maybe this is the line Black should have chosen if she really wanted to win. Black can squeeze a bit here. ] 21.g4 h6 22.xf6 xf6 23.g5 hxg5 24.hxg5 e5 25.g4 e3 [ 25...e7 26.f4 b8 27.ed4 g6 is an improvement. ] 26.f4 d4 27.exd4 xd4 28.f5 g1+ 29.xg1 xg1 30.fxe6 fxe6 31.xe6+ f8 32.f5 e7 33.d3 e3 34.g6 c6 35.b3 xb5 36.axb5 d6 37.b2 d4+ The play towards the end was uninspiring best to leave alone. But the beginning of the game will be of great interest to 3.. .Qd6 fans where the fangs of 5 Bc4 appear to be completely drawn. ½-½
Bugojno 1980 ] 10.a3 [ Neither 10.e5 xe5 11.dxe5 d5 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 xd2+ 14.xd2 0-0-0 (Sveshnikov - Sutovsky, Bled 1997) nor ] [ 10.h4 g4 11.f3 xc3! 12.bxc3 ( 12.xc3 g5+ ) 12...h5 13.g4 g6 (Barua - Speelman, Calcutta 1996) gives White anything. ] [ O n t h e o t h e r h a n d t h e q u i e t 10.b3!? deserves consideration as after 0-0 11.h4 White has an improved version of the 10. Nh4 line because Black has committed his king. ] 10...b6 [ For 10...xc3 see Brynell - Hodgson. ] 11.b3 xc3 12.xc3 b5 13.xb5 [ Or 13.e5 xe5 14.xe5 0-0 with equality as in O'Donovan - Brady, Irish Ch 1996 ] 13...cxb5 14.d5 bxd5 15.xd5 Setting in motion an ambitious plan which ultimately backfires. [ 15.xf6 xf6 16.d4 e4 17.xb5 e7 18.f3 d5 19.xd5 xd5 20.he1 hd8 177 B01 21.d2 a6 22.d4 ac8 was equal in Sebe - Vezdeutsan, Bucharest 2001 ] Chytilek,Roman 2390 Konopka,Michal 2468 15...xd5 16.xg7 g8 17.e5 xg2!? Czech Ch Ostrava CZE (11) 26.05.2002 18.d4 g6 19.g3 Incarcerating Black's rook, but actually trapping the beast is far [Nigel Davies] from easy. Meanwhile it acts as a thorn in 8.Qe2 is the most dangerous move with the White's flesh. a6 20.de1 c8 21.h4 b4 clear intention of castling queenside. Black 22.axb4 xb4 23.e2 h5 24.d1 d3+ plays the ambitious 10...Nb6 in this game and 25.b1 c5 26.de1 b5 27.a2 b4 28.b3 later on allows his rook to be caged. 1.e4 d5 a5 29.b5 f8 30.d6 c6 31.c4 a4 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6 5.f3 32.d2 c3+ 33.b2 e4! Eureka! The f6 6.c4 f5 7.d2 e6 8.e2 b4 elimination of the bishop on g3 will mean that the trapped rook can break free. And his extra 9.0-0-0 bd7 e7 35.e5 [ T h e wi l d l o o k i n g 9...b5 led Black into pawn will cou nt . 34.d8+ serious trouble after 10.b3 bd7 11.d5! xc2+ 36.xc2 xg3+ 37.xg6+ xd8 in the game Rowson - Shaw, Scotish Ch., 38.e5 xf2+ 39.d3 e7 40.c1 f6 41.d7+ e7 42.e5 f5 43.c6+ d6 Harwick 1995 ] [ A n o t h e r d u b i o u s m o v e i s 9...d5 44.d8 d5+ 45.e3 f5+ 46.f4 e7 after which 10.xd5 xd2+ 11.xd2 cxd5 47.c6+ f6 48.e1 xh4 49.h1 g6+ 12.b3 xa2 ( 12...d8 13.b5+ c6 50.e4 h4 51.d4 g5 52.f1+ g7 14.c5 c7 15.g4 gave White a powerful 53.f3 g4+ 54.e3 f5 i n i t i a t i v e i n K o l o s o w s k i - Z i e l i n s k a , 0-1 Polanica Zdroj 2001) 13.xd5 c6 14.g4 g6 15.xc6+ bxc6 16.f4 left Black in serious trouble in Ljubojevic - Kurajica, 164
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 178 Collins,Sam Mcphilips,Karl Masters Bunratty IRL (5) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2409 2210 19.02.2006
We now turn our attention once again to the fashionable 3...Qd6. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.f3 f6 5.d4 a6 6.g5 One of the sharper moves. Presumably White is angling to castle long as soon as he can. c6 This move I am not sure about and Collins tries to exploit the exposed Knight immediately. [ Instead, I believe 6...b5! to be consistent and I think Black is OK: 7.d3 ( 7.xf6 xf6! 8.d3 b7 9.e4 c6 10.0-0 0-0-0 ) 7...b7 8.e2 bd7 9.0-0-0 e6 Black is comfortable, planning ...Be7, ... 0-0 and ...c5 ] 7.d5N [ Alternatives: 7.e2 g4 ( 7...e5 8.dxe5 xe5 9.0-0 e7 10.e1 0-0 11.xe5 xe5 12.f3 xg5 13.xe7 e6 14.d4 e8 15.b4 a5 16.a3 d8 17.e4 e5 18.c3 xc3 19.xc3 d2 20.c1 f5 21.e4 d4 22.g3 Van den Dikkenberg, E-Ellenbroek, T/Dieren 2005 ) 8.0-0 0-0-0 9.xf6 xf6 10.d5 e6 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 exd5 13.xd5 b4 14.a3 xd5 15.xd5 e6 16.c4 d6 17.e1 d7 1/2-1/2 Borsato, C-Rigo, C/ Bratto 2005 ] [ 7.d3 g4 8.xf6 xf6 9.e4 f4 10.d2 xd2+ 11.exd2 0-0-0 12.c3 e6 13.0-0 e7 14.e4 a7 15.e5 h5 16.g4 g6 17.xg6 hxg6 18.xf7 h3 19.xd8 xd8 20.g2 h4 21.h3 c6 22.fe1 d7 23.f3 h8 24.e5+ xe5 25.xe5 d6 1-0 Alford, P-Woosh, A/Dos Hermanas 2004 ] [ 7.d2 f5 8.0-0-0 0-0-0 9.c4 e6 10.he1 b4 11.e2 e7 12.d5 exd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.xd5 he8 15.c4?? xg5+ 0-1 was the comical end to DaurelleBratanov La Fere 2002 ] 7...e5 8.e2 xf3+ There was no need to rush with this capture. Black can consider [ 8...h6 ] 9.xf3 f5 10.0-0 h6 But the Black position is still reasonable. 11.h4 0-0-0
[ 11...b4 was certainly an interesting c o u n t e r a t t a c k i n g p o s s i b i l i t y : 12.xf6 ( 12.g3 0-0-0 13.e2 e6 14.a3 b6 15.ad1 d6= ) 12...gxf6 13.e1 0-0-0 14.e4 d7 ] 12.e2 [ I quite like 12.d4 with the idea of Qa7 and so b6 13.xb6 cxb6 14.g3 is then possible, with an edge to White. ] 12...d7 13.g3 g5 14.e3 b8 15.b4! The Black King seems to be in greater danger now. g7 16.b5 g4 17.bxa6! gxf3 18.b6 Given the opportunity, Collins puts his opponent away with style. c8 19.b5 Does this mean that 3...Qd6 is in trouble? I don't think so. 6..b5 is a logical choice, better than 6...Nc6 and has to be preferred on all counts. 1-0
179 Collutiis,Duilio Genocchio,Daniele ch-ITA Montecatini Terme (10) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2330 2345 2002
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.b5+ Fischer liked this destabilising idea-Black cannot find the ideal formation for his pieces although White struggles too if the real truth be known. I like 3...Nbd7 now but 3...Bd7 is far more common and quite satisfactory. d7 4.e2 [ 4.c4 ] 4...xd5 5.d4 f5 6.f3 e6 7.0-0 e7 8.a3 [ 8.c4 is more incisive. Perhaps White can hope for a edge based on his central control and easy development: A) 8...b6 is best. 9.c3 c6 10.d5 exd5 11.cxd5 b4 12.d4 c8 13.f3 A1) 13...4xd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.a4+ d7 ( 15...c6 16.xc6 ) 16.b3 b4 17.e1 0-0; A2) 13...0-0 Fritz thinks Black can take the pawn and live- to me it looks as though it might become ugly: 14.c2 f5 15.xb4 xb4 16.d4 e7 17.d2 c5 18.f4 MatanovicKaraklaic Belgrade 1956; B) 8...b4?! provokes some strange 165
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 analysis: 9.a3 0-0 10.b3 a5 11.d1 c6 12.f4 d7 13.e1 f6 14.b1 a4 15.e3 b6 16.c3 ad8 17.a3 c2 18.xc2 xc2 19.d2 b3 20.e5; C) 8...f6 9.c3 0-0 10.e3 bd7 ( 10...h6 11.b3 ) 11.h4 g6 12.xg6 hxg6 13.f3 c6 14.c2 c7 15.ad1 ad8 16.g3 a5 17.g2 e5 18.d5 c5 19.g5 d4 20.dxc6 bxc6 21.e4 b8 22.b3 a4 23.b1 axb3 24.axb3 xe4 25.xe4 c5 26.h4 b6 27.e2 fb8 28.d5 f6 29.xf6 gxf6 30.h5 g5 31.h6 f5 32.h5 e7 33.h1 f8 34.b4 h7 35.bxc5 xc5 36.xb6 xb6 37.b1 f6 38.g4 fxg4 39.e4+ h8 40.xb6 xb6 41.xg5 g8 42.xe5+ f6 43.f5 1-0 Kallio,H-Beloudah,S/ Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002 (43) ] 8...h6 [ Could he not just have castled?: 8...0-0 9.c4 b6 10.c3 c6 11.h3 ( 11.e3 g4! 12.b3 f6 13.e4 xf3 14.xf6+ xf6 15.xf3 fd8 16.xc6 bxc6 17.g4 h6 ) 11...f6 12.e3 g6 13.b4 e5 14.dxe5 xe5 15.xe5 xe5 16.b3 f6 17.ac1 c6 18.b5 fe8 19.c5 d7 20.fd1 f8 21.f3 c7 22.bxc6 bxc6 23.e2 ac8 24.a4 b8 25.f4 xe2 26.xb8 b2 27.g3 h6 28.e1 d2 29.e5 d8 30.xc6 e6 31.g3 c2 32.xc2 xc2 33.xc2 xc6 34.a4 xc5 35.xa7 d2 36.a8+ h7 37.e4+ g6 38.e2 a5 39.a1 c3 40.e1 d3 41.h2 h5 42.h4 f5 43.a4 a5 44.b4 c5 45.b7 g7 46.d7 f5 47.a3 d5 48.b7 c5 49.b2+ h7 50.f3 d7 51.a5 e4 52.a6 d2 53.b7 0-1 Hamdouchi,H-Adianto,U/Gp A, Cap d'Agde FRA 2002 (53) ] 9.c4 f6 10.b3 c8 11.c3 0-0 12.d5 Despite appearances, it really isn't easy to take Black's position by storm. And after more measured methods, Black gets counterplay too. It seems an important nuance to avoid moving the c pawn early-Black can then play ... c7-c5 in one go, prefaced by ... a7-a6 to secure the position of a Bishop on d6. [ 12.e3 would be considered traditional. Black can go through with his plan: bd7 13.ad1 d8 14.fe1 a6! 15.h3 c5 16.d5 exd5
A) 17.xd5 xd5 18.cxd5 ( 18.xd5 e4 19.d2 f6 20.ed1 c7 ) 18...d6; B) 17.cxd5 d6 ] 12...exd5 13.cxd5 c6 14.d4 g6 15.dxc6 xc6 16.xc6 bxc6 [ 16...xc6 17.f3 ] 17.c4 d5 18.e4 [ After 18.xd5 cxd5 19.xd5 f6 Black has excellent compensation based on strong pressure against White's Queenside and the exposed White Queen.. ] 18...e6 19.d3 ad8 20.c2 fe8 Somewhere along the line W hite lost the thread. 21.d2 b6 22.fe1 d5-+ 23.f4 [ 23.e3 xe4 24.xe4 ( 24.xe4 xd2 ) 24...xd3 ] 23...xd3 24.xd3 xd3 25.d6 a8 26.xe7 d5 0-1
180 Cornette,Matthieu Prie,Eric FRA-Cup 1/16 Bordeaux-MTP [Eric Prié]
B01 2392 2429 28.03.2004
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.c4 g4 6.ge2 bd7! Although it is difficult to name it this way, considering the paternity of the move or the number of games available on my Megabase, this is 'my variation'. After having deprived White's king's knight of its best square, Black combines aggressive development (more or less implying long castles) and the concern of his queen's restrictedspace 7.f3 f5 8.g4 [ 8.d2 b6 A) 9.a4?! c6 10.b3 e6 11.g3 g6 12.e2 b6 13.xb6 axb6 14.c4 0-0-0 15.e3 b4+ 16.f2 h5 17.hc1 h4 18.f1 h3 19.g3 g4+ 20.g1 xe3 21.d5 exd5 22.cxd5 d6 23.xe3 he8 24.f1 e7 25.a4 e5 0-1 Dupre, M (1820) -Prie, E (2470) Andorre open 1997; B) 9.b3 0-0-0 10.a4 d6 B1) 11.xf7 e5 ( 11...e6 12.g4 e7 13.gxf5 xf7 14.fxe6 xe6 15.0-0 ) 12.g4 g6 13.xg6 hxg6 14.g5 166
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 h5; B2) 11.f4 a6! 12.g3 e5 Popa, C (2199)-Prie, E (2429) St Vincent op 2004; C) 9.a4 a5! Generally the best response in this configuration, gaining the square on b4, even when Black intends long castling. 10.0-0 ( 10.f4 e6 11.b5 c8 12.0-0 e7 13.h1 0-0 Black is slightly better having successfully fulfilled his objective of disorganizing the opposing pieces. 14.e1? With such a lack of coordination, embarking on forced lines is just bound to fail. xc2-+ 1-0(40) Alas! Kaaber, J (2092) -Prie, E (2464) Figueres op 2005. It seems, however, that this electroshock did me so me go od be cause, su ddenly all awake, I eventually won thetournament!) 10...e6 11.h1 c6= With a pleasant equality for Black. Crouan, S (2221) -Prie, E (2467) Nantes 2005. ] 8...g6 9.h4 [ 9.f4 e5! ( 9...0-0-0? 10.xg6 fxg6 11.e6 ) 10.xg6 hxg6 11.g5 h5 12.d2 d6 ( 12...0-0-0! ) 13.e2 ( 13.e4 ) 13...g3 14.e4 xe2 15.xa5 xd4 Perdomo, C (2320) -Peredy, F (2235) FSIM Budapest 1995 ] 9...h6 10.f4 White wants to keep the d4pawn protected by his queen and does not wish to displace the black queen onto an arguably better square. [ 10.d2!? b6 ( 10...0-0-0!? 11.h5 h7 12.xf7 e5 ) 11.f4 A) 11...xd4 Is too risky. 12.xg6 fxg6 13.e2 e5 14.e3 g3+ 15.f2 e5 16.e6; B) 11...e5!? 12.dxe5 xe5 13.e2 0-0-0 14.xe5 xd2 15.xd2 ( 15.xg6 f2# ) 15...d6; C) 11...0-0-0! 12.h5 ( 12.xg6 fxg6 13.e2 e5 14.dxe5 xe5 15.0-0-0 xc4 16.xc4 b4= ) 12...h7! ( 12...xd4!? 13.e2 e5! 14.xg6 xd2+ 15.xd2 xf3+ 16.e2 xd2+ 17.xf3 fxg6 18.e6+ d8 19.ad1 d6 20.b5 gxh5 21.gxh5 c6 22.xd6 exd6 ) 13.e2 ( 13.xf7 e5 W ith suddenly a strong counter attack) 13...e6 14.0-0-0 c6 Black is OK. 15.g5 hxg5 16.g6 g8 17.xf8 xf8
18.xg5 xd4 ] 10...e5! 11.xg6 fxg6 12.d2 [ 12.dxe5 xe5 13.b5+ c6 14.f4 ( 14.e2 0-0-0 15.xe5 e8 ) 14...b4! 15.xe5 xb5 ] 12...0-0-0! 13.d5 [ 13.d5 a4 14.b3 a6 ( 14...c6 ) 15.e2 xe2+ 16.xe2 exd4 17.xf6 gxf6 ] 13...b6! The key improvement in this key variation! [ 13...b4 14.e2 e4 15.fxe4 e5 16.0-0-0 fxg4 17.a3 hf8 18.hf1 xf1 19.xf1 xc3 20.xc3 c5 21.d3 e7 22.e1 c6 23.e2! cxd5 24.exd5 e3? ( 24...f6 25.f3 e8 26.g2 ) 25.f4! c7 ( 25...xd5 26.xe5 xe5 27.g4+ ) 26.e4 5c4 27.g1 b8 28.b3? ( 28.d4 Simply wins a knight.) 28...xd5 29.xc4?? ( 29.d4 xa3 30.e5 ) 29...e7?? I have seen both these chess legends in a better day. Is it possible that they were already in a furious mutual time scramble? The fact that Black will continue the game a piece down until reaching the time control seems to add credence to this hypothesis. ( 29...xc3 ! ) 30.h2+ a8 31.b2 e8 32.d4 e3 33.d2 f5 34.b1 xh4 35.a2 g5 36.g4 a6 37.d7 e4 38.c7 f3 39.xf3 xf3 40.d8+ xd8 41.xd8+ 1-0 Kavalek, LLarsen, B Beverwijk 1967. ] 14.e2 xc4 15.xc4 xd5 Team strategy in (4 board) cup matches! With Black I had neutralized the most dangerous and by far the strongest player in the opposing team. The extra pawn is not so easy to exploit. It was a good moment to propose a draw that could hardly be declined. As a result, we qualified for the last 16 without sweat. ½-½
181 Cuartas,Jaime Alexander Mohota,Nisha XXX Open Barbera del Valles ESP (2) [John Watson]
B01 2504 2332 7.7.07
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 One of the very main 167
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 lines of the Scandinavian. f5 7.e5 [ An interesting comparison is BrynellHo d g s o n , H a m b u r g 2 0 0 2 , a n a l ys e d i n ChessPub: 7.d2 e6 8.e2 b4 9.0-0-0 bd7 10.a3 xc3 11.xc3 c7 12.e5 In that game, if Black castled, the only difference between it and the game before us would be kingside versus queenside castling on W hite's part. Thus Hodgson played b5! with the idea . ..Be4-d5, which works because White's king is exposed in certain lines. ] 7...e6 8.e2 bd7 9.0-0 b4 10.d2 0-0 11.a3 xc3 12.xc3 c7 There it is. With 0-0 instead of 0-0-0, White doesn't have to worry about onslaughts and so can take his time and try to use the bishop pair. 13.xd7 xd7 14.fd1 c7 15.f3!? d5 16.e1 f4 17.c3 h5!? It's a little hard to find a plan. This probably isn't worth creating a weakness for. [ 17...e3+? 18.f2 xe2 19.xe2 is an ideal position for the bishops: Black's knight has no outpost to compensate for them. ] 18.d2 c7 19.f2 b5 20.f1 ad8 21.e1 b6 22.h4 g6 23.f4 White's grip on the board increases. He has won the opening. c8 24.g3 a4 25.f2 b6 26.h3 d5 27.b3 White is bluffing a bit with c4, but Black has to devote his forces to stopping it. fd8 28.e3 5d7 29.g5 f6 [ 29...e8 allows 30.c4 ] 30.c1 f7 31.f4! Clamping down on ...e5. White's dark-squared bishop will be restricted, but perform a useful function within lines. c7 32.f3 d5 33.d3?! [ 33.e3 would prevent ...c5. ] 33...c5! 34.e4 5d6 35.e3 c4! [ Probably 35...cxd4 36.xd4 d5 is playable, but the text creates an outpost and prevents queenside pawn breaks. ] 36.b4 d5 [ 36...f5!? 37.c2 d5 allows an eventual g4, although I suspect this is drawish. ] 37.d2 a5 38.f5 The one break, but is it enough? exf5 39.xf5 axb4?! Opening a new front for White. [ 39...a6 should come first. ] 40.axb4 b7 41.g3 f8 42.f4 xf4 43.xf4 a6 44.xa6 xa6 45.c7
[ T y p i c a l l y , t h e c o m p u t e r f i n d s 45.d7! , when b6 ( 45...b7 46.d6+ g8 47.e7; 45...xd7?? 46.b8+ ) 46.f5! wins the b5 pawn due to b8? 47.h7 ] 45...d6 46.c5 g6 47.e4 g7 48.f3 f4 Black has come out fine. 49.a7 h4 50.a1 e8 51.xe8 xe8 52.e1 f8 53.d5 d7 54.h1 e8 55.e6 g3 56.d2 e7 [ 56...g5! would activate Black's bishop, because 57.f5 d6 58.e2 c6 59.h5! d5 60.h8+ f7 61.h7+ is drawn. ] 57.d5!? Incredibly risky! d3?! [ 57...d7! 58.xd7 xd7 and White's dpawn will probably fall soon, e.g., 59.e2 ( 59.a2 e1+ 60.h2 e5+ 61.h1 xd5 ) 59...e5 60.d2 ( Maybe 60.f2! s a v e s W h i t e : xc3 61.a7+ d6 62.c5+ e5 63.d6+! e6 64.d7! xd7 65.xb5+ ) 60...d6 ] 58.f2! f5?? [ 58...g3 59.c5+ d8= ] 59.xh4+ d6 60.f4+ e7 61.e5 d1+ 62.h2 d2 63.xf5+ Fortune favours the brave? Or the fortunate. 1-0
182 David,Alberto Tkachiev,Vladislav (m/4) Cannes [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2540 2645 1999
The Center counter wasn't so popular this month, but the theoretical battle which took place in the Tkachiev - David match was quite interesting. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.f3 f6 5.d4 c6 6.c4 f5 7.d2 e6 8.d5 [ Another possibility was tried in the 6th game o f t h e m a t c h : 8.e4 c7 ( 8...d8 i s n o t s o g o o d h e r e , i n v i e w o f 9.g3 and the position is similar to a main line Caro Kann,although W hite has won some extra tempi.) 9.xf6+ gxf6 10.e2 d7 ( The brave looking 10...xc2 is in fact a great mistake after 11.c1 g6 12.d5! Exploiting the position of White's Rook and B l a c k ' s Q u e e n o n t h e s a m e f i l e . cxd5 168
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.b5+ c6 14.d4 and Black is in trouble. ) 11.0-0-0 0-0-0 A) The position after Black's 11th move was seen previously in Nunn - Conquest, Hastings 1995/96. This game continued 12.h4 g6 13.b3! d6?! ( I w o u l d p r e f e r 13...b6 with a comfortable position for Black.) 14.g3 he8 15.he1 f5 16.g2 A1) With his previous move, Black probably intended to transfer his Knight to the central e4-square, but now he d i s c o v e r s i t d o e s n ' t w o r k 16...f6 17.g5! e7 ( Unfortunately, the natural 17...e7 loses on the spot to 18.xe6+! fxe6 19.xe6+ b8 20.xf6 d6 21.xe7 xe7 22.xe7 and White wins d8 o t h e r wi s e 2 3 . B e 5 23.xb7+ ) 18.f4 and it's not clear how Black is going to unpin.; A2) 16...b8 17.f4 White now secures a clear advantage, and Black`s attempts to complicate are easily refuted: f6 18.xe6! f8 19.c4 A2a) 19...xe6 20.xe6 xf4+ ( 20...f7 21.xd6+-; 20...f7 21.xd6 xd6 22.b4+- ) 21.xf4 f7 22.d5 xe6 23.xe6 d6 24.xd8 xd8 25.d3 xd5 26.xd5 cxd5 27.d4+-; A2b) 19...h5 20.d3! and in a few moves White won.; B) 12.b3 b6 13.g3 g6 14.f4 d6 15.xd6 xd6 16.h4 a5 17.a4 d5 18.f3 e7 19.he1 hd8 20.c3 a n d in t h is le ve l p o sit io n a d ra w wa s agreed. ] 8...d8 9.xf6+ xf6 10.e2 Up to this moment the players have been following the game Shirov - Salov. Now Black deviates with a clear improvement. d7! [ 10...g4?! was played in the aboveme nt ion ed ga m e an d W hit e seize d t h e initiative after 11.d5! ] 11.d5 cxd5 12.xd5 Black's position seems to be precarious, but the young French has something in mind! e7! [ It's extremely risky to grab pawns without a n y d e v e l o p m e n t : 12...xb2?! 13.0-0 and White obtains a strong initiative: A) The other capture loses by force
13...xc2 14.g5! Threatening both Be6 with a mating attack and Rac1 winning material a3 ( 14...h6 doesn't help Black either: 15.xe6! hxg5 16.xd7+ xd7 17.e5+ will set in motion a decisive attack. ) 15.xe6 fxe6 16.xe6+ f8 17.xd7 and Black should resign.; B) 13...xc2 14.fc1 d3 15.xd3 xd3 16.xb7 b8 17.c6 White holds a strong initiative even in the endgame. b5 ( 17...d6 18.c3 - White threatens both Rd1 and picking off the g7-pawn with a serious advantage.) 18.xb5 xb5 19.c8+ e7 and Black is completely tied up. ] 13.c3 b4! The point. This unexpected blow solves all Black's problems. 14.xb4 xb2 15.0-0 xb4 16.ab1 Now both sides can be satisfied. W hite regains his pawn wh i l e B l a c k s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e s h i s development. After the short storm a quiet balanced position has arisen. a4 17.xb7 d8 18.e3 0-0 19.d4 b6 20.xf5 Here a draw was agreed. A short but interesting and important game. ½-½
183 De Firmian,Nick E Schroer,Jonathan Open New York (USA) (9) [Nigel Davies]
B01
1984
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 e6 7.e1 Here too this is a st ro n g m o ve , a im in g sim p ly t o su p p re s s Black's attempts to free himself, in the short term at least. e7 8.c3 0-0 9.bd2 d7 [ Another example was Belov - Shorin, Russian Ch., Serpukhov 1999, which went 9...f5 10.b5 b8 11.e4 a6 12.d3 d7 13.e2 g6 14.c4 b4 15.b1 b6 16.b3 a5 17.b2 c6 18.a3 with a clear advantage. Black's problems, as always, stem from a lack of space. ] 10.e4!? [ 10.c4 is an alternative, restraining ... e7e5. De Firmian reckons that the surrender of the two bishops involved with executing this advance is too high a price to pay, but 169
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 this assessment of the position is slightly to go all in, but on this occasion discretion controversial. ] might have been the better part of valour. 10...xf3 11.xf3 e5 The 'freeing' move Ziatdinov is also a highly dangerous which gives rise to a double-edged struggle. tactician ) 10.xf3 xd4 11.xd4 xd4 White now 'wins' a second minor exchange 12.xa7 e5+ 13.e2 xc4 14.xb7+ (bishop for knight) at the cost of giving Black d7 15.d1+ d6 16.xd6+!! (Pow!!) a be t te r p awn struct ure . 12.c5 xc5 xd6 17.b5+ c6 18.0-0! c5 19.d1+ 13.dxc5 ad8 14.b3 a5 15.c2 fe8 d5 20.xd5! xb5 21.xc6+ xc6 16.g5 f6 17.ad1 f7 18.c1 e7 19.b4 22.d4+ c5 23.xb5 xb5 24.d7 c6 ac6 20.e3 f5 21.b5 e4 22.e2 25.xf7 d8 26.g4 d2 27.xg7 xb2 [ I'll cop out of assessing 22.bxc6 exf3 28.xh7 d6 29.g5 c5 30.g6 b8 31.h3 23.cxb7 g6 24.g3 c6 - though this e7 32.f3 c4 33.f1 c8 34.f7+ looks as if it would give Black excellent 1-0, Ziatdinov R - Shabalov A, Toront o counterplay. ( and not 24...g4 25.xd8 1998 ] xd8 26.b3+ h8 27.b8 )] [ 8.0-0 e5 9.d5 e4 10.fd2 e5 11.c3 22...e5 23.d4 7g6 24.f1 h6 25.h3 h5? ( 11...xe2 ) 12.xg4+ exg4 13.h3 f4 This is starting to look dangerous for xe3 14.xh5 xh5 15.fxe3 f6 White, with storm clouds definitely gathering 16.dxe4 xe4 17.xe4 f6 18.f2 e8 round his king. The threat of a Black knight 19.f3 and White won the endgame in landing on d3 makes White give up one of his Dolmatov - Perez Candelario, Linares Open bishops and go hunting for pawns. 26.xe5 2000. ] xd1 27.xd1 xe5 28.a4 xc5 29.xa7 8...e5 9.d5 b4 10.c1 xa2 11.a1 b4 xc3 12.0-0 a6 13.h3 [ In the shoot-out that follows, de Firmian [ Waitzkin must have had an improvement shows that he's the stronger player. Black ready because he repeated all of this in a might have considered 29...b6 at this point, later game. But in Sax - Wiatzkin, Pula 1997, wit ho ut worryin g ab ou t 30.b8+ h7 the Hungarian got his new move in first with 31.d8 which can be answered by e6 ] 13.a4! and went on to win a dashing 30.xb7 h7 31.c8 a3 32.d8 xa2 a t t a ck in g ga m e : d3 14.xd3 xd3 33.f8 d5 34.h8+ g6 35.xc7 a1 15.a1 e8 16.b4 xf3 17.xf3 xc4 36.xf4 xb5? 18.c1 xd5 19.a5 d3 20.b5 b4 [ Looks like time trouble. Black could play 21.bxa6 xa5 22.xa5 d6 23.g5 hf8 36...xf1+ when W hit e mu st go 37.h2 24.a7 d7 25.c5 a6 26.d2+ c8 ( 37.xf1? d1# )] 27.d6 c6 28.xf8 xf8 29.d6 d8 37.d6+ g5 38.e7+ f4 39.c7+ 30.b8+ d7 31.xf7 e8 32.d1+ e6 1-0 33.d6 a4 34.f1 g8 35.c8 f4 36.d6+ f5 37.a8 g4 38.e7 g5 39.g3 1-0 ] 184 B01 13...xf3 14.xf3 d6 [ Waitzkin might have had the immediate De Firmian,Nick E 14...c5 in mind had Sax repeated de Waitzkin,Joshua Firmian's play. Now things get out of hand. ] New York (USA) (7) 1996 15.a4 c5 16.xb4! cxb4 17.c5 b8 18.d6 [Nigel Davies] a7 19.b3 e4 20.g5 b8 21.xf7 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.d4 c6 4.f3 xc5 22.g4 c8 23.c1 b6 24.xh8 xh8 g4 5.e2 0-0-0 6.c4 f5 7.e3 f6 25.a4 d7 26.xa6 xe3 27.c7 xf2+ 8.bd2 A subtle move which lends added 28.xf2 e3+ 29.g2 protecting to the d4 square by supporting the 1-0 knight on f3. Yet W hite has also done well with the more primitive alternatives: [ a) 8.c3 e6 9.a4 xf3 (Shabalov likes 170
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 185 Degraeve,Jean Marc De Wolf,Johan Ch (team) 1996/97 (5) [Nigel Davies]
B01 186
1996
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.e2 f5 5.f3 e6 6.0-0 e7 [ The alternative is 6...d6 , though the bishop looks more exposed on this square and it blocks any pressure Black might hope for on the d-file. Nijboer - Hoodendoorn, Dutch Ch., Rotterdam 2000 went on 7.c4 f6 8.c3 c6 9.b3 c7 10.c5 e7 11.f4 c8 12.fe1 0-0 13.h4 g6 14.xg6 hxg6 15.c4 with a tremendous position and an immediate threat to 'sac' the rook on e6. ] 7.e1 0-0 8.a3 Preparing to play c2-c4 without having to worry about Black's knight coming in to b4. c6 [ Black can 'develop' his pieces, but there's not much to do about W hite's grip on the centre. He needs to free himself with either ...c7-c5 or ...e7-e5, but 8...c5 would be met by 9.c4 b6 10.c3 cxd4 ( 10...c6 11.d5 ) 11.xd4 with Bf3 coming and very strong pressure against Black's queenside. ] 9.b5! A nasty move which prompts a fullscale retreat. b8 10.f1 c6 11.bd2 f6 12.c3 Protecting the d-pawn leaves Black with nothing. W ith the knight on c6 Black's only useful pawn lever is ...e6-e5, but in this position it is out of the question. h6 13.a4 c8 14.a5 b8 15.b3 b6 16.axb6 axb6 17.e5 fd7 18.df3 c5 Fin a lly ge t t in g in t h e ke y le ve r, b u t n o w White's superior development starts to tell. 19.xd7 xd7 20.d5 f6 21.f4 c4 22.xc4 c5 23.d1 exd5 24.b5 e4 25.g3 a8 26.xa8 xa8 27.d4 a2 28.f3 g6 29.b4 xd4+ [ 29...b7 would have put the knight on a pretty miserable post, but now Black is losing a pawn. ] 30.xd4 e6 31.xb6 d2 32.e3 a2 33.d7 f5 34.b5 d8 35.xe6 xe6 36.b6 b3 37.c7 e8 38.d3 d4 39.b1 xc3 40.xc3 dxc3 41.b7 c2 42.c1 1-0
Degraeve,Jean Marc Kovarcik,Guillaume Open Saint-Affrique (France) (4) [Nigel Davies]
B01
1999
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 f6 4.d4 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.h3 h5 8.c4 d8 9.b3 [ This position is just nice for White because of his greater control of terrain. 9.c3 0-0 10.f4 d6 11.e5 xe2 12.xe2 c6 13.ad1 e8 14.fe1 wa s a lso ra t h e r m ise r a b le f o r B la c k i n Krauss - Forster, US Open 1982. ] 9...c8 10.c3 0-0 11.g4 With Black so p a s si ve ly p l a c e d , t h i s we a k e n i n g o f t h e kingside is of little significance. White wants to add the bishop pair to his collection of pluses. g6 12.e5 bd7 13.xg6 hxg6 14.f3 c6 15.f4 d8 16.fe1 f8 17.ac1 a5 18.a3 e8 19.c5 Played as soon as the knight moves away f rom d5 . Degraeve actually has a nice tactic in mind. ef6 20.a4 d5? Strictly speaking this is the losing move. But Black's position is pretty m i s e r a b l e i n a n y c a s e . 21.xd5 cxd5 22.b6! c6 [ White's last move was a killer - 22...xb6 23.cxb6 d7 24.c7 loses the b-pawn and the game ] 23.xa8 xa8 24.a4 1-0
187
B01 Del Rio Angelis,Salvador Gabriel 2472 Minasian,Artashes 2567 Open Ubeda ESP (10) 30.01.2001 [Neil McDonald] Much of the analysis to this opening is indebted to a ChessBase article by Matthias Wahls which gives a very deep examination of this variation. I have only quoted some key va ria t io n s . 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 I haven't seen this line in ages. Naively, I thought this was one of the main lines but white seems to avoid it like the plague in practice. We get some indications why in this game. xd5 4.f3 g4 5.e2 0-0-0 6.e3 171
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f6 [ 6...e5!? may be black's most solid route to equality. A) 7.c4 a5+ 8.d2 b4 9.xe5? ( 9.d5 xf3 is better, but looks very nice f o r b l a c k .) 9...xe2 10.xc6 e8! 11.xa5 xc4+ 12.e2 xe2+ 13.d1 xa5 14.xa5 xf2-+ Hrivnak-Babula, Kecskemet 1987.; B) 7.c3 a5 8.xe5 xe2 9.xe2 xe5 10.dxe5 xe5= ] 7.0-0 [ 7.bd2 f5! 8.c4 e5 9.d5 b4 10.0-0 c2 11.h4 xe2 12.xf5 xd1 13.axd1 xe3 14.fxe3 g6!? 15.g3 g4 16.xf7 xe3 17.e1 c5 18.h1 df8 with black having some pressure due to his active pieces - Wahls. ] 7...h5 [ 7...xf3! 8.xf3 b5 is black's best according to Wahls - the queen gains a bit of peace and there is pressure against d4. A) 9.b3?! xd4 10.xd4 c5 ( 10...e5? 11.g4+ b8 12.xa7+ ) 11.a4 a6 12.c3 ( 12.e2 c6 ) 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 b8 14.c3 e5 15.d5 b4 is fine for black, according to Wahls.; B) 9.xc6 xc6 10.e2 d5 11.c4 xe3 12.fxe3 e5 13.dxe5 e6 14.c3 d7! ( 14...c5 15.e4 e7 16.h5! g6 17.h3 ) 15.ad1 xd1 16.xd1 ( 16.xd1 c5 ) 16...xe5 Wahls. ] 8.bd2 [ 8.h3? A) 8...e5? 9.hxg4? ( 9.bd2! ) 9...xg4 10.h4?! f5 11.xg4?! fxg4 12.g3 exd4 13.c1 g5 14.g2 c5 15.d3 hf8 16.e1 d6 17.a3 h6 18.h4 hf6! 19.xg5 xg5 20.e2 e5 21.d2 h5 22.e1 f5 23.c4 xc4 24.xf5 xf5 25.b3 e3 26.fxe3 dxe3 27.b4 b6 28.d1 e5 29.d3 f2 0-1, Hresc-Wahls, Velden Open 1996.; B) 8...xf3! 9.xf3 b5 Wahls. It is very interesting to know this theme. ] 8...e5 [ 8...d5 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 xe3 11.fxe3 h6 Wahls. ] 9.dxe5 [ 9.h3! When Wahls des that black is worse because he cannot justify a piece sacrifice -
he gave: b4 10.hxg4 ( 10.c3?! exd4 ) 10...xg4 11.c3 exd4 12.cxd4 ( 12.g5? dxc3 13.xd8 xd8 ) 12...xd4 ( 12...he8 13.c4; 12...xd2 13.xd2; 12...d6 13.h4 ) 13.f4 e6 ( 13...xd2 14.xd4+-; 13...f5 14.c1 d6 15.e5 xe2+ 16.xe2 g5 17.g3+- ) 14.g3 h6 ( 14...f5 15.b3 ) 15.a4+- ] 9...xe5 10.e1 d6 11.xe5 [ 11.h3 ] 11...xe5 12.xg4+ xg4 13.c3 d7! 14.xg4?? [ 14.h3 xd1 15.axd1 hd8 when black might be able to claim a tiny advantage due to pre ssure on th e d-f ile - though eve n 16.a1!? seems to give white no real problems. ] 14...xh2+! A nasty trick. 15.xh2 xg4+ 16.g3 xe3 17.xe3 xd2 18.b4 h5 19.f3 f6 20.a4 e8 21.h4 d5 22.g3 0-1
188 Demetrios,Agnos Santos,Carlos P Pula [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2495 2340 1997
In this game Black tried to improve the whole line by playing 6...e6. Although the arising positions are very interesting, W hite outplayed his opponent very convincingly. White's play in this game is very instructive if you wish to gain an understanding of White's resources. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 g4 4.f3 f5 5.b5+ bd7 6.c4 e6!? 7.dxe6 xe6 8.d5 Other moves hardly pose any problems for Black, for example: [ 8.c3 b4 ( 8...c6?! 9.d5! is very good for White ) 9.c5?! ( 9.d5 with a transposition to the 8.d5 line should be preferred.) 9...c6 10.d3 d5 11.ge2 h4+ 12.g3 h3 13.f2 xc5! and the complications favour Black, Ribeiro - Damaso, Lisbon, 1995. ] 8...f5 9.c3 b4 [ 9...c5 is inf erior in view of 10.e2+! A very nasty check. e7 ( 10...f8 11.g4! g6 12.f4 is also bad for Black) 11.xe7+ xe7 12.f4 d6 13.xd6+ cxd6 wi t h a cl e a r e xt r a p a wn in t h e e n d in g , 172
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Rogado-Lima,Spain,1993. ] [ 9...e7 10.g4!? ( In my opinion, the simple 10.ge2 0-0 11.xd7! xd7 12.0-0 is even better I doubt if Black has anything for the pawn.) 10...g6 11.f4 h6 12.f5 h7 13.h3 0-0 14.f4 c5 15.f3 a6 16.a4 xa4 17.xa4 and White is better, although the position remains very complicated, Polgar, J-Damaso,R, Oviedo, 1992. ] 10.ge2 0-0 11.xd7! A very instructive move, typical for such positions. The Bishop on b5 is offside, so it's necessary to exchange it. On the other hand, Black has also achieved something as he hasn't lost a tempo with a7-a6. xd7 12.0-0 c5?! [ 12...e5! is much more to the point, aiming at both the c4-pawn and the d3-square. 13.h1!? White gives up the extra pawn and plays for a small but lasting advantage. ( S i m p l y p r o t e c t i n g t h e p a w n b y 13.b3 allows c5+ 14.h1 d3 with great activity ) 13...h4?! Too active, and based on a miscalculation. ( Simply 13...xc4 was called for, and W hite's advantage is minimal: 14.d4 xc3 15.xc3 d6 16.f4 ) 14.g3 d3 15.ce4! Probably Black missed this. d8 ( 15...xf1? 16.g5 trapping the Queen) 16.f4! White converts his advantage into a full point very convincingly. Now Black has no choice. xf1 17.fxe5 xc4 18.f5 How strong White's Kn igh ts a re ! xd5 ( 18...xd5 allows a beautiful mate: 19.f6+! gxf6 20.g4+ ) 19.g4 g6 20.f6+ h8 21.h4 h5 22.g5 and Black resigned in Votava,JRibeiro,F, Erevan 1996 ] 13.f4!? Protecting the d3-square against the penetration of the Knight or Bishop. [ 13.a3!? is not bad either, and Black's a t t e m p t t o w i n a p a w n b a c k b y xc3 14.xc3 d3 15.e1 xc4 is strongly met by 16.d4! b3 17.xc4 xa1 18.f4 c2 19.e2 winning the Knight with a big advantage. ] 13...e8 14.ce2 f6 15.g3 d7 Admitting the mistake at move 12. 16.h1 [ 16.xf5!? xf5 17.d3 also deserved attention. ] 16...d6 17.gh5 e5 18.g4!? g6 19.g3 c5 20.xg6 hxg6 21.f4 e7
22.g2 Now it becomes clear that Black has little to show for the sacrificed pawn. Although the White King is slightly exposed, I can't see any way to exploit this. a5 23.d2 h4 24.f3 f5? Desperation. Black tries to complicate, but White parries all the threats very easily, moreover in few moves it is White who will begin an attack! Wait and see tactics don't help Black either as White plays Ra1-e1, liquidating to a completely won endgame. 25.gxf5 gxf5 26.xf5 h7 27.xd6 cxd6 28.f5! A very good move. White prevents the penetration of Black's Queen to an active position (c2) as well as preparing f5-f6 with an attack on Black's King. The rest is a matter of technique. e4 29.b3 d4 30.e3 d3 31.ae1 e8 32.f4 e4 33.g3 c3 34.f6! The surest way to victory although before playing this move W hite should calculate the variations very precisely. c2+ 35.h1 [ The trick is 35.g1?? g4! and it is Black who is winning! ] 35...xh2+ The last chance. 36.xh2 h4 37.f7+ f8 38.f4 e4 [ 38...xh2+ is more stubborn although with accurate play White should easily win this position. ] 39.e2 h3 40.f3! Black resigned in view of: [ 40.f3 xh2+ 41.xh2 and after the Queen retreat, Bd6 with Rh8 to follow wins immediately. ] 1-0
189 Diringer,Klaus Lin,Michael 1990 Wuerttemberg [Paul Motwani]
B01
1990
W 40: "Lady in trouble" 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 [ 5...c6 is the most common move here, because if necessary Black's queen can later retreat to d8, thereby avoiding the type of disaster which soon happens to that precious piece in the current game. ] 6.h3 h5 7.d2 e6 [ After the move that White has just played, 173
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black's queen should already have sensed promising continuation here although there some danger, and so 7...c6 would have are alternatives been a wise reaction. ] [ 7.c4 d8 8.e3 g6 9.h4!? 8.g4! g for "go for it!". g6 9.e5 c6?? looked dangerous but led to no problems for Black finally puts something on c6, but it's the Black af ter h6 10.h5 h7 11.d5 cxd5 wrong piece at the wrong time! 10.b5 b6 12.exd5 c6 13.b5 xd5 14.xd5 Puzzle Diagram W 40D1 for Reader's xd5 15.xd5 0-0-0 and Black was if Challenge W40P1: Can you now find a forced a n yt h in g slig h t ly b e t t e r i n S u t o vs k y, E win f o r W hit e? L o ok o ut . .. t h e an swe r is (2669)-Rogers, I (2594) Nottingham 2005 ] coming on the very next move of the game! [ 7.g4 is premature and Black quickly 11.c4! xb5 12.d6+ Black resigned equalised after e6 8.c4 wi t h o u t w a i t i n g t o s e e h i s q u e e n b e i n g A) 8...xg4 wins a pawn here although captured by the f1-bishop on W hite's next White has dangerous compensation after move. 9.xe6 xe5 10.b3 g6 11.f3 1-0 ( 11.d5!? ) 11...e6 12.d2 with a strong initiative in return for the pawn. White is going to castle long and then play h4-h5 190 B01 and Black will have to be very careful not to get over-run.; Dominguez Perez,L 2723 B) 8...bd7 9.xe6 xe5 10.e2 g6 Nakamura,Hi 2775 11.b3 e6 and White's early aggression Makedonia Palace GP (6.3) 28.05.2013 had come to nothing in Pikula, D (2476)[Tom Rendle] Zhukova, N (2471) Belgrade 2000 ] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6 7...xd3 8.xd3 e6 9.0-0 bd7 10.g3! 5.f3 f5 6.e5!? A rare choice from This makes it just a little more difficult for Nakamura to develop his kingside although Dominguez and a new move for this site. f6 Black should still be just about OK here. [ 6...d7 [ 10.xd7 xd7 11.e4 e7 12.g3 g6 A) 7.c4 d8 8.d3 is a very logical 13.d6+ xd6 14.xd6 d5 15.a3 way of playing with some advantage to was a little better for W hite in Sokolov, A White after ( 8.d5!? ) 8...xd3 9.xd3; (2568)-Fischdick, G (2251) Crans Montana B) 7.f3 2001 ] B1) 7...g6 may be playable here although it does allow White the option 10...c7 11.e1 [ 11.f4?! is an obvious try but the tactics of 8.xf7!? ( 8.c4 d8 9.e3 after h5! are in Black's favour 12.xf7 is a safer route to a slight edge) 8...xf7 ( 12.h4 xf4 13.xf4 is equal ) 12...a5! 9.g4 although Black seems to be OK 13.c7 ( 13.f3 xf7 and White is missing here after gf6 10.gxf5 xf5 11.c4+ a kille r d isco ve re d ch e ck) 13...xg3 e6 12.e2 e8 with a roughly level 14.xa5 xf1 15.xh8 d2 and Black position.; can hardly be worse with White's knight on B2) 7...e6 8.f4 ( 8.xd7 xd7 h8. ] 9.d2 f5 10.g3 f6 11.0-0-0 is a very logical setup for W hite with 11...b6 12.f3?! [ 12.g5 was better, for example d6 ( or some edge because of White's lead in 12...h6 13.h4! g5 14.f3 g7 15.g3 ) development.) 8...gf6 9.h3?! d5?! 13.h4 is very awkward for Black ] ( 9...xe5 10.xe5 d7 11.f4 g6 equalises for Black) 10.c4! xc4 12...b4? [ 12...d6 13.f4 ( 13.h6 0-0 14.g3 11.xc4 e6 12.0-0 e7 13.ad1 e8 is fine for Black) 13...0-0 and Black and White had a typical advantage with has equalised. ] the two bishops in Klimov, S (2518)13.h6! After both sides swap mistakes Romanov, E (2594) St Petersburg 2010 ] 7.d3 This seems to be White's most Dominguez takes a clear advantage with a 174
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 simple tactic gxh6 [ 13...0-0? fails to 14.xg7! xg7 15.g3+ h8? 16.g6+ - the point, obviously this doesn't work with the bishop on d6. ] [ 13...f8 is a rather ugly move to have to play and White has a clear advantage after 14.g5 e7 15.e4! ] 14.xf6 f8 15.a3 xc3 16.bxc3 d5 17.xh6 xc3 18.h4 e7 19.xh7 W h i t e i s s i m p l y a p a w n u p h e r e . b5 20.ed1 [ 20.c3! is more precise with the nice point b e i n g t h a t a f t e r xc3 White wins an exchange with 21.h3 b5 22.g6! ] 20...d8 21.f3 f6 22.d3 g8 23.ab1 b6 24.g3 g4 25.c3 [ 25.h3 was better but perhaps Dominguez didn't want to weaken his kingside, however after g7 ( 25...gxd4 26.xd4 xd4 27.e4 is winning for White) 26.c4 d6 27.e5 White is in control ] 25...f5! 26.a4 xd3 27.xd3 a3 28.e1 c4 Nakamura has done a fantastic job staying in this game and now has pretty good drawing chances although White will always be hopeful with the passed h-pawn. 29.e5 xe5 30.xe5 d5 31.f4! e7 32.f2 g8 33.c4 d7 34.f5 g5 35.fxe6 xe5 36.exd7 a5 37.f3 xd7 38.xf7+ e6 39.f4 xa4 40.d5+! Now the ending feels like it should be winning for W hite - it's all about getting the kingside pawns moving quickly here. d7 [ o f c o u r s e n o t 40...cxd5?? 41.cxd5+ and Black drops the rook on a4 ] 41.dxc6+ xc6 42.g4 a2+ 43.g3 a1 44.g5 [ 44.h4 seems obvious and strong here, e.g. a5 45.g5 a4 46.f2! and White's pawns will get there first ] 44...g1+ 45.h4 a5 46.g4 xg4+ 47.xg4 d6 48.h5 a4 49.g6 a3 50.g7 a2 51.g8 a1 52.d8+ c6 53.c8+ d6 54.d8+ c6 I wouldn't like to say whether or not this endgame is winning or not for W hite. I suspect it isn't but it's tough to defend as well. 55.d5+ c7 56.f7+ d6 57.h4 e5+ 58.h6 b5?! 59.cxb5 xb5 This ending is winning - at least according to t h e t a b le b a s e s 60.h5 But after this natural move it's drawn - very mysterious
[ for those interested the winning line is as follows 60.g7! e2 61.h5 c5 62.f5+ b4 63.h6 b2+ 64.g6 g2+ 65.f6 c6+ 66.g5 b3 67.h7 c1+ 68.f4 c5+ 69.g4 c8+ 70.g3 Black has run out of checks h8 71.c7 a2 72.a7+ b3 73.g2 c2 74.c5+ d2 75.d6+ c1 76.h6+ d1 77.h1+ c2 78.h2 d3 79.g3+ e4 80.g4+ e3 81.g8 and White is queening. ] 60...e5 61.g7 c6 62.h6 g2+ 63.g6 b7+ 64.f7 g2+ 65.h8 a8+ 66.g8 f3 White is so close but unable to make progress 67.g6 f8+ 68.h7 f3 69.g7+ e6 70.g8 h5 71.h7 e8+ 72.f8 g6+ 73.h8 f7 74.c8+ e7 75.c7+ e8 76.e5+ d7 77.b5+ e7 78.g5+ e8 79.g8+ f8 80.xf8+ xf8 An incredible save from Nakamura who had to find several only moves in the queen ending. ½-½
191 Dominguez Perez,Leinier Caruana,Fabiano FIDE GP Tashkent (7.5) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2726 2786 29.11.2012
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g6 6.c4 This is less critical than Nb5 which is analysed in Leko-Caruana g7 7.0-0 [ 7.e5 was tried in a blitz game between Polgar and Kramnik and after 0-0 8.0-0 c6 9.b5 d8 10.f4 h5 Black was absolutely fine so Judit tried 11.xf7!? xf7 12.xc7 f8 13.xf7+ xf7 and she went on to win - still I think Black is better here so this way of playing is hardly to be recommended at a slower time control. ] 7...0-0 8.h3 [ 8.b5 b6 9.f4 a6 10.b1 c6 11.c3 g4 12.e1 ae8 13.e5 b8 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 bd7 16.ed1 a5 17.h2 b5 18.b3 b6 19.a4 b4 20.e2 1/2-1/2 (20) Lobzhanidze, D (2483)Chatalbashev, B (2596) Vaujany FRA 2011 ] 8...a6 [ 8...c6 9.b5 is potentially a little bit 175
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 awkward for Black ] 9.e1 White is developing very naturally but I don't really see where it is all going - this is the kind of position Qd6 Scandinavian players are after in this opening. [ 9.a4! has been White's most popular choice in this position but Black should be d o i n g f i n e a f t e r c6 10.b3 e8!? ( 10...b6?! runs into 11.a3 b4 12.a5! bxa5 13.a4 and Black is in some trouble) 11.a3 d8 12.e1 d6 13.d5 d7 14.d3 e6 15.xc6 xc6 as in Vovk, A (2549)-Tiviakov, S (2656) Altenkirche n 2012 ] 9...b5 10.b3 b7 11.g5 c5! After this Black has comfortably equalised and can think about playing for more [ 11...bd7 is also very sensible and Black c a n h a rd l y b e wo r s e h e re . D o m in gu e z Perez's opening play has certainly been less than inspiring. ] 12.dxc5 xc5 13.e2 e6 14.ad1 bd7 15.f4 fe8 [ 15...f5!? was an interesting way of u n b a l a n c i n g t h e p l a y . A f t e r 16.e3 ( 16.e3 c5 is just better for Black) 16...xf3 17.xf3 h5! 18.xd7 xf4 19.xf4 xf4 White is under a little bit of pressure, although a draw remains the most likely result. ] 16.d6 b6 17.e3?! Swapping the queens still leaves White under some pressure [ 17.f4 offering to repeat was probably a better idea. Black's advantage is very small after ac8 18.a3 ] 17...xe3 18.xe3 b6 19.e5 ac8 20.ed3 c4?! [ 20...e4! may have been stronger as after 21.xg7 xg7 22.xe4 xe4 23.d6 xf3 24.gxf3 b8 it feels to me like White's activity is going to be short-lived and the long term weaknesses on the kingside will make the endgame at least unpleasant to defend. ] 21.xc4 xc4 22.a3 h6 23.d2 cc8 24.xf6 xf6 25.de4 xc3 26.xc3 With a pair of bishops swapped off Caruana no longer has and advantage so it's impressive that he manages to squeeze out a win from here. c6 27.1d2 g5 28.d6 f8 29.d1 e7 30.e3 h5 31.c4?!
I'm not sure a pawn sacrifice was necessary here but I suppose W hite didn't want to sit passively and wait. [ 31.f3 f5 32.f2 and Black doesn't have serious chances here I believe. ] 31...bxc4 32.6d4 b5 33.h4 g8 34.h2 c3 35.c2 cxb2 36.xb2 c5 37.a4 c6 38.b6 a5 39.hxg5 gxg5 40.a6 e5 Black may be a pawn up here but W hite is active and must still have excellent chances t o h o l d w i t h a c c u r a t e p l a y 41.a7+?! This only forces the king to a better square [ 41.h4 f5 42.f4! exf4 43.xf4 e4 44.f2! and White should hold the draw ] 41...e6 42.d8 f5 43.h8 g6! 44.hh7 f4 45.ae7+ d6 46.f5+ d5 The King escapes and Black picks up the a4 pawn which gives him excellent chances to win. 47.xh5 xa4 48.a7?! After this it's probably just lost. c4 49.h8 c2 50.h4 b6 51.f3 a4 52.g5 b4 53.ha8 h6+ 54.h3 b3 55.f3 c2 56.g1 d6 57.e8 dd2 58.g7 a3 59.xe5 a2 60.e1 b2 61.h2 b1 62.e4+ c5 63.a7 a1 64.xa1 xa1 65.xf4 a4 66.e5+ d6 67.f5 White can put up some defence here but the extra rook is always going to win in the end. c2 68.f7 e5 69.g3 d8 70.h3 g8+ 71.h2 h4 72.c7 f5 73.c5+ e6 74.g4 gh8 75.xf5 xh3+ 76.g2 h2+ 77.g3 8h3+ 78.f4 f2 79.e5+ f6 80.e3 a2 81.g5+ f7 82.g4 h1 83.b3 g1+ the pawn on g5 now falls and with it the game. A nice grind from Caruana. 0-1
192 Dominguez Perez,Leinier Ivanchuk,Vassily Edición 2012 (7.1) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B01 2725 2764 11.05.2012
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.d2 c6 Black's most popular (and perhaps most solid) way of meeting Bd2 [ 5...g4 is also possible and now 6.f3 A) 6...f5 is Bauer's own recommendation but it does look very dangerous for Black after 7.g4!? g6 8.f4 176
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e6 9.f5 exf5 10.g5 fd7 11.e2+ d8 12.g2 ( 12.0-0-0 looks stronger to me with a very strong initiative for the pawn I wo u ld b e re lu ct a n t t o p la y a s B la c k here! ) 12...c6 13.xc6?! an o d d de c isio n bxc6 14.0-0-0 b8 a n d B l a c k w a s b e t t e r i n G o l u b e v, M (2499)-Kislinsky, A (2384) Kharkiv 2006 15.e1 b4 16.h3 c8 17.f4 d8 18.c4 c5 19.fd5 b6 20.e7+ b7 21.e2 xc3 22.xc3 xa2 23.f3+ d5 24.e5 c6 25.b3 f4 26.b2 xc2 27.xd5 b1+ 28.d2 xb2 29.e7+ a6 30.b4+ a5 31.xc6+ b6 32.e1 e8 33.xf4 xe7+ 34.xe7 c3+ 35.d2 a1+ 36.f2 xd4+ 37.xd4 cxd4; B) 6...d7 was Bauer's actual choice possibly to avoid preparation - and there followed 7.c4 b6 8.ge2 e6 9.e3?! ( 9.0-0 makes more sense as taking the pawn on b2 is not good xb2? 10.b1 a3 11.xb7 as Black can't really cover everything here, e.g. d6?! 12.b3 a5 13.b5 b6 14.xd6+ xd6 15.b4 and Black is in terrible trouble) 9...c6 10.a3 to prevent Nb4 e7 11.0-0 ed5 12.f2 and White had a slight edge in Edouard, R (2607)-Bauer, C (2679) SUI 2012 and in fact won very quickly. ] [ 5...b6 6.f3 g4 ( 6...xb2?? loses to 7.b1 a3 8.b5 ) 7.h3 h5 8.g4 g6 9.c4 with some edge for White ] 6.d3 [ 6.c4 is also a dangerous way of playing and now play is likely to transpose back into mainlines after f5 7.f3 e6 which has been covered heavily in the archives ] 6...g4 [ 6...b6 7.f3 and ] [ 6...c7 7.ge2 are possible and White seems to keep an edge in both cases ] 7.f3 [ 7.e4 was tried by Kasparov in a blitz game and it does seem to give W hite a sligh t e dge a f t e r xd1 8.xf6+ exf6 9.xa5 h5 10.f4 d6 ( 10...c5!? ) 11.f5 g6 and now 12.h3 gxf5 13.e2 would've given White a comfortable position in Kasparov, G (2812)-Van Wely, L (2636) Wijk aan Zee 1999 ]
[ 7.ge2 e6 8.f3 h5 A) 9.e4 was perhaps critical and now d8 ( 9...b6!? 10.xf6+ gxf6 ) 10.xf6+ xf6 although it's not clear how m u c h o f a n e d ge W h i t e h a s h e r e f o r example 11.0-0 g6 12.f4 d7 and Black is holding comfortably enough; B) 9.f4 c7 10.e2 g6 11.0-0-0 xd3 12.xd3 bd7 13.f4 d6 14.xd6 xd6 and Black was very solid in Lie, E (2457) -Houska, J (2392) Bergen 2009 ] 7...h5 8.ge2 bd7 [ 8...g6 has been tried here before and now 9.e4 b6 10.c3 bd7 11.c2 0-0-0? ( 11...xe4! 12.fxe4 e5 seems to give Black an acceptable game although t h e p o sit io n re m a in s t e n s e) 12.g5 Black is already in trouble but now it goes from bad to worse xd3 13.xd3 xb2?! 14.b1 xa2 15.c1 d5 16.c4 d6 17.e2 and there's no good way to defend against all the threats and Black went on to lose in Dominguez, L (2638)-Leon Hoyos, M (2428) Cuernavaca 2006 ] 9.f4 g6 10.xg6 [ 10.c4 b6 is another critical position, and here White tried the pawn sac 11.e2!? ( 11.d5 might be worth investigating but my feeling is Black is OK after d8 ) 11...xc2! 12.c1 f5 ( 12...xb2!? ) 13.d5 g5 14.e3 a5 15.dxc6 bxc6 16.d3 e6 17.0-0 xd3 18.xd3 c5 19.e4 xe3+ 20.xe3 b6 and at most White had a tiny edge in Aza rov, S (26 48)-S ergie nko, S (2415) St Petersburg 2011 ] 10...hxg6 11.e2 e6 12.e4 [ 12.0-0-0 would've been a more ambitious move but maybe Dominguez was just playing for a safe edge ] 12...b4 13.c3 e7 14.g3 xe4 15.fxe4 g5 Ivanchuk is playing very logically - he wants to swap dark squared Bishops and then target d4 16.0-0 xd2 17.xd2 c5 [ 17...e5 is very similar - and perhaps a touch more accurate. The position is about equal after 18.c4 f6 19.ad1 b6 ] 18.f2! 0-0 19.e5 ad8 20.e4 cxd4 21.cxd4 b8 Black begins his slow play to attack d4 22.ad1 [ 22.xb7! would've justified White's play 177
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 although the advantage is rather minimal [ 7...0-0 8.0-0 a6 And now White usually after b6 23.g2 xd4 24.ae1 goes 9. a4 preventing ...b5. For instance: but I still think that the only (small) winning 9.a4 c6 ( Or: 9...f5 10.b3 c6 11.a3 chan ces lie with W h ite he re due to th e d8 12.e1 e8 13.d5 d6 14.xc6 outside passed pawns. The smart money bxc6 15.e5 e8 16.e2 a5 17.ad1 would still be on a draw though! ] h8 18.d5 White's position looks much 22...c6 23.d3?! better. e4 19.xe4 xe5 20.g3 f6 [ 23.xc6 isn't a move White really wants to 21.xf5 gxf5 22.f3 cxd5 23.xd5 c6 play but then again it should be easy 24.dxe5 fxe5 25.xe5 f7 26.b2 g8 enough to hold a draw after bxc6 24.b3 ] 27.e6 d7 28.g3+ f8 29.c3 e8 23...b6 30.xc6 d8 31.h2 d2 32.g3 f4 [ 23...xa2! puts White under more pressure 33.g8+ f8 34.xh7 xf2 35.h5+ f7 as t he c ou n t erp lay d oe sn 't see m to b e 36.g6 1-0 Kosintseva, T -Foisor, C Rijeka e n o u g h , e . g . 24.f3 ( 24.xc6 bxc6 2010 ) 10.e3 f5 11.e2 b4 12.b3 25.a3 c4 ) 24...xd4 25.xf7 f5 bd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.g5 ae8 and Black is definitely better ] 15.fe1 h6 16.h4 f4 17.e3 g5 24.fd1 d7 25.b3 a6 26.a3 b5 18.g3 e6 19.h4 c6 20.hxg5 hxg5 27.xc6 Finally White tries to simplify bxc6 21.xf4 gxf4 22.xf4 Leko, P -Kramnik, V / 28.f1 f5! 29.b3? A strange move which cuts Moscow 2009, W hite has a pawn for no the rook on a3 out of the game - the mistake compensation ] is s wi f t l y p o u n c e d u p o n b y Ch u c ky wh o 8.0-0 c6N Again hesitating with the usual 8.. immediately goes for the kill in the centre 0-0 [ i n s t e a d a f t e r 29.c1 fd8 30.b3 [ Relevant is: 8...b5 9.b3 b7 10.e5! Black has some work still to do to create 0-0 11.f4 Due to the unusual move order real winning chances ] from Polgar White has managed to achieve 29...fd8 30.a4 c5! 31.dxc5?! his best setup here. d8 12.e1 bd7 [ 31.d1 was necessary but Black will be 13.e2 c5 14.dxc5 xc5 15.ad1 c8 going a pawn up after b6 which should be 16.xf7+ xf7 17.xf7 xf7 18.xe7+ enough to win here, especially as White's g8 19.c7 ( 19.e5! c6 20.d5! king is the more open ] White is winning.) 19...f8 20.xf6 xc7 31...d2 Now it's all over 32.f3 xc5+ 21.d5 f7 22.e7+ xe7 23.xe7 33.h1 c2 34.c4 xa2 35.h4 g5 xe7 24.xe7 This endgame is hopeless 36.h5 g4 37.c6 xb3 38.g5 d1 for Black. b8 25.b4 f8 26.xh7 g8 A wonderfully controlled game by Vassily who 27.e7 f8 28.e5 a4 29.d6 f7 shows that it's also possible to win at the 30.ee6 c8 31.xg6 xc2 32.h6 g7 highest level with the Scandinavian - although 33.hg6+ f7 34.h4 c1+ 35.h2 c4 some mistakes from your opponent do help! 36.h6 g7 37.h5 e4 38.he6 0-1 White won in Dominguez Perez, L -Polgar, J/ Khanty Mansiysk 2011 ] 9.a3 0-0 10.e1 d8 11.e3 Black is 193 B01 missing pawns in the center so we can say Dominguez Perez,Leinier 2719 that its not easy to equalize here despite the Polgar,Judit 2699 fact that W hite doesn't threaten anything 12.xe6 FIDE World Cup 2011 (4.6) 08.09.2011 significant for the moment. e6 xe6 13.e2 f5 14.ad1 d6 [Milos Pavlovic] [ 14...d5 15.xd5 xd5 16.c4 f5 17.d5 e5 18.d4 h5 19.xh5 gxh5 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 20.b3 White keeps the advantage. ] f6 5.f3 g6 6.h3 g7 7.c4 [ 14...e6 15.c1 d5 16.e4 f4 17.xf4 White decides to develop in a simple logical xf4 18.c3 b6 19.c2 Again White has wa y a n d a v o i d e a r l y s h a r p a t t e m p t s . a6 easier play. ] The usual move order is: 178
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.g4 e6 16.f1 dd8 17.f4 d7 18.d5 a7 19.e5 e8 20.a4 c8 21.b3 d6 22.g2 White is controlling all the central squares and the main problem of Black's po sition rem ains: no p awn brea ks in th e center. d7 23.d3 xe5 24.xe5 xe5 25.xe5 f8 26.de3 d7 27.f3 Simply improving the position move by move W hite actually gains an even bigger advantage. b5 28.f4 g7 29.e2 f6 30.b4 a5 31.d4 h6 32.c3 b8 33.g2 bxa4 34.xa4 dd8 35.xa5 h5 36.xc7 With two extra pawns the rest is just t e c h n i qu e . hxg4 37.hxg4 f4 38.xe7 xg4+ 39.g3 f4 40.e4 xe4 41.xe4 f5 42.e5 xe5 43.xe5 f6 44.e7 xd5 45.xg6+ f8 46.c7 b6 47.gg7 f5 48.cf7+ e8 49.h7 g5+ 50.f1 h5 51.xf6 1-0
to d8,enquiring how White will break in. 7.e1 [ 7.f4 e7 8.bd2 0-0 9.c4 d8 10.e3 g6 is a good indication of the sort o f p o s it i o n B l a ck i s h e a d in g i n t o , wi t h 11.e5 bd7 12.xg6 hxg6 giving White a minimal edge. ] 7...b4!? A little zwischenzug, encouraging the White c pawn forward. Of course, White takes the opportunity. 8.c3 e7 9.e5 d8 10.a3 bd7= Painless equalization. What could be better after a hard day at work or in a tournament when one needs to economize on e ne rgy. 11.b3 b6 12.ac4 xb3 13.axb3 xe5 14.xe5 d5 15.b4 0-0 16.f3 a6 [ 16...fd8 ] [ 16...d6 were both decent alternatives. ] 17.d7 fe8 For all the world it looks as thought the game will be drawn. Sometimes I don't understand what goes through a player's head? 18.xd5? Pointless. [ 18.c5= ] 194 B01 [ 18.d2= and a handshake was indicated. ] Drljevic,Ljilja 2175 18...exd5 19.b6 c5! Even here White can Milovanov,Olga 2038 just about play on with 20 Rxe8+ Rxe8 21 g4 TCh-SCG Women (10) 18.09.2004 but after 21..Re1+ 22 Kg2 Be4+ she is of course, much worse. Disgraced by her recent [Andrew Martin] play though, Drljevic decides to call it a day. The players in the coming game aren't that Re-running the opening, we find that Black's highly rated, bu t they d o provid e us wit h choice can be used against 3 Nf3 e.g. 3...Nf6 t y p i c a l ' c l u b p l a ye r s e n t e rt a i n m e n t ' F o r 4 d4 Bf5,with transposition. As such, it is a whatever reason, White tries to avoid theory development worth noting. by choosing 'natural methods' in the opening. 0-1 This can never work against the sophisticated Modern Scandinavian and Black equalizes B01 easily, going on to score a quick win. 1.e4 d5 195 Dutreeuw,Marc 2394 2.exd5 xd5 3.d4?! I don't rate this move at Rocha,Sergio 2427 a l l . F o r s t a r t e r s , B l a c k h a s a ve r y g o o d 1999 counter in 3...e5!, which takes the wind right Euro Team Ch out of W hite's sails. Here we see another [Alexander Volzhin] approach. f6 4.f3 f5!? Unusual, but A very instructive game for understanding viable. [ I have played 4...g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 Black's attacking resources in the Center 7.c4 d8 many times now. Black gets a Counter gambit. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 stout defensive position which reacts well to g4 4.f3 f5 5.c4 [ A s I ' v e o p i n e d b e f o r e , 5.b5+ being attacked. For instance, after 8.c3 is more promising for White. ] 0-0 9.b3 c8 10.e3 bd7 11.fd1 a6! 12.ac1 e8 13.h3 h5 Black is ready for 5...e6 6.dxe6 c6 7.e3 b4+ 8.c3 e7 ... c7-c5. He may or may not play ...h7-h6 9.a4 xe6 10.f2 0-0-0 Black has already completed his development while White lags. first, another useful move. ] 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 e6 After c2-c4,Black retreats 11.e1 179
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ The attempt to win a piece doesn't work: 11.d5 xd5!! 12.cxd5 xd5! 13.xd5 h4+ 14.g3 e1+! 15.xe1 xa4 and although W hite has 3 pieces for the Queen, his position is insufficient because o f p o o r c o o r d in a t io n o f h i s f o rc e s a n d exposed position of the King, for example: 16.h3+ b8 17.c3 b4 18.e2 d4 , with huge advantage for Black. ] 11...xd4!! This unexpected exchange s a c r if i c e g ive s B l a ck a st ro n g in it ia t ive . 12.xd4 xd4 A huge development advantage, dark-square domination and the exposed position of W hite's King is tremendous compensation for the exchange. 13.g4?! This ridiculous move loses by force. However it's not easy to find suitable defence for White. [ 13.xa7 This move is hardly an improvement: c5! 14.a8+ d7 A) 15.xh8 c2+ 16.e2 ( 16.g3 h5# ) 16...xc4+ 17.d2 xe1+ 18.xc2 xf1 with a decisive attack.; B) 15.a4+ b5! 16.d1 c8! and White is helpless, for example: 17.g4 e2+ 18.xe2 f5+ 19.e4 xe4 20.gxf5 f2+ 21.d2 g5+ ] [ 13.d3 This attempt to complete development looks most natural, however W h it e 's p o s i t io n re m a in s d if f icu lt : c5! 14.e3 ( If 14.f1 , then d8! threatening Nxf3, is very strong: 15.d1 (what else?) d7! 16.b5 xb5 17.cxb5 d5! with decisive threats.) 14...f5! 15.xf5 xf5 Now 16... Bc5 is a nasty threat and the bishop cannot be taken in view of 16.xb4 g4+ 17.e2 c2+ ] 13...xg4+! 14.fxg4 h4+ 15.g2 xg4+ 16.f2 h4+ 17.g2 xe1 The game is over: Black has 2 extra pawns and an unstoppable attack. The rest is easy. 18.xa7 [ White can't take the Bishop in view of 18.xb4 f5! and White can't parry the ... Nh4 threat, if 19.f3 then e3+ 20.g1 xf1# ] 18...xc3 19.bxc3 f5 20.e2 d8 21.a8+ d7 22.xb7 e3+ 23.f3 xf1 24.b5+ e7 25.g5+ e8 26.d4 d2+ 27.g2 e4+ 28.g1 xd4+ 0-1
196 Edouard,R Danielsen,Hen Politiken Cup 2013 (5.5) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2662 2510 30.07.2013
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.h3 [ 6.e5 is White's main move here but Edouard is normally very good on his theory so it's interesting to see him demonstrate that a slightly slower approach can also be very effective. ] 6...f5 This is Black's most popular response here but there are alternatives: [ 6...g6 7.e5 A) 7...bd7 as played by Tiviakov is p r o b a b l y s a f e r f o r B l a c k h e r e 8.f4 ( I prefer 8.c4! e6+ 9.e2 b6 10.e5 g7 11.0-0 0-0 and Black is solid enough although it's still W hite's position that is easier to play.) 8...d5 9.xd5 xd5 10.f3 xf3 11.xf3 b6 12.d3 e6 13.0-0 d5 14.d2 g7 15.c3 0-0-0 and Black had equalised and went on to grind out the win in Hrisanthopoulos, D (2076) -Tiviakov, S (2623) Vrachati 2011; B) 7...e6!? 8.f4 d8 9.d2 g7 10.0-0-0 Of course White can also play it safe by castling on the other side and keeping a slight edge, but this option is a l o t m o r e f u n ! 0-0 11.h6 ( 11.g4?! is premature as after d5! Black has enough play) 11...bd7 12.xg7 xg7 13.f4 a5 14.xd7 xd7 15.a3 f6 16.g4 and with f5 coming quickly White had a very dangerous attack in Bartel, M (2587)-Muse, M (2445) 2007 ] 7.e5 bd7 8.c4 This is now the only way to cause Black any problems [ 8.f4?! d5! 9.xd5 xd5 and Black has at least equalised - h3 is rather superfluous at this point. ] 8...c7 [ 8...e6+ doesn't really make sense here as after 9.e2 the bishop on f8 is rather trapped in, especially as ...g6 is rather risky in view of g4 ideas. ] 9.f3 e6 [ 9...e6 10.f4 d8 11.0-0-0 b6 12.g4 180
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 g6 13.h4 h5 14.g5 fd5 and now in Loeffler, S (2463)-Kreindl, H (2200) Vienna 2006 W hite could've obtained the better c h a n c e s wi t h 15.xb6! axb6 16.xd5 xd5 17.xd5 exd5 ( or 17...cxd5 18.b5+ d8 19.a3 ) 18.e1+ d8 19.a3 and White's two bishops and control of the open e-file give him a clear advantage. ] 10.f4 d8 11.0-0-0 b6 [ maybe Black should try 11...g6 12.e3 g7 when his position looks solid if not particularly well developed. White can start pre p a rin g a kin gside a ssau lt h ere wit h 13.b1 0-0 14.g4 ] 12.xb6 [ 12.a5!? d7 13.b1 was also quite a reasonable option, and again White is ready to play g4 and increase the pressure on Black's position. ] 12...xb6 [ 12...axb6 would be Black's ideal recapture i f i t w e r e n ' t f o r t h e s t r o n g r e p l y 13.d5! which basically wins on the spot, f or example xd5 ( 13...d7 is sadly the best Black can manage but his position is horrendous after 14.c4 c8 15.e5 ) 14.c4 d7 15.xd5 cxd5 16.xd5! xd5 17.xd5 a4 18.d1 and despite being an exchange ahead Black can safely resign. ] 13.e5 0-0-0 14.a3 a5 15.h2 Very simple play from Romain, keeping all of his options open and waiting to see what, if anything, Black will do. Obviously there are also ideas of Qg3 at some point so Danielsen at least puts a stop to that g5+ 16.b1 g6 17.g4! Suddenly the queen is rather short on squares h5 18.g3 [ 18.a6! is very flashy but it leads to a similar kind of thing to the game after d5 ( 18...bxa6?? 19.xc6# ) 19.g3 d6 20.f4 h6 21.g5 ] 18...d6 19.d5! cutting off the queens escape along the 5th rank xd5? [ 19...h4 was Black's best try here but it's still very bad after 20.f3 xd5 ( or 20...xd5 21.xd5 xd5 22.c4 xd1+ 23.xd1 and Black is defenceless against W hite's coming attack. ) 21.xd5 xd5 22.c4 ] 20.f4?! [ 20.h4 wins on the spot as xg4 ( 20...h6 21.g5 ) 21.h3 picks up the queen ]
20...h6 21.g5 h7 22.gxf6 xh1 Black is still on the board but with the queen out of the game on h7 it's not surprising the Edouard is able to find a crisp end to the game with 23.f5! h4 24.e5 exf6 [ or 24...xd1+ 25.xd1 d7 26.c7+ e8 27.c8# ] 25.e8+ c7 26.xd6 xd6 27.e7+ b8 28.xd6+ a8 29.a6 A pleasing and exact finish bxa6 30.c5 g8 31.xa7# 1-0
197 Erturan,Yakup Exizoglou,Dimitrios Acropolis Open (3) [John Watson]
B01 2389 2224 16.08.2007
W ith this game I look at various ideas involved when W hite plays Bc4 and Nge2 (instead of Nf3). These are not easy lines to meet, and if they discourage Black from ...Bf5, that's quite an achievement for W hite. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.c4 c6 [ The game Yudasin-Oll, Dos Hermanas 1992 illustrated 5...g4 : 6.f3! f5!? 7.ge2 A) Yudasin analyses 7...bd7 8.d2! ( 8.g4 g6 9.h4 h6 10.f4 e5! , as in Cornette, M-Prié, E/ Saint Vincent 2004 - given in an earlier column) 8...c6 9.g4! g6 10.h4 h6 11.f4 h7 12.e2!; B) 7...c6 8.g4! g6 9.f4 bd7 10.h4! e5 11.h5! f5 ( 11...xc2!? 12.xc2 exd4 13.e2+ is messy ) 12.gxf5 exf4 and now Yudasin gives 13.e2+! e7 ( 13...d8 14.d3! ) 14.xf4 xf5 ( 14...0-0 15.d3 15 or h6 ) 15.d6 and wins. ] 6.ge2 f5 This could also arise via 4...c6 5 Bc4 Bf5 6 Ne2 Nf6. [ 6...bd7 7.0-0 e5 is rather loose: 8.e1 e7 9.g3 ( 9.d2 c7 10.g3 ) 9...0-0 10.d2 c7 11.f5 b4 12.b3 with the idea exd4 13.b5! cxb5 14.xb4 c5 15.h6+! gxh6 16.xd4 xb3 17.xf6 c6! 18.xc6 bxc6 19.axb3 d8 20.a5! d6 21.e8+ g7 22.c3+ f6 181
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 23.ae1 ] 7.d2 [ Okhotnik-Keitlinghaus, France 2003 went 7.0-0 e6 8.g3 and Black tried the other main plan d6!? ( avoiding the dangerous 8...g6 9.f4 ) 9.xf5 ( 9.d2!? ) 9...xf5 10.d3 ( 10.e2 ) 10...a5 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 d7 13.f3 f6 14.c4 0-0 15.d2 c7 16.g3 ad8 17.c2 with perhaps a small advantage, but nothing disastrous for Black after c5 ] 7...e6 8.g3 g6 9.h4 Or [ 9.e2 and 0-0-0. ] 9...h5?! [ Black can't solve his problems tactically by 9...b6? 10.h5 xd4 in view of 11.e2! xc2 12.c1 b5 13.xb5 cxb5 14.xb5+ bd7 15.xc2 with a bundle of threats, e.g., e7 16.c3 b4 17.0-0! ( also good is 17.f5 f4 18.xd7+ xd7 19.xg7+ f8 20.h6 ) 17...xc3 18.xc3 with the idea Rd1. ] [ 9...h6! is probably an improvement on the game, when A) 10.d5!? d8! 11.f4 h7 12.e2 d6 ( 12...d5 13.0-0-0 d6 14.e4 xe4 15.xe4 ) 13.xe6!? ( 13.0-0-0 ) 13...fxe6 14.xe6 is more interesting because White has h5 available in some lines but bd7 ( 14...d8?! 15.0-0-0 c7 , but 16.he1 intends Qf3.) 15.f5 xf5 16.xf5+ e7 17.g6+ d8 18.xe7+ xe7 19.0-0-0 looks too speculative, although Black is rather tied up.; B) 10.e2 m a y b e b e s t , e . g . , d8 ( 10...e7 11.d5! ) 11.0-0-0 e7 12.ge4 xe4 13.xe4 xd4!? B1) 14.d3 0-0? ( 14...xe4 15.xe4 d7 16.c3 a4 17.b1 f6 18.g6! ) 15.c3 a4 16.g4! - threatening Nf6+ - xa2 17.h5; B2) 14.c3 c5 15.e3 e5 16.f4 c7 17.g4! 0-0 18.h5 h7 19.g5 with attack. ] 10.d5! d8 11.f4 h7 12.e2! d5 [ 12...d6 13.0-0-0 bd7 14.fxh5 0-0-0 15.g5 ] 13.0-0-0 d6 14.gxh5 [ Or 14.fxh5 d7 15.f3 , tying Black to f7. ]
14...d7 15.xd5 cxd5 16.b3 c6 Maybe not best, but there's no real compensation for the pawn. 17.h3! b6 18.c3 d7 19.f4 c8 20.xc8+ xc8 21.e5! b5 [ 21...g8 22.f4 with the idea Qh5. ] [ 21...f6 22.xf6 ] 22.xg7+ xg7 23.xg7 g8 24.e5 a5 25.c3 xg2 26.g3 d6 27.xd5 Not a well-played game, but W hite's plan certainly deserves notice. 1-0
198 Fedorchuk,Sergey Bauer,Christian TCh-FRA Top 12 2012 (5.2) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B01 2634 2672 04.06.2012
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 g4 4.e2 c6 5.c3 a5 Quite an unusual choice of square in this line and judging by this game Black should stick to the more popular Qd7 as we shall see the Queen is a potential target on a5. [ 5...d7 A) 6.b4 is an interesting way to mix things up early on and now A1) 6...f6 is probably the simplest reply as in Chelushkina, I (2398) Zhukova, N (2471) Belgrade 2000 which continued 7.b5 d4 8.xd4 xd4 9.b2 ( 9.xg4 xg4 10.0-0 e6 can't be a problem for Black) 9...e6 10.f3 h3! 11.f1 and now ( 11.gxh3? h4+ 12.f1 c5 and there's no satisfactory way to meet the threat of Qf2 as after 13.e1 xh3# is mate ) 11...f5! would've left Black clearly on top; A2) 6...e6?! 7.b5 ce7 8.0-0 g6 9.h3 and White was better in Sumets, A (2 5 7 9 ) -A ra b a cio gl u , C (1 5 2 4 ) I zm i r 2011; B) 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 0-0-0 8.d3 has all been seen in the archives before with d4 being analysed by Gawain in the game Vachier Lagrave, M-Tiviakov, S ( and 8...e5 examined by John Watson in Van den Doel, E-Tiviakov, S )] 182
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 6.h3 h5 [ 6...xf3 7.xf3 e6 8.0-0 leaves White with a stable advantage and in fact he may now choose to simply capture on c6 for a lasting structural edge if given the chance. ] 7.b1 [ 7.b4!? xb4 ( 7...xb4? 8.b1 d6 9.xb7 a6 otherwise Nb5 is strong 10.e4! d5 11.d3 is very uncomfortable for Black the lack of Kingside development causes real problems. ) A) 8.a3!? c6 9.b1 looks more d a n g e r o u s t h a n i t a c t u a l l y i s a6! ( 9...0-0-0? 10.b5 wins an exchange) 10.xb7 f6 11.0-0 e6 12.d4 A1) 12...xc3?! is a rather riskier way to p l a y a s a f t e r 13.xc7 d6 14.d2 Black should give up his Queen with xd2 ( 14...xa3 15.xc6 0-0 16.c4 leaves Black struggling) 15.xd2 xc7 despite Black's nominal material superiority White's initiative is ongoing an d in f a c t h e is on to p a f t e r 16.c3 ( 16.g4!? ) 16...d7 17.e5+ A1a) 17...xe5 18.xh5 g6 ( 18...xh5? 19.dxe5 and Black's position will quickly collapse ) 19.f3; A1b) 17...xe5 18.dxe5 xe2 19.b1 and it looks unlikely that Black will be able to survive the onslaught; A2) 12...d6 and Black has equalised fairly comfortably; B) 8.b1 was an interesting idea tried in Pokazanjev, N-Zolotukhin, V and now g6! 9.a3! ( 9.b2 0-0-0 and Black must be at least equal I think) 9...xc2+ 10.f1 0-0-0 11.b5 xc3! 12.dxc3 xd1+ 13.xd1 d3+ 14.e2 xb5 15.xb5 e6 and Black had come out of the opening with good chances, although the position remains tense as it's hard to retrieve the knight from c2 and in fact later Black erred and lost. ] [ 7.0-0 is a very flexible alternative ] 7...e6 [ 7...0-0-0 8.b4! seems to give White strong p l a y , f o r e x a m p l e xb4 9.a3 d5 ( 9...xf3?! 10.xf3 c6 11.xc6 bxc6 12.0-0 and Black's shattered Queenside will cost him in the long run) 10.xd5 ( 10.b5 isn't so clear after xc3! 11.xa5 xf3
12.xf3 xd1 13.xa7 c6 14.xd1 f6 ) 10...xd5 ( 10...xd5 11.c4 g6 12.b4 d6 13.b5 a6 14.d4 and Black is being pushed all over the place) 11.b5 c5 12.c4 c6 13.0-0 and White's attack and lead in d e ve l o p m e n t a r e m o r e t h a n s u f f i c i e n t compensation for the sacrificed pawn. ] 8.a3! [ 8.b4 doesn't really seem to work here as White doesn't have anything after the simple xb4 ] 8...xf3 Not a move that Bauer really wanted to play I suspect but his options were already limited [ 8...f6? 9.b4 f5 ( 9...b6? 10.a4 is rather embarrassing ) 10.g4 wins a piece ] [ 8...b6 9.b4 and Black has nothing better than to take on f3 here ] 9.xf3 ge7 [ 9...e5+ was perhaps a safer option but Black is left suffering after either 10.e2 ( or 10.e2 d6 11.d4 f5 12.0-0 ) 10...xe2+ 11.xe2 0-0-0 12.xc6 ] [ 9...f6 10.0-0 d6 11.d4 and White is simply threatening b4-b5 with a clear edge ] 10.b4 [ 10.0-0 delaying b4 looks at least as strong b6 11.b4 d4 12.b2 0-0-0 13.e4 and again W hite's Queenside potentia l seems the most impo rtant f actor in th e position ] 10...e5+ 11.e2 0-0-0 12.0-0 d6 Sid este pp in g Bb 2 13.g3! Getting ready to play b5 with the idea that after Ne5 or Nd4 the Bishop can simply drop back to g2 [ 13.d3 e5 14.g3 xf3+ 15.xf3 f6 16.e1 should also keep the advantage ] 13...h5! A good decision - Black is really in need of some counterplay 14.b5 d4 [ 14...e5 15.g2 h4 16.g4 f5 ( 16...xg4 17.hxg4 h3 18.f3 doesn't get Black anywhere ) 17.d4! and Black is being forced b a c k - f o r e xa m p l e f7 18.c4! e5 wh a t e l s e ? 19.a4 and Black has serious problems ] 15.g2 ef5 [ 15...xe2+ 16.xe2 h4 may look dangerous but in fact W hite is fine after 17.d3! ( 17.g4 d5 18.h1 is probably better for White as well although it's more unclear ) 17...f5 18.g4 d4 19.e3 c5 183
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 19...xc2 20.xa7 b6 21.a8+ d7 22.a4 must be good for W hite) 20.c3 xc3 21.e4 with a very strong attack - the computer wants to try defending with the greedy xa3 but after 22.xb7+ d7 23.c6+ d6 it's hard to believe Black can re a l l y g e t a wa y wi t h t h i s , f o r i n s t a n c e 24.g2 planning Ra1! is strong ] 16.a4 [ 16.xd4 xd4 17.d3 was perhaps a simpler way to keep the initiative ] 16...b6 17.h1 xe2 18.xe2 d4?! Up until now Bauer has been doing an excellent job of staying in the game despite a very difficult position but this move really doesn't help his cause [ 18...g5! would've given Black real counterchances for example 19.c3 ( 19.b2 g7; 19.d3 g4 ) 19...g4 20.d4 gxh3 ( 20...h6!? ) 21.xh3 h6 22.b2 b8 with h4 coming the position is less clear than it could be alth ough W hite still has th e better chances after 23.f3 as Black is always going to be vulnerable on b7 ] [ 18...h4 fails to 19.g4! d4 20.e3 xc2 21.e4 b4 ( 21...d4 22.a5 wins ) 22.xb4 xb4 23.xb4 and the two Bishops should be enough for White to win here ] 19.a1 a5 [ 19...a5 doesn't help either after 20.f3 d6 21.d3 xa4 22.d2 xb5 23.c4! a6 24.xa4 xa4 25.c5 and the knight drops ] 20.c3 d7 21.d4 The rook has been forced back and Black has just lost time that he couldn't afford. Fedorchuk puts on a forceful display from here to generate a quick win e7 22.b2 b8 23.ad1 g6 Black is just sitting and waiting and hoping W hite can't find a breakthrough. 24.d3 hd8 25.fd1 f6?! Letting the Bishop come to a more active diagonal [ 25...d6 26.a3 a7 ( 26...c4? 27.c5 wins ) 27.c5 a8 28.b6 is rather unpleasant for Black ] [ 25...f8 simply waiting was probably Black's only hope but it doesn't look good after 26.c1 e7 27.h4 f8 28.g1! a k ey mo ve t o d ef e nd f 2 e7 29.f3 a n d B la c k is slo wly b e in g squ e e ze d e5
doesn't work here because of simply 30.dxe5 xd3 31.xd3 xd3 32.xd3 and f2 is defended ] 26.a3 e7?? A blunder but it was close to lost in any case [ 26...a7 27.c5 b6 28.a3 is a rather ridiculous position , the Black Que en is trap pe d o n a7 an d it sh ou ld be a f a irly simple matter for White to open the game up and win from here. ] [ 26...e5 leaves White with a choice of strong lines 27.dxe5 ( 27.f3 e8 28.e1 a7 29.dd1 and Black is almost in zugzwang! ) 27...xd3 28.xd3 xd3 29.xd3 xe5 ( 29...xf2 30.exf6 xg3+ 31.h2 e2 32.d1 and White is simply a piece up ) 30.d8+ a7 31.d5 with a crushing position ] 27.c5! xc5 28.dxc5 xd3 [ 28...xc5 29.xd7 ] 29.xd3 xd3 30.cxb6 A fine game from Fedorchuk, the plan of a3, b4 seems to be a simple way of dealing with a Qa5 setup in this line. 1-0
199 Fedorchuk,Sergey Cornette,M 28th Cappelle Open (4) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2634 2545 05.03.2012
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 [ 3.f3 was tried against Cornette by another strong Grandmaster this month but a ga in h e d r e w ve ry co m f o rt a b ly. . . . g4 4.e2 c6 5.c3 d7 6.d4 ( 6.h3 is perhaps a better try for W hite and then xf3 7.xf3 0-0-0 8.d3 has featured in both Vachier Lagrave-Tiviakov and Van Den Doel-Tiviakov, which can be found in the archives. ) 6...e6 7.0-0 f6 8.e5!? ( White gets nothing at all after 8.e3 d6 9.h3 h5 10.e1 when Black can play the simple 0-0 for equality or go for more by castling Queenside.) 8...xe2 9.xe2 ( 9.xd7 xd1 10.xf6+ gxf6 11.xd1 0-0-0 12.e3 e7 causes Black no problems at all. ) A) 9...xd4 also looks like a good option 184
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 for Black here, for example 10.d3 d6 11.f4 ( 11.c4 doesn't get anywhere c5 12.a4 d5 13.c3 c5 14.a4 d5 15.c3= ) 11...b6 12.c4 c5 13.ad1 d8 and Black is still a pawn up although W hite's lead in development gives him reasonable compensation; B) 9...xd4 10.xc6 bxc6 B1) 11.e3 was perhaps a better way to play f or an edge, and now af te r d7 12.ad1 d6 13.d4! e7 ( 13...0-0?! runs into difficulties after 14.xf6 gxf6 15.e4 e7 16.g4+ h8 17.h4 e5 18.c3! with f4 to come next move) 14.e4 White has a strong initiative in return for the pawn; B2) 11.d1 b4 12.d2 ( 12.f3! b7 13.g5 looks more testing although Black is solid enough af ter e7 ) 12...d6 13.d5 xh2+! 14.f1 ( not 14.xh2 h4+ 15.g1 xd5 ) 14...h4 15.xf6+ xf6 16.c3 f5 17.d3 xd3+ 18.xd3 d6 19.xg7 g8 1/2-1/2 Bruzon Batista, L (2691)Cornet te , M (2 54 5)/ Ca ta lun ya ES P 2012 ] 3...a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 f5 6.d2 e6 7.c4 b4!? Cornette chooses an unusual move in this position but the choice seems very sensible to me [ 7...c6 is much more popular and now 8.d5 ( 8.e2 has been examined a n u m b e r o f t i m e s in t h e a r ch ive s, m o s t recently by Gawain in the game Vaibhav, S (2430)-Yu, R (2431)/Mashhad IRI 2011) 8...d8 9.xf6+ xf6 10.e2 was looked at by Pavlovic in the game HowellPapaioannou ] 8.0-0 [ 8.a3 is perhaps more testing and it features in another couple of Cornette games from the last month or so. xc3 9.xc3 b6 10.d5! this must be critical ( 10.0-0 0-0 11.e5 c6 12.xc6 xc6 13.d3 e4 14.xe4 xe4 was already a little better for Black and Cornette shows that he can grind out these positions against lower rated opposition by going on to beat Urbina Perez, J (2210) ) 10...bd7 11.0-0 ( 11.e2 led to another quick draw after 0-0 12.dxe6 xe6 13.xe6 ae8 1/2-1/2 Istratescu, A
(2650)-Bauer, C (2631)/ Rogaska Slatina SLO 2011; 11.d4!? should perhaps be investigated by White players 0-0-0 12.xf5 exf5 13.0-0 ) 11...0-0 12.dxe6 xe6 13.xe6 xe6 14.e1 f5 15.d4 d5 16.f3 xf3 17.xf3 fe8 18.ad1 xe1+ 19.xe1 e8 20.f3 c5 21.f1 e7 was another draw in Magem Badals, J (2545) -Cornette, M (2545)/ Catalunya ESP 2012 ] 8...c6 9.e1 [ 9.a3 this doesn't feel as critical as it was on the previous move xc3 10.xc3 b6 11.b4 ( 11.e1 has also been tried but after 0-0 12.b4 e4 13.g5 f5 14.f3 e4 W hite ended up regretting avoiding the r e p e t i t i o n o f m o v e s w i t h 15.d2?! as he didn't have enough compensation after xc2 16.e2 a6 17.c4 a7 18.c1 g6 and Black went on to win in the game Naiditsch, A (2685)-Papaioannou, I (2 6 2 8 )/ No vi S a d S RB 2 0 0 9) 11...0-0 ( 11...a6! 12.b2 0-0 is perhaps even more accurate, not allowing White any chance for an edge. ) 12.b5 e7 13.b4 fe8 14.e1 was about equal in Rombaldoni, A (2471)Dvirnyy, D (2492)/ Siena ITA 2010 ( 14.e5!? g6 15.a4! might give some small edge to White )] 9...0-0 10.a3 xc3 11.xc3 b6 12.a4 a5! Black is comfortably equal here, White's two Bishops have no open lines to work with and there are no obvious weaknesses in the Black camp. 13.d3 xd3 [ 13...g4!? keeps more life in the position but then again I'm sure Cornette is happy to swap off and get closer to the draw! 14.d5! xd5 ( 14...exd5 15.xf6 gxf6 16.d2 le a ve s B la c k' s K in g r a t h e r vu ln e ra b l e) 15.xh7+ h8 16.e4 ad8 17.c1 f6 and Black is probably doing fine, but there's no reason to allow any of this of course. ] 14.xd3 fd8 15.b3 b4 16.e2 c6! Once Federchuk is forced to take on b4 only Black can be better. 17.xb4 axb4 18.ad1 a6 19.d3 b5 20.axb5 xb5 If he wanted to Black could try and press for an edge with ... Nd5 - White has no pawn breaks and no plan. Still an impressive set of games from Cornette in the Scandinavian this month! [ 20...xb5 21.h3 d5 22.e4 a2 185
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is a little better for Black ] ½-½
200 Fedorchuk,Sergey A Tiviakov,Sergei 25th ECC Ohrid MKD (5) [John Watson]
B01 2643 2670 08.10.2009
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g6 This move has gained so me wh a t in p o pu la rit y, a lt h ou gh it isn 't m e n t io n i n H o u sk a 's S t a r t i n g O u t b o o k . Karolyi calls it the Czebe Variation based upon the many games that Czebe has played wit h it in t h e p a s t t h re e ye a rs . I h a ve n ' t covered the precise position, even in my answer to a question in the game 'Scandinavian 3.. Qd6 w ...g6 - READER QUESTION' from earlier this year. The reader had asked about combining ...g6 with ...a6, which is slightly different, and I included a host of lines without Nf3. Anyway, why 5...g6 instead of 5...a6 or 5...c6 ? One idea the Czebe has introduced is the move ...Qa6, for e x a m p l e , a f t e r 6 g 3 B g 7 7 B g 2 . 6.g3 A couple of alternatives played this month, and a comment on the main line. [ a) 6.h3 g7 7.b5 b6 8.c4 c6 ( 8...a6 is more flexible, for example, 9.c3 0-0 10.e2 c6 11.d5 d8 ) 9.c3 0-0 10.d3 c5 11.d5 ( 11.dxc5 xc5 12.0-0 d8 13.e3 a5 14.e2 is a touch better for White ) 11...e6 12.0-0 a6 13.dxe6 xe6 14.a3 ad8 15.c2 c6 16.g5 c7 17.e3 ( 17.f4 d7 18.fe1 ) 17...b6 18.ad1 c8 19.ge4 ( 19.e2! f5 20.c1 ) 19...fe8 20.xf6+ xf6 21.e4 h4 22.c6 f8 23.xd8 xd8 24.d1 d4 25.e4 ( 25.xd4 xd4 26.e2= ) 25...xe4 26.xe4 e6 27.d2 ( 27.xd4 xd4 28.d5 e6! 29.c3 is roughy equal) 27...g7 28.d5 xe3 29.fxe3 c7 30.c6 ( 30.c3 e6 31.e4 ) 30...xd2 31.xd2 e6 with the better pa wn s tru ct u re , Fo n ta n a S ot o ma yor, L (2373)-Magem Badals, J (2553), Montcada ESP 2009. ] [ b) Strikovic, A (2512)-Gashimov, V (2740), Ourense ESP 2009 saw the elite
grandmaster on the defensive in the opening: 6.g5 g7 7.d2 h6 8.f4 d8 9.0-0-0 c6 10.c4 bd7 11.he1 (pretty impressive pieces) b6 , and here White missed the chance for 12.xf7+ xf7 13.e5+ g8 14.xg6 , when Black's position is being torn apart. But it was only a Blitz game! ] [ c) 6.b5 is the subject of an article in New in Chess 90 by Tibor Karolyi (he also covers 6 Bc4 and 6 Ne5). The main line seems to be b6 7.f4 , and now Karolyi suggests d5 A) 8.e2 d7! ( 8...xf4 9.e5 ) 9.c1 a6 10.c3 7f6=; B) 8.e5 f6 9.g3 a6 10.c4 axb5 11.cxd5 a6 12.b3 a5+ 13.d2 d7= ] 6...g7 7.g2 c6 [ Here Czebe's 7...a6 prevents 0-0. In his article, Karolyi cites 5 games with this move, complete with notes on the critical lines. He thinks that Black stands satisfactorily. This takes some guts to play, however, since Black's queen is still exposed and White can develop his queenside. ] 8.0-0 g4 9.f4 [ 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 xd4 looks risky. In anoth er O hrid game , Tiviako v survive d 11.d1 c5 12.e3 f5 13.xf5!? ( 13.e2 0-0 ) 13...gxf5 14.b5 1/2-1/2 Azarov, S (2625)-Tiviakov, S (2670)/ Ohrid MKD 2 00 9. T he n ( 14.b5 a6 15.c3 0-0 16.xa7 is obviously risky, since the knight is trapped on a7. On the other hand, it is hard to attack, and under some circumstances White might play Nxc6 and gain three passed pawns on the queenside. )] 9...d8 10.d2 [ 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 is possibly better: 0-0 ( 11...xd4 12.b5 ) 12.ad1 e6 13.fe1 with a nice advantage. ] 10...xf3 11.xf3 e6 Tiviakov has faith in this rather passive standard structure, which also arises in the Slav and Caro-Kann. Of course, W hite has two bishops which are active enough, and even he might hesitate to try something like this against a Kasparov or Anand, however. 12.e2!? [ 12.a4!? 0-0 13.c4 is more aggressive. ] 186
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12...0-0 13.c4 bd7 14.ad1 e8 15.g2 [ 15.b4 b6 16.c3 ad8 17.c1!? prepares Nd3 with a discernible edge. ] 15...b6 16.c3 e5! 17.dxe5 xe5 Now Black has active pieces and sufficient counterplay. ½-½
201 Fedorov,Alexei Hauchard,Arnaud Belfort FRA [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2659 2518 1999
Within a month Alexey Fedorov, 14th in the world rankings, twice had to face the Center Counter, and he has scored only half a point in 2 games! Even more surprising, both times his opponents followed the game Anand Lautier which was disastrous for Black, and both times Fedorov deviates from Anand's method! 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6 5.f3 f6 6.c4 f5 7.e5 e6 8.g4 g6 9.h4 bd7 10.xd7 xd7 11.h5 e4 12.h3 [ In an earlier game vs Nisipeanu in the European Team Championships Fedorov prefered 12.0-0 but failed to obtain any a d v a n t a g e . T h e g a m e c o n t i n u e d : d5 13.xd5 cxd5 14.d3 d6 15.d2 d8! 16.g2 h4 17.h1 f6 18.c3 f4! After the exchange of dark-squared Bishops Black has little to worry about. 19.c1 xd2 20.xd2 0-0-0 21.f4 e7 22.ae1 d6 23.h3 b8 24.f2 g6 25.eh1 f6 26.hxg6 fxg6 27.g5 h5 28.h4 df8 29.f1 f7 30.e2 g7 31.g4 f5 32.xf5 xf5 33.e3 a6 34.e1 and in this level position a draw was agreed. ] 12...g2 13.g3 [ 13.e3 was Anand's choice. ] 13...d5 14.xd5 cxd5 15.d2 d8 16.e2 d6 Due to the position of White's Rook Black wins a very important tempo and successfully completes development. 17.f3 0-0 18.g5 b6 19.b3 a6 20.g6?! A hasty move. [ 20.0-0-0 first should be preferred. ] 20...h4! Probably White underestimated this
move. 21.0-0-0 [ After 21.gxf7+ xf7 White can't grab the p a w n i n v i e w o f 22.xe6?? h1+ and Black wins. ] 21...xh5! [ It's not good to take the other pawn: 21...xd4 22.gxf7+ xf7 ( 22...h8 23.h6 is even worse for Black.) 23.xe6 af8 24.g5 e5 25.xe5 xe5 26.xf7 xf7 27.xd5 with a clear extra pawn in the endgame and excellent winning chances for White. ] 22.e3?! Too optimistic. [ 22.xf7 is also bad: xe2 23.xf8+ xf8 24.gxh7+ xh7 25.xe2 xf2 and Black has a clear extra pawn ] [ 22.gxh7+ was obligatory, with mutual chances. h8 ] 22...xg6 White is 2 pawns down for no compensation. 23.h3 fc8 24.dh1 c7 25.h4 d7! 26.xh7 xh7 27.xh7 xh7 This position is hopeless for White. Bla ck co n ve rt s h is ad va n t a ge in t o a win wit h o u t a ny p ro b le ms. T h e rest n e e d n o comment. 28.e2 ac8 29.c3 g8 30.b2 b5 31.d3 c6 32.g1 f6 33.f3 e5! 34.dxe5 xe5 35.e2 b4 36.c2 xc3 37.d1 d4 38.g5 e8 White resigned . It's not clear to me what's wrong with Anand's 13 Re3, his win over Lautier seemingly very convincing. Nisipeanu and Hauchard definitely have something in mind. But what? We have to wait for new games in this line. Undoubtedly we'll see them very soon. If so, I'll tell you immediately. 0-1
202 Ferguson,Mark Matin,Adam 4NCL Telford [Andrew Martin]
B01 2380 2425 19.01.2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 In some ways an awkward move for Black to meet. The standard white-squared pawn chain plans are no longer available and he has to change tack. I've played the f ollowing plan twice now, against GM Rowson and here and have never been entirely happy with my position although 187
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the results are OK. In purely chess terms, White delays Nc3 giving priority to Be2 and 0-0 and then maybe d4 and c2-c4,gaining space and time in the centre. f6 There are two sharp alternatives: [ 3...g6 4.d4 h6!? Of course Black doesn't have to play this m ove, bu t t he ide a o f pressurising d4 is without doubt interesting. 5.c3 d8 6.f4 f5 ] [ 3...g4 4.e2 f6 5.0-0 c6!? 6.d4 0-0-0 is another dance on a volcano e.g. 7.c4 h5 8.h3 e5!? ] 4.d4 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.f4 Rowson put his Bishop on e3. Black sticks to the plan. d8 The Queen was going to get pushed back anyway. 8.c4 0-0 9.b3 c8 10.c3 bd7 11.ad1 a6 A key move, preventing Nb5 and planning ... Bd6. Black hopes to get ...c7-c5 in one move that is the p o i n t o f h i s p l a y. Fe r gu s o n co m f o r t a b l y maintains an edge. 12.fe1 e8 13.e5 xe2 14.xe2 xe5 15.dxe5 d7 Variations are inapplicable. Black works with a 'manageable disadvantage ' As long as he is modest in his ambitions I believe the Black position to be def ensible. 16.e4 f8 17.g3 g6 Covering g7 18.ed2 d8 O r W h i t e d o m i n a t e s . 19.xd8+ xd8 20.g4 e7 Creating room for ...Qe8 and ... Rd8. 21.g3 e8 22.h4 d8 23.h5 xd1+ 24.xd1 f8 25.g4 d8= I was happier no w. W it h rat io n al e xch an ge s B la ck h a s minimised any disadvantage and the next task was to get rid of the powerful Knight on e4.. 26.h2 [ 26.f4 d4? ( 26...d7! 27.h6 g6 28.d1 c6= ) 27.g5! idea ...Nf6+! ] 26...d7 27.h6 g6 28.f4 c5! Now a curious thing happened. W hite continued to believe that he was better. That cannot be so once Knights are exchanged. Back rank tricks and possible Queen ending squeezes are counterbalanced by the poor white bishop. 29.xc5 xc5 30.f3? [ 30.e3 xe3 31.fxe3 c5 32.b3 f8 is slightly better for Black but I think White should draw. ] 30...d4! Overlooked completely. The tables turn. 31.g3 xb2 32.f6 f8 33.d8 c1! 34.xc7 xh6+ 35.g1 c1+ 36.h2 b5-+ 37.c6 bxc4 38.xa6 c3
39.c4 g5 [ 39...c2! 40.f4 xf4+ 41.xf4 a3 would have been a nicer way. I didn't even see this cute line, concentrating on making the win as simple as could be. ] 40.f4 c2 41.fxg5 d1 42.f4 a3 43.g6 [ 43.c8+ g7 44.g6 hxg6 45.h6+ h7-+ ] 43...hxg6 44.c8+ g7 3 Nf3 is less common than 3 Nc3 but it does restrict Black's choice. I will learn the lines with .... 0-0-0 and go for that next time. 0-1
203 Fernandez Garcia,Jose Luis Karpov,Anatoly Country vs. World Advanced, Sant [Andrew Martin]
B01 2450 2685 2003
1.e4 d5 The ultimate seal of approval. Anatoly Karpov plays the Scheming Scandinavian! Same type of pawn structure as the Caro Kann and not half as much to learn. It's a very practical choice. 2.exd5 xd5 3.d4?! A move which is fine as long as you are content with an equal position which of course most W hite players are not. I think Fernandez Garcia has been genuinely surprised by Karpov's choice of opening and is in rather a hurry to get away from established main lines. e5! The best move, guaranteeing an excellent position for Black. 4.f3 [ 4.dxe5?! A horrible move which, if you are as skilled as Movsesian, you can just about get away with. Others should shun 4 dxe5 because it just allows Black to obtain a very active position. xd1+ 5.xd1 c6 6.f4 c5 7.f3 ge7 8.bd2 g4 9.g3 0-0-0 10.d3 f5 11.h3 Already White is scrambling f or equality. xg3 12.fxg3 xf3+ 13.xf3 he8 14.d2 xe5 15.xe5 xe5 1/2-1/2 Movsesian, SIstratescu, A/National I, Clermont-Ferrand FRA 2003 (15) ] [ 4.c3!? Perhaps the best try although objectively Black is comfortable. A) 4...xd4 5.xd4 exd4 6.b5 b4+ 7.d2 xd2+ 8.xd2 a6 ( 8...d8 9.xd4 f6 10.e1 e8= ) 9.e1+ e7 188
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10.xd4; B) 4...b4 5.f3 g4 6.e2 exd4 ( I like 6...e4 7.e5 xe2 here. ) 7.0-0 xc3 8.bxc3 f6 9.h3 h5 10.a3 bd7 11.cxd4 a5 12.d3 0-0-0 13.ab1 Vasquez Ramirez, R-Ruiz Jimenez, F Havana 2003 ] 4...c6 5.c3 b4 6.d2 xc3 7.xc3 e4 8.e5 xe5 9.dxe5 e7 10.xd5 xd5= With effortless equality for Black, although winning this position against the Two Bishops i s q u i t e a n o t h e r m a t t e r . 11.d4 b4 Black's active play and ease of development combat the Bishops. 12.b5+ c6 13.a4 There was no better way to defend c2. e6 With the idea of ...b7-b5. 14.a3 d5 15.c3 [ I prefer 15.0-0-0 f4 16.g3 although W hite has nothing there too. The game move seems to voluntarily weaken the d3 square. ] 15...f4! 16.c2 xg2+ 17.d2 f5 18.hg1 f4 19.ae1 [ 19.xg7 g6 leaves the Rook embarrassed. ] 19...e6 20.xe4 xe4 21.xe4 0-0-0 22.c2 b6 23.e3 d7! If White could arrange to play f4-f5, he might be able to put Black under pressure, but the Knight on e6 is so strong and that advance can be easily parried by ...g7-g6. 24.h4 d5 25.f4 g6 26.h3 g7 Completing the picture. Black has a better pawn structure and a superior m in o r p ie c e . B u t if W h it e is vigila n t , it ' s difficult to see Karpov winning. 27.f2 hd8 Black is in a hurry to take the d file lest White exchanges a pair of Rooks to ease the defence. [ 27...h5 28.d3 hd8 29.xd5 xd5 30.c4= ] 28.xh7! d2+ 29.b3 e6 30.e3 e2 31.c1! Holding. d7 32.h4 f2 33.h5 gxh5 34.xh5 xf4 35.xf4= Not an especially memorable game but clear evidence that the line with 3 d4 is not to be feared. ½-½
204 Filipovic,Branko Furrer,Marc 8th Hilton Schachfestival (3) [Eric Prié]
B01 2412 2163 03.01.2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 Last year I wrote: "I took up t h e S c a n d i n a vi a n i n 1 9 9 1 . I m e a n T H E Scandinavian, the real one and only with 3... Qa5, not the feeble 'substitutes' of 2...Nf6 nor 2...Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd8 or 3...Qd6 that I will talk about (if I am given the chance to comment Topalov-Kamsky Corus 2005 [1-0 in 20 moves] in the next update!) where White can either make immediate use of his c-pawn or hinder the successful development of Black's light-squared bishop outside his pawn chain. Unfortunately, I had to give up this aggressive system, with which I and Etienne Bacrot, who was my pupil at the time, had tremendous results, quite soon, when the ultimate refutation started to spread." Here it is: 6.d2! a6 Parrying the lethal threat of Nc3-b5, c2-c4c5 which once again highlights the delicate positioning of the black queen in connection with the move ... Nb8-c6. Still, such a move can only represent a makeshift, waiting for better days when White does not play 6.Bd2 (6.Bb5 Ne4! for instance in my dated Encyclopaedia B...) [ For 6...g4 10 See game ] 7.c4 Threatening Nd5, trapping the Black queen which is the main feature of the p r e v i o u s g a m e s o n t h e 5 . B d 2 l i n e . h5 For other queen's moves, 7...Qb4, 7... Qb6, 7...Qf5 and the Pseudo-sacrifice 7...Nxd4 8. N x d 4 Q c 5 s e e t h e n e x t g a m e . 8.e5! Alas, the white initiative will not abate in spite o f t h e e x c h a n g e o f q u e e n s . xe5? More tenacious is [ 8...xd1+ 9.xd1 e6 is relatively best as p o in t e d o u t b y G M C u rt Ha n se n i n h i s ChessBase CD on the Scandinavian. Unfortunately practice lacks relevant e x a m p l e s . P l a y m a y c o n t i n u e ( 9...d8 10.0-0 Then the Nd8 is as badly placed as on h5 but at least it is not threatened with b e i n g l o s t !) 10.xc6 bxc6 11.a4! The obligatory move before the optional one, like castling kingside. The knight is very well 189
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 placed on this square as Hansen mentions as well in his general comments about the position. It eyes c5 and b2 with the idea a5 12.d3! a6 13.c4 d5 14.b3 b6 ( 14...b4 15.b1 Threatening a2-a3.) 15.c5 xc5 16.dxc5 d7 17.e3! Black can play more subtly, however, with a timely ...Nd7, then White should be ready to meet ...Nb6 with Nc5 implying a previous b2b3 to keep the a4-square under control or Bc4-b3 protecting a4 with c6 as a target. It is also good when White prevents the black c-pawns from undoubling with Be3. In any c a s e t h e e n d i n g r e m a i n s d i s s u a s i ve l y superior for White as in Spassky-Prie ] 9.xh5 xh5 A new idea that should backfire like [ 9...d3+ 10.cxd3!? Safer is ( 10.xd3 xh5 11.d5 ) 10...xh5 11.d5 d8 12.c1 A) 12...e6! 13.xc7 b8! Now Black will be able to parry the a5 check with ... b7-b6. ( 13...xc7 14.xe6+ d8 15.a5+ e7 16.xc8 ); B) 12...g6? 13.b3 f5 ( 13...c6 14.a5+ d7 15.b6+ ) 14.xc7 1-0 Ernst, T-Einvik, G Gausdal 1995 ] 10.dxe5 c6 The threat of Nd5 has to be circumvented and since this is not possible with [ 10...e6 because of 11.g4 ] 11.0-0-0 g6 12.h3 The position was already ripe for a frontal assault leading to the win of a pawn at least: [ 12.a4! b5 ( 12...f5 13.c5 b5 14.e2 g7 15.f3 c8 16.xa6 ) 13.b6 b8 14.e2! e6 ( 14...xb6 15.a5 f4 16.f3 d5 17.xd5 ) 15.e3 g7 16.f3 ( 16.g4 f4 ) 16...xe5 17.xc6+ f8 18.d7+ xd7 19.xd7 f4 20.a7 xe3+ ( 20...b6 21.b7 a5 22.f3 a4 23.e1 ) 21.fxe3 b6 22.b7 a5 23.f3 a4 24.d1 f6 25.d8+ g7 26.xh8 xh8 27.xe7+- ] 12...h6? Black overdoes it a bit... [ 12...g7 13.a4 e6 ] 13.a4 g7 [ 13...b5 14.b6 b8 15.xc8 ( 15.e2! ) 15...xc8 16.b3 ( 16.e2 g7 ) 16...e6 ( 16...g7 17.e3 f5 18.e6! ) 17.g4 g7 18.e3 ]
14.b6 b8 15.e6!! xe6 [ 15...xe6 16.c3 f6 ( 16...g8 17.e5; 16...g7 17.xe6 xc3 18.xc8 a5 19.d7+ f8 20.c4 ) 17.xc8 xc8 18.xe6 ] 16.f4 d8 [ 16...xc4 17.xb8 e6 18.c7 f6 19.d8+ f7 20.b8+- ] 17.xd8+ xd8 18.d1+ e8 19.a8! d7 [ 19...f6 20.c7+ f7 21.xe6 xe6 22.e1 ] 20.c7+ d8 21.xf7 g5 22.e5 c8 23.a8! The postman always rings twice! 1-0
205 Fischer,Robert James Robatsch,Karl olm Varna [Alexander Volzhin]
B01
1962
This line was known not to be very good but it has received a certain amount of attention recently and from time to time it occurs even at the very highest level, mainly in Michael Adam s' games. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 4.d4 The initial position of the variation. Now Black has two different plans. One possibility is the fianchetto of his darksquared Bishop, and another is to play the light-squared Bishop to f5 and the arising position looks like a typical Caro Kann. g6 5.f4! Although this game was played almost 40 years ago Fischer's plan is considered as the best nowadays. The idea of this move (followed by 6 .Qd2) is to prevent Black's Knight manoeuvre to f5-square via h6. [ Another possible plan is 5.c4 g7 6.f3 aiming for a small but steady advantage, but recent practice proves Black has good cha nces o f equa lising: h6 7.xh6!? ( The alternatives are: 7.e4 f5 8.c3 0-0 9.0-0 d7 10.f4 d6 11.d3 Kaminski-Kiedrowicz, Bielsko-Biala 1991.; 7.g5 f5 8.0-0 0-0 9.e1 h6 10.f4 c6 11.e5 Arakhamia-Petrovic, Tuzla 1987, with a tiny edge in both cases.) 7...xh6 8.e5 0-0 9.0-0 d7 10.e2 b6 11.ad1 xc4 12.xc4 f5 13.b3 b8 190
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and Black has little to worry about, Tiviakov-Galliamova, Elista 1998. ] 5...g7 [ the immediate 5...h6 is not good in view of 6.e5! f6 7.f4 , weakening Black's Kside. ] 6.d2! [ T e m p t i n g i s 6.b5 as was played in Bronstein-Kholmov, Tbilisi 1959 is harmless: a6 7.f3 f6 8.c4 c6 9.c3 g4 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0 d7 12.e3 e5 13.d5 c5 14.e1 xe2 15.xe2 f5 and in this complicated position Black's chances are by no means bad. ] 6...f6 [ It's not good for Black to take the d4-pawn: 6...xd4 7.xd4 xd4 8.b5 b6 9.xc7+ xc7 10.xc7 and the endgame clearly favors White ] [ 6...xd4? 7.0-0-0 c6 8.b5 d7 9.d5! e5 10.f3 and Black can't avoid gross material losses. ] 7.0-0-0 c6 8.h6 0-0? This natural looking move is indeed the decisive mistake! [ 8...xh6 9.xh6 f5 intending to castle Qs id e s h o u ld b e p la ye d , a lt h o u gh in m y opinion White is clearly better here. ] 9.h4! Exploiting Black's mistake White starts a K-side attack without delay. a5 10.h5! gxh5 The only move. [ Black can't allow the opening of the h-file: 10...d8 11.hxg6 fxg6 12.xg7 xg7 13.h6+ g8 14.f3 15 and Black can't parry the threat of Ng5 ] [ 10...xh5 is also insufficient: 11.e2 f6 12.xg7 xg7 13.h6+ g8 14.g4! and White wins by force: d8 15.g5 h5 16.xh5 gxh5 17.xh5 f5 ( or 17...f5 18.g6! ) 18.g6! xg6 19.g5 winning the Queen. ] 11.d3! bd7 [ It would be very good for Black to transfer his light-squared Bishop to the g6-square but White's last move made this manoeuvre impossible: 11...f5? 12.g5 ] 12.ge2 d8 13.g4! The decisive breakthrough. Now White's attack becomes unstoppable. f8 [ Black can't accept the sacrifice in view of 13...xg4 14.dg1! with decisive threats. ] 14.gxh5 Now Black is helpless against threats
on the g-file. e6 15.dg1 h8 [ Or 15...f8 16.xg7+ xg7 17.h6 g4 18.xh7 and White wins. ] 16.xg7+ xg7 17.h6 g8 [ 17...e6 18.f4! ] 18.g5 d8 [ 18...f5 i s a l s o b a d : 19.xg8+ xg8 20.f8 , Rg1 to follow. ] 19.hg1 f5? A blunder but Black's position is lost anyway. 20.xf5 Bobby Fischer at his best! 1-0
206 Fressinet,Laurent Bauer,Christian 83rd ch-FRA Pau FRA (2) [John Watson]
B01 2673 2583 12.08.2008
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 c6 A very unusual move order in conjunction with Black's next move. 5.f3 g4!? [ 5...f6 transposes to the main ...Qd6/...c6 line. ] 6.e3 [ After 6.h3 , perhaps Black was planning to grab the pawn following xf3 ( 6...h5 7.g4!? g6 8.e5 would be interesting, e.g. , d7 9.c4!? c7 10.f3 ) 7.xf3 xd4!? , following a game Andrew Martin cited: ( 7...f6 8.e3 e6 9.0-0-0 has appeared in a couple of games - see Vorobiov-Hasangatin 2006 in the Archives.) 8.e3 d8 9.d3!? ( probably 9.d1 is m o r e d a n g e r o u s f o r B la ck a f t e r a5 10.c4 f6 11.0-0 ) 9...d7 10.0-0-0 gf6 11.g4!? ( 11.b1 e6 12.g3 ) 11...e6 12.d4 a5 13.b1 c5! 14.xf6 xf6 15.g5 d7 16.xh7 e5 Grabaczyk - Cicak, Oberliga Ost 2001. ] 6...f6 7.h3 h5 [ 7...xf3 8.xf3 e6 is a standard structure that arises f rom m any openings. W hit e probably has the advantage because Black's pieces aren't developed or coordinating ideally. ] 8.g4 g6 9.e5 This is all normal-looking except for W hite's bishop on e3, which is a little passively-placed to have used up a tempo on. Still, W hite will try to make 191
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 something of his space. bd7 10.xg6 [ A very important idea in these positions is 10.f4!? . Then e6 ( 10...d5? 11.c4! and f5 follows) 11.g2 has ideas of Qe2 and h4 o r 0-0-0 . Compa re this month's Amin-Sengupta game. ( 11.h4 d5 )] 10...hxg6 11.f3 e6 12.0-0-0 c7 White has two bishops, but this pawn structure is theoretically suited for restraining W hite pawn moves that might activate them. For all that, I think that White's space gives him the a d v a n t a g e . 13.b1 b4 14.e4 xe4 15.xe4 f6 16.f3 d5 17.c1 b5! W e ' ve s e e n t h is i d e a in t h e C a r o - K a n n : prevention of c4 takes precedence. 18.h4! [ 18.c4?! bxc4 19.xc4 b8 ] 18...0-0-0!? Daring, because it risks attack down the c-file. Other ideas would be [ 18...e7 and ] [ 18...d6 ] 19.h5 [ More ambitious is 19.c4! bxc4 20.xc4 . Rd3-b3 and a transfer of the h1 rook to c1 would be more pointed. ] 19...gxh5 20.gxh5 e7!? 21.c4 f6! 22.g2 bxc4 23.xc4 e7 Versus Bg5, but also in order not to lose time on the queenside after, say, Rh3-b3. 24.h3 g5 25.f3!? [ 25.e4 g7 26.dd3 with the idea Rb3 is one setup. W hite's next few moves don't seem to do anything. ] 25...g7 26.f1?! b6 27.b3 b7! 28.a4 g4?! [ Black would be well on top after 28...xh5! with the idea 29.a5 g4! ] 29.h6! xh6?! Perhaps not objectively best, but Black wants to fight for the initiative in what is probably approaching time trouble. 30.xh6 xh6 31.g3 [ 31.xf7?? g6+ ] 31...f4 32.e2 xd4 33.xd4 xd4 34.xg4 White stands better, but he has some weaknesses to give Black hope. f6 35.a2 c5 36.f3 a5 37.d2 b4 38.f4?! [ 38.xb4! axb4 39.xb4 gives White a good attack: c7! 40.a5 d7 41.a6 g5 42.a7 d8 43.c2! a8 44.a4 and Black remains tied up. ] 38...e7! 39.e4!?
[ Only White can win a position like 39.xf6 xf6 40.f4 d7 41.c4 ] 39...d7 40.f4 g7 41.g4 f6 42.f4 A bit odd, since W hite risks nothing by continuing. ½-½
207 Fressinet,Laurent Feygin,Michail Bundesliga 2008-9 (7) [John Watson]
B01 2676 2569 28.11.2008
3...Qd6 has taken over from 3...Qa5 in practice at the top levels of play. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e3 This apparently passive move is actually rather hard to contend with. 6 Ne5 and 6 g3 are more common. g4 7.h3 xf3?! In this position, because White has played Be3, it seems undesirable to bring White's queen to f3 while ceding the bishop pair, because 0-0-0 can come so quickly. It seems to me that [ 7...h5 is better, with a typical continuation along the lines of A) in an earlier update I showed FressinetBauer, Pau 2008: 8.g4 g6 9.e5 bd7 10.xg6 ( I think that 10.f4 deserves strong consideration, as explained there) 10...hxg6 11.f3 e6 12.0-0-0 c7 W hite has two bishops, but it's not as much as he gets in our game, primarily due to the open h-file.; B) 8.e2 e6 9.d2 c7 (so as to answer Bf4 by ...Bd6) 10.0-0-0 bd7 ( 10...b4!? ) 11.b1 d6 12.he1 0-0-0 and White's edge is nominal. ] 8.xf3 bd7 [ 8...e6 is a standard structure that arises from many openings. W hite probably has th e ad va nt a ge b e cau se B la ck's pie c e s aren't developed or coordinating ideally. 9.0-0-0 has appeared in a couple of games see Vorobiov-Hasangatin 2006 in the Archives. ] 9.0-0-0 e6 10.b1 [ 10.f4 b4 11.c7! cuts the queen off then c8 12.a3 e7 13.e5 d8 14.g3! must be in White's favour. ] 192
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10...c7 11.g4! A major decision. White prevents 11...0-0-0 because of 12 g5 and Qxf7, while gaining space. On the whole, this seems to count for more than the fact that g4 is weakening. d5!? [ 11...h6 12.h4 0-0-0 13.d3! ] [ 11...e7 lo o ks b e st t h e n 12.d3 0-0 13.g5!? d5 14.xd5 ( 14.e4 c5 ) 14...cxd5 15.h4 b6 16.h5 g6 17.e2 c4 18.h5 with the idea of Rh4 and Rdh1 gives some attacking chances. ] 12.c1 [ 12.xd5! cxd5 13.c1! and 14 c4 would exploit Black's last move. ] 12...xc3+ 13.xc3 d6 14.f3 f6? [ 14...0-0 is relatively solid. White might r e s p o n d w i t h 15.h4 ( 15.d3 c5?! 16.xh7+ xh7 17.d3+ g8 18.dxc5 will win a pawn. 15...Rac8 is better) 15...e5 16.h5 exd4 17.h6 g6 18.xd4 ] 15.g5 g8?! Black wants to stay in touch with f7 so as to castle queenside, but he can't easily achieve that, so [ 15...d7 16.h4 f8 17.h5 0-0-0 might improve. Nevertheless, White has a clear advantage after 18.h6 g6 19.f6 g8 20.d3! b8 21.c4 ] 16.c4 d7 A very bad sign. [ After 16...0-0-0 17.c5 f8 18.c4 , Black can't develop. ] 17.d5! [ Or 17.h4 wit h t h e id e a e7 18.d3 and h5. ] 17...cxd5 [ 17...exd5 18.cxd5 e7 19.dxc6 bxc6 20.c4 0-0 21.d2 and White's bishops are asserting themselves. ] 18.cxd5 e5 19.h4! e7 20.h3 a4 21.h5 0-0? But Black had serious problems anyway, for example, [ 21...d8 22.he1 0-0 23.h6 gxh6 24.gxh6 f5 25.g5 ] 22.h6 Suddenly the position is resignable. gxh6 23.f5! g6 24.h3! fd8 25.xh6 f8 [ 25...f8 26.xh7+ xh7 27.xh7+ f8 28.f5! e7 29.g6! is the end. ] 1-0
208 Friedel,Joshua E Pechenkin,V 4th Int Edmonton CAN (8) [Neil McDonald]
B01 2551 2372 21.12.2009
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.f3 xd5 4.d4 g6 5.c4 b6 6.c5 d5 7.c4 c6 8.0-0 g7 9.e1 0-0 10.c3 As you can see in the archives, Black is really labouring to stay alive in this variation. His next move makes matters even worse. b6? This game demonstrates in startling fashion why Black usually chooses to prevent White's next move with [ 10...h6 ] 11.g5 e6 The natural way to defend d5 and meet the threat to e7, but rather surprisingly it allows a combination. 12.xd5 cxd5 13.xe7! xe7 14.xd5 c6 [ After 14...a6 15.xa8 xa8 16.d5 d8 17.e2 xd5 18.xa6 xc5 19.e2 Black's two bishops aren't enough for the exchange. ] 15.xc6 ac8? [ A better chance is 15...ad8 to attack the d4 pawn, when White still has a far amount o f wo r k t o d o t o c la im t h e win , t h o u g h 16.cxb6 axb6 17.a4 d6 18.ad1 etc. should do the trick. ] 16.d5 bxc5 17.b3 [ Even stronger was 17.a4 so that if c7 18.ad1 intending 19.dxe6 Qxc6 20.Qxc6 Rxc6 21.e7 Re8 22.Rd8 when the passed pawn gets through. f5 19.g4 and wins. ] 17...d6 [ Black could have muddled on with 17...b8 18.e3 d6 ] 18.dxe6 xc6 19.g5 fxe6 20.xe6 d7 21.c6+ h8 22.f7+ xf7 23.xf7 xc6 24.xa7 xb2 25.b1 d4 26.h1 xf2 27.e7 1-0
193
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 209 Frolov,Denis Vshivkov,Konstantin Perm [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2330 1997
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.c4 b6 5.c3 e5!? 6.f3 g4 7.e2 xf3 8.xf3 exd4 9.0-0!? Starting interesting complications. [ After 9.b5 b4+ 10.d2 xd2+ 11.xd2 c6 12.xd4 xc4 13.e2+ e7 14.0-0-0 xe2 15.xe2 White had achieved a small advantage in the endgame in Peptan - Casagrande, Biel 1996 ] 9...dxc3 [ 9...c6 trying to complete his development safely also comes into consideration, the game Bochinski - Klawa, Germany 1993 continued with 10.e1+ e7 11.g5 c8 12.b5 0-0 13.xe7 xe7 14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 g6 16.f5 and Black's life is not so easy in this endgame. ] 10.e1+ e7 11.g5! [ Sacrificing the knight. White of course was n o t g o i n g t o p l a y 11.xd8+? xd8 12.xb7 after 8d7 13.xa8 xa8 14.bxc3 f6 15.d1 c8 with a big advantage for Black as in the game Kaps Calota, Rimavska Sobota 1996 ] 11...f6 12.h5+ g6 13.xf6 0-0 [ 13...f7? was losing by force: 14.xe7+! xf6 15.f3+ xe7 16.e1+ A) 16...d7 17.g4+ d6 18.e6+ d7 ( 18...c5 19.e3+ d4 20.e5+ ) 19.xb6+ e8 20.e6+ e7 21.f6 winning; B) 16...d6 17.d3+ ( 17.c5+ is good enough as well: xc5 18.xc3+ c4 19.e5+ d5 20.b4+ c6 21.xd5 xd5 22.f3+ etc. ) 17...c6 18.f3+ d5 19.xd5+ b6 20.c5+ a5 21.e4 winning ] 14.xe7 [ Of course not 14.xe7? xd1+ 15.xd1 xf6 winning ] 14...xd1 15.axd1 [ This position had already been played a c o u p l e o f t i m e s b e f o r e , 15.xd1 is also worth considering: cxb2 16.b1 e8 17.c5 c6 18.cxb6 xe7 19.xe7 xe7
20.bxc7 c8 21.xb2 xc7 22.g3 g7 23.g2 with a small advantage in the game Smirin - Preissmann, Geneva 1992 ] 15...c2 [ 15...gxh5 does not solve all Black's problems 16.xf8 xf8 17.c5 6d7 18.bxc3 a5 19.d5 a6 20.xh5 f6 21.f5 f7 22.b1 with an advantage in the game Frolov - Sivokho, St. Petersburg 1995. ] 16.c1 gxh5 17.xf8 xf8 18.xc2 c6 19.d2 [ 19.b3 was tried in the game Groszpeter W a d s a c k , O b e r w a r t 1 9 9 6 : d8 ( 19...e8!? ) 20.h3 d4 21.c3 d7?! ( 21...e8 ) 22.e5 f7 23.ce3 d7 24.xh5 with real winning chances. ] 19...e8 20.xe8+ xe8 21.b3 Two knights are not bad against a rook in such endgames but of course W hite has some winning chances. e7 22.f3 d7 23.f2 d8 24.d5 f6 25.e5+ d6 26.g5 e6 27.f5 e7 28.a5 a6 29.b4 c6 30.b5 axb5 31.cxb5 c5 32.a7 c4? Too risky. W as Black really hoping to promote his cpawn? Now the White passed pawns are very dangerous. [ 32...d8 was good enough to hold the balance: 33.a4 c4 34.a5 c3 35.e3 d5+ 36.d3 d6 and the position looks drawish. ] 33.xb7+ d6 34.b6+ d5 35.e3 [ 35.c6!? deserves attention: e8 36.c8 d6 37.b6! c5 38.c7 c3 ( 38...e6 39.b7 ) 39.e2 c4 40.b7 but Black is still fighting after c2!? ( 40...xb7 41.d3 ) 41.b8 c1 42.g8+ d4 43.d8+ c3 44.f6+ b4 a l t h o u g h a f t e r 45.d4 White has real winning chances. ] 35...e5 36.c6 d5+ 37.d2 c3+ 38.xc3 Forced. xc3 39.xc3 The position looks completely winning for White but Black has an important resource. h4 40.d2?! [ 40.c4 looks more logical: d6 ( 40...h3 41.gxh3 g5 42.f4+ xf4 43.d5 ) 41.a4 and now after h3 42.gxh3 g5 White is not losing the f-pawn as in the game. 43.f4 ] 40...h3 41.gxh3 d4 42.b6 xf3+ 43.d3 d6 44.e3 e5 45.f4 d7 46.b7 e6 47.g5 e5 194
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ And a draw was agreed as taking the hpawn is not enough to win the game: 47...e5 48.h6 f6 49.xh7 as the White king is locked up on the edge o f t h e b o a rd a n d t h e kn ig h t ca n e a sil y neutralise the passed pawns: f7 50.a4 b8 51.h4 a6 52.h6 f6= ] ½-½
210 Gabrielian,Artur Glek,Igor V Geller Mem Moscow RUS (7) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2520 2560 08.05.2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 4.f3 W ith this particular move-order, W hite is trying to blunt the variations with...Bc8-f5. If Black plays that move, White responds with Bc4 and d2-d3! and the light-squared Bishop 'bites on granite' I personally don't think this matters a great deal Black is solid anyway, but here we see that Glek is intimidated and enters a somewhat simplistic sideline which all the way along the line is a little better for White. [ 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 This is how he likes to play it . ( I prefer 5...c6! a more flexible try. ) 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 c6 8.e3 e6 9.d3 bd7 10.0-0 d6 11.ad1 0-0 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 g6 14.c4 e8 15.f3 h4 16.fe1 e5 17.g4 ( 17.c5 exd4 18.cxd6 dxe3 19.xe3 b4 ) 17...xg4 18.hxg4 exd4 19.xd4 e5 20.xe5 xe5 1/2-1/2 Khruschiov, A-Glek, I/Moscow RUS 2006/ ] 4...g4 [ 4...f6 5.c4 c6 is the flexible choice again. ] 5.h3 [ 5.c4 e6 6.0-0 f6 7.d4 c6 8.e3 e7 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 0-0 11.g3 d6 12.f4 d5 13.xd5 cxd5 14.d3 d7 15.f3 g6 16.f5 h4 17.f2 f4 18.xf4 xf4 19.fxe6 fxe6 Ladron de Guevara Bravo, PMartinez Garret, J/Malaga 2005 20.ae1 ] 5...xf3 6.xf3 c6 This is clearly an option for Black, but not very exciting! After ceding the two Bishops, all that Black can hope for now is long-term equality and a struggle to
get even that! So why does Glek choose this line? I think he is confident about his technique and of course it is not THAT easy for White. The type of small edge that White is getting could easily dissipate. 7.b4!?N [ 7.c4 has been most common: f6 8.0-0 e6 9.d3 d5 ( 9...d6 10.e4 xe4 11.dxe4 d7 12.e2 c7 13.e3 h2+ 14.h1 f4 15.ad1 0-0-0= Karatorossian, D-Sulskis, S/Linares 2000; 9...e7 10.e1 bd7 11.g5 c8 12.a4 a5 13.ad1 0-0 14.d4 Jonasson, R-Kurucz, L/Balaton 1996 ) 10.e4 e7 11.e1 0-0 12.e3 d7 13.d4 5f6 14.c3 xe4 15.xe4 c7 16.g4 f6 17.d4 ae8 18.ae1 h8 19.1e3 c5 20.g3 g6 21.f4 h5 Vazquez Gonzalez, J-Borrajo, A/Orense 1997 22.f3 ] 7...a6 8.b1 f6 9.a4 Very interesting play! Quite often the pawn lever b4-b5 is accompanied by a fianchetto of White's King Bishop here White is using his Queen to add fuel to the fire. Gabriellan's plan is logical, attacking c6 and b7. Yet White's insistence on a ' different' type of game gives Black extra winning chances too and enables Glek to come to lif e from his currently rather dull position. e6 10.b5 c7 [ 10...axb5 11.axb5 e7 is OK for Black according to Deep Fritz, but the machine doesn't seem to understand that W hite is just massively better after 12.bxc6! ] 11.d3! bd7 12.e4 In my view, White's o p e n i n g p l a y i n t h i s g a m e i s e xt r e m e l y original. e5 [ 12...xe4 13.xe4 conforms to the main theme. ] [ but Glek could have considered capturing o n b 5 f i r s t : 12...axb5 13.axb5 e5 14.xf6+ gxf6 15.xf6 xd3+ 16.cxd3 g8 17.0-0 cxb5 18.b2 ( 18.a1 a4! ) 18...c6 19.g3 c5 20.e5 ] 13.xf6+ gxf6 14.xf6 [ 14.g3 xd3+ 15.xd3 e5+ 16.e3 d5! ] 14...xd3+ 15.cxd3 g8 16.bxa6 xa6 17.0-0 a5! [ A small edge could be gained by 17...xa4 18.d4 g6 19.h4 h6 ] 18.h1 ag5 Changing gears! 19.g1 d6 The worm has well and truly turned and with 195
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the threat of ...Bh2, Black is on top! 20.f3 [ 20.g3 f5 is of course, lost for White. ] 20...h2! 21.e1 [ I don't hold any great hope out for Gabriellan after 21.xb7 but it would have been better than the game. xb7 22.xh2 f5 23.e3 b3! ] 21...xg2 22.xg2 xg2 23.xg2 d6 24.e4 e7 25.f1 f5 26.c4 f7 27.a5 c5 28.a3 The game comes to an abrupt end courtesy of the clock. We should discard the latter stages an d con centrate o n th e opening though. Solid, but passive is my overall impression of Black's system. 0-1
211 Gashimov,Vugar Hamdouchi,Hicham Galicia Festival Blitz blitz (4) [John Watson]
B01 2740 2590 26.09.2009
Gashimov is a leading grandmaster, and even his Blitz games can be instructive. Here's a short listing of recent ideas in a critical line. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 f5 6.c4 c6 7.d2 e6 8.d5 Houska devotes 28 pages(!) of her new book to this move, in a chapter 'The Main Line: Shirov's 8 Nd5'. d8 9.xf6+ gxf6 10.0-0 Here are the main lines, with a couple of my previously Archived games as examples, and a few of Houska's notes: [ a) 10.b3 d7 11.e2 c7 12.h4 g6 , when the Archives give the f ollowing: 13.0-0-0 ( 13.f4 0-0-0 14.0-0-0 f5 15.g3 b8 16.c4 f6 17.xg6 hxg6 was about equal in Socko-D Schwarz, Warsaw 2008.) 13...0-0-0 14.g3 A) 14...d6 15.b1 ( 15.xg6 hxg6 16.h4 b8 17.c3 c8 18.b1 c5 19.dxc5 xc5 20.c2 looks to be slightly in White's favour (h5 can follow), GroverAlmond, Hastings ENG 2008) 15...he8 16.xg6 hxg6 17.h4 f5 18.g5!? ( 18.h5 ) 18...e7 19.f4 d6 20.g5 e7 21.f4 d6 1/2-1/2 BittencourtVescovi, Porto Alegre BRA 2008.; B) 14...b8 15.b1 a8 16.xg6 hxg6 17.h4 h6 18.c3 g7 19.h5 gxh5
20.xh5 f5 21.dh1 f6 22.xh8 xh8 23.xh8+ xh8 24.d2 d8 25.c3 g7 26.f4 d5 27.c1 h8 28.g4 h3 29.gxf5 xf5+ 30.c2 1/2-1/2 Kravtsiv, M (2527)-Tomczak, J (2447)/Lublin POL 2009. White could play on. ] [ b) 10.e2 xc2 is critical and apparently safe enough for Black if he knows what he's d o i n g , e . g . , 11.c1 g6 12.0-0 e7 13.fe1 0-0 14.h4 e8 15.xg6 hxg6 16.xe6 fxe6 ( 16...f8 17.d3 fxe6 18.xg6+ g7 19.h6 e7 20.xe6 ends in a draw in the main line) 17.xe6+ g7 18.c3 d7! with equal chances, Zhang-Nisipeanu, Cap d'Agde (rapid) 2000. ] [ c) 10.c3 d7 ( versus 10...c7 , we've looked at the interesting 11.h4 g6 12.f3 d7 13.h3! , threatening Nxg6, when White might get a small edge if b o t h s id e s p la y a c cu ra t e ly.) 11.0-0 ( Emms suggests 11.h4 g6 12.e2 c7 13.0-0-0 ) 11...c7 12.h4 g6 13.e1 ( 13.f3!? ) 13...0-0-0 14.e2 d6 15.g3 f5!? 16.g2 is the Archive game Zhigalko, S (2 592 )-T omczak, J (24 61), Warsaw POL 2008. ] 10...g8?! [ 10...d7! is Houska's recommendation. S h e wa n t s t o ca st le f irst a n d t h e n 'ge t some action' along the g-file. I still prefer White, however. ] 11.e1 g4 [ White also gets space and the bishops following 11...d7 12.h4 g6 13.xg6 hxg6 14.e2 ] 12.h1 d6 [ 12...xf3? 13.xf3 xd4 14.b3! hits b7 and e6. ] 13.b4!? Stopping ...c5 and preparing b5. [ 13.h3 h5 14.c3 is a solid alternative. ] 13...d7 [ 13...xf3 14.xf3 xd4 15.e2 e5 16.d3 h5 17.b3! threatens Bxe6. ] 14.b5 cxb5 15.xb5 0-0-0 [ 15...d5 16.e2 xf3 17.xf3 xd4 18.b1! b8 19.e2 b5 20.h5! threatens Qxe6+, and e5 21.xb5 c8 22.c3 doesn't help. ] 16.b1 d5 17.f4 xf3 18.gxf3 b6 19.c3 d6 20.g3 h5 21.f4 d5+ 196
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 22.g1 xf4 23.c4 xd4 White's attack [ 9.c4 cxd5 10.dxe5 b4+ 11.d2 e6 isn't good enough, and Black should 12.0-0-0 probably the former is the most consolidate, but tragedy strikes: 24.f3 xg3 promising. ] 25.hxg3 c5 9...d3+ 10.xd3 xf4 11.d5!? cxd5? [ 25...f5 ] [ (a) Black could have gone for the pawn 26.a4 d7 grab 11...b4+ 12.c3 xb2 , but White [ 26...h5 27.a5 h4! ] ha s co mp en sa tion , f o r exam ple , 13.d1 27.a6 b6?? 28.xb7# ( 13.b1?! xa2 14.dxc6?! bxc6 15.d1 1-0 a5 16.e2 c7 ) 13...d7 ( 13...b6 14.c4 c7 15.e4! e6 16.d6 b8 17.e2 and Black has no play.) 14.c4! 212 B01 xa2 15.e5 with a convincing attack. Then perhaps best is c5 16.xd7 xd7 Gashimov,Vugar 2664 17.b5+ c7 18.xc5+ d8 , but any Tiviakov,Sergei 2643 d e v e l o p i n g m u c h s u c h a s 19.d3 50th It Reggio Emilia ITA (7) 04.01.2008 yields the advantage. ] [John Watson] [ (b) 11...d7 12.0-0-0 e6 deserves attention. ] Tiviakov suffered two recent losses with 1...d5. Maybe he should go back to the Accelerated 12.xd5 e6? [ 12...a6 13.0-0-0 c7 is better, but slow, e. Dragon! 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 g., 14.e2 e6 15.d4! d7 16.h5! ] 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 The archives are flooded with games with 5...a6. Only recently has the 13.b5+ e7 14.d2 Threatening Nd5+ and ...c6 formation taken hold. However, I prefer thus winning yet another tempo d6 15.e2 to establish it on move 4 (3...Qd6 4 Nf3 c6). And now Nf5+! f6 16.f3+ [ 16.d1 c5 17.g4+ e7 18.0-0 6.e5 bd7 This natural move seems a bit keeps the king in the centre. ] shaky after White's reply. 16...e7 17.e2 f6 18.f3+ e7 19.0-0 [ 6...f5 is the main alternative. ] c5 20.a4 g6 21.fe1 g7 22.ad1! 7.f4 [ Even 22.b4! g5 23.ad1 makes it [ 7.c4 is also possible, for example, c7 impossible to get the h8 rook out and king 8.f3 b6 9.f4 d8 10.e5 to safety. ] Smeets-Feygin, Netherlands NED 2007. ] 22...xb2 23.c3! 7...d5 [ 23.d5+ f8 ] [ 7...b4 8.a3! ] [ 7...xe5 8.dxe5!? ( 8.xe5 b4 9.a3 23...f5 24.b1 It's over. a3 25.b5 c6 b6 10.c4 ) 8...b4 9.d2 is a problem: 26.g3 d7 27.xf5+! d8 28.b4! c7 e4 10.xe4 xe4+ 11.e2 , when of 29.h4+ c8 30.xd7+ xd7 31.e7+ 1-0 course xg2 12.0-0-0 is extremely risky. ] 8.xd5 xe5 [ After 8...xd5 , Ni Hua chose 9 Nf3 with a B01 small advantage. The most entertaining idea 213 Geller,J 2544 is 9.c4!? ( 9.f3 xe5 10.xd5 cxd5 Kovalenko,Igor 2572 11.dxe5 e6 12.e2 is formally better for 12.04.2012 W h it e ho wever, Bla ck sho uld n't be t o o 19th TCh-RUS 2012 (4) worried.; Finally, 9.c4!? e4+ 10.e3 [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle] is worth a look.) 9...e4+ 10.e2 xf4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 11.xf7 ( 11.g3 f6 ) 11...g8 12.g3 f6 1.e4 13.0-0-0 b6 14.d6+ xd6 15.xg8 Kovalenko is something of an expert in this line, having played it on numerous occasions and it's not obvious what's happening. ] 9.e3 recently. 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 6.h3 h5 [ Slower ideas were 9.dxe5 xd5 10.xd5 7.g4 g6 8.e5 bd7 [ 8...c6 has also been played but 9.f4 cxd5 11.c4 and ] 197
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 t h e k n i g h t o n a 8 g ive s W h i t e s o m e has done well for White ] headaches, e.g. 9.xg6 The first new move for B1a) or 16.d1 xh1 17.xd2+ c8 ChessPublishing. when both 18.b5 ( or 18.e6 fxe6 [ 9.b5 has been played most often and 19.c4 d5 ) 18...c6 19.xc6 bxc6 looks quite critical. A recent game 20.f4 e6 look good for Black.; c o n t i n u e d : b6 10.c4 c6 B1b) 16.xd2 xh1 17.b5 c6 ( I n s t e a d G a w a i n l o o k e d a t 10...e6+ 18.xc6 bxc6 19.d1 e6 20.e2+ in Najer, E (2665) -Kovalenko, I (2486) c8 21.d3 e7 22.c4 d8 Mo s c o w 2 0 1 0 .) 11.d5 xd5 12.xd5 and the knight still cannot escape and xd5 13.xc7+ d8 14.xd5 e4 will soon be rounded up.; 15.h2 ( Previously Gawain wrote: 15.g1 B2) 12.g2 xd2 13.xd2 d8 xd5 16.f4 White has some advantage 14.e2 e6 15.0-0 c6 16.e4 xe4 as Black's exposed king on d8 gives him 17.xe4 xe4 18.xe4 c5 some problems along the d file.) 15...xd5 when due to the weakness on e5 Black 16.f4 c8 17.e3 f3 18.g2 xg2 had the more comfortable endgame and 19.xg2 e5= and Black was fine. Edouard, e ve n we n t o n t o wi n . K h a l i f m a n , A R (26 0 7 )-Mila n ovic, D (2 5 20 ) De izisa u (2632)-Kova lenko, I (2 587) Jurmala 2012. ] 2012. ] [ 9.f4 is seen in the archives and also looks 10.g2 And this looks like the d a n g e r o u s . A r e c e n t K o va l e n k o g a m e 9...hxg6 continued: xe5 The experienced Russian correct continuation. [ Instead 10.f3 has been tried a fair bit, GM continued ( Instead 9...d5 was seen including a recent game of Ivanchuk's: c6 in the archives but was very good for White, 11.e3 eve n if o ur b oss la ter e rred . Ko st en , A A) In those he tried 11...b6 which also (2507)-Govciyan, P (2411) Pau 2008. ) l o o k s r e a s o n a b l e f o r B l a c k : 12.0-0-0 A) Instead 10.xe5 lo o k s b e t t e r b6 bd5 13.e4 ( 13.xd5 xd5 14.xd5 Here John Watson gives cxd5 15.g2 e6 16.he1 d7 17.b1 A1) b u t w e t h i n k 11.f3! is actually d6 was around level but Black eventually stronger, for example converted against his lower rated A1a) 11...xc2 looks very risky opponent. Grekh, A (2369) -Kovalenko, I 12.c1 g6 13.b5 e4 ( 13...c8 (2581) Mukachevo 2011.) 13...xe4 14.xc7 xc7 15.xc7+ d8 14.xe4 b5!? 15.g2 e6 16.d2 e7 16.d3 doesn't look at all comfortable 17.f4 a5 18.hf1 d7 19.e5 f6 f o r B l a c k .) 14.xc7+ ( 14.a3!? ) 20.xd6+ xd6 21.c3 a4 and only Black 14...xc7 15.b5+ d7 16.xd7+ could be better in the endgame. xd7 17.xe4 and Black has Kononenko, D (2563)-Kovalenko, I (2465) problems completing his Poltava 2009.; development.; B) 11...e6 Kovalenko deviates from a A1b) 11...xb2? loses to 12.b5+!; couple of earlier games. 12.0-0-0 d5 A1c) 11...0-0-0 12.0-0-0 e6 13.d3 ( B e t t e r t h a n 12...c7 13.b1 b4 with a pleasant edge.; Fressinet, L (2673)-Bauer, C (2583) Pau A2) 11.g2 an exclamation mark but e6 2008 when 14.g5! d5 15.xd5 cxd5 l o o k s o k f o r B l a c k . ( Definitely not 16.h4 gives White good attacking 11...xb2? as 12.d2! as observed by chances. ) 13.e4 c7 14.c4 xe3 John, is very strong ); 15.fxe3 e7 16.b1 f5! 17.c3 0-0-0 B) 10.dxe5 b4 11.d2 e4 18.c5 hf8 19.g1 f4 20.d3 g5 B1) The computer wants to grab the wi t h a c o m p l e x g a m e i n wh i c h B l a c k exchange with 12.d5 but it seems only triumphed. Ivanchuk, V (2766)-Kovalenko, Black can be better: xd2+ 13.xd2 I (2587) Jurmala 2012. The game was xd2 14.xc7+ d8 15.xa8 e4! only rapid but perhaps this inspired And Black regains the exchange when 198
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Ivanchuk to play the Scandinavian too seen elsewhere in this update. ] 10...c6 [ 10...0-0-0?! immediately is too risky 11.f3 ( Perhaps 11.g5 immediately was a better move order, forcing the knight to move h5 12.f3 b6 13.e3 xb2 14.c1! b6 15.b1 e6+ 16.e3 c6 17.d5 looks very good for White.) 11...a6 when 12.g5 e5! was a good practical try although W h i t e wa s o n t o p a f t e r 13.gxf6 exd4 14.e2 e5 15.b3 d3 16.f4 d6 17.fxg7 he8 18.g8 xg8 19.xe5 d2+ 20.xd2 ge8 21.xb7+ xb7 22.xb7+ xb7 23.c3 Lallemand, R (2285)-Verot, M (2125) Pau 2008. ] 11.g5!? Geller forces Kovalenko to make a decision with his knight. [ The logical 11.0-0 is also possible and was seen in another recent game. That continued: e6 12.e1 c7 13.e2 ( Here 13.g5 looks critical but Black does have some play for the pawn after d5 14.xd5 cxd5 15.xd5 c6 16.f4 0-0-0 ) 13...d6 14.c4 0-0-0 15.b1 h2+ 16.f1 e5 17.b4 exd4 18.xd4 b8 19.e3 b6 20.c3 he8 with a very sharp position. Yee, S (2285)-Barbosa, O (2461) Bandar Seri Begawan 2011. ] 11...h5?! After this Black is left suffering in an unpleasant queenless middlegame. [ 11...d5 is definitely critical when perhaps Geller's idea was 12.0-0! ( 12.e4 c7 13.f3 e5 14.dxe5 xe5 15.e2 0-0-0 should have been ok. Sakelsek, T (2454)Scharrer, P (2160) Lienz 2007.) 12...xc3 ( Neither 12...e6 13.e4; nor 12...f4 13.e4 are pleasant for Black as c7 14.xf4 xf4 15.d5 looks dangerous as Black is rather under-developed.) 13.bxc3 looks good for White with his initiative on the queenside and lead in development. He can also play for d5 supported by c3-c4. ] 12.d5! White breaks in the centre before Black has time to go ...e6. cxd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.xd5 b8 [ As the course of the game is so unpleasant for Black, there's a case to be made for 14...c5 although 15.e3 e6 16.g2 0-0-0 17.d1 e7 18.e2 is very unpleasant with the two bishops raking down on the a7
and b7 pawns. ] 15.0-0 e6 16.g2 d6 17.e2 Keeping the knight on h5 out of the game. Geller plays very well around here, not giving Kovalenko e n o u g h t i m e t o a c t iva t e h i s p i e c e s . e7 18.d1 hc8 19.c3 e5 20.a4 a5 21.b1 c4 Attempting to prevent the b4 break but as W hite manages this anyway the plan obviously fails. [ It was probably better to try and get some c o u n t e r p l a y w i t h 21...f6 but White is obviously much better. ] 22.b3 [ It was possible to prevent the rook staying on the fourth rank with 22.f4 d7 before 23.b3 but there was no need. ] 22...h4 [ 22...c7 23.e3 is very straightforward. W hite will continue to press on the queenside while keeping the h5 knight out of the game. ] 23.e3 c6 24.f1 c8 25.b4! Well calculated. [ Of course it was possible to continue r e g r o u p i n g w i t h 25.b2 when Black's position is really hideous but the game is more forcing. ] 25...axb4 26.cxb4 f4?! After this Black is simply lost. [ The best looks to be to bring the rook back into the game with 26...c4 but 27.dc1 xb4 28.xb7 xc1+ 29.xc1 b8 30.e4 is obviously much better for White wi t h h i s b i sh o p p a i r a n d p a s s e d p a wn although Black at least has better drawing chances with d5 ] [ While it doesn't matter which way to take on b4 - they all seem to fail: 26...xb4 27.xb4 xb4 ( or 27...xb4 28.b1 ) 28.xb7 ] [ 26...xb4? 27.f4! ] [ and 26...xb4 27.f4! both cut off the rook and leave White in a winning position. ] [ 26...f6 ] 27.c5+ e8 28.b5 d8 29.b6 xg5 30.a5 Black has succeeded in winning a pawn but he cannot stop the a pawn. The rest of the game requires no comment. a4 31.a1 xa1 32.xa1 f4 33.xf4 xf4 34.a6 bxa6 35.bxa6 b8 36.a7 xa7 37.xa7 c6 38.a8 e7 39.c6+ f8 40.xc8+ xc8 41.c5+ e7 42.d7 e5 43.e2 f6 199
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 44.e6 e8 45.d3 g5 46.e4 g6 47.c4 h4 48.d5 g6 49.e6 g2 50.d5 f4+ 51.d6 f8 52.e3 g2 53.d5 f4 54.xf4 exf4 55.e6 g7 56.f3 Kovalenko has played 5...Bg4 a lot but it seems White has a few different paths to an edge. Perhaps 9.Nb5 isn't much for White but 9.Bf4 is interesting while Kovalenko failed to find anything here against Geller's 9.Nxg6 followed by a quick g5. 1-0
18.f3 exf3 19.xf3 d3 20.d1 c8= ) 12.g5 e8 13.b5? ( 13.d1 e4 14.d4 with a slight edge) 13...e4 14.fd4 c5! with great complications in the game Womacka - Hennings, DDR 1986 ] 11.g4! Very typically for this kind of position. W hite prevents Ne7-f5 and prepares a kingside attack. f5 [ 11...e4 is interesting but not good enough: 12.xe4 ( 12.g5 f5 13.0-0-0 gave White a small edge in the game Hellers Kristiansen, Gausdal (zt) 1987) 12...f5 13.c5 fxg4 14.g5 f5 15.ce6 xe6 214 B01 16.xe6 f6 17.xf8 xe3 18.xh7! xb2 19.xb2 xb2 20.fxe3 with a big Gipslis,Aivars advantage, Braga-Maric, Bad Woerishofen Maric,Rudolf 1985 ] Erevan 1971 12.0-0-0! fxg4 [Alexander Volzhin] [ 12...d7 wa s n o t b e t t e r : 13.h6 a6 14.xg7 xg7 15.e3 with a clear The most popular White set up against 4...g6 advantage for White. ] is to play h3, Be3, Qd2 and castle queenside. In this classic game White showed the merits 13.g5 f5 [ The endgame after 13...h6 14.e6 xe6 of his position very convincingly. 1.e4 d5 15.dxe6 xd2+ 16.xd2 was not much fun 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.f3 g6 5.c4 for Black, for example: f5 17.c5 c8 b6 6.h3 g7 7.c3 0-0 8.e3 c6 18.hxg4 xe3 19.fxe3 e7 20.d7 9.d2 e5 winning ] [ 9...e8?! does not solve Black's problems as the game Smirin - Rechlis, Tel Aviv 1992 14.hxg4 xe3 15.xe3 xg4 It seems like proved: 10.0-0-0! e5 11.d5 a5 Black has achieved good counterplay, but ( 11...e7? is bad: 12.c5 e4 13.cxb6 exf3 White's next move shows what's really going 14.bxc7 winning ) 12.b3 e4 13.d4 on! 16.xh7!! [ Other moves leads to Black's advantage: with the better prospects. ] 16.e6 e7 ( 16...xe6 17.dxe6 e7 10.d5 e7 18.c5 )] [ The pawn sacrifice 10...d4? is dubious: [ or 16.h3 xh3 ( 16...xc4 17.xg4 11.xd4 exd4 12.xd4 e8+ 13.e3 xe3 18.e6+ f7 19.xf7+ f8 and it seems Black does not have enough 20.e6+ ) 17.xh3 xc4 18.g3 f5 compensation, for example: h4 14.g3 19.xh7 d6 and it is Black who has the e7 15.e2 b4 16.b5!? xb2 initiative now. ] 17.xb2 xb2 18.d1 e5 19.c5 a6 Although White's position looked ( 19...a4 20.d6 winning ) 20.xc7! xc7 16...f4? 21.d6! d5 22.xd5 a5+ 23.f1 d7 very promising, only after this mistake does 24.f3! c6 25.g2 xd5 26.xd5 ab8 his advantage become clear. Now White came 27.b1 ed8 ( 27...b5 28.c6 ) 28.xb7 up with a blow: [ Black has two reasonable alternatives: and W hite had achieved a decisive 16...f6 17.ce4 f4 18.e1 with a small advantage in the game Yilmaz-Brady,Manila advantage ] ol 1992. ] [ 16...xf2!? 17.d3 ( 17.xg7+?! xg7 [ 10...a5 seems to be interesting: 11.b3 18.xe5+ h6 ) 17...f6 18.g1 f5!? ( Black almost equalised in Bjerring with the initiative on the kingside but in I s k o v , K o b e n h a v n 1 9 8 8 a f t e r 11...e4 both lines Black's position was playable. ] 12.d4 c6 13.dxc6 xc6 14.xc6 bxc6 15.xd8 xd8 16.c1 f5 17.e2 e6 17.xg7+! xg7 18.xe5+ f6 200
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Other moves did not save Black either: 18...f6 19.ce4 d7 20.d4 ] [ or 18...h6 19.e6!? ( of course 19.xf4 is also not bad: xg5 20.xg5+ xg5 21.e1 winning ) 19...f6 20.xf4+ xf4+ 21.xf4 xd1 22.xd1 with a technical win ] 19.xc7+ h6 [ 19...g8 20.ce4 winning ] 20.ce4 xe4 21.xe4 f5 22.d4! White converts his advantage into a win very convincingly. This solid move protects the Knight and prevents any counterplay. e8 [ The tricky 22...xd5 doesn't work because of 23.h2+! with an immediate win. ( of course not 23.cxd5?? c8 winning the Queen )] 23.d3 The rest is simple. f3 24.h2+ g7 25.c2 e2 26.c7+ d7 27.d1 e1 28.c3 f5 29.d2 e5 30.xe5+ xe5 31.e2 h8 32.b3 h2 33.d1 g5 34.b2 f6 35.c3 Black resigned. 1-0
Black does not have enough time to capture the d pawn successfully. c5 11.e3 d6 [ It looks like 11...a5! is even better. The d p a w n f a l l s : 12.h3 ( 12.e2 bxd5 13.xd5 xd5; 12.a3 bxd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.d4 e6 ) 12...bxd5! 13.xd5 xd5! 14.d2 xf3 Given the simplicity of these lines, it's surprising that 11...Qd6 has been preferred so many times. ] 12.c1?!N I think Glek is genuinely surprised by Black's potential in this position and can see no other way of proceeding. He feels he has to get the Queen off the d-file and make room for his Rook. This is an unconvincing idea. [ Instead 12.h3 h5 A) 13.e2 A1) 13...g6! is at least equal for Black: 14.f4 ( 14.fd1 xc2 15.ac1 xe3 ) 14...c5 15.e3 a5 16.e5 bxd5 17.xd5 xd5; A2) 13...e5!? 14.dxe6 xe6 15.g4 g6 16.d4 Fressinet, L-Wong Meng Kong/Mallorca 2004; B) 13.f4 c5 14.e3 d6 ( 14...a5 215 B01 15.g4 bxd5 16.xd5 xd5 17.d2 xd2 18.xd2 xd2 19.xd2 g6 Glek,Igor V 2597 20.c3 e6 21.fe1 ) 15.e2 bxd5 Muhammad,Stephen A 2334 ( 15...g6 ) 16.xd5 xd5 17.ad1 f6 HB Global CC (6) 21.05.2005 ( 17...b4! is a much better move: 18.d4 [Andrew Martin] e6 19.a3 a4! 20.c4 White certainly has attacking chances but no definite 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 advantage.) 18.d4 e6 19.xe6+ fxe6 f6 5.f3 a6 6.g3 g4!? 20.e5 Ibarra Jerez, J-Trent, L/Chalkidiki [ A recent New In Chess Yearbook article 2003 ] concluded that Black's chances after 6...b5 Why not? 13.xd5 xd5 7.g2 b7 8.0-0 e6 9.e5 were very poor. 12...bxd5 I shall return to this in future months. But 14.d1 f6! Reminding White that the Knight for the time being, fans of 3....Qd6 need not is still pinned clear evidence that white has to f e a r b e c a u s e 6 . . . B g 4 i s a p l a y a b l e play h2-h3 somewhere. 15.g5 [ 15.d4 f5! 16.h4 h5 17.e1 f6! alternative, as you are about to see. ] 18.h3 d7! and White is without 7.g2 c6 8.0-0 compensation. ] [ 8.d5 is only tempting for a second. After b4 9.f4 d8 White already runs out of 15...f5 16.h4 e6 17.d2 [ If 17.d4 h6 18.d2 c6 19.e1 d7 steam. ] 20.f4 e6 21.c4 b4! ] [ 8.f4 b4 9.xc7 xb2 10.a4 a3 18.xd1 h6 19.e3 g5 is not a favourable transaction for W hite, 17...xd1 whose pieces are misplaced and pawns are 20.d4?? [ 20.c4 gxh4 21.xd5 was the best way weak. ] forward perhaps White can equalize there: 8...0-0-0 This is the point of the variation Black d6 22.f4 e5 23.xe5 xe5 24.e6+ is arguing that White's d4 pawn is vulnerable. b8 25.xd8+ a7= ] 9.d5 b4 10.f4 And White proposes that 201
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20...g7! 21.a7 Glek must have believed that this was a strong move, but his hopes are quickly dashed. [ 21.xg7 xe3 ] 21...c6 22.c5 gxh4 6...b5 is dead, long live 6... Bg4! 0-1
216 Glek,Igor V Nakamura,Hikaru HB Global CC (3) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2597 2657 19.05.2005
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.f3 f6 5.d4 c6 6.d2 As I think I have mentioned before, this is a move recommended by GM John Emms in a recent 1 e 4 re p e rt o ire b o o k. W e ca n n o t e xp e ct Na k am u ra to s ho w t o o m uch re spe ct f o r anything, as he is quite confident in his ability to overturn almost any theoretical verdict. f5 [ 6...b6 7.c4 xb2 is another, riskier way, which I concluded that Black can get away with in my 'Scheming Scandinavian' DVD. Emms likes white in the upcoming doubled pawns position whereas Nakamura seems delighted with Black's activity. Glek is caught in the middle but he's not a man short of one or two original ideas himself. ] 7.e4 c7 8.xf6+ gxf6 9.g3 e6 Other moves have been played, presumably with the intention of going ...e7-e5 in one go, should the need arise: [ 9...d7?! or ...Bh3 maybe? 10.g2 e6+ 11.e3 h6 Black's whole scheme is about t o b e e xp o s e d . 12.d5! e4 13.h4+Pikula, D-Savic, M/Herceg Novi 2001 ] [ 9...d7 10.g2 0-0-0 11.0-0 e5 There she blows! 12.c3 b6 13.e2 g7 14.a4 he8 15.a5 d7= Hunt,H-Repkova, E/Mallorca 2004 I must say that I have a liking for Black's straightforward solution in this game. ] 10.g2 d7 11.0-0 0-0-0 12.e1 All seen before and Glek's 12 Re1 adds little new to the argument. 12 c4 is also possible: [ 12.c4 g4 13.e3 b6 14.b3 c5 15.fd1 d6 16.a4 d7 17.a5 e5 18.dxc5 xc5 Niedermaier,H-Mueller,K/
G e r m a n y 2 0 0 2 a n d n o w 19.c2 would retain White's edge. This is the type of position that Emms was referring to in his book. Black has permanent defects in his pawn structure and a poor endgame looms unless he can create counterplay. But where are the weaknesses in White's position to aim at ? Note th e very saf e W h ite king, another key feature of this line. Returning now to 12 Re1, obviously a decent move, preparing c2-c4. After that, Black has to worry about d4-d5 or some sort of white advance on the queenside. ] 12...d6 13.c4 One move delayed but could the Rook be slightly misplaced on e1? e5 14.h4 [ 14.c5! looks very strong: f8 15.a4 b8 ( 15...b8 16.a5 e8 17.h4 with Bxc6! next.) 16.a5 encourages Black to weaken himself and looks much better. I can only find advantage for White after b6 17.cxb6 axb6 18.c3 ] 14...g6 15.c5 f8 16.b4 [ Point being that after 16.a4 trying to get into the previous variation, Black has xc5! for example: A) 17.xa7 b8! ( 17...xd4 18.c3 d3 19.f1 d8 20.a5 ) 18.a5 ( 18.xb8+ xb8 19.xg6 hxg6 20.dxc5 xd2= ) 18...xd4; B) 17.dxc5 xd2 18.xa7 d7 19.f3 d3 20.b4 e4 and Black is causing confusion, or ] 16...exd4 17.b3 b8 18.f4 e5 19.b5 [ 19.ad1 ] 19...xc5 20.bxc6 b6 21.ac1 So now we reach a position where Black obviously has to defend with care, but the d pawn is there to help out later if he does so. d6 22.ed1 d3 23.xg6 hxg6 24.c3 he8 25.a4 Glek is hammering away, but it's hard to break the Black blockade. [ 25.xe5 fxe5! 26.cxd3 ( 26.a4 f5 27.cxd3 f8 28.a6 f6! 29.a4 e4 ) 26...e4 27.3d2 f5= ] 25...g5 26.xe5 fxe5 27.cxd3 e4 28.d5! so far very well played by White. Just a pity that as he moves in for the kill he is so short of time. xc6 29.xg5 [ I like 29.a5! I really don't see what Black is doing against that. ] 202
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 29...c7 30.gd5 xd5 31.xd5 e6 32.a5 Flag down....... Black can bluster all he likes in this variation, but Emms' judgement is difficult to argue with. Perhaps 9...Nd7 is the way, with ... e7-e5 to follow. 0-1
217 Goh Wei Ming Laylo,Darwin 3rd PGMA Cup (6) [Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
B01 2403 2504 10.09.2008
I received this game and all the notes from an International Master, who writes: "My name is Wei Ming and one of the contributors in the 1. e4 e 5 co lu m n . I n a re ce n t t o u rn am e n t , I played an interesting game against GM Laylo Darwin in the afore mentioned opening and I thought you might want to consider it for your next update." IM Goh Wei Ming Singapore [jw: Wow! It's not often that I get a contribution of this quality out of the blue Thank you!! Here's the game with Wei Ming's notes:] GM Laylo Darwin is the newest GM from the Phillipines where Chess is one of the most popular sports in the country. Laylo is a specialist in the Portuguese Gambit in the Scandinavian and plays it in almost every game with excellent results even against Grandmasters. So, is the Portuguese gambit playable or not? 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 g4!? 4.f3 Surely, this move, with the intention of clinging to the extra pawn is the critical response. However, L a y l o h a s s h o we d t h a t B l a c k ge t s g o o d practical chances in the ensuing middlegame. [ 4.e2 Needless to say, this is too straight forward and Black equalizes easily. xe2 5.xe2 xd5 6.f3 e6 7.c4 h5 In general, this is the ideal square for the Black queen. It's influence on the d1-h5 diagonal and the kingside tends to be one of the characteristics in this variation. ( 7...b4+ 8.c3 xc3+ 9.bxc3 e4 was a safe option for Black but Laylo had no intentions of simplifying the position!) 8.c3 bd7 9.b5?! ( 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.f4 is safer. ) 9...c8 10.f4 b4+ 11.f1 a6? Laylo is well known in the region for his tactical prowess but here, he missed a trick.
( 11...0-0 was the safest move) 12.xc7+ d8 13.g5? ( 13.c5! a5 14.xa6 bxa6 15.xa6 c7 16.xc7+ xc7 17.b4 would have given Black real headaches.) 13...xc7?! ( 13...xe2+! 14.xe2 h5 15.xf7+ e7 16.xh8 xf4+ 17.f3 f8-+ ) 14.xh5 xh5 15.xf7+ e7 16.xc7 xf7 With 2 pawns and a rook for the 2 pieces, W hite stands reasonably ok and has a slight advantage though he went on to lose the game against his experienced opponent. 17.c5 c8 18.d6 hf6 19.e2 a5 20.ab1 c7 21.xc7 xc7 22.b4 b8 23.b5 axb5 24.xb5 c6 25.d1 d7 26.e3 d5+ 27.d3 e5 28.db1 f4+ 29.c3 exd4+ 30.d2 d8 31.a4 d5 32.1b3 c3 33.xc3 dxc3+ 34.xc3 e6 35.f4 d5 36.f5 c7 37.b4 c6+ 38.a3 d4 0-1 Ochoa, Karl (2268)-Laylo, Darwin (2504)/Duty Free Fiesta Mall, 3rd PGMA Cup 2008 ] [ 4.f3 is one of the most common responses, especially against the unprepared! xd5 5.e2 c6 A) White can try to win the 2 bishops with 6.c3 f5 7.h3 but after xf3 8.xf3 A1) 8...b4 is too greedy. 9.0-0 0-0-0 ( 9...c6 10.e2! xc2 11.e5! with dangerous compensation.) 10.e4! with a clear advantage for White.; A2) 8...0-0-0 9.xc6 e6+! 10.e4 xe4 11.0-0 f5 , there is nothing interesting left in the position.; B) 6.e3 B1) Again, there is an option to simplify if Black wishes to play for a draw, namely 6...e5 7.dxe5 ( 7.c3 a5 8.dxe5 d8 promises Black rich play.) 7...xf3 8.xf3 xd1+ 9.xd1 d5! 10.d2 xe5 11.c3 0-0-0 and I doubt the 2 bishops mean anything much.; B2) 6...0-0-0 7.bd2 f5 8.0-0 ( 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 e5 again gives Black easy development and active play. 10.g4? This is just pure madness and Laylo finishes his opponent (incidentally a decent 2324 player) cleanly. e6 11.c3 exd4 12.cxd4 b4+ 13.f1 d5 0-1 Cordts, I (2324)-Laylo, D (2448)/Bad W iessee 2006) 8...e5 9.c3 ( 9.xe5 203
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 after 5...d7 6.c4 f6 7.c3 e6 ) xe2 10.xe2 xe5 11.dxe5 xe5 6.e4 c8 7.c4!? ( Slow. An alternative 12.f3 a5= ) 9...e4 A combative move is 7.b5+ c6 8.d3 ) 7...f5 8.f4 e6 t o s t ri ve f o r a co m p l ica t e d p o si t io n 9.c3 e7 10.f3 h6?! ( 10...0-0 though this move might return to haunt 11.e2 c6 ) 11.g3 g5 . And here him a few moves down the road. The 12.c5 d5 13.c4 would have kept a simple ( 9...exd4 10.cxd4 d6 solid advantage. 1-0 Dzhumaev-Laylo, was also possible but it is difficult to see Kuala Lumpur MAS 2008. ] how Black can make further progress on 4...f5 his Kingside attack. ) [ jw: 4...c8!? has also been played. ] B2a) T h e c o u n t e r i n t u i t i v e 10.h4! a p p e a r s t o b e st r o n g a s we l l xe2 5.b5+ Again, the most critical response. [ 5.g4!? g6 6.c4 ( 10...h5 11.xg4+ xg4 12.h3! A) In view of the difficulties that Black xh4 13.xg4+ xg4 14.hxg4 e8 faced, a safer alternative could be 6...c6 15.ae1 and White wins the pawn on t h o u g h a f t e r 7.b3 c7 8.c3 e4. ) 11.xf5 xd1 12.axd1 e8 W hite definitely has the better of it. jw: 13.g5 and as mentioned above, the cxd5 9.b5+ bd7 ( 9...c6 10.g5 e4 pawn seems to be more of a fd7 11.xd5 ) 10.g5; weakness then a strength.; B) 6...e6 7.c3 ( I suspect Laylo was B2b) 10.g5 d6 11.f3? planning after 7.dxe6 to play b4+ 8.c3 ( 11.dxe4! xh2+! 12.xh2 xe2 0-0 sacrificing a second pawn but getting 13.xe2 xe4 14.xf7! xf7 more pieces out. jw: 9.h4 fxe6 10.h5 f7 15.g4+ b8 16.xe4 and White is 11.h6 g6 12.g5 e7 13.ge2 ) a p awn up f or n ext t o no th in g an d 7...exd5 8.g5 h5 9.xd5 d6 would have been clearly in the driving 10.e2+ f8 11.h3 c6 12.e3 d7 seat. ) 11...exf3 12.xf3 xf3 13.d2 ( 13.f2 appears to be a safer 13.xf3 xf3 14.xf3 d7 option. ) 13...e8 14.f2 b6 15.hf4 with a m ore or less equal positio n xf4 16.xf4 xf4 17.xf4 h6 18.gxh6 though Black actually went on to win xh6 19.f6! White has played forcefully this position: 15.af1 e8 16.c4 h6 in the opening and wins an exchange 17.h3 d5 18.c1 f6 19.xd6+ despite both sides playing the most logical cxd6! It is instructive to see Black and natural moves. Where has Black gone placing his pawns on the same color of wrong? xd4+ 20.xd4 xd4 21.xe8 the enemy's dark square bishop, xe8 22.d1 c5 23.d3 f5 This must effectively blunting it and reducing it's be a winning position for White but Laylo scope of activity. 20.g4?! The highly somehow managed to win this position! ra t e d G ra n d m a st e r f ro m Ro m a n i a 24.de1+ f7 25.e5 h3 26.e2 f6 must have some idea which I fail to 27.d5 h5 28.g2 h4 29.d1 f7 notice but this does seem to be a tad 30.d7 xc4 31.e1 g6 32.xa7 g5 u n c a l l e d f o r . T h e s i m p l e ( 20.f4 33.b3 d5 34.e5?? The culprit. c6 s e e m s t o b e g o o d , a n d e q u a l .) 35.xd5 xa7 36.e2 c6 37.g3 20...de7 0-1 Nevednichy, V (2582)d4 38.d1 e6 39.d6 f4 40.a3 L a yl o , D ( 2 4 0 6 ) / S a n M a r in o 2 0 0 6 h3+ 41.f2 xh2+ 42.e3 b5 43.a4 (56) ] bxa4 44.bxa4 a2 45.c6 d5+ [ John Watson: A recent game went 4.d3 0-1 Kutuzov, D (2315)-Laylo, D (2448)/ xd5 Calvia 200607 ] A) 5.b5+ c6! ( or 5...c6 6.xb7 xd4 ) 6.xb7? b6 threatens ...Bc8, 5...bd7 6.c4 e6 [ Sensing a trap, Laylo deviated with 6...a6 and Black is winning after 7.f4 xd4; wh i c h a p p e a r s t o b e a we a k e r o p t i o n . B) 5.h3! is correct, with perhaps a small 7.xd7+ xd7 8.e2 e6 9.dxe6 xe6 advantage after e6 6.f3; 10.b3 0-0-0 11.0-0 c5 12.h1 he8 C) 5.a3 b6 ( Black stands well enough 204
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 12...xd4? 13.xd4 d7 14.e3 c5 15.c3 cxd4 16.a4! was White's main idea in this set-up. b8 17.f4+ a7 18.d2 and the idea of Qd2-a5 is d e v a s t a t i n g .) 13.bc3 h6 14.b2? The first real mistake by White in this game and I get the impression that Black did not give him any chances after this slip. After ( 14.f4 c6 15.fd5 xd5 16.xd5 d6 17.e1 xe1+ 18.xe1 e8 19.a5! an idea spotted by my good friend Rybka 3. The threat is Ne7+ d7 20.d2 and White appears to be a safe pawn up.) 14...e3! 15.c1 b4 16.xe3? ( 16.g3 xc1 17.axc1 d3 18.fd1 seems good enough. ) 16...xe3 17.g1 d3 18.f2 de8 Now White is under enormous pressure. 19.g3 xc4! 20.bxc4 xc3 21.f1 d3 22.d5 d7 23.xc3 xc3 24.d2 b6 25.d6 f5 26.dxc7 xc7 27.d1 d8 28.e1 xc4 29.xc4 xc4 30.fe2 d7 31.f2 b5 32.g3 g6 33.h4 h5 34.e6 d6 35.e7+ b6 36.1e2 a5 37.7e6 cc6 38.6e5 d4 39.e6 dc4 40.e7 a4 41.a7 b4 0-1 Mallahi, A (2393)-Laylo, D (2504)/ 4th Prospero Pichay Jr Cup 2008 ] 7.dxe6 xe6 8.d5 f5 9.c3 c5 10.e2+ f8 11.g4 I have prepared this va ria t io n f o r o u r ga m e b u t d u e t o e it h e r carelessness or probably just being un pro f e s sio na l, I co mp let e ly ove rlo oke d B l a c k ' s n e x t m o v e . xg4! This was an unpleasant shock which caused me a lot of thinking time. After the game, Laylo told me he had already played this variation and this very move in blitz games with his friends! 12.fxg4 h4+ 13.d1? And almost immediately, I erred. [ The correct move is 13.d2! A) I was afraid of the continuation 13...e8 14.gxf5 ( 14.xe8+?? xe8 15.gxf5 g5+ and White can resign.) 14...xe2+ 15.gxe2 e5 which I assessed to be good for Black in my calculation. I forgot to count the pieces and after a normal move like 16.c2 a6 17.a4 xc4 18.b3 d6 19.f4 White has managed to finally complete development and along wit h a ma te ria l a dvant age , sho uld b e slightly better in this position.;
B) 13...xg4 14.f3 h5 15.xd7 xf3 16.f1 d8 ( 16...xh1 17.xh1 d8 18.a4 c6 19.d1 g5+ 20.c2 g6+ 21.e4 ) 17.a4 c6 18.d1! h6+ 19.c2 g6+ 20.b3 xh1 21.xh1 cxd5 22.cxd5 b6+ 23.c2 g6+ 24.e4 xe4+ 25.xe4 xd5 26.d2 This piece of analysis is by no means exhaustive but it does outline the difficulties that W hite must go through before he is able to get out of the opening unscathed. ] 13...xg4 14.xd7 More or less forced, but I was attracted to the position with 3 pieces against Queen and many pawns on move 17. xe2+ 15.gxe2 d8 16.f5 xc4 17.c2 xd5 White has 3 pieces for a Queen and 3 pawns, a complete mismatch in terms of quality wise. However, I had (misplaced) faith in my active pieces but ultimately fell vict im to m y o pp on e nt 's re so urce f ul a n d accurate defence. 18.f1 b4 19.e3 e5 20.f4 c6 21.e4 e8 22.d4 e6 My pieces are beautifully centralized and..... what next? 23.g1 f6 24.d3 d6 25.fg4 c5! 26.f2 [ 26.xg7 was a popular suggestion during the post mortem but was ultimately refuted easily by my opponent. cxd4 27.xd4 e7! 28.7g4 h5! 29.g6 f7 and White's attack is snuffed out. ] 26...g5! Black is slowly but surely unravelling his pieces and it is only a matter of tim e before he is able to consolidate his hefty material advantage. 27.h4?! Not the most testing option. [ 27.g3 h5 28.e4 with the possibilities of 29.Nf5 and doubling rooks on the e-f ile would be something for Black to worry about. Ho we ver, t he a ccu ra t e xe4 ( 28...h4 29.ge1 xe4 30.gxe4 ) 29.gxe4 c4! A deep move, diverting the bishop off the b1-h7 diagonal, the point of which is r e v e a l e d o n m o v e 3 2 . . . ( 29...xh2 30.xc5+ g7 31.g2 f4 32.d4 with good chances for W hite.) 30.xc4 xh2 31.e1 e5! 32.xf6 g6+ Black's ability to give this critical check is the point behind Black's 29th move. 33.fe4 g7 though the competition remains highly complicated with chances for Black to go 205
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 wrong. ] 27...h5 28.e4 [ 28.c4 was my initial intention but I o v e r l o o k e d t h a t a f t e r b5 29.xc5 , t h e d e v a s t a t i n g b4! wins almost immediately! ( 29...xc5 30.xc5+ g7 31.hxg5 was what I have previously calculated. )] [ 28.a4 g4! 29.xa7 c6 ] 28...g4 The rest of the game was a convincing technical demonstration. 29.g3 xg3 30.xc5+ g7 31.xg3 xe4 32.xe4 e5 33.f2 f4 34.g2 c8 35.xb7 c7 36.a8 a4+ 37.b1 e8! So, is the Portugese Gambit playable after all? It does seem to be an ef f ective practical weapon in the hands of my GM opponent but it could well be an even more dangerous we a p o n a t c l u b l e ve l . I ' l l l e a ve i t t o t h e subscribers to judge for themselves.:) 0-1
218 Goldin,Alexander Stripunsky,Alexander San Diego USA (9) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2620 2533 04.12.2004
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 Stripunsky seems absolutely convinced that 3. ..Qd6 is OK, and he continues to use the move with success against all comers. Let's take a look at one of his latest efforts from the recent US Championship. 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6!? In many ways this reminds me of certain lines of the Sicilian, Caro-Kann or even the Queen's Gambit Accepted. Black just plays ... b5,...Bb7,....e6,...Nbd7 and he eventually gets ...c7-c5! in. White must act soon, because this is a pretty reliable and easy-to-play plan. 6.e3 [ 6.g3! is more testing I believe. ] 6...b5 Here are a couple of other, recent examples. In the first, Black shows another dimension to his scheme involving an early... Nc6. W ho is to say that this isn't very playable? In the second I think we see GM Nijboer putting Black's whole idea to the test with some very accurate piece placements. [ 6...c6!? 7.d2 g4 8.g5 f5 9.f3 e6
10.0-0-0 d7 11.ge4 d5 12.xd5 exd5 13.g3 g6 14.d3 1/2-1/2 Mastrovasilis,D-Nikolaidis,I/Athens GRE 2004 ] [ 6...e6 7.e2 bd7 8.0-0 b5 9.g5 b7 10.f3! I think that the diagonal h1-a8 is crucial to the understanding of this variation. As is typical for the Scandinavian, whoever wins the battle of the light squares rules the board. You'll note as you go on through this game that Nijboer gets control of f5 and that more or less decides the issue. d5 11.a4 b4 12.ge4! c6?! ( I think he has to try 12...b6 13.a5 xe3 14.fxe3 a7 but White's still better after 15.a4 e7 16.e1 ) 13.xd5 exd5 14.g3 e7 15.f5 f6 16.xe7 xe7 17.e1 0-0 18.d2 b6 19.f4 f6 20.e5 c6 21.xb4 a5 22.b5 c4 23.xc6 xc6 24.b3 xe5 25.xe5 ae8 26.ae1 xe5 27.xe5 b8 28.xd5 xa4 29.c4 1-0 Nijboer,F-Spoelman,W /Zwolle NED 2004 ] 7.d3?! So natural , but I don't think I like this square. It's ineffectual. What you often find is that the game boils down to whether the Bd3 or the Bb7 is the better piece. Black quite often wins that contest. b7 8.0-0 [ 8.e2 g6 9.a4 b4 10.b1 g7 11.bd2 0-0 12.0-0 c6 13.fd1 a5 14.c4 xc4 15.xc4 g4 16.h3 xe3 17.fxe3 c5!= Van Dijk,T-Hasangatin,R/Olomouc 2003 ] 8...bd7 9.e2 e6 10.g5 e7 11.a4 Otherwise ...c7-c5 comes and Black has no problems whatsoever. b4 12.e4 d5! Looks riskier than it actually is. If White can't drive the queen away without making concessions, then d5 is a very good outpost. 13.c4 bxc3 14.xc3 The concession of the b4 square has been made. a5 [ 14...d6 15.fd1 0-0 16.ac1 ab8 17.e5 fd8 18.c4 is perhaps a little congested for Black so Stripunsky makes the sensible decision, which the new time limits oblige one to do. Practicality and universality are the new canons of modern chess one had better get used to them ..... FAST! ] 15.ad1 d8 16.h4 c5= This is now very similar to the QGA. 17.b1 cxd4 18.xd4 206
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 b4 19.g3 0-0 Summarizing so far we can say that Black is very comfortable. Perhaps even slightly more than that. He has active pieces, no weaknesses and a strong queen. He must watch out for Nxe6 or some such move but that's about all. 20.a2 c5 21.b3 a7! The exclam is for the idea alonewhat an audacious exchange sacrifice! The brain just see Bd6 and switches off surely he cannot play . ..Ba7 etc. Stripunsky looks further. Chess is a practical game and he wants to find ways to eat at W hite's clock. 22.d6 Who could resist? [ Declining the offer was poor: 22.fe1 b6 23.a5 c4 ] 22...h4 23.xf8 xf8 24.d3 e5 25.g3 h5 26.d4 g6 I'm really not sure what to make of this sacrifice. My feeling is that White MUST be able to defend, but his Kingside is very bare and Black's bishops, knights and queen are frighteningly close. Over the board this must be seen as a speculative, but very noble try by Black. 27.h3 [ 27.c4 b8 28.f4 c5 29.b3 xf4! 30.xf4 h5 is a brief example of how things might go wrong quickly, if White is not right on the button. ] 27...b8 28.f4 e5! Obviously he has to be ve ry q u i c k . 29.fxe5 xe5 30.e3 g4 31.e2 [ The computer shows White surviving after 31.hxg4 h2+ 32.f2 xg2 33.e1 g3+ 34.f2 e5 35.f5 I am convinced that no human would go into this line voluntarily unless all else failed. Goldin is obviously still hoping to tough this one out, though with so many pieces around his King the practical difficulties at the board are enormous. ] 31...h2+ 32.h1 xh3 33.d5 h4 [ 33...xd5! 34.xd5 h5! 35.f5 h4! A) 36.g3 xg3+ 37.g1 f2+ 38.xf2 xf2 39.xf2 ( 39.f5 g5+ 40.xf2 xf5+ 41.e1 h3-+ ) 39...g4+-+; B) 36.f3 f2+ 37.xf2 xf2 38.xh2 ] 34.f5 h5 35.g3 [ 35.xf7+ h8 36.xg6 hxg6 37.xg7 xf1+ 38.xf1 h3!!-+ ] 35...xg3+ 36.g1 h2+ 37.g2 c8 38.xf7+ h8 39.xg6 hxg6 40.d6
xd6 41.xf8+ xf8 42.d8 At last clarifying the situation. 43.f3 44.e3 g3+ 0-1
219 Golubev,Mikhail Jirovsky,Milos Bundesliga [Andrew Martin]
h2+ e5+
B01 2525 2455 2002
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6!? An irregular move which has become popular in recent years. Eric Schiller would have you believe that the variation is named after him but many strong players have dabbled here, Bronstein and Dzindzichasvili among them. Previously W hite was thought to obtain an easy advantage after d4, Nge2 and Bf4 but a recent book by Michael Melts (Russell Enterprises 2002) shows otherwise. 4.d4 [ 4.f3 f6 5.g3 g4 6.g2 e6 7.0-0 e7 8.e1 c6 9.e3 0-0 10.d3 d5 11.xd5 exd5 12.d4 xd4 13.xd4 e6 14.f4 d7 15.fe1 c5 16.e3 fe8 17.e5 f6 18.d6 xd6 19.xd6 xb2 20.ab1 c3 21.e2 b6 22.b3 f6 23.f4 g6 24.e5 xe5 25.xe5 ad8 26.b5 f6 27.e3 d4 28.e4 xa2 29.xe8+ xe8 30.b2 f7 31.c6 e1+ 32.f2 a1 33.f3 a2 34.xa2 xa2 35.e4 f7 36.d5+ xd5+ 37.xd5 a5 38.c4 e6 39.b5 f5 40.h3 h5 41.a4 h4 42.gxh4 xf4 0-1 Tan Bin Keong-Wee Zhen Yang/ 20th Cairnhill Open, Singapore SIN 2002 (42) ] [ 4.c4 f6 5.ge2 a6 6.d3 b5 7.b3 b7 8.f4 e5 9.g3 bd7 10.0-0 c5 11.f3 e7 12.a4 b6 13.f2 0-0 14.g3 g6 15.e2 b4 16.ce4 d5 17.d2 f4 18.d1 ad8 19.e1 g7 20.c4 c7 21.a5 c6 22.b6 f5 23.c4 d6 24.xd7 xd7 25.xa6 a8 26.c4 xa5 27.xa5 xa5 28.a1 c7 29.a2 c6 30.b3 a8 31.e2 xe2+ 32.xe2 a1+ 33.e1 a4 34.xa1 xb3 35.xb3 e4 36.dxe4 xh2+ 37.f1 fxe4 38.fxe4 e5 39.d5 xb2 40.a6 d4 41.c6 f4 0-1 Arjol Etxeberria,D-Mellado Trivino,J/ Pamplona 2002/[amartin] (41) ] 207
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 4...f6 5.f3 [ 5.c4 a6 6.ge2 b5 7.f4 b6 8.b3 g6 9.0-0 g7 10.a4 b7 11.axb5 axb5 12.xa8 xa8 13.d3 b4 14.b5+ bd7 15.xb6 xb6 16.b5 fd5 17.xc7+ d7 18.xd5 xd5 19.xd5 xd5 20.d2 a8 21.b1 e5 22.dxe5 xe5 23.c4 bxc3 24.xc3 xc3 25.xc3 xc3 26.bxc3 a3 27.c1 d6 28.f1 a2 29.g4 h5 30.gxh5 gxh5 31.g2 a5 32.h4 f5 33.g3 c5 34.e1 c4 35.e4+ xc3 36.f4 a5 37.xf7 d4 38.f4 a2 39.d7+ c5 40.g5 xf2 41.xh5 g2 42.h6 c6 43.d4 c5 44.d3 g1 45.h5 h1 46.g6 g1+ 47.h7 c6 48.h6 c7 49.h8 c8 50.h7 c7 51.a3 d7 52.a8 e6 53.g8 h1 54.g7 g1+ 55.f8 f1+ 56.e8 b1 57.g6+ f5 58.f6+ g4 59.f8 1-0 Collins,S-Sprenger,W/41st WJun, Goa IND 2002 (59) ] [ 5.ge2 c6 6.f4 d8 7.f3 f5 8.g4 ( 8.g3 g6 9.h4 h5 10.d3 xd3 11.xd3 e6 12.0-0-0 bd7 ) 8...g6 9.h4 h5 10.g5 d5 ] 5...a6 In many Scandinavian lines, particularly after 2..Qxd5, you'll see Black playing ...c7-c6. Here his intentions are much sharper, planning Queenside expansion with ...b7-b5 and... c7-c5! as well as active development w i t h . . . B b 7 . 6.e3 I think Golubev was surprised, perhaps unpleasantly. The Bishop doesn't sit comfortably on e3 but there are ideas of Qd2 and Bf4 as well as the suppression of ...c7-c5 Other ideas: [ 6.e2 c6 7.0-0 f5 8.d3 xd3 9.xd3 g6 10.e4 xe4 11.xe4 g7 12.f4 d8 13.c3 0-0 14.d5 b8 15.fe1 e8 16.c4 c6 17.ad1 cxd5 18.xd5 b6 19.b4 c6 20.a4 ac8 21.a5 xa5 22.bxa5 xc4 23.axb6 xf4 24.d7 xc3 25.c1 a5 26.xb7 b4 27.h3 xb6 28.h2 a5 29.c2 g7 30.e5 d4 31.xb4 xe5+ 32.f4 axb4 33.fxe5 b3 34.b2 b8 35.g3 f8 36.f3 e8 37.e4 d7 38.d5 b5+ 39.c4 c6 40.d4 b4+ 41.c3 c5 42.d3 b8 43.e6 f6 44.c3 d5 45.d2+ xe6 46.b2 f5 47.e2+ f6 48.d2 g5 49.d4 h6 50.c4 e5 51.c7 d6 52.a7 b6 53.a5 e5 54.a8 d5
55.a5+ e4 56.a4+ e3 57.c4 f4 58.c5 e4 59.h4 g4 60.f5 f3 61.g3 f2 62.f4 h5 0-1 Lim Jean Nie-Yeo Min Yang, E/20th Cairnhill Open, Singapore SIN 2002 (62) ] [ 6.e5 c6 7.f4 xd4 8.c4 e6 9.f3 d7 10.xf7 xf4 11.xf4 xf4 12.0-0-0 b5 13.b3 g8 14.d5 e6 15.g5 xg5 16.xc7+ d8 17.xa8 h8 18.he1 h6 19.f4 h7 20.e6 hf6 21.b6 c7 22.xc8 xc8 23.e3 d8 24.ed3 g5 25.f5 g7 26.xd7 xd7 27.xd7+ e8 28.d8+ f7 29.xh8 xh8 30.e1 h5 31.e6 h4 32.xa6 e5 33.h3 d6 34.d1 f6 35.e2 xf5 36.a5 f4 37.xb5+ e5 38.a4 1-0 Vazquez,R-Ivanovitch Balsinde,N/Open, Pamplona ESP 2002 (38) ] [ 6.c4 e6 7.e2 b5 8.b3 b7 9.g5 bd7 10.0-0-0 d5 11.e4 b6 12.b1 h6 13.c1 e7 14.he1 0-0-0 15.c4 bxc4 16.xc4 7f6 17.xd5 xd5 18.a1 b4 19.a3 c6 20.e3 b5 21.c2 a5 22.f4 d7 23.e5 b3+ 24.b1 xd4 25.xd4 xd4 26.xf7 c4 27.c3 f8 28.g6 xc3 29.xe6+ b8 30.xe7 f5+ 31.a1 xf7 32.b4 b3 33.xc7+ a8 34.c5 b5 35.d4 xc7 0-1 Zelcic,R-Kurajica,B/Salona Rapid 1hr, Solin-Spilt CRO 2002 (35) ] 6...f5!?N I searched in Melts for this move and was very surprised when I didn't find it. 6...Bf5 looks solid and respectable to me, certainly when one considers that Jirovsky intends to follow up with ...Nc6, adding spice to the mix. Black is not limited: [ 6...e6 7.d2 e7 8.d3 0-0 9.0-0-0 b5 10.g5 b7 11.f4 d8 12.h4 bd7 13.e2 b4 14.ce4 xe4 15.xe4 f6 ] [ 6...g4 7.e2 bd7 8.d2 e6 9.0-0-0 d5 10.xd5 exd5 11.f4 b6 12.g5! ] [ 6...b5 7.d3 b7 8.0-0 bd7 ] 7.d2 e6 8.0-0-0 c6!= 9.h4 g6 10.f4 d7 11.xg6 hxg6 12.d5 exd5 13.xd5 0-0-0 14.c4 f5 15.g3 xd5 16.xd5 e7 17.he1 g5 18.f4 f6!= Black's opening has worked very well. 19.c4 e7 20.e4 c5 21.c2 f5 22.f2 d4 23.xd4 xd4 24.xd4 xd4 25.g3 c6 208
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 26.a3 c7 27.b1 d8 28.a2 c5 29.g2 b5 30.e4 a5 31.e2 b4 32.axb4 xb4 33.c5 d2 34.xb4 xe2 35.f3 f2 36.b3 a4 37.d3 xb2 38.h4 f5 39.d1 d4+ 40.a3 xc5+ 41.xa4 a2+ 42.b3 a3+ 43.c4 xd3 44.xd3 f2 45.b3 xg3 46.f7 g5 47.fxg5 xh4 48.g6 d6 49.e3 e5 50.e8 c5 51.f7 g5+ 52.d3 h4 53.e8 f4 54.b5 f2 55.e2 d4 56.f1 g5 57.e8 c4 58.e2 f4 59.d7 f6 60.b5 c3 61.d3 g4 I think that 3...Qd6 isn't a bad move at all and can certainly be employed as a surprise weapon. The Melts book is required reading. 0-1
220 Golubev,Mikhail Kislinsky,Alexey VIII Rector Cup (10) [Eric Prié]
B01 2499 2384 04.04.2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.d2 g4! Of course there are other black options against 5.Bd2:5...Qb6 immediately that Kasparov and Kramnik faced over the board, 6.Nf3 and then 6...Bg4 or even 6...c6 but anything other than the suicidal capture on b2. Be that as it may, it seems clear that, if Black can never take any of the white pawns on b2, c2 or d4, then 5...c6 is preferable and after 6.Bc4 the retreat 6...Qc7 intending 7.Nf3 Bf5 or 7...Bg4 if Black feels lucky and wishes to test the validity of the rule I have previously stated of never moving his queen 3 times unless forced in the Scandinavian... 5...c6 6.Bc4 Bf5 remains the main line in any case. Nevertheless, since I understand it would be an error of taste not to advertize one's products in this peculiar 1...e4 section, I can invite its subscribers to watch for the publication of the next 2 New In Chess yearbooks (81 and 82) if they want to know more about the W orld classical champions' m o v e 5 . B d 2 ! 6.f3 h5!? Protecting f7, although on principle I prefer [ 6...f5 to keep this bishop in play. Then, in case of the aggressive 7.g4 I would think about ...Bg6. Instead I have regularly played
d7 in this situation, but Kislinsky's games ma y m a ke m e ch an ge m y m in d . . . 8.c4 After this move, we rejoin my work on 5.Bc4 last year (instead of 5. Bd2) 5...Bg4! ( 8.g5 h5 9.ge2 e6 10.g2?! c6! 11.e4 b6 12.c3 0-0-0 Boudre, J-P-Prie, E Narbonne-Plage 1hKO op 2005; 8.h3 ) 8...b6 9.e2 ( 9.ge2?! c6 10.b3 xf3 11.f1 xg4 12.f4 Sanchez, J (2450) - Prie, E (2475) Villeneuve-Tolosane op 2006 ) 9...c6 10.d5 d4 11.d3 0-0-0 12.0-0-0 e5 ( 12...c5 13.ge2 e6 14.xd4 cxd4 15.dxe6 xe6 16.e2 ) 13.ge2 xe2+ ( 13...h5 14.h3 c5 15.xd4 xd4 16.g5 e8 17.b3 d6 18.e4 f5 19.c3 e3 ) 14.xe2 d6= I don't think White is better here, but I do not feel comfortable with this pawn structure, which is unusual for me, Mack, A (2262) Prié, E (2429) 4NCL2 Telford ENG 2004 ] 7.g4 White takes up the gauntlet. Otherwise, the exile of the bishop on h5 also throws up a couple of questions. [ 7.ge2 c6 8.f4 xd4 9.b5 b6 10.e3 c5 11.xh5 xh5 12.xd4 0-0-0 13.c3 xb2 14.c1 cxd4 15.cxd4+ b8= ] [ 7.h3!? c6 8.b5 ( 8.b5 0-0-0 ) 8...b6 9.f4 d5 10.c4 xf4 11.xf4 0-0-0 12.xh5 e6! ] [ 7.c4! b6 8.h3! c6 ( 8...xd4 9.e2 ) 9.d5 With the initiative, winning a piece in return for two pawns and some activity, for instance after d4 10.a4 d6 11.c3 e5+ 12.f1 xf3 13.gxf3 xd5 14.e2 f5 15.g2 0-0-0 ] 7...g6 8.f4! e6 9.f5 exf5 10.g5 fd7 11.e2+ d8 12.g2 The improvement. One can imagine that Golubev, like every fierce Dragon player, is usually keen on such complicated games with the opposite colour and had time to prepare something in this closed tournament, 8 rounds after the surprise caused by his young compatriot. c6 13.xc6 bxc6 14.0-0-0 This must have been his idea: get rid of the opposing queen's knight, which was ready to jump to b4, and which caused all W hite's sorrows in the previous game, prior to long castling. b8 15.e1 b4 16.h3 c8! [ 16...xc3 17.xc3 xa2 18.f4 b6 19.h4 c4 20.b3 ] 209
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.f4 [ 17.a3 xa3 Of course. ] 17...d8! 18.c4?! White eventually decides to defend a2 or maybe play for a win when he had to go all in to look for a saving perpetual check. [ 18.h4 xc3 19.xc3 xa2 20.h5 c5 21.g2 ( 21.hxg6? e4 ) 21...a4 ( 21...e4 22.xe4 fxe4 23.hxg6 e3 24.b3 ) 22.xc6 b6 ( 22...xb2 23.xb2 xb2+ 24.d2 xd4+ 25.e2 ) 23.a8+ b8 24.c6 ( 24.f3 xb2 25.d2 c4+ 26.e2 xc2+ 27.f1 b3 28.a8+ d7 29.d5+ d6 30.hxg6 hxg6! 31.a1 e8!-+ ) 24...b6 25.a8+ b8= ] 18...c5 The opening of the d-file is obviously wh a t B l a c k a i m s f o r w i t h a r o o k o n d 8 . 19.fd5? [ 19.a3! b6 ( 19...xa3? 20.bxa3 xa3+ 21.d1 b4 22.a2 xa2 23.xa2 b1+ 24.c1 cxd4 25.h4 f6 26.h5 f7 27.g6 c4 28.e7 ) 20.a2 ( 20.b3 xc3 21.xc3 a6 ) 20...xc3 21.xc3 a4 22.b3 c6 23.dxc5 d5 24.xd5 xd5 And Black retains some initiative which is the most important in complicated middle games with opposite-coloured bishops. 25.xg7 f4 26.b4 xg5 ] 19...b6! 20.e7+ b7 21.e2 xc3 22.xc3 [ 22.f3+ d5 23.xd5? xd2+ ] 22...xa2 23.f3+ d5! [ 23...a6 24.b3 cxd4 25.c6 dxc3? 26.b4+ ] 24.e5 c6 25.b3 f4! The black dragon is free! [ 25...h5 26.g2 ( 26.xh5 xc3 )] 26.b2 [ 26.xg6 hxg6 27.dxc5 f6 ] 26...xc2! 27.xd5 [ 27.xc2 b4+ 28.c1 ( 28.c3 cxd4+ 29.xb4 a8+ 30.c4 a6+ 31.b5 xb5# ) 28...xd4 29.d1 bd8 30.ee1 d3! 31.f2 ( 31.f1 c3+ 32.xc3 c2#; 31.e2 f3 ) 31...xb3 32.e2 a2+ 33.b1 c3+ 34.c1 xe2+ ] 27...b1+ 28.d2 xb2 29.e7+ a6 30.b4+ [ 30.f1+ d3+ 31.xd3 xd5 32.a1+ xa1 33.xa1+ b6 34.axa7 cxd4 35.xf7 c5 36.a3 b4 37.a6 c5
38.xg7 xb3-+ ] 30...a5 31.xc6+ b6 32.e1 [ 32.c3 xc3+ 33.xc3 xc6 34.xc2 xd4 35.xf7 b7+- ] 32...e8?? [ 32...xd4! 33.xd4 xd4 34.f1 ( 34.h4 d3 35.h3 d6 ) 34...d6! The point of it a l l , t h e e 7 - r o o k i s d o m i n a t e d ! 35.e2 ( 35.xf7 e8+; 35.e2 d3 ) 35...d1 36.xf4 xf4 37.xf4 xe2 38.xe2 b7-+ ] 33.xf4?? Mutual time trouble, probably. [ 33.dxc5+ xc5?! ( 33...b5 34.xa7+ a5 35.c6+ b5= ) 34.b4+ b6 ( 34...d6 35.xf4+ xc6 36.c4+ b6 37.c5+ a6 38.a5# ) 35.f2+ b5 ( 35...xc6? 36.c5# ) 36.e2+ a4 37.xe8 xe8 38.xe8 d3! 39.g1 c3+ 40.f2 b5 41.e4 d2+ ( 41...xc6 42.xf4 ) 42.f3 c3+ 43.xf4 xc6 44.e3 xb4+ 45.g3 d6+ 46.f4+ xf4+ 47.xf4 ] 33...xe7+ 34.xe7 c3+ 35.d2 a1+ 36.f2 xd4+ 37.xd4 cxd4 0-1
221 Gormally,Daniel Nakamura,Hikaru Gibraltar Masters (2) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2472 2613 26.01.2005
There now follows a long, rather dour clash between two very strong players. Nakmura seems to have embraced the Centre-Counter with enthusiasm perhaps he likes the ease with which one can get a playable position. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6 5.f3 f6 6.e5 The teeth have probably been drawn from 6 Ne5. However, if W hite wa n t s t o i n s u r e ' a g a i n s t t h e l o s s ' , t h e n perhaps this is the best way to go about it. f5!? Encouraging g2-g4, which has hitherto tho ught t o be risky. 6 .. .B e6 is O K, b ut if Nakamura can make 6...Bf5 work, then we will all be very ha ppy. 7.d3 OK, Gormally is angling for a draw that is the only explanation of this boring move. [ Clearly 7.g4 is critical and then I think that e6! is best, with 8.c4 ( 8.d2 bd7=; 210
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 8.c4 xg4! 9.xe6 xe5 10.c8 c7 11.xb7 xb7 12.dxe5 e6 ) 8...xc4 9.xc4 e6 10.e2 b4 11.d2 d5= If this analysis of John Emms, in his excellent recent book on the Scandinavian is correct, then Black is absolutely fine after 6...Bf5 ] 7...xd3 8.xd3 bd7 Challenging the Knight brings complete equality. Many players would shake hands here. 9.f4 [ 9.xd7 is not especially awe-inspiring, rather the prelude to deep and everlasting peace: xd7 10.0-0 f6 11.d2 c7 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 e6 14.c4 e7 15.c3 0-0 16.d5 1/2-1/2 Nijboer, FHansen, C/Groningen 1992 ] 9...e6 [ 9...xe5 looks faintly inaccurate, although even here Black obtained a decent position in a r e c e n t g a m e f r o m T u r k e y: 10.xe5 ( 10.dxe5 d5 11.d2 e6= ) 10...d7 11.f4 e6 12.0-0 e7 13.a3 0-0 14.ad1 f6 15.fe1 d5 16.xd5 cxd5 17.d2 xd2 18.xd2 ac8 19.h3 c6 20.g4 fc8 Korniyuk, M-Warakomska, A/Urgup 2004 Completely equal. ] 10.0-0 b6 [ 10...d8 11.c4 h5 12.ad1 e7 13.c7 with the idea of Nd6+ gives White an edge. ] [ 10...xe5! seems reliable again. Somehow my head doesn't want me to play this move, but the positions reached are quite alright: 11.dxe5 ( 11.xe5 d7 12.g3 e7= ) 11...d5 12.xd5 xd5 ( 12...cxd5 13.c3 c8 14.e3 e7= ) 13.fd1 xd3 14.xd3 d8= ] 11.a3 bd5 12.xd5 cxd5 13.b4 a4 14.c4 This is about the best that White could have hoped for. He has the initiative and is ahead in development, although not massively so. W hat Nakamura has to do now is to go into defensive mode for a few moves and get castled. This he does. dxc4 15.xc4 d7 Preventing Nd6+ 16.e5 e7 17.f4 0-0 18.f5 Gormally tries to rustle up a kingside attack, but Black's position is very solid and the early simplification doesn't help White's cause either. g4 [ 18...b5!? gives counterplay at the expense of driving White's Knight to a better square.
19.e3 a5 ] 19.ad1 ac8 20.h3 xc4! Each exchange favours Black due to the isolated d-pawn. White must make sure that he keeps as active as possible in the upcoming ending to divert Black from realising that positional trump. 21.hxg4 [ 21.xc4 e3 22.fxe6 fxe6 23.xf8+ xf8 24.e2 xd1 25.xd1 b5!= ] 21...fc8 22.e3?! [ 22.d5! would have saved a lot of moves: exd5 23.xd5 xd5 24.xd5 g5 25.d7 e4 ] 22...c3 23.d3 xd3 24.xd3 exf5 25.gxf5 f6 26.f4 d8 27.e3 d5 Now, if a nyon e, B lack has a sm all edge . 28.c1 f8 29.f2 d6 30.h3 g8 31.e1 c8 32.g4 b6 33.h4 f8 34.f2 a5 35.bxa5 bxa5 36.h3 [ 36.a4 is desirable long-term but might well result in the pawn becoming more vulnerable: b4 37.e6 a2 ] 36...g8 37.a4 b4 38.d1 h8?! Prompted by time pressure perhaps? I find it difficult to understand why Nakamura didn't play [ 38...c2! o t h e r w i s e : 39.g4 a2 the point is to combine seventh-rank pressure with an attack on a4. 40.f3 xa4 41.a8+ f7 42.b7+ f8 43.d5 e8 44.d6 xd6! 45.xd6 c1+ 46.h2 h5+ 47.g3 c3+-+ ] 39.d3 h6 40.b5 d8 41.c1 [ 41.xd5 xd5 42.g4 h5 43.gxh5 xf5 44.d5 d6 45.b6 gives some counterplay. ] 41...e4 42.b6 d5 43.e6 xf5 44.c8+ h7 45.g8+ g6 46.e8+ h7 47.g8+ g6 48.e8+ g5 OK, he goes for it. At 30 secs a move it's a good punt. 49.e3+ [ 49.e3+ g4 50.c7 g5 leaves White with no obvious continuation although both Kings are shakily placed. Really, in the quickplay shootout, these positions become rather random. ] 49...h5 50.g8 b1+ 51.h2 d6+ 52.g3 g5 53.e2+ g6 54.e8+ f5 55.c8+ g6 56.e8+ f5 57.d7+ e4?! 58.c6+ [ Dee p Fritz is showin g 58.e8+ d3 211
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 59.g2! with xg3 ( 59...b6 60.e3+ fxg3 25.f4! ( 25.fxg3 ce8 26.h2 f7 d2 61.e6 d5 62.xg7 ) 60.e3+ 27.h3 f8 is very good for Black.) d2 61.xg3 e4+ 62.g1 b1+ 25...ce8 26.e3 f7 27.h3 f8 63.h2 h5+ 64.h3 But with no time, it 28.hg1 c7 29.ef1 b5! 30.xg3 take s a ge niu s ( or a comp ute r) to f in d ( 30.cxb5 c4 with a crushing attack.) quiet moves such as Kg2!!. ] 30...a5 and in this complicated position 58...f5 59.d7+ e4 60.e8+ f3 Bla ck's ch an ce s a re b y n o me ans b ad , 61.c6+ g4 62.g2 f5 63.e4+ g5 Malev-Malinin,1990. ] 64.e8 xf2+! 65.xf2 b2+ 66.f3 12.d4 f5 (threatening 13...f5-f4) 13.g5! c3+ 67.e3 xd4 68.e4 xe4+ [ 13.ce2 is not so convincing in view of 69.xe4 f5 70.g4+ 6 A royal struggle in the A) In Macieja-Terekhin, Sankt Peterburg end. As for the opening I recommend having 1 9 9 7 B l a c k t r i e d 13...axc4 14.bxc4 another look at ... Bf5! which seems a xc4 , but with a few precise moves White complete answer to 6 Ne5 r e f u t e d t h i s i d e a : 15.b4! xe3 ½-½ ( 15...xd5 16.f4 ) 16.fxe3 xd5 17.c1! a5 18.f4! axb4 19.xd5 c6 ( 19...xa2 20.c4 ) 20.b6! a3 222 B01 21.c4+ h8 22.b3 a6 23.xc8 xc8 24.h4! and in this position 3 pawns Grischuk,Alexander 2581 is not really enough for the piece.; Malakhov,Vladimir 2593 B) 13...c5! 14.xa5 f4! ( Of course, Lausanne 2000 14...cxd4 15.xd4 is insufficient for [Alexander Volzhin] Black. ) 15.xc5 ( 15.xf4 is bad in view of cxd4 and White is helpless.) 15...fxe3 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.f3 xd5 4.d4 g6 16.fxe3 g5! Obviously Black has 5.c4 b6 6.c3 g7 7.e3 0-0 8.h3 c6 tremendous compensation for sacrificed 9.d2 e5 10.d5 a5!? Nowadays this old material. move becomes more and more popular. The B1) 17.0-0-0 xe3+ 18.b1 g5 reason is Black suffers serious problems in ( 18...f5 is not bad either.) 19.g4 e5 10. .. Ne7 a s we have alrea dy se en . 11.b3 , in te nd ing B d7 , Ra8 -c8 wit h a ve ry The critical position of this line. Now Black strong attack.; has to choose between two lines: 11...f5 and B2) 17.d2 f2 18.h4 and now the 11...e4. e4 natural g3 ( in st ea d o f 18...h6?! [ 11...f5 is the alternative to the text. In 19.d6 f5 20.g4! c8 21.g5 h5 numerous games played in this line up to 22.d7! and Black is in trouble, Firmanthis moment White had failed to prove his Ne st e r, L viv 1 9 9 8 .) 19.e1 g4 advantage. Just a few examples: 12.c5 secured Black a very strong attack, for ( 12.0-0-0 e4 13.e1 f6 14.b2 c6 example: 20.e6 c8 21.b4 15.d6 e6 16.c2 axc4+! and Back ( 21.e7? c3+! 22.xc3 xd5+ ) wins, Markovic-Gostovic, Jugoslavija 1985.) 21...xe6 22.dxe6 e5 and White's 12...e8 13.0-0-0 ( 13.e2 d7 14.a3 position is barely defensible. ] c5 15.g5 h6 16.h4 b6 17.b2 f8 18.f4 exf4 19.xf4 b7 20.b5 e7 13...e8 14.0-0-0 c5 15.de2! [ The tempting 15.db5 is strongly met by 21.d2 a6 22.c3 d6 23.0-0-0 d7 a6! 16.c7 e5 17.xa8 xa8 18.b1 24.he1 e3 25.f3 b5! and Black is f4 with tremendous compensation for clearly better, S.Nikolic-Stefansson, sacrificed exchange. ] Komotini 1993.) 13...d7 14.b4 c5 15.xa5 xa5 16.b5 d8 17.d6 f8 15...axc4!? The Knight on a5 has no better xc4 18.g5 h6 19.h4 e4 20.xc8 xc8 role than to be sacrificed! 16.bxc4 21.c2 xg5!? 22.hxg5 ( 22.xg5 xg5 17.c2 The critical position for the whole line. 23.hxg5 e5 intending 24...Nf7 is very Black's position looks promising but White's good for Black.) 22...f4 23.e1 e7 24.g3 d e f e n s i v e r e s o u r c e s s h o u l d n o t b e 212
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 underestimated. e5 [ The tempting 17...b5 doesn't work in view of 18.d6! c6 19.d5 and White is better. ] 18.d6! d3+ 19.xd3! exd3 20.xd3 f4?! [ 20...e6 is worth considering, for example: 21.d5 c4 22.f3 a4 and Black obtains real counterchances. ] 21.e7! f7 22.c4! b5 Desperation but I can't see real improvement for Black. 23.xb5 b8 24.ec3 b7 25.d5 a6 26.bc7 White Knights dominate in the centre of the board. The fact W hite's King has no pawn shelter is of no importance here since all Black pieces are passive and can't create any real attack. The rest needs no comment. c6 27.d3 b2+ 28.d1 g7 29.e1 d4 30.e4 d7 31.xd4 cxd4 32.e6+ g8 33.f6+ h8 34.c5 1-0
223 Groszpeter,Attila Reprintsev,Alexander Pardubice Czech op (5) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2505 2440 1998
REPRINTSEV'S SURPRISE It's not at all easy to surprise a well-prepared opponent, especially in these days of the giant database. I believe the idea we are about to examine will come as a complete shock to most players and is much better than it looks. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 e4!? Seen this before? Maybe the stronger players among you will have done, but you didn't bother to analyse it. I must admit 5... Ne 4 lo o k s lik e n o n s e n se . I t sh o u ld b e a simple matter to ref ute this time-wasting Knight move with simple development. Reprintsev and Sulskis don't think so, play 5... Ne4 whenever they can and get pretty good results with it. Besides, 5...Ne4 is unsettling. W ho likes to be threatened on move five! Perhaps when we have f inished with this article, 5 Bc4 will suddenly become more popular. So a bit of feelgood chess to start off with a quick Black win. 6.d3 xc3 7.bxc3 [ I thought 7.d2 might be a move, but then e5! is a further shock to the system. Black's
idea is ...Bb4. Then 8.bxc3 ( 8.xe5 b4 9.c4 d5! 10.bxc3 xg2 11.f1 e7 ) 8...exd4 9.xd4 e7 is nothing for White at all. ] 7...g6! Reprintsev seems to have decided that t h is m o ve is b e s t , a n gli n g f o r a n a lm o s t Grünfeld-like position. I suppose that if Black is left unmolested, he will simply play 0-0 and ...c7-c5! So White must be very concrete here and attack e7. 8.0-0 g7 9.e1 [ 9.b1 0-0 10.e1 ( 10.e1!? xa2 11.f4 c6 12.xc7 d5 13.b5 d7 14.f4 e6 ) 10...c6 11.h3 xa2 led nowhere in another Reprintsev game: 12.g5 e6 13.d2 d5 14.b5 d7 15.h6 xh6 16.xh6 f6 17.c4 g7 18.f4 ( 18.xe6+ xe6 19.xg7+ xg7 20.xe6 f7! 21.e1 b6 ) 18...d8 19.h4 a6 20.bb1 b5 21.a2 h8 22.c4 c6 23.c5 a7 Strukov, R-Reprintsev, A/ Moscow 1999 Black's game is a bit awkward, but he's a pawn up! What do you want? ] [ If 9.g5 xc3 10.e1 e6 11.d2 a3 12.f4 a5 is another pawn-down position for White, where he has some compensation, but nothing clear. ] 9...0-0!? 10.xe7 c6 11.e3 [ 11.e1 led to the decidedly unthrilling xc3 12.d2 a3 13.c1 c3 14.d2 a3 15.c1 c3 1/2-1/2 Genser, H-Plank, F/ Austria 1999 ] 11...xc3 12.d2 b2 This guy is a very tricky player as you are about to see. It still looks dubious. Material is level and Black's queen seems stranded in the W hite camp. Moreover White's pieces appear to be better developed. In a clearly optimistic frame of mind, Groszpeter goes straight ahead. He is a b o u t t o e xp e r i e n c e a r u d e a w a k e n i n g . 13.xg6 [ 13.c3 is certainly better, but not conclusive. Black is still fighting: a3 14.e4 ( 14.b3 xb3 15.axb3 d8 16.c4 f5 ) 14...d6 15.b3 b6 16.ae1 b7 17.b5 ae8 ] [ 13.b1 xa2 14.c3 d5 ] 13...xd4! 14.b1? In shock. [ 14.xd4 is surprisingly difficult to play against because W hite is so far ahead in development. I think I've found a good line f o r B l a c k t h o u g h : hxg6! ( 14...xd4 213
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.xh7+ xh7 16.h5+ g8 17.g3+ g7 18.f1!; 14...fxg6 15.c3 b6 16.b1 d6 17.b5 xd1+ 18.xd1 xc3 19.xc3 c6 20.d6 ) 15.c3 b6 16.b1 d6 17.b5 xd1+ 18.xd1 f5 19.xg7 xg7 20.xc7 ac8 21.e7 fd8!= ] 14...xf3+ 15.xf3 xa2 16.xh7+ xh7 17.b4 d8! 18.h3 a1 Of course, it's all over . 19.xa1 xa1 20.g3 d4 Black could never h ave expected such a speedy victory treading a familiar highway. 0-1
224
B01 Hagen,Andreas Skytte 2290 Bo,Morten 2343 49th TCh-DEN XtraCon 2010-11 (9.4) 13.03.11 [Gawain Jones]
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 f5 7.d2 e6 8.d5 d8 9.xf6+ gxf6 [ 9...xf6 is the other main move. We ought to check a game of the French author's. 10.e2! g4 ( 10...d7 was played against me but doesn't have a good reputation. 11.0-0-0 b6 given a question mark by Bauer who considers that Black should transpose to the game with 11...Bg4. 12.g5 g6 13.d5! xc4 14.xc4 exd5 15.he1+ e6 16.xd5! e7 17.xe7 cxd5 18.b4 c8 19.c3 g4 20.d6 a4 21.xe6! fxe6 22.e5 b5 23.h4 1-0 Jones, G (2522)-Wang Puchen (2397) Limburg Open Maastricht 2008 was a game I wa s ra t h e r p le a se d wit h !) 11.0-0-0 Oddly Bauer believes this is inaccurate but in this game he opts to switch back to the mainline. ( Instead 11.d5 xf3 12.gxf3 cxd5 13.xd5 d7 14.0-0-0 would transpose to the game.) 11...d7 ( He considers 11...e7 to equalise but for some reason chooses not to play it here.) 12.d5 xf3 13.gxf3 cxd5 14.xd5 0-0-0 15.e4 e5 16.b1 ( 16.c3! was Shirov's choice in the archives and Bauer considers this the most challenging. c7 17.b1 f6 Shirov, A (2720)-Bauer, C (2 5 8 5 ) P a m p lo n a 2 0 0 6 is lo o ke d a t b y
Ro wso n in t h e a rch ive s. He re P la y t h e Scandinavian recommends 18.hg1 c5 19.xd8+ xd8 20.d4! c8 21.c4 a6 22.xc5 xc5 23.xe6+ b8 24.a3 g6 25.xf6 d8 when he writes "Black will likely recover a pawn on either f2 or h2. White can play for a win without any risk, but the presence of opposite-coloured bishops is a sign if ica nt dra win g f a cto r". Hard ly what Black was hoping for and it would be interesting to know if Bauer had found an improvement over his analysis or whether he was confident he could hold the draw here.) 16...c7 17.g5 f6 18.e3 c5 19.c3 g6 20.c2 b8 21.h6 e5 22.d2 c7 23.e2 e5 24.d2 c7 25.e2 saw Black holding pretty easily. 1/2-1/2 Hamdouchi, H (2593)-Bauer, C (2633) Calvi 2011. ] 10.b3 This is actually the main move but hasn't been featured on ChessPublishing before. W hite defends the c2 pawn in preparation for Qe2 and 0-0-0. [ Instead 10.c3 has been looked at a few times ] [ W h i l e J o h n W a t s o n l o o k e d a t 10.0-0 in Gashimov, V (2740)-Hamdouchi, H (2590) Ourense 2009. ] 10...a5!? This is a rare try which has recently seen a rise in popularity. [ 10...d7 is by far the main move and the only one considered in Play the Scandinavian but wasn't Bauer's choice in a recent game. I've added in some of John Watson's analysis from the archives: A) 11.h4 The point of this is apparently to bring the queen over to the kingside but lo o k s a b i t o d d t o m e . g6 12.f3 ( 12.xg6 was the choice in a high rated blitz game but following hxg6 13.e2 c7 14.h4 0-0-0 15.0-0-0 h6! Exploiting White's rather early exchange on g6. 16.xh6 xh6 17.g3 dh8 18.he1 g5! and Black had equalised. Nepomniachtchi, I (2720) -Nakamura, H (2741) Moscow 2010. ) A1) An ot h er re cen t gam e sa w 12...f5 13.h3 g7 14.f3 ( 14.c3 Bauer. ) 14...f6 15.h6 xh6 16.xh6 h5?! This leaves Black's pieces rather loose. ( 16...d6 looks fine to me.) 17.e5 214
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e7 18.f3 g8 19.g3 0-0-0 20.0-0-0 b8 21.d2 a8 22.hd1 c8 23.b1 cd8 24.a3 c8 25.a1 cd8 26.c4 and White was starting to take ove r b ut st ill e4? was an ill-advised idea. Talla, V (2505)-Tripoteau, N (2425) Chur 2010.; A2) 12...a5 given an exclam by Bauer. 13.a4 f5 14.h3 g7 15.f3 0-0 16.0-0 f6 17.g5 b6 18.ad1 e4 19.h6 fd8 20.xg7 xg7 1/2-1/2 Venkatesh, M (2468)-Chatterjee, D (2312) Chennai 2011 saw Black hold comfortably.; B) 11.e2 The mainline and logical. W hite prepares to castle long and has interesting d4-d5 ideas. c7 12.h4 g6 B1) 13.f4 was seen in another high rated blitz game but giving away the e4 s q u a r e i s a r i s k y d e c i s i o n . 0-0-0 14.0-0-0 f5 15.h3 ( Watson gives 15.g3 b8 16.c4 f6 17.xg6 hxg6 as about equal in Socko-D Schwarz, Warsaw 2008. ) 15...f6 16.c3 h5 B1a) 17.g4! was necessary but still fxg4 18.xe6+ fxe6 19.xe6+ d7 ( 19...d7 20.hxg4 e8 21.f5 d6 i s i n t e r e s t i n g .) 20.xf6 g8 and Black hs good play for the pawn.; B1b) 17.f3? d6 18.g3 e4 19.hg1 hg8 and Black had taken over the initiative. Svidler, P (2734)Nielsen, P (2700) Copenhagen 2010.; B2) 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14.g3 b8 Given Bauer's approval when his mainline continues ( 14...d6 15.xg6 hxg6 16.h4 gives W hite an edge.) 15.g2 ( 15.xg6 hxg6 16.h4 is no longer so good for White as Black can play h6! removing White's bishop pair. It's important to remember to wait for ...Bd6 before exchanging on g6.; 15.b1!? was tried in Kravtsiv, M (2527)Tomczak, J (2447) Lublin 2009 when Black doe s best to sit and wait wit h a8!? ) 15...e5!? ( He also devotes a lot of analysis to 15...d6 ) 16.c3 exd4! 17.xd4 c5 18.he1 xd4 19.xd4 c5 when White must have a small edge due to his better structure but the position is fully playable for Black. ]
11.a4 g8?! Considering White's next is a move he wants to play anyway I feel this is an error. [ Most of the other players have continued with the more logical 11...a6 12.e2 A) 12...b4 13.xb4 ( 13.0-0-0 is surely more critical but perhaps White w a s w o r r i e d a b o u t s o m e b5? plan? Nonetheless this would be highly p r e m a t u r e a s 14.d5! is ve ry s t ro n g.) 13...axb4 14.h4 g6 15.e3 g7 was an easy draw for Black in Balogh, C (2628)-Hamdouchi, H (2600) La Massana 2010.; B) 12...b6 13.h4! g6 14.e3?! This move is rather odd ( Again 14.0-0-0 was critical. This is a much better version of the game f o r Black who ca n castle safely but still I feel W hite may have a nibble. ) 14...b4+ Now White is forced to c e d e c a s t l i n g r i g h t s . 15.f1 d8 ( 15...0-0-0 w a s s a f e a s 16.d5 c5 17.dxe6 xe3 18.xe3 xe3 19.fxe3 c5 gives Black great play for the pawn.) 16.c3 e7 17.g3 c7 with a doublee d g e d b a t t l e in p ro sp e c t . F a r ge re , F (2520)-Bauer, C (2633) Nancy 2011. ] 12.e2! Tactically defending the g2 pawn and preparing to castle long. e7 13.0-0-0 a6 [ 13...b5!? was an interesting alternative but perhaps W hite can safely ignore it with 14.hg1 ] [ 13...xg2? still drops material to 14.h4! g4 15.e4 xd1 16.xg2 h5 17.g8+ f8 18.xh7+- ] 14.he1 b4 15.h3 A slightly odd move [ 15.h4! looks more logical. The computer offers the enterprising xc2 but I remain unconvinced that Black has anything like enough for a piece following ( Both 15...g4 16.f3 h5 17.g4 g6 18.f4; and 15...g6 16.xg6 xg6 17.c3 d5 18.g4 clearly favour W hite) 16.xc2 xc2 17.xc2 xd4 18.g3 xa4+ 19.b1 ] 15...d6 16.h4 g6 17.f4!? f5 18.f3 d5?! Boe wants to utilise the outpost on e4 as fast as possible but now he has difficulties castling. [ Instead 18...0-0-0 and Black would be close to equalising although W hite can retain a small edge with 19.xb4 axb4 215
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.e5 ] 19.e5 f6 20.g4! Energetic play e4 21.g5 h6 22.h4 hxg5 23.hxg5 So Black has managed to entrench his knight on the outpost but the rest of his pieces remain passive while the weakness of the a5 pawn prevents him from castling and therefore his pieces remain uncoordinated. f8 [ It seems a shame to give away the beautiful k n i g h t b u t 23...xd2 would at least allow B l a c k t o g e t c a s t l e d . 24.xd2 c7 ( 24...h5 wins the exchange but 25.b1 xd1 26.xd1 g7 27.h5 allows White a very dangerous attack. Black does best here to give back the exchange with 0-0-0 but W hite stands better following 28.xf7 xf4 29.xe6+ b8 30.xd8 xd8 31.g6 ) 25.h1 0-0-0 and Black is solidly placed but his pieces are rather passively located and so White can continue probing without any risk. ] [ 23...c7?! defends a5 and looks logical but fails to the common blow in the Scandinavian of 24.d5! exd5 25.xd5! cxd5 26.b5+ A) 26...d8 27.xd5+ d6 ( 27...d6 28.xg6 xg6 29.xe4! fxe4 30.f5 g7 31.f4 and White regains a piece with a vicious attack.; 27...c8 28.xg6+- ) 28.e3 with a very dangerous attack.; B) 26...f8 27.d7+ e8 ( 27...g7 28.xe4! fxe4 29.c3++- forces Black to give his queen to prevent a mating attack. ) 28.b6+ c6 29.xa8 h5 30.c7+ d7 31.xa5 xd1 32.xd1 xb5 33.axb5 and with d5 dropping White has an extra two pawns in the ending. ] 24.h2 This allows Black to finally castle and thus eases his position. [ 24.b1 should have also been considered c7 25.d5!? exd5 26.xd5 cxd5 27.b5+ d8 28.e3 is still a very dangerous attack. ] 24...g7?! [ With 24...c7 Black could castle next move and only be a little worse. It's important to recognise that the White queen can no longer come to b5 so the d4-d 5 break won't work. ] 25.xg6! fxg6 26.h7 Now Black doesn't h a v e t i m e t o c a s t l e . f7 27.xe4!
The Dane (who I notice will be 2454 next list!) plays the energetic exchange sacrifice ripping open Black's position. fxe4 28.f5 gxf5 29.xf5+ e7 30.xe4 White has a pawn for the exchange but much more relevant is the Black king which is running naked in the centre of the board with all of W hite's army behind it. d7 [ 30...gf8 31.e1 d8 32.c3 c7 33.h7 f7 34.xe6 picks up another pawn while Black's king isn't much safer. ] 31.f4 e7 32.d5! Stripping open the king. exd5 33.xd5+! The rook on g8 will drop so material is actually level while W hite's ferocious attack continues. cxd5 34.xd5+ e8 35.xg8+ d7 36.d5+ [ Definitely not 36.xa8?? e1# ] 36...e8 37.b1 But now that's a threat. d8 38.b5+ f8 39.f5+ e8 40.a2 d1 41.c3 The line employed in this game continues to be the critical test of the 3...Qa5 Scandinavian and Black doesn't have a surefire route to equality. 1-0
225 Hamdouchi,Hicham Bo,Morten 26th European Club Cup (1.18) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2592 2349 17.10.2010
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.d2 A slightly unusual move order, delaying the development of the king's knight. c6 The most logical giving the queen a line of retreat. [ 5...b6 is the most critical, forking d4 and b2 pawns. 6.f3 ( 6.c4!? is rare but also looks interesting xd4 7.e2 definitely gives White very good compensation for the pawn. He will castle long and Black will have to be very accurate.) 6...g4 7.c4 ( 7.d5!? c6 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 cxd5 10.xd5 xd5 11.xd5 e6 12.b3 c5 13.xb6 xb6 14.a4 gave White a definite advantage thanks to his bishop pair. Meier, G (2641)Dubkov, A (2311) playchess.com 2009.; while hitting the bishop immediately with 7.h3 also looks logical.) 7...e6 8.h3 xf3 ( 8...h5 9.g4 is a typical theme in the 216
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Scandinavian. g6 10.e2 gave White a s t r o n g i n it i a t i ve . S i m e o n o v, S ( 2 3 5 4 ) Zheljazkov, V (2027) Borovets 2008.) 9.xf3 c6?! ( 9...c6 would be more of a challenge 10.b5 d6 11.0-0-0 0-0 12.e3 d5 13.xd5 xb5 14.c3 c4 looks to equalise. ) 10.0-0-0 c7 11.he1 gave Carlsen a huge advantage in development which he exploited rapidly: bd7 12.xe6!? ( 12.d5 is a safer method. ) 12...fxe6 13.xe6+ d8? ( 13...f7 was f orced although 14.e4! g8 15.e1 still looks very dangerous.) 14.f4 a5 15.d5! h6 16.d6 c8 17.de1 1-0 Carlsen, M (2765)-Boixeda, P Madrid 2008. ] [ Eric looked at a game with 5...g4 A) 6.f3 c6 ( 6...bd7!? has been Eric's choice in a couple of games. 7.h3 h5 8.c4 0-0-0 9.g4 g6 10.e2 e6 11.0-0-0 b4 12.a3 xc3 13.xc3 b6 Leo n Hoyo s, M (24 28)-Prie, E (24 67 ) Villeneuve Tolosane 2006 when Black went on to win but 14.d3 d5 15.d2 must be a little better for White.; 6...e6 wa s t he s t ron g G M Ch rist ia n Ba u e r's choice 7.h3 h5 8.g4 g6 9.e5 b6 Kosintseva, N (2551)-Bauer, C (2612) Biel 2 0 1 0 w h e n t h e d i r e c t 10.g5 fd7 11.xg6 hxg6 12.d5 would leave Black with some problems.; 6...f5 was Prie's most recent choice. 7.d3 d7 8.h3 h5 Terrieux, K (2437)-Prie, E (2529) Belfort 2010 in which Black won quickly but here 9.g4 g6 10.e3! c6 11.b5! leaves White with a clear edge.) 7.h3 h5 8.c4 e6 9.g4 g6 is a position more often reached from a 5 Nf3 move order. O n e g a m e c o n t i n u e d : 10.e2 b4 11.0-0-0 bd7 12.a3 xc3 13.xc3 c7 14.e5 d5 15.d2 0-0-0 16.xg6 hxg6 17.f3 7f6 18.b3 b5 19.b1 and White must have had an edge with his bishop pair but Black is f airly solidly placed and he held the draw in Kudrin, S (2550)-Rogers, I (2475) Valjevo 1984.; B) 6.f3 in the archives but I think I'd prefer ] [ H e a l s o p o i n t e d o u t t h a t 5...f5?! is a n e rro r d u e t o 6.f3! when Black is
f o r c e d t o p l a y c8 see Kvisla, J (2123)Jakobsen, M Prague 2006 for details. ] [ In the same game he notes that 5...c6?! is also a mistake as 6.b5! already leaves Black with severe problems: b4 7.d5 a6 8.a4 b5 9.xb5! and Black is in all kinds of trouble. ] [ 5...a6!? is a peculiar looking move but the idea is to prevent the pinning Bb5 6.c4 b6 7.f3 e6 8.e2 b4 9.0-0-0 0-0 10.h4!? ( 10.a3 xc3 11.xc3 must be an edge to W hite.) 10...c6 11.e4 d5 12.c3 e7 13.g4 d7 14.g5 h8 Mundaca Alvarez, J (2119)-Munoz Pantoja, M ( 2 4 9 4 ) / B a d a l o n a 2 0 1 0 w h e n 15.h5 starts an extremely promising attack. ] 6.c4 f5 Another logical looking move but it may be more prudent to drop the queen back, either now or the following move. 7.e2 e6 This is by far the more common but allows White a very strong attack. [ 7...xc2 is very greedy. 8.f3 d8 9.g5 g6 Rosen, B (2322) -Wyrwich, M (2196) G e r m a n y 2 0 0 7 10.0-0 and Black is still a long way from getting his king to safety while e6 can be met with 11.d5 cxd5 12.xd5 c6 13.ad1 with a powerful attack. ] [ P e r h a p s B l a c k s h o u l d c h o o s e 7...c7 8.f3 e6 9.0-0-0 with a typical Scandinavian position. Three games from t h i s y e a r c o n t i n u e d : bd7 ( 9...g4 loses a tempo on a normal position. 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 bd7 12.he1 0-0-0 13.b3 d6 14.b1 and White was safely better. Siebenburger, V (2116)-Divis, J (1882) Zdar nad Sazavou 2010.) 10.h4 g6 11.xg6 hxg6 12.d5! cxd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.xd5 0-0-0 ( 14...e7 15.f3 0-0 was seen in Dickmann, T (2086)Hermsen, F (1897) Goch 2010 when I think White should exploit the doubled g pawns to kick-start his attack with 16.h4! ) 15.f3 f6 16.c3 d6 17.g3 b8 18.d3 White has a clear advantage thanks to his bishop pair on the open board and quickly converted the full point. d7 19.hd1 hd8 20.b1 c8? This is just a blunder and a rather strange looking move anyway. 21.xf6 gxf6 22.c3 c5 23.xd7 xd7 24.b5 b6 25.b4 1-0 Arat, U (2007)Mukhtarov, K (1802) Batumi 2010. ] 217
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 8.d5 [ 8.d5 has previously been investigated on this site by Andrew Martin. Have a look at Handke, F (2475)-Motwani, P (2525) 12th Monarch Assurance, Port Erin 2003 and also by Eric Prie in Solodovnichenko, Y (2514)-Pantioukhine, S (2260) Rochefort 2 0 0 5 . A r e c e n t g a m e c o n t i n u e d : cxd5 9.xd5 d8 10.xf6+ gxf6 ( 10...xf6 as anno tated by Martin lo oks essentia l here. ) 11.0-0-0 c7 12.g4 xc2? ( Eric's annotated game continued with 12...g6 but already White looks to be doing v e r y w e l l . 13.h3 d6 14.f4 xc2 15.xc2 b5 16.c3 bxc4 17.xf6 g8 18.xd6 xd6 19.d1 c7 20.d8+ xd8 21.xd8 xd8 1-0 Solodovnichenko, Y (2514)-Pantioukhine, S (2260) Rochefort 2005 [Prié, Eric]) 13.xc2 b5 14.c3! bxc4 15.xf6 g8 16.d8+ xd8 17.xd8 xd8 18.f3 and Black should already have resigned. Nedev, T (2506)-Galopoulos, P (2095) Porto Carras 2010. ] 8...d8 9.xf6+ xf6 This is probably Black's mistake as after this it becomes very hard to combat White's threats. [ 9...gxf6 is the alternative approach althou gh, if tru th be told , I a lread y like White's position. 10.0-0-0 g8 ( 10...d7 was played in a more recent game but this allows 11.g4! g6 12.f4 f5 13.d3 f6 14.d5! fxg4 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.c3 xf4+ 17.b1 e5 18.xg6+ hxg6 19.xd7 xd7 20.xe5 and Black was already in trouble. Gross, D (2462)-Jirovsky, M (2447) Czechia 2001. ) 11.f3 e7 ( 11...xg2 12.h3!? g7 13.h4 g6 14.xg6 hxg6 15.h4 leaves White with a good initiative for the pawn. ) 12.he1 ( The straightforward 12.h4 g6 13.xg6 hxg6 14.c3 also favours White.) 12...g6?! 13.xe6! fxe6 14.xe6 g7 15.xf6 f7 16.h8+ f8 17.g7 f7 18.g8+ d7 19.e5+ c8 20.xd8+ xd8 21.xf7+ xf7 and White's rook and three pawns should have been more than a match for the two pieces in Kupreichik, V (2485)-Votava, J (2540) Meisdorf 1996. ] 10.0-0-0 White has racked up a huge score from this position with just one draw and the rest wins . g6 Black drops the bishop out of
the way of a g4 advance. This move looks strange but it's not so easy to offer Black a good alternative. [ 10...d7 11.g4 g6 12.f3 d6 13.b1 ( The direct 13.h4 h5 14.g5 f4+ 15.b1 xg5 16.hxg5 f4 17.h4 xg5 18.f4! also looks extremely strong.) 13...e7 14.e5 xe5 15.dxe5 0-0-0 16.f4 h5 17.h3 b6 18.b3 hxg4 19.hxg4 and White had at least a slight edge. Guido, F (2300) -Ferretti, F (2255) Verona 1997. ] [ 10...g6 targets c2 but White can ignore it with 11.f3! xc2 This was seen in Sanchez, F (2251)-Frederico, G (2190) P a s s o s 2 0 0 7 w h e n t h e d y n a m i c 12.d5! looks extremely dangerous to deal with xd1 ( 12...a4 might be forced but 13.g5 l e a ve s W h i t e wi t h a v i r t u a l l y d e c i s i v e attack. ) 13.xd1 cxd5 ( 13...e7 14.dxe6 f5 15.e5! xg2 16.h5+ g6 17.h6+a n d B l a c k ' s k i n g w o n ' t s u r v i v e l o n g .) 14.xd5 c6 15.xc6+ bxc6 16.a6 e4 17.g5 d5 18.b7 and Black loses the rook. ] [ 10...e7 was seen in a recent game but 11.g4! g6 12.f3 h6 unfortunately forced to keep the queen. 13.h4 d6 14.b1 d7 15.g5 e7 16.h5 f5 17.h4 hxg5 18.xf5 exf5 19.xg5 xe2 20.xe2 and W hite was clearly better Nijboer, F (2582)-Font Purroy, V (2117) La Bordeta 2010. ] 11.f3 d7 12.g5 f5 Already Black's pieces look very tangled. 13.d5! The time is ripe f or this them atic b reakth rough . cxd5 14.d3 g4 15.b5 d6? The final error. [ 15...d8 would last longer but White's initiative should power through: 16.xd5 e7 17.b1!? xg5 18.xd7+ xd7 19.xd7 f6 20.xb7 0-0 21.h3 gives Black some compensation but not nearly enough for the exchange and pawn. ] 16.xd7+ and Black resigned as after 16... Kxd7 17 Ne5+ picks up the queen. A brutal display which seems to have refuted this way of playing the line for Black. 1-0
218
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 226 Handke,Florian Motwani,Paul 12th Monarch Assurance, Erin (7) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2475 2525 2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 Paul wrote a very nice review of my video/ DVD on the Scandinavian. It's good to see him playing this very solid line. 4.d4 f6 5.d2 c6 6.c4 f5 7.e2 e6 8.d5!? Could come as a total shock to the unprepared but never to the thorough Motwani. Black's position is far too stable to be shaken by such brazen means. cxd5 9.xd5 d8 10.xf6+ xf6 11.f3 [ I wonder what Motwani had in mind against immediate castling? 11.0-0-0 c6 12.g4 g6 13.f4 xc2?! ( 13...0-0-0 14.f3 a3!? is a possible improvement.) 14.xc2 d4+ 15.b1 0-0-0? ( Having reached this crazy position 15...xe2 is the only option. However 16.b5+! d8 17.c3+ c7 18.xf6 xg1 19.d7+ b6 20.d4+ xb5 21.xg1 will be a very rough ride for Black. ) 16.e4+- Rutkowski, I-Schoene, M/ Frankfurt 2002. ] 11...c6 12.b5 [ If 12.0-0-0 g4! is an accurate reply: 13.e3 e7= ( 13...c8; 13...xf3 14.gxf3 c8 15.b1 e7 )] 12...xb2!N Very brave, but on the other hand, why not? Black calls White's bluff and as long as he can get his King to safety rapidly, should stand well. [ The less precise 12...g4 is answered by 13.e4 xf3 14.xc6+ bxc6 15.gxf3 c8 16.0-0-0 a3 17.c3 d6 18.hg1 0-0 19.g5 e5 20.h6 xe4 21.fxe4 e5 22.f4 and White has a large advantage. To cede the initiative so easily is not Motwani's style. h8 23.fxe5 gxh6 24.d7 a5 25.f1 g7 26.c2 h5 27.f2 Nielsen, S-Petersen, F/Aarhus 1990. ] 13.0-0 d6 [ 13...d8 also seems perfectly viable: 14.fb1 xc2 15.c1 e4 16.xc6+ bxc6 17.a6 d5 18.a5 a8 19.b7 ( 19.xc6 e7 20.c8+ xc8 21.xc8+ d8 ) 19...c5 One can understand Motwani's desire to prepare castling. ]
14.fb1 xc2 15.c1 b2 Really playing with f ire although as long as he keeps attacking the Rook on a1 he should be surviving. W hite hacks on as he must-he's material down! 16.xc6 bxc6 17.xc6+ f8 18.e1 d8! Keeping the pieces protected is vital in a position like this. As long as Black can buy enough time to safety his King he will be winning. 19.e3 b6 20.c3 c5! With a double attack on f2 and c6. The fate of the position is clarifying. 21.e3 xe3 22.fxe3 d3 23.c1 e7! 24.e5 c8! Black chooses a risk-free way. He returns the exchange to enter a better ending. 25.xd3 xc6 26.a3+ [ 26.xc6 xc6 27.e4 g6-+ ] 26...d6 27.b4 f8 28.e4 c5+ 29.h1 Very calm. xe4 30.a6 d8 31.a3 f2 Verdict: 8 d5 is sharp but perfectly OK for Black as long as he is precise and courageous. Motwani's novelty, the capture on b2, seems exciting, playable and an excellent way of playing flat-out for the win. 0-1
227 Handke,Florian Zill,Christoph 7th BayEM Bad Wiessee (7) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2475 2295 2003
Poor old Handke. In our last update we saw h i m f o u n d e r i n g a g a i n s t M o t wa n i ' s s o l i d Scandinavian and now we see him again trying to blow Black away in the very same opening and again coming unstuck. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6! I quite like this move-order over 4..Nf6. It makes W hite think twice about Bd2. 5.c4 f5 6.d2 e6 7.g4!? Well, there he is at it again. It was 7 d5 against Motwani and now comes something even more violent. Can Black's position be assaulted by these means? I am very doubtful. What has Black done wrong? It even benefits him that the Knight remains on g8 so there's nothing to hit with g4-g5. g6 8.e2 [ 8.h4 h5 9.g5 e7! is absolutely OK for Black. ] 8...b4 219
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ A word or two about taking on c2 now, because Black can play this way in many lines. The usual response is 8...xc2 9.d5! and in this particular case the pawn grab looks too risky: cxd5 10.b5+! c6 11.c1 d4 12.e4! xa2 13.xc2 Only comp uters take these p awns - f o r humans the defence is just too difficult. ] 9.0-0-0 e7 10.h3 d5= Zill has a very comfortable game with no problems about his development and ample counterplay. Indeed, if anyone is better it is Black with his compact pawn structure. 11.xd5 cxd5 12.f4 c6 13.fxd5? Handke just doesn't enjoy playing against 1 ...d5, that is clear. Salvation possibly lies in the second of the two following variations: [ 13.xg6 hxg6 14.a3 e7 15.d3 c8 ] [ 13.a3 xd4 14.e5 xc3 15.xc3 a4 16.d2 f3 17.xg7 0-0-0 18.xg6 fxg6 19.d3 Tough to find. ] 13...xc2! 14.de1 0-0 [ 14...xc3 wa s st r o n ge r st i l l : 15.xc3 ( 15.xc3 xd5 16.xc2 xa2 ) 15...xd4 16.e5 xe5 17.xe5 g6 There's no way back for White here. ] 15.xb4 xb4 16.b5 a4 17.c3 a5 18.b5 xa2 19.xc2 The Bishop led a charmed life until now but Zill still has the game under control. a6 20.c3 [ 20.d5! was the only chance: xd5 21.c3 d4+ 22.b1 xh1 23.xh1 xe2 24.xe2 fd8 25.e3 ac8 Black has a large advantage but White has some hope .] 20...xd4+ 21.d1 b3+ 0-1
228 Hansen,Eric Spraggett,K TCh-ESP Div Honor 2014 (1.1) [Neil McDonald]
B01 2593 2564 04.09.2014
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 g6 Avoiding 4...Nf6. Black plans to put immediate pressure on the d4 pawn with Bg7. 5.b5 [ Another recent game went 5.f3 g7 6.b5 b6 7.a3 The knight retreats in
order to attack the black queen again from c4. This isn't just stubbornness, as on c4 the horse will be in touch with the strategically important e5 point. c6 8.c4 c7 9.g3 e6 10.f4 ( Or 10.e2 xc4 conceding the bishop pair allows Black to play e7-e6 and set up a solid light square centre. 11.xc4 d7 12.g2 gf6 13.0-0 0-0 14.e1 e6 15.a4 a5 16.c3 b6 17.e2 a6 18.c2 fe8 19.h4 ad8 20.g5 c8 and Black survived the slight pressure to hold a draw against his very strong opponent in Giri, A (2758)Rakhmanov, A (2626)/ Linares ESP 2014.) 10...c8 Black's queen has been pushed around, but it's not clear White has achieved that much. The white queen's knight has moved four times after all! 11.d2 d7 12.e2 h6 13.fe5 A) Here 13...gf6 looks OK for Black due to a tactical point a couple of moves in the future: 14.f3 g5 15.e3 c7 16.h4 g4 17.f4 A1) After 17...gxf3 18.xf7 the white knight isn't after the rook on h8- it wants the black queen which has no safe move as if c8 ( Instead 18...e4! c o m p l i c a t e s m a t t e r s b u t 19.e3 is st ill go o d f o r W h it e .) 19.fd6+ and after chasing the black queen all o ve r t h e b o a rd t h e wh it e h o r s e m e n finally capture her.; A2) 17...b6! 18.xb6 ( 18.xf7? xc4 ) 18...xb6 19.g2 h5 ( 19...xb2? 20.0-0 with an attackwhere can Black castle safely as h6 is hanging and the b-file plus white bishop on g2 look deadly after 0-0-0.) 20.0-0-0 0-0-0; B) 13...df6 14.h4 ( White should p r o b a b l y s e t t l e f o r t h e s o l i d 14.d3!? d5 15.d2 ) 14...d5 15.h5 ( 15.0-0-0 gf6 ) 15...g5 16.e3 gf6 17.f3 xe3 18.xe3 0-0 19.0-0-0 d8 20.b4 c7 21.c4 xc4 22.xc4 d5 23.xd5 xd5 24.f4 ad8 Black has gained pressure against d4 typical of that in the Caro-Kann where he often doubles rooks along the d-file. B1) 25.he1!? c5?! ( Better to play 25...e6!? keeping the tension.) 26.b4 220
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xe5 27.dxe5 xd1+ 28.xd1 xd1+ 29.xd1 d7+ 30.c1 gxf4 31.gxf4 cxb4 32.xb4 is about equal.; B2) 25.c3? creating a weakness on c3 that Black exploits. b5! 26.e2 b4 27.c4 bxc3 28.bxc3 xe5! 29.dxe5? ( But 29.fxe5 c5 is still good for Black.) 29...b6 30.xd5 e3+ 31.b2 xd5 32.xc6 ( 32.fxg5 hxg5 is still terrible f o r W h it e .) 32...e2+ 33.a1 a5 34.a4 c2 0-1 Raetsky, A (2426) Rakhmanov, A (2626)/Abu Dhabi UAE 2014. ] 5...b6 6.f4 a6 7.e2 Beginning an ambitious scheme involving queenside castling. White is playing with fire as a black bishop on g7 often has the last laugh in such step ups. [ Black develops easily after 7.f3 f6 8.e2 f5 etc. ] 7...g7 8.0-0-0 f6 9.f3 f5 10.e5 0-0 11.g4 e6 12.c4 c6 13.c3 ad8 14.e3 a5 15.f4 c5! A pawn thrust typical of Black's half open defences versus 1.e4. 16.d5 [ Upon 16.h3 cxd4 17.xd4 b4 18.a3 c6 19.xc6 bxc6 20.e3 a6! defending the c4 pawn is a nuisance and after 21.c5 a5 22.g2 the exchange sacrifice xd4!? 23.xd4 xc5 24.d3 c4 25.hd1 d5 gives Black a nice initiative. ] 16...xg4! Not a shattering blow as White is a b l e t o k e e p a s o l i d c e n t r e . H o w e ve r i t activates the black pieces, whereas retreating the bishop to c8 would leave Black without much dynamism. 17.xg4 xg4 18.d2! [ White will be mated after 18.xg4 xc3 19.bxc3?! xc3+ 20.b1 d6 ] 18...h6 19.b1 f5 20.b5 b6 21.h3 d4 22.xd4 xd4? A strange mistake. Black would have a very pleasant game after [ 22...cxd4 -threat 23...d3- 23.d3 c5 etc. ] 23.c1 f6 24.hf1 b5 25.f5 g5 26.h5? [ White would be better again after 26.cxb5 b4 27.g2 xd5 ( Or 27...h8 28.c4 ) 28.h4! seeing that gxh4? loses material to 29.xd5 xd5 30.g2+ ] 26...h6 27.cxb5 b4 28.g2 xd5 29.d3? [ Now 29.h4 leaves the game unclear. ]
29...f4! 30.xf4 [ After 30.xf4 xf5 to defend d3 31.h3 g6! An insidious quiet move White has no good way to meet the twin threats of 32... gxf4 and 32...c4. ] 30...gxf4 31.xf4 e5 White is now losing 'on points' as there is no strong blow against the black king. 32.g4+ h7 33.xd8 xd8 34.c1 d4 35.f3 b4 36.e2 xf5+ 37.a1 g7 38.a3 h4 39.h3 f6 40.e3 e5 41.f2 c4 0-1
229 Haslinger,S Kjartansson,G 38th Seville Open (5.1) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2535 2408 15.01.2013
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6 This used to be the main move in this line but in the last couple of years it seems to have fallen strangely out of fashion. 6.g3 g4 7.h3 h5 8.g2 c6 9.0-0! So far we've followed the mainline of 5...a6 and the current consensus is that W hite is doing well but maybe it's not so clear... e6!? An unusual move in this position but Black is in definite need of something new [ 9...0-0-0 10.f4 b4 11.g4 g6 12.a3! is analysed in Svidler-Tiviakov by Rowson but in summary White is just doing well here as it's to o risky f o r Black to take on b 2 because of xb2 13.e1 e6 14.e5 ] 10.f4 [ 10.g4 is less convincing here, after g6 11.e3 and now in Korneev, O (2568)-Vinas G u e rre ro , C (2 0 9 7 ) Ma l a g a 2 0 0 2 0-0-0! would've given Black an excellent opening ] 10...b4 [ 10...d8 is too passive after 11.g4 g6 12.e5! xd4 13.xb7 xc2 14.c1 and Black was already in trouble in Marzahn, H (1984)-Kaspereit, H (2124) W iesbaden 2011 ] 11.a3 [ 11.xc7! may be the safest way to play the position as W hit e if yo u're not keen o n allowing a piece sac. c8 12.f4 xb2 13.a4 and now b4 14.c4! gives White a 221
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 good game. Black can temporarily win a pawn with xd4 15.xd4 xa4 but 16.e5 leaves White doing well and the pawn on b7 is dropping anyway. ] 11...b6 12.a4 [ 12.g4!? avoids the piece sacrifice as A) 12...g6 should be preferred and now 13.a4 a7! and now ( 13...b5?! 14.b3 leaves Black in real trouble) 14.xc7! leads to huge complications but af te r computer analysis I think White is doing well: b5 15.b6 A1) 15...d8 16.e5! ( 16.xd8 xd8 isn't so clear as the knight is trapped on b6 ) 16...xe5 17.xd8 exg4 18.c4 xd8 19.c5 h6 20.b4 and although Black has two pieces for the rook it's cle a r W h it e is d o in g we ll a s h e h a s complete control of the centre and queenside and Black's king is in real danger.; A2) 15...c8 16.xc8 xc7 17.e5 d8 18.c4! xc8 19.cxb5 axb5 20.a4 d6 21.axb5 0-0 22.a8 c7 23.b3 and White has much the better chances with a dangerous passed pawn on b5; B) 12...xg4? 13.hxg4 xg4 14.d5! and White is pretty much winning here. ] 12...b5?! [ 12...a7!? is probably best but after 13.g4 g6 14.xc7 we transpose to the mainline of 12.g4 which is better for White although at least not totally clear. ] 13.b3?! [ 13.c4! is a strong suggestion of Houdini's and it does seem as though White is doing well after xc4 14.c1 b5 15.g4 g6 16.e1 A) 16...0-0-0 17.f1! d5 18.c4 d7 and now 19.e5! leads to a clearly better ending for White after xd4 ( 19...xe5? loses to 20.b6+! cxb6 21.xe6+ ) 20.xc6 xd1 21.exd1 xd1+ 22.xd1 bxc6 23.xa6+ b8 24.d8+ a7 25.c8 and Black is completely tied up; B) 16...d3 17.xd3 xd3 18.xc7 ] 13...0-0-0 This commits Black to a piece sacrifice but I don't think he gets quite enough compensation. [ 13...xf3 was a better option as White is on ly sligh t b e t t e r a f t e r 14.xf3 0-0-0
15.e3 h5!? ] 14.g4! xg4 The only move that makes sense here [ 14...g6? 15.c4 a5 16.d2 would be rather embarrassing for Black ] [ 14...xg4?! 15.hxg4 xg4 16.c3 and Black doesn't have nearly enough for the piece ] 15.hxg4 xg4 Black has two pawns for the sacrificed knight and reasonable practical chances but I don't think it's quite enough against accurate play. 16.e1?! [ 16.c3! leaves Black struggling for enough compensation - f or examp le play could continue h5 17.c2 h4 18.g5! f5 19.d1 g6 20.e3 h5 21.h3 and Black's attack is going nowhere. ] 16...f5! 17.g3 h5 Suddenly White is under real pressure and he chooses to swap queens although this does allow Black to gain a third pawn. 18.d3 [ 18.e3!? is my computer's suggestion but even it agrees that Black has real chances after g5! ] 18...xd3 19.cxd3 xf3 20.xf3 xd4 21.e4 d6 Things have calmed down and we've reached a f airly level middlegame. Normally I'd slightly prefer the piece over the pawns but here White's pawn structure is still slightly compromised. 22.ac1 f5 23.xd6 xd6 24.h1 g5 25.c5 c6 26.c4 e8 27.e5 e7 28.b4 b8 29.a4 h4 Black is very solid and has the easier position to play with a plan of pushing the kingside pawns. The rest of the game has the feeling of mutual time-trouble. 30.h2 a7 31.a5 g4 32.g1 h7 33.f1 h6 34.g2?! g6?! [ 34...h3 35.h1 h2 and with Nf3 and e5 co m in g it 's c le a r t h a t B la ck i s t h e o n e pressing to win ] 35.h1 d8 [ 35...g3! and I still prefer Black here ] 36.d5 xd5 37.xd5 cxd5 38.xd4 h3 39.g1 b8 40.d7+?! [ 40.b5! was needed to activate the rook ] 40...c7 41.e5 d6?? This must be based on a terrible miscalculation because now White is simply winning [ 41...g7 may just be winning here after 42.f4 ( or 42.h2 d6 43.c4+ e7 222
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 44.e3 f6 45.b5 e5 46.b4 f4 ) advantage could be retained with simple 42...d6 43.d4 c7 and the rook is horribly moves: misplaced on f4 ] [ 12.xd6 xd6 13.0-0-0 bd7 14.e4 42.xg6 e5 43.e7! exd4 44.xf5+ e5 xe4 15.xe4 f6 16.g2 0-0 17.he1 ] 45.g3 White keeps an extra knight and [ 12.e5 xe5 13.dxe5 xd3 ( 13...d5 Black can no longer get his pawns rolling. The 14.0-0-0 d7 15.he1 ) 14.cxd3 fd7 rest of the game is simple d6 46.e2 b6 15.d4 ] 47.axb6 c6 48.xd4+ xb6 49.h2 12...c7 c7 50.f3 gxf3 51.xf3 c6 52.d4+ [ Commentating live at the time, I thought d6 53.xh3 e5 54.e2 f5 55.g3 Black's id ea m ight h ave be e n 12...xf4+ g5 56.f3 f5 57.e3 13.gxf4 g6 This is very risky because of the 1-0 immediate 14.f5! and the Black King gets st u ck in th e m id d le : ( 14.h4; 14.he1 ) 14...gxf5 15.he1! Already Qxf5 is an 230 B01 u n p l e a s a n t t h r e a t . ( 15.hg1 bd7 16.g7 ) 15...0-0 ( 15...d6 16.d5! xd5 Haslinger,Stewart 2423 17.xd5 cxd5 18.xd5+- ) 16.g1+ h8 Parker,Jonathan 2509 17.e3 bd7 Such a variation can't be 93rd ch-GBR Swansea WLS (7) 13.08.2006 seen through to the end one must trust [Andrew Martin] one's intuition. Parker makes the practical choice, rejecting a line where his King would 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 be in peril, whether he could have defended A complete surprise for Haslinger. 4.d4 f6 the position or not. ] 5.f3 a6 6.g3 g4 7.g2 c6 Another outing for Tiviakov's solid idea. White 13.xd6 xd6 14.e4 xe4 15.xe4 d7 may be able to gain a small advantage in T h e K n i g h t w i l l c o m e t o f 6 a n d t h e n many different ways, but the Black position everything will be in order. Haslinger makes a remains diff icult to crack. 7..c6 is a good bold move. 16.xh7!? [ 16.he1 f6 17.g2 leads to a position choice against opponents who are desperate where it's very tough for W hite to make to win. 7..Nc6 is more combative. 8.h3 progress. ] [ 8.0-0 e6 9.a4 ( 9.e1 e7 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 0-0 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 16...g6 17.xg6 fxg6 18.xg6+ d8 Dworakowska, J-Ogloblin, N/Moscow 2004 19.he1 e8?! [ 19...c7! is an improvement, with the idea (23) leads to a typical example of White's 20.xe6 ( 20.h4 might be better: af8 21.f4 minute advantage. Two Bishops and the hg8 22.d3 d5 23.b1 b5 ) 20...d5 long-term prospect of b4-b5.; 9.f4 d8 21.b1 hg8 22.f7 af8 Black marshals 10.d3 d6 11.e5 f5 12.e2 0-0 h i s f o r c e s ve r y q u i c k l y a n d c a n n o t b e 13.h3 h6 14.ad1 e7 15.a3 bd7 worse. ] 16.fe1 fd8 17.h2 ac8 18.xd7= Cristian, S-Rentner, D/playchess.com 2004) 20.c4? [ 20.f4! probably justifies the piece sacrifice. 9...a5 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 e7?! I don't see how Black organises his pieces ( 11...xd4 12.d1 b6 had to be played, now: c7 ( 20...d5 21.b1 c7 22.g4 asking W hite to prove it!) 12.f4 d8 h8 23.d3 ) 21.d3 h8 22.h4 ag8 13.ad1 0-0 14.e4 xe4 15.xe4 d7 23.e3 f6 24.de1 e8 25.e5 16.c4 e8 17.c2 c8 18.h4 b6 Haslinger is intent on opening up the Black 19.d3 f6 20.fd1 Shabalov, AKing, but as the game goes, c2-c4 only Gonzalez, R/Philadelphia 2004 ] exposes his own monarch! ] 8...xf3 9.xf3 Not repeating Al-Modiahaki's 9 Qxf3, which we saw in the previous update. 20...c7 21.h4 b5! 22.c5 d5 23.b3 f5! e6 10.f4 d8 11.d3 d6 The time 24.h5 [ 24.xf5 exf5 25.d2 f6 sees the W hite gained with 10 Bf4 is regained! Black Kn ight h ea ding f or t wo e xc elle n t 12.0-0-0!? Very sharp! Once again a small 223
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 squares. ] l o o k i n g a t ( W h i t e a l s o h a s 16.f3 24...xg6 25.hxg6 f6 26.d3 , to prevent ...Bf4: c5 17.b1 b8 18.b3 [ 26.f4 was perhaps a superior try, but both f5 19.g4! ) 16...f4! 17.h5 xd2+ 18.xd2 p l a y e r s we r e i n t i m e - t r o u b l e a f t e r t h e c5 19.b1! Then e5?! 20.b3! xg4 earlier complications. As the game goes, 21.hxg6 is too ambitious. ] Black keeps light-squared control to the end 14.b3 c7 15.g3 and this is enough to take the point. ] [ White keeps space and two bishops after 26...e7 27.f3 d5 28.h1 g8 15.xg6! hxg6 16.f3! with the idea h4 29.h6 d7 30.g4 e8 31.g5 eg7 and g4. This time his advantage would be a 32.h7 e7 33.f7 xh7 34.xh7 xg6-+ serious one. ] 35.f4 d5 36.a7 xf4 37.xa6 e2+ 15...0-0-0 16.xg6 hxg6 17.h4 f5!? 38.d2 xd4 39.e3 e5 40.a4 bxa4 [ Definitely better although still not equal was 41.bxa4 xg5 42.a5 g1 43.a7 e1+ 17...c5 18.b1 b8 19.dxc5!? xc5 44.d2 a1 45.e3 b3 46.a6 xc5 20.g4 ] 47.a8+ d7 48.a7 c7 49.e8 xa7 18.b1 50.xe5 d6 My verdict on 7...c6 is that [ Or 18.g5! d7 ( 18...e7? 19.xe6+! Black should o nly play this move if he is fxe6 20.xe6+ d7 21.xe7 e8 happy with a draw. 22.xg6 dxe7 23.xf5+ ) 19.f6 g8 0-1 20.h5 ] 18...he8 19.h5 gxh5 20.xh5 h8 21.dh1 xh5 22.xh5 d5 23.h7 d7 231 B01 Black's pieces are very awkwardly placed, and Haznedaroglu,Kivanc 2440 the f-pawn is a real problem. From here on out Gogolis,Alexandros 2289 he can't hold. [ 23...f6?? 24.xe6+ ] Acropolis Open (3) 16.08.2007 24.g5 g8 25.h5! e8 26.c4 [John Watson] [ 26.xf7? xg5 ] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6 26...c7 27.c5 e7 28.xe7 xe7 29.xf7 The ChessPublishing e-book gives this an '!' d8 30.h7 e8 [ 30...h8 31.xc7+ ] for 'sidestepping a number of attacking ideas.' 31.a4 a5 32.g7 b8 33.d7 c8 34.f7 5.f3 [ But the line given, 5.c4 f5 , has its own h8 35.xe6 h1+ 36.a2 f1 37.xf5 drawbacks, in that W hite can play 6.ge2 a7 38.d5 a6 39.d6 h8 40.c4 d4 a n d t r a n s p o s e t o s o m e o f t h e m o r e 41.xb7+ xb7 42.d7+ An instructive ga m e . B la ck wa sn 't t h a t b a d ly o f f in t h e attractive Ng3/f4/f5 lines. ] 5...f6 6.c4 f5 7.d2 e6 8.d5 opening, but it was hard to shake W hite's This is still a popular sequence after many modest pressure. y e a r s , a n d s t i l l n o t f u l l y r e s o l v e d . O n e 1-0 attraction is that White can safely play for a small advantage. d8 9.xf6+ gxf6 10.c3 B01 d7 11.e2 d6 12.h4 g6 13.0-0-0 232 In Hungaski-Di Diego, we see a plan with 0-0 Heinatz,Thomas 2332 Keitlinghaus,Ludger 2503 that shouldn't have achieved much. b6 13.02.2004 [ In the notes to that game I suggested that Bundesliga 2003-4 (7) 13...c7 14.xg6 hxg6 15 g3, and gave [Andrew Martin] W h ite o nly t h e m in or ad va nt a ge o f t h e bishop pair. Perhaps the plan with 15.h4 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6 0-0-0 ( 15...f4 16.xf4 xf4+ 17.b1 5.f3 f5 6.c4 d7!? A very interesting 0-0-0 18.g3 c7 19.g4!?; 15...f5? 16.xe6 approach, delaying ...Nf6 in order to develop fxe6 17.xe6+ d8 18.xg6 ) 16.g4 the other pieces first and thus taking away a and h5, to create a passed pawn, is worth lot of W hite's attacking options. As long as 224
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black can't be downed by an early d4-d5 then I think this is a pretty good idea. 7.d2 e6 8.e4N Other moves appear satisfactory for Black. White has a very hard time commencing the attack: [ 8.b3 c7 ( 8...gf6 9.e2 b6 10.0-0-0 d6 11.he1 0-0 12.h3 fe8 13.e3 c7 14.b1 b4 15.d2 c5 16.dxc5 xc5 17.e3 e7 18.g4 g6 19.g5 e4 20.xe4 xe4 21.d2 f5 22.c4 ed8= Handan, A-Nuesken, N/ Oberhof 1998) 9.e2 e7 10.h3 gf6 11.e5 xe5 12.dxe5 d7 13.f4 b4 14.0-0 xc3 15.bxc3 h6 16.c4 0-0 17.d3 xd3 18.cxd3 b5 19.fe1 b6 20.g4 h7 21.e3 c5 22.e4+ h8 23.c4 b4 24.ad1 a4 25.h4 h7 26.e4+ h8 27.h4 h7 28.e4+ 1/2-1/2 Stepovaia Dianchenko, T-Zhukova, N/Belgrade 2000 ] [ 8.0-0 c7 9.e2 e7 10.e4 gf6 11.xf6+ xf6 12.d3 xd3 13.xd3 0-0 14.g5 xg5 15.xg5 is level, Sutovsky, EDoettling, F/Tel Aviv 2001. ] [ 8.e2 b4 ( 8...c7?! 9.d5! e5 10.0-0-0 e7 11.he1 f6 12.h4 g6 13.g4 Fuellgrabe, T-Rickert, D/ Ruhrgebiet 1999 ) 9.a3 e7 10.0-0 xc3 11.xc3 c7 12.h4 b6 13.d5 f4! 14.xf5 xf5 15.d3 xd5 16.e5 g5 17.f4 g6 18.g4 de3 19.xf5 xf5 20.h1 h6 21.g1 0-0-0 22.b4 f6 Korneev, OKogan , A/Port Erin 2003 And of course, if White cannot attack Black directly then the Black position is very solid indeed. ] 8...c7 9.g3 g6 10.h4 h6 11.h5 h7 12.e2 [ 12.h4 gf6 13.f4 b6 is Caro-Kann like, but only W hite has problems in this position. ] [ Maybe either 12.0-0 ] [ or 12.e3 are the moves to play, just accepting that White has no advantage yet. ] 12...xc2! In other main lines where this capture is possible, White would usually have the advance d4-d5 ready. No such advance is possible here. The Knight on g3 seems a little o u t o f t h e ga m e so wh y n o t t a ke o n c2 ? 13.c1 h7 14.0-0 gf6 15.d5 This has to work or White is just a pawn down for nothing. cxd5 16.xd5 b6 17.e3 c5! 18.xb7
What else does White have? His position is dubious and therefore he has to try some tactics. xe3 19.xa8 xc1 20.xc1 0-0 21.c6 [ 21.e4 xe4 22.xe4 xe4 23.xe4 xb2 24.c7 f6 25.c2 xc2 26.xc2 b8 is simple enough well, White's a pawn down. Other than that there is no other retreat. ] 21...c8-+ A crushing pin! 22.c4 xb2 [ 22...b8! ] 23.a4 [ 23.d1 b6 24.d6 f8! Deep Fritz! 25.b5 xb5 26.xb5 c1+ 27.f1 e5-+ ] 23...b8 24.d4 d3! No way back from here. 25.c3 xc3 26.xc3 a6 27.c2 e5 28.df5 f8 I think it was Wahls in his excellen t 'Mode rnes Ska ndinavisch' wh o suggested this move order for Black and you will see a similar strategy ef fected in the Pat ze r Va ria tion where Black d elays th e development of his Kingside. I see no reason at all why this should not be a very successful method. Highly recommended! 0-1
233 Heinemann,Ernst Sieber,H 16th VR Bank Open (5) [John Watson]
B01 2211 2067 25.08.2007
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.c3 a5 5.c4 c6 6.ge2 This poses a real ch a ll e n ge t o B la ck' s d e ve l o p m e n t . f5!? This is the consistent move, however risky. Black can also accede to blocking off his bishop by [ 6...e6 7.0-0 bd7 , accepting a Slav/CaroKann structure in which W hite's knight is not ideally place on e2. Of course, W hite still has the advantage by virtue of his space and free development. ] 7.g3 g6 [ 7...e6 8.xf5 ( 8.d2 ) 8...xf5 9.0-0 bd7 is playable, although I'd rather be White with the bishops. ] 8.0-0 [ 8.h4 h6 A) 9.0-0 bd7 ( 9...e6 10.f4 d6 11.f5 225
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 exf5 12.d3 0-0 13.xf5 with an attack, and the immediate threat of 14 Nxh6+.) 10.f4 h7!? is harder to crack than it looks. Perhaps 11.e2 c7 12.ce4 is as good as anything; B) 9.h5 h7 10.e2 e6 B1) Insipid. The natural course was 11.d2 c7 12.0-0-0 e7 ( 12...bd7 13.xe6 fxe6 14.xe6+ d8 15.he1 with attack) 13.ge4 bd7 ( 13...0-0 14.g4! ) 14.f3 with the idea of Bf4, although W hite should have only the slightest of advantages.; B2) 11.b3!? b4 12.d2 bd7 13.0-0 0-0 14.a3 xc3 This is now the standard Scandinavian motif, introduced (or at least brought to general attention) by Larsen. 15.xc3 g5 16.fe1 h4 17.f3 g4!? ( 17...fd8 ) 18.f4 df6 19.f3 xh5 1/2-1/2 Becerra Rivero, J -A Rodriguez, San Martin 1995. ] 8...bd7 [ 8...e6 9.f4 and f5 with a nice initiative. ] [ 8...h5!? has been played more than once: A) 9.e1 bd7 ( 9...h4 10.ge4 xe4 11.xe4 e6 ) 10.ge4 e6 11.g5!?; B) 9.e2 (safe bd7 10.f4 ( 10.ge4 t h is is r o u gh ly e q u a l, a lt h o u gh B la c k always has to deal with his small space deficit in this line.) 10...h4 11.ge4 0-0-0 12.g5 e6 13.f5 h5! 14.e1 e5! 15.xf7 exd4 16.e2 ( 16.ce4= ) 16...xe1 17.xe1 b4 ( better may be 17...c5 18.f4 d3+ 19.h1 dxc2 20.xh5 xh5 21.ge6 de8 ) 18.c3 dxc3 19.xc3 xf7 20.xf7 and White enjoyed some advantage in Van den BergSaptarshi, Dieren 2006. ] 9.f4 e6 10.f5 exf5 11.e2+ d8 12.d2 b6 13.h1 [ 13.xf5! is a more convincing move in view of xf5 14.xf5 xd4+ ( 14...d6 could lead to something like 15.d1 c7 16.g5 ae8 17.f1 e7 - else Bxf7 18.a4! b4 19.b3 b5 20.c3 a5 21.c4! he8 22.d2 ) 15.e3 g4 16.f1! ] 13...d6 [ 13...xd4 ] 14.xf5 xf5 15.xf5 f8? [ 15...xd4 16.d1 ]
16.e4! e8? 17.a5 and White won easily: xe4 18.xb6+ axb6 19.f3 xd4 20.d1 xd1+ 21.xd1 c7 22.f1 e5 23.g3 b5 24.d3 xa2 25.b3 eg4 26.e2 a8 27.h3 e8 28.xe8 xe8 29.xf7+ b6 30.hxg4 h6 31.g2 b4 32.g6 c5 33.c3 f6 34.xg7 d5 35.f3 xc3 36.f5 d5 37.h7 e3 38.c8 g5 39.xb7+ c5 40.e4 e7 41.e6 f6 42.d7 b4 43.b7 c5 44.f7 d6 45.a7 c3 46.a2 c5 47.c2 b4 48.d3 f6 49.f2 g5 50.e2 d5 51.e4+ xb3 52.d4 b4 53.c4 a4 54.xc6 e3 55.c4 a3 56.a6+ b2 57.a2+ b1 58.a4 b3 59.xb3 b2 60.e6 c1 61.a1+ b2 62.e1 xg4 63.xg4 d8 64.e6 c7 65.g4 d8 66.h1 g5 67.h2+ a3 68.e4 b4 69.f5 c3 70.g6 d4 71.xh6 c1 72.h5 f4 73.f5 c1 74.f7 e4 75.g5 xg5 76.xg5 f4 77.a5 e4 78.c8 d4 79.e6 c4 80.d6 b4 81.c5 a4 82.c1 b5 83.d5 b4 84.f5 b3 85.d4 b2 86.b1+ a3 87.c4 a2 1-0
234
B01 Hernandez Carmenates,Hold 2541 Almeida Quintana,O 2506 ch-CUB Men Final 2013 (6.3) 12.02.2013 [Tom Rendle] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.c4 [ 5.f3 is more common and now it seems that c6 is somewhat dubious, for example 6.d2 g4 7.b5 ( 7.d5 is also dangerous) 7...b6 8.c4 xf3 9.xf3 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xb7 e4+ 12.xe4 xe4 13.e3 and White had a very comfortable endgame and went on to win in Yu Yangyi (2585)-Wang Chen (2399) Hefei 2010. In fact this position has been reached a few times and it just seems this line is a good antidote to 5...Nc6 ] 5...c6!? This move is pretty rare and has never been examined on ChessPub before c6 and Bg4 have both been seen many times. 6.d5 The critical response but it might not be 226
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B) 7...g4 8.f3 xf3 9.gxf3 c6 best. ( 9...0-0-0!? 10.a3 c5 11.axb4 xc4 [ 6.ge2 is safer and now the mainline 12.xa7 e6 may be playable for Black but continues g4 7.f3 it's certainly a bit risky.) 10.dxc6 e5+ A) 7...e6!? is worth investigating here 11.e3 xc6 12.f4 a5 13.f3 8.xe6 must be critical and I feel White and White had some advantage due to his should have slightly the better position two bishops and control over the centre after ( 8.d3 led to equality after f5 in Hernandez Leon, A (2227)-Hernando 9.0-0 xd3 10.xd3 e6 11.a3 0-0-0 Rodrigo, J (2375) La Laguna 2007 ] in Ortiz Suarez, I (2569)-Ruiz Sanchez, O A key move in this line - other options (2418) Badalona 2012) 8...fxe6 9.e3 7...c6! are not so good. 0-0-0 10.d3; [ 7...g4 8.b5+! B) 7...h5 8.d2 0-0-0 9.b5 b6 A) 8...xb5 doesn't equalise either after 10.a4 a5 11.a3!? led to a very sharp 9.xb5 xd1 10.xc7+ d7 11.axb4 game in Pavasovic, D (2561)-Bauer, C d8 12.e6 ( or 12.xd1 xc7 13.f4+ (2631) Rogaska Slatina although I would c8 14.c4 e6 15.c2 exd5 16.c5 a6 certainly rather be White in these positions 17.f3 wit h so m e e d g e f o r W h it e) a s i t a l wa y s f e e l s a s t h o u g h B l a c k ' s 12...fxe6 13.xd1 a6 14.dxe6+ xe6+ position is somewhat precarious. ] 15.e2; 6...b4 B) 8...c6 9.axb4 xa1 10.dxc6 a6! [ 6...e5 is another option but it seems ( 10...bxc6 11.xc6+ d7 12.ge2! White keeps a safe edge after 7.b3 e6 leaves Black in real trouble) 11.cxb7+ 8.e2 d6 9.d2 ( 9.f4 immediately may axb5 12.bxa8+ xa8 13.f3 be stronger, e.g. g6 10.f5 e7 11.dxe6 and Black does not have enough for the fxe6 12.fxe6 0-0 13.f3 and Black doesn't pawn as b5 is still very weak ] have enough for the pawn) 9...c5 10.f4 [ 7...f5?! is tricky but bad after g6 11.f5 and White had good chances in A) 8.axb4?! is not so convincing although Neuschmied, S (2308) -Schramm, C (2371) it worked well in the following game xa1 Jenbach 2012 although it went wrong after 9.ge2 g6? 10.d4 e4 11.xe4 f4 12.xf4 xf4 13.h3 e3 14.fxe6?! xe4 12.0-0 0-0-0 13.b3 ( 13.e2 ( 14.dxe6 should keep the advantage) is possibly stronger, e.g. xd5 14.f4 14...0-0 15.c4?! fxe6 16.xc5 xc5 a4 15.e5! d7 16.xd5 and White 17.dxe6 e8 and Black was suddenly should be winning) 13...b1?? ( 13...a4 better. ] was an only move but White is now only a 7.a3 At first this looks good but I can't actually little better after 14.d4 xc2 15.c3 see any edge for W hite at all after Black's e6! 16.xc2 exd5 ) 14.d4 xc2 strong reply. 15.xa7 xc4 16.c5 1-0 Warakomski, [ 7.d2 has scored well for White and it may T (2485)-Kleman, M (2238) W arsaw be the simplest way to play this line 2009; A) 7...c5 8.b5+ d7 ( 8...c6 B) 8.b5+! leaves W hite a little better after 9.e3 B1) or 8...c6?! 9.axb4 xa1 10.dxc6 d6 10.dxc6 xc6 11.xd6 exd6 b6 11.c7+ d7 12.xd7+ ( 12.f3!? 12.f3 ) 9.xd7+ xd7 10.e3 d6?! xc1+ 13.d1 also wins ) 12...xd7 ( 10...c4 offered much better chances 13.ge2 a6 14.d5 c8 15.0-0 although White is still better after 11.f3 and although Black can survive for a few e8 12.e5 a6 13.a3! bxd5 moves it's clear he's getting crushed.; 14.xd5 a5+ 15.c3 xe5 16.f3 c6 B2) 8...d7 9.a4 xa4 ( 9...a6 17.0-0-0 and Black's king is terribly placed. 10.f3 g6 11.e3 leaves Black in a Of course it would be different if he could horrendous tangle - the best move may still castle!) 11.e2 and White had a clear be ab8 and that helps to illustrate just advantage in Lazic, M (2459)-Hernando how bad Black's position is!) 10.xa4 Rodrigo, J (2393) Halkidiki 2002; 227
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xc2+ 11.f1 xa1 12.c3 and with Black's pieces rather uncoordinated White's queen must be worth more than the rook, bishop and pawn. ] 8.axb4 Very aggressive but it seems to me that only Black can be better in this line [ 8.dxc6 xc6 9.f3 g4 and Black has a very com f ortable o pening a nd an e xtra centre pawn. ] 8...xa1 9.ge2 e6 [ 9...e5!? cuts out the line played in the g a m e a s n o w 10.d6?! ( 10.dxe6 i s b e s t a n d n o w xe6 11.xe6 fxe6 12.d4 a6 and White doesn't have enough for the exchange although he can keep it unclear with 13.0-0 d8 14.e3 c4 15.b3! xb4 16.f4 and White still has some practical chances) 10...e6 11.xe6 fxe6 followed by 0-0-0 looks much better for Black ] 10.d6 [ 10.dxe6 transposes to the variation above. ] 10...b5 11.a2 a5! This forces White to act quickly and although he is trapping the queen Black is always getting plenty of material for it. 12.d4 axb4 13.b3 xa2 [ 13...bxc3! is more accurate I think as it doesn't allow a draw but perhaps Black wasn't so worried about that. After 14.xa1 xa2 15.b3 cxb2 16.e3 e4 ( 16...d5!? is also strong) 17.d4 xd6 Black has the better chances and White has to be very careful. ] 14.xa1 [ 14.e2! seems to force a rather odd draw after b1 15.d2 a1 ( 15...xb2 would be taking a big risk playing on after 16.xb2 xb2 17.a1! xc2 18.a8 d7 19.d4 and Black has to be very careful in this incredibly complicated position. ) 16.b3 b1 17.d2= ] 14...xa1 [ 14...bxc3! transposes to the 13...bxc3 line and it's still Black's best option. ] 15.e2 d5 16.d4 f6 17.b3 a2 This position is very difficult to judge but I don't think Black can be worse here as the knight on d5 is very strong. 18.0-0 After this I like Black's position but it's hard to find an
improvement: [ 18.c5 d7 ] [ 18.g4 makes it a little harder for Black to develop and perhaps g6 19.h4 xd6 20.h5 g5 21.f4 is the way for White to continue. Still I prefer Black here after f5! 22.xg5 e7 ] 18...xd6 19.d3 After so much early excitement the players agreed to a draw here. [ I think it's Black who should play on at this point, one possible continuation is 19.d3 0-0 20.c4 bxc3 21.xc3 a1 22.xd5 exd5 and Black has most of the winning chances as the pawns could certainly get dangerous as the game goes on. ] ½-½
235 Hess,Robert L Tiviakov,Sergei 48th Groningen Open A (8.1) [Milos Pavlovic]
B01 2625 2650 29.12.2011
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g6 In my survey on 3...Qd6 I focused mainly on 5...a6 and 5...c6, but here we will see a third idea. 6.b5 d8 [ 6...b6 A) 7.f4 d5 8.e5 f6 9.g3 This is another way of handling this line a6 10.c4 axb5 11.cxd5 e6 ( 11...c6 12.d3 cxd5 13.0-0 c6 14.b3 e6 15.xb5 a5 16.a3 f7 17.ac1 d7 18.fe1 e7 19.d3 a7 20.b1 hc8 21.e3 g7 22.h4 b6 23.b4 f8 24.h5 Menkinoski, R -Milanovic, D Obrenovac 2011, White managed to built up a better position ) 12.d3 a5+ 13.f1 c6 14.c2 f7 15.h4 a6 16.h5 b4 17.xg6+ e7 18.d6+ d7 19.e4 hxg6 20.e1 xa2 21.xg6 xd6 22.xd6 xd6 23.g3+ d5 24.e5+ d6 25.xb5+ e5 26.dxe5+ fxe5 27.xe5+ d7 28.xb4 c5 29.xc5 a6+ 30.g1 d6 31.e5+ e6 32.xd6+ xd6 33.f7+ c5 34.hh4 1 - 0 P e t r o s i a n , T (2 6 1 3 ) - K u r a j i c a , B (2535) Plovdiv BUL 2010; B) 7.c4 c6 8.c3 g7 9.e2 0-0 10.0-0 d8 11.h3 f5 228
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B1) 12.c5!?N c7 13.c4 b5 ( 13...bd7 14.g4 e6 15.xe6 fxe6 16.e2 ) 14.b3 b4 15.e2 a6 ( 15...bd7 16.f4 b7 17.g5 e6 is very risky for Black as the f5-bishop is "in the air" ) 16.g5 d5 17.g3; B2) 12.e1!?N e4 13.f1 ( 13.c5 c7 14.b3 e6 15.c4 xc4 16.xc4 xc3 17.bxc3 e6 18.g5 ) 13...xd4 14.xe4 xf2+ 15.xf2 xd1 16.xd1 a6 17.g4 e6 18.b3; B3) 12.b3 a6 13.e3 xb3 14.axb3 b4 15.g4 d3 16.xd3 xd3 17.fd1 b4 18.d2 Anan d, V -Kram nik, V Moscow RUS 2009 ] 7.f4 a6 8.a3!? I like this move, it prepares Na3-c4 where it strongly controls the center. Also possible was: [ 8.c4 c6 9.c3 g7 10.h3 f5 11.e2 0-0 12.b3 b6 13.xb6 axb6 14.a3 Playing against the knight on a6 White has s o m e p r e s s u r e i n t h i s e n d g a m e . b4 15.0-0-0 c5 16.g4 c2 17.axb4 xd1 18.xd1 cxb4 19.b5 e4 20.e3 Polgar, J)-Tomczak, J Warsaw POL 2011 ] 8...c6 9.c3 c7 10.c4 g7 11.e5 0-0 12.a4 The position resembles many from the Alekhine or even Caro-Kann, we can say that it is += cd5 13.a5 h6 14.e2 h5 15.0-0 hf4 16.e1 xe2+ 17.xe2 e6 18.g3 c8 19.ce5 f5 20.d3 xd3 21.xd3 e6 22.c4 e7 23.b3 An unpleasant position for Black. b6 24.axb6 xb6 [ 24...axb6 25.h4 ] 25.c3 f5 26.e5 f6 27.c5! b7 28.g3 fe8 29.c4 d7 30.a4 xg3 31.hxg3 c7 32.a6 f7 33.a4 b8 34.b4 b5 35.d5! xd5 36.xa7 xa7 37.xa7+ g8 38.e7 xb4? [ 38...f8 39.xf6 xb4 40.xe6 b7 41.e5 d7 White is better but Black can still play on. ] 39.a1! f8 40.a8 b1+ 41.h2 h5+ 42.h4 h6 43.xe6+ h8 44.f7 1-0
236 Hinks Edwards,Thom Martin,Andrew D T/T England [Andrew Martin]
B01
04.11.2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 As good as 3 Nc3 and cuts out a lot of tricky lines. g6?! I approached this game in a rather experimental mood. My results with 3.. Nf6 have been good: draw vs Rowson, win vs M. Ferguson, but Black was undoubtedly slightly worse in both games out of the opening, and not the type of edge that is easily shaken off. So to 3... g6, offering W hite the chance to transpose to the 3 Nc3 Qd8 4 d4 g6 variation, another Scandinavian adventure bringing mixed results. Probably Black's most reliable move right now is 3... Bg4 - I just didn't feel like playing it! 4.c3! d8 5.c4 g7 6.d4 h6 The point of Black's idea is to attack White's d pawn with Nh6-f5. The Knight often drops back (out of necessity) to d6 which can be a very influential central post. Do you remember the game Fischer-Robatsch, which started 1 e4 d5 2 exd5 Qxd5 3 Nc3 Qd8 4 d4 g6 5 Bf4! and is traditionally thought to be good for W hite? Then Larry Evans recommended 5... Nh6! and if 6 Be5 Rg8!? in 'The Chess Opening for you'. This may look zany but Black is threatening to recuperate with ... Nc6 and W hite's game isn't quite as promising as it looks. 7.f4 f5 8.e5! Hinks-Edwards finds an excellent plan. If White dallies, Black's idea takes shape and he will have a fine game. W hite must play sharply, emphasizing the slowness of Black's knight manoeuvre and go for the throat. 0-0 I didn't like it at all by now but Black has nothing better. He's got to hope that he can survive the attack. 9.xg7 xg7 10.e2 d6 11.h4! g4 [ 11...h5 12.d3 g4 13.0-0-0 just seemed too disgusting for words. ] 12.h5 d7 [ 12...xh5 13.d3 c6 14.e3 xf3 15.gxf3 just seemed to be checkmate... soon. ] 13.d3 f6 14.e5! A very powerful move reminding me of a unpleasant experience in this line at the hands of Peter Wells back at 229
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Oakham in 1995. White centralizes and it will be some time before Black shifts the Queen from this dominant position. Qe5-h2 lurks in the wings. I thought I was lost now not a nice feeling. Black has to take a risk. [ 14.hxg6 hxg6 15.0-0-0 e6 16.e3 h8 17.b1 xf3 18.xf3 d7 ] 14...xh5 15.xh5!? Executed instantly and with confidence, but I am far from convinced that this is best. Instead [ 15.d2! I believe to be better, threatening f 3 an d g4 . I do n't se e wh at B la ck d oe s against that: g8 ( 15...g4 16.f3 f5 17.de4 c6 18.0-0-0 ) 16.f3 ] [ By contrast 15.0-0-0? xf3 16.gxf3 h8 allows Black the chance to recuperate. ] 15...gxh5 16.e2 [ 16.0-0-0 with the idea of Nd5 might be better, although Black is surviving e.g. c6 A) 17.g5 h6 18.h7 g8 19.xf6 exf6 20.xh5 f5 21.b1 g5!; B) 17.h1 g8 18.xh5 f8 19.g5 ( 19.h2 g4 ) 19...xg5 20.xg5 e8 21.xh7 xh7 22.xh7 d7; C) 17.e2 g8 18.f4 f8 ] 16...g8 17.f4 f8 18.0-0-0 d7 19.e1 e8 20.xh5 xh5 21.xh5 g4! After several accurate moves Black is right back in the game. Hinks-Edwards sacrifice has been shown to be optimistic and if only Black can find time to take on g2 or to get his Rooks going he will surely be winning. 22.h6+ g7 23.e3 xg2! 24.xh7 g7 25.d3 h3! An excellent defensive move, tying the W hite Queen down and keeping communication open with d7. 26.c4 c6 27.c5 W hite is very disappointed at his failure to mate and doesn't put up any further resistance. [ Maybe 27.f4 but Black is winning by now. ] 27...f5 28.e4 e6 29.e5 d8 30.h1 [ 30.xf7 was the last chance to confuse matters but I think Black escapes : d5!! The key defence! 31.xe6 ( 31.d6 xd6 32.cxd6 xd6-+; 31.h1 g4 32.xe6 xf7 33.c8+ e7 34.xb7+ d7 35.e1+ f6 36.xc6+ g7-+ ) 31...xf7 32.c4 h6+ 33.xh6+ xh6 34.xd5 cxd5 35.e5 f5-+ ] 30...g2 31.h8+ e7 32.xd8 xd8
33.xf7+ e7 34.xg2 xg2 35.xf5 xf7 In all honest y, I cannot recommend 3... g6. The defensive task just seems too onerous. Hinks-Edwards found a very strong attacking idea and if White plays 15 Nd2!, I think Black is going down. 0-1
237 Howell,David Papaioannou,Ioannis 18th European Teams (2.5) [Milos Pavlovic]
B01 2633 2600 04.11.2011
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 f5 6.c4 e6 7.d2 c6 8.d5 d8 9.xf6+ xf6 10.e2 d7 11.0-0-0 The mainline of the Scandinavian, or should I say one of the mainlines. In the last couple of years the Scandinavian has started to become a very popular defence with lots of tactical ideas ready to be discovered, just as in this game. e7!?N Allowing Bg5, on the other hand, exchanging one more pair of pieces might help Black to solve his opening problems. [ The usua l p la y f or Black was: 11...b6 12.b3 g4 13.d5 xf3 14.gxf3 cxd5 15.xd5 0-0-0 16.e4 d6 17.b1 ( 17.a4 f4 18.xf4 xf4+ 19.b1 b8 20.a5 c8 21.a6 b6 Black holds somehow. ) 17...e7 18.a4 a6 ( 18...b8 19.a5 d5 20.a6 b6 21.f4 g6 22.f3 ) 19.a5 d5 20.c4 ( 20.hg1 g6 21.f4 b8 22.g3 ) 20...f4 ( 20...b4 21.f4 b8 22.hg1 g6 23.g3 f5 24.g2 c7 ) 21.e3 f5 22.c5 xc5 23.c1 b8 24.xc5 xc5 25.xf4+ d6 26.xd6+ xd6 27.c2 d2 28.hf1 1-0 Fedorchuk, S-Reinderman, D /Warsaw 2005 ] 12.h3 [ 12.g5 g6 13.xe7 xe7 14.b1 ( 14.h4 g4 15.d5 cxd5 16.xd5 ac8 17.xb7 c7 18.e4 f6 ) 14...hd8 ( 14...f8 15.hg1 g4 16.d2 f6 17.b4+ e7 18.xb7 ) 15.h4 ( 15.h3 f8 16.g4 e4 17.d3 xf3 18.xf3 f6 19.g3 b6 ) 15...f6 16.xf5+ xf5 17.d3 f6 18.c3 f8 19.h4 h6 This is less clear. ] 230
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 W hite at all .) 11...xc3 12.bxc3 d7 13.ab1 Vila Gazquez, J-Alsina Leal, D/ B a r c e l o n a 2 0 0 2 w h e n I t h i n k t h a t b6! is the best way: A) 14.fe1 b7 15.e5 ( 15.g5 f6 16.f3 fd8= ) 15...xe5 16.xe5 fd8; B) 14.b5 d8 15.c6 b8 16.fe1 b7 17.xb7 xb7 18.c4 f6= All seems comfortable enough. ] [ 8.a3 almost wastes a tempo but White's development must be given full respect. b4 9.d3 0-0 10.0-0 xc3 11.bxc3 d7 12.fb1 c5 13.e3 c7 14.g5 h6= ] 8...b4 9.a3 [ E m m s s u g g e s t s 9.g2 after which I recommend d7 10.0-0 0-0 11.fe1 d8 12.a3 and now Black may simply take on c3, o r p l a y m o r e a m b i t i o u s l y w i t h e7 Either way, he is alright. ] 9...b6 10.g2 b7 11.0-0 xc3 12.xc3 [ 12.bxc3 0-0= ] 12...xc3 13.bxc3 c6 14.d2 a5 15.a4 0-0-0 [ 15...xg2 16.xg2 e7 wasn't bad either. W e have reaches another one of those p o s i t i o n s wh e r e W h i t e h a s s h o w n h i s opponent far too much respect and now faces an uphill struggle to make a draw. If Black could guarantee such a position from the opening he would play 5...Ne4 every game. ] 16.b3 c4 17.a5 xg2 18.xg2 b5 19.fe1 g5 20.a6 c6 21.c5 c7 22.e4 h5 23.e2? A nothing move. Given Black's plan of playing his King to b6 he has to try a diversion such as 238 B01 [ 23.ae1 b6 24.f4 g4 25.h3 ] Howell,David 2304 23...d5 24.d3 f5 25.h3 b6 26.e4 Sulskis,Sarunas 2582 d8 27.h4 d6 28.e5 gxh4 29.gxh4 Masters Catalan Bay ENG (10) 05.02.2004 g8+ 30.f1 g4! 31.xf5 xf5 32.e5 xh4 33.e2 h3! 34.f3 h2+ 35.d3 [Andrew Martin] d6 36.g1 xa6 37.xc6 c4 38.e4 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 b6 39.d8 h4+ 40.d3 f4 41.g7 f6 5.f3 e4 6.d2 I guess people will do d6 42.e3 f6 43.h7 c7 44.xf7 this. White relies on his development to see xf7 45.xh5 a5 46.c5+ b6 47.e5 a4 him through. xd2 7.xd2 e6! Time for a 48.xe6 c6 49.h6 a3 50.h1 e7+ quiet life and perhaps to contemplate ...Bb4, 51.f2 a2 52.a1 a7 53.e3 d5 saddling White with the same doubled pawns. 54.d3 a8 55.c4+ xc4 56.c3 b6 57.f4 a3 58.c2 a4 Instinct tells me that 8.g3 [ 8.c4 b4 9.0-0 0-0 10.a3 xc3 5...Ne4 cannot really be a permanent idea but 11.xc3 ( 11.bxc3 b6! is really nothing for it is by no means easy to play against as
12...h5 13.he1 White decides to centralise his pieces. [ 13.g5 g6 14.xe7 xe7 15.b1 f8 16.hg1 h4 17.e5 xe5 18.dxe5 g8 A strange-looking position, but Black does have counterplay here. ] 13...g6 14.f4 c8 15.d5 This looks premature. [ 15.b1 b5 ( 15...h4 16.d3 xd3 17.xd3 f5 18.h2 ) 16.d3 xd3 17.xd3 h4 18.d5 cxd5 19.xd5 h5! With a defendable position. For instance: 20.xd7 xd7 21.e5+ xe5 22.xe5 a6 23.g4 hxg3 24.fxg3 e8 25.g4= ] 15...cxd5 16.xd5 b6 17.d4 xc4 18.xc4 xc4 19.xc4 0-0 White didn't manage to get anything in the opening and instead has a slightly inferior position. 20.d4 g5 21.c7 xf4+ 22.xf4 xg2! 23.xf5 exf5 24.xf5 g6 25.c5 xh3 26.xa7 f5 27.xb7 a5 28.e3 d8 29.a3 d2+ 30.b1 d1+ 31.a2 xc2 The black king is safer and this helps Black to conduct the initiative. 32.f3 c4+ 33.b3 c7 34.c3 d7 35.c4 f5 36.f3 f6 37.b3 g7 38.e4 h4 This is a lost position for White, with a perfectly safe king the black h-pawn starts rolling without any n e g a t i v e c o n s e q u e n c e s . 39.g4 d4 40.h3 f4 41.e3 c6 42.c3 d5+ 43.b1 g5 44.c1 d4 45.h2 e5 46.h1 d4 47.b1 f5+ 48.a1 h3 49.g1 h4 50.h2 f4 51.xf4 xf4 0-1
231
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 we've seen. Used occasionally, it could be a v e r y u s e f u l a d d i t i o n t o yo u r r e p e r t o i r e . Summarising Black's intentions: 1) 5...Ne4 is a disturbing move and also a gamble. 2 ) Black hopes to double W hite's pawns and settle in for a nice technical game. W hite must find a precise way to take advantage of his lead in development. He has not done so yet. 0-1
239 Hungaski,Robert Andrew Diego,O XXXVIII Open (2) [John Watson]
B01 2382 2059 01.04.2007
As often happens, a lower-rated player finds a natural plan that calls into question the previous assessment of a theoretical position. The game itself is another matter! 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 f5 6.d2 c6 7.c4 e6 8.d5 d8 9.xf6+ gxf6 10.c3 d6!? Black plays a simple move that retains the active character of Black's position. [ In ChessPub, Martin, who had previously promoted 9...gxf6 in a video, said that it was u n d e r a c l o u d d u e t o t h e l i n e 10...c7 11.h4 g6 12.f3 d7 13.h3! 'with uncomfortable pressure'. ] [ 10...d7 may also improve upon that line, especially because Black retains the idea of ...Be7 at some point. ] 11.e2 [ Now 11.h4 g6 12.f3 d7 13.h3 is n't cle ar a f t e r e4! (which would have been answered by Bxe6 in the last note) 14.0-0-0! ( 14.f3 d5 ) 14...b6 15.b3 d5 ( or 15...d5!? ) 16.xd5 cxd5 17.he1 d7!? , keeping White's knight from f5. ] 11...d7 12.0-0 Slow. Thematic is [ 12.0-0-0 , b u t a f t e r c7 , White has nothing special, e.g., 13.h4 g6 14.xg6 hxg6 15.g3 0-0-0 and the theoretical advantage of the bishop pair doesn't mean much. ] 12...b6!? [ Or 12...c7! , with no problems. ]
13.b3 c7 14.h4 g6 [ 14...xh2+? 15.h1 g6 16.xe6! 0-0! 17.b3 looks nice for White. ] 15.g3 0-0-0 16.a4 c5?! Loosening, and therefore dangerous. [ 16...d7= ] 17.a5 d5 18.dxc5!? [ 18.xd5 exd5 19.dxc5 xc5 20.g4+ b8 21.f4 d6 22.xd6 xd6 23.fe1 gives White an optical advantage which is probably real as well. Such a position would be hard to win. ] 18...xc5 19.c4 e7? Cutting off his bishop's retreat. Better simply [ 19...b8 ] 20.b4 d6 21.b5! c5?! 22.b6!? [ 22.f4! e5 23.h6 threatens b6, when Black is in some trouble. ] 22...axb6 23.axb6 e5?? [ 23...xb6 has to be tried, when 24.e3 ( or 24.h6 ) 24...xe3 25.fxe3 retains serious queenside attacking chances. ] 24.b5! An intermezzo. Now Black can't capture White's queen due to mate, but Ra8+ and Bf4 are threats, among others. c6 [ 24...xb6 25.f4 ] 25.xc6 1-0
240 Huschenbeth,Niclas Dranov,Aleksandar 82nd ch-GER Bonn GER (5) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2502 2465 30.05.2011
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e5 bd7 7.c4 c7 8.f3 b6 9.f4 d8 According to Sergey Kasparov in New in Chess "This leads to a more complicated struggle (than 9...Qd7). The queens remain on the board in any case. Black attacks on the kingside with ...h7-h5-h4 and ...g7-g5." Perhaps but I found the whole article absurdly pro-Black these positions look easier for White to play for me as Black must play accurately to survive the opening. [ I looked at 9...d7 10.h3!? in Bologan, V (2690)-Tiviakov, S (2637) Sibenik 2010. ] 10.e5 232
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 10.e5 is White's alternative when the author of the New in Chess article declined the pawn e6 ( 10...xd4 is critical but W hite of course has good compensation with his large lead in development.) 11.0-0-0 g6 12.h4!? g7 13.e2 fd5 14.d2 xc3 15.xc3 d5 16.a3 0-0 17.f4 f6 18.f3 c4 19.c3 b5 with a complex struggle. Petrosian, T (2634)-Kasparov, S (2493) Bhubaneswar 2011. ] 10...g4 11.g3 h5 12.h3 h4 13.e3! This looks like an improvement. [ I looked at 13.f4 in the notes to BologanTiviakov. ] 13...e6 Unfortunately Black is still forced to stick his bishop here and therefore it's not so easy for Black to develop his kingside. [ 13...f5 14.d6+ exd6 15.xf6+ e7 16.xg7 g8 17.f6 gives Black very little for the pawn. ] [ 13...xc4 14.xc4 f5 15.0-0-0 e6 16.d5! is very dangerous. ] 14.xb6 xb6 [ 14...axb6 is also possible but Black remains very passive after 15.d3 g6 16.0-0 ( 16.xg6!? wins a pawn or two but h6 17.e2 g8 18.e4 xe4 19.xe4 d7 20.xh4 g6 at least gives Black some counterplay.) 16...h6 ( 16...g7 17.xg6! now leaves Black with zero play.) 17.f4 and Black still struggles to breathe. ] 15.0-0-0 g6?! This doesn't solve Black's problems and so we have to look at Black's alternatives. [ 15...0-0-0 16.a3 A) 16...a5 is better but following 17.d3 g6 18.b1 h6 19.f4 White is still on top. ( 19.e1!? ); B) 16...g6 17.a4! a5 18.c5 h6 19.f4 d5 20.f3 f6 21.xe6 ( 21.b4!? traps the queen but xc5 22.dxc5 fxe5 23.c4 xf4+ 24.b2 doesn't feel so c l e a r t o m e .) 21...fxe5 22.dxe5 is very good for White. ] [ 15...d7 16.f4 g6 ( 16...f5 17.d3 xd3 18.xd3 e6 19.b1 ) 17.e2 0-0-0 18.he1 g7 19.f3 and Black still can't coordinate perfectly. ] 16.xf6! exf6 17.c4 h6 [ 17...c7!? would be an interesting move order when it's important to throw in 18.b1
and White is still clearly better: ( 18.xe6? h6 ) 18...h6 19.e2 ] 18.f4 f8?! Attempting to keep material equality but there's a flaw. [ Perhaps 18...c7 was the best chance. 19.hf1 e7 temporarily keeps material leve l bu t W hite now ha s 20.de1 0-0 21.xe6 fxe6 22.xe6+ xe6 23.xe6 which looks like an extra pawn to me. ] [ 18...0-0-0 19.xe6+ fxe6 20.xe6+ b8 21.xf6 hf8 22.xh4 xf4+ 23.b1 xd4 24.xd4 xd4 25.e7 and White has a clear extra pawn. ] 19.xe6 e8 Consistent but still not good! 20.a4! Black's pin on the e file looked like he was winning back the piece but this throws a spanner in the works. b4 This simply leaves Black a piece down. [ 20...a5 was the best try but 21.a3+ g7 22.b3 xf4+ 23.b1 b5 24.c5+- ] [ 20...b5 21.a3++- ] 21.b3! Sidestepping the pin and suddenly Black's a piece down. He grovelled on for a while but the result was never in doubt. xf4+ 22.b1 xb3 23.xb3 e2 24.hf1 g5 25.d5 xg2 26.d6 [ 26.c5 b6 27.d3+- bringing the knight back into play looks the easiest. ] 26...b6 27.d7 e7 28.xf7 g3 29.h1 c7 30.g6 g4 31.f5 gxh3 32.xh3 f8 33.c3 f5 34.he1+ d8 35.xf5 h3 36.e4 13.Qe3! looks like a good improvement and I don't see an easy equalising plan for Black. 1-0
241 Ibragimov,Ildar Fierro Baquero,Martha Lorena North American Open (1) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2565 2310 2003
NATURAL MOVES?! This game gives us a reminder that the Scandinavian cannot be defeated purely by 'natural moves'. White has no advantage as of right - he must demonstrate a good plan. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 The BANKER - still viable. 4.d4 c6 5.g5 [ 5.c4 is critical. ] 233
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 5...f6 6.c4 f5 7.f3!? [ It's a little surprising that Ibragimov doesn't t a k e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o p l a y 7.ge2 After all, that is the main point of delaying Nf3 so long. ] 7...e6 8.e2 b4 9.0-0 0-0 10.ad1 You see what I mean about normal moves because W hite ahs simply chosen a bogstandard plan of development, hoping to outplay Black in the middlegame. there is no reason to suppose that W hite is in any way bett er h ere . bd7= Black's active plan is ... Qa5 etc 11.e5 xc3! 12.bxc3 a5 13.b3 [ 13.xd7 xd7 14.e7 fe8 15.b4 c7 delivers nothing for White. ] 13...xe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.dxe5 e4 16.e7 fe8 17.d7 a5! Still equal although unbalanced. W hite's pawn structure we a k n e s s e s a n d t h e p o o r B is h o p o n b 3 cancel out the active Rook on d7. Black can d i s s o l v e h i s p r o b l e m s wh e r e a s W h i t e ' s defects are permanent. 18.g4 g6 19.f4 [ 19.a4 b5! ] 19...a4 20.c4 b5 21.d3 xc3! The only thing one can say is that Black is playing forced moves which are very easy to see and understand. 22.f5 Or White is just lost. exf5 23.gxf5 h5 24.e1 d5 [ Here, I think Black could have been bold: 24...xa2! White's initiative soon runs out of steam: 25.e4 ( 25.e6 fxe6 26.fxe6 g4! ) 25...c3 26.xc6 ac8 27.b7 c4 28.e6 fxe6 29.fxe6 g6-+ ] 25.c5 f4 26.f1 ad8 [ 26...g4! would have called a complete halt to White's ambition. ] 27.xd8 xd8 28.d6 f6 29.c4 fxe5 30.c5 I suppose in an Open tournament with the clock ticking, White is still (just) in the game. B u t B l a c k p l a y s v e r y w e l l i n d e e d . e8 31.xe5 f7 32.a3 c4! 33.f2 xf1 34.xf4 xe1 35.xe1 d3 There is no solace in opposite-coloured Bishops. Black can establish pawn majorities on both sides of the boa rd and st ret ch W hit e's re sou rce s beyond the limit. 36.d2 f7 37.f2 xf5-+ 38.e3 g5 39.d4 g6 A simple, effective game by Black. That's why the Scandinavian is popular! 0-1
242 Iordachescu,V Tiviakov,S Nakhchivan Open A 2013 (8.5) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2599 2650 30.04.2013
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 Tiviakov is obviously very experie nced in these 3...Qd 6 lines but it surprises me that he went for this line as W hite appears to have a number of good options. 6.h3 h5 [ 6...xf3 7.xf3 c6 8.e3 is very comfortable for White who has a lead in development and the two bishops. ] 7.g4 g6 8.e5 bd7 A critical position has now been reached but the strange thing is that all the sensible moves seem to give White the advantage here so I'm not really sure why strong players still play this way as Black. 9.c4 Another dangerous idea for White which further calls into question this line for Black. [ 9.xg6 hxg6 10.g2! is probably White's main alternative and should lead to some advantage. It's analysed in detail in GellerKovalenko ] [ 9.b5!? b6 10.c4 is also dangerous. Black has to try e6+ but White is better after 11.e2 see Najer-Kovalenko ( 11.e3!? is tricky and is examined in the notes to the above game. )] 9...e6+ [ 9...a6 10.f4 and the threat of Qe6+ forces the queen to e6 in any case. ] 10.e3 h5 11.g5?! This gives Black good chances to equalise here although Tiviakov still has to find some accurate moves. e4 12.g2 b6 [ 12...c6 has been seen before in Kostitsina, L (2000) -Rakhmangulova, A (2196) Moscow 2011 and here W hite should've played 13.0-0 0-0-0 14.d5! ( 14.a4 is also strong, intending to play d5! in the n e a r f u t u r e) 14...cxd5 15.exd5 b6 16.xb6+ xb6 17.e2 xc3 18.bxc3 and White has a very dangerous attack on the queenside, once a rook lands on b1 Black is going to be in serious trouble. ] [ 12...xc3 13.bxc3 a6! seems to equalise, for example 234
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 14.b1 c6 ( 14...b6 15.c4! ) 15.f1 is probably White's best try for an edge, he k e e p s t h e b e t t e r c h a n c e s a f t e r b5 ( 15...a5 16.xb7 xc3+ 17.d2 xd2+ 18.xd2 and White's activity gives him a pleasant advantage.) 16.a4! xa4 17.g2 c8 18.0-0 and White has a dangerous initiative combined with a clear plan of f4-f5.; B) 14.e2 xe2+ 15.xe2 0-0-0 16.b1 c6 and although White is more active he has some weaknesses in his structure whereas Black is very solid. ] 13.f3 d6?! [ 13...xc3 was definitely Black's best option h e r e . A f t e r 14.bxc3 c6 15.0-0 d7 Black prepared to play ...e6 with a solid positio n. I s till pref e r W hit e a f te r 16.a4! but the advantage is only small. ] 14.a4! Now Black is in serious difficulties a6 [ 14...a5 i s n o b e t t e r : 15.b5! xb5 16.axb5 b8 ( 16...a7 17.0-0 is miserable for Black, that rook on a7 is horribly placed!) 17.xa5 xc2 18.a7 and White wins a pawn ] 15.0-0 [ 15.a5 was even stronger straight away, e. g. bc8 16.f4! xc2 17.0-0 d3 18.d1 g6 19.ed5 d8 and Black is so poorly developed and coordinated that it's pretty much hopeless. ] 15...d7 16.a5 bc8 17.e1 [ 17.a4 bringing the knight to c5 is also very good for White. ] 17...e6 18.d5! Iordachescu thematically opens up the centre with Black's pieces still un co ordina te d an d Tiviakov is un ab le t o defend. e7 [ 18...e7 was possibly more stubborn but W hite's init iative still gives him a clea r a d v a n t a g e a f t e r 19.b3 ( 19.a4!? is also dangerous, either the rook is swinging over to d4 or it supports Nc4.) 19...0-0-0 20.c4! ] 19.dxe6 fxe6 20.h4 f8 21.e2 c6 22.h3 White targets the weak pawn on e6 and Black is in no position to defend. f5 23.xf5 exf5 [ 23...xf5 24.xf5 xf5 25.xh5+ is also easily winning for White ] 24.f4! A simple developing move that u n d e rl i n e s e v e ryt h i n g t h a t ' s wr o n g wi t h
Black's position. d4 25.a4 c5 26.d2 [ 26.c7! was more clinical, threatening to trap the queen with Rc4. Black can try f7 but after 27.d3 threatening mate on d8 Black's position is completely hopeless. ] 26...f7 27.e5 d8 28.e2 a7 29.xf5 A crushing victory f rom Iordachescu and although the game wasn't perfect from either side it's another good example of what can happen to Black in this line. I wouldn't recommend 5.. .Bg4 to anyone right now!! 1-0
243 Jaulin,Philippe Prie,Eric 2nd Open Nantes (1) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2105 2425 2003
A BRACE OF PRIE 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 f5 7.d2 e6 8.d5 d8 9.xf6+ xf6!? I recommended 9...gxf6 in a recent video although that move is slightly under a cloud due to [ 9...gxf6 10.c3! c7 ( 10...d7!? ) 11.h4 g6 12.f3 d7 13.h3! with uncomfortable pressure. So to 9...Qxf6, undoubtedly a tricky and provocative move, well suited to playing for the win. ] 10.e2! d7 [ 10...g4 11.d5 xf3 12.gxf3 cxd5 13.xd5 d7 14.0-0-0 a3 15.c3 0-0 16.e4 Shirov-Salov Madrid 1997 is a possible way to go for Black although White has the makings of a good Kingside attack. ] [ Meanwhile taking on c2 is very risky : 10...xc2 11.c1 f5 12.d5 I prefer W hite's initiative to the long haul needed to exploit the extra pawn. So to Prie's 10... Nd7, just sensible development. As long as Black isn't falling victim to either d4-d5! or Bg5 then he should have a playable position. ] 11.0-0-0 b6 12.e5?! I don't think allowing Black to take on c4 is very testing and two of Prie's recent opponents seem to agree. [ 12.b3 g4 W e l l - t i m e d ! 13.d5 If this tactical stroke doesn't work, White will simply be left with a bad pawn structure. 235
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xf3 14.gxf3 cxd5 A) 15.xd5! The best move in the position. A1) 15...xd5 16.b5+ e7 ( 16...d8 17.xb7 c8 18.a5+ c7 19.xc7+ e8 20.c8+ e7 21.d8# ) 17.xb7+; A2) 15...0-0-0! 16.e4 d6 17.e3 f4 18.b5 e5 19.xe5 xe5 20.f4 f6 21.xb6 All steam ahead for the draw. axb6 22.c3 g6 23.xd8+ xd8 24.d2 c7 25.e3 d8 26.f3 d6 27.b4 c7 28.e2 a8 29.c4 b5 30.b3 a6 31.d1 f8 32.d3 h6 33.e4 g7 34.h3 h5 35.d3 f8 36.f5 exf5 37.xf7 e7 38.e3 d6 39.e6 g5 40.f6 xh2 41.xa6 1/2-1/2 Delorme, A-Prie, E/2nd Open, Nantes FRA 2003; B) 15.b5+ Looks more uncomfortable than it actually is! d8 16.a5 ( 16.hg1 d6! 17.b1 xf3 ) 16...d6 B1) 17.xb6+ axb6 18.xb6+ c7 19.xb7 b8 20.c6 ( 20.a6 possibly the best try. xf3 21.c4 ) 20...e5 21.d3 xb2+ 22.b1 e5 23.c4 g6 24.c2 c8 25.b6+ e7 Prie is pushing his lower-rated opponent into making difficult decisions at the board and of course, that is the way to win Open tournaments.; B2) 17.b1? Rank bad. Whether he liked it or not White had to take on b6: e7 18.xd5 exd5 19.he1+ f8 20.a4 c4 21.xd5 xa5 22.f5 d8 23.b4 c6 0-1 Mullon, J-Prie, E/2nd Open, Nantes FRA 2003 Naturally these results and positions reached are very satisfactory for Black. ] 12...xc4 13.xc4 d6 I slightly prefer B l a c k n o w . 14.b4 Jaulin to exchange the pieces, aiming for a balanced position that he cannot lose. Prie now takes a risk. [ 14.h4 h6 15.de1 0-0-0 16.e3 was also possible, with White taking up a more aggressive stance. ] 14...xb4 15.xb4 g5+!? [ I prefer 15...0-0-0! 16.he1 h5 which is rather equal. ] 16.b1 xg2 White has a decision to make. He gets it wrong. 17.xf7?
[ 17.dg1! would have given White a very st ro n g a t t a ck . P rie se e m t o b e a b l e t o mesmerise his opponents into playing weak moves. After 17 Rdg1, the variations are brief and uncomplicated: xf2 18.xg7 xc2+ ( 18...xc2+ 19.a1 e4 20.hg1 0-0-0 21.xf7!+- ) 19.a1 f8 20.xb7 d8 21.xc6+ ] 17...xc2+! By contrast, the Black Queen now returns to the defence. 18.xc2 xf2+ 19.c1 xf7 20.hf1 e7 21.a4 f8 22.fe1 f7 23.b3 ae8 24.e5 g8 Castling by hand. Two pawns up is too much so the game ends rapidly. 25.de1 f6 26.e3 d8 27.xe6 xe6 28.xe6+ xe6 29.xe6 xd4 30.e7 b4 At this time of writing I don't see why 9...Qxf6 cannot be played. Prie's results are very good although he pushed the boat out a long way in our featured game. Nevertheless, 15...0-0-0 would have been OK. 0-1
244 Kaidanov,Gregory S Zatonskih,Anna USA-ch GpB San Diego (6) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2603 2433 08.03.2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 A move which has caused considerable discomfort to Scandinavian fans over the past few years. White gains by delaying Nc3 and is able in many cases to push the Black Queen around with the help of a well-timed c2-c4. However, Black does not need to give up hope just yet. 3... Bg4, as played here, is perfectly good and 3 . . . g 6 i s we l l p l a ya b l e a s t h e g a m e s o f Epishin and Kurajica have shown. g4 [ 3...f6 4.e2 g4 5.d4 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.c4 d8 8.c3 0-0 is similar to the game and a system for Black which I recommended in 'The Essential CentreCounter' Black can play ... c7-c5 in one move if need be. ] 4.e2 c6!? Tiviakov's idea which is solid of course. 5.d4 f6 6.c4 d8 7.c3 e6 8.h3 h5 9.0-0 The recent match between Korneev and Tiviakov in Khanty-Mansiysk featured this position more than once, 236
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 although Tiviakov did not opt for the coming 9...Bd6 sticking to more solid 9...Be7. d6?!N Active and slightly more risky than 9...Be7. [ The evidence about 9...e7 will show what we intuitively know already that White must keep a small edge: 10.f4 ( RR 10.e3 0-0 11.g4 g6 12.e5 fd7 13.f4 xe5 14.dxe5 f6 15.exf6 xf6 16.c5 a6 17.c4 c7 18.f5 f7 19.fxe6 xe6 20.xe6+ xe6 21.b3 h8 22.e4 d4 23.c4 e7 24.f4 e6 Paragua, M-Laketic, G/Milan 2001 Black has negated any W hite pressure and stands slightly better.) 10...0-0 11.a3 bd7 ( 11...a5 12.e1 e8 13.e5 xe2 14.xe2 a6 15.d2 d7 16.e4 c8 17.c2 Korneev, O-Tiviakov, S/Khanty Mansiysk 2005) 12.e5 xe2 13.xe2 e8 14.ad1 b6 15.fe1 a6 16.g4 f8 17.g5 6d7 18.xd7 xd7 19.d5 Korneev, O-Tiviakov, S/Khanty Mansiysk 2005 ] 10.g5 Trying to take advantage of the pin. h6 [ 10...bd7 11.d5 cxd5 12.cxd5 exd5 ( 12...e5?! 13.e4 e7 14.h4! ) 13.xd5 0-0 ] 11.xf6 gxf6? Poor, almost inexplicable, making it appear as though she is making it up on the spot. [ Black HAS to play 11...xf6 12.e4 f4 13.xd6+ xd6 14.b3 b6 15.c5 c7 16.e3 ] 12.d5! e7 [ 12...e5? 13.h4! ] 13.e1 Increasing the pressure on e6. [ Or 13.d4!? xe2 14.xe2 e5 15.ad1 Finkel ] 13...a6 14.h4 [ Finkel gives 14.d4!? xe2 15.xe2 e5 16.dxc6 and I think he is right. ] 14...xe2 15.xe2 e5 16.dxc6 bxc6 17.f3 Black has no place for her King. c8 18.ad1 0-0 19.h5 [ 19.e3 h7 20.f3 is equally uncomfortable: ] 19...h7 20.e4 fd8 [ 20...xb2? 21.f5 exf5 22.g5+ ] 21.f3?! [ Preferable is 21.d6 xd6 ( 21...c7 22.df5+- ) 22.xd6 xd6 23.f5 f8
24.xd6 b8 ( 24...d8 25.e4 ) 25.e3! and White wins. The text is OK, but Black gets the chance to grovel on. ] 21...b8 [ 21...xb2 22.b1 b8 23.h4 c5 24.xb2! is devastating: xb2 25.xf6+ g7 26.h5+ f8 27.f4-+ ] 22.a5 c7? Losing on the spot. [ 22...f5 is the reason that 21 Nd6 was better. Maybe Black survives after 23.ed2 c5 24.b4 ( 24.c3 d3 25.c2 f6 ) 24...d3 25.xf5+ exf5 26.xe7 xb4 27.xf7+ g6 Of course this will not be pleasant. ] 23.d4+- d5 [ 23...e8 24.xc6 xc6 25.xd8+- ] 24.cxd5 cxd5 25.c3 d6 26.f3 g8 27.e4 f4 28.g3 c2 29.d4 xf3 [ 29...c7 ] 30.gxf3 xg3 31.g4 xf2+ 32.h1 xe1 33.xe1 xg4 34.hxg4 xb2 35.c3 xa2 36.xf6 g8 37.xh6 f2 38.f6 a5 39.g1 c2 40.g5 c6 41.g6 4...c6 is clearly possible, although I feel Black should continue in the same restrained manner a little later by playing his King's Bishop to e7. 1-0
245 Kalegin,Evgenij Galkin,Sergey Perm [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2485 1997
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.f3 xd5 4.c3 a5 5.d4 c6 6.b5 [ 6.d2!? which leads to quieter play is also worth considering we'll take a closer look at this move in the next game. ] 6...d7 7.d5!? b4 8.xd7+ xd7 9.a3 f6 10.axb4 The point of White's previous play. This exchange sacrifice is dangerous for Black as his Queen is forced to go to a very bad square, while his other pieces remain undeveloped. xa1 11.0-0 a6 [ After 11...d8 12.d4!? c6 ( 12...xd5? 13.db5 winning; 12...e6 13.db5 ) 13.dxc6 bxc6 14.e2! xd4 15.e3 Black is in trouble ] 12.d4 237
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Usually white tries to maintain the initiative by 12.d4 d8 13.db5 d7 14.f4 and after A) 14...xd5 also comes into c o n s i d e r a t i o n : 15.xd5 ( 15.xd5!? is int e re st in g: xd5 16.xc7+ d8 17.xa6 f5 18.e3 bxa6 19.a1 f6 20.f1 trying to breakthrough on the queenside.) 15...xb5 16.xc7+ xc7 17.xc7 d7 18.b8 xd1 19.xd1 e6 Black was able to hold the balance in Siklosi - Laszlo, Hungary (tt) 1993.; B) 14...d8 15.e2 An unclear position has arisen. White has sufficient compensation for his material losses. ] 12...g6 [ 12...d8!? deserves attention. ] 13.f4 b6 [ Black has two good alternatives: 13...c8!? 14.b5 b6 15.c4 a6! is unclear ] [ 13...g7!? 14.xc7 h5 15.c5 ( 15.b5 d6 16.xd6 xd4 17.e1 0-0-0 18.xd4 exd6 with a small edge) 15...0-0 in both cases with unclear play. ] 14.c4 a5? This is a big mistake. [ 14...c6?! was dubious because of 15.e3 c7 ( 15...d8?! 16.dxc6 c8 17.e5 e6 18.d1 c7 19.f4 puts Black in trouble) 16.b5 c8 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.xa7 b7 19.xc6+!? ( 19.xc6 ) 19...xc6 20.xc6 and Black has real problems neutralising the White pawns on the queenside. ] [ Probably Black had underestimated his defensive possibilities, but he was not doing a s b a d l y a s h e b e li e ve d a f t e r t h e c o o l 14...a6! Now taking on c7 is good for Black. 15.e1 with excellent compensation for the exchange. ] 15.b5?! This looks good but White has a much better move. [ After 15.b5! Black was hopelessly lost: c8 ( 15...xd5 16.xd5 c6 17.e5 winning ) 16.bxa5 xa5 17.b4 b6 18.xc7+ d8 19.e5 winning a lot of material. ] 15...g7 16.a4! [ 16.xc7 was much weaker: c8 17.xb6 ( 17.d6? xd6 ) 17...xc4 18.xa5 e4 19.xe4 xe4 20.b3 was unclear. ] 16...a7 17.xc7 0-0 18.b6 a6 19.xa6 xa6 20.c4 Black's life is difficult as he has
problems halting White's queenside advance. The pawn on b6 plus the Bishop on c7 keep t h e B la c k Ro o ks p a ssive . d7 21.c5! xb2!? Trying to do something active, rather t h a n j u s t w a i t f o r t h e e n d . 22.b1! winning The text move is stronger. [ Of course not 22.xb2?! xc5 23.c1 b3 24.c3 a4 and Black is okay ] [ 22.c6 was possible but after bxc6 23.dxc6 xb6 24.xb6 c8 25.c7 xb6 26.xb6 xc7 White should eventually win. ] 22...a3 23.c6 bxc6 [ 23...b8 does not help as after 24.cxb7 the Knight is going to c6. ] 24.dxc6 xb6 25.xb6 c8 26.d4 d6 27.c1 f4 28.c2 c7 There was nothing better. 29.xc7 xc7 30.f4! The ending looks winning for W hite. His plan is simple: his King is going to the queenside to help the c-pawn promote. f6 31.c5 Securing the Knight on d4 against e7-e5. f7 32.f2 e6 33.e3 g5 34.g3 gxf4+ 35.gxf4 e5 36.fxe5 fxe5 37.f3 [ 37.xe5 axc6 38.xc6 xc6 was also winning for White but the text move is stronger. ] 37...e8 38.xe5 d8 39.d4 g7 40.d5+ c7 41.c5 e7 42.c3 a4 43.b5+ c8 44.c4 White's pieces look v e r y s p e c t a c u l a r ! h6 45.b6+ Black resigned. 1-0
246 Kaminski,Marcin Gipslis,Aivars Cappelle la Grande [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2535 2450 1998
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.b5+ d7 4.e2 xd5 5.d4 f5 The most popular move. 6.f3 e6 7.a3 e7 8.c4 b6 9.c3 0-0 10.h3 c6 11.e3 f6 12.0-0 The "tabiya" of this line. White has a certain advantage in space while Black has counterchances due to his pressure on the d4-pawn. By the way the position looks like one from the Alekhine Four Pawns Attack, (without the f2 and f7 pawns it's just a position from Yudasin - Kengis!) and the ideas of both sides are very similar. h6 238
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black prepares 13...Qe7 (he couldn't play it im m e d ia t e l y in vi e w o f 1 3 . g4 B g 6 1 4 . g 5 winning a piece). But his move wastes an important tempo and now Black has no time to create pressure on the d4-pawn. [ 12...d7! is much more to the point. After this move White can't hold the centre, and has to sacrifice his d4-pawn and hope to gain sufficient initiative as compensation. 13.b4 ad8 14.b3 ( 14.a2!? xd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.d2 xc3! 17.xd7 xd7 18.b3 f6 19.d1 xd1+ 20.xd1 d8 21.c2 xc2 22.xc2 c6 and Black's chances are by no means worse, as shown by the game Hait - Romcovici, Eforie Nord, 1996. ) 14...xd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.ad1 e5 17.b5 e7 18.fe1 f6 19.xc7 e4 20.b5 A) The natural 20...a6! is much stronger and Black has equal chances here: 21.c3 ( 21.bxd4 exd4 22.c5 d5 23.xd4 This attempt to win a pawn is strongly met by xg2! 24.xg2 f4+ ) 21...c6 22.c5 d5=; B) 20...c6?! A m i s t a k e . 21.c5 xb5 22.xb5 d5 23.c4! f4 24.xd4 xd4 25.xd4 exd4 26.f3 with a clear edge as in Hait - Rasskazov, Moscow 1997. ] 13.b4! A multipurpose move. White starts a pawn attack on the Q-side. The other idea is to chase away Black's Knight in order to free the d4-pawn from attack. [ 13.c1 A somewhat sophisticated move. e7?! ( B l a c k s h o u l d p l a y 13...d7! intending Rd8 and again White has to think about how to protect the d4-pawn.) 14.c5! d5 15.xd5 exd5 16.b3 e6 17.xb7 ab8 18.xc7 xb2 19.d1 e4 20.a4? ( 20.e1 was much better and Black has little to show for the pawn.) 20...c8? M i s s i n g a d r a w : ( 20...xf3! 21.xc6 xe3! 22.fxe3 xg2+ 23.h1 f2+ 24.g1 g2+ with a perpetual.) 21.d6 a2?! 22.d2 xd4 23.xe6 fxe6 24.xe4 xe3 25.fxe3 dxe4 26.b3 and Black resigned in Pokorna - Aleksieva, Batumi 1999. ] 13...e7 14.b5 a5 15.c5 d5 16.d2! xc3 This move loses material by force. [ 16...fe8!? was relatively best although
White's advantage is big already: 17.xd5 exd5 18.e1! b6 19.xa5 ( 19.d3 e4 ) 19...bxa5 20.a4 Now White wins a pawn for nothing: e4 21.xa5 d7 22.c3 xf3 23.c6 d6 24.xf3 f4 25.xe8+ xe8 26.d1 and with accurate play White should win the game. ] 17.xc3 b6 18.cxb6 axb6 [ 18...b7 19.bxa7 xa7 20.a4 is also hopeless for Black. ] 19.b4 d8 20.xf8 xf8 21.d3 White is the exchange up for nothing. The rest is a matter of technique. xd3 22.xd3 c5 23.bxc6 xc6 24.e4 e7 25.e5 a4 26.fd1 f5 27.b7 e7 28.d5 So after considering these games we can conclude that the 4.Be2 line is rather promising for White. In my opinion the line considered in this game is the most solid for Black. 1-0
247 Karjakin,Sergey Iotov,V 41st Olympiad Open 2014 (5.2) [Neil McDonald]
B01 2786 2553 06.08.2014
1.e4 d5 The Scandinavian Defence is a rare bird at elite level. 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 Sergey Karjakin is one of the best prepared players in the world, so it makes sense to play this 'anti-theory' system against him. 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 c6 8.d3 e6 9.e2!? A couple of rounds before this game at the Tromso 2014 Olympiad, Carlsen had essayed [ 9.g3 against Djukic. ] 9...bd7 10.0-0 d6 [ Another way to arrange the black pieces was 10...e7 11.f4 f8 then 12...Ng6 and 13...0-0. The point of going 11...Nf8 is tha t af te r 11 .. .0 -0 Black wo uld ha ve t o prepare the knight manoeuvre with Rfe8, so it might save a tempo to play it straightaway. ] 11.g5 c7 12.e4 h2+?! Playing with fire. [ He should prefer 12...xe4 13.xe4 h6 Instead A) 14.d2 0-0 ( White has some edge 239
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 after 14...f6 15.f3 d5 16.c4 f4 17.d1 retaining the bishop pair and threatening 18.c5 winning a piece.) 15.d3 f6 16.f3 threatening 17.Bxh6. e7 Black has less space but he can put his rooks on d8 and e8 when his position would be very hard to crack. The exchange of two sets of minor pieces has eased his game. Nonetheless White has kept his opening advantage which indicates that 9. Be2! was a good move.; B) 14.e3 f6 15.d3 d5 seems OK for Black. ] 13.h1 f4? He had to bail out with [ 13...xe4 14.xe4 h6 15.d2 f6 16.f3 d6 then 17...Qe7 and 18...0-0. He is a tempo down on the line given in the notes to 12...Bh2+ above, but he still seems OK. ] 14.xf6+? Symptomatic of the poor form of some of the Russian players at the Tromso Olympiad. White misses the shot [ 14.a3! when Black is suddenly busted. For example xg5?! ( Not only is the black king displaced, the f 7 pawn drops after 14...d8 15.h5!; The best chance is to g i ve u p a p a wn f o r n o t h i n g wi t h 14...c5 which is resignable against a 2786 player.) 15.d6+ d8 ( Even worse is 15...f8 16.b5+ ) 16.xf7+ e8 17.xg5 and Black is ruined. ] 14...xf6 15.xf6! Good judgement. As we shall see, Black can do nothing down the gf i l e wh i l e t h e r e s p e c t i ve p o s i t i o n o f t h e opposite coloured bishops favours W hite's attack. [ Instead after 15.xf4 xf4 Black looks very comfortable. ] 15...gxf6 16.c4 0-0-0 17.f3 For attacking purposes, the black queen and bishop are the wrong way around. If the queen were on f4, and the bishop on c7, W hite would be compelled to play g2-g3 to stop mate on h2. Then the g3 point would become an object of attack with the pawn ram h5-h4 or f5-f4, or even a sacrifice with involving Bxg3 or Rxg3. With the actual situation in the game, Black has no way to provoke g2-g3. The white pawn therefore remains beyond the reach of Black's o wn k i n g s i d e p a wn s , a n d a n y i d e a o f a sa crif ic e on g2 is f a r f et ch e d. Th ere f o re
Iotov's only hope of counterplay is against the d4 pawn. As we shall see, he enjoys a spectacular success af ter Karjakin loses control. b8 18.ad1 h5 Black makes an aggressive looking pawn move, but what can it attack? In contrast, White's b-pawn has a ready target on c6. 19.b4 d7 20.b5? Kramnik discussed this position during the live commentary at the Tromso 2014 Olympiad. He was highly critical of his team mate's decision to allow Black to gain counterplay with his next move. He couldn't understand why Karjakin didn't play [ 20.c5! to squash any c6-c5 move, and then follow up with b4-b5. He felt W hite would then at least have a strong attack, whether or not it is winning. Here are some sample variations. My computer program thinks Black is doing OK, but it wouldn't be at all fun to defend like this: hd8 Black can also fight to scrape a draw in an endgame after A) White could instead let Black give up his rooks for the queen: 21.b5 xd4 22.xd4 xd4 23.xd4 e5 24.b4 a5 25.fb1 b6 Somehow Black stays alive by blocking the b-file. 26.cxb6 c5 27.bxa7+ xa7 28.b6 xa2 29.d1 d4 ( 29...cxb4 30.d8# ) 30.b5 a6 31.xc5 xc5 32.d8+ c8 33.xc8+ xc8 34.b7+ ( Or likewise 34.xh5 xb6 35.xf7 d7 ) 34...b8 and Black just holds the draw thanks to the opposite coloured bishops.; B) 21.c4 a6 22.a4 e5 23.d5 cxd5 24.xd5 xd5 25.xd5 d7 26.f3 d3 27.xd3 xd3 28.xh5 d4 and Black's pressure on b4 probably gives him enough to hold the game. ] 20...c5 21.d5 e5 22.de1 h4 23.a4 [ White is losing the thread of the game. He might have played 23.c2 to break the pin on the d-file. ] 23...a5! The queen manually blocks the advance of W hite's a pawn and cement s Black's control of the dark squares. 24.a3 d2 25.e3 After [ 25.a5? f4 Black would have achieved the rearrangement of bishop and queen we talked about earlier. With the lady leading from the front they are suddenly a deadly duo, threatening mate on the move. ] 240
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 25...b4 26.a2 exd5 27.d3? Losing a couple of pawns. It's equal after [ 27.xd5 xd5 28.cxd5 f4 29.xe5 ( but not 29.g3 hxg3 30.xg3 e4+! 31.f3 h4! when Black wins. ) 29...xe5 ] 27...hd8 28.c1 Here [ 28.xd5 xd5! 29.xd5 xd5 30.cxd5 f4 is suddenly winning for Black as compared to the variation after 27.Rd3? above White no longer has a defence with Rxe5 giving up the exchange. For example 31.g3 f3+ 32.g1 hxg3 33.d6 g2 34.b1 xh3 and the mate threats are decisive. ] 28...dxc4 29.xd7 xd7 30.c2 [ Instead 30.xc4 loses to the spectacular move d1+!! winning the queen as 31.xd1 e1+ mates. ] 30...c3 31.d1 b2 32.e4 d2 33.xd2 cxd2 34.d1 d4 [ White resigned as it's all over after 34...d4 35.f3 f2 and a check on e1. ] 0-1
248 Karpatchev,Aleksandr Prie,Eric 4eme Open International de (5.2) [Eric Prié]
B01 2461 2439 17.02.2005
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 e4?! A breath of fresh air in the Scandinavian, where, walking in Shirov's footsteps, (See game 10) White often plays the same line , whatever his level of play may be, which may not be particularly dangerous as we will see, but annoyingly enough to play for a win... At least was that my state of mind before tackling this game with the assurance that ignorance brings. 6.c4 Scottish Master Geoff Chandler's suggestion as I later learned. See the next game for the refutation of the opening. xc3 7.d2 b6!? Instead of [ 7...e6 which had previously been briefly analysed by Andrew. ] 8.bxc3 a6 9.e5 [ 9.xa6 xa6 10.e5 d7 11.xd7 xd7 12.f4 c4 ] 9...xc4 [ 9...e6!? 10.xa6 ( 10.0-0 d6; 10.f4
xc3+ 11.d1 xc4 12.xf7+ d8 13.g5+ c8 14.e8+ b7 ) 10...xa6 11.f4 f6! ( 11...xc3+? 12.d2 xa1+ 13.e2 xh1 14.xf7+ d8 15.d7# ) 12.f3 d5 I missed this move which permits Black to equalize on the spot. ] 10.xc4 d5 11.e3 d7 12.0-0 g6 The move that stands at the heart of the Black idea: If he manages to castle without getting mated, then he will enjoy a superior pawn structure. 13.e2 [ 13.e1 g7 14.c4 0-0 15.a3 ( 15.e5 d6 ) 15...e8 Just in time. ] 13...g7 14.f3 [ 14.e1 0-0 15.g4!? ] 14...c6 15.d5 e5 16.e2 f5! White's fine strategy falls through with this forgotten move. 17.e1 0-0-0! [ 17...0-0!? 18.c4 f7! 19.xe7 xd5 20.xc7? fc8 ] 18.a4? [ 18.b2 f4 19.d1 e6! ( 19...f3 20.a6+ b8 21.c4 g4 22.e3; 19...xd5? 20.c4 ) 20.dxe6 xe6 21.c4? he8 ] 18...f4! 19.a5? [ 19.c4 f3! 20.gxf3 ( 20.xe5 fxe2 21.xd7 xd7 22.xe2 xc3 23.a3 xd5 24.f3 f6 ) 20...xc4 21.xc4 xd5 22.a6+ b7 ] [ 19.d1 w a s t h e m o s t s t u b b o r n f3 20.a6+ b8 21.f4 xd5 22.a5 c4 23.xc4 ] 19...b5! Without the check on a6, White's position is now collapsing for having only relied, in this 'morning game', on [ 19...fxe3? 20.xe3 A) 20...xd5 21.d4 ( 21.axb6 axb6 ); B) 20...f7 21.axb6 cxb6 22.xb6! axb6 23.a8+ b7 24.a6+ c7 25.a7+ d6 26.xb6+ ] 20.a6 fxe3 There is no compensation for the 'sacrificed' piece. 21.xe3 [ 21.xe3 c4 22.xa7 xc3 ] 21...b8 22.d1 c4 23.c5 a8 24.f4 e5 25.g5 b8 26.d6 c6 27.e7 he8 28.ab1 b6 29.a1 f8 30.h3 xe7 31.dxe7 xe7 Partly from my notes in ChessBase MEGA 2006. 0-1
241
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 249 Karpov,Anatoly Rogers,Ian Bath [Alexander Volzhin]
B01
1983
In this game we'll see similarities to the game Anand - Lautier when White pushed the Black bishop back by g4 and h4 etc. The key difference in my opinion, is that Black preferred e7-e6 rather then c7-c6 and found himself in trouble because his Queen had few po ss ib le re trea t s. L at er he p la yed c7-c6 anyway but this lost time so that's probably wh y th is line h a s no t be e n so p o pu la r in recent practice. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 6.h3 h5 7.g4 g6 8.e5 e6 9.h4 b4 [ 9...bd7 has been tried a couple of times but Black has failed to equalise: 10.c4 a6 11.h5 e4 and here White has a number of possibilities: A) 12.xe4 xe4 13.f3 with a small edge; B) 12.d2!? a5 13.cxe4 xe4 14.f3 B1) 14...xd2 15.xd2 d5 16.g2 ( 16.xd5!? ) 16...c6 17.c3 h6 18.g3 d6 19.xd5 xg3 20.f3 with a small edge in Kotliar - Garma, New York 1993; B2) 14...f5 15.d3 df6 16.g5 d5 17.xe4 fxe4 18.xe4 with a large edge in A. Sokolovs - Sh ch eka ch ev, Moscow 1992; B3) 14...d6 15.c4 c5 16.dxc5 xc5 17.a3 d8 18.e2 ce4 19.e3 with a slight edge in Nataf Abdulghafour, Bratislava 1993; C) 12.h3!? b4 13.d2 xc3 14.xc3 This pos ition which wa s te ste d in th e game Westerinen - Zeidler, Pula 1997 is in White's favour in my opinion because of the bishop pair, the possibility of attacking on the kingside, and the opportunity to utilise the awkward position of the Black queen on a6, but of course Black's better development should not be ignored. ] 10.h3 c6 [ 10...h5 does not look good as it weakens
the kingside too much: 11.xg6 fxg6 12.g5 d5 13.d2 with a clear advantage. ] 11.d2 b6 12.h5 e4 [ 12...xd4 13.f3 ] 13.e3 [ Unfortunately 13.c4? xd4 14.xe4? is impossible because of xe4 15.xb4 xf2# mate! ] 13...xc3 [ 13...xd4? was bad for Black because of 14.g5! ] 14.xc3 d5 [ The pawn advance g4-g5 could not be stopped by 14...h6 because of 15.c4 c7 16.b4 with Nd6 to follow ] 15.g5 e4 16.g4 d6 [ 16...xc3 17.bxc3 b2 18.d1 c5 w a s n o t b e t t e r a s a f t e r ( of course not 18...xa2? 19.c4 winning xc4 20.xc4 b5 21.d6+ ) 19.c4 xc4 20.xc4 Black is in trouble (Rb1 and g5-g6 are the threats). ] 17.0-0-0 d7 Finally Black has developed his Queen's Knight but was faced with another p r o b l e m a f t e r t h e v e r y s t r o n g 18.e1! (c2-c4 is threatened) xe5 19.dxe5 f5 20.h3! White's idea is still c2-c4 and it cannot be parried! 0-0-0 [ 20...c5 is not a defence due to 21.xd5 exd5 22.xf5 with a large advantage ] 21.c4 c5 22.b4 That's why the Rook did not retreat to a3 - it would be hanging after Qb4. f3 23.xd8+ xd8 24.xf3 xe5 25.c3 The rest is n ot imp ort ant . d6 26.d3 d4 27.xf7 f5 28.xf5 f4+ 29.e3 Black resigned. 1-0
250 Kasparov,Garry Rogers,Ian EUR-ASIA Rapid Match rapid (2) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2835 2535 2001
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 Well, there it is, the ultimate endorsement. Rogers normally plays 3...Qa5 and is one of the world's leading experts in that line. It is very interesting to see him venture 3..Qd6. 4.d4 f6 5.d3 g4!? 6.f3 h5 7.ge2 242
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 a6 [ 7...c6 is definitely worth a thought too: 8.f4 d8 A) 9.d2 e6 10.0-0-0 g6 11.e4 d5 12.g5 e7 13.xe7 xe7 14.h4 h5 15.f4 xe4 16.fxe4 xf4 17.xf4 e5! 18.g3 ( 18.xe5 xe5 19.dxe5 d7; 18.dxe5 d7 ) 18...d7 19.xg7 0-0-0; B) 9.0-0 e6 10.e4 e7 11.c4 0-0 12.h1 a6= ( 12...bd7= )] 8.f4 d7 9.d5! Apparently Kasparov screwed this one in as if to demonstrate his total control of the game. Certainly things look difficult for Black. There is a distinct danger that the Knight on b8 may never emerge! g6 10.d2 xd3 11.xd3 g6 12.0-0-0 g7 13.c4 c6! Black is clinging on as best he can. 14.d6 The only realistic way to play for the initiative. It's not clear whether White has even a technical advantage after [ 14.xb8 xb8 The only realistic way to p l a y f o r t h e i n it ia t ive . 15.dxc6 xc6 16.xc6+ bxc6 17.he1 d5!= ] 14...0-0 15.b1 [ 15.dxe7 xe7 16.d6 e3+ 17.b1 e8 18.he1 bd7= ] 15...e8 16.g3 exd6 17.xd6?! [ Ro ge rs give s 17.xd6 e7 18.hd1 as much stronger and it is certainly puzzling that Kasparov rejected this natural continuation. White seems to mobilize his whole army with no problems. A) 18...b5 Probably this is the best response. Intuitively, it feels dubious. 19.d3 ( 19.b3 a5 20.ge4 xe4 21.xe4 a4 22.a3 a6 23.g5 c7 ) 19...b4 20.ce4 d5 21.g5 e5 22.b3 a5; B) 18...bd7 19.g5! ] 17...e6 18.xe6 xe6 19.ge4 bd7= By contrast, here White has nothing. Due to the fact that this was a 25 minute game and that Kasparov was ahead on the clock, the game continued.... . 20.g3 b5 21.a3 xe4 22.xe4 b6 23.f2 d5 24.d4 a5 25.g4! White finds a way to prevent the game from f izzling out. W ith time ticking down, Rogers resolved to keep the position solid. h6 26.h4 xd4 27.xd4 g7 28.h5 b4 29.a4 f6 30.d6 e3 31.f4 g5
[ 31...e6!= Rogers ] 32.f5+ h7 33.xe3 gxf4 34.c4 d5 35.e1?! [ 35.e5 ] 35...g7 36.e5 f6 37.f5+ e6 With the idea of ...f7-f6, trapping the White Rook. 38.e5+ f6 39.e4 g5! 40.e5 h4! 41.xc6 g3! The game has been coloured by time shortage. Of course with any normal time control, Black's active King would guarantee him at least an equal game. 42.d4 d8 43.c1?! with one minute left! [ 43.e1 e3 44.c3 bxc3 45.bxc3 xd4 ( 45...d5! 46.b2 f2 47.e2+ g3 48.b3 ) 46.cxd4 xf3 47.g5+- ] [ 43.e5 e3 44.c3 bxc3 45.bxc3 xd4 46.cxd4 xf3 47.g5 hxg5 48.h6+- ] 43...e3?! forty seconds left, not enough time to find the deadly [ 43...f6! when Black is better in all lines: 44.e2+ ( 44.f5+ xf3 45.e5 xg4 46.xa5 e3 47.b1 d1+ 48.a2 e4; 44.c6 xe4 45.xd8 xf3 46.xf7 e2 47.e5 f3-+ ) 44...xf3 45.xf4+ xe2 46.xf6 d1# ] 44.c3 bxc3 45.bxc3 c8 46.d2 b8 47.e2+ xf3 48.xf4+ Kasparov's play in the opening was powerful enough for me to move away from 7...a6 in favour of either 7... c6 , 7 .. . Nc6, o r 7. . . e 6 . A f t e r 9 d 5 , B la c k should have been toiling. 1-0
251
B01 Keserovic,Milan 2225 Lajthajm,Borko 2464 ch-Serbia Vrnjacka Banja SCG (1) 30.01.2006 [Andrew Martin] SHORT AND NOT SO SWEET Here's what can happen when W hite does not pay the Black system full respect. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 There is nothing wrong with this move. Attempts to bury 3...Qd6, such as the over-optimistic recent article in New In C h e s s Y e a r b o o k h a ve n o t b e e n p r o v e d conclusive. 4.d4 f6 5.c4 [ 5.f3 a6 6.g3 is satisfactorily answered with g4! ] 5...a6 Now Black may answer 6 Nge2 with the 243
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 risky 6....Qc6!? or stick to the program with 6....b5 (which I prefer). 6.f3 b5 7.b3 b7 8.0-0 e6 9.e1 [ 9.g5 c5 10.dxc5 xd1 11.axd1 bd7 12.c6 xc6 13.d4 b7 14.fe1 0-0-0 15.a4 b4 16.a2 c5 17.c3 xb3 18.xb3 xd1 19.xd1 d5 20.bc1 e4 21.e3 bxc3 22.xc3 xc3 23.bxc3 e7 Vass, V-Werner, D/Budapest 2005/ ] 9...c5! All part of the grand plan. In general Black can delay this move preferring .. . Nbd7, ...Be7 and ...0-0 beforehand, but I guess if he can play it immediately he should! [ However 9...e7 10.g5! initiates a dangerous attack, with a sacrifice on e6 not far away. In my opinion Black is unwise to allow this sequence: A) 10...0-0? 11.xe6! fxe6 12.xe6+-; B) 10...c5 11.xf7! xf7 12.xe6 xe6 13.xe6+ xe6 14.g5! ( 14.dxc5 f7 15.g5 bd7 ) 14...f7 15.xf6 xf6 16.h5+ g6 17.xc5 d8 18.b6 d7 19.d1 c6 This last variation is unclear, but Black is walking a fine line. It seems more sensible not to allow the complications.; C) 10...h6 11.xf7! ( 11.ge4 is good, but not as good: xe4 12.xe4 c6 13.c4 0-0 14.d5 exd5 15.cxd5 d7 16.f4 Djalal, B-Bordi, K/Cannes 2000 ) 11...xf7 12.xe6 xe6 13.xe6+ xe6 14.f4 c5 15.e2+ f7 16.d5 e8 17.e6+ g6 18.b6 c8 19.xb8 d7 20.d6 d8 21.xc5 c8 22.d4 c4 23.d2 b6 24.d3+ f5 25.f3+Delivre, R-Le Ruyet, L/Clichy 2003; D) 10...d5 U n c o m f o r t a b l e . 11.xd5 xd5 12.e4 d8 13.g4! g6 14.g5 h5 15.f3! xg5 16.xd5 xc1 17.xa8 xb2 18.ad1+- Matikozian, A-Mitkov, N/ Santa Monica 2005 ] 10.xe6!? Tempting. However the alternatives do not achieve much: [ 10.dxc5 xd1 11.xd1 xc5= ] [ 10.a4 c4 11.a2 b6= ] 10...fxe6 11.g5 e7 [ 11...xd4 also appears possible: 12.xe6 ( 12.e2 e5 13.d1 g4 14.xe5+ e7 15.f3 c8 It would take a certain type of player to go for this.....) 12...xd1 13.xd1
e7 14.c7+ f7 15.xa8 xa8 ] 12.xe6 f7 13.dxc5? This is a real howler. W hite should take on c5 with the Knight of course: [ 13.xc5 c6 ( 13...a7 14.xb7 xb7 15.e4 d5! 16.f3 d7 ) 14.d3 c8 ( 14...d8 15.e2 c7 16.f4 d6 17.d5 ) 15.f4 d8 16.e5+ g8 ] 13...c6 Disgusted, White throws in the towel. He should have least have tried 14 Ng5+ Kg8 15 Nf3, but there can be no doubting that Black is better. An odd conclusion. 0-1
252 Koepke,Christian Kislinsky,Alexey VIII Rector Cup (2) [Eric Prié]
B01 2274 2384 29.03.2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.d2 [ 5.c4 g4 Often transposes or at least leads to very similar positions to our subject. A crucial difference may be that 6.f3 f5 7.g4 g6 8.f4 ( 8.h4 h6 9.ge2 bd7 10.f4 e5! 11.xg6 fxg6 12.d2 0-0-0 13.d5 b6! A capital improvement on the 13...Bb4 of Kavalek-Larsen Bewerjik 1967 which has rehabilitated this way of treating . . . B g 4 f o r B l a c k , a s we s a w l a s t y e a r . 14.e2 xc4 15.xc4 xd5 1/2-1/2 Cornette, M-Prie, E FRA-Cup 2004) 8...e6 ( 8...e4 9.f3 b4 10.xf7+ xf7 11.g5+ g8 12.a3 ) A) 9.d2 b4 10.e2 c6 11.f3 0-0-0 12.d5 ( 12.0-0-0 xd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.b3 d6 ) 12...exd5 13.xd5 xb2 14.c3 b4; B) 9.h4 e4; C) 9.e2 c6 10.f3 0-0-0; D) 9.f5 exf5 10.e2+ Is less to be feared because of the possibility e7 Instead of having to move the king as in this game. 11.d2 b6 12.g5 h5! This is the key move in these positions. 13.f3 e4 14.0-0-0 xd2 15.d5 d6 16.xd2 D1) 16...xf3!? 17.xf3 xg5 18.e1+ f8 19.e3 c6 ( 19...g6 20.xb7 ); D2) 16...c6 17.e1 0-0 18.xe7+ 244
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xe7 19.f2 xf3 20.xf3 c6 21.h4 Yet to pass the test of practice. ] 5...g4! 6.f3 [ 6.e2 Cannot be critical. Still, Black has to watch out for the surprising recapture xe2 7.cxe2 b6 8.f3 bd7 9.0-0 e6 10.c4! Karpov, An ] 6...h5 7.g4 g6 8.f4! The critical line, and this is where the two branches 5.Bd2 and 5. Bc4 diverge because here the bishop is not exposed, the knight on c3 is not pinned and White is ready to castle long after a queen move. [ 8.h4 h6 9.c4 b6 ( 9...c6? 10.h3 e6 11.f4 h7 12.e2 b4 13.0-0-0 With a winning attack. bd7 14.g5 d5 15.xd5 cxd5 16.g6+- Nijboer, F-Massink, H Vlissingen op 2005) 10.ge2 bd7 11.f4 A) 11...xd4 Is too risky. 12.xg6 fxg6 13.e2 e5 14.e3 g3+ 15.f2 e5 16.e6; B) 11...e5!? 12.dxe5 xe5 13.e2 0-0-0 14.xe5 xd2 15.xd2 ( 15.xg6 f2# ) 15...d6; C) 11...0-0-0! 12.h5 ( 12.xg6 fxg6 13.e2 e5 14.dxe5 xe5 15.0-0-0 xc4 16.xc4 b4= ) 12...h7! ( 12...xd4!? 13.e2 e5! 14.xg6 xd2+ 15.xd2 xf3+ 16.e2 xd2+ 17.xf3 fxg6 18.e6+ d8 19.ad1 d6 20.b5 gxh5 21.gxh5 c6 22.xd6 exd6 ) 13.e2 ( 13.xf7 e5 W ith a strong counter attack suddenly) 13...e6 14.0-0-0 c6 Black is OK. 15.g5 hxg5 16.g6 g8 17.xf8 xf8 18.xg5 xd4 ] 8...e6 9.f5 Consistent. [ 9.g2 a6! 10.g5 ( 10.f5 exf5 11.gxf5 h5! And not 11...Bxf5 12.Qf3.) 10...fd7 11.d5 d6 ( 11...c5! Intending 12.e3 bd7 ) 12.e2 xe2+ 13.gxe2 exd5 14.xd5 c6 15.0-0-0 0-0-0 16.c3 Lanka, Z (2575) - Bacrot, E (2500) Linz 1997 ] 9...exf5 10.g5 fd7 Only move. [ 10...g4 11.e2+ e7 12.g2 a6 13.h3 ] [ 10...h5 11.b5+! c6 ( 11...d7 12.d5 ) 12.e2 ] 11.e2+ d8!
[ 11...e7 12.g2! a6 ( 12...c6 13.d5 That is one of the interesting features of 5. Bd2 compared to 5.Bc4. By developing himself on the long diagonal in a more active way, White's king bishop also controls the d5 square, enabling this recurrent theme.; 12...c6 13.h4 ) 13.h4! ( 13.xa6 xa6 14.xb7 b4 15.xa8 xc2+ ) 13...f4 14.0-0-0 xe2 15.gxe2 c6 16.h5 f5 17.xf4 0-0-0 18.b5+- ] 12.0-0-0 f4! 13.g2 c6 14.xf4 b4! 15.b5 [ 15.a3 xc2 16.b5 c8! 17.xb7 b4! A) 18.axb4 xb4 19.e4 e8 20.e5 xe4 21.xe4 xb5 22.g2 ( 22.f3 f6 ) 22...xe5 23.dxe5+ e7 24.f3 f8-+; B) 18.c4 a2+ 19.xa2 xb5 20.xc8 a4! 21.d2 ( 21.d2 c6+ 22.d1 xh1; 21.b3 xa3+ 22.d2 b4+ ) 21...b4+ 22.e3 xd1 ] 15...d6 16.xd6 cxd6 17.e1 [ 17.xd6 e8! Parrying the mating threat of Qe7 first. A) 18.d2 c8 19.c5 xc5 20.dxc5+ d3+!! 21.cxd3 xc5+ 22.c2 ( 22.b1 xd2 23.xd2 e1+ 24.d1 xd1# ) 22...e1 23.f3 xc2+ 24.xc2 a4+ 25.b3 ( 25.c3 xd1; 25.d2 xd1+ ) 25...xa2+ 26.c3 xd1 27.xd1 xg2; B) 18.xb4 xb4 19.d2 c8 20.xb4 ( 20.c3 c4 21.f1 d5! 22.g2 xa2 ) 20...xc2+ 21.b1 c4+ 22.a1 xb4 ] 17...c7 18.c4+ [ 18.e7 b6 19.e3 xa2+ 20.b1 he8 21.xd6+ xd6 22.xd6+ xd6 23.xe8 xe8 24.xa2 xc2 25.f3 e4-+ ] 18...b6!-+ Suddenly, the white queen finds herself on the most embarrassing place of the chessboard, powerless to prevent the hoovering of a black rook along the second rank. 19.d2 ac8 20.xb4+ xb4 21.xb4 xc2+ 22.d1 xg2 23.h3 xb2 24.c3 xa2 25.f4 c8 26.d5+ b5 0-1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 b4 21.ad1 d5 22.f4 White eventually B01 won this superior endgame. Khalifman, Korneev,Oleg 2543 A -Polgar, Z Ruschess.com INT 2005 ] Galego,Luis 2498 Tch-POR 1st Div Final (3.1) 26.07.2010 10.a4 b4 11.a5 a7 12.xc7! bd7 [ 12...xf3 13.xf3 xc7 14.b5! axb5 [Milos Pavlovic] 15.xa8 fd7 16.a6 b6 17.b7 d7 18.xb6 xb6 19.a7 d6 20.a8 c8 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 21.a7+ e8 22.e4 d8 23.b7 xb7 f6 5.f3 a6 6.g3 One of many choices for 24.xb7 a6 25.c6+ f8 26.a1 W hite, but to me the most logical one. b5 1-0 Mazi, L (2401)-Djurkovic, M (2150) Alternatives will be seen in the next game. Aschach AUT 2004 ] 7.g2 b7 8.0-0 e6 [ 8...bd7 9.f4 b6 10.a4 b4 11.a5 13.a4 d5 14.b6 7xb6 15.axb6 xb6 a7 12.a4 c8 13.c4! bxc3 14.bxc3 e6 16.xb6 xb6 17.c4! e7 [ 17...bxc3 18.bxc3 c7 19.b1 e4 15.c4 White is much better, with d5 coming. 20.e5 xg2 21.xg2 d6 22.f3 a7 Black will face a difficult task defending. d6 23.c6 a8 24.b3 0-0 25.fb1 16.b6!? d8 17.xd7 xd7 18.g5 b8 With a big, almost winning advantage. ] 19.a4 a8 20.d5! h6 21.d2 e7 22.fe1 c5 23.c2 f8 24.e5 e8 18.e5 c7 19.a4+ f8 20.d7! xd7 25.ab1 c8 26.b4 a8 27.xc5 xc5 21.xd7+ e8 22.xb7 xd7 23.xa8 28.dxe6 xe6 29.g6+ xg6 30.xe8+ xa8 24.a4 Winning the exchange simply xe8 31.xg6 fxg6 32.b8+ f7 33.xh8 puts an end to this game. f6 25.d1 a5 xg2 34.xg2 f8 35.f3 g5 36.e4 26.b3 c6 27.f1 d8 28.da1 b7 1-0 (36) Gerzhoy, L (2497)-Kudischewitsch, 29.e2 c7 30.d3 g5 31.c5 g4 32.c4 h5 33.b5 d8 34.xa5 xa5 35.xa5 D (2348) Petach Tikva ISR 2011 ] xd4 36.c6+ b8 37.b6 9.f4 b6 1-0 [ 9...d8 10.e5 A) 10...xg2 11.xg2 d6 12.f3 a7 13.ad1 0-0 14.d5!? B01 A1) 14...b4 15.dxe6 bxc3 16.exf7+ 254 h8 17.e3 e7 18.xa7 xe5 Kosintseva,Nadezhda 2468 A1a) 19.fe1 b5 ( 19...g5 Mohota,Nisha 2311 20.xb8!+- ) 20.d4 bd7 21.xc3 38th Olympiad w (3) 15.11.2008 c4 22.b3 xf7 23.f5; [John Watson] A1b) 19.d4 g5 20.xc3 bd7 21.fe1 g6 22.a3; 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.b5+ This is a good A2) 14...exd5 15.xd5 xd5 16.xd5 w a y t o g o i f y o u a r e n ' t h a p p y w i t h t h e c8 17.fd1 b7 18.e3 a8 19.c5 Portuguese Gambit xc5 20.xc5 b6 21.b4 Sulskis, S [ 3.d4 g4 ] (2564)-Ramon, D (2169) Cappelle la 3...d7 4.e2 xd5 5.d4 f5 Grande FRA 2005. White has a winning [ In last month's column, we saw 5...b5!? ] position.; 6.f3 e6 7.0-0 e7 B) 10...c8 11.d5 b4 12.dxe6 fxe6 [ A too-aggressive option is 7...d6 8.c4 B1) 13.e4!N 0-0 ( 13...xe4 f6 ( 8...b4 9.c3 c2 10.b1 b4 14.h5+ g6 15.xg6 f6 16.e5 11.g5!? f6 12.e3 xb1 13.xb1 xg2 17.xf6 g8 18.e5 f8 gives White terrific compensation. Compare 19.h4 f5 20.xg2+- ) 14.xf6+ this with the note to 8 a3 below.) 9.b3! xf6 15.xb7 xb7 16.e2 f8 c8 10.c3 bd7 11.b5!? ( 11.h4 ) 17.ad1; 11...0-0 12.xd6 cxd6 13.f4 with two B2) 13.xb7 xb7 14.g5 0-0 bishops and threats: c6 14.d5 c5 15.xf6 xf6 16.d4 e7 17.e4 15.e3 c8 16.dxe6 xe6 17.fd1 c5 xe4 18.xe4 f8 19.fe1 d8 20.a4 18.a3 ce4 19.d4 and Black won't be 253
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 able to hold on to his d-pawn, MovsesianAl Subaihi, Dresden 2008. ] 8.a3 A little slow White wants to play c4 without allowing . ..Nb4. [ It's remarkable that Rybka 3, in contrast to the materialistic reputation of some playing engines, says that 8.c4 b4 9.c3 c2 10.b1 b4 11.e3!? xb1 12.xb1 actually f avours W hite!! W hether or not that's true, he has a lot of space and development, whereas Black will have a hard time getting his pieces out at all. A sample line might be 0-0 13.a3 4a6 ( 13...4c6 14.d5 ) 14.d1 d7 15.b4 f6 16.e5 with attacking chances, for example, xe5 17.dxe5 e7 18.e4 c6 19.d3 g6 20.h6 fd8 21.f4 ( 21.h4 is another good move ) 21...f6 22.exf6 xf6 23.c1! with ideas of Bg5 and Ne4. ] 8...0-0 9.c4 b6 10.c3 g4 At least this indicates that 3 Bb5+ and 4 Be2 was a type of gain of time, because Black has now played three moves (...Bd7-f5-g4) to get this bishop to its best post. On the other hand, a3 isn't exactly a powerhouse move. 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 c6 13.c5 d5 14.xd5 exd5 15.e3 f6 16.d3 g6 17.fe1 [ 17.ad1 (wit h t h e i d e a o f Q b 3 ) e7 18.fe1 c6 19.h6 e8 20.g4 looks a little irritating for Black. ] 17...e8 18.b4 e7! 19.g4!? To stop ...Nf5. g5!? Black would like to sink a knight on f4 or h4. White sacrifices a pawn to prevent this, which is hardly necessary, but interesting. 20.h4!? gxh4 [ Not 20...g6?! 21.xg5 xe1+ 22.xe1 xg5 23.hxg5 c6 24.e3 ] 21.g5 g7 22.g4 g6 23.f5 c6 24.d1!? To take up an active post on g4. It's about equal here. [ A lt e rn a t i ve l y 24.h1 would prepare b5 without allowing ] [ 24.b5 cxb5 25.xb5? xe3! ] 24...c7 25.g4 e7 26.e2 ae8 27.ae1 d8 [ 27...b6 has the idea 28.cxb6 axb6 29.c1 b5 30.ec2 xe3! ( or 30...a7 31.c3 xe3 32.fxe3 xe3 ) 31.fxe3 xe3 32.xc6 g3+ 33.xg3 xg3+ 34.h1 xd4 with a kind of dynamic equality. ] 28.f1
[ 28.a4 ] 28...a6 29.d2?! xe2 30.xe2 xe2 31.xe2 c7 [ 31...h3!? 32.f3! h2 33.g2 ] 32.xg6 hxg6 33.xh4 . This is about equal, in spite of Black's better bishop. I'll let you see the consequent ups and downs for yourself. e7+ 34.e3 f6 35.gxf6 xf6 36.g3 f7 37.a4 f8 38.b8 e7 39.d2 f7 40.c3 h7 41.b5 axb5 42.axb5 g7 43.b4 d7 44.d6 c8 45.e7 g8 46.a5 cxb5 47.xb5 c6+ 48.b4 f8 49.d8 f7 50.a8 b6+ 51.c3 b5 52.a2 e6 53.d2 b4+ 54.d1 b5 55.c2 f6 56.e1 f7 57.f3 e7 58.f2 h4+ 59.g2 f6 60.f2 g7 61.d2 c6 62.f4+ f6 63.e3 e7 64.c1 e6 65.b1 a6 66.b3 c6 67.a2 f6 68.a8 d7 69.b8 c6 70.f4 g7 71.e3 e8 72.f2 f7 73.h2 g7 74.h6+ g8 75.f4 g7 76.g4 e7 77.e2 e8 78.f4 b5+ 79.f2 e8 80.d2 f7 81.a5 e7 82.d2 e8 83.e3 f7 84.e2 e8 85.d2 f7 86.h2 g7 87.d6 c6 88.b8 d7 89.h2 e8 90.h3 g8 91.g4 f7 92.g5 g7 93.f4+ g8 94.h6 xh6 95.xh6 e6 96.f4 c6 97.e5 f7 98.c3 g8 99.b4 f7 100.f4 g8 101.e7 h8 102.d6 c8 103.xd5 a8 104.d7 a6 105.d6 a8 106.xg6 d8 107.h6+ g8 108.g5+ 1-0
255 Kosintseva,Nadezhda Zhukova,Natalia FIDE WCh Women KO (2.5) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2425 2471 25.05.2004
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6! The most accurate way, sidestepping various W hite tries with an early Bd2 followed by discovered attacks from the Knight on c3. Black delays ...Nf6 until he or she is ready. 5.f3 f5 6.c4 e6 7.0-0 f6 It's fine now that White has castled short, taking outright attack out of the equation. 8.e2 [ T h e r e i s n o t h i n g t o f e a r f r o m 8.d2 247
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 for instance: bd7 9.d5 d8 10.xf6+ ( 10.e3 g6 11.e1 d6= ) 10...xf6= ( 10...xf6!? 11.g5 g6 12.c3 g4 )] 8...b4 Again quite regular. Black is happy to surrender the dark-squared Bishop in order to gain control of the central light squares and to facilitate a queenside pawn advance. [ 8...bd7 9.h4 g6 10.xg6 hxg6 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 0-0-0 also seems good. ] 9.b3 0-0 10.d2 bd7 [ 10...c7 11.b5! ] 11.a3 xc3 12.xc3 c7= Lots of strong players would be looking at the two Bishops, expecting an advantage as of right. But it's really tough for White to get the dark-squared Bishop going and often, if Black plays ...Nf6d5, White will just have to surrender the other Bishop, forfeiting any hope of attack. 13.d2 [ The following fragment is a good example of what I meant: 13.fe1 fd8 14.ad1 a5 15.c1 b6 16.e5 xe5 17.xe5 d5! 18.xd5 cxd5= Kerbrat,J-Kovarcik,G/ France 2003 Perhaps Black is even f or choice. ] 13...c5! An unusual counter but in this instance, with the Bishop on b3, completely c o rre c t . B l a c k a ct iva t e s a t ju s t t h e righ t moment, before White is allowed to sit on his trumps. 14.ac1 [ 14.c3? b6 ] 14...ac8 15.c4 g4 [ 15...b6! was an active deployment: 16.c2 ( 16.e3 e4! 17.dxc5 xc5 18.c2 xb2 19.c3 a2 20.xf6 xc2 21.xg7 xg7 22.c3+ f6 23.xc2 b3 24.xb3 xb3 ) 16...cxd4 17.xf5 exf5 18.b4 fe8 19.d3 e5 20.xe5 xe5 21.c5 d8 22.g5 d5 ] 16.dxc5 xc5 17.c2 c6 18.b4 The only danger to Black comes from the queen side pawn ma jority b ut Zhuko va is active enough to at least keep a balance. ce4 [ 18...xf3 19.xf3 ( 19.gxf3 cd7 20.fd1 b6 ) 19...xf3 20.gxf3 fd8! 21.c3 d3 ] 19.xe4 This is a lazy move. White tires of even the thought of complications and heads for quieter waters. [ 19.f4 keeping some tension, was the way
to play for a win, but of course White risks more this way. xf3 ( 19...fd8 ) 20.xf3 xc4 21.fe1 c3 22.d3 d5 ] 19...xe4 20.f4 d6 21.xd6 xd6 22.e4 xf3 23.xf3 b6 24.fd1 e5= Black must keep the Queens on for as long as it takes to adjust Rook endings in his favour. W ith the Rook on c1 ready to support the advance of the c pawn it might look as though White is better but practically, in view of the weakness of W hite's a pawn, chances are equal. 25.h3 All roads seem to lead to equality: [ 25.d7?? xc4 ] [ 25.d3 c7 26.h3 h6 27.d6 xd6 28.xd6 fc8= ] [ 25.g3 f6 26.c5 bxc5 27.bxc5 c6 28.h3 fc8 29.d7 a6= ] 25...c7 26.c3 h6 27.dc1 fc8 28.d3 g5 29.d6 c6 30.d7 6c7 31.d3 e5 32.c2 g5 33.c5 Without this advance, White cannot win. bxc5 34.bxc5 c6 35.c4 e5 36.a4 g5 37.c3 d5 38.b4 e5 39.a5 White has to attack or cre a t e a se co n d we a kn e s s - t h e c p a wn cannot win alone. In this case there is no weakness to be found. a6 40.b4 d5 41.c3 e5 42.e3 f5! Just reminding White about her own majority. 43.4c3 g6 44.f3 gc6 45.1c2 d8 46.h2 d4! Progress has been made, the c pawn might be weak so off come the Queens. 47.xd4 exd4 [ I would surely have preferred 47...xd4! 48.c4 f7 49.xd4 exd4 50.d2 xc5 51.xd4 e6 With the White King so remote, Black is slightly better. ] 48.d3 d5 49.c4 cxc5 50.xc5 xc5 51.xd4 a5 52.f4 f7 53.d7+ f6 54.a7 c4 55.a6+ f7 56.xa5 xf4 57.a8 f1 58.a5 Black's opening play is very good. By delaying ...Nf6 a lot of aggressive and dangerous W hite tries are avoid ed . I b e lieve it was GM W a hls wh o suggested this approach. As...c7-c6 and ... Bc8-f5 have to be played anyway, why not play them first? Recommended. ½-½
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 256 Kosmo,Santul Smerdon,David 41st WJun, Goa (1) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2145 2380 2002
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.c4 e6 4.dxe6 xe6 The Icelandic Gambit, usually the scene of a brief, violent struggle which ends in a victory for Black. W hy W hite would allow this co n t in u a t io n I d o n o t kn o w-t h e p ra ct ica l chances all lie with Black. The popularity of 3 c4 has suffered as a result of 3...e6 5.f3 [ 5.d4 b4+ 6.d2 e7 ( 6...xd2+ 7.xd2 e7 is also strong.) 7.e2 c6 8.f3 0-0-0 9.d5 xd2+ 10.bxd2 b4 11.0-0-0 f5 12.e1 xa2+ 13.d1 b4 14.e5 g6 15.g3 he8 16.h3+ b8 17.d4 c5 18.f4+ a8 19.f5 xb2 20.e3 xe3 21.fxe3 c1+ 22.e2 xh1 23.xg6 hxg6 24.c7 e8 25.d6 c1+ 0-1 Hernandez,J-Lopez,M/Merida 2002 (25) ] 5...e7 Perhaps this is the trickiest move. 6.e2 [ Giving back the extra pawn doesn't hinder Black in any way : 6.e2 xc4 7.d3 a6 8.0-0 c6 9.c3 0-0-0 Quite a good way of handling Black's position. 10.a3 e5 11.xe5 xe5 12.e3 c5 13.xc5 xc5 14.d2 d4 15.b4 f5 16.b5 xb5 17.xb5 xb5 18.ab1 e5 19.f3 b6 20.b2 e8 21.b3 e7 22.h3 a5 23.fc1 h5 24.c2 d6 25.a4 a6 26.c4 g5 27.g3 b8 28.g2 g4 29.hxg4 hxg4 30.c6 f5 31.h1 c8 32.a5 ee6 33.a4 b7+ 34.g1 d8 35.h6 b5 36.c2 de8 37.d2 f3 38.b4 e4 39.h2 c5 40.b2 g5 41.c3 e4 42.a1 xg3 43.b3 e2+ 44.f1 e5 45.h8 a7 46.h7 c4 47.xc4 bxc4 48.b2 g3+ 49.g1 e1+ 50.h2 f1+ 51.g1 e3+ 0-1 Sandipan,C-Smerdon,D/ 41st WJun, Goa IND 2002 (51) ] 6...c6 7.d4 [ 7.a3 0-0-0 8.h3 is a cagier way of treating the position. White keeps the Black minor pieces out as far as he can. d7 9.d4 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.e3 e5 12.c3 f5 13.g4 d3 14.f3 xf1 15.xf1 c5 Of course this position is excellent for Black.
16.g2 xe3 17.he1 A) 17...h5! 18.xe3 ( 18.xe3 xe3 19.xe3 hxg4 ) 18...hxg4; B) 17...d2 18.xe3 c5 19.b3 h5 20.f5+ xf5 21.gxf5 e8 22.ae1 xe3 23.xe3 d7 24.g3 c2 25.xg7 e7 26.g3 c6 27.e3+ d7 28.e4 xe4 29.xe4 a2 30.a4 d2 31.f6 d6 32.e7+ d8 33.xf7 e8 34.xb7 xf6 35.xa7 d6 36.b7 h4 37.a5 c5 38.b6 d7 39.c6 b7 40.b6 a7 41.b5 1-0 Litwak,P-Bennett, H/Christchurch 2002 ] 7...g4 [ 7...0-0-0 8.e3 f5 9.c3 b4 10.0-0-0 e4 11.f4 g5 12.e5 xc3 13.bxc3 g4 14.xh8 d6 15.c5 h6+ 16.b2 d5 17.cxb4 gxf3 18.xf3 xf3 19.gxf3 xh8 20.c4 f6 21.de1 d7 22.c3 c6 23.d5 1-0 Krupko,A-Kobzar,A/ Evpatoria 2002 ] 8.e3 0-0-0 9.d5 e5 10.c3 fd7 11.h3 So now comes the question :Is this all bluff? Smerdon seems unconcerned to be a pawn down. He lames White's structure and plays for positional pressure. [ 11.0-0-0 f6 12.h3 h5 13.g4 xf3 14.gxh5 e8 15.c2 c5 16.g2 xe3+ 17.fxe3 g5 18.b1 h4 19.hg1 xh5 20.e4 e5 21.f2 b6 22.f1 f5 23.xg7 h6 24.g1 fxe4 25.g4 f5 26.xe4 e3 27.e1 xf1 28.xf1 f8 29.h1 xe4 30.xe4 c5 31.e7 g6+ 32.a1 f7 33.e8+ b7 34.b5 d3 35.b1 b4 36.b3 g7+ 0-1 De Silva,N-Eid,F/Bled 2002 ] 11...xf3+ 12.gxf3 h5 13.0-0-0 e5?! [ 13...f6 14.g2 b4 15.b5 a6 16.d4 he8 must also have appeared attractive. Black organises his game and stands well. ] 14.g2 b4 That was the reason he kept his Queen on e7 but there is a flaw. 15.d4 [ Fritz suggests 15.xa7 xc4 16.d4 but then Fritz would. Frankly, I don't see wh a t B la c k d o e s a g a in st t h i s. K o s m o s reaction is timid-he has been well and truly intimidated. ] 15...c5 16.h4 xe3+ 17.xe3 he8! 18.xh5 xc4 19.d4 c5! Open up those lines please! 20.g4+ d7 21.d1 e2 22.f4 a3 23.f5 d2# In its own little way a typical Icelandic game. I have some 249
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 advice for White : play 3 d4 or 3 Nf3-they are both good moves...... 0-1
257 Kosten,Anthony C Govciyan,Pavel 83rd ch-FRA National B (4) [John Watson]
B01 2507 2411 14.08.2008
I think that this is the first time I've shown our webmaster and Fearless Leader lose a game! Probably Black can keep his opening disadvantage to a minimum, based upon some unusual tricks. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 6.h3 h5 7.g4 g6 8.e5 The most challenging move, and I think best. [ 8.c4 is an aggressive option, to be followed by Qe2 and Be3/ g5 with 0-0-0 in some lines. ] 8...bd7 9.f4!? After this natural move White's advantage isn't clear. [ 9.f3 is an obvious option, if nothing else to discourage castling: 0-0-0 10.xg6 hxg6 11.g5 and White will soon capture on f7. ] 9...d5!? Black works with tactics. [ Another surprising possibility is 9...xe5 10.xe5 ( 10.dxe5 b4! hits f4 ) 10...b6 11.g2! c6 , which may not be so bad for Black, although W hite's control of space m u s t c o u n t f o r s o m e t h i n g . ( 11...xb2? 12.d2! threatens Rb1 with a large advantage. )] 10.xg6 [ 10.f3 xf4 11.xf4 0-0-0 12.0-0-0 cedes the bishops for some attacking chances. ] 10...xg6 11.xd5 [ Another sharp line is 11.f3 xf4 12.xf4 e5! 13.dxe5 xc2 14.c4 0-0-0 15.0-0 , although Black has counterplay my engine suggests g5 , w i t h t h e i d e a 16.xg5 ( 16.xf7 xb2 17.e6 xc3 18.exd7+ b8 ) 16...xb2 17.ac1 h5! with an unclear position. One feels that White should maintain an edge after 11 Qf3, but again, not much. ] 11...e4+ 12.e3 [ Or 12.e3 xf4 ]
12...xd5 13.g1 0-0-0 [TK: Accompanied by a draw offer, which I immediately refused. At this point I was in the lead, a half point ahead of my opponent, but although I had used a lot of time in the opening I like having more space and the pair of bishops!] 14.g2 [ 14.c3 e6 15.g2 b5 16.b3 leaves White with his bishops, although this time the second player has well-placed pieces and a good bishop. ] 14...a5+!? [ 14...b5! is more solid. ] 15.c3 c6 16.f3!? [ [TK: 16.b3 e6 17.0-0-0 was my first choice, f o llowed by c4 with a small bu t obvious plus.] ] 16...f6 17.g5 d5 18.d2 [TK: Aiming for more than the pawn grab.] [ Or 18.xf7!? xe3 ( [TK: After the game my opponent revealed that he had intended 18...e5? but this loses to 19.xd5 xd5 20.e8+ c7 21.dxe5 xe5 22.f7+ e7 23.f4+ with a solid pawn more.]) 19.e6+ b8 20.fxe3 xg5 21.0-0-0 d6 22.e4 yielding a limited advantage (opposite-coloured bishops help Black in this case). ] 18...e5!? 19.dxe5 b6 [ 19...c5 w o u l d h a v e t h e i d e a 20.b4 ( 20.f1 he8 ) 20...xb4! 21.cxb4 xb4 22.g4+ c7 23.xb4 xe5+ ] 20.f5+ b8 21.f4 a8 22.e4!? Perhaps dreaming of e6 and Qxc6. [TK: And also a4 followed by b4.] f6! 23.gxf6 [ 23.e6 d6 ] 23...gxf6 24.e6 d6 Apparently Black stands all right now. White's next is risky: 25.0-0-0?! [TK: I still think this is best!] [ 25.xd6 xd6 26.e7!? e8 27.f3 h a s i d e a s o f R g 8 a n d B h 5 , b u t c8 seems to hold. ] 25...f5! Driving the queen from defence from b1 or c2. [ White was probably counting upon 25...xf4+ 26.xf4 wit h t h e id e a xa2 27.e7 ] [ C o n t r a s t t h e g a m e w i t h 25...xa2?? 26.xd6 c4 27.b1! ] 26.f3 xa2! 27.xd6 [TK: I was very short of time, and still wanted to win the game, but this is just a blunder.] 250
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 27.e7 a4! 28.exd8+ xd8 29.xd6 B) 9.0-0 xd4! 10.xd4 xe2 xb2+ 30.d1 xd6+ 31.xd6 xc3+ 11.cxe2 ( 11.xe2 xd4 12.e3 e5 32.xc3 xc3 is extremely difficult for 13.b5 d1! ) 11...e5 12.e3 c5 W h it e b e ca u se h e ca n't coo rdin at e h is 13.c3 exd4 14.xd4= This Is the normal pieces and Black's a-pawn will advance. ] theory I know where Black has obviously [ 27.xd6! [TK: This is forced and leads to easily equalized. That said, with little risk an immediate draw, c4 28.a3 xa3 he can certainly push for more... ] 29.bxa3 xa3+ 30.b1 b3+ [ Of course not 7...xf3? 8.xf3 xd4 with perpetual.] ] 9.xb7 d8 10.0-0 ] 27...c4!? 8.g4 g6 9.d2 0-0-0 10.g5! [ Similar but slightly more promising would be [ 10.d5? a4 The "mouse hole trick" as in 27...xd6 28.xd6 c4! ] the previous game! This only works when c7 [ 27...a4! [TK: Is very strong.] ] is defended, when the square a3 is not 28.d7! xb2+ 29.d1 b1+ Heading for a occupied by a white pawn and preferably draw. when White does not have a queen on e2 to [ 29...xd7+ 30.exd7 d8 31.xc6!! b1+ avoid a horrible doubling of the a-pawns (or 32.e2 c2+ 33.e1 xc3+ 34.e2 the draw by repetition...) after the exchange c2+ 35.e1 will also draw. ] of queens. ] 30.c1?? Trying for too much. [TK: I had just 10...xd4! seconds left and still wanted to win!] [ 10...h5? 11.d5 b4 12.b3 e6 13.a3 ] [ W hite had to settle for 30.e2 c2+ [ 10...d7!? However is interesting, and ( again, 30...xg1 31.xc6! is too strong.) leading to a maze of complications: 11.b5 31.e1 he8 32.xd8+ xd8 33.e7 b1+ ( 11.d5? b4 12.b3 c5 ) 11...b6 , etc. ] 12.a4 a5 ( 12...a5 13.e2 Intending b230...xd7+ 31.exd7 d8 32.f4 b4 ) 13.d5 b4 ( 13...ce5 14.e3+- ) [ 32.e1 xd7+ 33.e2 e7+ 34.f1 14.xb4 axb4 15.a5 c5 16.e2 ] xe1+ 35.xe1 xc1+ only delays the 11.xd4! worst. ] [ 11.gxf6? xc2-+ 12.d5 a4 13.b3 32...b2+ 33.e1 ( 13.fxe7 xd1 14.exd8+ xd8 15.xd4 [ 33.e2 d3+ 34.e1 d1# ] xc4 ) 13...xd1 14.bxa4 xf3 15.fxe7 33...d3+ 34.d2 xf4 35.f1 c2+ 16.f1 xe7 17.xe7+ b8 0-1 Everything hangs in the white camp! ] 11...xd4 12.b5? [ 12.d5? e4+ 13.f1 ( 13.e3 xg5 ) 258 B01 13...c5 ] [ 12.e2!? is the critical continuation. Kotlyar,Dimitri 2313 A) 12...e4?! 13.xe4 xe4 14.f3! Prie,Eric 2439 ( 14.xa5? xd1+ 15.xd1 xh1 ) Rheinland Pfalz ChT1 (1.1) 12.10.2004 14...e5 15.fxe4 e6 ( 15...xe4 16.f1 ) [Eric Prié] 16.d3 g3+ 17.f1 c5 18.e1 xg5 19.f3; 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 B) 12...e5?! 13.gxf6 gxf6 14.c1 g8 f6 5.c4 g4! 6.f3?! c6 7.h3 h5!? 15.e3; More tricky, with 10...Nxd4! in mind, and the C) 12...d5!? 13.b5 b6 ( 13...xd2 idea of playing for a win, than the levelling 14.xd2 xd2+ 15.xd2 This position [ 7...h5 8.e2 0-0-0 looks superior for White to the one of the A) 9.e3 e5 10.0-0 ( 10.g1? xd4 game be cau se of the possib ility Bd3 , 11.xd4 exd4 12.hxg4 a5 13.xd4 exchanging one of Black's strong bishops. a3! The legendary one!) 10...exd4 Anyway Fritz gives 15...a6 15.Nc3 Nf4 17. ( 10...xd4 11.xd4 exd4 12.hxg4 xg4 h4 e6 as 0.00 where on general grounds, 13.e4 ) 11.xd4 xe2 12.cxe2 c5 as in the game I would not mind being 13.c3 he8; 251
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black (exposed enemy king, weaknesses on g5, c2 and f2, excellent pieces and a strong pair of bishops) as I know I cannot lose this position! a6 16.c3 f4 ) 14.xd4 xd4 White's position looks quite uncomfortable. Indeed where to castle now? If Black wins a second pawn on g5 or b2 he will even have a material advantage! Fortunately for him, compared to the main line, he now benefits from a tactical trick because of the seemingly more aggressively placed knight on d5 which will allow him to force the exchange of queens. 15.c3 e4 16.0-0 e6 17.f3 h4 18.xd5 exd5 19.g4+ xg4+ 20.hxg4; D) 12...d7! 13.b5 b6 14.xd4 xd4 With the queens still on the board, and such white weaknesses and exposed king, the exchange sacrifice for one pawn is almost trite and will always be in te res t in g. 15.c3 e4 16.g1 e6 17.d2 xc2 18.xc2 xc2 I prefer Black. ] 12...xd2? I misjudged this position. The moment of simplifying (i.e. looking for the material of two pawns for the exchange) had not come yet. [ 12...e4+! 13.f1 b6 A) 14.d3 e5 15.e3 ( 15.gxf6 xd3+-+ ) 15...xd3+ 16.xd3 xb5 17.xb5 xb5 18.gxf6 exf6-+; B) 14.e2 d7! ( 14...d5?! 15.c4 f4 16.c5 ) 15.e3 xe3 16.fxe3 c6 17.d4 e5 18.f3 c5-+; C) 14.e3 xe3! 15.fxe3 e4 16.g4+ e6 17.d3 c5 18.xg6 xb5+ 19.d3 xd3 20.cxd3 xd3+ 21.f2 c5 22.he1 d8-+ ] 13.xd2 xd2+ 14.xd2 e4+ 15.e1 [ 15.e2!? was possibly better. White must have been af raid of some check on h5. Anyway, in this line or in the game, Black cannot take g5 under favourable circumstances because of tactical counter points. e5! ( 15...a6 16.d4 xg5 17.h4 e5 18.hxg5 exd4 19.d3 ) 16.xa7+ b8 17.b5 h5+ 18.e1 ( 18.e3 xg5 ) 18...b4+! To take the c3 retreat square off the white knight. 19.c3 c5 20.e2 xf2+ 21.f1 g6 22.h4 b6 White is still under
pressure. ] 15...e6! [ 15...a6!? 16.d4 xg5 17.h4 e5 18.hxg5 exd4 19.d3 xd3 20.cxd3 e7 21.f4 I do not think Black can lose this, but this is definitely not a good pawn structure to exploit his 2 pawns against the exchange. I understood that a bit late. ] 16.h4! h6! [ 16...c6 17.h5 cxb5 18.hxg6 bxc4? 19.xh7 b4+ 20.c3+- ] [ 16...b4+ 17.c3 c5 18.f3 g3 19.h3 ] 17.gxh6 xh6 18.xa7+ b8 19.b5 c6 20.d4 [ 20.c3! xc3 ( 20...b4 21.a3 ) 21.bxc3 xc2 22.e2 Against such a weak opposing structure, with already one pawn for the exchange, Black has little chance of losing the ending but he may not win. ] 20...c5 21.c3 e5 22.f3 xf2+ 23.f1 b6?! Giving the opponent a unique chance to escape. [ 23...f6!? Maintaining the pressure. ] 24.h2? [ 24.xe5! g3+ 25.g2 xh1 26.xg6 xg6+ 27.xh1 g4 ( 27...f6 28.h5 g5 29.f7 ) 28.xf7= ] 24...h5! 25.xe5 [ 25.g5 f6+ 26.g2 ( 26.e1 f2+ 27.xf2 xf2 ) 26...f2! 27.e1 ( 27.f1 f4 ) 27...g4 28.hh1 ( 28.h3 f2+ 29.h1 xb2 ) 28...e3+ ] [ 25.e2 g3+ 26.e1 xe2 27.xe2 e4 ] 25...f6+ [ 25...c7 26.d7+ c8 Is even stronger. ] 26.g2 A bit more resistant, then, was [ 26.e1 f2+ 27.xf2 xf2 28.d3 f4-+ ] 26...f2+ 27.h3 xh2+! 28.xh2 c7 29.e1 xe5+ 30.h3 f5 31.g1 f3! Installing an uncommon mating network . 32.f1 [ 32.h5 xh5 ] 32...g4+ 33.g2 d2 34.e1 xc4 35.b3 xc3 36.e8+ c7 37.bxc4 d6 38.b8 c7 39.f8 b6 40.a4 d6 0-1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B01 12...c8?! [ 12...xc3+! 13.bxc3 a5 This is it! With Kotronias,Vasilios 2570 the help of a surprising resource a f e w Candela Perez,Jose 2430 moves down the line, Black obtains X Anibal Open (2) 2003 sufficient and in some cases very strong [Andrew Martin] counterplay. A) 14.d2 a4 15.h2 f6; 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 B) 14.b2 c6! 15.xc6 bxc6 16.h5 Believe me,this move is better than it looks. In xh5!! A shock! 17.xh5 ( 17.gxh5 England, we have christened it the BANKER b8 ) 17...b8; variation. 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 f5 C) 14.d2 xc2 ] [ 6...d5? is just nonsense. 7.e5 e6 c6 14.b5 e7 15.f4 8.f3 f6 9.g3 h6 10.e4 d8 11.0-0 13.d2 d7 12.b3 7f6 13.f3 xe4 14.xf7# Mat te rs a re d if f e re nt h ere. B la ck h as n o 1-0 Rizouk,A-Ortega Garcia,F/6th Open, structural weakness to aim at and he has to worry continually about the threat of h4-h5. I Malaga ESP 2003 (14) ] think White's chances are better: xe5 7.e5 e6 8.g4 g6 [ 15...0-0 16.h5 xc2 17.xc2 xe5 [ 8...e4!? is interesting and rarely played. 18.xc8 xf3+ 19.f2 fxc8 20.xf3 Black is arguing that the loss of the Two c2 21.ab1 ] Bishops means little, set against W hite's f6 17.c7+ f7 18.f4! weakening pawn advance g2-g4. 9.xe4 16.xe5 Very calm. It was important to see that ...e6xe4 10.f3 d6 11.d3 19.dxe5 fxe5 A) T h e r e ' s a l s o 11...d7 leading to e5 leads to nothing. e5 12.d2 b6 ( 12...e7 13.0-0-0 b6 ) 20.xe5 d8 21.0-0-0 f6 22.e2 d7 23.h5 When it came, Black's goose was 13.0-0-0 ( 13.xd7 xb2 ) 13...d8; B) 11...a5+ 12.d2 d5 13.c4 xf3 cooked. xc2 24.xc2 ac8 25.b1 14.xf3 d7 15.b4 f6 16.g5 d7 This game was very critical from moves 10-14. 17.0-0 g6 Structurally, Black is fine. Black must be exact or he will be swept from 18.ae1 0-0-0 19.a4 g7 20.c1 f5 the board. I think Kotronias won this game 21.e3 h6! 22.gxh6 xh6 23.xh6 t h r o u g h s h e e r p s y c h o l o g i c a l p r e s s u r e xh6 Velcheva,M-Jovkova Draganova,P/ somehow he convinced Black to lose faith in 52nd ch-BUL w, Sofia BUL 2003 If the his position. But as we've seen, 12...Bxc3+ main line fails to hold up, 8. ..Be4 should and 13...Qa5 is good enough and therefore 12 Qe2 cannot be considered a refutation. be examined more closely. ] 1-0 9.h4 b4 Better than [ 9...bd7?! 10.e2 ( 10.f3! xe5 11.dxe5 xd1+ 12.xd1 0-0-0+ 13.d2 d7 B01 14.h5 xe5 15.e2 ) 10...b4 11.d2 260 xe5 12.dxe5 d7 13.h5 xc2 14.c1 Kotronias,Vasilios xc3 15.xc3 a4 16.b3 b5 17.xb5 Thorhallsson,Throstur cxb5 18.d1 c7 19.h3 c5 20.h6 Reykjavik (Iceland) 1988 gxh6 21.d4 b4+ 22.c3 c5 23.d4 [Nigel Davies] b4+= Soltanici,R-Ardelean,G/Bucharest 2003 ] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 10.f3! The acid test, leading to extremely [ 3.e2! xd5 4.d4 would cut out the sharp play. d5 11.xd5 possibility of Black's gambit line with 3... [ 11.h5 f6 ] Bg4 and is, in my opinion, more precise. But 11...cxd5 12.e2 This works well for this was not how Thorhallsson wanted to Kotronias but Black misses a good chance. play it. ] [ 12.h5 f6 13.hxg6 fxe5 14.gxh7 c6 3...xd5 4.e2! g6 5.f3 g7 6.0-0 0-0 15.dxe5 d4 16.a3 a5 17.b4 dxc3 7.e1! 18.bxa5 xa5 19.f4 d8 20.e2 d5 ] [ Once again this restricts Black's options. 259
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A f t e r t h e i m m e d i a t e 7.c4 Black gets counterplay with b6 8.c3 c6 ] 7...c5 [ Black has a major alternative in 7...c6 after which White should once again avoid pla yin g c 2-c 4 p re m at u re ly. In Lo b ro n Veinger, Munich 1987 White kept insidious pressure with 8.h3 ( 8.c3 e8 9.a3 b6 10.f4 a6 11.c4 d5 12.g3 was also nice for White in Galkin - Genba, Russia Cup, Ekaterinburg 1997) 8...b6 9.c3 e5 10.dxe5 xe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.f4 xf3+ 13.xf3 c6 14.c7 f8 15.a4 when Black's queenside was under serious pressure. ] [ 7...f5 develops a piece but ignores the crucial battle for the centre. Romanishin Comas, Moscow (ol)1994continued 8.c3 c6 9.a3 a6 10.c4 c8 11.a4 h6 12.a5 b8 13.h3 c8 14.f1 with a very passive game for Black. ] 8.c4 [ Alternatively White can play 8.dxc5 a6 9.c4 ( hanging on to the pawn gives Black g o o d p l a y , 9.xa6 bxa6 10.c3 b7 11.d4 c7 12.c6 c8 13.f3 d8 14.d2 e5 15.c2 xc6 seeing Black recover his pawn with the better position in, one example being Lobron - Stefansson, Moscow (World Cup) 1989) 9...e6 10.g5 a5 11.c3 h6 12.h4 g5 13.g3 d8 14.bd2 xc5 15.e5 with the better game for W hite in Godena - Comas, Mondariz 200 0 due to the weakn ess o f Black's kingside. ] 8...b6 9.d5 e5 10.c3 f5 The battle lines are drawn. White has a passed d-pawn, Black a kings id e p awn ma jorit y. 11.g5 f6 12.xf6 xf6 13.c1 [ Another possibility is 13.f1 e4 14.d2 , a im in g to re st ra in B la ck's p a wn s a n d p o s s ib ly g e t in a la t e r f 2 -f 3 . K o t ro n ia s chooses a much more forcing line. ] 13...a6 14.h6 d7 15.g5 g7 16.xg7+ xg7 17.a3 c8 18.ed1 e8 19.b5 h6 20.e6+ xe6 21.dxe6 b6 22.d6 e7 23.ad1 f6 24.xa7 White is managing to maintain the initiative by the skin of his teeth. But the position remains OK for Black for a long time to come. xa7 25.xb6 xe6 26.xe6+ xe6 27.d8 b6
28.h8 d7 29.xh6 f6 30.h3 d2 31.b3 xe2 32.xb6+ f7 [ This and the following moves look as if they were influenced by time-trouble. 32...g5 33.xa6 xb2 looks better, with Black's king more active than in the game. ] 33.f1 c2 34.xa6 xb2 35.d6 c2 36.d5 c1+ 37.e2 c2+ 38.e1 xc4 39.xe5 c2 40.a4 f6 41.e2 c1+ 42.d2 g1 [ This must have been a time-scramble. 42...a1 just wins the a-pawn and draws and in fact Black could have taken the apawn at almost any point. ] 43.g3 f4 [ 43...a1 ] 44.gxf4 a1 45.e3 a2+ 46.e1 f5 47.f1 xf4 48.g3 f5 49.g2 c2? Missing the last chance to capture on a2. Now W hite is better. 50.h4 a2 51.g5+ f6 52.g4 c2 53.g3 c3+ 54.f3 b3 55.f4+ g7 56.f2 b8 57.e3 d8 58.c4 e8+ 59.f4 f8+ 60.e4 f5 61.a5 1-0
261 Kotronias,Vasilios Tiviakov,Sergei 1st Isthmia Open (5.1) [Milos Pavlovic]
B01 2588 2623 22.08.2011
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e5 bd7 7.c4 c7 8.f3 b6 9.f4 We come to an important crossroads in this line, in the next game we will focus on 9...Qd8 d7 10.xb6 axb6 11.0-0-0 e6 12.e5 d5 [ 12...e7 13.g3 0-0 14.h4 e8 ( 14...b5 15.h5 b4 16.e4 d8 17.h6 g6 18.xf6+ xf6 19.c4 b5 20.b3 White is much better.) 15.c4 b5 16.b3 f6 17.f4 d6 18.xd6! ( 18.b1 c4 I s n o t t h a t cle a r.) 18...xd6 19.e3 White has easy play and the better pieces. ] 13.c4 f6 14.f4 e7 15.he1 [ 15.de1!?N b5 16.xd5 exd5 17.d3! Now in such a structure it is obvious that the bishop belongs on the b1-h7 diagonal. xa2 18.b1 a4 254
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 19.e3 f7 20.e2 b6 21.he1 e8 ( 21...d8 22.c3 ) 22.b8! Black is paralysed, W hite's advantage is undisputed.; B) 19.e3 0-0 20.he1 f7 21.h5 f5 22.g5 xg5 23.xg5 d6 24.e8+ f8 25.1e7 g6 26.xf8+ xf8 27.e3 White is winning. ] 15...b5 16.b3 Even here it was possible to play in the same manner: [ 16.xd5 exd5 17.d3 0-0 18.e3 f7 19.de1 d8 20.b1 d7 21.g3 ( 21.h4 f8 22.h5 a5 This gives counterplay to Black. ) 21...f8 22.c7 c8 23.h4 White has the initiative. ] 16...b4 17.xd5 exd5 18.h5+ g6 19.h6 f7 Although White has pressure here, in my opinion he simply doesn't have enough for a big advantage due to the blocked bishop on b3. 20.f3 b6 21.g4 a7! 22.d3 d8 23.de3 f8 24.h4 e7 Exchanging one rook Black will get easier play. 25.g3 xe3 26.xe3 d7 27.h4 c5 28.dxc5 bxc5 29.d3 b7 30.g5 e6 31.e3 d7 32.e5 fxe5 33.xe5 c4 34.a4 xa4 35.e6+ g7 36.e5+ g8 37.e6+ g7 38.h5 gxh5 39.f6+ g8 40.e6+ g7 ½-½
B) 7...d5 ] 5.f3 g6 6.c3 g7 7.c5 One of several moves, but after Black's next, the position becomes extremely important, because it is a direct way for White to deviate from the 2... Nf6 Scandinavian that begins with 4...Nb6, as given in the previous note. d5 Transposing to the main 4...Nb6 line of the previous note. The main options are [ 7...0-0 8.c4 g4 and ] [ 7...b6 ] 8.c4 xc3 This is the normal move. [ We saw 8...c6 in Vuckovic-Vukanovic, Sozina 2005 it has been used a lot, but W hite seems to get the advantage in all lines. The game continue d 9.0-0 0-0 10.e1! h6 ( 10...g4 11.g5 f6 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 bd7 14.b4 h6 Smirnov-Prokopchuk, Nefteyugansk 2002 and instead of 15 Bh6, when Black missed 15...Nc5, White keeps the upper hand with simply 15.f4; After 10...e6 , Martin suggests 11.b3 with a considerable advantage; 10...b6 11.g5 e6 12.xd5! cxd5 13.xe7! xe7 14.xd5 Zakurdyaeva-Muzychuk, Dresden 2004) 11.b3 ( or 11.e2 ) 11...e6 12.e4 with the idea Nd6 and White must have the better of it. The game went d7 13.d2 b6 14.a3 c7 15.ac1 a5 16.b4 bxc5?! 262 B01 17.bxc5 e5 18.d6! , with a winning game. ] Kovalev,Andrei 2533 Pluemer,Detlef 2172 9.bxc3 0-0 10.0-0 [ Jo hn Em m s calls 10.h4 g4 11.h5 ZMD Open Dresden GER (4) 28.07.2009 "a very dangerous continuation". He gives [John Watson] xh5 12.xh5 ( 12.d3 xf3 13.xf3 ) 12...gxh5 , when "White's attack after 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.c4 f6 13.g5 looks menacing." To carry this This is an independent alternative to the main further, Black is forced to play h6 14.xf7 line 4...Nb6. It is less popular and reduces ( 14.e4 is also interesting, and probably Black's counterplay, but still playable. In this the best winning try) 14...xf7 15.xf7+! game it transposes to ( 15.xh5 e6 16.xe6 f6 ) 15...xf7 [ 4...b6 5.f3 g6 6.c3 g7 7.c5 16.xh5+ ( 16.f3+ g8 17.xb7 d7 A) 7...6d7 8.c4 0-0 9.0-0 18.d5+ h8 19.xh5 f6 ) 16...g8 has a terrific score for W hite. One ugly 17.xh6 xh6 18.xh6 d7 19.0-0-0 f6 example for Black was b6 10.e1 b7 20.g6+ ( 20.d3 f7 21.g3 h8 ( 10...bxc5 11.g5! ) 11.g5 f6 22.g6+ f8 ) 20...f8 21.h1 d5 12.e5! c6 ( 12...c6 runs into 13.a6! ) 22.h8+ g8 23.h6+!? f7 24.f4+ 13.xf7+!? ( 13.b3 ) 13...xf7 14.b3 e8 25.g4 f7 26.f4+= ] f8 15.xf7 xf7 16.xe7 xb3 17.axb3 fd7 18.e4! and it's hopeless, 10...c6 [ Another of this month's games tested the Yakovich-Zagema, Leeuwarden 1993.; 255
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 logical 10...b6 : 11.e1 e6 ( Emms gives 11...bxc5 12.g5 f6 13.h6 g7 14.xg7 xg7 15.e2; The incredible continuation of Nataf-Galego, Andorra 1999 was 11...b7 12.g5 f6 13.xf6! exf6 14.d5! bxc5 15.b1 c8 16.d6! c6 17.d5 xd6 18.xd6 cxd6 19.d5 d7 20.b7 ad8 21.xd7 xd7 22.xc6 ) 12.g5 f6 13.h6!? ( or 13.xf6! xf6 14.e5 bxc5 15.g4 with attacking ideas including Qf3 and d5 White is clearly better) 13...e8 14.e5 b7 15.b5 ( 15.e2! ) 15...d5? 16.g4! e7 17.c4 d8 18.xf7 xf7 19.xe6 d5 20.xf6+ xf6 21.f4+ e6 22.e5+ f7 23.xd5+ e8 24.h8+ d7 25.xd8+ xd8 26.xa8 1-0 Kaaber-Berkemer, Helsingor 2009. ] 11.e1 g4 12.g5 [ 12.h3? xf3 13.xf3 xd4! ] 12...h6 13.h4 g5 [ 13...xf3 14.xf3 xd4? 15.cxd4 xd4 16.xe7 xc4 17.ac1! xa2 18.xf8 xf8 19.xb7 d4 20.f1 a5 21.xc7 Tiviakov-Maliutin, USSR 1987. ] 14.g3 e5!? [ 14...b6 15.h3 h5 was played in De Firmian-Thorhallsson, Akureyri 1994 but it doesn't seen to work out any better: 16.a4 ( 16.e2 e6 17.a4 e7 was the game, a n d n o w W h i t e h a s 18.a3! -Emms ) 16...xf3 17.gxf3 a5 18.d3 e8 19.ad1 c6 20.b1!? ( or 20.f4 ) 20...d5 21.c2 c4 22.h7+ f8 23.e4 d7 24.d5! ] 15.d5 [ 15.h3!? h5 16.dxe5 gives White the edge in view of xd1?! 17.axd1 xf3 18.gxf3 with the idea e6 (and f4). ] 15...a5 16.f1 [ 16.e2?! e4 17.e5 xe2 18.xe2 e8 ] 16...f6?! Passive. Better looks [ 16...e4! 17.xe4 xf3 18.xf3 xd5 19.d1 xc5 20.d7 , and White's activity is a plus, but Black is still in the game, e.g., xc3 21.e3 f6 22.d5! b6 23.xc7 c6 24.f5 ] 17.h3 h5 18.d3 c6 19.c4?! [ 19.d6! ] 19...f7 20.ad1 e8?!
[ 20...cxd5! 21.cxd5 c8 ] 21.c3 c7?! [ 21...b6 is the last chance not to be tied down. ] 22.d6 d8 23.d3! f8 24.d2 b6 25.f5 bxc5 26.b1 White is winning. Compare the effect of each side's pieces. e6 27.xe6 xe6 28.e4 g8 29.ed1 e8 30.xc5 f5 31.d7 e7 32.c2 f4 33.h2 e4 34.d6 c7 35.bd1 d8 36.e6 xe6 37.xe6 xd7 38.e8+ f7 39.xe4 b7 40.ee1 xd1 41.f5+ g8 42.xd1 e7 43.c8+ h7 44.f5+ g8 45.c8+ h7 46.d7 e2 47.b1 I'm not sure why Black continues to play this line, except that it's hard to avoid! 1-0
263 Kristensen,Bjarke Bern,Ivar Gausdal [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2470 2370 1993
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.d2 g4 7.d5!?N [ 7.b5!? b6 8.c4!? deserves attention. St ra ight f rom t he op en in g we re ac h a n ending where Black's life is not so easy. xf3 9.xf3 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xb7 e4+ 12.xe4 xe4 13.e3 White's position is clearly better thanks to his pair of bishops and better pawn structure. In my opinion it's not much fun for Black but surprisingly a lot of games have been p l a ye d wi t h t h i s p o s i t i o n . A ve r y g o o d example of utilisation of W hite's winning chances was the game Macieja - Myc, Sopot 1997. ] 7...xd5?! [ 7...e5 8.b5+ ed7 looks more reliable but of course White is better here. ] 8.b5 xf3 [ 8...b6? is weaker because after 9.c4 the threat of c4-c5 wins material. ] 9.gxf3 [ 9.xf3?! i s d u b i o u s a s a f t e r db4 Black gains valuable time. ] 9...b6 The only move. 10.c4 0-0-0 [ Black is forced to give up a piece as 10...db4 was losing due to 11.c5! a5 256
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 11...xc5? 12.xc7+ d8 13.xb4+ ) left vacant for the white queen! This is why 12.a3 ] Black has to play the preventive 5...c6. See 11.cxd5 xd5 12.c3 further. [ 12.b3 was also not bad: e5+ 13.e3 [ 5...c6? is another blunder in this position. ( but not 13.e2? xe2+! 14.xe2 6.b5! Much stronger than the transposition xb5+! 15.xb5 d4+ with a clear into the previous chapter after ( 6.f3 g4 advantage ) 13...a5+ 14.c3 ] 7.b5 b6 8.c4 E t ce t e ra .) 6...b4? 12...e5+ 13.e2 e6 ( 6...d8 In fact is the only move in this [ After 13...xb2 White would maintain the position to protect c7, but who would not initiative on the queenside by 14.b1 a3 snort in front of such a plight.) 7.d5! a6 15.0-0 with f4 and Bf3 to follow. ] 8.a4 b5 9.xb5! ( 9.xb5? axb5 14.f4 f5 15.0-0 White has almost 10.dxc6 c5 Mauko, L-Pokorna, R EUcompleted his development and his extra lightYouth Ch Szombathely 1993 ) squared bishop is quite enough to win this A) 9...e4+ 10.e2 axb5 ( 10...xg2 position without many problems. b4 11.xc7+ d8 12.xa8 xh1 [ 15...d6 16.g4 winning ] 13.0-0-0 ) 11.xe4 xe4 12.xb5; 16.a3 xc3 17.bxc3 d8 18.c2 e7 B) 9...xa4 10.xc7+ d8 11.xa8 19.e3 a5 20.c4 g6 21.e4 c6 xd5 ( 11...d4 12.b3 a3 13.e3 ) 22.fd1 xd1+ 23.xd1 c7 24.g4 f6 12.e2 b7 13.c3 d4 14.xd5 25.f5 Black resigned. xd5 15.b6+- xg2 16.f4+ e8 1-0 17.d7# ] 6.f3! c8 [ 6...c6 7.b5 ( 7.b5? e4 ) 7...b6 264 B01 8.xf5 a6 9.d5 e6 10.dxe6 axb5 11.xb5+- ] Kvisla,Johannes Luangtep 2123 [ 6...c6 7.b4 ] Jakobsen,Terje Vidar Open A Prague (2) 14.01.2006 7.c4 c6 8.h3 bd7 9.0-0-0 e6 10.ge2 c7 11.f4 Normally, White has made [Eric Prié] positional concessions, as in the first four 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 games, or sacrificed a pawn, as in the next game, to obtain such a steam-roller against f6 12.b3 d7 [ 4...f5? 5.f3! c6 ( 5...c6 6.b5 d7 the Centre Counter... b6 7.d2 a6? 8.d5 ) 6.b4 xb4 7.b1 13.d3 d6 14.g4! After having completed a5 ( 7...xd4 8.xf5 xc3+ 9.d2 e6 mobilization, it is now time for concrete action. 10.xf7+! xf7 11.xb7+ e7 12.xc3 ) f8 [ 14...0-0 15.g5 fd5 16.e4 a5 17.a3 8.xb7 e4 9.g3 d7 10.d2 g6 a4 18.a2 e7 19.c4 Wins a piece but 11.d5! c8 12.dxc6 e5+ 13.e2 W hite may also ignore it and play on the 1-0 Prie, E-Rodriguez, D La Reunion IBM kingside with Rhg1 and the idea Nf6+ ] open 1997 ] 5.d2 By comparison with the Caro-Kann, 15.g5 fd5 16.e4 0-0-0 17.xd6+ xd6 Of course anything wins but this which brings about the same pawn structure 18.h5 after 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3(d2) dxe4 4. Nxe4, o v e r c a u t i o u s e va c u a t i o n o f t h e f - f i l e i s practice suggests that it is rather problematic nonetheless difficult to understand. [ 18.c4 f6 ( 18...xc4 19.xc4 f6 ) 19.cxd5 for White to hope for an advantage against fxg5 20.e3 exd5 21.b4 g6 22.xf8 t h e C e n t r e C o u n t e r wi t h o u t s o l v i n g t h e xf8 Black again obtains a 'normal' position problem of setting his beast on c3 free. Thus, but if you look at it more closely, something this most direct attempt, keeping the king's is missing ...! ] knight back for the moment, is the move order And Black resigns seeing that 19. chosen by at least the last 3 (classical) World 18...e7? c h a m p i o n s t o r e a c h t h i s p o s i t i o n . f5? Bb4 eventually wins a rook after the capture A mistake precisely because the f3 square is 257
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 on e7. 1-0
265
B01 Lacasa Diaz,Jose Antonio 2420 Sanchez Guirado,Francisco Javier 2408 49th TCh-ESP Honor 1 (3) 26.08.2005 [Andrew Martin] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 e4!? A move that caused a flurry of attention after I wrote a TWIC Theory article on this very subject. To my knowledge Reprintsev's 5 ...Ne4 remains unrefuted and interesting. Doubtless White has several ways to step around Black's move order for instance with 5 Bc4. but that might commit him to moves he otherwise would not like to have played. 6.d3 [ 6.c4!? has been suggested and played by S c o t t is h Ma s t e r G e o f f Ch a n d le r. I t 's a natural move alright and White's first idea is that xc3 will be met by ( I propose 6...f5 7.0-0 xc3 8.e1 e6 with a reasonable game for Black.) 7.d2 However, after e6! 8.bxc3 d6 9.0-0 0-0 Black plans ...Nd7, ... b6 etc and there's no reason why he should be worse e.g.. 10.b1 d7 11.b5 a4 12.d3 a6 13.h5!? ( 13.b2 b5 14.b3 a5 ) 13...f6 ] 6...xc3 7.bxc3 [ 7.d2 was played in one of the earlier examples of the system: g6 ( 7...e6 8.bxc3 d6 9.0-0 d7 may be better still.) 8.xc3 xc3+ 9.bxc3 g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e1 e6 12.f4 c6 13.ab1 d7 14.a4 e8 15.a5 f6 16.d2 e5 Melamed, T-Reprintsev, A/ Alushta 1999 ] 7...g6 [ Naturally enough 7...xc3+ is suggested by my trusty silicon friend but I cannot like Black's position after 8.d2 c6 9.b1 d6 10.c4 although Deep Fritz insists that Black is OK. ] 8.0-0 g7 9.e1 The most natural move in the world. [ 9.b1 0-0 10.e1 c6 11.h3 ( 11.f4 or; 11.b5 xa2 12.f4 are more testing.) 11...xa2 12.g5 e6 13.d2 d5 14.b5 d7 15.h6 xh6 ( 15...a5! ) 16.xh6
Strukov, R-Reprintsev, A/Moscow 1999 ] 9...0-0! Inviting White to go on a small spree with his Rook, when Black will use the time either take on c3 or to develop his pieces: 10.d2 [ One would assume that Black is OK after 10.xe7 xc3 11.d2 a3 12.xc7 c6 The position has Grünfeld-like contours. ] 10...c6 11.e4 g4 [ 11...e8 ] 12.h3 [ 12.xc6 bxc6 13.xe7 ( 13.e4 xf3 14.xf3 e6= ) 13...c5 14.e3 fd8 gives Black welcome counterplay ] 12...xf3 13.xf3 e5! I think this is also a correct move. Black comes out of his corner aggressively and tries to pin White down, even if it means giving up a pawn. 14.d5 [ 14.xc6 bxc6 15.c4 a4 16.dxe5 ad8! ] 14...e7 15.c4 a4!= Again, Black has developed sufficient counterplay to at least hold the balance. White has two Bishops, but his pawn structure is poor and Black's queen is very active. 16.c3 [ 16.c5 fd8 is no solution for White. ] 16...xc4 17.xe5 f5 18.xg7 [ 18.e4 c5 19.b1 xe5 20.xe5 d6 21.d3 fe8!= ] 18...xg7 19.e2 xe2 20.xe2 d6= As lon g a s B lack keep s W hit e o ut of th e seventh rank his excellent Knight will ensure equality. 21.d3 [ 21.ab1 b6 22.g3 fe8= ] 21...fe8 22.f4 White opens up a route for his King to come to the centre. Both parties now seem to understand that the game is going to end in a draw and play develops accordingly. [ 22.c4 b6 23.a4 f6 might even be better for Black! ] 22...xe1+ 23.xe1 e8 24.xe8 xe8 25.f2 f6 26.e3 e7 27.d4 d6 28.g4 f6 29.c4 b6 30.e2 White has the wrong colour bishop to make progress. h6 31.h4 d7 32.d3 f6 33.e2 [ 33.g5 is the last chance to play on: hxg5 34.fxg5 g4! ( 34...h5 35.e2 g3 36.g4 ) 35.e2 e5 It is now unclear what White can achieve further. ] 33...d7 34.d3 f6 A reasonably correct game by both players and evidence that 5... 258
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Ne4 is still very much in business. ½-½
266 Landa,Konstantin Chatalbashev,Boris Bayern-chI Bank Hofmann 16th (9) [Danny Gormally]
B01 2641 2535 04.11.12
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g6 6.b5! b6 7.c4 [ 7.a4!? is examined in Smirin, I (2638)Kurajica, B (2558)/Eilat 2012. ] [ White could also throw in 7.f4 a6 8.a4 first, somewhat misplacing the knight on a6. ] 7...c6 8.c3 g7 9.c5! I can see this method of play becoming quite popular, as there seems no obvious way f or Black to equalise after this. Landa plays as aggressively as possible. He wants to put the bishop on c4. [ Normal would be 9.e2 g4 ] [ 9.h3 with the idea of preventing Black's normal idea of playing ...Bg4, has also been played. ] 9...c7 [ Landa has played this position himself from th e B la c k p oin t o f vie w, (p e rh a ps wh a t inspired him to try this opening in the first place) and preferred 9...d8 which led to a draw after 10.c4 0-0 11.0-0 g4 12.e3 bd7 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 e6 15.fd1 d5 16.e4 1/2-1/2 Djukic, N (2509) Landa, K (2635)/Rijeka 2010 (32) ] 10.c4 0-0 11.0-0 b5 12.b3! a5 13.a3 g4?! Now I think this exchange just gives White too easy a life. The problem is that with this pawn on c5 cramping the queenside, White is threatening to create a complete bind on the Black position, therefore he needs to try and breakout as quickly as possible. [ However, there is no easy way for Black to breakout and create any meaningful play, for example 13...bd7 14.e1 e6 15.g5 with the idea of Qd2, followed perhaps by Bh6 or Bf4, where White has a bind. ] 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 bd7 16.f4 b7 A pretty unpleasant position to have to play, although I will hesitate to say that Black's
position will not take on any supporters, as it's amazing what people are willing to defend these days. [ Black can hardly play 16...e5 as after 17.h2 the pin on the e5 pawn is most annoying for him. ( 17.xe5? by contrast does not work out in White's favour: xe5 18.dxe5 d7! 19.e6 fxe6 20.xe6+ h8 21.e3? ae8 and the pin on the bishop is nasty. )] 17.fe1 e6 18.a4! White has won the opening battle. Black is very passive and can only look forward to a difficult defence. bxa4 19.xa4 d5 20.ad1 fc8 21.e4 [ the simple continuation 21.xd5 exd5 22.e3 e8 23.dd3 was certainly worthy of consideration. ] 21...b4 [ 21...xb2? 22.d6 c7 23.xf7! xf4 24.xf4 loses quickly for Black. ] 22.b3 xd4 23.d2 b8 24.d6 Black is now left with a difficult choice. f8? The c6 pawn proves too important to give up so easily. [ it was time to give up the exchange: 24...f6! 25.xc8 xc8 and White will have a tough job indeed breaking down the tough carapace of Black's position. ] 25.xc6 e5 26.xe5 xe5 27.xa8 xa8 28.h6 g7 29.xg7 xg7 30.a1 a7? Walking into a tactical shot. 31.b4! a4 [ 31...xb4 32.c3+ f6 33.xb4 ends matters immediately. ] 32.a3 With two strong connectors White is winning easily. e7 33.b5 f6 34.b6 c3 35.e1 d4 36.b7 e5 37.c8 d2 38.a1 1-0
267 Lanka,Zigurds Hauchard,Arnaud Torcy [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2510 2420 1991
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 g4 4.f3 f5 5.b5+! In my opinion only by playing this move can W hite hope for an opening a d v a n t a g e . bd7 6.c4 The position is somewhat similar to Movsesian - Damaso. But compared to that game White has gained 259
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 some tempi here, so it's not so easy for Black to prove he has something for a pawn. a6 [ B l a c k c a n t r y 6...e6 immediately. We'll consider that move in the next game. ] 7.xd7+ [ 7.a4?! is strongly met by the thematic b5! 8.cxb5 b6 with ample compensation. ] 7...xd7 8.e2 e6! 9.dxe6 xe6 10.b3! [ 10.d5 is inferior as it seriously weakens the d a r k s q u a r e s . A f t e r b6 White has difficulties evacuating his King from the centre. ] 10...0-0-0 11.0-0 So White has managed to complete his development. Often he can only dream about castling! c5!? Now Black has t o f i n d s o m e t h i n g , o t h e r wi s e W h i t e wi l l complete his development with a clear extra pawn and an undisputed advantage. The prospects of a kingside attack are far from clear, so Black decides to win the pawn back. 12.h1! [ The inaccurate 12.bc3?! allows e5! with equality. ] 12...xd4! 13.xd4 d7 Absolutely the only move, as [ 13...e5? fails to 14.b2 c5 15.e2! a n d W h i t e k e e p s a n e xt r a p i e c e : xe2 16.xe2 d3 17.bc3 xe2 18.xe2 d2 19.xf6 ] 14.b2 c5 15.b4! Excellent! Now it's White who is attacking! cxd4 16.b5! axb5 17.a3! bxc4 [ Of course not 17...b4? 18.b5 and Black has no defence against Qa4 with a decisive attack. ] 18.xc4 For only one pawn White has a very strong attack, as he has opened files on the queenside and Black's King is not protected by his pa wn s. Th e pre sen ce o f o p p osit e coloured Bishops favours the attacker as usual. All these factors make Black's defence extremely difficult. b8 19.a3! [ The position after Black's 18th move also oc c u rre d in t h e ga m e Ma rcin ke viciu s Azevedo, 1997. W hite preferred 19.c1!? and obtained a huge advantage after e6 20.d2 b5 21.a4 a6 22.a3 c8 23.xd4 a8 24.b5 hd8 25.g5! ] 19...d5 20.c1 he8 21.d2! e6 22.a5! White continues his attack with very simple and natural moves. Each move
contains a threat. Now Black should parry Rc5. b5 [ Relatively best 22...d3 Doesn't help Black t o o m u c h i n v i e w o f 23.xb7! xf1 24.xd8 and Black's King is in trouble. ] 23.c5! Now all White's pieces participate in t h e a t t a c k . a8 24.Qf4 was threatened. 24.a4! a6 25.b3! d3 [ 25...d3 didn't help Black either in view of 26.d4 ] 26.g1 e2 27.b4 h5 28.b6! de8 29.c5 8e5 T h e l a s t t r i c k . 30.gd1 It's necessary to keep your concentration even in completely won positions. Taking the queen led to sudden mate: [ 30.xa6?? g3+ 31.hxg3 h5# After the text Black has nothing to hope for, so he resigned. A very good performance from Latvian GM Zigurds Lanka. ] 1-0
268 Lee,Graham D Ledger,Stephen ch Scarborough ENG (8) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2316 2203 10.08.2004
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 A dangerous move. f6 4.d4 g4 5.e2 c6!? I have played 5...e6 here several times and believe that move to be well playable. 5...Nc6 is much sharper, immediately unbalancing the game. Black puts pressure on d4 and will get castled quickly. The downside is he'll have to give up the two bishops. Which will be more important? I prefer White. [ 5...e6 6.0-0 e7 7.c4 d8 8.c3 0-0 9.e3 bd7 10.b3 c8! has feature d in two of my games against GM Rowson and IM Ferguson. Black plans ... a6 and . ..c5, working with a manageable disadvantage. Black scored 1.5 from 2 in those games. ] 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 e6+ Awkward. 8.e3 0-0-0 9.0-0 d5 Speed is of the essence, lest White just sit on his advantages. 10.e2 xe3N An unimpressive novelty, but then the whole variation seems unpromising. [ Instead 10...d7 was roughly treated in a recent Olympiad game: 11.xd5 xd5 12.c3 260
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 12...xd4 13.xd4 ( 13.g4+ f5 ) 13...xd4 14.ad1 b6 15.xd8+ xd8 16.d1+ c8 17.d3 d6 18.c4!; B) 12...f5 13.d5 b4 14.b5 xd5 15.xa7+ b8 16.c4 d3 17.f3 xc4 18.xf7 c5 19.ac1 e4 20.b5 f5 21.f4+ 1-0 Rohl Montes,J-Bryson,D/ Elista 1998 ] 11.fxe3 d7 12.xc6 xc6 13.xf7 Black must find a better way to play against 3 Nf3 because this is just hopeless. e5 14.dxe5 d5 15.g4+ b8 16.e6 c5 17.c3! Lee is very happy to jettison the weakling on e3 in order to fully develop. It's not an exaggeration to say that Black is lost. xe3+ 18.h1 c6 19.e7 de8 20.xg7+- hg8 21.xg8! xg8 22.f8+ e8 23.xg8 What a hero! xg8 24.e1 c6 [ 24...e6 25.d5! ] 25.xe3 e8 26.e2 c7 27.g3 3 Nf3 is a definite threat to the Scandinavian but Black must not panic. He can choose to defend stoutly with 3...Nf6 (but NOT with a subsequent ...Nc6) or punt the sharper 3...Bg4 . In either case, he must study the resulting positions very carefully indeed. 1-0
269 Leko,Peter Caruana,Fabiano FIDE GP Tashkent (11.1) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2732 2786 04.12.2012
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g6 6.b5 A critical test of 5...g6. In Dominguez Perez-Caruana we see the m a i n a l t e r n a t i v e 6 . B c 4 b6 7.a3!? Previously 7.Bf4, 7.c4 and 7.a4 have all been analysed on ChessPub c6 [ 7...g7 8.c4 c6 9.e2 0-0 10.0-0 bd7 11.e1 d5 was a little better for White in an "advanced rapid" game: Karpov, A (2686)-Fernandez Garcia, J (2452) Santurtzi 2003 ] 8.c4 d8 [ 8...c7 9.ce5 ( 9.g3 as in the game is probably a better option) 9...g7 10.c4 d5 11.0-0 d7 12.d3 0-0 13.b3 b5 14.e1 7b6 15.c3 a5 16.a3 f5
and Black had equalised comfortably in Solak, D (2567)-Milanovic, D (2499) Vrnjacka Banja 2010 ] 9.g3 [ 9.ce5 again this move doesn't really co n vi n c e m e g7 10.c4 0-0 11.0-0 bd7 12.c3 xe5 13.xe5 d5 14.e1 e6 and Black had largely equalised in Soltanici, R (2367) -Grigore, G (2505) Baia Sprie 2011 ] 9...e6 10.e2 The knight on c4 has to be defended before White can fianchetto on the kingside. g7 11.g2 0-0 12.0-0 c8!? A slightly odd move as Black can't play Bh3 with the pawn on e7 undefended - probably the idea is to support a possible c5 break. [ 12...bd7 would be my preferred choice and White has a typical slight edge for this line after 13.a4 a5 14.e1 ] 13.g5! [ 13.a4 c5! 14.dxc5 xc5 15.ce5 bd7 and Black has no real problems here. ] 13...d5 14.h3 xc4 [ 14...bd7 15.e5 is uncomfortable for Black who has to play the weakening move b5 in order to prevent c4 and White must be doing well after 16.a4! ] 15.xc4 Leko must be very happy with how the opening has turned out, two bishops and a space advantage - he should be able to play f o r a wi n f r o m h e r e wi t h l it t l e ri s k . bd7 16.e2 [ 16.e1 feels more natural to me with a very c o m f o r t a b l e g a m e f o r W h i t e a f t e r e6 17.b3 ] 16...d8 17.c4 h6 18.f3 [ 18.e4?! would not be so good as Black is helped by the swapping of pieces and also after xe4 19.xe4 b6! White cannot defend both central pawns and is actually a li t t l e wo r s e I t h i n k a f t e r 20.c5 d5 as the p awn on d 4 h as th e p ote nt ial t o become vulnerable in the long run. ] 18...e8 19.d1 e6 20.d2 a5 21.c3 c7 22.ac1 a4 23.g2 ad8 Both sides have placed their pieces on sensible squares and now the question is "can W hite do a n yt h i n g ? " 24.d3 g4! A nice idea from Caruana who realises the knight can be more useful than on f6. 25.e1 h5 26.h3 h6 This is the point, the knight isn't heading back 261
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 to f6 but instead to f5 via h6 (although it takes a while to actually get there)! 27.d2 c5 [ 27...f5 seems more natural to me but perhaps Fabiano was worried about 28.g4 hxg4 29.hxg4 d6 30.f4 although Black should be OK after c5 ] [ 27...e5! may be the best move in the position as it's not clear White is better at all after 28.dxe5 ( or 28.g5 f6 29.xh6 xh6 30.dxe5 xe5 31.xd8 xd8 32.e4 xf3+ 33.xf3 f7 which will almost certainly end in a draw) 28...xe5 29.xd8 xd8 30.f1 e6 ] 28.g5 c8 29.f4 [ 29.d5 was worth considering when play m i g h t c o n t i n u e f5 30.d1! exd5 31.xe8+ xe8 32.xd5 d4 33.xa4 and Black must fight hard for compensation for the pawn with b5! but I still prefer White after 34.a6 bxc4 35.a4 xf3+ 36.xf3 e1+ 37.g2 as the two bishops should be worth something in this ending. ] 29...a5 30.dxc5 xc5 31.d2?! [ 31.dd1 keeps a slight edge ] 31...xd2 32.xd2 ed8 It's hard to believe Black is worse any longer. 33.ed1 xd2 34.xd2 e4 35.c2 c5 36.d2 e4 [ 36...f5 surely it was time to bring the knight into the game? W hite can try 37.g4 but h6! 38.g5 f8 is just equal ] 37.d7 c5 38.d1 f6 39.e3 f5 40.xc5 xc5 41.d8+ h7 42.f1 Black's last f ew moves have been a little sloppy and suddenly Leko is a little better again - it's not quite enough to create serious winning chances though. c7 43.a8 e5 44.xa4 e4 Counterplay arrives just in time 45.d2 d6 46.a5 f5 47.d5?! [ 47.c5 f7 48.c4 was more promising ] 47...c8 48.b4 c3 49.a3 e7 50.d6 b2 51.b1 c6 52.c5 e7 53.g2 h4! 54.b5 d4 55.d2 hxg3 56.xg3 c3 57.b1 b2 Black's pieces are active enough to dissuade W hite from going for the win. 58.d2 c3 59.b1 b2 60.d2 ½-½
270 Lemos,Damian Flores,Diego zt 2.5 m San Luis ARG (3) [John Watson]
B01 2439 2541 20.03.2007
A fairly typical example of the Scandinavian ... c6/...e6 structure in one of the standard lines. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.f3 f6 5.d4 c6 6.c4 f5 7.d2 [ The 'old' main line is 7.e5 e6 8.g4 g6 9.h4 bd7 10.xd7 when Black seems to be doing well enough after either recapture on d7. This has been analyzed in earlier ChessPublishing games. ] 7...e6 8.e2 [ (a) 8.e4 c7!? ( 8...d8 9.xf6+ is the main line that usually stems from 8 Nd5) ) 9.xf6+ gxf6 has held up reasonably well for Black. A recent game West-Katz, P a r s i p p a n y 2 0 0 7 w e n t 10.e2 e7 11.0-0-0 d7 12.h4 g6 13.f4?! f5 14.xg6 hxg6 15.g3 0-0-0 16.h4 f6 and Black had the more comfortable game. ] [ (b) 8.d5 d8 9.xf6+ xf6 (often arrived at by 8 Nd5 Qd8, etc.) 10.e2 is Shirov's favourite, which has been played and analysed by some very strong players. In Jonathan Rowson's recent overview, White was coming out on top, but that could change at any moment. ] 8...b4 9.0-0-0 bd7 10.a3 xc3 11.xc3 The whole idea here, brought to attention by Larsen, is that White's bishop on c3 is bad and all of Black's pieces are active, in spite of his slightly cramped pawn structure. Variations like this helped in the explosion of popularity of the .. .e6/...c6 restraint structure. c7 12.e5 xe5 Logical, but it does give White a permanent space advantage. [ A more dynamic approach was 12...b5!? 13.d3 xd3 14.xd3 xe5 ( 14...a5!? ) 15.dxe5 d5 Pavlogianni-Makropoulou, Aghia Pe la gia 20 04 , give n as e qu al b y Davies. ] 13.dxe5 d5 14.d2 0-0-0 Traditionally, White has been held to stand better in such positions, aided by space and the two bishops. That may be objectively true, but it's going to be very hard to break through on either wing. White tries the most likely side to attack on, 262
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 gaining important space there: 15.g4 g6 16.f4 h5! A tough decision, because if Black doesn't gain activity, he can regret opening lines for White on the kingside. 17.h3 b6 18.hf1 hxg4 19.hxg4 c5! 20.b3 h3! The point. Black gets activity (and threatens ... Rxb3) before f5 can come. 21.f2 xf2 22.xf2 e4 23.e1 f3 24.g5?! Weakening, although it needn't be as bad as it turns out. e7 25.b4 d5 26.d2 g4 [ 26...e7 27.c4!? ] 27.c4 f5 28.b3 [ 28.f1 h1 29.c4 e7 30.g2 xe1+ 31.xe1 d4! 32.b3 c5 33.c3 d3 34.b2 c7 is roughly equal. The bishops are frustrated on the kingside. White begins to play aimlessly. ] 28...e7 29.a4!? g6 30.a5 b6 31.f1 g3 32.e3 g1 33.c3?! c7 34.e3 h8! 35.b2 hh1 36.d3? b1+ 37.c3 e7 38.c4 c5! 39.b5 b7 40.a6+? [ 40.g3 ] 40...c7 41.e4 hd1! A kind of zugzwang. 42.f3 [ 42.h2 b2! 43.c3 a2 ] 42...xc2! Taking over the light squares, although. [ 42...g1! is more sadistic. ] 43.xd1 xd1 44.e1 f5?! [ 44...xb3+ 45.c4 b1 ] 45.c3? [ White could have mixed it up with the riskylooking 45.b4! b3 46.bxc5 d4+ 47.b4 c2+ 48.c3 xe1 49.cxb6+ xb6 50.xe1 xe1 51.xb3 g6 ] 45...xb3+ 46.c4 a3 [ Or 46...b5+ 47.d3 b4 48.xd1 xc3+ 49.d2 d4 ] 47.d2 f3 48.a1? d5+ 49.d3 c4+ 0-1
Cuba, was a Scandinavian Defence with the following moves: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 [ Reader's Challenge W12P1 Consider also 4.f3 f6 5.c4 c6 6.e2 f5 7.d3 e6 8.d2 b4 9.a3 bd7? as happened in one of my games from a 1992 simultaneous exhibition in Troon, Scotland. a) What is White's strongest possibility now at move 10? b) Going back to move six, why would 6...Bg4? be a serious mistake? A solution appears after the game W12. ] 4...c6 Black gives his queen an extra retreat path along the a5-d8 diagonal in case trouble arises withBc1-d2 5.c4 f5 6.d2 e6?! [ A common line is 6...f6 7.d5 d8 ] 7.g4 the action really starts with this case of g f o r " g o f o r i t ! " g6 8.h4 h5 9.d5! White quickly blasts open the position to take full advantage of Black's lack of development c5 [ 9...cxd5 10.xd5 d8 ( 10...c5 11.e2 would transpose to the actual game) 11.f4 is also fabulous for White ] 10.e2 cxd5 11.xd5 hxg4? Black cannot af f ord t he time to make this unimportan t capture when he is already critically behind in development 12.f4! c6 [ White was threatening 13 Nc7+ and intending 12...d6 13.b4! d4 ( or 13...c6 14.b5 a fatal pin ) 14.d1 ] 13.c7+ e7 14.xe6 [ B la ck wa s h o p in g f o r 14.xa8 d4 but W hite had other plans. IM Carlos Matamoros (rated 2492) resigned in view of 14...fxe6 15 Qxe6+ Kd8 16 0-0-0+ Nd4 17 Ne2, with a totally crushing attack against Black's bare king. Solution to W12P1 a) 10 Nd4! not only pu ts Black's f 5-b ishop in trouble, but also threatens to win his other b i s h o p v i a 1 1 N b 3 wh i c h p r o t e c t s t h e a1-rook and thereby unpins the a3-pawn. 271 B01 Black could struggle on after 10...Be7 11 Nd5 Qd8, but in the 'simul' game he lost Leyva,Ricardo quickly with 10...Bxc3? 11 Bxc3 Qe5 12 Matamoros,C Qxe5 Nxe5 13 Nxf5 Nxc4 14 Nxg7+ 1-0: Mem Premier II, Var 2000 re sign a t io n in vie w o f t h e f a ct t h a t t h e [Paul Motwani] black knights were both 'en prise' simultaneously---a real (k)nightmare! b) 2) W 12: The game R.Leyva-C.Matamoros White wins with 7 Bxf7+!, intending 7...Kxf7 played on 7 May 2000 in the Capablanca 8 Ne5+ putting Black in double trouble at f7 Memorial Premier II tournament at Varadero, 263
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 27.h2 hxg4 28.hxg4 h8+ 29.g3 f4+ 30.exf4 gxf4+ 31.xf4 bf8+ 32.e3 f3+ 0-1
and g4. ] 1-0
272 Lopez,Manuel Huerta,Ramon XIV Torre Merida MEX (4) [Jon Tisdall]
B01 273 2288 17.12.2001
Luther,T Hera,I TCh-AUT 2012-13 (5.1) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2535 2573 18.01.2013
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.e3 e5 5.c3 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 [ 5.c4!? ] f6 5.e3 c6 5...b4 6.a3 xc3+ 7.bxc3 d6!? [ 5...a6 is Black's other option, keeping the [ 7...f6 8.c4 e4 9.dxe5 xe5 10.d4 c6 square free for the knight. e6 11.xe4 xe4 12.d3 f6 13.f4 A) 6.d3 as in the game would be a more fd7 14.f3 xf3+ 15.gxf3 0-0-0 16.g1 testing approach c5 17.0-0-0 xd3+ 18.cxd3 hg8 A1) 6...g6 7.d2 g7 8.f3 0-0 9.f4 19.c2 c5 20.c3 b6 21.a4 d7 22.a5 d8 10.0-0 is more comfortable for f5 23.axb6 axb6 24.d4 cxd4+ 25.xd4 White.; xd4 26.xd4 d8+ 27.c3 d3+ A2) 6...c6 is possibly Black's best 28.b4 g6 29.e3 b7 30.c5 bxc5+ response and now 7.f3 ( 7.d2 b4! 31.xc5 e6 32.b1+ c7 33.f4+ d7 must be fine for Black ) 34.b7+ c8 35.b8+ d7 36.b7+ c8 A2a) 7...g4 is a lso p laya b le 8.h3 1/2-1/2 Maria,L-Stefanova,A Moscow 1994. ] h5 9.g4 g6 8.f3 f6 9.b5?! A2a1) 10.xg6!? hxg6 11.e2 [ 9.dxe5 xe5 10.xd6 cxd6 ( 10...xf3+ is an interesting pawn sacrifice, for 11.gxf3 cxd6 12.0-0-0 ) 11.0-0-0 example xg4 12.0-0-0 ( 12.d5!? ) and white's active pieces compensate for 12...xe3 13.xe3 and Black is a his fractured pawns. ] long way behind in development; [ 9.e2 ] A2a2) 10.e2 and I slightly prefer 9...e4 10.e5 0-0 11.xc6 bxc6 12.0-0 W hite although both sides can be a6 black has a very comfortable position fairly happy.; t h e wh it e p l a n o f u si n g so m u c h t im e t o A2b) 7...g6 8.d2 g7 fracture black's queenside has not been worth A2b1) 9.0-0-0 is probably too the loss of light-squared control. 13.e1 d5 a m b i t io u s h e r e . B la c k h a s go o d Mobilizes the kingside pawns and begins chances after b4 10.c4 bd5 pressure on white's wobbly centre. 14.c4? ( or 10...b5!? 11.f4 b6 12.b3 White may have thought that he could achieve b7 ); c5 and save the front c-pawn, but this proves A2b2) 9.0-0 0-0 10.h3 and White to be problematic. ha s a slight a d va n t a ge a lth o u gh [ 14.d2 f6 15.g4 ad8 ] Black is very solid as is typical for 14...xe3 15.fxe3 this line.; [ 15.xe3 f6 16.c5 d5 17.c4 ( 17.g4 A3) 6...g4 gives White the better h5 ) 17...e6 18.f3 xc4 ] c h a n c e s h e r e a f t e r 7.f3 ( 7.d2 15...c5 White's centre pawns now collapse. is also sensible) 7...d7 8.ge2 c6 16.c3 f6 17.g4 xc4 18.f2 f5-+ 9.d2; A pawn up with the better position, the rest is B) 6.d2!?; already technique. 19.a4 d5 20.a5 C) 6.g3 wasn't a particularly successful cxd4 21.xd5+ xd5 22.cxd4 g5 23.ac1 approach by White in Zhang Zhong-Dreev, c6 24.g4 h5 25.h3 ab8 26.b1 g7 a n n o t a t e d in t h e a rch ive s b y A n d re w 264
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Martin ] 6.d3 [ 6.d2 with the idea of castling queenside as soon as possible has also been tried, including by Luther himself. f5 7.0-0-0 ( 7.f3 was Luther's choice and it maybe critical e6 8.h4 g6?! 9.xg6 hxg6 10.h4 and White had the two Bishops and some advantage in Luther, T (2541)Boricsev, O (2396) Marrakesh 2010 bd7 11.0-0-0 b4 12.b1 d5 13.e4 xe3 14.xe3 e7 15.f4 a5 16.d3 e5 17.dxe5 xe5 18.f3 e6 19.he1 e5 20.g3 xh4 21.h3 0-0-0 22.c5 ) 7...e6 8.f3 bd7 9.ge2 b6 10.g3 g6 11.ge4 xe4 12.fxe4 and White was a little better in Alekseev, E (2688)Zolotukhin, V (2338) Olginka 2011 although B la c k s u c c e ss f u lly h e ld a d r a w in t h a t game. ] 6...g4 7.d2 c7?! This doesn't work out well and gives White exactly what he's after with this Be3 setup. [ 7...e6 has been played before here and brought Black a quick win in the following game although there are plenty of points for im p ro ve m e n t . . . 8.ge2 bd7 9.0-0-0 ( 9.f3! h5 10.f4 b4 11.0-0-0 gives W hite some edge) 9...h5 10.f4?! This doesn't really fit with the position 0-0-0 ( 10...b5!? ) 11.f5 e5 12.dxe5 xe5 13.de1 xe2 14.xe2 a5 15.h3 e5 W hite is already in some trouble 16.g4? b4 17.a3 xa3 18.bxa3 xa3+ 19.b1 f3 0-1 Eisen, L (2242)-Gonzalez, R (2419) Las Vegas 2004 ] [ 7...bd7 is more combative as Black may be able to play ...e5 in one more to gain counterplay in the centre, e.g. 8.ge2 e5 but I still like White's position after 9.0-0-0 0-0-0 10.h3 e6 11.b1 and White is better placed for when the centre opens up. ] 8.h3 h5 9.f4! [ 9.f4 i s a l s o p r o m i s i n g a f t e r b6 10.ge2! as xb2? 11.b1 a3 12.xb7 bd7 13.d5! is simply winning for White ] 9...e6 Otherwise the bishop is simply getting trapped 10.g4 g6 11.f5 exf5 12.gxf5 h5 13.ge2 It's clear that the opening has gone in White's favour and so Hera has to be very
c a r e f u l o v e r t h e n e x t f e w m o v e s . bd7 14.f4 [ 14.g1 was worth considering - Black now to solve the problem of how to develop the bishop on f8. ] 14...d6 15.e3+ f8 [ 15...d8 might've been a safer option although it's clear White is still doing well after 16.g3 xf4 17.xf4 g6 18.d2 ] 16.g3 xf4 17.xf4 e8+?! Things quickly turn more unpleasant after this move although the position was already tricky. [ 17...c8 to defend the queen from discovered checks was better although White keeps the initiative with 18.d2 g6 19.ae1 ] 18.d2 d8 19.ae1! Luther swaps off Black's only active rook xe1 20.xe1 g6 21.xh5 xh5 22.d6+ g7 23.e7? An unfortunate mistake just as W hite was building a winning attack [ 23.fxg6! hxg6 24.e7 was the way to do it and now W hite has excellent winning chances after hf6 ( of course 24...e8?? c a n n o w b e m e t b y 25.xg6+ h8 26.h7# ) 25.c4 f8 26.e6! g8 27.xd7 e8! a remarkable move to keep Black in the game 28.xf7 xf7 29.xe8+ xe8 30.c7+ e7 31.xe7+ xe7 and the extra pawn should be enough to win although there's still quite a bit of work to do. ] 23...e8! 24.xe8 [ the point is that 24.xd7?? loses to g5+ 25.d1 g1+ 26.f1 xf1+ 27.d2 e1+ 28.d3 b5! and White will get mated or lose huge amounts of material ] 24...xe8 25.e4 [ 25.c7 puts Black in an awkward pin but he can escape with e7 26.d1 g5! and now he has a perpetual after 27.xd7 g1+ 28.d2 g5+ 29.d1 g1+ 30.e2 g2+ 31.e1 g3+ 32.f1 f3+ ] 25...df6 26.xf6 xf6 Black has escaped and the position is just equal. 27.h4 c8 28.e5 d8 29.c3 g8 30.fxg6 A missed opportunity for W hite but 5.Be3 looks to be an interesting (and nontheoretical) way to play against 3...Qd6 ½-½ 265
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 274 Macieja,Bartlomiej Tiviakov,Sergei Remco Heite Wolvega NED (3) [John Watson]
B01 2600 2686 29.11.2008
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 [ In an earlier update, Fabiano Caruana annotated a lovely game versus Strikovic which began with 5...a6 6.g3 g4 7.h3 h5 8.g2 c6 9.0-0 0-0-0 ] 6.g3 One of White's favourite setups. His f1 bishop gets a safe post on g2, and he places his dark-squared bishop on its best square f4 while gaining a tempo. g4 7.g2 e6 [ The more active 7...bd7 keeps both ...e5 and ...0-0-0 as options, for example, 8.0-0 ( 8.f4 b4 9.0-0 0-0-0 ) 8...0-0-0 9.e3 ( 9.f4 xf3!? 10.xf3 e5 11.dxe5 xe5 12.g2 e6 13.e2 d6 is only slightly better for White) 9...e5!? 10.dxe5 xe5 11.xd6 xd6 12.xe5 xe5 13.xa7 d2 gives some compensation, e.g., 14.ac1 xc3 15.bxc3 e8 ] 8.0-0 e7 [ IF he intends to play ...Bxf3 (see below) then, given the course of the game, Black may wish to consider another order: 8...c7 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 bd7 ( and not 10...d6? , as in Rahal-Bravo Barranco, Valles Tancat 1999, because of 11.b5! , which White neglected to play. )] [ The typical chase that Black experiences is illustrated in Azarov, S (2571)-Zablotsky, S (2500), Voronezh 2007: 8...bd7 9.f4 b4 10.b1 a5 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 e7 13.a3 0-0 14.b4 f5 15.e2 d5 16.xd5 cxd5 17.c4 dxc4?! (all reasonable play thus far, but this allows the bishops to become strong better was ( 17...b6 ) 18.xb7 ad8 19.c7 de8 20.xc4 xh3 , and here simply 21.g2 f5 22.c6 would have won material. ] 9.f4 d8 [ In the 3...Qd6 lines we usually see 9...b4 , and that indeed keeps the queen a bit more active, e. g., 10.a3! b6 ( 10...xb2 11.d2 f5 12.a2 b6 13.b1 ) 11.d2 0-0 , though White still has a normal, small, advantage. ]
10.h3 h5 11.g4 g6 12.e5 fd7?! Simply [ 12...bd7 13.xg6 ( 13.e2 xe5 14.dxe5 d7 15.fd1 h5!? ) 13...hxg6 with ...Qb6 next would keep Black's disadvantage minimal. ] 13.xg6 hxg6 This must favour White's bishop and space. 14.e4 Not a bad move, but there's no need for this before completing development, since Black isn't going anywhere. [ A simple way to expand would be 14.d3 f6 15.fe1 0-0 16.e2! bd7 17.c4 , etc., with a healthy advantage. ] 14...f6 15.c5 b6! [ 15...xc5 almost equalises following 16.dxc5 xd1 17.axd1 a6 18.d6 ( 18.e3 d7 ) 18...0-0-0 with the idea ... Ne8. ] 16.xb8!? Interesting [ 16.b3 keeps an edge. ] 16...xb8 17.xc6+ f8 18.a6 [ 18.d3 is safer: xh3 19.e5 h4 20.f3 d6 21.g2 ] 18...c8!? [ Black plays for compensation by placing a powerful knight on f4. He decides to bypass a pretty good opportunity with 18...xh3! , which has the idea 19.xb8 xb8 20.f4 h4 ] 19.g2 d5 20.c3 f4 21.f3 d6 22.fe1 g5 [ 22...f6 23.e3 ] 23.e3 g6 24.b7!? Greedy, but apparently harmless. White's knight on a6 is a problem piece, so maybe he should bring it back into play by [ 24.a3! g7 25.b4 ] 24...g7 25.xa7? [ 25.ae1 e8 26.a3! e7 27.e4 ] 25...e8! Black threatens ...Re7. 26.b7 e7 27.e4 a7 28.b4 [ 28.f1 ca8 ] 28...xb4 29.cxb4 c4 30.a3!? [ 30.d1 xa2 ] 30...ac7!? [ 30...xa3! 31.bxa3 xd4 is a very clear way of demonstrating the strength of Black's knight on f4 Black follows with ...Rd3 and stands much better. ] 31.c3 h7 32.xc4 xc4 33.d1 xb4 266
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 34.b3 Black still has compensation for the pawn, but only that. c7? [ 34...xd4 35.xd4 xd4 36.xd4 e2+ 37.f1 xd4 38.e1 would be depressing for Black, since a potential outside passed pawn is supported by a powerful W hite bishop. ] [ 34...b5 is also possible, with a point that immediately becomes clear: ] 35.f1! Black's rook on b4 is trapped, and this h a u n t s h i m f o r m u c h o f t h e g a m e . d5? 36.e1 [ 36.f3 threatens a3 and therefore forces f4 37.xf4 gxf4 , but then White is simply a pawn up ( 37...xf4? 38.c4 b5 39.a3 )] 36...b5? 37.d2!? Time trouble has obviously taken over. Here W hite can win outright with [ 37.g2 , which threatens to win the rook by Bxd5, and c3 38.d2 doesn't save Black because Rc2 follows. d5 39.xd5 exd5 40.d3 c2 ( 40...d6 41.a3 ) 41.d2! xd2 42.xd2 followed by Rd3 and a3. ] 37...e7 38.e1?! [ 38.b2 with the idea 39 a3 will wins, for example, after e5 39.dxe5 f4 40.d2 e4 41.d7 ] 38...a7 39.d1 e7 40.g2 [ Again, 40.b2! ] 40...f4 41.f1 e5 One last bad decision. 42.e3?? [ 42.e1! is extremely strong. ] 42...a7! 43.dxe5 xa2 44.d5 c2 [ 44...xd5! 45.xd5 xb3 ] 45.d2? [ 45.c1! ] 45...xd2 46.xd2 g7 47.f3 f8 Black stan ds be tter now. The rest o f th e ga m e c o n t a i n s m i s t a k e s , b u t i s e a s y t o understand: 48.f2 xh3+ 49.e3 f4 50.f2 e7 51.d1 xd5 52.xd5 xb3 53.d6 b4 54.b6 b1 55.e3 b3 56.f2 b2 57.g2 d7 58.h2 c7 59.b3 c6 60.g2 d5 61.b5+ e6 62.h2 f1 63.xb2 xf3 64.g2 f4 65.g3 xe5 66.b5+ f6 67.b6+ g7 68.b7 d4 69.a7 d3+ 70.g2 c3 71.f2 c4 72.f3 f4+ 73.g3 h6 74.a8 f5 75.gxf5 gxf5 0-1
275 Makropoulou,Marina Papadopoulou,Vera ch-GRE w Athens GRE (6) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2270 2227 09.12.2004
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 There are many grey areas after 3...Qd6 that the adventurer may wish to explore. I find 3... Qd6 much less reliable than 3... Qa5. 4.d4 f6 5.c4 g4!? Is it worth a tempo to provoke f2-f3? I doubt it, as in many Scandinavian lines W hite plays that move anyway as a prelude to swamping the lightsquared Bishop with g2-g4,h2-h4 etc. However, with the Black queen on d6 the g3 square becomes exposed, and therefore this procedure is not at all easy to carry out. [ We know 5...a6 to be playable, and in this case, better I think. For instance: 6.ge2 b5 7.b3 b7 8.0-0 e6 9.f4 d8 10.e1 e7 11.g3 0-0 12.d2 c5 This would be a good representation of a successful Black pla n . He ge t s h is K in g t o sa f e t y ( n o t e castling SHORT) and as in many of the Semi Open games, follows with ... c7-c5. 13.dxc5 xd2 14.xd2 bd7 15.ce4 xe4 16.xe4 xe4 17.xe4 xc5 18.e2 fd8 1/2-1/2 Pavlov,M-Hasangatin, R/Alushta UKR 2004 With such a reliable plan available, 5...Bg4 becomes something of a luxury. ] 6.f3 f5 7.ge2 bd7 [ 7...c6 8.f4 d8 9.g4 g6 A) 10.h4! h5 11.g5 d5 12.xd5 cxd5 13.xb8!! xb8 ( 13...xb8 14.xd5 ) 14.f4 f5 15.fxd5 A pawn or the bishops. Take your pick!; B) 10.g3 e6 must be at least a little better for W hite, but as we've seen in many Scandinavian variations, Black's position is very solid when he uses lightsquared counterplay as his focus: 11.ce4 d5! 12.d2 xf4 13.xf4 e7 ( The computer ( I won't say which one but they all will) states that Black should take on d4. If he can ,why not? 13...xd4! 14.c3 d8 15.d1 d7 16.d6+ xd6 17.xd6 e7 White is not breaking through and is thus a pawn d o wn f o r n o t h i n g .) 14.0-0-0 xe4 267
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.xe4 a5 16.e5 0-0 17.g5 b5 18.d3 d5 19.f6+ xf6 20.gxf6 d7 21.xd5 exd5 22.fxg7 Stoumbou,EPapadopoulou,V/Athens GRE 2004 ] 8.f4 This would be a very usual objection to placing the Queen on d6. b4 9.b3 0-0-0 10.a3 b6 11.a4 Tempo after tempo, but are they moves that W hite wants to make? Perhaps the main use of Na4 is to free up the c pawn for action. [ Alternatives do not give Black any especial trouble: 11.xf7 e5! ( 11...xb2 12.b3 ) 12.g3 exd4 13.xd4 b8 ] [ 11.g3 g6 12.e2 e6 ( 12...xd4 13.xc7! ) 13.0-0-0 d6= ] 11...a6 12.c1 [ We wouldn't get the same excitement after 12.g3 g6 13.e2 xe2+ 14.xe2 e6 although this was maybe the objectively best course of action. Of course, in order to play this way, White must admit that he (or she) has no advantage. ] 12...h6?! It's around here that Papadopoulou begins to play erratically. Just [ 12...e6! was indicated to be followed by ... B d 6 , a d t h e re is n o t h i n g wro n g . A l l t h e tempo-gaining moves turn out to be tempos W h it e d o e s n 't e sp e cia lly wa n t t o ga in ! Quantity versus quality. ] 13.c4?! A double blip. [ W hite misses 13.xc7! xc7 14.f4+ c8 15.xf5 ] 13...g5 14.e3 d3 15.g3 e5 16.d5 e4 W h it e n e e d s t o ge t ca st le d a n d q u ickly. 17.fxe4! [ 17.c3 d6 18.xe4 xe4 19.fxe4 xe4 leads only to advantage for Black. ] 17...xe4 18.xe4 xe4 19.0-0 With a sigh of relief no doubt. Now she can start to think about attack. f5 Nothing better. 20.c3 g8 [ S h e p r o b a b l y d i d n ' t p l a y 20...d6! b e c a u s e o f 21.d4 he8 22.c5 but I think Black is more than OK, with nice centralization and some aggressive possibilities: e5! 23.ae1 ( 23.ad1 e2! 24.f2 h5 ) 23...xd4+ 24.xd4 e5 25.c3 d3 26.xe5 xf1 27.xe8 xe8 28.d6 ] 21.ad1 f4 22.d4 Whereas now it looks like W hite who has the more meaningful centralization. Both sides have pieces on the
edge and in this type of situation it makes sense to stick to basics. Black loses because she never attends to her queen. b8 23.fe1 f5 24.c5 b5? [ 24...g6 offers protection, but it is only of the most temporary kind: 25.c2! xc2 26.xc2 g7 27.c6! Cutting communication! xd4+ 28.xd4 f8 29.c5 ] 25.c6 Too obvious to applaud loudly. bxa4 26.c4 And resigns rather than face 26...Qc8 27 Qa5! Nb6 28 d6! Bxd6 29 Ba6. There are enough exclamation marks for me to have asked Black to play that out. These Greek women see everything. 5...Bg4 seems quite OK. 1-0
276 Martin,Andrew D Lalic,Susan Corres Ward Higgs Surrey [Andrew Martin]
B01
2005
A recent correspondence team tournament game gave me the chance to play against the sharp Portuguese Gambit. I must say I am su sp icio u s a bo u t B lack' s pa wn o f f e r, a n observation made more than once at ChessPublishing.com. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 g4 I was pretty surprised that a very strong player like Susan would try this line in correspondence . Let's face it, everyone uses playing engines these days to help them and Fritz 9 or f riends will just take you to the cleaners if you make an unsound sacrifice. That's not to say I use Fritz 9 of course, just a slip of the keyboard. 4.f3 f5 5.b5+ Definitely the critical test. White tries to keep his extra pawn. bd7 6.c4 e6 [ 6...a6 is the other variation, with White doing very well recently after the greedy 7.a4 b5 8.cxb5 With ample time to reflect on the position, I was not af raid of this continuation. Over the board, it may well be another matter. ] 7.dxe6 xe6 8.d5 f5 9.c3 b4 [ 9...c5 10.e2+! e7 11.f4 ] 10.ge2 0-0 11.xd7! So that the Bishop does not get stranded on b5. 268
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 11.0-0 e5! ] 11...xd7 12.0-0 e8!?N An innovation of Graeme Buckley I believe. Black relies on the two B is h o ps a n d t h e we a kn e ss if t h e e 3 s qu a re t o p r o vi d e co m p e n sa t io n a n d s o makes a natural developing move. It's surprising that 12...Re8 hasn't been tried before, but perhaps it has just been thought too slow. Certainly Black needs an improvement here: [ 12...e5 is unpromising: 13.g3 A) 13...d7 14.d4! e7 15.e3 xc4 16.f2 b6 17.fe1 xc3 ( 17...d6 18.ce4 e7 19.h5+- ) 18.xc3 d8 19.ad1; B) 13...d3 14.e1 c5+ 15.e3 d6 16.h1 xe3 17.xe3 xc4 18.d4 ae8 19.xe5 xe5 20.xc4 f5 21.d1 h8 22.g1 a6 23.d4 b5 24.a3 g8 25.f2 fe8 26.f4 e4 27.cxe4 xf4+ 28.g1 fxe4 29.xg7+ xg7 30.h5+ 1-0 Kaugars, A-Pitre, H/San Francisco 1999 ] [ Maybe 12...c5 is the best chance, after which I was intending 13.e3 e8 14.d4! ( 14.xc5 xc5+ 15.h1 h4 16.b3 e3 17.g3 f6 18.a4 d3 19.f2 xe2 0-1 Dworakowski, L-Krivoshey, S/ Koszalin 1998 ) 14...e7 15.g3! g6 16.f2 d3 17.ce4 xf2 18.xf2 f5 19.a3 wit h a dvant age t o W hit e. Su ch ta ctica l jousting is easy to handle in correspondence. ] 13.g3 g6 [ 13...f6 is a move of the same kind as 12... Re8, getting the pieces out, but Black is a pawn down! So it's not surprising that White can keep an edge, although as the game goes, it may well have been Black's best shot. 14.ce4 b6+ 15.h1 g6 16.b3 ] 14.ce4 f5 [ Two alternatives fail to convince: 14...e7 15.g5 f6 16.d2 f5 17.b3! xd2 18.xd2 c5+ 19.h1 b6 20.a4 ] [ 14...c5 15.d4 xe4 16.fxe4 e7 17.f2! f8 18.a3 d6 19.f4 xe4 20.xd6 cxd6 21.d4 g6 22.ae1 ] 15.g5 b8!? I hadn't seen this move at all, and when I spoke to Susan at a recent 4NCL weekend she told me that she had missed 16
Qa4! Perhaps we should both hand in our titles! [ But if 15...e7 White's route to advantage is clear enough: 16.xe7 xe7 17.f2 c5 18.d2! b6 ( 18...xc4 19.fc1 ) 19.b3 ] 16.a4! Very strong. fxe4 [ 16...c5+ 17.xc5 xc5 18.b4 b6 19.d2 is a pawn more for White, simple as that. ] 17.xb4 exf3 18.xf3 e5 [ I thought that the main idea behind 15... Qb8 lay in 18...b5 but now I see that this is no good either|: 18...b5 19.c5 ( 19.xb5 xb5 20.cxb5 e5 21.f4 xd5 22.a4 a6 23.xc7 axb5 24.a5 c5 ) 19...e5 20.g4 xc5 21.e3 e4 22.d4 xg3 23.xg3 ( 23.xe5 b6+ 24.f2 e4 )] 19.e3 d3 [ 19...a5 20.c3 a7 21.c5+- ] 20.xe8+ xe8 21.xb7 Over the board a cowardly White might not take all the pawns, but this is a different type of game. Black is just busted I think. h6 22.d2 f8 [ Or 22...b8 23.xa7 xb2 24.e3 d7 25.h4! c2 26.h5 h7 27.b1+- ] 23.e3 h5 24.xc7 h4 25.f1 I think the conclusion is clear that this is a variation for over the board play only. Black's pawn offer, whilst popular (because Black gets a temporary initiative), is ultimately dubious. 1-0
277 Maze,Sebastien Bauer,Christian 83rd ch-FRA Pau FRA (4) [John Watson]
B01 2553 2583 14.08.2008
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 6.h3 h5 7.e2 A sa f e m o ve W h it e co u n t s u p o n a s m a ll space advantage. This is the sort of thing that ca n d rive B la ck n u t s in a S ca n d in a via n , because he has no natural source of counterplay. [ The main move for years has been 7.g4 (7 Bd2 is also played, usually with the same idea) g6 8.e5 , a position which Bauer has played many times, for example, e6 269
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.g2 c6 10.e2 bd7 11.xd7 xd7 12.d2 0-0-0 13.0-0 c7 with no problems, Libiszewski-Bauer, Calvia ESP 2005. Of course, there's much, much more theory here. ] 7...bd7 8.0-0 e6 9.d2!? White's idea is to play Nc4 and then develop his c1 bishop aggressively. A normal-looking sequence would be [ 9.f4 b4 10.d3 , or ] [ 9.d2 c6 10.e1 c7 ] 9...xe2 10.xe2 c6 11.c4 c7 12.g5 e7 13.ad1 0-0 14.h4 Now he would like to play Bg3. b5!? Very committal. Objectively, Black is better off waiting, but that's hardly satisfying. [ 14...b6 15.g3 d8 is the sort of solid, slight disadvantage that leading GMs play accept. ] 15.g3 d8 16.e5 [ 16.d6 b6 17.b7! c8 18.c5 is a n a c t ive a p p ro a ch p r o m i sin g s o m e advantage. ] 16...c8 17.f3 [ Or 17.a4 b4 18.e4 ] 17...d5 18.e4 7f6 19.xf6+ xf6 20.c3 c5?! Finally, this freeing move, but Black should get off the d-file first: [ 20...a5 . The position would remain somewhat better for White, however. ] 21.dxc5 xe5? [ 21...xc5 22.d3 c6 23.b4 c5 keeps Black's disadvantage down. With the text, he cedes the dark squares and loses material. ] 22.xe5 xc5 Sacrificing the exchange in the face of Qg4 or Bd6. 23.g3 g6 24.d6 c4 25.xf8 xf8 26.e5 c5 27.e4 c8 28.d4 g7 29.a4 a6 30.axb5 axb5 31.a1 c7 32.d3 White is drifting 32 Re1 is more natural, or even 32 g3. f4! 33.d2 f5 34.e4?! [ 34.d7! c6 35.f3 ] 34...e5 35.h2 c6 36.ae1 h5 37.xf4!? White feels some pressure (in time trouble?) and goes for a lesser, but clear, advantage. The rest of the game isn't very interesting. Black fights like a tiger, while White evidently tires and gives away the win. exf4 38.xf4 f5 39.d4+ f6 40.xf6+ xf6 41.g3 g5+ 42.f3 f5+ 43.e2
h5 44.d1 e5+ 45.f1 h4 46.d4 g5 47.f3 [ 47.g3! ] 47...f5 48.f2 f6 49.b4 d5 50.e3 e5+ 51.e4 d5 52.d4 [ 52.f4 d1 53.d4 ] 52...e5+ 53.d2 e6 54.c4?! bxc4 55.xc4 b6 56.b4 e5 57.c3 b7 58.e4+ d5 59.g4 a7 60.f4 gxf4 61.xf4 a3+ 62.b2 g3 63.xh4 f5 ½-½
278 McShane,Luke J Lalic,Bogdan Masters, Catalan Bay (5) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2565 2545 2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.c4 a6 6.ge2 I wonder if McShane s a w B l a c k ' s n e x t m o v e ? c6?! The 'Poisoned Pawn' variation of the S c a n d i n a vi a n ! P e r s o n a l l y I d o n ' t l i k e i t because of the massive advantage in development that White gets but matters are not so clear. Let's take a look at the complications: 7.b3 [ The alternative is 7.d3!? White develops a new piece, protects the Bishop and facilitates long castling. This gives quite a dangerous initiative: xg2 8.g1 xh2!? Leading to a white-knuckle ride! ( 8...h3!? More circumspect. Black gives his Queen a way out and intends to close the g file as soon as he can. 9.e3 g6! If Black is to grab pawns and live he must trust in the following idea. 10.0-0-0 g7 11.f4 f5 12.d2 d7 13.h4 b5 14.b3 c6 15.d3 A position reminiscent of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. It's not entirely clear that the W hite initiative is worth a pawn but Black certainly has some serious defending to do before he can consolidate.) 9.f4 h3 10.g3 b5 ( 10...d7 Time-wasting. 11.0-0-0 g6 12.e5 c6 13.xf6 exf6 14.d5 g7 15.de1+ f8 16.a3+ ) 11.b3 c6 12.0-0-0 bd7 13.e2 g4 14.e3 e6 15.ge4 h5 16.h1 f5 17.g3 g6 18.dg1 Most players would be very unwilling to allow 270
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 such an attack unless forced to. I believe in White's compensation and my conclusion is that 7 Qd3 is probably the best move. ] 7...xg2 8.g1 h3 [ 8...xh2!? 9.f4 h5 10.xc7 ( Perhaps its better to ignore pawns at this stage and play for outright attack: 10.d2 g6 11.0-0-0 a5 12.b1 g7 13.d5 xd2 14.xc7+ f8 15.xd2 a7 Even so, Black is surviving.) 10...g4 11.d2 bd7 12.0-0-0 c8 13.g3 a5 14.f4 e6 15.d5 e5 16.f3 xf3 17.e3 c5 18.xf3 xg1 19.xg1 exf4 20.xg7 f8 21.g5 g8 22.f5 g4 23.xf4 g1+ 24.d1 e1 25.c3 e4 26.h3 xf3 27.xf3 e1 28.hf2 h5 29.d2 e5 30.d3 e4+ 31.c1 g5 32.f4 g3 33.f1 h4 0-1 was the complicated continuation of Govbinder-Melts Internet 1998. If you don't mind defending for a while you can take the second pawn. The Lalic game plan seems to be to lead the game into as murky a position as possible. ] 9.f4 d7 [ After 9...f5 10.xc7 g6 11.d5! c8 12.f4 bd7 13.d4 Black is tied up. ] 10.d3! As before, I like this idea. White trusts in development and prepares to castle. It's straightforward. A wedge can be established after [ 10.d5!? The story is the same. Is Black able to extricate himself from his cramped p o s i t i o n b e f o r e t h e r o o f c a v e s i n : g6 11.d2 g7 12.0-0-0 0-0 13.h6 e5 14.h4 e7 15.g5 xh6 16.xh6 ] 10...c6 11.a3 e6N A sign that Lalic is feeling uncomfortable with McShane's pressure. He shuts down the diagonal. Surprisingly this move is a novelty-previously Black gave priority to ...b7-b5 and ...Na5, again trying to blot out the strong Bishop on b3. According to Michael Melts this latter method is both interesting and satisfactory: [ 11...b5!? 12.0-0-0 b7 13.d5 ( 13.g3 0-0-0 14.ge4 xe4 15.xe4 e5 ) 13...a5 14.a2 c5 15.b4 ( 15.dxc6 xd3 16.xd3 xc6 ) 15...cxb4 16.axb4 c4 17.xc4 bxc4 18.xc4 c8 ] [ 11...a5!? 12.a2 b5 13.0-0-0 b7 14.b4 c4 15.xc4 bxc4 16.xc4 ] 12.0-0-0 e7?! So this was the idea-to pack
the Kingside. I do not like this time-consuming m a n o e u vr e . 13.e5 g6 14.xf6 gxf6 15.d5! e5 [ 15...h6+ leads to a position which seems disgusting for Black, but which might just be playable due to the strength of the darksquared Bishop : 16.b1 e5 17.a4 b5 18.xb5 f8!? 19.bc3 d8 20.d6 ( 20.c4!? ) 20...cxd6 21.xd6+ xd6 22.xd6 e6 ] 16.a4 b5 17.xb5 h6+ 18.b1 0-0 he could have transposed with ...Kf8. The problem with the text move isn't the vulnerability of the Black King as much as the impending power of the W hite d pawn and the inability of the King on g8 to play a defensive role. 19.bc3 h3 20.c4 g7 21.xc7 g4 22.d6 f5 23.d7 McShane has played the position very well, giving Lalic no time at all to a ctiva te th e potential monster on g7. ad8 24.d3 h5 25.e1 xh2 26.c5 e4 [ 26...f4 27.d6 h3 28.c6 with the idea of Rh1 is very good for White. h5 ] 27.d5 f4 28.xf4 xf4 29.e2 b8 30.d4 h5 31.c3 xd4 32.xd4 f4 33.d1 h4 34.xg4 xg4 35.f3! with Rg1 to follow. Summarising: The Poisoned Pawn variation is not for the timid, with either colour! Many White players won't even realise that they are giving away a pawn after 6 Nge2 and 6. ..Qc6 could come as a colossal shock! Knowledge of the complications could be quite a good point scorer for potential Black players, but I would prefer to keep this line as a surprise weapon in my repertoire. W ith 6...b5 available, to venture 6... Qc6 on a regular basis to me just seems too risky. 1-0
279 Milos,Gilberto Sapis,Witalis Cappelle la Grande [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2620 2403 2000
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 Considering this line a few months ago we came to the conclusion Black suffered serious problems. 271
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Nevertheless currently this line is played rather often although the statistics are disastrous for Black. Mainly W hite chooses dif ferent setups with an early g2-g4. 3.d4 xd5 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.h3 g7 7.c3 0-0 8.e3 c6 9.d2 e5 10.d5 e7 11.g4 f5 12.0-0-0 fxg4 13.g5 We have already examined this line in GipslisMaric (AV60) where Black failed to equalize after 13... Nf5. Now he tries a relatively new idea. g3!? 14.c5 [ Black's idea would be justified after the natural looking 14.fxg3?! : xf1! 15.hxf1 xc4 and Black has ample compensation for the sacrificed exchange. Unfortunately in Afek-Shrentzel, Tel Aviv 1993 Black committed a blunder on the very next move: 16.f2 xe3? Missing a very nice com bin ation . ( 16...f5! should be played and here Black's chances are by no means worse, for example: 17.e6 xe6 18.dxe6 e8 ) 17.f7+! (an unexpected piece s a c r i f i c e ) h8 18.d6! g8! and now 19.ce4!! (with the idea 20.Q:g7! K:g7 21. R f 7 ) w o n b y f o r c e : ( Instead 19.f4? was played and after xg5!! 20.xg5 xf1 21.xf1 h6 22.xh6 xh6 23.f8+ g7 24.d7! xd7 25.xa8 xh3 26.xa7 g2 an equal endgame had arisen.) 19...xf1 ( 19...h6 20.dxc7 xd1+ 21.xd1 xf7 22.d8+! winning on the spot.) 20.dxc7! xd1+ ( or 20...f8 21.d8! ) 21.xd1 e3+ 22.e2 f5 23.xf5! and White wins ] [ B e s i d e s t h e t e x t , 14.e2!? is worth considering. In Liss-Veinger, Rishon Lezion 1991 White obtained an opening advantage after g2 ( 14...gxf2 15.c5 ) 15.hg1 h6 16.ge4 xh3 17.xh6 c8 18.xg7 xg7 19.g5 f5 20.d3 d6 21.xe5+ g8 22.xd6 cxd6 23.xd6 f7 24.g3 g7 25.c5 f5 26.e6+ and Black resigned. ] 14...g2 15.xg2 c4 16.e2 xe3 17.fxe3 f5 18.h4! An important novelty. [ Before White played 18.ge4 h6 19.d3 w h i c h d o e s n ' t l o o k p r o m i s i n g : b6! (threatening 20...Ba6) 20.b4 bxc5 21.xc5 g3 22.b2 xh1 23.xh1 f1+ 24.d1 xe3+ 25.b1 f5+ 26.a1 xd1+ and in view of 27.xd1 xc5 28.bxc5 b8
White resigned, Vlcek-Kujovic, Bratislava 1998. ] 18...g3 Black has to accept the exchange sacrifice since after [ 18...e7 19.d6 cxd6 20.d5+ h8 21.ce4! dxc5 22.h5! White has an unstoppable attack. ] 19.c4 xh1 20.d6+ h8 21.d7! White plays very inventively. [ The hasty 21.f7+ is not good in view of xf7 22.xf7 cxd6! , and Black is better: 23.xd6 f8! ] 21...xd7 22.f7+ xf7 23.xf7 xh4! [ 23...f8?! i s i n f e r i o r : 24.xd7 f2 25.xb7 d3+ 26.c2 xc5 27.xg7+! xg7 28.xg7 xb7 29.xc7 with a huge edge for White. ] 24.xd7 h6 25.e4! g8? A gross mistake. [ 25...f8 is also bad in view of 26.g5! ( t h r e a t e n i n g 2 7 Q x f 8 ) f2 27.d5! and Black is hopeless against the threat of 29 Qg8+. ] [ 25...xe3+? is even worse: 26.c2 e2+ ( 26...g8 27.xh1 ) 27.d2 g8 28.d5 winning on the spot ] [ but the unexpected 25...g3! 26.xg3 f8! secured Black good counterchances: 27.xg7+ (the only move) ( 27.b3? g5; 27.e7 f6 ) 27...xg7 28.xg7 xg7 29.xb7 h5 and in this complicated endgame Black's chances are by no means worse. ] 26.c2! Probably Black missed this very st ro n g p ro p h yl a c t i c m o ve . No w B l a c k i s defenseless. h4 27.xh1 xh1 28.f6! g2+ 29.c3 Now White's King is in safety and in view of the unavoidable mate Black resigned. Despite the convincing win in this game it would be premature to draw definite conclusions since the position is very complicated and Black had the possibility to improve on move 29. So in my opinion, 14 Be2 as was played in Liss-Veinger deserves serious attention and undoubtedly we'll see this move in future games. 1-0
272
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 way the Bishop on g2 has no future. 15.f3 ( 15.g3 xc3 16.bxc3 d5 17.d2 a4 18.e2 b5 19.h6 0-0-0 20.a3 g6 21.g5 d6 22.xd8 xd8 23.f3 f5 24.f1 xf3 25.xf3 c7 26.e3 fxg4 27.xe6 a5 28.f7+ d7 29.b3 f4 Bauer, C-Prie, E/Auxerre 1996) 15...b4 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 16.f2 xc3 ( 16...xe3 17.xe3 xc3 Muc h h as bee n mad e rece nt ly abo ut th e 18.bxc3 h3 19.h1 xc3 20.b1 ) uncertain future of 3...Qa5. Read some of the 17.bxc3 xc3 18.b1 xd4 19.xb7 d8 posts at the forum and one would think that 20.h6 gxh6 21.g6 e7 22.xd4 xd4 this venerable line were all but refuted. This is 23.d3 d8 24.xd8+ xd8 25.d3 nonsense of course and Eric Prié continues to 1-0 Anand, V-Lautier, J/ Biel 1997 ] play 3...Qa5 with success. In our featured game W hite is happy to repeat a line which 14.f4 b6 15.b3 0-0-0 Black is absolutely Anand has used with success. No doubt he fine, albeit in a complicated position. His King expected Prie to fold in the same way that is safe, the Bishop on g2 can get out and Lautier does in one of our sidelines. 4.d4 f6 White's King is not altogether secure in the 5.f3 f5 6.c4 c6 7.e5 e6 8.g4 g6 middle of the board. It's also not clear to me 9.h4 A system which is described as ' whether the white pawns aren't just a target menacing' by GM John Emms, but which I for Black to latch on to. 16.f2 d5 17.xd5 analyse as satisfactory for Black in my recent There are only a limited number of moves Centre Counter book. bd7 10.xd7 xd7 which deal with the threat of ..Qxf4+ xd5 11.h5 e4 12.h3 g2! An important move 18.f3 f6 19.g3 g6! The first prod at mentioned by Beat Zuger and Matthias Wahls, those exposed pawns. There is a downside to the point of which is to drive the White Rook all this White aggression you know. 20.hxg6 hxg6 21.g5 to an awkward square. [ 21.c3 d6 22.g1 g5 spells serious [ 12...d5 13.d3 0-0-0 14.d2 b6 problems for White ] 15.e2 xd4 16.0-0-0 d6 17.b1 e5 18.h6 g6 19.f4 xf4 20.xd5 cxd5 21...e4+ 22.g2 xg5-+ Game, set and 21.c3 b6 22.xh8 xh8 23.c4 d4 match I think. White limps to the finishing line. 24.f3 e5 25.e4 c5 26.d5 f6 23.d3 e4 24.f3 d6 25.e3 f5 27.a3 b8 28.b4 b6 29.b2 e6 26.f2 d6 27.d5 exd5 28.xd5 h4+ 1/2-1/2 Matsuura, E-Zarnicki, P/Santos 29.xh4 xh4 Just a very convincing game by Prie. Rumours of the death of 3... Qa5 2004 ] have been greatly exaggerated. 13.e3 0-1 [ 13.g3 d5 14.d3 d6! ] 13...c7!N An interesting new move. Prie makes f2-f3 unattractive. Other moves may 281 B01 be satisfactory too: [ 13...d5 14.xd5 ( 14.f1 0-0-0 15.d2 Morozevich,Alexander b6 16.xd5 exd5 17.c3 f6 ) 14...cxd5 Rogers,Ian 15.d2 b4 16.a3 xc3 17.xc3 d8 Bundesliga 1998/99 (10) 1999 ( 17...c7 is an obvious improvement.) [Nigel Davies] 18.f3 0-0 19.0-0-0 a5 20.a4 b5 21.axb5 b8 22.g5 xb5 23.g4 a4 24.g6 a3 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 g4 4.e2 ( 24...f6! 25.gxh7+ h8 ) 25.gxh7+ c6 5.d4 0-0-0 6.e3 In my view is the xh7 26.bxa3 f6 27.g5 g8 28.h6 most accurate order of moves, something e4 29.xe4 gxh6 30.h5 g5 31.xf7+ which Scandinavian expert Ian Rogers seems g7 32.xe6 1-0 Otero, D-Matamoros to agrees with because he later played it Franco, C/Santa Clara 1999 ] himself. [ 13...b6 14.d3 d5 If Black plays this [ After the immediate 6.c4 , Black can play 280
B01 Moriuchi,Toshiyuki 2301 Prie,Eric 2439 XXVIII Open San Sebastian ESP (9)26.03.2005 [Andrew Martin]
273
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f5 7.e3 xf3! 8.xf3 xd4 9.xd4 ( or 9.g4 c2+ ) 9...e6+ 10.e2 c5 ] 6...f6 [ After 6...e5 7.c4 , Black's queen is cut off from either f5 or h5. Rogers - Matamoros, Hamburg 1999 continued a5+ 8.d2 b4 9.d5 xf3 10.xf3 xd2+ 11.xd2 d4 12.0-0 b4 13.b3!? ( Rogers sacrifices a pawn for a dangerous looking attack, though Black manages to hold the balance with precise defence. White could also consider 13.e1 and meet xb2 with 14.b3 ) 13...xc4 14.xd4 xd4 15.c2 f6 16.fd1 f4 17.d6 d7 18.c5 b8 19.dxc7+ xc7 20.d6 hc8 21.e1 g4 22.xg4 xg4 23.xe5 f6 24.d6 d7 25.g3 a6 26.h3 1/2-1/2 ] 7.c4 h5 For 7...Qf5 see de Firmian Waitzkin. [ 7...a5+ 8.c3 e5 9.d5 b4 10.0-0 he8 11.c2 xf3 12.xf3 d4 13.xd4 exd4 14.e4 e7 15.a3 xe4 16.b4 b6 17.xe4 gave Whtie a tremendous position in Kudla - Majer, Valtice (Czech Ch) 1992, though he later managed to lose. ] 8.bd2 e5 9.d5 d4 10.xd4 exd4 11.xg4+ [ Improving on 11.xd4 , after which Rogers might have intended to follow the game De La Villa - Arizmendi, Pamplona 1998. Black scared his opponent half to death with b4 ( 11...e8 12.f3 f5 13.f1 h4+ 14.g3 h3 15.f2 d6 16.e3 e7 17.f1 left Black struggling to find adequate counterplay in Poluljahov - Volokitin, Polanica Zdroj Open,1999; and 11...d6 12.xg4+ xg4 13.h3 f5 14.0-0 left Black a pawn down in S Movsesian Damaso, Cappelle la Grande 1998.) 12.f3 xf3 13.gxf3 ( 13.xf3 h4+ 14.f2 xc4 keeps W hite's king in the centre) 13...xd5 14.cxd5 xd5 15.c2 xd4 16.0-0-0 h6 17.a3 xd2+ 18.xd2 hd8 19.hd1 f4 20.c3 8d6 21.c2 xd2+ 22.xd2 xd2+ 23.xd2 xh2 with a probable draw if both sides play well. There is also the danger that Rogers may have found an improvement for Black. ] 11...xg4 12.xd4 b4 13.h3 xd2+ 14.xd2 g5+ 15.c3 Having bee n brought up on the King's Gambit, this is all
rather ho hum for Morozevich. Black is a pawn d o w n w i t h o u t m u c h t o s h o w f o r i t . e5 16.e2 xc4 A rather desperate piece sac in an attempt to drum up counterplay. Morozevich deals with it in very cool fashion. 17.xc4 xd5 18.ad1 hd8 19.e3 e5+ 20.c2 b5 21.xd5 xd5 22.g4+ f5 23.f4 e6 24.b1 g5 25.xg5 e4+ 26.a1 1-0
282 Movsesian,Sergei Biolek,Richard Olomouc [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2555 2410 1997
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.b5+ d7 4.e2 xd5 5.d4 b6 6.c4 e5!? A rare but very interesting gambit line. Black's ideas are similar to those in the well-known line 3.d4 Nxd5 4.c4 Nb6 5. Nc3 e5 which we have considered already ( see Remizov - Bezgodov ). 7.dxe5 c6 8.f3 [ 8.f4?! seems to weaken White's position. Another drawback of this move is that White lags behind in development. e6! 9.xd8+ xd8 10.b3 c5 11.b2 d4 12.d1 f5 13.c3 e3 with tremendous compensation. ] 8...b4+ 9.bd2 e7 [ 9...0-0 10.a3 xd2+ 11.xd2 g4 12.c5 xf3 13.xf3 c4 14.c3 xd1+ 15.xd1 4xe5 16.e2 with a huge edge as White's bishops dominated Black's Knights in Rasik Zurek, Czech, 1993. ] 10.0-0 0-0-0 11.c2 g5! [ Black could win the sacrificed pawn back, but this allows White to gain some tempi for launching a Q-side attack: 11...xe5 12.a3 d6 13.b4 ] 12.b3 g4? A mistake which loses by force. [ 12...xe5 Here this move was already o b li g a t o r y: 13.a3 xf3+ 14.xf3 c5 15.xc5 xc5 16.b4 xc4 17.xc4 xc4 18.xg5 de8 and White's chances are only slightly better. ] 13.g5! Definitely Black underestimated this move. f8 [ The Queen sacrifice is also hopeless for 274
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black: 13...gxf3 14.xe7 fxe2 15.xd8 exf1+ 16.xf1 xd8 17.c5 with a decisive advantage. ] 14.fd4 xd4 15.xd4 e7 16.xe7 xe7 17.c5! a4 [ 17...d5 18.c6 winning ] 18.c3 [ 18.b3! was not bad either: xd4 19.cxb6 c6 20.bxa7 a3 21.c5!! and White wins. ] 18...d5 This move loses a piece. [ 18...d7 is more stubborn, although the position is very bad for Black: 19.a5 xc5 ( 19...xc5 20.xa7 h5 21.fc1 ) 20.xa4 b6 21.xg4+ b8 22.b3 xa4 23.xc5 xc5 24.f4 and with accurate play White should win the endgame. ] 19.a5 xe5 20.xa4 f4 21.xg4+ b8 22.f3 e2+ 23.h1 g7 24.ae1 Despite the speedy disaster in this game this gambit line looks rather viable. The theory of this line is based on just a few games, and there is much scope for further investigation. 1-0
283 Movsesian,Sergei Damaso,Rui Pula [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2630 2465 1997
The following game is an excellent example of dynamic positional chess. Early in the o p e n i n g B la c k sa c rif ic e s a p a wn f o r t h e initiative and outplays his strong opponent very convincingly. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.b5+ bd7! This move leads to a very sharp and interesting game. It allows White to k e e p a n e xt r a p a wn b u t B l a ck h a s g o o d prospects for gaining the initiative. [ 3...d7 winning the pawn back, is also possible, but White is slightly better after 4.c4 g4 5.f3 c8 6.c3 bd7 7.ge2 b6 ( now White can't protect the d5-pawn ) 8.b3!? bxd5 ( After 8...xc4 9.bxc4 e6 10.dxe6 xe6 11.d3 Black hardly has full compensation for the pawn.) 9.xd5 xd5 10.b2 as the game Kalichkin - Pisakov, Russia, 1997 proved. ] 4.c4 a6 5.xd7+
[ 5.a4!? deserves attention, but after b5! 6.cxb5 xd5 7.c3 b7 in my opinion Black has ample compensation. ] 5...xd7!? [ Black wouldn't obtain sufficient compensation after 5...xd7?! 6.d3 c6 7.dxc6 xc6 8.f3 f5 9.0-0 d8 10.e5! c8 11.d4 Now White has an extra pawn as well as a huge advantage in development . d7 12.a4 f6 13.xd7 xd7 14.b3 e6 15.f4 and I would not like to play Black in this position, Calzetta, M-Medina, Espana, 1992. ] 6.d4 White has tried various different continuations in this position, but none of them have brought him any advantage, for example: [ 6.f3 e6! 7.dxe6 xe6 8.a4+ c6 9.0-0 d3! ( blocking the d-pawn and preventing W h i t e ' s n o r m a l d e v e l o p m e n t ) 10.b3 0-0-0! 11.xd3 xd3 12.b3 c5 13.b2 e4 with fantastic compensation in Euler Buenermann, 1993 ] 6...e6! This is much more to the point than the p la n wi t h c 7 -c 6 f r o m Ca lze t t a - Me d in a . 7.dxe6 xe6 8.d5 g4 9.f3 f5 10.e3 Otherwise after Bf8-c5 it would be difficult to castle kingside. Queenside castling is also very dangerous for W hite because Black's li g h t -s q u a r e d B i sh o p i s ve r y s t r o n g , f o r example: [ 10.c3?! c5 11.ge2 ( 11.e2+?! l e a d s W h i t e n o w h e r e i n v i e w o f d7! and although the threat of Re8 is obvious, it's not easy to parry.) 11...0-0 12.g5 h6 13.h4 e8 14.b3 b8 , intending to meet 15.0-0-0 with b5! ] 10...b4+ 11.f2 [ 11.d2?! is weaker: e7 the pin on the efile is quite unpleasant ( 11...0-0 intending Re8 is not bad either.) 12.e2 0-0 13.a3 ( w h a t e l s e ? ) c5 14.xc5 xc5 Now Re8 is threatened, and the only move 15.0-0-0 allows Black to win the pawn back: xd5 16.b3 e3+ with a clear edge. ] 11...0-0 12.a3 d6 13.e2 e8 White's extra pawn is of no importance for an assessment of this position, because all the Black pieces are placed very actively and the White king can't feel completely safe. All this fully compensates Black f or the loss of a 275
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 pawn. 14.g3 g6 15.d4 This move is just a waste of time. [ Either 15.e1 protecting the Be3 and preparing an escape for the king ] [ or 15.c3 completing his development, should be preferred. ] 15...d7! Clearing a e for the queen and t r a n s f e rr i n g t h e kn i g h t t o a m o re a ct i ve position. 16.f1 White decides to give up his extra pawn to give time for his king to escape. e5 17.g1 It took White three moves to castle, definitely too many! h4!? [ Simply 17...xc4!? is not bad either. ] 18.c3 xc4 Now the material balance has b e e n re s t o re d a n d B la ck's a d va n t a ge i s beyond doubt. 19.ce4 f4! [ Of course, gathering the harvest immediately is possible: 19...xe4 20.fxe4 xg3 21.hxg3 xe4 but the text is even better as White has no defence against f7f5. ] 20.e1 f5 Now White is in real trouble. 21.d3 [ 21.c3 didn't help W hite either: xe1+ 22.xe1 xg3 and Black wins a piece. 23.xg3 xd4+ ] 21...e5 22.xe5 fxe4! 23.c4 xe5 The rest needs no comment. 24.d6+ h8 25.d7 ed8 26.ad1 e7 Excellent game! 0-1
284 Muzychuk,Anna Repkova,Eva II Controceni Open (4) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2528 2446 05.03.2011
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6 Black delays ...Nf6 which we will see in the last games of the update. According to Bauer's book this line is known as the "Konigspringerzuruckhaltungspolitik". It really rolls off the tongue doesn't it! 5.c4 f5 [ 5...f6 6.f3 ( 6.d2!? would transpose to various games in the archives including Hamdouchi-Boe which I looked at last year.) 6...f5 7.d2 would transpose to the mainline seen later in this update. ] 6.d2 e6 7.d5 Suggested by Eric Prié in notes to earlier games and after checking this
game it appears very threatening. [ 7.g4 has also been looked at a couple times in the archives. ] 7...cxd5 8.xd5 d8 9.e2 f6 [ Bauer observes that 9...e7? 10.e3 bc6 11.c3! c7 12.0-0-0 is very good for White. ] 10.xf6+ xf6 [ 10...gxf6?! didn't work well in Solodovnichenko, Y (2514)-Pantioukhine, S (2260) Rochefort 2005 looked at by Eric Prié in the archives. ] 11.0-0-0 [ White should avoid 11.c3? b4! 12.xb4 xb2 ] [ B a u e r ' s m a i n l i n e r u n s 11.f3 c6 12.0-0-0 a3 13.c3 c5 14.g5 g6 15.d2 0-0 16.h4 h5 17.e2 g4 18.f3 h6!= ] 11...c6 [ This was the last opportunity to play 11...a3 but 12.c3 c5? is no longer playab le du e t o ( 12...e7 13.g4 g6 14.h4 h6 15.f4 Proved very unpleasant for Black. One game continued: c6 16.f5! exf5 17.g5 e5 18.gxh6 0-0-0 Lanka, Z (2494)-Zvara, P (2409) Czechia 2008 when 19.h5 h7 20.hxg7 xg7 21.h3 g4 22.f4 would have left White with a fantastic position. ) 13.b5+ c6 14.c4 e7 15.b4+- ] 12.c3! This looks like a nuance cutting out Bauer's ...Ba3 plans. [ 12.g4 is looked at by Andy Martin in the archives in the notes to Handke-Motwani Port Erin 2003 but Bauer is unimpressed. ] [ T h e Fr e n c h G M o n l y co n sid e r s 12.f3 transposing back into his mainline with a3 ] 12...g5+ Perhaps this logical check is actually an error as if the g2 pawn is too hot then Black is just giving White an extra tempo to develop his knight. [ 12...g6 13.f3 e7 14.h3 f6 ( 14...0-0 15.g4 e4 16.he1 xf3 17.xf3 b4 might be Black's best but I'd still choose W hite after 18.xb4 xb4 19.b3 ac8 20.c3 ) 15.g4 ( 15.xf6 xf6 16.b5 0-0 17.xc6 bxc6 18.e3 ab8 19.e5 gives White a slight positional edge.) 15...e4 16.xf6 xf3 17.xf3 xf6 18.xf6 gxf6 19.b5 c8 276
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.d6 e7 21.hd1 b8 22.e2 and only White can win the endgame but the draw was successfully held in Kaufeld, J (2265)-Boehnke, M (2206) Germany 2005. ] [ 12...h6+ has also been played a couple of t ime s b u t 13.b1 b4 14.g4! g6 ( 14...xc3 15.gxf5 ) 15.h4! xc3 16.bxc3 0-0 17.h5 forces Black to try f6 to keep the piece 18.xe6+ f7 19.f3 and Black doesn't have enough for the pawn. ] 13.b1 c5 This is a logical developing move but in conjunction with her next it leaves an odd impression. [ Taking the pawn is very risky but needs to be examined: 13...xg2 14.f3 g4 A) 15.b5 is also possible and also forces Black to be accurate. This might even be stronger. e4 ( 15...e7 16.hg1 e4 17.d2 d8 18.d4 g6 19.d3 d5 20.xc6 xc6 21.xg7 g8 22.c3 and Black's king has no safe location.) 16.d2 d5 17.e5 h5 A1) 18.xc6 bxc6 19.xd5! is very appealing but xd5 ( 19...exd5 20.xc6+ e7 21.he1+ d6 22.xa8+- ) 20.xd5 cxb5 21.xb5 h5 22.d1 h4 gives Black good drawing chances.; A2) 18.he1 With huge pressure on Black's position, i.e. e7 19.xd5! A v e r y s t r o n g q u e e n s a c ri f i c e . exd5 20.xc6 bxc6 21.xc6+ f8 22.xa8 xh2 23.xd5 c7 24.b5 and White's position looks fantastic to me.; B) 15.d5!? when unfortunately for Black i t a p p e a r s n e c e s s a r y t o p l a y e7 to prevent being mated in the centre but now 16.hg1 h5 17.xc6+ bxc6 18.xg7 ( 18.g3!? ) 18...g6 19.e5 with ongoing pressure. ] [ 13...e7 14.f3 g6 15.b5 0-0? This loses on the spot but the position was already very difficult. 16.xc6 bxc6 17.e5 xg2 ( 17...f6 18.g4 g6 19.h4 h6 20.h5 h7 21.g6 e5 22.xf8+- ) 18.hg1 e4 19.xc6 xc6 20.xg7+ h8 Lutz, D (2139) -Hillmann, M (1763) W illingen 2003 when W hite overlooked forced mate with 21.xh7+! xh7 22.h5+ g8 23.h8# ]
[ 13...b4 would at least try to exchange some pieces but energetic play proves Black still ha s h uge p ro ble ms. 14.f3 g4 15.xb4!? ( 15.h3 e4 16.xg7 g8 17.g4 xe2 18.xe2 xc2+ 19.xc2 xg7 20.b5 leaves Black in an unpleasant ending.) 15...xb4 16.b5+ f8 17.a4! c8 18.d4 xg2 19.hd1 a n d W h i t e 's in it ia t ive is d e cisive : xc2 20.d8+ e7 21.1d7+ f6 22.e5+ g6 23.h4+ g5 24.xf5! 1-0 Schlesinger, O (2207)-Duncker, J (2256) Germany 2004. ] 14.f3 xg2 Grabbing the pawn is extremely foolhardy. [ 14...g4 was played in the only other game to reach this position and looks a better choice. 15.he1 ( 15.h3 is a further possibility when e4 16.g4 xe2 17.xe2 e4 18.xg7 g8 19.c3 xf2 20.hf1 c5 21.b5 is very good for W hite.) 15...0-0 16.h3 f4 17.d7 b4 18.g3 b8 19.xb4 xb4 Feuerstack, A (2286)Storm, R (2235) Germany 2004 and Black was closing in on equalising. ] 15.h4 e4 [ Grabbing yet another pawn simply opens another file towards Black's king. 15...xf2 16.xf5 ( 16.xf2 xf2 17.xf5 exf5 18.hf1 h4 19.xf5 d8 20.xd8+ xd8 21.xg7 g8 22.d4 regains both pawns and would give W hite a great endgame. ) 16...xf5 17.xg7 g8 18.hf1 g6 19.f6 with very strong pressure for the pawn. ] 16.xf5 xf5 17.hg1 I wonder if we were still following Muzychuk's preparation. [ Restoring the material balance was also possible and favoured White: 17.xg7 g8 18.hg1 d8 19.d3 xf2 ( 19...h3 20.b5 xd1+ 21.xd1! leaves Black u n d e r u n p l e a s a n t p r e s s u r e a s xg7 22.e5! wins back the piece when I doubt Black's king will survive very long.) 20.d4! i s a n e a t t r i c k g a i n i n g m a t e r i a l . xg1 21.xf2 xd1+ 22.xd1 xf2 23.e2 ] 17...g8?! This move looks pretty terrible as Anna's energetic play shows. [ 17...d8 is more logical when 18.xd8+ ( 18.d3 now allows xf2 as there's no Bd4 trick. ) 18...xd8 19.xg7 e8 20.d3 f4 277
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 21.h5 although White still has a clear [ 9.b1 is a very meek move given that advantage ] Black isn't threatening to take on b2 anyway. 18.d3 xf2 White pretends that his Rook move is doing [ 18...h3 would prevent White's next but something by playing b2-b4 in short order following 19.e4! Black is totally lost. ] but Black's game is very comfortable: bd7 19.h5! xg1 Repkova decides to give up 10.b4 c7 11.e1 d6 12.h3 h6 13.f1 material to reduce the pressure on her 0-0= 14.a4 e5 15.c5 e4 16.h4 h7 position but at the end of the following forced 17.g4 A very silly move. ad8 18.c1 variation Black can resign. xc5 19.bxc5 h2+ 20.h1 xd4 [ 19...0-0-0 would attempt to get the king to winning, Gazarek,D-Horvath,C/Pula 1998. ] safety but 20.gf1! g6 ( 20...xd3 21.cxd3 9...e7 10.b3 As Black moves his queen e3 22.xh7+- is no better.) 21.xh7 e3 three times, so White moves his bishops. 0-0 22.de1 g5 23.xf7 e7 24.xe6+- 11.g5N would see White suddenly having an extra [ 11.h3 h6 ( 11...e8 12.e2 bd7 pawn whilst still keeping a strong attack. ] 13.ad1 ad8 14.g4 g6 15.e3 d5 20.xg1 xg1 21.xh7 h8 22.xg7 d4 16.xd5 cxd5 Benda,H-Riedner,M/Austria [ 22...xh7 23.xh7 d8 would be a better 1999 ) 12.g4 h7 13.f4 bd7 14.e2 move order but still I feel the h pawn will fe8 15.a4 a5 16.d2 c7 17.g5 decide matters easily. ] hxg5 18.xg5 f5 19.f3 g6 20.c4 h5 23.xh8 xh8 24.g8 0-0-0 25.xf7 21.e4 df6 22.ac3 ad8 23.e3 g7 The complications have cleared and White is 24.ac1 h8 25.g5 d6 left with queen and pawn for rook and knight. Kiss,G-Kamaras,P/ Hungary 2002 The Black Repkova fights on for almost 20 moves but Bishops are more influential and there are the result is never in doubt. e5 26.a3 b8 prospects on the Kingside. ] 27.g6 a6 28.h4 a8 29.h5 e7 30.g5 [ 11.e3 c7 12.h4! I feel that this is c6 31.h6 e4 32.d5 b8 33.xe4 e5 White's best chance in this line to nab the 34.c3 c4 35.a2 d6 36.d5 a7 two Bishops and try to make something of it. 37.e3+ b6 38.e7+ b7 39.b3 a8 It may be worth Black considering an early ... 40.a4 a7 41.c2 a8 42.h7 a7 43.a5 h7-h6 to stop this idea. g6 13.xg6 hxg6 bxa5 44.e3+ 12.Bc3! looks to put a big hole 14.f3 bd7 15.e2 d5 16.d2 b5 in Black's attempts to play the 17.c3 7b6 18.c2 a5 19.h4! xh4 Konigspringerzuruckhaltungspolitik and it'll be 20.h3 e7 21.g3 c4 22.c1 a4 interesting to see if any Black players can 23.xe6! fxe6 24.xg6 h4 25.xh4 f6 repair the damage. Calavalle,G-Lotti,F/Marche Estate 2003 1-0 26.h7++- ] 11...bd7= Once again we are treated to an effortless Scandinavian development by Black 285 B01 and he is fully equal in this position. W hite Myhrvold,Rune 2192 players can get very frustrated by the ease of Pedersen,Lars Erik 2054 this process and go right over the top. 12.e5 [ White can try to fish in troubled waters with Open ch Oslo NOR (6) 08.04.2004 12.h4 but the tactics are easy to rebuff: [Andrew Martin] g4 13.f3 h5 14.f5 b4 15.g3 g6= ] KING HUNT 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.d2 Could be 12...xe5?! [ 12...ad8 was the simple way. Black dangerous if White is allowed to play Bc4 and chooses wild tactics, possibly right for this Nd5 or Ne4. Black moves to prevent this particular opponent. ] scheme. b6! One could argue that Black is moving his Queen too much but the Bd2 isn't 13.dxe5 g4 14.xe7 xf2 [ 14...xf2+ 15.h1 is nothing. ] exactly ideal. 7.c4 f5 Normal service is 15.d2! g4+ 16.f1 Yes, for the first time resumed. 8.0-0 e6 9.e1 278
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 he is starting to think about winning the game. K h 1 o f c o u r s e l e a d s t o a d r a w . xh2+ 17.e2 One of those positions where White is balancing on the edge of the mountain. One would think that the Bishop on e7 would stand him in good stead ... but ... g4+ [ I like 17...ad8! I think Black has at least a draw: A) 18.xd8 xd8 19.e3 a6+ 20.f2 ( 20.b5 xb5+ 21.c4 d3+ 22.f2 xc4 ) 20...g4+-+; B) 18.d6 g4+ 19.d3 f5+ 20.e2= ( 20.c4 a6+ 21.d4 c5+ 22.e3 c4 23.a4 f6 )] 18.d3 fd8+ 19.d6 c5? Goodness me, this fellow is willing to take a risk. Saner players would have preferred [ 19...f5+ which again looks drawn: 20.e2 ( 20.c4 a6+ 21.d4 g4! cutting off the retreat. ) 20...g4+= ] 20.e4?? [ 20.f4 f6 21.d4! was a very strong defensive manoeuvre. One cannot blame White too severely though. ] 20...xd6! 21.xd6 [ 21.exd6 f6! takes away squares and creates multiple threats. Black should win. But it's preferable to the game where White suffers an attack of panic. 22.d7 d8 ] 21...f5+ It's mate in three more moves! A short game which points out the importance of holding the initiative in chess. 0-1
he'll have a pleasant position. Here he didn't... [ 5...e6 is Black's more solid option. ] 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 d7 8.c3 e5 9.d5 Immediately grabbing space and trying to exploit Black's previous. [ 9.0-0 was suggested by Andy Martin. His line continues A) 9...exd4 is rather dangerous 10.e1+ e7 11.b3 ( 11.cxd4 leaves White with a tiny advantage after xd4 12.xb7 b8 13.a6 0-0 14.c3 fd8 15.b1 b4 16.e3 c6 17.f1 f5 18.c2 xe3 19.xe3 d5 20.e4 e6 21.xd5 xd5 and Black was very close to equ ality. Fern andes, A-Dam aso, R Portugal 1992.) 11...b8 ( 11...dxc3?! is bad for Black thanks to 12.xb7 b8 13.xc6 cxb2 14.xb2 xb2 15.a8+ d8 16.c6+ f8 17.xa7 as pointed out by Mueller.) 12.xc6 xc6 13.g5 h6 14.h4 f8?! ( 14...d8 is Karsten Mue ller's sugge st io n bu t af te r 15.cxd4 xd4 16.xf6 gxf6 17.e3 e6 18.c1 White has a lot of compensation for the pawn. ) 15.cxd4 d8 16.d2 Liss, E-Afek, Y Herzliya 1998 was rather unpleasant for Black but here he blundered with A1) 16...b6!? looks like Black's best t r y b u t h e r e e i t h e r 17.e3 ( or 17.ac1!? Mueller ) 17...b4 18.c4 xd4 19.ad1! xe3 ( 19...xd1 20.xd1 xd1+ 21.h2 and despite the material deficit Black's in trouble without a safe haven for his king and p i e c e s w h i c h d o n o t c o o r d i n a t e .) 286 B01 20.xd8+ e7 21.xe3+ xd8 22.xf6+ gxf6 23.b3 c5 24.xb7 Nabaty,Tamir 2493 and White has the better of the ending.; Chatalbashev,Boris 2593 A2) 16...xd4? allowing 17.xe7!+-; Open Eforie Nord ROU (11) 27.06.2010 B) 9...0-0-0 [Gawain Jones] B1) 10.a4 exd4 11.xc6 xc6 12.xa7 c5 De la Torre, I-Krivoshey, 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 f6 S Me t z 2 0 0 1 wa s ve r y p l e a s a n t f o r Recently more time has been devoted to the Black.; immediate B2) 10.b3 looks the critical test. e4 [ 3...g4 ] 11.e2 d5 ( 11...d6!? 12.d2 h5; 4.d4 g4 5.e2 c6 Black's sharpest 11...h5!? ) response to 3.Nf3. Generally, Black gives up B2a) 12.d2!? is also interesting as important trumps, the centre and the bishop f5? fails to ( 12...e8 13.c2 f5 p a ir, b u t in re t u rn h e d ru m s u p a st ro n g 14.c4 d6 15.b4 g5 16.b5 d8 initiative with his development advantage and 17.xd6+ xd6 18.c4 f4 pressure on White's centre. If White survives 279
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Leventic, I -Filipovic, B Zadar 2003 was highly unclear.) 13.xe4! fxe4 14.g4+-; B2b) 12.c2 didn't make much sense, encouraging Black's kingside initiative f5 13.d2 f4 14.c4 g5 15.b4 xb4! 16.xf4 gxf4 17.d5 g7 18.dxc6 hg8 19.g4 fxg4 20.xe4 gxh3 21.cxb7+ b8 22.e5 d6 23.fd1 xc3 24.xd6 xe5 and Black's attack hit first. 0-1 Webb, R -Povah, N West Bromwich 2004.; B2c) 12.d1 Kovalev, A-Krivoshey, S Rymarov 1999. when Black could have used the trick d6!? to complete his development although the position is still a little better for White with 13.c4 f4 14.xf4 xf4 15.d5 e5 16.c5 although Black has reasonable counter chances.; B3) 10.g5 exd4 ( 10...b8!? is also interesting (GJ)) 11.g4 xg4 12.xd8 leaves a curious material imbalance. B3a) 12...h5 has also been tried. 13.h4 ( 13.g5!? ) 13...ge5 14.cxd4 Rios Parra, A-Krivoshey, S Salou 2005 when Black should have r e c a p t u r e d o n d 4 w i t h xd4 with a respectable position.; B3b) 12...xf2 13.xf2 xd8 ( 13...xd8! GJ is far stronger as Black shouldn't worry about 14.xf7 d3 with d e ce nt co mp en sat io n .) 14.cxd4 c5 15.h1 c8 16.c3 xd4?! (GJ) 17.d2 e8 18.e2 e4 19.c1 d6 20.xc6 xc6 21.xd4 e8 22.f3 g5 23.d5 Shabalov, A-Gershon, A Paget Parish 2001. ] [ 9.b3 e4 ( 9...a5!? 10.c2 exd4 11.cxd4 c6 12.xc6 xc6 13.xc6+ bxc6= looks fine to me.) 10.e2 0-0-0 11.d2 h5!? 12.c4 d5 13.d2 f5 14.0-0-0 e7 and Black could be happy with his opening. Felgaer, R-Gershon, A Linares 2001. ] [ 9.dxe5 is very tame and practice has shown that Black shouldn't have any worries after the simple xd1+ Kabanov, N-Genba, V St Petersburg 2000. ]
9...e7 10.c4 g6 [ 10...e4 was tried by Dave Smerdon who's experienced in the Scandinavian. However his position was dodgy following: 11.e2 f5?! ( 11...c6 looks interesting although W hite retains an advantage with 12.c3 cxd5 13.cxd5 a6 14.c4 ) 12.g4! The Englishman finds a strong dynamic reply. b4+ 13.c3 h4 14.g5 ( 14.g5! g8 15.d4 would cause Black's position to totter.) 14...g6 15.b3 e7 16.0-0-0 0-0 17.h4 d6 18.b5 f4+ 19.b1 e5 and David used his higher rating to offer a tactful draw. 1/2-1/2 Ashton, A-Smerdon, D Port Erin 2007. ] 11.0-0 c5 White has the bishop pair and has caught up in development whilst he can try pressing forward on the queenside and thus should have an advantage. However, as Chatalbashev shows, Black's counterplay s h o u l d n o t b e u n d e r e s t i m a t e d . 12.b3 As taking the pawn on b7 doesn't work out well, perhaps here W hite should look f or alternatives. [ 12.c3 0-0 13.e1 a6 is a little better for W h it e bu t pe rf ectly p la ya ble f o r Blac k . 14.g5 can be safely responded to by f5 ( while relocating the knight with 14...e8 is also interesting. )] 12...0-0! 13.xb7? Very foolhardy. It wasn't too late to keep an easy equality with Now Chatalbashev shows why he's famed as an attacker. [ 13.e3 ] 13...e4 14.e2 ab8 15.c6 [ 15.a6 e7 isn't so different to the game b u t a t l e a s t t h e q u e e n wo u l d n ' t lo s e a tempo against ...Ng6-e5. ] 15...e7 So White is a pawn up but that's the end of the positives. Black has queen, rook and three minor pieces all pointing towards White's king and the e4 pawn is a very useful battering ram. 16.c3 e3 17.fxe3 [ 17.f4 h5! doesn't slow Black's attack: 18.f5 e5 19.a4 h4 and I see no reason why White should survive. ] 17...xe3+ 18.xe3 [ 18.h1 looks like a better bet although d4! ( 18...xc1 19.axc1 xb2 is better for Black but allows White to fight on. ) 19.d1 ( 19.f3 e5 is no better.) 280
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19...xc3 20.bxc3 e4! 21.f4 f2+! 22.h2 xf4 23.xf2 e5 wins, White's pieces are too uncoordinated for any hope. ] 18...xe3+ 19.h1 xb2 20.d1 xe2 21.xb2 h4! 22.g1 e4 Perfectly precise play. Now White must deal with the threat of ...Ng3+ and ...Qe5. 23.xc7 [ 23.d3 is W hite's last hope but xd3 24.xc7 f5! threatening ...f4 to claim the g3 square is decisive. ] [ 23.d1 would fail to deal with the threat: g3+ 24.h2 e5 when the computer informs me it's mate in 7! ] 23...f2 and Nabaty threw in the towel as he has no defence to ...Ng3+ and ...Nf3 mate. An extremely energetic display by the Bulgarian Grandmaster who shows the hidden potential in Black's position. I believe that with perfect play White has a couple of different ways for an advantage but no human is perfect and White's positions are difficult to keep together. 0-1
bd7 12.h4 c5 13.dxc5 c7 and Black had at least enough play on the queenside here although W hite could consider the risky A1) instead after 14.e4 Black went on to score a quick win: xe4 ( 14...h6! 15.xf6+ xf6 and I slightly prefer Black ) 15.xe4 ac8 16.c6 c5 17.xf6 xf6 18.xh7+? a nice idea bu t it d o e sn 't qu ite wo rk h e re ! xh7 19.g5+ g8 20.h5 fd8 21.xf7 xf7 22.xc5 c7 23.xd8+ xd8 24.c4! d2 0-1 Vujacic, B (2318)-Djukic, N (2509) Bar 2010; A2) 14.b4!? here to try and hang on to the pawn but it's hardly convincing; B) 6...h6 7.xf6 exf6 8.h5! g6 9.e2+ e7 10.0-0-0 ( 10.e3! delaying Black from castling also looks promising here) 10...0-0 11.h4 Sutovsky true to style immediately goes for the attack ( 11.e3 again looks stronger, e.g. g7 12.f3 d7 13.b3! with a pleasant edge for White ) 11...h5 12.f3 f5 13.h3 b5 14.b3 xh4! I think Black can safely take 287 B01 this pawn but of course it's a risk! 15.g4 fxg4 16.fxg4 hxg4 17.f4 g7? Naiditsch,A 2706 one mistake is all it takes in this kind of Danielsen,Hen 2501 position ( 17...f5! 18.h2 g5 19.fd5 N1 Reykjavik Open 2014 (6.4) 08.03.2014 d7 and White has a dangerous attack... [Tom Rendle] but is it enough for two pawns?) 18.e5+ f6 19.e4 g5 20.b1 f5 21.h5+! 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 4.d4 ( 21.xa8?! xf4 i s j u s t u n c l e a r) f6 5.c4!? Slightly unusual from Naiditsch, 21...gxh5 22.xf5 f6 23.e4 f3 developing the bishop rather than playing the 24.e5+ f6 25.xc7 e7?! ( 25...f4 usual 5.Nf3 - the idea is he wants to play was the only chance but Black is still only Nge2 later and not allow a pin with ...Bg4. j u s t h a n g i n g o n a f t e r 26.b7 c6 The other move we've seen here is 5.Bg5 and 27.e7 g6 28.e2 ) 26.h2! h4 Naiditsch has tried this before, see Naiditsch27.g2 d7 28.xg4 h6 29.d5 f5 Djukic which I annotated in 2012. Still his 30.xh4+! xh4 31.xe7 h5 32.dg1 setup isn't a success, at least as far as the f6 33.d5 1-0 Sutovsky, E (2655)-Djukic, opening goes as Danielsen shows the right N (2528) Crete 2007 ] way for Black to handle this setup. a6 6.a4 6...c6 7.ge2 e5! This looks like the critical [ 6.g5!? A) 6...e6 perhaps Djukic was better off test of White's setup [ 7...f5 didn't work out so well for Black in sticking with what he'd previously played the following game but of course he but I suspect he was worried about could've improved: 8.0-0 e6?! ( 8...b4! running into Sutovsky's preparation 7.f3 9.b3 e6 prevents White's idea of d5 and b5 8.d3 e7 9.e2 ( 9.xf6!? xf6 Black is close to equalising after 10.e1 10.0-0 b7 11.e4! is perhaps slightly e7 11.g3 g6 12.ce4 bd5 13.c3 b e t t e r f o r W h i t e) 9...b7 10.0-0-0 0-0 ) 9.d5! exd5 10.xd5 e6 ( or This feels rather risky to me 0-0 11.b1 281
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10...e7 11.g3 e6 12.xf6+ xf6 13.xe6 fxe6 14.h5+ g6 15.g4 a n d B l a c k i s i n s o m e t r o u b l e a l r e a d y) 11.ef4 xd5 12.xd5! xd5 13.xd5 d7? ( 13...e7! looks a bit grim but Black is surviving here after 14.e1 c6 15.e3 xd1 16.xd1 d8 and Black is only a little w o r s e a f t e r 17.d2! ) 14.e1+ d8 15.g5+ ( 15.f4! d6 16.xd6 xd6 17.b6! a7 18.g4 wins immediately) 15...c8 16.f4 c5 17.xc7 b4 18.b6+ xb6 19.xb6 d5 20.d4 xb6 21.xb6 d8 22.a3 1-0 Ljubicic, F (2398)-Plenkovic, Z (2366) Zupanja 2007 ] 8.d5 [ 8.dxe5 is very unambitious xd1+ 9.xd1 xe5 10.b3 d6 11.0-0 0-0 and if anything Black has a slight edge in a fairly dull queenless middlegame ] 8...b4 9.g5?! f5 [ 9...h6! immediately is also good ] 10.b3 h6! 11.xf6 [ it seems a shame to give up the bishop pair but after 11.h4 g5! 12.g3 d6 the bishop on g3 is rather shut out of the game and I like Black's position ] 11...xf6 12.g3 0-0-0 [ 12...g6! 13.0-0 0-0-0 and Black keeps the bishop pair and a slightly better position ] 13.xf5 xf5 14.e2 e7 15.0-0-0 d7 16.b1 hd8 17.he1 f6 The position is still roughly equal but the presence of opposite coloured bishops is interesting here. In an ending it would lean to wards ma king th e positions more drawish but here it helps the side with the initiative. 18.f3 b8 19.g4! Naiditsch starts to take control of the light squares h7 20.d2?! Perhaps missing Black's next move [ 20.a5! slowly increases the pressure. Black can keep the position level but only with accurate play c6! 21.dxc6 xc6 22.xd7 xd7 23.a4 d4! 24.g2 d8 and chances are still about equal ] 20...c6! 21.ed1 d4 22.xd4!? A n i n t e re s t i n g e xch a n ge sa cr i f i ce b u t i t shouldn't be enough here exd4 23.xd4 d6?! [ 23...c5! 24.e4 h5 25.h3 hxg4 26.hxg4 h8 is much more active and White doesn't really have enough compensation here,
although it will be difficult for Black to win without a further mistake from White ] 24.e4 f5 25.e6 f8?! Black is playing too passively and this allows White time to bring the bishop on b3 back into the game 26.c4! Suddenly there are real threats of Bxa6 fxg4 27.fxg4 [ 27.xa6! is already very close to winning bxa6 28.xa6 gxf3! the only move! ( 28...g5? 29.b5 c5 30.c6 and a5-a6 is very difficult to stop b4 31.a5! xa5 32.c5 b6 33.xf8+ b7 34.xh6 and White is winning) 29.b5+ ( 29.b5? now loses to c5 30.c6 f2! 31.xc5 f1+ 32.a2 f2 33.d4 xd4 34.xd4 f5 ) 29...c8 30.c6! b8 31.xd7 f2 32.e8+ xe8 33.xe8+ b7 34.f7 c5 and Black is hanging on here - the f-pawn is enough of a distraction to hold the draw although it's still tricky! ] 27...dd8 28.e4 g8 29.g5 Black starts to get the better of it around here [ 29.xa6 bxa6 30.xa6 f7 is just a perpetual here 31.b5+ c8 32.a6+ b8 ( not 32...d7?? 33.c6+ c8 34.xd6+ xd6 35.xd6 ) 33.b5+ ] 29...hxg5 30.xg5?! [ 30.xa6 is again a draw ] 30...h8 31.g6 h4 32.e6 f2 33.d3 h8 Suddenly Black is very active and should have the advantage but first he must defend accurately on the queenside 34.b3 h3 35.d3 xh2 36.xg7 e3? Under pressure (both position and possibly on the clock as well) Danielsen makes a first mistake in a while and Naiditsch immediately seizes upon it [ 36...h4! was the key here allowing the rook to come to b4 for defense, for example 37.xc7! h1+! 38.a2 b4 39.xa6+! ( 39.a3? h4 wins ) 39...bxa6 40.g8+ a7 41.g7+ a8 42.g8+ a7 43.g7+ b6!? 44.a3 a5 45.g6 h2 46.c3 e5 47.cxb4 xd5+ 48.b3 a1+! 49.xa1 xb3 50.xd6+ c7 51.d4 xa4+ 52.b1 axb4 and Black can press for a win but this looks like a fortress for White after 53.c2 a5 54.b3 ] 37.xc7! xc7?! [ 37...e1+ 38.a2 b4 39.xb4 xb4 40.e6 2h5 and Black should hold the 282
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 11...c6 12.h1 xe4 ( 12...0-0-0 is risky but perhaps it's just about playable. Still, W hite has an easy plan after 13.c3 and slowly preparing b4 so I wouldn't like to b e B l a c k h e r e .) 13.fxe4 0-0 14.c3 and Black is struggling for space in the centre ] [ 11...xe4! 12.fxe4 c6 13.d3 d7 is perhaps Black's most solid setup but White still has control of the centre and with 14.c3! he is well placed to start a kingside attack with Nf4 ] 12.dxc5 288 B01 [ 12.c3 allows xe4 13.fxe4 cxd4! 14.xd4 c7 15.d3 0-0 and Black Naiditsch,A 2710 should be fine. ] Stevic,H 2626 TCh-CRO Ia Liga 2013 (7.3) 20.09.2013 12...xc5+ 13.h1 xe4 14.fxe4 0-0 15.f4! This move signals what is to come [Tom Rendle] Naiditsch is massing his forces for a kingside 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 attack and Black will have to be extremely f6 5.d2 g4 6.f3 d7 7.c4 b6 accurate to defend. c6 [ 15...xb2?! is, unsurprisingly perhaps, too 8.ge2 e6 9.0-0 greedy: 16.c3! b6 17.h5 e5 ( or [ 9.b3 led to an easy win for Anand against 17...e7 18.g4 g6 19.g5 with a winning Van Wely in the archives but the move itself attack, e.g. gxh5 20.g3! xg5 21.xg5+ isn't particularly dangerous as can be see h8 22.f6+ g8 23.f3 and Black is from the analysis to that game. ] completely lost) 18.xg7! xg7 19.h5 9...e7 10.a4 e8 20.f3 and despite the extra piece [ 10.b4!? is a typical idea in these kind of there is no way for Black to survive. ] position and it's well worth considering here. N o t o n l y d o e s i t s e i z e s p a c e o n t h e 16.h5 d4 [ 16...e5? loses to 17.c3! queenside but it prevents a ...c5 break from A) 17...xc4? 18.f6+ h8 ( 18...gxf6 Black. 0-0 11.b1 ( 11.a3 was safer a6 19.g4+ h8 20.xf6# ) 19.h5 wins; 12.e3 and White is a little better, Black has B) 17...d6 18.e1 and with Rd1 coming to be wary of a quick Qd2 and d5.) 11...a5?! as well as Qg3 or Qh4 Black is in trouble. ] ( 11...a6 12.e3 b5! is not so clear) 12.b5 a4 13.e3 d8 14.d3 ( 14.f2!? e8 17.g4 c5? A first big error from Stevic and 15.e4 was perhaps slightly more already it's the decisive mistake. [ 17...h8 was an only move and now there accurate ) 14...e8 15.e4 d5 doesn't seem to be a crushing blow f or and now in Muzychuk, A (2594) -Daulyte, D White although he can keep a very pleasant (2363) Belgrade 2013 W hite could've p o s i t i o n w i t h 18.ad1 g8 19.c3 achieved an obvious advantage with ( 19.xf7?? runs into e5 ) 19...e5 16.xd5! exd5 17.4c3 and Black is rather 20.e2 xc4 21.xc4 c5 22.e3! xe3 cramped - in particular it will be tough to 23.xd7 and Black is still purely on the develop the knight on b8. ] defensive. ] 10...a5! Otherwise White will play a5 with a good game. 11.e4!? A new and interesting 18.e3! xc4 [ 18...f5 loses to 19.xg7+! xg7 20.xc5 idea from Naiditsch, forcing Black to find a fc8 21.xg7 xg7 22.ad1 and Black is plan before castling. c5 a pawn down with a completely hopeless [ t h e p o i n t i s t h a t 11...0-0 12.g5! position. ] will leave Black with doubled pawns and an 19.e5! A nice touch, closing off the bishop exposed king. ] draw with accurate defence ] 38.d6 c8 39.dxc7+ xc7?! A final mistake brings the game to an abrupt conclusion [ 39...a7 40.f5 xb3 41.cxb3 hh8 and it's unclear if W hite is winning in this ending but obviously he has good chances ] 40.g8+ c8 41.d5 c6 42.e4! hh6 43.e5+ a8 44.e8+ [ 44.e8+ a7 45.xb7+ xb7 46.xc6+ xc6 47.xe3 ] 1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 from g7 so Black has no choice but to give up [ 6.xf6 exf6 7.c4 his queen but there's no way back at this A) 7...c6 looks like an interesting sta ge f or St evic. xf1+ 20.xf1 xe5 alternative here but maybe White has an 21.f4?! e d g e a f t e r 8.h5! e7+ 9.ge2 g6 [ 21.xg7! h8 22.h5 opens up Black's ( 9...xd4?! 10.d5! xc2+ 11.d2 king and would've led to an easier win ] c5 12.xf6+ gxf6 13.xf7+ d8 21...f5 22.g3 f6 23.b3 d8 24.d1 14.xf6+ e7 15.xe7+ xe7 16.xc2 c6 25.g3 h8 26.e5 f7? This brings leaves Black with insufficient the came to a swift conclusion compensation for a pawn) 10.h4 f5 [ 26...xe5 27.xe5 g8 was more 11.g3; stubborn but Black is so passive that after B) 7...e7 is a possibility and perhaps 28.b3 e4 29.d7 c6 30.g3 Black simplest way of playing.; he is still going to lose in the end although C) 7...b4 8.e2+ e7 9.0-0-0 xc3 f4! 31.xf4 ad8 will give him the slimmest ( 9...0-0 10.a3 d6 11.d3 and White of hopes to setup some kind of fortress with keeps a tiny advantage) 10.bxc3 xe2 his rook and bishop. ] 11.xe2 c6 12.he1 0-0 13.f4 27.xf6 gxf6 28.c3 e5 29.d6 was unpleasant for Black in Filippov, A [ 29.xa5! ] (2558)-Golod, V (2575) Tashkent 2009 ] 29...e7 30.g3 e6 31.xe6 d7 32.d6 6...c6 7.c4 f5 g8 33.xg8+ A tricky new idea from [ 7...b5!? 8.b3 e6 9.a4 g5 10.g3 b4 Na i d it s c h t h a t i sn ' t s o e a s y f o r B l a ck t o 11.ce2 c5 12.f3 b7 13.a5 neutralise. ha d ch a nce s f o r b o t h sid e s in B rk ic , A 1-0 (2541)-Kurajica, B (2555) Zadar 2006 but n o w B l a c k w e n t w r o n g w i t h xf3?! ( 13...e7 w a s b e t t e r) 14.gxf3 d6?! 289 B01 15.dxc5 xc5 16.xd8+ xd8 17.h4! and White's two Bishops and extra activity Naiditsch,Arkadij 2712 gave him an obvious advantage. ] Djukic,Ni 2523 40th Olympiad Open (5.3) 01.09.2012 8.xf6 [ 8.f3 had been played against Djukic [Tom Rendle] before but with no success after e6 9.e5 bd7 10.e2 xe5 11.dxe5 d4! 12.g3 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 4.d4 d5 and Black was already better in f6 5.g5 Not as unusual a move as I P a va s o vi c , D ( 2 5 6 6 ) - D j u k i c , N ( 2 5 2 1 ) expected but it hasn't been covered yet on Portoroz 2005 ] ChessPub, so I'll do my best to do an 8...exf6 9.e2+ e7 10.0-0-0 I'm not sure overview of the variation. h6 [ 5...c6 6.c4 f5 7.xf6 ( 7.f3 this aggressive move is best here as Black takes us back into more of an mainline seems to get very easy play and W hite's position and now e6 8.e2 e7 9.0-0-0 Kingside attack was not as dangerous as he 0-0 and Black had no real problems in Jansa, hoped [ 10.f3 seems more sensible to me and the V (2478)-Kolbak, J (2262) Rijeka 2011) question is does White have any real edge 7...gxf6 8.ge2 e6 9.0-0 ( 9.h4!? after 0-0 11.0-0 d6 12.ae1 c7 s e e m s m o r e c h a l l e n g i n g b u t b6 ( 12...g4?! 13.h3 h5 14.e4 is a good reply and Black is doing fine after and Black has to take on f3 anyway here so 10.b3 h5 ) 9...d7 10.g3 g6 11.e1 W h i t e i s o b v i o u s l y b e t t e r) 13.h3 b6 12.b3 e7 13.a4 c7 ( 13...a5 and I susp ect th e a nswer is tha t W hit e is logical and pretty much equalises) 14.a5 keeps slightly the better chances as he can d5 15.a6 b6 with unclear equality in always play Bd3 to swap off light-squared Belov, V (2619) -Szabo, G (2525) Rijeka Bishops ] 2010 ] 10...0-0 11.f3 b4! A move that shows 6.h4 284
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black has no real problems here at all. 12.g4!? [ 12.h4 h7 13.d3 xc3 ( 13...a5 allows 14.e4!? with dangerous play) 14.bxc3 a5 15.xh7+ xh7 16.b2 d7 and White has to be careful ] 12...h7 [ 12...xg4 is possible but White does get a d a n ge r o u s a t t a c k a f t e r 13.hg1 h5 ( 13...c8!? might be safer) 14.e4 h8 15.xg7! xg7 16.g1+ h8 17.h4 so perhaps Black was wise to decline the pawn ] 13.d3 xd3 14.xd3 a5 15.e4!? An interesting pawn sacrifice designed to complicate a position that was heading for dull equality - but ultimately it backfires. [ 15.a3 xc3 16.xc3 xc3 17.bxc3 d7 is just equal ] 15...xa2 16.c3 e7 17.g5? Another interesting idea but this one doesn't really work against accurate defence [ 17.h4 would've been much more challenging, for example d7 18.f5 fe8 19.h4 and White is building up a decent attack on the Kingside. Still, I prefer Black after a5 ] 17...fxg5! [ 17...hxg5 18.de1 is less convincing for Black ] 18.h4 [ 18.de1 now doesn't have any threat of Nxg5 ] 18...g4 19.e5 a5 Black chooses to go on the attack which works out very well, although it may not have been objectively the most accurate move. [ 19...e6 would've been the safe option W hite doesn't really have compensation here and Black is just going to play Nd7 on the next move. ] 20.dg1?! [ 20.hg1! was perhaps a trickier way to play, e.g. h5 ( 20...a4? 21.xg4 and it's White's attack that is the more dangerous because now e6? 22.de1 wins ) 21.g3 a4 ( 21...g6?? 22.xg6 ) 22.xh5 a3 23.d2! suddenly isn't so clear as axb2 ( 23...f5! 24.b1 d6 still leaves Black with the ad va nt a ge b u t t h e p o sit io n is st ill ve ry unclear ) 24.b1 blocks off Black's attack ]
20...a4! 21.xg4 e6! An important move that holds Black's position together [ 21...h8?? loses to 22.ef6! xf6 23.xf6 gxf6 24.g3 ] [ 21...d7?! 22.xh6+ h8 23.g3 g6 24.h5 and Black is coming under a nasty a t t a c k a l t h o u g h i t ' s n o t c l e a r a f t e r g5 25.xg5 a3 ] 22.b1?! Too slow but perhaps there was nothing really in the position for White [ 22.e5 a3 23.bxa3 xa3 24.g3 g6 and White has no breakthrough ] [ 22.g3 looks dangerous but in reality there Black can simply continue with a3! 23.bxa3 xa3 and sadly White's best here is to swap Queens into a miserable ending with 24.e5 ] 22...f5 [ 22...a3! is also very strong ] 23.ef6+? [ 23.xh6+ was relatively best but after xh6 24.c4+ h8 25.g5 h5 26.e6 b5 27.d3 f6 and White doesn't have anything special here - still at least here th e re a re ch a n ce s t o get b a ck in t o t h e game. ] 23...xf6 24.xh6+ h8 25.xf5 e8 [ 25...a3! would have been more to the point, Black is simply winning now as he has the more dangerous attack as well as an extra piece ] 26.h5 [ 26.e1 is a better try but Black is winning e a si l y e n o u g h a f t e r g8 ( 26...xe1+ 27.xe1 xe1+ 28.a2 a6 is also good enough ) 27.d6 xe1+ 28.xe1 d7 29.g6 h7 ] 26...a3! 27.d5 Pure desperation xd5 [ 27...e2! kills the game off immediately ] 28.xd5 cxd5 29.h6 g5 30.f4 axb2 31.xb2 This gets mated but it was safe to resign in any case. e2+ 32.b3 d7 33.fxg5 c5+ 34.b4 d3+ White resigned as it's mate next move. 0-1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 290 Najer,Evgeniy Ajrapetian,Gevorg TCh-RUS Premier (11) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2638 2419 23.04.2011
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 [ If Black is anxious to avoid the game continuation he can try either 4...c6 or 4...a6 but th is one looks a little pre mat ure . A recent game continued 5.f3 ( 5.ge2 has been looked at in the archives by John Tisdall. Check out Sprenger, J (2326)-Ristic, A (2155) Metz 2001.) 5...b5?! This lunge is too weakening. ( 5...f6 would transpose to a more theoretical position but one in which White has been scoring well recently.) 6.a4! b4 7.e4 d5 8.d3 f6 9.e2 b7 10.eg5! And suddenly the GM playing Black f o und he could no t def en d his f 7 pawn. a5 11.c4 ( 11.e5 is even more crushing ) 11...d5 12.e5 bd7 13.exf7 g8 14.e5 b6 15.e6 c8 16.c5 e6 17.xd5 bxd5 18.c4 1-0 Djukic, N (2486)-Kurajica, B (2531) Sarajevo 2011. An opening experiment that I doubt will be repeated. ] 5.b5!? We've looked at this jump with 5.Nf3 g6 thrown in but not this immediate attack on the queen. The idea is to be able to play c2c4 when White's extra space should grant him a s m a ll a d van t a ge . b6 Black keeps his queen out hoping to disrupt W hite's development. A somewhat risky strategy it's interesting to note that Tiviakov used ...Qd8 against GM opposition but this sidestep in order to generate greater winning chances. [ 5...d8 This retreat has been played more often. In comparison to 3...Qd8 Black has spent an extra tempo with his queen but White will have lost two with his knight (Nc3b 5 - c 3 ) . T h e r e f o r e W h i t e m u s t t r y 6.c4 when, as usual in the 3...Qd6 Scandinavian, i t ' s u s e f u l t o f o l l o w S e r g e y T i vi a k o v' s defence. c6 7.c3 A) Other GMs have tried 7...g4 when 8.f3!? l o o k s c r i t i c a l . ( 8.e2 xe2 9.gxe2 bd7 10.0-0 g6 11.f4 g7 12.c2 0-0 13.ad1 and White had a small plus but Black was solid. Najer, E
(2635)-Berg, E (2593) Khanty Mansiysk 2007. ) 8...f5 9.g4 g6 10.h4 h5 11.g5 is the most dynamic reply and worked well in the game Najer, E (2634) -Kharitonov, A (2524) Moscow 2008. g8 12.h3 f5 13.b3 c8 14.f4 e6 15.f2 e7 16.fe4 g6 17.d6+ xd6 18.xd6 d7 19.a3 and White had a clear edge.; B) 7...f5 This has been Tiviakov's choice. 8.f3 e6 9.e2 ( 9.h4!? g4 10.b3 i s i n t e r e s t i n g .) 9...e7 ( The second time the Dutchman reached this position he opted to keep the bishop with 9...h6 and drew easily. 10.0-0 e7 11.d3 xd3 12.xd3 bd7 13.f4 0-0 14.fe1 e8 15.e4 xe4 16.xe4 b6 17.e2 c5 18.e3 f6 19.ed1 ac8 20.ac1 a6 21.b3 1/2-1/2 Leon Hoyos, M (2490)-Tiviakov, S (2635) Lodi 2008. ) 10.0-0 0-0 11.h4 g6 B1) In a recent game White deviated with 12.e3 bd7 ( 12...h5!? 13.xh5 xh5 14.xh5 xh4 15.d5 exd5 16.cxd5 f6 17.fd1 and White has an edge as Black's failed to complete his development.) 13.xg6 hxg6 14.d5!? exd5 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.xd5 c5 17.xf6+ gxf6 18.h6 e8 19.b5 e7 20.c1 a6 21.a4 b5 22.b3 b6 23.d5 ae8 24.h4!? and White still retained an edge thanks to his bishop pair and kingside initiative. Vysochin, S (2526)-Zolotukhin, V (2338) Olginka 2011.; B2) 12.xg6 hxg6 13.f3 a6 14.e3 d6 15.b3 b8 16.g3 e8 17.ad1 c7 18.fe1 c8 and Black's position was passive but solid. Certainly in the ga me W hite f ailed t o achieve a n y t h i n g a n d a f t e r 19.e4 xe4 20.xe4 a5 21.a3 a4 22.c2 e5 a draw was agreed, albeit rather pre ma t u re ly a s W h it e st ill re t a in s a n i g g l i n g e d g e . K u r n o s o v, I ( 2 5 9 3 ) Tiviakov, S (2635) Plovdiv 2008. ] 6.c4 The logical follow up. [ Instead White has tried 6.d5?! attempting to trap the queen but this makes W hite's position too loose. e6 7.e3 c5 8.xc5 xc5 9.d6 a6 10.dxc7 0-0 286
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 pleasant for Black.) 16.cxb5 axb5 ( There wasn't anything wrong with 17.xb5 Rozentalis, E (2577)-Caspi, I 10...xc7 as 11.d6+ e7 12.xc8+ (2408) Israel 2008 when a6 18.xa6 axc8 leaves Black with a completely safe xa6 19.c3 c4+ 20.g1 d7 king and huge development advantage.) gives Black great play for the pawn.; 11.c3 d7 12.d4?! ( 12.d6 xb5 B1b) 9...0-0 would leave White with 13.xc5 xc5 14.xb5 d5 15.f3 p r o b l e m s d e v e l o p i n g a s 10.d3 xc7 16.e2 would have allowed White to ( 10.a4 b4+ 11.d2 xd2+ retain rough equality.) 12...xc7 13.gf3 12.xd2 d6 ) 10...e8 followed by e5 14.b3 e7 15.e2 fd5 16.0-0 f4 ...e5-e4 is awkward.; 17.e1?! ad8 18.c2 f6 19.f3 f5 B2) 8.e2!? xd4 9.f3 c5 20.e4? h3+! 0-1 Armbrust, F (2321)10.xe5 e7 looks acceptable.; Tiviakov, S (2684) Neustadt an der B3) 8.dxe5 g4 9.h3 c5 10.c2 Weinstrasse 2009. ] c6? This fails tactically ( 10...e6 6...c6 Black's two moves to kick back the would leave Black with strong play for knight have been tried an equal number of the pawn. ) 11.d5 d4 when times. The move chosen is solid but I can't 12.a4+! works tactically: ( Instead of help feeling that if Black is simply going to 12.d1?! as played in Gavric, M (2398) develop his pieces normally then his queen K u r a j i c a , B ( 2 5 3 9 ) N e u m 2 0 0 5 .) might be bette r ba ck on d8 as it 's rathe r 12...c6 13.xc6+ bxc6 14.xc7+ offside here on b6. e7 15.g5+ f6 16.exf6+ gxf6 [ 6...a6 is the sharper alternative when Black 17.xa8 c2+ 18.d1 xa1 19.d2 has to play dynamically. 7.c3 and White has an extra pawn while his A) T h e s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d 7...c6 knigh t ca n escape more ea sily tha n isn't enough to equalise: 8.d5 g4 9.h3 Black's. ] d4 10.e2 xe2 11.xe2 left Black w i t h p r o b l e m s i n c o m p l e t i n g h i s 7.c3 [ 7.c5 d8 8.c3 was tried in one game d e v e l o p m e n t . H e t r i e d f5 12.0-0 but Black can equalise with the customary ( Forcing the pieces back with 12.f3!? f6 break e5! ( I n s t e a d t h e s a f e 8...g6 13.g4 d7 14.f4 0-0-0 15.e3 b4 was played in Blesic, V (2383)-Milanovic, D 16.0-0-0 looks very pleasant for White with (2499) Vrnjacka Banja 2010.) 9.dxe5 his extra space and development xd1+ 10.xd1 d5= and c5 drops when a d v a n t a g e .) 12...0-0-0 13.g5 g6 Black is fine. ] 14.d1 h6? ( 14...e5 15.h3 f6 looks respectable for Black as 16.xe5?! 7...g6 [ 7...g4!? should also be considered when e8 17.d4 h6 18.f3 xh3 19.h4 Black is close to equality. g4 is better for Black.) 15.f3 e5 16.h3 A) 8.ge2 to keep the bishop pair is h5 Safarli, E (2587)-Agaragimov, D (2313) s e n s i b l e b u t a6! sets White some St Petersburg 2009 when 17.h4 h7 concrete problems on the light squares. 18.xf5 xf5 19.hxg4 hxg4 20.e3 White's best looks to be ( Instead 8...e6 h5 21.f1 h1+ 22.e2 xg2 9.h3 xe2 10.xe2 c7 11.0-0 d6 23.e4 leaves Black insufficient play for 12.e3 f4 13.xf4 xf4 14.d5 the piece.; gave White an edge. Shimanov, A (2583) B) 7...e5! Opening up the position is the Rozum, I (2468) St Petersburg 2011.) 9.h3 most energetic approach. f5 10.g4 g6 11.c5 a5 12.f4 e5 B1) 8.d5 was Rozentalis' choice and he with a highly complex position.; eventually triumphed but c5 9.c2 B) 8.e2 xe2 9.gxe2 e6 10.0-0 e7 B1a) Instead 9...g4 10.h3 0-0 11.d5 exd5 12.cxd5 0-0 13.e3 c7 11.d3 f5 12.a4 b4+ 13.f1?! 14.c1 d8 15.b3 a6 16.b5 d7 Ove r-o p tim ist ic d4 14.a3 e7 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.fd1 and White still had 15.d2 b5!? ( 15...d7 16.c3 a5 a slight edge but Black held the draw. followed by ...Nb8-a6-c5 is very 287
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Amonatov, F (2647)-Zhigalko, A (2572) Moscow 2009. ] [ Again 7...e5!? should be considered, exploiting Black's temporary development edge. 8.dxe5 ( 8.e2!? xd4 9.f3 c5 10.xe5 e7= is again satisfactory.) 8...g4 9.e2 c5 10.e4 0-0 ( 10...b4+ 11.d2 xe5 12.a3 xd2+ 13.xd2 e7 and White's advantage is minimal. ) 11.xc5 xc5 12.f4 b4+ 13.d2 a6 14.a3 a4?! The queen is rather misplaced here. This was Khruschiov, A (2400)-Sulava, N (2526) Ohrid 2001 when ( 14...e7 retained good compensation.) 15.h3 h6 16.g4 f6 17.exf6 e8+ 18.f2 looks risky but Black's queen is offside so it looks as though White's doing well. ] 8.h3 Preventing Black from exchanging his light squared bishop. [ 8.f3 would transpose to a position more often reached via the move order 5.Nf3 g6 6. Nb5!? I f eel W hite should have slightly better chances here but Najer attempts to get a better version. ] 8...g7 9.f3 0-0 10.d3 I'm not convinced that this is the best square as the bishop rather gets in the way on the d file. [ Instead a high powered blitz game continued 10.e2 which I think would be my choice. Th e downsid e is of course tha t Bla ck ' s b is h op ca n de velo p t o f 5 b ut it appears White still has an edge. d8 11.0-0 f5 12.a4!? c7 13.e3 bd7 14.c1 e5 15.d5 f8 16.c3 Svidler, P (2754)Kramnik, V (2772) Moscow 2009 and White c o n ve r t e d . I t 's in t e r e st in g t o n o t e t h a t Kramnik tried this line three times with Black in the blitz tournament but he failed to score a single point. ] 10...c5!? Not the first move you'd look at as the pawn has moved once already. [ I n s t e a d d e v e l o p i n g w i t h 10...a6 looked flexible, preparing the break. ] 11.d5 [ W h it e c o u ld a lso h a ve ch o se n 11.dxc5 with a slight initiative while White can hope to make gains on the queenside. However Bla c k h a s t h e e xtra ce n t ra l pa wn . O n e sample line runs xc5 12.e3 a5 13.0-0 c6 14.a3 d8 15.b4 h5 16.e2 e5 17.xe5 xe5 18.c2 and White has a
slight edge thanks to his queenside space. ] 11...e6 12.0-0 a6 [ 12...d8!? also looks possible. The most forcing line is 13.g5 xb2 14.a4 a3 15.c1 b4 16.b1 a5 17.b5 c7 18.xc5 d6 which is respectable for Black. ] 13.f4 This is actualy the first new move of the game. [ Earlier White tried 13.dxe6 xe6 14.a3 ad8 15.c2 c6 16.g5 c7 17.e3 b6 18.ad1 c8! 19.ge4 fe8 20.xf6+ xf6 and Black equalised and even went on to win. Fontana So tomayour, L (2373)Magem Badals, J (2553) Montcada 2009. ] 13...h5 Black declines grabbing the pawn immediately. [ However the pawn grab must be critical. Arjapetian was obviously concerned about 13...xb2 14.e5 when White certainly has good compensation but perhaps no more than that, e.g. a3 15.b5 a5 16.d6 b4 17.e1 xd3 18.xd3 exd5 19.cxd5 a6!? 20.xa6 bxa6 21.ad1 d8 22.g5 d7 23.xf6 xf6 24.e8+ g7 25.ge4 and White has managed to keep some initiative but perhaps Black's play can be improved. Anyway grabbing the pawn is certainly dangerous. ] 14.e5 Najer continues to offer the pawn. [ It was possible to keep the b2 pawn by t h r o w i n g i n 14.a4!? a5 ( 14...d8 15.g5 is a bit better for White) 15.d6 d7! 16.c3 fe8= and Black's almost completed his development with a respectable position. ] 14...xe5 15.xe5 xb2 16.c1 I'm not convinced Black's plan of exchanging bishops first has really worked. True he no longer has to worry about discovered knight attacks but now his king is rather vulnerable. b6 Black runs his queen back but now he struggles to develop his queenside. [ 16...b4 17.b1 b6 would at least allow Black to complete his development but the queen's location on b2 is very precarious which he can exploit with 18.e1 exd5 19.e2 a3 20.b5 a5 21.a3! wh ich win s ma t eria l a s a6? 22.c6 traps the queen. ] 17.e1 c7 18.d2 f6 19.g5 g7 288
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 19...exd5 20.cxd5 d6 21.cd1 doesn't solve Black's problems. ] 20.cd1 White's pieces are perfectly positioned while Black still has problems completing his development. The extra pawn is rather meaningless here. d8 [ 20...exd5 21.cxd5 cxd5 22.xd5 xd5 gives W hite a choice between grabbing a p a w n b a c k w i t h 23.xf7 ( A n d m y p r e f e r e n c e 23.c4! d8 24.e5+ f6 25.g3 which gives White a lot of pressure for the couple pawns.) 23...xf7 24.xd5 when Black can still not complete h i s d e v e l o p m e n t a s f5?! 25.c4 wins material, f6? 26.e7+ cannot be considered. ] 21.e4 [ 21.c2 was also possible as d5 is not yet hanging. exd5 22.cxd5 ce8 23.e3 is still dangerous for Black. ] 21...exd5 22.cxd5 ce8 23.f3 d6 Black has defended well and is preparing to finally develop his queenside, hence White's following choice: 24.g4!? Perhaps preparing g4-g5 to gain further attacking chances on the kingside but more importantly preventing Black using the f5 square. a5 25.e3 e8 26.f4 d8?! After playing very well Black makes a small error, after which Najer doesn't look back. [ 26...h6!? threatening ...g5 keeps White's attack under control. The important tactic to be aware of is 27.h4?! allows xe5! ] [ 26...b4!? 27.g3 g5! would also see Black starting to see the upper hand. ] 27.de1 Building up a slow burn attack on the kingside against which Black is pretty powerless. [ A tactical possibility was available in the shape of 27.c6! which looked very strong bxc6 ( 27...d7 28.g5 g8 29.xe8 xe8 30.d6! bxc6 31.g4 d8 32.d7+- ) 28.dxc6 xe3 29.xe3 and Black fails to keep his material, i.e. h5 ( 29...e6 30.e5 c4 31.xd8 xe5 32.xa8 xf3+ 33.g2 d4 34.c7+- ) 30.g5 fe8 31.c7 xc7 32.xa8 ] 27...h6 As there's no longer any tactic preventing h4 I think this just further weakens Black's kingside but it isn't easy to offer an alternative. 28.h4 e7 29.g2 c7 30.a4!
Keeping full control of the position and preventing Black from achieving any counterplay before breaking open Black's position. fe8?! [ 30...c4 was probably essential to prevent White's next. ] 31.c4! a6? And this just loses material. [ 31...d7 would have kept the material temporarily but 32.g5! followed by Bg4 is too strong. ] 32.xe8! xe8 33.xe8 xe8 34.xc7 Two knights for rook and pawn but Black's sad queenside is still undeveloped. Black tries a crazy bid for counterplay but White converts easily. b5 35.b6 b4 36.xa8 bxc3 37.xc5 e1 38.xc8 d2 39.d6 c2 40.d7 1-0
291 Najer,Evgeniy Kovalenko,Igor Open A Moscow RUS (6) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2665 2486 04.02.2010
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 [ 5...c6 is still causing White problems to gain an advantage and was seen no less than three times in the A group of Corus last month. 6.e5 ( 6.g3 was attempted by Fabiano Caruana to break Tiviakov's opening: g4 7.g2 e6 8.0-0 e7 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 0-0 11.e2 finally deviating from a previous Tiviakov game which had gone 11.Bf4 Socko-Tiviakov and agreed drawn which is examined by John in the archives. bd7 12.g2 e5 13.c3 ad8 14.b3 c7 15.dxe5 xe5 16.e3 when White had a small advantage with the two bishops but Black is very solid. Caruana converted eventually in a long game with very good technique. I remember being convinced the game was going to end in a draw, Caruana-Tiviakov, Corus 2010) 6...bd7 7.c4 ( Instead on the White side, earlier in the tournament, Ivanchuk tried 7.f4 but failed to get any real advantage after d5 8.xd5 xd5 9.f3 b6 10.e2 f5 11.c3 e4 12.d2 c2 289
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.xc2 xc2 and the game was ultimately agreed drawn, Ivanchuk-Tiviakov, Corus 2010 ) 7...c7 It's surprising to see Ivanchuk attempt the Black side but he must have been convinced of it's sound solid game when preparing for his game against Tiviakov. 8.d5!? A new move. White immediately tries to force some concessions in Black's camp. g6 ( 8...b6 looks like an immediate equaliser 9.dxc6 bxc6 10.d4 xc4 11.xc4 e5 12.d3 e7= Black's increased control over the kingside and centre compensates for the damaged queenside.) 9.d4 g7 10.f4 ( 10.d6 d8 doesn't get White anywhere.) 10...d8 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.0-0-0 0-0 13.d2 b7 14.h6 c7 15.xg7 xg7 16.e3 b6 17.e5 ac8 18.e1 fe8 19.f3 xe5 20.xe5 bd5 although this even favoured Black. The Black pawn structure remind me of certain lines of the Dragon but when Black has control over the d5 square he has nothing to fear, White could never really us e t h e c 5 s qu are . 1 / 2-1 / 2 Dom in gu e z Perez-Ivanchuk, Corus 2010 (56) ] 6.h3 h5 7.g4 g6 8.e5 bd7 9.b5 Deviating from 9.Bf4 seen in Kosten-Govciyan in the archives. This move must be critical for the future of this variation. b6 10.c4! Of course b5 isn't really en-prise as W hite has the discovered check on d6. e6+ [ 10...c6 is also possible although after 11.d5! Black is forced to go down the following variation xd5 12.xd5 xd5 13.xc7+ d8 14.xd5 e4 15.g1 xd5 16.f4 White has some advantage as Black's exposed king on d8 gives him some problems along the d file. ] 11.e2 [ 11.e3 was tried previously in this position A) 11...b6 i s a l s o p l a y a b l e 12.g5 ( 12.c4= ) 12...a6 13.c3 e4 14.g2 xc3 15.bxc3 e6; B) 11...0-0-0 12.f4 ( 12.xa7+ grabs a pawn but leaves W hite dangerously behind in development b8 13.b5 h5 14.g5 e4 gives Black very good compensation, it's not clear where W h i t e ' s k i n g w i l l e v e r f i n d s a f e t y .) 12...d5?! ( 12...e4 13.g1 a6 14.c3 is very messy but again W hite will find
problems finding a safe square for his king. ) 13.f5 xe3 14.fxe6 xd1 15.exd7+ xd7 16.xd1 e6? ( 16...a6 17.c3 xd4+ 18.d3 White's piece is more effective than the three pawns as his pieces will coordinate faster.) 17.a3? ( 17.xa7+ b8 18.b5 c6 19.c3 xd4+ 20.d3 gives Black nothing like enough ) 17...xd4+ 18.e2 0-1 RigoScharrer, Arco di Trento 2007 (52) ] 11...xe2+ [ 11...c6 12.f4! d5 13.xc7! i s u n c o m f o r t a b l e f o r B l a c k a s xc7 14.bd6+ d8 15.a5 xh1 16.axb7+ xb7 17.xb7+ c8 18.a5 leaves Black's king seriously exposed. ] 12.xe2 d8 [ 12...0-0-0 13.xa7+ b8 14.b5 xc2 15.f4 d5 16.g3 also has Black under pressure on the queenside ] 13.a5 [ 13.e5 c6 ( 13...xe5 14.dxe5 ) 14.xg6 hxg6 15.c3 e6= and Black is rock solid and has nothing to fear. ] 13...c6 14.c3 c8 15.f4 And so Black has his typical super-solid pawn structure and if he can just switch around places of the rook on a8 and king then he would have the better c h a n c e s . H o we ve r t h i s i s i m p o s s i b l e t o achieve and so W hite has chances to hold onto the initiative. e6 [ The pawn is taboo 15...xc2 16.c1 e4 ( 16...g6 17.d5 c5 18.f3 Despite the queens being traded Black encounters big problems, d6 is a big threat while White also has ideas of Nb5 and b4 while how exactly does Black develop any pieces?) 17.xe4 xe4 18.d5 c5 19.f3 d6 20.b4 b6 21.bxc5 bxc5 ( 21...xc5 22.b3 ) 22.c6 ] 16.a3 [ 16.0-0-0 b4 17.c4 b6 18.d6+ xd6 19.xd6 bd5 20.xd5 xd5 is theoretically better for W hite with the two bishops but Black shouldn't have too many problems, he has successfully swapped off enough pieces that he will be able to finally develop his rooks while he still has his perfect structure. ] 16...b6 [ 16...xc2!? This pawn might be edible now 290
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.c1 g6 18.g5 ( White should probably play 18.f3 and play slowly when he has some compensation for the pawn as it is still awkward for Black to develop his final pieces. ) 18...e4 19.b5 ( 19.d5 exd5 20.xd5 c5 ) 19...a6! 20.c7 a7 21.xa6 d6 22.xd6 xd6 23.xc6 bxc6 24.xc6+ d8 25.xd6 e7 26.xd7+ ( 26.c6 e4 ) 26...xd7 ] [ 16...e4! looks like it equalises 17.d3 d6= ] 17.0-0-0 e7 18.h4 h5 19.g5 e8 20.f3 Black has to watch out for sacrifices on c6 which he falls for in the game. Black still has problems developing while W hite has coordinated his pieces well. d6 21.e2 d5 22.e5 c7 23.b3 h7 [ 23...b6 24.c4 e7 25.a1!? with the idea to reroute the knight to c2 and then either to e3 or b4 is slightly better for W hite but at least Black can bring out that a8 rook. ] 24.c4! b6 [ 24...e7 25.f4 is also extremely unpleasant for Black. ] 25.a5 xe5?! This just makes it worse [ 25...d7 26.xc7 xc7 might still be manageable for Black. ] 26.dxe5 d7 27.xc6! [ 27.xd7! i s a l s o v e r y s t r o n g xd7 28.xb7 c7 29.a5 White gets two pawns for the exchange while Black's pieces are still imp ossible to co ordinat e while Black's king will also find itself in difficulty. However the game continuation is simpler and also winning. ] 27...bxc6 28.xc6 xe5 [ 28...b8 29.xd7+is of course totally lost. ] 29.xa8 c7 30.g2 d3+ 31.d2 xf2 32.d4 xh1 33.xh1 so Black has survived without dropping any material but his rook on h7 is looking decidedly silly while White's queenside pawns are extremely fast. f6 [ 33...h8 34.c6 a6 35.e7+ d8 36.xg6 fxg6 37.e3+ e7 38.c6 d8 39.xd8 xd8 40.d4 e7 41.e5+W hite is totally dominating, Black has an awful pawn structure and his knight cannot move ] 34.c6 e8 35.gxf6 gxf6 36.xa7+
White picks off the a pawn and now has three connected passed pawns. Black already could resign, his own two connected passed pawns wo n ' t h e l p m u c h . b8 37.c6+ b7 38.d4+ a6 39.f1 h6 40.b4 g6 41.b5+ b6 42.c3 e5 43.b3 xb5 Black tries to get rid of all White's pawns as his best winning try. 44.cxb5 xb5+ 45.b2 d6 [ 45...g4 successfully gets rid of the h4 pawn 46.xf6+ c7 47.c6+ d8 48.f3 xh4 49.e2 h2 50.c2 xa3 51.xa3 is of course totally lost but at least might force White to show he can remember how to mate with bishop and knight vs king:) ] 46.d5 e4 47.c1 f5 48.c6+ a7 49.d4 e3 50.b5+ b8 51.xd6 e2 52.c8+ a7 53.c4! A cute finish. b6+ 54.c2 1-0
292 Najer,Evgeniy Kruchev,Boris ch-Rapid Olginka RUS rapid (4) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2638 2256 25.04.2011
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 It's been a while since this queen retreat has been examined on the site. Generally I've felt this is solid but non-critical and White should have various ways to gain an edge due to his development advantage. However White has t o b e c a r e f u l a s if t h e a d va n t a ge o f t h e temporary initiative dries up then Black will stand well. 4.d4 [ W h i t e c a n a l s o d e l a y d 4 w i t h 4.f3 wh ich is t ricky f o r Bla ck t o h an d le . f6 ( Glek has tried to exploit White's move o r d e r w i t h 4...g4 but this looks like it should be a comfortable edge for W hite. 5.h3 xf3 6.xf3 c6 7.b4!? is an int erestin g wa y to e xploit Blac k's missing c8 bishop. a6 8.b1 f6 9.a4 e6 10.b5 1-0 Gabrielian, A (2520)-Glek, I (2560) Moscow 2006. ) 5.c4 A) 5...f5 has been the most common but Black now encounters difficulties following 6.e5! e6 7.f3 when a game from this year saw Black surviving only a few more moves. 291
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A1) 7...c8 looks best when Rybka suggests 8.h3!? Preparing taking on f7. ( 8.xf7? Immediately fails to g4! ) 8...d6 ( 8...xc2?! is far too risky. One sample line could continue: 9.d3 b4 10.d2 0-0 11.c1 xc3 12.xc3 a4 13.0-0 bd7 14.xd7 xd7 15.g3 g6 16.fe1 with a huge initiative.) 9.xf7 c6 10.xd6+ cxd6 11.f4 d5 12.b3 0-0 13.0-0 and Black appears to have some compensation for the pawn but a pawn is still a pawn!; A2) 7...c6? has actually been played m o s t c o m m o n l y b u t n o w 8.xf7+is very strong.; A3) 7...d4?! 8.xb7! xe5+ 9.e2 c6 ( 9...e4 10.xe4 xe4 11.xe4 xe4 12.f3 is the lesser evil.) 10.d4 a5 11.f4 b4 12.0-0 0-0 13.c7 and Black found his queen embarrassingly short on squares. bd7 14.xa5 xa5 15.xc6 fc8 16.a6 1-0 Tesik, C (2299)-To, N (2340) Budapest 2011.; B) 5...e6 is probably safest but White can usually claim an edge in these positions due to the blocked in bishop on c8.; C) 5...a6 Recently this seems to be Black's preferred method of exploiting the early bishop sortie. 6.d4 b5 C1) 7.b3 c5 8.a4 ( 8.dxc5 xd1+ 9.xd1 e6 10.a4 1/2-1/2 Papp, G (2545)-Szabo, G (2568) Szombathely 2010 wasn't much of a game but I suppose therefore a successful opening by Szabo. ) 8...c4 9.a2 b6 Reached an interesting position. The bishop on a2 is currently totally out of play but the question is whether White, by playing actively, can exploit Black's over-extension before he gets round to some development. In Getz, N (2333) Djukic, N (2494) Aix-les-Bains 2011 the young Norwegian succeeded in defeating the GM from Montenegro but it c e r t a in l y wa s n ' t so l e l y d o wn t o t h e opening choice. 10.e5 e6 11.0-0 b7 12.e3 bd7 13.d5 c5 14.xd7 xd7 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.h5+ g6 17.xc5 xc5 18.h6 0-0-0 19.axb5
axb5 and the position remained highly complex but White ultimately triumphed.; C2) 7.d3 This is actually a rare retreat but looks a more active square to me. Black can try and claim that he's gained a tempo with ...a6-b5 but W hite can counter that he is rather over-extended. Remember too that Black arguably lost two tempi with ... Qd8-d5-d8. e6 8.g5 ( 8.a4!? b4 9.e4 bd7 10.0-0 b7 11.e2 looks slightly more comfortable for White to me but fully playable for the second player.) 8...e7 9.e2 b7 10.0-0 0-0 11.fd1 bd7 12.e5 xe5 13.dxe5 d5 14.xd5 xd5?! ( 14...xg5= ) 15.e3 b8 16.b3 and White ultimately exploited his extra couple hundred rating points. Timofeev, A (26 7 7)-Dju kic, N (2 49 5 ) S ara je vo 2010. ] 4...c6 [ U s u a l l y B l a c k s t a r t s w i t h 4...f6 which seems more flexible to me but likely to t ra n sp ose t o simila r p o sitio n s . 5.c4 This looks the most accurate to me. ( 5.f3 is more common but this gives Black further options. ) 5...e6 ( 5...a6 6.f3 transposes to 4.Nf3; 5...c6 6.f3 would transpose to the game. ) 6.f3 And White should have a definite edge as the bishop is blocked in on c8. One recent game continued: c6 7.0-0 e7 8.f4 0-0 9.e1 a6 10.a3 d5 11.xd5 exd5 12.d3 g4 13.c3 h5 A n d B la c k h a d d e f e n d e d we ll t o r e a c h almost equality but never succeeded in getting quite there and ultimately went down. S ve t u s h k i n , D ( 2 5 6 0 ) - O r l o v, A ( 2 5 0 2 ) Rethymno 2010. ] 5.c4 f6 6.f3 f5 If Black has to play ... e6 then White can claim an edge due to the blocked in bishop on c8 and so this is the critical test. 7.e5 And White continues to go down the critical line. [ Of course 7.0-0 can also be played but one feels this shouldn't trouble Black unduly. ] 7...e6 8.g4 g6 9.h4 b5?! This hasn't been considered previously and probably for good reason. To me it feels that this is too weakening. [ 9...bd7 was twice the choice of England's 292
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 number one Mickey Adams, admittedly over 10 years ago. Here Andrew Martin's suggestion of 10.f3! looks strong, e.g. xe5 ( 10...c7 was seen in Philippe, C (2360) Mateuta, G (2435) St Lorrain 2003 but here 11.e2! would leave Black with severe problems. ) 11.dxe5 d5?! ( 11...d7 was necessary but White still has the upper ha n d a f t e r 12.h5 xe5 13.b3 xd1+ 14.xd1 xh5 15.xh5 xf3 16.e3 d8+ 17.e2 d4+ 18.f2 as with so many pieces left on the board a piece is worth more than three pawns.) 12.xd5 exd5 13.h5 d4 14.hxg6 dxc3 15.xd8+ xd8 16.xh7 ( 16.gxh7!? ) 16...cxb2 17.xb2 g8 18.gxf7+ xf7 19.f4 saw White with a clear extra pawn. Hanley, C (2322) -Vujatovic, R (2249) Hastings 2004. ] [ 9...b4 has been the most common and covered a few times on this site before but th is wh o le line h a s ra t h e r f a lle n o u t o f fashion. I've had a look with newer computer analysis. 10.f3! This looks critical. W h it e t h re a t e n s h 5 t r a p p in g t h e B la c k bishop. ( 10.h3!? is looked at by Volzhin in Ponomariov, R (2550)-Garcia Ilundain, D (2520) Pamplona 1996 ) A) The computer advises Black to try his lu c k wi t h t h e p ie ce sa cr i f i c e 10...xc2 although this is condemned by Volzhin. 11.xc2 xd4 12.e2!? ( 12.f4 is recommended by Volzhin and should g i v e W h i t e a s m a l l e d g e a f t e r bd7 13.xd7 xg4! 14.b3 xd7 15.d2 but Black still has three pawns for the piece. ) A1) 12...b5?! was given as an improvement but here W hite has the shot 13.xf7! xc3+ 14.f1 0-0 15.xe6 xf7 ( 15...a5 16.e3! and the queen ha s actually becom e trapped. ) 16.bxc3 leaves White with a material advantage.; A2) 12...xc3+ 13.bxc3 xc3+ 14.f2 xa1 15.d1 c3 16.b2 b4 17.xf7! with a decisive attack. Perez, L (2459)-Lopez Martinez, J (2465) Varadero 2000.; B) 10...d5 This is Volzhin's suggestion in the archives and more common but with
correct play I think White has a clear edge. 11.xd5 cxd5 ( 11...xd5 12.h5 xc2 13.xc2 f6 14.d3 xf3 15.g1 is clearly very good for White as observed by Volzhin.) 12.h5 ( This looks a lot more reliable than the 12.e2 of Kotronias, V (2570) -Candela Perez, J (2430) X Anibal Open, Linares 2003 analysed by Andrew Martin. ) 12...f6 13.hxg6 fxe5 14.gxh7 B1) V o l z h i n o n l y l o o k s a t 14...c7 giving the line 15.d2 c6! ( 15...exd4 16.e2 xd2+ 17.xd2 c6 18.0-0-0 e5 19.f4!+- ) 16.dxe5 g6 17.b5 xe5+ 18.e2 xb2 19.xe6+ e7 but here the computer observes White can improve over 20.Nc7+ with 20.e2! xc2 21.d6+ xd6 22.xd6 d8 23.e5 f7 24.ac1 xa2 25.c7+with a decisive advantage.; B2) 14...e7 15.dxe5 c6 Prokopchuk, E (2520)-Lopez Martinez, J (2468) Moscow 2005 when continuing in the same spirit with 16.d2 followed by Q e 2 a n d 0 - 0 - 0 g i ve s W h i t e a c l e a r edge. ] 10.b3 b4 11.f3! We've seen this idea before. Black cannot retain his light squared bishop and doesn't even have ...Bxc2 ideas to complicate the position. d5 12.xd5 cxd5 [ 12...xd5 13.h5 f6 14.hxg6 fxe5 15.d2 A) 15...xd4 16.e2 ( 16.gxh7!? ) 16...h6 17.0-0-0 leaves White with a strong attack.; B) 15...xc3 16.xc3 h6 17.dxe5 and Black has no compensation for the pawn. ] 13.h5 f6 14.hxg6 fxe5 15.dxe5 [ 15.gxh7 looks even stronger when Black is a pawn down and has nothing to show for it. True the position is complex but I struggle to s e e p o s i t i v e s i n B l a c k ' s c a m p . c7!? ( 15...c6 16.dxe5 xc3+ 17.bxc3 xe5 18.e3 f6 19.f4 c4 20.d3 ) 16.d2 ( 16.f2!? ) 16...exd4 17.xb5 g3+ 18.f1 xd2 19.xd2 xf3+ 20.g1 xg4+ 21.g2 xg2+ 22.xg2 a6 23.xd4 c5 24.c4 and Black has managed to survive to a materially level ending but is extremely passive and I have a feeling that the h7 pawn should win the day. ] 293
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15...c6 [ 15...h6 was necessary, at least to prevent White having a passed pawn on the seventh but of c ourse W h ite is still on top af te r 16.d2 i.e. xc3 17.xc3 g5 18.e2 0-0 19.d2 xg6 20.xb5 xf3 21.0-0-0 ] 16.d2 [ Again 16.gxh7 was strong transposing to 15...gxh7. ] 16...e7 [ 16...xc3 17.xc3 h6 should have been played when at least Black is only a pawn down although the natural line 18.f4 0-0 19.f3 e8 20.0-0-0 xg6 21.f5 leaves White with a very dangerous attack and completely safe king. ] 17.xh7 h4+ 18.f1 0-0 19.h5 White has an extra two pawns and as long as he's careful should be able to convert the win. b4 20.a4 [ 20.b5 i s a b e t t e r s q u a r e a s a6 can be met with 21.g2! axb5 22.h1 xe5 23.g5! xg6 24.xd8 xd8 25.e1 with a large material advantage. ] 20...e8! A good practical try. [ 20...c8 is the computer's top suggestion but 21.c3 bxc3 22.xc3 leaves Black with very little to show for his material deficit. ] 21.g2! Najer declines the piece, a good practical decision in rapid chess. [ 21.xh4 Suddenly allows Black's pieces to become active although objectively White is s t ill b e t t e r. Ho we ve r t h e f o llo win g lin e indicates some of Black's chances: xe5 22.h3 xg6 23.f4 ac8 24.g1 c4! 25.b3 d4 26.e2 e4 27.g2 exf4 28.xf4 xf4 29.h1 xg4 30.f3 h6+ 31.g1 xf3 32.xf3 h2+ 33.f1 h4 and Black looks to be holding the draw. ] 21...xe5? But this knight was necessary to crea te pro ble ms in W hit e's ca mp so this sacrifice is unsound. [ 21...e7! was best and would force White t o f i n d a c c u r a t e m o ve s t o s u r e u p h i s advantage 22.xh4 xg6 23.h2! xa4 24.c4! d7 25.c2 f7 26.f4 ] 22.xe5 xa4 23.h5! f6 [ 23...f6? a l l o w s m a t e w i t h 24.h8+ so Black is forced to give up the piece with absolutely zero compensation. ]
24.xh4 xg6 25.a3 d7 26.axb4 e5 27.h1 f8 28.h8+ f7 29.xf8+ xf8 30.h5 f6 31.xe5 a6 32.e1 d4 33.g5 These lines with 7. Ne5 and 8.g4 are complex but White looks to have great chances. 1-0
293 Nevednichy,Vladislav Afek,Yochanan 5th Open La Fere FRA (6) [Eric Prié]
B01 2576 2316 12.07.2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 e4?! 6.d3! In this line it is clear that moves like 6.Bd2?! (or 6.Qd3?) will a l wa ys m a k e t h i s v a r i a t i o n l o o k a l m o s t playable for Black. The question then may be: what is the point of proposing such games when Black has been consistently crushed all year long when faced with this critical move? To draw a red herring across the trail of chess Truth? This is hardly going to stop people from playing this refutation, you can take my word for it. xc3 7.bxc3 g6 8.0-0 g7 9.e1 c6 A Novelty. 10.h3!? [ 10.d2 g4 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 0-0 May have been the idea behind it ... a l t h o u g h e ve n t h i s d o e s n o t lo o k v e r y promising after ( 12...xd4? 13.cxd4 xd2 14.b5+ c6 15.xc6+ ) 13.ad1! e5 ( 13...xa2? 14.a1 b2 15.eb1 ) 14.d5 e7 15.c4 a4 16.c3 ] [ 10.b1!? ] 10...f5 In order to profit from the move order, it is now or ... a lot later, as illustrated by the next games. 11.b1! xd3 [ 11...0-0-0 12.b5 xa2 Practice suggests it is not very wise to open two files o p p o s i t e o n e ' s o w n k i n g . . . ( 12...xc3? 13.b2 )] 12.xd3 0-0-0 Castling 'coffin side'?! Or else, how to defend b7? [ 12...b8 13.d5 d8 ( 13...d8 14.d6; 13...xc3 14.b5 ) 14.b5 xa2 ( 14...a6 15.c4 a5 16.xc7 xb5 17.xe7# ) 15.e4 xc3 16.dxc6 xe1 17.cxb7 0-0 18.xe1 ] 13.c4 e6 [ 13...d5 14.a4 a5 15.xa5 xa5 294
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.xe7 ] 14.b5 a6 15.f4 d7? [ 15...d5! 16.a4 hd8 17.eb1 ( 17.g5 f5 18.xf7 xf7 19.xe6+ dd7 ) 17...8d7 And there is no direct win in sight for White since 18.d2? allows xd4! ] 16.eb1 a5? [ 16...d5 17.g5! f8 ( 17...f5 18.xf7 xf7 19.xe6+ d7 20.xb7; 17...xd4 18.cxd4 xd4 19.c3 xf4 20.xh8+ ) 18.e4+F o l l o w e d b y N c 5 . a5? 19.xc7# ] [ 16...h6 17.d2! ] [ For all the tactical hints given above 16...e8! Then was the most stubborn. 17.b3 b6 18.c4 b7 ] 17.d3 c6 Realizing the unavoidable nature of the capture on b7 a bit late. [ 17...c6 18.xb7 xb7 19.a6!! xa6 20.b8# ] 18.xb7 xd3 19.cxd3 f6 20.d5! [ 20.d5 exd5 21.d4 ] 1-0
294 Ni Hua Muzychuk,Anna Corus B Wijk aan Zee NED (6) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2657 2523 22.01.2010
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.a4!? A new move for the site. White decides he'd prefer having a4 and a5 thrown in. On the downside it gives Black the b4 square potentially but it also makes the thematic b6 break harder to achieve for Black as she will be forced to recapture with the c pawn rather than the preferred a pawn. a5 [ Ann a trie d 6...g7 last time she reached this position but I feel White should be able to get the advantage without too much effort here. 7.a5 6d7 8.c3 A) 8...0-0 was tried by Boris Savchenko, a high rated Grandmaster recently 9.e2 c6 A1) A case could be made f o r 10.0-0 when after Black's only logical break e5 11.g5 f6 ( 11...f6 12.e3 ) 12.xf6 xf6 13.b5 exd4 14.xc7 b8 15.d5 g7 16.b4 gives White a
pleasant game.; A2) 10.d5 Committal. White forces Black's knight to move again but leaves the c5 square vulnerable. b4 11.0-0 c5 12.e3 b6 13.d4 was a little better for White. I'll leave the rest of the game as it was a nicely played game by the young Pole. d7 14.b3 ba6 15.f3 b8 16.axb6 axb6 17.xc5 xc5 18.a7 f5 19.b5 xb2 20.g5 ( 20.f4! ) 20...b7 21.a2 e5 22.e1 d6 23.h6 e8 24.d4 f6 25.ae2 d7? ( 25...b8 26.g4 d7 ) 26.g4! Suddenly the bishop's trapped e5 27.xe5 xe5 28.xe5 c8 29.e3 b8 30.f4 b7 31.g3 d7 32.d6! c6 33.dxe7 xe7 34.xc6 1-0 Swiercz-Savchenko, Budva 2009; B) 8...c5 9.dxc5 ( I prefer 9.d5 k e e p i n g t h e b i n d o n t h e q u e e n s i d e .) 9...xc3+ ( 9...0-0!? 10.e3 xc3+ 11.bxc3 c7 looks double-edged. Black will be better if she completes development so White needs to go for an attack against the exposed Black king 12.d4 c6 13.h4 f6; 9...a6!? ) 10.bxc3 xc5 11.xd8+ xd8 12.e3 ba6 and Black didn't really have anything to f ea r and went o n to win in Dembo Muzychuk, Kusadasi 2006 0-1(57) ] 7.c3 [ 7.c5 Immediately has also been tried but it gives Black additional options d5 8.c4 A) 8...g7 has been played more often when 9.Nc3 would be a direct transposit ion to the game while 9.b3 is the other way to play for White A1) 9...e6 10.c3 ( 10.g5 was played in Real de Azua-Luconi, Mendoza 2008 1-0 (30) but instead of 10...f6 I'd prefer e7 not weakening the kingside squares.) 10...c6 11.0-0 ( 11.xd5 seems to lead to a long forcing line exd5 12.xd5 0-0 13.0-0 g4 14.g5 xd4 15.xf7 xb3 16.xd8+ h8 17.f7+ xf7 18.xb3 e7 which nets White a pawn but gives B l a c k ve ry go o d d ra wi n g ch a n c e s .) 11...0-0 12.d1 ce7 13.g5 Gave W hite a comfortable advantage and Black's bid for counterplay with f6 295
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.h4 g5 15.g3 h5 16.h3 g4 17.hxg4 hxg4 18.e1 c6 19.d6 f5 20.xd5 exd5 21.e2 f6 22.d3 g6 23.df4 xf4 24.xf4 h6 25.g3 didn't improve matters for him Le k ic -Jo van o vic, He rce g Novi 2 0 0 6 1-0(65); A2) 9...c6 10.c3 0-0 11.0-0 ( 11.xd5 taking the pawn is also p o s s i b l e h e r e cxd5 12.xd5 c6 13.e3 g4 14.0-0 ) 11...b4 has been seen in a couple of games and looks promising for W hite but Qb3 so early isn't necessary and he might find the queen has a better square.; B) 8...c6 9.0-0 I'd prefer 9.Nc3 tran sp os in g b ack in to t h e ga me style position. g7 10.c3 cb4 11.e1 e6 12.b3 ( 12.xe6! looks like a thematic sacrifice ruining Black's pawn structure and significantly weakening his king fxe6 13.g5 d7 14.g4 when White will pick up a pawn for the exchange too and ha ve go o d co m p e n sa t io n .) 12...0-0 13.g5 f5 and Black had at least equalised, It's important for White not to allow Black to set up his knight on the d5 outpost while 14.xd5 xd5 15.xd5?! xd5 16.xe7 cannot be advised as B l a c k c o u l d p l a y t h e s i m p l e d8 gives Black a clear advantage as he's regaining the pawn on d4 when White will regret his queenside pawn pushes. ( Instead in the game Mader-Tomczak, Neuhausen 2007 Black played 16...f6 which was also strong and he converted in 32 moves. )] 7...g7 8.c5 d5 9.c4 b4 Perhaps Black should transpose into the previous notes with 9...c6 or 9...e6 [ 9...xc3 looks too obliging this is exactly th e p awn s tru ct ure W h it e is a im in g f o r 10.bxc3 0-0 11.0-0 h6 12.c2 e6 13.f4 1-0 Szabo-Malmdin, Caleta 2009 (42) ] 10.0-0 0-0 [ Black cannot play 10...g4? immediately as it falls for the well known trick 11.xf7+ xf7 12.g5++- ] 11.h3 And now Ni Hua prevents Black developing the bishop to the ideal g4 square
b6 Muzychuk decides to play this despite having to recapture with the c pawn. [ The other option would be 11...f5 12.e3 8c6 ( 12...c2 13.c1 xe3 14.fxe3 Gains Black the two bishops but White has a big centre now and attacking chances d o w n t h e f f i l e .) 13.d5 ( 13.c1 is also possible slowly building up when it's unclear what the bishop is doing on f5.) 13...e5 14.xe5 xe5 15.h6 e8 16.e2 f6 17.ad1 gives White a pleasant space advantage. ] 12.cxb6 cxb6 13.g5 This is a useful square for the bishop. Not only does it put pressure on e7, it also means that it will be harder for Black to utilise the d5 square. a6 14.b5 Of course W hite would prefer not to trade bishops but to keep as many pieces on the board as possible. The d4 pawn will become wea ker with eve ry exchan ge. Me anwhile White will want to put pressure on the e7 and f7 pawns. d7 15.b3 f6 [ 15...c8 16.fe1 f6 17.e5 is rather similar to the game. ] 16.e5 fd5 17.fe1 b7 On the surface, Black can be fairly happy with her opening sh e 's m an a ge d t ot a l co nt ro l o ver t h e d 5 square thanks to the b4 outpost which keeps e7 and f7 adequate defended. However Black is a little passive and it's unclear how she improves her position much. She wants to exchange as many pieces as possible, a perfect endgame would be a knight on d5 against the dark squared bishop. W hite on the other hand has more space and the d4 pawn is useful at the moment and so White needs to hold on to the initiative and attack! 18.d2 e6 19.ac1 c8 20.g3 e7 [ 20...e7 Trying to reroute that knight to f5 and the other from b4 to d5 would be a sound strategic plan but unfortunately it fails tactically to 21.xf7! xf7 22.xe6 xc1 23.xc1 d5 24.xf7+ xf7 25.g5 Leaves White with rook and two pawns for the two pieces which in itself is not so bad but his king is in a lot of danger while 26.Rc7 i s a b i g t h r e a t bc6 stops that but now W hite has a choice either to keep the pressure on or swap off into a favourable e n d ga m e wi t h 26.d6+ g8 27.xc6! xc6 28.b3+ d5 29.xd5+ xd5 296
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 30.xd8 xd4 31.b3 Should probably be winning for White although Black has some chances to hold. ] 21.h4! The more I look at this game however, the more difficult it appears for Black to come u p wi t h a n y a c t i v e p l a n . h6 22.g4! Forcing Black to relinquish control over g5 and further weakening his kingside. h5 [ 22...h7 would be the other option when 23.d6 cd8 24.xb7 xb7 25.h5 g5 26.f3 leaves Black under unpleasant pressure. ] 23.e5 f6?! [ 23...h7 is probably necessary to stop the dark square infiltration which occurs in the game. Black needs to play very accurately to hold and against such a good attacking player as Ni Hua she's in deep trouble. ] 24.h6! fd8 [ 24...xh4 h a d t o b e t r i e d 25.xg6! ( 25.xf8 xf8 isn't at all clear, White no longer has an attack.) 25...fxg6 ( 25...xg3 26.xe7+ xe7 27.xf8 xf2+ 28.xf2 xf8 29.h1 is extremely unpleasant for Black. Compared to the previous variation Black's kingside pawns are shattered and B l a c k d o e s n ' t h a ve t h e b i sh o p p a ir a s compensation.) 26.xg6+ h8 27.xf8 xf8 28.xh5+ g7 ( 28...h7 29.xh7+ xh7 30.g3 g5 31.f4 f6 32.xe6 and White has too many pawns.) 29.e5+ f6 30.g3 g5 31.f4 xf4!? ( 31...xe5 32.xe5 f6 33.xe6 again gives White rook and three pawns for the 2 pieces which should be more than enough.) 32.gxf4 xf4 33.xf6+ xf6 34.c3 with the reduced number of pawns and some kingside activity Black has good chances to hold the draw. ] 25.xg6! Crashing through fxg6 26.xg6+ h8 27.xe6! Ni Hua doesn't miss the chance. xe6 28.g7+ xg7 29.xe6 So after a forced line we've reached a position where W hite has queen and three pawns for rook, bishop and knight which is roughly balanced. However Black's king is still vulnerable and the h5 pawn looks like it will drop while Nd6 is an awkward threat to meet so White has a big advantage. d3 [ 29...f4 is the computer's top choice trying to solve Black's problems tactically but after 30.f7 bd3 31.c3 xc4 32.xc4 d5
33.c7 Black now has a bind in the middle of the board but at the cost of too much material f8 ( 33...e8 34.d7 e1+ 35.h2+- ) 34.e7+- with the threat of Rc7 ] 30.d6! xd6 [ 30...3f4 31.f7+ g8 32.e4+- ] 31.xd6 xc1 32.xd5 e2+ 33.h2 xd5 34.xd5 And so after a fairly forced line, White's swapped off material and h5 is falling by force when the connected three passed pawns on the kingside will decide. Black has no passed pawn of her own and thus no counterplay. xd4 35.xh5+ g8 36.d5+ h7 37.e4+ g8 38.h5 c6 39.f4 e6 40.d5 h7 41.g4 e2+ 42.h3 e3+ 43.g2 e6 44.f5+ g8 45.g5 f8 46.d5+ h8 47.f7 e6 48.h6 1-0
295 Ni Hua Tiviakov,Sergei 50th It Reggio Emilia ITA (5) [John Watson]
B01 2641 2643 02.01.2008
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e5 bd7 7.f4 d5 8.xd5 xd5 This month's other Scandinavian game went 8...Nxe5 at this point, without success. The queen recapture is surely preferable. 9.f3! Whether this is the very best move or not, it is clear and logical, emphasising W hite's space advantage. For alternatives, see Gashimov-Tiviakov. f6 10.e2 g4 11.0-0 e6 12.h3 xf3 [ 12...h5 13.c4 a5 14.a3 prepares a q u e e n s i d e a t t a c k a n d p r e v e n t s 0-0-0? due to 15.g4 g6 16.b4 a6 17.c5 b5 18.a4 ( or 18.cxb6 xb6 19.e5 )] 13.xf3 d7 We've arrived at the standard ... e6/ ...c6 restraint structure that comes up so often in the Scandinavian (and Slav, and Caro-Kann). W hite h as a healt hy lead in development, however, and that should make a difference. It's not clear if he handles the position so well over the next few moves. 14.c4 Committal. [ Also possible is just 14.e1 d6 15.e5 , when 0-0 16.xf6 gxf6 17.d2 g7 297
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18.e4 f5 19.h4 f4 20.c3 f6 21.e1 looks advantageous (compare the next note). ] 14...d6 15.g5 [ 15.e5!? ] 15...e7 [ After 15...0-0 , I don't think that White gets mu c h f ro m 1 6 B xf 6 gxf 6 , b u t t h e m o ve 16.d5!? could lead to a better version: cxd5 ( 16...exd5 17.xf6 gxf6 18.cxd5 and the f-pawns are weak) 17.xf6 gxf6 18.cxd5 e5!? (intending ...f5) 19.d2 f5 20.fe1 ] 16.b3 0-0 17.fd1 fd8 18.f4 a5 19.a3 a4 20.c2 d6 21.g5 e7 [ 21...e7 is probably equal. The idea 22.d5 cxd5 23.xf6 xf6 24.cxd5 is usually harmless, here because of exd5 25.xd5 ac8 ] 22.d3 h6 23.d2 a6 24.e1 c7 25.b4 d7!? [ 25...d6 ] 26.ed1 d6 27.c3 c7 28.d5! Finally. cxd5 29.cxd5 e5? This pawn becomes a target. [ 29...exd5 30.xd5 xd5 31.xd5 h2+ 32.h1 xd5 33.xd5 leaves White the better bishop. Whether that can be exploited is not clear. A sample line might be d6 (versus g3) 34.d3 f6 35.e4 ( 35.h4 f8 36.e2 ) 35...e7 36.g4 ] 30.e3 aa8 31.f5 e8 32.de1 d7 33.h5!? [ 33.e4!? f6! ( 33...g6 34.g3 f8 35.h5 g7 36.d2 ) 34.g3 e7 35.d2 f8 36.c1 with control of the c-file, since d7 37.xd7 ( 37.xh6!? xf5 38.xg7+ e7 39.xf5 h5 is unclear) 37...xd7 38.gc3 f6 39.f3! keeps the edge. ] 33...f8?! [ B e t t e r t o e n t e r t h e e n d i n g b y 33...f6 34.xe5 xe5 35.xe5 xe5 36.xe5 xe5 37.xe5 xh5 38.xh5 d8 39.h4! ] 34.g3 e7?! [ But 34...g6 35.e4 with the idea Bxg6 and Reg4 is tough to meet. ] [ Best may be 34...d7 35.f6 g6 36.xe5 xe5 37.xe5 xe5 38.xe5 with the idea e8 39.d4 e1+ 40.h2 b5 41.f3 f1 42.g4 ]
35.e4 a6? [ A pretty line is 35...g6 36.d2! g7 37.xh6+! xh6 38.xg6 xg6 39.f6! ] 36.xg7+! xg7 37.g4+ g6 38.xg6 f8 39.h7 d7 40.g8+ e7 41.g6 1-0
296 Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter Prie,Eric TCh-Top 16 Gp A (4) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2693 2467 30.03.2006
It is rare to see Eric Prié smashed in his favourite variation although it happens to us all occasionally. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 f5 7.d2 e6 8.e4 b6 [ I presume after 8...d8 Nisipeanu would have played 9.g3! ] [ I prefer 8...c7 when some analysis from my own book 'The Essential Centre-Counter', de mo nstrat e s th at B lack is O K : 9.xf6+ gxf6 10.e2 ( 10.c3 d7 11.e2 0-0-0 12.h4 g6 13.g3 c5!; 10.h4 g6 11.f3 d7 12.0-0-0 0-0-0 13.g3 d6= ) 10...d7 11.0-0-0 0-0-0 12.h4 g6 Reaching a critical position. 13.g3 ( 13.c3 b6 14.b3 c5 15.xg6 hxg6 16.dxc5 xc5 17.g3 c6 18.f3 d5=; 13.b3 c5! 14.d5 b6 15.xg6 hxg6 16.a5 exd5 17.xd5 f5 18.f3 g7 19.c3 d7= ) 13...b6 14.a5 h6+ 15.b1 d6! 16.f4 hd8 gives Black a coherent game. Why did Prié not go into this line, when he must surely have known this analysis? Perhaps he f e a re d h o me p re p a ra t ion , o r a s t h e featured game shows, he had the instinct to try something new and to take a risk. ] 9.xf6+ gxf6 10.e2 xb2 11.0-0 xc2 Once he has committed himself with 8...Qb6, he has to take the pawns. 12.fe1 [ White is relying on moves such as 12.d5 possibly combined with Nh4 to make his sacrifices work, but here cxd5 13.xd5 d3 14.e1 c7 enables Black to escape with his extra booty. ] 12...d7 Prié misses his opportunity! [ After 12...a3! covering c1, White may not have enough compensation for the pawns: 298
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.d5 ( 13.h4 d7 14.d5 cxd5 15.xd5 d3 16.e3 c5 17.f4 b2 18.ac1; 13.ad1 d7 14.d5 cxd5 15.xd5 0-0-0 16.d4 d3 ) 13...cxd5 14.xd5 c6 15.b5 ( 15.xc6+ xc6 16.d4 d5 17.b5 0-0-0! 18.f4 d3 ) 15...0-0 16.b3 d3 It is very hard to evaluate such lines at the board, for even a Grandmaster. But put it this way: for the future of 8...Qb6, 12...Ba3 has to work! ] 13.ac1N [ 13.d5 cxd5 14.xd5 d3 15.xd3 xd3 16.xb7 b8 17.c6 b5 18.xb5 xb5 19.ac1 c5 20.e3 e7 21.xc5+ xc5 22.d4 hc8 23.b1 b6 24.f4 a5 25.b2 c4 26.d2 d5 27.ed1 a4 was unconvincing for White. Bloemhard, RRemmel, T/ Dieren 2000 ] 13...b2 14.h4! From here on in, Nisipeanu plays extremely well. By decoying the Bishop he softens e6. g6 15.xe6 0-0-0 [ Naturally 15...fxe6 loses: 16.xe6+ d8 17.a5+ b6 18.xg6 hxg6 19.xc6+- ] 16.xd7+ xd7 [ 16...xd7 17.xg6 hxg6 18.b1 is simple enough. ] 17.e8+ d8 18.xc6+! Black is dead meat. bxc6 19.xc6+ b8 20.f4+ d6 21.xd6+ xd6 22.xd6+ a8 23.xg6 fxg6 24.xf6 c8 25.e6 b7 26.d5+ b8 27.g3 A challenging game for CentreCounter fans, but Black need not play 8...Qb6 and even if he does, there might be 12...Ba3 to fall back on. 1-0
297 Palliser,Richard Majer,Christopher Monarch Assurance Isle of Man (3) [Eric Prié]
B01 2413 1991 25.09.06
threatens to take on e7 with the bishop and t h e n o n c 5 w i t h t h e s a m e p i e c e . c6 ( 11...f6 12.xf6 exf6 13.d2 g4 14.f4 xf3 15.xf3 d7 16.xb7; 11...e6 12.e7 e8 13.xc5 xc3 14.b1 ) 12.d5 This is the problem with having the c5-pawn interrupting the queen's control of this square. c4 13.dxc6 ( 13.f1 d8 ) 13...cxd3 14.xe7 xc3 ( 14...e8 15.b4 )] 11...e8 12.c4 c6 13.d5 d8 [ 13...b5 14.d3 d8 15.c4 b4 16.e5 ] 14.b1 d7 [ 14...a6! 15.d6 e6 ] 15.e5 a4 16.f3! f8 [ 16...xc2 17.b5 ] [ 16...c8 17.d6 e6 18.d7 ] 17.d3 c8 18.c4 c7 19.g5 e6 20.d6 d7 21.e7 e8 22.e5 xe5 23.xe5 xe7 [ 23...c6 24.f6 xd6 ( 24...xe5 25.xe5 f5 26.xb7 ) 25.h5 e5 ( 25...f8 26.g3 e5 27.h4 e6 28.xh7 xf6 29.h8+ g7 30.h6# )] 24.dxe7 xe7 25.b5 xb5 26.xb5 b6 27.b1 c6 28.ee1 g7 29.bd1 c7 30.d3 f6 31.g3 e7 32.h4 h5 33.ed1 f8 34.f4 g7 35.d6 g8 36.e4 e8 37.a4 g7 38.f3 e7? [ 38...c8 39.d7 ] [ 38...h7 ] 39.xc6 e8 40.dd6 xc6 41.xc6 W hat amazes me in this saga is that there seem to be such a weariness with the burden of computerized theory nowadays that even titled players are ready to accept anything and even give the highly suspect 5...Ne4 a try in a serious game, just to emancipate themselves from its tyranny. Unfortunately, 'one swallow does not make a summer', when no t e sta b lish ed on so lid last in g o p en in g principles. 1-0
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 e4?! 6.d3! xc3 7.bxc3 g6 8.0-0 g7 9.d2 0-0 10.e1 c5 Black is desperately striving to improve on 10...Nc6 as in the next game but it seems to just make things worse. 11.h3!? [ 11.xe7?! c6 12.e1 g4 ] [ 11.g5! The inconvenience of ...c5. White 299
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 2004 ] B01 d5 16.d2 0-0-0 17.f4? Pavlogianni,Despina 1964 15.dxe5 Makropoulou,Marina 2246 Putting another pawn on a dark square seems TCh Aghia Pelagia GRE (1) 04.07.2004 wrong. Maybe he should settle for [ 17.d1 d7 18.g3 when White might be [Andrew Martin] a little better although the Black Knight on d5 is very strong. ] No w I t h i n k I wo u l d l i k e t o sh o w yo u a n interesting possibility for Black in the main line 17...g6 18.g4 h5! 19.f5 hxg4 20.fxg6 fxg6 which is not often played. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 21.xg4 xe5 22.xg6 f5 Our light xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6 5.f3 f6 squared theme persists all the way through 6.c4 f5 7.d2 e6 8.e2 b4 9.0-0-0 the book. 23.g1 e4! 24.e1 xe1+ bd7 10.a3 xc3 11.xc3 c7 12.e5 25.xe1 e5 26.f2 [ 26.h4 h5 27.f2 e4 28.g3 a5 b5!? Wahls thinks very highly of this move, a is certainly better for Black but maybe not sharper alternative to the usual much. ] [ 12...xe5 13.dxe5 d5 ] 26...a6 27.h4 h5 28.e1 f8 29.g3 ff5 13.d3 [ After 13.b3 Black appears to get a very 30.d2 d7 31.de2 e6 The poor White b6 good game by stationing his Bishop on d5 e. Bishop is almost redundant. 32.d2 g. e4! 14.he1 ( 14.f3 d5; 14.b1 a6 33.b3 d7 34.f2 f3 35.g1 f6 15.he1 d5 ) 14...d5! It's crucial that the 36.g3?? [ 36.e1 escapes the tactics but the tactics aren't working f or W hite: 15.xf7 uncomfortable endgame pressure persists ( 15.xd5 xd5 16.xf7 f4+ ) 15...xf7 after hf5! ] 16.xd5 exd5 17.e7+ g6 18.d3 36...xf2 Crushing. 37.xf2 e4+ 38.e3 he8! 19.g3+ xg3-+ ] xg3 39.f8 f5+ Black didn't seem in 13...xd3 [ There's also 13...0-0 which Wahls favours. trouble at any stage. Certainly I will be trying W hite can double Black's pawns but he 12... b5 myself. The further manoeuvre ... Be4does not achieve anything in particular by d5 is rather nifty! My new book, 'The Essential doing so: 14.xf5 exf5 15.f3 d5 Ce n t re-Co u n te r' will b e p u b lish e d in t h e autumn of2004 16.xf5 xc3 A) 17.xd7 xd1 18.xf8 xf8 0-1 19.xd1 ( 19.xd1 xh2= ) 19...d8! 20.e4 c5 21.d5 c6! 22.e1 xd5+ 299 B01 23.xd5 xd5+=; B) 17.bxc3 b6 18.d3 e7 19.b2 Perelshteyn,Eugene 2526 ac8 when Black has obviously good Gonzalez,Ren 2470 attacking chances. ] Masters Las Vegas USA (7) 13.06.2006 14.xd3 Not everyone will like the idea of [Eric Prié] bringing the White Rook into play on the third rank. xe5 But it's clear that his idea is to 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 Hoover the pieces of f and go into a good f6 5.f3 e4?! 6.d3! xc3 7.bxc3 g6 Knight vs Bad Bishop scenario. I feel White 8.0-0 g7 9.e1 0-0 10.d2 It is also has to react energetically and probe Black's possible to play this move earlier as in the Kingside before all the possible middlegame/ next game. e8? 11.b1! An excellent move endgame squeezes take over. not only because it mobilizes the last White [ 14...d5 is a second move worth piece before her majesty, usefully along an co n s id era t io n : 15.d2 xe5 16.xe5 open file, but also because it enables White xe5 17.dxe5 c5 18.g3 g8 19.c4 bxc4 to freely set his central mass in motion after 20.g4 b6 21.d1 0-0-0 22.e3 d5 removing the rook from a1. This is the only 23.xd5 exd5 24.xc5 d7= opening at Master level where White can be Abhay,T-Murali Krishnan,B/Chennai IND lucky enough to get such a massive lead in 298
300
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 development, with each of his pieces active and ideally posted, in return for the opponent's laughable joy at having "sprung a surprise"! d7 [ 11...xa2 12.e5 Forces Black to part with the sole defender of his castle unless d7 13.c4+- ] [ 11...c6 A) 12.c4!? h6 13.d5 ( 13.c1 g4 14.e2 ) 13...d8 14.b3; B) 12.c1!?; C) 12.a4! a6 13.e4 ( 13.c4!? h5 14.c3 e5 15.e4 f5 16.xb7 xe4 17.xe4 exd4 18.xe8+ xe8 19.xc7 ) 13...d5 14.c4 d8 15.d5 b8 16.e2 Isn't Black's position comic?! ] 12.c4! Game over. h5 [ 12...a6 13.c3 xa2 14.a1 b2 15.a4 ] [ 12...xa2 13.c1 a4 14.c5 c6 15.b5 f6 16.g5 f5 17.d3 d5 ( 17...g4 18.e4 ) 18.c4 c6 19.e4 a6 20.a1 e6 21.d5! Stronger than the 'got you!' 21.Bxb7 which would allow the black queen to die with honour. f5 22.c6 bxc6 23.xc6 b8 24.xa7+- ] 13.e4! g5 Unfortunately for Black, this is the only move. [ 13...f6 14.g4 h3 15.f1 ] 14.xg5 f5 15.xe7 xe7 16.xe7 W hite has good compensation for his two extra pawns, thus the prolongation of this game, f rom the B lack point of view, only destined to lessen the ridiculousness of his aborted ambush, does not entail any interest. b6 17.h4 xd1+ 18.xd1 f4 19.f5 b7 20.g5 f3 21.xg7 xg7 22.e1 f8 23.e7+ f7 24.h6+ f6 25.g5+ g7 26.xf7+ xf7 27.xh7 fxg2 28.f5 f6 29.d5 c6 30.d6 1-0
300 Perez,Luis Martinez,Jose Varadero [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2459 2465 2000
Black's plan of developing his light-squared Bishop to the f5-square. is much more
popular nowadays and it's not easy for White to prove an advantage. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 4.d4 f6 5.f3 [ In the classic game Fischer-Addison, Palma de Mallorca 1970 W hite pref erred 5.c4 and Black immediately committed serious mistake: f5? ( 5...c6 should be played, and after 6.f3 f5 the game would t r a n s p o s e t o t h e m a i n l in e .) 6.f3! E x p l o i t i n g B l a c k ' s i n a c c u r a c y . c8 (wh a t e lse ? ) 7.g5! xc2 8.c1 g6 9.ge2 For the cost of only one pawn White has an overwhelming development advantage and the active position of all his pieces that makes Black's defence extremely hard. bd7 10.0-0 e6 11.xf6 gxf6 ( 11...xf6 is hardly better in view 12.d5! e5 13.b5! with a growing initiative.) 12.d5! e5 13.b5 e7 14.g3 a6 15.d3! By exchanging light-squared Bishops White obtains firm control over the key f5-square. d8 16.h4 h5 17.f5 b6 18.ce4 xd5 19.fd1 c6 20.c3 b6 21.xd5 cxd5 22.xd5 xb2 23.b1 xa2 24.xb7 and Black resigned. ] 5...c6 [ Black has also tried 5...g4?! , but this move is weaker: 6.h3 h5 7.g4 g6 8.e5 e6 9.g2! c6 10.0-0 bd7 11.e2 xe5 12.dxe5 d7 13.e4 h5 14.f4 hxg4 15.hxg4 a5 16.ad1 0-0-0 17.a3 e7 18.d6+ xd6 19.xd6 b6 20.c4 with a huge edge for White, Chandler-Santo Roman, Cannes 1992. ] 6.c4 f5 7.e5! This move is the only way to fight for any real opening advantage. [ Quiet moves like 7.0-0 don't promise White anything: e6 8.f4 e7 9.d3 g4 10.e4 xe4 11.xe4 d7 12.h3 h5 13.c3 f6 14.d3 0-0 with a balanced position, Rivera Kuzawka-Garcia Ilundain, Ponferrada 1997. ] 7...e6 8.g4 g6! [ 8...e4?! is weaker since after 9.xe4 xe4 10.f3! White is clearly better. The game Sermek-Gerencer, Pula 1999 c o n t i n u e d : d6 11.b3 d7 12.e3 xe5 13.dxe5 a5+ 14.c3 xe5 15.0-0-0 For the cost of only one pawn W hite has h u g e d e v e l o p m e n t a d va n t a g e a n d h i s initiative grows rapidly. e7 16.he1 g5 301
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and Black wins.; 17.h4 xe3+ 18.xe3 c5 19.xe6! 0-0 B) 12...xd7 13.h5 e4 14.f3 d5 20.b3 a5 21.f4 a4 22.e5 a7 23.c2 15.d3 c5 16.c4 c6 17.d5 exd5 b5 24.h5 g6 25.h6 and in view of 18.cxd5 xd5 19.b2 e7+ 20.f2 unavoidable mate Black resigned. ] 0-0-0 with an unclear position, Moreno9.h4 b4!? The sharpest continuation. Candela, 2000. ] [ 9...bd7 i s t h e a l t e r n a t i v e : 10.xd7 [ 10.h3 will be considered in the next ( 10.e2 b4 11.h5 e4 12.h3 d5 game. ] 13.d2 xc3 14.xc3 xe5 15.dxe5 A striking blow but does it really xc4 16.xc4 d5 17.d2 0-0 18.0-0-0 10...xc2?! f5 19.gxf5 xf5 20.g3 h8 21.g4 f8 favor Black? [ Later Lopez tried 10...d5!? The game is Ok for Black, McShane-Hodgson, continued: Kilkenny 1999.) 10...xd7 11.h5 e4 A) The natural 11.xd5 (with the idea h412.xe4 xe4 Practice proves White's h5 on the next move) should be played chances should be preferred due to the and Black has difficult problems to solve. b i s h o p p a i r : 13.e3 ( or 13.c3 0-0-0 Here is my analysis: cxd5! The only move. 14.e2 f6 15.d2 d6 16.0-0-0 he8 ( L i n e s l i k e 11...xd5 12.h5 xc2 17.f4 c7 18.f3 c5 19.dxc5 xc5 13.xc2 f6 14.d3 xf3; or 11...exd5 and White is slightly better, Svidler-Adams, 12.h5 are clearly insufficient for Black.) Frankfurt 1999.) 13...0-0-0 14.f3 b4+ 12.h5 f6 13.hxg6 fxe5 14.gxh7 15.c3 xc3!? 16.bxc3 xc3+ 17.e2 ( 14.dxe5 looks harmless: d4 15.a3 a5 xa1 18.xa1 f5!? 19.gxf5 exf5 20.d5!? 16.b4 dxc3 17.xh7 xd1+ 18.xd1 cxd5 21.d3 b8 22.f4+ a8 23.d4 0-0 19.bxa5 c6 20.f4 e7 and Black b6 24.a4 f4 25.xf4 and in this position is OK. ) 14...c7 15.d2 c6! W h it e 's t wo B ish o p s a re st ron ge r t h a n T h e o n l y m o ve . ( T h e n a t u ra l 15...exd4 Black's Rook and 2 pawns as the game Lutz16.e2 xd2+ 17.xd2 c6 18.0-0-0 Adams, Frankfurt 1999 proved. ] e5 19.f4! is insufficient for Black.) 16.dxe5 10.f3!? The most ambitious continuation. g6 17.b5 xe5+ The critical position. W h it e h o p e s to t ra p t h e B ish o p (1 1 h 5 ). A1) 18.f2 c5+ 19.g2 a6 20.c3 Besides the text lots of alternatives has been ( 20.c3 is n o t go o d in vie w o f d4 tested: 21.e1 g7 22.xe6+ f7 ) 20...0-0-0 [ 10.h5 looks harmless: e4 11.f3 d5 21.e1 f6 and Black has good 12.d3 bd7 and Black is OK, for example: chances due to the exposed position of 13.h6 g6 14.g5 a5 with excellent play ] White's King.; [ 10.f1 is also hardly good: xc3 11.bxc3 A2) 18.e2 xb2! 19.xe6+ e7 bd7 , and it's already White who has to 20.c7+ d8 21.e2 xc2 22.xa8 think about equality. 12.e2 xe5 13.dxe5 xd2+ 23.f1 c3 24.g2 d2+ d5 14.g5?! A blunder but after ( 14.d2 and W hite should take a draw by h5 I prefer Black as well.) 14...xc3! perpetual 15.e3 d5 16.e2 c3 17.e3 a5 A2a) 25.g3 c5 26.h2 f5+! 18.h5 b4 19.xe6 xc2 20.xf7+ xf7 a n d B l a c k wi n s : 27.xf5 ( 27.gxf5 21.c1 c4+ 22.e1 d5 and White g5+ 28.h3 xh7# ) 27...d6+ resigned, R.Perez -Lopez Martinez Varadero 28.f4 e3+ Of course, all these lines 2000 ] need practical tests.; [ 10.a3?! (wasting an important tempo) A2b) 25.f1 as playing for a win xc3+ 11.bxc3 bd7 12.xd7 leads to disaster:; A) I would prefer 12...xd7 13.h5 e4 B) 11.d2?! After this passive move Black 14.f3 d5 15.d3 c5! with good play for ha s e a sy p la y. b6! 12.e2 xd2+ Black. If 16.g5 then d6! ( 16...g8!? 13.xd2 8d7 14.c3? A blunder. is worth considering.) 17.gxf6 g3+ ( 14.xd7 is better although the endgame 18.d2 f4+ 19.e1 g3+ , and White after xc4 15.c3 xd7 16.xc4 d5 c a n 't a vo i d p e rp e t u a l : 20.f1 xf3 302
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.xd5 cxd5 18.0-0-0 f6 is slightly better for Black.) 14...xe5 15.dxe5 xc4 16.xc4 a5+ 17.c3 0-0-0 18.f4 h5 19.d4 d5 20.f2 xe5 wi t h a d e c is i ve a d va n t a g e f o r B l a c k , Haznedaroglu-Lopez Martinez, Yerevan 2000. ] 11.xc2 xd4 12.e2?! This move leads to wild complications. [ After the simple 12.f4! it's not easy to prove B l a c k h a s e n o u g h f o r t h e p i e c e : xg4 ( 12...e4 13.h3 g1+ 14.f1 ) 13.xg4 xc4 14.d2 intending Q-side castling with a clear edge for White. ] 12...xc3+? [ Just a few days later after this game Black im p r o v e d wit h 12...b5! , Herrera-Del Rio, Santa Clara 2000. 13.b3 xc3+ 14.bxc3 xc3+ 15.f2 xa1 16.d1 c3 The difference is Black's Queen can now retreat to the e7 via c5 squares. 17.xf7 0-0 18.xe6 a6 19.b2 c5+ 20.d4 e7 The critical position for the whole line. It's not easy to evaluate it even in home analysis. 21.g5? A gross mistake. ( 21.xf6!? deserves serious attention: xf6 22.g5+ h8 23.c2 h6 24.g3! - I can only say the position is a mess!) 21...g4+ 22.g2 xf7 23.fxg4 e8 24.e1 c7 25.xf7+ xf7 26.e5 d5 27.g3 b6 28.c2 c4 29.c3 xe5 30.xe5 c7 31.f4 xe5 32.xe5 xe5+ 33.xe5 c5 and White resigned. Undoubtedly, this line is very interesting and both sides are able to improve. Definitely we can expect new exciting games here. ] 13.bxc3 xc3+ 14.f2 xa1 15.d1 c3 16.b2 b4 17.xf7! Here this blow is decisive. 0-0 [ 17...e4+!? doesn't work either: 18.xe4 xb2+ 19.g3 and Black is helpless: 0-0 20.g5 g6 21.xe6+ h8 22.d8! xd8 23.e7 with unavoidable mate. ] 18.xf6 gxf6 19.xe6 c3 [ 19...g7 is no better in view of 20.h5! h6 21.f5 , mating. ] 20.d8! Exchanging the sole defender of Black's King. d7 21.xa8 [ 21.xd7 w a s n o t b a d e i t h e r : ae8 22.g5+! xe6 23.xe6+ f7 24.xf7+
h8 25.d8+ g7 26.g8+ h6 27.e4 d4+ 28.g2 b2+ 29.h3 with unavoidable mate. ] 21...d4+ 22.g2 d2+ 23.h3 g7 24.e7 f4 25.g5+ 1-0
301 Perez Ferris,Miguel Hernando Rodrigo,Jose Maria VII Pablo Gorbea (1) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2355 2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 An older move which hasn't really been getting much attention recently but, as you'll see, the results are very good. 5... Bg4 is a very aggressive move but the Bishop might get into trouble? 6.e3 [ 6.h3 is the critical line which I don't think most average players know very well at all. h5 ( 6...xf3 7.xf3 c6 is an extremely tough nut to crack, although a radically different game to the one that we will see. There are similarities with the French Fort Knox. ) 7.g4 g6 A) 8.b4!? In the style of the Mieses Gambit. 8 b4 might not be sound but, hey, it's difficult to play against and a lot of fun!. xb4 9.d2 d6 10.b1 A1) 10...b6 i s m u c h b e t t e r : 11.e5 ( 11.g2 c6 ) 11...xd4 12.xg6 e4!; A2) 10...c6? Poor. 11.xb7 bd7 12.g2 h5 13.g5 e4 14.0-0 e6 15.xd7 xd7 16.e5 xd4 17.xg6 fxg6 18.xe4 0-0-0 19.e2 c7 20.d1 d6 21.b5+ 1-0 Tronenkovs, V-Dimitrijevic, A/EYb18, Budva YUG 2003; B) 8.e5 e6 9.g2 ( 9.h4 b4 10.h3 is supposed to be good for White but just look at what happens to him here! xc3+ 11.bxc3 bd7 12.h5 xe5 13.dxe5 xe5+ 14.e3 e4 15.d3 xc3+ 16.d2 c6 17.g5 xd3 0-1 Moes, WBjarnason, O/12th Monarch Assurance, Port Erin IOM 2003) 9...c6 10.h4 ( 10.0-0 bd7 11.h4 xe5 12.dxe5 xe5 13.e1 c7 14.h5 xc2 15.xc2 xg4 303
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.a4 f6 17.g5 should favour White, Del Rio Angelis, S-Hernando Rodrigo, J/ VII Pablo Gorbea, Madrid ESP 2003 (57)) 10...e4 11.xe4 xe4 12.f3 d6 13.e3 ( 13.d2 c7 14.0-0-0 d7 15.he1 e7 16.h5 0-0 17.g5 xe5 18.dxe5 f5 gives an edge to White, Macak, S-Karnik, P/Tatry Open, Tatranske Zruby SVK 2003 (87).) 13...e7 14.a3 0-0 15.f1 d8 16.g2 d7 17.ad1 f6 18.d3 e8 19.g3 f7 20.he1 c4 21.f4 db6 22.f2 d5 23.b1 b5 24.c3 d6 25.f3 ae8 26.d2 g6 27.e4 f5 28.xd6 fxg4 Baeza Andres, R-Hernando Rodrigo, J/VII Pablo Gorbea, Madrid ESP 2003, when 29.e4 is forced. Without the main idea of flinging his Kingside pawns forward to gain space and put pressure on the Bishop, White achieves nothing. Matters are far from clear however- Black has counterplay!! ] [ 6.e2 You can count on this insipid type of move if the opponent is unprepared. Black equalizes effortlessly: e6 7.0-0 bd7 8.e5 xe5 9.dxe5 d8 10.d2 xe5 11.xg4 xg4 12.xg4 xd2 13.ad1 xd1 14.xd1 c5 1/2-1/2 Sejkor a, VPapan, C/ Tatry Open, Tatranske Zruby SVK 2003 Although Black is for choice. ] 6...c6 7.b5 e4! Good enough for equality. Black is f orcing exchanges and demonstrating that the Bishop on e3 is i n e f f e c t u a l . 8.d2 Others lead to easy equality for Black: [ 8.xc6+ bxc6 9.d2 ( 9.d3 xf3 10.gxf3 xc3 11.d2 e6 12.xc3 b4 13.g1 g6= ) 9...xd2 10.xd2 xf3 11.gxf3 b8 12.d1 d5= ] [ 8.d3 xf3 9.gxf3 xc3 10.bxc3 a6 11.xc6+ bxc6 12.g1 e6 13.c4 d5= ] 8...xd2 9.xd2 xf3 10.gxf3 e6 11.g5 Threatening Bxc6+ but the idea is comfortably parried. b4!= 12.xc6+ bxc6 13.xa5 [ 13.xg7 xc3+ 14.e2 ( 14.bxc3 xc3+ ) 14...0-0-0 15.bxc3 xc3 ] 13...xa5 14.0-0 b8 The opening phase has gone extremely well for Black. W hite hasn't played with much of a plan and now s t a n d s wo r s e . He h a s a ve ry p o o r p a wn structure and the Bishop is potentially much
stronger than the Knight. It's easy for Black to dissolve his weaknesses i.e. ...Bb6, ...c6-c5 but virtually impossible for White to do likewise. Demoralised with the turn of events, W hite goes under. 15.ab1 [ If 15.d1 then b6 16.c3 c5! 17.dxc5 xc5 18.e1 e7 ] 15...xc3 16.bxc3 e7 17.b3 hd8 18.fb1 b6! The rook and pawn ending might look tricky for Black to win, but he has two major advantages: 1) His King is nearer to the centre. 2) He has only three weak pawns, easily covered, to White's six! 19.f1 d5 20.e2 a6 21.a3 c5! 22.dxc5 xc5 23.d1 ac6 It's just too easy. 24.d3 d6+ Some lines are theoretically suspect, but can give excellent results over the board. For me, 5...Bg4 fits into that category. Below master level, I think it's a very good bet and even for the strongest players will yield very good results if used correctly at the right time. 0-1
302 Perez Mitjans,O Monell Camarasa,D 40th La Roda Open (9.8) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2487 2266 31.03.2013
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 4.f3 f6 5.d4 c6 This is more solid than the 5... Bf5 played by Bogdanovski in the previous game but Black still has to be careful in this position. 6.c4 [ 6.g5 is another option for White but it's not as dangerous, at least not in the shortterm. Andrew Martin examines it in Stellwagen-Bartel. ] 6...bd7 This is the first time this move has been seen on ChessPublishing - the idea is obviously to avoid the complication that arise after 6...Bf5 7.Ne5 with g4 to follow. I've also added in some recent games and analysis to complement what can be found in the archives. [ 6...b5!? was played in Zorko-Vukovic and there White played 7.Bb3 but I'm wondering if i t ' s b e t t e r t o c h a n g e p l a n s n o w wi t h 7.d3!? and claim Black's b5 move is a weakness. Play might continue g6 8.0-0 304
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 g7 9.e4 ( or 9.e1!? ) 9...0-0 10.c3 and W hite has a normal slight advantage even without Black's now rather odd looking b5. This is certainly a very comfortable way for White to deal with the interesting 6...b5 ] [ 6...f5 has long been considered the mainline and now critical is 7.e5 e6 8.g4 g6 9.h4! b4! 10.f3! ( 10.h5 e4 should be OK for Black ) A) 10...d5 11.xd5 cxd5 12.h5! ( 12.e2 was less clear in KotroniasCandela Perez.) 12...f6 13.hxg6 fxe5 14.gxh7 c6 15.dxe5 A1) 15...d4!? is Andrew Martin's suggestion from several years ago. With the help of a faster computer I believe W hite is doing well after 16.a3 a5 17.b4 dxc3 18.bxa5 xa5 19.d3! ( stronger than saving the pawn with 19.f4 d8 ) 19...xe5+ 20.f2 and although the position remains unclear White has managed to coordinate and the pawn on h7 still gives him a clear advantage.; A2) 15...b6 16.f1 0-0-0 17.g2 xe5 18.e2 g6 and here a draw was agreed in Paramos Dominguez, R (2434)-Garcia Ilundain, D (2467) Cala Galdana 2001 but I believe White should p l a y o n wi t h 19.d3! e5 20.b5 xc3 21.xb6 axb6 22.bxc3 and White is basically a pawn up.; B) 10...xc2 11.xc2 xd4 12.e2! has scored very well for White. Indeed it seems that after xc3+ 13.bxc3 xc3+ 14.f2 xa1 15.d1! Black is in serious trouble - see Perez-Martinez from the archives. ] 7.e2 b6 8.b3 f5?! Black's attempted improvement over his own previous game but W hite comes up with a f orcef ul idea that almost refutes it. [ 8...a5 had been tried by Monell Camarasa in an earlier game and I think it's the best move although with accurate play White is still somewhat better: 9.a3 a4 10.a2 bd5 11.d2 g4 and now White could've kept an edge with ( 11...xc3! 12.xc3 f5 looks like a better equalising attempt although W hite can still try 13.e5 e6 14.f3!? preparing g4.) 12.xd5! ( instead
12.0-0-0?! e6 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 xc3 15.xc3 and Black had pretty much equalised in Gonzalez Perez, A (2491)Monell Camarasa, D (2259) Lleida 2012) 12...xd5 13.h3 xf3 ( 13...h5?! 14.g4 g6 15.0-0-0 and White has a big initiative. ) 14.xf3 ] 9.e5 e6 10.g4 g6 11.f4! [ 11.h4?! is less effective here as Black can probably get away with xd4 and then meet 12.h5 with e4 ] 11...e7 This blocks the e-file and stops f5 but now White's h-pawn joins in the fun! [ 11...xd4? 12.f3! d6 13.f5 wins a piece. ] [ 11...b4 is Black's other option - at least he's now threatening Be5 but instead of h4 W hite now plays 12.f5 and Black is in big trouble: xd4 is the best that Black can do but after ( 12...exf5?? loses a queen to 13.xc6+ ) 13.fxg6 ( 13.d2!? ) 13...xc3+ 14.bxc3 xc3+ 15.f1! Black is lost. For example xa1?! ( 15...hxg6 16.b1 is Black's best chance but it must still be good for W hite as the extra piece is definitely worth more than 3 pawns here.) 16.gxf7+ d8 17.g2 and Black's queen is in trouble and White has a winning attack. ] 12.h4! There's nothing Black can do here he's simply losing a piece. bd5 13.xd5? This appears to be the simplest option but actually Black has a clever way to get counterplay [ 13.f5! was the right way to do it - for example exf5 14.h5 xc3 15.bxc3 and the bishop on g6 is lost. ] 13...xd5? Black misses his opportunity and now he's lost. [ 13...exd5! isn't so clear. What both players p r o b a b l y m i s s e d w a s t h a t a f t e r 14.f5 Black can keep fighting with e4! 15.fxg6 xh4+ 16.d1 f2+ 17.d2 e4+! and the position is a mess, although apparently White is better after ( 17...xh1?? 18.xc6+ ) 18.e3! according to Houdini at least! ] 14.h5 f6 15.xc6 [ 15.hxg6 is also very strong ] 15...bxc6 16.hxg6 b4+ [ 16...h6 17.xe6 is also terrible for Black ] 17.c3 xc3?! A desperate attempt that 305
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d o e s n ' t re a l ly h e l p b u t t h e p o si t i o n wa s shouldn't be too concerned. already hopeless for Black. 18.bxc3 xc3+ [ Instead 8.d2 was seen in Boros, D (2485)19.d2 xa1 20.xh7 f8 Motylev, A (2705) Rijeka 2010 in the [ or 20...xh7 21.gxh7 d7 22.xe6+ c7 archives. ] 23.a5+ ] 8...f6 9.g3 a6 This appears to be a novelty 21.xe6+ e7 22.xe7+ xe7 23.b4+ although it has been examined previously. c5 24.xc5+ d7 25.xg7+ c6 26.xf8 [ 9...c6?! was played in an earlier game from xf8 27.h7 A very forceful game from Perez this yea r bu t 10.c4! is a strong antidote. Mitjans that shows the danger of going wrong cxb5 11.xd5 e6 12.e4 f5 13.d3 g7 in this line as Black. 8...a5 is a better option 14.e2 c4?! 15.xc4 bxc4 16.xc4 where W hite's advantage is kept to a c6 17.c3 d8 18.g5 minimum. was straightforward. 1-0 Perez Aleman, P 1-0 (2111)-Septien Lopez, V (1887) El Sauzal 2010. ] 10.c4 axb5 11.cxd5 This is a strange 303 B01 position. Both sides' pawn structures are Petrosian,Tigran L 2613 compromised and the assessment will come Kurajica,Bojan 2535 down to whether Black's play against the d5 26th European Club Cup (4.2) 20.10.2010 pawn and down the a file is stronger than W hite's play down the c file and attacking [Gawain Jones] chances against Black's kingside. I think 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 Black would be better were the f6 pawn back f6 5.f3 g6 6.b5 The critical test of the on f 7 but here the position is simply very 5...g6, 3...Qd6 Scandinavian. b6 7.f4 messy. e6 [ 11...a6 is the computer's suggestion and d5 12.b3 ( 12.a3 might be a better try but [ 7...a6 Used to be the method to defend a5+ 13.d2 h6 14.f4 0-0 is probably c7 but White must be somewhat better here. ok f or Black.) 12...a5+ 13.d2 d7 A) 8.c3 c6 ( 8...g7 should be preferred was examined in Tibor Karolyi's NiC Survey. which looks satisfactory for Black.) 9.a3 A potential line could run: 14.e2 h6 g7 ( 9...xb2? 10.c4 xc3+ 11.d2 15.d1 b4 16.c3 f7 17.b3 hc8 traps the queen.) 10.c4 d8 11.e2 18.0-0 xc3 19.bxc3 c5 and I'd prefer 0-0 12.0-0 c7 13.e1 cd5 14.e5 Black. ] f5 15.a4 a5 16.b3 and Black was u n d e r u n p l e a s a n t p r e s s u r e . L o p e z 12.d3! If White had to take on e6 then Black Ma rt in e z , J (2 5 8 9 ) -M a g e m B a d a l s, J would be doing very well as Black would be a b l e t o s t a r t u p a n i n i t i a t i v e . a5+ (2564) Barcelona 2009; B) 8.c4 c6 9.c5 a5+ 10.c3 b4 Perhaps this check is a mistake. [ Having said that, I think Black can get away 11.c4 g7 12.0-0 0-0 13.d2 with taking on d5 although he will have to looks like a simple White edge. Krishnan, soak up a lot of pressure. 12...exd5 13.0-0 V (2042)-Lee, K (1775) Kemer 2009.; f7 14.b3 e6 15.fe1 h6 16.e2 C) 8.a4 g7 ( 8...g4 Bellia, F (2405)e8 17.ae1 d7 18.h4 c5 19.dxc5 Epishin, V (2587) San Nicola Arcella 2007 xc5 20.xb5 xb5 21.xb5 d7 should be met by 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 with equality. ] g7 11.0-0-0 ) 9.a5 c6 10.e2 g4 [ 12...b4+ 13.f1 ( 13.e2!? looks weird 11.c3 0-0 was seen in the high rated but is the computer's choice.) 13...exd5 encounter Adams, M (2735)-Epishin, V 14.c2 e7 15.xc7 c6= is also fine for (2554) Gibraltar 2007 when 12.h3 xf3 Black. ] 13.xf3 e6+ 14.e2 leaves White with 13.f1 c6? And this is definitely a mistake. a very pleasant advantage. ] [ T h e p a w n h a d t o b e t a k e n . 13...exd5 8.e5 This must be the critical test of Black's 14.c2 ( 14.e2+ e7 15.xb5+ c6 opening but as far as I can see Black 306
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.e1 0-0! 17.xc6 b4 is v e r y m e s s y.) 14...c6 ( 14...d8!? is very odd but at least would prevent White capturing on g6 with check. However White must have decent compensation after 15.h3 c6 16.a3 b4 This is probably overambitious. 17.axb4 xa1+ 18.e2 a6 19.xc7+ e8 20.e1 e7 21.f1 e6 22.f4 and White has dangerous pressure for the exchange. )] 14.c2! Black evidently overlooked this. The pawn on d5 may be vulnerable but it does a good job keeping Black passive. f7 [ Of course Black cannot take on d5 with the c pawn with the loose bishop, while 14...exd5? allows 15.xg6+! hxg6 16.xg6+ e7 ( 16...d7 17.xf6+- ) 17.e1+ e6 18.e2! ( Of course not 18.f5?? xe1+ ) 18...d7 traps in the Black king and so ( 18...xa2 19.f5+- ) 19.xe6+! xe6 20.g5+ e7 21.f7+ d8 22.e6+ c8 23.e8+ ] 15.h4! Both activating the dormant h1 rook and opening up lines towards the Black king. a6 16.h5 b4 17.xg6+!? Hard to resist. The bishop is poisoned. [ However the calm 17.e2 is also very good for White. g7 ( 17...xd3 18.hxg6+ g7 19.xd3 b4 20.b3 leaves White material up and with an ongoing initiative.) 18.g5! and Black cannot survive, i.e. fxg5?! 19.e5+ g8 20.hxg6! xd3 21.f6+- ] 17...e7 [ 17...g8 18.e4! and the Black king won't survive for long: xd5 ( 18...f5 19.f7+! xf7 20.dxe6+ e8 21.xf5+- ) 19.h6! f5 20.e5 hxg6 21.xh8+! xh8 22.e5+ g8 23.h7+ f7 24.h8 and White wins. ] 18.d6+ d7 [ Perhaps 18...d8 is stronger with chances to survive for longer although White has a huge initiative. 19.e4 hxg6 20.xg6 d5 21.h6 b4 22.h4 xh6 23.xf6+ xf6 24.xh6 and Black's position is resignable. ] 19.e4 hxg6 [ 19...xd6 i s b e t t e r b u t 20.xh7 should still be winning as f5?! 21.xf5 xg3 22.fxg3 exf5 23.xf5+ c7 24.e5+ b6 25.xh8+- wins ] 20.e1?! Not throwing away all the advantage
but [ 20.xg6! immediately was winning easily. d5 ( 20...xd6 21.g7++- ) 21.f7+ d8 22.h4 xd6 23.xf6+ xf6 24.xf6+ wins the rook and game. ] 20...xa2 21.xg6 xd6 22.xd6 xd6 23.g3+ d5 This looks ridiculous but [ 23...e7 24.g7+ is of course easy. ] 24.e5+ [ 24.d2!? is the computer's top suggestion and it reckons White is still winning but this is obviously much more complicated than 20. Qxg6. ] 24...d6 I wonder if both sides were in time trouble. [ 24...fxe5 25.xe5+ c4 26.d2+ d3 27.e3+ c2 28.c3+ d1 29.f3 xh5 30.g1! and Black cannot ultimately prevent Kf1-f2 mate. ] 25.xb5+? This is actually a mistake. [ 25.e2+ d5 26.e1 is very good for White with Black's king stuck in the centre. ] 25...e5? But this loses immediately. [ 25...e7 26.xb4 ( 26.g7+ d6 27.xh8 c4+ 28.g1 c1+ 29.h2 f4+ 30.g3 xf3 31.xb4 xf2+ 32.h3 f5+= ) 26...a6+ 27.g1 a1+ 28.h2 xh5+ 29.h4 a5 and Black looks fine so White should take the draw 30.g7+ e8 31.g6+ e7= ] 26.dxe5+ fxe5 27.xe5+ d7 28.xb4 W hite is even material up now, while also threatening mate in one and Black has no counterplay. c5 29.xc5 a6+ 30.g1 d6 31.e5+ e6 32.xd6+!? [ 32.b6 is simpler. ] 32...xd6 33.f7+ c5 34.hh4 So White reached a very powerful position out of the opening but this doesn't seem to be a problem with the opening. Instead 13...c6? was the mistake and I imagine we'll see more games in this complicated line. 1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 structure promises White a slight ongoing B01 edge. ] Pikula,Dejan 2537 Saric,Sinisa 2448 9.g3 [ 9.h4!? is another interesting try seen time ch-SRB Kragujevac SRB (10) 10.03.2011 to time. Another recent game continued: [Gawain Jones] g6 10.f4 f5 The bishop is blocked in on g6 but in return he's got the potential of a very 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 pleasant e4 outpost. 11.d3 e6 12.e2 f6 5.f3 c6 6.d2 f5 7.e4 e7 13.f3 h5 14.0-0 d7 15.ae1 [ The next game focuses on the mainline of 0-0-0 16.c3 d6 17.e3 f6 and Black's 7.c4 e6 8.d5 ] p ie ce s h a d co o r d in a t e d we ll. V a zq u e z 7...c7 This move is more common Re ye s , R ( 2 2 1 7 )- C h a t t e r j e e , D ( 2 2 8 8 ) [ although previo usly on the sit e 7...b6 Khanty-Mansiysk 2010. ] has been recommended. 8.xf6+ gxf6 A) 9.b4!? was examined last year by Neil 9...d7 [ 9...e6 was looked at by Andrew Martin in in S t a r o s t i t s , I (2 4 7 1 ) -H a m d o u c h i , H Glek, I (2597)-Nakamura, H (2657) (2601) Seville 2010.; Minneapolis 2005 but the text gives Black B) if White is worried about the capture on the opportunity to play ...e7-e5 in one go. ] b2 he can try the rather artificial looking 9.c3 but this feels like a gain for Black 10.g2 0-0-0 [ 10...g4 has also been seen fairly recently over 7...Qc7. The game could continue: but it looks slightly suspicious ceding d7 10.g3 0-0-0 11.g2 e6 another tempo and 11.h3 h5 12.e2 ( 11...a6!? would make a virtue out of 0-0-0 13.0-0-0 is a little more pleasant for Black's oddly placed queen.) 12.h4 g6 White. ] 13.0-0 b4 14.d2 xc3 15.xc3 f5 e5 I'm not sure about this move. I 16.d5 exd5 17.xd5 c5 and Black's 11.0-0 activity made up for his compromised understand that this is the point of delaying ... structure. Black can also play ...f 5-f 4 e6 but now Black has crippling weaknesses, anyway. De Firmian, N (2598)-Matamoros in particular the f5 square and I don't think Black's activity adequately compensates for it. Franco, C (2462) Las Palmas 1999.; [ 11...e6 would transpose to the previously C) 9.c4 w h e n o b v i o u s l y xb2 mentioned game in the archives when Glek is critical ( 9...g8 is looked at in Renet, O continued with 12.Re1 but 12.h4!? g6 (2520)-Prie, E (2480) Clichy catX 1995 by 13.c4 b6 14.a5 c5 15.d5! d6 E r i c P r i é .; while John Watson looks at 16.a3! xc4 17.xd8 xd8 18.xg6 hxg6 9...d7 in Popovic, P (2478)-Savic, M left White material up in Korneev, O (2583)( 2 5 1 9 ) S u b o t i c a 2 0 0 8 .; 9...e6 Mellado Trivino, J (2447) Montcada 1999. would transpose to a position more The most clinical finish looks to be 19.b4! commonly reached via 7.Bc4 e6 8.Ne4 b6 20.dxc6 bxc6 21.a4+- ] Qb6 9.Nxf6 gxf6.) 10.b3 ( John Watson gives 10.b1 xc2 11.xc2 xc2 12.c4 Aggressive. [ Andrew Martin offers the line 12.c3 b6 12.xb7 "gives White compensation for 13.e2 g7 14.a4 he8 15.a5 d7 his pawn and probably more, for example in the archives as equal. It's a rather odd e4 13.e2 d7 14.e3 d5 15.xd5 assessment as ( 15...d5 is better but still cxd5 16.c1 with a decent initiative.) 16.dxe5 fxe5 17.h4 e6 18.a6 b6 19.c4 10...g8 11.0-0 e6 12.b1! ( 12.a4 g4 e7 20.c5! looks very pleasant for White.) was s atisf actory f or B la ck. S edina , E 16.h4! e6 17.a6 b6 18.e4 (2342)-Repkova, E (2447) Khantypicks up material and leaves White with a Mansiysk 2010.) 12...a3 13.h4 g4 clear advantage. In fact 12.c3 looks very 14.f3 h5 15.e2 would have given logical and I don't see a good way for Black White a strong initiative for the pawn. ] to equalise here. ] 8.xf6+ gxf6 [ 12.e1!? is another interesting semi[ 8...exf6 is played from time to time but this 304
308
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 w a i t i n g m o v e . A f t e r d6 13.c4! is now stronger. h5 14.c5 e7 15.a4 b8 16.a5 dg8 17.h4 e6 18.xc6! and Black's position had collapsed instantly. Popovic, P (2489)-Chokouhian, A (1972) Belgium 20 09. RR g4 19.e4 xe4 20.xe4 d5 21.f5 f8 22.c1 c6 23.b3 xe4 24.xf7 b6 25.cxb6+ c5 26.xc5+ xc5 27.bxa7 1-0 Popovic, P (2489)-Chokouhian, A (1972)/Belgium 2009/ EXT 2010 ] 12...exd4 This move is really ugly and gives White quite easy play. [ 12...b8 makes more sense to me but perhaps Black has a major problem here, viz. White's attack on the queenside looks like it can crash through much more easily than Black's corresponding play on the kingside, i. e. 13.e1 h5 14.b4! g4 15.b5 b6 ( 15...cxb5 16.cxb5 b6 17.c1 d7 18.c2 a3 19.cd1 xb5 20.dxe5 ) 16.bxc6 xc6 ( 16...xc4 17.c2 xd2 18.xd2 looks suspicious) 17.c5 e4 18.f4+ a8 19.cxb6 exf3 20.d5 xb6 21.xf3 and White's attack still looks more threatening while he's also achieved positional gains. ] 13.xd4 g6N [ 13...d3 was played in the only other game t o re a c h t h is p o sit io n . 14.a5! xa5 15.xd3 h5 16.c3 e5 17.ad1 c5 18.b4 xd4 19.xd4 e2 and White had a definite edge but wimped out, presumably due to the rating disparity. 1/2-1/2 Bosboom, M (2425)-Dorfman, J (2580) Brussels 1993. 20.f4! d3 21.e1 would force Black to grovel in a frankly disgusting position. ] 14.e3 [ 14.c3 is perhaps more accurate. It looks more natural to point the bishop towards Black's king but the idea is that after h5 ( 14...c5 would of course be illogical as 15.b4! is strong.) 15.a4 b8 16.ad1 h4? Black cannot defend against ( 16...d6 was better but 17.a5 b6 18.b3 c5 19.c3 e5 20.f3 xc3 21.xc3 stops Black being mated but White still has good chances thanks to the superior structure. ) 17.a5+- ] 14...c5 15.g4 h5 [ 15...b8 is perhaps better but White could
still try 16.h4!? tying the knight down to the defence of f6. ] 16.h4 b6 Black's moves around here don't achieve very much. [ 16...e7 would prepare to move the knight but 17.e4!? e5 18.f5 b8 19.f4 xf5 20.xf5 h4 21.c5 a5 22.b4 still looks more comfortable for White. ] 17.ad1 e5 Finally Black activates the knight. [ A n o t h e r w a i t i n g m o v e w i t h 17...b8 would be too slow as 18.a3! preparing b2b4 is very strong. ] 18.xf6 g4 [ G r a b b i n g t h e p a w n w i t h 18...xc4? leaves Black's king f ar too open. W hite actually has a choice of ways to win material but the most direct is 19.b4! xd4 20.xd4 xb4 21.xa7 and Black's king is caught in a net created by the queen and bishops. ] 19.h3 b8? The pressure takes its toll and Saric blunders. [ Black should probably have retaken the pawn with 19...xb2 but White is still clearly on top following 20.f4 a3 21.f5 ] 20.xg4 hxg4 21.xc6+ Everything drops with check. [ In fact the silicon monster slightly prefers 21.e6! but if any of your opponents choose that you can check their pockets for an iPhone! ] 21...bxc6 22.xc5 xc5 23.xd8+ xd8 24.xd8+ b7 25.d7+ This line looks troublesome for Black to me and I think the suggestion of previous annotators of 7...Qb6 is a better try. 1-0
305 Polgar,Judit Stefansson,Hannes Egilsstadir [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2365 2395 1988
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.c4 b6 5.f3 g6 [ 5...g4 is the alternative. ] 6.e2 g7 7.0-0 0-0 8.c3 c6 9.d5! The only way to fight for an opening advantage. 309
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ After 9.e3?! g4! it is White who has to fight for equality! In Janetsch - Larsen, 1977, he f ailed to achieve this: 10.d5 xf3 11.gxf3?! ( The natural 11.xf3 looks better e5 12.c5 bc4 with mutual chances.) 11...a5! 12.c5 bc4 13.f4 e6! sacrificing a pawn in order to penetrate to the 7th rank 14.dxe6 fxe6 15.xd8 axd8 16.xc7 d2 with a clear advantage for Black. ] 9...e5 [ 9...a5?! leads to a clear advantage for W h i t e a f t e r 10.c5 xc3 11.cxb6 g7 12.f4! xb2 ( 12...axb6 13.b4 xa1 14.xa1 b3 15.b2 winning ) 13.bxc7 ] 10.xe5 [ 10.c5!? is worth considering. The game Brodski - Maljutin, Moscow, 1991 continued: bd7 11.e3 xf3+ 12.xf3 e5 13.e2 c6 14.f4! d7 15.f3 a5? A ridiculous move. ( 15...cxd5 should be preferred, after 16.xd5 c7 17.ac1 f6 18.d1 d8 19.e2 White is slightly better, but Black easily held the position in Vlad - Prudnikova, Romania, 1992.) 16.dxc6 xc5 17.d5! and Black is in trouble. ] 10...xe5 11.h6 g7?! A clear inaccuracy. After the exchange of dark-squared Bishops White obtains a huge space advantage. [ Black has a playable position after 11...e8 12.d2 ( 12.c5 leads White nowhere after xc3 ) 12...e6! and White couldn't obtain any advantage in Dmitriev - Volzhin, Russia, 1990: 13.ad1 exd5 14.cxd5 d7 15.fe1 c8 16.g5 f6 17.xf6 xf6 18.b5 xb5 19.xb5 d6 20.b4 xb5 21.xb5 xe1+ 22.xe1 b6 23.g3 d6= ] 12.xg7 xg7 13.d4+ f6 [ 13...g8 14.c5 d7 was also not much fun. ] 14.c5 e5 15.d2 d7 16.b4 f5 17.ad1 a5 18.a3 axb4 19.axb4 Black's position is very diff icult. His pieces are passive and cannot be activated due to White's powerful pawn mass, his king is also not safe. f4?! [ This pawn advance makes things worse. 19...f6 was more tenacious. ] 20.d6! f6 21.b5! cxd6 22.b2! f5 23.xd6 e7 24.f3 e4 This is losing but B l a c k h a d n o c h o i c e . 25.xe4! xe4 26.de1
[ Although there was nothing wrong with 26.fe1 the text move is good as the rook could be useful on the f-file as we'll see. ] 26...h6 27.f3 b6 28.fxe4 bxc5 29.bxc5 h5 [ 29...g4 30.f3 winning ] 30.e5 e6 31.f2 a5 32.c6 c5 33.b7 The quickest way to win as the pawn on e5 cannot be taken. d5 [ 33...xe5 34.xe5 xe5 35.f7+ xf7 36.xf7 e1+ 37.f1 winning ] 34.e7 Black resigned. 1-0
306 Ponizil,Cyril Bombek,Peter 17th Pobeskydi Hamont Cup (8) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2198 2225 16.04.2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 e4 I have given up putting !? next to 5..Ne4. You either like it or you don't! The surprise value is waning so I will simply say that there is no known refutation. The only problem for Black is that the line is very easy to avoid, White can either delay d4 or Nf3. 6.d2 xd2 7.xd2 e6 8.g3 b4 The idea is simple enough. Black will downgrade White's pawn structure and hope t o s lo wl y n e u t r a l ize sm a l l W h i t e l e a d i n development. [ 8...c6 has recently been tried, a passivelooking move, but as usual with these type of positions, very difficult to play against. Black plans a slow unfolding of the game for the two Bishops. In the following example White can find no way through. 9.g2 e7 10.0-0 d7 11.a3 0-0 12.fe1 f6 13.b4 c7 14.e5 d8 15.f4 d6 16.h4 a5 17.ab1 axb4 18.axb4 d5 The dormant Bishop on c8 doesn't seem to worry Black at all. 19.e4 e7 20.h5 g6 21.h6 f8 22.h4 e7 23.xe7 xe7= 24.b5 cxb5 25.xb5 c7 26.b3 xd4 27.c3 b4 28.d1 xb3 29.cxb3 a6 ( 29...g7 ) 30.a4! Hanging on. b8 31.b6 c5 32.b4 b3 33.ec4 e5 34.xc8 1/2-1/2 Ponizil, C-Chytilek, R/Brno 2005 The strategy of gaining the two Bishops 310
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 early, SLOWING DOWN the game and then gradually playing to gain the upper hand has been known since the days of Nimzowitsch. Immense patience is required, but if you possess this quality then 8..c6 is alright. ] 9.g2 [ 9.a3 b6 10.g2 b7 11.0-0 xc3 12.xc3 xc3 13.bxc3 c6 14.d2 a5 15.a4 0-0-0 16.b3 c4 17.a5 xg2 18.xg2 b5 19.fe1 g5 20.a6 c6 21.c5 c7 22.e4 h5 23.e2 d5 Howell, DSu ls k is , S / Ca t ala n B ay 20 0 4 h as be e n quoted here before, but is worth seeing again as a counterpoint to our featured game. ] 9...d7 10.0-0 0-0 11.d3 xc3 12.bxc3 b8 Quite thematic for this line. Black slows down the pace and goes for the long-haul structural win. His next task is to drain the life out of W hite's initiative. White, for his part, must press and get active as quickly as he can. 13.ab1 b6 14.c4 [ 14.b5 is confidently answered by xa2 Ideas of ...Ba6 come into the frame. ] 14...h5 15.b5 g6! In general, exchanges favour the player with the better structure. 16.c3 [ Deep Fritz is giving 16.e5 but what is wrong with xe5 17.xe5 xd3 18.cxd3 d8 19.d5 exd5 20.xd5 e6 The game looks completely equal to me. ] 16...b7 17.fb1 c5! Black has a fine position. 18.dxc5 xf3 [ 18...xc5 19.e5 grants White a bit of activity, but even there f6 20.xb7 xb7 21.a3 bd8 22.xa7 d6 looks good for Black. ] 19.xf3 xc5 20.a3 xc2 21.xa7 d3 22.f1 xc4 23.xb6 xb6 24.xb6 e5 25.g2 xa2 White should really have to struggle now. 26.d4 e2 27.c3 d7 [ 27...d3 28.d4 h6 29.e4 c5 30.g2 c2 looks like a decent way to continue, preparing to use the Rook. ] 28.e1 g4 29.h3 g5 30.a1 f6 31.c1 b8 32.a7 f8 33.c5 h6 A baffling draw offer. In the hands of most s t r o n g p l a y e r s , t h e g a m e wo u l d j u s t b e starting! Summarising, 6 Bd2 leads nowhere against 5...Ne4. White must find something
better. ½-½
307 Ponomariov,Ruslan Fressinet,Laurent EuroTeam Ch Batumi [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2616 2440 1999
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 Last year this move became rather popular in tournament practice, but I doubt it's really good enough. Anyway the statistics of this line can hardly satisfy Black players. 4.f3 f6 5.d4 a6 [ 5...g4 was tried in Psakhis - Sygulski, Jurma la 1 987 . W h it e e asily gaine d th e upper hand after 6.h3 h5 7.g4 g6 8.e5! c6 9.f4! White exploit s the unsafe position of Black's Queen very energetically. Now Nxg6 winning a piece is threatened. d5 10.d2 xf4 11.xf4 d7 12.0-0-0! xe5 13.dxe5 c7 A) 14.d5! Here Black is unlikely to able to avoid quick loss: A1) 14...a5 15.b4!; A2) 14...cxd5 15.a4+ d8 ( 15...c6 16.b5 ) 16.xd5+ c8 17.e8+; A3) 14...b8 Absolutely the only move, the alternatives lose on the spot: 15.d2! (threatening 16 Nf6+ exf6 17 Qd7) c8 16.a5! b6 17.c3! and Black is hopeless against White's threats (18.Ba6! or 18.Bb5!, to name only a few).; B) 14.d3 This isn't bad. However, White could exploit his huge development advantage by playing xd3 15.xd3 g6 16.e4! Although White missed a quick win Black's position remains difficult. f6 ( 16...g7 is even worse in view of 17.d6+! exd6 18.exd6 b6 19.e1+ f8 20.c3 , and Black is helpless.) 17.g5! g7 18.gxf6 0-0 19.g5! exf6 20.e6 f7 21.xf8 xf8 22.b1 and Black has no compensation for the exchange White won in a few more moves. ] 6.c4! [ 6.e3 Is another good possibility for White. the game Karpov - Lutikov, USSR, 1979 311
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 continued: c6 7.d2 g4 8.g5! e5 9.d5 b4 10.f3 f5 11.ge4 with an obvious advantage for White. d7 12.0-0-0 c6 13.dxc6 xd2+ 14.xd2 xe4 15.xe4 xc6 This move leads to new weaknesses, but ( 15...xe4 is no better: 16.fxe4 xc6 17.c4 e7 18.f1 with a huge advantage in the endgame.) 16.xf6+ gxf6 17.d3 0-0-0 18.hd1 c7 19.c3 h5 20.f5 xd2 21.xd2 b8 22.h4 h6 23.xh6 xh6 24.a4 h8 25.b4 b6 26.b5! Now the Knight is completely out of play. g8 27.c2 axb5 28.axb5 e8 29.c4 , and Black resigned. ] 6...bd7 7.0-0 b5 8.b3 b7 9.g5! Only 9 moves have been played, but Black's position is hopeless already! e6 [ 9...d5 is just a blunder in view of 10.xf7! xf7 11.xd5 xd5 12.h5+ and Black can resign. ] 10.e1! Simple and good. Now the e6-square becomes the main target. e7 11.xe6! fxe6 12.xe6 b4 13.a3 a5 14.d2 [ The straightforward 14.e2 was not bad either after the obligatory g8 15.g5 df6 White has quite a pleasant choice between 16.e5 ( and 16.xf6 gxf6 17.d5 ) 16...f8 17.xg8 d6 18.e6 xe5 19.xe5 with a quick win in both cases. ] 14...b4 The only move as 15 Nd5, trapping the queen, was threatened. 15.axb4 f5 16.e2 g8 17.a5! f8 18.d5 d8 19.b5 d6 [ 19...axb5 20.xb5 ] 20.bxa6 c6 21.b4! b8 [ B l a c k r e s i g n e d i n v i e w o f 21...b8 22.xc6+ xc6 23.e4 and White wins the piece back. A great performance from the 16-year-old! ] 1-0
308 Ponomariov,Ruslan Garcia Ilundain,David Pamplona [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2550 2520 1996
attempt to fight for an opening advantage. W hite intends transfer the rook to the e3square threatening h4-h5, and meanwhile the Kn igh t o n c3 is "o verp ro t ecte d " whic h is important in many lines (for example, ...Bxc2 will never work). bd7 11.e2 b6 12.h5 e4 13.f4 [ T h e t e m p t i n g 13.g5? is bad in view of xd4! 14.gxf6 xe5 15.fxg7 g8 16.e3 ( Unfortunately, 16.h6 is impossible in view of xc4 ) 16...xg7! and Black wins, as was pointed out by Ponomariov: 17.xe4 xc3+ 18.f1 h2! ] 13...xd4 14.d1 d3! Both players play very inventively. 15.hxd3 xf4 16.d4 h2 17.xf7! The typical blow. 0-0 18.xe6 The critic al position. Although W hite's ach ieveme nts are o bviou s B lack h as his chances due to the unsafe position of White's King in the centre. bd5 19.e5! g2 20.xb4! [ 20.d6+ le a d s W h i t e n o wh e re : h8 21.1d3 xf2+! 22.xf2 xg4+ 23.g2 xe5 with advantage for Black. ] 20...xb4 21.d8! xc2+ 22.e2 g1? A gross blunder. [ T h e c o r re c t 22...axd8 leads to a draw: 23.xd8+ h8 24.f7+ xf7 ( 24...g8? is bad in view of 25.h6! g1 26.hxg7 e1+ 27.d3 b4+ 28.c4 and White wins. ) 25.b8+ ( 25.xf7? xf2+! 26.d3 e1+ 27.c4 b5+ 28.b3 xb2+! ) 25...g8 26.xf7 xg4+ 27.f1 h3+ with perpetual or an equal position after 28.e2 g4+ 29.d2 d7+ 30.xc2 xf7 31.xa7 h6 ] 23.d6! Obviously Black missed this move. Now the game is over. e1+ 24.d3 e8 25.xa8 b4+ 26.c4 [ In view of 26.c4 b5+ 27.b3 xa8 28.d8+ Black resigned. Now let's draw some conclusions. This variation occurs ve r y s e l d o m i n m o d e r n p r a c t i c e b u t i t certainly deserves more attention. It leads to very sharp, interesting play where both sides have chances. ] 1-0
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 f5 7.e5 e6 8.g4!? g6 9.h4 b4 10.h3!? An interesting 312
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ But also losing is 18...xd4 19.c4 d8 20.e5 c5 21.xc6! bxc6 22.xd4 xd4 Popovic,Petar 23.a6+ d7 24.d1 e7 25.a3+ e8 Savic,Miod1 26.a4 ] TCh-SRB 1st League (2) 19.f3 b5!? Black wants to discourage Nc4. [John Watson] He doesn't have much in the way of We've seen this type of variation before (with counterplay, but even worse, he is losing to Nxf6+ doubling Black's pawns) and it's still not threats such as Nxf5: [ 19...de8 20.c4 d8 21.g4! fxg4 much fun for Black. Again, that's not because 22.e5 d7 23.xh5 ] of his theoretical disadvantage, which is fairly [ 19...d5 20.xd5! ( or 20.xf5 exf5 small, but because of his lack of positive 21.xd5 xd5 22.xe7 xf3 23.c4 ) prospects against careful play by White. 1.e4 20...cxd5 21.c4! ] d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 20.c4 a6 21.xf5! This is even stronger 5.f3 c6 6.d2 [ 6.c4 f5 7.d2 e6 8.d5 d8 than it looks. White wins a pawn and retains a 9.xf6+ gxf6 was the actual order of the clear positional advantage. He wins rather Babaev-Del Valle Cirera game below which, easily. g6 22.c2 xf5 23.xf5 d7 surprisingly, transposes at a considerable 24.d3 f6 25.d5 c5 26.dxe6 fxe6 27.c2 h5 28.a3 d4? 29.xd4 xd4 distance from this divergence point. ] 6...f5 7.e4 b6 8.xf6+ gxf6 9.c4 30.e5 1-0 d7 [ 9...xb2 10.b1 xc2 11.xc2 xc2 12.xb7 gives White compensation for his B01 pawn and probably more, for example, e4 310 13.e2 d7 14.e3 d5 15.xd5 cxd5 Pruijssers,R 2519 16.c1 ] Tiviakov,S 2659 10.b3 e6 11.e2 0-0-0 12.0-0-0 c7 Bundesliga 2012-13 (7) 02.02.2013 13.h4 g6 14.g3 e7?! Too passive. [Tom Rendle] [ White's immediate prospects after 14...d6 15.xg6 hxg6 16.h4 are nothing special, 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 bu t h e ha s t o b e care f u l a bo u t W h ite 's f6 5.f3 g6 This is currently the most bishop pair and stay active, for example, f5 fashionable way for Black to proceed in the 17.g5 de8 18.h5!? gxh5! 19.xh5 f4 Qd6 Scandinavian. See Haslinger-Kjartansson 20.g4?! ( 20.dh1 hg8 is unclear) 20...f6? for the some of the current problems after 5... Now the e-pawn becomes surprisingly weak. a6 6.e2 ( 20...xh5 21.gxh5 g8 22.h4 a5 [ 6.b5 is the most critical line here and it with the idea ...Qf5 should be fine) 21.h4 was tried against Tiviakov again recently: e5 ( 21...b8 22.xe6!; 21...xh5 22.gxh5 d8 a5 23.g4! ) 22.dxe5 fxe5?? ( But A) 7.f4 was seen in Hess-Tiviakov which 22...xe5 23.d3 keeps White well on top: is annotated by Pavlovic in the archives. bishops and structure) 23.d3 xh5 Hess won that game so presumably 24.gxh5 1-0 Babaev -Del Valle Cirera, Se rge i h a d so m e imp ro ve me n t . . . a6 M a n r e s a E S P 2 0 0 8 . . I n v i e w o f c5 8.a3 25.g6 ] A1) 8...b4!? is one possibility, looking 15.b1 f5 16.g2! Quite strong, with the to target the bishop on f4, however this dual ideas of Bf4 and Nf4. isn't convincing af te r 9.d2 bd5 [ 16.xg6 hxg6 17.h4 resembles the 10.e5 and White is still a little better.; previous note. ] A2) 8...g7 is perhaps a more 16...f6 interesting option, obviously critical is [ 16...d6 17.f4! threatens h4-h5. ] 9.xa6 bxa6 10.0-0 and after 0-0 17.f4 b6 18.e3 h5?! 11.c4 b7 it's unclear whether or not 309
B01 2478 2519 02.09.2008
313
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black's two bishops give him enough compensation for his bad pawn structure, although I think I'd be happy enough as Black here. ( or 11...b8!? ); A3) 8...c6 9.c3 c7 10.c4 g7 11.e5 0-0 12.a4 cd5 13.a5 h6 14.e2 h5 15.0-0 hf4 16.e1 even this position seems fine for Black to me. Here Tiviakov took on e2 but perhaps it was better to simply develop with e6 and I can't believe Black is really worse here.; B) 7.c4 g7 8.f4 a6 9.h3 I'm not sure if this is necessary, Black seems to be close to equalising here. ( 9.e2 offers more chance for an advantage ) 9...0-0 10.e2 c5! 11.0-0 cxd4 12.fxd4 e4 13.f3 ac5 ( Black is very comfortable after the immediate 13...e5! 14.xe4 exf4 15.d2 c5 16.d5 e6! followed by ...a6) 14.b4 e5 15.bxc5 xc5 16.g3 exd4 17.c7 b8 18.d5 a8 19.c7 b8 20.d5 a8 ( 20...e6 was the more ambitious way to proceed - Black has exc elle nt pla y f o r t h e e xch a nge af t e r 21.xb8 xb8 22.d2 d6 ) 21.c7 1/2-1/2 Grandelius, N (2572)-Tiviakov, S (2655) Wijk aan Zee 2013 ] 6...g7 [ 6...c6!? has been tried in one game but W hit e is do ing well a f te r 7.d5! ( 7.a3 was less critical in Sonjaya, D (2313)-Bitoon, R (2504) Jakarta 2011.) 7...b4 8.b5 b6 9.c4 A) 9...a6 10.e3 c5 ( 10...a5? 11.c3 and the knight is trapped on b4) 11.c3 with a clear edge to White; B) 9...c6 10.e3 a5 11.c3 ] 7.e5 0-0 8.0-0 e6 After this White seems to get some edge [ 8...c6 puts more pressure on White's centre but after 9.b5 d8 10.xc6 bxc6 11.a3 b8 12.c3 White keeps an edge ] [ 8...c5! looks best to me and Black could be equalising here, for example 9.b5 b6 10.a4 cxd4 11.c4 d8! 12.xd4 ( or 12.xd4 d5 ) 12...c6 and Black has no problems ( 12...xd4 13.xd4 a6 is also sensible )] 9.f4 d8 10.e1 c6 11.d2 bd7
12.ad1 White has kept a typical edge for this line. All pieces are still on the board and he has a pleasant space advantage - his main problem is finding ways of increasing the pressure. e8 13.c1 [ 13.h3 feels more natural and now after b6 14.b3 a5 15.h6 Black's position is very difficult to play ] 13...b6 14.b3 a5 15.a4 [ 15.h6 personally I'd want to exchange these bishops but it's partly a matter of taste I guess. xh6 16.xh6 a4 17.h3 ] 15...f5 16.a2 White is looking to gain space in the centre with c4 but this strikes me as a little artificial [ 16.d3!? xd3 ( 16...e6 may be best, keeping the tension) 17.xd3 gives White's rooks a few more options ] 16...bd5 17.d2 c7 18.c4!? xd4 This seems to lead to a draw [ 18...d7 is a possible way for Black to play on but White is a little better after 19.h6 ] 19.f4 c5 20.xf7! Otherwise White is simply a pawn down xf7 [ 20...g4!? would be a final attempt but it's hard to play this during the game. It seems likely to lead to a draw anyway with one m a i n l i n e b e i n g 21.xg4 ( 21.xc7? loses to xf2+ 22.h1 e3; 21.f1 e6 is a little better for Black) 21...xg4 22.d2 xf7 23.xc7 h6 24.e5 xd2 25.xd2 a3 26.f4+ f5 27.xf5+ gxf5 28.xf5+ g7 29.g5+ f7 30.f5+= ] 21.e3 e5 22.f4 c5 23.e3 Black has nothing better than to take the repetition here e5 24.f4 c5 A short but interesting draw. ½-½
311 Psakhis,Lev Manor,Ilan Israel [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2599 2504 2000
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.f3 xd5 4.d4 g6 5.c4 b6 6.h3 g7 7.c3 0-0 8.e3 c6 9.e2 e5 10.d5 e7 11.g4!? This line is considered in the games Varavin-Terekhin and Varavin-Vshivkov (see AV134). Now this 314
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 line becomes more and more popular and recent practice proves Black has difficult problems to solve here. e8!? Alternatives: [ 11...a5 was played in the above mentioned games where Black failed to equalise ] [ T h e p a n i c k y 11...e4? is bad as well: 12.xe4 f5 ( 12...xb2 fails to 13.d4! xa1 14.f6+ h8 15.xa1 and Black is in real trouble.) 13.c3 fxg4 14.hxg4 xg4 15.g5! The refutation is not difficult xe2 16.xe2 d7 17.xh7 fe8 18.0-0-0 and White is winning, R.Anderson-Levina, Los Angeles 2000 ] [ 11...f5!? Definitely this natural move is critical for the evaluation of the whole line. Here White has a wide choice. A) 12.d2 e4! ( 12...fxg4? 13.g5 g3 14.0-0-0 h6 15.ge4 f5 16.fxg3 h7 17.h4 xe3 18.xe3 f5 19.hf1 xe4 20.xe4 e7 21.d3 g8 22.c3 b4 23.e4 and White is winning, AnkerstPfeiffer, Germany 1992.) 13.g5 h6 14.gxe4!? fxe4 15.xe4 exd5! 16.cxd5 xd5 17.c2 e6 18.0-0 c4 19.d2 xd2 20.xd2 ad8 21.e4 h7 and Black is even slightly better, Sulskis-Zolnierowicz, Pardubice 1994.; B) 12.gxf5? i s r i d i c u l o u s : xf5 and Black is already better: 13.c5 e8 14.e4 d4 15.d3 f5 16.fd2 d7 17.a3 f6 18.g4 xe4 19.xe4 h6 Now White can castle neither side. 20.c5 b6 21.xf5 gxf5 22.g1+ f7 23.d6 bxc5 24.dxc7 xc7 25.d1 e6 and White resigned, Ciuksyte-Medvegy, Szeged 1994.; C) 12.g5 h6 13.e6 xe6 14.dxe6 e8 15.b3 d8 16.0-0 c6 17.c5 bd5 18.xd5 xd5 19.c4 xe6 20.f3 c6 21.ae1 d7 22.c2 h8 23.xd5 cxd5 and in this complicated position Black has sufficient compensation for the exchange, Eolian-Mnatsakanian, Erevan 1977.; D) 12.b3! In my opinion, the best. The alternatives are weaker: h8 13.0-0-0 d7 14.g5 f6 15.b5! a6 16.a7! After exchanging off Black's light-squared Bishop White's Knight will occupy the key e 6 - s q u a r e f o r e v e r . f4 ( 16...xa7 This idea doesn't work: 17.xa7 b6
, and the Bishop is by no means trapped in view of 18.d6! ) 17.xc8 fxe3 ( 17...xc8 18.e6 is even worse for Black.) 18.xe7 xe7 19.xe3 Now White has a clear extra pawn as well as a positional a d va n t a ge . h6 20.h4 d7 21.b1 ae8 22.h2 xg5 23.hxg5 c5 24.e4 and in a few moves Black resigned, Rodriguez,A - Gomez Baillo, 1996. ] 12.b3! The best square for Queen in this line is b3 . d7 13.c5 b6 14.g5! f8 A sad necessity. [ The natural looking 14...h6 is bad in view of 15.xf7! and Black is in trouble: xf7 16.d6+ f8 17.b5! c6 ( 17...xc5 18.xc5 bxc5 19.f3+ ) 18.d5! b7 19.c4 with unavoidable mate. ] 15.c6 c5 16.xc5 bxc5 17.ge4 Now White wins the c5-pawn and it's not easy for Black to prove he has enough for it although the position is very sharp and very precise play is required. h8 18.0-0-0 f5 19.gxf5 gxf5 20.xc5 e4?! After this inaccuracy W hite quickly obtains huge advantage. [ Black should try 20...d6 21.c4 e4 with certain counterplay for the pawn. ] 21.e6! xe6 22.dxe6 e8 Black had a joyless choice. [ 22...c8 is bad as well in view of 23.d7 xc6 24.xg7! xg7 25.g1+ h8 26.d5! and White wins: b7 27.e7 fe8 ( 27...f6 28.d7 ) 28.f7 ] 23.d7 b8 24.c4 g6 [ 24...b6 didn't help Black either: 25.c5! xc6 ( 25...h6+ 26.b1 xc6 27.d5 xe6 28.c3+ e5 29.xb6 xc3 30.bxc3 axb6 31.xc7 ) 26.xg7! xg7 27.g1+ h8 28.d5! with decisive threats. ] 25.b1 f6 26.c1 fc8 27.c5 g6 28.e7 The rest is easy. e5 29.a6 xd7 30.cxd7 xa6 31.dxc8+ xc8 32.xf5 d3+ In this hopeless position Black exceeded the time limit. 1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 312
B01 [ and 6.d5 are examined elsewhere. ] 7.xd1? Although Black has Rantanen,Tanja 2149 6...xd1+ Grabics,Monika 2354 excellent play it was not obligatory to make 2nd ch-EUR Women (7) 29.04.2001 things worse by placing the king on the open file. [Jon Tisdall] [ After the correct 7.xd1 c6 8.f4 e6 9.b3 0-0-0 10.e3 d4 ( weaker is 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.f3 10...b4?! 11.a3 d3+ 12.xd3 xd3 g4 5.e2 0-0-0 6.e3 e5 7.c4 a5+ 13.f5 d7 14.b4 White had obtained an 8.d2 b4 9.d5 e4 10.g5 xe2 11.xe2 advantage in the game Torre - Hsu Li, Kuala d4 12.d1 h6 13.0-0 xd2 14.xd2 Lumpur 1993) 11.e2 b4+ 12.f2 c5 This is all fairly well known theory, and white Black had enough compensation for the is supposed to pick up the e-pawn with a pawn. ] massive advantage. Black plays a new and n a t u r a l m o v e t o c o n f u s e t h e i s s u e . e3!? 7...c6 8.g5 [ 8.f4 was bad as after g4+ with 0-0-0 next 15.b3?! the attack could become decisive. ] [ 15.fxe3 df5 16.e2 b6 ] 15...exf2+ 16.xf2 xb3 17.xb3 c5 8...h6 9.h4 [ 9.f4 e6 was about the same. ] 18.d3 he8 19.af1 e5 20.e4 e7 21.d2 f5 22.b3 a6 23.d4 g6 24.h3 9...g5 10.g3 e6 11.b3 0-0-0+ 12.e1 [ 12.c2 loses immediately af ter f5+ f7 25.c3 e3 26.a5 e5 27.c2 e4 13.b2 ( 13.c1 a3# ) 13...d2+ 14.c1 28.d1 xd4 29.xd4 f3+ 30.gxf3 e3+ c2+ ] 31.g2 xd4 32.c3 f4 33.e2 g5+ 34.h2 f4 35.g2 h5 36.g4 g5 37.e5 12...d4 13.d3? [ 13.c1 a3 14.d1 b4 was also bad for e8 38.xg5 e2+ 39.g1 xg5 40.xg5 White but resistance could be prolonged. ] xb2 41.f5 xa2 42.xf4 c2 43.e4 a5 44.f4 a4 45.f5 a3 46.f6 a2 47.e1 xc4 13...b4 14.c1 xb3 [ The text is good enough for a win, but 48.f1 f4 49.a1 xf6 50.xa2 f5 14...b5! wins a piece by force: 15.cxb5 51.a8+ d7 52.h8 h5 53.h7+ d6 xd3 16.ge2 d5 and White should 0-1 resign. ] 15.axb3 xd3 16.ge2 a5! 17.f1 a4 xa4 19.bxa4 hd8 313 B01 18.xa4 Remizov,Juri 2150 White resigned. Bezgodov,Alexei 2425 0-1 St.Petersburg op 1994 [Alexander Volzhin] 314 B01 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.c4 b6 Renet,Olivier 2520 5.c3 This move order prevents the 5.Nf3 Prie,Eric 2480 Bg4 line but allows an interesting counterblow catX Clichy (8) 1995 in the centre. e5!? 6.dxe5?! In my opinion [Eric Prié] this is a dubious move. [ The alternatives are: 6.e2 then the game 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6 Tivjakov - Maljutin, URS (ch) Moscow 1991 5.f3 f6 6.d2 f5 7.e4 b6! 8.xf6+ continued with e7 7.dxe5 c6 8.e3 [ 8.g3 g4! The logical complement to ... e6 ( 8...xe5?? 9.xb6 ) 9.d1 c8 Q b 6 a im in g a t d 4 a n d b 2 . 9.c4 e6 10.c5 ( 10.b3 b4 with initiative) 10...d7! ( 9...xf3? Watch out for this trap! 10.xf3 11.f4 0-0 12.d5 xd5 13.xd5 b4 xd4? 11.b3+- e6 12.xb7 xc4 14.d1 c6 15.f2 d5 with good 13.c8+ e7 14.a5! bd7 15.xa8 ) prospects for black ] A) 10.b3!? xf3 11.xf3 xd4 [ 6.f3 g4 7.e2 ] 12.0-0-0 bd7 13.f5? e4! 316
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 13...exf5? 14.he1+ e7 15.f4 b6 16.d6 ); B) 10.0-0!? Hamdouchi, H Intending xf3?! ( 10...bd7 ) 11.xf3 xd4 12.b3 b6 13.xe6!; C) 10.c3 xf3! 11.xf3 xb2 12.d1 bd7 13.0-0 d6 14.g5 b6 Co n t ra ry t o S ca n d in a via n le ge n d I a n Ro ge r s , I d o u b t W h i t e h a s s u f f ic ie n t compensation for the pawn here. ] 8...gxf6 9.c4 [ 9.b4!? A) 9...e5?! 10.c4! Nijboer-Prié, E Linares zt 1995; B) 9...e6 10.a3 Intending Bf4, c2-c4-c5 g8 11.f4! And not ( 11.h4? xc2 12.xc2 xd4 13.d1 xh4 ) 11...d7 12.c4; C) 9...g8! In the opening, when in doubt (...e6 or ...e5?) start playing the forced moves before the optional ones! With the idea 10.c4? ( 10.c4 d7 And Black will lo n g c a s t l e a n d p l a y . . . e 7 - e 5 wi t h a complicated game without having to worry about f7. ) 10...xg2 11.h4 xd4 12.xg2 xc4 13.e3 e4 ] 9...g8!? Designed to prevent White from short castling but not really threatening to take on g2 in a position where development should be the priority. [ 9...e6 Transposing into the next game, therefore should be preferred, if only to meet 10.c3 with A) 10...a6!? 11.h4! g6?! ( 11...e4! is the right approach: With a bishop on c3 it not easy to try to catch a black bishop on d 5 wi t h c 2 - c 4 . 12.0-0 b4 13.h5 d5 ) 12.f4! 0-0-0 ( 12...f5 13.d5 This is the problem.) 13.f5 exf5 14.0-0 b4 ( 14...h6 15.xf5 xf5 16.xf5 e3+ 17.h1 xd4 18.a5; 14...c5 15.f3; 14...d6 15.xf5 xf5 16.xf5 c7 ) 15.xf5 d5 16.f3; B) 10...b4 11.0-0 d7 12.h4 g6 13.f4 xc3 14.bxc3 f5 15.b1 c7 16.a4 ( 16.f3 h5 ) 16...0-0-0 W ith an unbalanced position difficult to assess: Black has a poor bishop, though it is possible to a ctivate it via h 5, but a strong outpost on e4 while both sides have a worsened structure with an open file
against each other's castle. ] [ When 9...xb2!? is also a test, intending 10.b3 ( 10.b1 xc2 11.xc2 xc2 12.xb7 e4 ) 10...g8! now A) 11.0-0!? h3? ( 11...g4 ) 12.g5! fxg5 13.h5! e6 ( 13...g7 14.xh3 d7 15.ad1! 0-0-0 16.c1 a1 17.a3 ) 14.xh3 xd4? 15.xe6; B) 11.b1 a3 12.0-0 g4! Unclear. The pin on f3 is a bit annoying for White. 13.h3 xh3 ( 13...h5!? ) 14.g5 fxg5 15.h5 e6 16.xh3 g6 With good chances of holding the opposing attack, and then... ] 10.b3 [ 10.0-0 d7 11.e1 e6 12.a4 0-0-0 13.b4 c7 14.b5 cxb5 15.xb5 b8 16.a5 a6 17.d3 xd3 18.cxd3 c6 19.f4+ d6 20.g3 xg3 21.hxg3 c8 22.b3 c3 23.a4 c7 24.a3 c6 25.b4 e8 26.b3 d5 27.d2 ec8= Smirin, I-Prie, E Bastia op 1997 ] [ 10.c3! A) 10...xg2? 11.h4 g5 12.xf5 ( 12.f4 g4 13.d3 h5 ) 12...xf5 13.g4 e6 ( 13...g5 14.c8+ ) 14.g8 c7 ( 14...d7 15.xe6! ) 15.0-0-0 xf2? 16.he1 Followed by Bxe6.; B) 10...e6 ] 10...a5! 11.a4 a6! The 'semi refutation' of this set-up for White. Thus the d-file remains open after long castling, the queen can stay on b6 for a while with the Bb3 in the line of fire in case of a white c2-c3, and the knight is annoying on b4 with the retreat square d5 in case of necessity, instead of the less economical manoeuvre ...Nd7, ...Qc7, ...Nb6, ...Nd5. 12.e2? [ 12.0-0! e6 And White now has a problem. ( 12...h3 13.g5! Again ) 13.c3 A) 13...h3!? 14.e1 ( 14.g5 no longer works xg2 15.xg2 fxg5 ) 14...0-0-0; B) 13...g4! 14.c4 d6 It is important to prevent W hite's Bf4-g3 consolidation with attacking prospects for Black. ] [ 12.c3 e6 13.h4 ] 12...b4 13.0-0-0? [ 13.e3 d5= ( 13...d3+ 14.f1 b4 15.d5 )] 13...d3+! 14.cxd3 317
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 14.b1 xb3! 15.cxb3 f4+ 16.a2 xe2 17.e3 ( 17.de1 d3-+ ) 17...e4 ( 17...xg2 18.h4 ) 18.he1 xg2 19.d2 ( 19.h4 xh2 ) 19...c2 20.a1 d3-+ ] 14...xb3 White realizes his position has suddenly become a ruin. [ 14...xb3 15.c3 xg2! ( 15...xa4 ) 16.h4 g4 17.d2 ( 17.e4 xd1 18.xg2 c2# ) 17...xd1 18.xg2 f3 19.g1 xa4-+ ] 0-1
315
B01
Rhode,AB Tsitevic [Alexander Volzhin] Before considering the main lines, let's have a lo o k a t t h e p ro vo ca tive 4 . . . Nb 4? ! wh ich contains a very nice trick. Although this has been known since the last century, Black has won hundreds of games very easily with this line. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.c4 b4 5.a4+ Why not play to win the brave Knight?! [ 5.a3!? is worth considering 4c6 6.d5 e5 White is slightly better here, but matters are not so clear. ] 5...8c6 6.d5? [ Instead of the text 6.a3! should be played a6 ( a sad necessity) 7.f3 ( 7.d5?! here is also far from good in view of c5 and now 8.b5?! is too optimistic in view of e6! 9.dxc6 b6! and White's Queen is trapped, for example: 10.e3 a6 11.b4 d3+; In my opinion, 7.e3! is best, after d7 8.d1 e5 9.d5 e7 White is clearly better, although the fight is still ahead.) 7...e5! An excellent move! A) 8.d5 c5 9.d1 d4 Look how active Black's Knights are now! White can't win a p a wn : 10.xd4 exd4 11.xd4? ( 11.b4 e7+ 12.e2 d3! is unclear.) 11...b3 12.e3+ e7 and Black wins material; B) 8.dxe5 c5 with obvious compensation.; C) 8.xe5 Probably White has nothing better: xd4 9.xc6 e4+ 10.e3 d7
11.c3 xc6 12.xe4 xa4 13.c1 c6 14.c3 c5 and Black had e q u a li s e d i n G u n a r s so n - B r o n s t e i n , Reykjavik,1996. ] 6...b5!! The point! 7.xb5 [ Probably 7.cxb5 is better, although after d4! 8.a3 ( 8.b6+ d7 ) 8...e5! Black has an excellent position. ] 7...c2+ Now White's king has to choose between two squares .Unfortunately for him both moves lose! 8.d2 [ 8.d1 d7 9.dxc6 ( After 9.a6 6b4 10.b7 c6! White's Queen was suddenly trapped, Brashon - Gedult,1973.) 9...g4+ It's interesting to note that from this moment on all Black's moves are checks! 10.xc2 d1+ 11.c3 xc1+ 12.b3 d1+ 13.b4 a5+ 14.c5 e5+ 15.d5 d8+ 16.xe5 d6+ and White resigned in Goldobov - Kanadin, Minsk, 1970, as the "brave" King will soon be mated. ] 8...d7 9.dxc6 f5+ 10.d5 b4!! Black's attack is even very strong without Queens. 11.xd8+ xd8+ 12.c3 c2 13.f4 e5! Gaining an important tempo for developing the dark-squared Bishop. 14.xe5 b4+ 15.b3 b8 16.xc7 0-0! Excellent! Now all Black's pieces participate in th e a tt ack. 17.xb8 xb8 18.a3 xa3+ 19.c3 [ W h i t e ' s K i n g h a s n o e s c a p e : 19.a2 xb2# ] 19...b4+ 20.b3 d2+ 21.a4 [ 21.a2 also leads to a beautiful mate after c1! and 22... Rb2 as 22.b3 allows another mate: b4# ] 21...b4+ 22.a5 d4 Now Nxc6+ and Bc8 is unavoidable, so White resigned. Although I can't recommend you try this line against Kasparov, why not to try it against somebody else? 0-1
318
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.e4 g6 15.e5 b6 16.xg6 hxg6 17.ab1 d8 18.c3 c5 19.dxc5 xc5 Ristic,Neb1 20.bd1 d7 ) 14.e4 f6 15.h4 h6 Markovic,Milovan 16.e5 d8 17.c3 d5 18.e4 f6 ch-Serbia, Dimitrovgrad (8) 19.f3 d7 20.e3 ] [Andrew Martin] 13.c3 d7 14.e5! c6 15.f3 h6 16.d2 NASTY,BRUTISH AND SHORT 1.e4 d5 The Bishops look very menacing and some 17.h3 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 The Banker n- sort of sacrifice is inevitable. d7 Doesn't help. The net effect is that the quite playable. Black plans ...c6,...Nf6 and .. xe5 d7 Bf5 with a Caro-Kann like position. At least, White Rook joins the party. 18.xe5 t h a t ' s w h a t h e s h o u l d b e d o i n g ! 4.c4 19.xh6! gxh6 20.xh6 A brief game and a lesson to all defenders. COUNTERPLAY IS OK, no problem-just play 4.. .Nf6! [ 4.d4 f6 5.g5 c6 6.f3 f5 7.e5 NECESSARY! bd7 8.f3 xc2 9.c4 e6 10.e2 g6 1-0 11.h4 b4 12.f1 xc3 13.bxc3 a5 14.xd7 xd7 15.xf6 gxf6 16.h5 f5 B01 17.f3 hg8 Pap,M-Markovic,Z/ch-Serbia, 317 Dimitrovgrad YUG 2003 was much more like Ritov it f rom Black's point of view. A more Skuya orthodox development, provocation with the USSR 1971 ca pt ure o n c2 a nd a ge nu in e ly u ncle a r [Alexander Volzhin] middlegame. Markovic lost this one too . ] 4...e6?! Black might be able to make 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 e5 something of this if he angles for a Rubinstein A rare continuation which can confuse the French structure. But apparently Markovic White player if he does not know what to do. intends to just sit there, weather the storm 5.f3 and take over later. 5.d4 c6?! Ugly-far too [ After 5.dxe5 Black can develop his pieces passive. Why not very quickly: b4 6.f3 g4 7.d2 c6 [ 5...f6 6.f3 e7 followed by castles and 8.a3 d4 9.e2 xf3 10.xf3 xe5+ angle for a quick ...c7-c5? ] 11.f1 xc3 12.xc3 0-0-0 13.xd4 xd4 6.f3 f6 7.0-0 e7 8.e1 0-0 9.g5 and Black was completely okay in bd7 10.e2 b6 Evidence of the 'sitting' Landenbergue - Casagrande, Biel 1996. ] procedure. My problem with this move is that 5...exd4 there is no counterplay to be seen for Black. [ 5...b4 does not solve Black's problems: Of course W hite keeps an edge after other 6.d2 g4 ( 6...exd4 7.xd4 e5+ moves : is not enough: 8.e2 xe2+ 9.xe2 c6 [ 10...h6 11.h4 b6 12.ad1 b7 10.e4 xd2+ 11.xd2 with a big 13.e5 ] advantage in development in the endgame.) [ 10...b6 11.ad1 b7 12.e5 xe5 7.a3 d6 8.c4 with a strong initiative. ] 13.dxe5 d5 14.xe7 xe7 15.e4 6.e2+ e7 7.xd4 c6? but I feel that these positions are [ After 7...f6 8.b5+ xb5 9.dxb5 a6 manageable, particularly the first line. ] 10.f4 d8 11.0-0-0 0-0 12.c4 11.d3 bd5 12.xd5 cxd5? Ugly and W hite has an unpleasant initiative in the now Markovic gets what he deserves. He must endgame thanks to his development not a llow W hite such a f re e ha nd o n th e advantage but this was obviously the lesser Kingside. I think evil. The text move allows White to maintain [ 12...xd5 was more or less forced : a very strong attack against the Black king. ] 13.xe7 xe7 ( 13...xe7 Defending 'a la' 8.f4 a6 9.0-0-0 d7 It's hard to see how Lasker might be possible. Black knows he is Black can castle kingside. 10.b1 0-0-0 worse but will avoid making any further 11.c4! weaknesses and invite W hite to attack. [ White could win a pawn by force with 316
B01 2380 2320 2003
319
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 11.b3 f5 12.xa6! xf4 ( 12...bxa6?? xd5 16.c4 e5 17.cxd5 exf4 18.e2+ 13.xa6# ) 13.xa7 but the text move is d8 with decent play - Buecker; even stronger. ] A2) 12.g2! xb2 ( 12...0-0-0! 11...g5 13.f3 ) 13.cd5 xd5 14.xd5; [ 11...f6 12.e6 ] B) 10.d5!? e6? ( 10...e4! , when [ 11...h6 12.b3 b4 13.d5 ] 11.xe4 xe4 12.f3 g6 13.e3 e6 [ 11...h5 12.xa6 ] 14.d2 might yield an edge) 11.f4 e5 12.g3 Black already has no defence against 12.xe5 b6 13.c4 c5 14.e2+ the numerous threats. h6 13.b3 b4 d8 15.0-0-0 and Black is getting killed, [ 13...f5 14.xa6! ] Lagerman- Rodriguez Fonseca, Reykjavik 14.d5! ISL 2009. ] [ 14.xa6 bxa6 15.xa6+ b7 16.xb7+ 9.d2 xb7 could prolong Black's suffering. ] [ One game this month followed a much14...e6? a n a lys e d va r ia t io n ch a m p io n e d b y I a n [ 14...xc4 15.xe7# ] Rogers as Black: 9.g2 c6 10.h4 ( 10.0-0 [ 14...e8 was the only move to avoid has also been played) 10...bd7 ( 10...e4 checkmate after which W hite has a lot of 11.xe4 xe4 12.f3 d6 13.d2 winning possibilities: 15.xb4 ( 15.xa6!? with advantage, Macak, S-Karnik, P/Tatry xd5 16.xd5 winning ) 15...xd1+ 16.c1 Open, Tatranske Zruby SVK 2003. ) xb4 ( 16...xb4 17.e2! ) 17.b3 A) 11.0-0!? xe5 ( 11...0-0-0 12.e2 ) winning another piece. ] 12.dxe5 xe5 13.e1 may well give 15.xc6+! Black resigned. W hite the advantage this simple ide a 1-0 should be looked into; B) 11.xd7 xd7 (a long-debated position) 12.d2 318 B01 B1) 12...h5 13.g5 g8 - Andrew Martin but it's hard to like Black's game after Rivera,Daisy 2338 14.e2 c7 ( 14...xc2 15.d5 ) Bauer,Christian 2590 15.e4! xe4 16.xe4; Galicia Festival Blitz blitz (3) 26.09.2009 B2) 12...h6 [John Watson] B2a) 13.d5 exd5 14.xd5 e8+ 15.e3 a4 16.b3 f4 17.f1 Black is still playing one of the oldest lines in ( 17.0-0 d6 18.e1 e4 ) 17...e4 the Scandinavian, and GM Christian Bauer is 18.xe4 xe4 19.f3 Wynn Zaw Htunleading the way. Remarkably, the variation R ogers, I, Bangkok 2004. In this doesn't even appear in Jovanka Houska's colu mn, An drew Ma rtin su gge ste d 'Starting Out: the Scandinavian', probably e6! 'maintaining a strong initiative'.; because the most recent battles concentrate B2b) 13.d5 a4 14.e3 d5 upon other lines. Nevertheless, there seems a 15.h5 h7 16.f3 xd4 17.xf7+ lot to look into here. The best source that I e7 18.xd5 cxd5 19.f3 e5+ know of is John Emms' second edition of 'The 20.e3 e4 21.h3 b4+ 22.f1 Scandinavian'. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 xc2 23.f3 e4 24.e2 a6 25.d1 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 6.h3 h5 7.g4 xg2+ 26.xg2 ac8 27.d3 hf8 g6 8.e5 e6 28.h3 c5 29.e1 xe3 30.hxe3 [ Another recent game went 8...bd7 9.c4 xb2 31.1e2 f6 32.b3 b5 a6 33.xe6 xe6 34.xe6 xe6 35.a4 A) 10.f4 is more usual and important, c4 36.e3+ e4 37.b6+ f7 with the continuation e6+ 11.e3 b6! 38.b7+ f6 39.f3 xa4 40.c6+ can lead to e7 1/2-1/2 Safarli, E (2587)-Bauer, C A1) 12.b5!? c8 13.g5 e4! 14.g1 (2590)/Lugo ESP 2009/The Week in ( best looks 14.f3 d5 15.xd5 xd5 Chess 777 ] 16.c4 e5 17.e3! ) 14...d5 15.xd5 320
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 9.h4 b4 ( 9...bd7 10.c4 a6 11.h5 e4 12.h4! is thought to give some advantage ) A) 10.h3 used to be the 'refutation' of Black's play in this line based upon a famous game by Karpov but theory has changed over the years: A1) Alexander Volzhin annotated the following game in this column: ' 10...c6 11.d2 b6 12.h5 e4 ( 12...xd4 13.f3 ) 13.e3 xc3 ( 13...xd4? was bad for Black because of 14.g5! ) 14.xc3 d5 15.g5 e4 16.g4 d6 17.0-0-0 d7 18.e1! (c2-c4 is t h r e a t e n e d ) xe5 19.dxe5 f5 20.h3! White's idea is still c2-c4 and it c a n n o t b e p a r r i e d ! 0-0-0 ( 20...c5 is not a defence due to 21.xd5 exd5 22.xf5 with a large advantage) 21.c4 c5 22.b4 That's why the Rook did not retreat to a3 - it would be hanging after Qb4. f3 23.xd8+ xd8 24.xf3 xe5 25.c3 The rest is not important. d6 26.d3 d4 27.xf7 f5 28.xf5 f4+ 29.e3 Black resigned. 1-0 Karpov, A-Rogers, I/Bath 1983; A2) 10...xc3+ 11.bxc3 bd7 12.h5? ( 12.xd7 xd7 13.g2 , and I like h5! 14.xb7 d8 ) 12...xe5 13.dxe5 xe5+ 14.e3 e4 15.d3 xc3+ 16.d2 c6 17.g5 xd3 0-1 MoesBjarnason, 12th Monarch Assurance, Port Erin IOM 2003; B) 10.d2 bd7 11.xd7 xd7 12.g2 h5 13.g5 d5 , and Emms thinks White gets something from 14.xd5 exd5 15.c3 he8+ 16.e3 d6 17.b3! ] 9...b6 [ One of the shortest games I've ever seen on ChessPublshing was 9...c6?? 10.b5 b6 11.c4! xb5 12.d6+ 1-0 Diringer, B-Link, M/Wurttemberg 1990 1990. ] [ 9...bd7 10.c4 a6 11.f3 0-0-0 12.0-0-0 ] 10.e2 [ 10.f3! c6 ( 10...c6 11.b5 0-0-0!? ) 11.0-0-0 seems better, although Bauer was doubtless ready for this. ] 10...c6! 11.xc6 xc6 12.b5 xb5 13.xb5 0-0-0 Black is more active and stands better. 14.0-0-0?!
[ 14.xa7+ b8 15.b5 xc2 16.c1 e4 17.g1 d5 ] 14...a6 15.c3 xd4 16.g2 c5! 17.e2 c4 18.c3 xf2 with a won game: 19.hf1 e3+ 20.b1 h5 21.f3 hxg4 22.hxg4 e4 23.xg7 g8 24.xe4 xe4 25.c3 xg4 26.c1 g2 27.d3 b6 28.a4 a5 29.b3 d8 30.f6 d5 31.fe1 d4 32.xd4 xd4 33.g1 xg1 34.xg1 xd3 35.cxd3 xd3 36.c2 f3 0-1
319 Rohde,Michael A Seirawan,Yasser USA [Nigel Davies]
B01
1976
5.Bc4 continues to flirt with transposition into the main lines, and this could easily come about if W hite played a later d2-d4. This game sees White stubbornly refuse to do so, and this highly imaginative game is rich in combinative play. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.f3 f6 5.c4 g4 [ Black can also wait with 5...c6 but then 6.e2 creates some problems, for example f5 ( 6...e6 7.d4 b4 8.0-0 0-0 9.d2 left Black passively placed in Plaskett - Hunt, B r i t i s h C h . , H o v e 1 9 9 7; 6...g4? is bad because of 7.xf7+ xf7 8.e5+ etc. ) 7.e5 g6 8.d4 e6 9.d2 b4 10.h4 bd7 11.h5 f5 12.f3 xe5 13.dxe5 d7 14.0-0-0 and White was much better in the game Crosa Spangenberg, Buenos Aires 2000 ] [ In Kharlov - Westerinen, Gausdal 1992 Black's 5...f5 wa s m e t b y 6.b4!? b6 ( 6...xb4 7.e2 gives White very dangerous attacking chances for the pawn) 7.0-0 e6 8.d3 e7 9.f4 0-0 10.b5 a6 11.a3 d5 12.e5 f6 13.e1 with much the better game for W hite because of his space. ] [ Another Kharlov game went 5...c6 6.h3 e5 7.b3 xf3+ 8.xf3 e5+ 9.e2 e6 10.d4 e4 11.g3 d7 12.f3 g6 13.f2 h5 14.h4 , once again with excellent play for White in Kharlov - Reprintsev, St Petersburg 1998 ] 321
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 6.h3 h5 [ The safe line is 6...xf3 7.xf3 , but here White might claim to be better because of his bishop pair. ] 7.e2 bd7 8.g4 g6 9.b4!? Continuing in ga m b it s t yl e , a n d i n f a ct W h it e c h a rg e s forward throughout the game. [ 9.d3 was the solid way to play it. ] 9...b6 [ 9...xb4 10.b1 wins the b7 pawn. ] 10.h4 h6 [ Capturing on g4 is very good for White after 10...xg4? 11.d5 d6 12.h5 f5 13.d4 etc. ] 11.h5 h7 12.a4 c6 13.g5 hxg5 14.xg5 g8 15.a5 c7 16.b5 cxb5 17.xb5 c6 18.h3 a6 19.c3 e6 20.b2 g2!? Ambitious. [ The solid way to play it was with 20...c8 21.b3 c5 etc. ] 21.e3 c5 22.d4 xd4 23.xd4 xg5 24.e4 xe4 25.xe4 h7 26.d4 g8?! [ Black should have taken this opportunity to get the queens off with 26...f5 27.g3 f6! after which 28.xg7 xd4 29.xd4 would probably be drawn ] 27.e3 xh5 [ A n d h e r e t o o h e s h o u l d p l a y 27...f6 . Now W hite's initiative moves up a notch with the sacrifice of another pawn. ] 28.a3! xa5+ 29.f1 f5 30.d1 0-0-0 31.d6 b6 32.c3?! [ 32.c3! would have been even stronger as after xd4 33.xd4 Black would have to try and bail out with c5 ] 32...c6 33.xa6 c5! 34.xb7+! xb7 35.b1+ a8? The final mistake. [ 35...c8 36.xc5 h1+ 37.e2 g4+ 38.f3 g2+ would draw by perpetual check. ] 36.xc5! h1+ [ 36...xc5 37.xc5 leaves Black defenceless against the threat of 38.Ra3 but the text doesn't fare much better. ] 37.e2 g4+ 38.d2 xd6+ 39.xd6 xb1 40.a3+ b7 41.b3+ xb3 42.cxb3 f5 43.d7+ b6 44.c3 h8 45.xf7 h3+ 46.b4 h4+ 47.a3 g6 48.f6 h3 49.d8+ b5 50.b8+ a5 51.a7+ b5 52.b7+ c5 53.a4 d3 54.c7+ d5 55.b4 d4 56.a5 d3
57.c5+ e4 58.f3+ 1-0
320 Rosandic,Denis Zelcic,Robert 9th Open, Bosnjaci (4) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2285 2575 2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.e2 Just a 'normal' developing move, the reaction of an opponent who has been unsettled by 3...Qd6. White has been drawn out of theory and seeks a simple solution. This type of approach cannot worry Black when he has such a straightf orward plan available. a6 Why not? The usual ideas of ... b7-b5, ...e7-e6, ...Bb7, ...Nbd7 ...Be7 and eventually ...c7-c5! are perfectly applicable here. [ 5...c6 Also playable: A) 6.g5 f5 7.f3 bd7 8.d2 b6 Giving the Queen some room. I prefer ( 8...e6 9.f4 b4 ) 9.e5 e6 10.g4 e4 11.xe4 xe4 12.f3 g6 13.f4 d8 14.c4 e7 15.0-0-0 d7 16.xg6 hxg6 17.b1 f6 18.e5 Obodchuk,AKuntz,P/Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002; B) 6.f3 f5 7.0-0 e6 8.e1 e7 9.h3 0-0 ( If h2-h3, why not ...h7-h6, preserving t h e B i s h o p ? 9...h6!= ) 10.h4 g6 11.xg6 hxg6 12.f3 bd7 13.e4 c7 14.c4 ad8 15.b3 xe4 16.xe4 f6 17.e3 d7 18.d1 c5! Kim,E-Zavar Mosavi,M/Asian Youth GU14, Tehran IRI 2002 ] [ 5...c6!? Combative. 6.f3 g4 7.b5 d7 8.f4 d5 9.g3 a6 10.c3 e6 11.0-0 xc3 12.bxc3 d6 13.b1 xg3 14.fxg3 b8 15.g5 xe2 16.xe2 d8 17.f4 h6 18.h4 d5! 19.e4 xa2 20.f1 b5 ( 20...0-0? 21.f6+ gxf6 22.g4+ h7 23.f4!+- ) 21.g4 b4 22.g5 h5 23.g6 fxg6 24.c5 bxc3 25.e4 h6 26.hf4 g5 27.c6+ xc6 28.f8+ e7 29.1f7+ d6 30.d7# 1-0 Manea,AOsman,M/Juventus, Bucharest ROM 2002 ] [ 5...e6 6.f3 a6 7.ge2 bd7 8.f4 b6 9.0-0 c6 10.a4 d8 11.c4 e7 12.d3 0-0 13.fd1 e8 14.ac1 f8 322
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.ec3 a5 16.a3 e5 17.b4 c7 18.g3 1/2-1/2 Muhren, W-Ryan,J/Lost Boys Open, Amsterdam NED 2002 (66) ] 6.f3!? He prevents ... b7-b5 but Black can switch plans with ease. Straightforward play leads to nothing either: [ 6.f3 b5 7.d3 b7 8.e5 bd7 9.f4 b6! 10.a4 b4 11.a5 e6 12.a4 xg2 Black point-blank refuses to be intimidated. 13.g1 e4 14.d2 xe5 15.xe5 c6 16.c4 e6 17.c5 d5 18.c4 f6 19.g3 e7 20.xd5 exd5 21.xb4 0-0 22.c3 f3 23.a4 b7 24.b4 fe8 25.d2 c8 26.c6 g4 27.ge1 xd4+ 28.c2 0-1 Crouan,S-Carton,C/TCh-FRA Nat 2002 In continually seeking compensation, White ran out of time. ] 6...c6 7.ge2 f5 8.f4 d7 9.d2 0-0-0 10.d1 e6 11.a3 h6 12.h3 g5 Posing the question as to where White will put his King. 13.g3 d6 14.xd6 xd6 15.xc6 xc6 16.0-0 e4 17.xe4 xe4 18.f3 f5 19.c3 White's policy has been to exchange as many pairs of pieces as he can to lessen the impact of the Black attack. One cannot fault this strategy but if this is the best that he can do the variation with 5 Be2 and 6 Bf3 will have to be scrapped. h5 20.xg5 xh3! 21.c5 xc5 22.dxc5 f5 23.d4 g6 24.f4 d5! 25.b4 h4 26.h2 h3 27.gxh3? He decides to eliminate the passed p a wn . T h is is u n d e r st a n d a b le b u t f a u lt y judgement. I believe that a better chance was [ 27.g3!? e5 ( 27...h5 28.de1 g4 29.e5 f6 30.xd5 exd5 31.e1 d7 may be Black's best, although this is far from winning.) 28.fxe5 xe5 29.de1 f6 30.f3= ] 27...h5 28.de1 g4! The problem now is that W hite has to contend with two weaknesses. His Queenside is weak and the King is exposed. 29.g3 [ 29.e3 dh5 ] 29...xh3 30.h1 dh5 31.e5 g8+ [ 31...5h7 32.c6! ] 32.g5 hxg5+ 33.fxg5 f5 34.f4 g6 35.e5 d8 36.f6 e4 37.e1 d5 38.g6 fxg6 39.xg6 g8+ 40.f6 g3 He penetrated eventually. 41.e7 [ 41.xe6 xe6 42.xe6 xc3 43.a4 c4 ]
41...xc3 42.g1 e5 43.f1 b8 He is losing a second pawn with little to show for it.. 0-1
321 Roth,P Rogers,Ian Baden [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2252 2618 1999
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.f3 f6 5.d4 c6 6.c4 g4 7.h3 h5 8.g4 g6 9.d2 e6 10.e2 b4 11.e5 bd7 12.0-0-0 0-0-0 13.h4?! White hopes that the h4-h5 threat will give him a big advantage. However an unpleasant surprise awaits him. [ 13.a3 xc3 14.xc3 c7 ] 13...xe5 14.dxe5 xd2! 15.xd2 xc3 16.bxc3?! [ 16.xc3 xc3 17.bxc3 xg4 18.he1 xf2 19.d4 h5 20.f4 g4 21.d3 xd3 22.cxd3 h6 By transferring his Knight to f5 Black avoids any possibility of losing while keeping some winning chances, although in my opinion White should hold the draw. ] 16...a3+ [ Probably 16...e4 immediately was even better, for example: 17.d7+ b8 18.e7 c8! 19.d7 c5 and after the Rook retreat Black just takes the c3-pawn with major threats. ] 17.b1 e4 18.d7+? A clear inaccuracy. After the sudden blow on move 14 White has completely lost his confidence. [ 18.e3 should be played, and the interesting complications lead by force to a rook ending! xc3+ 19.a1 e4 20.h3 Absolutely the only move, otherwise 20... Bd5 wins. b2+! A very nice exchanging co m b i n a t i o n . 21.xb2 xd1+ 22.b3 xe3 23.xe3 d5 24.xd5 cxd5 25.f3! (making Black's Rook very passive) f8 26.c4 and White has drawing chances. ] 18...b8 Now the game is practically over. After the unavoidable Nxc3 Black wins the exchange back, keeping an extra pawn as well as a big positional advantage and the possibility of an attack on the W hite King. 323
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19.b3 xc3+ 20.a1 xd1 21.xd1 h5! 22.b1 White tries to create an attack down the b-file, but Black parries all the threats very easily. a5! 23.d5 [ 23.xe6 d o e s n ' t h e l p e i t h e r : xe5+ 24.b2 c7 25.xc7+ (forced) xc7 and after the Bishop retreat and 26...hxg4 Black wins one more pawn. ] 23...c3+ 24.b2 e1+ 25.b1 xe5+ 26.b2 c7 27.xc6? Blundering a Bishop but White is absolutely lost anyway. 27... exd5 is too obvious, so White resigned immediately. T h is ga m e i s a n e xc e l l e n t e xa m p le o f a sudden attack. 0-1
322 Rowson,J Kramnik,V 5th Classic GpB 2013 rapid (6.2) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2569 2793 13.12.2013
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 g4 4.e2 c6 5.h3 [ Because of the line Kramnik chooses in this game I pref er 5.0-0 0-0-0 and only now 6.h3! which we saw in Vachier LagravePapaioannou which I annotated back in November. ] 5...xf3 6.xf3 e6+ 7.f1!? Very creative play from Rowson but I'm not sure this really gives White any chances for an edge against sensible play. [ in my notes to Zhigalko-Sharif I only c o n s i d e r e d 7.e2 xe2+ 8.xe2 when Black should equalise without too many problems, e.g. e5 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.d3 g6 ] 7...0-0-0 8.d3 [ 8.c3?! just leads to trouble after g6! 9.d4 e5 10.e3 f5 11.a4 e4 12.e2 f6 13.c4 d5 and Black was already better in Bozic, M (2427)-Cabarkapa, N (2361) Kragujevac 2013 ( 13...d7! is also strong )] 8...g6! Kramnik chooses a very harmonious setup - with his queen blocking the e-pawn it makes a lot of sense to fianchetto the bishop and gain complete control of d4. 9.c3 d4 [ 9...h6! may give Black the slimmest of advantages, e.g. 10.e4 e5 11.g3 xc1
12.xc1 f6 13.g2 h5! and Black has the easier position to play. ] 10.e3 g7 11.g3 xf3 [ 11...h5!? is slightly more aggressive but probably Kramnik wanted to grind out a win with a slower approach but after 12.g2 h4 13.g4 f5! White definitely has to be the more careful ] 12.xf3 f6 13.e1 f5! Kramnik is happy to swap the queens into an endgame where only he can really press for the win. It's fair to say the opening has not been a success for Rowson, however he now digs in deep to defend the endgame. 14.g2 [ 14.xf5+ gxf5 15.g2 e6 and Black's doubled pawns are hardly a weakness here and in fact they help by giving him more control of the centre. ] 14...xf3+ 15.xf3 d5 16.xd5 xd5 17.b3 e6 18.a4 Sensibly Jonathan just places all his pawns on light squares and waits to see what Black will do hd8 19.b1 W hit e is pu rely on the def ensive here a5 20.he1 b6 21.e2 b7 22.be1 8d6 23.d1 c3 24.f4 c6 25.e4 e5! Finally Black has all of his pieces on the best squares so he now grabs more space in the centre. It's not quite enough for real winning chances however. 26.e3 f5 27.c4 dd6 [ 27...xc4 doesn't help at all 28.bxc4 d8 29.b1 c6 30.b5! and White is easily holding the draw. ] 28.e2 h5 [ 28...xc4 is perhaps worth a try as now after 29.bxc4 c6 30.b1 Black can prevent Rb5 with b4! although probably W h it e sh o u l d d ra w wit h 31.d2! c5 32.e3 ] 29.g4! When under pressure you should try to excha nge p awns and that's exactly wha t Rowson is doing to get himself closer to the d ra w h e is a f t e r . hxg4 30.hxg4 xc4 31.bxc4 c6 32.b1 b4 33.gxf5 gxf5 34.b3?! [ 34.f4! e4 35.dxe4 fxe4 36.f5 gives White a little counterplay and now the draw should be easy enough, for example d7 37.h1 g7 38.h6+ d7 39.h4 g2+ 40.d1 e7 41.xe4+ f6 42.c5! xf5 43.c4 and the position is just a draw ] 34...f4! 35.d2 f3+ 36.e1 c5 37.e3 324
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 b4+ Kramnik decides to force a draw but I'm surprised he didn't go for one last trick [ 37...e4! keeps White under pressure for a little bit longer - even so White should draw with accurate play 38.xc5 xc5 39.dxe4 e6 40.e3 xc4 41.d2! d6+ 42.c1 f6 43.d2 and Black can't really make progress here. ] 38.d2 c5 39.e3 b4+ 40.d2 c5 Great defence from Rowson but not the most inspiring opening considering he had White! ½-½
323
23.e4 c8 26.d5 e6 29.bxc4 g7 32.e3 e5 35.a3 e6 ½-½
24.b3 e5 25.xf6+ 27.d3 f8 28.d8 30.xc8 xc8 31.d2 33.a3 e6 34.d3
324 Rozentalis,Eduardas Khalifman,Alexander Germany [Nigel Davies]
gxf6 bxc4 e6 e5
B01
1993
B01 2512 2443 29.03.2002
K h a l i f m a n wi s e l y r e f r a i n s f r o m c a s t l i n g queenside but even here the pressure on the b-file proves to be unpleasant for Black. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.g3 f6 5.g2 c6 Attempting to impede the activity of W hite's bishop on g2. In this game W hite What should Black do against the flexible 3. manages to remove this obstacle later on. Nf3, which leaves open the option of a later 6.f3 g4 7.0-0 [ W hite can also play the immediate 7.h3 c2-c4? In this game Black plays the standard h5 8.0-0 e6 9.a3 ( 9.d3 bd7 10.e2 3 . . . Nf 6 a n d 4 . . . B g4 - a n d a s u su a l f in d s e7 11.d2 c7 12.b4 0-0 13.b1 ad8 himself worse. Having lost the first game of 14.f4 was also nice for White in Benjamin this two game mini-match, Martin needed to Shabalov, Key West 1994) 9...bd7 10.d3 win this one at all costs. In this respect, I e7 ( 10...h6 11.b1 a6 12.b4 c7 can't help but think that another defence, such 13.g4 g6 14.h4 h7 15.f4 Rozentalis, as the Modern, would have been better. 1.e4 E-Paasikangas,J/Bad Wiessee GER 1999 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 f6 4.d4 g4 (55) ) 11.d2 c7 12.b4 0-0 13.b5 c5 5.e2 e6 14.e1 ad8 15.g4 g6 16.h4 b6 [ The sharpest move is 5...c6 after which 17.xg6 hxg6 18.f3 fd5 19.xd5 6.c4 f5 leads to complications which exd5 20.a4 with a strong initiative for White probably favour White. ] [ Rowson has also played this position with in Smirin - Oll, New York 1994 ] B l a c k , c h o o si n g 5...c6 against Lyell in a 7...e6 8.h3 xf3 [ 8...h5 would probably transpose into the 4NCL game this year (2002). After 6.0-0 e6 note to 7.h3 above ] 7.c4 d8 8.c3 e7 9.h3 h5 10.f4 0-0 11.b3 b6 12.xb6 axb6 13.g4 9.xf3 e7 g6 14.e5 his position did not seem [ Black can also play 9...bd7 as in Tiviakov massively promising though he did - Hansen ] 10.a3!? 0-0 11.b1 c7 12.b4 a6 13.d3 eventually manage to eke out a win. ] 6.h3 h5 7.c4 d8 8.0-0 e7 9.b3 c8 bd7 14.f4 d6 15.d2 a5 16.e2 10.c3 0-0 11.e3 bd7 12.ad1 a6 White's pair of bishops and space advantage 13.c2 If Rowson needed more than a draw, g i v e s h i m t h e b e t t e r g a m e . H e r e h e i s he might well have played more aggressively directing pressure towards b7 along the b-file a t t h is s t a ge . E ve n so h e ke e p s a sligh t and with his bishop on g2. e7 17.f4 fe8 advantage right to the end of the game. c5 18.g4 f8 19.f3 g6 20.h1 axb4 14.d5 exd5 15.xd5 xd5 16.xd5 f6 21.axb4 g7 22.b5 ac8 23.bxc6 bxc6 17.d2 c7 18.g5 g6 19.d3 ad8 24.e2 d6 25.g3 d5 26.f2 d6 20.xg6 hxg6 21.fd1 xd2 22.xd2 b5 27.f5 exf5 28.gxf5 c5 29.f4! e5 Rowson,Jonathan Martin,Andrew D Redbus Knock-Out (1.2) [Nigel Davies]
325
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 29...d4 30.b7 would win the exchange. ] 30.g5 ed7 31.b7 d4 32.e4 xe4 33.xe4 xf2 34.xf2 e5 35.d5 b8 36.a7 h8?! [ 36...gxf5 would have been a better chance, before this pawn lands on f6. ] 37.f6 f8 38.xf7 xf7 39.xf7 h6 40.d2 e6 41.c3 c4 42.dxc4 e3 43.d4 xh3+ 44.g2 h5 45.c7 g5+ 46.f1 g4 47.c3 b1+ 48.e2 g3 49.f3 [ W hite must be careful not to play 49.c5? because b2+ 50.f1 b1+ would force a draw. ] 49...g2+ 50.d3 d1+ 51.e4 e1+ 52.e3 f1 53.c5 1-0
325 Rozentalis,Eduardas Milos,Gilberto Tilburg (4) [Nigel Davies]
B01
1992
The move 4.g3!? represents a much quieter way of playing this opening for White, aiming to complete his development and hopefully develop pressure on the h1-a8 diagonal. The position of Black's queen on a5 encourages an advance of W hite's b-pawn with gain of t e m p o , wh ic h ca n se t u p co m p lim e n t a r y pre s s u re o n t h e b -f ile . Ne e d le ss t o sa y, queenside castling will be very risky for Black, as in this game. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.g3!? An alternative mode of development for W hite, with which aims to complete his development and hopes to keep a slight space advantage. f6 5.g2 g4 [ 5...c6 , blocking the h1-a8 diagonal, f ea tu res in Rozent alis - Kha lif ma n an d Tiviakov - Hansen. The text is more aggressive, forcing White to block the attack on his queen before deciding whether or not to move the c-pawn. ] 6.ge2 [ W hite can also play 6.f3 after which B l a c k ' s m o s t a g g r e s s i v e p l a n i s c6!? ( 6...e6 7.h3 h5 8.0-0 e7 9.e1 c6 10.d3 0-0 11.a3 ad8 was fine for Black in
Bischoff - Hickl, Altensteig 1987; 6...c6 transposes into Rozentalis - Khalifman) 7.h3 h5 8.0-0 0-0-0 9.d3 g5 10.g4 g6 11.d2 h5 gave Black a dangerous attack in Payen - Prie, Cannes 1992 ] 6...c6!? [ 6...c6 is solid enough but slightly passive. ] 7.h3 h5 8.d3 e5 9.0-0 0-0-0 The natural follow-up to 6...Nc6, but Black's king will come under fire on the queenside. W hite's bish o p o n g2 will su pp o rt an ad van c e o f White's queenside pawns. 10.a3 d4 11.g4 g6 12.f4! exf4 13.xf4 xe2+ 14.xe2 c5+ 15.h1 d4 16.f3 c6 17.ae1 he8 18.g3 Threatening 19.Qf4. Black attempts to construct a ramshackle blockade in the centre. d7 19.b4 b6 20.e4 e5 21.d6+ xd6 22.xd6 d4 23.h2 e5 24.g3 f6 25.g5! f8 26.gxf6 gxf6 27.h4 d6 28.f4 f7? Losing a piece, but Black is in a bad way in any case. 29.h5! b8 [ 29...xh5 30.f5+ picks up the bishop. ] 30.hxg6 hxg6 31.xe5 h7 32.e2 xf4 33.xf4 dh8 34.h4+ c8 35.xh7 xh7 36.e6 f7 37.h3 1-0
326 Rusanov,Michail Alekseev,Evgeny St Petersburg [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2448 2300 1999
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.c3 g7 7.e2 0-0 8.0-0 g4 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.c5 c4 [ 11...d7 is the alternative to the text, but it looks rather passive: 12.e3 e5 13.xc6 bxc6 14.d5! Now Black has difficult problems to solve. b8 15.c1 f5 16.b3 h8 17.cd1 h4 18.f3 e4 19.f4 g5 20.e2! with a huge positional advantage for White, Lutz - Casagrande, Biel, 1996. ] 12.xc6! An important novelty. [ Before this game the whole line was considered as harmless as after the natural 12.d5 d4! Black's Knights are very active and his chances are by no means worse. One example: 13.e2 a5 14.d3 c6! 15.b4?! White clearly overestimates his 326
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 chances. ( Modest 15.dxc6 axc6 sh o u ld b e p la ye d , wit h le ve l ch a n ce s.) 15...b5! 16.xb5 xa1 17.h6 g7 18.xg7 xg7 19.c3 cxd5 20.bxa5 xa5 21.xd5 xc5 22.a1+ f6 , and Black has the better prospects, Polak Stefansson, Oberwart, 1991. ] 12...bxc6 13.e2 e5 14.a4 d5!? Black sacrifices a piece, hoping for a strong pawn phalanx in the center. [ 14...exd4!? is the alternative to the text, and after 15.xc4 d3 16.c3 d2 17.d1 dxc1 18.axc1 White's chances are only slightly better. ] 15.b3 b6 16.cxb6 axb6 17.c4?! I don't like this move as it creates a weak pawn. [ White should definitely prefer 17.b4 exd4 a n d n o w e i t h e r 18.f4 ( or 18.b2 , and I doubt whether Black has enough for the piece. )] 17...xc4 18.bxc4 exd4 19.b2 fe8 [ 19...d3 is worthy of consideration after 20.c3 d2 21.fd1 fd8 Black has adequate compensation for the piece. ] 20.fe1 c5 [ 20...d3 Here too this move deserves attention: 21.c3 ( 21.xg7 xg7 22.c3 xe1+ 23.xe1 a3 and Black is OK.) 21...b5! 22.xe8+ xe8 23.cxb5 cxb5 24.d1 d8 , intending to advance c-pawn, with ample compensation for the piece. ] 21.f4 [ White could retain some winning chances b y p l a y i n g 21.a4 a5 22.a2 ea8 23.ea1 intending to transfer his knight to the d3-square. ] 21...xe1+ 22.xe1 xa2 23.d3 a4 24.c1 f8 25.f1 b5 26.cxb5 c4 27.e5 c3 28.xc3 [ White can't keep his extra piece in view of 28.a1 h6! 29.e1 d2 and Black wins. ] 28...dxc3 29.xc3 g7 And a draw was agreed. [ 29...g7 30.c5 ] ½-½
327 Russell,MKA Sulskis,Sarunas Calvia ol (Men) (1.35) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2221 2555 15.10.2004
Sulskis would be about the strongest player a r o u n d wh o is wi ll i n g t o g i ve 5 . . . N e 4 a regular outing. He seems quite convinced that the move is good. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.f3 f6 5.d4 e4 The positional idea behind 5.. . Ne4 is easy to understand. Black wants to double W hite's pawns, hunker down and try to win over the long haul with his better structure. The risks involved are very clear in that he permits his opponent to develop quickly. We see a good example of 'structure play' here in a game from the recent Olympiad, where Sulskis wins effortlessly . 6.d3!? A move which has been very popular, without giving White any joy at all. xc3 7.xc3? I really don't like 7 Qxc3 at all. White permits the downgrading of his pawn structure and gets nothing in return. [ But 7.bxc3 f5! is OK for Black too : 8.b5+ xb5 9.xb5+ c6 10.d3 xd3 11.cxd3 e6 12.b1 b6 13.f4 d7 14.0-0 e7 15.a4 ( 15.e5 xe5 16.dxe5 0-0 17.e3 fd8 18.fd1 d5 19.f4 ad8 20.d4 a5 21.d2 c5 22.c2 g6 23.g4 c8 24.bb2 a4 25.g2 c4 26.f3 cxd4 27.xd4 c5 28.xc5 8xc5 29.b3 a4 Pisarsky, L-Vickers, K/San Francisco 2000) 15...0-0 16.fe1 f6 17.e5 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.xe5 fd8 20.a5 f8 21.f1 b5 22.c5 d6 23.e2 a6 24.e3 c8 25.c4 cd8 26.cxb5 cxb5 27.b4 e7 28.f4 d5 29.g4 d6 30.c2 h5 31.g5 d7 32.c5 c8 33.xd5+ exd5 Bernat Capdevila ECa n e lla s Ma gid e B a rce lo n a 2 0 0 4 I a m reminded of the Czech Pirc, . where Black falls behind in development, but because his structure hasn't been compromised at all he is able to defend. The defense requires patience without doubt, but there are chances of success at the end. ] [ 7.d2 f5 8.xc3 d5 is critical, in the sense that the White pawn remain intact. I still think that this position is equal though: 9.b5+ xb5 10.xb5+ c6 11.a4 e4! 327
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.e2 d7 13.e1 0-0-0 14.f3 g6 15.d3? ( 15.b3 e6= ) 15...xd3+ 16.cxd3 ( 16.xd3 c5+ ) 16...e6 17.h4 h5 18.a3 b6 19.c2 e7 20.a4 d5 21.ac1 f6 22.d2 xd4 23.b4 b2 24.b1 c3 25.b5 xd2 26.xd2 c5 27.b3 f4 28.c4 d4 29.g3 hd8 30.gxf4 xc4 31.hc1 xc1 32.xc1 b6 33.c4 d4 34.e3 xc4 35.dxc4 d7 36.e4 e7 37.e5 g6 38.e4 f6 0-1 Pavlov-Reprintsev Alushta 1999 A t first opportunist, then remarkably patient. Di d y o u n o t i c e B l a ck c h a n g e h i s s t yl e DURING the game? ] 7...xc3+ 8.bxc3 e6 9.b2 [ 9.a4 c6 10.d3 d6 11.0-0 0-0= is another very equal position from our 'silly' line. 12.g5 h6 13.e4 Zozulia, AReprintsev, A/Alushta 1999 and now most accurate seems to be d8 14.b1 b6 15.xd6 cxd6 16.e1 b7= ] 9...d7 10.c4 b4+ 11.c3 e7 12.d3 b6 13.e4 b8 14.c6 b7 15.e5 xc6 16.xc6 a8 17.a4 White's pressure is an illusion. He is working with very few tools. Sulskis now plays an excellent move. b8! Exchanging off W hite's best placed piece. Eventually, Black's trumps will make themselves felt. 18.xe7 xe7 19.a3+ f6 20.c5 c6 If White takes on b6, his a pawn becomes exposed. It's not so easy. 21.0-0-0 a5 22.c2 c4 23.b3 [ 23.c1 a6 24.he1 b5 25.f4 c6 26.a1 was a better chance to maintain equality. ] 23...xa3 24.xa3 hd8 25.b4 [ 25.cxb6 axb6 26.b1 d5 27.b4 leaves Black only marginally better. ] 25...d5 26.cxb6 axb6 27.a1 g5! Sulskis has fashioned a position where the stronger player can begin to stretch out, go up a g e a r a n d p u ll a h e a d . T h e B l a c k p a wn advances to g4, pinning down White's h and f pawns and giving the Black Rooks excellent mobility along the fourth rank. 28.hd1 g4 29.d3 da5 30.c4 c5+ 31.b3 cxd4 32.xd4 h5 33.b4 e7 34.b3 f5 35.b4 h4 36.d3 [ There's no guarantee that White would h a v e s a v e d t h e g a m e a f t e r 36.f4 but his chances would certainly have been
improved. ] 36...f4 37.h3 [ 37.g3 f8! 38.gxh4 h8 39.ad1 xh4 40.d7+ f6 41.b7 xh2 42.xb6 e5 43.a5 xf2 44.a1 ee2! 45.a6 a2 ] 37...g3 38.fxg3 hxg3 39.c3 e5 40.c5 bxc5+ 41.xc5 xc5 42.xc5 e4 43.d4 f3 44.gxf3 exf3 45.e3 f8 46.a5 f2 6 Qd3 cannot be a ref utation of our little scheme. 0-1
328 Saiboulatov,Danial Geirnaert,Steven ch-BEL Namur BEL (2) [Eric Prié]
B01 2413 2357 02.07.2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 c6 Following Matthias Wahls' recommendation in his Mammoth book "Modernische Skandinavish", published 9 years ago. However, a more modern approach suggests it may not prove the most accurate to lose a development tempo and compromise oneself with the c-pawn so early in the game. [ 4...f6 5.d2 c6 Forced then, prior to d e v e l o p i n g t h e b i s h o p t o f 5 . 6.c4 Is the fashionable white order of moves transposing into the game and our subject. ] 5.c4 As a matter of fact this move should be preferred to 5.Bd2 against 4...c6 for reasons of common sense and logic. [ 5.d2 Nevertheless, the greedy b6 6.f3 g4 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 xd4 must be extremely perilous for Black. For instance 9.0-0-0 d7 10.f4 f6 11.b5+- ] 5...f6 [ 5...f5 Is more consistent then 6.d2 e6 According to me this is the only way to justify 4...c6, restricting the black options without provoking the equivalent in the o p p o si n g c a m p . 7.d5! cxd5 ( 7...c5 8.e2 ) 8.xd5 d8 9.e2! ( 9.e3?! g6 10.f3 d7= Batyte, D-Dubkov, A Salzburg 2004) 9...f6! 10.xf6+ xf6 Better than 10...gxf6, that I produced an example of one year ago. 11.0-0-0 ( 11.c3 b4! 12.xb4 xb2 13.d2 xa1+ 328
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.e2 e5+ ) 11...c6 Just transposes into a well known line of the Scandinavian about which some food for thought can be found in Handke-Motwani previously commented in this section. This transposition is also what Wahls gives and the only reason I see for having centred his analysis on 5...Nf6 instead of 5...Bf5 is that he wanted to lean on the actual order of moves of the presented games. ] 6.d2 b6?! As a quasi unbreakable rule in the Scandinavian, the black queen should not move 3 times in the opening phase unless being forced to. A rule that people who do not practice the variation themselves in serious games over the board rather than games without stake on the Internet, are usually not too well acquainted with. 7.f3 xb2? One too many. Moving the queen for more than half of the moves in the opening can only lead to disaster in the Centre Counter. 8.b1 a3 9.e5 e6 I bet that whoever has faced this position with Black in a real game on a proper board will never reproduce the experience. Such a thing as danger, with a screaming flashing huge D in our case, can only be sensed during the tension and conc ent ration of a re al gam e. W hen yo u comfortably sit in front of your 'advanced' screen, it is easier to give in to the siren's song... 10.0-0 e7 11.e1! The right plan, mobilizing the last piece to exchange the main defender of the enemy kingside, instead of the previously played 11.Qe2 since the wh it e qu ee n m a y join t h e a ssa ult o n t h e kings id e d irec t ly with ou t p assin g b y th is station. 0-0 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 This leads to an overwhelming attack. It might not be possible to demonstrate a forced win after the capture on b2, but the amount of suffering Black will have to endure after being forced to shut his queen's bishop in with ...e7e6 is clearly not worth a pawn. b5 13...Nd7 or 13...Qd6 could be better defences but I do not think this can change the outcome of the game. 14.b3 d6 15.h5! f6 [ 15...f5 16.h3 h6 17.xh6 ] 16.g4! fxe5 17.xg7+! [ 17.h3 Wins too: f6 ( 17...bxc4 18.xh7+ f7 19.g6+ g8 20.xg7# ) 18.xg7+ xg7 19.xh7+ f7 20.f3+
e8 21.g6+ d8 22.a5+ d7 23.f7+! xf7 ( 23...e7 24.xe6+ ) 24.xf7+ e7 25.xe6+ d6 26.b4+ c5 27.xc5+ c7 28.xe7+ A masterpiece of optimization of attacking forces. ] 17...xg7 18.g3+ h8 19.d3 End of the fireworks. Fritz announces a quick forced mate after [ 19.d3 e4 20.xe4 f5 21.xf5 exf5 22.e8+ f8 23.f4 ( 23.f7 xg3 24.hxg3 d7 )] 1-0
329 Sakaev,Konstantin Kurajica,Bojan 4th IECC Istanbul (1) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2660 2550 2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6 Kurajica seems fatally attracted to this move. He loses lots of games b u t s t i l l c a r r i e s o n . T h e r e wi l l b e m a n y explanations for this strange state of affairs but I think we can simply put it down to good old-fashioned stubbornness- not a quality guaranteeing success in today's pragmatic chess scene. 6.g3 [ Movsesian chose simple development in another game from the same event : 6.d3 g6 7.0-0 g7 8.g5 c6 ( Perhaps Black could consider 8...g4!? ) 9.h3! 0-0 10.e3 b4 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 f5!? ( Even here 12...d5 was less manic.) 13.d3 xd3 14.xd3 b5 15.a4 b8 16.axb5 axb5 17.fe1 b7 Which is more important : The backward e pawn or Black's powerf ul light-squared Bishop? Movsesian-Kurajica Sarajevo 2003 ] 6...g6!? This is on e interpretation. Black can certainly consider the simple ....c7-c6 and later . . .Bc8-f5 but that might not marry too well with ...a7-a6. 7.f4 [ 7.g2 g7 8.0-0 0-0 9.f4 d8 10.d2 c6 11.fe1 g4 12.e5 e6 13.ad1 bd7 14.c1 b6 15.h6 c8 16.xg7 xg7 17.e4 h3 18.c5 g4?? 1-0 Asrian, K-Kurajica,B/4th IECC, Istanbul TUR 2003 What prompted such a blunder. Rather than face the captures on g4 and 329
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e7 Kurajica does the gentlemanly thing. ( Of course Black has a playable but slightly worse position after 18...xg2 19.xg2 e6 nothing catastrophic though. )] 7...d8 8.e5 g7 9.g2 0-0 10.0-0 c6 11.d2 e6 12.fe1 We must take stock : W hite's game is freer and he will probably build on the e file e.g. Re2,Rae1 etc. He's probably interested in Bf4-h6 and an exchange on g7 because that loosens Black's King giving him something extra to worry about. I would question the value of ... a7-a6 in the current position. However, I think that Black is solid and will be difficult to break down thus I call this only a slight edge to White. d5?! I find this move a little weird. Why not just get the pieces out : [ 12...bd7! A) 13.ad1 xe5 ( 13...d5! 14.e4 xf4 15.xf4 xe5 16.dxe5 a5 ) 14.xe5 d5 15.xg7 xg7 16.e4; B) 13.h6 xe5 14.dxe5 ( 14.xe5 xh6 15.xh6 g4 ) 14...xd2 15.xd2 d7= ] 13.h6 xh6 14.xh6 xc3 15.bxc3 d5 16.xd5 cxd5 17.e3! A multi-purpose Rook deployment which will leave Black regretting his undeveloped Queenside. e6 18.g4! W ith ideas of Rh3 and/or g5,Ng4-f6 . I like this pla n ve ry m uch . f6 19.g5 g7 20.h4 f6 21.g4 fxg5 22.xg5 c6 Too late! 23.xe6 ad8 24.ae1 Sakaev's play gives a very good, clean impression. He attacks with all his pieces and continually finds ways to prevent the optimal development of his opponent. h8 25.1e3! The third ran k a gain! Jus t Rh3 and Rxg6 is a very worrying threat. f7 26.f6 g7 27.xf8+ xf8 [ 27...xf8 28.xd5+- ] 28.f6 g7 29.h3 h5 30.f1! Very elegant. The idea is Nxh5 and there's no pin on the g f ile. Black's rook and knight spectate this procedure. 6 g3 may well pose a problem to Black's variation with 5...a6 which seems dependant on ...b7-b5 and . ..Bb7 for Black to get his act together. Poor Kurajicahe will have to start searching for improvements- how about 3...Qe5+? 1-0
330 Sanchez,Louis Marchal,Nicolas Le Touquet op 17th (3) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2239 2034 28.10.2002
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 e4 6.d3 If there is a drawback to Black's idea it must be that he is moving the same pieces twice in the opening. Back to basics! So energetic action is needed and po ssib ly th e p awn sacrif ice wh ich 6 B d 3 precedes is the right way to go from White's point of view. xc3 Black must damage the pawn structure. 7.bxc3 g4 The parting of the ways. Each Black move here has good and bad things about it 7... Bg4 develops but leaves b7 unguarded.. [ 7...e6 8.0-0 e7 9.e1 d7 10.d2 c6 is modest and must lead to a small edge for White, but a tough defender might like the Black position, whose long-term chances are good: 11.c4 c7 12.a4 0-0 13.a5 c5 14.c3 d8 15.e2 f8 16.h4 d7 17.h5 f6 18.h4 e8 19.d5 f7 20.dxe6 xe6 21.f5 xf5 22.xf5 d6 23.g4 h8 24.e7 xe7 25.xe7 xe7 26.e1 d7 27.h6 g6 28.f3 e8 29.g5 1-0 Nevednichy, V-Tratar, M/Cannes 2005 A very good display by Nevednichy. ] [ 7...xc3+ is critical: 8.d2 a3 9.0-0 d7 10.e1 c6 11.f4 e6 12.d2 ( 12.e3 a4 13.e2 e7 14.c4 0-0 15.e1 gives White tremendous compensation for a pawn.) 12...a4 13.c4 f6 14.f3 d7 Chomet, P-Collas, D/ Chartres 2005 and now 15.c3! seems to be excellent for White. Black's counterplay is non-existent. It looks like Reprintsev's 7...g6 is about the only decent way to play the position for Black. ] 8.0-0N [ 8.d2 c6 9.b1 b6 10.e5 h5 11.0-0 g6 12.xb6 axb6 13.xg6 hxg6 14.fb1 a6 ( 14...b5 15.c4 ) 15.c4 e6 16.c5 d7 17.xd7 xd7 Faibisovich, VDragovic, N/Pula 1990 and now 18.xb6 xb6 19.cxb6 c5 20.e3 c6 21.a4! xb6 22.dxc5+ c6 23.b1 ] [ I like the logical 8.b1! b6 9.0-0 d7 10.h3 e6 11.g5 xa2 12.xe6 xe6 330
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.f3 Ryan, J-McDermott, R/Dublin 2003 Does the sum total mean that Black is in trouble? He certainly has it all to prove. ] 8...e6 9.h3 h5 10.e2 [ Again 10.b1! with xa2 11.xb7 d6 12.e4 c6 13.d3 g6 14.d2 Black is going to be kicked around. ] 10...c6 11.f4 d7 12.ab1 g5? I think he is simply desperate for moves. [ 12...b6 would appear 'obvious', but then 13.c4 0-0-0 14.d5!! xf3 ( 14...cxd5 15.e5 ) 15.xf3 cxd5 16.cxd5 xd5 17.c4 b4 ( 17...b6 18.e4 a6 19.c5 d5 20.fc1 ) 18.e4 a6 19.a3 ] 13.g3 xf3 [ Better resistance is possibly offered by 13...0-0-0 b u t e ve n t h e r e 14.b3 e7 15.fb1 is shaping up horribly for Black. ] 14.xf3 xc3 15.xb7 e7 16.d5 e5 17.xe5 xe5 18.dxe6 xe6 19.f5 e5 20.xc6++- f8 21.b5 e2 22.xa8+ g7 23.d5 f6 24.b7 f8 25.d3 h5 26.xa7 h4 27.c4 h5 28.b1 d8 29.xf7+ It took me a while to get to this game, but it is a convincing rebuff of Black's seventh move alternatives apart from 7...g6 The path is narrow. 1-0
wa s B e laska -S ikora L e rch , Cze c h T Ch 2002. ] [ 6.d5 c6 is considered harmless, as is ] [ 6.f3 exd4 7.xd4 c6 8.xd8+ xd8 9.d4 e6 ] 6...xd4 [ 6...e7 may be best, or at least not so risky, although it needs more tests. One example is 7.dxe5 c6 8.e3 e6 ( 8...xe5?? 9.xb6 ) 9.d1 c8 10.c5 ( 10.b3 b4 with initiative) 10...d7! 11.f4 0-0 12.d5 xd5 13.xd5 b4 14.d1 c6 15.f2 d5 with good compensation, Tiviakov Maliutin, Moscow 1991 ] 7.f3 g4!? An odd square Black wants to get the queens off. [ 7...c5 8.e3 a5 9.d2 b4!? 10.a3 c6 Nisipeanu-Palkovi, Balatonbereny 1996 Emms quotes Nisipeanu's analysis 11.d1! xc3 12.xc3 a4 13.g5! 0-0 14.d3 g6 15.g3 d4 16.h4 'when White has obvious compensation for the pawn.' ] 8.xe5 [ 8.xe5+! frees White's bishop on f1, and in some cases, Qxc7 becomes possible, e.g., e7 ( 8...e6 9.f4 c6 10.xe6+ xe6 11.0-0-0! ) 9.e2 c6 10.xc7 xc4! 11.e5!? xg2 12.f3 xf3! 13.xf3 d6 14.b5 xc7 15.xc7+ e7 16.xa8 g4 17.d2 looks better for 331 B01 White ] Sarenac,David 2227 8...xe2+ 9.xe2 e6 10.b3 f6 11.d3 Scepanovic,Labud 2228 c6 12.e3 0-0-0 13.f4? This doesn't 13th Battle of Senta Open A (9) 25.07.2009 work out for tactical reasons. White stands sl i g h t l y b e t t e r d u e t o h i s s u p e r i o r p a wn [John Watson] structure after [ 13.0-0 ] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.c4 b6 5.c3 The idea with this order is to avoid ... 13...b4 14.c1 f5 15.g4!? [ 15.0-0 d4! 16.xd4 xd4 17.h5 g8 Bg4, as in is pleasant for Black. ] [ 5.f3 g4 , one of the main Scandinavian 15...d7? lines. The problem is Black's next move: ] [ 15...g6 16.0-0 d4 ] 5...e5! 6.e2! This 'gambit' appears to be the 16.c5! a8 17.fd5 xc3+ 18.xc3 most promising course. [ 18.xc3 leaves White with the bishops [ We've seen 6.dxe5 xd1+ 7.xd1 c6 now he has to deal with getting his pieces 8.f4 in the Archives. Then f6!? ( or 8...e6 out. ] 9.b3 0-0-0 10.e3 d4 11.e2 b4+ 12.f2 c5 ) 9.exf6 gxf6 10.f3 g4 18...he8 19.g1 [ 19.0-0 d4! ] 11.e3 ( 11.e2 b4+ 12.f2 or here 11...0-0-0! 12 Be3 is not so clear) 19...e5 20.f4 f7 21.f5 [ 21.f2 ] 11...xf3 12.gxf3 d4 13.f2 c5 with obvious compensation and then some 21...c6 22.f4 c7 23.h4 e7 24.f2 331
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 de8 25.b4?! e4 Jirovsky, P/ Czechia 2 00 4, whe n f5!? [ 25...h5! has the idea 26.xh5? d5 ] is interesting, 13.f3?! b3 ) 6...b4?! 26.a3 e5 27.d1!? 7.a3! xb2?! 8.c7! traps the queen and [ 27.d3 xd3+ 28.xd3 keeps White leaves Black in dire straights, Saiboulatov, disadvantage down. ] D-Kalka, A/Belgium BEL 2005; 27...h5 D) 5...f5 simplest, in my view, Black [ 27...g6! 28.fxg6 hxg6 29.g5 b5 ] prepares to castle queenside 6.f4 b6 28.gxh5 ( 6...d7 also makes sense, as a white [ 28.xh5 d5 ] knight cannot hop to e5, 7.d2 e6 8.a3 28...xf5 29.d4 g4+!? c6 9.0-0-0 0-0-0 Esprit, Y-Boudre, J/ [ Or 29...b5 30.xe4 xc3 31.d4 g4+ Toulon 1999) 7.d2 e6 8.0-0-0 c6 32.xg4 xg4 ] 9.g3 g6 10.d3 0-0-0 11.xg6 hxg6 30.xg4 xg4 31.xe4 xe4 32.g3 f5 Black is already better, Ayas Fernandez, A33.d2 b5 34.f3 d4 35.e3 c4 Mellado Trivino, J/Cala Mendia 2001 ] 36.f2 c3 White is tied down and beginning 5...a6 6.d3 to face concrete threats. 37.e3? [ As 6.g3 now seems to be very satisfactorily [ 37.e1 e4+ 38.h2 ] met by g4! White is turning to other moves 37...e4+ 38.xe4 to try to secure an advantage. I learned a [ 38.f3 d2+ 39.e2 xf4 ] hard lesson against Simon Ansell that 6 Bd3 38...xe4 39.f3 c4 And wins. 40.e1 could not be underestimated fortunately d7 41.d2 c2 42.e3 a2 43.e2 g4 Black has improvements on my play there. ] 44.c3 xa3 45.f4 xh5 46.f5 a6 6...g6!? 0-1 [ 6...g4 7.h3 h5 8.e4 xe4 9.xe4 c6 is reasonable too. ] 7.h3 g7 8.0-0 0-0 You expect a position 332 B01 like this to be a little better for White who will Saric,Ibro 2476 s i m p l y p l a y a R o o k t o e 1 a n d f o r c e a Milanovic,Danilo 2513 con cessio n. Ho wever, a s so o f t en in th e XXXVI Bosnia GMB (6) 13.05.2006 Scandinavian the Knight on c3 is not ideal an d t his a llo ws B lack t o get co un te rpla y [Andrew Martin] against d4. So the upcoming game move of 9 E a s y t o l e a rn a n d e a sy t o p la y - f o r t h e Ne4 , wh ich ap pe ars odd a t f irst sigh t, is umpteenth time in recent years the Centre W h i t e ' s l o g i c a l a t t e m p t t o g e t r i d o f h i s Counter proves reliable. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 problem piece. 9.e4 xe4 10.xe4 d7 11.c3 b8!?N The pawn structure offers xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 [ 5.ge2 has aroused some interest on the Black the chance to play this peculiar Rook Forum. White wants to play Bf4 and gain a move, planning ...b5-b4! [ 11...c5 12.dxc5 xd1 13.xd1 xc5 tempo on the queen, but the knight is not 14.c2 b6 1/2-1/2 Babas, V-Kaufmann, R/ particularly well placed on e2. Budapest 2005 only reinforces the thought A) 5...a6 6.f4 d8 7.d3!? that Black is equal. ] is a suggestion of Melts, with the clear idea of Qf3, c6 8.0-0-0 e6 9.f3 b4 12.g5 b5 13.e1 f6 It is simple enough 10.g4 was tried by jeupham (see the to cover e7. 14.c2 b7 15.e2 fe8= It remains to play....c7-c5 and Black will then Forum); B) 5...g4 6.d3 c6 7.f4 d7 be completely free. 16.ad1 d5 [ 16...c5 17.dxc5 xc5 18.f4 bc8 8.0-0-0 e6 9.h3 f5 10.f3 0-0-0 19.e5 might be a little better for White. ] looks solid enough, Malinovsky, K-Klima, L/ [ I quite like 16...h6! 17.xf6 xf6 18.e4 Olomouc 2004; xe4 19.xe4 b4 20.c4 c5 which seems C) 5...c6?! 6.f4 ( 6.d3 g6 7.f4 b4 co m p l e t e ly t h e m a t i c t o m e a n d u t t e r l y 8.0-0-0 g7 9.h4 e6 10.c7 h6+ equal. ] 11.b1 a6 12.a3 is Fedorchuk, S332
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.b3 a5 18.d2 [ 18.xd5 xd5 19.h4 a4 20.g3 d7 21.a3 f5 22.e5 was certainly a better try. ] 18...a8 19.a3 c5 The game now fizzles out. 20.dxc5 xc5 21.xf6 xf6 22.e4 xe4 23.xe4 ed8 24.xd8+ xd8 25.d1 It's frustrating as White to play such games. You think you are a little bit better throughout but nothing seems to come of it. Then if you try too hard, the opponent can step in and take advantage. I give this game, not because it is b y a n y m e a n s gre a t , b u t b e ca u se it shows just how reliable 1...d5 can be. ½-½
333
B01
Scandinavian 3..Qd6 w ...g6 Reader Question [John Watson] Reader Wane Inkpen (Wink) asks about the line 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 The question is about combining ...a6 with ... g6, something that he feels may have been played by Bronstein, which is quite plausible. I will look at the combination of the moves ... Qd6 and ...g6 in many contexts below. [ First, however, in the only Bronstein game I can find with ...g6, he was W hite (which doesn't of course mean that he didn't play ... g6, just that I haven't found it) . That game went 3...d8 4.d4 g6 5.f4 g7 6.b5 a6 7.f3 f6 8.c4 c6 9.c3 g4 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0 d7 12.e3 e5!? 13.d5 c5!? Bronstein, D-Kholmov, R, Tbilisi 1959. White has various good moves here, f o r e x a m p l e , 14.a3 xf3 ( 14...f5?! 15.g5; 14...h8 15.b1 with the idea b4) 15.xf3 f5 16.d6 e4 17.e2 , but he played 14 Ne1?! Bxe2 15 Qxe2 f 5, and Black got a mobile centre, sufficient for equality. The game was drawn. ] 4.f3 [ Other lines with ...g6 go 4.d4 and: a) A) M e l t s c i t e s g a m e s w i t h 4...g6 a n d i r r e g u l a r m o v e s s u c h a s 5.ge2 ( 5.e3 g7 6.f3 a6 7.d2 f6 8.f4 b6 9.0-0-0 0-0 10.e5 bd7 11.c4 a7; 5.c4 g7 6.ge2 f6 7.f4
d8 ) 5...f6 6.f4 b6 ( 6...d8 ) 7.d2 g7 8.0-0-0 0-0 9.h4 d8 10.e3?! e5 11.xe5 g4 12.g3 xe5 13.dxe5 xd1+ 14.xd1 a5 and Black was better in a game VolokitinKurajica, although he later lost; B) 4...f6 5.g3!? c6 6.g2 g6 7.f4 ( 7.f3 g7 8.0-0 0-0 9.f4 b4 ) 7...b4 8.ge2 g7 9.c1 0-0 10.0-0 g4 11.a3 a5 12.h3 xe2 ( 12...f5!? -Melts ) 13.xe2 bd7 14.c4 e5 15.b4 c7 16.dxe5 xe5 17.c2 Topalov-Nisipeanu, Sofia 2007. White's a bit be tt er becau se of his b ish op pa ir, although Black ultimately won. ] 4...a6 [ If Black is going to get away with ...Qd6 and ...g6 he should probably do so without ...a6, so as not to completely retard his development. That is the only way that Melts or Emms uses ...g6, as far as I can tell, for example, the lines of the previous note and: a) 4...f6 A) 5.c4 g6 isn't mentioned in Melts, who gives . Then ( 5...e6; 5...c6 and; 5...a6 ) 6.d4 and 6 0-0 will probably transpose.; B) 5.d4 g6 6.c4 g7 7.0-0 ( 7.b5 b4+ 8.d2 a5; Melts cites games with 7.e5 0-0 8.0-0; 7.h3 , and; 7.g5 0-0 8.d2 , suggesting the line c6 9.b5 d8 10.f4 e4 11.e2 d6 ) 7...0-0 with the idea 8.b5 ( 8.h3 a6 9.e2 d r a wn wa s a g a m e P s a k h i s - E p i s h i n) 8...d8 9.f4 a6 ( 9...e8 10.e1 a6 11.c3 d6 12.b3 g4 is only slightly in White's favour (space).) 10.d5 xd5!? ( 10...d7 11.c3 g4 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3; 10...d7 11.e2 xb2!? 12.ad1 gives White a lot of compensation Black has trouble getting his pieces out) 11.xd5 c6 12.xf7+! xf7 13.bd4 and White is for choice. ] [ b) 4...g6 is obviously possible, but I'm not sure that it will have much independent s i g n i f i c a n c e a f t e r 5.d4 g7 6.c4 , w h e n 6 . . . N f 6 i s n o r m a l a n d c6?? ( 6...g4? 7.xf7+ xf7 8.g5+ e8 9.xg4 ) 7.b5 b4+ ( 7...d8 8.f4 ) 8.d2 xc4 9.xc7+ d8 10.b3! and Black's queen is trapped! ] 5.c4 Wink: "Since the pawn at e6 becomes a 333
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 huge target for White I was wondering what the latest theoretical assessment was for a Black K-side fianchetto the idea being to get the Black K castled before playing ...e6. I think Bronstein introduced this idea about a deca de ago ." jw: This pa rticular o rde r is unusual, probably because W hite doesn't want to get hit with a timely ...b5. But it will usually transpose: f6 [ 5...b5? has been played on several o c c a s i o n s , b u t 6.g5! (unplayed) is a strong response, threatening to capture on f7: ( 6.xf7+ xf7 7.g5+ e8 8.f3 e5+ 9.f1 a7 isn't quite as clear) 6...e5+ ( 6...bxc4 7.f3 f6 8.xa8 c6 9.0-0 ) 7.f1 and whichever piece Black ca pt u re s , W hite pla ys 8 Qf 3 , e .g. , bxc4 8.f3 xg5 9.xa8 e5 10.xb8 d8 11.a8 f6 12.c6+ d7 13.b3 , etc. ] [ At this point, 5...g6?! is slow and neglects development, for example, 6.e4 d8 7.0-0 g7 8.d4 h6 ( 8...f6 9.xf6+ xf6 10.h6 ) 9.f4 0-0 10.c3 f5 11.e1 with greater control of the board. ] 6.d4 It's best to revert to a main line, although [ 6.0-0 is naturally possible. Then g6 7.d4 ( 7.g5 e6 8.f3 g7 9.ce4 e7 ) 7...g7 transposes. ] 6...g6?! The timing is difficult here, but I think that this is too slow. The main moves are: [ a) 6...g4 7.h3 h5 8.g4 ( 8.e3 ) 8...g6 9.e5?! c6 10.xg6 hxg6 11.e3 e5! equalises, as in KamskyTiviakov, Wijk aan Zee 2006. ] [ b) 6...f5 7.e5!? ( 7.0-0 e6 8.d5!? ) 7...e6 8.g4 xg4 9.xg4 c6 10.g1 xc4 11.e3 c6 12.d5 is unclear ] [ c) 6...e6 , when White has a slew of reasonable moves, for example, 7 Bb3 and 7.a4 , preventing ...b5 and maintaining a space advantage. ] [ d) 6...b5 7.d3 ( 7.b3 has been played a lot. Then b7 8.0-0 b4 9.e2!? xf3 10.gxf3 e6 11.a3! bxa3 12.xa3 favours White: d7 13.a1 d6 14.h1 0-0 15.g1 g6 16.d3 ) 7...b7 8.0-0 e6 ( 8...g6 9.e1 g7 10.e4 xe4 11.xe4 xe4 12.xe4 d5 13.e2 with some advantage ) 9.e2 e7 10.a4 b4 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 xe4 13.xe4 c6 14.c4 bxc3 15.bxc3 with a positional superiority. ]
7.g5! [ 7.e5 e6 ] 7...e6 8.0-0 g7 9.d5! e5 [ 9...h6 10.ge4 xe4 11.xe4 b4 12.e2 0-0 13.dxe6 fxe6 14.c3 e7 15.e3 with a big advantage. ] 10.ge4 xe4 11.xe4 b4 12.b3 f5 [ 12...0-0 13.a4! threatening Ba3 ] 13.c3 f8 [ 13...e7 14.d6 ] 14.g3 d7 15.xf5 gxf5 16.f3 and Black has problems defending f5 in view of f4 17.d6! [ 17.a4 ] 17...c6 [ 17...xd6 18.d1 e7 19.xb7 0-0 20.xc7 ] 18.a3 0-0-0 19.xa6!
334 Schoucair,Henry Prie,Eric 4eme Open International de (1.4) [Eric Prié]
B01 2106 2439 14.02.2005
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 Unlike GM Wahls, I never was an a d vo c a t e o f t h e " K à P n i g s p r i n g e r z u r à 1 / 4ckhaltungpolitik"! (The policy of keeping the king's knight back) as IM Leon PLIESTER teasingly wrote in NIC Yearbook 68. In certain sharp and interesting lines for White, like this present one, I need my knight on f6 to play ... Bg4 in order to disturb the nice attacking order of the white pieces as shown in the 2 previous games of this update. 5.c4 g4 There are many other lines where this idea represents the acid test for White. Maybe next 6.f3 f5 I have also had success with the idea [ 6...d7!? 7.d2 b6 8.ge2 e6 A) 9.0-0 b4 But I do not think it is quite sound because of 10.a3! ( 10.e4 e7 11.h1 c6 12.xf6+ xf6 13.c3 b5!= Bedouin, X (2274)-Prie, E (2464) Ch-Fra ACC Chartres 2005) 10...xc3 11.bxc3 b5 Otherwise White will play Rb1, Bd3, c4 12.b1 xc4 13.xb6 axb6 14.e1 Black will win a pawn in addition to having rook and bishop against the queen, 334
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 with enhanced control of the white squares b u t t h e re m a y b e le s s co m p r o m i si n g options in this line!; B) 9.e3?! c6 10.d2 b4 11.b3 0-0-0 12.e4 bd5 13.f2 xe4 14.fxe4 f6 15.g3 h5 16.e5 g4 17.g1 c6 18.h3 xe5 19.dxe5 xd2 20.xb6 xg2 0-1 Paci, C (2238)-Prie, E (2464) Ch-Fra Acc Chartres 2005 ] 7.ge2 [ 7.g4 d7!? Some time after this game, I s t a r t e d t o i n v e s t i g a t e ( 7...g6 more seriously, and although the position looks quite dangerous for Black, I have not seen how White could avoid transposition into the key next game. I guess therefore that this retreat should be preferred at this state of knowledge. 8.h4 h6 ) 8.d2 b6 9.e2 c6 10.d5 d4 11.d3 0-0-0 12.0-0-0 e5 ( 12...c5 13.ge2 e6 14.xd4 cxd4 15.dxe6 xe6 16.e2 ) 13.ge2 xe2+ ( 13...h5 14.h3 c5 15.xd4 xd4 16.g5 e8 17.b3 d6 18.e4 f5 19.c3 e3 ) 14.xe2 d6= I don't think White is better here, but I do n o t f e e l c o m f o rt a b l e wit h t h i s u n u su a l pawn structure for me. Mack, A (2262)-Prié, E (2429) 4NCL2 Telford ENG 2004 ] 7...bd7! This variation enjoys a bad reputation for Black because he has often gone wrong here with [ 7...c6? which is as usual refuted by 8.d2! 0-0-0 ( 8...b4 9.c1 0-0-0 10.a3 c6 11.a1! is the same) 9.a3! And not ( 9.d5 a4 The "mouse hole trick" again! ) A) 9...e6 10.d5!? ( 10.b4! W i n s i m m e d i a t e l y b6 11.a4 ) 10...xd5 ( 10...a4 11.b3 a2-a3 makes a diff erence!) 11.xa5 e3 12.d2 xc4 13.c3 4xa5 14.b4 Wins too.; B) 9...xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.b5 xd2 ( 11...b6 12.xd4 xd4 13.xf7 ) 12.xd2 xd2+ 13.xd2 Because, compared to the previous game, White did not weaken his position, with a relatively safe king close to manual qu e e n s i d e c a st l i n g s a f e t y a n d , m o s t important, Black will not be able to prevent the disappearance of his pair of bishops after the exchange Bc4-d3. ]
8.0-0 g6!? Black wants to castle queenside in this line and for doing so generally has to pro t e ct f 7 . T h e n h e will h a ve t h e c h o ic e between ...e5 or ...e6, the reason behind the subtle bishop's move instead of the more natural 8...e6. 9.f4 [ 9.b4!? Fritz9 xb4 Usually, Black does not have to fear this pawn move unprotected when attacking the bishop after its capture. 10.d3 Followed by Rb1, Nb5 with some initiative for W hite. Is it worth a pawn is another question. ] 9...e6 10.g3 0-0-0 11.e3? [ 11.f5 exf5 12.d3 c5 13.xf5? c4! 14.xc4 xf5 ] 11...b6! When White does not exactly know what to with his pieces and castles kingside Black generally obtains excellent prospects b y ca st lin g o n t h e o t h e r si d e wit h d ire c t pressure against the enemy d4 pawn. 12.e2?! [ 12.d3 xd3 13.xd3 g4 14.ce4 e7 Is fine for Black ( 14...xe3 15.xe3 c4 16.e2 xb2 17.g5 d7 18.f5 ) 15.f5 e5 ] 12...b4 13.b1?! Two inaccuracies in this sharp variation and W hite goes down ineluctably. [ 13.b5 bd5 14.c1 c6 15.c3 e7 16.c4 b4 17.d2 ( 17.c3 xd4 18.xd4 c5 ) 17...cxb5 18.a3 b6 19.c5 xc5 20.dxc5 ( 20.c1 xd4 21.axb4 xd2+ 22.bxc5 d8 ) 20...xc5+ 21.h1 c6 ] 13...bd5 14.d2? [ 14.c1 b6 15.a3 ( 15.c3? xb1 16.xb1 xc3 ) 15...d6 16.c4 ( 16.c3 c5 ) 16...xf4!! 17.xf4 xb2 18.xd6 xd6 19.d2 xa1 20.c3 xa3 21.b5 b3 22.xd6+ cxd6-+ ] 14...xd2 15.xd2 xd2 16.xd2 e3-+ At least two pawns or the exchange, the game is over. 17.c3 xf1 18.xf1 h5 19.f3 h4 20.ge4 xe4 21.xe4 [ 21.xe4 c5 ] 21...xe4 22.xe4 c5! Always have in mind that in rather closed positions, an exchange up do es n ot win b y itself . T o expres s it s superiority over the light pieces, it needs files and ranks! 23.dxc5 d2 24.b1 [ 24.f2 hd8 ] 335
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 24...hd8 25.f3 h3 26.g3 8d3 27.g4 g2+ 0-1
23...xd5 24.e5! Not only a good move, but there is little else to try! xe5!? 25.dxe5!? [ Or 25.xe5 , intending to expand on both wings, now that Black is in no position to play actively. ] 335 B01 25...e7 26.d1 [ 26.e3!? d8 27.h3 ] Senff,Martin 2468 27.d6! gxh5 28.d2! Man 2457 26...d8 Bundesliga 2006-7 (12) 17.03.2007 Well-calculated. The passed pawn and Black's kingside weaknesses combine to give White [John Watson] just enough to work with. xd6 29.exd6 d7 In his game we see the classic battle between 30.g5+ f8 [ 30...h8?? 31.e7 ] White's bishop pair and Black's pawn structure, which is ubiquitous in contemporary play. The 31.e5 Threatening mate. g8 32.g5+ same issues arise n the Caro-Kann and Slav f8 33.e5 g8 34.c4! The point of Rd6 Defence, among others. The play itself is of and Qd2: Once c5 is in, Black will be simply very high quality. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 too tied down. [ 34.g3+ f8 35.c4 generally transposes, 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 g4 since c5? loses to 36.e5 ] [ 6...f5 is by far the most common choice. ] 7.h3 xf3 This is also not the usual move, 34...f6 [ 34...b6 35.b4 ] although it has been used now and then. Black's idea is to get rid of his bad bishop and 35.g3+ f8 36.c5 f7 [ After 36...f7 , Black might hold out hope establish the kind of position in which White of simplification, but not blockade: 37.a3 can't make progress without allowing Black's b6 38.b4 b5 39.f3 g6 40.h2! knights to become effective. Zugzwang to come. ] [ 7...h5 ] 8.xf3 e6 9.0-0 bd7 10.b3 37.a3 a6 [ 37...b6? 38.cxb6 axb6 39.d7+ ] An interesting choice. White is settling down for the long haul, and will exchange off his 38.b3 d7? [ Not offering maximum resistance. 38...e8! remaining knight next. e7 forces W hite to make progress, which he [ 10...d6 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 0-0? can try to do by zugzwang, e.g., 39.a4 d7 allows the tactic 13.xe6! f6 14.f5 ] ( 39...f8 40.b6 e8 41.a7 d7 11.e4 0-0 12.c3 fe8 Black covers e6, and 42.b8+ f7 43.h8 g6 44.g8+ f5 ...e5 lingers in the background. 13.f4 xe4 45.f3 ) 40.c3 f7 ( 40...f7 41.f3 g6 14.xe4 f6 15.fe1 b6 42.h2 ) 41.b4 e5 ( 41...g6 42.b5 ) [ More assertive would be 15...e5 16.f5! 42.h3 d8 43.f5 h4 44.h2 e7 17.ad1 ( 17.g5 ) 17...g6 18.g4 and again Black is running out of moves. ] ae8 , when 19.g3 should maintain some 39.d1 g7 40.xh5 b6 41.b4 bxc5 advantage. ] 42.bxc5 e5? 43.h3! xh3 16.e2 g6 17.d6 [ 43...f5 44.d3 a5 45.a6 ] [ 17.ae1! g7 18.f3 looks good, but f7 45.f4 White's exchanges White still needs a way to make progress, 44.gxh3 pawns and his king comes to f3. perhaps h4-h5. ] 1-0 17...e7 [ 17...ad8 18.f4! b5 ] 18.xe7 xe7 19.ae1 d8 At some point Black should bring his queen's rook into the centre, if only for defence. 20.f4 b6 21.h4! d7 22.h5 d5 23.xd5 [ 23.g3 f6 is not so easy, although Fritz approves of 24.h6 ] 336
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 336 Shaw,John K Zeidler,Sven P EuTCh Plovdiv (9) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2465 2245 2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 e5+ I met Zeidler at the recent 4NCL weekend and we fell into conversation about the PATZER variation. I was impressed that he had been prepared to try this outlandish Queen move at what is, after all, a pretty high level. He said that John Shaw took a week out to refute the whole line and thought that he had succeeded. Let us see. I'll just repeat that ...Qxd5-e5-c7 is exactly the same number of tempi as .... Qxd5a5-c7 and the idea is to get a regular Sc an dina via n po sitio n with W h it e's Kin g Bis h o p le s s a ct ive ly p la ce d o n e 2 . 4.e2 Clearly critical. c6 5.d4 c7 6.f3 f5 [ 6...g4 7.e5 xe2 8.xe2 d7 9.f4 xe5 10.xe5 b6 11.0-0-0 f6 12.xf6 gxf6 13.d5 ] [ 6...f6 7.e5 bd7 8.f4 xe5 9.dxe5 e6 10.b5! ] 7.e5! And this is once again by far the best move. After everything else, Black is quite comfortable. I know I must have played about 500 blitz games in this line against some very strong players. d7 Otherwise Bf4. [ 7...e6!? 8.g4 g6 9.h4 b4 ( 9...f6 10.f3 ) 10.f4 a5 11.d2 xc3 12.xc3 d5 13.f3 ] 8.f4 xe5 9.xe5 b6 10.a4 a5+ 11.c3 f6! My own idea, where Black intends to sacrif ice a pawn after Typically, Shaw continues down the critical line. 12.b4 [ Not 12.g3 e5! 13.dxe5 d8 14.b3 b5 ] 12...d5 13.g3 [ 13.f3 e4 14.g3 xf3 15.xf3 xf3 16.gxf3 e6 is fine for Black whilst ] [ 13.c7 e5 14.dxe5 xg2 15.h5+ g6 16.f3 h3 is murky, but Black has good counterplay. ] 13...0-0-0 One could call this move natural, but [ 13...e5! is possible too, although Black will have to play creatively: 14.dxe5 xg2 15.f3 h3 16.d4 e7 A) 17.c5 d8 18.exf6 ( 18.e3 xc5
19.xc5 g4! 20.xg4 xg4 21.0-0 f5 ) 18...xf6 19.e5 c8; B) 17.0-0-0 h6+ 18.b2 e6 19.he1 f5 ] [ Finally 13...xg2 14.f3 h3 15.c5 c8 16.a4 is an adventure few would relish. ] 14.0-0 Bf3 would be answered by ...Be4 e5 This has to work or the Black pieces will end up as targets. 15.dxe5 fxe5 16.b3 [ 16.xd5 xd5 17.fd1 ( 17.c4 d2 18.ae1 b5 19.xe5 d7 20.f4 d6! 21.xd2 xe5 22.xg8 xg8 23.c5 f5 24.e1 f6 25.e2 d8 ) 17...e4 18.b2 f6 ] 16...b5 17.c5 xc5 18.bxc5 f6 19.c4! I like the way Shaw played it. He has two Bishops and a big attack. Zeidler has problems. d2 20.fe1 Simple play. The deficiencies in Black's position won't go away. a6 21.cxb5 axb5 22.a4 The can-opener attack! b4 23.xe5 b7 24.ad1 c2 25.f7+ d7 26.xd2 So is the end for the Patzer Variation? Black must rely on 13...e5 perhaps that is not too bad. A good game by John Shaw. 1-0
337 Shirov,Alexei Bauer,Christian XVI Magistral A (5) [Jonathan Rowson]
B01 2720 2585 27.12.2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 Around 2000, I lost a few games to Julian Hodgson in the Scandinavian, despite trying hard to make s e n s e o f a l l t h e l i n e s wh e r e W h i t e wa s supposed to be better. For a while I opted for 3.Nf3, intending d4 and c4 later, and in the process I realised that really I wanted to play d4 and c4 much earlier- as in moves one and two-so I started to play 1d4, and the Scandinavian ceased to be a problem! a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.d2 f5 7.c4 e6 8.d5 d8 9.xf6+ xf6 Critical. As far as I can tell, W hite is just a bit better if Black takes with the pawn(a good version of the alre ad y su sp ect gf 6: Caro-Ka nn ). 10.e2 g4 11.d5! An important move, creating 337
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 some fluidity in the position. xf3 12.gxf3 cxd5 13.xd5 d7 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 Currently thought to be Black's best, but perhaps not the only move. [ 14...a3 15.c3 0-0 16.e4 c5! ( 16...e7?! was Salov's mistake in the o r i g i n a l g a m e i n t h i s l i n e .) 17.e3 This is given by Shirov, but it is not forced, and White may have better chances without th e bis h o p e xcha n ge . ( 17.hg1!? h6; 17.h4!? e7 ) 17...xe3+ 18.xe3 given as slightly better for White by Shirov, and probably is at the highest level, but more generally I think this position should be playable for Black. e5!? looks like a good place to start. ] 15.e4 e5 [ 15...a3 16.b5 ] 16.c3 c7 17.b1 f6 18.f4! This appears to be a novelty and it is probably quite a good one. d6 [ 18...xf4 19.a5 Looks terminal- I don't think Black even has a dodgy exchange sac. ] 19.f5 exf5 [ 19...e5 is worth considering. g7 remains a weakness, but the bishop on c3 is less powerful. However, Black was probably ok in the game. ] 20.xf5 b8 21.h4! b6 22.h5 a4 23.d4 c5 24.c3 b6 [ 24...a3!? ] 25.c2 xd4 26.cxd4 xd4 [ 26...d5!? 27.e4 xd4 28.xd4 xd4 29.c1 c5 30.xh7 and white keeps some nagging pressure. ] 27.xd4 xd4 28.c1 a6 29.b3 b6 [ 29...g6!? ] 30.c7+ a7 31.xg7 [ 31.f3 was also worth considering, given that Black could have forced a draw now ] 31...e8 [ 31...a4! is a surprising shot, but it seems to draw immediately. 32.bxa4 ( 32.c2 e8! winning. ) 32...b4+ 33.a1 ( 33.c2 is probably losing e.g. d8! 34.d7 e4+ 35.c3 f3+ 36.c2 xf2+ 37.b1 b6+ 38.a1 d4+ 39.b1 xd7 ) 33...d4+ with a perpetual ] 32.g4 xf2 33.xh7 Now the h-pawn is very dangerous. e2 34.c2 d5 35.c4
b6 36.g4 d5 37.c4 b6 38.d3 d2 39.f5 xf5 40.xf5 h2 41.g4! Instructive. I think many players might play Bg6 here, only to realise that they have no further ideas. Shirov plans Bg4-f3 and Rh1. f5 42.f3 h3 43.h1 xf3 44.h6 e3 45.h7 e8 46.h8 xh8 47.xh8 d5 48.f8 f4 49.f5 c3+ 50.b2 e2 51.f6 a5 52.c2 f3 53.d2 g1 54.e3 e2 55.d2 g1 56.d3 b6 57.c4 b7 58.b5 c7 59.f7+ d6 60.xb6 e5 61.xa5 e4 62.b4 h3 63.b5 f2 64.b6 f4 65.b7 f1 66.b8 d5 67.f5+ 1-0
338 Shirov,Alexei Mueller,Karsten Nordhorn op act rapid [Eric Prié]
B01 2705 2489 09.2005
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.f3 f6 5.d4 c6 6.c4 f5 Commenting s game which, considering the 'fighting intensity' it exhibited, would certainly have been ignored by Andrew... is a special treat for me! Indeed, reacting to Sergei Tiviakov's article (published in NIC Yearbook 74) provocatively entitled "A series of simple moves suffices" and insinuating that 3...Qa5 was doomed (!) on the grounds of the line [ 6...g4 7.h3 h5 8.d2 e6 9.d5 d8 10.xf6+ gxf6 ( 10...xf6 is here impossible because of 11.g4 g6 12.e2 xc2 13.c1 g6 14.f4 W ith a winn ing attack.) 11.g4 g6 he asserted that: "White has the upper hand in the centre and on the kingside, castling on the queenside. Lots of games have been played. It is still up to Black to prove that he can reach a satisfactory position anywhere", I have myself published two articles on this annoying white idea: The first, confidential as it was not included in MEGA2006, in ChessBase Magazine 106, and the second in the latest NIC yearbook 77 '(Centre) Counter-provocatively' entitled "can a series of simple moves suffice?" o) from where the following comments of this game are mainly extracted. ] 338
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 7.d2 e6 [ 7...bd7? is the first mistake the classic 1. e4 d5 student is warned about! 8.e2 e6 9.d5 cxd5 10.xd5 d8 11.xf6+ xf6 12.0-0-0 Threatening Bb5 with an initiative practically winning by force! ] 8.d5 d8 9.xf6+ xf6 Quoting myself: "Like me most Scandinavian players believe that it is an improved Caro-Kann where White was not even given the choice of opting for the advance variation 3.e5. What they like is this structure and show reluctance, apart from well defined dynamic cases, to play with the doubled f-pawns. I agree that the idea 8.Nd5 is critical first of all because it exchanges the 'good' knight on f 6 which was controlling some interesting squares in the centre against the 'worse' knight c3 which, opposed to the Caro-Kann main lines was hampering the use of the c-pawn by White. If I had to recapture with [ 9...gxf6 which if Tiviakov is right could be the only move to get a playable position. Then I would be distinctly less enthusiastic about Black's game, so much so that I would feel like giving up the opening! Indeed, in spite o f the h ighly tactica l chara cter o f some continuations, the c6-Bf5 Scandinavian has to be ranked among the 'static' defences against the king pawn, to employ the GM Iossif Dorfman's terminology. In the middle term, It means that if White plays passively, without clear ideas of what to do, then Black will harmoniously catch up in development obtaining comfortable play with all his pieces on good squares." By way of reaction, White has to play 'dynamically', that is to say to try to profit from his advanced development to keep the initiative basically using short term themes against the Black queen and/or his queen's bishop. The recapture with the g-pawn compromising the structure and potentially le a d in g t o a c le a r d is a d va n t a g e in t h e ending - does not fit in with Black's philosophy. Playing dynamically right from the beginning of the game gives me the impression of 'putting all my eggs in the same basket'. At least is it not the way I understand or like to play chess. ] 10.e2! I had to switch to the ...c6-...Bf5
setup in '93 and was happy enough to become a Grandmaster and French champion in 1995 with it. It was the golden age of the variation. Everybody was playing it, even at the highest level under the impulse of GM Matthias Wahls and others. Then came Shirov-Salov (from Madrid 1997) which, incredible as it may seem, first saw this move, intending a rapid d4-d5, only 9 years ago! and things were never going to be the same again... g4 The only move 11.d5! [ 11.0-0-0 e7!? The best set-up for Black is o b vi o u s l y . . . B d 6 , . . . Q e 7 , . . . N d 7 b u t various games have demonstrated he had no time for that. Thus, profiting from W h ite 's m o ve ord er, Bla ck will d u ra b ly prevent the critical d4-d5 breakthrough. ] 11...xf3 12.gxf3 cxd5 13.xd5 "Suddenly we have a completely different picture: White has managed to get in the d4-d5 push (dangerously opening the play for his better developed pieces) and the doubled f-pawns (usually so crippling when Black could hold onto the d5 square) prove to be irrelevant as he is going to castle queenside anyway. In addition, the opening of the g-file seems to se r ve h i m we ll wh e n c o m b in e d wi t h t h e further harassment of the black queen, who is more exposed than ever! It looks as if this was the of the story..." d7 [ 13...c6 14.xc6+ bxc6 15.e4! c8 16.0-0-0 a3 17.c3 c5 18.hg1 xf2? 19.g5! g6 20.xc6+! 1-0 Marciano, D (2470)-Prie, E (2465) Ch-Fra Narbonne 19 9 7 O f cou rse , yo u can im a gin e t ha t , although I had overlooked W hite's super 15th move in my prep, things are not that simple... Anyway, I actually had to give up t h e S c a n d i n a vi a n a f t e r a n a l ys i n g t h i s disaster, finding no mercy for Black in this variation. If you want to know the whole story about it (including why 14th FIDE W orld champion Alexander Khalifman's conclusion, covering the idea 10... Nd7 11. 0-0-0 Nb6? as in Jaulin-Prié, at the very end of his otherwise excellent 3rd volume of his series "opening for White according to Anand" is erroneous and irrelevant!) I invite you to refer to any of the 2 works mentioned above... Or wait f or the time wh e n I co m e b a ck t o t h is se ct io n , in a 339
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 couple of months hopefully, to give you time to digest this material, for the second part of my 'secrets'! As a matter of fact, I could have made at least 2 updates with great games only issued from this specific line which stands at the front of all the 1.e4 d5 corpus, but I am curious to see how my sown ideas will grow. ] 14.0-0-0 0-0-0! Its is likely that the Spanish no. 1 was not aware of the theoretical articles in ChessBase Magazine 106. And NIC 77 was not yet out in September. As for his German opponent, he happens to be a member of staff o f t h e f a m o u s H a m b u r g f i r m . . . 15.e4 "This position looks terrible for Black: He's behind in development, his queen is out of play and two mighty white bishops are pointing at his castled king. Anyway, so far, Black has passed the test of [ 15.xb7+ See Ye-Malakhov in the archives. ] 15...e5! Once again the only move and a small miracle about which I would not be so confident if it had not been acknowledged by high level practice so far and by my friend super-GM Laurent Fressinet (whose game against Hod gso n is Kh alif man 's u ltimat e ref erence) and who much to his surprise "found nothing for W hite" in this position. 16.e3 A novelty that will probably not remain long in the annals... [ 16.b1 c7 17.c3 f6 18.d3 c5 19.c4 d6! With h2 in the line of fire, is Black's central resource in this line, while An drew's in t erest in g sugge stion of 1 8 . Rhg1!? has yet to be tested in practice. ] 16...c5! 17.c4 c7 18.e2 f6 19.g5 h6 20.xf6 gxf6 21.h3 f5 Black is clearly better but the chessboard pyromaniac, even though in bad form at the moment, remains an impressive opponent! If you look at the statistics in MEGA 2006, which do not comprise some of my results (including a nosweat draw against hard fighting Baklan rated 2601 - just two weeks ago!) you will be awa re t ha t, ap art f rom t he ga me s wh ere W hite obviously went crazy, Black has not been able to score any victory yet after 14... 0-0-0! It is a sad thing to say, but only White can press for an edge in this variation and for that reason alone we are not about to see
such thing as 'the Scandinavian revival' just yet. One immense consolation, nevertheless, is that the player who brought doubt, sorrow and misfortune to the Centre Counter kingdom did not find a way of breaking this last bastion of resistance! ½-½
339 Shirov,Alexei Salov,Valery Madrid [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2690 2665 1997
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 f5 7.d2 e6 8.d5 d8 9.xf6+ xf6 [ After 9...gxf6!? the position is similar to a Caro-Kann line: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6 gxf6. In my opinion White has the better chances here. ] 10.e2!? True to his style, Shirov uses the first opportunity to complicate. White has tried different moves in this position, but has failed to achieve anything real from the opening. [ 10.0-0 d7 ( 10...g4!? ) 11.c3 d6 12.g5 g6 13.d2 h6 14.f4 e7 15.fe1 0-0 16.g3 with a small advantage, Campora-Wolff, Buenos Aires 1997. ] [ 10.c3 d7 11.b3 b6 ( 11...0-0-0 12.0-0 Djurhuus - Westerinen, Gausdal 1996 ) 12.0-0-0 d6 13.e2 ( 13.g5 g6 14.h4 xc4 ) 13...0-0 14.g5 g6 15.h4 g4 with unclear play, Donev - Bacrot, Biel 1995. ] [ 10.e5 d7 11.xd7 xd7 ( 11...xd4!? ) 12.c3 g6 13.0-0 d6 14.e1 h5 15.f1 h4= and Black was more o r less o kay in t he ga me Emm s Haveland, Gausdal 1996. ] [ 10.c3!? deserves attention, White was able to get an advantage in the game Koch Relange, France, (tt) 1993: g4 11.e2 d8 12.h3 h5 13.d2 d7 14.0-0-0 f6 15.g4 g6 16.e5 ] 10...g4 [ After 10...xc2 11.d5 White's initiative would be dangerous. ] [ as it would be after 10...d7 11.d5 ] 11.d5 xf3 340
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 11...xb2!? deserves attention and after 12.0-0 xf3 13.gxf3 cxd5 14.xd5 c6 15.ab1 d4! it's not clear if the activity of the White pieces is sufficient compensation f o r t h e p a w n , a c c o r d i n g t o A l e xa n d e r Finkel. ] 12.gxf3 cxd5 [ 12...xb2!? 13.0-0 cxd5 14.xd5 c6 15.ab1 d4! was interesting as we have already mentioned above. ] 13.xd5 d7! [ 13...c6 14.0-0-0 a3 15.c3 was in White's favour. ] 14.0-0-0 [ T h e l o g i c a l 14.c3? was bad for White after b4! 15.xb4 xb2 ] 14...a3 [ Castling queenside does not solve Black's problems completely but probably should have been preferred: 14...0-0-0!? 15.e4 with Be3 next W hite's chances are better but Black's position is playable. ] 15.c3 0-0 16.e4 [ W hite had no need to go in for 16.xb7? ab8! ( 16...xb2+ was unclear: 17.xb2 ab8 18.b5 xb7 19.xb7 b8 20.xb8+ xb8 21.e3 ) 17.b5 c5 18.bxa3 fc8! with a big advantage for Black. ] 16...e7?! [ After 16...c5 17.hg1 h6 18.b5!? ad8 19.e3 xe3+ 20.fxe3 Black had problems but this was clearly the lesser evil. ] 17.xh7+?! [ According to later analysis White could obtain a very strong and maybe decisive attack by 17.h4! h6 18.g5! hxg5 19.h7+!! ( 19.xd7? gxh4 ) 19...h8 20.hxg5 xg5+ 21.b1 f6 ( 21...fd8 22.f4 xf4 23.d4 g5 24.f4 c5 25.h2 winning ) 22.c2+ g8 23.dg1 f4 ( 23...d5 24.e3 winning ) 24.f1!! g6 ( 24...fd8 25.h3 f8 26.h8+ g8 27.xg7 e8 28.g4 winning ) 25.g2 with Bg6 next but it was not easy to calculate the whole variation, even for a great tactician like Alexey Shirov, since we have not reached the end of the line yet. Black could now defend by c5 26.xg6 fd8 etc. ]
17...xh7 18.d3+ g8 19.xd7 W hite has an advantage which should be provable only by precise play as his kingside p a w n s a r e w e a k . b6 20.hg1 ad8 21.xa7 [ 21.b7!? deserved attention. ] 21...c5 22.e3 a8 23.b7 xa2 24.e4 xe3+?! This makes White's task easier. [ 24...fa8 looked better. ] 25.fxe3 b5?! [ 25...c8 was more to the point. ] 26.c2 b4 This was probably Black's idea but White has enough resources to defend his King. 27.xb4 f5+ [ 27...xf3 loses by force after the excellent 28.b3!! ( t h e i m m e d i a t e 28.xg7+? wa s p r e m a t u r e : xg7 29.g1+ f6 30.h4+ e5 31.d4+ f5 32.d3+ e5= ) 28...aa8 29.xg7+! xg7 30.g1+ f6 31.h4+ e5 32.d4+ f5 a n d n o w W h it e h a s t h e ve ry im p o rt a n t resource 33.e4+! f4 34.f6+ e3 35.e1+ d2 ( 35...e2 36.g5+ d3 37.b5+ winning ) 36.xf3 and fortunately the White King has an escape route: fb8+ 37.c4 c8+ 38.d4 d8+ 39.e5 winning ] 28.b3 aa8?? Although Black's position was bad there was no need to blunder like this. [ After 28...a5 29.e4 ( 29.xg7+? d o e s n o t w o r k : xg7 30.g1+ h7 31.xf8 b5+ 32.a3 a5+= with a perpetual..) 29...h5 30.c2 xh2+ ( 30...b5 31.d4 g6 White is winning) 31.d2 xg1 32.xa5 Black could continue fighting. ] 29.xg7+ Black resigned because in the line [ 29.xg7+ xg7 30.g1+ g6 ( 30...h8? 31.h4+ h7 32.f6+ g7 33.xg7# ) 31.xg6+ fxg6 32.e4 Black has nothing to hope for. An interesting game which is important for theory. ] 1-0
341
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 340 Shirov,Alexei Tiviakov,Sergei Unive Crown Group (2) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2749 2637 26.10.2010
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e5 bd7 7.f4 Shirov keeps faith with his aggressive pawn thrust. b6 [ 7...e6 8.g4 A) 8...c7 9.g2 d5 10.e4 e7 11.0-0 0-0 12.c4 5b6 13.b3 ( 13.g5!? looks an interesting try with the idea that xe5 14.fxe5 xc4 15.d3 b5 16.b3 b6 17.f6+ gives White a strong attack. ) 13...f6 14.d3 d8 15.e2 f8 16.b2 and White had a clear advantage as Black was so passive. Kosintseva, N (2551)-Huang Qian (2447) Ningbo 2010; B) 8...c5 This was the route of a previous Shirov game from this year. 9.g5 d5 10.e4 c7 11.c4 xe5?! This just leaves Black with significant positional problems. 12.dxe5 b4 13.g2 d7 14.0-0 0-0-0 15.d6+ xd6 16.exd6 b8 17.e3 b6 18.a3 c6 19.b4! and already W hite's attack is breaking through. Shirov, A (2732)-Kurkowski, K Toronto 2010. ] [ 7...c7 8.d3 ( 8.g4 is no longer so good as xe5 9.fxe5 xg4 10.e2 xe2 11.xe2 d5 doesn't look threatening.) 8...e6 9.0-0 e7 10.f3 0-0 11.h1 c5 12.e3 a6 13.ae1 cxd4 14.xd4 c5 Kosintseva, N (2551)-Huang Qian (2447) N i n g b o 2 0 1 0 w h e n t h e s i m p l e 15.e2 leaves W hite with a pleasant edge with more control of the position. ] 8.g4 bd5 [ 8...e6 was tried in their previous encounter - see Shirov, A (2726)-Tiviakov, S (2686) Benidorm 2008 annotated by John Watson in the archives. ] [ I l o o k e d a t t h e i m m e d i a t e 8...g6 in the notes to Bulski, K-Stopa, J earlier this year. A couple of more recent encounters continued: 9.g2 g7 10.0-0 A) 10...h5 11.g5 g4 Kosintseva, N (2565)-Kosteniuk, A (2524) Moscow 2010 w h e n I l i k e t h e l o o k o f 12.f3
as the knight is trapped on g4. ( 12.a4!? also looks interesting.) 12...f5 13.h3 f6 14.e1 0-0-0 15.e4 xe4 16.xe4 f5 17.e1 e5! 18.hxg4 e4 19.gxf5 exf3 20.xf3 gxf5 21.c3 and White's king lo o ks se cu re t o m e a n d t h u s h a s t h e advantage with his extra pawn.; B) 10...0-0 11.a4 a5 12.h1 ( 12.f5!? ) 12...fd5 13.e4 c7 14.c3 f6 15.d3 f5 16.gxf5 xf5 17.e2 h6 18.ec5 f6 19.e5 af8 feels promising for White as his knights dominate the board but Black has counterplay thanks to his pressure on f 4 . 20.d2 ( 20.c4 b4 21.e4 looks stronger to me with an edge. ) 20...c8 21.e4 f5 22.g3 5f6 23.f5!? xd2 24.xd2 xf5 25.c4 b4 26.xf5 gxf5?! After sensible play b y b o t h s i d e s B l a c k e r r s . ( Instead 26...xf5 27.xf5 xf5 28.h3 f6 29.e1 leaves White with decent compensation for the pawn but the game is still ongoing.) 27.g1! h8 28.f4 a6 29.f3 e6 30.h4 d8 31.g5 c5 32.ag1 1-0 Radulski, J (2577)-Saric, I (2556) Zagreb 2010. ] [ 8...fd7?! looks far too passive, ceding the c e n t r a l c o n t r o l . 9.e4 c7 10.g2 ( 10.d3!? ) 10...xe5 11.fxe5 e6 12.0-0 d5 13.a4! xe4 14.xe4 d7 15.a5 d5 16.f3 e6 17.c4 b4 18.a6! bxa6 19.xa6 left White with a fantastic position. Gledura, B (2102)-Kreindl, H (2206) Zalakaros 2010. ] 9.g2 This seems to be a novelty but a very sensible developing move and the top suggestion of the computer. [ 9.g5 was played in the previous game. xc3 10.bxc3 d5 11.c4 c7 12.c5 d5 13.g1 f6 14.c4 e6 15.e3 0-0-0 16.d2 f5 17.c4 d7 was very messy but I'd pref er to b e Black as W hite ha s severe problems finding sanctuary for his king. Lorenzo de la Riva, L (2331)-Caspi, I (2417) Barcelona 2009. ] 9...g6 10.g5 xc3 11.bxc3 d5?! After this Black is in trouble. [ I n s t e a d h e s h o u l d g o f o r 11...d7 The position is hard to assess. I feel that W h it e sh o u ld b e b e t t e r wi t h h is s p a c e advantage but Black can create counter342
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 chances with ...h6. Perhaps this will be examined in the next Shirov-Tiviakov game? 12.b1 h6 13.gxh6 xh6 14.0-0 g7 15.e2 e6 16.c4 d6 17.c3 and the computer rates the position as equal but I feel practically W hite has the more pleasant chances. ] 12.c4 c7 13.c5 This is obviously a better version of 9.g5 as now Black cannot play ... Qd5, and thus W hite will not lose castling rights. Already I think Black is in some trouble as he has become so passive. d8 [ 13...e6 would prevent White's next and should be preferred although if White reacts dynamically Black will be in trouble: 14.0-0 g7 15.e1 f5 16.b1 h6 17.b3 hxg5 18.fxg5 h4 19.f1 e6 20.f4 and Black is obliged to sacrifice the exchange when xf4 21.xf4 xe5 22.e4 xh2+ 23.xh2 leaves White clearly on top. ] 14.d5! Shirov doesn't miss this tactical opportunity, exploiting Black's lack of development. cxd5 [ 14...xd5 is an alternative try but 15.c4 f6 16.cxd5 fxe5 17.a4! also leaves Black in trouble. g7 18.dxc6 b5 19.cxb6 ( 19.xb5!? ) 19...axb6 ( 19...xb6 20.c7+ f7 21.xa8 e4 22.b3+ xb3 23.axb3 xa1 24.e3+- ) 20.xa8 exf4 21.0-0! xa1 22.xf4 0-0 23.c7 and White has a clear edge. ] 15.c4 e6 [ 15...h6 attempting to get kingside counterplay also leaves Black much worse: 16.a4+ d7 17.xd7+ xd7 18.xd7 xd7 19.cxd5 leaves White with a huge positional advantage. ] 16.b2 g7 [ 16...g8 17.g4 xc5 ( 17...e7 18.f6+ would be very similar to the game.) 18.f6+ f8 19.xh7+ e8 20.f6+ f8 when of White is clearly better and perhaps most accurate is 21.b3 h8 22.e4 dxe4 23.xh8 with a great advantage. ] 17.c6! bxc6 18.xg7 g8 19.e5 White completely dominates the dark squares and has more than enough compensation for the pawn. c6 is vulnerable while Black is exceedingly passive and cannot coordinate his pieces and so it's not a surprise that Black
does not last long. d7 20.0-0 b8 [ 20...dxc4 would take the d5 square for the knight but fails tactically to 21.f6 b8 22.b1 b5 23.xb5! cxb5 24.c6+- ] 21.a4 b7 22.ab1 [ 22.fb1 is the computer's suggestion, with the idea a8 23.xb7 ( 23.a5!? also appears to win a piece.) 23...xb7 24.b3! A) 24...xb3 25.axb3 d8 26.xa7 e8 27.a8+ c8 ( 27...e7 28.d6+ wins the rook.) 28.cxd5 cxd5 29.f1 c7 30.a7 e8 31.c3+-; B) 24...c8 25.h3+and Black's position collapses. ] 22...c8 23.xb7 xb7 24.f2 Simple chess. Tiviakov cannot prevent White taking the b file and infiltrating Black's position. d4 25.a5!? [ The straightforward 25.xd4 also wins. ] 25...d8 26.e4 Black resigned as he is basically in zugzwang. A demolition of the Russian-Dutch GM and I imagine Shirov's pet variation 7 f4 will garner more interest. [ 26.e4 c8 27.b2+- is one idea. ] 1-0
341 Shirov,Alexei Tiviakov,Sergei VII Stars Benidorm ESP rapid (8) [John Watson]
B01 2726 2686 07.12.2008
Some Tiviakov games (see the notes) should cla rif y t his p a rticula r m ain lin e. Sh iro v's approach is typically dynamic, but no great threat to Black's system. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 [ 5.c4 c6 6.ge2 f5 7.f4 b4 8.b3 e6 9.c7 e7 10.g3 gave White a standard space edge characteristic of the surrendered centre in Stenersen-Tiviakov, Gjovik NOR 2008, although Black's 500-point rating edge told in the end. ] 5...c6 6.e5 bd7 7.f4!? [ In previous updates, Tiviakov lost twice to 7.f4 d5 8.xd5 xd5!? ( after 8...xe5 9.e3 d3+ 10.xd3 xf4 11.d5!? of Gashimov-Tiviakov, Reggio Emilia ITA 2008, I suggested 11...Bd7 or even the 343
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 pawn grab 11...Qb4+ 12 c3 Qxb2, rather than cxd5? 12.xd5 e6? 13.b5+ e7 14.d2 with a strong attack.) 9.f3! , so in Vila Gazquez-Tiviakov, Benidorm ESP 2008, he played b6 ( rather than 9...f6 10.e2 g4 11.0-0 e6 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 and White stands better see, for example, Ni Hua -Tiviakov, Reggio Emilia ITA 2008 in the Archives) 10.e2 f5 11.c3 (Black's point with ...Nb6 was to temporarily prevent c4) e6 12.0-0 e7 , although this was perhaps more to avoid the theory stemming from 9...Nf6 than to prove equality: 13.e1 0-0 14.e5 ac8 15.a4 (White appears slightly better in any case) d8 16.a5 d5 17.g3 g5!? 18.b3 e7 , and here White should probably be content with a small advantage following 19.d3 ] 7...b6 8.g4!? Typical Shirov, creating a maximal imbalance. e6 9.g2 g6 10.0-0 g7 [ 10...0-0-0 puts serious pressure on the dpawn. White would undoubtedly offer it via something like 11.f3 , but Black can play a6 ( 11...xd4+? 12.e3 d6 13.b5 ) 12.d1 h5! with good counterplay. ] 11.f5 gxf5 12.gxf5 c4 13.xc4!? This and W hite's next look inaccurate. An alternative is [ 13.e1 d8 14.a4!? ] 13...xc4 14.d3?! g4! 15.f4 xb2! 16.g3 xd4+ 17.h1 f2+?! [ T h e c o u r a g e o u s w a y w a s 17...xc3! 18.xc3 g8 , when 19.xb2 d1+ 20.f1 ( 20.f1 xf1+ 21.xf1 f2# ) 20...e3! threatens ...Qd5+. ] 18.xf2 xg3 19.hxg3 xc3?! [ 19...xf2! 20.xb2 g8 wins a third pawn in exchange f or the two-pieces-for-rook trade-of f . That more than makes up f or bishop pair, although it won't be easy to gain a serious advantage in the face of White's bishops. ] 20.b1 c4 21.xb7 White is clearly better now why did Black allow this to happen when he had so many options? Anyway. the opening came out well for him, and Scandinavian players needn't be afraid of Shirov's setup. a5 22.c7 d8 23.xa7 d7 24.a8+ d8 25.xd8+ xd8 26.f3
e5 27.a3 c4 28.a7 d6 29.xc6 xf5 30.g4 d4 31.a4 h5 32.g5 e2 33.d7+ c8 34.xe7 g3+ 35.g2 c7 36.xc7+ xc7 37.xg3 h4+ 38.h3 d6 39.b3 e7 40.b2 1-0
342 Short,Nigel D Liiva,R 12th Puhajarve Rapid 2012 (6.1) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2692 2451 23.11.2012
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 This is an option that is increasingly worth considering with the rise in players choosing lines like the 3...Qd6 Scandinavian as a solid repertoire against 1.e4. One major advantage of this move is that W hite aims to play c4 before developing a knight to c3. f6 [ 3...g4 4.e2 c6 5.d4 f6 6.c4 d8 7.c3 e6 is quite similar to the game and was analysed in Kaidanov-Zatonskih by Andrew Martin. ] 4.e2 g4 5.0-0 e6 This exact position hasn't really been examined on this site before so I'll add in a few possibilities for both sides. [ 5...c6 was also tried against Nigel in the same event. 6.h3 A) 6...xf3 7.xf3 d7 8.d3 should be a li t t l e b e t t e r f o r W h i t e d u e t o t h e t wo bishops ( 8.e1 0-0-0 9.c3 is more ambitious than settling for d3 ); B) 6...h5 7.d4 0-0-0 8.e3 e6 9.c4 f5 10.bd2 xf3 11.xf3 h6 12.b1 and W hite had a comf ortable ed ge in Short, N (2692) -Vihmand, A Puhajarve 2012 ] [ 5...c6 6.h3 h5 7.c4 d8 8.d4 e6 9.b3 ( 9.c3 e7 10.f4 0-0 11.e1 is also very comfortable for White as he can co n si d e r m e e t in g bd7 with 12.d5!? which seems to lead to some advantage) 9...b6 10.c3 was somewhat better for W hite in Turov, M (2527)-Megaranto, S (2499) Dieren 2005 ] 6.h3 I quite like this plan of a quick h3 to put the question to the bishop h5 7.d4 e7?! This gives White a very easy game [ 7...c6 is more challenging and now 8.c4 344
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 8.e3 is a very flexible alternative) 8...d8 ( 8...d7 9.e3 0-0-0 10.bd2 h6 11.a3! and White had the more dangerous attack in Michielsen, J (2359)-Reed, D (2061) Jyvaskyla 2009) 9.e3 e7 10.c3 0-0 11.d2 ( 11.a3!? seems a bit more ambitious to me) 11...g6 and White has a minimal edge in Kaufman, L (2364)Zatonskih, A (2445) Philadelphia 2004 ] 8.c4 d8 9.b3! Now Black has to waste time covering b7 c8 [ 9...b6 is not a move Black wants to play as it leaves too many weaknesses on the lightsquares around it ] 10.c3 0-0 11.e3 bd7 12.ad1 a6 A sign Black is still searching for a plan. 13.g4 g6 14.h4 Nigel grabs the two Bishops to add to his space advantage and already White is clearly better. c5 15.g5 It's pretty safe to push the g-pawn here as any Black counterplay is a very long way off here! e8 16.xg6 hxg6 17.d5 [ 17.dxc5!? xc5 18.a3 creates an awkwa rd p in o n th e knigh t an d af te r b6 19.b4 d7 20.e4 White is doing well ] 17...e5 [ 17...d6 probably offered more play, after 18.dxe6 fxe6 19.g4 f5 Black may have a wrecked pawn structure but the position is still complicated. Still White is much better after 20.c2 c6 21.e4! ] 18.e4 d6 The only move as otherwise d6 was coming. [ 18...c7? runs into 19.d6! xd6 20.xd6 xd6 21.d3 and Black drops a piece ] 19.xd6 xd6 20.c2 e8 21.e4 [ 21.d3 would have kept more control over the kingside but Black can aim for counterplay with b5!? ] 21...f5! 22.gxf6 gxf6 23.h6 f5 Suddenly things aren't so clear and Short chooses an interesting Queen sacrifice. 24.xf8!? [ I suspect at a slower time-limit he might've chosen 24.g2 w h e n a f t e r f6 25.f3 White should have some edge with the two bishops and half-open g-file for play. ] 24...fxe4 25.xd6 d8 26.g4?! [ 26.b4 keeps the game very unclear ] 26...g5?! Liiva misses his best chance of the game [ 26...b6! 27.xe5 xc4 28.g3
is hard to asses but after f6 Black is starting to get coordinated and the extra Queen should give him the better chances ] 27.h1 f6 28.e6+ h7 29.g1 f4 30.xc5 f3+ 31.h2 f4+ 32.g3 Pla yin g f o r th e win h5 33.e3 f6 34.gg1 f4 [ 34...g7! 35.d7 f5 36.xf5 gxf5 and now Black has enough counterplay - for example 37.d6 f4 38.b6 e3! 39.fxe3 f3 a n d i t 's W h it e t h a t h a s t o b e t h e m o r e careful although it's possible the game is drawn after 40.g4 f2 41.f1 f8 42.c5 f3 43.d7 e2 44.g2 f3+ 45.h2 e2 ] 35.g4 d3 36.d2 h8? Finally Black cracks - it's inevitable someone is going to go wrong in a rapid game like this. 37.f3! g7 38.fxe4 It's not just that Black has lost a pawn but the counterplay is gone as well. The last few moves are not especially accurate as both players were no doubt low on time. f4 39.g3 b6 40.d6 d8 41.d7 c6 42.b4?! [ 42.b3 ] 42...f7?! [ 42...xc4 gives Black chances to hold ] 43.c5 xe4 44.cxb6 d5? 45.f3 This setup is a useful one to learn as it takes players out of their normal Qa5/Qd6/Qd8 systems where often the knight on c3 looks out of place in front of the pawn on c2. 1-0
343 Smeets,Jan Feygin,Michail NED-chT 0708 (5) [Milos Pavlovic]
B01 2558 2531 15.12.2007
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e5 bd7 7.c4 c7 8.f3 b6 9.f4 d8 [ 9...d7 is considered in this month's game Kotronias-Tiviakov. ] 10.e5 As Gawain wrote: "This seems to be the most sensible option here." e6 [ 10...g4 is the main alternative, 11.g3 h5 12.h3 h4 A) 13.e3!? is an interesting move, my first analysis shows that is strong. e6 345
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B2b) 17.bxc3 d5 ( 17...a5 14.xb6! This is the idea of 13. Qe3 was played in Womacka, M-Pizzuto, S/ A1) 14...axb6 15.d3 It is not clear to Schwarzach 2010, which is examined me what Black should do to untangle his by Gawain in his notes to Bologanpieces. g6 ( 15...d5 16.xd5 xd5 Tiviakov. ) 17.0-0 b5 18.fe1 ) 16.d5!? ( 16.0-0 B2b1) Very sharp might be: h6 17.f4 f8 18.ad1 c8 18.e3!?N f5 19.e2 ( 19.b1 19.e4 ) 16...h6 17.e2 ( 17.f4 xa2 20.xb7 h6 21.e2 e6 cxd5 18.b5+ f8 19.0-0-0 g7 22.0-0 f6 23.f3 g6 Computer 20.b1 c8 ) 17...cxd5 18.b5 0-0 style chess, but interesting 19.c7 d7 ( 19...h7 20.xa8 xa8 nonetheless, the position is 21.d4 ) 20.xa8; unclear. ) 19...e4! ( 19...xg2 A2) 14...xb6 15.0-0-0 20.f3 g6 21.0-0-0 e6 22.c4 f6 A2a) 15...d7 16.f4 g6 17.e2 23.hg1 f7 24.h2 0-0-0 ( 17.d3 g7 18.xg6 0-0-0 19.e4 25.d5 ); f6 20.f3 h5 With some chances B2b2) 18.b1 0-0-0 19.e3 f5 f o r B l a c k .) 17...f6 ( 17...g7 20.e2 f6 21.h2 e4!; 18.g4! ) 18.he1 0-0-0 19.f3 g7 B2b3) 18.f3 h5 19.f4 d8 20.a4! a5 21.c5 xa2 1/2-1/2 (19) Brkic, A (2577)22.xe6; Gallagher, J (2497) Crete GRE 2007, A2b) 15...g6 16.xf6 exf6 17.c4 Interesting play by Gallagher, in the h6 18.f4 f8 ( 18...0-0-0 19.xe6+ final position after 20.Bd3 g6 21.0-0 fxe6 20.xe6+ b8 21.hf1 xd4 Bg7 it is unclear. 20.d3 g6 21.0-0 22.xf6 xd1+ 23.xd1 f8 g7; 24.xh4 xf4+ 25.b1 g5 B3) 16...a5 17.d3 b4 ( 17...f6 26.e1 ) 19.xe6 e8 18.h2 f7 19.0-0 e6 20.e2 xc3 Black overlooks W hite's reply. 21.bxc3 ) 18.0-0 xd3 19.xd3 f6 ( 19...c7 20.hf1 fxe6 21.xe6 ) 20.fe1! 0-0-0 21.c7 xc7 22.xe6 20.a4! b4 21.b3! White stays a with a positional advantage, Kotronias, V piece up, see Gawain's annotations to (2570)-Marcelin, C (2493) Clichy FRA Huschenbeth, N-Dranov, A/Bonn GER 2007. ] 2011 in the PGN Archive.; B) 13.f4 The usual move. e6 14.e3 11.e3 bd7 [ 11...g6 can be met by This was considered best, and after... A) 12.h4; bd5 15.exd5 xd5 16.d2 B) 12.d1 g7 13.d5!? cxd5 This also looks like good pressure as ( 13...bxd5 ) 14.b5+ f8 15.0-0 Black is cramped here. with compensation, Geffroy, L (1867)-Pytel, B1) 16...f5 17.d3 xd3 18.xd3 K (2314)/Rennes 2011.; xc3 19.bxc3 d7 20.0-0 e6 21.ab1 C) 12.a4! a5 13.d5! bxd5 14.cxd5 Although the position is simplified it is xd5 15.xd5 xd5 16.xd5 cxd5 not easy for Black with his king stuck in 17.b5+ d8 18.0-0-0 g7 19.c4 the center, no possibilities to undermine C1) 19...g8 20.b1 e6 21.he1 d7 the central structure and passive rooks( 21...c8 22.cxd5 xd5 23.xg7 more then enough to say that White has xg7 24.xd5!+- ) 22.xg7 xg7 the better prospects. b6 22.c4 f6 23.cxd5 e5 24.d6; 23.f4 Kotronias, V-Ardelean, G/Kavala C2) 19...c8 20.b1 e6 21.cxd5 exd5 GRE 2004.; 22.he1 e7 23.c7+ f8 24.xa5 B2) A very interesting line is: 16...xc3 which should win, Zuniga, D-Libre, V/ B2a) 17.xc3!?N d5 18.d3 f6 Greenhills 1996. ] 19.f4 xg2 ( 19...g5 20.e3 xg2 [ 11...bd5 is the most common, 12.cxd5 21.0-0-0 d5 22.b4 0-0-0 23.c4 ( 12.d3!? xc3 13.bxc3 a5 14.0-0 d6 24.a5 ) 20.0-0-0; 346
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is promising, Nokso Koivisto, A (2226)Haanpaa, J (2110)/ Turku 1999.) 12...xd5 13.c3 f6 14.g3 g6 15.d3 with a plus, Ghattour, M-Ekstroem, R/ Graechen 2009. ] 12.0-0-0 [ 12.c4 is also good, xc4 13.xc4 g6 14.0-0-0 h6+ 15.b1 0-0 16.h4! with a strong attack, Roeder, F (2183) -Barth, N (2221)/Bayern 2007. ] 12...a5 13.xf6 exf6 14.c4 [ 14.b1 b4 15.d5! cxd5 16.cxd5 0-0-0 17.e4 f8 18.e2 ] 14...b4 15.xe6 fxe6 16.g4 xc3 [ 16...0-0-0! 17.d3 ] 17.xe6+ d8 18.bxc3 xc3 19.he1 e8 20.f7 [ Missing 20.xe8+! xe8 21.d5+ xe1 22.xe1+ d8 23.f4 with a big a d v a n t a g e i n t h e e n d g a m e , e . g . g6 24.e6+ c8 25.c5 menacing Re8+. ] 20...a3+?! 21.d2 a5+ 22.e2 c7 23.f1 W hite is much better now. ad8 24.xg7 [ 24.d5! ] 24...xa2? [ 24...b8 ] 25.g3+ c8 26.f5 Black is losing. xe1+ 27.xe1 f8 28.d6+ d8 29.xb7+ c8 30.d6+ d8 31.c4 d2 32.f3 c7 33.e8+ b7 [ 33...xe8 was forced, but 34.xe8 c1+ 35.e1 xc4+ 36.g1 xd4 can only prolong the inevitable. ] 34.b1+ [ 34.b3+! b6 35.c5 ] 34...b6 35.d6+ c7 36.g3 [ 36.a3! ] 36...g8 A last trick, but it loses in various ways. 37.b5+ [ 37.xg8?? d3+ 38.e1 xb1+ draws. ] 37...d7 38.d6+ e8 39.xc6+ [ 39.e6+ forces mate in 9. ] 39...f7 1-0
344 Smirin,Ilia Kurajica,Bojan EU-Cup 28th Eilat (4.6) [Danny Gormally]
B01 2638 2558 14.10.2012
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g6 6.b5 b6 7.a4!? [ White could also throw in 7.f4 a6 8.a4 first, somewhat misplacing the knight on a6. ] 7...c6 8.a5 d8 9.c3 g7 10.c4 0-0 11.h3 c5!? A typically "Grunfeldesque" move, Black strives to find immediate counterplay in the cen ter. T he pro ble m is t hat he 's los t several tempi. He's played ...c6, and he's also lost time with the queen (...Qd5-d6-b6-d8) so by all rights White should be better. But chess is a funny old game... 12.d5?! The problem is this blocks the path of the bishop on c4. [ 12.dxc5! was critical. xd1+ ( 12...c7!? 13.e3 a6 14.0-0! xc5 15.b5 c6 16.e5 e4 with messy play, is one option. ) 13.xd1! ( much better than 13.xd1? e4 14.e3 d7 which allows Black to equalise with little effort) 13...d8+ 14.e2 c6 15.d1 xd1 16.xd1 f5 I don't think gives enough for the pawn after 17.a6! bxa6 18.g4 d8+ 19.d2 c8 20.xa6 ] 12...e8 13.0-0 d6 14.d3 a6! Now the game is balanced. 15.e3 f5 16.xf5 xf5 17.d2 e8 18.a4 e5! 19.g5 d7 20.aa1 f5? Too optimistic. [ After the forcing line 20...h6 21.ge4 f5 22.xc5 f4 The computer points out the v e r y s t r o n g 23.e2! but even here Black can maintain the balance with careful play: xc5! ( 23...fxe3 24.xb7 c7 25.xa6 eb8 26.d6 xb2 27.de4 is good for White. ) 24.xc5 e4 with good play for a pawn. 25.xe4? f5! 26.f3 xd5 ] 21.d6! e6 22.f4!? [ 22.ad1! f4? 23.xe6 xe6 24.d5+- ] 22...d7 23.fxe5 xe5 24.f4 d4+ 25.h1 c4 26.fe1 b4 27.f3 c6 28.xd4 cxd4 29.a4 f7 30.b3 d5 31.c5 xe1+ 32.xe1 b6 33.axb6 axb6 34.a4 b7 35.h6 e4 Black has defended well in the face of a sizeable White initiative, and now Smirin starts to go astray. 347
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 36.g5?! e8 37.h2 e5 38.f6 f7 39.d7? xd7 40.xb6 xg2!? Not strictly necessary, but it gives White a chance to go astray. 41.c5? [ 41.xg2 d5+ is curtains for White, of course. ] [ The only way to save the game was by 41.xe5! xe5 42.xg2 e2+ 43.g1 e8 when I feel the game should objectively end in a draw- it is difficult for either side to mount a winning attempt without exposing his own king to too much danger. ] 41...f7 42.xe5 xe5 43.d6 [ 43.xg2 No w lo se s t rivia lly t o d5+ 44.g1 xc5 ] 43...e2 44.g1 e7? [ 44...a8 45.xd4 c6 and Black should be winning easily. ] 45.xe7 xe7 46.xg2 e2+ 47.f3 xc2 The ending is clearly better for Black, but W hite does retain some hopes of a draw. 48.e6 [ 48.b4! h2 49.f4 xh3+ 50.e2 a3 51.d6 would have been tricky, with this annoying b-pawn, even if objectively speaking Black should be winning here. ] 48...c3+ 49.g2 c2+ 50.f3 d3! 51.f4 c3 52.b4 d2+ 53.e2 c4 54.b5 e4+ 55.xd2 xe6 56.c7 e4 57.c3 f4 58.b6 f3 59.g3 f7-+ 60.f2 g5 61.d3 e7 62.c4 e2 63.c3 h5 64.d4 g4 65.hxg4 hxg4 66.f2 g6 67.b7 e8 68.g3 f2 69.xf2 b8 0-1
effective long diagonal and supports Bf4 with tempo. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 [ A rather passive approach is 5.d3 a6 6.ge2 , although White will gain another tempo with Bf4. Another game from this month, Howell-Bosboom, W ijk aan Ze e 2009, saw g4 7.f3 h5 8.f4 b6 9.g4 g6 10.g5 h5 11.e3 e6 12.e4 c6 13.d2 ( 13.c3 e5! ) 13...b4 , winning t h e b ish o p p a ir, sin c e 14.c4?! c6! favoured Black. ] 5...a6 6.g3 g4 [ Let me quote some of my own notes to Spasov-Kurajica, La Laguna 2007: " 6...c6 7.f4 d8 ( Almost automatic, but Melts analyses 7...e6+ at some length, for example, 8.e2 d5 9.xd5 xd5 10.xc7 h3 with compensation.) 8.g2 e6 ( 8...f5 is also played.) 9.0-0 e7 10.e2 ( 10.e1 0-0 11.d3 might be a better setup.) 10...0-0 11.ad1 (White's development should give him a big edge, but...) d5! 12.c1 ( 12.xd5 exd5 13.fe1 e8 14.e5 e6! ) 12...b5!? 13.e4 b7 14.c3 d7 15.fe1 "White has harmoniously-placed pieces and must be better, but how to make progress?". Black eventually took over the initiative, but the opening phase favoured his opponent. ] [ 6...b5 7.g2 ( 7.f4 b6 ) 7...b7 8.0-0 e6 looks a little slow after 9.e5 or 9 Re1. ] 7.g2 [ Fabiano Caruana annotated a game for this column that continued 7.h3 h5 8.g2 c6 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.f4 b4 11.g4 g6 345 B01 12.a3 xb2 ( Tiviakov chose 12...c4!? against Svidler in Corus 2007) 13.e1! e6! So,Wesley 2627 14.b1 xc2 15.e5 with compensation, Bosboom,Manuel 2418 Caruana-Strikovic, Lorca 2005. ] Corus C Wijk aan Zee NED (11) 30.01.2009 7...e6 8.0-0 c6 If Black has to combine ...e6, [John Watson] ...c6, and ...a6, he probably stands badly. [ 8...c6 9.f4 should favour White, It's interesting that the ...a6/...b5 lines are especially in view of b4!? 10.a3! xb2 taking a backseat to the ... c6 lines recently. 11.d2 ] Ultimately, whether ...a6 works will nevertheless determine whether the most 9.f4 d8 10.h3 [ Or 10.e1 ] aggressively-minded players will be attracted to the 3...Qd6 lines and, for that matter, to 1... 10...xf3 11.xf3 e7 [ Black can muddy the waters with 11...xd4 d5 2 exd5 Qxd5 as a whole. The g3 system in 12.ad1 b6 13.e4!? xe4 14.xe4 this game may be the biggest threat to ...Qd6 d7 ( 14...xb2?? 15.b1 is killing )] with ...a6. White quite simply takes over the 348
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.e2 0-0 [ 12...bd7 ] 13.b3! a7 14.c4 b5!? 15.fc1 d6 16.e5!? bxc4 Now things go from bad to worse. But [ 16...xe5 17.dxe5 fd7 18.e3 is easy for White. ] 17.xc4 d5 18.c3!? xe5 19.dxe5 g5 20.e1 d7?! 21.xc6 xe5 22.xd5 exd5 23.xd5 e7 24.e3 White remains a clear pawn ahead with pressure. h6 25.xa6 f5 26.g2 c8 27.a4 d8 28.b5 d2 29.xe5 xb2 30.c5 xf2+ 31.xf2 xh3 32.a8+ h7 33.h5 1-0
bishops, but if you're a Scandinavian player, it's very likely that you'll have some positions like this in your repertoire. The restraint centre makes it difficult for White to progress with pawn breaks, and Black himself can aim for ... e5 or ...c5 once he's caught up in development (although the latter extends the range of W hite's bishop along the long diagonal). Top players seem happy with these formations, which also arise in the Caro-Kann and Slav Defences. 11.f4 d8 12.d3 bd7 13.e2!? Clearly White would like to achieve c4 and possibly d5. It would be more conventional to preface this with [ 13.fe1 and perhaps a3, but he may feel that Black has more to gain than he does in that case by, say, bringing rooks to e8 and 346 B01 d8. ] 14.fd1 f8 15.g2 c8 Socko,Bartosz 2631 13...e8 Tiviakov,Sergei 2686 A typical manoeuvering policy. Now W hite Bundesliga 2008-9 (8) 13.12.2008 could move slowly, but he chooses to commit: 16.c4 e5! This break (as well as ...c5) is [John Watson] ge n e ra lly p la ye d a s a re sp on se t o c 4 . I f 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 played earlier, he doesn't have the square d3 f6 5.f3 c6 6.g3 This has become a to try to exploit. 17.e3!? [ 17.dxe5 xe5 18.c3 is a natural popular setup in the 3...Qd6 systems. But it's s e q u e n c e , w h e n g6 19.e3 c7 worth noting that Black's pawn on c6 to some might follow. Again, W hite has a nominal extent restricts the effectiveness of White's edge, but obviously Tiviakov is confident that fianchettoed bishop. Compare the game Sohe can handle any strategy that White can Bosboom from this month, in which ...a6 was cook up. ] played instead of ...c6. Then the bishop on g2 18.xd4 c5 19.c2 a5 has more scope. g4 7.g2 e6 For 7.. . 17...exd4 Nbd7, see my notes to Macieja-Tiviakov, Black h as se cured an exce lle n t ps e ud o outpost on c5 with tempo. 20.e1 c7 Wolvega 2008 in the Archives. 8.0-0 e7 21.f5 e6!? 22.ad1 c5 [ L i k e w i s e f o r t h e m o v e 8...c7 . Black delays ...Nbd7 so that he can keep a Now he eliminates the bishop pair. The rest is dull stuff, although I perhaps W hite could path to d8 open in case of Bf4. ] have tried harder to squeeze the bishop9.h3 A direct approach. [ The Macieja-Tiviakov game continued 9.f4 versus-knight position that arises. 23.a3 xe3 d8 10.h3 h5 ( Tiviakov may have 24.xe3 ed8 25.de1 d4 26.xd4 intended 10...xf3 , as in the game) 11.g4 xd4 27.c3 dd8 28.e7 d7 29.7e5 g6 12.e5 , and here I suggested bd7 d8 30.5e3 d1 31.b4 axb4 32.axb4 xe1+ 33.xe1 c7 34.e3 h6 35.c5 with a minimal disadvantage. ] e8 36.xe8+ xe8 37.f3 9...xf3 [ After 9...h5 , Black needn't fear 10.g4 ½-½ ( 10.f4 i s m o r e p o i n t e d , w h e n d8 transposes to the previous note.) 10...g6 11.e5 bd7 12.f4 xe5 13.xe5 b4 14.b1 0-0 ] 10.xf3 0-0 It's interesting that any computer will like W h ite he re, ba sed up on the two 349
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 advantage. ] B01 11.d2 e6 12.0-0 0-0-0 Solak,Dragan 2515 10...g7 Nadanian,Ashot 2418 It's quite clear that Black's opening has been 1st ch-Europe (7) 10.07.2000 a s u c c e s s . W i t h m i n i m u m e f f o r t h e h a s obtained the initiative. 13.fd1 h5 14.e1 [Carsten Hansen] h4 15.ge4 xe4 16.xe4 d5 17.c3 [ 17.c4 h5 18.d5 f5 with a complicated 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 game was certainly also worth considering. ] To me it doesn't make much sense to place the queen on this awkward square. More 17...f5! 18.d3 h5 19.e2 xd4 [ 19...xd4!? 20.f4 h6 21.xd4 xd4 logical, and, I'm confident, much better is the 22.xe6 fxe6 only leaves Black with a normal 3...Qa5. 4.d4 f6 5.e2 useless extra pawn, but much more [ 5.f3 a6 6.e3 c6 7.d2 f5 importantly also with opposite coloured this improves over 7...Bg4 8 Ng5! e5 9 d5 bishops which favour the attacking side, in Nb4 10 f3 Bf5 11 Nge2 Qd7 12 0-0-0, with a this case Black. Therefore Black is clearly clear advantage for White, Karpov-Lutikov, better. ] USSR 1979 8.h4 d7 or 8...Be6!? 9.f3 f5 10.c4 e6 11.h4 g6 12.xg6 20.f4 h6 21.xd4 xd4 22.xe6 fxe6 hxg6 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 13...b5!? is also very 23.e4 g7 24.c3 b5 25.xb5 interesting for Black 14.h3 b4 15.b3 ½-½ a5 16.e2 1/2-1/2 Zhang Zhong-Ye Jiangchuan/Beijing CHN 2000 ] 348 B01 5...a6 6.f3 h6 [ 6...c6 7.ge2 e5 Black can also Solak,Dragan 2629 consider 7...Bg4 and 7...Bf5 8.xc6+ xc6 Schartz,Alain 2160 9.dxe5 g4 10.d5 White understandably 18th European Teams (1.18) 03.11.2011 w o u l d l i k e t o h a n g o n t o h i s m a t e r i a l [Milos Pavlovic] advantage, but 10 0-0 is probably even better to enhance the lead in development. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 b6 11.0-0 e6 12.e4 c5 13.a4+ f6 5.f3 a6 6.g3 g4 This is considered d7 14.f4 e6 White invested all that the 6.g3 main line. time just to keep the pawn, and now he has [ 6...f5 7.g2 c6 8.0-0 0-0-0 ( 8...e6 to hand it back anyway. That should teach 9.a3 0-0-0 10.e2 b8 11.e3 e7 him a lesson. 15.h3 xe5 16.d4 xd4 12.e5! ) 9.d5 It is also possible to play in 17.xd4 c6 18.h4 e7 19.f3 f5 a different way: ( 9.e3 e6 10.e2 e7 20.e4 0-0-0 21.xe6 xe6 22.f4 f6 11.a3 d5 12.xd5 exd5 13.b4! g6 23.fe1 d4 24.ac1 xh3 25.e3 f5 14.fc1 h5 15.b5 axb5 16.xb5 h4 26.xd4 xd4 27.e2 hd8 28.f2 h5 17.ab1 b6 18.a6+ d7 19.b7 ) 29.h1 g6 30.h3 f7 31.g3 g5 9...b4 ( 9...xd5 10.xd5 xd5 32.e4 c4 33.e1 h4 34.h3 f5 35.c3 11.xd5 xd5 12.g5 d7 13.xf7 g8 d1 36.xd1 xd1 37.xg5 f4 14.xc6 bxc6 15.e5 d6 16.e1 xc2 0-1 Rezonja,S-Sermek,D/Ljubljana CRO 17.e3 It seems that White's advantage in 2000 ] the endgame is undisputed.) 10.f4 c5 7.ge2 g5!? This bizarre move looks 11.e5 g6 12.e3 d6 13.c4 d7 absolutely awful, but it attempts to punish 14.d4 g4 15.c5 e6 16.d6 xd6 White for his Bf1-e2-f3. 8.e3 c6 9.g3 17.xd6+ xd6 18.h3 1-0 Rohonyan, K g4 This is a bit unnecessary, moves like 9... (2316)-Braunlich, T (2177) Stillwater USA Rg8 and 9...Bd7 are excellent choices for 2007 ] B la c k , a n d p ro m isin g h im a t l e a st e qu a l 7.g2 c6 8.0-0 0-0-0 chances. 10.e2 [ 8...e6 9.f4 d7 10.h3 xf3 ( 10...h5 [ 10.xc6+ xc6 11.d5 c4 12.d2 11.g4 g6 12.e5! xe5 13.dxe5 d5 is a more active way of seeking an 14.xd5 exd5 15.c4 ) 11.xf3 d6 347
350
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.d5! exd5 13.fe1+ e7 14.xd5 fxd5 15.xd5 xf4 ( 15...0-0 16.xb7 xf4 17.gxf4 Simply transposes.) 16.xb7 0-0 17.gxf4 g6 18.ad1 f5 19.e4 f6 20.f5 h4 21.e7 ] 9.d5 e5 [ 9...b4 10.h3 h5 11.f4 c5 12.e3 d6 13.e2 e5 ( 13...bxd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.ad1 e6 16.g4 xe3 17.g5 b6 18.xd8+ xd8 19.gxh5 xf1 20.d3+ e8 21.f5 d6 22.xb7 1-0 (22) Brkic, A (2530) -Niemi, M (2214) Gaziantep TUR 2008 ) 14.dxe6 xe6 A) 15.fd1!?N xd1+ 16.xd1 c6 17.a3 d6 18.b4 It looks to me that W hite is much better here. e8 19.b5 axb5 20.xb5 xf3 21.xf3 xh3 22.f4! e6 ( 22...xf4 23.xc6+- ) 23.xd6 xd6 24.xd6 cxd6 25.xc6 bxc6 26.xc6+; B) 15.g4 g6 16.d4 e8 17.fe1 h5 18.f3 c6 B1) And now with: 19.g5 fd5 20.h4+Fressinet could get easy win. d6 21.a3 xe3 ( 21...xc3 22.axb4 d5 23.b5+- ) 22.xe3+-; B2) 19.a3 hxg4 20.hxg4 bd5 21.xd5 xd5 22.g5 e4! 23.h3+ c7 24.f4+ d6 25.gxf6 xf3 26.xe8 xe8 27.xd6+ xd6 28.xf3 xf6 1/2-1/2 (71) Fressinet, L (2640)W ong Meng Kong (2470) Calvia ESP 2004 The position is unclear. ] [ 9...xd5 10.xd5 xd5 11.xd5 xd5 12.g5 ] 10.f4 xf3+ 11.xf3 xf3 12.xf3 e5 13.dxe6 xe6 14.g5 h5 [ 14...d6 15.ae1 e5 16.a4! he8 17.c5 d5 18.xd5 xd5 19.xf6 gxf6 20.d3 We have a typical endgame of knight vs bishop, but the problem for Black is t h e s h at t e re d p awn st ru ctu re o n t h e kingside. e6 21.e4 d6 22.fe1 d7 23.f1 h5 24.h4 b5 25.a4 c5 26.axb5 axb5 27.b3 xe1+ 28.xe1 e5 29.d2 b4 30.e3 d6 31.f3 e6 32.e2 c7 33.f4 The idea now is to bring the knight to c4. It's not a winning endgame by default but it 's o bvio us t ha t B la ck h as t o de f e nd a d i f f i c u l t e n d ga m e . b6 34.b2 c4 35.xc4 g1 36.b2 c5 37.d2 f5
38.d3 c5 39.e2 d5 40.f3 d4 41.g4 hxg4+ 42.xg4 d5 43.h8 e3 44.h4 f5+ 45.g3 d4 46.e8+ d2 47.xb4 winning, Hracek, Z (2629) Tomczak, J (2541) Miedzybrodzie-Zywiec POL 2011 ] 15.ad1 xd1 16.xd1 d6 17.xf6 xf6 18.xf6 gxf6 19.e4 e5 20.c3 Aga in we have a similar en dga me to th e Hracek game above, and again Black was unable to solve the problems. f5 21.g5 f6 22.e6 h4 23.g2 d6 24.d2 d7 25.d4 hxg3 26.fxg3! f4 27.g4 e8 28.h3 e5 29.f3 This is practically over. d6 30.h4 f7 31.e2 d8 32.h5 h8 33.h3 f5 34.g5+ f8 35.gxf5 xh5+ 36.g4 h1 37.f6 f3 38.xf3 g1 39.e4 f7 40.xd6+ cxd6 41.e7+ xf6 42.xb7 a1 43.e4 e6 44.a3 1-0
349 Solodovnichenko,Yuri Pantioukhine,Slava 4eme Open International de (3.4) [Eric Prié]
B01 2514 2260 2005
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.c4 [ 5.f3 g4 directly is dubious because of 6.h3 h5 7.g4 g6 8.e5 Threatening Nc4 e6 ( 8...c6 9.h4 bd7 10.c4 c7 11.h5 e4 12.xe4 xe4 13.f3 d6 14.f4 b6 15.e3! ) 9.g2 ( 9.c4 a6 Intending ...Qc6 with complications.) 9...c6 10.h4 e4 ( 10...bd7 11.xd7 xd7 12.d2 With the combined ideas of h4-h5, g4-g5 and the classical d4-d5 corresponds to the game Wynn Zaw HtunRogers already commented in this section and highly dangerous for Black....) 11.xe4 xe4 12.f3 d6 13.g5! d7 ( 13...f6 14.xf6; 13...h6 14.d2 White has won the g6 square for his e5-knight in case of ...f7f6. )] 5...c6 As the rest of the game will testify, this system for White, postponing the development of his Ng1 with the idea of threatening to win the black queen as early as possible with Bc1-d2, Nc3-d5 and then long castles to open 351
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the position with the d4-d5 breakthrough before Black has time to interpose ... Bf8-b4 does not lack venom . That is why I have regularly played the more unusual. [ 5...g4 h e r e , b e c a u s e 6.f3?! i s n o w s u s p i c i o u s a l l o w i n g c6! S e e t h e n e x t 2 ga m e s. A n d t h a t is t h e reason why 5.Nf3 (avoiding the disruption of 5.Bc4 Bg4) is the main move order of the Scandinavian where 5... Bg4 then allows a free expansion of the white kingside, beginning with 6.h3, against the Bg4, with his counterpart better placed on g2 than c4 as shown above. ] 6.d2 f5 7.e2! e6 8.d5! The main weapon for White against the Centre Counter then! His advance of development generated by Black's early queen sortie is naturally expressed in a more vigorous way by breaking open the lines. cxd5 9.xd5 d8 10.xf6+ gxf6 [ 10...xf6 11.0-0-0 g6 12.f3 xc2? 13.b5+ c6 14.c4 e4 15.e5 ] 11.0-0-0 c7 12.g4! The side idea of keeping the knight on g1: g4 remains under control! g6 [ 12...xc2 13.xc2 b5 14.c3 bxc4 15.xf6 is expensive. ] 13.h3! Immediately followed by its natural complement. d6 14.f4! White has played his partition with the best possible rhythm and it is already time to say goodbye. xc2 [ 14...f5 15.c3 f8 ( 15...0-0 16.gxf5 xf5 17.xe6! fxe6 18.hg1+ g6 19.xe6+ f7 20.xd6; 15...g8 16.xe6 ) 16.xd6!! xd6 17.d1 A) 17...e7 18.b5+ c6 19.xc6+ bxc6 20.a6 c7 21.a5 c8 22.d8+ xd8 23.xc6+! e7 ( 23...d7 24.xa8+ e7 25.b4+ ) 24.b4+ f6 25.c3+ e5 26.xe5#; B) 17...b6 18.f6 c6 ( 18...d7 19.b5 ) 19.xe6; C) 17...c7 18.xe6! fxe6 19.xe6+ e7 20.c8+ f7 21.g5+ g8 ( 21...xg5 22.c4+ ) 22.c4+ f7 ( 22...f7 23.d4 ) 23.xf7 xf7 ( 23...xf7 24.d8# ) 24.c8+ e8 ( 24...e8 25.d8 ) 25.e1 ] [ 14...0-0 15.c3!! A) 15...d7 16.f5 exf5 17.gxf5 xf5
18.hg1+ g6 ( 18...h8 19.f3 xc4 20.xd6 ) 19.d3! e5 ( 19...g7 20.xd6 xc4 21.xd7 xa2 22.f4 ad8 23.h5+ h6 24.d2+ xh5 25.h3# ) 20.xe5 xe5 21.xg6+! hxg6 22.xg6+ h8 23.h6+ g8 24.g1+; B) 15...xf4+ 16.xf4 xf4+ 17.b1 e4 ( 17...c6 18.h4! e4 19.f1 e5 20.h5 xc2+ 21.a1 e4 22.d2 ) 18.f2! c6 19.xf6 xc2+ 20.a1 e5 21.b3! e2 ( 21...g2 22.d5 xg4 23.xc6 bxc6 24.xe5 ) 22.he1 xg4 23.xe5 ] 15.xc2 b5 16.c3 bxc4 17.xf6 g8 18.xd6! xd6 19.d1 c7 20.d8+ xd8 21.xd8 xd8 A queen move along the h1-a8 diagonal would have followed. 1-0
350 Solovjov,Sergey Alekseev,Evgeny St . Petersburg [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2445 2300 1999
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.f3 g6 5.e2 g7 6.c4 b6 7.0-0 0-0 8.c3 c6 [ 8...g4 is the main alternative to the text, and will be considered in RusaanovAlekseev. ] 9.d5 e5 10.c5! This move is the most serious attempt to fight for an opening advantage. [ After 10.xe5 xe5 11.h6 e8! White has failed to prove his advantage in numerous games. ] 10...bd7 11.e3 xf3+ The alternatives are clearly insufficient: [ 11...g4?! 12.d4 df6 13.h3 h6 14.e5! with an obvious advantage for W hite, Veselovsky - Sluka, 1999. Black's attempt to improve position of ugly-looking Knight f5 fails to 15.g4! , and White wins a piece ] [ 11...b6?! This move was played in Prie Lepelletier, 1997 and White easily got the upper hand: 12.c6 xf3+ 13.xf3 f6 14.e1 e8 15.g5 f6 16.h6 with a clear edge. ] 12.xf3 e5 13.e2 c6 352
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 13...f5?! was played in some games, but it looks quite dubious: 14.f4 f7 This move leads to a very passive position, but ( 14...g4 is even worse: 15.xg4 fxg4 16.d4! f5 17.xg7 xg7 18.d4+ g8 19.fe1 with an overwhelming positional advantage, Vogt - Preismann, 1993. ) 15.b3 a6 16.ad1 e8 17.fe1 and W hite is clearly better due to his space advantage, pressure down the e-file and the poor position of all Black's pieces, Isaksen - Nielsen, Esbjerg, 1994. ] 14.f4 d7 15.f3 c7 16.c1 [ I n m y o p i n i o n , 16.d6!? is worthy of c o n s i d e r a t i o n : a5 17.a3! ( Other possibilities lead nowhere for White: 17.dxe7 e8; 17.d4 xd4+ 18.xd4 xc5 19.xc5 xc5 20.dxe7 e8 a n d in b o t h c a s e s B la ck h a s e xce l le n t prospects.) 17...e8 18.b4 d8 19.d4 f8 20.e4 and White's pieces dominate th e c e n te r. T h is lin e re qu ires pra ctica l tests. ] 16...f6 17.e2 [ 17.dxc6 is another possibility, but it gave W hite no advantage in Evdokimov Alekseev, Russia, 1998: bxc6 18.b5 d7 19.xd7 xd7 20.d4 fc8 21.h3 e6! 22.f2 d5 and due to the strong position of the knight in the center Black's chances are by no means worse. ] 17...d7 Black has successfully completed his development and can be satisfied with the result of the opening fight. 18.dxc6 xc6 19.b4 ad8 20.fd1 e5 21.fxe5 xe5 22.f2 xd1+ 23.xd1 f4 24.c4 e4! [ The endgame after 24...xc4 25.xc4 xf3 26.gxf3 is not good for Black as soon White will get a dangerous passed pawn on the queenside. ] 25.e3 e5 [ 25...h4 is a good alternative to the text. Here the game could continue: 26.f2 h6! 27.xh6 xf2+ 28.h1 e8! 29.f1 d5 30.b5 c6 31.c4 ,with a draw by repetition. ] 26.b5 d5 27.d3 c8 28.f2 xf2 29.xf2 xf3 30.e1 b2 31.gxf3 f6 32.d7 d8 33.e8+ [ 33.xb7 d4 34.xd4 xd4+ 35.h1 xc5 ]
33...xe8 34.xe8+ g7 35.d7 h5 36.xb7 In my opinion this line is promising for White. Although Black managed to hold the position W hite missed some promising possibilities (especially 18. d6). ½-½
351 Sonter,Matthew Smerdon,David Mount Buller AUS (7) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2206 2425 04.01.2005
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 g4!? 4.e2?! [ 4.f3 f5 5.b5+ is a very stern test of Black's open ing variation. The poin t o f showing this game of course, is to demonstrate how effective 3...Bg4!? can be against an unprepared opponent. ] 4...xe2 5.xe2 xd5 6.f3 e6 7.0-0 Of course White's play is reasonable and he expecting to get an edge with the forthcoming c2-c4. But this advance will bring as many problems as it sets. Note the following points: 1) After c2-c4 White's d pawn becomes easier to attack. 2) The Black Queen is driven to a much more dangerous square on h5. c6 8.e3 0-0-0 9.c4 [ If White must play this line then I prefer 9.bd2! here. The idea is to meet a subsequent ...Bd6 with Nc4. As far as I can see this maintains equality: h5 ( 9...e7 10.fe1 f5 11.c4 d5 12.a3 he8 13.ad1 f6= ) 10.fe1 d5 11.c4 e7 12.ad1 xe3 13.xe3 d6 14.c4= ] 9...h5 10.c3 I understand that White is trying to be ambitious but he has no real justification for thinking that he is better. With ...Rg8 and ...g7-g5! Black has very good chances. The Bishop on f8 can stay where it is for the time being. g8! 11.fd1 g5 12.c5? I was very surprised to discover that this move had been played bef ore it's just so horrible and anti-positional to cede the d5 square. [ 12.d5 appears to be the move that White has been leading up to, but the c o m p l i c a t i o n s f a v o u r B l a c k I t h i n k : g4 13.d4 ( 13.dxc6 gxf3 14.xd8+ xd8 15.d3+ d6 16.g3 g4 17.h4 bxc6; 353
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.g5 exd5! 14.xd5 xd5 15.xd5 d6 16.g3 e7! 17.a5 h6 18.xa7 hxg5 19.c5 h8! 20.h4 gxh3 21.a8+ d7 22.xd8+ xd8 23.xh5 xh5 24.cxd6 cxd6 ) 13...d6! 14.g3 e5 15.dxe6 c5 ] [ The meek 12.e5 was certainly called for, demonstrating a true grasp of the needs of the position and White can hope for equality, although xe2 13.xe2 xe5 14.dxe5 d7 doesn't look too great for him. ] 12...d5! 13.xd5 xd5 14.b4 g7N [ 14...g4! is also very strong: 15.e1 g7 16.c2 gd8 The dark side of c4-c5 is revealed or even c2-c4 in the first place. The d pawn will be done to death. 17.c4 e5 18.b5 xd4 19.xd4 exd4 20.c6 b6 21.ab1 d3 22.e3 d4 23.b3 f8 24.bc1 8d6 25.c4 g3 26.hxg3 h6 27.f3 d6 28.a4 h1+ 0-1 Keskinen,SSalmensuu,O/Helsinki 1998 ] 15.b5 Now a forced sequence follows. g4 16.bxc6 gxf3 17.b5 bxc6 18.xc6 g4! 19.f1? He did not want to suffer after [ 19.g3 h3 20.a6+ d7 21.b5+ e7 22.f1 xf1+ 23.xf1 gd8 The d pawn falls and W hite cannot play a Rook to b7 due to the back-rank mate. ] 19...fxg2+ 20.g1 e5! 21.a8+ [ W hite can prolo ng the game wit h 21.f4 xf4! 22.xf4 xf4 23.a8+ d7 24.c6+ e7 25.xg8 e3+ 26.xg2 g5+ 27.xg5+ xg5+ 28.f3 h5+ 29.g2 d5+ 30.f2 xc6 31.ac1 d6 ] 21...d7 22.xd5+ exd5 23.dxe5 e4 24.e6+ Black can just take on e6 either way perhaps the pawn is best. No, Black is in good shape after 4 Be2, a wimpy move from White. 4 f3 is necessary. 0-1
White has more than one good way to obtain a definite advantage. 3...Bg4 develops and at the same time tries to force a concession. The trouble is that White can quite often make use of the 'weakening' 4 f3 and so the whole idea is devalued if this is indeed the case. 4.f3 Curiously, Spangenberg plays a quiet move, rejecting two sharper alternatives which are simply good for White: [ 4.b5+! d7 ( 4...c6 5.dxc6 xc6 6.f3 f5 7.e2 ) 5.xd7+ xd7 6.c4 b5 7.cxb5 xd5 8.e2 c6 9.bxc6 xc6 10.f3 g6 11.0-0 g7 12.d1 0-0 13.c3 ab8 14.xd5 xd5 15.e3 fc8 16.b3 b4 17.ac1 e4 18.d2 d8 19.f4 bc8 20.c7 1-0 Pelikian, J-Lucena, S/Pre-Amazon Open, Imperatriz BRA 2003 (20) ] [ 4.f3! f5 5.b5+ This is the line which most worries me. bd7 6.c4 e6 7.dxe6 xe6 8.d5 f5 9.e2 c5 10.g3 g6 11.e2+ e7 12.c3 1-0 Bitalzadeh,ANaalden,M/ ch-NED Open, Dieren NED 2003 (21) ] 4...xd5 5.e2 c6 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 d7 8.c3 0-0-0 Nimzowitsch taught that the two Bishops become increasingly powerful the longer the game goes on. Thus Black's strategy in this particular situation must be to open the centre as quickly as possible and try to get some action together with his Knights before White has a chance to settle down. [ Thus 8...e5 would appear more logical than 8... 0-0-0, provoking an immediate crisis. Th e f ollowing ga m e de m on stra te s h o w White can cope: 9.0-0! 0-0-0 10.g5! exd4 11.g4! xg4 12.xd8 xf2 13.xf2 xd8 14.cxd4 c5 15.h1 c8 16.c3 xd4 17.d2 e8 18.e2 e4 19.c1 d6 20.xc6 xc6 21.xd4 e8 22.f3 g5 23.d5 Shabalov,A-Gershon, A/Paget Parish 2001 Black toiled on for a further 45 352 B01 moves but his position is almost resignable right now. ] Spangenberg,Hugo 2495 Llanos,Guillermo 2395 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5N [ The straightforward 10.0-0 also appears II American Continental, A (5) 2003 good: e4 11.e2 b8 12.d2 a5 [Andrew Martin] 13.c2 c6 14.xe4 xe4 15.xe4 d5 16.xd5 xd5 17.e1 d8 18.c4 f6 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 g4?! 19.f4 d6 20.xd6 cxd6 21.d5 he8 Th e J a d o u l va ria t io n , t ricky, b u t lo o kin g 22.f1 c7 23.xe8 xe8 24.e1+increasingly unsound as time goes by. I think 354
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Della Morte,P-Fiori,N/Esperanza 2002 1-0 (39) Easy chess ] 10...d3 Desperate already. This is one sacrifice that simply doesn't work. Probably Llanos intended 10..Re8 but that's pretty lousy: [ 10...e8 11.0-0 xe5 12.f4 e6 13.d1 d6 14.xd6 xd6 15.xd6 xd6 16.xc6 ] [ 10...a5 11.c2 e8 12.0-0 xe5 13.f4 e8 14.d1 ] 11.exf6 Why not? c5 12.d2 a5 Hoping to attack with a subsequent ..Nc4. The immediate 12...Rhe8 could be deemed more 'natural' but with Qc2 as the key resource, White defends comfortably. [ 12...he8+ 13.d1 xf2 ( 13...gxf6 14.c2 e5 15.e4! a6 16.e1 ) 14.fxg7 e3 15.c2 b5 16.e1+- ] 13.a4 he8+ 14.d1 c4 15.c2 d6 16.b3! A killer. The attack on b7 forces Black's retreat. a5 17.b5 xf2 18.xa5 g3 19.b4 Of course 3...Bg4 is a great idea and has scored reasonably well over the years. For me though, the surprise element has gone (which accounted for most of the wins in th e f irst p la c e), an d we a re le f t t o ju d ge objectively whether Black's pawn sacrifice stands up. I hope I've shown some key lines h e r e wh i c h d e m o n s t r a t e B l a c k h a s r e a l the oret ic al p ro blem s t o so lve. 3 .. .B g4 is almost certainly on the way out. 1-0
353 Spasov,Vasil Kurajica,Bojan I Open La Laguna ESP (7) [John Watson]
B01 2588 2549 10.03.2007
The Scandinavian has that strange quality that good defenders always seem to win from inferior positions. Here W hite, the higherrated player, does everything right, but can't seem to find a way through. Then he gets careless. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 The Melts Variation. No one seems to trust it, but a lot of people play it! 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6 [ I ' v e m e n t i o n e d t h e m o v e 5...c6 in numerous articles, and think that it's
underrated. ] 6.g3 One of White's favourite lines. c6 [ 6...g4 '!' is suggested in Jonathan Rowson's Scandinavian survey. But then 7.h3! h5 8.g2 c6 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.f4 b4 11.g4 was clearly to White's advantage in Svidler-Tiviakov, Wijk aan Zee 2007. ] [ I think that 6...b5 7.f4 b6 is the most interesting option. ] 7.f4 d8 [ Almost automatic, but Melts analyses 7...e6+ at some length, for example, 8.e2 d5 9.xd5 xd5 10.xc7 h3 with compensation. ] 8.g2 e6 [ 8...f5 is also played. ] 9.0-0 e7 10.e2 [ 10.e1 0-0 11.d3 might be a better setup. ] 10...0-0 11.ad1 White's development should give him a big edge, but... d5! 12.c1 [ 12.xd5 exd5 13.fe1 e8 14.e5 e6! ] 12...b5!? 13.e4 b7 14.c3 d7 15.fe1 White has harmoniously-placed pieces and muct be better, but how to make progress? ae8 16.c2 h6 17.b3 f5!? 18.c5 [ 18.ed2 is probably advantageous after b4 19.b1 bxc3 20.a3 . Black can try to hang on to the pawn for a few moves by b4!? and then shift his bishop to b6, for example, 21.e5 xe5 22.dxe5 a5 23.b4 b6 24.xc3 ] 18...xc5 19.dxc5 c8 20.c4 f6 21.b2 e4 22.cxb5 axb5 23.a4!? [ 23.h4!? . After the text, White forces the pace. ] 23...bxa4 24.bxa4 a8 25.d7 e7 26.xe7 xe7 27.e5 d8 28.c6? An obscure move. Perhaps White missed a tactical theme. [ White stands better after 28.d1 ] [ or 28.xe4!? xe4 29.c4 d5 ( 29...d5?? 30.c3 wins outright!) 30.c3 d2 although his advantage is limited. ] 28...xc6 29.xe4 fxe4 30.xe4? They always say that one mistake follows another, probably because the player is trying to make up for the first. Better [ 30.c4 ] 30...d4 31.g4? 355
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 31.b1! h1! 32.f3 xf3+ 33.xf3 xf3 9.xf3 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xb7 34.c2 a8 and White's king is still the e4+ more exposed one. ] [ 11...d8!? At least this is more exciting 31...a5! Threatening ...Qxe1+ as well as ... than a depressing ending after the exchange Qxe5!. The game is suddenly over. 32.e3 o f q u e e n s . 12.e3 e5 13.d1! f5 The analysis stops after 13.c5 instead in [ 32...d5! 33.f3 f5 is even stronger. ] Khalifman's book "Opening according to 33.c3 d5 34.f3 d1+ 35.g2 f8 Anand" vol 3, with the evaluation of a "big On this or the next move, ...Ba6 wins, but it advantage for White" based on some game makes no difference. 36.a5 e2 37.g1 Kotsur (2500) - Lependin (2395) RUS-Cup a6?! Krasnoiarsk 98 which was eventually won by [ 37...xf3! 38.xf3 ( 38.xf3 d8 ) White. It may be right at the end of the day, 38...d4 wins. ] but 13.Rd1! is a much stronger continuation, 38.h4 d1+ 39.g2? exchanging a vital defensive piece in the [ 39.h2 b7 40.a6 hangs on for a while. black camp while searching shelter on the On move 39, it's understandable that both queenside for the white king. ] sides miss the next shot. ] 12.xe4 xe4 13.a5? 39...b7?! [ 13.e3! [ 39...e3+!! 40.fxe3 f1+ 41.h1 A) 13...e6 14.g3! 0-0-0 15.g2 c5 ( 41.h2 e2+ ) 41...h3+ ] 16.e2 e7 17.b3 f5 18.ab1 g5? 40.a6 xf3+ 41.xf3 e2 42.g1 xa6 ( 18...a6 19.b4 e4 20.hc1 ) 19.b4 Black could resign. 43.e5 e3 44.h3 a4 ( 19...e4 20.xe4 fxe4 21.xa7 ) d6 45.d3 xd3 46.xe6+ h7 20.b3 b6 21.c1 Volokitin, A47.xe3 Reprintsev, A Swidnica op 1999, and after 0-1 this severe defeat, the Ukrainian, who is re a so n a b ly we l l kn o wn in t h e Ce n t r e Co u n te r un iverse f o r h is o rigin a l a n d 354 B01 often tactical ideas, imagined 5...Ne4 to bring this update full circle, in a way.; Spassky,Boris V 2545 B) 13...e5 14.g3! I have known this Prie,Eric 2440 refutation for long time... before it was Coupe de FRAnce Fin (1) 1992 played by Macieja in 97 or reproduced in [Eric Prié] Khalifman's book. Thus, Black cannot exchange the dark-squared bishops with 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 14...Bc5? because of 15.Bg2 winning the f6 5.f3 c6 6.d2 g4 The obvious exchange and at the very least ends up in reaction, instead of the more artificial 6...a6. a miserable ending where the check 14... 7.b5 b6 8.c4! As a bonus for this Bb4+ 15.Ke2 hardly helps. 0-0-0 15.g2 section's subscribers, I will now follow with the c5 16.d5! An illustration of the pros necessary complement to explain the and cons of having pushed the e-pawn 2 theoretical state of this line nowadays. Indeed, squares. f5 17.e2! ( 17.b4!? one can't imagine things could be as simple Karavaev, V (2384) - Rodin, D (2260) as they appeared to be in the previous 2 Voronezh op 1999; 17.0-0-0!? e4 18.f3 ) games! xf3 17...e7 18.ab1 ( 18.xc5? xc5 [ 8...xd4 9.bxd4 e5 10.h3 xf3 19.e6+ b8 20.xf5 hf8 ) 18...g5 11.xf3 e4 12.a4+! c6 13.0-0-0 exf3 19.b4 a4 20.hc1 b8 21.c6 b6 14.e1+ e7 15.a3 0-0-0 16.xe7 xd2 22.a4 f4 23.d2! White is clearly better 17.xd2 xf2+ 18.c1 fxg2 19.xg2 in every ending resulting from the strong xg2 20.he1 d8 21.a5!+- Covering plan (inaugurated by 6.Bd2!) that was lots of important squares while threatening implemented in this game up till move 15, mate. Matjushin, G (2349) -Kislinsky, A thanks to his powerful pair of bishops and (2412) UKR-ch U18 Kiev 2001 ] 356
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 better structure. Unless there is a miracle like the one we are about to witness in this game, the best Black can hope for nowadays in the long traditional ...Nc6, ... Nf6 Scandinavian is to defend a difficult opposite bishop and rooks ending a pawn down. A rather dissuasive argument at the very least. ( 23.c5 c8 )] 13...0-0-0 14.g3 e6 15.f3 For some reason my great opponent, on leave from the Lyon chess club, was not in a fighting mood that day... when, as for me, I had felt the wind of the cannonball whistle past my ears, and so soon dropped the line after this game. But what sort of a Scandinavian update would it be without at least one game of mine o) ½-½
355 Speelman,Jonathan S Martin,Andrew D 4NCL (2) Birmingham [Andrew Martin]
B01
19.09.2004
Only a short draw, but a variation of great interest to Scandinavian fans. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.f3 Speelman didn't think too long before playing this move. Training in on his thought patterns I sensed that something tricky was coming up. f6 [ 4...g4!? is certainly an interesting move here. Black wants to play ...Nf6 and ...c6 but his main priority seem to me to be to develop the Queen's Bishop without risk. Could this be problem solved? If so then 4 Bc4 could be White's best then I think 4...c6! 5 Nf3 Bg4! is probably the way 5.h3 h5 6.c4 e6 ] 5.c4 c6 6.e2!? Dangerous. White sets up ideas of Ne5 and the usual Kingside pawn storm. Speelman has dabbled in the Scandinavian himself and mentioned after the game that he was under the impression that 6...Bf5 was a mistake. I was just playing at this point, could see what was coming up and was trying to survive. f5 [ I considered 6...h5 for a brief moment but this fails to a typical trick: 7.h3 g4 8.xf7+! ] 7.e5 e6 8.g4 g6 9.h4 bd7!
Playable thanks to the loose pawn at c2 and the best move. [ 9...d6 is possible. I wasn't sure where I wanted the f8 Bishop though. ] 10.xd7 xd7 11.d3 [ The critical variation arises after 11.h5 xc2 12.d3 b5 ( 12...a4!? ) 13.xe6 fxe6 14.xe6+ e7! ( 14...d8 15.g5+ c7 16.f4+= ) 15.g5 d8 16.d2 xd3! A) 17.xe7 xe7 18.xe7+ xe7 19.xd3 e5+ 20.c2 ( 20.d4 xg4= ) 20...hf8; B) 17.ae1? f6 If Black is surviving this one the opening lives. At this moment I don't see why he isn't surviving. ] 11...h5! 12.d2 [ 12.xe6 0-0-0 is far too dangerous for White to contemplate. ] 12...e5 13.g5 Maybe Black is even slightly better just taking on e2. I was happy to split the point having done the job for the team. As far the opening goes you will not find the line that Speelman played in W ahls' mammoth book on the Scandinavian and that is saying something. What I did seems OK, but Black should investigate 4.. .Bg4 as well. ½-½
356 Sprenger,Jan Michael Martyn,Rafe Open Vienna (9) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2490 2265 2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.c4 Dangerous. White may follow with Nge2 and keep his f pawn free- that is the basic idea. It is particularly effective if Black pla ys his B ish o p t o f 5. In principle I lik e Black's reply. g4! 6.f3 [ After 6.d3 both sides have to change strategy. white has to cope with strange pie ce p la ce men ts a nd B lack mu st t ak e advantage quickly of the poor position of the Qd3. Castling on the queenside is indicated! c6 7.b5 0-0-0! 8.xc6 bxc6 9.c4 e6 10.d3 c5 11.ge2 cxd4 12.xd4 b6 13.e3 c5 14.0-0-0 cxd4 15.xd4 g6 16.b5 h6+ 17.b1 b7 0-1 Szitas, G-Innocente,N/2nd Open, 357
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Condom FRA 2003 (63) ] 6...h5 [ 6...f5 7.ge2 bd7?! ( 7...c6 ) 8.g4 g6 9.h4 h6 10.f4 h7 11.e2 b6 12.fd5 xd5 13.xd5 c6 14.f4 0-0-0 15.xc7 e6 16.xd8 exd5 17.b5 b4+ 18.f2 g6 19.h5 d6 20.h4 f8 21.e8+ c7 22.g3 e6 23.xd6+ 1-0 Wilsbeck,J-Manley,C/25th Politiken Cup, Copenhagen DEN 2003 ] 7.ge2 c6 8.d2 0-0-0 9.b5 A move which completely throws Rafe Martyn although he must surely have been aware of the dangers. In fact W hite has several dangerous alternatives each of which has to be paid close attention: [ 9.a3 xd4 10.b5 b6 11.bxd4 e5! 12.f5 e4 13.eg3 c5 14.b4 ( 14.xh5 e3 15.hxg7 exd2+ 16.f1 xb2 ) A) 14...f2+! I think this move is very strong: 15.f1 ( 15.e2 xg3 16.hxg3 exf3+ 17.gxf3 e4-+ ) 15...e3 16.xe3 xe3!! ( 16...xd1+ 17.xf2 xa1 18.xa1 ) 17.e1; B) 14...g1? 15.e2 Palac,M-Tkachiev, V/Pula 1999 ] [ 9.d5 a4 10.xf6 gxf6 11.b3 a3 12.c3 d6 13.g3 g6 14.e4 d7 15.0-0 f5 16.c5 d6 Typical Hodgson juggling 17.f4 xd4 18.cxd4 xd4+ 19.h1 xc5 20.e1 e6 21.c1 a3 22.c3 g8 23.xe6+ b8 Gdanski,JHodgson,J/ Germany 2002 ] 9...b6 10.a4 xd4!?N [ Black can try to hold W hite up: 10...a5 The analysis is complicated: 11.a3 ( 11.c3 e6 12.b3 e7 13.g5 g6 14.f4 b8 15.xg6 xg6; 11.c3 e5 12.b3 exd4 13.cxd4 b4 ) 11...b4 ( 11...e5 12.b3 b8! Fritz7 ) 12.c3 ( 12.xb4 axb4 13.a5 a6 14.a4 g6 15.f4 e6 16.xg6 hxg6 17.c3 ) 12...bd5 13.b3 e5 14.d3 e6 15.dxe5 c5 16.bd4 xe5 17.b5 b6 18.0-0 g6 19.c4 c5 20.c2 c7 21.g3 xc2 22.xc2 e3 23.xe3 xe3+ 24.f2 d2 25.b3 Werner,V-Didenko,L/ Germany 1999/ GERchT and now 25...b6 would be equal. Black must walk a very fine line in this variationhis Queen is in constant danger. ] 11.bxd4 xd4 12.xd4 xd4 13.e2
xb2 14.0-0 Martyn has ample material two pawns for the exchange, but will he ever get to use it? Black is behind in development and must catch up without delay. e6 15.e3 e5 16.f2 d7 17.fe1 c5?? Horrible. Is Black's position so bad after [ 17...d6 18.f4 f6 19.ab1 d8 I think not. W hile most strong players would prefer to be White it's all to play for. ] 18.xc5 xc5 19.xc5 xc5 20.e5 The sting in the tail. g6 21.xc5 b6 22.a6+ Verdict: Can Black place his faith in Martyn's exchange sacrifice? I am doubtful a l t h o u g h I h o p e I ' ve sh o wn t h a t B la c k ' s position is by no means as bad as Martyn made it look. 1-0
357 Starostits,Ilmars Hamdouchi,Hicham XXXV Open Sevilla ESP (6) [Neil McDonald]
B01 2471 2601 13.01.2010
1.e4 d5 [ The position that arises in this line of the Scandinavian Defence is very similar to the 5...gxf6 variation of the Caro-Kann: 1...c6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 f6 5.xf6+ gxf6 6.f3 f5 and if we add a rather lousy move f or W hite and an unusual one f or Black we get the position that arises in the main game af ter 8...gxf 6: 7.d2 b6 The comparison would seem to suggest that Black is doing at least OK- in fact he is probably already better. ] 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 [ In my book 'Starting Out with 1. e4', I give the sequence 5.d2 c6 6.c4 f5 7.d5 d8 8.xf6+ gxf6 9.f3 I prefer this way of handling it with White as Black's queen has been driven right back to d8, whereas in the main game she can retreat to b6, attacking the b2 pawn. ] 5...c6 Black opens up a line of retreat for the queen and stabilises his control of the important d5 square. 6.d2 f5 7.e4 b6 8.xf6+ gxf6 9.b4 White tries to make a virtue out of the necessity of defending b2 by clearing the way for the rook on a1 to enter 358
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the game via b3. But this time consuming plan doesn't work out well as W hite lags behind with the development of his kingside. g8!? Making it difficult for White to develop his kingside in view of the attack on g2. [ A sharp battle also occurs after 9...d7 10.a4 e5 11.a5 c7 12.e2 ( Ideally White would like to fianchetto on the kingside but he doesn't have enough time e.g. 12.g3 0-0-0 13.a6 b6 14.g2 exd4 15.0-0 e5 leaving him in trouble.) 12...d6 Black's well centralised pieces and initiative on the kingside give him at least equal chances in the melee that follows. 13.0-0 e4 14.h4 xh2+ 15.h1 e6 16.c4 h5 17.a3 f4 18.d5 g4 19.xf4 xf4 20.g3 d6 21.a6 b6 22.xg4 hxg4 23.xg4 cxd5 24.cxd5 xd5 25.e3 f5 26.f4 -Hracek, Z-Mueller, K/ Werder Bremen GER 2009. ] [ Meanwhile White would have the initiative after 9...e5 10.c4! d7 11.0-0 as discussed previously by Eric Prie in the archives. ] 10.b1 d7 11.b3 e5 12.e3 c7 13.dxe5 e6 14.c4 0-0-0! White has wasted too much time making moves on the queenside and is unable to cope with the opening of lines in the centre. 15.c2 xe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.f4? A blunder, but White was already in difficulty due to his inability to develop his kingside. xb4+! Overloading the roo k on b 3 tha t mu st kee p e 3 de f e nd ed . 18.f2 a5 19.xb4 [ After 19.e2 c5 threatening 20...Rd2 Black is a pawn up with a strong attack. ] 19...xb4 20.e2 a5 21.xh7 xa2 22.c1 xg2+ 23.xg2 xe2+ 24.f2 g4+ 25.h1 xc4! winning the d5 square for the bishop. 26.g3 d1+ [ For if 26...d1+ 27.xd1 xd1+ 28.g2 f1# ] 0-1
358 Steiner,B Brustkern,Juergen FSIM September (9) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2245 2225 2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6!? 5...c6 is safest but doesn't afford the same dynamic potential. 6.g3 b5 7.f4 b6 8.g2 b7 9.0-0 e6 10.a4 The f irst critical moment f or Black. Quite correctly W hite makes an effort to open up the position-he has castled and Black has not! Brustkern has two answers: b4!? Risky. [ 10...d6 As the evidence stands, this seems quite decent. Black isn't in too much difficulty on the a file and his b pawn can be p u s h e d o r p r o t e c t e d e a s i l y : . 11.xd6?! ( 11.e5 bd7 12.axb5 axb5 13.xa8+ xa8 14.e2 b4 15.b5 is certainly more challenging but not lethal by any means.) 11...cxd6 12.axb5 axb5 13.e2 xa1 14.xa1 c6 15.g5 xg2 16.xg2 0-0?! 17.xb5 c6 18.c3 h6 19.f3 d5 20.e5 b8 21.xc6 xc6 22.a5 b6 23.b4 c6 24.d3 White has almost consolidated his extra pawn, Berczes, CBrustkern, J/FSIM October, Budapest HUN 2003 (48). ] 11.a5! a7 12.e2 d5 Ok, as long as Black can maintain the central blockade. 13.c4?! Hum. One can understand his anxiety to attack but I believe that [ 13.g5! was much more effective. White vacates the f4 square for a knight and puts Black under immediate pressure. I do not see how Black equalizes after this: bd7 14.f4 A) 14...c6 15.c4! bxc3 ( 15...h6 16.xf6 xf6 17.e5 xg2 18.a4+ c6 19.xg2 ) 16.bxc3 e7 17.xf6 xf6 18.e5 xg2 19.a4+!; B) 14...c4 15.e1 d8 16.c3 d6 17.b3 b5 18.c4 c6 19.d5 ] 13...bxc3 14.bxc3 d6 15.xd6 cxd6 16.f4 e4 Different to the earlier line. White can't occupy e5 Black is ready to castle. However, it quickly becomes clear that Steiner is still keen to punish Black for his seemingly dubious opening play. 17.e1 bd7 18.g4!? [ At this point White would do much better 359
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ju st t o p la y f o r a d ra w: 18.d2 xg2 19.xg2 0-0 20.f3 He SHOULD achieve the desired result from here. ] 18...h6 19.h4 Consistent but thoroughly w e a k e n i n g . d5 The worm turns.. ..so suddenly Steiner is unable to react. There are dark-squared weaknesses all the way down to h2. 20.e5 [ 20.g5 c7! ] 20...g5! 21.hxg5 hxg5 22.fd3 c7! B r u s t k e rn is v e ry f a st wh e n h e g e t s t h e opportunity. 23.xe4 [ 23.f3 xd3 24.xd3 xe5 25.xe5 d7 26.xg5 h2+ 27.f1 b8 ( 27...f4! 28.h5 xh5 29.gxh5 f6 30.h6 xh6 ) 28.d2 g3 29.h5 ] 23...dxe4 24.f4 Panic! exd3 25.fxg5 xc3 26.a4 d2 Steiner didn't get what he wanted out of this game. The variation with 3...Qd6 strikes me as opportunistic. 'Playable but dubious', to reverse Tartakower's famous aphorism. 0-1
359 Stellwagen,Daniel Bartel,Mateusz World Jr Ch - Boys U20 (8) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2561 2513 17.11.2005
A recently published book from New In Chess called Secrets of Opening Surprises Vol 4, has an article by Artur Kogan on the BANKER v a r i a t i o n , r e n a m i n g t h e wh o l e l i n e a n d updating a lot of analysis which I investigated over 5 years ago. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 Very straightforward. Black develops coherently and argues that the White Knight on c3 is not ideal. 6.g5 Looks more dangerous than it is although Black must respect White's plan of quick development. h6?!N Not much respect here. Black cannot really afford this loss of time. Fortunately, there are at least two good alternatives: [ 6...g4 i s s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d : 7.xf6 It is obvious that if this is White's best move ...Bg4 should be preferred to . ..h7-h6. exf6 8.e2 b4 9.d3 0-0 10.0-0 d7 11.a3 a5 12.d2 e6 13.c4 c7
Leko-Adams Frankfurt 1999 ] [ 6...f5 is also very standard perhaps a little bit duller: 7.d3 xd3 8.xd3 e6 9.0-0 bd7 10.e4 e7 White has an edge, but Black's position is hard to break down. ] 7.xf6 exf6 8.c4! Paying homage to Morphy. Getting the pieces out really does mean something in chess. b4 [ 8...e7+ might be the best shot and there are similarities to a line of the Caro: 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nf6 5 Nxf6+ gxf6 6 Bc4 Qe7+!? 9.f1! ( 9.e2 xe2+ 10.xe2 e6 11.0-0-0 d7= ) 9...g4 10.d3 d7 11.e1+ e7 12.e4 f5 13.e5 But if the White King is on f1, it's not the type of advantage which will be easy to prosecute. ] 9.0-0 0-0 10.d3 a5 [ 10...g4 11.d2 d7 12.f3 e6 13.ae1 keeps the White edge. ] 11.e4! Black's pieces on the queenside hang in the air and Bartel has no real compensation for the queenside pawn majority. f5 [ 11...f5 12.c3 d6 13.ae1 d7 14.c2 ae8 15.d3 xe4 16.xe4 b6 17.a3 is another typical line. W hite has an obvious small advantage based on pawn structure. ] 12.g3 g6 [ With hindsight 12...f4 had to be preferred but there is no doubt about White's ongoing advantage after 13.e4 h5 ( 13...d7 14.c3 e7 15.fe1 b6 16.b3 f5 17.e5 d5 18.f3 ) 14.c3 e7 15.d2 ] 13.e5 g7 [ 13...d6 14.xg6 ] 14.h5+!! A tremendous move which I am sure t hat Ba rtel o verlo oked . At a strok e White highlights the nakedness of the Black King. h7 [ Taking increases the risk of after-game embarrassment: 14...gxh5 15.g3+ A) 15...h8 16.xf7 ( 16.xf7+ xf7 17.xf7 d8 18.c3 d6 19.g6 f8 20.fe1 d7 21.f6+ h7 22.e2+- ); B) 15...f6 16.c3! d6 17.xf7 xe5 18.g6+ e7 19.fe1 d7 20.dxe5 f4 21.ad1+- ] 15.g3 g5 [ 15...gxh5 16.xf7 h8 17.g6 d2 360
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18.f4 leads to mate. ] 13.e5+ g8 14.xh5 g6 15.f3; 16.xf7+- White's sudden strike leaves Bartel B2) 9...xd4 10.e2 h4+ 11.f1 quite powerless. e7 17.g6+ g8 18.fe1 h5 12.d5 and here Black made the W hat is the point of being fancy now? bizarre decision to sacrifice a rook with Stellwagen brings up the reserves to finish the c6? ( 12...d8 was critical although job. b4 19.h4 d7 White has reasonable compensation for [ 19...xb2 20.c3! b6 21.g4!! d8 the pawn after 13.d1 but with White's 22.e5+- ] king also vulnerable the position is just 20.a3 xb2 21.ab1 xa3 22.xd7 xd7 unclear. ) 13.xc7+ d8 14.xa8 [ 22...xg3 23.fxg3 xd7 24.xe7 ] but he never really got compensation in 23.e5 A very attractive miniature, although Ib a rra Je re z, J (2 53 8 )-Ha slin ger, G Black organised his own funeral to a certain (2127) Seville 2013 and White quickly extent with the risky 6...h6. won. ] 1-0 8...d5 [ 8...h5 9.c4 leaves the knight on h5 badly placed and the best Black can do is 360 B01 ( 9.f4!? g6 10.f3 c6 11.0-0-0 also gives W hite a good position) 9...f5 10.d3 Stevic,H 2618 e6+ 11.e2 xe2+ 12.gxe2 Kovacevic,Bl 2436 with a slight edge for White. ] Zagreb Open A 2013 (4.3) 28.02.2013 9.e4 a4! The only move to give White any [Tom Rendle] problems [ 9...b6?! can quickly get Black into trouble 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 after 10.c4! f5 ( 10...b4? simply drops a f6 5.d2 g4 6.f3 f5 piece to 11.c5 a5 12.a3 ) 11.c5 b4 [ 6...d7 last month we saw Van Wely try 12.a3 4a6 13.xd7 xd7 14.c5 e6+ this against Anand with little success. ] 15.f2 and despite the messiness of the 7.g4 d7 8.g5 p o sit io n W h it e is d o in g we ll wit h a b i g [ 8.c4 is White's main alternative and it space advantage and the two bishops. ] also cau ses Bla ck some prob lem s b6! This leads to a pleasant endgame but other moves are not so good as g5 just 10.c4 it's not the only option gives White a good position [ 10.e2 might also be better for White as A) 9.e3 is probably better and White is the Queen on a4 is still vulnerable. Perhaps somewhat better after e6 10.d2 ( 10.g5 Black can get reasonable chances with e5! d5! 11.xd5 exd5 12.xd5 a5+ 11.dxe5 c6 as it's not easy to see what 13.c3 a3! 14.c1 0-0 and Black has should do next. Both 12.a3 ( and 12.f4 full compensation for the pawn as White's deserve attention. ) 12...xe5 13.2c3 ] pawn structure is poor and he still has to find time to castle queenside.) 10...e7 10...xd1+ 11.xd1 b6 12.f4 a6 ( 10...xb2 is risky af ter 11.b1 a3 13.b3 e6 14.e2 0-0-0 15.h4 c6 16.h3 17.f2 Both sides have developed 12.g5 but maybe Black is OK after d5 b8 sensibly over the last few moves but it's clear 13.xd5 exd5 14.xd5 c6 ) 11.0-0-0; that Stevic has the easier position with a B) 9.g5 space advantage on all parts of the board but B1) 9...h5 10.f4 is bad for Black after 18.h5 hf8 B1a) or 10...g6 11.f3 e6 Black is still very solid. e7 White prepares g6 but it's possible ( 11...g7? 12.d5 c6 13.e2 e6 19.hg1 14.f5! gxf5 15.0-0-0 and Black is in that it was already strong [ 19.g6! hxg6 20.hxg6 fxg6 ( 20...f5?! deep trouble. ) 12.e2; 21.g5 d7 22.g2 and Rh7 is clearly B1b) 10...xd4 11.xf7+ xf7 better for W hite) 21.g2! and Black will 12.f3! d6 ( 12...g4 13.xd4 have a hard time defending against Bc1 (or xd1 14.xd1 e6 15.e4 g3) followed by Nf4. ] and the knight on h5 is still offside) 361
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19...g6! Now the chance is gone. 20.e5 d7 21.g7 g8 22.h6 xe4 B la ck a t t e m p t s t o a lle via t e h i s cr a m p e d position by swapping off a pair of pieces but this leaves the f7 pawn a long term weakness. [ 22...b4 23.d2 xe4! 24.fxe4 c6 was a better way to do it although White is still better after 25.e3 ] 23.fxe4 f8 24.xf8 gxf8 25.e3 e5 Black sacrifices a pawn rather than waiting patiently for W hite to double on the f-file. 26.xd7?! [ 26.d5! ac5 27.df1 was much stronger as the f7 pawn is a far bigger prize than the doubled pawn he wins in the game. ] 26...xd7 27.dxe5 e7 28.f4 c6 White is a pawn up but Black still has good chances to hold a draw. The one thing that makes it really tough is the pawn on h6 with always gives W hite good winning chances. 29.d3 c7 30.d2 e6 31.e1 d8 32.xd8+ xd8 33.f3 e6 34.d4 f8 35.f1 d7 36.e6!? fxe6 37.b4 [ 37.xe6!? doesn't quite work here against a c c u r a t e d e f e n c e xe6 38.f7 c5 39.xh7 xe4+ 40.f3 h4 41.g3 h1 42.e7 a5 and Black is holding a draw ] 37...e5 38.c2 c7 39.d3 d6 40.c5+ e6 41.e3 a5 42.a3 f7?! After this the ending is probably winning for White although Stevic has to show excellent technique. [ 42...axb4 43.axb4 e8 forces White to f i n d a w a y t h r o u g h a l t h o u g h 44.a1 gives White good winning chances. ] 43.xf7 xf7 44.c4 axb4 45.axb4 e7 46.a5 f8 47.xb7 e6 48.a5 d4 49.c4 e6 50.d2 d7 51.c3 e7 52.b2 d7 53.a3 c7 54.a4 b7 55.c4 f3 56.d6+ c7 57.f7 d7 [ 57...d2 58.a5! xe4 59.a6 is winning, e.g. d2 60.xe5 e4 61.f3 c3 62.d4 ] 58.b5 cxb5+ 59.xb5 e7 60.b6 xf7 61.c6 1-0
361 Strikovic,Aleksa Larino Nieto,David IX Open Mondariz ESP (4) [Neil McDonald]
B01 2519 2467 28.12.2009
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6?! The active move Black wants to play, but where is his queen going to find shelter? 6.d2! A very awkward move to meet. In fact it makes 5...Nc6 look unplayable. g4 [ Perhaps Black has to make do with 6...a6 here. ] [ After 6...b6?? White could win the queen with 7.a4! Rather surprisingly this was missed by Garry Kasparov in a simul' although he eventually won after ( 7.d5 b4 8.c4 in 1-0 Kasparov, G-Saripanidis, S/ Corfu 1996. )] 7.b5! Looks stronger than the natural [ 7.b5 when Black is active after 0-0-0 8.xc6 bxc6 ] 7...b6 8.c4! Continuing to harass the black queen. The threat is 9. c5 Qa6 10. Nxc7+. b8? It is easy to criticise this move, but Black only needs one safe moment to play 9... c6, driving away the white knight, and his opening problems are over. Furthermore, Black isn't much behind in development, even after retreating the knight. This idea might have worked, and can only be ref uted by energetic play by White. [ Eric Prie has analysed his game with Spassky in an ea rlier upd ate th at wen t 8...xf3 9.xf3 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xb7 Despite holding the great man to a draw as Black, Eric is decidedly gloomy about his chances in the opening. ] 9.c5! c6 [ Instead 9...e6+ runs into 10.e5! xd1? ( In any case Black is a pawn down for n o t h in g a f t e r 10...c8 11.xg4 xg4 12.xc7+ xc7 13.xg4 ) 11.xc7+ d8 12.xe6+ fxe6 13.xd1 when Black is wrecked. ] 10.a4! Threatening 11.Nxc7+ and the less obvious 11.Nd6+! cxd6 12.Bb5 pinning the queen. xf3 11.gxf3 bd7 Now the second wave of the white attack begins. 12.a5! c8 [ If 12...d5 13.c4 7f6 14.d6+! exd6 362
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.b5 and wins. ] 13.b3 Threatening a fork on a7. b6 [ Again if 13...d5 14.d6+! is the killer move- it's goodbye to the black queen after cxd6 15.b5 ] 14.d2 a8 15.c6! b8 The knight is sitting on b8 for the third time in the game. 16.d5 With the idea of 17. Bh3 Rd8 18.Nxc7 when both the black king and queen are checkmated. e6 A desperate attempt to break the stranglehold that costs a lot of material. 17.dxe6 c5 18.exf7+ f8 19.h3 xc6 20.xc8 xc8 21.e3 a6 22.c3 xe3 23.fxe3 a5 24.b4+ xf7 25.0-0-0 e6 26.f4 e8 27.d5 c6 28.xf6 gxf6 29.b1 xe3 30.d7+ g6 31.g4+ g5 32.g1 c5 33.xg5+ fxg5 34.f4 e2 35.b3 c4 36.xg5+ A very fine game by White. He punished Black's inaccurate move with his knight [5...Nc6?!, 8...Nb8?] in brilliant style. 1-0
362 Stripunsky,A Rakhmanov,Ale 4th Continental Class 2013 (5.3) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2549 2603 12.10.2013
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g6 6.b5 I still consider this to be the critical test of 5...g6 b6 7.a3 T h i s is f a s t b e co m i n g W h it e ' s m a in l in e against this setup although 7.Bf4, 7.a4 and 7. c4 have all been analysed in the archives. e6 [ 7...c6 is examined in Leko-Caruana where White obtained a pleasant position from the opening with 8.c4 d8 9.g3! ] 8.c3 c6 [ 8...g7 9.c4 xc4 10.xc4 0-0 11.0-0 bd7 12.e1 e6 13.b3 not very ambitious but it is a low risk way to keep a slight edge, especially against a higher r a t e d p l a y e r ( 13.e2! preparing Bg5 is more aggressive) 13...c6 14.a4 d5 15.a5 xb3 16.xb3 and White was slightly better in L u k o v i c , V ( 2 3 4 6 ) - B o g o s a vl j e vi c , B (2552) Kragujevac 2013 ] [ 8...bd7 hasn't been played but it looks very logical to me - one point is that 9.c4 c a n b e m e t b y a6! - with a pawn on c6
t h e r e w o u l d b e N d 6 + 10.e3 d6 and now W hite's best try f or an edge is probably 11.g5 g7 12.xe6 xe6 13.e2 0-0 14.0-0 but Black is close to equalising here and he can choose between the solid c6 ( and the more attacking option 14...c5!? )] 9.c4! This is more accurate than moving the knight to c4. Obviously there's a threat of taking on e6 and ruining Black's pawn structure so Black has to do something here but I don't like the option Rakhmanov chooses as it gives White a very comfortable game [ 9.c4 c7 10.d3 c5!? gives Black reasonable play ( 10...g7 11.0-0 bd7 is more flexible as Black keeps the option open for ...c5 but may instead choose to gain space on the queenside with ...b5. )] 9...xc4?! [ 9...d5 was a more solid option and White gets no more than a typical slight edge after 10.0-0 g7 11.e1 e6 12.d3 0-0 13.c4 xc4 14.xc4 bd7 ( 14...c5!? )] 10.xc4 a6 [ maybe 10...c7 is a better option but it's definitely W hite that has the easier game still after 11.0-0 g7 12.ce5 0-0 13.d3 bd7 14.f4 b6 15.e1 e6 16.a4! and one plan for W hite is Nd2-c4 with an eye on the d6 square. ] 11.e2! Threatening Nd6+. [ 11.ce5 is less accurate as White cannot castle immediately ] 11...e6 It's not ideal for Black to have to play this move as now the bishop on f8 is overworked protecting the dark squares on the kingsid e a s well a s d6. Th is is a ke y reason why the Black queen should be on c7. 12.g5 bd7 13.fe5 e7 14.0-0 White's moves have been simple but strong and Black is already struggling to complete development b5 [ 14...xe5?! 15.dxe5 d5 16.xe7 xe7 17.e4 is very unpleasant for Black. ] 15.f4!? [ 15.fe1 threatens Nxf7 and after d5 16.h6 Black's king is still caught in the centre and White is clearly better ] 15...d5 16.xd7 This is still good for White but I feel it lets Black off the hook just a little [ 16.ae1! and what can Black really play 363
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 here? Perhaps best is h6 17.xd7 xd7 ( 17...xd7 18.xe7 xe7 19.f5!; 17...hxg5?! loses to 18.xf6+ xf6 19.f5! gxf5 20.xf5 and the rook cannot be taken because of the knight fork on d6.) 18.e5+ e8 19.xf6 xf6 20.f5 and White is still a lot better ] 16...xd7 17.xe7 xe7 18.e3 h5 19.g4!? Aiming to decide the game in the middlegame isn't a bad choice but objectively I think W hite's advantage is larger in the endgame. [ the ending after 19.xh5 gxh5 20.ae1 is obviously good for W hite with a space advantage and much the better pawn structure but Black would have reasonable drawing chances here after b5 21.f5+ f8 22.d6 e7 23.e4 hg8 and there is a lot of work for W hite to do here. ] 19...b5 Rakhmanov is desperate to escape to the relative safety of an ending but Stripunsky is equally determined to keep the queens on. 20.c4 b6 21.f5 af8?! [ 21...xd4 was worth a try - if under pressure you might as well be a pawn up. Still, W hite has more than enough compensation and would be doing well after 22.fxe6 fxe6 23.ad1 c5 24.d2! ad8 25.b4 e5 26.fe1 c7 27.f5+! gxf5 28.g5+ f7 29.xe6! xe6 30.xf5+ e7 31.e1+ e5 32.xe5+ xe5 33.xe5+ d7 34.d4+ c8 35.xa7 with excellent winning chances in the ending with two pawn and a queen for two rooks. Still, this line is easy to find with a computer but in a game it's almost im p o s s i b le t o ca lc u la t e s o I ca n 't h e l p thinking Black's chances would've been improved by grabbing the risky pawn! ] 22.c5 b4 23.ad1 hg8 24.a3 b5 25.d5+ d8 26.xb5 Finally White agrees to an exchange of queens as he's got all of his pieces to their best squares cxb5 27.fxe6 fxe6 28.f4 e8 29.fe1 f8 30.d5?! This almost let's Black escape with a draw but the position remains difficult to defend for Rakhamov [ 30.g5 would've kept a firmed grip on the game and White should eventually win here after g7 31.e2! and the knight is
heading to d6 via c3 and e4. ] 30...exd5 31.xe8+ xe8 32.xd5 g7?! [ 32...d7 was a better chance although W hite retains slim winning chances after 33.c7+ e7 34.e1+ d8 35.xb5 xc5 36.b4 a4 37.xa7 but with so few pawns on the board a draw is the most likely result. ] 33.f6+ f7 34.g5! The ending is probably lost for Black now as W hite's pieces are so much more active and Black immediately goes wrong to bring a swift end to the game e6?! [ 34...e6 was more stubborn but White shou ld be win nin g a f te r 35.d7+ f8 36.xh7+ g8 37.f6+ f8 38.d5 ] 35.e1+ f5 36.f1+ e6 [ 36...xg5?! 37.e4+ ] 37.e1+ f5 38.e8! g8 39.d6+ xg5 40.e8 And Black resigned (or possibly lost on time) as the position is hopeless - he can't move the knight or rook! [ 40.e8 h6 41.b8 g7 42.xb7+ f6 43.c6! e6 44.c7 xc7 45.xc7 is easily winning for White ] 1-0
363 Stripunsky,Alexander Lein,Anatoly ch-USA Seattle (1) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2550 2400 2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 Anatoly Lein has been a one of the faithful for many years. He clearly believes in the merit of 3...Qd6. 4.d4 f6 5.d3!? A little unusual .The Bishop most often develops to c4. But White plans Nge2 and the ever-present worry B f 4 s o t h i s is a d e ve l o p m e n t i d e a t o b e reckoned with. And as you will see, 5 Bd3 has been endorsed by Kasparov! c6 Black has three ways to mobilize his Queenside after 3... Qd6. He can play . .. c6 or...a6 or go for quick piece development with ...Nc6 and ...0-0-0. All three plans are available here-how do they co m p a re ? O b vio u sly t h e m o ve t h a t L e i n chooses is the most solid. Black cuts out any tricks based on Nb5 and will continue with the usual Scandinavian light-squared strategy e.g. ...Bg4 or..Bf5,...e6. My only concerns are this 364
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 might be a little slow and that if W hite can organise Ne5 and Bf4,the Black Queen can find herself in the wrong place. Presumably as soon as W hite plays Nf3,setting up this plan, Black goes . ..Bg4! Sermek has shown a liking for 5...Bg4 here, intending ...Nc6 and ... 0-0-0.The positions reached are sharp and murky, with Black attacking d4 to counterbalance his shaky King position. That leaves 5...a6, which Hasangatin employed recently. If 6 Nge2 e6 7 Bf4 Qd8 is forced, then I tend to prefer the other lines, although the f ull story after 8 0-0 c5 has yet to be written. [ 5...g4 A) 6.ge2 c6 7.f3 h5 8.f4 d7 9.d2 e6 10.a3 ( 10.0-0-0 b4 11.a3 1/2-1/2 Palac,M-Sermek,D/7th HIT Open, Nova Gorica SLO 2002) 10...a6 11.0-0-0 0-0-0 12.c4 d5 13.g3 ce7 14.f4 g6 15.h4 f6 16.f2 xf4 17.xf4 d5 18.xd5 exd5 19.d3 d6= Ozgibcev,A-Zaitsev,V/TCh-RUS, Tomsk RUS 2001; B) 6.f3 h5 7.ge2 a6 ( 7...c6! 8.f4 d7 I think I prefer this approach. 9.d2 e6 10.0-0-0 b4 11.a3 a5 12.g4 g6 13.xg6 hxg6 14.b4 b6 15.d5 White tries to assume the initiative but the Black position is well-developed enough. xd5 16.xd5 xd5 17.xd5 exd5 18.xd5 d8 19.xd8+ xd8= Jurkovic,H-Sermek,D/Croatian Cup, Pula CRO 2002; 7...e6 8.f4 d7 9.g4 g6 10.h4 xd3 11.xd3 c6 12.0-0-0 0-0-0 13.b1 d5 A key idea in this line, taking advantage of the position of White's Bishop. 14.g5 f6 15.c1 xc3+ 16.xc3 f7 17.h5 e5 18.dxe5 b4 19.e3 fxe5 20.g3 xd1 21.xd1 f8= Hracek,Z-Kantorik,M/KB Czech Open, Pardubice CZE 2002) 8.f4 d7 9.d5 g6 10.d2 xd3 11.xd3 g6 12.0-0-0 g7 13.c4 c6 14.d6 Kasparov,GRogers,I/EUR-ASIA Rapid Match, Batumi GEO 2001 ] [ 5...a6 6.ge2 e6 7.e4 ( 7.f4 d8 8.0-0 c5 ) 7...xe4 8.xe4 d8 ( 8...d7! 9.f4 e5 10.dxe5 b4+! ) 9.d3 h6 10.f3 c6 11.0-0 d7 12.c4 f6 13.c2 d6 14.d1 1/2-1/2 Berezjuk,S-
Hasangatin,R/TCh-CZE 2001 As we have seen, improvements are available. ] 6.ge2 e6!? Very solid indeed. [ 6...g4 ] 7.0-0 e7 8.e4 xe4 9.xe4 0-0 10.d3 g6 11.h6 e8 12.ad1 We know these positions from the Caro-Kann. White has a nice edge but where does he go from here? Using all his experience, Lein deploys his pieces prophylactically and waits..... d7 13.fe1 f6 14.f3 b6 15.c3 b7 16.g3 ad8 This is about the best that Black can do after 6...e6. White has more choice but that's it. 17.h4 a8 Taking away any tactical shots involving unprotected pieces. 18.h5 c5 19.xa8 The exchange of light-squared Bishops neutralises any thought White may ha ve h ad o f a la te r sa crif ice on g6 . xa8 20.g5 cxd4 21.f3 He was depending on this move but Lein's next, very accurate idea puts paid to the White initiative. [ 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.xf6 ( 22.f3 d5! ) 22...xf6 23.e4 e7 24.xf6+ xf6 25.xd4 xd4 26.xd4 ed8 27.ed1 xd4 28.xd4 g7 29.d7 f6 ] [ 21.xf6 xf6 22.e4 e7 23.hxg6 hxg6 24.f3 g7 25.cxd4 ed8 ] 21...d5!= 22.xd5 xd5 23.xe7 xe7 24.xd4 f6 25.h6?! That really is a bit ambitious. The veteran is happy with a draw b u t a yo u n g e r G r a n d m a s t e r m i g h t h a v e punished Stripunsky for this move. f8! 26.f3 g8 27.f2 f5 [ 27...xh6 28.h1 g7 29.dh4 ] 28.h1 f7 The h pawn ties White down. If anything, Black is better now. However, the overall verdict on Lein's play of solid but passive must stand. ½-½
364 Suetin,Alexey S Steiner,Guenter Open Velden op (8) [Nigel Davies]
B01
1996
With 4...Nf6 Black invites a transposition back into the main lines with 5.d4, but Suetin lends the game an original flavour by playing 5.h3 and then 6.Bd3!?. Not the kind of chess we 365
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 have co me t o e xp ect f rom so lid Ru ssia n grandmasters, but interesting nevertheless. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.f3 f6 5.h3 c6 A typical move for these positions, but there are a number of alternatives: [ a) After 5...c6 6.b5 d7 7.0-0 e6 8.d4 b4 9.d3 xc3 10.bxc3 xc3 11.b1 xd4 12.e5 c6 13.c4 d4 14.xb7 White had a strong initiative in Lalic - Zeidler, 4NCL1997 ] [ b) 5...e6 6.g3 c5 7.g2 e7 8.e5 0-0 9.0-0 c7 10.e1 bd7 11.c4 b6 12.b5 d8 13.d3 bd5 14.a4 a6 15.c3 xc3 16.bxc3 gave White some pressure on the queenside in Lalic Golubovic, Pula 1997 ] [ c) Against 5...f5 Murey has specialised in the move 6.b4!? b6 7.a3 e6 8.c4 e7 9.0-0 0-0 10.d3 c6 11.h4 ( 11.e2 bd7 12.h4 g6 13.xg6 hxg6 14.d2 d6 wasn't much for White in Murey W este rinen , Brighton 198 3) 11...g6 12.xg6 hxg6 13.e1 e8 14.b2 bd7 15.f3 c7 16.b3 b6 17.e4 xe4 18.xe4 d5 19.c4 with the bishop pair and a nice initiative in Murey - Schmid, Zurich 1992 ] [ d) After 5...c5 I quite like 6.g3 intending similar play to Lalic - Golubovic above. ] 6.d3!? An intriguing idea, which prevents Black from developing his queen's bishop for the time being (6...Bf5?? 7.b4). Of course t e m p o ra ri ly b lo ck in g t h e d -p a wn h a s it s disadvantages, but White might also develop his queen's bishop on b2. [ A natural alternative is 6.d4 f5 7.d3 with W hite having a slight space advantage. ] 6...bd7 [ 6...a6 7.0-0 b4 8.c4 f5 9.d3 e6 10.e2 c7 11.e4 0-0-0 was OK for Black in Hansen,S - Nielsen,P, Gausdal 1999 ] [ A game Kosintseva - Polyakova, Moscow 1999 went 6...e5 7.0-0 d6 8.e1 0-0 9.a3 bd7 10.f1 c5 (to prevent d2-d4) 11.d3 b8 12.g5 b6 13.b1 with Black coming under pressure. ] 7.0-0 c5?! This forces White's bishop to move, but the knight will be driven back later
with a loss of time. [ Maybe 7...e6 is more solid, but then 8.e1 d6 9.f1 0-0 10.d4 c7 11.e2 b6 12.e4 was slightly better for White in Saric Begic, Bihac 1999. ] 8.e2 f5 9.a3 c7 10.b4 ce4 11.xe4 xe4 12.b2 e6 13.e1 d6 14.f1 g6 15.c4 Having sent Black's pieces scuttling home, W hite starts taking oodles of space. d7 16.b3 0-0 17.ad1 fd8 18.d4 c7 19.a4 ab8 20.e5 xe5? Making a passive position into a downright bad one. Black should sit there and do nothing. 21.dxe5 e8 22.e3 b6 23.c5 bxc5 24.xc5 d5 25.xd5 cxd5 26.xc7 xc7 27.c1 With his queenside majority, bishop pair and the initiative, this endgame is winning for White. e8 28.b5 f6 29.a5 f7 30.d4 b7 31.a6 d7 32.b6 axb6 33.xb6 d4 34.b5 e7 35.a7 1-0
365 Sutovsky,Emil Van Wely,Loek 40th Olympiad Open (9.6) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2687 2691 06.09.2012
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.d2 f5 7.e5 An unusual move which has not yet been covered on the site. [ 7.c4 e6 8.e2 is the mainline and was most recently covered by Gawain in VaibhavYu. ] [ 7.e4 b6 8.xf6+ gxf6 9.b4!? was examined by Neil McDonald in Starostits-Hamdouchi ( 9.c4 is probably the move I would choose here and it was covered by John Watson in Popovic-Savic )] 7...bd7 [ 7...c7 is too passive here I think, for example 8.f4 d8 9.c4 ( 9.d3!? xd3 10.xd3 is also very comfortable for White) 9...e6 10.g4 e4 ( 10...g6 11.h4 is dangerous for Black but possibly preferable to the game) 11.xe4 xe4 12.f3 xd4? ( 12...d6 13.b3 is clearly better for White but at least Black is still in the game) 13.c3 now Black can 366
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 safely resign b6 14.xe4 xb2 15.b1 xc3+ 16.d2 a3 17.xf7! 1-0 Di Paolo, R (2 326 )-Va nob bergh, G (2 105 ) Clich y 2001 ] 8.g4 Sutovsky is known to choose the most aggressive lines where possible but I don't really like this move here as it can cause White to become overextended as we will see in the game. [ 8.c4 is safer and now c7 9.f3 g4 10.f4!? ( 10.f4 xf4 11.xf4 b6 12.e3 e6 should be OK for Black) 10...xf3 11.xc7 d5 12.0-0-0 and White had a very slight edge in Renet, O (2500)-Giua, F (2145) 1998-9 French T e a m C h 1 9 9 9 ( 12.a5!? was worth considering to provoke a weakness )] 8...e6! [ both 8...xe5 9.gxf5 ] [ and 8...g6 9.f4!? e6 10.h4 would've given Sutovsky exactly the kind of position he was after (and a slight edge) ] 9.f4 A pawn sac that Van Wely chooses to decline [ 9.xd7 would probably have been a wiser choice and now A) 9...xd7! seems more accurate e.g. 10.f3 ( 10.e2 0-0-0 11.0-0-0 b6 and Black is at least equal) 10...g6 11.f4 0-0-0 12.g2 c7 with balanced chances; B) 9...xd7 10.g5 d5 11.e4 b6 12.c4 c7 13.c3 a6?! ( 13...e6 14.d2 is slightly better for White) 14.d2 a7 and now in Velcheva, M (2273)Hopman, P (2193) W ijk aan Zee 2001 15.0-0-0! would've given White a clear space advantage and an easy game. ] [ 9.c4 c7 10.e3 is unclear but it isn't really consistent with how White has played so far ] 9...0-0-0 [ it's not clear exactly what Black was worried about after 9...xe5 for example 10.fxe5 xg4 11.g2 0-0-0 12.e4 b6 and it's hard to believe that W hite really has enough compensation for a pawn although the position remains complex. ] 10.f3?! This must've been based on a miscalculation, Sutovsky has clearly missed Black's 11th move
[ 10.c4! would've given White the position he had been after, e.g. A) 10...xg4 11.d5! a4 12.b3 a3 13.b4 e3 and White can choose between 14.xa3 ( or 14.b1!? with a mess after xc4 15.xa3 xa3 16.b2 xd5 17.0-0 xe5 18.fxe5 e6 although it seems White should have the better chances after 19.xf7 ) 14...xd1 15.xe7+ xe7 16.xe7 with a slight edge; B) 10...xc4 11.xc4 c7 12.e5 xe5 13.fxe5 d5 14.e2 with chances for both sides, although I'd rather have White here. ] 10...xe5 11.dxe5?? This just loses, albeit to an unusual tactic [ 11.fxe5 xg4 12.h3 h6 13.xh6 gxh6 14.0-0-0 leaves White with at least some compensation for a pawn although Black must have some edge here. ] 11...xd2! This must have come as a nasty shock to the Israeli Grandmaster 12.exf6 [ 12.xd2 d5 13.e3 e4+! 14.c1 xc3 15.g1 a4 leaves Black a clear piece up. ] 12...xc2 13.d3 xb2 14.c1 exf6 W hite may not have dropped a piece but Black has three extra pawns and a crushing positional advantage 15.0-0 h5! 16.g5 fxg5 17.d1 c5+ 18.h1 g4! A crushing victory for Van Wely and a game that Sutovsky will want to forget. [ 18...g4 19.e4 d5 ] 0-1
366 Svidler,Peter Dreev,Alexey Elista [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2640 2650 1997
This game shows that to play the Centre Counter against a top player is not always a very good idea. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.f3 xd5 4.d4 g4 5.h3 h5 6.c4 b6 7.c3 [ 7.c5!? 6d7 8.b3 also looks promising. ( or 8.c4 )] 7...e5 367
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ More accurate was 7...e6 8.g4 g6 9.e5 c6 ( 9...8d7 10.xg6 hxg6 11.c5 with a large advantage; 9...c6 10.xc6 bxc6 11.g2 d7 12.0-0 xc4 13.a4 b6 14.xc6 d8 15.b7 ) 10.g2 8d7 11.xg6 hxg6 12.e2 with a small advantage for W hite, according to Peter Svidler. ] 8.g4! [ T h e e n d g a m e a f t e r 8.dxe5?! xd1+ 9.xd1 c6 10.g4 g6 with compensation wa s f i n e f o r B l a c k we s a w t h is k in d o f position in the game Remizov - Bezgodov. ] [ According to Svidler 8.e2!? could give White a small edge: e7 ( 8...c6 9.g4 g6 10.d5 b4 11.xe5 with a clear advantage ) 9.xe5 ( 9.dxe5 c6 ) 9...xf3 10.gxf3 A) 10...c6 11.xg7 f6 12.g4 xd4 13.d3 d7 14.f4! e7+ ( 14...c5 15.0-0-0 with a clear advantage) 15.f1 h5 16.g2 with a clear edge; B) 10...0-0 11.e3 c6 12.f4 ( 12.e4 f6 13.0-0-0 e8 14.g4 with a slight edge) 12...d6 13.f5 with a slight edge but Black has a lot of tactical possibilities thanks to his better development. ] 8...exd4 9.xd4 g6 [ 9...c5? w a s b a d d u e t o 10.e2+! with Nf5 next. ] 10.g2 c6 [ 10...c5 11.db5 was bad for Black ] [ 10...c5 did not solve his problems either: 11.e2+! f8 12.b3 d3! 13.d1 e7+ ( or 13...e8+ 14.e3 xe3 15.xd3 h6+ 16.f1 c6 17.c5 with a clear advantage ) 14.e3 xe3 15.xd3 c1+ ( 15...c5+ 16.f1 8d7 17.e1 e5 18.f5 with a clear advantage) 16.e2 xb2 17.b1 and Black is in trouble. ] 11.0-0 e7 12.f4 h6 Black had no opportunity to keep his Bishop in play. 13.f5 h7 14.c5! White maintains his initiative with very strong and natural moves. 6d7 [ 14...xc5!? comes into consideration although it looks dangerous: 15.e1+ f8 ( 15...e7 was weaker because of 16.f6! gxf6 17.xh6 c4 18.g7 xb2 19.d2 winning (found by Alexander Finkel)) 16.e3 a6 and now White has a lot of possible
c o n t i n u a t i o n s , f o r e x a m p l e 17.e4 with the clearly better chances because all the Black pieces are very passive and his k i n g i s n o t c a s t l e d . ( or the prophylactic 17.b3!? )] 15.g5!! Excellent! Although White's position looks very promising anyway he chooses the most energetic way. 0-0 Black decides to give up the exchange to get his king away from the centre. [ If 15...hxg5 White continues with 16.e6! and after a5 ( 16...fxe6 is losing: 17.h5+ g6 18.fxg6 xc5+ 19.h1 ) 17.xg7+ ( 17.h5!? is also not bad: xc5+ 18.h1 with a clear edge) 17...f8 18.e6+ and the knight cannot be taken: fxe6?! 19.fxe6+ f6? 20.h5 with mate on f7 ] [ after 15...xc5 16.b4! ca6 ( 16...cd7 17.g6 fxg6 18.e6 b6+ 19.h1 would give W hite strong attacking po ssib ilit ie s.) 17.g6! g8 ( 17...fxg6 18.fxg6 xg6 19.g4 with a clear advantage ) 18.b5 Black's pieces look ridiculous. ] 16.g6! fxg6 17.e6 c8 [ 17...xc5+ was not better: 18.h1 e7 19.xf8 xf8 20.e4 with a big advantage. ] 18.xf8 xc5+ [ After 18...xf8 White could leave the Black light-squared bishop locked out with 19.f6! gxf6 ( 19...xf6 20.e4 ) 20.xh6 ( or 20.e4 In all cases White is much better )] 19.h1 xf8 20.fxg6 xg6 It could seem that Black is more or less okay here as he has enough pawns for the exchange, and W hite kingside pawn structure is also damaged but it's White turn and he continued with the unexpected and crushing 21.xh6!! e5 [ Taking the bishop by 21...gxh6 could lead to Black finding himself under a very strong attack after 22.g4 g7 ( other moves do not help: 22...h7 23.f6 e8 24.xg6 e5 25.e6 xg4 26.xe8 f2+ 27.g1 c5 28.f1 winning; 22...e8 23.ae1 e5 24.xe5 xe5 25.xg6+ g7 26.e6+ h8 27.c8 g8 28.g1 h8 29.d5 winning ) 23.e4 e8 24.ae1 A) other saving attempts were: 24...c5 368
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 25.e2 e5 ( 25...h5 26.g3 e6 27.f5 d6 28.xd6 xd6 29.xg6 xg6 30.e6+ winning; 25...f8 26.xg6 xg6 27.c4 winning; 25...d6 26.g1 e5 27.xg6 xg6 28.d4 winning ) 26.xg6 xg6 27.xe5 xg4 28.hxg4 d7 29.ef5 with a large advantage; B) 24...h5 25.g5 e6 ( 25...e7 26.xg6 xg5 27.xe8 f6 28.e7+ winning ) 26.f5 f6 27.g1 xg5 28.xg5 f6 29.xg6+ f7 30.g2 winning; C) 24...f6 25.xf6 xf6 26.f1+ g7 27.xg6 xg6 28.d4+ g8 29.g1 with real winning chances, according to Svidler. ] 22.f4 bd7 23.e4 e8 24.b3+ f7 25.g3 [ There wa s no thin g wrong wit h 25.xb7 b8 26.xa7 xe4 27.xe4 h5 28.g2 with a decisive advantage but W hite probably decided to place his pieces close to his king to avoid surprises in time trouble. ] 25...xe4 26.xe4 f6 27.g2 [ 27.xe5 was more direct: xe4 28.g2 d5 29.xf8+! xf8 30.xg7+! ( 30.xg7+?! e8 31.h8+ d7 32.xa8 leaves W hite's king exposed) 30...g8 ( 30...f7 31.f1+ e6 32.e1 winning ) 31.e5+ ( 31.c3+ g3+ ) 31...f7 32.f1+ e6 33.g4+ xe5 ( 33...e7 34.g7+ e6 35.f7+ xe5 36.f5+ ) 34.f5+ d6 35.xd5+ cxd5 and the hpawn should be decisive. ] 27...h5 Trying to make things complicated but White keeps cool. 28.g5 d3 29.e5 e7 [ After 29...e7 White was winning by 30.g4 xe5 ( 30...f6 31.xf6 xf6 32.xf6 xf6 33.c4+ winning ) 31.xf7 xg4 32.xe7 ] 30.xh5 [ 30.xf8+ was not winning as was pointed out by Svidler: xf8 ( 30...xf8 31.f1+ winning ) 31.xh5 c5! 32.f1 xe5 ( 32...xe5 33.f7+ h7 34.f5 winning ) 33.e4 g6 34.xg6 d5+ 35.h2 d2+ 36.g3 xg6 37.xg6+ h8 and the Rook's transfer to the h-file is not decisive as the white king is too exposed. ]
30...xe5 [ 30...xe5 31.ae1 e8 32.e4 winning ] 31.f7+ h8 32.f5 f2+ Trying to confuse his opponent but W hite is winning anyway. 33.g1 [ 33.xf2 wa s a lso go o d e n o u gh : d6 34.f1 f8 35.xf8+ ( in time trouble White could easily miss 35.c4 xf2 36.h4+ ) 35...xf8 36.xf8+ h7 37.f2 winning ] 33...xh3+ 34.f1 Black resigned. An excellent game by Peter Svidler. This victory allowed him to equalise the score in the match and win it after the tie-break rapid games. 1-0
367 Svidler,Peter Tiviakov,Sergei Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (2) [Jonathan Rowson]
B01 2728 2667 14.01.2007
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6 6.g3 At the moment, the position seems quiet, and g3 looks like an inn oce nt at te mpt t o gain a t emp o on th e queen with Bf4. However, the resulting lines tend to be very sharp, so anybody seeking to play this way should study this game carefully. g4 7.h3 The advantage of playing this now is that when things liven up, White is ready to play g4 to keep the knight on f3 controlling the centre. However, there is also something to be said for keeping the bishop on g4. For instance after [ 7.g2 c6 8.0-0 A) 8...0-0-0 9.d5 Black cannot take on d5 due to the position of the bishop on g4. ( 9.f4!? ) 9...b4 10.h3 h5 11.f4 c5 12.e3 a5 13.g4 bxd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.d2 xd2 16.xd2 xd2 17.xd2 was better for White in KotroniasGodena Batumi 2002.; B) 8...d8?! 9.f4 d7?! 10.d5! the position of the bishop on g4 is im p o r t a n t , d u e t o t h e N f 3 - e 5 t r i c k i n several lines. b4 ( 10...xd5 11.xd5 xd5 12.e5! ) 11.e5! xd1 12.xd7 xd7 13.fxd1 was clearly better for White in Rowson-Lazik, Verona 2006. ] 7...h5 369
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 7...xf3 8.xf3 c6 9.e3 followed by 0-0-0(or perhaps just Bg2 and 0-0) looks better for White. ] 8.g2 c6 [ 8...c6 is another way to play, but one which never made much sense to me. ...a6 and ... c6 are useful moves, but you don't need both of them! ] 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.f4 b4 [ 10...d7 is n o t s o g o o d . 11.g4 g6 12.e5! xe5 13.dxe5 xd1 14.axd1 xd1 15.xd1 d7 16.e6 ] 11.g4! g6 12.a3 c4 [ If 12...xb2 t h e i d e a i s 13.e1! intending Ne5, with a dangerous initiative. Black may be able to play this way, but my intuition, for what it is worth, is that White has more than a pawn's worth here, with a le a d in d e ve lo p m e n t a n d se ve ra l o p e n lines pointing towards Black's king. ] 13.g5 d5 [ 13...e8 is playable, but hardly attractive, a n d W h i t e c a n r e p l y i n va r i o u s w a y s , including the mundane 14.e3 with the idea of Nd2 or d5. ] 14.xd5 xd5 [ 14...xd5 15.e5 xd4 16.g4+! e6 17.xc6 looks winning. ] 15.c3!? An instructive decision, showing, yet again, that at the highest level, 'winning the exchange' is not always thought to be worthwhile when it means 'losing control'. [ 15.e5 gives Black various options. xe5 ( 15...xe5 16.xe5 h6 and would be enough to put me off this line, even though it seems likely that White should have some way to be better.) 16.xd5 xd5 17.dxe5 e4 looks like it gives Black serious counterplay. However, this is probably not sufficient after 18.d2 when xc2 19.xc2 xc2 20.fc1 g6 21.e6 looks good for White. ] 15...d8 16.b3 There is something simple about Svidler's play. He relies on his extra space and well-placed bishop on g2 for his advantage, and knows that is Black takes any pawns he will be able to whip up an attack. d3 [ 16...xc3 17.c1 d3 18.e1 e4 19.e3 and it looks like White's initiative is abou t t o grow, alt hou gh, aga in, a well-
prepared Black player with a strong nervous system might find a way to make this line playable. That said, I think it is quite lowrisk for White, unless you really hate being a pawn down, in which you probably sh o u l d n 't b e a c h e ssp la ye r in t h e f i rs t place. ] 17.c1 [ 17.xd3 xd3 18.fe1 also looks good, simply planning b4 and a4. ] 17...c2 18.e3 e6 19.b4 e4 20.d2 xe3 21.fxe3 e5 22.g3 exd4 23.cxd4 d6 24.xd6 cxd6 Taking some pressure off the c-file, but Black still has some problems. 25.ac1 d7 26.c4 h6 27.b6+ e8 28.gxh6 xh6 29.d5 f6 30.a4 f7 31.b5 [ 31.c7+ e7 ( 31...d7 32.xa6! ) 32.xa6 looks playable, and may have been a more incisive way to exploit the advantage. ] 31...axb5 32.axb5 a5 33.a1 c4 34.a7 h5 35.c7+ f8 36.xb7 xh3 37.f3 h5 38.c6 I suspect Svidler could have been more accurate, but he has retained so m e a d van t a ge , an d Bla ck n o w f ind s it difficult to deal with the b-pawn. b8 39.g3 b6 40.e4 c8 41.a1 h4 42.a6 b6 43.b4 b8 44.ga3 b6 45.a7 d5 46.a6 d8 47.b7 c4 48.c5 dxe4 49.aa7 g4+ 50.h2 d6 51.xf7+! xf7 52.e6+ g8 53.xd8 g5 [ 53...xd8 54.a8 ] 54.d5+ h7 55.e6 f3+ 56.h3 f5 57.xg7+! xg7 58.xg7 xd4 59.b6 e3 60.g2 c2 61.f1 b4 62.b7 a6 63.xf5 g6 64.e7+ f6 65.c6 Svidler was probably relieved to see that he wouldn't have to mate with bishop and knight. Bc4 is the next move and the b-pawn will soon be a queen. 1-0
370
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 368 Svidler,Peter Zolotukhin,Valery TCh-RUS Premier (7) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2730 2338 19.04.2011
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.e5 bd7 7.f4 Svidler follows Shirov's example and plays the most aggressive line. [ 7.c4 is the mainline and looked at in the following game. ] 7...b6 [ 7...e6 is quite a passive approach that I've looked at previously. A game from this year went 8.g4 c7 9.g2 c5?! 10.e3 cxd4 11.xd4 xe5 12.xe5 b6 13.e2 b4 14.a3 xc3+ 15.xc3 0-0 16.0-0-0 and White had a fantastic position with the bishop pair, development advantage and a r e a d y m a d e a t t a c k . G r o ve r , S ( 2 4 9 5 ) Ptacnikova, L (2307) Reykjavik 2011. ] 8.g4 bd5 [ 8...e6 was Tiviakov's first choice but he went down and later varied. Check out John Watson's annotations in Shirov, A (2726)Tiviakov, S (2686) Benidorm 2008. A recent encounter continued 9.g2 g6 10.0-0 ( 10.a4!? is interesting.) 10...d8 ( 10...g7 was Tiviakov's choice; while 10...0-0-0 was John's suggestion.) 11.g5 ( 11.a4 g7 12.a5 bd5 13.e2 0-0 14.f5 is a valid approach.) 11...h5 12.a4 ( 12.e3 d5 13.xd5 xd5 14.f5 ) 12...f6?! T o o a m b i t i o u s 13.a5! fxe5 14.axb6 axb6 15.fxe5 c7 Grover, S (2432)-Crouch, C (2335) London 2010 when 16.e2! looks very good for White as xd4 17.b5! cxb5 18.xb5+ d8 19.a8+ c8 20.c3 d7 21.e3+- ] 9.g2 g6 10.g5 xc3 11.bxc3 d7 This was my suggested improvement with the comment: "The position is hard to assess. I f eel th at W hit e shou ld b e b ett er with his space advantage but Black can create counter-chances with ... h6. Perhaps this will be e xam ine d in t he next Sh iro v-T iviako v game?" W e've now got our practical encounter! [ Tiviakov chose 11...d5?! 12.c4 c7 13.c5 d8 14.d5! cxd5 15.c4 e6 16.b2
g7 17.c6! bxc6 18.xg7 g8 19.e5 and I wrote: White completely dominates the dark squares and has more than enough compensation for the pawn. c6 is vulnerable while Black is exceedingly passive and cannot coordinate his pieces and so it's not a surprise that Black does not last long. Shirov, A (2749)-Tiviakov, S (2637) Hoogeveen 2010. Check out the archives for my comments. ] 12.0-0 A logical move continuing development. W hite's not planning f or a quick kingside assault but instead wants to use his extra space to slowly crush Black. [ 12.b1 h6 13.gxh6 xh6 14.0-0 g7 15.e2 e6 16.c4 d6 17.c3 and the computer rates the position as equal but I feel practically W hite has the more pleasant chances. ] [ 12.e2 xe5 13.fxe5 c7 14.0-0 f5 is offered in Sergey Kasparov's article in NiC Yearbook 98 but without an assessment. ] 12...h6 13.f3! xe5 A change of tack and were I White I would enjoy seeing this move, improving W hite's structure and allowing strong pressure down the f file. [ 13...hxg5 was obviously the idea of 12...h6 b u t t h i s a l l o ws W h i t e t h e s h o t 14.xf7! xf7 15.fxg5+ e8 ( Giving the piece back with 15...f6 16.f4 a3 17.ab1 keeps White on top.) 16.f7+ d8 17.f4 e5 18.dxe5 e7 19.xg6 and White has three pawns for the piece and obviously dangerous play but this is probably the critical test of Svidler's opening idea. c5 20.ad1+ d7 21.e4 continues to look highly dangerous. ] [ Perhaps 13...g7 was best but White can continue as in the game with 14.a4 as hxg5 15.xf7! is still strong, i.e. xf7 16.fxg5+ e8 17.f7+ d8 18.f4 xd4+ 19.cxd4 xd4+ 20.h1 f8 21.ad1 xd1 22.xf8+ xf8 23.xd1+ and White continues to have strong pressure in the centre compensating for the pawn. ] 14.fxe5 e6 15.a4 Black has a major problem that he cannot complete his development due to the pressure down the f file and so the Russian GM continues to grab space, dissuading Black from castling long. 371
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 hxg5 16.xg5 h6 [ 16...h5 17.f4 continues to leave Black with problems completing development. ] [ Against 16...f5 White can sidestep with 17.g3! as xc2?! 18.d5! c5 19.d6 gives White an overwhelming attack. ] 17.xh6 xh6 18.a5 a6 19.ab1 h5 20.f4 f8 21.f3 Simple play. White trebles on the f file tying down Black further. [ 21.f3 h7 ( 21...f5 22.e3 leaves Black struggling to move.) 22.e4 would also increase the pressure on Black's position. ] 21...g8 [ 21...a2 is the computer's choice but after 22.b2 he has to drop the queen back with e6 when 23.f2 g7 24.h4 still leaves Black with problems. ] 22.bf1 h7 [ 22...f5 23.h4 h5 24.e1 h7 25.b1! and the rook still had to go passive on h7. ] 23.g3 d7 [ 23...g7 24.g5! preparing 25.h4 is similar to the game. ] 24.h4! d8 25.g5 f8? The king is now caught in the crosshairs and cannot escape. [ 25...h8 was necessary although White can win material with 26.h3 ( 26.d5!? cxd5 27.h3 f5 28.exf6 exf6 29.xf6 e1+ 30.f1 b5 31.f2 is also good for White. ) 26...d5 27.xe7 xh3 28.xh3 and White has a clear extra pawn. ] 26.e4! g7 27.h5!? [ Th e re wa s no t hin g wron g wit h 27.xg6 forcing resignation ] 27...g8 28.hxg6 f8 29.f5 d5 30.xd7 xg6 31.f5! xg5 32.xg5+ h8 33.f2 A pretty finish. 7.f4 is still looking an interesting approach. White isn't planning on an immediate mate but instead keeps Black under pressure and leaves him struggling for good squares for his pieces. 1-0
369 Tal,Mihail Bronstein,David I Moscow (16) [Nigel Davies]
B01
1967
An game from the great era of Soviet chess in which we see Bronstein play a similar plan to that of Epishin - but with the queen on d8. Even so it would have been reasonable if Black had played more actively on move 12. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 [ 2...xd5 3.f3 g6 4.d4 f6 5.c4 d8 would transpose back into the game. ] 3.f3 xd5 4.d4 g6 5.c4 f6 Against an aggressive player such as Tal, Bronstein no d o u b t wa n t e d t o k e e p h i s k n i g h t o n t h e kingside though it does block the activity of his bishop on g7. [ In this particular position Black could also play 5...b6 , but with a 2...Qxd5 move order this would not be an option. ] 6.c3 g7 7.h3 [ 7.e2 0-0 8.0-0 c6 9.e1 g4 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 bd7 12.b3 e5 13.dxe5 c5 14.c2 fd7 led to approximate equality in Chandler - Hodgson, Hastings 1991 ] 7...0-0 8.e3 bd7 9.d2 c6 10.e2 e8 11.d1 [ After 11.0-0 Black plays e5 with equality. ] 11...a5 12.0-0 a6?! Black hesitates. [ The logical move was 12...e5 after which 13.d5! would give White some advantage. ] 13.a3 d8 14.c1 b6 15.e5 b7 16.c5 c7 17.f4 c8 18.c4 xe5 [ With White developing such massive pressure, Black decides to make a bid for freedom. 18...e6 would be very passive and seriously weaken d6. ] 19.dxe5 d5 20.xd5 cxd5 21.cxb6 Winning a pawn for which Black never gets enough counterplay. e6 22.e3 ac8 23.fe1 ed8 24.d4 h6 [ And not 24...c4?? 25.xc4! etc. ] 25.b3 g5 26.g3 c6 27.c1 e6 28.h4 c5 29.xc5 xc5 30.a4 b5 31.c7 gxh4 32.xh4 b8 33.e3 d4 34.g3 h8 35.xf7 xe5 36.f4 g8 37.xb7 xg3 38.xg3 d6 39.d7 xa3 40.b7 d3 41.f5 exf5 42.b8+ xb8 43.e5+ g8 44.xb8 372
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d2 45.f1 1-0
370 Tan,Desmond Prie,Eric 4NCL/Div2/WG3-HK1 (7.3) [Eric Prié]
B01 2332 2447 09.04.2005
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 f5 One big question at this early stage about the Scandinavian (Provided that 5...Bg4 is clearly inferior, see the note to game 3) is which is the most precise move at this important moment: The prophylactic [ 5...c6 or the move of the game? ] 6.c4 For instance, neither [ 6.d3 xd3 7.xd3 c6 8.0-0 e6 ( 8...0-0-0? 9.g5 xd4 10.h3+ )] [ Nor 6.d2 e6 7.e4 b6 8.xf6+ gxf6 W o r k f o r W h i t e i n t h i s o r d e r o f m o ve s because Black will play ...Nc6 and castle queenside with big pressure against d4. ] [ But 6.e2 e6 ( 6...c6? 7.d2 b4 8.c1 0-0-0 9.b5 ) 7.0-0 c6 8.h4 That would not exist in the order of moves 5... c6 6.Be2 Bg4! and, because of the extra tempo and the innocuous placement of White's light squared bishop, Black does not fear (on the contrary!) W hite's expansion (weakening then!) on the kingside anymore by 7.h3 Bh5 8.g4 Bg6. ] 6...c6 7.d2 e6 8.e4 b6 I always found it important to gain immediate counter-play a ga in s t W h it e 's d a n d b p a wn s wh e n h e threatened to transfer his queen's knight to the k ingside , in th is wa y solving W h it e's foremost concern in the Centre Counter: its misplacement on c3, in front of the c-pawn. [ 8...d8 9.g3! g4 ( 9...g6 10.h4! Compared to a normal 4...Bf5 Caro-Kann W hite benefits from the extra tempo Bd2 and ca n d eve lop an a nno yin g init iat ive thanks to this. h5 11.e2! xg3 12.fxg3 xc2 13.c3 f5 14.e5 ) 10.c3 Followed by h2-h3 seizing Black's strong bishop at a cheap price. ] 9.xf6+ gxf6 10.b3?! Likewise in the game against Smirin, White had better leave b2 hanging.
[ 10.0-0 xb2 11.b1 ( 11.b3!?; 11.e2?! xc2 12.h4 ) 11...xc2 12.xc2 ( 12.e2? b5 13.b3 d3 14.e1 xb1 ) 12...xc2 13.xb7 ] 10...a5 11.a4 a6! 12.h3?! Only weakening the kingside and losing an important development tempo. Better is [ 12.h4 g6 13.e3 0-0-0 14.0-0 b4 ( 14...c7 15.c3 And the Na6 looks stupid.) 15.h3 ( 15.f3!? xc2 16.d5 ) 15...c7 16.c3 d5 17.xd5 xd5 18.c4 h5 19.xg6 hxg6 20.f3 f5 ( 20...g5! 21.xf6 g4 22.f4 d7 23.fd1 gxh3 24.g3 h2+ 25.h1 g8 26.e5 f5 27.h4 xf2 ) 21.f4 d6 22.xd6 xd6 23.d5! A) 23...g5! 24.dxe6 g4 25.fd1! ( 25.c3 xh3 26.gxh3 xh3! ) 25...xe6 26.c3 f4!! Maximising the efficiency of the black rook on h5. 27.c5 gxh3 28.xa5 e7 29.a8+ c7 30.a5+ b8 31.d2 hxg2-+; B) 23...exd5? 24.cxd5 xd5 25.xd5 cxd5 26.fd1 f4 27.ac1+ d7 28.c5 b6 1/2-1/2 Slaby, J-Prie, E Figueres op 2005 ( 28...d6 29.xa5 f3 30.d3 )] 12...g8! 13.h4 e4 14.e3 0-0-0 [ 14...b4+! 15.c3 e7 With a big black advantage underlined by the idea ...f6-f5 and the W hite queen cannot go to h5 because of the hanging Bb3. ] 15.0-0 c7 [ 15...e7!? 16.h5 f5 17.xf7? ( 17.d5? xh4; 17.f3! d5 18.xd5 cxd5 19.c3 Unclear. White will eventually play f3-f4 and Nf3 recycling his knight. xb2? 20.ab1 e2 21.fe1 c4 22.xf7+xh4 23.xb7#; 17.g3 c7 18.h2 d6 19.f4 b4 ) 17...xh4 18.xe6+ b8 19.f3 c7! ( 19...d5 20.xd5 c7 21.xg8 ) 20.fxe4 xg2+ 21.xg2 g3+ 22.h1 xh3+ 23.g1 xe3+ 24.g2 g3+ 25.h1 h3+ 26.g1 g3 27.xf5 h2+ 28.f1 h1+ 29.e2 xa1-+ ] 16.f3 g6 17.xg6 hxg6 [ 17...xg6!? ] 18.e2 [ 18.c3 Would have forced Black to use a less economic circuit via c7 in order t o reactivate his knight to d5. Possibly White was afraid of e5 19.c4! ( 19.e2 exd4 373
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.xd4 c5 ) 19...exd4 20.cxd4 b4 21.b3 d7 22.fd1 d5 23.xd5 xd5 24.xd5 cxd5 25.ac1 b4= ] 18...b4 Now, White is condemned to waiting with his inferior pawn structure provided that Black maintains the overprotection of the d5 square. 19.f2 h8 20.fd1 h5 Not the right regrouping but it does not really matter. 21.c4 d6 22.f1 g3 23.g1 f4 24.f2 b8 25.g1 d7 26.f2 h8 27.e1 hd8 28.g3 h6 29.c5 [ 29.g2 c5! 30.dxc5 d3 31.f1 xf2 32.xd7 xd7 33.xf2 d2 ] 29...f5 30.g2 g7 31.c3 e5 And the opposing position explodes. 32.dxe5 xe5 33.xd7 [ 33.c4 d3-+ ( 33...xd1 34.xd1 xd1 35.xd1 xb2 36.b3 d5 )] 33...xd7 34.e1 d3 35.e2 xf2 36.xf2 xg3 0-1
371 Tari,A Smerdon,D Visma GM 2014 (7.2) [Neil McDonald]
B01 2402 2519 28.06.2014
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.d2 b6 Black attacks the d4 pawn left unguarded by W hite's previous move. More usual are [ 5...c6 or ] [ 5...g4!? ] 6.f3 g4 [ Of course the b2 pawn is immune as 6...xb2 7.b1 a3 8.b5 is fatal. ] [ In view of what follows 6...f5 7.c4 e6 looks a safer approach for Black, but it begs the question why he played 5...Qb6 if he doesn't try to put further pressure on the d4 square. ] 7.c4 [ Instead 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 e6 9.0-0-0 c6 10.c4 reaches the Carlsen game given in the notes below. ] 7...e6 8.0-0 White is always sad he has been deprived of the d4-d5 advance in the Scandinavian, so maybe he should take the chance for
[ 8.d5!? for example A) 8...e7 9.h3! and there doesn't seem to be any satisfactory move for Black's bishop e.g. h5 ( Other moves also give W hite strong pressure: 9...f5 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0 or; 9...xf3 10.xf3 e5 11.0-0-0 bd7 12.g4 ) 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.g4 g6 ( Or 11...f7 12.e2 ) 12.g5 and the weak pawn on e6 is a terrible burden.; B) 8...bd7 9.dxe6 ( 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 e5 ) 9...xe6 10.e2 e7 11.xe6 fxe6 and Black was left with a weak pawn in Popelyshev, I (2078)-Cherepova, B (2026)/Konopega 2007. ] [ It's good to see Magnus Carlsen in action, even in a simul'. He preferred to challenge Black's bishop straightaway with 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 c6 10.0-0-0 Now the d4 is taboo: A) 10...xd4? 11.e2! preparing a sac on e6. e7 ( Also decisive for White is 11...bd7 12.xe6! fxe6 13.xe6+ e7 14.he1 when Black does best to remain a p a w n d o w n a f t e r 0-0-0 15.xe7 ) 12.xe6! fxe6 13.g5! b4 14.a3 c5 15.xf6 gxf6 16.xe6 and Black will be unable to escape with his king or develop his queenside without dropping material. Play could continue f8 17.c8+ g7 18.xb7 a6 19.he1 he8 20.d7 f8 21.exe7 xe7 22.xa8+ etc.; B) 10...c7? Since capturing on d4 is too risky Black should at least develop a piece. W asting a tempo in such a position is fatal. 11.he1 bd7 12.xe6! Making good use of his extra tempo. fxe6 13.xe6+ d8? ( White has an initiative for the piece but it isn't over after 13...f7! 14.de1 g8 15.d5 ) 14.f4 a5 15.d5 h6 Now most decisive is B1) 16.dxc6 bxc6 17.xf6 gxf6 18.d3! a quiet computer move that wins the house because d7 can't be defended. Most humans would prefer the butcher's approach with ( 18.xc6 which also wins at once. ); B2) 16.d6 c8 ( The only defence is 16...f5 but then 17.e3 l o o k s o v e r w h e l m i n g .) 17.de1 No w t h e r e 's n o g o o d a n swe r t o t h e threat of 18.Qe2 and 19.Re8+ forcing 374
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 mate. 1-0 Carlsen, M (2765)-Boixeda, P/ Madrid 2008 ] 8...c6 9.b3 xf3?! Black decides he wants to take on d4. Instead after [ 9...bd7 his position looks fairly comfortable, which indicates that back at move eight White should have played 8.d5 or 8.h3. ] 10.xf3 xd4 A risky decision but consistent with his previous move. Objectively [ 10...bd7 should be preferred, though it leaves W hite in possession of the bishop pair. ] 11.f4 e7 12.ad1 c5 13.fe1 bd7 14.g4! White needs to use his pawns to soften up Black's defences. 0-0? Rather surprisingly this leads to a bad endgame for Black. He had to oppose White's next move with [ 14...h6 One double edged variation is 15.h4 g5 16.e3 a5 17.d4 c7 18.xe6 fxe6 19.xe6 f8 etc. ] 15.g5 d5 16.xd5! cxd5 17.xd5 exd5 [ U n f o r t u n a t e l y f o r B l a c k a f t e r 17...d8 18.d6! wins t he e xch an ge a f t e r c6 ( 18...xd6 19.f6+ ) 19.e7+ xe7 20.xc6 bxc6 21.xe7 ] 18.xd5 xc2 19.xd7 b4 20.e4! c6 [ Even worse is 20...xb2 21.b1 ] 21.xc6 bxc6 22.e4 a5 With a rook on the seventh rank and weak pawns to attack, White has excellent winning chances. 23.c4 f6 24.xc6 fxg5 25.e3! A cute move! Before recapturing on g5 White forces 25...a6 so that the b6 square doesn't become a base for Black's bishop as occurs after [ 25.xg5 b6 ] 25...a6 [ Obviously Black wouldn't relish 25...b6 26.xb6 axb6 27.cc7 when g7 drops with mayhem on his second rank. ] 26.xg5 f7 27.dd6 b4 28.xa6 W ith connected passed pawns W hite e v e n t u a l l y b r i n g s h o m e t h e b a c o n . af8 29.d8 xf2 30.xf8+ xf8 31.e3 e8 32.b6 a5 33.b5 c7 34.f2 e6 35.g3 b6+ 36.f1 f7 37.a4 d4 38.b4 a6 39.a5 e6 40.f2 e5 41.g2 c7 42.b7 d6 43.b6 xb6 44.xb6 d5 45.b5 c4 46.a6 b8 47.a7 xa7 48.xa7 xb5 49.d4 g6 50.f3 c6
51.g4 d5 52.g7 1-0
372
B01
Tennyson Gambit N,N [Tony Kosten] 1.f3 d5 2.e4?! I must say, I was not even aware of the existence of this gambit until last month! Apparently it is named the 'Tennyson' alt ho u gh I ha ve b e e n u na b le t o f in d a n y mention of it in any of my opening books, and no games by the 'creator', either! the earliest game I have is one by Latvian Gambit aficionado Victor Pupols, dating to 1951. dxe4! As this is a reversed Budapest Gambit, the only critical move is the capture, although Black sometimes tries to avoid the issue: [ 2...c6 might appeal to a Caro player, 3.exd5 ( 3.c3 g4 is a Caro Two Knights, Pessi,E-Moldovan,D/Miercurea Ciuc 1998) 3...cxd5 4.d4 is a Caro Exchange, Pessi,EVidoniak,N/Drobeta 1993. ] [ 2...e6 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d4 leads to a French, Shepley,J-Franklin,M/ England 1996. ] 3.g5 [ The 'Reversed Fajarowicz' with 3.e5?! is even worse than here, as Black's c-pawn is on c7, and he doesn't have to worry about a check on b5. ] 3...f5! This is best. [ As in the Budapest, 3...f6 is the other main possibility, A) 4.c3 bd7?! ( 4...f5! as in the m a i n l i n e ,) 5.c4 e6?! ( 5...e5 ) 6.xe6!? White can also capture the other e-pawn, of course! fxe6 7.xe6 e7 8.xc7+ d8 9.xa8 is very messy, Kozii,Y-Sutorikhin,V/Szeged 1998.; B) 4.c4 e6 5.c3 e7 ( 5...d7!? 6.gxe4 c6 7.e2 bd7 looks like the Fort Knox variation of the French: Black is solid, but White has a spatial plus, Opalka, G-Smagin,S/Dortmund 1995.) 6.0-0 0-0 7.cxe4 bd7 8.d4 and now the game resembles a Rubinstein French, with a small edge for W hite, Pessi,E-Susak,Z/ Pula 1997. ] 375
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 3...e5!? is sharper, 4.xe4 f6 ( 4...f5!? ) 5.xf6+ ( 5.f3!? ) 5...xf6 6.c3 c6 7.b5 d7 8.d3 I prefer Black, Kahn,EMork,K/Budapest 1998. ] 4.c3 [ 4.g4!? is probably the best chance, g6 5.g2 f6 6.c3 c6 7.gxe4 recuperates the pawn, but W hite's wea ke ne d k in gside d ark squ ares are a cause for concern, Soppela,J-Cording,H/ Hamburg 1992. ] 4...f6 5.c4 This is the reason that the variation is worse than the Budapest, as with colours reversed Bb5+ would be played, but here ...c6 would be the reply. [ 5.e2? (threatening Qb5+) c6! 6.c4 e6 7.gxe4 xe4 8.xe4 d4 led to an upset Black victory in Rivas Pastor, M-Gonzalez Merino,F/Cala Galdana ESP 2001, but ( 8...d4! is even better, 9.d3? b5! 10.c3? b4 wins. )] 5...e6 6.f3!? This seems like the best try, and at least contains a trap. [ 6.e2 d4 Black simply hangs-on to his pawn, 7.b5 d7 8.c3 d4 9.b5 d7 10.c3 c6! 11.b5 a6 White is losing, Mangei,P-Stern,R/Baden-Baden 1991. ] 6...c5! This is a good idea, g1-a7 looks very sensitive, [ 6...exf3 7.xf3 c6?! ( missing the more i m p o r t a n t o f t h e t w o t h r e a t s , 7...c8! is simpler: 8.xf7?! g4 and should win) 8.xf7! Ouch! d4! ( 8...xf7? 9.xf5 d7 10.e4 is horrible, Moser,G-Schone/ Biel 1981.) 9.xh8 ( 9.xe6!? ) 9...xc4 10.d3 h4+ 11.g3 h3 if Black can roundu p t h e h 8 - k n igh t t h e n h e will h a ve f a i r c h a n c e s , Ho f f m a n n , W -A u t e n gru b e r, R / Erlangen 1994. ] 7.cxe4?? [ 7.fxe4 xe4 8.gxe4 xe4 9.h5 ( 9.xe4 h4+ 10.g3 xc4 ) 9...d4 looks pretty disgusting for White. ] 7...xe4 8.xe4 xe4 and White has lost a piece, Neher,G-Teubner,W/Ulm 1995.
373
B01
The Patzer Variation N,N THEORETICAL [Andrew Martin] Mr Buckley of Bath asks: I saw a recent article o f y o u r s i n C H E S S m a g a z i n e wh e r e a n outlandish variation of the Scandinavian was suggested. Can you give a basic analysis here and go through some ideas. It looked interesting! 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 e5+!? Let us christen this ' THE PATZER ' for obvious reasons. Black sees a check and gives a check... .... It is quite remarkable that this move can be made to work sensibly. In f a c t , B l a ck re a ch e s a n o t t o o d i s s i m il a r p o si t i o n t o t h a t o f t h e 3 . . . Q d 8 li n e . T h e psychological impact is considerable- it will be very difficult for your opponent to take the game seriously now. 4.e2 I am forecasting that most people will play this irrespective of rating. They think they are going to punish you after 5 Nf3' Not so! [ 4.ge2! Once a few games have been played this might turn out to be 'the main line'. c6 ( 4...f6 I prefer this move I think. 5.d4 a5 6.g3 c6 7.g2 f5 8.0-0 e6 9.d2 bd7= ) 5.d4 c7 6.g3 f5 7.f4 b6 ] [ 4.e2 Nothing xe2+ 5.xe2 f6 ( 5...c6 6.f3 f6 7.0-0 f5 8.d3 e6 9.f4 bd7 10.fe1 b4= 1-0 Sarquis,MHegarty,S/Oropesa del Mar 2001) 6.f3 f5= ] 4...c6! Useful, giving the Queen a retreat and keeping a White Knight out of d5 5.f3 [ 5.d4 c7 6.e3 ( 6.f3 f5 7.ge2 e6 8.0-0 d7 9.b1 gf6 10.e1 d6 11.g3 g6 12.ce4 xe4 13.xe4 xe4 14.xe4 f6= 1-0 Zhao Jun-Buckley, S/Oropesa del Mar 2001) 6...f5 7.d2 f6 8.0-0-0 e6 ] 5...c7 Check this line out on your database and you'll find a wealth of games from assorted U8 Championships. Forgive me for not showing them here. 6.d4 [ 6.0-0 f5 7.d3 d7 ( 7...e6 8.h4 g6 9.e3 d6 ) 8.h4 g6 9.f4 e6 10.g4 e7 ] 6...f5! This move holds the real key to the 376
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 PATZER. Black delays the development of his Knight on g8. It's the Bishop on c1,you seethat's the W hite piece that can hassle the Black Queen i.e. Bg5-h4-g3 for instance, or, with Knight on f6, Ne5 and then Bf4. We keep our Knight at home then and play other useful moves first e.g. ...Bf5, ...e6,,, Nd7. .Bd6- you sort out the order. I'll just say that the timing of ...Nf6 is crucial. A few lines: 7.0-0 [ 7.h4 g6 8.f4 e6 9.0-0 f6 ] [ 7.g5 e6 8.h4 g6 9.0-0 e7! I prefer Black now ] [ 7.e3 e6 8.d2 f6 9.f4 d6 ( 9...a5!? idea ...Bb4 ) 10.e5 bd7= ] [ 7.e5 d7 8.f4 ( 8.f4 gf6 9.0-0 e6; 8.xd7 xd7 9.0-0 f6 10.e3 e6= ) 8...xe5 9.xe5 b6 10.b1 f6 11.f4 d8 ] 7...e6 8.g5 d7 9.h4 d6= You couldn't say that Black has been in any way troubled by the opening. Very odd! This weird idea seems to produce a position similar to that of the Caro-Kann. I rather like the White Bishop sitting pretty on e2, doing precisely nothing.
Black has gotten rid of White's dark-squared bishop and retained his own, to cover his weaknesses. Arguably, too, the bishop on f5 is better developed outside of the pawn chain (compare the previous note). But Black may not get time to castle kingside. 7.d2 [ Now if W hite gambits by 7.0-0 xc3 8.bxc3 xc3 , his bishop hangs. N e v e r t h e l e s s , 9.e5 e6 10.b1 gives some compensation. ] 7...xd2 8.xd2 e6 9.0-0 [ 9.d5! is critical, to tear apart the centre before Black consolidates. In NarayananTiwari, New Delhi 2009, the second player managed to hold on after d7 ( 9...b4 may improve) 10.dxe6 fxe6 ( 10...xe6 11.0-0-0 d6!? ) 11.0-0-0 0-0-0 12.g5! ( 12.d4 b6 ) 12...d6 13.xe6 ( here 13.xe6! calls Black's play into doubt) 13...b4 14.d4 xc2! 15.cb5 ( 15.xc2 xc4 16.he1 might retain an edge ) 15...a4 16.xb4 xb4 17.xa7+ b8 18.b3 xa7 19.bxa4 , and here c5 was approximately equal. There's a lot to be looked at here I suspect that if there's a serious problem with 6...Ne4, it's 9 d5. ] 374 B01 9...d7 10.a3 c6 Playable, if a bit slow. [ 10...e7 11.b4 b6 looks risky, but the Thipsay,Praveen Mahadeo 2453 queen is actually relatively safe on b6. 12.d5 Tiwari,Arjun 2256 0-0-0 13.ad1 f6 14.fe1 might follow, 1st Open Gurgon IND (4) 23.01.2009 with White probably having some edge. ] [John Watson] 11.fe1 W hite has 12 d5 in mind. 0-0-0?! When Black plays 3...Qa5, he's often happy Allowing some bothersome threats. [ 11...c7 is better, intending ...0-0-0. ] with simplification, so the following idea of ... 12.g5! e5?! Ne4 bears notice. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 [ 12...g6 , when 13.b4 f5 ( 13...c7!? 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 f5 14.xe6! fxe6 15.xe6 d6 16.xd8 [ 5...e4 is the normal version of the idea in xd8 17.d5! ) 14.d3 f6 15.b5!? ] the game, for example, 6.d2 ( quite a few ga m e s h a ve co n t in u e d 6.d3!? xc3 13.xe5!? [ 13.b3! is still more convincing after e7 7.bxc3 , when instead of grabbing the pawn, ( 13...h6 14.xe5 xe5 15.xf7 ) 14.xe5 Black can choose g6 8.0-0 g7 9.e1 xe5 15.xf7 xd4 16.c1! f6 0-0!? 10.xe7 c6 11.e3 xc3 17.xh8 d8 18.e3 ] , but it's hard not to prefer White somewhat after 12.d2 b2 13.c3 ) 6...xd2 7.xd2 13...xe5 14.xf7 xd4 15.e2! c5 16.xh8 xh8 17.xe6+ xe6 18.xe6+ e6 with the idea ...Bb4. ] 19.e2 f8 Black has some 6.c4 Now 6...e6 has been played in b8 hundreds or thousands of master games. c o m p e n s a t i o n , b u t i t s h o u l d n ' t b e q u i t e e4!? This is a rather counterintuitive line that enough, because White lacks weaknesses. aims at gaining the bishop pair at the cost of 20.d1 [ Or 20.f1 , transposing. ] considerable development. Still, a structure with ...e6 and ...c6 can hold up a lot better if 20...d8 21.c3!? 377
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 21.g3 intends Rc1 and b4. ] 21...f8 22.f1 xa3! 23.d1 f6 24.bxa3 xc3 25.e7 c8 26.g3 xc2 27.d7 [ 27.d8!? b1+ 28.g2 b6 ] 27...b1+ [ 27...b2! covers g7. Black seems to be holding. ] 28.g2 b6 29.d6+ a8 30.xg7 a5?! 31.xh7 a7 32.h6 d8 33.e5 d2 34.f6 Now it's 'a matter of technique'. The rest of the moves were d8 35.c5+ a6 36.f5 d5 37.c4+ b6 38.f7 b5 39.h4 a4 40.xa4 d5+ 41.f3 c5 42.f4 b3 43.h5 c6 44.g4 c4 45.g5 xf3 46.xf3 c3 47.xc6+ bxc6 48.g6 c2 49.g7 c1 50.g8 f4 51.g6 b5 52.h6 c5 53.h7 e5 54.g8 e4+ 55.h2 f4+ 56.g1 c1+ 57.g2 1-0
375 Tiviakov,Sergei Hansen,Curt Wijk aan Zee (5) [Nigel Davies]
B01
Sax - Gausel, Skelleftea 2001 continued c7 8.b5 (White could also delay this move) e6 9.0-0 a6 10.bxc6 xc6 11.h3 h5 12.e2 d6 13.d4 a5 14.f4 1/2-1/2 ] 7...xf3 [ 7...h5 8.b4 c7 9.0-0 e6 10.b1 a6 was a game Shahade - Stefanova, Andorra 2000 af ter which 11.d3 intending Ne2-f4 would have been quite promising for White. ] 8.xf3 e6 9.0-0 bd7 10.a3 [ The idea of a queenside expansion is more p r o m i s i n g t h a n t h e ' c l a s s i c a l ' 10.d4 when Ward - Emms, 4NCL 1997 went d6 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 0-0 13.c4 ad8 14.c2 fe8 15.d2 c7 with a solid game for Black. ] 10...e7 11.b3 0-0 12.b2 fd8 13.d4 ac8 14.d1 b5 15.e3 c7 16.e2 [ According to Tiviakov, the immediate 16.c4 would have given him an edge. ] 16...b6 17.fd1 a5 18.c4 ½-½
1994
Hansen's play is much better, but even here W hite could have maintained an edge with stronger play on move 16. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.g3 f6 5.g2 c6 6.f3 [ White can also play 6.ge2 in this position, which has the advantage that it does not block his f-pawn. g6 ( 6...f5 7.b4!? c7 8.b1 bd7 9.0-0 e6 10.d3 e7 11.h3 h6 12.f4 e5 13.d2 d6 14.f4 exf4 15.xf4 h7 16.b5 and White had the initiative in Payen - Kholmov, St Petersburg 1998 ) 7.0-0 g7 8.b1 c7 was a game Paz Ladron - Bellon Lopez, Malaga 1998 and now 9.b4 looks logical (in the game White played 9.d4) ] 6...g4 [ Once again White can meet 6...f5 with 7.b4!? after which Shabalov - Minasian, New York Open 1998 went c7 8.0-0 e6 9.b1 wit h W h it e 's ch a n ce s b e in g s o m e wh a t preferable in this rich position. ] 7.h3 [ White can also consider 7.b4 after which
376 Topalov,Veselin Kamsky,Gata Corus Chess 2006 [Andrew Martin]
B01
2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 A rare outing for the Modern variation at this level. W as Kamsky trying to surprise Topalov? 3.f3 xd5 4.d4 f5 Rare in comparison with 4...Bg4 or 4...g6 Topalov sticks with a tried and trusted formula: when surprised keep it simple and aim for a small, enduring edge. 5.d3 xd3 6.xd3 e6 7.0-0! [ But not the reckless 7.b5+ c6 8.xb7 db4 9.a3 b8 ] 7...c6 8.c4 b6 9.c3 e7 10.f4 White has obtained a typical small edge with the simplest of moves. He has choice for this Rooks, good development and ands plenty of scope for the middlegame. Black is cramped. Perhaps this is why 4...Bf5 isn't seen more often, although there is no need for Kamsky's ne xt m o ve . g5?! He feels that his position is so prospectless that he has to try and unbalance the game. But 10...g5?! is almost 378
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 certainly a game-losing move. [ Black should keep it tight with something like 10...0-0 11.ad1 d7 He is still worse, but very much in the game. ] 11.g3! A deliberate sacrifice of a pawn (or two) in order to keep the initiative. g4 12.e5 xd4 [ 12...xd4 leads naturally to 13.e2 0-0-0 14.xf7 ( 14.ad1 c5 15.xf7 ) 14...xc4 15.ae1 ] 13.c5! Excellent. Black's central pieces hang in the air and after the capture on c5 White threatens Ne4. [ The natural 13.ad1 was also good: c5 ( 13...f5 14.e2 c8 15.c5! xc5 16.b5+ ) 14.e2 a4 15.xd4 xb2 16.e2 xd1 17.xe6!! fxe6 18.xg4+I guess Topalov just didn't want him to play ...c7-c5 ] 13...xc5 14.ad1 0-0? I put a question mark by this move simply because it is so ugly. However, I am not sure what advice to offer because the Black King is already permanently compromised: [ 14...e7 15.b4 0-0-0 16.bxc5 f3+ 17.gxf3 xd3 18.xd3 d5 19.c6 gxf3 20.cxb7+ xb7 21.xd5 exd5 22.xd5+- ] [ 14...f6 15.xg4 d7 16.b5! ] 15.e4 e7 16.xg4! [ Many would have been tempted by 16.xd4 but White gets pushed back: xd4 17.xd4 f5 18.c3 c5 19.dd1 f4 ] 16...c5 [ Or 16...f5 17.c3 d5 18.xd5 exd5 19.ef6+ xf6 20.xf6+ g7 21.e5!+- ] [ 16...f5 17.h6+ g7 18.e5+ xh6 19.h3+ g6 20.xd4+- There really is nothing worthwhile to say about these lines other than the damage has already been done. ] 17.b4?! [ Kasparov pointed out at the time that 17.e5! won immediately: f6 18.g5 f5 19.h3+- ] 17...d5 [ 17...f5 18.c3 d5 19.xd5 exd5 20.ef6+ h8 21.e5 ] 18.bxc5 f5 19.f3 c8 20.d6 xd6 21.cxd6 h4 22.d7 c6 [ 22...c7 leads to a further White sacrifice: 23.xd5 exd5 24.ef6+ xf6 25.xf6+
g7 26.e8+ xe8 27.dxe8 xe8 28.g3+ h8 29.xc7+- ] 23.e5 c7 24.g4+ h8 25.d6 Not a very good advert for 4...Bf5 and I am not sure what advice to offer Black, other than to avoid the whole thing! 5 Bd3! is the easiest of moves to play and understand and seems to offer an advantage. 1-0
377 Topalov,Veselin Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter MTel Sofia BUL (1) [John Watson]
B01 2772 2693 10.05.2007
It's hard not to include such a high-profile game, but it wasn't particularly exciting, so I'll just take a run through the opening. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 This has become a m a j o r w e a p o n f o r N i s i p e a n u . 4.g3 I don't think that this is enough to truly bother Black, but there are 129 games with it in Megabase and White has done respectably well. Topalov probably wanted to get away from hypercritical lines. f6 [ T h e m o s t p o p u l a r m o v e i s 4...c6 , to exploit White's lack of control over d4. Some examples and notes 5.g2 f6 ( 5...f5 prepares ...0-0-0 more quickly, but most players seem to hold off just in case White plays Nf3 and they can play ...Bg4. Also the move ... Bg4 can be irritating in and of itself. ) A) 6.d3 g4! 7.f3 d4 8.h3 xf3+ ( 8...xf3 9.xf3 0-0-0 is tempting, to exploit Black's increasing lead in development) 9.xf3 xf3 10.xf3 c6= MaciejewskiM-Sygulski, POL-ch 1987; B) 6.ge2 B1) 6...f5 7.b4!? is a very bizarre move by a leading grandmaster! Black naturally accepts: xb4 8.d3 c6 9.0-0 d7 ( 9...e5!? ) 10.b1 e6 11.g5 bd5 12.e4 h6 ( 12...e7 Does White have anything?) 13.xf6 xf6 14.xf6+ gxf6 15.b3 c8 16.f4 e7 17.h5 d6? 18.h4 e7 19.h5 and Black had equalized in Bologan-Hauchard, Belfort 1998, 379
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 eventually drawn!; B2) 6...g4 7.h3 h5 ( 7...f5 8.d3 e5 clamps down on d4. It's hard to believe that this can be bad: 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.a3 h5! 11.b4 d7 12.g5? xh3 13.e4 xg2 14.xg2 f5 with a clear extra pawn, SkripchenkoGofshtein, playchess.com INT 2004. But I liked Black's position anyway) 8.d3 0-0-0 9.0-0 e5 10.e3 (this is more like a picture of what W hite is after) b8 11.d2 d4 12.g4 g6 13.fe1 ( 13.f4! xe2+ 14.xe2 ) 13...h6 14.a4!? a6 15.b5 c5? ( 15...c6 ) 16.exd4 exd4 17.f4 b6 18.a5!? ( 18.b4 ) 18...xb5 19.axb6 xb6 20.a4 with a strong attack, AmonatovZablotsky, Internet 2006. ] 5.g2 c6 [ 5...h5!? is a funny move that led to success after 6.d4 ( 6.h3 ) 6...h4 7.f4 b6 8.ge2 c6 9.d3 a6 10.a3 ( 10.0-0-0 ) 10...hxg3 11.fxg3 g4 12.0-0-0 e6 13.h3 f5 14.f3 d5 15.g4 h7 16.g3 and W hite is probably slightly better but went on to lose in Smirin-Kurajica, Solin 1999. ] 6.d4 [ (a) The game takes a conventional course after 6.f3 f5 ( 6...g4 ) 7.0-0 e6 8.d4 ( 8.d3 c7 9.e2 bd7 10.e4 Hogenacker-Brecht, BLW9697 GriesheimKKS Koeln 1997 about equal) 8...e7 ( 8...bd7!? 9.f4 b4 ) 9.e5 h5 10.h3 ( 10.f4!? ) 10...bd7 11.f4?! ( 11.c4!? ) 11...b6 12.g4?! hxg4 13.hxg4 xg4! 14.xg4 xg4 15.xg4 xd4+ 16.f2 h4 with a strong attack, Kharlov-Vokarev, Moscow1998. ] [ (b) 6.ge2 g4! 7.h3 h5 8.d3 e6 9.g4 g6 10.f4 e5?! ( 10...bd7 ) 11.e2 e7 12.xg6 hxg6 13.d2!? bd7 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 15.e3 with the better prospects, Delgado-R Gonzalez, Dos Hermanas 2004. ] 6...g6 [ Slightly odd, but apparently fine. A normal line is 6...f5 7.ge2 e6 8.0-0 c7 , when things turned wild after 9.e1 d6 10.d5! cxd5 11.d4! 0-0 12.xf5 exf5 13.g5 e4 14.xd5 d7 15.e3 c6
16.h5! e6 17.ad1 e5 18.f4 ( 18.f4! ) 18...f6? 19.d4 fe8 20.xe4 g6 21.d5 d8 22.h4! g5 23.h5 fxe4 24.xe4 e6 25.f4 f5 26.xe5 1-0 SockoBitansky, Panormo 2001. ] 7.f4 This is one of the few games in which we actually see the 'point' of g3 realised! b4 8.ge2 g7 9.c1!? Very odd, especially since [ 9.0-0 xb2 10.d3! f5 ( 10...b6 11.ab1 a6 12.d2 ) 11.e4 must favour White's space and development. ] 9...0-0 10.0-0 g4 11.a3 a5 12.h3 xe2 13.xe2 bd7 (With ...e5 coming, Black has near-equality in this typical Slav structure) 14.c4 e5 15.b4 c7 16.dxe5 xe5 17.c2 a5 18.ae1 axb4 19.axb4 fe8 20.c5!? d5 21.d2 d7 22.c4 7f6 and the game was roughly even. White went on lose when Topalov blundered: 23.g4 h5 24.g3 hxg4 25.hxg4 d7 26.g5 xe1 27.xe1 e8 28.f3 ec7 29.g4 d8 30.g2 b5 31.d1 a1 32.xa1 xa1 33.f3 e5 34.e2 dc7 35.e3 e6 36.g4 bc7 37.e4 g7 38.f4 d1 39.f2 c3 40.b5 e1+ 41.g2 d5 42.bxc6 bxc6 43.d3?? d4 44.xe6 xe3+ 45.h2 f2+ 46.h3 f3+ 47.g3 g2+ 0-1
378 Trabert,Bettina Fakhiridou,Ekaterini 35th TCh-GRE (6) [Eric Prié]
B01 2269 2296 07.07.2006
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 e4?! 6.d3! xc3 7.bxc3 g6 8.0-0 g7 9.e1 0-0 10.d2 c6 The fact that Black has to play this move, thus blocking his c-pawn in order to defend e7, is an alarming sign for the line. It means that h i s ga m b le t o a cc e p t a s e ve r e r e t a r d i n development in return for some attacking prospects against the damaged opposing structure, turns out to be just a dream. 11.h3! I gave this refutation "of Black's optimistic 5th move" one year ago, but it seems to have 380
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 gone unnoticed... at least on this site! a3 I do not see how Black could develop his queen's bishop whilst continuing to have the move c3-c4, with or without Rb1, hanging over his head like a sword of Damocles. [ 11...f5 12.c4 a4 ( 12...a6 13.xf5 gxf5 14.d5! xa1 15.xa1 a5 16.d4 Pro vid e s W h it e wit h a win n ing a t t a ck.) 13.d5! The Qa4-Qd1 vis-Ã -vis gives White s u p p l e m e n t a r y t a c t i c a l m o t i v e s . d4 ( 13...a5 14.b1 xd3 15.cxd3 xd1 16.bxd1 b6 17.xe7 ) 14.xd4 xd4 15.xe7 xa1 16.xa1 xd3 17.h6 f6 18.cxd3 f7 19.e1 And Black has to part with his queen to avoid mate. ] 12.c1! [ 12.d5!? a5 13.c1 c5 14.h6 xc3? 15.xf8 xe1 ( 15...xa1 16.xa1 xf8 17.h8#; 15...xf8 16.h6+ g7 17.xh7 xa1 18.e5! xe5 19.xe5 e8 20.g8+ d7 21.xf7 ) 16.h6! xf2+ 17.h1 c3 18.f1 f5 19.g5+- ] 12...xc1 13.axc1 Black will lose a pawn, either on b7, c7 or e7. Thus it has to be c7 f r o m h i s p o i n t o f v i e w . e6 14.g5! It was also tempting to activate the queen's rook and provoke considerable disruption in the black camp. [ 14.b1 A) 14...d8 15.c4 c6 ( 15...c5 16.d5 d7 17.xe7 ) 16.a4 ( 16.f4 e8 17.c3 ) 16...e8 17.a5; B) 14...b6 15.xe6! fxe6 16.e4 a5 17.xa8 xa8 18.e1 e5 ( 18...f7 19.g5+ ) 19.xe5 xe5 20.xe5 c4 21.e2; C) 14...ab8 15.g5 xa2 ( 15...d7 16.f4 ) 16.a1 d5 17.c4 e6 18.xe6 ( 18.d5 xa1 19.xa1 d7 20.dxc6 xc6 21.f4 bd8 22.xc7 d7 23.f4 ) 18...fxe6 19.c3! xd4 The best cha nce . ( 19...d8 20.xa7; 19...f6 20.g5 ff8 21.xe6; 19...e5 20.d5 b6 21.dxc6 bd8 22.e3 h6 23.d1 xe3 24.xe3 f6 25.c5 g7 26.f1 ) 20.cxd4 xd4 21.e3 xa1 22.xa1 a6 23.c5; D) 14...fb8! 15.a4 ( 15.f4 xa2 16.b2 d5 17.xc7 c8 18.xb7 xd4; 15.g5 xa2 16.a1 d5 17.c4 e6 18.xe6 fxe6 19.c3 e5 20.d5 d8
21.c5 ) 15...a2 16.b2 d5 17.e4 xe4 18.xe4 e6 19.f4 b6 20.xc7 c8 21.d6 a5 22.b4 c4 With compensation, but for Black! ] 14...d7 [ 14...xa2 15.a1 d5 16.c4 e6 17.xe6 fxe6 18.c3 xd4 19.cxd4 xd4 20.e3 xa1 21.xa1 a5 22.a4 ( 22.c5!? a4 23.a3 a5 24.f1 ) 22...b6 23.c5 fb8 24.cxb6 cxb6 25.b5 ] 15.f4 [ 15.b1 b6 16.f4 fe8 17.xc7 ( 17.f3 a5 18.e5 e6 19.e4 xe5 20.xe5 c6 ) 17...ac8 18.g3 ( 18.f4 e5 ) 18...a5 19.e3 ( 19.e4 f5 20.g5 xc3 21.f3 c6 ) 19...h6 ( 19...xc3 20.xg6! xe3 21.xf7+ f8 22.fxe3; 19...h6 ) 20.f4 c4 21.xc4 xc4 ] 15...h6 [ 15...fe8 16.xc7 ac8 17.g3 a5 ( 17...h6 18.f4 a5 19.e4 b6! ) 18.e4 f5 ( 18...f5 19.c5 )] 16.f3 e6 17.b1 g5 [ 17...b6 18.e4 ] [ 17...a5 18.xc7 ( 18.h4!? ac8 19.b5 b6 20.xe6 fxe6 21.xg6 fe8 22.h5 ) 18...b6 19.bd1 ( 19.xe6 fxe6 20.e1 ac8 21.g3 f7 ) 19...ac8 20.e5 xc3? ( 20...xe5? 21.xe5 xc3 22.xg6 ) 21.d5 xe5 22.xe5 c8 23.xe7 ] 18.xc7 b6 19.a4 [ 19.a6! xa2 20.a1 d5 21.b7 ae8 ( 21...ac8 22.xc8 xc8 23.g3 f5 24.e5 xe5 25.xe5 xc3 26.xa7 e6 27.b1+- ) 22.xc6 xc6 23.xa7 ] 19...ac8 20.g3 a5 21.e5 [ 21.h4 g4 22.e5 xc3 23.g6 e8 24.d5 ] 21...fd8 [ 21...xe5 22.xe5 xc3 23.d5 ] 22.xg7?? Time trouble already? Anyway this is an incomprehensible slip that spoils all White's efforts so far in this quality game. [ 22.e3! And Black is not out of trouble yet. xc3? 23.h7+ ] 22...xg7 Now White loses the pawn back and will rapidly go down. 23.bd1 xc3 24.e4 d7 25.a1 c6 26.d3 Certainly not the most difficult to negotiate for the opponent... xf3 27.gxf3 e6 28.e4 381
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c6 29.f4 xd4 30.fxg5 hxg5 31.a2 d5 32.g2 f5 33.e1 e5 34.d1 e6 35.e1 e4 36.f1 f4+ 37.h2 d2 38.g1 xh3+ 39.xh3 xh3 40.a5 c3 41.axb6 axb6 42.b1 dxc2 43.a7+ c7 0-1
379 Tzermiadianos,Andreas Shen,Siyuan FSGM August Budapest HUN (4) [John Watson]
B01 2447 2321 04.08.2009
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.f3 g4 5.h3 h5 [ 5...xf3 6.xf3 wins the bishop pair and/or secures a central advantage after A) 6...b4? 7.xb7 xc2+ 8.d1 xd4 ( 8...xa1 9.b5+ d7 10.xd7+ xd7 11.d5+ e8 12.c6+ d7 13.xa8+ ) 9.xa8 b3+ 10.d2; B) 6...c6!? 7.c3!? ( or 7.b5 e6 8.0-0 wit h a n e d g e) 7...d7 8.d3 e6+ 9.e2! 0-0-0 10.0-0 f6 11.d2 e5 12.dxe5 xe5 13.xf6 xf6 14.c4 with the bishop pair; C) 6...e6 7.c3 e7 (White can play Bd3 or Bc4 versus most moves) 8.c4 ( 8.d3 0-0 9.0-0 d7 10.d1 ) 8...0-0 9.0-0 c6 10.d2 d7 11.e1 ] 6.c4 I like this move order, which reverts to 4 c4 positions but without Be2 and retaining the idea of an early g4. b6 [ 6...xf3 7.xf3 b4 again appears to fall a bit short after 8.c3! e5!? ( 8...8c6 9.a3 e5 10.d2! exd4? 11.b3 with the idea a6 12.xb7 ) 9.d5 d7 10.a3 a6 11.b4!? c5 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.c5 c7 14.c4 ] 7.c3 [ W h it e h a s a l so h a d s u c ce s s wi t h 7.c5 , e.g., A) 7...d5 8.b3 b6 9.e5! c6 10.c3 ( 10.g4 f6! ) 10...e6 11.a4; B) 7...6d7 B1) 8.b3 b6 ( 8...c6 9.g4 g6 10.c3 ) 9.d5!? xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.g5!? bxc5 12.dxc5 ( 12.c4 f6 ) 12...a5+ 13.c3 e6 14.e2 xc5 15.0-0 0-0 16.g3 with attack;
B2) 8.c4 e6 9.e3 c6 10.c3 e7 11.a3!? ( 11.0-0 0-0 12.e2 ) 11...e5?! ( 11...0-0 ) 12.d5 d4 13.g4 xf3+ 14.xf3 g6 Byrne-Rogoff, US Ch 1978 and 15.d6! cxd6 16.cxd6 xd6 17.d1 gives White tremendous pressure. ] 7...e6 [ 7...e5?! 8.g4 exd4 9.xd4 g6 10.g2 c6 11.0-0 has won some games for White, intending e7 12.f4 ] 8.g4 [ 8.e3 b4!? 9.b3 c6 10.e2 0-0 11.a3 e7!? 12.g4 g6 13.d5 ( 13.0-0-0 a5! ) 13...a5! 14.b5 bxc4! 15.xc4 c6 16.dxc6 a6 , and White should give the piece back by 17 Qb4, rather than 17.b6? 1/2-1/2 of Keitlinghaus (2525) -Holzhaeuer (2355), Gladenbach 1997 because here axb5 18.xd8 axd8 19.xb5 bxc6 20.e2 f6 uses the bishops to good effect. ] 8...g6 9.e5 [ R y b k a l i k e s 9.b3 threatening c5 and Qxb7 then c8 ( 9...c5!? 10.e3 8d7 11.0-0-0 ) 10.c5 6d7 11.h4 e7 12.xg6 hxg6 13.g2 c6 14.e3 is at any rate more comfortable for White. ] 9...c6 Black has tried all kinds of things here, but without much success: [ 9...8d7 10.xg6 hxg6 11.e3 ( 11.e2 b4!? 12.g2 c5 Conquest, S (2601)Ekstroem, R (2495), Leon 2001 and here 13.d5! was stron g) 11...f6 12.f3 c6 13.0-0-0 b4 14.g5! fd7? ( 14...h5!? ) 15.e4 e7 16.h4 a5 17.h5 gxh5 18.xh5 xh5 19.xh5 c7? ( 19...f8 20.h8 g6 21.d5! ) 20.g6 f5 21.g5 f8 22.f7 ( 22.h8! wins, in view of f6? 23.xf8+ ) 22...bd7 ( 22...f6 ) 23.b1 f6 24.d5! exd5 25.xf5 e5 26.cxd5 cxd5? 27.b5+ c6 1-0 Conquest (2530) Branger, Paris 2001. ] [ 9...b4 10.g2 8d7 ( 10...c6 11.h4 f6 12.xg6 hxg6 13.d3 ) 11.xg6 hxg6 12.b3 c5 13.0-0 xc3 14.xc3 f6 15.e3 c8 16.b3 c7 17.ad1 0-0 18.fe1 e8 19.c1! and Black's position was horrendous in Voitsekhovsky-Ulko, Novgorod 1998. ] [ 9...c6 10.g2 8d7 11.xg6 hxg6 12.e2 favours White, according to 382
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Svidler. ] 14.cxb4 e5 15.b2 xb3 16.axb3 10.xc6 bxc6 11.g2 xb2 17.xa7 b8 18.a2 e5 [ 11.a4! w i t h t h e i d e a a5 12.g2 and Black has enough compensation for compare Black's 12th. ] the pawn. ) 14.g3 h5 15.b5!; 11...d7 12.f3 c5?? B) 12.xe4! xe4 13.xe4 f5 14.e1 [ 12...0-0-0 13.0-0 ( 13.a4 xc4 ) 13...h5 and Black probably doesn't have enough ( 13...xc4 14.b5! b8 15.f4 ) 14.b5 for the pawn here. Still, it's a lot better b8 15.f4 hxg4 16.hxg4 c8 17.b3 a6 than what happens in the game! ] 18.c3 d6 and Black is hanging in there, 12.a4!? although White still has an advantage after [ \/White has a safe advantage after 12.e2 19.e2 ] but Vachier Lagrave is going for a quick 13.b7! Threatening Bc6. d8 14.g5+ f6 win ] 15.dxc5 xc5 16.d1 d4 17.e3 xc3+ 12...xd3?! 18.bxc3 xd1+ 19.xd1 A disaster, but it's [ 12...e4! is now necessary when White is interesting to look over the opening I can't only slight better after help but wonder about the worth of 2...Nf6 in A) 13.xe4?! e5! ( of course not this and several other lines. 13...xe4?? 14.g4 winning the queen ); 1-0 B) 13.dxe4 e5 14.g3 xb4 15.f4 a5 16.b3 c5 ] 13.b5! b8 14.e3 Suddenly White has a 380 B01 massive attack and sadly for Papaioannou he Vachier Lagrave,M 2742 makes a further mistake here which brings the Papaioannou,I 2639 game to a premature end. f5?! [ 14...a6 is a better try but after 15.d2! 19th European Teams (6.1) 14.11.2013 xb5 16.c2 Black is still in a lot of trouble [Tom Rendle] as Rab1 is a big threat. ] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 g4 4.e2 15.d2 c5?! After this Black is just lost [ 15...he8 16.xa7 should still be winning c6 5.0-0 0-0-0 This is a very risky setup for White but at least Black can fight on for that can payoff against an unprepared a little with g6 17.ab1 fd7 ] opponent. Unfortunately for Black I don't think Vachier Lagrave is the right player to play this 16.e4 xe3 17.xe3 h5 18.xa7 d5 19.c5! Black can resign here but he way against! 6.h3 [ in s t e a d t h e o d d 6.e1 worked well for s p o r t i n g l y a l l o w s m a t e i n s t e a d . xe3 20.xb7# A pretty painful game for Centre White in Zhigalko-Sharif in the archives. ] Counter players to watch, but it just shows 6...xf3 7.xf3 d7 8.c3 e5 [ 8...e5 I mentioned as an options in the why this quick ...0-0-0 line isn't popular at a above game with a typical slight edge to higher level. W h i t e a f t e r 9.d4 xf3+ 10.xf3 e6 1-0 11.d2 and now White's plan should be Nc4 with the option of coming into e5 or 381 B01 assisting a queenside push of a4/b4-b5 ] Vachier Lagrave,Maxime 2721 9.e1 f6 10.b4! One nice thing for Black in Tiviakov,Sergei 2637 this line is he gets control of the centre with 29.10.2010 th e e a rly . . . e5 b u t Va ch ie r L a gra ve isn 't Unive Crown Group (5) worried as he's just going for a big queenside [Gawain Jones] attack! d6 11.d3 f5 [ perhaps Black should try a pawn sacrifice 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 g4 4.e2 c6 5.c3 d7 with 11...e4!? [ The extremely unusual 5...f5 was tried in A) 12.dxe4 e6 when he has some a recent game. The queen looks rather counterattacking chances based on ...Qe5 awkwardly placed here but Black equalised a n d h 5 - h 4 . 13.b3 e5 ( 13...xb4!? 383
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 equality. ) 11...xc3 12.bxc3 e7 rather comfortably. 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 e6+ 13.d1 c6 14.c4 0-0 15.a3 fe8 A) 8.e2 xe2+ ( 8...d4!? 9.xe6 16.xe7 xe7 17.d3=; xf3+ 10.gxf3 fxe6 11.d3 and White's A2) 8.e3 b4 ( 8...0-0-0 structure looks slightly less ugly than would transpose to my own game.) 9.0-0 Black's. W hite will be able to achieve ge7 10.e4 g6 11.d3 f5 12.c3 strong pressure down the e file.) 9.xe2 xe3 13.fxe3 e7 14.b4 0-0 15.b5 0-0-0 10.xc6 bxc6 11.d3 and White has b8 16.a4 c6 17.e5 c7 18.xg6 a slight but definite edge and Black has hxg6 19.b3 d7 20.f3 f6 a thankless task to hold the draw.; and Black had gradually equalised and a B) 8.e2 Perhaps the wrong piece to draw was agreed in a few moves. Short, blo ck t he c he ck. d4 9.0-0 xe2+ N (2695)-Hansen, C (2595) Yerevan 10.xe2 0-0-0 11.d4 f6 12.f4 g5!? 1996.; 13.h2 ( 13.xg5 g8 14.xf6 xf6 B) 7...0-0-0 gives Black strong kingside pressure for B1) 8.d5! looks strong here, exploiting the pawn. ) 13...g8 ( 13...g4!? 14.h4 Bla ck's m ove o rd er. xf3 ( 8...b4 f5 also looks quite comfortable for Black 9.e5 xe2 10.xe2 e8 11.0-0 but Abu Sufian wanted to go for mate.) looks more pleasant for White with Black 14.c4 h5 15.d5 f6 16.c3 so passive.) 9.xf3 e5 10.e4 f6 This looks to rather tie in with Black's plan 11.d4 xe4 12.xe4 and White has ( 16.d3 is more sensible when I'd still a very comfortable position.; prefer White slightly.) 16...f4 17.a4 a6 B2) 8.e3 e6 9.b5 f6 ( 9...a6 18.ad1 g4 19.xf4 xf4 20.c5 xa4 could be a better move order, forcing the 21.xa4 gxh3 22.g3 g5 23.c3 g7 bishop to retreat immediately. ) 10.e2 and Black is doing extremely well so I'm B2a) 10...a6 looks stronger as I don't rather confused why he offered a draw! 1/ s e e a k n o c k o u t b l o w . 11.xa6 2-1/2 Torre, E (2484)-Abu Sufian, S ( 11.a4 is of course a way to play (2340) Guangzhou 2010. ] on. ) 11...xf3 12.gxf3 bxa6 6.h3 Vachier Lagrave employs a quiet method 13.xa6+ b8 14.d5 exd5 15.0-0-0 seeking a small, risk free advantage. xf3 d4 16.b5+ a8 17.a6+ b8 Black accepts that he will be slightly worse seems to be a draw although W hite but hopes to equalise within the next few doesn't have to take the perpetual moves. immediately.; [ When looking through games in this B2b) 10...f7 11.0-0-0 ge7 variation I was surprised to discover one of and Black was somewhat passively my own! 6...h5 is the other try. 7.d4 ( 7.d3 pla ce d but f airly solid in Jon es , G as in the game is of course possible here; (2526)-Dubois, M (2073) Porto San while 7.b4!? should also be considered. ) Giorgio 2007. I believe White should A) 7...e6 is more circumspect guarding probably look into the alternatives to 7 the d5 square. d 4 f o r a n a d va n t a ge , p e rh a p s t h e A1) 8.e5!? is untried but looks like an unplayed 7 b4!? ] int eres ting ide a alt ho ugh Black ca n prob a bly e qua lise . xe2 ( 8...xe5 7.xf3 0-0-0 [ 7...e6+ now looks frankly bizarre but 9.xh5 must favour White with his would actually transpose to the 5...Qf 5 bishop pair.) 9.xe2 xe5 ( 9...xd4 note. ] 10.d3 d6 11.f4 b4 12.a3 b6 d4 Immediately aiming to trade off 13.c4 c5 14.e4 d5 15.xc7 8.d3 looks good for White.; 9...xd4 10.xc6 White's bishop pair. [ Tiviakov played 8...e5 in a previous game bxc6 11.e3 b4 12.0-0! annotated by John Watson in the archives with a decent initiative for the pawn.) and drew fairly quickly but the young 10.dxe5 b4 11.0-0 ( 11.d2 e7 Frenchman must have found an 12.0-0-0 c6 and Black is close to 384
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 improvement. 9.0-0 d4 10.e1 d6 Van den Doel, E (2581)-Tiviakov, S (2667) Dresden 2007. Maybe here Vachier Lagrave h a d p l a n n e d 11.a4!? followed by a subsequent Nb5. ] 9.0-0 e6 So Tiviakov decides it's safer to leave the pawn on e6 where it keeps the light squares defended. 10.e3 e7 Sensibly defending. Black threatens to support the d4 square with ...Nef5 so W hite is obliged to exchange his bishop. [ 10...xf3+ is not so strong as following 11.xf3 b8 12.a4 Black's pieces aren't doing a good job defending his king. ] 11.xd4 xd4 12.e4 Strictly speaking Black probably shouldn't have any problems here but White's queenside expansion looks easier to achieve than Black's counterplay on the kingside. The opposite coloured bishops will favour the side which can start attacking f irst while W hite's bish op is alread y well located to cause Black some problems. c6 [ 12...f5 The knight could also come out to f5. 13.a4 I was talking to the author of the Rybka software at the weekend and he mentioned that it often shows an evaluation of 0.00 and not just when there's a perpetual upcoming. This is a case in point but I feel the position is easier to play with the White pieces as if Black drops his guard then he will quickly run into trouble. If we continue along the top line we have: c6 14.a5 xb2 15.a6 b6 16.c3 e7 17.d4 b8 18.e1 and Black's pawn grab is starting to look somewhat foolish. ] [ Grabbing the pawn is very dangerous 12...xb2?! 13.b1 e5 14.xb7!! regaining the pawn as xb7 15.d6+ a6 16.b7+ b6 17.c4+ wins the queen. ] 13.c1 This isn't so much to defend the pawn but to prepare advancing in the centre. e7 14.d1 f5 [ M a y b e B l a c k s h o u l d t h r o w i n 14...e5 15.e2 a n d o n ly n o w f5 16.c3 b6!? in comparison with the following note the knight cannot drop to back to d2 but again 17.g3 hf8 18.d4 g6 19.b4 looks more pleasant for the first player. ] 15.c3 d7 [ 15...b6 ca n n ow be m e t b y 16.d2!? xd3 17.c4 xd1+ 18.xd1 a6
19.e2 d8 20.b4 with strong queenside pressure in return for the pawn. ] 16.g3 g6 17.d4 White has successfully forced Black's pieces to retreat and visually the position is starting to look promising. The computer still states Black is fine but it doesn't fully comprehend how quickly White's pawns can overpower Black's queenside. d6 [ 17...f6 is the computer's suggestion but it isn 't im m ed ia t e ly ob vio u s t o m e h o w it intends to fight for the initiative following 18.b4 ] 18.b4! Continuing to gain space, White doesn't worry about a slight structural weakening while the f3 bishop is still a strong attacking piece. xg3 19.fxg3 d6 20.b5 a5 Trying to slow up White's pawn storm and defending b7 but the knight is rather offside here and indeed in a few moves time it drops off. [ 20...e7 should probably be preferred although White is obviously on top following 21.c4 b8 ( 21...xg3? 22.a3 wins material) 22.h2 e5 23.c5 e6 24.dxe5 xd1 25.xd1 xe5 26.c6 and Black still has some problems. ] 21.c4! e5 [ 21...xg3? would be a blunder as 22.c3 b6 23.b7+ wins the queen. ] [ 21...c5 22.bxc6 xc6 23.b1 and it doesn't look like Black should be able to survive for long. ] 22.c5 e7 23.c3 e4 Tiviakov tries to complicate matters. [ 23...b6 24.cxb6 axb6 25.dxe5 wins a clean pawn and continues with the attack. ] 24.xe4 [ 24.xa5 is another promising option. exf3 25.e1! d7 26.xa7 xb5 ( 26...f2+?! d o e s n ' t g e t B l a c k a n y w h e r e . 27.xf2 xd4+? 28.f1 c4+ 29.g1 xb5 30.a8+ d7 31.ad1++- ) 27.a8+ d7 28.a3 he8 29.xf3 and White has an extra pawn although Black has some chances to hold. ] 24...fxe4?! after this Black has no compensation for the pawn deficit. [ He should have tried 24...xe4 25.xa5 xd4 when the position is rather complex. W h i t e s h o u l d p r o b a b l y c o n t i n u e 26.c6 385
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 26.xa7?? a4 unexpectedly traps the queen. ) 26...b8 27.h2 and White still has some advantage thanks to his somewhat safer king but Black's position is hardly a disaster. ] 25.xa5 b8 26.c3 [ 26.b6 cxb6 27.cxb6 a6 28.e5+ a l s o l o o k s v e r y p r o m is i n g b u t V a ch i e r Lagrave prefers to keep more material on the board. ] 26...d5 27.e1 hd8 28.ad1 d7 This series to exchange pawns leaves Black with a horrible position. [ 28...b6 29.cxb6 cxb6 30.a4 is a clear extra pawn for W hite while Black must sit passively but perhaps this was his best option. ] 29.c6 d6 30.xe4 xb5 31.cxb7 xb7 32.d5! Not only does White have an extra pawn b ut he now ha s t he saf er kin g t oo . Vachier Lagrave converts with admirable ease, n o t a l l o w i n g T i vi a k o v a n y c h a n c e s . b5 33.h2 b6 34.a4 b3 35.c4 b2 36.e7 f8 37.e4 b4 38.e5 b2 39.e8+ [ 39.h4! is the computer's choice, giving the king a safe square on h3 but this would r e q u i r e f a r m o r e c a l c u l a t i o n a f t e r ff2 It's easy for a computer to state that 40.d6 xg2+ 41.h3 is completely winning for White but this isn't the kind of thing you want to analyse on move 39 with little time. ] 39...xe8 40.xe8+ b7 41.a5 [ 41.d6!? cxd6 42.h8 is another route to immediate victory as Black cannot defend his kingside pawns but the newly crowned European Blitz Champion prefers to go for mate. ] 41...c5?! The final mistake. [ Tiviakov had to try 41...d6 although 42.a6+! xa6 43.d6! is winning once we se e t h a t B lack ru n s o u t o f ch e cks: c4 44.d7! xg2+ 45.xg2 c2+ 46.f3 xd1+ 47.f4 d6+ 48.g5 xg3+ 49.h6 xh3+ 50.g7 c3+ 51.xh7 h3+ 52.g8 b3+ 53.f7 d3 54.e7 d5+ 55.g7 d4+ 56.h7 and Black has run out of checks ] 42.a6+! The king is forced out alone to fend against the queen and rook. It doesn't have a chance. xa6 43.c8+ b5 44.b8+ b6
45.e8+ a6 46.c8+ b5 47.c1! e3 48.b8+ b6 49.e8+ b4 50.e4+ a3 51.a1+ a2 52.d3+ b3 53.a6+ b2 54.f6+ a3 55.e7+ [ 55.d6! is a neat win as cxd6 56.xd6+ b2 57.e5+ a3 58.c5+ wins material. ] 55...a4 56.xa2+ The simple approach going into a winning queen and pawn endgame. [ 56.e1!? was an alternative, more complicated path. ] 56...xa2 57.xc7 xd5 58.xa7+ b5 59.xh7 e6 60.h4 c5 61.h6 e8 62.f4 d5 63.g4 e1 64.g5+ d4 65.f6+ d5 66.h5 gxh5 67.gxh5 e8 68.f5+ d4 69.h6 b8+ 70.h3 b3+ 71.g3 b7 72.h7 h1+ 73.g4 d1+ 74.g5 1-0
382 Vaibhav,S Yu,Ruiyuan ch-Asian Individual (9.18) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2430 2431 10.05.2011
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.d2 f5 7.c4 e6 8.e2 Finally we have come o nto W hite's mos t common try. bd7?! Already I think this is an error. [ 8...b4 has been by far the most common and has been looked at a few times in the archives. 9.0-0-0 ( 9.a3 is Bauer's recommended move order to cut out Black's plans with ...Nd5.) 9...bd7 ( 9...d5!? is also examined in Play the Scandinavian. ) A) 10.h4 A1) B a u e r p re f e r s 10...g4 with the tactical point of 11.f3 xc3! 12.bxc3 ( 12.xc3 g5+ is the idea.) 12...h5 13.g4 g6 and his line demonstrates that Black has good counterplay due to White's weakened queenside.; A2) 10...g6 11.xg6 hxg6 12.a3?! xc3 13.xc3 h5 ( 13...g5+ was critical picking up a pawn. W hite has some play but I'm sceptical if it's really enough.) 14.f3 0-0-0 15.h4 d5 386
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 similar ideas are played in the Caro16.d2 de8 17.g4 h7 18.b3 Kann and here the knight on d5 keeps and Black's position had become Black's position solid. Check out the extremely passive. Alekseenko, K (2317)archives for Andrew Martin's comments Smirnov, V (1957) Kirishi 2011.; in Pavlogianni, D (1964) -Makropoulou, B) 10.a3 M (2246) Aghia Pelagia 2004. ] B1) Nigel Davies examines 10...b6 [ Should Black want to get the position he B1a) 11.axb4 a1+ 12.b1 a4 reaches in the game without allowing White 13.c3 e4 14.d3 a5 15.bxa5 the strong deviation on move 9 then 8...c7 ( 15.b5!?; and 15.d5!? are also looks the most accurate move order when c o n s id e r e d b y B a u e r .) 15...xa5 9.0-0-0 bd7 would transpose to the 16.b3 exc3 17.bxc3 0-0 18.d2! game. ] Bauer's proposed improvement. d8 19.xa4 xa4 20.e3!? and White's 9.0-0-0 Letting Black off the hook. [ 9.d5! looks to refute this variation. cxd5 king has run to safety and thus he 10.xd5 sta nd s be tt er with t he two kn ight s A) 10...c5 is rare but was tried by two versus rook.; Grandmasters, including Larsen. However B1b) 11.b3 in Chytilek, R (2390)Spassky's dynamic play illustrates White is Konopka, M (2468) Ostrava 2002 but still doing well. 11.b4! c8 12.xf6+ fails to look at the critical; gxf6 ( 12...xf6?! 13.b5+ is horrible) B2) 10...xa3?! of course needs 13.d4 g6 14.h4!? h5 15.f4! e7 examining but as Bauer observes 16.h3!? ( 16.0-0-0 looks slightly suspect 11.d5! b4 12.xb4 a1+ 13.d2 after the b4 advance but White is vacating xb2 14.b3 xd5 15.b1 xb1 the e1 square and following a5 17.he1 16.xb1 xb4 17.h4 and White's White would have a dangerous initiative.) doing very well.; 16...c7 17.0-0-0 b6 18.e1! 0-0-0 B3) 10...xc3 11.xc3 c7 12.e5 19.b5 b8 20.xd8+ xd8 21.f2 W hen Black has tried a few different c6 22.xa7 and White had picked up a paths. b5!? ( 12...xe5 isn't enough to pawn whilst Black still hadn't found safety equa lis e . Che ck o ut Jo h n W at son 's for his king. Spassky, B (2640) -Larsen, B annotations in Lemos, D (2439)-Flores, (2620) Montreal 1979.; D (2541) San Luis 2007.; 12...e4 B) 10...d8 11.xf6+ 13.e1 d8 14.f3 xe5 15.dxe5 B1) 11...xf6 has actually been played xd1+ was seen last year in Andjelkovic, m o r e o f t e n b u t n o w 12.0-0-0! S (1827)-Vos, C (2083) Davos 2010 leaves Black in severe difficulties. a3 when the more logical recapture ( 12...a6 13.g5 g6 14.xd7+- ) 16.xd1 c5 17.d4 would be very 13.c3 and the computer suggests pleasant for White.; 12...d5 is Bauer's Black's best is giving up the piece with mainline. ) 13.d3 xd3 ( 13...0-0 0-0 although I can hardly believe that 14.xf5 exf5 15.f3 d5 16.xf5 following ( 13...e7 14.b5+xc3 17.xd7 xd1 18.xf8 xf8 is hopeless.) 14.bxa3 ac8 15.b2 19.xd1 xh2 20.e4 was all looked c5 16.e5 fd8 17.he1 Black has at in Brynell, S (2505)-Hodgson, J (2598) anything like enough play for a piece.; Hamburg 2002 by Nigel Davies. The B2) 11...gxf6 12.0-0-0 a6 13.d4! endgame is drawish but Black hasn't g6 14.f4 c5 was seen in the recent q u i t e s o l v e d a l l h i s p r o b l e m s y e t .) game Petrushin, A (2465)-W inter, K 14.xd3 xe5 15.dxe5 d5 16.d2 (2077) Dresden 2010 when White's must 0-0-0!? Black was evidently worried dynamic continuation would be 15.xe6! White would generate a quick attack with fxe6 16.xe6 and White's attack looks a rook swing should he have castled o ve r wh e l m i n g , e . g . e7 17.xd7+ short but castling long makes an odd xd7 18.b4+ e8 ( 18...c6 im pres sio n af te r . .. b5 . No n et he le ss 387
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is a lesser evil but still 19.xe7 xe7 20.xe7 he8 21.xf6 leaves White a whole three pawns up.) 19.xe7+ xe7 20.he1+and White regains the piece with an extra couple of pawns while he still has a decisive attack. ] 9...c7 [ 9...b4 simply transposes to the mainline of 8...Bb4. ] 10.h4 [ 10.e5 is also played frequently but the text looks the most forcing. ] 10...g6 11.xg6 hxg6 12.d5! Again this push is critical as if Black were to complete his development he could be happy with his opening. Therefore White strives to open up the position. cxd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.xd5 0-0-0 The most common. Black tries to find relative safety for his king whilst the bishop on d5 is suddenly hanging. [ 14...e7 has also been seen from time to time. 15.c4 S o l i d p l a y . ( 15.f3 0-0 as played in Dickmann, T (2086)-Hermsen, F (1897) Goch 2010 looks very dangerous. If I were White here it wouldn't take me long to c h oo s e to pla y 16.h4! The doubled g pawns have created a big hook with which White can open up the position.) 15...xc4 16.xc4 c8 17.e2 0-0 18.e3 f6 19.f3 and White's bishop pair and queenside majority gave him good chances in the ensuing endgame. Ivanov, A (2430)Grigorian, A (2509) Belgorod 2008. ] 15.g5!? The most dynamic. White offers Black two pieces for the rook but W hite will regain at least one pawn while the weakness of Black's king makes it likely he'll have to cede another. [ If White doesn't feel comfortable giving the bishops then he could also retreat with 15.f3 when the bishop pair ought to grant him a little something. A couple of recent g a m e s h a v e c o n f i r m e d t h i s vi e w . h4? was a bit of a lemon. ( 15...f6 is better but doesn't equalise. 16.c3 d6 17.g3 b8 18.d3 d7 19.hd1 hd8 20.b1 c8?? hoping to start exchanging major pieces but allowing 21.xf6! gxf6 22.c3 c5 23.xd7 xd7 24.b5 b6 25.b4 1-0 Arat, U (2007)-Mukhtarov, K (1802) Batumi 2010.) 16.g5! b4 17.xd8 xd8
18.d3+Guttulsrud, O (2110) -Haubro, S (2190) Oslo 2011 with nothing to show for the exchange. ] 15...exd5 [ 15...e8 is of course possible but 16.f3 should be a good version of 15. Bf3. However this would probably be my preference were I to have this with Black. ] [ 15...f6 is important to check but the tactics appear to work for W hite: 16.xe6 fxg5 17.d3! Threatening Rc3 pinning the queen whilst also preparing doubling on the d file. b8 18.hd1 xh2 19.xd7 c5 20.b1 f4 21.f3 and White has regained the piece with a far better structure. ] 16.xd8 xd8?! This looks like the wrong way to capture to me. [ is pretty similar but now at least the king is a b it s a f e r. T h e g a m e m i g h t co n t in u e : 16...xd8 17.xd5 h5 Black is forced to give away a second pawn to release the pressure down the d file. 18.xh5 gxh5 19.xh5 f6 20.e2 and White should have an edge with rook and two pawns for t h e t wo p i e c e s b u t B l a c k i s st i ll i n t h e game. ] 17.xd5 h5 As in the previous note, giving away another pawn looks to be the only way to survive. [ If Black tries sidestepping the pin with 17...f4+ 18.b1 c7? then White's a t t a c k w o u l d b e d e c i s i v e ( 18...h5 should still be preferred.) 19.hd1 b6 ( 19...c5 20.e8+and Black's king cannot survive.) 20.5d3! c5 ( 20...b4 drops a piece to 21.d4+- ) 21.c3 a4 22.c4+- and the knight drops. ( Although 22.f3!? might even be stronger. )] 18.xh5 [ 18.e1 was played in the only previous game to have reached this position but following f4+ 19.d2 d5! Black had parried the threats. 20.e8+ c7 21.ed1 b4 22.c3 xd2 23.xd2 d6= Zubarev, A (2476) -Ustianovich, N (2258) Kharkov 2000. ] 18...gxh5 19.xh5 g6 [ Perhaps 19...f4+ should have been preferred to stop the plan White adopts in the game. ] 20.h4+ e7 21.h8+ f8 22.d1 388
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 White has rook and two pawns for the bishop and knight which is normally a slight material advantage, especially in an endgame, while Black still has some problems coordinating his pieces due to the vulnerability of his king. c5 [ Escaping the pin with 22...f4+ 23.b1 c7 merely lands in a worse one following 24.c3+ c5 25.a3!+- ] 23.f6+ e8 24.f3 c7 25.e3+ Another pawn falls. e7 26.xa7 b6 27.b1 A time out but there was no particular reason for the move. [ Instead White could have pinned the knight i m m e d i a t e l y w i t h 27.a5 followed by something like f8 28.g3 c6 29.c3!? xc3 30.bxc3 and despite the ugly structure the extra pawns should suffice. ] 27...f8 28.a5 g7 29.b5 f6 30.c3 c4 31.d7 [ 31.g3! controlling the f4 square would prevent any complications. ] 31...f4 Now White has to start being careful as Yu Ruiyuan's pieces are well coordinated and his own king isn't totally safe. 32.d5 e5 [ 32...e5 33.xb7 xh2 34.a4 g1+ 35.a2 xf2 36.a5 must be winning for White as the a pawn is too difficult to stop. ] 33.g3 f5+ 34.d3 e6 35.xb7 Now it's rook and four pawns! [ 35.d5!? b6 36.b5 is the computer's odd path but humans would of course grab the pawn. ] 35...f6 This threatens ...Qe1+ but can easily be parried. [ Instead 35...xg3 wa s crit ica l. 36.fxg3 e1+ 37.c2 f2+ 38.b3 xb2+ ( 38...a5+ 39.b4 xb7 40.d4+ xd4+ 41.cxd4 is a complicated ending but the three pawns will probably overpower the knight. ) 39.xc4 xb7 40.d4+ f6 41.a4 and White's retained a two pawn advantage in the queen and pawn endgame and should convert in the end although he has to beware some perpetual ideas. ] 36.a3 [ Seeing as it's a passed pawn there's no reason not to push the a pawn two squares here. 36.a4! ] 36...e1+?! Drifting. Perhaps Black was in
time trouble but this check gets him nowhere. 37.a2 e6? 38.d7 The queens are co ming o f f wh en W hite win s t rivially. A n interesting game but I feel that against this move order 9.d5! is very strong. Black should return to 8...Bb4 of the mainline in which it isn't easy for White to prove an advantage. 1-0
383 Vaklinov,Atanas Prie,Eric Vergèze 20' op [Eric Prié]
B01 2250 2429 02.05.2004
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.c4 [ 5.f3 c6 I took up the Scandinavian in 1991. I mean THE Scandinavian, the real one and only with 3... Qa5 not the feeble 'substitutes' of 2...Nf6 nor 2...Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd8 or 3...Qd6 I will talk about (if I am given the chance to comment Topalov-Kamsky Corus 2005 1-0 (20) in the next update!) where White can either make immediate use of h is c-pa wn o r h in d e r t h e su cc e s s f u l development of Black's light-squared bishop outside his pawn chain. Unfortunately, I had to give up this aggressive system, with which I and Etienne Bacrot, who was my pupil at the time, had tremendous results, quite soon when the ultimate refutation 6.d2! g4 ( 6...a6 7.c4 h5 8.e5 ) 7.b5 b6 8.c4 started to spread. xf3 9.xf3 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xb7 e4+ 12.xe4 xe4 13.e3 e5 Or 13...e6 it does not matter. 14.g3! With the idea b4+ 15.e2 c5? 16.g2 leads to an unplayable position for Black, with no turning back, to complete what Andrew said about that line ] 5...g4! 6.f3?! However, this experience pro ve d ve ry f o rma t ive f or t h e res t o f m y career with the ...c6, ...Bf5 Center Counter since I ha d be en a cqua in te d with lot s o f unusual and aggressive motives based on the original spirit of the line i.e. long castling and qu ick d e ve lo p m e n t . c6! For instance, I knew that this dubious setup for White was possibly th e o nly one whe re Blac k c ould develop like this, without having to fear the 389
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 diminishing space available for his queen too much. This is the recurrent problem of the ... Nf6, ...Nc6 combination, much more than the doubling of the c-pawns that you sometimes find as a reference in not up-to-date theory books! 7.d2? [ 7.h3 is the only move, see next game. ] [ 7.b5 e4 And White has lost an important tempo. ] 7...0-0-0 8.d5 a4 9.b3 [ 9.b3 a3 10.c1 d6 11.f4 e6+ 12.e3 e4 13.g3 xd4-+ ] 9...a6 I call this manoeuvre "the mouse hole trick" and you cannot imagine how often I have used it with success in rapid or blitz games! 10.xf6 exf6! Black can afford to compromise his structure, he is just winning by force now. 11.e3 Everybody had played the natural [ 11.c3 against me and my little execution was well into its stride: xd4! 12.cxd4 e8+ 13.e3 b4+ Winning the queen. ] 11...c5? For some reason in rapid play, I overlooked it also worked, a bit more complicatedly though, the other way round! [ 11...xd4! 12.xd4 b4+ 13.c3 he8+ 14.d2 xd4+ 15.xd4 xd1-+ 16.axd1 c5-+ ] 12.c3 xd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.e2! xe2+ 15.xe2 e8+ 16.f1 And despite Black's overwhelming advantage I even ended up not realizing the technical win! ½-½
but Black seems to have sufficient pressure against the centre, e.g., 5.d4 0-0-0 A) or 6.bd2 f6 7.c4 ( 7.h3? xf3 8.xf3 wins the bishops at the cost of too much development after e5! ) 7...a5 8.d5 xf3 9.xf3 e5 10.0-0 e6 with a comfortable game; B) 6.e3 e6 (I like this modest move) ( After 6...e5!? , Davies likes the straightforward 7.c3 b4 8.0-0 xc3 9.bxc3 f6 10.c4 and d5; Following 6...f6 , Morozevich beat Rogers (Germany 1999), as given before in this column: 7.c4 h5 8.bd2 e5 9.d5 d4 10.xd4 exd4 11.xg4+ xg4 12.xd4 b4 13.h3 xd2+ 14.xd2 g5+ 15.c3 and Black didn't have enough (or anything?) for his pawn.) 7.c3 a5 ( 7...d7!? ) 8.0-0 f6 ] 5...d7 6.h3 [ Likewise, 6.d4 doesn't gain much after e6 ( 6...0-0-0 7.d5 b4 8.e5! xe2 9.xe2 e8!? with the idea ...e6 is almost equal.) 7.0-0?! ( 7.e5 xe2 8.xe2 is better, in view of xd4 9.d3 d8 10.f4 and 0-0-0 ) 7...0-0-0 8.e3 xf3 9.xf3 xd4 ] 6...xf3 7.xf3 0-0-0 8.d3 e5 Black establishes a grip on d4 this should equalise. 9.0-0 d4 Black wants one of the bishops back. [ Other moves are 9...ge7 10.e1 b8 ] [ 9...f6 ] 10.e1 d6 11.e3 f5!? [ 11...f6 is more natural. The text slightly 384 B01 distorts Black's structure, although that's nothing special. ] Van den Doel,Erik 2581 Tiviakov,Sergei 2667 12.xd4 exd4 13.d5!? Fancy, but White 8th ch-Euro Dresden GER (5) 07.04.2007 has to waste some time to win a pawn. Some advantage was to be had by [John Watson] [ 13.e2 c5 14.d2! intending c3, to open up queenside files, whereas Nf4 may also W hite's f le xible move 3 Nf 3 has e njoye d be bothersome. ] some success, but Black finds a 14.f3! A clever sacrifice which, straightforward solution. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 13...b8 xd5 3.f3 In general, White plays this with however, has its risks. [ van der Doel realises that 14.e6 c6 d4 and c4 in mind, rather than putting his 15.e2 e5 16.xf5 f6 with the idea ... knigh t on c3. But the latt er mo ve c an b e g6 gives Black enough play. ] played if White thinks circumstances are right. g4 4.e2 c6! I like this move, which 14...c6!? [ Acceptance might be strongest: 14...dxc3!? directly challenges the key square d4. 5.c3 15.xb7 threatens bxc3 and Rb1, when the [ White can get his desired d4/c4 moves in, 390
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 o p p o s i t e - c o l o u r e d b i s h o p s f a vo u r t h e , and the Bishop is by no means trapped in attacker, as the old saying goes. Black may view of 18.d6! ) 17.xc8 fxe3 ( 17...xc8 have a difficult time defending. Still, e7 18.e6 is even worse for Black.) 18.xe7 16.bxc3 c6 17.ab1 c7 would make xe7 19.xe3 Now White has a clear extra White prove his point. ] pawn as well as a positional advantage. h6 15.e6 c7 16.e2 e7!? 20.h4 d7 21.b1 ae8 22.h2 xg5 [ 16...e5 17.c3 g6 should be okay. ] 23.hxg5 c5 24.e4 and in a few moves 17.c3 Black resigned, Rodriguez,A - Gomez Baillo, [ 17.xd4 h2+ 18.h1 xd4 19.g3 xg3 1996. ] 20.xg3 g6 is only slightly in White's favour 12.a4 because of his bishop. ] [ Just a few rounds later in the same 17...e5 18.c4 t o u r n a m e n t V a r a v i n p l a y e d 12.c2! [ 18.cxd4 xd4 19.xd4 xd4 20.c4 This move seems even stronger than the hd8 is also solid. ] text. The game Varavin - Vshivkov 18...c5 19.cxd4 cxd4 20.g3 Improve the c o n t i n u e d : a4 13.d1 a3 14.b3 f5 position of your worst piece! g6 21.f1 d6 15.g5! f4 16.c5 Already it's reasonable 22.d2 c6 Likewise. 23.ac1 b4 to claim that White has strategically winning 24.d1 f4 25.c2 he8 26.xe8 xe8 position. e4 By sacrificing a pawn Black 27.b5! Before Black gets real pressure. ho pe s to o bt ain so me cou nt erplay, bu t xd2 28.xd2 W h i t e c a n e a s i l y p a r r y t h i s . ( 16...f5 ½-½ was another possibility to complicate, but is didn't work as well in view of 17.xf8 xf8 18.xh7! with a decisive material advantage 385 B01 a s B l a c k c a n ' t p l a y d4 in view of 19.xg6+ ) 17.cxe4 f3 18.xf3 e8 Varavin,Viktor 2445 19.0-0 and Black has no compensation for Terekhin,Anatoly 2330 sacrificed pawns. ] Perm 1998 12...d7 13.a3 b6 14.h4 c5 15.h5! [Alexander Volzhin] White tries to hold the initiative at all costs. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.c4 b6 xg4 16.hxg6 hxg6 17.xc5 bxc5 18.e4 5.f3 g6 6.h3 g7 7.c3 0-0 8.e3 c6 xf3 19.xf3 f5 20.d3 d4 21.g3 b8?! This move allows a very nice blow, 9.e2 [ 9.d2 e5 10.d5 e7 11.g4 is a well a f t e r w h i c h W h i t e ' s a t t a c k b e c o m e s known set-up, the game Gipslis - Maric unstoppable. [ 21...b8 looks more natural, with mutual proves that Black has difficult problems to chances. ] solve here. ] 9...e5 10.d5 e7 11.g4! This move is 22.h5!! d8 [ Of course, the Queen is taboo: 22...gxh5 played very rarely, but I believe after this 23.f6+ h8 24.xh5+ h6 25.xh6# ] game it will become popular. [ 11.0-0 has been played in numerous 23.xg6! This well-calculated sacrifice wins by games before, but after f5 12.c5 e8 force. fxg6 24.xg6 xb2 25.f1! c1+ 26.g2 f4 27.h7 f3+ 28.g1 f7 Black has excellent prospects. ] Losing the Queen, but Black's position is 11...a5 [ 11...f5 is the main alternative to the text. hopeless anyway: [ 28...d7 allows a very beautiful mate: But compared with Gipslis - Maric White has 29.f6+! xf6 30.h8+! xh8 31.h7# ] a n im p o rt a n t re so u rce : 12.b3! h8 [ The attempt to find perpetual also fails: 13.0-0-0 d7 14.g5 f6 15.b5! a6 28...d1+ 29.f1 f3+ 30.g2 e1+ 16.a7! After exchanging off Black's light31.h2 f3+ 32.g3 , and there are no squared Bishop White's Knight will occupy more checks. ] the key e6-square forever. f4 ( 16...xa7 T h i s i d e a d o e s n ' t wo r k : 17.xa7 b6 29.h8+! xh8 30.xf7 Although there is 391
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 material equality (Queen vs. 2 Rooks and 13.d2 b8 14.ab1 d7 15.e2 f4 equal pawns) Black's position is totally lost 16.f3 e3 17.fc1 f5 18.e4 d4 because his forces are uncoordinated and his Galego, L-Ferreira, P/Porto 1998 ] king is very weak. These factors allow White 4...e5 to win the game in just a few more moves. f8 [ 4...f6 5.d4 e6 is ludicrously slow. Is it 31.h5+ g8 32.xc5 f3+ 33.h1 f4 any wonder that in the following game Black 34.h7+! gets crushed: 6.d3 e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.e1 [ Black resigned as he will lose everything: a6 9.c3 b5 10.g5 b7 11.bd2 h6 34.h7+ h8 35.g6+ g8 36.h7+ f8 12.e3 d6 13.a4 b4 14.c4 g4 15.e2 37.e6+ Now it's possible to draw some xe3 16.xe3 g5 17.e4 f5 18.xe6+ conclusions. As we can see, W hite has g7 19.c5 f6 20.a2 f4 21.d5 e7 m a n y p o s s i b i li t i e s t o f ig h t f o r o p e n i n g 22.d6 d5 23.c4 xd2 24.xd5 xd5 advantage against 2...Nf6 and in many lines 25.xd5 xe1 26.xe1 d7 27.xa8 black has to overcome serious difficulties. 1-0 Neu ba u er, M-Cha n se au d , M/ Colo n Players who tend to play positionally can 2003 ] choose the variation with kingside castling 5.b5 d6 6.e2N (like in Soloviov - Alekseev or Rusanov [ 6.c3 is an adequate remedy once again. Alekseev), while the system with g2-g4 Perhaps White was confused by the choice (see Gipslis - Maric or Varavin - Terekhin) of so many good moves. f6 7.0-0 0-0 is good for those who prefer attacking chess. 8.d4 exd4 ( 8...xd4! 9.xd4 exd4 Now it's Black's turn to find improvements. 10.e2 c7 11.h3 c5= ) 9.xc6 bxc6 Definitely there is much room for further 10.xd4 c7 11.h3 xh3 12.gxh3 ad8 debate. ] 13.e3 c8 14.f3 fe8 15.xc6 1-0 1-0 Hyll, J-Okos, A/Bratislava 1991 ] 6...ge7 7.0-0 0-0 8.d4 g4 I guess this sort of position is the best that Black can 386 B01 hope for from his crazy gambit. He has the Vela Ignacio,Jose Manuel 2033 usual open lines and tricky tactical chances Razmyslov,Alexander 2337 for his pawn. In rapidplay Black's idea might X Open Coria del Rio ESP (4) 14.02.2004 be viable but hardly against anyone with any class. However.... 9.d3? Drug test please. [Andrew Martin] An amazingly awful move. xd4 10.e4 f5 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 c6 Complete trash? We are 11.e3 xf3 12.gxf3 h8 13.c3 d5 about to witness a game where Black wins in A brevity of little overall value except to show 13 moves. And as White, you would really like t h e r e f u t a t i o n o f 2 . . . c 6 P l e a s e d o n o t to know what to do against this outrageous complain that you have been shocked by 2... pawn sacrifice. I hope I can oblige with some c6?! in a game of your own. You know what to answers. 3.dxc6 A pawn that MUST be do now. 0-1 taken. xc6 4.f3 [ 4.c3! is a very good choice. If Black is going to advance his e-pawn, W hite will B01 delay Nf3 so there's nothing to hit. As far as 387 I can see W hite en ds up a pawn up f o r Velicka,Petr 2480 nothing in this line. e5 5.b5 c5 6.xc6+ Dausch,Rene 2373 bxc6 7.e2 e7 8.f3! Well-timed. 0-0 26th Open Böblingen GER (8) 30.12.2009 9.0-0 g4 [Gawain Jones] A) The cold light of day reveals 10.xe5! d6 ( 10...xf3 11.xc5+-; 10...d5 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.b5+ Here we have 11.xd5 cxd5 12.g3 f5 13.d3 ) a look at White trying to hold on to the pawn. 11.e4 f5 12.a4+-; Personally I'd probably go for Carlsen's 3.Nf3 B) 10.h3?! xf3 11.xf3 d5 12.d3 f5 which seems comfortable for W hite. bd7 392
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 12.axb3 b7 13.a3 4.c4 a6 5.a4 and I'm sceptical about W hite's [ 5.xd7+ is the other option but Black compensation but it's not so easy to seems to get sufficient counterplay with the refute. ) 12...e6 13.b2 d5 bishop pair and a lead in development. 14.e4 f6 15.c5 b6 16.ed3 e6 xd7 6.d4 ( V o lzh in su gge st s 6.d3 17.e1 xc5 18.xc5 0-0 in the archives) 6...c6! Black wins back his an d W h it e 's co m pe n sa t io n f o r t h e pawn immediately 7.f3 ( 7.dxc6 xc6 pawn has dwindled.; win s e it h e r c 4 o r g2 p a wn .) 7...cxd5 C2b) 11...b4 results in really messy The position reminds me of a Panov (see positions 12.e2 ( 12.a4 c3 13.a3 my last update). W hite has traded off his e6 looks more than adequate for Black, light squared bishop and so can't hope for especially as I don't believe in Rybka's any advantage unless he can use his su ggestion o f 14.g4 at all ) 12...c3 te m p o ra ry in it ia t ive, e xp lo it in g B la ck' s 13.a3 when, compared to 12.Na4, misplaced queen. Black cannot play A) 8.0-0 dxc4 9.e5 d8 10.xc4 C2b1) Black's position seems wa s B a e k e l a n t , R - S a n c h e z, J M a r c y playable with the alternative 13...b7 L'Etoile 2007 when instead of e6 ( I like 14.axb4 c8 15.f3 is very messy. 10...g6! when I'd prefer Black, the d4 pawn Black has some problems to develop looks potentially vulnerable, while I can't his kin gsid e a s .. .e 6 t ra ps in h is see any pluses for White. ); queen.; B) 8.c5 looks a good try to me. If Black C2b2) 13...d7 seems illogical, could play Bc8-g4 then he'd have a good Black really needs to develop some position but the queen gets in the way. pieces 14.g3 ( 14.c4!? ) While White has control of e5 he can hold 14...e6 15.f3 b8 16.axb4 onto the ever important initiative. e4?! xe5 17.dxe5 gives White good ( 8...c7 looks sensible but 9.c3 g4 attacking chances with his lead in 10.0-0 xf3 11.xf3 e6 12.f4 development, although a sample line and White is still better with control over could run xb4 18.xc3 xb3 e5. ) 9.0-0 ( 9.e5 ) 9...f6 10.bd2 g6 19.d4 b6 20.c4 e6 21.d4 11.e1 xd2 12.xd2 g7 13.a4 0-0 b6=; 14.b4 f7 15.b3 g5!? Thirion, MC2b3) 13...e6 as 14.g3 Hoogendoorn, J Belgium 2003.; traps the queen.; C) 8.e5 seems to be the mainline f5 C2c) 11...h5?! Dave told me 9.0-0 dxc4 afterwards he was doing well out of the C1) 10.xc4 b5 11.e5 e6 ( 11...b7 opening and I think it's here he should looks more relevant) 12.c3 ( 12.a4! look for improvements. 12.bxc4 e6 wo u ld f o r ce so m e c o n c e s s io n f r o m 13.cxb5 and from a pawn up suddenly Black ) 12...d5?! ( 12...h5! Black's a pawn down while h5 is of is an intriguing suggestion of Rybka's to dubious benefit g4 14.b6! xe5 cu t o u t g4 an d st a rt p ush ing o n t h e 15.dxe5 xe5 16.b7! xb7 17.a4+ kingside. ) 13.a4 ( 13.xd5 exd5 d8 18.d1+ d6 19.f4 xc3 14.e1 ) 13...b4? ( 13...xc3 20.ac1 xc1 21.xc1 xf4 22.xf4 was necessary) 14.xd5 exd5 15.e1 c8 23.d6+ e8 24.xc8+ xc8 e6 16.a5! was Okladnikov, G25.c7 1-0 Li Chao2-Smerdon, D Shevchenko, V Novosibirsk 2003 when Parramatta 2010 was played in the White had a huge advantage with Qa4+ Sydney International, the last coming although he subsequently threw tournament in which I played where I away his advantage..; managed 1st=. ] C2) 10.c3 was played in a recent high 5...b5 6.cxb5 xd5 so White is a pawn up rated encounter b5 11.b3 C2a) 11...cxb3 i s c r i t i c a l 12.xb3 but with an awkwardly placed bishop on a4 393
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 while Black can hope for Benko Gambit style compensation on the queenside and a n n o y i n g p r e s s u r e wi t h a b i s h o p o n a 6 exerting pressure on d3 and f1. I also prefer Black's pawn structure and my gut feeling is that he should have sufficient chances here. 7.f3 [ 7.c3 A) 7...c5 also looks promising 8.bxa6+ xa4 9.xa4+ d7 10.c4 ( 10.a5!? ) 10...e6 11.f3 b4 12.0-0 xa6 ( 12...c8! is a pretty move, the bishop belongs on the a6-f1 diagonal here when control over the light squares, in particular d3 will give Black the better chances.) 13.d4 d6 14.a3 0-0 15.g5 a8 16.e5 1/2-1/2 Pesotsky, V-Barbashin, I/ Lipetsk 2008.; B) 7...5b6 8.b3 ( 8.c2 might be a better try so White can contest the a6-f1 diagonal with a future Bd3.) 8...e6 9.d4 axb5 10.xb5 a6 11.c3 e7 ( 11...d6 would be more active) 12.ge2 0-0 13.0-0 f6 14.g5 h6 15.h4 c6 16.e1 fd5 17.xe7 xe7 18.xd5 cxd5 19.d2 c4 20.xc4 xc4 and Black had continued pressure for the pawn in Zierk, S-Hong, E Reno 2008. ] [ 7.d4 resulted in a very quick defeat after 5b6 8.bxa6?! This wins a pawn but Bla ck ' s p re s su re is f ar to o st ro n g xa4 9.xa4 xa6 10.c2 b7 11.f3 e5! 12.e2 exd4 13.xd4 c5 14.e3 xd4 15.xd4 e6+ 16.d1 e5 was a disaster for White and he resigned here in Cernousek, L-Spacek, P Czech Republic 2005. ] 7...5b6 White now has a difficult decision. He can either keep his light squared bishop or keep his extra pawn. [ 7...7b6 8.b3 With a knight on d7, rather than d5, the bishop exerts pressure against f7 but here Bb3 seems illogical ( Instead 8.c3 xc3 9.dxc3 xd1+ 10.xd1 axb5 11.0-0 is somewhat better for White as b5 is vulnerable.) 8...axb5 9.d4 e6 10.0-0 e7 11.bd2 f6 12.e2 b4 13.d1 0-0 14.e4 b7 15.c5 d5 16.c2 a5 17.d2 a8 18.xb4 was agreed drawn in Todorovic, J-Mamuzic, M Senta 2006. ] 8.c2
[ 8.bxa6?! Tries to do the latter but Black gets too much play xa4 9.xa4 xa6 10.c2 e6+! An unusual rook lift. 11.f1 a6+ 12.g1 and I can't believe anyone can be happy with White's position. Sure, he has an extra pawn but Black has complete control. ] [ 8.c3 is the best way to keep hold of the p a w n b u t a f t e r xa4 9.xa4 b7 I'd feel much happier being Black White's really going to have to suffer to complete his development and keep that extra pawn, while Black's bishop pair and sound structure mean that he has good long term as well as short term prospects. Giving back t h e p a w n w i t h 10.0-0!? axb5 11.f4 looks the most prudent with roughly balanced chances. ] [ 8.0-0 xa4 9.xa4 b7 10.c3 axb5 11.f4 would in fact transpose to 8.Nc3. ] 8...axb5 9.d4 b7 In my opinion Black has equalised comfortably here, but White's next makes his position worse. 10.c3 [ 10.0-0 b4 11.e1 e6 and I can't really see how White can possibly say he's better but at least he can try utilising e5 and c5 to keep himself in the game. ] 10...b4 11.e4 b3! 12.d3 xa2!? b3 is an extra pawn but it's going to drop off. [ 12...bxa2 gives Black a comfortable a d v a n t a g e , f o r e x a m p l e 13.c3 g6 14.xa2 xa2 15.xa2 g7 and d4 is a perpetual weakness. ] 13.b1 a8 14.c3 a5 [ 14...e6 is an interesting alternative as 15.xa2 bxa2 is extremely risky for White. Though as a practical decision I don't rate this for Black as if White doesn't take on a2 its likely Black will have to retreat the rook anyway. 16.a1 b4+ 17.d2 ( 17.f1 c5! opens up the position for Black's horde o f p ie ce s .) 17...xf3 18.xf3 ( 18.gxf3 xd2+ 19.xd2 xf3 20.g1 d5 is another extremely messy position but one where White has to be the more careful with his exposed king while the a2 pawn hasn't been recaptured yet...) 18...xd2+ 19.xd2 a7 I can't see how the a2 pawn is retrieved and so White's in trouble. ] 15.xb3 [ 15.d2 trying to exploit Black's premature 394
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ...Ra5 is strongest which keeps the position roughly level. a6 16.e4 c6 17.e2 a2 18.xb3 ( 18.c3 a5= ) 18...c4 ] 15...xf3 16.gxf3 xf3 and so Black keeps his extra pawn. Compared to previous lines where Black sacrificed a pawn, White needs t o u s e h i s i n i t i a t i ve i m m e d i a t e l y a s h i s structure is a mess. 17.e4 h5?! [ 17...f6 would stop White developing his bishop to f 4 when I don't really believe White's compensation, in general I like to have a good structure if I'm material down! ] 18.f4! Now B la ck sta rts t o su f f er. e5 19.dxe5 g4 [ 19...e7 trying to complete development l o o k s s t r o n g e s t , f o r e x a m p l e 20.e6 ( 20.0-0!? ) 20...c5 21.exf7+ f8 22.c2 xe4 23.xe4 d5 when all three results are possible. ] 20.g3 xe5 21.0-0! A dangerous looking move but W hite's bishop pair will look after his king while Black doesn't have enough time to castle himself now. d6 22.f4 ec4 [ 22...ed7 23.f3 f5 24.be1+ f8 25.e4 is a strange looking position. Black's pieces d on't coo rdinate very we ll while White's are perfect. ] 23.c6+ f8 [ 23...d8 looks very ugly but at least there's no immediate mate ] 24.be1 Black's in trouble, there's no good way to avoid the mate. g5 [ 24...c5+ 25.h1 e3 doesn't save B l a c k e i t h e r 26.f3 g6 27.b5 and Black has to allow the trade of rook for two pieces which is obviously hopeless because c6? 28.fxe3 xe3 29.b4++- ] 25.e4 [ 25.b5! blocking in the rook on a5 and t h r e a t e n i n g Q c 3 i s d e c i s i v e , e . g . gxf4 26.c3 g8 27.e8# ] 25...gxf4 26.xd6 xd6 27.xf4 h5 This is of course very good for White too as the bishop pair dominate the position while Black's king is still much more vulnerable than W hite's. Black's rooks are still extremely loose too. 28.f2 [ 28.xf7+! is a pretty win xf7 ( 28...xf7 29.e8+ g7 30.c3++- ) 29.c3 proves how Black's rooks are really on the worst possible squares. ]
28...g8 29.h1 bc4 30.b8+ [ 30.xd6+ xd6 31.b8+ g7 32.xc7+was an easy win ] 30...g7 31.xc7 f5 32.f3?! xg3+ 33.xg3+ g5 White has played inaccurately over the last few moves but such was his dominance that he's still winning. 34.h3 [ 34.c7! c5 35.a7 h8 36.g2 f5 37.e4 h5 38.b3! xg2 39.xg2 and again we see how badly Black's pieces coordinate as here he drops a piece. ] 34...e3 35.e4 f8? [ 35...f5! was necessary when Black's still in t h e g a m e a s 36.g1? xg1+! 37.xg1 a1+ turns the tables. ] 36.c8+ g7 37.c3+ h6 38.f6+ h5 39.f3+ h4 40.d4+ h3 The king has run a long way but sadly it's not safe there on h3. 41.xf7 [ 41.h6+ xh6 42.xe3 is forced mate but the game continuation is adequate. ] 41...h5 42.g4+!? h4 [ Neither 42...xg4 43.c3+ ] [ or 42...xg4 43.xe3+ h4 44.f6+ ag5 45.f2+ survive for Black either. ] 43.e6+ g4 44.xg4 An interesting game but Black was very comfortable out of the opening and it seems like he still has enough compensation if White tries to hang on to the pawn for dear life. 1-0
388 Volokitin,And Cioara,A TCh-ROU 2013 (5.1) [Tom Rendle]
B01 2688 2462 04.09.2013
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.f3 xd5 4.c3 a5 5.d4 c6 6.d2 g4?! A very risky move against 6.Bd2 and it certainly doesn't work out well for Black in this game. [ Black should stick to 6...f5 which has been seen many times on the site before, most recently in Sutovsky-Van Wely. ] 7.h3 h5 [ 7...xf3 8.xf3 is rather uninspiring for Black as White is ready to castle queenside with an excellent position. For example: b6 395
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.0-0-0 e6 ( 9...xd4? loses to 10.b5! b6 11.e3 c5 12.xc5 xc5 13.xb7 ) 10.g3 and Black already has problems developing his kingside. ] 8.g4 g6 9.e5 e6 [ 9...bd7 is probably Black's safest option a t t h is p o in t b u t st il l W h i t e ca n c re a t e problems for the opponent with 10.f4 e6 11.h4! with the threat of f5 followed by h5 trapping the bishop and now possible line is d5!? 12.h5! ( 12.f5?! is unclear here after xe5 13.dxe5 exf5 14.h5 0-0-0! ) 12...xe5 13.dxe5 xc3 14.xc3 a4 15.hxg6! e4+ 16.e2 xh1 17.gxf7+ xf7 18.0-0-0 with a big attack and more than enough compensation for the sacrificed exchange. ] 10.h4 b6 [ 10...d6? loses to 11.h5 xe5 12.b5! and after b6 13.dxe5 e4 14.e3 a5+ 15.c3 cxb5 16.hxg6 Black's position was already hopeless in Antoli Royo, J (2399)Arance Gonzalez, L (2129) La Roda Albacete 2010 ] 11.e2! An improvement from Volokitin in a position that was already very precarious for Black players. I don't like 6... Bg4 at all after this! [ 11.h5 e4 12.xe4 xe4 13.f3 xb2 ( 13...f5!? is a possible alternative although 14.0-0-0! xd4 15.c4 xf2 16.d3 looks very strong for W hite) 14.d1?! ( 14.xf7+ d8 15.d1 is more accurate an d is lik ely t o t ra n sp ose t o t he ga m e) 14...xd2?! ( 14...d6! is much less clear here, it's not obvious to me that W hite is better at all here) 15.xf7+ d8 16.xd2 b4+ 17.e3 f8 18.xg7 xc2 19.e2 e7 20.d2 c3+ 21.d3 c2 22.b3 c5?? A losing move in a tough position ( 22...b5 23.f1 is better for White but the position is still tricky. Black has real problems developing though so it's probably winning for White anyway.) 23.d1 cxd4+ 24.xd4+ e8 25.xb7 c1+ 26.d3 c5 27.xh7 xf2 28.g6+ f8 29.d8+ 1-0 (29) Balogh, C (2448)Dimitrijevic, A (2369) Novi Sad YUG 2003 ( Bla c k is ma t e d a f t e r 29.d8+ xd8 30.f7+ e8 31.g8+ f8 32.xf8# )] 11...b4?! In this kind of position Black can't
afford to make a mistake and sadly Cioara does just that and it's quickly punished. [ 11...xd4 i s c r i t i c a l a n d n o w 12.f4! is a real problem for Black as f5 is a big threat so he should try e4 13.h3 d5 but after 14.0-0-0 bd7 15.d3 c5 16.xd7 xd7 17.xd5 cxd5 18.f5! c6 19.fxe6 fxe6 20.g5 White is going to e a sily re ga i n t h e p a wn wit h a m a s s iv e position. ] [ 11...a6 fails to 12.h5! xc2 13.c1 b4 14.a3 xd4 15.axb4 e4 16.h4! with g5 coming W hite's extra piece gives him a winning position. ] 12.0-0-0 xc3 13.xc3 e4 This is Black's n o r m a l p l a n t o a vo i d g e t t in g t h e b is h o p trapped by running it to d5. Sadly that turns out not to be far enough! [ 13...a6 is apparently Black's best try here but it's pretty terrible after 14.h5 ( 14.xa6 xa6 15.xa6 bxa6 16.he1 is a safe option for White and also strong.) 14...e4 15.f3 d5 16.e1! b5 ( 16...xa2 17.c4 ) 17.g5 fd7 18.a3 and Black can barely move ] 14.h3! d5 15.e1 Now c4 is coming to trap the bishop and there's not a lot Black can do about it xa2 [ 15...c5 gives the bishop a retreat square but it loses to 16.g5! ( 16.c4 c6 17.d5 is also good enough) 16...e4 17.f3 d6 18.c4 c6 19.dxc5 xc5 20.b4 b6 21.c5 ] 16.a3 Here we see the benefit of Rh3 inste ad o f f 3 . d5 17.a5 a6 18.c4 The bishop has run as far as it can but it's finally trapped. Black can already resign b6 19.b4 b7 20.cxd5 cxd5 21.d6 bd7 22.a6 1-0
389 Volzhin,Alexander Gausel,Einar Bergen [Alexander Volzhin]
B01 2556 2492 2000
An interesting and theoretically important game which I played in the Center Counter Gambit. My opponent grandmaster Gausel 396
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 has prepared an interesting novelty in a long theoretical line... 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 g4 4.f3 f5 5.b5+ In my notes to LankaHauchard I opined this line is the most unpleasant for Black. This game was a good opportunity for me to support this opinion! bd7 6.c4 a6 [ Black has also tried 6...e6 7.dxe6 fxe6?! In the game Tiviakov-Vukovic, Saint Vincent 2000 W hite obtained clear edge after ( 7...xe6 which was played in AgnosSantos looks more sound.) 8.e2 c6 9.a4 d6 10.bc3 0-0 11.c5! c7 12.0-0 b8 13.h3 e8 14.f4! e5 15.b3+ h8 16.xb7 c8 17.dxe5 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.b4 xc5 20.d4 e7 21.g3 and Black had absolutely nothing for the pawn. ] 7.xd7+ xd7 8.e2 e6 9.dxe6 xe6 10.b3 0-0-0 11.0-0 c5 12.h1 xd4 13.xd4 d7 14.b2 c5 15.b4 cxd4 16.b5 he8!? A very interesting attempt to improve Black's play. [ After 16...axb5?! which was played in Lanka-Hauchard White obtained crushing attack after 17.a3! ] 17.bxa6 bxa6 18.d2 d3 The critical position for the evaluation of Black's idea. The position is very sharp and unbalanced. Black's King has no pawn shelter, but merits of his position are also obvious: he has a very strong passed pawn in the centre of the board and after the unavoidable ... Re2 White's king also becomes unsafe as there will be some tric ks like ... Bh3 . 19.xf6! Played after a massive thought. This move looks risky as o p e n i n g o f g - f i le g i ve s B l a c k a d d i t i o n a l chances but the calculations convinced me White's chances are preferable. [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 19.c5 allows d5 and Black is by no means badly off ] [ 19.b1 has also failed to convince me in view of e2 20.xf6 gxf6 21.b3 a7 and the position is a mess. ] 19...gxf6 20.c5! This is the idea behind the previous move. W hite intends 21.Nc4. e2 21.c4 c7 [ 21...b5 deserved certain consideration. I i n t e n d e d t o p l a y 22.c1 and now the tempting ( because 22.d6+? is not good as after xd6 23.cxd6 d2! Black has
tremendous compensation for sacrificed exchange. ) 22...d2 doesn't work in view of 23.xe2 dxc1 24.xc1 d3 25.d6+ ] [ By the way, the attempt to play for pe rp e tu al wit h 21...g8 22.b6+ c7 23.xd7 gxg2 fails to 24.xe2! xe2 25.xf6 and White is a clear rook up. ] 22.d6! The knight occupies a very strong position here. Both opponents have executed their plans: White has transferred the knight to th e d6-square wh ile B lack's Roo k ha s penetrated to the 7th rank. The question is whether it's possible to benefit from this. c2 This move took Black a fair amount of time. [ He noticed that 22...h3 which he intended originally doesn't really work: 23.g1 A) 23...g8 24.b1! Now Black has wide but joyless choice: A1) 24...xg2+ 25.xg2 gxg2 26.b7+ d8 27.xd7+; A2) 24...gxg2 25.b7+ c6 26.a4+; A3) 24...e6 25.b7+ c6 26.a4+ xc5 27.c1+ xd6 ( 27...c2 28.e4+ xe4 29.a3+ ) 28.d4+ d5 29.c6+ xc6 30.b6#; A4) 24...c6 25.b3 e6 26.xd3 xa2 27.b7+ and in all variations White wins.; B) 23...b8!? 24.b1 xb1 ( T h e i n t e r e s t i n g a t t e m p t 24...xg2+ 25.xg2 h3 has a nice refutation: 26.xe2 dxe2 27.e8+! The only move! a n d W h i t e w i n s o n t h e s p o t . xe8 28.d6+ (pointed out by Einar Gausel)) 25.xb1 c6 26.e4! ( 26.xd3? a l l o w s B l a c k t o e s c a p e a f t e r xg2+! 27.xg2 e1+ 28.g1 xg1+ 29.xg1 xc5+ with a drawish Queen ending.) 26...e6 27.xd3 xa2 28.d1 and W hite has a clear edge due to the unsafe position of Black's King. ] 23.b1! xc5 24.b7! Black missed this unexpected knight jump. [ He hoped for 24.b7+ xd6 25.xd7+ xd7 and Black's chances are by no means bad due to the strong passed pawn. ] 24...c2 25.xd8 xd8 White has won the exchange but still precise play is required as Black's passed pawn may become dangerous. [ 25...xd8 is hardly any better in view of 397
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 26.b8+ c7 ( 26...e7 27.e1+ ) 18.xe3 xh3 19.g5 1-0 Lazic - Vukovic, 27.b1 c6 28.f8 and White wins. ] Serbia 2005 ] 26.e1! Bringing the Queen into the attack. 4...c6 c5 [ A recent example of the more common [ 26...d2 is no better in view of 27.e3 ] 4...f6 : 5.c4 a6 6.ge2 c6 7.d3 27.b4 Now the game is over. b5 28.c4+ xg2 8.g1 h3 9.xh3 xh3 10.f4 d6 29.xb5 axb5 30.f4+ Black resigned. f5 11.fd5 d8 12.xf6 exf6 13.f4 g5 In spite of the convincing win I still suspect 14.g3 d7 15.0-0-0 g6 Rodriguez Black can improve somewhere. No doubt we Galego, Sao Paulo 2005 1/2-1/2 ] can expect new battles here. 5.f3 g4!? Hasangatin's interesting idea 1-0 delays the entry of the Knight on g8 into the game, presumably to talk W hite out of the more critical lines involving g3. 6.h3 390 B01 [ 6.e3 f6 7.h3 h5 8.g4 g6 9.e5 bd7 10.c4 c7 11.f3 e6 12.f4 Vorobiov,Evgeny E 2543 d8 13.0-0-0 d5 14.g3 f6 15.g2 Hasangatin,Ramil 2460 xf3 16.xf3 Zinchenko - Hasangatin, 22nd Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (5) Alushta Victory Cup 2005 1/2-1/2 ] [Andrew Martin] 6...xf3 7.xf3 f6 Black decides not to A game in the 3...Qd6 line of the Scandinavian. accept White's pawn sacrifice, but maybe he Voroblov's kingside attack progresses much should. [ 7...xd4 8.e3 d8 9.d3 d7 more quickly than Hasangatin's queenside 10.0-0-0 gf6 11.g4 e6 12.d4 a5 attack and then Black falls into a nasty trap. 13.b1 c5 14.xf6 xf6 15.g5 d7 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 16.xh7 e5 17.e2 b4 Grabaczyk A relatively new way of playing the Cicak, Oberliga Ost 2001 0-1 ] Scandinavian Defence that has significantly increased in popularity this de cade. It is 8.e3 e6 9.0-0-0 e7N [ 9...bd7 10.f4 b4 regularly played by the likes of GMs Sermek, A) 11.c7 b6 12.a3 e7 13.e5 Hasangatin and Kurajica as well as many 0-0-0 14.b1 d7 15.g4 d8 16.g5 other players of all levels and Black has had e8 17.e4 h6 18.h4 hxg5 19.xg5 considerable success. 4.d4 By far the most e7 20.g3 f6 21.g4 d8 popular move, but others are also frequently ( 21...d6= ) 22.h3 c7 ( 22...h6= ) played: 23.he1 bd5 24.c4 f6 25.f3 e7 [ 4.f3 f6 5.e2 g6 6.0-0 g7 7.d4 0-0 26.e3 b8 27.f3 a8 28.f2 b6 29.f4 8.g5 c6 9.d2 f5 10.fe1 e8 g6 30.g2 b7 31.f3 d6 32.f5 h5 11.ad1 bd7 12.f4 b4 13.h4 g4 33.fxg6 fxg6 34.f7 1-0 Zdebskaja Voigt - Kritz, Bundesliga 2005 0-1 ] Gheorghe, Chisinau 2005 We have seen [ 4.c4 f6 5.d4 a6 6.e2 c6 7.e3 that Black had chances to equalize along f5 8.f3 0-0-0 9.0-0 e5 10.dxe5 xe5 the way.; 11.xd6 xf3+ 12.xf3 xd6 Djurhuus B) 11.a3 a5 12.c4 e7 13.he1 0-0 Gausel, Norway 2005 1-0 ] 14.b3 ac8 15.b1 b5 16.e4 xe4 [ 4.g3 is probably one of the toughest moves 17.xe4 f6 18.e2 d5 19.c1 fd8 for Black to meet. c6 ( 4...f6 5.g2 20.f4 f8 21.f3 c7 22.f5 exf5 c6 6.f3 g4 7.h3 h5 8.d4 0-0-0 23.xf5 d7 24.f3 Jansa - Cicak, 9.0-0 e5 10.dxe5 xe5 11.xd6 xf3+ Passau 2000 ] 12.xf3 xd6 13.xh5 xh5 1/2-1/2 Marinkovic - Vojinovic, Serbia 2004) 10.b1 bd7 11.d3 0-0 [ 11...b4 might be a better way for Black to 5.g2 h5!? 6.f3 h4 7.xh4 g5 8.f3 play, holding off from castling until he has g4 9.g1 f5 10.d3 0-0-0 11.e3 h6 started to launch his own queenside attack 12.d2 d4 13.0-0-0 e5 14.h3 gxh3 against White's king. 12.he1 d5 13.d2 15.xh3 xh3 16.xh3 f3 17.xf3 xe3 398
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xd4 14.xd5 xd5 ] 12.g4 b4 13.h4 d5 14.xd5 [ 14.e2 is slightly better to stop Black from opening up the c-file, aiding his attack. xe3 15.fxe3 ] 14...cxd5 15.g5 f5?! Black opens up files and diagonals against his king unnecessarily. It's best for him to just to get on with his own attack. [ 15...ac8 16.h5 f5 17.gxf6 xf6 18.e5 d6 is an improvement, securing equality. ] 16.gxf6 xf6 17.h3 d6 18.hg1 f7 19.h5 h8?? [ 19...b6 20.h6 g6 21.xg6 hxg6 22.xg6+ h8 ] 20.g6! ff8 21.h6! gxh6 22.xh6 [ 22.xh6 is slightly better, but makes no difference to the result. ] 22...g8 23.f7 One should not be dissuaded from playing 3...Qd6 because of this game! 1-0
391 Votava,Jan Mueller,Karsten Hamburgo (4) [Nigel Davies]
B01 2508 2530 21.05.2002
7.Bd2 is a popular alternative to 7.Ne5 and the complex positions which arise are similar to th e Ca ro-Ka nn . 8.Ne4 is not t he m ost challenging move and Black seems OK after both 8...Qd8 and 8...Qc7. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 f5 7.d2 e6 8.e4 c7 [ Black has also played 8...d8 9.g3 ( 9.xf6+ xf6 10.c3 d7 11.e2 g4 wa s n o t h i n g f o r W h it e in Fe d o r o wi cz W a i t z k i n , N e w Y o r k 1 9 9 9) 9...g4 ( 9...g6?! 10.e2 bd7 11.0-0-0 c7 12.h4 h6 13.xe6 fxe6 14.xe6+ e7 15.he1 was very dangerous for Black in Rossiter - Povah, Portsmouth 2002) 10.c3 d6 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 c7 13.0-0-0 bd7 14.he1 0-0-0 15.e4 xe4 16.xe4 f6 and White had only a nominal edge in Kudrin - Khmelnitsky, Seattle 2002 ] 9.xf6+ gxf6 10.h4 [ 10.e2 d7 11.0-0-0 0-0-0 12.h4 g6
13.g3 b6 14.a5 g7 15.b1 f5 wa s a b o u t e qu a l in I l le s ca s C o r d o b a Speelman, Leon 2001 ] 10...g6 11.c3 d7 12.e2 0-0-0 13.0-0-0 b6 [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 13...c5?! is less good b e c a u s e o f 14.d5 b6 15.xg6 hxg6 16.dxe6 xd2 17.xd2 h6 18.hd1 fxe6 19.xe6+ b8 20.g3 xd2+ 21.xd2 xc4 22.xc4 with a good pawn up in Psakhis - Gausel, Ohrid 2001 ] 14.b3 c5 15.dxc5 xc5 16.xg6 hxg6 17.f3 f5 18.h3 c6 19.xc6+ bxc6 20.f3 ½-½
392 Vuckovic,Bojan Vukanovic,Sasa Sozina Open Bar SCG (9) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2525 2358 12.03.2005
It's rare indeed to see a strong player reduced to rubble after only a few moves. Here Black plays what looks like a normal variation and soon finds himself in a kind of Zugzwang! 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.f3 xd5 4.d4 g6 5.c4 A m o ve wh i ch is c ri t ic a l f o r t h e s u r vi va l chances of 4...g6. b6 6.c3 g7 7.c5 Once again White plays the sharpest move. [ Although 7.e2 appears rather placid, I am unconvinced that Black equalizes after 0-0 8.0-0 c6 9.d5 e5 10.c5 bd7 11.e3 xf3+ 12.xf3 e5 13.e2 We follow a recommendation of Alex Volzhin: c6 14.f4 d7 15.f3 c7 16.d6! a5 17.a3 e8 18.b4 d8 19.d4 f8 20.e4 Black is running out of things to do. ] 7...d5 [ 7...6d7 8.c4 0-0 9.0-0 is just very pleasant for White who can further build up with ideas such as Re1, h3 Bf4. It is so nice to have an uncontested initiative. ] 8.c4 c6 9.0-0 0-0 10.e1! In his recent excellent book on the Scandinavian, Emms describes this move as 'straightf orward'. White plans Bg5. It is hard to see an effective, active plan for Black. h6 Is it worth a tempo to p r e ve n t B g 5 , t h a t i s t h e q u e s t i o n ? T h e alternatives seem so unpromising that perhaps the answer is yes! 399
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 10...g4 11.g5 f6 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 bd7 14.b4 h6 15.h4 e6 16.ad1 Smirnov, P-Prokopchuk, E/ Nefteyugansk 2002 sees White effortlessly maintaining the advantage. ] [ Meanwhile 10...e6 has been suggested in certain quarters, presumably provoking W h i t e i n t o 11.xe6 fxe6 12.e2 which does look promising, although 11 Qb3! just keeps the edge without risk. ] 11.b3 [ 11.e2 led to an early bath for Black in a r e c e n t g a m e : e8 12.e5! d7? ( 12...f5 13.f3! ) 13.xf7! xf7 14.xd5 cxd5 15.e6+ 1-0 Golovchenko, GKadatsky, A/Samara 2004 Ouch! ] 11...e6 12.e4 Eyeing d6. Once the Knight arrives on that square Black will have serious problems. As it is I see no real comfortable way to get the queenside pieces out. d7N [ 12...b6 is the only other real way to try to get the queenside going, but White has an i r o n g r i p : 13.e5 bxc5 14.xc5 a5 15.e2 Singer, K-Zolnierowicz, K/ Bydgoszcz 2001 ] 13.d2 b6 14.a3 c7 15.ac1 a5 [ 15...bxc5 16.dxc5 b8 17.b3 e5 is a reasonable way to try and simplify. Then I think W hite should play 18.xe5 xe5 ( 18...xe5 19.d6! b2 20.xa7 xd2 21.xb8 d4 22.e4 xa2 23.cd1 ) 19.xh6 xh2+ 20.h1 f4 21.xf4 xf4 22.xa7! g7 23.g1 h8 24.g3 ] 16.b4 bxc5?! In a cheerless position one is bound to lose patience and make a mistake. Black is champing at the bit to play an active move but he has no way of doing so just yet. [ 16...a6? is poor: 17.cxb6 xb6 18.bxa5 ] [ but 16...d8 might hold out some hope: ] 17.bxc5 e5 18.d6! Suddenly Black has no moves. If 18...exd4 19 Ne8! Qd8 20 Nxg7 Kxg7 21 Bxd5! cxd5 22 c6+- Otherwise White takes on e 5. The f irst active move Black played lost the game for him! There seems to be more than one way for White to subject the 4...g6 variation to serious pressure. Black has to do some homework! 1-0
393 Wan,Yunguo Laylo,Darwin 8th Asian Continental Open (10) [John Watson]
B01 2434 2509 22.05.2009
I was surprised myself to see that I hadn't a single game with one of the Scandinavian main lines 1 e4 d5 2 exd5 Nf6 3 Nf3 (I have covered 3 d4 Bg4) 3... Nxd5 (and 3...Bg4) 4 d4. Here are a couple of new games, into which I've folded notes from John Emms' second edition of the Scandinavian, and short comments from older Archives files. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.f3 [ 3.d4 g4 is the Portugese Variation - see the Archives. ] 3...xd5 4.d4 f5 [ This month's game Rasmussen-Tikkanen, B a l l e r u p DE N 2 0 0 9 s a w t h e i m p o r t a n t a l t e r n a t i v e 4...g4 (4...g6 is a popular o p t io n , re p re se n t e d b y 9 ga m e s in t h e Archives) 5.e2 ( John Emms: ' 5.h3 h5 6.g4 g6 7.e5 d7 8.xg6 hxg6 9.g2 c6 10.c4 5b6 11.e2 e6 12.c3 b4 13.0-0 0-0 when perhaps White has a pull, although Black's position is extremely solid, Vitolinsh-Dautov, Daugavpils 1989.' ) A) A selection from John Emms' lengthy notes in his book, skipping the analysis and giving an overview: ' 5...e6 6.0-0 ( White can try to eliminate one or two black options by playing Ne5 a move early: 6.e5 xe2 7.xe2 c6!? 8.xc6 bxc6 9.0-0 h4 10.c4 f6 11.f3 e4 12.d2 xf3 13.xf3 gives White a structural edge in the ending, GlekCasagrande 1997.) 6...c6 prevents Ne5 for the moment because an exchange on e2 leaves the d4-pawn hanging. Instead ( 6...e7 7.e5! xe2 8.xe2 Emms: 'One useful point of delaying c2-c4 is that the black knight on d5 blocks the a t t a c k o n W h i t e ' s d 4 - p a wn , a ll o wi n g W h i t e ' s q u e e n t o m o v e f r o m d 1 . '; he also analyses 6...d6!? and thinks that it's reasonable) 7.c3 d6 8.e5 xe2 9.xe2 xe5 10.dxe5 h4 11.d2 f4 12.e4 g4 13.e1 h5! left Black reasonably placed in Aagaard-Bryson, Rotherham 1997.'; 400
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B) 5...c6 6.c4 b6 7.d5 xf3 8.gxf3 ( 8.xf3 e5 9.e2 c6! ) 8...e5 9.f4 g6 10.c3 e6 11.dxe6 fxe6 12.c2?! ( 12.g4 xd1+ 13.xd1 f7 14.e1 with a somewhat better position,) 12...f6 13.e4 b4+ 14.f1 f5 ( 14...h4 is advantageous) 15.h3 h4 ( 15...xf4 16.g4 e5 ) 16.d3 h5 17.e2 f5 18.d3 with equality, A RasmussenTikkanen, Ballerup 2009 a game from this month's batch. ] 5.d3 Agreed to be the best move by most authors. xd3 6.xd3 e6 7.0-0 [ 7.b5+ is tempting, but c6 8.xb7? db4! threatens ...Rb8, winning the queen. ] 7...d7 [ a) Another recent game saw the ultra-solid, but passive, 7...c6 8.c4 f6 9.c3 e7 10.f4 0-0 11.ad1 e8 12.fe1 , with an instructive game to follow, in which you see that White's space is a significant advan tage : bd7 13.h3 f8 (it's a bad sign if Black has to retreat like this) 14.c2 ( 14.a3 is a good option, intending b4, with the idea a5 15.b4 xa3? 16.a1 xb4 17.eb1 ) 14...a5! 15.h2 b5!? 16.c5 ( 16.e5! ) 16...b4 17.e4 xe4 18.xe4 ac8 19.e5 a6 20.a3! bxa3 21.a1 a2 22.e3 ( 22.b3 f6 23.f3 ) 22...f6 23.f3 e5! 24.b4!? exd4? ( 24...c4 ) 25.xd4 cd8 26.b2 f7 27.a3 b5 28.xa2+ d5 29.d4 xb4 30.xc6 xc5 31.b4 ( 31.d3! ) 31...ed8? ( 31...a5! 32.d3! xb4 33.xd5+ e6 34.h5+ f8 35.xa5 ) 32.d3 xb4 33.xd5 xd5 34.xd5+ e6 35.g3 b6 36.h5+ g8 37.e8+ f8 38.c1 d4 39.c8 b4 40.h2 g6 41.c7 1-0 Al Sayed-Causo, Subic Bay PHI 2009. ] [ b) Topalov-Kamsky, Corus 2006 went 7...c6 8.c4 b6 9.c3 e7 10.f4 with the type of advantage in the last note. Kamsky lashed out with g5?! 11.g3! g4 12.e5 xd4 13.c5! with a great attack. See this game in the Archives. ] 8.c4 5f6 9.c3 e7 10.f4 0-0 11.fd1 Once again we have the basic position for White, and in fact Black sets up a restraint structure as he did above: c6 12.e2 e8 13.e5 f8!? I'm not thrilled with this reorganisation perhaps Black should play
[ 13...a5 ] 14.d3 b6 15.a3 [ Or 15.ad1 ] 15...a5 16.ad1 a6 17.h4 A standard Kingside advance, both initiating attack and driving away a knight if it goes to g6. ad8 18.h5 6d7 It's hard for Black to do anything about the coming attack. He tries to exchange p ie ce s b u t le a ve s W h it e 's b ish o p a im e d directly at g7. 19.g3 xe5 20.xe5 f6 21.g4 Good. Also, [ 21.h6 g6 22.f3! is a clever trick, intending fxe5?? 23.xe5 ] 21...g6 22.hxg6 xg6 [ 22...hxg6 23.h5 g7 24.dd3! intending Rxg6+. ] 23.c7 [ Or 23.h5 g7 24.c7 xc4 25.xd8 xd8 26.h3 h8 27.h6+ g8 28.e1 ] 23...c8? [ 23...xc4 was the last chance: 24.h5! ( 24.b3 ) 24...g7 25.h3 h8 26.xd8 xd8 27.b3! xb3 28.b1 c2 29.xb7+ is too strong. ] 24.xe6+ g7 25.f4 cd8 26.e4 b6 27.xf6 xf6 28.h6+ xh6 29.xf6 e5 30.dxe5 [ 30.dxe5 xd1+ 31.h2 mates soon. ] 1-0
394 Webb,Richard M Buckley,Simon T Open Portsmouth (5) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2370 2265 2003
THE PATZER VARIATION, NUMBER ONE IN THE NATION 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 e5+! I'm coming to the conclusion that 3... Q e 5 + is p la ya b le i n a ll l in e s . I t s t il l h a s considerable 'shock' value. I have tried to persuade forum members to start to give this line a try perhaps games such as this one will help. 4.e2 c6 [ 4...d6? is complete rubbish and was dealt with very severely in this recent miniature: 5.f3 g4 6.d4 xf3 7.xf3 c6 8.0-0 0-0-0 9.b5 e6 10.d5 f6 11.dxc6 xd1 12.cxb7+ b8 13.xd1 e6 14.e3 xb2 15.xa7# 1-0 Vachier Lagrave, M401
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Shakibi,S/Simul, Aubervilliers FRA 2003 The PATZER variation taken to extremes! ] 5.f3 c7 6.d4 f5 7.d5 I've had this several times at ICC against decent opposition. White thinks the time is ripe to try and blast Black out of the sky. However Buckley and I have discussed this position and Black's reply is accurate, cold-blooded and good. [ 7.e5 is most critical. White aims for Bf4 which will highlight the exposed position of the Black Queen. He also threatens g2-g4 and h2-h4 should Black venture Bg6. d7 ( 7...e6?! 8.g4 g6 9.h4 is White's basic idea. b4 10.f4 d8 11.a3 xc3+ 12.bxc3 d5 13.f3 ) A) 8.xd7 xd7 9.0-0 0-0-0 ( 9...f6 10.e3 e6= ) 10.e3 e6 11.d5 f6! 12.xa7 xd5 13.xd5 exd5 14.b6 e8; B) 8.f4 xe5 9.xe5 b6 B1) 10.d2 B1a) 10...e6! 11.0-0-0 ( 11.0-0?! f6 12.f4 0-0-0 ) 11...f6; B1b) 10...xb2 11.b1 xc2 12.xc2 xc2 13.xb7 e6 14.0-0 e7 15.c1; B2) 10.a4 B2a) 10...a5+ is better here, forcing the pace. W hite must then make a choice a nd I give some o f my own analysis : B2a1) 11.c3 f6 ( 11...0-0-0 12.c5 e6 13.b4 ) 12.g3 e5 ( 12...0-0-0 13.b4 d5 14.0-0 e5 ) 13.dxe5 d8 14.b3 b5; B2a2) 11.c3 f6 12.0-0 d7 13.g3 e6= Of course this is all virgin ground.; B2b) 10...d8?! I t h in k t h a t 11.c5 b6 12.0-0 e6 13.b4 f6 14.b1 a6 15.a4 xc5 16.bxc5 a5 17.xb7 xa4 18.d3 xd3 19.xd3 0-0 20.fb1 1-0 Skripchenko, A-Tolhuizen,L/Aosta 2003 (20) ] [ 7.c4 e6 8.e2 f6 9.e5 b4 10.d2 bd7 11.0-0-0 xc3 12.xc3 xe5 13.dxe5 d5 14.d2 0-0-0 15.g4 g6 16.f4 h5 17.h3 b6 18.b3 d4 19.f5 exf5 20.g5 c5 21.xd8 xd8 22.gxh5 h7 23.xd5 cxd5 24.hg1 f4 25.xg7 f3
26.d2 e4 27.c3 xc3 28.bxc3 d7 29.h6 e6 30.h7 h8 31.f1 xh7 32.xf3 g6 33.e3 a5 34.d2 b5 35.a3 c8 36.h4 h8 37.c1 xh4 38.g8 h2 39.b8 xc2+ 40.d1 b2 41.b6+ e7 42.e6 b1+ 43.d2 b2+ 44.e1 e4 45.exf7 xf7 46.h3 g7 47.hh6 b4 48.axb4 axb4 49.cxb4 1/2-1/2 Rendle,TRogers,J/4NCL, Telford ENG 2003 (49) ] 7...f6! 8.dxc6 [ 8.0-0 xd5 9.xd5 cxd5 10.xd5 e6 leads to nothing for W hite. Fritz even suggests that Black might be able to take on c2-a challenge I wouldn't relish but you know what computers are like.... ] 8...xc6 9.b5 b8 What is wrong with Black's position? He has an extra central pawn and is ready to repel boarders with ...a7a6. 10.bd4 d7 11.0-0 e5 12.xc6 xc6 13.e1 d6 14.d3 0-0 I like Black. He has to exercise a modicum of care on the Kingside but as long as that is forthcoming he has no problem with any piece and the pawn o n e 5 co n t in u a lly t h re a t e n s t o a d va n c e . 15.g5 c7 16.e4 xe4 17.xe4 ad8 18.e2 xe4 19.xe4 f5 20.e2 W ebb is doing the best that he can to minimise his disadvantage but Black's next move underscores his initiative and thereby the advantage. e4! 21.h3 de8 22.b3 f4 23.c4+N That was the only move with ...f4f3 looming. xc4 24.bxc4 c5 25.a4 f5! White's a bit tied up so Buckley anticipates Ba3 and prepares in the event of a Bishop exchange to bring his Rook into the action on c5 or a5. 26.a3 e3 [ There was something to be said for the calm 26...f7 27.ed1 xa3 28.xa3 c5 29.b3 b6 too. ] 27.xc5 xc5 28.fxe3 xe3 29.xe3 fxe3 30.e1 xc4 31.xe3 xa4 32.e7 b4-+ Of course this is ghastly for Webb. How does he stop that passed pawn on a7? 33.c3 [ 33.f2 a5 34.e3 a4 35.d2 b1 36.c3 a3 37.e8+ f7 38.a8 b5-+ ] 33...b6 34.c4 a5 35.c5 b5 36.c7 a4 37.c8+ f7 38.c7+ e6 39.c6 d6 40.xg7 xc6 Fascinating stuff! 0-1
402
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B01 castling kingside. Instead [ 7...c6 was preferred in the aforementioned Wei Yi 2638 Fedorchuk game. ] Miroshnichenko,E 2602 Black looks comfortable after a queen TCh-TUR Super League 2014 (5.6) 22.08.2014 8.f4 exchange for example [Neil McDonald] [ 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 xe2 10.xe2 f5 11.c3 e4 as in Malakhov, I (2441)1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 Kovalenko, I (2650)/St Petersburg RUS The queen stays resolutely in the middle of 2014. ] the action. The question is whether White can gain anything worthwhile by harassing her with 8...c6 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0? Leads to trouble. Nb5 or Bf4 in the future. 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g6 Black is comfortable but no more after [ 10.h6 but Black appears to be able to A kind of Scandinavian-Pirc hybrid. You might hold his own or more after xh6 11.xh6 like to examine Tiviakov- Fedorchuk in the f5 12.0-0-0 b5 for example Sit back and archives for more details. 6.g3 A natural enjoy the attack the attack after response as White's light squared bishop will A) Instead 13.h4 might lead to a sharp exert pressure on the queenside on g2 and draw: e6 14.he1 b4 15.xe6 bxc3! the black queen can be hunted by his other ( Steering clear of 15...fxe6 16.h3 bxc3 bishop with Bf4. However as we shall see 17.xe6+ f7 18.xg6 when mate on f8 Black can throw a spanner in the works when is threatened.) 16.f5 cxb2+ 17.b1 it comes to White castling kingside. gxf5 18.g5+ h8 19.xf6 exf6 [ Instead 6.b5 gains time for White to play 20.xf6+ g8 21.g5+ h8 draw!; the strategically desirable c2-c4 advance. B) 13.a3 b4! 14.axb4 a1+ 15.b1 For example d8 a6 16.h4 xc2! 17.xc2 xb4+ A) 7.f4 a6 Slightly awkward for Black 18.d2 ad8 19.e2 a6+ 20.f3 c5 is ( 7...d5 8.e5 ) 8.c4 Slightly awkward 21.g4 xd4 22.xd4 cxd4 23.d1 d3 for Black is g7 9.e5 0-0 10.e2 h6 24.d2 e5 25.g3 e4 26.f4 b8 27.f1 11.0-0 c6 12.c3 c7 13.b3 e6 e6 28.h3 b3 0-1 Berbatov, K (2481) 14.d5 f4 15.ad1 this sharp position Chatalbashev, B (2555)/Albena 2010. ] was reached in Dastan, B (2432)[ Meanwhile 10.e5 e6 11.d3 bd7 Mamedov, R (2659)/Kocaeli TUR 2014, looked OK for Black in Akash, G (2404) and now I like d7!?; Sethuraman, S (2520)/ Kolkata 2012. ] B) 7.c4 c6 8.c3 g7 9.e2 0-0 11.a3? Leads to trouble. Black is 10.0-0 g4 11.e3 bd7 12.b3 10...b5 White would have a small plus due to the comfortable but no more after [ 11.b1 b4 12.e2 d5 ] bish op p air an d his e xt ra spa ce a f t e r A move familiar from the Berbatov ( 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 ) 12...c7 13.fd1 11...b4! fe8 14.d5?! Evidently Wei Yi doesn't game in the notes above. Black gambits a a1+ enjoy playing against Black's opening pawn for a big initiative. 12.axb4 system. It's not too late to get a tiny edge 13.b1 a5!? [ Black also had an attack after 13...d5 with ( 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 ) 14...xf3 14.d3 a5 15.b5 cxb5 16.e5 e6 15.gxf3 Not an aesthetic recapture. 17.a3 xa3 18.xa3 b4 in Juggernaut, Pe rha p s W h ite h ad missed t ha t af t e r R (2613) -W ikiman, R (2478)/ playchess. ( 15.xf3 e5 16.e2 eg4 the double com INT 2007, but W hite can at least be attack on e3 and h2 is very pleasant for pleased to have got the queens off! ] him. ) 15...b6 So far this is Wei Yi (2638)Wei Yi is relying on this move to keep Benidze, D (2458)/Kocaeli TUR 2014 and 14.b5 here ( 15...h5 16.d2 e5 looks good the queenside blocked, but he meets with an 15.e1 f o r B l a c k d u e t o W h i t e ' s f r a c t u r e d u n p l e a s a n t s u r p r i s e . cxb5!! White decides to take the piece on offer. If he kingside. )] 6...g7 7.g2 a6!? The black queen slips declines he is left in a horrible position as the away from attack by Bf4 and prevents White black queenside pawns will run at his king.
395
403
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 a6 16.xb8 e6 The bishop on b8 is now h a n g i n g a n d W h i t e h a s n o g o o d wa y t o prevent Black's next move. 17.e5 [ After 17.d5 e4 Black threatens both the white queen and mate on b2. ] 17...a2 18.c3 b4 19.c7 [ Attacking the black rook doesn't help much as it slides to a better attacking square on the third rank. 19.d3 e6! 20.d2 xb2! The knight on b1 can wait. Black keeps up the attack rather than falling into a pin after ( 20...xb1? 21.f3 when suddenly White is winning as 22.Rxb1 follows.) 21.f4 ( after 21.f3 c8 the threats include 22...Bh6+ 23 .K e1 B c 4, t ra pp ing t he wh it e qu ee n . 22.e1 xb1 ) 21...d8 22.f3 g4! 23.xg7 f2 24.b5 ( Or 24.f1 c8 a n d W h it e 's d e f e n c e s co lla p se o n c2 .) 24...e4+ 25.d3 xb1 26.xb1 c3+ 27.e2 xc2+ and White is soon mated. ] 19...xb1+ 20.d2 xb2 21.d3 a3 22.a1 It appears that Wei Yi has fought back well as the black queen is in an awkward pin. But now comes a decisive strengthening of B l a c k ' s a t t a c k . e8! 23.c5 d6 A powerful rerouting of the black knight. It wins the c8 square for the rook after which White's defences finally crumble. 24.xg7 [ Or 24.d5 c3+ 25.xc3 bxc3+ 26.xc3 xd5 and Black has won a piece. ] 24...c8 25.g5 xg7 26.hc1 c3+ 27.e2 c4 28.f1 b3! The queenside pawns have the last word as White's knight is fatally undermined. 29.g1 xd3 30.cxb3 [ Unb ea ra ble f or white is 30.cxd3 b2 31.xc3 bxa1+ ] 30...xd4 31.xe7 xc1+ White remains a piece down. 0-1
Robatsch. ] 5...h6 [ 5...g7 6.c4 c6 7.ge2 h6 8.d2 f5 was also fine for Black in Meitner Blackburne, Vienna 1873 ] 6.d2 [ Or 6.c4 f5 7.f3 g7 8.0-0 0-0 9.d2 b6 10.ad1 b7 with a good position for Black in Golmayo - Blackburne, Havana 1891 ] 6...f5 7.d3 g7 8.xf5 xf5 9.h3 h5!? 10.ge2 a6 11.a3 c6 12.g3 d7 13.0-0-0 h4 14.xf5 xf5 Black has achieved a highly satisfactory position out of the opening, 9...h5 was a nice idea and here W hite's kin gside is ra the r com pro mis ed . 15.d3 a5 16.e4 e6 17.f4 0-0-0 18.e3 c7 19.xc7 xc7 20.f4?! h5 21.hf1 b6 22.e2 c5! 23.c3 cxd4 24.xd4 e5! 25.c2 [ And not 25.fxe5 h6 etc. ] 25...xd1+ 26.xd1 xe3 27.xe3 h6 28.d5 exf4 29.c4 [ If 29.xf4 then f5 . So Black wins a pawn. ] 29...e5 30.e1 xe1+ 31.xe1 d7 32.e2 f5 33.f3 g5 34.b4 g7 35.d3 d6 36.b3 d4 37.e2 e3 38.f3 b6 39.b4 a6 40.a4 d4 41.e2 c3 42.b5 a5 43.f2 d4+ 44.e2 g1 45.f3 e3 46.g4 hxg3 47.g2 d2 48.c5+ bxc5 49.b6 c4 50.e5 xe5 51.b7 e4 0-1
397 Wojciechowski,Adam Janaszak,Dawid ch-Boys U18 Zakopane POL (9) [Jon Tisdall]
B01 2112 2134 24.01.2001
1.e4 c6 This move seems to have been almost obligatory in the recent Polish youth championships with boys and girls of all ages 1883 running it up the flagpole. Unfortunately these games did not produce any stirring theoretical currents, but may indicate f uture trends. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 4.d4 g6 Having gone through the entire section, I 5.e3 Rather inviting the following strong began to wonder if CPub ought not to set up manoeuvre. an office in Poland - nearly every one of the [ 5.f4! is White's best as in Fischer - extremely Daring defences got a workout in
396
B01
Winawer,Szymon Blackburne,Joseph Henry Nuremberg (8) [Nigel Davies]
404
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the Polish youth events. 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.f3 g4 5.e2 0-0-0 6.c3 e5 7.c4 a5+ 8.d2 b4 9.d5 e4 10.g5 xe2 11.xe2 d4 12.xe4?? [ 12.d1 h6 13.0-0 xd2 14.xd2 b6 15.dxe4 Wahls ] 12...b3! 13.xf7 [ 13.axb3 xd2+ 14.d1 xa1 15.xf7 b4 16.xh8 h6-+ ] 13...f6 14.f5+ b8 15.xd8 xd2+ 16.e2?? Whoa [ 16.d1 xd8 17.axb3 xa1 18.xd2 xb2+ exposes white to a terrific attack, but... ] 16...d4+ 0-1
398 Wynn Zaw Htun Rogers,Ian Bangkok [Andrew Martin]
B01
2004
I saw the following game in Informator 90. It is well worth studying here. Ian Rogers makes yet another expedition into the Scandinavian jungle. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 g4 A variation he cannot put down 6.h3 h5 [ I p r e d i c t t h a t 6...xf3 7.xf3 c6 will be the next Fort Knox Defence. ] 7.g4 g6 8.e5 e6 9.g2 c6 10.h4 bd7 11.xd7 xd7 12.d2 The first critical position of the game. If White is going to win the opening battle he will have to make d4-d5 work somewhere. Otherwise the pawn advances look ludicrous. [ This is the first moment where d4-d5 has to be considered. In my view it gives Black the attack, not White : 12.d5 exd5 13.h5 e8+ 14.f1 a6+ 15.g1 ( 15.e2 e4 16.f3 c5! 17.fxe4 xe4 18.d3 b6 ) 15...e4 16.f3 c5+! 17.h2 d6+ 18.h3 g6 Over the board to go into this variation without thorough preparation would be madness. ] 12...h6 Rogers gives this as the only move but I believe that 12...h5 is also playable: ' [ 12...h5 13.g5 ( +-, Rogers) g8 14.d5 exd5 15.xd5 e8+ 16.e3 a4
17.b4+ c7 I think it's important to take away the g4 square from White, so that he cannot check with the Queen. ] 13.d5 [ 13.g5!? is a dangerous attacking move, which forces Black to find a good defence: hxg5 14.hxg5 xh1+ 15.xh1 e8 16.d5 exd5 17.g4+ ( 17.xd5 a4 ) 17...d8 Perhaps Black stays on the board after all. 18.xd5 b5 19.c3 e5+ 20.e4 xe4 21.xe4 xe4+ 22.xe4 d6 23.xd6 xd6 24.c3 g6 ] 13...exd5 14.xd5 e8+ 15.e3 a4 A novelty according to Rogers. 16.b3 [ 16.0-0 d6 17.c4= Rogers. ] 16...f4 17.f1 [ 17.0-0 d6 18.e1 e4 ] 17...e4 18.xe4 xe4 19.f3 d4 [ 19...e6! was superior, maintaining a strong initiative. ] 20.c3 d3+! Securing a nominal advantage in the ending. Black gets the seventh rank. 21.xd3 xd3+ 22.cxd3 xe3 23.g2 f6 24.d4 e2+ 25.f1 d2 26.e3?! [ He should take on a7: 26.xa7 a3! 27.e3 xd3 28.e2 d5 29.ad1 e8 30.xd5+ cxd5 31.d3 b5= White had to play a few good moves but the smoke is clearing and he's not worse. ] 26...c2 27.g1 c5 28.xc5 xc5 29.g2 e8 30.e1 ce5 [ Rogers gives 30...xe1+ 31.xe1 e6 as technically correct. With the better King and holes on d4 and f4 to occupy, it's hard to see White holding this ending. ] 31.e4 c5 32.ge2? [ 32.h5! freezing the kingside pawns, was a better way to play the position. ] 32...xe4 33.dxe4 g5! Instead it is Black who ' freezes ' the pawn majority. Now he gets to advance on the queenside with an extra pawn. 34.hxg5 hxg5 35.f2 e6 36.d2 a5 37.g3 c1 38.f2 b5 39.g3 b4 40.f2 c5 41.e3 c4 Rogers appends a rather harsh question mark to this move which I will not repeat. These endgames are tough even for the strongest grandmasters. He then gives the following conclusive analysis : [ 41...c3+ A) 42.e2 a4 43.d3 ( 43.bxa4 a3 ) 43...c2+ 44.d2 xd2+ 45.xd2 a3 405
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 46.d3 e5 47.c4 f4 48.xc5 xf3 49.xb4 xg4 50.xa3 f4 51.b4 xe4-+; B) 42.d3 xd3+ 43.xd3 e5 44.e3 c4 45.bxc4 a4 46.d3 a3 47.c2 d4 48.b3 c5-+ I Rogers ] 42.bxc4 xc4 43.e2 c3 44.f2 a3 45.e2 a4 46.f2 c3 47.e2 [ 47.d4! c2+ 48.g3 b2 49.a3! bxa3 50.xa4 a2 51.f4 I Rogers. ] 47...c6 48.e3 b3 49.axb3 axb3 50.f4 gxf4+ 51.xf4 b6 52.b2 b4 53.e3 e5 54.d3 d4+ 55.c3 xe4 56.xb3 xg4 57.c3 g3+ 58.c4 e3! This one is losing. The Lucena position will inexorably arrive. 59.b5+ e4 60.b8 f5 61.e8+ f3 62.f8 f4 63.d4 e7 64.f6 g3 65.d3 f3 66.f8 f2 67.g8+ f3 68.f8+ g2 69.g8+ f1 70.d2 d7+ 71.e3 [ 71.c2 d5 is the aforementioned Lucena position. ] 71...e1 5...Bg4 is still on the board! 0-1
1987 12.g5! h6 13.h4 and now tactical complications led to a quick White victory xf3 14.xf3 xd4?! 15.cxd4 xd4 16.xe7 xc4 17.ac1 xa2 18.xf8 xf8 19.xb7 d4 20.f1 and Black has little hope.) 12.a3 e6 13.b1 White has a space advantage and pressure on the b-file while Black has no counterplay, Tiviakov Khmelnicky, 1987. ] 7.c4 g7 8.f3 0-0 9.0-0 b6 10.e1! Continuing with active development White is going to play Bg5. b7 [ 10...bxc5 11.g5! with advantage ] 11.g5! f6 12.e5 Now Black is in real trouble, and this is no big surprise since he has wasted too much time on piece manoeuvres. c6 [ 12...e6 was probably more stubborn. ] 13.xf7+! [ 13.b3 d5 14.g4 was also good enough but the text move is stronger. ] 13...xf7 14.b3 f8 [ 14...d5 was losing after 15.xf7 xf7 16.xd5 cxd5 17.xe7+ xe7 18.xe7 xe7 19.e1+ f7 ( 19...d8 20.e3 ) 20.g3 winning ] 399 B01 15.xf7 xf7 16.xe7 xb3 17.axb3 Yakovich,Yuri 2525 fd7 The only move. 18.e4! The knight Zagema,Wieb 2360 enters with decisive effect. h6 [ Other moves were immediately losing Leeuwarden 1993 18...f8 19.f6+ ] [Alexander Volzhin] [ 18...xd4 19.d6 a6 20.h6 ] f8 20.f6+! T h e p o i n t . xf6 5.Nc3 is a very interesting way to fight for an 19.f4 opening advantage. Importantly this move 21.xb7 bd7 22.cxb6 a5 [ 22...a6 wa s n ot be t te r: 23.a7 xb6 order doesn't allow the system with Bg4. As 24.xa8 xa8 25.xa6 ] the following game shows, the fianchetto system also has its drawbacks. 1.e4 d5 23.d2!? e8 [ After 23...a6 24.xa5 b4 25.a7 xa5 2.exd5 f6 3.d4 xd5 4.c4 b6 5.c3 26.1xa5 xa5 27.xa5 xb6 28.c5 g6 6.c5! This is the idea behind an early Nc3. one of the W hite pawns would eventually 6d7 promote. ] [ Black has also tried 6...d5 but failed to equalise: 7.c4 xc3 Forced, other moves 24.xa5 d6 25.c1 c5 26.c3! e6 are bad: ( 7...e6 8.b3 xc3 9.xe6 27.f1 f8 28.e1! The rook exchange puts and Black is in trouble; 7...c6 8.b3! e6 an end to Black's resistance. xe1+ 29.xe1 9.f3 g7 10.0-0 with a big advantage due e8 30.dxc5 xc5 31.xf6 xf6 32.g7 to the weakness of the d6-square.) 8.bxc3 g5 33.b7 d6 34.g6 f7 35.xh6 g4 g8 37.e2 g7 38.h5 ( 8.f3!? is worth considering) 8...g7 36.h8 9.f3 0-0 10.0-0 c6 11.e1 The critical Black resigned. position for the assessment of 6...Nd5. It's 1-0 not easy to find a suitable plan for Black. h6 ( 11...g4 was tried in Tiviakov - Maljutin, 406
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 400 Ye Jiangchuan Malakhov,Vladimir RUS-CHN Moscow CHN (4) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2681 2674 14.08.2004
GRANDMASTER DRAW NO 687 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.c4 c6 6.f3 f5 7.d2 e6 8.d5 Certain lines of the Scandinavian are more crucial than others. W ith 8 Nd5 and 8 Ne4 W hite really puts the pressure on early and Black must fight for his life. I show here one way against the critical 8 Nd5 which leads to a draw by perpetual-I guess Black should be happy with that. d8 9.xf6+ [ White is not under any obligation to take on f6,however the transfer to e3 is rather timec o n s u m i n g : 9.e3 g6 10.0-0 h5 11.e1 e7 12.c3 bd7 13.h3 0-0 14.d3 c5 15.g4 g6 16.xg6 hxg6= White,K-Natter,M/Triesen LIE 2004 ] 9...xf6 [ 9...gxf6 has been scoring well for Black recently: 10.c3 ( 10.b3 d7 11.e2 c7 12.h4 g6 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14.g3 b8 15.f4 f5 16.c4 g7 17.c3 c5 18.b1 he8 19.he1 cxd4 20.xd4 xd4 21.xd4 f6 22.xd8+ xd8 23.xg6 hxg6= Folk,P-Konopka,M/ Czech Republic 2003 The Bishop is anaesthetized and is set to remain so. If anyone, Black has the edge. ) 10...c7 11.e2 d7 12.b3 ( 12.h4 g6 13.f4 f5 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 ) 12...0-0-0 13.0-0-0 g4 14.h3 h5 15.g4 g6 16.e3 e4 17.he1 d5 18.xd5 cxd5= Padelli,M-Bourjol,D/ 6th Open Vins du Mer, Naujac sur Mer FR 2003 Black's comfortable and has the easy plan of ...Kb8 and ...Nb6-c4 at his disposal. ] 10.e2N Shirov's move. g4! 11.0-0-0 d7 12.d5 xf3 13.gxf3 cxd5 14.xd5 0-0-0 So far all known and Black's survival chances seem fine as long as he is aware of White's next idea: 15.xb7+ Good enough for a draw but little else. [ 15.e4 e5!? ( 15...d6 16.c3 f4+ 17.b1 f6 18.hg1 hg8 19.xb7+ xb7 20.b5+= leads to the same type of d ra win g m e c h a n i sm t h a t o ccu rs in t h e game. ) 16.f4 ( 16.c3 c7 17.b1 f6
18.hg1 g6 19.h4 c5 20.h5 gives White the initiative.) 16...c7 17.f5 exf5 18.xf5 g6 19.xd7+ xd7 20.c3 h6+ 21.b1 xd1+ 22.xd1 d8 23.xd8+ xd8 24.a4 b8 25.e5+ a8 26.a5 a6 27.d4 f8 28.b6 e7 29.c3 b8 30.e3 d8 31.b3 d6 32.d4 c8 33.c3+ d7 34.b6 e7 35.f3 e8 36.c3 d7 37.f3 e8 38.c3 d7 1/2-1/2 Carmeille,L-Prie,E/ Montpellier FRA 2004 ] 15...xb7 16.e4+ a6 17.a4+ b7 18.e4+ a6 19.a4+ b7 There is no re a so n t o sh y a wa y f ro m su ch 'd r a wi n g ' systems. 1) W hite has to know everything (very few do). 2) A draw with Black is a good result. 3) You must believe in the soundness of your opening systems if you are to play at your very best. Players who continually play tricky or even unsound ideas in the hope of catching the opponent out only handicap themselves in the long run. ½-½
401 Zarnicki,Pablo Fiorito,Fabian Zonal Tournament [Paul Motwani]
B01
2000
Quick Tricks and Traps 1) B12: "A Cool Win with the Icelandic Gambit", Code B01 The game P.Zarnicki-F.Fiorito played at a zonal tournament in Buenos Aires on 29 July 2000 was a Scandinavian Defence which saw White (ra t e d 2 4 8 8 ) lo sin g in o n ly 2 2 m o ve s a s follows: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.c4 e6 The so-called "Icelandic Gambit" 4.dxe6 [ Personally, I would prefer to decline the gambit with a move like 4.d4 which does not give Black the same lightning-speed piecedevelopm en t t ha t h e get s in th e a ct ua l game ] 4...xe6 5.d4 b4+ [ I've actually seen 5...e7!? 6.a4+?? d7+ discovered check & White resigns happen before!! ] 6.d2 e7 7.xb4 xb4+ 8.d2 e7! This cool, calm retreat creates the nasty threat of 9...Bxc4+: another cheeky discovered 407
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 check 9.e3 c6! 10.f3 [ Black did not fear 10.d5 because of A) or 10...g4! 11.e2 ( and 11.e4 f6!? leaves White with a head full of worries too ) 11...d4; B) 10...b4 ] 10...g4! 11.e2 0-0-0 12.h3 [ 12.d5 would be met by he8! intending 13.dxe6 b4+ 14.c3 xe6 ] 12...he8! 13.hxg4 b4+ 14.d2 xg4+ 15.e2 [ If 15.d1 then xd4 16.d3 xf3+ 17.gxf3 d6 is one possible route to a quick victory for Black ] 15...xe2+! I bet that rook-move rocked White! 16.xe2 xd4+ 17.f1 xc4+ 18.g1 xf3+ 19.gxf3 xf3! the threat of 20...Qg4+ is so great that Black didn't even stop to capture White's queen! 20.h3 [ 20.g5 l o s e s i n s t a n t l y t o d1+ ( or the prettier 20...f1+ )] 20...g4+ 21.g3 h5! 22.xf3 xf3 W hite resigned in view of 23 Qe3 Rd1+ 24 Kh2 Rh1. 0-1
402 Zawadzka,Jolanta Socha,Anna POL-chT U20 Girls [Eric Prié]
B01
1999
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.d2 a6 7.c4 b6 [ 7...xd4 8.xd4 c5 9.xf7+! xf7 10.e3 ( 10.f3!? b6 11.b3 e6 12.e2 d6 13.g5+ Drabke, L-Langrock, H D r e s d e n 2 0 0 2) 10...g4 ( 10...g4 11.f3+ e8 12.0-0-0 xe3 13.fxe3 e5 14.b3 e7 15.d5+- ) 11.f3 d7 12.e2 White has obtained a big advantage: He is ahead in development, the opposing royal couple is weak and he enjoys a better pawn structure, favourable for his cavalry. Kotsur, P (2415) - Rodin, M (2345) Vladivostok op 1995 ] [ 7...b4 8.d5? ( 8.b5! xc4 9.xc7+ ) 8...xc4? ( 8...d6 9.f4 e6+ ) 9.xc7+ d8 10.xa8? ( 10.b3+- ) 10...g4 11.c3 d7 is less clear Swiatnicki, A-Michalczyk, S
Polanica Zdroj 2004 ] [ 7...f5 8.h3 e4 9.d5 d7 10.f4 d6 11.e2 e6 12.0-0 Li ShilongMariano, N/ Tagaytay City 2004, which has already been commented in this section. ] 8.a4! a7 9.e3 g4 10.g5! d8 [ 10...e6? 11.xg4 ] 11.b3 To avoid the ...b7-b5 fork. e5 12.f3! f6 13.dxe5 xe3 14.exf6!+- Undoubtedly nice preparation from the polish youth champion... xg2+ [ 14...gxf6 15.fxe3 fxg5 16.0-0-0 Threatening both Qf6 and Qh5+ ] 15.f1 gxf6 16.xf6 g7 17.f7+ xf7 18.xf7+ d8 19.d1+ d4 20.d5+ e7 21.xd4 f6 22.e4+ g7 23.e5+ g6 24.f6+ h5 25.g3# 1-0
403 Zelcic,Robert Kurajica,Bojan Salona Rapid 1hr, Solin-Spilt rapid (16) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2550 2545 2002
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6 6.c4 e6 7.e2 b5 8.b3 [ 8.d3 did the business in the following recen t min iature, b ut th ere a re se vera l p o i n t s a t wh i c h B l a c k c a n l o o k f o r a n improvement. b7 9.0-0 e7 ( 9...bd7 10.a4 b4 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 xe4 13.xe4 c6 14.f4 d5 15.fe1 a5 16.e5 b6 17.g4 ) 10.a4 b4 11.e4 d5 12.xf6+ xf6 13.c4 bxc3 14.bxc3 A) I prefer to strike in the centre immediately : 14...c5! A1) 15.b1 0-0 16.c4 c6 17.dxc5 d7 18.xb7 ( 18.c2 g6 19.xb7 xb7 20.e4 c7 21.xa8 xa8= ) 18...xb7 19.e4 c7 20.xa8 xa8=; A2) 15.c4 d7 16.b1 cxd4; B) 14...0-0? 15.b1 c6 16.c4 h5 17.e4 g4 ( 17...xe4 18.xe4 d7 19.c6 b6 20.d2! ) 18.d5 exd5 19.cxd5 e8 20.b4 xd5? ( 20...d7 ) 21.xd5 1-0 Crosa,M-Giaccio,A/ch-URU, Montevideo URU 2002 (21) ] 8...b7 9.g5 bd7 A very typical piece set408
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 up for both sides. 10.0-0-0 d5 11.e4 b6 12.b1 h6! An important little defensive prod which drives the Bishop back to c1 and prepares ...Be7. 13.c1 [ 13.h4 f4 14.d2 xg2 ] 13...e7 14.he1 0-0-0= 15.c4?! Seeing that the Bishop on b7 has so much more potential than the Bishop on b3 Zelcic tries to change to the emphasis of the game towards a tactical melee. He finds Kurajica on top form and equally combative. To be frank I find 15 c4 over-ambitious. Much more realistic was the quieter [ 15.c3 7f6 16.xf6 xf6 17.g3= admitting that Black has equality and simply limiting any damage. ] 15...bxc4 16.xc4 7f6 17.xd5 xd5 18.a1 b4 19.a3 c6 20.e3 b5! 21.c2 a5 Eyeing b3 and c4 as well as unleashing the giant on b7. 22.f4 d7! Extremely well-calculated. This looks like a mistake. Zelcic is tempted. 23.e5 b3+ 24.b1 xd4! 25.xd4 xd4 26.xf7 c4 27.c3 f8 28.g6 xc3! The point. White e n d s u p wi t h t o o m a n y p i e c e s h a n g i n g . 29.xe6+ b8 30.xe7 f5+! 31.a1 xf7 32.b4 b3 33.xc7+ a8 34.c5 b5 35.d4 xc7 A game of great control from veteran Grandmaster Kurajica. 0-1
404 Zelcic,Robert Sermek,Drazen Cup 14th Sibenik (5) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2514 2555 30.05.2005
D O O M A N D G L O O M I N T H E SCANDINAVIAN? 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 4.d4 f6 5.f3 a6 6.g3 g4! We saw last month that 6...Bg4 could be an effective antidote to the highly-rated 6 g3 variation. Let us see some more compelling evidence now. To recap: Black's plan is ...Nc6 and ...0-0-0, hitting d4. Later if allowed, he will either break with ...e7-e5 or attack White's King directly. 7.h3 h5 8.e2 c6 9.e3 0-0-0 10.g2 e6 11.0-0 One could call this main-line. [ White may also castle long as an attempt
to justify his order of moves but the King is surely misplaced on the queenside: 11.0-0-0 d5! 12.xd5 xd5 A) 13.c4 a5 14.a3 ( 14.b1? g6+ 15.a1 b4 ) 14...e7=; B) 13.b3 a5! 14.b1 b4 15.a4 d5 16.d2 b4 17.c4 xd2 18.cxd5 c3 19.dxe6 he8 20.e5 d5 21.xg7 b4 22.a2 a5 0-1 Drabke, LPirrot, D/Bundesliga GER 2005 W hat a depressing game for White! ] 11...e7 [ Fritz 9 is showing me the remarkable move 11...g5!? now, claiming advantage to Black! L e t ' s s e e . . . 12.xg5 ( 12.a3 g8 ) 12...xd4 13.e3 e7 14.f4 xf3+ 15.xf3 c5= Thus 11..g5 is certainly an option, but not a guaranteed advantage. ] 12.a3 d5 Sermek is very well versed in this line of the Scandinavian and one can trust his choices. 12...Nd5 pays W hite due respect and states that Black is happy to equalize. 13.e4 [ 13.xd5 exd5 14.b4 f6 15.c3 he8 is effective development by Black. ] 13...d7 14.b4 f5! 15.c5 [ 15.ed2 f4 was obviously unappealing. ] 15...xc5 16.bxc5 f4 But it happens anyway! 17.gxf4 hf8 18.ab1 xd4!? really going for it! [ 18...xf4 19.xf4 xf4 20.e3 xf3 ( 20...df8 21.e5! ) 21.xf4 xg2 22.xg2 d5+ 23.f3 xf3+ 24.xf3 xd4+ 25.e4 xc2 ] 19.xd4 xf4 20.e5? [ 20.e3 xg2 ] [ 20.e4 is the only move and may just be good enough to hang on: d5! 21.g5 xe4 22.xe4 xd4 23.xb7+ d7 The kings are mutually exposed but Black's position is the tighter. ] 20...xg2-+ 21.xh5 f4 Suddenly White is lost. 22.e5 c6 23.b3 xd4 24.fb1 xh3+ 25.h2 xf3 26.xf3 xf3 27.xd4 f4 To be honest I don't understand all the fuss about 6 g3 The articles in New In Chess Yearbook are very selective and do not cover everything. 6...Bg4 just seems like a good choice! 0-1
409
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 majority outweigh Black's passed pawn and the d5 square? xa4 25.xa4 d5 26.f2 Zhang Zhong c8 I slightly prefer Black. All his pieces are Dreev,Alexey working and the c4 pawn is inhibiting. 27.e2 CHN-RUS Chess Summit (7) b6 28.c2 f6 29.h4 No pawns left to [Andrew Martin] push. [ 29.a4 d6! is Dreev's point. ] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d6 Dreev is tiring of the Caro-Kann, but notice he 29...c7 30.e4 fd8 31.ed1 d6 32.h5! goes into a line where the pawn structure is Now it is Zhang who has to create active very similar. 4.d4 f6 5.e3 I doubt this counterplay to offset d4. gxh5 33.xh5 g6 move troubles Black. W hite may fianchetto 34.a5 [ 34.g4 cd8 35.f5 exf5 36.xf5 g7 his King's Bishop or he can consider Qd2 and continues in the same careful style and 0-0-0. Either way, Black is comfortable. a6 Black keeps his advantage. ] [ I d o n ' t l i k e 5...f5?! 6.f3! c8 35.b7 b8 36.f3 xd4 as much. W hy give W hite a f ree move? 34...d8 37.xd4 A strange time to agree a draw. Short, N-Sulava, N/Ohrid 2001 ] Surely 37... Rxd4 is worth continuing f or 6.g3 c6N [ 6...g4! is also interesting: 7.f3 ( 7.f3 Black? f5 8.d2 c6 9.0-0-0 b4! ) 7...c6 ½-½ 8.g2 e6 9.h3 h5 10.f4 b4 11.xc7 d5 12.a3 xc3 13.axb4 xd1 14.b5 B01 ( 14.xd1 xb4 15.c3 d5= ) 14...xf3 406 15.xf3 xd4 16.xb7 a7 17.xd1 Zhigalko,A 2588 ( 17.bxa6 ) 17...xb7 18.bxa6 xc7 19.a7 Sharif,Me 2444 xa7 20.xa7 e7 21.a8+ Zamarbide 29th Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (3.14) Ib a rre a , B -Ma rtin e z P ere z, J/Mo n d a riz [Tom Rendle] 2005/ ] 7.g2 f5 8.f3 e6 9.0-0 bd7 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.f3 g4 4.e2 He gets his desired structure. W hite goes c6 5.0-0 This move is unusual but actually after the Bishops in typical fashion. 10.h4 very flexible. White hasn't committed to d4, c4 [ 10.a3 is interesting, preparing Bf4, but after or Nc3 so he still has many setups available. c7 11.f4 d6 12.xd6 xd6 13.h4 [ 5.d4 0-0-0 was last examined in Barong6 it all comes to very little. ] Kurajica by Gawain for ChessPub. ] 10...g6 11.f4 b4 12.a3 b6 [ 5.c3 has also been covered many times [ 12...xb2 13.xg6 hxg6 14.d3 b6 for this site, most recently by myself and 15.fb1 is an adventure Black would be illGawain in Fedorchuk-Bauer last year. ] advised to embark on. White's pieces spring [ 5.h3 is another slightly unusual option that to life. ] deserves to be looked at xf3 6.xf3 e6+ 13.xg6 hxg6 14.b4 d8 7.e2 xe2+ 8.xe2 [ Or 14...0-0-0! ] A) 8...0-0-0 9.c3 e5 10.d3 f5 15.e1 e7 16.a4 a7 17.c4 0-0 looks to be a very sensible way for Black 18.c3 fe8 Dreev prepares for his usual to handle things. After 11.d2 g6 12.f3 siege. 19.e3 b8 20.f4 b5! h6 the position was equal in At some stage Black has to do something and Panchanathan, M (2564)-Kasparov, S Dreev judges that the time is right now. The (2490) Ranshofen 2012 White should've overall purpose of ...b7-b5 is to secure th timeaccepted this with 13.xh6 ( but instead honoured square d5, but White can take on after 13.g5?! d7 14.d2 xg5! c6. 21.xc6! bxc4 22.f3 f8 23.ac1 15.xg5 f4 16.h4 h6 17.f3 ge7 b6 24.a4 The battle begins for the 18.g4 fxg3 19.xg3 f8 Black had a nice advancement of W hite's queenside pawn advantage and went on to win a smooth m a j o r i t y . D o t h e W h i t e b is h o p s a n d t h e game. ) 13...xh6 14.0-0-0;
405
B01 2639 2666 17.08.2006
410
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B) 8...d4 9.d1 e5 10.0-0 0-0-0 11.d3 g6 ( 11...e7 12.e1 ec6 might give B l a c k a b e t t e r c h a n c e o f e q u a l i s i n g) 12.e1 g7 13.d2 was slightly better for White in Nakamura, H (2708)-Tiviakov, S (2662) Wijk aan Zee 2010 ] 5...0-0-0 [ 5...f6 transposes to my notes on the game Short-Liiva in the archives where I r e c o m m e n d e d 6.h3 h5 7.d4 0-0-0 ( 7...e6 8.c4 d7 9.e3 is also a little better for White ) 8.e3 ] [ 5...e5 probably isn't a good idea here as after 6.c3 d7 White has ( or 6...d6 7.e1 0-0-0 8.xe5 ) 7.xe5! xe5 8.d4 winning a pawn as xe2 9.xe2 xd4 10.d1 c4 11.xe5+ gives White a winning initiative. ] 6.e1 Another very rare move from Zhigalko it's not quite a novelty but it hasn't been seen at this level before. [ 6.h3 is much more popular and now Black has a choice of whether or not to capture on f3. A) 6...h5 I generally feel is more testing but White is also a little better here after A1) 7.c3 d7 8.b4!? is very interesting here and it's featured in a couple of games: A1a) perhaps it's best to decline the s a c r i f ic e wi t h 8...f6 9.a3 xf3 10.xf3 d4 as in Aleksic, N (2371)Savic, M (2519) Subotica 2008 when Black had a good game after 11.d3 g6 12.b1 g7 13.e1 he8 14.e3 e5 15.g5 ( 15.b5 was better with balanced chances.) 15...f5 16.e4 h5 17.xf6 xf6 18.xf6 xf6 19.e4 a6; A1b) 8...xb4?! 9.e5 xe2 10.xe2 e6 11.b1 c6 and now ( 11...f6 is probably best but White is still clearly better after 12.xb4 xe5 13.f3 c6 14.d4! ) 12.b5! would've given White a winning attack in Nevostrujev, V (2510)-Kabanov, N ( 2 4 8 9 ) T o m s k 2 0 0 3 a f t e r xe5 13.xb7+ d7 14.b5 e6 15.d5 f6 ( 15...d6? 16.a3 ) 16.xc7 and Black loses material.; A2) 7.d3 e6 8.e3 f6 9.c3
( Black was fine after 9.bd2 g8 10.d4 g5 11.g4 g6 in Palac, M (2553)Prie, E (2489) Cannes 2009 although of course the position is very complicated!) 9...d7 10.a3; B) 6...xf3 leads to a typical slight edge f o r W h i t e a f t e r 7.xf3 d7 8.c3 ( instead after the odd 8.g3?! e5 9.d3 f5 10.c3 d4 11.g2 f6 Black had a fine game in Sitnikov, A (2506)-Kasparov, S (2521) Donetsk 2011) 8...e5 9.d4 xf3+ 10.xf3 f6 11.d2 ] 6...f6 [ 6...e5?! allows White to win a pawn with 7.xe5! xe2 8.xe2 and Black doesn't seem to get enough compensation here, for example e8 ( or 8...d4 9.d1 d6 10.c3 e6 11.g4 g6 12.d3 ) 9.g4+ b8 10.xc6+ xc6 11.xe8+ xe8 12.d1 and White has a safe extra pawn. ] 7.h3 xf3?! This seems inaccurate to me. White gets time to prepare d4 and keeps the two bishop advantage. [ 7...h5 is more critical and now play might continue 8.d3 ( 8.c3?! can simply be met by e5 ) 8...e6 9.c3 f5 10.e3 b8 11.d2 ( 11.g4?! xg4 is at least a draw for Black ) 11...xf3! 12.xf3 d4 and Black is close to equalising. ] 8.xf3 d7 9.c3 g5 Black's play might look dangerous on the kingside but in reality it's too slow as he struggles to get in ...h5 whereas White's attack is pretty automatic on the queenside. [ or 9...e5 10.a4! ( 10.xc6 xc6 11.xe5 d6 is less clear) 10...e4 11.xe4 xe4 12.xe4 and Black has insufficient compensation for the pawn. ] 10.d4 g8 11.d2 e6 12.b4 d6 13.c4 d5?! [ 13...e7 avoids the line in the next note but W hite is still doing well after 14.d2 and Na5 is something of a threat now. ] 14.d2?! [ 14.b5! was very strong here as White's attack is f ast af ter ce7 ( 14...xc3?? 15.bxc6 simply wins) 15.d3 f5 16.xd6+ xd6 17.g3 and c4 is coming with a crushing attack ] 14...ce7 15.a4 f5 16.g3! Zhigalko takes a move to show that Black has absolutely no 411
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 attack on the kingside. g7 17.a5 h5 in desperation Black gives up a pawn that White gladly takes. 18.xh5 f6 19.f3 g4 The start of a completely doomed tactic. 20.hxg4 xg4? 21.a6! b6 22.xg4 xg3 23.f3! dg8 [ 23...c6 24.xd6+ xd6 25.f4 is h o p e le s s so B la ck s p o rt i n gly a llo ws himself to get mated. ] 24.a8# A straightforward win in an unusual line f or W hite but I think Black's position should be playable if he keeps the bishop on after 7.h3 1-0
407 Zhigalko,Sergei Tomczak,Jacek 8th Amplico AIG Life Rapid rapid (10) [John Watson]
B01 2592 2461
The line in this game may be considered the main line of the 3...Qa5 variation these days. White has a tendency to gain a small edge, but nothing significant. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 [ In the Archives I give games with 6.d2 f5 7.e4 b6 8.xf6+ gxf6 9.c4 , with a small advantage. ] 6...f5 7.d2 e6 8.d5 d8 One of the main Scandinavian lines. 9.xf6+ gxf6 [ Or 9...xf6 but 9...gxf6 is more doubleedged and gives more dynamic counterchances. ] 10.c3 [ A number of recent games have followed the old 'main line' 10.b3 d7 11.e2 c7 12.h4 g6 , when Black has scored reasonably well, but W hite should still be able to scare up chances 13.0-0-0 ( 13.f4 0-0-0 14.0-0-0 f5 15.g3 b8 16.c4 f6 17.xg6 hxg6 was about equal in Socko-D Schwarz, Warsaw 2008.) 13...0-0-0 14.g3 d6 15.b1 ( 15.xg6 hxg6 16.h4 b8 17.c3 c8 18.b1 c5 19.dxc5 xc5 20.c2 looks to be in slightly in White's favour (h5 can f ollow), Grover-Almond, Hastings ENG 2008) 15...he8 16.xg6 hxg6 17.h4 f5 18.g5!? e7 19.f4 d6
20.g5 e7 21.f4 d6 1/2-1/2 Bittencourt-Vescovi, Porto Alegre BRA 2008. If White were inclined to play for a win, 18 h5 would be appropriate. ] 10...d7 Noncommittal. Caro-Kann players may recognize this type of position (Caro with 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nf6 5 Nxf6+ gxf6). The other main move is [ 10...d6!? , as in Hungaski-Di Diego in the Archives. ] [ A well known line is 10...c7 11.h4 g6 12.f3 d7 13.h3! , threatening Nxg6, , when Black's best seems g7! 14.0-0 ( 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 15.f3 b8 is probably okay for Black White's plan is not apparent.) 14...0-0! 15.f4!? ( 15.ae1 looks slightly better for White - Emms) 15...f5! 16.f3 c5 with good counterplay. ...Nf6-e4 is a theme ] 11.0-0 c7 12.h4 g6 13.e1 [ 13.f3!? -compare the preceding note. ] 13...0-0-0 14.e2 d6 15.g3 f5!? 16.g2 To put a piece on f4, although ...f4 wasn't really a threat. e5?! [ Black should sit tight and prepare his defences, for example, 16...b8 ] 17.dxe5 xe5 18.f4!? [ 18.g5! de8 19.ad1 puts pressure on Black, whose pawn structure is in any case suspect. ] 18...he8 19.xe5!? [ 19.ad1 ] 19...xe5 20.f3 d2?! Perhaps missing the fork. [ Black can ask White to find a plan by playing 20...b8 ] 21.e3! d8 22.f4 [ Possible, but less clear is the immediate 22.xa7 b8 ( 22...xb2?? 23.ad1 c7 24.a8+ b8 25.xe5! xe5 26.d8+ xd8 27.xb8+ ) 23.a3 ] 22...d7 [ 22...xb2? 23.ad1 a5 24.xg6 hxg6 25.f4 ] 23.e6?! Too fancy. Simply [ 23.d3 f6 24.xe5 fxe5 25.xa7 would win a clear pawn. Now Black hangs on in an inferior position. ] 23...fxe6 24.xe5 f7 25.e2 c7 26.ae1 xe5 27.xe5 d2 28.5e2 xe2 29.xe2 d8 30.f4 e7 31.f2 d8 32.e1 d6 33.e3 h5 34.b3 f6 412
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 35.c2 c5 36.h3 b6 37.b3 h6 38.a3 e8 39.g4 g6 40.c4 fxg4 41.hxg4 h5 42.e2 hxg4 43.xg4 f5 44.e2 d7 45.g3 e5 ½-½
408 Zinchenko,Yaroslav Bauer,Christian XXVIII Open A (7) [Gawain Jones]
B01 2546 2607 14.04.2010
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 a5 4.c4 [ 4.d4 ] [ or 4.f3 are usually played but White has a different idea in mind. ] 4...f6 5.ge2 A somewhat more passive square than the usual f3. White cedes control over the centre, in particular the e5 square, but prevents the ...Bg4 pin being as annoying as usual. I don't think this line is critical but I've seen a few games with W hite adopting t h i s p i e c e c o n f i g u r a t i o n r e c e n t l y . c6 This is the most flexible move order. [ 5...g4 6.d3 e5 This doesn't work out well. ( 6...c6 transposing to the game should be preferred.) 7.d2 c6 8.h3 h5 9.g4 g6 10.f4 exf4 11.xf4 e5+ 12.e2 bd7 13.0-0-0 xe2 14.cxe2 gave W hite a pleasant advantage, Geller, J-Cornette, M Moscow 2006. ] [ 5...c6 is an alternative, solid way of playing but this does nothing to exploit the passive location of the knight. A) 6.g3 h5! I nearly always like this way o f d e a l i n g wi t h a k n i g h t o n g 3 . 7.e2 bd7 8.d4 h4 9.f1 b6 10.b3 h3 ( 10...h5!? is completely fine for Black.) 11.g3 g4 12.f3 h5 13.d2 0-0-0 14.g4 g6 Runic, Z-Savic, M Vrnjacka Banja 2004, and here W hite could have hoped for an advantage with 15.d5 a6 16.xa6 bxa6 17.f4 xd4 18.xg6 fxg6 19.0-0-0; B) 6.d4!? isn't ridiculous of course. Another drawback for Black is that ...Qc7 i s n o t a s e a s y t o a c h i e ve a s n o r m a l because of Bf4 ideas.; C) 6.d3 g6 7.0-0 g7 8.g3 0-0 9.d2 c7 10.a4 e5 11.h3 e8 12.ge4 e6
13.xf6+ xf6 14.xe6 xe6 1/2-1/2 Mirzoev, A-Ibrahimov, R Baku 2009. ] [ 5...g6 is another very sensible approach 6.0-0 g7 7.d4 0-0 8.f4 d8 ( 8...c6 would restrict White to a very small edge.) 9.d3 f5 10.e3 c6 11.a3 A) 11...g4! 12.g3 xd4 13.xc7 c5 14.xd8 xd8 15.xd4 ( 15.a2 e5 is a terrific position.) 15...xd4 and Black's initiative is easily worth the exchange.; B) 11...xd4? A shame, throwing away a good position. 12.xd4 g4 13.xe7 Here we see the problem both f7 and c7 are en-prise. d7 14.b3 xe7 15.xa5 xc3 16.bxc3 b6 1-0 Shabalov, A-Wahls, M Neu Isenburg 1992. ] [ 5...f5 is a little premature as the bishop may want to roost on g4. A) 6.g3 g6 7.d4?! e6 ( Aggressive play with 7...c6! 8.b5 0-0-0! looks very strong for Black. Admittedly White can wreck the pawn cover in front of B l a c k ' s k i n g w i t h 9.xc6 bxc6 but the bishop pair, Black's lead in development and pressure on d4 promise Black the better game, e.g. 10.f3 e5 11.dxe5 xe5+ 12.e3 c5 with the i n i t i a t i v e .) 8.0-0 c6 ( 8...c6 should again be considered.) 9.f4! b4 10.f5 exf5 11.e2+ f8 12.d2 b6 13.xf5 and White had a powerful attack. S h a b a lo v, A - W e s t e r i n e n , H G a u s d a l 1991.; B) 6.0-0 e6 7.d3 c6 ( 7...c6 would be somewhat similar to the game b u t a b e t t e r ve rsi o n f o r W h it e a s t h e bishop is worse placed on f5 than g4.) 8.e1!? bd7 9.f4 b6 10.h3 e7 11.e3 c7 12.d4 g6 13.f4!? 0-0 14.f5 exf5 15.xf5 xf5 16.xf5 ae8 was unclear but White had started to take the initiative. Milos, G-Bertona, F Buenos Aires 1997. ] 6.0-0 g4 White has tried various options here. 7.d3 [ 7.b3 Beter, A-Klima, L Strmilov 2005 can hardly be a serious test for Black and indeed d4! threatening 8...Nxb3 when White wo u l d h a ve t o r e ca p t u re wi t h t h e a n t i 413
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 positional c pawn, would leave Black the preferred colour. ] [ 7.b5 b6 ( 7...e5 looks fine as taking on c6 isn't a serious threat, especially as Black has not even castled long yet.) 8.d3 e5 9.a4 a6 10.e3 c5 11.a5 a7 12.xc6+ bxc6 was positionally better for White. Muslimov, E-Moiseev, V Saratov 2007. ] [ 7.a3 e6 ( 7...d4!? again is interesting.) 8.d3 0-0-0 9.d2 h5 ( 9...xe2 w o u l d h a v e b e e n m o r e c i r c u m s p e c t .) 10.c1?? Typical blitz blunder ( 10.f3 d6 11.f4 c5+ 12.h1 h5 13.b4 f5 14.fe2! and Black's pieces are clumsily placed. ) 10...xe2 11.xe2 xe2 12.f3 c5+ 13.h1 h5 14.b3 e5 15.e1 g3+ 0-1 Ozgur, E-Bereza, P ICC 2009. ] [ 7.h3 looks sensible to me. Perhaps Black s h o u l d r e a c t xe2 ( 7...h5 8.d5!? prevents Black from launching an attack.; 7...h5 is of course also possible but then the Black queen doesn't have access to h5. ) 8.xe2 e6 9.d4 d6 10.c3 0-0 and White has a small advantage with the bishop pair. ] 7...e6 8.f3 loosening the g1-a7 diagonal but forcing Black to relinquish his annoying pin and preventing an exchange on e2. [ 8.d2 has been White's alternative. e5 ( 8...h5 9.f3! Now this move has added venom as the queen f urther congests Black's pieces. d6 10.f4 c5+ 11.h1 h5 12.b5 0-0-0 13.e1 g6 14.a4 xf4 15.xf4 e5 16.e3 e7 17.xa7+ xa7 18.xa7 d5 19.f2 h5 20.a5 c6 21.xd5 cxd5 22.b6 1-0 De Visser, LHerda, C Bad Homburg 2009 was the model game from the White viewpoint.; 8...0-0-0 appears possible as I don't see a way to trap the Black queen.) 9.e1 ( 9.f3!? ) 9...xe2 10.xe2 d6 11.xe5 xe5 12.b3 c6 13.h3 ed7 14.a3 0-0 15.ae1 and surprisingly W hite won quickly but I don't really believe he can have any serious edge here. Summerscale, A-Brady, S Dublin 1997. ] [ 8.h3 again should be considered although Black doesn't have any major problems after either the retreat or the capture. ] 8...f5 9.g3 Only this is a novelty but one that won't be repeated in a hurry.
[ In a previous game, White first played his king to safety 9.h1 c5 A decidedly odd looking move. Evidently Black was worried about getting his queen trapped but in that case the line with ...Nc6 probably wasn't for him. ( Better was 9...e5 10.b3 0-0-0 w i t h a n u n c l e a r p o s i t i o n .) 10.a3!? would attempt to exploit the queen's position. W hite plans to follow up with b4 and an attack against Black's king. As an added trump W hite gets a square to retreat his bishop to on a2. ( 10.g3 Manelidou, MMakka, E Athens 2008. )] 9...g6 10.d2 [ 10.f4 is an idea that has been seen in previous variations but here it doesn't make sense as Black simply castles long 0-0-0 when White's attacking on the wrong side of the board. ] 10...b6+ Bauer simply gets the queen out of any potential discovered attack. 11.h1 0-0-0 It's important to realise that had W hite not played Ng3 then this would be impossible as 12.Na4 would then trap the Black queen. Thankfully here we have the d4 square. 12.a3 [ 12.a4 d4 13.e2 h4 and White only a ch ie ve s in f o rcin g B la ck' s qu e e n t o a stronger square. ] 12...h5! Time to attack! A knight on g3 always provokes an ...h7-h5-h4 thrust, even when Black has castled short and here with Black's king on the queenside the move is logical. 13.e1 [ 13.ge2 e5 14.b3 h4 is not appetising for W hite either. He is exceedingly passive and has no counterplay whilst Black's kingside attack is obvious. ] 13...h4 14.e3 [ 14.ge4 xe4 15.xe4 xe4 16.fxe4 h3 17.g3 xb2 was the better evil but still. ( 17...e5!? )] [ 14.a4 is probably the best d4 15.e2 t o f o r c e t h e q u e e n t o r e t r e a t d7 but Black is still obviously better. ] 14...hxg3!! Not too difficult once you've seen the concept but Bauer had to realise the queen sacrifice was strong before playing ... h4. 15.xb6 xh2+ 16.g1 axb6 Black isn't actually that behind in material with two minor pieces and a pawn for the queen. The important aspect is that W hite cannot 414
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 defend against both the threats on the dark squares (...Bc5+) and the penetration of the rooks with ....Rd8-h8. 17.b4 [ 17.b5 c5+ 18.f1 gives Black various wins but the most accurate appears to be: d5 19.xd5 ( 19.c1 only survives a few moves longer, e.g. f2 20.g5 h1+ 21.e2 h5 22.d2 e5+ 23.f1 e3+ 24.xe3 xe3 and White has no way of preventing ...Rd8-h8-h1 other than giving h i s e x t r a q u e e n .) 19...xd5 20.d4 Otherwise ...Rh1+ and ....Re5+ ( 20.c3 d4-+ ) 20...xd4 21.xd4 xd4 22.g1 dh5-+ ] 17...d6 So one threat prevented but Black has the other path. 18.b5 [ 18.e2 looks like the toughest test but dh8 ( 18...e5 is another option 19.f1 h1+ 20.g1 d4 21.e2 c3! followed by ...Nh5-f4 closes the cage on White's king.) 19.f1 h1+ 20.g1 8h2 21.e2 ( 21.c3 xg2! 22.xg2 h2+ 23.f1 f2# ) 21...d4 and Black is going t o b e a h e a d in d e ve lo p m e n t wh i lst h i s attack continues will full steam. ] 18...f4 19.d4 d5 20.xd5 exd5 White is powerless and crippled. 21.e2 d7 22.d6 xd6 A very pretty game by the French GM. The lines with Nge2 are quite common but I don't think they should pose a significant threat to the Scandinavian. 0-1
409 Zorko,Jure Vukovic,Zdravko 24th Open Bled (4) [Andrew Martin]
B01 2215 2435 2003
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3 d8 The BANKER Variation. Here, Black finds a novel way to interpret the play. 4.d4 f6 5.f3 c6 6.c4 b5!? Very, very unusual, and on the evidence of this game, not so bad [ 6...f5 is more traditional, allowing White to play very sharply: 7.e5 e6 8.g4 g6 9.h4 bd7 10.f3 This is the critical move, threatening to win the Bishop. c7!? A) 11.xd7 g3+ 12.f1 xd7 13.h5 ( 13.d3 f6 ) 13...xc2 14.xc2
xf3+ 15.g1 xg4+ is the saving grace.; B) 11.f4 d6 12.d2 ( 12.e2! b6 13.b3 fd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.d2 xe5 16.xe5 xe5+ 17.dxe5 h5 ) 12...0-0 13.h5 xc2 14.xc2 xe5 15.dxe5 xe5 16.xe5 xe5+ 17.e2 g3+ 18.f1 ad8 19.d1 xd1+ 20.xd1 d8 21.f2 b5 22.b3 d4 23.g1 f4 24.g2 g6 25.hxg6 hxg6 26.d1 a5 27.xd4 xd4 28.e4 xe4 29.fxe4 a4 30.d1 c5 31.c2 c4 32.e2 e3 33.f3 a3 34.bxa3 xa3 35.e2 e3 36.a4 bxa4 37.xc4 a3 38.a2 g7 39.c4 h6 40.a2 g5 41.b1 xg4 42.f1 h3+ 43.g1 g3+ 44.f1 g5 45.a2 h3 46.c4 g4 47.d2 f3+ 48.g1 g3+ 49.h1 1/2-1/2 Philippe,C-Mateuta,G/Masters, Saint Lo FRA 2003 From this game, we can deduce that 6...Bf5 is still very much on the board. ] 7.b3 e6 8.0-0 bd7 9.g5 c7 10.e2 d6 Given time, Black will set up a very reasonable position with ...0-0, ...Bb7, ...a6 a n d . . . c 6 - c 5 ! 11.e4 More forcing moves don't appear to do the trick: [ 11.d5 xd5 12.xd5 cxd5 13.xb5 ( 13.xd5 c4 14.xc4 bxc4 15.e3 a6 16.fd1 c7 17.d2 ) 13...b6 14.xd6+ xd6 15.fe1 0-0 16.ad1 a6 17.d2 fc8 ] [ 11.a4 b4 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 h6 14.h4 0-0 15.c4 b7 16.d3 g6 17.g3 xg3 18.fxg3 c5 ] 11...f4 12.xf6+ xf6 13.xf4 xf4 14.e5 A noble attempt to obtain the better ending but I believe a waiting move was better, tempting Black to castle and only then Qe5: [ 14.fe1! 0-0 15.e5 xe5 16.xe5 b7 17.c3 c5 18.dxc5 ac8 19.ad1 xc5 20.d7 ] 14...xe5 15.xe5 b7 16.a4 d7 17.xd7 xd7 18.a5 White has a slight pull and he wants to insure himself against defeat. Nevertheless, against a lower-rated opponent, I am convinced that Zorko would have played either 18 c3 or 18 f4,keeping the tension. The game heads towards a drawn ending: a6 19.fe1 b4 20.f4 g6 21.e5 ab8 22.f2 b5! Simplification reduces the number of 415
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 pieces that can train on b4. 23.xb5 xb5= 24.e1 d6 25.e5 h5 26.h4 Inelastic. Either of the two following suggestions kept the small White edge: [ 26.g3 ] [ 26.e3 although this advantage is nominal. ] 26...b8 27.g3 c8 28.c5 b8 29.e3 f1 30.f2 b5 31.e3 f1 At this moment it was sensible to shake hands. Zorko plays bravely but the net effect is to invite the Black Bishop to a better square. 32.a4 g2 33.d2 d5 34.c4 The crux of White's winning try but I feel it is misguided for the following reasons: 1) Black's Rook comes stra ight into the game. 2) From a position of a mutual stand-off, where Black can do nothing, the game suddenly becomes unclear. bxc3+ 35.xc3 f6 36.b4 g5 Game on! 37.fxg5 fxg5 38.d1 [ 38.hxg5 g8 39.d2 xg5 40.c3 g4 41.d3 c4 42.d1 e4 is hardly desirable. ] 38...gxh4 39.gxh4 g8 40.xh5 g3+ 41.c2 h3 42.e2 xh4 43.c3 h3+ 44.c2 h2 45.d3 h1 46.c2 h2 47.d3 e5 48.dxe5+ xe5 Must be drawn now but for the first time in this game, Vukovic spies a chink of light and plays with renewed energy. It is now White that has to fight for the draw. 49.c1 h3+ 50.c2 b3 51.b1 a3 52.e1 e4+ 53.d2 d4 54.d1?? The defence was difficult. Perhaps the only way was [ 54.c1 a2+ 55.e1 b2 ( 55...d5 56.d1+ c3 57.b5= ) 56.c4+ e3 57.c3+ f4 58.c4= ] 54...a2+ 55.c1 c3 56.e3+ d3 57.xd3+ xd3 58.f3 c3 59.b1 a3 My impression is that 6...Bf5 is a better move than 6... b5. White can expect an edge. 0-1
410 Ashton,Adam Baburin,Alexander 4NCL Nottingham ENG (8) [Andrew Martin]
B02 2299 2523 10.04.2005
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c3 xc3 4.dxc3 I remember playing the Alekhine a long time ago and quickly came to the conclusion that 4 dxc3 is nothing for White. Sure, he gets active piece play ... for a few moves...and then as soon as Black catches up with development, problems with the pawn structure begin to loom large. d6 5.f3 dxe5! [ 5...c6 is less reliable, due to 6.b5 g6 7.f4 g7 8.exd6 cxd6 9.d2 followed by long castling. ] 6.xd8+ xd8 7.xe5 e6! Has the twin merit of being less common than 7...Ke8, forcing the opponent to think for himself, and at the same time being not at all a bad move. The main difference is that the Black King has c8 as flight square if needed and of course, Black develops a piece. ...f7-f6 is on the cards, to be followed by maybe ....Bg4 or, ...Bf7 and then...e7-e5! [ 7...e8 8.b5+ d7 Meanwhile ( 8...d7 9.f4 f6 10.xd7 xd7 11.xd7+ xd7 12.0-0-0+ c6 13.g3 e5 14.f4 exf4 15.xf4 e8 Lopez Martinez, J-Jimenez Villena, F/La Roda 2004 is a typical scenario. W hite is slightly worse due to his pawn structure. His initiative is illusory he has no pieces left to attack with!) 9.xd7 xd7 10.f4 c6 11.e2 e6 12.c4 c5 is not much for White either, despite the two Bishops. In fact the Bishops tilt the game towards equality. 13.c3 e7 14.d1 a5 15.d3 hd8 16.e2 f6 17.h3 d7 18.a4 ad8 19.c2 xd1 20.xd1 e4 21.c2 e5 22.c1 d6 23.d3 h6 24.f3 f5 25.d1 f8 26.b3 f6 27.c2 e4 28.f4 1/2-1/2 Rozentalis, E-Volzhin, A/ Zakopane 2000 ] 8.e3 d7 9.0-0-0 e8 [ Maybe 9...c8 i s b e t t e r : 10.d3 f5 11.g3 e4! 12.g1 f3 13.d2 e6 14.d4 c5 15.e3 e7 16.h3 h5 17.e1 c6 18.d3 g5 19.f4 g4 20.g2 xg2 21.gxg2 f5 22.ge2 h6 23.d1 c7= Radulov, I-Letzelter, J/Vraca 1975 416
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black is untroubled. I guess the problem I have with 9... Ke8 is that if Black really wanted to put his King on this square, why not play it immediately and not commit his Bishop? It's all about playing the opponent and giving him problems to solve. ] 10.f3 g4 11.e2 e5 [ The modest 11...e6 12.h3 h5 13.g4 g6 should perhaps have been preferred. ] 12.h3 f5 13.he1 f6 14.c4! e4 15.h4 g5 16.f3 c5 [ 16...c6 17.f5 ] [ 16...xc2 17.xc2 gxh4 18.f4 ] 17.f7+? White has been playing extremely well so far but now he loses his bearings. Instead [ 17.xc5! keeps an edge: xc5 18.fxe4 gxh4 19.d5! b6 ( 19...d7 20.d2 e7 21.e3 ) 20.b4 e6 21.b5+ ] 17...xf7 18.xd7+ e6 In principle, every exchange should favour the guy with better pawns. 19.xc5 xd7 20.xe4 gxh4 21.xh4 h5! Cutting the White Rook out of the g file. Now Black can target g2. 22.e4 ag8 23.e2 g3 24.d2 hg8 Conclusion 4 dxc3 isn't good for anything other than the occasional surprise. Either 7... Ke8 or 7...Be6 are comfortable enough. 0-1
nowadays, however the Ukranian GM Vladimir Baklan plays it with great success. [ 4.dxc3 is the alternative and we'll consider it in Rozentalis-Volzhin. ] 4...d5 After this move a long fight with a blocked centre and much manoeuvring will normally arise. [ Another possibility is 4...d6 After the natural 5.f4 Black has a choice. A) 5...f5 can hardly be good as the Bishop is clearly misplaced here: 6.f3 dxe5 7.fxe5 d5 8.e2 c6 9.0-0! xe5 10.xe5 xe5 11.d4 a5 12.b1! and Black's position is barely defensible: e6 13.xb7 d6 14.b5+ e7 15.e2 g6 16.g5+ f6 17.d5! with an unstoppable attack was LisitsinTolush, Moscow 1948.; B) 5...dxe5 6.fxe5 d5 7.d4 c5 was played in Tal-Podgaets, USSR 1970 where Black failed to equalise: 8.f3 c6 9.e2 g4 10.0-0! cxd4 11.cxd4 e6 ( 11...xf3 12.xf3 xd4+ 13.xd4 xd4 14.xb7 b8 15.b1 is just bad f o r B l a c k .) 12.b1! d7 13.g5! Tal at his best! Most players would play 13. c3 without much thought. xe2 14.xe2 e7 ( 14...xd4 15.e4 is very dangerous for Black) 15.c3 xg5 16.xg5 h6 ( After 16...0-0 17.g4 h8 18.f3 W hite's attack is very strong.) 411 B02 17.c1 B1) Again Black can't castle in view of Baklan,Vladimir 2552 17...0-0 18.xh6! with a crushing attack: Miroshnichenko,Evgenij 2500 gxh6 19.g4+ h7 20.f6 g8 Alushta 1999 ( 20...h8 21.bf1 af8 22.xh6+ [Alexander Volzhin] xh6 23.f6+ h7 24.h5+ g7 25.g5+ h7 26.h6# ) 21.f4 g7 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c3 xc3 22.xh6+ g8 23.h4 f8 24.h8+ This natural move is definitely the best. g8 25.h7 e7 26.f1 with mate [ After 3...e6 4.d4 d6 5.e4! White is soon.; better. The game Baklan-Marchev, Zagan B2) 17...e7 18.f3 d5 19.c4 b6 1995 continued: c6 6.f3 e7 7.c3 0-0 20.c5 d5 21.c6! Tal executes the 8.d3 a6 9.e2 b5 10.h4! Starting a attack very energetically. bxc6 22.a3! direct attack on Black's King. b4 11.c4 b6 Now the Black King has to stay in the 12.eg5 g6 13.h5! dxe5 14.xh7! centre of the board forever. The rest is This well calculated blow destroys the Black easy ( for Tal, of course!) f5 23.exf6 K i n g ' s s h e l t e r . xh7 15.hxg6+ g8 gxf6 24.b3 d8 25.fb1 h7 26.g3 16.xe5 xe5 17.h5! xd3+ 18.f1 b6 27.xb6 axb6 28.g8+ e8 g7 19.h6+ g8 20.g5 In view of 29.xh7 and Black resigned; unavoidable mate Black resigned. ] C) 5...c6 6.f3 dxe5 7.fxe5 d5 8.d4 4.bxc3 This old line is not so popular 417
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 g4 9.e2 e6 10.0-0 e7 Unlike in TalPodgaets Black hasn't played an early ... c7-c5, and due to this important saved tempo he has time to complete his development. Nevertheless W hite has good prospects for a Kingside attack. The game Bilek-Larsen, Sousse 1967 continued: 11.g5 xe2 12.xe2 0-0 13.h5 ( 13.g4! intending Rf3-g3 or Ne4 is even stronger.) 13...xg5 14.xg5 e4 15.a3 fd8 16.f2 d7 17.af1 and White had strong pressure on the Kside ] [ 4...c5 5.f4 d6 6.f3 g6 In my opinion, this set-up is worthy of serious attention. Obviously Black can choose another move order such as 4...d6 5.f4c5 7.d4 g7 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 dxe5 10.fxe5 c6 11.f4 g4 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 cxd4 14.xc6 bxc6 15.cxd4 d5 16.c3 c5 17.b3 fd8 18.e3 cxd4 19.cxd4 f6 20.exf6 xf6 and Black was clearly better in HenningsGipslis, Havana 1971. ] 5.d4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e2 g4 [ 7...e6 is also playable. After this move the position looks similar to a Winawer French. ] 8.b1 b8?! The usual move in this position. However after this game it is unlikely to be played any more. [ 8...d7 seems to be more solid. 9.c4!? White tries to seize the initiative at any cost. A) 9...e6 In my opinion the best. 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0-0 cxd4 12.xd4 xe2 13.xe2 c5 14.f4 d8 15.e6!? fxe6 16.h5+ ( T h e t e m p t i n g 16.xe6? as played in Shilin-Tobak, Polanica Zdroj 1999 is weak in view of xe6 17.e1 xf2+! 18.xf2 0-0+ 19.g1 d7 and Black is a clear pawn up.) 16...g6 17.xg6 f7 18.f4 xh5 19.xh5 b6 with chances for both sides in a complicated endgame; B) 9...dxc4 is risky: 10.d5 xf3 11.xf3 ( 11.gxf3 i s d u b i o u s i n v i e w o f d4 12.xc4 f5! and Black is OK) 11...xe5 12.e2 b5 13.f4 and White has a strong initiative which is clearly worth the sacrificed material; C) 9...cxd4?! Definitely far from best. The alternatives are: 10.cxd5 xd5 11.xb7 e6 12.0-0 c5 13.b5! 14.c4 is
threatened and Black has no adequate defence against this move! d3 The only move. 14.xd3 xd3 15.xd3 b6 16.e3 xf3 17.gxf3 0-0 18.f4 xe3 19.fxe3 and after a few more moves Black resigned in Baklan-Schneider, Antwerp 1999. ] 9.e6! A very strong novelty. [ After the usual 9.0-0 e6 Black has no problems. ] 9...xe6 10.f4 c8 11.xb7 The Rook is very active, and is a bone in Black's throat. c4 The only move, otherwise 12.Bb5 is very nasty. 12.g5! d7 [ 12...f5 is strongly met by 13.g4! xg4 14.xg4 and White has managed to hinder the comfortable development of Black's Ks i d e s i n c e h6? is bad in view of 15.e6! fxe6 16.g6# ] 13.g4 e6 14.f3! White must play very actively, otherwise Black will complete his development. The text creates threats on the f 7 s q u a r e . f6 Now it may seem that White has run out of ideas, but he finds an excellent resource. 15.xd7!! xd7 16.xf7! [ T h e t e m p t in g 16.xd5+ is not so good: e7 17.d6+?! ( 17.f3 with some compensation deserves attention.) 17...e8 18.xe6 fxe6 19.xe6 xd6 20.xd6 b8! parrying the attack. ] 16...h5 [ 16...xf7 is hardly better: 17.xd5+ e8 18.xe6 b7 19.xc8 xc8 20.0-0 and the position is similar to the game. ] 17.h3 xf7 18.xd5+ e7 19.g5+ e8 20.xe6 c7 21.xc8 xc8 22.0-0 Now it's clear that Black's position is hardly defensible. W hite has three pawns for the sacrificed piece, (and will probably win the pawn on c4) as well as a strong attack on Black's King. e7 23.e1 d7 24.b5 a6 25.xc4 d8 26.d5! xg5 [ 26...a5 is hardly better in view of 27.xa6 xg5 28.xa5+ c7 29.a6 and with five (!) pawns for the piece and a strong attack White is easily winning. ] 27.dxc6 d2 28.c7+ c8 [ 28...d7 also loses by force: 29.f7+ c6 30.c8+! xc8 31.e6+ c5 32.a7+ c4 33.xa6+ xc3 34.xc8+ ] 29.b1 d7 30.a4+ This move is good 418
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 enough to win, but [ 30.c8+! is quicker: xc8 31.b7+ d6 32.b6+ e7 33.e6+ ] 30...xc7 31.xa6 d7 32.b7+ e8 33.e6+ d8 34.b8+ c7 35.b6+ d7 36.b5+ Black resigned. An excellent performance by Vladimir Baklan! However despite this convincing victory, I don't think that this line is really dangerous for Black. Black has several solid possibilities: I particularly recommend you pay attention to the set-up used in the game Hennings-Gipslis. Thus we can conclude that this system is playable for both sides, and that there is much scope for further investigation. 1-0
412 Dolzhikova,Kateryna Pavlov,Sergey1 Independence Cup A (9) [Andrew Martin]
B02 2248 2459 20.08.2005
BERSERKER 1.e4 f6 2.c3 d5 3.e5 fd7 4.e6!? Spielmann's move from long ago, which leads to sharp complications, but which objectively should be fine for Black as long as he knows what he is doing! fxe6 5.d4 c5 An e m ine n t ly p la ya ble m o ve . Ma y I a lso suggest 5...g6: [ 5...g6! 6.h4 g7 7.h5 f8 8.h6 ( 8.d3 c6 9.hxg6 hxg6 10.xh8 xh8 11.e3 e5; 8.f3 c5! ) 8...f6 9.g4 g8 10.g5 h8 11.f3 e5! 12.dxe5 ( 12.xe5 xe5 13.dxe5 c6 ) 12...c6 intending ...Bg4 ] 6.f3 [ 6.dxc5 is given as the 'main line' on ECO, and then c6 7.f3 g6 8.h4 g7! 9.h5 a5! Relying on development to see him through. 10.d2 xc5 11.hxg6 hxg6 12.xh8+ xh8 13.b5 b6 14.e3 d8 15.c3 f8 16.b3 a6 17.bd4 e5 18.xc6 bxc6 19.0-0-0 c7 20.b6 b7 21.c5 e6 Csapo-Blatt Hungary 1991 ] 6...c6 7.b5 g6 8.e2 g7! 9.xe6? [ 9.dxc5 however unattractive, had to be played. I prefer Black after a6! 10.xc6 bxc6 because how is White ultimately going to be able to resist the Black centre, given that 11.xe6?? fails to e5 But 9 Qxe6 is
disastrous. ] 9...cxd4! 10.xc6 [ 10.xd5 de5-+ ] 10...bxc6 11.xc6 dxc3! The diagonal h8a1 is very long indeed. 12.f4 [ 12.xa8 cxb2 13.xb2 xb2 14.b1 a5+! is a motif known from the Pirc. Black's active pieces overwhelm the White King: 15.d2 b6 16.c6+ d7 17.c7 c3-+ ] 12...cxb2 13.d1 a6! 14.g5 [ So that if 14.xa6 b6! 15.xb6 axb6 16.e2 e5 17.g3 d4 and the b2 pawn is a winner. ] 14...c8 15.c7 b7 White walks a fine line after 4 e6. You better hope your opponent doesn't know what to do or you are likely to suffer a crushing reverse! 0-1
413 Escudeiro Tilve,Ramon Piay Augusto,Diego II Open, Poio (1) [Andrew Martin]
B02 2285 2002
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.c3 xd5 4.xd5 xd5 Playing against this type of thing is a question of attitude. Above all it's important not to be disgusted about White's apparent lack of ambition-just be thankful that he has given you such easy equality. I show some recent games where, by and large, Black is not troubled . 5.d4 [ 5.f3 g4 ( 5...e5 6.d4 e4 7.e5 e6 8.c4 d6 9.xe6 xe6 10.0-0 d6 11.f4 f5 12.h5+ g6 13.g5 0-0 14.h4 f6 15.g3 g7 16.h5 c6 17.e3 xe5 18.fxe5 e6 19.ad1 ad8 20.c3 xa2 21.g5 d7 22.f6+ f7 23.hxg6+ hxg6 24.f2 g8 25.fd2 d5 26.c4 xc4 27.d5 c5+ 28.h1 e3 29.h4 e8 30.e6 exd2 31.exd7+ xd7 32.dxc6+ xc6 33.c3 e8 34.xd2 b5 35.a1 e4 36.a5+ b6 37.f6+ d6 38.c3 a6 39.b4 e7 0-1 Kuznetsov, Y-Glukhov,M/Capital of Siberia Open, Novosibirsk RU 2002 (39)) 6.e2 c6 7.h3 ( 7.d3 e6 8.a3 d6 9.e3 h5 10.h3 0-0 11.0-0 xf3 419
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.xf3 e5 13.g3 xb2 14.b1 xa3 15.xb7 a6 16.xc6 xc6 17.xa7 ab8 18.a2 b4 19.e2 h5 20.h4 fb8 21.c4 b1 22.d4 xf1+ 23.xf1 f3 24.e2 b1+ 0-1 Phanikanth,J-Skytte,R/ Proclient Cup, Olomouc CZE 2002 (24)) 7...h5 8.0-0 e6 9.b3 d6 10.c4 e4 11.b2 xf3 12.xf3 f4 13.e1 h2+ 14.f1 0-0 15.c2 e5 16.xc6 bxc6 17.c5 e7 18.xe5 h1+ 19.e2 xg2 20.g1 xg1 21.xg1 f6 22.xc7 fe8 23.d1 d8 24.c4+ h8 25.f7 g8 26.xd8 axd8 27.xa7 1-0 Lafortune,GTardits,A/II Open, St Chely d'Aubrac FRA 2002 (27) ] [ 5.f3 A) 5...e5+!? 6.e2 c6 7.b3 d4 8.a4+ d7 9.b4 xc2+ 10.d1 xb4 11.f3 f6 12.c4 a4+ 13.e1 c2+ 0-1 Rodriguez Pazos,J-Aguiar Macineiras,S/ XVIII Open, Ferrol ESP 2002 (13); B) 5...xf3 6.xf3 f5! 7.b5+ ( 7.d3 c6=; 7.d4 d7!= ) 7...c6 8.a4 d7=; C) 5...c6 6.e2 f5 7.xd5 cxd5 8.b5+ c6 9.xc6+ bxc6 10.d3 e5 11.e2 c5 12.e3 b6 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14.xb6 axb6 15.d4 e4 16.he1 he8 17.d2 g4 18.a1 xe2 19.xe2 d7 20.e3 f5 21.h4 h6 22.h5 f8 23.f4 e6 24.e3 c5 25.d1 a8 26.b3 fb8 27.a3 c4 28.g3 f7 29.xf5 g8 30.e5 f8 31.d2 b5 32.xd5 ae8 33.c6 f5 34.d5 b8 35.d6 c8+ 36.b7 d8 37.c7 ff8 38.d7 f7 39.e3 1-0 Mrkonjic,N-Balazs,G/2nd Summer Open, Savaria HUN 2002 (39) ] [ 5.c4 e5+ 6.e2 e6 7.f3 f6 8.0-0 d6 9.d4 h5 10.g5 g6 11.h4 f6 12.d3 f7 13.c5 fxg5 14.cxd6 cxd6 15.xg5 f4 16.g3 xd4 17.g6+ d8 18.xd4 1-0 Olias Munoz, F-Sanz Chacon, C/Madrid 2002 (18) ] [ 5.c3 e5 6.h3 c6 7.a4 f5 8.c4 d7 9.a4 0-0-0 10.b5 d3 11.e2 c5 12.0-0 h5 13.xd3 xd3 14.d1 h6 15.a4 g6 16.h2 a5 17.e1 h4 18.h1 f5 19.g1 e4 20.f3 xg1 21.xg1 exf3 22.xf3 xf3 23.e6+ xe6 24.gxf3 e1+ 25.f2 de8
0-1 Sadiqi,A-Cubas,J/ Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002 (25) ] 5...c6 [ 5...g6 6.c4 d8 7.f3 g7 8.e3 0-0 9.c2 f5 10.d3 xd3 11.xd3 e5 12.0-0-0 c6 13.d5 e7 14.g4 h6 15.h4 f5 16.gxf5 gxf5 17.dg1 f4 18.c5 h8 19.e4 b5 20.xe5 f5 21.xg7 xg7 22.g1+ f6 23.xe7+ xe7 24.g6# 1-0 Van der Veen,R-Velema,S/6th HZ Open, Vlissingen NED 2002 (24) ] [ 5...f5 6.c4 e4+ 7.e3 e5 8.a3 c6 9.e2 exd4 10.g3 e6 11.xf5 xf5 12.xd4 0-0-0 13.d3 d7 0-1 Gaillard, BTherkildsen,T/Open, Le Touquet FRA 2002 (13) ] 6.f3 [ 6.e3 f5 7.f3 b4 8.c1 xa2 9.h4 xc2 10.xc2 xc2+ 11.xc2 0-0-0 12.f3 e6 13.e2 b4+ 14.d2 xd2+ 15.xd2 b1+ 16.d1 e4+ 17.e2 xe2+ 18.xe2 f6 19.0-0 e5 20.dxe5 fxe5 21.xe5 d2 22.g4+ b8 23.b3 e8 24.c4 d3 25.b1 xb3 26.c1 c3 27.b1 xc4 28.f3 c6 29.h3 e7 30.g4 c3 31.g2 c7 32.a1 b6 33.b1+ c5 34.a1 b5 35.a6 d6 36.d1 b4 37.f3 b3 38.a3 b2 39.xc3 b1 40.xc6+ d7 41.a6 e8 42.d6 f8 43.d5 b8 44.c6 e5 45.f3 a5 46.a6 f7 47.a8+ e7 48.a7+ f6 49.a6+ g5 50.b6 h4 51.b5 0-1 Neethling,C-Maeckelbergh,M/Olympiad w, Bled SLO 2002 (51) ] 6...g4 7.e2 0-0-0 8.c3 e5 9.c4 b4+ 10.d2 a5 11.d5 e4 12.g5 xe2 13.xe2 he8 14.xe4 f5 15.dxc6 d4 16.cxb7+ xb7 17.xb4 xb4+ 18.f1 d2 0-1
414 Hector,Jonny Kengis,Edvins Haninge (Sweden) (9) [Nigel Davies]
B02
1992
1.e4 f6 2.c3 d5 3.e5 d4 4.exf6 dxc3 5.fxg7 cxd2+ 6.xd2 xg7 7.f3 [ Prior to Balashov's introduction of this move 420
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 (in the 1974 Alburt game given below), White used to play 7.h5 ] 7...c6 Hector's opponents have tried a number of moves with truly miserable results: [ a) 7...d6 8.0-0-0 c6 9.c3 h6+ 10.b1 0-0 11.g3 f5 12.b5 ad8 13.e2 g6 14.xg6 hxg6 15.xg7 xg7 16.xc6 bxc6 17.d4 gave White an endgame edge in Hector - Grujic, Malm0 1998 ] [ b) 7...d4 8.c3 g4 9.xg7 xg7 10.0-0-0 Hector - Blees, Kecskemet 1987 ] [ c) 7...xb2 is extremely risky - White's pieces are being developed at lightning speed and the position is wide open. A game Balashov - Timoshenko from the 1989 Moscow Ch., went on 8.d1 d6 ( 8...d4 9.e2 g4 10.b3 f6 11.f4 gave White excellent attacking chances in Balashov - Alburt, USSR Ch., Leningrad 1974. ) 9.c4 f6 10.e2 c6 11.c3 xc3+ 12.xc3 b4 13.b5 xc3+ 14.xc3 d7 15.d5 c8 16.0-0 with Black's king still trapped in the centre. ] 8.b5 d6 [ Or 8...0-0 9.xc6 bxc6 10.c3 xc3+ 11.xc3 d5 12.d1 e4+ ( 12...xg2 13.d3+- ) 13.e2 a6 14.d2 ad8 15.f3 e6 16.f2 Hector - Daillet, Cannes 1989. One of the big problems with this line for Black is that even if he avoids getting mated in the middlegame, he often finds himself with a poor pawn structure for the endgame. ] 9.c3 0-0 10.xc6 xc3+ 11.xc3 bxc6 12.e2 a6 13.d1 e6 14.e3 xe3 15.fxe3 Ex-Soviet GM s don't usually expect to lo se s ligh tly wo rse e nd ga me s against W esterners. But this one's in for a big surprise. fd8 16.xd8+ xd8 17.f1 e5 18.f5 e8 19.g5+ f8 20.h5 g7 21.h4 b8 22.b3 c8 23.a4 a6 24.c1 f6 25.d3 b5 26.c4 b6 27.c5 Hector's fancy rook moves have given him a big plus, with Black more or less completely tied down. The harvest of pawns is about to begin. f7 28.a4 b7 29.xc6 a7 30.c5 a5 31.d2 e7 32.c3 f5 33.g3 h5 34.e4 h3 35.d2 h4 36.gxh4 a8 37.d3 h8 38.xc7+ d6 39.a7 xh4 40.a6+ e7 41.f2 d7 42.xa5 xh2
43.e3 g2 44.c4 g3+ 46.e2 c3 47.d3 c2+ 49.b4 1-0
415 Hector,Jonny Mas,SJ Copenhagen (Denmark) [Nigel Davies]
45.d2 f3 48.e3 g4
B02
1990
1.e4 f6 2.c3 d5 3.e5 fd7 4.e6 [ This pawn sac is White's sharpest option, and once again Hector has his own ideas. The fact that in a later game (against H i l l a r p ) H e c t o r a v o i d e d t h i s w i t h 4.d4 doesn't tell us much - he might simply have wanted to avoid any 'home cooking' whilst landing his opponent in unfamiliar territory. After e6 5.f4 c5 6.f3 we get a Steinitz variation of the French. ] 4...fxe6 5.d4 g6 6.h4 g7 [ 6...f6 is no better as White plays 7.h5! anyway: g8 ( 7...xh5 8.xh5 gxh5 9.xh5+ d7 10.f3 g7 11.h6 f6 12.xd5! exd5 13.xd5+ e8 14.h5+ d7 15.0-0-0 led to a quick win for White in Bellon - Kovacevic, Karlovac 1979) 8.hxg6 hxg6 9.f3 c5 10.e5 c6 11.b5 d7 12.xc6 xc6 13.e3 a5 14.f3 b4 15.0-0-0 c4 16.g4 g5 17.h5 Hector Schoen, Malmo 1988 ] 7.h5 f8 8.f4! Another of Hector's ideas, clamping down on the e5 square. c5 9.b5 a6 10.f3 d7 11.e5 a5+ 12.d2 xd2+ 13.xd2 c4 Burgess ('The Complete Alekhine') gives no comment on this complex endgame. Personally speaking I would not want to play Black - the extra pawn is useless and he is under severe pressure. 14.a4 gxh5 15.e2 g6 16.xh5 0-0 17.xg6 hxg6 18.g3 [ And not 18.xg6 f6 19.xe7+ f7 etc. ] 18...e8 19.ae1 f7 20.e2 fc8 21.he1 e8 22.c3 h6+ 23.f4 g7 24.h4 f6 25.xf6 [ Choosing to force matters but Black m a n a g e s t o h a n g o n . 25.g5 was an interesting alternative, keeping the 421
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 tension for the time being. ] 25...exf6 26.g4 xb5 27.axb5 c7 28.xf6+ g7 29.d7 b6 30.e3 d8 31.e5 f8 32.g3 f6 33.h3 h8 34.xh8 xh8 35.g4 g7 36.e3 xb5 37.h1 f8 38.g5 d6 39.f3 f7 40.d7 xg5+ 41.g4 d8 42.xg5 xd7 43.h6 f7 44.xg6 e7 45.f5 exf5 46.xf5 d8 47.c6 e7 48.e6 d7 49.c6 e7 50.e6 d7 ½-½
416 Hector,Jonny Sergeev,Vladimir Open Berlin (Germany) (7) [Nigel Davies]
B02
1995
1.e4 f6 2.c3 d5 3.e5 fd7 4.e6 fxe6 5.d4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.b5!? Hector's move, fighting for control of the d4 and e5 squares. g6 From a statistical point of view, this certainly looks like the best shot Black develops his kingside and challenges for the key dark square. The alternatives have held out for a maximum of 25 moves: [ a) 7...e5 8.dxe5 e6 9.g5 d4 10.g4 e7 11.xh7 xc2+ 12.d1 xa1 13.xd5 exd5 14.g5 xe5 15.h5+ 1-0, Hector - Konopka, Bundesliga1997 ] [ b) 7...cxd4 8.xd4 xd4 9.xd4 a6 10.d3 c7 11.0-0 c5 12.e2 d7 13.h5+ d8 14.e1 b5 15.f4 c6 16.ac1 b7 17.f7 c8 18.e2 d8 19.h5 c4 20.e5 b7 21.b3 c5 22.c4 c6 23.c7# 1-0, Jirkovsky Smejka, Czech Team Ch., 1994-5 ] [ c) 7...a6 8.xc6 bxc6 9.0-0 g6 10.e1 f6 11.dxc5 g7 12.f4 0-0 13.e5 h6 14.d4 h5 15.h4 f4 16.g4 g7 17.d4 xe5 18.xe5 c7 19.g3 b8 20.b3 d7 21.e3 f7 22.f4 f8 23.f1 g5 24.ce2 gxf4 25.xf4 0-1, Dobrowolski P.(2376) - Oliwa M.(2370), Poland 1994 Ch Poland ] 8.dxc5 White should not allow himself to be distracted from the priority of central control. [ 8.h4 looks far too optimistic g7 9.dxc5 d4 ( 9...xc5 10.e3 d6 11.h5 d7 a l s o l o o k e d ve r y s e n s i b l e i n B a l o g h -
Miroshnichenko, Budapest 1999) 10.xc6 dxc3 11.xd7+ xd7 12.xd7+ xd7 13.b3 c6 14.e3 d8 15.d1 0-0 and Black had a strong position in VinnikovSedina, Ukrainian Ch., Lutsk 1986 ] 8...g7 9.e3 a5 [ The following year Madsen varied with 9...0-0 but after 10.0-0 c7 11.e1 de5 12.d4 d7 13.e2 xd4 14.xd4 f4 15.e3 f7 16.f4 c6 17.b5 d8 18.c3 W hite still maintained his hold on the ce n t re (He cto r - Ma d se n, Co p en h a ge n 1996 ] 10.0-0 0-0 11.b1 a6 12.xc6 bxc6 13.e1 c7 14.g5 e5 15.d4 f5 16.h3 f7 17.xg7 xg7 18.a4 e5 19.b6 b8 20.c4 e6 [ 20...e6 might have been better but I still like White. Black's centre is immobile and more of a target than a strength. ] 21.b4 h5 22.f4 exf4 23.xe6 f3 24.g3 g5 25.cxd5! A strong exchange sacrifice which recaptures the initiative. xe6 26.dxe6 f8 27.b3 e5 28.d7 d8 [ After 28...xe6 29.xf8 h3 30.xf3 Black's dreams evaporate ] 29.e3 d5 30.xf3 xf3 31.xf3 f5 32.a3 a8 33.g2 a7 34.b8 f6 35.xc6 a8 36.d3 c8 37.d8 e5 38.a4 f8 39.b7 c7 40.a5 xe6 41.b3 fc8 42.f3 d7 43.c3 b7 44.b5 axb5 45.axb5 f6 46.e4 xb5 47.d5 e6+ 48.c4 b7 49.d4 b1 50.f4 e7 51.c6 d6 52.b5+ xc6 53.a7+ b7+ 54.xc8 xc8 55.d4+ d7 56.e5 b7 57.f6 b5 58.g7 h5 59.h4 e5 60.d3+ c6 61.fxe5 xe5 62.xh7 e6 63.h6 c7 64.g4 1-0
417 Hector,Jonny Van der Werf,Mark Open Berlin (Germany) [Nigel Davies]
B02
1993
1.e4 f6 2.c3 d5 3.e5 e4 4.ce2 The critical move, aiming to gain time against Black's errant knight. f6 [ The other method of disrupting White's 422
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 plans is with 4...d4 when the main line runs 5.c3 c6 6.xd4 xd4 7.a4+ c6 8.xd4 xd4 9.cxd4 g5 . In this position Hector came up with a new move in 10.d3!? which left Black with very little for his pawn after ( 10.c4 e6!? 11.d3 b5 12.xb5 cxb5 13.xg5 d5 14.f3 e6 gave Black very annoying play for his pawns in Hector - Werner, Andorra 1988 - and both 10... Ne6 and 10. ..b5 are good alternatives) 10...e6 ( 10...e6? 11.h4 wins a piece) 11.e2 g6 12.e4 c7 13.b3 h6 14.h4 in Hector - Anagnostou, Komotini 1992 ] 5.d3 g5 6.xg5 fxg5 7.h4 g4 8.f4 f5 [ An attempt to improve on the older 8...g6 after which 9.d4 h6 10.d3 a6 11.e2 gives Black insufficient compensation for the g-pawn that's about to drop. ] 9.ge2 [ 9.d4 looks like a reasonable alternative ] 9...c6 10.g3 d7 11.d4 b4 12.e6 d6 [ 12...xe6 13.c3 c6 14.e2 intending to ca s tle , e lim in a te th e b ish o p o n e 6 a n d recapture the g4 pawn would be very unpleasant for Black. Understandably he tries to confuse the issue, but Hector maintains a vice-like grip. ] 13.xf5 xf4 14.e3 g3 15.f3 xf3 16.gxf3 gxf2+ 17.xf2 0-0-0 18.c3 a6 19.h5! Sealing in Black's f8 bishop gives W hite a strategically won game. The rest requires little comment. c6 20.xa6 bxa6 21.f4 g8 22.f5 g6 23.hxg6 hxg6 24.ag1 g7 25.xg6 f6 26.hh6 xg6 27.xg6 c5 28.g4 h8 29.f6 xf6 30.xf6 exf6 31.dxc5 e8 32.xf6 d8 33.e3 e7 34.f7+ xe6 35.xa7 e5 36.xa6 b8 37.b6 1-0
3.c3 Hubner plays for fun these days I guess. However, the resulting positions from 3 Nc3 can be anything but fun for Black if he gets it wrong. Keres used to favour 3 Nc3 it suits attacking players who like free piece play. xc3 4.dxc3 g6?! [ 4...d6 5.f3 dxe5 6.xd8+ xd8 7.xe5 e6 was seen in the recently covered game Ashton-Baburin. No doubt uncomfortable with the thought of an early endgame against Hubner, Junge deviates. 4...g6 is uncommon and I'm guessing will remain so. Black is putting his head into the lion's mouth. ] 5.f4 As long as the pawn remains on e5, Black will find it difficult to free himself, so Hubner indulges in a bit of over-protection before launching the inevitable assault with h2h4. [ 5.f3 g7 6.c4 0-0 7.f4 d6 8.e2 g4 9.0-0-0 c6 10.e6 f5 11.e3 xf3 12.gxf3 e8 13.h4 also looked pretty uncomfortable for Black in Samuelsson, LSafranska, A/ Debrecen 1992 ] 5...g7 6.e2!N So that if Black plays . ..d7d6, White promptly castles long and goes for the throat. [ 6.d2 0-0 ( 6...d6 7.0-0-0 c6 8.b5 d7 9.f3 dxe5 10.h6 f6 11.e3 c8 12.he1 a6 13.xc6 xc6 14.xe5 f5 15.xc6 bxc6 16.g4 xg4 17.c5 a4 18.g7 g8 19.d4 1-0 Grabczewski, RGawlikowski, S/Poznan 1962) 7.0-0-0 c6 8.f3 d6 9.exd6 exd6 10.h6 g4 11.xg7 xg7 12.e2 e8 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 f6 15.he1 ab8 16.b3 e5 17.e4 d7 18.g3 c6 1/2-1/2 Myagmarsuren, L-Kraidman, Y/ Skopje 1972 ] 6...c6 7.0-0-0 a5 8.b1 0-0 9.f3 a6 10.d4! A strong move. a) It's very difficult to shift this Knight without making major concessions. b) h2-h4 is imminent and then 418 B02 maybe h5, hxg6 and Qe3-h3. Chess is an Huebner,Robert 2624 easy game when you have five moves in a Junge,Kai 2259 row. b5 11.h4 b4 12.c4 Why open any lines BL 0405 Preetzer TSV - OSC Baden Baden (9.5) at all? c5 13.h5 b7 14.e3 It's all coming true! e6 15.xe6 dxe6 [Andrew Martin] [ 15...fxe6 16.hxg6 hxg6 17.xd7+- ] Now a miniature, where Hubner trounces the 16.d3 fd8 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.de1 d7 Alekhine in fine style. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 19.h3 The attack requires little comment. b3 423
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.axb3 d4 21.h7+ After 21 ...Kf8 22 Bh6 is curtains. By no means a great game, but very direct and easy to understand. 1-0
7. Who would have thought that only 5 moves earlier White had no development advantage at all! f6 14.f4! White is ready for a decisive attack, so this move which opens central files suggests itself. Now W hite's initiative progresses without any obstacles. e6 [ 14...exf4 15.h5+ f7 16.be1+ e7 419 B02 17.xe7+ xe7 18.b4+ , winning the Keres,Paul Queen. ] Mikenas,Vladas 15.fxe5 d7 Black was relying on this move it URS 1968 seems that he will recapture on e5 and castle [Alexander Volzhin] queenside, completing development 1.e4 f6 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.ge2 successfully. However an unpleasant surprise awaits him. 16.exf6!! xg3 17.fxg7 c5+ g4 [ Unfortunately, Black can't recapture the [ 4...c6 This developing move is natural pawn: 17...xg7 i n v i e w o f 18.e1!! and good, moreover it contains very nice a n d W h i t e w i n s a p i e c e b a c k : xe1 trap. 5.g3? This seemingly natural move 19.bxe1 xc3 20.xe6+ d8 21.dxc3 lose by force! g4! 6.g2 d4! 7.xd5 with a decisive material advantage. ] ( 7.h3 was the only move to avoid immediate loss, although Black already has a huge 18.h1 g8 19.e1! [ 19.e2 is inferior in view of the unexpected a d v a n t a g e i n t h e e n d g a m e a f t e r xc3 0-0-0! 20.xe6 d6! and Black has little to 8.dxc3 f3+ 9.xf3 xf3 10.xd8+ xd8 worry about. ] 11.g1 e5 ) 7...xd5! The point! Here this idea doesn't work. Incidentally this combination is typical and 19...d6 has occurred plenty of times in different 20.xe6+ d8 21.xg8+ c7 22.xb7+! openings. One example: 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 xb7 23.b1+ b6 [ 23...c7 is no real improvement: 24.a5+ 3.Nc3 g6 4.d4 ed 5.Nd5 Bg7 6. Bg5 Nge7? b6 25.f7+ and the pawn queens. ] 7.N:d4! B:d4 8 Q:d4! 8.f3 xf3 9.f1 g2 a n d W h i t e r e s i g n e d , G i b b s - S c h m i d , 24.f7+ c7 25.g1! The last move of a brilliant combination, foreseen by Keres when Lugano, 1968. ] [ 4...g6 is not bad either: 5.xd5 xd5 he sacrif iced the piece on move 16! Now 6.c3 d8 7.b3 g7 8.b2 0-0 9.g3 Black has no threats while White's g7-pawn is d7! 10.g2 c6 11.xc6 xc6 about to queen. d8 [ 25...h2+ 26.f2 g3+ 27.f1 ] Bla ck alrea d y is b e tt e r. 12.h4?! d6 26.c5 xd3 27.cxd3 h2+ 28.f2 g3+ 13.0-0?! This move doesn't fit with previous one. d4 14.e4 c6! 15.e1 xc2 29.e2 Black resigned. An excellent game! Black has a clear extra pawn and won in a 1-0 few moves, Horvath,C-Dede,1997. ] 5.h3 xc3 6.bxc3 f5 B02 [ Later Mikenas tried to improve with 6...xe2 420 The game Lisitsin-Mikenas, USSR, 1968 Markovic,Miroslav 2517 continued: 7.xe2 c6 8.d4 e6 9.b1 c7 Andonov,Bogomil 2364 10.e3 d7 11.c4 e7 12.d2 0-0 TSGM June Belgrade YUG (6) 20.06.2002 13.0-0 ad8 14.c3 e5 and Black has [Glenn Flear] solved any major problems, although White keeps small advantage. ] Note how this line occurs via the 7.b1 d5?! I don't like Black's last two Scandinavian (Centre Counter) move-order. moves. Now White firmly seizes the initiative. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6 3.c3 The same 8.g3 c8 9.c4 a5 10.b2 c6 11.c3 position arises from 1 e4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 exd5 c7 12.d3! e5 13.0-0 It's interesting to Nxd5. xd5 4.c4 c6 Both 4...e6 and 4... compare this position with that after the move Nb6 are better-known. 424
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 4...b6 5.b3 c6 6.f3 f5 7.0-0 e6 8.e1 e7 is solid. ] [ 4...e6 can also be met by 5.f3 when A) 5...b4 6.b3 8c6 7.ge2 a5 8.a4+ d7 9.a3 d5 10.xd7+ xd7 11.xd5 ( 11.d3!? c5 12.xd5 exd5 is a better try for something out of the opening ) 11...xd5 12.xd5 exd5 K a l i n i n a - M e l a m e d , S l o ve n i a 1 9 9 9 i s frankly dull.; B) 5...b6 6.b3 e7 7.ge2 0-0 8.d3 c6 9.0-0 a5 10.f4 c6 11.fe1 xb3 12.axb3 d5 and Black had easily equalized in D. Jere-M.Kopylov, Golden Cleopatra 2002 ] 5.f3 A few years ago a young Galkin tried to defend this line three times as Black against Skatchkov and lost each time. Now increased popularity has led to Black's resources being b e t t e r u n d e r s t o o d . e6 6.ge2 d7 Natural but there are other ways of handling the Black position [ 6...b6 7.g3 h5 8.h4 d7 9.d3 7f6 10.g5 b7 11.xd5 exd5 12.e5+ d7 Olcayoz-Gaprindishvali, Turkey-Georgia 2002 and Black's king found a safe square on c7 and soon grasped the initiative. ] [ The experimental 6...f6 turned out to be better for White in Skatchkov-Galkin, Russia 1997 after 7.h3 d7 8.0-0 7b6 9.d3 f4 10.xf4 xf4 11.e1 g6 12.b3 g7 13.a3 e5 14.e3 xe3 15.dxe3 e6 16.ad1 because Black then castled long allowing the strong manoeuvre Ne4-d6. H o we v e r B l a c k s h o u l d h a ve p l a ye d f5! and his position looks sound. ] 7.d4 xc3 8.bxc3!? An interesting decision. White allows the doubling of his pawns but the d-pawn is thus well protected. Instead if White captures with the queen then despite his space advantage Black can play for a timely ... c5 and dissolve White's centre. d6 9.d3 c5 10.0-0 c7! Much better than automatically castling. Black threatens the hpawn but has a second idea in mind. 11.g3 c4! Closing things up and obtaining the d5square for his knight. 12.e2 f6 13.g5 d5 14.f5!? Trying to complicate as o t h e r wi s e W h i t e h a s n o t h i n g o u t o f t h e opening. xh2+ 15.h1 exf5 [ 15...0-0 looks dangerous after the simple
16.g3 ] 16.xd5 d6 17.xc4 xc4 18.xc4 The smoke has cleared but despite the equal ma t e ria l t h e a sym m et ric p a wn s le a d s t o i n t e r e s t i n g c h a n c e s f o r b o t h s i d e s . f4 19.fe1+ f8 20.f3 h6 21.h4 f5?! [ 21...d7 was better as after 22.d3 c8 23.c4 b6 Black has the centre under control. ] 22.d3 xd3 23.cxd3 g5 24.f2 g7 25.c4 White's central pawns are more dangerous than Black's kingside. Indeed he has potentially the better bishop so W hite must be better. b4 26.e4 b6 27.b1 a5!? Not ideal but it's out the way of White's pawns and it does cover e1. 28.d5 he8 29.b2 f5 30.d4+ f7 31.ee2 ad8 32.a4 e1 33.g1 a5 Black waits to see what White is intending. 34.f1 h5 35.e5 xe5 36.xe5 c8 37.b5 d2 38.d6!? A reasonable try. White activates his rook at the risk of exchanging this pawn for one of Black's kingside phalanx. e6 39.d4 e3 40.d7 d8 41.e5+ d6 42.d5+ e6 43.e5+ d6 44.c3 xd7 45.xf5 c8 46.e2 g8 47.e5 h4 48.d4 [ 48.f6? allows an unfortunate pin f8 ] 48...g4 49.fxg4 [ 49.f7 is messy after h3! ] 49...xg4 50.f8+ b7 51.f7+ a6 52.f1 [ 52.b8? is weak in view of xg2+ 53.f3 f2+ 54.e4 a5 ] 52...xd4! A clever way of obtaining a drawn ending. 53.xd4 f3 54.d7 fxg2+ 55.g1 h3 56.c5 f4 57.h2 f1 58.g1 bxc5 59.h7 a1 60.xh3 xa4 61.xc5 b5 62.f2 a5 63.xg2 a2 64.f3 a4 65.e3 a3 66.h8 c2 67.e4 a2 68.d4 g2 69.d3 b4 70.b8+ a4 71.h8 [ Not 71.c4 c2+ 72.c3?? xc3+ ] 71...b3 72.e5 f2 73.g8 f3+ 74.e2 f5 75.d4 a5 76.a1 c2 77.b8 a3 78.b2+ ½-½
425
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 421 Nagy,Bence Kahn,Evarth FSIMB August (11) [Andrew Martin]
B02 2355 2307 15.08.2006
It is rare that we encounter an entirely new variation these days. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.f3 d6 4.c3!? I haven't seen this variation played before. If the coming evidence is anything to go by, it lends itself to brutal, short games. dxe5 5.xe5 xc3 [ 5...e6 is unnatural, although Black can still achieve coherent development: 6.f3 c6 7.c4 d6 8.d4 d7 9.xd7 xd7 10.0-0 g6 11.xd5 xd5 12.xd5 cxd5 13.c3 g7 14.e1 0-0 15.f4 e6 16.a3 b5 17.g3 a5 18.d6 fc8 19.h4 c6= Seidov, Z-Logdahl, H/Dos Hermanas 2004 ] 6.f3N I presume this is one of the 'points'. White angles for a lead in development and early tactical skirmishes, in the style of the open game. But af ter Black's next move, there really is nothing to fear. [ Yet 6.bxc3 seems to have been played relatively frequently, continuing in the same, t r a p p y s t y l e : d7! I think this is the most reliable move. Black picks up a couple of tempi exchanging off the aggressive White Knight. ( 6...f5 should get roughly treated: 7.f3! c8 8.c4 e6 9.xf7! g8 10.g4 g6 11.g5 c6 12.xe6 e5 13.e2 d8 14.xe5 e7 15.a3 f6 16.b5+ c6 17.xb7 xa3 18.xa8+ e7 19.xa7+ d6 20.xa3+ c5 21.a6+ e5 22.0-0-0 xg5 23.de1+ e4 24.xe4+ xe4 25.e2+ 1-0 Plasman, HRiefel, J/Deventer 1997) 7.xd7 xd7 8.f3 c6 9.c4 xf3 10.gxf3 e6 11.d3 c5 12.0-0 0-0 13.d1 h4 14.d4 d6 15.d3 xh2+ 16.f1 e5 17.e4 exd4 18.cxd4 fe8 19.xb7 h3# 0-1 Fernandez Arroyo, C-Asensio Diaz, J/ Almendralejo 2003 ] [ 6.c4?! is another 'try'. Look at the effect on Black here! A) O f c o u r s e h e s h o u l d p l a y 6...d5! when the complications after 7 Nxf7 are merely brief and hardly advantageous to White. 7.xf7 ( 7.f3? e6 ) 7...xf7 8.f3+ g8! 9.xd5+ e6 10.xb7 xb7
11.xb7 d5!-+ ( 11...d7 is also winning. ); B) 6...d4?? V e r y p o o r . 7.xf7+ d8 8.dxc3 xd1+ 9.xd1 e6 10.e2 c5 11.f4 d6 12.ad1 c7 13.xd6 xd6 14.d1+ 1-0 Braun, G-Schaefer, O/ Badenweiler 1995 ] 6...d5 7.xc3 d7 Logical, as per the previous note. 8.d4 [ 8.f3 e5! 9.xc7 ( 9.c4 e4+ 10.e2 d6= ) 9...c5 gives Black the initiative. ] 8...e6 9.e3 xe5 Opening the d file seems wrong. [ Instead, Black should think about co n tin u in g de ve lo p me n t a n d t h u s 9...a5 Intending .. Bb4 and setting a cute trap: 10.a3 b4! 11.axb4 axb4 12.xa8 bxc3 13.xc8+ e7 14.xh8 ( 14.xc7 cxb2 15.xd7+ xd7 16.xd7 b1+ 17.d2 xd7!-+ ) 14...cxb2-+ ] 10.dxe5 d7 11.e2 [ I prefer 11.d1 and after c6 12.xc6 xc6 13.f3 White is a fraction better. His refusal to change down gears costs him the game. ] 11...c6 12.b3 xg2 13.0-0-0 c6 14.hg1 e4 15.f4 a4 16.xe6+?? Bizarre. Nagy has an hallucination. [ Just 16.xa4 xa4 17.f3 was indicated. ] 16...fxe6 17.h5+ g6 18.xg6 The point. xc2+! Counterpoint and quite decisive. 19.xc2 e4+ This ' variation' is no better or worse than a lot of lines against the Alekhine and may give White a small edge. An early ... Nd7 is recommended to Black, after which he can count on equality. 0-1
422 Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter Bagirov,Vladimir Cuxhaven [Alexander Volzhin]
B02 2410 2525 1994
1.e4 f6 2.c3 d5 3.e5 e4 [ 3...d4 is possible immediately, but after 4.ce2 black has nothing better than A) 4...d3 5.f4! ( 5.cxd3!? d5 wit h a m p le co m p e n sa t io n) 5...dxc2 426
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 6.xc2 leads to a serious advantage for white.; B) 4...e4 transposing to the game, as ] 4.ce2 d4 5.c3 White should undermine the d4 pawn as soon as possible, otherwise black will strengthen it with a comfortable game. One example: [ Filtzer - Bronstein, 1959 5.d3 c5 6.b4 e6 7.f3 c5! This temporary pawn sacrifice leads to an excellent position for black 8.bxc5 c6 9.b2 b6! 10.c3 ( 10.cxb6 xb6 11.b1 b8 is too dangerous for white) 10...bxc5 11.c1 b8 12.a1 a5 13.d2 g6 14.cxd4 xd2+ 15.xd2 b4 16.g3 cxd4 17.a3 d5 18.e2 h6 19.xd4 0-0 and despite being a pawn down black is better, as it is very diff icult f or white to complete his development. ] 5...c6! [ Of course, 5...dxc3 6.bxc3 is bad for black, as white has an overwhelming advantage in the centre. ] 6.cxd4 [ 6.xd4 doesn't promise white any a d va n t a ge , a s b la ck o b t a i n s su f f icie n t c o m p e n s a t i o n f o r a p a w n a f t e r xd4 7.a4+ c6 8.xd4 xd4 9.cxd4 g5 10.c4 e6 11.e2 c7 12.d3 a5 13.a4 e6 14.d2 d5 15.c3 b4 as the game Yakovich - Kengis, 1984 proved ] 6...g5 7.f4 e6 8.f3 exd4 [ Black has no time f or moves like 8...a6 because of 9.d5! xd5 10.d4! and black will be smashed after Nc3, d5 etc. ] 9.exd4 xd4 10.a4+ c6 11.b5 d7 12.e6! xe6 [ 12...fxe6 is insufficient, as after 13.e4 White has a lot of threats. ] 13.e5 d7 14.xc6 bxc6 15.xc6 e6 16.0-0 White is slightly better, as he has a development advantage and Black's pawn structure is weak [ Besides the text, 16.b3! and /\\ Bb2+/= also is worth considering. ] 16...e7 17.d4 b8 18.f5 White plays for a direct attack. exf5 19.xf5 f6? This panicinduced move is clearly a mistake. After this black's king will never find a safe place. [ The paradoxical 19...0-0! was possible, as 20.xd7 b4 21.c6 b6 leads to
equality. ] 20.d5 Now black's position is truly m is e r a b le . d6 21.f4 xc6 22.xc6+ d7 23.e1+ d8 With the king in the centre black can hardly hope to hold the position. 24.a6 e8 25.c1! e6 [ 25...e6 26.xd6+! cxd6 27.a5+ b6 28.xa7 c6 29.a5+ d7 30.b5 threatening d5, and after d5 31.b7+ wins ] 26.xa7 xb2 27.a8+ e7 28.g8 ee2 29.xg7+ e8 30.g8+ e7 31.g5!+xf4 32.g7+ d6 33.xd7+ xd7 34.g4+ So as we can see, 2. Nc3 deserves serious attention. I wonder why it is relatively rarely played. Probably white doesn't want to give black the chance to transpose to other openings, for example, 2... e5 leads to the Vienna game, 2...d5 3.e5 Nfd7 4.d4 e6 is the French, and even the Pirc may occur after 2... d6 3.d4. But anyway, if you play 1.e4 you should be ready for these openings! 1-0
423 Novitzkij,Dmitrij Kupreichik,Viktor D 70th ch Minsk BLR (1) [Andrew Martin]
B02 2408 2464 04.03.2004
1.e4 f6 2.c3 We don't see this variation too often. Possibly White was running scared of Kupreichik's attacking skills and wanted to run the game into a quiet branch line. Of course 2 Nc3 is OK, but it's not very sharp. d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.g3 A move is a move. Why should Black let W hite settle on the long diagonal? He has ways of mixing it up. xc3 5.bxc3 And here's another. I quite like 5..Qd5, which equalizes immediately by the way, but the Queens come off early which might not be to everyone's taste. d7 This is one of them. [ 5...d5! 6.f3 e4+ 7.e2 xe2+ 8.xe2 b6 9.d3 b7 10.g2 d7 11.e1 e6 12.f1 e7 13.f4 0-0 14.c4 d6 15.e5 xg2+ 16.xg2 fd8 17.c6 xf4 18.xd8 d2 19.c6 xe1 20.xe1= Meyer, U-Schlawin, M/Senden 2 0 0 3 B l a ck h a s f e w p ro b le m s t o s o lv e here. ] 427
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 6.g2 c6 7.f3 g6N Inventive as ever, Kupreic hik tries to com e u p with a n ove l winning attempt. A Black Bishop on g7 will intimidate this particular W hite pawn formation because if White ever gets around to playing d2-d4, then Black prepares ... c7-c5, with pressure. [ 7...d7 8.d4 f6 9.0-0 e6 10.f4 d6 is less energetic but perfectly viable. Black is equal here too. 11.d2 ( He should settle for 11.e3 0-0 12.c4 with equal chances.) 11...0-0 12.e5?? xf3 13.g5 xg2 14.xf6 xf6 15.xf6 gxf6 16.xg2 c6-+ 0-1 Vilar Rodriguez, M-Alonso Macias,V/ Santiago de Compostela 2002 This should n o t b e a s d i sa st ro u s a s W h it e m a d e i t seem. ] [ 7...e6 is sometimes played: 8.0-0 A) 8...e7 9.e1 g5 10.f1 d5 11.e3 f6 12.c4 f5 13.d4 e4 14.e2 xc2 15.e5 xe5? ( 15...g4! ) 16.xe5 g6 17.d5 d7 18.xg5 f6 19.dxe6 fxe6 20.b5 f8 21.b2 g6 22.xb7 c5 23.xc7 d3 24.xc2 1-0 Brendel, O-Grosshans,R/Frankfurt 1999; B) 8...d7 9.d3 e7 10.b1 0-0 11.e1 f6 12.c4 e8 13.d2 xg2 14.xg2 b6= Guyot,P-Hauchard, A/ France 1993 Summarising this information I feel that Black is equalizing in virtually every conceivable logical line. I fail to understand why White tries this variation apart from as I say to dampen the ardour of a violent attacker or to completely avoid the main lines. ] 8.0-0 g7 9.e1 0-0 10.d4 d7 11.g5 e8 Back at the chicken shack Black is lo ok ing f o r a p a wn brea k. He's got go o d development and comfortable squares for his pieces. If he could only play .. e7-e5 now he might stand better. White moves to stop him. 12.c4 h6 13.f4 e6 14.d5 exd5 Opening up the Rook, only to be exchanged unfortunately. He could have played ...Ba4 immediately: [ 14...a4 15.b1 e5 16.e3 ( 16.d2 b6 17.c3 e4 18.d4 c5 ) 16...b6 17.d2 f5 ] 15.cxd5 xe1+ 16.xe1 a4 17.b1 b6 18.d3 This looks a shade better for White
than the previous variation, where there were two c pawns to defend. d7 19.c4 c6! A correct move, breaking up the centre before the d pawn becomes dangerous. 20.dxc6 [ 20.e3 e8 21.d6 e6 22.c5 d5 23.xd5 cxd5 24.xd5 c6 25.d2 is rather risky for W hite who for his extra pawn faces a game-long defence on the light squares. ] 20...xc6 21.xd7 xd7 22.xc6 bxc6 Both players seem happy with this equal ending. W hite gets his Rook active first but cannot nurse his weak pawns at the same time. 23.b7 b6! 24.c7 [ If 24.c5 d5 25.d6 e8 26.d3 a5 27.a7 c3! and Black is fine. ] 24...g5 Nudging the Bishop out of position. 25.e3 xc4 26.xa7 e5! 27.xc6 xa7 28.xc4 ...Rxa2 is next when there is nothing left to play for. A short game but full of quality ideas. The 2 Nc3 variation and subsequent positions is important because it can arise from a Scandinavian move order as well. I feel that 4 g3 whilst unusual isn't very effective if Black gets on the case immediately, disrupting W hite's plans. 4...Nxc3 5 Bxc3 Qd5! seems particularly good. ½-½
424
B02 Nuevo Perez,Antonio 2195 Vera Gonzalez Quevedo,Reynaldo 2546 Open Malaga (2) 26.02.2000 [Gary Lane] 1.e4 c5 2.c3 f6 3.e5 d5 4.d4 cxd4 5.f3 c6 6.cxd4 d6 7.c3 e6 8.xd5 exd5 9.d3!? [ 9.e2 is the main alternative and has the merit of avoiding the pin with ...Bg4. ] 9...g4 [ 9...dxe5 10.dxe5 b4+ 11.d2 xd2+ 12.xd2 0-0 13.0-0 g4 14.e2 xf3 15.xf3 1/2-1/2 M.Mueller-G.Moehring, Senden 1999. ] [ 9...e7 10.0-0 0-0 11.h3 A) 11...e6 12.e1 h8 13.exd6 xd6 14.g5 xg5 15.xg5 f5 16.d2 f4 ( 16...xd4 17.f4 d7 18.e3 a4 19.e5 c6 20.xg7+ xg7 21.xe6 428
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is good for White) 17.b5 f3 18.g4 xg4 19.hxg4 d7 20.h4 xg4+ 21.g3 h5 22.h2 h4 23.g1 hxg3+ 24.xg3 xd4 25.g5 f4 it is interesting just to see how Black goes wrong in such a good position ( 25...xf2+ 26.h1 d4 wins ) 26.h3+ g8 27.g1 e5 28.hg3 h8 29.d3 af8 30.a3 xg5 31.xg5 d4 32.h5+ g8 33.h7+ h8 34.f5+ g8 35.e6+ f7 36.xd5 and White had turned the tables and was winning in V. Chikovani-J.Zhitin, Tallinn 1997.; B) 11...e8 12.e1 e6 13.b1 dxe5 14.xe5 f6 15.b3 c7 16.b2 g6 17.f4 with equal chances, M.Mueller-M. Heinelt,Kassel 1999. ] 10.b3 [ 10.0-0 e7 11.e1 0-0 12.b1 dxe5 13.dxe5 b4 14.d2 xd2 15.xd2 xf3 16.gxf3 the wrecked kingside pawn structure is a long-term problem. h4 17.xd5 ad8 18.e4 h6 19.c2 d4 20.e3 xe3 when the king is weak it pays to keep the queens on the board ( 20...h5! 21.ad1 h4 ) 21.xe3 e8 22.e4 d2 23.xc6 bxc6 24.b3 and White had a plus due to the extra pawn, P.Varley-A.Longson, Birmingham 1999. ] 10...xf3 11.gxf3 [ 11.xb7 xd4 12.gxf3 dxe5 is winning for Black. ] 11...dxe5 12.xb7 xd4 Black is a pawn up and the knight covers the vital b5 square so the check with the bishop on d3 would not be effective. 13.e3 c5 14.c1 b8 15.a6 White's initiative has run out of steam and now he must watch Vera go on the off ensive. xf3+ 16.e2 xe3 17.b5+ Finally, White is able to deliver a check to prevent Black from castling. However, on f8 the black king is fairly safe in contrast to White whose king is exposed. f8 18.fxe3 e4 19.c6 [ 19.cd1 keeps the game going because g5? runs into 20.d6+ g8 21.xb8+ d8 22.xd8# ] 19...g6 20.hc1 g5 0-1
425 Nurkic,Sahbaz Leventic,Ivan TCh Neum BIH (3) [Glenn Flear]
B02 2415 2424 26.08.2002
1.e4 f6 2.e5 [ 2.c3 d5 ( 2...e5 is of course OK but it's not an Alekhine!) 3.e5 e4 4.ce2 is considered in ECO as a route to an edge after 4...d4. However in a number of games Black has been fairly successful with f6!? for instance 5.d3 g5 6.xg5 fxg5 7.h4 g4 8.f4 g6 9.g3 h6 10.ge2 c6 11.d4 f5 12.g2 b4 13.0-0 c6 14.c3 a6 15.c4 e6 and Black had a rock-solid position J.Hector-J.Eriksson, Skara 2002. Despite his 200-odd point def icit Blac k never looked in trouble and drew comfortably. ] 2...d5 3.c4 b6 4.c5 d5 5.c4 e6 6.g4!? Unusual but Nurkic has played this before. Usual are 6 Nc3 and 6 d4, for instance [ 6.c3 xc3 ( 6...xc5!? ) 7.dxc3 c6 8.f4 h4 9.g3 e7 10.b4 g5 11.e3 xe5 12.d4 g7 13.e2 d6 14.cxd6 cxd6 15.h4 d7 16.hxg5 xg5 17.h5 g6 18.h3 with a sharp struggle in PoschBaburin, Vienna 1995 ] [ 6.d4 b6 7.cxb6 xb6 8.d3 d5 9.exd6 Otherwise Black has a promising Frenchstyle position. cxd6 10.f3 b7 11.0-0 e7 12.c3 0-0 and Black has no real problems Kruglov-Pushkin, Russia 1992 ] 6...b4! as White no longer defends c2 this move complicates White's development plans. [ Nurkic-Corvi, Toscalano 1996 continued 6...c6 7.f3 f5 8.g3 keeping an eye on g7 to f rustrate Black's development. b6 9.cxb6 axb6 10.0-0 a6 11.xa6 xa6 12.c3 a5 13.d4 g8 14.d2 e7 15.a3 f7 and Black's control of the d5square doesn't compensate having a lack of space t o co-o rdinat e h is pie ces . W hit e developed a dangerous passed a-pawn in subsequent play. ] 7.a3 b6 8.d4 a6 9.e4 This doesn't look very dangerous for Black but White needs to defend both c2 and d3. xc4 10.xc4 [ 10.xa8?? loses to d5 11.xa7 8c6 12.a4 xg2 etc. ] 429
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 5.f4!? d6 6.f3 g4 7.d4! dxe5 ( 7...c5! looks more to the point, counter-attacking the centre before W hite can complete his development.) 8.fxe5 e7 9.d3 0-0 10.0-0 with the more comfortable game for White Szilagyi-M.Kovacs, Budapest 1974. ] 5...c6 6.d4 d6 7.d3! More dangerous than [ 7.f4 dxe5 8.xe5 e6 9.0-0-0 a5 10.b1 d7 11.g3 f6= Pacual ArevaloGarrido Moreno, Spain 2002 ] 7...dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.g3! The combination of the queen on g3 and the pawn-wedge on e5 created difficulties for Black. The g7-square is under observation and the knight cannot come to f6 to defend. a6 10.f3 b4 11.0-0 xd3 12.cxd3 The bishop pair is not really an important feature here as the position remains fairly closed. In particular, the bishop on f8 can only b e d e ve l o p e d a f t e r p l a y i n g t h e h o r r i b l y weakening ...g6, so Black prefers to leave this piece at home. Unfortunately Black's king thus stays in the centre. d7 13.e3 c5 14.a3 f5 [ 14...0-0-0 fails to 15.xc5 xc5 16.fc1 and Black will lose a pawn. ] 15.fc1 d4 [ 15...xd3 16.xc5 xc5 17.xc5 0-0 18.d4 would yield White a pleasant positional edge. ] 16.d2 a5 By keeping the queenside under 426 B02 c o n t r o l B l a c k h o p e s t o g a i n t i m e f o r Oral,Tomas 2549 development, but White is having none of it... [ 16...xd3 allows the strong blow 17.e6! Pribyl,Josef 2409 and ideas such as Ne5, Ng5 and Re1 lead KB Czech Open (8) 26.07.2002 to White winning material. ] [Glenn Flear] 17.b4! Something has to give. Black's opening strategy is left in ruins. a6? Hopeless. A 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c3 e6 [ 3...xc3! 4.bxc3 d5 5.d4 c5 could be a better chance was [ 17...cxb4 18.axb4 a4 19.c4 xd3 ice for Black who would seek counterplay 20.xd4 b5 despite 21.e6!? against the compromised white queenside, looking dangerous. ] much as in a French Winawer. ] [ But not 3...b6?! which looks distinctly 18.bxc5 e7 19.xg7 f8 The game is won dodgy despite Shabalov having played it for all intents and purposes. White now found 4.d4 d6 5.f4 g6 6.e3 g7 7.f3 0-0 a series of elegant blows to put his opponent 8.0-0-0 d7 9.e2 a6 10.h4 for instance out of hismisery! 20.c6! bxc6 21.ab1 a8 as in Mastrovasilis-Aliev, Baku 2002 yields 22.e6! fxe6 23.e5 d5 24.b7 f6 25.g5! xg7 26.e7+ d8 27.xc6+ good attacking chances for White. ] 4.xd5 exd5 5.f3!? A relatively recent idea. c8 [ 27...xc6 28.xg7+ e8 29.e7+ d8 The queen intends to pressurize the black 30.xh7+ e8 31.e7+ d8 32.xc6 kingside early in the game.
10...8c6 11.f3? A suspicious-looking gambit. Equality with [ 11.a3 d5 12.cxb6 w a s s a f e r . ( or 12.e3 )] 11...bxc5 12.dxc5 xc5 13.0-0 f5! After this thematic move White is unable to maintain much pressure for the pawn. Nurkic's idea has been well-countered by Leventic. 14.exf6 xf6 15.ce5 f5 16.xf5 exf5 17.f4 d6 18.a3 d5! [ 18...xe5 19.xe5 dxe5 ( 19...d3?! 20.xg7 g8 21.d4 is o n l y e q u a l) 20.axb4 xb4 21.xe5 maintains the extra pawn but leaves Black with loose-looking structure. ] 19.xc6 xf4 20.ad1 f7 21.g3 e6 22.b4 b6 23.a4! White has to keep hammering away before Black consolidates. a5! Temporarily giving back the pawn but obtaining the valuable c5-square to anchor t h e b i s h o p . 24.d5 f6 25.bxa5 c5 26.e1 he8 27.f1 g6 28.h4 a6 W ith everything now tidied up this simple move leads to a complete disintegration of White's "position". 29.cd4 xd4 30.xe8 xf3 31.d3 e5 32.d2 xa5 33.a2 h5 34.g2 f7 35.d8 b6 36.e2 xa4 37.f4 g4 38.h8 e3+ 0-1
430
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xc4 16.xc4 b5! 17.d4 xd4 18.cxd4 b7 19.f3 a5! 20.b1 axb4 21.xb4 e7 22.xb5 c6 23.b2 hb8-+ winning ] 12...g7 13.e2 d6 14.cxd6 cxd6 15.h4 [ 15.f4? doesn't win a piece but blunders a pawn: gxf4 16.gxf4 h4+ ] 15...d7 16.hxg5! The best. [ Here 16.f4?! doesn't achieve it's goal: gxf4 427 B02 17.gxf4 c6 18.h3 0-0-0 19.c2 f6 Posch,Werner 2175 20.fxe5 xh4+ 21.f2 xf2+ 22.xf2 Baburin,Alexander 2495 dxe5 and Black has three pawns and a Wien 1995 strong attack for the piece. ] [Alexander Volzhin] 16...xg5 17.h5 g6 18.h3! c6 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.c5 d5 19.g5? The losing mistake. [ White should try 19.f4! e4 20.f1! 5.c4 e6 6.c3 Now 21.f3 Kf3 22. Bd3 is an unpleasant [ After 6.d4 d6 7.cxd6 cxd6 suddenly we t h r e a t , s o h6 is forced, and after 21.f3 have a position from the 2.c3 Sicilian! ] h7 White has sufficient compensation for 6...xc3 7.dxc3 c6 the pawn. ] [ 7...xc5 is too dangerous 8.g4! f8 ] 19...e4 20.xg7 f3+ 21.f1 h2+ 8.f4 [ After 8.f3 Black can take the pawn xc5 22.e1 f3+ 23.f1 xd4-+ 24.f3 [ White loses everything after capturing the , and 9.Qg4 is illegal now. ] Knight: 24.xd4 h1+! 25.g1 g2+ 8...h4!? A very interesting idea of the 26.e1 xg1+ 27.d2 xa1 ] Romanian GM Mikhai Suba. This move wins a pawn by force, and white has to prove he has 24...xf3 25.f2 e5 Black is two pawns up as well as having an attack, so the outcome of sufficient compensation for it. 9.g3 [ 9.d2 xe5! That's the idea. 10.e2 g6 the game is beyond any doubt. 26.f4 0-0-0 11.xc7 xc5 12.g3 a4 13.h4 27.b5 e8 28.b1 d5 29.b4 c4 30.a4 Of course W hite has the initiative, but in b8 31.f3 e3+ 32.g2 xc3 33.xe6 Angelov - Suba, Varna 1975 he couldn't c8! 34.xd5 d2+ prove that it's worth a pawn. h5 14.f3 d5 0-1 15.b4 b6 16.d4 a6 17.d1 d7 18.c2 e7 19.0-0 c7 ] B02 9...e7 Now White has to choose which pawn 428 (e5 or c5) to sacrifice. 10.b4 Potkin,Vladimir 2471 [ 10.e2 was tried once, but White had no Neverov,Valeriy 2541 c o m p e n s a t i o n f o r t h e p a w n a f t e r xc5 St . Petersburg 2000 11.0-0-0 d5! 12.exd6 xd6 13.e3 a5 [Alexander Volzhin] in Silva - Rakic, 1981, and now the effective but not sufficient 14.d5?! led to a decisive 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.c5 advantage for Black: exd5 15.b6+ e6 [ Dan Heisman from the USA asked me 16.xa5 dxc4 17.b4 xb4 18.cxb4 xb4 about 4.a4!? This move is not played often. 19.f3 0-0-0-+ winning ] I believe Black should play a5 ( since after 10...g5 11.e3 xe5 12.d4!?N 4...d6 5.a5 6d7 6.exd6 cxd6 7.d4 [ 12.h5 was played in Schwarts the space advantage on the Q-side secures S o l o z h e n k i n , N e w Y o r k , 1 9 9 4 . g7! W h i t e t h e b e t t e r p r o s p e c t s . c6? ( O f c a u s e , n o t 12...xc4?? 13.xg5 is b a d i n vi e w o f 8.d5! xa5? 9.b4 and suddenly Black's queen is trapped!; an d W h it e wins a p ie ce . A f t e r 4 . . . a 5 I 12...h6 is also bad be cause o f 13.d4 think Black has good play since interpolation with f4 to follow.) 13.xg5 f6 14.xf6 of the moves a2-a4 and ... a7-a5 should xf6 Now White is in big trouble. 15.e2 normally favor Black. But of course, it would etc. ] 28.b4+ b8 29.xd5 xd3 30.xg7 exd5 31.e7 Oral's idea seems to create problems in the 3 Nc3 e6 system. 1-0
431
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 be interesting to test this line in practice. )] 4...d5 5.c4 e6 6.d4 b6!? [ 6...d6 is possible as well, after 7.cxd6 cxd6 the position is similar to an Alapin Sicilian. ] 7.cxb6 axb6 8.e2 [ White has also tried 8.f3 but this move didn't bring him any advantage in Machulski Gurgenidze, USSR, 1973: a6! 9.xa6 xa6 10.0-0 e7 11.c3 ab4 12.a3 0-0 13.e4 f5 14.c3 c6 15.d2 a6 16.xd5 exd5 17.c1 c7 intending 18... Ne6 and Black's chances are by no means worse. ] 8...d6 A novelty, according to my database, but in my opinion one of rather dubious merit. [ I would prefer the old 8...a6 9.xd5!? ( 9.xa6 xa6 is similar to MachulskiGurgenidze considered above.) 9...exd5 10.bc3 c6 11.0-0 e7 12.e1 0-0 13.g3 d6 and Black has a very solid position. ] 9.0-0 b7 10.b3 dxe5 11.dxe5 d7 12.g3! Now it's not easy for Black to complete the development of his K-side. e7!? (intending 13...Nf5) 13.d4 c5 14.xe6!? A very interesting piece sacrifice. It leads to a sharp position which is difficult to e v a l u a t e e v e n i n h o m e a n a l y s i s . fxe6 15.xe6 c6 16.e3 e7 17.h3 d4 18.xd4 cxd4 19.a3! c5 20.g4 h5 21.f5 f7 22.b5 xe5 23.fe1 f6 [T h e t e m p t i n g 23...xa2!? was the alternative to the text, but here W hite gets a very strong attack: 24.ac1! Intending a sacrif ice on the c5-square . ( 24.ad1 i s b a d : a f t e r f6 25.b4 doesn't work in view of g6! 26.xd4 gxf5 27.bxc5 d5! 28.cxb6 c5 and Black has a decisive advantage. ) A) 24...f6 25.xc5! xc5 26.e6+ f8 27.xa2 d3 28.g3! , threatening 29 Qb8 and White has a decisive attack; B) 24...d5 25.xc5! and White wins by force: xc5 26.e6+ f6 27.xa2 xb5 28.e6+ g5 29.h4+ f4 30.g3+ f3 31.d5+ xd5 ( 31...xd5 32.f5# ) 32.e2#; C) 24...xg2!? Other moves are even worse: 25.xg2 d5+ 26.g1 xb2 27.xc5! This blow here is as strong as it was in previous lines. xc5 28.e6+ f6
29.f3+ g5 30.h4+! h6 31.f7! and Black is helpless: xb5 ( 31...e7 32.e6+ g6 33.f4+ ) 32.e6+ g6 33.f4+ g7 ( 33...h7 34.xg6+ g7 35.f7+ ) 34.f6+ mating Black's King. ] 24.b4! White plays very inventively finding new attacking resources. g6 25.c2 d3? This allows White to win the piece back. [ 25...e6 is also bad in view of 26.b3 c8 27.c7 and White is winning ] [ In my opinion, Black should play 25...c8! 26.g3 e6 Now it's not easy for White to continue the attack although the position remains very sharp. ] 26.bxc5 dxc2 27.d7+ g8 28.xb7 d8 [ 28...a5 deserved attention. Now White can't play the tempting 29.c6 in view of xb5 30.c7 xa1! and Black wins. ] 29.ac1 [ 29.d6!? is worth considering: xd6 ( or 29...bxc5 30.b3+ h7 31.e4 f5 32.xc2 g7 33.ab1 and although the game goes on White's advantage is beyond any doubt.) 30.cxd6 xd6 31.ac1 h7 32.e4 and after winning the c2-pawn White has excellent winning chances due to his extra pawn and the weak position of Black's King ] [ By the way, the tempting 29.xb6? fails to xa1! 30.e6+ h7 31.xa1 d1+ 32.e1 xe1+ 33.xe1 h6! and Black wins. ] 29...xc5 30.xc2 h7! 31.e4 f7 32.e2 df8 Black has managed to complete his development and create pressure on the f2-square which secures him certain compensation for the pawn. 33.f1 g5 34.c4 h7 35.d4 g4! 36.e6?? A gross blunder in mutual time trouble. [ 36.f3! s h o u l d b e p l a y e d : f4 ( The tempting 36...xf3 37.xg4 xf2 doesn't work in view of 38.fxf2! and White wins on the spot: hxg4 39.xc5 xf2 40.c7+ ) 37.e6! The only move. 8f6 38.xg4 hxg4 39.e5 d6 and a draw is the most likely outcome of this exciting encounter: 40.fc1 e4 41.c4 f6 ] 36...xf2! 37.xf8+ xf8+ 38.ff2 xc4 W hite resigned since he loses a piece. An exciting game! 0-1 432
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 429 Rose,M Davies,Nigel R 4NCL Birmingham [Nigel Davies]
B02
2001
Black has a good answer to the Chase variation in protecting his knight on d5 with both ...c7-c6 and ...e7-e6 and then undermining the c5 pawn with a later . ..b7-b6. In the following game I was faced with a rabid attempt at attack, but Black's position proved very solid. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.c5 d5 5.c4 c6 6.f3 This looks like a novelty, though it may not be very good. [ The usual move is 6.c3 af ter which e6 7.d4 ( 7.e4 b6 8.d6+ xd6 9.cxd6 0-0 10.d4 a6 11.b3 f6 12.e2 c8 was rather good for Black in Szabolcsi Knezevic, Budapest 1981) 7...b6 8.cxb6 axb6 9.ge2 a6 10.b3 d6 11.xd5 was agreed drawn in Rozentalis - Kengis, USSR Ch., Daugavpils 1989. Black stands quite well in the final position. ] 6...e6 [ I a ls o c o n sid ere d t h e imm e dia t e 6...b6 , but thought that W hite would play 7.c3 anyway and force me to go ( 7.xd5 cxd5 8.xd5 c6 would give Black terrific com pen sat io n) 7...e6 . In retrospect this would have been a more accurate order of moves. ] 7.d4 b6 8.cxb6 axb6 9.h3 a6 10.xa6 xa6 11.0-0 f5 12.c3 ac7 13.f4 xf4 14.xf4 e7 [ At the time this was the only move I considered, but given the solidity of Black's position he could also go more slowly with 14...e7 . Now White gets some irritating play. ] 15.h5+ g6 16.h6 f7 [ And given my time over again in this position, I'd think about 16...f8 17.h3 g7 followed by castles. ] 17.g4 f8 18.h3 g8 [ Black could also try going to the queenside with 18...e8!? ] 19.h6 f7 20.h1 b5 21.a3 f8 22.xf8? The start of White's troubles. [ He should keep the bishops on with 22.g5 ]
22...xf8 23.f3 g7 24.g2 e7 25.ad1 f7 Little by little, Black makes some headway, the plan is to double rooks on the f-file and fish around with the queen on h4. W hite's next move shows that he's hurting, it's difficult to keep still against gradually increasing pressure. 26.gxf5? xf5 27.e4 d5 Black's knight has been waiting a long time f or t his. In t im e-troub le W hite crum bles . 28.g3 f7 29.d2 hf8 30.d3 h4 31.f2 f4 32.b3 g4 33.g2 g5 34.f2 xg3 35.e4 0-1
430 Rozentalis,Eduardas Volzhin,Alexander Poland [Alexander Volzhin]
B02 2570 2556 2000
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c3 xc3 4.dxc3 This move contradicts the well-known principle of capturing "towards the centre". But it has its points. White tries to gain an advantage in development, and maybe create pressure on t h e d - f i l e . d6 5.f3 The main line. The alternatives are harmless: [ 5.f4 c6! 6.f3 dxe5! Now Black can recapture on d8 with the Knight, retaining the possibility of castling. This is an important difference in comparison with the m a i n l i n e . 7.xd8+ xd8 8.xe5 c6 9.0-0-0 f6 10.c4 f7 11.g3 e5 12.d2 g6 13.c4 d6 14.b3 h6 15.f3 f5 16.b1 0-0-0 Black had successfully completed his development and had a clear edge in Filipowicz-Chekhov, Warsaw 1990. ] [ 5.c4 c6! 6.f3 dxe5! 7.xd8+ xd8 Again this manoeuvre is good. Black completes his development easily. 8.xe5 f6 9.d3 e5 10.0-0 e6 11.b3 d6 12.e1 g5 13.e3 f7 14.f3 c6 Again Black was clearly better in Nezhmetdinov-Spassky, USSR, 1959 ] 5...dxe5 [ 5...c6 here is not so good as after 6.b5! W hite is better as became clear several decades ago. The game Keres-Schmid, Zurich 1961 continued: d7 7.e2 dxe5 8.xe5 xe5 9.xe5 c6 10.c4 b8 433
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 11.e4 e6 12.g5! h6 13.h4 d6 14.0-0-0 c7 15.d4 e5 16.c5 f6 17.xf6 f4+ 18.d2 gxf6 19.hd1 with a huge edge for White. ] 6.xd8+ xd8 7.xe5 e8 The critical position of this line. The plans of both sides are evident. Black would be happy to exchange as many pieces as possible, as a pawn ending will obviously be easily won for Black due to his pawn majority on the K-side, while White's extra pawn on the Q-side will be useless. But there are still many pieces on the board and W hite can try to exploit the temporary lack of co-ordination of the Black piec e s. ( Re me m be r B la ck ca n't cast le ! ) 8.b5+!? An attempt at an improvement. P re vi o u s l y W h it e h a d f a i le d t o g a i n a n y advantage. [ The natural looking 8.c4 leads White nowhere: e6 9.f4 d6 10.g3 d7 11.f3 b6 12.e2 d7 13.e5 f6 14.xd7 xd7 15.0-0-0 e7 16.f3 xg3 17.hxg3 c6 and Black was slightly better in Tarrasch-Reti, Baden-Baden 1925. By the way, this was one of the first games with the Alekhine's! ] [ 8.e3 doesn't promise White any edge either: A) 8...f6 is less precise (although this m o v e i s v e r y co m m o n i n t o u r n a m e n t practice) in view of 9.d3! c6 ( After 9...e5 White can immediately undermine Black's pawn chain: 10.f4! e4 11.f2 f5 12.g4! with the initiative.) 10.f4! e6 11.0-0-0 b6 12.c4 b7 13.c5 b5 14.e2 e7 15.he1 f7 16.f2 a6 17.f3 and White had a small but clear edge in Radulov-Smejkal, Siegen 1970.; B) 8...d7! 9.f3 e5?! ( I would prefer 9...e6 intending ... Bc5 or Bd6, with comfortable equality.) 10.0-0-0 f6 11.d2 c5 12.xc5 xc5 13.c4 c6 ( 13...e6 14.f4! ) 14.f4! b5 15.e2 exf4 16.f3! and White's initiative was very dangerous in Listengarten-Bagirov, USSR 1974. ] 8...d7! [ W h i t e ' s i d e a w a s t o p r o v o k e 8...c6? after which it's very difficult for Black to complete his development. Now the d6square is unprotected which is important in many lines, for example: 9.c4 e6 10.f4
d6 11.d1 e7 ( 11...c7 12.xc6! xf4 13.d8# ) 12.xd6! ] [ 8...d7 is also not so good: 9.f4 c6 10.c4 ( T h e t e m p t i n g 10.xc6? doesn't work in view of a6! 11.a4 c5! ) 10...xe5 11.xe5 f6 12.g3 e5 13.0-0-0 and W hite can follow up with f2-f4 at the right moment, after which Black's King in th e ce n t re o f t h e b o a rd m a y b e c o m e a target. ] 9.xd7 xd7 10.f4 c6 11.e2 e6 12.c4 c5 13.c3 e7 Now we can say that Black ha s e qu alise d . 14.d1 Now 15.b4 Bb6 16. Bd6+ is threatened so Black's next move is forced. [ 14.b4 d6 is OK for Black ] 14...a5 15.d3 hd8 16.e2 f6 17.h3 d7 18.a4 ad8 19.c2 xd1 20.xd1 e4 21.c2 e5! [ Of course not 21...xf2?? in view of 22.f1 and the Knight is trapped. ] 22.c1 White still is playing for a win. [ 22.xe4 exf4 leads to an immediate draw. ] 22...d6 23.d3 h6 24.f3 f5 25.d1 f8 26.b3 f6 27.c2 e4 28.f4 Here my opponent offered me a draw, which of course was accepted as after [ 28.f4 g5 29.xd6+ xd6 30.xd6 xd6 31.fxe4 f4!? neither side can even think about playing for a win After this game I strongly suspect that White can set Black no serious problems in this line, although Black needs to play very precisely in the opening. White's moves are not as harmless as they may seem! ] ½-½
431 Rudd,Jack Palliser,Richard 4NCL Nottingham ENG (10) [John Cox]
B02 2291 2402 01.05.2005
1.e4 f6 2.c3 d5 3.e5 fd7 4.e6 An objectively probably rather unsound gambit, but one which suits Jack Rudd's swashbuckling style. fxe6 5.d4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.dxc5 [ 7.b5 is the main alternative, fighting for 434
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 comfortable play effortlessly. xc3 5.bxc3 c5 6.f3 g4 7.e2 c6 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 e6 10.0-0 c8= Karavade,EMohota,N/Asian Teams Jodhpur IND 2003 ] 4...d4 [ 4...c5 is provocative and not very good: 5.d4 e6 6.f4 ( 6.e3! is almost certainly best. White can be very direct as Black is taking his time in the opening : g6 7.f3 g7 8.h4 h5 9.c3 b6 10.g5 ) 6...g6 7.e3 g7 8.d2 b6 9.h3 e6 10.f3 c5 11.g4 c6 12.g2 d7 13.c3 c8 14.f2 e7 15.d1 a5 16.0-0 ] [ 4...f6 was played in two old games of Kengis which still stand as the benchmark: 5.d3 g5 6.xg5 ( 6.f4 g6! 7.h4 e6 8.h5 xf4 9.xf4 g5 10.g3 c6 11.d4 h6 12.exf6 exf6 13.b5 0-0 14.c3 e7 Terentiev-Kengis USSR 1983) 6...fxg5 7.h4 gxh4 8.f4 g6 9.xh4 g7 10.d4 c5 11.d3 a5+ 12.f1 cxd4 13.xh7 xh7 14.xg6+ d8 15.xh7 xe5 16.f3 c6 17.xd5 e6 18.f8+ d7 19.xa8 b5+ 20.d3 xb2 21.b6+! VorotnikovKengis USSR 1983 Black doesn't have enough for the exchange ] 5.f3!?N I have seen 5 c3 and 5 d3 but not this. Schmaltz argues that the Knight on e4 isn't running away-why attack immediately? c6 6.c3 g4 7.exd4 A small trap. xe5 [ W hich Black avoids: 7...xd4 8.a4+! d7 9.xd7+ xd7 10.xd4 ] 8.e2! d5 9.b5 It is getting very murky. By contrast [ 9.b5+ d o e s n ' t le a d t o m u c h : xb5 10.xb5+ d7 11.e5 ef6 12.xg4 xg4 13.f3 ( 13.0-0 c6 14.e2 gf6 ) 13...c6 14.e2 e5 ] 9...0-0-0 10.c4 e6 11.d4!? Already enormous complications fill the board. 432 B02 B l a c k h a s t o m a k e a j u d g e m e n t : g6 Schmaltz,Roland 2525 And he ducks the main issue. Probably it was Gikas,Basilius 2270 impossible to calculate everything and he Bundesliga 2002 intuitively rejects lines where his Knight ends up on h1. They do look good for White: [Andrew Martin] [ 11...xf3 12.gxf3 d3+ ( 12...xf3+ 13.xf3 g5+ 14.e3 f3+ 15.d1 1.e4 f6 2.c3 d5 3.e5 e4 A line which xd4 16.xd4 b6 17.c2 xd4 doesn't crop up very often but which I think is 18.d2+- ) 13.xd3 g3+ 14.e3 xh1 very playable for Black. Not however the way 15.g2 g6 16.f1 ] Gikas plays it here! 4.ce2 [ 11...d3+ 12.xd3 g3+ 13.e3 xh1 [ 4.d4 Less critical. Black obtains
control of e5 and d4, and is the favoured move of this variation's strongest modern day supporter, Jonny Hector. The crucial position arises after g6 8.e3 g7 9.dxc5 a5 10.0-0 , Hector-Sergeev, Berliner 1995, and Hector-Madsen, Copenhagen 1995. ] 7...g6 8.h4 g7 Palliser isn't bothered about preventing ...h5, and probably rightly: [ 8...f6 9.b5 g7 10.h5 ( 10.f4 0-0 11.xc6 e4 occurred in LyublinskyMikenas, Moscow 1949, when 12.e5 xe5 13.xe4 g7 was about equal.) 10...xh5 11.e3 d7 12.xc6 bxc6 13.d4 (J Petronovic-Marinkovic, Niksic 1997) ] 9.e3N [ 9.h5 has been White's invariable choice previously, although after xc5 10.hxg6 hxg6 11.xh8+ xh8 12.d3 d7 both 13.b5 (Guilbert-Komarov, Clichy 2001), and now xc3+ 14.bxc3 h8 , and 13 Bf4 Qf8 14 Bg3 Qh6 (Leitao-Milos, Santos Mario Covas 2001), are promising for Black. ] 9...a5 10.d2 xc5 11.h5 d7 12.b5? Black is doing fine here, a pawn up and about to evacuate his king to safety. Neither [ 12.hxg6 hxg6 13.xh8+ xh8 nor ] [ 12.h6 f6 worries him unduly, but the text is a weak move which is a little fortunate not to lose at once. ] 12...e4! 13.xe4 xb5 14.c5 xb2 15.0-0 c3 16.e2 c4 [ 16...c8 was perhaps even more efficient, but Black wants to force the queens off. ] 17.xc4 dxc4 18.ad1 c8 19.g5 f6 20.hxg6 hxg6 21.fe1 Taking on e6 was better, although Black should still win. e5 22.f4 exf4 23.xf4 g4-+ 24.d6 0-0 0-1
435
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.xa7+ b8 15.xe6 xe6 16.b5 c6 17.f4+ ] 12.d5 But so does this! f5 13.bd4+- e5 14.xe5 xe2 15.xg6 xf1 16.xh8 xc4 17.xf7 xd5 18.e6 f5 19.xf8 A Knight hurricane has left Black's position devastated. xf2 20.g1 xf7 21.g4 d3+ 22.e2 I think the best chance for 3...Ne4 is to follow it up with 4..f6. Both 4...Nc5 and 4.. . d4 seem dubious. 1-0
433 Sevillano,Enrico Bego,Nick North American Open (1) [Andrew Martin]
B02 2485 2002
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.c5 A question of taste this, I think. Perhaps there are so many good lines against the Alekhine that the Chase Variation has been sent to the back of the queue. Or and this is more likely, in t h e ru s h t o f o llo w t h e gre a t a n d go o d playing 4 Nf3 this aggressive little line has been forgotten. d5 5.c4 c6 6.c3 e6 Played correctly this is a perfectly adequate response. Black can attack the centre with ... b7-b6 [ 6...xc3 7.dxc3 b6 ( 7...d5 8.cxd6 exd6 9.exd6 xd6 10.f3 g4 11.e2+ e7 12.e3 0-0 13.h3 h5 14.0-0-0 b5 15.d3 d7 16.d2 c5 17.he1 xf3 18.gxf3 e5 19.b1 c4 20.c2 f5 21.xc5 xc5 22.d7 fe8 23.ed1 g6 24.a3 e5 25.a2+ h8 26.c7 b6 27.dd7 xd7 28.xd7 e1+ 29.d1 ae8 30.d2 xd1+ 31.xd1 xf2 0-1 Miele,R-Loviscek,M/Nova Gorica 2002) 8.g5 c7 9.cxb6 xe5+ 10.e3 axb6 11.f3 c7 12.g5 d5 13.xd5 e6 14.e4 g6 15.f3 g7 16.xb6 b7 17.c5 f5 18.d1 h6 19.xf5 d7 20.xg6+ d8 21.xe6+ c8 22.xg7 xa2 23.0-0 1-0 Watharow,S-Brockman,R/ Melbourne 2002 ] [ 6...d6 7.xd5 ( 7.b3 d7 8.xd5 xc5 9.c7+ d7 10.e3 xc7 11.d4 e6 12.e2 d7 13.f3 d5 14.d2 h6 15.c1 g5 16.h3 g7 17.b4 b8 18.b5
dxe5 19.bxc6 xc6 20.b3 b6 21.xf7 f8 22.g6 f6 23.xe5 xg6 24.xg6 e8 25.0-0 xd4 26.fe1 e5 27.g4 c7 28.c3 xc3 29.xc3 d5 30.c4 b6 31.c5 e4 32.f5 d7 33.xd7 xd7 34.d1+ c7 35.e5 e6 36.c4 d8 37.c1 d5 38.xd5 xd5 39.e3+ c6 40.f1 e5 41.g4 a5 42.c2 d7 43.xh6 d5 44.g4 e6 45.b2 xa2 46.b4 b5 47.e3 c6 48.g3 a5 49.b1 b4 50.h4 gxh4 51.gxh4 b5+ 52.g2 d3 53.b3 a1 54.h5 e2 55.h6 f3+ 56.g3 f6 57.d5+ g6 58.xb4 axb4 59.xb4 xh6 60.b5 g1+ 61.f4 g4+ 62.e3 g5 63.b6+ g6 64.b5 f6 65.e5 g6 66.c5 f5 67.c6+ g5 68.c8 g4 69.d8 h3 70.h8+ g2 71.g8+ f1 72.c8 d5 73.c1+ g2 74.c3 d1 75.c2 e1+ 76.f4 f1 77.e3 d1 78.b2 d3+ 79.f4 f1 80.a2 e1 81.g3 d2 82.a1+ e2 83.a4 b2 84.a3 c2 85.e3+ d2 86.b3 c3 87.b2+ c1 88.a2 d1+ 89.f4 c2 90.a4 d2 0-1 Lupi,P-Malbran,G/Buenos Aires 2002) 7...cxd5 8.xd5 e6 9.xe6 xe6 10.cxd6 g5 11.f3 xg2 12.g1 h3 13.g3 f5 14.d4 d7 15.e3 e4 16.c1 g6 17.d2 h1+ 18.f1 d5 19.c7 g7 20.h4 f6 21.f4 0-0 22.b3 a5+ 23.d2 xd2+ 24.xd2 xb3 25.xb3 fxe5 26.fxe5 xe5 27.xg7+ xg7 28.dxe5 ad8 29.e3 b6 30.d4 fe8 31.e2 h5 32.d3 g5 33.e4 g4 34.d5 1-0 Mlensky,D-Svoboda,J/Znojmo 2002 ] [ 6...a5 7.f3 ( 7.xd5 cxd5 8.d4 b6 9.d2 bxc5 10.xd5 d8 11.dxc5 e6 12.f4 c6 13.f3 xc5 14.0-0 0-0 15.c1 e7 16.a4 a5 17.e3 b8 18.d3 b4 19.xb4 xb4 20.c2 b7 21.d4 d5 22.b3 a8 23.f3 a4 24.fd1 axb3 25.axb3 b8 26.f5 exf5 27.xd5 xb3 28.c5 c8 29.d1 xc5 30.dxc5 xc5+ 31.xc5 b1 32.c1 b6+ 33.f1 b5+ 34.g1 c5+ 35.xc5 xd1+ 36.f2 g5 37.a5 d2+ 38.g3 g7 39.h4 h6 40.hxg5 hxg5 41.a3 d5 42.f4 f6 43.a7 fxe5 44.fxe5 f7 45.f3 e6 46.g4 f4 47.a6+ xe5 48.g6 d4 49.f6 d6 0-1 Acosta,P-Bulcourf, C/Buenos Aires 2002) 7...xc5 8.b3 d6 9.ge2 436
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 dxe5 10.xd5 cxd5 11.xd5 e6 12.xb7 xb7 13.xb7 c6 14.xc6+ xc6 15.0-0 c5 16.c3 d7 17.d3 ab8 18.e3 d4 19.xd4 exd4 20.a4 b4 21.b3 e5 22.c5+ d6 23.ac1 b5 24.e4+ d7 25.c5+ e7 1-0 Miserendino,A-Ligato,G/Olivos 2002 ] 7.d4 There are two other tries, but neither give too much trouble e.g. [ 7.e4 b6 8.d6+ xd6 9.cxd6 0-0 10.d4 a6! ] [ 7.g4 f5 8.g3 b6 9.cxb6 axb6 10.ge2 a6 11.d3 e7 12.0-0 f7 ] 7...b6 8.cxb6 axb6 9.g4 [ 9.ge2 a6 10.b3 d6 11.xd5= ] 9...xc3 Seeing Ne4-d6+ coming up Bego hastens to get rid of the Knight. 10.bxc3 a6! A f t e r . . . b 7 - b 6 , h e r e is B la ck' s n e xt id e a , reducing any hope of a White advantage to minimal proportions. This is hardly Sevillano's concern. He just wants to have an interesting position to play. 11.xa6 xa6 12.e2 c7 13.0-0 g6 One can understand that the Queen is worrying Black-this move looks ext re m e ly c o m m itt a l. I f W h it e cou ld ju st exchange those dark-squared Bishops now. I recommend [ 13...d5 after which I think Black is fine : A) 14.a4 d7 15.a3 ( 15.b1 a6! ) 15...c5; B) 14.exd6 b5! 15.g5 xd6 16.c4 a3; C) 14.f4 g6 ] 14.g3 h5 15.f3 b5 16.e4 e7 17.g5! He achieved his objective. Black is no w c le a rly wo rse . 0-0 18.f6+ g7 19.g3 h8 20.f4 The prelude to a nice combination which exposes all the defects in Bego' s position. e8 21.f5! xf6 22.fxg6 e4 23.xf7+ g8 24.xe7 xg3 25.xd8+- f5 26.g5 h4 27.xd7 h5 28.d2 f8 29.c7 e7 30.f1+ f5 31.g7+ e8 32.xf5 exf5 33.g5 Time and again we have seen that timid play does not work in the face of attack. Instead, in order to defend successfully counterplay must be created as soon as is humanly possible. In this particular game Bego was outplayed- he didn't like that Queen on g4 at all. 1-0
434 Soloviev,Mikhail Sharafiev,Azat Muhamedzjanov mem (5) [Andrew Martin]
B02 2294 26.01.2007
1.e4 c5 2.f4 f6!? I have often wondered about this particular move order as a try for Black, but in the rush to play 2..d5, it has been somewhat overlooked. 2..Nf6 is very playable and takes the fight to W hite immediately. 3.d3 d5 4.e5 g8 5.f3 c6 6.e3 White must now form a centre and the question is: what is the best way? 6 c3 and then d3-d4 involves a loss of time and with Black's Bishop on c8 unimpeded, it is hard to believe this will lead anywhere. [ For instance: 6.c3 g4! 7.e2 e6 8.0-0 f6 9.e1 e7 10.a3 h6 11.c2 0-0 12.h3 xf3 13.exf6 xe2 14.fxe7 xe7 15.xe2 ae8 16.d2 Lesny, S-Miklas, M/ Slovakia 1998 ] [ So to 6.e2 which was played by Larsen, but as with so many of his original ideas, his successes were due to his phenomenal talent for the middle-game: h6 ( 6...f5! 7.0-0 e6 8.c3 b6 9.h1 h5 10.d4 h6 11.bd2 g4 Sigrist, W-Dudas, J/Bern 2000 ) 7.0-0 e6 8.c3 b6 9.h1 e7 10.a3 d7 11.c2 Larsen, B-De Fotis, G/ Aspen 1968 when ...0-0 and then a quick... f6 would be pretty satisfactory for Black. ] 6...g4 7.e2 e6 8.bd2 h6 9.f2 f5 10.0-0 h5 This is very satisfactory for Black too, who even has some attacking chances on the Kingside. Where is White's play coming from? Perhaps from preparing b2-b4, but that takes an age. 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 h4 [ Just 12...b6 ] [ or 12...e7 are both perfectly decent moves if you don't fancy the coming complications. ] 13.e1 e7 14.c4 d4 15.d2 g5! I do like this move, reminding White that he may have castled prematurely, although it is rather risky.. 16.g4 [ 16.f3 gxf4 17.xc6+ bxc6 18.e4 c8 ( 18...b6 19.xf4 ) 19.f3 f8 20.e4 e3 21.xe3 fxe3 22.h5 a5 23.xf7 xf7 24.f1 e2 25.xf7+ d8 ] 16...h6 17.f3 gxf4 18.xc6+ bxc6 437
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19.e4 c7 20.f3 b8 21.b3 f5 [ 5.dxc3 is considered the main line. ] 22.xf4 White's bit better structurally, 5...d5 although he will have to shift the Nf5 before [ 5...d6 6.b5+ d7 he can claim any real advantage. Quite rightly, A) 7.xd7+ xd7 is equal ( 7...xd7?! Black continues his aggression. a5 23.ab1 allows the tricky 8.e6 when fxe6 9.g5 [ Overprotection with 23.ae1 was called for. e5 10.g4 is good news for White. ); W ith the Black King still in the centre B) 7.c4 e6 8.0-0 dxe5 9.xe5 c6 opening lines on the queenside with a4?! 10.h5 xe5 ( 10...g6 11.e2 g7 would be inappropriate: 24.bxa4! b2 12.f4 is roughly equal) 11.xe5 f6 25.b1 xa2 26.a1 b2 27.a5 d7 12.c7 b6 13.a4 d8 14.g3 28.a6 b6 29.a3 ] with equality, Kabisch,T-Kunin,V/ 23...g8 24.e4 c8 25.h2 g6 26.g4 Schwabisch Gmund 2002. ] He found away to distract Black's Knight. h6 6.d4 27.xh6 xh6 28.f4 h5 29.be1 f5! [ 6.exd6 30.f3 h7 31.a3 b8 32.b1 d7 33.f4 A) 6...xd6 7.d4 cxd4 8.cxd4 g4 g7 34.h1 g5 35.h2 f4! Very good! 9.b1 c7 ( 9...xf3? 10.xf3 c6 W hite has to survive a strong attack now. 11.c4 with excellent play) 10.h3 xf3 36.fe1 f8 37.b4 f3 11.xf3 c6 12.d5 ( 12.c3 is the calm [ 37...cxb4 38.axb4 axb4 39.xb4 f3 a p p r o a c h o f f e r i n g W h i t e a n e d g e) a ls o s e e m s p r e t t y st ro n g, b u t B la ck i s 12...d4 ( 12...e5+! is the right reply probably to correct not to touch the when 13.e3 c3+ 14.d2 e5+ queenside whilst he is operating on the leads to a draw) 13.b5+ xb5 14.xb5 other flank: 40.g1 ( 40.c5 e3! 41.gxf3 xc2 15.0-0 one can already see the root xf3 42.xe3 dxe3 43.g4 xg4 44.hxg4 of Black's problem because the queen is d8 45.b2 A move which hints that a the only piece on active duty c7 16.d6 capture on b4 earlier might be wrong. h3+ xd6 17.xb7 c8 18.a3 f6 19.g4 46.g2 g3+ 47.h2 xg4 48.xe3 e6 and Black did not wait for the queen g5 ) 40...c5 41.b2 gg8 42.gxf3 xf3 check forcing mate,1-0 Zaitsev,I-Maljutin,E/ 43.g4 c6 44.g2 a8!! 45.h2 f4+ Moscow 1996.; 46.g1 a1+ ] B) 6...e6 7.d4 ( 7.b5+ d7 8.a4 xd6 38.e4 f4! 39.xf4 xg2 40.e4?? 9.0-0 0-0 10.d4 c7 11.a3 d8 [ 40.xf8 xh2+ 41.xh2 xe5+ 42.h1 12.e2 xb5 13.axb5 d7 14.fd1 e2 43.bxc5! was forced and may lead to a with equal chances, Brnas,A-Kovacevic,V/ draw: e7 44.f4 xf2 45.b7+ e8 Pula 1996.) 7...xd6 8.d3 c6 9.0-0 46.b8+ e7= ] c7 10.e2 h6 11.d2 d7 12.a4 c8 40...xh2+ An uneven game, but Black 13.d5 e7 14.c4 ( 14.dxe6 xe6 players might like to take a closer look at 2... 15.fb1 is about equal despite White's Nf6 doubled c-pawns) 14...exd5 15.cxd5? 0-1 whoops, White is obviously not expecting to have a piece trapped in the opening c4 0-1 Gromer,R-Bogdanovich,G/ 435 B02 Untergrombach 1999. ] Staeger,Pascal 2100 6...c6 7.f4 g4 The position resembles Murey,Jacob 2490 an Advanced French which can arise after 1 Metz (5) 2003 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3. The crucial difference is that in the French the [Gary Lane] light-squared bishop is locked out of the game 1.e4 c5 2.f3 f6 3.e5 d5 4.c3 xc3 due to the e6 pawn, but here it does a good 5.bxc3 The idea is to build up a central pawn job undermining the defence of the d4 pawn. formation with d2-d4. Admittedly, this line is a 8.e2 e6 9.0-0 e7 The grandmaster is wise just to complete his development before bit unusual in tournament play. 438
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 trying to bite chunks out of W hite's pawns. 10.d2 0-0 11.e3 c8 12.ab1 b6 Safety first . If given time Black will play a timely ...f7-f6 to break the extended pawn chain. 13.e1 xe2!? [ Perhaps Murey is playing quick as usual but I suspect he could have made more of an impression with 13...cxd4 14.cxd4 b4! when the initiative is with Black. For instance: 15.d1 xe2 16.xe2 c3 17.d3?! ( 17.f3 f6 is slightly better for Black ) 17...b4 with the advantage. ] 14.xe2 d7 15.f4 cxd4 16.cxd4 b4 17.a3 a2 It seems a strange place to put the knight but it will soon return to the centre via c3. I think Black's edge is based on his superior queenside pawn structure. 18.b3 c3 19.g4 e4 20.f3 f5! A nice intervention before Staeger can make a serious attempt at attacking the king. 21.exf6 [ 21.h5 e8 22.xe8 fxe8 gives Black a very promising ending ] 21...xf6 22.h3 a4 Now that Murey feels his kingside is adequately protected he is free to wreck havoc with the queen on the other s i d e o f t h e b o a r d . 23.h5 No prizes for guessing the threat! h6 24.d1 One could argue this is a bit like resignation because the attack has obviously failed. A rearguard action is the right policy and against a lesser player White might have even sneaked a draw out of the position. Jacob Murey is just too good! c4 25.f3 b5 26.f1 a6 27.d3 ff8 28.c1 c3 The threat is ...Ne2+ followed by ...Nxc1. 29.f2 f6 30.e3 xd3 31.xd3 d1 Abandon the board is my advice to White. 32.c5 xe3 33.xe6 [ 33.xe3 xd4 wins. ] 33...g4 0-1
436 Sveshnikov,Evgeny Knezevic,M Dubna [Alexander Volzhin]
B02
1979
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.c5 This is one of the sharpest attempts to "refute" Alekhine's Defence. Advancing his
central pawns W hite obtains a space advantage. The main expert in this line is the Russian GM Evgeny Sveshnikov who invariably plays it against the Alekhine's. d5 5.c3 c6 [ 5...xc3 is not good, as it helps White's d e v e l o p m e n t : 6.dxc3! d6 ( 6...e6?! is even worse, after 7.g4! c6 8.f3 b6 9.g5 e7 10.c6! dxc6 11.d1 d7 12.a6 Black is in trouble, Utiatsky - Bagirov, 1971 ) 7.cxd6 exd6 8.c4 e7 9.f4 dxe5 10.xe5 0-0 11.xd8 xd8 12.f3 with an obvious advantage for White. ] 6.c4 [ L a t e r S v e s h n i k o v s w i t c h e d t o 6.d4 a n d wa s s u cce ssf u l in so m e ga m e s . A recent example: d6 7.cxd6 exd6 8.f3 e7 9.c4 c7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e1 d5 12.d3 e6 13.c2 g6 14.h6 e8 15.g3 b6 16.h4 with a strong kingside attack in Sveshnikov - Stavrinovs, Latvia, 1994. ] 6...d6 7.b3 White has to play this move, if he wants to fight for the advantage. [ After 7.xd5 cxd5 8.xd5 e6! 9.f3 dxe5! 10.b4 e4! Black is already better. ] 7...d7 [ 7...dxe5 seems to be somewhat dubious, although in Sveshnikov - Palatnik, USSR, 1974 Black managed to maintain the balance after 8.xd5 cxd5 9.xd5 e6 10.xb7 xb7 11.xb7 d5! 12.c8+ e7 13.c7+ f6 14.d4 c6 15.f3 xd4 16.g5+ g6 17.xe5+ xg5 18.0-0 xc5 19.f4+ h6 20.xf7+ h5 21.b7 e7 22.xh8 ( 22.b4!? xb4 23.g4+ is a very interesting attempt to continue the attack ) 22...xh8 ] 8.xd5 cxd5?! [ In Sveshnikov - Neckar, Bern 1992 Black t r i e d t h e v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g 8...xc5!? T h e g a m e c o n t i n u e d : 9.c7+ xc7 ( In my opinion, even 9...d7!? 10.e3 xc7 is possible, and White has to prove he has enough for a pawn.) 10.xf7+ d8 11.e3 d5 12.d4 e6 13.f3 g6 and now according to Sveshnikov, W hite s h o u l d p l a y 14.h4! g7 15.h5 xh5 16.xh5 gxh5 17.e6! with excellent prospects. ] 9.xd5 e6 10.xe6! This piece sacrifice is 439
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the only way to fight for an opening advantage. After the bishop's retreat Black has an e x c e l l e n t g a m e . fxe6 11.xe6+ e7 12.xe7+ xe7 13.cxd6+ f7 14.d4 Let's consider this position. W hite has four pawns for the sacrificed bishop, but black dominates on the light squares. In my opinion white is better, but he should play actively, otherwise black will obtain a comfortable blockade. b6 15.f4 g6 16.f3 h6 [ 16...g7 17.g5+ with e6 to follow. Black can't let white's pawns move! ] [ and after 16...h6 17.0-0 the bishop on f8 definitely can't be happy! ] 17.f5! [ Black hoped for 17.0-0 f5 with a good position after Rfc8, Ke6 etc. So white breaks in the centre. ] 17...xc1 18.e6+ xe6 19.fxe6+ xe6 20.xc1 After the complications white has a safe extra pawn and should win this prosaic endgame ac8 21.0-0 [ 21.f2 may be more precise ] 21...xc1 22.xc1 xd6 23.h4 e8 24.f2 d5 25.e1 f8 26.g3 f4 27.e5 e6 28.a5 a6 29.a3 d5 30.a5+ d6 31.b4 c7 32.d5 f4 33.g5 h6 34.c5+ d7 35.f3 d6 36.d2 xd5 37.c4+ e6 38.b5 axb5 39.xb5 b8 40.a4 c3 41.b6+ d5 42.e3+ e4 43.g4 h5 44.f6+ f5 45.d7 e4+ 46.f3 a8 47.b4 c3 48.c4 d8 49.c5 b6 50.xc3 bxc5 51.xc5+ f6 52.c3 d4 53.a3 xh4 54.a5 d4 55.a6 d8 56.a7 a8 57.f4 g5+ 58.e4 e8+ 59.f3 a8 60.a5 g6 61.a3 f5 62.a6 e5 63.a5+ f6 64.e4 e8+ 65.d4 a8 66.c5 f5 67.b6+ f4 68.b7 xa7+ 69.xa7 h4 70.b6 g4 71.a3 1-0
437 Sveshnikov,Evgeny Solozhenkin,Evgeniy Russia [Alexander Volzhin]
B02 2575 2535 1998
pawn chain and intends Ba6 (not obligatory). 8.g4! White's play is consistent: pursuing the initiative at any cost. Now very interesting complications arise. bxc5 9.g5 e7 10.xe7 xe7 11.xg7 f8 12.f3 cxd4 13.e2 [ By playing 13.g5? a3! 14.e4 b7 15.f6+ e7 White achieves nothing on t h e k i n gs i d e , wh i l e h is q u e e n s i d e h a s already been destroyed. ] 13...f5! [ 13...f6 14.h6 ] 14.h6 g8 15.0-0 b7 [ 15...dxc3 16.e3 ] 16.cxd4 d5 It's not easy to evaluate this position correctly. Black's King is slightly exposed, on the other hand White's king is hardly safe, as Black has pressure on the gfile and the a8-h1 diagonal. So both players have chances in my opinion the position is balanced. 17.fd1 c6 18.e1 b8 19.ab1 b6 [ G r a b b i n g a p a w n i s s u i c i d e : 19...xb1 20.xb1 xa2 21.b7 d8 22.b5 ] 20.a4 d8 21.d2 a3 22.h6 e7 23.b5?! [ 23.d2 ] 23...g7 [ Maybe 23...b3 was even better: 24.d2 xa4 25.xb6 axb6 26.e3 b4 and in my opinion, white's compensation for the pawn is insufficient. ] 24.h3 e7 25.db1 c6 26.xb6 axb6 27.a5 d5 28.f3 g5 29.g3 c3 30.a1 e4 31.xh7 bxa5 32.b1?! Ever the optimist, GM Sveshnikov overestimates his chances. He should take a draw by playing [ 32.xa5 g7 33.h8+ g8 34.h7 with unavoidable repetition of moves. ] 32...c8 33.e2 b7 34.h3? This time trouble blunder loses at once, but Black is already better anyway. c3 35.xb7 xe2+ 36.f1 xb7 37.g2+ c6 38.xe2 g4+ 39.f3 e4+ 40.d2 d5 41.h1 a2+ 42.e3 b3+ 43.e2 b2+ 44.d3 a4 45.d1 a3 46.c2 b5+ 47.c3 a8 48.a2 d5 49.b1+ c7 50.d2 a2 0-1
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.c5 d5 5.c3 e6 6.d4 xc3 7.bxc3 b6! Black immediately undermines the W hite 440
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 does that? ] B02 I think Black is winning now, although Tavoularis,Nicholas 2196 20...c5 Cox,John J 2385 the finish was amusing. 21.e2 d7 22.b5 Gothenburg SWE 2005 d5 23.f3 gxf3 [ 23...c4 24.g5 cxb3 25.xd8 xd8 [John Cox] wins as well ] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.c5 24.f2 h4 25.c4 xe5 26.f4 hxg3 I f i n d i t v e r y h a r d t o t a k e t h i s va r i a t i o n 27.xe5 [ 27.xg3 g5 was the point of Black's last, seriously. W hite can't do this to his ligh t threatening ...Rxh2 ] squares - can he? d5 5.c3 e6 6.c4 What one might call the pure Chase Variation - 27...gxf2+ 28.xf2 xe5 Black's five units to 6 d4 d6 leads to a c3 Sicilian and 6...b6 or 6... nil superiority around the enemy king ensures Nxc3 7 bxc3 b6 to positions similar to those a qu ick en d . 29.h1 dg8 30.a5 g2+ arising from that opening. xc3 7.dxc3 c6 31.f1 d8 A lightweight game, but what am I doing this for if not to show off my own small 8.f4 h4 [ 8...xc5 9.g4 g5 10.xg5 g8 a c h i e v e m e n t s , a n d a n y w a y i n r a t h e r a was once the main line and has been the depressing month for the defence it's nice to subject of a fair bit of analysis, albeit most show W hite getting mated in one game at of it awhile ago, but this has now taken over. least. It may even suggest to some readers a It leads to quite strange positions which way of meeting the Chase variation. are deceptive for White: he can easily think 0-1 he's got a great position only to fall on his face. ] 439 B02 9.g3 e7 10.f3 [ 10.b4 g5 11.e3 xe5 12.d4 Toothill,John is really the only way for White to play, in Davies,Nigel R m y v i e w, a lt h o u g h I d o n ' t f in d t h i s t o o 4NCL Birmingham 2001 terrifying for Black. The text leaves Black [Nigel Davies] comfortable. ] 10...b6 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c3 An old line [ 10...xc5 is certainly possible and favoured by Keres. White accepts some flaws computers indeed recommend it strongly, in his pawn structure but in return obtains free but I like the text. ] piece play. xc3 4.dxc3 d6 11.cxb6 axb6 12.0-0 h6 13.e2 g5 [ I ' m n o t s u r e I p a r t i c u l a r l y l i k e 4...d5 14.d2 g7 Black's pieces are remarkably , despite it's solid theoretical reputation. effective remarkably quickly. Having swapped After 5.f3 White's queen comes to g3 and h is d -p a wn in e f f e ct f o r B la ck's a -p a wn , makes life uncomfortable. A recent game W hite's structure is not too clever, and he Hector - Jessen, Copenhagen 2000 went g6 needs something to compensate for that. 6.d3 g7 7.g3 c5 8.f3 c6 15.b5 White is struggling to hold on to his gafter which I like 9.f4 (Hector castled short pawn b7 16.a4 g4 17.xc6 dxc6! at this point) c4 10.e2 f5 11.0-0-0 ] [ 17...xc6 18.d4 b7 wasn't nearly so 5.f3 c6 6.f4?! After this Black can clear. ] transpose into what is probably a favourable 18.d4 h5 endgame. [ 18...c5 19.xg4 xe5 20.b5 [ After the normal 6.b5 I was intending g6 was an alternative, and perhaps better. ] 7.f4 g7 but then 8.exd6 cxd6 9.d2 19.e4? f o l l o we d b y c a s t l i n g l o n g g i ve s W h i t e [ 19.f4 was pretty much essential, with an i n t e r e s t i n g p l a y. B l a c k ' s c e n t r a l p a wn unclear position. ] ma jo rit y will f in d it dif f icu lt t o a dva n c e 19...0-0-0 20.b3 whilst White's king will be well protected by [ 20.e2 might have been better, but who the doubled c3 pawn. It blocks both the c-file 438
441
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and the h8-a1 diagonal. ] 6...g6 [ In the light of experience I prefer 6...dxe5 7.xd8+ xd8 8.xe5 ( 8.xe5 f6 ) 8...c6 with the game L. Huebner - Baburin, Berlin 1992 having gone 9.0-0-0 f6 10.c7 g4 11.c4 e5 12.he1 e7 13.d2 e6 and now W hite sacrificed unsoundly with 14.xe5 ] 7.c4 g7 8.e2 [ A few White players have been tempted by 8.g5 not knowing that dxe5 9.xf7+ f8 10.f3 exf4 11.d1 xd1+ 12.xd1 h6 just wins for Black as in Payrhuber Ligterink, Stockholm (W orld Junior Ch.) 1969. ] 8...0-0 9.0-0-0 g4 [ According to my database this natural move is new. Previously Black had played odd moves such as 9...d7 and ] [ 9...e8 ] 10.e6 fxe6 11.xe6+ xe6 12.xe6+ h8 13.g5 c8 14.de1 xe6 15.xe6 f7 16.he1 h6!? An interesting pawn sacrifice. 17.d2 [ After 17.xe7 I i n t e n d e d g5 , leaving White's bishop stranded on e7. ] 17...g5 18.h4 g4 19.d4 [ I felt that 19.h2 e5 20.xh6 xh6+ 21.xh6+ g7 22.e6 h8 would have given Black more than enough compensation. ] 19...e5 20.f4 gxf3 21.xf3 xf3 22.gxf3 f6 23.xh6 xh4 24.h1 f6 25.xf6 [ The s pe cta cu la r 25.g7+ is refuted by xg7 26.xe7+ f8 27.xc7 h6 threatening ...Bg5+. ] 25...xf6 26.g1 g8 27.xg8+ xg8 28.d2 f7 29.b3 g6 30.e3 g5?! [ 30...a6 would have been better when Black still has some chances. ] 31.f4 h6 32.xa7 f5 33.d3 xf4 34.a4 e5 35.c4 e4+ 36.e2 Setting up a blockade. c5 37.b6 e5 38.a5 f5 39.e1 e6 40.f2 e5 41.e1 d5 42.cxd5+ xd5 43.c3 f6 ½-½
440 Vorotnikov,Vladislav V Kengis,Edvins Tallinn [Alexander Volzhin]
B02
1983
1.e4 f6 2.c3 This is not a very popular move. But as we shall see, black has to solve a lot of problems. d5 3.e5 e4 4.ce2! The knight on e4 is in danger! f6 [ The knight can retreat immediately: 4...c5 5.d4 e6 but I doubt whether it is well placed on e6. One example from recent practice: 6.f4 g6 7.f3 c5 8.c3 c4 9.g4! A pawn attack is typical in positions with a blocked center. g7 10.h3 h5 11.g1 hxg4 12.hxg4 d7 13.b3! c8 14.bxc4 dxc4 ( 14...xg4 15.d2! e6 16.g2 dxc4 17.b1 ) 15.f5! gxf5 16.g5! a6 17.g6 fxg6 18.f4 and black has a hopeless position, Tseitlin - Bredemeier, 1995. ] 5.d3 g5 6.xg5! White gives up his Bishop, but gets strong pressure on the h-file. fxg5 7.h4! gxh4 8.f4 g6 The sole defence a g a i n s t 9 . Q h 5 9.xh4 g7 10.d4 c5 11.d3 a5+ 12.f1! cxd4 13.xh7 xh7 14.xg6+ d8 15.xh7 xe5 16.f3 c6 [ 16...xf4 17.xf4 c6 18.f3 c7 19.f8+ d7 20.e1 d6 21.d3 a6 22.e6 led to a big advantage for White in Polovodin- Palatnik, USSR, 1978 ] 17.xd5 e6 18.f8+ d7 19.xa8 b5+ 20.d3 xb2 21.b6+! [ 21.e1 xd5 22.f8 is only slightly better for White. ] 21...xb6 22.f3 b8 23.c3! The point. R b 1 i s a n u n p l e a s a n t t h r e a t . dxc3! The queen sacrifice is the only chance for black. 24.b1 xb1+ 25.xb1 Has anybody seen such a position? Black has only one minor piece for the queen, nevertheless the fight is still ahead! c7 26.e4? It's difficult to believe, but after this move it is White who has to fight for equality! Nevertheless... [ 26.e1 should be played, although there are some tricks, for example d5 27.g5?! ( 27.d1! is correct) 27...a5 28.e4 c2! 29.d2 c4+ 30.xc2 b6 leads only to a draw ] 26...d5!! 27.h7 442
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Of course, the bishop is taboo: 27.xd5 c2 28.xb7+ xb7 29.xc6+ b6! and Black wins! ] 27...e6 28.g5 b4? It's a pity, this move spoils a fantastic game! [ After the correct 28...a5! 29.e2 c4 30.g4 b6 31.xb8+ xb8 black is better, although in my opinion a draw is the most likely outcome. ] 29.e2 b5 30.xe6+! Probably E. Kengis missed this blow. c8 31.xd5 xd5 32.f5 d7? [ 32...b7 still led to a draw 33.e4 c6 34.d4+ c5 and White can't take the pawn: 35.xb5? c2 36.d2 b4 ] 33.d4+ d6 34.xb5+ c5 35.a3 b4 36.b1! d6 37.g3 a6 38.f4 c7 39.f3 d4 40.c2+ xc2 41.xc2 The endgame is easily won: White wins a bishop for the g-& h-pawns, and wins the game, as a8 is the same colour as W hite's Bishop. So Black resigned. This is one the of most fantastic games I've ever seen. 1-0
441 Zaichik,Gennadi Dreev,Alexey Lvov [Nigel Davies]
B02
1987
2...d5 may be the move which is most in the spirit of the Alekhine, but it gives White a lot of space on the kingside. As someone who has played 1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.Nf3 e4 as Black, this is something I'd like to play for White. 1.e4 f6 2.d3 d5 3.e5 [ 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 c6 5.g3 e5 does not give W hite much hope of an a d va n t a ge . ( 5...g6 and; 5...e6 are both main lines of the King's Indian Attack )] 3...fd7 4.f4 e6 [ 4...c5 5.f3 c6 6.g3 ( 6.c3 b6 7.h3 f6 8.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 f5 10.c3 e6 11.e2 fxe5 12.fxe5 Efimov - Bagirov, Sevastopol 1986) 6...b6 7.g2 g4 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 e6 10.c3 c7 11.0-0 0-0-0 12.a3 was quite promising for White in Strikovic - Laketic, Yugoslav Team ch 1997 ] 5.f3 c5 6.g3 c6 7.g2 e7 8.0-0 0-0
9.c4 Setting up a favourable pawn structure in which Black is denied space in either the centre or the queenside. b6 10.b3 f5 11.c3 d4 12.e2 d7?! The start of an o d d -l o o k in g m a n o e u vr e b y B l a c k . I n m y opinion he should try to do something about his badly placed knight on b6. 13.h3 e8 14.g4 g6 15.g3 h4 16.gxf5 xf5 17.xf5 xf5 18.xh4 xh4 19.g4! Effectively a winning move. White is better on both flanks and his bishops exert tremendous pressure. e7 20.e4 f7 21.d2 af8 22.a3 d7 23.g2 b8 24.b4! h8 25.f5 c8 26.fxe6 xe6 27.xf7 xf7 28.f1 e7 29.e6 1-0
442 Adams,Michael Santo Roman,Marc TCh-Nat1 Final (9) [Andrew Martin]
B03 2731 2403 09.05.2004
EFFORTLESS 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 It is hard criticize Black's choice at this early stage although recent results have been very bad with 5... cxd6. the precise problem is the Voronezh variation, which Adams is about to use. The top players bore in on any weakness remorselessly. That is why at the very top we are reduced to a boring diet of Sveshnikov's, Najdorf's, the occasional Caro-Kann and 1... e5. Anything else in this ChessBase era is considered inferior. Sometimes I am gad that I am not on that level-I can still enjoy chess! 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0! 9.b3 The essence of White's plan is contained in this simple move. The Knight on b6 is rendered ineffectual and the time Black uses to regroup it will be more usefully spent by White. It's hard to believe that Black can be that much worse with W hite's kingside development so retarded but no good way of opening up the game has been found just yet at least, not at Adams' level. e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.f3 c6 14.c4 All well-known. White has a use f ul que e n sid e p a wn m a jo rity a nd t h e easier development. He is solidly better. h6 443
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Preventing Ng5 and perhaps the first step in the mobilization of Black's own majority. It takes ages though. [ 14...a5 should have been successful in th e f o llo win g ga m e b u t a s yo u will se e White played poorly: A) 15.g5! I'm sure this was Adams' intention. A1) 15...e8 16.b5! ( 16.d5 e4 17.c7 exf3+ 18.xe8 fxg2 19.g1 b2! 20.c2 xc4 21.bxc4 xc5 22.c7 b8 23.d5 h3 24.e3 ) 16...e4; A2) 15...f8 16.b5 h6 17.e7 e8 18.d5; B) 15.d5?! f6 16.g5 f5 17.xf6 xf6 18.0-0 ac8 19.e4 e6? ( He didn't calculate too well: 19...xc5! 20.xf5 gxf5 21.b4 c6 22.bxa5 e4 ) 20.b4 c6 Bujisho, B-Santo Roman, M/ Belfort FRA 2004. ] 15.e4 e8 16.0-0 e7 17.d6 f8 18.xc8 Preferring the simple gain of the two Bishops. If Adams can see a clear line he will go for it. [ Yet 18.fd1 also looks good simple centralization. a6 19.xc8 xc8 20.f1 h7 21.d2 f5 22.f3 e6 23.xe6 xe6 24.c4 Cherniaev, A-Hugentobler, P/ Silvaplana 2003. ] 18...xc8 19.d2 Heading for d6 perhaps? a5 20.b4 xc4 21.xc4 e6 22.fd1 White owns a nagging, small edge. He aims to push his c-pawn at the right moment. Black must stand tough, occupy d4 and hope to make a draw. d4 23.f1 d8 24.d2 ed7 25.cd1 f5 26.f4! Undermining the Knight. exf4 27.xf4 g5 [ 27...h7 28.e5! ] 28.e5! It is incredible how this simple move completely blows the Black position away. By simply removing the foundation of Black's Knight, Adams achieves a winning position. xe5 29.xe5 d5 30.c4 5d7 31.f2 Ne3-c2 or Na5-b3 cannot be stopped. 1-0
443 Adams,Philip Crocker,Philip J Greater Cup Final [Nigel Davies]
B03
27.06.2002
If nothing else, I hope my efforts on this site have resulted in Alekhine players learning that the have to recapture with the e-pawn against the exchange variation. Here's another example of Black's sufferings against the Voronezh. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.f3 c6 14.c4 h6 15.0-0 [ After the game Adams felt that 15.e4!? may have been more accurate. ] 15...f8 16.e4 e6 17.d6 d7? [ 17...ab8 is better. Now Black gets into a real tangle. ] 18.b5 b8? [ After 18...d5 Adams intended 19.fd1!? after which xf3 20.gxf3 leaves Black very tied up and under massive pressure. ] 19.xb7! dxb7 [ 19...d5 20.xc6 xc6 21.a5 also leaves White a good pawn up. ] 20.xc6 c7 21.a4 f5 22.c6 d8 23.fd1 xd1+ 24.xd1 f7 25.d8 h7 26.xe5 [ 26.a8 was a good alternative. ] 26...xe5 [ Or 26...e6 27.xf7 etc. ] 27.xf8 e7 28.c5 c7 29.a8 g7 30.xa7 xa7 31.xa7 c7 32.g3 f6 33.d4+ e7 34.g7 h5 35.h6 d5 36.g5+ e6 37.f1 f3 38.e1 a5+ 39.d2 c7 40.b4 d5 41.e3 c4 42.d2 h4 43.a3 d5 44.f4 hxg3 45.fxg3 xf4 46.gxf4 d6 47.f2 1-0
444 Amin,B Giri,A Reykjavik Open 2013 (8.3) [Tom Rendle]
B03 2631 2722 25.02.2013
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.b3 dxe5 444
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ I analysed 5...d5 6.f3 e6 last year in Ibarra Jerez-Asis Gargatagli. ] [ 5...f5 was analysed in Conquest-Baburin but I'll add in some recent developments here: A) 6.e6!? is well worth a look here xe6 ( 6...fxe6 7.c3 c6 8.f3 is awkward for Black ) 7.xe6 fxe6 8.f3 c6 9.0-0 g6 ( 9...c8 10.e1 d8 11.g5 g6 12.d3 e5 13.dxe5 f5 14.b3 and White was on top in Totsky, L (2498) Dubois, J (2280) Cappelle La Grande 2008 ) 10.g5 d7 11.e1 A1) 11...e5 is probably best and Black is defending adequately after 12.dxe5 ( or 12.d5 d4 13.c3 f5 ) 12...xe5 13.f4 f7 14.xf7 ( 14.e6 d8 ) 14...xf7; A2) 11...d8 12.d3 ( 12.a4 putting pressure on another part of the board looks promising here) 12...h6 13.c3 xg5 14.xg5 and White had enough compensation for the pawn, but no more in Nun, J (2380)-Konopka, M (2433) Zdar nad Sazavou 2008; B) 6.f3 c8 7.e2 c6 8.exd6 ( 8.g3 got White nowhere in the Conquest-Baburin game after g6 ) 8...cxd6 9.c3 e6 10.0-0 a5 11.g3 xb3 12.axb3 g6 13.c4 was about equal in Yankovsky, R (2314)-Ivanov, M (2090) St P e t e r s b u r g 2 0 0 9 ( perhaps White should try 13.h4!? h5 14.c4 when it's a bit harder for Black to get his king safe. )] 6.h5 e6 [ 6...g6 looks wrong and indeed White is d o i n g w e l l a f t e r 7.xe5 f6 8.e2! as it's too risky for Black to grab the pawn as after xd4 9.f3 d6 10.c3 White is too far ahead in development. ] 7.dxe5 c5 [ 7...a5 is a major alternative and now 8.a4 a6 ( 8...d7 9.f3 c6 10.0-0 g6 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 c6 and now in Skytte, R (2399)-Sulskis, S (2568) Borup 2009 W hite could've kept an edge wit h 13.c3! g7 14.f4 ) 9.c3 c5 10.a2 d7 11.f3 bxa4 12.g5 e7 13.xa4 xa4 14.d1 d7 15.e3 and White has a dangerous initiative in return for a pawn in Rogulj, B (2430)-Fahrner, K (2378) Gleisdorf
2012 ] 8.c3 [ 8.a3!? hasn't been played but it deserves a l o o k . B l a c k ' s b e s t i s p r o b a b l y c7 t h re a t e n in g c4 a n d a f t e r 9.e2 e7 the position is equal ] 8...d3! Improving on the ThorhallssonMamedyarov game below. [ 8...c6 9.e2 g5 10.c2 d7 11.d2 e7 12.e4 and White was much better in Thorhallsson, T (2455)-Mamedyarov, S (2709) Reykjavik 2006 ] 9.f3 [ 9.a3 e4+ A) 10.e3 is interesting and sets something of a trap but if Black is careful he's doing well here xg2?! ( 10...c4! is a much safer way to play the position with this included Black should be able to g r a b t h e p a w n , e . g . 11.d1 xa3 12.bxa3 xg2 13.f3 g6 and Black is d o i n g w e l l) 11.0-0-0 xh1 12.f3! ( instead 12.g5?? d7 13.xe6 g6 14.b5 c6 and Black was winning in Yurtseven, M (2088) -Bawart, M (2417) Rogaska Slatina 2011) 12...g2 13.b5 and White is doing well - if Black tries to hang on to all of the extra material he gets into trouble after a6 14.g5 g6 15.h4 d5 16.xf7! xf7?! ( 16...e7 17.bd6+ d7 18.a4+ c7 19.xh8 and W hite has regained the rook with a strong attack) 17.xd5 exd5 18.f6+ e8 ( or 18...g8 19.d6 xd6 20.h6! and Black has to give up his queen to avoid mate. ) 19.e6 and White is winning; B) 10.e2 d7 ( 10...c4 again seems to be the way to handle the position - Black is f i n e a f t e r 11.f3 d5 12.c2 xa3 13.bxa3 8d7 14.f4 c5 ) 11.c2 xg2 12.g1 d5 13.f4 c6 14.h3 and White had a dangerous initiative for the pawn. c7 15.f4 d5 16.c4 xf4 17.xf4 c6 18.xg7 xg7 19.d6+ d8 20.g5+ e7 21.xg7 g8 22.xf7 g1+ 23.d2 g8 24.g1 h8 25.g7 e8 1-0 Phadke, S (2245)Minhazuddin, A (2419) Chennai 2011 ] [ 9.f3! is critical here but it's understandable that W hite wanted to remove the queen from d3 immediately. Still, 445
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the position seems about equal here after d7 10.a3 c6 11.c2 xf3! 12.gxf3 a6 13.f4 and White's bad pawn structure is counter-balanced by chances for play on the kingside. If I had to choose I would rather be White here. ] 9...xf3 [ 9...c4! seems more accurate here - Black has slightly the easier game after 10.xd3 ( or 10.d1 8d7 11.f4?! c5 and Black is clearly better) 10...cxd3 11.f3 d7 ( or 11...c6 12.e3 d7 ) 12.0-0 c6 13.d1 xf3 14.gxf3 c6 15.f4 0-0-0 and it's not easy for White to round up the pawn on d3, meanwhile Black can consider a ...g5 break on the kingside. ] 10.xf3 d7 11.f4 a5 12.a3 c6 13.0-0-0 a6 A roughly level middlegame has been reached and we enter a period of manoeuvring. 14.d2 a4 [ Giri rightly rejects the pawn grab 14...xg2?! as after 15.ac4 xc4 16.a4+! c6 17.xc6+ bxc6 18.xc4 Black's queenside pawns are in such a mess that it's White that should be looking to win this endgame. ] 15.c2 d5 16.g3 h5 17.h4 g6?! [ 17...b5! was a better option, both gaining space on the queenside and preventing the knight on a3 entering the game via c4. If 18.c4 then bxc4 19.axc4 db4 20.b1 xg2 21.hg1 d5 ] 18.e4 h6+ 19.b1 e7 20.c4 ac7 21.xc5 Amin has won a pawn but the position remains murky and Giri does his best to increase the complications a3! 22.d6 axb2 23.xb2 b6 24.b3 [ 24.f3 allows cd5 and with the knight coming into e3 Black has excellent play here. ] [ 24.e4 is one way to try and hang on to the e xt ra pa wn b ut Black ca n get goo d counterplay with a4+! 25.xa4 xa4 ] 24...xg2 25.hg1 d5 26.c4 c6 27.d4 ad8 28.gd1 Black may have regained the pawn but White has complete control over the centre and b7 is weak. g7 [ 28...b8 leaves Black very passive but th ere 's n o c lea r way th ro u gh f o r W hit e here. ] 29.dxb7 xd4 30.xd4 xb7 31.xb7
d7 32.f4 f6 33.a5! c5 34.c6+ f7 35.c2 White has done a lot of the hard work here and is a safe pawn up but Black hangs in there and makes it very tough from here. a8 36.d8+ e7 37.c6+ f7 38.f2 7a6 39.d8?! [ 39.c3 c8 ( 39...f5 40.a4 ) 40.exf6! was the way to play it - after xf6 41.e5+ g7 42.d6 the win should not be too difficult. ] 39...xd8 40.xd8+ e8 41.c6 g5?! [ 41...f5! and it's not so easy for White to breakthrough here as there's no way for his king to enter the Black camp and h4 always going to be vulnerable. ] 42.hxg5 fxg5 43.fxg5 h4 44.xh4 It should be winning again here but I guess time-trouble caused problems at this point! d7 45.g6 A nice idea but it's unnecessarily complicated [ 45.d4 xe5 46.c3 b8 47.f2 c6 48.g6 should be winning, although the pin on d4 makes it very tricky. ] 45...xc6 46.f6 h6 47.g7 xg7 48.xg7 b4 49.g6 b6 50.a3 c6 51.c3 a4+ 52.c2? [ 52.b3 should be winning after c5+ 53.c2 a4 54.e8 ] 52...c5 Now Black has setup a blockade that ca n 't b e b ro ke n 53.d3 b2+ 54.e4 xc4 55.f8+ b6 56.d6 xd6+ 57.exd6 c5 58.d7 d6 59.e8 c7 60.a4 An interesting game. Bc4 & Qh5 definitely cause problems but Black managed to equalised here before going wrong and having to pull off a good save for the draw. ½-½
445 Andresen,Tarald Gilmore,Alan NAtlantic tt4 B08 corr9599 [John Watson]
B03
20.12.1995
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0 f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.d2 e7 14.ad1 ad8 15.c1 e5 16.d5 d4 17.xd4 [ The alternative to 17.xd4 , which we saw 446
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 in Moser-Baburin. ] 17...exd4 18.xd4 c8! I think that this is best, maintaining the indirect pressure on d4 (...c6 and ...c5 may follow) and since the variations work out well, I'll skip over 18...Bd7. 19.d2 Black threatens 19...c5 with threats that will win back material, so White should protect e2. [ 19.h1 c5! will win some material back. ] 19...c6 [ This looks better than 19...e5 20.xf8+ xf8 21.g3 , for example, c6 22.dxc6 bxc6 23.e4! but there are holes in White's position that limit his advantage. ] [ Now 19...c5?! 20.f3 lets White consolidate. ] 20.b3 Taking the knight away from defence of the kingside indicates that Black should be doing well enough. A more natural course would be [ 20.h1 , for example, h8 ( 20...cxd5 21.cxd5 e5 22.e3! ) 21.f3 xc3 22.d6 . Still, e6 23.bxc3 xc4 24.xc4 xc4 25.fe1 e6 is not clear. One problem for Black is that W hite has all the chances in such a position. ] 20...xc3?! [ 20...e5! would be more pointed, th re at en in g .. .Q h4 . T he n W h it e sh ou ld probably bail out and play 21.xf8+ ( 21.g3 cxd5 22.cxd5 h3 23.xf8+ xf8 24.d6!? xd6! 25.xd6 f1+! 26.xf1 e3+ 27.h1 f3+= ) 21...xf8 22.f1 h4 23.xf8+ xf8 24.g3 xg3 25.hxg3 xg3+ 26.h1 h3+ , with a draw. ] 21.xf8+ xf8 22.bxc3 cxd5 23.f1+ g8 24.cxd5 c7 25.f3! This gives up the c4 square, but preserving the d-pawn is more important. e5?! [ White maintains the advantage, albeit a less drastic one, after 25...e6 26.e3 f7 ( 26...xd5? 27.xd5+ xd5 28.e6+ h8 29.xd5 ) 27.d1 ] 26.e1 d6 27.d4 Threatening c4-c5. a3? 28.c5 xa2 29.d6 f7 30.e7 [ Resignation is premature, yet a variation like 30.e7 f6 31.xf6 gxf6 32.e4! w i l l w i n i n t h e e n d , f o r e x a m p l e , d5 33.h5! f5 34.f7+ f8 35.xd5 fxe4 36.xe4 xd6 37.xh7 and White will pick
up another pawn. ] 1-0
446 Andrews,Todd D Schmidt,L R USCL 2007 ICC INT (3) [John Watson]
B03 2298 2340 12.09.2007
The Voronezh again. Black is probably theoretically okay, but for some reason he often ends up on the worse side of things. I'll cut-and-paste in some earlier notes to put the theory in one place, with a few new ideas. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.exd6 cxd6 5.c4 b6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.f3 c6 14.c4 h6 This was see n in the game Luther-Pajeken, Dresden 2007 that we analysed two months back. [ The recent game Paschall-Bogdan, Arad ROM 2007 went 14...b6? 15.g5 f8 A) 16.ce4 A1) 16...h6 17.xf7 xf7 18.d6 d8 19.cxb6 ( 19.d5 b8 20.c6 ); A2) 16...xc5 17.xc5 bxc5 18.d5 b7 19.xc5 h6 20.xf8 xg5 21.c4!+-; B) 16.ce4 DRAW?? It looks as though White is winning material, and winning the game outright, for example, ] [ 14...a5 may be the safest move, when 15.b5 was Hanley-Summerscale, London 2007. ( We've seen 15.e2 b6! is probably what Bogdan was thinking about; 15.g5 f8 16.e7 xc4! 17.xf8 xf8 18.bxc4 xc5 19.0-0 e4 "with ample compensation", Honfi - Varga, 1994.) 15...f8 ( A big point to look for improvements. 15...a6 16.e2 c6 17.d1 d4 18.xd4! exd4 19.xd4! xd4 20.xd4 and Ne4 will follow, with more th an e nou gh compe nsat ion .; 15...c6!? dares White to play something b e t t e r t h a n 1 6 B c 4 wi t h a r e p e t i t io n . I believe this is analysed in the Forum, but because the ChessPublishing site is down just now, I'll have to verify that and check it out for next time!) 16.0-0 or 16 Ne4 and White had some advantage. ] 447
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.e4 [ In the Luther game, White was better after 15.0-0 d4?! ( but 15...f8! should hold the balance. )] 15...a5 [ 15...d4? 16.d6 xf3+ 17.gxf3 f8 18.g1! threatens Rxg6 and wins material or better. ] [ 15...f8!? 16.d6 e6 ( 16...e6 17.xb7 db8 18.d6 b4 19.a3! xc4 20.axb4 ) 17.0-0 and White plans Rfd1 with a bind. But this is playable for the second player. ] 16.e2 [ 16.b5 would resemble the idea above and c6 may be the best reply. Otherwise it's hard for Black to get his pieces out. ] 16...f5 [ 16...c6 is a little depressing and yet solid enough. Then 17.d6 f5!? 18.c4+ h7 is a logical way to reorganise. ] 17.d6 f8 18.0-0 c6 19.g3 Versus ...f4. f6 [ 19...e4 20.h4 de5! is unclear. ] 20.c4+ g7? [ 20...h7 21.f7 e8 is nothing special. ] 21.f7 f4 [ Obviously not 21...e8 22.xh6+ ] 22.xd8 [ Another idea is 22.gxf4 exf4 23.xf4 , but the tricky d5! holds for a while. ] 22...fxe3 23.xc6 exf2+ 24.xf2 bxc6 25.b4 a5 26.xe5 [ 26.a3 is simple and strong. Black would ha ve a pa wn f o r t h e e xch a nge , b u t h is position is too loose. ] 26...axb4 27.b3 a5 28.xc6?! [ 28.fc2 protects the c-pawn, and if e4 , 29.xc6 xc5 ( 29...xc5+ 30.g2 b5 31.a4! ) 30.xb4 leaves Black no resource. ] 28...xc5 29.fc2 xc2 30.xc2 f5 31.c1 e4 Now it's not so easy for White. 32.f1 c5!? 33.d4 [ 33.d5 ] 33...h3+ 34.e2 g4+ 35.e3 e7 36.h4 [ 36.f3 is a good option. Time pressure was likely a factor. ] 36...g5 37.h5 d6 38.d5! d7 39.f1? [ 39.f3 would consolidate Black has nothing special for the exchange. ]
39...f6 40.e6 xe6 41.xe6+ f7 42.d8+ g7 Now White's kingside pawns are h an gin g. 43.c6 xh5 44.g4 f6 45.f3 h5! 46.gxh5 xh5 [ 46...g4+ is more natural. Then 47.g2 xh5 48.b1 f6 49.xb4 f4+ gives Black a lot of play. ] 47.g4? [ 47.b1 ] 47...g6 48.b1? [ 48.d1 ] 48...f6+ 49.f3 g4+ 50.g2 d5 51.f2 f5 [ 51...c3 and Black might decide to play for a win! ] 52.d4+ e4 53.c2 g3+ [ 53...c3! 54.e1+ f4 ] 54.g2 d3 55.d1+ xc2 56.xd5 f4 [ 56...b3 57.axb3 b4 secures the draw, but Black is trying to avoid R v B. In what follows, nothing happens. ] 57.d4 d2 58.xg3 c3 59.e4 b2 60.e2+ a3 61.f3 b2 62.e3 xa2 63.d3 b3 64.e1 c3 65.b1+ b2 66.d2 a2 67.h1 b3 68.h3+ c3+ 69.c1 c4 70.c2 b3+ 71.c1 e5 72.f3 c3 73.b1 e5 74.e3 c3 75.e8 d4 76.c1 c3 77.c8+ d3 78.b1 e5 79.c5 d4 80.b5 c4 81.b7 e5 82.c1 c3 83.d1 e5 84.d2 c3+ 85.e3 d4+ 86.e4 c5 87.xb3 xb3 ½-½
447 Arencibia Rodriguez,W Panjwani,R 50th Canadian Open 2013 (4) [Tom Rendle]
B03 2526 2409 15.07.2013
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 f5!? An unusual choice from the young Canadian IM, avoiding the mass of theory that occurs after 9...e5 (and to a lesser ext en t 9 . . .Nc6) which a re b ot h an a lys e d extensively in the archives. 10.f3 [ 10.e2 is a logical alternative if White d o e sn 't wa n t a l lo w B la c k t h e o p t io n o f pinn in g his kn ight o n f 3 a nd given t ha t 448
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 White fails to get an advantage in the game perhaps this is White's best. c6 11.d5 ( 11.f3 d5 12.c5 c8 13.0-0 transposes back to the game ) A) 11...b4 and now White can be slightly better in a couple of ways: 12.d2 ( 12.a3! seems to lead to a very pleasant position for White after a6 13.f3 c5 14.d4 d7 15.0-0 and White is ready to play b4 with control of the centre and the q u e e n s i d e .) 12...e5 13.dxe6 xe6 14.f3 c6 15.d4 d5 16.c5 c8 17.0-0 and White was a little better in Pit ch e r, J (2 2 0 5)-P ola cze k, R (23 7 7 ) Hinkley Island 2012 although Black later went on to win.; B) 11...e5 is Black's best option although I still like White's position after 12.f4 ( 12.g4!? c8 13.f4 ed7 14.f3 isn't completely ridiculous but then again there's no real reason why White should weaken his kingside like this.) 12...ed7 13.f3 c5 14.0-0 bd7 15.d4 f6?! ( 15...e4! 16.xe4 xe4 17.f3 xf3 18.xf3 a6 and Black is only slightly worse. ) 16.xf5 gxf5 17.c2 d7 18.f3 fc8 19.b4! a6 20.b3 and White was clearly better in Gavrilov, A (2496)-Chetverik, M (2272) St Petersburg 2012 ] 10...d5 [ 10...g4 is played more often here. Black may have 'wasted' a tempo but White does not normally allow his knight to get pinned in this line so I guess it's a fair swap! 11.e2 e6 12.d5?! This has been played a couple of times but it seems to be a mistake ( 12.h3 seems logical here, forcing Black to take on f 3 but af te r xf3 13.xf3 c6 14.0-0 W hite is now threatening to play d5 and after d5 15.cxd5 exd5 16.e1 White has a very pleasant position. The plan is something like Qd2, Ne2 and then Bf4 or Bh6 to swap of Black's bishop on g7. ) A) 12...exd5! 13.cxd5 ( or 13.xd5 c6 14.0-0 xd5 15.cxd5 e7 ) 13...8d7 14.0-0 c8 and Black has equalised, for example 15.d4 xf3! 16.xf3 h4 17.xg7 xg7 and Black has absolutely no problems here.; B) 12...e5?! 13.0-0 xf3 14.xf3 a6
15.e2 f5 16.f3 c8 17.a3 f6 18.f2 h4 19.g3 g5 20.c2 c7 21.b4 and White's play on the queenside gave him a definite edge in Baklan, V (2647) Nakamura, H (2670) Marseille 2008 ] 11.c5 c8 [ 11...6d7 hasn't been played here but it's not completely silly, although after 12.xd5 c6 13.c4 e4 14.0-0 xf3 White can give the pawn back with a good position after 15.xf3! e6 16.c3 xd4 17.xd4 xd4 18.fd1 xc3 ( 18...xc5? 19.xb7 l o s e s a p i e c e) 19.xc3 c7 20.b4 and White can play for a win at no risk. ] 12.e2 c6 13.0-0 g4! This definitely Black's best option and it's not at all clear how White gets an advantage in this position. [ 13...e6 14.h3! leaves the bishop on f5 rather short on squares and White is at least a little better after h5 15.d2 ] 14.b4! Other moves get White nothing [ 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 e6 and Black will be fine after ...N8e7 and ...Nf5 ] [ 14.e5!? is tricky but ultimately Black equalises after xe2! 15.xc6 ( 15.xe2 e6 ) 15...bxc6 16.xe2 e6 17.d3 e7 ] 14...a6 15.e5 After this I'm sure Black is fine but other moves do not promise White much either [ 15.b1 e6 16.a4 xf3 ( 16...8e7! also seems to be fine here, for example 17.b5 axb5 18.axb5 a5 19.d2 xe2 20.xe2 f5 and I see no reason why Black should be worse here, especially with ...e5 coming in the near future.) 17.xf3 8e7 18.b5 A) 18...axb5 19.axb5 a5 20.e2 f5 21.d2 e5 22.a4?! and now in Hou Yifan (2578)-Le Kieu Thien Kim (2291) Beijing 2008 Black missed a big chance to play ( 22.g5 f6 23.e3 is about equal) 22...c4! 23.xc4 dxc4 24.g5 c3! 25.c1 ( or 25.xc3 f6 and White loses h is b ish o p) 25...xd4 26.xc3 xc5 and Black has a safe extra pawn; B) 18...a5 19.g5 h6 20.xe7 xe7 21.d3 fd8 and Black had at least equalised in Narayanan, S (2229) Nakamura, H (2651) Catalan Bay 2007 ] [ 15.a4 is my computer's suggestion, with the possible threat of b5 and indeed White 449
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 may keep a minimal edge here after a7! 16.fd1 e6 17.e1 xe2 18.xe2 8e7 a l t h o u gh t h i s p o si t i o n c a n h a r d l y b e a massive headache for Black who keeps a very solid position and still has the potential to play ...e5 later on. ] 15...xe2 16.xc6 [ 16.xe2 xe5 17.dxe5 e6 18.f4 d7 and Black's protected pawn on d5 means he shouldn't be worse here although perhaps White can try 19.d2 with Ne2-d4 with the slightly easier position. ] 16...bxc6 17.xe2 e5! This break frees Black's position and comfortably equalises. 18.d2 [ 18.dxe5 xe5 19.h6?! fails to xh2+ ( 19...e8 20.g4 e7 is also better for Black ) 20.xh2 h4+ ] 18...e7 19.dxe5 xe5 20.d4?! [ 20.e2 was needed to hold the balance with the position looking very equal after f5 21.f4 xf4 22.xf4 ] 20...xd4 21.xd4 f5 22.d3 h4 Suddenly W hite has to be careful here as Black's pieces are clearly the more active. 23.a3 fe8 24.fe1 d4! 25.xe8+ xe8 26.xd4 xd4 27.f1 b5?! A rather negative move which quickly brings about a peaceful end to the proceedings. [ 27...g7 allows Black to slowly improve his po sit io n a n d pre ss in th e e nd gam e . O f course White should hold the draw here but it's still a little uncomfortable, for example A) 28.d1 c2 29.e2! is probably W h i t e ' s b e s t b u t e v e n h e r e e4! leaves Black better ( 29...xa3?! 30.d4 c8 31.a1= ); B) 28.g3 g5! 29.h3 h5 30.d1 f3 and Black is gaining control of the kingside ] 28.a4 xc3 29.xc3 e4 30.b5! axb5 31.axb5 cxb5 32.c6 e8 33.c5 b4 34.xd5 c8 35.b5 xc6 36.xb4 9...Bf5 is definitely worth a look for Black players wishing to avoid too much theory. ½-½
448 Aroshidze,Levan Chigladze,Iveri European GP Izmir (9) [Andrew Martin]
B03 2390 2250 2003
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 Still dangerous after all these years. exd6 [ 5...cxd6 is currently experiencing a crisis of confidence in the positions after 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 ] 6.c3 e7 7.d3!? A slightly offbeat system which nevertheless seems very dangerous. Black has to play very exactly. Development is simple enough for White. He intends Nge2 and b2-b3, hoping to deny Black's Bishop on c8 a sensible square. If Black is then reduced to ... Bg4xe2, the two Bishops should then give White an enduring edge. 0-0 [ 7...c6 with the Bishop on d3, an early ... Nc6 b e co m e s m u ch m o re a cce p t a b le : 8.e3 A) 8...0-0 9.b3 f6 10.ge2 g4 11.f3 h5 12.0-0 e8 13.f2 b4 14.b1 a5 15.a3 a6 16.d3 c6 17.c1 d5 Much bette r timing by Black, who developed first before taking concrete action. But I still think White has an edge: 18.c5! d7 19.g3 ( 19.f4! g6 20.xg6 hxg6 21.e1 is correct, I think, with a typical position for this variation. Black has sniping chances against the W hite pawn structure, but with the two Bishops, stability and the plan of Rb1, b3b4 etc, White has any advantage that is going. ) 19...g6 20.f5 xf5 21.xf5 g6 22.xd7 xd7 23.a4 f5 24.b6 ad8 25.e1 c7 26.d2 e6 27.cd1 h5 28.xa5 e7 29.d2 de8 30.d3 g5 31.h4 f4 32.g3 c7 33.f4 g7 34.xe7 xe7 35.e1 xe1+ 36.xe1 xe1+ 37.g2 f5 38.d7 xd4 39.d2 e3 40.a5 xg3+ 41.h2 xb3 42.d8+ h7 43.e8 h6 44.e7 g7 45.b6 d4 46.xb7 d3 47.xc6 d2 48.d7 0-1 Pueyo Burell, DPeralta, F/V Open, Sants ESP 2003; B) 8...d5?! But not this way! 9.c5 c4 10.xc4 dxc4 11.a4 0-0 12.xc4 That was simple enough. W hite tucks 450
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 away the pawn and goes on to win easily: g5 13.f3 xe3 14.fxe3 e7 15.e4 b5 16.xb5 e6 17.d5 g6 18.0-0 e7 19.c6 g4 20.c5 c8 21.e5 g5 22.xg4 xg4 23.f2 1-0 Pilgaard, K-Szieberth, A/FSGM September, Budapest HUN 2003 ] 8.ge2 c6 9.b3! One of the main ideas is to reinf orce c4. 'A knight on b6 is always badly placed' said Tarrasch. He would have been pleased with 9 b3! g4 One struggles to find a better placement. 10.e3 [ 10.f3? is less exact. h4+ ] 10...e8 11.d2 f6 12.0-0 d5 [ 12...xe2 13.xe2 a5 14.ad1 d5 15.c5 d7 16.a3! f8 17.b4 axb4 18.axb4 e6! This is probably the way to go. White has an optical edge but as long as Black keeps gnawing away at the White pawns he should keep the balance. 19.f5 ( As 19.b5 cxd4 20.xd4 xd4 21.xd4 xd4 22.xh7+ xh7 23.xd4 c6 is roughly equal, White plays for more.; 19.b2 a4!? 20.xh7+! h8! 21.b1 xb4 22.a3 ) 19...g6 20.xe6 xe6 21.a1 e7 A) 22.f4 ea6 ( 22...xa1 23.xa1 a6 24.b1 f5 25.b5 a4 26.e2 ) 23.xa6 xa6 24.b5; B) 22.g3 ea6 23.xa6 xa6 24.g5 xg5 25.xg5 c6 26.f4? Losing the plot. ( 26.d2 a4 27.b1 f6 28.e2= ) 26...a4 27.b1 xb4 28.xb4 xb4 29.h4 h5 30.f1 c6 31.d2 e7 32.f3 d3 33.d2 e4 34.a2 g7 35.d2 f4 36.b4 f5 37.e5 e4 38.f3 e2 39.d2 xd2 40.xd2 e2+ 0-1 Real de Azua, ES z m e t a n , J / L X XV I I ch - A R G , T r e s d e Febrero ARG 2003 ] [ 12...b4 13.b1 d5 14.c5 ] 13.c5 c8 14.h3 e6 15.f4! If Black were left alone, he could get on with ...g6, ...Bg7, ... N8e7-f5 and some slow counterplay, but a rapid advance of the Kingside pawns exposes just how passive Black's position is. 8e7 16.g4 g6 [ 16...h4 17.f5 d7 18.f6 ] 17.f5 gxf5 18.g5! Excellent, stripping out the d ef en ders . g6 There is really nothing else. Black is lost already: [ 18...h8 19.gxf5 c8 20.h1 ]
[ 18...xg5 19.xg5++- h8 20.f6+ g8 21.gxf5 xf5 ( 21...c8 22.g3 ) 22.xd8 axd8 23.xf5+- ] 19.xf6 xf6 20.gxf5 xd4 21.fxe6 f3+ 22.xf3 xf3 23.f1 h4 24.exf7+ h8 25.fxe8+ xe8 26.g5 White changed gea r half way th ro ugh a nd Black was lef t gasping for air. I reckon the system with Bd3, Nge2 and b3 is well worth playing. There are chances of a clear strategical edge early on and the ideas just seem so easy to implement and understand. Chigladze didn't do much wrong but he was blown away! Perhaps the Szmetan method is the way to go for Black but right now, to me, White has just posted a serious threat to the Alekhine. 1-0
449 Atalik,Suat De Firmian,Nick E Imre Mem San Francisco USA (1) [Glenn Flear]
B03 2551 2551 04.09.2002
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 Not so fashionable these days but still one of the sharpest tries. W hite builds his centre so Black must react quickly not to be swept off the board. dxe5 6.fxe5 f5 7.c3 e6 8.f3 c6 9.e3 g4!? [ Mo re n o rm a l i s 9...e7 10.d5 exd5 11.cxd5 b4 ] 10.e2 xf3 11.gxf3 h4+ 12.f2 f4 13.c5 d5 [ 13...d7 is the preferred line in ECO B (4th edition 2002) but De Firmian repeats this move despit e ECO considering it t o b e dubious. ] 14.xd5 exd5 15.d2 xd2+ 16.xd2 g6 17.f4 [ 17.e3 (avoiding ...Bh6 for the moment) is recommended by ECO as in Myers-Hagerty, USA 1981 as a clear advantage to White. Presumably De Firmian has something up his sleeve. Something such as 17...Ne7 18 Bd3 h5 or even 17... f6 should yield food for thought! ] 17...h6 18.e3 e7 19.d3 f5 20.xf5 gxf5 21.hg1 d7 22.g3 ag8 23.b4 So far as in Timman-De Firmian, Malmo 1981. 451
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 19...b4?! 20.xa7+! xa7 21.xb6 ) 20.f3 c5 21.xc5 xc5 22.fd4 xe5 23.xe6 fxe6 24.e2 ed3+ 25.b1 ] 15.c7+ f7 16.e6+ g6 17.e3 This position is definitely worth a diagram! Black has an extra rook but his queen is trapped, his queen's rook is en prise and neither bishop can develop. But the really bad news is that his king is very 'mateable'! Rogulj must have underestimated his opponent! e5? [ 17...f5! is recommended by Fritz as it allows some luft for Black's king and avoids immediately dropping the queen. This is the only way to try and justify 14...f6!? 18.g2? xh2 ] 18.g2 xg2 [ Now 18...xh2 is answered by 19.e4+ ] 19.xg2 xd6 20.g4! Threatening mate in t w o . B l a c k l o s e s f u r t h e r m a t e r i a l . xe6 450 B03 21.xe6 d3+ 22.f1 he8 23.xb6 Bender,Ivan 2176 xe6 24.d5 f4 25.xb7 b8 26.xa7 27.f2 d3 28.d4 c5 Rogulj,Branko 2454 be8 Open Velika Gorica CRO (6) 27.06.2002 Black's pieces are finally in the game but unfortunately the White camp holds together. [Glenn Flear] 29.xc4 xf2 30.xc5 xg4 31.f3 e2 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 32.h4+ h6 33.g1 g5 34.f5+ g6 2e5 36.c2+ f5 37.xf5!? 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5?! Interesting or just 35.g3 risky? A Ljubojevic speciality in his youth. 7.d5 Sacrificing a piece to tangle Black up. Then it's the a-pawn that wins the day. xf5 38.f1 e6 8.c3 exd5 9.cxd5 c4 10.d6! [ Normal development by 10.f3 b4 ef8 39.a4 e3 40.xf5 xf5 41.d3 d5 11.xc4 xc3+ 12.bxc3 xc4 13.a4+ 42.a5 f4 43.c2 h3+ 44.g2 f4+ d7 14.xc4 b6 15.b5+ d7! 45.h1 d5 46.a6 f6 47.g1 e5 Rogulj's line is not for the faint-hearted only leads to equality, Formanek-Shabalov, 48.a7 but despite his recent reversal's it may be New York 1995 ] 10...c6 11.b5 Not the only move to cause playable for Black. Black some sticky moments as White probably 1-0 stands well after [ 11.f3 g4 12.f4 g5 13.e4 gxf4 B03 14.f6+ xf6 15.exf6 0-0-0 16.c1 451 Bener,Anna Pour-Burgess, Blitz 1994, and ] Pushin,Vladimir [ 11.f4 g5 12.e4 gxf4 13.f6+ xf6 1988 14.exf6 e6 15.h5 0-0-0 Zude-Buecker, USSR [Alexander Volzhin] Germany 1987 ] 11...h4+ 12.g3 e4+ 13.e2 xh1 14.g5 f6?! Rogulj tries to keep this line alive 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 g6!? Another playable possibility for with this outrageous novelty. In Fontaine- 5.f4 Ro g u l j, Ho t e l O p a t ij a 2 0 0 2 ( t wo m o n t h s Black. This line is played rather seldom, but obviously it deserves more attention. 6.c3 earlier) Black was slightly worse after [ 14...e6 15.d7+ xd7 16.0-0-0+ c8 g7 7.e3 0-0 [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 7...e6!? is worth 17.g2 xg2 18.xg2 h6 19.e3 d7 In the notes in Informator 82 Black's next move is reco mmen ded by Timm an a s a n improvement. xg3! [ 23...g6?! 24.e2 f8? 25.g5! e6 26.h5 h6 27.b5 gave serious problems for Black in the aforementioned game. ] 24.hxg3 f8 25.b5 c6 26.a4 e7 27.h1 h5 De Firmian constructs an impenetrable fortress. 28.f2 d8 29.e2 h6 30.f3 h8 31.e1 h6 32.h2 h8 33.b2 c8 34.bxc6 bxc6 35.a5 a6 Whit cannot breakthrough or invade. Black seems to be able to hold out against 17 f4. If indeed Black has an answer to 17 Be3 then 13...Nd5 is OK but as it frankly doesn't really give Black any winning chances, most players would do well to investigate the main lines following 9...Be7. ½-½
452
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c o n s i d e r a t i o n : 8.b3 ( 8.c5 d5 l o o k s f i n e f o r B l a c k; 8.f3 0-0 is a transposition to the main line.) 8...a5! 9.a4 I don't like this move since the weakening of the b4-square gives Black exc e lle n t c h a n ce s. Bu t it 's no t e a sy t o recommend for White a real improvement. a6 10.d1 b4 11.f3 d5! 12.cxd5 ( 12.c5?! c4! is even worse for White.) 12...4xd5! 13.xd5 xd5 14.c2 xf3 15.gxf3 d5 16.c1 e6 and Black is clearly better due to his firm control over the important d5 square and W hite's exposed pawn structure, Kotek-Sergeev, 1997. ] 8.f3 [ W h i t e h a s a l s o t r i e d 8.c5!? 6d7 ( Of c o u rs e , t h e e n d ga m e a f t e r 8...dxc5 9.dxc5 xd1+ 10.xd1 6d7 11.d5 is bad for Black.) 9.f3 ( 9.h4!? is worth considering. In my opinion this position is c rit ic a l f o r t h e wh o le lin e a n d re qu ire s practical tests.) 9...b6 10.b4 b7 11.e2 a5 12.a3 bxc5 13.bxc5 dxc5 14.dxc5 a6 with excellent prospects for Black, Rogers-Loeffler, Wijk aan Zee 1996. ] 8...e6! This move introduced by IM Sergeev in his game vs Ivanchuk has revealed the whole line which was considered as insufficient before. [ Now it's too late to exchange the central pawn as 8...dxe5 9.dxe5! is very strong here. c6 ( The endgame after 9...xd1+ 10.xd1 is clearly better for White.) 10.b3 g4 11.e2 xf3 12.xf3 d3 13.e4! xb3 ( The pawn is taboo: 13...xc4?? 14.xb6 xb3 15.axb3 and White wins a piece. ) 14.axb3 with huge edge for White, Matanovich-Darga, 1964. ] 9.b3 Likely the only move. The alternatives are insufficient: [ After 9.d2 dxe5 10.fxe5 c5! W hite's central pawns are a good target: 11.d5 ( 11.dxc5 6d7 is also good for Black. ) 11...f5 12.f4 e6! IvanchukSergeev, USSR, 1984, and White can't hold the pawn centre, for example: 13.d6 c6 14.f3 d7 15.e2 g4 and Black wins the e5-pawn ] [ 9.d5? g4 10.exd6 (forced) exd6 , intending 11... Re8, and Black is clearly
better ] [ 9.b3 is no good either since Black can exploit unp rot ecte d p osit ion of W hite's Knight on c3 and break in the centre: c5! 10.dxc5 6d7 11.cxd6 exd6 12.xd6 xe5! with good prospects for Black. ] 9...a5! 10.g5 [ 10.a4?! a6 is similar to Kotek-Sergeev, here Black has also good prospects. ] [ 10.e4!? d5 11.eg5?! ( 11.ed2 is relatively better although the position after dxc4 12.xc4 c6 is quite OK for Black.) 11...dxc4 12.xe6 cxb3 13.xd8 xd8 14.axb3 c6 and the endgame favors Black due to development advantage and firm control over the d5-square, Nikitin-Pushkin, USSR 1988. ] 10...a4! [ 10...f5? 11.e6! fxe6 12.c5 is bad for Black. ] 11.xe6 [ 11.b5?! doesn't look promising in view of d7 12.b4 c6 13.a3 f6! -by breaking W h it e's ce n t re B la ck o b t ain s e xc elle n t game. ] 11...axb3 12.xd8 xd8 13.a3 c6 Just after the opening the opponents find themselves in a complicated endgame. Black's Bishop on g7 is rather passive now as it's restricted by White's pawn chain but after ...f7-f6 at the right moment it will become dangerous piece. Now White has to parry the 14...Nb4 threat. 14.0-0-0?! [ In my opinion, 14.c1 is better, after dxe5 15.dxe5 d4 16.d3 c2+ 17.xc2 ( 17.e2 is dangerous for White in view of xd3! 18.xd3 d8+ 19.e2 xe3 20.xe3 xc4+ 21.e4 xb2 ) 17...xc4! 18.e2!? bxc2 19.xc2 the position is balanced. ] 14...a5! Now Black is clearly better. 15.c5 dxc5 16.dxc5 xd1+ 17.xd1 [ 17.xd1 is even worse: bc4 18.c1 d8+ 19.e1 f6! and White is in trouble. ] 17...bc4 18.d4 d8 19.c3 d5 20.b4 g5! By undermining White's pawn chain Black seizes the initiative. Now White has difficult problems to solve. 21.fxg5 The only move. [ 21.g3 gxf4 22.gxf4 h6 23.g1+ f8 24.g4 d4 and Black wins. ] 21...xe5 22.xc4 xc4 23.e1 e6 24.h4 453
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ The rook exchange doesn't help White either as the bishop and knight endgame after 24.xe5 xe5 25.g3 d4 is very nasty for White. ] 24...d5! 25.e4 [ 25.c3 is bad as well: d2 26.e2 xe2 27.xe2 xb2+ ] 25...e5 26.f2 f8! Winning the c5-pawn. 27.c6 Desperation but White's position is very bad anyway: [ 27.e3 xc5 28.xc5 xc5+ 29.b1 c4 is hopeless as well. ] 27...xc6 28.xf8 xf8 The rest is just a matter of technique. 29.c4 d4 30.c3 xh4 31.xb3 a5 32.d3 h2 33.g3 g7 34.e4 g6 35.b4 c6 36.c5 d4 37.g4 e5! 38.e4 xg2 39.xe5 xg5 40.xg5+ xg5 41.xb7 g4 White resigned as the h-pawn march decides. 0-1
[ Here Alexander Volzhin looked at 9.b3 in Brener-Pushkin which leads to sharp and unclear play after a5! ] [ Note that is too late for White to change his mind and lash out with 9.d5? as g4 is now simply good for Black. ] 9...c5! Logical and necessary. Black has to c o u n t e r a t t a c k i m m e d i a t e l y . 10.dxc5 There begins a long forcing variation. Black has to sacrifice a couple of pawns to break White's stranglehold on the centre. Meanwhile White has to take the material on offer or else his e5 point will crumble, gu a ra n t e e in g B la c k a g o o d ga m e . 6d7! 11.cxd6 exd6 12.xd6 xe5! The point of Black's play. He gets one of his pawns back and shatters the white kingside structure. 13.xd8 [ Naturally 13.fxe5? xd6 14.exd6 xc3+ would be embarrassing for White. ] 13...xf3+ 14.gxf3 xd8 [ Black doesn't want to give up his dark 452 B03 squared bishop with 14...xc3+? 15.d2 xd2+ 16.xd2 ] Bologan,V 2654 Khairallah,F 2307 15.c1 c6 16.e2 The dust has settled. 41st Olympiad Open 2014 (5.29) 06.08.2014 W hite is a pawn up but his doubled pawns and Black's activity greatly complicate matters. [Neil McDonald] White has tried other moves here but they all 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 seem dubious. For example [ 16.f2?! e7! heading for f5 to nab 5.f4 g6!? It seems like this alternative to the W hite's important dark squared bishop. mainline is alive and kicking. The theory would 17.e2 f5 18.hd1 xd1 19.xd1 xe3 be developing faster if White played the Four 20.xe3 e8 21.d3 Stopa, J (2460)Pawns Attack more often. 6.c3 g7 7.e3 Narciso Dublan, M (2532)/Montcada 2011 e6!? Black tries to cajole his opponent into 8. and now d8+! looks strong for Black e.g. d5, but here Bologan resists. 22.e2 h6 23.e3 e8 24.e4 g7 [ Black could also delay this move with planning 25...f5. ] 7...0-0 8.f3 ( but 8.c5!? might throw a [ 16.e4?! b4 17.c5 Grabher, H (2228)spanner in the works- check out Tom Ager, J (2223)/ Austria 2002 and now simply Rendle's comments to Moser-Fier in the xa2 gets Black's pawn back with the archives. ) 8...e6 when 9.b3 initiative after 18.xe6 fxe6 19.d1 b4 would transpose to the present game. ] 20.e2 c2+ etc. ] 8.f3 [ 16.b5?! b4 17.c7 ( 17.a3 d3+ [ T o m a n a l y s e d t h e u l t r a - s h a r p 8.d5 18.xd3 xd3 when b3 drops.) 17...xa2 in Moser-Fier. His conclusion is that White ( 17...xa2 with better chances for Black. )] h a s s o m e a d va n t a g e . H o we ve r , i n t h e messy counterattacking positions that arise 16...d4! [ Instead Black could grab the pawn back at this isn't going to upset Alekhine fans too the cost of his dark squared bishop with much. ] 16...b4 17.f2 ( White is being crushed 8...0-0 9.b3 A slow move, but if left in peace after 17.a3? d3+ 18.xd3 xd3 19.d2 W hite will continue with Rc1, Be2 and 0-0 e8 etc. ) 17...xc3 18.xc3 xa2 maintaining a huge space advantage. 454
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 However, I think White might have a very slight plus after 19.d3 xd3 20.xd3 b4 21.b1 f5 22.d1 f7 23.d6 etc. There is no reason for Black to play like this when the game continuation gives him at least equal chances. ] 17.b5 This turns out poorly but Black has the initiative in all lines, for example [ 17.f2 f5 18.hd1 xe3 19.xe3 xd1 20.xd1 e8 21.f2 f5 intending 22...Bd4+. ] [ Or 17.e4 a5!? A) 18.c5 f5 19.xb7 d7 20.c5 e8! 21.e4 ( Awful for White is 21.xd7 xe3 ) 21...xe4 22.fxe4 xe4 23.xd4 xd4 White is trying to survive, not exploit his extra pawn.; B) 18.f2 a4 19.b4 xe2 20.xe2 b5! 21.cxb5 xa2 and the passed a-pawn, supported by the two bishops, is more dangerous than White's b-pawn. ] 17...f5 18.xa7 [ White does best to grovel with 18.f2 h6 19.g3 ] 18...xa7 [ Black would have a decisive initiative after 18...f6! e.g. 19.a4? ( But Black's onslaught is also unstoppable after 19.d1 h4+ 20.f2 xa2 21.xd8+ xd8 or; 19.b6 xa2! 20.xd8 xd8 with 21...Bh4+ looming. ) 19...xa7 20.xa7 h4+ 21.f1 e3+ 22.g1 d2 23.f1 f2# ] 19.xa7 f6 20.0-0 [ The best chance for White to survive was 20.d1! but it's no surprise that Bologan didn't see this quiet move when his king is being hunted. Black would have the pleasant choice between forcing a draw by re p e t i t i o n o r p u rs u i n g h is a t t a c k . h4+ ( T h e w i n n i n g a t t e m p t i s 20...h4 when White's king has to walk a tight rope: 21.e2 g2 22.c2 xf4+ 23.e3 h3 24.hd1 g5+ 25.e2 e8 26.f1 f4 and the assault continues.) 21.e2 d4+ 22.e3 f5+ 23.e2 ( but not 23.e4?? d4+ 24.e5 f6+ 25.xe6 d6# mate! )] 20...d4+ 21.h1 xa7 White's king has escaped the centre and nominally a rook and two pawns is ample material for two minor pieces. But Black's bishops are very strong whereas all is gloomy in White's camp: his f4
pawn is terminally weak, he has no passed pawn, his rook lack activity and his bishop is a p o o r p i e c e . 22.fd1 c8 23.d3 e3 24.b1 d4 [ Simply 24...xf4 was very good for Black. ] 25.e4 c6 26.f5 Bologan is fighting back. He sells the f-pawn as dearly as possible by doubling Black's pawns and circumscribing the activity of his light squared bishop. gxf5 27.d5 c7 28.b4 [ It was better to activate the rook on b1 with 28.b2! This would also guard the second rank. ] 28...d4 29.xe6 fxe6 30.c5 xf3 Black should be winning thanks to his passed pawns, but it won't be easy. 31.d8+ f7 32.bd1 e5 33.h8 g7 34.e8 f7 35.h8 f6 36.f8+ f7 37.a4 f4 38.a5 e5 39.b5! Bologan makes use of all his resources in a desperate position. In the end he is just saved by his passed pawn. xc5 40.b6 e7 41.c8 d6 42.b1 f3 43.a6 bxa6 44.b7 f4 45.c6 b8 46.c8 d6 47.c6 b8 48.c8 d6 A real scare for Bologan against a player rated almost 350 Elo points below him. If you give the game to a computer it will point out various missed opportunities for Black in the endgame, but Khairallah deserves credit for making it such a hard fight. ½-½
453 Bologan,Viktor Rozentalis,Eduardas TOP 16 GpB Mulhouse (6) [Gawain Jones]
B03 2684 2628 01.05.2010
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 The Four Pawns Attack. In my view, the most critical test of the Alekhine. Both sides m u s t h a ve a t h o ro u gh kn o wle d ge o f t h e intricacies of the variation or they can quickly run into trouble. dxe5 [ 5...g6 In my opinion this allows White a good game. A recent game did nothing to alter my belief, 6.c3 g7 7.e3 0-0 8.c5! 6d7 9.h4 Ultra-aggressive! ( I've also looked at 9.c2 followed by castling long which looks strong for White. ) 455
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 9...dxc5 10.dxc5 A1) 10...e6 11.h5 e7 ( 11...g5 12.h6 h8 13.g4+- ) 12.c2 and I imagine everyone would take White here.; A2) 10...b6 11.f3 c6 looks very suspicious. If this is the best Black can hope for then I think 5...g6 will have to be consigned to the trash heap.; B) 9...b6 10.cxd6 exd6 11.f3! is terrible.; C) 9...e6 10.cxd6 cxd6 11.h5 c6 12.hxg6 fxg6 13.d5 ( 13.f3 ) 13...dxe5?! ( 13...a5 14.dxe6 b6 15.e7 xe7 16.d5 f7 17.xb6 axb6 18.xd6 c4 is better for White but not yet all over.) 14.dxc6 xc6 gave Black nothing like enough for the piece. Bauer, C-Hug, W Switzerland 2001; D) 9...e8?! This is simply too slow but I haven't found a satisfactory route for Black here, for example: 10.h5 f8 11.hxg6 fxg6 Piscopo, P-Pesotskyi, V Rijeka 2010. Here the most accurate win looks to be 12.f5! when Black simply cannot deal with the attack. ] 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 This is the main line of the Four Pawns Attack. [ 9.e2 has also been tried, preventing Black's ...Bg4. A couple of recent games ran: d7 ( Perhaps Black should play 9...e7 when after 10.f3 The position has t ra n s p o s e d b a ck t o t h e t yp ica l 9 . . . B e 7 positions which Jo hn W atson analyse d thoroughly whilst avoiding the most critical 10.d5!? option.; 9...h4+ would attempt to e x p lo i t W h i t e ' s m o ve o rd e r b u t I d o n ' t believe it after the simple 10.f2 ) 10.f3 A) 10...0-0-0 It's very risky castling queenside here. 11.0-0 We have actually transposed back to Kotronias-Short in the archives. g4 ( N i g e l t r i e d 11...f6 but reached a pretty lousy position.) 12.c5 d5 A1) 13.xd5 xd5 14.b4 was Andrew Martin's suggestion in the archives and looks stronger. e4 ( 14...f6 15.h3 h5 16.b5 xd4 17.xd4 xe5 18.f2 xc5 19.xh5 xd4 20.e2 e4 21.c2! xf2+ 22.xf2! Novak, D-Bogut, Z Kastav 2002. h5 is taboo due to the threat of Qxa7 and the
piece is stronger than the three pawns here. ) A1a) 15.b3 Stopa, J-Sher, M Indianapolis 2009 allowed Black the trick: xd4! 16.xd4 xe2 as 17.xe2 ( 17.xf7 is strongest but Black's doing well after c4! ) 17...d3 regains the piece.; A1b) 15.d2 f6 16.ae1! looks interesting here and rather dangerous for Black who can grab a pawn two different ways but will be put u n d e r a l o t o f p r e s s u r e . ( 16.h3 allowed Black to complicate the position in typical Alekhine fashion with xd4! Abel, D-Beikert, G Germany 2008. ) A1b1) 16...xb4?! 17.h3 ( 17.g5 fxg5 18.xg4 xc5 19.xe6+ b8 20.f5 i s u n c l e a r .) 17...f5 ( 17...h5 18.xb4 xe3+ 19.h1 leaves Black with severe problems wit h h is kin g .) 18.xb4 xe3+ 19.h1 and I imagine the pressure on the b file is simply too strong.; A1b2) 16...xe5 17.xe5 fxe5 18.d3 A1b21) 18...d5 would leave the queen with too many difficulties following 19.f2! exd4 20.e4 f5 21.xd4 xd3 ( 21...xd4 22.xd4 xd4 23.xf5!+- ) 22.xd5 xd5 23.e1 and White's extra queen promises him a clear edge.; A1b22) 18...c6 19.h3 h5 20.f2! exd4 21.c4 and Black will quickly lose his temporary two pawn ad vantage whilst W hite's attack is raging.; A2) 13.f2 e7 14.a4 f6 15.xd5 xd5 16.b4 fxe5 17.b5 xf3 18.xf3 e4 Chkhikvishvili, M-Chighladze, I Tbilisi 2010 and here White could have kept an edge with 19.xe4 xe4 20.fe1 d5 21.bxc6 xc6 22.xa7; B) 10...d8 11.0-0 g4 12.g5!? Forcing the following series of moves. xc4 13.xf7 xe3 14.xd7 xd1 15.xd8+ xd8 16.xg4 ( 16.xd1 xe2 17.xe2 e7 18.e4 might give 456
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 White a small edge but it's not much and the presence of bishop vs knight would allow the stronger player more chances to outplay his opponent.) 16...e3 17.h3 c5 18.b5 cxd4 19.c7+! e7 20.e1 g6 21.gxe6 xe6 22.xe6 h6 23.xd4 d8 24.f3 d1 25.e2 e3+ 26.f1 b6 27.d2 xd2 28.xd2 xb2 29.c8 c7 30.xb7 xe5 31.h3 d1 32.e4 e3+ 33.f2 d4 34.f3 h6 35.c3 xc3 36.xe3 1/2-1/2 Farran Martos, F-Narciso Dublan, M Sabadell 2010, didn't give the GM playing Black many winning chances. ] 9...g4 [ 9...e7 10.d5 Is the aforementioned critical line which received a recent outing. exd5 11.cxd5 b4 12.d4 d7 A) 13.e6 fxe6 14.dxe6 c6 A1) 15.g4 has been looked at a couple of times in the archives, when h4+ 16.g3 xh1 results in crazy co mp lica tion s - see K linger-Hernd l. ( Meanwhile 16...f6? is an error which White should have taken advantage of in P o m m e r e t - P h i l i p p e , a f t e r 17.0-0-0! see the archives for John's analysis. ); A2) 15.xc6 xd1+ 16.xd1 c2+ 17.d2 xe3 18.xe3 bxc6 19.d3 and W hite's advantage is somewhere between small and non-existent. Froewis, G-Schroll, G Vienna 2010.; B) 13.f3 c5 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.e2 following Dominguez's example as we have seen before. 0-0 16.0-0 4d5 17.f2 xc3 Deviating from previous ChessPublishing analysis but not changing t h e v e r d i c t . ( 17...c7 18.g3 xc3 19.bxc3 c8 20.d3 was seen in Dominguez-Almeida when W hite had a pleasant position.) 18.bxc3 c5 19.f5 xf5 20.xf5 d2 21.f3 ad8 22.c4 a4 23.ad1 b2 24.xd8 xd8 25.d1 ( 25.d3! looks strong, the idea being tha t xe5 26.e1 f6 27.c2 c3 28.xe7 gaining the bishop pair for rook and pawn, a definite advantage.) 25...b6 26.e6!? fxe6 27.e4 f6 28.c2 g6 29.xe6+ g7 30.e3 d7? A blunder but the position was already extremely difficult. 31.g5! d4+ 32.h1
f8 33.e3 b2 34.xd7+ f7 35.h6+ was a po we rf u lly pla ye d gam e b y th e Indian. 1-0 Das, S-Shivananda, B Delhi 2010. ] 10.e2 xf3 11.gxf3 h4+ 12.f2 f4 13.c5 d5 14.xd5 exd5 15.d2 xd2+ 16.xd2 So again we see this ending which seems rather important to the viability of the main line of the Four Pawns Attack. Recently Black has come under pressure here as White can make good use of his bishop pair whilst p re p a r in g a qu e e n si d e p a wn st o rm . e7 Ro ze nt alis' ne w try. I n th e th re e arch ive games Black has always tried [ 16...g6 but after 17.e3! he seems to be in some trouble. A couple of Grandmaster g a m e s i n 2 0 0 8 c o n f i r m e d t h i s : d7 ( 17...h5 18.b5 e7 19.g5+ e6 20.c3 h4 21.h3 e7 22.f4 f5 23.e2 b6 24.b4 a5 25.a3 e7 26.g4 xg5 27.fxg5 e7 28.f3 hd8 29.hb1 a7 30.d3 b8 31.b5 bxc5 32.dxc5 a4 33.b4 a5 34.ab1 d8 35.d1 c6 36.b6 xc5 37.xa4 b8 38.a7+ e6 39.a4 xe5 40.a5 d4 41.a6 and the two connected passed pawns on the sixth were simply too strong for the king of bullet chess. Pavasovic, D-Nakamura, H Austria 2008.) 18.f4 e7 19.g4+ f5 20.xf5+ gxf5 21.ag1 h6 22.g3 ag8 23.e2 g6 24.h3 f8 25.h5 e6 26.b4 h6 27.xh6+ xh6 28.g1 f8 29.b5 e7 30.g3 b6 31.h3 f6 32.f2 b8 33.a4 a6 34.c6 axb5 35.axb5 h8 36.h4 f7 37.xf6 xf6 38.exf6 xf6 39.e3 a8 40.e5 a2+ 41.d3 xh2 42.xd5 g2 43.d7 1-0 Howell, D-Ramirez, A Gaziantep 2008 saw the Englishman grinding out the full point. ] 17.b5+ I like this intermezzo check forcing Black t o play ...c6 a f te r wh ich b4-b5 will become more powerful. Bologan's play looks l i k e a n i m p r o ve m e n t a n d t h e p o s i t i o n a l maestro Rozentalis, who relishes this type of position as White, is unable to hold it as Black. [ The previous time this position was reached, White tried 17.d3 g6 18.h4 d7 19.f6 g8 20.f4 f5 21.xf5+ gxf5 22.ag1 the same position as Howell-Ramirez except the bishop is placed on f6 rather than e3 which strangely gives Black better chances 457
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 for the draw as he can exchange bishops whenever he wants. e7 23.xe7 xe7 24.g3 g6 25.e3 ag8 26.f3 and W hite eventually ground out the full p o i n t i n A b e r g e l , T - R i s , R H o o g e ve e n 2007. ] 17...c6 18.d3 g6 19.b4 h6+ 20.c3 d7 21.b5 Bologan's play is hardly subtle yet he clearly has a very pleasant position. hc8 [ 21...b6 is a try to avoid being squashed. In general it's not good to open up the position when your opponent has the bishop pair but of course all positions have to be calculated on their own merits. 22.ab1 and it appears that Black must keep the tension as ( 22.bxc6+ xc6 23.b5 bxc5 24.dxc5 c7= ) 22...bxc5 23.dxc5 cxb5 24.xb5+ c7 25.he1 leaves his king too loose. ] 22.h4! Opening up a second front and exploiting Black's previous. b6 23.h5 f8 [ The fact that 23...h8 is the computer's top suggestion highlights his position's flaws. ] 24.hxg6 hxg6 25.h7 e6 26.a4 f5 27.xf5+ [ It wasn't necessary to break the tension yet and W hite could continue to pile on the pressure with 27.f4 ] 27...gxf5 28.ah1!? Bologan plays very d y n a m i c a l l y a n d p r e p a r e s a n e xc h a n g e sacrifice. [ 28.d3 was entirely possible too taking a time out to improve the king's location. Black ca n gra b a pa wn wit h bxc5 ( 28...cxb5 29.axb5 bxc5 30.a6+ is h o p e l e s s .) 29.dxc5 cxb5 30.axb5 xc5 31.h6+ d7 32.xc5 xc5 33.a5 but White is exceedingly active and likely to pick up both d5 and a7 pawns. ] 28...cxb5 29.axb5 a6 [ 29...bxc5 is critical when I presume Bo loga n h ad pla nn e d 30.1h6+! xh6 31.xh6+ e7 32.dxc5 when, despite being the exchange up, Black's position is very difficult as his pawns are so vulnerable whilst the c pawn is strong and W hite's pieces coordinate well. h8 33.h4+ d7 34.d6+ c7 35.f6!? A) 35...xh4 gives back the exchange 36.xf7+ d8 ( 36...b8 37.f8+ b7 38.c6+ i s h o p e l e s s .) 37.f8+ e7 38.xa8 c4+ 39.b3 xc5 40.xa7+
e6 41.b4 is a textbook position which looks difficult for Black but perhaps he can hold the draw.; B) 35...h7 36.g5 and White can start mopping up pawns. ] 30.c6! axb5 31.1h6+ xh6 32.xh6+ Thus White has sacrificed the exchange and a pa wn in a n e n d ga m e ye t h a s a p o we rf u l initiative. Bologan hasn't risked anything with his cavalier attitude to his pieces as Black's pawn structure is so bad that the pawns are always likely to drop off. f6 [ 32...e7 33.h4+ would force Black to give up his f pawn anyway as f8 34.b4 threatens 35.Bf6 and thus ( 34.f6 xc6+ 35.b4 xf6 36.exf6 g8 seems enough for the draw.) 34...g7 is forced but once White plays 35.d6 the c pawn is simply too strong. ] 33.xf6+ e7 34.b4 a1 35.h4 [ 35.xb5 b1+ 36.a6 d8 looks to hold for Black. ] 35...b1+ 36.c3 c1+ 37.d2 c4 38.d6+ e8 39.xd5 4xc6 [ 39...8xc6 40.d8+ f7 41.d5 and the central pawns would p rove to o strong. ] 40.e3!? [ 40.xb5 is safer ] 40...c3+?! That rook should stay controlling the 6th rank to slow White's pawns. [ 40...b4 should have been played when it's not obvious that White's better, e.g. 41.b5 c3+ 42.f4 3c4 43.xf5 xd4 44.f6 c6 45.f4 c5 46.xb6 d7 and the pawns are being slowed although this is difficult to play as Black and I imagine Black was under a far bit of time pressure, especially as it's move 40. ] 41.f4 d3? 42.e6 Rozentalis realises too late that the e pawn can go alone. There's no defence to 43.e7 and 44.Rd8. An impressive en e rget ic disp la y f ro m B o lo ga n a nd t h is endgame is looking difficult for Black. 1-0
458
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 454 Boric,E Rakic,Marija 17th CRO-chT 1w (3) [John Watson]
B03 455 2292 Boroday,Sergey 2276 Moliboga,Vladimir 29.09.2008 Independence Cup, Kyiv (11) [Andrew Martin]
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 c6 10.d5 e5 11.e2 f5!? [ W e lo o k e d a t 11...ed7 12.f3 f6 13.h3 with the idea Qd2 in K Lie-Es Lie, Hamar 2007. White seems clearly better. ] 12.f3!? A calm move, and not bad. But it's worth going back to look at options that we've covered before: [ 12.f4 g4 13.xg4 fxg4 14.ge2 f5 ( 14...e5! is wo r t h a t r y) 15.0-0 h5?! ( 15...e6!? ) 16.d4 f6 17.xf6 exf6 18.d4 was superb for White in Skorchenko, D (2460)-Tkachenko, G (2318)/Lugansk UKR 2007. See the Archives. ] [ 12.h3 and ] [ 12.d2 are also attractive, as I pointed out in that update. But Black plays 9...Nc6 with something in mind. Perhaps ...Nf7 followed by ...h6/...g5/...f4 is his idea. ] 12...h6 13.d2 h7 [ 13...g5? 14.xe5 xe5 15.f4! gxf4 16.xf4 xf4 17.xf4 is obviously terrific for White. ] 14.h4 [ 14.xe5! dxe5 15.0-0 with the idea f4 16.c5 keeps White in control of the centre as well as the e4 square. ] 14...bd7 15.h5!? [ 15.xe5 xe5 16.b5 d7 17.d4 is logical, but W hite will have to find an effective plan. ] 15...xf3+ [ 15...g5?! 16.d4 w i t h t h e i d e a f4? 17.e6 a5 18.c2+ g8 19.d2 has no good reply. ] 16.xf3 g5 17.b5 e5 18.e2 f4 19.d4 a6 This time Black has more squares to work with. 20.xe5 xe5 21.d4 xd4 22.xd4 f5 23.0-0 I still like White here, with the idea of exchanging bishops and bringing a rook to e6. Still, Black has kingside space and W h i t e ' s p a wn o n h 5 i s s h a ky, so m a yb e there's some counterplay. ½-½
B03 2395 2295 2003
Alekhine's Defence remains as controversial as ever. Numerous White systems, generally involving steady, unspectacular development put the opening under serious pressure. But if White tries full-on aggression from the very beginning, he should be ready for occasional disaster! 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 f5 7.c3 e6 8.e3 b4 9.f3 c5!? The Four Pawns isn't really the way to go Black just has too many reasonable ways to play. 9...c5 is just one of them. Boroday seems surprised and comes up with a most unsuccessful novelty. 10.d2?!N Just makes the White queen a target on the d file. White should play 10 a3: [ 10.a3 cxd4 ( 10...xc3+?! 11.bxc3 c6 12.e2 c7 13.0-0 d8 14.e1 0-0 15.g3 a5 16.g5 c8 17.h4 g6 18.xg6 fxg6 19.g4 xf1+ 20.xf1 e8 21.d5 exd5 22.cxd5 h6 23.d6 c6 24.e7 1-0 Bielczyk, J-Meiklejohn, I/ Groningen 1971) 11.xd4! ( 11.axb4 dxe3 12.c5 6d7 13.d6 c6 14.b5 c8 15.0-0-0 e7 16.g5 a5 17.xe7+ xe7 18.xf7 axb4 19.xd7+ xd7 20.xh8 bxc3 21.f7 0-1 Amate Tortosa, B-Suba, M/ Villa de Albox 2002) 11...xd4 12.xd4 xc3+ 13.xc3 a4 14.c1 ( 14.b4 xb2 15.d4 c6 16.xc6 bxc6 Ostojic, P-Marovic, D/Umag 1972) 14...c6 15.e2 0-0-0 16.0-0 g4 17.fe1 d7 18.h3 h5 19.d4 xd4 20.xh5 b3 21.d1 ac5 22.xb3 xb3 23.cd1 hd8 24.xd7 xd7= Lochte, T-Blees, A/ Budapest 1990 ] [ 10.e2 c6 11.0-0 xc3 12.bxc3 0-0 13.e1 g6 14.d1 cxd4 15.cxd4 e7 Counterplay is gained by controlling the central light squares e4 and f5. 16.b4 e4 17.g5 f5 18.c3 xe3 19.xe3 g6 20.e4 xe4 21.xe4 c8 22.c1 c7 23.c3 1/2-1/2 Parma, B-Hecht, H/Berlin West 1971 ] 10...c6 11.dxc5? A disgusting move but by now I guess Boroday realised it was too late 459
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 for a2-a3: ( 7...xd3 8.xd3 looks rather [ 11.a3 cxd4 comfortable for W hite; while we don't A) 12.xd4 xd4 believe the tricky 7...xd4 can be good A1) 13.xd4 xc3 14.bxc3 ( 14.xc3 for Black following 8.xd4 xd3 9.xd3 h4+ ) 14...h4+ 15.f2 e4+ dxe5 10.c5! xd4 11.xd4 exd4 16.e2 0-0; 12.cxb6 axb6 13.e2 White will follow up A2) 13.xd4 xd4 14.xd4 xc3+ with Kd3, a4 and b3 and play on the light 15.bxc3 d7; squares when the extra piece will be more B) 12.xd4 xc3 13.xc3 h4+ 14.f2 valuable than the three pawns.) 8.e4 e6 ( 14.g3 e4 ) 14...e4+ 15.e2 g4 9.d5 a5 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 exd5 The analysis confirms Black's superiority. ] 12.cxd5 leaves White comfortably better.; [ 11.g5 tries to buy time, but using the B) 6...e6 7.c3 was the course of the same aggressive attacking ideas, Black miniature Jones, G (2593)-Baburin, A quickly obtains the upper hand: f6 12.exf6 ( 2 5 3 9 ) B u n r a t t y 2 0 1 1 wh i c h G a wa i n gxf6 13.e3 cxd4 14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 annotates in the archives. ] e5 16.e3 a4 17.c1 a5 ] 6...c6 11...a4 12.d4 [ 6...e6 7.e3 was looked at by Andrew [ 12.a3 xc3 13.bxc3 a5 ] Martin in Collins, S (2408)-Baburin, A (2511) 12...xd4 13.xd4 a5 Ensuring that White 2005. ( But it's likely that Bromberger is kept with his pieces on very uncomfortable intended to simply play 7.f3 which would squares. 14.c1 Alternatives are bleak: transpose to the Jones-Baburin game. )] [ 14.a3 xc3 15.bxc3 xc5 16.b2 c7 [ Meanwhile 6...dxe5 7.fxe5 e6 8.f3 17.e2 0-0 18.0-0 b6 ] would be quite likely to transpose to the [ 14.d1 0-0-0 15.a3 xc5 ] mainline of the Four Pawns Attack after c6 14...d8 15.e3 xb2 16.g4 But this is 9.e3 ] bleaker. Rather than face 16..Bxg4, W hite 7.e3 Bromberger again offers Teske the resigns. Aself-inflicted fiasco! 9...c5 seems a option of transposing to the mainline. playable method and, as we've seen, White [ It was possible to play the Five Pawns only has to go slightly wrong for the game to Attack immediately with 7.g4!? but it does blow up in his face. look a bit loose. Black would do well to drop 0-1 his bishop back - perhaps all the way to c8 as xg4? 8.xg4 xd4 9.d1 dxe5 10.fxe5 e6 11.f3 c5 12.e3 xf3+ 456 B03 13.xf3 h4+ 14.f2 xf2+ 15.xf2 xf2+ 16.xf2 didn't give Black anything Bromberger,S 2513 like enough for the piece. Heymann, ATeske,H 2550 Lantzsch, C Eberstadt 1995. ] TCh-AUT 1st Bundesliga 2012 (9.1) 20.04.12 7...g5?! Which Teske declines but this looks [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle] to be asking too much from Black's position. [ 7...dxe5 8.fxe5 e6 9.f3 is again the 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 mainline. ] 5.f4 f5 6.c3 This move order allows the [ In a recent game Black tried to keep to game continuation but that works out very well unchartered waters with 7...g6 8.f3 g7 for White. 9.e2 0-0 Beliaev, V (2007) -Kotov, A [ Previously a couple of games on ( 2 2 5 4 ) M o s c o w 2 0 0 9 b u t h e r e 10.c5! ChessPublishing have continued with 6.f3 looks pretty miserable. ] Once Black has committed his bishop to the f 5 s qu a re t h e re 's no n e ed t o d e lay t h e 8.g4! [ Pre sum a b ly B la ck h a d a loo k a t 8.fxg5 development of the kingside knight. dxe5 and thought the positions looked A) Here if Black tries to play as in the promising but White's pawn sacrifice is very game with 6...c6 7.d3 strong. ] l o o k s c o m f o r t a b l e f o r W h i t e : g4 460
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 8...gxf4 After this we can't find enough defensive resources for Black but his position is perhaps untenable already. [ 8...d7 would give White a very pleasant a r r a y o f c h o i c e s . P e r h a p s 9.c5 is strongest. ] [ 8...c8 was the best bet but 9.d5 a5 ( 9...gxf4 10.xb6 won't give Black enough for the piece.) 10.f5!? looks very promising for White with his huge space advantage. ] 9.gxf5 fxe3 10.e6 c8?! After this Black is definitely lost. [ The computer tries to put up a defence with 10...g7 but we think White's attack is too strong: 11.h5 A) 11...f8 A1) or 12.h3 when both xd4 ( and 12...xd4 13.0-0-0 ) 13.g5 e5 14.g1 leave White with a decisive attack.; A2) 12.f3 xd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.g1! and, with Rg8 coming next move, Black is defenceless.; B) 11...0-0 12.f3 e8 13.g5 ( 13.h4!? keeping up a strong attack is also possible.) 13...h6 14.exf7+ xf7 15.xf7 xf7 16.xf7+ xf7 would at least allow Black to survive into a n e n d g a m e a l t h o u g h 17.c5 dxc5 18.dxc5 xc3+ 19.bxc3 a4 20.g1 is still more pleasant for White. ] [ 10...h5 would prevent the queen coming to h5 but 11.f3 is obviously very good for White. ] 11.exf7+ d8 [ Taking the pawn would lose instantly: 11...xf7 12.h5+ g8 13.f3 and it's pretty obvious the Black monarch won't survive. ] 12.h3! Defending the pawn and thereby preventing the Black queen getting out and keeping the king stuck in the centre. h5 [ 12...d7 13.f6! exf6 14.d5 leaves Black totally tied up - look at all his major pieces! ] [ 12...xc4 would give White options to finish off the game. The easiest looks to be 13.f6 xb2 14.e2 xd4 15.fxe7+ xe7 16.xb2 h4+ 17.d1 f5 18.b1 when Black's minor pieces are all dropping. ] 13.f6 b8 A really ugly move to have to play [ but 13...e6 14.d5 hardly helps. ]
[ 13...d7 would also fail to the game's 14.ge2 ] 14.ge2 Threatening to bring the knight into t h e h o l e o n e 6 . h6 By this point Black definitely has no defence: [ 14...h6 15.f4 xf6 16.e6+ xe6 17.xe6 ] [ 14...h7 15.f4 ] [ and 14...e5 15.g1 h7 16.d3 xf7 17.g6 are all completely hopeless. ] 15.g1 exf6 [ 15...f8 16.g6 picks up the bishop on h6 for starters. ] 16.g8+ e7 17.xb8 axb8 18.c5 A painful loss for Black. The Four Pawns continues to be a critical test of the Alekhine Defence. 1-0
457 Bromberger,Stefan Kremenietsky,Anm Gausdal Classics GMB (5) [John Watson]
B03 2487 2354 12.04.2008
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 b4 Black is always trying something slightly off the beaten track to answer the Four Pawns Attack. This move is entirely logical in terms of development and deserves more attention, as Nigel Davies suggests. It doesn't seem to quite equalise (or shouldn't) but there's a enough play to keep things interesting. [ See this month and the archives for the traditional 9...e7 ] 10.e2 [ White shouldn't move too slowly merely for structural reasons, for example, 10.c1 0-0 ( 10...g4!? ) 11.a3 e7 12.d5? ( 12.e2 ) 12...exd5 13.cxd5 xe5! 14.xe5 e8 and Black gets back at least most of the material, with attack, e.g., 15.e2 h4+ 16.g3 xe5 17.d4 xe2+ 18.xe2 g5 19.e3 g4! 20.xg4 xe3 21.d1 e7 ] 10...d7!? This doesn't seem to fit that well with ...Bb4. [ a) 10...a5 is one of the ideas of ...Bb4, e v e n i f t h e t i m i n g i s u n c l e a r : 11.c5! 461
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 11.d2 h4+ 12.f2 f4 13.a3 xc3 14.bxc3 0-0 15.0-0 g5 isn't too bad, but the knights on the queenside look funny and White's bishops are a long-term asset. ) A) 11...d5 12.d2 with advantage, I think. Black had to resort to bringing the k n i g h t b a c k w i t h c6 in RohdeShamkovich, New York 1976, when 13.0-0 ( 13.a3 xc3 14.bxc3 also looks good)) 13...0-0 14.g5 gave White a good game, because Black can't like d7 15.xd5 xd5 16.a3 xd4 17.axb4 xe2+ 18.xe2 d3 19.e3 xf1 20.xf1 at a ll, s o h e pro ba bly h as to p lay t h e weakening 14...f6.; B) 11...bc4?! 12.a4+! c6! covers a5, but Black's tightrope trick comes a little s h o r t a f t e r 13.d2! xd2 14.xb4 xf3+ 15.xf3 ] [ b) 10...0-0 is a pretty good try: 11.0-0 ( 11.d2 seems to take the sting out of a5 due to 12.b3 otherwise, White can castle and play a3. Black should probably just proceed with his development and he may stand a little worse, but it's no disaster) 11...a5 12.d2 ( 12.c5 xc3 13.bxc3 bc4 is praised by Davies, and is definitely playable, although I'd still rather have the bishops af ter 14.g5 ) 12...g6 13.e1 ( 13.a3; 13.c1 ) 13...c5!? 14.a3 Goldenburg-Ghizdavu, Graz 1972 and now ( 14.dxc5 d7 15.f3 xc5 16.d1 ) 14...cxd4! was an obvious and strong move: 15.axb4 dxe3 16.bxa5 exd2 17.g3 d7 ] 11.0-0 a5!? In a sense this is the 'point', since [ 11...0-0-0 and ] [ 11...0-0 are versions of main lines in which it's unclear why the bishop is out there on b4. ] 12.c5 [ Or 12.d2 0-0 13.c1 ( 13.c1 ) 13...c6 14.a3!? xc3 15.bxc3 , when Black may simply have to play slowly, although he would like to keep chipping away by f6 16.exf6 xf6 , when unfortunately 17.b3! threatens Nc5, and a4 18.d5 is awkward, or ( 18.g5 )] 12...bc4 13.c1 xc3 14.bxc3 b6?! A good move positionally, but Black should be securing his king first. 15.h4! e4
[ 15...g6 16.c6! d8 17.xg6 hxg6 18.a4 d5 19.b4 , and Black can't castle either way: 0-0-0?? 20.f3 ] 16.f4 d5 Again, covering the light squares is in the right principle, but the kingside is v u l n e r a b l e . 17.g4 f5! 18.exf6 gxf6 19.f4!? [ 19.h6! 0-0-0 20.g7 c6 21.f1 f5 22.f4 d7 23.g3! with the idea Nf3-e5 ] [ 19.f1 f5 20.f4 ] 19...e7? [ either 19...0-0 ] [ or 19...f5 20.h5+ d8 is playable. ] 20.xf6! Obvious, but pretty the finish is nice: xf6 21.f1+ [ 21.g5+! xg5 22.c1+ f6 23.f4+ also wins ] 21...g7 22.h6+! g8 [ 22...xh6 23.f6# ] 23.f6 e4 24.f1 [ 24.f1 (threatening Qf8+) f5 25.g5+ g6 26.xg6 is mate in 2. ] 1-0
458 Bryson,Douglas M Luther,Thomas Olympiad Bled (3) [Andrew Martin]
B03 2385 2535 2002
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 It's refreshing to see a Four Pawns Attack although most strong masters prefer 4 Nf3 or the Exchange Variation. Particularly annoying is 5 exd6 cxd6 6 Nc3 g6 7 Be3 Bg7 8 Rc1 0-0 9 b3-I cannot see any way for Black to equalize here. Perhaps subscribers can help? Douglas Bryson is a very strong master of course but he plays for enjoyment rather than the professional grind..... for our viewing p l e a s u r e m a yb e . . . . dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 Fun for all the family in this line. Some recent developments in the 'main line': [ 6...c6 7.e3 ( 7.f3 g4 8.e3 xf3 9.gxf3 e6 10.c3 h4+ 11.f2 f4 12.c5 d5 13.xd5 exd5 14.e2 0-0-0 15.0-0 f6 16.exf6 gxf6 17.h1 g8 18.g1 g5 19.xg5 fxg5 20.d3 g7 21.d1 g4 22.e3 f7 23.fxg4 e8 24.f1 e6 25.f3 xd4 26.xd4 xd4 462
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 27.xd4 xe2 28.xd5 d8 0-1 Varavin, V-Smirnov,I/V Autumn, Alushta UKR 2002 (28) ) 7...f5 8.c3 ( 8.f3 e6 9.e2 d7 10.c3 b4 11.0-0 xc3 12.bxc3 a5 13.d2 c8 14.e1 c5 15.g3 g6 16.h4 cxd4 17.cxd4 h5 18.ac1 c7 19.h1 c8 20.e4 d7 21.d6+ 1-0 Gajadin,D-Mensing,F/Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002 (21)) 8...e6 9.f3 g4 10.d2 e7 ( 10...xf3 11.gxf3 b4 12.0-0-0 a4 13.g1 g6 14.g5 xc3 15.bxc3 e7 16.h6 d7 17.h3 a5 18.e2 a4 19.f1 a3+ 20.b1 xc4 21.c2 xc2+ 22.xc2 b6 23.c4 e7 24.c3 0-0-0 25.h3 b8 26.e3 c5 27.dxc5 a4+ 28.c2 xc5 29.xd8+ xd8 30.xc5 xc5 31.f1 d4 32.e2 d7 33.c3 h4 34.b1 xe5 35.c5 c7 0-1 Saed,K-Bjerring,K/Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002 (35) ) 11.e2 h4+ 12.f1 0-0 13.c5 xf3 14.gxf3 d5 15.xd5 xd5 16.g1 f5 17.d1 ad8 18.f4 h8 19.g2 g5 20.c3 e4 21.b4 gxf4 22.g1 f3 23.xf3 f4 24.e2 g8 25.xg8+ xg8 26.b5 xg1 27.bxc6 xh2+ 28.d3 xd1+ 29.xd1 bxc6 30.b3 f4 31.c4 e4 32.b4 e1 0-1 Fongarolli, D-Mollero, M/10th Ducale Open, Genova ITA 2002 (32) ] 7.d5 e6 8.c3 exd5 9.cxd5 c4 10.d6 [ 10.f3 b4 11.xc4 ( 11.g5 xc3+ 12.bxc3 xd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.0-0-0 e7 15.xc4 bc6 16.hf1 e6 17.xe6 fxe6 18.d4 xd4 19.xd4 c8 20.b2 d5 21.c4 b6 22.b3 f8 23.xf8+ xf8 24.d2 e8 25.b4 c7 26.a5 c6 27.b4 1/2-1/2 Pirrot,D-Tischbierek,R/ 74th ch-GER, Saarbruecken GER 2002 (27) ) 11...xc3+ 12.bxc3 xc4 13.a4+ d7 14.xc4 b6 15.b5+ d7 16.xd7+ xd7 17.d6 c8 18.e3 ( 18.d2 a4 19.b1 b6 20.0-0 e6 21.d4 d7 22.bc1 c5 23.f3 h6 24.fe1 hc8 25.e3 b2 26.e1 a5 27.c2 c4 28.ee2 cc5 29.f2 cb5 30.g3 b1+ 31.f2 f5 32.d4 xc2 33.e6+ fxe6 34.xe6 f5+ 35.e2 f7 0-1 Hallaeva,B-Kopinits,A/Olympiad w, Bled SLO 2002 (35)) 18...xc3 19.xb6 axb6 20.0-0 0-0 21.ac1 c5 22.h3 h6 23.fe1 a8 24.xc5 bxc5 25.a1 b5 26.c1 c4
27.c2 f5 28.b2 c3 29.xb5 c2 30.c5 c8 0-1 Eaker,A-Popitz,A/40th Ann Open, Curacao AHO 2002 (30) ] 10...c6 11.f3 g4 12.f4 g5 13.e4 gxf4 14.f6+ xf6 15.exf6 0-0-0 16.c1 All as given in NCO and a clear advantage to W h i t e a c c o r d in g t o t h e a u t h o r -G r a h a m Burgess/ Fritz-difficult to tell between the two. However for a human with the clock ticking this position will never be easy and so it proves. e8+ A very interesting idea. Black defers the capture on d6 to a more propitious moment. It should not succeed but Bryson is known for his addiction to time trouble-I can imagine him using up oceans of time around here threading his way through the minefield. [ 16...xd6 17.xc4 he8+ 18.f1 e3 19.b5 xf3 20.gxf3 c7 ] [ 16...xd6 17.xf4 e6+ 18.d1 d5 19.g5 b4 ] 17.f2 [ 17.e2 xf3 18.gxf3 d4 ] [ 17.d1 e3 18.h3 xf3+ 19.gxf3 xd6 20.xc4 d8 ] 17...xd6 18.xc4 c5+ 19.f1 e3 20.c3 xc4 21.xc4 d8 22.e1 It really isn't easy. Black's idea is to take on f2 and play Rd2 and whether White takes on f7 or not his King feels the heat and he can't activate the Rooks. I reckon Bryson saw the drawing mechanism of the game and decided to bale out. [ 22.xf7 d7 ( 22...f5 23.b3 d3+ 24.e1 he8 25.f7! f8 26.d1+-; 22...xf3! 23.gxf3 d2 24.g7 hd8 This was almost certainly Luther's intentionit's a mess.) 23.c4 xf3 24.gxf3 f8 25.e6 d4 26.c1 ] 22...xf3 23.gxf3 d2 24.e2 d1+ 25.e1 d2 26.e2 d1+ 27.e1 d2 28.e2 So much for NCO, Fritz and the like. A game with lots of ideas and a strong human element. ½-½
463
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and the Rook on a3 is a powerhouse, Greet, B03 A-Carleton, J/England 2000. ] Buescu,Neculai 2260 Grunberg,Mihai 2405 12.b5 [ 12.g5! is strong and White has a solid ch-ROM, ROM (1.2) 2003 advantage e.g. f6 ( 12...f6 13.xf6 xf6 [Andrew Martin] 14.e1 c6 15.d5 d8 16.b4 e4 17.d4 e3 18.fxe3 xe3 19.d2 e8 20.f3 ) 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 13.e3 e4 14.d2 f5 15.b5 ] 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.a4!? Andrew Soltis once wrote a whole book on this 12...e4 13.g5?! [ 13.e1 is far less risky. ] l i n e . 7 a 4 i s d i s r u p t i ve a n d a t t e m p t s t o in t e rf e re wit h B la ck's n a t u ra l sch e m e o f 13...f8 14.f4 All very well but Black is able development or at least slow it down. It's hard to split open the White King. f6 15.h3 [ 15.f7!? xf7 16.xd6+ g8 17.xe8 to believe that the Alekhine Defence can xe8 18.d5 is flashy and unclear. Bit of a come under serious pressure from the reprieve for Black I think. ] advance of the a pawn. For starters, a4-a5 16.gxh3 e6 17.g3 f5 improves the position of Black's errant Knight! 15...xh3 A central response is indicated from Black to 18.xd6 f8 19.e5 c6 20.xg7 xg7 offset all this activity on the flank, and then I 21.d5 [ 21.xb7 l e a d s t o d i f f i c u l t i e s : g5+ think he will be OK. g7 8.a5 6d7 9.f3 22.h1 cxd4 23.c5 ( 23.b4 ) 23...ad8 0-0 10.e2 24.xe6+ xe6 25.c1 xc1 26.axc1 [ 10.a3!? was a very odd choice in a recent d2 ] game f rom England. I'm no t sure that I understand what the immediate point is long- 21...xd6 22.dxe6 xe6 White's early term there are some prospects along the aggression backfired he was far too keen to third rank. f6 11.e2 d5! 12.0-0 dxc4 put Black away immediately. 23.d5 xd5 13.xc4 g4 14.e2 c6 Carleton 24.cxd5 d4 25.c4 [ 25.ae1 ad8 ] respond ed correctly and now it's a 26.b3 f6 27.fd1 e5! Tarrasch Defence to the Queen's Gambit 25...ac8 reversed with a4-a5 and Ra3 thrown in! 28.h1? Limp. [ 28.f4+ In a position such as this you have Quite a mouthful. Equally correctly, Greet to take your chances. W hite missed exf3 takes the view that his position promises 29.f2 and it is not at all easy for Black to nothing and provokes simplification. 15.a6 maint ain his a dvan tage. He has t o ho p bxa6 16.xa6 b4 17.a3 a5 a ro u n d wit h t h e K n igh t : e2 30.e1 Greet, A-Carleton, J/Birmingham 2002. ] ( 30.d3 d6 31.ad1 f4 32.xf3 h5 10...e5!? As per the programme but now that 33.e3 g7 34.de1 fe8 ) 30...d6 White has obligingly pushed his pawn to a5 I 31.xf3 d4+ 32.f2 fe8 want to attack with In both variations Black is still keeping [ 10...c6! something but there is no guarantee that A) 11.a6 b6 12.0-0 f6 ( 12...db8!? ) over the board he would find some of these 13.h3 ( 13.e3 g4 14.h3 f5 ); tricky moves. ] B) 11.d5 xa5 12.a3 b6 13.0-0 ] 11.0-0 e8!?N Hoping to support the 28...f4 29.a4 e3 30.fxe3 fxe3 White puts up terrific resistance from here on in but he advance of the e pawn. [ 11...c6 12.d5 e7?! ( Maybe cannot save the game. 31.d6 e2 32.xe2 [ 32.e1 xc4! 33.xe2+ xe2 34.xc4 12...xa5!? 13.b4 xc4 14.xc4 e4 xd6 ] 15.d4 c7! Deep Fritz shows Black better. ) 13.a3 a6 ( 13...f5 14.g5 f6 ) 32...xe2 33.d7 c1! 34.xc1 xc1 14.b4 f5 15.e4 c7 16.c5 f6 35.c4 d6 Forced, in view of the threat of 17.fg5 d8 18.xf6+ xf6 19.e4 e7 Rc8. 36.xc1 xd7 37.g2 f5 38.b4 f4 d6 A Rook ending as passive as 20.b2 I don't like this for Black at all. 39.b1 d4 White has attacking opportunities with f2-f4 this has to be lost for W hite. 40.g3 459
464
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 41.h4 d5 42.h3 bishops clearly favours White. He intends [ 42.h5 gxh5 43.f3 c4 44.e3 d3+ d4-d5 and the transfer of the Knight to e6.' 45.e4 b3!-+ ] [jw: Korchnoi went on to win] ] 42...d3+ 43.g4 h5+ 44.g5 g3+ [ 9...f6 probably isn't bad, but 10.h4!? 45.h6 c4 46.b5 b6! The White pawns has the idea Nh3 and Bg5 and things came are ready to be taken. 47.axb6 axb6 48.b2 o u t we l l f o r W h it e a f t e r ( 10.c5 d7 c5 49.b1 xh3 The opening should have 11.cxd6 cxd6 12.d5 ) 10...e6 11.b3 d5 turned out bet ter f or W hite than it did . I 12.c5 c8 13.h3 b6 14.g5! recommend 12 Bg5! and then I don't see how in Chernyshov - Kopylov, 1993. ] Black equalizes. However, 10... Nc6! is better 10.c5! c4?! Vohlzin calls this a mistake than 10... e5 and then the onus is on White to (see the next few notes). He suggests prove something. As for the rest of the game [ 10...d7 (which looks resilient enough) ] W hite lacked self-belief and played far too [ or 10...c8 , but where's Black's play in passively at crucial moments when he HAD to that case after 11.d3 ? ] go active. We've all been there I think. 11.f4 0-1 [ 11.d5? 6e5 12.f4 xe3 13.xe3 f5 ] 11...dxc5? This is the real mistake, and so 460 B03 was [ 11...f6? 12.d5 4e5 13.e2 Caruana,Fabiano 2594 ( 13.e4! ) 13...g6 14.e3 xc3 15.bxc3 Genocchio,Daniele 2433 f6 16.dxe6 xc3+ 17.c2 in Leyva67th ch-ITA Martina Franca ITA (11) 04.12.07 Medina, Cuba 1994. ] [John Watson] [ Better was the bold 11...g5! , although White still holds a small edge after 12.h5! In this game we see a very direct and ( 12.g3? g4 13.e4 d5 14.e1 g5+ ) aggressive challenge to the ...exd6 system. 12...gxf4 13.d3 f5 14.d5 4e5 15.dxe6 ] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 12.d5 d4 Now Black was probably feeling 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 e7 7.e3 [ 7.f3 c6 8.e3 0-0 transposes, which better, but: 13.dxe6! fxe6 [ 13...xf3 14.xd8 axd8 15.xf3 is not to say that there are no options. ] and White wins. ] 7...0-0 8.f3!? c6 14.xc4 xf4!? [ 8...c6 is safer but a bit depressing. ] [ 14...xf3 15.xd8 xd8 16.xf3 xf4 9.0-0-0 e6 17.xe6+ ] [ The stem game (at least the most visible one) was Korchnoi-Miles, Biel 1992, a game 15.e3! Avoiding any tricks. The rest is easy, in t h e Arc hive s: 9...f5! ('?!' Volzhin, but I even if not perfectly played: f8 [ 15...g5 16.h3 ] think that it's best) 10.g3!? ( 10.h3!; 10.c5 [ 15...f8 16.ge2 g5 17.f4 ] f4!? ) A) A game E Berg-J Ericsson, Skara 2002 16.h3 f6 17.e4 g6 18.f4 h6 went 10...e6 11.b3 c8 12.ge2 a5!? 19.e2 b5 20.d3 f5 21.f3 c4 22.c2 13.a4?! ( 13.f4 f7 14.fd5 ) 13...f6 e8 23.d4 xd4 24.xd4 a5 25.g4 b8 14.f4 f7 15.h4 b4 16.h3 c5 26.g5 c5 27.d2 g6 28.h4 e5 29.f5 17.fe2 cxd4 18.xf5 e6 19.xe6+ c6 xe6 20.xd4 xd4 21.xd4 g6 1-0 and W hite has a slightly exposed king witho ut e nough co mpensatio n f o r th e exchange.; B) 10...f4? 11.gxf4 f5 12.c5! 'Probably Black missed this. Now White's advantage is undisputed.' - Volzhin d7 13.h3! 'The exchange of light squared 465
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 461 Collins,Sam Baburin,Alexander 4NCL 2005/2006 Division1 (4) [Andrew Martin]
B03 2408 2511 20.11.2005
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 A lot of contributors on the forum have been requesting games in the Four Pawns Attack and so I will focus of a few of these this month. The Four Pawns should not be dangero us to Black in my view th ere are several good lines of play. f5!? By delaying the central capture, Black tries to make it difficult for White to place his pieces optimally. 6.c3 [ 6.d3 xd3 7.xd3 dxe5 8.fxe5 c5 9.f3 e6 10.0-0 c6 11.c3 xd4 12.g5!? Platonov-Efimov USSR 1966 enters uncharted territory. ] 6...e6 7.e3 Perhaps 7 Nf3 is more accurate, so that if Black takes on e5 early and follows up with ..Bb4, White has additional options with his c1 Bishop. dxe5 8.fxe5 b4! 9.f3?! Original! Is White really intending to castle queenside? I doubt 9 Qf3 is any good. White takes away the best square from his Knight on g1, albeit for an instant and d4 is weakened. [ White had several other options, for example: 9.a3 xc3+ 10.bxc3 c5 This jab at the centre is characteristic of the v a r i a t i o n . 11.f3 ( 11.dxc5 h4+ is simply awful for White.) 11...c6 12.e2 0-0 13.0-0 c8 and Black has good counterplay against c4 ] [ 9.d3 c5 ( Black may well have more than one good option here as can be seen from the following game: 9...xd3 10.xd3 c5 11.f3 cxd4 12.xd4 c6 13.e4 0-0 14.xc6 bxc6 15.0-0 d7 16.xc6 xe5 17.e4 xc3 18.bxc3 c7 19.f4 c5+ 20.e3 c7 21.c5 f5 22.f4 ac8 23.d4 d3 24.e3 xc5 25.e5 e7 26.ab1 e4 27.b3 fd8 28.fb1 d5 29.b7 xb7 0-1 Titzhoff, F-Wittje, B/ Germany 2004) 10.a3 cxd4 11.axb4 xd3 12.xd3 dxe3 13.xd8+ xd8 14.b3 c6 15.f3 xb4 16.0-0-0+ e7 17.he1 a5 18.xe3 a4 19.xa4 xa4 20.bxa4 hc8-+ Gunnarson-Agdestein, Reykjavik
open 1996. ] [ It is probably best to play 9.f3 but then after c5 Black is fine and has the enemy centre under pressure. ] 9...c6N As usual, Baburin tries to put his own individual stamp on the game. Yet He tries to justify his early excursion, but the White queen is simply drifting further out of position. [ 9...h4+! 10.f2 e4+ also looks very good. Far from cramping Black, the White centre now starts to look vulnerable: 11.xe4 xe4 I think Black is doing fine after 12.0-0-0 ( 12.f3 a4 13.a3 xc3+ 14.bxc3 xc3 15.d2 a4 16.e1 g6 17.c5 a6 18.c4 b2 19.e2 c6 20.h4 e4 21.f1 d5 22.b1 a4 23.xb7 xd4 24.xc7 b3+ 25.c2 0-0 26.f3 fd8 27.d3 a5 28.g5 b3+ 29.c1 xd3 30.xf7 f8 31.f1 c3+ 32.d2 c4+ 0-1 Soria, A-Leskovar, M/Mar del Plata 1972 ) 12...xc3 13.bxc3 c5 ] 10.f4?! [ 10.0-0-0 xc3 11.bxc3 e7 12.c5 d5 13.d2 0-0 is better for Black. ] [ Meanwhile 10.a3 would be answered by xc3+ 11.bxc3 0-0 12.g3 a5 13.g5 d7 14.c5 d5 15.c4 e7 16.f3 b3 17.d1 c2 when the White centre again starts to look creaky. ] 10...a4! The opening skirmishes have not go ne t oo we ll f or Co llin s. His po sit io n is alread y(o r sho uld b e) f alling apa rt . 11.a3 xc3 [ After 11...xb2?! 12.axb4 xb4 White has 13.d2! ] 12.axb4 xb4 13.c1 e4! [ 13...a4 also appears strong: 14.d2 ( 14.g3 xb2 15.xg7 f8 16.h6 h4+ 17.e2 e4+ 18.f2 0-0-0 ) 14...c2+ 15.xc2 xc2 16.g4 0-0 17.g5 d7 I think at this stage of the game Baburin saw the 'red mist' and was trying to f inish Collins off as quickly as possible. Yet 13...Na4 would possibly have been better suited to this purpose. ] 14.f3 c5!? [ Baburin gives 14...h6 15.h4 0-0 16.e2 f6 but here White can limp on with 17.exf6 xf6 18.0-0 It's not pretty, but White is surviving. ] 466
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.e2 g5!? [ Baburin recalls his difficulty choosing b e t w e e n t h e g a m e m o v e a n d 15...cxd4 16.xd4 c5 17.0-0 cd3 18.xd3 xd3 19.g3 g6 20.cd1 0-0 I think he made a g o o d c h o i c e , b e c a u s e h e r e 21.b5! looks awkward for Black to meet. ] 16.xg5 xg5 17.xg5 c2+! The point. 18.xc2 [ 18.f2 xe3 19.xd8+ xd8 20.xe3 xd4 21.f3 d3+ 22.f4 e7 23.hd1 hd8 leads to a cheerless endgame for White and so Collins correctly chooses the only move which will give him counterplay. ] 18...xg5 19.xg5 xc2 20.f3 g8 Choosing the right move here is surprisingly difficult. [ The line 20...cxd4 21.xb7 b8 22.c6+ f8 23.h6+ g8 cannot be the right way to proceed for Black. ] [ The ' safe' 20...b8 is answered by 21.d2 g6 22.f6 g8 23.dxc5 and we have a new f avou rite in t he gam e wit h Black's rooks inactive. ] 21.xb7 [ Bad is 21.h4? cxd4 22.xb7 b8 23.c6+ f8 ] 21...b8 22.c6+ f8 23.h6+ e7 24.d5 Now that the Black Rooks have taken up active positions White must go for the King. exd5 25.cxd5 xb2 26.c1! Diagram b1?! I played it too quickly. [ Better was 26...a2! keeping the rook on the 2nd rank. After 27.f1 Black can play a4! ] 27.f2! [ This is stronger than 27.0-0 d3 ] 27...c4?! In his notes for the excellent Chess Today, Baburin mentions the variation [ 27...xg2+?! 28.xg2 e4+ 29.f2 xh1 but then after 30.d6+ e6 31.d7! b8 32.xh1 xd7 ] [ However, he does not discuss the m a t e r i a l i s t i c 27...a5! when Black singlemindedly intends to push that pawn.! What is White to do? 28.e1 ( 28.g3 f6 29.e1 fxe5 30.xe5+ f6 31.e6+ f7 ) 28...a4 29.h4 h6! ] 28.a3+ d8 29.xb1 xb1 30.b4 e4 31.g3 g5 32.e3! This is tough for Black to win . W hit e h as excellent co ord ina tio n, a
strong passed pawn and a superior King. Black must somehow get his Rook going, but Baburin never finds a way.... xe5 33.d6 xd5+ 34.xe5 xc6 35.d4 b5 36.c5 a6 37.d6 e8 38.g7 [ 38.f6! ] 38...f5 39.e6 d7+ 40.d5 f7 41.c3 b5 42.e5 g6 43.h4 a4 44.d2 c2 45.c3 d3 46.d2 One of those extremely annoying positions which cannot be won. f7 47.b4 e8 48.d6?! f4! 49.gxf4 f7 50.e5 g6 51.e1 h5 52.f5 c3? [ According to Baburin the last chance lay in 52...a5 after which he gives 53.f6 g6 54.d5 ( 54.e6 a4 55.f7 xf7+ 56.xf7 a3 57.e6 a2 58.c3 xh4 59.d5=; 54.f4 a4 55.g3 a3 56.b4 a2 57.c3= ) 54...f7+ 55.c5= ] 53.xc3 xh4 54.f6 c4 55.d4 f7 56.c5 h5 One that got away from Black's point of view. Returning to the opening 5...Bf5 seems one good way to play against the 4PA . ½-½
462
B03 Conquest,Stuart 2536 Baburin,Alexander 2526 ch-IRL Dublin IRL 13.07.2008 [Alex Baburin (www.chesstoday.net)] Thanks to Alex Baburin for letting me pilfer notes f rom this game from Chess Today. Chess Today (chesstoday.net) is a daily email newsletter that Alex publishes, with tournament reports, annotated games, and ot he r f ea tu res. A le x wa s in a f orc ed -win situation with Black in the last round and relied upon his Alekhine's Defence, as usual. It's interesting that he explains that Stuart Conquest, his opponent, had 'a horrid tournament'. Only a few weeks later, Conquest just finished winning the British Championship! I'll put Baburin's notes in q u o t e s , m y o w n w i t h o u t : 1.e4 f6! 'Stuart himself often plays the Alekhine.' 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 [ 'I saw Stuart playing 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 but I was not worried too much about that line.' ] 4...b6 5.b3 f5! 'This is a clever idea by 467
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 GM Bagirov.' One main line is [ 5...dxe5 6.h5 e6 7.dxe5 a5 8.a4 a6 with the idea ...Nc5, but Alex thought that was too easy for White to play. ] 6.f3 c8 7.e2 [ Alex cites 7.h3 e6 8.g5 e7 9.xf7 f8 10.g5 xc2 11.h5+ g6 12.h3 xg5 13.xg5 d5 14.0-0 c6 15.c3 f7 16.a4 a5 17.a3 g8 18.ac1 d7 19.b5 db8 20.f4 a6 21.g4 ab4 22.e3 e4 Sibarevic - Bagirov, Banja Luka 1976 ] 7...c6 [ And his own game 7...e6 8.g3 dxe5 9.dxe5 c5 10.c4 c6 11.a3 a6 ( 11...d7 12.f4 b8!? 13.a4 presumably favours White.) 12.0-0 c7 13.f4?! ( 13.f4! 0-0-0 14.ad1 ) 13...0-0-0 14.e3 f6 15.exf6 gxf6 16.f2 b4 17.g3 d3 18.fd1 h5 19.d2 h4 20.e2 h3 21.g3 h7 with a clear advantage, Skytte - Baburin, Copenhagen 1999. ] 8.g3 [ Or 8.exd6 cxd6 9.0-0 ] 8...g6 Baburin gives this an '!' - he puts more pressure on e5. 9.f4 g7 10.d2 a5 11.a4 b4 12.0-0 [ 'After 12.c1 I was going to play c5! ' ] 12...0-0! 13.h4? 'White is planning something like Bh6 and Nd2-f3-g5. He does not mind sacrificing a pawn on the queenside, but it turns out that there is more at stake than a pawn.' In fact, W hite is doing reasonably well after 13 Rac1, but a more promising move is [ 13.f3! , intending xc2?! 14.xc2 xc2 15.ac1 b4 16.exd6 ] 13...xc2 14.xc2 xc2 15.ac1 xd4!? [ 'I saw 15...f5!? and it took me a while to decide which line to go for.' The opening has turned out in Black's favour, mainly due to White's mistake on move 13. ] 16.xd4 dxe5 17.b5 exf4 18.xc7 [ 18.xc7 f5 has the ideas ...Bf6 and .. Nd5. ] 18...b8 [ Baburin mentions 18...xa4!? , and ] [ 18...xb2 19.xa8 xa8 20.c2 xa4 21.xe7 b5 would mobilise Black's pawns. ] 19.a6 d8 I think this is probably best.
[ Baburin mentions the computer suggestion 19...d5!? 20.xc8 ( 20.xb8 xb8 ) 20...bxc8 and 'the a6-knight is lost, so Black gets better chances.' ] 20.xb8 xd2 21.fd1? [ 'When I played 13. ..Bxc2, I considered only 21.cd1 b4 22.d7 xd7 23.xd7 f6 - Black can't lose this, but converting his advantage into a full point may not be so easy.' ] 21...b4 22.d7 xd7 23.xd7 xb2 24.b1 e4 25.bd1 f6 26.g4 xa4 27.xb7 g7 28.h3 c8! 29.d7 [ Baburin gives 29.xc8 xd1+ 30.h2 f3!-+ ] 29...xd7 30.bxd7 a8! Black is winning now. 31.d8 a6 32.c8 a4 33.dd8 e6!? 34.f1 a3 35.a8 b2 36.d1 c6 37.e2 c7 38.d3 g5 39.d5 h6 40.a6 e6 41.d3 e5 42.f3 c2+ 43.d2 xd2+ 44.xd2 f5 45.d3 h5 'Black has too many pawns. His plan is simple - to place a pawn to g4 and then move his king to b7. Apart from zugzwang, White will also have to reckon with ideas such as ...e4+!, fxe4 f3!, gxf3 gxh3.' 46.a5 f6 47.a6+ e7 48.c2 g4 49.h6 e4 50.xh5 g3 51.xf5 [ 51.fxe4 fxe4 52.h4 e5 53.b3 e3-+ ] 51...exf3 52.gxf3 f6 A smooth win. 0-1
463 Daulyte,Deimante Nguyen Thu Giang 38th Olympiad w (2) [John Watson]
B03 2278 2101 14.11.2008
This month's Voronezh Variation game has the same moral as so many before: both sides have to know their lines by heart, especially Black. He goes wrong in the opening of too many games in which the opening is perfectly all right according to theory. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.c4 c6 14.f3 a5 15.e2 b6 16.b4 Certainly a tempting move, although it has been considered relatively harmless. c6 17.b5 d4 18.c6 c5 In this surprising 468
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 position, White's wedge on c6 isn't sufficient f o r a s e r i o u s a d va n t a g e , b o t h b e c a u s e Black's pieces are active and because the move ...a6 will open more lines for him. 19.0-0 [ 19.a4? f5! and Black threatens both 20... Nbd3 21 Rd1 e4, winning and 20...Nxe2 21 Kxe2 Bd3+. ] 19...a6 20.c4 [ The following is based on a John Cox article on the Voronezh in New in Chess, which he kindly sent me: 20.fd1 e6 A) jw 21.g5 axb5 A1) j w : a b e t t e r t r y s e e m s 22.xd4! exd4 23.xe6 fxe6!? 24.xb5 ac8 ( 24...xa2 25.g4 f8 26.c7 c8 27.xc5! bxc5 28.xe6 aa8 29.xc8 xc8 30.c1 d3 31.xc5 d2 32.d5 e5 33.xd2 xc7 34.g3 ) 25.c7 d7 26.a4 dxc7 27.xc7 xc7 28.c4 w i t h a d v a n t a g e , f o r e x a m p l e , e5!? ( 28...a7 29.b1 xa4 30.xa4 xa4 31.b4 c3 32.c4! ) 29.b1 e4 30.xb6 d3 31.d1; A2) 22.xb5 dc8 23.xe6 fxe6 24.a4 cb3 25.b1 a5 26.d3 ab8 27.e4 axc6 28.b5 xb5 29.xb5 d4 30.b2 , about equal; B) 21.c7 dc8 22.xd4 exd4 23.xd4 xc7 24.e3 xc3 25.xc3 axb5 26.xb5 xa2 27.d8+ g7 28.d4+ f6 29.g4 b2 ( 29...xg4 30.d6= ) 30.f1 b3 31.g5 xc3 32.xf6+ f7 33.xc3 e4 34.e5 c5 35.f4 xg5; C) 21.bxa6 xe2+ 22.xe2 dc8 23.xc5 bxc5 24.xc5 xa6 25.xe5 W hite settles for a draw. ( 25.c7 f8 26.d8 d6 o n ly B la ck ca n win .) 25...xe5 26.xe5 cxc6 27.d4 1/2-1/2 Carlsson, P (2473) -Logdahl, H (2237)/Sweden 2001/[Cox] ] 20...e6?! [ I (jw) think that the following line is equal in general, even if I'm only giving a particular move sequence: 20...axb5! 21.xb5 e6 22.fd1 f6! 23.h3 ac8 24.xd4 exd4 25.a4 xa4 26.xa4 c7 27.b1 b5 28.xb5 xa2 29.b4 d5 30.xd4 xc6 31.xc6 xc6 32.xc6 xd1+ 33.h2= ] 21.xe6 cxe6 22.a4 axb5 23.axb5 Black will be plagued by the protected passed c-pawn. a3 24.h1 c7 25.xd4 exd4
26.f4 dxc3?! [ 26...a7 27.xc7 xc7 28.a4 b8 29.b2! f5 30.c4 f7 31.a1 e6 32.a6 ] 27.xc7 d5 28.xb6 xb5 29.c7 a8 30.fd1 f6 31.d4 e7 32.xc3 c8 33.e3 b7 34.f4 f8 35.g4 b4 36.g3 xg4 37.b3 c4 38.b8 e8 39.e1 c6 40.d6 xd6 41.xe8+ 1-0
464 Davies,Nigel R Sinha,K Calcutta [Nigel Davies]
B03
1990
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 e7 [ Here Black can try 6...c6!? in order to prevent White from adopting the Bd3. The drawback is that the knight can be driven away immediately, a game between Ara and Artashas Minasian, Armenian Ch., Erevan 1 9 9 9 g o i n g 7.d5!? e5 8.f4 ed7 ( and not 8...exc4? 9.xc4 xc4 10.a4+ ) 9.d4 e7! 10.xg7 f6 11.g4 ( 11.h6 e7+ 12.d1 c5 gives Black very strong play for the pawn because of the offside position of White's queen.; 11.g3? is a blunder because of h4 ) 11...xc3+ 12.bxc3 f6 with plenty of compensation for the sacrificed pawn. ] 7.d3 c6 8.ge2 g4 9.f3 h5 10.0-0 g6 11.xg6 hxg6 12.d5 e5 13.b3 d7?! Unrealistically hoping for some play on the kingside. [ 13...0-0 was better, intending ...Re8 and ... Bf6. ] 14.e3 f5 15.d4 h5 16.h3 Denying Black any hope of an 'attack'. The initiative starts to change hands. h4 17.e1 a6 18.f4 ed7 19.f3 h5 20.d4 f6 21.xb6 cxb6 22.e2 g8 This was o rigin a lly B la ck' s qu e e n 's kn igh t . 23.e3 0-0-0 24.xb6 f6 25.e4! e7 [ After 25...xa1 White forces mate with 26.xd6+ xd6 27.e8+ d7 28.d8# ] 26.d4 f6 27.c6! [ 27.c6 bxc6 28.dxc6 threatens mate on 469
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 30...d2 31.f1 xd4 It's amazing how often in t his varia tio n W h it e ju st f ind s h im s e lf unable to defend this pawn. 32.xd4 xd4 33.xd5 c6 34.b4 e4 35.f4 g5 36.f5 465 B03 b5 37.f2 e7 38.a4 c3 39.a5 d7 Obviously this ending is a little more Degraeve,Jean Marc 2569 40.a6?? Bauer,Christian 2636 comfortable for Black with his bishop and ch-FRA Top 16 GpB (6) 02.04.2005 White's pawn weaknesses, but I would have thought W hite ought to be able to put up a [John Cox] decent fight. Not after this move, though! bxa6 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 c6 41.xa6 d5 Oops - Black unveils his plan ... A rare guest in the games of players of this Kc8-b7xa6 White can do nothing about this. class, although many believe that this move is 0-1 not so bad as its reputation. 5.c4 b6 6.exd6 Rubinstein's 6 e6 is of course the B03 'refutation', although it is noticeable that this 466 has never performed well statistically. exd6 Djurhuus,Rune 2484 7.h3 e7 8.c3 0-0 9.e2 f6 10.0-0 f5 Agdestein,Simen 2588 A tabiya of the exd6 Exchange, although in ch-Playoff Asker NOR (2) 09.07.2000 recent times White's h3 move is more usually [Carsten Hansen] associated with a plan based on d5. 11.f4 e8 12.e1 This position was first reached in 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 Matanovic-Larsen, Palma 1968, in which 5.f4 f5 6.c3 e6 This move order isn't all W hite continued with the normal Rc1. This that common, but it causes no harm for Black, has two points - it enables White to meet ... a n d c a n e v e n g i v e W h i t e a f e w e x t r a Be4 with d5, and it prepares Re1! The game opportu nities to make a f alse step . 7.f3 demonstrates why Degraeve's move is not so This is already a sign that W hite is unsure challenging. b4 Formally a novelty, although about what is going on. The correct move is 7 of course White's last asked for this. 13.c1 Be3, after which 7...dxe5 8 fxe5 transposes to xe2 The point: otherwise Black's last move one of the main lines in Alekhine Four Pawns. wa s a s h o t in t h e d a r k . 14.xe2 d3 [ 7.e3 c6 8.f3 d5 9.c5 c4 10.xc4 15.b3 a5 16.e3 d5 17.c5 a4 18.b5 dxc4 11.a4 d3 12.d2 h4+ 13.g3 d7 19.xd7 xd7 20.g3 g6 21.g5 h5 14.xc4 was played in Koch-Boulard, xg5 22.xg5 f6 23.f3 b8 A classy France 1989. Here Krizsany & Videki move, regrouping the knight to its best square. recommend xc5 15.dxc5 f3 which they The exchanges initiated by Black's 13th move give a s u n cl e a r, b u t in re a l it y B l a c k i s have led to a type of ending quite typical for clearly better. But 14 Kf2 seems to improve this variation, in which White's d-pawn is a on this since a move like 14... 0-0-0 leads little tender and he has to be careful to avoid back to the actual game, which was better becoming worse. 24.c3 xe1 25.xe1 for W hite after 15 Nxc4. Therefore Black c6 26.e2 a5 27.a3 b5 28.xa4 sh o u ld pla y 7 . .. d xe 5 an d t ra nsp o s e a s xb2 White's last few moves have committed mentioned above. ] him to allowing this exchange of pawns, which 7...a6 8.d3 8 Be3 is still worth a try. xd3 is n o t r e a lly ve ry d e sir a b le . I n a n y ca s e 9.xd3 c5 10.dxc5?! Now White has though Black was going to activate his rook already handed over the initiative to Black. unpleasantly with the lift to the b-file via a5. [ 10.d5 can be met with exd5 11.xd5 It would take a better player than me to say dxe5 12.xe5 xd5 13.cxd5 c7 how White ought to have defended, but I can with a good game for Black. ] say that he shouldn't have played 12 Re1! 10...xc5 11.e2 dxe5 12.xe5 f6!? 29.c3 f7 30.g4 This looks like a blunder, but I presume that [ 30.xd5 b1 , of course ] everything has been coolly calculated by b7. ] 1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black. [ Alternatively 12...h4+ 13.g3 h3 14.b4 cd7 15.c5 xe5 16.fxe5 d7 17.b5 is better for White. ] 13.h5+ g6 14.xg6 hxg6 15.xh8 d4 The point behind 12...f6. Now Black's queen and two knights are alone with White's king. 16.e2?! White makes his own life more difficult than it ought to be. [ 16.f1 e4 17.xe4 xe4 18.xf6 ( or 18.h3 xc4+ 19.g1 e4 20.g3 c5+ 21.f1 c4+ 22.e1 e4+ 23.f1 c4+ with a draw by perpetual check.) 18...d3+ 19.f2 c5+ 20.e1 b4+ 21.f2 c5+ is also a draw. ] [ However, 16.h3 is a different story, e.g. d3+ 17.e2 f2+ 18.xd3 d8+ 19.d5 xd5 20.xe6+ e7+ 21.c3 d4+ 22.b4 d6 23.e1 b6+ 24.a3 xc4 25.b3 d4 and the white majesty has to give up his armed forces to avoid mate. ] 16...xc4+ 17.f3 d5 18.d1 d3 19.g8? [ White's best defense probably was to be found in the following line. 19.xd5 xd5+ 20.g3 f5 21.e3 e5 with great complications. ] 19...e7 20.h7 c6+ Now the white king m e e t s h i s f i n a l h o u r . 21.e2 xg2+ 22.xd3 0-0-0+ 23.c4 xd1 24.xd1 e2+ 0-1
467 Dominguez Perez,Leinier Almeida Quintana,Omar ch KO Santa Clara (2.2) [John Cox]
B03 2658 2452 22.04.2005
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 f5 7.c3 e6 8.e3 c6 9.f3 e7 This has been Black's main defence to the 4PA for many years. In Starting Out: Alekhine's Defence I opined firmly that 'if there is one defence to the 4PA which is not going to be refuted, it is this one. '....... 10.d5 exd5 11.cxd5 b4 12.d4 d7 13.f3 [ 13.e6 and ] [ 13.b3 are alternatives ]
13...c5 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.e2 This quiet move had been played before a couple of times, but not by anyone of quite Dominguez' calibre. W hite has rather tended to castle qu e e n sid e a n d go f o r it , b u t Do m i n gu e z doesn't see why he should stick his king right in front of Black's knights and at one end of the open b-file, and it looks to me as though he's right. 0-0 16.0-0 4d5 [ 16...6d5 is the most obvious alternative. Souleidis-Stefanopoulos, Greek Champs 2 0 0 4 , h a d t h e n g o n e 17.xd5 xd5 18.f2 c7 19.ac1 b7 ( 19...xe5 20.xc6 xc6 21.xc6 b4 22.c4 ) 20.fd1 xb2 21.xc6 xc6 22.xc6 b4 23.d4 xa2 24.c7 ae8 25.b5 a5 26.b7 b8 27.xe7 xb5 28.e6 f6 29.g3 g6 30.h4 h5 31.xh5 gxh5 32.c1 d3 33.a1 fe8 34.xf6 xe7 35.xe7 b6 36.h4 xe6 with equality, although clearly only a series of miracles saved Black in this game. ] 17.f2 c7 18.g3 xc3 19.bxc3 c8 20.d3 g6 21.e4 g4 22.f2 d5 By now W hite is obviously better, but to be quite honest I don't know what to suggest for Black. He has one or two alternatives over the last few moves, but they only seem to be rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. W hite has the more act ive pieces a nd is clearly the one who is pressing, even if Black does eventually discover an accurate sequence to let him hang on. 23.c4 c3 24.xc6+- xe4 25.xe7+ g7 26.f4 c5+ 27.f2 [ The naive 27.f2 also looks pretty p ro m i si n g t o m e , b u t D o m in gu e z m u s t have calculated deeply here. ] 27...f5 [ 27...xf2 28.f6+ h6 29.f4+ and mate, of course. ] 28.h4 f6 29.xf5+ gxf5 30.xf5 xe5 31.xe5 fxe5 32.e2 f4 33.g3 c3 34.xe5 xc4 35.f1 xa2 36.e7+ g8 37.ff7 g4 38.f6 g6 39.g7+ xg7 40.xg7+ f8 41.xh7 e8 42.xa7 e2 43.b7 c1 44.b2 f7 45.h8 e8 46.f2+ g6 47.b2 d3 48.d2 e3 49.d4 f3 50.f2 e5 51.g2 f7 52.h3 h7 53.g4 A very worrying game for Alekhine fans. It's pretty hard to improve on Black's 471
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 play right from move nine..... 1-0
468 Dushin,Aleksandr Viktorovi Siewert,Wolfgang EU-ch65 sf08 email [John Watson]
B03 2440 2457 2003
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0 f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.d2 e7 14.ad1 ad8 15.c1 [ This is the almost universally-played move. 15 b3 has been played a few times and likely deserves another look. I see only a few rather irrelevant games with 15.h1!? in my d ata ba se s, bu t I think it stron gly deserves attention. The move is handy in almost every variation (16 Qc1 might follow next, for example), and White sidesteps 15 Qc1 e5!? and removes the king from awkward checks, while preparing Bg1 in some lines.. A few sample lines would be A) 15...h6 16.c1 intending ( 16.e1!? is a good option) 16...g5!? ( 16...h8 17.b3 ) 17.d5! and White takes space and the initiative; B) 15...xd4? 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4 c5 18.xc5!; C) 15...d7 16.c1 ( or 16.e1!? fd8 17.b3 ) 16...fd8 17.d5 exd5 18.cxd5 b4 19.d4! ( 19.xb6 axb6 20.d4 g6 21.c4 ) 19...xd4 20.xd4 4xd5? 21.de1 e6 22.g4 d6 23.e4 ] 15...e5 This is probably worth an '!'. My earlier presentation has been improved upon by Mark Morss, and I've looked at the position rather deeply (I think!), coming to the conclusion that Black is indeed O.K. An advantage of the move is that it's relatively forcing. Here's a few lines: 16.d5 d4 17.xd4 [ An important option is 17.xd4 exd4 18.xd4 . Then c8! threatens 19... c5 with threats that will win back material, so White should protect e2. For some analysis of this variation, see Andresen-Gilmore. 19.d2 . Then I think that Black has adequate play f o r h i s p a w n , b u t o n l y b a r e l y s o . c6 , but that is not written in stone. ]
17...exd4 18.xd4 g5 19.a1 c5 20.f2 c2 21.de1 xf2! 22.xf2 e3 As in the notes to the game I presented last month. 23.ef1 [ Mark Morss ides extensive analysis (mostly shown below) to establish that Black has enough play after this. He suggests that 23.b3 might improve a bit, but I've checked and extended his own line, concluding that Black can undoubtedly draw, e.g., A) 23...f8?! 24.f3 xf3 25.gxf3 g5+ 26.f1 d3+ 27.ee2 ( 27.e2 d4! ) 27...xf2 28.xf2 just doesn't seem to cut it, e.g., f4 29.g1!; B) 23...xf2+ 24.xf2 e8 25.g1 e3+! 26.h1 d3 27.d6 e5 (thus far Morss) 28.c1 d7 29.d2 e3 30.xe3 xe3 31.g1 ( 31.h4 h5! 32.g1 xe2 33.xe2 e6 ) 31...e6 32.f2 xe2 33.xe2 xd6= ] 23...f8 24.e1 f5?! [ M o r s s ' i m p r o v e m e n t i s 24...xc4! , f o r e xa m p l e , 25.xc4 ( 25.d6 xd6 26.d5 xf2+ 27.xf2 e8 28.xc5 xf1+ 29.xf1 e5 and Black is O.K.) 25...xf2+ 26.xf2 xf2 27.d6+ f7 28.xf7+ xf7 29.c1 d3 30.d1 c4 31.b3 d7 32.bxc4 xc4 I think I've done a thorough enough analysis to prove that this and the preceding is equal. Again, however, it's hard to see where Black can scrape up the slightest winning chances after 24... Nxc4!, which might dissuade some players. ] 25.f3 d3 Black went on to win a back-andf o r t h g a m e , b u t a t t h i s p o i n t , 26.b3! would preserve White's extra pawn and give him good winning chances, [ , instead of 26.d1?! xf2+ 27.xf2 e5 28.xd3 xe1 29.xe1 g5 with a promising game. I think that 15...e5 throws a wrench into White's plans and may get him to look in another direction (see my 16 Kh1!?, for example). ] 0-1
472
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 22.hxg5 f5 23.xf7 xf7 24.xh7+ g6 B03 25.h3 e5 white is better ] Dzindzichashvili,Roman 2545 18.d6! xd6 19.cxd6 Alburt,Lev O 2560 17...f6 ch Parsippany (4) 1996 White is better because of the strong passed pawn and his annoying pressure on the f7[Alexander Volzhin] square. d7 [ 19...h6?! 20.xf7! xf7 21.xf7+ xf7 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 22.c7+ d7 23.xb7 with advantage ] 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 20.a4! It's very important to keep the bishop 0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 [ The immediate 11.c5 was tried once: 6d7 on c4 where it puts great pressure on f7 c6 12.c4 c6 13.f3 a5 14.0-0 xc5 21.fd1 a6 [ 21...h6?! 22.f3 d7 23.b5! fc8 15.b4! xb4 16.d5 Chernyshov - Lucko, 24.c4 with initiative ] 1995, but I don't believe that this sort of 22.f3 ad8 stuff can be good for White ] [ 22...h6!? 23.h3 ( 23.e4 xe4 24.fxe4 11...xd8 12.c5 xe4 25.d7 c6 26.b6 f6 27.c2 ) [ 12.b5?! is too optimistic, as black obtains 23...fd8 24.d2 e4 25.f4 f8 26.f2 ] excellent counterplay after c6! 13.xa7 d4! as was played in Chernyshov - Freisler, 23.xa6! d5 24.f2 with advantage h6 P a r d u b i c e , 1 9 9 2 . N o w W h i t e i s i n b i g 25.h4 fe8 26.c4 xd6 27.d3 d7 trouble. 14.xc8 xc8 15.xd4 28.cd1 ed8 29.e4! g7 30.c5 d6 I can't see any other way to save the a- 31.a5+- f8 32.b4 e7 33.e4 e3 [ 33...6d7 34.b5 ] pawn. exd4 16.a4 d3! 17.b1 ( 17.f3 So as we can see, 9...e5 seems to e8+ 18.d1 a7 19.xd3 ad8 20.c2 34.xd6 c6 21.f1 b4+ 22.b1 h6 ) 17...e7 be Black's best choice in this line. I believe by 18.d2 h6+ 19.c3 b5!! 20.axb5 g7+ a c c u r a t e d e f e n c e B l a c k c a n e q u a l i z e 21.b4 d5+ 22.cxd5 dc8 23.b6 c3+ completely here. But generally the statistics in this line are miserable for Black. This attracts 24.b5 a5# ] White players, so one can expect plenty of 12...6d7 13.c4 c6 14.f3 d4 [ 14...a5!? is worth considering. 15.e2 new games in this line. ( 15.g5 f8 16.e7 xc4! 17.xf8 xf8 1-0 18.bxc4 xc5 19.0-0 e4 with ample compensation, Honfi - Varga,1994.) 15...b6 B03 16.cxb6 ( 16.b4 c6 17.b5 d4 18.c6 470 c5 Despite the protected passed pawn Emms,John M W hite is not clearly doing well - Black's Davies,Nigel R knights are very strong.) 16...xb6 17.0-0 Redbus rd1 2002 ( 17.b5 d5 18.xa7 f4 ) 17...b7 [Nigel Davies] 18.fd1 c6 19.b5 Zukauskas - Bandza, Lietuva,1997. d5 20.xd5 xd5 21.c7 J o h n E m m s r e c e n t l y r e c o m m e n d e d t h e ad8 22.xd5 xd5 with equal chances , E x c h a n g e V a r i a t i o n f o r W h i t e , a n d i n as 23.xa7? xa7 24.c7 doesn't work: particular with the move 6.Bd3. I have played e4 25.xb7 exf3 26.xf3 c5 ] this way myself, but also defended Black's 15.g5 f8 chances in my recent Alekhine book. So this [ 15...xc5?! 16.xf7 d3+ 17.d2! game became something of a theoretical duel. e6 18.xd8! xc4 19.bxc4 xc1 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 20.xb7 with advantage ] 5.exd6 exd6 6.d3 16.ce4 f5 17.0-0 [ After 6.c3 c6 the Bd3 set-up would not [ 17.xf7!? is not bad either: xf7 18.g5 be possible. ] h6 19.e6 g5! ( 19...f8? 20.xg7! 6...e7 Attempting to show that Black is OK g4 21.e8+winning-[Olsson- even without fancy move orders. Zatterberg]) 20.h4!? e4 21.xg7 xg7 [ In Sulskis - Vasiukov, Moscow 2002, Black 469
473
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 played the immediate 6...c6 and stood well after 7.f3 ( 7.e2 b4 would deny W hite the possibility of retreating his bishop that he took advantage of in the game. ) 7...e7 8.d5 b4 9.e2 a5 10.0-0 0-0 11.e3 f6 12.d4 e8 13.d2 d7 14.c3 c6 etc. ] 7.e2 0-0 8.bc3 c6 9.0-0 e8 I advocated this sensible developing move in t h e b o o k . B l a c k o c c u p ie s t h e e - f i le a n d doesn't commit his minor pieces for the time being. [ 9...g4 10.f3 h5 11.f4 g6 12.xg6 hxg6 13.d5 e5 14.b3 was slightly better for White in Djuric - Miles, Aegina 1993. ] [ For 9...f6 see Sermek - Zelcic. ] 10.b3 [ After 10.a3?! f6 11.e3 g6 12.c2 e7 13.g3 d5 14.c5 d7 15.b4 f8 Black had reorganised his pieces with an exc ellen t game in A tkinson - Fogora si, G ro n in ge n 1 9 8 9 . E m m s' m o ve i s m o r e natural, but nevertheless fails to set the world on fire. ] 10...f8 11.h3 b4 12.e3 c6 13.b1 d5 14.a3 a6 15.c5 d7 16.b4 c7 17.d3 b6! Attacking c5 makes it difficult for White to organise b4-b5. 18.b3 [ 18.b5 bxc5 19.bxc6 b8 is nice for Black. ] 18...e6 19.fd1 a6! 20.cxb6 xb6 21.a4 xa4 22.xa4 d7 23.f4 g6! The equaliser. Black needs to preserve his bad, light-square bishop from exchange so as to cover the c6 pawn. 24.xe6 xe6 25.c2 d6 Neither side has an effective plan. ½-½
The most direct move, threatening Nb5-c7. [ Also f ro m th is m onth : 10.e3!? b4 11.xb6 xb6 12.d2 ( 12.f3 0-0 13.xc4 e8 ) 12...0-0 13.f3 ( 13.xc4 ) 13...f5 14.xc4 d7 15.a3 c7?! ( 15...xc3 16.xc3 fe8 ) 16.axb4 ( 16.b5! ) 16...xc4 17.d4? xe5! 18.xc4 xc4 19.0-0-0 a5 20.b5 a4 21.d4 fc8 22.g4 d7 23.e1? ( 23.d2 d6! and Black stands better) 23...a3 (a n d win s) 24.bxa3 xa3 25.c2 d6 26.e3 xb5 27.dd3 xg4 28.b2 axc3 29.xc3 xc3 30.xc3 d8 31.e5 f5 0-1 Blahynka-Markovic, Brno CZE 2009. ] [ 10.f3 is the old main line, worked out in incredible detail in the books. Black apparently stands well enough after b4 , but you'll have to check the Archives! ] 10...e6 Considered best by Cox. The older move is [ 10...c6 11.f3 ( 11.b5 h4+ 12.g3 e4+ 13.e2 xh1 14.g5 f6?! was shown in Bender-Rogulj in the Archives, as was the alternative e6 15.d7+ xd7 16.0-0-0+ c8 but here 16...Nd5 should be tested, I think) 11...g4 12.f4 , and now g5!? 13.e4 gxf4 14.f6+ xf6 15.exf6 0-0-0 16.c1 e8+ was Bryson, D -Luther, T Bled 2002 in the Archives. ] 11.f3 c6 12.e2 [ 12.b5 is critical: c8 13.g5 d7 14.a4 ( 14.bd4 may be better) 14...h6 15.e3 d5 Movsesian-Luther, Istanbul 2003 and neither Cox nor Martin (in the Archives) comments upon the game's 16 Bf 2, but White seems to have a nice advantage after 16 Qd2, or an even bigger one after 16.xa7! . Then db4 17.e2 g6 18.0-0 471 B03 g7 19.d2 leaves White a clear pawn ahead. ] Esserman,Mark 2391 Yermolinsky,Alex 2522 12...d7! Cox suggests this. [ 12...g6 was given by Martin, but Cox points Copper State Int (4) 31.05.2009 out that 13.g5 d7 14.f6 g8 15.g5 [John Watson] is basically winning. ] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 13.a4 a6!? [ 13...b6 covers key squares. ] 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 e6 8.c3 exd5 9.cxd5 c4 The archives have some material 14.f4! g6 [ 14...h6 is safer, but also slow. ] on this line, but I haven't shown a game with it yet. I'm a little surprised that Yermo would risk 15.g5? [ 15.g5 b6 16.0-0-0 retains the pressure i t v e r s u s a l o w e r - r a t e d p l a y e r . 10.d6 474
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black can try h6 17.f6!? xf6 18.exf6 0-0-0 19.xc4 b8! with some counterplay, although Black lacks full compensation. The idea is 20.xe6 ( 20.he1! f5!? 21.xf7 b4 22.a3! d3+ 23.xd3 xd3 24.e5 ) 20...e3+ 21.d2 xe6 ] 15...b5 16.xe6 fxe6 17.c2 g7! [ 17...dxe5 18.d7+! is messy. ] 18.0-0 0-0 19.g4 h8 20.d2 cxe5 [ or 20...dxe5 21.xe6 d3 ] [ After 20...cxe5 21.xe6 d3 , Black seems to stand well. ] ½-½
19.fd1 e4 20.e1 ) 19.e1 f6 ( 19...de5 20.f3 b4 21.fxe4 xa2 22.c2 b4 23.d2 a6 24.e2 fxe4 25.f4 , but there are countless options here; 19...h7 20.f3 ) 20.f3 h7 21.d1 with some advantage.; C) 17.d6 f5 18.c4+ h7 C1) 19.h4!? f6 20.d1 f4 ( 20...e4 21.d4 e5 22.e2 ) 21.c1 e4 22.g1; C2) 19.f7 e8 20.h4 ( 20.d6 d8!= ) 20...f6 C2a) a draw results from 21.h5 xh5 22.3g5+ hxg5 23.xg5+ h6 ( 23...h8 24.f7 ) 24.f7+ h7 472 B03 25.g5+=; C2b) 21.d6 d8 22.d1 f4 FORUM Voronezh Bb5/..Nc6 C2b1) 23.c1 can lead to the same N,N key line, but also to a nice pawn sac [John Watson] f o r B l a c k : e4 24.d2 ( 24.g1 h5 25.e2 f3 26.gxf3 exf3 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 27.f4 transposes to my main line) 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 24...g4 25.f3 exf3 26.gxf3 0-0 9.b3 e5 a n d n o w C r a i g ' s m o v e h5! [ In Horvath-Chetverik, I've examined 9...e6 ( 26...c8 27.f2 ) 27.xb7 e8+ and ] 28.f2 e3 29.he1 ( 29.hf1 [ 9...6d7 ] d4 ) 29...ae8 with excellent 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 6d7 compensation, a line I worked out in 13.c4 c6 14.f3 a5 15.b5 c6 detail to a number of dead equal 16.e4 Here's the move that was suggested positions; to revive White's fortunes. Previously, we'd C2b2) 23.d2 e4 24.g1! h5 looked at ( 24...g4 25.f3 exf3 26.gxf3 h5 [ 16.d5 ] 27.xf4 b6! is interesting, although I [ and 16.d1 ] think W hite has the chances after 16...f5 28.cxb6 axb6 29.h2! ) 25.e2 f3 [ Mark Morss originally intended 16...d4 26.gxf3 exf3 27.f4 xf4 28.xf4 here, but in a correspondence game, b4 ( 28...c3+ 29.f1 d4 someone found 17.c4! xf3+ 18.gxf3 30.b4! ) 29.a3 c2+ 30.f1 xa3 against him, when White's bishops seem to 31.d3 e6 32.h5 and Black is more than make up for his pawn structure. under considerable pressure, e.g., Mark thinks that White is indeed better, and xb3 33.hxg6+ g8 34.c1 d7 after f8 19.d6 e6 20.e2 35.h3 a5 36.xh6 ] and Rhd1, for example, Black seems to be 17.c4+ f8 18.eg5 f6 19.f7 e8 running out of ideas. ] [ But my original instinct was to call White's 20.d6 e7 21.0-0 e4 [ a) Craig Evans analyses 21...f4 22.d2 bluff by 16...h6 , which was suggested by Ig g4 23.c3 xf3 24.gxf3 d4 25.g2 and analysed by TonyRo. I'll mix in my notes e8 26.fe1 xd6 27.cxd6 d7 28.xd4 as well: exd4 29.b5 xd6 30.c7 ] A) 17.c4 a5 18.e2 ( 18.d5 f6 [ b ) T h e b e s t l i n e s e e m s t o b e 21...b8 19.xf6+ xf6 20.d1 g7 ) 18...f5 and here's some fairly random analysis it 19.d6 c6 20.c4+ h7 transposes; seem s t hat W h ite ha s a n e dge : 22.cd1 B) 17.0-0 f5 18.d6 e4 ( 18...h7 475
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 (to allow Bc1, maybe) ( 22.g5 d7!? 23.fd1 h6 24.f3 g5 25.h4 g4 26.e1 f4 27.d2 ) 22...e6 ( 22...h6?? 23.h4 ) 23.xe6 xe6 24.a3 e4 25.g5 ( 25.d4 ) 25...e7 26.b4 e5 ( 26...h6 27.h3 ) 27.d4 h6 28.xe5 xe5 29.h3 g5 30.f4 exf3 31.xf3 with the idea f4 ( 31...g4 32.f4! ) 32.f2 ( 32.g3 ) 32...g8 33.h4!? f8 34.hxg5 hxg5 35.g3 fxg3 ( 35...h5 36.g4 ) 36.xf6 gxf2+ 37.xf2 xd6 38.dxd6 be8 39.d7 and White will win material ] 22.g5 d7 [ 22...e5 23.c6! xc4 24.xc4 b6 25.d1 h6 26.h3 g5 27.c1 a6 28.a3 xc4 29.xc4 f7 30.xe7 xe7 31.d6 e8 32.xf5+ f6 33.g3 [Ig and Craig Evans] ] [ 22...h6 23.xc8 ( 23.gf7 g4 24.f4 ge5 25.xe5 xe5 26.fd1 g5 27.xe5 xe5 28.b4 ) 23...xc8 24.e6+ g8 25.f4 h7 26.d6 d7 27.fd1 ( 27.h3 ) 27...e8 28.a3 ] 23.xb7 h6 24.h3 g5 . This is analysis by Kam. At this point, I think the right move is 25.fd1! (suggested by someone!) [ C r a i g E v a n s g a v e t h e s i m i l a r 25.cd1 when, mixing his analysis with mine, we get A) 25...e5?! 26.c6! xc6 27.a5 xc4 ( 27...d7 28.c5 ) 28.xc6 xe3 29.fxe3 and f5 hangs; B) 25...f4 26.xf4 gxf4 27.xf4 e5 28.d6 , again with 3 pawns for the piece and pressure.; C) 25...c8 26.d6 c7 27.b5 c8 28.xd7 xd7 ( 28...xd7 29.d6 c7 30.xf5 ) 29.d6 xd6 30.cxd6 f4 31.c5 with the upper hand. ] 25...f4 I can't see anything better for Black. [ 25...e5 26.d6 ] 26.xf4! gxf4 [ 26...xh3 27.d6 g4 ( 27...c8 28.xe7+ xe7 29.d6 e5 30.xc8+ xc8 31.b4 e8 32.a3 ) 28.e1 e5 29.b5 f7 30.xe7+ xe7 31.f3 with a very large advantage. ] 27.xf4 e5 28.d6 and not only does W hite have three pawns for the piece, but Black's position is rather sad. OK, that was a bit patchwork, but it might be nice to have this all in one file!
473 Fish,Andrew Sharp,Peter 4NCL 1999-2000 (4) [Nigel Davies]
B03
1999
White has often tried defending his d-pawn with Bc1-e3 in this line, but here he must be ready to meet ...c7-c5. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 g6 7.c3 g7 8.e3 0-0 [ Black has also played 8...c5 immediately though here White has a dangerous lead in d e v e l o p m e n t a f t e r 9.dxc5 xd1+ ( 9...6d7 10.e6 fxe6 11.f3 a5 12.c1 xc5 13.d4 e5 14.xe5 xe5 15.xe5 d3+ 16.xd3 xe5+ 17.e2 left White with the better pawn structure in Lasker Sidney Bernstein, New York (Simultaneous Display) 1928) 10.xd1 6d7 11.b5 a6 12.e6 e5 ( 12...fxe6 13.b4 ) 13.exf7+ xf7 14.h3 f8 15.e2 g8 16.f1 when White was still a pawn up in Mujagic - Neckar, Prague 1982 ] 9.f3 [ 9.d2 invites Black to play c5 under even more favourable conditions in Erturan Eriksson, European U20 Ch., Patras 1999 ] 9...c5 10.d5?! Having first put the bishop on e3, this makes little sense. [ But 10.dxc5 xd1+ 11.xd1 6d7 12.e6 ( 12.d5 c6 13.b4 e6 14.c7 b8 15.b5 cxe5 gave Black a good game in Greiff - Johansson, Swedish Open Ch., Vaxjo 1992 )] 10...g4 11.f4? And this belated attempt to fortify e5 loses a tempo compared with lines without the move Bc1-e3. [ Borges - Sigrist, Sao Paulo Open 1995 continued 11.xc5 xe5 12.h3 g3+ 13.f2 xf2+ 14.xf2 xf3 15.xf3 with a reasonable game ] 11...8d7 12.e2 b8! 13.e4 xf3 14.gxf3 xe5 Leaving Black a pawn up with a go o d p o sit io n . W h it e tries t o com p lic a t e matters by donating more material. 15.h6 e8 16.0-0-0 f6 17.e3 bd7 18.h4 d4 19.xd4 cxd4 20.xd4 e5 21.d2 f5 22.h5 xh5 23.h3 xf3 24.g2 g3 25.e4 g4 26.g5 df6 27.h4 xe4 28.xe4 g1+ 29.c2 ac8 30.d3 476
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 b5 31.b3 a1 32.e3 bxc4 33.bxc4 xa2+ 34.d1 a1+ 35.e2 e6 36.d6 b8 37.f3 e5+ 38.e3 ed8 0-1
19.c7 xe3 20.fxe3 a7 21.b4 b7 22.fd1!? Black is tied up, so [ 22.d5 makes sense (threatening Ne7+), with the idea xd5? 23.xc8+ d8 24.c4 dd7 25.g5 ] 22...xd1+ 23.xd1 g4 [ 23...d6! 24.d5 e6 keeps White's 474 B03 advantage limited. ] Gara,Anita 2312 Grunberg,Sergiu Henric 2300 24.h3 xf3 25.xf3 c5!? 26.d8+ f8 TCh-HUN 2008-9 (9) 01.03.2009 27.c8 d7 28.d5 Apart from his betterplaced pieces, W hite's queenside majority [John Watson] can advance with effect. g7 29.e2?! [ 29.g4! d isco u ra ge s f5?! 30.gxf5 gxf5 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 31.e4 winning the light squares. ] 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 29...f5 30.c6 a5? 0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 [ Black should try to draw a bishops of [ I'm surprised that 11.c5 is so rare probably o p p o s i t e c o l o u r s e n d i n g a f t e r 30...e4! players who are attracted to slow moves 31.xa6?! ( 31.a3! ) 31...xa6 32.xa6 such as Be3 and Rc1 like to get the queens f6! 33.xf6 xf6 ] off. ] 11...xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.c4 c6 14.f3 31.b5 b7 32.b6 c5 33.c4 g5 34.c7 e7 35.e8+ h8 36.c8 xb6 37.d6+ a5 15.e2 g7 38.g8+ [ 15.b5 ] 1-0 15...b6 16.cxb6 [ We saw 16.b4 in Daultye-Nguyen Thu Giang from last year's Olympiad it 475 B03 shouldn't achieve anything. ] 16...xb6 17.b5 Gruenfeld,Yehuda [ From the Archives: 17.0-0 b7 18.fd1 Ljubojevic,Ljubomir c6?! ( 18...xd1+ 19.xd1 c8 20.b5 (izt) Riga 1979 d5 is fine according to Cox. Then White [Alexander Volzhin] seems to get just a little something out of 21.d2 c2 22.d3 xa2 23.b4 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 , but then comes e4! 24.xe4 c4 25.e1 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 e6 8.c3 exd5 cb6 and there's no more doubt about 9.cxd5 c4 10.f3 Main line. g4 11.d4! equality. ) 19.b5 xd1+ 20.xd1 b4 xf3 12.gxf3 b4 13.xc4 21.d6 ( He re Co x cla im s t h a t 21.a4 [ 13.g4 is too optimistic xd5 14.xg7 "would have left White decidedly better."; f8 with advantage to black ] 21.c5 was played in K Martin-Cox - see the 13...0-0 14.g1 A very natural and strong Archives. ) 21...c6 Yandemirov-Konnov, move, but not the only one! Kazan 2008, and now 22.a4! is a good idea. [ 14.h6!? is very interesting 4d5 23.c1! d7 24.xb6! xb6 25.a5 A) 14...gxh6 15.e6 f6 16.d6 xc4 17.e7 c8 26.c7 is no fun. ] H o w s t r o n g wh i t e ' s p a wn s a r e ! ! ! e8 17...d5?! 18.g1+ h8 19.g4 f7 ( 19...f7 [ I n a n e a r l i e r u p d a t e w e s a w 17...b7! 20.xc4! ) 20.g8+! winning; 18.0-0 ( 18.xa7 d5 ) 18...d5 B) 14...8d7! the only move, as capturing with apparent equality. ] the bishop loses by force: 15.g1 g6 18.0-0!? 16.e6 e5! is very messy ] [ 18.d2 b7 19.c4 of Cioara-Hudecek, 14...g6 Pardubice 1998 probably favours White. ] [ 14...c7? leads to a quick mate: 15.e6 f6 18...a6 16.h6 xc4 17.xg7+ h8 18.g8+!! [ 18...a6! improves. ] 1-0, Luboevich - Honfi, 1970 ] 477
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.g5 This move and the following rook sacrifice are the only way to f ight for the advantage. [ 15.h6 is a mistake: this bishop is much better than the rook! c6 16.e4 xe5! and black is already better 17.xf8 xf8 18.b5 c5 19.0-0-0 xc3 20.bxc3 xc3+ 21.c2 a1+ 22.d2 xf3+ 23.e3 xd5+ with an unstoppable attack, Gibbs - Stewart, 1972 ] 15...c7 16.b3 c5 17.f4 xg1 Taking the rook gives white a strong attack, but the alternative is worse: [ 17...e8 18.f6 8d7 19.e4 xe5 20.xg6+!! Nice, isn't it? ] 18.d6 c5! The only defence, as [ 18...c8 allows white to castle ( I wanted to write "to castle queenside", but just in time I realised that with one rook sacrificed white has no choice! ) with a strong attack, for example: 19.0-0-0 c5 20.e6 fxe6 21.e5 d5 22.d7!! and white wins, as was pointed out by Bronstein ] 19.e4 d4 20.d1 xb2 21.e6?! In such crazy positions one mistake is enough to lose a game. In my opinion, this move is such a mistake! I think white missed black's next move, but in his defence, it's not too difficult to blunder in such positions! [ 21.f6+ should be played. I analysed this position and couldn't understand who was better! One variation: h8 22.d2 a1+ 23.e2 If you are tired already, you should u s e t h is o p p o rt u n i t y t o t a ke a d r a w b y repetition ( 23.d1 b2 24.d2 ) 23...c6 24.h4 h5 ( 24...xe5+ 25.f1 h5 26.xh5+winning ) 25.xh5 d4+ 26.xd4 xd4 27.f6+ g8 28.f4 f2+ 29.xf2 xf2 30.xg6 fe8 31.xf2 with an unclear position! ] 21...8d7! 22.e7 the rook is attacked, but black has such a big material advantage, that he can easily ignore this! xh2! 23.exf8+ xf8 24.xh2 White has nothing better, he has to go into an ending two pawns down.. xh2 25.f6+ g7 26.xd7 xd7 27.e7 Hoping for counterplay after 28.Ba4, but b8! 28.f2 e5 29.c1 c5! The final finesse in this excellent game! 30.d1 f6 31.xf6+ xf6 32.c4 d8 33.g3 a6 34.f1 e5
35.f4+ e6 36.c4+ f6 37.f3 b5 0-1
476 Hamdouchi,Hicham Garcia KUTXA Donostia ESP (2) [John Watson]
B03 2589 2465 08.07.2009
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 The normal move. [ Black won a recent miniature following 12.b5 c6! 13.xa7 d4! 14.xc8 xc8 ( or 14...dxc8 ) 15.xd4 exd4 16.a4 d3 17.d1?! d6! 18.xd3 f5 19.e2 d4+ 20.f1 xb3 21.d1 xa4 22.g3 b5 0-1 Chauca, J -Lima, J, Rio de Janeiro BRA 2009. ( because White loses another p a w n d u e t o 22...b5 23.cxb5? ad4 24.e2 xd3! 25.xd3 c1+ )] 12...6d7 13.f3 c6 14.c4 a5 15.e2 b6 16.a4 [ 16.cxb6 xb6 17.0-0 b7 with equality is Yandemirov Alek, V (2461) -Konnov, O (2325)/Kazan RUS 2008 in the Archives. ] 16...xc5 17.xc5 bxc5 18.xc5 We've seen this before more than once. e4 [ 18...b7 19.c7 d6 is also okay, only a bit better for White after 20.0-0 ] 19.d2 b7 20.c6!? [ Maybe a conservative move such as 20.c2 would keep more chances on the board. ] 20...d6 21.0-0 f5?! [ 21...e6 22.a6 d5 23.d1 is perhaps a tad better for W hite, so more accurate seems ] [ 21...b7! 22.c7 e5! 23.fc1 ac8 24.xc8 xc8 25.xc8+ xc8 ] 22.xe4 b7 [ 22...xe3 23.fxe3 presents Black with a few potential problems on the f-file, as well as leaving him a pawn behind. This happens in the game. ] 23.f6+ xf6 [ White has similar chances after 23...h8 24.c7 xg2 ( 24...xe3?! 25.fxe3 xg2 26.f2! ) 25.xg2 xe3+ 26.fxe3 d2 27.f3 xf6 28.xf7 ] 478
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 24.xf6 xe3?! [ 24...g7! 25.g5 d4 traps White's rook. T h is h e lp s , a lt h o u g h B la ck ca n 't win i t without allowing W hite a favourable exchange-down position with the bishop pair: 26.c1 h6 ( 26...e8 27.c4 f8 28.a6!? ) 27.c7 d5 28.xf5 gxf5 29.e3 b4 30.c5 d8 31.a5 b7 32.f3 g6 33.f2 and it's about even, but perhaps easier to play White. ] 25.fxe3 d2 [ This allows the rooks in, but defending f7 ties Black down: 25...d7 26.c4 f8 27.g4! g7 28.1f4 , etc. ] 26.xf7 d5 27.7f2 xa2 28.c4! a5 [ Or 28...xc4 29.xa2 xf1 30.xf1 ] 29.b4! [ 29.a2!? c5 30.xd5+ xd5 31.fa1 d7 32.a6 b7 33.1a3 ] 29...xc4 30.bxa5 xf1 31.xf1 e8 32.f2?! This is passive. White should activate by [ 32.b1! xe3 ( 32...e7 33.a6 and Rb7 ) 33.b7 a3 34.xa7 ] 32...e5 33.a1 a6 Now Black's rook is active and White's tied down. 34.a4 f7 35.f3 b5 36.h4 [ 36.g4!? ] 36...h5 37.g4 hxg4+ 38.xg4 f6 39.e4 e5 40.f3 h5 41.g4 e5 42.f4 g5+ 43.hxg5+ xg5 44.a2 b5 45.a3 e6 46.a4 h5 White can't make progress. ½-½
477 Hanley,James L Summerscale,Aaron Middlesex vs Young England (2) [John Watson]
B03 2213 2493 10.07.2007
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 [ The immediate 11.c5 was tried once: 6d7 12.c4 c6 13.f3 a5 14.0-0 xc5 15.b4! xb4 16.d5 Chernyshov - Lucko, 1995, but I don't believe that this sort of stuff can be good for White ] 11...xd8 12.c5 [ 12.b5?! c6! 13.xa7? d4!
wa s an alyze d in th is co lu mn , f ollo win g Chernyshov - Freisler, Pardubice, 1992. White couldn't even get out of the opening. ] 12...6d7 13.c4 c6 14.f3 a5!? It takes a g time to master this system (the Voronezh), and I certainly haven't. This move seems a bit odd, releasing pressure on the key d4 square and inviting b4, and yet it has done reasonably well. Two other moves given on ChessPublishing are: [ (a) 14...h6 15.0-0 ( 15.e4 ) 15...d4 a n d i n s t e a d o f 1 6 B xd 4 ? , I s u g g e s t e d 16.e4! xf3+ 17.gxf3 f8 18.d6 f5 19.f4! with advantage. ] [ (b) 14...d4 15.g5 f8 16.ce4 f5 17.0-0 ( or 17.xf7!? - Volzhin ) 17...f6 18.d6! xd6 19.cxd6 Dzindzichashvili, R -Alburt, L (2560)/Parsippany 1996 ] 15.b5!? This may be best. [ W e've seen 15.e2 b6 16.cxb6 xb6 before, when Black has plenty of play, as well as ] [ 15.g5 f8 16.e7 xc4! 17.xf8 xf8 18.bxc4 xc5 19.0-0 e4 "with ample compensation", Honfi - Varga, 1994. ] 15...f8 [ An attractive line is 15...a6 16.e2 c6 17.d1 d4 18.xd4! exd4 19.xd4! xd4 20.xd4 and Ne4 will follow, with more than enough compensation. ] 16.0-0 [ 16.e4 is also promising. ] 16...h6 [ 16...e6 17.fd1 takes the file just in time, and d4 is virtually refuted by ( 17...c6 18.xd8+ cxd8 19.e4 ) 18.xd4 exd4 19.g5! ] 17.e4 d7 18.xd7?! [ I like 18.e2! with the idea e6 19.d6 ] 18...xd7 19.b4 c6 20.b5 e7 Black has just about equalised. 21.c4? [ 21.fd1 ad8 22.xd7 xd7 23.d6 e6= ] 21...f5 22.c3 [ Now 22.d6 e6 favours Black. ] 22...c8 With the idea ...Ne6. Things have gone very wrong for W hite. 23.a4 e6 24.b1 d3 25.e1 d7 26.f1 g5 27.c2 f4 28.c1 d1+ 29.e2? h1 30.h3 f7 White is tied up and lost. 31.c6 bxc6 32.b6 axb6 33.xb6 b8 34.cb4 479
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f5 35.a4 c5 36.c4 xc1 37.xc1 xb6 38.a5 a6 39.a4 f6 40.a3 d6 41.f3 d8 42.c4 xc4 43.cxc4 xa5 44.xa5 xa5 45.a4 c3 46.d3 d4 47.e4 g7 48.a6 h5 49.xh6 g3+ 50.d3 f5 51.h7+ g6 52.c7 e3 0-1
478 Hofmann,Paul Khenkin,Igor ZDMI Open Dresden GER (4) [Gawain Jones]
B03 2382 2632 13.07.2010
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 John did a lot of work on the mainlines with 6.Nc3 but my eye was drawn b y t h e f o llo win g ga m e in wh ich a st ro n g Grandmaster was defeated with the more unusual 6.d5!? which has only been played 235 times in Mega2010 compared to 3196 w i t h 6 . N c 3 ! g6 And Khenkin replies with another sideline. This is actually the move which 6.d5 was intended to dissuade. John Cox even gives 6...g6 a question mark but as we shall see things aren't so clear. [ 6...e5 is the mainline. 7.c3 A) 7...f5 8.f4!? The most aggressive attempt. ( Instead 8.f3 e7 9.e2 0-0 10.0-0 a6 11.b3 d7 12.a3 g6 13.c1 c7 was Waitzkin, J-Stripunsky, A N e w Y o r k 1 9 9 8 wh i c h w a s a g r e e d dra wn a f e w m o ve s la t e r b u t h e re h e missed a chance with 14.xe5! xe5 15.f4 d7 16.f5 when White has a small edge. ) 8...8d7 9.f3 ( 9.e2 m i g h t b e m o r e a c c u r a t e a s t h e n c8 would allow 10.g4! ) 9...c8 10.b3 f6 11.e2 exf4 12.d4 h4+ 13.f1 g6 14.d2 was complex and had similarities to a King's Gambit! Czebe, A-Pesotsky, V Plovdiv 2008.; B) 7...a5 8.f3 ( 8.d3 e7 9.ge2 so as to be able to meet ...f5 with f4 is the normal treatment.) 8...a6 9.e2 e7 10.0-0 0-0 11.b3 f5 12.e3 d7 13.d3 xd3 14.xd3 f5 and Black had started to take the initiative. Fuellgrabe, T-Bagirov, V Berlin 1995.; C) 7...e7 8.d3 ( 8.e2 is unusual yet
was Kaidanov's choice and resulted in rough equality after 0-0 9.f3 g4 10.d2 d7 11.0-0 f5 12.b3 c7 13.a5 Kaidanov, G-Leininger, R Dallas 1996. ) 8...0-0 9.ge2 f5 ( 9...6d7 was another very recent attempt 10.0-0 f5 11.c2 g6 12.h1 a6 13.a3 b6 14.b3 c7 15.f4 exf4 16.xf4 g5 17.d2 xf4 18.xf4 Biti, O-Runic, Z Zagreb 2010 and it was clear White had w o n t h e o p e n i n g b a t t l e .) 10.b3 Is the tabiya of this variation and W hite should do well to study this position should he want to play 6.d5!? C1) 10...a6 was essayed by none other than top English Grandmaster Mickey Adams although 11.0-0 d7 ( 11...c5 12.c2 a5 13.f4 e4 14.e3 bd7 15.d4 f6 16.h3 and I prefer W hite with his control over the dark sq u a r e s. S h a b a l o v, A - D o r r, C U S A 1994. ) 12.f3 c8 13.e3 ( 13.a4!? ) 13...c5 14.c2 a5 15.d2 f6 Landenbergue, C-Adams, M Garmisch P a r t e n k i r c h e n 1 9 9 4 w h e n 16.c1 gives White a small advantage. All these positions resemble a Kings Indian more than any 1.e4 opening.; C2) 10...a5 11.0-0 a6 12.f4 d7 13.e3 dc5 14.c2 f6 was rather co m p le x in Fo ssa n , E -Agd e s t e in , S Drammen 1994 but perhaps he should have now played 15.fxe5 forcing xe5 16.a3 with an intriguing battle between Black's kingside attacking chances and White's better structure.; C3) 10...8d7 has been Zelcic's choice but he hasn't scored well. 11.0-0 C3a) 11...e4 was his first attempt but after 12.c2 C3a1) 12...f6 was Krasenkow's attempt at an improvement but following 13.f4 ( 13.b1!? with the idea of Nb5-d4 seems to f avour W hite .) 13...exf3 14.xf3 e5 15.f1 g6 16.b1 e8 17.h3 d7 18.d4 he failed to beat his lower rated opponent. Huschenbeth, N-Krasenkow, M Germany 2007; C3a2) 12...e5 13.d4 f6 14.f4 exf3 15.gxf3!? g6 16.f4 d7 480
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.h1 looks like a good Kings I n d i a n f o r W h i t e b u t xd4?! 18.xd4 f6 19.a3 was decidedly loose. Biti, O-Zelcic, R Rabac 2003.; C3b) 11...h8 12.b1 f4 Of course Zelcic realised that he was ceding the e4 square forever but hopes to get enough activity to compensate. However, I'm far f rom convinced... 13.f3 c5 14.c2 a5 when I think W h i t e s h o u l d h a v e t r i e d 15.b5 ( 15.a3 was played in Tazbir, M-Zelcic, R Warsaw 2005, when a4 16.b4 b3 would have given Black decent counterchances.) 15...d7 16.ec3 with a more comfortable position. ] [ 6...e6 has also been played quite often wh en S h irov trie d t he in te restin g 7.a4!? ( Instead 7.c3 has been played in almost every game that reached this position.) 7...exd5 8.cxd5 e7 9.a5 6d7 10.f3 0-0 11.e2 b6 I think Black will have to look for improvements here as 12.0-0 bxa5 13.d2 b6 Shirov, A-Degraeve, J G e r m a n y 2 0 0 9 14.xa5! would have left S h i r o v wi t h a p r o m i s i n g e d g e a s xb2 15.b5 a2 16.d4 looks pretty terrible for Black. ] [ 6...8d7 was looked at in the archives by Andrew Martin and has attracted the intention of Nakamura. A) Instead 7.e3 was tried in the game between the two strong young Americans. g6 8.d2 f6 ( 8...e5 9.b3 g4 10.d4 h6 11.b2 0-0 ) 9.c3 A1) Nakamura is trying to delay 9...g7 t o l e s s e n t h e i m p a c t o f 10.h6?! but this would be premature as xh6 11.xh6 c7 12.c1 ( 12.b3 bxd5! would exploit the dark square holes in W h i t e ' s p o s i t i o n .) 12...c5 looks comf ortable f or Black as c4 is vulnerable.; A2) 9...d7 I don't particularly like this move. 10.d3 g7 11.d4 0-0 12.ge2 e5 13.dxe6 fxe6 14.0-0 e5 15.e3 was complex but I think White must have had an edge. Hess, RNakamura, H Connecticut 2007.; B) 7.b3 f6 8.b2 g6 9.d3 g7 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0 is given as a little
better for W hite by Martin and Baburin, who observe that Black has no good pawn breaks. Landa, K-De Jonghe, B Belgium 2005. ] 7.d4 g8 So Black can no longer castle but he will now gain time against White's queen in order to gain some time in development. [ 7...f6 has been more common here for some reason but looks very ugly to me. 8.c3 ( 8.h4!? Hoffmann, P-Zrilic, B Rijeka 2010 was Hoffman's choice in a previous ga m e , a ls o f r o m t h i s ye a r .) 8...g7 9.ge2!? ( I can't see anything wrong with 9.f3 ) 9...e5 10.dxe6 c6 11.d1 xe6 12.f4 xc4?! 13.xc4 xc4 14.0-0 and Black's light squares were too vulnerable. Olesen, M-Andersen, P Copenhagen 1995. ] 8.h4 h5 [ 8...h6 is the alternative way of defending the h pawn. These positions are quite fresh, our main game being the first one in which a titled player has tried 6...g6 as far as I can see. 9.c3 f5 ( 9...a6!? ) 10.f3 Fazekas, M-Sull, G Hungary 2001 when instead of 8d7 which allowed ( 10...g7 should have been tried when Black has decent chances, for instance: 11.e3 a4! 12.xa4 a5+ 13.c3 xc3+ 14.d2 xd2+ 15.xd2 b6 and Black is certainly no worse. ) 11.d4 ] 9.d2 Finally the novelty although to be honest I quite like Black's chances here. [ The only other game to have reached this position that I can find was between two low rated players. That continued with 9.d3 Miturova, M-Janouchova, M Sec u Chrudimi 2008 but that appears to be an immediate inaccuracy as Black will be able to gain time on the bishop following a6 ] 9...a6 10.e2 [ Hoffmann is hoping to react with Bc3 to any ...Bg7 but due to the next note perhaps he should have played 10.c3 although after g7 Black's completely fine. ] 10...c5 [ 10...a4! looks problematic for White who must sacrifice his b2 pawn although after 11.f3 ( 11.b3 g7 is the problem.) 11...xb2 12.0-0 f5 I don't really see sufficient compensation. ] 481
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 11.c3 g7 12.b4 [ 12.b3 was more circumspect. ] 12...ca4 13.c1 xc3 14.xc3 xc3+ [ 14...h6! would have left Black in control: 15.d1 a5! 16.bxa5 a4 17.b4 g7 18.d3 xa5! ] 15.xc3 a5 16.b5 e5 17.g3 a4 18.a3 h4 [ 18...c5 immediately is more accurate as t h e n f o l l o w i n g 19.e3 ( 19.f3 e4 must favour Black.) 19...g4 and Black is doing well. ] 19.e3 c5 20.f3 f6 21.d2 [ 21.d4!? might well be more accurate as then b6 doesn't look so convincing. ] 21...b6 22.b3 xb3? A surprising error by such a strong player and shows that Khenkin was having a bad day. [ 22...d7 would still have left Black with a p e r f e c t l y p l a y a b l e p o s i t i o n a s 23.g4 can be dealt with by f4= ] 23.axb3! Now White can open up the position a n d t h u s B la c k' s is o la t e d kin g su d d e n l y becomes an important factor in the position. b8 24.0-0 g5 25.fa1 f8 26.b4! Opening up the position so that White's rooks can infiltrate and highlighting the problem with Black's 22nd. axb4 27.a8 xa8 28.xa8 g7 29.xb6 So now both players have passed b pawns but White's is more effective. g6 [ 29...f4 30.e3 ] [ and 29...e4 30.e3 get Black nowhere. ] [ 29...h3 might be the best source of counterplay, although W hite stays on top after 30.e3 hxg2 31.b6 ] 30.e3 b7 31.xg8+ [ 31.a7! b8 32.f1 followed by 33.Qb3 and p icking up the b4 p awn looke d th e simplest way to proceed. ] 31...xg8 32.d3 f6 33.e1 [ 33.g3! was the most accurate to give the White king some luft. ] 33...e4! Now Khenkin gets dangerous counterplay. 34.xe4 a1+ 35.b1 c8 [ 35...b3 was the most accurate when, although W hite is still better, I'm unsure whether he's winning any longer. ] 36.e1 f5?? Proof that it wasn't Khenkin's day. [ Instead 36...g7 37.xb4 would now
allow ( 37.f1 is a winning try but Black still s e e m s t o b e d o i n g f i n e f o l l o w i n g h3; 37.e4!? ) 37...f5 38.b6 ( 38.e1 xb1 39.c1 g6 40.h3 a2 is very complicated but certainly fine for Black. ) 38...xb1 39.h3 a2+ 40.h2 e5+ 41.g1 a1+ with a draw. ] 37.b6 I'm not sure what Khenkin overlooked as it's easy to see that the b pawn is simply too fast. a6 [ 37...c8 38.h7+ picks up the queen. ] 38.xf5 b3 39.b1 xb6 40.e3 a5 41.xg5+ f8 42.e3 b2 43.f1 An interesting line. Khenkin had no problems after the opening and it looks like 6...g6!? is a good response to 6.d5 despite its bad reputation. 1-0
479 Horvath,Gy Chetverik,Maxim Zalakaros [John Watson]
B03 2432 2305 2005
Chetverik has no less than 7 games in Informant using two moves other than the overwhelmingly played 9...e5. I've bundled them together, using the Informant notes but adding a few of my own. This is a good way to look over the material, even if it's clearly the lazy way out for me! 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e6 [ 9...6d7!? A) 10.h3 f6 A1) 11.d3 d5 12.f3 ( 12.ge2 c6 13.0-0 Toenniges, T (2089)-Chetverik, M ( 2 3 1 4 ) / B a d W i l d b a d 2 0 0 7 b4!? 14.b1 a5 - C h e t v e r i k) 12...c6 13.0-0 f5 ( 13...e6 14.g5! , f o r e xa m p le , c8 15.cxd5 xd5 16.xd5 xd5 17.e4 ) 14.xf5 gxf5 15.e5 ( or 15.e1 ) 15...e6 16.f3 and W hite can be happy with his pressure.; A2) Perhaps the best order is 11.f3 d5 , and now I like 12.d3! , vs ... Ne4 and ...Bf5 ( r a t h e r t h a n 12.c5 e4 or, as in the Chetverik game,; or 12.e2 482
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c6 13.0-0 f5 ); A3) 11.g4!? e5 ( 11...c6!? 12.f3 h5 13.g5 e8 ) 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.xd8 xd8 14.g2 c6 15.ge2 h5 16.g5 ( 16.g5 b4! 17.0-0 hxg4 18.cd1 e8 ) 16...e8 17.0-0 ( 17.e4 c7 18.0-0 e6= ) 17...d6 18.fd1 e6 19.a4! with a nice advantage, B r a e u n i n g , R ( 2 3 4 0 ) - C h e t ve r i k , M (2314)/Bad W ildbad 2007. Notes by Chetverik.; B) 10.e2 f6 11.h3 d5 12.f3 c6 13.0-0 f5 14.g4! ( 14.e5 dxc4 15.xc6 bxc6 16.bxc4 e4 17.xe4 xe4 18.d3 xd3 19.xd3 d6=; 14.c5 e4 15.a4 h5 16.a3 e5!? 17.dxe5 xe5 18.d4 f6! 19.e1 ad8 Kiselev, G (2424)-Chetverik, M (2311), Russia 2007) 14...e6 , and here Chetverik recommends 15.e5!? dxc4 16.bxc4 xe5 17.dxe5 d7 18.f4 ] 10.f3 d7 11.e2 c6 12.0-0 [ An exciting line is 12.h4!? A) 12...h6 13.d2 h7 14.h5 g5 15.xg5!? hxg5 16.xg5+ g8 17.h6 f6 18.ce4 ( 18.f4! looks better, with advantage I think) 18...xe4 19.xe4 d5 ( or simply 19...c6 ); B) 12...xf3 13.xf3 d5 14.cxd5 exd5 15.h5 c6 16.hxg6 fxg6!? ( 16...hxg6 17.d2 e8 18.0-0 c8 19.fe1 - Chetverik but this is better than ..fxg6) 17.e2 ( 17.0-0! a6 18.e1 , now that W hite has the bishop pair and the weakness on e6 is established) 17...f6 18.d2 ae8 19.0-0 d6 20.c5? xf3! 21.gxf3 Kulaots, K (2555)-Chetverik, M (2300)/Cappelle la Grande 2006 and here Chetverik recommends xd4!? 22.xd4 xe2 23.xe2 xd4 24.c2 g3+ with a draw. ] 12...xf3 13.xf3 d5 14.a4 [ a) 14.cxd5 exd5 15.a4!? ( 15.d2 ) 15...xa4 16.bxa4 c6 17.c5 e7 18.b3 ( 18.g5! ) 18...b6 19.b5 - Chetverik. ] [ b) 14.c5 c8 15.b4 a6 16.a4 c6 17.b5 axb5 18.axb5 a5 19.a1 ( I like simply 19.e2 ) 19...e7 20.a4 f5 wit h a p p ro xim a t e e qu a lit y, Do m a n y, M (2199)-Chetverik, M (2303)/Eger 2005. ]
14...c6 15.cxd5 exd5 16.d2 e8 17.fd1 d7 18.e2!? c8 19.c5 8e7 20.f4 [ White should play 20.c3! b4 21.f4 ac8? 22.b5 ] 20...b6 21.c3 [ Chetverik gives 21.b5 ad8 22.xd5 f5 with counterplay. ] 21...ac8 22.dc1 ed8 23.h3 [ 23.b4 might keep some advantage. ] 23...d6 24.e2 h5 25.g4 White feels that he has to keep Black's knight out of f5. hxg4 26.hxg4 d7 27.g2 Chetverik calls this equal. I still like [ 27.b4 , although White is only nominally better. ] 27...f5 28.g5 f4 29.xf4 f8 30.d3 f5 31.b5 d6 32.xd5 xd5 33.xd5+ xd5 34.xc6 xc6 35.xc6 xb5 36.xd6 xb3 37.d8+ h7 38.d7 a5 39.d5 g8 1-0
480 Hou,Yifan Short,Nigel D Corus B Wijk aan Zee NED (4) [John Watson]
B03 2571 2663 20.01.2009
Any Alekhine's Defence by a top-level player like Nigel Short is worth seeing! 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 [ Versus 4.f3 , Short plays dxe5 5.xe5 c6 , when the recent game Navara-Short, W ijk aan Zee (Corus B) 2009 went out of theory quickly: 6.e2 f5 7.g4 e6 8.f4 f6 9.d3 f7 10.0-0 a6 11.c3 e6 12.xd5 xd5 13.e3 e7 14.f3 d7 with more or less equal play. ] 4...b6 5.exd6 exd6 Too bad we don't get to see Short playing the more dynamic [ 5...cxd6 ] 6.c3 c6 Short plays as Baburin does, to prevent the irritating Bd3/Nge2 setup which has done so well for White. That arises after [ 6...e7 7.d3 0-0 8.ge2 ] 7.e3 [ We previously looked at Zaragatski-Baburin, Kemer TUR 2007, which went 7.h3 f5 ( 7...e7 8.f3 0-0 is less committal) 8.e3 483
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e7 9.f3 f6 10.b3 h6 , and here I suggested 11.d3 xd3 ( 11...d7 12.0-0 0-0 13.b1 xd3 14.xd3 is almost the same ) 12.xd3 with a space advantage. ] 7...e7 8.d3 0-0 9.ge2!? [ 9.f3 would avoid what happens next, but it's not clear what the consequences are. ] 9...b4 Now White's important light-squared bishop is exchanged, because it can't retreat to e2. 10.b3 xd3+ 11.xd3 c6 12.d5! Nevertheless, W hite claims some space in return for the bishop pair. It's not so bad for Black, but he'll be the one who has to find good squares for his pieces. e8 13.0-0 f8 [ 13...cxd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.xd5 c7 16.c3 e6 17.d2 c6 18.ad1 is not yet equal. ] 14.ad1 g4!? 15.d2 c8!? [ 15...d7! has ideas of ...Ne5, and 16.f4 a5 prepares ...Nc5. ] 16.g3!? cxd5 17.xd5 xd5 18.xd5 d7 19.e2?! [ 19.fd1! c6 20.d4 g6 21.f4 with the idea Bd4 keeps a grip on things, although W hite's advantage is hardly decisive after, say, e6 ] 19...c6 20.g5 e6 21.f4 e5 Black has plenty of activity now. 22.g3 f5 23.h3 a6 24.d3 e6 25.f4 e5 26.d3 e6 27.f4 ½-½
13.d4 a6 14.0-0 e5 This move creates weaknesses, but what should he do? 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.f3 with a big advantage for white in Chernyshov - Zoltek, Pardubice, 1992. ] 12.f4 g4 [ 12...f7 has also failed to solve black's problems. 13.f3 ( intending Nd4 ) e5 14.dxe6 xe6 Now the d6-pawn becomes a target. 15.0-0 e8 16.d2 e7 17.ce1 d5 Even this break doesn't help black too much. 18.c5! Very typical: white controls the d4 square and keeps the possibility of the m a j o r i t y a t t a c k o n t h e q u e e n s i d e . d7 19.b5! Otherwise Black will transfer this Knight to e4 via f6. a6 20.a4 ed8 21.xd7 xd7 22.d4 with an overwhelming positional advantage in V. Ivanov - Ukolov, Moscow, 1995. ] 13.d4 [ 13.xg4 is not bad either: fxg4 14.ge2 e5 15.dxe6 xe6 16.d4! The exchange of dark-squared bishops clearly favours white. c8 17.0-0 e7 18.xg7 xg7 19.h1 f5 20.d4 with an obvious advantage for white, Moldovan - Bogdan, Romania, 1995. ] 13...e5 14.dxe6 xe6 15.f3 In my opinion this posit ion is simply bad f or B lack . e8 16.xg7 xg7 17.0-0 f7 18.d4+ f6 19.fd1 ad8 20.g5 h6 21.xf7 xf7 22.xf6+ The endgame should be easily won. xf6 23.f3 d7 24.d2 a6 25.cd1 e3 481 B03 26.e2 c8 27.f2 de7 28.h3 d5 Howell,James C 2525 29.cxd5 d6 30.d3 xd3 31.xd3 fe4+ Panchenko,Alexandar G 2480 32.xe4 xe4+ 33.f3 c7 34.g4 f6 Wichern-op Hamburgo (9) 1995 35.gxf5 gxf5 36.g3 c5 37.c3 a5 38.e3 g6 39.h4 h5 40.e5 f7 41.e3 [Alexander Volzhin] f6 42.d4 b6 43.e7 f8 44.c7 f6 d7 46.xf6+ xf6 47.e5 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 45.c6 5.exd6 cxd6 This move is much more So, as we can see 8.. .Nc6 ha rdly so lve s popular than 5...ed, but it would be too easy Black's problems. to draw any conclusions about the relative 1-0 strengths of the moves from that! 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 A very clever decision: first of all white develops his queenside overprotecting the knight on c3. c6 9.d5 e5 10.e2 0-0 11.b3 8.Rc1 made this move possible. Now 12.f4 is an unpleasant threat. f5 [ 11...ed7 was played once. 12.f3 f6 484
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 25...b6!? should be preferred. ] B03 Ianov,Viktor 2460 26.b4 b6 27.c4 h7 28.e4 h6 Chekhov,Valery A 2500 29.c2 e7 It's not easy to find an adequate Moscow (3) 1995 defence for Black. [ P r o b a b l y h e s h o u l d t r y 29...f5!? [Alexander Volzhin] as after the text W hite's advantage becomes decisive. ] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 30.c6! f6 31.c7 e1+ 32.h2 e5?! [ 32...f3!? 33.g3 a5 34.b2 and Black is in 0-0 9.b3!? f5!? An interesting attempt to Zugzwang e2?? 35.c1+ ] create counterplay. 10.f3!? Other moves are possible, also with a slight advantage for 33.xa7 e6 [ 33...f3+ 34.g3 e2? 35.c1++- mating ] White. [ 10.h3!? h6 11.f4 e6 12.d5 f7 34.f7 e7 35.c4!+- xf7 36.xf7 f3+ 13.e2 e8 14.0-0 e6 15.dxe6 xe6 37.g3 e2 38.f4+ h7 39.c7+ [ 39.c7+ h6 40.xb6 f1 41.e3++16.d4 xd4+ 17.xd4 c6 18.f2 winning ] Malisauskas,V-Kupreichik,V/Moscow/1994/0, 1-0 5/57/ ] [ 10.d5 f4 11.d4 e5 12.dxe6 xd4 13.xd4 c6 14.d2 xe6 15.f3 e7 483 B03 16.e2 d5 17.cxd5 ad8 18.0-0 xd5 ] [ 10.g3 c6 ( 10...e5 11.dxe5 dxe5 Ibarra Jerez,Jose Carlos 2535 12.xd8 xd8 13.c5 6d7 14.c4+ h8 Asis Gargatagli,H 2462 15.b5 a6 16.d6 f8 17.c6 ) 11.d5 XVIII Navalmoral Open (5.7) 07.12.2012 e5 12.e2 e6 13.dxe6 xe6 14.f4 g4 [Tom Rendle] 15.xg4 fxg4 16.ge2 Ardeleanu Grunberg, 1996. ] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 10...f4 Already a rare choice compared to 4.c4 and 4. [ 10...e5?! 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.xd8 xd8 Nf3 b6 5.b3 d5 13.c5 6d7 14.c4+ f8 15.g5 f6 [ 5...f5 was analysed in Conquest-Baburin ] 16.f7 e8 17.b5 with advantage ] [ 5...dxe5 is Black's main move here but 11.d2 c6 12.d5 e5 13.xe5! xe5 after 6.h5 e6 7.dxe5 White has good 14.e2 e6 15.dxe6 xe6 16.f3 d5 chances and in Thorhallsson, T (2455)17.cxd5 Mamedyarov, S (2709) Reykjavik 2006 he [ 17.c5 d4! 18.e4 d5 ] went on to score a giant-killing win after c5 17...xd5 18.xd5 8.c3 ( 8.a3!? deserves attention) 8...c6 [ There are some other ways for white to get 9.e2 g5 10.c2 d7 11.d2 e7 a slight advantage, for example 18.0-0!? 12.e4 and White was obviously doing well xc3 19.xc3 xc3 20.xc3 b6 g5 just looks out of place here. ] 21.e1 but I doubt if it is enough for the [ 5...c6 is a worthy alternative here. whole point. ] W hite's most interesting choice here is 18...xd5 19.b4 xf3 20.xf3 b2 6.e6!? and after ( 6.exd6 exd6 leads to a [ 20...f7 21.0-0 f6 22.fd1 ] balanced game ) 6...fxe6 7.f3 21.0-0! A) 7...g6 8.g5 d5 was a better option [ 21.xf8?! e8+! 22.d2 xc1+ 23.xc1 with a murky position arising after d8+ 24.c2 xf8 ] ( 8...g7!? 9.xe6 f8 should also be 21...xc1 22.xf8 xf8 23.xc1 f7 investigated. ) 9.f3! 24.c4 f8 25.h4 White has a tiny A1) 9...xd4 10.f7+ d7 11.c3 advantage, as Black's King is slightly exposed. xb3 and White can either take a draw However a draw is the most likely outcome of with 12.xe6+ ( or keep good chances the game. h5?! Black voluntary weakens his with 12.axb3 ) 12...e8 13.f7+ d7 kingside. 14.e6+ e8 15.f7+; 482
485
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A2) 9...d7 10.f7+ d8; B) 7...a5?! 8.g5 xb3 9.axb3 d5 10.0-0 g6 11.f3 f6 12.e1 here Black felt obliged to return the pawn with c6 13.xe6 xe6 14.xe6 and W hite had a good game in T h o rh a lls s o n , T (2 4 5 5 )-Hja rt a rso n , J (2628) Reykjavik 2005 ] 6.f3!? [ 6.c3 feels a little slow but it worked well in Ya n k o vs k y , R ( 2 4 0 0 ) - T a yl o r, T (2 2 7 9 ) Beverly Hills 2011 after e6?! after blocking in the c8 bishop Black is left in a bad French - the knight is hardly ideally placed on b6. ( 6...f5 is more logical and now 7.f3 e6 8.0-0 c5 9.e3 c6!? gives roughly equal chances ) 7.f3 e7 8.c2 d7 and here 9.a4! would've given White a very pleasant game ] [ 6.f3 has not really been tried but White should be a little better, for example c6 ( 6...f5 7.h4! d7 8.0-0 e6 9.g4 and Black has problems developing on the kingside ) 7.0-0 g4 8.c3 e6 9.h3 h5 10.a4 and White has slightly the better chances. ] 6...e6 7.g3 This sets Black some practical problems - how to develop the Bishop on f8? c5 [ 7...c6! is a sensible answer to this problem. After 8.e2 e7 9.0-0 f5 10.h3 Black can develop freely with e7 ( 10...h4 also leads to a balanced game )] 8.c3 [ 8.dxc5 isn't dangerous as after 6d7 9.f3 xc5 Black has no problems ] 8...a6!? [ 8...c6 is more logical - Black doesn't need to worry about A) 9.e2 is probably best and now f6!? leads to interesting play af ter ( 9...c7 is safer ) 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0 although I probably prefer White here; B) 9.dxc5 as it can always be met with d7 ] 9.f3 d7 10.c2 h6 [ 10...c7 11.0-0 g6 was probably a better option although W hite has a good game after 12.e1 g7 13.a3 0-0 14.g5 ] 11.a4! Seizing space on the queenside and preventing Bb5. c8 12.0-0 Black is running
out of useful moves and has to now solve the problem of the bishop on f8. g6 13.bd2 e7 14.dxc5 xc5 15.b3 The opening has definitely been a success from White's point of view - Black still hasn't got castled and it's not easy to achieve here h5 [ for example after 15...a5 16.d4 0-0? runs into 17.xg6! fxg6 18.xg6+ h8 19.xh6+ g8 20.g6+ h8 21.f4! with a winning attack ] 16.d4 h4 17.e3 f8 This hardly solves the problem 18.b2?! [ White should've taken the opportunity to gain more space with 18.a5 a8 19.h3 c7 20.b4 5a6 21.d3 and Black has a miserable position ] 18...a5 19.fe1 a8?! [ 19...h3! 20.g3 g8 would still have been better for White but at least here the pawn on h 3 wo uld give B lack som e p rac t ic a l chances. After 21.2f3 h5 22.ad1 f8 the position remains tense ] 20.ad1 c7 21.e2 b8 22.c4! W hite starts to open the game up and of course his pieces are far the better coordinated here. h7 23.b5 c6 [ 23...h3 was still a better option ] 24.f3 g8 25.h3 Finally White prevents the last of Black's counterplay and also prepares to bring the knight into the attack with Nh2-g4 g7?! There's no good reason to put the king on the same diagonal as the bishop on b2 26.h2 [ 26.xc7 xc7 27.cxd5 xd5 28.xd5! exd5 29.e6+ was already very strong but perhaps White didn't feel like take a risk in such a strong position. After f6 30.e5! is crushing ] 26...d7 27.c3 b6 28.g4 xb5? This brings an abrupt end to the game but Black's position was already very unpleasant. [ 28...g8 was more stubborn when one possible continuation is 29.d6 f8 30.f3 a8 31.f4 and Black is still completely tied up ] 29.axb5 b7 30.cxd5 xd5 31.xd5 and here Black resigned [ after 31.xd5 exd5 32.e6+ Black is losing a lot of material - for example f6 33.e7 c7 34.xf6+ xf6 35.xf6 xf6 36.e8 xe8 37.xe8 and the bishop can't be 486
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 isn't pleasant viewing for Black. W hite has two bishops and substantially the more active pieces Black's d8 knight being a particular eyesore. I don't think Black can go on 484 B03 entering this endgame. 25.a4 f6 26.b4 a6 Illescas Cordoba,Miguel 2624 27.d7 g5 28.g3 h5 29.b5 axb5 30.axb5 Baburin,Alexander 2523 xa1 31.xa1 cxb5 32.xb5 g6 33.e1 15th ETC Gothenburg SWE (9) 07.08.2005 f7 34.d7 c6 A wee bit desperate, but I 'm s u re p a ss ive d e f e n c e wo u ld n 't h a v e [John Cox] helped either. Black isn't exactly threatening g7 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 to move any of his pieces. 35.e6+ 5.f4 The Four Pawns Attack has been the 36.b1+- xd4 37.xb7+ h6 38.xd5 weapon of choice for 2600 players against d8 39.c4 f5 40.e4 d4+ 41.b5 t h e A le k h in e j u s t re ce n t l y, a n d wi t h f a i r xe4 42.fxe4 xg3 43.hxg3 e5 44.e7 success, following the example of Kotronias A grim defeat for a great supporter of the a n d p e r h a p s e s p e c i a l l y D o m i n g u e z i n Alekhine. All of a sudden the 4PA is looking Dominguez-Almeida. dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 more menacing than it has done for many 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 g4 years. Isn't Sveshnikov supposed to have said O n e o f B la c k 's m o st re sp e ct e d syst e m s that one day the 4PA will refute Alekhine's against the Four Pawns Attack. 10.e2 xf3 Defence? That day surely can't be upon us, can it?! 11.gxf3 h4+ 12.f2 f4 13.c5 d5 [ 13...d7 14.b5 is an alternative, which is 1-0 usually regarded as a little better for White. ] 14.xd5 exd5 15.d2 xd2+ 16.xd2 g6 B03 17.e3 Strictly a novelty, I think, although I 485 know ECO mentions it with approval. White Ivanchuk,Vassily 2787 must be for preference in this endgame in my Carlsen,Magnus 2714 opinion. World Blitz Moscow RUS blitz (13) 21.11.2007 [ 17.f4 h6 18.e3 e7 19.d3 f5 [John Watson] 20.xf5 gxf5 21.hg1 d7 22.g3 ag8 23.b4 xg3 was Atalik-de Firmian, 2002, in 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 which de Firmian managed to draw after 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 e7 losing a similar endgame to Timman the [ Baburin has played 6...c6!? , to avoid previous year. ] Bd3, when 7.f3 g4 8.e2 e7 9.d5 17...f6 xf3 10.xf3 e5 11.e2 seems only [ 17...e7 would be thematic of course, somewhat in White's favour. The game is coming to f5, although one can see that just beginning. ] t h e o m i s s i o n o f f 4 w o u l d g i v e W h i t e 7.d3 White has done well with this move additional possibilities in the ending after over the past few years. c6 8.ge2 f6 an exchange on f5, especially of playing This bypasses against the f5 pawn. Still I can't say that [ 8...0-0 9.0-0 f6 ( 9...e8 10.b3 f8 ) I'm wild about the positions arising after 10.c5! ] the text either. ] 9.e3 0-0 10.b3 18.exf6 f7 19.b5 d8 The players agree [ Or 10.0-0 b4 11.b3 xd3 12.xd3 t h a t t h e e n d in g a f t e r B xc6 b xc 6 is t o b e g4 13.g3! and f3 will drive Black back to avoided for Black. One can see that c7 is p a s s i v i t y . ( 13.f3 h5 14.g3 g6 going to be a long term problem, but Black h a s b e e n p l a ye d e ve n t h e n , f 4 - f 5 i s a already has only a choice of evils, I fear. problem )] 20.d7 xf6 21.f4 e7 22.h3 c6 10...e8 11.0-0 g4 12.d2! 23.he1+ f7 24.d3 g7 After this very [ Or 12.c2 g6 13.d2 The point is that natural sequence we can take stock, and it White avoids playing f3, which would only taken due to mate on e5. ] 1-0
487
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 encourage ....Bh5-g6. ] 12...d5!? It's hard to find a good plan. Perhaps [ 12...h5 13.f4 g6 14.xg6 hxg6 15.e4 , but then Black has to cope with the two bishops and a cramped game. ] [ The game Naiditsch, A (2581) -Timman, J (2623)/Dortmund GER 2002 was annotated by Glenn Flear on this site, and it clearly demonstrated that Black can't drift in the opening in this line: 12...b4?! 13.b1 xe2 14.xe2 c5 15.a3 c6 16.a2! e7 17.h3 g6 18.d5 e5 19.c1 g7 20.a4 bd7 21.c3 f5 22.g5 f6 23.xf6 xf6 24.e2 e7 25.f4! f7 26.xe7 xe7 27.e1 h4 28.e6 f8 29.e2 d7 30.h2 a6 31.g3 f6 32.g2 d8 33.e3 d4 34.g4! and this break ensures W hite's clear advantage. This all seemed to grow organically out of the opening. ] 13.c5 xe2 14.xe2 c8 15.fe1 8e7 [ 15...d7 16.d1! and Bg4 follows anyway. ] 16.g4! g6 [ 16...g6 doesn't give the knight any future scope, for example, 17.ab1 b6 18.b4 bxc5 19.bxc5 b8 20.f3 xb1 21.xb1 ce7 22.b7 with the initiative. ] 17.e2 g7 18.ae1 f5?! 19.xf5 gxf5 Often Black can live with this pawn structure, but here the dark squares are too weak and Ivanchuk goes after them: 20.h6 xe2 21.xe2 f6 22.xg7 xg7 23.d1! Ivanchuk abandons the open file to cover his only weakness. It's his knight that will do the kingside damage. e8 24.f3! To cover e4. e7 25.g3 f6 26.e1 f8 27.e5 c6 28.h5 g6 29.f4 f6 30.e3 It's almost zugzwang. h6 31.g3 c8 32.f2 No hurry. b6 33.h4 d8 34.h5 g6 35.xe7 xh5 36.xa7 e8 37.xe8+! xe8 38.cxb6 Black can't stop the pawn. f4 39.b7 fxg3+ 40.g2 A pretty finish. Amazing how accurate both players were in a Blitz game. 1-0
486 Jones,Gawain C Baburin,Alexander Bunratty Masters (6) [Gawain Jones]
B03 2593 2539 27.02.2011
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 f5 I mentioned in the annotations of the previous game that I saw Adam Hunt play the Four Pawns against Alex in an earlier round. 6.f3 [ That game continued: 6.c3 A) 6...dxe5 7.fxe5 c6 A1) 8.f3 might be possible now that Black has already committed his bishop to f5. A1a) 8...b4 looks the critical test 9.f2 c2 10.b1 b4 11.f4!? ( 11.a1 c2=; 11.e6!? ) 11...xb1 12.xb1 e6 13.e2 with interesting compensation for the exchange.; A1b) 8...e6 9.d2 d7 1/2-1/2 Farago, S (2292)-To, N (2375) Budapest 2011.; A2) 8.e3 e6 9.f3 would just transpose back into the mainline.; B) 6...e6 7.e3 dxe5 8.fxe5 b4 9.f3 c5 and Black seems to be fine. The game is not yet available but, after talking to Adam, he felt uncomfortable out of the opening and eventually grovelled for the half point. Hunt, A-Baburin, A, Bunratty Masters 2011. Check Boroday, S (2395)Moliboga, V (2295) Independence Cup, Kyiv 2003 annotated by Andrew Martin which shows what White has to avoid. ] 6...e6 7.c3 Transposing to a position in which Carsten Hansen writes: "This is already a sign that W hite is unsure about what is going on. The correct move is 7 Be3, after which 7...dxe5 8 fxe5 transposes to one of the main lines in Alekhine Four Pawns." I have to confess to disagree. After studying the line above I couldn't find an advantage for White a n d i n s t e a d t h i s s e e m s t h e b e s t wa y t o progress. a6 8.d3 xd3 9.xd3 c5 Alex actually offered me a draw with this move. We were both on 4/5, half a point ahead of a group on 3.5 so a draw would guarantee first equal but I wanted to try it outright. And I was s t i l l i n m y p r e p a r a t i o n a f t e r a l l . 10.d5! 488
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 And this was my improvement. [ 10.dxc5?! is looked at in the archives in Djurhuus, R (2484)-Agdestein, S (2588) Asker 2000 by Carsten Hansen in which White had a disaster. However I don't think this is down to his first nine moves. ] [ 10.e3 was played against Baburin in an earlier game which is also interesting. b4?! T h i s a p p e a r s t o b e a n e r r o r . ( 10...cxd4 11.xd4 c8 looks more to the point although 12.d1 xc4 13.exd6 xd6 14.f5! gives White strong play for the pawn.; 10...d5 is also interesting: 11.cxd5 c4 12.d1 xd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.a4+ d7 15.xc4 c8 16.b3 b4 and Black's control of the light squares gives him certain compensation f or the pawn although White should be better.) 11.e2 dxe5 ( 11...cxd4 might be the better move order. ) 12.fxe5 ( 12.xe5! cxd4 13.d1 d3 14.xd3 xd3+ 15.xd3 c7 16.b5 favours W hite.) 12...cxd4 13.xd4 c6 14.f2?! ( 14.0-0-0! is m o re crit ica l.) 14...b4 15.0-0 xc3 16.bxc3 d7 with an unclear middlegame, Eames, R (2 3 1 1 ) - B a b u r i n , A ( 2 5 1 9 ) B i r m i n g h a m 2006. ] 10...exd5 Alex played this after a long think and was already getting a little low on time. [ Before the game I also looked at 10...b4 but 11.e2 dxe5 12.a3! is highly unpleasant ] [ 10...dxe5 11.0-0!? ( 11.e4 exd5 12.cxd5 c4 13.xe5+ e7 14.xg7 f6 15.g4 is also good for White.) 11...exd5 ( 11...exf4 12.e4 e7 13.dxe6 0-0 14.xf4 is great for White.) 12.cxd5 c4 13.e4 and White regains the e5 pawn with a definite edge. ] 11.cxd5 [ Carsten only looked at 11.xd5 when dxe5 12.xe5?! ( 12.0-0! may still favour White.) 12...xd5 13.cxd5 c7 is fine for Black. Of course computers have advanced hugely in the past ten years and so mistakes are to be expected. ] 11...e7 [ 11...c4 is an important alternative. 12.e2 A) 12...dxe5 13.xe5+ e7 ( 13...e7 14.xg7 f6 15.g4 appears to favour White. ) 14.d6! xe5+ 15.fxe5 b4
16.0-0 and the d6 pawn is a major thorn in Black's side.; B) 12...e7 when a sample line could run: 13.0-0 0-0 14.d1 b4 15.e3 d3 16.ab1 e8 17.b3 dxe5 18.fxe5 xe5 19.xe5 f6 20.xc4 xc3 21.d6 and White keeps an edge. ] [ 11...b4 12.e4 dxe5 13.0-0! and Black cannot take the d5 pawn due to the d file pin. ] 12.0-0 0-0 13.e4 This was the end of my analysis and I believed W hite should have some advantage with his greater space but the position is fairly typical of an Alekhine. c7 [ 13...f5 14.e2 c7 15.d1 and Black would struggle to find counterplay. ] 14.d1 e8? Baburin overlooks my next. [ After the game Alex lamented that he s h o u l d h a v e p l a y e d 14...f6 However I believe White still has the advantage after 15.a4 ( 15.e6 f5 is the idea when Black will have the f6 square for the bishop.; 15.b3 is another idea.) 15...a5 16.e3 a6 17.f2 b4 18.b5 and I like White's position. ] 15.f5! It looked like the pawn had to stay on f4 to keep my centre but Black cannot take on e5 due to d5-d6 therefore my pawns roll on and Black is probably already lost. h8 [ 15...f6 16.e6 is truly hideous as the bishop on e7 is terrible. ] 16.f4 [ The immediate 16.f6! is also very strong: gxf6 17.exf6 xf6 18.f5! d8 19.e4 e8 20.fg5 xg5 21.xg5 f6 22.b3! with a crushing attack. ] 16...d8? And this natural move loses. [ 16...d8! was necessary. I could still continue with 17.f6!? ( 17.a4 is still a clear edge. ) 17...gxf6 18.exf6 xf6 19.f5 is very dangerous for Black. In particular the logical g8 can be met by 20.xd6! xd6 21.e4 ] 17.f6! Now this is completely winning. gxf6 18.exd6 xd6 19.f5! I was pleased with finding this move. Now Black cannot defend the f6 pawn. xf4 [ 19...e7 20.e1 wins at least a piece. ] [ The fact that the computer feels that Black is f o rce d t o p la y 19...cxd5 giving up a 489
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 piece highlights the huge problems he has. ] 20.xf6+ g8 21.xf4 Material is back to level and Black's king is too vulnerable to survive. d7 [ It wa s im p o rt a n t t o se e t h a t 21...cxd5 22.xd5 xd5 23.g5+ h8 24.xd5 wins a piece. ] [ 21...d7 was necessary to survive more than a couple moves but 22.e5 xd5 23.g5+ h8 24.f6+ g8 25.g4 h5 26.d3 will be mate shortly. ] 22.e5 e7 23.d6! and Alex resigned. [ 23.d6 xd6 24.xd6 xd6 25.g3+ h8 26.xf7+ xf7 27.xd6 wins the queen. A very pleasant first win for me against Alex and proof that the Four Pawns can also be dangerous for Black! I think the ball's in Black's court at the moment to find a path to equality. ] 1-0
487 Jones,Gawain C Short,Nigel D Bunratty Masters (4) [Gawain Jones]
B03 2593 2658 26.02.2011
1.e4 f6 A slight surprise. Of course I remembered annotating Nigel's game against Peter Leko from last year but more recently he's been doing very well with the Caro-Kann as we have seen. I couldn't decide what line t o p la y b u t n o t ice d t h a t A d a m Hu n t wa s playing the Four Pawns Attack against Alex Baburin on board three. Considering it was the third round of the day and I suspected Nigel was tired, the Four Pawns seemed a good choice. 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 [ Alex played 5...f5 against me in the last round which we'll examine next. ] 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 g4 This has been the choice of the higher rated players recently. [ W e l o o k e d a t 9...e7 10.d5 exd5 in Velimirovic, D (2425)-Cmilyte, V (2514) Marianske Lazne 2010 when I came to the conclusion that 11.cxd5 is a better response than 11. Bxb6. ] [ 9...b4 has also been seen a couple of
times recently. 10.c1 c5 11.a3 cxd4 12.xd4 c6 13.xf5 exf5 14.f3 ( 14.e2!? doesn't appear to have been played but xd1+ 15.xd1 xe5 16.b5 e7 17.b3 gives White good compensation for the pawn he has the better structure, bishop pair and Black struggles to develop.) 14...g6 15.e2 h6?! Inventive but dubious. ( 15...g7 looks ok for Black.) 16.d1 e7 17.xh6 h4+ 18.f2 xh6 19.c5 d7 20.b5 e7 21.d6 dxe5 22.b4! and Black's position was very ugly. Bogut, Z (2451)-Sale, S (2400) Sibenik 2010. ] 10.e2 xf3 11.gxf3 h4+ 12.f2 f4 13.c5 d7 After this I was actually on my own but in fact I see it has been played more often. [ I investigated 13...d5 14.xd5 exd5 15.d2 xd2+ ( 15...f5 was tried against me in round 8 of the Reykjavik Open (just as this update was going to press). I trie d 16.0-0-0 a5 Black has a cheap threat of ... Nb4xa2 but in the long run a5 has created a weakness on b5 which could prove highly important. 17.d3 d7 18.a3 a4 19.f4 g6 20.hg1 h5 21.f1! h6 22.h3 xf4+ 23.b1 e7 24.e6 0-0-0 25.exf7+ b8 26.xg6 xh2 27.e6 and my f pawn proved decisive. Jones, G (2578)S ve s h n i k o v, V ( 2 3 7 9 ) Re yk ja vi k O p e n 2011. ) 16.xd2 in Bologan, V (2684)Rozentalis, E (2628) Mulhouse 2010 and came to the conclusion that Black has a very tough task to hold the draw. ] 14.c1 I decided that this way of trading queens was logical and see that most players have agreed with me. [ I felt 14.d2 xd2+ 15.xd2 0-0-0 would be rather awkward here as Black has a lot of pressure against d4. ] [ In the archives I see 14.b5 given a note of approval but Nigel told me after the game that he had come to the conclusion that 14. Qc1 was the most challenging. e7 15.0-0 h4?! 16.xc6 bxc6 17.a4 0-0 18.ad1 ab8 19.xh4 xh4 20.f2 fd8 21.xc6 Koch, J (2500)-Konopka, M (2425) Clichy 1993 being the relevant game when Black had nothing to show for the pawn. Perhaps I'll t ry this next time ! Howe ver I'm sure 490
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Nigel had an improvement prepared the only problem he told me was he couldn't remember his analysis. ] 14...xc1+ [ 14...f5 15.b1 and Black cannot really avoid the queen trade. The rook is very well placed on b1 to prepare b4-b5. ] 15.xc1 0-0-0 16.a3 A slightly odd move but I wanted to be able to play Be2-c4 without allowing Black to repeat with ...Na5. Meanwhile I m ight a lso pre ss wit h b2-b 4 gaining even more space. [ 16.f4 has been the most common and probably better but I didn't want to fix my pawns yet. I believe White should have the advantage here with more space and the bishop pair but he has to be careful as the d4 and f4 pawns are long term liabilities. g6 is the move that concerned me when Black will continue ...Bh6 followed by rerouting his knights as in the game with ...Ndb8, ... Ne 7 a n d . . . Nb c6 wh e n b o t h p a wn s a re somewhat vulnerable. ] 16...db8 I breathed a sign of relief here. [ 16...f6 17.f4 g6 18.b4! favours White. h6 19.b5 e7 ( 19...xd4 20.xd4 xf4 21.d1 xe5 gives Black three pawns for t h e p i e c e b u t 22.c6 is very pleasant for White. ) 20.c6! bxc6 21.bxc6 b6 22.a6+ b8 23.exf6 ed5 24.e4 is very good for White. ] [ 16...g6 looks best. 17.e3 was my idea but as he was thinking it occurred to me that ( I should probably ignore Black with 17.c4 h6 18.d1 but e7 19.0-0 f5 20.fe1 f4 certainly looks playable for Black.) 17...f6 is rather annoying as 18.f4 h6 is good for Black. You can see already how easy it is for White's position to go wrong. ] 17.d1 e7 18.f4 bc6 So Nigel has managed his typical knight manoeuvre for the variation but White can stop Black taking any im p o rt a n t s q u a re s . 19.c4 g6 20.d5 I thought this was safest as, from a purely s t r a t e g i c p o i n t o f vi e w, o p e n i n g u p t h e position for the bishop pair and removing the d5 outpost from Black, this change of structure must favour W hite. However this allows Nigel a chance at equalising. [ I s h o u l d h a v e w a i t e d w i t h 20.e2 which was the other move on my shortlist.
d5 ( 20...h6 21.f3 keeps everything under control.) 21.xd5 exd5 22.b3 e7 23.h4 and White has a very comfortable edge. It might be possible for Black to hold but it's a thankless task. ] 20...exd5 21.xd5 xd5?! Logical, especially in the third game of the day, but now Black struggles for the rest of the game. [ 21...g5! would have generated good counter-chances. 22.f6 This seems best ( 22.e6!? fxe6 23.xe7+ xe7 24.xe6+ b8 25.fxg5 xg5 26.0-0 f6 and Black has equalised.; 22.fxg5 xe5 23.a2 h6 24.gxh6 xd5 25.xd5 xh6 26.g3 de8 27.0-0 e3+ 28.h1 xc5 29.xf7 xf7 30.xf7 e7 is likely to be a draw.) 22...xd1+ 23.xd1 gxf4 24.xf7 xe5 25.e6+ d8 26.c2 7g6 27.f5 and I would have strong compensation for the pawn but Black also has his chances. ] 22.xd5 [ 22.xd5 is the alternative but I wanted to delay the rook trade. ] 22...h6 23.h4 d7 [ During the game I wondered whether 23...xf4 might be best although following 24.xd8 xd8 25.e6!? fxe6 26.g2 White must have an edge. ] 24.f1 [ I also considered 24.0-0 but I thought d8 would be ok for Black. The main problem is that now I cannot swap rooks easily as the f1 rook is tied down to the f4 pawn. ] 24...e8 25.f6 d8 26.b4 The opening has definitely been a success for White. Black is very passive and can only hope to grovel a draw. White's extra space helps but the main trump is the bishop pair. f8 So Nigel tries to get rid of my bishop. 27.g2 e7 28.h3 e6 29.xd7 Again I made this choice as it's the risk free continuation, keeping a definite edge without any real chance of losing. [ The computer wants to play the illogical looking 29.f2 but trying to calculate ed8 30.xd7 xd7 31.d1+ e8 32.xd8+ xd8 33.xe6 fxe6 short on time and late at night isn't ideal. ( 33...xf6 34.exf6! fxe6 35.f3 e8 36.e4 f7 37.e5 and W hite wins as Black has less waiting moves. )] 29...xd7 30.f5 gxf5 31.xf5 d8 491
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Perhaps Nigel should have tried to generate some counterplay on the queenside with 31...b6 although it will still be similar to the game. ] 32.d2 c6 33.h5 xf6 34.exf6 f8 This was the position I was envisaging when I played my 27th move. Black is passively placed and the bishop is better than the knight. Also the c6 pawn is stuck on a light square while h7 is vulnerable so I decided a rook trade would give me great chances. 35.h4 Preventing 35...Re4 and preparing Kd3, Re4. b6 [ Nigel could have tried to activate his rook with 35...e5 but I thought 36.g4 h5 ( 36...g6 isn't playable as after 37.d4+ White takes over the d7 square.) 37.g8 e8 38.c8 should be good for White. The line might continue xh2+ 39.d3 h6 40.xb7 xf6 41.b5! cxb5 42.c6 f3+ 43.d4 f4+ 44.d5 c4 45.d6 when it looks like it should be lost for Black. ] 36.d3 [ 36.cxb6 axb6 37.g4 e6 38.a4 is R y b k a ' s s u g g e s t i o n b u t I wa n t e d t o c o n t in u e m y p l a n o f t ra d in g ro o ks a n d keeping his c6 pawn fixed. ] 36...c7 37.e4! The culmination of my plan. d8+ [ O f c o u r s e I h a d t o c a l c u l a t e 37...xe4 38.xe4 A) 38...bxc5 39.bxc5 g6 40.f5 h6 41.g4 h4+ 42.e4 g6 43.h5 h8 44.e5 a5 ( 44...d7 45.g4+ c7 46.f5 a6 47.f4+- ) 45.xf7! xf7+ 46.e6 g5+ 47.e7 and White has an easily winning king and pawn endgame.; B) 38...d7 Not forced but otherwise I don't see how Black gets his knight into the game. 39.xd7 xd7 40.f5 and Black ultimately can't defend against Kg5, h4, h5 and Kh6xh7. The problem for Black is I can triangulate with Ke5, f4, f5 i. e. B1) 40...bxc5 41.bxc5 h6 42.h4 a6 ( 42...h5 43.a4 a5 44.e5 c7 45.f4! d7 46.f5 c7 47.g5+- ) 43.a4 a5 44.e5 c7 45.f4 d7 46.f5 c7 47.g4 d7 48.h5 e6 49.xh6 xf6 50.h5 and White wins.;
B2) 40...c7 41.g5 d7 42.h4 e6 43.h5 e5 44.h6 xf6 45.xh7+- ] 38.c3 g6 39.d4 bxc5 [ The computer prefers 39...e5 but I can't see how it differs after 40.f5 ] 40.bxc5 e5 41.f5 [ Of course I wanted to play 41.xd8 xd8 but after 42.d4 Otherwise Black can play ...Nd7 and his king reaches e6 before mine can get to e5. f3+ 43.e3 xh2 44.f4 h5 45.g3 g4 46.xg4 hxg4 47.xg4 c7 and this seemed to be a draw to me. However the computer points out that this is s t i l l a wi n : 48.f4 d7 49.f5 c7 50.e5 d7 51.a4 a5 52.f5 e8 53.g5 f8 54.h6 g8 55.h5! f8 56.g5 and Black's in zugzwang as e8 ( 56...g8 57.f5 h7 58.e5 g6 59.d6 ) 57.h6 d7 58.h7! e6 59.g7+- ] 41...h5 42.h3 d7 43.xd7 xd7 44.c4! [ The immediate 44.d3? is an error as now d5! 45.xd5 cxd5 46.d4 c6 47.h4 a6 48.a4 a5 and this time White is in zugzwang. ] 44...d8 We already know that the king and pawn ending is a win as long as Black cannot get his king to e6. Therefore I need to get my king to e4 before trading rooks. 45.d3! c8 46.e4 b7 47.e5 c7 48.a4! Keeping his rook tied down to the a7 pawn. d7 49.h4 c7 50.f5 d7 51.g5 a5 52.e4 and White is winning as h5 drops. In fact I was very short on time by now and only surviving on a 10 second a move increment and so stopped noting my moves but eventually converted the whole point. It seems to be that Black still has some problems in this line and struggles to equalise. 1-0
488
B03
Kam Lee Question Voronezh Alekhine Defence [John Watson] Reader Kam Lee sent me a question about the line 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 f5 "I was wondering if you 492
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 have any literature about this variation? I have read [a book] which shows that 10 g3 is a big headache, but it seems Black is able to attain dynamic play with [the variation below]. I have analysed this variation with Fritz 7 [...] Do you know of other people who have researched this line? I have checked the forum and the continuation with 9... f5 is not comprehensively discussed." First, I should confess that 9...f5 has been neglected in this column, by both me and my predecessors. It keeps popping up as an alternative to the main line 9...e5, but has run into some serious problems. Let's follow Kam Lee's analysis, into which I'll mix some theory: 10.g3 [ a ) A n o t h e r i m p o r t a n t m o v e i s 10.h3 which hasn't been fully solved as far as I can tell, for example, h6 ( 10...c6 11.d5 e5 12.e2 bd7 13.0-0 f6 14.f4 f7 15.f2 h5 16.h3 a6 17.a4 e5 18.dxe6 xe6 19.f3 with a nice advantage, Fedorowicz-Shabalov, Tulsa 2008) 11.f4!? ( 11.g3 c6 12.g2 e5 i s n ' t c l e a r) 11...e6 12.d5 f7 13.e2 e8 14.0-0 e6 15.dxe6 xe6 ( 15...xe6 16.d4 xd4+ 17.xd4 c6 18.f2 d7 19.f3 c5 20.cd1 should favour White) 16.d4 xd4+ 17.xd4 c6 18.f2 with a limited advantage, Malisauskas-Kupreichik, Moscow 1994. ] [ b) Even 10.f3 f4 ( 10...e5?! 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.xd8 xd8 13.c5 6d7 14.c4+ f8 15.g5 f6 16.f7 e8 17.b5 ) 11.d2 , which appears fine for Black, has had some success for White, for example, c6 12.d5 e5 13.xe5! xe5 14.e2 e6 15.dxe6 ( 15.f3!? ) 15...xe6 16.f3 d5!? ( 16...d7 ) 17.cxd5 ( 17.c5 d4! ) 17...xd5 18.xd5 xd5 19.b4 xf3 20.xf3 V Ivanov-Chekhov, Moscow 1995, and here Chekov suggests f7 21.0-0 f6 22.fd1 wi t h a li g h t e d g e , wh e n d8 ( 22...d4 looks almost equal.) 23.xd8+ xd8 should suffice to draw. ] 10...e5 [ 10...h8 11.d5 e5 12.dxe6 xe6 looks similar to the last note and ...Kh8 doesn't seem to help, e.g., 13.ge2 c6 14.g2 e7 15.d2 ad8 16.g5 f6 17.xf6+ xf6 18.0-0 with a nice grip Fressinet, L -Beudaert, X, Bordeaux 2005. ]
[ b) Perhaps the best move is simply 10...c6 : 11.g2 ( 11.d5 e5 12.g2 bd7! 13.ge2 c5 14.0-0 d7 looks playable for Black) 11...e5 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.xd8 xd8 14.c5?! ( 14.ge2 ) 14...d7 15.ge2 e4! 16.0-0 de5 17.b5 b4 18.g5? d7 19.a3 bd3 20.c2 f8 21.e3 a6 22.bc3 g4 23.a4 xe3 24.fxe3 Rahal, M-Torrecillas Martinez, A, Spain 2004 and Black was b e t t e r a f t e r 2 4 . . . R c 7 a n y w a y , b u t d8 25.b6 b8 26.b4 a5 27.b1 axb4 28.axb4 e6 shows the bishop pair at work. ] 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.xd8 xd8 13.c5 f4!? [ 13...6d7 14.c4+ h8 15.b5 c6 16.d6 will win something. ] 14.d2 6d7 15.c4+ f8 [ 15...h8 16.b5!? ( 16.e4! looks very strong - a terrific outpost) 16...xc5 17.c7 b6 18.xa8 b7 19.f3 xa8 (Black has compensation) 20.b4 e4!? 21.fxe4 xe4 22.h3 xh1 23.g5 Pavasovic-Bawart, Bled 1998 W hite stands better after c8 24.f7+ g8 25.d6+ ( 25.xe5+ f8 ) 25...xc4 26.xc4 c6 27.gxf4 exf4 28.xf4 d5 29.b5! ] 16.d5 Now Nc7 is impossible to prevent, with the ideas of Nxa8 and the fork on e6. Mr Lee suggests h6 , with indirect pressure on d2. This might be particularly intimidating in practice, but with the help of my computer, I've come to doubt that this it's good enough after 17.c7 f6 [ I t w o u l d b e g r e a t i f 17...xc5 worked, because there are ideas of ..Rxd2 and even ...fxg3 and ...g2! But it looks like W h i t e h a s t i m e t o p l a y 18.gxf4! b6 ( 18...xd2 19.xd2 xf4+ 20.d1 xc1 21.xc1 b6 22.e2; 18...b5 19.xb5 xd2 20.xc5! xa2 21.xa8 b7 22.f3 ) 19.e2 b7 20.g1 c6 21.xa8 xa8 22.d1 and Black lacks compensation. ] 18.d1 e4 With some interesting-looking threats, but again, the calm response 19.gxf4 is good: b5 (o r 1 9 . . . b 6 ) 20.cxb6 xd2 21.xd2 xd2 22.xd2 b7 23.f3 , and White wins material, for example, axb6 24.xa8 xa8 25.e2 xf4 26.h3 h6 27.d1 e7 , and if nothing else, 28.f2 c6 29.d5 b7 30.e4 dominates the 493
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 position. So 9...f5 still seems a bit dubious, which is not to say that it can't be revived by the right ideas.
489 Klinger,Josef Herndl,Harald ch Austria (4) [Alexander Volzhin]
B03 2495 2325 1985
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7 10.d5 exd5 11.cxd5 b4 12.d4 d7 13.e6 The most dangerous continuation. fxe6 14.dxe6 c6 15.g4 [ 15.h5+ g6 16.e2 ( 16.h6 h4+ 17.g3 g5 ) 16...f6 17.c5 4d5 ] 15...h4+ Black has to play this move which leads to wild complications- he has no choice! [ 15...0-0 16.0-0-0 is simply bad for black. ] 16.g3 xh1 17.gxh4 [ White has tried 17.b5+ once, but Black found a sufficient defence: c6 18.0-0-0 0-0 19.gxh4 h5! The only defence, as ( 19...cxb5 lo s e s a t o n c e : 20.f5 f6 21.d4! ) 20.g3 cxb5 21.g5 ( Here 21.g1 is not good: f6 22.f5 xa2+! 23.xa2 ac8+ 24.d1 f3+! ) 21...b8! 22.e7 e8 23.xh1 xg3 24.hxg3 and Black is slightly better, although White managed to hold the position in Velimirovic Kovacevic, 1984. ] 17...0-0 18.0-0-0 f6 19.b5 e5 The alternatives are bad: [ 19...f3 20.xf3 xf3 21.xf3 xf3 22.xb6+- winning ] [ 19...c6 20.g5 e5 21.e7 fe8 22.f5+- winning ] 20.g5! c5 21.e7 cxd4 22.exf8+ xf8 23.xh1 During the previous ten moves both sides made the only moves. Now Black has some cho ice, and he choo ses the wron g move! a5? This move loses by force, although White should play very accurately, as there are some tricks. Let's consider other possibilities: [ 23...c5 is bad : 24.e6+ h8 25.e7 xa2+ 26.c2!! f2+ 27.b3! c7 28.d6! and White wins. ] [ Black should play 23...dxc3! First of all this
move is good because all the alternatives are bad! 24.xb4 cxb2+ 25.b1 ( 25.xb2?? c8+ 26.b1 e4+ ) 25...d5! 26.c4 f2! and I can't see any way for W hite to make progress. 27.c8+ f8 28.c4 f2 ] 24.e2! [ After 24.e4?! interesting complications could arise: xa2+ 25.c2 f2+ 26.b3 xb2+ 27.a3 xb5 28.xe5 xe5 29.xa2 c4+ 30.b3 b5 with an unclear position! ] 24...c7 25.e6+ h8 26.f1!! The point. Probably Black underestimated this move. Now the weakness of the back rank is decisive. g8 It's difficult to find another square for the Rook: [ the exchange leads to a quick mate: 26...xf1+ 27.xf1 h6 28.h3 hxg5 29.e8+ h7 30.f5+ g6 31.xg6+ h8 32.h6+ g8 33.e6++- winning ] [ and 26...c8 fails to 27.e8 with unavoidable mate. xa2+ 28.b1 xc3+ 29.bxc3+- mating ] 27.f4! c8 28.xc8 xc8 29.c7!! Another nice blow with the same idea: the w e a k n e s s o f t h e b a c k r a n k . xa2+!? Other moves lose as well: [ 29...4d5 30.xd5 xd5 31.b1! xc7 32.c1+- winning ] [ 29...a8 30.d7 g8 31.xa5+winning ] [ 29...dxc3 30.xb6 xa2+ 31.c2 b4+ 32.b3 c2 33.xa5 c1 34.xc1 xc1 35.xb4+- winning ] 30.xa2 xc7+ 31.d2 g8 32.f4+The endgame is easily won for W hite. c5 33.e2 d5 34.b3! h6 35.g4 h7 36.d3 b5 37.f5+ h8 38.e6 e5 39.f8+ h7 40.f5+ g6 41.f7+ g8 42.xg6 d5 43.xb7 d7 44.e4 e5+ 45.d2 d6 46.b5 g4 47.xa5 xh2 48.d5+ g7 49.d3 1-0
494
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 490 Kobalia,Mihail Ikonnikov,Vyacheslav 14th Monarch Assurance (5) [John Cox]
B03 2614 2560 28.09.2005
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.e2 Refreshing to see someone playing a move that isn't b3 here. This is a bit of a hybrid of the ideas of the Voronezh and the main line: White is still well-placed to meet 9... Nc6 with 10 d5 Na5? 11 b3 (this is the point of Rc1, to defend c3 and allow this), and is refusing to allow ...Bg4 just as in the main line he plays h3 to stop that, but is not protecting c 4 a g a i n s t B l a c k ' s o t h e r t yp i c a l f r e e i n g m a n o e u v r e . d5 10.c5 c4 Exactly: the logical reply. As far as I know Ikonnikov has never played the Alekhine before, but maybe he's got a copy of the GW , because I see I said airily there that this was 'the answer' to White's sequence. 11.xc4 dxc4 12.ge2 Compared to the position which often enough arises after 7 h3 Bg7 8 Nf3 00 9 Be3 Nc6 10 Rc1 d5 11 c5 Nc4 12 Bxc4 dxc4 W hite has lost the tempo h3, which probably isn't a great matter, but has gained the chance to develop t h is k n i gh t vi a e 2 . I n ci d e n t a l ly, t h e n e w webzine chesschronicle.org carries an excellent little article by CC IM M J Donnelly advocating the new move 13 00 Bf5 14 Qa4 Bd 3 1 5 Rf d 1 an d n o w 1 5 . . .Q e 8 ! ? , wh ich seems to equalise handily. My thanks to Phil Adams for drawing this to my attention. f5 [ 12...c6 13.0-0 e5 14.b5 exd4 15.exd4 e5 16.d2 b6 17.b4 cxb3 18.axb3 a6 19.d6 bxc5 20.e2 e6 21.xc5 with equality had been the initial o u t in g f o r 1 2 N g e 2 in T u r o v- T . I v a n o v, Nizhnii Novgorod 1999, but Ikonnikov has a different idea. I watched this game and I don't think preparation was involved on either side, or if it was the players were certainly hiding it well. ] 13.0-0 d3 14.e1 A slightly limp plan, normally W hite plays Qa4 and Rfd1 in this variation. Kobalia just wants to threaten Nf4 as soon as possible. e5 [ A curious moment. 14...c6 is far and away the most natural way to restrain Nf4
and I'm afraid I can't see why Ikonnikov rejected it. The computer blithely tells us that 15.d5 ( 15.a4 xd4 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4 xd4 18.xe7 xc5 19.xb7 ab8 is pretty equal too) 15...b4 16.f4 doesn't work because of xc3 17.xc3 xd5 18.xd5 xd5 , and that disposes of both White's natural tries. ] 15.dxe5 c6 [ It's not obvious that 15...xe5 was bad: 16.f4 e8 17.xd3 cxd3 18.d2 ( 18.b3 d2 19.xd2 xd2 20.xb7 a6 because 21.xa6? xc3 wins ) 18...a6 19.b5 d7 , but White may be a b l e t o a rra n ge t o a b so r b t h e d -p a wn , perhaps with f4 and Nd6 at some point. ] 16.e6 [ 16.f4 f6 17.exf6 xf6 gives Black a lot of play once the knight cannot go to f4 the d3 bishop is there to stay and is a real bone in White's throat. ] 16...fxe6 17.f4 d7 I think Black ought to be fine here despite his somewhat ragged pawns: his pieces are active. 18.b3 e5 19.ce2 xf4 A remarkable decision. Ikonnikov must have seen something wrong with the natural [ 19...ad8 , but I don't see what it was. 20.bxc4 f5 21.xd7 xd7 doesn't seem to be too frightening, and if not that then what? ] 20.xf4 [ Also a bit surprising: Kobalia abandons the Nf 4 no tion . 20.xf4 e5 21.xd3 cxd3 was certainly possible and the machine likes it , wit h t h e p la n n o w o f 22.c4 fe8 23.e4!? I've tried this out a couple of times and W hite does seem a little better, although it's understandable why W hite steered clear. ] 20...f7 21.g3 e5 22.c3 ad8 Round about here I had a look and thought Black wa s do in g pret ty well, b ut K ob alia manages to find some play. 23.b5 d5 [ 23...cxb3 24.d6 xd6 25.cxd6 b2 26.xd3 bxc1 27.xc1 xa2?! ( 27...d8 is better although White is still for preference.. ) 28.d7 favours White. ] 24.d6 b5 [ Necessary after 24...b6 White gains the advantage with 25.h4 b8 , and now the 495
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 neat knight pirouette 26.xc4 bxc5 27.b2 e4 28.a4 ] 25.xb5 xc5 26.bxc4 xc4 27.g4 xb5 28.xc4 White evidently stands slightly better here but Black's well centralised army should be able to cope. d4 29.cc1 f5 30.h3 d5 31.c7 a5 32.h2 e6 33.e7 f4 34.xf4 xf4 35.g5 xf2 36.7xe5 d6 37.g3 f6 38.xa5 xg3+ 39.xg3 d3+ 40.h2 g7 41.e2 h5 42.a3 h6 43.a2 f4 44.a4 h4 45.a8 d1 In TWIC the game ends in a draw here: in fact it continued for over another hundred moves and the best part of three hours. They breed them tough in Mother Russia, though, and Ikonnikov managed to hang on despite having mislaid a pawn during the time scramble. White seems to have pretty good winning chances to me after 46 g3, but it wasn't to be. ½-½
491 Kobese,Watu Bouah,Lyndon ch-Kempton Park RSA (8) [Andrew Martin]
B03 2400 2175 2003
12.d2 c6? He's making it up as he goes along....it seems. Theory independent of the last note runs : [ 12...g6 13.e1! c5 14.a3 ( 14.f4!? cxd4 15.xd4 c8 16.a3 c6 17.axb4 xd4 18.xa7 c2 19.c1 c7 20.c5 xb4!! 21.cxb6 xb6+ 22.h1 xa7 23.xb4 e3! ) 14...xc3 15.bxc3 c8 16.c1 e7 17.h4 cxd4 ] 13.de4 Of course White isn't interested in repetition. d7 14.g3 g6 15.f4 ad8 16.h4! Unsettling the Bishop on g6 seems to be the key to this line. xc3 17.bxc3 a5 18.f1 c6 19.h5 c2 20.g4! the departure of the Bishop has uncovered a v e r y s e n s i t i v e s p o t . axc4 21.xg7+ Oh ! Qf6+ and Bh6 is not to be denied. 1-0
492 Kondenko,Alexey Volkov,Andrei Voronezh FIDE Open (5.3) [Milos Pavlovic]
B03 2242 2209 16.06.2011
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7 10.e2 The Four Pawns Attack is 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 always a dangerous set up in Alekhine's, this 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 time White chooses a modest line but there is 9.f3 b4 I think I prefer this line without... still some play here. 0-0 11.0-0 f6 12.exf6 Nc6 thrown in (5...Bf5 etc) . xf6 13.d2 e7 14.ad1 ad8 15.c1 [ 9...b4 He changed his mind after the h8 coming debacle. 10.c1 c5 11.a3 cxd4 [ A recent idea to put pressure on d4 directly 12.xd4 c6 13.xc6 bxc6 14.f3 c7 is not that good: 15...g4 16.e4 c8 15.b5 cxb5 16.xb6 xe5+ 17.e3 17.xf6+ gxf6 18.h3 h5 19.fe1 b8 d6 18.d4 xe3+ 19.xe3 bxc4 20.f2 g7 21.h4 xe2 22.xe2 de8 20.xc4 0-0 21.0-0 e5 22.f2 fc8 23.d3 h8 24.de3 Piscopo, P-Sorbera, 23.b4 c7 24.d2 h6 25.g3 ac8 26.c5 G Forni di Sopra ITA 2011, although the xc5 27.bxc5 xc5 28.f2 f6 29.h4 g5 game ended in a draw W hite is obviously 30.h5 g4 31.xe6 xc1 32.xf5 c3 much better at this stage. ] 33.d3 1/2-1/2 Bhawoodien,S-Bouah,L/ch- 16.h1 h6 17.h3 h7 RSA, Kempton Park RSA 2003 More [ Relevant: 17...g6 18.b3 a6 preventing acceptable . ] c5 -B b 5 i d e a s 19.g1 d7 and now my 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0 a5 suggestion looks promising: originally in one [ 11...xc3 is an older line. Perhaps there's game was played the more cautious: no need yet to be so committal. 12.bxc3 A) 20.d3N xd3 ( 20...h5 21.e3! a5 13.d2 d7 14.f4 g6 15.f1 c5 xd4 22.xd4 xd4 23.e2! xe2 16.b3 a4 17.xc5 c6 18.h4! 24.xe2 White is winning.) 21.xd3 c8 White's better here for sure. ] 22.dd1 with a small but in my opinion 496
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 lasting pressure as White's pawn structure is better than Black's.; B) 20.fe1 f7 21.f1 e7 22.fe1 f7 23.f1 A draw was agreed in Zilberstein, D -Baburin, A San Fransisco 2007. ] 18.g1 d7 19.fe1N An interesting idea. [ Some earlier examples: 19.d2 fd8 20.fd1 e8 21.b3 e7 22.d3 xd3 23.xd3 g6 24.f4 c5 25.e4 e5 A) 26.dxe5 g5 ( 26...xd3 27.xd3 xd3 28.exf6 gxf6 29.xc5 This position is also promising for White.) 27.xd7 xf4 28.xd8+ h7 29.xc5 looks winning for White; B) 26.xe5 xe5 27.xe5 c6 28.f4 cxd4 29.c5 f7 30.h4 df8 Simon, O -Velicka, P Cappelle la Grande 2002, here also White is better with the simple 31.Bxd4. ] 19...f7 20.c5 d5 21.b5 This is a key id e a h e r e - b y p i n n in g t h e k n i g h t W h i t e prepares to control both the e-file and the e5square h5 22.d3? Going forward and then back is not to be recommended. [ 22.h2! Is much more to the point, and in my opinion White can hope for something more then equality. e7 23.d2 a6 24.xc6 bxc6 25.e4 a complicated game is ahead of us, but surely W hite has the better chances here. ] 22...xd3 23.xd3 f5 24.dd1 g5 25.e4 g7 26.g3 g6 Black has easy p l a y h e r e . 27.b1 xb1 28.xb1 f4 Black is already prepared to win a pawn that guarantees him a much better endgame, which he was able to convert into a full point. 29.e4 xh3 30.e3 f4 31.b4 d5 32.b5 d8 33.d2 h7 34.b3 c6 [ 34...f6 35.e2 g4 ] 35.e5 xe5 36.xe5 f6 37.c3 g4 38.e1 f6 39.e4 xe4 40.xe4 cxb5 41.xb5 ff7 42.h2 c6 43.b2 d8 44.be2 d5 45.e1 fd7 46.c3 f5 47.g3 g6 48.a5 b6 49.b4 bxc5 50.xc5 h5 51.b2 f6 52.b8 c6?! 53.e8 [ 53.g8+ g7 54.e8 is not so clear. ] 53...f5 54.f3 h4 55.e3 b7 56.c8? b1 57.xc6 e1+ 58.d3 xe4 59.e7 f7 60.xg5 g4 61.c5+ g6 62.e3
xg2 63.c6 f6 64.c8 h3 65.h8 h2 0-1
493 Kornilovich,D Deviatkin,Andrei XII TCh-1st League (6) [John Cox]
B03 2166 2512 07.02.2005
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 g5 Oh yes indeedy! Deviatkin is a new name to me, but he has been playing the Alekhine in delightfully offbeat fashion lately (1 e4 Nf 6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 Nf 3 Nb6 is another line he favours) and here becomes perhaps the highest-rated player ever t o venture this rather splendid move (unless Pla n in c wa s o ve r 2 5 0 0 in 1 9 7 0 ? ). 6.exd6 xd6 7.e2 The authorities are surprisingly divided on the best way to ref ute Black's cheeky 5...g5 but this certainly isn't it: the point of 6 exd6 was to play 7 c5 now when Black plays 7...Qe6+ and now you can choose - Hort thought 8 Qe2 was strong (probably wrong - 8...Nd5 9 Qxe6 Bxe6 10 fxg5 Bg7 11 Nf 3 Nc6 1 2 Bb 5 Nd b4 is n ice f o r Blac k), Davies gave 8 Kf2 (8...Nd5 9 Bc4 gxf4 10 Qf3 c6 11 Bxf4 Qg6 unclear-Davies), I favoured 8 Be2 (8...Nd5 9 fxg5 Bg7 10 Nf3 Nc6 11 Nc3 00 12 Qd2! is good for White according to me) and unless my eyes deceive me Fritz likes 8 Ne2 (No, I've no idea what he's thinking about either). c5! 8.c3 xd4 9.xd4 cxd4 10.b5 a6 11.fxg5 [ 11.xd4 g7 12.gf3 g4 13.e5 d7 is also fine for Black. ] 11...e5 12.f3 g7 13.c5 d5 14.d6+ e7 15.xa6 bxa6 I believe I shall allow myself an 'unclear' verdict. 16.0-0 [ White might have tried going straight for f5 with 16.h4 . Evidently if he can't make something happen quickly he is rather likely to lose in the long run. ] 16...e6 17.d2 hd8 This is the trouble. Black is just going to take on d6, and there's nothing much to be done about it. After that Black's small material investment doesn't matter compared to his centre pawns, two bishops and massive knight, while the e6 bishop keeps White's rooks out of the game, 497
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 since they can't get anywhere on the f-file and c6 is out of bounds on the c-file. 18.a5 xd6 19.cxd6+ xd6 20.d2 e3 21.fc1 d5 22.c7 d3 I'm not sure about this. In conjunction with his next it's an understandable idea, but positionally it's terrible. 22..Nxg2 or 22...e4 were alternatives. 23.ac1 c2 The plug, quite a trendy positional idea just now, but I'm not sure Fritz isn't right that grabbing material with [ 23...xg2 wasn't stronger. ] 24.1xc2 White's always going to be worse after this. [ 24.c4+ e6 25.c3 (Fritz) puts up a much better fight, hoping to trade the darksquared bishops and perhaps bring the king to f2 and knight to e3 to exchange the c2 knight and establish a blockade on the dark squares. ] 24...dxc2 25.xc2 h6!? In the long run you wouldn't think W hite can hope to resist the connected pawns and the two bishops after this, but he still has some surprising and instructive resources.. 26.gxh6 xh6 27.f2 f5 28.c4+? [ 28.c7+ e6 29.f3 was much better and thematic: White has to aim to drive the pawns on the light squares and blockade them on the dark. Since e4? 30.d4+ f6 31.c5 e3+ 32.e2 turns in White's favour Black is forced into something like 29...Rc8 30 Rc3 Bxf3, when 31 gxf3 gives W hite decent chances to survive. ] 28...e6 29.e3 e4 Now Black is back on track. 30.c7 [ 30.c3!? ] 30...xe3+ 31.xe3 xg2-+ 32.g7 f4+ 33.d3 c6 34.c7 d5 35.g5 e8 36.b3 b5+ 37.d2 e4 38.a4 d7 39.h4 f5 40.g7 h3 41.e2 e6 42.f2 h6 A throwback to the good old days when White used to go for the Alekhine and chaotic games like this were much commoner - nowadays it can all be a bit too much like the Caro-Kann. I hope to see more of Mr Deviatkin. 0-1
494 Kortschnoj,Viktor Miles,Anthony J Biel (12) [Alexander Volzhin]
B03 2575 2595 1992
Some W hite players don't like the wild complications that are unavoidable in the Four Pawns Attack. I can recommend them the following system. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 5.exd6!? Currently this harmless looking move is very popular. Black has two possible recaptures. Let's deal with 5... ed first. exd6 6.c3 e7 7.f3!? /\\0-0-0 A very interesting idea. [ Of course, White can castle kingside: 7.f3 g4 8.e2 c6 9.d5 xf3 10.xf3 e5 11.e2 0-0 12.b3 f6 13.b2 g6 14.0-0 d7 15.g3 Dvoiris-Kengis Barnaul 1988, with a slight advantage. ] 7...c6 [ I can recommend trying 7...c6!? intending d5, for example 8.e3 0-0 9.0-0-0 d5! 10.c5 6d7 with 11...b6 to follow with counterplay. ] 8.e3 0-0 9.0-0-0 f5?! After this game 7.Qf3 became popular, and several games have been played in this line since. In this position Black has tried various different moves: [ 9...f6 10.h4 e6 11.b3 d5 12.c5 c8 13.h3 b6 14.g5! with a clear edge, Chernyshov - Kopylov, 1993. ] [ 9...e6 10.c5! c4?! ( either 10...d7; or 10...c8 should be preferred) 11.f4 f6 12.d5 4e5 13.e2 g6 14.e3 xc3 15.bxc3 f6 16.dxe6 xc3+ 17.c2 and White was winning in Leyva - Medina, Cuba, 1994. ] 10.g3 f4? Consistent but bad. 11.gxf4 f5 12.c5! Probably Black missed this. Now W h i t e ' s a d v a n t a g e i s u n d i s p u t e d . d7 13.h3! The exchange of light squared bishops clearly favours White. He intends d4d5 and the transfer of the Knight to e6. h8 14.d5 cb8 [ 14...b4? 15.xf5 xf5 16.e4+winning ] [ 14...a5 15.xf5 xf5 16.e4 f8 17.b4+- winning ] 15.cxd6 cxd6 16.xf5 xf5 17.ge2 /\\Nd4-e6 f7 498
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 17...a5?! 18.e4 f7 19.e6 g8 [ 10.d5 exd5 11.cxd5 b4 12.d4 6xd5 20.d4 /\\Nf5+-winning ] 13.xd5 ( 13.xf5 xf5 14.xd5 18.hg1 0-0-0 ) 13...xd5 14.xf5 b4+ [ 18.d4 is not bad either. ] ( 14...0-0-0!? 15.d3 g6 ) 15.e2 0-0-0 18...a6 19.h5 16.d6+ xd6 17.xd5 f5 ] [ 19.d4!? c8 20.e6 e8 21.b1 10...0-0-0 e5!? 22.h3 c4 23.d4 f6 24.xf6 [ 10...d8 11.0-0 g4 12.g5 ( 12.c5 d5 gxf6 25.h6+- winning ] 13.xd5 xd5 14.g5 xe2 15.xe2 19...e8 20.d4 c8 21.b1 ac5 d7 16.f2 d8= ) 22.e6 f6 23.h3 fe4 A) Black must put his faith in the [ 23...xe6? 24.dxe6 f8 25.g5 complications after 12...xc4!? 13.f2 /\\Rdg1+-winning ] ( 13.xf7 xe3 14.xd7 xd1 15.xd8+ 24.d4 f6 25.xe4 xe4 26.e3! xd4 xd8 16.xg4 e3 ) 13...xd4!? [ 26...c5 27.xf6 gxf6 28.f5+- ] 14.xg4 xe5 15.h3 e7 16.e3 h6 27.xd4 f6 28.xg7!+- winning 17.h5 g6 18.h4 c5 19.g3 xg5 [ 28.xg7? xg7 29.xf6 g6+ ] 20.xg5 ef3+ 21.gxf3 hxg5 28...e4+ A good memory and strong nerves are [ 28...xg7 29.xf6 f8 30.d4+required!; winning ] B) 12...xe2? 13.xe2 xd4 14.xd4 29.xe4 xe4 30.e6 Straightforward xd4+ 15.h1 d7 16.ad1 xc4 technique. f5 17.f3 c6 18.ce4 d5 19.xf7 g8 [ 30...xf2 31.d4! >
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Safest is 12.exf6 gxf6 13.d5 which leads to an advantage in all lines: g7 ( 13...exd5 14.xb6! axb6 15.cxd5 c5+ 16.h1 e7 17.h4! g6 18.xf6 b8 19.b5 xd5 20.a4 ) 14.b3! g8 15.f2 exd5 16.cxd5 b4 17.d4 h3 18.e6 ( 18.f3 ) 18...xe6 19.dxe6 d3 20.xd3 xd3 21.e1 ] 12...xe5 [ 12...exd5 13.xb6 axb6 ( 13...cxb6 14.cxd5 e7 15.exf6 gxf6 16.h4 g6 17.xf6 ) 14.a4 ] [ 12...e8 13.xb6 axb6 14.a4 a5 15.b5! ] [ 12...f7 13.b3 e7 14.d6! cxd6 15.xb6 axb6 16.exd6 xd6 17.b5 Taking the Knight on b6 helps to propel the White attack. ] 13.xe5 fxe5 14.a4! a5 15.b5 b4 16.d6! Black's problems are easily visible. Short is reduced to a disgusting move. a8 [ After 16...c5 White should concentrate on exchanging o f f the Bisho p on b4 which holds Black's position together. To that end both 17.c1! and ( 17.g5 df8 18.d2 look very strong. )] 17.c5 b8 18.f3 c6 UGH! Computer programs like Black but the reorganisation of his position takes far too much time and White has a clear advantage now. 19.a3 e4 20.e2 b6 Had to come. Who could imagine Nigel Short with a Knight on a8! 21.cxb6 xd6 22.xd6+ xd6 23.ad1 hd8 24.xd6 xd6 25.g4 d2 26.f2 b7 27.c4 White's composure is particularly impressive. Kotronias understands that the Knight on a8 makes the Black position very tough to manage. d5 28.gxf5 exf5 29.d1 b4 30.e3 g6 31.f2 Oh for a chance to get those Kingside pawns moving. White moves to strip the board of active Black pieces. xd1 32.xd1 c5 33.b3 xb6 The Knight re-emerges... 34.xb6 xb6 35.g8! All the pawns drop, one by one. If Black must shun the main line of the Four Pawns, i.e. 9...Be7,how about another look at 9... Bg4 or 9...Nb4. To be honest, I feel that the best days of 9...Qd7 are long gone. 1-0
496 Kupreichik,Viktor D Alburt,Lev O USSR Ch 1st League (16) [Nigel Davies]
B03
1978
A game between these two should receive top billing in the theory stakes. Kupreichik is the leading exponent of the White side of this line, Alburt has championed the Black cause for many years. On this occasion an Alburt experiment goes badly wrong. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f4 dxe5 5.fxe5 f5 6.f3 c5?! In conjunction with 5...Bf5, this looks quite suspicious to me. Alburt tends to rely more on deep analysis than gut instinct, but sometimes the analysis can be flawed. [ 6...e6 7.d3 xd3 8.xd3 c5 leads to positions considered in the notes to Vitolinsh - Smit. ] [ 6...c6 is interesting as after 7.a3 ( 7.d3 can be met by xd3 8.xd3 db4 9.e4 xd4 ) 7...e6 8.c4 b6 9.c3 g4 10.e3 there is a transposition into a line of the Four Pawns Attack in which White has played the passive a2-a3. ] 7.b5+ c6 8.c4 c7 9.0-0 e6 10.xc6+ bxc6 11.a4 d7 12.e3 Putting Black in deep trouble. W hite wants to capture the pawn on c5 and then occupy the d-file. a5 Black wants to cover c5 by bringing his knight to a6. But if such artificial means are necessary it's a very bad sign. [ 12...cxd4 13.xd4 hits both c6 and f5. ] 13.c3 a6 14.ad1 e7 15.dxc5 c7 16.d6! Preventing Black from recapturing on c5 by sacrificing the exchange. The massive passed pawn on d6 provides plenty of compensation. xd6 17.cxd6 d7 18.xa5 0-0 19.a4 b7 20.b6 d7 21.d4 e4 22.b3 fb8 23.d4 c2 24.b6 W inning back the exchange. The rest requires little comment, with Alburt continuing a bit longer than he should. xb6 25.xb6 d3 26.c1 f5 27.exf6 gxf6 28.d4 g6 29.xf6 f8 30.e7 xe7 31.dxe7 e8 32.g5 b4 33.c5 h6 34.h4 d3 35.xd3 xd3 36.b3 e5 37.f2 a8 38.e3 e4 39.a4 b8 40.d4 f7 41.c3 g8 42.g1 c5 43.a5 g6 44.f2 xe7 45.xc5+ d7 46.b4 e2 47.b5 h5 48.a6 500
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c8 49.e3 d6 50.d4 1-0
497 Kupreichik,Viktor D Kengis,Edvins USSR Club Ch [Nigel Davies]
B03
1990
A n o t h e r A l e k h i n e e xp e r t t r ie s t o d e f u s e K u p re ic h ik 's p e t , a n d wit h s li gh t ly m o r e success than Alburt from a theoretical point of view. Af ter 8.Bb5 it looks as if Black can equalise with 8...Bf5, which later sent Kupreichik off in search of an alternative 8th move. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f4 dxe5 5.fxe5 c5 6.f3 White has tried a couple of alternatives, but without notable success: [ After 6.b5+ Bagirov recently played c6 and obtained good counterplay after ( In Vitolinsh - Bagirov, Frunze 1979 he was under some pressure after 6...d7 7.xd7+ xd7 8.f3 cxd4 9.xd4 e6 10.0-0 h6 11.a3 c6 12.d3 d7 13.c4 5b6 14.bd2 a5 15.b3 e7 16.b2 c5 17.e2 0-0 18.d4 ) 7.c4 c7 8.xc6+ bxc6 9.f3 g4 10.e3 cxd4 11.xd4 xd4 12.xd4 d7 13.c3 g6 14.0-0-0 g7 in Khalafov - Bagirov, Baku 1998 ] [ White has also tried to transpose into a Four Pawns Attack with 6.c4 but here he h a s t o re c k o n wit h b4! when ot looks difficult for White to justify his play. Zapata Tal, Subotica Interzonal 1987 continued 7.d5 ( 7.a3 4c6 8.e6 xd4 9.exf7+ xf7 10.f3 f5 11.e5+ e8 12.d3 d6 13.f4 bc6 was good for Black in Afek - Dunworth, Oakham 1993) 7...f5 8.a3 ( 8.f2 e6 9.c3 c2 10.f3 xa1 11.d3 xd3 12.xd3 e7 was too optimistic in Georgiev Kr Solozhenkin, France 1996) 8...e6 9.a4+ d7 10.xd7+ xd7 11.f3 exd5 12.cxd5 xd5 13.c4 7b6 14.b5+ d7 15.0-0 xb5 16.xb5 a6 17.c3 h6 18.e4 e7 19.b3 0-0 20.a3 b4 21.xb4 cxb4 22.ad1 ad8 23.d6 d7 24.d4 c8! 25.e4 ( 25.xc8 c5 ) 25...fd8 and Black was a good pawn up. ]
6...cxd4 7.xd4 c6 8.b5 [ As Black can probably equalise after this, Kupreichik later tried 8.e4!? and after g6 9.c4 b6 ( 9...e6!? 10.g5 g7 11.xe6 fxe6 12.0-0 b6+ 13.h1 0-0-0 gave Black interesting counterplay in Gipslis - Freisler, Pardubice 1996) 10.b3 g7 11.0-0 f5 12.f4 0-0 13.c3 had a secure space advantage. ] 8...a5+ [ Kengis later suggested 8...f5 followed by ...e6 as being a simpler route to equality. ] 9.c3 xc3 10.xc6+ bxc6 11.d2! b5 12.xa5 xd4 13.xd4 e6 14.0-0-0 [ 14.xc6 b7 15.d4 c5!? allows Black's bishops to become strong. Kupreichik wisely opts to keep Black bottled up. ] 14...d7 15.d3! c5 16.hd1! a4 [ Capturing the knight is too dangerous, Kengis giving the line 16...cxd4 17.xd4 c6 18.d8+ xd8 19.xd8+ e7 20.c8 e8 21.c7+ d7 22.xa7 with 3 connected passed pawns and ongoing development problems for Black. ] 17.a3 d7 18.f3 c6 19.c4 e7 20.c7 g5 21.d6 g4 22.xe7 [ The immediate 22.e1 would have been better. Now Black comes close to equality. ] 22...xe7 23.e1 a5 24.d6 hc8 25.g3 h5 26.d3 c7 [ A m o r e a c t i v e t r e a t m e n t i s 26...e4!? a f t e r wh ic h 27.f4 f5 28.xh5 h8 gives Black counterplay. ] 27.f4 g8?! After White's reply, the h-pawn gets fixed on a light square. [ 27...h8 looks better, after which 28.xe6+?? fxe6 29.g6+ f7 30.xh8+ g7 wins the knight. ] 28.h4 h8 29.b3 d7 30.g3 a4 31.bb6 a7 32.c2 c7 33.c3 Now it's getting ugly. Black is tied up whilst W hite calmly improves his position. a7 34.a6 b7 35.db6 c7 36.a5 h7 37.a8 c6 38.g8 e4 39.bb8 c6 40.g5 e4 41.gg8 c6 42.d2 d7+ 43.e3 d4 44.bc8 e4+ 45.d3 d4+ 46.c3 d7 47.xc5 d1 48.c7 f6 49.exf6+ xf6 50.g6+ f5 51.c5+ e4 52.xh5 f3 53.f6 h8 54.xg4 b8 55.b4 axb3 56.axb3 b1 57.d4 d1+ 58.e5 xb3 501
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 59.f6 g2 60.e5 g1 61.e3 f1+ 62.e7 b7 63.e5 a4+ 64.xe6 c2 65.g5 f8 66.e2 h7 67.a2 e8+ 68.d5 d8+ 69.c5 c8+ 70.d4 b3 71.a7 d8+ 72.c5 e4 73.d7 a8 74.d4 b1 75.h5 g2 76.g4 b2 77.gg7 e2 78.ge7 g8 79.h6 g5 80.d5 xg4+ 81.xg4 xe7 82.f6 f7 83.d6 1-0
498
B03 Landa,Konstantin 2562 De Jonghe,Bruno 2304 Belgian Interclub Championships 2004/5 (8.1) [Andrew Martin]
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.d5!? Rather an unusual move which nails down the pawn on e7 and sets Black new and unwelcome problems. [ The line which made me switch to 5...exd6 is 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 - White delays Nf3 (so Black can't develop the bishop to g4), while getting ready to play d4-d5. ] 6...8d7 [ Both 6...e5 ] [ or 6...e6 pay immediate attention to the backward e pawn before W hite has a chance to get his development into f ull swing. 7.c3 ( in case of 7.dxe6?! xe6 Black is already ahead in development.) 7...exd5 8.cxd5 ( 8.xd5 xd5 9.xd5 c6 ) 8...e7 Black should be happy enough with the outcome of the opening. ] 7.b3 f6 8.b2 g6 9.d3 g7 10.e2N Landa finds a good move order. [ 10.c3 0-0 11.ge2 bd7 12.0-0 c5 13.c2 a5 14.b1 d7 15.d4 c8 16.e1 Buenermann, V-Guenther, L/ Muenster 1993 certainly looks better for White too, who has more space, pressure on the e file and the b5 square. ] 10...0-0 11.0-0 Baburin makes the key point that Black has no favourable pawn breaks in this position that is at the heart of his disadvantage. e8 12.bc3 bd7 13.d2 a6 14.g3 e5 15.fe1!? White clearly believes that he does not need the light-
squared bishop. [ Why not 15.e2! planning h3 and f4. With more space, White should keep the pieces on for maximum effect. ] 15...fg4 Black has to rely on piece play alone and this move does just that! [ 15...xd3 16.xd3 g4 17.d2 a5 might be a better way of playing the position. ] 16.h3 [ Again, more ambitious was to keep the d3bishop - after 16.f1!? White was probably afraid of xf2 but after 17.xe5 ( 17.xf2! g4-+ ) 17...h3+ 18.gxh3 xe5 19.ce4 he would have the advantage. ] 16...xd3 17.xd3 e5 18.c2?! [ 18.e2!? seems best, planning f2-f4. ] 18...b8 19.a4 h5 20.ad1 h4 21.f1 [ 21.ge4 f5 ] 21...f5 22.e2 [ 22.e4 b5! ] 22...b6! Clearly Black has counterplay now. 23.e3! xb3 24.a1 bc8 25.d4! Landa recognises that the game has changed and that he must now create confusion. [ Premature is 25.xf5?! gxf5 26.d4 g6! ( 26...f3+ 27.xf3 xd4 28.xf5 transposes to the game. ) 27.b1 a3 ] 25...f3+ 26.xf3 xd4 27.xf5 gxf5 28.xf5 xc4 [ Perhaps 28...xc3 29.g5+ f8 30.h6+ g8= would have been a more pragmatic decision. ] 29.b1 [ 29.e4 b4! 30.g5+ h7 31.h5+ g8= ] 29...a3 [ Inferior was 29...xb1+ 30.xb1 xc3 31.xc3 xc3 32.xb7 Black will have a very tough time coping with White's a pawn and at the same time his exposed King. ] 30.b2 c5?? Cracking, a typical scenario in club chess. [ 30...b4 31.a1 a3= was the way to go. ] 31.e4 b4?! [ 31...c8 32.g5+ f8 33.xd4 xd4 34.xh4 f6 35.h8+ f7 36.h7+ f8 37.b3! is terminal. ] 32.g5+ [ 32.g5+- ] 502
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 32...f8 33.h6+ g8 34.g5 xf2+ which is just as bad. ] 35.h1 6 d5 seems like a good practical bet 12...xd3 13.xd3 d7 14.c2 and W hite's ideas are easy to understand. Hitting the pawn on a4 again so as to force Nevertheless, from an objective viewpoint 6... Black to commit. c5 15.ad1 e5 should be a good response, after which [ White keeps a simple advantage with Black is OK. 15.b4! axb3 16.axb3 xa1 17.xa1 1-0 with the idea b4. ] 15...g5! 16.fe1 [ Or 16.xg5 xg5 17.cb5 d8 18.fe1 d7 . White's advantage is limited now. ] 499 B03 17.f3 xe3+ 18.xe3 d7 Leko,Peter 2755 16...g4 Ivanchuk,Vassily 2787 19.db5 e8 20.xe8+ xe8 21.e2 d7 Rapid Match g/10+10 rapid (11) 28.10.2007 22.e1 h5 23.d2 [ 23.e7 l o o k s a g g r e s s i ve , b u t xe7 [John Watson] 24.xe7 f8 25.e3 c8 protects everything. ] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 e7 7.d3 23...c8 24.d4 f6 25.b4 axb3 26.axb3 Black needs to find a reliable way to play f5 27.e3 g6 [ 27...a8 a good move here, since 28.cb5 against this move. c6 d7! 29.xc7?? loses to a1+ 30.e1 [ A n o t h e r r e c e n t g a m e w e n t 7...8d7 xe1+ 31.xe1 xd4+ ] 8.ge2 0-0 9.0-0 e8 10.b3 c6 11.e1 f8 12.c2 h6 13.f4 f6 14.h3 28.ce2 h4 29.h3 [ 29.b4! ] with a clear advantage in space and 29...a8 30.h2 h7 31.b5 c8 32.d4 activity Fressinet-Drazic, Ajaccio FRA 2007 ] xd4?! 8.ge2 a5!? [ Probably 32...d8 was the best Black [ The most common continuation here is could do. ] 8...0-0 9.0-0 f6 or 9...Re8. ] [ 8...b4 9.b1 xc4?? fails to 10.a4+ 33.exd4 c6? [ 33...g8 34.f4! . Once Black has played ...0-0, this idea A) 34...f8? 35.f5 h5 36.e1 becomes realistic. ] is a kind of zugzwang: a6 ( 36...e8 9.0-0 a4?! Black gains space and finally is 37.xe8+ xe8 38.xc7+ d7 able to play ... Nb4 without worrying about 39.cb5; 36...g8 37.e7 f8 Qa4 but this is awfully slow and can also 38.xc7 ) 37.e4; expose the a-pawn to attack. B) 34...b1 35.e7 a6 36.e1 d3 [ 9...b4 10.b1! xc4? still comes up 37.e3 b4 38.f3 attacks h4. ] short after 11.a3 c6 12.d5 , for example, a7! ( 12...6e5 13.f4 d7 14.d4 ) 34.dxc6 bxc6 35.a7 a8 36.dxc6 d3 13.a4+ b5 14.xb5 d7 15.xc4 xb5 37.e7 f6 38.b4 [ Easier is 38.d4 ] 16.c2 and Black can't castle. ] 38...b2 39.a5 d3 40.c5 dxc5 41.bxc5 10.e3 b4 11.d5 0-0?! [ Better 11...xd3 12.xd3 , but White has c4 42.xc4 xc4 43.c6 a6 44.g1 [ Or 44.c7! f5 45.c6 c8 46.d4 ] space and harmonious piece placement, whereas Black is hampered by that knight 44...d8 45.d7 e8 46.c7 e1+ 47.h2 on b6. Then d7 13.d4 0-0 ( 13...e5 c1 48.d6! b7 49.b5!? The effects of a 14.c2 targeting a4) 14.c2 a3 15.b4 rapid game are clear as the game proceeds. [ 49.c6! wins on the spot. Now it takes is obviously better for White. ] longer. ] 12.d4?! [ Natural, but not as good as 12.xb6! cxb6 49...c5 50.b6 c8 51.g1 c1+ 52.h2 13.b1 and after a3 and Nxa4 White wins a c5 53.b8 d7 54.d8 xb5 55.c8 pawn, unless Black tries a3 14.bxa3 xa3 xc8 56.xc8 g5 57.g1 g6 58.f2 15.xh7+ xh7 16.b1+ g8 17.xb4 d3 59.e3 f1 60.c2 f5 61.c5+ g6 503
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 62.f2 d3 63.c1 b5 64.e3 a6 65.a1 c4 66.d4 b5 67.c5 e2 68.d6 f5 69.e5 g4 70.f4 d3 71.e1 g3 72.d4 c2 73.e6+ f7 74.h6 e4 75.xh4 xg2 76.h5 f6 77.e3 f1 78.h4 h3 79.g5 g4 80.h5 1-0
500
B03 Leko,Peter 2749 Ivanchuk,Vassily 2750 1st ACP World Rapid Cup rapid (4.4) 08.01.07 [John Watson]
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 This is the riskier capture, which has been more entertaining over the years than 5...exd6. 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 This, the Voronezh System, is still giving Black f its. Recent solutions seem a little unconvincing to me. Check out recent and archived ChessPub games, a few of which are cited here. 0-0 9.b3 White has cleared the a1-h8 diagonal so as to be able to play d5, and in the meantime, 9. . .d5? 10 c5 is bad because the pawn on b3 prevents ...Nc4. W hite's is an absurdly time-consuming manoeuvre that neglects kingside development, but its prophylactic purpose is typically modern, and no clear solution has appeared. a5!? An awfully slow move. Ivanchuk is clearly trying to avoid the betterknown lines. But what does the move accomplish? [ H Contreras-Bermudez, Bogota COL 2006 was a typical strategic win for White: 9...c6 A) 10.d5 e5 11.e2! is normal, i n t e n d i n g f 4 ( U n n e c e s s a r y i s 11.h3 as reported by JR in this column : e8 12.e2 e6 13.dxe6 xe6 14.f3 d5! and Black was doing well in SockoRozentalis, Warsaw POL 2006 ); B) 10.e2!? was seen in H ContrerasBermudez, Bogota COL 2006. The idea is to play 11 d5 Ne5 12 f4 and not allow ... Ng4: B1) 10...e5 11.f3! ( 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.c5 is a standard idea, although White's bishop may not want to be on e2 ) 11...f5 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.xd8
xd8 14.c5 and Black has major problems.; B2) Perhaps Black can exploit White's slow 10 Be 2 b y 10...d5 11.c5 d7 12.xd5 db8! 13.c4 e6 14.c3!? xd4 15.ge2 f5 and White is only very slightly better.; B3) 10...d7!? 11.f3 f6 12.d5 b8 13.h3!? ( 13.0-0 and; 13.d4 are more natural) 13...a5 14.0-0 d7 15.d2 e8 To answer Bh6 by ...Bh8, and perhaps to assist in ...e6 16.fd1 a6 17.d4 White has ways of progressing on the queenside, and Black can't undertake anything. The opening has been a complete success for White. He converts after a tough defence from h i s o p p o n e n t : c5 18.f3 c8 19.db5! h5 (there isn't much else to do) 20.xc5 xc5 ( 20...dxc5 21.d6 ) 21.a4 c8 22.b6 c5 23.xa8 xa8 24.e3 xe3 25.fxe3 f5 26.c5 dxc5 27.d6 exd6 28.xd6 e6 29.xb7 a7 30.xc5 a4 31.a5 xa5 32.xa5 axb3 33.axb3 f8 34.c4 c5 35.f2 f8 36.c6 h4 37.f3 g5 38.e2 g4 39.hxg4 xg4 40.d5 c8 41.f1 f6 42.d2 a6 43.f4 xc4 44.xc4 xe3+ 45.e2 1-0. ] 10.e2 a6 11.f3 d7 12.0-0 c8 13.d2 a4 If Black has to play this (threatening nothing), things have gone badly. 14.fe1 [ 14.h6 was another good move. ] 14...axb3 15.axb3 e8 16.h6 h8 17.h4! e5?! This creates serious weaknesses, although to be fair there weren't any attractive options, for example, [ a) 17...f5 18.d3 ( 18.h5!?; 18.g5 d7 19.h5 ) 18...d7 19.xf5 xf5 20.g5 , n o t m e re ly a t t a ckin g t h e e -p a wn , b u t preparing moves such as Re4. ] [ b) Also sad-looking is 17...g4 , when one idea among several is 18.f4 d7 19.c5! with the idea dxc5 20.b5 ] 18.dxe5 dxe5 [ 18...xe5 19.xe5 dxe5 20.e4 forces c5 21.xc5 xc5 22.e3 and Rcd1 is too strong. ] 19.g5 504
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Or 19.e4 ] 19...f6 20.e3 c5 21.xc5 xc5 22.b4 xc4 [ 22...c8 23.c5 a8 24.e4 ] 23.xc4+ xc4 24.d5+ e6 25.xb7 Now W hite mops up. b8 26.c6 f7 27.d5 d6 28.c7 d8 29.ed1 xb4 30.a6 a3 31.c7 c8 32.xd6 xc1 1-0
501
B03 Leko,Peter 2749 Ivanchuk,Vassily 2750 1st ACP World Rapid Cup rapid (4.1) 08.01.07 [John Watson]
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 The is considered the safer recapture, with symmetrical open files. Black still has to deal with White's space advantage, but if he doesn't mind defending that's not so bad. 6.c3 e7 7.d3 [ 7.h3 0-0 8.f3 f6 9.e2 e6 10.d5 xc3+ 11.bxc3 d7 was the course of Volokitin-Ivanchuk, Foros UKR 2006, a very nice win for Black which was annotated for this column by both John Cox and Jonathan Rowson (separately). If it works against a 2660, Ivanchuk might be thinking, why not against a 2750? ] 7...c6 [ Previously you saw 7...0-0 8.ge2 c6 9.b3 g4 10.e3 e8 11.d2 f6 12.0-0 d5 13.c5 c8 14.h3 e6? ( 14...xe2 ) 15.f4 8e7 16.g4 (White is already nearly winning, as the pawns cannot be stopped) g6?! ( 16...b4 17.b1 h4 18.f5 c8 19.a3 19 or Bg5 ) 17.f5 gxf5 18.g5 g6 19.xf6 xf6 20.gxf5 xd4 21.fxe6 f3+ 22.xf3 xf3 23.f1 h4 24.exf7+ h8 25.fxe8+ xe8 26.g5 1-0 AroshidzeChigladze, European GP, Izmir TUR 2003. A game like this shows how delicate the play can be in such a solid-looking variation. ] 8.ge2 g4 9.f3 h5 10.0-0 g6 [ Nigel Davies annotated the game SimonsBaburin, 10th Monarch Assurance 2001 for ChessPublishing: 10...0-0 11.b3 ( 11.f4! g6 12.xg6 hxg6 13.d5 e5 14.b3 f6 15.b2 with a small advantage for White)
11...f6 12.e3!? e8 13.d2 d5! 14.c5 c8 (intending ...Nce7 and soon, ...Nf5) 15.fe1 g6 16.xg6 hxg6 17.ad1 b6 18.cxb6 ( 18.f4!? ) 18...axb6= ] 11.b3 0-0 12.e3 e8 13.xg6 A different approach. White will simply develop and use his space advantage. hxg6 14.d2 [ 14.d5 e5 15.g3 f6 16.d4 also seems to secure some advantage. This and succeeding choices for White all lead to small advantages for him, but ones that are probably manageable for Black. Nothing ever gets out of hand. ] 14...f6 15.d5 Cementing his space advantage. Otherwise Black will probably try his 15...d5 16 c5 Nc8-e7 plan. e5 16.f2 [ Or 16.d4 ] 16...bd7 17.e4 h4 18.d4 [ There are options on every move, most obviously 18.2c3 ] 18...f6 19.4c3 [ It's not obvious which if any move is best, for example, 19.xf6+ xf6 20.g3 d7 21.ae1 also maintains a limited advantage. ] 19...h7!? 20.ad1 [ Again, White might get some traction out of 20.g3 f6 21.ae1 d7 22.g2 g5 ( 22...g5 23.g1 ) 23.e4 ] 20...a6 21.h1 e7 22.g1 ad8 At this point White has some extra space, but Black is well with drawing range. This in fact occurs: 23.d4 d7 24.c2 f6 25.d2 e5 26.f4 xd4 27.xd4 h4 28.e2 hf6 29.d3 xe2 30.xe2 e8 31.f3 c5 32.f2 h5 33.xh5 gxh5 34.e1 xe1+ 35.xe1 h7 36.g3 g6 37.g2 fe4 38.xe4 xe4 39.f3 f5 40.h3 f7 41.g4 g6 42.gxh5 gxh5 43.e3 e8 44.d4 d7 45.h4 c6 46.e1 c5+ I t ' s n o t cl e a r t o m e t h a t W h i t e e ve r h a d anything that should have actually led to a win with perfect play, but it's also true that many players wouldn't enjoy playing the Black side. ½-½
505
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 502 Leko,Peter Short,Nigel D Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (10) [Gawain Jones]
B03 2739 2696 27.01.2010
1.e4 f6 Nigel plays another offbeat opening for us! 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 [ More solid than 5...cxd6 ] 6.c3 c6 7.h3 Deviating from the previous Hou Yifan-Short which John annotated last year. e7 8.f3 f5 This immediately hasn't been covered on ChessPublishing before. 9.d3 Leko's play is unusual in that he doesn't develop his bishop to e3. This is a very quiet, non critical move, happy to exchange light squared bishops and just play the position with slightly more space and try to outplay his opponent. Other moves which have been tried recently here: [ 9.e2 0-0 10.0-0 f6 11.e3 A) 11...e8 12.c1 h6 A1) 13.c5!? dxc5 14.dxc5 A1a) 14...xd1 A1a1) 15.cxd1 so Black's can't play ...Bxb2 with tempo hitting the rook. xc3! 16.cxb6 f6 ( 16...xb2!? ) 17.bxc7 e7=; A1a2) 15.fxd1 d7 16.d2 is a f ractio n b ett er f or W h ite bu t shouldn't trouble Black unduly.; A1b) 14...d7; A2) 13.b3 a5 14.b5 g6 ( 14...e7!= would attempt to exploit W hite's perilous state of his queen.) 15.c5 dxc5 16.dxc5 d5 17.xd5 xd5 18.xb7 ( 18.c4 d7 19.fd1 although it's hardly anything.) 18...b4 19.xc7 xa2 20.g3 xb2 had become double edged but after a series of inaccuracies by both sides the game ended drawn in Sai-Shivananda, Chennai 2010 (35); B) 11...h6 12.c1 d5 The typical Alekhine break but it doesn't work so well h e r e a s h a d W h i t e p l a y e d ( 12...e8 would transpose to 11...Re8) 13.c5 ( Instead 13.b3 was played in KotrotsosK a l l i o , K a v a l a 2 0 0 5 1 / 2 - 1 / 2 ( 7 1 )) 13...c4? fails to ( 13...c8 is necessary
b u t W h i t e h a s s o m e a d va n t a g e h e r e 14.h2!? ) 14.xd5! xb2? 15.xf6+ xf6 16.b3 and the knight is trapped. ] [ 9.f4 d7 10.e2 f6 11.0-0 0-0 12.d2 fe8 13.b3 h6 14.fe1 e7 15.a3 ae8 16.ad1 d5?! This just jumpstarts W h i t e ' s q u e e n s i d e p l a y . ( 16...h7 would leave Black very solidly placed but it's hard to come up with an aggressive plan for him. ) 17.c5! c8 A) Missing the chance to play 18.xc7! xc7 19.xd5 d7 20.xe7+ ( 20.xf6+!? gxf6 21.d5 also looks a lot of fun for White.) 20...8xe7 21.d5 b8 22.c4; B) 18.b4 e4? something had to be done about Ne5 19.b5 d8 20.e5 xe5 21.dxe5 e6 22.xe4 dxe4 23.g4 was a quick defeat of the Kiwi IM who plays the Alekhine exclusively. 1-0 Steadman-Dive, Wanganui 2007 ] [ 9.d5 immediately is very committal e5 ( 9...b4 10.d4 g6 11.a3 a6 12.e2 0-0 13.0-0 f6 14.b4 c5!? Black will get typical compensation and try to prove that W hite has overreached.) 10.d4 ( 10.xe5!? dxe5 11.d3 xd3 12.xd3 is a saf e attempt at a niggling edge f or White. ) 10...d7 Rather obliging. He was evidently scared that ( 10...g6 would allow 11.f4 at some stage but it cannot be played i m m e d i a t e l y d u e t o h4+ 12.d2 exc4+-+ when it's check on c4 so no time for the retaliation check on a4.) 11.b3 0-0 12.e2 c5 13.dxc6 xc6 1-0 HossainKrylov, Moscow 2008 (48) and here 14.0-0 would give W hite a small edge with potential pressure against d6. ] [ 9.e3 would transpose to a couple games of the Irish Grandmaster, and Alekhine expert Alexander Baburin examined in the archives. ] 9...d7 10.0-0 0-0 11.b3 f6 12.e2 Leko's really trying to do without Be3! fe8 13.g3 g6 [ 13...xd3 14.xd3 would threaten the knight jump on h5 and so g6 would be necessary. Therefore Short decides the doubled pawns are better defenders in front of his king. ] 14.xg6 hxg6 15.g5 I suppose this proves 506
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 that Leko was right not to develop his bishop earlier as it can go in one movement to g5 but White can hardly claim any advantage here. An opening success and it seems like the Alekhine is in as healthy a state as ever. xg5 16.xg5 d5 Time for the thematic break. Of course this forces Black to lose time with the knight but it isn't really doing anything on b6 a n y m o r e a s b 3 a n d c 4 t a k e a wa y a l l i t s potential squares. Once W hite plays c5 he loses flexibility with his pawn structure and has lost control of the b5 square and weakened the d4 pawn. 17.c5 c8 18.f3 8e7 the knight continues its path to a more active square. 19.e2 [ 19.e1 f5 would force the knight to retreat as 20.xf5 xf5 only favours Black. He will be able to take over control of the e file and start to pressure the d4 pawn. ] 19...f6!? Showing that Black is starting to think of more than the half point. 20.c3 g5 This was the idea behind Black's previous. Short tries to exploit W hite's slightly weakened kingside with the h3 pawn, Leko would prefer that pawn back on h2. g6-g5 also opened a path for the knight e7-g6-f4 w h i c h m i g h t c o m e i n u s e f u l . 21.d3 Stopping t he knight . f7 22.fe1 a6 stopping either queen or knight using b5 while Black tries attacking although [ 22...g4 immediately is also possible. ] 23.e3 g4! More dynamic than [ 23...f5 24.xe8 ( 24.xg5+!? fxg5 25.f3 is also interesting with the important point that cxd4? 26.xd4! and the knight c a n n o t r e c a p t u r e .) 24...xe8 25.a3 which is almost level. ] 24.h2 gxh3 25.xh3 h8 26.xh8 xh8 Black takes control of the h file and White has to start being very careful. 27.d1 g5!? The second pawn goes to g5. 28.e2 g6 [ 28...f5! looks strong here as White would have an extremely unpleasant task holding on. Again the d4 weakness cripples White and this is exactly what Black is aiming for in this line. ] 29.f3 ce7 [ 29...f5 would stop White's next and keep Leko very passive. ] 30.g4! c6 [ 30...f5 31.f2 is a more active square for
the knight while 32.f4 is a strong positional threat. ] 31.e1 f5 32.f2 White's managed to hold on to enough of the position for equality. g7 33.g3 f4 34.c2 h4 35.h1 xh1 36.xh1 f5 37.xf5 Now the position is dead le vel an d t he rem ain ing mo ves are superfluous. xf5 38.h6+ g6 39.xf5 xf5 40.g4+ e6 41.e3 g2+ 42.f2 f4 43.e3 g2+ 44.e2 f5 45.g3 f4+ 46.e3 fxg4 47.fxg4 d7 48.f1 c7 49.d2 e6 50.f3 b6 51.cxb6+ xb6 52.d3 a5 53.c3 b5 54.a3 a5 55.e5 b5 56.d7 f4 57.c5 h3 58.d3 g1 59.d2 f3+ 60.e3 h4 61.e5 g2+ 62.d2 f4 63.f3 e6 64.c3 a5 65.e5 b6 66.d3 c7 67.f3 b6 68.c2 b5 69.c3 ½-½
503 Li,Chao Garma,Chito 1st WMSG Rapid Team rapid (6) [John Watson]
B03 2622 2347 15.10.2008
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.c4 c6 14.f3 h6 The old 'main line', instead of 14...Na5, which we ' v e l o o k e d a t q u i t e a b i t . I t wo u l d b e interesting to see what Li Chao2 has in mind there. At any rate, he prepared well for 14... h6. [ A sample line that I found in the main line of 14...a5 is 15.b5 ( 15.e2 -see the other Li Chao2 game in this month's column) 15...c6! (as pointed out and analysed by Mark Morss) is 16.d1 d4 17.xd4 exd4 18.xd4 ( This exchange sac for a pawn is White's only realistic chance 18.xd4 xc5 19.xg7 xd1+ 20.xd1 xg7= ) 18...xd4 19.xd4 b6 20.c6 b8 21.e3 d6 , and now instead of 22 0-0, 22.c7 A) 22...c6? let's White exploit Black's l o o s e p i e c e s , f o r e x a m p l e , 23.e4!? ( actually, 23.f4! e6+ 24.d2! and Rd1 is probably clearest) 23...e6 24.g5 d6 25.f4 f6 26.e4! e6 507
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 27.0-0 with a probably winning advantage; B) 22...a6! 23.f4 f6! ( 23...e6+ 24.d2 is awkward, because ...Bb7 can be met by Bd7) 24.g3 b7! 25.xa6!? ( 25.0-0 xc7! 26.xc7 c8 27.e5 f5 a n d . . . Rxc 3) 25...xa6 26.d2 c8! 27.a4 ( 27.d1 c6 28.c2 6xc7 29.xc7 xc7; 27.c1 c6 28.d5 xc1 29.xc1 f8 ) 27...c6 28.d5 e6 29.c3 b7 30.d1 xd5 31.xd5 c6+ 32.b4 6xc7 ] 15.b5 This looks more promising than has previously been tho ught, and apparently somewhat advantageous. d4?! [ John Cox cites Arzumanian (2437) -Zubov, (2 3 2 8 ) A l u s h t a 2 0 0 1 a s t h e wa y t o g o : 15...e4 16.d2 de5 17.xe4 b4 18.0-0 xa2 19.cd1 d7 ( Well played: ensuring the exchange of the c4 bishop by 19...xd1 20.xd1 g4 looks natural at first sight, but after 21.f3 xc4 22.bxc4 White has the initiative.) 20.c7 ab8 21.d5 xc4 22.df6+ ( jw: White still has pressure after 22.bxc4 , for example, c6 23.f4 a8 24.d2 b4 25.fd1 ) A) Cox says that 22...xf6 23.xf6+ g7 24.xd7 ( jw: Black probably didn't like the looks of 24.d4 ) 24...xe3 25.fxe3 looks simpler and completely equal; B) 22...h8 23.xd7 b2 24.d2 a8 25.ef6 b4 26.d4 1/2-1/2 A curious move: ( 26.xb2 xd7 27.xd7 xb2 28.xh6 seems to win a pawn, and while Black might have a bit of compensation it's hard to believe this wasn't worth a try. )] 16.d6! xc5 [ But 16...e6 17.xe6 fxe6 18.0-0 is awful, for example, f8 ( 18...g5 19.fd1 f8 20.e4 ) 19.fd1 b8 20.c4 ] [ Probably Black missed 16...f8 17.h4! , winning material and leading to a huge advantage after xc5 ( 17...g5 18.g6 ) 18.xg6 d3+ 19.xd3 fxg6 20.xg6 ] 17.xf7 d3+ 18.d2 e6 19.xd8 xf3+ 20.gxf3 xc4 21.xc4 xd8 22.e2 Black can resign. b5 23.e4 f4+ 24.xf4 exf4 25.xf4 d6 26.d1 c6 27.d8+ h7 28.f7 e6+ 29.d2 g5 30.dd7 g6 31.xa7 h5 32.a4 bxa4 33.bxa4 1-0
504 Li,Chao Hoang Canh,Huan 1st WMSG Blitz Team blitz (4) [John Watson]
B03 2622 2363 13.10.2008
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.c4 c6 14.f3 a5 15.e2 [ 15.b5 is the other LiChao2 game. ] 15...c6 [ 15...b6 is treated at length in the Archives. Then 16.a4 and 16 0-0 are critical. ] 16.0-0 [ John Cox analyses 16.b5 , for example, f8 17.d6 e6 ( Cox: 17...h6 18.c4 d7 would transpose to Yagupov-Ukolov: wit h t h e t e xt B la ck t rie s t o a vo id t h is .) 18.g5 xg5 19.xg5 d7 20.g4 Cox: An unusual idea: normally ...f5 is a move Black wants to play. f5 21.e2 h6 22.c4+ h7 23.d2 ( 23.xc8 hxg5 24.d6 was tempting, but Horvath believes in the strength of his position.) 23...e7 24.h4 e4 25.g5 e5 26.f4 e7 27.xc8 xc8 28.d6 ee8 29.f7 e5 30.xe8 d3+ 31.e2 xc1+ 32.xc1 xe8 33.c6 bxc6 34.xc6 Cox: I feel Black ought to hold this endgame, but he must have been in time trouble. a5 35.c7 g8 36.a7 d8 37.c7 c8 38.b7 d4 39.f3 e8 40.fxe4 xe4+ 1-0 Horvath, A (2497)-Sikula, V (2418)/Hungary 2002/ [Cox] ] 16...h6 [ 16...d4 is probably better. An example with Cox's notes is 17.xd4 Pretty much forced. The b4 pawn is en prise, and ( 17.b4 a5 18.a3 axb4 19.axb4 f8 is not at all desirable: White cannot expect to get much if the knight stays on d4.; For 17.c4?! see Fernandez Garcia - Nunez Lucero.) 17...exd4 18.b5 After other knight moves Black has easy development with moves like ...Ne5 and Bg4 a6 This leads by force to an endgame which needs only a little accuracy for Black to hold. An equally good alternative was ( 18...d3 when 19.xd3 xc5 20.xg6 hxg6 21.xc5 g4 is fairly forced, 508
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and now Black has play for his pawn which gives him equality, especially since White cannot avoid either the rook coming in at d2 or having his kingside pawns maimed by .... Bxf3, for example; 18...f8 19.fd1 e6 20.c4 xc5 21.bxd4 g4 22.h3 xf3 23.xf3 e4 was another possibility which also produces a very equal endgame: I've continued this variation because the trick at the end amuses me -) 19.bxd4 xc5 20.xc5 xd4 21.xd4 xd4 22.c7 Raetsky, A (2430)-Santo Roman, M (2394)/ S a u t r o n F R A 2 0 0 4 a n d C o x g i v e s e6 23.f3 d2 with good counterplay. ] 17.fd1 f5!? Loosening. [ But W hite keeps an edge af ter 17...f8 18.xd8 xd8 19.e4 c6 20.d6 ] 18.g3!? [ 18.b5 is good, with the idea f4 19.d2 e4 20.h4! ] 18...h7 19.d5 e4 20.d4 de5?! [ 20...xd4! 21.xd4 e5 activates Black's pieces. ] 21.xc6 xc6 22.c7 xd1+ 23.xd1 b8 24.c4 [ 24.e8! e5 25.d6 ] 24...b6? [ 24...e5 ] 25.cxb6 axb6 26.d6! b4 27.d8 c6 28.e8 e5 29.b5 d7 30.xb8 xb8 31.xb6 White's passed pawns are monstrous. 1-0
16...c8 17.b4 [ 17.d4 ] [ 17.d4 ] 17...b6 18.d4 e5 19.dxe6 fxe6 20.f3 b8 21.c5 [ 21.b5 axb5 22.dxb5 xb5 23.xb5 ] 21...bxc5 22.bxc5 e7 23.c6 [ 23.e2 ] 23...e8 24.c7!? Good enough, but [ 24.d5! wins easily, e.g. , A) but 24...xd5 25.xd5 xd4 ( 25...exd5 26.e6 ) 26.xe6+ f7 27.xf7+ xf7 28.xd4 wins quickly; B) 24...exd5? 25.e6 xe6 26.c7 ] 24...xc7 25.d5 xd5 26.xd5? [ White's position is still dominant after 26.xc7! xc7 27.g5 f7 28.c1 w i t h i d e a s l i k e B d 8 a n d B g 4 . ( 28.d8 is also good )] 26...d7 27.c6?! [ 27.b3! ] 27...d8 28.g5 xd4 29.xe8 e5! 30.a4 f8 [ 30...d5 ] 31.b3+ h8 32.xe7 xe7 33.c7 f6 White should still have a winning advantage, but this is a bit tricky. The details are not important, but Black scrambles his way to a draw. 34.e2 c5 35.d3? e4 36.d1 f8 37.xc5 dxc5 38.e1 d4 39.xe4 xf2+ 40.h1 f5 41.e5+ g7 42.e4 f5 43.xf5 xf5 44.a4 g3+ 45.g1 h5 46.h4 e2+ 47.h2 f4 48.xf4 xf4 49.c4 g5 50.xa6 gxh4 51.a4 g7 52.a5 e6 53.e2 d4 54.a6 c6 55.h3 f6 505 B03 56.xh4 e5 57.xh5 d4 58.g4 c4 Lie,Kjetil A 2536 59.g5 c3 60.d1 c5 61.f6 b6 62.g5 Lie,Espen 2404 b4 63.e6 d3 64.f5 b4 65.e6 ch-NOR Hamar NOR (4) 09.07.2007 d3 66.c2 f4+ 67.e5 h5 68.d3 g7 69.g6 h5 70.e4 a7 71.e3 b6 [John Watson] 72.e2 g7 73.d3 h5 74.f3 a7 9...Nc6 against the Voronezh system has 75.g4 g7 76.g5 b6 77.f6 h5+ reappeared a few times recently (even in GM 78.e5 a7 79.d6 b6 80.d7 f4 play!). This game is an example of how that 81.g7 h5 82.g8 f4 83.e4 xa6 still seems to be a mistake. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 84.c6 a5 85.c5 a4 86.c4 e2 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 87.f6 a3 88.d5 b2 89.e3 c1 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 c6 90.d3 f4+ 91.xc3 e2+ 92.d3 f4+ 10.d5 e5 11.e2 ed7 12.f3 f6 93.d4 e2+ 94.c4 f4 95.f1 d1 96.d4 e1 97.e3 e2 98.f5 e6+ 13.h3 d7 14.d2 e8 15.0-0 a6 16.fd1 [ Or 16.fe1! Black's position is 99.e5 c5 100.b1 d3+ 101.d4 f2 102.h4 d2 103.g6 e2 104.h5+ prospectless. ] 509
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d2 105.f3+ c2 106.g6+ d1 107.f5 e2 108.e5 d2 109.g6 e2 110.h5+ d2 111.c4+ e1 112.e3 d1+ 113.xd1 ½-½
506 Luther,T Rozentalis,E TCh-AUT 1st Bundesliga 2013-14 (2.1) [Tom Rendle]
B03 2556 2622
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7 10.d5! This is considered the critical line of the four pawns attack. exd5 [ 10...b4 was tried by Rozentalis back in 2005 but 11.c1! ( instead 11.d4 g6 12.a3 a6 13.dxe6 0-0! gave Black dangerous play in Melnikova-Rozentalis annotated by John Cox in the archives.) 11...exd5 12.a3 c5 ( 12...a6 13.cxd5 0-0 14.b4 is obviously very comfortable for White ) 13.axb4 d4 14.xd4 cxd4 15.xd4 b8 16.e2 gave White a clear advantage in Hector, J (2575)-Appel, R (2529) Dortmund 2011 ] 11.cxd5 b4 12.d4 d7 13.e6 fxe6 14.dxe6 c6 15.xc6! This seems to be White's best option to fight for an advantage [ 15.g4 is very complicated but it seems Black is doing OK here, at least f or the moment h4+ 16.g3 A) 16...f6? loses to 17.0-0-0 A1) or 17...xh1 18.f5 c8? ( 18...xd1+ 19.xd1 is completely lost for Black ) 19.xg7+ with a mating attack; A2) 17...6d5 18.xc6 bxc6 19.xd5 xd5 20.c5 and White has an overwhelming advantage; B) 16...xh1! seems to be most accurate 17.0-0-0 0-0 18.gxh4 f6! 19.b5 e5 ( 19...d5! 20.g5 e5 21.e7 f2 ) 20.g5 c5 21.e7 cxd4 22.exf8+ xf8 23.xh1 and now in Klinger-Herndl (from the archives) Black could've obtained a g o o d g a m e w i t h ( 23.xd4 xa2+! 24.xa2 xb5 is at least OK for Black as 25.xh1? loses to c6+ ) 23...a6!
for example 24.e2 xe2 25.xe2 dxc3 26.bxc3 xa2+ 27.b2 f2 28.e1 d5! and Black stays a pawn ahead; C) 16...0-0 17.0-0-0 ( 17.xc6!? is a p o ssib le im p ro ve m e n t , e . g . c2+ 18.e2 bxc6 19.xh4 xh4 20.gxh4 xa1 21.h3 c2 22.e7 fe8 23.c5 and despite being an e xchange down White is clearly better. The knight on c2 is trapped and White's passed pawn on e7 is very strong.) 17...xh1 18.gxh4 f6 19.b5 c6 20.g5 e5 21.e7 fe8 22.xh1 cxb5 23.f3 d3+ 24.c2 d6 25.d1 f2 26.xd6 xg4 27.d4 f6 28.h5 xe7 29.h6 d7 30.xf6 gxf6 31.g4+ f7 32.xb5 c8+ 33.c3 g8 34.f4 d5 0-1 Grischuk, A (2748)-Svidler, P (2726) Odessa UKR 2009 ] 15...xd1+ [ 15...bxc6! is a little more risky but actually seems to be a more accurate way of handling the position A) maybe W hite should settle for 16.a3 xd1+ ( 16...4d5?! 17.d3! is good for White ) 17.xd1 d8+ 18.c1 4d5 19.xd5 xd5 20.c2 but Black is close to equalising here as well after g5!; B) 16.f3 f8 17.e4 feels a bit more comfortable for W hite but perhaps this position is OK for Black after the accurate d6! 18.e2 f6 19.d1 ( not 19.xh7 g6! and it's W hite who's in trouble) 19...6d5 ] 16.xd1 bxc6 We've reached the end of the opening phase and it seems to be that White has slightly the better chances. However, if Black manages to complete development and settle a knight on d5 he's going to be completely fine so White needs a good plan here. [ 16...c2+ 17.e2 xe3 18.xe3 bxc6 19.e2! is only a little better for White but he can certainly play for a win here with little or no risk. ] [ 16...xc6 allows 17.xb6 axb6 18.d7 with a definite edge to White ] 17.d2 [ 17.d2!? looks a bit strange but it may be the best try for an edge. A possible line is d8+ 18.c1 4d5 19.xd5 xd5 510
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 19...cxd5? 20.b5+ f8 21.hf1+ f6 22.c5+ wins f or W hit e) 20.d2 d6 21.d3 xe6 22.he1 and White's two bishops should give him the better chances in the endgame although I suspect with best play Black should still draw without too much difficulty. ] 17...f8 [ 17...0-0! seems more logical and I can see no way for W hite to be better here, e.g. 18.a3 4d5 19.xd5 cxd5! 20.xb6 cxb6 21.xd5 ac8 and Black's activity is enough for the pawn here. ] 18.a3 4d5 19.xb6 [ maybe White can try for a small advantage after 19.xd5 xd5 20.d4 f6 21.f2! as it's a little awkward for Black to move here. Still the edge is only small if Black plays b8! 22.c5! xb2 23.xf8 xf8 with a draw being the most likely result. ] 19...xb6 20.a6 g5 21.e2 e7 The game is heading for a draw, especially with the presence of the opposite coloured bishops. 22.d1 f6 [ 22...d5 23.e4 h6 is also just equal ] 23.c2 xc3 24.xc3 ad8 25.c1 f5?! [ 25...d5+! 26.b3 d6 keeps the balance ] 26.b3 c5 27.a2?! [ 27.g4! gives White real chances here, for example g5 28.f1 d6 ( 28...xg4? loses to 29.b5! c6 30.xc6 c4 31.f7+ d6 32.e7 a5+ 33.a2 xc6 34.exd8+ xd8 35.d2+ e6 36.xa7 ) 29.e7 e8 30.fe1 with an unpleasant position for Black to defend ] 27...dd5 28.ec2 xe6 29.g4 f4 30.xc5 xc5 31.xc5 If anything White now has to be more careful but Luther holds the draw easily enough d6 32.g5 g6 33.h4 d7 34.a5 e5 [ 34...xg4! 35.h5 e5 36.hxg6 hxg6 37.b7 should be a draw but White still has to show some good defensive technique ] 35.c8! Now it's just a draw f8 [ 35...xg4 36.xg4 xg4 37.h5! draws ] 36.b7 f2 37.d5+ e6 38.d4 c5 39.c8+ e7 ½-½
507 Luther,Thomas Pajeken,Wolfgang 8th ch-Euro Dresden GER (6) [John Watson]
B03 2580 2346 08.04.2007
W ith so many young players using the Voronezh system these days (perhaps prompted by several authors' recommendations), it is appropriate to see this month's games with the very main line. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 We saw other moves last month. Really, this continues to be Black's best try. 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.f3 c6 14.c4 [ Another critical line was played in Bauer-M Grunberg, Dresden 2007. I'll just show some m o ve s b e ca u se t h e y d o n 't f o l lo w wh a t seems to be best play: 14.e4 h6 15.d6 f8 16.c4 d7 17.0-0 e7 18.xc8 xc8 19.fd1 e6 20.d6 ed4 21.xd4 exd4 and play was almost level. But White certainly had the better of it in the opening. ] 14...h6 [ As far as I know, 14...a5 15.e2 b6 is still playable, at least in the line 16.a4 ( 16.cxb6 xb6 was covered in the game K Martin-Cox, annotated by Cox himself for this column.) 16...xc5 17.xc5 bxc5 18.xc5 b7 with the idea 19.c7 d6! 20.xa7?! xa7 21.xa7 e6 . It's interesting that the Repertoire for White book by Dzindzihashvili and Perelshteyn skip 15.. .b6 entirely. No one that I know of has demonstrated an advantage after that, but things ch ange pretty quickly in this variation. ] 15.0-0 White returns to calm development. This move has been rare by comparison with the more forcing [ 15.e4 , whose assessment seems to swing between equality and a slight edge for White. ] 15...d4?! At first this looks like a way to force the pace with favourable exchanges, but White's reply does away with that illusion. [ P Adams-Crocker, Manchester 2002 went 15...f8 (this seems adequate) 16.e4 e6 17.d6 d7? ( Davies suggests 511
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17...ab8 , probably good enough for equality ) 18.b5 b8? 19.xb7! dxb7 20.xc6 c7 21.a4 f5 22.c6 d8 23.fd1 xd1+ 24.xd1 f7 25.d8 with a winning game. ] 16.e4! White simply allows the doubled pawns in order to occupy Black's interior weaknesses. f8!? [ 16...xf3+ 17.gxf3 f8?! ( 17...f8 18.d6 f5 19.b4 favours White, but not by so much ) 18.d6 e6 19.xe6! fxe6 20.b4 and Black has saved his material only at the cost of a wretched pawn structure. ] 17.xd4! exd4 18.d6 e6 19.fe1!? [ 19.fd1! threaten Bxe6 and b6 20.b4 bxc5 21.bxc5 doesn't seem to help matters. ] 19...b6 20.xc8 [ A key option is 20.d5 b8 ( 20...bxc5!? 21.xa8 xd6 gives a lot of compensation, and may be best) 21.cxb6 axb6 22.xc8 bxc8 23.xc8 xc8 24.xe6 d8 25.xb6 xd5 26.f1 keeps White well on top with his two passed pawns, probably winn in g b ut th is will st ill no t b e e asy if Black advances his kingside pawns. ] 20...axc8 21.xe6! fxe6 22.xe6+ f8 23.xc8 xc8 24.e1! White stays a pawn ahead without pawn exchanges or weaknesses. Compare [ 24.b4 a5! 25.c6 axb4 26.e1 e5 27.d3 d6 28.c4 e7= ] 24...f7 [ 24...bxc5 25.d3 e7 26.xc5 xc5 27.xc5 ] 25.d3 b5?! [ 25...f8 26.b4 bxc5 ( 26...a5? 27.cxb6 ) 27.bxc5 e6 28.e1+ d5 29.f4+ xc5 30.xg6 b4! ] 26.f1 e6 27.e1+ d7 28.e4 It's a question of technique now, although it takes a while. a5 29.e2 b4 30.d2 g5 31.e1 g4 32.h1 f6 33.e1 a8 34.c2 c8 35.b2 h5 36.a3 bxa3+ 37.xa3 g8 38.a4 b8 39.e4 g7 40.e2 f6 41.g3 h8 42.b2 f6 43.xa5 c6 44.b4+ xc5 45.a6+ d5 46.xb8 d3 47.b1 d4 48.d7 d8+ 49.b5 d2 50.c5 e7 51.b4 1-0
508 Marechal,Andy Rozentalis,Eduardas 21st Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (3) [Andrew Martin]
B03 2258 2584
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 c6!? It's quite unusual to see Black playing ...Nb8-c6 before ...g7-g6, so we may suppose that Rozentalis is employing typical Open Tournament tactics of giving a weaker opponent plenty to think about.. 7.e3 g6?! [ 7...f5 ] [ 7...e5 ] 8.a4 [ 8.d5! appears quite strong: e5 9.d4 preventing ...Bg7 due to f2-f4. f6 ( 9...g8 10.c5 bd7 11.f4 dxc5 12.e3 h6 13.d2 g7 14.fxe5+- Hoang Ng Quang, NTruong Dinh Vy/Vung Tau 2004) 10.f4 f7 11.d3 h6 12.ge2 0-0 13.0-0 f5 14.b4 e5 15.dxe6 xe6 16.b3 d5 17.c5 c8 18.a4 e7 19.b5 d7 20.ad1 fc8 21.b4 d8 22.c2 f7 Carlier, BMollekens, R/Antwerp 1993 W hite maintained the advantage throughout.. ] 8...g7 9.a5N I doubt this advance can cause too much difficulty. W ith one move W hite e xp o se s h is p a wn a n d a t t h e sa m e t im e improves the position of Black's worst posted piece! He missed his chance to playd4-d5! [ 9.d5 doesn't have the same impact as before: a5 10.d4 xd4 11.xd4 0-0 12.d1 d7 13.b4 b3 14.e3 e6 15.e2 exd5 16.xd5 xd5 17.xb3 ( 17.xd5 xa4 ) 17...f4 18.g3 xe2 19.xe2 e8 20.d2 h3 Szurovszky, EBraun, M/Heves 1999 ] 9...d7 10.f3 0-0 [ 10...xa5! seems possible but obviously exposes Black to risk. He's going to lose time. 11.e2 0-0 12.0-0 f6 13.d5 ( 13.a4 b6 ) 13...b6 White has some compensation with better development and th e c6 squ are . All t he sa me it 's a lit t le surprising Rozentalis didn't take the pawn. ] 11.d5 Better late than never. xa5 12.a3 b6 13.b4 b7 14.d4 xd4 This is a strange game. Surrendering the Bishop in this manner should only be considered if 512
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 abs olu tely f orced. L et's see if Bla ck ca n defend more economically: [ 14...b8 15.c6 d7 16.f3 d8! 17.b5 c7 ( 17...bxc6 18.bxc6 xc3+ 19.xc3 c7 20.d3 ) 18.e2 bxc6 19.dxc6 White has obvious compensation. ] [ 14...e5 15.c6 e8 16.b5 is no solution. It's remarkable: maybe Black has to take on d4. ] 15.xd4 f6 16.f4 a5 White would quite like a p a wn o n a 3 t o u n d e rp in h is s t ru c t u re . 17.b5 He aims to get his Knight on c6. Another way, and one which I think is quite effective is [ 17.e2 b8 18.a2! Black appears to be i n s o m e t r o u b l e i n t h i s p o s i t i o n : c7 ( 18...a8 B a c k a g a i n ! 19.0-0! e8 20.e1 ) 19.0-0! That was the nice thing about 17 Be2. W hite can play simply and re t a in h is p lu se s. e8 20.e1 axb4 21.xb4 bc5 22.ea1 Black has very little to do here. ] 17...b8 18.d2 axb4 19.xb4 dc5 20.e2 d7 21.0-0 a8 22.b1 a6?! Ambitious, but Rozentalis has shown throughout this game that he is prepared to give the opponent as much rope as it takes to hang himself. I would have whipped off the Rook on a3 without delay: [ 22...xa3 23.xa3 f5 24.b2 a8 Black is quite OK now. ] 23.d4 c7 24.c6? This is a clear mistake. White would have maintained a big advantage after [ 24.xa6! xa6 25.xb6 bc5 ( 25...xb6 26.xb6 ac5 27.b3 ) 26.xc7 xc7 27.b6 For me this is a simple enough variation, so it is a surprise that White did not play this way. Maybe he was short of time. ] 24...xc6 25.dxc6? [ 25.xa6 xa6 26.xb6! was much better, wh e n W h it e h a s ve ry go o d ch a n c e s o f s a v i n g t h e g a m e : xb6 ( 26...xd5 27.xc7 xc7 28.cxd5 c5 29.xc5 dxc5 30.c4 h8 31.b7 c8 32.f2 ) 27.xb6 xd5 28.cxd5 ( 28.xa6? e4! ) 28...ac5 29.f2 What do you deserve out of a game of chess if you fail to take repeated chances? ] 25...xa3 26.xa3 a5 27.f5 xc6
28.h6 d4! 29.xf8 xe2+ 30.f1 xf8 31.xe2 gxf5 With an invincible knight and lots of central pawns, Black wins comfortably now. 32.a8+ g7 33.d5 e4 34.b3 a7 35.d4 a4 36.xb6 c2+ 37.f3 e5 38.e3 g5+ Not a great game at all but interesting for the opening notes if nothing else. A typical Open Tournament melee. 0-1
509 Martin,K Cox,John J 14th Monarch Assurance (3) [John Cox]
B03 1953 2385 26.09.2005
1.e4 f6 This was another Tiger-Heffalump contest from the Isle of Man, in which Black's follies form a neat counterpoint to his follies in the Tiviakov game. My first bad move was to spend the morning hindering Richard Palliser's preparation in the Najdorf rather than doing anything useful. 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 The Voronezh. Not usually Katie Martin's choice - I suspect the hand of Oldham 3Cs supremo and British correspondence champion Phil Adams, who w a s a l s o p l a y i n g i n t h e t o u r n a m e n t . e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.c4 c6 14.f3 a5 15.e2 b6 16.cxb6 Right down the main line. Regular forum visitors - or better still purchasers of the GW - will know that I don't rate this quite as devastating as its reputation. I did a database for CBM 105 (I think) which dealt with this line: I won't repeat what I said there but White now has three other tries: [ 16.b4 c6 17.b5 d4 18.c6 c5 19.0-0 a6 20.fd1 e6 21.bxa6 xe2+ 22.xe2 dc8 23.xc5 bxc5 24.xc5 xa6 25.xe5 xe5 26.xe5 cxc6 27.d4 1/2-1/2 was Carlsson-Logdahl, Swedish Champs 2001. ] [ 16.0-0 bxc5 17.e4 c6 18.g5 f6 19.c4+ f8 20.d5 b7 21.d2 a5 was Naiditsch -Grunberg, Antalya 2004, in wh i ch t h e Do r t m u n d h e r o wa s a l re a d y struggling for a draw. ] [ 16.a4 xc5 17.xc5 bxc5 18.xc5 513
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 b7 19.c7 d7 ( 19...d6!? ) 20.xd7 xd7 21.0-0 a5 22.d1 e8 23.a4 d8 24.b5 c6 25.f1 d4 26.xe8 xe8 27.xd4 exd4 28.d2 was DvoirisGrunberg, Oberwart 2004, and precisely the sort of thing Black needs to avoid. ] 16...xb6 17.0-0 [ The key game in this line with 16 cxb6 is Varga-Llanos, Budapest 1998, which went 17.b5 b7 18.0-0 d5 19.fd1 c6 20.xd5 xd5 21.c7 dd8 22.xa8 xa8 23.b5 d4 24.xd4 exd4 25.g5 f6 26.d2 d5 27.c7 with another good example of what Black is trying to avoid (... Nd4 almost always promises more than it delivers in this line). However 19...Nxe3 20 fxe3 Rxd1 21 Rxd1 e4 22 Nfd4 Be5 (an improvement stemming from Finkel) gives Black a perfectly good game. ] 17...b7 18.fd1 c6 [ 18...xd1+ 19.xd1 c8 20.b5 d5 21.xa7 ( 21.xa7 c2 22.d2 c1+ 23.f1 f6 is much the same) 21...c2 22.d2 c1+ 23.d1 a1 gives Black at least equality with the kind of play he often seeks in this line by a sacrifice of the apawn: the trouble in the present context is that 23 Rd1 is an immediate draw. ] 19.b5 Opening the above-mentioned database I see that I pointed out that White's move order avoids the ..Nxe3 improvement on Varga-Llanos and might be considered critical in the future. I was wrong of course, if 18... Rxd1+ is indeed a good move. At the time of the game however I was entirely oblivious of all this, and moreover had so far been spending my time strolling around the room between moves and waiting for my 400 point rating advantage to take effect instead of thinking, with the usual poor results. xd1+ This move was the product of 64 minutes' agonised thought. 19...Nd5 is Varga-Llanos, of course, not that I knew that at the time, but I didn't fancy 19..Nd5 20 Rxd5 much. 20.xd1 b4 21.c5 I like to boast that I have never been worse out of the opening in the Alekhine, bu t o f c o urs e t his de p en d s u po n ca re f u l selection of what exactly is the 'opening'. On t h i s o c c a s i o n I s h a l l h a ve t o d e f i n e t h e 'opening' as ending after White's 21st, since [ 21.a4 would have left White decidedly
better. Visually this is not an easy move to understand: the point is shown in a variation like 4d5 22.xb6 xb6 ( 22...axb6 23.c4 ) 23.a5 d5 24.c4 : White just wants to clear c4 for his bishop and get into f7 in the way which is always in the air in this variation. ] 21...4d5 [ There wasn't anything wrong with 21...xa2 : Black can rescue the knight easily enough, f or e xam ple 22.a1 d7 23.d6 c3 24.xc3 e4 , but Simon Webb would advise Heffalumps against such adventures (this may not look like much of an adventure to you, but when you calculate like me any tactical variation longer than three moves tends to lead to an adventure). ] 22.d6 c6 23.c1 f4 24.f1 xf3 Always a relief for the stronger player to provoke a weakness like this, since he can hope that if the compensating activity peters out he has something to play for in the end. 25.gxf3 f8 26.xb6 axb6 27.c4 c5 [ 27...xa2 28.xb6 e7 29.d7 prevents Black from simply winning f2, so the choice between that and the text is a difficult one. ] 28.a4 d4 29.e3 a7 30.c6 g7 31.c4 d7 32.b4 h5 33.h4 Not clear this was such a good idea: this pawn is all too likely to drop off one day, and I suspect it was better to sit tight. a7 34.a5? A terrible blunder just when Black's strategy of playing a series of improving moves and assuming a win would somehow present itself was beginning to hit the buffers: after 34 Bb5 or, still more so, 34 Nc2 the outcome would have been very much in doubt, especially since both players were in serious time trouble. bxa5 35.bxa5 xa5 36.c7 a7 37.xa7 xa7 The two weaknesses at f2 and h4 should be enough for Black to win this ending despite the wrong rook's-pawn/ bishop combo and the opposite-coloured bishops, but as it happens White further spoils her position in the scramble. 38.h2 c5 39.g3 a7 40.d5 e6 41.f4 exf4+ 42.xf4 xf4 43.xf4 xf2 44.g5 e3# 0-1
514
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 aggressive moves up until now, whereas his opponent has shown his peaceful intentions McKinnon,Keith by o f f e rin g a d ra w b y re p e t it io n . I t is n o Kraai,Jesse surprise that Kraai's sense of danger deserted 4th Int Edmonton CAN (8) him. [Neil McDonald] [ He should acquiesce in the draw with 30...d3 31.d1 ( If 31.g1 f2 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 intending 32...Be3 looks risky for W hite.) 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 e7 7.h3 0-0 8.f3 31...c2 etc. ] f5 9.e3 Evidently White hopes to prosper Forking the black queen and rook. by avoiding Be2 for a couple of moves. A 31.d1! characteristic Alekhine counterattack in the xd1 [ The only attempt to stay alive is 31...c1 centre based on d6-d5 and answering c4-c5 but 32.e8+ h7 33.e4+ is pretty awful with Nc4 is deterred if White can play Bxc4 in for Black. ] reply 'in one go'. The game Schubert-Kopylov MacKinnon is after bigger game in the archives shows the effectiveness of 32.c8+! such a plan for Black after White has played than the bishop on d1. h7 33.f5+ g8 34.e4!! Excellently played. The threats Be2. c6 10.c1 e8 [ B l a c k c o u l d a l s o t r y 10...f6 include 35.Qc8 mate and 35.Qxf7+ followed putting immediate pressure on d4. Then by mate on f8. [ Instead Black would escape after 34.xd1? 11.d5 ( 11.e2!? ) 11...e5 12.d4 g6 g6 ] 13.b3 e8 14.e2 d3+! 15.xd3 xd4 16.xg6 xe3 17.xh7+ xh7 18.d3+ 34...f6 35.c8+ f7 36.d7+ f8 37.g6 [ It's mate on f7 or on the back rank after g8 19.fxe3 h4+ 20.d2 d7 21.hf1 37.g6 e7 38.c8+ ] e5 22.f4 g5 23.cf1 ae8 and Black had strong pressure for his pawn in Jaenig, 1-0 R-Wohl, A/Bad Woerishofen GER 2008. ] 11.d5 MacKinnon gains space in the centre B03 and rules out any d6-d5 move for good. b4 511 12.d4 g6 13.e2 c5 14.dxc6 xc6 Melnikova,Yana 2331 15.0-0 f6 16.e1? Rozentalis,Eduardas 2567 [ Instead White should consolidate with 14th Open Kavala GRE (3) 13.08.2005 16.b3 or ] [John Cox] [ 16.db5 with a small advantage in either case. ] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 16...xe3? A positional sacrifice of a kind 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 played by greats such as World Champions 9.f3 e7 The main line of the Four Pawns Petrosian and Kasparov, though they would attack. 10.d5 normally expect to gain a pawn in the bargain. [ 10.e2 is the quieter and less critical The question mark isn't meant to dismiss an alternative. ] imaginative idea, but rather to indicate that 10...b4 A discredited move which may or Black had something simpler and better: may not be due for a revival following the [ 16...xc4! 17.xc4 ( Or 17.xc6 xe3 ) Dominguez game given in September. 17...xd4 18.xd4 xe1+ 19.xe1 xd4 [ 10...exd5 is these days normally and Black has a fairly useful extra pawn. ] considered virtually forced, the point being 17.fxe3 h4 18.xc6 bxc6 19.f1 g5 t h a t a f t e r 11.cxd5 b4 12.c1? 20.f3 e7 21.d4 d7 22.d1 e5 just leaves the d-pawn en prise, so 12 Nd4 23.xd6 xf3+ 24.xf3 xe3+ 25.h1 h6 and the deeply-analysed main lines of the 26.xc6 b8 27.c5 c2 28.f1 d3 4PA follow. ] 29.d1 c2 30.f1 xb2?? I guess this has 11.d4 happened to all of us. Black, who has much [ 11.c1 is also supposed to be good the t h e h igh e r ra t in g, h a s m a d e m o st o f t h e main line being exd5 12.a3 c5 13.axb4 d4 510
B03 2125 2509 21.12.2009
515
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.xd4 cxd4 15.xd4 b8 16.xf5 xe5+ 17.e2 xf5 18.c5 d7 19.d5 d8 20.c3 0-0 21.e3 e6 22.g4 f5 23.f3 f6 24.0-0 e4 25.xe4 with advantage to White as in VelimirovicMarovic, Yugoslavia 1977. ] 11...g6 12.a3 a6 [ 12...c5 13.xe6! fxe6 14.axb4 cxb4 15.a4 0-0 ( 15...d7 is an insanely complicated alternative which generated, in Jon Speelman's phrase, 'pages of anarchy' all over the world after the game Ku p re ic hik -Gip slis, Mo sco w 19 7 2 . T h e verdict is that White is probably better, but if Black happens to have memorised the seven pages of analysis in Speelman's Best C h e s s G a m e s 1 9 7 0 - 8 0 ( i f yo u g e t t h e c h a n c e b t w t h e n b u y t h is b o o k ) t h e n I wouldn't give much for W hite's chances.) 16.xb6 axb6 17.xa8 xa8 18.d6 is the old main line which probably favours White, although there have been dissenting v o i c e s i n t h e p a s t . T h e t e xt i s a l o n g f o r go t t e n m o ve wh ic h wa s su p p o se d l y refuted by White's next. ] 13.dxe6 0-0!? This is the idea. [ 13...fxe6 14.g4 and ] [ 13...f6 14.c5 xc5 15.b5++- are given by various sources (for example Hort). ] 14.e2 These variations are scratching the surface, but they are enough to make it clear that there is much to be discovered and that Black has at the very least dangerous compensation over the board. W hether it's fully adequate we shall have to wait for further tests to see perhaps in a DominguezRozentalis clash...... [ One cannot blame White for being terrified when a much higher-rated player unleashed a novel pawn sacrifice of this kind, but really 14.exf7+ has to be the critical move. I think Black's idea then is A) 14...xf7 15.g4 c5 ( 15...c5 16.f3 f5 17.g3 d7 18.d1 e6 19.d5 is good for White) 16.0-0-0 e8 17.e6 e7 18.f3 ( 18.d5 xd5 19.cxd5 h5 20.h3 xd1 21.xa6 bxa6 22.xd1 xd4 is not so clear) 18...xd4 19.xd4 c5 sees Black managing to win his pawn back, but White gets a powerful initiative after 20.f2 f8
21.e1 ae8 22.xf8+ xf8 23.b4! cxb4 24.axb4 xe6 25.xe6 xe6 26.c5; B) 14...xf7 15.g4 c5 16.e6 g6 with an extremely complicated position in which Black has genuine chances for his pawn, for example. ( 16...h5 is worse: 17.xh5 xd4 18.d5 xd5 19.xd4 f4 20.e5 e7 21.0-0-0 ad8 22.g3 xe6 23.h3 g5+ 24.xg5 xg5 25.g2 ) B1) 17.d1 i s a n a l t e r n a t i v e : e8 18.b4?! ( 18.e2 is more sensible, for example xd4 19.xd4 c5 20.e5 f5 21.d6 f6 22.f1 xe6 23.f8+ xf8 24.xe6+ f7 ) 18...xb4! 19.axb4 xb4 20.c1 c5 21.db5 f5 22.g3 xe6 23.c7 f6 24.g5 d4 25.e2 a4-+; B2) 17.0-0-0 e8 18.e1 d8 B2a) 19.d5 xd5 20.cxd5 xf1 ( 20...xd5 21.c4+- ) 21.hxf1 a4 22.e7 c4+ 23.d1 d3+=; B2b) 19.b4 h5 20.d1 ( 20.h4 e7 21.g3 c5 ) 20...xd4 21.xd4 f4! ( 21...c5 22.e7 xd4 23.exf8+ xf8 is probably good too )] 14...g5 15.d2 [ 15.f2 c5 16.exf7+ xf7 17.f3 xc4 was the alternative, and here I suspect that White retains at least some advantage. ] 15...xe3 16.xe3 c5 17.f3 [ 17.exf7+ xf7 18.f3 xc4 is similar again I suspect that W hite would sooner lose c4 than e5 and can claim a little advantage here. ] 17...fxe6 18.0-0 e7 19.ad1 [ 19.b5 looks like the move. White ought to threaten Nd6 before the a-rook has emerged from a8 (so that ...Nc8 disconnects the rooks), and she ought to do that from b5 not e4, because from b5 the knight both eyes the a-pawn and sometimes prevents ..Nc7. c7 ( 19...c8 20.ad1 c7 21.xc7 xc7 22.g5+- ) 20.d6 d7 21.ad1 b6 looks a fair bit better for W hite to me. In fact it's quite possible that White was right n o t t o g ra b t h e p a wn a n d h a s a c t u a ll y played splendidly up to here. ] 19...ad8 20.e4 516
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 20.xd8 xd8 ( 20...xd8! ) 21.b5 c8 22.g5 xg5 23.xg5+- was still better. ] 20...c8 21.fg5 f5 22.g4 xe4?? [ 22...g6 was necessary, with or without a preliminary exchange on d1. ] 23.xe4?? [ W h i t e m i s s e s h e r m o m e n t : 23.xd8 wins on the spot since xd8 24.f7 xf7 ( 24...e8 25.xe4 is crushing) 25.xf7 xf7 26.xe4 wins more material. ] 23...b6 For the remainder of the game White thrashes around cluelessly while Black steadily improves. 24.g3 The knight on e4 is actually only in the way and White would have done better to shift it with [ 24.xd8 xd8 25.g5 h6 26.f3 In this way she prevents ...Nb8-c6 by Bd3 and Qe4, and retains a slight advantage. ] 24...b8 25.d3 c6 26.g5 xf1+ 27.xf1 d7 28.f2 8e7 29.d1 d4 30.h3 g6 31.xg6 hxg6 32.e3 f8 33.g2? c6+ 34.e4 f5-+ 35.f1 xe5 36.f4 xg5+ 37.f1 f5 0-1
the textbooks. Cafferty went on to write about the Alekhine, but I don't believe he mentioned this game. ] 8...b4?! [ In my view he should just take the medicine with 8...e7 Black's position does not inspire confidence after 9.f3 0-0 10.d3 ] 9.g4N A novelty over 9 Nf3, which is also good. With 9 Qg4 W hite prevents ... Qh4+, Black's only threat, and hits g7. Not bad with one move! g6 10.a3 xc3+ 11.bxc3 h6 12.f3 OK, Black is 2290 so a pretty strong player. Let's say he misjudged his opening choice. The dark squares are creaking horribly and there is very little counterplay to be seen. e7 13.d2 f5 14.f2 d7 15.h3 c5 16.g4! e7 17.d3 [ 17.e4! looks very powerful. ] 17...cxd4 18.cxd4 a5 19.e2! Why not. The threat of Ne4-d6+ now has to be attended to. f6 20.e4 f5 21.d6+ f8 22.e3 xe5 Desperate. [ However, attempts to defend legitimately a r e c r u s h e d : 22...g7 23.gxf5 xf5 ( 23...exf5 24.hg1 xe5 25.dxe5 xe5 26.g3+- ) 24.xf5 exf5 25.hg1 f8 26.h4+- ] 512 B03 23.dxe5 xe5 24.g3!+- b2+ 25.d2 e5 Milenkovic,Mladen 2338 26.gxf5 xf5 27.xf5 gxf5 28.xf5 xf5 Farago,Sandor 2290 29.af1 e7 30.xf5 d6 [ 30...ae8 31.g6 d8 32.d6+ c8 FSIMA March Budapest HUN (7) 11.03.2005 33.f7 b6 34.xb6 axb6 35.g1+- ] [Andrew Martin] 31.d3+ e7 32.b1 d4 33.xb7+ e6 Coming up, a rare Four Pawns attack against 34.xd4 exd4 35.h5 ag8 36.xh6+ the Alekhine, with a novelty thrown in! 1.e4 xh6 37.xh6 g2+ 38.d3 xh2 39.xa7 A one-sided game, but sometimes it's f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 e5 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 e6?! Have you necessary to show why a line is uncommon. ever wondered why Black almost always goes What surprises me is that Black is a strong 7...Bf5 in this position? I must admit I haven't player, yet here he is punting a very poor done so (until now) and developing the Bishop system. Oh well, one cannot get it right all the on c8 would be my first thought here, not time! wishing to block the pieces in. Yet several 1-0 have tried 7...e6?!, presumably to move White off the beaten track. I just don't think it can be a very good move. 8.c3 [ 8.f3 e7 9.c3 0-0 10.e2 f6 11.exf6 xf6 12.0-0 d7 13.e4 e8 14.fg5 xg5 15.xf8+ xf8 16.xg5 h6 17.e4 d8 18.d3 c8 19.f1 e7 20.b3 f8 21.e1 d7 22.f3 Ljubojevic, L-Cafferty, B/Teeside 1972 is the game quoted in all 517
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B03 24...g7 25.e3 [ White is pushed back as 25.d1 allows Milliet,Sophie 2404 xe2! 26.xe2 xd4+ ] Mirzoev,Azer 2617 26.xd2 d3 27.f2 h5! Meister Open (2) 02.01.2010 25...xd2 A far sighted and patient move- see move 27. [Neil McDonald] In some positions it is a fable to talk about the 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 power of the bishop pair, but here they really xe1+ 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 do exert enormous power. 28.c1 0-0 9.b3 c6! In my opinion this is a 29.xe1 b5 30.a4 c6 31.b4 d8 32.c5 f7 33.e3 So far White has promising way to avoid the over-analysed managed to resist the black bishops, but the [ 9...e5 ] 10.d5 e5 11.e2 f5!? The pawn structure intervention of Black's kingside pawns and is now similar to a Leningrad Dutch mainline. t h e n h is ki n g i n t e n s if y t h e p re ss u r e . h4! Thus Black has a backward pawn on e7 and a 34.c2 g3 35.hxg3 hxg3 36.f1 e6 hole on e6. On the other hand, the white 37.d2 xd2 38.xd2 f5 39.e2 g4 bishop is on e2, which is a worse square than 40.e1 d5 41.xg3 xb3 42.a5 c4 i t s t y p i c a l p o s t o n g 2 i n t h e D u t c h . 43.e1 f5! [ Black spurns to regain the pawn as Furthermore, there is no pawn on g3 as part of 43...xe2+? 44.xe2 xf4 is only a draw. a fianchetto to deter a black kingside pawn It is be tt er to kee p on p rob in g with t h e advance. 12.f4 White decides to take strong bishops. ] measures to prevent the further advance of 44.f2 e4 45.g3 f8 46.g1 c5+ the black f-pawn. [ Instead 12.f3 was examined in the game 47.g2 d3 48.g4 White is understandably keen to get some counterplay, but it was Boric-Rakic. ] 12...g4 13.xg4 fxg4 14.ge2 better to wait, say with [ 48.f1 Only when the black king went after If nothing happens fast White can gradually the a4 pawn would it be time to start moving bu ild up an at t ack a gain st Bla ck's sta t ic the kingside pawns. ] weaknesses along the e-file. e5! Breaking up t h e c e n t r e a n d s o g a i n i n g d y n a m i c 48...d5+ 49.f1 e6 50.g5 Now White's counterplay. 15.dxe6 xe6 So the backward pawns are all fixed, with no expansive power, p a w n a n d h o l e i n f r o n t o f i t h a s b e e n and Mirzoev will be able to pick off either the transferred from the e-file to the d-file. The pawn on a5 or f4. d6 51.g2 e3 52.f2+ pawn on d6 is easier to attack than the pawn e4 53.e2 b4 54.d4 d7 55.f3 that was previously on e7, but as we shall see xa5 56.e5 e8 57.g3 f5 58.f3 Mirzoev is happy to offer it as a sacrifice in e6 59.c4 c3 60.e3 a5 61.e4 a4 order to energise his pieces. 16.0-0 e7 62.c5 c6+ 63.d3 d5 64.f8 e1 17.d4 h6! If Black is going to stay active 65.e3+ e6 66.f5+ gxf5 67.g6 e8 he has to avoid the exchange of his dark 68.g7 f7 69.c2 a5 70.d4+ f6 squared bishop. 18.d3 ae8 19.ce1 d8 71.b5 xb6 72.d6 g8 73.xb7 g5 74.d6 a3 75.f7+ xf7 76.xa3 f4 20.b5? [ White is in too much of a hurry. Instead a 0-1 move like 20.a4 would keep some pressure on the queenside. ] 514 B03 20...a6 21.xd6? [ Better to sacrifice pride with 21.bc3 ] Minasian,Artashes 2600 21...xd6 22.c5 d5 23.cxb6 Thanks to Minasian,Ara 2480 the tactical trick Milliet has won a pawn, but ch Yerevan 1999 her pieces are loosely placed which allows [Alexander Volzhin] Black to take over the initiative. f5 24.d2 [ After 24.c3 c8 the black rook can I n t h e l a s t A rm e n ia n Ch a m p io n s h i p G M invade on c2. ] Artashes Minasian had to face the Alekhine's 513
518
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 twice. Both times he chose the Exchange Variation, and twice his opponents preferred 5... ed. Both games are of theoretical importance. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 c6!? A r e l a t i v e l y n e w i d e a . T h i s m o ve l o o k s provocative, but it's by no means bad! The idea behind the text is to prevent W hite's se tu p a s in th e p re vio us ga me (B d3 a n d Nge2). [ A few rounds earlier Art Minasian had already played this position vs Nalbandian. His opponent went for 6...e7 but failed to equalize completely. The game continued 7.d3 c6 8.ge2 g4 ( 8...b4 -this sortie leads Black nowhere as after 9.b1 the c4-pawn cannot be taken: xc4? 10.a4+ ) 9.f3 h5 10.0-0 g6 11.xg6 hxg6 12.b3 and White is slightly better and in due course quickly outplayed his opponent f6 13.e4 d5 This advance is typical for such pawn structures but unfortunately it doesn't work here. 14.xf6+ xf6 15.c5 c8 16.f4 d7 ( 16...d8 with the idea to castle kingside deserved serious attention) 17.d2 h4 18.b4 a6 19.a4 d8 20.b5 with a huge advantage. ] 7.d5 e5 8.f4 ed7 [ Of course, the pawn is taboo: 8...exc4?? 9.xc4 xc4 10.a4+ and White w ins a piece. By the way, this idea often occurs in different variations of Alekhine's. ] 9.d4 Playing this move White hoped to put the brakes on Black's normal development. However an unpleasant surprise awaits him. e7! Nevertheless! [ Other continuations can hardly successfully solve Black's problems: 9...f6 10.e3 e7 11.b5 d8 12.e4+ e7 13.xe7+ xe7 14.d4 f6 15.0-0-0 ] [ 9...f6 10.d3 e7 11.f3 0-0 12.0-0 and in both cases W hite has a small but steady advantage. ] 10.xg7 White has no other way to justify the Queen's sortie on the previous move, otherwise after Black castles the Queen will b e go o d t a r ge t f o r h i s m i n o r p i e c e s . f6 11.g4 [ 11.g3?? is just a blunder in view of h4 ] [ 11.h6 is also far from good as the Queen is "off side" here: e7+ 12.d1 c5
13.f3 f5 queenside castles will follow, and for the cost of only a pawn Black has a growing initiative. ] 11...xc3+ 12.bxc3 f6 For the cost of only a pawn Black has firmly seized the initiative. White now has to solve some rather difficult problems. 13.d2 c5 14.g5 The wise decision. [ 14.g3 f5 15.0-0-0 0-0-0 and Black has tremendous compensation for a pawn, and furthermore all his pieces are very active. Besides, White's King is seriously exposed. ] 14...xg5 15.fxg5 f5 16.0-0-0 d3+ 17.xd3 xd3 18.c5! The only way to maintain the balance, otherwise W hite will lose both central pawns. xd5 Very solid. Now the draw is obvious. [ 18...dxc5 is more ambitious, with a doubleedged position after 19.f4 c4 20.xc7 xd5 21.e5 g8 although I prefer Black here. ] 19.cxd6 cxd6 20.h3 c8 21.f4 xf4 22.xf4 xc3+ 23.b2 c2+ 24.b3 f2 25.xd3 xf4 [ The 4 Rooks ending is dead equal, so the p la ye rs n o w a g re e d t o a d ra w. 25...xf4 26.xd6 0-0 Now it's possible to reach the following conclusion: it seems that in the Exchange Variation, (which is one of most unpleasant lines for Black in the Alekhine`s), Black has found good ways after both 5... cd and 5...ed. Now it's White's turn to improve. Undoubtedly White players will try to do so and we will not wait have to wait long for new games in this line. ] ½-½
515 Moreno Carnero,Javier Schulze,Ulrich Bundesliga 2004-5 (12) [John Cox]
B03 2500 2333 12.03.2005
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 The main line of the Voronezh va r i a t io n . I ' ve r e c e n t l y f in i s h e d d o i n g a database for CBM on this position so I count myself a bit of an expert just at the moment the debate goes on but most people seem to 519
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f ee l W h it e's do in g p re tt y we ll.. .. . 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 [ 11.c5 6d7 12.c4 is possible also, when Rowson-Baburin, Port Erin 1999, saw the muc h-pra is ed no ve lt y a5 after which 13.ge2 ( 13.f3? e4 14.d4 xc5 is the point) 13...c6 14.a3 d4 15.xd4 exd4 16.xd4 e8+ gave Black good compensation for his pawn. However, Fritz doesn't see why 15 b4 (with the point 15.. Qxa3 16 Rb1 and 17 Bc1) isn't just good for White, and I can't see why he isn't right. In my (present) opinion the old 12 ..Nc6 is more sensible, although that isn't what I said in Starting Out: Alekhine's Defence. ] 11...xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.c4 c6 14.f3 [ 14.e4 is a testing alternative Black tried 14 ...Nf6 with success in Kupreichik-Barthel, 1998, but usually he plays f8 15.d6 e6 16.f3 cd4 17.g5 xg5 18.xg5 d7 as in Yagupov-Ukolov, Moscow 1996, although this is really quite nice for White in my view. ] 14...a5 15.e2 h6 This move is not the best in my opinion either 15...b6 (the best regarded) or the calm 15...Nc6 as in RaetskySa nt o -Ro ma n Ro hd e 2 00 4 (whe re B la ck equalised handily) are better. 16.0-0 f8 17.fd1 [ 17.e4 c6 18.d6 b8 19.a3! f5 20.fd1 e6 21.b4 was a very well-timed s e q u e n c e b y W h i t e in Hu n t - S ch n a b e l , Oxford 1998 (19 Rfd1 Be6 holds up the a3/ b4 push). I'm not sure that wasn't a better order than what Moreno Carnero does. ] 17...e6 18.b5 a6 I don't understand this move at all. 18....Nc6 is obvious and normal with this particular move order Black might also take the chance to exchange a pair of rooks with 18...Rxd1+ - this might be another reason why Harriet Hunt's immediate Ne4-d6 was better than Carnero's 17 Rfd1: probably W hite's rooks are both better pieces than Black's at the moment. ...a6 is seldom a good move for Black in these lines since it weakens b6 and prevents a ...b6 break ever being an option. 19.d6 d7 20.d2 [ 20.b4 c6 21.a3 was a thematic option, although by playing Rfd1 before Nb5-d6 White has allowed Black to save the tempo of ....Rb8 as compared to Hunt-Schnabel -
whether the ...a6 he's spent it on is a benefit is another matter. ] 20...f5 21.f3 Extremely thematic in these positions - White should not let Black from the pawn duo e4/f5 (to say nothing of the threat of ...f4). h7 22.b4 c6 23.a3 ad8 24.2c4 f6 25.b6 We've reached a very normal position for this line and W hite now demonstrates why ....a6 is not such a good idea. e7 26.f1 g5 27.xg5 hxg5 28.d2 g7 29.e1 Another thematic reorganisation - once he gets a grip like this in this structure White normally wants his rooks on the d and e files, and puts them on different ranks (rather than 28 Re1 and 29 Rc d 1 ) t o f a c i l i t a t e l a t e r d o u b l in g wh e r e needed. f6 30.h3 c7 31.f2 d7 32.d5+ xd5 33.xd5 f8 34.a4 W hite is loosening his structure with this move and he didn't have to do it now, but presumably the players were becoming short of time. xb4? A decisive error after [ 34...e6 35.b5 e7 36.dxe5 xc5 37.b6 c6 38.xb7 xb7 39.xe7 d2+ 40.g3 xb6 Black hangs on ] 35.dxe5+- cd7 36.g4? [ 36.e8+ f7 37.c4+ d5 38.d6+ won decisive material at once White must have been desperately short of time to miss this. ] 36...c6? Returning the compliment: [ 36...c2 37.1e2 d4 still gave chances of survival ] 37.e8 xe8 38.xe8+ f7 39.c4+ Another unpleasant defeat for Black in this variation, but Black didn't seem to know what he was doing in the line either theoretically or positionally. I'm not convinced by W hite's move order in the early middlegame either, but later he took control nicely before the slightly error-strewn finish. 1-0
520
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 516 Moser,E Fier,A 18th Vienna Open 2013 (5.3) [Tom Rendle]
B03 2433 2595 21.08.2013
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 g6!? This move is very rare and subsequently it hasn't featured on ChessPublishing for many years, so here I'll attempt to update the key lines! [ 5...dxe5 is of course the mainline featured heavily in the archives. ] 6.c3 [ 6.h3 strikes me as rather odd and it was well met by dxe5 7.fxe5 c5! in Brankovic, D (2364)-Marinkovic, I (2448) Kragujevac 2013 which continued 8.d5 e6! 9.f3 ( 9.d6? h4+ 10.e2 e4+ 11.f2 xe5 is clearly better for Black) 9...exd5 10.g5! e7 11.xe7 xe7 12.cxd5 0-0 13.c3 8d7 and Black already had the better chances as White's central pawns are more of a weakness here than a strength. ] 6...g7 7.e3 e6 [ 7...0-0 A) 8.g4? really doesn't work here dxe5 9.fxe5 c5! 10.dxc5 6d7 11.f3 and now in Mladenov, P (2390)-Ninov, D (2140) Blagoevgrad 2013 Black could've gotten a big advantage with the simple xe5 ( 11...a5!? i s a l s o s t r o n g) 12.xe5 xe5 13.g2 c6; B) 8.c5! must be the critical test of 7...0-0 and now B1) 8...dxc5 9.dxc5 6d7 10.c4 is already very comfortable for W hite ( 10.h4!? ); B2) 8...6d7 9.f3 c6 10.d2 b6? ( 10...dxc5 11.dxc5 b6 12.d1 c7 13.b4 is still very pleasant for White) 11.d1? a real missed opportunity ( 11.cxd6 exd6 12.e4! dxe5 13.dxe5 and Black is in a lot of trouble here) 11...bxc5 12.dxc5 dxe5 13.xe5 c7 14.c4 f6 and Black had at least equalised in Valenti, G (2177)-Forchert, M (2398) Bad Wiessee 2013 ] 8.d5 f5 [ 8...c8 is probably more solid but I still think W hite retains a slight advantage in
these positions, for example 9.f3 0-0 A) 10.d3 was played in Denisov, I (2300)-Khalifman, A (2637) Aix-les-Bains 2011 but now I think Black gets a reasonable game with c6! with the threat of . .. d xe 5 ( instead in the game White was better after 10...e6 11.0-0 a6 12.e2 exd5 13.cxd5 ) 11.exd6 exd6 12.0-0 cxd5 13.cxd5 with roughly level chances it's not clear to me whether Black should risk grabbing a pawn with xc3!? 14.bxc3 xd5; B) 10.e2 a6 11.0-0 g4 12.f2! and Black is lacking in counterplay somewhat - he can win a pawn with xf3 13.xf3 dxe5 but after the thematic 14.f5! I really like W hite's position with good attacking chances both on the kingside and also in the centre where he is preparing to play c5. ] 9.c5! [ 9.f3 is a safe option I suppose and White was a little better after A) 9...0-0! is probably more accurate when Black should be OK after 10.e2 a6 ( 10...c6!? ) 11.0-0 e6 12.dxe6 xe6; B) 9...g4 10.e2 xf3 11.xf3 dxe5 12.fxe5 xe5 13.c5 6d7 14.b3 b6 15.c6 f6 16.0-0-0!? and White had more than enough compensation for the sacrificed pawn in Solomon, S (2397)Teichmann, E (2388) Canterbury 2010 ] 9...dxc5 [ 9...c8?! 10.f3 gives White a massive space advantage ] 10.xc5 0-0 11.f3!? A very aggressive move, keeping the option for an early g4 open b u t o b j e c t i ve l y I d o n ' t t h i n k t h i s i s b e s t although it works well in this game [ 11.f3! should be enough for at least a s l i g h t a d v a n t a g e h e r e , f o r e xa m p l e c6 ( 11...h6 12.d4! xf4 13.xf5 gxf5 14.d4 is very promising for White) 12.d6 exd6 13.xd6 e8 14.e2 and White's bishop on d6 gives him a lot of control ] 11...8d7 [ 11...h5!? 12.h3 h4 13.d1 and White's control of the centre give him a definite advantage ] [ 11...e8! looks like Black's best option here 521
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and he should have reasonable chances, for example 12.g4 d7 13.0-0-0 c8 14.h3 a4! 15.d4 c5! and Black's counterplay is coming just in time on the queenside. Still, White is possibly a little better after 16.f2 but the position remains very complicated ] 12.f2 g5!? Fier plays a very interesting piece sacrifice and it looks just about sound, even with time to analyse with the computer! Because of this I think White players should probably stick to the safer 11.Nf3 13.g4 [ 13.g3 e6 gives Black excellent play ] 13...g6 14.f5 xe5 15.e4 e6! 16.fxg6 [ or 16.dxe6 xf5 17.xf5 fxe6 18.xe6+ h8 19.d1 e8 20.xe8 axe8 21.e2 bc4! and despite only having one pawn for the piece Black's initiative is really d a n ge ro u s h e re . W h it e will h a ve gre a t difficulty finishing development and I think most players would rather be Black here! ] 16...fxg6 17.xb6! [ 17.dxe6?! f6 18.h3 f3+ is very awkward for White to deal with and I wouldn't be surprised if White was lost here ] 17...axb6 18.0-0-0 exd5 19.xd5+ [ 19.xd5!? leads to the crazy variation xa2 20.e7+ xe7 21.c4+ h8 22.xa2 f6 when Black had three pawns for a rook and a big attack. A draw is quite lik ely he re , f o r exam ple 23.d2 a8! 24.b1 f1+ 25.c2 f6 ( not 25...xa2?? 26.d8+ f8 27.xe5+ g8 28.d5+ f7 29.xf7+ xf7 30.e2 and White is easily winning) 26.b1 f1+ 27.c2 f6= ] 19...xd5 20.xd5 xa2 21.b1 fa8 Despite all the complications it seems the position is still level here - amazing! 22.xc7 d3!? [ 22...a1+ 23.c2 xd1 24.xd1 a1+ 25.e2 xg4 makes a lot of sense as well, White has to be careful as Black already has 3 pawns for the piece but at least he can start to develop his kingside finally with 26.f3 and after b1 27.h3 xb2+ 28.d2 e5 29.g2 chances are still balanced ] 23.d2 [ 23.xa8? loses to xb2+ 24.a1 xh2+ 25.b1 b2+! 26.a1 d2+ 27.b1 xd1+ 28.c2 xf1 29.xd3 f8 with ...Bc5 coming. ]
23...a1+ 24.c2 8a2 [ also playable was 24...xf1!? 25.xa8 f2 26.xf2 xf2+ 27.d3 xb2 and again Black has three pawns for the piece ] 25.f3 xb2 26.d8+! White must force the draw now as Black's attack is too strong on the queenside f7 27.d7+ g8 28.d8+ f7 29.d7+ g8 [ 29...f6? is too ambitious as after 30.e8+ e6 31.xg7 a4+ 32.d3 a3+ 33.e2 1a2+ 34.e1 e3+ ( 34...xf3?? 35.c4+ ) 35.d1 b2+ 36.c1 xf3 37.b1! fa3 38.xh7 W hite remains a piece up and he is just about holding on. ] ½-½
517 Moser,Eva Baburin,Alexander III EUICC Arvier ITA (7) [John Watson]
B03 2405 2545 21.06.2007
This game (or at least the notes) surveys some of the basic 4 Pawn Attack theory. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7 10.e2 [ 10.d5 is the most critical option refer to previous games for its analysis. ] 10...0-0 11.0-0 f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.d2 e7 14.ad1 ad8 15.c1 In the game Dushin-Siewert I exam in e 15 K h1 !? . g4 Mark Morss corrects me and points out that 15...Bg4, although Alekhine-expert Baburin's choice, is actually rare. In fact, in a Correspondence game database, I have 45 games with 15...h6 and only 26 with all other 15th moves. Now 15... Kh8, 15...Rfe8, and 15...Rd7 all need to be investigated, but since for many years 15...h6 has been considered to be the main one, I'll just stick to that one, given the limits of space. [ I think that White tends to retain some advantage, although it's not easy to d e m o n s t ra t e t h a t . A ga m e Zilb e rs t e in Baburin, San Fransisco 2007 continued 15...h6 A) 16.b3 is weaker af ter d7 17.d2 522
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 fd8; B) , but I like the move 16.f2 (!), which h a s t h e i d e a o f d 5 . F o r e xa m p le , f7 ( 16...h8 17.d5! exd5 18.xd5; 16...d7 17.d5 ) 17.b3 , and: d7 ( 17...g6 18.d5 exd5 19.xd5 xd5 20.cxd5 e5 21.f4 g4 22.ff1 ) 18.h3 fd8 19.g4 g6 20.f1 xd4 21.xd4 xd4 22.xd4 xd4 23.xd4 xd4 24.e2 d8 25.g2+-; C) 16.h1 h8 17.h3 g6 18.b3 a6 19.g1 d7 20.fe1 f7 21.f1 e7 22.fe1 f7 23.f1 1/2-1/2 . This all seems fairly logical, except that at the end White has ( 23.d3! , for example, xd3 24.xd3 g6 25.d2 with a comfortable advantage. The problem is that both sides' play is so flexible that you can't come to a conclusion based upon concrete analysis, so there's plenty of room for disagreement. )] 16.e4 h6 17.h1 d7 18.fe1 fe8 19.xf6+ xf6 20.e5 xe2 21.xc6 bxc6 22.xe2 e5 23.f4 e4 24.h3 h5 25.h2 e3 26.d3 f7 27.b3 e4 28.exe3 exd4 29.xd4 xd4 30.e5 d7 31.e1 g6 32.h2 e7 33.g4 c2+ 34.e2 xe5 35.xc2 xe1 36.gxh5 f7 37.g3 g1+ 38.f4 g5 39.d2 e7 40.d3 xh5 41.g4 g5+ 42.f4 g2 43.a3 a5 44.e5 h5 45.d4 h4 46.e3+ d6 47.c5+ d7 48.e4 g5 49.e5 g3 50.f5 xh3 51.d4+ c8 52.xg5 xb3 53.xh4 xa3 54.c4 b7 55.f4 a6 56.e4 b5 57.c1 a4 58.d4 h3 59.b1+ b3 60.h1 b4+ 61.c3 c4+ 62.b2 b4 63.h8 a3+ 64.a2 c2+ 65.b1 xc5 66.a2 c2+ 67.b1 b2+ 68.a1 d2 69.b8+ c4 70.a8 d3 71.a2 c5 72.c8 b4 73.b8+ a4 74.b7 d2+ 75.a1 c6 76.b6 c4 77.xc6 b3 78.b6+ c2 79.h6 c3 80.a2 c1+ 81.xa3 c2 82.a2 d8 83.b3 b1 0-1
518 Movsesian,Sergei Luther,Thomas 4th IECC Istanbul (3) [Andrew Martin]
B03 2655 2570 2003
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 e6 8.c3 exd5 9.cxd5 c4 10.d6!? A very sharp move, originally suggested by Boleslavsky. W hite hems in the Bishop on f8 at the cost of development. e6 Perhaps surprised, Luther finds a decent square for his other Bishop. Alternative ideas : [ 10...c6 11.f3 ( 11.f4 e6 12.f3 d7 13.e2 0-0-0 14.d2 f6 15.exf6 xd6 16.0-0-0 c5 17.xd7+ xd7 18.e4 d4 19.xd4 xd4 20.fxg7 xg7 21.c5 xd1+ 22.xd1 1-0 Kotsur,PKoniushkov,I/Smolensk 1997) 11...g4 12.f4 g5!? ] [ 10...g6 11.f3 g7 Would be my choice. White's centre seems ripe for collapse. ] [ 10...f5 11.f3 c6 12.e2 b4 13.0-0! Although this variation has been recommended for Black the weakness at f7 makes me suspicious. ] 11.f3 [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 11.b5 can be met by Alburt's d5 12.f3 ( 12.xc4?? h4+ ) 12...a6 ] 11...c6 12.b5 Continuing in the same sharp vein. The question is whether White can keep his game together without resorting to such committal play. [ 12.f4 Both g6 13.e2 g7 14.0-0 0-0 ] [ 12.e2 g6 seem fine for Black. ] 12...c8 Indicating a willingness to sacrifice the exchange. [ 12...d5 isn't any good now : 13.xc4 xe5 14.xd5 xf3+ 15.xf3 h4+ 16.g3 b4+ 17.c3 0-0-0 18.e3 xd6 19.c2 c5 20.a3 a5 21.d2 b3 22.xb3 he8+ 23.d1 a6 24.c1 e3 25.xb7+ 1-0 Pazo Coustie,R-Nunez Lucero, F/Santa Coloma 1994 ] 13.g5 [ Of course 13.c7+ xc7 14.dxc7 xc7 can only be good for Black. He has a pawn for the exchange with more to come and .... Bf8-c5 is a definite threat. ] 523
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13...d7 14.a4 h6 15.e3 d5 16.f2 a6 22.f3 c5 was the stem game Volzhin-L. 17.bd4 The critical position of the game. Sveshnikov, USSR 1979 23.b3 xb2 Black must act swiftly lest Rc1 and a capture 24.d2 a4 25.e3 b5 26.xa4 xa4+ on c4 just wins a pawn for nothing. xe5! 27.b3 xb3+ 28.axb3 4c5 18.xe5 xd6 19.ef3 f4 was recommended at the time in the game Compensation is evident. W hite has real W hite blundered with 23 h4? Qxa2+ and difficulties getting his King to safety. 20.e2 should have lost. ] b4+! 21.f1 0-0 22.xe6?! Opening the f [ 19...c5 20.e2 e6 21.g3 c4 file only seems to add to White's difficulty. 22.f3 a5 was Ilincic-Marinkovic, [ 22.c1 f6 23.c2 d6 24.d4 Vrnjacka Banja 1989, in which Black also tries to buy time for Kf2 etc. I'm not sure had some compensation. We can imagine why Movsesian rejected this obvious that Movsessian (who has been playing the continuation. ] Fo u r P a wn s r e c e n t l y) h a d s o m e id e a s 22...fxe6 23.d4 xd4 24.xd4 e5! against both of these moves, perhaps with The only move, but good enough. Black sets the same Qd1, Rh2-e2 plan he uses in the in motion a vicious attack, despite being a game. ] piece down. 25.xe5 e3+ 26.g1 c2 20.d1 c4 21.h2 a5 22.f3 c5 27.c1 c5+ 28.f1 e3+ 29.e1 xg2+ 23.he2 h6 30.d1 e3+ 31.d2 cd8+ 32.c3 [ 23...a3+ 24.a1 b5 25.a4 xf3! 33.b4 Desperate courage under fire. defends, so Black's immediate play has d5+ 34.b2 b3+ 35.a1 a3+ 36.b2 come to an dead end, as the text move b3+ 37.a1 a3+ 38.b2 b3+ Dynamic! suggests, but that doesn't mean the game's ½-½ over. The text is useful in that it prevents Bg5, which might be a handy resource in connection with some dash by the d-pawn. ] 519 B03 24.d4 A very sharp solution leading to Movsesian,Sergei 2624 forcing play. I don't see that White had any Varga,Zoltan 2533 convenient way of improving his position Extraliga CZE 2004-5 (5) 15.01.2005 available, so perhaps this was necessary, and anyway of course it's fine if this move wins [John Cox] directly: the question is does it? d5 25.e4 [ This was the idea, of course, not something 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 like 25.xd5 xd5 26.d3 xb2 27.xb2 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 g6 According to b6+ 28.b3 xd4+ 29.b1 xd6 ] Luther the last word was said on 7...e6 in his 25...xf4 26.b3 b4 A very critical choice: two games against Bryson and Movsessian annotated elsewhere on the site - and this the most obvious defence is [ 26...d5 when play is forced for a while: variation is no longer playable, although one 27.xa5 xd1+ 28.xd1 xa5 , and now I must say that the same verdict has been think White can win, avoiding various false pronounced on this variation before. The text t r a i l s , b y 29.c2 ( 29.ee1 c6= ) is a tricky sideline, not widely known but quite 29...xe5 30.d7 d8 31.c8 e6 32.c5 dangerous. 8.f4 g7 9.c3 0-0 10.d2 ( 32.d5 c7 33.xc7 xc7 34.xa5 In Starting Out: Alekhine's Defence I sang the a6= ) 32...f6 33.d6 xc5 34.xf6 praises of 10 h3 here: ( 34.xc5 e7 35.c8 c6 36.d5 ) [ 10.h3 e6 11.f3 exd5 12.cxd5 8d7 34...g7 35.xg6+ fxg6 36.xd8 c6 13.b5! was Novak-Havas, Pula 2000. But 37.b8 xd7 38.xb7 ce5 39.xa7 Movsessian heads straight for the main line, and I should think White ought to be able to such as it is in this unexplored subvariation. ] win. ] 10...e6 11.0-0-0 exd5 12.cxd5 g4 13.e1 c4 14.h3 f5 15.g4 d3 16.xd3 cxd3 27.exc5 xe2 28.xe2 xe5 29.d5 White has emerged from the complications 17.xd3 a6 18.d6 c8 19.b1 b4N [ 19...c4 20.d5 a5 21.e7+ h8 with some advantage, but it's not clear to me 524
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.h5 g5 15.f4 with the initiative, A r izm e n d i -C a u l o , O Z. C O M B li t z 2 0 0 0) 10...h5 ( 10...xe2 11.xe2 0-0 12.d2 d5 13.c5 c4 proved less clear in He n n i ga n -B u rg e ss , B i rm i n g h a m 2 0 0 2) 11.d2 Ardeleanu-Chetverik, Gyula 1997 b4 12.f4 xd3+ 13.xd3 g6 14.xg6 hxg6 15.0-0 0-0 16.b3 and White retains his space edge. ] 8.ge2 c6 9.0-0 f6 10.b3 Carefully played before committing the bishop to e3, thus avoiding the counterchances obtained in the Hennigan-Burgess game. g4 11.e3 e8 12.d2 b4 13.b1 White retains his central predominance. Timman hunts f or counterplay but W hite keeps control. xe2 14.xe2 c5 15.a3 c6 16.a2! e7 17.h3 g6 18.d5 e5 19.c1 g7 The position looks more like a King's Indian or Benoni. White has the bishop pair and space but Black is well dug in and hopes for counterplay on the dark squares. 20.a4 bd7 21.c3 f5 22.g5 f6 23.xf6 xf6 24.e2 e7 25.f4! Space enhancement and denying Black u se o f t h e e 5 -squ a re a re t h e m o t iva t in g factors behind this key move. f7 26.xe7 xe7 27.e1 White naturally takes the opportunity to control the only open file. h4 28.e6 f8 29.e2 d7 30.h2 a6 31.g3 f6 32.g2 Patiently improving. d8 33.e3 d4 34.g4! The pressure on f5 brings the bishop more into the game and eventually f o rces Black t o ce de f u rt he r gro un d . f6 35.f3 [ 35.gxf5? h5! is annoying. After the text Black has nothing better than exchanging 520 B03 pawns. ] 36.hxg4 f8 37.e4 xe4 Naiditsch,Arkadij 2581 35...fxg4 Timman,Jan H 2623 38.xe4 c3 39.c2 a1 40.e1 c3 Sparkassen Match (1) 13.07.2002 We sometimes overemphasise so-called "bad bishops" but here it's the superior minor piece [Glenn Flear] compared with Black's "bad knight". 41.g5! 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 b8 42.e2 f8 43.d3 Exchanging off 5.exd6 exd6 Considered the most solid, but Black's one good piece. xd3 [ 43...b2 is met by 44.e7 ] potentially rather passive as we shall see. 44.xd3 d8 45.g3 a5 Blocking the [ 5...cxd6!? is more double-edged. ] 6.c3 e7 7.d3! One of White's better tries queenside and ready to challenge any rook invasion such as 46 Re7 by 46...Rf7. However against 5... exd6. 0-0 [ Otherwise 7...c6 8.ge2 g4 9.e3 W hite has another way of making further f6 10.h3 ( simplest is perhaps 10.f3! h5 progress. 46.c2 f7 47.f5! A temporary 11.0-0 g6 12.f4 xd3 13.xd3 0-0 pawn sacrifice to get his king and bishop he's actually winning. b6 30.d3 [ 30.d7 bxc5 31.d8 xd8 32.xd8+ h7 isn't clear at all. ] 30...xd3 31.xd3 [ 31.e4! f4 32.c6 d4 33.d7 e6 34.xd4 d8 looks more like it, but these things are easier with computers, of course. ] 31...d8 32.d7 a4 33.d2 c6 34.c1 I don't think White really has any advantage here, but you can imagine the players might have been rather short of time.... a5 35.e2 f8 36.d1 e5 37.e3 b5?? [ I don't think White could have won after 37...g7 ] 38.c3!+- c5 [ 38...xc3 39.xc3 is the trouble of course xd7 40.h8+ e7 41.e1+ d6 42.b8+ c6 43.c1+ d5 44.d1+ e6 45.e8+ wins the rook this was why the queen had to stay covering c3. ] 39.xh6+ g7 40.d2 c6 41.d3 f6 42.e4 xd7 43.xd7 xe4+ 44.d3 g2 45.d2 h1+ 46.d1 g2 47.b3 a4 48.xb6 g7 49.a3 xh3 50.b4 g2 51.c1 e2 52.a2 g5 53.c5 g6 54.a5 xb2 55.xb2 e6+ 56.a1 A sad game for Varga but the jury is very mu ch ou t o n t he line . I m u st sa y I d ou b t whether it will ever be a good idea against a 2600 GM armed with computer preparation, but not many of us have that problem often, fortunately. 1-0
525
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 working. gxf5 48.f4 f8 49.xf5 g7 50.h2 g8 [ 50...f7 51.xh7 xg5?? 52.xf7+ ] 51.h6 f7 52.e6 f8 53.xf7! Simplifying to leave White with the superior pieces in the rook ending. Zugzwang is close. xf7+ 54.g4 e7 55.h4 d7 56.h5 e7 57.e6+ d7 58.h6 [ 58.h6 b6 ( 58...f3 59.xh7 is hopeless as the g-pawn soon queens) 59.f6 ( 59.e3 f5 struggles on) 59...e7 60.f8 c7 61.h8 and wins. An excellent game. ] 1-0
521
B03
New Notes on 4 Ps Alekhine with 10...Qd7 11 0-0 0-0-0 [John Watson] S e e t h e o t h e r g a m e ' Ne w A n a l ys is o n 4 Pawns Attack with 10...Qd7 11 0-0 Rd8' for the complement to this game. As I say there, I received many notes about the 10....Qd7 variation f eatured in this game from Luis Eduardo Neves Gouveia, to whom I will refer as 'LENG'! I will include his analysis and that from the Forum, where he and Mark Morss have been contributing ideas to this line for a long time, as I discovered wading through many posts. In this game we see 10 Be2 Qd7 11 0-0 0-0-0. I'm putting their and my analysis of 11...Rd8 in a separate game. Otherwise this will get too crowded and unreadable. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 g4 [ 9...d7 opens another can of worms, but it's worth noting that 10.e2 0-0-0 ( or 10...d8 11.0-0 g4 ) 11.0-0 A) Here 11...b8 has been played very dangerous, so is the Four Pawns in general. The main line in the Forum is 12 a4 a5 13 d5!, apparently (and perhaps not too surprisingly?) good for W hite. Still, th ere are un an swered que st io ns. Fo r example, LENG (=Luis) suggests 12.a4 b4 13.a5 (White gives away a pawn without immediate compensation but 12... Bb4 looks sound enough otherwise
( 13.b3!? has several answers an oddl o o k i n g o n e i s a5 , thinking about ... Nb4 ) 13...xa5 . Then I don't know his analysis, but play might go something like 14.c5! bc4 15.c1 ( 15.xc4 xc4 16.g5 xb2 17.b3 d3 is wild ) 15...xc3 ( 15...b5 16.a2 xc5 17.dxc5 c6 18.e1 xc5+ 19.f2 ) 16.bxc3 b6 ( 16...b5 17.g5 c8 18.d2 c6 19.xc4 xc4 20.xc4 bxc4 and it will be hard for White to overcome Black on the queenside) 17.a4! xa4 18.xa4 b5 19.b4 a6 20.h4 g6 21.xg6 fxg6 22.f7 hg8 23.g4 de8 and Black is tied down, but the follow-up is not evident.; B) the Forum has a nice game by 'brabo' following 11...f6 12.d5! , which is almost certainly bad for Black, but also discussed at great length.; C) 11...g4 transposes to the main lines. Thus 9...Qd7 is sometimes preferred, because the immediate 9...Bg4 allows another set of variations beginning with 10 Qd2, as well as avoiding an early c5. ] 10.e2 d7 [ 10...xf3 11.gxf3 h4+ 12.f2 f4 ha s b e en p la ye d a lo t a n d a n a lys e d a t length. I've looked at this with some very strong (titled) players and think that it's better for White (and potentially, torture for Black). ] 11.0-0 [ 11.c5 is also playable here Black avoids that with the 9...Qd7 and ... 0-0-0 move order. Of course that opens up other issues. There can f ollow d5 12.xd5 xd5 13.0-0 0-0-0 transposing to 12 c5. ( 13...e4 14.b3! intends Ng5 )] 11...0-0-0 The other analytical game this month features 11... 0-0-0. [ My game Stopa-Ramirez from last month went 11...xf3!? . I'll just quote my own notes: Unusual in fact, I'm not sure if this order has been played (well, I guess everything's been played). Black wants to clarify the pawn structure right away, and avoid Ng5 ideas. This is rare in comparison with two traditional moves, which I have put into another game, for the sake of clarity and in o rde r t o h igh light the co ntribu tio ns I 526
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 mentioned. A) 12.xf3!? xc4 13.f2 would be played in the hope of ripping the position apart with an early d5. Black has plenty of options, but watch out for standard tricks such as 0-0-0?! ( 13...b6 14.d5 xd5 15.xd5 exd5 16.g4 is unclear) 14.e2 b6 15.d5! xd5?? 16.xd5 exd5?? 17.g4; B) 12.gxf3?! has actually been the move played here, perhaps out of habit, but 0-0-0 seems to justify 11... Bxf3, for example, 13.c5 d5 14.f2 f6! with plenty of counterplay, especially since 15 f4 isn't available.; C) 12.xf3! It's hard to say what's best, b u t t h i s i s s a f e s t . 0-0-0 13.f4 ( The other critical sequence is 13.c5 d5 14.f2 , and if f5 , 15.exf6 gxf6 , but instinctively, White looks better, and Black had better move quickly.) 13...f6 Black is concerned and sacrifices a pawn. Other moves are slow, e.g. , ( 13...b4 14.f1 xc3 15.bxc3 hf8 16.b1; 13...g5 14.e4 g8 15.d5! with the idea exd5? 16.cxd5 xd5 17.g4 ) 14.exf6 gxf6 15.c5 d5 16.xd5 xd5 17.f3 d7 C1) 18.d5!? is attractive-looking, for example, e5 ( 18...exd5?? 19.g4 ) 19.dxe6 ( 19.c6! xf3+ 20.gxf3 wi t h t h e i d e a xd5!? 21.d4 c5 22.xd5 xe3+ 23.h1 exd5 24.d3 , presumably with some advantage due to Black's weak pawns and slightly loose king, but a t lea st this is interestin g) 19...xe6 20.c2 yields a small advantage, based upon Black's pawn weaknesses. The tactics favour White by a h a i r a f t e r h6 21.xb7+! b8! ( 21...xb7 22.b4+ a8 23.xh6 ) 22.c6!? xc6! 23.xc6 xe3+ 24.f2; C2) 18.f2 h6 19.xf6 g7 20.xe6!? xd4 ( 20...xe6?? 21.g4 ) 21.e4 ( Or 21.e1 xf3+ 22.xf3 ) 21...xf3+ 22.xf3 hf8 23.e2 d5?! ( 23...fe8 24.b1 xe4 25.xe4 d3! 26.xd3 xd3 with the idea .. .Rd2 gives Black counterplay, likely enough to draw.)
24.e1! Black's pieces have good scope, but White remains a pawn ahead. b8 ( 24...xa2?? 25.g4+ ) 25.b4 a6 26.g3 ( 26.h4! enforces a favourable simplification.) 26...c3 27.c1 d2 28.cc4?! ( 28.b1! xa2 29.d1 ) 28...g5 ( 28...d3! 29.xd3 xd3 threatens ...Be3+, and 30.f2 c3 31.e1 d2! 32.g3 is only moderately better for White.) 29.h4 f6 30.h2 N o w W h i t e i s i n c h a r g e a g a i n . g8 31.g4 ( 31.c6! h a s t h e i d e a b6 32.c5! d3 33.xc7+ xc7 34.e7+ xe7 35.xe7+ ) 31...h5 32.xg8 xg8 33.e4 ( 33.c6! ) 33...f7 34.f3 g7 35.a4 d4 36.f4 f6 37.g3?! ( White's attack is too strong after 37.b5!; or 37.e6! with the idea of Rb6.) 37...d7 38.xh5 h8 39.f3 xa4 40.e2 Time control, or he would have played What follows is not very accurate, but W hite's win is a fair result: ( 40.xc7+! xc7 41.f4+ ) 40...d7 41.e6 f7 42.e4 g6 43.e5 g8 44.f3 d8 45.f4 e8 46.f5 e7 47.f7 d8 48.f4 a8 49.f5 a7 50.d4 b8 51.f4 a8 52.f2 b8 53.f5 a8 54.d4 c6 55.f4 a7 56.f7 e2 57.f3 e6 58.f5 c4 59.h7 ] [ I b e l i e v e t h a t 11...f6 12.d5! is still considered good for White. ] 12.g5 is a fun move, going way back to books by Alekhine authors Eales and Williams, Bagirov, and Graham Burgess. There is a tremendous amount of material on the forum on this and on the main move 12 c5, which is likely best [ in p a rt icu la r , 12.c5 d5 ( 12...xf3 13.cxb6 xe2 14.bxa7! seems to favour White after xa7 15.xe2 ) 13.xd5 xd5 has been analysed at length, with many sidelines. A few possibilities: in the Forum, L E N G a n d M a r k M o r s s d i s c u s s 14.h3 ( 14.b4 and between them they write a t r e a t i s e a b o u t e4 , giving it a passing grade for Black) 14...e4 ( Mark Morss discusses 14...f5 , possibly better 15.c1 h6 16.c4 e4 17.c3 ) 15.c1 ( I n t h e F o r u m , 15.b3 gets another pamphlet's worth of analysis. I gather the 527
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 consensus between specialist Mark Morss and Luis is that Black stands okay... maybe? ) 15...f5 16.g5 xd4 17.c4 c6 18.xf7 xc5 19.h2 b6 20.c3 , ultimately arriving at a limited advantage, although I'm not sure if that wasn't countered with other analysis. This line is mostly forcing and therefore important. ] 12...xc4 [ 12...xe2 13.xe2 f6 ( 13...xd4 14.xd4 xd4+ 15.h1 favours White, with ideas of Nxf7, Rxf7, and in some cases Rad1 ) 14.exf6 gxf6 , and here White has a variety of moves: The indefatigable Luis Eduardo Neves Gouveia likes A) 15.f3 and Rad1 is okay for Black, even if he's slightly cramped; B) 15.xe6 is apparently a bit better for White after xe6 16.d5 d7 ( 16...e5 17.dxc6 d6!? 18.cxb7+ b8 19.g3 he8 20.ad1!? looks good for White, wi t h t h e id e a xe3+ 21.xe3 xe3 22.c5 ) 17.dxc6 xc6 18.b3; C) 15.xf6 After 15 Rxf6, I'll simply give a sample analysis: xd4 16.f2 e7 17.f7 c6 18.c5 xc5 19.xc5 d2 20.xe6 xb2 21.xc7+ b8 22.b1 xc3 23.xc6 d7 24.c7! d3 25.e1 wti d2?? ( 25...e8 26.xd7 xd7 27.e5+ c8 28.e4 d1+ 29.f2 c2+ 30.f3 d1+ 31.g3 g8+ 32.h4 d7 33.g4 ) 26.e5 and wins. ] 13.xf7 e8 [ 13...xe3 14.xd7 xd1 ( 14...xd7!? 15.c1 seems to come up a little short) 15.xd8+ xd8 16.xg4 xb2 17.xe6 xe6 18.xe6+ b8 19.b1 d3 20.d5 with initiative ] [ 13...e7 14.f2! xb2 15.c2 xd4 16.xb2 xe2+ 17.xe2 ] 14.b5! Found by the computer. xe3 [ 14...e7 may be met by 15 Bf2, with a limited advantage but the piece sacrifice 15.xg4!? xe3 16.xe6 xd1 17.exc7+ b8 18.xe8 e3 19.xg7 xg4 20.e6 also looks interesting, since Black has some loose pieces ] 15.xc7+ b8 16.b3 Conclusion by 'LENG': 'the move you have suggested, 14. Nb5! is really a good move and might (I said
"might") make people to think twice about using 9 ... Qd7 10...000 and 11...Bg4.
522
B03
New analysis 4 Pawns Attack with 10...Qd7 11 0-0 Rd8 [John Watson] I received many notes about the 10....Qd7 variation featured in last month's column from Luis Eduardo Neves Gouveia, who is the 'Ig' in the ChessPublishing Forum on the Alekhine. I'll refer to him as 'LENG' below. He not only sent new analysis, but pointers to old analysis in the Forum, most of it by him and Mark Morss. I'll also expand upon my previous analysis. For clarity's sake, because there is so much material overall, I'm going to add their analysis of 10...Qd7 11 0-0 Rd8 to my notes from last time and move it into this separate game, whereas the new analysis of 11...0-0-0 will be in the 'New Notes on 4 Pawns Alekhine...' game. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 g4 10.e2 d7 11.0-0 d8 The idea of this move is to improve upon 11...0-0-0 in the 12 Ng5 Nxc4 line because the king protects central squares. 12.g5 [ 12.c5 is also important, because in this case it's not clear that Black wouldn't like to be castled. I won't analyse it here, but I agree with theory and the Forum folk that Black stands all right. ] 12...xc4 [ 12...xe2 13.xe2 ( 13.xe2 xc4 14.b3 xe3 15.xe3 xd4 16.xf7 c5 17.h1 f5 18.xc5 xf7 i s u n c l e a r) 13...xd4 14.xd4 xd4+ 15.h1 is supposed to favour White. ] 13.f2! (I think this was Estrin's discovery [ 13.xf7 xe3 14.xd7 xd1 15.xd8+ xd8 16.xg4 e3! is unconvincing now, although White is not worse. ] 13...xe2 [ a) 13...e7 14.xf7 xb2 15.c2 looks very promising for White. Here's some analysis: A) 15...f5 16.xb2 xf7 17.ad1 ( or 17.g4 g6 18.d5!? exd5 19.ad1! ) 528
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17...hf8 18.g4 g6 19.d5!; B) 15...xe2 16.xh8 xf1? 17.xh7!; C) 15...xd4 16.xd4 xd4+ 17.h1 xe2 18.xe2! ( 18.xe2 xc3 19.xh8 d2! ) 18...d2 C1) 19.xc7 xe2?? ( 19...f8 ) 20.d6+; C2) 19.e4!+- ] [ b) There's also a strange move here that I'd never seen. Even if it's not very good, which is extremely likely, it's worth seeing: 13...xd4?! 14.xg4 xe5 15.h3?! ( 15.h5! g6 16.g3! ) 15...e7 16.e3 h6 17.h5 g6 18.h4 c5 19.g3 xg5 20.xg5 ef3+ 21.gxf3 hxg5 22.ae1 f5 23.g2 d6 24.e2 xg3 25.hxg3 f7 26.f2 f6 and Black was holding in Hernod, B-Bergdahl, A, correspondence/ Sweden 1974. ] 14.xe2 e7 [ 14...b6!? may be best, although 15.e3! t h r e a t e n s f 7 : xd4 16.xd4 xd4+ 17.h1 d7 18.ad1 c4 19.f3 with the initiative. ] 15.xf7 [ 15.h5 xg5! ] 15...xf7 16.e3+ [ LENG: 'Perhaps 16.xc4 hf8 A) jw: I gave 17.d5 exd5 18.b3 g8 19.ad1 xf2! 20.xf2 c5 21.xd5 ( 21.xd5 xf2+ 22.xf2 f5+ 23.g1 xd5 ) 21...xf2+ 22.xf2 h8 , at least =; B) 17.ad1 g8 18.d5 'might work'. jw: Yes, this is better, and maybe White can get a little something, but very little, after xe5 ( 18...exd5 19.xd5+ xd5 20.xd5 holds forth good promise the ep a w n i s a n a s s e t .) 19.b3 h8 20.xb7!? ( 20.dxe6 c6 ) 20...g4 21.dxe6 xe6 22.xd8 xd8 23.e4 xe4 24.xe4 xf2 25.xf2 ] 16...g8 17.xc4 Here Luis says: 'I think Black equalizes quite easily after your last line, namely after xd4 'Here is one possible line: 18.ad1 c5 19 Bxd4 cxd4 20 Ne2 Qd5.' But a better 19th move for White is 19.b4! b5 [ 19...b6 20.xd4 cxd4 21.b5 d5 22.xd4 because c5 is now covered xc4 23.xc4 ] 20.xb5 xb5 21.xd4 xc4 22.xc4
cxb4 23.c7 In the end, White seems to retain the edge against 11...Rd8, but there are still options to look into.
523 Onischuk,V Kovalenko,I Russian Cup Final 2013 (1.1) [Tom Rendle]
B03 2591 2643 12.12.2013
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 g4 10.e2 xf3 11.gxf3 h4+ 12.f2 f4 13.c5 d5 14.xd5 exd5 15.d2 xd2+ 16.xd2 So far we're just following the mainline. g6 [ 16...e7 was preferred in BologanRo ze nt alis (an alyse d by G awain in t h e archives) when White had the better position after 17.b5+! c6 18.d3 g6 19.b4 h6+ 20.c3 d7 21.b5! ] 17.f4 [ 17.e3! was Gawain's preference in his notes to the Rozentalis game and I think this is more accurate as it prevents Black playing the setup outlined in the De Firmian game (see note to Black's 18th) A) 17...e7 18.d3! ( 18.f4?! h6 would transpose to Atalik-De Firmian) 18...h5 19.g5 is very pleasant for White; B) 17...h5!? 18.b5 e7 19.g5+ e6 20.c3 h4 and now in Pavasovic, D (2597)-Nakamura, H (2704) St Veit 2008 I think White's most accurate continuation was 21.hg1! e7 22.xc6 ( 22.g4!? is also good if White prefers to keep more pieces on the board) 22...bxc6 23.xe7 xe7 24.g5 with a very unpleasant rook and pawn ending for Black to hold ] 17...h6 18.e3 f6!? A novelty [ Perhaps Black should aim for the fortress setup in Atalik-De Firmian (annotated by Flear in the archives) after 18...e7 19.d3 f5 20.xf5 gxf5 21.hg1 d7 22.g3 ag8 23.b4 xg3 24.hxg3 f8 but this is hardly an inspiring way to play as Black. Still, I don't see an easy way to break into Black's position so this remains a tough nut to crack. ] 19.h4 0-0 20.h5 fxe5 21.fxe5 xe3+ 529
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 22.xe3 g5 23.h6!? This effectively isolates Black's pawn on g5 but it does allow Black some counterplay at least with his next move [ 23.af1! h6 24.g4 is unpleasant for B la c k wh o h a s n o ch o ice b u t t o g rim l y d e f e n d a n d h o p e f o r a d r a w w i t h g7 25.e6 e7 26.b4 a6 but his position is still solid so maybe he has OK drawing chances although W hite can push on the queenside here with 27.a4! ] 23...f4! 24.ag1 e4+ 25.d2?! [ 25.d3! is slightly more accurate as now after xd4 ( or 25...xd4+ 26.c3 g4 27.h4! and White regains the pawn with the better chances) 26.xg5+ h8 27.g4 xe2 28.xd4 c6 29.f1 Black is in trouble as White is threatening to double on the 7th rank with Rf7 ] 25...xd4! 26.xg5+ h8 27.g4 No w i t s e e m s t h a t B l a c k s h o u l d b e O K , however with the pawn on h6 a constant threat it's still Black who has to be the more careful in t his en dgam e . g8 28.xg8+ xg8 29.c8 f3+ 30.d1 xe5 31.xb7 d4+ 32.e2 f7 33.g1 g6 34.a3 f6 [ I really like 34...a5! here, when I think Black should draw fairly easily, e.g. 35.b4!? axb4 36.axb4 xb4 37.xd5+ f6 38.g8 h4 39.xh7 xh6= ] 35.b4 h4 36.f1+ e6 37.c8+ e7 38.b7 d4!? [ 38...e6 taking the draw by repetition was probably a more sensible approach, although that's easy to say with hindsight! ] 39.h1! g4 40.f3 f4 41.d5 g4 42.d2 e5 43.f1 g5 44.a4 h5?! A first small error gives White a small chance to push [ 44...g3! and Black should draw after 45.b5 d3+ 46.e2 e3+ 47.d2 d3+ 48.c2 c3+ 49.d2 d3+ ( 49...xc5 50.g8 is risky for Black )] 45.h1 xh1?! Possibly the losing move [ 45...f5 46.e4 f7 is good for White but Black is hanging on here ] 46.xh1 f6 47.a5 c6?! After this it's definitely losing but perhaps it was already impossible to defend [ 47...g6 48.d5! xh6 49.b5 d7 50.c6 b8 51.e4 g7 52.d3 and with the knight trapped the ending is
easily winning for White, e.g. h5 53.xd4 h4 54.g2 g6 55.e5 f7 56.a6 e7 57.d5 f7 58.b6! and White promotes a pawn by force ] 48.e4 g5 49.b5! cxb5 50.c6 xh6 51.c7 c4+ 52.d3 d6 53.xd4 g7 54.c5! c8 55.b7 e7 and Black resigned without waiting for Kxb5 with an easy win. A f anta stic grind f rom Onischuk bu t Kovalenko was holding a draw earlier on. That being said White definitely got the better of the opening and these positions after 16. Kxd2 just look much easier for White to play whereas Black is really just hoping for a draw in most lines. 1-0
524 Parma,Bruno Schiffer,K ch Berlin-West [Nigel Davies]
B03
1971
Natural development is often the best policy, but here it doesn't work. White's nonchalant development of his knights allows Black his counterplay. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 g6 7.c3 g7 8.f3 Opting for a policy of simple development, but Black is able to pursue thematic counterplay in two different ways. g4 [ The immediate 8...c5 might be even better. After 9.f4 ( 9.d5 is strongly met by g4 , with my analysis running 10.f4 8d7 11.e2 b8 12.d6 0-0 13.dxe7 e8 with a good game f or Black) 9...cxd4 10.xd4 c6! ( stronger than 10...xd4 11.xd4 c6 12.xc6 bxc6 13.0-0-0 was slightly better for White in Zysk - Miltner, Bundesliga, Germany 1985) 11.xd8+ xd8 and Black's knight will be well placed on e6. ] [ I f B l a c k p l a y s 8...c6 there is an interesting reply in 9.h3 simply preventing ... Bg4 and leaving Black in a quandary as to how he should create counterplay. ] 9.c5 [ 9.e2 is well met by c5 10.dxc5 xd1+ 11.xd1 6d7 12.e3 xf3 13.xf3 c6 530
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 etc. ] 9...d5 10.c4 e6 11.0-0 [ If White tries to exploit the weakness of the b 7 p a w n w i t h 11.b3 he would be disappointed by xf3 12.xb7? ( 12.gxf3 c6 gives Black powerful counterplay.) 12...xc3 13.xf3 d5 winning a piece ] 11...xc3 12.bxc3 0-0 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 c6 15.g4 a5 16.g5 d7 17.e2 b6 The usual route to counterplay in this structure. It soon becomes apparent that White's attack isn't going anywhere and his structural we a k n e s s e s a re s t a rt in g t o h u rt . 18.cxb6 axb6 19.f3 a7 20.f4 c8 21.ad1 c4 22.h4 c6 23.f2 a3 24.c1 c5 25.f6 xf6 [ There is a strong argument f or 25...f8 keeping his bishop on the board. ] 26.exf6 d6 27.h6 f8 28.g5 cxd4 29.cxd4 a5 30.d5 h6 31.f4 exd5 32.xd5 [ 32.xd5 xd5 33.xc4 brings about a drawish major piece endgame. ] ½-½
525 Pegoraro,Giorgio Henderson,John B (open) Ischia [Alexander Volzhin]
B03 2185 2170 1996
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7 10.d5 exd5 11.cxd5 b4 12.d4 d7 13.f3 [ 13.b3 c5 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.0-0-0 c7 16.c4 xc4 17.xc4 xe5 18.he1 0-0 19.a3 d5 20.xc6 xc6 21.xd5 xa3 22.bxa3 fc8 23.c5 xd5 24.xe5 xc4 25.b2 f6 0-1Tsarev - Palatnik, Kiev, 1989. ] 13...c5 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.e6 [ 15.a3 c5! 16.axb4 cxd4 17.xd4 0-0= ] [ 15.0-0-0 0-0 16.f5 6d5 17.xe7+ xe7 18.xd5 cxd5 19.a3 fc8+ 20.b1 c2 21.c1 ab8 Trkaljanov - Kovacevic, 1979. ] 15...fxe6 [ 15...xe6 16.a3 4d5 17.xc6 c7 18.xe7 xe7 19.b5+ with advantage ]
16.0-0-0 [ 16.a3 4d5 17.d3 xe3 18.xe3 0-0 19.e4 g6 20.h4 e5 21.f3 f5 22.c4+ g7 23.e2 xc4 24.xc4 b6 25.0-0-0 ab8 26.d2 xa3-+ winning in Velimirovic - Kovacevic, Yugoslavia, 1979. ] 16...6d5 17.a3 xc3 18.xe6 ca2+!!N [ 18...a5 19.xg7+ d8 20.xd7+ xd7 21.g4+ c7 22.axb4 a2+ 23.b1 xb4 24.c4 Velimirovic - Kovacevic, Yugoslavia, 1978. ] 19.b1 xe6! 20.xd8+ xd8 21.axb4 xb4 22.e2 [ 22.h5+ f7 23.g4 g6+ 24.a1 c2+-+ winning ] [ 22.e4 d1+ 23.c1 a2+-+ winning ] [ 22.g4 d5 23.e2 e4+ 24.a1 d5 25.c5 xc5 26.xe4 c1+ 27.b1 xb1+ 28.xb1-+ winning ] 22...f8 23.h5+ [ 23.g3 f5+ 24.a1 d5 25.b8+ f7 26.xa7 c2+ 27.a2 xe3 28.xe3 a8+ 29.b3 b8+ 30.c3 f6+ 31.c4 e6-+ winning ] 23...g6 24.e5 [ 24.a5 f5! 25.xa7 e5 26.f1 d5 27.f3 g4 28.d4 xf3 29.xe5 xe2 30.c5 d3+-+ winning ] 24...f5+ 25.a1 d5 26.b8+ f7 [ 26...f7 27.xa7 c2+ 28.a2 xe3 29.xe3 a5+ 30.b3 b8+-+ winning ] 0-1
526 Pelikian,Jefferson Milos,Gilberto Itau Cup 450th Ann (4) [Andrew Martin]
B03 2414 2594 19.01.2004
OOPS! 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f4!? A humorous deviation from the norm. White must be fully aware that he can no longer transpose back into a regular Four Pawns Attack. I quite like [ 4.e2!? here, Romanishin's idea, retaining options with the f-pawn. ] 4...dxe5 5.fxe5 c5! Way to go! Black strikes hard at the over-extended White centre. 6.f3 [ Clearly Pelikian knew about 6.c4 b4! 7.a3 ( 7.d5 f5 ) 7...4c6 8.d5 ( 8.f3 531
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xd4 ) 8...xe5 but it's hard to believe that White can play for the advantage with the pokey 6 Nf3. ] 6...cxd4 7.xd4 c6 White's centre has already been destroyed. 8.b5 [ I couldn't understand the following reference when I first saw it: 8.e4 g6 9.c4 b6 10.b3 f5 1/2-1/2 Georgiev, K-Brochet, P/Paris 2003 What on earth is Georgiev grovelling around to make a quick draw with a weaker player in a poor opening variation? ] 8...f5! Simple and good enough, since Milos will emerge from the opening with an excellent position and no weaknesses to speak of. [ 8...a5+ is an over-elaboration: 9.c3 xc3 10.xc6+ bxc6 11.d2 b5 12.xa5 xd4 13.xd4 e6 14.0-0-0 d7 Kupreichik, V-Kengis, E/Podolsk 1990 ] 9.c3 e6 10.a4?N An unsuccessful attempt to mix it up and very dangerous facing a consummate tactician like Milos [ 10.g5 is relatively better, but White has no hope of advantage: e7 ( 10...a5 11.0-0-0 xb5 12.xb5 xd4 13.xd4 h6 14.h4 a6 15.xd5 axb5 16.xb5 e4! 17.a3 g5 18.g3 c8 19.c3 c5 ) 11.xe7 dxe7 12.0-0-0 0-0 13.xd8 fxd8 14.h3 a6 15.xc6 xc6 16.a3 b5 17.xd8+ xd8 18.d1 xd1+ 19.xd1 h5 20.b1 e7 21.c3 g6 22.d2 f4 23.e1 g6 1/2-1/2 Ankerst, MHorvath, C/Budapest 1992 A rather sterile game. ] [ Perhaps best of all is 10.xd5 exd5 11.c3 a6 12.f4 axb5 13.xf5 b4 but Black has the initiative. ] 10...db4! White may already be in great peril. 11.xc6+ bxc6 12.e3 [ 12.0-0 c5+ 13.h1 xc2 14.b3 b6 is pretty much a disaster zone. ] 12...xc2 13.b3 d3! The Black pieces flood in for the kill. 14.d4 e7 15.a3 [ 15.e2 0-0 16.f2 c5 17.e3 fd8 18.a5 e4 19.g3 d5 20.hf1 d7 21.g1 c4 is disgusting for White. ] 15...xb3! But this is even worse! 16.xb3 c2+ 17.f2 xd4 18.ad1 xf3+ A drubbing. W hilst 4 f4 isn't as bad as was made out here, W hite can only equalize at
best. With so many good lines on offer against the Alekhine, why play this rubbish? 0-1
527 Pinchon,Henry Timmermans,Daniel Val Thorens (4) [Nigel Davies]
B03
1989
White habitually plays an early Nc3 in these ... g6 lines, but I have my doubts about whether it has to be played early on. In this game we see White focus on the development of his kingside, but he should play Nc3 on his 11th move, in my opinion. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 dxe5 [ In my book on the Alekhine I suggested that White may want to meet 5...g6 with 6.f3 , but this could then transpose into the game after g7 7.e2 0-0 8.0-0 dxe5 9.fxe5 c5 etc. ] 6.fxe5 g6 7.f3 [ Another interesting way to fortify e5 is with a queenside fianchetto. Binks - Cole, Bristol 199 2 co nt in ue d 7.b3 g7 8.b2 c5 ( Black could also consider 8...0-0 9.f3 f6 , undermining the pawn chain at its head.) 9.d5 c7 10.f3 g4 11.e2 0-0 12.h3 ( 12.bd2 m a y we ll b e e ve n b e t t e r .) 12...xf3 13.gxf3 and now e6 may be the best ( In the game Black was horribly cramped after 13...f6 14.e6 etc. ) 14.d6 d8 intending 15...Nc6 and with ...Qh4 and ...f7-f6 in the air. ] 7...g7 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 [ White can also play 9.c3 after which c5 10.d5 g4 ( 10...e6 11.0-0 transposes into the note to W hite's 11th move) 11.f4 8d7 12.g5 xe2 13.xe2 maintains th e e 5 p a wn wit h a cle a r a d va n t a ge t o White ] 9...c5 10.d5 The only consistent move. [ After 10.f4 Black can ease his position with cxd4 11.xd4 c6 etc. ] 10...e6 11.g5? In my opinion this is a serious error. [ The natural move is 11.c3 after which my analysis runs exd5 12.cxd5 g4 ( after 12...e8 the move 13.g5 is much more 532
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 effective ) 13.f4 8d7 14.d2! ( and not 14.g5 xe2 15.xe2 xe5 , when the knight on g5 hangs) 14...xe2 15.xe2 e8 16.f3 xe5 ( probably better than 16...xe5 because 17.xe5 f6 18.ad1 fxe5 19.e4 leaves Black with a bad bishop ) 17.xe5 f6 18.f2 xe5 ( 18...fxe5 19.h6 e7 20.ad1 also gives excellent compensation) 19.xc5 with W hite for preference because of the strong passed d-pawn. ] 11...e8 12.c3 exd5 13.cxd5 g4 14.d6 c6 The e5 pawn is dropping, and White never looks like getting enough compensation. 15.b5 xf3 16.xf3 xe5 17.h4 xb2 18.b1 xa2 19.c7 d4+ 20.h1 ac8 21.xc6 bxc6 22.f3 f6 23.xc6 f7 24.be1 d7 25.xd7 xd7 26.e7 g5 27.g3 e5 28.e6 fe8 29.xe5 xe7 30.dxe7 xe5 31.d1 e8 32.d7 c4 33.xa7 c3 34.c5 d4 35.c7 f7 36.b3 e5 37.b7 xe7 38.xe7+ xe7 39.a1 d6 40.g1 c5 41.f2 c4 42.g3 d3 43.e1 c2 44.b3 c3+ 45.f2 d2 0-1
'normal' move was [ 17...xh1 18.f5 , attacking the queen, b u t a l s o t h e k n i g h t o n b 4 , s o : g6 ( 18...xd1+ 19.xd1! 4d5 20.xg7+ xg7 21.h5+ d8 22.xd5 xd5 23.f7! e7 24.g5 e8 25.xg7 ) 19.xd8+ xd8 20.xb4 gxf5 21.b5+ c6 22.xf5 0-0 23.d3 xd3 24.xd3 with material and attack. ] 18.f5 So far, so good. Top players would resign here. g6 19.c4? [ Over thinking? White is still well on top after this, but one of several easy wins is 19.xd5 xd5 ( 19...xd5 20.xb4 gxf5 and everything wins, for example, 21.e2 h5 22.f4 0-0 23.e7! xe7 24.xd5 xd5 25.c4 )] 19...xe3 20.xd8+ xd8 21.xe3 xh1 The only chance is to grab material. 22.e4? [ 22.f4! f8 (forced) 23.h6 and with the loss of the h-pawn, Black is hard pressed to survive. He can do so by xc3 24.bxc3 d3+ 25.c2! e5 , when White will eventually win following 26.xh7! xc4 27.xg6+ e7 28.xc4 f2+ 29.b3 d5 30.g5+ f6 31.g7+ xe6 32.xc7 , but you can see that it's already become messier. ] 528 B03 22...d4? [ It's surprising that Black finally has a Pommeret,J 1923 chance to survive and misses it: 22...xe4 Philippe,Christophe 2407 23.xe4 c6 , and White needs to play 2nd Open Gap FRA (9) 19.04.2008 accurately by 24.e7! xe7 25.a3 a6 [John Watson] 26.xa6 bxa6 27.xc6+ f7 merely to maintain some advantage. ] Okay, White is a low-rated player, but it isn't often that we get to see a rare main line, and 23.c2! xc2 24.xc2? This is the turning in fact he gets a completely winning position! I point. [ 24.e7! wins, because Qe6 follows, for include this game for fun but also to remind example, d7 ( 24...e3 25.e6 xc4 folks about the theory. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 26.f6+ xf6 27.exd8+ xd8 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 28.xf6+ ) 25.e6 (the end mate is 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7 10.d5 threatened) e3+ ( 25...xe7 26.c8# ) exd5 11.cxd5 b4 12.d4 d7 13.e6 26.xc2 ( or 26.d2 ) 26...xe4+ 27.b3! fxe6 14.dxe6 c6 15.g4 h4+ 16.g3 d3+ 28.xd3 xd3 29.xe3 a6 f6?? For years this has been called a 30.d4 , hitting d8 and h8. ] mistake (not even mentioned in Cox, justifiably), and Black should have known this 24...f8 25.c3? [ 25.b3 ] if he was entering such a crazy line but it's [ 25.b4 keep an objective balance. ] funny how one unfamiliar move can throw the o p p o n e n t i n t o a t i z z y . 17.0-0-0 6d5 25...f2+ 26.b3 d6? By now the issue An innovation, which is as good as anything, must be time trouble. Very strong was [ 26...a6! ( s t o p p i n g N b 5 ) 27.e7! d6! since Black's position is absolutely lost. The 533
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 , when W hite's king has become too exposed and Black will at least get a solid advantage. ] 27.b5+? Last chance. White gets his equality back at least after [ 27.h4 , threatening Qxh7, for example, e5 28.xh7 b6+ 29.a3 d6+ 30.b4 xb4+ 31.a4 c6+ 32.b5 ] 27...c6 28.c4 b5 29.e2 a5 Maybe White ran out of time, but it's looking extremely good for black, who must be winning now. So the 2400 wins after all, but what this means I don't know! 0-1
529 Prelevic,Mirko Dragasevic,Srdja TCh-SCG 2nd Sutomore SCG (6) [Andrew Martin]
B03 2169 2308 13.09.2004
Not many of the strongest Grandmasters play the Alekhine these days, which is a slight surprise, as Black's chances aren't all that bad. Maybe they feel 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3 dxe5 5 Nxe5 c6!? is a little passive, I don't know. Perhaps it's time for a revival certainly the Alekhine could still be moulded into a winning weapon with thorough preparation. Really, all you need is something against 4 Nf3 and the Exchange Variation and then you are in business. Here we see Black completely demolishing a strange try by White the Alekhine reacts well to unusual treatment. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.a4N I guess I've seen this after 6 Nc3 but never before. Perhaps it will transpose to 6 Nc3 g6 7 a4, perhaps it should do at least. [ 6.h3 is another odd move, quite normal in the context of the opening, but played at a peculiar moment. You will see that White did not have much luck in the following game: g6 7.f3 g7 8.g5 Hey ho, he insists on originality. e6!? 9.c3 ( 9.bd2; 9.b3 ) 9...d5 10.c5 6d7 11.b3 b6 12.b5 0-0 13.c6 f6 14.f4 e8 15.c1 a6 16.a4?? Awful. ( 16.a3; 16.a4 ) 16...b5 17.0-0 xc6 18.xb5 axb5 19.xb5 xd4 20.xd4 xd4 21.fd1 b6 22.c7
xb5 23.xb5 RR g7 24.a4 d6 25.c6 ab8 26.a5 0-1 Piat,J-Beudaert,X/Creon FRA 2004 ] 6...a5 7.d3 g6 8.f3 g7 9.e3 0-0 10.c1!? Adds a peculiar twist to the game, but I don't think this is a happy square for the White Queen. She loses touch with b3 and the Bishop on d3 hangs in some lines. [ 10.0-0 ] [ 10.b3 ] [ 10.c3 ] 10...c6 11.h6 b4! The relevance of the previous comment becomes apparent. 12.a3 xd3+ With a consequent weakening of c4. 13.xd3 f5 14.xg7 xg7 15.b3 [ 15.d1 xa4 ( 15...xb1 16.xb1 xc4 )] 15...c8 16.a3 c7 Black has very simply attacked White at his weakest point, wasting no time, and he has no defence 17.d5 xd5 18.d4 d7 19.g4? An incomprehensibly terrible move. [ 19.db5 xb5 20.xb5 b4 21.0-0 e6 22.c3+ g8 23.d1 is obviously still much better for Black but White is playing. ] 19...e5 20.h3 f4! 21.g1 xh3 22.f5+ xf5 23.gxf5 xg1 I don't think 6 a4 or 6 h3 are improvements on the traditional move orders at all. Playing these small pawn moves in advance of the Knight developments cannot be very good. What an awful game. It's meant to demonstrate that although the Alekhine may well be in the background, it's still very much alive! 0-1
530 Prusikin,M Miralles,G TCh-SUI 2013 (9.1) [Tom Rendle]
B03 2555 2472 13.10.2013
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 d7 [ 9...g4 was seen in a couple of important games in the archives: Jones-Short and Bologan-Rozentalis but White was better in both games after 10.e2 xf3 11.gxf3 h4+ 12.f2 f4 13.c5! and Black players 534
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 seem to have been avoiding playing this at GM level in the last couple of years. ] [ 9...e7 10.d5 exd5 11.cxd5! was given as be st b y Gawain in h is no te s to b ot h Bologan-Rozentalis and Velimirovic-Cmilyte and I've added in my thoughts as well as a couple of recent games to his analysis: b4 12.d4 A) 12...g6?! 13.b5+ f8 14.0-0 g8 is clearly better for White after either 15.d6 ( or 15.f5 (G a wa in 's ch o ice ) xf5 16.xf5 6xd5 17.d4 c6 18.c4 and despite having an extra pawn it's clear that Black is in a lot of trouble) 15...cxd6 16.e6! f6 17.f3 d5 18.a3 c2 19.xc2 xc2 20.ac1 b3 21.d4 and Black is a pawn up but in a horrible bind all over the board, in the long run White should be winning here.; B) 12...d7 B1) 13.e6 is interesting if somewhat less co nvin cin g fxe6 14.dxe6 c6 15.xc6 ( 15.g4 h4+! 16.g3 xh1 17.gxh4 0-0 18.0-0-0 f6 is obviously ve ry c o mp lica t ed b ut W hit e d o esn 't seem to be better here and there's no reason to go for this when 13.Qf3 leads to a c omf ort able e dge) 15...xd1+ 16.xd1 c2+ 17.d2 xe3 18.xe3 bxc6 19.e2 0-0 and Black had fully equalised and went on to grind out the win in Videnova, I (2301)-Cmilyte, V (2497) Gaziantep 2012; B2) 13.f3 c5 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.e2 0-0 16.0-0 4d5 17.f2 h4 The first move that deviates from previous ChessPublishing analysis but White is still doing well here B2a) 18.e4 xf2+ 19.xf2 e7 20.g3 f5 21.exf6 xf6 22.g5?! ( 22.d6! looks safe enough and White's better pawn structure should b e e n o u gh f o r a sli gh t e d ge h e r e) 22...h6 23.b3+ bd5 24.gf3 g4 25.ff1 ab8 26.a3 xa3 ( 26...e3+! 27.xe3 dxe3 was even stronger) 27.bxa3 b2 and Black was much better in Newrkla, K (2078)-Schroll, G (2400) Vienna 2009; B2b) 18.g3! g5 19.e4 e7
B2b1) 20.f5! leads to a more definite advantage, for example xf5 21.xf5 h6 22.d3 and Black is forced into the weakening ( 22.ae1! is also simple and strong, keeping everything under control) 22...g6 23.h3 g7 24.c5 xe5 25.ae1 and White is doing well; B2b2) 20.xg5 xg5 21.b3 xe5 22.c5 and White had excellent play for the pawn in Geske, J (2383)-Schroll, G (2388) Jenbach 2012 ] 10.e2 0-0-0 11.0-0 e7?! This move is too slow here. Although the alternatives don't equalise for Black in my opinion they are definitely preferable to ...Be7 [ 11...f6 12.d5 xe5 13.xe5 fxe5 14.a4 a5 15.b5! gave White an excellent position in Kotronias-Short, examined by Andrew Martin in the archives ] [ 11...b8 was played by Tony Miles and is worth a look here although White should still be better A) 12.a3! may be more to the point, for example f6 13.b4 fxe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.dxe5 xd1 ( 15...e7 16.b3 and W hite's attack on the queenside is very promising) 16.axd1 e7 17.b5 and White has control of the queenside and Nd4 is awkward f or Black to deal with; B) 12.d2 f6 13.exf6 gxf6 14.ad1 g7 15.e1 g8 16.f2 h3 and Black had at least balanced chances in Narciso Dub lan, M (246 8)-Mile s, A (2579) Cappelle La Grande 2000 ] [ 11...g4 12.c5 d5 13.xd5 xd5 14.b4! and I like White's chances on the queenside ] 12.d5! This leads to a fairly forced variation and as far as I can see White is just clearly better with accurate play exd5 13.xb6 axb6 14.cxd5 c5+ 15.h1 b4 [ 15...e7 is not really any better after 16.d4! b8 17.cb5 with the nasty threat of Qa4 and Black can't do much here, e.g. xd5 ( 17...c6 fails to 18.d6! cxb5 19.xb5 c8 20.xf5 xf5 21.d7 c7 22.xf5 and W hite is a pawn to the good with the better position) 18.xf5 xe5 19.a4 c8 535
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.ae1 and with a piece for two pawns and the better position White should be winning here ] 16.e1?! This is enough for a slight edge but there's actually a better move [ 16.d4! looks like a blunder because of xd4 ( 16...g6?! 17.xf5 gxf5 18.c4 is miserable for Black who has a shattered pawn structure and no central control.) 17.xd4 c2 but White has the clever c o u n t e r t a c t i c 18.h4 xa1 19.xf5! when the knight on a1 is terribly placed. White is close to winning here, for example b8 20.f4 hf8 21.b5 e7 22.c1 and White will soon have two pieces for the rook. ] 16...g6 17.f3 h5 [ 17...e7 is perhaps a slight improvement. The point is that after 18.a3 a6 19.b4?! allows ( instead 19.g4 xe5 20.d3 g7 21.xf5+ gxf5 22.xf5 and White is at least slightly better as the pawn on d5 gives W hite excellent central control and the knight on a6 is rather offside) 19...xe5 with gain of time on the knight on c3 ] 18.a3! a6 19.b4 f8 Black has been f o rce d b a ck bu t h is p ositio n is still solid enough for the time being 20.e2 [ 20.d4 also looks sensible to me simply centralising and preparing Be4 ] 20...b8 21.f3 g7 22.b3 g4 23.ae1! The only move to keep control of e5 xf3 [ Black would love to increase the pressure on the centre with 23...he8? but obviously it drops an exchange to 24.b5 ] 24.xf3 he8 25.e6! The only move to keep the pawn but it's a strong one fxe6 26.dxe6 d3? Up until now Miralles had been hanging on but under a lot of pressure he makes a decisive error in allowing the passed e-pawn to move forwards. [ 26...e7 leaves Black with little counterplay but there are still reasonable drawing chances after 27.d5 g5 28.e7 d7 although 29.e6! is definitely strong h e r e a n d in t h e lo n g ru n W h it e s h o u l d probably win here ] 27.e7 c8 28.d5! White is happy to swap queens here and allow the e7 pawn to win the game xd5 29.xd5 c6 30.f4!
Pruisikin is not interested in the b6 pawn here as he can pick up g6 and h5 if he wants c3 31.e2 g5 32.g6! g4 33.e4 c7 34.f5 a8 35.e6 White's winning plan of Bf7, Bxe8 and Rf8 is completely unstoppable to Black decides it's time to resign. 1-0
531 Riedel,F Schnelzer,R Hessenliga Germany [Nigel Davies]
B03
1994
This game transposes into the 6...c5 7.d5 g6 variation and features an interesting alternative to the 12...Bg4 played in Volzhin Svechnikov. It certainly seems as if there is plenty of mileage in 5...dex5 and 6....g6, and it has the benefit of avoiding the massive amount of 4 Pawns theory. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 g6 7.c3 c5 Transposing into a line that is normally reached via a 6...c5 7.d5 e6 move order. 8.d5 g7 9.f4 0-0 10.d2 e6 11.0-0-0 exd5 12.cxd5 e8!? [ In the game Volzhin - Svechnikov Black's 12...g4 w a s a n s w e r e d b y 13.e1 followed by kicking the bishop on g4 with 14. h3. The text move sensibly intends to draw White's knight out to f3 before developing the bishop. ] 13.f3 After Black's reply, the e-pawn is in trouble. [ W h i t e c a n a l s o c o n s i d e r 13.e1 after which c4 looks interesting and doubleedged. ] 13...g4 14.b5 8d7 15.e6 Trying to mix it, but there's no apparent compensation for the pawn. fxe6 16.dxe6 xe6 17.g5 d4 18.he1 c4 19.xe8+ xe8 20.e1 f8 21.e6 xe6 22.xe6 e8 23.xe8 xe8 24.e2 g7 25.c3 a6 26.e2 h8 27.d3 f7 28.g3 e7 29.d1 e5 30.e4 c8 31.c2 d6 32.d5 f5 33.d1 d4 34.xe5 xe5 35.c4 g7 36.g8+ h6 37.e4 g7 38.d5 b5 39.d6 f6 40.f7+ g7 0-1
536
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 532 Rigo,Janos Andruet,Gilles Wuppertal [Nigel Davies]
B03
1986
A radical way for White to prevent ...c7-c5 by Black is to play c4-c5 himself, the disadvantage of this being that it makes a 'hole' on the d5 square. Can Black exploit this or will he suffer from permanent cramp? 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 g6 7.c3 g7 [ After 7...c6 White can adopt a similar plan with 8.c5 ( Moilanan - Olli, Finnish Team Ch., Aarno 1987 continued in entertaining style with 8.e3 g7 9.h3 0-0 10.f3 f6!? 11.e6 a5 12.b3 xe6 13.d5 f7 14.xb6 axb6 15.b4 f5 16.c1 d6 17.bxa5 g3+ 18.e2 e5 with compensation for the piece.) 8...d5 9.c4 xc3 10.bxc3 after which the early commitment of the knight to c6 may inhibit Black's counterplay. ] 8.c5 d5 9.c4 xc3 Opting for attack rather than blockade, which would probably be my own choice. [ Having said that, Shabalov - Chekhov, Tashkent 1987 continued in interesting fashion with 9...c6 10.f3 0-0 11.b3 a5!? ( Black offers a most interesting pawn sac. 11...e6?! weakens the dark squares on the kingside and led to a spectacular win for W h i t e a f t e r 12.0-0 b6 13.g5 c7 14.cxb6 axb6 15.e4 a6 16.xd5 xf1 17.f6+ h8 18.xf1 exd5 19.h4 d7 20.h3 xf6 21.xf6 ae8 22.d6 e6 23.xe6 fxe6 24.xg6+ g8 25.xe6+ 1-0, Zude - Majer, Hofheim 1995 ) A) Accepting the pawn with 12.xd5 cxd5 13.xd5 looks very dangerous for White after a4 14.c4 b5 15.cxb6 a5 ( and not 15...a6 16.b7 a7 17.c5 ) 16.e4 xb6 intending 17...Ba6.; B) 12.0-0 e6 13.xd5 xd5 14.xb7 xf3 15.xf3 ( After 15.xa8 I suspect t h a t B l a c k i n t e n d e d xd4+ 16.h1 xg2+ 17.xg2 g4+ 18.h1 xe5 , though Crafty suggests that White can get away wit h 19.xa5 h4 20.g2 xh2+ 21.f3 etc. All a bit much for an
organic to calculate.) 15...a6 16.e2 b4 17.g5 f6 18.exf6 exf6 19.f4 e8 20.f1 e7 21.b6 e8 22.c3 c8 23.e1 xe1+ 24.xe1 g5 25.g3 f5 26.a3 c2+ 27.d2 xd4 28.d3 f4 29.f2 a6 30.xd4 xb6 31.cxb6 xd4 32.xd4 b7 33.a4 c5 34.d8+ f7 35.c3 c6 36.b3 f6+ 0-1 ] [ Another possibility is 9...e6 after which Brasket - Berliner, US Open 1959 continued 10.b3 xc3 11.xe6 fxe6 12.bxc3 d5 13.f3 0-0 14.0-0 c6 15.g5 b6 16.cxb6 axb6 17.c4 d7 18.ad1 f5 with quite good counterplay. ] 10.bxc3 0-0 11.f3 b6 [ Another interesting possibility is 11...c6 after which Olivier - Hauchard, Lyon 1995 continued 12.a4 a5 13.a2 b6 14.0-0 and now b7 looks best ( in the game the apparently forceful 14...a6 was met by 15.g5!? xf1 16.xf1 e8 17.f3 b8 18.h3 h6 19.f3 h7 20.g5+ g8 21.f3 h7 22.g5+ g8 23.f3 h7 24.g4! f6 25.xh6 xh6 26.g5 with a winning attack )] 12.g5 b7 13.0-0 d5 14.xd5 Probably too cooperative - with the queen on d5 Black can face the future with confidence. [ A better move is 14.b3 which should be met by c6 ( and not 14...e6 15.xd5 xd5 16.xd5 exd5 17.a3 which put him in serious trouble in Munoz Pantoja - Aguilar, Mar del Plata 1993 )] 14...xd5 15.a3 c6 16.f3 [ 16.b3 is better, as if Black exchanges q u e e n s wi t h xb3 White can at least tidy his pawn structure up with 17.axb3 ] 16...xf3 17.gxf3 fd8 18.f4 e6 19.ab1 ab8 20.cxb6? Little by little, White is making concessions, in this case presenting Black with an open a-file. [ 20.e4 would have been more argumentative. ] 20...axb6 21.f2 a8 22.c1 a4 23.e4 da8 24.bb2 c4 25.fc2 a5 26.e3 f8 27.d2 a3 28.bc2 e7 29.f6+ g7 30.f1 f5 31.e2 c6 32.f2 e7 33.d3 b5 34.h4 f5 35.f2 e7 36.e4 a3 37.e2 b4 38.e1 e7 The truly horrible threat of putting the knight o n d 5 d e c i d e s m a t t e r s . 39.d6 xd6 537
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 40.exd6 f5 41.f2 xd6 42.e5 f8 43.c5 e8 44.xc4 xc4 45.h4 d7 46.g3 b6 47.e4 d5 48.e1 d6 49.d2 b4 50.e1 bxc3 51.h4 f5+ 52.f3 c5 53.f2 c4 54.e1 b4 0-1
533 Rowson,Jonathan Baburin,Alexander Isle of Man [Alexander Volzhin]
B03 2490 2590 1999
There is quite a bit of interest in the exchange variation nowadays. As we concluded earlier, it's quite unpleasant for Black as he has no active counterplay and W hite has had very good results. But recently Black has found new resources both with 5...cd and 5...ed. In this first line Irish GM Alex Baburin, one of leading experts in the Alekhine's, introduces a very important improvement, and obtains a clear edge! Now it's W hite turn to find something serious, o therwise t his line is hardly playable! 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.c5 6d7 12.c4 Up to now this is a l l we l l k n o wn t h e o ry ( f o r e xa m p l e s e e Dzindzikhashvili - Alburt). a5! A novelty, according to my database. This move seems quite risky and ambitious, but it provides a good chance for Black to fight for initiative. 13.ge2 c6 14.a3 [ The attempt to exploit the position of Black's Queen doesn`t pay off 14.d2 xc5 15.b5 (threatening Bf7) e7 16.c7 b8 17.d5 h4 and although White has the initiative it's hardly worth a pawn. ] 14...d4! Very aggressively played again. Black tries to seize the initiative at all costs. [ Of course, the pawn is taboo: 14...xa3?? 15.a1 b4 16.a4 winning the Queen. ] 15.xd4 exd4 16.xd4 e8+ 17.f1 Having the King lodged on the f1-square, W hite can hardly be satisf ied with the outcome of the opening fight. So White should find an improvement somewhere between moves 13 and 15 (if one really exists!) [ 17.e2 is weaker xd4 18.xd4 xa3
19.d1 xc5 20.xc5 xc5 and White has no compensation for the pawn, although Black has to play very precisely in order to parry White's threats: 21.d5 e5! 22.f4 ( The alternatives are no better: 22.b4 e6! 23.f6+ g7 24.f4 xe2+ 25.xe2 xf6 26.bxc5 g4+ 27.f2 xd1 28.xd1 c8 and the rook ending is very bad for White; 22.c7 g4 23.xa8 xe2+ 24.f1 c2 25.f3 e6 and after capturing the b3-pawn, Black's united passed pawns are unstoppable, and 26.b4 d7 with Rc8 to follow is even worse for White.) 22...xe2+ 23.xe2 g4+ 24.e3 xd1 25.xd1 xb3 26.b1 c5 and Black has a decisive advantage. ] 17...xd4 18.xd4 xa3 White's position looks bad but he finds some resources to fight on. 19.f4! f6! 20.b5! b2 21.d6 It may seem that W hite has obtained excellent prospects. However, Black had foreseen 1 move further! e6! Parrying all White`s threats and beginning the counterattack. 22.d1 [ Grabbing the exchange allows Black to obtain a strong initiative: 22.xe8 xe8 Now it's problematic for White to complete his development and coordinate his pieces. 23.h4 What else? Of course this is not to attack, but just to complete development. A) 23...xc4+ -this alternative is not bad either, although inferior to the text the following moves are forced for both sides: 24.xc4 e4 25.c2 d2+ 26.g1 e1+! 27.h2 e5+! ( Hasty 27...f1+ leads only to a draw after 28.xf1 xc2 29.xc2 xf1 ) 28.h3 ( If 28.g3 then e2 is very unpleasant, threatening Nf3 check. ) 28...e3+! 29.fxe3 e4 30.xe4 xe4 and Black's chances are clearly better, as White has many pawn weaknesses, both his rooks are passive and his King is exposed.; B) 23...h5! 24.h6 xc4+ 25.bxc4 e2 and White's position is miserable: 26.g1 xf2 27.h2 f4 28.g5 h6! and Black wins. ] 22...ad8 23.h4 xc4+ There`s nothi ng wro ng wit h t his m ove , b ut I wou ld pre f e r heading for the endgame [ 23...e5!? 24.xe5 ( The alternatives fare 538
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 no better: 24.c1 xc4+ 25.xc4 e6; 24.d4 e4 25.xe6 xe6 26.xe5 xe5 27.b4 b6 with a big advantage for Black in both cases.) 24...xc4+ 25.bxc4 xe5 again with a big advantage, for example 26.b1 xc5 27.xb7 b8! and after the capture of the c4-pawn, Black will have a clear extra pawn while White's forces are still uncoordinated. ] 24.xc4 e4? This hasty move misses an easy win. [ 24...e6 was simple and good, intending to play Ne4 (or Ne8) on the next move. I failed to find a way to maintain the balance for White: 25.h3 ( or 25.h5 e4 26.d4 c3 and Black wins.) 25...e4 26.d4 ( 26.f3 d2+ 27.xd2 b1+ ) 26...xd4 27.xd4 xc5 and Black should easily win the game. ] 25.xf7+ h8 26.f3 xd6 [ 26...d2+ also leads to a draw: 27.xd2 xd2 28.f6+ g8 29.f7+ h8 30.f6+ g8 with perpetual, as White's attempt to play for a win with 31.g1 fails to e1+ 32.h2 f8 ] 27.cxd6 f8 28.e3 fe8 29.f3 e5? Black doesn't feel the danger and continues playing for the win, but now White takes the upper hand. Here was the last chance to grab a draw by repetition. 30.h5! [ 30.g3 is not so good: f8! ( 30...xd6 i s w e a k e r : 31.xd6 xd6 32.xb7 with excellent winning chances due to the extra pawn and weak position of Black's King. ) 31.d3 f6 and Black has little to worry about. ] 30...xd6 31.hxg6 xg6 32.h5! Now White's pieces find coordination and his c h a n c e s a r e b e t t e r d u e t o t h e e xp o s e d position of Black's King, although I believe by accurate defence Black should be able to hold on. e7 33.f5 g8 34.g3 e6 35.g2 a6 36.d4 c6 37.xc6 bxc6? Panic reaction. [ 37...xc6 was correct, and although White's Rooks penetrate the 7th rank, it's n o t c le a r h o w W h i t e ca n m a k e f u r t h e r progress: 38.d7 b6 39.ff7 h6 for example: 40.g7+ h8 41.h7+ g8 42.dg7+ f8 43.a7 g8 ] 38.a5 b8
[ 38...a8 39.da4 ] 39.b4 a8 40.d1 f6 In mutual time trouble White has outplayed his opponent, and has excellent winning chances in the resulting Ro o k e n d i n g . 41.d7 af8 42.f4 6f7 43.d6 b8 44.xc6 xb4 45.c8+ g7 46.g5+ f6 47.c6+ e7 48.e5+ f8 49.c8+ g7 50.g5+ f6 51.c6+ e7 52.xa6 b8 53.h3 f8 54.h4 g7 55.c5 g8 56.g4 gb7 57.cc6 f7 58.f5 d7 59.c3 db7 60.cc6 d7 61.g5 g7 62.c3 db7 63.h5 f7 64.ac6 a8 65.g5 b8 66.3c5 bf8 67.b6 a7 68.f6+ g8 69.h6 a1 70.g5+ h8 71.h5 f1 72.g5 g8 73.h4 f5 74.g4 f1 75.bb4 h1+ 76.h4 g1 77.bg4 f1 78.f4 g1 79.f5 c1 80.h3 c7 81.h5 f7 82.e3 a8 83.fe5 ff8 84.h6? [ 84.e7 won easily: a1 ( 84...g8 85.f7 gf8 86.e8 g7 87.xa8 xa8 88.e8 ) 85.e1 xe1 86.xe1 and in comparison with the game Black`s Rook is passive here. White executes his winning plan (Re7, Kh6) without obstacles. ] 84...a1 85.h3 g8 86.e7 g6+ 87.h5 g1 88.e8+ g8 89.xg8+ xg8 This position is well-known as a draw in the theory books. 90.a3 h1+ 91.g4 g1+ 92.f4 f1+ 93.g4 g1+ 94.f4 f1+ 95.f3 a1?! This inaccuracy doesn't change the evaluation of the position as White can't make any progress. [ 95...xf3+! heads for an immediate draw 96.xf3 f7 Having missed this chance here, Black grabs this opportunity a few moves later ] 96.b3 f1+ 97.e5 e1+ 98.f4 f1+ 99.f3 xf3+ 100.xf3 f7 101.f4 h6 102.gxh6 ½-½
534 Sarakauskas,Gediminas Baburin,Alexander ch-EU Cork IRL (6) [John Cox]
B03 2449 2523 27.03.2005
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 c6 A bit unusual. Of 539
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 course 6...Be7 is the main move the early knight development is usually reckoned a little committal but Baburin is a great connoisseur of this variation and has a new idea in mind. 7.h3 f5 An interesting move. It has been played before, but not by anyone within 300 ELO points of Baburin's strength. Curiously enough I was debating this idea in the ChessPublishing forum with some other users only about three weeks before this game was played, and we didn't have anything like such a concrete reason for the move as Baburin demonstrates. 8.e3 [ 8.e2 b4 , of course, but this means that W hite cannot develop his pieces in quite the sequence he would like: this is the point of Baburin's idea. ] [ 8.f3? b4 9.e2+ e7 10.e4 d5 11.cxd5 xd5-+ 12.a3 xe4 13.axb4 0-0 14.d2 fe8 15.a5 xf3 16.gxf3 xd4 17.e5 xb2 0-1 was Wippermann-Baburin, played two days later in the same tournament: a curious way for a 2425 player to lose against a move he had presumably prepared for, but at least demonstrates Baburin's faith in his idea. ] 8...e7 9.f3 0-0 10.d5 A plan introduced by Ian Rogers - see Rogers-Loeffler, Dutch Interclub 1995, and Rogers-Bagirov, Bundesliga 1995. Neither game reached this exact position, but in both the same basic pattern of play developed. [ 10.e2 e8 11.0-0 f6 would lead to a fairly popular position, reached for example in Suetin-Vukic, Odessa 1975, but W hite has been swindled out of his options with his queen's bishop by the move order, and anyway this d5 plan is normally the idea of the early h3. ] 10...e5 11.d4 g6 12.b3 c6 13.dxc6 Normal in the Rogers plan W hite does not want to be left with a vulnerable pawn on d5 and either have to trade off the b6 knight for his c3 one or give the b6 knight a role by constantly attacking a weak d5 pawn after .... cxd5. bxc6 14.e2 d5!? [ 14...e8 15.0-0 would transpose into Rogers-Bagirov, but I imagine Baburin was ready for the d5/Nd4 plan (this is normally reckoned a drawback to the early ...Nc6) and with his move order may have intended
to reach this slightly different position. ] 15.f4 White doesn't have a lot of choice but to allow his king to be forced to move [ 15.cxd5 b4! 16.d2 gives Black a p l e a s a n t c h o i c e : d3+ ( 16...xd5 17.xd5 xd2+ 18.xd2 xd5 may be even stronger) 17.xd3 xd3 18.ce2 xd5 is pleasant for him ] 15...b4 [ 15...h4+ is the obvious alternative, for example 16.f1 f6 17.c5 c8 18.g1 d7 , but I'm not very sure about this if W h it e m a n a ges t o dise n t an gle him s e lf Black's pieces are not so beautifully coordinated either. ] 16.c1 [ 16.d2 c5 is quite effective, e. g. 17.fxe5 cxd4 18.xd4 dxc4 ] 16...h4+ 17.f1 c5?! To be honest, I find this an extraordinary decision, since the line played in the game seems to lead to a winning position for White by force in a few moves, and meanwhile Fritz's obvious suggestion [ 17...f6 produces huge complications A) 18.g4 : 18... A1) 18...c5 19.xd5 ( 19.g5 exc4! 20.bxc4 e7 ) 19...xd5 20.cxd5 cxd4 21.xd4 d6 22.g2 d7 23.f5 fe8 24.b5 xf5 25.gxf5 xf5=; A2) 18...xc3 19.g5 e7 20.xc3 c5 21.fxe5 cxd4 22.xd4 dxc4 23.bxc4 is possible also; A3) 18...ed7 doesn't seem to be so good now better alternatives are 19.f5 ae8 20.f2 c5 21.f3! meeting xc3 with 22.h4 seems to be good for White.; B) 18.g1?! A bit lame the crucial move is ed7 Of course these variations only scratch the surface and I am sure they can be improved upon, but it seems clear that this was the way Black had to go. ] 18.fxe5 cxd4 19.xd4 xd4 20.xd4 dxc4 21.bxc4 fd8 22.b5! A good move others are not so convincing and maybe it was this which Baburin underestimated a while back. d7 23.c5 White is clearly winning and the rest is not so interesting. d5 24.c6 e7 25.c7 c8 26.g4 d3+ 27.f2 xb5 28.xc8 xc7 29.xa7 d5 30.d4 f6 540
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 31.e6 f4 32.b1 c6 33.hd1 A slightly sad game, as Baburin introduced a new and perhaps quite important wrinkle in this, which s e e m s t o b e h i s f a vo u ri t e b ra n ch o f t h e Alekhine, only to go astray in the complications. He was willing to repeat the line, however, and this is a game whose opening will repay careful study. The early move orders in this ..exd6 line are multifarious and tricky, and probably no-one knows them better than Baburin. 1-0
535 Schubert,S Kopylov,Mihail Oslo NOR (9) [Nigel Davies]
B03 2256 2520 30.03.2001
In this game White prevents ...Bg4 with h2-h3, but uses precious time in the process. And Black has a perfectly good square for his bishop on f5. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 e7 7.h3 f5 Possibly Black's most flexible move. [ After 7...c6 8.f3 f5 White can play 9.d5 ( 9.e2 g6 10.0-0 0-0 11.e3 f6 12.c1 e8 13.d2 d5 14.b3 a6 was equal in Hagesaether - Gausel, Norwegian Open 2002.) 9...b8 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0 e8 12.d4 c8 13.d3 when W hite had the better game in Kosintseva - Tomashevsky, Vladimir2002 ] 8.f3 0-0 9.e2 f6 Kopylov is an expert on the Alekhine, so his treatment is well worth studying. [ Another reasonable plan is 9...c6 10.0-0 a5 after which Salimaki - Eriksson, Finland 2002 went 11.b3 f6 12.e3 d5 13.c5 6d7 14.a4 a6 15.d2 e8 16.fe1 e4 with a promising position for Black because of the latent weakness of White's dpawn. ] 10.0-0 c6 11.e3 Leaving Black's knight on b6 access to c4. [ W h i t e s h o u l d p l a y t h e s t a n d a r d 11.b3 after which d5 12.c5 c8 gives rise to a typical exchange middlegame. ] 11...d5 12.c5 c4 13.xc4 [ After this things go from bad to worse, but
13.c1 b6 was hardly promising. ] 13...dxc4 14.a4 d3 15.fd1 e8 16.d5? xc3 17.dxc6 b5 18.cxb6? [ 18.xb5 b8 followed by capturing on b2 is also bad, but now he doesn't have a good square for his queen. ] 18...axb6 19.xd3 [ White may have missed the fact that 19.b5 is answered by a5 ] 19...xd3 20.d1 xb2 21.xd3 cxd3 22.d1 e6 23.d2 c1 24.xd3 xe3 25.fxe3 xc6 26.d7 c2 27.g5 h6 28.xf7 axa2 0-1
536 Sermek,Drazen Zelcic,Robert Croatian Team Ch (1) [Nigel Davies]
B03
1994
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 e7 7.d3 0-0 8.ge2 c6 9.0-0 f6 The most popular move which applies pressure to the d4 pawn. There are several alternatives: [ For 9...e8 see Emms - Davies ] 10.e3 b4 11.b3 [ Emms' suggestion of 11.g3 is worth considering. ] 11...xd3 12.xd3 g4 13.f3 h5 14.g3 g6 15.d2 h4 16.d5 Gaining the familiar space advantage, but Black's position is very solid. e8 17.ae1 d7 18.e2 xg3 19.hxg3 a6 20.fe1 f8 21.d4 d7 22.e4 xe4 23.xe4 xe4 24.xe4 e8 25.e3 xe4 26.xe4 f6 27.f2 f7 28.g4 h6 29.e3 e7 30.xe7+ xe7 White has kept a small advantage right into a minor piece endgame and Black still needs to play carefully to draw. 31.e4 a5 32.c5 g6 33.cxd6+ xd6 34.f2 e7 35.g3+ d7 36.d4 c6 37.dxc6+ xc6 38.e1 b6 39.d2 b5 40.f4 c6 41.a4 g6 42.g3 f8 43.e4 e6 44.f5 d4+ 45.g6 xb3 46.xg7 c5 47.xh6 xa4 48.g6 c5 49.xf6 a4 50.e1 d3 51.c3 b5 52.g5 b4 53.g6 bxc3 54.g7 c2 55.g8 c1 56.e8+ c7
541
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Morss gives 22.g2 f3 23.d6 c6 ] 22...d6 This is a difficult choice, and perhaps a go o d p la ce f o r B lack t o se e k e qu a lit y. Another move that doesn't seem to fit the bill 537 B03 is [ 22...e7 23.f3 ( or 23.g2 ) 23...e8 Shabalov,Alexander 24.e1 ] Analysis 23.g2 e8 Superficially, here are a few [John Watson] more possibilities. [ 23...4xd5? 24.f3 ] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 [ 23...a4!? 24.xa4 xa4 25.e3!? ( or 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 g6 8.f4 g7 25.f4 )] 9.c3 0-0 10.d2 e6 11.0-0-0 exd5 [ 23...g3 24.f4 f8 25.f1 ] 12.cxd5 e8!? 13.e1 a6 14.f3 b4 15.g5! f6 Here, instead of 16 Bh4, I 24.axb4 cxb4 25.a2 xd5 26.xd5+ suggested 16.exf6 xe1+ 17.xe1 xf6 xd5 27.c4 c8 28.e3 g7 [ 28...b5 29.xd5 xc4+ 30.b1 ] 18.xf6 xf6 19.a3 And now Mark Morss correctly points out that I didn't address the 29.xd5 xc4+ 30.b1 c6 31.d1 a5 move f5 , looking only at 19...a5 and 19... 32.c1 c5 33.e3 Well, long analysis, Na6. My excuse? I was at a coffeehouse you maybe wrong analysis. Probably both sides can't leave these engines alone for a minute! can improve that's the normal course of things. B u t m y o ve r a l l im p r e ss io n is t h a t W h it e Anyway, Morss claims equality after 20.h3 [ 20.e2 doesn't seem to achieve enough, stands somewhat better going all the way although it would be worth playing on. One back to exf6. main line is d8 21.g4 xg4! 22.axb4 cxb4 ( 22...xe2 23.bxc5 xd5 24.xe2 ) B03 23.e4 e5 ( 23...f5 24.xg4 xe4 538 transposes 25.e6+ g7 26.g2 e5 Shabalov Four Pawns 27.f3 d6 28.b1 xd5 29.g5 c6 Analysis,Continued 30.f1 f8 31.d1 f6 32.b3 ) 24.xg4 [John Watson] xe4 25.e6+ g7 26.g2 ( White could play on aiming for a small advantage without 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 much risk: 26.g2 xd5 27.e1 c4+ 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 g6 8.f4 g7 28.c2 xc2+ 29.xc2 f6 30.g4 ) 9.c3 0-0 10.d2 e6 11.0-0-0 exd5 26...c4+! ( 26...e5? 27.f3 c7+ 12.cxd5 e8!? 13.e1 a6 14.f3 b4 28.b1 xd5 29.g5; 26...e3+? 27.b1 15.g5 In previous columns, I looked at some b3 28.f3 d4 29.d6 xd6 30.xb3 ) analysis in the Forum by Mark Morss, who 27.c2 ( 27.b1 xd5 28.f3 b3! ) has demonstrated the 'Shabalov line' in the 27...f4+ 28.b1 xd5 29.d3 d6 Four Pawns has more life to it than I gave it 30.e1 e8 31.xd5 xe1+ 32.xe1 credit for. I believe that, based upon previous xd5 and even if White should play on (with analysis in this column, the line15...f6 16 exf6 33 Nd3, for example), it's very unlikely that u l t i m a t e l y w o r k s o u t i n W h i t e ' s f a v o u r the game will end in other than a draw, (although there are always surprises!). But in because the endgames are all drawn. ] t h e Fo ru m , Ma rk ca m e u p wit h t h e t ru l y 20...c8 21.g4 d7 So far according to courageous idea c7!? (or!!??), which dares Morss, and the computer agrees. But now my W h it e t o p la y 16.d6 (not surprisingly, there com pu ter f ina lly sto ps prod ucing in st an t are options, but let's stick with this one). Most opinions and starts waltzing around from point players wouldn't get near this position, but it's to point. After some investigation with actual b a s e d u p o n a c o n s i s t e n t t h e m e o f t h i s direction from a human, I think the best line is variation, that White's king is more exposed 22.e2! , when White always seems to keep than Black's (...Bf5/...c4/...Na4, and freeing some advantage. the g7 bishop are themes, among others), so 57.xa4 h6+ 58.f5 h5+ 59.f6 ½-½
542
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 however scary the centre pawns look, White has his own reasons to be afraid that the position will spin out of control. For all that, I'm a fan of these centralised pieces and my guess is that Black comes up a little short. But I'm not sure! For those with some patience, t h i s m i g h t b e f u n t o g o t h r o u g h : c6 The point. 17.h6 [ 17.a3 doesn't even threaten the knight (of course, it's much more complicated than that, but...). ] [ 17.b5 xa2+! 18.c2 f5+ 19.b3 e6+ 20.c2 is at best a draw, and Black will probably want to try for more by b4+ 21.c1 c8 ] 17...h8 Mark's idea. [ 17...f5 is also challenging, but ultimately White seems to come out on top. Here's a sample analysis: 18.a3 a6 (Stopping Bb5 or even Nb5. Black can't simply wait because there will come Nh4 soon an d pieces will start hanging) 19.xg7 xg7 20.d1 ( 20.h4 e6 21.e4 ec8! hangs in there ) A) 20...e6 21.h4! h5! 22.e2 with the idea Rhf1, and Black has a lot of tries that don't lose, but they all seem to leave him worse, e.g., a2+! ( 22...b3 23.g5 4d5 24.xd5 xd5 25.d3 ) 23.xa2 xa2 24.d3; B) 20...c2 (!?) 21.f2 a1 22.d3 d7 23.he1 xd3 24.xd3 c4 25.dd1 b3+ 26.c2 with the idea Ne4. Naturally there's plenty to look at here. ] 18.h4! g4! [ 18...e6 19.a3 a2+ ( 19...a6 20.h5 ) 20.xa2 xa2 21.h5 A) 21...a6 22.hxg6 fxg6 and a silly but fun line (and I think relevant) is 23.d3! ( 23.f4!? ) 23...c4 24.f4 b5 25.b4! cxb4 26.g5 f8? ( 26...d5 27.e4 ) 27.xg6!! hxg6 28.xf8 xf8 29.xh8+; B) 21...c4 (this cuts off the bishop, but what else?) 22.hxg6 fxg6 B1) 23.g5 wti Be7/Qh6 ac8 B1a) or 24.e7 c3 25.bxc3 xa2 d5 26.b1 B1a1) 26...xc3 27.xc3 xc3 28.d4 ec8 ( 28...a6 29.h3 xh3 30.gxh3 ) 29.h3 xh3 30.gxh3 c4 31.xc4+ xc4
32.c2+-; B1a2) 26...c5 27.g5 xa3 28.h3! c5 29.xh7 a4 30.h3 xc3+ 31.xc3 xc3 32.xc3 xc3 33.d7; B1b) 24.h4; B1c) 24.d4 [BEST?] d7 ( 24...c3 25.bxc3 d5 26.d2 c5 27.b4 a5 28.xc5 xc5 29.c2 ); B2) 23.d4 [Good, as are other moves] a4 24.d2 b5 wt i . . . N c 5 25.h4 ( 25.e4 xe4 26.xe4 c5 27.e3 b3+ 28.c2 xd2 29.xd2 ) 25...b7 26.c3 with e6: xc3 ( 26...a5 27.e6; 26...ad8 27.d4 ) 27.bxc3 ad8 28.b2 b3 29.d4 d7 30.g3 dd8 31.f5 g7 32.xg7 xg7 33.h4 h8 34.e2 g7 35.f3; B3) 23.h4 ac8 , and there are several good calm moves, but the direct 24.e3 looks very good, with the idea Bd4: d5 ( 24...c3 25.bxc3 d5 26.xb6 axb6 27.b2 and White's king is safer than it deserves to be) 25.d4 and White is threatening Qh6 and can otherwise build up slowly. ] [ 18...f5 19.h5 a4 20.hxg6 xg6 21.h4 a5 22.g4 d7 ( 22...b6 23.xg6+ hxg6 24.b5 xa2+ 25.c2 b4+ 26.b3 ) 23.ee4 b6 24.g3 e6 25.a3 a2+ 26.xa2 xa2 27.b5 ] 19.a3 a6 [ 19...xf3 20.b5 ] 20.f4 [ 20.e2 4d5 21.h5!? ] 20...xf3 21.xf3 xf3 22.gxf3 4d5 23.xd5 xd5 24.f4 g7 25.xg7 [ 25.g5 h6 26.d7 hxg5 27.dxe8+ xe8 28.fxg5 should also suffice ] 25...xg7 26.f5! ad8 27.h2! , a computer move that seems to do the trick. Naturally there can be improvements anywhere, and I think that Mark has proven how versatile and interesting this line can be.
543
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 539 Shaw,John K Davies,Nigel R 4NCL [Nigel Davies]
B03
2002
In this game I practice what I preach with the e-pawn recapture, and might have gotten the better of it had I remembered my own book! 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6! 6.c3 e7 7.d3 0-0 8.ge2 c6 9.0-0 e8 10.a3?! [ 10.b3 f8 was Emms - Davies, Southend 2002 ] 10...f6 11.e3 g4 [ This is fine for Black, but after the game we decided that 11...g6 was better as I gave in my book, with Black intending ...Ne7 followed by .... Nf5 or ...Bf5. My opponent hadn't seen the book which is why he played the somewhat dubious 10 a3. And meanwhile I'd forgotten my own recommendation.... ] 12.c2 g6 13.h3 xe2 14.xe2 g5 It's important to eliminate White's bishop pair before they become dangerous. 15.d5 b8 16.xg5 xg5 17.c3 8d7 18.ae1 xe1 19.xe1 a6 ½-½
540 Shirov,A Appel,R Bundesliga 2012-13 (9) [Tom Rendle]
B03 2718 2525 23.02.2013
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 This is generally considered more solid than cxd6 so it's interesting to see what the great attacking player Shirov has in mind against it. 6.d3 [ 6.c3 is the main move and it's been examined many times on this site before. Possibly it's a more accurate move-order even for Bd3 and Nge2 as Black is less likely to play ...g6 here because of g6 7.f3 g7 ( or 7...g4 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 ) 8.e2+ ( 8.g5!? ) 8...e7 9.xe7+ xe7 10.g5+ with a comfortable edge for White ] 6...c6
[ 6...e7 was played in Emms-Davies in the archives but after 7.e2 0-0 8.bc3 White has a slight edge in my opinion. ] 7.e2 g6! This looks to be a better setup for Black than the above Emms-Davies game 8.bc3 g7 9.e3 0-0 10.0-0 This position has been reached a few times and Black has tried a couple of different ways of equalising. b4! This seems to just about equalise. [ 10...e8 11.d5 ( 11.c1 with a minimal edge for W hite looks like the best option here d5 can be met wit h 12.c5 c4 13.xc4 dxc4 14.a4 ) 11...e5 12.b3 A) 12...g4 13.c1 ( not 13.h3?! xe2 14.xe2 exc4 ) 13...h4 is a more am b it io u s way o f p la yin g - B la c k c a n hardly be worse here; B) 12...xd3 13.xd3 was equal in Lopez Martinez, J (2440) -Nogueiras, J (2482) Santa Clara 2004 ] [ 10...g4 11.f3 ( 11.h3 xe2 12.xe2 e8 13.e1 also gives White a tiny advantage. ) 11...f5 A) 12.xf5 is obviously critical but the posit ion af te r xc4 ( 12...gxf5 13.b3 is obviously better for White) 13.f2 gxf5 14.d3 b6 15.xf5 f6 is still about equal.; B) 12.b3 e8 13.f2 xd3 14.xd3 and W hite was the more comfortable in Yildiz, B (2244)-Zhao Xue (2490) Nalchik 2010 although Black's position remains typically solid. ] 11.b3 c6 [ Black could grab the bishop with 11...xd3 12.xd3 c6 but after 13.d2 White can always swap off Black's key dark-squared Bishop with Bh6 and so his space advantage is still the most important aspect of the position. ] 12.b1 d5 13.c5 d7 14.a3 a6 15.b4 c7 16.d3 e6 This is an important setup for Black in this line. Appel's position is very solid, he has pressure on d4 and ...b6, ...a5 gives him chances to liquidate on the queenside. 17.d2 b6 18.ad1 a5 19.b5! Otherwise White is in danger of being worse. b7 20.xd5 Finally the trademark Shirov 'Fire on the board' starts but here Appel has things just about under control. bxc5 [ 20...cxd5 21.c6 c8 22.cxd7 xd7 544
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 bedfellows. 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 e7 7.e3 c6 8.e2 0-0 [ Of course 8...f5 is natural enough, but whereas Black will always have to castle short, he might not need to place his Bishop on f5. 9.f3 0-0 10.0-0 f6 11.b3 a5 12.ac1 a4 13.d1 a3 14.b3 e8 15.d5 b4 16.d2 a6 17.d4 ( 17.xb6! cxb6 18.fe1 d7 19.d4 is a n u n ste re o t yp e d wa y t o ha n d le t h e position and one which gives W hite the a d v a n t a g e .) 17...g6 18.db5 c5 19.xc5?! ( 19.fe1 ) 19...dxc5 20.d6 cxd6 21.f3 g5 22.xd6 xc1 23.xc1 Oms Fuentes, L-Jimenez Albadalejo, M/ Barbera del Valles 2005 and now g5 ] 9.f3 g4 10.b3 f5!? Exactly the type of move to confuse a weaker opponent, but objectively, it is dubious. [ Either 10...f6 ] [ or 10...e8 are superior. ] 11.0-0?! [ 11.d2! is easily the best move, after which White secures an undisputed edge: f6 12.0-0 h6 13.d5 xf3 14.xf3 e5 15.e2 bd7 16.ae1 ( 16.f4! is clearest: g4 17.xg4 fxg4 18.ae1; 16.c2!? g4 17.xg4 fxg4 18.ae1 e5 19.e2 h4 20.g3 ) 16...a5 17.b5 f7 18.d3 c6 19.dxc6 bxc6 20.a3 a4 21.b4 g6 22.xh6 xh6 23.xh6 f7 24.h7+ g7 25.xf5 gxf5 Oe, O-Carl sson, A/Randers 1973 The conclusion I draw from the examples above is that the Alekhine is slippery, difficult to get a grip on. Against tacticians this type of 'confusing play' works well, less so against strategical players. ] 541 B03 11...f4 12.c1 f6 13.b2 h8 14.e4 [ Again White misses his chance: 14.d5! ] Shukurova,Meihriban 2205 Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar 2699 14...d5! 15.xf6 xf6 16.c1 ad8 17.c5 President's Cup (1) 04.05.2006 c8 Black has a very reasonable position now. His Knight comes to f5 and pressure is [Andrew Martin] created against d4. 18.d2 8e7 19.b4 1.e4 f6 Note that Mamedyarov is very f5! 20.cd1 [ 20.xf4 fxd4-+ ] happy to use the Alekhine against lower-rated opposition perhaps that will be the future for 20...de8 21.fe1 [ White would normally advance his this combative, but when the dust settles, queenside pawns as quickly as possible, but slightly worse for Black, opening. The here he is struck downafter 21.b5 h4!! Alekhine and the Scandinavian are
also looks fairly level although White does have a space advantage on the queenside it's not clear this is of any real benefit. ] 21.bxc6 [ 21.dxc5 might keep the slimmest of advantages after dxc5 22.bxc6 xc6 23.c4 c8 24.a2! although Black shouldn't have any serious problems here. ] 21...xc6 22.e4 a4 23.c1 cxd4 24.xd4 dc5 Suddenly White has to be very careful 25.xe6! The only move to keep the balance and it starts off a long sequence of exchanges which takes us into an equal endgame [ 25.f3?? allows xd4 26.xd4 b3 winning a piece ] 25...xe4 [ 25...xe6 drops a pawn to 26.b6 xd2 27.xd2 ad8 28.xa5 although Black has r e a s o n a b l e c o m p e n s a t i o n a f t e r b5 29.fe1 d4 and a draw is still the most likely result ] 26.xd8 [ 26.d3?! xf2! ] 26...xd2 27.xd2 fxd8 28.b6 b5 29.fd1 ab8 30.xa5 b2 31.xd8+ xd8 32.b1 xa3 33.c4 d3 The dust has settled and the position is just a draw. White's back rank is too weak for any of the tactics to end in his favour. 34.e5 d5 35.g4 b2! 36.h3 d3 37.xb2 xa5 A relatively comfortable hold for Black in a solid line of the Alekhine. White is still yet to prove a real edge against exd6 and I recommend trying other lines (the 4-pawns or 4.Nf3) ½-½
545
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A superb idea. 22.bxc6 ( 22.h1 a5!; 22.xh4 xe2 ) 22...xe2 23.xe2 xf3 24.e5 ( 24.gxf3 g6+ 25.h1 g2# ) 24...g6 ] 21...g6 22.h1 [ 22.b5 xf3 23.xf3 h4 24.xd5 g5 25.xe8 xe8 26.e1 xe1+ 27.xe1 xd5 28.e8+ g8 29.xg8+ xg8 30.bxc6 bxc6 ] 22...a6 23.a4 h5 24.b5 axb5 [ 24...h4 looks good again: 25.xh4 xe2 26.b1 xh4 27.xe2 e7 28.be1 f3 29.gxf3 axb5 30.axb5 xf3 but I think Mamedyarov preferred the text because he knew he was at least positionally better anyway. There comes a point in the game where you just KNOW that you are going to win as long as you don't take any risks. ] 25.axb5 a5 26.e5 xe5! 27.xg4 xe1+ 28.xe1 xg4 29.f3 [ Regrettably for White 29.xa5 is answered by f3-+ ] 29...g3+! 30.g1 [ 30.hxg3 h5+ 31.g1 fxg3 32.xa5 h2+ 33.f1 h1+ 34.e2 xg2+ 35.d1 xb2 ] 30...c4 31.fxg4 xd2 32.hxg3 f3 All still under control. 33.f2 e4+ 34.e3 fxg2 35.g1 f2 36.a3 a2 37.b4 g5 38.d2 xd2 A mismatch, but still a good opening choice by Black. 0-1
was stronger. ] 11.xc4 xc3+ 12.bxc3 xc4 13.a4+ d7 14.xc4 b6 15.b5+ d7 16.xd7+ xd7 17.d6 c8 18.d2 [ 18.e3 is m ore active b ut the n xc3 19.xb6 axb6 20.d2 a3 gave Black equality in Shirov - Shabalov, Riga 1986. ] 18...b5! [ Probably even more precise than the older 18...c4 , first of all Black stops his opponent from castling. ] 19.d4 d3 The fact that the draw was agreed at this point confirms the view that this position (the last word on the 6...c5 line) is fine for Black. [ The previous game in this line was MChess Pro - Shabalov, Boston 1994 which went: 19...d3 20.f2 d7 21.he1 he8 22.a4 g6 23.a2 c5 24.f3 c4 25.f4 h5 26.ae2 xf3 27.gxf3 a5 28.g1 g6 29.b1 b6 30.b4 xe5 , recovering the pawn with a good position. Shabalov actually lost this game but this was only due to a subsequent blunder. ] ½-½
543 Simons,Martin Baburin,Alexander 10th Monarch Assurance (2) [Nigel Davies]
B03
30.09.2001
The words 'Voronezh Variation' have been st ri ki n g f e a r in t o t h e h e a r t s o f A l e k h i n e Shulman,Yuri players and turned the once harmless Baburin,Alexander Exchange Variation into an instrument of Linklater Mem (11) torture. But Black has been fighting back with [Nigel Davies] the simple 5... exd6, getting castled and then figuring out where to put his minor pieces. It's 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 not quite the kind of chess some Alekhine 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 e6 8.c3 exd5 players are used to, but it gives Black a very 9.cxd5 c4 10.f3 b4! The move which decent game. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 rehabilitated this line for Black - in the main 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 A sensible line it leads to an endgame in which Black approach. gets excellent positional compensation for a [ Baburin has evidently given up on trying to pawn. prove that the Voronezh Variation ( 5...cxd6 [ 10...g4 11.d4 was played in the famous 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3! B r o n s t e i n - L j u b o j e vi c g a m e f r o m t h e ) is OK for Black. It's not OK at all. ] Petropolis Interzonal in 1973, though the 6.c3 e7 7.d3 c6 8.ge2 g4 theoreticians later decided that 11.Be2 Trying to get White to move his f-pawn.
542
B03 2543 2598 08.03.2001
546
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ In Sermek - Zelcic, Pozega 2000 White met 8...0-0 9.0-0 f6 10.e3 g4 with 11.h3 and obtained the better game af ter h5 12.d2 g6 13.b3 xd3 14.xd3 d5 15.c5 c8 16.b4 xb4 17.b1 etc. ] 9.f3 h5 10.0-0 0-0 11.b3 f6 12.e3?! [ I prefer 12.d5 e5 13.b2 but then xd3 14.xd3 g6 15.d2 d7 looks quite adequate for Black. ] 12...e8 13.d2 d5 Creating a different kind of structure. Black rules out the possibility of W h it e ga inin g sp a ce wit h d 4 -d5 a n d will reroute his b6 knight to f5 via c8 and e7. 14.c5 c8 15.fe1 g6 16.xg6 hxg6 17.ad1 b6 Another instructive move. When White captures on b6 he leaves his opponent with the more solid pawn structure. 18.cxb6 axb6 19.f4 g5 20.e3 a5 21.c1 d6 22.f2 f5 23.a4 ce7 24.g4?! Driving the knight from f5 relieves the pressure on the d4 pawn, but weakens White's kingside in the process. d6 25.h4 g6 26.h5 f8 27.d3 c6 28.g2 a7 29.d1 c7 30.e3 g6 31.g3 ce7 32.f1 d7 33.c2? Allowing his kingside pawns to be shattered makes matters worse. [ W h i t e h a d t o p l a y 33.hxg6 , allowing Black's f8 knight a nice square after xg6 ] 33...gxh5 34.gxh5 f5 35.f2 e6 36.ec1 [ White loses his queen after 36.xf5 f4+ ] 36...c5 37.dxc5 bxc5 38.h1 ed4 Attempting to exploit the weakness of White's king with a forcing sequence. But the endgame reached is far from clear. 39.xd4 xd4 40.xd4 xd4 41.g2 [ And not 41.xc5 h3+ etc. ] 41...h3+ 42.h2 xf3+ 43.xf3 xf3 44.f2 g4 45.xc5 Obtaining connected passed pawns on the queenside. This is going to be close.... e5 46.c7 xh5+ 47.g2 d4 48.b4 d3 49.b5 e6 50.g3 e4 51.b6 b4 52.b7 g7 53.c4 h3+ 54.g2 [ The point of Black's ingenious play is that 54.xg4 is met by h4+ 55.xf3 , both winning the exchange and stopping White's passed pawn. hxc4 ] 54...h4+ 55.g1 xb7 56.xg4+ g6 57.g2 h5 58.d2 d7 59.g3 hd5 60.f3 f6 61.e4+ e7 62.g5 e5+ 63.f2 c4 64.xd5 xd5 65.d1 f5
66.c3 d8 67.b1 e6 68.b4 c8 69.d1 e5 70.e3 d2 71.d1 f4 72.f3 e3 73.e4+ d5 74.xf4 xd1 75.e2 White in turn shows considerable ingenuity in eliminating his opponent's last pawn. But he throws the game away in what looks like timetrouble. c3+ 76.xd2 e4+ 77.e2 c2+ 78.d1 [ It looks like a draw after 78.d3 ] 78...h2 79.c1 a2 80.h4 d4 81.h3 c3 82.h4+ d3 83.h3+ c4 84.h4+?? [ 84.h8 draws, because he can check Black's king away from the b3 square. ] 84...b3 85.b4+ xb4 0-1
544 Sjugirov,Sanan Baburin,Alexander III EUICC Arvier ITA (7) [John Watson]
B03 2405 2545 21.06.2007
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7 Check out the archives for alternatives on this and the last few moves. I can't see anything for Black that I have full faith in. Fortunately, he has an incredible number of options, and I'll bet at least one key idea is yet to be discovered. [ William Martz used to play 9...d7 here, 10.e2 d8 ( I think 10...g4 11.0-0 d8 works as well. In my days with the Alekhine, because of analysis with Martz, that was my choice. I won some games but never could make it work in th eory. Now that I loo k around, I recognise some of the notes in the archives in the game Kotronias-Short! Playable? W ell, maybe, maybe not but I wouldn't bet that Black gains equality. )] 10.e2 Actually, this seems to be a very good move, perhaps better than its ancient reputation. White avoids the line analysed by John Cox in this column (see DominguezAlmeida, Santa Clara 2005), which also looks good for White but is highly unstable: [ 10.d5 (30 years ago we spent untold hours and days on this move. Now the computer would probably render a lot of that analysis 547
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 useless) A) An old line that might bear a new look is 10...b4 11.c1 f6 12.a3 a6 A1) It might be simpler to play 13.d4 , f o r e x a m p l e , fxe5 14.xf5!? ( 14.xe6 xe6 15.dxe6 0-0! 16.xd8 axd8 17.d5! doesn't look bad either: xd5 18.cxd5 xd5 19.xa6 bxa6 20.xc7 etc. ) 14...exf5 15.b4! Okay, that probably refutes 11...f6 ... maybe!; A2) 13.g4!? xg4 14.g1 with a terrific attack. Maybe Fritz could salvage that one.; B) 10...exd5 11.cxd5 b4 12.d4 d7 13.f3 c5 14.dxc6 bxc6 ( Maybe Black should look into 14...xc6 or 14...Nc6. Although W hite really should have an edge, as theory says, it may not be all that large ) 15.e2! 0-0 ( 15...c5 16.0-0 0-0 17.f5! ) 16.0-0 4d5 17.f2 , etc., and Cox thinks that W hite stands better - I agree, although I should say that his word carries more weight, since he knows a lot more than I ever will about these lines. ] 10...0-0 11.0-0 f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.d2 e7 14.ad1 ad8 15.c1 g4 The main move, although I have to admit that it simply looks good for White. [ (a) 15...e5!? has been tried, sacrificing a p a w n a f t e r 16.d5 d4 17.xd4 exd4 18.xd4 ( 18.xd4!? xd4 19.xd4 c5! 20.e3 xe3+ 21.xe3 d7 is unclear, Lanc-W Schmidt, Brno 1975.) 18...g5 19.a1 (forced, but not bad, since it influences the long diagonal) A) 19...c5! 20.f2 c2 21.de1 d2 ( 21...xf2!? 22.xf2 e3 is my computer's suggestion, although after the possible 23.ef1 f8 24.e1 xf2+ 25.xf2 e3 , simply 26.f1 is okay ) 22.d1 xe1 23.xe1 f6 24.xc5 xd1 25.xd1 (this is horrible f o r B la c k ! ) xc4 ( 25...fe8? 26.f1 ) 26.xf8 xf8 27.e2 d4+ 28.h1 e3 29.h3 and White went on to win in J Koch-Boulard, France 1993.; B) 19...c2 20.xf8+ xf8 21.f1 d8 22.f3! c6 23.f1 cxd5 24.c5?! ( White has played about perfectly to this point. 24.cxd5 is simple and strong)
24...a4? ( 24...a8 a n d . . . N c 7) 25.xa4? ( Probably there was already time trouble. 25.xd5! xd5 26.c4 e4 27.f2 doesn't look bad until you see that Re2 is threatened and the knight is trapped on a4. h5 28.e2 ) 25...xa4 26.d3 1/2-1/2 Durao-Karolyi, Helsinki 1989. W hite was outrated by a few hundred points perhaps that's why he didn't play on, although his advantage is limited. ] [ (b) I don't know what to make of 15...g6 16.h1 h8 17.fe1!? f7!? 18.f1! e8 19.g5!? , but I like White: e7 ( 19...xd4 20.xd4 xd4 21.xd8 xc3 22.xc7 f6 23.e5! ) 20.xf6 (or a slow move) gxf6 21.f4 d7 22.e4 with a nice advantage. W hite went on to win in Domnitz-Westerinen, Netanya 1969. ] 16.e4 h6 [ A strange move that sort of succeeded was 16...d7 17.fe1 ( or 17.f2 , for example or almost any slow move. The rook is wellplaced on f1) 17...h6 18.xf6+ xf6 19.h3 ( 19.f1! ) 19...f5 20.a3 ( 20.f1! ) 20...b6 21.c3 ( 21.f1! ) 21...e4 22.h2 d7 23.d2?! ( 23.f1! ) 23...f5 1/2-1/2 Ronchetti-Laketic, Cattolica 2005. ] 17.h1 Almost any solid move seems to keep White's advantage here, e.g., a truly classic game (played in 1938!) was [ 17.xf6+! xf6 18.a3 df8 19.b4 d7 20.de1 h8 21.c3 b6 22.d1!? f7 23.f2! (very often a good move in this variation) h5 24.g3 and Black is pretty much lost, Asztalos-Nedeljkovic, Ljubljana 1938. I would say that the year could be a misprint, but Asztalos goes back a long ways. ] 17...d7 18.fe1 fe8 19.xf6+ xf6 20.e5 xe2 21.xc6 bxc6 22.xe2 e5 23.f4 e4 24.h3 h5 25.h2 e3 26.d3 [ White seems to have a fairly clear advantage after 26.de1! g5 27.xe3 ( 27.g4?! f6 28.xe3 xe3 29.xe3 xe3 30.xe3 xd4 ) 27...xe3 28.xe3 xd4 29.e8+ f7 30.e1! f6 31.e5 and 32 Re5+. ] 26...f7!? 27.b3 [ 27.exe3! xe3 28.xe3 xc4 29.xc7 c8 30.b3 ] 548
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 27...e4 28.exe3 exd4 29.xd4 xd4 30.e5 d7 31.e1 g6 32.h2 e7 33.g4?! c2+ 34.e2? xe5! 35.xc2 xe1 36.gxh5 f7 A complicated ending has arisen. Black went on to win. 37.g3 g1+ 38.f4 g5 39.d2 e7 40.d3 xh5 41.g4 g5+ 42.f4 g2 43.a3 a5 44.e5 h5 45.d4 h4 46.e3+ d6 47.c5+ d7 48.e4 g5 49.e5 g3 50.f5 xh3 51.d4+ c8 52.xg5 xb3 53.xh4 xa3 54.c4 b7 55.f4 a6 56.e4 b5 57.c1 a4 58.d4 h3 59.b1+ b3 60.h1 b4+ 61.c3 c4+ 62.b2 b4 63.h8 a3+ 64.a2 c2+ 65.b1 xc5 66.a2 c2+ 67.b1 b2+ 68.a1 d2 69.b8+ c4 70.a8 d3 71.a2 c5 72.c8 b4 73.b8+ a4 74.b7 d2+ 75.a1 c6 76.b6 c4 77.xc6 b3 78.b6+ c2 79.h6 c3 80.a2 c1+ 81.xa3 c2 82.a2 d8 83.b3 b1 0-1
32.fxe6+ g7 33.c5 c7 34.b4 a5 35.a3 axb4 36.axb4 h6 37.c3 h4 38.c6 h3 39.xh3 xh3 40.gxh3 b6+ 41.h1 xb4 42.b1 d4 43.cxb7 xd5+ 44.g2 1-0
546 Smeets,Jan Reinderman,Dimitri ch Eindhoven (3) [Gawain Jones]
B03 2659 2608 13.06.2010
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 [ 5...cxd6 is the more aggressive try and I'll have a look at that in the next game. ] 6.h3 It is somewhat unusual to play this so early but the game soon transposes back into previously chartered waters. [ A recent game illustrated Black's ideas if he is allowed to play ...Bg4. 6.c3 e7 7.e2 ( 7.h3 is also possible here and would be pretty similar to the game, i.e. Fedorowicz, 545 B03 J-Porper, E Calgary 2010.) 7...0-0 8.f3 g4 Otherwise there is no real point to Skorchenko,Dmitry 2460 W h i t e 's 6 . h 3 9.0-0 c6 Typical Alekhine Tkachenko,Georgiy 2318 play. ( 9...c5!?; and 9...c6 have both been Summer GM Lugansk UKR (10) 07.07.2007 looked at previously on the site.) 10.b3 e8 [John Watson] 11.h3 h5 12.e3 d5 13.c5 6d7 14.b4 I feel that W hite should be a little better A smooth win in Voronezh style. Isn't 9...e5 here with more space on the queenside but forced after all? 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 it's amazing how fast Black can break out. d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 f6 15.b3 f8 16.fd1 e6 17.b5 d7 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 c6?! 18.ac1 c7 19.e1? xd4! A case in We've seen this move a few times recently, but it still looks bad to me. 10.d5 e5 point! 20.xd4 ( 20.xd4 xe2 21.xe2 xe2 would have dropped a pawn but was a 11.e2 f5?! 12.f4 le sse r evil.) 20...xd4 21.xh5 xe3! [ 12.h3 and ] [ 12.d2 are also very attractive. Black's 22.xd5 xe1+ 23.xe1 cxd5 and White had no real compensation for the piece. plan is mysterious, to say the least. ] Nezar, M-Degraeve, J. Marseille 2010 ] 12...g4 13.xg4 fxg4 14.ge2 f5 6...c6 7.f3 e7 8.c3 f5 Transposing 15.0-0 h5 back to Leko-Short, a game which I [ 15...e6!? ] 16.d4 f6 17.xf6 exf6 18.d4 investigated in my first update on here. [ 8...0-0 was essayed by Thomas Luther but W ith total domination. W hite never lets up t h i s a l l o w s : 9.d3 which seems to give from now on, even though both sides make W h i t e a s m a l l e d g e . ( 9.a3 is likely to some technical errors. d7 19.d2 ae8 transpose to the game after f5 ) 20.ce1 a6 21.xf5 xf5 22.e2 c8 A) 9...e8 10.0-0 b4 11.b1 c6 23.d4 d7 24.e6 f7 25.e3 fe7 12.e1 g6 13.a3 a6 14.a2 c7 26.fe1 c5 27.c2 f7 28.f5 g5 29.h3! 15.d5 c5 16.f4 f5 17.g4!? c8 gxh3 30.xh3 h8 31.he3 xe6 549
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 his c pawn.; 18.d2 f5 19.g5 Gave White total control B) 9...e5 10.xe5 I said this might be over the position. Areshchenko, A-Sergeev, an attempt at a niggling edge and GuerraV Alushta 2009.; Mendez appears to confirm my view. dxe5 B) 9...b4 doesn't pick up the bishop pair 11.e3 0-0 12.e2 e8 ( 12...d7 as 10.b1! is playable a5 ( 10...xc4? would have been more flexible as it's not 11.a3 c6 12.d3 would win the clear whether the rook is better placed on knight. ) 11.0-0 c6 12.e1 e8 f8 or e8 Black may yet want to break with Boehnisch, M-Vasiukov, E Dresden 2007 ...f5. ) 13.0-0 d7 and here W hite's most accurate would B1) 14.d3 gaining possession of the have been 13.a3 a6 14.f4 c7 light squares looks a little better f or 15.d5 with a comfortable advantage as White. xd3 15.xd3 c5 ( 15...a5 Black is rather passive.; is probably a better way of playing, with C) 9...f6 10.0-0 e8 Luther's ideas of a rook swing along the sixth improvement over his own play. rank when W hite is limited to a small ( Initially he tried 10...xd4?! but after edge. ) 16.e4 xe3?! 17.fxe3! 11.xd4 xd4 12.xh7+ xh7 13.xd4 a n d W h it e h a s t a ke n co n t ro l o f t h e e8 14.b3 Naiditsch, A-Luther, T position.; Saarbruecken 2002, W hite had strong B2) 14.d2 a6 15.ad1 e4 16.f4 pressure on the dark squares.) 11.e3 Guerra Mendez, J-Aloma Vidal, R ( 11.b3 would be more in the spirit of Balaguer 2010, and here, instead of the White's setup as d4 still shouldn't be taken plan adopted by Black of ....Bc5-a7-b8, b4 12.b1 c6 13.a3 a6 Jasny, SI'd prefer the simple d6 when Black Sergeev, V Ostrava 2009 and although has equalised. ] B l a c k w e n t o n t o w i n 14.a4!? [ After 9.e2 I forgot to mention that Black looks interesting when I'd prefer W hite can try b4 as indeed Fridman played with his spatial advantage.) 11...b4 a g a i n s t m e a c o u p l e y e a r s a g o wh i c h 12.b3 xd3 13.xd3 c6 and, although resulted in a quick draw after 10.0-0 c2 W hite must still be sitting pretty well, 11.b1 b4 12.a1 1/2-1/2 Jones, GLuther successfully exploited his bishop Fridman, D EU Championships Liverpool pair. Grzeca, P-Luther, T Dresden 2010. ] 2008. Interestingly, however, the computer 9.a3 Deviating from Leko's 9.Bd3 which can thinks White can continue with c2 13.b1 be hardly critical although this move is rather b4 14.e3!? sacrificing the exchange. I rare. recall Dave Smerdon saying something [ 9.d5 I mentioned this committal attempt in about this as a possibility. I wonder if we'll my notes to Leko-Short and we've had a see any examples? Anyhow, it's obvious couple of recent tests to add in. Smeets wanted to avoid this repetition and A) 9...b4 10.d4 g6 11.a3 a6 thus played 9.a3. ] 12.b4 0-0 13.e2 b8 ( 13...f6 14.0-0 c5!? was my suggestion which looks 9...0-0 [ I'm not very impressed by the move 9...h6 adequate for Black.) 14.0-0 c5!? 15.b3 which was played in an earlier game to ( 15.bxc5 dxc5 16.f3 would favour reach this position but it's probably not so White with potential pressure down the b bad. 10.e2 d7 11.d5!? e5 12.d4 file. ) 15...f6 16.b2 cxb4 17.axb4 a6 h7 ( 12...exc4? drops a piece to and here instead of the speculative 18. 13.xc4 xc4 14.xf5 xf5 15.a4+ ) Rxa6!? which didn't really work out in: 13.0-0! accurately calculating that the pawn Berbatov, K-Kukov, V Kyustendil 2010 still isn't edible. W h i t e s h o u l d h a v e t r i e d : 18.c5 A) 13...bxc4? 14.f4 is straightforward, w h e n a f t e r a l l t h e e x c h a n g e s dxc5 when White picks up a piece; 19.bxc5 xc3 20.xc3 xd5 21.xa6 B) but 13...exc4?! is more complicated. bxa6 22.d4 xc3 23.xc3 d3 However Black runs into trouble af ter 24.fc1 White has a small edge thanks to 550
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.a4! a5 ( 14...e5 15.f4 doesn't help) 15.f4! when Black won't be able to extricate his knight from c4.; C) 13...0-0 14.b3 c5 15.dxc6 xc6 Dovzik, J-Bednar, M Slovakia 2005 when White had a small edge. ] 10.e2 e8 This position must be completely fine for Black otherwise the Alekhine would be in a very bad state! It's interesting to see how Smeets takes over. A textbook example as to how to treat these positions on the White side. [ A previous encounter with 9. a3 continued: 10...h6 11.0-0 f6 12.e3 ( I daresay Smeets would have played in the same fashion as the game with 12.f4 ) 12...e8 13.c1 g6 14.b4 e7 15.f4 c6 16.b3 d5 17.c5 d7 18.fd1 f8 with a typical Exchange Alekhine setup. Lysak, I-Kosikov, A Kiev 2002. ] 11.0-0 f6 12.f4 The first new move. [ 12.b3 has been tried a couple of times, including a game by another of Topalov's s e c o n d s , Ch e p a rin o v. g6 ( 12...d7 13.e3 d5 14.c5 c8 15.b4 a6 16.c1 h6 17.e1 8e7 18.f1 e4! and Black started to take over. Stark, S-Khenkin, I Dresden 2010.) 13.f4 a6 14.c1 d5 15.c5 c8 16.b4 8e7 17.b5 axb5 18.xb5 c8 19.g4!? was rather unclear, Cheparinov, I- San Martin, R Linares 2005. ] 12...e4?! And, as Reinderman refuses the exchange sacrifice in a couple of moves, this move must be deemed a mistake, simply ceding the bishop pair and light squares. [ 12...d7 would be the normal treatment of the position. I doubt Smeets had anything in particular prepared but was happy to have slightly more space on the queenside and hoped to outplay his fellow Dutchman. ] 13.xe4 xe4 14.e3 e8 15.d3 e7 [ 15...xe3 should probably have been tried as the course of the game just leaves Black worse. However this seems dangerous for Black following: 16.fxe3 xe3+ 17.h1 xd4 18.xd4 xd4 ( 18...xd4 could be stronger but W hite retains the i n i t i a t i v e w i t h 19.e1 f2 20.e7! with a powerful rook on the seventh.) 19.f3 c6 20.ae1 Black has restored rough material parity but White's rooks dominate the position and Black has to be careful not
to fall foul of an attack on the light squares. ( 20.f5 h4 seems ok for Black. )] 16.c1 g6 17.d2 So White has the two bishops and Black is rather passively placed. Smeets slowly expands on the queenside whilst Reinderman can do nothing but wait. d7 [ Black should probably try to stake some hold on the position immediately with 17...d5 when, should White push immediately with 18.c5 ( 18.b3!? just holding for a moment, is better for W hite.) 18...d7 19.b4 a6 20.a4?! a5! 21.b5 b4 Black would be solidly placed. ] 18.b3 ae8 19.fd1 d8 Smeets has zero weaknesses in his camp and thus Reinderman is forced to sit and await events. 20.b4 a6 21.f1 d7 22.b5! cb8 [ 22...axb5 23.cxb5 cb8 24.a4 is rather similar to the course of the game. ] 23.a4 c6 24.f4 f8 Black is being forced backwards and only a masochist could enjoy playing Black here! 25.g3 d7 26.b1 axb5 Perhaps Black should have continued sitting, as hard as that actually is in practical chess. 27.cxb5! A somewhat surprising recapture but the reason becomes apparent if you look at the final position! c5 28.a5! e6 29.d5 [ Continuing with 29.a6 looked extremely strong but there's nothing wrong with the game continuation either. ] 29...d4 30.xd4 xd4 31.e1 de7 32.h4 f6 33.a6 b6?! [ 33...d7 34.e6 is exceedingly unpleasant but would at least allow Black to play on a little longer. ] 34.a2! c4?! And this loses at once to a pretty finish. [ Although 34...a7 35.e6 isn't much better ] 35.xe7 xe7 36.xf6! Deflecting the bishop from control of a7 and thus Black cannot prevent a second queen from appearing on the board. A well played game by Smeets and, while not changing the theoretical verdict, teaches wannabe Alekhine players that they must understand the positions very well as even a frequent practitioner of the Alekhine rated over 2600 got into a lot of trouble. 1-0 551
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 547 Smith,Bry Shabalov,Alexander 35th World Open (5) [John Watson]
B03 2386 2606 02.06.2007
With this recent game I try to clarify what's going on in a Four Pawns Attack variation that has attracted some followers. It is extremely delica te to hand le, yet ce rtain ly f a r f ro m refuted. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 g6 A funny combination of ideas. More common is [ 7...e6 . By 7...g6, Black is saying: 'Do your worst!' and hoping that White's centre will eventually become weak. This is hypermodernism in the extreme, and is still somewhat experimental. ] 8.f4 [ 8.d3!? g7 9.e2 e6 10.d6 ( 10.f3!? exd5 11.g5 ) 10...h4+ 11.g3 h5 12.f3 c6 13.g4 xg4 14.g1 h5 15.f4 1/2-1/2 Milos-Lima, Sao Paulo 2005 but d7! looks strong. ] 8...g7 9.c3 [ 9.f3 failed in two games, but allowing ... Bg4 isn't necessarily bad: 0-0 ( 9...g4! gains a tempo in some lines) 10.d3?! ( 10.c3 ) 10...g4 ( 10...e6 11.d6 f6 ) 11.0-0 8d7 12.e1 b8? ( 12...e6 ) 13.bd2 e6 14.d6 ( 14.g3! xf3 15.xf3 ) 14...f6 15.exf6 xf6 with unclear play, maybe in W hite's favour, Rafie, APolaczek, R /playchess.com INT 2004. ] 9...0-0 10.d2 An important choice. White also has: [ (a) 10.e2 e6 11.0-0-0 exd5 12.cxd5 , for example, e8 13.h4 A) 13...8d7 14.f3 xe5 15.xe5 xe5 16.xe5 d7 ( 16...d7?? 17.c7 ) 17.g3 f6 18.xf6 xf6 unclear; B) 13...h5?! 14.g5! f6 ( 14...d7 15.f3; 14...g4 15.xd8 xe2 16.xe2 xd8 17.f3 8d7 18.e6 fxe6 19.dxe6 e5 20.xe5 xe5 21.d3 g7 22.hf1 f8 23.b5 a6 24.xf8 xf8 25.d3 g7 26.f1 ) 15.exf6 xe2 16.f7+ xf7 17.xd8 f2 18.h3 xh3 19.xh3 8d7 20.g5 ] [ (b) 10.f3 g4 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3
8d7 13.e3 b8 14.e6?! ( 14.e2 xe5 15.f1 ) 14...e5 15.exf7+ xf7 16.h2 exc4 Panarin, M -Polaczek, R playchess. com INT 2005. ] 10...e6 11.0-0-0 [ 11.f3 exd5 12.cxd5 g4 13.e2 e8 14.0-0 8d7 ] 11...exd5 12.cxd5 e8!? My feeling is that this improves upon older theory. [ In a previous ChessPublishing column, Volzhin annotated the game Volzhin, ASvechnikov, L/ Russia 1988: 12...g4 A) 13.e2 xe2 14.xe2 e8 15.f3 8d7 Volzhin likes Black. although I think that W hite can hold the balance by sacrificing his e-pawn in the style of the King's Indian Four Pawns attack: 16.hf1 ( 16.h4 xe5 17.xe5 d7 18.xf7!? xe2 19.xd8 xc3 20.bxc3 xd8 21.he1!? is unclear, but should be okay for Black; 16.he1!? ) 16...xe5 17.xe5 d7 ( 17...xe5 18.xe5 d7 19.d6!? ) 18.f2 xe5 19.xe5 xe5 20.xc5 unclear and probably balanced.; B) 13.e1 c4 ( 13...a6 14.h3 ) 14.h3 ( 14.h6 xh6 15.xh6 xd5 16.h3 f5 17.d1 xc3! 18.xd8 xa2+ 19.d2 xd8+ with a huge edge for Black. ) 14...f5 15.g4 ( or 15.h4!? h5 16.f3 a6 17.h6 ) 15...d3! 16.xd3 cxd3 17.xd3 a6 B1) 18.d1!? c8 ( 18...xe5? 19.xe5 g5+ 20.b1 xe5 21.f3 ) 19.b1 c4 20.e2 a5 21.f3 a3+ 22.bxa3 xc3 23.c1 unclear; B2) 18.d6 c8 19.b1 c4 ( i n s t e a d o f t h e u n c l e a r 19...b4 20.d1 c4 21.h2 a5 22.f3 c5 of Movsesian-Francsics, Czechia 2005, when I think that White is simply better after 23.he2 23 or even Qa4; 19...c5 of Ilincic-Marinkovic, Vrnjacka Banja 1989 was also not completely clear after 20.e2 e6 21.g3 c4 22.f3 a5 , b u t V o l zh i n t h i n ks t h a t t h i s is t h e we a k e s t o p t i o n , a n d i n d e e d , 23.c1 holds everything together) 20.d5!? ( I like 20.f3 b6 21.h2! I wonder whether this whole line with 12...Bg4 and ...c4 is objectively sound.) 20...a5! 21.e7+ h8 22.f3 c5 552
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 22...xb2!? is worthy of consideration:) 23.h4? ( 23.b3 xb2 24.d2 is messy ) 23...xa2+! 24.xa2 b4+ 25.b3! xd3 and White was probably lost but hung on to draw. ] [ Volzhin also notes the game 12...c4 13.f3 g4 ( 13...e8 looks better) 14.h6! xf3 15.xg7 xd1? 16.f6! and Black soon resigned, Solomon-Kanikevich, Sydney 1991. ] 13.e1 a6 14.f3 b4 15.g5! This seems best to me. [ 15.d1 f5 16.a3 c2! has the idea of ... Na1-b3 ] [ 15.b5 d7 16.g5 looks similar, but then Black can play c8 ] 15...f6 16.h4?! White may sur vive with this move but he gives his opponent an array of attacking ideas. A simple line that avoids too much risk is [ 16.exf6! xe1+ 17.xe1 xf6 18.xf6 xf6 19.a3 a6 ( 19...a5 is the ambitious t r y s t i l l , 20.e2! (in t e n d in g R f 1 ) d6! 21.axb4 axb4 22.b1 f5 23.c2! seems to come up short for Black) 20.e2 intending Rf1, and it's hard to believe that W hite doesn't have something. Probably Black should sacrifice a pawn by c4 21.f1 g7 22.g5! ( 22.f4 c5 23.xc4 xc4 24.xc4 is risky after b6 ) 22...d7 23.d6 h6 ( 23...c8 24.d5 ) 24.xc4+ xc4 25.d5+ h8 26.xc4 c8 27.f7 ( or 27.d5 )] 16...f5 [ 16...4xd5!? looks at least adequate, for example, 17.e4 ( 17.xd5 xd5 18.xd5+ xd5 19.c4 h6+! 20.b1 f5+ 21.a1 e6 22.exf6 e3! ) 17...d7! 18.c4 c6 ] 17.b5?! [ 17.exf6 xe1+ 18.xe1 xf6 19.xf6 xf6 20.a3 a6 leaves Black a tempo ahead of the note to move 16. ( or 20...a5 )] 17...a6 18.exf6? xe1+? [ A serious error. Shabalov unch ara cte ristica lly overlooks 18...axb5! 19.f7+ xf7 20.xd8 exd8 and White is busted. Among other things, ...Bxc3 and ... Nd3+ are threats. ] 19.xe1 xf6 20.e8+ [ 20.xf6 xf6 21.f1 is playable, although
I'd rather be Black after, say, d8 22.e5 g7 ] 20...xe8 21.xe8 c4 [ 21...d3+ 22.c2! and there are no particularly good discoveries. ] 22.f7+ [ 22.h6 d3+ 23.c2 ] 22...xf7 23.h6 d3+ 24.d1 This is all right, but White needn't give Black options. [ 24.c2! leaves Black with pretty pieces, but facing an attack himself. Perhaps best is to bail out by b4+ ( or 24...g7 25.g5+ f8 26.xh7 b4+ 27.c1 d3+= ) 25.c1 d3+ , etc. White can try 26.d1 e8 27.xh7+ g7 28.g5+ f8 29.e6+ xe6 30.dxe6 xe6 , but Black has plenty of play. ] 24...g7 25.g5+ f8 26.xh7+? Now only Black can win. White had a draw by [ 26.xh7! e8! ( 26...dxb2+ 27.e2 e8+ 28.f1 ) 27.b3 ( or 27.e6+ xe6 28.dxe6 xe6 29.d5 dxb2+ 30.c1 f7= ) 27...e3+ ( 27...g4+ 28.c2 b4+ 29.b1 f5+ 30.c1= ) 28.d2 f1+ 29.d1 e3+= ] 26...g8 27.f6+ f7! 28.g5 h8! 29.fe4 [ 29.ce4?? h6 30.g3 f4 ] 29...e8 30.d6 [ 30.e2 dxb2 31.f3 d1! leaves White in poor straits. ] 30...dxb2+ 31.c2?? This loses. [ The best try was 31.c1 d3+ 32.c2 b4+ ( 32...b5 33.d7! b4+ 34.b3 a5+ 35.b2= ) 33.d1 , and in several lines d6 will be enough of a diversionary move to hold. ] 31...xd6 32.xf5+ and White resigned before 32...Nxf5. [ 32.xb2 xe4 33.f4 xc3 is a slaughter. ] 0-1
553
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B03 20.e4 [ 20.xd5 xd5 21.g2 b3! 22.de1 c6 Smolovic,Mile 2385 23.hf1 e6 ] Drazic,Sinisa 2460 2nd League TCh-SCG, SCG (1) 2003 20...g4 21.d2 ae8 As long as Black is aware of the obvious Nf6 then he should just [Andrew Martin] be a pawn up for nothing. 22.d3 f5 23.gxf6 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 xf6 24.g2 f3 25.xf6+ xf6 26.g5 27.hxg5 xh1 28.gxf6 xe3 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 e7 7.f3!? xg5 I think that the fangs of this once dangerous 29.xh7+ xh7 30.h2+ g8 31.xh1 The smoke clears and White's two i d e a h a v e n o w b e e n d r a w n . B l a c k h a s gxf6 neutralised the Queen move. White's thought p a wn s d o wn . T h e r e s t o f t h e g a m e i s a is to castle long as quickly as possible and formality. 32.d2 b3 33.c2 g3 34.d2 start a Kingside attack. He thinks that the c6 35.h4 d5 36.h2 g7 37.e2 f7 Knight on b6 will make it difficult for Black to 38.h2 a5 39.h7+ g7 40.h8 e6 counterattack effectively. It's also difficult to 41.a8 f5 Korchnoi's 7 Qf3 bothered Black shift the queen from the intimidating post on f3. players for a while but I hope I have shown at The problem is that White's attack also takes least two effective counters. At present White has to find another way to combat 5...exd6. ages to get into gear. c6 [ 7...0-0 8.e3 c6! is an effective counter Perhaps it's time to go back to the main line. too. Black plans ...d6-d5! which will force a 0-1 concession i.e. c4-c5 and then Black prises open the queenside with ..b7-b6! 9.h3 d5 B03 10.c5 6d7 11.a3 b6 12.b4 bxc5 13.bxc5 549 f6 14.e2 xc5 15.0-0 It was far too hot Socko,Bartosz 2630 to castle long now but the d pawn is a target. Rozentalis,Eduardas 2591 e6 16.fd1 a5 17.ac1 d7 18.f4 6th Amplico AIG Life Gp1 rapid (2) 17.12.2006 xa3 19.h5 e7 20.a4 b7 21.b1 [Jonathan Rowson] ab8 22.f1 a8 23.bc1 g5 24.c3 xe3 25.xe3 g5 26.h3 f6 27.e5 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 h6 28.c5 xc5 29.dxc5 e4 30.g4 5.exd6 cxd6 I suspect that this move tends to f5 31.xf5 xf5 32.xf5 f8 33.e5 be welcomed by White players. To my mind it xf2 34.a1 g4 35.d6 e3+ i s m u c h h a r d e r t o g a i n a n y e n d u r i n g 0-1 W illemze, J-Van der W erf, M/Essent advantage if Black takes with the e-pawn. Open, Hoogeveen NED 2003 (35) ] 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 8.e3 0-0 9.0-0-0 g5 10.h3 xe3+ Black's basic problem in this line, as if it is in 11.fxe3 h4 12.g3 g4!= Pretty efficient . the Alekhine in general, is the knight on b6. In With the queens coming off only Black can be fact I would even say that the fate of Black's better with the pawn on e3 sticking out like a position is tied to this piece- when the knight sore thumb. 13.f2 does well, Black generally does well, as was [ 13.xg4 xg4 14.e1 ae8 15.b5 e7 the case here. c6 10.d5 e5 11.h3 16.f2 f3 17.g1 a6 18.c3 fe8 I don't like this move, because if and when is very nice for Black as is ] W hite plays f4 he will really have a lot of [ 13.f4 xc4 14.xg4 xg4 15.xc4 weaknesses on his kingside, and if he doesn't xh3 16.d5 ae8 ] play f4, then h3 doesn't have much point. 13...xc4 14.f4 b6 15.h4 f5 16.g4 [ 11.e2 is probably more accurate here and a5 17.g5 b4 This has been a rather if Black plays f5 White has ( 11...e6!? 12.f4 hopeful pawn sacrifice by W hite. He hasn't ed7 13.dxe6 e7!? is then noteworthy, gained too much momentum on the Kingside because Alekhine expert Baburin played it, and must now attend to Black's threats when b u t i t l o o k s f i s h y t o m e .) 12.h3 he would much rather be getting on with the and I prefer White. ] attack himself. 18.a3 4d5 19.fxd5 xd5 11...e8!? An interesting waiting move that 548
554
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 seems to be a novelty. 12.e2 e6 13.dxe6 [ 13.f3 gives Black various options, of which xf3+ 14.xf3 e5 looks clearest, and comfortable. ] 13...xe6 14.f3 d5! Socko must have thought this wasn't possible. 15.xd5 [ 15.xb6 xf3+ 16.xf3 axb6 ] [ 15.cxd5 xd5 16.xd5 is similar to the game and seems to be equal. ] 15...xd5 16.cxd5 a5+ 17.d2? Far too ambitious. [ 17.d2 leads to an equal ending. ] 17...xf3+ 18.gxf3 [ 18.xf3 gives Black pleasant options, but simplest is xd5+ 19.f1 a6+ 20.g1 ad8 with a commanding position. ] 18...xd5 Things have obviously gone wrong f o r W h i t e . 19.e3 h5 20.d6 ad8 21.c5 d5 22.d1 b6 23.b5 c3+ 24.f1 f6 25.h4 a6 26.xa6 xf3 27.e1 f5 28.xf3 xf3 29.h2 e5 30.g2 c3 31.e2 xe2+ 32.xe2 xe1 33.xe1 f5 0-1
550 Stepanov,Nikolay Tukhvatullin,Timur 6th ch-PriFO Men (3) [John Watson]
B03 1774 2248 25.01.2008
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 c6 If Black doesn't like 9...e5, he often tries this move (9...f5 is also played, and 9...a5 is still another possibility). Although it frequently succeeds, I think that accurate play should give White the better game. 10.d5 [ 10.e2 d5!? 11.c5 d7 12.xd5 db8 13.c4 b5! ( 13...e6 14.c3 xd4 15.ge2 e5 is playable, but leaves Black to deal with Ne4) 14.cxb6 axb6 and White will have to cede a pawn in view of 15.a4 e6 16.c3 xd4 ] 10...e5 11.e2 The normal move, preparing f4 and preventing any piece from going to g4. f5 12.f4!? [ 12.h3 develops and covers key squares perhaps g4 13.xg4 fxg4 14.g5 would follow. ]
12...f7 This just doesn't work out. Black intends . ..e5, when his d-pawn will be wellprotected. The problem is space. [ 12...g4 13.d4 xd4 14.xd4 d7 15.f3 b6!? may not be so bad then 16.xb6 axb6 17.d4 c5 18.0-0 keeps an edge. ] 13.f3 e5!? 14.dxe6 xe6 15.0-0 e8 16.d4 [ 16.e1 with the idea d7?! 17.d4! ] 16...d7 17.xg7 [ Again 17.e1 is very strong. ] 17...xg7 18.d4 f6 19.f3 b6 20.h1!? [ White misses the trick 20.c5! dxc5 21.a4 b4 22.xc5 c8 23.a3 b6 ( 23...xa3 24.d2 wins ) 24.e1 ] 20...e7 21.xe6+ xe6 22.d5 xd5 23.xd5 e3 24.xf7? Throwing the advantage away why exchange a terrific piece for a horrible one? One good move is [ 24.xb7! xb7? ( 24...ae8 25.f3 ) 25.d4+ e5 26.fxe5 dxe5 27.c3 ] 24...xf7 25.d5+ f6 [ 25...f8 ] 26.fe1 ae8 27.xe3 xe3 28.g8 c7 29.h8+ g7 30.d8+ e7 31.h8+ ½-½
551 Stopa,Jacek Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro UTD Invitational GM (5) [John Watson]
B03 2461 2533 28.11.2008
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 g4 [ 9...d7 opens another can of worms, but it's worth noting that 10.e2 0-0-0 ( or 10...d8 11.0-0 g4 ) 11.0-0 transposes to my long note to 11...Bxf3!? below. Thus 9... Qd7 is sometimes preferred, because the immediate 9...Bg4 allows another set of variations beginning with 10 Qd2, as well as avoiding an early c5. ] 10.e2 d7 An ancient line, perhaps still viable. My apologies for not explaining this l i n e we l l , b u t i t m i g h t t a k e d a y s . S o , i n cowardly fashion, I'll refer you to the Forum, 555
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 tells me that 14.b5! is a good move, where some amazingly detailed analysis has b a s e d u p o n xe3 ( 14...e7 been done, in large part by Mark Morss and may be best met by 15 Bf2, but also the an enthusiastic contributor 'Ig' from Lisbon, p i e c e s a c r i f i c e 15.xg4!? xe3 whose real name I'd be happy to provide here 16.xe6 xd1 17.exc7+ b8 if he sends it. He certainly deserves credit. 18.xe8 e3 19.xg7 xg4 20.e6 W hat I will do is try to give a some broad looks interesting, since Black has some overview and sketch an outline of moves, loose pieces ) 15.xc7+ b8 16.b3 ] most of which are probably subject to [ b ) B i l l M a r t z s h o w e d m e 11...d8 improvement if you turn on your computers. several decades back, and I played it in a I'll add just a few moves of my own. few games. Back then there was no theory [ 10...xf3 11.gxf3 h4+ 12.f2 f4 to speak of. The idea was to improve upon ha s b e en p la ye d a lo t a n d a n a lys e d a t 11...0-0-0 in the 12 Ng5 Nxc4 line because length. I've looked at this with some very the king protects central squares. All this strong (titled) players and think that it's eventually came under great scrutiny, and better for White (and potentially, torture for seems to have been given up, although I'm Black). ] n o t e xa ct l y su re wh y: 12.g5 ( 12.c5 11.0-0 is also important, because in this case it's [ 11.c5 is also playable here Black avoids not cle ar t ha t Black wo uldn 't like to b e that with the 9...Qd7 and ...0-0-0 move order. castled. Everything in these lines comes Of course that opens up other issues. ] down to specific, concrete lines) 12...xc4 11...xf3!? Unusual in fact, I'm not sure if this ( 12...xe2 13.xe2 xd4 14.xd4 order has been played (well, I guess xd4+ 15.h1 is supposed to favour everything's been played). Black wants to White. ) 13.f2 (I think this was Estrin's clarify the pawn structure right away, and discovery ( 13.xf7 xe3 14.xd7 xd1 avoid Ng5 ideas. This is rare in comparison 15.xd8+ xd8 16.xg4 e3! with two traditional moves: is unconvincing now, although White is not [ a) 11...0-0-0 is n o rm a l, wh e n 12.g5 worse. ) 13...xe2 ( 13...e7 14.xf7 is a fun move, going way back to books by xb2 15.c2 is also promising, if unclear. Alekhine authors Eales and W illiams, There's also a strange move here that I'd Bagirov, and Graham Burgess. There is a never seen. Even if it's no no good, which tremendous amount of material on the forum i s e xt r e m e l y l i k e l y , i t ' s w o r t h s e e i n g :; on this and on the main move 12 c5, which 13...xd4?! 14.xg4 xe5 15.h3?! e7 is very likely best ( in particular, 12.c5 d5 16.e3 h6 17.h5 g6 18.h4 c5 19.g3 13.xd5 xd5 14.b4 e4 has been xg5 20.xg5 ef3+ 21.gxf3 hxg5 analysed at length, as well as sidelines. I 22.ae1 f5 23.g2 d6 24.e2 xg3 confess not to have tracked these posts 25.hxg3 f7 26.f2 f6 and Black was down in a while, and it may take some time holding in Hernod, B-Bergdahl, A, for you. But they are really great, and well correspondence/Sweden 1974.) 14.xe2 worth it if you dare to enter such a wild e7 15.xf7 xf7 16.e3+ g8 17.xc4 and arguably risky line ) , and it's hard to imagine that W hite A) 12...xe2 13.xe2 xd4 ( 13...f6 doesn't stand better. ] 14.exf6 gxf6 15.f3 and Rad1 is okay for [ c) I believe that 11...f6 12.d5! is still B l a c k , e ve n i f h e ' s s li g h t ly cr a m p e d) considered good for White. ] 14.xd4 xd4+ 15.h1; 12.xf3! It's hard to say what's best, but this is B) 12...xc4 13.xf7 B1) 13...xe3 14.xd7 xd1 safest. [ 12.xf3!? xc4 13.f2 would be played ( 14...xd7!? 15.c1 seems to come up in the hope of ripping the position apart with a little short) 15.xd8+ xd8 16.xg4 an early d5. Black has plenty of options, but xb2 17.xe6 xe6 18.xe6+ b8 watch out for standard tricks such as 0-0-0?! 19.b1 d3 20.d5 with initiative; ( 13...b6 14.d5 xd5 15.xd5 exd5 B2) 13...e8 , and here the computer 556
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.g4 is unclear) 14.e2 b6 15.d5! xd5?? 16.xd5 exd5?? 17.g4 ] [ 12.gxf3?! has actually been the move played here, perhaps out of habit, but 0-0-0 seems to justif y 11...Bxf 3, for example, 13.c5 d5 14.f2 f6! with plenty of counterplay, especially since 15 f4 isn't available. ] 12...0-0-0 13.f4 [ The other critical sequence is 13.c5 d5 14.f2 , and if f5 , 15.exf6 gxf6 , but instinctively, White looks better, and Black had better move quickly. ] 13...f6 Black is concerned and sacrifices a pawn. Other moves are slow, e.g., [ 13...b4 14.f1 xc3 15.bxc3 hf8 16.b1 ] [ 13...g5 14.e4 g8 15.d5! with the idea exd5? 16.cxd5 xd5 17.g4 ] 14.exf6 gxf6 15.c5 d5 16.xd5 xd5 17.f3 d7 18.f2 [ 18.d5!? is attractive-looking, for example, e5 ( 18...exd5?? 19.g4 ) 19.dxe6 ( 19.c6! xf3+ 20.gxf3 with the idea xd5!? 21.d4 c5 22.xd5 xe3+ 23.h1 exd5 24.d3 , presumably with some advantage due to Black's weak pawns and slightly loose king, but at least this is in t e res t in g) 19...xe6 20.c2 yields a small advantage, based upon Black's pawn weaknesses. The tactics favour White by a hair after h6 21.xb7+! b8! ( 21...xb7 22.b4+ a8 23.xh6 ) 22.c6!? xc6! 23.xc6 xe3+ 24.f2 ] 18...h6 19.xf6 g7 20.xe6!? xd4 [ 20...xe6?? 21.g4 ] 21.e4 [ Or 21.e1 xf3+ 22.xf3 ] 21...xf3+ 22.xf3 hf8 23.e2 d5?! [ 23...fe8 24.b1 xe4 25.xe4 d3! 26.xd3 xd3 with the idea ...Rd2 gives Black counterplay, likely enough to draw. ] 24.e1! Black's pieces have good scope, but White remains a pawn ahead. b8 [ 24...xa2?? 25.g4+ ] 25.b4 a6 26.g3 [ 26.h4! enforces a favourable simplification. ] 26...c3 27.c1 d2 28.cc4?! [ 28.b1! xa2 29.d1 ] 28...g5
[ 28...d3! 29.xd3 xd3 threatens ... Be3+, and 30.f2 c3 31.e1 d2! 32.g3 is only moderately better for White. ] 29.h4 f6 30.h2 Now White is in charge again. g8 31.g4 [ 31.c6! h a s t h e id e a b6 32.c5! d3 33.xc7+ xc7 34.e7+ xe7 35.xe7+ ] 31...h5 32.xg8 xg8 33.e4 [ 33.c6! ] 33...f7 34.f3 g7 35.a4 d4 36.f4 f6 37.g3?! [ White's attack is too strong after 37.b5! ] [ or 37.e6! with the idea of Rb6. ] 37...d7 38.xh5 h8 39.f3 xa4 40.e2 Time control, or he would have played What follows is not very accurate, but White's win is a fair result: [ 40.xc7+! xc7 41.f4+ ] 40...d7 41.e6 f7 42.e4 g6 43.e5 g8 44.f3 d8 45.f4 e8 46.f5 e7 47.f7 d8 48.f4 a8 49.f5 a7 50.d4 b8 51.f4 a8 52.f2 b8 53.f5 a8 54.d4 c6 55.f4 a7 56.f7 e2 57.f3 e6 58.f5 c4 59.h7 1-0
552 Sutovsky,Emil Varga,Zoltan European Club Cup [Alexander Volzhin]
B03 2585 2540 1999
Black's dubious experiment in the opening is brilliantly ref uted by former Junior W orld Champion Emil Sutovsky. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 [ The 4 pawns attack was not very popular last month, and I managed to find only one game of some importance. 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 f5 7.c3 e6 8.e3 c6 9.e2 ( As we considered earlier, the most aggressive line and the only way to fight for opening advantage is 9.f3 e7 10.d5 with wild complications.) 9...e7 10.f3 0-0 11.0-0 f6 12.b3?! A novelty (according to my database), but of rather dubious merits. The idea is to play 13 . c4 -c5 , b u t B la ck d o e sn 't allo w t h is . ( 12.exf6 xf6 is well known theory ( see Yudasin - Kengis), with balanced chances.) 557
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12...a5! 13.a4 ( 13.c5 a4 also leads White nowhere. ) 13...b4! Now it's clear that White's whole conception is wrong. Black has many unpleasant threats (Nc2 or Bc2). 14.e1? Looks ugly. Now all White's pieces are quite passive . ( 14.ac1 suggested itself, with reasonable chances.) 14...fxe5 15.dxe5 d7! After the retreat of White's Knight, the e5-pawn is very weak. 16.d1 c8 17.f4 c5 18.a3 c6 Black already has a decisive positional advantage as all White's pieces occupy miserable positions. The up and coming Brazilian youngster converts his advantage into the win very convincingly. 19.b3 c7 20.b2 ad8 21.xd8 xd8 22.d1 e4 23.f3 c5+ 24.e3 ( After 24.h1 xd1! 25.xd1 d3 with Nf2 to follow, Black wins all the house! ) 24...xe3+ 25.xe3 b6 26.d4 xd4 27.xf5 exf5 and White resigned, Gonzalez - Leitao, Sao Paulo 1999. ] 3...g6?! Inviting a disaster. To play such rubbish against a strong grandmaster is not exactly the best solution. Probably Black believed that the move order is not important here and hoped to play d7-d6 later. Of course, W hite should play very energetically and creatively to refute this provocative play. 4.c4 b6 5.c5! d5 6.c4 The transformation to the Chase Variation is quite the thing here, as g7-g6 in this line is just a waste of time and weakens Black's position. As we saw earlier, for example in the game Sveshnikov Solozhenkin, Black should undermine White's pawn chain (...d7-d6 or ...b7-b6) prior to developing his kingside. c6 7.f3 b6 [ 7...g7 was the main alternative to the text, but W hite obtains clear edge here by the u n e x p e c t e d 8.xd5! Giving up the strong Bishop White compels further weakening of Black's position. cxd5 9.c3 e6 (forced) 10.g5! Now Black is in real trouble. His choice is quite unpleasant: f6 ( 10...a5 is no better in view of 11.d2! Intending the Bishops` exchange (Bh6) after which White will totally dominate over the dark squares. h6 12.f6 xf6 13.exf6 d8 14.b5 c6 15.d6+ f8 16.e5 and Black's position is miserable.) 11.exf6 xf6 12.xf6 xf6 13.b5 with an overwhelming advantage. ] 8.c3 xc3 9.bxc3 a6 Black hoped for
this move. Actually, after the exchange of light-squared Bishops Black has everything in order, and after the bishop`s retreat to b3 W h it e ca n't castle. Ho we ve r W hite f in d s h id d e n re so u rce s t o se ize t h e in it ia t ive . 10.b3!! An introduction to the brilliant attack. bxc5 11.g5! c4 The only move, its drawback is that the a6-f1 diagonal is closed now, and White can castle. [ 11...e6? is just bad in view o f 12.f3 with decisive advantage: f5 ( 12...e7 13.e4 ) 13.exf6 ] 12.f3! f6 13.exf6 exf6 [ 13...cxb3 14.f7# ] 14.0-0! A very picturesque position. Now Black should decide which piece to grab. Unfortunately for him none of them can be taken! e7 [ 14...cxb3 15.e1+ e7 16.xf6! ( White can already win the piece back: 16.a3 d6 17.xf6 f8 18.xd6 xd6 19.xd6 d7 20.xe7 , but the endgame is not so clear in view of e8 21.a3 xe1+ 22.xe1 bxa2 23.xh7 d3 and a2-pawn gives Black serious c o u n t e r c h a n c e s .) 16...f8 17.g7 and Black`s predicament is hopeless: d5 Ot he r m o ve s a re equ ally f u t ile : ( 17...b2 18.xh7! Qf8 mate is the threat and Black can't parry it! d5 19.xf8+ d7 20.xd8+ xd8 21.xb2 with huge material advantage ( by the way only three moves before White was a piece down!); 17...d6 18.e6 f7 19.g8+ and White wins: f8 20.xf8 ) 18.a3 c5 19.e6 c8 20.xf8 winning everything! ] 15.c2 f5 The only move. The alternatives lost quickly: [ 15...fxg5 This move allows a brilliant finale: 16.e1 f8 17.h3 f7 18.xg5 Now White's main threat is doubling Rooks (Re 3 , Ra e 1 t o f o llo w), so B la ck 's K in g s h o u l d g o a w a y f r o m t h e e - f i l e . f8 19.xe7! ( 19.xg6 is not bad either: xg5 20.xf7 wi t h a t re m e n d o u s a t t a c k :) 19...xe7 20.xg6 g8 21.f7+!! and Black has to give up the Queen to avoid being mated A) 21...g7 22.h6+ xf7 23.xh7+ e6 ( 23...f8 24.h6+ ) 24.g6+ d5 25.f5+ d6 26.f4+; 558
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B) 21...xf7 22.xd8 and White won`t need Karpov's technique to convert the edge into the whole point. When I found t h is va ria t io n , I a ske d E m il if h e h a d foreseen this line (especially 21.Bf7!!). He answered that he intended to play 19. Bg6, which is also good. This is correct, but I like my variation more! ] [ 15...0-0 This natural looking move is losing by force as well 16.xh7! Destroying the position of Black's King. f7 The only move. ( 16...xh7 17.h5+ ) 17.xg6 xh7 18.xh7+ xh7 19.h5+ g8 20.h6 is hopeless for Black f8 21.g6+ h8 22.ae1 xh6 23.xh6+ g8 24.e4 mating Black's King. ] 16.e1 0-0 It may seem that Black is OK as he has castled and even managed to hold onto his extra pawn. However W hite`s next move proves this statement is far from true. 17.e3! f6?! Missing White's threat. [ The alternatives to the text are: 17...h6 18.xe7 xe7 19.xe7 hxg5 20.xg5 with overwhelming advantage ] [ 17...d6 i s a l s o b a d : 18.xh7! h4 19.xf8 xh2+ 20.f1 with a winning position ] [ 17...xg5 was absolutely the absolutely only way to avoid immediate loss, but the endgame af ter 18.xg5 xg5 ( 18...d5 a l l o ws W h i t e t o wi n p a wn b a c k 19.xf5 xg5 20.e6+ g7 21.xg5 with overwhelming advantage.) 19.xg5 is difficult for Black despite his extra pawn. It's not clear how to develop his queenside, while White's Rook is ready to penetrate to the 7th rank. ] 18.xh7! No w t h e ga m e is o ve r . xh7 19.h6+ g8 20.xg6+ g7 [ 20...h8 21.xf5 and Qh7 mate is unavoidable. ] 21.g5 Black resigned as after the Queen's retreat W hite plays Re7 with unavoidable mate. Really a great achievement by Emil Sutovsky! A very instructive exa mple f o r Black players on how the Alekhine's should not be played! 1-0
553 Szoen,Dariusz Rozentalis,Eduardas DMP Ekstraliga (3) [John Watson]
B03 2477 2599 08.09.2008
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 c6 9.b3 0-0 10.f3!? We have seen several games with 10 Be2, including this month's Boric-Rakic contest. g4 11.e2 d5! Black resorts to a standard Alekhine plan he has everything in the right place for it. 12.c5 Virtually forced. c8 13.h3!? A slight waste of time, since Black was going to play ...Bxf3 anyway. W hite plans to force the pace, as we'll see. xf3 14.xf3 e6! Still the standard re o rga n iza t io n . . . N8 e 7 -f 5 sh o u ld f o llo w. 15.g4!? White prevents ...Nf5 in advance, but at the cost of some weakness on the kingside. 8e7 16.e2 The problem is that Black intends either ...f5 or ...e5, and it's difficult to prevent both. b6?! [ 16...e5! looks safe and sound. ] 17.0-0 c8 18.d2 d7 19.g2 [ 19.b4 is also natural, for example, bxc5 20.xc5 e5 21.fc1 ] 19...b5!? 20.h6 xh6 21.xh6 f6 22.f4 f7 23.cd1 cf8 24.h4 [ 24.fe1 is natural perhaps White will have a hard time breaking through, but Black can't undertake anything here. ] 24...c7 25.g3 d7 26.e3 h5!? Black doesn't want to wait around for his epawn to be targeted. 27.g3 [ Perhaps better was 27.f5!? exf5 28.gxh5 g5 29.h4! ] 27...hxg4 28.hxg4 h7 [ 28...e5!? 29.dxe5 xg4 ] 29.fe1 [ 29.g5!? ] 29...e5 30.dxe5 fxe5 31.fxe5?! [ W hite needs to play aggressively: 31.f5! gxf5 32.gxf5 g7 33.f1 is unclear. ] 31...xg4 White's kingside is weaker than Black's. 32.f1 hf7 33.e6 f6 34.e2 xe6? [ 34...b4 35.xf6 xf6 exploits the weak epawn without allowing the following activity for White: ] 35.xf8+ xf8 36.f4+! xf4 37.xf4 e5 559
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 32.fe3 xe3 33.xe3 d4 34.cxd4 xd4 0-1 Hanreck,A-Sherman,D/Islington 1972 ] [ 5...xe6? 6.xe6 fxe6 7.f3 c6 8.c3 d7 9.b3 g6 10.b2 g7 11.e2 e5 12.dxe5 e6 13.f4 f5 14.d3 e4+ 15.e2 xe2+ 16.xe2 d7 17.e6! f6 18.ae1 0-0 19.d2 A different type of game has arisen. The pawn e6 cuts the Black position in half. d5 20.xg7 xg7 21.e4 f6 22.g5 d8 23.c4 b6 24.he1 d5 25.cxd5 xd5 26.f4 c6 27.g3 h6 28.f3 c7 29.d4 b6 30.g4 c5 554 B03 31.g5 hxg5 32.fxg5 f8 33.c2 f5 34.h4 c6 35.e3 f3 36.f4 f2+ 37.e2 Theoretical xe2+ 38.xe2 d8 39.c4 d4 40.f3 ALEKHINE 4 Bc4,5 e6?! d8 41.xd4 cxd4 42.e4 dxe6 QUERY 43.xe6+ xe6 44.d5 f7 45.e5+ [Andrew Martin] 1-0 Coudari,C-Richard,D/Montreal 1980 ] Alec Aslett of Camberley asks: I was caught 6.exf7+ xf7 7.f3+ g8! If one is totally out in a tricky variation of the Alekhine which I shocked, it is very tough to play such moves. had never seen before e.g. 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 Y e t I t h i n k 7 . . . K g 8 i s c o r r e c t , t o t a l l y 3 d 4 d 6 4 B c 4 N b 6 5 e 6 ! ? ? I f e l t uncompromising, and may refute W hite's uncomf ortable because I had never even 'cheapo' attack. Black takes the centre! [ 7...e8 8.h5+ g6 9.b5+ d7 considered this move and I lost miserably 10.xc4 e6+ 11.xe6 xe6 12.c3 after 5...fxe6 6 Bd3. Can this move really be ( 12.f3 f5 13.c4 d7 14.0-0 g7 any good? 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 15.e3 c6 16.c3 a6 17.a3 ae8 4.c4 b6 5.e6?! Well, Alec the short 18.c5 c8 19.d5 e5 20.d4 c4 answer is NO, although there are some tricks 21.xf5 gxf5 22.ab1 e5 23.dxe6 xe6 to negotiate. Black can either take or leave 24.cxd6 xc3 1/2-1/2 Berger,A-Wecht,H/ this Bishop: xc4! D a r m s 1 9 9 5) 12...f5 13.d5 d7 [ 5...fxe6! If he's going to decline the offer it's 14.e3 1/2-1/2 Nuenchert,E-Winter,I/Erfurt best to retain the light-squared Bishop. 1973 ] 6.d3 The only move to give chances. ( 6.b3 g6 7.f3 d5 8.0-0 g7 9.e1 8.d5+ e6 9.xc4 d5 10.d3 c5 11.f3 c6 10.c3 d6 11.g3 0-0 12.f4 xf4 c6 12.0-0 cxd4 13.xd4 e5 14.xc6 13.gxf4 xf4 14.e2 e5 15.xe5 xe5 bxc6 15.c3 g6 16.g3 g7 17.g5 16.dxe5 h3 17.e3 f5 18.d2 h6 e8 Two Bishops and the central pawns add 19.f4 xf4 20.f2 g5+ 21.h1 xd2 up to something tangible. White fights very 22.ed1 e3 23.g3 xg3 24.hxg3 hard but it is an uphill struggle. 18.fe1 f7 0-1 Peau,J-Levieux,P/Urcuit 1989) 6...c6! 19.xe5 xe5 20.xe5 h6 21.e3 h7 But this is very uncompromising! 7.h5+ 22.xh6 e8 23.g5 f5 24.h4 g8 d7 8.f3 e8 9.g4 d8 10.g5 h6 25.e3 e6 26.d1 xc2 27.d4 f6 11.xe6+ xe6 12.xe6 xd4 13.g4 28.xf6 xf6 29.h4 e6 30.h3 e7 e5 White can only fish around for tactics 31.b3 a5 32.a4 b7 33.c5 f7 34.h4 here-the central pawn mass covers Black's g8 35.d4 f5 36.g4 d7 37.g2 bb8 King. 14.0-0 g5 15.c3 e6 16.f5 g7 38.g3 e8 39.f4 e1 40.d4 c1 17.c2 c6 18.d2 c7 19.e4 d8 41.d3 e8 42.f4 c8 43.g5 h7 20.e3 h5 21.xh5 xh5 22.ad1 c4 44.f3 e5+ 45.f4 e8 46.g5 e6 23.c1 d5 24.d2 xd2 25.xd2 c5 47.d4 c2 48.d3 f7 49.f4 e1 50.f5 26.e2 e4 27.e3 b6 28.xb6+ xb6 gxf5 51.gxf5 g2+ 52.f6 h5 53.b6 29.f3 f4 30.ee1 exf3 31.xf3 he8 g7 54.c5 f7+ 55.g5 xf5+ 56.h4 38.xd5 [ 38.xd5! xd5 39.xd5 gives more chances. The next few moves aren't optimal, and Black gets in trouble, but things peter out in the end. ] 38...b4 39.g2 g5 40.a3 gxf4 41.axb4 e3 42.d4 xb3 43.xf4+ e8 44.d4 a3 45.c6? c3 46.d6 c4 47.f1 g4+ 48.f2 g6 ½-½
560
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f3 57.xf3 xf3 58.g3 h5 59.b6 f1 60.xa5 g6 61.g2 f7 62.b6 f4 63.c7 f3 64.e2 f7 65.f4+ f5 66.d6 d1 67.f2 f6 68.b8 e4 69.e1 f3 70.d2 xf4 71.xf4 xf4 72.a4 g2 73.h4 f1 74.b4 a6 75.h5 g5 76.e3 xh5 77.d4 b7 78.c5 g5 79.b6 a8 80.c5 f5 81.a5 e5 82.b6 d4 83.a7 d3 84.xa8 d2 85.a6 d1 86.b7 d5 So Alec, White is relying on shock effect with 5 e6- you have two good ways to play now! 0-1
Black. ] 17.f4 [ 17.e3 a6 18.c3 e7 19.h4 h5 20.d3 d8 21.b4 0-0 22.ag1 was also unpleasant for Black in Myers Hagerty, corr. 1981 ] 17...h6 18.e3 e7 19.d3 f5 20.xf5 gxf5 21.hg1 d7 22.g3 ag8 23.b4 g6 De Firmian can be forgiven for thinking he might hold this position. But W hite has the edge because of the weak pawns, using this factor to keep Black tied up. 24.e2 f8 25.g5 e6 26.h5 h6 27.b5 e7 28.a4 a8 29.b1 f8 30.f3 b8 31.d2 e7 32.e1 f8 33.a5 b6 34.b4 bxc5 555 B03 In playing the following sequence, de Firmian might have missed the fact that White's 36th Timman,Jan H move is possible. 35.dxc5 a6 36.bxa6! De Firmian,Nick E Sigeman & Co (4) 15.06.2001 xc5 [ 36...a8 is also bad after 37.a5 xc5 [Nigel Davies] ( 37...xa6 38.xc7 ) 38.c1 ] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 37.xc5 xb1 38.a7 b3+ 39.f2 b2+ 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 f5 7.c3 e6 8.f3 c6 40.e3 gg2 [ 40...gg2 41.f3 sees an end to the 9.e3 g4 10.e2 xf3 11.gxf3 h4+ checks. ] [ 11...d7 is another possibility, putting 1-0 pressure on d4. ] 12.f2 f4 13.c5 d5 [ This doesn't have a great reputation but B03 B l a c k h a s b e e n e x p e r i e n c i n g s o m e 556 Vajda,Le 2594 d i f f i c u l t i e s a f t e r 13...d7 14.b5 Varga,Zo 2441 , Koch - Konopka, Clichy 1993 continuing 17.11.2013 e7 15.0-0 h4 16.xc6 bxc6 17.a4 Great Hopes GM 2013 (2.2) 0-0 18.ad1 intending just to take c6. ] [Tom Rendle] 14.xd5 exd5 15.d2 xd2+ After this Black is slightly worse in a rather miserable 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 b6 A slightly odd move, going to b6 before being 'pushed' endgame. [ Black should probably keep queens on with with c4. It keeps a couple of options open to 15...f5 but even then the position looks a vary if White continues with 4.c4 but on the bit better for W hite. Bogdanovic - Vukic, downside Vajda's reply seems to give White a Yugoslavia 1973 continued 16.d3 ( 16.0-0 good game. [ 3...d6 4.f3 ] e7 17.e3 0-0 18.f4 f6 19.f3 ad8 20.g2 1/2-1/2, Bongers E. - Etmans M., 4.a4! [ 4.c4 Dieren 1998 It (37) was also favourable for A) 4...d5 5.c5! 6d7 6.c3 e6 7.f4 White in Bongers - Etmans, Dieren 1998.) ( 7.f3 b6 8.b4 is better for White. Black 16...d7 17.f4 e7 18.g1 h5 19.f1 g6 can try to undermine the queenside pawn 20.h3 with an edge. ] with a5!? but after 9.g5! e7 10.xe7 16.xd2 g6 xe7 11.b5 a6 12.a3 White keeps a [ 16...e7 17.f4 f5 18.f3 d8 19.hg1 definite edge ); g6 was the continuation of Nokso Koivisto B) 4...d6 Transposes to the mainline; Raaste, Finnish Ch 1994 after which the C) 4...e6 5.c3 ( 5.f4!? continues in immediate 20.h4 looks unpleasant for 561
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Four Pawn's Attack style) 5...d6 6.exd6 cxd6 7.e3 is similar to the mainlines and a little better for W hite. Black has lost the option of an early ...Bg4 though so I'd be very happy to be White here. ] 4...d5?! [ 4...a5 makes more sense to me here and now 5.f3 d5 ( 5...g6 is worth a look as well but perhaps Black players are afraid of 6.h4! when it's already awkward to deal with the positional threat of h5. h6 7.c3 g7 8.f4 and White is somewhat better here. Black can't castle in the near future because of Qd2 and Black's kingside looks rather precarious. ) A) 6.exd6 cxd6 ( 6...exd6 might be safer as W hite only has a minimal edge after 7.d3 e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.h3 ) A1) 7.b5+ is also better for White d7 8.c3 g6 9.h4!? h5 10.g5 g7 11.e2 c6 12.0-0-0!? c7?! ( 12...f6 13.f4 ) 13.d5 e5 14.xe5 xe5 15.f4! and White was winning in Orak, L (2317)-Katavic, B (2221) Sibenik 2010; A2) 7.d5 e5 8.dxe6 xe6 9.b5+ ( 9.d4! is more precise and White is comfortably better after d7 10.b5 d5 11.f4 xb5 12.xb5+ c6 13.0-0 ) 9...c6 10.g5!? a n d n o w i n c4?! ( 10...f5 11.f3 g6 12.xc6+ bxc6 13.xc6+ d7 is only slightly better for White. ) 11.xc4 xc4 12.0-0 4e5 13.f4 g6?! 14.d5 suddenly Black is in trouble f6 15.e3 h6 16.e4 e6 17.bc3 xd5 18.xd5 0-0-0 19.b6 d7 20.ad1 ge7 21.f3 ( 21.c4! keeps complete control) 21...f5 22.ec3 xd5 23.xd5 g6 24.g3 g8 25.b5 g7 26.c3 g5 27.xf5 e7 28.f7 d5 and a rather odd draw was agreed in He n d r i ks , W ( 2 4 1 1 ) - P e s o t s ky, V (2371) Budapest 2008 - White is close to winning after 29.xd7 xd7 30.d3! xb6 31.xd6+ c8 32.xb6 gxf4 33.f2; B) 6.d3 g4 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 e6 9.g3 c5 10.b5+?! ( 10.dxc5! 6d7 11.c3 xc5 12.0-0 c6 13.b5 a n d I p r e f e r W h i t e ' s c h a n c e s h e r e) 10...c6 11.dxc5 d7 12.f4 d4 13.a3 f5 14.d3 xc5 and Black had
at least equalised in Pavlov, M (2383)Zhigalko, S (2647) Alushta 2010 ] 5.a5 6d7 6.b4!? The game has certainly taken on an original look after only 6 moves but I'm not convinced this is the best move, although there's nothing much wrong with it. [ 6.c4! looks critical here and Black already has some real problems: c6 ( or 6...dxc4 7.e6!? fxe6 8.xc4 f6 9.c3 g6 10.f3 g7 11.0-0 0-0 12.b3 and White regains the pawn with a clearly better position) 7.c3 e6 8.c5! and Black will struggle to develop his queenside ] 6...e6 7.c3 f6?! The position looks like a very strange French Defence but with White having a big space advantage on the queenside. Obviously Black cannot break with ...c5 so he tries ...f6 instead but this quickly backfires. [ 7...g6 8.d3 g7 9.f3 f6 is possibly an improvement but W hite keeps much the better chances after 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0 0-0 12.e1 as he has control over e5. ] 8.d3! g6 [ 8...e7 leads to the same sort of thing after 9.f4! f7 10.f3 e7 11.0-0 a6 12.e3 and Black's position is pretty miserable if not quite yet lost ] 9.f4 fxe5?! Another inaccuracy and one Black can't really afford [ 9...g7 10.f3 0-0 11.0-0 c6 is just about playable for Black although White is better on all parts of the board after 12.e2 a6 13.e3 e7 14.bd2 ] 10.fxe5 h6?! A tricky idea but one that quickly backfires as White choose simply to ignore the bishop [ 10...g7 is perhaps a slight improvement but Black is still in a great deal of trouble after 11.h4! ] 11.f3! [ 11.xh6?! h4+ regains the piece ] 11...xc1 12.xc1 0-0 13.h4! Black has castled into a massive attack and with his queenside totally undeveloped there is already no way to defend. The rest of the game is simply a carve up from White's point of view. f7 14.g5 [ 14.h5! immediately is also very strong ] 14...e7 15.h5 f8 [ or 15...h6 16.hxg6! hxg5 17.xg5 f8 18.a2! and with the rook joining the fun 562
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 from f2 Black can safely resign ] 16.hxg6 xg6 17.xg6 hxg6 18.a2 [ 18.f4 g7 19.h4 wins immediately ] 18...g7 19.f4 Black has had enough and throws in the towel. I don't think we'll see this line again in a hurry although things aren't so bad if Black chooses 4...a5. 1-0
557 Velimirovic,Dragoljub Cmilyte,Viktorija Czech Coal Match (5) [Gawain Jones]
B03 2425 2514 24.11.2010
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 Again we see the critical Four Pawns Attack and who would expect anything else from the aggressive legend playing White? dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7 [ I e x a m i n e d t h e m a i n l i n e 9...g4 in Bologan, V (2684)-Rozentalis, E (2628) Mulhouse 2010 which wasn't a great success for Black. ] 10.d5 and in that game I said this was the critical test. exd5 11.xb6?! This is the older move and rather rare which has not been previously covered on ChessPub. White gets rid of the pressure on d5 but in return he may find himself vulnerable on the dark squares. [ 11.cxd5 is usual and was investigated last time. b4 12.d4 g6?! ( I looked at 12...d7 a few months ago in the notes to Bologan-Rozentalis which is more logical preventing the forthcoming check.) 13.b5+ f8 14.f3 this is a novelty but rather unconvincing. ( Instead 14.0-0 has been played in all the previous games which looks extremely strong. g8 is forced due to the threat of Ne6+ but now 15.f5 f8 16.xb6 axb6 17.a3 a6 18.e6 c5+ 19.h1 h6 20.e2 was already winning in Csirik, A (2271)-Farago, S (2263) Budapest 2009. ) 14...g8 15.d6 cxd6 16.exd6 ( 16.e6! l o o k s s t r o n g e r) 16...xd6 17.xb7? Grgic, N (1661)-Stadler, B (2112) Sibenik 2010 when f6 18.ce2 e5 19.f3 a6! 20.c6 d8 21.0-0 h5 22.f2 c4 23.f4 xd4! wins material. ]
11...axb6 12.cxd5 b4 13.d4 g6 This is now possible as the check can be blocked. Nevertheless other bishop retreats have also been tried. [ 13...d7 14.a3 is now awkward to deal with as Black no longer has pressure on d5. c5! This looks to be Black's best try. ( 14...a6 15.e6 fxe6 16.dxe6 c6 17.xc6 xd1+ 18.xd1 bxc6 19.xa6 xa6 20.d7 Nagy, Z (2265)-Berta, T (2138) Hungary 2006 leaves Black in a somewhat unpleasant ending. ) A) 15.f3 a6 16.b4 xb4! ( 16...e7 is far too passive.) 17.axb4 xb4 18.c1 0-0 19.e2 a3 20.d4 c5 21.c4 e8 gives Black reasonable compensation for the piece as W hite's king is somewhat vulnerable.; B) 15.b3 a6 ( 15...0-0!? 16.axb4 xa1 17.xa1 xb4 18.e2 h4+ 19.g3 xc3+ 20.bxc3 e4 gives Black good compensation.) 16.xa6 xa6 17.xc5 bxc5 18.0-0 ( 18.e6! fxe6 19.0-0 keeping Black's king in the centre looks a better try for an edge.) 18...0-0 19.f3 g6 20.ae1 e7 21.e3 c8 22.h3 1/2-1/2 Tabor, J (2310)-Matlak, M (2440) Prievidza 1987. ] [ 13...c8 should be met by 14.d6! cxd6 ( Black should seriously consider the piece sacrifice 14...0-0!? ) 15.b5+ d7 16.e6 xb5 17.exf7+ xf7 18.h5+ g8 19.xb5 and White's on top. ] [ 13...e4!? is an interesting idea that has only been tried once but looks to equalise. 14.xe4 xd5 A) 15.b5+! is necessary but seems to lead to a f orced draw. c6 ( 15...f8? 16.0-0 xe4 17.e6+ g8 18.d7+- ) 16.d6+ xd6 17.exd6 xd4 18.e2+ f8 19.d1 ( 19.e7+ g8 20.d7 c2+ 21.e2 g4+ 22.f2 f5+= ) 19...c5 20.e7+ g8 21.f1 f8 22.xf7 xf7 23.e8+ f8 24.e6+=; B) 15.c3? xd4! 16.xd4 c2+ 17.f2 xd4 18.d5 a5 19.xc7+ d7 20.d1 xc7 0-1 Stips, F (1650)Andreoni, G (1983) Bratto 2005. ] 14.d6? Velimirovic true to his nature continues to play the most aggressive moves but this should have fallen foul to a counter sacrifice. 563
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 14.a3 a g a i n s h o u l d b e m e t b y c5! 15.b5+ f8 and Black is on top. Again W hite really misses the dark square protection afforded by the bishop. ] [ Therefore White should try 14.b5+ c6 ( 14...f8 15.d6! cxd6 16.0-0 is again very strong. ) 15.dxc6 0-0 16.cxb7 b8 This position is crucial to the viability of 12 Bxb6 (although already we have found an equalising line for Black). W hite is temporarily two pawns up but b7 is dropping and his position is very exposed. 17.c6 ( 17.ce2?! Reynolds, J-Gauthier, L E n g l a n d 1 9 9 2 c5! keeping White's king stuck in the centre is very strong.) 17...xc6 18.xc6 c7 19.d5?! ( White needed to find 19.f3 xe5+ 20.f1 although here I'd take Black after fd8 as his position is by far the easier to play.) 19...h4+! 20.g3 xc6 21.gxh4 Murey, J (2535)-Palatnik, S (2460) Palma de Mallorca 1989 and here the most accurate finish would have been c4! 22.g1 fe8 when White's king is completely naked. ] 14...h4+ Hardly bad but Black had a much stronger alternative. [ 14...0-0! as played first by Kengis is a very strong counter. 15.a3 cxd6 16.axb4 xa1 17.xa1 dxe5 leaves Black with a fantastic position. He is about to pick up a third pawn for the piece, W hite's king is stuck in the centre and Black has great play on the dark squares. 18.f3 xb4 ( The direct 18...e4! 19.e5 d4 20.xg6 fxg6! would not have let New Zealand's sole GM escape.) 19.d1 f6 20.b3 f4 21.e2 Chandler, M (2500)-Kengis, E (2460) Jurmala 1983 and here c1+! 22.d1 e3+ 23.e2 c5 24.f1 d8 would have been decisive. ] 15.g3 g5 Viktorija is trying to wrestle the initiative away from W hite but objectively W hite is now better. Perhaps she got her move order wrong and intended to play this on the following move. [ 15...0-0! has been tried in some correspondence games. This position is truly crazy and, even if W hite is somehow ok, practically his position looks too loose to survive. 16.a3 ( 16.b3? Is a logical looking move but already a decisive mistake.
c5! White's king is just too vulnerable. 17.cb5 Neumann, M (2360)-Alingh Prins, J (2060) ICCF corr 1989 when the simplest looks to be e4 18.g1 g5 19.f3 xf3 20.xf3 xe5+ 21.f2 xb2+ 22.e2 f6 with an obvious decisive advantage.; 16.gxh4? xh4+ 17.e2 a5!-+ ) 16...g5! ( 16...c5 17.f3 c2+ 18.f2 g5 19.d3 xa1 20.xg6 hxg6 21.xa1 saw White successfully neutralise Black's initiative with good play f or th e exchange thanks to his monster d6 pawn. Murey, J (2500)-Kovacevic, V (2560) Hastings 1982.) 17.axb4 ( 17.f2 xe5 18.f3 c5+ 19.d4 xd4+ 20.xd4 f6 21.d1 d3+ 22.xd3 xd4+ 23.g2 xc3 24.bxc3 cxd6 25.xg6 hxg6 26.xd6 xa3 27.xb6 Carlsson, AKuehnrich, H ICCF corr 1982 and Black e n d e d a p a wn u p a l t h o u g h W h i t e h a s reasonable drawing chances.) 17...xg3+ 18.hxg3 xg3+ 19.e2 ( 19.d2 xa1 20.xa1 f4+ 21.e2 xd4 also gives Black draw odds in the position.) 19...xe5+ 20.f3 h5+ 21.xh5 xh5+ 22.f2 h4+ ( 22...h2+ 23.g2 xa1 24.xa1 xd6 25.ce2 xb4 26.xb7 d8 leaves a peculiar material balance. Black's ro o k a n d f o u r p a wn s l o o k t o o u t we i g h White's three minor pieces as White's king is still insecure.) 23.g2 xa1 24.xa1 xd4 25.dxc7 g4+ 26.h1 e8 27.b5 h4+ 1/2-1/2 Flor Trejo, R-Rain, R ICCF email 2004 saw White survive but we can hardly call this an opening success. ] 16.d7+?! Playing this kind of position perfectly is basically impossible but nevertheless this gives Black back her clear advantage. Perhaps this gives White a clue - that these positions with such a vulnerable king should not be tried. [ 16.f2! was best when White takes the advantage although Black still has good co m p en sa tio n . xe5 ( 16...0-0 17.f3 is the point.) 17.gxh4 0-0-0 ( 17...d3+ 18.xd3 xd4+ 19.g2 xd3 20.e1+! is the difference to the game.) 18.f3 c5+ 19.d4 xd4+ 20.xd4 xd6 21.f3 sees White successfully exchange queens and thus he can start trying to utilise his extra piece. ] 564
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16...d8 17.f2 xe5 18.gxh4 d3+! 19.xd3 xd4+ 20.g2 xd3?! Keeping the queens on is rather foolish. [ 20...xd3 looks sensible as Black is now actually material up! ] 21.e1 So the difference between this position and the previous one seen in the notes is that Black is a pawn up rather than a pawn down (after a subsequent capture on c7) while the d7 pawn gives the king some protection. h5 [ 21...f5 might be a better method of exchanging queens on g4 as e4 is also now controlled. Following 22.h1 Black can exchange into a great endgame with e4+ 23.xe4 xd1 24.exd1 fxe4 ] 22.h1 d6 Of course Black is still clearly be t t e r a n d t hu s we ca n sa y t h a t W h it e 's opening was a failure. I think 12 Bxb6 has seen its day. 23.d2 c4 [ 23...f5! is more accurate. ] 24.g2 c6 25.e4 d5 26.ad1 xe4 27.xe4 The last few moves have let Black's advantage slip as the d7 pawn now promises W h i t e d e c e n t c o m p e n s a t i o n . a4?! And this throws away the rest of the advantage. [ 27...a5! would have kept Black on top. ] 28.b4! Perhaps Cmilyte missed this rather obvious counter. Now the Black rook finds itself sidelined. b5?? And this loses. [ 28...f5 was necessary when 29.g5+ f6 30.xh5 g6 31.e8+ xe8 32.dxe8+ xe8 33.e1+ f8 34.h6+ f7 35.h7+ f8 36.h6+ would end as a draw. ] 29.g5+! f6 30.d5?! [ 30.e3! and Black cannot prevent Re8+ in the long term. c6 31.g1 g6+ 32.f1 f5+ 33.e1+- ] 30...c6 31.e5 e6 32.d4 d6 33.g1 c6 34.g5+ f6 35.e3 Finally Velimirovic finds the win. c6 36.g1 g6+ 37.f1 f5+ 38.e1 xe4 39.xe4 a6 40.xb7 Despite the final result White's position out of the opening was fairly lousy so I don't think we'll see much more of this rare attempt. 1-0
558 Vetemaa,Juri Shabalov,Alexander USSR [Alexander Volzhin]
B03
1986
O n e o f t h e m o st in t e r e st i n g l i n e s i n t h e Alekhine's is the Four Pawns Attack. Some experts believe it's the most dangerous for Black. But in practice White chooses it rather infrequently, probably due to the necessity of knowing mountains of variations. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5!? This move leads to a very sharp game. This is why it is often played by such brilliant tacticians as Lubomir Ljubojevic and Alex Shabalov. Although a lot of games have been played in this line, the last word has not been said yet. 7.d5 e6 8.c3 [ The seemingly strong 8.d6 has a tactical refutation: h4+ 9.g3 e4+ 10.e2 xh1 11.f3 White hopes to trap Black's Queen, but Black has good chances to escape. c6! ( 11...xc4 is bad, af ter 12.bd2! xd2 13.xd2 g6 14.c2 c6 15.g2 b4+ 16.b3 the Queen is trapped) 12.bd2 d7! ( 12...d4 13.xd4 cxd4 14.f3 xc4 15.f2 e3 16.xe3 dxe3+ 17.xe3 d7 18.c1 c8 19.xc8+ xc8 20.xa7 xd6 21.b5+ e7 22.exd6+ xd6 23.b6+ ) 13.f2 dxe5! 14.xe5 xh2+ 15.g2 d4 16.d1 xd6 17.f1 Now the Queen really is trapped, but White h a s p a i d t o o h i g h a p r i c e f o r i t ! xg2+ 18.xg2 xe5 with a decisive advantage for Black. Bent Larsen once opined that he didn't like lengthy variations, as they always contain mistakes. I tend to share his scepticism, but sometimes we can't do without them! ] 8...exd5 9.cxd5 c4 The critical position. W hite has a wide choice of continuations. Besides the text, white has tried some other moves. 10.a3 [ 10.f4 b4 11.xc4 xc4 12.a4+ c6 13.dxc6 xb2-+ leads white nowhere: black wins ] [ 10.d4 c6 11.e4 b4 12.a3 ( 12.d6 g6 with the idea of Bf5 is too dangerous for white ) 12...4xd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.xc4 c7 16.e3 e6 565
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 led to equality in Chokiltea-Luboevic,1971 ] played 3.f4 at this point, but after c5! [ 10.d6 has been played very rarely, but is a Black gets a favourable variation of the 2. very interesting move. One example: c6 f4 Sicilian (2...Nf 6 3.e5?!). ( In my view it 11.f3 ( 11.f4!? ) 11...g4 12.f4 g5! would be very dangerous to accept the pawn the introduction to a brilliant combination as after 3...xf4 4.d4 g6 5.h4 13.e4 W h a t e l s e ? ( 13.g3 g7 White threatens to win Black's knight with h4and white's centre is in danger) 13...gxf4!! h5.; 3...d6 4.d4 would transpose back into 14.f6+ xf6 15.exf6 0-0-0 with a big the game. )] advantage for Black in Paunovic -Mrserovic, 3...d6 4.f4 f5 5.f3 e6 6.d3 xd3 1982 ] [ Black has also tried 6...g4 but this looks [ 10.f3 is considered to be the main line. prom isin g f o r W h ite af te r 7.0-0 dxe5 We'll see this move in the next game. ] ( 7...e7 8.h3 h5 9.e4 c6 10.c4 10...c5 The first achievement for black: white b6?? 11.exd6 f6 12.c5 Maciejewski cannot castle kingside. 11.f3 0-0 12.e2 Malek, Rzeszow 1977) 8.fxe5 c5 9.h3 h5 f5! Now queenside castling is very 10.c4 b6 11.e4 c6 12.d5 xf3 dangerous for white, but he has no choice, as 13.xf3 xe5 14.g3 with a strong attack keeping the king in the centre is even worse. for W hite in Reeh - Ruehrig, German Ch 13.g5 d7 14.d2 h6 15.f4 a6 1987 ] 16.0-0-0 ac8 17.h3 a4! Black completes [ 6...g6 7.0-0 e7 8.c4 b6 9.c3 0-0 his development and begins a direct attack. 10.h1 c5 11.d5 exd5 12.cxd5 xd3 18.d4 White misses a fantastic blow, but he 13.xd3 left White with a massive centre in is in trouble anyway. xd4 19.xd4 6c5 Pyhala - Salokangas, Tampere 1990 ] 20.xc4 b5!! Unbelievable! When I see 7.xd3 e7 There is a strong argument for such moves I'm proud of how wonderful chess trying for some immediate counterplay: is! Mate on b2 is threatened, and taking the [ 7...c6 envisages counterplay on the d-file, Queen leads to mate in one 21.d2 after 8.0-0 B l a c k p l a y s d7 with the [ 21.xb5 b3# ] intention of castling long. Reeh - Hartmann, [ 21.xb5 b3# ] Bundesliga 1984-85 continued 9.a3 e7 [ 21.b4 b3+ 22.xb3 xc3+-+ winning ] 10.c4 ( 10.d1 dxe5 11.fxe5 0-0-0 12.b4 21...xc3 a6 13.bd2 f4 14.f1 xd4 [ 21...xc3 22.xc3 ( 22.bxc3 b1# ) won a pawn in Zichichi - Saidy, Venic e 22...b3+ 23.xb3 xb3 ] 1969 ) 10...b6 11.exd6 cxd6 12.b4 f6 0-1 13.bd2 a6 14.e4 d5 15.xf6+ gxf6 16.c5 c4 with a complex struggle in prospect. ] 559 B03 [ B l a c k ' s o t h e r a c t i v e m o v e i s 7...c5!? but after 8.0-0 c6 he must face a very Vitolinsh,Alvis dangerous possibility in 9.f5!? . In Georgiev Shmit,Anatoly Kr - Petkov, Bulgarian Ch., Bankja 1992 USSR URS 1976 White won the exchange after ( the relatively [Nigel Davies] tame 9.c3 dxe5 10.fxe5 e7 11.dxc5 xc5+ 12.h1 ce7 13.e2 also left If W hite wants a relatively unexplored White with a nice space edge in Kupreichik attacking line against the Alekhine, he could Kaunas, Prague 1990) 9...cxd4 10.fxe6 do far worse than try the so-called Vitolinsh fxe6 11.g5 d7 12.h3 0-0-0 13.f7 Variation. Recently it has been championed by e7 14.exd6 xd6 15.g5 etc. ] the Belorus GM, Viktor Kupreichik. In this [ Black can preclude this f4-f5 idea by first game we see a solid approach by Black, e xc h a n gi n g o n e 5 . B u t in K u p r e i c h i k though one which may leave W hite with an P u ra n e n , J yva s kyl a 1 9 9 1 W h i t e h a d a advantage in space. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 t y p i c a l s p a c e a d v a n t a g e a f t e r 7...dxe5 3.d4 8.fxe5 c5 9.0-0 e7 10.dxc5 c6 11.h1 [ The South African amateur Arnie Witkin has 566
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 etc. ] 8.c4 [ It is quite unnecessary to prepare this move. In Maciejewski - Schmidt W, Polanica Zdroj 1 9 7 6 , W h i t e p la ye d 8.0-0 0-0 9.a3 but after c5 10.c4 c7 11.c3 cxd4 12.e4 d5 13.cxd5 xd5 14.fg5 g6 Black had a good game ( 15.h3 is met by h5 16.g4 g7 17.gxh5 h8 etc). ] 8...b4 [ Black should probably avoid trying to exploit the 'omission' of a2-a3 by White and simply 8...b6 Now he gets problems with his bpawn. ] 9.b3 dxe5 10.fxe5 b5 An attempt to take control of some light squares, but it creates serious weaknesses in Black's camp. [ 10...a5 is better, intending to meet 11.a3 with a4 ] 11.cxb5 c6 12.d2 [ According to Gipslis, White could also have played 12.a3 d5 13.xd5 xd5 14.bxc6 xc6 15.c3 with a good extra pawn. ] 12...d5 13.xd5 xd5 14.c3 [ And here too White should probably be greedy with 14.bxc6 xc6 15.c3 cb4 16.e2 etc. ] 14...xc3 15.bxc3 cxb5 16.a4 bxa4 17.xa4 c6 18.a6 d7 In addition to the weakness of his a-pawn problems, Black's king is now vulnerable. [ 18...b8 19.a4 c6 was better, when Black is still on the board. ] 19.0-0 f6 20.exf6 gxf6 [ And here 20...xf6 was probably a better try. ] 21.c4 hc8 22.fa1 c7 23.d5 d8 [ Gipslis also analysed 23...c5+ 24.h1 d8 25.a5! b7 26.dxe6+ xe6 27.d1+ e7 28.e1 b6 29.xb6 xb6 30.xb6 axb6 31.d4 as winning for White, though here I should point out that f7! 32.xe6 ( 32.xe6?? a1+ ) 32...e8 saves the day. W as this Black's last chance? ] 24.e3 xc4 25.dxe6+ e8 [ 25...xe6 26.d1+ wins a piece. ] 26.d4 c5 27.g4 e5 28.f5 xe6 29.xa7 xa7 30.xa7 d8 31.g2 Bla ck 's po sition is t ru ly ho rrif ic. I n time trouble he cracks. h5? 32.d4 e4 33.f3
e1 34.gxh5 c6 35.h6! f1+ 36.e4 1-0
560 Volokitin,Andrei Ivanchuk,Vassily Aerosvit GM Foros UKR (8) [John Cox]
B03 2660 2731 25.06.2006
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 e7 7.h3 One way of doing it Bd3/Nge2 is another system and another way is Be2/Nf3, just allowing the pin with ...Bg4. [ Korchnoi's 7.f3 is also an option. ] 7...0-0 8.f3 f6 9.e2 A pretty common position in which Black's next few moves are invariably ...Bf5, ...Re8 and ....Nc6 (actually more often than not Black plays some or all of these moves before ...Bf6) but Ivanchuk as so often has his own ideas. e6!? A novelty as far as I can see, and perhaps rather a v a l u a b l e o n e . 10.d5 It's surprising how annoying it is to defend the c-pawn. [ 10.b3 d5 11.c5 c8 12.0-0 c6 13.e3 would transpose into a position which is frequently met in the old main line where W hite allows ... Bg4, with the difference that then it is White's turn to move, since Black has played ....Bg4 (forcing b3) and then been obliged to meet a later h3 with .... Be6 for the reasons explained in Starting Out: Alekhine's Defence (p. 116, for those of you who very sensibly keep this magnificent wo rk b y yo u r b e d s, a n d I a lso su gge s t looking up the game Kurajica-Hort, 1971 or so, to show why ... Bxf3 is not so good). ] [ 10.b3 a5 11.a4 a6 is also a bit annoying. ] 10...xc3+ 11.bxc3 d7 [ 11...f5 is clearly an alternative, and indeed keeping d7 free for the moment has an obvious appeal. ] 12.0-0 a6 13.g5 f6 14.e3 c5 15.e1 e8 16.f1 e7 17.d4 Everyone has played terribly natural moves up to here, and Black looks fine to me. This move and White's next form a not terribly successful manoeuvre. I'm afraid though that I don't really know what to suggest instead. Black's ominously solid 567
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and it's not at all easy to say what W hite ought to play, although he shouldn't be worse. f8 18.b5 xb5 19.cxb5 ae8 20.a4 f5 [ An alternative method of obtaining counterplay against W hite's queensid e initiative was 20...f7 21.c4 e4 22.c2 g6 23.c3 ( 23.a5 xc4 24.xc4 xe3 ) 23...bd7 , but Ivanchuk's is more reliable, gaining eternal control of e5. ] 21.a5 [ After 21.g3 probably Black reverts to the m e t h o d o u t l i n e d i n t h e l a s t n o t e f7 ( 21...f4?! 22.gxf4 f7 23.c4 e4 24.c2 is not so good) 22.c4 g6 can lead to the splendid tactical line 23.a5 xc4 24.xc4 xe3 25.xe3 xe3 26.fxe3 xg3+ 27.f1 xh3+ 28.g1 xe3+ 29.g2 e4+ 30.f3 xc4 31.xf5 when Black has a material advantage, but I'm not at all sure how easy he's going to find it to convert. ] 21...f4 22.d2 xe1 23.xe1 bd7 24.f3 White comes to regret this, and it does look a bit of a nervous reaction. .... f 3 certainly wasn't a threat just yet. f6 25.c1 b6 26.axb6 axb6 27.f2 h6 28.d4 g5 29.c4 f6 30.a1 I'm not sure about this position. The computer slightly likes W hite Ivanchuk makes it look like a forced win for Black. Obviously we need a Fritz-Ivanchuk m a t c h u p yo u 'd s a y t h e t r u t h i s p ro b a b l y somewhere in between since actually it's not too hard to isolate where Volokitin goes wrong in what follows. h5 31.a7 e7 32.c2 g3 33.a1 g5 34.h2 f7 35.g1 d7 36.h2 e5 37.f2 g6 38.d3 h4 39.a7 e7 White to play and draw only one move will do, I think..... 40.a8? ..... and this isn't it: [ 40.d1 xg2 41.xg2 e4+ 42.f1 xf2 43.xf2 g3+ is no better ] [ b u t t h e w a y t o d e f e n d w a s 40.a1 , s o a s t o m e e t gf5 by ( 40...xg2 41.xg2 e4+ achieves nothing with f2 still defended ) 41.xh4 when xh4 ( 41...xh4 42.e4 is no better since the knight is trapped ) 42.xf5 g3+ 43.h1 e1+ is only a draw - this is the point of covering the first rank ] 40...gf5! [ No doubt Volokitin was expecting only
40...hf5 , but there is no threat then ...Ne3 is met by Bg6+ winning in view of ...Qxg6 Rf8+. ] 41.f1 [ 41.xh4 xh4! 42.a1 g3+ 43.g1 e1+ 44.xe1 xe1+ 45.h2 e3 is very uncomfortable also I don't see a forced win but it's hard to see W hite surviving, especially since after any queen exchange the Black king will cruise in via e5 and d4. ] 41...e3 42.xe3 fxe3 43.e2 f5 44.a2 f4+ 45.g1 d4 46.h2 e5+ 47.f4 xf4+ 48.g1 g3 49.d3 e4 50.e2 d4 51.b1 d2 A classy game by Ivanchuk: it's not easy to make Volokitin look so powerless. It's clear though that Black has an important new weapon in his armoury in t h i s va r i a t i o n , a n d i f c o u r s e i t ' s a l w a y s encouraging to see a player of Ivanchuk's class willing to play the opening. 0-1
561 Volokitin,Andrei Nogueiras Santiago,Jesus 36th Olympiad (11) [Andrew Martin]
B03 2652 2546 26.10.2004
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 There has been a lot of interest in t h e A l e k h i n e r e c e n t l y. T h e V o r o n e z h variation has been responsible for the decline in popularity of 5...cxd6 although whether that can be fully justified is debatable. So we see another example of 5...exd6 here, a solid move without especial pretensions. Black sets up a position which is difficult to break down. 6.c3 e7 7.h3 0-0 8.d3 [ White usually develops his King's Knight first: 8.f3 e8 ( 8...c5!? is an interesting strike: 9.d5 f6 10.d3 e8+ 11.e3 xc3+ 12.bxc3 f6 13.c2 h6 14.a4 a6 15.b1 b8 16.a5 d7 17.0-0 e5! 18.xe5 xe5 19.d2 c7 20.f4 e7 21.c2 f8 Pavasovic,D-Varga,Z/ Zalaegerszeg HUN 2004 Black has a marked structural advantage but remains cramped. If he can solve his development problems he will surely be better.; 8...f5 568
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.e2 c6 10.d5 a5 11.b3 f6 12.b2 c6 13.0-0 cxd5 14.cxd5 c8 15.c1 d7 16.d2 e5 17.d4 g6 Pavasovic, DKantorik,M/Deizisau GER 2004 Once again Black is cramped, the story of this line.) 9.e2 f6 10.0-0 f5 11.b3 c6 ( 11...a6!? 12.e3 c6 13.d2 h6 14.a4 d7 15.a5 f8 16.a4 e6 17.b4 c8 18.c1 d5 19.b5 ac5 The manoeuvering o f t h e B l a c k K n i g h t s sh o u ld b e n o t e d . 20.dxc5 d4 21.a6 bxa6 22.xd4 xd4 23.xa6 b3 24.b2 xc1 25.xc1 d4 Rainfray,A-Janev,E/BC Masters, Bois Colombes FRA 2003) 12.e3 d5 13.c5 c8 14.a3 e4 15.b4 a6 16.b5 ( 16.d2 ) 16...axb5 17.xb5 a5 18.f4 e7 19.e5 c6 20.c3 g6 21.e1 e8 22.d3 xe5 Kuba,G-Novkovic,M/TCh-AUT 2 0 0 3 A s l o n g a s B l a ck ca n re l ie v e h i s p o s it i o n wi t h s u it a b l e e xc h a n ge s I a m reasonably happy to recommend 5...exd6. ] 8...e8 9.ge2 An unusual placement for the Kingside pieces, but quite effective. White is trying to take the sting out of Black's Bishop on c8. Let's say Black manages to exchange light-squared bishops. Then the f5 and b5 squares become weak. It's a counterplay thing. g5 10.0-0 xc1 11.xc1 c6 12.a3 d7?! This seems to me to be the source of Black's problems. He has to aim for exchanges and/or counterplay to ease his position. Thus [ 12...g5 was indicated and now: 13.f4 ( 13.e4 h6 14.c5 dxc5 15.dxc5 d7 16.b4 de5 ) 13...e7! ( 13...f6 14.c5! dxc5 15.dxc5 d7 16.d5 d8 17.c2 ) 14.d5 xd5 15.cxd5 d8 16.c2 h6 17.h2 ] 13.b4 f6 14.c2 d7 Very modest. 15.fd1 e7 16.d5 g6 17.d4 W h it e h a s a s m all e dge bu t t he p o sit io n should be manageable. h5 [ 17...f4 18.e1 ( 18.f1 a5 ) 18...a5 19.xe8+ xe8 20.f3 xd3 21.xd3 axb4 22.axb4 c8 23.e1 f5 doesn't seem too bad for Black although he's still a bit worse. After the W hite Queen moves, the Bishop on f5 has limited potential. ] 18.d2 e5 [ 18...hf4 19.xg6 g5 ( 19...xg6
20.c5 ) 20.xh7+ xh7 21.g3 xh3+ 22.g2 ] 19.f1 h4 [ 19...a5! opens up another front and as this is a risk-free way of bringing the a8 Rook into the game I think it's the move I prefer. After 20.e1 axb4 21.axb4 f6 22.c5 f4 Black is alright. ] 20.g3 f6 21.c5! It turns out that White does not have to worry too much about Black's kin g sid e p re ssu r e . I n st e a d h e p la ys t h e thematic queenside lever and Nogueira s im m e dia t ely co m e s u n de r pre ssu re . g6 22.g2 dxc5 23.bxc5 ad8 24.c2 h6 25.cb5 f6 [ 25...xb5 26.xb5 d7 27.d6 ] [ 25...c8 26.xa7 a8 27.ab5+- ] 26.xc7 xh3 27.xe8 Why not? xe8 28.e1 fg4 29.f4 xg2 30.xg2 The short-term threats against the White King could not compensate for White's queenside potential and Nogueiras went quickly down. Black must solve this particular riddle. Perhaps, as indicated, a well-timed .. .a7-a5 is the answer. 1-0
562 Volzhin,Alexander Svechnikov,Leonid Russia [Alexander Volzhin]
B03
1988
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 g6 8.f4 g7 9.c3 0-0 10.d2 White prepares Q-side castling. The alternatives are: [ 10.d3 e6 11.d6 This tempting move is not normally good for White as in all lines Black creates pressure against the e5-pawn: c6 12.f3 d7 13.e2 d4! 14.xd4 cxd4 15.b5 a5+ 16.d2 b6 17.b4 xe5 18.c5 xd3+ 19.xd3 c6 20.0-0 e5 and Black was better in Ciuffoletti-Sedina, Saint Vincent 1998. ] [ 10.e2 e6 11.f3 exd5 12.cxd5 g4! Black creates pressure against the e5-pawn. 13.0-0 8d7 14.e1 xf3 15.xf3 xe5! 16.xe5 e8 17.f2 xe5 18.xc5 c8 19.f2 xc3 20.bxc3 xc3 21.ad1 d6 569
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and W hite has nothing for the pawn, Moraru-Grunberg, Bucharest 1999. ] 10...e6 11.0-0-0 exd5 12.cxd5 g4! [ 12...c4 is le s s p r e ci s e : 13.f3 g4 14.h6! After the exchange of dark-square bishops Black ha s no counterplay. xf3 15.xg7 xd1 This move looses immediately but after ( 15...xg7 16.gxf3 Black's position is joyless anyway.) 16.f6! and Black soon resigned, SolomonKanikevich, Sydney 1991. ] [ 12...8d7 is no good either: 13.f3 e8 14.e1 with a clear edge for White since Black didn't create pressure on W hite's centre. ] 13.e1! Up to this I was following a book recommendation. I was quite satisfied with the opening as according to the book "White was clearly better". But my opponent had something in mind. [ 13.f3 i s w e a k e r i n v i e w o f 8d7 intending 14...Re8 and it's not clear how White can hold the e5-pawn. ] 13...c4! This strong move which prepares a pawn sacrifice changes the evaluation of the position. 14.h3 [ Here 14.h6 is not good: xh6 15.xh6 xd5 16.h3 f5 17.d1 xc3! ( 17...d3!? is not bad either.) 18.xd8 xa2+ 19.d2 xd8+ with a huge edge for Black. ] 14...f5 15.g4 d3! 16.xd3 cxd3 17.xd3 a6! Black is a pawn down but the compensation is obvious: he leads in development, his Knights are very active and W h it e 's K in g is u n saf e . No w 1 8 . . . Nb 4 is t h r e a t e n e d . 18.d6 c8 19.b1 c4! Black already creates concrete threats. Now White has to parry 20...Qb6. [ 19...c5 as was played in IlincicMarinkovic, Vrnjacka Banja 1989 is weaker: 20.e2 e6 21.g3 c4 22.f3 a5 , although even here the position is not clear at all. ] 20.d5 Forced but now White's King has no defenders at all. a5! 21.e7+ h8 22.f3 c5 [ 22...xb2!? is worthy of consideration: 23.xb2 b4 24.b3 c2+ 25.b1 xa2 and the attack is very strong. ] 23.h4? To tell the truth I'd completely missed
Black's reply. Already after 20 moves both players had consumed a lot of time. [ 23.b3 was obligatory: xb2 24.d2 (the only move). a4 25.e3 b5 26.xa4 xa4+ 27.b3 xb3+ 28.axb3 4c5 wi t h m u t u a l c h a n c e s i n a c o m p l i c a t e d endgame. ] 23...xa2+! Not difficult to spot but non et heless a tt ractive . 24.xa2 b4+ 25.b3! The only move as will become clear later. xd3 It may seem that gross material losses are unavoidable for White, but still I h a ve m a n y i n t e r e s t i n g r e s o u r c e s . 26.h5! The only chance to f ight. Now all W hite's pieces are hanging and in time trouble it's not easy for Black to decide which one to take! gxh5? Black miscalculates and misses the win. In fairness it was not easy to find the correct solution! Let's see the variations: [ 26...xe1 27.hxg6 fxg6 28.xg6+ g8 29.e7+ h8 30.g6+ g8 31.e7+ and Black can't avoid triple repetition since after f7 32.xe1 it is White who has winning chances. ] [ Only 26...xf4! 27.hxg6 fxg6! was winning, and W hite has nothing for the piece ( B y t h e wa y , 27...xg6? is even losing! 28.xh7+! xh7 29.h1+ h6 30.g5+ g7 31.f5+ g8 32.xh6+ g7 33.f5+ g8 34.h7 d2+ 35.b4 c4+ 36.a3 b1+ 37.a2 d8 38.g7+ f8 39.xf7+ g8 40.h6+ h8 41.h7# )] 27.xh5 xf4 [ 27...xe1 was possible but it only leads to a drawish ending after the forced 28.g5 h6 29.d7! a5+ 30.a2 c6 31.xc6 bxc6 32.d8! xd8 33.xf7+ h7 34.xd8 d3 35.e6! xh5 36.gxh5 f6 37.c7 ] 28.xh7+! Forced but strong! xh7 29.h1+ h6 30.g5+ g7 31.f5+ g6 By playing 26...gxh6 Black calculated this far t h in kin g t h e f igh t wa s o ve r. Ho we ve r a n u n p le a s a n t su r p ri s e a wa i t s h i m . 32.h7! d2+ If White had played 25 Kb1 it would n o w b e m a t e i n t w o ! 33.a4 xh7 Black can't avoid perpetual. [ An attempt to play for a win is dangerous for Black: 33...c4+ 34.b4 h5? 35.xh5 xg4 36.xh6+ xf5 37.xf8 xe5 38.d7+! f5 39.f6+ e4 40.c5+ e5 570
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 41.d7 and Black is in trouble. ] 34.xh6+ g8 35.e7+ g7 36.f5+ g8 37.e7+ A very exciting game! ½-½
[ 21.c5 was played in K Martin-Cox - see the Archives. ] 21...c6 22.c4?! [ 22.a4! is a good idea here as well because ...a5 is not an option and 4d5 23.c1! d7 24.xb6! xb6 25.a5 c8 26.c7 is no fun. ] 563 B03 Yandemirov,Valeri 2461 22...xc4 23.xc4 xa2 24.g5 e8 Konnov,Oleg 2325 25.e4 a5 26.d6 c3 Black has levelled 27.d2 a4 28.bxa4 xa4 6th ch-PriFO Men (5) 27.01.2008 the game. 29.xe8 xc4 30.d8 f8 31.b8 c6 [John Watson] 32.g5 f6 33.xf6+ f7 34.b7+ f8 I thought that White had a good game here, 35.b8+ f7 36.b7+ f8 37.d7+ g8 but Black can improve earlier, so it turns out 38.h4 h6 39.e3 d5 40.b8+ h7 that I haven't added much at all to what has 41.c5 f4 42.f8+ xf8 43.xf8 c1+ been said in the Archives! With care, Black 44.h2 c2 45.b7+ g8 46.xh6 xf2 e q u a l i s e s a f t e r 1 6 c x b 6 . M a y b e t h e 47.xf4 xf4 alternatives to that move beat re-examination, ½-½ and 14 Ne4 deserves another look. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 B03 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 564 The main move. Our other game features 9... Yudasin,Leonid 2475 Nc6. 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 Kengis,Edvins 2430 6d7 13.c4 c6 14.f3 USSR Minsk (15) 1985 [ Oddly enough, 14.e4 is underexplored in [Alexander Volzhin] comparison with 14 Nf3. I think it has the p o t e n t i a l t o b e m o r e f r u i t f u l t h a n t h e 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 conventional move. ] 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c6 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 14...a5 15.e2 b6 16.cxb6 In the end this 9.f3 e7 This is the main line. 10.e2 gets nowhere. Possible, but in my opinion it's hardly [ There's a quick draw after 16.b5!? bxc5 consistent : after choosing the very sharp 17.g5 f6 18.d2 b7 19.c7 b8 Four Pawns attack white switches to slow 20.c4+ h8 21.e6 e8 22.c7= ] positional play. [ In the Archives, John Cox has analysed [ 10.d5 is considered to be White's main 16.b4 ] weapon. See the next games for it. ] [ 16.0-0 ] 10...0-0 11.0-0 f6! The correct plan: Black [ and 16.a4 . I'm not quite sure that Black undermines White's pawn chain. 12.exf6 has full equality after the last two, but it's [ 12.h4?! is not good: fxe5 13.xf5 exf5 certainly close enough to be within drawing 14.d5 d4! ( W hite hoped for 14...b8 bounds. ] 15.c5 with ample compensation) 15.xd4 16...xb6 This position has been considered exd4 16.xd4 d7! Now Black dominates equal. 17.0-0 b7 18.fd1 c6?! the dark squares. 17.h1 ( 17.a4 b5! [ 18...xd1+ 19.xd1 c8 20.b5 d5 18.cxb5 d6! At the cost of only one pawn is fine according to Cox. Then White seems Bla ck h a s go t a st ro n g kin gsid e a t t a c k to get just a little something out of 21.d2 19.ae1 e7 20.d3 e5 21.h1 f4 c2 22.d3 xa2 23.b4 , but then comes 22.e2 ae8 23.c3 h4 Spielmann e4! 24.xe4 c4 25.e1 cb6 Kolle, Dortmund, 1928.) 17...c5 18.d3 and there's no more doubt about equality. ] g5 19.b5 ae8 20.xc7 e3 21.e6 19.b5 xd1+ 20.xd1 b4 21.d6 h6 22.xc5 xc5 23.c2 e4 24.g1 [ Here Cox claims that 21.a4 "would have b6 25.h1 f6 26.f3 xf3 27.xf3 left White decidedly better." ] g3+ Arakelov - Bagirov, 1960. ] 571
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12...xf6 Now both sides have weaknesses (d4 and e6). In my opinion the position is about equal. 13.d2 e7 14.ad1 ad8 15.c1 h6 16.h3 h7 17.fe1 h8 18.f1 f7 19.h1 c8! Black improves the position of his only bad piece. 20.f2 d6 21.a3 e5 22.c5 exd4 23.xd4 xd4 24.xd4 xd4 25.xd4 f5 26.xd8 xd8 27.f4 ½-½
565 Zaragatski,Ilja Baburin,Alexander 23rd ECC Men (7) [John Watson]
B03 2471 2545 09.10.2007
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 c6 7.h3 f5 8.e3 e7 9.f3 f6 10.b3 h6 11.e2 [ 11.d3 xd3 ( 11...d7 12.0-0 0-0 13.b1 xd3 14.xd3 is almost the same ) 12.xd3 leaves White with a solid space advantage. Most players wouldn't want to play this kind of as Black, although nothing terrible should befall him. ] 11...d5 12.c5 c8 13.0-0 0-0 14.d2 8e7 15.e1?! [ 15.h2! is a better way to mobilise the pawns, as will soon become clear. Then h7? ( 15...b6 16.cxb6 axb6 17.g4 xg4 18.xg4 with the bishop pair) 16.g4! is very strong. ] 15...h7 16.g4!? g5? This is anti-positional in the extreme. [ Neither 17 f4 nor 17 g5 are real threats, so moves like 16...b6 ] [ or 16...e8! are preferable. In the latter case, 17.f4? is terrible following f5! 18.gxf5 xe3 and another pawn will fall. ] 17.g2 [ Now 17.f4! gxf4 18.xf4 is very promising, because g5? 19.f1 ( 19.f3 xe3+ 20.xe3 g7 21.g2 ) 19...xe3+ 20.xe3 g7 21.g2 leaves Black with too many weaknesses. ] 17...g7 18.f4 f5!? 19.f3 [ White is still on top, and better is 19.fxg5 hxg5 20.xg5 xd4+ 21.h1 ] 19...d7 20.e2?
[ 20.fxg5 ] 20...fxg4 21.hxg4? h5! This turns the tide completely now W hite stands much worse! 22.g3 [ 22.gxh5?? g4 ] 22...hxg4 23.e2 gxf4 24.xf4 ae8 25.fh5 f5! 26.xf5 xf5 27.xg7 xg7 28.xf5 xf5 29.b5?! e4? [ 29...e6! , to cover h6 so that ...Be4 and ... Qh7 can follow. ] 30.xc6 bxc6 31.f4? [ 31.h6 g6 32.g5! ] 31...g3 [ Black wins with 31...h8! 32.h6 e6 33.g5+ h7 ] [ or 31...e6 ] 32.e5 g6? [ 32...xe5! 33.dxe5 xe5 threatens ...Qh5 and ...Qf6-f3, so 34.e1 f6 35.xe4 dxe4 is forced, when Black is winning. ] 33.f4! g2 34.e1!? f8 35.h2 f5 0-1. [ I don't think that White should resign yet: 35...f5 36.g3+ ( 36.h8+? f7 ) 36...f7 37.f4! xf4 38.xf4 with opposite-coloured bishops which should give W hite some chances. Time trouble seemed to mar this game, but the opening was very interesting. ] 0-1
566 Zilberstein,Dmitry Baburin,Alexander 2nd Konig Mem [John Watson]
B03 2410 2559 15.07.2007
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f4 dxe5 [ The actual order of Olape-Baburin below was 5...f5 6.c3 e6 7.f3 e7 8.e2 ( a good result as Black was 8.e3 0-0 9.e2 Yermolinsky-Baburin, San Francisco 2002! ) 8...dxe5 9.fxe5 0-0 10.e3 f6 11.0-0 c6 12.exf6 xf6 a roundabout way to get to the main line I don't see any brilliant options for either side, at least none that are listed in the books, but they might be worth searching for. ] 6.fxe5 c6 [ Early on, Alex experimented with the line 572
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 6...c5 7.d5 e6 8.c3 exd5 9.cxd5 c4 versus Yuri Shulman in San Francisco 2001. The game ended peacefully after the known pawn sacrifice 10.f3 b4 11.xc4 xc3+ 12.bxc3 xc4 13.a4+ d7 14.xc4 b6 15.b5+ d7 16.xd7+ xd7 17.d6 c8 Cox calls equal (based upon this game?). 18.d2 b5 19.d4 ( 19.f2 is the computer suggestion - isn't W hite just better?) 19...d3 1/2-1/2 . ut again, 20 Kf2 or 20 h4! with the idea Rh3 keeps an advantage, if not quite as convincing a one. ] 7.e3 f5 8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0 f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.d2 The latest game in this line: 1/2-1/2 SvidlerBaburin, Bunratty 2008! e7 14.ad1 [ The fact that Baburin had trouble scaring up winning chances in the following game m ig h t r e f le c t a g e n e r a l p ro b l e m i n t h e Alekhine: 14.c5 d5 15.xd5 exd5 16.b5 d8 17.f4 e6 18.e5 e4 19.xf6 xf6 20.e5 f4 21.f2 g5 22.d7 f6 23.g3 af8 24.af1 g2 25.gxf4 xf4 26.e6+ h8 27.f7+ 8xf7 28.xf7 h3+ 29.h1 g2+ 30.g1 h3+ 31.h1 g2+ 32.g1 1/2-1/2 Olape, B (2216)-Baburin, A (2580)/Bled SLO 2002/ The Week in Chess 418 ] 14...ad8 15.c1 [ I gave some analysis to the rare move 15.h1 in my note s to Dushin-Siewert, Email 2003. It may be W hite's best shot for advantage. ] 15...h6 [ In the same game, I looked at the move 15...e5! in combination with the analysis provided by Mark Morss. Black seems to fully equalise, although it should be noted that he has to accede to extremely dull equality to do so, including a drawn endgame. ] 16.h1 I suggested and analysed [ 16.f2 (!), which I think should give White an edge. ] 16...h8 17.h3 g6 18.b3 a6 19.g1 d7 20.fe1 f7 21.f1 e7 22.fe1 f7 23.f1 [ And here I think that 23.d3! gives White the advantage. So one issue here is whether, as a higher-rated player, you can afford to play 15...h6, even if it seems unpleasant, or
if you really have to play 15...e5! and secure a draw in a line where it is hard for White to go wrong. I guess versus Svidler as Black, it's hard to complain! ] ½-½
567 Zubarev,Al1 Aloma Vidal,Roberto Acropolis Open (5) [John Watson]
B03 2517 2388 13.08.2008
Again, the Voronezh. This game demonstrates how important concrete preparation is even in such an apparently 'positional' line. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.f3 c6 14.c4 The most popular of White's setups. Black goes into the main line. a5 15.e2 [ We've looked at the odd idea 15.b5 c6! before Black seems to hold his own. ] 15...b6 16.cxb6 xb6 A key position. 17.0-0 [ 17.b5 b7 18.0-0 ( 18.xa7 d5 was analysed by Cox in his New in Chess Article about the Voronezh it seems as though Black has enough compensation, e.g. , he gives 19.b5 c6 20.a4 e4 21.d2 e5 22.g5 f6 23.e3 d3+ 24.xd3 exd3 'by which time even the computer is c o n c e d i n g e q u a l i t y. . . ' I t h i n k t h e b e s t comment on this pawn grab is the fact that no W h ite h as ye t tried it. ') 18...d5! ( 18...c6 19.c5 is promising for White. Then e4 20.g5 d2 21.fe1 threatens e4, but xa2?! 22.d6 clearly favours White ) 19.d2 ( 19.g5 f4! ) 19...f4! e qu a lise s. I t se e m s t h a t W h it e 's m o ve order doesn't matter if Black is careful. ] 17...b7 18.fd1 c6? Alekhine's is still considered an opening in which both sides can play by instinct, but here you have to know your stuff. [ 18...xd1+! 19.xd1 c8 20.b5 d5 still seems critical, as Cox gives in his notes to Martin-Cox, Port Erin 2005 in the Archives, and we analyse d again in Yan demirovKonnov, Kazan 2008. You might want to check out those games and look for 573
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 improvements. 21.d2 c2 22.d3 xa2 23.b4 , but then comes e4! 24.xe4 c4 25.e1 cb6 and there's no more doubt about equality. ] 19.b5 d5!? This transposes into an earlier game Va rga-Lla nos, bu t B lack ha s t o d o something in the face of Nd6 and this time, Nxa7 is also a threat. 20.xd5! xd5 21.c7 d4?! Not best, but [ 21...ad8 22.xd5 xd5 23.g5 looks strong and ] [ 21...dd8 22.xa8 xa8 23.b5! d4?! ( 23...f6!? ) 24.xd4 exd4 25.g5 f6 26.d2 d5 27.c7! was very good for White in Varga, Z (2518)-Llanos, G (2437)/ Budape st 199 9/. Black pa ssed p awn is blocked and doesn't cause white any problems, while the a-pawn becomes a target for white pieces (Finkel) - indeed this is precisely the kind of endgame Black must avoid in this variation. ] 22.xd4? This really doesn't achieve anything. Correct was [ 22.xd4! c8 ( 22...exd4 23.xa8 d3 24.d1 and wins ) 23.e3 d7 24.b5 xc1+ 25.xc1 looks a little dangerous for White, but he holds onto his material and consolidates ] 22...exd4 23.xd5 xd5 24.d2 h5 [ 24...e6 with the idea ...Rc8 is simplest. ] 25.c4!? [ 25.c7 ] 25...xc4 26.xc4 d3?! [ 26...e8 27.f1 d3 is a better order. ] 27.f1 [ 27.c7! with the idea e8 28.d7! ] 27...d8 28.b4 d4 29.a4 d7 At some point Black should centralise his king via ... Kf 8-e7. 30.b5 f6 31.e1 e7+ 32.e3! xe3 33.fxe3 xe3+ 34.d2 e2+ 35.xd3 xg2 36.c7?! [ 36.c2! has the idea g4 37.c8+ f7 38.a8 ] 36...xh2 37.xa7 b2 38.c4 This is almost impossible to calculate, so I'll hit only the obvious points. Presumably Black should be okay here. h4 39.a5 h3 40.d7 h2 [ 40...g5! ] 41.d1 f7 42.a6 a2 43.c5 e6!? [ 43...g5! with the idea 44.b6 a5+ 45.c6
xa6 46.h1 a2= ] 44.b6 a5+! 45.c6 xa6 46.h1 a2 47.b7 c2+ 48.b6 b2+ 49.c7 f5?! Trying to win, which could never happen here. Maybe Black missed White's next. [ 49...c2+ draws. ] 50.xh2 xb7+ 51.xb7 f4 52.c6 g5?? [ 52...e5! , as in any endgame book, prevents Black's king from being forced off the file. 53.g2 ( 53.c5 f3 ) 53...f3 54.g5+ f4 55.xg6 f2 56.f6+ draws. ] 53.c5 g4 [ It's too late for 53...e5 54.e2+ f5 55.d4 ] 54.d4 g3 55.h8 f5 56.g8 f3 57.xg3 f4 58.g8 f2 59.f8+ 1-0
568
B04 Adams,Michael 2729 Carlsen,Magnus 2714 World Blitz Moscow RUS blitz (14) 21.11.2007 [John Watson] A very important line, with all kinds of options on move 7. I think that 6 Bd3 has more value than supposed. This would be a good game and notes to go over. And watch that two bishops ending! 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.d3 Not the most common move any more, yet it may very well come back. Bd3 is thoroughly logical the drawback is that ...Nb4 comes with tempo in many cases. Now the players follow the m ain line . d7 7.f3 There are two majo r alternatives, with game s involvin g Mamedyar, Carlsen, and Rozentalis, all as Black. Briefly: [ (a) 7.xd7 is safe, when White probably keeps only a formal edge. In the main line below, Black's real disappointment will be the loss of positive chances, but there are plenty of alternatives along the way: xd7 8.0-0 g6 9.e1 ( 9.c4 f6 10.h3 g7 11.d2 0-0 12.f3 c7 13.e1 f5!? 14.xf5 gxf5 15.e3 ad8 16.c2 e6 17.ad1 e4 and Black had quite a decent game in Zhigalko, A (2505)-Rozentalis, E (25 82 )/ Ca pp elle la G ra nd e FRA 20 06 .) 9...g7 10.c3 0-0 11.g5 b6! 574
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 This dates back to Upleger-Loeffler, Bundesliga 2002-2003, which we'll follow. A successor game was Cuijpers, F (2510)-Cox, J (2418)/Amsterdam NED 2006, analysed by Cox on this site .Previously ( 11...e8 12.d2 c8 13.c4 had been played, after which W hite maintained the advantage. ) A) Cox's game continued 12.d2 e6 13.a3 , and he suggests that putting one rook or another on d8 was fine. Okay, then fd8 14.c4 c7 15.e3!? f4 16.c4 is s olid f or Black, perhap s a bit more comfortable to play for W hite after xc4 ( 16...c5? 17.f5! ) 17.xc4 e6 18.h4 . Black should be fine, however.; B) 12.c1!? c5?! 13.e4 e6 14.xd5 xd5 15.xe7 fe8 16.dxc5 c6 17.f3 b6 . Here 18.a3 looks like an appropriate move, when e6! 19.d6 bxc5 20.f4 ad8 gives decent compensation. ] [ (b ) A n o t h e r se r io u s ch a l le n ge i s 7.0-0 xe5! 8.dxe5 b4 ( 8...g6 was played in Sutovsky, E (2674)-Mamedyarov, S (2646)/ Gothenburg SW E 2005, and analysed on this site. I still think that White stands better, but I have a prejudice for space.) 9.e4 xd1 10.xd1 f5 11.a3 (according to Finkel) A) 11...fxe4 12.axb4 is Cox's preference, citing Martin's analysis on this site beginning with g6 . But instead of his 13 Be3!? Bg7 14 Ra5, I think that 13.c3! is better and more logical - if the e-pawns are exchanged, then W hite has the superior pawn structure. One sequence might be g7 ( 13...f5 14.b5!? g7 15.bxc6 bxc6 16.a5 ) 14.xe4 xe5 15.e1; B) 11...a6 12.f3 g6 13.d2 ( 13.e2 g7 14.f4 c7 15.d2 e6 16.f3 ) 13...e6 14.e2 c7 15.f3 d5 16.d4 g7 17.c4 f7 18.f4 Sutovsky, E (2635)-Carlsen, M (2385)/ E CC , Re t h ym n o n G R E 2 0 0 3 . Ma rt in : 'White's ad vantage grows. He's achieved nothing other than to show that his position has more potential but that is enough to put Carlsen under pressure. I like White's extra space and the throttled
Bishop on g7 gives cause for concern.' [ j w: ] O f c o u r s e , B l a c k c a n d o b e t t e r probably 8...g6 should be looked into. Overall, my impression is that 7 0-0 yields a normal advantage for White, much like most openings. ] 7...7f6 8.h3 Preventing ... Bg4, which would go well with Black's ...c6/...e6 setup. It is very common to give up the bishop pair in those lines. b4 9.c4 [ 9.e2 f5 10.a3 e6 11.0-0 e7 ( No one seems to like 11...d6; or 11...c7 in these systems, and for the life of me I don't understand why!) 12.c3 bd5 13.c4 0-0 14.ce5 h6 15.c4 b6 was played in two games, notably Navara-Rozentalis, Ermioni 2006, and Black came out with full equality. ] 9...f5 10.a3 [ (a) 10.e5 e6 ( 10...xc2+?? 11.xc2 xc2? 12.xf7# ) 11.a3 d6 12.0-0 h6 ( 12...c7 is a good alternative) 13.c3 bd5 14.c2 c7 15.d3? xe5 16.dxe5 xd3 17.xd3 xe5 was Del Rio Angelis, S (2490) -Conquest, S (2555)/4th IECC, Ist anbul TUR 200 3, an alys ed b y Andrew Martin on this site. ] [ (b) Andrew Martin gives 10.b3 a5! ( 10...e6 11.a3 a6 12.0-0 is a natural continuation) 11.a3 bd5 12.c4 b6 13.0-0 a4 14.a2 e6= . I'm not so sure. White has space and active pieces and the pawn on a4 can be weak after 15.c3 ] 10...e6 11.c3 bd5 12.c2 e7 [ 12...d6!? ] 13.e3 I think that this is an original manoeuvre. It doesn't seem to alter the basic characteristics of the position. g6 14.e5 0-0 15.0-0 xe3!? This helps White out a bit, because his knight was doing nothing and neither was the bishop on c1 this is a minor point. [ 15...c7 ] 16.xe3 d5 17.d2 c5 Thematic, although you could argue that when White has the two bishops, the ... c6/...e6 structure is more ideal. I don't know. 18.xg6 hxg6 19.dxc5 xc5 20.e2 f6 21.ad1 c7 22.b3 ad8 23.c1 [ 23.f3 is more forward-looking. ] 23...xd1 24.xd1 d8 25.xd8+ xd8 575
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.b5 c8 16.cxb6 axb6 17.ac1 Barskij,V-Miroshnichenko,E/Polanica Zdroj 2000 I daresay Mickey would have been delighted with such a position. The small, clear edge has materialised, based around the poor Black Knights and W hite's nagging pressure on the c file. Against the great players, just one poorly posted piece is often enough to decide the game. ] 10.c3 e8 11.b3 e6!N Lending a hand to ..d6-d5 a nd wh at a dif f icult move f o r th e average player to see! [ 11...f5 is also playable: 12.e3 d5 13.c5 c8 14.d2 e4 15.h2 8e7 16.g4 f5 17.xf6+ xf6 18.b5 a6 1/2-1/2 Dittmar, P-Komarov,D/Bratto 2001 ] 12.e4 d5! The point of Black's play. 13.xf6+ xf6 14.c5 d7 15.e3 f5 16.d2 h6 17.fe1 f8 18.ad1 g5 19.e5 [ 19.b4 g6 20.b5 d8 is not at all easy to assess. The computers like White but I am not at all sure. He may sometime be finding himself defending over-extended pawns. In a mini-match Adams will not push his pawns this far unless he absolutely has to and so settles for something more 569 B04 modest.. ] Adams,Michael 2731 19...g6 20.xg6 [ 20.g4 g7 21.b4 was an opportunity to Nakamura,Hikaru 2580 spice it up but Adams sticks to his FIDE WCh KO Tripoli LBA (4.2) 27.06.2004 uncomplicated agenda. ] [Andrew Martin] 20...xg6 21.b5 e7 A draw and with it the 1.e4 Playing Black against Mickey is usually match. Otherwise White could play on with, such an unpleasant experience that when we say 22 Bf1 at no risk to himself. I don't think see someone take a quick draw off him, we sit this changes the overall assessment of 4... up and take notice. f6 Especially with the N c 6 a s n o t b e i n g e s p e c i a l l y g o o d . F o r Alekhine! 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 c6!? surprise outings only or when desperate to win. 5.c4 b6 6.exd6 [ Obviously 6.e6 is still critical but to ½-½ embrace these wild complications is hardly the right tactical move. W hen surprised, B04 the stronger player looks for the way to a 570 small, clear edge. ] Adams,Michael 2699 6...exd6 7.h3 Porper,Eduard 2448 [ 7.d5 e5 is nothing special. ] Canadian Open (8) 18.07.2009 7...e7 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 f6 [John Watson] [ 9...f5 10.c3 f6 11.f4 d5 12.c5 c4 13.b3 4a5 is another way. The Black 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 c6 Knights appear to be in a tangle but White's This isn't played much, but has been subject pawns are not yet secure. 14.d2 b6! to recent analysis purporting to show that 26.g3 [ 26.f3 b6 27.f4!? . Maybe White has a little something to play for in these positions. ] 26...b6 27.g2 c6+ 28.f3 d7 29.c4 a5 30.e2 d5 31.d3 c7 32.f3 f6 33.h4!? b6 34.e2 f8 35.b3 d5 36.d2 Nothing much is happening, but I still like White. f6 37.c2 [ 37.f4 d6 38.e3!? ] 37...d5 38.a3 c7 39.d3 f6 40.b4 e7 41.e3 g8 42.d2 b6 43.e3?! [ 43.b5! and White's really getting somewhere. ] 43...e5 44.g1 f8 45.d1 c6 46.d2 e6 47.e3 e7 48.e2 [ 48.b5! ] 48...d5 49.c4 xe3 50.xe6 fxe6 51.fxe3 e4! Now it should be drawn. 52.f2 f7 53.f1 f6 54.g4 g5 55.h5 e5 56.e2 d5 57.d2 f6 58.c2 e5 59.a6 d6 60.b7 g3 61.xe4 e1 62.d3 e5 63.f3 d6 64.c4 d2 65.d3 e1 66.d4 d2 67.d3 ½-½
576
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black is okay. 5.c4 b6 6.exd6 A safe try for a small advantage. [ 6.e6 is the critical move. Then the main line goes fxe6 7.c3 g6 8.h4 g7 9.e3 ( 9.h5 e5 10.d5 d4 11.hxg6 g4 or 11...Bf5 are apparently fine for Black, according to practice) 9...e5 10.d5 d4 11.xd4 exd4 12.xd4 xd4 13.xd4 e5 14.e3 ( or 14.dxe6 0-0 15.0-0-0 xe6 16.e4 . The last word hasn't been spoken about this line. )] 6...exd6 [ 6...cxd6 has been played as well. The critical line is 7.d5 e5 8.xe5 dxe5 , when White has tried various methods of attacking Black's pawn structure, for example, 9.h5!? ( 9.e3 ) 9...c7 10.a3 a6 11.d3 g6 12.h4 h6 13.g3 g7 14.0-0 0-0 and Black has reasonable prospects, Alavkin, A -Gorbushin, A, Perm 1997. ] 7.e2 e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.d5 A direct move. [ 9.h3 has been common, for example, f6 10.c3 f5 11.f4 e8 12.c1 h6 13.b3 a6 14.d2 d5 15.c5 c8 16.e3 8e7 17.h2 e6 18.g4 g5 19.f3 g6 20.e2 g7 ( 20...a5 ) 21.g2 e7 22.f4 gxf4 23.xf4 xf4 24.xf4 e8?! ( 24...d7! ) 25.f2 d8? 26.h4 1-0 Yudasin, L (2600) -Nikolaev, S (2375), St Petersburg 1997. ] 9...e5 10.xe5 dxe5 11.c3 c5 [ 11...f5! is a natural move. The most important other game I can find with 4...Nc6 and 6 exd6 exd6 went 12.f4 ( 12.c2 ) 12...c5+ 13.h1 e4 14.b1 a5 15.b3 d7 16.c2 e7 17.d1 c6 18.dxc6 xc6 19.e3 fd8 20.c3 d7!? ( 20...d7! ) 21.xc5 ( 21.b2 ) 21...xc5 22.e3?! xe3 23.xe3 d2 24.fe1 g6 25.a3 d7 26.b4 axb4 27.axb4 b6 with only a small edge, Rublevsky, S (2 6 1 0 )- Mo ro ze vich , A (2 6 2 5 ), Mo sco w 1996. ( 27...f6! was better )] [ and 11...c6 , breaking up the centre, can't be too bad. Then White gets some advantage from 12.a4! cxd5 13.cxd5 a5 14.e3 ] 12.e3! xe3 [ 12...e7 13.d3 d7 14.b5! is awkward for Black. ]
13.fxe3 White threatens 14 c5. g5 14.d3 g4 15.xg4 xg4 16.e4 d7 17.h3 g6 18.h2 [ 18.e3! ] 18...a6?! [ 18...b6! ] 19.b4 b6 20.a3 d4 21.ad1 xd3 22.xd3 b6 23.c1 fb8 24.g4 [ 24.d6 c6 25.a4!? with the idea c5. ] 24...f8 25.g3 e8 26.g5 c8 27.f1 a5? 28.b5?! [ 28.b5! axb4 29.axb4 a4 30.d6 wi t h a l a r g e a d va n t a g e W h i t e w i l l wi n material or better. ] 28...f6 29.gxf6 gxf6 30.d6 c6 31.c5? [ 31.f5 is still advantageous. ] 31...xc5 32.d7+? Refusing to accept equality, Adams risks trouble. Better [ 32.df3 a7 33.xf6 g7+ 34.h4 d7= ] 32...xd7 33.d6 cxb5 [ Black should play on: 33...cxb5 34.d5! ( 34.xb5 e7 ) 34...c4!? ( 34...a7 35.e6+ f8 36.xf6? f7 37.d6 e7 38.xd7+ xd7 39.xd7 c3+ ) 35.f5 ac8 with advantage, in view of 36.xf6+ xf6 37.dxf6 d8 ] ½-½
571 Adams,Michael Zhao Xue Canadian Open (7) [John Watson]
B04 2699 2544 17.07.2009
It's always important to see what a worldclass player does in a topical line. Adams leaves the main paths early and achieves success. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 f5 7.0-0 [ For 7.g4 , see Anand-Carlsen, Moscow 2007 in the Archives. ] 7...d7 8.g4!? In Vigus' book, he calls this 'rather feeble'. At the least, Adams wants to get away from the main lines, 8 Nf3 and 8 Ng4, both dealt with in the Archives. xg4 9.xg4 e6 [ a) 9...5f6 10.f3 ( 10.g3 looks better) 10...e6 11.c3 e7 12.b3!? ( may be best so 1 0 Q g 3 i s p a r t i cu l a r ly wo r t h n o t i n g 577
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.g3 ) 12...xe5 13.dxe5 d7 14.e1 a5 15.g3 0-0-0 16.b2 hg8 with counterplay, although White still has the better chances, Bellaiche, A (2424)Gozzoli, Y (2431), Evry 2003. ] [ b) 9...xe5 10.dxe5 e6 11.c4 ( 11.d2 h5 12.e4 e7 13.f3 0-0 is fairly safe W h i t e h a s a l i t t l e s p a c e) 11...b6 ( 11...b4 12.d1 c7 13.c3 , with the idea xe5 14.f4 h5! 15.f3 f5 16.b5! a6 17.d4 ) 12.d1 c7 13.e2 ( 13.e4 ) 13...d7 14.f4 e7 15.c3 g5!? ( 15...0-0 looks safe and ab ou t e qu a l) 16.g3 h5 17.h3 0-0-0 18.e4 b6 19.a3 h4 20.h2 c5?! 21.d6+ xd6 22.exd6 d7 23.b4 e5 24.c5 a6 25.g4 with an obvious positional advantage, Askarov, B (2421)Dergilev, I (2267), Tomsk 2006. ] 10.d1 [ The only other game I know of is David, A (2580)-Bauer, C (2599), Clichy 2004, featured in Cox: 10.c4 b4 11.xd7 xd7 12.e4 d8 ( I like 12...c5! 13.a3 f5! 14.e2 c6 , which fights back in the centre and targets d4) 13.a3 a6 14.e3 e7 ( 14...d6 ) 15.d2! 0-0 16.f3 f6 17.fe1 fe8 18.d2 c7 19.a5!? ( 19.ad1 - White has space and some advantage ) 19...b6 20.c3 f8 21.ac1 c8 22.h4 h5 23.e2 d6 24.cc2 f8 and White isn't making any progress. ] 10...5f6 [ 10...xe5 11.dxe5 c7 12.c4 b4 13.a3 c2 14.a2 d8 15.b4 h5 16.xd8+ xd8 17.e2 d4 18.d1 with the idea Rd2 seems to favour White, if not by a great deal. ] 11.e2 e7 12.c4 0-0 13.c3 e8!? Black embarks upon a passive reorganisation. In these Caro-Kann/Slav-like positions, it's generally better to connect rooks and simplify, as in the David-Bauer game above. One way is [ 13...c7 14.f4 xe5 15.xe5 b6 16.h3 fd8 ] 14.d3 f8 15.f4 b6 16.ad1 ad8 17.b3!? [ 17.h3 g6 18.g3 ] 17...a6?! 18.h4 6d7 19.h5 xe5 20.xe5 Black's queen is out of touch and
White has acquired serious kingside chances. f6 21.f4 a5 22.e4 [ Or 22.g3! ] 22...d7?! 23.g3 f5 24.e5 h4 25.f6+ xf6 26.xf6 f7 27.e5 d7 28.f4 e5 A bit desperate. On the other hand, Black isn't going to get much for his e-pawn following [ 28...f6 29.h6 g6 30.e3 ] 29.dxe5 c5 30.e3 e6 31.g3 c7 32.ed3 h6 33.d6 h7 34.f3 e7 35.g2 c7 36.b4 c8 37.a4 fe7 38.d3 f8 39.e3 g8 40.f4 a6 41.c5! xc5 42.bxc5 e8 43.e2 f7 44.g6 B la ck ca n 't m o ve , a n d Rd d 6 a n d e 6 a r e coming. 1-0
572 Adams,Michael Zhukova,Natalia 8th Gibtelecom Masters (7) [Gawain Jones]
B04 2694 2462 01.02.2010
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 [ 5.c4 b6 6.exd6 cxd6 would transpose to the ...cxd6 Exchange variation ] [ 5.g5 is the older move but according to John Cox it's rather ineffective after A) The trick is that after 5...g7?! A1) 6.xf7!? also looks possible xf7 7.f3+ f6 ( 7...e6 8.g3 gives White a pleasant attack ) 8.exf6 xf6 9.c3; A2) 6.f3 is rather unpleasant; B) 5...c6 6.f3 ( 6.f4 g7 ) 6...f6 7.e6 a5+ 8.d2 b6 ] 5...b6 [ 5...c6 has also been examined in the archives, most recently in the game Zeberski-Rozentalis where Black achieved a quick victory. A) 6.exd6 xd6 7.0-0 g7 8.e1 A new move for the site but logical 0-0 9.g5 A1) 9...e8 would leave the way open for the c8 bishop; A2) w h i l e t h e i m m e d i a t e 9...g4 would probably be my choice A2a) 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 xd4 578
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 opens up the c4 square, either to transfer ( 11...h6 12.d2 d7 is the safe the knight from b1-d2-c4-e5 or else push choice ) 12.c3 xc3 13.bxc3 f6 the knight back from d5 with a well timed is rather messy; c4 push. a6 11.bd2 ( 11.c4!? f6 A2b) T h e l e s s f o r c i n g 10.bd2!? 12.c3 ) 11...ad8 12.f1 ( 12.c4 could also be considered of course.; c7 13.ce5 would be my choice when A2c) 10.xd5 xd5 11.c3 I'd choose W hite but of course Black is ( 11.xe7 e8 gives Black adequate always solid.) 12...c5 13.g5 ( 13.g3 c o m p e n s a t io n f o r t h e p a wn , d 4 i s cxd4 14.xf5 gxf5 15.xd4 g6 ) p r o b a b l y g o i n g t o d r o p s h o r t l y .) 13...h6 14.h4 g5 15.g3 and Black had 11...xg5 ( 11...f5!? ) 12.xg5 successfully achieved some counterplay xd1 13.axd1 e6 looks equal.; although he has to make sure his king A3) 9...e6 is the computer's doesn't come to regret his kingside suggestion but seems a little passive to e x p a n s i o n . W h e n i n s t e a d o f g6 me 10.d2 d7 11.b3; which featured in Bruzon BatistaA4) 9...e6 If Black has to play this then Nogueiras Santiago, Ciego de Avila 2010 White has definitely gained as h3 is now 1-0 ( I 'd p r e f e r 15...f4 with complex u n n e c e s s a r y . 10.b3 b5 A typical play. )] response to stop c4 and cement the knight on d5. 11.bd2 d7 12.c4!? 6.b3 g7 7.e2 [ 7.g5 is a little more common. Some ( 12.e4 c7 13.d2 ) 12...bxc4 recent games ran e6 13.xc4 c7 14.c1 a5 15.ce5 A) 8.f4 dxe5 9.dxe5!? An interesting try ( 15.h4! looking at the vulnerable d6 and more positional than 9.fxe5 xd1+ square, starts to change the evaluation 10.xd1 It's curious that the computer from slight to clear edge White.) 15...a6 sligh t ly p re f e rs B la ck h e re , evid e n t ly was Rej-Wohl, Sydney 2010 when Black because of the misplaced king, but was struggling and although Alex won, Sutovsky (and I) prefer White. The bishop had Tomek found ( 15...xe5 16.xe5 on g7 is blocked out for the time being but b7 17.xd5 exd5 18.f4 it can be rerouted through f8. However leaves Black with a chronic weakness on once the bishop moves then f6 will prove c6. ) 16.xf7! a l i a b i l i t y . T h e g a m e c o n t i n u e d d7 A4a) 16...xf7 17.xe6!! xe6 11.c3 c6 12.ge4 8d7 13.e3 h6 18.e2+ e5 ( 18...f7 19.xd5+; 14.e2 g5 15.g3 d5 Simplifying the 18...d6 19.e7+ xe7 20.e6# ) position but worsening the Black pawn 19.xe5 xe5 20.xd5+ d7 structure and acknowledging he'll have to ( 20...xd5 21.c5++- ) 21.dxe5+-; suffer for the rest of the game. Perhaps A4b) 16...xf7 17.xe6 leaves Black ( 15...0-0-0 and waiting should be in dire straits, e.g. f8 18.e8 f5 preferred.) 16.xd5 xd5 17.xd5 exd5 ( 18...d7 19.xf8+ xf8 20.xd5+ 18.d2 e7 19.f3 c5?! A pseudoh8 21.e5 ) 19.e5 e6 20.xe6 act ive m o ve which o nly re sult s in h is xe6 21.xd5; pawns being harder to defend. 20.c3 e6 B) 6.0-0 g7 7.h3 ( 7.exd6 xd6 21.ad1 and Black's position was 8.bd2 is considered somewhat better for unpleasant in Sutovsky-Reinderman, Wijk W hite according to John W atson in his a a n Z e e 2 0 1 0 ( 21.fxg5! picks up a annotations to Fedorchuk-Genocchio in pawn ); t h e a r c h i v e s .) 7...0-0 ( 7...dxe5 B) 8.f3 0-0 This is very rare as it castles was played by Rozentalis) 8.exd6 xd6 straight into White's attack but 9.e1 f5 ( 9...d7 Svidler-Akopian Reinderman is confident in Black's annotated by Glenn Flear when Black position. 9.h3 h6 10.f3 dxe5 11.dxe5 developed the bishop to b7 never c6 12.xh6 xe5 13.xg7 ( 13.g5 managed to f ully equalise.) 10.b3 d3+ 14.cxd3 xb2 15.0-0 xa1 A normal move for this variation. W hite 579
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.d2 'with a strong attack' is given by John Watson in the archives. It would be interesting to see how Reinderman planned on combating such an aggressive approach. ) 13...xf3+ 14.xf3 xg7 15.d2 f6 16.0-0-0 a5 and Black had absolutely nothing to fear in Muzychuk, A-Reinderman, Wijk aan Zee 2010 ] 7...0-0 8.h3 c6 9.0-0 a5 A new try for the site where both games f ocused on exchanging on e5 either immediately or with 9...a5 10.a4 thrown in. Colovic-Pesotsky and Short-Timman are seen in the archives. I'll give just the moves to the Short game without annotations as it's definitely worth a look! [ 9...a5 10.a4 dxe5 11.dxe5 d4 12.xd4 xd4 13.e1 e6 14.d2 d5 15.f3 c5 16.e4 b4 17.c4 b6 18.b3 xc4 19.bxc4 e8 20.d1 c5 21.h4 b6 22.e3 c6 23.h6 h8 24.d8 b7 25.ad1 g7 26.8d7 f8 27.xg7 xg7 28.1d4 ae8 29.f6+ g8 30.h4 h5 31.h2 The start of a beautiful manoeuvre c8 32.g3 ce8 33.f4 c8 34.g5 1-0 Short-Timman, Tilburg 1991. Black has to watch out for the quick kingside attack which was employed in this game. ] 10.c3 [ 10.g5 d5 11.c3 f6!? true to his style, Nakamura goes for the most complicated continuations. 12.f4 g5 13.g3 xb3 14.axb3 f5 15.h2 c6 16.d2 e8 17.exf6 exf6 18.xe8 fxe8 19.f4 d3 20.f2 h6 when Black had taken control in Khachiyan-Nakamura, Las Vegas 2006 ] [ I suppose 10.e6 has to be investigated but B l a c k w a s c o m p l e t e l y o k a f t e r xb3 11.exf7+ xf7 12.axb3 h6 And I don't see why W hite should be better here, there doesn't seem to be a good way to exploit Black's king and Black has the two bishops and 'f' file. The old game De Firmian-Alburt, Estes Park 1986 seemed to confirm that opinion 13.c3 c6 14.e3 a6 15.fe1 f5?! 16.ad1?! ( 16.h4! ) 16...g5 17.d5?! And this just seems to give up a pawn xd5 18.xd5 cxd5 19.h4 g4 20.h2 e6 21.g3 h5 22.c4 e4 23.d4 xd4 24.xd4 f6 25.e3 h7 26.f1 af8 27.d2 b5 28.a1 c8 29.cxd5 exd5 30.xa6 c1 31.a7 g7 32.xf7
xf7 33.g5 e1 34.b4 f3 35.d4? Black has let his huge advantage slip but this gives it all b ack an d more . ( Instead 35.c2 e2 36.c1 and White has survived. ) 35...g6 0-1 ] 10...xb3 [ The other option is 10...d5 as the bishop isn't going anywhere so it's not essential to swap immediately. However I'm sceptical of Black's chances. 11.e1 ( 11.f4 bc4 12.xc4 xc4 13.b3 a5 14.d2 c6 15.h6 f5 16.xg7 xg7 17.h4 d7 18.ae1 gave White a pleasant advantage in Godena -Begovac, Switzerland 1996. He can start attacking on the kingside while I'm not sure how Black does anything but wait.) 11...c6 12.f4 bc4 13.xc4 xc4 14.b3 a5 15.d2 b6 16.h6 f5 17.e2 c8 18.ae1 d7 19.f4 c7 20.h4 fc8 21.e6 fxe6 22.xg7 xg7 23.g5 h8 24.g4 h6 25.gxf5 hxg5 26.xg5 xh3 27.xe6 1-0 Tiviakov-Aloma Vidal, Helsingor 2009 was a perfect attacking game by the Dutchman. ] 11.axb3 f5 I'd want to keep that pawn on d6 so that Black can open up the centre with ... dxe5 or with ...f6!? 12.e4 [ 12.d1 was played in Svidler-De Firmian K a s p a r o v C h e s s 2 0 0 0 c6 13.g5 Seeing as Black is planning on f6 anyway I think this is too provocative. I'd prefer sitting the bishop on f4. d7 14.e4 f6! 15.f4?! fxe5 16.dxe5 when instead of A) Finkel offers 16...xh3 17.g3 g4 18.exd6 exd6 19.xd6 xf3 ( 19...fe8!? GJ ) 20.gxf3 fe8; B) 16...g4 played in the game, ] 12...d7 So Black is passive but has a perfect pawn structure and good potential to open up the centre if W hite gets carried away. Meanwhile e5 is a potential target. On the other hand White has more space and so can develop his forces more easily and so I'd say chances are about balanced. White would like to attack on the kingside but that isn't going to be so easy without a light squared bishop. 13.g3 [ 13.g5 again allows f6! when the position starts to open up for Black's bishop pair. ] 13...a6 14.e1 h6 Perhaps Zhukova was dreaming of playing ...g5 but I don't think this 580
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 move is essential and h6 is a potential weakness so I would prefer something less c o m m i t t a l . 15.h4 This plan doesn't prove very effective. [ 15.c4!? grabs a bit more space when Zhukova shouldn't react with g5? as 16.h4 g4 17.h2 picks up the pawn. ] 15...e6 16.e4 xe4! 17.xe4 dxe5 18.dxe5 d5 Now Black shouldn't have any problems at all and W hite has to watch out less e5 becomes a big weakness. 19.e2 b5 20.e4 [ 20.xb5?! axb5 will only favour Black as the more pieces exchanged, the weaker e5 will become. White needs to try to use that pawn to start an initiative on the kingside. ] 20...d5 21.g4 Mickey declines the draw offer c6 22.c3 d7?! It seems harsh to award this?!, especially as the computer likes it. However this doesn't help combat White's attack. [ It would make sense to take the open d file with 22...fd8 when she can try a5-a4 to start proceedings on the queenside although she has to beware the plan used by Adams i n t h e g a m e . 23.f3 d5 ( 23...b5 24.h4 is the same) 24.h4 g5 25.xg5! hxg5 26.xg5 ] [ After studying the game for a while I've come to the conclusion that it's here where Zh u k o v a s h o u l d f i n d a n i m p r o ve m e n t . W hite's plan of Nf3-Qh4 is dangerous so 22...b5 with the idea of exchanging queens looks strongest, e.g. 23.b4 ad8 24.f3 c4 25.d4 The knight's been forced away from the kingside so now Black doesn't have to be fear being mated. d5 26.h4?! g5! 27.g3 xb4 28.h4 d3 29.hxg5 h5! a n d W h it e ' s a t t a ck h a s b e e n st o p p e d , leaving White with better chances. ] 23.f3 c5 24.h4 Suddenly Mickey has a dangerous attack. d3 [ 24...h5 weakens the dark squares too m u c h . A s a m p l e l i n e c o u l d r u n 25.g5 xb3 26.ad1 a5 27.f4 a4 28.f6 c5 29.g4! hxg4 30.hxg4 a3 ( 30...d7 31.xd7! xd7 32.h2+- ) 31.g5+- ] [ 24...g5? allows the typical 25.xg5! hxg5 26.xg5 fd8 27.h7+ f8 28.h5 d7 29.h7+ e8 30.g5 f8 31.f6+ d8 32.ad1+- ]
25.xh6! A good exchange sacrifice and Zhukova has to play very accurately now. xe1 26.xe1 f6 Otherwise 27.Ng5 was winning. 27.exf6 xf6 28.e5 e8 29.g4 f5 30.xg7 xg7 31.h6+ g8 After a long series of forced moves for Black, and top moves by W hite the position has become critical for Zhukova. 32.e5 [ I like the computer's suggestion of 32.h4! with the threat of h5 to gain access to f6 with the subtle point that f7 33.e3! and Black drops the exchange to Nh6 when she'll be a pawn down and still have the exposed king when you'd expect Adams to convert reasonably easily. ] 32...f7 33.h4 g5 [ 33...g7 is best when Mickey has to repeat 34.h6+ g8 When the winning move s e e m s t o b e 35.e4 followed by bringing the quee n back to e3 so a s t o pla y th e knight fork. I presume both players were starting to get into time trouble at this point. ] 34.h6 e8 [ 34...f8 would stop the fork on f6 but Zhukova can't defend after 35.xe6 h7 36.f6+ ( 36.f6!? ) 36...8xf6 37.xf6 xh6 38.xh6+- when the extra two pawns are too much. ] 35.xf5 Cashing in but Queen endgames are notoriously tricky and the def ending side always has good drawing chances. Therefore perhaps [ 35.h4! gxh4 36.e4! was more accurate keeping the pressure up when in practice this position must be impossible to defend. ] 35...xf5 36.h5?! [ 36.f6+ f7 37.xe8 xe8 picks up the exchange but would be difficult to convert. The game continuation gives W hite less though. ] 36...f8 37.h8+ e7 38.d4?! [ 38.g7+ d6 ( 38...d8 39.f6 ) 39.d4+ e7 would gain a move and promise W hite some advantage after 40.b4+ ] 38...d8 39.b4+ e8 [ 39...d6 40.xb7 d7 and it's no longer clear whether White is even the one trying to win ] 40.xb7 d1+ 41.h2 f4+ [ 41...a5! is the most accurate as 42.xc7? 581
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is asking for trouble f4+ 43.xf4 gxf4 when only Black has winning chances. ] 42.g3 d6 43.c4 b1 44.e4 d1! The mate threat forces White to take the draw. 45.xe6+ d8 46.f6+ c8 47.xa6+ b8 48.b5+ a7 49.a4+ b8 50.b5+ a7 51.c5+ b8 52.b5+ Well defended by Zhukova but Adams will rue not capitalising on his big advantage. A success out of the opening f or Black though and as long as Black remembers that White's attack on the kingside is potentially strong and takes steps, he should be very happy. ½-½
573 Alekhine'S 6.Qf3 [Alexander Volzhin]
of 13.c3 and W hite wins: g4+ 14.f3 e3+ 15.e1 c2+ 16.f2 ) 13.xb8+ d7 A very unusual position with both kings unsafe has arisen. I think White should take a d r a w b y p e r p e t u a l : 14.b5+ c8 15.e8+ b7 16.b5+ c8 ] 12...xa1 13.xb8+ d7 14.b5+ Again it's not clear if W hite has anything better than perpetual. [ After 14.e2 h6 Black's chances are by no means bad. ] 14...d8!? [ 14...c8 15.e8+ b7 16.e2 ( 16.c8+ ) 16...c6 17.f3 d6 and White's Queen is trapped! I can't see the antidote against 18...Bg7. ] B04 15.b8+ d7 16.b5+ It seems this line is a sufficient defence for Black although I suspect either side may improve here. All these lines need practical tests.
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 g6 6.f3 This line indeed looks quite interesting and I don't know why it's played so rarely. Let's analyse it. e6 7.c4 b4 The only move. [ 7...b6? is bad in view of 8.d5! ( 8.xb7 xd4 is not dangerous for Black as the Rook on a8 is protected now.) 8...f5 9.xf7! ( The immediate 9.g4! is not bad either: g7 10.xf7 xg4 11.xg4 xf7 12.e6+ with a clear edge.) 9...xf7 10.g4 and White wins the piece back and has an undisputable advantage. ] 8.xb7 xd4 [ 8...c2+?! is worth considering as well (although it looks too risky). It leads to a very sharp position after 9.d1 xa1 10.xa8 g7 11.d2 0-0 Just one line (certainly not obligative): 12.xa7 xe5 13.dxe5 c6 14.c5 d4 15.d3 g4+ 16.f3 xf3 17.gxf3 xf3+ 18.xf3 xd3+ 19.d2 c2 and Black's attack is very strong. ] 9.xa8 c2+ 10.e2 xe5+ 11.d1 d4+ 12.d2 The few previous moves were forced but now White has a choice: [ 12.xc2? i s t h e wo r s t : f5+ 13.b3 b6+ 14.c3 g7+ 15.d2 xb2 and Black is winning ] [ 12.d2 xa1 ( 12...xb2? is bad in view
574 Almasi,Zoltan De la Villa Garcia,Jesus Maria Pamplona [Alexander Volzhin]
B04 2663 2473 2000
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.b3 g7 7.a4 dxe5 8.a5 6d7 9.xf7+ xf7 10.g5+ g8 11.e6 e8 12.xc7 d8 13.xa8 exd4 14.0-0!? The latest development. In my opinion, this move is more precise than the immediate 14. c3. c6 15.c3 c5 16.b4 The critical position for the whole line. dxc3!? [ In the game where 14.0-0 was introduced (Gu ban ov-Ro man ovich , St. Pe te rsb urg 1995) Black played 16...e6 17.b3 dxc3 18.xc3 cd4 19.c4 d7 20.e3 A) 20...f5 was obligatory: 21.ad1 d6 22.b3 xc3 ( 22...xa8 23.b5! xb5 24.xd6! exd6 25.xe6+ f8 26.xd6+ f7 27.d5+ ) 23.c5! xa8 24.xd6 exd6 ( 24...g7 25.b8! ) 25.xd6 e8 26.fd1! ( 26.xc3 is less precise in view of h5! intending .. .Rh7-e7.) 26...a4 27.xe6 xb3 28.xe8+ f7 29.xh8 xd1 30.b8 and White's rook should be easily superior to the Black minor pieces in this ending.; 582
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B) 20...xa8? A gross blunder. 21.xd4 xd4 22.ad1! Now Black can't avoid large material losses. f7 23.xd4 c8 24.b3 and Black resigned. ] 17.xd8+ xd8 18.bxc5 c2 19.c3! T h e o n l y m o v e , b u t a s t r o n g o n e ! xc3 20.a3 [ 20.a2!? as played in Blehm-Navarro Cia, Avile s 2 0 0 0 m a y b e e ve n st ro n ge r: f5 21.c7 f7 ( 21...d3 is strongly met by 22.a3! and W hite wins: xf1 23.xc3 e2 24.xc2 g4 25.b2 ) 22.d5 d4 23.b4 xc5 24.xc2 e6 25.e3 b6 26.axb6 axb6 27.xc5 bxc5 28.e3 d3 29.e1 and White has good winning chances in the endgame. ] 20...f6 21.c7 c6 22.d5 f7 23.xf6 exf6 24.f3 Although the pawn on c2 gives ce rt a in c o un t erch a nces, B lack is cle arly fighting for a draw. h5 25.h3 h4 26.f2 f5 27.a6 bxa6 28.xa6 c8 29.h2 c7 30.d2 e5 31.dd6 d3 32.xf6+ g7 33.g5 xc5 34.ac6 xc6 35.xc6 b3 36.c3 d4 37.c7+ f8 38.xa7 e2! Black defends very imaginatively. The Knight on e2 prevents the centralization of the White King. 39.c7 g8 40.c4 f7 41.xh4 The only possible attempt to play for a win, c1 42.xc1 xc1 43.g4 e6 44.h7+ f6 45.h4 e2 46.g2 [ 46.h5 deserves serious attention, as the endgame of Rook and two united passed pawns vs a Knight and Bishop should be won for the Rook. ] 46...e5 47.a7 f4+ 48.g3 e2+ 49.f2 f4 50.a3 f6 51.a4 d5 52.e4 c3 53.e1 d5 54.g3 f7 The endgame still looks very good for White, but it's difficult to push the pawns and without doing this W hite can't make any progress. 55.a1 [ 55.f4 is strongly met by f6! ] 55...f6 56.a7 e3 57.a6 d5 58.a3 f7 59.a7+ f6 60.a5 f7 61.a6 f6 62.f4 e3! 63.f3 xg4 64.xe6+ xe6 65.xg4 f6! Despite being a pawn down Bla ck eas ily h old s t he dra w in this p awn ending. Now we are able to draw certain conclusions: undoubtedly the last word has n o t b e e n s a i d ye t , b u t c u rre n t ly W h i t e ' s chances seems to be pref erable. In both
Almasi-de la Villa and Blehm-Navarro White had a very comfortable edge in the endgame, where he could play for a win without any risk of losing. Now it's Black's turn to find im p ro ve m e n t s , a n d u n d o u b t e d ly we c a n expect some more exciting battles in this line in the future. ½-½
575
B04
Analysis 4...Nc6 in Alekhine Kaissiber Recent Games [John Watson] Here's some fascinating analysis supplied by Stefan Buecker in the Forum and elsewhere, b a se d u p o n m a t e ria l f ro m h is wo n d e rf u l Kaissiber magazine, issues 19 and 20. It concerns the 'Haakert-Variation' of the A l e k h i n e . I h o p e t h a t I ' ve c o l l e c t e d t h e material properly for conversion into ChessBase/PGN format at any rate, I've given some of my own thoughts on the analysis and games. Many more details are to be found in the issues mentioned above. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 c6 5.c4 b6 6.e6 fxe6 7.c3 [ A n o t h e r im p o rt a n t m o ve h e re i s 7.e3 , which Buecker points out takes up 8 pages in Juergen Fleck's article in Kaissiber 19! Both that move and the h4-h5 idea anticipate Black's ...g6/...Bg7 plan, and if g6 8.h4 g7 , you can make the case that W hite's move Be3 is more effective than Nc3, since it protects d4. Of course, that's only the beginning of the story. ] 7...g6 8.h4 g7 9.e3 [ White can also ignore the struggle for d4 and attack directly, as in a fascinating game from this month's batch. Regez makes a point of deferring castling and playing ...e5 rather than walking into W hite's kingside attack: 9.h5 e5 10.d5 d4 11.hxg6 hxg6 12.xh8+ xh8 A) 13.d3 c6 ( 13...g4? 14.xg6+ f8 15.xd4! ) 14.h4 ( 14.xg6+ d7 is fine for Black) 14...d7!? 15.xg6 c7 is unclear; B) 13.xd4 exd4 B1) 14.b5 c6!? ( 14...e5 ) 15.dxc6 583
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 bxc6 16.xd4 d7 17.d3 c5 18.b5 a6 19.c3 e6+; B2) 14.d3 c6!? ( 14...c5! 15.xg6+ d7 16.f5+ c7 17.b5+ b8 ) 15.a4! d7!? ( 15...cxd5 16.xg6+ d7 17.xb6+ xb6 18.h5! e5 19.cxd5 ) 16.d2 e6 ( 16...g8 ) 17.dxc6+ bxc6 18.a5 b8 (Black stands satisfactorily here) 19.c5 g5 20.xb6 axb6 21.xb6+ c7 ( 21...d8! 22.f3 xc5 23.f8+ c7 24.xc8 xc8 25.e7+ b8 ) 22.cxd6+ xd6 23.xc8+ xc8 24.f3 b8 25.b3 g7 26.e4 h8 27.g3 h2 28.f3 h6 ( 28...h5!= ) 29.d1 a5+? 30.f1 g7 31.g1 h8 32.c1 c5 33.xg6 f8? ( 33...xa2 34.b4 c4 ) 34.e2 e5 35.e4 h6? 36.b4! a3 37.xc5 1-0 Filev, G (2395)Regez, M (2208)/Ohrid MKD 2009 ] 9...0-0 [ Another Regez game from the same tournament illustrates the idea of getting . .. e5 in before castling, but this time White has the centre under control: 9...e5 10.d5 d4 ( 10...a5!? looks strange, but although Black can't capture on c4 yet, the future threat to do so will influence the play, for example, 11.h5 c6 12.hxg6 hxg6 13.xh8+ xh8 14.d2 e4!? , and the extended range of Black's bishop on h8 combines with central pressure to equalize) 11.xd4 exd4 12.xd4 xd4 ( 12...e5 13.dxe6 0-0 may well be best) 13.xd4 e5 14.dxe6 0-0 15.h5 f6 16.xf6 xf6 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.b5 and White gets into c 7 wit h t h e b e t t e r ga m e f o l lo win g xe6 19.xc7 af8 20.b3 Brenjo, S (2495) Regez, M (2208)/Ohrid MKD 2009. ] 10.h5 e5 11.d5 d4 12.xd4 exd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.xd4 e5 15.e3 g5 16.h6 f4 [ Fleck later suggested 16...g4! intending A) or 17.d3 f5; B) or 17.e4 f5 18.g5 f6; C) R a j T i s c h b i e r e k s u g g e s t e d 17.e2 with the ideas f5 ( 17...f5 18.d3 ) 18.h5 . The latter line doesn't seem so bad after g6 , and if 19.g5 f4 . T he W hite has th e coun te r 20.xg6+! hxg6 21.g3 , when Black seems
c o m p e l l e d t o p l a y d4! ( 21...f6 22.0-0-0 d7 23.c5!; and 21...f7 22.xg4 give risk-free advantages to White, who has more than enough for an exchange ) 22.b5 f6 ( 22...xc4? 23.xc4 xc4 24.d3 hits c4 and g6) 23.xd4 exd4 24.e4 ( 24.e6+ xe6 25.dxe6 e8 26.xg4 xc4 ) 24...f8 25.0-0-0 g5+! 26.b1 f5 . This is a b i t o f a m e s s , b u t t h e s e c o n d p la y e r seems to stand satisfactorily. Perhaps 16... g4 is the best course, albeit an unstable one.; D) 17.h5 Rf5!, ] 17.c5 c4 This is Buecker's idea. [ Fleck later decided that Black was in serious trouble after 17...dxc5 18.xe5 ( 18.0-0-0 a l s o l o o k s g o o d) 18...f7 ( 18...f6 19.xf6 xf6 20.h5 g4 is pe rh aps b et ter, bu t W hite sh ou ld b e h a p p y wi t h 21.e4 f5 22.xf5 xf5 23.xc5 e8+ 24.d2 ) 19.0-0-0 , which indeed seems to be the case ] 18.c1 [ Buecker gives 18.xc4 xc4 19.cxd6 cxd6 20.h5 f4 21.e4 f5 ] 18...dxc5 19.e2 [ 19.g3 d4 20.xc4 xc4 21.e3 is worth a try. ] 19...e7 20.xf4 exf4+ 21.e2 d6 22.0-0 [ 22.xc5 is a good try, for example, d7 23.f1 e8 , and Buecker's most important line is 24.h5 ( 24.d3!?; 24.e1 b5 25.c2 e5 26.a4 c4 27.h3 g4 28.c3 , and here e7 threatens the hardto-stop ... f3, perhaps in conjunction with .. Qh5. ) 24...b6 25.b4 ( or 25.c1! ) 25...a5 26.d2 ( 26.d4 ) 26...e4 27.c2 f5 28.g1 c8 , when 29.e1 b4 30.h2 favours W hite. In fact, this note requires serious improvement for black, as W hite has various moves which look advantageous. ] 22...xe2 23.e1 Buecker gives various alternatives, but by now it's likely that Black stands fine. h5 [ 23...c4 24.xc4 xc4 25.e8+ f7 26.ae1 d6 27.h8 f6 28.xh7 f5 29.xc7 h8 with a double-sided game. ] 24.xc5 xh6 25.xc7 f6 26.e6 584
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 26.ac1! , when f5 27.e6 xe6 9.h4! g6 28.xd6 ( 28.dxe6 c8 ) 28...e8 29.dxe6 [ 9...e6 10.c4 b6 11.b3 g6 isn't out of xe6 gains White a tempo, although it's still the question, but 12.c3 g7 13.f4 0-0 in Black's favour. ] 14.d3 retains a space advantage. This 26...xe6 27.xd6 e8 - Buecker space-for-solidity trade-off is characteristic [ Actually, 27...d8! 28.xe6+ xe6 of the 4...dxe5 system. ] 29.dxe6 e8 is a still better course. ] 10.c4 b6 11.c3 e6 12.g3! This protects the knight on h4 from discovered attacks, and restricts the influence of a bishop on d6. The 576 B04 light square weaknesses don't count for much Anand,Viswanathan 2799 because Black's light squared bishop will be Carlsen,Magnus 2733 gone. e7 13.e3 c7 14.xg6 hxg6 Amber Blindfold rapid (7) 22.03.2008 15.b3! d8 16.fd1 0-0 17.ac1 e5 18.d5 bd7 Black has to cover c5. Clearly [John Watson] White has won the opening, since his bishops Carlsen continues to play the Alekhine with are both influential, but it's not the end of the 4...dxe5 5 Nxe5 c6, so we'll look at a couple w o r l d y e t : 19.f3 c5 20.xc5 xc5 more games, unfortunately in Blindfold Rapid! 21.a3 b6 22.b4 e4! 23.e2 b7? [ 23...cd7 was better because of the Both Karajakin and Anand win against him, following mini-tactic: ] but Black gets playable positions out of the opening. The problem is that he is always 24.xa7! a8 25.d6 xa7 26.dxc7 c8 s o m e wh a t wo r s e w i t h o u t m a n y p o s i t i v e 27.c5!? bxc5 28.b5 cxb5 29.xb5 xa2 chances. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 30.f1 (now it's obvious that White is winning) g5 31.a1 xa1 32.xa1 d8 33.cxd8+ 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 [ The famous (due to the result) Topalov- xd8 34.c3 e3 35.f3 g4 36.f4 g5 Carlsen, Morelia/Linares 2008 went 6.d3 37.fxg5 h7 38.e4 e8 39.g2 g7 d7 7.xd7!? ( 7.f3 ) 7...xd7 8.0-0 g6 40.f1 e2+ 41.e1 e5 42.c1 xg5 9.d2 (modest, and allowing easy equality. 43.xc5 xc5 44.xc5 f5 45.xe2 f6 ( 9.c4 is more natural) 9...g7 10.f3 0-0 46.e3 f7 47.d3 ( 10...g4 at this point runs into 11.c3 0-0 1-0 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 ) 11.e1?! ( 11.h3! ) 11...g4 12.c3 c5 ( or 12...e5! 13.dxe5 B04 e8 ) 13.e4 ( 13.dxc5 can be answered by 577 xc3! 14.bxc3 xc3 ) 13...cxd4 14.cxd4 Anand,Viswanathan 2801 e6 and Black was already better. If only all Carlsen,Magnus 2714 Alekhines could work out so well! ] World Blitz Moscow RUS blitz (1) 21.11.2007 6...d7 [John Watson] [ 6...f5 was analysed two months ago games by Carlsen versus Anand, Rublevsky, A n a n d e n t e r s i n t o a w i l d s i d e l i n e t h a t Lupulescu, and Grischuk! Carlsen tries Kasparov either invented or popularised. something different this time. ] Maybe it's the best way to get some 7.f3 7f6 advantage? 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 [ We looked at 7...g6 8.c4 c7 9.c3 g7 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 An interesting 10.0-0 0-0 in this column (in a note to choice, because Anand has used 6 Bc4 in the Anand-Carlsen, World Blitz 2008), where I past. f5 This move has become the main recommended 11.f4 ] one by far. 8.0-0 f5 You can argue that this is a more [ 6...d7 is the serious option, played by positive way to cede the two bishops than Mamedyarov and Miles, for example. The [ 8...g4 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 as in our other usual, frustrating, response by W hite is game Karjakin, S-Carlsen, M, Nice FRA simply 7.f3 , refusing exchanges. Since 2008. ] no one seems to playing Black here (and I 585
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 don't know why!), I'll content myself with a ChessPublishing game and a few notes by John Cox: g6 8.c4 c7 9.c3 g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.g5 Miles had the position after Black's tenth quite a few times, for example ( 11.f4 [jw: I like this simple line] c5 12.d5 e5 13.g5 f6 14.e3 f7 15.a3 f8 16.b1 e8 17.b4 b6 when Black managed to hang on in the complications in Degraeve-Miles, Mondariz 2000, although th in gs lo o k a lit t le ro p e y a t th is p o in t .) 11...e6 12.e3 f6 13.h3 b6 On ly he re d oe s t h e gam e d e via te f ro m Zarnicki-Miles, Oviedo rapid 1993, which went on ( 13...c7 14.d2 d8 15.fe1 h5 16.f1 b6 17.ad1 b7 18.c1 ac8 with approximate equality.) 14.b3 c7 15.fe1 b7 16.ad1 fd8 17.f1 a6 18.a4 ab8 19.a3 b5 An extremely typical break in these positions, although played, like here, as a pawn sacrifice it is naturally rarer. 20.g5 ( White cannot win the p awn d irect ly on acco unt o f 20.axb5 cxb5 21.cxb5 xf3 22.gxf3 axb5 ) 20...xg5 21.xg5 but now the attack on e7 and b5 does force the win of a pawn. e6 22.axb5 cxb5 23.cxb5 axb5 24.xb5 Bauer, C (2641)-Mamedyarov, S (2646)/ Merida ESP 2005/ 'Black has compensation in the form of White's two weaknesses on d4 and b2 which ought to be enough to hold the balance, although it's hard to believe in more than that.' [jw: Black went on to win] ] 7.g4!? As played by Kasparov and Polgar. Our other two games feature 7 0-0. e6 8.c4 [ 8.f4 f6 9.d3 f7 10.0-0 a6 11.c3 xc3 12.bxc3 g6 was complex in J PolgarShort, Bled 2002. This looks like fun! ] 8...c7 [ 8...b6 9.b3!? (a pawn sac) ( 9.a4!? a5!? 10.c5 d5 11.c3 may give something, in view of d7 12.c4 , but who knows?) 9...f6! 10.d3 xd4 11.b2 d8 12.c3 a6 13.d2 c7 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 15.e3 f7 16.f4! b8 17.h4 e6 18.e4 Kasparov, G (2838)-Short, N (2682)/Moscow RUS 2002, and here Flear recommends the clever d5! with an advantage for Black. The game was drawn. ] 9.g1!? d7 10.f3 This is the usual way to torture Black (avoiding exchanges), but White
also had [ 10.b3 xe5 11.dxe5 and it's unclear wh o s e p o s i t i o n l o o k s s t u p i d e r ! W h i t e probably stands better. ] 10...g6 11.c3 g7 12.e3 0-0 13.d2 b5! A typical light square grab via a pawn sa crif ice . 14.cxb5 cxb5 15.xb5 xb5 16.xb5 d5 [ Or 16...f6 17.h3 d5 ] 17.e2 c8 18.b3 f6 19.e5 e4! These may not be the optimal moves, but they are all very logical. 20.b2 e6 21.g5! d6 22.h4 c3 23.g3 xe2 24.xe2 c7 25.c1 a6+ 26.e1 fc8 27.xc7 xc7 28.f4 f8 29.g4 b4+ 30.d2 d6 31.c3 g2! Threatening mate on f1 and distracting W hite's knight from f6. 32.e3 f3!? Again maybe best was [ 32...e4 ] 33.c4 d5 34.xd6 xd6 35.xc7 xc7 36.a3 h2 37.e3 h1+?! Oppositecoloured bishops seems to be the motif of the d e ca d e ! W i t h li t t l e t im e , t h e re ' s n o t t h e slightest chance of playing accurately. 38.d2 b1 39.xa7 b2+ 40.d3 b1+ 41.c3 e1+ 42.b2 e2+ 43.a3 Did you follow that? g7 44.f4 b5 45.e5+ f8 46.c5+ 1-0. Probably Black forfeited. An incredibly high-quality game under the circumstances. 1-0
578 Arakhamia Grant,Ketevan Baburin,Alexander 4NCL, West Bromwich [John Cox]
B04
18.10.2004
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 The fashionable Miles variation. 6.d2 A rare try. Britain's best have been stepping on Black with the alternatives just lately: [ 6.e2 g6 7.0-0 g7 8.f3 g4 9.e1 0-0 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 d7 12.c4 5b6 13.c5 c8 14.c3 e5 15.e3 e7 16.d5 cxd5 17.xd5 f5 18.c1 h4 19.g3 d8 20.b3 c8 21.xb7 xe3 22.xc8 was Hunt-Skripchenko, Calvia 2004, although it's fair to say that Black's play 586
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 throughout this game verged on the appalling: starting at the beginning, though, the idea of this old-style Miles variation (i.e. 5... c6 and 6...g6 as opposed to the highly fashionable 6...Bf5) is to go ...Nd7, retreat the d5 knight to c7, and push c5.8...Bg4 does not fit into this plan at all this manoeuvre is drawn from the Kengis system (5...g6) but there White's bishop is on c4. 11...e6, 13...Nd5, and any one of several moves on move 14 were also better, while ] [ 6.d3 d7 7.xd7 xd7 8.0-0 e6 9.c4 f6 10.c3 e7 11.f4 0-0 12.e2 c5 13.dxc5 xc5 14.ad1 b6 15.e5 c6 16.xf6 gxf6 17.xh7+ xh7 18.h5+ was Adams-Maki Uuro, Izmir 2004. Normal is 8...g6 rather than ....e6, as in Stefansson-Gausel, Aarhus 2003. Having said that, it's not quite clear to me how England's finest intended to put Black to the sword if he played 11...Qb6 and grabbed the pawn on offer. There also might have been something to be said f or 10...Qc7 rather than 10...Be7, securing the h2-b8 diagonal (quite a common theme in this 5... c6 system, by the way). ] 6...d7 7.df3 xe5 8.xe5 f5 9.f3 If White wants to achieve anything then she really has to try to make something of her advanced knight in a hurry. Moves like 9 Bd3 or 9 Bc4 leave Black able to develop comfortably. An alternative is [ 9.xf7 xf7 10.f3 Black then needs to avoid e6 ( 10...g6 allows an immediate draw with 11 Qg3+ and 12 Qf3, which might well be White's best idea, as the tempting 11.g4 seems to fall short, for example xc2 12.e2 a5+ 13.d2 a4 14.e6+ f6 15.g5 xd4 16.gxf6 e4+; 10...e6 is also a possibility although evidently White has a considerable initiative, for example 11.c4 g6 12.0-0 d6 13.xd5 cxd5 14.f4+ c6 15.c4 ) 11.g4 b4 12.gxf5 xc2+ 13.d1 xd4 ( 13...Nxa1? 14 fxe6+ just loses) 14.fxe6+ xe6 15.g4+ f5+ when Black's exposed king is the more serious, for example 16.d2 g6 17.c4+ d7 18.c3 c7+ 19.c2 g7 20.ad1 ] 9...e6 10.d3 [ 10.d2 b6 11.0-0-0 xd4 12.d3 a3 13.c4 xd3 14.xa3 f5 15.c4 g4
16.g3 xd1 17.xd1 0-0-0 18.g5 c5 19.xd8 xd8 20.xg7 was the chaotic encounter Zapata-Grunberg, 2002, which was shortly drawn. The game continuation swiftly makes apparent the merits of 10 Bd2! ] 10...b4+ A safer alternative was 10.. .Ne7, intending 11...Qd5 next. The text is tempting but whether it is actually good is another matter. 11.d1 [ 11.c3 leads to a comfortable advantage for Black af te r xc3 12.xf5 ( 12.a3 a5 13.xf5 exf5 14.0-0 d5 15.xf5 0-0 16.b4 c7 is similar.) 12...d5+ 13.e2 exf5 14.xf5 0-0 ] [ 11.d2 xd2+ 12.xd2 b4 is also very nice for Black. ] 11...e7 Again Black has alternatives, for example it's not clear at all that just 11....Qf6 was bad. (12 Bxf5 exf5, or 12 c4 Nb6 13 g4 Bxd3 14 Qxf6 gxf6 15 Nxd3 Be7 16 b3 Rd8). But Baburin must already have had his next move in mind. 12.c3 [ 12.g4 xd4 is bad, but now White is hoping for 12...Bd6 13 g4 Bxe5 14 gxf 5 when she stands well, for example, 14...Bf6 15 fxe6 fxe6 16 Re1. But Baburin has a terrific shock in store. ] 12...0-0!? 13.g4 The critical moment in the game: with the text W hite admits that her opening has been a failure and settles for a decidedly inferior position. After 13 Bxf5 Nxf5 14 cxb4 Qxd4+ 15 Nd3 Rad8 White cannot hold on to the knight, for example 16 Ke2 (16 Kc2 Qc4+ is the same) Qc4 17 Kd2 Rd5 and double rooks. But the critical move had to be [ 13.cxb4 , when to be honest I don't see that Black has enough compensation for his piece, for example xd4 14.e3 xb4 ( 14...d5 15.e2 xg2 16.d2 f6 17.f3 xf3+ 18.xf3 xd3+ 19.xd3 is hopeless) 15.d2 d4 16.xf5 xe5 17.d3 ad8 18.c2 Black has a lot of moves here and one can see that White will have to be careful for some time, but my computer seems to see off anything I try for Black with some ease, f or example d6 ( 18...d7 19.xh7+ xh7 20.xd7 d5 21.f3; 18...d5 19.f4; 18...d4 19.e2 c5+ 20.b1 d6 21.c2 all look fairly comfortable for White too) 19.e2 d5 587
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.d2 It may very well be that I'm not doing Baburin's idea any kind of justice here, though - certainly Arakhamia must have thought accepting the sacrifice was pretty grim before settling for what happens in the ga m e . I t wo u l d b e i n t e r e s t i n g t o k n o w whether this was preparation - on either side - or an over-the-board punt. ] 13...xd3 14.xd3 d6 15.c2 d5 16.h4 b5 Always thematic in these structures, securing the d5 knight, but especially here with the W hite king exposed on c2. 17.d2 c7 18.g5 I'm not at all sure about this, giving f5 away. It looks more natural to me to try 18 Rad1 and Kb1, but there's no doubt that Black is better. c5 19.dxc5 xc5 20.e4 d6 21.ac1 c4 A notably cal m solution. Black was surely also better after a move like 21..Rac8, but Baburin calculates that in the ending White's pawn advances will simply be weaknesses, and he also has a specific idea for driving White's pieces into p a s s i v i t y . 22.xc4 bxc4 23.b4 e7 24.b1 The threat was .... a5, but possibly the strange-looking 24 Na6 was a better chance f or def ence. c5 25.f4 While here Fritz is decidedly more taken by 25 Be3, which does at least unload White's pathetic bishop and give birth to an e-pawn which can control d5 and f5 (at least it does if Black plays 25... Bxe 3 2 6 f xe 3 m a ybe h e sh ou ld n 't ? ) fd8 26.h2 a5 27.c2 f5 28.h5 d3 29.e1 ad8 30.c1 d1 31.hh1 1d5 32.h6 I must say I don't understand this move, and since Black eventually wins the game by taking the pawn on h6 and queening his own hpawn, it's fair to say that whatever Arakhamia's idea was the game didn't demonstrate it. It's always easy to sit tight in someone else's passive position, but either repeating with Rh2 or even possibly Ne3 was su re ly pref e ra ble . gxh6 33.gxh6 f8 34.h2 d1 35.xd1 And here 35 Rhh1 was surely necessary: after the text White loses a pawn an d t he game is ef f ective ly over. I imagine that time trouble was affecting the p l a y h e r e a b o u t s . xd1 36.b3 d6 Decisive White's rook is outnumbered. 37.f2 cxb3 38.axb3 xh6 39.e3 h1 40.c2 h5 A classy manoeuvre, controlling f5 to get the knight back into play. 41.c4 c7
42.g2 f6 43.e3 f5 44.c5+ f7 45.d2 xf4 46.d7+ g6 47.xa5 h2+ 48.d1 h5 49.c6 h4 50.d8 h3 51.xe6 e3+ 52.xe3 52 Kc1 Bh6 was no better, and nor was 52 Ke1 Bg3 mate. xe3 53.g7+ f5 54.g3 e4 55.d4 d2+ 56.e1 f2+ 57.xd2 xg3 58.e2 f2 0-1
579 Bauer,Christian Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar 49th TCh-Honor Final (1) [John Cox]
B04 2641 2646 10.09.2005
1.e4 f6 Good to see Mamedyarov hasn't been put off by the unfortunate loss to Sutovsky given in September, and indeed he's b e e n d o i n g ve r y we l l wi t h t h e A l e k h in e , beating Harikrishna and Potkin besides this game and a couple of other draws and wins against lower-rated players. 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 d7 6...Bf5 is the more common way nowadays: the text is the way Miles used to play the variation. 7.f3 g6 8.c4 c7 9.c3 g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.g5 Miles had the position af ter Bla ck's ten th quite a f ew t imes , f o r example [ 11.f4 c5 12.d5 e5 13.g5 f6 14.e3 f7 15.a3 f8 16.b1 e8 17.b4 b6 when Black managed to hang on in the complications in Degraeve-Miles, Mondariz 2000, although things look a little ropey at this point. ] 11...e6 12.e3 f6 13.h3 b6 Only here does the game deviate from Zarnicki-Miles, Oviedo rapid 1993, which went on [ 13...c7 14.d2 d8 15.fe1 h5 16.f1 b6 17.ad1 b7 18.c1 ac8 with approximate equality. ] 14.b3 c7 15.fe1 b7 16.ad1 fd8 17.f1 a6 18.a4 ab8 19.a3 b5 An extremely typical break in these positions, although played, like here, as a pawn sacrifice it is naturally rarer. 20.g5 [ White cannot win the pawn directly on accou n t o f 20.axb5 cxb5 21.cxb5 xf3 22.gxf3 axb5 ] 20...xg5 21.xg5 but now the attack on e7 588
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 an d b 5 d o e s f o rce t h e win o f a p a wn . e6 22.axb5 cxb5 23.cxb5 axb5 24.xb5 Thus, but Black has compensation in the form of W hite's two weaknesses on d4 and b2 which ought to be enough to hold the balance, although it's hard to believe in more than that. dc8 25.c1 b6 26.f4 a8 27.d6 a5 28.e7 d5 29.xb7 xf4 30.e4 h6 31.b1 ab8 32.f1 b4 By now Black has pretty good compensation: as usual the opposite-coloured bishops assist the player who has made a positional sacrifice. 33.g3 h5 34.d3 d8 35.e5 a7 36.b5 b8 37.c3 f8 38.a1 f6 39.a7 a8 40.a6 d5 41.f3 c7 42.xa8 xa8 43.aa5 xb2 44.c6 c8 45.e2 xe2 46.xe2 d5 47.a6 b4 An excellent strategic decision the knight looked pretty on d5 but the best balance for Black is in fact rook and opposite-coloured bishops. 48.xb4 xb4 Whether White ought to lose this endgame with best play is very hard to say but it's definitely not easy to hold it: if d4 goes the extra protection Black's f7 has compared to f2 makes a big difference. 49.a4 e7 50.f3 c2 51.f1 g7 52.h4 [ 52.d5? c5 illustrates the point. ] 52...h5 53.e4 d2 54.e1 b2 55.c4 b4+ 56.f1 a5 57.d5 This doesn't help, but Black was all set up for ...Bb6 and ...Rd2. f5 58.d3 d2 59.e2 xd5 60.c6 e5 61.c4 d1+ 62.g2 c1 63.d5 d1 64.c4 e4 65.a6 b4 66.a7+ f6 67.a6+ d6 68.b5 d2 69.f1 g5 70.e1 d5 71.c4 d4 72.hxg5+ xg5 73.e2 h4 74.gxh4+ xh4 75.c6 g5 76.c4 d5 77.f1 e5 78.b4 d8 79.b5 f4 Black is winning by now - the king is just too snug here. 80.b4 a8 81.b1 a2 82.c4 c2 83.e2 d6 84.d1 e5 85.b1 c5 86.b3 f4 87.f3 c1+ 88.g2 g1+ 89.h2 e1 90.b2 d4 91.c2 e3 92.b5 d4 93.fxe4 f3 94.h3 f4 95.e5 h1+ 96.h2 b1 97.d2 e3 98.d3 b8 0-1
580 Colovic,Aleksandar Pesotsky,Vitaly IX EICC Plovdiv BUL (8) [John Watson]
B04 2493 2371 29.04.2008
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.b3 g7 7.e2 0-0 [ 7...c6 8.bd2 0-0 9.h3 is Motwani-Tan, Tilburg 2000, to be found with notes in the Archive. ] 8.h3 c6 9.0-0 dxe5 I'm not sure how meaningful the insertion of a4/...a5 is in these lines. [ The outrageously famous game ShortTimman, Tilburg 1991 (re-annotated by Alex Volzhin for ChessPub)went 9...a5 10.a4 dxe5 11.dxe5 d4 12.xd4 xd4 13.e1 e6 14.d2 and there are two examples: A) theoretically important is DimitrovMarinkovic, Tivat 1995, the main game in C o x ' s b o o k : 14...d7 15.f3 c5 16.e3 e7 17.g5 c5 18.e4!? I'm not sure that this does much. Better looks ( 18.c3; or 18.h4! c6 19.e3 e7 20.h5 , which loosens up Black's kingside a bit before shifting pieces over there.) 18...c6 19.h4 fe8 20.h2 b4! 21.xb4 axb4 22.a5 d7 23.g4 h5 24.f6+ xf6 25.exf6 f8 with equality.; B) 14...d5 (as in the Short game) 15.f3 c5 16.e4! b4! 17.c4! b6 18.b3! xc4 19.bxc4 , an assessment that Volzhin explains at length and that you can find in the Archives. This is the well-known king-walk game with Kh2-g3-f4g5. ] 10.dxe5 d4 11.xd4 xd4 12.e1 e6 13.d2 d7 As opposed to Timman's ...Nd5 idea. The obvious point should be ... Bc6, but Black also uses the bishop to support his queen: 14.f3 c5 15.e3 b5!? [ a) 15...a5 16.d2!? c5 17.e4! has the idea Qh4 and Bh6, with the tactical point c6 18.b4! ] [ b) 15...e7 is like the Dimitrov game (without a4/. ..a5): 16.ad1 h6 17.d2 fd8! 18.c3 c6 19.c5 e8 20.d4 keeps a small edge. ] 16.d2 c6 17.d4 a6 18.xc6 bxc6 19.c4!? This looks logical, trying to restrict 589
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B l a c k ' s k n i g h t a n d d e n y i t a cc e s s t o d 5 nevertheless, [ 19.ad1! d5 20.g5 masters the d-file and prepares c4 anyway. ] 19...fd8 20.c3 d7 [ 20...h6! would stop Bg5, although White still has a nice advantage with space and the bishops. ] 21.g5 db8 22.ad1 c5 23.f3 b7 24.e3 a5 25.e2 a6 26.e3?! [ 26.d4! must be good, heading towards the kingside, since every Black piece is far away from defence on the other side of the board! ] 26...xb3 27.d7! f8 28.axb3 xe5? [ 28...ad8 forces simplification: 29.ed2 xd7 30.xd7 c8! 31.xc6! xe5 32.f4 xb2 33.xc7 and White still has initiative, but it's not an easy win. ] 29.h6 g7?? [ But 29...h8 30.xf8 xf8 31.xc7 is pretty bad. ] 30.xg7 xg7 31.xe6 ad8 32.f6+ h6 33.e4! Mate follows. 1-0
581
B04 Corrales Jimenez,Fidel 2590 Nogueiras Santiago,Jesus 2570 45th Capablanca Mem Premier (3) 12.06.2010 [Gawain Jones]
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.b3 d5!? A speciality of the Hungarian Grandmaster Zoltan Varga, this move ha sn't b een co vered previo usly o n ChessPublishing. The move is fairly rare and Finkel calls it a "dubious variation" in his a n n o t a t io n s f o r Ch e ssB a se , b u t a ga m e played between two Grandmasters has to be taken seriously. Perhaps with the problems Reinderman faced against Nisipeanu more players will be attracted to this more solid move although after analysing this game I can't say the line looks very rosy for Black. 7.h3 White has tried various setups here but this move to prevent ...Bg4 is sensible. [ 7.c3 has generally been the choice of the strongest White players and has potential to transpose to the game.
A) 7...f5 The problem with this move is that White may gain time on the bishop for a kingside assault. 8.bd2 a5 9.e2!? True to form, Sulskis goes his own way. ( 9.a4 would be the automatic response when I'd plump for White although Black's position is solid.) 9...a4 10.d1 d7 11.h3 h6 12.g4!? Don't say I didn't warn you. xd2+ 13.xd2 e6 ( 13...e4 is more logical but perhaps the Russian IM was scared of 14.e6! xe6 15.g5 c6 16.f3 h6 17.xf7 d3 18.xd3 xf7 wh ich is m essy b ut I 'd p re f e r W h it e's bishops. ) 14.h6 c4 15.c1 b5 16.b3 axb3 17.axb3 b6 18.g5 c6 19.f4 And W hite had taken complete control. S u ls ki s , S - Ch e t ve r ik , M . Ca p p e ll e l a Grande 2006.; B) 7...g7 8.bd2 a5 9.0-0 0-0 10.e1 a6 ( 10...g4 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 e6 13.g5 d7 14.d2 is given by Finkel and indeed I like W hite's prospects of mating the Black king here.) 11.c2 c5 12.a3 Preventing that a6 knight from jumping back into the game. cxd4 13.cxd4 c7 14.h3 e6 15.f1 a4 16.h4! d7 17.h5 c8 18.g3 Resembled a French. White's kingside initiative should not be underestimated but Black was probably doing ok. Almasi, Z-Varga, Z Heviz 2003. ] [ 7.f4 was Smyslov's choice here and thus should also be considered. A) 7...g4 was Varga's choice. That game continued: 8.a4 e6 9.a5 6d7 10.bd2 c5 11.h3!? A pawn sacrifice xf3 12.xf3 c4 13.a4 ( 13.a6!? is an intriguing option forcing Black's knight to the wrong circuit. ) 13...xa5+ 14.c3 b5 15.c2 b6 16.h4 h5 17.g4!? c6 18.g5 and W hite's attack was worth far more than the missing a pawn. Pedersen, DVarga, Z Budapest 1996.; B) 7...g7 8.c1 h6 9.c3 a6 10.0-0 g4 11.bd2 c5 12.c2 c7 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 e6 15.dxc5! Another motif taken from the French, d4 is a superb outpost for a White knight. xc5 16.e1 cd7 17.d4 g5 18.b5 c6 19.d6+ f8 20.g3 and the former World Champion had a very pleasant position. Smyslov, V-Segal, A Sao Paulo 1978. ] 590
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 7.0-0 has been the most common option when Varga has tried various replies. c6 ( 7...g4 8.bd2 a5 9.c3 a4 10.c2 e6 11.e1 c5 12.d3 cxd4 13.cxd4 c6 14.h3 f5 1/2-1/2 Istratescu, A-Varga, Z Herculane 1996 must be deemed a success for Black.; 7...a5 8.c3 g7 9.c2 0-0 10.g5!? h6 11.f3 g4 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 e6 14.a3 c5 15.e3 cxd4 16.cxd4 c6 17.ac1 e7 18.d3 a4 19.e2 b4 20.b1 fc8 21.b5 Acs, P-Varga, Z Budapest 1996 was unpleasant for Black who eventually regretted the weakness he made on his tenth move.) 8.c3 g7 9.e1 0-0 10.bd2 h8 11.f1 f6 12.exf6 exf6 13.g3 d6 14.c2 f5 15.b3 f4 16.f1 g4 17.h3 h5 18.d3 ae8 19.b2 c8 1/2-1/2 Byrne, R-Ljubojevic, L Buenos Aires 1978 was an old game that was respectable for Black although White still holds an edge in the final position after 20.b4!? ] 7...a5 This is the logical way to play the position but Black has also tried without the pawn thrust. [ 7...g7 8.c3 f5 Again I'm not totally sure a b o u t t h is m o ve a n d p e r h a p s Jo va n k a should have tried playing as Sulskis did in the 7.c3 note? 9.f4 ( 9.bd2 would be my suggestion, not fearing d3 as White can always play 10.c2 ) 9...c6 10.0-0 0-0 11.a4 a5 12.c2 e6 13.b3 xc2 14.xc2 c5 15.dxc5 d7 16.e1 c6 17.b4 a5 18.d2 ( 18.b5 e7 19.c6 bxc6 20.a3 is a safer way of playing, although I d o u b t B l a c k h a s a n y r e a l p r o b l e m s .) 18...axb4 19.cxb4 f6! The position reminds me of certain lines of the Caro Kann but Black's initiative is easily worth the sacrificed pawn and indeed White can't hold on to the pawn anyway. Houska, J Golubenko, V Crete 2007. ] 8.a4 [ 8.c3 also resulted in a small White edge. g7 9.0-0 0-0 10.c2 a6 11.e1 c6 12.bd2 c7 13.f1 ( 13.b3!? looks like an interesting alternative.) 13...f6 14.exf6 ( White could also wait before taking with 14.a4 whe n if B lack plays e6 White can start aggressive proceedings with 15.h4! seeing as Black no longer has ...
Bg4. ) 14...exf6 15.h4 g4 16.1h2 d7 17.xg4 xg4 18.e7 ac8 19.f1 fe8 20.h2 xh4 21.g3 h5 22.d1 xh2+ 23.xh2 1/2-1/2 Rozentalis, E-Krasenkow, M Gausdal 2007 was an interesting final positio n but I have a f eeling th e quee n should really be stronger than rook, knight and pawn here. ] 8...g7 9.0-0 0-0 10.e1 I like this flexible move and I think this position is probably critical to the viability of this variation for Black. His position is fairly solid but it's hard to engineer any pawn breaks. Generally, in this type of position, Black tries for ...c5 but here that will create a big hole on b5 which in turn might result in a knight on the super outpost on d6. Alternatively Black can play for ...f6 but then he has to watch out for White razzing the h pawn down the board as the g6 pawn will prove very vulnerable. [ 10.c3 has been played in the past which also looks acceptable providing the knight drops back to e2. A couple of games have continued: a6 A) 11.e3 h6 I don't like this move. Understandably Black wasn't keen to allow Qd2 and Bh6 but this really weakens both h a n d g p a w n s . 12.e2 looks strong, when I'm not really sure what Black is to d o , f o r e x a m p l e : ( Instead 12.h2 was played in Lengyel, B-To Nhat Minh Budapest 2006.) 12...c6 13.d2 h7 14.xa5 and White has an extra pawn.; B) 11.f4 h6 Again I confess I don't like this move despite the expert in the variation trying it. Perhaps the idea is 12.d2 ( 12.e1 Heinatz, T-Varga, Z Budapest 1996.) 12...g5 13.g3 b4 but now 14.d1! and White will expel the knight from b4 followed by playing for f2-f4 when Black's king looks too vulnerable. ] 10...a6 [ 10...c6 has been tried by Varga when he reach ed t his position . Th e mo st recen t game co ntinued : 11.c3 ( 11.c3 a6 12.e2 c7 13.c3 e6 14.c2 f5 15.exf6 exf6 Borgo, G-Varga, Z Budapest 1999 also looked strong for W hite when I would try 16.h4! loosening up Black's king.) 11...a6 12.bd2 c7 13.f1 e6 14.h4 c5 15.h5 and I'd always pick White 591
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 as I like his dynamic chances. Agopov, MVarga, Z Budapest 2009. ] 11.e3 [ 11.d2! has been tried before here and i n d e e d i f B l a c k i s f o r c e d t o p l a y b8 as both players have done then this must be an improvement for White. ( Perhaps 11...c5 was Black's intention, sacrificing the a5 pawn although I'm sceptical that he has enough compensation following: 12.xa5 c4 13.a2 b8 14.xb6 xb6 15.b3 cxb3 16.xb3; 11...b4 12.xb4 axb4 13.d2 would also drop a pawn.) 12.c3 ( 12.e3!? can't be completely stupid as W h it e h a s a n e xt ra t e m p o .; 12.c1 a la Smyslov would also attract my attention.) 12...c6 Smagin, S-Marinkovic, I Cacak 1991 and around here White started l o s i n g t h e p l o t . I ' d a d v o c a t e 13.e2 with a pleasant advantage. ] 11...f6 ...c5 looks rather hard to achieve so Nogueiras goes for the other break in the position. 12.bd2 [ There's no need to release the tension and allow Black a bit more freedom with 12.exf6 ] 12...c6 13.c3 c7 14.c2 e6 [ 14...f5!? looks interesting although of course after this move White will always be better as he has more space and can slowly try and push Black backwards on both sides of the board. ] [ 14...e6 is the other option and we've see n th is ide a in t he no te s to p re viou s moves. However, perhaps Black was scared of 15.h4! which, as you'll have gathered by this point, looks like a good antidote to ...f6 once Black can no longer play ...Bg4. ] 15.b3 Corrales Jimenez is content to take squares away from Black and slowly suffocate him. The mark of a good player is knowing when there's no need to rush the position. d7 16.exf6 exf6 17.f1 f7 18.d2 Black's position is n ot a disaster but th e problem is he's a bit cramped and lacks any active plan. Anyone who has played practically knows how hard it is to come up with good moves when you cannot find a useful plan. e8 19.e2 e6 20.ae1 f8 21.1h2 White's pieces start to amass like thunder clouds in front of the Black king. c7
[ 21...f5 is the computer's suggestion to stop the h2 knight jumping into the game but not a pleasant move to play as it cedes the e5 outpost and means that Black will be forced to grovel for the rest of the game. 22.g5 f6 23.xe6 xe6 24.f3 e4 25.xe4 dxe4 26.e5 would be a typical line which isn't disastrous for Black but still unpleasant. ] 22.g4 d6 23.g3 g7 [ My computer is enthralled by 23...xg3? but after a couple of seconds it changes its mind once it sees 24.fxg3 xg3+ 25.g2 xf3 26.h2+- and there's no way out for the Black queen from its raid. ] 24.g2 Very calm. White could have played Nh6 on either of the previous moves but first he gets everything ready and frustrates Black into yet more waiting moves. e7 25.h6+ [ 25.h4!? continuing the same plan while forcing Black to calculate the consequences of 26.h5 also looks strong. ] 25...g8?! This has a tactical problem. [ The king had to retreat into the corner 25...h8 but the position is exceedingly unpleasant after 26.h4! ] 26.g5! xg5?! And this was the worst way to take the piece. [ 26...fxg5 was the lesser evil but Black's position is still unpleasant after 27.h6+ Of course this was the point of 25.Bh6+ g7 28.xf7 xf7 29.xe6 but Black is still holding on after af8 30.1e3 at least temporarily. ] 27.xe7 xe7 28.xe7 Now the rook on the seventh is simply too strong. f8 29.xg5! xe7? This loses [ 29...fxg5 would survive a few moves longer but the position should still be lost following 30.e1 ( Not 30.xg5? when d8 isn't so clear. )] 30.e3+ f8 31.xh7+ g8 32.h6 d6 33.xg6 e6 A well played game by White and I think Black has some problems in this 6... d5 line and thus there are justifiable reasons why it's played much less frequently than 6... Bg7. 1-0
592
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 582 Cuijpers,Frans Andre Cox,John J 3rd ACT Amsterdam NED (9) [John Cox]
B04 2510 2418 23.07.2006
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 The Miles variation, which we've seen plenty of (and plenty of difference of opinion about!) on this site bef ore. 6.d3 The dangerous move popularised by SutovskyCarlsen, Rethymnon 2003. d7 7.xd7 [ 7.0-0 was Sutovsky-Carlsen. The straightforward text has been played by Adams among other GMs, but I find it very hard to believe that W hite can hope for much by trading his active knight like this for Black's passive one. ] 7...xd7 8.0-0 g6 [ 8...e6 was the far inferior move played in Adams-Maki Uuro, Calvia, which I gave on this site last year in the notes to another game. Of course Black shouldn't wall in his d7 bishop like that. ] 9.e1 g7 10.c3 0-0 11.g5 b6 A new move, and actually I think quite a good one. [ I discussed Stefansson-Gausel, Aarhus 2003, in Starting Out Alekhine's Defence. That went 11...e8 12.d2 c8 13.c4 f5 14.e2 c7 ( 14...b5 15.e3 xe3 16.xe3 e5 was my proposal) 15.f3 ad8 16.b3 e6 and now the thoroughly thematic 17.xe6 fxe6 after which White won handily ] 12.d2 It's not terribly convenient to defend b2 [ 12.e2 h6 ] [ 12.b3 fe8 , and ] [ 12.c2 c5 (Black's main idea is to enable either an ...e5 or ...c5 break quickly) all have drawbacks of one kind and another in this last line 13.c4 c6 14.xd5?! xd5 15.dxc5 xc5 16.xe7? fe8-+ is an important tactical point. ] 12...e6 White's point with his last move was to meet [ 12...c5 with 13.e4 when c6 fails to 14.xd5 xd5 15.dxc5 , but of course the price is that now the b1 knight is obstructed, so B la ck f igures h e can con tinu e mo re
quietly. Rxe6 isn't so terrifying when Black has a quick ..c5 available his problem in Stefansson-Gausel was exactly that he couldn't get this move in and thus could never open any lines for his rooks. ] [ The machine instead proposes entering murky complications with 12...f6 13.h4 e5 , which looks horribly anti-positional to me a n d a l s o a p p e a rs a t f i r st s i gh t t o l o s e material, but as usual the creature has some tactical resources, for example the obvious and 'crushing' 14.c4 f4 15.c5 c7 16.dxe5 fxe5 17.e7 f7 18.d6 d8 19.xe5 xe5 20.xe5 can be met with f6 when it is t simple, if at all possible, to demonstrate any advantage for White, e. g. 21.c4 e6 22.xe6 xe6 23.e3 f4 24.c3 d3= ] 13.a3 c7 At the time I thought this move was incredibly clever, aiming for 14 Nc4 c5 (of course the immediate [ 13...c5 loses to 14.c4 b4 15.xe7 ) Fritz however tells me it's rubbish and that placing a rook sensibly on d8 was called for. I should add that this was the last round and that the previous evening some - if not all - of the British players in the event had looked upon the wine when it was red to celebrate our last evening in Amsterdam, so if Black plays any good moves in this game it was a m at te r of lu ck, as will be co m e apparent later on. ] 14.c2 [ 14.c4 f6 15.f4 d7 16.e5 was correct according to Fritz (this is why Black should have waited for Nc4 blocking the c-pawn before retreating his queen), and I must reluctantly admit that the horrid thing has a point. ] 14...ad8 15.a4 I didn't understand this move a lot at the time and I don't now, but since White wins the game by queening this pawn I dare say there's more to it than meets the eye. d7 With this move I had in mind ...f6 and ... Bf7, a manoeuvre Black quite often employs in this type of position. I didn't see much point in stopping White's next move, although in fact 15...a5 had a great deal to be said for it. 16.a5 [ If I remember correctly I was planning to meet 16.c4 with c7 ( 16...f6! ) 17.h6 f6 , thinking idly that White was trading my 593
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 worse bishop and that I would now have a nice solid position, but in fact a continuation like 18.ad1 f7 19.xg7 xg7 20.e4 would have rudely shattered my illusions. White's set-up with the queen/bishop line-up on c1-h6 is a bit unusual and I didn't appreciate at all the difference this makes. ] 16...f6 17.h4? [ A bit unfair to give my opponent a question mark when he's played so much better than me up to now, but this is altogether wrong. As Cuijpers (a most charming opponent by the way) pointed out after the game, 17.h6 was much be tter. After the trade of bishops rook on e4 is a real nuisance for Black with the constant threat of Rh4 and Qh6 to deal with as well as the possibility of doubling in the e-file. ] 17...f7 18.e4 fe8 19.g3 c5 Initiating ations which White might perhaps have positioned himself better to meet over the last couple of moves (my opponent had overlooked that the move was possible at all in this position) . 20.dxc5 b5 21.a3 W hite has a few tactical ideas with a6 and then c6, but as far as I can see they simply don't work and he has nothing better than allowing Black to recapture his pawn with a good game. xc5 22.b4 c8 [ I don't recall consciously contemplating 22...xc3 23.xc3 xc3 24.xb7 e5 at all, although this is quite good for Black in fact he may well hold a clear advantage. My mindset was that Black ought to keep the queens and attack with his kingside majority, while White's queenside majority would be fearsome in an ending. I suspect J o n a t h a n Ro wso n wo u l d d e sc r ib e t h i s scornfully as fabulation, but certainly it was pretty poor. Another way of looking at the mat ter would have bee n t ha t t he f e we r pieces you have left the more serious it is if some of them (e.g. the a3 knight and the g3 bishop) aren't doing anything: alternatively of course I could have resorted to calculating the odd variation, although for the reason I mentioned that wasn't really an option. Having said that the position is about equal after Black's move, and with both of us beginning to get short of time pretty tense as well. ]
23.c4 c7 24.e3 f5 25.f3 e5 26.xa7 Objectively these last few moves of White's form a rather rash adventure, although I'm not entirely sure what he ought to have played instead at move 24. It may be that Black's kingside majority already does give him the better chances. e4 27.e2 g5? [ T h e s i m p l e 27...e6 is more or less winning since ...f4 and ...g5 is threatened, the f-pawn cannot move and 28.h3 f4 29.h2 is too humiliating for words apart from anything else Black might well take the exchange now that the h2 bishop is under lock and key. ] 28.xc7 xc7 29.b5 e7 30.ab1 f4 31.f1 [ The computer is confident about the outrageous-looking 31.c5 humans (weak ones like me, anyway) are afraid of shutting the quee n out f rom the def ence , not t o mention allowing ...e3 (the idea of the text is to stop this move, of course) but actually there isn't all that much defending to be done and White is playing a6 in a minute . The game certainly goes on though after e3 32.f3 e5 33.a6 bxa6 34.xa6 d2 or such, especially with both players short of time. ] 31...g6 32.c5? A dreadful and panicky move, something sensible like [ 32.bd1 was much better and quite possibly objectively good for White. So far this hasn't been one of Frans Cuijpers' better games, but Black pays for all with his next few moves. I just utterly failed to adjust t o t h e f a c t I wa s su d d e n l y wi n n i n g ( o r winning again, rather). This is a common psychological problem which I've noticed bo t h in my o p po n e nt s an d m yse lf (a n d indeed in other players' games), but it's more easily stated than cured. ] 32...xc5 33.bxc5 e3 Winning. 34 fxe3 is 'forced' but of course it loses. 34.b3 c2?! [ This doesn't spoil anything but 34...exf2+ 35.xf2 d2+ 36.e2 exe2+ 37.xe2 h5 wins a piece fairly trivially at once particularly inept since exploiting the pin on e2 like this was my one and only idea, but for some reason the h5 square fell outside my view - possibly the board was getting a little fuzzy at the edges by this time. ] 594
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 35.a3 exf2+?? [ As Cuijpers pointed out afterwards, a d i f f e r e n t i d e a a l t o g e t h e r w i t h 35...d1 wi n s m a t e r i a l s i n c e i f 36.xd1 xd1 the e-pawn is decisive ] [ Alternatively I could have executed the idea I had in the game correctly with 35...b2 , since 36.a2 exf2+ 37.xf2 d2+ 38.e2 exe2+ 39.xe2 d3 ( or indeed 39...b3 ) leads to what I was hoping to achieve in the game. )] 36.xf2 d2+ 37.e2 exe2+ 38.xe2 b2? By now this is a losing mistake, although in fact Black was still well in the game after [ 38...e4 I had even seen White's next move, but I somehow lacked the mental drive to adjust and play something other than my previously planned winning move (I had been thinking of 39 Ra2? Bd3, of course). Another quite common psychological phenomenon, although with this one to be aware of it goes a long way towards eliminating it - I hope, anyway. ] 39.e1 xe2+ 40.xe2 xa3 41.c6! An alert move instead of [ 41.xa3 e4 , which I had - perhaps correctly - anticipated wouldn't be too bad for Black. Now however 41....bxc6 42 Nxa3 Bf5 43 c5 is hopeless, and so is 41...Bb2 42 cxb7 Be5 43 c5 Be4 44 Nd6, although it would have been nice to have noticed this last variation, which I didn't. Not a game for either side to be proud of, but I found t h e p l a y a ro u n d W h it e ' s m o ve 1 7 ve r y instructive - neither of us grasped at all tha t Blac k's g7 b isho p st ill ou gh t to b e t ra d e d e ve n a f t e r . . . f 6 . I f yo u f in d t h a t obvious then I'm afraid you may not get much out of this game, but even then I think Bla c k p laye d qu ite a go o d m o ve in t h e opening. ] 1-0
583 Degraeve,Jean Marc Miles,Anthony J Zonal Mondariz ESP (5) [Nigel Davies]
B04
07.09.2000
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 One of several quiet moves which aim to keep the tiny plus conferred on him by the pawn structure. The following possibilities are similarly motivated: [ a) 6.c3 g6 7.g3 g7 8.g2 d7 9.xd7 xd7 10.d2 0-0 11.f3 c8 12.0-0 h3 left Black very comfortably placed in Shur Bagirov, Baku 1996 ] [ b) 6.h3 looks innocuous but the idea is quite good when Black challenges the knight on e5 White plans to drop it back and not have to worry about a pin. Jansa - Burkar, Bonnevoie1999continued d7 7.f3 g6 8.c4 g7 9.0-0 0-0 10.e1 e6 ( the immediate 10...b5 loses a pawn after 11.xd5 cxd5 12.c3 ) 11.b3 b5 12.g5 c7 13.bd2 b7 14.c4 bxc4 15.xc4 c5 16.c1 and now ac8 17.dxc5 xc5 looks fine for Black. ] [ c) 6.d3 d7 7.xd7 xd7 8.0-0 g6 9.e1 g7 10.c3 0-0 11.g5 e8 12.d2 c8 13.e4 f5 left White with nothing special in Macieja - Kuczynski, Polish Ch., Warsaw 2001 ] 6...d7 [ 6...g6 7.c4 c7 8.c3 g7 9.e3 d7 10.f4!? 0-0 11.0-0 xe5 12.dxe5 ( 12.fxe5 c5 ) 12...xd1 13.axd1 f6 was an equaliser in Dolmatov - Tseshkovsky, Russian Ch., Tomsk 2001 ] 7.f3 g6 8.c4 c7 9.c3 g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.f4 c5!? 12.d5 e5!? Giving White a passed d-pawn, but Black will blockade it with a knight on d6 13.g5 f6 14.e3 f7! 15.a3 f8 16.b1 e8 17.b4 The position starts to become very sharp with White trying to create a breach before Black's knight settles in to d6. This position could actually become dangerous for White if he doesn't play sharply Bla ck' s kin gsid e p a wn ma jority co u ld b e advanced with great effect. b6 18.d2 d6 19.de4 f5 20.d6!? b7 21.bxc5 xe3 22.fxe3 f5 23.c6! xc6 24.c5! g7 25.b5 c8 26.b3+ h8 27.g5 xc5 28.f7+ 595
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 g8 29.h6+ h8 30.f7+ g8 31.h6+ ½-½
584 Del Rio Angelis,Salvador Gabriel Conquest,Stuart 4th IECC Istanbul (8) [Andrew Martin]
B04 2490 2555 2003
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.d3 Slightly unusual but can't be too bad. The Bishop does rather encourage Nb4 though. As stated last month, I prefer 6 Be2. Equalization isn't easy for Black. [ 6.e2! Sensible development, no targets and c2-c4 waiting in the wings. I like White's options in this position. g6 7.0-0 g7 8.e1 d7 9.f3 With more space, White naturally avoids exchanges. 0-0 10.f1 7f6 11.bd2 g4 12.c4 b6 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 White hasn't done very much but there's no doubt about it: Black is slightly worse. Black can try to target d4 but th e Kn igh t o n b 6 is p a ssive a n d act ive counterplay appears in short supply. c7 15.g3 ad8 16.f4 d7 17.b3 fe8 18.ad1 c8 19.a3 d7 20.xa7 c8 21.a3 d6 22.b3 e6 23.c2 a8 24.a4 h5 25.c1 ed8 26.b3 c7 27.g2 f6 28.g4 g7 29.f4 a5 30.e5 ac8 31.c5 de8 32.c4 1-0 Groszpeter,A-Hugentobler, P/3rd Zurich Lake Plaza Open, Pfaeffikon 2003 Black has it all to prove after 6 Be2. Adherents of this system would call 5.. .c6 ' flexible '. Well then, 6 Be2 is equally flexible. ] [ 6.d2 d7 7.df3 In principle, any exchanges ease the Black position. xe5 8.xe5 f5 9.d3 xd3 10.xd3 e6 11.0-0 d6 12.g4 f6 13.d2 d8 14.ad1 g6 15.e2 0-0 16.fe1 f5= Compare this with the Groszpeter game. Black isn't cramped and hasn't surrendered the Two Bishops. He's fine. 17.g3 e7 18.c3 fe8 19.c1 d6 20.a3 b5 21.d2 f6 22.e4 xe4 23.xe4 f7 24.f1 g5 25.a4 a6 26.a1 a8 27.ee1 b6 28.axb5 axb5 29.b3 ed8 30.e2 e7 31.h3 h6 32.ec1 e8 33.h4 d7
34.h1 d5 35.hxg5 hxg5 36.hc1 b6 37.d1 xa1 38.xa1 a8 39.xa8 1/2-1/2 Palac, M-Bauer,C/1/2 Coupe de France, Senat FRA 2003 ] 6...d7 7.f3 7f6 8.h3 On the ball pre ve n t in g . . . B g4 bu t Co n qu e st s e e s a n opportunity to take advantage of the Bd3. b4 9.c4 f5! 10.e5 [ If 10.b3 a5! 11.a3 bd5 12.c4 b6 13.0-0 a4 14.a2 e6= I guess he just didn't want to move that Bishop again! ] 10...e6 11.a3 d6 12.0-0! h6 13.c3 bd5 14.c2 c7 15.d3? A move lacking in confidence. I'm at a loss why he didn't prefer [ 15.e1 0-0-0 ( 15...d8 16.e2 0-0 17.b3 c5; 15...0-0 16.e2 ad8= ) 16.e2= Although White has nothing to shout about the position is interesting and there's plenty of play. Del Rio Angelis seems to give up a pawn rathe r desperately it seems to me. ] 15...xe5 16.dxe5 xd3 17.xd3 xe5 Why not ? 18.e1 c7 19.c4 e7 20.b3 0-0 21.f3 With the idea of Bxh6 but this is easily parried. d7 22.b2 g6 23.g3 [ After 23.c3 centralisation will do nicely for Black: e5 24.ad1 ad8 25.g3 fe8 ] 23...ad8 24.c3 e5 25.h4 f6! A typically powerful defensive move by Stuart Conquest, putting paid to any thoughts of mate on the long diagonal. 26.e3 a6 27.a3 fe8 28.e4 df8 White is thrashing around cre a t i n g ra n d o m a t t a ck s b u t t h e re is n o coherence. He's simply a pawn down! 29.c5 e6 30.e3 gf8 31.g4 h8 32.h5 g8 33.g4 f7 34.b6 [ 34.xh6 f5-+ ] 34...d2 35.e3 h5 36.e4 d7 White has been left with nothing to attack any more. Black begins the cleaning up procedure. 37.a5 dc5 38.f3 d3 39.g2 g6 40.b4 e4 41.b5 axb5 42.cxb5 d4! Payback! 43.bxc6 xc6 44.b6 d2 45.h1 e4 46.h3 f3 47.ed1 ce5 48.f5 xf5 49.xf5 c4 50.c5 e5 51.e7+ f7 52.b4 xe7 53.xe7 xe7 54.dc1 d2! A nice game by Black. Evidently Del Rio Angelis is a player who thrives on inspiration. He had one moment only when he could have played rationally and 596
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 kept the position equal (15 Re1). Failing to appreciate that cost him the point. As far as 5...c6 goes I remain sceptical. I don't think Black can equalize after6Be2! 0-1
585 Dgebuadze,Alexandre Sadkowsky,Daniel 33rd Taminco Open (8) [Gawain Jones]
B04 2537 2255 20.07.2010
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.b3 g7 7.a4 We haven't seen this move since 2000 on here, although Volzhin believed it to be the most dangerous for Black to face and has Kasparov's seal of approval. [ 7.g5 is the main move when e6 8.f3 0-0 "This is very rare as it castles straight in t o W h i t e ' s a t t a c k b u t Re i n d e r m a n i s confident in Black's position" was my comment when I investigated this position last time. Evidently he had enough faith to repeat against Nisipeanu but that proved to be f oolhardy. 9.h3 h6 10.f3 dxe5 11.dxe5 c6 12.xh6 xe5 13.g5 d3+ 14.cxd3 xb2 15.d2 xa1 16.0-0 I mentioned up to this point last time when I wrote: 'with a strong attack' is given by John W atson in the archives. It would be interesting to see how Reinderman planned on combating such an aggressive approach. " Perhaps he missed John's suggestion? d4 17.de4 e8 18.xf7!! A) 18...xf7 After thirty minutes my c o m p u t e r c o m e s u p w i t h 19.f3+ ( 19.g5 e7 20.h7+ g7 21.f6 f8 22.g5+ xf6 23.h4 d5 24.h7+ f7 25.xf8 xf8 gives Black too much material for the queen.; 19.g5+ g8 20.xe6 xe6 21.xe6+ xe6 22.xe6+ h7 survives the attack. ) A1) 19...g8 20.g4 ( 20.g3 f7 21.f3+= is the computer's immediate s u g g e s t i o n .) 20...f7 21.e1 f6 22.f3 would transpose to 19... Bf6; A2) 19...f6 20.e1! d5 21.g5+ g8 22.e4 f4 ( 22...e7 23.xe6+ is of course hopeless.) 23.xf4 xg5
24.xg5 xd3 25.xc7 f5 26.e3 when, despite being the exchange down, White has a clear advantage thanks to his activity and Black's weak king. Of course Reinderman should have gone in to this though. I notice that this is also given by Tabanus on chessgames.com and was evidently Nisipeanu's deep preparation.; B) 18...d7? This move is as good as resigning. The piece had to be taken to see what the creative Romanian had in store. 19.e3! xf7 20.h7+ g7 21.g5+ f6 22.e4+ f7 23.g5+ f6 24.f3 d6 25.g5+ f7 26.h6 f8 27.e5+ f6 28.xg6+ e7 29.xg7 f5 30.h6 d5 31.g4 1-0 Nisipeanu, L-Reinderman, D Rijeka 2010 was a crushing victory and proved Jo h n ' s in t u i t i o n c o r r e c t a n d p e r h a p s refutes 8...0-0. ] [ I looked at this position earlier this year when Mickey opted for 7.e2 in AdamsZhukova seen in the archives. ] 7...dxe5 The most uncompromising reply. The following few moves are all forcing: [ 7...a5 was covered in Kasparov-Palatnik a n d G r i s c h u k - P o n o m a r i o v wh i c h b o t h c o n t i n u e d : 8.g5 ( Ni Hua played the straightforward 8.0-0 here and af ter 0-0 9.h3 c6 10.e2 dxe5 11.dxe5 d4 12.xd4 xd4 13.e1 e6 14.xe6 fxe6 15.d2 f5 16.f3 c4 17.b3 xe2 18.xe2 d8?! 19.d2 d5?! 20.c4! d3 21.xa5 was a pawn to the good in Ni HuaLi Wenliang Hefei 2010. ) 8...e6 9.f4 A) 9...h6 was tried in a recent game. 10.f3 c6 11.0-0 e7 12.c3 ( 12.c4!? is a more direct approach.) 12...d7 13.e2 c6 14.e3 d7 15.d2 with a complex game in prospect. Reinwald, P-Plat, V Rijeka 2010.; B) 9...dxe5 10.fxe5 c5 when Volzhin considers B1) t h a n K a s p a r o v ' s 11.0-0 which allowe d xd4+ although I think W hite is doing well here after 12.xd4 cxd4 13.xf7! ( Volzhin only considered 13.xf7 when 0-0 is ok for Black.) 13...xe5 14.f4 with a strong initiative.; 597
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B2) 11.c3 to be a more accurate move order cxd4 12.0-0 0-0 13.cxd4 c6 14.f3 f6 15.c3! fxe5 16.g5 d7 17.dxe5 xe5 18.xe5 xf1+ 19.xf1 d4+ 20.h1 xe5 21.d8! with good compensation for the pawn. ] 8.a5 6d7 9.xf7+! xf7 10.g5+ g8 11.e6 e8 12.xc7 d8 13.xa8 [ 13.e6 e8 14.c7 is of course a draw. ] 13...exd4 14.c3 We're still following Oral-De Firmian in the archives. [ 14.0-0 is the alternative and was Volzhin's choice although it will probably only transpose. This is investigated in Almasi-De la Villa Garcia. ] 14...c6 [ 14...c5 immediately was played in another fairly recent game. This doesn't se em as a c cu rat e a s th e ga me a s n o w Black will be forced to capture on d4 with the bishop. The game proceeded. 15.cxd4 xd4 16.0-0 c6 17.c3 e6 ( 17...h5!? lo o k s lik e a n im p ro vem e n t , e . g. 18.b5 g4 19.c2 f5 20.c4+ e6 21.c2 f5= being a possible repetition.) 18.b5 b3 when instead of 19.Qg4 as played in Cabrilo-Laketic, Kragujevac 2009, W hite c o u l d h a v e i m p r o v e d w i t h : 19.d2 for example f7 20.xd4 xd4 21.a3 e5 22.e3 with the advantage. ] 15.0-0 h6 This deviates from 14...Nc5 in the archives but is probably a case of forgotten theory rather than a nuance. [ These positions were fashionable 10 years ago but have been seen very rare recently. White is the exchange up but will probably lo s s t h e k n ig h t o n a 8 wh i lst B la c k h a s d e c e n t c o n t r o l o ve r t h e p o s i t i o n . T h e question is whether, while Black takes time to win the knight, W hite can drum up an initiative. It appears that most players have come to a consensus that Black is doing well but perhaps Dgebuadze has found something. The only other high rated encounter which wasn't covered already on chesspublishing continued: 15...c5 16.b4 ( Playing like the game with 16.cxd4 xd4 17.e3 is possible and my suggestion for White although he's a tempo down on the game. ) 16...dxc3 17.xd8+ xd8 18.bxc5 c2 19.c3 xc3 20.a2 ( 20.a3
was played in Almasi-De la Villa Garcia but this seems an improvement.) 20...f5 21.c7 Blehm, P-Navarro Cia, M Aviles 2000 and here instead of 21...Kf7, Black c o u l d h a v e t a k e n c o n t r o l w i t h ( 21.a6!? might be stronger in order to have a second way out for that knight but still I'd prefer Black with that powerful pawn on c2 and the bishop pair.) 21...e5! 22.d5 ( 22.b5 c6 23.a6 b4 is also good for Black.) 22...e6 23.xe7+ f7 24.xc2 xe7 when the two pieces outweigh the rook and pawn. ] 16.cxd4 xd4 17.e3 e5 18.d2 [ 18.c3! looks strongest. The problem is that Black doesn't have time to win the stranded knight on a8, e.g. c5 19.b5! f5 20.ac7 and White is material up, although he must be accurate for a few m o re m o ve s: d7 21.b4 c2 22.e1 cb3 23.xd4 exd4 24.a2 d3 25.e6+ xe6 26.xe6 and the d pawn is worth something but not a whole exchange. ] 18...f6?! Black switches between two different plans. [ He should have stuck to his plan with his 15th move and played 18...h7 Perhaps he was worried about 19.e4 ( 19.c1!? b8 20.xd4 exd4 21.b4 is probably better for W h ite bu t st ill ext rem e ly co m p lic at e d .) 19...f8 20.c1 f5 21.g3 xa8 22.xd4 exd4 23.xf5 gxf5 24.f3 gives W hite a strong initiative as compensation but the position is highly unclear. ] 19.c4?! [ 19.c1! is simplest when White will be able to extricate his knight the following move. g4 can be simply dealt with by 20.f3 ] 19...h5 20.a4?! I'm at a bit of a loss as to what this move achieves. [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 20.e1 was stronger although the position is unclear after h7 21.c1 f8 White's offside knight compared to Black's strong knights (d4 and f4 soon) promises Black decent compensation for the exchange. ] 20...f4 21.e1 d3? A shame. Sadkowsky gets carried away against his Grandmaster opposition. [ 21...d7 was better when White struggles 598
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 to ke ep equa lity, f or exam ple 22.xe5!? fe2+! 23.xe2 xe2+ 24.xe2 xa4 25.xg6 e8! 26.xh8 Both knights are trapped in the corners! xa8 27.xa7 xh8 28.b4 and Black's bishop pair are m o r e re l e v a n t o n t h e o p e n b o a r d t h a n White's three pawns. ] 22.xe5! This is the move Black missed and suddenly his position collapses as neither knight has any support. xe1 [ 22...xe5 is even worse as White plays 23.xd4! xd4 24.xd3 and the knight is free as there's no discovered check anymore. f6 25.xg6+ g7 26.d4! would be final. ] 23.xd4 xa5 24.d5 a2 25.xg6 So a successful W hite win but a shame for Black who had a promising position. It seems that if Black remembers his theory in this crazy line then he has nothing to worry about. The line with 8.Ng5 looks like a much bigger theoretical problem. 1-0
586 Efimenko,Zahar Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter 11th EICC Men (6) [Gawain Jones]
B04 2640 2661 11.03.2010
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 This has replaced 5...g6 as the mainline in the past few years. 6.e2 d7 [ 6...f5 is examined in the following game. ] 7.f3 [ 7.0-0 has also been tried recently. xe5 8.dxe5 f5 ( 8...e6 was Miroshnichenko's choice 9.d2 g6 10.f3 g7 11.c3 0-0 12.g5 c7 13.e1 Potkin, VMiroshnichenko, E bereg.ru 2003 when fd8 leaves Black the preferred side.) 9.d3 xd3 10.xd3 c7 ( 10...e6 should have been played, when I can't see anything wrong with Black's position.) 11.c4 b6 12.e6! fxe6 13.d2 Jakimov, V-Bortnik, A Alushta 2010 with a dangerous initiative for the pawn. ] 7...g6 [ In 2008 John annotated a couple of games o f M a g n u s C a r l s e n w i t h 7...7f6
but his positions weren't inspiring. ] 8.0-0 [ Playing the immediate 8.c4 has been covered in the archives but I doubt it changes much. ] 8...g7 9.c4 5f6 An unusual retreat and Nisipeanu was probably regretting it in a few moves time. A problem for Black in this line seems to be his light squared bishop which struggles to find any activity. [ 9...c7 is the usual retreat, when a couple of recent games have continued: 10.c3 0-0 A) 11.e3 e6 12.d2 c7 13.ad1 d8 14.d5!? xc3?! ( 14...b6 had to be played although White's still on top after 15.c1 cxd5 16.cxd5 f8 17.d4 ) 15.xc3 f4? And this just loses. 16.xf4 xf4 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.e5 c5 19.f3 b8 20.c6 e8 21.xb8 xb8 22.a5 1-0 Radulski, JKukov, V Kyustendil 2010.; B) 11.e1 f6 12.h3 fe8 13.f1 d6 14.f4 f5 Konguvel, P-Khusnutdinov, R Delhi 2010 when the simplest looks to be 15.e5 when White has a small edge.; C) 11.f4; D) and 11.g5 have been investigated in the archives - see Degraeve-Miles and Bauer-Mamedyarov.; E) 11.h3 A slightly mysterious move immediately but I don't think it changes the assessment of slightly better for White. a6 12.f4 ( 12.e3 is more sensible.) 12...e6 13.e3 b5 14.c1 b7 15.a4 b4 16.e4 and White was still a little better. Hou Yifan-Dimakiling, O Kuala Lumpur 2010. ] 10.c3 0-0 [ Perhaps 10...c7 is better to avoid Bf4 but the positions are likely to be similar following A) 11.e1 was tried in the only game I could find that reached this position. 0-0 12.f1 e8 13.g5 f8 This position illustrates a problem I can see with 9... N5f6, viz, I think c7 is a better square than f8 for the Black knight as it prevents White from playing d5 whilst from both squares the knight can jump to e6. Black has also been forced to play ...Re8 but after ... Ne6 the rook would prefer to be on d8. 14.h3 599
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 14.d5!? not allowing the f8 knight out looks interesting.) 14...d7 15.b3 ad8 16.ad1 c8 17.g3 h5 18.g2 h6 19.e3 d7 20.d5! and White had taken over: Bojkov, D-Gvetadze, S Izmir 2006.; B) 11.e3 0-0 12.d2 but at least here Black could try for counterplay with g4 13.g5 ( 13.f4 e5 14.g3 is similar.) 13...f6 14.f4 e5 15.g3 although White should stand somewhat better here. ] 11.f4 A new move but very sensible. Efimenko takes control over the important e5 square and prevents Black from developing his queen to c7. The position resembles an extremely passive Scandinavian and thus we can say has hardly been successful. [ 11.h3 was the strongest ever woman's choice. b6 ( 11...c7 is more logical although White has a comfortable edge after 12.e3 d8 13.d2 ) 12.a4 f5 13.f4 c8 14.b3 d6 15.a5 c8 16.e5 d7 17.g4!? e6 18.xd7 xd7 19.c5 b5 20.xb5 cxb5 21.fd1 a6 22.f3 was a little better for W hite who was ultimately successful. Polgar, J-Visser, Y Amsterdam 1990. ] [ 11.e3 e8 ( 11...g4 should have been tried as 12.g5 h6 13.h4 gf6 f o l l o we d b y . . . N h 5 wo u l d g i ve B l a c k a playable position.) 12.h3 e5 13.dxe5 xe5 14.xe5 xd1 15.axd1 xe5 was only a little better for W hite. Fakhretdinova, MGvetadze, S Moscow 2008. ] 11...h5 It's hard to suggest a good plan for Black here as there are no targets to hit. [ 11...e8 12.e1 f8 13.h3 e6 14.e5 leaves Black without many options. ] 12.g5 h6 This gives White a target but Nisipeanu is famous for his play with the initiative which is noticeably lacking here. [ 12...e8 13.d2 hf6 14.ad1 would have been rather pleasant for White. ] 13.e3 c7 [ 13...e5 14.d2 f4!? is the computer's suggestion which highlights quite how bad Black's position is. I see no real compensation following ( 14...exd4 15.xd4 e5 16.ad1 and Black has terrible problems on h6 and h5.) 15.xf4 exf4 16.xf4 g5 17.d2 g4 18.e1 ]
14.d2 h7 15.ad1 [ If White wants to advance his g pawn then he could do it straight away 15.g4!? hf6 16.f4 d8 17.h3 when Black is struggling to find squares for his pieces. ] 15...d8?! This entraps his own queen. 16.g4! Ef imenko chooses the aggressive option which he has accurately calculated. [ 16.fe1 is simple when it's difficult to come up with a good plan for Black. f5!? 17.c2 is nothing to worry about while Black is still struggling to find squares for his pieces. ] 16...hf6 17.f4 b6 A rather passive location for the queen. [ 17...a5 would be more actively located but it fails to 18.b4! xb4 19.c7 e8 20.a3 ( 20.b1 a3 21.b3 a6 22.c5 b5 isn't so clear; 20.g5!? may be even stronger. h5 21.a3 ) 20...xa3 21.a1 b4 22.fb1 e4 23.xe4 xd2 24.exd2 leaves White winning. ] 18.g5! Consistent. [ 18.c5 xc5! 19.dxc5 xd2 20.cxb6 xb2 isn't so clear. ] 18...h5 Black's position is hopeless after this. [ 18...hxg5 19.c5! is ve ry st r o n g . b4 ( 19...xc5 20.xg5+ g8 21.dxc5 is now winning as xd2 22.cxb6 xb2 loses to 23.d8+ f8 24.c4 ) 20.xg5+ g8 21.c7 e8 22.c2 and Black must sacrifice his knight to release his trapped queen. ] [ 18...g8 was strongest when I think W hite's best is 19.e4! when the threat of 20.c5 is hard to deal with. ( 19.c5 xc5 20.dxc5 xd2 21.cxb6 xb2 is better for White but gives Black decent counterchances. )] 19.gxh6 f6 20.e4 [ 20.a4 is also possible, continuing to chase the Black queen. a6 21.c7 e8 22.c3 c5 23.d5 is terrible as Black's pieces are so badly coordinated. ] 20...xf4 21.xf4 White simply has too many pieces attacking Black's monarch. f8 [ 21...xb2 22.d2 b4 23.fg5+ is no better. ] 22.c5 xb2 23.c4 h8 24.fg5 xg5 25.xg5 f6 26.f7+ h7 27.fe1 e8 28.g5+ h8 29.e6 600
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 29.d6! was the most accurate finish as 15.0-0 f5 e5 can be dealt with by 30.xe5! ] [ 15...0-0 might be an improvement for Black, 29...b5 30.b3 a5 31.c7 a4 32.f7 e5 bu t t h is e nd ga me worse f o r h im in a n y 33.g3 An impressive game by the Ukrainian case. ] w h o e x p l o i t e d t h e R o m a n i a n ' s p a s s i v e 16.f3 e4?? opening. I doubt ...N5f6 will be repeated at [ A b l u n d e r . B l a c k s h o u l d p l a y 16...0-0 the high levels as White achieves a pleasant a f t e r w h i c h 17.b2 a6 18.xc5?! position without much effort. ( 18.d1 ) 18...bxc5 19.xb7 e6 1-0 leaves him without further problems. ] 17.xc5 xf3 18.d4 e5 19.xe5 f6 20.e1 fxe5 21.xe5+ f7 22.gxf3 hc8 587 B04 23.d7+ f6 24.b5 xc4 25.xb6+ g5 26.xh7 xc3 27.h4+ f5 28.f7+ e5 Ernst,Thomas 29.xg6 xa2 30.e7+ d5 31.d7+ e5 Bagirov,Vladimir Open Helsinki (Finland) (9) 1992 32.xb7 xf3 33.b5+ d4 34.g4+ c3 35.g2 c4 36.bg5 a1+ 37.h2 f1 [Nigel Davies] 38.h5 f6 39.g3 d4 40.g4 e4 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 41.g6 1xf2 42.xf2 xf2 43.e6+ d5 5.xe5 g6 6.c4 At the present time this 44.e8 h2 45.g5 d6 46.h6 g2+ looks like the most dangerous continuation. 47.f6 f2+ 48.g7 g2+ 49.h8 d7 White takes bags of space, putting the onus 50.g8 h2 51.h7 e6 52.g7 g2+ on Black to find counterplay. b6 7.c3 53.f8 f2+ 54.e8 a2 55.g6+ f5 56.f6+ g5 57.f8 g7 8.e3 c5 [ The 'critical' line, but one which seems to 1-0 leave Black fighting for a draw. Alekhine expert Alexander Baburin recently tried B04 8...0-0 9.c1 c5!? against Grischuk 588 (Grischuk - Baburin, Torshavn 2000) with Ernst,Thomas the game going 10.e2 cxd4 11.xd4 h6 Josefsson,Kenneth 12.a1 f6 13.g4 xg4 14.xg4 c6 Swedish Ch Sweden 1983 15.c5 e5 16.e6+ g7 17.d5 xd5 [Nigel Davies] 18.cxd5 a5+ 19.b4 a6 20.e2 d3+ 21.f1 xc5 22.bxc5 and now a5 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 l o o k s b e t t e r t h a n e x c h a n g i n g q u e e n s 5.xe5 g6 6.f3 e6 [ In 'The Complete Alekhine' (1992) Burgess ( in the game Baburin was much worse after 22...xe2+ 23.xe2 b6 24.c6 f4 op ine d t h a t 6...f6 was probably necessary 25.d3 )] but then reconsidered this view in 1996 [ 8...c6 is a known concept, allowing ('New Ideas in the Alekhine Defence'). My doubled pawns but eliminating the knight on view is that if Black has to play the ugly 6 ... f6 the Kengis variation would be put out of e5. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work business. ] after 9.xc6 bxc6 10.d2 a5 11.e2 a4 12.d1 0-0 13.h6 was much better for 7.c4 [ 7.c4 doesn't make much of an impression W hite in Ivanov - Men, US Ch., Durango on Black's game and the queen starts to 1992. ] 9.dxc5 xd1+ 10.xd1 xe5 11.cxb6 look misplaced on f 3. Luther - Bagirov, xc3+ Leningrad 1989 continued g7 ( 7...c6 8.0-0 d7 9.c3 g7 10.d1 xe5 [ Black should take the chance to double White's pawns as after 11...axb6 12.d4 11.xd5 xd5 12.xd5 g7 was also very xd4 13.xd4 White was much better in comfortable for Black in Sherzer Panchenko, Chicago 1992) 8.0-0 c6 9.e1 Campora - Abreu, Las Palmas 1993 ] 12.bxc3 axb6 13.d2 d7 14.e2 c5 d7 10.xd7 xd7 11.c3 0-0 12.g5 601
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 fe8 13.h3 c7 14.d2 d5 15.xd5 cxd5 when Black's position was already slightly preferable ] 7...b4 8.xb7 xd4! [ Burgess and his trusty computer give award it a '?!' and give some convoluted lines based on 8...c2+ 9.d1 xa1 10.xa8 g7 11.d2 ( or 11.b7 - Fleck ) 11...c5!? , "all of which requires careful analysis". I'd prefer to skip the 'careful analysis' and go down the pub. Taking on d4 feels right to me. ] 9.xa8 [ 9.xb4 xe5+ 10.e2 d7 11.c3 g7 12.0-0 0-0 13.e3 ab8 gave Black strong play in Ziska - Flindtholt, Festuge 1991 ] 9...xe5+! [ Burgess only gives 9...c2+ which feels all wrong to me. I like my knights where they are, bringing 'Dobbin' (the one on b4) back to c6 ke eps W h it e's qu ee n o ut of play. Meanwhile Black will race ahead with the rest of his development - good compensation for the exchange as White's king is in the middle. This is the kind of factor that materialistic computers tend to underestimate. ] 10.d1 4c6 11.c3 g7 12.e3 0-0 13.b7 d8+ 14.e1 d4 15.d3 bc6 16.d5 b8 17.a6 h6 18.f1 xe3 19.e1 f5 20.xf5 xf5 21.xe3 d3+ 22.g1 xb2 23.h3 d2 24.f1 e2+ 25.h2 d6+ 26.f4 [ 26.g3 xg3 is not an improvement ] 26...xf4 27.c5 e5 28.f3 xe3?? [ A jolly amusing way to draw a winning position. 28...xg2+ butchers White on the spot and I could see the headlines in the Swedish newspapers. Ernst is a GM but I've never heard of Josefsson. ] 29.hf1 xg2+? [ Black may also be winning after 29...e5 ] 30.h1 g1+ 31.h2 g2+ 32.h1 g1+ 33.h2 g2+ ½-½
589 Fedorchuk,Sergey A Genocchio,Daniele Open Conegliano ITA (5) [John Watson]
B04 2671 2416 02.06.2008
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 c6 6.0-0 g7 7.exd6 xd6 8.bd2 Th is is a n o ld lin e t h a t h as a lways b e e n considered somewhat better for White. Black tries to play as he does in the Caro-Kann and other Alekhine lines, with a ...c6 centre. g4 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 d7 11.b3 [ 11.e1 is the traditional and natural move, intending Bg5 in many lines. W ith Bb3, White aims for c4 directly. ] 11...0-0 12.c4 5f6 13.e3 ad8 Now the key for Black, if he doesn't want to fall under a permanent bind is to get one of the freeing moves ...e5 or ...c5 in. [ 13...b5!? , to secure the d5 square, is another strategy. ] 14.e1 [ 14.e2 might be more accurate. ] 14...fe8 For example, here are the two possible breaks: [ 14...e5 15.dxe5 xe5 16.xd6 xf3+ 17.gxf3 xd6 18.xa7! with two bishops and a mobile queenside. ( 18.c5 d2 19.xf8 xf8 with the ideas ...Rxb2 and ... Bc5 gives Black full compensation. )] [ 14...c5 15.dxc5 xc5 16.xd6 exd6 17.c2 and Black's weaknesses on d5 and d6 are a problem. ] 15.g5!? This sets up an indirect attack on f7. 16 c5 threatens. [ 15.c1 with the idea Bf4 is another approach. ] 15...c5!? Good alternatives are [ 15...c7 16.d2!? e5 17.d5 b6 , ] [ 15...f8 16.c5 c7 17.f3 e5 , and ] [ 15...e6 . Perhaps White retains the edge in all these lines, but it isn't much. ] 16.a4 f8 17.dxc5 c7 [ Again, 17...xc5 18.xd6 exd6 19.c2 favours White, in part because Black can't free himself by h6 20.f3 fe4? 21.b4 xa1 22.xa1 ] 18.e2!? [ Or 18.c6 with the idea bxc6 ( 18...e5 19.e2 xc6 20.ad1 ) 19.f3 ] 602
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18...xc5 19.c2 h6 20.f3 e5 21.ad1 simp ly a n a tt em p t to re ach le ss ma pp e d Black has achieved a lot in the centre, but waters. now faces the advance of White's queenside [ 8.g4 has been the main move pawns supported by his bishop pair. investigated on the site in the past. e6 9.c4 [ 21.xc5 xc5 22.xe5 xc4 ] xg4 ( 9...5f6; and 9...b4 have been 21...e6! Looking at d4 and f4. looked at in the past.) 10.xg4 5f6 [ Instead, 21...a5 22.xc5! xc5 23.xe5 11.f3 d6 White has the bishop pair and a xc4? 24.b3 b4 25.xf7+! picks up space advantage but Black is solidly placed material. ] and has go t rid of h is problem atic ligh t 22.b4 e4?! This pawn and the d4 square squared bishop. 12.c5!? c7 13.b4 0-0 were anchors. 14.c3 Acs, P-Degraeve, J Remagen 2010 [ 22...f4 23.xf4 exf4 24.c5 gives White when fighting back in the centre with e5! the advantage, but with plenty of play. ] would have given Black good chances. ] 23.d4 xd4 24.xd4 g4?! [ 8.f3 Clever, threatening mate and d4 but it loses A) 8...h6 has been tried by a few strong material. Solid play by players recently. I believe the idea is that [ 24...fe8 25.c5 d5 is preferable. ] White no longer has the Bg5 hit we see 25.xg4 xd4 26.xe4 c3 27.c5 a5 after 8...e6. 9.c4 must be critical. ( 9.a3 28.a3 xd1+ The score runs out here with a h a s b e e n t r i e d i n va r i o u s g a m e s b u t '1-0'. Presumably the game continued for a Black's results have been reasonably while and White eventually won. The advance successful.) 9...b4 10.a3 ( 10.c3!? of p awns o n bo th sid es o f th e bo ard will c2 11.b1 b4 12.e3 xb1 create problems f or Black, and opposite13.xb1 is an exchange sacrifice that I coloured bishops won't be relevant until more mooted in another line in this update which material comes off the board. looks interesting, and indeed my computer 1-0 awards this position as .35 to W hite.) 10...c2 11.a2 xd4 12.xd4 ( 12.xd4 xb1 13.a1 h7 did not give 590 B04 White enough. Kleinman, J-Pechenkin, V Toronto 2010.) 12...xb1 13.a1 f5 Fedorchuk,Sergey A 2665 14.f4 and White had decent Shchekachev,Andrei 2546 co m p e n s a t i o n f o r t h e p a wn a n d wo n 33rd Taminco Open (9) 21.07.2010 convincingly. Jones, R-Garcia, J Cardiff [Gawain Jones] 2010.; B) 8...e6 9.c4 If 9...Nb4 isn't any good 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 then there's no point to the preparatory a3. 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 f5 In the previous game ( 9.a3 d6 10.c4 f4 11.xf4 xf4 we i n ve s t ig a t e d 6 . . . Nd 7 . T h is is B la ck' s 12.c3 0-0 13.d3 g4 14.e2 e5 slightly more active choice. 7.0-0 15.c2?! f5! gave Black a strong attack. [ 7.g4!? was both Kasparov and Anand's Munguntuul, B -Zhao Xue Nalchik 2010.) c h o i c e s e e n i n t h e a r c h i v e s . c8 9...5f6 ( 9...b4 must be critical but A slightly strange choice. ( Instead Short and after 10.a3 c2 11.a2 xd4 12.xd4 Carls en p la ye d 7...e6 which was rather xb1 13.g5 f6 14.xb1 fxg5 15.d1 unclear after 8.c4 ) 8.c4 b4 9.e3 d7 I really like White's position.) 10.c3 d6 10.xd7 xd7 11.a3 a6 12.c3 b6 11.h4 0-0 12.xf5 exf5 13.d3 g6 13.c2 b7 14.0-0-0 and White had a 14.g5 gave White a small advantage. pleasant position. Rundgren, A-Rodvik, T Wyss, J-Tomazini, A Chur 2010. ] Oslo 2010. ] [ 8.g4 was Adams' choice which may give 7...d7 8.d3 This move has only been W hite a tiny edge. xg4 9.xg4 xe5 played sporadically but the average ELO has ( 9...e6 was seen in Adams-Zhao Xue been pretty high. Fedorchuk fails to get any analysed last year in which Mickey advantage, however, and I wonder if this was 603
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 eventually converted his small advantage.) 10.dxe5 c8 11.e4 g6 12.c4 c7 13.d2 f5 14.xf5 gxf5 15.f3 e6 16.e3 e7 17.fd1 c5 and Black's position was solid enough to hold the draw. Sipos, I-Tomazini, A Chur 2010. ] [ 8.c4 is another option which I imagine might take off. b4 9.g4! A clever way to defend c2 which has had a couple of tests recently. e6 ( 9...c2 10.e3 xe3 11.xe3 e6 seems playable. ) 10.e3 A) Taking the pawn looks too risky. 10...xb1 11.xb1 xa2 12.d2 b4 13.d5! a5 ( 13...exd5 LupulescuGrunberg in the archives via the 8.Ng4 move order.) 14.dxe6 fxe6 Langer, MPechenkin, V Edmonton 2010 when 15.c3! would have left White with the upper hand.; B) 10...g6 11.a3 a6 12.d5 e5 13.b4 c5 14.c3!? ( 14.b5 c7 15.g4 looks good for White.) 14...cxb4 15.b5 c5 ( 15...c7 holds on. ) 16.d6 0-0 17.d5 b6 18.b2 xd6? 19.xb6 xb6 20.xd6 xd6 21.xd6 ad8 22.fd1 1-0 Philippe, C-Green, A Hastings 2010. ] 8...e6 [ 8...a5!? might be possible to grab the b4 square although I think W hite retains a small something with 9.c4 b4 10.c3 ] 9.c4 5f6 And this is the most sensible retreat square. [ 9...5b6 has also been tried but the knight just gets in the way here. 10.b3 ( 10.f4 e7 11.c3 0-0 Nevednichy, V-Beudaert, X Creon 2004 and here White should have played concretely with 12.g4! g6 13.xg6 hxg6 14.a4 when White should be better although there's nothing particularly wrong with Black's setup either.) 10...a5 11.a4 b8 12.f4 ( 12.c5 d5 13.c3 le ave s W h ite a s f avo urit e .) 12...d6 13.xd6 xd6 14.c5 d5 Pavlidis, ALoeffler, S Plovdiv 2008 when White should have retreated his queen to 15.d1 c8 16.f4 e4 17.d2 when White is a little better. ] [ 9...b4 doesn't equalise: 10.xb4 xb4 11.b3 c5 12.f4 b6 13.c3 with a small but pleasant edge. ]
10.f4 [ 10.b3 has also been played but doesn't trouble Black. d6 11.d2 e5 12.b2 exd4 13.xd4 0-0 14.f3 e8 15.e1 when Black's pieces coordinate slightly better than White's. Borriss, M-Degraeve, J Germany 2007. ] 10...b6 A new move but probably not an improvement. [ I see nothing wrong with 10...e7 when 11.c3 0-0 12.f3 xd3 13.xd3 e5! 14.dxe5 xe5 15.e2 xf3+ 16.xf3 left Black comfortably equal although he later went on to lose. Zhang PengxiangGrunberg, M Cannes 2005. ] 11.e3 [ 11.c5 would be a concrete try at an advantage although committal as it cedes the d5 square. However I think that following d8 12.c3 e7 13.b3 c8 14.a4 White has chances to convert his initiative into some advantage. ] 11...c7 Black has a typical Scandinavian or Caro-Kann setup in which he is very solidly placed. He has managed to get his bishop outside the pawn chain and I don't really see why he should have any problems here. [ 11...c5 looks the easiest to me when the obligatory 12.dxc5 xc5 13.xc5 xc5 14.a4+ e7 15.xc5+ xc5 reminds me of certain lines of the Caro Kann where Black must be ok although perhaps White still has a slight advantage thanks to his queenside majority. ] 12.c3 d6 13.h3 0-0 14.c1 [ Again, perhaps, White should play concretely with 14.c5 h2+ ( 14...e7 15.f4 is definitely something.) 15.h1 xd3 16.xd3 f4 17.f3 e5 ( 17...xe3 18.fxe3 is quite promising.) 18.xf4 exf4 but I doubt White has anything here. ] 14...ad8 [ 14...e5 15.c5 e7 16.dxe5 xe5 would have promised Black easy equality as 17.f4 xd3 18.xd3 xc5 leaves White wit h n o go o d d isco ve re d a t t a ck o n t h e bishop. ] 15.a4 a6 16.fd1 fe8 17.b4 b8 18.b3 h6 19.a4 White has grabbed space on the queenside but it hasn't changed the assessment from equal. e5 Black decides 604
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 he's played all his preparatory moves and so plays the thematic central breakthrough. [ 19...e4 would also have been fine for Black. ] 20.d5 xd3 21.xd3 c5 [ I think Black should take control over the centre immediately and therefore 21...e4 was stronger, when 22.e2 c5 shouldn't leave him with any problems. ] 22.a5 [ White should have exploited Black's previous with 22.e4! as xe4 23.xe4 wh e n t h e b is h o p p a i r a n d li gh t sq u a r e control is at least something. ] 22...e4 23.e2 c7?! But this is the first real error. [ I see nothing wrong with 23...cxb4 24.a4 f4 and Black has the better prospects. ] 24.a4 e7 25.b1 cxb4? This is a curious blunder, I wonder what Shchekachev missed. T h a n k s t o h i s p re vio u s e rro r h e 's u n d e r pressure now but he had to sit tight with [ 25...b8 when Fedorchuk would have been forced to play accurately to get anything. Perhaps Black was worried about 26.xc5 xc5 27.bxc5 xc5 28.c3 when the d p a wn i s p o t e n t i a l l y s t r o n g b u t B l a c k ' s position is hardly lost. ] 26.c5! xc5 27.xc5 xc5 28.bc1 The bishop drops and so Black threw in the towel. It seems that 6...Bf5 is currently doing better than 6...Nd7 and 8.Nd3 won't change the assessment. I wonder, however, if we'll see more of 8.c4!? while 8.Nf3 still causes Black some difficulties in finding equality. 1-0
pressure against W hite's remaining centre pawn and avoids shutting in the other bishop with e7-e6 7.0-0 [ After 7.d2 it's best not to try for too much as after f4?! ( Respectable are 7...d7 and; 7...g7 ) 8.c4 e6 9.xe6 xe6 10.f3 f6 11.b3 White had a strong initiative in A.Grischuk-H.Nakamura, Beijing 2012. ] 7...g7 8.e1 This seems a little slow. Two alternatives should have been considered: [ Firstly 8.f3 0-0 9.c4 c7 10.c3 g4 The bishop help to put pressure on the d4 pawn. 11.e3 d7 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 f5!? A strange move at first glance. However it gains space and controls the e4 square. It introduces the idea of f5-f4 which is consistent with the plan of undermining the d4 pawn. 14.d5 White decides to advance the pawn out of harm's way, but now the b l a c k k n i g h t g a i n s t h e e 5 s q u a r e . e5 15.f4 xf3+ 16.xf3 e5! and Black had equalised in Aveskulov, V (2526)-Baklan, V (2627)/Kharkov 2009. ] [ Alternatively 8.c4 c7 9.e3 0-0 10.f4 d7 11.c3 e6 12.g4 xe5 13.dxe5 f6 A typical Alekhine strategy: Black lets White build a centre and then dismantles it. 14.exf6 xf6 15.e1 g7 16.d1 c7 17.xc8 axc8 18.b3 cd8 with balanced chances in Vovk, Y (2546) -Miroshnichenko, E (2667)/Cappelle la Grande 2009 ] 8...0-0 9.f3 A typical retreat for White in this p a wn c e n t r e . H e h a s m o r e s p a c e s o h e prefers not to exchange pieces. He anticipates Black's Nd7 challenge to his horse by returning it to f3 straightaway. [ N o n e t h e l e s s 9.c4 might have set Black 591 B04 more problems. ] Francisco,R 2281 9...f5 10.c3 White consolidates his d4 pawn Zherebukh,Y 2625 and plans the manoeuvre Na3 and Nc4 to het US Chess Masters 2014 (1.4) 28.08.2014 his horse in touch with the e5 square. But as we shall see Black can easily equalise or [Neil McDonald] more. d7 11.a3 c5 Black nibbles away at 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 the d4 pawn. Another approach was [ 11...e5 which would free Black's game, but 5.xe5 c6 With his last two moves Black has maybe reduce the tension too much for an eliminated the white e5 pawn and ambitious player of Black. ] strengthened his control of the d5 square. White keeps a space advantage but the black 12.g5 [ There is a forcing line if White attacks d5 position is a tough nut to crack. 6.e2 g6 and b7 with 12.b3 namely e6 13.xb7 T h e k in gs i d e f ia n ch e t t o p r e p a re s t o p u t 605
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e4 14.b3 xf3 15.xf3 cxd4 16.cxd4 xd4 and Black is doing fine as after 17.xd5 c5 18.c4 xd5 19.xd5 exd5 20.d1 g7 he has pressure on b2 and 21.xd5? would be bad for White after fd8 22.xd8+ xd8 ] 12...h6 13.h4 5f6! Black shows he also knows how to retreat a knight. He blocks an attack on e7 by the white bishop and clears the way to safely put his own bishop on e4. This continues his plan of softening up the d4 pawn. 14.c4 e4 15.f1 [ White would do better to centralise his pieces and bolster d4 with 15.d2 c8 16.ad1 ] 15...c8 16.dxc5 White concedes the d4 point as the pressure was getting uncomfortable. xc5 17.xd8 Losing more ground. White would still have an active game after [ 17.d4 ] 17...fxd8 18.fd2 f5 19.b3 [ White loses material after 19.xe7 b5 ] 19...d3 Black has liquidated the d4 pawn and now acquires the bishop pair. 20.xd3 xd3 21.e5 b5 22.d4 a4 23.ef3 e6 24.g3 f8 25.b3 Now the white queenside pawns become more fragile. He should have made do with [ 25.h3 ] 25...e8 26.c4 b4 Notice how the advance of White's queenside pawns has opened up squ are s t o B lack's da rk squ are d b ish op . 27.e3 [ Makes matters worse, but White is going downhill anyway after 27.ed1 e4 ] 27...c5 28.d1 b5! 29.ed3 [ White is going to be left with a feeble pawn on c4 as 29.cxb5 allows a back rank trick: xd4 30.xd4 xd4 31.xd4 c1+ ] 29...bxc4 30.bxc4 b6 31.e5 e4 32.b3 xd3 33.xd3 f6 White either gave up or lost on time. In any case the c4 pawn is dropping. A good example of how a top player c a n p o s i t i o n a l l y o u t p la y a l o we r ra n k e d opponent. 0-1
592 Gallagher,Joseph G Baburin,Alexander 10th Monarch Assurance (6) [Nigel Davies]
B04
04.10.2001
Led by the anarchistic GM, Tony Miles, Black has been bending the rules a bit against 4.Nf3. In this game we see Baburin giving his 4...c6 another try, which certainly dampens Gallagher's attacking ambitions. Castling queenside turns out to be very ill-advised. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 c6 [ Baburin has been playing this a bit. It is a similar line to Tony Miles' favourite treatment with 4...dxe5 5.xe5 c6 . There is often a transposition if Black later captures on e5. ] 5.c4 [ Probably the most critical reply, gaining space in th e cen tre. W hite has s evera l other possibilities of which 5.e2 and ] [ 5.c4 are the most common. ] 5...c7 The availability of the c7 square is one of the plus points of 4.. . c6. The danger is that Black might drift into a passive position because he is not challenging White's centre energetically enough. 6.exd6 exd6 7.c3 g4 8.h3 h5 9.e3 [ White played the aggressive 9.g4!? g6 10.b3!? in McShane - Baburin, Kilkenny 1998, and obtained a strong initiative after b6 ( I prefer 10...c8 , which would probably have been Baburin's choice this time around. )] 9...e7 10.g4 g6 11.b3 c8! 12.e2 a6! [ A clever move, avoiding the dangers of 12...0-0 13.h4!? and preparing ... b7-b5 should W hite castle queenside. Actually it's difficult to know where he should put his king after the weakening g2-g4. ] 13.d2 d7 14.0-0-0?! [ A very committal move, typical of Gallagher's sharp style. But on this occasion it misfires badly. I prefer 14.f4 , not worrying about the loss of castling rights after h4+ 15.f2 xf2+ 16.xf2 ] 14...d5 15.f4 f6 16.f5 f7 17.b1 b5! 18.cxb5 [ White has little choice but to open the a-file as 18.c5 is met by xc5 19.dxc5 d4 606
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 etc. In the game we get a similar theme. ] 18...axb5 19.f4 c5! POW!! This bolt from the blue sets in motion a powerful attack. 20.c2 [ 20.dxc5 is strongly met by d4 ] 20...b4! 21.b5 [ Gallagher tries to confuse the issue. 21.dxc5 bxc3 22.xc3 xa2 23.xa2 d4+ is a sample of the horrors that face White in many variations. ] 21...xb5 22.xb5 cxb5 23.dxc5 0-0 24.he1 xc5 25.b3 d4 26.xc5 Bailing out into a bad endgame. [ After 26.xc5 there follows xa2+ 27.c1 b3 28.xb3 xb3 etc. ] 26...xb3 27.xc8 xa2+ 28.c1 fxc8+ 29.d2 d5 30.d3 d8 31.a1 xa1 32.xa1 g2 33.h4 h3 34.g1 h5! Breaking up White's pawns. 35.gxh5 xf5+ 36.d2 f7 37.c1 e6 38.c5 h8 39.h6 gxh6 40.xb5 h5 41.b6+ f7 42.xb4 d8 43.b7+ g6 44.b6 e8 45.d6 d3 46.g5 f8 47.e3 c8 48.g5 c2+ 49.e3 e2+ 50.f3 e4+ 51.g3 f5 52.xf6+ e5 53.f2 e1 54.f6+ d5 55.f4 g6 56.g5 e4+ 57.g3 g4+ 58.h3 e4 59.f6 e3 60.f1 e2 61.h1 e4 0-1
no real attacking chances. [ T h e s i m p l e 10.0-0 should be preferred, although I doubt whether white has any advantage. ] 10...c6! After this unexpected and very strong move it is white who has to fight for equality. Black's main target is the d4 square. 11.xc6 Forced. [ 11.f3 g4 is even worse. ] 11...bxc6 12.e5 [ 12.e3 e6! 13.b3 a4!? looks good for black. ( Maybe 13...c5 is even better. )] 12...xe5 13.dxe5 e6! 14.b3 xd1+ 15.xd1 a4 Opening the a-file obviously favours black. 16.e4!? It's not easy to find a good defence for white. [ 16.c5? is too optimistic in view of d5! 17.xa4 b4 18.d2 xa2! ] [ Maybe 16.0-0 is the best chance, as the ro ok e nd ing a f t e r axb3 17.axb3 a3 18.b1 xc4 ( 18...d8!? ) 19.xc4 xc4 20.bxc4 xc3 21.fc1! xc1+ 22.xc1 seems to be holding. ] 16...axb3 17.axb3 f5 18.c5 a5 19.d3 [ 19.b4 was possible, but Black is better after a2 20.g4 e6! 21.xe6 fxe6 22.h3 b2! ] 19...xd3 20.xd3! xe5+ 21.d2 d7 22.he1 xe1 23.xe1 e5 24.c3 f5 25.f3 f7 26.a1 e7 27.c2? [ 27.b4! was better, and black needs to work 593 B04 hard to win the endgame. ] Gallagher,Joseph G 2510 27...c5! 28.h5 f6 29.hxg6 hxg6 30.a8 Kengis,Edvins 2575 f8 [ 30...f8! was possible immediately. But in Bern Berna 1992 couple of moves black finds this idea. ] [Alexander Volzhin] 31.a6 b6 32.a5 d7 33.a6 f6 f8! Straightforward technique. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 34.a8 5.xe5 g6 This move was revived by the 35.b4 cxb4+ 36.xb4 b6+ 37.c3 [ 37.c5?? d7+ 38.d5 d6# ] Latvian GM Vladimir Bagirov. His compatriot GM Edvins Kengis is an old adherent of this 37...e6 38.g8 f7 39.c8 d6 40.h8 line too. 6.c4 A natural looking move, but in g7 41.e8 f6 42.g4 d8!? 43.xd8 the game black solved his opening problems xd8 44.gxf5 gxf5 45.c5 A very weak move, but the endgame is lost anyway. very easily. [ 45.d3 g5 46.e3 c5 /\\ Nb7-d6-/+ ] [ As 6.f3 e6 7.c4 g7 8.c3 c6 9.0-0 d7 also doesn't promise white too 45...g5-+ winning 46.c4 [ 46.b4 c6+! ] much, ] [ 6.c4 became very popular. We'll consider 46...c6! 47.b4 e6 48.d1 [ 48.a5 xc5 49.b6 e6 ] this move in subsequent games. ] 49.a5 xc5 50.b6 e6 6...b6 7.c3 g7 8.f4 0-0 9.e2 a5!? 48...f4 10.h4?! Quite a dubious move, as white has 607
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 51.xc6 d4+ 0-1
594 Gallagher,Joseph G Wohl,Aleksandar H 4NCL, Telford (10) [Andrew Martin]
B04 2515 2400 2003
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6!? An idea of Tony Miles, endorsed by GM Nigel Davies in his recent book on the Alekhine. Naturally there should be several ways for White to get a small edge, although whether he can obtain more is very much open to question. The Black position is very solid. 5...c6 keeps options open for the Bishop on c8 and after c2-c4, Black's Knight can drop back to c7 if necessary, with ...Ne6 to follow. 6.c4 The Bishop is a little on the exposed side here. As noted, I prefer 6 Be2. [ 6.d3 d7 7.f3 e6 ( 7...7f6 I prefer this move which doesn't block the Bc8. 8.a3 g4 9.0-0 e6 10.h3 h5 11.c4 b6 12.e3 bd7 13.bd2 d6 14.c2 0-0 15.g5 g6 16.xg6 hxg6= Black's position is very reasonable. 17.de4 xe4 18.xe4 e7 19.f3 f6 20.e5 e8 21.fd1 d6 22.ac1 f6 23.c5 f5 24.f4 e7 25.e5 b6 26.e2 1/2-1/2 Moreno Carnero, J-Lezcano Jaen, P Lanzarote 2003) 8.0-0 e7 9.e1 0-0 10.c4 5f6 11.c3 b6 12.f4 b7 13.e2 e8 14.ad1 Black has play ed it passively and has allowed White to build up an ideal attacking position f8 15.e5 g6 16.g3 c8 17.c2 d6 18.xg6 xg3 19.e5 f4 20.f3 h6 21.e4 d8 22.c5 f8 23.d6 e7 24.xc6 xc6 25.xc6 g6 26.b3 d7 27.f3 g7 28.xf7 ae8 29.g5 d5 30.h3 h6 31.xe6 f5 32.f4 xe1+ 33.xe1 xd4 34.xd5+ h7 35.g4 1-0 Kovalev, A-Konopka, M TCh-CZE 2003 You can get away with this type of stuff against weaker players. When facing Kovalev, forget it! ] [ 6.e2 f5 7.0-0 d7 8.f3 The quiet treatment. White will play c2-c4 in his own good time. Interpretations like this leave me doubtful about Black's idea. W hite
establishes a leisurely advantage in space which is difficult to shake off. e6 9.a3 h6 10.c4 5f6 11.c3 Milliet, S-Joanovits, M National I, Clermont-Ferrand FRA 2003 ] 6...d7 7.f3 Gallagher plays it quietly, relying on space , freedom of movement and the ever-present menace of a well-timed c2c4. [ 7.f3!? shouldn't trouble Black: xe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.0-0 g6! 10.c3 c7 11.d3 g7 12.g3 d4 13.e3 g4 14.xg4 xg4 15.f4 0-0 16.a4 fd8= Baron Rodriguez, J-Lezcano Jaen, P Lanzarote 2003 ] 7...b5!? trying to take advantage of White's Bishop in the most direct way. 8.b3 e6 9.0-0 b7 10.bd2 c5 11.c4 [ 11.c3 c4 12.c2 c7 is quite in order for Black. ] 11...bxc4 12.xc4 e7 13.g5 Gallagher sees a veiled tactic. This shot is only the beginning. 0-0 [ 13...xg5 14.d6+ f8 15.xb7 e7 16.xd5 exd5 17.e1 ] 14.xe7 xe7 15.d6 xf3 16.xf3 cxd4 17.xf7 That was the point, a very sharp combinational idea. b6 18.ac1 ae8 19.fe1 g6 Looks good, but Black could have taken on f7 e.g. [ 19...xf7 20.xe6 ( 20.xe6? xe6 21.xe6 xf3 22.gxf3 f7 23.ce1 c5 ) 20...xf3 21.xb6+ xb3 22.xb3 e5 23.a3 5c6 24.f1 d8 25.e2 A very unclear endgame has been reached where I slightly prefer Black. ] 20.c6 a5 21.d1 Basically Gallagher has thrown down the gauntlet. W ohl is a very talented but somewhat lazy player-here he is being asked to work hard to get to the bottom of the tactics. f4 [ Again, taking on f7 was possible. I am not sure why Wohl rejected this idea: 21...xf7 22.cxe6 xe6 23.xe6 de5 24.xf7+ xf7 25.b3+ f6 26.d1 d3 ] 22.d6 Amazingly, the Knight has escaped the death sentence. g5 23.f3 e5 I think Wohl saw this position and just decided t o go f o r it wi t h o u t c o u n t in g t h e p i e c e s . 24.g3! A thoroughly annoying resource. f6? He has been freaked out by the tactics. Black can make it to a position which should 608
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.d1 d8 18.c1 fe8 19.e1 c5 20.h4 f6 21.h5 xe1+ 22.xe1 d3 W h i t e i s b e i n g p u s h e d a r o u n d . 23.e2 xb2 24.e1 d3 25.d1 xc3 26.e7 f8 27.g4 f4 28.f7+ xf7 29.d8+ xd8 30.xd8+ f8 31.c7 e5 32.xb7 b8 0-1 Blatny, P-Baburin,A/North American Open, Las Vegas USA 2003 A game which tends to confirm the suspicion that 6 c4 is a premature advance. ] 12.xd4 0-0 If any strong player were offered Black's position before the game they would take it. Black has active pieces, the initiative and a safe King to boot. 13.0-0-0 Hopeful. Black presses on with the initiative. a6 14.d3 fd8! 15.xf5 xf5 Once again we reach a structure where White would much rather not have his pawn on c4. He can probably defend this position with ca re f u l p l a y b u t t h a t is n o t f o rt h c o m in g . Probably Gilliani just didn't like his position and in that frame of mind one cannot play 595 B04 endless good moves. 16.c2? [ 16.e2! is a better stab at defence: b5! Gillani,Tunveer MD 2277 17.g3 ( 17.h3 d6 18.g4 e6 19.cxb5 Baburin,Alexander 2527 xe2 20.bxa6 xa6 21.b1 ) 17...f6 36th Olympiad (10) 25.10.2004 18.b3 e6 19.cxb5 xb3 20.axb3 cxb5 [Andrew Martin] 21.c3 ] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 16...f4+ 17.d2 [ 17.e3 xc4 ] 5.xe5 c6 Baburin is quite happy to play this THE VERDICT: 6 c4 is a poor line against all comers. It seems solid but 17...xd4 passive as I have remarked before. As usual choice. with these limited variations, W hite does 0-1 better to build up slowly, gradually turning the screw, rather than to attack immediately. B04 6.c4!? I'm not sure about this. Black seems 596 Golubov,Saveliy 2344 OK in the complications. b4 7.e3 f5 Bortnik,A 2516 8.d3 If this is the best that White has then 20.05.2014 he had better look elsewhere. e5! 9.xb4 Somov Memorial 2014 (7.1) [Neil McDonald] xb4+ 10.c3 a5 11.b3 [ 11.c1 is probably a mistake: xa2!? Why not? 12.e2 ( 12.d2 a5 ) 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 [ The variation examined in this game can 12...0-0 13.dxe5 d8 14.c5 b3! ] also arise via the move order 4.c4 b6 11...exd4N Black opens up the game to 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.h3 ( Here White s a t is f y h is a c t ive p ie c e s. A n in t e r e st in g has the option of 7.e3 which has caused novelty from the Baburin laboratory! But Black Black problems- see the archives.) 7...g7 may well have more than one good move here 8.f3 0-0 9.e2 c6 10.0-0 f5 etc. ] as another Baburin game shows: 5.e2 Unnecessarily passive in this [ 11...0-0 12.e2 exd4 13.xd4 a6 4...g6 14.0-0 c5 The pawn on c4 sticks out like move order. We have seen a lot of examples a sore thumb. 15.e5 ae8 16.g3 b4 of
be drawn: [ 24...xg3 25.hxg3 xc6 26.xe8 xe8 ( 26...a5 27.gxf4 xb3 28.c7 c5 29.xe6 xe6 30.xe6 xf4 31.d6 White's a little better but with best play....) 27.gxf4 f7 28.a4! c8 29.c1 e7 30.xc8 xc8 31.f1 ] 25.xe8+- xe8 26.d6 Suddenly Whit e has it all under control. Grandmasterly skill or just a stroke of luck? d3 27.h3 e2+ 28.xe2 dxe2 29.e3 g6 30.xe6 xe6 31.xe6+ f8 32.c4 xb2 33.xe2 a1+ 34.f1 d4 35.d3 a1+ 36.h2 e5 He didn't wait for 37 Qf5+ Knowledge of the opponent plays a crucial role. Gallagher's skill in this game lay in creating the type of position which Wohl would play inaccurately, i. e. a violent tactical battle. As far as 5...c6 goes I am not sure..... 1-0
609
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 5.c4 b6 ( or 5...c6 ) 6.b3 in the archives. ] 5...g7 6.0-0 0-0 7.exd6 cxd6 8.c4 b6 9.h3 A useful preventive move as after say [ 9.c3 c6 10.e3 g4 The exchange on f 3 is unappealing for W hite. Already Black threatens 11...Bxf3 when if 12.Bxf3 Nxc4. 11.b3 d5 Black is going to play Bxf3 so it makes sense to set up a solid light squared structure in the centre. 12.c5 c8 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 e6 15.d2 8e7 and Black's knight comes to f5 to put pressure on d4. He has scored very well in this variation, see for example Ducros Salva, A (2203)-Pinheiro, J (2371)/Palma de Mallorca 2002. ] 9...c6 10.c3 f5 The most active square for the bishop now it is denied g4. 11.b3 [ Instead 11.f4 was played in Nataf, I (2560)-Konopka, M (2441)/ Pardubice CZE 2002- see the archives. ] 11...e5!? This advance looks attractive now that White has weakened himself along the diagonal with 11.b3. It is hard to criticise a move when it leads to a sparkling attack with sacrifices, but as we shall see W hite could have thrown a spanner in the works on his next move. So maybe objectively speaking the alternative pawn thrust [ 11...d5!? was to be preferred. For example 12.c5 ( White has tried standing his ground with 12.e3!? dxc4 13.bxc4 but Black can undermine and then liquidate the hanging p a wn s wi t h a5 14.c5 d5 15.xd5 xd5 16.a4 b6! as in Andreev, ERozentalis, E, Cappelle La Grande 2013.) 12...d7 13.b2 ( here 13.xd5? xc5! is already excellent for Black.) 13...e4 putting the bishop on e4 is a thematic idea i n t h i s t y p e o f p a w n c e n t r e . 14.a4 He has to guard the d4 pawn again because of the threat of 14...Bxf3 and 15...Nxd4. ( 14.xe4 fails as in the previous note to a knight capture on c5: dxe4 15.g5 xc5 ) 14...xf3 15.xf3 e6 16.d2 ( Instead White has tried to stop Black's next move with 16.d3 but Black was at least equal af ter b8!? 17.fd1 b5 18.cxb6 axb6 19.e2 c8 in Rozentalis, E-Appel, R, Bundesliga 2006.) 16...b5! a key idea. The wh i t e k n i g h t c a n ' t r e t r e a t a s d 4 f a l l s .
Therefore White has to dissolve his strong c5 pawn. 17.cxb6 xb6 18.c5 h4 and Black had an active game in Bohm, HAlburt, L, Wijk aan Zee 1980. ] 12.e3?! [ White might have tried to profit by cajoling B l a c k ' s b i s h o p t o f 6 w i t h 12.g5!? for example f6 13.e3 e4 14.h2 d5 15.c5 c8 16.g4 xg4 17.hxg4 and White has the bishop pair and a solid centre. The position is far from clear after say 8e7 but perhaps Black would have done better with 11...d5. ] [ Meanwhile 12.d5? e4 is best avoided by White. ] 12...e4 13.e1 d5 14.c5 d7 15.a4 [ Instead 15.b5 might have been more active as the knight aims at the d6 square. ] 15...e6! Clearing the way for the advance of his f-pawn. 16.c2 f5 17.d2 f6 18.g5? Surprisingly enough, this might be the decisive mistake as it lets Black's pawns rampage forwards on the kingside. [ Golubov should have recalled Nimzowitsch's teachings about prophylaxis and set up a more permanent barrier to Black's f-pawn than his bishop on f4, which can be brushed aside. This can be done with 18.f4! Then Black decided to open l i n e s w i t h exf3 19.xf3 in Mamedov, N (2392) -Badjarani, I (2368)/Baku 2001. Now f4 20.f2 g5 threatening the h3 pawn and clearing the way for 21...Nf6 looks active for Black. ] 18...f7 19.f4 g5! Exactly. This energetic pawn thrust breaks the blockade on the f4 square. 20.d6 [ After 20.xg5 f4 Black pawns are ready to strike against the white king's defences with 21...f3. ] 20...f4! Anyway! Black is positionally justified in sacrificing the exchange as he will have an enormous advantage in firepower where it ma t te rs, na m ely o n t h e kin gsid e . 21.xf8 xf8 White has a knight on a4 no where near the kingside. There are no open lines on the queenside to use to distract Black from his o n s l a u g h t o n t h e o t h e r w i n g . 22.f3? W hite is understandably keen to block the advance 22...f3, but in doing so he shuts in his bishop on e2- his only minor piece that 610
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 was helping to defend his king. And as we shall see, the pawn that Black acquires on e3 helps him to set up a mating net by depriving the white queen and rook on f1 access to the second rank. A better defensive chance was [ 22.g4 though Black keeps up his attack after xg4 23.hxg4 f6 ] 22...e3 23.c3 Now the white queen joins her knights in exile on the queenside. Black is able to make some heavy sacrifices to remove the flimsy cover in front of the white king. h5 24.b4 xh3! 25.b5 [ After 25.gxh3 xh3 the threat of 26... Qg3+ 27.Kh1 Rf6 and mate along the h-file is decisive. ] 25...e7 26.c6 bxc6 27.bxc6 f5! It turns out White's bid for counterplay on the queenside has merely brought the black knight into the kingside attack. 28.b5 [ Even after a move like 28.c4 Black can play g3 with the decisive idea of moving the bishop back from h3 and mating on h1. ] 28...xg2! 29.xg2 g4 30.cxd7 h3+ 31.g1 g3 Mate will soon follow. A splendid a t t a c k b y B o r t n i k. I l ike t h e wa y B la ck' s sacrifices increased in size from a pawn, to the exchange, to a bishop. 0-1
597
B04 Grischuk,Alexander 2715 Carlsen,Magnus 2714 World Blitz Moscow RUS blitz (38) 22.11.2007 [John Watson] Another Ng4-e3 game! Not the most exciting affair, but I like Black's method of reducing White's chances in the opening. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 f5 7.0-0 d7 8.g4 e6 9.c4 5f6 10.e3 g6 11.c3 In the note to our other game, Hague tried [ 11.d5!? versus John Cox, which may be premature. ] [ 11.c5 followed by f4 was given by my computer - that's hard to believe. See the note there. ] 11...d6! As indicated in the other games, I prefer this active outpost. It also makes sense on general grounds, because it prevents or
neutralizes Bf4, whereas Bg5 seldom achieves anything. 12.b3 Okay, but White sort of drifts around in this game. [ Now 12.c5 c7 13.f4 is also possible. Then f5 at any point will activate Black's bishop on c7, however, . ] [ Just clamping down with 12.f4 is a decent alternative. ] 12...c7 13.h3 [ Better looks 13.g3 0-0 ( 13...h5!? 14.c5 e7 15.c4 i n t e n d i n g B f 4) 14.f4 . Well, that's at best a technical point. It's a Blitz game, after all. ] 13...0-0 14.b2 ad8 15.d2 fe8 [ 15...c5! 16.fd1 ce4 17.xe4 xe4 18.e1 e7!? has ideas of ...Qh4. Black has the initiative. ] 16.fd1 f4!? [ Again, 16...c5 17.e1 ce4 ] 17.e1 e5 18.d5 xe3!? Giving up the dark squares is a bit odd, but not bad. The consistent move is [ 18...e4 , to use the e5 square. ] 19.fxe3 c5 20.ac1 b6 21.f1 [ 21.dxc6 bxc6 ] 21...h6 22.h2 cxd5 23.xd5 xd5 24.cxd5 e4 25.c4 d6 26.a3 [ Eyeing the blockader. 26.c3 is the other way. All this has been well-played, and I'd guess the chances are level. The opening was interesting, especially Black's calm treatment, and bishop on d6 (not e7!). The rest is a yawner. ] 26...e4 27.b4 xc4 28.bxc4 g6 29.g3 a6 30.a3 d7 31.g4 g6 32.xg6 xg6 33.c5 a8 34.d2 e4 35.dd1 f6 36.a4 f7 37.a5 c7 38.d6 d7 39.c5 h5 40.h4 g6 41.e1 d3 42.ed1 e4 43.e1 f5 44.g3 c7 45.d6 d7 46.c5 g6 47.ed1 c7 48.d6 d7 49.c5 b6 A break! Nothing much h as hap pened f or 25 moves or so . Black justifies everything tactically. 50.axb6 axb6 51.xb6 a2 52.g1 b7 53.c5 xd5 54.a1 e2 55.ae1 xe1 56.xe1 f5 57.a1 e4 58.f2 d7 59.a4+ f5 60.a7 ½-½
611
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 598 Grischuk,Alexander Kamsky,Gata 40th Olympiad Open (9.1) [Tom Rendle]
B04 2763 2746 06.09.2012
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 f5 7.0-0 d7 8.g4 I have to say I like this move, it seems to lead to a stable slight edge for White - in this game though it looks like Grischuk is after more than that. ... [ 8.f3 , Ng4 and Nd3!? have all been covered in the archives ] 8...xg4 9.xg4 g6 [ 9...e6 10.d1 5f6 11.e2 e7 12.c4 is slightly better for W hite and has been looked at by John Watson in the instructive (at least for White players) game AdamsZhao Xue ] [ 9...7f6 10.f3 g6 11.d1 g7 12.c4 c7 13.c3 0-0 14.e3 d7 15.h3 f5 16.f4 c8 17.ac1 d8 18.f3 e8 19.b4 b6 20.d5! and Black was struggling in Friedel, J (2505)-Ramirez, A (2577) Los Angeles 2010 ] 10.c4 [ 10.e2 is pretty similar to 10.c4 but gives White the option of recapturing on e5 with the Queen if Black plays Nxe5 but I'm not really certain that it's an improvement g7 ( 10...xe5 11.xe5 f6 12.e1 g7 13.c3 e6 14.g5 0-0 15.d2 d5! and Black equalises) 11.c4 5b6 12.f3 0-0 13.a4 a5 14.f4 ( 14.c3 should keep a slight edge) 14...c5! 15.d5 e8 ( 15...e6 16.dxe6 e7! gives Black excellent chances to equalise as Black regain s the pawn af te r 17.exf7+ xf7 18.g3 xc4 ) 16.g5 c8 17.c3 and White was better in Zhigalko, A (2566)Gorovets, A (2408) Minsk 2011 ] 10...c7 [ 10...xe5 11.dxe5 c7 12.e4 e6 13.e3 Is a slight edge for White although Black certainly remains solid it's hard for him to get much activity. ] 11.d1 A very logical move but I don't believe it to be the most accurate here [ Instead 11.f4! seems to lead to a slight advantage after f6 ( 11...xe5 12.xe5
g8 13.c3 g7 14.g3 xd4 15.d1 is very risky for Black) 12.h4 g7 13.c3 0-0 14.e1 ] [ 11.f4 if White was going to play this move then here seems to be the best time for it, for example after g7 12.e3 White has enough control over the centre to avoid ... c5 being a serious problem ] 11...g7 12.c3 c8 [ 12...xe5 13.dxe5 c8 also seems completely fine for Black ] 13.f4?! An attempt to hold on to the advantage of the White pieces that only leads to problems. [ 13.f3 b6 14.xc8+ xc8 is just equal ] [ 13.xd7 xd7 14.h4 0-0 15.e4 was probably White's best option although Black doesn't have any real problems after e8! ( 15...fd8 16.g5! is a tiny bit awkward for Black to deal with) 16.h6 f6 ] 13...c5! [ 13...xe5 was also worth considering 14.xc8+ xc8 15.dxe5 ( 15.fxe5?! c5! is very comfortable for Black) 15...g5 a n d it 's W h it e wh o h a s t o b e t h e m o r e careful to maintain equality ] 14.e2 [ 14.e2 e6 15.dxc5 xe5 16.fxe5 xc5+ 17.e3 xe5 18.d5 b8 and although W hite has a lot of activity it should not be enough for the pawn in the long-run. ] [ 14.xd7 xd4+! 15.f1 xd7 16.xd7+ xd7 17.e3 e6 18.e2 hc8 19.g3 e8 20.xd4 cxd4 21.xd4 xc4 22.xe6 fxe6 leaves Black a little better although White should hold the draw fairly comfortably ] 14...f5 [ 14...e6! is stronger here and now White has to be careful 15.xd7 ( 15.e3?! cxd4 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4 xe5 18.xc8+ xc8 19.b3! xc4! 20.xg7 g8 21.d4 b6 and White still has some work to do in order to hold the ending) 15...xd7 16.d5 d4 17.xd7+ xd7 18.f2 b5!? and Black is pressing, the Bishop on g7 and a Rook on b8 will cause W hite some problems on b2 here. ] 612
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.g3 cxd4 [ 15...0-0?! 16.e3 would leave White with a comfortable space advantage ] 16.xd4 xe5 17.fxe5 e6 18.xe6 Although this should be OK is does lead to a more difficult position for White [ 18.b3! was better although it does sacrifice a pawn after c5 ( 18...xd4 19.xd4 0-0 20.f4 c5 21.e3 and White has some minimal edge) 19.e3 xe5 20.f2 it's not possible for Black to h a n g o n t o t h e p a w n a n d a l s o 0-0?? n o w l o s e s t o 21.c5 and the knight on e6 drops ] 18...xe6 19.d5 b5! Kamsky finds the most effective way to keep the pressure on 20.xb5 xc4 21.b3 xb3 22.axb3 a6 23.ba5 d8 24.f2?! [ 24.f4 was perhaps a more accurate move and after 0-0 25.xa6 b8 26.a7 fe8 27.c7 xb3 28.aa7 White's activity should be enough for an easy draw ] 24...f7 25.g5 he8 26.e1 b8 27.a3 [ 27.xa6 xb3 28.a2 seems more logical to me - why not swap off one of the doubled pawns? Nevertheless Black is better after eb8 29.e2 8b6 ] 27...b5 Suddenly Grischuk is under real pressure 28.e6+ g8 29.g3 b6! 30.e2 h6 31.e3 xe6 32.c5 c6 [ 32...xe2+! 33.xe2 c8 was possibly even stronger as now the pawn cannot be taken due to the pin on e8 ] 33.xe7 f7 34.b4 xe2+ 35.xe2 xb2 36.a2 e5 Despite being a pawn down White should have good drawing chances but it's instructive to see how Kamsky secures the full point from here. 37.d2 g5 38.b4 e6 39.d3 f6 40.e3 e7 41.b2 h5 42.b5 axb5 43.xb5 g4 44.f4 f6 45.b7 a6 46.h7 a3+ 47.e2?! [ 47.c4 h4 is still strong for Black but W hite can create counterplay now wit h 48.h6! ] 47...a2+ 48.f1 d5 [ 48...xh2 was probably better but I'm guessing both players were down to almost 30 seconds a move and the idea of bringing the King to f3 is certainly attractive ] 49.xh5 e4 50.h3 gxh3 51.xh3 d4 52.h5 f2+ 53.e1 g2 54.f1 f3
55.e3 xe3 56.xf5+ xg3 The ending is now a theoretical draw but short on time anything can go wrong 57.e5 f2+ 58.e1 f4 59.e8 a2 60.d1 f3 61.e7?? Now the rook can be forced onto the 6th rank which results in disaster [ 61.f8+ f4 62.d8 should still draw ] 61...d2+ 62.e1 d8! 63.f7+ f4 Zugzwang - the Rook has to stay on the f-file to prevent Bg3+ and so it's f orced onto a worse square 64.f6 [ 64.f5 e8+! 65.d1 c8 wins ] 64...c8 0-1
599 Grischuk,Alexander Ponomariov,Ruslan Torshavn op 3rd (5) [John Watson]
B04 2606 2630 10.10.2000
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 As far as I can tell from the written theory, this variation is still in decent shape. 5.c4 b6 6.b3 g7 7.a4 a5!? [ 7...dxe5 has a better reputation: 8.a5 6d7 9.xf7+ ( This sacrifice has appeared in many games with thorough analysis, but it's not clear to me that W hite can't get a little something out of 9.dxe5 , which as far as I know hasn't been played. For example, xe5 10.xd8+ xd8 11.xe5 xe5 12.xf7 with the better pawn structure, a plausible continuation being f5 13.b3 a6 14.a3 c5 15.a2 ) 9...xf7 10.g5+ g8 11.e6 e8 12.xc7 d8 13.xa8 exd4 . Black has always seemed to have enough compensation for the exchange here, and I don't think that will change. ] 8.g5 e6 Lev Alburt specialized in this line. The earlier (and very old) old move was [ 8...d5 , when 9.f4 establishes a strong bind. ] 9.f4 [ The original try for refutation was 9.f3 e7 10.e4 , but Alburt showed that dxe5 11.g5 b4+ held. Maybe this could use a closer look! ] 9...dxe5 10.fxe5 c5 Attacking the base of the 613
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 pawn chain. 11.c3 cxd4 12.0-0 0-0 13.cxd4 c6 14.f3 [ 14.e3 d5! is awkward for White. Now the battle centers around the d4-pawn. ] 14...f6 Black has to move quickly, and now he a t t a c k s t h e f ro n t o f t h e c h a i n , t h e m o s t common technique in the French Defence. [ 14...b4 15.g5 ( 15.c3 is also promising, especially with both e4 and b5 available.) 15...d7 16.c3 h6 17.f6 xf6 18.exf6 d8 19.d2 xf6 ( 19...h7 20.e5 ) 20.xh6 g7 21.h4 favours White. ] 15.c3 [ A promising pawn sacrifice, although White has a very interesting alternative pawn sacrifice that may even be better: 15.exf6!? xf6 ( 15...xf6 16.e3 d5 17.h6 e8 18.c3 ) 16.c3! ( 16.e3 d5; 16.g5 f5 threatens ..Nxd4 or ...Bxd4+) 16...xd4 17.e3 , and it's not clear that Black can equalize: A) 17...xf3+?? 18.xf3+- and Bxb6; B) 17...d8 18.xd4 e5 ( 18...xd4?? 19.xf6 xd1+ 20.xd1 xf6 21.xb6 ) 19.e1 xd4 20.xd4 xd4 21.xd4 xd4+ 22.h1 and Black is too uncoordinated to claim compensation.; C) 17...xb3! (the only way to preserve material) 18.xb3 d5 ( 18...d7 19.g5 e5 20.xe6+ xe6 21.xe6 xf1+ 22.xf1 xc3 23.c7! b8 24.bxc3 b6 25.d1 favours White, although Black is not necessarily lost, and the opposite-coloured bishops could prove helpful later ) 19.c5 C1) 19...xc3 20.bxc3 can lead to any number of lines, but I think that W hite maintains some edge, for example, e8 ( 20...xc3 21.xc3 xc3 22.a3; 20...d8 21.ad1 ) 21.b5! ( or 21.ad1 ) 21...d8 22.ad1; C2) 19...e8 20.ae1 ( 20.d4!? e7 21.xg7 xg7 22.ac1 ) 20...xc3 21.e5! g5 22.xc3 gives plenty of compensation then d7 23.f7! xe5 24.xe5 xe5 25.xe5 xf7 fails to 26.d4 f8 27.g7+ e8 28.c5; C3) 19...d8 20.ad1 xc3 ( 20...f8 21.d4 ) 21.bxc3 xd1 22.xd1 h6 ( 22...xc3?? 23.d8+; 22...f8
23.d4! e7 24.e5 ) 23.d4 e7 24.b5 h7 25.xg7 xg7 26.e5 with a substantial advantage. ] 15...fxe5 16.g5! d7 17.dxe5 xe5? [ The improvement that I give in my book is 17...xd1! 18.axd1 xe5 19.xe5 xf1+ 20.xf1 xe5 21.e3 , which I think leaves White somewhat better, perhaps not fatally so to Black. At any rate, reader Luis Eduardo Neves Gouveia, who has been an excellent contributor, suggests that Black has A) Luis Eduardo Neves Gouveia: 21...d5 22.xd5 exd5 23.xd5+ ( 23.xd5 ) 23...h8 "and Black is holding". But this doesn't look so easy, for example, 24.d4 ( 24.b3!? ) 24...xd4 25.xd4 b8 26.c4 f5 27.g4 c2 28.b3 h6 29.d5 b6 30.f2; B) 21...a6 and Luis gives 22.xb6 xb6 23.d8+ f7 24.b5 c6 25.a7 c1+ 26.e2 b1 27.c2 xb2 28.d3 xh2 'and three pawns for the piece - here I am not sure Black is OK but ...' Then W hite should pla y 29.xc8 ( or 29.xc8 h5 30.b5 b4 31.c4 xc4 32.xc4 g5 33.c5 g1+ 34.d6 f6 35.b3 e5 36.c3 ); C) 21...xc3 22.d8+ f7 23.bxc3 and I said that the bishops are worth more than a pawn but Black can certainly hope f o r s u r v i v a l . I w o u l d n o w a d d d7 ( 23...d5 24.d4 ) C1) acut e trick f ollows 24.e1 b6 25.h8 g7? ( 25...f8 26.xb6 b8 27.c5 d7 28.d4 xb3 29.xh7+ is messy ) 26.xe6! xh8 27.d4+ and mates; C2) 24.f2 b6?! 25.c4 ( 25.d1 ) 25...c5 26.h8! and Black is in trouble, for example, g7 ( 26...h5 27.d4 ) 27.d4+ h6 28.f8! b7 29.f7! e4+ 30.e3 d6 31.g7+ g5 32.h4+ xh4 33.f6+ g5 34.xh7+ g4 35.xe6+ f5+ 36.xf5+ xf5 37.xb7 xf6 38.xb6+ ] 18.xe5 xf1+ 19.xf1 d4+ [ 19...xe5 20.d1 d4+ 21.h1 ] 20.h1 xe5 21.d8! c5 [ 21...a6 22.d1 ] 22.e4 b4 This makes it easy. 614
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Or 22...f5 23.xb6 xe4 24.d1 h5 25.d8+ h7 26.f7 ] [ 22...c6!? 23.g5! d5 24.c1! e8 ( 24...d7 25.xe6 xe6 26.e1 e5 27.c7 xc7 28.xd5! ) 25.xd5 exd5 ( 25...xd8 26.xc8 ) 26.e1 d7 27.e7 f5 28.e1+- wins ] 23.g5 h8 24.f7 d7 25.xe6 xd8 26.g8+! xg8 27.f7# 1-0
600 Grischuk,Alexander Ponomariov,Ruslan Torshavn [Alexander Volzhin]
B04 2606 2630 2000
An interesting theoretical battle between two rising stars. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.b3 g7 7.a4! The most dangerous line for Black. [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 7.g5 has also been played, but this move is not as strong since the addition of the moves 7.a2-a4 a7-a5 favours White, as we'll see later. ] 7...a5 This natural move is Black's most frequent choice. [ 7...dxe5!? is a sharp alternative to the text. We'll consider this move elsewhere. ] 8.g5! We have already considered this line in the game Kasparov-Palatnik, a brilliant win by W hite. This move still remains one of W hite's main weapons. e6 9.f4 dxe5 The only way for Black to obtain counterplay is to challenge the centre. [ A f t e r p a s s i v e m o v e s l i k e 9...c6 (as was played in Sutovsky-Reinemer, Port Erin 2000) White is clearly better due to his considerable space advantage: 10.c3 d7 11.0-0 e7 12.e4 d5 13.c5 d8 14.c2 c8 15.b3 b6 16.d3 f5 17.exf6 xf6 18.a3 d6 19.e5 8f7 20.c4 with a huge edge for White. ] 10.fxe5 c5 11.c3! The most precise move order. [ In the above mentioned game Kasparov played 11.0-0 which is less precise, and Black could have exploited this inaccuracy by p la yin g xd4+! ( instead of 11...0-0? ) 12.xd4 cxd4 with excellent prospects for
Black: 13.xf7 ( or 13.xf7 xe5 ) 13...0-0! ] 11...cxd4 12.0-0! 0-0 13.cxd4 c6 14.f3 f6 The critical position of this line. 15.c3! A very strong move. By sacrificing a pawn W hite gains some important tempi for completing his development, and obtains a dangerous initiative. Strictly speaking this move is not a novelty since it had been played in a couple of earlier games, but its strength had clearly been underestimated. [ After the natural looking 15.exf6 xf6 16.e3 d5 17.f2 f4 Black has sufficient counterplay. ] 15...fxe5 16.g5! d7 [ 16...e8 is the alternative to the text, but it doesn't solve Black's problems either. The game Nimzo 7.32-Hiarcs 7.32, Computer W orld Championship 2000 continued: 17.dxe5 xe5 18.xe5 xf1+ 19.xf1 xe5 20.e1! d4+ ( or 20...g7 21.e4 with a growing attack.) 21.e3! xe3+ 22.xe3 e7 The only move since Black ca n ' t a ll o w 2 3 . Q f 6 : ( 22...d7 23.f6! and the threat of 24.Rxe6 is decisive: f7 24.xe6 xf6 25.xf6+ g7 26.xb6 ) 23.b5! Exploiting the hanging position of Black's Knight. b4 24.e8+ g7 25.f3! The Rook joins the attack. d7 26.f7+ h8 27.f6+ g8 28.h1! f8 ( If 28...xb3 29.f7+ h8 30.h3 with unavoidable mate.) 29.xe6+ xe6 30.xe6+ g7 31.e5+ g8 32.xf8+ xf8 33.h8+ e7 34.xh7+ and White is winning. ] 17.dxe5 xe5 18.xe5 xf1+ 19.xf1 d4+ The only move. [ 19...xe5? l o s e s o n t h e s p o t : 20.d1 d4+ 21.h1 and White wins a piece, for example: g7 22.e3! ] 20.h1 xe5 21.d8! I would like to remind you once again of the importance of the fact that Black's Knight on b6 is unprotected, which is due to the interpolation of the moves 7.a2a4 a7-a5. c5 It may seem surprising, but we are still in the realms of theory! The alternatives are: [ 21...a6 Theory considers this move to be best, and evaluates this position as better for Black. However this is far from true! A) 22.b5? was played in Zhukov615
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 P u s h k in , US S R 1 9 9 1 : d7 23.xe5 xe5 24.d1 xc3 25.bxc3 f8 26.xb6 xb6 27.xd7 xb3 28.g1 b6! and Black had good winning chances.; B) 22.e1?! which was recommended in the comments to the above mentioned ga me also le a ds W h it e n owh ere : f5! 23.xf5 gxf5 24.xe6+ xe6 25.xe6 xc3! 26.bxc3 xa4 and Black is fine: 27.xa6 bxa6 28.c4!? ( 28.xa5 b2 ) 28...b2! 29.c5 a4 30.c6 a3! 31.f6 c4 and White has to fight for a draw; C) 22.d1! My improvement. After 22.Rd1 Black's position is very difficult. White is threatening 23.Bxb6 Rxb6 24.Rd8 and it's not easy for Black to find a defence as the following variations prove: f5 ( 22...f8 23.xb6 xb6 24.d8 g7 25.a2 d7 26.e4! and Black can't avoid vast material losses; 22...a8 allows White to bring his Knight decisively into the attack: 23.d5!! exd5 24.xd5 xb2 25.e5+ e6 26.xe6+ h8 27.f6! with a quick mate; 22...h6 is also not good in view of 23.c2! exploiting the weakening of the Kside ) 23.xf5 gxf5 24.xb6 xb6 25.d8+ f7 ( 25...f8 26.b5! winning the Bishop on c8: c6 27.xc8! ) 26.b5! and again White wins a piece. ] [ Other possibilities are: 21...d5? 22.xd5 exd5 23.e1 and W hite is winning: f5 24.xd5+ f8 25.e7+ e8 26.b5+ d7 27.f6+ and Black resigned in Felsberger-Wach, 1991. ] [ 21...d4 is hardly good either, in view of 22.d1 b4 23.xb6! xb6 24.b5! and Black is completely tied up ] [ 21...d6 is the only way to avoid immediate loss, but Black's position is very difficult anyway: 22.d1 d5 23.h4! f8 24.xd5 xf1+ 25.xf1 exd5 26.xd5+ h8 27.b3! and the differ ence in activity of the armies make the endgame very bad for Black. ] 22.e4 b4 Leads to a beautiful mate but [ 22...c6 23.g5 is hardly an improvement. ] 23.g5! h8 24.f7 d7 25.xe6! xd8 26.g8+! xg8 27.f7# An excellent win by Alexander Grischuk! Without doubt this game
is very theoretically important. To be honest I can't see an improvement for Black after 15. Nc3! Black urgently needs to find an antidote otherwise he will have to forget this line for good. The only playable alternative in this line seems to be 7...dxe5 (instead of 7.. .a5) which we consider in the game Oral-De Firmian . 1-0
601 Groszpeter,Attila Pitschka,Klaus KB Czech Open (1) [Carsten Hansen]
B04 2478 2266 21.07.2000
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 d7!? This move was introduced by the Danish Viking Bent Larsen in one of his candidates matches against Mikhail Tal. Tal didn't dare to take on f7, afraid that he would have to settle for a draw. However, for many years Nxf7 was considered the refutation of 5...Nd7, although this is no longer the case. 6.f3 If White isn't up to the challenge of 6 Nxf7, this is an excellent alternative. Videki & Krizsany consider this W hite's best option a f t e r 5 . . . N d 7 . e6 7.g3 The positional treatment. W hite can also opt for the more aggressive 7 c4. e7 The NCO quotes the following line: [ 7...c5 8.g2 e7 9.0-0 0-0 10.c4 5f6 11.e2 cxd4 12.xd4 c5 13.d1 b6 with equality. ] 8.g2 0-0 This is considered an inaccuracy by Videki & Krizsany, who claim that Black is equal after 8...b5. [ 8...b5 9.0-0 0-0 10.b3 a6 I don't like this move a whole lot. Also 10...Bb7 can be considered 11.e1 c8?! too slow, correct is 1 1 .. . c5 wit h a f a irly b ala n ced ga m e 12.g5! Given the fact that the majority of the black pieces are located on the queenside, it makes sense for White to try to grab the initiative on the kingside. An extra incentive is that Black has weakened his dark squares, and therefore an exchange of the dark-squared bishops will be to White's advantage. b4 12...Bd8!? allows Black to move on without making further concessions. 13.d2 c5? This is a very 616
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 unfortunate mistake. The correct way for Black to continue is 13...Bxd2 14 Nxd2 c5, and W hite is at best slightly better. 14.c3 a5 15.dxc5 b4 16.c4 5f6 17.a3 b8 18.d4 xc5 19.c6 bc8 20.e3 1-0 McDonald,N-Nataf,I/London 1994 Oops! ] 9.0-0 c5 10.c4 5f6 11.c3 Deviating from t h e N C O l i n e . cxd4 12.xd4 c7 This move is playable, although somewhat passive. [ A more active attempt to equalise is 12...e5 13.b3 a5 14.b2 d8 and Black should not be any worse. ] 13.e2 e8?! Black is playing overly cautiously right now. 13...Rd8 is the correct move. 14.d1 f8?! Black follows the flow from his previous move. Preventing a Nb5 from White is more important, and therefore 14. ..a6 wou ld h ave been correct . 15.b1 15 Ncb5!? b6?! [ 15...a6 followed by ...e5 is better. ] 16.db5 b8 17.e3 e5? [ 17...bd7!? admits that going to b6 was wrong, but Black has to do something to contain White's queenside majority. ] 18.c5 bd7 19.c6 bxc6 20.xc6 and White wins at least an exchange. The rest is played out with only one goal in mind. e7 21.xa8 xa8 22.d6 e4 23.xc8 xc8 24.bc1 e5 25.g2 f5 26.d5 b7 27.xf6+ gxf6 28.d5 h5 29.h4 g6 30.c8 g7 31.dd8 d7 32.c5 e3 33.xf8+ xf8 34.xf8 e4+ 35.f3 xf3+ 36.xf3 xb2 37.fxe3 xa2 38.e4 a1 39.g8+ h7 40.h8+ 1-0
behaviour. e6 I seemed to recall opining that this was the way to go. 9.c4 5f6 [ Now that my computer points it out I remember 9...b4 10.e3 xb1 11.xb1 xa2 being something that concerned Mark. Mark wasn't sure the computer thinks this is what Black should do, but the whole thing loo ks rid iculou s to me . I do n't se e wh y Black shouldn't just develop. ] 10.e3 g6 11.d5 [ Some insanity like 11.f4 had concerned me before, but it's very hard to believe this: Black could just play d6 when 12.g4 seems to fail to c7 13.f5 xh2+ 14.h1 e4 I was toying vaguely with such lines when Ben played something else. I don't think the text is much good either, although it's not as bad as I thought at the time. W hite probably ought to admit he has no advantage and just develop quietly. ] 11...c7 Of course Black doesn't capture on d5. After dxe6 fxe6 his rapid development on the d and f files will more than make up for t h e we a k e -p a wn . 12.c3 d6 13.h3 One of the with White's set-up, apart from the fact that the Ne3 blocks his queen's bishop and king's rook, is needing to lose a tempo on this move. [ 13.h4 h2+ 14.h1 e5 15.h5 d8 16.g1 h2+ 17.h1 e5 is how the machine thinks the game ought to end, although I doubt many human players would have this variation in mind. ] 13...0-0 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.d3 fd8 A bad move. I had some idea that doubling my g-pawns was desirable inasmuch as it creates luft without costing a tempo, but I was wrong. 15...Bxd3 was right, getting positions like the game but with the h-pawn on h7. 16.xg6 602 B04 hxg6 17.c2 h2+ 18.h1 e5 19.d2 Hague,Ben 2300 c5 20.ad1 d7 21.c1 During the game Cox,John J 2384 I was labouring under the impression that 4NCL Kavala GRE 23.10.2005 B l a c k w a s m u c h b e t t e r h e r e , a n d consequently getting frustrated and spending [John Cox] a lot of time when I couldn't find a way to 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 prove it. As usually happens this leads to over 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 f5 7.0-0 d7 8.g4 pressing although as luck would have it Black The webmaster's splendid innovation from p l a ys t h e r i g h t m o ve s f o r q u i t e a wa y a Kosten-Ferguson in the May update. As luck psychological misconception of this kind would have it Mark Ferguson was sitting next generally has its expression in the form of 22.xd7 to me in this team match, so I was on my best bad moves sooner or later. ad8 617
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xd7 23.d1 d8? Missing the moment. Correct was [ 23...xc3 , a thoroughly thematic move which I don't believe I considered f or a second despite it being the entire purpose of m y . . B h 2 + - e 5 m a n o e u v r e . . 24.xd7 ( 24.xc3 fe4 25.c2 d3 26.f1 f4 27.g1 xc1 28.xc1 d2 ) 24...xd7 25.xc3 fe4 26.c2 d3 ] 24.xd7 xd7 25.ed1 d4 [ I had been pinning my hopes on 25...d3 an d wh en I cou ld n 't m a ke it wo rk a f t e r 26.xd3 xd3 27.d2 ( 27.e3 xc3 I began to lose my feeble grasp on the plot a bit. )] 26.e3 e5 27.b4 xe3 28.xe3 d3 29.b5 cxb5 30.cxb5 d4 31.g1? e4? [ Black misses his second one-move win of the game: 31...xf2 wins a pawn 32.xf2 ( 32.xf2 xc3 ) 32...xc3 ] 32.a4 b4 Black has no advantage any more and it was definitely time to be thinking of making a draw, but adjusting in this way is n e v e r e a s y . 33.ed1 g5 34.a2 g4? Anything but this. Somehow the d5 square had escaped my attention. 35.hxg4 xg4 36.d5 dxf2 37.xf2 xf2 38.xf2 xc3 [ A f t e r w a r d s I t h o u g h t t h a t 38...e3+ wo u ld h a ve b e e n b e t t e r, h o p in g f o r 3 9 K x e 3 ? ? Q x c 3 + , b u t i n f a c t a f t e r 39.f3 xc3 40.a8+ h7 41.xa7 there is no longer perpetual check and W hite has at least some winning chances, and in fact I think is probably winning. I would like to think I saw this at the time and forgot about it, but I can't be sure. ] 39.xe4 c5+ 40.e2 f5 41.c6 e5+ 42.d3 g3+ 43.c4 f4+ 44.b3 Black is in grave danger of losing this queen ending whether he is actually lost I haven't yet been able to determine for sure. g3+?! [ 44...h7 was better than this, I think. After a5 W hite is a t his most vu lnerable to a checking sequence, as he has to protect a5 and b5 as well as escape the checks, so it made sense to hide the king away at this moment to prevent cross-checks. ] 45.f3 e5 46.c3 [ 46.a8+ h7 47.xa7 d5+ 48.c3 xg2 I f igu re d is a d ra w sin ce 49.b6
allows perpetual check starting with c6+ . I had been banking on this but White has better. ] 46...e8 47.c5 d7 48.c4 I think this is a mistake. 48 Kc3 is better so that Black doesn't have a check. White is then ready for a5, and I think he might very well be winning at all events I haven't discovered a convincing defence. h7 49.a5 e6+ Now I think Black is OK. White cannot avoid perpetual without dropping a5. 50.d5 e2+ 51.c5 e3+ 52.c6 c3+ 53.b7 xa5 54.xf5+ g6 55.d7+ h6 56.c6 This is scary but Black has a resource. a3 57.d5 1/2-1/2 [ 57.a6 c5 is simplest although I hadn't seen this ( 57...e3 was my intention and is a l s o a d e q u a t e s i n c e 58.xa7 e7+ gives perpetual. )] ½-½
603 Hoell,Jonas Kengis,Edvins London [Alexander Volzhin]
B04 2445 2575 1991
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.f3 d6 4.d4 dxe5 5.xe5 g6 6.c4 Currently the most popular continuation. c6 [ As 6...g7?? is just a blunder: 7.xf7 xf7 8.f3+ black should protect the Knight on d5. Besides the text, ] [ 6...e6 is possible. This move was played till it became clear that by playing 7.c3! g7 8.e4 xe5 ( 8...0-0 9.g5 ) 9.dxe5 c6 10.b3! ( Black intended to meet 10.c5 with e3! , maintaining the balance. ) 10...xe5 ( 10...0-0 11.h6 e8 12.c5 w i t h t h e a d v a n t a g e xe5? 13.xe6 fxe6 14.d4 ) 11.b2 f6 12.xe5 fxe5 13.c5 White wins his pawn back and h a s a n o v e r w h e l m i n g a d v a n t a g e f7 14.xb7 d7 15.0-0 c6 16.a5 c5 17.xd5 xd5 18.b4 d6 19.c4+winning in Vlasak - Petanek, corr, 1990. ] 7.0-0 g7 8.e1 0-0 9.b3 [ In my opinion, 9.c3 deserves attention, for example: e6 10.d2 d7 11.ef3 c7 12.f1! c5 13.b3 ] 9...e6 10.c3 d7 11.f3 c7 12.xe6 618
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Now this exchange is forced. xe6 13.b3 b6 14.c4 [ I w o u l d h a v e p r e f e r r e d 14.bd2 with equality. ] 14...c5! Black has an advantage in development, so he should open files. 15.d5 [ 15.dxc5 dxc5 aiming at the d3-square (after Rfd8) is very good for Black. ] 15...c7 16.xe7 d6 17.e1 xd5 18.a3 b6! N [ 18...xc4?! 19.xc4 was played in Kengis - Tseshkovsky, Riga, 1981, with a considerable advantage for White. The text is much better, as the White knight on a3 stays out of play. ] 19.xd5 [ 19.h4 fe8! >
52...b5 [ 52...b5 53.xe4 fxe4+ 54.e2 b2! 55.a7 b1 56.a8 d3+ 57.e1 c3# ] 0-1
604 Hracek,Z Appel,R Bundesliga 2012-13 (12) [Tom Rendle]
B04 2612 2525 17.03.2013
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 c6 5.e2 f5 6.0-0 dxe5 7.xe5 d7 8.f3 e6 This has all been seen before on ChessPublishing but now we see a new move. 9.c4! Although this hasn't been seen in a main game it was suggested by Gawain in his notes to Fedorchuk-Shchekachev as an improvement over 9.a3 [ 9.a3 was seen in the blitz game RublevskyCarlsen but if 9...Nb4 in the game isn't a good move then a3 is obviously unnecessary. ] 9...b4 This is critical but it's probably just bad for Black. [ 9...5b6 10.c3 is obviously very comfortable for White. ] 10.a3 a6 Appel decides, probably wisely, not to invade with Nc2 but now the knight is offside and W hite is just a lot better. Black needs to look for a new way to handle this variation or abandon it all together. [ 10...c2 11.a2 A) 11...c5?! has been tried here but noone has responded with the very strong 12.dxc5 xc5 ( or 12...xc5 13.c3 followed by b4 is winning for White) 13.b4 and White is winning at least two pieces for a rook; B) 11...xd4 12.xd4 xb1 13.g5! f6 14.xb1 fxg5 B1) 15.d1! "and I really like White's position" is where Gawain's analysis ends and this indeed does seem to be the right way to play. I can see nothing bet te r f o r B la ck t ha n e7 allowing 16.xg7 f6 17.h6 e7 18.h5+ ( or 18.d2 coming to e4) 18...d8 19.b4 and White is clearly better; B2) 15.b4 f6 16.e3?! ( 16.d2! 619
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is a definite improvement) 16...e7 17.d2 g4 18.d4 e5 and the position was unclear in Alsina Leal, D (2515)-Bas Mas, J (2258) Donostia 2013 ] 11.c3 e7 12.d5! This a thematic b r e a k t h r o u gh wh i ch t a ke s a d va n t a g e o f W hite's lead in development and generally better coordination. Black is already much worse. [ 12.e3 0-0 13.b4 c7 14.b3 f6 15.e5 also gave White an edge in Milliet, S (2411)-Zhao Xue (2549) Istanbul 2012, but it's not quite as the game continuation and Black even went on to win this game in the end. ] 12...c5?! This feels wrong - it gives away the d5-square and leaves the knight on a6 even more sidelined than before. [ 12...cxd5 13.cxd5 f6 is possibly Black's best option although W hite is obviously better after 14.d4 Black can now at least play 0-0 15.e3 dc5 with some chances for counterplay later on. ] 13.d3 xd3 14.xd3 b6 15.f4 0-0 16.ad1 Hracek is playing very simply and not allowing Black any chances here. [ 16.d6!? was a more aggressive option and it may be stronger, for example f6 17.e4 A) 17...xb2 18.ab1 f6 19.g5! xg5 20.fxg5 f5 ( 20...g6?! 21.c3! wins ) 21.h3 h6 22.xe6 d7 23.xf8 xf8 24.c3 and White is a safe exchange up; B) 17...h6 18.ab1 and White is in total control ] 16...f6 17.fe1 h6 18.e5 exd5 19.cxd5 g5?! [ 19...b8! is a pretty depressing move to have to play but at least the knight can now come and help out by blocking on d7. Still 20.d6 8d7 21.d5! is very good for White. ] 20.xg5 xg5 21.d6 ad8 22.e4 fe8 23.f4! f6 24.d7 [ 24.xb7 b8 25.xa7 is also just winning for White. ] 24...e6 25.f5! This picks up the exchange and effectively ends the game. xe5 [ 25...e7? 26.g4! xe4 27.xf6+ gxf6 28.xe4 g7 29.d3 and Black can safely resign ]
26.xe5 xe5 27.xe5 f8 28.b5 xd7 29.xd7 xd7 30.e2 c4 31.d6 c7 A fine game from Hracek which places this line in some doubt for Black. 1-0
605 Hunt,Harriet Skripchenko,Almira 36th Olympiad w (12) [Andrew Martin]
B04 2385 2474 27.10.2004
There has been a lot of clamour for more Alekhine games here, so much so that John Cox has been drafted in of f the bench to supply them. My own personal view of the Alekhine it's a bit of a gamble above, say, 2400 level, but below that it's still a decent opening to play on a regular basis. Let us examine a triumphant W hite win from the recent Olympiad, where Harriet Hunt shows her strength. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 If Black is reliant on 5...c6 he will ultimately be disillusioned. All he can hope for if White plays remotely sensibly is a slight disadvantage at best. Miles pioneered 5...c6 as a means of survival, not with any great vision of the idea becoming Black's main weapon against 4 Nf3. 6.e2! Quite OK. W hite settles for modesty and of course a slight edge. g6 [ 6...f5!? could well be Black's best here, as long as he or she is willing to withstand an immediate assault: 7.g4!? ( White could settle for 7.0-0 d7 8.f3 ) 7...e6 8.c4 b6 9.b3 f6 10.d3 xd4 11.b2 d8 12.c3 a6 13.d2 c7 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 15.e3 f7 16.f4 b8 17.h4 e6 18.e4 d7 19.h5 h6 20.g5 e7 21.g6 was the extraordinary course of Kasparov,GShort,N/Moscow 2002 ] [ 6...d7 7.f3 g6 8.c4 c7 9.c3 g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e3 e5 12.e1 ] 7.0-0 g7 8.f3 Retaining pieces is extremely sensible given White's extra space and White has the very pleasant prospect of c2-c4 coming up. g4 9.e1 0-0 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 d7 12.c4 The position is solidly, slightly better for W hite and is very typical of many Alekhine variations, 620
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 notwithstanding all the propaganda. White has two bishops and a potential queenside pawn majority. Black would normally combat these trumps by activity, presumably looking to play ...e7-e5 somewhere. It doesn't work out that way 5b6 13.c5! c8 [ 13...d5 14.xd5 cxd5 15.g5 e8 16.c3 is easy chess. Even if Black nullifies the pressure on e7 there's still the queenside majority to worry about. ] 14.c3 e5 What else? [ 14...e6 15.e4 ] [ 14...c7 15.g5 e6 16.d2 are both awful. ] 15.e3 [ 15.d5! looks very strong indeed xc5 ( 15...cxd5 16.xd5+- ) 16.e3 a5 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.xc6 ] 15...e7 16.d5! The classic break, with Black very passive. cxd5 17.xd5 f5 [ 17...c6 18.b3! b8 19.ad1 is a picture postcard for White. ] 18.c1 h4 I have no useful idea to suggest given that the d file is creaking: [ 18...xe3 19.xe3 b8 20.a4 a6 21.ed1 ] 19.g3 d8 20.b3 c8 21.xb7 xe3 22.xc8 I very much doubt Hunt even broke sweat in that game so it is clear that Black has some work to do here. Perhaps 6...Bf5 can be recommended as the best available try. 1-0
They don't go 7 Ng5 these days because of Alburt's 7...e6. Let's see how Black should play: [ 7...e6 A) 8.f3 More testing. e7! 9.e4 dxe5 10.g5 b4+ 11.c3 a5 12.f6+ ( 12.f6 xf6 13.xf6 0-0 14.xe5 xe5 15.dxe5 d7= Alburt ) 12...f8 13.d5 e4 14.g3 a6 15.dxe6 f5 16.e7+ xe7 17.d5+ ( 17.g8+ e8 18.h6 xh6 19.xh6 e6 20.0-0 ) 17...f8 18.e3 d7 and Black will slowly consolidate beginning with ...f7-f6.; B) 8.f4 Rigid. Black can break up the centre with the traditional thrust ...c7-c5. dxe5 9.fxe5 c5! 10.0-0 0-0 11.c3 cxd4 12.cxd4 c6 13.f3 f6! 14.exf6 ( 14.c3!? fxe5 15.g5 d7 16.dxe5 xe5 17.xe5 xf1+ 18.xf1 d4+ 19.h1 xe5 20.e7 d7 21.e1 f5 22.e2 e8 ) 14...xf6 15.e3 d5 16.f2 f4 ] 8.f4 f6 9.f3 0-0 10.c3 c6 11.bd2 g4 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 I really feel that Black should avoid this position. Counterplay is not in evidence. He has tried to break up the centre with ...f7-f6 but the White pawn chain is almost indestructible. Two Bishops lurk in the wings waiting to be used and the Black Kingside looks shaky. d7 14.0-0 f5 Miserable. White has the later pawn lever g2g4! to aim for. [ 14...a5 15.a4 fxe5 16.fxe5 d8 17.c2 e6 is a better way of organising the Black pieces. Perhaps ...Rf 7 and ... Raf 8 will 606 B04 help matters. Obviously W hite still has a very nice, easy-to-play position. ] Ishkhamov,Tigran 2260 d8 16.e3 e6 17.ad1! Chernin,Oliver 2205 15.e2 North American Open (3) 2002 Prophylaxis against a (much) later ...c7-c5 ad8 18.h1 c6 19.h4 h6 20.g4! fxg4 [Andrew Martin] 21.f5!+- g5 22.xg4 About par for the 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 c o u r s e a f t e r 7 N g 5 d 5 ? ! B l a c k h a s t o concentrate on 7...e6 if he wishes to make A variation eclipsed by this line work. [ 4...dxe5 5.xe5 g6 ] 5.c4! b6 6.b3 g7 7.g5 That's how 1-0 they used to play it ! Instead, [ 7.a4 ] [ 7.e2 both pose Black serious theoretical problems. ] 7...d5?! I don't like this move very much because the Black position becomes cramped. 621
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 607 Jakovenko,Dmitrij Bu Xiangzhi IV RUS-CHN Match (7) [John Watson]
B04 2735 2685 27.08.2007
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 Black has been playing this unambitious system for years, challenging White to make progress against his ultra-solid setup. 6.c4 d7 7.f3 7b6 8.e2! An interesting sequence. W hite has moved his kn ight to e5 an d back aga in, a nd his bishop to c4 and back again. Yet Black's knights are awkwardly placed on b6 and d5. [ As we saw in this column, 8.b3 g4 9.bd2 e6 10.0-0 e7 11.h3 h5 12.c3 0-0 13.e4 g6 14.e2 d7 15.e1 a5 16.a4 e8 17.c4 c7 Van der Weide-A Miles, Saint Vincent ITA 2000 was roughly equal. ] 8...g4 9.0-0 e6 10.h3 [ 10.c4? allows xf3 11.gxf3 , when White's bishops and centre provide some compensation for his pawns, but probably not enough, for example, ( 11.xf3 xc4 ) 11...e7!? ( 11...f6 ) 12.c3 f5 13.d5 h4 ] [ 10.e5 allows Black the extra possibility of f5 ] 10...h5 11.e5 xe2 12.xe2 Notice how utterly safe W hite's setup is. He retains a central pull while exposing nothing to attack. Black has fairly good development and is close to equality, but it's a bit bothersome. He decides to reposition those oddly-placed knights. e7 13.c4 f6 14.d1 0-0 15.c3 bd7 16.f4 e8 17.d3 White has a standard space advantage and begins to eye the kingside. a5 18.ad1 ad8 19.a3!? This creates a few weaknesses. [ 19.g3 is crude but should be considered. ] 19...a6! 20.f3 [ Again, 20.g3 makes sense, to force Black into defence and avoid his next move. A s a m p le lin e m igh t f8 21.g5 g6 22.h4! ] 20...b6! 21.c5 The only defence to c4. Now it seems that control of d5 should secure equality. bd5 22.g5 f8 23.g4!? fe8 [ Or simply 23...h8= ]
24.e5 f8 25.h4!? xc3?! Why? This not only improves W hite's pawn structure but lessons Black's grip on kingside squares. 26.bxc3 h6 [ 26...xa3 27.g4! will win material. ] 27.c1 [ Or 27.f4! with the idea xa3? 28.c4 a5 ( 28...a4 29.b1 and Ra3. ) 29.b1 and again Ra3 comes in conjunction with Rxb7. ] 27...d7? Allowing a killing attack. [ 27...h8 ] 28.g4! The threat is Nxh6+, ...gxh6, and Bxh6 or Qh5, both winning. [ White would be only slightly better after 28.xd7? xd7 29.g4 h7 30.g3 g8 ] 28...f5 29.xh6+ Anyway! gxh6 30.h5 f6 There's nothing else. 31.g3+ g4 32.f3 e2 33.f1 f7 34.fxg4 f4 35.xf4 e5 36.g6+ g7 37.e6+ f7 38.e3 [ 38.g5! is quicker. ] 38...xf1+ 39.xf1 exf4 40.e5 xh4 41.xh6 [ 41.g6+ g7 42.xh6 ] 41...f6 42.f5 df8 43.g5 [ The easiest line after 43.g5 is h7 44.xf6! xh6 45.xf8+ xf8 46.gxh6 g8 47.c4 h7 48.d5 ] 1-0
608 Karjakin,Sergey Carlsen,Magnus Amber Rapid Nice FRA rapid (3) [John Watson]
B04 2732 2733 17.03.2008
One prodigy beats another, and even though the Blindfold/Rapid format obviously pulls down the overall quality of the game, the opening seems modestly but definitely in White's favour. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 d7 7.f3 7f6 8.0-0 g4 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 e6 Here we have a typical modern position with a ...c6/...e6 restraint structure by Black. But b e ca u s e o f t h e st ro n g b is h o p o n f 3 a n d immediate expansion in the centre, White is able to prevent both of Black's freeing moves ...c5 and .. . e5 while keeping his opponent's 622
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 pieces relatively cramped. This situation goes on for many more moves: 11.c4 b6 12.b3 e7 13.b2 0-0 14.d2!? [ A more natural procedure would be 14.c3 a5 15.a3 c7 ( 15...a4 16.c5 bd5 17.xa4 ) 16.d3 fd8 17.ad1 . But Karajakin wants to cover the key e5 square. ] 14...a5 15.a3 c7 16.e2 fe8 17.g3 ad8 18.g2 bd7 19.f3 b6 20.c2 A l l o f t h e s e m o ve s a r e in t e l li ge n t o n e s , certainly no worse than one would get for a s i g h t e d g a m e ! I t ' s a m a zi n g h o w we a r e beginning to take this high standard of play for granted in Blindfold games. f8 21.e5!? [ 21.fe1 and 22 Rad1 is more patient. ] 21...g6 22.d3 [ 22.c5 c7 23.c4 d5 24.fe1 gives W hite space, and a normal advantage ] 22...h5! Black's intention is to stop g4, but also to prepare ...h4 and contest the f4 square. 23.ad1 c7 24.f4! d6 25.e5 [ or 25.d2 Black is still short of space ] 25...e7! Headed for f5. 26.c5 [ in a normal game, you might consider 26.xf7!? xf7 27.c5 ] 26...xe5 27.fxe5 fd5 Black has a beautiful outpost on d5 and White's bishop on b2 is bad, but W hite is ahead in space and can improve his pieces pretty much at leisure. Krajakin still has the better of it. 28.e2?! [ 28.d3 f5 29.c1! gets White's last bad piece into play and trains it against the kingside. ] 28...f5 [ In view of what follows, probably more accurate is 28...h4 29.g4 g6 ] 29.d3 h4! 30.gxh4 b6?! [ Better but also difficult for Black is 30...xh4 31.e4 followed by moves such as Rg3 and Bc1 ] 31.e4!? [ W h i t e f o r e g o e s 31.cxb6! with an easy advantage, for example, xb6 32.e4 de7 33.f2 followed by h5 and working on the g-file. ] 31...bxc5 32.dxc5 e7 [ 32...de7 ] 33.xf5! exf5 34.xf5 xh4 35.c1!? Right idea, wrong timing. h7
[ 35...g6! 36.f1 e7 hits c5, which can't be comfortably defended. ] 36.df3 c3? [ 36...d7 ] 37.c4 d1+ [ 37...d5 38.xf7 xe5 39.g4 puts pressure on Black, especially since e1+ 40.h2! xc1? loses to 41.f8+! xf8 42.e6+ ] 38.h2 g6?? [ White stands well but isn't winning right away after 38...d5 39.xf7 g6 40.e3 e1! 41.d4! 8xe5 42.f2 1e2 43.f8+ h7 44.h4+ ] 39.g5 c2+ 40.g2 1-0
609 Karjakin,Sergey Karttunen,Mika 23rd ECC Men (1) [John Watson]
B04 2694 2427 03.10.2007
Alekhine's players are very drawn to these solid positions without much space which challenge White to make progress. But what a silly t h in g a ga in st a n a ggre ssive s p a c e grabber like Karjakin. W hite never lets go. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 c6 I've never liked this variation, which takes the dynamism out of 1...Nf6. 5.e2!? [ White doesn't take the opportunity for 5.c4 c7 6.exd6 exd6 7.d3 . He's happy to transpose into normal lines. ] 5...c7!? [ 5...dxe5 6.xe5 g6 is a decent option, and 5...Bg4 brings us back to normal Flohr Va riat io n ch an n e ls, if yo u ca n t o le ra t e those. ] 6.0-0 dxe5 7.xe5 g6 8.c4!? [ 8.c4 deserves a look in view of e6 9.xe6 xe6 10.f3! f6 11.b3 ] 8...g7 9.f4 Space. 0-0 10.c3 d7 11.e3 xe5 12.fxe5 c5 Too late. 13.d5! xe5 14.xc5 a6 15.d4 Ouch! Black will be squeezed to death, if his kingside doesn't fall first. c7 16.xe5 xe5 17.d2 d7 18.ae1 ae8 [ 18...d6 ] 19.h1 b6? 20.g4 c7 21.d6! exd6 623
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 22.d5 xe1 23.xe1 xc4 [ 23...d8 24.xd7 , winning, in view of xd7 25.f6+ ] 24.xd7 c5 25.c6 xa2 26.h6 1-0
610 Kasimdzhanov,Rustam Brochet,Philippe TCh-Nat1 Final (10) [Andrew Martin]
B04 2652 2397 10.05.2004
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 The Miles variation revisited. White keeps it simple. 6.c4! d7 7.f3 e6 8.0-0 b5 9.d3 a6?! [ The main idea of this line with ...b7-b5 is s im ila r t o t h e S e m i S la v, in t h a t B l a c k develops the bishop to b7 and looks to effect ...c6-c5 at the earliest opportunity. So 9...a6 could be seen as time consuming if Black does not need to play this move, why do so? 9...b7! 10.e1 ( I presume 10.b3 b4 11.a3 a5 is Black's idea, dissuading c2c4. ) 10...e7 11.bd2 0-0 12.e4 a6 H e f e e l s h e h a s t o p l a y . . . a 6 a n y wa y , although White's plan of b3 and c4 has been delayed. 13.c3 ( 13.g5 xg5 14.fxg5 h6 15.f3 c5 16.c4 bxc4 17.xc4 e7 18.c1 cxd4 19.xd4 fd8 20.f1 a5 21.e5 xe5 22.xe5 a6 23.xa6 xa6 24.ed1 aa8 25.g3 b4 26.d4 ab8 27.b3 a3= Lutz, C-Luther, T/Essen 2002 ) 13...c5! 14.dxc5 xc5 15.xc5 xc5 Black's position is absolutely fine. 16.e2 c7 17.e5 f6 18.h5 xf2+ 19.xf2 fxe5+ 20.g1 e4 ( 20...f6 21.xe5 xe5 22.xe5 ad8 was also pretty good.) 21.xe4 b6+ ( 21...ae8; 21...f6 ) 22.e3! f6 23.h3 c7 24.h4 c6 25.d4 h6 26.g3 ad8 27.e1 d5 28.e4 e5 29.xd5+ xd5 30.xe5 xa2 31.h3 f7 32.xh6 xb2 33.g6 h7 34.eg5 1-0 Murdzia, PLuther, T/Cappelle la Grande FRA 2003 ] 10.b3! A good plan White nudges the Black Knight out of the centre, gaining both time and space. e7 11.c4 5b6 12.c3 [ Both 12.a4! and ] [ 12.e2 deserved consideration. ]
12...b4?! Already Black's position starts to look poor. He has significant problems developing the queenside properly: [ 12...0-0 13.c2 f6 14.e4 bd7 15.d1 ] [ 12...b7 13.c5 d5 14.xd5 cxd5 15.c2 ] 13.e4 f6 14.c2 [ 14.a3 a5 15.axb4 xb4 16.c2 is simple enough too, with a weak Black pawn on a5. ] 14...b7 15.f4 [ 15.a3 again looks very good. ] 15...xe4 16.xe4 g5?! He cannot think what else to play. Black may lunge forward with his f pawn, but frankly his position is bad in any case: [ 16...f5 17.d3 g5 18.e5 0-0 19.c5! d5 20.fe1 g4 21.d2 ] [ 16...f5 17.d3 c5 18.d5! exd5 19.xf5 ] 17.e5 f6 18.xh7! g4 With the damage already done, he may as well lash out. I see no future in the following variations: [ 18...d7 19.g3 g4 20.d2 c8 21.c5 d5 22.e4+- ] [ 18...fxe5 19.xe5! c7 20.g6+ d8 21.f7+ d7 22.ae1!+- ] 19.g5!! But this beautiful move seals Brochet's fate. White's queen will run rampant. fxe5 20.xe6 d6 21.g6+ d7 22.c5 xe6 23.f5 The exposed King and ragged pawns massively favours the Queen. d5 24.fe1 ag8 25.xe6+ xe6 26.xe5+ d7 27.ae1 g7 28.f5+ d8 29.xe7?! [ 29.xd5+! w a s m u c h s t r o n g e r : cxd5 30.e5 hg8 31.b8+ c8 32.b6+ e8 ( 32...d7 33.c6+ e8 34.c7 f5 35.e5 ) 33.c7 f5 34.c6+ d7 35.a8+ f7 36.xd5+ ] 29...xe7? It looks like mutual time pressure to me. Black has to try [ 29...xe7 30.xe7 xe7 31.xg4 c8 32.f4 g8 although the kingside pawns will surely win for White. ] 30.f6 hh7 31.d6+ c8 32.g3 a8? [ 32...g6 ] 33.e4 [ I m m e d i a t e ly wi n n in g i s 33.d5 cxd5 34.xa6+ b7 35.e6+ b8 36.b6+g6 37.xb4 and this time it will be the queenside that touches down. ] 624
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 33...b7 34.d5! cxd5 35.c6! xc6 36.xe7 [ Or 36.xb4 b5 37.a4+- ] 36...xe7 37.xc6+ b8 38.xd5 e1+ [ If 38...hg7 39.d6+ a7 40.xb4 ] 39.g2 he7 40.g8+ b7 41.xg4 a5 It's remarkable how long the game continues after this, but of course, Black has no chance. 42.h4 1e2 43.f3+ a7 44.h5 xa2 45.h6 a3 46.f6 b7 47.d4+ a6 48.h7 xh7 49.d3+ b6 50.xh7 xb3 51.g6+ b5 52.e8+ c4 53.c6+ d4 54.b6+ c3 55.c5+ d2 56.xa5 b1 57.g4 c2 58.c5+ d2 59.d4+ c2 60.c4+ d2 61.g5 b3 62.g6 b2 63.d4+ c2 64.e4+ We can say that 6 Bc4 puts a serious question to Black and that 9... Bb7 seems like the best chance in this difficult line. 1-0
importance. d7 15.f4 xe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.xe5 and White is clearly better. ] 13.c3 cxd4 14.xd4 e6 15.e3 xd4 16.xd4! e6 [ The endgame after 16...xd4 17.xd4 d8 18.b5 e6 19.c7 e8 20.xe6 fxe6 21.xg7 xg7 is very bad for black. ] 17.h4! White has found an excellent square for his queen, and it's not easy for black to do the same. a5 [ 17...c7 18.ad1 /\\ Nd5+/- ( 18.ac1 )] 18.c5! xb3 19.axb3 c7 20.b4 N o w b l a c k ' s q u e e n s i d e i s i n d a n g e r . a6 Adams wriggles frantically, sacrificing a pawn for counterplay, but the W orld Champion allows him no escape. [ 20...fe8 21.b5 with a large advantage ] 21.f4 c6 22.xe7 d5 23.xd5 xd5 24.g4! It seemed Black had got good counterchances, as White's queenside pawns 611 B04 had become vulnerable. But by this excellent Kasparov,Garry 2795 move White takes control of d1for his Rook Adams,Michael 2660 and re-coordinates his pieces. ae8 [ 24...xb2 25.d1 c6 26.dd7 ] Linares 1997 25.d7 xd7 26.xd7 xb2 27.ad1 e4 [Alexander Volzhin] 28.d6 c8 29.xb7 The rest is easy. c3 1.e4 f6 I have always considered Michael 30.b1 c4 [ 30...e2 31.b6+- winning ] Adams to be a player with a somewhat Karpov xb4 32.c6 d4 33.c7 - l ik e s t r a t e g i c s t yl e . B u t s o m e t i m e s h e 31.c1! chooses very sharp openings. Maybe he was A very impressive performance from the World afraid of Kasparov's preparation against his Title holder. usual 1... e5 and decided to surprise the 1-0 W orld Champion. It's not easy to do , as Kasparov always seems to be well prepared! B04 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 g6 612 Kasparov,Garry 6.c4 c6 7.0-0 g7 8.e1 0-0 9.b3 d7 Palatnik,Semon Adams deviates from the previous game. 1978 U n f o r t u n a t e l y t h i s s t o p s u s s e e i n g t h e Duagavpils improvement Kasparov had prepared against [Alexander Volzhin] 9... Be6.The text is an attempt to relieve black's slight cramp by exchanging pieces. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 10.f3! White, who has a space advantage, 5.c4 b6 6.b3 a5 7.a4 g7 8.g5 e6 should avoid any exchanges. 7f6 11.c4 9.f4 [ 9.f3 is another possibility in this position. ] c7 12.h3! Otherwise black starts pressurising the d4-square (Bg4, Ne6). Now 9...dxe5 10.fxe5 c5 11.0-0 0-0 12.c3 c6?! Black doesn't want to give White's the bishop on c8 lacks good squares. c5 [ Another possibility was 12...b5 fighting for knight the c3-square after the exchange on t h e d 5 s q u a r e . 13.e5 b7 14.c5! d4. [ In recent games Black has solved his A typical move: The bishop on b7 is very o p e n i n g p r o b l e m s b y p l a y i n g 12...cxd4! bad now, and control of the d5-square and 13.cxd4 c6 14.f3 f6! One example: t h e we a k n e s s o f t h e d 4 - p a wn i s o f n o 625
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.exf6 xf6 16.e3 d5 17.f2 f4 18.c3 ( 18.bd2 deserves attention.) 18...h3+ 19.gxh3 xf3 20.xf3 xf3 21.d5 d4 22.xd4 xd4+ 23.g2 xf1 24.xf1 xc3 25.dxe6 ( 25.bxc3 a6! an d b la ck ha s n ot h in g t o wo rry a b ou t .) 25...b4 26.e7+ g7 27.f8 ( 27.e8 xh3+ ) 27...xh3+ and a draw was agreed in Shlepnev - Pushkin, corr, 1990. ] 13.e4! White is not forced to protect the d4 pawn at all! d7 [ 13...cxd4 14.g5 d7 ( 14...c7 15.cxd4 ) 15.f6+ xf6 16.xf6 dxc3 17.c1 ] 14.e3! [ 14.g5? is p r e m a t u r e , a s a f t e r b6 black has good counterplay, and a direct attac k do esn't ach ieve its goal: 15.f6+ h8 16.f4 cxd4 17.h4 xf6 18.exf6 dxc3+ 19.h1 cxb2 20.a2 c5 and W hite has little to show for the sacrificed pawns. ] 14...e7 15.g5! Just in time! What's the difference, you may ask. Now Black has no pressure on the d4-square,so White takes the f6 square under his control, and the pin on the diagonal d8-h4 is also very unpleasant for Black. So the weakening of Black's kingside (h6, g5) is forced. cxd4 [ As the immediate 15...h6 16.h4 g5 fails to 17.xg5 hxg5 18.h5 with a winning attack, the text is forced. ] 16.cxd4 h6 17.h4 g5 18.f2 [ Now 18.xg5 hxg5 19.h5 fails to xe5 ] 18...g6 19.bc3 e7 Now Black intends f7-f5. 20.c2! Preventing Black's idea. b6 [ 20...f5 21.exf6 xf6 22.xg5 ] 21.e3! White keeps his rook on the f-file and prepares a sacrifice on g5 a6 22.f2 h8 23.xg5! Thank you, Garry! This unexpected sacrifice created a masterpiece for all of us! Of course he had some easier ways to win. [ Probably Karpov would prefer 23.h4 gxh4 24.g4 f5 ( 24...g6 25.h5 ) 25.exf6 xf6 26.xf6+ xf6 27.xf6 xf6 28.e4 d8 29.h7+ f8 30.b5! also with a decisive attack but without sacrifices. ] 23...hxg5 24.h5 f5 [ After 24...f6 25.xg5 fc8 26.h7+ f8 27.ce4 all White's pieces participate in the attack. ]
25.xg5 f7 And now the point of the combination. 26.xf5!! xf5 [ After 26...exf5 White's e-pawn has a fantastic career: 27.d5 e8 28.e6 f6 29.h7+ f8 30.e7+ ] 27.xf5 exf5 28.d5 e8 29.h7+ f8 30.xf5+ g8 [ 30...f7 31.e6+ g8 32.g6 ] 31.h7+ f8 32.a3! c8 33.f3+ f6 34.h3! g6 35.xf6+ xf6 36.e6+ e8 37.xf6+ Really a champion's game (although Kasparov wasn't World Champion at that time)! 1-0
613 Kasparov,Garry Short,Nigel D vs. ROW Moscow RUS (6) [Glenn Flear]
B04 2838 2682 10.09.2002
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 [ T h e e v e n e a r l i e r 3...c6!? is a bit provocative even for most Alekhine players! Despite Black's intentions to create new problems and obtain an interesting game, after 4.c4 c7 5.c3 d6 6.exd6 exd6 7.e3 d5 8.f3 e7 9.b3 0-0 10.cxd5 xd5 11.xd5 xd5 12.xd5 cxd5 13.d3 (in Sommerbauer-Zo.Varga, Poynter Memorial 2002) White had a nominal edge in a dull position. ] 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 This early ... c6 move however requires some thought. There are some similarities with the Caro-Kann and the Scandinavian, but here an early c2-c4 advance gains a tempo and space. 6.e2 [ 6.c4 c7 7.c3 7 this transposes from 4... c6 5 c4 Nc 6 Nc3 dxe5 7 Nxe5 d7 8.f3 looks more convincing than Kasparov's attempt White retains his space advantage and Black doesn't find it easy to generate counterplay. g6 9.g5 ( alternatively 9.e2 g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e3 ) 9...g7 10.d2 0-0 11.h3 f6 12.h6 e5 13.xg7 xg7 14.0-0-0 exd4 15.xd4 c5 16.e2 7e6 17.e3 c7 18.xe6+ xe6 19.g4 and White had persistent pressure Istratescu-Grunberg, Kavala 2002 ] 6...f5 7.g4!? Kasparov hopes to use his 626
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 advanced knight for this active thrust, but had he really calculated the consequences of B l a c k ' s n i n t h ? e6 8.c4?! Natural but already rather committal. [ 8.h3 is more solid but not exactly typical of GK's style! ] 8...b6 9.b3 f6! White now must shed a p a wn . K a s p a r o v o b t a i n s s o m e p l a y b u t Black's position is too solid for him to find a way through. 10.d3 [ 10.f3? xg4 ] 10...xd4 11.b2 d8 12.c3 a6 13.d2 c7 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 With Black's king out of the centre it's not easy for White to build any attacking chances. 15.e3 f7 16.f4! White must limit Black's opportunity for expansion and hamper his opponent's wish to develop his kingside. b8 17.h4 e6 18.e4 d7 [ 18...d5! 19.f3 ( 19.cxd5 cxd5+ 20.b1 dxe4 21.xe4 g6 22.f5 exf5 23.gxf5 f7 also leaves White "short" of c o m p e n s a t i o n) 19...db4 would easy B la c k ' s t a s k , h e wo u ld t h e n b e c le a rl y better. ] 19.h5 h6 20.g5 Going forward in order to open up the long diagonal. Kasparov uses his temporary lead in development to keep Black occupied. e7 [ 20...hxg5 21.fxg5 f5 22.ef2 gives White an extra tool a potential outside passed pawn. ] 21.g6 e8 22.b1 b6 23.d4 c5 24.b2 a8 25.g3 db8! Short lacks manoeuvring space, but is gradually getting o rg a n i ze d . 26.he1 d7 27.f5!? exf5 Releasing the pressure by simplifying, but the extra pa wn is de va lue d af te r it b ecom e s doubled. 28.xe7 hg8 29.f3 c6 30.xc6 xc6 31.e6! Kasparov decides that his best chances lies in an ending. [ The alternative 31.e2? ge8 32.f2 xe1 33.xe1 f3 is horrible. ] 31...xe6 32.xe6 c6 33.f2 c7 34.ee1 b8 35.c3 c8 36.c2 ge8 37.xd8+ xd8 38.xe8+ xe8 One factor in Black's inability to make significant progress is that his king cannot invade into the white camp. 39.d1 d7 40.e3 e6 41.d3 d6 42.d5 e4 43.c7+? A surprising lapse from the World's
no.1 (time trouble no doubt). [ 43.e1 was necessary to cover g3 ] 43...d7 44.d5 e7? [ C h a s i n g t h e h - p a w n w i t h 44...g3! must have been tempting but Short was p r o b a b l y p r e s s e d f o r t i m e 45.xf6! ( 45.xf6+?? gxf6 46.g7 e7 ) 45...xh5! 46.c3 e7! 47.xe7 ( 47.e5 xg6 ) 47...xe7 48.e5 f6 with a clear (outside passed to boot!) extra pawn and a probable win. ] 45.xe7 xe7 46.e1 d7 47.a4 b6 48.e3 c6 49.d3 a6 50.e3 b5 51.d3 bxa4 52.bxa4 b6 53.c2 d6 54.d3 c8 55.c3 e7 56.e3 W e're not the only ones who mess up our white's and spend the whole game playing to salvage a draw It even happens to the big guys (occasionally)! ½-½
614
B04
Kengis Variation N,N [Alexander Volzhin] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 g6 6.f3 This line indeed looks quite interesting and I don't know why it's played so rarely. Let's analyse it. e6 7.c4 b4 The only move. [ 7...b6? is bad in view of 8.d5! ( 8.xb7 xd4 is not dangerous for Black as the Rook on a8 is protected now.) 8...f5 9.xf7! ( The immediate 9.g4! is not bad either: g7 10.xf7 xg4 11.xg4 xf7 12.e6+ with a clear edge.) 9...xf7 10.g4 and White wins the piece back and has an undisputable advantage. ] 8.xb7 xd4 [ 8...c2+?! is worth considering as well (although it looks too risky). It leads to a very sharp position after 9.d1 xa1 10.xa8 g7 11.d2 0-0 Just one line (certainly not obligatory): 12.xa7 xe5 13.dxe5 c6 14.c5 d4 15.d3 g4+ 16.f3 xf3 17.gxf3 xf3+ 18.xf3 xd3+ 19.d2 c2 and Black's attack is very strong. ] 9.xa8 c2+ 10.e2 xe5+ 11.d1 627
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d4+ 12.d2 The few previous moves were forced but now White has a choice: [ 12.xc2? i s t h e wo r s t : f5+ 13.b3 b6+ 14.c3 g7+ 15.d2 xb2 and Black is winning ] [ 12.d2 xa1 ( 12...xb2? is bad in view of 13.c3 and W hite wins: g4+ 14.f3 e3+ 15.e1 c2+ 16.f2 ) 13.xb8+ d7 A very unusual position with both kings unsafe has arisen. I think White should take a d r a w b y p e r p e t u a l : 14.b5+ c8 15.e8+ b7 16.b5+ c8 ] 12...xa1 13.xb8+ d7 14.b5+ Again it's not clear if W hite has anything better than perpetual. [ After 14.e2 h6 Black's chances are by no means bad. ] 14...d8!? [ 14...c8 15.e8+ b7 16.e2 ( 16.c8+ ) 16...c6 17.f3 d6 and White's Queen is trapped! I can't see the antidote against 18...Bg7. ] 15.b8+ d7 16.b5+ It seems this line is a sufficient defence for Black although I suspect either side may improve here. All these lines need practical tests.
will make the black kingside shaky. And finally, the advance e5-e6 has deprived Black of the pawn move d6xe5 to gain space for his pieces (his other pawn break, with c7-c5, has been obstructed by his own Nc6 move. His pieces are theref ore somewhat entombed in the c e n t r e b e h i n d t h e i r p a w n f r o n t . 7.e3!? White avoids developing his knight to c3. The line played in the game should be compared with the sequence [ 7.c3 g6 8.h4 g7 9.e3 0-0 10.h5 e5 11.d5 d4 12.xd4 exd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.xd4 e5 15.dxe6 f6 and Black held a draw in the game Kobalia-Narciso Dublan as given in the archives. Gawain Jones has put a lot of analysis into that game and it should be e xa m in e d in re la t io n t o t h e p re s e n t game. ] 7...g6 Black has to develop his kingside, even th o ugh t h e g6 p oin t b eco me s a ho o k f o r White's attack. 8.h4 g7 9.h5 e5 10.d5 d4 A new attempt to solve Black's problems. Perhaps it was inspired by 11....Nd4 in the Kobalia game given at move seven above. But there is an important difference in the positions, as we shall see. [ Gawain discussed 10...e4 in the archive game mentioned at move seven when he 615 B04 thinks 11.g5 is the best response for White. Gawain gives Khalifman,A 2617 A) We should take a quick look at the very Nosenko,A 2492 risky lo okin g 11...xb2 12.d2 xa1 18th Voronezh Master Open 2014 (7.3) 13.xa1 e5 so far this is Lau, R (2465)[Neil McDonald] Fleck, J (2390)/Germany 1986 and now 14.hxg6! looks very strong for White: f5 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 c6 ( Or 14...xg6 15.g7! d7 16.xh7 A bold move and quite in the spirit of the threatening mate on f6 looks winning for Alekhine Def ence: a second black knight White. ) 15.gxh7 bd7 16.dxe4 entices the white pawns to advance to their and W hite has a huge initiative as f6 destruction. 5.c4 b6 6.e6!? Well, a white can be met by 17.c5! dxc5 -or else the pawn has certainly advanced to its destruction, knight invades on e6- 18.xe5 etc.; but it's not clear that Black should rejoice. B) 11...e5 12.c3 f5 13.h6 f6 This is the sharpest response. Instead 14.gxe4 0-0 15.xf6+ exf6 as played [ 6.exd6 is of course quite reasonable. ] in Sutovsky-Nguyen, Moscow 2007, and 6...fxe6 What has White gained for his pawn? now he thinks 16.b3 is a simple way for Firstly, Black's light squared bishop is shut in, White to keep an edge. ] so there won't be a Bf5 or (the very annoying) Bg4 move for at least a while. Secondly, the 11.xd4 exd4 12.xd4 e5 Because White displacement of the f7 pawn to e6 means that h a s g a i n e d a m o v e f o r h i s i n i t i a t i v e b y when Black decide to develop his other bishop o m i t t i n g N c 3 , B l a c k h a s n ' t y e t c a s t l e d . wi t h g 7 - g 6 a n d B g 7 , t h e g - p a wn wi l l b e Therefore Black doesn't have time to play in vulnerable to a quick h4-h5 pawn ram. This the style of the Kobalia game with a bishop 628
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 exchange on d4 followed by e7-e5. Thus he merely destroys his position if he plays [ 12...xd4 13.xd4 0-0 ( or likewise 13...e5 14.dxe6 0-0 15.hxg6 ) 14.hxg6 Therefore Nosenko has to make do with p la yin g e 7 -e 5 wit h o u t f irst e xch a n gin g bishops on d4. ] 13.e3! Khalifman avoids dissolving the centre as he sees he can maintain long term pressure. After [ 13.dxe6 e7 Black has good chances to equalise despite his fractured kingside as his pieces spring to life. For example 14.c3 0-0 15.xg7 xg7 16.hxg6 hxg6 17.g4 f6! 18.0-0-0 xe6 etc. ] 13...e7 14.c3 f5?! Here [ 14...e4!? would activate the dark squared bishop. It looks the best try for counterplay, though White maintains an edge whichever side Black castles. For example 15.e2 f5 16.a4 ( Or 16.b3 0-0-0 17.a4 b8 18.a5 ) 16...a5 17.b3 0-0 18.hxg6 hxg6 19.0-0-0 In either case White has the initiative but there is a big fight ahead. In the game Nosenko loses rather tamely, without ever setting White any problems. ] 15.g4 Khalifman intends to squeeze the dynamism from Black's set up. First of all he secures the outpost square on e4 for his knight. d7 16.e4 f8 An awkward move, but after [ 16...0-0-0 White has the pleasant choice between winning the exchange with 17.g5 or continuing his attack with ( 17.a4 )] 17.e2 gxh5 18.xh5 0-0-0 19.a4! White wants a stranglehold on both sides of the board. b8 20.b3 c8 21.0-0-0 d7 22.h4 [ Instead 22.dh1 looks stronger as Black has no good way to defend the h7 pawn. For example h6 ( Black should prefer to fight on a pawn down after 22...f6 23.xf6 xf6 24.xh7 ) 23.g5! hxg5 24.xh8 xh8 25.xg5 and Black has no good way to b l o c k t h e a t t a c k o n h i s r o o k e . g . f6 ( H e a l s o l o s e s m a t e r i a l a f t e r 25...f6 26.xf6 xf6 27.f3 or; 25...e8 26.h5 ) 26.xh8 xh8 27.xf6 h1+ 28.d1 and Black will be t wo pieces f or a roo k down. ] 22...g8
[ Black could have eased the pressure with 22...f6 challenging the strong white knight, and if 23.g3 h6 to stop his own knight being driven back by 24.g5. ] 23.g5! Now 23... Nf 6 is p revented . f8 24.g4! and here the exchange of light squared bishops means that White's knight w i l l n e v e r b e d i s t u r b e d b y . . . B f 5 . g6 25.xc8 xc8 26.hh1 f8 27.a5 a6 28.f3 f7 29.b1 c5 Preventing the pawn break 30.c5, which looked very threatening. But now Black has a weak pawn on d6 which is under the direct gaze of the white horse. [ Of course not 29...xf3 30.a7+ ] 30.df1 c7 31.b6! The exchange of queens will facilitate an attack on the h7 and d6 pawns, as well as the 'tin opener' pawn thrust b2-b4. e7 32.xc7+ xc7 33.h3 cf8 34.fh1 f7 35.c2 Khalifman increases his advantage step by step. His king goes to e2 to defend f3 and so free his rooks for the final onslaught. f8 36.d3 g8 37.e2 gg7 38.b4! White gets rid of t h e c 5 p a wn so t h a t h e c a n r a m B l a c k ' s defences with c4-c5 once he has tied down t h e b l a c k p i e c e s o n t h e k i n g s i d e . cxb4 39.b1 g6 40.xb4 f4+ 41.xf4 xf4 42.h1 c8 43.bb1 f8 44.h5 e7 45.h6 b8 46.bh1 ff7 47.1h5 c8 Dropping d6, but it was already hopeless as after [ 47...c7 White has the thematic breakthrough with 48.c5 when if dxc5 49.d6+ ] 48.xd6! xd6 49.xd6+ d7 50.xf7 xf7 51.c5 d8 and Black gave up as he has no answer to W hite's pawn centre. A positional masterpiece by Khalifman. 1-0
616 Kobalia,Mihail Narciso Dublan,Marc 11th EICC Men (3) [Gawain Jones]
B04 2637 2530 08.03.2010
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 c6 A rare line but nevertheless important. Black offers to transpose back into an Exchange Variation but with the knights already 629
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 accurate to keep rooks on the board.) committed on f3 and c6. 5.c4 b6 6.e6!? 12...hxg6 13.xh8+ xh8 14.c3 This must be critical for the theoretical was running well for Black until he standing of 4...Nc6. John usefully provided erred with f5? ( 14...c5! and Black some Kaissiber analysis augmented by his would have been doing well.) 15.xf5 own comments last year. I'll try to augment gxf5 16.h5+ f7 Lagopatis, Nthose notes with thoughts of my own and Sigouros, I Agios Kirykos 2010, when recent games. t h e s i m p l e 17.xf5 would have left [ 6.exd6 has been played slightly more often White with a clear advantage.; a s W h it e , i f h e i s n o t re a d y, h a s b e e n B2b) 11.g5 e5 12.c3 f5 unwilling to go into the chaos of the mainline 13.h6!? f6 14.gxe4 0-0 15.xf6+ and simply transposes into the alternate exf6 and here rather than the erratic line. ] 16.Rh4!?, 16.b3 would have left White 6...fxe6 7.c3 Unfortunately I do not have with the u pper hand . Su tovsk y, E access to the Kaissiber magazine but from Nguyen, N Moscow 2007. ] John's notes I presume this was the mainline. [ 7.e3 however, has also been mentioned 7...g6 [ Immediately sacrificing the pawn back with and apparently takes up 8 pages in issue 7...e5 doesn't allow Black equality. 8.d5 19! A couple of recent games proceeded: d4 9.xd4 exd4 10.xd4 f5?! ( Surely A) 7...e5 has been played as often in the 10...e5 was necessary, although this is past although I think White can hope for a probably a better version of the lines we pull. 8.d5 d4 9.xd4 exd4 10.xd4 have already examined in 7.Be3 for White.) e5 11.d2 ( 11.dxe6 xe6 12.c3 f6 11.e2 d7 12.h5+ g6 13.xg6+ hxg6 13.xf6 gxf6 left White with a small 14.0-0 0-0-0 15.e1 f5 16.e6 c5 positional edge. Groenegress, W 17.e4 xe4 18.xe4 d7 19.g5 Horstmann, M Germany 1985.) 11...f5 was a recent advert for 6.e6.1-0 De Firmian, 12.c3 e7 13.b3 ( The immediate N-Johnson, E Parsipanny 2009 ] 13.d3 looks a little better for White as [ 7...d5 looks extremely ugly, e5 is a big hole Black lacks play.) 13...d7 14.d3 xd3 in Black's camp while the e6 pawn is now 15.xd3 g5 and Black was close to backward. 8.c5 d7 When equality. Lau, R-Schroll, G Vienna 1998; A) Instead 9.d3 was attempted in a B) 7...g6 8.h4 Of course this is always recent game. e5 10.g5 ( 10.xd5 f6 the way of dealing with ...g6. 11.xf6+ exf6 12.dxe5 g4 13.0-0 B1) 8...e5 9.d5 b4 ( 9...e4!? xe5 14.e1 would favour W hite.) s h o u ld b e e xa m in e d a lt h o u g h a f t e r 10...f6 11.xh7 e4 12.xf6+ exf6 10.g5 e5 11.e2 I have a feeling Giraldo, L-Monsalve, L Medellin 2009.; W hite should have a way to keep the B) 9.b5 looks logical to me. g6 10.xc6 advantage.) 10.a3 a6 11.g5 g7 bxc6 11.0-0 g7 12.g5 f6 13.e1 Dos Santos, R-Garbarino, R Buenos and W hite has total control of the Aires 2010 was a recent example of this position. ] line when 12.a4! looked particularly strong, for example: h6 ( 12...f6 13.a5 8.h4 g7 9.e3 Keeping control of the d4 xg5 14.hxg5 d7 15.d3 f7 square. [ White can alternatively continue his attack 16.c3 gives White great play for the with 9.h5 although currently Black is pawn. ) 13.e6 xe6 14.dxe6 0-0 standing satisfactorily. e5 10.d5 d4 15.a5 c8 16.c3 and Black's kingside 11.hxg6 hxg6 12.xh8+ xh8 13.d3 looks too exposed.; ( 13.xd4 was examined by John Watson B2) 8...g7 9.h5 e5 10.d5 e4 who came to the conclusion that Black is B2a) 11.d4 was tried the most doing ok. ) 13...c6 14.e3!? A new try. recent time this position was reached ( 14.h4 d7!? 15.xg6 c7 unclear is bu t I p re f e r S ut o vsky's m o ve . e5 given in the archives.; While 14.xg6+ d7 12.hxg6 ( 12.d2 looks more 630
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is nothing for Black to fear according to Watson. ) 14...d7!? 15.xd4 exd4 16.xd4 c7 17.e2 c5 18.xh8 xh8 19.d2 h4 20.b3 d7 and Black's king run had given him the better chances and he went on to defeat his high rated opponent. Belov, V-Sek, K Ulan Ude 2009. ] 9...0-0 [ 9...e5 m a y t r a n s p o s e . 10.d5 d4 ( 10...b4 11.a3 a6 Kochetkova, JSlacky, S Banska Stiavnica 2010 and here I like the look of 12.g5! when White has more than enough compensation.; 10...a5 wa s s u gge s t e d b y W a t so n b u t h a s n o t received any practical tries.) 11.xd4 exd4 12.xd4 xd4 ( 12...e5 13.dxe6 0-0 is Watson's suggestion although White looks to have the better chances, for example: 14.h5 e7 15.xg7 xg7 16.hxg6 hxg6 17.g4 e8 18.0-0-0 xe6 19.e4 ) 13.xd4 e5 A) White can also keep the position closed with 14.e3 but Black survived following 0-0 15.h5 g5 16.h6 f4 ( 16...g4 would transpose to the critical line given below. ) 17.b3 ( 17.c5 is given in the af o re m e nt io ne d an a lysis.) 17...f6 18.e4 ( 18.e2! f5 19.g3 d4 20.h5 would have picked up a pawn.) 18...g6 19.d3 f5 20.f3 g4 1/2-1/2 Kovar, V-Leutwyler, M Pardubice 2009.; B) 14.dxe6 0-0 and here White deviated with B1) 15.h5 f6 16.xf6 xf6 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.b5 ( 18.e7!? is looked at in the note to 16.Qxf6.) 18...xe6 19.xc7 af8 20.b3 Brenjo, S-Regez, M Ohrid 2009 is given by W atson when W hite has a pleasant edge.; B2) 15.c5 A new try but this doesn't tro uble Bla ck. dxc5 16.xd8 xd8 17.b5 d5 18.e7 Heinatz, TLeutwyler, M Graechen 2009 when the s i m p l e s t a p p e a r s t o b e xe7 when Black has nothing to worry about. ] 10.h5 e5 11.d5 d4 12.xd4 exd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.xd4 e5 15.dxe6 This is the first deviation from the analysis which John Watson put up on ChessPublishing last year. I think this is
rather important to the future of the line for Black. [ He investigated 15.e3 when the critical line appears to be g5 16.h6 g4 17.e2 f5 18.h5 g6 19.g5 f4 20.xg6+ hxg6 21.g3 d4 22.b5 f6 23.xd4 exd4 24.e4 f8 25.0-0-0 g5+ 26.b1 f5 A mixture of analysis by John and Raj Tischbierek in which Black seems to be standing satisfactorily but there's a lot of potential for improvements for both sides. ] 15...f6 16.0-0-0 [ E x c h a n g i n g i m m e d i a t e l y w i t h 16.xf6 has also been tried and looks a little u n p l e a s a n t f o r B l a c k . xf6 17.hxg6 ( 17.b5 xe6 18.xc7 Motwani, PB r y s o n , D S t A n d r e w s 1 9 8 5 w h e n c8 looks simplest 19.xe6 xe6+ 20.d2 xc4+ should be a draw.) 17...hxg6 18.e7 ( 18.e4 f4 was already agreed drawn in Lau, R-Fleck, J Germany 1984.) 18...e6 ( 18...e6+ 19.d2 xe7 20.d3 f5 21.h6 looks pleasant for White.) 19.c5! dxc5 Petrik, T-Slacky, S Banska Stiavnica 2010 when 20.b5! to force Black to give up control of the d6 square. c6 21.0-0-0! e8 22.e4 f7 ( 22...f4 23.d8+- ) 23.d8 d7 24.d3 would have picked up material. ] 16...xe6 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.f3 The first new move of the game. [ 18.e4 is not so effective as the knight belongs on b5. xd4 19.xd4 g7 20.d3 h8 21.e1 ae8 didn't really get White a n yw h e r e . Z a w a d z k a , J - K a r h a n e k , P Frydek Mistek 2004. ] 18...g7 19.b5 g8 20.b3 Seeing as this allows Black equality [ White should have tried 20.xf6+ xf6 21.e1 f7 22.h4 with a small edge a lt h o u g h B la ck s h o u ld b e a b le t o h o l d without too many difficulties. ] 20...xd4 21.xd4 d5!? [ 21...a6! is the simplest route to equality as 22.xc7 ac8 23.xd6 f6 picks up the knight, although matters aren't so clear as White gets three pawns for the piece. ] 22.cxd5 xd5 23.c4 c6 24.xd5 xd5 25.c7 ac8 26.xd5 cxd5+ 27.d2 The endgame is better for White as he can put pressure on d5 but was unable to convert 631
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the full point. I think White had better chances for an advantage with 16.Qxf6 which looks unpleasant to hold. c5 28.c1 [ 28.b4! b5 29.a4 b6 30.a5 d6 31.dh4 was the best chance when White definitely has the advantage. ] 28...xc1 29.xc1 d8 30.d2 f6 31.d3 e5 32.g4 d6 33.g3 a6 34.a4 xa4 35.bxa4 b6 36.c3 g5 37.d3 d6 38.d4 e6 39.d3 e5 40.e3 f5 41.d4 e6 42.f4 gxf4 43.gxf4 f5 44.xd5 xf4 45.c6 e5 46.b7 d6 47.xa7 c7 48.a3 c8 49.a8 ½-½
617 Kosten,Anthony C Ferguson,Mark 4NCL Nottingham ENG (9) [John Cox]
B04 2528 2395 30.04.2005
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 f5 The modern way of handling the Miles variation, popularised by German players and especially GM Thomas Luther. 7.0-0 d7 8.g4N 7f6 [ Mark Ferguson told me after the game that he had considered the variation 8...e6 9.c4 b4 10.e3 xb1 11.xb1 xa2 12.d2 b4 13.d5 and assessed it as 'scary' a fair enough conclusion, for example after cxd5 14.cxd5 xd5 15.xd5 exd5 16.c3 prevents Black developing readily Fritz seems confident it can survive ( 16.f3 e7 17.xd5 0-0 18.xb7 b8= ) 16...g5 17.f3 0-0-0 but I wouldn't be so sure. ] [ 8...e6 9.c4 5f6 10.e3 g6 however, is the most natural way to play, and looks perfectly sound to me, for example 11.c3 ( 11.d5 c7 12.dxe6 fxe6 followed by a swift ...Bd6, ...00 and... Rad8 gives Black very active play.) 11...d6 12.d5 c7 13.h4 h2+ 14.h1 e5 15.h5 0-0-0 is another try, with some amusing complications (or an immediate d r a w a f t e r 1 6 K g 1 B h 2 + ). I d o n 't t h i n k Tony's no velt y is goin g to blo w Black's opening away. ] 9.c4 xg4 10.xg4 xg4 11.cxd5
[ 11.xg4 f6 is feeble, of course. ] 11...f6 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.a4 In principle this structure is acceptable for Black, but White's lead in development is a bit annoying. d7 14.a3 An excellent move, bringing the knight to the ideal c4 square: more stereotyped efforts lead nowhere, for example [ 14.c3 e6 15.f4 e7 16.ac1 0-0= ] 14...e6 15.c4 [ 15.e3 was another move against which it is not simple to equalise: something like xa3 16.xa3 d5 17.ac1 b8 18.c2 b6 19.fc1 e7 20.a4 0-0 might be the best try, but Black remains under pressure. ] 15...c5 The twin threats of Ne5 and Nb6 are awkward for example [ 15...d8 16.e3 c5 17.a5 cxd4 18.e5 d5 19.a4+ d7 20.xd4 ] 16.a6 cxd4?? A mystery: Mark surely can't have imagined this did anything other than lose almost at once, so why he rejected [ 16...c8 is beyond me. After that I don't see that W hite has anything immediately decisive: 17.b5+ ( 17.d6+ xd6 18.xd6 cxd4 is fine for Black 19.d1 d7 20.b4 d8 is nothing for White.) 17...d7 repeats unless White wants to try 18.xd7+ xd7 19.e3 , which is slightly better for him to be sure, but hardly fatal. ] 17.b6 Maybe Black, most uncharacteristically, had missed 17 ...Qc6 18 Nxa8! Qxa6 19 Nc7+. axb6 18.xa8+ e7 19.b3 e8 20.a3+ f6 21.f3+ g6 22.g4+ f6 23.b2 A debacle, but to be fair it was Mark Ferguson's first time with the Alekhine (and last, he tells me), and as usual the problem in such circumstances is not knowing the existing theory but being able to re a ct a p p rop ria te ly whe n you r o pp o n e n t departs slightly from theory. 1-0
632
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 618 Krylov,Sergey Suder,Ryszard ch-Euro IBCA (2) [John Watson]
B04 2409 2209 15.08.2007
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 g6 6.c4 c6 Whenever Black has to make this move I feel a little nervous, because it's hard to undertake anything. But W hite's approach is not as subtle as in Jakovenko-Bu Xiagzhi. 7.0-0 g7 8.e1 0-0 9.c3 e6 10.d2 d7 11.xd7 xd7 12.e4 b6 13.g5 [ 13.f3 h6 14.g3! ] 13...f5 14.h3 h6 15.f3 d6 This doesn't seem so bad, even if W hite must have somewhat the better of it. 16.e2 fe8 17.e5 ad8 18.b3 f8 19.d2 c8?! [ Here was a chance to grab some space with 19...c5 , e.g., 20.dxc5 ( 20.f3 g5!? 21.dxc5 bxc5 22.xd5?! xd5 23.xe7 xh3! ) 20...xc5 21.ad1 d6 . As usual, White maintains some edge. ] [ A n o t h e r d e f e n s i v e m o v e w a s 19...b5 , when 20.ac1 h7 21.c4! bxc4 22.xc4 exerts pressure upon Black's queenside. ] 20.ad1 b7? [ Last chance for 20...b5 , when White will manoeuvre to put a knight on c5 and/or open the c-file against c6. ] 21.c4! After more than adequate preparation! c7 22.c5! bxc5 23.xf7 xf7 24.dxc5 f6 [ 24...d7 25.xf7+ xf7 26.a5! ] 25.c3 hitting d8 and f6. xd1 26.xf6 xe1+ 27.xe1 xf6 28.b4 Winning a piece. d5 [ 28...c8 29.b8 ] 29.xb7 e6 30.xc6 1-0
619 Lane,Gary William Wallace,John Paul 41st Doeberl Cup (5) [Andrew Martin]
B04 2395 2405 2003
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 g6 6.c4 c6 The Kengis move. 6...
c6 is usually preferred to 6...Be6 because it's thought that 7 Nc3! might cause Black some problems there. Matters are not so clear though: [ 6...e6 7.c3 c6 8.e4 ( 8.f3 g7 9.e4 0-0 10.0-0 c7! Psakhis 11.xe6 xe6 12.c3 d5= ) 8...c7! 9.xe6 xe6 10.f3 f6 11.b3 d5 12.xb7 xe4+ 13.e3 g7 14.xa8 fxe5 15.xb8+ f7 16.b4 xg2 17.0-0-0 exd4 It depends on your view. Not everyone likes sacrificing material. ] 7.0-0 g7 8.e1 0-0 9.b3 e6 [ 9...a5 Gaining space on the queenside. 10.c3 e6!? ( I personally prefer 10...d7 11.f3 7b6 12.a4 c7 13.g5 g4 14.bd2 c5 15.h3 xf3 16.xf3 e6 and Black has an a cceptable position .) 11.d2 d7 12.ef3 g4 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 e6 15.a4 c7 16.d3 fe8 17.g5 b6 18.c4 c7 19.h4 5b6 20.g3 d8 21.d2 f6 22.c2 xc4 23.xc4 b6 24.b3 d5 25.ad1 Boros, D-Schnelzer, R Budapest 2003 ] 10.d2 [ 10.c3?! a5 11.a4 c7 12.a3 d7 13.f4 xe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.xe5 d7 16.e4 xb3 17.xb3 e6 18.d3 b6 19.g3 ad8 20.e2 c7 21.f4 d5 22.xd5 cxd5= I don't think White should block his c pawn in this line. The options of c3 and/ or c2-c4 and d4-d5 are to important to pass by. ] 10...c7 The rationale is simple : with each piece exchange comes a lessening of pressure. [ 10...d7 11.ef3 g4 ( 11...c7 12.c3 c5! 13.xe6 xe6 14.d5 c7 15.e4 f6 16.c4 xe4 17.xe4 e6 ) 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 a5 14.g5 e8 15.c4 5b6 Bagirov ] 11.c3 d5? But this is an odd move. Why not 11...Nd7! 12.g4! Very good indeed. Now White has serious attacking chances on the Kingside. a5 13.df3 a4 14.c2 xf3 15.xf3 d7 16.h4 e6 Fiddle as he might, W alla ce ha s invited too many of W h ite's pieces into the danger area. Although . .. e7e6 was more or less forced, the net effect has been to leave the Nc7 looking stupid. 17.g5 f6 18.h6! a5 A desperate way of 633
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 defending his King. 19.h4 e8 [ He could flick 19...a3 in, but it will come to the same. Black's Rook gets trapped in midboard. 20.b4 d5 21.c4 d6 22.c5 d5 23.e4 ] 20.e4! Lane is very direct, seeking to put Black away before either of his knights get going. e7 21.e5 g7 Perhaps this is the critical position. Wallace's move just loses. I give several defensive lines, but in all cases White keeps the advantage: [ 21...xg5 22.hxg5 f8 23.f4+- ] [ 21...d5 Probably the best try. 22.ae1 ] [ 21...xe5 22.dxe5 xg5 23.hxg5 f8 24.xa4 xh6 25.gxh6 d5 26.d1 ed8 27.ed4 ] 22.xe7 xh6 23.b4! d5 24.c4 xe5 25.dxe5+a6 There's nothing left apart from a few random attacking moves. Black is finished. 26.d6 dc5 27.d4 f6 28.exf6 e5 29.e1 exd4 30.xe8+ f7 31.e7+ xf6 32.g4 d3 33.g5+ White's attack hit very hard and all as a result of one inaccuracy : 11...Bd5. Instead 11...Nd7 would have led to a typical Kengis position- White's a little better but Black has counterplay. 1-0
[ 9...e6 was simpler, intending 10.h4 g6 11.xg6 hxg6 with a solid position for Black, but nothing more. ] 10.b3?! [ 10.d3 is a better way of preparing c2-c4. After xd3 11.xd3 c7 12.c4 W hite highlights ...h7-h6 as a worthless move and executes the main positional idea of this variation. Possibly Ledger had his mind fixed on keeping the pieces on, but now Palliser starts to play very well and manages to exploit the position of the Bb3 to gain equality. ] 10...e6 11.c4 b6 12.c3 e7 13.e2N [ Or 13.e1 0-0 14.a4 a5 15.f4 b4 16.c5 ( 16.e2 ) 16...bd5 17.d2 c7 18.xd5 xd5 19.xd5 xd2 20.xd2 exd5 21.b4 e4 22.a3 axb4 23.xb4 fe8 24.ae3 e6 25.d2 ae8 26.a5 8e7 27.g3 f5= Slaby, J-Mirzoev, A/ Salou 2005 ] 13...0-0 14.f4 a5! Exploiting clumsy position of the Bb3. To prevent a5-a4 by a2-a4 means to weaken the b4 square irreparably. White's answer is simple and logical... 15.a3 e8 [ 15...a4 16.a2 was definitely worth flicking in. ] 16.fd1 a4 17.a2 bd7! Preparing ...Qa5. 18.b1 Admitting that the opponent has 620 B04 solved the problem of the light-squared bishop Ledger,Andrew 2452 . xb1 19.axb1 a5 20.d3 White cannot Palliser,Richard 2411 quite see how to proceed now that d4-d5 has ch Scarborough ENG (10) 12.08.2004 been prevented. [ Perhaps 20.e5 was correct, after which [Andrew Martin] Notkin gives ed8 ( 20...a6?! 21.d3 ) 21.d3 xe5 22.dxe5 h7 ( 22...xd3 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 23.xd3 d8 24.c2 d7 25.xa4 5.xe5 c6 6.c4 d7 I must admit that I xa4 26.xa4 ) 23.g3 h4 24.g4 g5 am perplexed as to the popularity of the line 25.xg5 xg5 26.e3 and White has with 5...c6. Black toils to equalize. Here, with attacking chances. ] 6...Nd7 Palliser hopes to get rid of W hite's imposing Knight on e5. No such luck! 7.f3! 20...h5! Pinning the Nf3 21.e1 f8?! [ Simply 21...b5! would have been Correct! With more space, White keeps the satisfactory, obtaining d5 as an outpost. ] pieces on. W e go into a Caro position with 22.h2 a5?! Black drifts. 23.e5 ed8 White at least a little better. 7f6 [ If 7...g6 8.0-0 g7 9.e1 0-0 10.b3 24.f4 6d7 25.g4 [ 25.g4 f6 26.h4 8d7 27.xd7 an d B la c k h a s p ro b le m s wit h h is ligh t xd7 28.xh6 seems very dangerous squared bishop. ] indeed. ] [ Or 7...7b6 8.b3 g4 though the [ Meanwhile 25.g3 is met by xe5 evaluation doesn't change - Black is slightly 26.xe5 g6 ] worse. 9.h3 h5 10.0-0 ] [ A f i n a l a l t e r n a t i v e 25.d5!? 8.h3 f5 9.0-0 h6 Possibly 634
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is also interesting: xe5 26.xe5 g6! 27.g3 ( 27.dxe6? xd3 28.exf7+ xf7 29.xd3 xe5 ) 27...exd5 28.cxd5 cxd5 29.ed1 White had enough to think about! ] 25...g5 [ 25...g6 ] 26.d6! g6 27.g3 b6 28.c5 c8 29.h4 [ 29.e5! was strong with the idea of xd6 30.cxd6 xd6?! ( If 30...f8 31.e4 and the white knights are very lively) 31.c4 winning the exchange ] 29...e7 [ The line 29...xd6 30.cxd6 ( 30.hxg5 f5 ) 30...f6 31.xf6+ gxf6 32.e4 f5 33.c5 a7 34.xe6!? fxe6 35.xe6+ g7 36.h5 doe sn 't win d ue t o xd6! ( e v e n a f t e r 36...f8 37.e7+ g8 followed by b7-b5 Black isn't lost) 37.e8 d8 ] 30.h5 f8 31.f4 Now White's advantage is obvious as every piece is standing better than its counterpart. a6 32.ed1 b6 Weakening the c6 pawn which White exploits immediately 33.f3! bxc5 34.xh6 [ Maybe time trouble distracted Ledger from the obvious 34.e5 xd4 35.xd4 cxd4 36.xd4 with numerous threats. ] 34...f5! [ After 34...gxh6 35.xh6+ and Nxf7 White's attack is irresistible ] 35.e5 gxh6?! [ In the event of 35...c4!? 36.e3 gxh6 37.xc6 d7 White's compensation would have been questionable ] 36.g4! xd4 [ It's far too late for 36...c4 37.gxf5! cxd3 38.f6 xf6 39.xf6 d6 40.h2! b7 ( 40...h7? 41.f7 mating ) 41.xh6 with a decisive attack ] 37.gxf5 exf5 38.xf5 d6 [ After 38...xd3 it appears that mate is forced: 39.f7+ h8 40.g6+ xg6 41.hxg6 g3+ 42.fxg3 etc ] 39.g3+ g5 [ If 39...h8 40.g6+ xg6 41.xg6 g5 W h i t e h a s t o t a k e a p e r p e t u a l : 42.xd4 cxd4 43.xg5 hxg5 44.h6+ ] 40.f6! Ledger's ingenious play makes the opponent err [ 40.xg5+ hxg5 41.xg5+ h7 42.e7+ h8 43.xd4 cxd4 44.f6+ h7= ]
40...h7? [ C o r r e c t i s 40...e8 in order to meet 41.xh6 with xd1+ 42.xd1 xe5 43.xg5+ xg5+ 44.xg5+ f7= ] 41.xg5 hxg5 42.xd4 cxd4 Giving White the chance to unleash a fine little combination. Can you see what happens next? 43.e4!! xe4 [ 43...a7 44.xd6 g7 45.f5+ g8 46.h6 is crushing. ] 44.f7+ h8 [ 44...h6 45.g4# ] 45.g6+! xg6 46.hxg6 Mate is inevitable [ 46.hxg6 a7 ( 46...a7 47.f8# ) 47.g7+ h7 48.g8+ An erratic game with a good finish. As to the opening I am unconvinced by 5...c6. ] 1-0
621 Lupulescu,Constantin Grunberg,Mihai Victor Ciocaltea Mem (6) [John Watson]
B04 2566 2439 11.03.2007
I can't resist showing this game, annotated by Alexander Finkel in the New in Chess Yearbook, because it expands upon the line that we first saw in ChessPublishing a few years back. See also this month's Grischuk game. Do you suppose Lupulescu pilfered the idea f rom this site? Or that it at any rate originated here? 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 f5 7.0-0 d7 So far, so normal. Then our Webmaster Tony Kosten played (invented? I can't tell from my databases) the creative move 8.g4!? , also used by Grischuk in this month's column. e6 Probably the best answer, recommended by ChessPublishing Alekhine's guru John Cox. [ Tony had success in Kosten, A (2528)Ferguson, M (2395)/Nottingham ENG 2005 following 8...7f6 9.c4 xg4 10.xg4 xg4 11.cxd5 f6 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.a4 ] 9.c4 b4!? [ Cox had a chance to play his own s u g g e s t i o n 9...5f6 10.e3 g6 versus Hague in Birmingham 2005. There followed 11.d5!? (Grischuk played simply 11 635
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Nc3). My computer suggests the weird 11 c5 followed by 12 f4! The ideas are to play f5 (although it's hard to believe that by itself that can be so dangerous) or Nc4. A messy follow-up would be 12...b6 13 b4 a5 14 b5!? c x b 5 1 5 c 6 , a ls o s u s p i c io u s -l o o k in g. I suppose it's worth looking at. c7 12.c3 d6 13.h3 0-0 14.dxc6 bxc6 with something resembling equality. Alexander Finkel in NIC Yearbook 84 is sceptical of 14 dxc6"?!" and thinks that White's chances are not exhausted in this line. I'm not sure what he prefers, and I'd guess that there's nothing for White in the position. ] 10.e3! xb1 11.xb1 xa2 12.d2 b4 13.d5! White certainly has a nice attack for the pawn. exd5 [ 13...cxd5 14.cxd5 xd5 15.xd5 exd5 16.c3! (Finkel) looks tremendous for White. ] 14.cxd5 c5? [ 14...f6!? ] 15.xb4! xb4 16.dxc6 bxc6 17.d4 c5 [ 17...f8 18.fd1 c7 19.c4 and good luck, Black! ] 18.xg7 f6 19.g3?! According to Finkel, although I don't think it's a bad move. He gives [ 19.xf6! xf6 20.bc1 d7 21.f3 c8 22.f5 with a huge advantage. ] 19...e5 20.bc1 [ 20.fd1! f8 21.bc1 b6 22.c4 xc4 23.xc4 is strong. ] 20...d4! 21.fd1 d8 22.c2 c5? [ 22...b6 (Finkel) ] 23.xd4 cxd4 24.f4 [ 24.a3!? ] 24...g6 25.a3 e7 26.b5+ f8 27.f5 [ 27.xe7+! xe7 28.c7+ f6 29.xa7 ] 27...xa3 28.bxa3 e5 29.f6 g8 30.c5? [ 30.e2! was still very strong, according to Finkel. It's hard to disagree, especially since d3 ( 30...g6 31.xd4! ) 31.xd3 xd3 32.xd3 leaves White pawn and position up. ] 30...g5 31.xd4 f3+ 32.f2 xd4 33.xg5 d6 34.d3 e6 35.g3 h6 36.e3 c5 37.c4 d7 38.f3 xf6 A disappointing f inish f or W hite, but who wouldn't play on in this position? ½-½
622 Manca,F Sulskis,S Server24Chess 2012 (2) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B04 2424 2586 03.06.2012
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 d7?! This move is played quite frequently by strong players but seems an odd decision. White can either force a draw or else get a very strong attack for the piece. Here the strong Lithuanian GM playing Black gets destroyed. 6.xf7 xf7 7.h5+ e6 8.c4 And this is critical. [ Instead White can force a draw with 8.g4+ f7 seen many times, for example 1/2-1/2 Leitao, R (26 29)-Fier, A (2570) Santo s 2010. ( 8...d6? 9.c4 is suicidal. )] [ W h i l e A n d r e w M a r t i n l o o k e d a t 8.g3 in the archives. ] 8...5f6 9.d5+ d6 10.f7 e5 [ 10...b8?! has a very bad reputation due to 11.c5+! d7 ( 11...xc5 is far too risky. White has a variety of ways to finish off the game - one being: 12.e3+ d6 13.c3 e8 14.f4+ c5 15.e4+ b6 16.e3+ a5 17.xe8 xe8 18.b4+ xb4 19.b1+ a4 20.b5+ a5 21.d2+ b6 22.f1# ) 12.b5+ c6 13.dxc6+ bxc6 14.0-0 a5 15.d1+ ( John Cox looks at 15.c4 in Mutschnik, I (2408)-Pitschka, K (2212) Stuttgart 2005 but the text is stronger.) 15...c7 16.f4+ b7 when Hiarcs Opening Book gives 17.e2 b4 18.d2 xc5 19.e3 b4 20.a3 d7 21.c4 when White has a huge initiative for the piece. ] 11.f4 c5 This is almost universally played to prevent 12.c5+ [ 11...b6 was tried in Carrion Lara, L-Rijksen, H Alkmaar 1985, the only game to diverge but 12.a3! looks winning. White threatens both 13.Nb5+ and 13.c5+ followed by 14. Nc4+ ] [ Perhaps 11...g5 is Black's safest although 12.c5+ xc5 13.xe5 xd5 14.xd5+ xd5 15.xc7 is obviously very comfortable for W hite and certainly not what players are looking for when they try 5... Nd7?! ] [ W h i l e t r a d i n g q u e e n s w i t h 11...e8 636
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 And again Sulskis follows the main do e s n 't s a ve B lack a s 12.xe8 xe8 13...b6 13.c3 will pick up the e5 knight for free line but it's time to look for deviations. [ 13...b6 has also been tried, and on current and leave White a pawn up. ] evidence looks to be Black's best. White has 12.c3 a6 13.b4 The strong Russian GM a few different ways to continue but perhaps Boris Savchenko has tried this position twice A) 14.bxc5+; recently as Black but neither opponent has B) and 14.b5 are also possible. A battle of gone for this critical thrust. our computers (Houdini as White vs Rybka [ One tried 13.d3!? when Boris should with Black) continued a5 have reacted with B1) Hiarcs Opening Book gives 15.0-0-0 A) Instead the erratic GM went down after g6 16.b2 h6 17.xe5+ xe5 18.d6 13...g6 14.b4 f8 when its line ends. We've continued A1) In the New in Chess Yearbook 103 with 19.f4+ xf4 20.xe7+ xe7 Peter Boel gives 14...cxb4 15.a4 b6 21.dxe7 e8 22.g3 h6 23.g2 a7 ( 15...fg4 16.c5+ c7 17.h3 ) 16.c5+ 24.he1+ f5 25.d8 ( or 25.h3+ bxc5 17.b2 d7 18.c4+ c7 g5 26.xc8 xc8 which is apparently 19.xe5 b7 "with attack for the also a draw.) 25...axe7 26.xe8 xe8 pawn".; 27.h3+ g5 28.xe8 xe8 29.e4+ A2) He also gives a crazy line after h5 30.xc8 and the endgame's just a 14...b6 15.bxc5+ bxc5 16.b1 h6! draw; 17.b7! '"Threatening 18.Qxf6! and 19. B2) 15.d3 g6 16.e4+ xe4 Ne4 mate". He concludes his line with 17.xe4 h6 18.xe5+ xe5 19.d6 d7 18.g3 f8 19.xh7! a5 e6 20.f3 xc4 21.c6 xd6 20.xh6 xc3+ 21.d2 a1+ 22.b1 22.d1 xd1+ 23.xd1 ad8 24.d7 d4 23.0-0 f5 24.b6+ c7 25.a5! hf8 25.g3 d5 26.f4+ xf4 27.gxf4+ "wit h grea t at ta ckin g ch an ce s st ill" . xf4 28.c6 d4 29.a1 xh1 Very intriguing analysis and this looks 30.xh1 f6 and Black can hardly be like another critical test of Black's worse anyway.; suspicious opening.; C) 14.b1 is the most promising. cxb4 A3) 14...c7 15.bxc5+ The game 15.xb4 c o n t i n u e d : ( And here he recommends C1) Instead Black should probably try 15.0-0! " wi n n i n g b a c k t h e N e 5 " .) 15...e6 16.e2 b5 when his position 15...xc5 16.a4+ d4 17.0-0-0 h6 feels suspect but there's nothing 18.xh6 xd3+ 19.xd3+ xd3 completely clear. After an in-depth look 20.d1+ e2 21.d6 d7 22.c3+ we prefer 17.dxe6 ( 17.xb5 axb5 xf2 23.e4+ xg2 24.d2+ f3 18.xb5+ c5 19.e3+ b4 20.d2+ 25.f2+ xe4 26.xf6 e6 27.f4+ c5 and White's attack is only enough d3 28.f3+ d4 29.e3+ for perpetual.; 17.b2!? d7 18.c5+ 1-0 Boruchovsky, A (2333)-Savchenko, xc5 19.xd7 fxd7 20.dxe6 c4 B (2580) Plovdiv 2012.; 21.exd7 xd7 is roughly level.) 17...e7 B) 13...g5 14.g3 h6 as was seen in 18.e4+! ( 18.cxb5 xf7 19.exf7 e6 Nosov, A (2372)-Kutynec, V (2281 Alushta 20.a4 a5 is roughly level.) 18...c6 2008. ] 19.cxb5+ axb5 20.xb5+ b6 [ His other opponent played the non-critical 21.xe7 xe7 22.b1 xe4 23.xe5 13.0-0-0? when he didn't have enough after c5 24.e2+ a7 25.0-0 xe6 g6 White's problem is that Black threatens 26.fc1 and White has a dangerous 1 4 . . . B h 6 w i n n i n g t h e q u e e n . 14.xe5+ initiative despite queens being off the xe5 15.d6 h6+ 16.b1 e8 17.d5+ board. Black will probably have to give xd5 18.xd5+ f6 19.d3 exd6 back material with a rook to b8 when 20.xd6+ g7 21.d5 f8 22.xc5 e5 White has good winning chances in the 0-1 G oikh ma n, V (226 1)-S avch en ko , B ending.; (2630) St Petersburg 2011. ] 637
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 C2) 15...c5? This fails to a very pretty finish. 16.b1! xf7 17.a4+ d4 18.f3 and Black has no defence to Rd1 mate, e.g. f5 19.d1+ d3 20.xd3 e5 21.f1+ d3+ 22.xd3 e4 23.f1+ d2 24.xd2# ] [ 13...cxb4 14.c5+! cannot be advised: xc5 15.a4+ d6 ( or 15...d4 16.e3+ e4 17.c5+ f5 18.g4+ exg4 19.d3+ e5 20.f4+ d6 21.xb7+ xb7 22.e6+ c7 23.b6+ b8 24.xd8 ) 16.b2 b5 17.d3 winning back the piece with the advantage. ] [ 13...c7 is Black's final try to hold onto the c 5 s q u a r e b u t 14.a4 b6 ( 14...cxb4 15.c5+ d7 16.e6+ e8 17.xe5 xe5+ 18.xe5 xd5 19.c4 is very pleasant even if Black has succeeded in exchanging queens.) 15.0-0-0 fg4 16.e1 and the pressure on Black's position is unbearable. ] 14.c1! This looks like it refutes Black's setup [ 14.0-0-0 was looked at by Alexander Volzhin in the early days of ChessPublishing in Mysliwiec, E-Krzyzanowski, A corr 1995 ] [ while he also looked at 14.bxc5+ ] 14...g5 [ Black can try grabbing the pawn with 14...xb4 b u t f o l l o w i n g 15.d3 Black doesn't have a good defence to the s i m p l e p l a n o f c a s t l i n g a n d R f e 1 . g5 ( 15...b2 16.0-0 d2 17.e4+ xe4 18.xe4+- is also hopeless.) 16.g3 h5 17.0-0 h4 18.xe5+ xe5 19.f4+ gxf4 20.ce1+ d6 Predke, A (2436)-Danilenko, D (2307) Batumi 2010 when 21.e4+ xe4 22.xf4+ d7 23.xe4 and White's attack is far too strong. The threat is 24.Rxf8 and 25.Qxe7 ] [ 14...g6 also looks too slow 15.e2 c7 Prie, E (2470)-Nataf, I (2410) Andorra 1997 when 16.d1! is winning: h6 ( 16...f5 17.xe5+ xe5 18.d6!+- is a very common theme. ) 17.e4+ xe4 18.xe5+ xe5 19.d6+- ] [ Whilst it's hard to believe Black can get away with 14...c7 True White can no longer castle long but something like 15.d3 g4 16.xe5+ xe5 17.h3 d7 18.0-0 must be winning, i.e. cxb4 19.fe1+ d4 20.e4 a5 21.cd1 and Black's king
ca n n o t su rvive . xe4 22.xe4+ c5 23.d6! etc. ] 15.g3 f5? This loses instantly. [ 15...h5 looks like Black's last try but again A) 16.bxc5+ is also strong: xc5 17.g6 d4 18.c2 h4 19.c5+ d7 20.d1 f3+ 21.gxf3 xc5 22.e5 d8 and Black's survived to fight on for a few more moves but of course White's doing very well.; B) But 16.g6?! doesn't look as clear xb4 17.xg5 fg4 18.g6+ d7 ( 18...c7!? ) 19.xe5 xe5 20.e6+ d8 21.xe5 g8 22.e3 g7 23.d2 h4 24.f3 e5 25.e4 xd2+ 26.xd2 f5 and Black's equalised.; C) 16.d3 is probably just winning: h4 17.xe5+ xe5 18.0-0 d6 ( 18...d8 19.fe1+ d6 20.bxc5+ xc5 21.a4+ d6 22.c5+ c7 23.d6+ b8 24.b6 and White regains his material with a huge attack. ) 19.bxc5+ xc5 20.a4 d4 21.c5+ c7 22.d6+ b8 23.dxe7 xe7 24.xe7 e8 25.d6+ xd6 26.cxd6 and W hite's got an extra pawn and ongoing initiative in the endgame. ] [ 15...c7 16.d1 b8 17.a4 b6 18.d3 g4 19.0-0 e8 20.xe8 xe8 21.de1 fd7 22.xb6+and White regains the invested material with interest. ] [ 15...xb4 16.d3 transposes to 14... Qxb4 ] 16.d3 Sulskis throws in the towel. He can't take the bishop as 17.Qe6+ wins everything. If he drops back the bishop then again W hite simply castles and plays his rook to the e file, winning easily. This line looks extremely risky for Black. Play it at your peril! 1-0
623 Miles,Anthony J Pons,S Andorra [Nigel Davies]
B04
1996
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 g6 6.d2 For reasons known best to himself, Miles awarded this move two excla m a tio n m a rks in I nf o rm a t or 6 7 a n d 638
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 splattered more exclamation marks over the rest of the game. I suspect he was being ironic, especially in view of the fact that he later chanced sides. [ A s u p p o s e d ly qu i e t a lt e rn a t ive i s 6.g3 after which Plaskett - Hillarp, St. Hellier 1999 continued d7!? ( the 'rote' move is 6...g7 ) 7.f3 ( 7.g2 xe5 8.dxe5 c6 9.0-0 g7 10.e2 e6 11.b3 c8 12.b2 h3 was equal in Wolff - de Firmian, New York 1996.) 7...g7 8.g2 0-0 9.0-0 c5 10.e1 cxd4 11.xd4 e5 12.a3 g4 13.f3 e6 14.c4 xf3 15.xf3 b4 16.xb7 bd3 with the remaining moves being unfit for young eyes. Black won, but I'm not going to venture any kind of assessment. ] 6...g7 [ 6...d7 7.xd7 xd7!? 8.f3 g7 9.e2 d6 10.0-0 0-0 11.e1 c5 12.dxc5 xc5 13.c4 b4 14.a3 c6 15.b4 wa s a b i t b e t t e r f o r W h i t e i n R i c a r d i Speelman, FIDE W orld Ch., Las Vegas 1999 ] 7.df3 [ 7.c4 0-0 8.df3 c6 9.0-0 d7 transposes into Nijboer - Vaganian ] 7...0-0 8.c4 b6 9.e2 8d7 10.f4 xe5 [ When Miles got Black in this position (Kofidis Kofidis - Miles, Agios Nikolaos 1997) h e p r e f e r r e d 10...c5 and got slightly the better of it after 11.d5 xe5 12.xe5 xe5 13.xe5 d6 14.f3 e6 etc. From this we can assume that 6 Nd2 doesn't refute the Alekhine after all. ] 11.xe5 d7 12.d2 xe5 13.xe5 xe5 14.dxe5 xd2+ 15.xd2 e6 16.c3 White's active king and control of terrain gives him a clear edge. f6 17.f3 c6 18.he1 f7 19.a4 ad8 20.a5 a6 21.ad1 xd1 22.xd1 d8 23.f3 f5 24.b4 d3 25.c5 b3 26.e2 [ After this Black manages to draw. According to Miles he should have f irst played 26.exf6 after which exf6 ( 26...xb2 27.xe7+ xf6 28.xh7 also wins for White ) 27.e2 followed by Rd2 and Bd1 will win. ] 26...fxe5 27.d2 e6 28.e2 h5 29.h3 h4 30.d1 d3 31.xd3 xd3 32.g4+ f5 33.b6 xg4 34.hxg4 d7 35.xb7 c5!
36.b4 cxb4 37.c5 b3 38.c6+ d6 39.c7 b2 40.c8 b1+ 41.a7 b5 42.xa6+ xa6+ 43.xa6 c6 44.f3 g5 45.a7 c7 46.a6 c6 47.a7 c7 ½-½
624 Motwani,Paul Pedersen,D 1980 Vordingborg [Paul Motwani]
B04
1980
2) W23: "c for charge!" P.Motwani-D.Pedersen, V o rd in gb o rg, De n m a rk 1 9 8 0 . A le k h in e 's Defence, Code B04. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 c6 [ 4...g6 happened in game W19. ] 5.c4 This case of "c for charge!" drives back Black's knight in the centre. b6 6.exd6 [ Another idea is 6.e6!? intending xe6?? ( or 6...fxe6 7.e3 with compensation for White's sacrificed pawn, because Black has some development problems. ) 7.d5 ] 6...cxd6 7.e2 g6?! [ 7...g4 looks better. ] 8.d5! e5 9.xe5 dxe5 10.c3 g7 11.0-0 0-0 12.e3 White enjoys superior development and pawn structure, plus more s p a c e t o o . a6? Weakening the position of Black's knight. 13.b3 d7 14.c5 a5? The losing move! 15.c6! bxc6 16.dxc6 c5 [ If 16...f6 then 17.b6 costs Black his queen. ] 17.d5 Black resigned, faced with the imminent loss of his pinned knight. 1-0
625 Motwani,Paul Tan,K Eksakt Weekender, Holl [Paul Motwani]
B04
2000
Deadly Dynamic Duo... W19: "Tales, Tilburg, a n d T u rke y! " P . M o t wa n i -K . T a n , T ilb u r g Eksakt Weekend Tournament, Holland 2000. Alekhin e's De f ence, Code B04. T urkey's coming early this year for all the players and officials who are going to the W orld Chess 639
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Teams Olympiad in Istanbul from October 27 to November 13. It's a great honour to represent Scotland there, and my personal preparations for the big event have included competing in July at the Staffordshire Millennium Congress---where my tally of four wins, five draws, and no losses combined to give a rating performance of 2605---plus the tough six-round Eksakt weekend tournament at the stunning "Theater De Vorst" in Tilburg from September 8-10. Prior to the start of play on the Friday evening, I was as usual keeping my head clear by taking in some fresh air outside the venue. Then my quiet thoughts were interrupted in a highly unexpected yet most pleasant way by the greeting "Hi Paul" from Scotland's globetrotting Chris Morrison, whose work in Vietnam takes him practically everywhere else too, including Holland on this occasion! In his hectic schedule, Chris loves to grab any chance he can get to play even a couple of games over-the-board, and indeed he had to settle for precisely two good tussles in Tilburg because he was required to fly back to Vietnam before the end of the weekend. No objections from the very efficient and at the same time easy-going accommodating organisers. They were more than happy with Chris's keenness and efforts to get to Tilburg at all, and I think that Chris was quite satisfied too with his first-round victory followed by a second-round encounter with Willy Hendriks (the eventual tournament winner on 5.5/6) which resulted in Chris losing only after a long and close fight. W illy Hendriks's sole draw was with Black against myself in the final round, when a win for me would have meant outright first place on 5.5 points, and in that case Willy would have finished joint second on 5/6. Instead the roles were reversed, but I was still happy with my runner-up score of 5 p o i n t s , wh i c h i n c l u d e d a v e r y a t t a c k i n g penultimate round win against young Dutch talent Kevin Tan, who achieved an overall ra t in g p e rf o rm a n c e o f 2 4 7 4 f ro m h is si x games! 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.b3 g7 7.e2 [ White's other options include 7.a4 or ] [ 7.g5 ] 7...c6 8.bd2 0-0 [ 8...g4? is simply bad on account of the
t a c t i c a l t r i c k 9.xf7+ intending xf7 10.g5+ followed by 11 Qxg4. ] 9.h3 Now White does take a prophylactic measure to stop ...Bg4, which really is a threat after Black has castled. h6?! [ W19.1: 9...a5 looks better, although Black may have been put off that move by the fact that it also led to a quick White win in the game P. Motwani-R.Dam, Groningen 1990. Of course that was ten years ago, but it's amazing to see how much information people store in their computer databases nowadays! ] 10.c3! This not only supports White's central pawn-chain, but also allows W hite's lightsquared bishop to drop back to c2 if attacked by ... Na5. h7 11.h4! dxe5 [ "H for hunting!" is a favourite attacking motto of my Belgian friend Gorik Cools, and i n t h i s i n s t a n c e 11...g4? causes no problems (except for Black!) because White has the killing reply 12.g5+ ] 12.h5! I'm honestly NOT one of those annotators who can't stop showering his own moves with single or double "exclams"! I would give 12 h5 an '!' in any case because the move is a consistent and energetic followup to White's previous one. Also, quite a bit of calculation has already gone in to visualising and assessing the forthcoming sacrificial sequence of play and its related variations. g5 [ 12...exd4 is equally scary for Black because he must reckon with responses like 13.g5+ ( or my own preference of 13.hxg6+ fxg6 14.e4 when White's multitude of threats includes 14 Bxh6 Bxh6 15 Qd2. There are many possibilities which are both fun and instructive to analyse in one's own time, but a recurring motif that's ce r t a in ly wo rt h m e n t i o n i n g h e re i s t h e general idea of Neg5+ and then after ...Kh8 t h e f o l lo w- u p N h 4 ( m e n a ci n g N x g 6 ) i s sometimes much more deadly than Nf7+ which "only" wins material. )] 13.xg5+! Yes, I know, there's another '!', but after this move I promise to stop... at least for a while! hxg5 [ It was an offer that Black could hardly refuse---even though he wanted to do so! 13...g8 loses to 14.e4 hxg5 15.h6 h8 ( or 15...f6 16.c2 which is analysed 640
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 further in part 'c' of the notes to Black's 14th move below. ) 16.g6+ ] 14.h6 e6 One might have expected Black to move his attacked g7-bishop, so let's consider the options for shifting that piece:[ 14...xh6 15.h5 ( or first 15.e4 are "pretty horrendous for Black", to use a typical Chris Morrison expression! )] [ 14...h8 15.f3 g4 ( 15...g8 16.xf7 leaves Black facing terrible threats like 17 Qe4+, and; 15...f6 16.e4+ f5 17.xg5+ g6 18.h4 is a nightmare too)) 16.g5+ is crushing because of g6 ( or 16...g8 17.e4 ) 17.xf7 xf7 18.e4+ and then, for example, f6 ( or 18...f5 19.h7 (menacing 20 Rh6+) g7 20.h8 xh8 21.xg4+ f6 22.h6# ) 19.g5+ xg5 20.xf7 f5 21.h5+ ] [ W e c a n q u i c k l y d i s m i s s 14...h8 on account of 15.h5 ] [ 14...f6 15.e4+ g8 ( 15...h8 l o s e s i n s t a n t l y t o 16.c2 ) 16.c2 ( b e t t e r t h a n 16.g6+ h8 ) 16...e8 17.h7+ f8 18.e4 is, I believe, indef e nsible f or Black. Just look at th e congestion in his disorganised camp. A computer would typically generate screeds of variations, but the position practically speaks for itself, and one could almost say that White is not even down on material if on e c o n s id e rs t h e e f f e ct ive n e ss o f h is a t t a c k i n g f o r ce s in co n t ra st t o B l a c k' s dormant pieces. ] 15.hxg7+ xg7 16.e4 h8 [ If 16...f6 17.h5 h8 then 18.xh8+ xh8 19.xh8 xh8 20.xf6 is extremely simple and strong for White. ] 17.xh8 [ Why be overly flashy and less clear with 17.xg5 when instead the capture on h8 is obviously good? ] 17...xh8 18.xg5 h1+ 19.d2! It would be a bit harsh not to forgive me for this final '!' after a move which involves a rook sacrifice! xa1 20.h5 White's deadly duo of main threats is 21 Bf6+ Kf8 22 Qh8 or 21 Qh6+ Kg8 22 Nf6. xb2+ 21.c2 c4+ [ 21...d7 ( o r N d 5 ) l o s e t o 22.h6+ ( 22.h6+ d o e s t h e j o b t o o) 22...g8 23.f6+ ( or 23.f6 ) 23...xf6 24.xf6 followed by unavoidable mate at g7 or h8. ]
22.d1 a1+ 23.e2 Black resigned in view of 23...f5 24 Bf6+ Kf8 25 Qh8+ Kf7 and then, for example, 26 Ng5+ Kg6 27 Qg7+ Kh5 28 Qh7+ Kg4 29 Qh3+ Kf4 30 Qg3. I'll try my best to play like that for Scotland at the Olympiad in T u rke y, b u t f or t h e m om e n t I 'd lik e t o conclude my writings here by saying a big " T HA NK YO U" t o a ll f rie n d s wh o h a v e i n different ways encouraged me to continue developing at chess. The "complete" list could go on almost forever, but the following people (in alphabetical order of their surnames) really deserve a special mention for their much appreciated input at various times within the last 14 months or so: - David Anderton, FM Cesar Becx, Neil Berry, IM Douglas Bryson, Walter & Cecile Cardon, FM Lawrence Cooper, Jimi & Josiane de Melio, Suzanne de Vogelaer, Hugh & Moya Flockhart, Richard Furness, John & Nancy Glendinning, Jonathan & Keti Grant, John Henderson, Marc Holsteyn, IM Stephen Mannion, GM Colin McNab, Hans & Heleen Moors, Chris Morrison, Family Motwani, IM Jonathan Parker, IM Craig Pritchett, GM Jonathan Rowson, IM John Shaw, IM Johan van Mil, " S ch a a kn ie u ws" t e a m , Hu g o " B o s s " va n Steenwinckel, WIM Erika Sziva, Walter Tonoli, FM Tim & Andree Upton, Jan & Hanny Verbrugge, Chris White, Norman & Ilse Young, Family Zeng. 1-0
626 Movsesian,Sergei Svidler,Peter 3rd ACP World Rapid Cup rapid (2.4) [John Watson]
B04 2747 2726 23.5.09
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 Here we go again, the main line at the elite levels of play. This month's batch went well for Black, as shown in this game. 6.c4 We've seen several games in the Archives with 6 Be2. [ Yu Shaoteng-Hou Yifan, Subic Bay PHI 2009 continued 6.d3 (this deserves more a t t e n t i o n ) d7 7.f3!? 7f6 8.h3 , preventing ...Bg4, although allowing the following manoeuvre: b4 9.c4 f5 641
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10.a3!? ( maybe 10.b3! is better, with the idea a3, as I indicated in a previous u p d a t e . T h e n a5 11.a3 a4 fails to 12.xf7+ xf7 13.axb4 -for notes on this line, see Adams-Carlsen, Moscow 2007 in the Archives.) 10...e6 11.c3 bd5 12.c2 (an uninspiring square for the knight Black stands about equal) e7 ( 12...d6 ) 13.0-0 ( 13.e3 is the main game Adams-Carlsen, Moscow 2007 in the archives) 13...0-0 14.e3 g6 ( 14...xe3 15.xe3 b6 ) 15.e5 c5!? 16.xg6 ( 16.xd5 exd5 17.e2 b6 ) 16...hxg6 17.dxc5 xc5 18.xd5 xd5 19.xd5 exd5 20.f4 d4 A) 21.b4 b6 ( 21...e7 22.cxd4 xb4 23.b1 a5 24.d3 c8 25.d5 ) 22.c4 and Black has to watch his c-pawn; B) 21.cxd4!? (this gives up the last chance to f ight on more interesting is xd4 ( 21...xd4 22.d2 ) 22.xd4 xd4 23.ad1 ad8 24.d2 f6 25.fd1 xd2 26.xd2 d8 27.xd8+ xd8 28.f1 a6 29.e2 f8 30.d3 f6 1/2-1/2. ] 6...g6 [ 6...d7 7.f3 7f6 8.h3 f5 9.0-0 e6 is Shirov-Carlsen, Moscow 1997 from the Arch ives t he b est m ove at t his po in t is probably 10.a3 , versus ...Nb4. ] 7.0-0 g7 8.d2 [ 8.e1 is the original move here, still played in a majority of games, for example, 0-0 ( 8...d7 ) 9.b3 A) 9...e6 10.c3 d7 11.f3 g4 ( 11...c7 ) 12.bd2 ( 12.h3; 12.g5 ) 12...e6 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 with an edge, Topalov-Ivanchuk, Monaco (rapid) 2002.; B) 9...f5 10.d2 d7 11.df3 xe5 12.xe5 a5 13.a4 c7 was about equal in Shirov-Agdestein, Bergen 2001.; C) 9...d7 10.f3 7f6 11.c4 ( 11.h3 ) 11...c7 12.h3 c5?! 13.c3 cxd4 14.xd4 e6 15.e3 xd4 16.xd4 e6 17.h4 a5 18.c5! xb3 19.axb3 c7 20.b4 a6 21.f4 , winning the e7pawn, Kasparov-Adams, Linares ESP 1997. ] 8...0-0 [ Or 8...d7 with the idea 9.df3 xe5 10.xe5 0-0 11.e1 e6 ] 9.df3 d7 10.h3
[ 10.d3 has been suggested. ] 10...xe5 11.xe5 e6 12.b3 c7 13.e1 xb3 14.axb3 c5?! 15.e3?! [ 15.f3! xd4 16.d3 threatens Rxe7, Qxb7, and Be3, for what it's worth (maybe not much). ] 15...b5! 16.c3 cxd4 17.cxd4 d5 Now Black is clearly better. 18.f3 e6 19.d3 ac8 20.ec1 a6 21.c4 d6 22.c3 xc3 23.bxc3 xb3 24.b1 d5 25.f4 c4 26.a1?! e5 27.d2 xd2 28.xd2 exd4 with a winning advantage. 29.c4 c6 30.b4 e8 31.c5 h5 32.b1 d8 33.a3 d7 34.b6 d5 35.h4 f5 36.xf5 gxf5 37.c1 d3 38.d2 d4 39.c6 xb6 40.cxd7 f6 41.e3 d8 42.f1 f7 43.e1 e6 44.d2 xd7 45.xd3 b5 46.f3 e6 47.d2 a5 48.c3 b6 49.b3 d5 50.c3 d8 51.d2 b4 52.a4 c4 53.c1 b3 54.b2 f4 55.a3 f5 56.a4 xh4 57.xa5 e1+ 58.a4 c3 0-1
627 Mutschnik,Ilia Pitschka,Klaus 10th Open Stuttgart GER (5) [John Cox]
B04 2408 2212 07.05.2005
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 d7 6.xf7 Bravo! I don't know Mr Mu t sch n ik, b u t f e w h igh e r-ra t e d p la ye r s confronted by their opponent's pet line prefer taking him on with this sort of thing to the quiet 6 Nf3. xf7 7.h5+ e6 8.c4 5f6 9.d5+ d6 10.f7 b8?! A dubious move: [ 10...e5 11.f4 c5 12.c3 a6 is the main line of course, and the start of enormous and unresolved complications. ] 11.c5+ d7 12.b5+ [ Pitschka had previous here: 12.f4 e8 13.e6+ d8 14.e5 d7 15.c3 g5?! was Hiermann-Pitschka, Austria 1999 (1-0, 37), and presumably he intended something else, perhaps the more sensible ( 15...g4 16.e2 f5 17.d2 and now either Burgess' suggestion 17...g5 or 17...Ne5 18 000 Nbd7 19 c6 with unclear play: KopecSowray, corr 1990-2. )] 642
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12...c6 13.dxc6+ bxc6 14.0-0 a5 15.c4 Probably better than 15 Rd1+ Kc7 16 Bf4+ Kb7, driving the Black king where it wants to go. d8N [ Black made a run for b7... 15...c7 16.b4 xb4 17.f4+ d8 ..but soon changed course... 18.d2 bd7 19.b3 a6 20.xa6 xf4 21.b7 b8 22.xc6 e5 23.e6 xc6 24.xc6 c7 25.fd1+ d7 in Hammar-D.Cramling, Swedish Champs, Lulea 1980, in which 26 Qa4 now would have been won back the piece with a devastating ongoing onslaught, since 26.. Ke8 27 Rd2 piles up on the unfortunate knight. ] 16.d1+ d7 [ 16...bd7 is another try, of course, if the game goes similarly with 17.e3 g4 18.e6 xe3 19.fxe3 xc5 20.c3 B l a c k c o u l d t r y a n d d e f e n d w i t h b8 , b u t t h e n 21.d3 b7 22.ad1 e5 23.a4 g6 24.f4! xf4 25.exf4 e8 26.b3 h6 27.g3 is still very strong - the knight is pinned just as effectively by the threat of Rd8 mate as it was to the king. ] 17.e3 g4 Black must be lost - mustn't he?! - if the best he can do is exchange his only de ve lo p e d m in o r p ie ce f o r W h it e 's le a st effective attacker, but [ 17...c8 18.c3 c7 19.b4 g4 20.f4 e5 21.g5 also sees White increasing the pressure decisively. ] 18.e6 xe3 19.fxe3 xc5 20.c3 e5? A feeble move, both overlooking the threat and also making no effort to get Black's other four pieces out. Fritz is convinced it's winning as Black and rather sweetly tries to prove it with [ 20...xe3+ 21.h1 a6 , although I have to admit that the best my limited attacking skills can manage then with White is 22.a4 a7 23.ac1 g6 24.c5 h6 25.xd7 xd7 26.e6+ c8 27.xc6+ b7 28.c7+ b8 29.xa7 xa7 30.xe7 c8 31.d6+ ( 31.xh7 f8 32.xf8 xf8 33.xg6 ) 31...a8 32.d5+ b8 with a draw: no doubt readers can do better. Now it's over. ] 21.xd7+ xd7 22.d1 c7 23.xd7+ b6 24.e4 f6 25.h5 g5 26.h3 f4 27.d5+ All horribly reminiscent of Morphy -v-
the Duke of Brunswick. Maybe there's something to be said for developing the other pieces apart from your king and queen after all. 1-0
628
B04 Mysliwiec,E Krzyzanowski,Antoni
corr [Alexander Volzhin]
1995
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 d7!? 6.xf7!? xf7 7.h5+ e6 8.c4 5f6 9.d5+ d6 10.f7 e5 11.f4 c5 12.c3 a6 13.b4 b6! This move seems to be the only chance for defence. Alternatives are insufficient . [ 13...b6 14.b1! The rook will be very active on the b-file. g5 ( 14...cxb4 15.xb4 c5 Both queen and rook are hanging, but 16.b1!! xf7 17.a4+ d4 18.f3 and next move the king will be mated (19. Rd1) ) 15.g3 h6 16.bxc5+ bxc5 17.b7! Excellent! Now all white's pieces participate in the attack. d7 18.d3! e8 19.f5!! xf7 20.e4+ xe4 21.xd7# ] [ 13...cxb4 loses quickly to 14.c5+ xc5 15.a4+ d6 16.b2 b5 17.d3 ] 14.0-0-0 [ 14.bxc5+ was thought to be a winning move, but recent games have changed the evaluation of this position: xc5 15.d1 a3! ( GM Vladimir Bagirov a leading expert in the Alekhine's, in his book considers only 15...f5 which is insufficient: 16.d3 xd3 17.e6+ c7 18.xe5+ d8 19.xd3 The text is a decisive improvement.) 16.d3 c1+!! 17.xc1 xf7 18.c5+ c7! ( 18...xc5? 19.a4+ d6 20.b6 b8 21.f4+ e5 22.c4+ c5 23.xe5 g8 24.f7 a8 25.e3+ b4 26.b3+ a5 27.b6+ a4 28.c5+- mating ) 19.f4+ d8 20.a4 f5 21.d4 e8 22.c4 d8 23.0-0 c2 24.b6 e5 25.d6 xd6 1 Wydrowski-Krzyzanowski,A/corr/1993/ ] 14...cxb4! A very important novelty. [ After 14...xb4? 15.c2! white's attack is unstoppable: b5 16.xe5+ xe5 17.d6! f5+ 18.d3 xd3+ 19.xd3 xc4 643
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.e1+ f5 21.d5++winning in Wierzbicki-Krzyzanowski/ corr/1994/ ] 15.a4 xf2 16.c5+ d7 17.xe5 e3+ 18.b1 xe5 19.b6+ c7 20.d6+ [ After 20.xa8+ b8 21.b6 g4 22.c4 c3 it's black who attacks the king! ] 20...b8 21.d7 xd7 22.xd7 a7 After a long journey Black's king is safe. But we cannot say the same about white's king. 23.d1 e4 Queen and knight are usually very strong as an attacking combination. 24.xa8 c3+ 25.c1 xd1 26.xd1 xc5 27.d3 xa8-+ After the complications black is three pawns up and should easily win. 28.f1 e5 29.e1 e7 30.xg7 d8 31.e2 d5 32.d1 [ 32.xe7 xg2+ 33.e3 h3+ 34.f2 xh2+ 35.f1 g8 36.g6 f4+ 37.e2 xg6 38.d8+ a7 39.d5 c6-+ winning ] 32...c5 So we can see that both sides have chances in the 5.. .Nd7 line. At the moment it seems that black is doing well in this line. Take a risk and win! 0-1
629 Narayana,Samy S Nakamura,Hikaru Gibtelecom Masters (2) [John Watson]
B04 2229 2651 24.01.2007
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.e3 g7 8.e2 c6 9.c1 0-0 10.b3 f5 11.f3!? [ 11.d5! is critical, especially in view of e5 12.f4 ( or 12.g4 c8 13.f4 ) 12...ed7 13.g4 xc3+ 14.xc3 e4 15.f3 with a solid advantage. ] 11...d5! Now Black has something to play for. 12.0-0 [ 12.c5 c8 13.0-0 g4 transposes. ] 12...g4 13.c5 c8 14.b4 a6 This is all standard strategy. W hether Black has completely equalised is unclear, but he's not doomed to passive defence. 15.b1 [ 15.a4!? xb4 ( 15...e6!? 16.b5 ) 16.b3 a5 17.a2 xa2 18.xa2 and oddly enough, Black's weak b-pawn makes this about equal. ]
15...e6 16.a4 xf3 17.xf3 8e7 Now ...Nf5 and ...e5 are threats, but White's at t a ck co m es ju st in t im e : 18.b5 a5 Watching over c4. [ Or 18...axb5 19.axb5 a5 ] 19.g5!? [ White should probably take the opportunity to play 19.bxa6 bxa6 , which he loses later. Although Black gets c6 for a knight, the b-file is useful and the pawn on a6 will be a target. 20.d3 ( Or 20.g5 )] 19...h6 20.xe7!? xe7 21.d3 fd8 22.bxa6 xa6! See the last note. Now W hite's pawn on a4 will be a problem, and B l a c k h a s c 6 a n y w a y . 23.b5!? c6 24.d6? A blunder. White leaves his centre hanging. a7 25.b6 [ 25.b5 xa4 ] 25...xd4! [ 25...xd4 26.fb1 is advantageous, but not as clear. ] 26.xc6 xa4! 27.b5? But Black will win material anyway after [ 27.c8 f8! ] 27...bxc6?! [ 27...xf2+! 28.xf2 bxc6 picks up another pawn. ] 28.xd4 c8 29.g3? Now it's really over. White had to try [ 29.d1 or ] [ 29.g4 , both hopeless in the long run. ] 29...e5 Ouch. [ 29...xc5 30.xe6 is less clear. ] 30.b3 [ 30.e1 xc5 ] 30...f6 The rest goes smoothly. 31.g2 a3 32.c2 b8 33.d2 e4 34.c1 a2 35.xe4 d4 36.xd5 xd5 37.c4 xc5 38.c3 b4 0-1
630 Nataf,Igor Alexandre Konopka,Michal KB Czech Open (round 7) (7) [Glenn Flear]
B04 2560 2441 25.07.2002
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 cxd6!? The most dynamic option. 6.c3 g6 7.h3 644
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Instead 7.e3 g7 8.c1 0-0 9.b3 is the line that has been causing Black some problems these past few years but ECO suggests a way that seems to get Black a decent game e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c5 6d7 13.c4 c6 14.f3 a5! 15.e2 b6! the key move. ( 15...c6?! 16.b5! f8 17.d6 e6 18.c4 cd4 19.g5 gave White a promising initiative in Mitkov-C.Toth, V. Toth Memorial 2000) 16.cxb6 ( 16.b4 c6 17.b5 d4 18.c6 c5 19.0-0 a6 with suf f icient coun terplay f o r Black P . C a r l s s o n - L o g d a h l , S w e d i s h t c h 2 0 0 1) 16...xb6 17.0-0 b7 18.fd1 c6= Zukauskas-Bandza, Latvian ch 1997 ] 7...g7 8.f3 0-0 9.e2 c6 10.0-0 f5 11.f4 [ 11.g5 h6 12.e3 d5 13.b3 ( 13.c5 c4 is unfashionable as it's considered OK for Black. ) 13...dxc4 14.bxc4 a5 15.c5 bc4 16.f4 b6 L. Cooper-Burgess, Birmingham 2000 gave Black suf f icient counterchances and the game was soon drawn. ] 11...h6 12.d5 [ 12.e3 Isn't this just an ugly move-order by White!? Even so d5 then transposes to the above note. ] 12...a5 13.d4 A pawn sacrifice for active play against a ropey black structure. axc4 14.b3 e5 15.xf5 gxf5 16.d2 The game has been following an old analysis of Vaganian who helpfully concluded "unclear". h7 17.ac1 g6 18.e3 c8! [ Presumably a prepared improvement. NatafHudecek, Czech open (round 1) 2002 continued 18...e5?! this leads to Black's c e n t r a l p a wn s c o m i n g u n d e r p r e s s u r e 19.dxe6 fxe6 20.b5 d5?! ( 20...d5 c o u l d b e m e t b y 21.c7 but then d4 is still messy e.g. 22.xa8 xa8 23.f4 xf4 24.xf4 e5 with some practical chances for the exchange. Perhaps White s h o u l d i n s t e a d t r y 2 1 R c 7 wi t h s t r o n g threats along the seventh rank (Rxb7 and Bxh6 etc.).) 21.f3 d7 22.xd5 xb5 23.xe6 e5 24.d5 ae8 25.f7 e7 26.xg6+ xg6 27.d3 material is equal and White has clearly the better structure b6 28.c6 d8 29.d1 e6 30.c7
and White had a clear advantage. ] 19.fd1 e6 20.dxe6 fxe6 21.b5 xc1 22.xc1 d5 Unlike in the previous note Black can now safely make this advance as Rc7 is not available and Nc7 no longer forks e6 and the rook on a8. 23.c7 xc7 24.xc7 b2! Ko no p ka dit ch e s h is sickly e 6 p awn a n d p r e p a r e s t o g o a c t i ve . T h i s f i r s t e n t a i l s safeguarding the bishop. 25.f1 [ 25.xe6 e8 26.c7 e7 27.b5 d4 and because of the unfortunate placing of the white bishops, Black is not worse. ] 25...f6 26.f4 f7! Again the knight is invited to capture on e6 as the bishops are loose again. 27.xe6 e7 28.d4 xd4 29.xd4 xf4 30.f3 g6 31.a4 Black has played a sensible game and has emerged with an extra pawn. White has some counterplay but after 31...a5 Black should retain the advantage. W as K on op ka in awe of h is h ighe r ra te d opponent or just short of time? ½-½
631 Navara,David Miroshnichenko,Evgenij 5th IECC Playoff 5th (4) [Andrew Martin]
B04 2602 2599 30.05.2004
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 d7 Still as provocative as ever. 6.xf7! [ 6.f3! e6 7.g3 e7 8.c4 Was played against me once by Vlastimil Jansa and seems like a risk-free way to a small edge. Of course, Black is still on the board. Instead, 6 Nxf7 is as critical as can be and although White trips up in the coming game, Black still has some questions to answer. ] 6...xf7 7.h5+ e6 8.g3! I prefer this to the head-spinning complications after 8 c4 even Mikhail Tal didn't go for it when confronted by Larsen! So to 8 g3, just as dangerous, keeping c2-c4 lurking in the wings, hoping to exploit the precariously placed Knight in d5. In view of threats such as c2-c4 coupled with Bh3, Black's reply has been thought to be forced. b5 Larsen's original intention, should 8 g3 have ever cropped up. I believe he would have breathed a sigh of 645
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 relief when it didn't. [ Can Black possibly get away with 8...g6?! It will be a roller coaster ride at best and I'm not sure Black is coming off the fairground ride alive: 9.h3+ d6 10.e2 7b6 A) 11.xc8 A1) 11...xc8 12.e5+ c6 13.xh8 f6 ( 13...b4!? ) 14.d5+!; A2) 11...xc8 12.e5+ c6 13.xh8 f6 14.0-0 xd4 15.c3 h6 16.xc8 xc8 17.xh6 b4; B) 11.e5+ c6 12.xc8 g7!? 13.xb7+ xb7 14.xg7 d6 15.0-0 hg8 16.h6 f6 17.c3; C) 11.f4+ Other dangerous moves: c6 12.a4 a6 13.g2 e6 14.e5 ( 14.a5! is very strong.) 14...d6 15.xh8 xh8 16.c3 ( 16.a5! again ) 16...d7 17.a5 f4 18.gxf4 d5 19.d2 xf4 20.e4 e7 21.c4 Berelovich, A-Neverov,V/ Cairo 1999 White has finally consolidated h is e xt ra m a t e ria l a n d s t a n d s c le a rl y better. ] 9.a4 c6 10.c3N A novelty no doubt prompted by the speed of the game. I run the risk of being pilloried for annotating blitz games but this variation is too interesting to ignore. Let us see what ECO has to say: [ 10.h3+ The point of flicking the check in is simply to drive the King to d6, sidestepping the resource of our stem game. d6 11.c3 ( 11.e2! e5 12.axb5 cxb5 13.0-0 Lukin-Arkhipov USSR 1979 is given in the latest edition of ECO. I don't know what to make of the evaluation - slightly better seems the wrong description. I like White's safer King and attacking chances, but some greedy citizens might take Black.) 11...e6 ( 11...b4 12.f4+!? xf4 13.e4+ c7 14.a5+ b6 15.e5+ d6 16.xd6 exd6 17.xf4 xh3 V.Popov ) 12.axb5 7f6 13.e2 e7 14.0-0 f7 15.e1 d6 16.xe6+ xe6 17.xe6+ g6 18.f4 h6 19.f5+ h7 Theissen,HKubitza,G/Germany 1992 What a mess! ] 10...g6! A key defensive resource, securing the key square f7 for his King. 11.h3+ f7 12.f3+ 7f6 White's attack is exhausted already. 13.xc8 xc8 14.axb5 cxb5 15.xa7 xc3 16.bxc3 d5-+ It's completely lost now and Navara sportingly
admits def eat. The evaluation of 5...Nd7 remains unchanged: As a surprise weapon brilliant. Objectively dubious. Caught on the nose W hite should play it safe with 6 Nf3!. Memory men can happily venture 6 Nxf7! which is good, but you have to know a lot. 0-1
632 Nijboer,Friso Vaganian,Rafael A Dutch Team Ch. (5) [Nigel Davies]
B04
03.03.2001
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 g6 6.c4 c6 7.d2 White intends to reinforce e5 with his other knight. [ He ca n a lso pla y 7.0-0 g7 8.e1 a f t e r wh ich B la c k e qu a lise d wit h d7!? ( 8...0-0 9.b3 d7 10.f3 7f6 11.c4 c7 12.h3 was better for White in Kasparov - Adams, Linares 1997) 9.f3 7b6 10.f1 g4 11.c3 0-0 12.bd2 c7 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 e6 15.g5 c5 in Huebner Vaganian, Bundesliga 2001. ] 7...g7 8.df3 0-0 9.0-0 d7 10.d3 7b6 11.b3 g4 12.c3 e6 [ Another possibility is 12...a5 , with similar play to the game. ] 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 d7 15.g3 White is s lightly better here, but it's hard work trying to make something out of it. [ T h e r e i s a m a j o r a l t e rn a t ive i n 15.e1 after which Kolev - Panchenko, Villalba 1996 continued in somewhat artificial vein with a5 ( 15...b5 16.g3 a5 17.a3 e8 18.h4 h5 19.g5 f6 20.d2 a4 21.a2 e7 was an earlier Panchenko game as Black against Kruppa from the 1990 Ukranian Championship - no doubt he got the idea to play ...e6-e5 after this encounter ) 16.a4 b6 17.c4 ae8?! 18.e2 d8 19.d2 and now e5? 20.xd5 cxd5 21.xd5 exd4 22.xe8 xe8 23.cxd4 b6 24.xd8 xd8 25.xa5 left Black a pawn down. ] 15...a5 16.a4 e8 17.e1 b6 18.c4 c7 19.xc7 xc7 20.f4 ec8 21.ad1 b5 22.b3 f8 23.a1 d5 24.g3 a7 25.e2 ca8 26.f3 b7 27.f2 c7 28.g3 646
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 5b6 29.g2 xa4 I'm not sure Black 1991.; s h o u ld h a ve d o n e t h is a s h is qu e e n sid e B) 10...c6 11.d2 a6 12.df3 f6 pawns are now split. He probably got tired of 13.d3 e6 14.e1 f7 15.e2 e8 waiting - and in any case this isn't much for 16.f4 ac7 17.c4 with a clear edge White. 30.xa4 bxa4 31.xa4 b6 32.a2 was Mokry-Schroll, Vienna 1991. ] a4 33.f4 d6 34.c2 b7 35.f3 f5 9.xf7+! This sharp w is the only way to fight 36.e2 f7 37.c4 d7 38.c5 c7 39.c3 for an opening advantage. The alternatives ba7 40.ca3 f6 41.e1 e8 42.b3 are absolutely harmless: d5 43.xa4 xa4 44.xa4 xa4 45.bxa4 [ 9.e2 0-0 10.dxe5 c5 and if anyone is d7 46.b2 h5 47.c4 h4 48.f3 hxg3 better it is Black. ] 49.xg3 c8 50.b2 d8 51.f2 b7 [ 9.dxe5 xe5 10.xd8+ xd8 11.g5 52.c4 f6 53.e3 a6 54.e2 g7 e8 12.c3 h6 13.ge4 a6 14.e3 55.d3 b4+ 56.d2 d5 57.d3 b4+ g4 15.0-0-0 xe3 16.fxe3 f5 17.f2 c6 58.d2 18.d3 e5 and White had nothing for the ½-½ pawn in Nicholson-Khmelnitsky, Budapest 1990. ] [ 9.g5 e6 10.xe6 0-0! 11.0-0 exd4 633 B04 12.a2 e5 and again Black is a healthy pawn up as in Gavric-Khmelnitsky, Pula Oral,Tomas 2540 1990. ] Nicholas 2570 10.g5+ g8 11.e6 e8 Reykjavik 2000 9...xf7 12.xc7 d8! This move was introduced by [Alexander Volzhin] American GM Lev Alburt in the early nineties. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 This line had previously been discredited 5.c4 b6 6.b3 g7 7.a4 dxe5!? because of a game in which Black had played A v e r y s h a r p m o v e w h i c h l e a d s t o w i l d 1 2 . . . Q f 7 , b u t d id n o t ge t e n o u gh f o r t h e excha n ge . A lb urt 's mo ve is a signif ic a n t complications. 8.a5 [ 8.xe5 is harmless: xe5! 9.dxe5 xd1+ im p r o ve m e n t . No w W h i t e 's K n ig h t c a n ' t 10.xd1 c6 and in this ending Black has escape from a8. 13.xa8 [ W hite can take a draw: 13.e6 e8 no real problems: 11.a5 d7 12.e6 fxe6 14.c7 as he did in Svidler-Khalifman 1995, 13.xe6 de5 In this position the activity of however White can hardly be happy with this Black's pieces is ample compensation for his result. ] pawn weaknesses. 14.xc8 ( 14.b3 g4+ The critical position of this line. 15.e1 0-0-0 was Jelica-Sasu Ducsoara, 13...exd4 14.c3 c5 15.cxd4 Istanbul(ol) 2000.) 14...xc8 15.f3 d8+ [ The tempting 15.b4?! is too optimistic: e4 16.d2 0-0 and Black's chances were by no 16.b3+ e6 17.cxd4 c6! ] means bad in Pikula -Sutter, Biel 1996 . 15...xd4 16.e3 An attempt at an ( 16...c4!? is not bad either. )] improvement. 8...6d7 [ 16.0-0 was played in Christiansen-Alburt [ 8...d5 is possible but the position arising USA 1990, but this move didn't yield White after 9.xe5 is similar to a position from the even e qua lity! T he ga me con t in ue d : e5 Kengis Variation (4...dxe5 5.Nxe5 g6 6.Bc4), 17.e3 ba6! 18.c3 f5! 19.c1 b u t t h e p a wn b e i n g o n a 5 i s c l e a r ly i n ( 19.b5!? deserves serious attention.) White's favour: 0-0 10.0-0 19...g7! 20.xd4 xd4! 21.b4?! A) Th e ac t ive 10...c5 is strongly met by After this inaccuracy W hite is in trouble. 11.xf7! with a huge edge for White: xf7 ( 21.xd4 exd4 22.b5 should be played ( 11...xf7 is even worse in view of and after xa8 23.xd4 f6 Black is 12.dxc5 e6 13.c4 ) 12.f3+ g8 slightly better.) 21...d3 22.e2 d7 13.xd5+ xd5 14.xd5+ e6 15.e4 23.c3 xa8 24.g4 b2! 25.c1 d3 cxd4 16.g5 and White had a 26.xb2 xg4+ 27.g3 xf1 28.xf1 comfortable edge in Nunn-Schroll, Vienna 647
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d4 and Black was winning. ] 16...e5 17.xd4 exd4 18.0-0 ba6 Obviously the Knight on a8 is trapped, but B l a ck n e e d s s o m e t e m p i t o t a k e i t . T h e question is can W hite utilise this time efficiently? 19.d2 e6 20.e1 f7 21.e4 d3 22.b4 xe4 23.xe4 g7 24.a3 d2 25.e2 e8 26.xe8 xe8 27.a2 xa8 28.xd2 The progress of the game is typical of this line. Black has managed to win the Knight o n a 8, bu t h as ha d to give up his c e n t ra l p a wn . No w t h e re is a p p ro xim a t e m a t e ria l e qu a lit y o n t h e b o a rd . W h it e i s slightly for preference here, since the Black forces are uncoordinated and his King is slightly exposed. c8 29.d8 e6 30.h3 [ 30.d4+ is worth considering: g8 31.h3 and Black can't grab the pawn on b4: e1+ 32.h2 xb4 in vi e w o f 33.c4+ g7 34.d4! and Black can't avoid loss of material: c6 35.e4! xf2 36.xe8 ] 30...e5! Now Black is out of danger. 31.d5 c3 32.e2 xb4 33.xe8? A time trouble blunder. [ 33.e7+ w a s g o o d e n o u g h : f7 ( 33...h6?? 34.f8+ g7 35.f4+ g5 36.xb4 ) 34.d8! and Black hardly has anything better than a draw by perpetual check: c1+ 35.h2 f4+ 36.g1 c1+ ] 33...c1+! [ White resigned since he loses a piece: 33...c1+ 34.h2 f4+ 35.g1 xd5 36.d7+ f7 ] 0-1
[ I like 7.f3! stepping up the pressure, for instance : e6 8.0-0 d7 9.c3 xe5 10.dxe5 c7 11.xe6 xe6 12.e3 g6 13.e4 c8 14.f4 g7 15.a4 Balzar,A-Birk, S/Germany 2003 W hite's advantage is obvious, but to win such a position is not so easy. ] 7...d7 8.df3 e6 [ 8...xe5! appears logical, relieving the cramp by exchanging. Then 9.xe5 e6 10.0-0 d6 11.e1 0-0 12.c3 c7 13.e2 ad8 Stefansson, H-Luther,T/ Malmo 2002 is as close to equality as Black is going to get. ] 9.c3 d6 10.e2 0-0?! It is very hard to give this move an outright question mark but it does allow White an opportunity that, say [ 10...xe5 11.xe5 b6 12.b3 h4 or ] [ 10...h6 11.d2 ( 11.0-0 0-0 ) 11...c7 did not. ] 11.g4! On the case immediately. Black is passive in the centre with no real chance to break out, so this f lank attack is entirely justified. xe5 12.xe5 xe5 13.dxe5 g6 14.h4 h6 15.h5 h7 16.g1! I like the directness of White's approach. Black is not given even a single second's grace to organise the defence. Potkin comes straight through. b6 17.g5! xc4 18.xc4 d3 [ 18...d3 19.xd3 xd3 20.gxh6 g6 21.g5 is awful for Black. ] 19.f4 hxg5 20.xg5 The presence of opposite-coloured Bishops only enhances White's attack. d5 [ 20...f6 21.g3! c2 22.e3 f7 23.exf6 xf6 24.xf6 xf6 25.e2 h7 26.ag1 634 B04 f7 27.d4 is horrible again. Black is utterly passive. ] Potkin,Vladimir 2540 Kopylov,Mihail 2432 21.f3 fd8 22.e3 b5 23.b3 [ I am not sure why White didn't choose 8th OIBM Bad Wiessee GER (7) 05.11.2004 23.0-0-0! which seems like the most obvious [Andrew Martin] way. Black has very little defence on the K i n g s i d e : f8 ( 23...g6 24.h1 c4 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 25.xc4 xc4 26.hxg6 d3 27.gxf7+ 5.xe5 c6 Definitely the ' in move'. although I xf7 28.h6+- ) 24.dg1 f5 25.xg7 am sure that is prompted by dissatisfaction e7 26.g5++- Maybe Potkin doesn't know with Black's other options rather than on the castling rule?! ] objective merit. Black is solid, but passive in 24.f2 That was his idea. d3 this line and White has a number of ways to 23...f5 be slightly better. If that's your thing, fine! 25.xg7+! f8 [ 25...xg7 26.g1+ f8 ( 26...g6 6.c4 f5 7.d2 648
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 27.f6+ f8 28.xg6 will do. c2+ 8...g4 29.g3+- ) 27.b4+! ] [ Or 8...f5 9.0-0 e6 10.c4 b4 11.a3 26.g5 e8 27.f6 Such a game points up e7 Fiorito, F-Soppe, G/Tres de Febrero the problems with 5..c6. Black is relying on 2003 and now I feel that White has a slight novelty and a lack of published theory to a d va n t a ge a f t e r 12.f4! 0-0 ( 12...a5 survive. As we've seen in this very update, 13.b3 0-0 14.fd1 ) 13.b3 Black's position reacts well to the immediate Naturally these positions are manageable as sa ult wit h 6 c4 ,b ut 6 Bc4 see m s mo re for Black although either ... c6-c5 or ...e6troubling. e5 seem a long way off. ] 1-0 9.0-0 e6 10.e1 e7 11.h3 h5 12.e5 xe2 13.xe2 0-0 14.c4 The first crunch moment. Has Black equalized? I don't think so. 635 B04 He is solid, but lacks space and has no active Quillan,Gary 2322 plan. f6 15.e3 bd7 16.c3 b4 [ 16...xe5 17.dxe5 d7 18.ad1 c7 Cox,John J 2311 19.f4 fd8 20.e4 leads to a position 4NCL 2005-06 (4) 20.11.2005 reminiscent of a poor Centre-Counter. Black [Andrew Martin] can only make a draw at best by trading on the d file. ] LISTEN TO W HAT THE PREACHER SAID 1.e4 f6 He writes about it enough. 2.e5 17.g5 xc3 18.bxc3 c7 19.ad1 c5 [ 19...xe5 20.xe5 xe5 21.dxe5! d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 rather surprisingly gives a large advantage Taste. 5...c6 has plenty of miles left in the to White. The Rook comes to d7. ] tank. Please note the awful pun. I'm sure Tony would have approved. 6.c4 d7 20.d3 cxd4 21.cxd4 xe5 22.dxe5 d7 23.d4 7.f3 7b6 [ The direct 23.g3 looks promising: fc8 [ 7...e6 looks more sensible to me, keeping ( 23...h8 24.e7 fc8 25.h5! g6 the Black Knights off the same circuit. After 26.h6 g8 27.e4+- ) 24.h6 g6 25.g4 t h a t m a y c o m e 8.0-0 b5 9.d3 b7 a6 26.e4 ab8 27.g5 b5 28.cxb5 axb5 10.e1 e7 11.bd2 0-0 12.e4 a6 29.d4 Black will be continually hampered 13.g5 xg5 14.fxg5 h6 15.f3 c5! by his weakened King position. ] The break Black is hoping will bring him sa lva t io n . 16.c4 ( 16.d6 c6 17.e5 23...fe8 24.h5 f8 25.h4 h6 26.f6 [ 26.xh6 gxh6 27.xh6 g6 28.ee4! xe5 18.dxe5 g5; 16.xc5 xc5 is the most accurate way of busting open the 17.dxc5 c7; 16.dxc5 c7 ) 16...bxc4 B l a c k K i n g . ( 28.h7+ f8 although 17.xc4 e7 18.c1 cxd4 19.xd4 fd8 th re a te nin g, d o es n o t le a d to a win f o r 20.f1 a5 21.e5 xe5 22.xe5= White. ) 28...ac8 29.ef4! The point. An Lutz, C-Luther, T/Essen 2002 ] accident looms on f7. ] 8.e2! Gary Quillan doesn't play a great deal these days, but he does play very solidly and 26...g6 27.ee4?! [ 27.xg7 xg7 28.xh6+ g8 29.ee4! ] properly. He presumes Black will shut down the a2-g8 diagonal and so stations his Bishop 27...gxf6 28.exf6 ed8 29.g3 f8?? [ 29...xh4 was the remarkable get-out as sensibly as he can. In my view Black is clause: 30.xh6 ( 30.xh4 f8 31.xh6+ struggling to prove full equality against this e8 32.f8+! d7 33.xf7+ c8 plan. 34.xe6+ d7 35.e4 ) 30...d1+ [ 8.b3 g4 9.h3 h5 10.0-0 e6 11.e1 31.h2 xg3+!! 32.fxg3 d2+ 33.g1 e7 12.bd2 0-0 13.e4 f6 14.xf6+ f3+ 34.f1 h2+= It is very hard to see xf6 15.c3= Casella, M-Taylor, T/Los this variation over the board. ] Angeles 2004 leads to nothing for W hite. No t e t h a t t h e B ish op o n b 3 will a lm o st 30.xe6! fxe6 31.xh6+ f7 32.g7+! certainly be repositioned on c2 in the coming e8 33.xc7 [ 33.xg6+ w a s e v e n s p e e d i e r : d7 play. ] 649
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 34.h7+ c8 35.xc7+ xc7 36.f7+ d7 37.xe6+- ] 33...d7 34.c5 xh4 35.h5+ f7 36.xh4 d8 37.g4 d4 38.h5 xc4 39.b5+ c6 40.g5 d7 Eventually a very exciting game. As far as the opening goes Black was always a bit worse. 1-0
636 Radulski,Julian Laketic,Gojko SCG First League m (6) [Andrew Martin]
B04 2521 2479 22.10.2005
Coming up a rare excursion into one of Lev Alburt's creative lines. Black is quite OK in this game out of the opening. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.b3 g7 7.g5 The older move, but I believe 7 a4 to be superior. e6! 8.f4 dxe5 9.fxe5 c5 Black is hoping that his central pressure will negate White's chances on the f-file and on the kingside in general. 10.c3 cxd4 11.0-0 Humourous. Of course capturing on c3 is impossible. 0-0 12.cxd4 c6 13.f3 f6 A necessary challenge, lest Bg5 comes and the dark squares start to creak. 14.c3 [ 14.exf6 xf6 gives White an undoubted positional advantage, but the Black pieces are so active that he never gets the chance t o r e a l i s e h i s e d g e . 15.e3 d5! covering e6 if nothing else. 16.xd5 exd5 17.c3 g4 18.xd5 d6 19.c3 ae8 20.b3+ e6 21.xe6+ xe6 22.e5 xf1+ 23.xf1 xe5 24.dxe5 a5 25.d4 xe5 26.xe5 xe5 27.a4 f5 28.d1 f7 Bittencourt, J-Fier, A/Belo Horizonte 2 0 0 4 I t is c l e a r t h a t t h i s li n e d o e s n o t trouble Black. ] 14...fxe5 15.g5 d7 16.dxe5 xd1N A novelty however there is nothing wrong with 16...Nxe5 , as you are about to see: [ 16...xe5 17.xe5 xf1+ 18.xf1 d4+ 19.h1 xe5 20.d8 ( 20.e7 d7 21.e1 f5 22.e2 e8 23.d6 f6 24.e4 xb2 25.f3 c6 26.f1 h8 27.g4 d4 28.c2 xe4 29.d1 f5 0-1 Pupols, V-Alburt, L/USA 1987; 20.h4 d7 21.e1 f8 Morozov, D-Sabaev, S/
P s k o v 1 9 9 8) 20...d7 21.e1 h5 22.xb6 axb6 23.d3 c6 24.xe6+ h8 25.g3 e8 26.h3 c5 27.b3 e5 28.h4 g7 29.f1 f8 30.c4 f2! 31.xc5 xf1+ 32.g1 xg1+ 33.xg1 d4+ 34.f1 f6 35.g8 h5 36.c4 h4 37.d3 g5 38.e4+ f5!! 39.d2+ f4 40.e2 xb2 0-1 Dueckstein , A-Fauland, A/ Austria 1989 The references suggest that this is not a variation which is frequently used these days. 7 Ng5 is uncommon. ] 17.axd1 xe5 18.xe5 xf1+ 19.xf1 xe5 I like Black here too. He's pawn up for the time being and the Knight on b6 plays a very useful role protecting the Rook on a8, should the W hite Rook come to the eighth rank. 20.a4 g7 [ 20...f7 might be marginally better, keeping an eye on e6. ] 21.a5 d7 22.e4 b6 [ 22...f8! was more accurate: A) 23.d8 b6 24.axb6 ( 24.e7? a6+ ) 24...axb6 25.d6 a6+ 26.c4 xd8 27.xd8 xd6 28.xa6 c5; B) 23.e7 b6! ] 23.xe6 a6+ 24.g1 f8 25.d5 c8 26.axb6 axb6 27.a1 b5 28.a7+ d7 29.e3 c7 30.a8 f6 The position looks very drawish now. 31.xf6 xf6 32.h4 [ 32.xb6 c1+ 33.f2 xb2 ] 32...xb2 33.f8+ g7 34.g8+ f6 35.f8+ e5! Going for it! 36.f3 [ 36.f4+ is tempting but I doubt White can win after xd5 37.xc7 d4+ 38.h2 d3 Black's extra queenside pawn, the strong bishop and White's offside King give ample compensation for the exchange. No wonder Radulski didn't go for this! ] 36...d4 37.xd4+ xd4 38.f6 d3 [ 38...c5 ] 39.f2 d7 40.e6 [ 40.xb6 ] 40...c4 41.e1?! The latter stages of the game are without doubt affected by the clock. d5 42.e2 xf3?? [ 42...f7 43.d2+ c4 ] 43.d2+ e5 44.xd7 h5 45.xh7 f4 46.b7 Despite the final result, Alburt's 7...e6 is holding up well. 1-0
650
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 637 Reyniers,Pieter Marin,Mihail XXVII Andorra Open (1) [John Watson]
B04 2046 2583 18.07.2009
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.b3 g7 7.g5 [ and 7.a4 ] [ 7.e2 are well-known alternatives. ] 7...e6 Alburt's defence. 8.f3 [ 8.f4 is the main option. ] 8...d7!? A sideline, perhaps meant to throw off his much lower-rated opponent. [ The famous main line is 8...e7 9.e4 dxe5 10.g5 b4+ 11.c3 a5 12.f6 ( 12.f6+ f8 13.d5 e4 has been widely tes te d an d is d yna mica lly equa l 14.g3 a6 ) 12...xf6 13.xf6 0-0 14.xe5 xe5 15.dxe5 with a small endgame pull for White. ] [ 8...0-0 is almost never played: 9.h3 h6 ( 9...h5 10.g4 ) 10.f3 with the idea Bxh6 is difficult for Black: dxe5 ( 10...a5 11.xh6 a4 12.g5 dxe5 13.d2! axb3 14.de4! ) 11.dxe5 c6 12.xh6 xe5 13.g5 ( 13.xg7 ) 13...d3+!? 14.cxd3 xb2 15.0-0 xa1 16.d2 with a strong attack. ] 9.e4 dxe5 10.f6+ [ 10.dxe5 is also good, for example, d4 ( or 10...a5 11.f6+ xf6 12.xf6 g8 but W hite still stands better af ter 13.a4; 10...xe5?! 11.f6+ xf6 12.xf6 g8 13.h4 f5?! 14.c3 c6 15.g5 d4 16.xh7 e5+ 17.f1 g7 18.xg7 xg7 19.e1 d7 20.b5 and White is on top, Van der Wiel, J-Hoeksema, Netherlands 1991) 11.bc3 ( 11.c3 xe5 12.f4 followed by Bxc7 wins the dark squares with some advantage, although this isn't so clear.) 11...c6 12.0-0 ( I like the looks of 12.e3! xe5 13.0-0-0 with attack ) A) 12...xe5 13.g3 ( but 13.f4! ) 13...bd7 14.e3 b4 15.a3 a5 , when White could keep the advantage by 16.fd1 0-0 17.a4! threatening b4; B) 12...xe5 13.f4 f5 14.g3!? a5!? ( 14...d4 15.e3; 14...c5 15.ce4 e7 16.g5 ) 15.xc7 d4?! 16.f4 0-0 17.fe1 b5 Ramesh, R
(2484) -Gozzoli, Y (2429), Abu Dhabi 2004, and Finkel points out 18.e5! ] 10...xf6 11.xf6 g8 12.dxe5 d4 13.c3! Probably Marin was regretting his opening choice. He may have expected [ 13.f4 8d7 14.g5 , when Black may already be slightly better, e.g., ( 14.h4 xe5 15.xh7?? f3+ 16.gxf3 h8 ) 14...c5 ( 14...a5! 15.a4 c5 ) 15.c3 a5 16.a3 a4 17.a2 e4 18.xe4 xe4+ 19.d1 d7 and Black stood much better in Ljubojevic, L (2625) -Alburt, L (2565), USA 1990. ] [ Or 13.f4 c6 ( 13...xf4 14.xf4 a5 15.a4 d7 16.0-0 c6 ) 14.xd4 xd4 15.c3 d7 16.e3 xb3 17.axb3 c6 18.0-0 d7 19.b4 b6 20.d4 e7 21.b5 b7 22.a3!? ( 22.f4 a6 23.bxa6 xa6 24.f2 ) 22...a6 23.bxa6 xa6 24.xa6 xa6 25.a1 a8 26.e4 b7 wit h a p p ro xim a t e e qu a li t y, G e e n e n , M (2329)-Cornette, M (2329), France 2003. ] 13...8d7 14.e3? White's big chance for an upset goes by the wayside. He should have played either: [ 14.f4!? , for example, xf4 15.xf4 g5 16.e3 ( 16.g3! is still better: c5 17.h4 g4 18.b5 d8 19.d1+ d7 20.c3 ) 16...xe5 17.b5 d8 18.d4 bd7 19.0-0-0 a6 20.c3 e7 21.he1 with an ongoing initiative, Hoff mann, M (2370)-Schulze, U (2400), Germany 1991. ] [ Or, be tt er yet , 14.g5! h6 ( 14...c6 15.e3! xe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.e4 ed7 18.c4! c5 19.0-0-0; 14...xe5+ 15.xe5 xe5 16.b5 with the idea d7 17.f4 f6 18.0-0-0+ ) 15.xh6 xe5+ 16.e3! xe3+ 17.xe3 with a big advantage. ] 14...xc3+! [ 14...xe3+ 15.fxe3 xf6 16.exf6 d7 isn't so bad either. ] 15.bxc3 xf6 16.exf6 d7 17.0-0-0 c6 18.f3 d7 [ 18...g5! ] 19.he1 [ 19.g5 ] 19...0-0-0 20.d4 g5 21.h3 g6 22.c4 xf6 23.d3 h6 24.e5? [ 24.xa7 ] 24...d5! 25.de1 h4 26.xd5 xd5 651
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 27.e5 h6 28.f2 a4 Black has material and attack. 29.b2 f4 30.f1 d5 31.a3 c4 32.e4 b5 33.xc4 xc4 34.xc4 bxc4 35.g3 e2 36.xa7 xg3 37.f2 f1 38.c1 h2 39.d2 xf3+ 40.e3 e5 41.g3 g6 42.f3 f5 43.a4 b7 44.a5 e5 0-1
638 Rozentalis,Eduardas Sokolov,Andrei Bern op Berna (5) [Alexander Volzhin]
B04 2585 2565 1992
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 An old move, revived by Bent Larsen. 5.xe5 Now let's have a look at the provocative 5... Nd7.This is one of the most interesting lines in Alekhine's Defence. For many years this move was considered to be bad, but this game ( at the very top level!) has proved that black's resources should not be underestimated. d7!? 6.xf7!? As other moves are rather harmless, this knight sacrifice is the only attempt to fight for the advantage. xf7 7.h5+ e6 The king has to go to the centre. [ 7...g8?? 8.xd5+ e6 9.xe6# ] [ 7...g6 8.xd5++- winning ] 8.c4 [ After some fiascos with 8.c4 white switched to 8.g3 but b5 9.a4 c6 10.axb5 g6 11.e2+ f7 12.bxc6 7b6 leads to an unclear position. Very few games have been played in this line ,so here is a wide field for future investigations. ] 8...5f6 9.d5+ d6 10.f7 [ The seemingly strong 10.f4+? fails to e5! 11.c5+ ( 11.dxe6+ xe6 and after the queen 's re trea t the king escapes to f 7) 11...e7 12.g5 e8-+ winning in Andreev-Kharlamov, USSR 1981 ] 10...e5!? After considering different knight moves the conclusion is obvious: the knight should go to the centre! [ 10...b8 is bad: 11.c5+ d7 ( 11...xc5 12.e3+ d6 13.a3! a6 14.c4+ d7 15.d6! winning ) 12.b5+ c6 13.dxc6+ bxc6 ( 13...xc6? 14.0-0+-
winning ) 14.0-0 c7 15.f4+ with a strong attack: b7 16.b3! ] [ 10...b6 is also insufficient. The following line shows how difficult it is to defend this position: 11.c3 e8 12.f4+ d7 13.e6+ d8 14.e5 d7 15.0-0-0 The previous moves were forced. Black is a piece up, but white has ample compensation. First of all, c5 is threatened, winning the knight back. e8 (protecting the c7 square) 16.d3! The queen exchange after ( 16.c5 f5 17.cxb6 xe5 18.xe5 axb6 simplifies the defence) 16...d6 17.c5 f7 18.e3 g5 19.g3 g7 20.b5 f5 21.he1 f6 22.cxb6 axb6 23.d6! wins ] 11.f4 Now 12.c5 is threatened, so black's next move is forced. c5 12.c3 [ 12.dxc6? a5+ 13.c3 xc6-+ is simply bad-black wins ] [ 12.d2 in my opinion doesn't promise w h i t e t o o m u c h : g5! ( 12...e8?? 13.e4+!+- winning ) 13.g3 g4 14.0-0-0 h6! ( theory considers 14...g8 15.e1 g5 as the only defence, but my analysis proves that the text is even better) 15.e1 f8 16.xe5+ d7 17.e6+ e8 Is white's queen trapped? Not at all! 18.d6! exd6 19.xf6+ d7 20.xd8 xd8 and black has excellent compensation for a pawn. ] 12...a6 [ 12...d7? is a b l u n d e r 13.b5+ xb5 14.e6+ winning ] 13.0-0-0 [ A f t e r t h i s g a m e t h e m o v e 13.b4 became white's main weapon. W e'll consider it in the next game. ] 13...g6! This is the point. 14...Bh6 is threatened. 14.xe5+ [ 14.e1 h6!!-+ winning ] 14...xe5 Black's king is brave isn't he? 15.d6 h6+ 16.c2 e8 17.d5+ What else? xd5 18.xd5+ f6 19.d3 [ A month later the game RublevskyHau ch ard was p layed . W hite p ref erre d 19.e4+ but also lost: g7 20.e5+ f7 ( 20...g8?? 21.f6+!+- winning ) 21.d3 ( 21.dxe7 f5 22.d3 xe7 23.d6+ xd6 24.xd6 ad8 25.c7+ d7 ) 21...g7 22.f4+ g8 23.e1 f8 24.g5 exd6 25.d5+ f7 26.xd6 652
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xd5 27.e8+ f8 28.cxd5 c4 29.xc4 b5 30.b3 g7 ( The last trap: 30...f5+?? 31.xf5 xe8 32.d6+ ) 31.xc8 c5 32.e7+ h6 0 -1. ] 19...exd6-+ winning 20.xd6+ f7 T h e d re a m c a m e t ru e ! T h e k in g is s a f e ! 21.e4 c6 22.e5 d8 with the idea of ... Bf5 and ...Rxd3 0-1
pawn. ] 14.cxd5 xd5 15.xd5 cxd5 16.xd5 e6 17.xb7 c5 18.c7 b3 19.xd8 fxd8 20.ad1 Black has no compensation. f6 21.e5 xe5 22.xe5 xd1 23.xd1 c8 24.f3 [ Another idea is 24.a6!? c5 25.d8+ h7 26.d3+ g6 27.f4 ] 24...g5 25.d3 c5 26.g4 g7 27.f2 f5 28.e1 d4 29.e5! c1 30.e3! b3 31.xe6 e1+ 32.e2 fxg4 33.f2 c1 639 B04 34.d3 gxf3 35.gxf3 c5 36.g6+ f7 Rublevsky,Sergei 2676 37.f5 d1 38.c6 b3? A blunder, but the e7 Carlsen,Magnus 2714 g a m e w a s l o s t a n yw a y . 39.e6+ World Blitz Moscow RUS blitz (25) 22.11.2007 40.xb3 d2+ 41.g3 xb2 42.g8 h5 43.c7+ f6 44.xa7 h4+ 45.h3 f2 [John Watson] 46.d5 e5 47.e4 f4 48.f7+ e3 Another Blitz game. Rublevsky is incredibly 49.f5 g4+ 50.fxg4 well-prepared, so W hite's treatment bears 1-0 watching. Black will definitely have to find an improvement. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 B04 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.e2 f5 7.0-0 640 The Kasparov/Polgar/Anand 7 g4!? isn't right Sarma,Venu 2382 for Rublevsky's style. d7 8.f3 Miroshnichenko,Evgenij 2680 [ T o n y K o s t e n ' s 8.g4!? is discussed in 2nd Mayors Cup (4) 03.05.2009 Lupulescu-Grunberg. ] [John Watson] 8...e6 9.a3 This idea (preparing c4 and preventing ...Nb4 in response) has been used 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 in various positions, for example, on move 7, 5.xe5 c6 Arguably, this has become the and on move 9 of the main line. e7 main line of the Alekhine Defence! I hope it [ 9...c7 ] doesn't remain so, because I think of the [ or 9...d6 would be more active, Alekhine as a romantic, counterattacking preventing Bf4 and in some cases preparing opening, and this variation is a super-safe, ...Nf4. Black slips into passivity in this game, stodgy one. 6.c4 We've covered a lot about s o m a y b e t h i s wa s a g o o d p o i n t t o d o 5... c6 over the past couple of years. The something positive. ] game 10.c4 5f6 11.c3 h6 [ Dhar-Miroshnichenko, Mumbai 2009 from [ 11...c7!? ] this month followed known paths by 6.c4 12.f4 0-0 13.d5! An instructive positional b4! 7.e3 ( 7.a3? xd4! ) 7...f5 8.a3 break. It's very hard to break down the ...c6/... d7 . White's knight is misplaced on a3, e6 structure, used today in Defences like the and after 9.g4!? Black should have played Caro-Kann, Scandinavian, Alekhine's, and simply e6 with a good game. ] Slav (this column deals with 3 of these!). If [ A s w e ' v e s e e n i n t h i s c o l u m n , 6.d3 you get a chance to do so by playing d5, the is also played and is quite logical, aiming as resulting activation of your pieces will usually it does towards the king and leaving the way favour W hite because of his greater space. o p e n f o r c 4 . A g a i n , d7 should be exd5?! a n s w e r e d b y 7.f3 , when Black has to [ 13...cxd5 14.cxd5 e4 15.d4! xc3 decide how to organise his pieces. Adams16.bxc3 c5 17.f3 is unpleasant for Black, Carlsen, Moscow 2007 went 7f6 8.h3 but probably better than activating all of ( 8.0-0 g4 9.bd2 ) 8...b4 9.c4 f5 White's pieces. As it goes, Black gives up a 10.a3 (see notes to this game in the 653
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Archives) e6 11.c3 bd5 12.c2 e7 ( 12...d6!? ) 13.e3 and perhaps White had a little something. ] 6...g6 [ 6...d7 7.f3 7f6 8.h3 ( maybe in some of these positions White needn't be so worried about ...Bg4, because he hasn't committed his queen's knight. That is, 8.0-0 g4 9.bd2! e6 10.h3 h5 11.e1 ) 8...e6 ( 8...g6 is similar to the main game; 8...f5 9.0-0 e6 is Shirov-Carlsen Moscow 2007 from an earlier update) 9.b3 e7 10.0-0 0-0 11.c4 c7 12.c3 b5 13.g5 ( 13.e2 b7 14.d1 bxc4 15.xc4 cd5 16.e5 wit h a n e d g e) 13...b7 14.e5 bxc4 15.xc4 b5 16.xc6? ( 16.e2! d5 17.xe7 xe7 18.c1 ) 16...xc6 17.xb5 xb5 18.xb5 a5 ( 18...b8! f a vo u r s B l a c k) 19.a4 a6 1/2-1/2 Westerinen-Clemens, Velden 2009. ] 7.0-0 g7 8.e1 0-0 9.b3 d7 10.f3 Exchanges are not necessarily bad, but White needs to avoid a pawn on e5, blocking the efile and presenting a target. e8 11.h3 [ 11.c4 and 12 Nc3 is another setup I feel that White has a small pull regardless. Now Black tries to prevent that: ] 11...b5 12.a4 b4 13.a5 Trying to isolate Black's b-pawn from its support by ...a5, and incidentally depriving a queen or knight access to b6. Perhaps the direct central advance [ 13.c4 promises more: c7 ( 13...bxc3 14.xc3 is a nice-looking isolated queen pawn position in which W hite has space and activity, but also queenside weaknesses to attack, but covering up those weaknesses via xc3 15.bxc3 is depressing) 14.c5! (this cedes to Black a permanent outpost on d5, but establishes lasting pressure in the centre, prevents Black's pawn breaks, and wins an outpost on d6 if Black moves his epawn) f8! ( 14...f6? 15.e5 wins a pawn) 15.f4 ( or 15.e3 e6 16.bd2 ) 15...e6! 16.e5!? xb3 ( 16...d5 17.xd5 xd5 18.bd2 ) 17.xb3 d5 18.bd2 followed by doubling on the e-file. ] 13...a6 14.bd2 [ 14.c4 5f6! 15.f4 c5 is approximately e q u a l t h e n 16.d5 gains space, but opens the a1-h8 diagonal for Black and leaves
White's bishop on b3 poorly placed for the moment (later it goes to a4). ] [ 14.g5!? ] 14...c7 [ 14...e5!? 15.e4! targets d6, but that doesn't necessarily mean much after c7 . Then maybe 16.g5 , having in mind Bh4g3. ] 15.e4 e6!? It's often a bad sign when Black has to sit around, normally indicated by this move it is nevertheless a possible prelude to ... c5. [ An option is 15...h6 16.c4 bxc3 17.bxc3 ab8 ] 16.c4 bxc3 17.bxc3 c5 18.a3 cxd4 19.d6!? [ Better 19.cxd4! 7f6 20.c5 ] 19...d8 20.cxd4 7f6 21.xf6+ xf6 22.c5 b5 [ And now 22...d7 23.b4 c8 was equal. ] 23.e5 d7? 24.d6? Missing or underestimating [ 24.xf7! xf7 25.xe6! xe6 26.xe6+ xe6 27.b3+ c4! 28.e1+ e5 29.xc4+ d5 30.a6+ f7 31.dxe5 ] 24...xe5 [ 24...f6 ] 25.dxe5 a6 26.g4 c8 27.ed1 c3 28.b4 c8 29.a4 c4 30.b3 c3 31.b4 c4 32.b3 xa4!? Brave, but he sh o u ld p ro b a b ly r e p e a t . 33.xa4 c3 34.b6 d8 35.aa1 c6 36.b4 a8 37.ac1 dc8 38.xc6 xc6 39.b6 c2 40.e1 c4 41.b7 h5 42.e3 c6 43.xc6 xc6 With equality. I'll leave it at that, since some terrible mistakes (presumably in time trouble) marred the rest , and th e players deserve better. ½-½
641
B04 Shirov,Alexei 2739 Carlsen,Magnus 2714 World Blitz Moscow RUS blitz (16) 21.11.2007 [John Watson] Finally we get to the current 'main line' of 6 Bc4, although that can change at any minute. I suspect that 6 Bd3 and 6 Be2 are equally 654
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 good. This game doesn't say much for 6 Bc4, at any rate. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.c4 In his article, Finkel calls this the 'Strong Players' move. d7 [ 6...f5 7.f3! is a problem, when Black has no easy way to level things in view of e6 8.xf7! ( 8.d3 is also possible) 8...xf7 9.g4 f6 10.gxf5 xf5 11.d2! with two bishops and more targets to aim at in an ending. ] 7.f3 [ 7.0-0 xe5 8.dxe5 e6!? ( 8...f5 ) 9.b3 g6 10.e2 g7 11.d2!? f4 12.e4 d4!= was recently played in Popilski, G (2238)-Raznikov, D (2162)/ Kemer TUR 2007. ] 7...7f6 And together with 7... N7b6, he calls this 'The critical Line'. [ 7...e6 seems to be hanging in there, however. Anand-Conquest, Calatrava 2007 continued 8.0-0 e7 ( 8...b5 was seen in He rn a n d e z G u e rre ro , G - L u t h e r , T / Do s Hermanas 2003 and Kasimzhanov-Brochet, French Teams 2004, both on ChessPublishing ) A) 9.b3 b5!? 10.e1 0-0 11.a4 7f6 12.e2!? ( 12.g5 is mo re p o in t e d) 12...b4 13.e5 b7 was Skripchenko, A (2456)-Conquest, S (2543)/Pulvermuehle GER 2004, which Martin assesses as equal. Fair enough.; B) 9.e1 0-0 10.bd2 not bad, but ( 10.d3 is a nice alternative, with the idea of c 4 t h e n b5 11.a4 b4 12.c4 bxc3 13.bxc3 gives White space and very active pieces. Maybe this explains why Black h a s n ' t b e e n p l a y i n g 7 . . . e 6 a s m u c h) 10...b5! 11.f1 b7 ( 11...a5!? 12.e4 a6 was played in one game) 12.c3 c7 13.a4 a6 14.e4 5f6 15.g5 fe8 and again, Black may have a very small disadvantage, but it shouldn't be a serious problem with good play. ] [ 7...7b6 8.b3 ( see the Archive for 8.e2 in Quillan-Cox, 4NCL 2005-6. Andrew Ma rt in a pp ro ve s of W h it e's trea tm en t .) 8...g4 9.h3 h5 10.g4!? (interesting but not necessary) ( 10.0-0 ) 10...g6 11.e5 d7! ( 11...e6 12.h4 is a problem then b4+ 13.c3 e7 14.h5 xb1 15.xb1 f6
16.d3 should favour W hite's bishops) 12.xg6 hxg6 13.c4 5f6 14.f4 a5+ 15.c3 0-0-0 intending ... e5, Zhang ZhongYi Jiangchuan, Vuxi 2005 ] 8.h3 [ 8.0-0 g4 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 b6 hits c4 and d4, taking back one bishop. ] 8...f5 9.0-0 e6 [ 9...h6 is Palliser-Ledger on ChessPublishing, when Martin recommends simply 10.d3 xd3 11.xd3 c7 12.c4 .Hard to argue with - W hite has his usual advantages without his usual disadvantages! And ...h6 looks stupid. ] 10.g5 This doesn't achieve much. [ 10.b3 d6!? (yes!) 11.c4 e7 ( darn. 11...f4 is just as good) 12.c3 ( 12.h4 ) 12...h6 Kindermann-Loeffler, Bundesliga 2006/7 and Finkel suggests 13.e2 ] 10...e7 11.bd2 h6 12.xf6 xf6 White only has a space advantage in return for the bishops, and it is shaky. I already prefer Black. 13.c3 0-0 14.b3 c5 15.c2 xc2 16.xc2 c8 17.b3 [ 17.dxc5 establishes the normal Caro-Kann/ French pawn structure 4:3 vs 3:2. I like Black. ] 17...c7 18.fe1 fd8 19.ad1 cxd4 20.xd4 c5 21.2f3 d5 22.c4!? Obviously weakening, although it's connected with a simplification plan. d7 23.b5 b6!? 24.e2? xd1+ 25.xd1 xf2+! 26.xf2 e4 27.d4 xd4 28.fxd4 xf2 29.xf2 xc4 30.b3 c5 31.xa7?! In light of the threat ...e5. Otherwise, [ 31.a3 a5 32.dc2 e5! ( 32...b5 33.f3 b4?! 34.c4 xa2 35.xb4 isn't what Black was after. )] 31...a5 32.c8 xa2+ 33.g3 b2 34.f4 [ 34.d6 d2 ( 34...e5? 35.c4 ) 35.6b5 e5 36.f5 d3+ 37.f2 xb3 ] 34...xg2 35.d6 d2 36.e3 h2 37.xb7 xh3+ 38.e2 e5 39.f3 e4 40.d2 f5 41.b4 f4! 42.d6 h2+ 43.e1 e3 44.f3 b2 45.b5 g5 46.e5 h5 47.d3 b3 48.c5 b1+ 49.e2 h4 50.e6 h3 0-1
655
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 642 Short,Nigel D Miles,Anthony J 2nd IECC Ohrid MKD (13) [Nigel Davies]
B04 44.d4 47.b6 1-0 14.06.2001
b8
45.c5
643 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.c4 c7 [ Black has also played the naive-looking 6...b4 and perhaps it isn't bad. In fact even Michael Adams obtained very little out of the opening in one game of his against Burkart, Adams - Burkart, European Club Ch. , London 1996 going on 7.e3 ( 7.a3? xd4 ) 7...f5 8.a3 d7 9.xd7 xd7 10.e2 g6 ( 10...e6 also looks very rea so na ble) 11.d5 g7 12.d4 c2+ 13.xc2 xc2 14.d2 xd4 15.xd4 0-0 16.0-0 cxd5 17.cxd5 and now the immediate d6 would leave things fairly even. ] 7.c3 d7 8.xd7 [ Apicella - Miles, Linares zonal 1995 varied with 8.f3 g6 9.e2 g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e3 a6 ( 11...f6!? ) 12.a4 and now a5! was the best ] 8...xd7 9.e3 f5 10.g4?! Short loves to throw his pawns forwards like this, though very few other GMs would have played like this. Miles reacts very energetically and well. c8 11.e2 e6 12.c2 b5! 13.f3 bxc4 14.xc6+ d7 15.a4 [ 15.xa8 xa8 would have given Black excellent compensation for the exchange but now he is simply better. ] 15...c8 16.xc4 d5 17.xd7+ xd7 18.d3 b4 19.d2 0-0 20.0-0 xc3 21.bxc3 a4 22.f4 f5?! [ I prefer the immediate 22...c4 after which 23.f3 ( 23.xc4 xc4 24.f3 fc8 ) 23...xd3 24.xd3 c4 25.b1 fc8 is better for Black ] 23.gxf5 exf5 24.f3 c4 25.a4 xd3 26.xd3 c4 27.a5 b8 28.e1 With White's rook threatening to come into e5, things are getting out of control. I blame 22... f5. f6 29.d5 e4 30.e3 b7 31.a6 d7 32.b1 d6 33.b4 c8 34.d4 f7 35.d1 e8 36.e1+ d8 37.e6 e8 38.c4 d6 39.xa7 xc4 40.xc4 xa7 41.xc8+ xc8 42.f2 d7 43.e3 a8
Short,Nigel D Timman,Jan H Tilburg [Alexander Volzhin]
b2
46.a7
a2
B04 2660 2630 1991
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 b6 6.b3 g7 7.e2!? We saw in the previous game that black has very good chances for equality after 7.Ng5. That is why Nigel Short tries a relatively new move. c6 8.0-0 0-0 9.h3 a5 10.a4 dxe5 11.dxe5 d4 12.xd4 xd4 13.e1 e6 14.d2 d5 15.f3 c5 16.e4! with the idea of Qh4 and Bh6- rel="nofollow"> b4! It seems that Black has obtained good counterplay: 17.Bd5 ed 18. Qd5 Be6 gives black good compensation for a pawn because of his domination of the light squares. But Nigel Short finds an excellent positional idea. 17.c4! b6 18.b3! xc4 19.bxc4 This assessment may seem strange to you. White has an exposed pawn structure on the queenside, Black has a pair of Bishops. B u t B l a c k h a s n o re a l wa y t o a t t a c k t h e doubled pawns. Even more importantly, next move White will take the only open file (d-file) under his control, and after the unavoidable exchange of the dark-squared Bishops White will dominate the dark squares. e8 20.d1 c5 21.h4 b6 22.e3! c6 23.h6 h8 24.d8 b7 [ Probably Black should give up his Queen 24...d7!? 25.d4 axd8 26.xc6 xc6 27.f4 d7 28.g5 with reasonable chances to hold the position. ] 25.ad1 g7 [ Grabbing the pawn costs a piece for Black: 25...xa4!? 26.e7! xf3 27.xa8 xa8 28.d8 a1+ 29.h2 xe5+ 30.f4 xf4+ 31.xf4 xd8 32.xd8+ g7 33.xa8 and White should win this endgame. ] 26.8d7! [ 26.xg7? axd8 ] 26...f8 Black must be careful, otherwise tactical blows work: [ 26...xe5 27.xf7! ] 656
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 26...e4 27.xf7! ] 27.xg7 xg7 28.1d4 ae8 29.f6+ g8 30.h4 h5 From now, only one White piece moved. Which one do you think? The king!!! 31.h2! c8? Timman misses White's idea. [ He should have tried 31...c8 But this move takes pressure off the a8 - h1 diagonal a n d a llo ws 32.g4! Black is hopelessly lost. In his comments in Informant-54 the winner g i v e s t h e f o l l o w i n g v a r i a t i o n s : hxg4 ( 32...xd7 33.gxh5 gxh5 34.g5+ h7 35.xh5+ g7 36.g4# ) 33.g5 g3+! ( 33...xd7 34.h5; 33...b7 34.f3 ) 34.fxg3 b7 35.e4 xa4 36.h5 xc2+ 37.f2 gxh5 ( 37...f5 38.hxg6! ) 38.d3 e4 39.d2 b1 40.d1 c2 41.7d2 xc4 42.d4+- winning ] 32.g3! ce8 33.f4! c8 34.g5! Excellent, Nigel! 1-0
must try to chip away at and eventually undermine the pawn on c3. c5 17.e2 d5 18.f3 fe8 19.e3 ad8 20.ad1 He rn a n d e z G u e rre ro , G - L u t h e r , T / Do s Hermanas 2003. ] 9.b3 b5!? [ 9...0-0 10.c4 was obviously what Conquest was afraid of. W hite is clearly a bit better with chances of a Kingside attack. ] 10.e1N [ 10.a4 b4 11.c4 bxc3 12.bxc3 There's a loose quality to the White queenside which gives Black every chance of counterplay. 0-0 13.e1 a5 14.a3 a6 15.c2 xa3 16.xa3 c7 17.c4 b4 18.c3 c5 19.b5 b6 20.ad1 ad8 21.c2 xc2 22.xc2 f6 23.e5 xb5 24.axb5 cxd4= Bologan, V-Conquest, S/Santo Domingo 2002 ] 10...0-0 11.a4 7f6 12.e2 b4 13.e5 A p i n p r i c k . b7= In comparison with the Luther game mentioned earlier, White doesn't have control over the position and, in 644 B04 particular, has to consider the implications of Skripchenko,Almira 2456 the imminent ...c6-c5!. If White can establish Conquest,Stuart 2543 and consolidate a Knight on d4, then I believe II GM-Tage Pulvermuehle GER (9) 26.02.2004 he has prospects of a big advantage, but if he cannot then Black will equalize easily. 14.a5 [Andrew Martin] a6 He shouldn't permit a5-a6! 15.d2 c5 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 16.df3 cxd4 17.xd4 c5 18.df3 5.xe5 c6 Remains a solid choice, although T h e r e y o u h a v e i t ! W h i t e s t a r t s t o g o not especially ambitious. 5...c6 works best backwards and immediately Black's position when White is desperate to win. 6.c4 d7 improves. c7 19.d2 ad8 A standard 7.f3 Refusing simplification must be the best deployment. I guess he leaves the Rook on f8 purely to guard against a tactical attack on f7. chance. [ 7.e2 xe5 8.dxe5 f5 9.0-0 e6 20.c4 c8 Defending a6. 21.d3 e7 shows a simple Black plan in action. The White is trying hard to angle for a Kingside exchange makes the defence easier and it's attack so Conquest increases his defensive possible to see good squares for all the strength. 22.g5 [ 22.ad1 g6 23.xg6 hxg6 24.e5 black pieces now. ...Be7, ...Qb6, ...0-0, ... d5! 25.h3 fd8 is fine for Black. ] Rfd8, ...Rd7, ...and ... Rad8 would be my [ 22.c3 bxc3 23.xc3 ed5 24.d2 a8 line-up. 10.d1 h4 11.xd5? Poor. exd5 sees the Black queen moving away from the 12.f3 c5+ 13.e3 xe3+ 14.xe3 centre but she nevertheless has an xc2 Marijanovic, I-Tarakcija, H/Bizovac influence on the game: ] CRO 2004. ] 22...g6 23.xg6 hxg6 24.e3 7...e6 8.0-0 e7 [ 8...b5 is similar to the game. 9.b3 b7 An admission that she sees no way forward. A vague attempt to win by retaining 10.bd2 c5 11.c3 e7 12.e4 0-0 e7 13.e1 a6 14.c2 5f6 15.g3 cxd4 pieces. 25.b6 d5 26.ac1 a8 27.c4 16.xd4 The solid occupation of d4 is what bxc3 28.bxc3 h5 Conquest's games are gives W hite any edge that's going. Black always most interesting and he can usually 657
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 26...xa4 27.xe8 xe8 A case of the lower-rated player chickening out. ] [ Thus the normal 11...d5 seems safest. ] 12.xf3 f5!? Black seems to be relying on this very sharp move to see him through. 12... f5 has good and bad things painted all over it. Black threatens ..f5-f4 and if he is able to get ...e7-e5 at some point in the not too distant f uture the advancing pawns might caus e White inconvenience. The defect is obvious: B la ck we a ke n s t h e l igh t sq u a re s. I n o u r featured game White is intimidated by the idea of ...f4. [ 12...e5 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.c5! d7 15.xc6 bxc6 16.d6 is a good way to tackle 12...e5. White's superior pawns give him a distinct advantage. e4 17.ad1 e5 18.xd8 axd8 19.xe4 g4 20.f4 f5 21.d6 h6 22.c4 d4 23.d6 e8 24.h3 xd1 25.xd1 e5 26.xe5 xe5 27.d7+Pasko, A-Pervakov, S/ Dnipropetrovsk 2005 ] 13.xc6?!N [ 13.d2! is critical, allowing Black to execute his ' threat' A) All roads seem to lead to Rome for White after 13...f4: 13...f4 14.xf4 A1) 14...xd4 15.ac1 ( 15.xc6 xc3 16.xc3 bxc6 17.h6 f7 18.ad1 ) 15...e5 16.g5 d7 17.e4; A2) 14...xd4 15.xb7 b8 16.e4; B) 13...e5 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.d5+ h8 16.ad1 645 B04 B1) 16...e7 17.g5 f6 18.xf6+ xf6 19.xc6 ( 19.f4 e4 20.e3 ad8 Smolin,Dmitry 2191 21.c5 xd5 22.xd5 f7 23.c3 Pervakov,Sergey 2149 f6= ) 19...bxc6 20.d6 g7 21.c5 Tch-UKR Alushta UKR (2) 16.04.2006 c8 22.c7+ e7 23.d7 [Andrew Martin] Shlivinskas, M-Savko, A/Jurmala 1992; B2) 16...e4 17.h6 xh6 1/2-1/2 Kafka, 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 G-Roberts, P/W est Bromwich 2004 A 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g6 7.f3 g7 8.e3 slightly baffling decision as 18 Qxh6 is 0-0 9.e2 c6 10.0-0 g4 11.b3 xf3 clearly better for White! Thus I am not [ 11...e8!? 12.c1 e5 13.dxe5 dxe5 convinced that Black is able to attain 14.c5 e4 is another approach, leading to equality in this line. ] simplification: 15.cxb6 exf3 16.xf3 xf3 17.xf3 axb6 18.fd1 h4 19.a4 e5 13...bxc6 14.f4 e5! he has to play this move 20.f4 h5 21.g5 xg5 1/2-1/2 Kaps, D- before e7 gets nailed down. 15.dxe5 dxe5 Djuric, S/Rome 2005 W ith Odd, because 16.fxe5 [ 16.e1 f6 17.d1 was modest and 22.xg5 c6 is better for White: 23.e3 equal. ] a5 24.d5 xb3 25.b1 c5 26.c7 The good things about Black's ( 26.xb6 xa4 27.xa8 xa8 ) 16...xe5
persuade his opponent to join in the fun. He engineers a messy position and then takes his chances. Here both players appear to be in time-trouble that is my only explanation for the howlers that follow. 29.c4?? Exposing the b4 square! [ 29.ed1 xf3 30.xf3 xf3 31.gxf3 is roughly equal. ] 29...c8?? [ 29...xf3! is surely easy enough, time trouble or not: 30.xf3 ( 30.gxf3 b8-+ ) 30...xf3 31.gxf3 b4 32.ed1 xa5 ] 30.b1 d6 31.ed1 c5?! [ 31...xf3 appears good again: 32.xf3 xh2+ 33.f1 xf3 34.gxf3 f4 35.c5 This would be unclear if it were not for cxc5 36.xc5 xc5 37.xa6 xa5 38.d8+ h7 I just don't like this position for White in the long term Black will creep all over him. ] 32.b2 c6 He has a love affair with this Bishop. 33.e1 d7 34.eb1 e8 35.c2 f6 36.c7 d7 37.b6 a3 38.a2 d6 The new time control really does have a lot to answer for. Here we see two great players just 'making moves'. 39.d1 c5 40.b1 c8 41.ab2 a3 42.a2 c5 Enough piddling around for one day and I daresay a relief. You couldn't say that Black didn't have his chances! ½-½
658
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 position come to the fore. He has a nice, active Bishop, threats of ...Qh4 and if White trades queen a Black Rook arrives at d3. 17.c2 h4 18.h3?! White does not seem to be able to handle the pressure. [ 18.g3 i s t e m p t i n g xg3 ( 18...f6! kee ps Black 's ed ge .) 19.xb6 axb6 20.hxg3 xg3+ 21.h1 h3+ 22.g1 ae8 I would not like to defend the White position but maybe it's only equal. ] 18...g3 19.f3 h2+ 20.f2 f4-+ 21.xb6 axb6 22.d1 f6! It turns out that Bla ck doe sn't eve n n eed to e xtrica te his Queen! 23.e2 ae8 24.g1 e6 25.c5 b5 26.fd3 h4+ 27.f1 fe8 A game which perhaps gives a false impression of Black's chances, but a warning to White nevertheless. 0-1
646 Socko,Bartosz Efimov,Igor 24th ECC Kallithea GRE (1) [John Watson]
B04 2631 2442 17.10.2008
This game features an idea (...Nc7) which quite a few players use when they despair of the main lines. Even in the Alekhine's, there's such a thing as too backwards a placement, I think, and surely White should come out with the better of it. This game illustrates one way it can happen, although White goes wrong and the opponents exchange errors. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 c6 5.c4 c7!? Even though the knight here eyes e6, and may even come there at some point, Black's pieces never seem to coordinate after this move. I'd say that applies to most Alekhine Defence variations. 6.c3 g6 [ W h i t e g e t s a n e a s y e d g e a f t e r 6...g4 7.exd6 exd6 8.d3 ( or 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 )] 7.f4 [ 7.exd6 exd6 8.g5 is another route. ] 7...g4 8.exd6 exd6 9.e2 e7 [ 9...g7 10.g5! xe2 ( 10...c8 11.ce4 ) 11.xe2+ forces f8 ] 10.h6 d7 11.0-0 f8 12.f4 e7 13.d5 [ or 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 0-0 15.d5 ] 13...c5 14.e4 f6 15.xc5!?
[ Best was simply 15.xf6+! xf6 16.h6 ] 15...dxc5 16.d6? [ 16.e1! yields a serious attack after d6! 17.h6 xf3 18.xf3+ d7 19.g5! ce8 20.b4! , with an unclear position. ] 16...e6? [ Here 16...h5! would have won some material. ] 17.e5 xd6 18.xd6 e4 19.e5 0-0 20.c2 f5 21.h3 h5 [ 21...xf3 22.xf3 6g5 23.xe4 xe4 is only moderately in White's favour. ] 22.g4 fxg4 23.hxg4 4g5 24.h2 h3+ 25.g2 g5 26.g3 hf4+ 27.xf4 xf4+ 28.h1 xe2 29.xe2 ae8 30.d1 d8 31.c1 h4 32.gxh5 f3 33.e1 h3 34.e6+ g7 35.e5+ h6 36.hxg6 e8 37.d6 d8 38.gxh7+ xh7 39.c7+ h6 40.ae1 f6 41.e3 h4 42.g1 1-0
647 Sutovsky,Emil Carlsen,Magnus ECC, Rethymnon (1) [Andrew Martin]
B04 2635 2385 2003
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6!? Miles played this move, Davies rates it quite highly, I'm not so sure. Let's not get on to the hero worship bandwagon quite so quickly. Black's move is passive although it ha s so me 'waiting ' va lu e. B la ck le ts h is Queen out, prepares a possible retreat of the Knight to c7 and takes a small portion of the centre. However, I repeat, the move is passive. 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 As usual, best results are ob tained by pla ying f or small advantages, by not overreacting. There should be more than one way to keep at least an edge: [ 7.f3! b5 8.0-0 e6 9.e1 e7 10.c3 0-0 11.c2 7f6 12.a3 c7 13.g5 a5 14.bd2 a4 15.h4 h6 16.g3 b7 17.ad1 Timoshenko, G-Szieberth, A/ FSGM September, Budapest HUN 2003 (57) ] [ 7.xd7! xd7 8.0-0 g6 9.e1 g7 10.c3 0-0 11.g5 e8 12.d2 c8 13.c4 f5 14.e2 c7 15.f3 ad8 16.b3 e6 659
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.xe6 fxe6 18.e1 Stefansson, HGausel, E/ch-Nordic, Aarhus DEN 2003 (32). ] 7...xe5 8.dxe5 b4 9.e4 xd1 10.xd1 f5 11.a3 a6 [ He could take on e4 but Black is struggling a little: 11...fxe4 12.axb4 g6 13.e3 ( 13.b5 cxb5 14.e3 a6 15.c3 g7 16.xb5 xe5 17.d4; 13.f4 g7 14.d2 f8 15.g3 f5 16.c4 ) 13...g7 14.a5 a6 15.c3 f5 16.h3 h5 ] 12.f3 g6 13.d2 [ 13.e2 g7 14.f4 c7 15.d2 e6 16.f3 ] 13...e6 14.e2 c7 15.f3 d5 16.d4 g7 17.c4 f7 18.f4 White's ad vantage grows. He's achieved nothing other than to show that his position has more potential but that is enough to put Carlsen under pressure. I like W hite's extra space and the throttled Bishop on g7 gives cause for concern. e6 19.f3 Keeping the pieces on with more space. d8 20.e3 0-0 21.b4 a6 22.g3 xd1+ 23.xd1 d8 24.xd8+ xd8 25.d4 The advantage persists. The threat is Nb3, Bb6 and Na5 with the Black Bishops as onlookers. e8 26.b3 d7 27.c5 c8 28.b5! axb5 29.cxb5 cxb5 30.xb5 f8 31.f2 g7 [ 31...e6 32.a4! c6 33.b6 a7 34.e8! as a prelude to the capture on c8. There is nothing that Black can do. g7 35.xc8 xc8 36.d7+- ] 32.d7 f7 33.a4 xd7 34.xd7 e6 35.b6 e7 This really is depressing for Black. He's trapped in the jaws of the two Bishops and even the W hite King seems ready to join the assault: [ 35...e7 36.c8 e8 37.e3 h5 38.d4 b4 39.c4 e1 40.c5 h4 41.d6+- ] 36.a5 g5 37.e2 h5 38.c8 h4 39.xb7! The a pawn walks through. I think this sums up the line with 5...c6. Against an exp erie nc ed op po ne nt , Black o nly ha s a passive existence to look forward to. 1-0
648 Sutovsky,Emil Finkel,A TCh-ISR 2011-12 (11.1) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B04 2696 2499 02.03.2012
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.c4!? Potentially an important new idea from Sutovsky - previously recapturing on e5 has been pretty automatic. [ 5.xe5 c6 is the mainline and now after 6.c4 Black can play b4 if he wishes ] 5...e4 The critical test of White's idea [ one of the points of the early c4 is that now 5...b4 can be met with 6.a4+! 8c6 7.d5 f5 8.a3 and Black isn't getting enough compensation for the piece ] [ 5...f6 6.xe5 This leads to a typical slight edge for White - one idea Black could consider though to mix it up would be c5!? 7.d5 e6 although White's position looks comfortable after 8.f4! ] [ 5...b6 6.xe5 g6 ( 6...8d7 7.f3 was better for White in Bogut, Z (2440)-Sale, S ( 2 3 8 0 ) Z a g r e b C R O 2 0 1 1) 7.c3 takes us back into more mainline Alekhine positions that should be a little better for White - it was covered a while back in the archives in Gallagher-Kengis and it also featured in a Grischuk-Baburin in 2000 which wen t ( 7.c5!? ) 7...g7 8.e3 0-0 9.c1 ( 9.f4!? was perhaps a better way to keep an advantage) 9...c5 10.e2 cxd4 11.xd4 h6!? with an unclear position but one that looks playable for Black in Grischuk, A (2606)-Baburin, A (2590) Torshavn FAI 2000 ] 6.cxd5 exf3 7.xf3 c6? A logical move but surprisingly it looks to be a serious mistake! [ 7...g6 was probably best although White's chances are preferably after 8.b5+ d7 ( 8...d7 9.f4 g7 10.g3 is awkward for Black ) 9.c4! g7 10.c3 when W hite's doubled pawns are by no means weak and if f act severely cramp Black's position. ] 8.c4! cxd5 This is the start of a forcing variation that looks to us to be winning for White [ 8...e6 was perhaps a necessary evil although White is clearly better after 9.dxe6 660
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xe6 10.xe6 fxe6 11.0-0 d5 12.g3 ] 9.xd5 e6 10.xb7 [ 10.e4 c6 ] 10...c7 [ 10...xb7 11.xb7 d7 12.c3 sim p ly le ave s W h it e a pa wn up f or n o t enough compensation ] 11.xc8?? It may be extreme to give this move a?? but it does seem to reverse the assessment from winning for White to at least a clear edge for Black. [ 11.xa8! is winning after xc1+ 12.d1 and neither of Black's options can save him here, for example A) 12...b4+ 13.c3 A1) if 13...xb2 14.0-0 xc3 ( 14...xc3? 15.c1 ) 15.b1 picks up the b8 knight; A2) 13...xc3+ 14.bxc3 xc3+ 15.f1 t h is m a y b e B la ck ' s b e st t r y b u t h e doesn't have enough compensation for an exchange here; B) 12...xb2 13.0-0! xa1 and now the simplest is probably 14.d2 followed by N c 3 t r a p p i n g t h e Q u e e n ( 14.b3 is a l s o v e r y s t r o n g f o r e xa m p l e xd4 15.xb8 d7 16.c1 d8 17.c6 with a powerful attack )] 11...xc1+ 12.e2 The odd thing is that Black seems to have a choice of ways to be fine here c4+! [ 12...xh1 13.xa8 d6 14.xa7 0-0 15.b7 d7 must be better for Black despite the temporary two pawn deficit as his pieces are much the better coordinated and White's king is wide open. ] [ 12...c2+ is safe if unambitious as it leads straight to an ending after 13.d2 c6! 14.ac1 xd4+ 15.e3 xd2+ 16.xd2 xf3+ 17.gxf3 d6 which is likely to be a draw although only Black can be pressing to win such a position. ] 13.d1 The only move [ 13.d3? xc8 simply leaves Black a piece up ] [ 13.e1? c6! 14.b7 xd4 is crushing ] 13...c6? [ 13...xd4+ would've left Black clearly on top after 14.c1 ( 14.d2 b4 ) 14...c5+ 15.c3 c6 16.b7 ( 16.a6 b8 ) 16...d4 ]
14.d2 b5?! [ 14...a4+! makes an important difference to the game by forcing the pawn to b3 it ch a n g e s t h e e n t i r e a s se s sm e n t o f t h e position af ter 15.b3 b5 16.a4 b6 17.xe6 fxe6 18.e1 d7 19.d5 exd5 20.f5+ c7 21.f7+ e7 22.xe7+ xe7 23.xe7+ b8 and in the game the pawn was on b2 which allowed Sutovsky to play Ra3 and force resignation. This position is much less clear although I'd still rather by W h it e a f t e r 24.a5! c7 25.b4+ b7 26.d4 with the threat of Ra4 ] 15.a4! A crucial intermezzo before taking on e 6 t o b r i n g t h e r o o k i n t o t h e g a m e b6 16.xe6 fxe6 17.e1 d7?! Now Black is losing by force [ 17...0-0-0! would've kept some chances to f igh t o n a f t e r 18.c1 d6 ( 18...b7? 19.xe6 d6 20.b3 and there's no way for Black to defend against the various threats (mainly Rxc6)) 19.d5! exd5 20.e8+ b7 21.xf8 xf8 22.xf8 d7 and W hite has a lot of work still to do to convert the full point ] 18.d5! exd5 19.f5+ c7 [ 19...d8 is more tricky but it's still lost after 20.xd5+ c7 21.f7+ e7 22.xe7+ xe7 23.xe7+ b8 24.a3 d8! This move isn't available to Black in the game as there's still a pawn on d5 but White can still force a win with 25.a5! xd2+ 26.xd2 xf2+ 27.d3 f1+ 28.d4 f4+ 29.d5 f5+ 30.c4 f4+ 31.b3 a n d t h e K i n g e s c a p e s t h e c h e c k s c7 32.e8+ c8 33.e2 with an easy win the rook on a8 is still entombed. ] 20.f7+ e7 21.xe7+ xe7 22.xe7+ b8 23.a3! A fascinating game although not free from errors. I expect we'll be seeing more of Sutovsky's 5. c4 in the future! 1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 going about this. ] B04 Sutovsky,Emil 2674 19.exf6 exf6 [ 19...xf6 was another possibility, with the Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar 2646 idea of ....e5 ] 15th ETC Gothenburg SWE (5) 03.08.2005 20.e3 b6 21.a4 f5 22.ed1 fd8 23.xd5 [John Cox] xd5 24.a5 f6 25.f2 d7 26.axb6 axb6 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 27.a6 d8 28.b4 cxb4 29.cxb4 d6 5.xe5 c6 6.d3 Sutovsky's idea from I think Black must have gone a little wrong Rethmynon 2003 against Carlsen, which at somewhere over the last ten moves - either the moment poses as much of a threat as that, of course, or else I was wrong and he anything to Black's new-fangled method of never did get equality out of the opening handling the main line of the Alekhine. d7 since now it's quite clear that White does have 7.0-0 xe5 8.dxe5 g6N To me this creates a bit of pressure. These positions are very a slightly odd impression in conjunction with ... hard to defend and in the end Mamedyarov Nxe5. Black's g7 bishop is always in danger goes down, although I'm sure a Kramnik or a of be in g b loc k e d o u t o f t h e ga m e in t h is Leko would have held on somehow: in fact structure. Having said that though one can unless the score is wrong or I'm going mad I see in this particular position that it is not think they'd have held on fairly easily. 30.e2 possible to develop the c8 bishop actively at f7 31.a7+ g8 32.a6 f7 33.a7+ the moment and for that reason it's certainly g8 34.b7 h5 35.d2 f6 36.e3 d8 tempting to keep e6 free for it. And to be sure 37.d2 f6 38.b5 White has to play this if he wants to progress but now this pawn is weak. Black looks to do pretty well in the game. [ 8...b4 9.e4 xd1 10.xd1 f5 11.a3 d4 39.b4 d5 40.d3 g1+ 41.c3 a6 12.f3 g6 13.d2 e6 14.e2 c7 d1?! [ 41...xb5 42.c4 xb4+ 43.xb4 xh2 was Sutovsky-Carlsen, in which Black was lo o ks like a clea r dra w t o m e. I h ave a ground down in this ending. ( 14...0-0-0!? )] nasty feeling I must be missing the point 9.c3 This obviously isn't the only move White though: it seems unlikely a 2650 player might play. Taking more space with 9 c4 would have missed this. The ending with h4/ certainly wasn't inconceivable, although after g3/f4 against h5/g6/f5 is won for White, by 9...Nb4 Black has gained a bit of time the way, although the p lay is n ot easy. compared with Sutovsky-Carlsen, and in this Kholmov showed in an article in structure the weaknesses in the d-file which Shakhmatny Byulleten in the 1970's that c4 creates can come back to haunt White if W hite breaks through with g4 at the t h i n g s g o w r o n g l a t e r i n t h e g a m e . g7 appro pria te mo ment , as every Ru ssia n 10.e1 0-0 11.a3 schoolboy presumably knows. But here [ 11.d2? xc3 would be poor of course, Black even wins the f-pawn as well as far as but there doesn't look too much bite in this I can see. Possibly the players were being knight manoeuvre to me..... ] hampered by some stupid modern time 11...e6 12.c2 c5 13.e4 d7 14.e3 limit. ] ad8 15.xd5 xd5 16.xd5 xd5 17.xd5 xd5 I must say it looks to me as 42.h3 e3 43.e7 d5 44.g5 g1?! though Black's done fine out of the opening No, I'm afraid I don't know why Black didn't here. He's got one pawn on the same colour play 44... Rxb5 either. 45.c4 d2 46.f6 as his bishop, sure, but should he really be in f8 47.e5 h4 48.h7 f2 49.c3 d1 danger of losing this endgame? He does 50.h8+ f7 51.h7+ f8 52.e5 d2 though. 18.f4 f6 Black does need to break 53.c7 g1 54.c6 e7 [ 54...xg2 allows 55.d5 going to e6, of the kingside pawn phalanx even though it's on course. I think Black is gone by now, but the same colour squares as White's bishop, for whatever reason I don't think a detailed since otherwise his own bishop cannot take analysis of the moves would be of much an active part in the game. merit. ] [ Possibly 18...g5!? was another way of 649
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 55.xg6 c5 56.g7+ e6 57.g6+ e7 58.c3 c2 59.g7+ e6 60.g6+ e7 61.h6 xg2 62.d5 f7 63.h7+ g8 64.h8+ f7 65.h7+ g8 66.xh4 g6 67.e5 I suspect all this game teaches us is that serious chess isn't meant to be played with only a 30 second per move increment after move 40 or so, but Black perhaps showed a good method in the opening. 1-0
650 Svidler,Peter Akopian,Vladimir ECC Halkidiki GRE (6) [Glenn Flear]
B04 2690 2678 27.09.2002
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 c6!? [ 5...b6 is the most popular at this point. ] 6.exd6 xd6 7.0-0 g7 8.h3 A promising continuation for W hite as Black's bishop is denied it's most active square. [ 8.e1 g4 is less worrying for Black. ] 8...0-0 9.e1 d7 [ 9...b5?! leads to the weakening of the c4square 10.b3 f5 11.a4 b4 12.bd2 a5 13.e2 e8 14.c4 c7 15.ce5 d7 16.xf7! xf7 17.g4 gave White a strong advantage in S.Haslinger-Broomfield, Smith & Williamson YM Millfield 2002 ] 10.b3 b5 11.bd2 b7 Now Black can meet a4 with ...a6, maintaining the pawn on b5 and avoiding the weakening of c4. However the bishop is rather passively placed. 12.e4 c7 13.g5 e6 14.c4 bxc4 15.xc4 5f6 [ 15...c5!? seems more critical but perhaps Black didn't fancy his chances after the annoying 16.c1 ] 16.xf6+ xf6 17.c1 h6 18.h4 ad8 19.b3 b6 20.c2 de8 [ 20...c8? (to bolster the c-pawn) could even be met by 21.xf6 xf6 22.xe6! for instance fxe6 23.xg6+ g7 24.xe6+ h8 25.g5! ] 21.g3 b4 Both sides have three pawn islands, but the difference is that W hite's pieces are bearing down open lines whereas Black's are rather dormant behind his own
pawns. 22.a3 e7 Black's pieces cover anything nasty against his king but now the cpawn simply falls. 23.e5 d5 [ not 23...c8? 24.xg6! ] 24.xc6 g5 By losing the c-pawn Black can at least obtain some breathing room. 25.h4 g4 26.d1 Forcing the exchange of queens. xd1 [ as 26...f5 27.d6 loses further material ] 27.exd1 xc6 28.xc6 e7 29.c4?! [ Otherwise 29.c7! f5 30.e5 looks pretty good. ] 29...f5 30.c7? [ 30.e5 is less artificial ] 30...c8! [ 30...xh4? f a il s t o b o t h 31.d6 ( and 31.d5 )] 31.d5!? Liquidating the centre to eliminate his main weakness. This temporarily gives back the pawn but unfortunately the black a-pawn is not so easy to pick off. [ 31.g3 fails to xd4 ] 31...exd5 32.xd5 xb2 33.a5 d4 34.a2 fe8 35.g3 e2+?! Heading for complications but White wriggles out. Instead [ 35...e7! 36.d6 ( 36.xa7 b5 37.b7 cxc7= ) 36...xc4 37.xc4 d7 doesn't give White much. ] 36.g2 c1 37.b1 b3 38.xa7 d2 [ 38...xa3!? 39.xa3 d2 looks a better try. ] 39.c2 d4 40.b7 xb1 41.xb1 e5 42.bc1 xc7 43.xc7 xc7 44.xc7 e2 45.f3 a2 46.a7 h5 A common endgame occurs which one intuitively feels (with the extra a-pawn) should be drawn. But Svidler had other ideas... 47.a4 g7 48.a5 f6 49.a6 e5 [ 49...e6 is more solid ] 50.e7+ f6 51.a7 e5?! [ 51...e6 52.e3 f6 53.a8 f5 looks a better try ] 52.e3 a3+ 53.d2 a2+ 54.c3 xf2 55.b7 a2 56.a7 f6? Black loses time as exposing the f-pawn so early offered White addition chances. [ Even so, why not 56...e6 57.c4 f6 58.b5 f5 (?) ] 57.c4 a1 58.b5 b1+ 59.c6 c1+ 60.b6 b1+ 61.c7 a1 62.b8 f5
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 63.b4 1-0
651 Tiviakov,Sergei Cox,John J 14th Monarch Assurance (1) [John Cox]
B04 2678 2385 24.09.2005
This game is something of a mismatch from the first round of the Isle of Man (digressing for a moment, why on earth doesn't everyone play in this event? It seems to me just about p e r f e c t f o r t h e n o n - p r o f e s s i o n a l. ) . I a m showing it only to encourage Alekhine fans by repeating Tiviakov's post-mortem comments. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.d2 I had half-expected this move since Tiviakov has played it against 5... g6. d7 7.d3 Tiviakov (who like most Russian GMs in my experience was very civil and a pleasure to play against) told me with some surprise after the game that he had spent an hour preparing against 5...c6 and had found no advantage ("this is good opening, I think"). He had tried the text because he thought that White could improve on 'some game of Luther's' (Lakos-Luther, I assume). I did think of mentioning that he needed a copy of my great work 'Starting Out: Alekhine's Defence', but desisted for fear of a patzersshouldn't-write-books rant along the lines of that Tiviakov subjected poor Eddie Dearing's rather inoffensive Dragon book to in New in Chess. g6 The previously plugged GW suggests that ...e6 and ....c5 is the easiest method, but at the board I had a different idea. The game Lakos-Luther had gone [ 7...e6 8.e2 c5 9.dxc5 xc5 10.xc5 xc5 11.e4 e7 12.b5+ d7 13.xd7+ xd7 14.0-0 c6 15.e2 c8 16.d2 0-0 17.fc1 b5 18.c3 xc3 19.xc3 fd8 20.g4 f6 21.a3 c4 when Black was already slightly better. ] 8.f3 g7 9.e2 c5 This is the point, I think. I t is im p o rt a n t t o p la y t h is b e f o re W h it e castles. [ 9...0-0 10.0-0 a5 ( 10...c5 is no good now s i n c e a f t e r 11.xc5 xc5 12.dxc5 the hanging d5 knight prevents ..Qa5 and it
is rather hard to regain the pawn at all.) 11.e1 b5 12.c3 a6 13.fe5 xe5 14.xe5 c7 15.a4 e6 16.d3 bxa4 17.xa6 xa6 18.xa4 b7 19.d3 aa8 20.h4 h5 21.g5 b6 22.a2 d7 23.e7 fe8 24.d6 b5 25.a1 d5 26.g3 c5 was Zapata-Nogueiras, Torre memorial 2003. Black was equal by now, but the impression is that earlier W hite must have had some method of retaining his edge. ] 10.xc5 A rather curious move: [ 10.dxc5 xc5 ( 10...e5 11.g5 is good for W hite according to Fritz, and annoyingly it seems to be right) 11.xc5 a5+ 12.c3 xc5 was what I was expecting. Black hasn't yet demonstrated equality here, although one might expect him to manage it shortly. Tiviakov told me he hadn't seen Black's last before, which just shows that he's not been using the 'get new games' button on ChessBase enough recently, since Egin-Nogueiras from Calvia 2004 had gone ] [ 10.c4 5f6 I had 10...Nc7 in mind, but I doubt it makes much difference White just isn't well-placed at all for this development 11.d5 b5 12.de5 xe5 13.xe5 bxc4 14.f3 0-0 15.d6 exd6 16.xa8 dxe5 17.xd8 xd8 18.g5 f5 19.f3 d3 20.0-0-0 h6 21.e3 e4 22.e2 d5 23.xd3 cxd3 24.he1 f5 25.f3 xe3 26.xe3 f6 27.g3 c4 28.b1 d4 29.ee1 e3 (readers may wish to insert their own smug 'Keenesque' hypermodernism-conquers-central-bastions type cliché at this point) 30.b3 e2 31.d2 e8 32.bxc4 b8+ 33.c1 c3 0-1 ] 10...xc5 11.dxc5 a5+ 12.d2 [ 12.c3? loses to xc3 , of course ] 12...f4 13.f3 0-0 14.0-0 xc5 Around here I began to get worried - why was a 2700 player letting me equalise so easily? As a result I began to spend lots of tim e worrying about what I was missing. The folly of this approach to these Tiger/Rabbit contests hardly needs emphasising: of course the Tiger is going to see more than you but there's no point worrying about that if you do he'll just have more time than you as well as being a better player. 15.b3 c7 16.c3 664
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f5 [ I had been rather dismissing 16 c3 because of 16...d8 but after a bit of contemplation I decided 17.xf4 would not be in my best interests. ] 17.xf4 xf4 18.xb7 I had hardly cons idered W hite 's grab bing this pa wn surely Black must have enough counterplay somehow? - and actually I think I was right Tiviakov described it afterwards as a good sacrif ice. ab8 19.a6 Aiming to blockade the a-pawn rather in the style of a variation of the Dragon 9 000 d5 pawn sacrifice which I learned in my childhood. Instead [ 19.f3 xf3 20.xf3 e6 is pretty much a draw at once, e.g. 21.fd1 xb3 22.axb3 xb3 23.xa7 xb2 while ] [ 19.f3 fd8 20.c1 c7 followed by ... a5 is also fine for Black. ] 19...b6 20.e2 e6 21.c5 fb8? Up to here Black has played rather well in a monkeys-and-typewriters sort of way, but this move totally misses the positional threat. Black had two much better moves. The one which Tiviakov pointed out after the game was [ 21...c7 22.b4 ( 22.a4? xa6 23.xa6 c4 wins the queen while; 22.e4 was putting me off 21...Qc7 for no good reason Black is fine after fb8 ) 22...xc3 23.ac1 e5 24.a4 'wins the exchange' Tiviakov xa6 ( 24...xe2 25.xe2 d2 26.xb6 xc1 27.xc1 axb6 actually saves the exchange but this endgame is probably more trouble for Black to hold than the position without the exchange) 25.xa6 xb4 26.xa7 xa2 'is a draw' - Tiviakov I expect this is true although I think White might have tried a few dozen more moves before calling it quits. ] [ The other one is 21...d5 which certainly never occurred to me and I suspect not to White either. The point is that the threat of ... Bxg2 is surprisingly difficult to meet. 22.d3 g5 23.f4 xg2+ 24.xg2 xg2 25.xg2 xa6 might be as good as White can do but White is in no danger at all of being better here. ] 22.d3 Once the knight comes to b4 Black's p l a y a g a i n s t b 2 i s a t a n e n d . c7 Aro u n d a b o ut h e re a spo t o f d e p re ssio n overtook me, not to mention time trouble, and
I am quite sure my subsequent resistance could be improved upon. At this point for example the machine likes [ 22...g5 23.b4 e5 24.fe1 d6 25.a3 b3 when the b3 bishop causes a bit of a nuisance for White. ] 23.b4 c8 24.xc8 xc8 25.ac1 From here on Tiviakov manoeuvres his pieces m o st d e f t ly - it i s wo r t h n o t ici n g h o w h e doesn't begin to push the pawns until his pieces are optimally placed. This is quite typical of these positions where one side has optical activity for a pawn but no real targets to at tack. a5 26.d3 a6 27.c2 d8 28.cd1 bd6 29.c1 e5 30.b3 b6 31.xd6 xd6 32.d2 c6 33.b3 a4 34.c4 d8 35.d1 b8 36.e3 f5 37.d5 c5 38.b4 a7 39.c4 e4 40.c5 c8 41.c4 1-0
652 Tiviakov,Sergei Van der Werf,Mark ch Leeuwarden NED (4) [Nigel Davies]
B04
24.06.2001
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.d2 White aims to maintain his knight on e5, hoping that this will guarantee a slight space advantage. But with a pair of minor pieces exchanged this won't mean very much. d7 7.df3 [ 7.d3 is another possibility, avoiding exchanges and trying to inhibit either the ... c6-c5 or ...e7-e5 pawn levers. On the other hand it has a somewhat artificial look about it. ] 7...xe5 8.xe5 g6 9.f3 e6 10.c3 g7 11.e2 a5 A typical space-gaining thrust. [ 11...0-0 12.d3 f6 13.g3 c4 was the continuation in Dutreeuw - Loeffle, Tanta City 2001 ] 12.0-0 0-0 13.d3 a4 14.a3 f5 15.e1 xd3 Giving up the bishop pair to eliminate the guy that controls the e5 and c5 squares. In the following play White tries to keep Black tied down whilst gradually trying to weaken Black's king position. Black wants to free his game with an ultimate ...c6-c5 or ... e6-e5 but 665
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 without allowing White's bishops to become too dangerous. The position seems fairly well balanced with White having a slightly greater level of comfort. 16.xd3 e6 17.g3 b6 [ 17...b5 looks preferable, cementing the position of the knight on d5 before preparing ...c6-c5. ] 18.h4 h5 Personally speaking I would avoid this weakening and instead focus on playing . ..c6-c5. [ The immediate 18...c5 is bad because of 19.c4 e7 ( 19...f6 20.dxc5 xc5 21.xb7 ) 20.d5 , all if which points to 17... b5 being an improvement. Even so we've got a tough game in prospect in which the stronger player finally emerges triumphant. ] 19.g2 fe8 20.e2 e7 21.g5 f5 22.ae1 a5 23.g4 hxg4 24.xg4 c7 25.g1 d7 26.c2 ea8 27.f1 c5 28.dxc5 xc5 29.h5 gxh5 30.f3 f8 31.d2 d5 32.e1 c8? Overlooking W hite's 34th. 33.g2 f6 34.xa4! b5 35.c2 c4 36.f3 g4 37.xg4 hxg4 38.xg4 c7 39.e4 c5 40.d2 h2 41.f4 h8 42.d2 e7 43.xf5 xf5 44.d6+ e8 45.g2 d5 46.xd5 exd5 47.xd5 h3+ 48.e1 e6+ 49.xe6+ fxe6 50.e2 d7 51.f8 c6 52.d3 1-0
dubious, but with the current move order, I a m su rp r ise d L u k e d id n 't o p t f o r t o t a k e advantage of white's early bishop move. [ Not 4...d7?? when 5.xf7+ xf7 6.g5+ wins in all variations. ] [ 4...e6!? would be my own preference, perhaps followed by a hippo, or just Ne7 and d5. That said, in the resulting positions I would much rather be White! 5.0-0! e7 6.e1 0-0! and now Fritz thinks White is already clearly better, but I don't think that means much- computers are not usually very useful on move 6! Personally I like the flexibility in Blacks' position, especially the fact that I can kick the bishop on c4 with d5 if I n e e d t o o p e n t h e p o s i t i o n . ( 6...d7 o r s o m e o t h e r h e d g e h o g m o ve i s a l s o worth considering. )] [ 4...g4? 5.xf7+ xf7 6.g5+ ] 5.e2! The point. 5.Nc3 is not considered very dangerous, but now White will achieve a stable space advantage with e5. 0-0 [ 5...g4 6.e5 dxe5 7.dxe5 d5 8.0-0 also looks more comfortable for White, but at least Black won't have a problem with his light squared bishop. ] 6.e5 dxe5 [ 6...g4 doesn't look promising. For instance, 7.h3 h6 8.h4!? feels quite dangerous. ] 7.dxe5 d5 8.h3 The position has 653 B04 transposed to an Alekhine! Anybody fond of Tregubov,Pavel V 2556 m id d l e g a m e ki n g -m a rc h e s wi ll p ro b a b l y McShane,Luke J 2609 recognise this position from the famous ShortBundesliga 2005-6 (9) 29.01.2006 Timman game involving Kh2-g3-h4-g5-h6 b6 9.b3 c6 10.0-0 d4 11.xd4 xd4 [Jonathan Rowson] 12.e1 a5 13.a4 d7?! I doubt that Luke was familiar with the theory, but this looks like 1.d4 [ 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 a strange attempt to improve on the more 5.c4 b6 6.b3 g7 7.e2 0-0 8.h3 conventional moves. [ 13...e6!? has been suggested here which dxe5 9.dxe5 c6 10.0-0 is the game I remember thinking was ludicrous when I position. ] first read about this game (I was 14). Why 1...g6 2.f3 g7 3.e4 d6 4.c4!? would black voluntarily allow his pawns to A noteworthy move-order, leading to lines that be doubled and his bishop on g7 are often highly distinct from those where (potentially) to be locked in (no f6 break)? white has already committed the knight to c3. Now I realise that it is not so simple Pirc/Modern players should be careful here or because Black gets a lot of counterplay on they might find themselves, as Luke did here, the f-file and against the e5 pawn. However, transposing into an Alekhine! Hardly a fate I still pref er W hite af ter 14.xe6 fxe6 worse than death, but not ideal either. f6?! 15.d2 ] It is p rob ably t oo much t o call th is move 666
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 13...d7 was once played by Timman but move changes the spirit of the game to a seems to give white an edge after Nc3-b5. ] Ce n t re -Co u n t e r . 8.exd5 xd5 9.c3 [ 13...e6 14.d2 d5 15.f3 c5 16.e4 ( 9.d1 is the computer's suggestion b4 17.c4 b6 18.b3 xc4 19.bxc4 although e6 10.c3 xc3 11.bxc3 e8 20.d1 c5 21.h4 b6 22.e3 c6 xc4 12.xc4 d6 looks around level.) ( 22...f8 ) 23.h6 h8 24.d8 b7 9...e8 10.d1 f5 11.a3 d7 25.ad1 g7 26.8d7! f8 27.xg7 xg7 Vachier Lagrave, M (2682)-Fressinet, L 28.1d4 ae8 29.f6+ g8 30.h4 h5 ( 2 6 9 3 ) N a n c y 2 0 1 2 w h e n ( 11...a6 31.h2 c8 ( 31...c8 32.g4! ) 32.g3 should be preferred, with a roughly level ce8 33.f4 c8 34.g5! Was Shortposition. ) 12.xd5! xd5 13.b5 ac8 Timman, Tilburg 1991. ] 14.c4 e4 15.e3 and Black has to 14.e6 fxe6 15.xe6+ h8 16.c3 e5 watch out to stop his queen getting 17.b5! h4 18.xc7! Calling Black's blufftrapped. ] there is not enough compensation for the 5.0-0 Maxime continues to develop. pawns. a6 19.xc8 af6 20.g3 b4 [ 5.b3 is the other main move here, in 21.f4 xf4 22.gxf4 xc8 23.d5 c5 prep arat io n f or B la ck's .. .d 5 . On e high 24.ad1 e6 25.fxe5 exd5 26.b5 e7 powered game continued f6 6.e2 0-0 27.xd5 h5 28.e4 h7 29.d6 g5+ 7.0-0 a5 8.a4 b6 9.d1 a6 10.e1 c7 30.h1 11.e5 dxe5 12.dxe5 d5 13.e6 fxe6?! 1-0 14.g5 f6 15.xe6 1-0 Kramnik, V (2770)-Svidler, P (2727) Dortmund 2004 hardly an endorsement of Black's opening! ] 654 B04 [ Meanwhile 5.c3 would transpose to Getz, N (2270)-Istratescu, A (2624) Hastings Vachier Lagrave,Maxime 2682 2009 examined by Neil. ] Bacrot,Etienne 2706 GP FFE 2nd stage KO rapid (2.2) 29.04.2012 5...f6 [ 5...d5 must be the critical test of White's [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle] m o v e o r d e r b u t 6.b3! feels more comfortable for White. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.c4 A) 6...dxe4 7.g5 ( 7.e5!? might also Vachier Lagrave uses the line Howell be possible.) 7...h6 8.c3 0-0 9.xe4 attempted against Aronian which Tom c7 10.bd2 d7 11.f3 f5 12.e1 annotated recently. c6 c5 13.dxc5 xc5 14.xc5 xc5 15.f4 [ Later in the day Fressinet deviated with and White was on top. Macieja, B (2538)4...f6 but didn't fare much better: 5.e2 Czerwonski, A (2414) Plock 2000.; 0-0 6.h3 ( Tom looked at 6.e5 in Howell, D B) 6...g4 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 e6 (2633)-Aronian, L (2807) Berlin 2012.; While Black's position would be fine could he 6.0-0 was looked at in Topalov, V (2777)complete his development smoothly but Mamedyarov, S (2742) Villarrobledo 2008 by B1) or 9.c3 e7 10.g5 0-0 John Watson.) 6...c6 ( 6...c6 here would ( 10...d7?! 11.exd5 cxd5 12.xd5! ) be similar to the game but at least W hite 11.fe1 with very awkward pressure has committed his queen to e2. Perhaps down the e file.; therefore White should try 7.b3 ) 7.0-0 B2) 9.exd5 cxd5 10.c4! e7 11.cxd5 A) Last year another quickplay game of xd5 12.c3 0-0 13.xd5 exd5 the Frenchman's continued 7...e5 8.dxe5 14.e3 is better for White. ] xe5 9.xe5 dxe5 10.d1 e7 11.c3 c6 12.a4 h5 13.b3 ( Perhaps 13.f3 6.e5 d5 Now the position starts to resemble is a slight nuance.) 13...f4 14.f3 f6 a n A l e k h i n e a n d a c t u a l l y i s m o r e o f t e n w h e n B l a c k s h o u l d h a v e e q u a l i s e d . reached by that opening. [ 6...dxe5 is of course the alternative: 7.dxe5 Vachier Lagrave, M (2710)-Gashimov, V d5 w h e n t h e u n u s u a l 8.c3!? (2757) Beijing 2011.; l o o k s t h r e a t e n i n g . e6 Mai DongqiB) 7...d5!? This looks new. Fressinet's 667
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Azmaiparashvili, Z (2671) Jinan 2005 when White should try ( 8...xc3 9.xd8+ xd8 10.bxc3 d7 11.xf7 xe5 12.g5 leaves Black with a rather draughty king.) 9.g5 with quite a dangerous initiative. ] 7.e1 Vachier Lagrave keeps the tension. [ John had a look at 7.exd6 in Fedorchuk, S (2671)-Genocchio, D (2416) Conegliano 2008 which is likely to reach fairly similar positions. ] [ While Neil investigated 7.h3 in Zeberski, J (2400) -Rozentalis, E (2611) Warsaw 2009. ] 7...0-0 [ Perhaps Black should try 7...dxe5 8.xe5 which transposes to quite a common Alekhine line - check out the archives for a few games including Kasparov-Adams. ] 8.exd6 xd6 9.bd2 f5 In all these positions Black looks fairly solid but W hite always seems to have a small advantage. [ It makes sense to develop the light squared bishop before developing the knight but 9...d7 is seen from time to time. 10.b3 e6 11.e4 c7 12.c4 5f6 13.c3 b6 14.g5 b7 and Black had a solid setup but W hite must still be a tiny bit better. Steingrimsson, H (2550)-Konopka, M (2454) Germany 2010. ] [ 9...g4 is the main move: 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 e6 12.b3 b5 13.g5 d7 14.h4 fe8 15.g3 f8 16.a4 a6 17.c3 Korneev, O (2588)-Spraggett, K (2573) Torres Vedras 2011 and, although Black's got a strong knight on d5 W hite must be better. ] 10.e4 b4?! This looks new and wrong. [ Black should give up the bishop pair with 10...xe4 11.xe4 The position is very similar to the previous notes and Black can't be t oo m uch worse a f te r e6 ( Instead 11...d7 was played in a previous encounter but 12.xd5 cxd5 13.f4 b4 14.e3 e6?! 15.b3 a4 16.xb7 was much better for W hite. Hoffmann, M (2458)-Appel, R (2481) Essen 2000. )] 11.xd5!? Although this works out remarkably well we don't think it's strongest. [ Instead 11.b3 followed by c2-c4 looks very pleasant for White. Black will probably have to take on e4 anyway. ] 11...cxd5 12.c3 b6 13.g3 e6
Perhaps this move isn't an error but Black's position does become difficult to play. [ 13...e6 can be met with 14.g5 ] [ but 13...g4!? 14.xe7 c6 15.e3 f5!? gives Black some play for the pawn. However we're not totally convinced. ] 14.xf5 gxf5?! Actually this is the error but it's the na tural f ollow up to his previous . Unfortunately for Bacrot he doesn't have enough time to cover his kingside. [ The computer thinks Black is basically fine after 14...exf5 but to a human this looks very pleasant for White with an extra pawn on c3 in the long term as the extra f pawn is rather irrelevant. White might continue with 15.f4! as xb2 16.d6 c8 17.b4 followed by 18.Re2 will force Black to give up his queen for rook and bishop. ] 15.e5! d8 [ Perhaps 15...f6 is better although 16.d3 followed by swinging the rook across to h3 looks very good for White. ] 16.h5 [ Starting with 16.e3! is more accurate as d7 ( 16...e8?! 17.g3 ) 17.g3! doesn't give Black enough time to play ...f6 and ...Rf7 as f6 18.h6 wins. ] 16...c6? Now Bacrot is totally lost. [ 16...d7 is b e t t e r b u t 17.xd7 xd7 18.e3 f6 19.h3 h8 20.g3+ g7 21.h6 f7 22.e1 leaves White obviously on top. ] [ Black's last chance was 16...e8 but 17.d3 is obviously very good for White. ] 17.xc6 bxc6 18.e3 Now Black cannot cover his king. f6 19.g3 h8? [ 19...f4 was necessary although 20.g4 fe8 21.xf4 f5 22.xf5 exf5 23.g5 should simply be lost. ] 20.f4 A couple of easy wins for Vachier Lagrave. Impressive, even if the games were only rapid. It seems it's not so easy to equalise for Black. 1-0
668
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 655 Van der Weide,Karel Miles,Anthony J 1st ch-Europe (7) [Nigel Davies]
B04 37.h2 [ There is no longer a defence, as if 37.g1 there follows xh3 ] 10.07.2000 37...xg2+ 0-1
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.c4 Arguably White's most natural move. [ 6.f3 e6 7.c4 d7 8.d3 g6 9.0-0 g7 10.c3 0-0 11.d2 was Rabiega Loeffler, Austrian Ch., Melk 1999 and now a5!? looks like Black's most interesting plan. ] 6...d7 This has been Tony Miles' choice at this juncture. [ 6...e6 has also been played but it looks a bit clumsy. ] 7.f3 [ Exchanging knights helps ease the slight cramp in Black's position: 7.xd7 xd7 8.0-0 f5 9.d3 ( or 9.c3 e6 10.e2 d6 11.d2 0-0 1/2-1/2, Kobalija - Miles, Capablanca Memorial, Cuba 2000) 9...xd3 10.xd3 e6 11.c4 f6 12.d2 e7 13.f3 0-0 14.d2 c7 15.fe1 ad8 16.e2 fe8 17.c3 1/2-1/2, Cao - Miles, Ohrid 2001 ] 7...7b6 This followed by his next move allows Black to develop his bishop to g4. [ 7...7f6 8.h3 is not as good ] [ but 7...g6 is worth considering ] 8.b3 g4 9.bd2 e6 10.0-0 e7 11.h3 h5 12.c3 0-0 13.e4 g6 14.e2 d7 15.e1 a5 16.a4 e8 Black is comfortably placed, which just about sums things up from a theoretical point of view. The rest of the game is a tough scrap in which Miles comes o u t o n t o p . 17.c4 c7 18.g5 xg5 19.exg5 h6 20.e4 ad8 21.ad1 5b6 22.b3 e5 23.g3 [ 23.dxe5 xe5 24.xd8 xd8 rather more than equalises because of the residual problems on the e-file ] 23...e4 24.h4 h7 25.h5 f6 26.xa5 a8 27.c5 [ After 27.b4 there follows fd5 28.xd5 xd5 29.b3 f4 ] 27...xa4 28.xa4 xa4 29.hf5 xf5 30.xf5 e6 31.b4 b6 32.c4 b5 33.b3 d5 34.e3 d7 35.a1 g6 36.h1 f4
656 Zeberski,Jakub Rozentalis,Eduardas 9th Amplico Life Rapid rapid (5) [Neil McDonald]
B04 2400 2611 19.12.2009
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g6 5.c4 As Black hasn't put pressure on f3 with 4...Bg4 White can afford a more aggressive development of his bishop than 5.Be2. c6 6.0-0 For the moment Zeberski decides to ma in t ain t he p a wn o n e5 a s it give s h im space advantage. [ Instead 6.exd6 xd6 7.0-0 followed by Re1 is a simpler way of playing it, when White has some pressure in the centre. He might for example gain time by hitting the black queen with Nbd2 and Ne4. ] 6...g7 7.h3 [ Deterring a pin on g4 is consistent with his plan of supporting e5. Here also White has a small but care-free edge with 7.exd6 xd6 8.e1 ] 7...dxe5 8.xe5 [ After 8.dxe5 the pawn might become a liability as Black can readily attack it with his pieces: a bishop on g7, a queen on c7 and a knight on d7, always watching out for a possible e5-e6 sacrifice by White. ] 8...d7 9.f3 It makes sense to decline the exchange on d7 as it would unclutter the black position. 0-0 10.e1 e6 [ The alternative was to prepare the development of Black's passive bishop on c8 with 10...b6 when 11.b3!? intending 12. c4 lo o ks like a p lea sa n t a d va n t a ge f o r White. ( Instead playing aggressively with a lot of piece rather than pawn moves doesn't seem very effective: 11.g5 7f6 12.e5 b7 13.d2 c5 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.h6 e6 16.b3 c7 17.xg7 xg7 and Black was well entrenched in Rabiega, RVaganian, R/Germany 1995. )] 11.c3 c5 12.g5? A tempting move as 669
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 whichever way Black chooses to block the a t t a ck o n h i s qu e e n we a ke n s h is ga m e . However, the black queen can runaway to a powerful square on b6. [ So far Rozentalis has been willing to repeat one of his earlier games which went 12.xd5!? this exchange still looks like the critical move exd5 13.dxc5 xc5 14.e3 and now b6!? is a likely improvement, with ideas of Ba6 and keeping the option of Ne6. If then 15.Bd4 f6 etc. Instead Rozentalis got ground down after he tried sacrificing a pawn to escape from the pressure: ( 14...e4 15.bd2 e8 16.d4 f6 17.b3 h8 18.ad1 e6 19.xb7 b8 20.xa7 xb2 21.c4 b8 22.xb8 bxb8 23.xe4 dxe4 24.xe4 xc4 25.xe8+ xe8 26.a4 e2 27.e1 e4 28.c3 g8 29.d2 e6 30.b3 c4 31.xe6 xe6 32.c5 d5 33.a5 f7 34.a6 e7 35.a4 d6 36.b6 c6 37.a7 c7 38.d4 f5 39.a8+ 1-0 Macieja, B-Rozentalis, E/Warsaw POL 2006. )] 12...b6! Perhaps Zeberski underestimated this move as W hite gains a dangerous looking initiative on the kingside. However, whether through intuition or through preparation with a computer, Rozentalis is able to refute this misconception. [ Instead Black would have a poor game after 12...f6 13.xd5 exd5 14.f4 etc. ] 13.xd5 Plunging into the life or death variation. [ T h e c a r e f u l 13.d2 should have been preferred, though 7f6 is then comfortable for Black. ] 13...exd5 14.e7 e8 15.xc5 xe1+ 16.xe1 xc5 17.dxc5? [ White might have scraped a draw with 17.e8+ f8 18.g5! threatening mate in two e6 ( Not 18...f6? 19.xf8+ xf8 20.xh7+ etc. ) 19.xa8 xb2 20.dxc5 xa1 ( Black could speculate with 20...c1+ 21.h2 xg5 intending 22...Kg7 and 23... Bxc5. ) 21.xb7 xc5 22.xe6 fxe6 23.c8+ f7 24.xc5 xb1+ 25.h2 b6 26.c8 ( The pawn endgame after 26.xb6 axb6 is at least unpleasant for White. ) 26...xf2 27.d7+ f6 28.xh7 xa2 29.h8+ f5 30.f8+ e4 ( Or
30...e5 31.g7+ ) 31.f6 and White should draw. ] 17...xb2 18.e8+ f8 19.e5 [ Here 19.g5 loses the horse to c1+ ] 19...c1+? In some ways this inaccuracy reflects credit on Rozentalis, as it indicates t h a t h e wa s n 't j u s t r e l yi n g o n p r e - g a m e computer analysis to bag the win. [ Instead the fearless 'computer' move 19...f5! would end the game very quickly, as after 20.xf7+ ( Or 20.xa8 xa1 and the knight on b1, which is attacked twice, is lost. ) 20...h8 White has no good way to continue his attack, while a1 and b1 are hanging, as is the knight on e5 to a Qc1+ and Qf4+ sequence. ] 20.h2 f4+ 21.g1 xh3! 22.xa8 [ White could spoil the pretty finish with 22.xf7+ xf7 23.xf7 xf7 24.gxh3 t h o u g h t h e st r o n g G ra n d m a st e r wo u l d undoubtedly exploit his extra pawn once c5 drops after c8 etc. ] 22...g5 23.g3 [ T h e o n l y w a y t o p l a y o n w a s 23.f1 but Black has an irresistible attack after xg2+ 24.e2 xe5+ 25.d2 f4+ 26.c2 e4+ 27.b3 xf2 ] 23...c1+ 24.h2 f1! Despite White' s extra rook he is powerless to prevent mate on g2. A fine, if slightly flawed, game by Rozentalis. 0-1
657 Zhigalko,Andrey Rozentalis,Eduardas 22nd Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (9) [John Cox]
B04 2505 2582
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 dxe5 5.xe5 c6 6.d3 d7 7.xd7 xd7 8.0-0 g6 So far the same as Cuijpers-Cox, but now Zhigalko plays a more direct move than has usually been preferred. 9.c4 In fact as far as I know this move has never been played before. To me (and presumably all the other humans who've had White in this position) it looks a little strange to weaken d4, but the computer goes straight for it. f6 10.h3 A common theme in this sort of position, playing against 670
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the d7 bishop, but White is spending a lot of time. It was more natural to play something like [ 10.c3 g7 11.e1 0-0 12.g5 , but I don't think Black's in too much danger - m a y b e h e s h o u l d e v e n p l a y g4 , just for fun. ] 10...g7 11.d2 0-0 12.f3 c7 13.e1 f5!? A shocking move, and the reason I'm showing this game. The idea is known in the Caro-Kann Exchange, but there Black has a pawn on d5 instead of c6 (and White's c-pawn is on c3). There one can see Black has more influence in the centre and wins firm control of e4. Also with the centre closed Black has more chance to do something down the g-file. I've never seen the idea in this structure before, but Rozentalis, with his characteristic positional originality, makes it look pretty good in the game. I suspect, by the way, that it wouldn't work half so well if W hite had a knight on c3 rather than f3 - the black knight wouldn't get e4, and Black would have to watch out for a d5 break (in the game this never really becomes an issue until it's far too late). 14.xf5 gxf5 15.e3 ad8 16.c2 e6 17.ad1 e4 18.c1 h8 19.f4 e7 20.e3 g8 Both players have played a natural series of moves, and Black has all his pieces where he wants them. I doubt White has any advantage at all - he has to defend d4 all the time for one thing, while Black has no similar weak pawn, and for another it's not easy to do anything about the e4 knight. 21.a3 [ 21.d2?? loses at once to xd4 but ] [ 21.g5 was a very plausible option. Black can play the tactical line xd4 22.xd4 xg5 23.xg5 xg5 24.xd8+ xd8 25.xa7 but I think this ending is about as good as W hite can do. Probably Zhigalko wanted more, but it looks as though he overestimated the game continuation. ] 21...c5! Excellent and well-timed if White were allowed b4 he might stand a little better. 22.b4 Still playing ambitiously White was in no great danger after [ 22.dxc5 , for example xb2 23.b3 f6 24.d6 xd6 25.cxd6 xd6 26.xd6 xd6 27.xb7= ] 22...cxb4 23.axb4 xb4 24.e5?! White could still play for some compensation
on the open files on the queenside with a move like [ 24.b1 , but I suspect he failed to take Black's next move properly into consideration at all. ] 24...xe5! Excellent. It's scary but White is never able to create any threats against the king or the e-pawn which Black is forced to weaken with his next move. [ 24...f8 25.f3 would be much less good, and would allow W hite to show some compensation for his pawn. ] 25.xe5+ f6 26.b1 e7 27.f4 g7 28.g3 A big concession now it's very hard to arrange f3 to remove the e4 knight, and if White can't do that then he's always going to be worse, if not lost. b6 29.bd1 de8 [ T h e i m m e d i a t e a n d f e a r l e s s 29...e5 is the machine's suggestion, and this does seem to be very strong, but it's easy to see why a human would prefer a spot of manoeuvring first. ] 30.f3 g6 31.c1 c8 32.d5 White isn't doing himself much good like this, but sitting still wasn't going to help either. e5 33.d6 gd8 34.a3 xc4 35.c1 xc1 36.xc1 f4 37.d7 fxg3 38.fxg3 d2 [ 38...c5 would have retained a greater material lead, but the text is more forcing and easier in time trouble. ] 39.c3 g7 40.xd2 [ 40.c7 xg3+ 41.h1 f3 wins ] 40...xg3+ 41.g2 xg2+ 42.xg2 xd7 This ending should be winning and the rest of t h e ga m e s e e s a st e a d y a n d i n e xo ra b l e advance. 43.c3 g6 44.g3+ f5 45.h4 d4 46.h3 e4 47.c1 d3 48.e3 h5 49.g2 a5 50.f2 b5 51.g8 a4 52.b8 d5 53.g3 a3 54.b6 e5 55.f2 f5 56.e1 f4 57.c1 e3 58.xa3 f3 59.b2+ f5 60.c1 f2+ 61.e2 d1 62.xb5+ g4 63.b4+ g3 64.f4 e1+ A quietly original game, which reminds me somehow of the young Nigel Short, who had a similarly realistic approach to danger as Rozentalis shows with ...Bxe5! 0-1
671
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 658 Abdulyazanov,Malik Tukhvatullin,Timur 6th ch-PriFO Men (8) [John Watson]
B05 2361 2248 30.01.2008
In general I don't like the line Black plays in this game (10...d5), but it continues to be contested. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.c4 b6 8.h3 It's a very complicated question whether this helps or hurts W hite's cause, but I suspect that doing without it is better. h5 [ 8...xf3 9.xf3 is frowned upon because there's no comfortable way to defend b7: c6 ( 9...c6? 10.exd6 xd6 11.c5; 9...c8 10.exd6 cxd6 11.b3 c6 12.c3 with space and free development )] 9.c3 White can play 9 exd6, but waiting doesn't hurt. 0-0 [ 9...dxe5? 10.xe5 xe2 11.xe2 xd4? ( 11...0-0 12.d1 c6 13.xc6 bxc6 14.f4 ) 12.d1 ( or 12.b5 d8 13.f3 ) 12...c5 13.b4! xb4 14.b5 and both Nxc7+ and Ba3 are threatened. ] 10.e3 d5!? The radical approach. 11.c5 6d7!? [ 11...xf3 is far more common, when both recaptures are possible, but key is 12.gxf3 c8 13.f4 A) 13...g6? 14.f5! exf5 ( 14...gxf5 15.b3 b6 16.h2 h8 17.g1 ) 15.xd5! , etc.; B) 13...h4 is also played. Theoretically it helps Black that the move h3 has been played.; C) 13...c6 14.f5 ( or 14.d3!? with the idea xc5 15.dxc5 d4 16.e4! ) 14...exf5 , and now 15.b3 might be better than 15 Bf3 Bg5!, as in the Archives. T h e i d e a i s s i m p l y b8 16.ad1 , which threatens d5. ] 12.b4 [ 12.b3 b6 13.ac1 is a natural sequence. ] 12...f6!? [ 12...c6 gets the pieces out. Then 13.b5 a5 14.a4 c6 ( 14...xf3 15.gxf3 c4!? 16.xc4 dxc4 17.xc4 doesn't give serious compensation. )] 13.exf6 xf6 Black covers e5, but unless he
can get the move ...e5 in, his pawn on e6 will remain a problem. 14.e1 c6 Rather passive. The idea is to protect d5 and thus prepare ... e5, but White is too well developed. [ 14...a5!? 15.b5! xc5 16.g4 g6 17.g5 e4 18.xe4 dxe4 19.gxf6 exf3 20.fxg7 xg7 21.xf3 is materially equal, but White's bishops are very strong. ] [ Perhaps 14...c6 is best, but not equal following 15.b1 ( or 15.b5 a5 16.a4 ) 15...g6 16.d3 ] 15.f4!? a5! 16.bxa5!? [ 16.b5! is still a shot, based upon xc5 17.e5! xe2 18.xe2 and White will regain his material. ] 16...xf3 [ 16...xa5!? ] 17.xf3 xc5 18.c1 e4 Almost an action of despair, giving away all the key squares. Black should play something more active, for example, [ 18...xa5 19.d6 bd7 20.xf8 xf8 wh e n W h it e st a ys a h e a d m a t e r ia ll y b y 21.xd5! exd5 22.dxc5 xa2 , but at least there are opposite coloured bishops and a lot to play for. ] [ 18...bd7 19.d6 xa5 transposes ] 19.xe4 dxe4 20.xe4 xa5 21.b3 [ or 21.xe6 xd4 22.d6! d8? 23.b3! ] 21...xd4? But everything is falling apart anyway: [ 21...d5 22.xb7 xd4 23.b4! ] 22.xe6+ h8 23.d6 a7 24.xf8 xf8 25.f4 1-0
659 Arakhamia Grant,Ketevan Baburin,Alexander 25th Liechtenstein Open (7) [John Watson]
B05 2435 2545 17.05.2007
Baburin seems to have faith in the Flohr move 5...c6. That's a good enough reason to investigate it. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 Various reasons are given why this is weaker than 5...e6, but none o f t h e m a r e t o t a l l y c o n v i n c i n g . 6.0-0 Other, currently less popular, moves are still critical: 672
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ a) 6.c4 b6 ( 6...c7 is also playable) 7.bd2 8d7 8.0-0 ( 8.exd6 exd6 9.0-0 e7 10.e1 0-0 has the idea ...d5, and is certainly playable.) 8...dxe5 9.xe5 xe5 10.dxe5 f5 11.b3 e6 12.d1 c7 13.g3 0-0-0 14.b3 h5 A Greet-A Baburin, Birmingham 2006 previously cited in ChessPub. ] [ b) 6.g5 f5!? ( 6...xe2 7.xe2 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 is better than its reputation, and in fact the choice of several strong players, but is more defensive.) 7.e6! fxe6 8.g4 ( 8.d3; 8.g4 ) 8...g6 9.d3 xd3 10.xd3 has been debated for a long time. I think a plausible unique idea would be a6 ( 10...f6 11.xe6 d7 12.e2 is normal ) 11.xh7 ( 11.xe6 d7 12.e2 ac7= ) 11...a5+!? 12.c3 ( 12.d2 f4 13.e4 d5 is unclear) 12...0-0-0 13.g5 d7! with a messy position. ] 6...xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.e2!? Cox strongly criticises this defence of the dpawn, but it's played by a lot of strong players. In fact, 9 Qe2 (or sometimes 10 Qe2, transposing) is played f ar more than any other line in MegaBase, and occurred in the last 6 games that I've seen with this line in international play. In theory White has been thought to have better chances of gaining the advantage by bringing his rook to e1, perhaps preceded by Nd2. See this month's game Se n f f -K ra s e n ko v. d7 10.c4 'Another mistake', says Cox, and indeed, this move could wait. But it's not so bad. e7 11.g4!? Cox has a low opinion of this idea, to say the least: 'the great Botvinnik came up with the moderately ludricrous idea of Bf3-g4-h3 in a game against Flohr at Nottingham 1936 (I assume - charitably - that it wasn't preparation).' Well, Bg4-h3 and f4 is simply a plan - not great, but not bad either. And for its purpose, playing Qe2 and leaving the rook on f1 is appropriate. [ 11.d1 c7 12.f4 g6 13.g3 t ra n s p o s e s t o t h e n o t e t o t h is m o n t h ' s Ibarra Chami-Fernandez Garcia game. ] 11...h5 12.h3 c7 13.f4 It's a matter of timing, and this move will probably be played soon anyway. Here's another example: [ 13.e1 (unnecessary) 0-0-0 14.c3 g6
15.f4 b4 16.e3 xc3!? (risky) 17.bxc3 a5 18.f2 e7 19.ab1 g6 20.g3 b6 21.g2 and White had all the chances in Boensch, U -Bagirov, V, Berlin East 1979. ] 13...f5 14.c3 [ White can also continue naturally by 14.xf5 exf5 15.e3 In an older contest, this resembled our game: c5 16.h1 b6 17.xc5 xc5 18.c3 0-0-0 19.ab1 ( 19.c2 g6 20.a4= ) 19...e6! 20.c2 d4 21.a4 ( 21.d3! g6 22.b4! is more enterprising) 21...e6 ( 21...c5! stops b4 ) 22.c2 d4 23.a4 d7 24.b4 a6!? 25.xa6 bxa6 26.bc1 hd8 1/2-1/2 Rakic, T (2455) -Knezevic, M (2490)/Maribor 198001 ] 14...0-0-0 15.xf5 exf5 16.e3 c5 17.a4 xe3+ 18.xe3 b6 19.xb6+ xb6 20.xb6 axb6 21.ad1 The endgame is rather dull. I'd rather be White, but it's hard to believe in more than a tiny edge, and nothing much happens for a while. Then White gets careless and the tables turn. S t ill, it t a ke s a f in a l, h o rr ib le b lu n d e r t o decide things: d7 22.xd7 xd7 23.d1+ e6 24.d6+ e7 25.d3 a8 26.b3 d7 27.a3 c7 28.f2 d8 29.e3 d1 30.d3 h1 31.h3 e1+ 32.f3 h4 33.b3 a1 34.a4 a2 35.d1 b2 36.d3 c2 37.e3 d7 38.g4? e6 39.d3 g6 40.d6+ e7 41.gxf5 gxf5 42.h6 c3+ 43.g2 g3+ 44.h2 xb3 45.xh4 b4 46.h8 xc4 47.b8 e6 48.xb7 xf4 49.xb6 d5 50.a5 a4 51.a6 c5 52.g3 c4 53.f4 c3+ 54.e3 xe5 55.d3 a3 56.h4 f4 57.c6 f5 58.h5 f3 59.xc3?? [ 59.e3 ] 59...f2 0-1
660 Arnold,L Rozentalis,Eduardas GM Augsburg GER (6) [John Cox]
B05 2340 2595 01.01.2005
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.c4 b6 7.c3?! I can't think White meant to play this. Maybe he wanted to play Bologan's idea 7 h3 Bh5 8 exd6 cxd6 9 673
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Nc3 Be7 10 d5 and wasn't too careful about move order? If he wants to play that way (i.e. delaying castling) exd6 is essential before Nc3 for the reasons Rozentalis now demonstrates. dxe5 8.xe5 xe2 9.xe2?! Sitting here with a computer we can all see that this just loses a p awn, but no doub t White's spirit rebelled at the idea of fighting for equality after something like [ 9.xe2 b4+ 10.d2 ( 10.c3 8d7 is pretty easy for Black too) 10...xd2+ 11.xd2 when Black can choose between f6 12.c5 d5 or just 11...N8d7. ] 9...xd4 10.b5 b4+ 11.f1 d8 12.f4 [ 12.g5 xg5 13.xc7+ e7 ( 13...f8 14.xf7 ) 14.xf7!+- was worth a glance but Black can spoil the fun with the calm 11... Qc8. ] 12...0-0 13.h4 This doesn't have much effect, but Black is probably just winning anyway, certainly much better. a6 14.d1 e7 15.d4 8d7 16.xd7 xd7 [ 16...xd7 17.c2 d6 18.c5 d5 19.xd5 exd5 20.cxd6 is not so clear at all Rozentalis prefers to keep the initiative. ] 17.xc7 ac8 18.f5 [ 18.g3 fd8 19.h5 is Fritz's idea, to bring the rook in via h4, when it reckons White is only slightly worse. I suspect this was a better try t han t he text, wh ich le ads b y fairly forced steps to defeat. ] 18...f6 19.xd7 exf5 20.e5 c6 21.d3 fe8 22.f4 [ 22.xf5 f6 23.g4 xc4+ 24.xc4+ xc4 25.c3 xc3 26.bxc3 xc3 is surely a winning endgame for Black, but opening up lines like this is hopeless with the king on f1. ] 22...f6 23.xf5 xc4+ 24.g1 fxe5 25.xg7+ xg7 26.g5+ f7 27.f5+ e7 28.xe5+ d7 The game itself was rather one-sided, but I have included it for the move order point in the opening. In combination with Libiszewski-Rozentalis, it seems to be the case that if W hite wants Bologan's plan then 6 c4 Nb6 7 h3 Bh5 8 exd6 cxd6 9 Nc3 Be7 10 d5 may be his only accurate move order - unless Rozentalis has something up his sleeve against that as well. 0-1
661 Aseev,Konstantin N Bagirov,Vladimir Berlin [Alexander Volzhin]
B05 2575 2475 1990
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.c4 b6 8.h3 h5 9.c3 0-0 10.e3 d5 [ 10...c6 is not so good, as the position after 11.exd6 cxd6 12.d5 exd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.xd5 clearly favours white (the d6pawn is a weakness). ] 11.c5 xf3 12.gxf3!? This move became p o p u l a r wh e n it b e ca m e cl e a r , t h a t T h e position after the text is a "tabiya" of the 4.. . Bg4 lin e . I t h as o ccu rre d in hu n d red s o f games, but it's still not clear if white should interpolate 8.h3 Bh5 or not. Both variations have their merits and drawbacks. [ 12.xf3 c4 13.f4 doesn't promise w h i t e a n y a d v a n t a g e . P l a y i n g b6! black undermines the white pawn chain and obtains good counterchances. The game Lukin - Bagirov continued: 14.b3 a5 15.b4 c4 16.c1 c6 17.e2 a5! 18.xc4 dxc4 19.a3 axb4 20.axb4 a6! 21.b5 b4! and black had the upper hand. ] 12...c8 [ 12...6d7 is bad, as the knight has no prospects here. After the text black intends to transfer the knight to f5 via e7 ( after Bh4), obtaining a comfortable blockade. W hite should play aggressively to prevent this. He has a somewhat exposed pawn structure, bu t t h e lat e n t p o we r o f h is bish o p p a ir should not be underestimated. ] 13.f4 c6 14.f5 White takes the first opportunity to break in the centre. It's a very interesting, but probably somewhat premature decision. exf5 15.f3 This is the idea behind 14. f5: the d5-pawn is defenceless. Now Black has to find counterplay, otherwise he'll be smashed by W hite's strong central pawns. g5! 16.xd5 f4! 17.xf4 [ 17.c1 was tried once, but in my opinion, Black has nothing to worry about after 8e7 18.xe7+ xe7! , f or example 19.xc6 bxc6 20.f3 e6 and Black has excellent position, as 21.xf4 blunders a piece after f5 ] 674
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17...xf4 18.xf4 8e7! Very strong. After this excellent move White has no advantage, despite his extra pawn and massive pawn centre. Black intends Rb8 and only then to recapture on d4. [ White is better after 18...xd4 19.xb7 b8 20.g2! xb2 21.g4! with a strong kingside attack. ] 19.b3 [ 19.d2 d7 ] 19...b8 20.e4?! White overestimates his chances in the endgame. He should take a draw by [ 20.e2 d7 21.g4 d5 22.f4 ( White can't protect his d4-pawn, as 22.d2 fails to xe5 ) 22...fd8 23.f3 d7 24.g4 d5= , and triple repetition is unavoidable. ] 20...xd4! The forthcoming endgame is good for Black. [ On the other hand, 20...xd4? 21.g4! gives White a strong attack. ] 21.xd4 xd4 22.fd1 fd8 23.d3? [ 23.d5 was better, although the position after e2+! 24.f1 xd5 25.xd5 xd5 26.xd5 f4! 27.g2 f8 28.d1 e7 is quite unpleasant for White. ] 23...dc6 24.e6? White's position could tolerate one mistake, but two in a row is too much! [ After the correct 24.xc6 xd3 25.xd3 xc6 Black still has to prove his advantage is enough for a win. ] 24...f5! 25.g2 xd3 26.xd3 d8 27.f4 g6! Now Black is planning Kg7-f6, and the e6pawn is in danger. 28.e1 g7 29.xc6 bxc6! [ 29...xc6? allows White to escape: 30.e7! e8 31.e6+ f7 32.xc7 xe7 33.xe7+ xe7 34.f4= ] 30.g2 [ White can't prevent g5, as 30.h4 fails to d4-+ winning ] 30...g5! 31.e2 f6 32.h4 gxh4! 33.f4 d4 34.f3 e4 35.xe4 fxe4+ 36.xe4 The knight ending is won for Black, as he has a strong passed pawn on h4, and W hite's pawn on e6 is about to fall. d5 [ 36...g6! at once was even better. ] 37.e2 [ Of course, the pawn ending is lost:
37.xd5+ cxd5+ 38.f3 d4-+ winning ] 37...e7! 38.d4 [ 38.f4 g6-+ winning ] 38...h3! 39.f3 [ 39.f3 doesn't help W hite, after e5 Black should win . ] 39...d5 40.e7 xe7 41.f5 f6! 42.f4 e6 43.g3 e4+ 44.xh3 xf2+ 45.h4 d5 46.g5 [ 46.g5 d3 47.h6 c1 ] 0-1
662 Baklan,Vladimir Kosikov,Alexey I Kiev [Alexander Volzhin]
B05 2571 2460 2000
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.e1 d7 10.d2 e7 The games Gufeld-Goh and Cmilite-Zhukova show that attempts to win the e5-pawn are too risky for Black. Therefore quiet moves such as the text move or 10...Qc7 11. Nc4 N7b6 as played in Malakhov-Sedina seem to be the only playable possibilities for Black in this variation. [ Black tried this move after 10...c7 11.c4 e7 in Krstic-Havas, Pula 1999, but this doesn't look good: 12.d6+ f8 A) I would prefer 13.xd5 and Black has difficult problems to solve: A1) After 13...exd5?! White has a pleasant choice between 14.f5 and ( 14.xf7 xf7 15.e6+ with a huge edge in both cases. ); A2) 13...cxd5 14.f4 and White intends to open files in the centre by playing c2c4 at the right moment, while Black has se ri o u s p r o b l e m s c o -o r d i n a t in g h i s forces. It's important that Black can't exploit the unstable position of White's K n i g h t o n d 6 , f o r e x a m p l e : xe5 ( 14...f6? is bad in view of 15.b5 c4 16.exf6 xf6 17.d4 and Black is in trouble. ) 15.xf7 xf7 16.xe5 with a huge edge for White.; B) 13.c4?! A tactical oversight. xe5! Now Black has everything in order. 14.cxd5 xd6 15.dxe6 xd1 16.xd1 675
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d3 17.e2 fxe6 18.xe6 f6 19.c2 xc1 20.xc1 e8 21.xe8+ xe8 22.e1+ d7 23.b3 h6 and a draw was agreed. ] 11.c4! [ White has also tried 11.f1 but this didn't give him any advantage: c7 12.c4 5b6 13.e2 0-0 14.b3 fd8 15.b2 f8 16.g3 bd7 17.g2 c5 18.ad1 xd1 19.xd1 d8 and Black managed to equalise in Van den Doel-Baklan, Zagan 1995. ] 11...0-0 12.a4 a5 13.d2 c7 14.e2 Although White hasn't got much here, it's not pleasant to play this position with Black, since he lacks active counterplay. fd8 [ After the game GM Baklan recommended 14...b4!? 15.c3 e7 reducing the pressure on the a5-pawn and intending Nc5b3, but in my opinion, 16.e4! is strong enough and Black can't create any serious c o u n t e r p l a y : b5 ( 16...c5 17.c2 ) 17.axb5 cxb5 18.e3! ] 15.e4 b4 16.f4 c5 17.e2 d4 18.g3 ad8 Both sides moves are very logical. 19.d6! [ 19.c3 xc4 20.xc4 c2 and Black is OK, to say the least. ] 19...g5? A tactical oversight. [ 19...d5 is wo rt h c o n sid e rin g : 20.b3 (forced) and only now g5! obtaining real counterchances. The game could continue: 21.xd5 xd5 22.g4 d2 23.ed1 c3 24.xd5 exd5 25.f5 e6 26.f1 i n t e n d i n g t o m a r c h h i s f - p a w n xe5!? ( Black has to play actively as White's tactical threats on the K-side should not be u n d e r e s t i m a t e d , f o r e x a m p l e 26...b5? is bad in view of 27.h4! b8 28.xg7 xg7 29.f6 ) 27.h6+ f8 28.xf7 xf7 29.xe5 and White is only slightly better. ] 20.h5! Surprisingly, after this simple move Black is hopelessly lost. He can't avoid large material losses. f5 Desperation, but Black's position was already lost. [ 20...g6 21.c3 d2 22.g4 and White wins material. ] 21.f7+ f8 22.c3 d2 23.h5 h6 24.cxb4 axb4 25.xe6 Black resigned. Now we can draw certain conclusions. Obviously in t h e M a i n li n e o f t h e A l e k h i n e 's B l a c k i s currently having serious problems - certainly
the statistics are very poor for Black. In many lines White enjoys a small but steady edge, while Black is compelled to passive defence wit h o ut se rio u s ch a n ces o f co u n t erp la y. Cle arly B lack u rge ntly n eed s n ew ide as , o t h e r wi s e i t ' s t i m e t o s wi t c h t o a n o t h e r variation. 1-0
663 Becerra Rivero,Julio Yermolinsky,Alex Foxwoods Open (8) [John Watson]
B05 2609 2522 12.04.2009
Black employs a known but rare idea involving ...a6. White plays too cautiously to gain the advantage, which he probably could have gotten with queenside expansion. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.c4 b6 7.c3 e7 8.h3 [ A similar setup followed in another Ye rm olin sky ga m e : 8.0-0 0-0 9.e3 and: a) A) b) 9...c6 is a traditional main line. This month's game 10.exd6 cxd6 11.d5 xf3 12.xf3 e5 13.dxe6 xf3+ 14.xf3 fxe6 15.g4 f6 16.ae1 c8 17.xb6 axb6 18.e4 f8 19.a3 a5 20.e2 af5 21.f3 f4 22.d1 xe4 23.xe4 f5 24.h1 ( 24.b4! t h r e a t e n s t h e p a w n o n d 6 , a n d b5 25.xd6 xd6 26.xd6 bxc4 27.xe6 f7 28.e7+ f8 29.e3 with a relatively safe pawn lead.) 24...d7 25.d3 b5! 26.b4 bxc4 27.xc4 d5 28.d3 a4 29.g3 e5 and suddenly Black was more active in Kotsur-Neverov, Dubai 2009.; B) 9...a6!? 10.b3 d5 11.c5 6d7 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 c6 14.a3 h8 15.g3?! A strange idea. ( 15.d3 f6 16.exf6 xf6 17.ad1 ) 15...f6! 16.exf6 xf6 17.c1 (...Nxc5 was threatened and White can't protect his centre, for example, ( 17.d3?? de5! 18.dxe5 xe5 19.e2 xf3+ 20.xf3 xc3; or 17.e2 xc5 ) 17...xd4! 18.g4?! c6 19.xe6 d4 20.e4 dxe3 21.xd7 xd7 22.xd7 e2 23.fe1 e5 24.g4 676
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d3 25.xe2 xc1 26.xc1 b2 27.d1 ad8 and Black went on to win in Zhao-Yermolinsky, Ledyard 2009. ] 8...h5 9.e3 0-0 10.0-0 a6!? The main point of this mysterious move is that in lines with ...Bxf3 and Bxf3, Black can play ...Nxc4, since Bxb7 doesn't win a rook after ...Ra7. This means that 11...Bxf3 is an immediate positional threat. Furthermore, in lines where Black plays ...d5 and W hite plays c5, the move ...a6 is useful in restraining b4-b5. [ 10...d5 is the main line featured in John Cox' book. ] 11.exd6 cxd6 12.d5 [ 12.b3 always has to be calculated when ...a6 is played. Here White, who threatens c5, may have some advantage: a) A) b) In an earlier ChessPublishing game Hoepfl-Tischbierik, Osterburg 2006 we saw 12...8d7 13.a4 A1) 13...a5 14.ac1! combines the ideas of Qb5 (with tempo versus h5) followed by c5, and c8! 15.b5 d5 16.c5 c4 17.xc4 dxc4 18.xc4 xf3 19.gxf3 , when Black comes up a little short in the natural line f6 20.f4 d5 21.g3 b4 22.d6 c7 23.xb4!? ( 23.g2 ) 23...axb4 24.xb4; A2) 13...xf3 14.gxf3!? ( This occurred in no less than 3 games! Is there s o m e t h i n g w r o n g w i t h 14.xf3 ? A sample line would be c7 15.c5 dxc5 16.a5 c8 17.xb7 xb7 18.xb7 a7 19.f3 cxd4 20.xd4 c5 21.xc5 xc5 22.fd1 when you have to prefer White) 14...b8 15.h1!? ( 15.fd1 is played twice in the notes to that game) 15...g5 16.g1 xe3 17.fxe3 h4 18.g2!? c8 and White had a small edge with 19 Kh2, but could also play 19 Ne4 or 19 Rag1.; B) 12...c7 13.d5 8d7 14.dxe6! fxe6 15.d4 xe2 16.xe6 xc4 17.xe2 with a positional advantage. ] 12...xf3 13.xf3 e5!? I'm not convinced that this equalises. The greedy [ 13...xc4 14.dxe6 fxe6 might be okay: 15.e2 ( 15.b3 xf3! 16.gxf3 c7; 15.d4 xf3! 16.gxf3 d5 give Black obvious compensation; 15.e1!? with the
idea c6 16.d5! ) 15...d5 ( 15...xf3!? 16.xf3 d7 17.b3 e5 18.h5 g6 19.e2 ) 16.fd1 (with the idea Nxd5) e5 ( 16...xe3 17.xe3 with ideas of Qxe6+, Nxd5, and/or Bg4) 17.xd5 ( 17.e4 bd7 18.xd5 exd5 19.xd5+ h8 20.f4 and Bxb7 is unclear) 17...exd5 18.xd5 bc6! 19.b6 c7 20.f4 ae8 ( 20...g6 21.d7 ) 21.d5 d6 22.fxe5 xe5 23.xe7+ xe7 24.c4+ e6 and White has bishop-versus-knight, but this is basically equal. ] 14.e2 Not bad, but a little cautious. [ 14.c5!? seems gives White some a d v a n t a g e f o l l o w i n g dxc5 ( 14...c4 15.b3 xe3 16.fxe3 ) 15.c1 ( 15.d6!? xd6! 16.xd6 xd6 17.e4 e7 18.xc5 c4! 19.xb7 xe3 20.fxe3 d7 21.a5 is at most nominally better for W hite but now d6 is a threat) 15...c4 ( 15...d6 16.e4 c4 17.e2 ) 16.e4 xe3 17.fxe3 with the idea f5 18.d6! ] 14...8d7 15.c1 Slow. [ 15.a4 a5 16.b5 c8 17.b3 c5 doesn't seem to scary, but White could try ] [ 15.b3!? f5 ( 15...c8 16.e4 f5 17.c5! ) 16.c5 f4 17.cxd6 xd6 18.xb6 xb6 19.e4 with an irritating edge. ] 15...c8 16.a4 xa4 17.xa4 c7!? [ 17...f5! 18.f4? ( 18.b4 f4 19.d2 c5 ) 18...exf4 19.xf4 c5 20.a3 g5 with good activity, open files, and White's interior weaknesses to jump on. ] 18.a3! h6 [ 18...f5 ] 19.fd1 [ 19.b4! intends c5: f5 ( 19...g5 20.c5 ) 20.f4 exf4 21.xf4 ] 19...c8 20.a4 c5 [ 20...g5 21.xg5 hxg5 22.b4 e4! ] 21.c2 g5 22.g4 xe3 23.fxe3 d7 This is about equal, and nothing changes that: 24.b4 b6 25.e4 a8 26.f2 f6 27.f3 c8 28.c3 a5 29.a3 axb4 30.axb4 a8 31.b2 h7 32.g4 f6 33.f3 h7 34.g4 f6 ½-½
677
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 7xe2+ 37.xe2 b1 38.f4 b2+ 39.e3 e1 40.c3 g2+ 41.xg2 xg2 42.d4 Belkhodja,Slim f4 43.gxf4 f5 Winning because of the Vaganian,Rafael A mighty g-pawn. 44.c5 xf4 45.cxd6 cxd6 FIDE WCh KO Moscow RUS (1.1) 46.c7 d2+ 47.c3 xd5 48.xb7 g3 [Nigel Davies] 49.g7 f3 50.b4 axb4+ 51.xb4 d4+ Vaganian plays the standard 9...Nc6 after 52.b5 g2 which his opponent plays a simple line, hoping 0-1 for a safe space advantage. The endgame is a superb illustration of how even an B05 innocuous looking position can be played for a 665 win. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.c4 b6 4.d4 Bilic,Vladimir 2257 d6 5.exd6 exd6 6.c3 e7 7.f3 g4 Gavric,Miladin 2391 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 c6 TCh-BIH Vogosca BIH (8) 09.06.2007 [ The traditional move, pressuring d4 but far [John Watson] more gently than with 9...c5!? ] 10.d5 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 [ The alternative is 10.b3 after which Borik - 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 Gazik, Nove Zamky 1999 went f6 11.e3 e6 9.c4 This is considered completely e8!? ( waiting for another move is more harmless, as the game seems to confirm. But subtle than 11...d5 12.c5 c8 ) 12.c1 d5 it may have some poison in it, or at least pose 13.c5 c8 14.d2 h6 15.f4 8e7 s o m e s e r i o u s p r o b l e m s f o r B l a c k . e7 16.e5 xe2 17.xe2 xe5 18.dxe5 10.xd8+ xd8 11.e4!? Here the d7 19.g3 g6 and with his e-pawn overwhelming choices are 11 b3 and 11 Rd1+, about to fall, White sacrificed unsoundly with with underwhelming results: Black achieves a 20.xh6 gxh6 21.xh6 after which e7 100-point performance rating advantage. But 22.h5 xe5 was a simple defence. ] my computer raves about 10...xf3 11.xf3 e5 12.b3 g5 [ 11.d2! (11 Re1 Nd7 12 Bd2 transposes), [ 12...xf3+ 13.xf3 f6 is similar, but and it may have a point: why chase the king White would not be forced to put his bishop to a good square on c7, and why allow the on b2. ] disturbing move ...Bb4 by Black? W hite's 13.b2 xf3+ 14.xf3 f6 15.ae1 d7 idea would be to hold the fort and then let 16.d1 e8 17.xf6 xf6 18.xf6 xf6 the bishop pair slowly get in place and have Obviously this position is very drawish, but them work with a space advantage. The only Vaganian sees no reason to agree a draw just game I see with White protecting his e-pawn ye t . A n d t h e wa y in wh ich h e e ve n t u a ll y like this went d7 12.c3 g6 ( 12...c7 causes difficulties is very instructive. 19.c3 13.e1 a5 14.d2 c5 15.d1! a6 20.f3 d7 21.f2? This careless move intends Bc2, Nf3, etc. Another computer signals the start of White's problems. idea, although White has other ways to get [ He should play 21.g4 a f t e r w h i c h e5 the advantage) 13.e1 a5 (with the idea of 22.g2 e7 23.e3 ae8 24.fe1 ...Bb4 and capturing on c3 and e5) 14.a3 looks equal. ] c5 ( 14...c5 15.d1! again, with the idea 21...e5 22.e3 a4 16.d2 c7 17.c2 e7 18.e4 18 [ And here 22.d1 is better. The following or g3 ) 15.g3!? ( A key juncture. This isn't advance of Black's kingside pawns secures bad, but what is Black's response to the position of the knight on e5 and allows 15.d2! ? Not 15...Bb6 16 Rad1 and Ne4, Black to improve his king. ] but b6 16.ad1 ) 15...b6 16.g2 c5 22...f5 23.d1 e7 24.h3 ae8 25.e2 g5 17.d2 ( 17.h4!? b3 18.a2 c7 19.h5 26.g3 f7 27.d4 f6 28.c2 h5 29.e2 e7 20.d2 xd2 21.xd2 h6 ) 17...d3 g4! 30.fxg4 hxg4 31.h4 f3 32.d3 e4 ( 17...a4! ) 18.e2 e7 19.f1 ( 19.f3 ) 33.b2 8e7 34.a4 a5 35.c3 e1 36.e2 19...hd8 20.f4 c5 21.e4 xe4 664
B05 2489 2650 27.11.2001
678
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 22.xe4 d7 23.f3 with a slight advantage, Travenec-Cibulka, Slovakia 1996. I find this idea very interesting! ] 11...d7 12.f4 c7 13.c3 [ Or 13.d2 f5 14.f3 c5+ 15.h1= ] 13...f5 14.g4 c5+ 15.g2 e3+ 16.xe3 xe3 17.f3 d2 18.d1 xc3 19.xc3 c5 20.c2 a5 With no weaknesses and one open file, Black has equalised. ½-½
666 Bologan,Viktor Tischbierek,Raj Wien (open) [Alexander Volzhin]
B05 2600 2500 1996
Of course, some players don't like positions with pawn chains, like we saw in the main line. Among the deviations from the main line the following idea of GM Victor Bologan is worth considering. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.h3 h5 7.c4 b6 8.exd6 cxd6 9.c3 e7 10.d5!N This natural move seems to be a novelty. Now white obtains a space advantage and prospects of a queenside attack. e5 11.e3 xf3!? [ 11...8d7 threatening 12... B:f3 12.g4 ( 12.d2 xe2 13.xe2 is not bad either f5!? 14.g4 f4 15.xb6 xb6 16.de4 and white should be happy with his position. ) 12...g6 13.h4 h6 ( 13...h5 14.g5 c8 15.b3 f5 16.d2 g6 17.de4 white is clearly better) 14.d3 xd3 15.xd3 f6 16.g1 with a big advantage for white. ] 12.xf3 8d7 [ From a positional point of view the exchange of dark-squared bishops favours black, unfortunately he has no time for it, as w h i t e b r e a k s i n t h e c e n t r e : 12...g5? 13.xg5 xg5 14.b5 d8 15.c5! dxc5 16.d6 winning. ] [ Of course the pawn is taboo: 12...xc4?? 13.a4+ ] 13.e2 c8 14.b3 f5 Otherwise white will play g4, for example: [ 14...0-0 15.g4! g5 ( 15...f5? after g4 this
is simply bad: 16.gxf5 xf5 17.g4 ) 16.h4! xe3 ( 16...xh4 is too dangerous 17.e4 g6 18.f3 threatening Qh3) 17.xe3 intending Ne4, g5, Bg4 etc. with an obvious advantage. ] 15.g4! Playing this move white already should have calculated the consequences of his 17th move. e4 otherwise white will dominate on the l i g h t s q u a r e s 16.g2 f6 17.b5!! Excellent! The rook sacrifice gives white a strong attack. [ Black's idea was to meet the natural looking 17.c1 with xc3+ 18.xc3 xd5! 19.c1 xe3 20.xe3 a5+ winning a pawn for nothing. ] 17...xa1 18.xd6+ f8 [ 18...e7 doesn't help black too much: 19.xf5+ f8 20.0-0 Black is a rook up, but his pieces are uncoordinated and his rook on h8 doesn't take part in the fight. So we can talk about "material equality"! Now white intends to play f3, opening the f-file. f6 21.g5! xg5 22.d4! Now it's impossible to protect the e6 square. c5 23.b4 bd7 wh a t e ls e ? 24.bxc5 xc5 25.f3! now white has a decisive advantage, for example: xe3+ 26.xe3 g8 27.fxe4 and black can't prevent e5, d6 etc. ] 19.0-0 e5 [ 19...f6 fails to 20.g5! xg5 21.h5 g6 22.xg5 xg5 23.xg5 White has won a pie ce back, and black's f orces are s till uncoordinated. b8 24.f3 exf3 25.xf3 c8 ( 25...e5 26.f6 xf3+ 27.xf3 g8 28.e3 d7 29.d4+- winning ) 26.b5 f7 27.f4 e8 28.xb8 xb8 29.c5 with advantage ] 20.xf5! Of course, white's knight is better than black's passive rook! h5? This ridiculous move is a waste of time, but black's position is a lre a d y h o p e le ss. He h a s n o d e f e n c e against f3 (or f4). The following variations are illustrative of black's difficulties: [ 20...g6 21.d4 xd4 22.xd4 f7 ( 22...g8 23.f4 g7 24.xe4 e7 25.xg7+ xg7 26.f5+- winning ) 23.f4 e8 24.f5 g5 25.f6 f8 26.e3 h6 27.h4 h7 28.xe4+- winning ] [ 20...g8 21.f4 exf3 22.xf3 h6 23.d6 f6 24.e7+ f8 25.xb7 b8 26.e4+winning ] 679
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 21.f4+- winning exf3 [ 21...f6 22.g5 g6 23.h4 ] 22.xf3 g8 23.d6 f6 24.g5 Excellent performance from GM Victor Bologan! 1-0
667 Breznik,Kristijan Rogulj,Branko TCh-East 1st League (8) [Neil McDonald]
B05 2178 2453 07.11.2009
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 [ As Black is getting used to facing this move perhaps White should get back to investigating the sharp 6.g5 For example there is Jonkman-Krasenkow in the archives which went xe2 ( Or 6...f5 7.e6 etc. ) 7.xe2 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.0-0 d7 10.c4 e7 with some advantage to White. ] 6...xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.b3? W hite's dark squared bishop is somewhat short of options and so Breznik intends to use it to defend e5. Thinking in the abstract this sounds like a good idea- the white queen, rook and bishop will 'overprotect e5 in good Nimzowitschian style' as the phrase goes- but the problem is it doesn't seem to work! Once the bishop goes to b2 the black knight on d5 can exploit the undefended f4 square to reach g6, an d t hen th e e 5 p awn is su rprisingly fragile. [ Nonetheless the critical line is probably 9.d2 d7 10.e1 -see for example Vuckovic- Bogut in the archives. ] [ Meanwhile White achieves nothing after 9.c4 e7 the black knight has been pushed back from the fine d5 square, but it has hardly been exiled from the game as it can join in an attack on e5 with Ng6 combined with Nd7. 10.xd8+ xd8 etc. when the black king can sit happily on c7. So White should keep the c4 square for his knight, rather than block it with a pawn. ] 9...d7 10.b2 c7 11.e2 [ With his dark squared bishop absent from the battle for key squares such as f4 White can't afford any loose play. For example 11.c4? f4 12.e1 0-0-0 13.d2 g5!
Black already has such an advantage in firepower in the centre that he can afford to p la y ve ry a ggr e ss ive ly. 14.e3 c5 15.d4 cd3 16.d1 xd4 17.xd4 c5 18.c3 xf2 19.d4 b6 0-1 In 't Veld, DZilverberg, J/ Maastricht NED 2007. ] 11...f4 12.e4 g6 13.e1 d8 14.g3? [ E s s e n t i a l w a s 14.a4! to prepare the development of the knight to a3. Then A) After 14...c5 15.a3 Black has no Nxe5 trick of the kind that occurs in the game as the two white rooks will be able to protect each other if necessary. ( But not 15.b4? b6! hitting both b4 and f2, when 16.bxc5 xb2 is awful for White. ); B) 14...a5 15.a3 b4 16.c4!? Giving up the exchange for the initiative. xe1?! ( Perhaps the simple 16...0-0 was called for when after 17.e2 b6 18.xb6 xb6 19.h4 e7 we have a typical scenario of White having space on the kingside but Black controlling the d-file. I think Black has the somewhat better chances. ) 17.xe1 0-0 18.a3 f5 19.exf6 xf6 20.d6 c8 21.g4 and W hite had strong pressure for the exchange and went onto win in J.HouskaM.Cornette, La Roche sur Yon FRA 2007. ] 14...c5 15.h4 0-0 He could already cash in with [ 15...dxe5! but there's no need to hurry. ] 16.h5 gxe5! It is somewhat ironic that White laid so much stress on defending the e5 pawn with 9.b3 and 10.Bb2, but it is precisely this manoeuvre that leads to the loss of the pawn. 17.g2 [ White has to give up his centre pawn for nothing as if 17.xe5 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.xe5 d4 when his two rooks are impaled by the bishop. ] 17...f5 18.f4 d6 19.d4 f7 20.a3 g4 21.c4 c5 Not only attacking f2, but also threatening 22...Qxg3. 0-1
680
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 668 Cmilyte,Viktorija Zhukova,Natalia Olympiad Istanbul [Alexander Volzhin]
B05 2335 2450 2000
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.d2 d7 10.e1 We have already s e e n t h i s p o s i t i o n i n G u f e l d - G o h . b8!? An attempt at an improvement. [ 10...c7 11.c4 b5 was brilliantly refuted in t h e a b o ve me n t io n ed ga m e : 12.xd5! cxd5 13.d6+ xd6 14.xd5!! ] 11.c4 b5 Now the above mentioned c o m b i n a t i o n d o e s n ' t w o r k . 12.d6+ This pawn sacrifice is forced but strong! xd6 13.exd6 xd6 14.b3 c5 15.c4! An important novelty. By sacrificing a second pawn White opens up the position, after which her Bishops run riot. [ 15.b2 as previously played is not so good: 0-0 ( 15...7f6 is weak in view of 16.d4! a3 17.xf6 gxf6 18.xd5 cxd5 19.xd5 0-0 20.xb5 ab8 21.d3 and White was winning in Koscielski-Jostes, P o r z 1 9 9 3 .) 16.d4 d6 17.c4 bxc4 18.bxc4 5b6?! ( 18...5f6 is better in my opinion. White cannot really hope for more than winning b ack h is sa crif iced pawn : 19.xf6 xd1 20.axd1 xf6 21.xc6 ac8 22.d6 fd8 23.ed1 xd6 24.xd6 f8 and the endgame is even slightly better for Black.) 19.c5! xc5 20.c1 ca4 21.xc6 b4 22.a1! f6 23.cxe6 with a huge edge for White was Rhodin-Paulsen, Germany 1994. ] 15...bxc4 16.bxc4 xc4 [ 16...5b6 is the alternative to the text: 17.e3! A) To accept the sacrifice here is even w o r s e t h a n a m o v e e a r l i e r : 17...xc4 18.c1 h4 ( 18...xa2 is bad in view of 19.xc6 d8 20.xb6 axb6 21.d6 and Black is defenceless.) 19.xc6 d8 20.xb6 axb6 21.e4 e7 22.d4 and Black has no way to unpin the Knight.; B) 17...e7 Now White has several promising possibilities: personally I would play 18.c5!? d5 19.xd5 cxd5 20.c1!
Now it's not easy for Black to complete her development . c8 ( Unfortunately, Black can't castle in view of 20...0-0 21.c6 f6 22.c5 winning the exchange.) 21.c6 e5 22.c5 g5 ( 22...c7 is even worse in view of 23.d4! ) 23.b3! xc6 24.b7 d8 ( 24...d8 loses on the spot in view of 25.b4! c7 26.a5! ) 25.xe6+! fxe6 26.xg7 wi t h a n o ve r wh e l m i n g a d va n t a g e f o r White. ] 17.a3 White's compensation is massive and obvious. Since Black has no possibility of castling, her position is sliced in two, therefore despite being two pawns down W hite has extra Rook to attack with. 7f6 18.b1 a6 [ Grabbing the third pawn is suicide: 18...xa2 19.a4 c8 20.b2! and Black's Queen is trapped. ] 19.c1! (threatening 20.Qc5) d7 20.b2! g8? A gross blunder after which White wins on the spot. Black missed White's main threat. [ 20...7f6 is equally bad: 21.xd5 cxd5 ( 21...xd5 22.xg7 ) 22.b4 ] [ 20...5f6 seems to be the only move but Black's position is difficult anyway: 21.b3! Switching the attack to the e6-square which cannot be defended: b8 22.xe6+! d8 Th e on ly wa y to a void im m e d ia t e lo s s . ( 22...fxe6 is bad in view of 23.xe6+ d8 24.e7+ c8 25.c1! b6 26.xc6! and Black is helpless.) 23.e7+ c8 ( 23...c7 24.d6+ d8 25.xb8 fxe6 26.xe6 ) 24.xc6+ xc6 25.xc6 xb3 26.xb3 e8 27.e3 and White has a huge edge in the endgame due to her pair of strong Bishops. ] 21.xd5 b8 Desperation but Black's position is lost anyway. [ 21...cxd5 22.b4 and W hite wins: d8 23.e7+ c7 24.ec1+ ] 22.b3 Black resigned . This game is an excellent illustration of the strength of the Bishop pair in an open position. 1-0
681
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B05 the dark squares around his king. 18.xf2 Dvoirys,Semen I 2562 18 Rc2, intending 19 Rcxf2 and 20 Bd5+ is Zilberman,Yaacov 2488 probably better. h4 [ 18...xb6 19.f1 h8 20.d5 Open Dieren NED (7) 25.07.2000 is somewhat better for White. ] [Carsten Hansen] 19.d5+ h8 20.xf8+ xf8 As if by magic, 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 the white king seems awfully lonely on the 5.exd6 The Exchange Variation is all the rage kingside... 21.xc6 This is either a blunder or right now. exd6 Taking back with the e-pawn a very risky attempt to play for a win. [ 21.e4 f4 22.g3 h6 23.h4 axb6 tends to lead to more balanced positions, is about equal ] while 5...cxd6 leads to more dynamic positions. 6.c3 e7 7.f3 0-0 8.e2 g4 21...bxc6 22.bxa7 g3 23.g1 xc3 9.0-0 c5!? A fairly new idea, which I only 24.f1 g8?! [ 24...c8! is the correct way forward. Black have found one prior example of. The normal is p o ssib ly in time trou b le a t t his p oin t move is 9...Bf6. 10.e3 because his play appears very nervous. ] [ The stem game went as follows: 10.b3 c6 e1?! This is a somewhat feeble or 10...Re8!? 11.d5 xf3 12.xf3 d4 25.f3 (this is one of Black's ideas behind 9...c5!? - a t t e m p t t o g e t a win n i n g e n d g a m e . T h e to play on the dark squares. Please notice s t r a t e g y b a c k f i r e s v e r y q u i c k l y i n t h e how Black continues to play on this strategy. endgame that arises. The correct way for ) 13.e1 d7 14.g4 e5 15.h3 h4 Black to proceed is 25...Qe5 to keep control 16.e3 f6 17.h1 g6 18.xd4 d3! over the dark squares and keep White under 19.e3 xf2 20.f1 xe3 21.f5 b2 lo ck a n d ke y in a ve ry p a s sive p o s i t io n . 22.e2 h6 23.xb2 ae8 24.f3 g6 26.xe1 xe1 27.f7 h6?! [ 27...g3!? to maintain some mating threats 25.h3 g7 26.c8 e5 27.xb7 g5 on the white king looks worth considering. ] W hite is a full piece up, but see how everything is falling apart for the computer, 28.b7 f2 29.b4 h7 30.c5?! [ White tries to confuse Black who already while the German IM methodically picks up has thrown away a clear advantage. the material he has sacrificed. 28.c6 g4 Otherwise 30.b5 cxb5 31.cxb5 a8 32.b6 29.g3 f5 30.h3 h5 31.f1 f4 32.xe3 xb6 33.xb6 xa7 34.xd6 xa2 xe3 33.d1 xb2 34.xb2 f3 35.hxg4 with a drawn endgame would have been the fxg2+ 36.xg2 e2+ 37.g1 xf1+ logical way for the game to end. ] 38.xf1 xb2 39.gxh5 xa2 40.d7 b2 31.b5?! White gradually repays 41.e1 xb3 42.d2 a5 43.f5 a4 30...a8! 32.c6? 44.c2 b4 0-1 Comp Mephisto Milano Pro- Black for his past mistakes. cxb5 White is making things worse for himself. Like Loeffler,S/The Hague 1997 (44) ] on the previous move 32 cxd6 was the way to 10...c6 11.b3 [ 11.d5 xf3 12.xf3 e5 13.b3 g5 go. xa7?? I guess we should have expected is pleasant for Black, notice the theme of this. .. Black panics. The cool [ 32...g3! 33.c7 ( 33.f7 d5 also wins strong knight vs. bad bishop ] comfortably. ) 33...e8 mates. ] 11...f5 This a very ambitious plan by Black. A g6 34.xa7 c8 35.g1 solid and good alternative is 11... Bf6 which is 33.c7 and a draw was agreed upon. about equal. 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 f4 [ Or 13...f6 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.xc6 bxc6 ½-½ 16.c2 with a better game for White. ] 14.dxc5 fxe3 15.cxb6 exf2+ 15...Bf6 16 Rc1 exf2+ 17 Kh1 reaches the same position. 16.h1 f6 17.c1 e5! Rather than worrying about taking the pawn on b6 which is of no significance anyway, Black directs his counterplay against White's only weakness 669
682
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 670 Fedorowicz,John P Baburin,Alexander Imre Mem San Francisco USA (8) [Glenn Flear]
B05 B05 671 2509 Garcia Pantoja,R 2369 2580 Garcia 2457 14.09.2002 XLIV Capablanca Memorial Open (6) 14.06.09 [John Watson]
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.c4 b6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 h5 10.e3 d5 11.c5 xf3 12.gxf3 Considered the critical test for Black. Instead [ 12.xf3 c4 is less challenging for Black. ] 12...c8 13.f4 c6 14.b4 [ A f t e r t h e m a i n a l t e r n a t i v e 14.f5 Black recently tried h4?! but following ( 14...exf5 15.f3 is standard but Black has yet to prove a totally convincing route to equality ) 15.d3 exf5 16.f3 6e7 17.h5 g6 18.xf5 c6 19.h1 ce7 20.c2 f5 21.exf6 xf6 22.f4 W hite retained the initiative in Von BahrFriberg, Skara 2002 ] 14...h4 15.b1 8e7 16.d3 g6 17.h2 [ 17.f3 f5 18.xf5 gxf5 19.h5 h8 20.h2 g8!? 21.xf7 e8 22.xe8 axe8 is the earlier game KindermannBaburin, Germany 1997/8. Theory says equal as the extra pawn is not relevant as White's bishop is so bad. ] 17...f5 18.xf5 exf5!? In the game against Kinderman Baburin recaptured with the other pawn. Here he shows an alternative defensive set-up. 19.g1 d7 20.f3 fd8 21.h5 e7 22.d1 a6 23.e2 h8 Black isn't going anywhere, but W hite isn't really achieving a great deal either! ECO prefers White in these lines but I don't think Baburin agrees! 24.c2 g8 25.a3 d8 26.g3 e6 27.a4 c6 28.b3 f8 29.b1 h6 30.h4 g7 31.h3 h5 32.c1 e6 It looks to me that 14 f5 is the best hope for an opening advantage. ½-½
There's a lot of action in this brief encounter. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 xf3 Black goes into the main line. 6...Nd7 is featured in our other 4... Bg4 game, Ol Ivanov-Derbenev, Lipetsk 2009. 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.e2 d7 10.d2 [ No one tried (noticed? Been able to stomach?) my suggestion from an earlier update, 10.d1 , after which I'll quote myself and add a few notes: " c7 11.c4 e7 12.f4 g6 13.g3 This is supposed to be a terrible square for White's bishop, although it serves its purpose of preserving the cramping e-pawn. And the rook is on d1, usually a bad square. In fact, Cox says with emphasis that the rook does NOT belong on d1, wanting to put it on e1 before doing anything else. I think that's true in most cases, but in concrete terms the rook prevents captures on e5 while discouraging ca st li n g qu e e n si d e . B l a c k m ig h t t r y t o encourage an exchange on g6, for example, e7 ( 13...dxe5? 14.h5! a5 15.d2 d7 16.e4 gives White more than enough f o r a p a wn .; I did find this single example: 13...0-0-0 14.c3 (I still like 14 Bh5) b4 15.e4!? dxe5 16.c5! f5! 17.d6+ xd6 18.cxd6 xd6 19.xe5?! xe5 20.g3 g6 21.g2 e8 22.ab1 g4 23.b4! e5 24.h3 f6 25.b5 Kuzmin, G (2525)-Pribyl, J (2405), Ceske Budejovice 1995 maybe W hite's a bit better, but it's certainly not clear) 14.h5 0-0! ( 14...0-0-0 15.d2 c5 16.f3; 14...h4 15.xh4 xh4 16.c3!? xe5!? 17.e4 0-0 18.d6 wit h u n cle a r co m p e n s a t io n) 15.d2?! ( 15.c3 ad8 16.f4 gives White an edge) 15...ad8 16.xg6 hxg6 17.e4 xe5 18.b4! with the idea of c5, and xb4? 19.b2 xd1+ 20.xd1 d8 21.f1 . Perhaps the setup with Bg3, Qe2, and Rd1 deserves more attention. ] 10...e7 11.b3? Perhaps simply missing the reply. Better is 683
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 11.e1 ] 11...xe5! 12.xe5! [ 12.xd5 cxd5 13.b2 c6 14.xg7 g8 15.b2 f6 and you have to like Black's centre pawns. ] 12...f6 13.g3 xa1 14.a3 White is an exchange and a pawn down, and though he may not have full compensation (almost!), there are some real chances. [ 14.e4!? ] 14...f6 15.e4 a5! 16.d6+ d7 17.c4 c7!? [ 17...c3 is daring but consistent, with 18.d6+ c8 19.xd5 exd5 20.b2 xc2 21.xf6 gxf6 22.xf6 d8 23.d6+ c7 24.xf7 d4 a plausible follow-up. ] 18.d6 d8 19.d1 [ 19.c5 ] 19...c8 20.a3!? c7 [ 20...e7 is ris ky a f t e r 21.xe7 xe7 22.d6+ d7 23.xb7 b4 24.c4 ] 21.d6 d8 22.a3 c7 23.d6 ½-½
4...g4 5.e2 c6 I've tried many systems against the Main Variation (4.Nf3) and this is one of them. It is called Flohr Variation, after famous Czech GM Salo Flohr, who tried it against Botvinnik. 6.c4 [ T h e r e i s n o t h i n g w r o n g w i t h 6.0-0 but then the idea of Flohr becomes apparent: xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 White has the two bishops, but this is hardly an asset here - the dark-squared bishop is limited by the e5-pawn, while the lightsquared one is restricted by black pawns (e6/ c6). The main features of this position are: weakness of the e5-pawn and weakness of the d6-square. Chances are about equal, I think. ] [ The most critical line is 6.g5 After xe2 7.xe2 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 White has better chances, as he has kept the knight rather than the light-squared bishop. That night is much more useful both in protecting the e5pawn and occupying the d6-square. ] [ Of course, poor is 6.h3 as taking on f3 fits Black's plan: xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 ] 672 B05 6...b6 7.bd2 [ I usually faced here 7.exd6 exd6 ] Greet,Andrew 7...8d7 8.0-0 Baburin,Alexander [ Also possible is 8.g5 xe2 9.e6 f6 4NCL Birmingham (6) 15.01.2006 10.xe2 fxg5 11.e4 f6 12.xg5 xc4! [Alex Baburin (www.chesstoday.net)] (Burgess) ] 1.e4 f6 Yes, I know... The Alekhine IS a 8...dxe5 [ Another popular line is 8...xf3 9.xf3 risky opening, but at least this is the devil I dxe5 10.dxe5 e6 Again, Black's idea has know! In any game I lost with this opening I been to get rid of one of the enemy knights. ] could always said where I went wrong, while in some Najdorf games I lost without having a 9.xe5 xe5 10.dxe5 This position was clue about the source of my troubles! 2.e5 new to me. I had probably seen it in some books on the Alekhine, but during the game I d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 [ Of course, the Four Pawns Attack - 4.c4 did not have a clue how Black was supposed b6 5.f4 is the most critical line. to play here... Which is not always a bad thing ( while t he Exch an ge Va riat io n - 5.exd6 - allows you to look at the position afresh. f5 is the most practical and theref ore very I think this is best. [ I did not particularly like the position after p o p u l a r . I ' v e p l a y e d d o ze n s o f g a m e s 10...xe2 11.xe2 e6 But perhaps it's not starting from this position (I usually reply too bad. For example: 12.b3 ( Bagirov in his with 5. ..exd6 ) and the only thin g which 1987 book gives 12.e4 "with advantage", keeps me intrigued is my memory - I don't clearly missing d4! ) 12...d4 13.b1 remember my games and have to work out d8 14.e4 d3 15.xd3 xd3 16.e3 things again and again! I read somewhere e7 17.fd1 d8 18.c5 d7 19.d6 f5 that Emanuel Lasker dreamt of forgetting 20.exf6 gxf6 21.c7 c8 22.f4 c5 anything he had learnt. To me that comes 23.c3 d8 24.xd8+ xd8 naturally! )] 684
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Vogt-Cibulka, Stary Smokovec 1973. ] [ In some games Black tried 10...e6 ] 11.b3 I don't like this move, which my opponent played rather quickly. [ Better was 11.g4 seeking the exchange of the light-squared bishops. ] 11...e6 12.d1 White spent 24 minutes on this move, but I don't think it was best. [ I think 12.g3 ] [ or 12.f3 was preferable. ] 12...c7 13.g3 0-0-0 Because of the pressure on g7, Black has troubles developing the f8-bishop, so castling long seems natural. 14.b3 White needs this move if he wants to relocate his knight. [ I am impressed that Junior suggests (at least initially!) as the main move 14.f3 xd1+ 15.xd1 xc4 16.e2 b6 have computers lost all respect to material? ] 14...h5!? I spent 25 minutes on this move. [ 14...b4 15.a3 gives Black nothing. ] [ I mainly looked at 14...c2 15.f1 b4 16.b1 I felt that he Black should be OK, but could not see a clear plan. Computer favours Black after d7 17.b2 f6 ] 15.f1 [ 15.f3 xd1+ 16.xd1 h4 17.xh4?? xh4 18.xh4 xe5 ] [ Probably better was 15.e3?! when ...h4 can be met with h2-h3. ] 15...xd1 16.xd1 h4 17.c3 h3 That was my idea - to weaken the white king. [ In fact, I completely missed a nice tactical shot: 17...b4! ] 18.g4 There is nothing wrong with this move it won't be easy for Black to get at the enemy king. However, my opponent played this with a wrong idea in mind. g6 19.g3 d7 20.f4? That was his plan - to lock out the g6bishop after the eventual f4-f5. But W hite can't afford to weaken his position so much. b6+! 21.e3 b4! 22.c1 c5 23.f2 [ 23.xc5? xc5+ 24.f1 d4 is hopeless for White. ] 23...d8 [ M y f i r s t i n t e n t i o n w a s t o p l a y 23...f6 But I could not find anything concrete after 24.exf6 gxf6 25.e2 I must say that I missed the paradoxical idea f5! ] 24.f3?
[ I expected 24.e2 Here I considered two ideas. First is the peculiar-looking move h7!? - intending to blow up the White's c e n t r e w i t h . . . g 5 ! . ( But I was leaning towards 24...d4! which makes it hard for W hite to untie his pieces. For example: 25.d2 xe5! 26.d1 d3+ 27.xd3 xd3-+ )] 24...xe5! I saw this move instantly, but then nearly rejected it on false grounds. 25.fxe5 d3 26.f1 xe3+ [ When I first looked at 24...Nxe5!, I only saw here 26...xe3 27.xe3 d4 This is possible, but clearly not best for Black. ] 27.xe3 d4! 28.e1 xe5! [ The line 28...xe3 29.xe3 xa1 is probably winning, but why settle for so little? ] 29.f1 [ Or 29.d1 xh2+ 30.f1 f4 31.f2 e4 32.e2 h2-+ ] 29...f4 30.e2 d4+ 31.e3 d2 32.d1 xe2+ 33.xe2 b2+ 34.d2 e5 Time: 1.51 - 1.52 Time control: 40 moves in 2 hours, 20 moves in 1 hour and 30 minutes allegro finish. 0-1
673 Gufeld,Eduard Goh,Cheng Hong Penang [Alexander Volzhin]
B05 2480 2320 1991
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0! xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.d2! d7 10.e1 c7 This natural looking move is a waste of time. [ In my opinion, Black should try 10...e7 intending kingside castling. It's not easy for White to prove his advantage. 11.c4 0-0 12.d6? is strongly met by xe5! ] 11.c4! b5 This optimistic move allows a brilliant combination. Anyhow it's difficult to find a reasonable defence: [ 11...0-0-0 12.d6+ xd6 13.exd6 and the d6-pawn is taboo: xd6? 14.c4 ] [ 11...7b6 is probably the best, although the position after 12.d6+! xd6 13.exd6 685
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xd6 14.c4! xc4 15.d4! b4 White. ] ( 15...cb6 16.xg7 0-0-0 17.xf7 11.g4!? with advantage) 16.g5! is very dangerous [ 11.e3 was played in Bologan-Tischbierek for Black. ] and after xf3! 12.xf3 8d7 12.xd5! cxd5 Black obtained a solid position (although [ Of cause 12...bxc4 is bad: 13.xc4 xe5 W hite is slightly better). The text is more 14.f4 d6 15.xe5 xe5 16.h5+ambitious. It was introduced by Bologan and after the bishop's retreat 17.Re6 wins. ] recently after his game vs. Tischbierek. ] 13.d6+ xd6 14.xd5!! The point. c8 11...g6 12.h4 h5 [ 14...exd5 doe sn 't h elp Black 15.exd6+ [ In Bologan-Agdestein, Yerevan (ol) 1996 d8 16.dxc7+ xc7 17.e7 ] where 11.g4 was played for the first time 15.exd6 c4 Otherwise the sacrifice on e6 B l a c k p r e f e r r e d 12...h6 but failed to works: equalise: 13.d3! [ 15...xc2 16.xe6+! fxe6 17.xe6+ f8 A) 13...xd3 14.xd3 c8 18.g5 f6 19.d7+- winning ] is the alternative but White is also better [ 15...c6 16.xe6+! fxe6 17.xe6+ f8 here: 15.b3 xg4 16.g1 h5 17.xg7 18.g5 f6 19.xf6 gxf6 20.e7+ g8 and an attempt to create counterplay with 21.d7+- winning ] f5 is st ro n gly m e t b y 18.b5! f8 16.b7+- winning c6 17.xa7 White is two ( 18...e4 19.d4 is bad for Black as well.) pawns up and should win easily. 0-0 18.f4 19.xe7 xe7 20.a3 e4 21.d4 fd8 19.ad1 b6 with a decisive advantage for White.; [ 19...xc2 20.c1 ] B) 13...c8!? Black hopes to obtain 20.c3 Of course Black could play some more co u n t e rc h a n c e s o n t h e f - f i l e . 14.xg6 moves, but the outcome of the game is fxg6 15.d2 0-0 ( 15...xc4? 16.a4+ beyond doubt. winning the Knight.) 16.b3 f4 17.g5! 1-0 and White is clearly better: hxg5 18.hxg5 f5 19.e2 a6 20.de4 f3 21.e3 d7 22.0-0-0 dc5 23.h4! h3 674 B05 24.g3 d7 25.xh3 xh3 26.c2 f7 27.a3! g4 28.b4 xg5 29.xg5 xg5+ Hamdouchi,Hicham 2513 30.b2 d7 31.ge4 and White won a Baburin,Alexander 2591 few moves later. ] Saint Vincent 2000 [ An attempt to seize the initiative with [Alexander Volzhin] 12...e4?! l o o k s d u b i o u s : 13.g5 0-0 14.gxe4 In Messa-Corvi, Italia 1997 Black After the game Bologan-Tischbierek we came f a i l e d t o p r o ve h e h a d e n o u g h f o r t h e to the conclusion that this line is a good way sacrificed pawn: e8 ( 14...xh4? 15.g5 for White to deviate from Alekhine's main line. winning the Bishop.) 15.d4! a6 16.h5 This recent game confirms this opinion. 1.e4 b4 17.d1 xe4 18.xe4 c8 19.a3 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 a6 20.h6! f6 21.xf6+ xf6 22.xf6 e6 6.h3 h5 7.c4 b6 8.exd6 cxd6 gxf6 23.b3 and White has a decisive edge 9.c3 e7 10.d5! e5 in the endgame. ] [ 10...exd5?! is weaker since after 11.xd5 0-0 12.0-0 White is clearly better due to his 13.g5 8d7 14.e3 The critical position for strong Knight on d5 and the weakness of the whole line. c8 [ 14...a6 was played in Vescovi-Leitao, Black's d6-pawn. Now Black can't win a Itabirito 1998. Here Black also failed to pawn: xf3 13.xf3 xc4 in view of solve his opening problems: 15.b3 c7 14.c2! e5 15.e4 (now 16.Nc7 is 16.d3 0-0 17.e4 ( 17.xg6 was also t h r e a t e n e d ) ( Hasty 15.c7 gives Black possible: fxg6 18.d2 c5 19.e2 good compensation for the exchange: xf3+ intending Kf1-g2 or even K-side castling and 16.gxf3 c6 17.xa8 d7 ) 15...bc6 then at the right moment Bxc5 and Nd2-e4 16.xh7+ h8 17.f4 with a clear edge for 686
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 with an edge although the open f-file and slightly unsaf e position of W hite's King g i v e s B l a c k c e r t a i n c o u n t e r c h a n c e s .) 17...xe4 18.xe4 g6 19.d2 c5 a n d n o w s i m p l e 20.c2 ( instead of 20.c2 ) 20...a5 ( 20...ac8 21.b4!? cd7 22.b3 ) 21.b1 secured White a clear edge. ] [ 14...f5 was tried also but after 15.d2 g6 16.de4 threatening Ng3, White is clearly better. Leonardo-Rodrigues Maceira 1997 ] 15.b3 c5 16.g1!? bd7 17.b4! e4!? Both opponents play very inventively and now very sharp position has arisen. [ 17...e4 deserved attention. ] 18.d2 d3+ 19.f1 xb4 20.dxe4 0-0 21.d4! Now it's clear that White has outplayed his opponent. White's centralized pieces are well coordinated and after capturing the h5-pawn W hite has good chances for a K-side attack. e8 22.a3 a6 23.xh5 xc4 24.e2 c8!? Black tries to complicate. [ A f t e r t h e n a t u r a l 24...c8 25.h5 Black's position is very difficult, for example: xe4 26.xe4 ac5 27.g3! By transferring the Knight to the f5-square W h i t e o b t a i n s a c r u s h i n g a t t a c k : xg5 28.f5 e5 29.f4! xf4 30.xg7! h2 31.g2 f6+ 32.f3! and White wins: xf3+ 33.xf3 xf3 34.xe8+ ] 25.h5! The correct approach. White doesn't accept the sacrifice and just executes his plan. [ 25.xc4 xc4+ 26.g2 dc5! allows unnecessary complications. ] 25...f5 26.g3! A very strong manoeuvre. f8 27.e3! b6 28.xb6 cxe4 Otherwise White wins easily: [ 28...axb6 29.xc4 xc4+ 30.e2 ] [ 28...xe4 29.xc4 xc4+ 30.e2 xe2+ 31.xe2 axb6 32.xe4 - both lines are hopeless for Black. ] 29.xe4 xe4 [ 29...axb6 30.d4 is also very bad for Black. ] 30.xa7 f5 After the exchange sacrifice Black has managed to activate his pieces but of course White's material advantage should be enough for the win. 31.d4! c5 32.g3 xd5 33.g4 xg5 34.f3 xg3!? Black tries his last chance.
[ 34...e5 35.xe5 xe5 36.xd5 xd5 37.xc5 dxc5 38.b1 is hopeless for Black. ] 35.fxg3 xf3 36.xc5 [ I wo u ld p r e f e r 36.e1 a8 37.e3! and Black is in trouble: xh5 38.xc5 dxc5 39.d5 winning the b7-pawn. ] 36...dxc5 37.f4 xh5 38.e1 xe1+ 39.xe1 g6 40.a4? The last move before the time control throws away the win. [ 40.c4! preventing the bishop transfer to the a6-square should be played and after f5 41.d5 c8 (the only move) 42.a4 Black can hardly hold the endgame. ] 40...d3! 41.a5 b5 42.c7 a6 Black has built a fortress and now White can't make any progress. 43.g4 g6 44.g5 c4 45.d2 b4+ 46.c2 g7 47.d8 h7 48.f6 g8 ½-½
675 Hoepfl,Thomas Tischbierek,Raj ch-GER Osterburg GER (8) [Andrew Martin]
B05 2313 2466 10.02.2006
A sharp tactical Alekhine's Defence game where both sides have chances but Hoepfl makes a serious error in allowing Tischbierek a passed pawn which ultimately wins him the game. 1.e4 f6 Alekhine's Defence 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 Although not as popular as it was in the 1970s and 1980s, this line is still played frequently by many grandmasters such as Baburin and Sergeev. 5.e2 e6 [ 5...c6 is also frequently played. 6.0-0 ( 6.g5 xe2 7.xe2 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.0-0 e7 10.h5 xg5 11.xg5 c7 12.c4 b6 13.c3 xe5 14.g4 0-0 15.fe1 1/2-1/2 Almasi - Zlatic, Budapest 2005; 6.c4 b6 7.exd6 exd6 8.b3 e7 9.c3 d5 10.c5 6d7 11.0-0 0-0 12.f4 e8 13.e1 xe2 14.xe2 b6 15.cxb6 1/2-1/2 Hansen - Baburin, Calvia Olympiad 2004 ) 6...xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.d2 d7 10.e1 b4 11.xd5 cxd5 12.g4 b6 13.xg7 0-0-0 14.c3 c5 15.g3 dg8 16.f4 g7 17.b4 e7 687
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18.f3 hg8 19.g3 b8 20.e3 c7 21.ac1 b6 22.xb6 xb6 23.a3 h5 24.c4 h4 25.e3 hxg3 26.hxg3 xe3 27.xe3 dxc4 28.xc4 d8 29.d3 b6 30.g2 and eventually White went on to win with the extra pawn. Carlsen - Dannevig, Norway 2005 1-0 ] 6.c4 b6 7.0-0 e7 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 [ 9.e3 is another popular move. c6 10.exd6 cxd6 11.d5 exd5 12.xd5 xd5 13.xd5 e6 14.d2 d5 15.c5 c8 16.b4 f6 17.ad1 e8 18.a3 a6 19.fe1 c7 20.d4 xd4 21.xd4 ce7 22.f1 f5 Sutovsky - Berkes, George Marx Memorial 2005 1/2-1/2 ] 9...h5 10.e3 a6 11.exd6 cxd6 12.b3 8d7 13.a4 [ 13.ac1 c8 14.d2 xe2 15.xe2= ] 13...xf3 14.gxf3 b8 15.h1N [ 15.fd1 f6 ( 15...c7 16.ac1 fc8 17.e4 c6 18.a5 d5 19.axb6 dxe4 20.f4 e5 21.dxe5 c5 22.e3 e6 23.g3 c5 24.xe4 xb6 25.f4 d4 26.g4 d8 27.h4 f6 28.exf6 gxf6 29.h2 d6 30.g1 Lekic - Stefanopoulos, Ikaros 1999 1-0) 16.d5 bd7 17.e4 e5 18.c3 c8 19.b4 xe4 20.fxe4 g5 21.a3 a5 22.d2 xe3 23.xe3 c5 24.f4 exf4 25.xf4 b6 26.h1 ce8 27.g3 xb2 28.f3 e5 29.h4 g6 30.g4 xa4 31.dg1 c5 32.h6 a4 33.h4 g7 34.f4 d3 0-1 Kotliar - Yermolinsky, St Martin 1993 ] 15...g5 16.g1 xe3 17.fxe3 h4 18.g2?! [ 18.g2 c8 19.f4 e7 ] 18...c8 [ 18...xh3+ is probably Black's best option. 19.h2 f5 ] 19.h2 e7 20.ag1 g6 21.d3 e5 22.e4? This allows Black some serious chances. [ 22.e2 is a much stronger move. c6 23.d5 ] 22...exd4 23.g4? [ 23.exd4 White has to go into this line even t h o u g h i t i s n o t v e r y g o o d f o r h i m . f5 24.xd6 xd4 25.c5+ h8 26.e6 e5 ] 23...h6 24.g5 dxe3 25.b1 e2
[ 25...f6 26.c5+ d5 27.xe3 e5-+ ] 26.e3 e5 27.4g3 [ 27.4g2 is better but probably would not have changed the result. ] 27...be8 28.d2 f6 29.f4 fxg5 30.fxe5 f2+ 31.h1 dxe5 32.e3 f8 33.d3 f4 34.xe2 f5 0-1
676
B05 Ibarra Chami,Luis Fernando 2325 Fernandez Garcia,Jose Luis 2467 42nd Capablanca Mem Abierto (1) 18.05.2007 [John Watson]
As the game goes, there's not much difference with Illijin-Horn, but in this game I will also concentrate upon the idea of 10 Rd1 (in the notes). 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.e2 d7 10.c4 [ A strange-looking reorganisation with White making all 'bad' moves is 10.d1!? c7 11.c4 e7 12.f4 g6 13.g3 This is supposed to be a terrible square for W hite's bishop, although it serves its purpose of preserving the cramping e-pawn. And the rook is on d1, usually a bad square. In fact, Cox says with emphasis that the rook does NOT belong on d1, wanting to put it on e1 before doing anything else. I think that's true in most cases, but in concrete terms the rook prevents captures on e5 while discouraging castling queenside. Black might try to encourage an exchange on g6, for example, e7 ( 13...dxe5? 14.h5! a5 15.d2 d7 16.e4 gives White more than enough for a pawn.) 14.h5 0-0! ( 14...0-0-0 15.d2 c5 16.f3; 14...h4 15.xh4 xh4 16.c3!? xe5!? 17.e4 0-0 18.d6 with unclear compensation) 15.d2 ( 15.c3 ad8 ) 15...ad8 16.xg6 hxg6 17.e4 xe5 18.b4! with the idea of c5, and xb4? 19.b2 xd1+ 20.xd1 d8 21.f1 . Perhaps the setup with Bg3, Qe2, and Rd1 deserves more attention. ] 10...e7 11.d2 White's idea is to play Bc3 a n d R e 1 , t h u s n o t a l l o w i n g . . . B b 4 . g6 12.c3 c7 13.e1 0-0-0 We've arrived at 688
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the same position as Illijin-Horn, where Black played 13...Nf4? 14.b4?! This just exposes White's position, but [ 14.a3 c5 15.ad1 xd1 16.xd1 a4! is at least equal for Black. ] 14...e7 15.a4? Losing. As shown in IllijinHorn, this position is much more difficult for White than it at first appears. [ 15.a3 has the idea gxe5?! 16.xe5 xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.xe5 f6 19.ee1 d3 20.c2 xa1 21.xa1 hd8 . But here 15...a5! improves. ] [ 15.b2 looks best, as analysed in IllijinHorn. f6 ( 15...b6 16.b3 d7 17.b2= )] 15...dxe5! Whoops. 16.a3 xf3+ 17.xf3 f4 18.e2 f6 and Black went on to win. 0-1
and W hite's e-pawn will still fall in most lines. ] 14.d2?! [ 14.e4 g5 15.d2 ] [ Or 14.e3! g5 15.d2 c5 16.e4 ] 14...g6 15.e2 0-0-0 16.b4 e7 No w t h e t h re a t is a t r ip l e ca p t u re o n e 5 followed by ...Bf6. 17.g3?! White speculates better but not terribly attractive was [ 17.b2 f6 ( 17...b6 18.b3 d7 19.b2 repeats ) 18.exf6 gxf6 with the idea 19.xe6?! de5! 20.d2 d7 21.xe7 xe7 and White is short of compensation because his light-squared bishop will have to be exchanged. ] 17...dxe5 [ 17...gxe5! 18.g2 h5 is still better, because it leaves the queenside protected. ] 18.e4 f6 [ 18...b8 ] 19.a4 d7!? 677 B05 [ Black should be more aggressive, e.g., 19...h5 20.a5 h4 21.b5 hxg3 22.hxg3 Illijin,Neboisa 2290 d6! ] Horn,Pascal 2320 Biel-C (2) 1990 20.a5 xc3?! 21.xc3 f5 22.g2 he8? 23.b5! Suddenly White threatens 24 a6 with a [John Watson] killing position. There's no good defence. b8 [ 23...a6 24.bxa6 bxa6 25.c5 b8 Another test of 9 Qe2. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 26.ab1 , etc. ] 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 xf3 24.a6 bxa6 25.bxc6 xc6 26.xa6 d4 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.e2 d7 10.c4 [ 10.e1 c7 11.c4 ( maybe 11.d2!? W h a t e lse ? 27.a2 e7 28.b5! xb5 would be more flexible) 11...e7 12.d2 29.c6 d4 30.a6+ d7 31.xc7+ xc7 32.xa7+ c8 33.a6+ d7 34.a4+ g6 13.c3 transposes. ] c8 35.b1 c7 36.b8+ An entertaining 10...e7 11.d2 c7 game, but Black would have had no problems [ Black can try to exploit White's move order by 11...g6 12.c3 g5!? ( 12...c7 with accurate opening play. Perhaps 10 Re1 13.e1 i s t h e g a m e) 13.e1 f4!? and 11 Bd2 is a better order. ( 13...0-0-0 is solid ) 14.c2 c5?! 1-0 ( 14...g6 15.d2 e7 16.xg5 xg5 17.g3 and White has a slight theoretical B05 edge due to the bishops.) 15.b4! h3+ 678 ( 15...b6 16.d2 ) 16.f1 xf2 17.e2 Ivanov 2461 Derbenev,Andrey 2408 b6 18.c5 and Black will lack compensation King's Gambit A (8) 30.06.2009 for his piece. ] 12.e1 g6 13.c3 Okay, now we're at the [John Watson] basic position, which could have arisen by 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 various orders. f4? [ I s e e n o t h i n g w r o n g w i t h 13...0-0-0! 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 d7!? I didn't know this , for example, 14.a3 ( 14.b4 e7 15.b2 move, even though it's been played on a fairly f6 17 -see Qb2; 14.d2? dxe5 ) 14...c5 high level. It's very logical to try to attack the 15.ad1 xd1 16.xd1 a4! 17.d4 c5! centre as quickly as possible. White's next is 689
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 critical. [ W e've seen 6...xf3 many times, and it is featured once more this month. ] 7.g5 This has scored very well, and so has [ 7.c4 even if it's not completely clear, for example, A) 7...c7 8.exd6 exd6 9.g5!? with the idea xe2 10.xe2+ e7 ( or 10...e7 11.d1 0-0-0 12.c3 h6 13.e1 f6 14.ge4 with White on top, Stanojoski, Z-Simovski, G Struga 2002) 11.e1 ( or 11.h5 ); B) 7...5b6 8.exd6 exd6 9.e1 ( 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 e7 11.b3 0-0 12.c3 wins the bishop pair and establishes a n ic e a d va n t a ge , Ja m ie so n -C o c o g n e , N o u m e a 1 9 9 5 .) 9...e7 10.g5!? ( 10.c3; 10.h3!? xf3 11.xf3 h a s t h e i d e a xc4 12.c3 0-0?? 13.e2 ) 10...0-0 11.xg4 xg5 12.f4?! f6 equalised in Fischvogt-Fischman, Columbus 1987. ] 7...xe2 [ An interesting try is 7...f5 8.g4! ( 8.g4 xg4 9.xg4 dxe5 10.f5 f6 11.xh7 b6 is unclear) 8...h6 9.gxf5 hxg5 10.e6 7f6 11.xg5!? ( 11.exf7+ xf7 12.xg5 b6 13.c3! ) 11...a5 ( 11...fxe6 12.c4 c7 13.xf6 exf6 14.h5+ d7 may favour W hite, but it mixes things up) 12.d2!? xd2 13.exf7+ xf7 14.xd2 with a pawn and clear advantage, LangrockFloegel, Germany 2002. ] 8.e6!? Clever, but [ 8.xe2 dxe5 9.dxe5 e6 10.c4 c7?! ( 10...5b6 11.c3 e7 12.f3 c7 13.f4 ) 11.d1 is the kind of position that we've looked at before, with W hite to be preferred. ] 8...f6! [ Not 8...xd1?? 9.exf7# ] [ And 8...fxe6?! is a positional mistake: 9.xe2 c7 Kaspersen-Aagaard, Denmark 1980 but instead of 10 f4, 10.c3 f6 11.e1 keeps Black bundled up. ] 9.exd7+ xd7 10.xe2 fxg5 11.xg5 [ 11.c4?! f4 looks good for Black after 12.xf4 gxf4 13.d5 cxd5 14.cxd5 g6 15.c3 g7 16.fe1 e5! ] 11...0-0-0 [ Better 11...f5! with the idea 12.e3 g6
13.c4 f4 ] 12.c4 c7 13.c3 h6 14.e3 d5 15.cxd5 xd5 16.xd5 xd5 17.f4!? [ 17.b4 e6 18.fb1 with attack. ] 17...e6 18.fe1 d6 19.e5 hf8 20.ad1 f5 21.g3 xg3 22.hxg3 d6 This looks about equal - the weaknesses cancel out. 23.b3 h5 24.d3 f6 25.c2 f5 26.e2 f6 27.c2 a5!? 28.e5 d8 29.c5! b6 30.c4 g6 31.de3 d7 32.3e4 b7 33.a4 d5 34.b4 b5? This turns out to be t o o we a k e n i n g . 35.axb5 cxb5 36.e2 xe5? [ 36...d6 37.xb5+ a8 , but this is sad. ] 37.xe5 b6 [ 37...a6 38.d5! ] 38.e3 c6 39.d5+ b7 40.dxe6 e8 41.c5 xe6? [ 41...a6 42.d5+ b8 43.d6+ b7 44.c5 is also hopeless. ] 42.d5+ c6 43.xe6 1-0
679 Jonkman,Harmen Krasenkow,Michal Corus C Wijk aan Zee NED (11) [John Watson]
B05 2425 2651 26.01.2007
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.g5!? This is the line that originally deterred everyone from 5...c6. It has only been mentioned in passing on ChessPub (by Baburin, who calls it the most critical). The main games with 6 0-0 have scored so well that 6 Ng5 perhaps seemed unimportant. But t h e n o t e s i n t h is c o lu m n r e n d e r W h it e ' s advantage unclear after 6 0-0. xe2 [ For many years, the leading Alekhine player a n d t h e o r e t i c i a n wa s B a g i r o v, a n d h e analysed 6...Bf5 at length. A wild recent game went 6...f5 7.e6 ( 7.g4 is the important alternative, probably somewhat in W hite's f avou r) 7...fxe6 8.h5+!? ( 8.g4 ) 8...g6 9.g4! xc2!? 10.xc2 gxh5 11.xe6 d7 12.f5 (threatening mate in 1! ) f6! 13.g5!? ( 13.0-0 ) 13...f7 14.d8+ xd8 ( 14...e8! 15.xd7+ fxd7 ) 15.gxf6 exf6 16.xh5+ e7 17.c3 d7 ( or 690
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17...e8= ) 18.f5+ c7 19.f4 d7 20.0-0-0 e8 21.hg1 f7 22.d5 e5 23.xe5 dxe5 24.e4 cxd5?? ( 24...d8 ) 25.xf6 The end. c8 26.b1 b8 27.d7+ 1-0 Lehmann-Karrer, Zurich SUI 2006. ] 7.xe2 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 This much-tested position is probably satisfactory for Black, who has the better bishop and pressure on e5 to compensate for his deficit in space. Whether he fully equalises is another matter. 9.0-0 [ 9.c4? b4+ has the idea 10.d2 xg5 11.cxd5 xg2 ] 9...d7 10.c4 e7! This knight will pressure White's e-pawn from g6, or in some cases go to f5. 11.f4? Anti-positional, but more importantly, tempo-wasting. [ 11.d1 is the book move, considered a tad b e t t e r f o r W h i t e a f t e r f5 ( 11...g6 12.e4! with the idea gxe5?! 13.f4 g6 14.f5 ) 12.c3 ] 11...g6 12.h5 It almost looks like White 'missed' 11...Ng6! [ He doesn't have enough compensation after 12.e3 e7 ( 12...dxe5 13.d1 ) 13.f3 dxe5 ] 12...e7 13.g3 gxe5 14.e4 g6 15.e2 f5 16.f4 [ 16.ec3 g7 leaves Black a pawn ahead with the central majority to boot. ] 16...f7 17.ec3 g7 18.e1 e5 19.fxe5 dxe5 20.d2 0-0 21.f2 fd8 Black is simply winning now. 22.c5 f8 23.b3 d3 24.ed1 xf2 25.xf2 e5 26.f4 f7 27.xd8+ xd8 28.d1 xd1+ 29.xd1 c4 30.d2 d3 31.f2 xd2 32.xd2 d7 33.d3 xc5 34.xc5 d4+ 35.f1 xc5 36.c4 f7 37.a5 b6 38.c4 e6 39.e2 g5 40.d3 d5 41.d2 g4 42.f1 f4 43.h3 f3 44.gxf3 gxh3 45.f4 h5 0-1
680 Karjakin,Sergey Short,Nigel D Rapid Match Kiev UKR rapid (3) [John Watson]
B05 2727 2655 04.05.2008
This top-level game features the Flohr V a ria t i o n wit h 4 . . . B g4 a n d 5 . . . c6 . W h it e doesn't deliver a fatal blow, but he has the better of it, and in general one has to wonder if this variation is going to fade from the scene. See the notes, for example. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 [ The solid approach. If you delve through the ChessPub lishing Forum, you 'll f in d analysis from Mark Morss on the line 6.c4 A) 6...xf3 7.xf3 b6 8.e6! ( or 8.b3 ) 8...fxe6 9.g4 e5 10.e6!; B) 6...b6 7.g5! (his '!') xe2 ( the old 7...f5 has more than one good answer s e e m y e a r l i e r u p d a t e s )) 8.xe2 . He conclude s that W hite stands very well indeed. In previous updates, I also suggested that certain setups in the main line look promising for White. You wonder if lines like this survive simply because t h e A le kh i n e d o e sn 't re ce ive e n o u g h attention. W e'll ha ve to wait f or more grandmaster tests in order to see what the top-level players think, but I'm not optimistic for Black. ] 6...xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.d2 White has played an astonishing number of moves here, such as 9 Qe2, 9 c4, 9 a3, 9 g3, 9 b3, 9 a4, 9 Qd4, 9 Bh5, and 9 Nc3. [ In a previous game I discuss the line 9.c4 e7 10.xd8+ xd8 , generally considered harmless, in conjunction with 11.d2! , after which I don't see Black fully equalising. ] 9...d7 10.e1 Here too various moves are talked about in Archive games formerly [ 10.c4 b5 11.d6+ was popular. ] 10...h6!? Deviating from mainstream theory. Black prevents Bg5 (after, say, Ne4) and prepares ...g5 in some lines. [ In earlier columns you will see games with 10...c7 11.c4 ] [ and 10...e7 , which ran into trouble after 11.c4! 0-0 12.a4 a5 13.d2 with some advantage for White in Baklan-Kosikov, Kiev 691
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 2000. ] 11.a4 a5 12.g3!? I'm not sure what this move is about. The most natural move is [ 12.c4 ] 12...c7 13.c4 7b6 14.d4 [ The interpolation of a4 and ...a5 actually helps Black in the line 14.xb6 xb6 15.c4 b4 ] 14...xc4 15.xc4 d8 16.c3 b6 B l a c k r e t u r n s t o a t t a c k t h e e - p a wn . H e doesn't seem to have any major problems after [ 16...e7 either ] 17.e4 d7 18.b4! Stopping ...Nc5. e7 19.b1 h5!? Black grab s some kingside space. White is probably better, on grounds of territorial control, but [ 19...0-0 20.f4 a8 is a plausible alternative. ] 20.e2 g6 Black feels that he should construct a safe kingside structure, with pawns on the squares opposite that of own bishop. Although [ 20...h4 looks a bit crude, it also keeps White from straying too far from the kingside. Perhaps Black wasn't happy letting White's bishop get to g4 followed by f4-f5. ] 21.bxa5!? The key decision of the game, and it seems a good one, at least in practical terms. White both gives up c5 and the a-file, but his attack along the b-file disturbs the equilibrium. [ 21.h4 may be objectively better, with advantage. ] 21...a8 22.b2 a7?! A sad decision, but [ 22...xe5 can be answered by the radical 23.xe5! xe5 24.a6! (perhaps Black missed this) ( 24.xb7 0-0! 25.xe7 f5 forks f3 and b1, although 26.g2 xb1 27.h6 is still dangerous because of the apawn. ) 24...xa6 ( 24...bxa6 25.xc6+ ) 25.xb7 a5 26.c8+ d8 27.xc6+ f8 28.b7! ] [ Best is 22...b8! , when 23.c4 xa5 24.d1! c7 25.e3 with the idea xe5 26.g2 is playable, but difficult for Black to defend. ] 23.a6! b6 [ or 23...bxa6 24.e3 c5 25.e4 , for example, h4 ( 25...xe5? 26.f4 f6 27.b8 ) 26.f4! ] 24.e2 0-0
[ 24...xe5 25.e3 c5 looks better, but simply 26.d4 xd4 27.cxd4 has ideas of d5 (if allowed) or Bf3 with Qc3. ] 25.e3 b8 26.a5!? c5 27.xc5 [ Or 27.axb6 xb6 28.d2 xe5 29.f4! ] 27...bxc5 28.d2 xe5 29.xb8+ xb8 [ 29...xb8 30.c4 is positionally winning. This last part of the game is impressive, in t h a t K a r a j a k i n swit ch e s t o t h e s e c le a r themes that are independent of tactics. ] 30.d1 c7 31.d6 xa5 32.xc6 f6 33.c8+ g7 34.b8 e7 35.b1 [ Or 35.e5! ] 35...d5 36.b7 xc3 37.a7 xb7 38.xb7 e1+ 1-0
681 Kobalia,Mihail Nalbandian,Tigran Moscow [Alexander Volzhin]
B05 2537 2439 1999
T h i s e xc e l l e n t g a m e wi t h a s p e c t a c u l a r Queen sacrifice is a good example of White's play in the Alekhine Main Line. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.c4 b6 8.c3 0-0 9.e3 d5 10.c5 xf3 11.gxf3 c8 12.f4 We've already seen this position in Ulibin - Morovic and suggested this line as the most dangerous for Black. The present game confirms that statement. h4?! [ 12...c6?! is inconsistent with the previous play. Now it is difficult to find good squares for both Black's Knights. 13.d3 g6 14.b4 e8 15.h1 f8 Now everything is ready for a breakthrough. 16.f5! exf5 17.xf5! g7 ( T h e b i s h o p i s t a b o o : 17...gxf5 18.g1+ h8 19.h5 d7 20.g5 e7 21.f6+ xf6 22.exf6 with a quick mate.) 18.h3 with a huge advantage, Gurgenidze Suba, 1975. ] [ 12...a5? This careless move allows a direct b r e a k t h r o u g h . 13.f5! g5 ( 13...exf5 14.b3 ) 14.f4 h6 15.fxe6 fxe6 16.g4 d7 17.b3 c6 18.a4! and Black's position is truly miserable, Shamkovich Vukic, New York 1976. ] [ 12...c6 is best. We have already considered it in Ulibin - Morovic. ] 692
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.d3 g6?! Another inaccuracy. [ 13...f5 is obligatory here. White is clearly better on both sides of the board, but Black's defensive resources should not be underestimated. In my opinion, Black should avoid playing f7-f5, as the f5- square is needed for one of his Knights, but the text is even worse. It's main drawback is that it doesn't prevent f4-f5! ] 14.f5! exf5 15.f3! c6 16.h1 h8 17.g1 Bf5 is unavoidable. a6 [ 17...e7 is not better in view of 18.h3! ] 18.xf5! The Bishop is taboo, White wins his pawn back maintaining a huge positional advantage. e7 [ 18...gxf5 19.h6 g8 20.xg8+ xg8 21.g1 and Black has to give up his Queen. ] 19.c2 Now White has a strategically winning position as Black has no defence against the doubling of Rooks on the g-file and f2-f4-f5 with an unstoppable attack on Black's King. g8 20.h3 c7 21.g4! White plays very precisely. First he doubles his Rooks after this Black can't meet f2-f4 with f7-f5 in view of Rxg6. e7 22.ag1 d7 23.f4 ae8 24.f5 d8 25.e2! Now all White's pieces are taking part in the attack. After the transfer of the Knight to f4, Black will not be able to hold the g6-square any more. b6 26.f4 g5 This move allows a brilliant combination, but Bla ck is los t a nyway. 27.xh7+!! xh7 28.f6+ h6 [ 28...h8 29.xg5 ] 29.h4+! gxh4 30.e6+ h5 31.d1# A n e x c e ll e n t a ch i e ve m e n t b y t h e yo u n g Russian GM Mikhail Kobalija. Now it's possible to draw some conclusions. Both this game and Ulibin - Morovic prove that White should avo id p la yin g 9 . h 3 B h 5 , as h e h a s m o re attacking resources, if the h3-square is left vac an t f o r h is p ie ce s. In t his case Black should be very careful, because White's main threat f4-f5 exists on every move. However by accurate play Black can obtain a very solid although quite passive position (see Ulibin Morovic). 1-0
682 Kosintseva,N Ehlvest,J UT Dallas GM Inv 2013 (5.5) [Tom Rendle]
B05 2523 2574 24.11.2013
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.c4 b6 8.c3 0-0 9.b3!? Not quite a novelty but a very rare move indeed, and not once we've seen here before. Obviously the idea is to over-protect the c4 pawn so that if Black takes on f3 White can safely recapture with the bishop. It also has the advantage of cutting out any idea Black might have of a quick ...d5 followed by ...Nc4. [ 9.e3 (or 9.h3 Bh5 and then 10.Be3) is a l m o s t a l wa ys s e e n i n st e a d a n d I la s t covered this in Lahno-Gaponenko f rom 2012. ] 9...c6 [ 9...dxe5!? is also worth a look 10.xe5 xe2 11.xe2!? ( 11.xe2 8d7 12.xd7 xd7 13.b2 and a draw was agreed in Sott, P (2203)-Jorgensen, J (2277) Liberec 2010 - Black has no problems here after ad8 14.c2 c6 ) 11...xd4 12.b2 f4 but now in Bodnaruk, A (2425)-Schleining, Z (2340) Germany 2013 White would've had excellent prospects after 13.b5 a6 14.ad1 ] 10.e3 [ 10.exd6 is obviously playable but it just leads to a slightly inferior version of the 9, Be3 mainline for White after cxd6 11.e3 d5 12.c5 d7 and Black should be completely OK here ] 10...d5 Ehlvest is happy to transpose into a norma l p osit ion b ut I th in k t his mis se s a reasonable chance to equalise. [ 10...dxe5! 11.xe5 xe2 12.xe2 ( 12.xe2?! xd4 13.h5 f6 and White has some compensation for the pawn but certainly not more than enough.) 12...xe5 13.dxe5 xd1 14.axd1 fd8 with equality. Perhaps Black wanted to keep more winning chances than this as this endgame certainly looks quite drawish. ] 11.c5 d7 12.b4! The most testing move here [ 12.a3 is rather slow and after f6 13.exf6 693
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xf6 I quite like Black's position ] 12...a6 [ 12...xb4?! 13.b1 c6 14.xb7 is definitely a favourable swap for White ] 13.b1 f6! If Black sits and does nothing then he risks just getting squashed on the queenside 14.exf6 xf6 15.e1?! This looks rather odd to me. The idea is to play f4 and get control of the e5 square but as the bishops are now getting swapped off this leaves White's light squares rather weak. [ 15.h3! h5 16.e1 e8 17.d2 f7 18.a3 and the position is finely balanced. If Black could get ...e5 in he'd be better but the d5 pawn is too weak here but on the other hand what is W hite's plan to be better? Perhaps b5 is playable but then Black gets the open a-file and can also try ...Na5-c4 in some positions. ] 15...xe2 16.xe2 e8! 17.d3 f7 18.f4 g6! The best square for the queen and now W h it e h as p la yed f 4 sh e ca n n o t u se t h e square for either of her knights. 19.d2 e7 20.e5 This leads to a slightly worse endgame so perhaps White should have just waited. [ 20.f2 f5 21.a4 is fairly equal although I wonder if Black can try h5!? here ] 20...xe5 21.fxe5 xf1+ 22.xf1 f8 23.xf8+ xf8 24.c3 c6 25.a4 h5! Black is only a tiny bit better but he has lots of options and we get to see a masterclass from Ehlvest here as he squeezes out a win. 26.h3 f5 27.f2 h7 28.h2 g5 29.f4 h6 30.e3?! [ 30.g3 holds the position together and W h i t e s h o u l d b e d e f e n d i n g a f t e r e4 31.xh6 xh6 32.xe4 dxe4 33.g2 as Black's king cannot get into White's half of the board the position is just a draw. ] 30...e4! 31.xe4 xe3 32.f3 f5 33.e2 h4 Black fixes a favourable pawn st ruc t u re on t he kin gsid e - su d de n ly t h e ending is clearly better for him. 34.g4 f7 35.g1 e3 36.f3+ e7 37.f2 f5 38.f3 f4+ 39.g1 g5 Black is in no rush at all [ 39...c1+! 40.h2 g5 is even more accurate as White cannot defend with Qb2 ] 40.b2 g3 41.b5? This drops a pawn but White is already struggling
[ 41.b1 is the best chance but Black is still much better after d8! avoiding a check on h 7 . P ra ct ica l ly sp e a kin g t h is is a lm o s t impossible to defend as White with no active plan. ] 41...axb5 42.axb5 cxb5 43.a3 [ 43.xb5?? loses to c1+ 44.f2 e4+ 45.e2 c3+ picking up the queen ] 43...f7! Black avoid the check and suddenly there's no defence to the slow advance of the b-pawn. W hite's position falls apart here. 44.f2 e4+ 45.g1 g4 46.hxg4 h3! 47.b2 h2+ 48.h1 g3 [ 48...b4! is a cleaner finish as the pawn cannot be take here because of ...Nf2 ] 49.xh2 [ 49.g5+! is the only move to survive even a few moves but of course Black is easily w i n n i n g a f t e r xg5 50.xb5 xg4 although it still takes some accurate moves here: 51.xb7+ g6 52.c6 xd4 53.xh2 xe5+ 54.g1 and surprisingly it 's n o t so e a sy t o st op t h e c-p a wn . O f course the computer finds a very clever win here with d4+ 55.h2 f4+ 56.g1 c1+ 57.h2 e4! 58.c7 f6! 59.c8 f4+ 60.g1 d4+ 61.h2 h4+ 62.g1 e1+ 63.h2 g4+ 64.h3 f2+ 65.h2 h1+ 66.g3 e4+ 67.f4 f1+ 68.g4 ( or 68.e3 f2+ 69.d3 d2# ) 68...f5+ 69.h4 h5# Still, this isn't a line a human would ever go for as Black so White should definitely have tried this final practical try. ] 49...e1+ 0-1
683 Lahno,K Gaponenko,I 72nd ch-UKR w 2012 (3.3) [Tom Rendle]
B05 2542 2404 27.09.2012
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 This remains Black's most popular setup in the 4.Nf3 Alekhine 6.0-0 e7 7.c4 b6 8.c3 [ 8.h3 would transpose to another game in this update, Smeets-Tjiam. ] 8...0-0 9.e3 d5 Not Black's most popular 694
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 move and probably not best either. [ 9...c6 10.exd6 cxd6 11.d5 exd5 is a crucial position to the line and now 12.xd5 ( 12.cxd5 xf3 13.xf3 e5 14.e2 ec4 15.d4 f6 16.b3! gave W hite a small positional advantage in Kasparov, S (2504)-Neverov, V (2542) Lipetsk 2010) 12...xd5 13.xd5 ( 13.cxd5 has hardly been played but seems enough for an edge because of a nice trick after e5?! 14.xe5 xe2 15.xf7! xd1 16.xd8 g4 17.e6 xe6 18.dxe6 f6 19.ac1 xe6 20.c7 and Black will have an unpleasant ending to hold.) 13...e6 14.d2 ( 14.b5!? ) 14...d5 15.c5 c8 16.b4 f6 17.ad1 e8 18.a3 a6 19.fe1 was slightly better for White in Sutovsky, E (2665)-Berkes, F (2617) Paks 2005 ] [ 9...8d7 10.exd6 cxd6 11.b3 seems to me to be very comfortable for W hite, although Black's results in this position are OK. The game Cabezas Ayala, I (2355)Appel, R (2544) Vila Nova de Gaia 2010 continued with f6 12.h3 h5 13.e1 e8 14.d2 ( 14.a4! ) 14...bd7 15.ad1 ( 15.d5!? ) 15...f8 16.b2 a6 17.d2 c8 18.ed1 h6 19.c1?! c7 20.dd1 b8 and Black had obtained good chances, although I've suggested a couple of improvements for W hite in the preceding moves. ] 10.c5 [ 10.cxd5!? deserves some attention in this position xd5 ( 10...exd5 11.e1! gives W hite good chances for Kingside expansion ) 11.b3 and Black has to be careful here. Perhaps the reason this isn't played is c6!? and now grabbing the pawn i s r i s k y b e c a u s e o f 12.xb7 cb4 alt h ou gh a f t e r 13.xd5 xd5 14.a6 it's not clear to me Black has enough compensation for a pawn here ] 10...xf3 [ 10...c4 didn't solve Black's problems in Hnydiuk, A (2431)-Tymrakiewicz, R (2294) Krakow 2012 after 11.xc4 dxc4 12.a4 f5 13.exf6! xf6 14.xc4 and Black had insufficient play for the pawn. ] 11.gxf3 c8 12.b4!? Varying from the usual 12.f4 but this move also seems to keep Black under pressure.
[ 12.f4 h4 13.d3 was analysed by Alexander Volzhin in Kobalia, M-Nalbandian, T ( 13.h1 seems less to the point and in P a n a r i n , M ( 2 5 2 5 ) - L e o n t i e v, A ( 2 3 1 5 ) Voronezh 2011 Black was very solid after e7 14.d3 g6 15.g1 h8 )] 12...c6 [ 12...h4 was tried the only previous time the position was reached and now 13.f4 e7 14.d3 g6 15.f5! exf5 16.xf5 c6 and here in Turkin, V (2285)-Vinokurov, A (2394) Voronezh 2003 W hite could've obtained a dangerous attack with 17.h5 ( or 17.f4!? xb4 18.b1 c6 19.f3 )] 13.f4 White does not necessarily have to include this move, although it's a very sensible one, gaining space on the Kingside an d givin g t h e B isho p o n e 2 so m e e xt ra options [ 13.b1!? simply planning a quick b5 was worth considering ] 13...f5?! This blocks up the Kingside but leaves Black with little or no counterplay [ 13...d7 14.d3 d8! would be my preferred way of playing - Black can setup a blockade on the Kingside with g6 and Ne7 although W hite will keep the slightly better chances. ] 14.h1! b6 15.g1 This mini-operation to put the rook on the half-open file makes sense, even if Lahno isn't planning an immediate Kingside assault g6 16.a4 a5 [ is was no better to sit tight with 16...d7 as White remains better after 17.b5! bxc5 18.bxc6 b8 19.dxc5 xc6 20.b5 d7 21.e2! ] 17.b5! An excellent move that leaves White clearly on top bxc5?! [ 17...a7! was a better option as now White has more difficulty in breaking through on the Queenside. One option therefore is to switch to a Kingside attack with 18.h5!? ( 18.b3 is a sensible alternative) 18...f7 19.g2!? planning Qf3 and Rag1 with a dangerous attack ] 18.dxc5 d7 [ 18...cxb5? 19.axb5 would simply leave W hite with connected passed pawns advancing down the board ] 19.bxc6 xc5 20.b5 Black now has a truly miserable position with no counterplay and 695
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Lahno calmly improves the position until it's basically winning whilst Gaponenko can do nothing but wait. f7 21.c1 a6 22.c7 d7 23.b3 b4 24.gd1 g8 25.d2 h8 26.c3 g8 27.d4 a7 28.xe6? The right tactic but the wrong pawn [ 28.xf5! would've broken Black's re s is t a n c e exf5 29.xa7 xa7 30.c8 xc8 31.xc8 xc8 32.xc8 with the difference here being that g5?! here doesn't achieve anything as White can simply play ( 32...e6 33.g8! is also winning for White ) 33.fxg5 xg5 34.d4 with an easily winning endgame ] 28...xe6 29.xa7 xa7 30.c8 xc8 31.xc8 xc8 32.xc8 g5! Suddenly Black has a few chances 33.fxg5 [ 33.h8 gxf4 34.xh7 xe5 35.g2 wa s p r o b a b l y a m o r e a c c u r a t e wa y o f playing - the h-pawn should be enough to give White the win. ] 33...xg5 34.d1 xe5 35.g2 e7 36.f3 d4 [ 36...d6 37.b5 f6 would've put up more stubborn resistance although W hite has excellent winning chances after 38.h3 f7 what else? 39.e1 ] 37.c4 d5 38.e1+ d6 39.d1? A serious mistake, presumably under mutual time-pressure as now Black misses her big chance e5? [ 39...b6! leaves White fighting for equality. Best is 40.e6 xc8 41.xc8 d5 42.xf5 with a drawn ending. ] 40.xd5 xd5 41.b8 b4?! 42.d8+ c4 43.8xd4+ b3 44.b1+ xa4? A final mistake which hastens the end 45.dxb4+! And the rook on a7 drops to a skewer down the a-file. 1-0
chooses. It suits his solid yet off-beat style. 5.e2 e6 6.h3 A slightly unusual moment at wh ich t o pla y th is mo ve : n o rma lly W h it e would castle first. Possibly White wanted to adopt Bologan's plan (6 h3 Bh5 7 c4 Nb6 8 exd6 cxd6 9 Nc3 Be7 10 d5) in which case he needs both to get h3 and avoid 00, but Rozentalis has another idea. xf3 Attempting to exploit the early h3. 7.xf3 c6 [ 7...dxe5 8.c4 is good for White, so Black has to make this move before he is 'threatening' .. . dxe5. ] 8.0-0?! A slightly naive move. This exact position is surprisingly unexplored but [ 8.exd6 is 'correct' after which A Sokolov-S Pedersen, Katowice 1993, continued xd6 9.0-0 a6 10.d2 0-0-0 11.c3 c7 12.e2 g5 13.e4 h6 14.b4 g7 15.d2 e5 16.b5 cxb5 17.xb5 b6 18.c4 f5 19.g3 xd4 20.e3 c5 21.xf5 a6 22.a5 f6 23.xd4 exd4 24.ab1 xc4 25.xb7+ xb7 26.xa6 1-0, but clearly Black could do better with a sensible plan involving castling kingside. ] 8...dxe5! This is the point. Black now has a version of the Flohr-Agzamov system effectively a tempo up. This position would normally be reached by 4... Bg4 5 Be2 c6 6 00 Bxf3 7 Bxf3 dxe5 8 dxe5 e6, when W hite would understandably not usually play 9 h3. Since the Flohr-Agzamov line is perhaps a little better for W hite, the difference is not enough to make Black actually better, but it does eliminate all question of an opening advantage for W hite. It is surprising that a player of W hite's strength should know so little about the Alekhine as to be tricked in this way. 9.dxe5 d7 10.e2 c7 11.e1 If White had the move g3 in (both controlling f4 and preparing Bg2 and perhaps f4) instead of h3 then we would now have a position which sometimes arose in an old-fashioned 684 B05 way of tackling the Flohr-Agzamov. Black's Libiszewski,Fabien 2415 best move then is 11...Bc5 (see IvanovicRozentalis,Eduardas 2584 K o v a c e v i c , S u b o t i c a 1 9 8 4 , f o r a f i n e illustration of what Black is trying to do), and 21st Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (7) that might well have been best here too. A [John Cox] thematic alternative is 11. ..Ne7. Instea d 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 Rozentalis goes his own way. g6 This puts Rozentalis has been playing the Alekhine a more pressure on e5 sooner, but the trouble b it la t e ly, a n d t h is is t h e lin e h e u su a ll y with it is that it takes away Black's d5 knight's 696
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 usual square in this system. 12.c4 5b6 13.c3 g7 14.f4 0-0 White is a little better here: Black's fianchettoed bishop is, as often in the Alekhine, not particularly effective if White manages to hold on to e5. 15.b3 a5 16.e3 This allows Black a chance to free himself. [ 16.ad1 , for example, would have maintained White's edge. ] 16...a4! Picking a moment when White cannot reply b4. If the a-file is opened Black will be able to relieve his cramp by exchanges and/ or activate a rook along the file. 17.c5 d5 18.xd5 cxd5 19.xa4 No doubt when playing 16 Qe3 W hite had relied upon this move to prevent 16...a4, but it turns out that he cannot maintain the c-pawn. a6 20.ac1 fa8 21.c3 White settles for immediate equa lit y: it s ee m s th at he h a s no wa y t o arrange his pieces to defend the extra pawn on c5, which can be attacked by all Black's army with the threat of ...b5 to boot. [ 21.d4 c6 22.c2 b8 23.ee2 c8 illustrates the problems. ] [ 21.a3 f8 ( 21...c6 22.c3 xc5?! 23.xd5 exd5 24.e6 c6 25.exd7 xc1 26.xc1 xd7 27.c7 shows a trick similar to the game which White would like to use to defend his pawn, but Black does not have to allow this.) 22.h6 e7 23.g5 f8 24.f6 c6 , for example, sees all three results rapidly becoming possible. ] 21...xc5= 22.xd5 xe3 [ 22...xd5 23.ed1 ] 23.xe3 xe5 24.xe5 xe5 25.c7 xa2 26.xb7 d3 27.d1 c5 [ 27...xf2? 28.f1 ] 28.c7 e4 29.g4 a1 30.xa1 xa1+ 31.h2 f8 An unexciting draw in a way but the jockeying for position in the opening is interesting. Rozentalis specialises in finding unexplored byways like these with reasonablelooking non-committal moves, and perhaps Burgess' defiant 1996 prediction is coming tru e - " loo k in g in t h e cryst al b all I se e a talented player looking at the position after 5... e6 and thinking 'this position can't be too bad for Black, there must be ways to make it work. ' And he will work furiously at developing new plans for Black, new move-order tricks to avoid the bad lines and reach the good ones.
I know neither who nor when, but |I state this with certainty, for such is the way of chess openings." ½-½
685 Malakhov,Vladimir Sedina,Elena Porto San Giorgio [Alexander Volzhin]
B05 2570 2395 1999
This game is further proof that the main line of the Alekhine's is in crisis. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.d2 d7 10.e1 c7 11.c4 7b6! The only move. [ T h e e r r o n e o u s 11...b5? was played in Golubev - Lehmkuhl, Hamburg 1999 12.xd5 cxd5 13.d6+ xd6 14.xd5! Definitely Mr. Lehmkuhl is not a subscriber to this site, otherwise he should know the game Guf eld-Goh, where this blow has already been played! 0-0 15.xd6 xd6 16.exd6 fc8 17.c3 c6 18.f4 e8 19.g3 and White won easily. ] 12.d4!? [ Theory considers 12.d6+ as the main continuation here and I discussed this move in the comments to Gufeld - Goh. However now I have found an improvement for Black: xd6 13.exd6 xd6 14.c4 xc4 15.d4 cb6!? ( T h e t h e o r e t i c a l 15...b4 is refuted by force: 16.e4! b5 17.xg7 f8 18.xe6+! fxe6 19.b7! threatening Bh5 check and winning the Rook back, with decisive advantage.) 16.xg7 f8! 17.e5 0-0-0 - White definitely has compensation for a pawn, but it's not clear if it's enough. The position requires practical tests. ] 12...xc4 13.xc4 White is slightly better due to the Bishop pair and space advantage. On the other hand, Black's position is very solid, with no weaknesses or bad pieces. But in the further struggle he doesn't find a good plan and begins to drift. 0-0-0 [ The attempt to castle kingside doesn't work 13...e7 in view of 14.g4! g6 ( if 14...0-0 15.h6 winning the exchange) 15.h6 with obvious advantage for White. ] 14.a3 a5?! Quite a dubious move. 697
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 6...e7 7.f3 g4 8.0-0 c6 9.b3 0-0 10.c3 f6 11.e3 d5 12.c5 c8 This is all standard stuff, played hundreds of t i m e s b e f o r e . 13.h3 White plays this more frequently than other moves. Indeed, 13 h3 has been the choice of most grandmasters, and it scores rather well. [ 13.b4 and ] [ 13.d2 are the main alternatives. ] 13...f5 An interesting sideline, which hasn't been played nearly as much as the main moves 13...Be6 and 13...Bxf3 (13...Bh5 is an older move, now out of favour). W hite has caused some problems versus those, although not insurmountable ones. A few unannotated examples: [ a) 13...xf3 14.xf3 8e7 15.g4 ( 15.b4 f5 16.xd5!? xd4 17.b1 xe3 18.xe3 xe3 Wang Hao (2610)-Berkes, F (2601)/Taiyuan CHN 2006, and here 19.fxe3 gives some edge) 15...g6 16.d2 g7 17.e2 d7 18.h6 xh6 19.xh6 f5 20.e3? fxg4 21.hxg4 f7 22.g2?? af8 0-1 Baljon, C (2220)-Bohm, H (2410)/ Eerbeek 1978/MCD ] [ b) 13...e6 A) 14.g4 h6 ( 14...g6 15.e1 g7 16.g2 b6 17.b5 6e7 18.b4 a5 19.a3 a7 20.e2 axb4 21.axb4 ac6 22.b1 , about equal, De Firmian, N (2 5 9 8 ) - L e zc a n o J a e n , P ( 2 3 9 9 ), L a s Palmas 1999) 15.b1 g5 16.d2 g7 17.h2 8e7 18.f4 gxf4 19.xf4 g6 1/ 2 -1 / 2 B a n a s, J (2 3 65 )-K n e ze vic , M (2410)/Luhacovice 1973/MCD; B) 14.e1!? b6 ( or 14...8e7 15.g4 g6 16.b4 a6 17.a3 d7= Arencibia Rodriguez, W (2485)-Medina, M (2415), 686 B05 Matanzas 1995.) 15.a4 d7 16.c1 e8 17.d2 xd4 18.xd4 xd4 Mok Tze Meng 2308 19.xd4 xe2 20.c3 e8 21.xd5 Hernandez,G 2360 e7 22.d4 c6 23.c2 d5 38th Olympiad (5) 17.11.2008 1/2-1/2 Marciano, D (2529)-Baburin, A [John Watson] (2593), Germany 1999. It's fit to end with a Baburin game! ] This game illustrates an unusual move in one of the traditional main lines of the Exchange 14.c1 Although you might think that g4 fits in Variation. It seems quite playable. 1.e4 f6 with White's plans anyway (he often tries to 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 prevent ...Nf5), here Black's intention is ...Be4, when White's weakened kingside is an easy 6.e2 [ 6.c3 e7 7.h3 is another popular target. Thus he tries slower methods. [ 14.d2 has been the other move here. approach. ]
[ Simply 14...e7 should be preferred. ] 15.e4 e7 16.b1 b6 17.b4 b5 18.f4! hf8 19.g4! White outplays his opponent in a very instructive way. First of all he forces his opponent to weaken the kingside. g6 20.h6 fe8 21.e4! Keeping the c4-square under control and co nt in uin g to rest rict B la ck's Qu ee n . f8 22.g5 h5 23.h4 d7 24.e2! a4 [ 24...d5 25.c4 ] 25.b3 Now Black's Queen is completely out of the game and has no moves at all (by the way, the Queen will stay here until the end of the game!). On the other hand it's funny that White can't attack and winit! e7 26.xe7 exe7 27.h3! Very typical for Malakhov's positional style: [ He doesn't pay attention to possibilities like 27.b5 a5 28.bxc6 bxc6 which weaken B l a c k ' s K in g a n d g ive W h it e a t t a c ki n g chances, but allow Black's Queen to enter the game. He just continues to strangle his opponent! ] 27...e8 28.f4! The final regrouping of White's forces. Now the f7-pawn becomes the main target. ed8 29.f3 c7 30.f4 f8 31.f6! Changing aim. Black has protected the f7-square, but all his forces are uncoordinated so it's impossible to kee p material on level terms. a5 Desperation, but B l a c k ' s p o s i t i o n i s l o s t a n yw a y . 32.xe6 It's time to harvest. axb4 33.f6 d5 34.e6 xf6 35.xf6 Severe losses are unavoidable, so Blac k resigned. A textb ook positiona l game! 1-0
698
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Because White will soon be threatening the favourable exchange Bg5 (after Rfd1, for example), one of Black's most logical moves is h6 ( 14...e8 15.a3 a6!? 16.ad1 8a7 17.fe1 h6 looked a little strange, Vymazal-Pakhomov (2449), Brno CZE 2007, although Black didn't stand badly) 15.ad1 8e7 16.g4 g6?! ( 16...e6!; 16...h7 ) 17.e1!? ( 17.h4! threatens g5, and Black's 16...Bg6 doesn't allow the response 17... Ng6 ) 17...h8 ( 17...e8!; 17...b6!? ) 18.f4! e8 ( 18...e4?? 19.g5 ) 19.g2 ( 19.g5 f5! ) 19...g8 20.f3 e4? 21.xe4 dxe4 22.g5 e7 23.d5 b8 24.d6 and Black was getting blown off the board in Kurajica-E Pedersen, Kapfenberg 1970. ] 14...e8 [ Or 14...h6 , for example, 15.h2 e6!? 16.g4 h4 17.f4!? 8e7 18.d3 f5 19.xf5 xf5 20.f3 e4!? ( 20...b4! 21.a3 c2 22.f2 c6 ) 21.xe4 dxe4 22.xe4 e8 23.d3 h5! 24.e5 ( 24.h2 b4 25.d2 d5 ) 24...xe5 25.fxe5 xe5 26.cd1 d5 with a doubleedged game, Baron Rodriguez -Fontana Sotomayour, Aragon 1998. ] 15.d2 e4 [ The player of the White pieces in the above game switches to Black in this one: 15...h6 16.h2! 8e7 ( 16...e6 17.g4 e7!? ) 17.g4 xg4 18.xg4 (with two bishops) g6 19.g3 f8 A) 20.f3 e6 ( or 20...e7 ); B) 20.e2 e6 21.b4 ( 21.h4 ) 21...a6 22.a3 g5 23.c3 g6 ( 23...e6 24.a2!? - the point of 22 a3!) 24.h4 e4 25.xe4 dxe4 26.d5 e5 27.e2 h5 28.g2 d7 29.fd1 f5 with unclear complications, F Gomez (2329)-Baron Rodriguez (2431), Havana 2007. ] 16.fd1 [ 16.h2!? -see the examples above. ] 16...8e7 17.g5?! (still too early) [ 17.xe4!? dxe4 18.h2 d5 19.g4 h4 ( 19...h6 may be better, with the idea 20.xf6+ xf6; 19...e7 20.c4 ) 20.c4 looks ad vantage ous, wit h the idea of a timely Ne5 ] 17...f5 18.xf6 [ 18.f4 ] 18...xf6 19.b5?
[ 19.h1 g6! ] 19...ac8 [ Or 19...e7 20.g5 xg5 21.xg5 xg2! ] 20.g5 It's hard to find a good alternative. a6? [ Here Black could get a substantial advantage with 20...xg5! 21.xg5 xg2! 22.g4 ( 22.h5 g6! ) 22...h4 23.xc8 xc8 threatening ...h6. Black recovers his material with the better game: 24.c2 h6 25.f4 hxg5 26.xg2 xg2 27.xg2 gxf4 28.f3 g5 29.h4 gxh4! ] 21.xf6 gxf6 22.c3 cd8 23.f1 [ 23.h2 g7 24.g4 xf3 25.xf3 fxd4 26.xd5 f5 is unclear. ] 23...e7 24.g4 g7 25.d2?! [ 25.h4! ] 25...e6! 26.cd1 f4 27.xe4 xe4 28.d3 ee8 29.h4 g7 30.b1 Now Black should play 30...h5! with the better game. After this, the game is fairly level and then goes in White's favour for a long time. Black comes back, but at move 116(!), he loses the thread and the game. In general this is a very interesting and ambitious way for Black to play a difficult line. e7 31.h5 h6 32.e1 c6 33.e3 e6 34.f5 e7 35.d1 xe3 36.fxe3 e6 37.f2 e7 38.d3 g8 39.g1 a5 40.h4 a8 41.g3 g7 42.f1 e8 43.h1 h6 44.f1 g7 45.f3 g8 46.g3 e8 47.a3 d8 48.a1 a8 49.a2 g5 50.f2 e8 51.b2 a8 52.b1 e6 53.f3 h6 54.g3 g7 55.f1 e8 56.f2 b8 57.c2 h6 58.c1 g8 59.b1 a8 60.b2 g7 61.b1 h6 62.a4 g7 63.b4 axb4 64.xb4 a7 65.c2 h6 66.f3 f8 67.e2 g7 68.b1 e6 69.d2 g7 70.c3 f8 71.a1 a5 72.b1 a7 73.f1 g7 74.f5+ xf5 75.xf5 c6 76.f1 c7 77.b1 f8 78.d3 e7 79.a5 d7 80.b4 d8 81.c3 d7 82.b4 d8 83.f1 e7 84.a1 a8 85.a4 d7 86.b1 a7 87.b6 a8 88.b1 c7 89.f1 e7 90.e1 a8 91.b1 a7 92.f5 d8 93.b3 a8 94.b2 c7 95.d3 d7 96.b4 e7 97.c3 d7 98.d2 c8 99.a2 d8 100.e2 e7 101.b2 e6 102.b6 d8 103.a6 bxa6 104.xa6 c7 105.f3 d7 699
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 106.d3 a7 107.f5 a4 108.b8 a7 109.c8 e8 110.e4 dxe4+ 111.xe4 d7 112.xd8+ xd8 113.xc6 a1 114.e4 c1 115.b5 e7 116.d5 b1?? [ 116...d1= ] 117.d3 d1 118.f5 c1?? [ 118...d8= ] 119.c6 c3 120.d5 d8 121.d6 c1 122.c6 c3 123.h7 c1 124.g8 c3 125.xf7 c4 126.e6 c3 127.f5 c1 128.e6 c7 129.xf6 d6 1-0
687 Motylev,A Appel,R Bundesliga 2013-14 (13) [Tom Rendle]
B05 2676 2535 04.04.2014
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.c4 b6 8.h3 Normally this is played on the next move (after 8.Nc3 0-0) but I can see no difference in this move order [ 8.c3 0-0 9.b3 I covered last year in Kosintseva-Ehlvest where I thought Black could probably equalise with c6 10.e3 dxe5! 11.xe5 xe2 12.xe2 xe5 13.dxe5 xd1 14.axd1 fd8 ] 8...h5 9.c3 0-0 10.e3 d5 11.c5 xf3 12.gxf3 c8 13.f4 c6 All very mainline so far 14.h2 [ 14.f5!? is another critical move here but Black gets reasonable chances in this line. The mainline according to Hiarcs opening book (and unsurprisingly my engine agrees with it!) goes exf5 15.f3 g5 16.xd5 f4 17.xf4 xf4 18.xf4 8e7! and d4 is dropping. Black is at most slightly worse but this position needs further tests! ] [ 14.b4 but Black seems to be holding his own here h4 ( 14...a6 is also solid but maybe now 15.f5! is more dangerous than on the previous move ) A) 15.b5 6e7! ( 15...a5 16.d3 c4 looks risky for Black but may be playable) 16.d3 f5 and Black's position is a hard nut to crack; B) t h e s l o w e r 15.b1 was covered by Glenn Flear back in 2002, but I don't think
this really gives W hite much. See Fedorowicz-Baburin in the archives.; C) 15.h2 8e7 16.b5 a5 17.d3 f5 18.c6 bxc6 19.xf5 exf5 20.a4 c4 21.bxc6 e8 and Black had equalised and even went on to have the better of the draw against his much higher rated opponent in Tiviakov, S (2654)Tischbierek, R (2422) Cape Town 2013 ] 14...xc5?! A very tricky move but I think it's a slight mistake with best play [ 14...f5 leads to more typical positions for this line. White is a little better after 15.g1 h4 16.b4 a6 17.b3 but Black is very solid ] 15.dxc5 d4 16.e4?! This leads to a queenless middlegame in which White has a very slight advantage, thanks to his extra space, but Black should be OK after this. [ 16.b3! seems to lead to a White a d v a n t a g e a f t e r dxe3 17.fxe3 h4 18.e4! ( 18.xb7?! 8e7 19.xc7 fc8 20.d7 d8 21.c7 ac8 22.b7 b8 23.a6 xb2 and Black has a very strong initiative) 18...b8 19.g1 xe5 20.g5 g6 21.d1 and White has more than e n o u g h f o r t h e p a wn - e s p e c i a l l y wi t h Black's queen out of the game on h4 ] 16...dxe3 17.fxe3 xd1 18.axd1 8e7 19.g2 fd8 20.f2 f8 21.c3 b4 [ 21...a6! cuts out any nonsense with Nb5 and I don't really see what W hite is doing h e r e . P e r h a p s 22.d3 h6 23.e4 is a little somethin g f or W hit e? But th e e n d i n g a f t e r xd1 24.xd1 d8 is surely very equal ] 22.a3 bd5 23.b5! a6 24.d4 With this knight on d4 Motylev ensures the rooks will stay on the board for the foreseeable future and he expertly increases the pressure from here b6 25.c6 b5 26.g4 b6 27.b3 g6?! I'm not sure White was threatening f5 and now Black's knight on b6 gets sidelined [ 27...bd5 was better although White can slowly improve with 28.d2 Black should be fine if he sits tight ] 28.e4! e8 29.e3 Now f5 is coming - not necessarily soon but whenever Motylev wants it to happen! Appel can do nothing but wait and try not to weaken his position ab8 30.h4 700
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 bc8 31.c1 [ 31.f5! looks good already, but Motylev is in no rush ] 31...b6 32.c5 [ 32.xe6! is probably stronger here but White seems not to be interested in anything that complicates the game. Still, W hite is clearly better after fxe6 33.xe6 xc6 34.xd8 xd8 35.fd1+ e8 36.h5! ] 32...a7 33.fc1 h6?! A serious mistake which greatly strengthens White's next move [ 33...h5 34.h3 bb8 and Black is still just a b o u t h o l d i n g o n , a l t h o u g h 35.f5! is still strong ] 34.h5! gxh5 35.xh5 Now Black's position collapses f8 36.f5 exf5 37.exf5 xd4 As good as anything at this point 38.xd4 xf5+ 39.d3 b8?! 40.f1! d8+ 41.c3 g3 42.xf7+ g8 43.d7 e4+ 44.d4 [ 44.d4 xc6+ 45.xc6 xd7+ 46.xe4 is completely hopeless ] 1-0
688 Motylev,Alexander Yermolinsky,Alex Aeroflot Open (4) [John Cox]
B05 2665 2570 18.02.2005
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.h3 I don't know why high-rated players go on playing this move, since for the reasons explained in Starting Out: Alekhine's Defence it is better for White not to have it in if Black intends to play the main line (7 h3 Bh5 8 c4 Nb6 9 Nc3 00 9 Be3 d5 11 c5 Bxf3 12 gxf3 Nc8). Possible explanations in general are (i) White wants to play either 11 cxd5 or 12 Bxf3, two oncefashionable but now uncommon plans (ii) White doesn't like 7 c4 Nb6 8 Nc3 00 9 Be3 Nc6, when he would rather have h3 Bh5 in as 11 d5 exd5 12 Nxd5 Nxd5 13 Qxd5 then gains a te mpo on h5 (iii) (ina pplica ble here a s White has already castled) he wants to play Bologan's 6 h3 Bh5 7 c4 Nb6 8 exd6 cxd6 9 Nc3 Be7 10 d5 e5 11 g4!?. It must have been either (i) or (ii), or else SOAD hasn't yet come out in Russia and Motylev's having to soldier on without it..... h5 8.c4 b6 9.c3 a6
An interesting little move which has been popular with the high-rated players who have taken Black's position in recent times. The main idea is to threaten . ...Bxf3 Bxf3 Nxc4 and so, Black hopes, force a resolution of the central tension without him needing to commit to ...d5 as he does in the old main line, but Black has some other ideas. 10.e3 0-0 11.b3 The main alternatives are [ 11.b3 when Black's idea is that after d5 ( 11...8d7 is another possibility) 12.c5 the game is like the old main line but with .. a6 and b3 in. Black claims that his extra move is more useful since he often plays ... a6 to ho ld W hit e u p o n t he qu e en s id e , whereas White's b3 is useless since he will normally play b4 at some point. There is something in this, but on the other hand the usual ...Bxf3 is now ineffective since after Bxf3 Black cannot play .. .Nc4 anyway, so p l a y u s u a l l y c o n t i n u e s w i t h c8 W hether the trade-of f f avours W hite or B l a c k i s u n r e s o l v e d . ( 12...6d7 is also played )] [ 11.exd6 cxd6 12.b3 8d7 13.ac1 c8 14.d2 xe2 15.xe2 g5 16.xg5 xg5 17.e4 e7 18.c5 Anand-Morozevich, Moscow rapid 1995, is also a little better for White and is usually considered the way to handle it for White.. ] 11...8d7 12.a4 [ 12.exd6 cxd6 13.a4 xf3 would be Kotliar -Yermolinsky, St Martin open 1993, in which for some reason White now played 14 gxf3 and not surprisingly lost. The text is actually a novelty, but Yermolinsky deals with it easily enough. ] 12...dxe5 13.xe5 [ 13.dxe5 xf3 14.xf3 xe5 15.xb7 a7 shows one of the points of ...a6 although complications continue: 16.fd1 b8 17.a5 xb7 18.axb6 aa8 ] 13...xe2 14.xe2 xe5 15.dxe5 Perhaps White has a slight edge but it is very manageable. c8 16.f4 d7 17.c3 c5 18.c2 a5 I find it a bit odd that White never found time for a5 - this looks like a positional achievement to me - but probably he had in mind forcing the coming structure change. 19.d4 f5 White probably had it in mind to play f5 himself: the knight on f5 would give 701
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 him dangerous play on the kingside. 20.exf6 xf6 21.f5 e5 22.e2 c6 23.g3 f7 24.h1 f8 25.f3 e4?! Up to here both sides seem to have manoeuvred sensibly, but why Yermolinsky didn't just continue in the same vein with something like 25...Rd8 I can't think, especially since the text is associated with an idea which just loses from an equal position in a move or two as far as I can see. 26.xe4 xf5? [ 26...xe4 27.xe4 f6 was essential, when Black still has some compensation with ...Re8 and ...Qb4 to come, but that wasn't what he played 25. ..e4 for. ] 27.xc5 xc5 28.g5! Whether Yermolinsky overlooked this move completely or miss-assessed the resulting ending is hard to say, but either way White is now winning. xg5 [ 28...g6 29.e6 e7 30.xf5 gxf5 31.xf5 is unthinkable. ] 29.xf8+ xf8 30.d2 If Black had time to co-ordinate his pieces he might put up a stout defence, but the queen picks up a loose unit first. gf5 [ 30...h6 31.xa5 f2 32.d8+ ( 32.a8+? h7 33.xb7?? gxg2 34.c7 g6! wins for Black since the bishop cannot be kept off the h2-b8 diagonal. ) 32...h7 33.d3+ g8 34.e4 defends g2 and wins, so Black is lost. ] 31.xa5 f1+ 32.xf1 xf1+ 33.h2 d6+ 34.g3 f2+ 35.h1 xb2 36.d8+ f8 37.c8 b1+ 38.g2 g6 39.g4 c5 40.e6+ g7 41.g5 b4 42.f6+ g8 43.a5 b3 44.f2 b4 45.e2 b3 46.d2 b4 47.e6+ 47...Kg7 48 Kc2 is the zugzwang White is after. A strange game. I can't guess what Yermolinsky overlooked. 1-0
689 Najer,Evgeniy Yermolinsky,Alex World Open Philadelphia USA (5) [John Watson]
B05 2670 2530 04.07.2008
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.c4 b6 7.exd6 A simple approach. W e've seen several games with
(by transposition) [ 7.0-0 e7 8.h3 ( 8.c3 leads to similar positions without h3. It's not clear whom that favours, according to John Cox) 8...h5 9.c3 0-0 10.e3 ( 10.exd6 cxd6 is the game )] 7...cxd6 8.0-0 e7 9.h3 h5 10.c3 0-0 11.e1 A relatively rare move, waiting to see what Black will do. c6 [ 11...a6!? is recommended, the idea being that 12...Bxf3 13 Bxf3 Nxc4 will be possible, because the rook has a square on a7 after 14 Bxb7.Then 12.d5 would be interesting: ( 12.a4!? xf3 13.xf3 xc4 14.xb7 a7 15.f3 ) 12...xf3 ( 12...e5 13.b3 ) 13.xf3 e5 14.b3 f5 is double-edged, but White appears to stand better. ] 12.d5 [ 12.b3 is more common here. ] 12...exd5 [ 12...xf3 13.xf3 e5 eliminates White's bishop due to the attack on c4, but leaves t h e e 6 - p a w n w e a k f o l l o w i n g : 14.dxe6 ( 14.g4!? xg4 15.hxg4?! xc4 16.e2 Bronstein, L -Lida Garcia, Buenos Aires 1985 and c8! 17.dxe6 fxe6 18.xe6+ xe6 19.xe6 f6 would favour black) 14...fxe6 15.xb7 b8 16.e4! bxc4 A) 17.c2 with attack on h7 is complex, for example, h6?! ( 17...h4 18.e2 g6 19.b3 b6 20.h6; 17...d5! 18.xh7+ h8 19.b3 c5 20.f1 b6 with the idea ...Qh4) 18.b3 b6 19.f4 ed7 20.h7+ h8 21.xe6; B) 17.b3 h4 18.f1 d5 19.b1 d6 20.h5 f5 21.f4 and White's pressure seems just a bit better than Black's. ] 13.cxd5 [ Or 13.xd5 , which may be better for White: xd5 14.xd5 (hitting h5) g6 15.a3 ( 15.e3!? b4 16.xb7 c2 17.d4 b8 18.xa7 a8 repeats; yielding a small advantage is 15.b5 c7 16.f4 ) 15...a5 16.f4 fd8 17.xa5 xa5 18.b4 c6 19.ad1 a5 20.b5 e5 21.xe5 dxe5 22.xe5 xa3 23.f3 with a clear superiority, Rogic, D -Hribar, J Ljubljana 1997. ] 13...xf3 14.xf3 e5 15.e2!? White decides to retain the bishop pair. c8 16.f1 a6 17.b3 bd7! 18.e3 c7 702
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19.ac1 c5 20.d1 d8 21.f4!? [ 21.b4 is obvious, but perhaps also good, for example, cd7 22.b5 a5 23.a4 xc1 24.xc1 with more space. ] 21...g6 22.g3 Restriction of the knight on g6, although it loosens White's king position. f6 23.f2 e8 24.b4 xe1 25.xe1 d7 26.e4 e7 27.b5 [ 27.xc8 xc8 28.c3 xc3 29.xc3 gives White the bishop pair. This is one of those times where I need a very strong grandmaster to assess whether the first player h as s e riou s winn in g cha nces. I t seems hard for White to make progress, but if he advances his pawns and centralises his king, who knows? Maybe d8 30.e4 c7 31.c4 e7 is a logical reorganization, when White has to beware of the simplifying ...Bb6. Then 32.b3 f8 ( 32...h6 33.a4 f5 34.c5! ) 33.a4! h6 ( 33...a5!? ) 34.a5 f5 35.c3 doesn't solve Black's long-term problems. ] 27...axb5 28.xb5 f6 29.xf6+ xf6 30.xc8 xc8 31.b4 h5 [ 31...h5 32.h4 with the idea Be2 might follow, when White may as well play on. ] ½-½
have a nice space advantage to compensate for the outpost on d5. This recapture leads to a solid position. ] 14.e2 c6 15.c3 a6! Shifting to the blockade square on e6, 16.d3 [ 16.e6!? ] 16...c7 17.e2 e6 [ 17...f6! ] 18.g3 g6!? To stop Nf5, yet allowing that move might have been preferable to weakening the kingside. [ 18...f6 19.f5! looks good for White probably ] [ 18...e8 19.f5 df8 is the right way. ] 19.h6 e8 20.e1 Versus ...f6. Now a lot of manoeuvring takes place, with White always having a slight advantage because of his pawn on e5. a5 21.e3 f8 22.xf8 dxf8 23.d2 a4 24.e2 a5 25.c3 b6 26.ac1 a5 27.1c2 b5 28.d3 a8 29.a3 b3 30.c3 a6 31.e3 g7 32.e1!? This is getting too negative. Better [ 32.e2 xe3 33.fxe3 ] 32...fe6 33.g5!? b6 34.xe6 xe6 35.d1 d8! Switching to the kingside. 36.f1 h4 37.e2 g7?! [ 37...f6!? w i t h t h e i d e a 38.exf6 f8! would activate all of Black's pieces. ] 38.f3 690 B05 [ 38.c3= ] Ni Hua 2681 38...e6 39.f4 a6 Somewhere hereabouts Torre,Eugenio 2536 Black should play ... f5 and stop White on the 6th ch-Asia Cebu City PHI (8) 26.09.2007 kingside for the foreseeable future. 40.c1 b5 41.h2 ab6 [John Watson] [ 41...f5! ] 1.e4 A high-rated battle which demonstrates 42.e2 [ 42.f5!? gxf5 43.xf5 with the idea xd4? b o t h s id e s o f p la y ve rsu s W h i t e 's d 4 / e 5 44.h6 ] structure. f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.h3 f5!? Black retains his 42...b3 43.c3 a6 44.g3 h5 45.f2 bishop for a while, but this doesn't seem to h6 46.d2 a8 White probably has the best of things by a hair. Still, he only wins improve upon the normal line [ 6...h5 7.c4 b6 8.exd6 cxd6 9.c3 because Black weakens himself: 47.e2 g7 , because after 6...Bf5, Black can't even get 48.d3 b5? 49.d1 [ 49.a2 and Nb4 was a good plan. ] rid of White's pawn on e5. ] 50.e3 h5 51.d2 xd3 7.0-0 e7 8.d3 xd3 9.xd3 0-0 10.e4 49...e6 52.xd3 h8 53.d2 d8 54.g4 c5 d7 11.d1 b4!? 12.c4!? h6 56.dxc5 xc5 57.b4 [ 12.a3! illustrates White's advantage, since 55.f6 c6 ( 12...d5 13.g4! ) 13.c3 and wins. Black's queen was cut of f from defence. e6 58.xb5 f8 59.d3 c5 leaves him clearly superior in the centre. ] 60.d4 e6 61.d2 c5 62.f5 e4 12...d5! 13.cxd5 exd5!? [ 13...xd5 is more natural, but White would 63.xe4 dxe4 64.g5 e8 65.e6?! 703
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 65.fxg6 hxg6 66.f4! ] 65...fxe6 [ 65...e7 ] 66.f6 e5 67.f7 e6 68.g4 e7 69.xe4 g7 70.g1 h5 71.xa4 xf7 72.xf7+ xf7 73.e4 c7 74.g2 d6 75.e3 h7 76.h4 d7 77.f2 b7 78.c3 d5 79.e3 g7 80.a4 f6 81.f2 e6 82.a5 h1 83.f3 c1 84.b3+ f6 85.c3 a1 86.a3 c1 87.c3 a1 88.g2 a2 89.a3 c4 90.f3+ 1-0
691 Pedersen,O Wohl,Aleksandar H Open ch Oslo NOR (5) [Andrew Martin]
B05 2123 2399 07.04.2004
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.exd6 exd6 Since 5...cxd6 is experiencing something of a crisis thanks to the Voronezh variation ( 6 Nc3 Bg7 7 Be3 0-0 8 Rc1 etc) attention is once again focusing on this solid move. There is nothing wrong with 5...exd6. Black's choice of plans is limited, but as stated, his position is very difficult to break down. 6.c3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.f3 0-0 9.e2 e8 10.0-0 g4 11.b3 f6 Black has three plans in this position. Two are constructive, the other cunning. He can aim to play ... d6-d5. This is the usual idea. He can prod the White pawn structure with ... a5-a4, although it's not clear what this achieves. Finally he may just wait, let White advance his Kingside pawns and try to pick him off on the rebound. 12.c1 I don't see the point of this meaningless Rook move. [ Wohl had this position before: 12.h3 f5 ( 12...h5 13.c1 h6 14.d5 xf3 15.xf3 e7 16.e4 d7 17.b1 f8 18.h5 eg6 Unique manoeuvering with the Knights. One would expect W hite to be better here but the Black Kingside is very carefully protected and at present Black has charge of the only open file. 19.e4 b2 20.cd1 h4 21.f5 e5 22.f3 f5 23.g3 f4 24.d4 xd4 25.xd4 ae8 Delchev,A-Wohl,A/Metz 2002 Many players would be perfectly happy with the Black
position, myself included.) 13.d2 g6 14.a4 a5 15.ac1 b4 16.fd1 c6 17.a2 xa2 18.xa2 d5 19.c5 d7 20.d2 b6 21.e5 xe5 22.dxe5 bxc5 23.f4 f6 24.g4 fxe5 25.xd7 xd7 26.fxe5 xe5 Hendriks,R-De Waal,M/ Zwolle 1998 Black was not troubled. ] [ 12.d2 g6?! ( 12...d7; 12...a5; 12...d5 13.c5 c8 are all ideas which Black can consider. ) 13.ad1 is a good approach. White simply centralises. e7 14.e4 g7 15.g5 d7 16.fe1 f6 17.f4 f5 18.h3 xh3 ( 18...xf3 19.xf3 g5 20.h2 h4 21.h5 ) 19.xd6! xd6 20.gxh3 e4 21.a5 Alvarez Solis,D-Fernandez Diaz, I/ Asturias 1998, White will win this particular battle of tactics because his pieces are much more active. ] 12...d5! Now that the White Rook has moved, White puts the ...d6-d5 plan into action and it is especially appropriate here. The point is that white usually answers ..d5 with c5 and then a quick b3-b4. If then Black takes on b4, Rb 1 a n d R xb 7 wi n s b a c k t h e p a wn wi t h interest. In this variation thanks to Rc1 White loses a tempo. 13.cxd5 [ 13.c5 c8 14.b4 8e7 15.b5 a5 ] 13...b4 14.h3 h5 He feels it's important to retain the option of ...Bxf3. 15.b5 f8 16.c4 c8 17.d6 cxd6 18.a3 xc4 19.bxc4 c6 Black has a fine position. The pawn on c4 'hangs' and Black has two good Bishops. 20.g4 g6 21.d5 e4 22.xf6+ xf6 23.g5 At least this way White got rid of the Bishop pair but look at the price that he has had to pay! His King is wide open and the queenside weaknesses remain. It's very tough to handle this type of game over the board. g6 [ 23...fe8 24.e1 h6! 25.xe4 xe4 26.g2 ce8 was a good way of coordinating too. ] 24.f3 e4 25.g5 fe8 26.xe4 xe4 27.b1 b6 After this easy move, White is in a mess. 28.b3? [ 28.c5 dxc5 29.dxc5 bxc5 30.xc5 c3 31.d7 ee8 32.e3 xa3 wasn't too great for White either. But the text move is poor. ] 28...a5 [ Wohl's move is a product of his talented but 704
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 lazy style. He undoubtedly saw 28...xd4! but probably couldn't be bothered to analyse it too deeply. Why extend yourself when you don 't ha ve to ? 29.f3 xb3 ( 29...f4!? 30.xf4 xf4 31.b2 xc4 ) 30.fxe4 c3 31.f3 xc4 32.xb6 axb6 33.xb3 d4+ 34.e3 c1+ 35.g2 c2+ 36.g3 e5+ 37.f4 e6 ] 29.d3 f3 30.c3 ce8 White cannot defend this position. 31.h2 f5 The attack commences and it is a very brief skirmish indeed. 32.g1 f4 33.c1 xf2+-+ 34.g2 xd4 35.c2 xc4 36.d3 e5 37.f3 d5 38.gf2 e2 39.a4 xf2+ 40.xf2 f3+ 5.... exd6 is very playable, particularly against weaker opposition. The fangs of Korchnoi's early Qf3 seem to have been drawn, and as you can see from this game, White may selfdestruct given half a chance. 0-1
A) an entertaining miniature went 7...dxe5? 8.f3! (often not played) f6?? 9.e6 d6 10.xd5 1-0 Varnusz, E Ponyi, A/ Salgotarjan 1978; B) 7...e6 is doubtless best, when the obvious 8.c4 b6 9.f3 d7 10.xb7? ( 10.f6!? g8 11.xh7? dxe5; 10.exd6!? cxd6 11.c3!? ) 10...c6! 11.xc6+ xc6 collapses White's centre; C) 7...h6 8.f3 ( I saw only one game with 8.xf7! xf7 9.f3+ e6 , and the best idea is probably 10.c4 dxe5 11.cxd5+ xd5 12.g4+ f7 13.c3! with an initiative that should translate into some advantage) 8...c6! 9.c4 ( 9.e6 g7 10.exf7+ xf7 looks perfectly playable due to Black's quick develo pme nt .) 9...b6 10.c3 g7 11.0-0 dxe5 12.dxe5 d4!? 13.e4 xf3+ 14.xf3 xc4 15.xb7 xe5 16.d1 b8 17.e4 0-0 and undoubtedly White has the superior 692 B05 position, but it's not much. ] Popovic,Dusan 2556 7.e6!? [ 7.g4 c8 is also unclear. 8.c4 c6 9.f3 Zubak,Zeljko 2018 f6 10.exf6 exf6 11.e4 g7 12.0-0 ] 15th Belisce Metalis Open (1) 21.03.2008 7...xe6 [John Watson] [ 7...fxe6?? 8.g4 traps the bishop. ] The variation played by Black here is unusual, 8.xe6 fxe6 9.g4 c6 10.h4!? [ 10.xe6 g7 11.0-0 a6 12.c4 dc7 and perhaps accidental. After all, the rating 13.g4 0-0 favours White due to Black's differential is over 500 points. At first 5...g6 problems on the e-file, but the second player appears awful, and yet Black may be able to has some activity, for example, 14.c3 d5 escape with a normal disadvantage at any rate, 15.cxd5 xd5 16.e1 ac7 17.e4 some normal themes occur in the notes. 1.e4 ( 17.e3 xe3 18.fxe3 e5 ) 17...b5! f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 with the idea of forcing Be3 and swapping. ] g6!? An odd mix of systems with the two main moves ...Bg4 and ...g6 both represented. 10...h5? [ Much better are 10...b6 11.xe6 g7 ] White spots what he thinks is a flaw: 6.g5! [ 10...g7 11.c4 c7 12.h5 d7 13.hxg6 This looks strong, and it seems to compare hxg6 14.xh8+ xh8 15.d3 f7! well to similar systems. and Black has excellent development. Both [ 6.0-0 can't be bad, but doesn't punish ...e5 and ...c5 are equalising possibilities. ] Black's move order, e.g., g7?! ( 6...c6 seems better, e.g., 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 dxe5 11.xe6 c7 12.c4?! [ 12.h3 ] 9.dxe5 db4 ) 7.h3 xf3? 8.xf3 c6 [ 12.b3 are both better, when Black's on 9.exd6 xd6 gives White various ways to the ropes he really had to put up with the use his spac e advantage, f or example , move h5, because after ...h5, g6 is so weak. 10.c4 c7 11.e3 ba6!? (versus Qb3) Now, however, he could reorganise. ] 12.c3 , when White is on top of things. ] 12...e6?! 6...f5!? [ 12...d5! 13.d3 d6 with the idea ...Nd7 [ 6...xe2 7.xe2 is natural but risky. Then and ...0-0-0 was perfectly reasonable. ] Black needs to be careful: 705
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.d3 g8 14.d2! Headed for f3 with a nice positional advantage. It turns into a big squeeze, and Black never has a chance. ba6 15.c3 d7 16.f3 0-0-0 17.0-0 g7 18.e1 b8 19.b4 d7 20.a4 e7 21.b5 c5 22.a5 f7 23.b6 axb6 24.axb6 xb6 25.b3 bd5 26.a7 b6 27.a4 b8 28.dxc5 b5 29.a5 f6 30.c6 xc3 31.b7+ c8 32.a7 1-0
693 Sahl,Bjarke Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar EU-Cup 21st Saint Vincent (6) [Gawain Jones]
B05 2391 2646 23.09.2005
Reader's Question. A reader wrote in: 'My name is Cengiz Hasman. I recently became a member of ChessPublishing.com. I wanted to ask you what the best line for Black to continue in the Exchange Alekhine (5-ed ed) is. I have bought Timothy Taylor's Alekhine Alert! but he does not give any lines after 6Nf3 Bg4. As Black, I would like to know if you can suggest a good line.' I've had a look and decided that following Mamedyarov must be sensible. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 b6 5.f3 Perhaps this isn't a big enough mistake to let Black actually take the advantage but at least it makes it easier for him to complete his development and generate play against White's centre. [ 5.exd6 exd6 6.f3 is the more common move order but it comes to the same thing. ( 6.c3 not allowing Black to pin the knight is generally played. In the Alekhine the c8 bishop is of ten a problem piece and so White wants to keep it from having a good square for as long as possible. )] 5...g4 6.exd6 exd6 7.h3 h5 [ C e n g i z a s k s m y o p i n i o n o n 7...xf3 which also seems possible. 8.xf3 c6 A) 9.d5 i s c o m m i t t a l : e5 10.e3 ( 10.b3 e7 11.e2 0-0 12.0-0 f5! 13.c3 f4 sees Black with a fantastic knight on e5 and potential of a kingside attack. ) 10...e7 11.f4 Meszaros, T (2200)-Gombocz, Z (2110) Budapest 1996 when the retreat ed7! should have been
selected as the knight finds fresh life on c5 while W hite's created a few holes in his structure.; B) 9.e3 B1) C e n g i z a s k s a b o u t 9...e7 but White can deal with the threat and develop with 10.e2; B2) The simple 9...e7 is safest 10.c3 ( 10.e2 f6! is awkward to deal with.) 10...0-0 11.e2 f5!? 12.g3 g5 13.0-0-0 left Black with decent counterchances had W hite not accepted the draw. 1/2-1/2 Ginzburg, M (2455)-Garcia Palermo, C (2484) Buenos Aires 2009.; B3) 9...g6 This looks logical but creates a focus point for White's attack and so is not best. 10.c3 g7 11.0-0-0! 0-0 12.h4! and White had a very powerful kingside attack. Tabak, S (2100)Vanderwaeren, S (2299) Antwerp 1999. ] 8.a4 Sahl chooses to grab space on the queenside but White has a huge selection of moves. I've added a quick overview. [ 8.e3 e7 9.c3 c6 A) 10.b3 0-0 11.e2 xf3 ( Again a plan with 11...f5!? should be considered but 12.d2 keeps control.) 12.xf3 g5 13.xg5 xg5 14.0-0 fe8 and it looks to me that Black's position is completely respectable although the computer gives White a nibble.; B) 10.e2 xf3! is a problem for White even if it's not quite enough to promise B l a c k a n e d g e a f t e r 11.xf3 xc4 12.xc6+ bxc6 13.a4 b6 14.xc6+ d7 15.f3 0-0 16.0-0 c6=; C) 10.d5?! Dynamic play but not something that should concern the Black player. 0-0 11.xe7+ xe7 White has gained the bishop pair but he's a long way behind in development. C1) 12.e2 xf3! is again the problem; C2) 12.d3 f5! ( 12...xd4 13.xh7+ xh7 14.xd4 isn't so clear.) 13.0-0 f4 14.c1 xd4 15.xh7+ xh7 16.xd4 xf3 17.gxf3 e2 and Black has a fantastic position.; C3) 12.d2 f5! 13.0-0-0 xf3 14.gxf3 f4 15.xf4 f7 16.g3 xc4 17.c2 b6 and White's structural weaknesses 706
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 look more relevant than the bishop pair. Sahl, S (2175)-Zhao Xue (2469) KhantyMansiysk 2010. ] [ 8.d3 is the move which concerned him b u t I f e e l c6 must be very reasonable. The pressure on d4 provokes W hite into 9.g4 g6 10.c3 e7 but now the pawn on g4 grants Black play for the rest of the game. ] [ 8.e2 is the most logical as the Bf3xb7 threat prevents Black's typical ...Bxf3 and ... Nxc4. e7 9.0-0 0-0 10.c3 Rahman, S (2288)-Enkhtuul, A (2133) Narayanganj 2010 when rather than 10.. . Bg6 I'd prefer c6 11.d5 ( 11.e3?! xf3!; 11.b3 keeps the structure intact with a typical Alekhine position, i.e. f6 12.e3 e8 13.d2 h6 and Black will follow up with ... a5-a4. ) 11...xf3 12.xf3 e5 13.b3 xf3+ 14.xf3 d7 15.f4 f5!? 16.ad1 f6 followed by ...Nc5, ...Qd7 and ...Rae8 when I don't see any reason he should be worse. ] 8...e7!? Tempting White to continue queenside play. [ 8...a5 makes sense preventing the White pawn going any f urther when Black can make use of the b4 square. ] 9.b3?! Too optimistic [ 9.a5 was the logical continuation 6d7 10.c3 0-0 11.e2 c5!? ( 11...e8 would be normal.) 12.e3 c6 13.0-0 e8 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.a4 and White's extra space would give him slightly better chances. ] 9...c6 [ 9...xf3 10.xf3 c6 might be the better move order. It allows 11.e3 but b4 12.a3 c6 and Black's queenside play gives him good chances. ] 10.d5 [ 10.a5 A) 10...xf3 n o w a l l o w s 11.axb6! ( Instead 11.xf3 d7 is no problem: 12.e3 f6 13.d1 0-0 14.e2 g5!= ) 11...e4 12.bxc7 xc7 When White's structural edge promises him a small edge, i.e. 13.e3 xb1 14.xb1 f6 15.a4 0-0 16.d5 e5 17.e2 d7!? 18.0-0 c5 19.a3 a5 20.b4! axb4 21.xb4; B) 10...d7!? might have been Shak's
idea When 11.g4! is obligatory. ( 11.xb7? xf3 12.gxf3 xd4 is very good for Black.) 11...g6 12.c3 ( 12.xb7? is s t il l b a d e4! 13.bd2 b8 14.a6 b4 15.xa7 a8 traps the queen.) 12...b8 13.e3 0-0 when White's looking rather over-extended. He can win material with 14.d5 ce5 15.xe5 xe5 16.f4 but h4+ 17.d1 e8! leaves Black with fantastic compensation. ] 10...xf3 11.xf3 e5 [ 11...b4 12.b3 a5 is a reasonable alternative. ] 12.b3 0-0 [ 12...bd7!? looks interesting as 13.xb7? c5! 14.b5+ c6 15.dxc6 0-0 leaves the W hite queen trapped in by her own pawns. ] 13.e2 [ 13.a5 bd7 14.e2 ( 14.xb7? is again a big error as c5 traps in the queen 15.b4? cd3+ ) 14...g5! 15.0-0 xc1 16.xc1 f5! would give Black good kingside chances. ] 13...a5! Fixing the outposts on c5 and b4. White has the bishop pair but Black has the better long term chances with such weaknesses in White's camp. The strong GM playing Black must have been very content to re a ch su ch a p o sit i o n in wh ic h h e c o u l d outplay his lower rated opponent. 14.0-0 e8 15.c3 ed7 16.c2 g5! This is always a useful plan to remember. Either White has to give up his bishop pair advantage or else cr e a t e f u r t h e r h o l e s i n h i s c a m p . 17.f4?! Probably the wrong choice as the bishop is trapped in on c1. [ 17.xg5 xg5 18.b5 d8 would keep rough equality as Black is tied down to the defence of c7. ] 17...f6 18.e4 d4+ 19.h1 f6 20.f3?! Sahl should have taken the opportunity to keep the knights on the board. [ 20.g3 bd7 21.f3 g6 22.a3 e7 is about equal. ] 20...xe4 21.xe4 h6 22.d2?! This drops a pawn. [ However it wasn't easy to come up with a go o d m o ve : 22.h7+ h8 23.f5 f6 24.g4 e3 25.xe3 xe3 sees Black 707
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 taking control and exploiting all the weaknesses that White's cavalier opening created. ] 22...xb2! 23.h7+ h8 24.xb2? And White collapses [ 24.ab1 d4 25.f5 f6 would leave Black a pawn up but with the pressure on t h e k n i g h t i t wo u l d a t l e a s t b e h a r d t o convert. ] 24...xc4! Obviously White overlooked this tactical possibility but now another pawn drops. 25.c2 xd2 26.fe1 c4?! [ 26...xe1+ 27.xe1 c4 was move accurate so that c7 was still defended. ] 27.d3? [ 27.xe8+ xe8 28.xc4 xh7 29.xc7 was W hite's last chance. c8! 30.xd6 ( 30.xb7 c2! is ve ry d a n ge ro u s.) 30...d8 31.c5 e4 32.d1 xa4 33.d4 and White still has some chances. ] 27...b6 I'm not convinced these final moves are accurate. [ 27...e3! was possible as the knight escapes: 28.b3 h4! 29.b5 g3 30.e2 e4 31.g1 ( 31.ae1? f1! ) 31...f5 with a winning endgame after the exchanges. ] 28.c1? [ 28.xe8+ xe8 29.xc7 xa4 30.xd6 would still require a lot of play to convert the extra pawn. ] 28...xe1+ 0-1
694 Senff,Martin Krasenkow,Michal Bundesliga 2006-7 (11) [John Watson]
B05 2468 2651 25.02.2007
Theory in this main line of the Flohr Variation seems to have settled down a bit, and it's up t o W h it e t o s h o w s o m e t h in g. T h is ga m e indicates that he has somewhat the better of it if Black goes for a lot - it's still unclear. The play after the opening is rather irrational. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.d2 [ 9.e1 d7 10.d2 transposes. ]
9...d7 10.e1 c7 [ In an earlier column, Volzhin analysed 10...e7 11.c4! 0-0 12.a4 a5 13.d2 with some advantage for White in Baklan, VKosikov, A/Kiev 2000. ] 11.c4 7b6! When a 2650 player repeats this solution, you feel that it's probably sound. [ For the third time in this column the reader can enjoy 11...b5? 12.xd5! cxd5 13.d6+ xd6 14.xd5!! ] 12.e2 [ 12.d4 xc4 13.xc4 transposes. ] [ Volzhin's analysis of 12.d6+ goes xd6 13.exd6 xd6 14.c4 xc4 15.d4 cb6!? 16.xg7 f8! 17.e5 0-0-0 - 'White definitely has compensation for a pawn, but it's not clear if it's enough. The position requires practical tests.' ] 12...xc4 13.xc4 0-0-0 14.a3 h6 A new, ambitious move, trying to attack on the kingside! Volzhin suggests 14...Be7, which is solid-looking. [ But 14...a5?! 15.e4 e7 16.b1 b6 17.b4 b5 18.f4! hf8 19.g4! g6 20.h6 fe8 21.e4! worked out very p o o rly in M a la kh o v- S e d in a , P o r t o S a n Giorgio 1999 ] 15.b4 g5 16.b2 h5 17.g3!? g4 18.g2 g7 19.e4! e7 20.a4! d2!? 21.f4!? [ 21.b5 should be considered. The opening is well over and the game takes a very backand-forth course: ] 21...xc2 22.xf7 xb2 23.xg7 d8 24.ad1!? d5 25.g6 e7 26.b5 f8 27.bxc6? [ 27.f1 . This position is good for White. ] 27...fxf2 28.xd5 exd5 29.g8+ c7 30.xd5 bxc6 31.c1 d7 32.xd7+ xd7 33.e6+ e7 34.xc6 g2+ Black doesn't have quite enough to win here. 35.h1 xh2+ 36.g1 hg2+ 37.h1 h2+ 38.g1 bg2+ 39.f1 f2+ 40.g1 fg2+ 41.f1 xg3!? 42.c7+ f6 43.f7+ [ 43.e7?? h1+ 44.f2 f3+ ] 43...g6 44.e4! b3 45.g1 bh3 46.e7 h1+ 47.f2 3h2+ 48.g3 h4+ 49.xg4 g1+ 50.f4 f1+ 51.g4 g1+ 52.f4 f2+ 53.e3 e1+ 54.xf2 xe4 55.e8 xe8 ½-½ 708
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 695
B05 Smeets,Jan 2609 Tjiam,D 2386 TCh-NED Meesterklasse 2012-13 (2.1) 6.10.12 [Tom Rendle]
1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.h3 In LahnoGaponenko White achieved a good position by doing without this move. h5 8.c4 b6 9.c3 0-0 10.e3 c6 A slightly unusual choice and I think with accurate play White should now have a safe edge. [ 10...d5 is the critical test as it's generally felt that this works better for Black now that W hite has included h3. Play normally continues 11.c5 xf3 12.gxf3 c8 13.f4 and here we have a critical position: A) 13...h4 would probably be my choice as Black here 14.d3 g6 15.f5!? exf5 16.b3?! ( 16.f3! was probably a more testing move) 16...e7 17.xb7 bc6 18.b5? a6! 19.d6 d7 and Black wa s wi n n in g in B r o n n i ko v, K ( 2 2 6 5 ) Kovalenko, I (2567) Izhevsk 2011; B) 13...f5!? is another possibility, although it does limit Black's counterplay on the Kingside.; C) 13...c6 14.c2 ( 14.f5!? exf5 15.f3 ) 14...h4 15.a3 8e7 16.d3 g6 17.h2 f6 18.e2 fxe5 19.dxe5 f5 and Black has an excellent game in Edouard, R (2634)-Kovalenko, I (2515) Moscow 2011 ] 11.exd6! cxd6 12.d5 This is the critical test of 10...Nc6 [ 12.b3 is also an option and Black should p r o b a b l y n o w t a k e t h e c e n t r e w i t h d5 and after 13.c5 c8 ( 13...d7 also seems logical to me) 14.a3 xf3 15.xf3 f6 16.c1 8e7 with balanced ch an ce s in B acalla o A lo n so , Y (25 80 )Hernandez Carmenates, H (2570) Havana 2012 ] 12...xf3 [ 12...exd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.xd5 g6 and now in Aronian, L (2551)-Anastasian, A (2571) Yerevan 2000 White could have kept a pleasant advantage with 15.ad1 f6 16.d4! due to the long-term weakness of the pawn on d6. ]
13.xf3 e5 14.dxe6 [ 14.b3 is rare but definitely worthy of attention here, for example xf3+ 15.xf3 e5 16.ad1 f5 17.c5!? and Black has some tricky problems to solve ] 14...fxe6 [ 14...bxc4?! does not solve Black's problems 15.exf7+ h8 16.d4 xb2 17.e2 bd3?! ( 17...xf3+ 18.xf3 f6 was a better try although W hite is much better after 19.xf6 xf6 20.xf6 gxf6 21.ab1 ) 18.xb7 b8 19.ab1 an d W h ite h ad a win nin g a d van t a ge in G ri t se n ko , A ( 2 3 1 7 ) -A b a so v, N (2 3 8 1 ) Moscow 2008 although Black somehow managed to hold a draw in the end. ] 15.g4! This is an important position for the line - I don't see an easy way for Black to equalise here so W hite players should probably follow Smeets' way of playing. [ 15.xb7 b8 is unclear but looks at least OK for Black ] 15...exc4 After this White has more than one way to keep the advantage [ 15...xg4 16.xg4 f6 might be Black's best option, although W hite retains the be t te r ch a n ce s af t e r 17.fd1 ( instead 17.ad1 c7 18.d4 c6 19.e4 g6 20.fd1 c8 wasn't so clear in Gopal, G ( 2 4 5 5 ) - A h m e d , S ( 2 3 2 4 ) D h a k a 2 0 0 7) 17...g6 18.e4 c7 19.ac1! ] [ 15...f6 16.b3 xg4 17.xg4 d7 18.e4 and White's advantage was obvious in Vesselovsky, S (2379)-Holub, M (2061) Ricany 2011 and in fact he went on to win quickly after c8?! 19.g5! c5 20.d4 d8 21.xf6 xf6 22.e3 a5 23.ac1 e8 24.b5 d8 25.a3 ] 16.xe6+ h8 17.xc4 [ 17.xb6! was also a good option. The p o s i t i o n a f t e r xb6 18.g4 is an unpleasant one for Black who probably have to defend for a long time with only the h o p e o f a d r a w a t b e s t . ( 18.a4!? is also worth considering, aiming to gain even more control of the light-squares. )] 17...xc4 18.d4 White's advantage is obvious here. The pawn on d6 is a long term weakness, as is the square on d5 in front of it. f6 [ 18...xb2? runs into 19.e2 f4 20.e3 709
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 a n d B la c k lo se s a n e xch a n ge wit h a4 21.xf4 xc3 ] 19.d5 xd4 [ 19...xb2 is more interesting on this move. White has a few ways of playing but the one I like best is 20.g4! d3 21.xf6 gxf6 22.f3 and Black's tattered pawn structure is likely to count against him in the long run. ] 20.xd4 e5 21.ad1 Simple play from Jan, building up pressure on the d6 pawn. c6 22.g4 f7 23.d2 d7 24.fd1 d8 25.c3 e7?! [ 25...xg4 was probably a better try although Black faces a difficult task to hold after 26.hxg4 fd7 27.e4 d5 28.c5 e7 29.xd5 xd5 30.xd5 g8 and the presence of doubled pawns on the gfile give Black excellent drawing chances. ] 26.e4! now the pawn drops for no compensation and Smeets is quick to close the game out df8 27.xd6 f4 28.g3 h6 29.b3 f6?! 30.xb7 Simply another free pawn d4 31.c5 f7 32.e1 f3 A last ditch attempt but of course White is not i n t e r e s t i n g i n t a k i n g t h e r o o k 33.e5 And with the Queens coming off the board Black decided it was time to resign. A model game from Smeets that puts 10...Nc6 under question. 1-0
retreat f5 is unstoppable.) 16.f3! c6 17.b3 intending the sacrifice Nd5. I agree a n d b e li e ve t h a t W h it e h a s a d e c is i v e advantage here. ] 14.b5 a5?! I don't like this move ( by the way, that was the last move of the Knight in this game!) [ 14...6e7 should be preferred, and White's advantage after 15.d3 f5 16.xf5 exf5 17.f3 c6 ( 17...e7? just blunders a pawn after 18.h5 ) 18.a4 is minimal. ] 15.d3! g6 And only now does White break in the centre. This is very effective, as Black's Knight on a5 is out of the game. [ 15...e7 doesn't help Black 16.h5 g6 17.f5! , and Black is in trouble. ] 16.f5! exf5 17.f3 c6 18.h6 [ 18.h1 g5 19.g1 xe3 20.fxe3 e7 /\\ f6~~ ] 18...e8 19.f4! The point. White prevents the exchange of dark-squared bishops. Now the attack becomes unstoppable. e7 [ Black could easily win the Bishop: 19...e6 20.h1 g5 21.xg5 xg5 but to protect h is K i n g is a m u ch m o re d if f ic u lt t a s k ! 22.xf5 g6 23.f4 The assessment of the position is clear: White has a decisive attack, an d t h e K n igh t is st ill st u ck o n a 5 . h6 24.h5 g7 25.g1! h8 26.xg6 fxg6 27.xg6 e8 28.f5 e7 29.g5+winning ] 20.h1 f8 There are lot of defensive tries for Black, but I hardly feel that a profound 696 B05 analysis is necessary to demonstrate how Ulibin,Mikhail 2570 difficult it is to resist the White initiative. [ 20...f6 21.g1 h8 ( 21...fxe5 22.xf5 Morovic Fernandez,Ivan 2570 h8 23.xg6!+- winning ) 22.ae1 ] Las Palmas 1992 21.g1 xh6 22.xh6 h8 [Alexander Volzhin] [ 22...e7 23.g3 /\\ Rh3 ] 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 23.e2! e7 24.f4 g8 [ 24...g8 25.h3 /\\ 26. Bf5 gf5 27. Qg3 5.e2 e6 6.0-0 e7 7.c4 b6 8.c3 0-0 e7 26.ae1 /\\ e6-> ] 9.e3 d5 10.c5 xf3 11.gxf3 c8 12.f4 c6 13.b4 I believe this move is much more 25.g3 f8 26.h4 e8 [ 26...g5 27.xg5 g6 28.g3 h6 to the point than 13.f5. h4 29.g1+- winning ] [ 13...a6 was played in van Riemsdijk A l b u r t , 1 9 8 1 . 14.f5! exf5 15.f4! b8 27.ag1 /\\ Nh5 h6 28.e6! h7 29.exf7! I can't see any other way to protect the d5- xf7 30.h3 [ 30.h3 h5 31.xh5! ] pawn. Now according to Alburt's notes in Informant-32, W hite shouldplay ( 15...h4 1-0 doesn't work: 16.d3 8e7 17.h5 xb4 18.b1 g6 19.xf5 and after the Bishop's 710
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B05 15...hd8?! A little sloppy. [ 15...c5! 16.e3 f4! is very strong. ] Verbruggen,Samuel 1891 Krasenkow,Michal 2660 16.xg6? [ Last chance for 16.a3 ] HZ Open Vlissingen NED (1) 04.08.2007 16...hxg6 [John Watson] [ Or the clever 16...c5! White is in terrible shape because he can't hold the key In this game White tests the queen exchange squares. ] that we recommended in the June column. a5 18.f1 c5 19.d4? Alas, the almost 700 -point rat ing sprea d 17.c3?! between the opponents soon has its effect. But White is reeling anyway. xd4 20.xd4 Nevertheless, Black's play is a model of how d8 21.e3 [ 21.xc5+ xc5 22.c3 d4 23.c1 to conduct the play. 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 xe5 is also hopeless. ] 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 22.e2 e1+ 23.f3 d3 [ W e've seen 6.c4 b6 7.g5 xe2!? 21...d1+ ( 7...f5 ) 8.xe2 dxe5 9.dxe5 e6 24.e4 xf2+ and normal is 10 0-0, but the rarer ( 9...h6 0-1 10.e4 seems to favour White somewhat) 10.h5!? has done quite well after 10...g6 B05 1 1 Q e 2 ! S t i l l , t h a t ' s o n l y a p o s i t i o n a l 698 advantage, and it must have frustrated a Vuckovic,Bojan 2572 2 4 0 0 p l a y e r t o m i s s t h e s i m p l e c7? Bogut,Zeljko 2467 11.xe6! e7 12.xf8 , and White won BHTelecom Open (7) 16.05.2009 quickly in Varavin, V - Gavrjushin, O, Perm [Neil McDonald] RUS 2007. ] 6...xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.c4 e7 1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4 10.xd8+ xd8 11.b3?! This move has 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 xf3 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 n u m e r o u s d i s a d va n t a g e s , b e s t s e e n b y e6 9.e1 d7 10.d2 c7 A critical comparing my analysis in June's column, moment in the 6.0-0 variation. As you can see which went in the archives, Black has tried several ideas [ 11.d2! (or 11 Re1 Nd7 12 Bd2, here without finding a convincing way to keep transposing), which stops ... Bb4 by Black reasonable chances. The game move seemed and leaves open the interesting idea of Bd1. t h e m o s t p r o m i s i n g , b a s e d o n S e n f f If Blac k do esn 't d o so me thing, W h it e's Krasenkow, but it too is now under pressure. b i s h o p p a i r w i l l g r a d u a l l y t a k e o v e r . 11.c4 7b6 Travenec-Cibulka, Slovakia 1996 continued [ Players are still falling for the 11...b5? trap: d7 12.c3 g6 ( you can see my notes 12.xd5! bxc4 ( If 12...cxd5 13.d6+ on 12...c7 13.e1 there ) 13.e1 a5 xd6 14.xd5! -see the archives) 13.xc4 14.a3 c5 and now best was ( 14...c5 xe5 14.f4 d6 15.xe6? ( Instead 15.d1! ) 15.d2! with a definite 15.xe5 xe5 16.h5 is entirely crushing, advantage. ] as if f6 17.xe6+ ) 15...0-0 ( the best 11...d7 12.b2 g6 13.e1 b4! c h a n c e , a s i f 15...fxe6 16.xe5 xe5 See the difference? 14.e4 e7!? 17.h5+ and White will regain the piece [ 14...a5! threatens ...Bc7, winning a pawn, whilst keeping his extra pawn.) 16.b3 and 15.a3 ( 15.h5 c7 16.xg6 hxg6 f3+ 17.xf3 xf4 18.g3 e5 19.c3 a5 17.d2 e7 18.f3 ad8 is fine for Black. and Black, thanks to his near 100 point Elo He can even consider ...c5, to prevent a advantage, managed to draw in S. Iermito-G. piece from coming to d4 and plan ...Nb8-c6 Mahia, Buenos Aires ARG 2008. ] himself. ) 15...c7 16.ae1 e7 12.d4 followed by ...Rhd8 is fully satisfactory. ] [ T h e S e n f f g a m e w e n t 12.e2 15.h5?! White should make luft with which amounted to a transposition after [ 15.h3 ] xc4 13.xc4 ] 697
711
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12...xc4 [ White has a very dangerous initiative after 12...0-0-0 13.g5 f6 ( Or 13...e7 14.d6+ ) 14.exf6 xc4 ( Even worse is 14...gxf6 15.xb6+ axb6 16.xd5 xd5 17.xf6 ) 15.f7 db6 16.xd8 xd8 17.c3! etc. ] 13.xc4 0-0-0 14.a4!? Vuckovic intends to throw all his pawns forwards on the queenside. This is a rather obvious attempt at an improvement over the Senff game, which went [ 14.a3 etc. ] 14...h5 15.c3 e7 16.b4 g5 17.g3 g4 18.g2 If the game is to be decided by a battle between wing attacks, W hite should com e up t rum ps e ve n if th e bla ck a tt ack appears to be faster. This is because of the enormous strength of the bishop on g2 both as a defender and an attacking piece. Even if Black breaks open the h-file and through some astounding manoeuvre got his queen to h7, there still wouldn't be a mate in sight. In contrast, the apparently solid black queenside structure can become very brittle when it is rammed with b4-b5. Incidentally, it is the power of a similar fianchetto bishop which makes openings such as the Sicilian Dragon attractive to many players. hg8 19.b5? This proves very successful in the game, but perhaps a slower approach was objectively stronger with say [ 19.b3!? h4 20.a3 intending to drive back the black knight with 21.c4 ] 19...cxb5 20.xb5 xc3!? Not greed, but more of a desire to eliminate the c-pawn before it can push the knight away with 21.c4. [ A l s o i n t e r e s t i n g w a s 20...a6!? when White's queen is forced to a passive square e.g. 21.b1 since ( 21.b3 xc3 forces an exchange of queen unwelcome to white as if 22.xd5? xe1+ )] 21.b3 d3?? An awful tactical oversight. [ After 21...b8 the position would still be full of fight- W hite has open lines on the queenside, but Black has the d-file and can always obstruct the bishop on g2 with Nd5. ] 22.xb7+! d7 [ Black is busted as if 22...xb7 23.c4+ b8 24.xd3 and White is the exchange up with enormous attacking chances. ] 23.c2 c4 24.g2
[ Or 24.b2 threatening 25.Be4 with a quick win. ] 24...d4 25.e3 xe3 [ If 25...c4 26.f1 ] 26.xe3 e2+ 27.f1 xa1+ 28.xe2 a3 29.d3+ Winning a piece is quite good enough, though perhaps W hite's light squared bishop deserved the last word with [ 29.d3+ e7 30.c7+ f8 31.d8+ g7 32.f6+ h7 33.e4+ followed by a quick mate. ] 1-0
699 Adams,Michael Carlsen,Magnus 39th Olympiad Men (6.18) [Gawain Jones]
B06 2728 2826 27.09.2010
1.e4 g6 2.d4 f6 3.e5 h5 The North Sea Defence, so called after its founders Gerard W elling from the Netherlands and Rolf Martens from Sweden. This wasn't what I expected when I glanced over at board 1. The line seems to be to be most similar to the Alekhine and Nigel Davies has analysed this a fair bit in the archives. Black loses time in the opening but hopes to gain counterplay against W hite's extended centre. I'm very sceptical about the line but nevertheless the choice of the W orld number one has to be taken seriously. Before we look at the game the match situation should be considered. Magnus out rated Mickey on board 1 but we had a rating advantage on all other boards, particularly on 3 and 4 and thus Carlsen must have decided that Norway's only chance was him winning with Black, and, therefore, he considered playing an offbeat opening for better chan ces. Ironically the rest of th e match was drawn and thus this game decided the match. 4.e2 Not obligatory but played by m o st p la ye rs wh e n t h e y've re a ch e d t h i s position. [ Stefan Bücker wrote an in-depth article for chesscafe.com back in 2008 on the opening. He amalgamated various analysis by Welling, Martens, Hjorth and Bickford. One of his mainlines continues: 4.f3 d6 A) 5.c4 712
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A1) 5...dxe5 was tried in a recent game. 6.xe5 e6 7.f3!? The most aggressive although White should have been better with a normal move like 7. 0-0. f6 8.d3 xd4 9.b3 e5 10.c3 g4 11.d5 d7 12.g4! g7 13.e4 e7 14.g5 d7 15.xd7+!? A very dramatic move which gives White fantastic compensation. ( However the 'boring' 15.gxf6 xf6 16.a4+ was just winning as c6 17.xc6+ bxc6 18.xc6+ f7 19.xa8 picks up material. ) 15...xd7 16.gxf6 e8 17.fxg7?! But taking this knight appears to be a mistake. ( 17.g5! regains the queen as there's no good response to 18.f7 when White would still be on top.) 17...xg7 and the game eventually finished as a draw. Hillarp Persson, T (2538) -Andersen, J (2276) Copenhagen 2010.; A2) 5...c6 6.e2 g7 7.h3 f5 8.exf6 xf6 9.c3 d5 10.b3 0-0 11.g5 e6 The position reminds me most of a French where White should have some advantage thanks to use of the e5 square but it's not the end of the world for Black.; B) 5.c3 dxe5! 6.e3! exd4 7.xd4 f6 8.e2 h6 9.d1 d7 10.c5 (Wind) c6 11.g3 e5 12.h3! a5 13.d6 f8 14.d2 a6 15.xa6 bxa6 16.b3 b6 17.g2 d7 18.xf8 xf8 Bücker, when W hite has the advantage thanks to his better structure and use of c5 and d6 squares. He will win back either a6 or c6 and be very comfortably placed. ] 4...d6 This hasn't been covered on ChessPublishing before but is in fact played more often and is the top choice of the computer. It appears that taking on h5 may not be a serious threat. [ 4...g7 was looked at in Lautier-Miles but this looks exceedingly passive. A more recent GM encounter continued: 5.f3 d5 6.c4 c6 7.c3 dxc4 8.xc4 e6 9.e3 g7 10.d2 h6 11.d1 c7 12.h3 e6 13.xe6 xe6 14.0-0 c7 15.fe1 ba6 16.a3 d7 17.d5 cxd5 18.xd5 xd5 19.xd5 xd5 20.xd5 e6 21.a5 and Black held the clearly worse endgame
but this was hardly an advert for the opening. Burmakin, V (2552)-Morozevich, A (2717) Sochi 2005. ] 5.f3 Mickey plays it safe, a very sensible decision considering the match situation. To sum up I'd say that taking the knight is rather foolish in practical games but 6.f4 looks like a good try for an edge. However Adams' move is also good enough. [ 5.xh5 must be critical but Deep Rybka 4 is fairly happy with Black's position. gxh5 6.xh5 dxe5 A) 7.dxe5 d5! (Martens) 8.f3 ( 8.f3 c6 9.c3 Reinderman, D (2495)Bundgen, A Zwolle 1996 and here keeping the queens on with c5 gives Black good practical chances.) 8...e4+ 9.e3 xc2 10.c3 c6 11.g5 g6 12.xg6 hxg6 13.0-0-0 g7 14.f4 a6 15.h3 c7 Westerinen, H (2430)-Heinola, K Jyvaskyla 1992 and Black was only a little worse.; B) 7.xe5 g8 and here I'll give some of Bücker's analysis but without going into too much detail. 8.e2! c6! 9.e4 f5 10.h4 e6 11.bc3 b4 12.h5+ g6! 13.0-0 xc2 14.b1 f7 15.xf5 xd4 16.xd4 xd4 17.e3 g4 18.xg4 xg4 19.b5 0-0-0! 20.xa7+ b8 21.fd1 d5 22.f3 b4 23.b3 c6 24.a3 h4 25.b4 h6 26.f2 h5 is a long line given by Bücker in which Black eventually holds the draw although White is still the one pressing. ] [ 5.exd6 was tried by Ni Hua when he found himself with this position but this doesn't seem critical. xd6 6.f3 f4 7.xf4 xf4 8.0-0 g7 Ni Hua (2533)-Heinola, K (2181) Dos Hermanas 2004 was respectable for Black who must have equalised thanks to his bishop pair. ] [ 5.f4 is given an exclamation mark by Bücker. I'd pref er to be W hit e but here Carlsen would at least get his counterplay and unprepared this would be a foolish option. c5 ( He considers 5...e6 6.f3 g7 to be more reliable but this is hardly scary and White will have a fairly risk free edge. ) 6.d5 e6 7.c3! and in all lines W hite appears to be doing well. ( 7.xh5 h4+ looks good for Black. ) 713
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 7...h4+ 8.f1 g3+ 9.hxg3 xh1 10.e4 gives White fantastic compensation.; B) 7...dxe5 8.fxe5 B1) 8...exd5 GJ doesn't seem to have been mentioned but looks to me like Black's best. White should still be better after both 9.xd5 ( and 9.xd5 e6 10.c4 d7 11.f3 g7 12.0-0 0-0 13.g5 f6 although Black is closing in on equality.) 9...b6 10.a4 ( 10.g4!? ) 10...c6 11.a5 c7 12.b5 b8 13.a6 when Black's position looks pretty ugly.; B2) 8...g7 9.f3 exd5 10.xd5 0-0 11.e3; C) 7...exd5 8.xd5 g7 9.g4 dxe5 10.gxh5 e6 11.c4 h4+ 12.f1 0-0 13.h6 is messy but again White should have a clear advantage. ] 5...c6 6.exd6 exd6 This seems to be the novelty. [ 6...cxd6 7.d5 is rather annoying for Black as there's no good square for that knight and following b8 I can't really believe that W hite can have any problems against an opening in which Black has played Ng8-f6h 5 a n d N b 8 - c 6 - b 8 . 8.e3 would leave White with a very pleasant edge. ] [ 6...xd6 has also been played but this looks like some sort of fishy ...Qd6 Scandinavian. 7.0-0 f4 Ionov, S (2530) Hernandez Padron, S (2290) Alcobendas 1994 and here 8.c3! xe2+ 9.xe2 g7 ( 9...a6 10.d5! ) 10.b5 d8 11.f4 wins material. ] 7.d5 e7 8.c4 g7 9.c3 0-0 10.0-0 g4 11.e1 e8 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 f6 14.f4 So a normal looking position has arisen but this can hardly be what Carlsen was aiming for. W hite has more space and th e bis h op p a ir a nd B lack ha s very lit t le counterplay. d7 Black's only plan is to use the e5 square. Were that d5 pawn back on d4 White would have a clear edge but here it's probably only a slight one. Unfortunately for Black it's one in which he has to sit and wait. 15.c1 Not allowing Carlsen any opportunities to confuse the issue with ... Bxc3. e5 16.b3 a6 17.g3 f5 [ I think the bishop had to be taken.
17...xf3+ 18.xf3 although this leaves Black passive and struggling to do anything wh ile W h ite can slowly bu ild u p on t h e kingside. It is too difficult for the e7 knight to find a good location as any ...g6-g5 will give White a huge outpost on f5. A sample line: d7 19.g2 b5 20.d3 b4 21.e4 a5 22.g5 and Black's position is miserable. ] 18.g2! Taking the opportunity to keep the b i s h o p p a i r . g5 While watching the game I thought this move was the downfall for Black but in fact it is already very difficult. At least here he prevents Adams from keeping both bishops but the light squares around his king a re n o w ve ry vu l n e ra b le . T h e re ' s a ls o a question as to what Black should do if he doesn't try this move. [ 18...d7 19.e4 h6 20.b1!? e7 21.c1!? f8 22.b2 followed by Rbe2 and Bb2 and W hite stea dily improves while Black must wait. ] 19.xe5 xe5 20.e4 g7 An unpleasant move to play but Black had to cover the h5 pawn. 21.d2 h6 22.f4! Dynamic play! Adams correctly assesses that he will be the one to gain access to the g file. gxf4 23.gxf4 f6 24.h2 h5 [ 24...h4 25.g1 f5 is the computer's suggestion. 26.g3 xg3+ 27.xg3 h5+ 28.h2 h7 although here too Black is worse and will have to suffer, in particular to defend the f5 pawn after 29.f1! ] 25.g1 Logical play. h7 [ 25...h8 is a safer square although Carlsen was understandably nervous about leaving h6 unguarded. ] 26.cf1 g8 27.e2 g7 That Black knight looks really stupid and is not on a good circuit. 28.d3 h8 29.f3 b5 30.d1! Strong rerouting. Now Carlsen has to create more holes in order to prevent a mate on h7. bxc4 31.bxc4 h4 32.c2 f5 33.g6! Immediately exploiting the hole created by Black's last. h7 34.fg1! e7 [ 34...fxe4 35.xe4 is mate in four. ] 35.g3 xg3+ 36.xg3 f7? And this loses instantly. [ Black could have lasted a few more moves with 36...h5 but 37.f3 xg6 38.xf5 g7 39.d3! leaves White a pawn up with an ongoing attack. ] 714
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 37.d1! Covering the h5 square and now Black has no way to prevent mate on the h file. ae8 38.xh6+ And Carlsen resigned as it's forced mate. [ 38.xh6+ xh6 39.g5+ h7 40.h4+ h5 41.xh5 xg1 42.xf7+ g7 43.xe8 etc. A very strong showing by England's number one who skilfully exploited Carlsen's unusual opening choice an d d em on s trat e d th a t Ca rlsen ca nn o t afford to take any liberties against him. ] 1-0
700 Akopian,Vl Iordachescu,V 15th ch-EUR Indiv 2014 (11.15) [Tom Rendle]
B06 2682 2583 14.03.2014
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c6 4.f3 d6 5.e3 b6!? An interesting choice from Iordachescu - the move is somewhat unusual but in fact he's played it before. The idea is to try and provoke 6.Rb1 from W hite, thereby preventing 0-0-0. Akopian takes this on with the most critical line - simply sacrificing the bpawn! 6.d2 [ 6.b1 is the safer option but now Black just drops the queen back to c7 (either immediately or in a couple of moves) and doesn't have to worry about White castling queenside anymore. A) 6...f6 7.h3 bd7 8.e2 c7 9.a4 0-0 10.0-0 a6 11.a1 this just shows Rb1 isn't a move that helps W hite! b6 12.d2 ( 12.d2 is more natural but White is only a little better at most after b7 ) 12...b7 13.f4 c5 14.d5 e6 15.c4 exd5 ( 15...xe4! 16.xe4 exd5 17.exd6 c6! and I like Black's chances ) 16.exd5 fe8 with a fairly level middlegame in Asrian, K (2611)-Bologan, V (2700) Warsaw 2005; B) 6...c7 7.d2 b5 8.d3 d7 9.0-0 gf6 10.h3 0-0 11.e2 c5! 12.c3 c4 13.c2 b6 ( 13...b7 14.g3 e5! seems to equalise fully for Black) 14.h6 e5 15.g3 e8 16.xg7 xg7 17.bd1 and White has a very slight advantage in Tkachiev, V (2641)-Istratescu, A (2633)
Nancy 2012 ] 6...xb2 There's no going back - the pawn must be taken or White will simply castle and the queen will be badly placed on b6 7.b1 a3 8.c4 f6 9.0-0 [ 9.e5! appears to be the critical test of this line, and now g4 ( 9...fd7 10.e6! fxe6 11.xe6 and it's clear that White has more than enough for the pawn here) 10.g5 ( 10.b3!? a5 11.exd6 exd6 12.h3 f6 13.0-0 looks promising for White as well ) A) 10...dxe5 11.b3 a5 12.xe7! h6 ( 12...xe7? 13.d5+ xd5 14.xd5 cxd5 15.h3 h6 16.b4+ e8 17.xe5 and White has a winning attack) 13.g5 xg5 14.xg5 0-0 15.ce4! xd2+ 16.xd2 exd4 17.e1 and Black is so far behind in development here it'll be very difficult for him to defend; B) 10...d5 11.d3 f6 12.b3 a5 13.exf6 xf6 14.0-0 0-0 and now in Roy Cho wd hu ry, S (2 39 4)-I orda ch es cu , V ( 2 6 0 3 ) V l i s s i n g e n 2 0 0 6 15.e1 would've given W hite excellent chances despite being down a pawn ] 9...0-0 10.e5 This isn't as dangerous as on the previous move, but of course Black still has to be careful [ 10.g5 bd7 11.f4 I don't really believe this should work but it scored a major upset in t h e f o ll o win g ga m e : b6 ( 11...b5! 12.d3 g4 is better for black) 12.b3 d5 13.f5 dxe4?! ( 13...gxf5! 14.exf5 g4 ) 14.fxg6 hxg6 15.cxe4 bd5 16.e1 xe4 17.xe4 f5 18.g5 f6 19.xf5! gxf5 20.e6 f7 21.c4 xe3 22.xe3 c5 23.f4 cxd4 24.xf5 d3 25.xd3? ( 25.c5 and Black is lost) 25...d6 26.h3 b6 27.c5?! ( 27.c2! h8 28.e4 wins ) 27...bxc5 28.g4 f5! 29.h5 c4 30.xc4 c8 31.b3 b6+ 32.h1 c4? ( 32...e3 and now White has to find the tricky 33.g5! f4 34.h4! as apparently this is the only way to win!) 33.g5 c8 1 -0 S a n d u , M (2 2 8 8 )- Ch a t a l b a sh e v , B (2596) Bucharest 2008 ] 10...dxe5 11.xe5?! [ 11.dxe5! was the correct way to recapture, with a dangerous attack after g4 12.d4 a5 A) or 13.fd1!? setting the trap xe5? 715
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.xe5 xe5 15.d5! xd2 ( 15...d8?! 16.xe5 cxd5 17.h6 f6 18.xd5 wins ) 16.xe7+ h8 17.xe5+ f6 18.xd2 fxe5 19.xc8 xc8 20.xb7 and despite material equality Black must resign; B) 13.f4 ] 11...e6 [ 11...bd7! leaves White struggling to demonstrate sufficient compensation for the pawn ] 12.b3 d6 13.f4 d8 14.g5 c7 15.xf6?! Akopian decides to play for the win but he never really gets enough as Black's position is so solid [ 15.f4 taking the draw by repetition was probably a more sensible decision, but Akopian didn't want to 'waste' the W hite pieces ] 15...xf6 16.f4 g7 17.e4 b5 18.h3? Faced with not enough for the pawn Akopian finds a creative way to keep the attack going, but with accurate defence the attack doesn't quite work. f6 [ White's idea is that after 18...bxc4 he has 19.f5! exf5 20.f6+! xf6 21.h6 but even here Black can defend with h4! 22.xh4 f6 23.xg6 e8! 24.f4 g7 25.h5 e3 and Black should win ] 19.f5?! This just doesn't work, but I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures [ 19.d3 fxe5 20.fxe5 xf1+ 21.xf1 and of course White doesn't have enough for the piece - but Black still has plenty of work to do here ] 19...gxf5 20.xf5 bxc4 21.fh5 c3 22.xc3 fxe5 23.xh7 So White's attack has 'broken through' but there's no follow up and he's two pieces down. Iordaschescu wraps up the game very easily. a6 24.d2 exd4 25.a3 f7 26.f3 f4 27.h1 e3 28.xg7+ xg7 29.a5 d7 30.h5 c1+ 31.g1 g5 White resigns as he's had enough by this stage 0-1
701 Alekseev,Evgeny Onischuk,V Universiade Men (7.2) [Tom Rendle]
B06 2714 2576 14.07.2013
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.f3 g7 4.c3 g4 Quite a rare move that hasn't previously been covered on ChessPublishing. Here we see Alekseev with a very sensible antidote. 5.e3 c6 We see Black's idea is to put pressure on d4 and possibly play a quick ...e5. 6.b5! I really like this way of handling the position which takes some of the pressure off White's centre. Black's next move is almost forced as there's a threat of d5. [ 6.e2 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.xd8+ xd8 9.d5 d7! and Black was very close to equalising in Danilenko, D (2395)-Anton Guijarro, D (2526) Prague 2012 ] 6...a6 [ 6...e6 is possible as well I suppose but White is very comfortable after 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 ] 7.xc6+ [ 7.a4 leads to nothing for White after b5 8.b3 e6 and Black has a very playable position. ] 7...bxc6 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 b8 This is a sensible option but if 10.e5! is strong then Bla ck n e e d s t o e xa m in e t h e a lt e rn a t ive . Unfortunately they don't look great either: [ 9...e6 is perhaps Black's most solid option but White is better after 10.0-0-0 ( 10.h4 straight away may be even more accurate) 10...e7 11.h4 h6 ( 11...h5 12.g5! is awkward for Black) 12.b1 b8 13.d3 a5 and now in Anton Guijarro, D (2490)Ma t e A d a n , C (2 2 7 6 ) Do n B e n it o 2 0 1 2 White could've obtained a strong attack with 14.h5! g5 15.g3 with f4 to follow shortly. ] [ 9...h6?! makes little sense here 10.0-0 d7 11.e5! d5 12.a4 e6 13.c5 d8 14.c4 f8 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.ac1 and Black's position had almost nothing to recommend it in Galyas, M (2390)-Pirisi, G (2271) Budapest 2006 - White went on to win quickly. ] 10.0-0-0 Very logical but perhaps not best [ 10.e5! is worth investigating here - Black has to be very careful as there are plenty of 716
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 traps to fall into c5 ( 10...dxe5 11.dxe5 xe5 12.d1 c8 13.xc6+ f8 14.0-0 and White is obviously much better; 10...d7 11.0-0-0 is a better version of the game for White as Black lacks the counterplay on the b-file ) 11.0-0-0 cxd4 12.xd4 c5 A) or 13.xc5 xe5 ( 13...c7?! fails to 14.exd6! xc5 15.d7+ d8 16.xf7 h6+ 17.b1 f6 18.a4! b4 19.he1 with a winning attack. One nice line here is f8 20.e6 xa4 21.xf6 h6 22.b3 b4 23.c6! with a crushing attack ) 14.he1 c7 15.d4 f6 16.xe5 dxe5 and although the position remains complicated White's better pawn structure should ensure he has the better chances.; B) 13.e6!? f6 14.exf7+ xf7 15.xf6 xf6 16.d5 g7 is only a little better for W h i t e a f t e r 17.xf6 exf6 18.he1 although Black's position is rather uninspiring with the backward pawn on d6 a long-term weakness. ] 10...c8?! [ 10...e6 was still needed to sure up Black's centre although W hite retains the better chances after 11.g4 e7 12.h4 ] 11.d3?! [ 11.e5! is still strong, for example b7 12.b3 h6 ( 12...dxe5 13.dxe5 xe5 14.c5! d6 15.e4 is very unpleasant for Black, e.g. h6 16.d4 0-0 17.f6+! g7 18.d7+ f6 19.xf8 xf8 20.h4 and White is close to winning.) 13.g4 0-0 14.f4! and the knight on h6 is completely sidelined and in danger of being trapped. ] 11...b7 Now Onischuk should probably be OK although he still has to find time to get castled. 12.a4 a8?! [ 12...f6 seems sensible here. If Black castles he may even be better so critical is 13.e5 d5 14.exd6 exd6 15.b3 a8 16.xb8+ xb8 17.c3! b7 18.e4+ d7 but despite not being able to castle Black seems to be only a little bit worse as his king is actually safe enough on d7. ] 13.e5! Finally the central breakthrough although it's not quite as strong as it was before h6 14.c3 c5! This forces the queens off into an acceptable ending for Black 15.xa8 xa8 16.dxc5 f5 17.cxd6 cxd6
18.f4 [ 18.b6! b8 19.c6 xe5 20.c3 xe3 21.fxe3 is definitely a little better for White. The plan is to play a4-a5 and support it with b4. Then the pawn on a6 will always need constant looking after and the knight is actually well situated on b6. ] 18...dxe5 19.d2 0-0 Onischuk has pretty much equalised now but with pawn majorities on opposite sides the endgame remains very tricky. 20.e1 fd8 21.c4 ab8 22.b3 b5 23.c3 bd5 24.g3 h6+ 25.b2 f6 26.c6 d2! 27.e2 a5 Black has maxim ised th e act ivit y of his pie ce s an d s h o u l d b e a b s o l u t e l y f i n e h e r e . 28.a6 xc3+?! This releases the tension in a favourable manner for W hite who can now use his knight again. [ 28...f7 would've kept chances balanced and indeed it's hard to see how White can make any progress here. ] 29.xc3 d2?! [ 29...c5 30.e4 cd5 31.c4 also wins the pawn on a5 ] [ 29...8d6! was necessary here to keep the material balance, although W hite has a slight edge still after 30.xd6 xd6 31.e4 d1 32.c3 Black should still hold the draw here. ] 30.c1 2d6 31.xa5 d4 32.e3 c6 33.b2 dc8 34.a4 f7 35.g4 h5 36.a7 hxg4 37.hxg4 h8 38.d3 e6 39.b7 hc8 [ 39...h4 was needed so at least Black has some counterplay here. White is obviously much better after 40.g5 f4 41.d2 f3 42.dd7 xg5 43.d1 but Black is at least fighting in this line. ] 40.e3 h8 41.d3 hc8 42.a5! Now W hite is winning a8 43.b4 c4 44.b6+ d7 45.h3 ac8 46.d3? A careless mistake that could've cost Alekseev the win [ 46.a6! ] 46...g5? But Black misses his chance [ 46...8c6! saves the game, e.g. 47.b7+ ( or 47.b8 c7 ) 47...c8 48.xe7 xb4+ 49.c1 b8 and Black should be able to stop the a-pawn fairly easily. ] 47.b7+ e6 48.a6 a8 49.b5 Now the connected passed pawns are 717
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 unstoppable b4+ 50.c1 d6 51.e2 c4 52.c3 c5 53.xd4 exd4 54.d2 e5 55.cxd4+ exd4 56.f3 b4 57.a7 ac8 58.b8 c2+ 59.d3 8c3+ 60.e4 e2+ 61.d5 xf3 62.a8 d3 63.a1 e5+ 64.d6 e2 65.d4+ 1-0
702 Almasi,Zoltan Norwood,David (Bundesliga) 1994 (1) [Nigel Davies]
what follows is very ugly if you're a Gurgenidze fan... 16.xh5 gxf4 17.gxf4 g8 18.e3 g7 19.g1 e6 20.d3 Threatening 21.Qh7 - and meanwhile Black can't castle because f7 hangs. a5+ 21.d2 xa2 22.c3 c4 23.xc4 dxc4 24.e4 h8 25.d6+ e7 26.e2 b6 27.b4 e8 28.xf7+ 1-0
B06 703 1994
1.e4 g6 2.d4 d6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 d5 5.e5 h5 6.f3 g4 [ In the game Bakre - McNab, York 2000 Black tried 6...b6 but after 7.a4 a5+ 8.c3 g4 9.c5 c7 ran straight into the unpleasant 10.e6 . ] 7.e3 [ W hite can also play the immediate 7.h3 but then xf3 8.xf3 e6 leaves Black's dark-squared bishop on the superior g8 square. Lanka - Chernin, Rome 1990 continued 9.g3 ( 9.d3 b6 10.e2 h4 11.0-0 d7 12.b3 a5 13.c4 e7 14.e3 f5 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.c3 b8 was OK for Black in Thipsay - Hickl, Calcutta 1994 ) 9...b6 10.a3 e7 ( and not 10...xd4?? 11.e3 ) 11.e2 c5! 12.dxc5 xc5 13.b3 d7 14.e3 a5+ 15.d2 c7 16.d4 c6 17.c3 c5 with a very comfortable game ] 7...b6 [ Norwood had previously enjoyed some success with 7...e6 8.h3 ( Almasi probably intended 8.e2 , with similar play to the game. ) 8...xf3 9.xf3 b6 , which makes it difficult for White to avoid putting his king on the queenside. ] [ Personally speaking I would prefer simply 7...h6 8.e2 f5 9.f2 e6 intending 10... Nd7 and 11...c5. ] 8.b1 h6 9.e2 f5 10.f2 h6 11.g3 d7 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 g7 14.e2 Th is regrou ping is very n ice. W h it e ge t s everything covered and will eventually expand with g3-g4. e6 15.d2 g5 A desperate bid for counterplay before he gets squashed. But
Anand,Viswanathan Shirov,Alexei Dos Hermanas [Alexander Volzhin]
B06 2725 2690 1996
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c6 4.c4 d6 5.f3 e6 6.ge2 b5 7.b3 a5 8.a3 a6 9.d5 cxd5 10.exd5 e5 11.e4 We have already seen this position in J.Polgar - Shirov but now Black tries something new... h6!? An interesting attempt to improve. Black prepares ...f7-f5 (of course, Black couldn't play it immediately in view 12 Ng5). 12.g4! The only move, otherwise White's pieces will be thrown back after ...f7-f5. Just one example to illustrate the strength of Black's position: [ 12.h4 f5 13.d2 e7 14.a4 b4 15.h5 g5 16.c4 0-0 17.b3 d7 18.xa6 xa6 19.0-0 c5 20.c4 a8 and Black is winning, Sargissian - Galdunts, Erevan, 1996. ] 12...f6 13.2g3 xe4 14.xe4 0-0 15.h3 The critical position for the evaluation of the whole line. f5!? Shirov is true to his style and chooses the sharpest continuation. Now the position becomes a mess. [ The alternatives are: 15...d7? is very bad, i t w a s p l a ye d i n Z u l f u g a r l i - B o l o g a n , Nikolaev, 1995 where the game lasted only three more moves! 16.xh6 c5 17.g5! f6 18.g7! and in view of unavoidable mate Black resigned. ] [ But 15...h7 deserves serious attention. In a l l a va il a b le p u b l i ca t io n s t h i s m o ve i s labelled with a question mark in view of the f o l l o w i n g l i n e : 16.xh6 xh6 17.g5 "and White wins". However I disagree. Let's a n a l y s e t h i s p o s i t i o n : h8! 18.gxh6 The only move. ( 18.g1? c8 19.h4 718
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 g8 20.f6+ xf6 21.gxf6 d2+; Of c o u rs e , W h it e ca n't p la y 18.xh6+?? g8 and White's Queen is trapped! 19.f6+ xf6 20.gxf6 xh6 and Black has an extra piece. ) 18...f5 and the situation is not clear at all! ] 16.gxf5 c8! The only move. [ T h e a l t e r n a t i v e s a r e b a d : 16...gxf5? 17.xh6 fxe4 18.xg7 xg7 19.g1+ mating ] [ 16...xf5? 17.xh6 h5 18.e6+ also with a decisive advantage. ] 17.g3 [ 17.xh6? is just a blunder in view of xf5 18.e3 xh6 and Black wins a piece. ] 17...xf5!? This exchange sacrifice is the best solution in this position. The alternatives are inferior: [ 17...gxf5 Opening the g-file looks very dangerous and White has many promising possibilities: 18.g2!? ( 18.f4!? ) 18...h4 ( 18...f4 19.e4 ) 19.g1 f7 20.d2 with Q-side castling to follow. ] [ 17...xf5 is sim ply b ad : 18.xf5 xf5 19.xh6 ] 18.g2!? [ In Izmukhambetov - Bologan, Sevastopol, 1997 White decided to accept the sacrifice. However this cannot be recommended: 18.xf5 xf5 19.g3 d7 20.e3 and now the natural e4! gave tremendous compensation as all Black's minor pieces are very active and White's King is exposed, for example: 21.xd6 a4 22.a2 xb2 23.b1 c3+ 24.d2 xd2+ 25.xd2 g5+ 26.e1 e3 and Black's attack is very strong. ] 18...a4 19.a2 f4!? Black's Rook is thirsting t o s a c ri f i c e i t s e l f b u t W h it e d o e s n ' t p a y attention to it! 20.c3! [ Definitely nobody would like to play Shirov in the position after 20.xf4?! exf4 21.e4 f5 22.0-0-0 b4! 23.axb4 a3! with a very strong attack. ] 20...h4 [ 20...h4!? is also worthy of consideration: 21.h3 ( 21.xf4 exf4 22.e4 d7! ) 21...d7 22.e3 with mutual chances. ] 21.h3 f5?! A serious inaccuracy. Black voluntarily gives up his strong bishop, weakening his light squares.
[ 21...d7 22.e3 f6 should be preferred. ] 22.xf5 gxf5 White's bishop pair doesn't seem too impressive now, but in a few moves we will see them start attacking Black's weak pawns. 23.g6 f8 24.e3 h8 25.0-0-0 Finally White has managed to evacuate his King to a safe place. Now we can conclude White is clearly better. The bishop pair is very strong here, Black's king is exposed and after Black's mistake on move 21 White dominates the light squares. d7 26.e6 d8 [ 26...c5 didn't make Black's life easier: 27.xc5 dxc5 28.d6! and the passed pawn is very strong. ] 27.dg1 f4 28.a7! It looks strange, but the Bishop is unassailable on a7. It controls c5 and can attack the pawn on d6 from b8 or c7 later. f6 [ 28...f6 29.g6!+- ] 29.b1 e8 30.f5 f7 31.b6 f8 [ 31...xd5 didn't help Black much: 32.h2! f7 ( 32...e4 33.g6 e7 34.d4+- ) 33.hg2 g8 34.d8! xd8 ( 34...h5 35.xf6! xf6 36.xf6+ xf6 37.xg8# ) 35.xg7 xg7 36.xg7 xg7 37.g6+ and White wins. ] 32.g6 h5 33.e6 g5 34.xg5 hxg5 35.d1! d7 [ 35...xe6 36.dxe6 d5 37.a2 ] 36.xd7 xd7 37.c7 f6 38.d3 [ 38.d8! was more precise, according to Anand: h6 ( 38...f7 39.g6 f8 40.e7 ) 39.xg5 xh3 40.f5 h5 41.xd7 xg5 42.xb5 with a decisive material advantage. ] 38...c5 39.xb5 e4 40.b6 f8 41.xc5 dxc5 42.e1! e3 43.fxe3 f3 44.xa4 c4 45.b5 h6 46.d7 f2 47.f1 c5 48.e4 f6 49.b5 f4?! After this inaccuracy Black is absolutely helpless. [ He should try 49...f3 intending to take the h3-pawn and then to advance his g-pawn. ] 50.xc4 xe4 51.b5 e3 52.d6 [ It's necessary to keep one's concentration u n t i l t h e v e r y e n d . 52.xf2?? spoils everything in view of e1+ ] 52...xd6 [ 52...e1+ 53.d2 xf1 54.xf1 xd6 55.b4+- ] 53.xf2 xh3 54.d7 g3 55.c2 g4 719
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 56.d2 c7 57.a4 g1 58.c6 [ 58.c6 g3 59.d1! xd1 60.xd1 ] 1-0
so one would expect a plan such as Bd3,0-0, Qe1-h4 to be critical but we will have to wait and see. 10.e3 c6! 11.dxc5 dxc5 12.e2 xa5 13.e5 b6 14.e4 b7 15.d6 d5 There's no compensation for the e7 17.ge4 f6 704 B06 p a w n h e r e . 16.g5 The trad itio nal dism antling of t he c entre Armbrust,Florian Delchev,Aleksander 2560 begins. 18.xc5 xc5 19.xc5 bxc5 3rd Autumn Open (9) 2002 20.xa5 fxe5 21.fxe5 xe5 22.c4 g5 23.xf8+ xf8 24.f1 f4 Remarkably easy [Andrew Martin] for Black. I really do think that this new idea 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6!? has a future . The plan of ...c7-c5 is clear and I have always enjoyed playing 4...a6 because easy to understand-meanwhile the W hite it's very provocative. Black is living on the position is rather rigid. Fascinating. edge and it's a question of whether he can 0-1 t im e h i s s t ri k e a ga i n st t h e W h it e ce n t r e successfully before he gets blown away. Here, B06 Delchev shows something new. The normal 705 plan for Black would involve ...b5,...Bb7,... Arngrimsson,Dagur 2239 Nd7 and a quick... c7-c5! . Meanwhile White Carlsen,Magnus 2484 tries to blast through with e4-e5! Interestingly, 21st Open Reykjavik ISL (3) 09.03.2004 Black dispenses with .. .b7-b5 altogether [Gary Lane] 5.f3 [ 5.a4 d7 The same plan as Delchev! 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 g6 6.f3 e6 7.e3 e7 Hedgehog-like. 5.f3 g7 6.c4 It seems logical to attack the 8.d2 0-0 9.g4?! c5! And here's the big queen but this continuation has rarely been moment. 10.dxc5 xc5 11.e5 d5 played. The reason is that W hite tends to 12.xd5 exd5 13.xd5 xg4 14.e2 c8 prefer to develop his pieces with moves such 15.c3 dxe5 16.xd8 fxd8 17.xe5 xe2 as 6 Na3 or 6 Be3 before chasing the black 18.xe2 xe5 19.fxe5 e8 20.b4 d7 queen. e4+ The most direct move which 21.d4 xe5 22.xe5 xe5+ 23.d3 really tests W hite's early pawn push. It is d8+ 24.c4 e3 25.ac1 f5 26.b5 worth remembering that Carlsen is a natural axb5+ 27.xb5 c8 28.b6 exc3 player who a few months after this event 29.xc3 xc3 30.a5 b3+ 31.c5 b2 became the world's youngest grandmaster. 32.h3 f7 33.d1 e7 34.e1+ d7 [ 6...d8 35.d1+ c7 36.e1 c2+ 37.b5 b2+ A) 7.e3 f6 8.h3!? a cautious move to 38.c5 d7 39.d1+ e7 40.e1+ f6 co p e wi t h t h e p o t e n t i a l p i n o n g 4 0-0 41.d1 f4 42.d4 f5 43.c1 b5 ( 8...e4! should be considered to apply 44.a1 b3 45.h4 g4 46.h1 a3 pressure to the d4 pawn) 9.c3 cxd4 47.b1 xa5 48.xb7 h5 49.e4 xh4 10.xd4 a6 11.e2 fd7 ( perhaps 50.f7 g5 51.f6 h5 0-1 Orel,K-Bonnafous, 11...bd7 to speed up queenside N/EuYCh G18, Peniscola ESP 2002 (51) ] development is better) 12.0-0 e5 13.b3 5...d7 6.c4 Already White seems to be at c6 14.d6 e8 15.ad1 with an edge a lo s s . He s e e m s t o b e t ryin g t o p u n i s h thanks to the more active pieces, Klinger, Delchev for omitting .....b7-b5. But 6 Bc4 feels J-Nemet,I/Zuerich 1991.; wrong-probably 6 Bd3 is correct. e6 7.a4 B) 7.d5 h6 Black keeps the h8-a1 e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.a5?! c5! First a Modern, diagonal open for his bishop and will later then a Hippopotamus, now a Sicilian. And bring his king's knight into the game via with White committing himself all the time. It's the f5 square. 8.c3 0-0 9.e2 f5 a bit early to say how White should respond. 10.0-0 e5 11.dxe6 xe6 with equal play, A quick attack should be the order of the day M i c h a l c z a k , T - N e v e d n i c h y, V / S e n d e n 720
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 2003. ] [ 6...d6 7.d5 f6 8.c3 0-0 9.g3?! t h e e x t r a m o ve n e e d e d f o r a k i n g s i d e fianchetto means that the white king is still stuck in the centre which will prove to be a problem ( 9.e2 intending to castle is sensible. ) 9...e6 10.f4 ( 10.g2 exd5 11.cxd5 e8+ 12.e3 g4 when the pin on the e-file gives Black excellent tactical play ) 10...b6 11.d2 exd5 12.cxd5 e8+ 13.e2 ( or 13.e2 f5 14.g2 e4 15.c1 xb2 and the game is over as a contest ) 13...e4 14.xe4 xe4 15.0-0 ( 15.b1 is not advisable because h3 traps the white king in the centre meaning t h a t B l a c k c a n a t t a c k a t h i s l e i s u r e .) 15...xb2 Black is a pawn up but still has to activate his queenside before declaring hims elf win ner of the op ening skirmish 16.d3 xd2 17.xd2 e8 18.fe1 d7 19.ab1 b6 20.f4 xe1+ 21.xe1 b5 22.e5 c4 23.e4 xe5 24.xe5 a6 25.d4 e8 Black is threatening ...f7-f5 and has better position due to the extra pawn. Afek, Y-Berkvens,J/Amsterdam 2002 ] 7.e3 cxd4 I think it is a good idea to relieve the tension in the centre especially because otherwise W hite would just play Nc3 embarrassing the queen. 8.xd4 f6 9.c3 e5 I suspect a lot of players would now be worried about losing their queen in such an exposed square. However, a careful look at the tactics should eliminate such a fear and Black will aim to swiftly activate his queenside. 10.e2 0-0 11.db5 White is still trying to find a plan to make the most of the black queen being on e5, so finds this interesting move. [ I prefer 11.0-0 when at least White has got his king out the way before trying to create complications. For instance: c6 ( 11...d8 is equal ) 12.xc6 bxc6 13.c1 f5 14.d4 c7 Black resists the ending because with damaged queenside pawns, it will be White pressing for a win even though accurate play will be sufficient to draw. 15.h4 fd8 16.fd1 ab8 17.b3 a5 18.a4 e5 19.xd8+ xd8 20.f3 d3 21.e1 c7 22.xd3 xd3 23.d1 xd1 24.xd1 e4 25.c5 exf3 26.gxf3 h5? ( 26...h6 is likely to lead to a draw) 27.d7
e5 28.d8+ f8 29.xf8+! 1-0 Hanley,CDvorak,T/Millfield School 2003. ] 11...c6 12.c1 White has v ague ideas of playing Bf4 to harass the queen but it is just harmless. [ If 12.0-0 then f5 completes Black's development with a level position. This should not be to White's liking because in the C3 Sicilian he is normally rewarded with a slight edge at least from the opening. ] 12...g4 13.f3 [ 13.f4 c5 14.e3 h5 is roughly equal. ] 13...e6 14.f4 h5 [ 14...f5 to make sure the queen can back on e6 after an exchange is an option when 15.c7 ( 15.g4 c5 16.c7 ad8 17.xe6 fxe6 is superior for Black because W hite has weakened his kingside pawn cover ) 15...ad8 16.xe6 xe6 is equal. ] 15.c7 ad8 16.xe6 fxe6 Carlsen has double e-pawns but does that mean he is worse? I think every position is different so you have to look at all aspects. White's bishop on e2 is restricted and the pawn on f3 just gets in the way. This makes it difficult for Arngrimsson to quickly target the e-pawns with his rook on the e-file. 17.0-0 d4 The knight is influential on such a central square and it protects the e6 pawn from future attacks. 18.e1 f5 19.d1 [ Not 19.g3? because c2 forks the rooks. ] 19...d7 I think Black has the better chances in such a position because his pieces have good co-ordination. 20.e3 c5 Black is making the most of White's passive play by trying to invade with the knights. 21.f1 d3 22.b1 [ 22.d2 e5 23.b3? xb3 wins. ] 22...e5 23.f2 xf2 24.xf2 e3 [ I like 24...h6 to activate the bishop in o rd e r t o t h re a t e n . . . B e 3 25.f1 c5 26.h1 xc4 is good news for Black. ] 25.e4 h6 26.f1 xe4 Sometimes a decent attack is missed because one side thinks queen's are needed to force mate but this is clearly wrong. Here Black is content to enter the ending having calculated that he has a strong initiative. 27.fxe4 [ Or 27.xe4 e3 when Black wins the 721
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 exchange. ] 27...e3 28.xf8+ xf8+ 29.f3 [ 29.e1 allows f2 which easily wins. ] 29...xf3 30.gxf3 xf3+ 31.g2 f2+ 32.g3 xb2 It is time to start counting the pawns and Black has two extra which means W hite c an f etc h his co at . 33.d1 e2 34.f3 e1 35.b1 d4 0-1
centre it's unlikely this can ever succeed. The rest of the game is predictable: Davies continues to play with due care and takes W hite apart! f8 22.g1 c4 23.g4 f4 24.d4 e5 25.c3 e8! [ 25...d5 26.g5 f5 27.xe5!! xe5 28.g6 g7 ( 28...xg6! 29.xg6+ h8 ) 29.xh7+!! ] 26.g5 f5 27.f3 e6 Keeping the Bishop out of d5 and securing the position against any Qxg6 tricks. 28.e1 d7 29.g1 d5 706 B06 Preparations are complete. It is time to 'let those truckers roll'! 30.h1 e4 31.g2 f7 Baker,Chris W 32.f6 f3 33.xf3 exf3 34.xf3 d4 Davies,Nigel R Crewe 1996 35.xf5 d5+ 36.xd5+ xd5 37.d1 g7 38.f3 xf6 39.gxf6 f7 40.b3 cxb3 [Andrew Martin] 41.cxb3 c6 42.h3 h5 43.hd3 cd6 The following game is a real gem. White sets Davies made chess look easy. We know that out his stall with a lot of hustle and bustle, this is not the case. comes forward aggressively and is picked off 0-1 in an exemplary manner. The Black centre towards the end of the game is a sight to B06 behold! 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 707 e6 'Already a prophylactic idea against the Baki,Peter 2092 possibility of W hite playing f4-f5.The way I Ianov,Viktor 2381 see it is that if I prevent White from moving Marx Gyorgy Open (2) 15.06.2005 his f-pawn forward his Bishop on c1 will never [Andrew Martin] be able to exchange itself off for my Bishop on g7. And in that case my king keeps a vital 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.e3 a6 defender' GM Davies. 5.f3 e7 6.e2 5.d2 d7 6.0-0-0 White is shaping up for d7 7.0-0 b6 As mentioned, thoroughly the big one. To play slowly with Black here ap p ro p ria t e wh e n W h it e e it he r pla ys h is would be a crime. He has to start the action. Bishop to e2 or castles short. 8.e1 b7 b5! 7.f3 b7 8.h4 h6 9.g4 Many, many of 9.h1 0-0 10.h4 Primitive. Black hits back your opponents will play this way. They just with a show of strength in the centre. c5! stick the kingside pawns forward to gain space There comes a time when the pussyfooting and dissuade Black from a later 0-0. The must stop. Serious counterplay is initiated M o d e r n d e f e n d e r s h o u l d n o t f e e l wi t h 1 0 . . . c 5 ! 11.e3 f6! Hitting e4, an uncomfortable facing this aggression. He attack which is very difficult to meet. 12.ad1 must juggle the obligations of flexible defense [ White's two other moves are not very good: and the preparation of counterplay, but that is 12.e5 f5 ] the intellectual challenge after 1...g6 . If you [ 12.d3 c4! and so he has to rely on this cannot cope with this pressure, don't play the Rook centralisation. However, Davies is not Modern! to be bluffed and takes the pawn! ] [ 9.d5 h5 10.h3 c5 11.dxc6 xc6 12...xe4! 13.xe4 xe4 14.f5 White is 12.d5 gf6 13.xf6+ xf6 14.g5 getting desperate already. gxf5! 15.dxc5 c8 Black has very satisfactory counterplay bxc5 16.g5 xg5 17.xg5 f6 18.e3 on the c file. He has a good version of the c8! Carefully guarding against White's only Dragon. White has no breakthrough in sight threat of Bxc5. 19.f3 g6 20.h5 f7 and the Knight on g5 is simply misplaced. 21.h3 Baker's whole game plan seems to be 15.d4 c7 16.xf6 xf6 17.d3 d7 based on checkmate. However, without a 18.f4 c5 19.f5 gxf5 20.exf5 f6 21.e6 722
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xe6 22.fxe6 d8! 23.hg1 b6 24.f4 e8 25.g3 c6 26.ge1 c7 27.g7 ce8 28.g6 hg8 29.h7 h8 30.g7 hg8 31.h7 1/2-1/2 Koziak, V-Bezold, M/ Neuhausen 2004 ] 9...c8! An easy idea to remember. Black prepares ...c7-c5, with his Rook in the right place. 10.g5 hxg5 11.xg5 c5 The second key move. It's a turbo-charged Hippo, un re co gn is ab le f rom t he o rigin al b ea st . . 12.dxc5 xc5 13.h3 b4! 14.d5 b3!! Baki certainly didn't expect this one. All the good things about Black's position come into play now. White may already be lost. 15.b1 [ The variations are easy if White moves his queen. 15.e1 xd5 16.exd5 bxa2 17.d2 b8-+ ] [ 15.e3 bxa2 16.d2 xb2 17.xc8 xc8!-+ ] 15...xe4 Not that this isn't easy to understand. All of White's kingside advances are rendered irrelevant. 16.fxe4 bxc2+ 17.a1 cxd1+ 18.xd1 c4 19.g2 xd5 20.exd5 [ 20.xd5 c2! ] 20...b6 21.e2 b4 22.c1 f6 Black might even castle in a minute. 23.h3 Unless White plays this one. hxh4 24.e1 e4 25.c2 c5 White woke up and counted the pieces. A brilliant, short game by Ionov. 0-1
whittle away White's central pawns with 6... cxd4. ] 3...g7 4.f4 e6!? The argument is that if Black can prevent f4-f5 White's dark-square bishop will not be a great piece. Meanwhile he intends to develop in true hippo style with ... Ne 7, . .. Nd 7, . .. b6 an d .. .B b7 a nd t he n counterattack White's centre with ...c7-c5. [ I used to play 4...c6 until one rainy day Velimirovic played 5.b5 against me and left me with little counterplay after ( 5.e3 f6 6.f3 0-0 7.d2 e6 followed by ... Ne7 will reach a similar set-up to 4...e6.) 5...a6 6.xc6+ bxc6 7.f3 f5 8.e5 h6 9.e2 e6 10.e3 0-0 11.0-0-0 d7 12.h3 b8 13.g4 etc (Velimirovic - Davies, Vrnjacka Banja 1991). ] 5.f3 e7 6.e3 d7 7.d2 a6!? 8.d3 [ Black's 7.. .a6!? was designed to make White's queenside less habitable by going for ... b7-b5. Rajlich - Khechumyan, Budapest 2001 went 8.0-0-0 b5 9.h4?! f6 10.d3 b7! when suddenly Black was threatening to win the e4 pawn with 11... b4. ] 8...b5 Whenever I play this move, I end up wondering if the b-pawn might not be better placed on b6 from where it supports ...c7-c5. [ Gara - Khechumyan, Budapest 2001 varied with 8...b6 9.0-0-0 f6 10.h3 b7 11.g4 h6 12.hf1 d7 when White finally ran out of patience with 13.g5 and did not stand very well after hxg5 14.fxg5 h5 15.h2 c6 16.f2 0-0-0 etc ] 708 B06 9.0-0 f6 10.ae1 g4!? An unthematic idea which I'm not sure I would repeat, Black Baum,Bernd gets the bishop pair but loses time. Davies,Nigel R [ In retrospect 10...0-0 looks more natural. ] Gausdal (1) 1993 11.f5! xe3 12.xe3 0-0 13.g4 b4 [Nigel Davies] 14.d1 exf5 15.gxf5 d5 16.f4 f6 The Austrian Attack has always been one of An un f ortu nate nece ssity af te r which m y Black's main worries. After an early career position starts to look very ugly. But it's still with 4...Nc6 I switched to a Pirc transposition a tough fight in which my opponent comes (4...Nf6) before discovering 4...e6!?. The idea second. 17.e3 c6 18.c3 bxc3 19.bxc3 is to make f2-f4 look like a mistake because it h8 20.h1 a7 21.g1 a5 22.exd5 blocks White's dark-square bishop. 1.e4 d6 xc3 23.b1 g5 24.g4 b7 25.d6 g8 26.e4 d7 27.c1 b4 28.d5 xd6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 xb1! The kind of exchange sac [ W hite can also play the immediate 3.f4 29.dxc6 after which I've played g7 4.f3 c5 5.c3 that's ideal for your opponent's time-trouble. ( 5.d5 f6 6.c3 0-0 is an Austrian attack Direct threats are not necessary, you just need with 5...c5.) 5...a5!? which threatens to t o s t o p h i m f r o m s o l v i n g h i s p r o b l e m s . 723
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 30.xb1 xc6 31.gf1 a8 32.g1 b8 33.c2 b4 34.c4 f4 35.a3 g4+ 36.g2 xc4 Winning material and the game. 37.xg4 xg4+ 38.f2 f4 39.e2 e4+ 40.d3 a4 41.c3 e4+ 42.e3 e7 0-1
This bold leap forward carries the enormous threat of 9 e6. f8 [ If 8...e6 then Black must reckon on White blasting open the position with lines like 9.d5!? exd5 10.e6 ] 9.e2! This powerful move not only reinforces the idea of playing e5-e6, but also immediately threatens 10 Bxb5+! axb5 11 Qxb5+, winning Black's loose b7-bishop. b4 709 B06 10.ce4 f5? Black misses White's stunning forthcoming tactical combination... 11.b5+!! Beliavsky,Alexander G c6 Hickl,Joerg [ 11...axb5 12.xb5+ echoes the line given European Zonal, 2000 2000 in the previous notes at move nine. ] [Paul Motwani] 12.c4! Black is in deadly double trouble at W7: "Alexander The Great!" A.Beliavsky-J. c6 and f7. d7 13.f7! Menacing 14 Nxd6 Hickl, European Zonal Tournament, Pula 2000. or 14 Qxg7 in particular. cxb5 14.xg7 xe4 Modern Defence. 34 top players from Austria, 15.xe4 fxe4 16.f5! [ Black could fight on longer after 16.xh8 Bosnia, Croatia, Germany, Israel, h6 ] Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Slovenia, and Switzerland recently converged on the city of 16...gxf5 17.xh8 e6 18.d5 c7 [ 18...d4 19.e6+ uncovers a fatal attack Pula from April 11-22 to compete in a really from White's queen towards d4. ] tough 11-round European Zonal Tournament, Black resigned, with his position in wit h jus t a sin gle re st -da y. A lt h ou gh t h e 19.xh7 ferocious field included 21 grandmasters and ruins and hopelessly behind on material. ten IMs, a clear outright winner emerged: 1-0 Slovenia's 46-year-old super-GM Alexander Beliavsky, with an impressive tally of five wins B06 and six draws. Beliavsky's sensational 8/11 710 score put him a full point ahead of a runnerBerezovsky,Igor 2434 up Israeli trio, namely Lev Psakhis, Emil Almasi,Zoltan 2650 Sutovsky and Ilia Smirin. I particularly liked Bundesliga 2004-5 (3) 27.11.2004 Beliavsky's 19-move victory on April 19, which [Andrew Martin] wa s c e r t a i n l y a " B l a c k W e d n e s d a y" f o r Germany's GM Jorg Hickl playing Black, as 1.d4 IS BLACK REALLY EQUAL IN THE 150 he suffered the quickest loss of the entire ATTACK? If the evidence of this high-rated tournament! 1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.c3 g7 g a m e i s t o b e b e l i e ve d , B l a c k ' s t a s k o f In general, the Modern Defence is not too defence in the 150 is eased. Almasi starts popular amongst the world's very best players, regularly, with the Modern move-order and probably because it allows White to establish the usual immediate queenside counterplay a large spatial advantage. 4.f4 "f for forward!" but then flicks in ...e7-e6,which puts W hite is a favourite attacking motto of mine. a6 almost at a loss for a move. . g6 2.e4 g7 [ W7.1: 4...c6 5.b5 also worked out well 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6! 5.d2 b5 6.d3 b7 for White in the game P.Motwani-C.McNab 7.a4 at the 1999 Scottish Championship, and in [ 7.f3 d7 8.a4 b4 9.e2 a5 preparing for that encounter, I found the comes to the same. ] analysis on page 136 of "Nunn's Chess 7...b4 8.ce2 Openings" to be very useful. ] [ 8.d1 isn't '150' style, more positional, but 5.f3 b5 6.d3 b7 7.e5 I like this central is a good move nevertheless. White's point thrust, which leaves Black's king's knight and is to relocate the Knight with f3 and Nf2, bish op with litt le scop e . d7 8.g5!? reinforcing e4 and g4 rather than the Ne2-g3 724
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 path. a5 9.c3 f6 10.cxb4 ( 10.f3! would be more in keeping with the positional treatment. Instead W hite goes f o r t a c t ic s :) 10...xe4 11.xe4 xe4 12.d3 d5 13.bxa5 c5 14.dxc5 xa5+ 15.f1 e6 16.c1 xa4 Kryvoruchko,YPopovics,A/Hungary 2003 Black went on to lose this game, but in the current position he stands better with a potentially safer King and superior pawns. ] 8...a5 9.g3 d7 10.f3 e6!? Almost waiting for White to reveal his hand. 11.c3 Still very normal for this system. bxc3 12.bxc3 gf6 13.0-0 [ 13.h6 is the knee-jerk reaction but I must say that I don't see too much for Black to worry about : 0-0 14.xg7 xg7 15.0-0 ( 15.b1 c8 16.0-0 c5 17.b2 c6 ) 15...c5 16.ab1 ( 16.fe1 c7 ) 16...c6 The 150 attack depends heavily on moves such as Qg5,Nh4-f5+. Black's small advance of the e pawn has taken a lot of the sting out of this approach. So to an extent, White has to switch tack. I don't see W hite winning the battle of the queenside and neither does Almasi. ] 13...0-0 14.fb1 b8 15.c2 c6! 16.b5 [ 16.xb8 xb8 17.b1 a8 18.d2 ( 18.g5 h6 19.d2 b8 20.xb8+ xb8 seems about equal. ) 18...g4! ] 16...a8! This is Black's better bishop and so it makes little positional sense to exchange. 17.h3 c6 18.e2 c7= 19.xb8 White has only a nominal advantage in space and heads for the draw. xb8 20.b1 xb1+ The average player does not play the 150 attack to exchange pieces and make a quick draw so Almasi's method is very good. Note the Black central pawns, hanging back and covering all the right squares ( f5 in particular) By the way in the final position after 21 Qxb1 either 21 ...c5 or 21...d5! 22 e5 Ne8 are OK, in t h e l a s t c a s e i n t e n d i n g . . . c 6 -c 5 ! , wi t h counterplay. ½-½
711 Berg,Emanuel Angskog,Kent 37th Rilton Cup (1) [John Watson]
B06 2593 2271 27.12.2007
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 5.h4 [ 5.d2 b5 6.h4 h5 is Berg's usual order, transposing. ] 5...h5 6.d2 b5 7.h3 xh3!? Perhaps an innovation, although very close to what I mention in the next note. [ H i l l a r p - P e r s s o n r e c o m m e n d s 7...f6 '!' here, with the idea ...Ng4, encouraging 8.f3 bd7 ( here 8...xh3 9.xh3 bd7 of Morrison-Benjamin, Philadelphia 1998, could even transpose to our game after 10.0-0-0 ) 9.0-0-0 b7 10.g5 . Then Tiger h i m s e l f p l a y e d 0-0 versus Berg, but he analyses 10. ..e6 as well. ] 8.xh3 d7 9.0-0-0 gf6 10.f3 c6 Logical and a little slower than usual for this va ria t ion . It 's p o ssib le t o ca st le , b u t t h e normal move [ 10...c5!? allows 11.dxc5 dxc5 ( 11...xc5 12.e5! ) 12.d5 ( 12.f4! prevents castling because of e5, and e5 13.g5 0-0 14.g4 la u n c h e s a s t r o n g a t t a c k) 12...0-0!? 13.xf6+ xf6 14.xd8 fxd8 15.xd8+ xd8 16.c4! bxc4 17.xc4 with superb bishops. W hite won't immediately win a pawn, but in the long run the pressure will be too great. ] 11.b1 a5 12.g3!? This doesn't prove very useful. White can keep a small advantage by more pointed moves, for example, [ 12.d3 , and if b6 ( 12...c5 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.e2! ) 13.e5 fd5 14.xd5 xd2 15.xd2 xd5 16.f4 ] 12...b6 13.d3 b8! 14.e2 b4!? [ 14...xd2 15.xd2 leaves White with the normal bishop pair advantage, which is limited in this case. ] 15.c1 a4 Black should have enough counterchances here. 16.b3 [ 16.e2! a8 ( on the other hand, it's risky for W hite to take the pawn after 16...0-0!? 17.b3 c7 18.xa6 a8 ) 17.hh1 may be a better order. ] 16...b6 17.e2!? a5 725
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 17...0-0 ] 18.g4!? 0-0 19.g5!? [ 19.gxh5 xh5 20.c4 c5 is unclear ] 19...d7 20.f4 c5 21.e5 fc8?? The advance e6 had to be stopped. [ 21...e6 ] 22.e6 fxe6 [ 22...cxd4 23.exf7+ xf7 24.xd4 xd4 25.xg6+! ] 23.xg6 f8 24.xh5 xg6 25.xg6 xb2 26.h5 f8 27.h6 1-0
712 Boguslavskyy,O Bacrot,Etienne Schachbundesliga 2011-12 (15) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B06 2467 2705 15.04.2012
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 5.f3 b5 6.d3 This looks more critical than moving the a-pawn here [ 6.a3 b7 7.d3 and ] [ 6.a4 b4 7.e2 have been examined in the archives by Andrew Martin ] 6...d7 7.0-0 b7 [ 7...c5 was examined by Watson in Jovanovic, Z-Skoberne, J Nova Gorica 2007 - my feeling is that 8.dxc5 is promising for White here ] 8.d2 gf6 9.e5! As usual this is not only critical but timely - White can't delay as Black is threatening b4 [ 9.a3?! c5 and Black has no real problems after 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5 g4 12.e6 fxe6 13.e4 xe4 14.xe4 de5 with an equal game ] 9...g4 [ 9...dxe5!? is worth checking but White seems to have an edge anyway after 10.dxe5 g4 11.e6! de5!? 12.exf7+ xf7 13.ad1 0-0 14.e2 ] 10.e6 fxe6 11.g5 f8 White obviously has good compensation for a pawn here but it's surprisingly easy to drift in these positions - it takes very accurate play to set Black serious problems here 12.a4?! [ 12.e2! i s s t r o n g e r xe3 ( 12...f6? 13.xb5+ picks up a useful pawn) 13.fxe3 f6 14.ce4 h6 15.f3 d7 16.fd2
and Black is struggling here and it's unlikely his King would ever be safe. As ever playing these lines for Black against a lower rated player is gamble but now Bacrot cashes in on his opponent's mistake. ] 12...b4 13.ce4 h6 14.f3 f6!? Not a move the computer likes but this looks like a cle ver id e a t o u s 15.xf6+ exf6 16.xb4 c8 17.d2 b8 What an odd position we have here - it looks as if W hite should be better but what plan is there? Black is going to play ...f5 and bring a knight to f6 and slowly improve and meanwhile there is not a lot for White to do 18.c4 [ 18.a5 was our attempt at an improvement but still Black is doing fine after f5 19.b4 ( 19.ae1 f7 ) 19...d7 20.b5 axb5 21.axb5 0-0 22.f3 b6 ] 18...f5! 19.b3 f7 20.fd1 h7 21.f1 f6 22.e2 g5! White has done nothing at all for the last few moves and Bacrot is clearly taking control 23.f4?! [ 23.a5 it was better to sit and wait a8 24.c3 and now Black must do some work if he wants to open the position up here ] 23...g4 Now the Bishop on b7 is a monster piece! 24.a5 e4 25.c4 c5 [ 25...h5! was probably more accurate - after all Bacrot doesn't need to rush here ] 26.a3 cxd4 27.xd4 e5 28.xd6?! [ 28.fxe5 dxe5 29.d2 was a better defensive try although of course Black has the better chances after c7 30.b3 f4 ] 28...exf4 29.f2?! This leads to a swift collapse [ 29.xf4 c5+ 30.f2 xa5 is also very strong for Black ] [ 29.a7! was the best try, at least forcing t h e r o o k t o a 8 a8 30.f2 f8 and n ow W h ite can try 31.xf6+ xf6 32.b4 with fighting chances ] 29...f8! 30.c5 [ 30.xf6+ xf6 just doesn't work very well here with the Rook actively placed on b8 ] 30...xd6 31.cxd6 f3 32.d2 fxg2 33.c4+ g6 34.d4 d8 35.f4?! h5 After a risky opening from Bacrot he showed his class and understanding in outplaying his opponent in a complicated middlegame. 0-1
726
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 713 Bohlke,Christian Krasenkow,Michal Politiken Cup 25th (2) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2205 2585 15.07.2003
Whilst researching a book on the Hippopotamus system of defence for Black, I came across the unusual 4...e6!?, an example of which we will see in this game. Among Grandmasters, Krasenkow has shown a liking for this messy line. He chooses his opponents carefully and generally plays 4..e6 when he either needs to win at all costs or expects that White might overreach. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 e6!? 5.f3 e7 6.e2 Unchallenging and Black can be happy now. He can get on with his plan unmolested. The first task is to hit e4. [ Clearly either 6.d3 or ] [ 6.e3 are less respectful and therefore more critical. ] 6...b6 7.0-0 There was little danger that White would castle long and go for the big attack the bishop on e2 hardly lends itself to this aggressive plan. 0-0 8.e3 b7 9.d2 d7 10.ad1 f6= With equality in my view , and a position where the better player will win. White already has a slightly awkward decision to make about the pawn on e4. 11.e5 g4 12.h3 xe3 13.xe3 f5 14.f2 f6! Initiating dark-squared counterplay, which makes perfect sense given that Black has a bish o p o n g7 wit h ou t a n o p po n en t . 15.g4 e7 16.h4 xf3 17.xf3 d5 18.e2 g5! [ Whereas 18...c6 generally improving the position and letting out Black's Queen was safe, here we have a much sharper interpretation. The way to win games againt les se r op po sition is to con tinu ally give them problems to solve. Never let them settle. I always tell my students to imagine themselves as the opponent: which move would they least like to have played against them? I'm guessing that 18....g5 fits squarely into this category. ] 19.g3 fxe5 20.fxe5 g6 [ As 20...c5 21.c4 might well open the game up in White's favour. ] 21.c4 c6 22.cxd5 cxd5 23.c3 b5! W hite has problems on f4 and h4 and
consequently about the future safety of his K in g . H e 's t i e d d o wn . S o B la ck o p e n s a second f ront impeccable positional play. 24.e2 [ 24.xb5 b6 ] 24...b6 25.h1 a6 26.xf8+ xf8 27.d3 h4 W ith the idea of ..Rf3. 28.e2 f4 29.d3 xe5!? Maybe not objectively best, but almost certainly the move which will win the game most quickly. Instead [ 29...c6 would retain all of Black's positional trumps and the game continues with White grovelling. However I'm guessing that Bohlke was running into time-pressure and so Krasenkow attacks him directly. ] 30.dxe5? [ He had to find 30.xd5! exd5 31.dxe5 with counterplay. For instance: f2 ( 31...d4 32.b3+ g7 33.d5 ) 32.xd5+ g7 33.b7+ f7 34.e4 g3 35.e6 It's a very tough ask to find this idea several m o v e s i n a d v a n c e . xh3+ 36.g1 and White seems to have enough to oblige Black to take a draw. ] 30...f2 Whereas now, White has nothing. 31.f1 f3 32.g2 g3 There's plenty more of this stuff in the book but it won't be out until the end of the year. In the end, I have come to the conclusion that 4....e6 is very playable. Something more for you to think about! 0-1
714 Bologan,Viktor Azmaiparashvili,Zurab European Club Cup, Crete (3) [Nigel Davies]
B06
25.09.2001
I found this game to be deeply impressive. Playing Black against a fellow GM, Azmaiparashvili throws his opponent on his own resources as early as move 4 with an original queen move, thereafter transposing very neatly into a supped-up Gurgenidze system. A game worth careful study. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 c6 The sign of a Pirc player who is bored with theory. 4.f4 b6!? [ And this is a very interesting move by Azmaiparashvili. In last month's update I 727
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ga ve s e v e ra l ga m e s wit h t h e st a n d a r d Gurgenidze move, 4...d5 ] 5.c4 [ After 5.f3 Black can play g4 ] 5...g7 6.f3 h6!? Dr Tarrasch would be turning in his grave! Black develops his knight in this unsteriotyped fashion, to keep the pressure on the d4 pawn. Meanwhile it turns out the Azmai has plans to return to a Gurgenidze type plan, but with White's pieces on all the wrong squares. 7.b3 g4 8.e3 d5! 9.e5 [ The point is that 9.exd5 is met by f5 10.f2 xf3 11.xf3 xd4 with excellent play for Black. ] 9...f5 10.f2 h5 I don't think I've ever seen such a good version of the Gurgenidze. I really hate that bishop on b3. 11.d3 a6 12.0-0-0 h4 13.e2 xd3 14.xd3 a6 15.c3 c7 16.f1 e6 17.d1 White gets his bishop back into 'play'. h6 18.g3 hxg3 19.hxg3 g5! Shredding the last remnants of White's central fortifications. 20.fxg5 xg5 21.xg5 xg5+ 22.f4 xf4+ 23.gxf4 xd1 24.xd1 d7 Now it's clear that Black is much better. He has a good knight against bad bishop, his king comes to the centre and he's first to the open files on the kingside. 25.g1 a5 26.e2 a4 27.dd1 h2 28.df1 ah8 29.c1 8h4 30.f3 4h3+ 31.e2 e3+ 32.f1 f3 33.g2 h1+ 34.g1 h2 35.g2 g3+! The repetition of moves was just a sham. This wins the exchange. 36.xg3 xg3 [ 36...xg3 37.xg3 h1+ picks up the rook on c1. ] 0-1
715 Bosch Porta,David Pavlovic,Milos Andorra (2) [Gary Lane]
B06 2230 2505 1999
1.e4 c5 2.f3 g6 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 xd5 5.d4 g7 6.e2 cxd4 7.cxd4 Just in case White is beginning to panic about having an isolated d-pawn, it is not a disaster. Indeed, it helps the other pieces to activate and White tends to have a space advantage. The main
problem is that if this initiative is not extended into the middlegame, then the fact that d4 is n o t p ro t e ct e d b y a n o t h e r p a wn m a k e s i t vulnerable to attack. f6 8.c3 d8 [ 8...a5 is the main alternative. For example: 9.0-0 0-0 10.e5 bd7 11.c4 d8 12.f3 b6 13.e5 fd5 14.e1 e6 15.e4 b8 16.c5 f5 17.d2 d6 18.c1 h5 19.a4 d7 20.c4 c6 21.a5 b6 22.xd7 xd7 23.xd5+J. F ri e s Ni e ls e n -S . S ie b re ch t , H a m b u r g 1995. ] 9.0-0 0-0 10.e3 [ 10.g5 e6 11.d2 c6 12.fd1 d5 13.h6 a5 and Black had the traditional play against the isolated queen's pawn in R. Neyer-A.Wojtkiewicz, Bern 1996. ] [ 10.b3 is worth considering for White. ] 10...e6 Black is keen to blockade the d5square so that in time he can undermine the dpawn. In the short-term it also stops Qb3. 11.e5 d5 12.d3 c6 13.c5?! [ 13.xd5 xd5 14.f4 ] 13...xe3 14.fxe3 xd4! 15.h1 [ 15.exd4 xd4+ 16.h1 xc5 leaves Black two pawns up for nothing. ] 15...xe2 16.xe6? Obviously shocked by the loss of a pawn W hite loses a piece in a tactical mix up. xd1 White resigned in view of 17 Raxd1 Nxc3 18 Nxf8 Nxd1 19 Rxd1 Kxf8 when a quick count of the pieces reveals that Black has an extra bishop. 0-1
716 Boskovic,Drasko Rakhmanov,Alexander 11th EICC Men (10) [Gawain Jones]
B06 2434 2584 16.03.2010
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 [ 4.e3 a6 5.f4 is an alternative move order to play the Austrian Attack. A recent game went b5 6.f3 b7 7.d3 b4 ( 7...d7 was played in Delchev-Nakamura investigated in the archives.) 8.e2 f6 9.g3 deviating from the 9.e5 of Yu S h a o t e n g -A n n a b e r d i e v. bd7 10.a3 ( 10.c3 is more usual) 10...a5 11.c3 bxc3 12.bxc3 728
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 12...h5 is asking for White to break through with either e5-e6 or f4-f5xg6. 13.f5 ( 13.e5 g4 14.e2 also looks promising.) 13...h4 14.fxg6! hxg3 15.b3 ( 15.gxf7+!? ) 15...fxg6 16.g5 b6 17.e6 wins back the piece and displaces Black's king.; B) 12...0-0 So we have the typical battle between W hite's big centre and Black's efforts to undermine it with a well timed c5. 13.b1 b6 14.c4 ( 14.0-0 is rather safer when I'd prefer to have White's extra space. ) 14...a6 15.c1 c5 16.dxc5 dxc5 17.h3 a4!? 18.c2 b8 19.e2 c3!? Black delights in putting the knight on squares on which it's poisoned. 20.f1 b7 21.d3 a4 ( Maybe he should go the whole hog with 21...a2!? ) 22.0-0 c6 23.e5 e8 24.b1 h5 25.e2 ( 25.xb8! xb8 26.f3! with ideas of e5 followed by e6 or f5 looks extremely strong f o r W h i t e .) 25...h7 26.xb8 xb8 27.b1 c7 28.d2 xe5 29.fxe5 c6 30.h6 continued to be messy in Palac, MChatalbashev, B Zagreb CRO 2010 which ended in a draw in a few more moves. ] 4...a6 5.a4 given as dubious by Tiger here and indeed he's never happy with this as W hite. This is due to the fact that often it simply loses a tempo as Black was intending to play b7-b6, or at least not play b5 immediately as then a2-a4 challenging the structure sometimes gives Black problems. White has also ceded control of b4 and thus the 5...Nc6 recommendation. [ 5.f3 b5 is probably the critical line of the whole Tiger's Modern and you should be ready for this if you want to play the early a6 Modern. ] 5...e6 Interesting, Black goes for an immediate Hippopotamus setup. I've written earlier in this update that I get worried playing Hippos when White has played f2-f4. This is because I find e6 to be a weak square in Black's position and thus f4-f5 always has to be feared. Nevertheless, if Black is accurate and takes appropriate measures, there shouldn't be anything particularly wrong with this. [ 5...c6! is Tiger's suggested refutation. His lines run
A) 6.f3 g4 7.e3 xf3 ( 7...d5! looks like a cute nuance to me (GJ) as then dxe4 could be a threat. ) 8.gxf3 d5!; B) 6.d5 b4! and Rybka agrees that there's no way to trap that knight so White is rather over-extended. 7.a5 e6! 8.dxe6 xe6 9.f3 f6 10.d3 g4; C) 6.e3 f6 7.f3 0-0 8.e2 b6! ( 8...d5 GJ is the computer's choice but it encourages W hite to start pushing his kingside and so I'm not convinced. 9.e5 g4 10.g1 h6 11.h3 f6 12.d2 wh e n I ca n se e a b ig kin gsid e a t t a c k arriving shortly.) 9.0-0 e6 10.h1 b7! and Black has a solid position with good chances to strike out. e4 is a weakness and White has to watch out for either c7c5 or even f 7-f5!? challenging his big centre. ] 6.e3 [ 6.a5!? is interesting to stop Black developing his bishop to b7 as now b6 would be a major structural concession. However in the game, Rakhmanov played differently anyway. ] 6...d7 7.e5 Overly committal in my opinion. I had this position on the White side a bit over a year ago. [ I played the logical 7.f3 e7 8.d3 putting further pressure on the important f5 square. 0-0 e xt r e m e l y r i s k y ! ( 8...b6 would be my choice on the Black side.) 9.g4!? I had lost the last game horribly to another ChessPublishing author and was l o o k i n g f o r b l o o d i n t h i s g a m e ! d5?! Th is is t he wro n g pla n h e re a s B la c k 's p o s it i o n so o n r e se m b l e s a n e xt re m e l y passive French. ( 9...c5! is the necessary break when I was intending to continue with 10.d2 cxd4 11.xd4 c5 wi t h a n u n c l e a r D r a g o n ( D r a g a d o r f ! ? ) position, but Black's chances certainly don't l o o k w o r s e .) 10.e5 c5 11.h4 cxd4 12.xd4 c6 13.h5 e8 ( 13...g5 14.h6 h8 15.xh7+! xh7 16.d3+ g8 17.xe6! was a fun line I remember calculating.) 14.hxg6 fxg6 15.f3 b4 16.g5 ( 16.d2 was simpler with a great position. In the game I allowed him c o u n t e r p l a y .) 16...d4! A good practical decision 17.xh7? Flawed ( 17.xd4 xe5 729
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18.xe5 xe5 19.xh7 xd3+ 20.xd3 xd3 21.cxd3 g7 and I'm no longer going to mate him but at least I have an extra pawn. ) 17...f8! Oops. Now I'm losing a lot of material I decided to go 'all-in'! 18.xg6!? xg6 19.e2 dxc3?! ( 19...dxe3 20.d1 e7 and the cold hearted computer says I have no compensation for the couple pieces I s a c r i f i c e d .) 20.h2 f8? 21.e2 ( 21.xg7+! xg7 22.f2 was actually winning for White as Black has no defense to the rook swing.) 21...xg5 22.fxg5 xh7 23.g6 f8 24.c5 cxb2? ( 24...xg6 was necessary when the position is extremely unclear following 25.xb4 cxb2 26.h1 f8 ) 25.xf8!! Jones, G-Dragicevic, D Q u e e n s t o wn 2 0 0 9 a n d m y o p p o n e n t resigned as bxa1 26.xg7 and he has no way to prevent Qh7 mate, despite the extra p a i r o f r o o k s a n d k n i g h t ! A g a m e wi t h many mistakes but entertaining. ] 7...e7 8.e4 Provoking d5 [ 8...d5!? also looks possible if Black wants to keep his flexible structure ] 9.g5 f5 10.f2 c5! 11.c3 If we compare this position to my game in the notes, we see that Black has a much better version of a French here. He's already developed three pieces and the knight is looking strong on f5. Meanwhile W hite's re ally going to regre t having played a2-a4 as the e1-a5 diagonal is vulnerable. cxd4 12.cxd4 b6 Somewhat risky [ 12...a5+ 13.d2 xd2+ 14.xd2 b8 looks perfectly fine for Black but the GM was looking for more than this equality. ] 13.b3 f6 [ 13...f8 14.d3 will probably transpose after f6 ] 14.5f3 f8 Rerouting the bishop onto the vulnerable e1-a5 diagonal 15.d3 b4+ 16.f1 Looking more at this position I think White is better. He has more space and Black may regret having played g7-g6 and his knight is misplaced on b6. I think this is more important than White's uncastled king but he has to be careful and Black's position if of course playable. fxe5 17.fxe5 [ 17.dxe5 so that White can use the d4 square would be my preferred recapture ] [ whilst the most ambitious is 17.xf5! e4
( 17...exf5 18.dxe5; 17...gxf5 18.xe5 is an extremely strong knight) 18.h3 exf3 19.xf3 d7!? 20.h4 ( 20.xe6 f6 with very reasonable compensation for the pawn. ) 20...f6 is unclear but I like White's chances with his pressure on e6 which I think is more important than his own misplaced king which he can improve with g2-g3 and Kg2. ] 17...d7 [ 17...0-0 would deter 18.g4 as Black can now play h4 although this position is hardly clear either. ] 18.g4!? [ 18.xf5 followed by Bh4 must also favour White. ] 18...h6 19.h3 c6 20.h4 e7 21.xe7 xe7 22.d2 f7 23.g2 0-0-0 24.e2 W hite has successfully completed his development and Black's pieces are hemmed in by that pawn on d5. Thus the reasoning for Rakhmanov's next to try and f orce som e co u n t e rp la y. c4! The square isn't actually adequately controlled. 25.c1! [ T h e k n i g h t i s t o x i c 25.bxc4?! dxc4 26.xc4?! xe5! and Black's pieces would have suddenly come to life ] 25...b8 26.c2?! Overlooking Black's creative next. [ 26.f1 would keep White with the advantage as the knight would now have to retreat. ] 26...cxe5! Forcing White to take the cursed knight. 27.dxe5 [ 27.xe5 xe5 28.f4 ( 28.dxe5? d4+ d r o p s m a t e r i a l .) 28...c7 29.hf1 ( 29.xe5? is still not playable as after xe5 30.dxe5 d4+ 31.g3 xh1 32.xh1 d3 The tactics have resulted in giving Black a winning position.) 29...d7 and White's a pawn down. ] 27...d4 This is the point. At the cost of a piece, Black's pieces suddenly come to life. The bishop on c6 looks directly at the king with ... Bxf3 followed by ...Nxe5 as a threat. d4-d3 is also threatened regaining the kamikaze knight. It's too late to save White's position. 28.eg1 The only move to deal with both ...Bxf3+ and ... d3 [ 28.g3 xf3 29.xf3 d3 is pretty much game over. ] 730
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 28...hf8 Simple chess putting yet more pressure on f3. W hite's in dire straights to escape. [ 28...xe5 29.f4 isn't clear ] 29.e1 [ 29.g3 xe5! now that f4 is covered 30.xe5 c7! 31.e1 d5! 32.gf3 xf3+! and Black has easily enough remaining pieces to mate White. ] 29...g5 30.d1 f4 simple chess again. Rakhmanov intends to simply double on the f file when W hite is powerless to defend f3. 31.h4 Boskovic desperately tries to release the pressure on f3 but the alternatives don't help. [ 31.c1 might be best with the idea to sacrifice the exchange but again simply e4 32.c2 df8 33.f2 h5! and White can't move and must await his fate. At least it won't take long... ] 31...xg4+ 32.h2 f8! 33.hxg5 f4+ 34.h3 h6 Black's play has been impressively methodical in carrying out this attack. The d8 rook isn't yet doing anything so he opens up the h file. White can do nothing about it despite his extra two pieces. 35.h4 xh4+ 36.xh4 f1+ A pretty game although objectively White was better had he n o t a l l o we d t h e s a c r i f i c e s . 5 . . . e 6 l o o k s reasonable though, I couldn't find any way to get an ad vantage a s W hite a nd seems a playable alternative to Tiger's 5...Nc6(!) I don't like 7.e5 so if we see more games in this line I predict they will follow my play with Nf3. 0-1
them "en prise") and yet they both lose! You are invited to find those moves, and answers appear after the game B17. 5.0-0 e6 6.g5?! The bishop puts itself too far too soon into the enemy camp, where it quickly becomes a target for Black's pawns to attack. e7 7.d2 h6 8.f4? [ 8.e3 avoids being hit by ...g5. ] 8...g5 9.e3 d5 10.exd5 [ 10.d3? loses material by force to dxe4 11.xe4 f5 12.d3 f4 ] 10...exd5 11.d3 bc6 12.c3 f5! This case of "f for forward" threatens to trap White's e3-bishop with 13...f4. 13.c2 0-0 14.e1 Hoping to play f4 next, but Black gets there first. f4 15.c1 g4 16.a4 e8 17.g3? f3 Virtually sealing the fate of White's king. 18.e3 h5 19.b4 White's queenside gestures are coming much too late, because h e i s s i m p l y l o s t o n t h e o t h e r wi n g . f5 20.d2 h3 21.b3 xd3 22.xd3 f5 White resigned, having no proper answer to the crushing threat of 23...Rh5. Solution to B17P1 4... Bg4? or 4... Nd7? both lose to 5 Bxf7+ Kxf7 6 Ng5+. If you want to be ultraprecise, then it's also true that the bizarre 4... Kd7?? drops a pawn to 5 Bxf7 too! 0-1
718 Campora,Daniel Hugo Rocha,Sergio Santo Antonio (3) [Nigel Davies]
B06
1999
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 f6 717 B06 5.c4 bd7 The critical move, denying White Bouroutzakis,Georgios the time he needs to reinforce the pawn on d5. Agdestein,Simen 6.g5 Aiming to keep the extra pawn at the Open, 2000 Kiel 2000 co s t o f t h e b i s h o p p a i r - b u t B l a c k g e t s [Paul Motwani] compensation. [ 6.b3 b6 7.f3 , as in Klovans Quick Tricks and Traps 1) B17: "W hite Gurevich, seems to give White a worry free steamrollered by a stampede of black pawns!" edge. On practical grounds that would be G.B ourout zak is-S.A gd est ein , K iel Op en , my personal preference. ] Germany 2000. Modern Defence, Code B06. 6...b6 1.d4 g6 2.f3 g7 3.e4 d6 4.c4 a6 [ One of the highest level games in this Reader's Challen ge B17P1 Instead of 4...a6, opening was Sadler - Turner, British Ch., there are two different developing moves Hove 1997 in which Black stayed a pawn which activate black pieces (without putting down after 6...0-0 7.b3 b6 8.f3 d7 731
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.f4 c6 10.d6 exd6 11.xd6 g4 12.xd8 axd8 13.h3 fe8+ 14.e3 e6 15.0-0-0 d5 16.xd5 bxd5 17.xd5 xd5 18.g5 f6 19.xf6 xf6 20.f3 etc. Black never really got going in this game so he should force White to concede the two bishops. ] 7.xf6 xf6 8.b3 0-0 I like Rocha's cool treatment in this game - he doesn't snatch at forcing lines but relies on the natural strength of his bishop pair to deliver compensation. [ 8...c6 9.dxc6 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.ge2 xc3+ 12.xc3 bxc6 13.0-0-0 left Black worse and miserable in Aseev K Schulz, Erfurt 1991 ] 9.ge2 a5 [ Black has not managed to develop sufficient counterplay with 9...g4 10.f3 f5 Palliser - Houska M, Witley 1999 going on ( 10...h4+ 11.g3 f5 12.0-0 xg3 13.hxg3 e8 14.g4 left Black with zero compensation in Keitlinghaus - Siebrecht, Dortmund 1998) 11.g3 d7 12.d2 c6 13.dxc6 bxc6 14.0-0-0 fd8 15.f4 a5 16.xf5 gxf5 17.a4 with very little compensation for Black. ] 10.a4 c6 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.0-0 c7 Once again a cool wa y t o p lay it. Be f ore c o m m it t i n g h is b ish o p o n c8 , B la ck f irs t applies more pressure to the d4 pawn. [ After 12...a6 13.e4 g7 14.c3 b8 15.c5 c8 16.e1 Black had very little for the pawn in Rasmussen - Bangsbro, Aarhus 1995 ] 13.d2 [ This time roun d 13.e4 g7 14.c3 is not such a convincing plan as W hite's Ne4-c5 will not be threatening a bishop on a6. Black gets good play with e5 15.dxe5 xe5 16.g3 h3 17.e1 ad8 ] 13...d8 14.e3 a6 Only now does the bishop come out. Black is no worse here and W hite so on give s b ack t he pa wn . 15.fe1 d5 16.f3 xc3 17.xc3 xd4 18.e4 g7 19.xf6 exf6 20.ad1 xd1 21.xd1 d8 22.f3 c5 23.d5 d7 24.c6 d2 25.c3 xc3 26.bxc3 d2 27.b5 c8 28.d3 c4 29.xc4 xc2 30.b5 xc3 Black has a nominal extra pawn but will be unable to create a kingside pawn majority. Still, he's got what chances that are going so he
might as well play on. 31.f3 e6 32.d1 c4 33.d8 xb5 34.axb5 b3 35.b8 b2 36.b6 f5 37.a8 xb6 38.xa5 b2 39.h3 f4 40.a7 f6 41.c7 h6 42.a7 d2 43.b7 g5 44.b6+ g7 45.h4 f6 46.h5 f5 47.g6+ f7 48.f1 d1+ 49.f2 h1 50.xh6 g4 51.fxg4 fxg4 52.g6 f3 53.gxf3 ½-½
719 Cheparinov,Ivan Sakaev,Konstantin 8th ch-Euro T/B (3.4) [John Watson]
B06 2646 2633 15.04.2007
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6!? Here we go again. 5.f3 Maybe Whit e should play this instead of f4, because it's unclear how Black can attack e4 and d4 with real effect. d7 [ 5...f6 is a pretty normal Pirc and may well be best. Presumably ] [ 5...b5 6.d2 b7 is an option I have to prefer White, however. ] 6.d2 b5 [ 6...e5 7.0-0-0 b5 8.dxe5 xe5 9.f4 g4 10.d4 doesn't help matters. ] 7.h4!? Probing. T his is possible because White's centre is relatively immune to attack. [ Options include 7.ge2 ] [ 7.h3 ] 7...h5 [ 7...gf6 8.0-0-0 b4 9.ce2 a5 10.f4 has the double idea h5 and e5. ] 8.h3 c5 9.g5! Tricky, and it's a good square in any case. b4 10.e2 a5? [ 10...h6 improves greatly, as we shall see, because it protects f7. ] 11.d1 [ 11.dxc5! is good here but Black doesn't catch it: ] 11...c7? 12.dxc5 xc5?? Sakaev was having an off day and still suffers from chess b l i n d n e s s . 13.d5 whoops! White forks a8 an d f 7 . Black cou ld resign , bu t prob ab ly doesn't want a 12-move loss on his record. h6 14.xa8 0-0 15.d5 a4 16.d4 16...e5 is met b7 17 Qb3. 1-0 732
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 720 Cubas,Jose Fernando Leitao,Rafael Festival Internacional de Xadrez (8) [John Watson]
B06 2448 2601 10.12.07
Here we have a standard Tiger's Modern versus W hite's popular Be3/f3/Qd2 plan. White plays one of the most critical lines, but Black should have had a satisfactory game out of the opening. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.e3 a6 5.f3 b5 6.d2 d7 7.h4 h5 [ In my notes to Cheparinov-Sakaev, D r e s d e n 2 0 0 7 , I g a v e t h e l i n e 7...gf6 8.0-0-0 b4 9.ce2 a5 10.f4 with the double idea h5 and e5. ] 8.h3 b7 [ 8...c5 9.g5! b4 10.e2 is the Ch eparinov-Sakaev ga me. Black sh o u ld t ry h6 ( 10...a5 11.d1 c7? 12.dxc5 xc5? 13.d5 w a s p l a y e d) 11.dxc5 dxc5 12.0-0-0 with the idea Nf4 and Bc4. ] 9.g5!? This is the usual idea behind White's insertion of h5/...h5. c5 [ 9...c8 10.0-0-0 c5 transposes to a game Miladinovic-Hickl in 'Tiger's Modern': A) Tiger analyses 11.e5 cxd4 12.e6 fxe6 13.xd4 ( but 13.d3! f8 14.xd4 e5 15.e3 ) 13...e5 14.e3 f8=; B) 11.e2?! c7 12.b1 gf6 13.d5 e5 14.f4 b6 with roughly equal play. ] 10.dxc5 dxc5?! [ 10...xc5! is perfectly okay. A sample line is 11.d1 ( 11.0-0-0 c8 12.b1 ) 11...h6 ( 11...b4 12.d5! ) 12.xb5 axb5 13.xc5 0-0 14.d4 xd4 15.xd4 xa2 ] 11.0-0-0 h6 [ Black is tied up, and 11...gf6 12.e5! xe5 13.xd8+ xd8 14.xd8+ xd8 15.f4 ( 15.xc5 fd7 ) 15...eg4 16.xf7+ e8 17.xh8 xe3 18.xg6 should favour White, who for the time being is an exchange and pawn ahead. ] 12.b1 [ 12.f4!? g4 13.e5 xe3 14.xe3 e6 15.ge4 is a good alternative. ] 12...c6 13.d5 e6 14.f4 [ 14.xe6 fxe6 15.g5 f6 16.xf6+
xf6 17.xh6 is clearly in White's favour, with the idea xh4 ( 17...xh6? 18.c1 ) 18.xh4 xh6 19.c1 xh4 20.xh6 ] 14...f6 15.c1 0-0-0 16.e2 b6 17.xd8+ xd8 [ 17...xd8 ] 18.d1 e7 19.gxe6! fxe6 20.xg6 e8 21.xh8 Black too many weaknesses. a4 A nice counterattack which also protects c5, although it shouldn't work. 22.g5? [ 22.c3! wins: xh8 23.d6! b7 24.xe6 xc3?! 25.xh6 e5 26.f4 ] 22...xb2 23.f4? [ 23.xb2 xb2 24.d8+ xd8 25.xd8 xd8 ( 25...a4 26.a5 ) 26.xb2 and White's extra pawn should eventually tell. ] 23...xh8 Threatening ... Nc3+. Now Black has a very big advantage. 24.d3 c4 [ 24...f7!? 25.f6 g8! is strong. ] 25.a3 f7 26.f6 f8?! [ 26...xf6 27.xf6 c5 ] 27.xa4! bxa4 28.xh8 b4+ 29.c1 xh8 30.f6 e1+ 31.d1? [ 31.b2 c3+!? 32.xc3 xc3+ 33.xc3 is unclear. ] 31...e3+ 32.b1 b6+ [ 32...d2! , trapping White's bishop, works because W hite runs out of checks: 33.xh8+ c7 34.e5+ d7 35.g7+ d6 36.f8+ c7 37.e7+ d7 38.c5+ b7 ] 33.c1 e3+ 34.b1 c3? Black has the idea of ...Qb6+, mating, and ...Qd2, but now White has enough time: [ 34...d2 ] 35.xh8+ c7 36.g7+?? [ 36.e5+! draws. ] 36...d7 37.e5+ b7?? [ Black wins after 37...c6 38.b8 d4 ] 38.d6 c6 39.e7+ [ 39.g3 ] 39...b6 40.d8+ a7 41.c7+ b7 42.d6 a5 43.a3 e5 44.c7 d2 45.xa5+ b8 46.xe5+ c8 47.c5+ b8 48.e5+ a7 49.a2 xd1 50.xc3 e2 51.b2 xg2 52.a5+ b8 53.d8+ a7 54.a5+ b8 55.d8+ a7 56.a5+ ½-½
733
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 721 Daamen,Ferry Welling,Gerard club Eindhoven [Nigel Davies]
B06 722
1988
Of course White doesn't have to play 3.e5 and with 3.Nc3 he can hope to transpose into a Pirc Defence should Black play 3...d6. Not that there's much chance of W elling doing anything normal in the opening, with Black ge t t i n g h i s k n i gh t t o t h a t k e y h 5 s q u a r e anyway. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 This looks a bit wimpy, but even Khalifman has paid Black's opening this compliment. d5 [ Khalifman - Svidler, Moscow 1995 transposed into a Pirc after 3...g7 4.f4 d6 . W e llin g, a s u su al, give s t he gam e a n independent turn.... ] 4.e5 h5 5.e2 g7 6.h6 c5 7.f3 [ After 7.dxc5 there is d4 with similar play to the game. ] 7...c6 8.dxc5 d4 9.b5 e6 10.xf8 xf8 11.c3 dxc3 12.xd8+ exd8 13.xc3 g4 14.0-0-0 e6 15.h3 xf3 16.xf3 xc5 17.xc6 bxc6 18.d4 g7 19.hd1 hc8 20.c4 e6 At this point White is slightly better, but he gets completely outplayed in the endgame. 21.d7 f8 22.a4 d8 23.c5 xd7 24.xd7+ e8 25.c5 xc5 26.xc5 d7 27.c2 c7 28.b4 b6 29.b3 d8 The tables have been turned, and suddenly it is Black who is threatening to penetrate with his rook. 30.f4 d1 31.c2 h5 32.h4 h1 33.g3 g1 34.c3 g2 35.a3 a5 36.a4 g1 37.c4 axb4 38.xb4 c5+ 39.c4 a1 40.d5? White may have been in time trouble as he manages to get his king into a net and has to give up his rook to avoid mate. [ 40.b3 b1+ 41.a3 probably holds. ] 40...xa4 41.xc5 [ After 41.d3 there is e6+ 42.d6 d4+ ] [ and 41.e6 is answered by d4+ 42.e5 f6# ] 41...e6+ 42.d6 d4+ 43.e7 xc5 44.xf7 d5 45.xg6 d3 0-1
Danielsen,Henrik Salmensuu,Olli Zt Munkebo (Denmark) (1) [Nigel Davies]
B06
1998
If Black adopts a Modern Defence move order he can meet 2.f4 with 2...d5. This is one of the joys of leaving your d-pawn at home. 1.f4 g6 2.e4 d5 3.e5 [ After 3.exd5 Black can offer a pawn sacrifice with f6 4.b5+ ( 4.c3 xd5 is f i n e f o r B l a c k) 4...d7 ( 4...bd7 may also be possible) 5.c4 g4 6.f3 xd5 7.c3 c6 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 e6 10.e4 d7 and Black had a solid game in I Zaitsev - Komliakov, Orel 1994 ] 3...c5 [ Black can also opt for a Gurgenidze type set -u p wit h 3...h5 , Hebden - Lobron, New York 1983 continuing 4.d4 h6 5.c3 c6 6.a3 b6 7.c2 g4 8.d2 e6 9.a4 a5 10.e3 f5 11.f2 e7 with a supersolid position for Black. ] 4.c3 Probably not the best, White should leave open the option of advancing his cpawn. [ The usual move is 4.f3 c6 5.d4 ( Black is doing well after both 5.b5 b6 6.xc6+ xc6; and 5.c3 g4 6.e2 h6 7.d3 f5 Dimitrijevic - Root A, US Open Ch., 1994 ) 5...cxd4 6.xd4 e6 7.b5 d7 8.0-0 c5 9.c3 ge7 10.e3 b6 11.a3 a6 12.xc6 xc6 13.b4 xd4 14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 xd4+ 16.cxd4 a4 17.ac1 d7 left Black with the better endgame in Myrstad - Ivanov M, Trondheim 1997 ] 4...h6 5.f3 f5 6.b5+ d7 7.e2 e6 8.0-0 xb5 9.xb5+ d7 10.xd7+ xd7 Black is doing well, but even good positions aren't immune to blunders. 11.b3 c6 12.b2 c8?? 13.xd5! And that's that, White wins a pawn. He can't take the knight because of e5-e6+. Black could have saved himself much of the rest. g7 14.c3 fd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.e4 c7 17.c4 c6 18.xd4 cxd4 19.f3 d8 20.d3 f8 21.a4 b4 22.g4 h6 23.g2 b6 24.a5+ c6 25.a4 f8 26.f3 cd7 27.f6 c7 28.e4 cc8 29.b4 g5 30.f5 g7 31.h5 734
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f8 32.f6 b5 33.axb6 axb6 34.xd4 xd4+ 35.xd4 b7 36.d3 b5 37.a5 bxc4 38.dxc4 d8+ 39.c3 d1 40.c5 e1 41.g3 c1+ 42.d4 d1+ 43.c4 e1 44.d3 d1+ 45.c4 e1 46.b3 b1+ 47.a4 e1 48.h5 c6 49.a6+ d5 50.b3 e3+ 51.c2 e2+ 52.d3 xh2 53.a8 h3+ 54.e2 xc5 55.bxc5 c3 56.a7 xc5 57.xf7 xe5 58.d7 c2+ 59.d2 c3 60.b2 c7 61.f2 e4 62.g2 f7 63.f2 d5 64.f1 e5 65.e2 e6 66.g7+ d6 67.e3 f8 68.e4 h5 69.gxh5 g4 70.d2+ c6 71.xe5 1-0
723 Dauth,Benjamin Paulsen,Dirk ch-city Berlin GER (3) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2281 2376 11.04.2004
1.e4 g6 2.d4 c6 I've always found it a little odd that Black can seemingly freak out with impunity in the Modern Defence but when White tries to do the same he generally gets the worst of things. Got to do with pawns I t h in k . T h e B la ck p a wn f o rm a t io n is ve r y flexible meanwhile with e4 and d4 White has already committed himself! The current game sees White heading off the beaten track into jungle territory. I don't think that what Dauth does can be BAD, but he certainly ends up with a poor position from the opening. 3.c3 g7 4.d3 d6 5.e2 Slightly unusual. One would expect W hite to be thinking of f2-f4 now. f6 6.f3?! My punctuation. White's formation leads to neither attack nor defence so I don't understand what he wants from the opening? A weird position? OK, but then you have to be going somewhere. bd7 7.e3 e5 Straightforward. The lack of forcing play gives Black plenty of choice. 8.d2N [ 8.d2 d5! 9.h3 0-0 10.0-0 e8 11.g3 c7 12.e1 b6 13.f2 b7 14.ac1 ac8 Liljedahl, L-Szabo, L/Gothenburg 1971 Pretty patterns. Level. ] [ 8.0-0 0-0 9.f4 Changing his mind? g4 10.f2 xf2 11.xf2 f6 12.h3 e8 13.d2 d7 14.c4 b6 15.f1 xc4 16.xc4 exd4 17.xd4 xd4 18.cxd4
xe4 19.d3 f5 20.d2 e7 21.d1 e8 22.df1 c5-+ Ineke, J-Geragousian, B/ Nijmegen 2002 ] 8...0-0 9.g4 O r i g i n a l c e r t a i n l y . d5! This would be a classic response to White's flank action. Black prepares immediate central counterplay. 10.exd5 xd5 11.g5 b6 12.a3 exd4 13.cxd4 c5 14.c4 Already White is toiling just to keep his head above water. Black has blown open the centre at the right moment and the move g2-g4 looks way out of place. b4! 15.c1 He couldn't bring himself to castle queenside yet this may be the right move. [ 15.0-0-0 cxd4 16.e7 xa2+ ( 16...d3!? 17.xf8 xa2+ 18.xa2 dxe2 19.xe2 xf8 20.b1 d7 ) 17.xa2 e8 18.g5 ] 15...cxd4 [ Black is much better after 15...c6! ] 16.e7 e5 [ 16...c6 17.xf8 xf8 18.d1 de5 gives a dangerous attack. But Paulsen does not want to fall back, even for an instant. ] 17.xb4 e8 18.d1 [ 18.xb6 axb6 19.d6 xc4 20.xc4 d3 21.xb6 xg4!! 22.fxg4 xa2 23.c8 xc8 24.xc8 a1+ 25.d2 xh1 ] 18...xf3+ [ The computer indicates 18...xc4 19.xc4 e6 and White is in deep trouble. ] 19.f2 e5 20.h3 d3+ 21.xb6 axb6 22.xd3 xe7 A storm has swept the board leaving White in very poor shape. The Bishop on g7 is unopposed and the white queenside looks shaky. 23.c4 e6! Ensuring that the queenside will fall apart. 24.xb6 xa2 25.b5 xb2-+ Mopping-up time. 26.d8+ f8 27.d5 g7 28.a4 d3+ 29.g3 xd5 30.xd5 e3+ 31.h4 e7+ 32.g5 bxe2 33.b5 g2 34.xd3 xd3 White needs to go in with a plan against the Pirc/Modern, whether it be the positional squeeze or outright attack. What happened here was very half-hearted just shunting out the pieces with no real aims. A good game by Paulsen who took energetic action at exactly the right moment. 0-1
735
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 better after 23.xd6 xh3+ 24.gxh3 xf3 B06 25.xe5+ f6 due to his more compact Deepan,C 2518 pawns. ) 23...h5 with unclear play. ] Akshayraj,Kore 2394 ch-National A (4) 04.12.2009 22...xd8 23.c3 g6 24.e3 g4 25.hxg4 xg4 26.h2 h5 27.xa7 d2 28.d3 [Neil McDonald] [ Awkward f or W h it e is 28.xg4 hxg4 29.e2 f4! ] 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 c6 5.a4 White stops the expansion 5...b5 at the 28...f4 29.e3 g5! 30.h1 [ Of course if 30.xd2 h3+ while after ] v e r y f i r s t o p p o r t u n i t y . f6 6.g5 [ 30.g3 xd3 31.cxd3 f4! White is An aggressive and natural move, but perhaps bullied into an endgame that is bad for him, it commits the bishop too soon: now Black despite his extra pawn, due to the power of knows that the bishop won't be going directly the black rook on the seventh rank that can to e3 in response to any pressure he exerts on gobble up a couple of pawns. ] d4. 'Waiting' with 30...g6 31.g3? Better to submit to a slight [ 6.e2 or ] inferiority after [ 6.h3 are the preferred moves. ] [ 31.f1 xc2 ] 6...a5! The black queen is in no danger of 32.f4 Losing at once, but being bothered by Bd2 and so takes up an 31...xd3 energetic post where she supports the threat understandably he doesn't want to play the of 7...Nxe4. 7.d3 bd7 8.0-0 0-0 9.d2 horrid endgame after [ 32.xg5+ xg5 33.cxd3 xf2 ] e5 10.fe1 e8 11.f1 f8! The knight heads for e6 where it increases the pressure 32...f2+ 33.g1 d8 34.fxe5 h3+ on d4 and also intends to exchange on g5 35.h1 d4 which would be positionally unwelcome for 0-1 White. 12.h3 e6 13.xf6 xf6 14.d5 W hite had relied on this trick to give him a B06 good game, but he is in for a surprise. d8 725 15.xf6+ xf6 16.dxe5 dxe5 17.d6 Delchev,Aleksander 2648 It appears t the 6.Bg5 plan will triumph after Nakamura,Hikaru 2701 all as the e5 pawn looks indefensible. g7! TOP 16 GpA Mulhouse FRA (7) 03.05.2009 The trapper trapped: Black keeps his pawn on [John Watson] e5. 18.a5 [ If 18.xe5 xe5 19.xe5 d4 20.ad1 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.e3 g7 4.c3 a6 xc2 21.e2 xe5 22.xc2 e6 5.f4 and White has loose pawns with both 23... [ Marcelin-Nakamura, Mulhouse FRA 2009 Rxe4 and 23...Bb3 threatened. ] didn't go as well for Black, but he could have [ Or 18.xe5 d8 19.g4! xf2+! ( Not had some opening advantage: 5.f3 19...xd6? 20.xf6 xf6? 21.e5+ ) A) this month's game Emms-S Williams, 20.xf2 xd6 with a small advantage to Southend 2009 showed Black in a Black due to the isolated pawn on e4. ] He d ge h og mo d e : 5...d7 6.d2 e6 18...f4 19.a3 g5! Given time White will 7.d3 h6 8.0-0 b6 9.e2 b7 10.g3 assume control of the d-file and begin to make e7 11.h3 f5?! (good grief!) 12.c4 ( or his queenside pressure count. Therefore 12.fe1 ) 12...f6 13.d5 fxe4 14.xe4 Akshayraj creates a diversion on the kingsideexd5 15.xf6+ xf6 16.cxd5 d7 he wants to get maximum value f rom his 17.e4 0-0-0 18.xh6 ( 18.a4! ) excellently placed queen and knight. 20.ad1 18...xb2 19.ab1 a3 20.e3 f5 e6 21.d6 ad8 22.xd8 White gives up 21.d4 ( 21.g5! ) 21...xd4 22.xd4 control of the d-f ile. He wins a pawn, but c5 23.d3 b8 24.xc5?! dxc5 Black has huge counterplay once his rook and things are going poorly for White; invades on d2. A safer approach was B) 5...b5 6.d3 b7 7.h3 d7 8.e2?! [ 22.ed1 xd6 23.xd6 ( Black is slightly B1) 8...gf6! definitely more accurate, 724
736
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and in fact White has to grovel a bit to defend his e-pawn: B1a) or 9.d2 e5 ( or 9...c5!? 10.c3 0-0 11.0-0 c7 ) 10.c3 ( 10.d5 0-0 11.0-0 c6! ) 10...exd4 11.cxd4 0-0 12.0-0 c5 ( or 12...e7 13.f3 c5 ) 13.a4 cxd4 14.xd4 c5 15.c2 b4 with excellent play; B1b) 9.g3 h5 10.g5 c5 11.c3 cxd4 12.cxd4 a5+ 13.d2 xd2+ 14.xd2 f8! 15.a4! ( 15.d5? 6h7 attacks b2 and threatens ... Nxg5 and ...Bh6, winning a pieces; 15.hc1 e6 ) 15...bxa4 16.xa4 e6 17.xf6 xf6 18.b4 a7 19.e2 g5! 20.d5 c5 21.fd4 e6!; B2) 8...c5 9.c3 gf6 10.g3 h5 11.d5! (since Black can't play ...c6) c4 12.c2 c5 13.g5 h4 14.e2 h5?! 15.b1 ( 15.f3 ) 15...fd7 16.f4 e5 17.f3 ( 17.dxe6 fxe6 18.0-0 ) 17...a5 18.0-0 B2a) 18...b4 19.fxe5 , for example, xe5 ( 19...xe5 20.xc5 dxc5 21.f4 h8 22.a4+ ) 20.xe5 xe5 21.d4 ( or 21.d4 e7 22.f4 g5 23.f5 ) 21...bxc3 22.bxc3 b8 23.f3 h5 24.c1; B2b) 18...b4 1/2-1/2. White stands distinctly better after ] 5...b5 6.d3 b7 7.f3 d7 8.e5!? [ 8.e2 was analysed in an earlier update, or to be sure, I quoted Tiger Hillarp Persson's analysis from his book. He prefers b4!? ( One of his games went 8...c5 9.dxc5 xc5 10.xc5! xc3+! 11.bxc3 dxc5 12.e5 with some advantage for W hite) 9.d1 gf6! 10.f2 ( 10.d2 c5 11.e5 d5 12.e6!? fxe6 13.g5 xd4!? 14.xh7 f8 15.xf8 xf8 16.xg6 c8 , and Tiger says that he's satisfied as Black. At any rate it's exciting!) 10...c5 11.c3 bxc3 12.bxc3 0-0 13.0-0 e8 (versus e5-e6) 14.ab1 c8 as I said then, I prefer White in this position. ] 8...c5 [ Tiger mentions both 8...h6 and ] [ 8...e6 as alternatives. ] 9.e4 [ 9.g5 cxd4 10.e6 f5! 11.xf5 df6! San Segundo-Hillarp Persson, Elista 1998. ]
9...c8 [ 9...xe4 10.xe4 h6 is also analysed at length in Tiger's book he thinks it's satisfactory for Black. ] 10.xb7 xb7 11.dxc5 dxe5 12.d5 xd5 13.xd5 c8 14.b6 [ Black equa lise s af te r 14.fxe5 xc5! 15.b6 c6 16.d1 h6 ] 14...xb6 15.cxb6 f6 16.0-0-0 Tiger queries this, preferring [ 16.fxe5! . 'when Black has to walk a fine line: d5 17.d4 0-0 18.a4 ( 18.0-0-0! ) 18...xc2 19.axb5 axb5 20.0-0 b8 ] 16...g4 17.b7 [ 17.he1 is probably worse. MortensenHillarp Persson, Danish TCh 2003 went xe3 18.xe3 h6 A) 19.b7! b8 20.c3 xf4+ 21.b1 0-0 ( 21...f5! 22.c8+ f7 ) 22.g3! e4! this is unclear; B) 19.a3 xf4+ 20.b1 e4 21.d4 d8 22.c3 , a n d h e l i k e s xh2 but the computer thinks that Black stands better after ( 22...e3! )] 17...b8 18.b6 f6?! The first deviation from Tiger's analysis! That goes [ 18...0-0 19.fxe5 ( 19.d7!? ) 19...xb7 20.d4 f6 , a lth ough ( 20...c8 with the idea...Nh6-f5, or 21.h3 h6+ 22.b1 e3 , looks fine )] 19.d8+ f7 20.d7 h6 21.g3 exf4 22.b1 e5 23.xe5+ fxe5 24.a7? Finally White slips up. [ 24.c5! A) 24...g5 25.gxf4 exf4 ( 25...xf4 26.xe7+ f6 27.c7 h5 28.a7 ) 26.e1 e8 27.exe7+ xe7 28.xe7+ d8 29.g7; B) 24...he8 25.f1 e6 26.c7 is awkward White would like to play gxf4 and Rf3-a3. ] 24...e6! 25.hd1? [ 25.c7 d6 26.xb8 xb8 27.c8 xb7 will probably draw. ] 25...f3 26.c7 e4 27.dd7?? White's last few moves are almost certainly a result of time pressure. he8 28.a3 g5 29.h4 e3 30.xb8 f2 31.a7 f1+ 32.a2 e2 0-1
737
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B06 727 Dominguez Perez,Leinier 2712 Duarte,Leonardo Kamsky,Gata 2732 Flores,Diego Sportaccord WMG Blindfold rapid (2) 14.12.11 80th ch-ARG Los Polvorines ARG (8) [Milos Pavlovic] [Andrew Martin]
726
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 The Modern Defence. 5.d2 d7 6.0-0-0 Dominguez is going for sharp play which is quite usual for him. e6 [ 6...b5 7.h4! h5 8.h3 b7 9.g5 e6 Is like the main game but instead of having a bishop on b7 Kamsky has a knight on e7 10.f4!? h6 ( 10...b4 11.e2 gf6 12.f5 gxf5 13.exf5 e5 14.xb4; 10...e7 11.f5 gxf5 12.exf5 gf6 13.fxe6 fxe6 14.d3 0-0-0 15.he1 Reinderman, D-Kabanof, N Dieren 2009) 11.d3 c5 12.dxc5 a5 13.xb5! axb5 14.xd6 b4 15.xe6 fxe6 16.xe6+ f8 17.xd7 h7 18.f5 a6 19.d6 bxc3 20.f6 xa2 21.d8+ xd8 22.fxg7+ xg7 23.f1+ f7 24.xh6+ g8 25.xa2 d5 26.xd5 xd5 27.xf7 xc5 28.g7+ h8 29.xg6 h7 30.e6 1-0 Wirig, A -Moussard, J Caen FRA 2011 ] 7.h4! h5 8.h3 This is a key idea b5 9.g5 e7 Kamsky is aware of the f4-f5 possibility and plays elastically. 10.b1 b7 11.f3 b6 12.b3 At this point its is not obvious what White intends to do d7 13.g3! b4 14.e2 a5 15.h3! A very strong idea, now d5 is hard to meet. b5 16.xe6 fxe6 17.xe6 d7 [ 17...f7 18.xc7 d7 19.xa8 xa8 20.d5 c7 21.d4 ] 18.xg7 h7 19.d5 xg7 20.d4 a6 21.g2 f7 22.h3+ e8 23.e6 g8 24.g4 a4 25.h2 White has a strong attack c o m b i n e d w i t h p o s i t i o n a l p l u s s e s . f6 26.gxh5 gxh5 27.xc7+ xc7 28.e6+ e7 29.xf6 axb3 [ 29...xd5! 30.g6+ d7 31.f5+ c7 is less clear. ] 30.cxb3 xd5 31.g6+ [ 31.exd5? xe3 ] 31...d7 32.f5+ c7 33.xd5 xd5 34.xd5 f1+ 35.b2 g2+?? [ 35...a6 offers to repeat. ] 36.xg2 An impressive game by Dominguez 1-0
B06 2317 2513 15.9.05
Coming up a game where Black employs an unusual move-order in the opening to what should have been good effect. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 d7!? We soon transpose to a Modern-like position but there are many cases when Black would want to respond with a Philidor. 3.f4 g6 4.f3 g7 5.c3 c6 6.d3 b6! [ 6...e5 could certainly be termed ' thematic', although White retains the better game after A) 7.fxe5 dxe5 8.d5 h6!? 9.e3 ( I think I prefer 9.dxc6 bxc6 10.e3 when Black has structural defects which cannot be repaired. Doubtless the position is unclear, for instance after e7 11.0-0 gf6 ) 9...gf6 10.dxc6 bxc6 11.d2 g4 12.g1 0-0 13.h3 gf6 14.e3 h7 15.g4 e8 16.h4 c7 17.e2 e6 18.g3 dc5 19.c4 d4 20.g5+ hxg5 21.hxg5+ g8 22.xd4 xd4 23.h2 d8 24.xf7+ xf7 25.e2 d2+ 0-1 Poliviou, E-Koukoufikis, A/Korinthos 2004; B) 7.dxe5! dxe5 8.e2 e7 9.f5 with the initiative c5 10.c4 gxf5 11.g5 e6 12.xf7 Lalic has assessed T u r n e r we l l a b r il l i a n t p l a ye r wh o o n o cca sio n ca n b e a lm o s t u n f o r giva b l y careless. xf7 13.exf5 xf5 14.0-0 e8 ( 14...g6 15.xf5 xf5 16.f3+ g6 17.d3+ ) 15.xf5+ g8 16.e3 h8 17.h5 e4 18.f1 e7 19.xe4 d7 20.xh7+ xh7 21.h5+ g8 22.g5 xg5 23.xg5 f8 24.d1+- 1-0 Lalic, BTurner, M/Kilkenny 1998 ] 7.c4 [ 7.e2 has been played and found wanting: gf6! ( 7...c5 is also fine: 8.c3 e6 9.0-0 e7 10.e1 d5 11.e5 c4 12.c2 d8 13.h4 f8 14.g4 h5 15.g3 hxg4 16.xg4 f5 17.f2 e7 18.d2 d7 19.h1 h7 20.h4 0-0-0 21.h5 dg8 Seiler, A-Jopek, E/Germany 1996) 8.c3 0-0 9.c2 e5 10.0-0 exd4 11.cxd4 c5 12.h1 cxd4 13.exd4 c5 14.f5 xd3 15.xd3 e8 16.fxg6 hxg6 17.e1 g4 18.e2 738
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e5 19.xe5 dxe5 20.c2 g4 21.e1 ad8 22.e3 xe3 23.xe3 1/2-1/2 Hessler, M-Fischer, M/Germany 2003 Results like this can never satisf y White. ] 7...e6 8.d5 So that the position does not become blocked. [ Instead White may encourage Black to play...d6-d5 in two ways: 8.0-0 d5 9.e2 e7 10.e5 ] [ 8.e5 d5 9.d3 e7 I have to say that in either case, with . ...c6-c5 not too far away, the Black position seems perfectly playable. ] 8...exd5 9.exd5 e7! Development above all else and note the weakness of the central dark squares. 10.e2 So White tries to cover his weaknesses. The natural response is to take on c6 but there I think the Black position can spring to life: [ 10.dxc6 xc3+ ( 10...xc6 11.b5 d5 12.e2 0-0 13.c3 e8 14.0-0 f5 ) 11.bxc3 xc6 12.d4 0-0 13.d3 c5 14.c4 f5 15.xf5 xf5 16.b2 ae8+ 17.f1 f6 ] 10...f6 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.b3 e6?! [ The main reason I included this game was to show you 12...a6! here, with s lightly the better prospects for Black. The move as played I do not understand fully. ] 13.e3 [ Why not 13.xe6 fxe6 14.xe6 d5 15.d2 ( 15.e5 f8 16.d2 ) 15...xb2 16.b1 xc2 17.g5 It is the Black King who is in trouble. Very odd. ] 13...b7 14.d2 Has he a blind spot? [ Again 14.xe6 fxe6 15.xe6 is good. ] 14...0-0 15.0-0-0 c5 [ And here 15...xb3 16.axb3 a6 17.b1 ed5 ] 16.he1 f5 17.g1 c4 18.a4 I wondered about a misprint until I saw 18 Ba4. d5 19.g4 ab8 Black's opening is worth looking at but the play after 12...Be6 can only be described as perplexing. 0-1
728 Enders,Peter Gallagher,Joseph G Bundesliga [Andrew Martin]
B06 2520 2525 2003
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c4 g7 4.f3 e6!? The Hippopotamus rises once again from the swamp. The 'three row' system is particularly effective against White variations where the Bishops are committed early. 5.b3 [ 5.0-0 a6 6.a4 e7 7.f4 b6 8.bd2 b7 9.c3 h6 10.e1 d7 11.e2 Black's position is as pretty as can be and now he feels he wants to go somewhere! g5 12.e3 g6 13.d5 e5 14.f1 f4 15.c2 f6 16.b4 0-0 17.g3 c8 18.f1 g4 19.d2 h5 20.c4 h4 21.e2 6h5 22.a3 a5 23.bxa5 xa5 24.b3 a8 25.a5 f6 26.ea1 bxa5 27.c5 h6 28.xf4 xf4 29.xf4 exf4 30.xa5 xa5 31.xa5 f3 32.g3 hxg3 33.hxg3 e5 34.cxd6 xg3 35.d3 g7 36.fxg3 xg3+ 37.f1 h8 38.c3+ f6 39.xc7+ g6 40.e5+ f5 41.xf5+ xf5 0-1 Lund,FCherniaev, A/ Gibraltar Masters, Catalan Bay ENG 2003 (41) This type of game is still a revelation to me. It's not just shunting out the pieces that counts in an opening of this type-it's where you put them! ] 5...b6 [ 5...e7 6.h4! ( 6.0-0 d7 7.e1 b6 8.f4 b7 9.d2 h6 10.c3 a6 11.a4 g5 12.g3 g6 13.h3 0-0 14.ad1 h8 15.d3 e5 16.dxe5 dxe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.e3 d7 19.d5 ae8 20.f4 gxf4 21.xf4 h7 22.xh6 xh6 23.f6+ g7 24.xe8+ xe8 25.c3 e7 26.d5 xd5 27.exd5 f5 1-0 Daurelle,HGuilbert,H/Clichy 2002 (45)) 6...h6 7.c3 d7 8.e3 a6 9.e2 f6 10.g3 b6 11.c3 b7 12.d2 h5?! Once moves like this appear on the board, I start to like White, who has demonstrated focus and patience in getting to this position. I prefer ( 12...d7! ) 13.f3 h6 14.xh6 xh6 15.e2 h7 16.0-0-0 1-0 Enders,PHaskamp,S/ Bundesliga 2002 (49) ] 6.c3 b7 7.g5 e7 8.e2 h6 9.e3 d7 10.0-0-0 0-0 11.h4 Enders throws down the gauntlet. Black will be overrun by a 739
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 sacrifice on g5 if he doesn't take action in the m a y b e g o o d o n e l i n e w o u l d b e c7 centre. d5 12.exd5 xd5 13.xd5 exd5 14.xb8 xb8 15.e3 f6 16.b6 d7 14.e5!? This liquidation is a little surprising 17.c5 ) 13...xb8 14.d5 e6 15.e3 but perhaps after a long think he saw little h a s b e e n t e s t e d : gf6 16.c6 0-0 future in more direct continuations: , but here he continues [ 14.h5 g5 15.c3 e8 16.c2 c5 17.d3 A) wh e n in s t e a d , 17.c4! looks more c8 18.h7+ f8 No mate yet. ] p o i n t e d , a l t h o u g h a l a t e r g a m e we n t [ 14.d2 a5 15.c3 a4 16.c2 h5 ] astray: e4 18.d6?! ( 18.a3! ) 18...d8 14...xe5 15.dxe5 xe5 16.xh6 e8 19.e3? ( 19.d1 retains the advantage) 17.f3 c6 18.g5 f6 19.f4 d6! 20.g3 19...xd6 20.xd6 b8 21.xc8 xc6 g7 21.c3 a6!= There is no reason now to 22.a7 xa7 23.xa7 d5 suppose that Black is worse. 22.d2 e6 with initiative, W esterinen, H (2386) 23.xe5 xe5 24.c2 e2 25.g2 h5 Nithander, V (2301), Gothenburg 2006.; 26.g1 f3 The Hippo is enjoying great B) 17.xd7 xd7 18.fxe5 xe5 success these days and may well represent 19.g4?! ( 19.a3!? ) 19...xg4 20.xg4 the future of the Modern Defence. A refutation b5 with at least equality, Svensson, B is nowhere in sight and the results just keep (2388) -Nithander, V (2301), on coming in for Black. Gothenburg2006. ] ½-½ 13.xb8 xb8 14.fxe5 xe5 [ One game went 14...xe4 15.xe4 xe5 16.e1 with advantage. ] 729 B06 15.f4 0-0 [ 15...h5?? 16.c6+ , but now ...Nh5 is Fedorovsky,Michael 2425 threatened. ] Pel,Bonno 2304 16.f3 b4 19th Czech Chladek & Tintera A Open (7) [ 16...e6? 17.e2 fd7 18.ad1 b6 [John Watson] 19.e4 xf3 20.xf3 e5 21.g5 f5? 22.d6 Karajakin-Hillarp-Persson, Benidorm 1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 a6 5.f3 2003. ] b5 6.d3 d7 This is Tiger's 17.d5!? recommendation. 7.e5 The usual move. [ Tiger likes 17.e2! and analyses it to some [ Another idea is 7.0-0 b7 8.a4 ( 8.e3 advantage in every line. ] c5 9.dxc5 xc5 is a common position) 17...xd5 18.xd5 An innovation! At least I 8...b4 9.e2 ] think so. Malmdin-Hillarp-Persson, Sandviken 7...c5 2004went [ 7...b7 is the main alternative. ] [ 18.xd5 e6 19.e4 f5 20.e2 b5 8.e4 b8 Tiger gives two main games in his 21.xb5 axb5 with complex play. ] book that begin in this position. 9.0-0 [ 9.e3 isn't as critical after b4 10.e2 c7 18...e6 [ 18...b5 19.a3!? ( or 19.d2 ) 19...bxa3 11.c3 h6 ] 20.xa3 with the idea g4 21.e1! xd5 9...cxd4 10.xd4 dxe5 Sacrificing the 22.a5 , but this isn't much. ] exchange this has occurred in many games b5 20.a3 bxa3 21.xa3 and is arguably the main line of the Austrian 19.b3 White is still the exchange up for a pawn, and version of Tiger's Modern (with f4). [ 10...b7?! 11.xb7 xb7 12.e6 fxe6 i t ' s n o t c l e a r wh e r e B l a c k i s g e t t i n g h i s 13.xe6 b6+ 14.h1 xc3 15.bxc3 co u n t e rp la y. g4 22.c4!? h5 23.h3 gf6 16.a4 is awkward for Black, according xb2!? [ 23...f6 24.d3 has the idea Bd1-f3 ] to Tiger, although bxa4 17.xa4 c6 18.b4 a5 with the idea ... Nf8 limits the 24.a2 e5 25.xb2 exf4 26.f3 g5 27.g1 f6 28.xh5 xh5 29.c5 damage. ] Black has levelled the material, but White's 11.c6 b6+ 12.h1 gf6 [ Tiger's 12...b4 13.xb8 ( 13.a4 rooks and passed pawn are too strong. g3 740
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 30.d1 f5 31.c2 e6 32.d3 a5 33.c6 c8 34.c1 f8 35.c7 e7 36.a6 e4 37.xc8 xc8 38.d1 1-0
730 Fercec,Nenad Kljako,Damir 4th ZNG111 IM (7) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2500 2260 2002
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 Undoubtedly the most popular idea these days at all levels. White's idea is very straightforward- develop the pieces , strip out the Bishop with Be3-h6 and then claim an advantage with the strong centre and chances of a kingside attack. Black has been suffering, a l t h o u g h we ' l l s e e t h a t 4 . . . a 6 i s a g o o d response, ensuring satisfactory counterplay. c6 A move which has been cast to one side in favour of the sharper lines after 4...a6. Nevertheless,4...c6 is playable in my opinion although it allows White to dictate the early stages of the game. 5.d2 b5 6.d3 [ 6.f3 Works well here although 6 Bd3 is more direct d7 7.a3 Setting a trap. b6?! ( 7...a6 ) 8.d5! d7 9.dxc6 xc6 10.xb5 f6 11.d3 0-0 12.e2 fd7 13.bd4 c7 14.h6 xh6 15.xh6 d5 16.h4!+dxe4 Giving up. The only chance was to put the Knight on f8. 17.h5 exd3 18.hxg6 f6 19.f5 1-0 Pilgaard,K-Ahlander,B/1st It, Klaksvik FAI 2002 (19) ] 6...d7 7.f3 c7 In general Black should wait as long as possible before playing ...Ngf6. The question is : has he enough useful moves to play in the meant ime? if Black f iddle s around too much he can simply get crushed by White's massive central build-up 8.0-0 [ 8.a4 b4 9.e2 a5 ( Possibly 9...b8 first. ) 10.c3 This would be a typical way by which White tries to open the position . b8 11.g3 h5!? 12.h3 gf6 13.0-0 e5 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.cxb4 xb4 16.c2 0-0 17.fc1 d8 18.d2 b8 19.xc6 h4 ( 19...xb2 20.c3 b4 21.c7 ) 20.xh4 xb2 21.f3 b3 22.c2 b8 23.c7 Of course...h7-h5 has turned out to be useless. a8 24.b5 e8 25.xd8
xd8 26.c6 a6 27.ab1 f8 28.b5 a3 29.c2 c5 30.bxc5 xc5 31.xc5 d7 32.c1 f6 33.b5 a8 34.c4+ g7 35.d5 a7 36.e3 a6 37.c7 h8 38.h4 f8 39.c5 f5 40.e7 e8 41.f7 1-0 Stefanova,A-Matveeva,S/FIDE W o rld Cu p S F w, Hyd era ba d IND 20 0 2 (41) ] 8...gf6 9.h3 [ 9.h6 is more critical. ] 9...0-0 10.a4 b4 11.e2 a5 12.c3 bxc3 13.xc3 One would expect a pawn recapture but 13 Nxc3 is more subtle than it looks. Black's ideal pawn structure in the centre against this particular system is ...e7-e6,...d6d5! and then if White blocks,...c6-c5!. if Black can get those moves in he gets a very pleasant game. Hence13 Nxc3 dissuading this structure because of the possible hole at b5. Having stated that ,I don't believe Black is worse here. He plays correctly to begin with. a6 14.fc1 xd3 15.xd3 fb8 16.c2 b4 17.ac1 ab8 Which is weaker,b2 or c6? 18.d2 b7 It looks like Kljako decided to play for a win around here -he could have fallen for the trap e.g. [ 18...xb2 19.b5 xc2 20.xc2 b7 21.xc6 b6!= ] 19.b3 e8 20.f4 e6 21.a2 b6 22.d5 c5 [ 22...exd5 23.xb6 xb6+ 24.h1 c5 25.f3 dxe4 26.xe4 xb3 27.b1 d4 28.c1 ] 23.c3 xc3 24.xc3 exd5 25.exd5 df6 26.c4 a6? Baffling. This particular Benonilike position cannot favour White due to the weakness of the pawn at d5. If Black takes on b3 he cannot be worse e.g. [ 26...xb3 27.xb3 xb3 28.xb3 xb3 29.d2 xd5 ] 27.d1 c7 28.c1 cxd5 29.b2 xf4 Looks as if time-trouble is coming into play. Black misses another clear route e.g.: [ 29...xc3 30.xc3 d5 31.xa5 xa5 32.xf6 d4 ] 30.f1 6d5 31.f3 g5 32.g3 e6 33.f5 xb3 34.fxd5 xg3+ 35.h1 g4 [ 35...f4 36.xd6 ( 36.5d2 d5 ) 36...xd6 37.xd6 xh3 38.d2 e8 ] 36.g5+ A game which went completely off the rails at the end thanks to the time scramble-the last move is reminiscent of an 741
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Internet Chess one minute fiasco. However, before that Kljako furnished ample proof that Black can counter 4 Be3 safely using 4...c6, although 9 Bh6 in place of 9 h3 would have been a more pointed test. 1-0
731 Ferguson,Mark Hodgson,Julian M Masters Kilkenny IRL (3) [Nigel Davies]
B06 2371 2605 27.11.1999
Like his compatriot Tony Miles, Julian Hodgson also took a shine to this openings and fared slightly better in this game. But his position looked pretty disgusting before 20.d6. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 f6 3.e5 h5 4.f3 d6 5.c4 d5 6.e2 g7 7.h3 e6 I'm not quite sure why the knight is coming here when f5 might turn out to be its best square. [ As I stated in the notes to Lautier - Miles, Black's best may be 7...c6 ] 8.0-0 g7 9.e3 0-0 10.c4 c6 11.c3 dxc4 12.xc4 c7 13.c1 e6 [ A q u e e n s i d e e x p a n s i o n w i t h 13...b5 14.b3 a5 leaves the c5 square weak after 15.a4 b4 16.e4 ] 14.xe6 xe6 15.b3 b6 16.a3 d8 17.fd1 c7 18.b3 b6 19.d5 c5 20.d6 Black manages to hang on after this, so it might have been better to turn the screw more slowly. [ 20.g5 h6 21.h4 looks strong to me. ] 20...exd6 21.xd6 e8 22.d5 xd5 23.xd5 a6 24.a3 c7 25.e4 e6 26.b4 a4 27.g5 xg5 28.xg5 ae8 29.e6 fxe6 30.xe6 d4 31.e3 d7 32.xe8 xe8 33.d3 g7 34.xd4 cxd4 35.d1 d8 36.e1 f7 37.g3 b5 38.c1 a6 39.h4 d5 40.c5 e6 41.c1 f5 42.xf5 gxf5 43.f1 d3 44.d1 f7 45.e1 e8+ 46.d2 e2+ 47.xd3 a2 48.d4 xa3 49.e5 f3 50.d2 g6 51.a2 h5 52.xa6 xf2 53.a7 g6 54.a6+ h5 55.a7 g6 56.a6+ ½-½
732
B06 Filippov,An UZB 2615 Benidze,D 2458 TCh-TUR Super League 2014 (2.6) 19.08.2014 [Neil McDonald] 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g5 More adventurous than [ 4.e3 ] 4...d7 [ Note that the move order in Shanava game mentioned at move seven below meant 5... c5 wasn't a possibility. It began 4...c6 5.d2 d7 6.f4 b5 7.f3 ] 5.d2 Filippov delays Nf3 as he wants to utilise his f -pawn t o build a mobile pawn centre with f2-f4. A Hedgehog set up is less attractive for Black when W hite hasn't committed himself to Nf3 and can play f2-f4. [ After 5.f3 h6 ( Instead 5...a6 6.d3 c5 is the 5...c5 6.Nf3 a6 note below but with B d 3 f o r W h i t e r a t h e r t h a n Q d 2 . 7.dxc5 xc5 8.0-0 f6 is then Frolyanov-Graf in the archives.) 6.e3 e6 7.d2 a6 8.d3 b6 Black set up a Hedgehog in RublevskyKamsky, which is another archive game. ] 5...c6 [ The immediate attack on d4 with 5...c5!? is logical as the white bishop is absent from de f e nsive du t y on e 2. I t d id well in t h e following game: 6.f3 ( White could try for a d i f f e r e n t t y p e o f g a m e w i t h 6.d5 and nurture a space advantage with Nf3 and Be2 etc. ) 6...a6 7.0-0-0 cxd4 8.xd4 b5 9.f4 As we shall see In the game Black is ab le t o t ake t he st in g ou t o f an y e 4-e 5 advance by sacrificing the exchange on c3. In the resulting position the move f2-f4 has merely weakened W hite's pawn structure and cut off the interaction of the bishop on g 5 w i t h t h e c e n t r e . ( More logical were 9.h4!? or; 9.f3 b7 10.b1 ) 9...b7 10.e2 a5 11.b1 c8 12.g4 xc3! t h e e xc h a n ge s a cr i f i ce d e f u s e s W h i t e attack. 13.xd7+ xd7 14.bxc3 xe4 Black has a pawn, the two bishops and counterplay against the fractured white queenside to compensate for the rook. On the other hand he still has to be a bit cautious as he is behind in development and his king is sitting in the centre. 742
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 15.e3 f5 16.he1 a3 ( but not 16...f6 17.b3 a3 18.c5! ) 17.h3 b4! 18.cxb4 ( White loses after 18.xe4 bxc3 ) 18...xb4+ 19.b3 xb3+ 20.xb3 e8 with a balanced position. Black's bishops and compact centre make up for the material deficit.; B) 15.b3?! A needless decentralisation of the knight. c7 16.e3 xg2 17.hg1 b7 18.a7? ( White should try 18.c5+ c8 19.xb7 xb7 though Black is d o i n g we l l d u e t o W h i t e ' s s p l i n t e r e d pawns. ) 18...c8 19.g3 f6 20.xf6 xf6 21.d4 d7 22.b3 a8 23.e3 c8 24.d4 d5 White's inaccurate play has let his opponent build up a vicious attack on his king. 25.f5 b4! 26.b3 ( After 26.cxb4 xd4 the c2 point is hanging. ) 26...xb3 27.cxb3 bxc3 28.c2 a5 0-1 Osmanodja, F (2295) Belezky, A (2454)/Dresden GER 2014. ] 6.f4 b5 7.f3 gf6? Over the next two moves Benidze seems to forget he is playing a hypermodern opening and plays the 'classical' developing moves Nf6 and 0-0. In doing so he presents the white pieces with a ready made target. To be preferred were the moves discussed in Perunovic-Shanava in the archives, namely [ 7...b6 or ] [ 7...b4 ] 8.d3 0-0?! 9.e5 e8 10.h4! With best play White's attack already looks decisive. h5 Black would be ripped apart if he tried to trap White's bishop on g5, for example [ 10...h6 11.h5 hxg5 12.xg5 c7 13.hxg6 when the black king will soon perish or ] [ 10...f6 11.h5 fxg5 12.hxg6 h6 13.fxg5 h5 14.e2! c7 15.h4 and the white queen is ready to go to h5. ] 11.g4! [ A more positional approach with 11.e6 fxe6 12.xg6 ef6 13.0-0-0 was also very strong for White. ] 11...dxe5 12.fxe5 hxg4 13.h5 gxf3 14.hxg6 [ Another way to win which gives Black fewer defensive options is the immediate 14.h2! ] 14...fxg6 15.0-0-0 b6 16.h2 f5 17.h7+ f7 18.h6 f2 19.xg7?
[ White would win if he could get his rook to the g-file to attack the weak point on g6. T h i s c o u l d b e d o n e w i t h 19.h4! for example b4 20.g4 bxc3 21.xg6+ f8 22.xg7+ with a massacre. ] 19...xg7 20.h6 xd4! Benidze now has saving counterplay due to his passed pawn and his queen's potential threats against the white king. 21.xg6+ g8 22.h7 xe5 23.dh1? It seems like Filippov's attack is going to be crowned with glory after 24. Rh8 mate, but a nasty surprise is in store. He must play [ 23.c4+! leading to yet another crazy variation: Black really would be mated on h8 after A) 23...d5! 24.xd5 cxd5 25.xd5+ e6 26.xg7+! xg7 27.xf5 exd5 28.xd5+ f8 29.d6+ ( Here 29.xa8? fails to h6+ 30.b1 h3! 31.h1 xh1 32.xh1 h3 But how could a human player work all that out over the board? ) 29...g8 30.d5+ f8 31.d6+ and a draw by repetition.; B) 23...xc4? 24.d8+ f8 25.xf8+ xf8 26.h8# ] 23...f1+! 24.xf1 [ Alas for White he will be mated after 24.xf1 e3+ 25.d1 ( or 25.b1 e1+ ) 25...xf1+! 26.xf1 g4+ 27.xg4 d8+ etc. ] 24...xf1+ 25.xf1 f4+ White resigned before suffering the indignity of being mated by a knight with [ 25...f4+ 26.d1 xf1+ 27.d2 c4# ] 0-1
733 Frois,Antonio Davies,Nigel R d'Or Cala d'Or [Nigel Davies]
B06
1986
This games featured a similar concept to Godena - Davies but under slightly less manic conditions. W hite castled kingside and fianchettoed his king's bishop. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g3 c6 5.e3 Chasing the knight on c6 is worse here than after 4.Nge2 Nc6. 743
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 5.d5 e5 6.f4 d7 7.f3 c6 8.g2 cxd5 9.exd5 xc3+ 10.bxc3 gf6 11.d4 b6 12.c4 c7 13.d2 f5 put White in serious trouble in Popchev - Davies, Albena 1986 ] 5...f6 6.h3 e5 7.dxe5 [ After 7.ge2 Black can even play d5!? ] 7...xe5 8.g2 0-0 9.ge2 b5!? The patented pawn thrust by which Black takes the initiative. 10.0-0 [ Capturing the pawn is very dangerous for W hite after, say 10.xb5 b8 11.xa7 b7 ] [ 10.f4 is met by c4 11.d4 b7 with White's position looking shaky already. ] 10...b4 11.d5 xd5 12.exd5 c4 13.d4 xb2 14.b1 a4 15.xb4 Maintaining m a t e r ia l p a r it y, b u t B l a c k is b e t t e r h e r e because of his superior development. d7 16.ab1 e8 17.e3 a5 18.b3 b8 19.c4 b2 20.f4 b4 21.d4 f5 22.a3 e5 23.f3 xd4 24.xb2 e4 25.e2 xg2 26.xg2 xd5 27.b7 d7 28.c4 c5 29.xc5 c6+ 30.h2 xb7 31.e3 f3 32.g4 xg3+! 33.xg3 xe3 34.fxe3 xf1 35.g5 f2+ 36.h1 f1+ 37.h2 f2+ 38.h1 e1+ 39.h2 c3 0-1
734 Frolyanov,Dmitry Azmaiparashvili,Zurab 8th ch-Euro Dresden GER (11) [John Watson]
B06 2525 2632 14.04.2007
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.g5 a6 Why not? 5.f3!? White generally plays a4 when his knights are on c3 and f3. On the other hand, it's tempting to develop rapidly. b5 6.d3 d7!? The normal move against f4, but here it unnecessarily gets in the way (see the next note). [ 6...b7 would prepare .. .Nf6 and ...b4, forcing W hite to do something about his centre. ] 7.a4!? [ 7.0-0! c5 8.e5!? looks ridiculous, yet Black has real problems: cxd4 ( 8...b7? 9.exd6; 8...dxe5 9.dxe5 xe5 10.xe5 xe5 11.f3 a7 12.fe1 b7 13.e4
generates a big attack ) 9.xd4 A) 9...dxe5 10.c6 c7 11.a4! ( 11.xe7!? xe7 12.xe7 b7! 13.b4 ) 11...bxa4 12.xe7! xe7 13.xe7 b7 14.a3 with a clear advantage; B) 9...xe5? 10.e4; C) 9...xe5 10.e4 a7 11.a4! b4 12.d5 b7 13.e1 , and again Black has trouble getting his pieces out. ] 7...b4 8.e2 c5 9.c3 a5?! A very odd m o ve , i n c o n s i s t e n t wi t h T i g e r ' s i d e a o f attacking the centre, Better was [ 9...bxc3 10.bxc3 gf6 ] 10.0-0 b7 11.d2 [ 11.cxb4 is also good. ] 11...bxc3 12.xc3 d8 13.dxc5 [ One good idea is 13.c4 e6 14.dxc5 xc3 15.xc3 dxc5 ( 15...xc5 16.d4 f6 17.e5 ) 16.d6 ] [ and 13.g5!? protects e4 while threatening Nxf7. ] 13...xc3 14.xc3 xc5 15.c4 f6 16.d4 [ 16.e5 dxe5 17.xe5 0-0 18.b4 also yields some advantage. ] 16...0-0 17.e5 dxe5? [ A crazy try, and a failure of calculation. Perhaps Azmaiparahvili couldn't stomach 17...fd7 18.exd6 xf3 19.gxf3 exd6 20.xd6 , but Black is in the game. ] 18.xc5 xf3 19.gxf3 c8 20.b4 d4 The point? 21.xe7 Finishing the game. g7 [ 21...h5 looks more natural, aiming at f4, but 22.a2 f4 23.e4 threatens Nd6. ] 22.a2 f4 23.d5 xd5 24.xd5 c2 25.ae1 Qxe5+ follows. 1-0
735 Frolyanov,Dmitry Graf,Alexander 17th Open Kavala GRE (8) [John Watson]
B06 2567 2621 06.08.2008
W h it e 's o p e n in g in vo lve s co m mo n s e n s e moves aimed at development and the acquisition of territory. Ignoring the game result, it works reasonably well. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g5 White chooses to 744
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 address the Modern Defence with piece play as opposed to pawn breaks. d7 [ 4...f6 would be a well-known Pirc Defence line. ] 5.f3 a6 6.d3 c5 7.dxc5 xc5 8.0-0 f6 [ 8...xd3?! 9.xd3 wins the two bishops, but W hite ends up too far ahead in d e v e l o p m e n t , e . g . , f6 10.ad1 with the idea e5. ] 9.e1 b5?! This takes too many liberties, since Black needs to get his pieces out. [ 9...0-0 was correct. ] 10.d5! [ Or 10.a4! b4 11.d5 ] 10...xd5 11.exd5 a7 A well-timed defensive resource. Not only is e7 covered, but af ter ...Rc7, Black's pieces will have flexibility as to how to develop. But White still has space and the better game. 12.c3 0-0 [ 12...xd3 13.xd3 h6 ( 13...0-0 14.d4 ) 14.e3 b7 15.d4 0-0 16.a4! bxa4 17.c6 c7 18.c1! e5 19.xa4 gives White play against the a-pawn. ] 13.f1!? [ 13.c2! keeps a straightforward advantage 14 a4 might follow, or even direct attack: c7 ( 13...h6! 14.e3 c7 15.d2 h7 16.a4! ) 14.d2 b7 15.ad1 e8 16.d4! ( 16.f4 a8! )] 13...c7 14.d2 b7 15.h6 [ 15.c4 bxc4 16.xc4 still looks a bit better for White. ] 15...e5! 16.dxe6?! It's under standable that W hite doesn't want to leave Black with the easy expansion by ... f5, but this gives him some serious weaknesses. xh6 17.xh6 xf3 18.exf7+?! [ 18.gxf3 xe6 ( 18...fxe6 19.b4 a4 20.xe6 xc3 21.h3! is unclear) 19.g2 c5! leaves White with the awful f-pawns. ] 18...cxf7 19.gxf3 xf3 20.g2 xf2 21.e3? [ But 21.f1 xf1+ 22.xf1 xf1+ 23.xf1 e7 leaves Black in command. ] 21...f6 [ 21...d7 with the idea ...Ne5 is very strong as well. The rest doesn't require any notes. ] 22.ae1 d3! 23.xd3 xg2+ 24.xg2 f2+ 25.h3 f3+ 26.xf3 xf3+ 27.h4 f2+ 28.h3 f3+ 29.h4 f2+ 30.h3
xe1 31.f4 e6+ 32.g2 xa2 33.f6 xb2+ 34.g3 e2 35.d8+ f7 36.xd6 e3+ 37.g2 xc3 38.xa6 d2+ 39.g3 e3+ 40.g2 e4+ 41.g3 b4 42.a7+ g8 43.b8+ g7 44.c7+ h6 45.d6 e3+ 46.g4 g5+ 47.h3 f5+ 48.g3 g5+ 49.h3 e3+ 50.g4 e2+ 51.g3 e1+ 52.h3 f2 53.g4 b3 54.a3 g2+ 55.f4 b2 56.f8+ h5 0-1
736 Gausel,Einar Davies,Nigel R Oslo [Nigel Davies]
B06
1988
A similar game to those against Godena and Frois, though in this one White played 4.Bc4. Whilst he can certainly do better than this I don't believe this line is dangerous for Black. 1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.c4 c6!? I first played this move as a teenager. [ After 4...f6 the tricky 5.e2 was popular in the UK at that time and I did not want to be involved in that particular debate. ] 5.e3 f6 6.h3 [ 6.f3 is better. Byway - Nunn, England 1977 went 0-0 7.ge2 b6!? 8.b5?! b7 9.d2 a5 10.b4? a6 11.d3 c6 12.a3 e5 with the better game for Black due to the weakness of White's queenside. ] 6...e5 7.dxe5 xe5 8.b3 0-0 9.d2?! [ In retrospect White should have continued his development with 9.ge2 ] 9...b5! 10.f3 b4 11.d5 xd5 12.xd5 c6 13.b3 a5 14.a4 d5! 15.exd5 [ Had White seen what was coming, he might have tried 15.e2 dxe4 16.f4 ] 15...c4! 16.xc4 xb2! 17.e2 h4+ 18.f2 xc4 19.b1 [ White gets nothing for the exchange after 19.0-0 xa1 20.xa1 xd5 ] 19...c3 20.xc3 bxc3 21.d3 e8+ 22.d1 a2 23.c1 a6 24.xc3 xd5+ 25.d2 ad8 [ 25...ad8 26.xd5 xd5+ 27.d4 xd4# is a good way to illustrate the importance of early castling. ] 0-1 745
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 737 Georgiev,Vl Caruana,F 46th TCh-ITA 2014 (7.1) [Neil McDonald]
B06 2553 2783 04.05.2014
1.f3 Black's formation in the game is more attractive once White has committed himself with an early 1.Nf3 as the white f-pawn won't be rushing at him anytime soon. d6 2.d4 g6 3.e4 g7 4.c4 a6 Very logical. Black intends to gain time for the development of his bishop to b7 by hitting c4 with b7-b5. He avoids [ 4...f6 and so sidesteps the sharp line 5.e2 0-0 6.e5 which is discussed in the archives. ] 5.0-0 e6 Putting up a barrier to the attack on f7 and preparing a safe development of his knight to e7. Note that White isn't well placed t o ra m t h e b la c k kin gsid e wit h t h e p a wn advance f4-f5, as the knight on f3 is in the way. [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 5...b5 6.b3 b7 has been tried in some big name games: A) I know there's zero chance of 7.xf7+? working in a game between Kramnik and Carlsen, but always make sure it doesn't in your own games! xf7 8.g5+ e8 9.e6 c8 10.xg7+ ( Or 10.d5 f6 ) 10...f8 11.h5 gxh5 12.xh5 e6 and W hite doesn't have enough for the piece.; B) 7.e1 e6 8.a4 d7 9.g5 ( A n a l t e r n a t i v e a p p r o a c h i s 9.c3 intending moves like Qe2 and Na3 to put pressure on b5.) 9...e7 10.axb5 axb5 11.xa8 xa8 12.d5 This looks very threatening, but Black survives the onslaught and gets dynamic chances. A s l o w e r a p p r o a c h w i t h ( 12.a3 w a s p o s s i b l e .) 12...c5 ( Note that 12...e5 looks like a safe move as it blocks the centre, but it would leave Black without any counterplay. White could play to pick off the b5 pawn with 13.c3 etc. ) 13.d4 hitting both e6 and b5. h6 14.xe7 xe7 If you study Carlsen's games you'll notice he is never afraid to take chances with his king's safety if it improves his strategic prospects. He now has an unopposed
d a rk squ a r e d b i sh o p . 15.xb5 a5 16.1c3 b8 17.dxe6 fxe6 18.d4 xb3 19.xb3 b4 20.g4 ( How could you resist such a move in a blitz game? Instead he should defend with 20.d2 though Black has obvious compensation for the pawn thanks to his pressure on the queenside.) 20...xc3 21.bxc3 xc3 22.e3 xc2 23.h3 f8 Due to the weakness of f2 White has no time to carry out an attack on the black king. The best he can do is enter a bad endgame, which is no fun against Magnus. 24.xe6+ xe6 25.d4+ e5 26.xc2 c5 27.e1 a8 28.d3+ d4 29.e5 c4 30.f4 dxe5 31.e2+ d5 32.c3+ e6 33.f4 e4 34.f2 c6 35.xe4 a2+ 36.g3 d5 37.f6+ d4 38.e6 xg2+ 39.h4 f3 40.g4 c3 41.d6+ c5 42.d8 xg4+ 43.hxg4 c2 0-1 Kramnik, V (2801)-Carlsen, M (2835)/ Moscow 2012 ] 6.e1 [ Here's another example of how lower rated players can be positionally outplayed as W hite in the Hippopotamus set up: 6.e2 e7 7.c3 0-0 8.a4 d7 9.e1 b6 10.bd2 b7 11.f1 ( White should get his bishop out of harm's way with 11.d3 and then expand on the queenside with 12. b4. ) 11...c5 Already Black has the edge. His bishops are better placed than White's and his centre pawns are more flexible. 12.g3 d5! breaking up the white centre and creating a great post for his knight on d5. 13.exd5 xd5 14.e4 cxd4 15.xd4 c7 16.b3 c5 Now after the exchange on c5 the white knight will lose its post on d4 and B la c k' s b i sh o p o n b 7 wi ll co m e t o l if e . 17.xc5 bxc5 18.f3 f4 19.xf4 xf4 The rest of the game is a demonstration of the superiority of the bishop pair in an open position. 20.c2 ab8 21.ab1 fd8 22.ed1 d5 23.e1 c4 24.d3 c7 25.e3 a2 26.a1 d5 27.ab1 c4 28.b4 b7 29.xd8+ xd8 30.d1 xd1+ 31.xd1 a5 32.a2 d7 33.e2 c6 34.c2 h6 35.f3 White was caught in a neat zugzwang position. The white queen and bishop are tied to the defence of a4 and ( 35.c1 loses to a back rank trick: 746
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e4! when if 36.e2 xc1 ) 35...e3+ 36.h1 xa4! 37.xa4 d2 38.g3 f2 0-1 as mate follows on g2. Mammadov, Z (2453) -Smirnov, P (2626)/ Nakhchivan AZE 2014 ] [ Meanwhile 6.g5 e7 was examined in the archives. ] 6...e7 7.c3 0-0 8.b3 d7 9.bd2 b5 Black takes away the c4 square f rom the white knight and prepares to use his wedge of queenside pawns to fight for the initiative. [ There is also a case for 9...b6 here to avoid creating a target on b5. However a subsequent c7-c5 would then be problematical as White could attack d6 with Nc4 and maybe Bf4. Or W hite could play 10.c4 to deter ...c7-c5, followed by 11.a4 to cement the knight on c4. ] 10.a4 b7! Carunana insists on not being bullied into [ 10...b4 when 11.a5 leaves him with a fixed weak pawn on a6 and White's knight has the c4 square again. ( But not 11.cxb4?! b8 when Black regains the pawn in an advantageous way. )] 11.e2 b8 Still standing his ground on b5. Note that Black avoids 11...c6 as he wants to use his c-pawn actively. Besides, it would shut in the bishop on b7. 12.axb5 axb5 13.h4? I've seen lots of games where players like Michael Adams chip away at the opponent with moves like a2-a4 and h2-h4 after stabilising the position in the centre. Unhappily for Georgiev, the centre isn't fixed here. Caruana is able to focus attention onto the d4 square, after which 13.h4 is seen to be a luxury White can't afford. [ White could try for pressure on the q u e e n s i d e w i t h 13.c2 c5 14.b3!? f o r e xa m p le c4 15.a5 a8 and now 16.b3 or ( 16.g5 probe away at the black position. )] [ But W hite should avoid 13.xb5 xe4 which is a good swap for Black. ] 13...c5 14.h5 c6 15.hxg6 hxg6 The pressure on d4 forces the dislocation of White's centre. 16.d5 [ Black has a fine queenside initiative after 16.dxc5 xc5 17.c2 b4 ] 16...exd5 17.xd5 c4! Creating a base on d3 for a black knight. 18.f1 ce5 19.f4
Exchanging his bishop on e5 makes matters worse, but hardly pleasant for White was [ 19.xe5 xe5 20.e3 d3 ] 19...xd5 20.xe5 dxe5 21.exd5 c5 22.ed1 e4 The combination of a weak pawn on d5, outpost for the black knight on d3 and mobile black e-pawn is too much for White's position to cope with. 23.d4 xd4 24.cxd4 [ W h i t e d r o p s t h e e xc h a n g e o n 24.xd4 b3 ] 24...d3 25.e3 f6 26.b3 xd4 27.bxc4 bxc4 28.a4 b2 29.d2 [ It's hopeless for White after 29.d2 A) when the obvious way for Black to gain material is 29...f4 30.xb2 ( Or 30.xd4 xe2+ 31.f1 xd4 ) 30...xe2+ 31.xe2 though White can fight on for a while. More precise is; B) 29...fb8 after which White has no good move, for example 30.xc4 xd2 31.xd2 b1+ 32.h2 h8+ and mates: 33.g3 e5+ 34.g4 f4+ 35.h3 h1# ] 0-1
738 Ghannoum,Marc Hillarp Persson,Tiger Internacional de Sants [Hillarp Persson & Andy]
B06
2004
This game is from 'Tiger's Modern ' - one of the best opening books I have read for quite some time! 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6!? 5.f3 b5 6.d3 d7 7.e5 c5 8.g5 cxd4 [ To be fair Hillarp Persson points out that 8...h6 is safer than the text and OK for Black e.g. 9.e6 f6 10.dxc5 dxc5 11.e3 xe6 12.xe6 fxe6 13.xc5 d5 and Black has the initiative. ] 9.e6 f5 10.d5 [ 10.exd7+ xd7 11.b1 ( 11.d5 h6; 11.e2 e5 ) 11...e5 12.0-0 e7 ] [ 10.xf5 df6! 11.e4 d5 12.f7 a5 13.xd4 xe6 14.g5 h5 15.e3 xc3+ 16.bxc3 gf6 17.xg6+ hxg6 18.xe6 c8 ] [ 10.f3 dxc3 11.b3 b6 12.c6+ f8 13.f7 d7! 14.xd8 xc6 15.xc6 747
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f6 All as analysed by Hillarp Persson in the book and there is plenty more. Hairraising! ] 10...c5 11.f7 xe6 12.xd8 xd5 'It is not everybody's cup of tea to play a position like this, but 'objectively' I believe I am fine here. I control the centre and my pieces will soon find active squares. On the other hand. W hite f aces a scenario quite opposite from Black's. If only he could get in a2-a4 or exchange a few pieces...... Yeah, try me!' Hillarp Persson 13.0-0 xd8 14.b3 h6 15.e1 [ 15.e1 is a big improvement, according to Persson. ] 15...0-0 16.a4 [ 16.xe7 fe8 17.h4 g4 18.e1 Persson ] 16...bxa4 17.c4 xc4 18.bxc4 g4 19.h3 f6 20.xe7 fe4 21.b2 d7 22.h4 b7 23.a2 fb8 24.a3 b1 25.xc5 xf1+ [ According to Persson 25...f6 26.xf6 xf6 27.xd4 h5 28.xa4 xf4 29.xb1 xb1+ 30.h2 e6 was the best way. ] 26.xf1 dxc5 27.g4 f6 28.e1? White blunders, in my time trouble.....Persson [ 28.g5 b1+ 29.g2 d8 30.xa4 a5 31.a3 c1 32.b3 xc2+ 33.g1 c1+ 34.g2 h5!! 35.b8 a4 36.xd8+ f7 37.d7+ f8 38.d8+ e7 39.g8 f7 40.d8 a3 41.a8 d3 42.a7+ e8 43.a8+ e7 44.a7+= since it's dangerous for Black's King to come to the third rank: d6?! 45.xa3 d2 46.d3+ c6 47.xd2 xd2 48.g3 xc4 49.f3+ b6 50.a8! ] 28...b1 29.xa4 xe1+ 30.xe1 h4+ 31.f1 g3 'Was that too strong for you? W ell, some days I feel that way too. Especially the line beginning 10 exd7+ needs to be taken seriously and I cannot guarantee that White is not capable of improving on my analysis somewhere. It might prove to be lucky that Black has an alternative to 8...cxd4 in the reliable 8...Nh6.' - Hillarp Persson. Anyone interested in or currently playing the Modern should get this book immediately. 0-1
739 Godena,Michele Carlsen,Magnus Claude Pecaut Mem, Taormina (4) [Gary Lane]
B06 2520 2450 2003
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 g6 This is the latest fashion. Black wishes to employ a kingside fianchetto to put pressure on White's pawn centre. 5.f3 g7 6.a3 cxd4 7.b5 [ An important move is 7.c4 which tries to prove that Black has no time for a kingside fianchetto by using his better development to chase the black queen e4+ 8.e3 h6 The players Hamdouchi and Kudrin had a mini match in the contest for the FIDE world championship with this line: ( The natural move 8...f6? fails in spectacular fashion to 9.xf7+ when of course xf7 10.g5+ e8 11.xe4 is game over. ) A) 9.cxd4 0-0 10.0-0 g4 11.xh6 xh6 12.e1 f4 13.xe7 c6 14.xb7 ( 14.e1 allows fd8 with tremendous play. For instance: 15.d5 e5 16.xe5 xf3 17.e1 g4 18.f1 xd5 and Black's pair of bishops are very in f l u e n t i a l) 14...ab8 15.xb8 xb8 16.e2 ( 16.b3 xf3 17.xf3 xf3 18.gxf3 xd4 19.g2 g7 gives Black e n o u g h c o m p e n s a t i o n f o r t h e p a w n) 16...xf3 17.xf3 xd4 18.b3 g7! 19.b1 e5 when the attack on the hpawn means disaster for W hite, Hamdouchi,H-Kudrin,S/Tripoli 2004.; B) 9.b5 B1) 9...0-0 10.d3 g4 11.xh6 xh6 12.c7 it looks like White is easily winning but Black is rather resourceful dxc3 13.bxc3 ( 13.xa8 cxb2 14.b1 xg2 15.g1 h3 16.xb2 f4 is difficult to assess but I prefer Black because White is always going to have problems protecting his king.) 13...xg2 14.g1 h3 15.xa8 f4 16.e2 c6 17.b3 e6 18.a4 h6 ( 18...e5! looks good for Black) 19.h4 xa8 the material level is equal but White's king is stuck in the middle of the board, Hamdouchi, H-Kudrin,S/Tripoli 2004.; B2) 9...a6 10.cxd4 ( 10.bxd4 0-0 748
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 11.0-0 is roughly equal but Black still needs to get his pieces into the game) 10...0-0 11.c3 c6 12.b5 d6 13.0-0 f5 at last Black can stop worrying about the safety of his queen and get his pieces into the game 14.d2 xe3!? a double-edged move because B l a c k d e p r ive s W h i t e o f h i s p a i r o f bishops but at the same time s t r e n g t h e n s t h e d 4 p a w n ( 14...c7 15.f4 d8 16.e5 ) 15.fxe3 c7 16.d3 g4 17.g5 e5 ( 17...f5! l o o k s r i s k y b u t a f t e r 18.c4+ e6 Black is fine) 18.c4 e6?! ( 18...e6 19.ce4 e7 20.xe6 xe6 21.xe6 xe6 is equal ) 19.ce4 e7? ( 19...d8 is necessary to keep an eye on the d-pawn advancing) 20.d5! xd5 ( 20...fd8 21.xe6 fxe6 22.d6 h4 23.d3 is go o d n e ws f o r W h i t e .) 21.xd5 ad8 Under closer examination the pin just doesn't work 22.xe6 fxe6 23.xf8+ xf8 24.xe6+! g7 25.d5 d7 26.d1 c5 27.xc5 c8 28.e6+ 1-0 Hamdouchi,H-Kudrin,S/ Tripoli 2004. ] 7...a6 8.e3 A little sneaky move which is fairly normal in this line so W hite can take back on d4 with the bishop. d7 9.xd4 f6 10.a4 0-0 11.e2 [ 11.xa7 f5 12.e3 c5 13.e2 fd8 14.0-0 g4 offers sufficient compensation for the pawn in view of the active play ] 11...xb5 12.axb5 c5 [ I prefer 12...c7 when play might proceed: 13.xa7 fd8 14.b6 ( 14.b6?! xd1+ 15.xd1 ) 14...xd1+ 15.xd1 xd1+ 16.xd1 cd5 when White might be a pawn up but the bishop on a7 might not move for the rest of the game so Black is better. ] 13.0-0 fd8 14.a3!? The rook covers the b 3 s q u a r e b u t t h e p o si t io n i s e q u a l . f5 15.b1 [ If White does not take heed of the pin on the d-file by playing 15.h3 then fe4 intending ...e7-e5 is roughly equal. ] 15...h5 16.e1 [ Perhaps 16.a2! would cause Black more problems by targeting the a7 pawn. ]
16...e6 17.xa7 Finally, Godena finds time to grab an extra pawn but in return Black has plenty of play. f4 18.f1 d5 [ 18...d7 19.d4 xa3 20.bxa3 h3+ 21.h1 is better for White because Black's attack has run out of steam. ] 19.e3 xa3 20.bxa3 h6 [ Or 20...e5 21.xf4 exf4 22.b3 favours White. ] 21.b4 f5 One has to admire Black's relentless drive to attack but it should not succeed against accurate defence. 22.xe7 g4 23.h4? It seems a ploy to stem the attack by offering to exchange queens but here it allows Black into the game. [ The threat of backrank mate with 23.d4! is a worry for Black: g7 24.xb7 xd4 25.cxd4 with a winning advantage. ] 23...xe3 24.fxe3 h3+! 25.xh3?! I suspect White is still in shock having ruined his winning position so responds poorly. [ 25.h1 xh4 26.xh4 h5 27.f3 f2+ 28.g1 g4 is still a bit better for W h i t e b u t a f e w m o ve s a g o B la c k wa s busted. ] 25...xh3 26.gxh3 xf3 27.g2 xe3 28.xe3 xe3+ 29.f1 Carlsen is a strong player and can easily draw this opposit e coloured bishop ending despite the pawn minus. b6 30.e2 c5 31.a4 f8 32.d3 e7 33.c4 d6 34.d5 f6 35.g8 h6 36.h4 g5 37.hxg5 hxg5 38.h7 g1 39.h3 e5 40.b4 c5+ 41.c4 g1 42.b4 c5+ 43.c4 g1 44.d3 f5 45.b4 c5+ 46.c4 g1 47.b4 c5+ 48.c4 g1 ½-½
740 Godena,Michele Davies,Nigel R Budapest Budapeste (10) [Nigel Davies]
B06
1993
This was the game which brought me my second GM norm, needing a win at all costs I sharpened the play with 10...b5!?. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.ge2 c6 [ I have also played 4...a6 5.a4 and only then ( 5.g3 b5 6.g2 b7 7.0-0 d7 749
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 8.a3 c5 9.e1 b8 10.e3 cxd4 11.xd4 gf6 was fine for Black in Zilberman Davies, Rishon Lezion 1994) 5...c6 but after 6.d5 the problem is that a later ... c7-c6 will weaken the b6 square. I don't know if this is such a great problem, but I prefer to avoid it if possible. ] 5.e3 [ 5.d5 e5 6.f4 d7 7.e3 gf6 8.g3 0-0 9.e2 c6 10.0-0 cxd5 11.exd5 c5 12.f5 a5 13.d2 d7 14.a3 a4 gave Black good counterplay in Klinger Davies, Budapest 1988 ] 5...f6 6.h3 e5 7.dxe5 xe5 8.g3 0-0 9.d2 e8 10.0-0-0 b5! I learned this kind of pawn sacrifice from Leonid Stein's games. There is no clear compensation, the objective is simply to open the b-file 11.xb5 d7 12.e2 [ Godena's original intention had been 12.f4 but then he became concerned about the line xb5 13.fxe5 xe5 14.d4 e7 15.xe5 xe5 with excellent compensation for the exchange. ] 12...b8 13.f4 c6 14.f3 b4 15.a3 b7 16.e5 ab8 17.b3 [ The alternative way to defend b2 is with 17.a4 but then there would follow dxe5 18.fxe5 b5! af t e r wh ich 19.exf6 xf6 20.b3 is met by xe3! 21.xe3 g5 etc. ] 17...dxe5 18.fxe5 xe5 19.ge4 a6! 20.a4? The decisive mistake. [ White had play 20.xf6+ first after which xf6 is forced. ] 20...a5 21.xf6+ xf6! The difference. Black's queen and bishop get lined up on the h8-a1 diagonal and carnage ensues. 22.d4 d6! 23.b1 A despairing attempt to hold things together. [ 23.xe5 is answered by a3+ 24.b1 xb3 ] [ and 23.b1 by xb3 ] 23...xb3! 24.xe5 b6 [ After 24...b6 25.c3 I would have played a3 ] 0-1
741
B06 Gopal,G 2558 Petrosian,TL 2641 21st Abu Dhabi Masters 2014 (9.2) 28.08.2014 [Neil McDonald] 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 5.d2 b5 6.0-0-0 White puts pawns on e4 an d d 4, de ve lop s in d ire ct st yle , ca s tle s queenside and tries to punish Black for his lackadaisical development and his multiple pawn moves. Of course Black's set up is by no means bad, but f ast development and seizing space is not to be laughed at either. b7 [ Instead 6...d7 7.h4 h5 is analysed in Gopal-Smirin in the archives. ] 7.h4!? Not bothering about the potential attack on e4. [ The more careful 7.f3 d7 8.h4 h6 was seen in Nanu-Nevednichy. ] 7...b4 8.d5 xd5 9.exd5 f6 10.h5!? Pressing on with his attack. Here [ 10.xb4 xd5 is a good swap for Black. ] 10...xd5 [ A l t e r n a t i v e l y 10...xh5 11.h6 ( White might consider 11.xb4 here.; After 11.g4 f6 12.h6 f8 the black king h e l p s h o l d t h e k i n g s i d e .) 11...xh6 Black should edge his queen out to activity on the b-file, which also allows his king to e s c a p e t o t h e q u e e n s i d e : ( Note that 11...f6? in the style of the game would lose a piece here to 12.g4 g7 13.g5 ) 12.xh6 c8 13.e2 f6 14.e1 bd7 15.f3 b7 16.h3 b5 17.e3 0-0-0 with unclear play. ] 11.h6 f6 Naturally Black avoids the bishop exchange as he would like to keep the white qu e e n o u t o f h is ki n gsid e d a r k squ a re s . 12.c4 c6 13.f3 d7 14.hxg6 hxg6 15.xd5 cxd5 16.xb4? A significant mistake. After [ 16.g5! in contrast to the game Black wouldn't be able to exchange along the h-file. Therefore he would have to put his rook on a passive square. For example Therefore necessary is A) This attempt to counterattack just loses material after 16...a5? 17.xf6 xh1 18.xh1 xf6 ( 18...exf6 19.e3+ d8 750
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.h8+ ) 19.h8+ d7 20.xa8 xa2 21.a7+ e8 22.h6 a1+ 23.d2 e4+ 24.e2 and White must resign.; B) 16...f8 but then the rook remains shut out of the game giving White the initiative after 17.xb4 b8 18.d2 b6 19.b3 a5 20.de1 etc. ] 16...b8 17.a3 b6 18.e3 xh1! Here Black can saf ely get rid of his roo k rat he r tha n mo ve it t o a p assive squa re . 19.xh1 b5! The queen's potential access to e2 and f1 might be useful in the future. 20.g5! g7! Tigran Petrosian, like his World Championship namesake knows which pieces to exchange, which to keep on the board. He has to maintain a guard on the h8 square. 21.e1 f6 22.d2 [ Bad for White is 22.xd6 xb2+ 23.d2 b4+ 24.xb4 xb4 as he is left with weak pawns. ] 22...e4! The exchange on e4 ensures that Black's centre pawn mass will give him good chances in an endgame. 23.xe4 dxe4 uncovering an attack on g5. 24.e3 f5 Rather than enter an endgame where Black has impressive pawns maybe he should keep the tension with 25.b3 [ 25.g3 to stop f5-f4 or lash out with ] [ 25.g4 ] 25...d5 26.h1 f7 27.xb5 axb5 28.a3 g5 29.xg5? Now Black's centre pawns will advance like an avalanche. He had to hold them back with [ 29.g3 or ] [ 29.c3 when his position remains uncomfortable due to the potential dynamism of Black's pawns, but it should be defensible. ] 29...xd4 30.e3 f6 31.c3 c8 32.d2 e5 33.h7+ e6 34.b7 f4 35.a7 g8 36.b6+ f5 37.xb5 e3+ [ Good enough to win, but simpler was 37...xg2 38.xd5 g5 39.d1 e3 40.fxe3 fxe3 41.xe3 -forced or the pawn promotes- xe3 when the white king is tied down to the first rank making the advance of the e5 pawn straightforward. ] 38.xe3 fxe3+ 39.xe3 xg2 40.xd5 h4 41.d7 [ The f2 pawn is indefensible as if 41.d2 g5+ ]
41...xf2+ 42.f3 h2 43.f7+ e6 44.b7 f5 45.f7+ e6 46.b7 g1 Black finds a way to get his f-pawn rolling by preparing a check on f2. 47.b4 f2+ 48.e4 f4+ 49.d3 e4+ 50.e2 f2+ 51.e1 a2 52.f1 h2 53.h7 e3 54.h3 f4 55.b5 f5 56.b6 g4 57.h8 e2+ 58.f2 g3+ 0-1
742 Gopal,G Smirin,Ilia IND-ISR Match 2012 (10.3) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B06 2572 2657 04.04.2012
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 5.d2 [ 5.h4 immediately is also possible but players generally wait for Black to play ...b5 before going for this - Black can now try f6 preventing h5 is a sensible option 6.e2 h5 and the Bishop is slightly awkwardly placed on e2 ] 5...b5 6.0-0-0 [ Personally I would play 6.h4 immediately and now h6 ( 6...h5 7.f3 d7 8.h3 b7 9.g5 )] 6...d7 7.h4 h5 The problem here is White has a very simple plan of Nh3-g5 now and the knight is very difficult to shift. 8.h3 gf6 [ 8...b7 9.g5 gf6?! 10.e5! is very strong for White because now A) 10...b4 was agreed a draw in Dominguez Perez, L (2719)-Bologan, V (2678) Khanty-Mansiysk 2011 but only because the result sent Dominguez through their knockout match. W hite is basically winning after 11.e2! e4 12.e6! fxe6 ( 12...xd2 13.exf7+ f8 14.f4 is mating ) 13.xb4; B) 10...dxe5 11.dxe5 xe5 ( 11...g4 12.f4 is very unpleasant - Black's pieces a r e p r e t t y b a d l y c o o r d i n a t e d h e r e) 12.xd8+ xd8 13.xd8+ xd8 14.f4 fg4 15.d2 e8 16.fxe5 xe5 and two pawns aren't enough for the piece here. ] [ 8...e6 is a sensible way of playing and now 9.g5 e7 10.b1 b7 11.f3 b6 751
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and Black had reasonable chances in Dominguez Perez, L (2712)-Kamsky, G (2732) Beijing 2011 ] [ 8...b6 also looks like a sensible move but so far it's not been played. I guess play c o u l d c o n t i n u e 9.g5 f6 10.d3 when Black has to be on the lookout for e5e 6 i d e a s s o g4 is a sensible move to consider ] 9.g5 [ 9.e5! is usually the critical test of Black's setup in the positions and now g4 10.e6 fxe6 11.g5 This looks favourable for White ( 11.d3!? ) 11...f8 12.f3! as usual W hite really needs to force the issue in these positions xe3 13.xe3 and Black has real problems unravelling here. ] [ 9.f3 seems a bit slow here for example in Berg, E (2514)-Hillarp Persson, T (2474) Umea 2003 b7 10.g5 0-0 11.f2 b4 12.e2 c5! 13.dxc5 a5 Black managed to get a dangerous attack going bef ore White ] 9...g4 10.f4 White really has to keep hold of this Bishop if he wants any advantage here [ 10.f3 xe3 11.xe3 e5! 12.dxe5 ( 12.d5? h6 i s a w k w a r d) 12...xe5 and Black has at least equalised ] 10...0-0?! After this Black quickly gets into hot water [ 10...c5 is more thematic and now 11.dxc5 ( 11.f3?! cxd4! 12.fxg4 dxc3 13.d5 looks like a winning double-attack but in fact after 0-0 14.xa8 cxb2+ 15.b1 c7 16.d5 b6 followed by Bxg4/Na4 and Black has a serious attack going) 11...xc5 12.f3 e5 with chances for both sides although I quite like Black's position with the strong Bishop on g7 ] 11.f3 gf6?! The game was played at a rapid time-limit so this accounts for a lot of the mistakes - but still it's important to see how quickly a strong player gets into trouble in these lines as Black - I've never really seen the attraction of this way of playing for Black especially against a well-prepared player. [ 11...h6 was relatively best but White is still much better after 12.h3 h7 13.g4 hxg4 14.g5+ ( 14.h5!? i s a l s o d a n g e r o u s) 14...g8 15.h5
and Black is under severe pressure ] 12.e5! Obvious and strong b4 [ 12...h7 13.e6 wins at least an exchange ] 13.b1?! This keeps a clear edge but it's not best [ 13.e2 is more logical with a very strong attack after d5 14.e6 7b6 ( 14...7f6 15.exf7+ h8 16.e3 ) 15.exf7+ h8 16.g4! with what should be a winning attack (and extra pawn) ] 13...d5 14.e6 7b6 15.exf7+ h8 16.g4 [ 16.e1! keeps more control - Black doesn't even have ..e5 with counterplay now ] 16...e5 17.g3 exd4 18.d3?! [ 18.d3! f6 19.d2 bringing the knight to the centre and threatening gxh5 ( not 19.gxh5? f5! )] 18...e3 Now Black is doing OK again although with limited time and a very complex position it's not surprising the rest of the game contains many more mistakes. 19.xg6 d3?! Aggressive but inaccurate [ 19...hxg4! 20.fxg4 xg4 would've kept the game about equal and very unclear ] 20.xd3 bc4 21.c3 hxg4 22.fxg4 xg4 23.df1! [ 23.de1 should also win after bxc3 24.b3! c2 25.c3 and White is winning a piece ] 23...bxc3 24.xc3 d7 [ 24...b8 25.h2 and White has everything covered ] 25.f4 c6 26.e1 White has managed to just about keep control and now Black tries one final trick.... xb2!? 27.xe3 [ 27.xb2?? ab8+ wins ] 27...xc3 28.c2 h5 29.e6! Now White just needs to check on h6 and it's all over g6 30.f2?? A tragic blunder, Gopal finds one of the few rook moves that doesn't win and in fact allows a winning tactic for Smirin [ 30.c4! was the cleanest win - the Queen i s l o s t a s a f t e r xc4 31.h6+ h7 32.xh7# perhaps White forgot about the Bishop on c2 covering h7? ] 30...d3+! 31.d1 [ 31.xd3 d4+ 32.c2 xe3+ picks up the Queen with check ] 31...xf2+ 32.xf2 [ 32.xf2 xf7 and White has nothing ] 32...xc2+ 33.c1 h7 34.d1 a4+ 752
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 35.e2 c4+ 36.d1 xf7 37.h1 I suspect White lost on time here although of course it's time to resign in any case 0-1
743 Gordon,Stephen J Martin,Andrew D 4NCL West Bromwich [Andrew Martin]
B06
09.04.2005
Another tale from the 4 NCL.... 1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.e3 Quite an unusual move but there is nothing wrong with it. W hite deliberately delays Nc3 giving himself the option of c2-c4 should a good opportunity arise. I had to slow down and try to find a good plan. d6 [ The first ( and obvious) line to be considered is 3...c5 4.c3 b6 5.d2 I stared at this position f or a while and d e c id e d t h a t t h is wa sn 't t h e righ t wa y. White's centre is securely protected. ] [ 3...d5! attracted more and I think this is wh at I 'll p la y ne xt time . Th e p oint is t o expose the position of the Bishop on e3. Thus 4.e5 ( 4.exd5 xd5 5.c3 f6 seems quite OK too.) 4...h6! is logical, with .. .c7-c5 to come. But I guess in the end I wa n t e d t o s t i c k wi t h t h e s p i r i t o f t h e Modern and besides, I was happy to take on the Nc3, Be3, Qd2, Nf3 stuff. ] 4.f3 a6 Elastic. Black is waiting for Nc3. 5.d2 c6! There is no need to be too passive. Black intends to play ... e7-e5 and why not! 6.e2 e5 7.d5 [ 7.bc3 f6 is just fine for Black, who will answer 8.0-0-0 with the cold-blooded 0-0 ] 7...ce7 8.c4 So, the critical moment. We go into a King's Indian-type position where Black has to be ve ry caref u l n ot to slip into a n in f e rio r ve rs io n of t h e Classical syst e m . Importantly, he must not make any premature kingside commitments whilst the White King can still go long. f5! However, it's important to put pressure on e4. This does not contradict the last remark, because it's ...f5-f4 that really gums up the works. 9.bc3 f6 10.h3 0-0 11.g4 h8 'In this type of position one always has to consider the fate on the Knight on e7. Thus 11..Kh8! is a good, flexible move, not
only removing the King from any danger on the g file, but also preparing...Neg8, should the need arise. I am very happy with th e Black position here. He has enough space to play with and there's also ...c6 and ... b5 if White castles long. 12.0-0-0 b5! Or maybe even straightaway! W e now see the usefulness of hitting e4. 13.cxb5 [ 13.gxf5 gxf5 14.g1 f4 15.f2 bxc4 leaves White in a bit of a mess. ] 13...axb5 14.a3 [ I expected 14.b4 which I felt was more or less necessary. However d7! 15.gxf5 gxf5 16.g1 f4 17.f2 b8 quite clearly gives Black superior chances, thanks to his safer King. In the game Gordon seems right offcolour and permits Black to muster a crushing attack. ] 14...d7 15.g5 h5 16.g1 b4! Opening up lines is par for the course. 17.axb4 [ 17.b1 bxa3 18.xa3 b8 19.c3 f4 is t oo disgusting f o r word s bu t t he text move might even be worse! ] 17...b8 18.b5 fxe4! When one is ready to commence a direct attack it is very important to bring as many units into play as possible. I couldn't exactly see when and now, but I felt that the options of ...Rxf1 and/or ...Nf4 could be useful at a later stage ( if White survived that long.) 19.fxe4 xb5 20.xb5 xb5 21.c3 b4 No ...Rxf1 then, but the latter idea is put into immediate effect. 22.e2 f4 23.c2 c6! [ 23...fb8 was the original intention, but with White's Queen and King on the same file 23...c6 is much stronger. I think White's lost now. ] 24.h4 cxd5 25.h5 xe2+ 26.xe2 fc8-+ 27.d2 d4 28.h6 dxc3 29.hxg7+ xg7 30.xc3 xc3+ 31.bxc3 xc3+ 32.c2 a1# White's opening idea of delaying Nc3 certainly has merit and Black must beware an unfavourable transposition back into a poor King's Indian. However, with flexible play as displayed here, he should emerge from the opening in good shape. 0-1
753
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 seem playable here and he won't have to B06 worry being wiped off the board as Gormally,Daniel 2479 happened in our main game. ] Shoker,Samy 2485 Uxbridge Int Alekhine (1) 13.02.2010 7.f4 h5 This is suggested as possible in the book but I find it hard to believe. True, Black [Gawain Jones] now has the g4 square to use, but playing so 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 provocatively is really encouraging White to attack you immediately! 8.f3 h6 5.d2 d7 [ 8...e5 was played in Van den Doel, E[ 5...b5 is similar to the Kramnik game seen Rudolf, H Bundesliga 2003 which was a next but with Nf6 played instead of Bg7. disaster for the second player after 9.dxe5 Tiger prefers the game continuation in his dxe5 10.0-0-0 exf4 11.xf4 e7 12.e5 book but we've had a few high recent games 0-0 13.e6 fxe6 14.c4 was already pretty in this line and so I thought we should have disgusting. ] a look. 6.a4 ( 6.d3 f6 I wonder if Black should delay this with either 6...Nd7 or 6... 9.0-0-0 If I'm to be fair I have to say that Black Bb7. 7.a4 b4 8.ce2 a5 9.h6 0-0 10.h4 is far from lost here. However, playing this e5 11.h5 xh5 12.f3 c6 13.g4 f4 position I would be very scared of either an e514.xg7 xg7 15.xf4 exf4 was Bauer, C- e6 break or f4-f5 while his counterplay has yet Todorov, T Vandoeuvre 2010 when the to start. b5 10.d3 g4 11.e5 This move simple 16.xf4 would have given White a has to be carefully judged. On the positive great position.) 6...b4 7.ce2 ( 7.d1 side it hems in the bishop on g7 and opens up was seen in a note to the previous game.) the d3 bishop towards g6 with dangerous e57...a5 8.g3 c6!? ( Tiger only considers e6 threats. On the other hand Black now has 8...d7 ) 9.f3 h5 10.d3 g4 11.g5 the light squares, d5 and f5 and if he can h6 12.h3 c8 looks suspiciously slow for successfully coordinate his pieces then White 12.hf1 Bla ck . Th e ga me progre ssed wit h 13.c3 wi l l f e e l o ve r- e xt e n d e d . b6 bxc3 14.bxc3 d5 15.e5 h4 16.e2 f5 I don't think this is accurate as he doesn't 17.f4 a6 18.0-0 c7 19.ab1 f6?! manage to push f5 through. [ 12.g5 would delay moving the h1 rook It's hard to see how to create counterplay until we know where it's best placed. ] so maybe Black had to sit still as this just worsens his position. 20.f3 e6 21.c2 12...d5 [ 12...f5!? is a typical way to slow White's 0-0 22.xf5 gxf5 23.xh4 was terrible for attack with the neat idea 13.xf5 c4!? Black. Zhigalko, S-Tseshkovsky, V Tashkent ( T h e s im p l e 13...gxf5 is also playable) 2010. ] 14.d3 gxe3 15.xg6 fxg6 16.xg6+ 6.h4! This is supposed to be the most critical d7 17.xg7 g8 18.xg8 axg8 test of Black's opening and given an 19.g1 xd1 20.xd1 with dynamic exclamation mark by both Tiger in his book equality as they say. ] and by John in the archives. e6 This gives the bishop on c8 no [ Normally 6.f3 is played first but then after 13.g5 future. b5 7.h4 h6 could be played ] [ 13...c4 14.xc4 bxc4 and I actually start 6...h6 I don't like this at all, it seems far too to favour Black. He's starting to get slow p re ssu r e d o wn t h e b f ile a n d h a s t o t a l [ 6...h5 immediately is more prudent. Tiger's control over the light squares. You can see mainline runs 7.h3 b5 8.g5 c6! 9.a4 why I said e4-e5 was double-edged. ] b7 10.e2 gf6 11.f3 0-0 12.0-0 f8 15.d1 c4 16.e2 when he considers that e6!? might be 14.de1 Black's best 13.d1 b6 14.axb5 axb5 Gormally has managed to defend the bishop 15.xa8 xa8 16.b3 bd7 17.f2 on e3 so that he doesn't have to give up his giving the resulting position as unclear. I light squared bishop. c5 17.dxc5 gxe3 [ 17...a5!? is more accurate not allowing understand that Black doesn't want to cede White his attack. ] control of g5, but at least the positions 744
754
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18.xe3 xc5 It looks like Black is starting to t a k e o ve r s o i t ' s t i m e f o r W h i t e t o f o rc e through his attack. 19.xc4 bxc4 20.f5! It comes later than expected but now White uses his development advantage to crash through. Significant sacrificed material is required. xe3+ [ 20...gxf5 21.xf5! White has to keep up his aggression. exf5 22.e6 f6 23.exf7+ f8 When the cool 24.d1! looks great for W hite. He has dual threats of Re8+ and Qxd5 while e7 25.xe7 xe7 26.xd5! b8 27.e1+ f8 28.e8+ g7 29.g8+ mates ] 21.xe3 gxf5 22.xf5! More fuel on the fire. White has to open Black's position at any cost o r h e will h a ve n o co m p e n s a t io n f o r t h e sacrificed pawn. exf5 23.e6 f6 [ 23...fxe6 24.xe6 A) 24...xe6 25.xe6+ and Black loses too much material to stave off mate. f8 26.xf5+ g7 27.e6 h6 28.e5+ h7 ( 28...f6 29.e7+ i s s i m i l a r) 29.e7+ xe7 30.xe7+ when the queen picks up all the loose pawns.; B) 24...f6! is a very brave way of playing for Black but maybe White has no more than to win back the material. 25.c7+ f7 26.xa8 regaining material equality when I favour W hite with Black's loose king position. ] [ 23...f6 24.exf7+ d7 25.e6! puts Black in all kinds of problems. ( 25.e8+ d6 isn't so clear.) 25...b8 ( 25...xf7 26.b6! with no defence to 27. Nc5 mate or at least picking up the queen.) 26.c3 c6 ( 26...xf7 27.e5!+- ) 27.f8 xf8 28.c5+ b7 29.xf8 and material's level but Black's king still hasn't f o un d safety. ( In fact 29.xf8 is also possible as Black's pawns are all stuck on vulnerable squares. )] 24.f7 a5 25.xh8 Danny has regained the sacrificed rook and still has a decisive i n i t i a t i v e f4 26.e2 f3 27.gxf3 Black temporarily closes up the d1-h5 diagonal to stop the queen infiltrating but now Black is even material down. b7 [ 27...xa2 28.g2! a1+ 29.d2 a5+ 30.c3 would also be time to resign. ] 28.e7 d4 29.f7 d5 30.d8 d3 31.d2
[ I'd be tempted to go for 31.g2 forcing d2+ t o p r e v e n t 3 2 . Q g 6 + 32.xd2 xd2+ 33.xd2 xf3 34.e6+Everything is winning by this point though. ] 31...c3 32.bxc3 dxc2 33.xc2 f5 34.a4+ An enjoyable game to annotate but not to play on the Black side. However his position was playable had he not allowed the f5 break. Nonetheless, I don't like 6...h6 and think the positions are easier for White to play as Black has to be constantly on the lookout for this type of sacrificial attack. 1-0
745 Greet,Andrew Conquest,Stuart 92nd ch Douglas IOM (8) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2425 2503 09.08.2005
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6! 5.f3 It seems to me that many, many players are churning out this stuff EXPECTING an opening advantage. Tiger Hillerp Persson's excellent new book on the Modern should help to dispel those illusions as well as my own upcoming book on the Hippo. Black is in good shape after 4 Be3 and 5 Nf3. d7 6.c4 F r e d R e i n f e l d w o u l d h a v e a p p r o v e d . e6 Of course! Black shuts down the Bishop. 7.a4 b6 8.0-0 e7 I suppose th ere are various scenarios where Black might benefit from leaving his Bishop on c8. I'm thinking of a variation where White plays d4-d5, Black ...e6e5 in response and then the Bishop is in pole position to support ...f7-f5! But such lines are rare White doesn't hurry to close the centre [ 8...b7 is of course, natural and probably makes little difference at this stage: A) 9.d2 h6! An absolutely key move, preventing both Bg5, disrupting, and Bh6 a t a n y s t a g e . 10.e1 df6 D e n yi n g W h i t e f 2 - f 4 a n d e g g i n g h i m forward in the centre. 11.f3 ( 11.d5 e5 12.h3 e7 13.d3 g5 ) 11...d5 12.exd5 exd5 13.b3 e7 14.e2 f5 15.f4 g5 16.e5 0-0 17.c3 Dirr, U-Thiede, L/ Germany 2004 and now e8 gives Black a perfectly playable position.; 755
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B) 9.e1 gf6 10.f4 0-0 11.f1 e8 12.g3 c5 13.xd6 cxd4 14.xd4 c5 I daresay both players were happy with this result it certainly looks that way! ] 9.d2 h6 10.h3 b7 11.fe1 f6 I was commentating live at the British Championships on the game and it became clear at this point that Greet didn't have the faintest idea what to do. White has arranged his pieces in the usual pretty picture but what next? Seeing this and other similar games it's clear to me that W hite has real problems placing his Bishops correctly against the Hippo this is the key opening problem to solve. 12.f4 g5 13.h2 [ 13.g3 would have least have saved a little time, but you could not say that the position is at all clear: g6 14.d5 e5 15.a5 b5 16.d3 h5 ( 16...g4 17.hxg4 c8! ) 17.h2 hf4 ] 13...g4 Why not? Black takes the initiative. 14.hxg4 xg4 15.g3 g6 16.h2 h5! A strong move and distinctly annoying for Greet who finds himself on the back foot with the White pieces after only 16 moves! What advice can one offer apart from try to sit tight! 17.ad1 [ 17.xg4 hxg4 18.ad1 h7! gives Black all the chances. ] 17...f8?! This one was a shock to the audience a move which nobody could understand and particularly when Black has a very promising alternative: [ 17...h4! 18.xg4 ( 18.xd6 xf2! 19.xf2 cxd6 20.f1 c7 ) 18...hxg3 19.fxg3 c5! White creaks on the dark squares. ] 18.e2 [ 18.xg4 hxg4 19.e2 h6 20.d3 g5 de mo n st ra t es t h at B lack is st ill f u lly in charge of the initiative. ] 18...g5 19.f3 e7 20.h2 f6 21.f1 h4 Vast amounts of time were being eaten up over these moves clear evidence that Hippo position are sometimes difficult to play. White has problems: his King is in the firing line! 22.h2 h6 23.f3 h7 24.h5 f6 25.f3 g7 26.h3 Greet recognises that all he can do is not to weaken his position and wait for Black. ag8 27.d5 e5 [ 27...c8 28.dxe6 xe6 29.xe6 xe6
is not quite as accurate. With the exchange of queens comes relief for White. ] 28.e3 xe3 29.fxe3 Sacrificing the exchange to try and get a bit of counterplay. [ 29.xe3 c8! leaves the Queen with no squares. ] [ After 29.xe3 g4 30.h3 G r e e t p r o b a b l y f o u n d ( 30.f3 c8 ) 30...c8 unattractive. He's worse, he's defending and he's got no time . ] 29...c8 30.f3 g4 31.f1 xd1 32.xd1 a5 [ I daresay with more time Conquest would have settled for 32...xe4 33.xa6 g5 ] 33.f2 f8 34.e2 g7 35.f3 d7 36.b3 h3 The concentration of force against the White King is considerable. In every respect 36...h3 is the correct move. 37.g3 h4 38.e2 [ 38.h1 e7 39.xh3 g6 40.g2 gh7-+ ] 38...xf3+ 39.xf3 h6 40.c4 e7 41.f1 g4-+ 42.xg4 xg4 43.e2 f6 44.h1 gg6 45.f1 g4+ 46.d3 xf1 47.xf1 f6 48.e2 f3 49.e1 f5 0-1
746 Hansen,Per Hillarp Persson,Tiger 6th Gibtelecom Masters (3) [John Watson]
B06 2108 2535 24.01.2008
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.f3 b5 6.d3 d7 7.e5 c5 8.e4 b8 9.g5 h6 10.xf7? This is self-destructive. A much more interesting move is [ 10.e6 , wh e n a p o ssib le lin e is f6 ( 10...fxe6?? 11.xe6 a5 12.xg7+ f7 13.h5! ) 11.c6+ f8 12.exf7 xf7 ( 12...cxd4 13.d5!? is fairly crazy) 13.dxc5 ( 13.d5!? ) 13...h6 14.xf7 xf7 15.e2 ] 10...xf7 11.e6 cxd4 12.exf7+ [ 12.exd7+ xd7 13.e2 b6 14.g3 0-0 15.0-0 bc8 with an extra centre pawn and superior position. The game is similar. ] 12...xf7 13.d5 c5 14.f3 e6 15.b4 d7 16.0-0 f8 17.b1 g8 18.c3 e5 19.c6 xc6 20.xc6 dxc3 21.bxc3 h8 22.h1 c8 23.d5 a4 24.d2 exf4 756
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 This is pretty bad for White - the rest is not 4...h5 easy, because Black allows opposite[ 4...d5!? coloured bishops, but it's probably always A) 5.e5 has been tried here but it doesn't under control. 25.b7 xc3 26.xc3 xc3 make much sense to me as Black got a 27.xa6 f3 28.b7 fxg2+ 29.xg2 c5 very comfortable game after c5! 6.dxc5 30.d3 xf1+ 31.xf1 e5 32.h3 g7 d4 7.a4 a5+ 8.c3 dxc3 ( 8...d7!? 33.e6 c7 34.d5 e7 35.g4 c7 9.b6 dxc3 was also worth considering) 36.e6 b4 37.h3 g5 38.f3 c8 9.bxc3? ( 9.xc3 was more sensible but I 39.h3 c7 40.f3 f6 41.b3 c1 still think Black has the more pleasant 42.d1 h5 43.f1 xd1 44.xd1 f4 position after c6 ) 9...d7 and White 45.e2 e5 46.c4 g5 47.b3 g4 48.d5 was already in a lot of trouble in Cao Sang h6 49.e4 g5 50.d5 h4 51.e4 c1+ (2488)-Bauer, C (2629)/Dresden GER 0-1 2007; B) 5.xd5 c6 6.e3 xd4 7.xd4 xd4 was played by Chernyshov back in 747 B06 2003 against Motylev and is examined by Andrew Martin in the archives. ] Harutjunyan,G 2455 Chernyshov,Konstantin 2561 5.f3 [ 5.g5!? was tried in another recent game 28th Cappelle Open (2) 04.03.2012 but it seems a shame to me to take a square [Tom Rendle] t h e k n i g h t s e e m s b e t t e r s u i t e d t o b5 ( 5...f6 looks better as White gains nothing 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 a6 I quite like this with 6.e5 g4 7.e2 c6 8.0-0-0 d5 move, delaying playing d6 and waiting to see and the position is fairly balanced.) 6.a4 b4 what setup White employs 4.h4 7.d5 b7!? ( 7...a5 looks too slow and [ 4.e3 b5 5.d2 was examined by after 8.f3 c6 9.f4 f6 10.d3 Gawain in Tirard, H-Bauer, C ] and Black is lacking any control over the [ 4.a4 is a quieter approach from White and centre ) 8.c4 f6 9.f3 and White had a may keep a minimal edge, for example d6 dangerous initiative in the game Babujian, ( 4...d5!? 5.xd5 e6 is still an option for L (2474)-Minasian, A (2525)/Yerevan ARM Black ) 5.e3 f6 for example see Meijers2012 although Black eventually went on to Kengis in the archives ] win a topsy-turvy encounter. ] [ 4.f4 is quite an aggressive way to meet 3... a6 and now d5!? is an interesting idea that 5...d6 [ 5...b5 was played by Chernyshov was p la ye d a co up le o f time s la st yea r previously and looks to be more in the spirit 5.xd5 e6 6.c3 ( or 6.e3 xd4 7.d3 of 3...a6. However perhaps he didn't fancy c6 8.f3 c5 9.c4 f6 10.e3 e7 meeting an improvement after 6.a4 b4 with chances for both sides in Gabuzyan, H 7.d5 b7 8.c4 ( 8.f4!? d6 9.xb4 (2394)-Minasian, A (2558)/Jermuk ARM xe4 10.g5 b7 11.c4 2011 ) 6...xd4 7.f3 this looks too is one dangerous line that he might've been a m b i t i o u s t o m e ( 7.xd4 is probably a trying to a void) 8...e6 9.xb4 xe4 more circumspect way to play as W hite which was perhaps a little better for White keeps a minimal edge after xd4 8.d2 in Voitsekhovsky, S (2503)-Chernyshov, K c6 9.f3 a7 10.0-0-0 ) 7...c6 8.ge2 (2567)/Voronezh RUS 2007 ] b6 9.d2?! ( 9.a3 ge7 is only a tiny bit I must confess that I quite like these b e t t e r f o r B l a c k a s W h i t e s t i l l h a s 6.g5 problems getting castled.) 9...xb2 10.d1 lines where W hite gets a knight to g5 as it w a s p l a y e d i n S v e s h n i k o v , V ( 2 4 0 7 ) - a lwa ys se e m s t o gu a ra n t e e ch a n c e s f o r Fedorchuk, S (2618)/Presolana ITA 2011 Kingside play - however it's probably just and now ge7! would've left White personal taste. f6 [ 6...c6 was tried in a previous game and struggling to show any compensation for the then 7.e3 e5 8.dxe5 xe5 ( 8...dxe5?? pawn. ] 757
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.xd8+ xd8 10.d5 would be something of a disaster) 9.d2 f6 10.h3 e6 11.f4 f7 12.f3 e7 and here the simple 13.0-0-0 would've given White an excellent position in Karpatchev, A (2477)Kondenko, A (2254)/Novgorod RUS 1999 ] 7.c4 0-0 8.f4 b5 9.b3 The Bishop is excellently placed here and, as we shall see, Black has to be very wary of problems down the a2-g8 diagonal. b4 [ 9...e6 attempting to block the diagonal and play a position similar to a Hippo would've been more sensible. A possible continuation would be 10.0-0 b7 11.d3 bd7 12.ad1 b4 13.e2 e7 14.a3!? and I slightly prefer W hite here although Black's position is solid. ] 10.e2 b7 11.d3 a5? Black's sense of danger seems to have deserted him [ 11...e6 Chernyshov really should've taken time out to blunt the Bishop although White is better after 12.f3 ] 12.e5! dxe5 [ 12...d5 is no better as after 13.e6 f5 14.xd5! xd5 15.e3 Nf4 is coming and Black's position is deeply unpleasant. ] 13.xe5 d5 [ 13...e6 14.f4 d5 transposes to the note below ] 14.f4 c6? After this Black is simply lost [ 14...e6! was the only chance and now W hite has a lot of tempting options but I don't see a convincing win. Perhaps best is 15.xd5 exd5 16.g4!? with a strong attack. The pawn shouldn't be taken as after hxg4 ( 16...bd7! 17.gxh5 e7 is a better try but it doesn't look great for Black) 17.h5! fd7 18.xg7 xg5 19.e3! White is winning because the Bishop is immune from capture as xg7 20.e6+ wins the Queen ] 15.xd5 cxd5 16.g4! Already Black has no defence c6 [ f or example 16...bd7 17.gxh5 xh5 18.xg6! fxg6 19.xg6 df6 20.xf6 xf6 ( 20...xf6? 21.e6 wins ) 21.h7+ f8 22.xh5 and White is two pawns up with an attack ] 17.gxh5 xe5 18.dxe5 e4 What else? 19.hxg6 f6 [ 19...xg5 20.hxg5 fxg6 21.xg6 is also easily winning for White ]
20.xe4 dxe4 21.c4+ h8 22.e2 A crushing victory for White but Black players need not despair: early d5 deviations as well as Hippo structures involving an early ..e6 both give reasonable chances. 1-0
748 Hector,Jonny Gurevich,Mikhail Mariehamn Mariehamn (Sweden) (2) [Nigel Davies]
B06
1997
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 d5 5.e5 h5 6.e3 h6 [ After 6...b6 White should choose between 7.Na4 and 7.Rb1, as after 7.d2 xb2 8.b1 a3 9.d3 h6 10.ge2 e6 he did not have enough for the pawn in Edelman - Chernin, USA 1990 ] 7.d2 g4 'Winning' the two bishops, not that it's so important in such a position. White can argue that his dark-square bishop is 'bad'. 8.d1 [ In Marusenko - McNab, London 1993, W h i t e p l a y e d t h e c o m m i t t a l 8.0-0-0 and after xe3 9.xe3 g4 10.f3 e6 11.g3 a5 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 b4 14.b1 xc3 15.xc3 xc3 16.bxc3 d7 Black was certainly no worse. ] 8...f5 9.f3 xe3 10.xe3 e6 11.e2 b6 12.0-0 c5 13.a4 [ W h i t e wa s p r o b a b l y t e m p t e d b y 13.c4 but then cxd4 14.xf5 gxf5 leaves him no time for 15.cxd5 because of d3+ ] 13...cxd4 14.xd4 c5 15.b5+ f8 16.a5 c7 17.exf5 gxf5 18.b4 xd4+ 19.xd4 g7 20.a3 h4 21.c3 e7 22.g4 hxg3 [ And not 22...fxg4 b e c a u s e o f 23.f5 . Also after Gurevich's move it looks as if White has a strong initiative. ] 23.xg3+ f8 24.ff3 c6 25.xc6 bxc6 26.h3 g8+ 27.fg3 xg3+ 28.xg3 b8 29.c3 c5 The thematic counterplay comes at last. What follows looks like a ferocious time scramble, with White trying to give mate and Bla ck' s kin g h e a d in g f o r t h e h ills . 30.f2 cxb4 31.h3 c7 32.h4 bxc3 33.h8+ e7 34.f6+ e8 35.h8+ d7 758
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 You need nerves of steel to play like this! 36.xf7+ c6 37.xe6+ c5 38.xb8 xb8 39.xf5 b2 40.c8+ b4 There's nothing to be done about the advance of Black's c-pawn. 0-1
749 Howell,David Aronian,Levon Schachbundesliga 2011-12 (9) [Tom Rendle]
B06 2633 2807 05.02.2012
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.c4!? f6 5.e2 This strikes me as quite a straightforward way to play as White - the idea is to establish a pawn on e5 early on without allo win g t he s wap o f Qu e e n s t h a t wo u ld otherwise occur after dxe5 dxe5. It's interesting to see how the world no. 2 responds. 0-0 6.e5 [ 6.0-0 is perhaps a safer way to play for a small edge and now e5 ( 6...g4!? ) 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.d1 e7 9.b3 was featured in a top-level rapid game between Topalov and Mamedyarov in the archives. ] 6...dxe5 7.dxe5 d5 8.h3 [ 8.0-0! looks like a more critical test of Black's setup - the question is does White have to be afraid of Bg4 - I think the answer is 'not really'. g4 ( 8...c6 9.h3 e6 10.g5 c8 was played in Sax-Palkovi and now 11.b3 is slightly better for White) 9.bd2 b6 10.h3 ( 10.b3 c6 11.e6 f5 with chances for both sides in Schlosser, P (2511)-Bologan, V (2684)/Mulhouse FRA 2001 ) 10...xc4 11.hxg4! xd2 12.xd2 c6 13.c3 d5 14.fd1 c5 15.d7 and White was on top and went on to win in the game Hernandez, H (2473) -Arencibia, W (2516)/Yucatan MEX 2004 ] 8...e6 [ 8...b6 is Black's main alternative and now A) 9.e6!? xc4 10.exf7+ h8?! ( 10...xf7 is an obvious improvement 11.xc4 h6! and I think Black's two Bishops and lead in development are enough for equality here) 11.xc4 c6 12.0-0 was better for White in Hebden, M (2556)-Mangione, C (2087)/Leicester ENG
2010; B) 9.b3 B1) 9...a5 has been tried a couple of times but I think White should be better after 10.e6 ( 10.a4!? ) 10...xe6 11.xe6 fxe6 12.xe6+ h8 13.0-0 although the advantage is only small; B2) 9...c6 10.0-0 ( 10.c3 looks like a possible improvement to me, for example d4 11.xd4 xd4 12.f4 e6 13.e3 d7 14.0-0 was better for W hite in the games Tesik, C (2275)Szablowski, P (2340)/ Budapest HUN 2011 and Enders, P (2485)-Huss, R ( 2 2 2 0 ) / B a d Z w e s t e n G E R 1 9 9 9) 10...d4 11.xd4 xd4 with balanced chances was covered by Rowson in the game Tregubov-McShane ] 9.0-0 d7 10.d2 a5 The first new move comes from Aronian [ 10...c6 looks quite reasonable for Black e. g. 11.e1 ( 11.c3!? c7 12.fe1 is interesting but hardly a problem for Black) 11...a5 12.c3 7b6 13.xd5 xd5 ( 13...cxd5= is more solid) 14.e4 c7 and Black was doing f ine in Riordan, C (2270)-Ivanov, A (2565)/Foxwoods USA 2007 ] 11.c3 7b6 After this White seems to get some advantage [ 11...c6 might be an improvement but then I don't see any reason not to have played it on move 10. Now White can try for an edge with 12.ad1 a4 13.a3 c7 14.fe1 a n d t h e p a wn o n e 5 i s s t i l l r e s t r i c t i n g Black's game somewhat ] 12.xd5! David correctly judges that giving up the B isho p pa ir is the way t o play f or a n advantage [ after 12.xd5 xc4 13.f4 xd2 14.xd2 f5 15.f3 c6 Black has comfortably equalised ] 12...xd5 [ 12...xd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.b3! fd8 15.ad1 c6 16.c4 and White has a nice space advantage and the Bishop on g7 is still a problem for Black ] 13.e4 I think the opening has been something of a success for Howell, especially against such an illustrious opponent. Aronian now does his best to cause complications and 759
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 in f act his next move of f ers a p awn . b4 14.xb4 Which David decides to grab [ perhaps a safer option would be to leave the pawn along and attempt to keep a slight edge with 14.ad1 c8 ( 14...xa2?! is far too greedy because after 15.h6 c8 16.xg7 xg7 17.c5 b4 18.d4 W h i t e h a s a ve r y s t r o n g i n i t i a t i v e a n d Black's pieces are rather uncoordinated) 15.a3 d5 ( not 15...xc2?? 16.d3 a n d t h e k n ig h t is t ra p p e d) 16.g5!? and with c4 coming Black would have some tricky problems to solve ] 14...axb4 15.fd1 c8 16.b5 c6 17.xb4 d5 I would guess this was the position Black envisaged when he decided to sacrifice the pawn with 13...Nb4. My feeling is that White should be better but it's no longer so easy to suggest a plan and David has definitely lost some of his earlier control. Still, a pawn is a pawn..... 18.ed2?! [ 18.e1! was perhaps the critical test of the sacrifice and now there are a few options f5 was probably Aronian's intention and now ( 18...c5!? 19.xc5 xc5 20.xc5 fc8 21.b4 e6 and Black is following up with Bf8 - still I hardly believe White isn't a little better here after 22.c4 xf3 23.gxf3; 18...c7 19.c4 xe4 20.xe4 is clearly better for White) 19.xe7! ( 19.a4 is safer ) 19...xe4 ( 19...fe8 20.h4 xe5 21.xe5 xe5 22.f6+ g7 23.xd5 xd5 24.e2 and Black's central control is not worth a pawn) 20.d4 perhaps this move was missed xe5 ( 20...f4 21.g3 and Black will have to take on e5 anyway) 21.xe5 xe5 22.xe4 f6 23.c3 a4 and I guess Black should hold a draw but only White can be pressing here ] 18...c7 19.c4 [ maybe it was time to offer the return of the pawn with 19.a4 a n d n o w a f t e r xe5 ( 19...fd8!? keeps compensation) 20.xe5 xe5 21.c4 e6 22.f3! c7 23.e1 I prefer W hite as Black is a bit tied down and Black is missing his fianchettoed Bishop ] 19...c5! 20.b5 e6 Now Aronian seems to have equalised although to David's credit he fights hard and only starts to get outplayed around the time-control on move 40. 21.e4
a5 22.b3 b5! [ 22...xe5 also wins the pawn but again Black is loathe to swap off his dark-squared Bishop 23.xe5 xe5 24.c3 is perhaps a little better for White ] 23.e3 bxc4 24.c3 h6 Cutting out any Ng5 ideas White might've had 25.d2 b8 26.ad1 c8 27.e4 a7 28.a3 f8 Perhaps preparing Rb7 without allowing Rd8+ [ 28...b7 29.d8+ h7 30.xc8 xc8 31.d8!? c7 32.d2 just looks equal (White would be better but I see no plan at all to improve the position) ] 29.d5 [ 29.e2!? looks like a reasonable alternative and now after b3 30.h4 White is actually threatening to do something! b7 31.c2 and if Black isn't happy to repeat with Qb3 then I think White has some edge here as both Nf4 and f2-f4 are possibilities ] 29...b3 30.c3 David is happy to offer a repetition and ask Aronian to come up with a plan f5 Aronian declines the repetition but objectively after this White is better 31.e3! aa8?! 32.e1?! [ 32.g4! now was the time to go for it - White suddenly seems to have a dangerous attack after A) 32...d3 33.e6! ( 33.e1 g7 34.f4 g5! i s n ' t s o c l e a r) 33...f6 34.e1 is very unpleasant for Black; B) 32...e6 33.h4 with f4-f5 looking difficult to stop ] 32...h5! Now it's too late 33.h2 [ 33.f3 was better, hoping for Ng5 and perhaps a tiny edge ] 33...g7 34.f3 b7 35.f4 h6 36.g1 a6 White has drifted over the last few moves and suddenly Black's pieces are looking well coordinated and there's nothing for White to do but sit and wait. 37.d5 e6 38.f2 g7 39.c3 b6 Aronian is a master at slowly increasing the pressure - Howell is forced to simply shuffle around and see if Black can breakthrough his defences. 40.h2 b3 41.e2 b6 42.g1 a5 43.f3 d8 44.xd8 xd8 45.f2 h4! 46.h2 d7 47.h1 b8 48.e4? The decisive mistake [ David should tried passive defence with 48.e3 d4 49.c2 d3 50.c1 760
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 although it's pretty grim for White. Black has a number of ways to increase pressure perhaps Kf8, Qf5 and ...g5 or alternatively just an immediate ..f6!? ] 48...d5! 49.e3 xe4 50.xe4 d4 51.c2 [ 51.xd4 cxd4 is easily winning for Black, the central pawns are far too strong ] 51...xf4 A pawn drops and the Bishop is finally let into the game 52.e2 g3 53.f3 d3 54.g1 d8 55.d2? a final blunder but it was completely lost anyway [ after 55.f1 d1+ 56.xd1 xd1+ 57.e1 g5 White is so tied up Black can choose any way to win he wants ] 55...xc2 Despite the result I think this Bc4, Qe2 system is a very sensible way to play I'm not totally convinced that Aronian improved with his novelty. 0-1
750 Humphrey,Jonathan Hofman,Ron 12th Essent Open (2) [John Watson]
B06 2330 2165 18.10.2008
The players seem to know their theory, and this game confirms the general verdict. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.f3 b5 6.d3 d7 7.e5 c5 8.g5 h6 Safe. [ 8...cxd4!? 9.e6 f5! is a more exciting line that has been played by Tiger, with the idea 10.exd7+ ( 10.d5 c5 11.f7 xe6 12.xd8 xd5 is Tiger's other sacrificial line, which seems to give Black plenty of compensation) 10...xd7 11.b1!? e5 12.0-0 e7 'and White has some problems d i s e n t a n g l i n g h i s p i e c e s ' . ( 12...h6 is also promising, I think )] 9.f3 Apparently harmless. This is an important juncture, for example, [ 9.e6 f6 10.dxc5 dxc5 is a game from t h e b o o k t h e n 11.xb5!? is Rybka's suggestion, when c4! 12.exf7+ f8 13.f3 b8 14.a7 cxd3 15.c6 is wild. ] 9...b8 10.e6 f6 11.dxc5 fxe6 12.0-0 0-0 13.cxd6 [ 13.e3 f5 14.xf5 gxf5 15.cxd6 exd6 is good for Black, because 16.a7 b4!
is strong. ] 13...exd6 14.d2 The first new move. Yemelin-Mehmedovic, Neum 2002 went [ 14.ce4 xe4 15.xe4 , and both Tiger a n d R yb ka 3 l ik e f5 with an advantage (centre pawns), in view of 16.xe6?? b6+ 17.h1 d5 ] 14...f5 15.ae1 d5!? [ 15...e8 is a simple alternative, about equal. ] 16.h3 d4!? [ 16...d6 ] 17.e5 A creative and eccentric odd move, with ambitious intent. But the obvious [ 17.e3! poses problems on the dark squares. ] 17...c6 18.fe1! b6+ [ 18...xe5 19.fxe5 h5 20.g4 gives White excellent compensation. ] 19.e3 d4 20.f2 h6!? 21.f3 xe5 22.xe5 d6 23.e4 [ 23.e2! leaves g6 a target White should have some advantage in that case, in view of g5 24.fxg5 xe5 25.gxh6! ] 23...xe4 24.xe4 xf4! 25.xf4 xe5 26.xd4 g5 27.e4 e5 28.g3 xg3 29.xg3 f5 30.e3 ½-½
751 Hunt,A Svidler,Peter Gibraltar Open (4.14) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B06 2462 2749 27.01.2012
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 5.f4 b5 6.d3 [ 6.e2 b4 can be seen in the archives in Nachev, S - Khismatullin, D ] [ 6.f3 allows Black the additional option of ...b4 which was examined in 1-0 Slobodjan, R - Azmaiparashvili, Z ] 6...b7 7.f3 d7 [ 7...b4 has featured quite a lot recently here t o o a n d n o w 8.e2 f6 9.g3 0-0 ( 9...bd7 10.d2 a5 11.f5 gave White a dangerous initiative in Moiseenko, A (2715)-Komljenovic, D (2451) San Sebastian 2011) 10.d2 a5 11.f5 g4 12.g5 c5 and now 13.f4 would've given 761
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 W hite a pleasant advantage in Xu Yuhua (2484) -Li Chao2 (2619) Hefei 2010. ] 8.e5 h6 Svidler chooses a rare option here, possibly hoping for early complications [ 8...c5 9.e4 was covered in Smeets, JSiebrecht, S ] [ 8...e6 has been covered in the notes before and it does still seem that White is better after 9.a4 b4 10.e4 so perhaps 8... Nh6 is the critical move in the line at this time ] 9.e2 [ 9.e4 hasn't scored well for White c8 10.d3 0-0 11.0-0-0 c6 12.g5 b6 13.h4 d5 14.f3 b4 15.e2 a5 16.g3 a6 17.d2 c4 18.e1 f6 19.h3 a4 20.b1 b3 21.cxb3 axb3 22.axb3 xe3 23.xe3 fxe5 24.fxe5 f5 25.xf5 xf5+ 26.c1 e6 27.g5 f7 28.h5 d3 29.e3 f5 30.hxg6 b1 31.d2 c2+ 32.e1 xg6 33.f2 a2 34.h5 xg2 35.e2 xb2+ 0-1 Green, A (2203) Rowson, J (2591) Edinburgh SCO 2009 ] 9...c5 [ 9...b6 10.a4 b4 11.e4 was covered by Andrew Martin in Zufic, M-Nevednichy, V where Black didn't fully manage to solve his opening problems ] 10.dxc5 dxe5N a critical new move which may go some way to rehabilitating the line for Black [ 10...xc5 11.xc5 dxc5 12.0-0-0 b6 13.e4 xe4 14.xe4 0-0 15.d5 a7 16.e3 fd8 17.g4 was good for White in Saric, I (2511) -Muse, M (2444) Sibenik 2008. ] [ 10...0-0 was played in Suetin, A (2505) Sznapik, A (2325) Sochi 1974 but it doesn't seem to be as convincing as after 11.0-0-0 Black doesn't have a better option than dxe5 here ( 11.e4!? also looks like a strong option for White )] 11.fxe5 [ 11.0-0-0!? ] [ 11.xe5! is Houdini's suggestion and indeed it will probably prove to be the acid test of this line, for example xe5 ( 11...0-0 is likely to transpose) 12.fxe5 0-0 ( 12...f5 13.0-0 doesn't look convincing for Black either and I prefer W hite's chances after c8!? 14.ae1! ) 13.0-0 when a critical
position has been reached. Black may have two good Bishops and dynamic chances but White is still a pawn up and it's up to Black to demonstrate adequate compensation in this position - and that's easier said than done! ] 11...c7 Accurate play from Svidler [ 11...0-0?! would be a mistake as now 12.e6 is strong because of the nice line fxe6? 13.xh6! xf3 ( 13...xh6 14.c6! wins a piece) 14.xe6+ f7 15.xg7 xc5 16.e3 xd3+ 17.cxd3 xg2 18.g1 White should be winning although there is still some work to be done. ] 12.e6!? an interesting try but it doesn't seem to lead to an advantage for White [ 12.e4 is worth a closer look although I believe Black has good chances after xe4 13.xe4 xe5 14.0-0-0 0-0 and here if W hite is going to look for an advantage either 15.b1 ( or 15.f4 should be examined )] [ 12.0-0-0 is very likely to transpose to either the game or the above note after 0-0 ] 12...fxe6 13.0-0-0 [ Given the way the game went perhaps White regretted not castling kingside 13.0-0 g4 ( 13...0-0!? ) 14.e4 xe4 15.xe4 xb2 is very unclear ] 13...f5 bringing the knight into the centre [ 13...xc5 looks risky, for example 14.xc5 xc5 15.e4 b6 ( 15...xe4 16.xe4 0-0 17.xe6+ f7 18.h4 ) 16.d6+! ] [ 13...0-0 14.g5 causes problems for Black ] 14.e4 very logical but things start to become quickly difficult for Adam [ 14.xf5!? exf5 15.d4 xd4 ( 15...f4+ 16.b1 xf3 17.f2! xd4 18.xd4 e5 19.xf3 looks promising for White) 16.xd4 xc5 17.xf5 f4+ ( 17...gxf5 18.h5+ f8 19.xf5+ g7 20.g5+ f8 21.hf1+ wins ) 18.e3 and now Black should swap Queens into a roughly level endgame A) 18...xf5? 19.hf1 c8 ( 19...h5 20.g4 ) 20.e5; B) 18...xe3+ 19.xe3 0-0= ] [ 14.g5 is very dangerous and perhaps c r i t i c a l f o r e xa m p l e xc3 ( 14...xe3 15.xe6 e5 16.xg7+ f7 17.xg6+ 762
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 hxg6 18.xd7 c6 19.d2 xg7 20.e1 regains piece with edge) 15.xe6 e5 16.xf5 xb2+ 17.b1 f6 with huge complications ( not 17...gxf5?? 18.h5#; 17...xf5? or 18.c7+ )] 14...0-0 [ 14...xe3 15.xe3 d5! also looks promising for Black as after 16.h4 a5 Black's attack feels more dangerous ] 15.b1 [ 15.f2 d5 16.b1 would transpose to the following note ] 15...d5 16.a3? things go downhill from here Svidler quickly seizes the opportunity to play a thematic b4 break and open up the Queenside [ 16.f2 was necessary here, although White is basically having to find only moves in order to survive a5 17.c4! ( 17.a3?! b4 18.a4 b3! is strong for Black for example 19.cxb3 xb3 20.c4 ab8; 17.b3 xe4 18.xe4 c3 ) 17...bxc4 18.xc4 ab8 19.xd5 incredibly this seems to end in a d ra w b y f o rc e a f t e r ( 19.b3? loses to a fantastic variation xb3+ 20.xb3 xb3 21.axb3 a1+ 22.c2 b2+ 23.d3 xb3+ 24.d2 b4+ 25.c2 b8 26.b1 a4+ 27.c1 h6+ 28.ed2 a3+ 29.c2 a2+ 30.c3 g7+ 31.d3 xc5+ 32.xc5 d8+ 33.e4 d5+ 34.f4 h5! 35.g4 e5+ 36.xe5 xe5+ 37.xe5 xd2+ 38.e3 xe3 39.e6+ f8 40.xe3 d4+ 41.f3 hxg4+; 19.d2 a3 ) 19...xb2! ( 19...xb2+ 20.xb2 xb2 21.xd7 and W hite has too much material for the Queen; 19...exd5 20.xd5+ h8 21.b3 also seems to be better for White) 20.b3 xb3 21.axb3 a1+ 22.c2 a2 23.xd7 d4+ 24.d1 a1+ 25.d2 a5+ 26.d1 a1+ 27.d2 a5+= ] 16...ab8 and already White's position seems indefensible 17.f2 [ 17.c3 doesn't help at all after a5 18.f2 b4 ] 17...b4 18.a4 b3 19.c4 [ 19.c3 a5 ] 19...xe4 20.xe4 xc5 Svidler calmly grabs a pawn and keeps an ongoing attack 21.xc5 xc5 22.xe6+ other options are no better
[ 22.g5 d4 23.h4 h6 ] [ 22.he1 a5 23.c5 h8 ] 22...h8 23.he1?! [ 23.xf5 was the last chance to fight on but Black is of course doing very well after xf5 ] 23...b6 [ 23...a5 should also win quickly ] 24.d5 b4 25.xf5 this quickly leads to mate but White is also lost after [ 25.e5 d6! 26.a5 ( 26.c5 xa4 ) 26...xc4 ] 25...xa4 26.d4 xf5 27.d8+ f8 28.xe7 [ 28.xb6 a2+ 29.c1 h6+ 30.d2 a1# ] 28...a2+ 29.c1 a1+ 30.d2 xb2+ 31.e3 f2+ 32.e4 f4+ 33.d5 xd4+ 34.xd4 xd4# A fine game from Svidler who breathes new life into 8... Nh6, although W h i t e p l a ye rs s h o u ld lo o k t o 1 1 . N e 5 a s probably the best way to counter Svidler's novelty 0-1
752 Ibragimov,Ildar Zhelnin,Vladimir V Cup02 Moscow (8) [Eric Prié]
B06 2590 2490 1998
1.d4 d6 I know this is probably not the appropriate section but I feel "d-pawn specials" players have a special approach to the so-called "daring defences". So I wanted to illustrate a part of my repertoire in this update, profiting from the intimately linked themes presented in the previous games. 2.f3! [ 2.f4 is clearly inferior because of g6! And in this order of moves White will not be able to prevent a further advance of the opposing e-pawn two squares against his bishop. ] 2...d7 3.e4! g6 This game and the next (supplementary) can be considered as introductory games. I will define everything, for instance what happens after 1...Nf6 2.Bf4 d6, 2...Nf6 and even 3...e5, in the next issue. 4.c4! Would you believe this? I have found 137 occurrences matching this position in my 763
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 database with still 73 games continuing g7? And only 24 with 5.xf7+! I guess this is the record for the shortest game in chess, with 'sensible moves' from both protagonists. And although I remember I placed it in a rapid some years ago, I have forgotten where and against whom, so I naturally picked up the most emblematic example, beginning with 1. d 4 a n d wi t h t h e s t r o n ge s t a ve r a g e E L O besides happily pushing Black to leave it at that! [ 5.xf7+ xf7 6.g5+ e8 ( 6...f6 7.f3#+- ) 7.e6+- ] 1-0
753 Izoria,Zviad Inarkiev,Ernesto 7th ch-Euro t/b (3.3) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2647 2602 16.04.2006
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 d7 5.f4 a6 6.f3 b5 7.d3 b7 8.e5 A position which has been hotly debated since the publication of ' Tiger's Modern, where the Danish GM more or less recommended Black's set up as the best way play against the Austrian Attack. As usual in such sharp situations, Black's path to a good game has become narrower, as we will see in this game. c5 [ 8...e6 was mentioned by Hiilerp Persson, but on the evidence of the following fragment, seems to lead to difficulties for Black: 9.a4! b4 10.e4 b6 ( 10...xe4 11.xe4 d5 12.d3 c5 13.dxc5 c7 14.e2! xc5 15.xc5 xc5 16.xa6 ) 11.d2 a5 12.b5+! By playing straightforwardly, White has established a dominating position already. f8 13.e2 e7 14.0-0 c6 15.xc6 xc6 16.c3 d7 17.fc1 bxc3 18.xc3 b4 19.b5 4d5 20.c2 h6 21.ac1 g7 22.f5 exf5 23.xc7+Morozevich, AAzmaiparashvili, Z/ Bugojno 1999 ] 9.e4 c8 [ 9...xe4 10.xe4 h6 is suggested in ' Tiger's Modern, with the following analysis: A) 11.dxc5 g4! A1) 12.e2 dxe5 13.0-0-0 c7
14.fxe5 dxe5= Lalic, but 15.d4 0-0 16.h3 h6 17.h4 Martin, looks dangerous for Black to me.; A2) 12.g1 dxe5 13.h3 h6 ( 13...gf6 14.xf6+ exf6 15.c6 f8= ) 14.c6 f6 15.xd8+ xd8 16.xf6+ exf6=; A3) 12.d2 dxe5 13.c6 df6 14.xf6+ xf6=; B) 11.e6 fxe6 12.eg5 f5! 13.e2 f8 with the idea of ...h6 and ...cxd4.; C) 11.exd6 f5! 12.f2 exd6 13.0-0 0-0 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.xc5 xc5 16.xc5 xb2 17.b1 xd1 18.fxd1 fc8 19.d5 f6 Prospective Black players should study this analysis carefully and decide whether this is the line for them. It may be the only way out. ] 10.dxc5!N A new move, after which it is difficult to see a good continuation for Black. White logically opens the game, relying on his better development to see him through. There are plenty of alternatives: [ 10.d3 b4 11.xb7 xb7 12.e4 b8 13.xb7 xb7 14.e4 cxd4 15.xd4 dxe5 16.fxe5 f8 17.c5 with a plus, Van Delft, M-Giddins, S/Amsterdam 2005. ] [ 10.e2 b4 11.xb7 xb7 12.d1 dxe5 13.dxe5 e6 14.f2 Krivec, J-Socko, M/ Athens 2004. ] [ 10.g5 b6 ( 10...b4 11.f3 b8 12.xb7 xb7 13.e2 h6 14.xb7 xb7 15.f3 cxd4 16.xd4 dxe5 17.fxe5 f6 Hillerp Persson) 11.dxc5 dxc5 12.xc5 xc5 13.xb7 d8 14.f3 b4 15.c6+ xc6 16.xc6+ f8 17.a4 xa4 18.xa4 h6 19.h4 xg5 20.hxg5 e6 21.d1 xd1+ 22.xd1 e7 23.e2 g7 24.b3 a8+- Pavasovic, D-Touzane, O/ Leipzig 2002 ] 10...dxe5 11.xb7 xb7 12.d5! That's the main point! A favourable endgame position emerges. xd5 13.xd5 0-0-0 [ 13...c8 14.b6 is very good for White. ] 14.0-0-0 e6 15.b6+ xb6 16.xd8+ xd8 17.cxb6 exf4 18.xf4 c8 19.d1 f6 20.e5 g8 21.g5 Play has more or less been forced since 12 Qd5 and what a cheerless position this is for Black. He's tied down on all fronts and if he comes too close to the advanced b pawn, the White Rook hits 764
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the se ve nth ra nk. g4 22.xg7 xg7 23.e4 e3 24.d6+ b8 25.d3 d5 Black defends stubbornly with the very best moves. 26.a3 xb6 27.xa6 d7 [ 27...c4 28.xb5 b7 29.a7+! b6 30.a4 d6 31.a8 xb5 32.b8+ a5 33.axb5 may have been the best chance, but most unpalatable. ] 28.xb5 g5 29.a7 e5 30.a4 What can one say apart from ' the extra pawn must win'? g6 31.a5 c6 32.a6 e7 33.b6++a8 34.c7+ a7 35.b5+ a8 36.a6 d5 37.b7 g8 38.a7+ b8 39.b7+ a8 40.c4 c8 41.a7+ b8 42.a8+ xa8 43.b3 c6 It is safe to say that Black chances in this line rely on Hillerp Persson's suggestion at move 9. 1-0
754 Janev,Evgeni Todorov,Todor BC Masters Bois Colombes (5) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2420 2470 2003
The battle-hardened Modern player will love this game. W hite sets out to give Black a good thrashing, but his aggression is coolly rebuffed and in the end the counterattack triumphs. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 c6 5.d2 Seems that everyone plays this way these days. What is wrong with the original recipe of delaying ...Nf6 for as long as possible? b5 6.0-0-0 I'm pretty that either 6 Bd3 or 6 Nf3 are more dangerous for Black. The text move reveals W hite's hand a little too quickly. d7 The Knight could well be on th e way t o c 4 ! 7.h4 As Black isn't remotely intending to castle I suppose 7 h4 can be seen as the beginning of 'space-gaining' operation. I guess after 6 0-0-0 White hasn't really got anything else to do that is the truth of the matter. [ Possibly 7.b1! is superior. This small safety move will have to be played anywayWhite may as well see another move from Black before he further commits himself. b4 ( 7...b8!? intending ...Nb6-c4 is interesting.) 8.ce2 gf6 9.f3 0-0 10.g4 ( 10.xb4 b8 11.a3 b6 12.f4 c7
gives Black the initiative, albeit at the cost of a pawn. I'm sure that this is a question of courage and judgement and that lots of strong players would have captured that pawn. ) 10...b6 11.c1 ( 11.xb4 ) 11...b8 12.h6 a4 13.b3 h8?! 14.h4?! ( 14.xf8 xf8 15.h4 This is such a weird game.) 14...c5 15.h5 cxd4 16.hxg6 fxg6 17.xf8 xf8 18.c4+ e6 19.e2 b6 20.d3 e5 21.g3 e6 22.g5 e8 23.h4 xf3 24.g1 h5 25.gxh6 h7 26.f1 c4 27.e2 xe2 28.xe2 f6 29.fd2 e3 30.f3 xb3 31.axb3 b7 1/2-1/2 Alvarado, N-Nisipeanu, L/It Resort and Casino, Decameron DOM 2003 I gave up trying to forecast the moves long ago. The result is even stranger. Isn't White still clearly better after 32 Ng5+? I think the overall quality of the variation with 6 0-0-0 is upheld by 7 Kb1 rather than 7 h4. ] 7...a5 8.b1 b6 9.d3 h5! Key. Black halts the ambitious intentions of the h pawn and prepares the entry of the King's Knight into the game. Now I start to like Black's flexibility. 10.h3 [ 10.ce2 xd2 11.xd2 f6 12.f3 0-0= ] 10...f6 11.f3 A bit routine. Once again we co m e d o wn t o 'b o t t le ' (E n glish sla n g f o r courage). Todorov talks his opponent out of the central advance. [ Thus 11.e5 is critical: fd5 ( 11...g4 probably what Black would have played. 12.exd6 exd6 13.f4 0-0 14.xd6 d8 15.f4 b4 16.e2 e6 ) 12.xd5 xd2 13.c7+ d8 14.xd2 xc7 15.g5 f8 16.f4 d5 17.g3 ] 11...xh3 12.xh3 fd7 13.f4 b4 14.e2 c5! This position would be a good example of a n id e a l B l a ck p i e ce p l a ce m e n t . 15.dxc5 xc5 16.d4 e5 17.fxe5 dxe5 18.xc5 [ After 18.f2 h6 19.e1 c8 20.f3 0-0 Black has a very nice position indeed. ] 18...xc5 19.c1 0-0 Finally. Now White has an uphill struggle to prove equality. Black has the attacking plan of launching his a pawn all the way to a3 whereas White will have to defend for a while. Psychologically, Janev seems unable to cope with the thought of defence. 20.e2 d7 After ... Nd7-f6 Black would have a clamp so.... 21.g4 But of course this is another concession. hxg4 22.xg4 765
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f6 23.f3 h5! White can shift this Knight but then ...Nf4 advances to an even more powerful square. 24.e2 a5 Well-prepared. 25.g3 f4 26.h2 a4 27.h5 a3 28.hxg6 [ T h e r e i s l i t t l e h o p e a f t e r 28.h6 Black's attack is immediate: f6 29.h7+ h8 30.e2 axb2 31.xf4 ( 31.hh1 c6! 32.hf1 e6!-+ ) 31...exf4 32.xf4 e5 33.d2 xa2-+ ] 28...fxg6 29.b3 [ 29.e2 fd8! 30.xd8+ xd8 31.b3+ f8 32.h1 axb2 33.xb2 d2 ] 29...d5! All the tactics run in Black's favour here: 30.f5? Desperate. Maybe he was short of time. [ 30.g4 appears to give more play but Black's attack is winning: c3+ 31.a1 xd1 32.c4+ f7 33.xg6 d4+ 34.c3 xc3+ 35.b1 f3!-+ ] 30...c3+ 31.c1 xa2+ 32.d2 ad8 33.e1 I guess that 6 0-0-0 is playable but I feel that Black can be encouraged if he sees this move on the board. Now he has something to aim at! The 4 Be3 system is not so one-paced and White players should prefer the more elastic 6 Bd3 or, best of all, 6 Nf3! 0-1
e6 a s a re su lt . Th is is th e clo sest ye t t o Thompson's original Hippopotamus concept. Of course Black is showing discretion because White's attacking possibilities have been limited by his quieter approach. 7.g5?! Although a GM, Janosevic does not seem to understand what Black is trying to do. 7 Bg5 presents Suttles with a valuable tempo! [ 7.e1 c7 ( 7...f6 8.d5 f7 9.d4 highlights a possible drawback to Black's setup. One must watch the e6 square very caref ully indeed!) 8.a4 0-0 ( 8...e5 seems very reasonable; as does 8...a5 ) 9.h3 h8 10.c4 e5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.e3 f5 13.g5 A) 13...f7! l o o k s b e t t e r : 14.e7 ( 14.exf5 gxf5 15.e7 e8 16.g5 xg5 17.xg5 f6 ) 14...e8 15.g5 ( 15.a3 b6 16.b3 e6 17.xe6 xe6 18.e2 d8 ) 15...xg5 16.xg5 c5; B) 13...f4 14.e7 e8 15.d6 xd6 16.xd6 f6 17.ed1 g7 18.a5 f7 19.a3 g5 20.d2 f8 21.a6 b6 was perhaps a little better for W hite in Jimenez Zerquera, E-Suttles, D/ Palma de Mallorca 1970/IZT ] [ Meanwhile 7.d2?! He wants to play Qc1 evading ...Ng4. e5 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.h3 755 B06 Motwani, P-Bischoff, K/Groningen 1980 and now the immediate e7 ( 9...f6!? 10.c1 Janosevic,Dragoljub f7 ) 10.c1 g8 11.d1 gf6 Suttles,Duncan is reasonable for Black, although he has not Belgrade (2) 1969 been able to carry out his main idea ] [Andrew Martin] 7...f6 8.e3 0-0 9.d5 f5?! One can only say Let's take a look now at an obscure scheme that such situations present the vast majority devised by Canadian Grandmaster Duncan of Black players with an excellent opportunity Suttles, which as far as I know is unrefuted to to win the game. W hite is having to make this day. There is no shame in studying and critical decisions all the time and he may well restudying old games. They shape the g o w r o n g ( a s J a n o s e v i c d o e s h e r e ) . present. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 Objectively, Black's whole idea looks dubious 4.c3 c6 5.e2 d7 6.0-0 h6!? to me, but it will always be a practical choice This is the introductory move. Black intends ... and as such, deserves a goodlook [ Instead 9...f7 10.d4 b8 11.d2 c5 f7-f6 and ...Nh6-f7 and later he will expand in 12.e6 xe6 13.dxe6 e5 14.f4 the centre with either ...f6-f5! or ..e7-e5. Note is poor for Black. ] the timing of 6. .. Nh6. Suttles waited until [ 9...c5! but 10.h3 f5 is the way to go if White castled thus rendering h2-h4 unplayable. Black want to play ....f5. he cuts the Knight But I'll try to show 6 a4 Nh6 is also possible, out of d4. ] allowing the dangerous 7 h4. f7 is a very good s qu a re f o r t h e K n igh t in su c h p o sit i o n s , 10.d4 [ 10.dxc6! bxc6 11.d4 e5 12.xc6 cutting out Ng5 by White, indirectly defending 766
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xc6 13.d5+ f7 14.xc6 d7 15.d5 c7 gives Black compensation how much is difficult to say. ] 10...xd4! Suttles was never dogmatic. If a move had to be played, so be it! The point of 10...Bxd4 is to try to shut down White's-light squared Bishop and create an outpost on e5 for a Knight. 11.xd4 [ 11.xd4 c5 12.e3 f4 13.d2 e5 14.c1 g5 ] 11...f4 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.c4+?! [ 13.c4+ A) 13...g7 14.xc6 fxe3 15.xa8 b6 ( 15...exf2+ 16.h1 ) 16.d5 exf2+ 17.h1 xb2 18.b3; B) 13...f7 14.xc6 b8 15.c1 f3 may or may not be OK for Black the point is that it is frightening for White to face at t h e b o a r d . ( 15...b6!? 16.b5 e5 17.b3+ h8 ) 16.gxf3 de5 17.a4 h3 18.d1 ] 13...f7 14.xf4 White has been suitably confused. [ but 14.c1 b6 15.b3 a6 16.e1 c5 is quite OK for Black. ] 14...e5 Obviously, Black now has serious counterplay. 15.xd6 exf4 16.ad1 g5 [ 16...f3 looks very dangerous. ] 17.xf7+ xf7 18.xc6 f3 19.g3 b6 20.d5 d7 21.d6 c4 When given the opportunity to do so, Black hits very hard in fact he keeps pounding away until Janosevic falls over!. 22.b4 c8 23.b3 e5 24.e3 h6 Something has got to give around the W hite King. 25.d5 g4 26.xg4 xg4 With the idea of ...Qh3. 27.h4 xc2 28.fd1 c8 29.e5 [ 29.d8+ f8! 30.xc8 xc8 31.c4+ h8 32.d4+ g7 33.xg7+ xg7 34.c1 e6 35.c7+ f7 ] 29...e6 30.d8+ xd8 31.xd8+ g7 32.c3 h5 33.f1 f5 A nice square, threatening simultaneously ...Qh3 and ...Qb1+. W h it e c a n n o t st o p b o t h . 34.d6 b1+ I cannot state that this particular idea is 100% sound but it is certainly an interesting addition to Black's armoury in the classical Modern. A murky position was all that a talented player like Suttles needed to try and win the game and crucially, to ENJOY the game of chess.
That's what it's ultimately all about. 0-1
756 Jansa,Vlastimil Joksic,Sinisa ch-Euro Seniors (7) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2500 2340 16.09.2004
This is how to deal with the Hippopotamus. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 d7 5.f3 a6 6.d2 The 150 Attack has filtered t h r o u g h e v e n t o v e t e r a n J a n s a . h6!? Certainly stops Be3-h6 for quite some time, although Bxh6 might be a possibility later. W hite's approach shows great experience. When confronted with slow, confusing moves such as 6...h7-h6 he does not overreact. Instead White builds his position and tries to prevent his opponent from finding an active plan. 7.h3 Not at all in the same category as 6...h6. Later on W hite knows that to deny Black g4 will be very useful indeed. e6 8.d3 e7 9.0-0 g5?! Having come this far Black feels he should be doing something and ... Ne7-g6 is the only idea he can see. Maybe just ...b7-b6 was indicated, with the usual rubbishy position which is difficult to assault. 10.ad1! I like this move very much prophylactic development against a future central pawn break. Added to which the Rook can be very useful in the centre, whether Black tries to go active or not. c6 11.h2! Centralisation preceded the idea of f2-f4! which ...g6-g5 only encouraged. I really don't like Black's position at all. e5 12.dxe5 Now the Rd1 is very useful. dxe5 [ 12...xe5 13.e2 leaves the d6 pawn hanging. ] 13.c4 c7 14.a4 g6 15.e2 It could almost be a normal Modern position, but not quite, thanks to that horrible pawn on g5,weakening the light squares. W hite is much better. 0-0? [ He just has to try and hang on, with something like, say, 15...b5 16.b3 f6 17.g3 d7 18.d6 xd6 19.xd6 The queens have bee n exchange d an d there is the chance of salvation, although White remains with a substantial edge. ] 767
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.g3 e8 17.g4 f6 18.xf6+ xf6 19.a5! Fairly merciless. Black is being squeezed on both sides. g4? You can sense he wants to end it all, one way or another. Elderly players cannot stand the tension for too long. [ 19...f4 would certainly have been tried by a younger, more combative opponent, but it is doubtful whether Black's problems are solved: 20.b6! e7 ( 20...b8 21.e3 g7 22.b3 e6 23.xe6 xe6 24.d7 ) 21.c3 e6 22.d2 g4 23.hxg4 xg4 24.c5! c7 25.d6 c8 26.b3 ] 20.b6 e7 21.xh6 g7?? Collapse. [ 21...f4 22.h5 xh5 23.xh5 gxh3 24.c5! finishes the job rather nicely. ] 22.xg6 f8 23.h7 gxh3 24.h5 I think this is just a superb performance by White. It's not at all easy to find the way to crack Black's three rank position, but here Jansa encouraged Joksic to self-destruct by simple centralisation and the active plan of f2f4.Just the thought of f2-f4 seemed to be enough. 1-0
Black stands well enough. ] 7...c5 8.e1 [ Tiger analyses 8.dxc5!? dxc5 ( 8...xc5 9.d4 ) 9.a4 b4 10.e2 gf6 11.e5 d5 12.e4 xe3 13.fxe3 b8 14.e6 fxe6 15.g5 e5 unclear. ] [ Hillarp-Persson gives 8.a4 '?!' b4 9.e2 cxd4 10.exd4 b7 11.d2 gf6 12.xb4 b8 and 'Black will get the pawn back'. Then A) 13.g5!? h6! 14.de6 ( 14.gf3 xe4 15.a3 xf3 16.xf3 d5 17.c3 xe3 18.fxe3 b6= ) 14...fxe6 15.xe6 c8 16.b3 h5=; B) 13.c4! c8! ( 13...0-0 14.c6 xc6 15.xc6 xb2 16.d4 b8 17.xa6 ) 14.g5 ( 14.xc8+ xc8 15.d2 g4 ) 14...xc4 15.xc4 e5 16.b3 xe4 17.xe4 xe4 18.f3 b7= . These lines are marginal, however, and Black may want to try a different move order. ] 8...b7 9.a4 b4 A lot of these Tiger's Modern lines look the same but have slight differences. Here the a4/...b4 trade off is normal. 10.e2 cxd4 [ Or 10...gf6!? with the idea 11.g3 g4 ] 11.xd4 757 B06 [ 11.fxd4 gf6 12.f3 d5 13.d2 dxe4 14.fxe4 a5= ] Jovanovic,Zoran2 2557 Skoberne,Jure 2436 11...gf6 12.g3 0-0 13.a5 e5!? [ A solid line is 13...c5 14.d2 b8 ] 12th HIT Open A (9) 01.02.2007 14.e3 d5 Having said 'A'... 15.g5 [John Watson] [ Possible is 15.d2!? b3!? 16.exd5 bxc2 17.xc2 xd5 18.b3 c5! 19.xe5 e8 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.e3 a6 20.f4 xb3 21.xb3 b8 5.f3 b5 6.d3 d7 with compensation in the form of the two [ Tiger prefers the order 6...b7 ] bishops and activity. ] 7.0-0 [ Because here he's a little worried about 15...c7 16.exd5 xd5 17.xf6?! xf6?! [ B l a c k s t a n d s b e t t e r a f t e r 17...xf6! 7.d5 . There might follow b7 8.d4 e5!? 18.xe5 h5! 19.xg6!? ( 19.xh5 xe5 A) 9.a4! c5 ( 9...b4? 10.a2! c5 20.g3 xb2 ) 19...f4! ] 11.dxc6 xc6 12.xc6 xc6 13.xb4 b7 14.c3 f6 15.f3; 9...c6 ) 10.dxc6 18.e4 xe4 19.xe4 e7 20.d2 ad8 21.e2 xc6 [ 21.h6 f6 ] A1) 11.e2! xd4 ( 11...b4 12.d5 f6 13.xc6 xc6 14.b6 ) 12.xd4 21...c6 22.ed2 f6 [ 22...xc2!? ] f8! 13.axb5 axb5 14.xb5; A2) 11.xc6 xc6 12.axb5 xc3+ 23.d4 exd4 24.xe7 xc2 25.f3 [ 25.xb4 e5 26.ac1 f5 27.c7 f7 13.bxc3 axb5 14.0-0 xa1 15.xa1 28.xf7 xf7 at least equal. ] f6 16.f3 0-0; B) 9.0-0 c5 10.dxc6 xc6 , an odd sort 25...d3 26.ac1 xb2 With an two extra of Sicilia n ('Dragod orf ' like! ) in which pawns and an advanced passed one, the rest 768
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is pretty clear: 27.c7 d2 28.f1 fe8 29.xd7 xe7 30.xd8+ f7 31.xd2 a3 32.d4 c3 33.f3 b3 34.b1 b7 35.db2 xa5 36.d2 c3 37.h3 a5 38.xb3 xb3 39.xb3 a4 40.c1 a3 41.a2 c2 42.b7+ e8 43.b4 b1+ 0-1
758 Kanep,M Iturrizaga,E 11th Gibraltar Masters (6.11) [Tom Rendle]
B06 2512 2650 27.01.2013
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.f3 b5 6.d3 b7 7.0-0 [ 7.e5 is also critical and led to a quick win for White in the archives in Beliavsky-Hickl but Black's play can definitely be improved upon: d7 8.g5 and now Motwani's suggestion of e6 looks sensible for example ( 8...h6 9.e6 f8 may also be playable although I prefer W hite's chances after 10.exf7+ xf7 11.xf7 xf7 12.e4 ) 9.d5 exd5 10.e6 e7 11.e2 fxe6 12.xe6 c5! and the position is a complete mess. ] 7...d7 8.e5 h6 [ instead 8...c5 is analysed by John Watson in Kulicov-Gelashvili and he gives 9.e4 as an alternative to exd6 which was played i n t h e g a m e . H i s l i n e c o n t i n u e s xe4 10.xe4 cxd4 11.exd6 gf6 12.dxe7 xe7 13.xf6+ xf6 and now I like his s u g g e s t i o n o f 14.e1! ( 14.xd4 0-0 15.e1 b7 is not so clear) 14...e4 15.d3 f5 and here 16.g5! is very awkward for Black, e.g. 0-0 17.d2 ac8 18.xe4 fxe4 19.xe4 c5 20.c1 and Black is struggling to prove enough compensation for the pawn ] 9.a4 b4 10.e4 0-0 [ 10...c5 11.c3 cxd4 12.cxd4 0-0 13.a5 dxe5 14.dxe5 c8 15.b3 and White has a nice edge in Stefanova, A (2535)-Arun, K (2291) Paleohora 2009 ] 11.e1 c5 [ 11...a5 is Black's other option as this point and now in Baklan, V (2612)-Grimberg, B (2357) Deizisau 2012 W hite played the
m o s t c r i t i c a l m o v e 12.e6!? ( 12.c3 may keep a slight edge but Black is doing OK after bxc3 13.bxc3 b6 ) 12...f5 13.exd7 ( 13.eg5! deserves more attention here, for example b6 14.h4 and the knight on h6 is rather strangely placed. Still after d5 the position remains tense. ) 13...fxe4 14.xe4 xe4 15.xe4 xd7 and Black has almost equalised ] 12.dxc5 [ 12.e6!? is also very interesting. Black has a few options here: A) 12...f5 13.xd6! xf3 ( 13...exd6? 14.e7 ) 14.xf3 xd4+ 15.h1 b6 16.c4 is somewhat better for White a lt h o u gh t h e p o sit io n is ve ry u n c le a r here.; B) 12...fxe6?! 13.eg5 is very unpleasant for Black; C) 12...d5! may be best and perhaps t h i s w a s I t u r r i z a g a ' s i d e a ? 13.eg5 ( 13.exd7?! c4 14.e2 xe4 15.xc4 d5! and Black is better) 13...f6 14.xh7 xh7 15.exd7 xd7 with an unclear m i d d l e g a m e ( 15...c4!? 16.e4 xe4 17.xe4 xd7 )] 12...dxc5?! This feels like the wrong recapture to me [ 12...xc5 is better, swapping the inactive knight on d7 for White's well placed one on e4 13.xc5 dxc5 14.e3 and White's edge is small at best. ] 13.a5 d5 14.e2 c7 15.b3?! This is a little slow [ 15.c4! leads to comfortable White advan tage in all lin es, f or example c6 ( 15...e6 16.d6; 15...xc4 16.xc4 b7 17.e1 ) 16.xd5 xd5 17.d1 c6 18.c4 and White has control over the centre and c5 is going to be a long-term weakness for Black. ] 15...f6!? [ 15...f5 16.b2 e6 is more solid but I suppose Iturrizaga was looking to complicate the game ] 16.c4 e6 17.exf6 xf6 18.eg5 e4! 19.xd5?! A mistake that hands the initiative over to Black [ 19.xe6! wa s b e t t e r a n d a f t e r xe6 20.xe4 xc4 21.xc4+ h8 22.b1 xa5 23.e3 White has marginally the 769
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 better chances here ] 19...exd5 20.e6 f7 21.xg7 [ 21.xf8? not xa1 and the knight is trapped on f8 ] 21...xg7 22.d2 f5 23.d3 fd8 24.g4 A risky move which later causes problems for Kanep. [ 24.e5 was safer ] 24...h6 [ 24...c4!? 25.bxc4 a7+ 26.h1 xd2 27.xd2 e3! was a promising alternative for Black. ] 25.h3 f7 26.ad1 f6 27.c1 ac8 28.e3 c6 29.c1 f6 30.e3 Black repeats the po sition once b ut he's obviously not interested in a draw here as he h a s m u c h t h e b e t t e r p o s i t i o n . h5!? A risky decision that quickly pays off as White is unable to find the best moves in this tricky position 31.d2? After this White's position quickly collapses [ 31.gxh5 is a little ugly but it should be tried. At lea st no w Bla ck's kin g com es un de r attack as well: f5! ( 31...gxh5 32.h2 h8 33.g1 and White might even be b e t t e r h e r e) 32.hxg6 xg6+ 33.g5! and things aren't so clear anymore ] 31...hxg4 32.hxg4?! [ 32.xe4 was more stubborn but after dxe4 33.e2 xd1 34.xd1 gxh3 35.c4 c6 Black should be able to win in the long run if he can bring the knight on f7 into the game. ( 35...f5 36.h2! )] 32...h4! Suddenly it's all over 33.e2 g3+ 34.h1 g7 35.g1 h3+ White faces mate or the loss of at least a queen. 0-1
with c3 to bolster the White centre but it's just too slow as it allows Black to finish development and get an easy game. [ 9.0-0 h6! was played in an important game last year by Tiger Hillarp Persson, the main advocate of this line for Black. A) 10.exd6 exd6 11.f5! must be critical Black is OK after 0-0 ( not 11...xf5? 12.xf5 gxf5 13.e1+ f8 14.f4 and Black is in serious trouble) 12.fxg6 hxg6 13.g5 f6 but I'd still rather be White after 14.d5!; B) 10.h1 0-0 11.e3 b4 12.e2 c7 13.g3 cxd4 ( 13...g4!? 14.g1 cxd4 15.exd6 xd6 16.xd4 c5 is also about equal) 14.xd4?! ( 14.exd6 xd6 15.xd4 should've been preferred, with a balanced middlegame.) 14...dxe5 15.c6 f6 16.xb8 hg4!? 17.f3 xe3 18.xe3 g4 19.f3 exf4 20.xf4 e5 21.f3 xb8 and Black had a pawn and excellent play in return for the exchange and went on to win 22.ae1 xb2 23.b1 e5 24.c3 a5 25.cxb4 axb4 26.a3 xg3 27.hxg3 e5 28.fc1 h5+ 29.g1 a6 0-1 Arvola, B (2358)Hillarp Persson, T (2517) Oslo NOR 2013 ] 9...h6 [ 9...c7 also looks fine for Black ] 10.c3 cxd4 11.cxd4 [ 11.exd4 is a little more testing but then wh y p l a y 1 0 . c3 ? B l a ck is O K a f t e r b7 12.xb7 xb7 13.exd6 b6! 14.0-0 ( 14.dxe7?! xe7+ 15.f2 g4+ 16.g3 f6 and Black has more than enough for just one pawn. ) 14...xd6 ] 11...e6 12.0-0 b6 13.h3 f5 14.h2 b7 15.xb7 xb7 Karjakin's opening has been 759 B06 surprisingly unambitious and as a result Black Karjakin,Sergey 2772 has at least equalised and Kamsky starts to Kamsky,G 2714 press for an advantage. 16.g3 [ 16.g4!? e7 17.d2 h5 is a pawn for 21st TCh-RUS 2014 (6.1) 12.04.2014 W hite but maybe the position is OK after [Tom Rendle] 18.gxh5 xh5 19.g3 h8 20.c1 ] 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.f3 16...xg3 17.xg3 The king is oddly placed on g3 but with the centre solid enough the b5 6.d3 d7 7.e5 c5 [ 7...b7 8.e2!? is unpleasant for Black - ki n g i s f a i r ly s a f e f o r n o w. S t i ll , B la c k ' s chances are preferable here as he has no see Svidler-Lobron from the archives ] 8.e4 b8 9.e2?! An odd novelty from weaknesses b6 18.e2 0-0 19.g5 dxe5 Karjakin - the idea seems to be to follow up 20.dxe5 d5 21.d2 fc8 22.ac1 f8 770
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 23.e4 e7 24.e3 [ 24.h2! makes a lot of sense I'm not sure how Black makes progress here ] 24...xc1 25.xc1 c8 26.d1?! [ 26.xc8+ xc8 27.f3 should be OK for W hite as it's hard for Black to make p r o g r e s s h e r e , e s p e c ia l ly s i n c e W h i t e currently has all the entry squares covered on the c-file and after xe3?! 28.xe3 c2 29.d2! it's Black that has to be slightly more careful as White's centralised king is suddenly to his advantage! ] 26...c4 27.d4 c7 28.b3 c2 29.d2 c1 30.d1?! White tries to force a draw by repetition but Kamsky finds a nice tactic to win a pawn here f5! [ 30...a3 is also clearly better for Black ] 31.f2 [ 31.xc1 xc1 32.d2 xd2 33.xd2 a3 34.f3 c1 35.e3 g5! offers excellent winning chances for Black ] 31...h4+! The start of a nice forcing line 32.xh4 [ 32.h2?! xf2 33.xf2 xf4 34.f3 xd1 35.xd1 d5 should be winning in the long run for Black ] 32...xf4 33.f3 d8+ 34.g3 xd1 35.xd1 xd4 36.xd4 e2+ 37.f3 xd4+ 38.e3 c6 The dust has settled and Black is a clear pawn ahead - but with Karjakin's king the more active it's not at all clear if this is winning or not for Black. 39.d3 a5 40.a4 b4 [ possibly 40...bxa4 41.bxa4 f7 is more accurate but this is a tough judgement call to make right at the time control ] 41.f4 h6 42.h4 f7 43.c5 e7 44.b7 f8 45.c5 f7 46.b7 e7 47.c5 d8 48.g4?! [ 48.e3 g5 49.h5! is a better defensive try ] 48...fxg4 49.xg4 f7 50.f4 g5+! 51.hxg5 hxg5+ 52.e4 Kamsky has managed to make the most of his position and now it seems to be winning for Black [ 52.g4 xe5+ 53.xg5 c6 54.f4 d6 55.e4+ d5 is winning for Black ] 52...d8 53.d3 c6 54.c4 xe5+ 55.b5! Karjakin goes for the queenside p a wn s a s t h e o n l y p r a c t i c a l c h a n c e f6
56.e4+ f5 57.g3+ f4 58.f1 g4 59.xa5 f3?? The knight was needed to defend the White pawns [ 59...d7 wins, for example 60.xb4 g3 61.xg3 xg3 62.a5 e5 63.a6 b8! 64.b5 ( 64.a7 c6+ ) 64...xa6 65.xa6 e4 66.b4 e3 67.b5 e2 68.b6 e1 69.b7 b4 with an easily won ending for Black. ] 60.xb4 d2 61.a5 [ amazingly 61.g3! also holds a draw after xg3 62.a5 f4 63.a6 g3 64.a7 g2 65.a8 g1 66.b8+ f5 67.f8+ e4 68.a8+ d3 69.a6+ c2 70.c6+ b1 71.xe6 ] 61...xf1 62.a6 e3 63.a7 d5+ 64.c5 c7 65.c6 a8 66.b7 White is just in time to force the draw g3 67.xa8 g2 68.b7 g1 69.a8 g2+ 70.b8 xa8+ 71.xa8 e5 72.b4 d5 73.b7 e5 74.b5 e4 75.b6 e3 76.a8 e2 77.b7 e1 78.b8 ½-½
760 Karjakin,Sergey Kotsur,Pavel Kallithea [Andrew Martin]
B06
2002
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 d5 5.e5 h5 It was David Norwood who tried to popularise this move order here in England. By leaving the Bishop at home on f8 Black is su p p o s e d t o ga in t im e la t e r o n wh e n h e eventually gets around to ...c6-c5. So 3...c6 can be seen as an attempt to reduce the power of the Austrian Attack. I personally believe that Black achieves nothing from this move-order nuance what he gains on the swings of the Austrian Attack he loses on the roundabouts of the Classical Variation, the line with an early Be3 and others .He gets shunted into positions where a quick ...c6 isn't the best option. 6.f3 h6 7.e3 b6!? Quite a n in te resting ide a which K arja kin criticizes in his annotations but isn't really that bad. Positionally, Black tempts the white Knight to go to the edge of the board and retains balance in his position. Kotsur only goes wrong later. 8.a4 a5+ 9.c3 g4 771
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10.c5 c7? Here's the loss of time which costs Black the game. It is very important that he pla ys .. .e 7-e 6 a s soo n as possible t o stabilise the position. [ 10...f5 11.f2 e6! That's what I mean! 12.b3 ( 12.d3 d7 13.e2 c7 14.0-0 c5 15.d2 e7 16.fc1 0-0 17.h3 xf3 18.xf3 c4= 19.e1 h4 20.g4 g7 21.f3 h8 22.b3 b6 23.e1 d8 24.d2 1/2-1/2 Jaracz,P-Urban,K/ Plock 2000/CBM 78 (24); 12.xb7 b6 ) 12...b6 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 h4 15.d3 d7 16.0-0 e7 17.ab1 f8 18.d2 g7 19.e2 a5 ( 19...c5 is somewhat better. ) 20.b4 c7 21.f3 b5 22.a4 a6 23.axb5 axb5 24.a1 b7 25.fc1 xa1 26.xa1 a8 27.xa8 xa8 28.xf5 gxf5 29.e1 h8 30.xh4 xh4 31.xh4 h6 32.g3+ f8 33.f3 b6 34.g5 h5 35.e1 a4 36.h2 e8 37.g3 e7 38.d2 e8 39.f3 g6+ 40.h2 h5 41.e1 h4 42.d3 e7 43.c1 f8 44.b3 e8 45.a5 d7 46.e3 c7 47.g3 xg3+ 48.xg3 xc3 49.h4 d7 50.h5 e8 51.xc6 f8 52.f3 g7 53.g4 fxg4+ 54.xg4 f5+ 55.g5 e4+ 56.h4 d2 57.g3 h6 58.d8 xh5 59.xe6 b3 60.f3 a1 61.c7 c2 62.e6 xd4+ 63.g3 c6 64.xd5 g6 65.h4 g7 66.h5 d4 67.e7 f7 68.g5 e6+ 69.xf5 g7+ 70.e5 e8 71.f5 g7 72.c7 1-0 Luther,TGurevich,M/Cappelle la Grande 1998 ] 11.h3 f5 12.f2 xf3 13.xf3 b6 14.d3!N [ 14.b3 h4 15.d3 e6 16.0-0 b7 17.e2 a5 18.d2 e7 19.f3 c8 20.fc1 a6 21.c4 c7 22.b3 f8 23.c2 g7 24.e1 d8 25.c1 a4 26.bxa4 xa4 27.b1 dxc4 28.xc4 d5 29.b3 1/2-1/2 Bologan,V-Badea,B/Sovata 1999 ] 14...h4 15.e6! The world's youngest Grandmaster is very fearless and 15 e6 is indeed an excellent move. With this inspired pawn sacrifice White cuts the Black position into two separate halves. Of course if Black were allowed to play ... e7-e6 himself we would have reached a normal position. Now Kotsur struggles. fxe6 16.g4 h6 17.e5 White has plenty of time to build up-a scheme
such as 0-0,Rae1-e2, Rfe1 comes to mind and if Black takes on e5 then the Rook on h6 will have to withdraw leaving g6 exposed. d7 18.d3 [ 18.xg6? f6 ] 18...g7 [ 18...xe5 19.fxe5 0-0-0 20.0-0 ] 19.0-0 xe5 20.fxe5 f8 21.a4! Preparing a hot reception for the Black King should he venture to the queenside. And look at that Rook on h6! c5 22.b3 In his revealing notes, Karjakin mentions an unusual combinational possibility : [ 22.xh4!! A) 22...xh4 23.b5+ d7 ( 23...d8 24.xh4 ) 24.xg6+ f8 25.xe6+-; B) 22...c4 23.g5 cxd3 24.xh6 xh6 25.xf8+! xf8 26.xg6 f5 27.f1 d7 28.xf5+ exf5 29.e6 e8 30.h7!!+-; C) 22...xh4 23.f4! h8 24.f7+ d7 25.b5+ c8 26.g7+- That would have been very nice but after 22 b3 ,White is still overwhelmingly better. ] 22...cxd4 23.cxd4 c3 24.d1 xd4 [ 24...c8 25.a6 c7 26.c1 xc1 27.xc1 xc1 28.xc1 d7 29.c8+ d8 30.c6 shows the extent of Black's plight, who hardly has a decent move. ] 25.c1! b2 26.e3 h8 27.f2 xb3 28.xd4+- xd1+ 29.xd1 c8 30.df1 g8 31.xf8+ The Gurganidze System where Black plays for a light-squared blockade, is very playable against the Austrian, with or without an early ...Bg7. But, as graphically demonstrated here, accuracy is required! 1-0
761 Kasimdzhanov,Rustam Alber,Horst 15th Ordix Open rapid (3) [John Watson]
B06 2679 2357 02.08.2008
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6 Tiger Hillarp-Persson's system. The theory in his book is still well ahead of the practice. 5.f3 b5 6.d3 b7 Hillarp-Persson queries this move, preferring 6...Nd7 of the next game. 7.e2! f6 This is an innovation, and tries to 772
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 improve upon looking move to molest the queen with Na3-b5 [ 7...d7 8.e5!? ( or 8.e3! , when Tiger has been neglected in the past but is due for gives b4 9.d1 gf6! as best, although he a resurgence of interest. played 8...c5 9 dxc5! Nxc5 10 Bxc5 Bxc3+! [ There are plenty of alternatives: 8.a4+ 11 bxc3 dxc5 with only a moderate d7 9.b5 f6 10.xd7+ bxd7 11.a3 disadvantage.) 8...c5 9.g5!? ( 9.e4 ) the knight emerges on a3 to help aid the 9...cxd4 10.e6 f5! ( 10...f6 11.xh7 ) q u e e n ' s r o o k t o j o i n i n t h e a c t i o n . 0-0 11.exd7+ xd7 with an unclear game, De 12.d1 a6 13.0-0 b5 14.b4 e5 Fi r m i a n - H i l l a rp P e r s so n , C o p e n h a g e n 15.xe5 xe5 16.f4 ( 16.d4 1996. ] looks like a decent alternative that gives [ 7...c5!? is worth considering. ] W hite an edge.) 16...f5 17.g3 d5 8.e5 d5 9.xd5 18.b3 f4 19.fe1 e6 20.c2 xc2 [ 9.e6!? 0-0 ( 9...fxe6?! 10.g5; 9...f5!? ) 21.xc2 d5 22.e5 fc8 23.xg7 xg7 10.f5! frees White's c1 bishop to join the 24.e3 b6 25.d2 with equal chances, A. attack. Then gxf5? 11.g5 is decisive. ] Negulescu-D.Vasiesiu, Bucharest 2001. ] 9...xd5 10.0-0 e6?! [ 8.e2 a popular reply allowing White to get [ 10...0-0 11.e3 d7 ] o n w i t h d e v e l o p i n g t h e k i n g s i d e h6 11.a4! b4 Something has gone wrong for This is the point of Black's early fianchetto. Black. He needed to challenge the centre The knight does not block the a1-h8 before this. 12.c3 diagonal and is heading for f5 to exert some [ 12.c4 is also good. ] central pressure. 9.a3 c6 10.d4 0-0 12...0-0 13.e4 xe4 14.xe4 d5 15.e1 11.xc6 xc6 12.f3 c7 13.b5 Black's bishop on g7 is terribly placed, and he ( 13.0-0!? ) 13...a5 14.a4 a6 15.d4 d8 has nothing to show for his space 16.c1 ( 16.0-0 e5 17.b3 c7 18.e2 disadvantage. bxc3 16.bxc3 d7 17.h4 with equal chances) 16...g4 17.xg4 c6 18.g5 h6 19.f3 e7 20.g4 fb8? xg4 18.h3 d7 19.f4 ac8 20.0-0? [ 20...h7 ] White finally castles but it is too late. xh3! 21.f5! exf5 21.gxh3 xd4 The pin on the c-file decides [ 21...gxf5 22.xh6 g6 23.h5 ] the outcome of the game. 22.xd4 xd4 22.xh6 fxg4? 23.e3 d7 24.f5 c5 Black has a [ 22...b6 23.g5 f6 24.xg7 fxg5 material advantage so it makes sense to 25.h8+ f7 26.h7 ] a ve rt a p o ss ib le a t t a ck b y e xc h a n g in g 23.xg7 xg7 24.f6+ h6 25.g5 b6 queens. 25.ae1 gxf5 26.h1 xe3 26.xf7+ h7 27.h4+ 27.xe3 e6 28.f2 c4 29.b3 e4 1-0 30.g3+ f8 31.fg2 h5 32.h2 e7 0-1 M.Grbic-P.Benkovic, Kragujevac 2000. ] [ 8.d4 f6 9.a3 As usual the knight is 762 B06 developed with the intention of chasing the black queen. c6 10.b5 b8 11.c5 Kiik,Kalle 2449 0-0 ( 11...a6 12.bd4 is about equal.) Pedersen,Steffen 2453 12.e2 b6 13.a3?! The bishop looks ECC Panormo GRE (1) 23.09.2001 misplaced on the side of the board. ( Or [Gary Lane] 13.e3!? g4 14.g5 is roughly equal.) 13...d8 14.a4 b7 15.0-0 a6 16.bd4 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 g6 xd4 17.xd4 c7 18.ad1 b5 19.c2 A trendy line. The idea is to fianchetto on the d5 20.f3 e5 21.b3 a5 22.c5 c6 kingside and later play ...e7-e5. It is usually 23.d3 e4! 24.xe4 xc3 25.bxc3 xe4 barely mentioned in books. 5.dxc5 xc5 gave Black strong pla y in V .Klyune r-A . 6.f3 Shchekachev, Duisburg 2000. ] [ 6.e3 c7 ( 6...a5!? ) 7.xa7! xa7 8...c6?! A natural move but on the evidence 8.d4 is a nice tactic. ] 6...g7 7.e3 c7 8.a3 This obvious of this game it will probably be thought of as a 773
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 mistake in future books. 9.b5 b8 [ 9...a5 10.f4 e5 ( 10...f8 11.c7 b8 12.b5 f5 13.xc6 bxc6 14.e6+ xe6 15.xb8 with a winning advantage) 11.d6! wins ] 10.d2 a6 11.f4 e5 12.d6+ e7 Black has to give up castling straight out of th e o p e nin g, which m e a ns it h as b ee n a disas ter f or Pede rsen . 13.xc8+ xc8 14.e3 e4 15.g5 f5 [ 15...f6 16.c2 b4 17.b3 bd5 ( 17...d3+ 18.xd3 exd3 19.xf7+ ) 18.d1 c6 19.c4 hd8 20.d4 and White is much better. ] 16.d5 Now that the white queen has entered the heart of Black's position it becomes clear that W hite has a tremendous attack. e5 17.c5+ e8 18.d1 c6 [ 18...h6 19.e6 f6 20.b6 wins ] 19.e6 xd5 20.xg7+ f7 21.xd5 1-0
h7 [ Black wants to get the queens off with 18. .. f6 the immediate 17...f6 loses to 18.xg6 xg3 19.xe7+ . White avoids this and clamps down on the possibility of ...c6-c5 by pressuring d5. ] 18.f3 ad8 19.ad1 f6?! After this Black gets into all kinds of trouble, but it's actually quite hard to find a good move. 20.c4 b6 21.a5 Threatening to win the exchange with c4-c5. de8 22.c3 h4 [ This is a rotten square for the queen, but there isn't anywhere else. 22...d6 loses to 23.c5 ] 23.e3 f6 24.f3 h5 25.h3 Threatening g2-g4, which causes Black to give up a pawn. e5 26.dxe5 fxe5 27.xe5 h4 28.c5 d7 29.xd7 xe3 30.xf8+ xf8 31.xe3 xc5 32.e8 1-0
764 763 Klovans,Janis Gurevich Cup Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine) [Nigel Davies]
B06
1970
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 f6 5.c4 bd7 6.b3 b6 7.f3 g4 8.g3 f5 9.f3 g4 10.g3 f5 11.f3 [ 11.f3 draws by repetition, which might be enough to put some players of f . But by avoiding the repetition White keeps the freer game. ] 11...bxd5 12.xd5 xd5 13.0-0 0-0 14.e1 [ Another game from this position went 14.h4 h5?! 15.g5 f6 16.d2 e6 17.fe1 d7 18.h3 ae8 19.e2 f7 20.ae1 g5? 21.xg5 fxg5 22.xg5 g6 23.xe6 c6 24.xf8 xf8 25.c3 h7 26.g3 h6 27.xd5 cxd5 28.e7 h4 29.c7 f6 30.xg7+ 1-0, Khachian M Barbu I, Bucharest 1993. Obviously Black can play better than this but in any case his position is not very attractive. W hite has more space and it's difficult for Black to free himself. ] 14...c6 15.g5 h6 16.d2 d6 17.e5
Kobalia,Mihail Welling,Gerard Gibtelecom Masters (1.5) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2654 2405 24.01.2006
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.c4 e6 I made the point in my recent book on the Hippopotamus system of defence, that Bc4 systems were among the easier for Black to combat. The Bishop on c4 is vulnerable to a pawn attack from Black and White often has to lose time as a result. 5.b3 e7 6.0-0 b6 7.bd2 0-0 8.e1 c5 Why not? Black is not afraid of d4-d5 while the Bishop is still on c8. [ 8...b7 9.f1 d7 10.g3 c5 11.c3 c8 12.h3 h6 13.e3 c4 ( 13...d5 14.e5; 13...cxd4 14.cxd4 f6 15.c2 lo o k s a t o u c h b e t t e r f o r W h i t e i n b o t h cases. ) 14.c2 f5 15.exf5 exf5 16.f4 f6 17.c1 f8 18.h4 xf3 19.gxf3 d5 20.d2 A) 20...f4! promotes a very difficult position but one where Black has every chance to win thanks to his better pawn position: 21.e4 ( 21.e2 f7 22.e4 b5 ) 21...e6; B) 20...h5?! 21.g5! f7 22.e6 7f6 23.d2 White has organised his position 774
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c a r e f u l l y , b u t e v e n s o , a f t e r e8 it will be difficult to break in. ] 9.c3 [ Thus 9.d5 e5! is fine for Black, who will play ...h7-h6 and ...f7-f5 shortly. ] 9...bc6 10.f1 h6 I would like to do without this move if I could, thus [ 10...cxd4 11.cxd4 b7 12.g3 c8 came into consideration. Welling, in typical Hippo style, refuses to clarify the issue. ] 11.g3 a6 12.c2 cxd4 13.cxd4 c8 14.e3 c7 [ 14...a5 15.b3 f5! looks very interesting n o w, wi t h a c t ive p l a y f o r B la ck : 16.exf5 ( 16.d2 fxe4 17.xe4 d5 18.c2 ac6 19.c3 d6 20.d2 f4! 21.xf4 xf4 22.xe6 xf3 23.gxf3 xd4 ) 16...xf5 17.xf5 gxf5 18.f4 f6 19.d2 b7! The Hippo is an opening of good timing. Black is passive only initially (or at least, he should be. No, let me rephrase that, he HAS to be) and then he must choose an appropriate moment to break out. ] 15.d2 h7 16.ad1 a5 17.b3 f5 18.b1 d7 19.h4 d5? The real mistake. Black must keep the centre fluid to head off the Kingside attack: [ 19...fxe4 20.xe4 b7 21.h5 xe4 22.xe4 gxh5 23.d3 g8 ] [ 19...b7 20.h5 g5 21.exf5 exf5 22.e2 ac6 In either case, the game remains very unclear. ] 20.exf5! gxf5 21.h5 But now Black has no counterplay and must sit and watch. g6 22.xg7 xg7 23.h5 h8 24.f4 The dark squares are irreparably weakened. c6 25.e5 cc8 26.e3 g8 27.g3 f6 28.g4 h4 29.xh6 xg3 30.fxg3 Games like this give the Hippo a unjustifiably bad name, although it must be said that three rows of pawns is not for everyone. 1-0
765 Kosten,Anthony C Hague,Ben 4NCL 2006-07 (7) [John Watson]
B06 2534 2298 03.03.2007
When I was in the Flank Opening column, I always used to cite Webmaster Tony Kosten's games with 1 c4. Now I've moved just in time to catch his 1 e4 games! This 17-move win versus Tiger's Modern illustrates how important it is to play exact move orders when your position is cramped. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.f3 b5 6.d3 [ 6.e3 b7 7.d3 d7 is one of Tiger's main lines (such as there are any!). See the note to move 7. ] 6...d7 7.e3 c5!? [ 7...b7 is standard, when something similar to the game can happen after 8.0-0 c5 9.dxc5 xc5 10.xc5 dxc5 11.e5 , but the tradeoff of 0-0 for ...Bb7 allows Black to contest the central light squares, for example, b6! 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 h6! 14.c4 0-0 15.c1!? ad8 16.e2 f6! Stefansson-Hilla tefansson-Hilla tefansson-Hillarp-Persson, Gausdal 1996. Black had equalised and quickly gained a l a r g e a d v a n t a g e a f t e r 17.c3 fxe5 18.xe5!? f5 19.cxb5 c4+ 20.f2!? e3 21.a4? ( 21.c6 axb5 22.xd8 xd8 , but Black is distinctly better) 21...d4! ] 8.dxc5! This looks like the best way to exploit Black's omission of ...Bb7. xc5 9.xc5 dxc5?! [ Maybe it's not so bad to play 9...xc3+! here, since the bishop is about to be cut off on g7 anyway, and White will lack a darksquared bishop to exploit the weaknesses aro un d g6 . T h e n 10.bxc3 dxc5 11.e5 ( 11.c4!? ) 11...b7 12.e2 h6!? 13.e4 xe4 14.xe4 0-0 looks sound enough. Anyway, it must be better than 9... dxc5. ] 10.e5 This basic structure tends to favour W hite, but the note to move 7 shows how Black can get his fair share of the play. The problem in this case is that without having played ...Bb7 already, he can't hold the light squares. b7 11.e4 xe4 [ 11...b6 12.xb7 ( simplest also 775
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 promising is 12.e2 ) 12...xb7 13.d5! xd5 14.xd5 0-0-0 ( 14...c8 15.a4! b4 16.0-0-0 h6 17.d2 and Black can't get developed ) 15.0-0-0 e6 ( 15...b7 16.g5! e6 17.c3 h6 18.ce4 )] 12.xe4 c7 Probably not best, but there's nothing really satisfactory because of Black's weak queenside pawns and lack of development. 13.d5 c8 14.0-0-0 h6 Th is lo s es , b ut Bla ck ca n h ard ly su rvive anyway. [ 14...c6 15.xc6+ xc6 16.d5 c4 17.hd1 c8 18.c5 is not pretty. ] 15.d6+! exd6 16.exd6 d7 Versus 17 d7+, but: 17.e5 1-0
766 Kotronias,V Rapport,R 41st TCh-GRE (6.1) [Tom Rendle]
B06 2581 2693 06.07.2013
1.e4 g6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 [ 3.e5! is the critical test of the North Sea defence and it certainly seems better than the variation Kotronias chose. See AdamsCarlsen (amongst other games) from the archives. ] 3...d5 4.e5 [ 4.exd5 doesn't promise any advantage: xd5 5.xd5 xd5 6.c4 d6 7.e3 g7 and Black had already equalised in Massoni, M (2385)-Rapport, R (2654) Calvi 2013 ] 4...e4 5.ce2 An important test of this line. White is threatening 6.f3 trapping the knight so Black's next move is forced [ 5.xe4 dxe4 6.e3 g7 7.c3 0-0 8.e2 c5! and Black's pressure on the centre is enough to compensate his doubled pawns. ] 5...f6 [ 5...h6? 6.h4 and f3 on the next move will win a the knight. ] 6.f3 [ 6.h4!? is still dangerous but it seems that Black is OK after fxe5 7.f3 d6 8.dxe5 f5 9.g4 g7 10.f4 c6 with a rather odd position. Chances seem about level although if W hite can find time to castle queenside his kingside space advantage
may give him the better position. ] 6...g5 7.xg5 [ 7.h4?! makes less sense here as after f7 the knight is well placed on f7 and White has over-extended himself. ] 7...fxg5 8.d2 e6 A very solid move from Rapport and one which suggest Black is doing OK in this line. [ 8...c5!? 9.xg5 c6 10.d2 ( 10.0-0-0! is more promising for W hite, for example g7 11.b1 0-0 12.f4! with Nf3 to come a n d a p l e a s a n t a d v a n t a g e f o r W h i t e) 10...cxd4 11.xd4 b6 and Black was fine in Berg, E (2456)-Paulsen, D (2431) Mainz 2001 ] 9.h3 [ 9.0-0-0 would seems to be a little more flexible here, for example e7 10.f4 0-0 ( 10...gxf4 11.xf4 c5 is probably a better way for Black to play with chances for both sides after 12.f3 0-0 13.h4 c6 ) 11.g3 and White is preparing a dangerous kingside attack with h4. ] 9...e7 10.f4 g4?! A rather odd choice from Rapport and one that quickly gets him into trouble [ 10...gxf4 \/I much pref er 11.hxf4 c5 12.0-0-0 c6 and Black has at least equalised. He also has the luxury of choosing to castle kingside into huge complications or going queenside f or a slightly quieter, more positional game. ] 11.f2 h5 12.h3 g3 [ 12...gxh3 13.xh3 c5 14.0-0-0 c6 15.g4! and White has a dangerous kingside initiative ] 13.xg3 c5 14.dxc5 xc5 15.b5+ c6 16.b4?! After this it's obvious that White won't be castling queenside! [ 16.d3 b6 17.0-0-0 was much stronger when Black has to demonstrate where his compensation for the pawn is. ] 16...b6 17.0-0 d7?! [ Black should've gone for 17...0-0 18.e2 e7 with reasonable compensation for the pawn, especially with ...Nf5 coming. ] 18.c4 h4 19.h2 0-0-0 20.c5 c7 21.d3?! [ 21.xc6! xc6 22.e2 and not only is White a pawn up but his attack with a4 and b5 is coming very quickly. ] 776
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 21...xe5! This tactic brings Rapport back into the game 22.xe5?! [ 22.xd7+ xd7 23.c6! bxc6 24.ac1 and White has a very dangerous attack - for example b7?! ( 24...e7 25.xc6 b7 is a better try but White is clearly better after 26.b5 ) 25.c2 b8 26.c5+ c8 27.xe6 and White is winning ] 22...xb5 23.xg6 f6 24.xh8 e5!? A brave attacking decision from Black but objectively this doesn't really work [ better was 24...xf1 25.xf1 xh8 26.e2 h4 and Black's bind on the kingside give him reasonable compensation for a pawn. ] 25.f7 xf7 26.fxe5 xf1 27.xf1 g7 28.xh5 xe5+ 29.f4 f5 30.g3 h8 31.g2 d4 32.f3 b8 33.d3 [ 33.d5! d7 34.xc7 xc7 35.d3 an d wit h t he b ish o p exch a nge d of f t h e ending is a technical win for White. ] 33...e6 34.g1 a6 35.g4 d8 36.f2 e4 37.a4 g5 38.f1 e3+ 39.h2 e8 40.c6?! [ 40.f7! xa4 41.f6 e8 42.g3 and with the king on g3 surprisingly safe this should be winning for W hite, for example b5 43.d6+ a8 44.b6 g5 45.xb5 axb5 46.f3 and White's connected passed pawns will decide the game in his favour ] 40...xc6 41.f8+ xf8 42.xf8+ c7 43.e7+ b8 44.f8+ c7 45.c5 xc5 46.bxc5 c6 47.g3 d5 48.f3 g5 49.e2?! [ 49.f2! e7 50.e4 should still be good enough to win ] 49...a5 50.f3 f6 51.f4 c4 52.e4 e7? [ 52...d8 seems to hold the draw ] 53.e5+? [ 53.c6! bxc6 54.e5+ c5 55.f3 f6 56.g5 and White is winning ] 53...xc5 54.f3 b5 55.axb5 a4 56.xd4 a3 57.c2 a2 58.f5?? Somehow White miscalculates and throws away the draw as well [ 58.d3 xb5 59.c3 f6+ 60.b3 a1 61.xa1 xa1= ] 58...xb5 59.g5 c4 60.g6 f8 61.e4 [ or 61.f6 c3 62.f7 h6 63.a1 b2 ]
61...c3 62.a1 b2 63.d3 xa1 and W hite resigned. A bizarre end to the game and one I can only imagine that resulted from Kotronias (or more likely both players) being very short on time. 0-1
767 Kozlov,Viktor Mihail Inarkiev,Ernesto Autumn III Alushta (13) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2340 2545 2002
1.e4 g6 Another debacle coming up in the Hippopotamus system. White cannot seem to acknowledge to himself that the Black position is resilient and almost futuristic in its approach. 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 A quick...a6 seems to be an essential component of the Black idea. If White goes a2a4,he loosens himself and he cannot castle queenside anymore ( at least with a clear conscience!) 5.a4 b6! 6.d2 b7 7.f3 e6 He re we a re a g a i n a n d W h it e s it s t h e r e t h i n k i n g . . . ' W e l l , n o w w h a t ' ? 8.h3 There are others : [ 8.h4 h6 9.g4 This would certainly be interesting. ] [ 8.ge2 d7 9.g3 e7 10.g2 Meet ing f ire with f ire in a sense. Here , W hite seems well poised to meet any Black counterplay. ] 8...f6 Breaking the rules assuming Black is supposed to play ...Ne7 but Inarkiev has a small trap 9.f2 [ 9.h6 xe4! that's it by the way..... 10.fxe4 h4+-+ ] 9...0-0 10.d1 [ 10.h6 bd7 11.xg7 xg7 12.e2 e5 13.0-0 e7 Would be fine positionally for Black of course. ] 10...e7 11.g5 bd7 12.g4 e8 13.h6+ h8 14.g4?! Don't like it at all. Kozlov should make a mental readjustment and get his King out of the centre as quickly as he can. [ 14.e2 ] 14...c5! 15.dxc5 d5! Excellent play by Inarkiev and all because of the silly g2-g4. 16.exd5 exd5+ 17.e2 bxc5 A remarkable 777
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 turnaround. 18.0-0 d4 19.b1 d5 20.a3 f6 The Hippopotamus system provokes play not dissimilar to Fischerandom chess. You get thrown on your own resources very early on, ChessBase goes out of the window and the best player usually wins. Perhaps there is hope for our noble game after 0-1
15...xc3+ [ 15...a7! 16.0-0-0 b7 ] 16.xc3 b7 17.0-0-0 [ 17.f2 would keep the rook on the a-file for pressure on the isolated a-pawn. ] 17...fc8 18.d4 g7 19.hd1 e5 20.b4 c6 21.h3 a5 22.b3 cb8 [ 22...d7 23.f4 a4 24.a3 still favours White by a bit. ] 23.a3!? 768 B06 [ 23.xb8! xb8 24.f4 ] Kritz,Leonid 2596 23...b4 24.f4 ab8 [ 24...c4 25.xc4 xc4 26.d2! Zozulia,Anna 2347 with the idea Rda1. ] Open Ancona SUI (5) 06.12.2007 25.b3 a8 26.b2 fd7 27.fd5 xd5 [John Watson] 28.xd5 b7 29.da1 [ 29.xe7!? b6! 30.d5 bc4+ 31.a2 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 xa3 32.xa3 gives White nicely-placed 5.d2 d7 6.f3 b5 7.h4 h5 8.h3 c5 pieces for the exchange, in particular the 9.g5 cxd4 knight on d5. ] [ 9...b7 would transpose to Cubas-Leitao. ] 29...c6 30.e3 c5 31.c3 c8 32.d2 10.xd4 xd4 [ Hanging by a thread, but playable e6? [ 32...bb8 . Black has to sit around. ] nonetheless, is 10...gf6!? A) 11.xf6 xf6 12.d5 xg5 ( or 33.c4 d5? [ 33...bb8 34.xa5 d4 keeps the fight 12...xc3+ 13.bxc3 0-0 14.xa8 c7 ) going. ] 13.xa8 f6 14.d5 xh4+!? 15.xh4 e6 16.xh5! xh5 17.xd6 and White 34.d6 d8 35.xb7 xb7 36.exd5 has various positional problems but an xd5+ 37.c3 c5+ 38.b2 b4 39.c4 extra pawn, the latter of which is more d6 40.xa5 1-0 important; B) 11.a4!? b4 12.a2 ( maybe best is 12.d1!? b8 13.c4 0-0 14.a5 ) 769 B06 12...a5 Kukawski,M 2346 B1) 13.xf6 xf6 ( 13...xf6 14.e5! ) Petrosian,TL 2629 14.d5 xg5 15.xa8 f6 isn't so clear, given Black's bishop pair; Najdorf Mem Open A 2014 (1.9) 14.07.2014 B2) 13.c4 0-0 14.xf6 xf6 [Neil McDonald] ( 14...xf6? 15.xf7+ xf7 16.xf7 xf7 17.d5+ ) 15.e5 e8! 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 a6 (a computer move otherwise Black is The 'Tiger Modern'. Black expands quickly on lost) 16.0-0-0 ( 16.exf6?! exf6+ 17.e4 the queenside leading to a highly complex f5 18.d5 a7; 16.xf7!? xf7 fight. 5.f3 b5 6.d3 d7 7.e5 c5 17.xf7+ xf7 18.exf6 xf6 19.c3 A critical position. Black is putting a lot of e6! ) 16...h7! ( 16...dxe5? 17.b5! ) pressure on the white centre, but can he 17.exd6 xg5 18.xg5 exd6 succeed when his knight is still sitting on g8? and Black stands well enough. ] 8.e4 b8 9.e3 c4!? A move with a bad 11.xd4 gf6 12.a4 The normal idea in this reputation due to the Graf game mentioned l i n e , t o c r e a t e w e a k n e s s e s i n B l a c k ' s below. However it seems fully playable, which queenside structure. bxa4 13.xa4 0-0 is good news for Black if he wishes to deprive White of the chance to break open lines along 14.e2 c7 15.c3!? [ 15.c3! b8 16.b3 ] the d-file with d4xc5 or e5xd6. 778
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Gawain analyses 9...b4 , which remains a sharp and interesting line, in MekhitarianAhmadinia. ] 10.g5 This is the reason why Black's last move is supposed to be bad: White threatens to win at once with 11.e6. However, it might be better to play [ 10.0-0!? and maintain White's attacking options. ] 10...h6! Petrosian takes the sting out of 11. e6 by defending f7. Instead after the passive [ 10...f8?! White built up an attack with 11.f3 h6 12.0-0 in Graf, A (2642) Siebrecht, S (2376)/Heringsdorf 2000. ] [ What Black mustn't do is waste a move trying to force the knight away from g5. After 10...h6? White has three crushing responses: 11.xf7 ( Instead 11.e6 fxe6 12.xg6+ f8 13.0-0 followed by 14.f5 w o u l d b e f a t a l f o r t h e b l a c k k i n g .; Alternatively 11.e6 hxg5 12.exf7+! xf7 b e t t e r t h a n t a k i n g o n d 7 . 13.fxg5 and then 14.0-0, 15.Qf3 etc. is a winning attack for White.) 11...xf7 12.e6+ xe6 ( Suicidal, but very bad for Black is 12...f8 13.exd7 xd7 14.0-0 etc. ) 13.d5+ f6 14.e4+ f5 15.g4# ] 11.h4?! The critical test is [ 11.e6 f6 but Black seems fine e.g. 12.exf7+ ( Also fairly harmless are White's alte rna t ive s 12.c6+ f8 13.d5 c7 14.xf7 xf7 15.exf7 xf7 and; 12.xf7 xf7 13.exf7+ xf7 ) 12...f8!? Black declines to recapture straightaway on f7 as he sees he can pick up the pawn later on. Meanwhile he can use his knight on h6 more actively. 13.f3 f5 14.f2 b4 15.d5 h6 16.h3 e6 with equal chances. White should probably have gone for this line in the game. ] 11...b6 12.e6?! White keeps on pressing forwards but his position is getting weaker. [ Black looks solid on the light squares after 12.a3 d5 13.f3 f6 14.h3 f5 15.f2 h5 ] 12...xe6 13.xe6 fxe6 14.h5 b4 15.e2 d5 16.f2 g4! Black can ignore the attack on g6 in favour of activating his knights as his king will be safe on d7. 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.xh8+ xh8 19.xg6+ d7 20.f5 White's position is beginning to fall apart. He
would also be in trouble after [ 20.g3 a5 clearing the way for his rook 21.b3 df6 22.g1 g8 etc. ] 20...xf2 21.xf2 exf5 22.c3 a5 23.c2 bxc3? [ Simply 23...e6 is winning for Black when if 24.h1 f6 etc. ] 24.xf5+ e6 25.f7+ e7 26.bxc3 g5 27.b1?? Losing a piece. White might have held on with [ 27.c2 ] 27...xg6 28.xg6 f8+ A decisive zwischenzug, after which Black can recapture on g6 a piece up. 0-1
770 Kulicov,Oleg Anatolie Gelashvili,Tamaz 9th Open Dubai UAE (2) [John Watson]
B06 2403 2605 23.04.2007
This time things go better for Black. It may be that Black's 6th move is a good alternative to 6...Nd7. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 a6 5.f3 b5 6.d3 b7 Given '?!' by HillarpPersson, since it doesn't immediately support ...c5 as ...Nd7 does. On the other hand, he doesn't show any way to get an advantage against it. 7.0-0 [ (a) 7.e5 is critical: ] [ (b) 7.e2 may be best, according to Tiger, but d7 8.e5 c5 ( 8...h6 also led to equality in one game, and may be better) 9.g5 ( 9.e4 xe4 10.xe4 cxd4 11.exd6 h6! , when Tiger says that 12 a4 i s ' t h e o n l y m o v e ' , a l t h o u g h 12.eg5!? b e a r s m e n t i o n) 9...cxd4 10.e6 f5! is a fantastic sacrifice that Hillarp-Person say that he's played a number of times, for example, 11.exd7+ ( 11.f7 a5 ) 11...xd7 12.d1 ( 12.xb5 axb5 13.xb5 c6 is unclear) 12...e5 13.fxe5 dxe5 14.a4 h6 15.f3 e4 with a doubleedged, crazy game in deFirmian-HillarpPersson, Copenhagen 1996. ] 7...d7 8.e5 Obviously not the only move, but possibly strongest. c5! [ 8...h6!? 9.e4 c6 10.d5!? ] 9.exd6 779
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 9.e4 xe4 10.xe4 cxd4 11.exd6 gf6 12.dxe7 ( 12.xd4 0-0 13.dxe7 xe7 14.xf6+ xf6 t r a n s p o s e s) 12...xe7 13.xf6+ ( 13.xd4!? 0-0 14.xf6+ xf6 15.f2 with some counterplay for Black) 13...xf6 14.xd4 ( 14.e1 e4 15.g5 f5 16.d3 0-0 17.d2 ) 14...0-0 15.e1 b7 16.c3 and it's not clear that Black has full compensation, but then again he might. ] [ 9.e3 ] 9...cxd4 10.e2 [ 10.e4 gf6 11.xf6+ xf6 12.dxe7 xe7 13.e1 e4 14.e2 f5 15.a4 0-0! is an unclear gambit. ] 10...b6 11.dxe7 [ 11.a4! is more challenging. ] 11...xe7 Now all of Black's pieces control central squares. 12.f5?! White activates his pieces but is losing time. 0-0 13.f4?! c5! 14.fxg6 fxg6 15.d2 xd3!? [ 15...f5 would demonstrate Black's superiority. ] 16.xd3? [ 16.cxd3 d5 17.b3 ] 16...d5 17.e1 e3 18.xe3 dxe3 19.e2 [ 19.h1? xf3! 20.gxf3 f8 21.f1 g5! and ... g4 follows. ] 19...ae8 20.f1 f5 21.a3 a5 22.h1 d5! 23.ae1 c8 24.h3 c4 25.b1 [ 25.b3 d5! 26.xe3 xe3 27.xe3 xc2 with the bishop pair, passed pawn, and 7th rank. ] 25...b4 26.axb4 axb4 27.b3 b5 W hite is to tally t ie d up . 28.h2 xf1+ 29.xf1 e8 30.h2 d4 31.f1 xd3 32.cxd3 b2 33.e1 [ 33.xb2 xb2 with ...e2 and ...Bc3. ] 33...xb3 34.g4 e6 35.f1 b3 0-1
c a s t l e w i t h 8.f1?! h6 9.b3 0-0 10.xh6 xh6 11.e1 f4 12.cxd4 c6 Black has to activate his pieces bef ore pursuing the white king 13.e3 d8 14.h4 xd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.xe7 f8 17.e8 xc4 18.xc4 xc4+ 19.g1 b6 with a winning advantage, Sveshnikov,E-Sax, G/Bled 2000. ] 8...h6 [ 8...f6? allows 9.xf7+! with a clear advantage ] [ 8...dxe3 9.xf7+! f8 10.d8+ xf7 11.g5+ f6 12.xe4+ wins ] 9.cxd4 [ 9.b5 0-0 10.cxd4 ( 10.c7 dxe3 11.d3 c6 12.xa8 exf2+ 13.f1 b6 is much better for Black) 10...c6 11.h3 f5 12.e2 xe3 13.fxe3 b4 ( Perhaps 13...h6!? ) 14.c3 c2 15.a3 xe2+ 16.xe2 c6 17.ac1 d7 18.b4 ac8 19.e4 f5 20.g3 d7 21.e4 f5 22.g3 d7 1/2-1/2 Peredy,F-Flumbort,A/ Veszprem 2000. ] 9...0-0 10.0-0 g4 White is concerned about allowing ...Nf5 to put pressure on the d4 pawn and bishop on e3 so decides to exchange pieces 11.xh6?! I would be reluctant to give up the bishop because then Black will have good play but W hite has spotted a tactical opportunity. [ 11.b5 c6 12.e2 f5 Black has easily equalised 13.g5 ad8 14.c3 e6 15.d5 c8 16.a4 xf3 17.xf3 cd4 18.e4 h6 led to equal play in Chapman,MDepasquale,C/Mingara 2000. ] [ 11.g5 xd1 12.xe4 g4 13.f3 c8 14.g4 c6 15.ad1 b6 16.c2 b7 with a level game, Anderton, M-Ramaswamy, A/Edinburgh 2003. ] 11...xh6 12.e1 f5 13.xe7 Hupper has won a pawn but it is a hollow victory because now Black develops smoothly. c6 14.xb7 771 B06 [ Or 14.e1 xf3 15.gxf3 ad8 16.d5 e5 17.e2 f4 gives Black a winning attack. ] Kupper,Patrick 2285 Pelletier,Yannick 2544 14...ad8 15.e2 [ 15.h3 xf3 16.xf3 xf3 17.gxf3 xd4 Swiss Team Championships (4.2) 20.05.2001 is double-edged ] [Gary Lane] 15...xf3 16.xf3 xd4 17.g4 [ 17.e2 f3+!? 18.xf3 xd1+ 19.xd1 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 g6 a6 is not clear because White has enough 5.f3 g7 6.a3 cxd4 7.c4 e4+ 8.e3 material for the queen. ] [ It is not so good to give up the right to 780
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17...e4 18.xa7 Kupper is two pawns up but I would rather be Black who has plenty of tricks available due to his superior pieces. g7 19.b1 [ 19.b1?? xg4 ] 19...b5 20.a4 d4 A crazy looking position where the pieces are hanging loose around the board. 21.f3 xf2+ 22.xf2 [ 22.h1 d3 23.xb5? xa7 is better for Black ] 22...d2+ 23.g3 [ 23.g1 e3+ 24.h1 xa7 with the advantage. ] 23...e5+ 24.h3 xa7 25.xa7 The king on h3 looks rather sad and Black really should go for it. fd8 [ 25...g5! is also possible to add some control of the h4 square. For instance: 26.b4 f4 and White can give up. ] 26.f1 f5+ 27.g3 g5+ 28.h3 f5+ 29.g3 g5+ 30.h3 8d4 The threat of mate is difficult to resist. 31.b8+ g7 32.g3 h5 33.e1 f5+ 34.g4 xf3+ 35.g3 xg3+ [ 35...hxg4+ 36.h4 f6# ] 36.xg3 xg4+ 37.f3 d3+ 38.e2 e4+ 39.f1 f3+ 40.g2 xe1 41.xf3 a1 0-1
772 Lalic,Bogdan Turner,Matthew Congress, 199 [Paul Motwani]
B06
1998
W 5 8 : " P o we r - p a c k e d p u n c h e s f r o m B i g Bogdan Lalic!" 1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 This case of "f for forward" constitutes the aggressive Austrian Attack. d7?! [ The chosen move is more passive than the "normal" 4...f6 , and on his next move Black continues to play in an uncharacteristically timid way. ] 5.f3 c6 6.d3 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.e2! Black must keep guessing about whether White intends to castle on the queenside or t h e k i n g s i d e . e7 9.f5 c5 10.c4! White directs pressure towards Black's frail point at f7. gxf5
[ 10...b5 can be answered strongly by 11.e3! ] 11.g5! e6 [ 11...0-0? loses immediately to 12.h5 ] 12.xf7!! This stunning sacrifice is designed to e xp o se B la ck' s kin g, a n d t o f o rc e t h e unhappy monarch out into the open. xf7 13.exf5 xf5 14.0-0 e8 [ 14...g6 walks into crushing lines like 15.xf5! xf5 16.h5+ f6 ( 16...g5 17.g4+ f6 18.xg5# ) 17.e4+ e7 18.g5+ xg5 19.xg5+ e8 20.h5+ d7 21.f7+ e7 22.d1+ ] 15.xf5+ g8 16.e3 h8 17.h5 e4 [ 17...f4 allows 18.xf4 exf4 19.xh7+! xh7 20.h5+ h6 21.d3+ , with a winning attack for White. ] 18.f1 White's army is now fully mobilised, whereas most of Black's pieces are practically dormant on the back rank, and unable to p r o t e c t t h e i r t r o u b l e d k i n g o n h 8 . e7 19.xe4 d7 20.xh7+!! Big Bogdan Lalic lands another power-packed punch on his d a ze d o p p o n e n t . xh7 21.h5+ g8 22.g5 xg5 Black could do little else against the threat of 23 Qh7, as is confirmed by the following variations. [ 22...xb2 23.f7 ] [ 22...f6 23.xf6 xf6 24.h7+ f8 25.xe6+ xe6 ( 25...xe6 26.h6+ ) 26.c5+ e8 27.g8+ f8 28.xf8# ] 23.xg5 f8 24.d1 Black resigned, far behind on material, and in view of 24...Rf7 25 Rxd7! Rxd7 26 Bxe6+. 1-0
773 Lautier,Joel Miles,Anthony J SKA Biel (3) [Nigel Davies]
B06
1996
Amongst the off-beat ideas tried by the late Tony Miles, the combination of a Modern and an Alekhine with 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Nf6 is one of the most bizarre. In this game it didn't turn out too well, but that doesn't mean it can't be a useful surprise weapon at club level. How many of us have to play Black against Joel Lautier? 1.e4 g6 2.d4 f6 3.e5 h5 781
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 4.e2 g7 5.f3 d5 6.h3 h5 This looks a bit odd to me, though that could also be said of Black's entire opening. [ 6...e6 transposes into Ferguson Hodgson in which both sides lost a tempo. ] [ To my way of thinking the 'normal' move in th is p o sit io n is 6...c6 which seems fairly indispensable in the long run anyway and leaves Black's options open. ] 7.0-0 c6 8.b3 a5 And this looks like a rook pawn move too far. Although the position is fairly stable at present there is a limit to the extent to which Black can break the rules. [ 8...f5 looks better, with a similar set-up to Pacey - Day. ] 9.c4 a6 10.c3 c7 11.cxd5 xd5 12.xd5 cxd5 13.g5 d7 14.d3 e6 15.f3 xg5 16.xg5 b6 The best chance in a difficult position. [ After 16...c6 there is 17.e6 ] [ or if 16...e6 there follows 17.b5+ d7 18.e6 fxe6 19.d3 ] 17.xd5 c6 18.c5 xc5 19.dxc5 Leaving White a pawn up for not very much. Miles puts up tough resistance but in the end this proves futile. g7 20.fe1 d8 21.c4 d5 22.b5+ c6 23.c4 d5 24.f1 d7 25.ad1 e6 26.h4 c6 27.c4+ d5 28.xd5 xd5 29.xe7 xe7 30.xd5 c8 31.c1 xe5 32.xb7 d8 33.f3 d2 34.c6 c7 35.d1 xd1+ 36.xd1 d6 37.e2 e7 38.c4 f5 39.f1 d8 40.e2 e8 41.e6 e7 42.g8 f8 43.d5 e7 44.d3 f4 45.c4 d6 46.e4 xh4 47.b5 d8 48.xg6 h4 49.e4 c7 50.a6 d8 51.b7 c7 52.f3 d8 53.a3 1-0
774 Lee Sang Hoon Gilbert,Jessie 1st International (5) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2098 17.02.2006
Played at the 1st Korean International Event, this is a wild game in the Modern Defence. W h i t e g e t s h is p i e c e s i n a t a n gle a t t h e beginning of the game but Black doesn't take advantage of this like she should and White
seems to get back into the game. However, his king is in the centre and falls into lots of mating threats which he somehow manages to escape. It ends with a two knights v rook and pawns endgame and W hite holds on to the draw. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f4 A very unusual line to play against the Modern that is not seen much in high-level chess but is occasionally brought out by grandmasters as a surprise weapon! d6 [ 3...c5!? 4.d5 d6 ] 4.f3 d7 Not one of the most popular moves here, but playable. 5.d3 c5 [ 5...h6 comes from the wilder shores of t h e M o d e r n : 6.0-0 0-0 7.e1 c5 Black is relying on this move for counterplay. 8.dxc5 ( 8.f5 ) 8...xc5 9.c3 g4 10.h1 f6 11.e3 xd3 12.cxd3 b6 13.h3 a6 14.d2 c8 15.fc1 d7 16.a4 fd8 17.b4 e8 18.b5 b7 19.h2 c7= Somlai, L-Horvath, J/Hungary 1994 ] 6.c3 b6N 7.a3 cxd4 8.c4 c5 9.b4 c7 10.cxd4 b5 11.b2? [ 11.a5 a6 ] 11...c3+ [ 11...xd4 12.xd4 c3+ 13.d2 xd4 and White doesn't really have enough compensation for the pawn. ] 12.d2 xd4 13.xb5 xd2+ 14.xd2 g7 15.d3 [ 15.c6 b8 16.a3 b7 17.xb7 xb7 ] 15...a5!? [ 15...b7 is also good for Black and pe rh ap s le ss risky t ha n giving W hit e a passed b-pawn that may become handy later in the game. ] 16.b5 c5 17.b1?! [ 17.e1 is White's best bet. b7 18.e5 ] 17...b7?! Missing a chance to get a clear advantage. [ 17...e6! 18.c2 f6 19.e1 xa2-+ ] 18.e1 c8 [ 18...f6 19.e5 dxe5 20.xe5 fe4+ ] 19.c4 [ 19.e5 dxe5 20.fxe5 h6 ] 19...xd3? [ 19...f6 20.b2 fxe4+ 21.xe4 xe4+ 22.d3 xb2 23.xb2 c5+ ] 20.xd3 f6 21.xa5 xe4+ 22.xe4 xe4 23.xe4 c3 Things are getting 782
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 g7 7.d2 h6 8.e3 c6 9.0-0 d5 10.exd5 cxd5 11.d3 By straightforward means, White has established a edge, albeit in a very murky position. It becomes clear that Black doesn't really like his position. In that case, why did he play the Hippo in the first place?? f6 12.e5 d7 13.f3 c6 14.b4 d7 15.xg6! b6?? ( 15...xg6 16.b5 c8 17.bxc6 xc6 18.e2 ) 16.xh8 xh8 17.b5 xb5 18.ab1 xd4 19.f2 a6 20.a4 xf2+ 21.xf2 1-0 Ruiz Diez, J-Martin Juan, V/Aragon 2003 ] 5...g7 6.c3 e7 7.b3 This slow, nagging approach is the preferred method of most strong players when facing this confusing stuff. White doesn't press too hard and relies on a good, solid centre and modest development. His extra space and wider choice of plans will eve nt u a lly ru n B lack ou t o f co u nt e rpla y. Rodriguez does not think so. He believes in himself and his ability to keep the tension and will try to outplay Leskovar. [ 7.e3 0-0 8.d2 d5 9.d3 dxe4 10.xe4 f6 11.c2 b6 12.h6 b7 13.xg7 xg7 14.e5 d5 15.f3 ad8 16.f2 a6= Schaefer, G-Scheib, K/ Mehlingen 1999 ] [ 7.e1 0-0 8.g5 h6 9.h4 b6 10.bd2 b7 11.e2 a6 12.h3 g5 13.g3 g6 14.e3 f6 15.ad1 h5 16.h2 hf4 17.xf4 xf4 18.f1 f5 19.g3 g6 775 B06 20.exf5 exf5 21.e6+ h7 Duer, W-Kroell, J/Austria 2000 ] Leskovar,Mario Leopoldo 2245 Rodriguez Cespedes,Amador 2495 7...0-0 8.e1 b6 9.bd2 b7 10.f1 h6!? 1st Bautista Masters, Cipolleti (8) 2003 11.g3 c5 Finally Black plays an active move and now White has to show his hand. 12.h4 [Andrew Martin] [ I qu ite like 12.e3 followed by Qd2 and only then h2-h4! a2-a4 must also come 1.d4 d6 2.e4 d7!? It is perfectly possible into consideration. ] to start a game this way although not many do. 3.f3 g6 The Hanham Variation of the 12...c7 13.h5 g5 I guess that was the point ac8 P h i l i d o r i s a n o t h e r o p t i o n e . g . 3 . . . e 5 . of ...h7-h6 in the first place! 14.d3 R o d r i g u e z i n s i s t s o n o r i g i n a l i t y . 4.c4 15.c2 fd8 We have reached a genuinely Black must not overlook the threat of Bxf7+ unclear position, quite conforming to the style although some might. e6 So we will get a and the philosophy of the variation. There's Hippopotamus after the initial banter. 5.0-0 no mate on h7 so by taking on d4 at the right White has a very wide choice, both his pride moment, Black will always have counterplay. a n d h i s p o s s i b l e d o w n f a l l . L o v e r s o f Leskovar decides to take action. 16.xg5?! [ 16.a4 g4! 17.h2 cxd4 18.xg4 dxc3 aggression might prefer 5 Bg5, as featured in 19.b4 e5 ] the following miniature. I know I do. [ 16.d1 a6 17.e3 b5 ] [ 5.g5! Awkward for Black. e7 6.c3
exciting now - White has a material advantage but it's quite difficult for him to get out of being mated! 24.f5 gxf5+ 25.xf5 g8 26.g4? [ 26.b2 c5+ 27.e4 f5+ 28.d3 e5 ] 26...h6+ 27.g5 f6?? [ 27...xg5! 28.xg5 ( 28.b6 f6+ 29.h3 c5 30.g4 d7-+ ) 28...f6 29.h4 fxg5 30.b6 gxh4+ 31.xh4 d7 32.b7 c7-+ ] 28.b6 xg5 29.b7 e3+ 30.h3 a7 31.b8+ xb8 32.xb8+ f7 33.xg8 xg8 34.b3 e5 35.g4 c2 36.a4 c4+ 37.f5 f7 38.g3 xa4 39.bd2 d5 40.xe5+ fxe5 41.xe5 a8?! [ 41...a3-+ stopping White from taking the d-pawn and stopping the White knight from getting into the game. ] 42.f3 d8?! [ 42...a5-+ ] 43.g4 g6 [ 43...e8+ 44.xd5 e3 45.g1 f6 ] 44.h4 d7 45.e6 d8 46.e5 d7 47.e6 d8 48.e5 h6 49.h5+ g7 50.g5 f8 51.gxh6+ xh6 52.d4 d8 53.e6 d7 54.c5 d4 55.e4 [ 55.xd7 d3 56.f6 d2 57.g4+ xh5 58.e3= ] 55...d8 56.d3 xh5 57.e6 d6 58.xd4 ½-½
783
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16...hxg5 17.xg5 cxd4 I get the impression that Rodriguez knows his opponent very well and has been tempting him all along . It's a dangerous game to play but when it comes off th e po in t is th ere f or t h e ta king. W hite 's sacrifice is probably unsound. 18.e5 f8 [ 18...f8 ] 19.h6 c6 [ 19...xh6 20.xh6 dxe5 21.h5 f5 22.g3+ fg6 ] 20.f3 xh6 21.xh6? Too optimistic. White would have a better chance of getting something from the game after [ 21.xe7 dxc3! 22.bxc3 d7 23.exd6 c5+ 24.f1 f4 ] 21...dxc3! 22.b4 d5 23.f1 d4+ 24.e3 [ 24.e3 xe5 ] 24...h4-+ Black has won the battle for the initiative-his position was resilient enough to wi t h s t a n d a n i m m e d i a t e a s sa u l t . 25.xf8 xf8 26.e4 d5 27.e2 a6 28.f2 xf2+ 29.xf2 dxe5 30.a3 f5 31.g5 e7 32.e1 f6 33.h3 h8 34.f4 e4 35.g5 e5 There's no clear way to the advantage against this messy' three-rank' system and it's clear that White must be patient. Attempts to demolish the Black position often meet the fate that Leskovar had to suffer. The Hippo remains a good way to play all-out for the win against weaker opposition. It is very confusing. 0-1
Benko. White shuts down Black's queenside ambitions before they take shape! [ Milov, another Grandmaster who favours originality, tried 7.h3 in a recent game. This is a useful move, preparing Be3: c5 8.d5 ( 8.c3!? ) 8...b5 9.f4 Changing his mind? c7 10.c3 b7 11.a4 a6 12.e3 e6 Milov, V-Sakaev, K/Panormo 2002 ] 7...c5 8.d5 c7 9.a3! The Knight aims for c4, a dream square. b6 10.c3! a6 11.c4 b8 12.e5! More thematic play. White forces through a critical advance. dxe5 [ Black may lie back on the ropes, but there is no doubting White's superiority: 12...fe8 13.f4 b5 14.axb5 axb5 15.a5 d7 16.e1 b4 17.e4 dxe5 18.e3 ] 13.xe5 b7 [ 13...fxd5 14.c6 xc3 15.bxc3 leads to brief complications which favour White: ( 15.e1 is n o t a s g o o d : d6 16.xb8 3d5 ) 15...xd1 16.xd1 g4 17.f3 xc3 18.a3 ] 14.c6 xc6 15.dxc6 xd1 16.xd1 e6 17.e2 Naturally preventing ... Ne6-d4! bd8 18.e1 d5 19.c3 d6 20.f4!! Just when you thought Black was getting back into the game, this excellent move strikes him down. The problem is clear to see the c6 pawn is a winner. dxf4 [ 20...exf4 comes to the same. ] 21.xf4 xf4 22.gxf4 e6 [ 22...f6 23.ad1 c8 24.xd6 exd6 was perhaps more tenacious 25.d1 e7 776 B06 26.f5! gxf5 27.f4 f8 28.f2 e8 29.e3 d8 30.d5! xc6 31.xf5 c7 Lima,Darcy 2535 32.xf7 h4 33.f8+ e7 34.b8 ] Tristan,Leonardo 2225 American Continental (11) 16.08.2005 23.a5 b5 24.ad1 Forcing entry into Black's half of the board. The Bishop on g7 is [Andrew Martin] powerless. xd1 [ 24...fd8 25.xd6 xd6 26.c7 ] There is no obligation to use complicated or h6 26.d7 xf4 27.c7 a g g r e s s i v e m e t h o d s , a l t h o u g h t h a t i s a 25.xd1 predominant feature of modern chess. Chill If you just want a game of chess against the out with Darcy Lima who makes chess look an P i r c o r M o d e r n a n d n o t a t h e o r e t i c a l easy game, with barely a tactic in sight. 1.e4 discussion, you could do a lot worse than try d6 2.g3 Not so bad. f6 3.g2 g6 4.d4 the system that Lima does here. g7 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 This is a difficult 1-0 system for Black to handle because counterplay comes slowly, if at all. Benko was the one who used this system with success. Note that W hite delays Nc3 that is an interesting nuance. a6 7.a4 Still 'Ã la' 784
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 777 Limp,Eduardo Thelio Chemin,Vitorio IV Taca CC Brasilia BRA (5) [Aaron Summerscale]
B06 778 2480 Littlewood,Paul E 2309 Tiller,Bjorn 21.08.2000 Open Davis SUI (7) [Andrew Martin]
1.d4 If you are looking for an interesting of f b ea t way t o co m ba t t ho se a ggressive King's In d ia n /G rü n f e ld pla ye rs, t he n t h e f ollowing game may provide some of th e answers that you've been looking for. f6 2.f3 g6 3.c3 g7 4.c2 This is an interesting way to try and take King's Indian and Grünfeld players out of their books. White can hope to force Black into unfamiliar s u r r o u n d i n g s . d6 Black sticks to his King's Indian structure, but the resulting position is more like a Pirc defence. 5.e4 0-0 6.e2 e5 7.dxe5 Not the most energetic of continuations, but against a King's Indian player spoiling for a fight, a wise psychological choice. dxe5 8.0-0 e7 9.e1 b6 10.bd2 b7 11.f1 bd7 12.a4 The first indication that White is playing for the full point. Such queenside expansion is awkward for Black to meet. h6 [ 12...a5 is worth exploring, and may have been better, despite the weakening of b5. ] 13.a5 a6 14.axb6 cxb6 15.c4 It's always good to take aim at weaknesses, such as b6 and d6. h5 16.g3 f5 17.h4 An excellent riposte, which takes most of the sting out of Black's kingside counterplay. f6 18.exf5 gxf5 19.e3 Again highlighting the weaknesses left by Black's kingside pawn advances. e4 20.d1 f4 21.c4+ h8 22.g4 Black has lost control of the kingside light squares and W hite wins material by force. c6 23.xe4 xe4 24.d5 h7 25.xa8 xa8 26.xd7 Black could already resign with a clear conscience. fxg3 27.hxg3 f8 28.e3 c2 29.a4 e2 30.g6+ 1-0
B06 2396 2390 06.08.2004
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 5.d2 b5 6.f3 b7 7.d3 d7 8.a4 b4 9.e2 c5 If Black prefers an early ...a7-a6 to ...c7-c6 he gets to push ... c7-c5 in one go. The timing of this advance must be carefully considered, lest the Black King gets caught in the centre, as happens here. So 9...c5 is very risky, a lth o u gh it is f ully in kee p in g wit h Tiller's uncompromising style. [ I prefer 9...a5 10.g3 ( 10.c3 bxc3 11.bxc3 gf6 12.g3 0-0 13.h6 c5! is better timing.) 10...e6 11.0-0 e7 12.h6 0-0 13.fe1 c5 I reckon this is the right pawn formation for Black out of the opening. The pawn on e6 keeps a white knight out of f5 and Black can look to play ... d6-d5!, stabilising the centre. 14.c3 bxc3 15.bxc3 cxd4 ( 15...d5!? 16.ab1 c7 17.f4 c8 18.d6 e8 19.dxc5 dxe4 20.xe4 f5 ) 16.cxd4 c6 17.xg7 xg7 18.f4 b4 19.b1 e7 20.e5 xf3! 21.gxf3 d5 22.g4 ac8 23.g2 c4 Henson,J-Harper,B/Richmond CAN 2004 Black has excellent counterplay. ] 10.c3 bxc3 11.bxc3 c7 12.0-0 gf6 13.h6 We've seen time and time again that this is the correct way to play for W hite. As soon as the Black knight leaves g8,it's right to go Be3-h6. Summarising the merits of this idea: 1) W hite strips out the fianchettoed Bishop 2) The Black Kingside is weakened. 3) W hite has distinct attacking opportunities based on moves such as Ng3,Qg5, Nh4-f5,f4f5 etc. xe4 Tiller has absolutely no doubts about taking such pawns. He wants to see what will happen. [ 13...0-0 14.xg7 xg7 15.g3 e6 16.ab1 ab8 17.fe1 a5 was considerably safer, both in a practical and theoretical sense. ] 14.xe4 xh6 15.xh6 xe4 16.g5 d5 17.f4 c4 18.fe1 This is what happens. His King gets stuck in the middle, unable to escape. Over the board, White has all the fun. e5 19.dxe5 xe5 20.xg6! fxg6 21.f4 785
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 0-0-0 What else. 22.fxe5 dxe5 23.h4 d5 Black's plan is to play an eventual ...c6-c5 24.c4 b7 this is a position where all roads and the position of the queen on b6 does lead to Rome as far as White is concerned: not really help (it often gets hit by a later [ 24...h6 25.cxd5 hxg5 26.xg5 xd5 Na4). ] 27.f6! ] 8.a4 One of several ways to deal with the [ 24...a8 25.h3+ ( 25.e6 c6 ) threat to the b2 pawn. 25...d7 26.xe5 xh3 27.xc5+ b8 [ Other possibilities are: a) 8.b3 g4 9.a4 28.b1+! b7 29.xh3 ] a5+ 10.d2 c7 11.c3 e6 12.d3 f5 25.h3+ d7 26.ad1 e8 27.f7 13.0-0 c5 14.dxc5 xc5+ 15.xc5 xc5+ Nothing moves and the threat of Nd6 is killing. 16.f2 c6 17.h3 xf3 18.xf3 h4 Tiller is a really strong, unusual and creative 19.h2 0-0-0 which led to razor-sharp play player. It's nothing new: such players have to in Bauer - Chernin, Hungarian Ch., 1992 ] obey their nature and occasionally suffer a [ and b) 8.b1 g4 9.e2 f5 10.f2 e6 terrible reverse. Forgetting armchair 11.0-0 d7 12.b4 c7 13.a4 b6 psychology and returning to the opening, 9... 14.c5 xf3 15.xf3 c4 with a good a5 is satisfactory for Black. game for Black in Buchal - Chernin, San 1-0 B e rn a d i n o 1 9 9 2 . T h e s e t wo va r ia t io n s clearly illustrate the advantage of having the bishop on f8 it makes the later ... c6-c5 779 B06 very much easier. ] 8...a5+ 9.c3 g4 Luther,Thomas [ Gurevich slightly varies his treatment from Gurevich,Mikhail his game against Sepp from Brugge 1995. Cappelle la Grande (France) (3) 1998 O n t h a t o c c a s i o n h e p l a y e d 9...c7 [Nigel Davies] and obta ine d a good ga me a f te r 10.e2 g4 11.0-0 f5 12.f2 e6 13.b4 d7 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 d5 5.e5 14.c5 b6 15.b1 xf3 16.xf3 c4 h5 6.f3 h6 7.e3 b6 17.e2 b6 18.d3 a5 , initiating [ In Khachian - Minasian, Armenian Ch., counterplay on the queenside. Luther had Yerevan 1999 Black rejected this automatic no doubt studied this game and come up attack against the b2 pawn and instead with an improvement Gurevich in turn shows c h o s e t o d e v e l o p h i s g a m e w i t h 7...b6 little curiosity about what it might be. ] , introducing the possibility of developing his bis h op with . .. B a 6 a n d le n d in g gre a t e r 10.c5 f5 [ Or 10...c7 11.h3 f5 12.f2 xf3 support to a later ...c6-c5. The game 13.xf3 b6 14.b3 h4 15.d3 e6 16.0-0 continued 8.d3 f5 9.0-0 xd3 10.xd3 b7 17.e2 a5 18.d2 e7 19.f3 c8 e6 11.e2 e7 12.c4 f8 13.cxd5 cxd5 20.fc1 ( After 20.e1 Black defends the h14.ac1 d7 15.c2 a5 16.fc1 a6 pawn with d8 ) 20...a6 21.c4 c7 17.a3 f5 18.d2 g7 19.g3 xg3 22.b3 f8 23.c2 g7 24.e1 d8 20.hxg3 a4 21.e3 b5 22.c6 b7 25.c1 a4 26.bxa4 xa4 27.b1 dxc4 23.h4 hc8 24.xc8 xc8 25.xc8 28.xc4 d5 29.b3 1/2-1/2, Bologan V. xc8 26.xb5 xh4 27.gxh4 c4! Badea B., Romania 1999 Ch Romania ] 28.a5 ( 28.xc4 dxc4 followed by ...Nc7d5 would bring about a complete blockade.) 11.f2 e6 12.b3 b6 [ I suspect that either 12...c7 or even ] 28...c7 29.h2 d3 30.g1 c4 [ 12...d8 would be better. ] 31.c5 b5 32.f2 e2 33.g3 xb2 34.e1 xd4 35.b4 f2 36.f8+ h7 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 h4 15.d3 d7 37.xf7+ h8 38.f6+ h7 39.f7+ 16.0-0 e7 17.ab1 f8 18.d2 g7 with a draw by perpetual check. Minasian's 19.e2 a5 20.b4 c7 [ And not 20...xa2 21.a1 b2 22.xf5 treatment is very interesting. ] gxf5 23.d3 followed by 24.Rfb1. ] [ Black's other possibility is an immediate b5? 22.a4 Suddenly Black is in 7...g4 , which is actually a move I quite like. 21.f3 786
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 terrible trouble W hite threatens to come in down the a-file but when Black opposes rooks he can no longer defend h4. In view of this his last move looks like a serious mistake. a6 23.axb5 axb5 24.a1 b7 25.fc1 xa1 26.xa1 a8 27.xa8 xa8 28.xf5 gxf5 29.e1 W inning a pawn for nothing. h8 30.xh4 xh4 31.xh4 h6 32.g3+ f8 33.f3 b6 34.g5 h5 35.e1 a4 36.h2 e8 37.g3 e7 38.d2 e8 39.f3 g6+ 40.h2 h5 41.e1 h4 42.d3 e7 43.c1 f8 44.b3 e8 45.a5 d7 46.e3 c7 47.g3 xg3+ 48.xg3 xc3 49.h4 d7 50.h5 e8 51.xc6 f8 52.f3 g7 53.g4 fxg4+ 54.xg4 f5+ 55.g5 e4+ 56.h4 d2 57.g3 h6 58.d8 xh5 59.xe6 b3 60.f3 a1 61.c7 c2 62.e6 xd4+ 63.g3 c6 64.xd5 g6 65.h4 g7 66.h5 d4 67.e7 f7 68.g5 e6+ 69.xf5 g7+ 70.e5 e8 71.f5 g7 72.c7 1-0
though this plan may be better left on the drawing board) 7.f3 f6 8.e2 0-0 9.h3 c5 10.0-0 b8 11.e5 d7 12.exd6 exd6 13.a2 b5 14.axb5 xb5 15.e4 and White was better in Antunes - Davies, Portugal 1985 ] [ Black can transpose into a Pirc with 5...f6 6.h3 0-0 etc. ] 6.d2 b7 [ In the game the bishop would have been useful on its original diagonal, which suggest s it m ight be be tte r to de lay it s d e v e l o p m e n t w i t h 6...d7 and just set about preparing ...c7-c5. ] 7.h4 f6 8.f3 c5 9.d5 c7 [ 9...h5 is well worth considering. I usually like to encourage W hite to advance his pawns, but in this case my position starts to look very dodgy. ] 10.g4 h5 11.g5 fd7 12.f4 0-0 13.ge2 b5! It's now or never. Given time White would play Ne2-g3, Bf1-e2 and then sacrifice on h5. 14.axb5 b6 15.g3 e6 16.dxe6 fxe6 17.h3 e7 18.e2 d5 19.xh5?! Tempting but unsound. 780 B06 [ White should have played simply 19.exd5 exd5 20.0-0 after which d4 can be met by Manca,Federico 2393 21.d2 xe2 22.cxe2 axb5 23.xa8 Davies,Nigel R 2515 xa8 24.f5! etc. ] Open Saint Vincent ITA (2) 07.02.1999 19...gxh5 20.xh5 8d7 21.e5 f5! [Nigel Davies] Giving up the exchange to slow the pace of Against 4.Be3 I have played 4...a6 exclusively. W hite's attack. 22.xf5 exf5 23.g6 d4 The idea is that Black will expand on the 24.h7+ f8 25.g1 dxc3 26.g5 e4 queenside with ...b7-b5, ...Nb8-d7, and ...c5- 27.bxc3 c4 28.xa6 xa6 29.bxa6 xe3 c5 whilst leaving the king's knight at home to 30.h5 xe5 p re ve n t B e 3 - h 6 . Ma n y W h it e 's p re f e r t o 0-1 p r e ve n t t h is p la n wi t h 5 . a 4 , t h o u g h t h i s reduces W hite's options in that queenside B06 castling is unlikely. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 781 d6 4.e3 a6 5.a4 Martin del Campo,Roberto 2420 [ For 5.d2 see Szalanczy - Davies ] Hoang Canh,Huan 2363 1st WMSG Rapid Team rapid (8) 16.10.2008 5...b6 [ I've also played 5...c6 but I'm not sure [John Watson] that Black's position is very good after 6.d5 ( 6.f3 g4 7.e2 e5 equalises 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.f3 c o m f o r t a b l y .; In Haba - Davies, Polanica b5 6.e3 b7 7.d3 d7 This is the main Zdroj 1989 I obtained interesting counterplay l i n e a f t e r 4 f 4 . 8.a4 This move occurs in after 6.h3 e5 7.f3 exd4 8.xd4 f6 various places in Tiger's book, but I think not 9.g3 0-0 10.g2 d7 11.de2 b5!? etc. ) in this precise position. 6...a7!? (Hoping to support a later ... b7-b5 [ There is a note on 8.e5 in the Archives game Kosten-Hague. ] by using the square created by 4...a6!, 787
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 8...b4 9.a2 a5 10.c3 [ Or 10.0-0 gf6 11.e5 g4 12.d2 , about equal. ] 10...gf6 11.d5?! An odd move that reveals the latent power of Black's pieces. [ 11.cxb4 xe4 12.0-0 was an alternative. ] 11...c6! 12.dxc6 xc6 13.cxb4 xe4 Now Black has achieved a 2-0 central majority. 14.b5 [ A c o m p le x l i n e g o e s 14.xe4 xe4 15.d3 f5!? 16.d4! axb4! 17.e6 a5 18.xg7+ f7 19.xf5 gxf5 , and apparently Black stands better, but it's not straightforward. ] 14...b7 15.c3 0-0 16.e2 g4 17.d2 c5 18.c2 c8 19.h3 f6 20.0-0 h5 21.f2 e5?! This creates a weakness on d5 a n d a c t iva t e s W h it e 's p ie ce s m o re t h a n Black's. Better [ 21...d5! with the idea ...d4-d3 then Black keeps his advantage. ] 22.fxe5 dxe5 23.ad1 c7 24.e3 e6 Black has a beautiful kingside pawn mass but no time to get it activated, for example, [ 24...f5? 25.xc5 xc5 26.b3+ h8 27.xc5 xc5 28.g5 , hitting e6 and f7. ] [ Probably best is 24...f4 ] 25.b3 hf4 26.b6 e7 27.xe6?! xe6? [ 27...fxe6! threatens ...Nxh3+ and White h a s t o a l l o w i t , f o r e x a m p l e , 28.h2 ( 28.d2 xh3+ 29.h1 xf3 30.gxf3 g5 or 30...Qb4) 28...e4! , with the idea 29.e1 d5 30.xd5 exd5 31.e2 d6+ ] 28.xa5 Now Black needs something concrete to counteract White's passed pawns, but White is solidly placed and stands much better. c4 29.e3 [ Or 29.d7 ] 29...fe8 30.d7 a8 31.fd1 h6 32.f2? [ 32.d2! e6 33.de4 threatens R1d6, among other things. ] 32...e4! 33.1d4 e6 34.7d6? b3? 1-0. This is a Rapids game, and I suspect the players were just blitzing off the moves as Black lost on time. At any rate, W hite now gets some advantage by 35 Nd2, whereas Black could have played
[ 34...xh3+! ] 1-0
782 Matsuura,Everaldo Scarella,Enrique Alejandro Mercosur Cup 4th (10) [Gary Lane]
B06 2467 2361 05.07.2001
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 g6 5.f3 g7 6.a3 cxd4 7.b5 The knight on b5 threatens Nc7 and prepares to take back on d4 with the knight. a6 8.bxd4 W hite simply takes the pawn back and decides to transfer the battle from the opening to the middlegame because now both players carry on developing. [ 8.e3 A) 8...f6 is also possible: 9.xd4 h5 ( 9...0-0 10.xa7 e6 11.b5 leaves Black struggling to prove his edge in development is worth a pawn) 10.xa7 0-0 11.xa6 ( 11.xc8 axc8 12.e5 is good for W hite) 11...bxa6 12.xc8 fxc8 13.0-0 ab8 14.ab1 a5 15.a3 gave White the superior game although it was eventually drawn, Khaetsky,RMoiseenko,A/Alushta 2002.; B) 8...d7 The bishop attacks the knight. It is also useful to have moved the queen's bishop because it means a future Nxa7 will no longer have the get out clause of then taking on c8. 9.xd4 f6 10.a4 ( If 10.xa7 then c7 is an attempt to cut off the knight's retreat 11.a4 b6 12.b5 xb5 13.axb5 xa1 14.xa1 e4+ 15.e3 0-0 is double-edged; 10.xa7 0-0 11.xd5 xd5 12.d4 e5 13.e3 fd8 14.e2 xe3 15.fxe3 c6 16.0-0 c5 is about equal but Black needs to play accurately because of the pawn deficit) 10...0-0 11.e2 xb5 Carlsen decides to eliminate the Nxa7 factor once and for all. 12.axb5 c5 13.0-0 fd8 14.a3 White keeps an eye on the b3 square to stop Black from deploying a knight there f5 15.b1 White offers the exchange of queens hoping that the ending will be better for him due to the pressure on the afile. h5 16.e1 e6 17.xa7 f4 788
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18.f1 with the better chances thanks to the extra material, Godena, M-Carlsen,M/ Claude Pecaut Mem, Taormina 2003. ] 8...f6 [ 8...c5 9.e3 the threat of Nb5 in various l i n e s g i v e s W h i t e a s l i g h t i n i t i a t i v e a6 ( 9...f6 10.b5 e6 11.xa7 re wa r d s W h it e wit h a p a wn) 10.e2 ( 10.b5! xd1+ 11.xd1 axb5 12.xc5 gives White the advantage) 10...f6 11.0-0 0-0 12.h3 b6 13.b3 xb3 14.axb3 c6 15.d4 c7 16.c4 b7 with roughly equal chances, Braun,V-Werner,D/Werfen Essen 2002. ] 9.b3 [ 9.b5+ A) 9...d7 Black is content to offer to exchange White's active piece A1) 10.xd7+ xd7 11.0-0 0-0 12.e2 the queen comes to e2 in order to co-ordinate the rooks and support the p r o s p e c t o f N e 5 d5 ( 12...c5 is worth considering) 13.c4 dc7 ( 13...f6!? ) 14.d1 f6 15.e3 e5 16.b5 e7 17.xa7 White picks up a pawn but Black is relying on rapid kingside pawn expansion to grab the in it ia t ive e4 18.e1 ( 18.d4 fe8 19.e1 e6 20.b5 xd4 21.xd4 f5 gives Black sufficient compensation f or t he p awn) 18...f5 19.b5 e6 20.ac1 b4 21.a3 c6 22.f4 g5 23.g3 gxf4 24.gxf4 f6 25.d5 g6+ 26.g2 h4 gave Black compensation for the pawn and he eventually won, Krupkova, P-Jirovsky,M/CZE 1999.; A2) 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0 ad8 12.g5 g4 ( 12...h6!? offers equal chances) 13.xa6 ( 13.xe7 xf3 14.xf6 xg2 15.fe1 h3 16.f3 xf6 17.xf6 c7 is roughly equal) 13...bxa6 14.xe7 e4 Black looks to be trouble but he is banking on white's queen being misplaced 15.e3 fe8 16.a3 d6 17.xa6 the queen takes the doubled pawn but it was fairly useless anyway c4 18.b3 xe3 19.fxe3 xe3 20.ac1 xc3! 21.c6 c5+ 22.h1 xc1 23.xd8 xf1+ 24.xf1 xf3 25.gxf3 d5 0-1 Large,L-Berkvens,J/ Cappelle la Grande 2001.;
B) 9...d7 I think this blocks in Black's pieces which can lead to a passive p o sit io n . Fo r i n st a n ce : 10.0-0 c7 11.a4 0-0 12.g5 White has smoothly developed his pieces and is no probing for weaknesses. In contrast, Black is still waiting to deploy his pieces on the queenside f6 13.e1 d8 14.e2 e6 15.ad1 gave White e much better chances due to his active pieces, Malbran, G-Alonso,S/Escobar 2004. ] 9...0-0 10.xd5 xd5 It is too easy to say that the ending is equal because White can still mix things by taking on a6. However, I think Black should be content with such a tame reaction by White. 11.c4 b6 [ 11...ac7 is equal. ] 12.xa6 bxa6 13.0-0 d7 the doubled apawns might be a pain but at least Black has semi-open lines for his rooks such as the b-file 14.e1 e6 15.f4 fc8 16.ad1 a5 17.e2 a4 18.a3 White stops the advance of the bpawn but now the c4 square is inviting for the black knight now that b2-b3 is no longer a problem. a6 19.h4 a7 20.h5 c4 21.h6 Th e pa wn o n h6 m igh t he lp f u t ure tric k s associated with backrank mate but on the other hand Black might view it as a potential target in the long run. f8 22.c1 b7 23.e5 xe5 24.xe5 c5 [ I like 24...f6 to push back white's pieces: 25.ee1 e5 26.f3 g5 27.d2 f7 favours Black ] 25.xc5 xc5 26.g5 e8 27.d2 d7 28.f3 xd2 29.xd2 White would argue he has a passed c-pawn and the better position but this is equalled by the influential pair of bishops c6 30.f1 f5 31.f3 b5+ 32.e1 d6 33.f6 f4 34.g5 d6 35.f6 c6 both players are busy manoeuvring when one of them should be offering a draw 36.d4 xf3 37.gxf3 e5 38.e3 f7 39.d2 e6 40.d3 f8 41.g5 d5 42.c4+ e6 43.e3 f4 44.b6 xh6 At last the h-pawn falls and now is all downhill for White. 45.d8 f8 46.e4 c5 47.a5 h5 48.c3 d6 0-1
789
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 0-0 7.g5 An attempt at an B06 6.b3 improvement. White tries to prevent the setup Matulovic,Milan that was successfully used by Botvinnik in Botvinnik,Mikhail Belgrad 1970 previous games (.. .e6 and ...d5). But now ... e7-e5 gives Black good play. h6! This move [Alexander Volzhin] is very useful for Black as we'll see later. In the Modern Defence too White can choose 8.h4 e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.bd2 c7 t h e Ho lm o v- li k e se t u p . T h e d e la y in t h e 11.c4 h5 That is why Black played 7...h6. development of Black's Knight on g8 allows Now White has to lose a tempo to protect the White to keep his Queen's Knight on b1 for a f4-square. 12.g3 f4! [ T h e n a t u r a l lo o ki n g 12...g4 fails to while and to put it on the d2-square. The 13.xe5! xe5 14.cxe5 f4 15.d2! f ollowing cla ssic game sh ows ho w Black with a huge edge for White. ] should react in this case. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 exf4 14.0-0-0?! A very risky 3.f3 d6 4.c4 f6 5.e2 c6 Here this 13.xf4 plan is the best. 5...Nc6 here is pointless as approach. White makes the same mistake as W h i t e a l w a y s h a s t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f in the game Medina - Botvinnik clearly underestimating the power of Black's darkstrengthening his d grip by c2-c3. [ 5...0-0 In my opinion it's slightly more squared Bishop. [ To castle short was much safer and White precise to begin with 5...c6 and to castle should prepare it by playing 14.e5 ] next move. 6.0-0 c6 7.b3 g4 8.bd2 a5 9.a4 d5 10.e5 fd7 11.h3 xf3 14...g4 15.e5 [ 15.h3 xf3 16.xf3 d7 , intending ...b712.xf3 e6 The critical position for b5 and ...a7-a5 is very good for Black. It's evaluation of Black's plan. Practice proves imp orta nt th at W h it e can 't win a pa wn : he has good chances. The point is White's 17.d6 e5 18.xf4 fd8 Now the Knight B i s h o p o n b 3 h a s n o p r o s p e ct s a s i t ' s can't re treat in view of 19... Nd3+, an d restricted by Black pawn chain. 19.d2 fails to f8 winning a piece. ] A) 13.g5?! was played in Gipslis B o t v i n n i k , 1 9 6 3 a n d a f t e r b6! 15...d7 16.e4 ad8! [ It's not so good to grab the pawn: 16...xf3 White has an unpleasant position already. 17.gxf3 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.xe5 The threat 14...c5 destroying W hite's xe5 20.d7 , and White has ample centre is very nasty. 14.a3 (protecting compensation. ] the Bishop) c5 15.c4 dxc4 16.xc4 cxd4 17.e7 c8 18.d6 c6 19.b3 b4 17.xf4 xf3 18.xf3 b5 19.e3 xe5 20.g5 It may seem White has created 20.g3 a5 21.a3 h7 22.g4 [ 22.f4 is worthy of consideration aiming for dangerous threats (Nxe6) and has counterplay on the K-side.. ] sufficient compensation for the pawn but 23.xe5 xe5 24.f3 g7 the following exchange sacrifice proves it's 22...h5 f6 The simplifications haven't just an illusion. xc4! 21.xc4 xe5 25.he1 22.xe5 xe5 23.f3 f8 24.d1 g7 h e l p e d W h i t e a l o t . A l r e a d y I c a n c l a i m 25.e4 e5 26.g4 White tries to prevent ... Black's position is won. His attack will create f7-f5 (after certain preparation) but after concrete threats very soon while W hite's is this move his K-side is very weak and it's barely off the ground. 26.c3 c5 27.xd8 Black who will attack there. h6 27.c1 xd8 28.g3 c4 29.c2 b4 By destroying the d8 28.c7 d5 29.f6+ xf6 30.xf6 p a wn sh e l t e r a ro u n d W h it e 's k in g B la c k d3 31.c4 e4 32.c2 g7 launches the decisive attack. 30.axb4 axb4 , and White resigned in view of ( 32...g7 31.cxb4 b6 [ Maybe 31...a7 is more accurate: 32.b1 33.b6 f3 ); a8 33.a3 xf2 34.e3 xh2 B) 13.c4 a6 14.g5 b6 15.a2 b4 and White is helpless. ] 16.e7 fe8 17.d6 xa2 18.xa2 b3 and Black's chances are preferable, 32.d1 xb4?! [ It was better to keep rooks on the board Matanovic - Botvinnik, Beograd 1969. ] 783
790
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 because Black's might be useful in attack: 32...e8! ] 33.xd8 xb2+ 34.d1 xd8 35.d5 f6 36.e2 b6 37.f4 c3 38.e4 d4 [ 38...g1! was even more precise: 39.f5 gxf5 40.xf5 e3+ 41.f1 xh2 with an easy win. ] 39.f5 gxf5 40.xf5 e3+ 41.f1 [ 41.d1 l e a d s t o m a t e a f t e r c3 Incidentally, the identical mating net occurred in Medina - Botvinnik. An amazing coincidence! ] 41...g1+ 42.e2 xh2+ 43.d1 g1+ 44.e2 e3+ 45.f1 xg3 46.h7+ f8 0-1
784 McDonald,Neil R McNab,Colin Anderson (Open) Hastings (England) [Nigel Davies]
B06
[ 8.c3 0-0 9.g3 c5 10.e3 g4 Allen - McNab, London 1994, with excellent coun terplay f or Black in b ot h cases. ] 8...f5 9.c3 0-0 10.b3 d7 11.g4 d6 12.f2 c5! Counterplay! McDonald tries to keep his grip on the position but his central bulwarks are eventually swept asunder.... 13.e3 b6 14.d5 b7 15.xb7 xb7 16.e2 cxd4 17.xd4 xd4 18.xd4 e5 19.fxe5 e8 20.0-0-0 g5+ 21.b1 xe5 22.f3 bc5 23.b4? This is a pretty horrible thing to do to your queenside. McDonald must have thought that his next move was strong. a4 24.c6 b5! 25.xd7 xc3+ 26.c2 xd1 27.xd1 e3 Threatening all sorts of nasties against White's loose pieces. 28.d2 ac8+ 29.c6 e6 0-1
1993
1.e4 g6 2.d4 d6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 d5 5.f3 An interesting alternative to the habitual 5.e5. White wants to use his pawn on f4 to give him a strong grip on e5, and hopes that the open nature of the position will make Black's loss of time (...d7-d6-d5) more significant. [ A similar treatment was adopted in Plaskett McNab, Southend 1999 when White played 5.h3!? (this cuts out the possibility of a later ...Bg4 by Black) dxe4 6.xe4 g7 7.f3 f6 8.xf6+ xf6 ( 8...exf6!? is interesting, aiming f or a later ... f 6-f 5 and stopping White's knight from coming to e5.) 9.e3 0-0 10.c3 d7 11.e2 b6?! ( Black should play for ...c6-c5, say with 11...b6 ) 12.c4 and enjoyed a nice space advantage. ] 5...dxe4 6.xe4 g7 7.c4 [ 7.c3 f6 8.xf6+ xf6 9.c4 0-0 10.0-0 g4 11.e3 e6 was comfortable for Black in Komljenovic - Badea, Nereto 1998. In this example Black managed to develop his light-squared bishop on a good square. ] 7...h6 8.h3 [ Other possibilities are 8.e5 d7 9.0-0 0-0 10.c3 f6 11.e1 xe4 12.xe4 d6 13.f3 f5 14.e2 c5 Borriss - Hickl, Germany (Bundesliga) 1993 ]
785 Meijers,Viesturs Kengis,Edvins ch-LAT Riga LAT (6) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2486 2537 16.05.2005
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6! I think I can put a firm exclamation mark by this move now. 4..a6 is the system which best deals with the '150 attack'. Queenside counterplay is prepared without delay. I still have a soft spot for 4...c6 that is well playable too, but Black has to be very precise. 5.a4 Already W hite has been talked out of his automatic kingside attack. He will now have to ca st le sh o rt . f6 So Black isn't too worried anymore about the prospect of Qd2, Bh6 etc. 6.e2 [ Of course 6.d2 is still a force to be reckoned with. The following snippet shows h o w B l a c k m i g h t t a c k l e t h i s i d e a : 0-0 ( 6...g4 7.g5 h6 8.h4 leaves the Knight looking misplaced.) 7.f3 e5 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.xd8 xd8 10.c4 c6 11.0-0 h6 12.h3 e8 13.fd1 d4 14.xd4 exd4 15.d5 e6 ( 15...c6 16.b6 b8 is p la ya b le .) 16.b3 ( 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4 c6 18.e7+ g7! leaves White looking at 19.xd8 xd8 20.xc6 bxc6 21.xa6 d2 as his best shot. No wonder 791
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 he didn't go in for this line!) 16...f8= Lautier, J-Tkachiev, V/ Bordeaux 2000 (20) ] 6...0-0 7.h3N [ 7.d2 g4 time-consuming. ( 7...c6! 8.f3 e5= ) 8.xg4 xg4 9.h3 d7 10.h6 xh6 11.xh6 c6 12.f3 f6 13.d2 b5 14.axb5 axb5 15.0-0 b4 16.d5 b8 17.b3 e6 18.e3 d5 19.exd5 exd5 20.xd5 xh3 21.e3 c8 Gaponenko, I-Socko, M/Plovdiv 2003 wasn't really satisfactory for Black, but I have indicated the point at which he can improve. ] [ 7.f3 is the straightforward way: b6 8.0-0 b7 9.d2 e8 10.f3 c6 11.e2 d7 12.h3 e6 13.c3 ad8 14.b4 h6 15.c1 e7 16.b3 h7 17.b5 At last White breaks the deadlock. b8 18.g3 c5 19.e5 dxe5 20.xb7 exd4 21.bxa6 dxe3 Black can be satisfied after 22.fxe3 d5 ] 7...e5 A move on the flank deserves a blow in the centre! 8.dxe5 [ 8.f3 exd4 9.xd4 e8 gives White the thorny problem of how to defend e4.10 Bf3 isn't ideal but may well be better than 10 f3 which doesn't mix at all with h2-h3. Meijeres does not wish to have to think about this and takes on e5, which cannot really worry Black. ] 8...dxe5 9.xd8 xd8 10.d1 xd1+ 11.xd1 c6 [ 11...e6 12.f3 c6 13.c1 d8 14.d1 looks very equal indeed and I guess if Black is playing for a win he has to try to find another role for his Bishop on c8 something which will lead to a more unbalanced position and not just trading on the d file. ] 12.f3 b5!? Quite unexpected. 13.axb5 [ In view of what follows, maybe 13.d3 b4 14.d5 would have shown more commonsense. ] 13...axb5 14.xb5 d4! [ Perhaps Meijers only thought about 14...a1+ 15.c1 h6 16.d2 d4 wh e n W h it e is d e f e n d in g h im se l f a f t e r 17.c4 or ( 17.d3 )] 15.e2? White has been completely thrown by the last move. He wants to maintain the integrity of his pawn structure but ends up in an awful tangle.
[ 15.c4 xf3 16.gxf3 a1+ 17.c1 h6 18.e2 h5 19.c3 f4 20.xf4 xf4 21.c2 xc1+ 22.xc1 xc1 23.xc1 xh3 ] [ 15.f1 Perhaps this is best, blocking the back-rank skewer. xf3 16.gxf3 a1+ 17.d2 xh3! 18.xh3 xf1 19.e2 a1= ] [ 15.d3 xf3 16.gxf3 a1+ 17.c1 h6 18.e2 h5 is similar to the first line. ] 15...a1+ 16.c1 xf3 17.xf3 h6 18.e2 a6! he obviously overlooked this move when taking on b5 for the second time. 19.c4 xc4 20.c2 xe2 21.xe2 xe4 Game over. 22.f4? [ 22.c4 xf2 23.f1 xc1+ ] 22...g3 23.e1 xf4 After 8 dxe5 I am sure that Meijers was expecting to shake hands at an early stage. 12...b5 introduced complications into a situation where it appeared that there were no complications to be found and W hite just cracked. As far as the opening goes, you can be sure that 4...a6! is the way to go for Black. 0-1
786 Mekhitarian,Krikor Sevag Ahmadinia,Ebrahim 11th WUCC Men (6) [Gawain Jones]
B06 2550 2436 08.09.2010
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.f3 b5 6.d3 d7 7.e5 c5 This is a critical line o f t h e s o c a l l e d T i g e r ' s M o d e r n . 8.e4 The computer's top suggestion. [ 8.exd6 is considered dubious by Tiger. exd6 ( 8...cxd4!? 9.d5 a7 is an interesting alternative.) 9.a4 b4 10.e4 c7 11.f5!? d5 12.eg5 e7 13.e2 f6 14.dxc5 0-0 15.fxg6 Gomez, J (2527)-Machin Rivera, M (2229) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 when I like xg6! 16.0-0 e8 17.f2 g4 18.g3 xc5+ ( 18...xg3 19.hxg3 f8 might be simplest. ) 19.h1 a7 and Black's activity must promise him the better chances. ] [ 8.g5 is given an exclamation mark by T i g e r a n d i s h i s p r i n c i p a l l i n e . h6 ( 8...cxd4!? is also considered. ) 792
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 9.f3 b8 10.e6 f6 A1) 11.dxc5 fxe6 12.cxd6 ( 12.a4!? might be a more critical test.) 12...exd6 13.0-0 0-0 14.ce4 xe4 15.xe4 f5 is given by Tiger.; A2) 11.c6+ f8 12.exf7 c4 13.e2? Videnova, I (2258)-Yordanova, S (2140) Dupnitsa 2010 and here Black missed the chance to play f5! when White must give up significant material to avoid his queen being trapped.; B) 9.e6 f6 10.dxc5 xe6!? R y b k a ' s s u g g e s t i o n . ( 10...dxc5 is t h e o n ly m o ve l o o ke d a t b y T ige r .) 11.xe6 fxe6 12.e2 f7 13.a4 b4 14.e4 xe4 15.xe4 dxc5 16.c4 d6 17.g4?! But Black was already fine. xg4 18.f5 e5! Perhaps White o v e r l o o k e d t h i s . 19.fxe6+ g8 and Black had a pleasant position. Hi n d e r m a n n , F ( 2 3 0 3 ) - A h m a d i n i a , E (2436) Zuerich 2010. ] [ 8.e3 b7 9.0-0 h6 10.e6 fxe6 11.g5 xd4! A typical idea. 12.xd4 cxd4 13.xe6 b6 14.e4 f5 15.4g5 e3 16.xh7 e5! and Black had a great position. Comellas Blanchart, J (2142)A lm e id a Q u in t a n a , O (2 5 5 9 ) B a d a lo n a 2010. ] 8...b8 9.e3 These lines are extremely sharp and I believe they must be studied very carefully before either side can feel comfortable in the complications. [ 9.0-0 has been played more often. A) 9...cxd4 looks more accurate. 10.xd4 h6 11.a7 0-0 12.d1 b4 ( 12...b6+? is careless. 13.e3! c5 Zelcic, R (2538)-Fahrner, K (2302) Pula 2010 when 14.xe7 just looks winning.) 13.a4 b7! 14.xb7 c7 15.exd6 exd6 16.xa6 xb7 17.e3 f5 18.f2 bb8 gave Black active play for the pawn. Kovacevic, A (2543)-Hillarp Persson, T (2586) Budva 2009.; B) 9...b4 10.a4 c7 B1) 11.c3 h6 12.g5 bxc3 13.bxc3 0-0 14.e3 d8 15.f3 cxd4 16.cxd4 a5 17.f5!? was a typical crazy position for the line. gxf5 ( 17...xa4 18.fxg6 fxg6 19.exd6 e8 20.ae1 leaves White with dangerous play for the
piece. ) 18.xf5 xf5 19.xf5 f6 20.f2?! ( 20.f4 should be preferred.) 20...dxe5 21.dxe5 xa4 22.exf6 exf6 23.f3 f5 The dust has settled and Black should have a clear advantage thanks to his bishop pair and extra pawn even if he later lost. Matsenko, S (2453)-Warakomski, T (2495) Olomouc 2010.; B2) 11.dxc5 xc5 12.xc5 xc5+ 13.d4 xd4+ 14.xd4 d7 15.f3 h6 16.a3 is a slightly unpleasant endgame for Black. 0-0 17.d3 a5 18.axb4 axb4 19.a7 fd8 20.b3 f5 ( 20...dxe5 21.fxe5 f5 looks to equalise. ) 21.xf5 xf5 22.g4 h6 23.h3 dc8 24.f2 f5 25.g5 ( 25.exf6 exf6 26.g2 would keep White with a nagging advantage.) 25...f7 26.e6 d8 27.xe7 f8 28.d7 xe6 29.e3 d8 1/2-1/2 Balogh, C (2628)Almeida Quintana, O (2559) Pamplona 2010. ] 9...b4 The computer favours White slightly here but Black's results have been promising. The arrowhead d4, e5, f4 looks imposing but he has to watch out for an undermining thrust when Black's pieces would suddenly come to lif e . W h ite also ha s th e problem t hat it's d if f icu lt t o a t t a ck wit h o u t we a ke n in g h i s central control as both f4-f5 and e5-e6 weaken W hite's structure. Black also has decent counterplay on the queenside. 10.a4 [ 10.e2 has been more common. h6 ( Tiger prefers 10...c7 ) 11.h3 ( 11.dxc5! is the problem but perhaps g4 12.d4 dxc5 isn't so bad.) 11...0-0 12.0-0 c7 13.c3 bxc3 14.bxc3 b6 15.f2 b7 16.xb7 xb7 17.dxc5 dxc5 18.d3 c4 19.e4 Schlosser, P (2579)-Thiede, L ( 2 4 4 9 ) H a l l e 2 0 1 0 w h e n I ' d g o f o r e6 when White is only a touch better. ] 10...c7 11.c3 This looks sensible supporting the centre but appears to be a novelty. [ 11.g5 was played in the only previous game to reach this position. h6 12.dxc5 ( 12.e6 is T iger's su ggestion b u t f6 13.dxc5 xe4! looks very good for Black.; 12.c3 might be best but 0-0 looks fine for Black. ) 12...dxe5! 13.0-0 0-0 14.h1?! f6 15.f3 exf4 16.g1 f5 left Black 793
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 with a fantastic position. Sadvakasov, D (2538) -Nyback, T (2445) Bled 2002. ] [ 11.dxc5 dxe5 12.fxe5 xe5 13.0-0 g4 14.f4 e5 is given by Tiger. ] 11...h6 12.0-0 b7 This requires Black to be accurate. [ 12...bxc3 13.bxc3 0-0 looks like an easy equalising method. ] 13.xb7 xb7?! [ 13...xb7 should have been preferred when Black is near equality although 14.dxc5 bxc3 15.bxc3 f5 16.d4 dxc5 17.xc5 xc5 18.xc5 0-0 is somewhat better for White thanks to his extra pawn. ] 14.h1? White misses his chance and now Black has the easier game. [ Instead White could have exploited Black's d e l a y i n c a s t l i n g wi t h 14.exd6! exd6 15.dxc5! dxc5 16.cxb4! cxb4 ( 16...xb4 17.xc5! xc5 18.c1 0-0 19.xc5 p i c k s u p t h e e x c h a n g e .; 16...0-0 is best although 17.xc5 f5 18.xd7 xd7 19.xd7 xe3 20.xf8 xf1 21.xf1 xf8 22.a3 xb2 23.a2 leaves W hite a clear pawn up in the ending. ) 17.c1 b8 18.c5 is catastropic for Black. ] 14...0-0 So Black has succeeded in exchanging light squared bishops and getting his king to safety. W hite's pawn structure looks impressive but it highlights the lack of that bishop and he has to be constantly on the look out for a timely exchange of pawns. [ 14...bxc3 15.bxc3 0-0 would be a more accurate move order, not allowing W hite play down the c file. ] 15.c1 f5 16.f2 d8 [ 16...h6!? could also be considered as 17.g3 isn't ideal, creating further light squared holes. ] 17.e2 [ 17.e6! might have caused Black some discomfort as he cannot keep the e6 square defended. fxe6 18.e2 bxc3 19.xe6+ h8 20.g5 xd4 21.f7+ ( 21.bxc3!? ) 21...g7 22.xd8 xd8 23.bxc3 xf2 24.xf2 f6 and White's extra exchange should mean something. ] 17...a5 18.b3 bxc3 19.e6 cxd4! A s t r o n g p i e c e s a c r i f i c e . 20.exd7?! Which should not have been accepted.
[ Instead 20.exf7+ h8 reaches a highly complicated position. I analysed one line which ends in a slightly better endgame for Black: ( 20...xf7 21.g4 e3 22.xe3 dxe3 23.xe3 is a complete mess but Black has the more vulnerable king.) 21.g4! b5! 22.xb5 axb5 23.gxf5 bxa4 24.xd4 axb3 25.axb3 b4 26.xc3 xf4 27.xg7+ xg7 28.fxg6 hxg6 29.g5 xf1+ 30.xf1 f8 ] 20...e5 21.e1 This just condemns White to passive defence. [ 21.g4 should have been tried to force the knigh t of f sid e bu t h6 22.h3 dxd7 is still more comfortable for Black. ] 21...bxd7 22.d3 f6 23.fe1 From here the game has a lot of errors. Presumably the sharp opening had lef t them both in time trouble. f7? This just blunders the important c3 pawn. [ Instead 23...c7 was clearly better for Black as that central pawn mass dominate the board. ] 24.xc3! e8?! [ 24...dxc3 25.b6 b5 26.xd8 d4 27.d1 c6 28.xc3 b8 29.fxe5 dxe5 30.xf6 xf6 is a little better for White but manageable. ] 25.cc1?! [ 25.c4! was stronger with ideas of rerouting the knight via b4 into d5 while the pressure on d4 slows any ...e4 ideas. ] 25...h5 [ 25...fe7 threatening ... e4 would have kept Black with adequate compensation. ] 26.a3?! This has the same idea as Rc4 but weakens the b3 square. [ 26.c4! ] 26...d5 [ 26...b5! is a better square as it cannot be h i t b y t h e W h i t e k n i g h t s . 27.b4 was evidently the reason Black declined this move but no w ( 27.c2 e4 looks rather d a n g e r o u s .) 27...e4! gives Black good play. ] 27.c2 b8 28.b4 b7 29.c4 a5 30.c6 c8 31.d5 [ 31.e6! is a touch more accurate. The knight isn't en-prise due to Qe8+ while h7? 32.xa5 is now terminal. ] 31...h7 32.b4 axb4 33.axb4 fc7 34.b5 794
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 W hite has now taken full control of the po sition b u t on e mo re su rp rise is lef t u s before the end of this game. e7 35.xd6? [ 35.xe7! xd5 36.xc7 a2 37.xc8 xf2 is hard to analyse in time trouble but 38.cc1 leaves White clearly better as the b pawn takes some stopping. ] 35...xc6 36.xc6 xc6 37.bxc6 xc6 38.d5 c7 39.fxe5 fxe5 40.b2?! And White starts to drop the other half point. Instead [ 40.h3 c4 41.b5 c1 42.xc1 xc1+ 43.g1 e4 44.c5 g5 should be a draw. ] 40...c2 41.d3?! The knight is more active here but also more vulnerable. [ 41.d1 is a very passive option but White should hold the draw. ] 41...d2 42.b3? And the final error. [ 42.f3 c3 43.xe5 xe5 44.xe5 xf3 45.gxf3 xf2 46.d5 looks like it should be a draw, although I could of course be mistaken. ] 42...c3! 43.xc3 dxc3 44.e3 c2 45.c1 xf2 46.g1 d2 A topsy-turvy game with chances missed by both sides but Black can be happy with his opening choice. 0-1
10.0-0-0?! A case of castling' into it'. White should be very careful about committing his king to the queenside too early. b5 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 h4! This time the blockade works, slowing down W hite's kingside play whilst preparing to take pot-shots at White's king. 13.e2 f5 14.f2 c5 15.dxc5 xc5 16.xc5 xc5 17.d4 b6 18.b1 b4 19.xf5 gxf5 20.f2 a4 21.xb6 xb6 Black is better in this endgame, and we get to see some very fancy technique by Chernin. 22.d4 a5 23.c4 bxc3 24.b3 b8 25.c1 c4 26.a1 d2 27.xc3 xf3 28.xf3 g8 29.f2 d7 30.a4 b5 31.c2 g3 32.b4 xb4 33.xa5 b7 34.a8 e3 35.a3 d4 36.a4 e4 The weak pawns start to drop. 37.d2 xf4 38.dxd4+ xd4 39.xd4+ c6 40.a2 b5 41.c4+ d5 42.xh4 xe5 43.a4 b8 44.c4 d5 45.c3 f4 46.d3+ c4 47.f3 e5 48.a5 g8 49.f2 a8 50.c2+ d4 51.d2+ e4 52.e2+ f5 53.b3 xa5 54.c4 a4+ 55.c3 d4 56.a2 d8 57.a4 f6 58.b4 c8+ 59.d3 g8 60.b2 e4+ 61.d4 d8+ 62.c3 e3 63.b5+ g6 64.b4 g5 65.e4 f5 66.e7 f6 67.h7 e2 68.h6+ f7 69.h7+ f8 0-1
787
788
Meszaros,A Chernin,Alexander Hungarian Team Ch [Nigel Davies]
B06
1992
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 d5 5.e5 h5 In a closed position Black can afford the luxury of playing long-term structural moves. He is trying to set-up a complete blockade of the kingside by controlling the f5 square the idea behind ...h7-h5 is to inhibit a later g2-g4 by White. 6.e2 White's most popular choices are 6.Be3 and 6.Nf3, as illustrated by the next three games. [ White has also played 6.d3 but then h6 7.e3 b6 8.a4 a5+ 9.c3 f5 10.c5 e6 11.b4 c7 12.xf5 xf5 13.f2 a5 also gave Black counterplay in Ahn - Hickl, Eupen 1994 ] 6...h6 7.f3 g4 8.e3 e6 9.d2 d7
Milov,Vadim Segal,Anna Israel [Alexander Volzhin]
B06 2410 2180 1993
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 c6 4.c4 d6 5.f3 e6 6.ge2 The key position of this line. Now Black has a choice between 6... Nf6 and 6...b5. f6 7.g5 bd7 8.0-0 0-0 9.b3 a5 [ 9...e7 is the alternative to the text, but Bla ck h as a lso f a iled to e qu alis e he re : 10.ad1 h6 11.h4 e5 12.e3 e8 13.f4! exd4 14.xd4 xe4 15.xe7 xd4+ 16.xd4 xc3 17.xc3 xe7 18.xd6 The exchanges haven't made Black's defence easier. This endgame has occurred in two of GM Nunn's games: f8 An attempt at an improvement over However it doesn't help much: ( 18...g7 19.f5! gxf5 795
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.xf5 f8 21.f3 e6 22.g3+ h8 23.e4! with a huge edge, Nunn - Ehlvest, Skelleftea, 1989.) 19.d8! b6 20.a4! b7 ( 20...a5 21.fd1 b7 22.xa8 xa8 23.d8 b7 24.b8 g7 25.e4! is a ls o v e ry b a d f o r B la ck .) 21.d6! threatening f4-f5, with a clear advantage, Nunn - Fauland, Wien, 1991. ] [ I n m y o p i n i o n , 9...b5 is worthy of consideration. ] 10.h4 e5 11.ad1 exd4 12.xd4 e5 13.e2 b6!? Intending 14...Ba6, with ...c6-c5c4 to f ollow. But W hite finds excellent resources. 14.f4! a6 15.fxe5! The Queen sacrifice is forced but very strong. [ Otherwise White doesn't even have equality, for example: 15.d2? xf1 16.fxe5 dxe5 ] 15...xe2 Black has to accept the sacrifice. [ 15...dxe5 is bad in view of 16.xc6 xc3 17.e7+ h8 18.f2! xe4 19.bxc3 xf2 20.xf2 with a decisive advantage. ] 16.exf6 xf1 [ 16...xd1 17.fxg7 xg7 18.f6+ is no better for Black. ] 17.fxg7 xg7 18.xf1 Although Black has a material advantage he has difficult problems to solve. White dominates the dark squares ae8?! After this move the White initiative progresses unimpeded. [ 18...c5? 19.f6+ g8 20.a4 /\\ Nc6+- ] [ 18...e5 should be played, after 19.f6+ xf6 20.xf6 xf6 21.xc6 a position with very unusual balance of forces arises. In my opinion White is better, but the fight is still on. Black should try to play ... f7-f5 opening files for his rooks. g7 ] 19.f6+ g8 20.xc6 c5+ 21.d4 e5 22.d1 Despite the approximate material equality Black's position is totally lost. White can gradually strengthen his position while Black has no play in return. h6 23.h3 fe8 24.h1 h5 25.f1 c8 26.f3 f8 27.d5 xd5 28.xd5 c7 29.f5 h7 30.e3 d7 31.c3 h5 32.f6 The rest is just agony. Sooner or later White will win the f 7 - p a wn o b t a i n i n g a d e c i s i ve a t t a c k . b5 33.f1! Beginning the knight's transfer to the g5 square via d2 and f3. c7 34.d2 b4 35.xb4 xc2 36.c3 g5 37.b3 d3 38.f3 g8 39.xf7 g7 40.xh5 xe4
41.g4 e3 42.f8 h6 43.f5 c1+ 44.h2 Mate is unavoidable, so Black resigned. A very good example of how to play with three minor pieces against a queen. 1-0
789 Motylev,Alexander Chernyshov,Konstantin 56th ch-RUS Krasnoyarsk (1) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2630 2540 2003
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 a6!? I must admit a liking for this cheeky move which commits Black to nothing and at the same time offers W hite to reveal his hand. It's particularly i n t e r e s t i n g wh e n W h i t e t r i e s t o p l a y a n Austrian Attack e.g. 4 f4 b5!. Black sometimes dispenses with ...d7-d6 altogether in favour of rapid Queenside play. The extra tempo changes the game. As far as I know the inventive Norwiegian Grandmaster Einar Gausel was the f irst t o try this idea . 4.h4 White is provoked and plays a very menacing move indeed. Perhaps this is the only effective way to treat 3...a6 more or less with disdain! Meanwhile another recent game tends to suggest that if White DOESN'T act incisively, Black will obtain a reasonable position: [ 4.f3 d6 5.d3 d7 6.g5 h6 7.e3 c6 8.d2 e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.0-0-0 b5 11.g4!? e7 12.h4 gf6 13.h2 b7 14.f3 0-0-0 15.f1 c5= This is not such a bad position, but the psychological pressure of playing White sometimes gets to you. Loidl must have been feeling down about the result of the opening ( White has nothing) and continues to play insipidly. Result: Black gradually takes over. 16.g3 fd7 17.f2 e6 18.e2 dc5 19.h5 xd1+ 20.xd1 f8 21.f1 c7 22.ce2 e7 23.b1 d7 24.c3 g5 25.xg5 xg5 26.ce2 b6 27.xb6 xb6 28.g1 d7 29.g2 c5 30.1e2 ce6 31.c1 c7 32.d2 b4 33.d1 a5 34.e1 a6 35.f2 d8 36.xd8 xd8 37.e3 e7 38.f1 f6 39.hxg6 fxg6 40.g2 b5 41.f1 c5 42.g2 ge6 43.f1 g5 44.f2 b7 45.b3 bc5 796
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 46.e3 f4 47.f2 xe2 48.xe2 a4 49.f1 a3 50.c4 h5 51.gxh5 gxh5 52.f5 ce6 53.g3 c5 54.h2 d4 55.xd4 cxd4 56.f1 h4 57.c4 h5 58.g2 f6 59.e6 f4 60.f2 h7 61.h3 g5 62.g2 h3 63.f1 xf3 64.xh3 d2 65.g2 b1 0-1 Loidl, FGanaus, H/Open, Vienna AUT 2003 ] 4...d5!? Black's opening play is very novel-on those grounds alone he deserves a better fate! Alas... I'm reminded of the strange line 1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nc3 d5!? and if 4 Nxd5 then 4.. .c6 or 4...e6 or 4 cxd5 Nf6 5 Bc4 Nbd7.... The Modern Defence remains one of the last areas where original play can still flourish. 5.xd5 [ Presumably 5.exd5 would be met by f6 6.c4 b5 7.b3 b7 when Black has made excellent use of his extravagant third move. ] 5...c6 6.e3 xd4 7.xd4 xd4 8.h5 d7 9.f4 g7 [ 9...gf6 10.hxg6 fxg6 11.e5 d5 12.xd5 cxd5 13.f3 c5 14.d3 f8 15.e2 f5 16.e3 looks better for White. I just think that Chernyshov didn't want to surrender the h file so keeps the option open of ... hxg6 should White capture. ] 10.e5 b6 11.g4! He is trying to cramp all t h e l if e o u t o f B la ck' s ga m e . O n e wo u l d assume that Black could break up the pawn chain i.e. 11...g5, but it turns out to be not so easy: h6 [ 11...g5 12.f5 ( 12.f3! looks good gxf4 13.f5 xf5 14.gxf5 h6 15.d3 d5 16.g1 ) 12...xf5 13.gxf5 gxf4 14.xf4 d5 15.h6 f6! ] 12.g5 f5 13.d3 [ I prefer 13.h6! which seems to fit in perfectly with W hite's game plan. Black's position is indeed congested: f8 14.d3 xe3 15.xe3 d5 16.d2 One or other of the Black Bishops can be activated, but not both! ] 13...g3 14.h6 f8?! [ How is the position after 14...xe5 15.fxe5 xh1 16.e2 d7 17.e4 xe5 18.xh1 0-0 ? It's a mess, where one has to make a subjective decision. Many would have gone f or this-Black solves his proble ms wit h development and has two, good extra pawns.
Having started sharply, Chernyslov should have been more consistent. ] 15.h2 d5 16.f2! Now I start to like White. Those Kingside pawns give White a big advantage in space and a greater choice of middlegame plans. f5 17.xf5 xf5 18.xf5 gxf5 19.e6! Very good indeed! This sharp advance causes havoc! fxe6 [ 19...f6 20.d2! fxg5 21.fxg5 0-0-0 22.f3 doesn't really help Black. He still can't get his pieces out! ] 20.f3 e5 21.xe5 e6 Chernyshov tries his best, but a short phase of simple, effective developm en t now f ollows whe re Mo tyle v shows who is in charge-complete charge! 22.c4 e7 23.e3 g8 24.d1 g6 25.xg6 xg6 26.f3 d8 27.xd8+ xd8 28.d2+ c7 29.d4 A calm move, p la n n in g im p ro ve m e n t wit h B e 5 +, wh ic h emphasizes to Black how helpless he is. e7 30.c5 a5 31.a3 c8 32.b4 a4 33.e5 d8 34.e3 e7 35.d4 d8 36.d3 White improves at leisure. If nothing happens he will wander across to c4 with the King, play b4-b5 and win the a pawn. c7 37.xc7 xc7 38.d6 The King heads for the bright lights on d4 and e5. 1-0
790 Nachev,S Khismatullin,Denis Open Moscow RUS (5) [John Watson]
B06 2429 2599 31.01.2007
This game is a good demonstration of the power of Black's fianchettoed bishops. I've included just a fraction of the theory in the notes. In fact, some of these lines have been analysed rather deeply, which isn't quite the idea when one plays moves like ...g6 and ... a6! Such is the computer-driven theoretical world. 1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 5.f4 Hillarp-Persson calls this a 'very common move order'. By waiting a move for f4, White avoids the normal Pirc variation 4 f4 Nf6. b5 6.e2!? This move has been played remarka bly of ten. O ne idea is to oppos e bishops along the diagonal by Bf3, after which e5 can gain in strength. The main alternative, 797
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 also played in a number of games, is [ 6.f3 b7 (threatening ...b4) 7.d3 d7 8.e2 b4!? ( Tiger suggests this and appends considerable analysis. One of his games went 8...c5 9.dxc5 xc5 10.xc5! xc3+! 11.bxc3 dxc5 12.e5 with some advantage for White) 9.d1 gf6! 10.f2 ( 10.d2 c5 11.e5 d5 12.e6!? fxe6 13.g5 xd4!? 14.xh7 f8 15.xf8 xf8 16.xg6 c8 , and Tiger says that he's sa tis f ie d a s B lack. At any ra te it's exciting! ) 10...c5 11.c3 bxc3 12.bxc3 0-0 13.0-0 e8! (versus e5-e6) 14.ab1 c8 , again with a double-edged game, although I really prefer White this time. ] 6...b4!? Ponomariov's move. Perhaps better is [ 6...d7 7.f3 e6!? ( 7...e5! is Tiger's p r e f e r e n c e) 8.h3 e7 9.0-0 b7 with a solid position, A Sokolov-Bricard, Val d'Isere 2002. ] 7.d5!? A novelty! [ Tiger makes a case for 7.a4 ] [ 7.b1 b7 8.f3 f6 9.d3 bd7 10.d2 0-0= Galkin-Ponomariov, Laussane 2001. ] 7...a5 8.f2! [ 8.f3?? e6 traps the knight! ] 8...b7 9.f3 e6 [ 9...xd5 10.exd5 gives White space and a bind, although his pawns aren't terribly well coordinated with his bishops ] 10.e3 d7 11.e2 f5! Light squares! This blockades White's pawns (stopping f5), and contains a dynamic idea. 12.exf5 xf3 13.fxe6 b7 14.exd7+ xd7 White has an extra pawn, but Black's compensation should be obvious. He has two bishops, light square control and useful central files. 15.0-0 f6 16.c4 0-0! 17.g3 [ 17.d5 e4! 18.c2 e7! ] 17...ae8 18.f5?! Perhaps not objectively correct. Still, it is hard to counter Black's growing initiative. e4 19.d3?! [ 19.xe4 xe4 20.d5 gxf5 hits b2 and threatens to attack with ...f4. Black has clearly won the opening. ] 19...gxf5 20.d5 f7 21.f4 c5 White's position is on the verge of collapse. 22.ge2 a6!? A good move, although [ 22...xf2! 23.xf2 cxd4 prepares ...Be4 or ...Re4. ]
23.d5 xb2 24.ab1 e5 25.e3 c8!? [ 25...h8 with the idea ...Rg8 ] 26.c1 a4 27.b2 a3 Black's centralized minor pieces and the e- and g-files give him the advantage. The rest of the game is a little erratic, but Black's nice attack nets him the point 28.a1 e7 29.c2 d7 30.d3 xa1 31.xa1 fe8 32.df4 f6 33.ab1 e5 34.d3 g7 35.df4 f6! Clearing the e-file and contemplating ...Ng4. 36.f3 h8!? [ 36...g4 with the idea 37.g3? d4+! ] 37.g3 f7 [ 37...g4! But Black dominates anyway. ] 38.f1 e4 39.h3 g4 40.c1 e5 [ 40...g7 41.d2 b2! 42.c2? xe2 43.xe2 b1+ 44.c1 xe2 ] 41.b3 g6 42.g3 g8 43.f2 e5 44.g3 xc4 45.e1 xf4 46.xf4 d3 47.xd6 [ Also losing is 47.d2 xe1 48.xe1 f6 ] 47...xe1 48.h5 Looking toward Qe5+ xg2+ 49.h1 g6 50.e5+ g8 51.f4 g4 52.h5 xh5 53.xh5 g1+ 54.xg1 f3+ 0-1
791 Naiditsch,A Rapport,R 76th Tata Steel Masters (11.1) [Tom Rendle]
B06 2718 2691 26.01.2014
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f3 c6 5.e3 c7 In some ways it's refreshing to see Rapport playing such an interesting mix of openings in Elite events but against the top players in the world this is obviously a big risk. [ 5...f6 6.d2 0-0 looks risky but in Jonkman-Iordachescu it worked out well. You can find the game with analysis in the archives but I wonder if White should settle for a slight edge here with 7.h3 bd7 8.d3 e5 9.0-0 ] [ 5...d7 6.d2 b5 is a more standard way to play this line and I covered this in NegiGashimov ] 6.d2 d7 7.0-0-0 b5 8.e5!? d5?! I can only think that Rapport missed 798
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 something in the tactics after 8...dxe5 because having to play this move is a bit depressing. The bishop on g7 is now permanently blocked and W hite's kingside play is much stronger than anything Black can muster on the queenside. [ 8...dxe5! 9.dxe5 xe5 10.xb5! is the point but actually the position is not so clear here after e6! ( not 10...cxb5? 11.xb5 d7 12.a5 c4 13.c7+! with a winning position for White) 11.d5 xd5 12.xd5 c8! 13.a4 xf3 14.xf3 f6 and whilst White has maybe a slight advantage is certainly all to play for from here. ] 9.h4 a5 10.h5! b6 [ 10...b4 doesn't really help Black here as after 11.b1 xa2 12.xb4 b8 13.c3 Black's attack is going nowhere and White's advantage is obvious ] 11.hxg6 fxg6?! [ 11...hxg6 makes more sense but White is still much better after 12.xh8 xh8 13.b3 ] 12.a3 [ 12.b3 makes a lot of sense here to prevent an y .. .Nc4 ide as a n d b4 is well met by 13.e2 xa2?! 14.xb4 b8 15.c3 and White is even threatening Kd2 and Ra1 trapping the Black queen ] 12...b8 [ 12...c4 gives Black more chances for counterplay, e.g. 13.xc4 bxc4 14.b1 ( 14.g5!? might be more critical but still Black is just about OK after h5 ) 14...g4 15.a1 xf3 16.gxf3 e6 and Black's position is suddenly more solid than before ] 13.e4! b4?! [ 13...xd2+ 14.exd2 is unpleasant for Black because of the weaknesses on both sides of the board but it's a better chance than the game. ] 14.c5 c4 15.xc4 dxc4 16.a4 Naiditsch has held off Black's attack and is now basically winning as Rapport is no nearer to using his kingside pieces. c3?! [ 16...d8 was probably the only chance at this stage but White should still be winning after 17.g5 d5 18.f4 with a rather nasty threat of e6 ] 17.d3 cxb2+ 18.xb2 b3 19.c3! Naiditsch doesn't even allow a tiny bit of
counterplay d8 [ 19...f5 20.c4 h5 21.g5! h6 22.ce6 xe6 23.xe6 is game over ] 20.xh7 f5 21.c4 f8 22.g5 d5 23.xd5?! This wins easily but the game doe s carry o n a litt le lon ge r t han st ric tly necessary [ 23.ge6+ xe6 24.xe6+ f7 25.g5+! f8 26.d3 xh7 27.xh7+ f7 28.g5+ e8 ( or 28...f8 29.xg6 ) 29.xg6+ d7 30.xg7 and Black should resign immediately ] 23...cxd5 24.ce6+ xe6 25.xe6+ f7 26.xg7+ xe6 27.xg6+ f7 28.a6 White is two pawns up and still has the better position - there's no way back for Black. b7 29.a1 h2 30.g3 e6 31.a3 e7 32.xb3 c7 33.c2 1-0
792 Nanu,C Nevednichy,V 4th Limpedea Cup (4.3) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B06 2520 2553 23.05.2012
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 5.d2 b5 6.0-0-0 [ It's also possible to play 6.h4 immediately. It's unclear which move order is better and they are likely to simply transpose. However White does now have additional possibilities. A) I n t h i s p r e c i s e p o s i t i o n 6...f6 isn't common but we can't really see why. 7.f3 ( Houdini offers the interesting 7.h5!? xh5 8.a4 ) 7...h6 8.a4 b4 9.ce2 a5 10.g4 bd7 11.g3 and White's extra space must give him something. Naiditsch, A ( 2 6 4 1 ) - D l u g o s z, J ( 2 3 0 3 ) W a r s a w 2005.; B) 6...h6 7.0-0-0 B1) Against 7...b7 White can also try 8.f4!? ( While Emanuel Berg has ventured 8.h3 a couple of times. ); B2) 7...d7 8.f4! h5 9.f3 has worked out very well for White in two a ll G M e n co u n t e rs . W e ' ve le f t b o t h games in the n otes. gf6 ( 9...b7 10.g5 h6 11.e5 b6 12.d3 c8 13.hf1 d5 14.ce4 0-0 15.f5 xf5 799
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.xf5 gxf5 17.g3 xe3 18.xe3 f4 19.h7+ h8 20.d3 dxe5 21.dxe5 f6 22.g8 f5 23.e6 e8 24.xf5 1-0 Ganguly, S (2627) -Svidler, P (2739) Ningbo 2011.) 10.d3 b6 11.f5 gxf5 12.exf5 c4 13.e1 xe3 14.xe3 h6 15.g5 b7 16.b1 g8 17.ce4 xe4 18.xe4 d5 19.f3 d6 20.de1 d7 21.e2 g4 22.b3 xg5 23.hxg5 c6 24.g6 af8 25.gxf7 xf7 26.e6 c7 27.xc6 1-0 Adams, M (2750)-Hodgson, J (2595) Southend 2001. ] 6...b7 [ We examined 6...d7 recently in Gopal, G (2572)-Smirin, I (2657) New Delhi 2012. ] 7.f3 d7 8.h4 h6 Normally people play with ...h5 but this is a critical alternative. Black doesn't cede the g5 square and thus it's not such a simple position for White to play. [ 8...c5 is a rare choice as it does nothing to prevent White's threat of h5. 9.dxc5 xc5 This position has been reached a couple of t im e s b u t f o r s o m e r e a so n n o o n e h a s played the logical 10.h5 which feels like it must be good for White. ] [ 8...gf6 is a little more common here than against the immediate h4 for some reason. A) 9.h6 was seen in a high rated encounter but didn't challenge Black xh6 10.xh6 e5 ( 10...b4 11.ce2 c5 als o loo k s p ossib le b u t 12.e5 dxe5 13.dxe5 d5 14.e6 is very messy.) 11.d5 e7 12.g4 b6 13.a3 fd7 14.ge2 c5 15.b1 0-0-0 16.c1 b8 17.b3 xb3 18.cxb3 f5 19.e3 fxe4 20.fxe4 hf8 Here a draw was agreed Maze, S (2518)-Svidler, P (2765) Paris 2006.; B) 9.g4 c5 ( 9...h5 10.g5 h7 11.d5 c5 12.dxc6 xc6 13.d4 xd4 14.xd4 resembles some sort of Dragadorf and (therefore?)looks rather suspicious. Spoelman, W (2424)-Koneru, H (2612) W i j k a a n Z e e 2 0 0 8 .) 10.h5 g8 W e don't trust this but already W hite's position is easier to play. 11.hxg6 hxg6 12.dxc5 xc5 Heinemann, T (2450)Watson, W (2535) Germany 1998 when, rather than 13.e5 13.g5 fd7 14.ge2 feels more comfortable for White. ] 9.h5 This looks rather logical but surprisingly
it's only been played a couple times. [ 9.g4 has been White's most common and was covered in the archives by Andrew Martin in Baki, P (2092) -Ianov, V (2381) Paks 2005 ] [ While 9.h3 has also been played a lot but doesn't make as much sense when Black still has control of g5. However White's plan is to drop the knight back to f2 when the lines aren't so different to 9. g4. e6 10.f2 e7 11.g4 d5!? 12.d3 c5! 13.xc5 xc5 14.dxc5 a5 with a very complex game. Gaponenko, I (2437) -Hillarp Persson, T (2548) Reykjavik 2006 ] [ 9.d5 was met with the odd looking h5!? which worked out pretty well for Black after 10.h3 c5 11.dxc6 xc6 12.d5 gf6 13.xf6+ xf6 14.g5 c8 with a roughly level middlegame. Koziak, V (2475)-Bezold, M (2455) Neuhausen 2004. ] [ One sample line we played out was 9.b1 gf6 10.h3 c8 11.f2 c5 12.e5 dxe5 13.dxc5 c7 14.fe4 when perhaps White has fractionally better chances but Black can't be unhappy either. ] 9...g5 10.ge2 [ 10.d5 was played earlier this year in the only other game to reach this position . However this is rather committal and following e5 11.g3 ( 11.f4 immediately is more critical although it's hard to believe that Black has too many issues after gxf4 12.xf4 c5 ) 11...f6 12.f4 eg4 13.d4 b4 14.a4 c5 15.dxc6 xc6 16.xb4 xe4 and Black had taken control and went on to win quickly. Nestorovic, L (2374)Chatalbashev, B (2570) Plovdiv 2012. ] 10...b6 This logical move looks best. [ Instead 10...b4 feels premature: 11.a4 a5 ( 11...b8 12.b3 also gives White an edge. ) 12.c4! c6 13.c2 and White has strong central control while it's tough for Black to generate counterplay. ] 11.g3 e6 Taking possession of f5. The position now resembles a Hippo structure. [ Again 11...b4 is too early. 12.b1 a5 13.f5 f6 14.d5 ] 12.a3 Nanu cuts out ...b4 once and for all but we feel this is probably inaccurate. [ With 12.d3 White has decent chances at retaining the advantage. e7 13.hf1 d7 800
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.b1 keeping Black under control followed by a plan involving Nce2 and d5. Oddly this position is almost zugzwang! Black has all his pieces on perfect squares and it's not easy to find him a move. Lashing out with f5 ( Perhaps 14...g8 is best although White could now exploit the weakening of the h6 pawn with 15.f4!? gxf4 16.xf4 ) 15.d5! fxe4 16.fxe4 looks very suspect. ] 12...e7 13.f2 Nanu waits. [ Breaking with 13.f4 is possible but gxf4 14.xf4 d7 followed by long castling looks fairly comfortable for Black. ] 13...f5 Risky. Nevednichy fights for the initiative but weakens his own position in the process. [ 13...d7 was the safe option when we like Blac k 's po s it ion . His p ie ces all o ccu p y good squares and there's a lot of dynamic potential with various pawn breaks. ] 14.f4 Nanu accepts the challenge and suddenly the position becomes very concrete. [ 14.exf5 exf5 15.f4 was the alternative but following g4 16.d3 d7 we again wouldn't be unhappy to be Black with his light square control. ] 14...0-0 We feel this is asking too much of Black's position but it's still not 100% clear and we can't really call it an error. [ However 14...gxf4 is probably better 15.xf4 ( 15.xf4 fxe4= is around level.) 15...fxe4 Probably Black's best ( Although h e c a n a l s o c o n s i d e r 15...0-0; and 15...e5!? ) 16.g4 g8 17.gxe4 xd4 ( 17...d7 18.xg7 xg7 19.f6+ f7 20.xd7 xd7 21.xh6 g4 is also co mplicate d bu t 22.e2 xg2 23.hf1+ f6 24.d5! seems to promise W hite the better chances.; 17...f5!? could be best with a messy position.) 18.f4 xe3+ 19.xe3 f5 20.f3 ( 20.xd6+ xd6 21.xe6+ f8 22.xh6+ g7 23.h8+ g8 and White can either draw with 24.Qh6+ or else play on with 24.d4 although it's not clear he's better here.) 20...g3 21.f6+ f8 22.xb7 xf6 23.h3 g7 24.d3 and the position is still very complicated. ] 15.d2 Another queen move from Nanu th re a t e n in g t o t a ke o n g5 b u t t a kin g t h e
pawns immediately should also be examined. [ 15.exf5 exf5 16.fxg5 ( 16.d3 g4 is another unclear position where White may have a small edge but it's certainly not clear. Again we wouldn't mind having the Black pieces with such good control over d5.) 16...f4! 17.gxh6 fxe3 18.xe3 f6 19.b1 and W hite has three pawns for the piece and a safer king but it's not enough for us to say he's definitely better. ] [ 15.fxg5!? is very interesting but looks to be asking too much of W hite's position. f4! This was Nevednichy's point. 16.xf4 hxg5 ( 16...e5?! 17.dxe5 hxg5 18.exd6 cxd6 19.xd6 xd6 20.xd6 xf2 21.c5! and the complications have worked out well f o r W h i t e .) 17.h6 xf4 18.e3 f8 19.h5 g6 20.xf4 gxf4 21.h3 f6 and Black must be at least fine. ] 15...g4 16.d5!? The most dynamic way of playing the position. [ It's possible for White to wait with s o m e t h i n g l i k e 16.b1 but it's not clear what his plan is. Black can even try d5!? ( 16...d7 is also possible when it's not clear how White makes progress without the d4-d5 break.) 17.e5 c4 and neither of us would feel happy as White. ] 16...exd5 Again Nevednichy goes for the riskier of the two options. Again this may not be an error but af ter t his we switc h f ro m preferring Black's practical chances to preferring White's. [ 16...fxe4! would have been a safer option. 17.dxe6 ( 17.xb6 cxb6 18.dxe6 d5 gives Black better chances with his bishop p a i r a n d h u g e c e n t r e .) 17...bd5 when an interesting line runs 18.h4 xe3 19.xe3 d5 20.xd5 xh4 21.e7 f7 22.xc7 xe7 23.xa8 xa8 24.e2 and Black can hardly be worse. ] 17.xb6 cxb6 18.xf5 [ 18.exf5 feels suspicious. Black could just transpose to the game while d4 19.ce2 xf5 20.xf5 xf5 transposes to 19...d4. ] 18...xf5 [ 18...xf5!? looks interesting but we think it's rather over-optimistic if W hite plays a c c u r a t e l y : 19.exf5 d4 20.e2! f8 21.e1! xf5 22.d1 g3 23.xg4 xh1 24.d3 and White regains the piece with the 801
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 advantage. ] 19.exf5 xf5 [ Again Black had an interesting option in the shape of 19...d4!? 20.e2 xf5 21.g3 f8 22.d3 with a complicated position. It feels White should have some advantage thanks to Black's ragged structure and loose king but Black can generate quite quick queenside counterplay, for example: d7 The threat is ...b5-b4 and ...Qa4 The game m i g h t c o n t i n u e ( T h e i m m e d i a t e 22...b4 is also interesting but White probably has s o m e a d v a n t a g e w i t h 23.f5! bxa3 24.bxa3 d7 25.xg7 xg7 26.h4 ) 23.h4 b4 24.axb4 ( 24.f5!? ) 24...a5 25.b5 a4 26.f5 a3 27.bxa3 xa3 28.xg4 h8 29.g6 and White's probably somewhat better but the position is extremely complicated. ] 20.d3 xc3? After a highly complex sequence where Black keeps going for the riskier but playable option he finally goes too far and plays a terrible move. [ With 20...f8 Black is still well in the game, e.g.: 21.de1 ( 21.b1 b4! 22.axb4 a5 looks promising for Black.) 21...f6!? B l a c k p r e p a r e s . . . b 4 . ( The immediate 21...b4 is also interesting: 22.axb4 a5 23.b5 a4 24.e6 a3 25.bxa3 xa3 26.b1 a4 when Black has a strong i n i t i a t i v e .) 22.hf1 b4 23.axb4 a5 and Black has strong counterplay. ] 21.xc3 xf4 22.g3 f3 23.d4 Black is currently two pawns up (with g3 enprise too) but his kingside is extremely loose and his structure is simply terrible. It's interesting to see how Nanu successfully picks up all Black's queenside while retaining the attack. g5+ [ 23...xg3 24.he1 is far too dangerous. ] 24.b1 c8?! Black's final error. We're not sure what Nevednichy was thinking, surely it was more logical to bring the rook on a8 into the game? [ 24...af8 is of course much better but White should still be winning, for example 25.he1 ( 25.xb6 e7 26.de1 is also strong.) 25...c8 26.g6 and White d o m i n a t e s b u t a t l e a s t f o l l o w i n g xg3 Black can try and get some counterplay with the g pawn. ]
25.xb6 [ 25.he1! Just looks to be winning immediately but the text isn't bad either. ] 25...e6 26.b7 [ 26.xd6! looks simple and very strong f7 27.g6 and all Black's pawns are dropping. ] 26...e8 27.h7+ f8 28.g6 g8 29.d7 [ 29.b7 could be more accurate ] 29...d8 [ 29...e6 was probably better but still 30.c8+ g7 31.xa6 xg3 32.xb5 favours White with his queenside pawns but Black can attempt something with ge3 ] 30.b7 xg3 31.xa6 e3 [ A s a f i n a l a t t e m p t w e t r i e d 31...d4 to complicate the issue but something like 32.a7 f6 33.he1 f3 34.xd4 f1 35.de4 is of course very good for White. We continued the line with xe1+ 36.xe1 d5 to try and get some counter-chances but 37.g1! f3 38.e3 g7 39.g1 is simply winning. ] 32.hf1+ g7 33.a7+ e7 34.d4+ e5 35.f5 e3 36.xg4 If you compare this position to that on move 24 we can see that three Black pawns have dropped while he still has a terrible structure, note the bishop is still blocked in behind his d5 pawn. W hite still does not yet have a material advantage but the position isn't dif f icult to convert. h8 37.ff1 g5 38.b4 e7 39.xb5 c7 40.a4 b8 41.f4 g7 42.f6 e7 43.xg7+ xg7 44.d4 a8 45.a4 aa7 46.b3 e5 47.b2 e6 48.df4 g5 49.f8 d4 50.d8 d5 51.d1 g4 52.d6 g8 53.a3 h4 54.g1 1-0
793 Negi,Parimarjan Gashimov,Vugar Schachbundesliga 2011-12 (8) [Tom Rendle]
B06 2631 2756 04.02.2012
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c6 4.f3 d6 [ 4...d5 is Black's other setup and is covered in the archives. ] 5.e3 d7 6.d2 b5 7.d3 b7 [ 7...gf6 8.h3 c7 was looked at by Andrew Martin in the game Hossain, E802
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Rahman, Z/Dhaka 2005 ] [ 7...c7 8.0-0 b6 was tried in Lenderman, A (2525)-Adu, O (2276)/New York USA 2011. The idea is that the Bishop may still come out to g4 so White logically played h3 to prevent this A) 9.e5 looks very dangerous as well, for example g4 ( 9...dxe5 isn't good because the tactics are in White's favour after 10.xe5 xe5?! 11.dxe5 xe5?! 12.xb5! cxb5 13.d4 xd4 14.xb5+ and Black won't get enough for the Queen ) 10.exd6 exd6 11.g5 with a dangerous initiative for White; B) 9.h3 f6 10.h6 0-0 11.e5 fd5 12.xd5 xd5 13.fe1 dxe5 14.dxe5 e6 15.e4! and White had already built up a clear advantage and a dangerous attack on the Kingside ] 8.e2 Negi comes up with a very solid way of playing but my feeling is that is doesn't set Black that many problems. [ 8.0-0 is critical and now a6 9.a4 b4 10.e2 A) 10...a5 11.c3 bxc3 12.bxc3 gf6 13.ab1 c7 ( 13...c8 might be an improvement but still White is better after 14.h6 ) 14.e5! d5 and now White could've obtained a clear edge in Bjornsson, S (2287)-Danielsen, H (2473)/ Bolungarvik ISL 2009 with 15.exd6! exd6 16.c4 b4 17.c5! with Bf4 to come and if dxc5?! then 18.f4 b6 19.e3+ d8 20.fd1 is horrendous for Black; B) 10...c5 11.g3 ( 11.dxc5 dxc5 12.ad1 c7 13.c3! sets Black more serious problems in my opinion) 11...c7 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 gf6 14.h6 0-0 was fine for Black in Kosintseva, T (2497)Milov, V (2669)/Moscow RUS 2009, although White went on to win. ] 8...gf6 [ 8...a6 9.g3 c5 10.c3 gf6 11.h3 0-0 as played in Seletsky, G (2310)-Kuzmin, G (2469)/Alushta 2008 also looks a solid way for Black to equalise. ] 9.c3 e5 Once Black has grabbed his fair share of space in the centre I think W hite should play dynamically because otherwise he risks being worse. In this game Gashimov is soon doing well. 10.h6
[ 10.0-0 0-0 11.dxe5 dxe5 ( 11...xe5?! 12.xe5 dxe5 13.f3 e7 14.a4 is a bit better for White as Black will have to work hard to make use of his Bishops) 12.h3 e7 13.g3 is very close to equal but it's Black that has to be more careful. White would like to play c4 and Rac1 and p u t p re ss u re o n B l a ck' s Q u e e n s i d e s o interesting is c5!? 14.b4 e6 15.a4 c7 16.b2 White avoids a pin from a rook on d8 and keeps a minimal edge. ] 10...0-0 11.xg7 xg7 Black has equalised comfortably enough and now Vugar goes about trying to unbalance the position. 12.g3 e8!? The idea of this move is to prepare a central push but I suspect that after this White sh o u ld b e a b le t o c la im so m e e d ge wit h accurate play. [ 12...c5! seems to be very comfortable for Black - for example 13.0-0 ( 13.d5?! c4 14.c2 a5 with Nc5 to come and Black's space advantage on the Queenside should give him the better chances.; 13.xb5 also doesn't look good after cxd4 14.cxd4 xe4! 15.xe4 xe4 16.b4 otherwise Q a 5 + i s a wkwa r d b8 17.a4 df6 18.0-0 exd4 19.xd4 b6 and White is under a lot of pressure )] 13.0-0 d5 A critical position has been reached and it's essential that W hite finds the right move, so I've examined a few alternatives here: 14.dxe5 [ 14.fe1! was the best continuation and now: A) 14...c5!? is an interesting pawn sacrifice although after 15.xb5 cxd4 16.cxd4 xe4 ( 16...dxe4 isn't as good b e c a u se o f 17.xd7! xd7 18.xe4 ) 17.xe4 dxe4 18.xe5 xe5 19.xe8 d3 20.a4 xe1 21.xe1 c8 Black's pawn on e4 and the weakness of the pawn on d4 gives Black some compensation but I still think W hite has the better chances af te r 22.c2! f5 23.b3; B) 14...exd4?! would be a typical mistake because of 15.e5! e4 16.xe4 dxe4 17.xe4 xe5 ( 17...dxc3? 18.xc3 g8 19.ad1 i s c r u s h i n g) 18.xd4 when White's control of the dark squares and well placed central knights give him a 803
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 clear edge; C) 14...dxe4 15.xe4! ( 15.xe4?! xe4 16.xe4 c5 and Black is doing well) 15...exd4 16.cxd4 g8 17.ac1 and Black hasn't quite equalised in my opinion due to the passivity of the lightsquared Bishop. ] [ 14.ad1 gives Black a pleasant choice between dxe4 ( and 14...exd4 15.xd4 dxe4 16.c2 c7 17.b3 when Black is a pawn up but I W hite does have a potentially dangerous attack brewing with Qg5 ) 15.xe4 xe4 16.xe4 exd4 17.xd4+ f6 18.b1 xd4 19.xd4 ad8 with an equal ending ] [ 14.xe5 dxe4 15.xd7 xd7 16.e2 c5! and the Bishop on b7 comes into the game and White has some defensive work to do to hold equality. ] [ 14.exd5?! doesn't actually lose a piece but Black is still much better after e4 15.e5 xe5 16.dxe5 xe5 17.dxc6 ( 17.c2 xd5 lea ve s B la ck a sa f e pa wn u p) 17...xc6 18.f4 e7 19.c2 d5 20.c1 e3 and Black is clearly on top ] 14...xe4 [ 14...dxe4 was also possible and now after 15.exf6+ xf6 16.xe4 xe4 17.xe4 xe4 18.ad1 e7 the position is level. ] 15.xe4 dxe4 16.xe4 xe5 17.d4? [ 17.d4 was necessary and now after c5 White has to be very careful A) 18.xc5 xg2! 19.de6+ ( 19.xg2?! d5+ 20.f3 xc5 leaves W hite's King ope n) 19...fxe6 20.xd8 axd8 21.xg2 d5 and Black has a slight edge in the endgame; B) 18.d6! i s b e s t a n d n o w f6 ( 18...c4 leads to a draw after 19.xe8+ xe8 20.f5+ gxf5 21.g5+ f8 22.h6+ g8 23.g5+ ) 19.xb7 c4! 20.d3 cxd4 21.b3! ab8 22.bxc4 bxc4 23.xc4 xb7 24.xd4 xd4 25.cxd4 d8 is very drawish indeed. ] 17...c5! This is the start of a forcing sequence of moves that leaves Black on top. The Bishop on b7 only enters the game briefly but it does a job weakening the White kingside 18.xc5 [ 18.xd8 was no better for example xf3+ 19.gxf3 axd8 20.fe1 ( 20.xc5?! xf3
would be asking for trouble on the Kingside) 20...e5 with an obvious advantage for Black ] 18...xf3 19.xd8 axd8 20.gxf3 d5 [ 20...xf3+ 21.g2 h4+ 22.g3 f5+ leads to the same thing as the game ] 21.b4 [ if 21.f4 then f3+ ( not 21...xc5 22.fxe5 cxe5 23.a4! when White should hold a draw in the rook and pawn ending.) 22.g2 h4+ 23.h3 f5 24.b4 d2 ] 21...xf3+ 22.g2 h4+ 23.g3 f5+ 24.f3 d2 With the Rook on the 7th rank Black must be doing well and combined with the vulnerability of his King Negi faced a difficult task to defend this position. Over the next few moves Gashimov expertly increased t h e p r e s s u r e . 25.a4! White has to play actively [ 25.a3?! g5 with h5 and Nh4+ ideas and White is in a lot of trouble ] 25...bxa4 26.fd1 c2 27.dc1 ce2 28.xa4 8e7 29.aa1 g5! closing the net on the King on f3 30.d3 h4+ 31.g3?! [ 31.g4 was relatively best but Black has a lot of interesting options here, i.e. h5+!? 32.xh5 7e4 when White is probably forced to sac. the exchange to avoid being m a t e d wit h Nf 3 a n d Rh 4 33.g1 f3 34.g4 e6 35.xg5+ xg5 36.xg5 and Black has reasonable winning chances ] 31...d7 32.d1 [ 32.c5 might've been a better try but still Black can double on the 7th rank or instead go directly for the King with d6 33.h3 f6 34.f1 f3+ 35.h2 h5! which must be close to winning ( 35...exf2+? is premature because after 36.xf2 xf2+ 37.g1 f3 38.e4 the pawn on a7 is dropping and W hite's Q ue enside p awn s a re go ing t o cause Black a real headache )] 32...c2 33.a5?? Negi makes a horrible blunder but his position was obviously rather unpleasant anyway. [ 33.a3 h5! 34.h3 d6 and Black has excellent winning chances - the position is never going to be easy for W hite with the King caught in a mating net on g3. ] 33...xc3 34.xg5+ g6 0-1
804
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 794 Nezhmetdinov,Rashid Ujtelky,Maximilian Chigorin mem (1) [Andrew Martin]
B06
1964
He re is an e xtra ord in ary ga me , in which Ujtelky goads one of the most feared attacking players with the Hippopotamus. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.c4 e6 It helps to have a bishop on c4. 5.f3 e7 6.h4 h6 Note the reaction. Black answers 7 h5 with g5. Whilst that might still be good for White, most players would not want to commit themselves this early. 7.f4 a6 8.e2 d7 [ here, he could certainly try 8...b5 9.d3 bc6 with ideas of ...Nb4, . .. Nxd3 and ... Bb7. Maybe I'm the wrong type of guy to play this slow stuff.... ] 9.a4 b6 10.d1 b7 Very pretty by White a n d w h e r e t o g o f r o m h e r e ? 11.f1!? He is b a f f l e d b y t h e la ck o f co n t a ct . f8 12.g1 c8 13.b3 d7 14.h3 d8 15.c4 c8 Black continues his m a n o e u ve rin g, a l t h o u gh i n t h is c a se a 6 needed to be defended. Ujtelky asks Nezhmetdinov "what is your idea?" 16.b3 f6 17.e1 f7 18.c1 c6 How should you classify a position like this? Black is keeping White at bay. I personally find Black's play too passive in this game. 19.d2 d5 20.a5 [ 20.exd5 cxd5 21.h5 g5 leaves nothing clear at all. ] 20...b5 21.f3 c7 22.d2 c8 23.a2 h7 24.b4 he8 25.d3 f8 26.f4 [ I think White missed a chance here: 26.e5 f5 27.g3 d7 28.b4 The threat of a kingside attack combined with White's ability to stop ...c6-c5 makes the Black position unattractive. For instance: f8 29.d2 g8 30.d6 xd6 31.exd6 xd6 32.fe5+ ] 26...xa5 27.e5 f5 28.d2 [ 28.e3 g8 29.c5 d7 30.xd7 xd7 31.c3 with the idea of Bc2 and g4, was to be considered. ] 28...b6 29.a1 h7? [ 29...d7 ] 30.a5 a7 31.xd8 xd8 32.d2 b7 33.a5 a8 34.c5 c8 35.c3 f8 The manoeuvres continue. He seems not to care one whit that he is the exchange down.
Having said that, White has to find the right way to break in. How about preparing g2-g4! 36.e1?! Time-trouble perhaps? [ 36.d3 ] 36...xe5 37.dxe5 xc5 38.d3 a7 39.c2 c5 Black is right back in the game. 40.b4 c6 41.a3 c4 42.c5 xe5 43.c1 h5 44.g3 ed7 45.xe6?? He just lost it psych ologically. Unable t o pierce the black pawn front, Nezhmetdinov goes haywire with an unsound piece sacrifice. And having provoked the mistake, Ujtelky's subsequent play is faultless. xe6 46.h6 df8 47.xf5 gxf5 48.e1 d7 49.xh5+ e7 50.xf5 White has left himself with no plan B. d6 51.h5 a5 52.e5+ c6 53.d1 c7 54.a1 b8 55.bxa5 b4! Su dd en ly it is W h it e who h a s so m e ve ry serious defending to do. 56.cxb4 [ 56.h6 b3 57.h7 xh7 58.g6+ e6 59.xe6+ xe6 60.xe6+ d6 61.f7 g5 62.g7 e4-+ ] 56...xb4 57.f3 ce6 58.a6 c5 59.e1 d4 60.f6+ fe6 61.a5 b6 62.h6 d6 63.h7 c3 64.a1 c2 65.g6 h8 66.a7 The contrast between the spread out White position and Black's perfectly centralised formation is extraordinary. b2 67.h6 e2+ 68.h2 c1 69.xc1 xc1 70.a5 c6 71.a6 e5+ 72.g3 b3 73.f4 [ 73.a8 xa8 74.xa8 xa8 75.h8 xh8 76.xh8 c6 77.f4 might have lasted longer, but the d pawn must win. ] 73...b2+ 74.h3 bc5 75.a8 W h ich Qu e e n sh a ll we t a ke f irst ? E it h e r capture wins quickly. 0-1
795 Nunn,John DM Shirov,Alexei Germany [Alexander Volzhin]
B06 2605 2690 1996
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c6 4.c4 d6 5.f3 e6 6.ge2 b5 7.b3 a5 8.a3 a6 Shirov believes in this setup and still employs it despite terrible losses against Judit Polgar and Anand. 9.0-0?! [ 9.d5 was played in the above mentioned 805
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 games. Nunn deviates probably being afraid of Shirov's preparation. However his choice unlikely will have many supporters as Black now has easy play. ] 9...d7 10.f4 e7 11.ad1 [ 11.e5!? was quite interesting as it would create some difficulties regarding Black's d e v e l o p m e n t : d5 (forced) and now 12.e3!? with a very complicated position. ( 12.d1?! as was recommended in some publications is strongly met by f6! 13.exf6 gxf6 and Black is fine. )] 11...e5 12.g5 [ 12.dxe5 would be answered by xe5! 13.e3 f6 with excellent prospects for Black. ] 12...gf6 13.d5?! A very dubious plan but I don't know what to recommend W hite. c5 14.a4 b4 15.b5 b6!? A very ambitious move which leads to wild complications. [ T h e s i m p l e 15...xb5 16.axb5 b6 was good enough: 17.d3! a4 18.c4 and Black is slightly better. The text might objectively be even stronger. ] 16.d3! c4! 17.xc4 xa4 18.a1! Probably Black had overlooked this strong move. [ Evidently he hoped f or 18.b1 c5! , and W hite has to give up his important dark-squared Bishop: 19.xf6 xf6 20.f3 0-0 21.a1 fc8! 22.c3 d8! intending ... Qb6 with a clear edge for Black. ] 18...xb2 19.b3 xc4 20.xc4 c8 21.d3 d8 22.c4! 0-0!? [ Black could have obtained material ad va n t a ge h e re b y 22...bxc3 23.exc3 xc3 24.xc3 xb5 25.xf6 xf6 26.fb1 d7 27.xa5 0-0 28.a7! but his piece s don't seem particularly comfortable. In any case White's activity yields him very good drawing chances. ] 23.a2! A good idea. White intends Rf1-a1 obtaining full compensation for the pawn. But B l a c k h a d s o m e t h i n g i n m i n d . . . xc4!! An unexpected blow! [ Variations like 23...xb5 24.cxb5 a8 25.fa1 would just demonstrate White's positional power. But now Black's pawns are going to be really strong. ] 24.xf6 [ 24.xc4 b6 would eventually lead to the
same thing. ] 24...xf6 25.xc4 b6 26.c7 xb5 27.xd6 g7 [ 27...d8!? was not bad either. ] 28.c1! [ The unprotected first rank leads to White's loss in the line 28.fa1?! b3! 29.xa5 b2! 30.xa6 b1+! ] 28...d8! 29.c6 [ 29.c5 b3 30.b2 a4 looks to be clearly in Black's favour since the queen exchange 31.xb5 xb5 32.a1 c8 is catastrophic for White. ] 29...b3! [ It wasn't too late to trip up: natural looking 29...a4? failed to 30.xa4 xc6 31.dxc6 xe2 32.c7 c8 33.xb4 and it's only White who has chances to win. ] 30.b2 d3!! [ But not 30...a4? which would fail to 31.c3! xc6 32.dxc6 and White is better. After the text W hite's pieces are uncoordinated, his back rank is still weak and 31... Rc8 is threatened. ] 31.cb1? Being short of time Nunn loses immediately. [ He had to try 31.xb3! and Black has to choose which piece to take. The following variations were given by Shirov: A) 31...xe2 i s i n f e r i o r : 32.f3 e7 ( 32...g5? 33.c7 f8 34.xe5+ f6 35.c7+ h8 36.h4 d1+ 37.h2 xf3 38.xh7+ xh7 39.c7+ g8 40.gxf3 ) 33.c7 b2 34.e1! e8 35.xa5 b5 and it's not clear if Black has realistic winning chances.; B) 31...xb3! Only this move is correct! 32.xa6 a4 33.g3! e7! 34.c7 ( 34.a7 d6 35.a5 b8 36.a6 b6 ) 34...d6 35.b7 d1+! 36.f1 d4! In this position Black should definitely win due to his a-pawn but it still requires a good technique. ] 31...c8 32.a4 [ 32.d6 a4-+ ] 32...c2! Now White can't avoid material losses. 33.xb3 xe2 The rest is easy to u n d e r st a n d . 34.f3 d3 35.d7 xe4 36.xf6 xf6 37.d6+ f5 38.f1 d3 39.d7+ f6 White resigned. Excellent game! Shirov considers it as one of his best 806
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xe5 As English Grandmasters like to say, "queen and knight - they're all right!" Still, Epishin does very well to win this position. 19.b3 c5 20.f6 e8 21.d1 e7 796 B06 22.f4 White should simply exchange queens Okrajek,Alexander 2295 with an almost certain draw. b6 23.h1 g7 Epishin,Vladimir 2599 24.e1 g5 25.g3 f6 26.e4 f5 27.a4 8th Schloss Open (2) 23.03.2002 a5 28.f4?! b5 29.xa5 xf4 30.xf4 gxf4 31.a4 Superficially this looks good for White [Nigel Davies] because Black's kingside pawns are 'officially' Epishin's play in this game should be of great weak. But the combination of the knight on e5 interest to exponents of the Scandinavian. and pawn on f4 has a cramping effect. b8 W hen W hite tricks him out of his favourite 32.axb5 cxb5 33.a7 f6 34.g1 d8 Gruenfeld Defence, with 1.Nf3, he transposes 35.f1 b8 36.g1 h5 37.f2 h4 38.e2 i n t o a f o r m o f S c a n d i n a v i a n , e v i d e n t l y g8 39.d5 d8 40.e4 d4 41.d3 b4 believing that the moves Nf3 and ...g6 make 42.a6+ g5 43.a5 f6 44.a8 f3+! this position eminently playable for Black. 45.gxf3 f4 46.f8 d6 47.b8 c6 1.f3 g6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 xd5 48.h8 d4+ 49.f2 xf3 50.e2 d2 This transposition into a Scandinavian is a 51.g8 f5 52.h8 xc2 speciality of Epishin. Evidently he thinks that 0-1 with the W hite knight committed to f3 this position is fine for Black. 4.c3 d6 B06 [ Epishin has also tried 4...a5 , for example 797 5.d4 g7 6.c4 f6 7.0-0 0-0 8.e1 Pacey,Kevin g4 9.h3 ( 9.xe7 c6 10.e1 b4 Day,Lawrence A recovers the pawn with advantage.) 9...xf3 Int Open North Bay Int Open 1996 10.xf3 b4 11.b3 c6 12.e3 e6 [Nigel Davies] 13.ad1 ad8 14.e2 b5 15.g3 a5 16.h4 c6 17.xc6 xc6 18.c3 a5 One suspects that the unorthodox Lawrence 19.c2 c4 20.c1 c6 was about equal in Day has a much better idea about how to play Shchekachev - Epishin, Frankfurt 2000 ] these weird positions, and here he sensibly [ Another idea worth thinking about is 4...d8 develops his bishop to f5. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 f6 5.d4 g7 6.c4 h6!? intending to bring 3.e5 h5 4.e2 g7 5.f3 d5 6.c3 c6 the knight to f5. ] 7.h3 f5 8.bd2 h5 9.h2 c7 10.df1 5.c4 f6 6.d3 Was White worried that a d7 11.e3 h4 Day plays in the most two square advance of the d-pawn would turn interesting positional style, preventing White's it into a target? expansion on the kingside whilst pursuing his [ 6.d4 must be better after which Kharitonov - own development. Of course I'm not sure he Epishin, Wijk aan Zee 2000 continued g7 would have had such success playing Black 7.0-0 0-0 8.h3 a6 9.e2 (Psakhis - against Lautier. 12.f3 e4 13.g5 f5 Epishin, Vlissingen 2000 was agreed drawn 14.f3 e6 He shuns the tacit offer of a draw at this point) b5 10.d3 c6 11.d1 e6 by repetition! 15.g4 e7 16.g5 e4 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 c4 14.e1 ad8 17.d2 xf3 18.xf3 f5 19.xe7 xe7 15.c3 d5 16.xd5 xd5 17.f4 d7 20.e3 c5 A lever in e style of the French 18.e2 fd8 19.e1 h6 20.a4 e6 Defence, which is the way that Black should 21.axb5 axb5 22.a6 b4 23.g3 bxc3 ultimately try to take the initiative. It's good 24.bxc3 1/2-1/2 ] to develop the pieces first though.... 21.xf5+ 6...g7 7.0-0 0-0 8.g5 c6 9.e1 g4 gxf5 22.g5+ f8 23.0-0 d8 24.f4 cxd4 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 bd7 12.e4 xe4 25.cxd4 b8! Of course. e knight is far better 13.xe4 e5 14.h4 ae8 15.d4 f6 on c6. Things get better and better for Black 16.dxe5 xg5 17.xg5 xe5 18.xe5 as White makes an ill-fated attempt to attack. achievements so far. 0-1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 26.h2 c6 29.fxg3 e7 32.ad1 a4 35.xd5 xd4 38.h4 xg2+! 0-1
27.fd1 a5 28.g4 hxg3+ 30.g5 b6 31.d2 c8 33.g4 c4 34.gxf5 xf5 36.xd4 xd4 37.g2 g8 39.xg2 c6+ 40.f1 f3+
798
B06 Panchanathan,Magesh Chandran 2543 Illingworth,Max 2289 Sydney Int Open (9) 11.04.2010 [Gawain Jones] In this final game of the update I'll add various new Hippo games. It is a difficult opening to classify as it can arise from so many different openings. 1.f3 [ My own success on the black side started 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 5.c4!? ok I'll play a Hippo:) e6 6.a4 b6 7.d2 h6 8.f3 e7 9.ge2 d5 I quite like this move. The main problem with my opponent's position is that her light squared bishop doesn't have a good square to go to. 10.b3 bc6 11.h4?! and I fail to see the point of this (and the next). I imagined she would castle kingside herself as now there's no where safe for her king. Meanwhile I couldn't castle kingside anyway as h6 is en-prise so I'm going long. b7 12.g4 d7 13.exd5 exd5 14.f4 a5 15.0-0-0 0-0-0 16.ce2 c6 17.c3 h5 18.e2 b7 19.d3 hxg4 20.fxg4 xb3+ 21.cxb3 c6 22.f4 a5 23.b4 c4 24.f2 b8 25.he1 h6 26.f3 g5 27.hxg5 xg5 28.b1 c8 29.fxd5 xg4 30.xf7 h7 0-1 Dhar Barua, SJones, G Canberra 2010 was exactly what Black was hoping for from the hippo. ] 1...g6 2.d4 g7 3.e4 d6 4.c3 [ 4.c4 This move provokes e6 to block the bishop's path to f7. 5.e2 ( 5.b3 e7 6.0-0 d7 7.e1 b6 8.bd2 b7 9.f1 0-0 10.g3 c5 11.c3 cxd4 12.cxd4 c8 13.f4 e5 14.e3 exd4 15.xd4 e5 16.xe5 dxe5 17.c3 xd1 18.axd1 1/2-1/2 Speelman, J-Greet, A 4NCL 2010 was another very comfortable game for Black. ) 5...e7 6.f4 bc6!? A type of A c c e le ra t e d Hip p o ? ! ( 6...a6 would be
usual ) 7.c3 0-0 8.bd2 a6 9.0-0 b5 10.b3 b7 11.fe1 a5 12.c2 c5 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.ad1 b6 15.e3 c8 16.b4 ( 16.h4! might have made Black su f f e r I d o n't like to ca stle t o o e arly in these setups.) 16...cxb4 17.cxb4 c6 18.a3 a5 19.xb6 xb6 20.c7?! Missing Black's reply axb4! 21.xb6 bxa3 22.e5 a2 23.b3 fc8 24.d4 xd4 25.xd4 xe5 and the a2 pawn is too strong 0-1 Roos, D-Krasenkow, M Chalons en Champagne 2010. ] 4...a6 [ 4...d7 is another different move order. 5.c4 e6 6.e3 a6 7.a4 b6 8.d2 h6 9.0-0 b7 All computer programs prefer White here, but that can be safely ignored. Indeed the top suggestion of my computer here is 10.Ne1?!! followed by 11.Nf3. White is ahead in development and has more space but that's the nature of the opening and now White struggles to come up with a plan as Black doesn't have any obvious weaknesses. Meanwhile Black has lots of improving moves and can plan to expand on either flank. ( 9...e7 might be my preferred move order just so that if White plays as in the game then the bishop is better placed on c8. ) 10.d5!? e5 11.e1 gf6 12.f3 h5 The position now resembles a Kings Indian. 13.d3 c5 14.e2 c8 15.c3 xd3 16.xd3 d7 17.a5 b5 18.b4 h4 19.ac1 f6 20.g3 h3 21.h1 g5 gave Black decent chances on the kingside while White's trying to crash through on the other flank. Nyzhnyk, I-Ehlvest, J Reykjavik 2010. This is a sensible way of playing against a young well prepared opponent who'll be on his own immediately rather than having the safety belt of 20 moves of theory. ] 5.a4 A logical move but not when which s h o u l d w o r r y B l a c k b6 This is a more accurate move order than [ 5...d7 as after 6.c4 ( 6.a5!? c5 ) 6...e6 7.a5! Black can no longer develop his bishop on the long diagonal without experiencing some structural problems after White takes on b6. e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.e2 b5 10.axb6 cxb6 11.g3 b7 12.d3 b5 13.e3 e5 14.d2 exd4 15.xd4 e5 808
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.xe5 dxe5 17.c5 e8 18.fd1 c8 19.b4 Satyapragyan, S-Gelashvili, T Dubai 2010. ] 6.c4 e6 7.h4 h6 8.e2 The first move deviating from Tiger's bible on the opening. He only investigates [ 8.f4 e7 9.d2 d7 10.0-0 etc. Leaving the king in the centre to attack on the kingside looks like a logical alternative. ] 8...e7 Usual [ 8...f6 is logical seeing as White has just left the pawn undefended. 9.g3 ( 9.e5 g4 has echoes of the note in the previous game where Black played an early Nc6-b4.) 9...b7 10.e2 c6 ] 9.e3 d7 10.g3 b7 11.d3 A typical hippopotamus has arisen and it's time to try and come up with a plan for Black. W hite has quite a good setup against any plans on the kingside so I would probably look at playing on the queenside. There's no need to rush, Black can wait to see how W hite intends to improve his position. f6 [ 11...c5 12.c3 c7 looks reasonable. ] [ 11...0-0? 12.d2 h7 13.h5 g5 14.xg5 hxg5 15.h6 is not recommended however ] 12.c3 d7 13.e2 0-0?! This move is extremely risky. [ I ' d p r e f e r 13...g4 14.d2 h5!? ( Playing in Kings Indian style with 14...e5 i s a l s o p o s s i b l e a l t h o u g h a f t e r 15.d5 Black should delay an immediate f5 as 16.exf5 gxf5 17.d4! is unpleasant.) 15.g5 c5 ] 14.h5 White has a ready made attack g4 [ Ideally Black would like to block up the kingside with 14...g5? but 15.xg5! hxg5 16.h6 h8 17.h7+! and you won't live for long. ] 15.d2 e5 16.dxe5 dxe5 17.c4 [ 17.hxg6 is also possible if you don't want to give Black the opportunity to block up the kingside, although as you'll see that also gives White a great attack. ] 17...g5 This doesn't work out but it's tough to o f f e r a n y b e t t e r s o l u t i o n s . 18.xg5! Of course! A knight is a small price to pay to open up Black's king. hxg5 19.xg5 h6 Otherwise 20.h6 was crushing. 20.d1 e8 21.f5! exf5 22.exf5 h7 23.f6 h8
All the moves thus far have been pretty much forced since W hite sacrificed his piece but now White misses a chance 24.h4 [ 24.c2+! e4 25.c1 f5 ( 25...g8 26.f4 is no better.) 26.f4 c8 27.e2! wit h a hu ge t hrea t of 2 8. Bg4 wh ile e6 28.xc7 c8 29.g4! and the knight's trapped as h6 30.xh6 xh6 31.g5+! xg5 32.h6! leaves the king running round like a headless chicken. ] [ 24.d3+! e4 25.e3 also looks good. ] 24...e4 [ 24...f5 seems forced 25.d5!? ( 25.d3 e4 26.xe4 xe4 27.xe4 xe4 28.xe4 ae8 and Black has survived to a roughly equal ending.; 25.e4 g8 26.xe5 xe5 27.xe5 ae8 28.e6! xe6 29.xe6 fxe6 30.d7+ g7 31.g4 is very messy but at least Black's survived to live on in the ending.) 25...g8 26.g4 and White's big attack is ongoing, one light might run xd5 27.xd5 e4 28.xe4 d7 29.d3! A highly surprising queen trade but n o w W h i t e w i n s b a c k a p i e c e . xd3 30.xd3 ae8+ 31.e3 e5 32.f4 xg2 33.xf5+ g8 34.f1 g5 35.g4 and White's bishop pair and two pawns look more relevant than the extra exchange. ] 25.d5! The pawn on f6 is doing a good job of stopping the h8 bishop from contributing to the game and now White offers an exchange to nullify the other bishop. d8 [ 25...xd5 26.xd5 followed by 27.Bxe4 is hopeless. ] [ 25...c6 26.d2 c5 27.xh6 ( Playing like the game is also possible 27.d5!? d8 28.xe4 xd5 29.xd5 d7 30.b3 ) 27...xh6 28.e3+ h7 29.g5 g8 ( 29...c8 30.d5 g8 31.f4+- ) 30.f5+ h6 31.f4+ h7 32.g4!+- ] 26.xe4 xd5 27.xd5 d7 28.e5 Not the most accurate way to finish off the game [ 28.b3! fe8 29.c2 g8 30.f1 is, with computer accuracy, the best way to develop the attack as Black's knight on h6 is dropping whilst he's helpless to stop the queen and two bishops and mountain of pawns delivering mate. ] [ 28.d4!? is a lso ra t h e r st ro n g. de8 29.e4+ xe4 30.xe4+ f5 31.xf5+ 809
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xf5 32.d7 Is clearly better for White. The 1-0 Turner,M-D'Costa,L/Scarborough 2001. ] pawns muffle the extra piece in the corner 8.b5!? The latest try in this position looks that's still just a bystander. ] logical to take back the pawn with the knight. 28...g4? This allows forced mate [ 8.b3 e6 9.xd4 f6 ( 9...e7!? ) [ 28...fe8 was forced when Black can 10.f4 0-0? Black is oblivious to the danger continue to soldier on although 29.e4+ 11.xb8 xb8 12.c6 with a clear g8 30.e7 xa4 31.f3! The king needs a advantage, Frangi, M-Dijon,J/ICCF Email square a5 32.g6! and I would feel 2002. ] extremely uneasy trying to defend the black [ 8.0-0 h6 9.a4+ d7 10.xd4 0-0 side. ] 11.g5 f6 12.ad1 c7 13.fe1 29.e4+ g8 30.g6+ An entertaining hack with a slight edge, Hasanova,E-Galliamova, by White but Black didn't have any problems A/Varna 2002. ] before his premature castling and I think the [ 8.cxd4 f6 9.a4+ c6 10.b5 0-0 hippo is still an underrated opening. 11.e3 a6 12.c3 b8 ( 12...b5? 1-0 is met by 13.xb5 ) 13.d1 b5 14.e2 b7 1/2-1/2 Kernazhitsky,L-Pisk,P/Tanta 2000. ] 799 B06 8...a6!? [ 8...f6 9.bxd4 0-0 10.0-0 c7 11.e2 Pavasovic,Dusko 2591 a6 ( 11...g4!? is worth thinking about) Pikula,Dejan 2523 12.b3 e6 13.e1 c6 14.xc6 xc6 Karadjordje Topola (4) 07.05.2004 15.e5 when White has a space advantage, [Gary Lane] P e l i k i a n , J - M a t s u u r a , E / BrazilTeamChampionship 2001. ] 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 g6 [ If Blacks wants to appear in lots of 5.f3 g7 6.a3 cxd4 7.c4 d8 newspaper chess columns he should try P ik u la is r a t e d o ve r 2 5 0 0 so o n e h a s t o 8...dxc3 and then resign after 9.xf7+ ] re s p e c t h i s c h o ice t o re t re a t t h e qu e e n . 9.bxd4 f6 10.a4+ c6 Others: [ If 10...b5 Black does not win with a fork but [ 7...e4+ this is the main alternative 8.e3 will crash upon 11.xb5+ axb5 12.xa8 h6 ( not 8...dxe3? due to 9.xf7+ f8 winning ] 10.d8+ xf7 11.g5+ winning ) 9.cxd4 0-0 10.0-0 f5 ( 10...g4 11.g5 xd1 11.xc6 bxc6 [ 11...d7? fails after 12.fe5 winning. ] 12.xe4 g4 with equal chances, Anderton, M-Ramaswamy,A/Edinburgh 2003.) 11.e1 12.e5 The knight dominates by attacking c6 xe3 12.xe3 f4 13.e5 e6 14.g3 f6 and f7. Already White is on top. 0-0 13.xc6 15.d5 exd5 ( 15...d8 16.b3 gives White f5 [ 13...b8 14.0-0 b7 15.a4 d6 a slight initiative.) 16.xd5 c6 17.ae1 is probably Black's best chance but White e6 18.b5 xe5 19.xe5 xc4 20.xc4 still has an edge. ] ac8 21.b3 led to a level position in Ravi,T14.0-0 c8 15.f3 Shashikant,K/Chennai 2004. ] [ It is tempting to grab another pawn with [ 7...a5!? 8.xd4 f6 9.0-0 0-0 10.e1 15.xa6 but White rightly realises that his e5 11.b4 c7 12.db5 e7 13.e3 b6 lack of development is a potential problem 14.d6! White's lead in development is c7 16.f4 ( 16.f4 h5!; 16.e1! ) enough to persuade him to seek an 16...e4 is sufficient compensation for the exchange of queens xd6 15.xd6 c6 pawns. ] 16.g5 a6 ( 16...d7 17.ad1 ab8? 18.xf6 xf6 19.e4 wins ) 17.ad1 b5 15...c7 16.e1 e4 17.xf7+! h8 [ Or 17...xf7 18.xf7 xf7 19.xe4 18.xf6 xf6 19.d5 d7 20.xf7+! and Black should resign. ] White jumps at the chance to play a tactical trick g7 21.b3 a7 22.c2 c7 18.e6 xe5 [ After 18...xe6 19.xe4 White is just two 23.e3 e7 24.e4 f5 25.c5 810
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 pawns up. ] didn't give W hite enough f or t he pawn . 19.xc8 xc8 20.g4 Pavasovic plays his Lenderman, A (2443)-Zlotnikov, M (2314) trump card by undermining the defence of the Philadelphia 2008.) 8...exf6 9.h4 b6 knight. g8 21.f4 A nice touch because 10.e4 h6 and it's doubtful that Black has Black is obliged to defend e4 allowing White any problems at all. Ulibin, M (2500) -Belov, to improve his position before accepting more I (2430) Voskresensk 1990. ] material. 7...b6 [ 21.gxf5 gxf5 22.h1 ( 22.f1!? ) [ 7...b4 is Black's other main try: 8.d1 22...g3+ 23.hxg3 xe1+ 24.g2 ] ( 8.e2 lo oks a b it clu msy.) 8...b6 21...b5 22.e2 a4 23.gxf5 gxf5 24.h1 W h e n a g a i n ( 8...a5 has been tried a few 1-0 times by Uzbek GM Dzhumaev 9.a3!? gf6 10.d3 bxa3 11.xa3 d5 12.f2 dxe4 13.xe4 looked more pleasant for White. 800 B06 Negi, P (2149) -Dzhumaev, M (2498) Mumbai 2004.; 8...gf6 9.d3 0-0 10.0-0 Perunovic,Mil 2582 b6 was seen in Mitkov, N (2483) Shanava,K 2586 Chatalbashev, B (2524) Bolzano 1999 when 16th Neckar Open (7.1) 08.04.2012 11.a3! looks strong, forcing some positional [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle] c o n c e s s i o n o u t o f B l a c k .) 9.a3 looks tempting, although the only practical 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g5 encounter we can find is h6 10.h4 bxa3 Again we see a strong GM try this topical 1/2-1/2 Van der Sterren, P-Nunn, J variation with the bishop hitting thin air! c6 Groningen 1974. It looks as though White is And as yet we haven't really covered this doing pretty well here though. ] response. 5.d2 d7 8.d3 [ Last time Gawain wrote 5...b5 [ If White is worried about the bishop coming A) The more aggressive 6.f4 has also out to g4 he could try 8.h3 . A fairly recent scored very well and is f airly likely to g a m e c o n t i n u e d b4 9.d1 c5!? transpose to the game: b4 ( 6...d7 Despite winning the game, Black's opening would just be a inversion of moves.; while choice isn't convincing. 10.c3 ( Again 10.a3 6...f6 7.d3 is seen in the archives.) is also an option.) 10...bxc3 ( 10...f6 7.d1 b6 8.c3 f6 9.f2 bxc3 11.xf6 xf6 12.dxc5 dxc5 13.xd8+ 10.bxc3 0-0 11.d3 c5 12.f3 a5?! xd8 14.e5 g7 15.cxb4 cxb4 16.e3 13.e5 dxe5 14.dxe5 was very good for gives White a definite something.) 11.xc3 White. Dreev, A (2645)-Yrjola, J (2435) cxd4 12.xd4 d7 13.a4 c8 14.db5 Yerevan 1996.; xb5?! 15.xb5+ f8 16.0-0 and White B) 6.f3 h6 7.f4 f6 8.d3 g4 9.h3 must have had a great position. Hossain, E xf3 10.gxf3 bd7 11.0-0-0 a5 (2531)-Bachmann Schiavo, A (2555) Dubai 12.b1 b6 13.he1 fd7 2009. ] when Black's pressure against the White centre was probably enough for rough 8...g4 [ 8...c4 looks too provocative - true Black equality but in the end he too went down in gets the bishop pair but he is delaying the Hess, R (2590)-Ehlvest, J (2591) development of all his pieces for too long. Philadelphia 2010. ] 9.xc4 bxc4 10.0-0 b6 11.e5 d5 [ 5...f6 would transpose to a position seen 12.a4 c7 13.c5 g4 Wang, P (2181)frequently in the archives. ] Koeller, O (2224) Auckland 2004 when the 6.f4 b5 7.f3 current board one f or the New Zealand [ 7.e5 is a principled approach, attempting to Olympiad team should have opened up the punish Black for failing to develop his g8 queenside with 14.b3 with a huge positional knight. However we don't think Black should advantage. ] be too scared. f6 8.exf6 ( 8.h4 fxe5 Perunovic continues to follow the 9.fxe5 dxe5 10.f3 a5 11.dxe5 xe5 9.0-0-0 811
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 computer's top line. Now the positions become very double-edged, as is typical of castling on opposite flanks. [ 9.e5 has been tried a couple of times here too but f6 again looks a good antidote. ] 9...b8 [ P r e v i o u s l y 9...f6 has also been tried: 10.f5 ( 10.h3 is Rybka's suggestion although xf3 11.gxf3 b8 12.f5 fd7 looks rather messy.) 10...b4 11.e2 gxf5 12.exf5 d7 ( Perhaps it was better to defend the b4 pawn with something like 12...fd5 although 13.h3 xf3 14.gxf3 looks risky with Black's king stuck in the centre. ) 13.g3 ( It looked possible to grab the pawn with 13.xb4 ) 13...h6 14.xf6 xf6 15.e4 d5 16.xf6+ xf6 17.xb4 xf5 18.xf5 xf5 19.he1 and only White had an initiative. Plaskett, J (2470)-Tkachiev, V (2455) London 1993. ] 10.e5 This is the most principled approach. Now ...f6 is too risky with a rook coming to e1 immediately. [ It was possible to prevent the knight jumping into c4 with 10.b3 but that leaves Black enough time to complete his kingside development with f6 ] 10...d5 [ 10...c4 is another approach but then W hite could open up the centre: 11.xc4 bxc4 12.exd6 xd6 13.e4 d5 14.he1 f6 15.h4 f7 16.e2! With an advantage. White's point is that h6 can be met with 17.e3 so that knight can't come to h6. ] 11.hf1 [ The only other time this position was reached W hite tried the immediate 11.f5 w o u l d l o o k s r a t h e r c r i t i c a l : gxf5 when instead of 12.df1 in Rojo Huerta, G (2355) -Iruzubieta Villaluenga, J (2410) O r o p e s a d e l M a r 1 9 9 6 ( 12.b3! keeping control over the c4 square looks to favour W hite.) 12...c4 looks to be ok for Black. ] 11...b4 [ 11...c4 12.xc4 bxc4 13.a4 looks easier for White as his control of the dark squares on the queenside prevents Black's counterplay. ] 12.e2?! This lets White's advantage slip. [ Instead 12.b1 was better, keeping the e2
square free when c4 13.e2 looks better for White. ] 12...c4 13.xc4 dxc4 14.d5 From a human perspective this move looks pretty forced as otherwise Black continues with ...Qd5 with control of the light squares. c3! 15.d4 [ Taking the pawn looks pretty scary: 15.bxc3 a5 16.d3 a3+ 17.d2 cxd5 White could try running with the king with 18.e3 but one would rather be playing Black. ] [ 15.d3 would prevent the game continuation but perhaps Black's alternative i s b e t t e r a n y w a y . a5?! ( 15...cxb2+ 16.b1 cxd5 17.xd5 xd5 18.xd5 h6 looks roughly level.) 16.dxc6! xa2 17.bxc3 b3 18.c7 is winning for White. The difference between this and the game is that c2 is now protected. ] 15...a5 [ 15...cxd5 16.xd5 cxb2+ 17.b1 transposes to the previous note. ] 16.c4 [ 16.b1 c5 17.c4 cxb2 transposes ] 16...c5 17.b1 [ 17.bxc3!? m i g h t b e p o s s i b l e b u t f6 looks to be in Black's favour. ] 17...cxb2 Black prevents White from manoeuvring his knight around to b3 via c1. 18.g3 [ At some point White should try breaking t h r o u g h i n t h e c e n t r e w i t h 18.d6!? Here the game might continue: e6 19.d5 h6 20.h4 exd6 21.exd6 f6 22.xf6 xf6 23.ed4 with a crazy position! One p o ssib le lin e co n t in u e s: ( or 23.f5!? ) 23...xd4 24.xd4 xd5 25.xd5 0-0 26.c6 a6 27.d1 b6 28.e7+ g7 29.e5+ h7 30.xg6 fxg6 31.e7+ g8 32.e6+ g7 33.e5+ with a draw. ] 18...h6 [ 18...c8!? is another interesting alternative but W hite is better after 19.d6 ( Again 19.f5!? looks dangerous.) 19...e6 20.d5 b5 21.xb5+ xb5 22.d2 ] 19.e4?! This looks to be an error. [ Again 19.d6!? loo ks da ngero us : e6 20.d5 exd6 21.d4! with a powerful initiative. ] [ While 19.f5! is perhaps strongest. A fairly 812
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 forcing line continues: b3 20.cxb3 b4 21.d2! xc4 22.xa5 c1+ 23.xc1 bxc1+ 24.xc1 xf5 25.xc5 with good winning chances in the ending. ] 19...f5 20.d6 e3 21.xc5 xc5 22.xc5 exd6 [ 22...xd1 also looks likely to draw after some crazy complications: 23.xd1 exd6 24.exd6 f6 25.e1+ f8 26.h3! c8 27.hxg4 xc5 28.d4 d5 29.e6+ f7 30.xg7 fxg5 31.e7+ f6 32.fxg5+ xg5 33.e6+ xg4 34.d7 f5 35.d8 hxd8 36.xd8 xd8 37.xh7= ] 23.fe1 dxc5 [ Now it's too late to take the exchange: 23...xd1? 24.exd6+ f8 25.e7+ g8 26.xd1 when the d6 pawn will net at least the exchange. ] [ 23...xc2!? is interesting but not very sound: 24.exd6+ xe1 25.xe1+ f8 26.e7+ g8 27.e5 and again the d p a wn is m o re im p o rt a n t t h a n t h e e xt r a exchange. ] 24.xe3 0-0 25.e7 fc8 26.h3 xf3 An interesting game. White could have kept the advantage with 12.Nb1 when Black's opening would have failed to equalise. ½-½
801 Polgar,Judit Shirov,Alexei Amsterdam [Alexander Volzhin]
B06 2635 2695 1995
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c6 4.c4 d6 5.f3 e6 6.ge2 b5 The main line. 7.b3 [ 7.d3 i s w e a k e r a s i t a l l o w s e5! with good prospects for Black, for example: 8.e3 f6 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.d1 bd7 11.c1 0-0 12.b3 c7 13.h3 a6! (intending ...c5-c4) 14.c5 xc5 15.xc5 d8 16.0-0 d7 17.e3 f8! Aiming for the d4 square. Black is already slightly better. 18.e2 e6 19.c3 b7 20.c2 c5 21.g3 xd1 22.xd1 d8 23.xd8+ xd8 24.f3 f6 25.e1 g5 1/2,Liss Kanstler, Rishon le Zion, 1994 ] 7...a5 8.a3 [ 8.a4?! is weaker because White's Knight is
driven back into a passive position. The game Geenen - Zilberman, Manila(ol), 1992 co nt in ue d : b4 9.d1 a6 10.e3 d5 11.exd5 cxd5 12.c4 e7 13.cxd5 xd5 14.c1 0-0 15.xd5 exd5 16.b3 e8 17.0-0 d7 18.e1 f6 19.b2 e4 20.f4 a7 21.fd3 ae7 , and Black is clearly better. ] 8...a6 9.d5! The correct approach: White counters flank activity by action in the centre. cxd5 [ 9...b4?! is insuf f icient : 10.dxe6! fxe6 11.d1 d5 12.f4 e7 13.h3 and Black's seemingly strong central pawns are in fact very good targets ] [ 9...exd5!? deserves certain attention. Black's ideas here are similar to those Nunn Shirov: 10.exd5 c5 11.0-0 ( 11.a4 is hardly good: b4 12.b5 xb5 13.axb5 f6 14.c4 0-0 15.0-0 bd7 intending ... Nb6, ...a4, with good prospects.) 11...f6 12.g5 h6 13.h4 g5 14.g3 0-0 15.a4 b4 16.b5 e8 17.c3 f5 18.h4 f4 19.h2 Now White's Bishop is out of play. d7 20.hxg5 hxg5 21.h5 f6 22.h3 e5 23.e6+ h8 24.xf6 xf6 25.fd1 b8 and Black is clearly better. ] 10.exd5 e5 Black has a nice pawn structure in the center and if he manages to complete his development he'll be better. So W hite should play very aggressively. 11.e4! c7?! After this seemingly natural move Black's position is barely defensible. [ O f c o u r s e , 11...f5? is bad in view of 12.g5 ] 12.c4! bxc4 [ 12...e7 is insufficient in view of 13.c5! ] [ and 12...d7 13.2c3 bxc4 14.a4 leads to the same position as in the game. ] 13.a4+ d7 [ 13...e7 14.2c3 ] 14.2c3 e7? Black wants to play ...Ngf6, completing development, but this move allows brilliant combination which leads to a forced win for White. [ Both 14...f5 15.g5 ] [ and 14...e7 15.f6+ xf6 16.xf6 are very bad for Black ] [ To avoid an immediate loss Black should try either 14...h6 15.b5 xb5 16.xb5 f5 17.d2 gf6 18.c6 ] 813
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ or 14...f8 15.c6 b8 16.a4! (intending 17 Nb5 Bxb5 18 axb5!), although in both lines White's advantage is beyond any doubt. ] 15.xd6!! After this blow Black's position crumbles to dust. xd6 [ 15...xd6? leads to a spectacular mate in the centre of the board: 16.e4+ xd5 ( 16...e7 17.d6+ ) 17.xf7+ xe4 18.c2+ d4 19.e3#! ] 16.e4 xd5 [ 16...b8 loses on the spot: 17.d6+ e8 18.xd7+ ] 17.g5+ df6 [ 17...f6 18.d1 xd1+ 19.xd1 ] 18.d1 b7 [ 18...e6 is no better: 19.d6! ( 19.d7+ f8 is not so clear.) 19...f5 20.d7+! f8 21.d6 winning material: xd7 ( 21...xf3 22.xf7#; 21...b1+ 22.d1 e7 23.xf6 ) 22.xa8+ e7 23.xd7 ] 19.d7+ xd7 20.xd7 h6? [ 20...b7 was more stubborn as White has to find a rather difficult solution: 21.a4! h6 22.b5! hxg5 23.a3+ d8 24.d6+ c8 25.c5 with a quick mate. ] 21.d1! [ In view of unavoidable mate after 21.d1 hxg5 22.d6+ d8 23.b5+ Black resigned. An excellent attack! ] 1-0
802 Raetsky,Alexander Sakaev,Konstantin St . Petersburg [Alexander Volzhin]
B06 2453 2649 1999
If Black plays the Modern defence without an early ...Ng8-f6, he has an additional possibility in the Fianchetto system. 1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.g3 c6!? This provocative move seems risky, but modern practice proves it to be viable. 5.d5 d4 6.b1 White has tried several different continuations here, but none of them promise anything special, for example: [ 6.e3 c5 7.d2 ( 7.dxc6 xc6 8.g2 f6 9.h3 0-0 10.ge2 is very similar to Djurhuus-Volzhin, considered elsewhere.)
7...d7 8.g2 b5 9.d1 b4 10.c4 bxc3 11.bxc3 b5 12.e2 a3! with excellent prospects for Black, as in SchneiderWedberg, Sweden 1976 ] [ 6.g2 c5 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.ge2 g4 9.d3 xe2 10.xe2 b8 11.0-0 c8 12.b1 f6 and Black's chances were by no means worse in SveshnikovAzmaiparashvili, USSR 1983. ] 6...c6 7.c3 b5 8.g2 cxd5 9.exd5 c7 Although this is already the fourth move of the Black Knight, W hite has no advantage in development at all. 10.e2 f6 11.0-0 0-0 12.c4 b5! Now we can conclude that Black has managed to solve his opening problems successfully. 13.cxb5 xb5 14.a4 c7 15.bc3 [ 15.d4? i s j u s t b a d : cxd5! 16.xd5 xd5 17.c6 c7 18.xd5 b7 19.xe7+ xe7 with a huge edge. ] 15...b7 16.b1 Preparing the advance of t h e b - p a wn . d7 17.b4 e6 18.dxe6?! A f t e r t h is i n a ccu ra cy B la ck o u t p la ys h i s opponent very convincingly, and I have failed to find a real improvement for White later in the game. [ 18.f4 i s b e t t e r : e5 ( 18...fxd5 19.cxd5 xd5 20.xd5 xd5 21.xd5 exd5 22.b5 is better for White.) 19.fe2 h5 20.b5 f5 21.a3 with a very complicated position. ] 18...xe6 19.xb7 xb7 20.f4 [ Too dangerous is 20.xd6?! fd8 21.e5 ac8 ] 20...d5! 21.f3 [ 21.cxd5 ad8 22.xf6+ xf6 23.g4 d4! and Black's threats are very dangerous. ] 21...ad8 22.d1 e4! 23.ce2 [ 23.cxd5? xf4 24.xf4 xd1+ 25.xd1 c3 ] 23...fe8 24.e3 xf4 25.xf4 d4! 26.b5 d5 27.b3 c4! 28.bd3 c5 29.3d2 d3 30.c1 c3 31.xd3 xd3 32.xd3 xd3 33.xd3 [ 33.xd3 e1+ 34.g2 xd3 35.xd3 a1 is also lost for White. ] 33...xa4 The rest needs no commentary. 34.d5 e4 35.d7 e7 36.d5 d8 37.c4 f6 38.b4 d4 39.c8+ g7
814
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 40.c6 d1+ 41.g2 e4+ 42.h3 d5! 0-1
803 Ramaswamy,Aarthie Georgiev,Kiril Gibtelecom Masters (3) [John Watson]
B06 2224 2661 25.01.2007
A Tiger System ...a6 potpourri. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 With the 4 Be3 lines (and associated 150 Attacks) having become so popular, this is arguably the main line of Tiger's Modern Complex. Black's plan is to continue with ...b5, ...Bb7, ...Nd7, and ...c5 in some order, but of course his position is flexible enough to adapt to various plans of W hite's. Flexibility, however, doesn't not guarantee success. 5.d2 'By far the most common', but he say that the most aggressive move is 5 f4, whereas 5 Nf3 is important and dangerous. b5 [ The other Tiger-ish order is 5...d7 6.h4! ( 6.f3 b5 ) 6...h5 , when 'the most important' 5 Qd2 line goes 7.h3 b5 8.g5 b7 9.0-0-0! , when gf6? 10.f3? ( The most instructive and typical move, so it's good to see in spite of Hillarp Persson's inaccurate move order. In a later rapid game, Berg f oun d 10.e5! dxe5 11.dxe5 xe5 12.xd8+ xd8 13.xd8+ xd8 14.f4 ) 10...0-0 11.f2 b4 12.e2 c5! 13.dxc5 a5 14.b1 dxc5 ( 14...xc5! is obvious, but good: 15.xc5 dxc5 with dangerous attacking chances and the better endgame if n e e d b e , b a s e d u p o n t h e b i s h o p p a i r) 15.g4!? ( 15.c1; 15.f4!? with ideas such as Bc4, Qg3, and some knight sacrifice or other ) 15...e5 16.f4 fd8 ( 16...exg4 17.fxg4 xg4 18.f3 xb2! 19.c4! is one possibility) 17.c1 c4 ( 17...hxg4! ) 18.gxh5 c3 19.hxg6 ( 19.b6! d2 20.e3 ) 19...cxb2 20.gxf7+ xf7 E Berg-Hillarp Persson, Umea 2003, and here instead of 21 Re1, Berg blundered by 21.ge6?? b3 ( 21...xe4! ) 22.cxb3 bxc1+ 23.xc1 xe4 0-1. ] 6.d3 d7 7.ce2!? As far as I know this is new, and it looks rather passive. White wants to shore up his centre with c3, so Black has to
take action against the centre by other means. [ The other Tiger games I have with this basic idea went 7.f3 b7 8.a4 b4 9.e2 c5 10.c3 gf6 A) 11.h6!? was speculative but interesting after bxc3 12.bxc3 xh6 ( 12...xe4! 13.b2!? xh6 14.xb7 ef6 ) 13.xh6 cxd4 14.cxd4 xe4 15.xe4 xe4 16.0-0 e6! 17.g3 ef6 ( 17...df6 ) 18.fe1 e7 19.ac1! f8 20.g5 h6 21.a5 e7 22.c6 0-0 23.xa6 xa6 24.xa6 b8 and White's a-pawn may give him a slight edge, P Ca rlsson -Hillarp Pe rsso n, S to c kh o lm 1999; B) 11.g3 h5 12.g5 d5?! 13.e5 e4 14.f4 bxc3 15.bxc3 cxd4 16.cxd4 ( 16.e6 ) 16...a5+ 17.e2 f5 18.xe7!? h4 19.xh4 f8 20.xf5 ( 20.c1! ) 20...gxf5 21.hb1 c8 22.xe4? dxe4 23.g5 d5 24.e6 c4+ 25.e1 xd4 0-1 Von Bahr-Hillarp Persson, Sweden 2003. ] 7...c5 8.c3 b7 9.g3 gf6 Pretty much standard stuff. I think that it is about equal. 10.h3 To what point? h5! 11.d5 c4!? [ 11...e5! is straightforward and good. ] 12.c2 c5 Threatening ...h4. 13.f3 c7 14.1e2 e5!? A daring and probably foolhardy move. [ 14...h4 15.f1 a5 is another thought. ] 15.b4 White stands perfectly well after this, but [ 15.dxe6! w i t h t h e i d e a fxe6 ( better 15...xe6 16.d4 , when d5 17.xe6 fxe6 18.e5! is good. ) 16.f4! would call Black's bluff, even after h4 17.e5! hxg3 18.xg6+ and exf6. ] 15...cxb3 16.axb3 0-0 17.h6 cd7 18.0-0 fe8 and now the rating-shock move... 19.f4?? , and resigns. A sad finish. Instead, [ 19.f5 h8 20.h4 with the idea f4 was a good plan, or ] [ 19.b4 , stop ...Nc5, although that wasn't an immediate threat due to Bxg7 and Nf5+! . ] 0-1
815
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 M/Sunningdale ENG 2008. ] B06 Roberts,Danny 2047 5.bxc3 f6 Black has a marvellous position Storey,Charles 2292 apart from the fact that his bishop is missing London Classic FIDE Open (6) 12.12.2009 from g7. But in Modern/ Dragon positions the bishop is such a vital piece its absence alone [Neil McDonald] can be enough to condemn an otherwise promising opening system. 6.d3?! 1.e4 g6 [ More energetic was 6.e5 e4 7.c4! [ A Sicilian move order is 1...c5 2.c3 g6 A challenging move as besides the 3.f3 g7 4.d4 ] immediate threat of 8.Qd5, Black's natural 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c5!? An opening favoured development with b7-b6 will often fail to by the inventive Canadian IM Lawrence Day. Qd5. xc5 4.dxc5 A) Or 8.f3 e6 9.xe6 dxe6 10.e2 [ Instead 4.f3 is perfectly reasonable and c6 11.f4 d5 12.e3 b6 13.0-0 a6 will almost certainly transpose to a Sicilian ( Why not 13...b7 immediately?) 14.fd1 Main lin e. Howe ver, no t e very playe r o f c4 15.d4 0-0 16.g5 b7 17.f3 c5 White will be happy about it- there are an 18.xc6 xe3+ 19.xe3 xc6 awful lot of 2.c3 or 3.Bb5 players out there Black look OK here but was outplayed in who would be horrified at being tricked into the endgame in Stripunsky, A-Day, L/ a Sicilian Mainline. ] Toronto 2000.; [ A positional approach is to seize space with B) 8.f3 c7 ( More counter attacking 4.d5!? for example d6 5.f3 f6 6.b5+ was 8...a5 9.0-0 c6 when 10.d5? Black's natural plan is to try to advance on fails to e6 ) 9.0-0 e6 10.e2 b6 the queenside with b7-b5 therefore W hite 11.d4 c6 12.b5 b8 13.f4 does his best to prevent it or at least make And White had the initiative in Sadvakasov, it less effective. d7 ( Or 6...bd7!? ) 7.a4 D-Dougherty, M/Philadelphia 2006. ] 0-0 8.h3 a6 9.0-0 c7 10.c4 a6 11.a5! b5 12.d3 xc3 13.bxc3 b5 6...a5 7.d2 xc5 8.f3 d6 9.b1 with a complex battle on the queenside in bd7 It's easy to see that Black has achieved a more secure development here than after Llanes Hurtado, M-Eljanov, P/Lugo 2006. ] 4...xc3+!? Storey decides to eliminate the the alternative 6.e5 given above. Roberts is white knight before it can do any damage. It is unable to find a plan to exploit his unopposed easy to sympathise with this decision when d a rk squ a re d b ish o p a n d so o n f a lls in t o trouble. 10.b5? He should simply castle. you see the problems Black has after c7 11.c4 c5 12.f4 d7 13.b1 c6 [ 4...a5 5.d2 xc5 6.d5! A) Black has a quick disaster after White's foray with his rook along the b-file has 6...d6?? 7.b4 d4 ( If 7...c6 8.b5! ) allowed his opponent to build up pressure 8.xd4 xd4 9.c7+ d7 10.xa8 against the e4 pawn. 14.0-0? [ White has little to show for the pawn after c6 11.0-0-0 f6 12.f3 xe4 14.e5 dxe5 15.xe5 ( Or 15.xe5 xg2 13.xd4 xd4 14.xd4 e5 15.b5+ 16.g1 e4 ) 15...xe5+ 16.xe5 xg2 e7 16.e1 f5 17.f3 c5 18.xc5 dxc5 17.g1 h3 ] 19.b3 1-0 Jones, G-Vincenzi, M/Pula [ But it wasn't too late to defend the e4 pawn CRO 2007.; indirectly with 14.b2 or directly with ] B) 6...a6 7.xa6 bxa6 8.b4 c6 [ 14.d2 ] 9.f3 d6 10.0-0 f6 Black can't c o m p l e t e h i s d e v e l o p m e n t w i t h o u t 14...fxe4 15.e1 e5 The black pawns now f5 17.d4 conceding a structural weakness. 11.c3 st o r m t h e c e n t r e . 16.h4 e6 12.e1 xd5 13.exd5 b7 14.e2 A despairing effort to complicate matters that 18.f3 0-0 0-0 15.xe7 xe7 16.xe7 xd5 leads to a quick defeat. exd4 17.xg7 xe7 18.xf8 xf8 19.d1 19.fxe4 fxe4 20.h6 d8! [ Not falling under an attack after 20...exd3? Black managed to draw this but it looked 21.e7! ] pretty horrible for Black in Trent, L-Turner, 804
816
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 21.g5 a5 22.f6 c3 23.e3 [ Also hopeless for W hite is 23.f1 24.bd1 e6 intending 25... Rae8. ] 23...xf6 24.xf6 f8 0-1
805 Rublevsky,S Kamsky,G 29th ECC Open 2013 (5.1) [Tom Rendle]
f7
B06 2695 2725 24.10.2013
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g5 d7 [ after 4...h6 Rublevsky would probably have still retreated the bishop back to e3 here w h e n a f t e r 5.e3 f6 6.h3 ( 6.f3 is more usual) 6...bd7 7.g4!? White won a nice game in Vallejo Pons-Maiwald which I annotated last year. ] 5.f3 h6 6.e3 Rublevsky's idea is that by provoking ...h6 it's harder for Black to castle kingside as after Qd2 the pawn on h6 will be vulnerable. Kamsky switches from a Modern setup to a Hippopotamus by playing ...e6 and playing the knight on e7. e6 7.d2 a6 8.d3 b6 [ 8...e7 is very similar but now in Lastin, A (2632) -Milov, V (2574) Istanbul 2003 White choose to castle kingside rather than into an attack with ...b5 but after 9.0-0 b6 10.e2 ( 10.d5!? is perhaps more testing when Black should try c5 11.dxe6 fxe6 with only a slight edge for White) 10...b7 11.c4 f6 12.c2 c5 13.d5 exd5 14.exd5 0-0 15.h3 b5! Black had reached a satisfactory middlegame position. ] [ 8...b5 may seem more aggressive but it allows White the option of 9.a4 b4 10.e2 a5 11.c3 and I prefer White. ] 9.0-0-0 e7 10.he1 [ 10.h4! would be my choice here, trying to provoke a weakness on the kingside. Black h a s a c o u p l e o f o p t i o n s h e r e : b5! se e m s b e s t an d n o w ( 10...h5 11.g5! and the knight is basically on an outpost on g5 as Black never really wants to play ...f6 because it's so weakening to e6 and g6.) 11.f4 b7 12.b1 reaches a very tense middlegame position. Perhaps Black is OK here after b4 13.e2 a5 ]
10...b7 White is perfectly centralised but the qu e s t i o n is h o w t o im p r o ve t h e p o s i t i o n further? If given time then Black will counterattack with ...b5 and perhaps ...c5 as w e l l w i t h a g o o d g a m e . 11.d5!? Sergei decides it's time for action in the centre but Black seems to have a number of reasonable options here e5 I'm not sure I like this as much as 11...b5 - Kamsky gets very close to equalising but in quite a blocked position Rublevsky manages to out manoeuvre him and gain the upper hand. [ 11...b5! is risky because it allows White to open things up a little but Black should be OK after 12.dxe6 ( 12.a3 is probably an improvement but W hite has to be careful moving a pawn so near his king as Black can potentially use it as a lever to open up t h e qu e e n si d e wi t h . . . b 4 la t e r o n . exd5 13.exd5 b6 14.d4 0-0 15.xg7 xg7 and chances are finely balanced.) 12...fxe6 13.b1 c6 ] [ 11...c5 might also be playable here although perhaps W hite can reach a favourable middlegame with 12.xc5! bxc5 13.dxe6 fxe6 14.e5! d5 15.a4 c4 16.c5! and Black has to go on the defensive ] 12.g4 c5 13.e2 d7 14.g1 g8?! [ it's possible that 14...0-0-0! 15.b1 b8 wa s m o re a ccu ra t e . No w if W h it e t rie s 16.e1 Black is ready to respond with g5! and ...Ng6-f4 ] 15.e1! An excellent multi-purpose move. White is bringing the knight to d3 to exchange Black's strong knight on c5 whilst also getting ready to play f3 and solidifying his centre. f6 16.f3 e7 17.b1 b5 18.d3 xd3 19.cxd3!? An interesting decision, choosing to aim for pressure down the c-file [ 19.xd3 looks more natural though and I believe W hite should be better here as Black has no obvious place for his king. ] 19...c6 [ 19...h5! seems a better try here, resolving the situation on the kingside so Black can finally castle. After 20.g5 d7 21.c1 0-0 White is only a little better although he can increase the pressure on the c-f ile with 22.c2 and Rgc1 ] 20.dxc6 xc6 21.d4 exd4 After this White 817
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is definitely better with Black's isolated pawn on d6 an obvious target for White's pressure. [ 21...0-0?! is a tricky pawn sacrifice but it doesn't seem to work after 22.xh6 xh6 23.xh6 b4 24.g3! h7 ( 24...bxc3 25.h3 ) 25.h3 f6 26.c4+ h8 27.d5 an d W h it e is a p awn u p with a win nin g position. ] 22.xd4 d8 23.b6 b7 24.d2 xb6 25.xb6 d7 26.gd1 e7 27.a5! Very logical play from Rublevsky, bringing every possible piece to attack the pawn on d6. Kamsky is forced into passive defence but he just about manages to hold on a8 28.b4 e8 29.d5+ xd5 30.xd5 a5 31.e1?! This allows Black to bring the bishop to e5 in a couple of moves after which he should be holding the draw. [ 31.c5! keeps up the pressure. After b7 32.e3 b4 33.f4 Black is horribly passive. ] 31...c7 32.5d2 [ 32.xb5 fails to xd5! 33.xd7 e3 34.d3 g2 35.c3 f4 36.c6 c8 37.e3 and Black can force a draw with g2 38.d3 f4 39.e3 g2 ] 32...e5! 33.g3 xg3 34.hxg3 b4 White still has a slight edge now but with only one weakness to defend Black should be holding a draw here - but wait, this game is just getting started!! 35.c4 ad8 36.c2 a8 37.e5!? White might as well try the Bishop vs Knight ending. dxe5 38.xd7+ xd7 39.xd7+ xd7 40.xf7 g5 This ending should be a draw but the bishop is slightly the better piece in these endings with pawns on both sides because it covers long distances so much faster than the knight. 41.d3 b6 42.e4 a4 [ 42...d6! seems the right way to defend, e. g. 43.b3 a4 44.f7 a3 45.bxa3 bxa3 46.f5 a4 47.g6 c3 48.xh6 e4! 49.fxe4 xe4 50.g6 e5 and White cannot make progress here ] 43.b3 c3+ 44.xe5 e7 45.c4 xa2 46.f5 c3 47.g6 b1 48.f4 d2 49.d5! The bishop prevents the knight from getting back to e4 d6 50.f7 e7?! After this White seems to suddenly be winning [ 50...gxf4 was needed to get rid of the pawn on g5 51.gxf4 e7 was necessary and now after 52.f5 e4 53.c4 f6 54.xh6
xg4+ 55.g5 f6 Black is holding the draw still ] 51.f5 e4 52.c4 d6 [ 52...f6? now loses to 53.xh6 xg4+ 54.xg5 ] 53.f6+ f8 54.d5! e8 55.g2?! [ 55.e6! c7 56.c4 e8 57.d3 p u t s B l a c k i n t o z u g z w a n g s o n o w c7 58.xh6 is winning ] 55...d6 56.xh6?! This comes very close to winning but Kamsky manages to scramble a draw [ 56.d5! e8 57.e6 transposes to 55. Be6 ] 56...a4 57.bxa4 b3 58.d5 b2 59.a2 e4 60.b1 c3 61.c2 xa4 62.xg5 c3 63.f5 b1 64.xb1 xb1 A very unusual ending has been reached where White is very close to winning with the 3 pawns and the knight on b1 is a long way away but amazingly enough it seems there is no way for White to win here. 65.g5 d2 66.g6 f3 67.g4 g8 68.f4 d4 69.g5 e6+ 70.h6 g7! 71.g5 e6+ 72.h5 f4+ 73.h6 e6 74.h5 f4+ 75.g5 e6+ 76.f5 d4+ 77.e4 e6 78.e5 g5 79.d6 f8 80.d5 f3 81.e6 h4 82.g7+ g8 83.e7 g6+ 84.e6 h4 85.e7 g6+ 86.e8 e5 87.g5 g6 88.d7 e5+ 89.e6 g6 90.f5 h4+ 91.e5 g6+ 92.e6 f4+ 93.d6 h3 And finally White accepts there is no way to win 94.g6 f4 95.e5 xg6+ 96.f5 h4+ A fantastic fighting game from both players. ½-½
806 Rublevsky,Sergei D'Amore,Carlo Olympiad, 2000 [Paul Motwani]
B06
2000
2) W 26:"Russian in a rush to win!" S. Rublevsky-C.D'Amore, Istanbul Olympiad, Turkey 2000. Modern Defence, Code B06. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g5 a6 5.f3 d7 6.a4 b6 7.c4 If White's other bishop were still on c1 instead of g5, then a big threat would be 8 Bxf7+ because of 8... 818
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Kxf7 9 Ng5+ Ke8 10 Ne6 or 9...Kf6 10 Nd5. However, even in the current game, things could happen to Black's f rail f -pawn... h6 8.h4 g5? Practically asking for trouble, and White is quick to dish it out! 9.xg5! hxg5 10.xf7+! xf7 [ 10...f8 11.xg5 ( or first 11.d5 is also horrible for Black. )] 11.xg5+ f6 If the king retreats, then 12 N e 6 w i n s B l a c k ' s q u e e n . 12.g4 With a multitude of threats including 13 Qf5 or 13 Nd5+. e5 13.d5+ g6 14.f4+ f6 15.dxe5+ dxe5 16.h7+! IM Carlo D'Amore resigned facing the unavoidable 17 Qg6. 1-0
807 San Marco,Jean Sokolov,Andrei ch Paris (1) [Gary Lane]
B06 2135 2540 1999
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 g6 5.f3 g7 6.e2 [ 6.e3 transposes to the normal lines but does have the benef it of a sneaky trick against those who are careless. For example: cxd4 7.cxd4 h6 ( 7...f6 8.c3 a5 ) 8.c1! is the amazing move which wins a piece by targeting c8 and h6. I have seen a few games where Black has p r o m p t l y r e s i g n e d a f t e r j u s t 8 m o ve s . Perhaps even more remarkable are the four games played at international level, where White oblivious to the opportunity played 8 Nc3. ] 6...h6 [ 6...f6 is the standard move but the grandmaster chooses a different continuation. Black wishes to add pressure on to th e d 4 p a wn b y m an o eu vrin g t h e knight to f5 while keeping open the a1-h8 diagonal. ] 7.0-0 f5 8.a3 San Marco decides to fall ba c k o n a f a m ilia r p lan o f h a rassing t h e queen with Bc4. That ploy is more effective when a move has not already been wasted on playing Be2. 0-0 9.c4 c6 [ 9...d8 10.dxc5 c6 11.e2 ] 10.b3 d7 11.f4 cxd4 It seems that
White will be rewarded with decent play after the exchanges on d4. The only thing is that Black ha s se en f urth er. 12.cxd4 xd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.h6 c5! The accurate response to take away the pressure against f7. [ 14...g7 is also possible and after 15.xg7 xg7 16.ac1 White is struggling to justify his pawn sacrifice. ] 15.b4 d8 16.ac1 b6 17.b5 e4 18.h1 [ 18.ce1? looks tempting but leads to a red face after xf2+ 19.xf2 xb4 when the white queen has left the board. ] 18...b7 Black is clearly on top. His pair of bishops are exerting considerable pressure on the white position with the latest threat being checkmate in one. 19.f3 h4 20.cd1 a5 [ 20...xh6 21.xd4 releases the tension but Black still has the much brighter prospects. ] 21.d2 e6 22.g3 h5! 0-1
808 Sapozhnikov,R Nagle,S 2nd DC International 2014 (6) [Neil McDonald]
B06 2298 2412 28.06.2014
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 5.f3 d7 6.g4?! A natural pawn thrust, but here a poor decision. Black hasn't committed himself to Nf6, and so g4-g5 won't gain time by harassing the black knight. Therefore Black is able to use the pawn on g4 as a means to close lines on the kingside, which is undoubtedly in his favour. More flexible was [ 6.d2 for example b5 7.h4 h5 8.h3 when the white knight got to the strong g5 squa re in Ch ep a rino v-S aka ev- s ee t h e archives. ] 6...b5 7.h4?! He could still play [ 7.d2 ] 7...h5! Now White must either block the kingside or let his pawn front be broken up. 8.g5 A space advantage isn't a good thing if it blocks a player's initiative on the side of the board where he wants to attack. As a co n se qu e n ce o f h is p a wn m o ve s o n t h e 819
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 kingside, White no longer has the chance to play Ng5, putting his knight on a dominant square. Nor can he ever play Qd2 and Bh6 to exchange off Black's dark squared bishop as a prelude to an attack on his king. White has spent three moves putting his pawns on g5 and h4, but he'd be better off if they were still on g2 and h2. [ White would have got more play after 8.gxh5 xh5 9.d2 when at least there are open lines and he has stopped Black castling kingside. Still, Black has an active game after c5 ] 8...e6! The black knight will be comfortably deployed to e7. Black's hypermodern set up with a delayed Nf6 has worked brilliantly. 9.h3 White is unable to find a decent plan. The pawn structure suggests he should try to smash through Black's defences with an f4-f5 pawn advance. However, Black is ready to counterattack with c7-c5 once he completes his development, so W hite has no time to arrange the advance, and if he does achieve it his position is likely to fall to pieces before he can get at the well defended black king. In the game White embarks on a disastrous knight manoeuvre. [ I t wa s s t i ll b e s t t o d e ve lo p wi t h 9.d2 and 10.0-0-0. ] 9...e7 10.f2 b7 11.d3? Evidently this move is meant to hinder c7-c5, but as it can't be prevented in the long term White is wasting his energy and misplacing the knight trying to delay it. [ The right move was still 11.d2 ] 11...d5! Black is able to demolish White's centre with a couple of hammer blows. 12.f2 [ After 12.e5 c5 White is unable to stabilise the pawns on d4 and e5 as Nf5 is looming. ] [ Upon 12.exd5 f5 looks more precise t h a n t h e o b vi o u s r e c a p t u r e o n d 5 , f o r example 13.f2 ( Black has a big initiative after 13.e2 e7 14.dxe6 xe6 as d4, e3 and f3 are all hanging.) 13...e7 14.e2 xd4 etc. ] 12...c5! 13.exd5 [ If 13.dxc5 xc3+ ( 13...a5!? ) 14.bxc3 dxe4 15.fxe4 xe4 16.h3 0-0 wh e n t h e d e st r u c t i o n o f W h i t e ' s p a wn structure is of more significance than the exchange of Black's dark squared bishop.
White has no way to arrange an attack on the black king when his own monarch has no safe haven. ] 13...cxd4 14.dxe6 dxc3 15.exd7+ xd7 16.b3 d8 17.h3 c7 Positionally speaking White is lost. The black pieces are excellently placed to exploit the open lines in the centre and there is nowhere safe for the white king to hide. 18.0-0 0-0 19.e2 c6 20.ae1 White has managed to complete his development but his kingside is riddled with holes as a consequence of his rash pawn advances in the opening. d4 The pressure on f3 means that Black wins the bishop pair and a pawn. 21.xd4 g3+ 22.g2 xd4+ 23.h1 xh4 24.h2 fe8 25.g3 xg3+ 26.xg3 e3 Nagle puts his bishop on d2 in order to win control of the e-f ile. He also prepare a breakthrough involving Rxd3 and, after the recapture c2xd3, the pawn advance c3-c2. He is helped in this plan by the passive position of White's bishop on h3. 27.f4 d2 28.xe8+ xe8 Now White has to reckon with 29...Re3+ followed by 30... Rxd3 and after 31. cxd3 c2. 29.e5 e4 30.d7 xc2 Black can ignore the fork as the passed cpawn will cost White a piece. 31.f6+ f8 32.xe8 xe8 33.b4 f5 There's no way to stop the c-pawn. A triumph of hypermodern chess. 0-1
809 Schlosser,Philipp Seul,Georg Bundesliga 2007-8 (4) [John Watson]
B06 2579 2450 15.12.2007
Tiger's Modern is fun, but you have to know some exact move orders. Even then, a move like 6 e5 can be an uncomfortable surprise. 1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 a6 5.f3 d7 [ H i l l a r p - P e r s s o n ( T i g e r ) p r e f e r s 5...b5 , although generally players don't seem to notice the difference and the two moves transpose. ] 6.e5! [ Here Tiger likes 6.a4 wi t h t h e i d e a b6 7.c4! . 6 e5, as far as I know, is a new way 820
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 to try to exploit Black's move order. ] 6...c5 The critical response, trying to decimate White's centre. Black might also consider [ (a) 6...h6 , when A) better 7.c4! 0-0 ( 7...c5 8.dxc5 xc5 9.0-0 ) 8.0-0 b6 9.b3 with the idea g4 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3; B) 7.h4!? c5 8.dxc5 xc5 9.h5 is easily met by f5 ] [ (b) 6...e6 is awfully passive: 7.d3 ( 7.h4!? h5 8.d3 ) 7...e7 8.0-0 b6 ( 8...d5 9.e2 c5 10.c3 ) 9.e4 d5 10.f2 c5 11.c3 c6 12.e3 ] 7.c4! Aiming at e6 and f7. [ Less effective is 7.dxc5 xc5 8.e3 f5 ] 7...cxd4 [ 7...b6? 8.xf7+! xf7 9.dxc5 d7? 10.g5+ e8 11.e6 a5 12.xg7+ f7 13.e6! ] [ 7...h6 8.dxc5 is the previous note ] [ 7...b5? 8.xf7+ xf7 9.g5+ e8 10.e6 a5 11.xg7+ f7 12.h5 gxh5 13.xh5+ g7 14.e6 ] 8.g5 White is nearly winning already. h6 [ 8...b6 9.xf7+ f8 10.xd4 f5 11.e3 c8 12.xg8 xg8 13.d5+ ] 9.xf7+! xf7 10.e6 a5 11.xg7+ f8 12.e6+ g8 13.xd4?! [ 13.xd4! gives a decisive advantage: dxe5? ( 13...f8 14.xf8 dxe5 15.fxe5 xf8 16.0-0 e6 17.e3 d8 18.h4; 13...b8 14.c4 xe6 15.xe6 c6 16.e3 ) 14.d5! xd5 15.xd5 (threatening Nxe7) h6 ( 15...d6 16.0-0 e4 17.ec7 b8 18.e3 ) 16.0-0 h7 17.xe7 e4 18.e3 ] 13...dxe5 14.b3 b4? Nevertheless, White is clearly on top after [ 14...b6 15.e2 ] 15.0-0 e4 To prevent the opening of the f-file, but this costs even more time. [ W h i t e i s c l e a r l y b e t t e r a f t e r 15...b6+ 16.h1 g7 17.e2 ] 16.e3 d6 17.xe4! xd1 18.axd1 f6 19.f2!? f5 20.c3 d6 21.d4 f7 22.c5 hc8 23.cd3 h5 24.h3 b5 25.e5+ e8 26.fe1 h4 [ 26...fe4 27.g4 hxg4 28.hxg4 xf2 29.xf2 with Bh4 to follow. ] 27.xg6! 1-0
810 Sebag,Marie Kosteniuk,Alexandra Eu Womens Ch (6.9) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2404 2469 26.03.2004
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.e3 a6 5.f3 b5 6.a4 An immediate challenge to the black set-up which is only briefly mentioned in Hillarp-Persson's excellent recent book on the Modern. His comment: When White refrains from 5 Qd2 there is no reason to play ...Nd7 before ...b5 since after5 Nf3 b5 6 a4 b4 7 Ne2 the b4 pawn is not under threat and Black has time to play ... Nd7. b4 7.e2 [ 7.d5 must also be given close consideration with a5 8.d3 d7 ( 8...c6 9.f4 d7 10.0-0 e5 11.e2 gf6 12.d2 0-0 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.c3 ) 9.0-0 b7 looking reasonable for Black, who plans ....Ngf6. ] 7...b7 8.g3 d7 9.d2 c5! When Black plays with an early ...a7-a6 he or she must try t o g o . . . c 7 - c 5 wi t h o n e t h r u s t wh e r e v e r possible. 10.d3 gf6 11.h3 d5!? Pretty unusual. Black would normally castle. But I don't think that 11, . . ..d5 is a bad move at all and takes advantage of the lack of cover on e4. 12.e5 [ 12.exd5 xd5 13.h6 xh6 14.xh6 5f6! is excellent for black, who plans either ...Bxf3 or ...Qc7 ] 12...e4 13.xe4 dxe4 14.g5 cxd4 [ But here 14...h6! seems more accurate: 15.5xe4 cxd4 16.xd4 ( 16.xd4 xe5= ) 16...xe5 17.xb4 xe4 18.xe5 ( 18.xe4?? c6 ) 18...xe5 19.xe4 c7!= ] 15.e6! Leading to complications with a crowded centre. [ 15.xd4 xe5 16.xb4 d5 gives Black no difficulty. ] 15...f5 [ 15...c5!? ] 16.xb4 e5 17.f4? Losing her way [ 17.xd4 appears good for White: A) 17...xd4 18.xd4 d3+ ( 18...f3+ 19.xf3 xd4 20.xd4+- ) 19.cxd3 xd4 20.dxe4 c8 21.e2! f6 22.f7; B) 17...c6 18.xb7 xd4 19.0-0 ] 17...d5 18.xe5 xe5 19.f7 xg3 821
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.fxg3 [ 20.xh8?? is suicidal: xf2+! 21.xf2 e3+ 22.e1 xg2 23.f1 f3 24.xf3 xf3 Black's recently inherited massive centre does the trick. ] 20...f8 21.0-0-0 d3! The action will take plac e whilst th e W hite Kn igh t is re m ot e . 22.cxd3 exd3 23.he1 c8+ 24.b1 c4 25.b6 xf7!? A typically pugnacious solution from Kosteniuk who is always looking for active and aggressive moves. [ Yet 25...d2! may be even stronger: 26.e3 ( 26.e2 d3+ 27.a1 xa4# ) 26...f4 27.c3 e4+ 28.a1 xa4+ 29.a3 d4! 30.xd4 xd4 31.b3 a4+ 32.a3 e4 Naturally such a variation is dif f icult to calculate at the board.. ] 26.exf7+ xf7 27.e3 xa4 28.dxd3 a2+ 29.c1 c4+ Surprisingly there is no clear win here for Black, but Sebag's next move shows that she is uncomfortable under direct attack. 30.c3? [ 30.d2! was the only move: e4 31.c3 d5+ 32.e2 a1 33.b3 xb3 34.xb3 g1 35.d2 xg2+ ( 35...e5!? ) 36.e2 g1 37.e1= ] 30...f1+ 31.c2 e4+ 32.xe4 xg2+ 33.b3 xe4-+ 34.c7 a5 35.xe7+ xe7 36.c7+ f8 37.d8+ e8 [ 37...g7 38.d7+ h6 39.xa4 xa4+ 40.xa4 g5 41.xa5 f4-+ ] 38.xe8+ xe8 39.xa4 g5 40.b4 [ 40.b5 f4 41.gxf4 gxf4 42.c4 f7 43.d4 g6 44.e4 g5 45.f3 f5 46.h4 h5 47.b3 e5-+ ] 40...f4! [ 40...axb4 41.xb4 h5! 42.c4 f4 43.gxf4 g4 44.hxg4 h4!-+ ] 41.gxf4 gxf4 42.bxa5 d7 [ 42...f3?? 43.a6= ] 43.a6 c6 A tough and complex game all the way through. As far as 6 a4 goes, one cannot say that Black is troubled. 0-1
811 Shabalov,Alexander Burnett,Ronald CCA Vermont Open, Stratton Mountain [Andrew Martin]
B06 2590 2440 2003
If you have a taste for hair-raising grovelling then the Modern Defence is for you! 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g5 Either this or 4 Be3 are considered most dangerous these days. By comparison the Austrian attack seems stately! I would say 4 Bg5 is a very risky, committal move-that's why it appeals to Shabalov. White knows that he has to try and take Black out directly in the opening or there will be major league weaknesses to look after. In the opening stages Black must focus on d4 and prepare queenside counterplay. I believe B u r n e t t c h o o s e s t h e b e s t p l a n . a6! Planning ...b7-b5,...Nd7,... Bb7....and the key strike...c7-c5! 5.d2 [ 5.f4 b5 6.e2 b7 7.f3 I classify this as pussyfooting around. d7 8.ge2 c5 9.d5 b6 10.d3 d7 11.0-0 f6 12.a4 b4 13.a5 bxc3 14.axb6 cxb2 Already Black has a fine game with considerable counterplay. His strongest trump is the pawn structure and the plan is to negotiate the early pressure and push the 'a' pawn. 15.a2 b5 16.c4 xb6 17.b1 d7 18.e5 c7 19.axb2 c8 20.e3 0-0! A p p e a ra n ce s a re ve ry d e ce p t ive h e re . 21.xe7 e8 22.exd6 xd6 23.xd6 xe3 24.b3 xb3 25.xb3 a5 26.e3 h5 27.e8+ h7 28.e5 a4 29.d6 b8 30.c3 a3 31.xg7 xg7 32.c6 b1+ 33.f2 b8 34.e3 f6 35.d7 xd7 36.xd7 a2 37.xa2 b3+ 38.f2 xd7 39.e2 f5 40.d2 0-1 Fekri,W -Jasim,A/ Golden Cleopatra, Cairo EGY 2003 A typical Modern win. Black soaks it up and then takes over the reins in the late middlegame. ] 5...b5 6.f4 d7 7.f3 c5 [ 7...b7 is playable too: 8.a4 b4 9.d5 xd5 10.exd5 gf6 11.xf6 xf6 12.xb4 xd5 13.b7 e6 14.c6+ e7 15.g3 b8 16.b3 b6 17.c4 c5 18.a5 b5 19.a4 c3 20.c4 cxd4 21.xd4 xd4 22.xd4 a8 Stevic,H-Smirin,I/4th IECC, Istanbul TUR 2003 Eventually drawn 822
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 5.a3!? cxd4 6.b5 a6 7.xd4 xd4 8.xd4 is a solid, sensible and dull antidote. Black has a plus score from this position, but that has nothing to do with the objective assessment of the position - Black is generally the stronger and more ambitious player. My assessment is a tiny nibble for White. ] 5...g7 6.c4 Following a recommendation by Rozentalis. I am no longer convinced. [ T h e o l d l i n e i s 6.e3 cxd4 7.cxd4 wh e n B la ck m u st a vo id t h e o ld c la s s i c h6?? 8.c1! ] 6...d8 [ The Archives show a game where a very young Magnus Carlsen played 6...e4+ ] [ The line's originator later faced 6...d6 which offers White additional options. Still, Rozentalis' experience was no more pleasant than mine: 7.c3 cxd4 8.b5 b6 9.f4 a6 10.e2 d7 11.0-0 d8 12.e1 ( 12.c1!? ) 12...d3! 13.xd3 xb5 14.cxb5 c5 15.e3 f6 16.e5 0-0 17.b4 xd3 18.xd3 g4 19.d4 xd4 20.xd4 xf2! 21.d2 e5 0-1 Rozentalis Pruess, Cappelle la Grande 2007. ] 7.d5 The logical follow-up. [ 7.e3 is possible, as long as White has an answer to c6!? T h e o n l y t r y i s 8.d5 but I am not convinced. For example: xb2 9.bd2 xa1 10.xa1 d4 11.xd4 cxd4 12.xd4 f6 When Black castles White's compensation for the exchange will fade to an insufficient level. ] 7...e5! This strong novelty has not, as far as I can tell, been analysed in the Archives. It makes White's 6.c4 plan rather unattractive. 8.c3 e7 Black has ideas of ...Ne7-f5-d4 as well as a kingside avalanche with ...f7-f5. 9.g5 White has many other moves to try, but 812 B06 the trend is downward. I will not return to this position (at least not with White!). f6 10.e3 Shaw,John K a6 11.e2 Dreev,Alexey [ 11.d3 was later suggested, planning to EU-chT (Men) 15th 02.08.2005 take the knight on f5 before it gets to d4. 0-0 [John Shaw] 12.0-0 f5 Why not take the bishop pair? ( I was scared of 12...f5 but maybe after 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 g6!? 13.c2 h6 14.e1 White can step out of 5.f3 White has various other tries, most of the way of the pawn storm.) 13.xf5 xf5 which have been analysed in the Archives. I like the bishops, as it is tough to imagine [ 5.dxc5 ] the passed d-pawn rushing to glory. ] [ 5.e3 ] but everything clearly in order for Black at this juncture. ] 8.dxc5 xc5 9.e5 Shabalov understands that he is obligated to attack immediately. b7 10.0-0-0 f6 And Burnett will play his full part. Black hits before White mobilises the Kingside. A sacrifice on b5 beckons-how else to justify White's position. 11.h4 dxe5 12.f2 c7 13.fxe5 f5 14.g3 h6 15.xb5 There it is! axb5 16.xb5+ f8 17.g5 c8 [ It must have been very tempting to play 17...b3+ but I don't think it's working: 18.axb3 ( 18.b1 a5 ) 18...a1+ 19.d2 a5+ 20.e2 xb5+ 21.c4 xd1 22.cxb5 xh1 23.b6 ] 18.b4 f7 19.xc5 xg5 20.xc7 xc7 21.d8+ f7 22.xh8 xh8 23.e6+ xe6 24.xc7 xc7 A forced sequence sees the board wiped clean and an interesting asymmetrical endgame begins. If White could have his time again I am sure that he would prefer to have his pawn on b2. 25.c4+ e8 Closer to the Queenside. 26.d1 xg2 27.b5 a8 28.e6! Confining Black's King as well as pinning down the pawn on e7. [ 28.a4 b6 29.b3 c3 30.d3 a5 31.c4 f1 32.d4 e5 33.d6 xc4 A b rie f va ria t io n wh ich sho ws ju st h o w difficult it is to get the pawns rolling. ] 28...c3! The blockading idea which keeps Black in the game. 29.d3 b4 30.d4 d6 31.a4 f4 32.a5 c7 33.c4 c5 34.d1 b4 35.b6 xa5 36.bxc7 xc7 37.d5 A timely offer. After Bxd5 and ...e7-e6 only Black can be better. Fascinating chess, where Burnett gave as good as he got. ½-½
823
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 11...f5 12.0-0 0-0 13.a3 d4 14.b4 f5 [ 8...f6 9.g3 ( 9.e5! was critical and I won't get too involved with the rest of the White has the better chances here I think, game as it is irrelevant and (from W hite's for example fd7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e1 a5 point of view) very ugly. 15.xd4 cxd4 12.h4 e6! 13.h3 and White's central 16.b5 d7!? space should give him the advantage but at [ The greedy move was 16...d3 planning least Black is holding on for now on the 17.xd3 e4 ] kingside. ) 9...c5 10.dxc5 dxc5 11.e5 d5 17.c1 Allowing a complete positional 12.e4 c7 13.e2 0-0 14.0-0 c6 collapse. 15.f2 d4?! ( 15...fc8! because if [ Maybe 17.d6 ] 16.xc5?! then xe5 17.fxe5 xc5 [ or 17.d6 but real improvements are and Black is at least equal; not 15...ac8?! needed much, much earlier. ] 16.xc5 xe5 17.xe5 xc5 18.xc5 17...xb5 18.cxb5 c7 19.c4 h8 xc5 19.d7 and Black drops the 20.e1 d6 21.a4 ae8 22.b3 xd5 exchange ) 16.xd4 cxd4 17.xd4 23.xd5 xd5 24.c5 d6 25.b3 e4 and Black didn't have enough for the pawn 26.g5 f6 27.h3 f4 28.g5 d3 29.d1 in Vovk, Y (2549)-Czebe, A (2480) e3 30.xd3 exf2+ 31.xf2 d4+ 32.xd4 Szombathely 2008 ] xd4+ 33.f1 xe1+ 34.xe1 xc5 9.c3 35.bxc5 f5 [ 9.dxc5!? dxc5 10.0-0 should be a little 0-1 better for W hite but Black can try the interesting h6! here when it's not obvious how W hite should continue. I'd be very 813 B06 t e m p t e d b y 11.f5!? gxf5 12.exf5 with Nf5-h5 coming but Black has Shomoev,A 2560 counterplay still after g4 ] Bocharov,D 2602 A definite error, White can make Vladimir Dvorkovich Mem 2014 (5.8) 22.01.14 9...bxc3?! much more use of the b-file than Black [Tom Rendle] [ instead 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 ( 10.exd4 f6 11.e2 bxc3 12.bxc3 c7 is a little 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.f3 awkward for White) 10...f6! is absolutely b5 6.d3 b7 This is Black's critical setup fine for Black, for example 11.e5 d5 against 4.f4 at the moment, it's not at all 12.0-0 0-0 13.e1 c6 14.h4 e6 obvious what White's best option is here, 7.e5 15.h3 b6 and Black's pressure on the and 7.0-0 are both covered in the archives centre is enough to compensate for and whilst I think the latter leads to a slight White's kingside initiative ] edge, neither is completely convincing so here we see Shoemoev take a slightly different 10.bxc3 cxd4 11.b1 c7 12.cxd4 [ 12.b3!? was also dangerous but Black approach. 7.a4 b4 8.e2 c5! seems to be holding on after d7! 13.g5 Putting immediate pressure on White's centre h6 14.cxd4 ( 14.xb7?! xb7 15.xb7 [ 8...d7 9.c3 a5 ( 9...c5! again is a better c5 16.xa6 xa6 17.b8+ d7 wa y t o h a n d l e t h e p o s it i o n wit h o n l y a 18.xh8 xh8 19.cxd4 b3 and Black is minimal W hite edge after 10.0-0 cxd4 the one pressing ) 14...b8 ] 11.cxd4 ) 10.0-0 e6 11.f5! exf5 12.exf5 gf6 13.g5 ( 13.f4! is better, for 12...d7 13.0-0 Opening up the queenside example 0-0 14.cxb4 axb4 15.b3 c5 ha s re a lly n o t h e lp e d B la ck a n d a lre a d y 16.fxg6 hxg6 17.xg6 cxd4 18.g5 e7 Bocharov is under a lot of pressure gf6 [ 13...h6 14.d2 0-0 15.c1! xc1 19.f5 and Black is really struggling here) 16.fxc1 a7 17.h3! leaves White in 13...0-0 14.fxg6 hxg6 15.e1 c5 16.h4 control of the queenside and Black's knight and now in Spraggett, K (2601)-Siebrecht, S on h6 very offside ] (2453) Haarlem 2008 Black could've obtained good play with bxc3 17.bxc3 14.g3?! [ 14.g5! was much more incisive - the c7 ] 824
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 threat of e5 is very difficult to deal with, for example A) 14...h6?! fails to 15.xf7! xf7 ( or 15...g8 16.e5! dxe5 17.fxe5 xe4 18.b3 and White again regains the piece with a winning position) 16.b3+ d5 17.exd5; B) 14...0-0 15.e5 dxe5 ( 15...c6 is perhaps a better try but White is clearly better after 16.xb7 xb7 17.exf6 xf6 18.f5 as the two pieces are more than enough for the rook and pawn and White still has an initiative) 16.fxe5 d5 17.b3 c6 18.e4! e6 19.h3 I suspect this final detail with 18.Be4 and 19.Qh3 was m i s s e d - B l a c k i s l o s t n o w a f t e r h6 20.xg6! fxg6 21.xe6+ h8 22.f7+ xf7 23.xf7 ] 14...0-0 15.e2 e5 [ 15...c6 16.d2 a7 17.h1 is also much better for White as Black can't really prevent 18.e5 ] 16.fxe5 dxe5 17.a3 fe8 [ 17...fb8 18.g5! leaves Black again struggling on f7 ] 18.fc1 Good enough but again White misses the strongest continuation [ 18.c4! and Black can't defend against the nice trick of 19.Bxf7+ for example exd4 ( or 18...f8 19.fc1 b8 20.xf8 xf8 21.xe5 xe5 22.dxe5 e8 23.d5 and Black is completely lost) 19.xf7+ xf7 20.a2+ ] 18...b8 19.b2 a7 20.c4 f8? A final mistake that costs Bocharov the game [ after 20...h6 Black is still fighting, although White is probably still winning has to find some accurate moves 21.b3 xc1 22.xf7+ g7 23.xe8 xa3 24.xd7 d6! 25.f5! a nice tough e8 26.dxe5 e7 27.h1 and White is winning although there is still some work to be done ] 21.xf8 xf8 22.dxe5 xe5 [ 22...xe5 is a marginal improvement but it's obviously lost after 23.xe5 ( 23.d5! is ever better ) 23...xe5 24.f2 ] 23.xe5 xe5 24.f2! I'm sure this was the move Black missed - suddenly he's losing a piece by force ea8 25.b6 g7 26.f1 xe4 27.xf7+ h6 28.f5+! [ Black resigned as he loses his queen or
gets mated after 28.f5+ g4 30.e2# ] 1-0
814 Slobodjan,Roman Azmaiparashvili,Zurab 8th ch-Euro Dresden GER (7) [John Watson]
g5
29.h4+
B06 2525 2632 09.04.2007
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.e3 a6 5.f4 As Tiger says, this is now a very common move order for White. But it's not directly in the Index of his book. b5 6.f3 b4 [ 6...b7! is Ramesh-Hillarp-Persson, Amsterdam 2000: 7.d3 d7 8.e2!? ( 8.0-0 ) 8...c5 ( Tiger likes 8...b4!? 9.d1 gf6 , to mix things up) 9.dxc5 xc5 ( 9...dxc5 10.e5! ) 10.xc5! ( 10.0-0 c8! ) 10...xc3+ ( 10...dxc5 11.e5 b6 12.e4! ) 11.bxc3 dxc5 12.e5 h6 13.0-0 b6 with unclear play, but satisfactory chances for Black. ] 7.e2 b7 8.g3 h5 This looks fine at first, but Black is behind in space and development, and he misjudges White's attack. [ 8...f6 is more natural. ] 9.f5! The rub. h4 10.fxg6! fxg6 [ 10...hxg3 11.gxf7+ xf7 12.g5+ e8 13.e6 c8 14.xg7+ f7 15.f5! is practically winning on the spot, since xe4 16.c4+! d5 17.g4! hits too many squares. ] 11.e2 e5 Best. A depressing line is [ 11...xe4 12.g5 f5 13.f4 with the idea Bd3. ] 12.dxe5 xe5! [ 12...dxe5 13.xd8+ xd8 14.a3 a5 15.g5 gives White active pieces to aim against Black's several weaknesses. ] 13.d2!? [ 13.xe5 dxe5 14.xd8+ xd8 15.a3 a5 16.g1! xe4 17.f3 xf3 18.gxf3 bxa3 19.0-0-0+! launches an effective attack for only a pawn. ] 13...c6 [ 13...xb2!? 14.b1 a3 15.f4 f6 16.g5 h a s t h e i d e a xe4?? 17.xe4 xe4 18.d4 ] 14.ed4 xd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.xd4 825
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f6? Black gives up a pawn and underestimates White's queenside pressure. Instead, he should try [ 16...f6 , and if 17.xb4 xe4 18.0-0-0 , 0-0 with the worse game, but at least even material. ] 17.xb4 0-0-0 18.0-0-0 [ 18.a3 ] 18...f4+ 19.b1 f6 20.a3! h3? [ 20...xe4 21.xa6 xa6 22.xa6+ b7 23.a3! is very strong, intending perhaps Rd3-b3. ] 21.xa6 hxg2 22.xb7+ xb7 23.hg1 h3?? White was much better but this loses material. 24.b3+ Either Rd4-a4 wins, or 24... Kc8 25 Qe6+ picks up the rook. 1-0
815 Smeets,Jan Siebrecht,Sebastian TCh-NED Netherlands NED (6.2) [Gawain Jones]
B06 2669 2421 12.02.2011
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6 Another encounter featuring the Austrian A t t a c k a ga in s t T i ge r's M o d e rn . A h ig h l y complex line and one in which it's important to know your theory well on both sides of the board. 5.f3 d7 [ 5...b5 This is Tiger's preferred move order but is quite likely to come to the same thing. 6.d3 A) He doesn't like 6...b7 because of 7. a4 but instead a recent high rated e n c o u n t e r c o n t i n u e d 7.e5!? e6!? ( 7...d7 would transpose back into the mainline. ) 8.e4 xe4 ( The computer wants 8...d5 but this is starting to resemble a bad French for Black.) 9.xe4 e7 10.0-0 bc6 11.c3 0-0 12.e2 d7 13.e3 d5 14.d2 f5 15.exf6 xf6 16.xf6+ xf6 17.fe1 fe8 18.e4 Mchedlishvili, M (2630)Miroshnichenko, E (2684) Konya 2010 and White was slightly for preference but Black held on.; B) 6...b4 looks rather premature but was the choice of the top Moldovan GM. 7.e2 f6 8.a3 ( 8.e5 d5 9.e4 c6 10.a3
also looks to favour White.) 8...b7 9.g3 c5 10.axb4 cxd4 11.xd4 bd7 12.e2 h5 13.e5! h4 14.exf6 ( 14.e6!? is a p re t t y lit t le m o ve t h a t a ls o lo o k s interesting.) 14...xf6 15.f1 There can't be anything wrong with this move but now Black at least gets an initiative for the s a c r i f i c e d p i e c e . ( 15.gf5!? gxf5 16.xf5 would leave White a pawn up and with the attack himself.) 15...h3 16.g1 e5 17.gxh3 f8 18.fxe5 dxe5 19.b3 d5 20.g5 b6 21.f2 xf2+ 22.xf2 xb4 23.c5 xd3+ 24.cxd3 c8 25.b4 xh3 26.g3 h5 27.a5 and W hite was a piece for pawn up but somehow only drew. Andriasian, Z (2585)Bologan, V (2686) Belgorod 2010.; C) 6...d7 C1) 7.a4 was given as White's safest try for an advantage by Tiger. b4 8.e2 C1a) 8...a5 was his own choice: 9.0-0 a6 10.xa6 ( 10.b5 e6 11.c4 e7 is given in the book but the young Indian's choice might be more threatening.) 10...xa6 11.d3 a8 12.f5 ( Grabbing space with 12.c4!? looks interesting.) 12...c5 Narayanan, S (2210)-Hillarp Persson, T (2535) R e y k j a v i k 2 0 0 8 w h e n 13.f4! looks dangerous to deal with.; C1b) 8...c5 Criticised by Tiger who examines many other alternatives. 9.c3 bxc3 10.bxc3 c7 11.0-0 b7 12.h1 h6!? ( 12...c4 13.c2 gf6 14.e5 d5 gives Black good play on the light squares.) 13.e1 This is not best. cxd4! 14.exd4 ( 14.cxd4 c5 is the point although W hite can get d e c e n t c o m p e n s a t i o n wi t h 15.dxc5 xa1 16.a3 f6 17.cxd6 exd6 18.d2 ) 14...c5 15.c2 c8 16.d2 g4 17.g5 h6 18.h3 e5! and Black had taken over the initiative. Medvegy, Z (2556)-Thiede, L (2450) Trier 2010.; C2) 7.e5 b7 ( I l o o k e d a t 7...c5 in Mekhitarian, K (2550)-Ahmadinia, E (2436) Zuerich 2010 which can be found in the archives. ) C2a) 8.0-0 has been seen in a couple of recent en cou nte rs. c5 ( 8...e6 826
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.e4 b6 10.e2 e7 11.c3 d7 12.b3 b8 13.d2 xe4 14.xe4 0-0 15.ad1 fd8 16.b1 Berescu, A (2476)-Manolache, M (2544) Sarata Monteoru 2011 when c5 gives Black good play.) 9.e4 xe4 10.xe4 cxd4 11.e6 Very tempting. ( 11.exd6 b6 when Tiger examines b o t h 1 2 . f 5 a n d 1 2 . N e 5 b u t 12.a4 may be critical) 11...fxe6 12.eg5 f8 13.xd4 xd4+ ( T i g e r r e c o m m e n d s 13...c8 wh i c h k e e p s t h e b ish o p b u t lo o k s rather passive and indeed is n o n s e n s i c a l i f f o l l o w i n g 14.e1 Black must take on d4. He could try e5 but 15.fxe5 xe5 16.df3 looks decidedly awkward.) 14.xd4 f6 15.a4 h6 16.f3 b8 ( 16...8d7 17.e1 f7 is perhaps a better path attempting to complete Black's development.) 17.axb5 axb5 18.e3 h7 19.h1 d5 20.d2 b6 21.e4 b7 22.d4 c7 23.d3 with continued pressure for the pawn. D'Amore, C (2505) -Mack, W (2282) Reykjavik 2011.; C2b) 8.e3 would transpose back to the game. ] 6.e3 [ The reason Tiger doesn't like this move order is that White can now play 6.a4 b6 ( However 6...e6 looks playable to me.) 7.c4 with a pleasant position. ] 6...b5 7.e5 b7 8.d3 c5 [ A n d r e w M a r t i n i n v e s t i g a t e s 8...h6 in Zufic, M (2370)-Nevednichy, V (2552) Bosnjaci 2005. 9.e2 b6 ( 9...e6 10.a4 b4 11.e4 f5 12.f2 h5 13.0-0 a5 14.h3 b6 15.eg5 and White was slightly for pref erence but Black's position was certainly playable until d5? when 16.xf5 simply won a piece as 17.Qb5+ is threatened. Smerdon, D (2526)-Fernandez, D (2371) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.) 10.0-0-0 ( 10.a4 is seen in Zufic, M (2370) Nevednichy, V (2552) Bosnjaci 2005 looked at by Andrew Martin which worked out quite well. ) 10...d7 ( 10...e6 11.h4 b4 12.e4 f5 13.d2 xe4 14.xe4 d5 15.e1 h5 16.xf5 gxf5 17.xb4 was good for
White. Asis Gargatagli, H (2406)-Almeida Qu in ta na , O (25 41 ) Mo nt cad a i Re ixa c 2010. ) 11.hg1!? ( 11.h4!? must again come into consideration.) 11...d5 12.xd5 xd5 13.b1 0-0 14.c1 f5!? 15.h3 c6 16.d2 ab8 17.f1 dxe5 18.dxe5 fd8 19.e3 e4 with a complex middlegame, Haslinger, S (2529)-Muse, M (2448) Trier 2010. ] [ 8...e6 is the other possibility when Ni Hua chose 9.a4 b4 10.e4 xe4 I don't like this move at all as now White has good long term chances with the bishop pair. ( 10...e7 was McShane's choice and looks preferable: 11.exd6 f5 12.dxc7 xc7 when practical examples indicate Black has quite good compensation for the pawn. The most recent example continued: 13.d2 0-0 14.f2 d6 15.fg5 f6 16.xf6+ xf6 17.0-0 h6 18.f3 e4 19.xe4 xe4 20.e5 when the Aussie IM could h a ve t a k e n t h e c 2 p a w n a n d c e r t a i n l y wouldn't have been worse. Khenkin, I (2613)W o h l , A ( 2 4 1 7 ) B a d W i e s s e e 2 0 0 9 .) 11.xe4 d5 12.d3 a5 13.0-0 e7 14.c3 bxc3 15.bxc3 b8 16.e2 0-0 17.g4!? b6 18.ab1 and White's extra space gave him a clear advantage. Ni Hua (2667)-Tan Zhongyi (2464) Hefei 2010 ] 9.e4 xe4 [ 9...c8 is the alternative and was Nakamura's option although White stands well theoretically. 10.xb7 xb7 11.dxc5 dxe5 12.d5 xd5 13.xd5 c8 ( 13...0-0-0 was seen in Izoria, Z (2647) Inarkiev, E (2602) Kusadasi 2006 but here 14.0-0-0 gave White a big advantage, check Andrew Martin's comments in the archives.) 14.b6 xb6 15.cxb6 f6 16.fxe5 ( 16.0-0-0 was White's choice in Delchev, A (2648)-Nakamura, H (2701) Mulhouse 2009 annotated by John W atson but looks inaccurate.) 16...d5 17.d4 0-0 18.a4 xc2 19.0-0 This is given as a little better for White by Tiger and indeed the b6 pawn should give him better chances. However a recent encounter saw Black triumph: b8 20.axb5?! ( Supporting the b6 pawn with 20.a5 must be good for White.) 20...axb5 21.a5 xb6 22.xb5?! This throws away the advantage. ( 22.xb6 xb6 23.a8+ 827
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f8 24.d1 xb2 25.dd8 wins a piece and gives great winning chances.) 22...d7 23.xb8+ xb8 24.a1 c6 25.c3 h6 26.a8+ g7 27.e6+ f6 28.c8 b4 29.d8? e3+ 30.f1 f2+ 31.e1 c2+ 32.d1 c5 and Black finally had some winning chances and eventually exploited. Berzinsh, R (2427) -Townsend, M (2266) Daventry 2010. ] 10.xe4 h6 Continuing to follow Tiger's analysis. [ 10...c4?! takes pressure off White's centre pre m a tu re ly. 11.fg5 d5 12.e6! fxe6 13.xe6 b6 14.xg7+ f7 15.c5 and W hite had a fantastic position although somehow he failed to win. Zelcic, R (2554)-Muse, M (2446) Sibenik 2010. ] [ 10...cxd4 also looks wrong: 11.xd4 dxe5 12.fxe5 f8 has been reached twice re ce n t ly b u t I st ill like Ni Hu a 's 13.fg5 ( 13.c5 as played most recently in To, N (2413)-Mitchell, M (2266) Budapest 2010 also loo ks like a go od t ry.) 13...h6 Ni Hua (2568)-Stryjecki, M (2441) Athens 2001 and now 14.0-0 e6 15.xe6 fxe6 16.g5 d5 17.c4! bxc4 18.a4+ d7 19.xd7+ xd7 20.ad1 leaves Black in an unpleasant endgame. ] 11.dxc5 And this is the critical continuation. Anything which the theoretician Smeets plays twice should be taken very seriously. [ However 11.e2 has also been tried a few times recently, a novelty which Morozevich came up with in 2003. A) 11...cxd4 i s c r i t i c a l . 12.xd4 f5 13.0-0-0 xd4 ( 13...a5? 14.e6 fxe6 15.xd6+! exd6 16.xe6+ d8 17.xg7 saw a strong GM getting into severe difficulties very early. Ibarra Chami, L (2436)-Almeida Quintana, O (2593) Mexico City 2010.) 14.xd4 0-0 15.hd1 wa s s e e n i n M o r o z e v i c h , A ( 2 7 0 2 ) Chatalbashev, B (2534) Plovdiv 200 3 when I think Black had a reasonable game although I'd probably opt for White.; B) 11...0-0 12.dxc5 dxe5 13.fxe5 f5 14.f4 ( T h e i m m e d i a t e 14.0-0-0 looks strong) 14...c7 15.0-0-0 f6 16.g4 fxe5 17.gxf5 exf4 18.fxg6 xc5 19.gxh7+ and Black was in a lot of trouble. Chatalbashev, B (2602)-Buchal, S (2337)
Aix-les-Bains 2011. It's always interesting to see a player switch colours af ter a game and so this idea should be taken seriously. ] 11...g4 12.g1 [ 12.e2!? is a further option which has been essayed in a couple of recent Correspondence games. dxe5 13.0-0-0 c7 14.fxe5 gxe5 15.f4 ( 15.d5 xf3 16.gxf3 0-0-0!? 17.f4 c6 18.f3 b8 19.dd1 xd1+ 20.xd1 d8 21.xd8+ xd8 was also satisfactory for the second player. Hostinsky, J (2386)-Bjazevic, P (2202) ICCF email 2007.) 15...c6 16.xe5 ( The sacrificial 16.d6+ exd6 17.xd6 xc5 18.xd7 is completely fine for Black: xd7 19.xe5+ xe5 20.xe5 hd8 21.e4 c4 22.d1+ e8 23.d4+ e6 24.h4 f5 25.xh7 e7 26.g7 d6 27.b3 c8 28.d2 e4 29.f2 xd4 0-1 Klapiszewski, T (2243)-Antonone, R (2 2 5 3 ) I C CF e m a il 2 0 1 0 .) 16...xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.b1 0-0 19.h4 h5 1/2-1/2 Leone, F (2360) -Antonone, R (2225) ICCF email 2009. ] 12...dxe5 13.h3 h6 [ 13...gf6 is Tiger's suggested improvement. His line runs 14.xf6+ exf6 A) 15.d5 was played in a practical encounter in which the first player was victorious. c8 16.0-0-0 b8 17.fxe5 fxe5 18.h2 xd5 19.xd5 f6 20.hd1 e7 21.g4 h6? ( 21...hd8 is fine for Black. ) 22.h4! Oops. g6 has become a b i g w e a k n e s s . f7 23.d7+! xd7 24.xd7+ e6 25.xg7 and White converted his advantage. Ong, K (2304)Tikkanen, H (2354) Gothenburg 2006.; B) 15.d6!? also looks interesting.; C) 15.c6 f8 ] 14.c6 f6 15.xd8+ xd8? And this is the first new move but cannot be called a good novelty. [ Jan must believe in this variation for White as he had played it earlier this year against F r a n c e ' s t o p r a t e d p l a ye r . T h a t g a m e continued 15...xd8 16.c7 ( 16.xf6+ exf6 17.a4 looks promising, keeping control of the d7 square and thus it will be harder for Black to get his final rook into the game.) 16...c8 17.xf6+ exf6 18.b6 d7 828
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 19.g4 was played in the first game to reach this endgame and might be better. c6 20.a5 he8 21.0-0-0 f8 22.d8 d6 23.d1 xc7 24.xc7 xc7 in Cuijpers, F (2485)-Chernin, A (2572) Germany 2001. Here W hite could have improved with 25.1d7+ c6 ( 25...b8 26.xe8 xe8 27.fxe5 fxe5 28.g5 wins back the pawn and gives White great w i n n i n g c h a n c e s .) 26.d6+ b7 27.8d7+ c7 28.xc7+ xc7 29.xa6; B) 19.0-0-0+ c6 20.a5 f5 Now Black's pieces manage to coordinate. 21.d8?! ( Better looks to be 21.fxe5 fxe5 Krivec, J (2343)-Drummond, M (2236) Q u e e n s t o w n 2 0 0 9 a n d n o w 22.he1 sh o u ld be t h ro wn in t o p re ve nt B la ck advancing his passed pawn with rough equality. ) 21...h6! 22.hd1 xf4+ 23.b1 e4 24.d4+ xd4 25.1xd4 xc7 26.xc7 xc7 27.8d7+ b6 28.xe4 f5 29.ed4 he8 30.b4 e1+ 31.b2 e2 and the Dutch GM was in trouble. Smeets, J (2662)-Vachier Lagrave, M (2715) Wijk aan Zee 2011. ] 16.b6+! This is the problem. Black is unable to get his king to c7 and thus cannot connect his rooks while the c6 pawn is a huge thorn in his side. c8 17.xf6 exf6 18.0-0-0! Black is already lost as he cannot contest the d file. a5 [ 18...b8 19.a5 b4 20.c7 a8 21.fxe5 fxe5 22.d8+ b7 23.e1 leaves Black in a complete bind and he must just wait whilst all his pawns start dropping. f6 24.e4 wins. ] 19.d5 a6 20.xb5 f5 21.d1 One pawn has dropped and still Black cannot re l e a s e t h e s h a ck le s o n h i s p o si t i o n . e4 22.g1 h6 23.e2 g3!? A nice try but unfortunately his position is already hopeless. 24.d2 xe2 25.xe2 xf4 So material is back to parity but unfortunately that's the only positive in Black's position. His rook on a6 is completely cut out of the game while White's rooks dominate. 26.d7 f8 27.a4 f5 28.b7 h5 29.xa5 xa5 30.xa5 g5 31.b6 g4 32.hxg4 g8 33.a7 b8 34.c7+ xc7 35.xc7 xg4 36.f1 e3 37.a5 b4 38.b3 h4 39.xf7 f4+ 40.e1
An accurate display by Jan Smeets but the final theoretical word has not been spoken in this line. We need to see more examples of Tiger's suggestion of 13...Ngf6. 1-0
816 Spoelman,Wouter Hort,Vlastimil Essent Open Hoogeveen (1) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2205 2530 2002
1.e4 g6 After 1 ...g6 is Black's defensive setup can be interpreted in many different ways. For most players, that is the main attraction of the Modern. Here we see veteran Grandmaster Hort employing a 'rope a dope' strategy facing a series of routine developing moves from his opponent. White is invited to assume the initiative and run aground against the sturdy Black position. 2.d4 d6 3.e3 g7 4.c3 a6 5.a4 b6 6.d2 b7 7.c4 d7 8.f3 e6 9.0-0 [ 9.h4 gf6 10.d5 e5 ] [ 9.d5 e5 10.g4!? ] 9...h6! An extremely annoying move to face mainly because W hite feels he has to be going somewhere with his position, but when he starts to cast his eye around for a plan struggles to find anything concrete. Whichever central pawn he pushes liberates a Black Bishop. He would love to be able to move his Knight to e1 and plough through with f4-f5 but that takes ages. Of course Black's â Hippopotamusâ [] or â Frog â system attained full respectability in the Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match in 1966 . There it wa s d e m o n st ra t e d t h a t W h it e h a d t o b e exceptionally patient and even cunning if he wanted to get any advantage. Most opponents aren't really up to it. 10.fe1 e7 11.ad1 f8! 12.d3 g8 I suppose if White does nothing Black will eventually come to ...e6-e5 and ... f7-f5 after due preparation. Spoelman eyes the King heading for h7 and tries to get his Kn igh t o ver to a id a K ingsid e a tta ck . 13.e2 f6 14.g3 e8! 15.b4 Not sure W hite wanted to play this one but Black was threatening ... Ng4 anyway. Alternatives are not inspiring : 829
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 15.b3 g4 16.h3 xe3 17.xe3 c5! material suffice it to say Black has rather 18.c3 h7 ] good results. ] [ 15.c3 c5! ] 5...b5 15...a5 16.a3 d8 17.c4 Looks fine, but [ 5...d7 6.0-0 b5 but ( It's possible to White weakens the square b4.Hort is on to c o n t i n u e w i t h 6...e6 but this must be a this small detail in a flash. d7 18.h4 c6 somewhat worse version as White has not 19.b1 b4 20.b3 e5 Finally some sign of co m m i t t e d t o a 4 . 7.g5 I never see the real activity f rom Black although with the point of this move as it simply allows Black Bishop on b1 buried it feels to me as though t o g a i n t i m e wi t h h is Hi p p o se t u p . e7 W hite has already been totally outplayed. 8.d2 h6 9.e3 b6 10.ad1 b7 11.h3 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.c1 e7 23.d2 h7 was a typical Hippo position. Following f6 24.ed1 a6 25.e2 dc5 Attacking both 12.e5 fd5 13.f4 xf4 14.xf4 0-0 b3 and e4. 26.c3 xb3 27.xd8 xc1 15.e4 g5 16.f6+ xf6 17.xf6 g6 28.8d7 e6 29.xc1 c6 30.7d3 b4-+ Black had comfortably equalised. Ginsburg, 31.3d2 xc4 32.b2 e8 33.c1 e6 G (2537)-Muse, M (2448) Berlin 2010. ) 34.a3 e7 35.d5 xd5 36.exd5 g4 A) Instead 7.e1 b7 8.f1 c5 9.g5 37.d6 cxd6 38.xd6 e4 39.h2 xh4 cxd4 10.xd4 gf6 looked like a fairly 40.xb6 d4 A remarkable little game which healthy Dragon position. Hellers, F (2598)should really have been concluded 15 moves Burwick, M (2229) Sweden 2011.; ago. White's initial advantage in space and B) 7.a4 b4 8.d5 a5 9.c3 time seemed to evaporate and he was left B1) 9...e6?! would be similar to the only with weaknesses. Spoelman was game but does allow W hite the doubtless baffled - where on earth had he interesting possibility of 10.g5! f6 gone wrong........? ( 10...gf6 11.xf6+ xf6 12.h6 0-1 leaves Black in difficulties to complete his development.) 11.f4 e7 12.h4 g5 13.xg5 fxg5 14.xg5 xg5 817 B06 15.xe6 h6 16.xc7+ d8 17.xa8 b7 when rook and four pawns are Stevic,Hrvoje 2611 about the same value as the three Nepomniachtchi,Ian 2729 pieces but Black's loose king ensures 12th ch-EUR Aix les Bains FRA (7) 28.03.2011 White very good winning chances, i.e. [Gawain Jones] 18.f3 xa8 19.d3 gf6 20.a6 e7 21.e5; I haven't looked at a pure Classical Variation B2) 9...c6 10.f4 bxc3 11.bxc3 e5 yet so decided to remedy that this month with 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.d3 c7 14.d2 a look at some interesting recent games. (I gf6 15.a3 f8 16.c1 a6 17.c4 e x a m i n e d 4 . . . a 6 l a s t ye a r b u t i t q u i c k l y xa3 18.xa3 c5 19.f4! If Black had became a Hippo). 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 enough time to castle he would have d6 4.f3 a6 The young Russian chooses equalised. exf4 20.e5!? ( 20.xf4 0-0 Tiger's Modern to create winning chances. I 21.c3 is also very good for W hite) like ...a6 from a strategic point of view but I 20...xe5 21.c3 fd7 22.f3 f6 get worried against f2-f4 setups as White can 23.xf4 b7 24.ae1 with strong play create a strong attack very quickly. However for the pawn but Black survived and against the Classical Variation this isn't an we n t o n t o win . B a ca lla o A l o n s o , Y issue. 5.e2 The most critical. (2 46 7)-A lm eida Q uint an a, O (25 24 ) [ I looked at 5.a4 in Panchanathan, M (2543)Ciego de Avila 2010.; Illingworth, M (2289) Parramatta 2010 when C) 7.d5! is suggested by Tiger trying to Black normally plays a hippopotamus setup exploit the hole on c6. ] with b6 ] This is probably White's only dangerous [ I can find six games in the archives with 6.a4 5.e3 so there's no need to expand on that try. 830
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 6.0-0 has been the most common and is Tiger's mainline. That continued b7 7.e1 d7 8.f1 c5 when he considered 9.a4 to be best: b4 10.d5 gf6 11.g5 0-0 12.xf6+ xf6 13.d5 h6 with equality. ] [ 6.a3 is hardly the most challenging response and allows Black easy development. One recent example continued b7 7.0-0 d7 8.e1 c5 9.f1 cxd4 10.xd4 gf6 11.f3 0-0 12.e3 c8 13.a4 b4 14.a2 Furman, L (2150) Hermansen, R (2219) Las Vegas 2010 when with d5! Black would have seized the initiative. ] 6...b4 7.d5 So far we have been following another recent game of Stevic's but here Black varies. a5 [ 7...b7 was played in the earlier game from last December but exchanging b and a pawns leaves Black with a vulnerable a6 pawn. However following 8.xb4 xe4 9.a5 f6 10.0-0 0-0 11.e3 c8 12.d2 b7 13.f3 e6 14.a3 e8 15.b3 bd7 16.c6 Stevic, H (2621)-Bukal, V (2390) Z a d a r 2 0 1 0 h a d B l a c k g o n e f o r xc6 17.xc6 b8 18.b4 bd7 Black would have been fine. ] [ 7...f6 has been played once but 8.xf6+ forces Black to worsen his structure with exf6 ( 8...xf6 9.h6 is again awkward.) 9.d2 a5 10.c3 bxc3 11.bxc3 0-0 12.0-0 f5 Wiemer, P (2089)-Pohl Kuemmel, J ( 2 1 6 2 ) B a y e r n 2 0 0 4 w h e n 13.e5!? would keep W hite's structural advantage although Black's position is still playable. ] 8.c3 Undermining Black's queenside before he can become fully coordinated looks very logical. [ 8.0-0 b7 9.e1 d7 10.c4 gf6 11.f4 0-0 12.c3 was seen in Dunne, A (2300)-Ashley, M (2500) Philadelphia 1998 wh e n i t wa s p r o b a b l y t h e r i gh t t im e t o e xc h a n ge o n d 5 xd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.exd5 b6 15.b3 bxc3 16.bxc3 d7 wh e n B l a c k 's p l a y d o wn t h e b f il e a n d a g a i n s t t h e d 5 p a wn c o m p e n s a t e s f o r White's pressure down the e file. ] [ 8.g5 was the choice of an early computer program but doesn't make so much sense a s f o l l o w i n g h6 9.f4 ( 9.h4 would continue to prevent ...e6 but I can't
believe g5 10.g3 b7 11.d3 e6 12.e3 f6 can really be worse for Black who has great play.) 9...b7 10.d3 e6 11.e3 f6 12.d2 a6 13.c4 bxc3 14.xc3 xe2 15.xe2 h5 16.g3 c5! an d Bla ck a lre a d y h a d a ne a r d e c is ive advantage. Comp Gideon 2-Christiansen, L (2560) The Hague 1994. ] 8...e6 9.e3 e7 The first new move as far as I can see. I seem to recall that Nepomniachtchi was moving quickly here (I was playing a few boards away) indicating that h e wa s p r o b a b l y s t i l l i n h i s p r e p a r a t i o n although he's famed for always moving fast anyway. [ 9...b7 was played in the only previous e n c o u n t e r . 10.c2 f6 ( 10...e7 is likely to transpose to W hite's eleventh move alternative.) 11.e5 d5 ( 11...e4 12.d3 w o u l d f o r c e d5 which seems a co n ce ssio n .) 12.g4 h6 13.c4 e7 14.0-0 d7 15.f4 f5 16.ad1 g5 17.c1 dxe5 18.d5!? e7 19.d3 d4 20.xd4 exd4 21.dxe6 fxe6 22.g6+ d8 23.f4 with a strong initiative for the pawn. Fre ssine t, L (2 50 1)-Va isman , V (23 85 ) Cannes 2000. ] 10.0-0 b7 11.e5!? Stevic tries to exploit his space advantage immediately. [ 11.c2 is the alternative, playing in a quieter spirit when White could hope for a slight edge following d7 12.d2 b3!? ( 12...bxc3 13.bxc3 0-0 is probably safer but here White has a slight edge thanks to more space.) 13.b1 0-0 14.a3 c6 15.c4 b6 16.xb3 when Black has a structural disadvantage and so should try to complicate the issue with f5!? ] 11...dxe5 [ 11...bc6!? looks slightly odd but is worth investigating. ] 12.dxe5 [ 12.xe5 can also be played although I feel d7 13.f4 0-0 should be fine for Black who can generate counterplay with ...c5. ] 12...xd1 13.xd1 d5 [ 13...bxc3 is probably the critical test of White's 11.e5!? idea but White can drum up a strong initiative: 14.bxc3 d7 15.b5 ( 15.d4 xe5 16.b5 c8 17.a3 also gives White decent compensation for 831
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the pawn. ) 15...0-0-0 ( 15...c6 cedes the d6 square and thus cannot be recommended 16.f1 xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.c4 c7 19.d6+ xd6 20.xd6 f5 21.d1 and despite Black's extra pawn he will really have to suf f er as W hite's pieces act so much better on this board.) 16.a3 d5 17.xd5 exd5 ( 17...xd5?! 18.ab1! b6 19.g5 wins material.) 18.e6!? ( 18.e7 de8 19.xd7+ xd7 20.f6 xf6 21.exf6 is around level.) 18...fxe6 19.g5 de8 when White has sufficient play for the p a wn b u t n o m o r e , i . e . 20.f7 hg8 21.ab1 f8 22.xd7+ xd7 23.e5+ c8 24.xf8 gxf8 25.b5 f5 26.e1 c6 27.xa5 c7 when White has regained his pawn but Black has now coordinated his pieces while the rook on a5 is definitely misplaced. ] 14.b5+ [ The computer prefers gaining the outside passed pawn with 14.xd5 xd5 15.cxb4 axb4 16.a5 when it considers that the a pawn promises W hite a slight edge a l t h o u g h f o l l o w i n g a l i n e s u c h a s d7 17.f4 h6 18.a6 g5 19.g3 e7 20.h4 c5 Black has dynamic equality in my view. ] 14...c6 15.f1 [ 15.xd5 exd5 16.f1 d7 doesn't look at all threatening. ] 15...d7 [ Again 15...bxc3 should be considered 16.bxc3 ( Sacrificing the pawn looks best. Instead 16.xd5 cxd5 17.bxc3 d7 18.b5 a6 leaves Black with a structural edge which will endure into the ending.) 16...xc3 17.d3 d5 18.b3 c8 19.a3 and White has compensation for the pawn but probably nothing more. ] 16.c4 0-0 17.d6?! This is a major error. Stevic must have missed that Black's next was possible. [ 17.cxb4 axb4 18.a5 a6 is simply level. ] 17...bxc3! 18.bxc3 [ 18.xb7 fb8 would regain the piece with very good chances as the e5, c3 and a4 pawns are so vulnerable. ] 18...a6 19.xa6 xa6 20.c4 b8 21.d2 Black has definitely taken over the advantage as White is forced on the back foot to defend his pawn weaknesses. However this
looks very passive and I wonder whether [ 21.e3!? might have been a better try although W hite's structure does look very ugly after xe3 22.fxe3 c5 ] 21...c5 22.db1 xb1+ 23.xb1 a8 24.g3? [ 24.a1 looks passive but it was essential to defend the pawn. ] 24...f8!? [ 24...xa4 25.xa5!? was perhaps the idea axc3 ( 25...xa5?? 26.b8+ f8 27.h6 would be unfortunate.) 26.b2 c5 looks like a clear extra pawn but White has decent drawing chances. ] 25.d4 [ 25.a1 should still have been played but b3 26.e1 c5 is of course better for Black but still White should probably be able to hold on to the draw. ] 25...xa4 26.a1 db6! In principle Black should keep as many pawns on the board as possible to maximise his winning chances. 27.b3 [ 27.d6 c5 28.xc6 regains the pawn but b3 29.a2 xd2 30.xd2 a4 31.a2 a3 is probably winning for Black as the a pawn is so strong. ] 27...xc4 28.xa4 xe5 29.g2 b8! This is always a useful idea to remember. Nepomniachtchi cleverly f orces Stevic to capture on a5 with the knight when he will have problems getting out of the pin. 30.xa5 [ 30.d4 was a better practical chance although b2 31.c1 b1 32.f4 d3 is of course very good for Black. ] 30...a8 31.c4 c5 [ It was also possible to play 31...c5! 32.c3 g7 when White wouldn't be able to get out of the pin on the a file. ] 32.c3 d3 33.a1 xf2 34.xc6 xa1 35.xa1 g4 White has escaped the pin but only into a lost endgame. Nepomniachtchi made Stevic look rather weak in this game, a strong indication that Tiger's Modern is a good winning attempt at any level! 36.e5 xe5 37.xe5 f5 38.f3 f7 39.h4 e7 40.g4 d6 41.c3 h5 42.gxh5 gxh5 43.e1 e5 44.e3 d7 45.c3 e6 46.e1 e7 47.f3 f6 48.e3 d6 49.d3 d8 50.b4+ e6 51.e1 b6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 52.e2 f4 0-1
818 Sukandar,Irine Kharisma Jones,Gawain C Queenstown Open (6) [Gawain Jones]
B06 2325 2653 20.01.2012
1.e4 g6 I have a few main defences to 1.e4: The Dragon - in its many different forms, a couple of Spanish's and occasional Caro Kanns but Irene seemed well booked up on all those lines. Having lost the previous game I really wanted to bounce back and so the Modern seemed a decent choice definitely risky but with good winning chances too. 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g5!? I'd never seen this mo ve be f o re a nd so I wa s o n m y own . I t looked strange to me as the bishop is firing into open space but I now sunk into thought attempting to find a plan. h6 [ 4...f6 would transpose to a more theoretical position and one where I thought the bishop achieved more. I've actually played this way myself as White and think it 's quite a da ngero us lin e. T h is lin e is covered in depth and featured this month in Gashimov-Ivanchuk. ] [ 4...a6 has also featured quite heavily in the archives: A) while 5.f3 is a slower, more classical setup. Generally I'm not afraid of these positions when White can't play f4 but he may have a small edge. It certainly worked o u t ve ry we l l f o r h im in Fr o lya n o v, D (2525)-Azmaiparashvili, Z (2632) Dresden 2007, examined by John Watson.; B) 5.f4 looks scary but White has to be careful to prevent his centre collapsing. b5 6.f3 b7 7.d3 d7 B1) 8.e5! looks critical when perhaps Black should try fighting back at once with f6 ( as 8...c5 9.e4 xe4 10.xe4 seems to favour White. ); B2) 8.a4 b4 9.e2 c5 10.c3 gf6 11.g3 a5 12.0-0 0-0 13.e2 bxc3 14.bxc3 e6 with a typical complex fight in which Black triumphed in Salem, A (2511) -Mchedlishvili, M (2629) Dubai
2011.; C) 5.d2 is a direct way of playing by White but allows Black good counterplay. b5 6.a4 ( 6.f4 was seen in the messy Shabalov, A (2590) -Burnett, R (2440) CCA Vermont Open, Stratton Mountain USA 2003 looked at by Andrew Martin in the archives.) 6...b4 7.ce2 d7!? 8.h4 ( Grabbing the pawn looks dubious 8.xb4 c5 9.c3 gf6 10.f3 0-0 gives Black a lead in development, while White's pieces are pretty tangled up and so full compensation for the pawn.) 8...gf6 9.g3 c5 10.c3 h6 11.e3 bxc3 12.bxc3 g4 and the top French GM had grabbed the bishop pair and was already f or p ref erence. S poe lm an, W (2 42 4)Bacrot, E (2700) Wijk aan Zee 2008. ] [ 4...c6!? looks interesting here, attempting to exploit White's early bishop move: 5.d5 ( 5.f3 g4 6.e3 is my computer's suggestion but hard to believe that this can remotely challenge Black.) 5...d4 6.b1!? c6 7.c3 b5 8.xb5 cxb5 9.b3 a6 10.d2 f6 11.gf3 0-0 12.0-0 d7 with a roughly level position, the bishop pair compensate for the slightly weakened structure. Rohl Montes, J (2401)-Krasenkow, M (2676) Mallorca 2004. ] [ 4...d7 prepares the ...c5 break. Following 5.f3 a6 we reach a position that could of course have been reached via a 4...a6 move order. 6.a4 resulted in a 16 move win for White in Rublevsky, S-D'Amore, C Istanbul Olympiad, Turkey 2000 but of course Black's play can be improved. Check Paul Motwani's comments in the archives. ( while I can't believe 6.d3 can be a serious test of Black's setup: Frolyanov, D (2567)-Graf, A (2621) Kavala 2008. Again you can check John Watson's comments. )] [ 4...c5 immediately has similarities to the game but with the subtle difference that the bishop on g5 is hanging in some lines, i.e. 5.dxc5 a5 6.d2 ( During the game I was a bit worried about 6.d2!? when following xc5 Black's a tempo up on a rather su s p e c t l in e in t h e H yp e r - A c c e l e ra t e d Dragon (or the Sniper as one author has co in e d it ). W it h t h e e xt r a t e m p o B la c k s h o u l d b e f i n e h o w e v e r .) 6...xc3!? 833
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Gaining a structural advantage but giving up the 'Dragon bishop' is always a bit dangerous. ( 6...xc5 7.d5 e6 8.0-0-0 d7 9.e3 c8 looked passive but n o t h i n g i n h e r e n t l y w r o n g wi t h B l a c k ' s position and he soon took over the initiative in Okhotnik, V (2451)-Beliavsky, A (2652) Hu n ga ry 2 0 0 3 .) 7.bxc3 ( I think I prefer 7.xc3 xc3+ 8.bxc3 dxc5 9.a4 d7 10.f3 c6 11.d2 d7 12.b5 c8 13.e2 f5 14.hb1 saw White successfully grind out the full point in a game between two strong Russians: Motylev, A (2649)Inarkiev, E (2595) Tomsk 2004.) 7...xc5 8.d3 d7 9.e2 gf6 10.0-0 0-0 11.e3 a5 12.f4 g4 13.d4 e5! and Black was fine. Kurnosov, I (2602)Ajrapetjan, Y (2490) Moscow 2009. ] [ Meanwhile 4...c6 would be a very sensible way of playing too but does commit Black to a setup he might not have been intending. This has actually been the most common but Black's results in games between Grandmasters has been terrible. One recent example continued: 5.d2 b5 6.f3 ( The more aggressive 6.f4 has also scored very well.) 6...h6 7.f4 f6 8.d3 g4 9.h3 xf3 10.gxf3 bd7 11.0-0-0 a5 12.b1 b6 13.he1 fd7 when Black's pre ssu re aga inst t he W hite cen tre wa s probably enough for rough equality but in the end he too went down in Hess, R (2590)Ehlvest, J (2591) Philadelphia 2010. ] 5.h4 [ On the final night Anthony Ker, who has won the New Zealand Championships more t h a n a n y o n e e l s e , s u g g e s t e d 5.e3 as an interesting alternative. White argues that the pawn on h6 could be a weakness and certainly following Qd2 it might be tricky to castle. ] 5...c5!? Possibly too ambitious. I tried to exploit the bishop on h4 being a little offside and transpose the position to a Dragon setup where I have a lot of experience. [ Instead 5...c6 was selected in a fairly recent game between two top 100 GMs and again makes a lot of sense. 6.d5 d4 7.d2 c5 8.d1 d7 ( 8...g5 9.g3 f6 10.f3 d7 would cut out Vallejo's choice in the game but here too White is probably a
lit tle be tt er as he ca n t ry to explo it th e weakening of the f5 square.) 9.c3 b5 10.f4! f6 11.d3 c7 12.f3 b5 13.0-0 and White had a good Benoni type position. Vallejo Pons, F (2707)-Korobov, A (2647) Aix-les-Bains 2011. ] 6.dxc5! The critical response. [ 6.f3 cxd4 7.xd4 c6 looks like a comfortable Dragon as the bishop is misplaced on h4. As it cannot come to d4 W hit e will lose f u rth er t ime moving th e attacked knight on d4. ] [ 6.d5!? is the other possible structure but here I hoped to exploit White's vulnerability along the a1-h8 diagonal. The computer suggests the committal xc3+ 7.bxc3 a5 8.d3 g5 9.g3 f6 with a highly complicated position. I think I'd take Black as it's not so easy to defend e4 and c3 adequately while also developing for White. ] 6...a5 [ 6...dxc5 7.xd8+ xd8 looked pretty u n p le a s a n t . N o t o n l y will W h it e ga in a d e v e l o p m e n t a d va n t a g e t h a n k s t o m y vulnerable king but he also has a positional advantage thanks to his light sq u a r e co n t ro l , i n p a r t i c u l a r d 5 . W e r e Black's pawn back on c6 he would have fewer holes and thus fewer problems. ] 7.b5+ Actually when I decided to go into this line I had forgotten that this check gives the White king the f1 square. Another long think and a feeling of dread, I didn't want to have to defend another passive position against a player rated over 300 points below, these Open tournaments can be very cruel! [ 7.d2 xc5 with a highly playable Dr a go n e s q u e p o s it i o n wit h t h e b is h o p misplaced on h4. ] 7...c6 [ 7...d7 was the other sensible way to d e f e n d a g a i n s t t h e c h e c k b u t 8.xd7+ xd7 9.cxd6 xc3+ ( Actually I had sort of looked at this line before .. .c5 and then I h o p e d t h a t 9...b4?! might be tricky to defend against. Black threatens both the b2 pawn and ... Bxc3+ followed by taking on e4 when the bishop on h4 hangs. However 10.ge2 xb2 11.0-0 keeps everything under control. Sure I can temporarily pick up a piece with xc3 but 12.b1 a3 13.b3 834
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 regains the piece and leaves White with a strong initiative.) 10.bxc3 xc3+ 11.f1 felt a little unpleasant to me, even if the computer tells me Black's more or less ok with c8 It seems unlikely that Black will have many winning chances though. ] 8.ge2 Sensibly giving back the pawn. [ 8.xc6+?! i s t o o g r e e d y bxc6 9.cxd6 xc3+ 10.bxc3 xc3+ 11.f1 a6+ 12.e2 d8 will likely regain the pawn with advantage. ] 8...dxc5 9.d5 This might be the start of W hite's problems. Irene is playing aggressively and hoping to completely refute my opening play, a strategy that almost paid off but is of course risky. [ 9.0-0 was safer when I thought White had a s ma ll ad van ta ge bu t B la ck's posit io n do e s n 't s ee m so b a d e it h e r. P e rh a p s I should have continued g5 10.g3 f6 11.f4 ( 11.c1!? is the computer's interesting offer.) 11...d7 followed by castling long with an extremely unclear position. ] [ 9.xc6+ bxc6 is of course also possible and important to assess to work out who it favours. Doubled isolated pawns are of course generally very weak and White can h o p e t o e x p l o it t h e m in t h e l o n g t e r m , perhaps by rerouting a knight round to c4. However that it's at all easy to achieve and Black has his trumps too. For starters the pawns aren't as weak as they look they would be much more vulnerable if they were o n a n o p e n f i le . T h e y a ls o p r o t e ct t h e important central squares of d4 and d5 - a typical weak spot in the Dragon. The exchange has also given Black counterplay down the b file and along the a8-f1 diagonal. A typical fight between static and dynamic p la y , I p re f e r t h e d yn a m is m o f B la ck' s position. ] 9...b6 [ I couldn't see a direct refutation of 9...d7 but I felt uneasy about it. I really didn't want to lose quickly and thought the game continuation was safer. The pawn on c5 is d e f e n d e d i n d i r e c t l y a s 10.xc5 a6 wins back material. However it's not totally clear even here as White has 11.b4 when xb4 12.xb4 xb4 13.xd7+ xd7
14.b1 looks better for White. ] 10.a4 I have to confess that I missed this move - a sign that my form wasn't there for much of Queenstown. Irene threatens a4-a5 forcing the queen away and thus winning the c5 pawn. 10.. .a5 is possible to defend but th en W h it e m ust b e b et te r t ha n ks t o h e r eternal control of the b5 square. Luckily I found the following strong idea. a6 11.a5?! It's harsh to give this move as dubious but in fact White seems to be in a lot of trouble once she has won the queen. [ 11.xc6+ would be similar to 9. Bxc6 although following bxc6 12.a5 is possible a n d se e m s crit ica l. O n e lin e co u ld ru n ( 12.d2 e6= should be fine for Black.) 12...cxd5 13.axb6 dxe4 14.a5!? f6 15.xf6 xf6 16.xe4 xb2 17.xc5 b8 18.a4 a3 19.c3 d7 20.d2 xa4 21.xa4 c5 22.b1 xb6 23.xa6 d8+ 24.e1 c5= and at the end of the complications we're left in a level ending. ] 11...axb5! The whole point. In return for the queen I'll pick up rook and bishop and an initiative. [ There was no time for cold feet 11...c7 12.a4! and there's no way to defend c5. The pins keep Black completely bound up. ] 12.axb6 xa1+ 13.d1 g5! It's important to play as actively as possible. Should White get time to castle then she'll have a clear a d va n t a ge . 14.g3 f6 15.xc5 xe4 16.xb5?! During the game I was really surprised by this move. [ I felt 16.e3 was much safer but still I quite liked my dynamic potential. I was planning something like f5 17.0-0 b4!? to keep the White knights from using c3 and therefore she would still have problems coordinating her pieces. ] 16...0-0 Now it was Irene's turn for a long think. She has a material advantage, queen and pawn for the rook and bishop, but ...Rd8 is a big threat. After the game I was very happy as my calculation around here was all sound. 17.c7!? Taking control of d8 but allowing a different tactic. [ 17.0-0 was of course the most logical and the move I needed something against when I sacrificed my queen. Here I was planning d2! ( T h e i m m e d i a t e 17...d8 835
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is also possible but 18.dc3 a5 19.xa5 xa5 20.xe4 allows White to play on.) 18.e1 d8 White is completely tied up. There's the threat of moving the knight when there's no defence of the d1 knight and it ca n't get o ut o f th e way a s e1 is undefended - one of the points behind ... Nd2. The other threat is somehow more hidden as it requires a retreating move: ... Ra5 actually traps the queen! During the game I thought the only defence to both t h r e a t s wa s 19.c7 d7 For a moment Black's pieces look uncoordinated but the t w o t h r e a t s s t i l l s t a n d . ( 19...a5? does still trap the queen but he gets two rooks for it with 20.xa5 xa5 21.xd8 ) A) Trying to run the queen with 20.f5 loses to f3+ 21.gxf3 ( 21.xf3 dxd1 wins everything.) 21...axd1 The other rook this time, and White loses at least a rook.; B) 20.g3 The knight gets out of the way leaving e2 for the queen and defending against back rank ideas as the knight can d r o p b a c k t o f 1 . d4! Followed by ... N4f3+ winning at least the exchange and a pawn. ] 17...xd1+! Now f2 isn't defended this tactic works. 18.xd1 xf2+ 19.e1 [ D u r i n g t h e g a m e I t h o u g h t 19.d2 was her last chance, so that there wouldn't be any back rank problems for White and so she could actually pick up the trapped knight. However xh1 20.c5 xb2 21.g1 f5 22.xh1 a8 is still much better for Black. Material is roughly balanced: queen versus rook, bishop and pawn but the bishop pair are very strong and the W hite king rather exposed. ] 19...xh1 20.c3 Irene plays sensibly and controls the d4 square. [ Playing the same way as in the previous va ria t io n wit h 20.c5 no longer wins the knight as g4 21.g1 a8 threatens ... Ra1+ 22.d2 xb2 and the knight still can't be taken as 23.xh1 a1 traps the queen. ] [ 20.f1 Slowly plodding the king into the corner doesn't manage to pick up the piece either as the rook quickly activates on the a file., i.e. g4 21.g1 a8 and Black's in
time. ] 20...d7 With rook, bishop and knight against queen Black should be winning but there are a couple of things Black has to be aware of. First of all, while White can't actually win the cornered knight it's not easy to bring it back into the game. Secondly W hite has some tricks utilising the advanced b6 pawn. 21.d5 e6 22.e4 [ 22.f3 was my fianceé Sue's suggestion and looks more accurate. White threatens Q f 1 b u t a g a i n a8 defends more than adequately. ] 22...a8 23.c1 a5!? I was very happy at finding this move. Black has ideas of ...Rf5 and ...Nf2 to bring the knight out. The rook also controls the d5 square and can now react to the Qxc6 ideas with ...Rb5. [ 23...a1 felt rather risky to me but the computer has no fear 24.d2 ( 24.xc6 only loses a pawn here after bxc6 25.b7 xc1+ 26.d2 g1 27.b8+ h7 ) 24...a5 would actually be very similar to the game. ] 24.d3 d5 25.g4 a1+ 26.d2 e6 27.f3 c8 Cutting out Qxc6 tricks once and for all. [ Initially I had planned 27...a5 but 28.c5 didn't seem so clear. ] 28.c1 a5 But now her knight has gone passive I can activate mine. 29.b3 Both rook and knight are actually trapped in corners but I was pleased I managed to calculate the final course of the game. [ White still doesn't have enough time to win t h e e n t o m b e d k n i g h t : 29.g3 c4+ and White lacks a good square for his king as I have lots of interesting forks available. 30.c2 ( 30.d1 g4! ) 30...f5+! 31.xf5 e3+ ] [ Objectively 29.g4 was best although here I would h ave the tricky b1 ( 29...c4+ 30.d3 xb2+ 31.c2 a3 32.e2 a4 33.xh1 a2+ would also be decisive.) 30.c2 c4! 31.d3 xg4! continuing to use the knight forks ] 29...d7 30.c2 c6 31.e3 [ 31.d3 f2 would allow the knight to escape. ] [ 31.f1 e4+ 32.b2 ( 32.d2 xb3+ ) 32...b1+ 33.a3 xc3 is also hopeless. ] 836
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19.d6 xc2 20.b7 c6 21.0-0 f5 22.exf6 f7 23.ac1 c4 24.b3 xc1 25.xc1 d4 26.c8 1-0 Grischuk,ABacrot, E/FIDE GP, Dubai UAE (3.2) 2002 (26) ] [ 7...e6 8.exd6 ( 8.0-0 e7 9.e1 b7 10.a4 b4 11.e4 d5 12.c5 xc5 13.dxc5 a5 14.e3 0-0 15.d4 d7 16.h4 f6 17.h3 f5 18.xf5 exf5 19.d4 fxe5 20.fxe5 ae8 21.g3 e6 22.fe1 e7 23.c3 bxc3 24.bxc3 f4 25.g4 xe5 26.xe6+ xe6 27.xe5 g4 28.e7 f7 29.e8+ f8 30.e7 b8 31.f1 c6 32.g3 g5 33.g7+ f8 34.xf4+ 1-0 Ponomariov,R-Bareev,E/FIDE W Ch KO, Moscow RUS (5.4) 2001 (34)) 8...cxd6 9.d5 e5 10.a4 f5 11.g5 e4 12.e6 xc3+ 13.bxc3 b6 14.e2 gf6 15.axb5 b7 16.bxa6 xd5 17.d4 e7 18.e3 b2 19.b5 hb8 20.d4 xb5 21.c4 b4+ 22.c3 xc4 23.xc4 xc4 24.a4 d5 25.a7 e8 26.f2 d3 27.c4 xc4 28.a3+ e6 29.hb1 d6 30.xb5 xb5 1-0 Kosteniuk,A-Meshkov,Y/ Aeroflot Open, Moscow RUS 2002 (30) ] 8.e2 h6 9.a4! b4 10.e4 0-0 11.c3 The essence of the problem is the Black Kingside. The Bishop on g7 is very cramped. White has more space, better centralisation, ample pawn breaks and the option of e5-e6 whenever he wants to take it. In short, a 819 B06 rotten position for Black. Lobron struggles Svidler,Peter 2690 manfully to get his position together but he Lobron,Eric 2500 fights against the tide. bxc3 12.bxc3 c5 Ordix Open Mainz (4) 2002 13.0-0 c7 14.e6! f6 [ 14...fxe6 15.eg5 cxd4 ( 15...d5 [Andrew Martin] 16.xe6 xe6 17.xe6+ h8 is possibly best-still utterly uninspiring.; 15...xf3 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.f3 16.xf3 cxd4 17.xe6 xc3 18.b2 c6 b5 6.d3 d7 7.e5! b7 I believe it was 19.xf8 xf8 20.xa6+-; 15...fb8 Kotov who used to play like this with Black. I 16.xe6 c6 17.xg7 xg7 18.xe7+ am sure that he would have enjoyed a special f7 19.f5+- ) 16.xe6 xc3 17.b2 a5 pioneering feeling watching the opponent 18.xg7! xg7 and take your pick... ] grapple with new problems. In the Chessbase era one has to be more careful. Earlier in the 15.eg5 cxd4 16.exf7+ xf7 17.e6 update we saw a new interpretation of this xc3 18.b2 a5 19.fxd4 Keeping the system by Black. Lobron tries the older stuff pressure set to MAXIMUM. Naturally W hite could have taken the exchange : and gets wiped. [ 19.xf8 xf8 20.xd4 ] [ 7...c5 8.e3 b7 9.e4 c8 10.xb7 xb7 11.dxc5 dxe5 12.d5 xd5 19...fe8 20.xg7 xg7 21.e6+ g8 There can be no coming back from 13.xd5 c8 14.b6 xb6 15.cxb6 e4 22.f5+16.e5 xe5 17.fxe5 e6 18.c5 e7 here. g5 23.h4 h6 24.hxg5 hxg5 25.ae1
31...f2! It seems strange to put the knight enprise but the tactics work for me. 32.xf2 [ 32.b2 d1+ was the point and so Irene had no time to capture the rook. ] 32...e4+ 33.d2 [ 33.b2 b1+ 34.a3 xc3 is completely winning a nice point is that 35.e3 xb3+! 36.xb3 c4+ again picks up the queen. ] 33...xb3+ 34.e3 [ 34.xb3 a2+ 35.e3 xf2 36.xf2 xc3 leaves Black in a trivially winning endgame with his extra two pawns. ] 34...xc1 35.xe4 xc3 On the surface it looks like White has made progress. He has regained some material and is nominally only slightly down - rook, knight and two pawns for the queen. However the big issue is that the king on e4 is actually in very real danger. 36.a2 [ In the post-mortem we had a quick look at 36.d5 b u t B l a c k h a s a t l e a s t c6 followed by ...e7-e6+ and ...Rc6-c3 creating the same mating net. ] [ 36.e5 c5+ 37.d5 xe5 is no good either as 38.xe5 d3+ wins the queen. ] 36...e6! And Irene resigned as there's no way to prevent either ...f7-f5mate or ...Nb3-c5mate. A picturesque final position. 0-1
837
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e5 26.e3 h7 27.xg5 The difference between success and failure hangs on a very fine line in the Modern Defence. 1-0
820 Swiercz,Dariusz Bacrot,Etienne Schachbundesliga 2011-12 (13) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B06 2585 2705 18.03.2012
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g5 This line is starting to become topical. a6 [ Previously both of us have covered 4...h6 when 5.e3 was looked at last month by Tom in Vallejo Pons, F (2716)-Maiwald, J (2459) Trier 2012 ( while 5.h4 as played against Gawain in Sukandar, I (2325)-Jones, G (2653) Queenstown 2012. )] 5.f4 Previously I wrote that this 'looks scary but W hite has to be careful to prevent his centre collapsing.' [ W h i l e G a w a i n a l s o l o o k e d a t 5.d2 and actually gave a game of Bacrot's. I've copied in the analysis from last time for completeness. b5 6.a4 ( 6.f4 was seen in the messy Shabalov, A (2590) -Burnett, R (2440) CCA Vermont Open, Stratton Mountain USA 2003 looked at by Andrew Martin in the archives.) 6...b4 7.ce2 d7!? 8.h4 ( Grabbing the pawn looks dubious 8.xb4 c5 9.c3 gf6 10.f3 0-0 gives Black a lead in development, while White's pieces are pretty tangled up and so full compensation for the pawn.) 8...gf6 9.g3 c5 10.c3 h6 11.e3 bxc3 12.bxc3 g4 and the top French GM had grabbed the bishop pair and was already for preference. Spoelman, W (2424)-Bacrot, E (2700) Wijk aan Zee 2008. ] [ while 5.f3 is a slower, more classical setup. Generally I'm not afraid of these positions when W hite can't play f4 but he may have a small edge. It certainly worked out very well for him in Frolyanov, D (2525) -Azmaiparashvili, Z (2632) Dresden 2007, examined by John Watson. ] 5...b5 The logical continuation for Black but he has tried a couple of other tries. [ 5...c6 putting immediate pressure on d4
i s b e t t e r t h a n i t l o o k s . 6.d5 ( 6.f3 is also possible but Black can force d5 with g4 when 7.d5 d4 8.d3 xf3 9.gxf3 c5 was roughly balanced in Naes, F (2337)Eriksson, J (2414) Klaksvik 2003.) 6...d4 7.d2 c5 8.d1!? preparing to force the knight backwards was seen in Hodgson, J (2595)-McShane, L (2490) Southend 2001. The computer recommends throwing in f6! 9.h4 before playing f5 with the idea that 10.c3 ( 10.exf5 xf5 11.f2 f6 i s e x t r e m e l y c o m f o r t a b l e f o r B l a c k .) 10...fxe4! 11.cxd4 cxd4 gives Black great compensation for the piece. The pawns dominate White's pieces and make it tricky for him to develop. ] [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 5...c5 is also possible: 6.dxc5 a5 7.d2 xc3!? Reaching a good version of a so called Sniper style position - Black regains his pawn on c5! ( It's also possible to play while keeping the bishop with 7...xc5 Normally this is scary because of Nd5 and Be3 ideas but here the f4 pawn gets in the way.) 8.xc3 xc3+ 9.bxc3 dxc5 10.f3 f6 11.d2!? e6?! Pavlov, M (2364)-Vajda, L (2541) Baile Tusnad 2005 when White should have tried exploiting Black's last with 12.b1 b5 13.c4! with an advantage. ] 6.f3 b7 [ 6...d7!? is an interesting move order, with the point 7.d3 ( 7.a4 is an attempt to exploit the loose rook b4 8.d5 c5?! At this point I feel Black really should start de ve lo p in g so m e p ie ce s, 9.c4 b7 Chatalbashev, B (2581)-Foisor, S (2359) Ascona 2007 10.e5! is starting to look very dangerous; 7.e5!? would be the most accurate if White is intent on reaching the same position as in the game. Here 7...Bb7 8.Bd3 would transpose so Andrew Martin tried f6 against Alexander Shabalov in Ga u sd a l 1 9 9 1 8.h4 h6 9.d3 0-0 10.e2 c5 when 11.e4 b8 12.0-0 lo o ks li k e a p l e a s a n t e d g e .) 7...c5! One game continued: 8.e5!? cxd4 9.e4 a5+ when White gambled with 10.f2?! which ultimately proved successful in Docx, S (2384)-Gryson, W (2145) Gent 2009 but p ro b a b ly sh o u ld n 't h a ve b e e n . ( Instead 10.ed2 looks safer with reasonable 838
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 compensation for the two pawns after dxe5 11.fxe5 xe5 12.xe5 xe5 13.0-0 )] 7.d3 d7 8.e5 Last time I gave this move an exclamation mark and it certainly gives Black problems c5 [ I suggested 8...f6 might be Black's best try A) R e l e a s i n g t h e t e n s i o n w i t h 9.exf6 doesn't look so threatening exf6 10.h4 e7 11.0-0 0-0 12.f5!? g5 13.g3 b6 and Black has a respectable position, Rudolf, A (2207)-Zakar, D (1954) Balatonlelle 2005.; B) 9.e2!? is an intriguing sacrifice that could be critical: B1) 9...dxe5 10.fxe5 xf3 ( or 10...fxg5 11.xg5 ) 11.xf3 fxg5 12.c6 both look very dangerous too; B2) 9...fxg5 10.xg5 f8 Otherwise White can play 11.Nxh7 11.xb5+ axb5 12.xb5+ c6 13.xb7 with three pawns for the piece and what looks a promising position.; C) 9.h4 h6 10.e2 ( Of course 10.0-0 is a viable alternative.) 10...0-0 11.0-0-0 b4 12.e4 d5?! A horribly antipositional move ( 12...b6 looks more in the spirit of Black's opening.) 13.c5 xc5 14.dxc5 c6 15.d4 a5 Sermek, D (2517)-Thiede, L (2390) Bled 2000 and here W hite could have m a i n t a i n e d c o n t r o l w i t h 16.b1 with a clear advantage. ] 9.e4 xe4 Logical but as the course of the game proves Black is in need of improvements. [ Perhaps he could try 9...b8!? when White can force a slightly better queenless middlegame with 10.dxc5 ( 10.xb7 xb7 11.0-0 is also possible but at least Black won't get mated in the opening.) 10...xc5 11.xb7 xb7 12.d5 xd5 13.xd5 c8 14.0-0-0 but at least Black's still on the board. ] 10.xe4 And here Gawain wrote: '(This) se em s t o f a vo u r W h ite .' B lack ha s t o d o something or else W hite's extra space will give him a very pleasant game'. Perhaps Bacrot didn't read his ChessPublishing? a5+ [ 10...b6 is also possible although 11.dxc5 ( 11.xe7!? is interesting but it's hardly ne c e ss a ry.) 11...xc5 12.d5 is pretty
unpleasant. ] 11.c3 Sensibly blocking the check. [ A p r e v i o u s g a m e c o n t i n u e d 11.f2?! which is hardly necessary and hands Black some counterplay after cxd4 12.exd6 f5! W in a n t s, L (2 5 1 9 ) -H a u s ra t h , D (2 4 7 8 ) Belgium 2004 ] 11...cxd4 12.xd4 Recapturing the pawn turns out to be a novelty but in truth W hite has at least three options which grant him the better chances. [ 12.e6!? was played in a previous game t h a t g o t t h i s f a r fxe6 ( The computer suggests sacrificing the piece with 12...f5!? 13.exd7+ xd7 but the counter sacrifice 14.xd6!? exd6 15.b3 looks very dangerous.) 13.xd4 f8? A losing error. ( 13...b6 should have been played when Black gets to exchange queens after 14.xe6 e3+ 15.e2 xe2+ 16.xe2 although White still has some advantage.) 14.xe7! Kanep is sharp-eyed and doesn't miss the opportunity. xe7 ( 14...xe7? 15.c6+ ) 15.xd6+ d7 16.6f5! With the threat of 17.Nb3+. White regains the material with interest and an ongoing attack. Kanep, M (2452) -Mista, A (2510) Hallsberg 2004. ] [ 12.xd4 is also possible as dxe5 allows 13.xe7! exd4 ( 13...xe7? 14.d6+ f8 15.b3 is mating ) 14.b4 c7 15.d6+ d8 16.xf7+ c8 and White will pick up the exchange with what should be the better game although it is rather messy. ] 12...dxe5 [ Perhaps 12...c7 was the better of the two evils but 13.0-0-0 is obviously very pleasant for White ( White can even consider 13.xe7!? here too ) 13...dxe5 14.fxe5 xe5 15.c5 with a fantastic initiative. ] 13.d5 Initially I thought this a mistake but in fact this is still fine. [ However the simple 13.fxe5 would be very strong d8 ( 13...b6 14.e3 would leave Black grave problems unravelling.) 14.xe7! Again this shot turns out to be very strong. xe7 ( 14...xe7 15.0-0-0 with a decisive attack. ) 15.d6+ f8 16.b7 c7 17.xd8 xd8 18.0-0-0 e8 19.d6 and Black is completely tied up. ] 13...d8 14.0-0-0?! But this throws away a lot 839
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 of the advantage. [ 14.xe7! The piece sac we've already seen a few times in the notes would again have been very strong. xe7 15.xe5 xe5 ( 15...xe5 seems losing too, e.g: 16.c5+ e8 17.fxe5 a4 18.c6+ f8 19.0-0 h6 20.c7 a8 21.ad1 ) 16.fxe5 b6 ( 16...c7 looks losing, e.g. 17.d6 h6 18.f1! hf8 19.0-0-0 f5 20.xf5! gxf5 21.xf5+ e8 22.e6 e5 23.xd8+ xd8 24.xd8+ xd8 25.e7+ e8 26.exf8+ xf8 with a winning endgame. ) 17.0-0-0 and Black's position looks extremely precarious, for example: e6 18.d4 h6 19.b4+ e8 20.d6! xe5 21.e1 winning material. ] 14...gf6? And Black errs in turn. [ B a c r o t h a d t o f i n d 14...c7! when he seems to be holding on: A) 15.fxe5 xe5 ( The unnatural 15...xe5 lo o k s wo rs e 16.xe5 xe5 17.c5 xc5 18.xc5 and White will g a i n b a c k t h e p a w n w i t h a n e d g e .) 16.xd8+ xd8 17.xd8+ xd8 18.d1+ c8 19.c5 Again White will ga in b a c k t h e p a wn b u t wi t h a wo rs e structure than previously and so Black shouldn't have any problems.; B) 15.d6+!? xd6 16.xd6 exd6 17.xd8 xd8 18.xd6 c7 looks ok for Black; C) 15.he1 feels critical when the pressure on Black's position looks cru s h in g bu t t h e silico n b e ast cla im s equality with gf6 And here C1) Instead 16.xf6 looks simply to draw xf6 ( Not 16...xf6 17.xd8+ xd8 18.xd8+ xd8 19.eg5! with a p leasant position .) 17.fxe5 ( 17.xf6+ exf6 18.fxe5 xe5= ) 17...xe5 18.xf6+ exf6 19.xd8+ xd8 20.xd8+ xd8 21.xe5 fxe5 22.xe5 with a drawn endgame.; C2) 16.xf6+ looks the most testing to me xf6 17.fxe5 xe5 18.xd8+ xd8 19.xd8+ xd8 20.xe5 xe5 21.xe5 e8 22.e3 and White's two pieces look superior to the rook and pawn but the computer's not convinced. ] 15.xf6! xf6 [ 15...xf6 was also losing to the simple
16.xf6+ xf6 17.c6+ f8 18.fxe5 when Black has a dire position. ] 16.c6?! Pinning the knight to prevent Black from castling but an error. [ Here 16.fxe5! was simply winning A) 16...g7 17.e6 e5 ( 17...fxe6 18.d6+! f8 19.xe6 with forced mate ) 18.exf7+ xf7 19.c6+ f8 20.c5 g8 21.xd8+ xd8 22.d1 with an obvious overwhelming attack.; B) 16...xe5 17.xf6+ exf6 18.c5! and Black cannot get his king to safety or bring his queen back and so is simply lost. Perhaps Swiercz overlooked the f inal move. ] 16...b4 Bacrot attempts some counterplay and, at the same time, prevents White's threat of 17.Nc5 [ 16...b6 was also possible although the endgame after 17.xb6 xb6 18.xd8+ xd8 19.fxe5 g7 favours White as the bishop is passive and the f7 pawn rather vulnerable. ] [ Bacrot could also have tried sacrificing the piece with 16...xa2 although he shouldn't have enough compensation following 17.c5 0-0 18.xd7 exf4 19.d5 ] 17.fxe5 A move late. The tactics end up in White winning Black's queen but grants Black good drawing chances. [ 17.xd7 xd7 18.c5 c7 19.xd7+ xd7 20.xd7 xd7 21.fxe5 g7 22.cxb4 c8+ doesn't look like so much for White ] [ But 17.he1! increasing the pressure on Black's position looks very strong. Black's best is probably to sacrifice the knight with 0-0 although again Black doesn't have sufficient compensation following ( 17...g7 18.xe5; and 17...bxc3 18.fxe5! cxb2+ 19.b1 both look very good for W hite) 18.xd7 xd7 19.xd7 bxc3 20.xc3 exf4 21.c6 ] 17...xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.d6+ exd6 Giving up the queen is necessary. [ as 19...f8 20.b7 g7 ( or 20...b8 21.xd7 ) 21.xd8 xd8 22.d5! should be winning as Black has no way out o f t h e p i n . ( White should definitely avoid 22.xd7? when g5+ followed by a check on the light squares will pick up the rook. )] 840
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.he1 0-0 21.xe5 xe5 22.xa6 bxc3 So W hite has won material (queen for rook and knight) but Black has managed to get his king to safety and, with a strong knight on e5, can attempt some counterplay against W h i t e ' s s l i g h t l y l o o s e k i n g . 23.bxc3?! But this throws away most of W hite's advantage. [ Instead 23.b3! was much stronger. Not o n l y d o e s W h i t e n o w h a ve c o n n e c t e d passed pawns but his king is also much safer blocked by the enemy pawn. I imagine Swiercz was scared of the potential of the Black pawns but in fact Bacrot wouldn't be able to hold onto his d pawn as d5 24.b5 pins the pawn to the knight. ] 23...c8 24.xd6 xc3+ 25.b1 e3 26.c7 g7 27.a4 a8 28.a5?! After this the momentum switches to Black. [ 28.d5 would have maintained some chances but it's tricky to convert with such an open king ] 28...b3+ 29.c2 b5 30.a1 a6 31.d1 d5+ Bacrot is happy to draw. [ I n f a c t , h a d h e s t a r t e d w i t h 31...c6 W h i t e wo u l d h a ve b e e n f o r c e d o n t h e defensive, e.g. 32.d8 f6! 33.d4 c6 34.c4 bf5 when Black will pick up the a pawn and can then try pressing risk-free as 35.c3 ( 35.a6? f1+ wins t he roo k) 35...d5+ 36.e2 e5+ 37.d1 d6+ 38.c1 d4 is too dangerous. ] 32.e1 c6 33.b7 e5+ 34.f2 Here a draw was agreed as the a pawn is dropping when White won't be able to make any progress. White was almost winning from the opening and we stand by Gawain's previous statement that Black needs to come up with improvements to 8. ..c5 and perhaps even earlier. ½-½
821 Szalanczy,Emil Davies,Nigel R Liechtenstein [Nigel Davies]
B06
1993
5.Qd2 is the consistent approach with White hoping to exploit his lead in development
should Black proceed with the scheduled queenside advance. This tends to lead to razor sharp games, with Black often fulfilling his positional objectives but lagging behind in development. Not a line for the feint-hearted! 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 5.d2 d7 [ After the immediate 5...b5 6.a4 b4 7.d1 Black has to def end his b-pawn with a5 . By first playing 5...Nd7, Black prepares to defend it with a later ...Rb8. ] 6.f3 The trendy way to play it for White. [ After the old plan of 6.f3 b5 7.a4 b4 8.d1 Black gets a good game with ( 8.d5 c5 9.dxc5 dxc5 10.f4 a7 11.0-0-0 e6 12.e3 xb2+ 13.xb2 f6+ 14.b1 xf4 won a pawn for insufficient compensation in Roobol - Davies, Haarlem 2001 ) 8...b8 9.h3 ( 9.a5 c5 10.e2 c7 11.f2 gf6 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 0-0 was also excellent for Black in Yilmaz Davies, Haifa 1989) 9...c5 10.a5 cxd4 11.xd4 gf6 12.e2 0-0 13.0-0 c7 as in Chandler - Davies, Hastings 1987-88 ] 6...b5 7.a4 b4 8.e2 [ 8.d5 can be met actively with gf6 ( 8...a5 is more cautious) 9.xb4 xe4 10.a5 a7 11.b4 b7 12.b5 a8 1/2-1/2 Barczay,L - Davies, Budapest 1987. White's moves look forcing but they are not making much of an impression. In the final position Black is better. ] 8...b8 9.g3 c5 10.d3 cxd4 11.xd4 c7 Getting a kind of Sicilian in which White's pieces are not marvellously placed. Black can play more solid ly th an I do in this game . 12.0-0 h5!? 13.fc1 h4 14.ge2 gf6 15.c3 b3 16.f3 d5!? 17.exd5 xd5 18.e1 e5 19.f2 0-0 Trapping the knight on d4. White gets a couple of pawns for it, but it was never going to be enough until I blunder. 20.xb3 xb3 21.xg6 7f6 22.b1 b7 23.xh4 xb2 24.g5 h7 25.c1 e6 26.d3 c8?? Letting White back into the game. I had completely missed the reply. 27.xa6! xa6 28.xb2 e4 29.fxe4 xc3 30.xc3 xc3 31.b5 a8 32.a5 xa1 33.xa1 xe4 34.f2 d5 35.f1 g5 36.e1 f3+! 37.gxf3 xf3 38.g3 h1+ 39.f2 c2+ 40.e3 e4# 0-1 841
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 822 Thimm,Torsten Berelowitsch,Alexander 19th Muensterland Open (1) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2540 2002
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 a6 5.e3 b5 6.a3 Meek. Black is immediately O K a f t e r a t im i d m o ve s u ch a s t h i s a n d Berelovich will show how dynamic his counterplay can become. Instead, White must continue developing rapidly :. [ 6.d3 d7 ( 6...b7 7.a4 b4 8.e2 f6 9.g3 h5 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5 g4 12.e6 f5 13.h4 e5 14.f4 d5 15.0-0 bc6 16.e4 xe6 17.d5 d6 18.hxf5 gxf5 19.xf5 f6 20.xg7+ xg7 21.xe5 xe5 22.e1 g7 23.f3 d8 24.xh5+ f8 25.f3+ f6 26.e3 xf3 27.xf3+ g7 28.g3+ f6 29.g6+ f5 30.g4+ f4 31.g7 e5 32.xe7 f3+ 33.g2 xh5 34.gxh5 g8+ 35.f1 g1+ 36.e2 xa1 37.f7+ g5 38.g7+ f4 39.f7+ e5 40.xc7 e4 41.e7+ f4 0-1 Shirov,A-Azmaiparashvili,Z/FIDE GP, Dubai UAE (3.2) 2002 (41)) 7.a4 b4 8.e2 gf6 9.d2 ( 9.c3 b7 10.g3 h5 11.g5 c5 12.0-0 cxd4 13.cxd4 a5 14.e1 0-0 15.d2 ab8 16.h3 e6 17.c1 fd8 18.b3 a8 19.c4 h4 20.xh4 d5 21.xb4 xb4 22.xb4 xb4 23.xb4 dxe4 24.a5 b8 25.xe4 xe4 26.xe4 xb2 27.b1 a2 28.c6 c2 29.xd7 xd7 30.f3 a2 31.b4 f8 32.b7 a1+ 33.h2 xa4 34.d8 d6+ 35.g3 f8 36.g5 b4 37.a7 b8 38.xa6 xd4 39.f6 b4 40.g2 d7 41.c3 b3 42.c6 e5 43.h4 f8 44.g4 e7 45.h5 gxh5 46.gxh5 a7 47.h6 b8 48.h7 h8 49.b4+ 1-0 Svidler,P-Piket,J/ Eurotel Trophy, Prague CZE (1.2) 2002 (49)) 9...b8 10.h6 xh6 11.xh6 b7 12.g3 c5 13.0-0 cxd4 14.xd4 b6 15.b3 c5 16.a5 c7 17.g7 e6 18.h6 g4 19.d2 e5 20.f4 c4 21.c1 d5 22.f5 c5 23.exd5 xd5 24.fxg6 hxg6 25.g5 xd3 26.xd5 a7+ 27.d4 de5 28.c3 d8 29.e4 f5 30.e2 xd4 31.cxd4 xd4+ 32.f2 e3 33.fd1 d3 34.f1 f4 35.xe3 fxe3 36.e2 f4 37.xa6
e4 38.c8+ f7 39.g4 e2 40.e1 g7 41.f3 e5 42.g3 h3+ 43.g2 f8 44.xe2 g5 45.e3 d5+ 46.e4 f2+ 47.xf2 xe4+ 48.xh3 g5 49.a6 d4 50.g2 d5+ 51.g1 1-0 Shirov,AAzmaiparashvili,Z/FIDE GP, Dubai UAE (3. 4) 2002 (51) ] 6...b7 7.d3 d7 8.d2 c5! The thematic counterstrike. 9.0-0 cxd4 10.xd4 gf6 B la ck h a s o b t a in e d a ve ry go o d S ic ilia n Dragon-type position with White's Bishop on Be3 misplaced. This game is such a good illustration of how: a) the stronger player can avoid early theoretical complications to obtain a sharp, interesting position b) How easy it is for White to stray into a poor position just by playing 'natural' moves. Against an early and very provocative ... a7-a6 from Black if White wants anything he must play very specifically indeed. 11.f3 0-0 12.ad1 c7 13.f2 e5 14.de2 c6 If nothing else Black will push on with ...Rab8,...a5,...b4 etc 15.g4? A sign of desperation-I don't think Thimm could see a plan so he lashed out. Naturally this is misguided. W hite's position is by no means lost-he has to make a mental readjustment though. Possibly just Kh1,Qh4 and Bh6 was called for ,hoping for f4-f5 at some stage. 15 g4 is silly and Berelovich is on it in a flash. d5! 16.g5 dxe4! 17.gxf6 xf3+ 18.xf3 exf3 19.fxg7 fd8 20.g3 f5 It's not the quantity of pieces that count, it's the quality. I daresay Berelovich saw this position before 15.. .d5 and went for it! The pawn on f3 is worth at least a piece and the other little babies are about to join the show 21.h6 e5 22.de1 f6 23.a4 h4 24.d2 f4-+ 25.f2 fxg3 26.hxg3 xg3+ 27.f1 h3+ 28.g1 d4 29.e4 xe4 30.xe4 [ 30.xe4 g4+ ] 30...xe4 31.xe4 g4+ 0-1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B06 11...xb7 12.xb7 a6 13.f3! [ 13.f3?! as was played in Sinowjew Thipsay,Praveen Mahadeo 2505 Finkel, Budapest ,1993 is weaker in view of Koshy,Varugeese 2415 c5! and the Queen has no good squares India 1994 to retreat . 14.b4 xb7 15.bxa5 fc8!? [Alexander Volzhin] and Black has excellent compensation as all W hite's pawns are very weak. ( Simple 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c6 This move 15...xa5 was not bad either. )] o r d e r i s v e r y p o p u l a r n o w a d a y s . 4.c4 13...ad8 14.e2 The only move again. Preventing 4...d7-d5. [ 14.h3?! c5 15.b4?? d3+ 16.xd3 [ After both 4.f3 d5 ] xe5+-+ ] [ and 4.f4 d5 Black can transpose to the [ 14.e2? c5! 15.b4 d3+ 16.xd3 Caro Kann. ] xe5+-+ ] 4...d6 [ Black can try 4...d5?! nevertheless, but this 14...c5 15.0-0! An important improvement. [ 15.b4?! as was played before didn't help move is quite dubious: 5.exd5 b5 6.b3 b4 White: a4! 16.0-0 (the only move) b3 7.ce2 cxd5 8.d2! Immediately exploiting 17.b1 xc1! 18.bxc1 xe5 and despite the weakness of Black's Q-side pawns. being a pawn up White has to think about A) 8...a6 is hardly an improvement. It equalising as all his Q-side pawns are weak was played in Sorokin - Poley, Katowice, and Black's dark-squared Bishop is very 1992: 9.a3 bxa3 10.xa3 c7 11.a5 strong. ] e6 12.d2 d7 13.f3 e7 14.e5 16.axb3! This is the idea behind 0-0 a n d n o w t h e s i m p l e 15.0-0 15...b3 ( instead of the dubious 15.h4 gave White W h i t e ' s p r e v i o u s m o v e . T h e e x c h a n g e a huge positional advantage as the a7- sacrifice is the only way to get an edge. [ After 16.b1?! xa2 17.g5 d2 pawn is very weak. ); 18.xd2 xd2 Black's chances are by no B) 8...a5 9.a3! bxa3 10.xa3 e6 means worse, to say the least. ] 11.a4+ d7 12.xd7+ xd7 13.xa5 xa5 14.xa5 c6 15.c3 and White 16...xa1 17.d4 Now the forcing sequence had won a pawn for nothing, Dreev - B. i s o v e r a n d i t s t i m e t o e v a l u a t e i t ' s consequences. There is approximate material Schneider, EUCup, 1991. ] equality on the board but White's chances are 5.f3 f6?! A dubious move. clearly better. Black's Rooks have no files for [ 5...e6 is the normal continuation. ] 6.e5! Only by playing this active continuation penetration and the Bishop on g7 is also restricted. a6 can White hope for an advantage. [ 17...xe5? 18.c6+- ] [ 6.ge2?! e5 7.0-0 0-0 8.g5 bd7 18.f4 d7 19.h3 fd8?! This tactical and Black has at least equal chances. ] 6...dxe5 7.dxe5 d5 8.xd5 cxd5 9.xd5 mistake allows white to win the exchange 0-0 White has won a pawn but is slightly back. [ 19...b6 was better. White can play lagging in development. The evaluation of this 20.a1!? intending b4-b5, Ra6. ] p o s it io n h a s c h a n ge d m a n y t im e s b u t i s c8 21.e6! fxe6 22.b8! c u r r e n t l y i n W h i t e ' s f a v o u r . 10.xb7! 20.c6 Grabbing the second pawn is the best solution Definitely Black had overlooked this move but in his defence it's not easy to foresee the here. [ After 10.f4 c7! Black has good chances, Knight is able to skip such a long way off! for example: 11.e6 xc2 12.exf7+ h8 xb8 23.xb8 b7 24.e3! [ The queen swap makes Black's defence 13.e2 xb2 14.d1 c6! 15.h4! easier: 24.xb7?! xb7 25.f4 xb3 with a messy position. ] 26.c1 a5 27.d1 a4 and Black is by no 10...a5+ 11.c3 means hopeless. The tempting 28.d8+?! [ 11.d2? is bad in view of xe5+ 12.e2 f7 29.a8 leads to a forced draw after xb2 13.xa8 xa1+ and Black is much xc3! 30.bxc3 b1 ] better. ] 823
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 24...xb3 25.xa7 f7 26.e1?! [ I would prefer 26.f3+ f6 27.e3 xb2 28.c4 with a huge edge. ] 26...e5 27.b6 f6 [ After 27...xb2 28.c4 it's very difficult to stop the c-pawn. ] 28.e2 d1+ 29.h2 b1 30.c7?! [ 30.e4!? was better: xb2 31.xb2 xb2 32.b4 with the c-pawn march to follow, W h i t e h a s a c l e a r a d va n t a g e . I t g o e s without saying that after a rook swap Black can't exchange queens as the bishop ending is hopeless. ] 30...d1? [ Black could have exploited White's inaccuracies by playing the simple 30...xb2! and White has only a tiny edge. ] 31.g3! Now the game is over. [ Black missed the text hoping for 31.xe5? h4! 32.f4+ e8! and White hardly has more than a perpetual: 33.xh4 xe2 34.a4+ d8 35.a8+ d7 36.a4+ d8 ] 31...h5 32.xe5 g5 [ 32...h4+ didn't help either: 33.f4 g5+ 34.e4 xe5 35.xe5 and White's King is in safety in the center of the board! ] 33.f3+ g8 34.h4 1-0
824 Tirard,Hugo Bauer,Christian TOP 16 GpA Vandoeuvre FRA (3) [Gawain Jones]
B06 2451 2607 28.03.2010
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 a6!? Minasian and Chernysov both play this very frequently and Bauer is also happy to give it a whirl sometimes. I see Australian IM Alex Wohl has started playing it too. Black's idea becomes very evident in this game he wants to delay d6 and concentrate on his queenside play. 4.e3 The most popular move trying to develop some sort of 150 Attack. W hite has tried numerous moves here [ 4.h4!? was looked at by Andy Martin in the archives d5 This is another reason to delay d6. A) 5.xd5 c6 6.e3 xd4 7.d3
( 7.xd4 xd4 8.h5 was played in Motylev-Chernyshov in the archives and I presume Tseshkovsky was happy to play this queenless middlegame.) 7...b5 ( 7...b4+!? is interesting with the idea that 8.c3 xc3+ 9.bxc3 xc3+ 10.d2 xa1 picks up the exchange.) 8.h5 d7 9.f3 d6 10.a4 b7 11.g4 gxh5 12.xh5 xb2 13.xb2 b4+ 14.f1 xb2 15.e5 was a completely crazy position and thus surely a success in Naiditsch, A-Tseshkovsky, V Mosco w 2005.; B) 5.e5 c5 Now the position resembles a Caro-Kann. 6.dxc5 d4 7.a4 a5+ 8.c3 dxc3 9.bxc3?! optimistic but this backfires ( 9.xc3 was necessary) 9...d7 10.b6 xc3+ 11.d2 ( 11.d2 xe5+ 12.e2 xa1 13.xa1 xa1 14.xa8 is simply a pawn up for Black.) 11...xa1 12.f4!? A good practical decision but Black should be completely winning. Cao SangBauer, C Dresden 2007. ] [ 4.f4 Is another critical try, with chances to transpose to an Austrian Attack. b5 ( 4...d6 would transpose to Tiger's Modern Austrian Attack. ) 5.f3 A) 5...b4 6.e2 b7 ( 6...d5!? looks fun ) 7.g3 h5 8.d3 h4 9.f1 e6 10.e2 was a strange hypermodern position. White has been playing sensibly in the centre while Black has pushed his wing pawns! However it's not so clear that B l a c k i s a c t u a l l y wo r se . S m i r n o v , P Chernyshov, K Moscow 2007.; B) 5...b7 6.d3 c6 7.e3 f6 8.e5 g4 9.d2 d6 10.h3 h6 11.0-0 0-0 12.e3 b4 and Black's unorthodox opening play had at least granted him some good squares for his knights while he can try to dismantle White's mammoth centre, Neiman, E-Bauer, C France 2007. ] [ 4.f3 d6 again would be a Classical Modern which I don't think should worry Black much. ] [ 4.a4 has been played quite often, cutting o u t t h e . . . b 5 i d e a s . d6 ( 4...b6 I don't believe in this move. As a rule of thumb, I'm happy to play Hippo structures once White has played Nf3 but if White can 844
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 play a swift f4-f5 then I think it's very risky. 5.f4 b7 6.f3 e6 7.d3 e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.f5 and I would start to feel uneasy about White's position although Black's still doing ok and actually went on to win. Ivanov, AMoskvin, V Internet 2006.) 5.f3 ( 5.c4 c6 6.ge2 f6 7.g5 h6 8.h4 0-0 9.0-0 xe4! 10.xe4 d5 11.xd5 xd5 and Black had taken the upper hand Congiu, M-Bauer, C Vandoeuvre 2008.) 5...d7 6.e2 c5 ( Playing a Hippo setup with 6...b6 makes sense here as there's no f4 break.) 7.d5 gf6 8.0-0 0-0 9.a5 e8 10.f4 b5 11.axb6 xb6 12.a2 was a favourable version of a Benoni or Benko for White as he's traded his a pawn rather than his c. Black's position should be ok but after g4 13.d2 ge5 14.e3 he found his knight was in danger of being trapped and thus f6 was necessary when White had the easier game. Graf, C-Wohl, A Bad Wiessee 2009. ] [ 4.g4 is a strange looking move but was played in a high power game. That continued: b5 5.f3 b7 6.d3 d6 7.e3 d7 8.e5?! White's moves have been strange already but this coupled with 4.g4 really doesn't work c5 9.e6 A) Here 9...cxd4! would have been very strong 10.exf7+ ( 10.exd7+ xd7 and Black regains the piece.) 10...xf7 11.g5+ e8 12.e6 xh1! 13.xd8 xd8 14.xd4 xd4 15.xg6+ hxg6 16.xd4 e5 17.0-0-0 f3 and Black has consolidated his extra material.; B) 9...fxe6 10.g5 xd4 ( 10...xh1 11.xe6 c8 12.xg7+ f7 and I'm sceptical that White has anything like enough compensation for the rook.) 11.xe6 xc3+ 12.bxc3 c8 13.0-0 gf6 14.e2 d5 and apparently they agreed a draw although White looks totally lost to me. 1/2-1/2 Mamedyarov, SMinasian, A/Istanbul 2003. ] 4...b5 [ 4...d6 transposes to a normal position which will be examined in the next couple of games. Bauer has played this in the past but this time goes for a more tricky idea. That game continued 5.d2 b5 Tiger prefers playing 5... Nd7 first in his book 6.a4 b4
7.d1 a5 8.c3 f6 9.f3 bxc3 10.bxc3 0-0 11.d3 e5 deviating from Tiger's 11... c5 or 11...Nbd7. 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.c4 bd7 14.b2 e7 15.d3 d8 16.c2 b6 17.b5 h5 18.e2 e6 19.c5 g5 20.g4 h4+ 21.f2 f6 22.gxh5 xf3 23.g3 c4 gave Black good co m pe n sat io n f or t he p ie ce in a h igh ly un cle ar p o sit io n Ku rm a n n, O -B au e r, C Switzerland 2010. ] 5.d2 b7 6.d3 f6 7.h6 Sacrificing the e4 pawn is the most ambitious setup. [ 7.f3 would make sense to me. After 0-0 8.ge2 d6 The position feels a little like a Samisch Kings Indian. ] [ Generally White would prefer not to have to play 7.a3 and after d6 this is definitely a n o n c r i t i c a l li n e f o r B l a c k. I n f a c t , t h e position is the same as Dominguez PerezKramnik except with the bishop developed on g7 rather than knight on d7 which doesn't change the evaluation. ] 7...xh6 8.xh6 b4 So Black picks up the e4 pawn and W hite has to decide the best way to get compensation. 9.d5 [ 9.ce2 xe4 10.xe4 xe4 11.f3 is another way to play f or W hite with reasonable compensation as it'll take a while to develop Black's pieces and there's no way completely secure for his king. ( White can retrieve his pawn with 11.g7 f8 12.xh7 but the central pawn should be worth more than the respective h pawn. )] 9...xd5 10.exd5 xd5 11.h3! A very strong move. g2 is poisoned. e6 [ 11...xg2? cannot be recommended 12.g7! f8 13.g5 xh1 14.xh7 d5 15.xf8+ d7 16.xf7 and Black's position has collapsed. ] 12.g7?! It was important to keep the queen on h6 to control g5. [ 12.0-0 would keep White with good compensation as it's still not so easy to see how best to develop Black's forces. f6 13.c3 bxc3 14.bxc3 d6 15.fe1 d7 would probably be my pick with an intriguing battle in prospect. Black remains a pawn up but still can't quite complete his development so White has good chances to attack. ] [ 12.f4 immediately is also possible b7 845
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 12...e7 13.xd5 exd5+ 14.f1 lo o k s e x t r e m e ly d a n ge ro u s f o r B l a c k .) 13.xg6!? f6! 14.f4 xf4 15.xf4 c6 16.c3 is roughly level. ] 12...f8 13.f4 g5! Now we see why the queen should have stayed on h6. 14.xd5 xd5 15.0-0 c6 16.xh7?! This changes the position from a rough balance to a clear edge for Black. [ 16.c3 should have been preferred ] 16...xd4 17.xg6 This was presumably the reason White took on h7 but Black can safely ignore the bishop. xb2! [ O f c o u r s e n o t 17...fxg6? 18.ad1! winning the queen as d7's on. ] 18.h5 f6 so Black is still a pawn up. White's lost his centre and given open lines for Black to attack down on the kingside. It's clear that the last few moves have been a disaster for White. 19.e4 h8 20.e2 d5 21.e3 d4 22.d3 c5 Black grabs space in the centre. Look at the 'octopus' on d4! Meanwhile Bauer decides his king is safe on e8. 23.fd1 h4 24.a3 c4 25.f1 xc2 another pawn drops. W hite gets a couple checks but it's not threatening, the king can r u n t o g 7 . 26.c5 d8 27.ac1 b3 Three connected passed pawns is not a good omen for White... 28.g3 d4 29.c6+ f8 30.xa6 g7 31.b6 a8 32.xd4 xd4 33.b7 xa3 34.h3 a7 35.b5 b2 An interesting game and a success for Black although White had good compensation for the pawn before 12. Qg7?!. Nevertheless, I don't see a good way that White can exploit Black's unusual move order and it makes sense to try this as a way to confuse lower rated opponents. 0-1
825 Topalov,Veselin Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar XXIII Rapid Open rapid (5) [John Watson]
B06 2777 2742 02.08.2008
Another Pirc/Modern Defence at the very top levels! W ell, it's really a Modern, and Mamedyarov may well have kept it in that opening depending upon what Topalov did.
Still, we'll take what we can get. Topalov himself is one of the few top players to use the Pirc/Modern - See this month's game. And do you remember his classic game versus Kasparov in W ijk aan Zee 1999, one of the most brilliant of all time? If not, you should look it up! 1.d4 g6 2.f3 g7 3.e4 d6 4.c4 f6 This is a kind of hybrid Pirc/ Modern, although Black loses some opportunities without White's knight on c3 (it's easier for White to defend d4, for one thing). [ 4...c6 is a typical Modern defence option. ] [ and 4...c5 has done reasonably well over the years, with the idea 5.dxc5 ( 5.c3 ) 5...a5+ when 6.c3 xc5 . In an old game Minic-Timman, plat went 7.b3 e6 8.e3 c7 , and now 9.a3 gives White quite a de velo p me n t al lea d to com p e nsa t e f o r Black's central majority. ] 5.e2 This system used to be relatively more popular. In their old Modern Defence book, Keene and Botterill devoted 8 pages to the setup. I'll fold in some of the older theory. [ 5.c3 is a Pirc proper = 1..d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 Bc4, etc. ] 5...0-0 Maybe Black should strike back more quickly: a) [ 5...c6 is interesting, with the idea ...Bg4: 6.e5!? ( 6.h3 d5!? 7.exd5 xd5 8.0-0 is double-edged; 6.c3 g4 7.e3 with the idea 0-0-0 may keep an edge, in part because xe4 8.xf7+ xf7 9.xe4 seems to favour White.) 6...dxe5 7.dxe5 g4 and Black is close to equality, in view of 8.b5 ( 8.f4 d4; 8.e6 xe6 9.xe6 fxe6 10.xe6 d4!? or 10...Qd7) 8...d7 9.f4 0-0 and .. .Ngxe5 is a theme, e.g., after 10.0-0?! ( A fairly random game went 10.c3 a6 11.c4 b5 12.b3 b4 13.a4 a5 14.0-0-0 e8 15.h3 b5 16.d2 xf2 17.xf2 xa4 18.c5 with ongoing complications, Vasiukov, E (2575) -Ribli, Z (2505)/W ijk aan Zee 1973) 10...gxe5 11.xe5 ( 11.xe5 d4 ) 11...xe5 12.xc6 xb2 13.xd7 xa1 with an edge. ] [ b) 5...c6 is a safe move, played more than others. Af ter 6.b3 0-0 7.0-0 ( 7.g5 was tried by Matulovic versus Botvinnik!)) 7...a5!? 8.c3 , White should have some advantage, but the whole game awaits. ] 846
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 6.0-0 e5!? A rather cooperative move, which has scored 0-5 in my database in the games between at a 2400+ level. Was Mamedyarov already out of hisbook? [ 6...c6 is a standard idea against Bc4, to play either ...d5 or ...Ne4. W hite would probably respondby 7.b3 ] [ 6...g4 is also possible, with the idea 7.e5 ( 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 c6 but White probably has some edge with his bishop pair after 9.d1 e5 10.c3 ) 7...dxe5 8.dxe5 fd7 ( 8...d5 ) 9.e6 e5 10.exf7+ h8 11.xe5!? xe5 12.xe5 f5 13.d2 h6 14.c3 h7 15.g4 with attack, JansaGaprindashvili, Goteborg 1968. ] 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.d1 e7 9.b3 The simple idea is to play Ba3, provoke ...c5, and win the d5 square. Others: [ 9.g5 h6 10.e3 ] [ 9.c3 c6 10.a4 bd7 11.b3 is also dangerous. ] 9...c5!? 10.c3 c6 11.g5 d4 12.d3 [ White is also better after 12.xd4 cxd4 13.d5 d6 ( 13...d8?? 14.f3 ) 14.c3! xd5 15.xd5 ] 12...g4 13.d5 d6 14.xd4 cxd4 15.xf6 [ 15.f3 immediately may be just as good, because c8 16.c3 xd5 17.xd5 keeps Black tied down ] 15...xf6 16.f3 c8 17.c3 dxc3 [ Or 17...g7 18.cxd4 exd4 19.f4 with the idea e5. ] 18.xf6+ xf6 19.xc3 e6 20.d6 fd8 [ 20...ac8 21.b4 effectively gains a tempo for White. ] 21.ad1 ac8 22.xd8+! [ 22.b2!? xd6 23.xd6 c5 ( 23...c6 24.d2 ) 24.xe6 fxe6 25.d2 f4! is undoubtedly better f or W hite, but it's unlikely that he can win. ] 22...xd8 23.xd8+ xd8 24.xe6 b6+ 25.f1? After maintaining the advantage so smoothly, Topalov gets careless. [ 25.h1! xe6 26.c7! and White will win a pawn for free, with very good prospects. ] 25...xe6 26.a4 There's nothing much going on now and the players shook hands. [ now 26.c7 is met by a6+ ] ½-½
826 Torhola,Simo Ahlback,B corr. [Nigel Davies]
B06
1979
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d5 Ahlback has been one of the main pioneers of this line, having used it extensively in his correspondence games. But his treatment has tended to be a bit offbeat, as we shall see.... 4.exd5 [ After 4.e5 (trying to make Black's bishop on g7'bite on granite') Black gets strong counterplay with c5 , f or example 5.e3 ( 5.f3 c6 6.b5 g4 7.e3 a6 8.h3 xf3 9.xc6+ bxc6 10.xf3 was Laine Ahlback, corr. 1983 and now e6 intending ... Ne7 looks fine for Black.) 5...c6 6.f4 h6 7.f3 g4 8.e2 f5 9.f2 xf3 10.xf3 cxd4 11.e2 f6 12.g4 e3 13.xe3 dxe3 14.exf6 xf6 Varjonen - Ahlback, corr. 1976 ] [ 4.xd5 e6 ( 4...c6 5.e3 xd4 6.xd4 xd4 7.f3 g7 seems more solid to me) 5.e3 xd4 6.xd4 xd4 7.f3 g7 8.c4 was somewhat unpleasant for Black in Haila - Ahlback, corr 1994 - W hite is playing Bf4 next move and Black dare not play ...c7-c6 because of the weakness of d6. ] 4...a6 This amazing move was Ahlback's preference for years before he had a brief flirtation with the 'normal' 4... Nf6. [ Even more recently Ahlback has veered off t h e b e a t e n t r a c k a g a i n w i t h 4...d7 can also be played, the game Ekmark Ahlback, corr. 1988 reeling on with the moves 5.a4 gf6 6.c4 b5 (obvious when you think about it!) 7.cxb5 xd5 8.c3 7f6 9.f3 0-0 10.c4 g4 11.e2 d6 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 ad8 14.a4 b4 15.e3 e5 16.dxe5 xe5 17.b3 d3+ 18.f1 d7 19.xa7 7c5 20.c2 fe8 21.e2 xb2 22.xb2 xb2 23.d1 e5 24.f4 xf3 25.xd8 xd8 26.xc5 d1+ 27.e2 xh1 28.xf3 a1 29.d5 xa4 0-1, Ekmark R. - Ahlback B., corr. 1988 ] 5.e2 [ 5.c4 b5 6.b3 b7 7.f3 f6 8.0-0 847
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xd5 9.e4 d7 10.e1 was also pleasant for W hite in, Hartung Nielsen Ahlback, Nordic Ch., Grenaa 1973 ] 5...b5 6.f3 [ Another amazingly random Ahlback game reeled on with 6.a4 b4 7.a2 a5 8.c3 a6 9.b5+ f8 10.cxb4 xd5 11.f3 axb4 12.0-0 f6 13.xa6 xa6 14.xb4 with Black a pawn down for very little in Marjamaki - Ahlback, corr. 1979 ] 6...b7 [ In an earlier game Ahlback played the eccentric 6...a7 7.a3 d7 8.f4 b6 9.ge2 b7 (Black has to work hard to get his pawn back here) 10.e5 played the horrible f6? ( 10...f6 11.f4 0-0 12.0-0 bxd5 seems more reasonable to me) 11.g3 xd5 12.xd5 xd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.0-0 (the weakness of e6 is fatal) c5 15.f4 xd4 16.f3 d7 17.ad1 c8 18.d5 f5 19.e6 f6 20.d8+ xd8 21.xd8+ f7 22.b8 (a hilarious way to win the exchange - putting it on a8 is met by Nc7) xe6 23.xa7 c4 24.b3 h6 25.xh8 1-0, Valve P. - Ahlback B., corr. 1967 ] 7.d6 This wins a pawn, but no doubt it was all part of Ahlback's cunning plan. The rest of the game is utterly incomprehensible. [ 7.ge2 looks like a good alternative ] 7...c6 8.dxc7 xc7 9.ge2 d8 10.d5 b8 11.f4 e5 12.dxe5 xe5 13.c4 xf3+ 14.gxf3 e5 15.0-0 bxc4 16.a4+ f8 17.b4+ g7 18.xe5+ xe5 19.xb7 xd5 20.c3 I would definitely prefer to have the knight on the kingside (g3). B u t t h i s i s c o r r e s p o n d e n c e c h e s s ! d2 21.ad1 g5+ 22.h1 xd1 23.xd1 f6 24.e4 h6 25.xc4 xf3+ 26.g1 e8 27.d4+ g8 28.d5 g4 29.c1 e5 30.e7+ f8 31.c6 d5 32.b4+ g7 33.xe5 xe5 34.c5 f3+ 35.h1 e4 36.c3+ g8 37.d1 a8 38.f6 g5+ 39.f3 e6 40.d7 f8 41.b4 1-0
827 Vachier Lagrave,M Iordachescu,V TCh-FRA Top 12 2014 (10.2) [Neil McDonald]
B06 2758 2594 02.06.2014
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c6 4.f3 White waits for Black to commit himself to 4... d6 before putting his bishop on e3, as he wants to avoid [ 4.e3 d5 ] 4...d6 5.e3 b6 A speciality of the Moldovan Grandmaster. He plans to disrupt W hite's normal build up with 6.Qd2 and 7. 0-0-0 by attacking the b2 pawn. It can't have come as a surprise to Vachier Lagrave, who incidentally is number 10 in the Live Chess Ratings as I write this. Has the French Grandmaster prepared a sharp line against it? 6.c1!? In Akopian-Iordachescu, European Championship 2014, which Tom Rendle has analysed in the archives, White gambitted the b2 pawn with [ 6.d2 xb2 etc. Also possible is ] [ 6.b1 though Black has achieved his aim of stopping White from castling queenside. ] 6...f6 [ This isn't the first time Iordachescu has faced this position. In an earlier game he tried 6...g4 which is a natural reply that threatens 7...Bxf3 and 8....Bxd4. However, White has a couple of interesting replies, both of which are somewhat paradoxical: Instead A) 7.d2!? the queen goes to d2 after all, as xb2?! 8.b1 a3 9.xb7 is good for W hite. If Black declines the pawn, then W hite gets to castle queenside.; B) 7.d2! I guess this was Vachier Lagrave's idea. After B1) 7...xd4? Black ends up in an uncomfortable position as W hite can sacrifice a pawn for the initiative: 8.a4 b4 9.c3! xa4 10.xd4 f6 ( The natural riposte 10...e5? loses to 11.c4! exd4 12.b3 b5 13.xd6+ ) 11.c4 A sneaky point is that the natural developing move d7 loses the bishop after 12.h3 etc.; B2) 7...f6 8.h3 c8 the bishop is lost 848
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 after 8...Be6 7.d5, while retreating to d7 deprives the black knights of a useful square. 9.f3 Back again, and White has achieved the useful move 8.h3 'for free'.; C) 7.e2?! looks feeble, and Black was doing fine after c5 Ramaswamy, A (2299)Iordachescu, V (2633)/Port Erin 2004. ] 7.d3 0-0 8.0-0 bd7 9.a4 Here we see a good point of 6.Qc1 over 6.Rb1. Because the rook is still on a1, White is able to gain space with a4-a5. c7 [ Black could block White's queenside advance with 9...a5 but instead he prefers to prepare to counterattack in the centre with e7-e5. ] 10.a5 [ Instead 10.h3 e5 11.dxe5 xe5 12.xe5 dxe5 looks about equal, though Black has to be a bit careful. For example 13.a5 d8!? ( After the routine 13...e6 White has the surprising sequence 14.c5 fd8 15.e3 when the defence of a7 causes Black some problems. That would certainly have justified the 6.Qc1 move.) 14.g5 e8 when the white bishop isn't that great on g5. ] 10...g4?! Black decides to drive the bishop from e3 before advancing his e-pawn. Nonetheless I would prefer [ 10...e5 as in the note above, when 11.dxe5 xe5 12.xe5 dxe5 looks about equal. ] 11.g5 e5 12.d5 This advance wouldn't have been attractive for White if Black had kept his knight on f6 and played 10...e5 as after 11.d5 cxd5 12.exd5 he would be left with a fragile pawn on d5. In contrast here 12...cxd5? 13. Nxd5 would leave W hite with a knight on a strong outpost square. gf6 13.c4 a6 14.e1?! [ Instead 14.d2 is well answered by c5 attacking e4 and with ideas of Bg4. However, ] [ 14.d1 should be preferred for example cxd5 ( The white queen again emerges from hid in g ont o a goo d ce ntre square af te r 14...c5 15.e3! ) 15.xd5 and his control of d5 gives White a small edge. ] 14...b5! Iordachescu stages a well calculated break out bef ore W hite can increase th e pressure with moves like 15.Nd3 and 16.Rd1 etc. 15.dxc6
[ White could try to keep a hold on the d5 s q u a r e w i t h 15.axb6 xb6 16.a2 but after b7 17.dxc6 xc6 18.f3 d5 Black has broken out. ] 15...bxc4! [ A Grandmaster won't allow White to control the strategically vital d5 square after 15...xc6 16.d5 xd5 17.xd5 ] 16.cxd7 b7! [ As we shall see Black prefers to give up a pawn rather than make the natural recapture on d7 which hands over the d5 square after 16...xd7 17.xf6 xf6 18.d5 ] 17.xf6 xf6 18.a4 xd7 19.xc4 fc8 20.xc8+ xc8 Iordachescu has evaluated the position correctly. White won't be able to keep his extra pawn due to the weakness of a5 and Black's pressure on the queenside. 21.d3 c4 22.e3 d8 23.a1 g7 There is no need to hurry. White has no good way to hinder Black's plan of attacking a5 which is seen over the next three moves. 24.f3 c7 25.h1 d8 26.a7 Vachier Lagrave decides to force a draw by repetition. c8 [ B l a c k a g r e e s t o t h e d r a w a s 26...c8 27.d5 gives White the initiative again because of his control of d5. For example xc2 28.3b4 xb2 29.e3 when the black rook is in trouble as xa5? loses to 30.c6 ] 27.f2 d8 28.a7 c8 29.f2 d8 Perhaps this was not the most exciting game, but there were some interesting strategic mo m e n t s. B la ck h a d t o p la y wit h f la ir t o survive against his world class opponent. ½-½
828 Vajda,Levente Budnikov,Oleg World Junior Ch., (6) [Nigel Davies]
B06 2462 2331 23.09.1999
In this one W hite ra ther cooperat es wit h Black's plan of blockade by blocking in his queen's bishop with 5.f4. Black was doing OK until he took the b-pawn, probably going a bit too far in an already provocative opening. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 d5 4.e5 h5 5.f4 g7 6.f3 c6 7.e2 g4 8.e3 d7 849
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.d2 f5 10.f2 xf3 11.xf3 h5 Obtaining a position which is very much in the spirit of the Gurgenidze system. 12.g3 e6 13.e2 b6?! This pawn hunting expedition is not a bright idea, in my view. [ 13...b5 is more in the spirit of this structure when both sides have chances. ] 14.0-0 xb2 15.a4 b6 16.a5 c7 17.c4 dxc4 18.fc1 h6 19.xc4 0-0 20.c3 fd8 21.e2 White has massive pressure for his pawn and it is very difficult for Black to gain counterplay. In desperation he soon de c id e s t o give u p th e e xch a n ge t o f re e himself. e7 22.b5 b8 23.d6 f8 24.b1 xd6 25.exd6 xd6 26.xb7 g7 27.b2 d8 28.a3 f5 29.bb4 c8 30.a4 d6 31.b7 h4 32.a6 hxg3 33.hxg3 e7 34.b4 c5 35.dxc5 d3 36.b3 d8 37.c6 f5 38.c7 d6 39.g2 xa6 40.b8 d6 41.xc8 xc8 42.b8 1-0
no w B la ck t a ke s t h e a d va n t a ge . ( 7.f3 should be preferred when one line could run xe5 8.fxd4 a6 9.c3 c7 10.e2 xc5 11.0-0 h6 although Black looks to be doing fine.) 7...h6 8.d6+?! The logical continuation of the last move but White was getting carried away. f8 9.h4 g5 10.xc8 gxh4 11.xe7 gxe7 Fingerov, D (2405) -Rakhmangulov, A (2394) Odessa 2010 and Black was a piece to the good. ] [ 4.f3 can hardly be critical as again Black m u s t h a ve g a i n e d s o m e t h i n g w i t h t h e omission of ...c6. ] [ 4.xd5 looks illogical but has the stamp of approval of my Rybka. However following c6 5.c3 xd4 6.xd4 xd4 even though White can gain a temporary initiative I can h a r d l y b e l i e ve B l a c k s h o u l d h a v e a n y problems. 7.c4 ( or 7.f3 xc3+ 8.bxc3 f6 9.d3 bd7 10.a3 b6 11.0-0 a4 12.c4 d7 13.d4 e5 14.b3 c5 Kireev, V-Sakhabeev, R (2384) ICCF email 2009 and Black was fine.) 7...xc3+ 8.bxc3 829 B06 f6 9.f3 b6 10.a4 a6 11.d3 0-0 12.g5 e8 13.e2 fd7 14.f4 c5 Van Haastert,Edwin 2419 15.xa6 bxa6 Meurs, T (2201) -Haast, M Martens,Martin 2431 (2194) Amersfoort 2010 and Black TCh-NED Netherlands NED (6.5) 12.02.2011 eventually exploited W hite's crippled [Gawain Jones] queenside. ] 1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d5!? This hasn't 4...f6 [ 4...a6 is examined by Nigel Davies in b e e n lo o k e d a t o n C h e ssP u b lish in g t h i s Torhola, S-Ahlback B corr. 1979 - check millennium so I decided to take a look:) Whilst the archives. ] preparing for Kjetil Stokke I noticed he'd tried this a couple of times recently. On the surface 5.c4 [ 5.f3 giving back the pawn shouldn't I thought there would be an easy way for a trouble Black. A high rated recent encounter risk-free advantage for White but it is in fact continued xd5 6.xd5 xd5 7.c4 not so clear. Black sacrifices a pawn and with W hite hoping to have an improved W hite can cling onto it if he wishes but he Scandinavian. However the trade of knights must cede the bishop pair which gives Black has really favoured Black. The game d e c e n t l o n g - t e r m c o m p e n s a t i o n . 4.exd5 c o n t i n u e d : d6 8.e3 c6 9.d5?! This is by far the most common and natural. T h i s c e d e s t o o m a n y s q u a r e s . ( 9.e2 [ 4.e5 is also interesting but Black can claim should be preferred although Black is fine to have gained something as he can play ... after e5 10.dxe5 b4+ 11.d2 xd2+ c5 in one go. A recent game continued: c5 12.xd2 xe5 13.xe5 xe5 14.0-0-0 ( It seems to be Black could also get away 0-0 15.he1 e6= ) 9...e5 10.c5 xf3+ with 4...h6 followed by 5...f6.) 5.dxc5 d4 11.xf3 d7 12.0-0-0?! Holding onto the 6.b5 c6 ( 6...xe5 has been played in b2 pawn but now W hite's king is far too t h e p a s t b u t f o l l o w i n g 7.f3 g4 v u l n e r a b l e . ( 12.d1 xb2 13.e2 Baci, V (2206)-Vozovic, O (2356) Pardubice should be preferred but of course Black is 2006 W hite can grab the pawn with better. ) 12...a4! Hitting a2 and threatening 8.bxd4! ) 7.g5?! An interesting try but 850
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Bg4. 13.f4 xa2 14.b5+ c6 15.d4 xd4 16.xd4 0-0 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.xc6 b8 19.d5 a5 20.he1 b4 21.e5 a1+ 0-1 Brunello, S (2507)-Skytte, R (2386) Denmark 2009. ] [ 5.b5+ is the other main option. bd7 ( 5...d7 6.c4! is the typical idea when it's much harder to regain the pawn.) 6.f3 0-0 7.0-0 b6 8.e1 Areshchenko, A (2566)Rak hm an gu lo v, A (234 3) A lu sh ta 2 00 3 bxd5 9.xd5 xd5 10.h3 c6 resembles a typical Alekhine position but White is probably a little better. ] 5...bd7 [ 5...0-0 is seen in Yudasin, L-Vydeslaver, A Beer-Sheva (Israel) 1992. ] 6.g5 This is the only way to hold onto the pawn for the long term but the bishop pair looks to give Black enough play to hold rough equality. [ 6.b3 was Nigel's suggestion in the archives. That game continued: b6 7.f3 White tries to hold onto the pawn without co n c ed in g t h e b ish o p p a ir b u t B lack is probably ok. g4 ( 7...a5 8.a4 g4 9.g3 f5 10.f3 bxd5 11.xd5 xd5 12.0-0 Manso Gil, A (2332) -Sakhabeev, R (2413) ICCF email 2007 is very similar but I would p re f e r t o t h ro w in t h e a p a wn a d va n c e myself. ) 8.g3 f5 9.f3 g4 10.g3 f5 11.f3 W hite plays to win. bxd5 12.xd5 xd5 13.0-0 0-0 14.e1 c6 15.g5 h6 16.d2 Klovans Janis (LAT)Gurevich Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine) 1970 [ G M N i g e l D a vi e s ] wh e n B l a c k s h o u l d p ro b a b l y h a ve c o n t i n u e d wit h ( 16.xd5 hxg5 17.b3 g4 is pretty messy but the bis hop pa ir give B la ck decent co unt erchances. ) 16...f6 when White has the slightly easier position but Black's position is certainly not terrible. ] [ 6.f3 b6 7.b5+ ( 7.b3 would transpose to 6. Bb3 and should be preferred.) 7...d7 8.d6 c6 9.dxe7 xe7+ 10.e2 f5 11.h4 0-0-0 and Black's lead in development gave him a great position. Toufighi, H (2501) -Aleskerov, F (2289) Baku 2010. ] [ 6.ge2 b6 7.b5+ d7 8.d3 0-0 9.0-0 fxd5 10.xd5 xd5 11.e4 c6 12.f3 e8 and Black had comfortably
equa lised . Forsa a, E (2 2 99 )-St o kk e, K (2401) Fredrikstad 2010. ] [ 6.f3 is perhaps the most sensible looking move and promises White a small s o m e t h i n g . b6 7.b3 ( 7.b5+ d7 8.xd7+ xd7 9.0-0 fxd5 10.xd5 xd5 Iodo, A (2176) -Vozovic, O (2288) Chisinau 2005 when perhaps 11.b3 0-0 12.c4 f5 13.e1 is a touch better for White but can hardly be anything serious. ) A) 7...a5 has been the most common 8.a4 ( 8.a4!? is very interesting. bxd5 9.c4 b4 10.a3 a6 11.0-0 0-0 12.h3 d7 13.e1 c5 14.xc5 xc5 15.dxc5 and White had a definite edge. Gdanski, J (2512)-Nouro, M (2344) Myyrmanni 1999. ) 8...0-0 9.0-0 bxd5 10.xd5 xd5 11.h3 h6 ( 11...c6 12.e1 f5 looks acceptable.) 12.e1 e6 13.e5 b6 14.f3 a6 15.d2 d6 16.ad1 c6 17.c4! e7 18.f4 and White managed to slowly increase his advantage. David, A (2529)-Govciyan, P (2430) Paris 2007.; B) 7...0-0 8.0-0 a5 is likely to transpose to 7...a5.; C) 7...fxd5 8.e4 0-0 9.0-0 c6 10.e1 c7 11.c3 and White must have a small edge as the knight on b6 looks rather out of place. Rudolf , A (2293)Stavrianakis, I (2243) Szombathely 2010. ] 6...b6 Playing this immediately makes sense to me as the check is nothing to fear. [ 6...0-0 is also played frequently. 7.ge2 ( 7.f3 b6 8.b3 is similar to 6.Bb3 but a5 9.a4 g4 10.f4 f5 11.xf6 exf6 12.ge2 To, N (2413) -Brustkern, J (2256) Budapest 2010 and Black's compensation for the pawn wasn't as obvious as in the game. ) 7...b6 8.xf6 exf6 9.b3 a5 10.a4 c6 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.0-0 a6 13.d2 f5 and again Black had his decent long term compensation although W hite eventually utilised his rating advantage. Saric, I (2580)-Stokke, K (2399) Pula 2010. ] 7.xf6 xf6 8.b3 a5 9.a4 0-0 10.ge2 c6 Black accepts that he will have a pawn deficit for the foreseeable future but can now put pressure on the d4 pawn and take control of some light squares. 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.0-0 a6 [ For some explanations of the previous few 851
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 moves and a couple of alternatives check Campora, D-Rocha, S Santo Antonio (Portugal) 1999 which continued 12...c7 and Black held fairly comfortably - check the archives. ] 13.e1 [ 13.e4 looks like White's last chance to try and keep the advantage. g7 ( 13...xe2 regains the pawn but 14.xe2 xd4 15.c3 e5 16.ad1 ad8 17.f4 c7 18.xd8 xd8 19.f5 gives White an edge.) 14.c3 e5 ( 14...d7!? preparing c5 and opening the b file. 15.e1 b8 16.b1 c5! 17.dxc5 c7 l o o k s l i k e r e a s o n a b l e c o m p e n s a t i o n .) 15.c5 xe2 16.xe2 exd4 17.ad1 e8 18.g4 Zdebskaja, N (2284)-Vozovic, O (2328) Alushta 2003 and W hite has regained his pawn although following b8 19.cxd4 d5 the pressure down the b file and on the d4 pawn holds equality. ] 13...g7! Useful prophylaxis. Black can now break with ...c6-c5 without having to worry about Nc3-e4. [ 13...c4 has been more common when 14.b1 ( However the unplayed 14.e4! gives W hite the better chances as xb2 15.xf6+ exf6 16.d2 gives Black p r o b l e m s w i t h t h e k n i g h t o n b 2 . c4 17.c3 d6 18.xc6 and White has a definite edge.) 14...d6 has given Black decent counterplay. ] 14.c1 e6 15.e3 The first new move but it d o e s n ' t c h a n ge t h e e va l u a t i o n f r o m t h e general consensus of good compensation for the pawn. [ 15.f4 was played in the only previous game. b8 16.ad1 d5 17.f3 b4 18.e4 xe2 19.xe2 xd4 20.xd4 xd4 and Black had regained the pawn and even scored a big upset. Chatalbashev, B (2541)-Paleologu, V (2156) Lugano 2006. ] 15...a7 Martens continues his logical plan of putting pressure on the d4 pawn. [ However 15...d5! was actually strong here. 16.xd5 ( 16.xd5 exd5 is quite similar.; 16.g3 might be better but b6 is p le a s a n t .) 16...exd5! actually favours B la c k a s W h it e wi ll s t ru ggl e t o d e f e n d against a doubling of rooks on the e file followed by ...Qb6. ] 16.ad1 d7 17.e4 Now White has a
co n cr e t e t h r e a t b u t t h i s a l l o ws B l a c k t o liquidate and regain his pawn. [ Perhaps White could have waited with 17.h3 but it's not clear how White is to make any progress without playing Ne4 as all his pieces are tied up. ] 17...xe2 18.xe2 xd4 19.c3 xd1 20.xd1 c7 21.c5 Black has at least equalised with a strong square on d5 for the knight, long term pressure down the long diagonal and play down the b file. 3...d5 is interesting and I don't see a clear cut path for W hite to prove an edge. On the downside, Black must be happy to sit patiently and wait for White to play for a win himself in certain lines. ½-½
830 Vlad,Decebal Barkhagen,Jonas Mamaia [Nigel Davies]
B06
1991
White certainly has plenty of choice, but this is not necessarily a good thing as demonstrated in this game. Vlad seemed deeply insulted by his opponent's choice of opening and probably vowed to impale him with 4.c4 and 5. f4. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 f6 3.e5 h5 4.c4 Vlad attempts to impale Black with a broad pawn centre, much in the spirit of the Four Pawns Attack in the Alekhine Defence. But it turns out that the knight is far from useless on h5. d6 5.f4 [ 5.exd6 cxd6 6.c3 g7 7.f3 c6 8.h3 0-0 9.e3 e5 10.d5 e7 made the knight on h5 look quite useful in Heggheim - Resoy, corr 1989 ] 5...h6! 6.f3 dxe5 7.dxe5 c6 8.e3 xf4! A stake through the heart. White gets punished for his over-expansion and neglect of development. 9.xf4 d4 10.d1 xf4 11.c3 f5 12.c1 c6 13.f3 d4 14.g3 xe5+ 15.f2 d4+ 16.e3 e6 17.f3 xe3+ 18.xe3 0-0-0 19.d5 g4 20.d2 ed4 21.h3 e6 22.g2 f5+ 23.f2 xd5 24.cxd5 b4 25.c4 xd5 26.f1 b6 27.c5 d4 28.f3 c4
852
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 29.xc4 xc4 30.b3 e5 0-1
831 Vlassov,Nikolai Zemtsov,Igor Moscow open Moscow, Russia (8) [Andrew Martin]
B06 2492 2296 02.03.2005
1.e4 g6 2.h4!? An acquired taste. Vlassov evidently likes this idea of disturbing Black on the kingside and thinks that he will force a c o n c e s s i o n . h5 Black stops the advance of the h4-pawn, but W hite gets a pretty good square (g5) for his knight. To dislodge that knigh t Black would have to make f u rthe r weaknesses. Naturally there are other responses by Black. [ I like 2...d5 3.exd5 f6 with an excellent Scandinavian and there's also ] [ 2...f6 3.e5 d5 4.h5 g7 with a bizarre form of the Alekhine. ] 3.f3 c6 4.c3 d5 5.g5!? Original chess and a move which stops ...Bg4 - White should keep this knight alive! h6 6.d4 g7 7.e3 b6?!N Very risky - Black gives up the centre for the b2-pawn. But this is an overreaction typical of the belligerent player who has been surprised. Black wants to land the first blow! I think I prefer either of two other options: [ 7...dxe4 dissolving the centre and creating an outpost on f5 for the Knight. 8.cxe4 f5 9.c4 0-0 10.f3 xd4! 11.0-0-0 xe3+ 12.fxe3 b6 ] [ 7...0-0 straightforward and if 8.d2 then g4! 9.0-0-0 a5 10.b1 xe3 No way Black is worse. ] 8.exd5 xb2 9.ge4 f5 10.b1 a3 11.d2 [ 11.dxc6 xe3 12.fxe3 xc6 13.c4 f5 14.b3 a5 15.g5 is pretty unclear. ] 11...0-0 12.c4 a5 [ 12...b5! i s b e t t e r : 13.b3 b4 14.e2 ( It is tempting to lock the black queen on a3, but after 14.a4 d8 15.d1 xe3 16.fxe3 cxd5 Black is OK - too many white pieces are busy with the black queen and yet none of them is capable of taking it.) 14...d8 putting pressure on the centre Black has decent play. Vlassov. ]
13.0-0 cxd5? Poor. Black must play disruptively with [ 13...b5! 14.b3 b4 15.e2 cxd5 16.c5 d8 and if 17.xb4 a6! 18.b5 Black has xc5 19.xc5 a6 20.fe1 xe3 21.fxe3 e6 with excellent counterplay based on the two bishops and the open White King. ] 14.b5 c7 15.c5 d8 16.xd5 d7 17.g5 c7 18.b3 e6 19.xf5! As Vlassov remarks, W hite's considerable advantage in development enables him to make this sacrifice. In return he gets a longlasting initiative. gxf5 [ 19...exf5?? loses immediately after 20.d5 b8 21.f4+- ] 20.g3 h7?! Out of the frying pan into the fire! Black should avoid any movement of his King unless absolutely necessary. [ 20...f6 is less easy to break down: 21.h6 e8 ( 21...xh6 22.xh6 g4 23.g5+ h7 24.xh5+ h6 25.ce2 d7 26.d1 a5 ) 22.ce2 h7 23.f4 d8 24.xh5 xh4 25.xg7 xg7 26.d5 ] 21.xh5 h8 22.e1 b6 23.e2 a5 24.c3 An almost leisurely conduct of the attack, but in view of Black's retarded development White has no need to rush. d6 25.eg3 b5 Diagram The position is ripe for tactics: 26.e7! c6 [ After 26...xe7 27.xf5 Black has no defence against Qh6. ] 27.xf8 xf8 White has got the exchange back and continues his attack a pawn up B l a c k i s f i n i s h e d . 28.f4 This knight is heading towards e5. [ Vlassov mentions 28.g5! xc3 29.c1 xd4 30.xf5! exf5 31.xf7 g7 32.c6+- ] 28...d6 29.d3 a7 30.g5 b4 31.h5+ g8 32.e5 A sacrifice on f5 is threatened, forcing Black to make the undesirable capture on e5. xe5 33.dxe5 e7 34.h6 h7 [ 34...bxc3 35.h5 f6 36.xf6++- ] 35.cxb4 xb4 36.e3 f8 37.f4 c7 38.h5 All too easy. h8 39.g3 b4 40.h6 e1+ 41.h2 xe5 42.f4 Rather an original effort! The author's at te nt io n was d ra wn to t his gam e by t h e
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xf6 White must be very careful indeed here. ] 9.xe5 f6 10.f2! Absolutely necessary. the King scurries to what he hopes will be 832 B06 safety. bd7 11.xd7 xd7 [ 11...xd7 12.e5 0-0 might be better, Vysochin,Spartak 2551 intending ...f7-f6. ] Moliboga,Vladimir 2322 4th I.Platonov Mem (4) 11.01.2006 12.e5! h5 13.e4 White suddenly has a degree of control he could have only dreamed [Andrew Martin] about five moves beforehand. Moliboga did 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 c6 not play energetically enough. 0-0 14.d6! Rare, but not as bad as its reputation I think. e8 15.g4+- f5 16.c5 fxg4 17.xd7 There are unanswered questions in the main xe5 18.e6+ h8 [ 18...xe6 19.xe6 gxh3 20.c4 h8 line after 5 Nf3. 5.h3 And so Vysochin hopes 21.xf8 xf8 22.xh3 ] to have his cake and eat it! With 5 h3 white c u t s o u t . . . B g 4 a n d p r e p a r e s t h e u su a l 19.xe5 xe5 20.e6 g5 21.g2 f6 Austrian stranglehold commencing with 6 Nf3 . 22.fxe5 xe6 23.c4 Short and very sharp. Black must react energetically or the Bishop The critical position arrives early and both sides are walking on a tightrope from move 6 on c8 will be move bound. e5! 6.dxe5 [ After 6.f3?! exd4 Black is in time. White onward. I would prefer Black after both 8... Bg4 and 8... Qg3 but maybe that's just me. cannot capture on d4 thanks to ...Qh4+ ] 6...h4+ 7.e2 dxe5 8.f3 e7 1-0 So he was improvising after all. One couldn't have expected this position before the game. B06 I don't like White's game, I have to say but 8... 833 Qe7 is not the right move. Instead, Black has Waddingham,Graham A two other options: Davies,Nigel R [ 8...g4 has been most common British Ch Southport ch70-BCF (10) 1983 A) 9.d6 d7 10.e3 ( 10.g3 xf3+ [Nigel Davies] 11.xf3 e7= ) 10...xf3+ 11.gxf3 gf6 12.d1 0-0-0 13.xa7 f8 ( 13...h5! ) In many ways the most difficult idea for Black 14.f2 xf4 ( 14...h5 ) 15.d2 h5 to meet is if White plays an early c2-c3, firmly 16.xf4 xf4+ Aveline, P-Wabant, P/ blocking my favourite diagonal. But here too France 2004; Black is not without counterplay and in this B) 9.hxg4 xh1 10.fxe5 d7 11.e6 g a m e W h i t e ' s i n d i v i d u a l p a t t e r n o f ( 11.d4 f8! 12.f2 e6 ) 11...fxe6 development left him with a very precarious 12.d6 0-0-0 13.e3 Lukov, V- position. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 Kaikamdzozov, J/ Pasardschik 1977, when [ A n o t h e r i d e a w o r t h n o t i n g i s 3...f6 again Black missed the best continuation: after which 4.d3 0-0 5.f4 can be met by xc3 14.bxc3 gf6; d5 6.e5 e4 7.d2 f5 8.exf6?! exf6 C) 9.e1 xf3+ 10.gxf3 e7 11.fxe5 etc. ] ( 11.e3 d7 12.d1 exf4 13.xf4 e5 4.d3 14.f2 f6 15.g2 h5 [ After 4.g5 I like f6 5.d2 c6 when Seps, M-Skripchenko, A/Plovdiv 2003 0-1 6.gf3 can be met by h6 7.h4 g5 8.g3 (32) ) 11...xe5 12.e3 d7 13.d2 h5 gaining the bishop pair in return for Itkis, B-Nanu, C/ Bucharest 1998 and now White's space. Barbero - Davies, Budapest f6! would have been accurate, with 1987 went 9.c4 e6 10.c2 e7 11.0-0-0 advantage to Black: 14.f2 0-0-0 ] xg3 12.hxg3 d7 13.he1 g4 14.h2 [ Whilst researching this game I have also h5 with chances for both sides. ] d i s c o v e r e d 8...g3! which also appears [ 4.f4 f6 5.e5 dxe5 6.fxe5 d5 7.f3 dangerous: 9.fxe5 b6! 10.g5 f6 11.exf6 0-0 8.c4 b6 9.b3 c5 10.dxc5 xd1+ excellent 'Chess Today' newspaper. 1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 11.xd1 6d7 12.e6 xc5 13.exf7+ h8 14.c4 c6 15.e3 e6 was promising for Black in Fossan - Davies, Gausdal 1990 ] [ After 4.f3 f6 5.d3 0-0 6.0-0 I think that an interesting and underrated treatment is c5 after which 7.h3 ( 7.dxc5 dxc5 8.e1 ) 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 c6 9.c3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.e3 e7 was about equal in Lobron - Davies, Germany 1985. ] 4...c6 5.e2 This unusual development of the knight is rather innocuous and after the exchange on e5 he may even be fighting for equality. e5 6.dxe5 xe5 7.c2 f6 8.g5 h6 9.h4 g5 10.g3 h5 11.b3 f6!? 12.a3 f4 13.xf4 gxf4 14.d4 g5 15.d2 g4!? Preventing White from castling. [ 15...xg2 16.0-0-0 gives him a dangerous initiative. ] 16.f3 h4+ 17.d1 d7 18.c2 0-0-0 19.e2?! f5! 20.xf4 de8 21.ae1 h5 22.g3 d8 23.f2 b8 24.c4 fxe4 25.fxe4 g4 26.g2 g5 27.d2 a5!? Intending to undermine the h8-a1 diagonal with ...a4 and ...a3. 28.h3 f6 29.f3 c5 30.d4 a4 31.e6 h6 32.xd7 xd7 33.d3 c4 34.b3 a6 35.b1 hf8 36.f5 d5 37.b4 g6 38.xd5 c5 39.de7 xe7! The start of a picturesque co m b in a t io n wh ich wins m ost of W hit e 's pieces. 40.xe7 f2+ 41.xf2 xe4+ 42.d1 xh1+ 43.e2 e4+ 44.f1 h1+ 45.e2 e4+ 0-1
834
B06 Williamson,Harvey 2469 Storey,Charles 2268 Sniper Challenge 29.03.2011 [Williamson, Harvey and Jones, Gawain] T h e r e h a s b e e n a h e a t e d d isc u ssi o n o n Cha rle y Sto re y's n ew bo ok 'T he Sn ipe r'. Harvey sent me the following correspondence challenge game with his notes, played in what I believe to be the critical test of the opening. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c5 HW: "These 1st 3 moves by Black are the moves that are the core of The Sniper Repertoire." I just want to point out that the position can also be
reached by 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.d4 Bg7 which I ' v e s t u d i e d m y s e l f . 4.dxc5 xc3+ I t ' s h a r d l y d e s ir a b le t o g ive u p t h e d a r k squared bishop but it appears to be Black's best chance. [ Instead 4...a5 is more common but 5.d2 xc5 6.d5! leaves Black having to play extremely accurately to survive. The only time I reached this position my opponent didn't last long. A) 6...a6 is perhaps best. A1) 7.xa6 bxa6 8.b4 c6 ( 8...c4 is better although 9.d3 xd3 10.cxd3 b8 11.c3 xc3+ 12.bxc3 leaves White for preference.) 9.f3 d6 10.0-0 f6 11.c3 is Neil's suggestion in the archives and looks very good for White.; A2) 7.f3 e6 8.c3 f8 9.xg7+ xg7 10.c3 leaves White with a small but pleasant edge.; B) 6...b6 7.b4 c6 8.b5 b7 9.f3 c6 10.c3 left White with a very comfortable edge. W ells, P (2513)Dougherty, M (2212) Hoogeveen 2005.; C) 6...d6? 7.b4 d4 ( 7...c6 8.b5! is the point.) 8.xd4 xd4 9.c7+ d7 10.xa8 That's a rook. If Black could win back the knight he would only be clearly worse but there's no way to manage it. c6 11.0-0-0 f6 12.f3 xe4 13.xd4! xd4 14.xd4 and now it's two pieces up! e5 15.b5+ e7 16.e1 f5 17.f3 c5 18.xc5 dxc5 19.b3 1-0 Jones, G (2518)-Vincenzi, M (2067) Pula 2007. ] 5.bxc3 a5 [ 5...f6 HW: "The Computers want to play this move but Bh6 seems to be a strong move." Last time this opening was featured on the site Neil looked at another game of the author's which continued A) 6.e5 is Harvey's suggestion and also s u g g e s t e d b y N e i l . e4 7.c4! with the threat of 8.Qd5. xc5 8.f3 A1) 8...c7 9.0-0 ( Harvey's idea of 9.h6!? loo ks playa ble h ere t oo .) 9...e6 10.e2 b6 11.d4 c6 12.b5 b8 13.f4 "And White had the initiative in Sadvakasov, D-Dougherty, M Philadelphia 2006." - Neil; 855
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A2) 8...a5 9.0-0 A2a) 9...c6 is Neil's suggestion so that 10.d5?! can be met with ( 10.h6 still looks powerful, e.g. xc3 11.d5 e6 12.fd1 and Black really struggles to develop and so White has gre a t c o mp e n sat io n f o r t h e p a wn . Black can try grabbing another pawn but xc2 13.h3! f5 14.g4! t o p r e v e n t B l a c k p l a yi n g . . . g 6 - g 5 t r a p p in g i n t h e b i s h o p o n h 6 . c2 15.ac1 b2 16.b1 c2 17.dc1 a4 18.b5 and White wins material. ) 10...e6; A2b) 9...xc3 10.d5 e6 11.d2 a3 12.h6! and Harvey evaluates this position as winning for White as Black can barely move.; B) I b e l i e v e t h e i m m e d i a t e 6.h6 was suggested by TopNotch on the forum.; C) 6.d3?! a5 7.d2 xc5 8.f3 d6 9.b1 bd7 and Black had the type of position he's aiming for. Roberts, D (2047)Storey, C (2292) London 2009. ] 6.d4 [ In my first game facing this line, also against Charlie, I played the sacrificial 6.d3 xc3+ 7.d2 xc5 8.b1 d6 9.b5 c7 10.a1 f6 11.c3 ( 11.h6 should probably still be played although White's compensation isn't as obvious as in the previous note.) 11...bd7 12.f4 0-0 13.e2 b6 14.0-0 any my compensation was drying up although I somehow managed to win. Jones, G (2453)-Storey, C (2217) Scarborough 2004. ] 6...f6 7.b4! I have considered this critical and the reason I haven't played this setup as Black myself. c7 [ 7...c6 HW: "In his book Storey only gives Nc6 here. He says attempting to enter a b6 gambit line here is recommended for black." Harvey gives the following: 8.xa5 xa5 9.d3 0-0 10.e2 ( 10.a3 maybe even better for white. b6 11.cxb6 c6 12.bxa7 xa7 13.c5+- ) 10...b6 11.cxb6 axb6 is the author's line. GJ - I would like to point out that Deep Rybka assesses this position as a clear extra pawn for White and I have to agree with it. Black has some
compensation due to White's pawn structure but the weak b6 pawn is also a problem while W hite 's bishop pair m ust als o b e f avourable. S uf f ice it to say I would b e extremely happy playing this position with White:) ] [ The problem is that 7...xb4 8.cxb4 xe4 regains the pawn but also repairs White's pawn structure and thus White's bishop pair gives him a very pleasant edge. ] 8.f3!? This only looks to have been played in correspondence chess. Harvey wants to keep e4 solidly defended, in preparation against Black's plan of ...b6 and ...Bb7. After examining the line this looks the most critical. [ In a more recent game I chose the more common 8.f3 c6 9.a4 e5 10.e3 ( 10.d4!? c6 11.e3 is also enough for an edge. ) 10...b6 Jones, G (2430)Gonzalez Arribas, V (2297) Calvia 2006 when I should have chosen 11.xe5 xe5 12.d4 xc5 13.xc5 bxc5 14.f3 d6 15.b1 when White's bishops promise him a sm all ed ge b ut B la ck's p osit io n is f ully playable. ] [ 8.d3 is another critical try: A) 8...c6 9.a4 ( 9.a3 allows the surprising shot xe4! although 10.e2 d5 11.f3 f6 12.h6 is still better for White. ) 9...e5 10.a3 c6 11.f3 b6 12.e3 and White holds onto his extra pawn with easy development.; B) 8...b6 9.cxb6 axb6 10.e3 a6 11.xb6 c6 12.d4 d6 was seen in Pashikian, A (2466) -Istratescu, A (2587) A n t a lya 2 0 0 4 wh e n 13.e5! looks very s t r o n g . B e l o w i s m y a n a l y s i s : c5 ( 13...xg2 14.exf6 xh1 15.0-0-0+and White's attack is too strong.; 13...dxe5 14.d8# ) 14.exf6 a4 ( 14...xb6 15.fxe7 xd3+ 16.cxd3 xd4 17.cxd4 is clearly better for W hite but Black has some drawing chances.) 15.b1! xd4 ( 15...xd3+ 16.xd3 xg2 17.d2 xh1 18.e1+- also leaves White with a decisive attack.) 16.b5 xb5 17.xb5 e4+ 18.d2 a6 19.a5 a4 20.fxe7 xa5 21.xa5 f1 22.e2 xg2 23.g1 d5 24.d8 and again Black is really suffering in the ending. ] 8...c6 9.a3 b6 HW: "Now Storey enters 856
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 his b6 line which is a common theme in the book." However Black has some alternatives: [ 9...d8 10.e3 e6 11.d3 h5 12.h4 f4 13.f2 0-0 14.e2 xe2 15.xe2 Keller, M (2210)-Hrvacic, P (1949) LSS email 2009 and Black had nothing to show for his pawn deficit. ] [ 9...0-0 10.e3 e5 11.d3 d5 12.cxd6 exd6 13.g5 h5 14.e2 e6 15.0-0 c4 16.c1 d5 17.f4 xf4 18.xf4 xf4 19.xf4 ac8 20.fe1 dxe4 21.xe4 and Black was really struggling in the ending. Ma n ae n k ov, V-Mon d ry, M (2 13 1 ) I CCF email 2009. ] [ 9...h5 10.b5 b8 11.e3 f4 12.f2 b6 13.e2 e6 14.cxb6 axb6 15.ab1 0-0 16.c4 b7 Van Leent, D (1873)-De Jesus, G (1700) Chessf riend.com 2005 again saw Black with virtually nothing for his pawn deficit. ] 10.cxb6 xb6 11.h6! HW: "White is behind in development but black will not castle. " b8 [ 11...g8 is the computer's top choice but after 12.g5 it it likely to transpose to the game. ] 12.e2 g8 13.g5 Black has a slight lead in development but his king is forced to remain in the centre while Harvey shows he can co mp le t e his d evelo pm en t wit ho u t ma n y issues. a6 14.d4! Sacrificing the extra pawn to bring all of White's pieces into the game when Black's king stuck in the centre gives him a big headache. xf1 15.xf1 xd4 16.cxd4 xd4 17.d1 e5 [ 17...b4+ 18.xb4 xb4 19.d2 d8 20.b1 xb1 21.xb1 c7 allows Black into an endgame level on material but the bishop is so much better than the knight that Black is close to lost. ] [ Black can also keep level material with 17...b6 but 18.e5 e6 19.f2 xe5 20.xa7 d8 21.h4 f5 22.d4! a n d I d o n ' t t h i n k B l a c k wi l l b e a b l e t o survive with his king in such a perilous position. ] 18.xa7 d8 19.e3 xh2 20.f2 h5?! HW "I was quite happy to see h5 here as in my analysis I had this as winning." [ Harvey considers 20...g5!? to be Black's best bet. HW: "I spent hours looking at this
move and it may lead to a draw." He gives the line 21.h1 e5 22.d4 xd4 HW : "I ran several test games here. The engines all prefer Bxd4. I thought this was the most drawish. I asked a couple of 2700 GM's and they both said Rxd4 looks best and that White is better but it maybe a draw. " Nevertheless, Black's opening can hardly be called a success. ] 21.c5 h4 22.h1 g3+ 23.g1 h8 24.f2 f4 25.a4! HW: "Here I thought I was winning for sure." h5! [ 25...h3 looks dangerous on the surface but White is in full control. Another game played o n t h e f o r u m c o n t i n u e d 26.h2 d6 ( 26...h5 27.c3 g5 28.a5 is given by Harvey when th e pa sse d a pawn is th e most important aspe ct of the position .) 27.c3 g5 28.b6 b8 29.e3 g3 30.a7 d8 31.b6 b8 was Williamson, H-TN which was aborted at this point but W hite appears to be easily winning with 32.a5 ] 26.c3 g5 27.a5?! HW "This looks good but we exchange down to an endgame that is very difficult for W hite to win. I moved too quickly, something a good correspondence player should never do." [ Instead Harvey prefers 27.e3 to which he gives two exclamation marks. HW : "I am c o n v i n c e d t h i s w i n s . B u t wi l l k e e p m y analysis private in case Charlie ever wants a rematch!" ] 27...xa5 28.xa5 xa5 29.b6 h5 30.xd8 xd8 White has won the exchange but lost his strong a pawn and so Black has decent drawing chances. However I believe White should probably be winning as he has so many pawns left. 31.a1 e6 32.a4 e7 Harvey writes that Black resigns here although I'm not sure if he did or simply overstepped the time limit. Nevertheless this game successfully illustrates the critical line against The Sniper and shows that against accurate play Black struggles to equalise. Of course that doesn't mean that the opening can't be tried as a surprise weapon, and the book might be very interesting unfortunately I don't have a copy myself. 1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A2) 17.e6 hxg5 18.exd7 xd7=; B) 15...c4 16.e4 7b6 17.f5 Yu Shaoteng B1) 17...h6! when he may be better: Annaberdiev,Meilis 18.f3 ( 18.exd6 exd6 19.h3 ae8 5th ch-Asian (6) 20.f3 c8 ) 18...e3! 19.xe3 [Andrew Martin] ( 19.exd6 exd6 20.xe3 xe4 ) 19...xe4; 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 B2) 17...dxe5? The real culprit. Black 5.f4 A dangerous move which Black must must face the wind and play the meet very accurately indeed. I have given combative 18.fxg6 hxg6 19.g3 xc3 extensive game references in the text so that 20.g4 xe4 21.3xe4 xe4 22.h4 you may get a better picture. b5 6.d3 b7 fc8 23.h7+ f8 24.xe4 d5 7.f3 b4 25.h4 f4 26.g5 f6 27.dxe5 fxg5 [ 7...d7 8.0-0 c5 looks a better choice to 28.xg5 xe5 29.xf4+ 1-0 Belkhodja, me, as recommended by Hillarp Persson. S-Dussol, P/ Montpellier 1991 ] Then 9.dxc5 ( 9.h1 c4 10.e2 b4 [ 10...d7 11.0-0 c6 12.c4 bxc3 13.bxc3 11.a4 xe4 12.xc4 gf6 13.a3 a5 ) b6 14.c4 a5 15.c5 xf3 1/2-1/2 Popov, 9...xc5 10.xc5 ( 10.a3 xc3 11.bxc3 V-Kochyev, A/St Petersburg 1997 So the xe4 ) 10...dxc5 11.e5 b6 12.e4 xe4 real truth about this variation is yet to be 13.xe4 h6 14.c4 0-0 15.c1 ad8 told the evidence suggests though, that 16.e2 f6 was the game Stefansson-Hillerp White's position is easier to play. ] Persson Gausdal 1996 with Black starting 11.c4! bxc3 12.bxc3 d7 13.b1 5b6 to develop counterplay. ] 14.g3 d5 He is getting far too fancy. Black 8.e2 f6 9.e5 [ 9.g3 bd7 10.c3 bxc3 11.bxc3 0-0 should simply castle, take the medicine and 12.b1 b8 13.0-0 c5 14.a4 c7 15.h3 hope to swallow it! [ 14...0-0! 15.0-0 f6 ] c6 16.a3 c4 17.xb8 xb8 18.c2 e6 19.d2 f8 20.c1 b7 21.b1 d5 15.0-0 a5 16.e2 c8 17.f5! Quite right! 22.e5 e8 23.e1 g7= seems less Black is f idd ling around so much that h e deserves to be punished. This thematic break dangerous to Black. ] introduces all the White pieces into the attack. 9...d5 10.f2 [ 10.d2 is an obvious option: c5 11.c4 f8 [ 17...gxf5 18.g5! ( 18.xf5 exf5 19.xf5 bxc3 12.bxc3 cxd4 13.cxd4 0-0 14.0-0 a5 a6 20.d3 xd3 21.xd3 c4 22.g5 15.b1 a7 Svidler, P-Beliavsky, A/ is also very interesting.) 18...f8 19.b5+ Dortmund 1998 and now I wouldn't like to be ( 19.h5 g8 20.b5+ bd7 21.e3 ) in Black's shoes after 16.e1! ] 19...c6 20.h5 g8 21.d3 ] 10...e6N A novelty that does not fare especially well and which leads to a passive 18.b5+ c6 19.d3 c4 20.f6! h6 p o s i t i o n . I n p a r t i c u l a r , B l a c k n o w h a s 21.xc4 dxc4 And resigns before 22 Ne4 . To quote Keene and Botterill: 'the Modern is a problems effecting the break ...c7-c5. [ 10...d7 11.0-0 0-0 ( 11...c5 12.g5 fighting defence , based on counterattack' If dxe5 13.fxe5 h6 14.xf7 xf7 15.e3+ Black times his counterplay wrongly he can g7 16.xh6+ xh6 17.f7 g8 be crushed exactly what happened here. 18.d2+ g5 19.h4 f8 20.af1 xf7 1-0 21.xf7 cxd4 22.xd4 f4 23.hxg5+ xg5 24.xf4 1-0 Minasian, A-Stryjecki, M/ Cappelle la Grande 2003) 12.c4 bxc3 13.bxc3 c5 14.b1 c7 15.g5 A) Black can consider central action: 15...dxe5 16.fxe5 h6 A1) 17.e4 cxd4 ( 17...ab8 ) 18.cxd4 ab8 19.d2; 835
B06 2516 2421 12.10.2005
858
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 836 Yudasin,Leonid Vydeslaver,Alik Beersheeva Beer-Sheva (Israel) (1) [Nigel Davies]
B06 837
1992
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 f6 5.c4 [ 5.b5+ bd7 6.f3 0-0 7.h3 b6 8.0-0 bxd5 9.xd5 xd5 gets Black's pawn back, though even here I prefer White after 10.c3 d6 11.c4 b6 12.e1 Gofshtein Vydeslaver, Beer-Sheva 1991 ] 5...0-0?! After this Black struggles to regain his pawn. [ 5...bd7 is better, as in the next game. ] 6.ge2 bd7 7.b3 b6 8.f4 a5 9.a4 [ 9.a3 a4 10.a2 f5 11.0-0 d7 12.h3 is also possible after which Black weakened himself with h5 13.e1 fe8 14.e3 h7 15.e2 h6 in order to try and get his pawn back in Renner - Kunze,Bundesliga 1991 ] 9...f5 10.0-0 h6 [ Black also had a miserable time of it in Sorkin - Segal, Nethanya 1993: 10...d7 11.h3 ad8 12.f3 h5 13.e3 c8 14.ad1 d6 15.d3 xd3 16.xd3 f5 17.f4 h4 18.e2 with Black still not much closer to regaining the pawn. ] 11.e1 d7 12.h3 g5 The pawn minus and White's threat of g2-g4 gets Black to weaken his kingside. After that Yudashin is able to de ve lo p a f ierce a tt ack. 13.h5 xh5 14.xh5 g6 15.d1 ad8 16.f4! Prising open files after which Black's king is in trouble. gxf4 17.xf4 c6 18.dxc6 xd4+ 19.h1 xc6 With h6 hanging Black has to keep some threats going. But now he has trouble with the e7 pawn. 20.g4 h5 21.g3 c4 [ 21...fe8 22.e6! fxe6 23.xg6+ would have been an attractive finale ] 22.xe7 c8 23.ae1 g7 24.1e6! c5 25.e4 f5 26.d6 xd6 27.xg6 e4 28.xg7+ h8 29.xe4 xe4 30.g5 1-0
Zakhartsov,Viacheslav V Epishin,Vladimir 54th ch Elista RUS (1) [Nigel Davies]
B06 2484 2579 30.04.2001
Moving the d-pawn forward two squares is clearly more challenging than Okrajek's d2-d3. But even so it looks comfortable for Black. 1.f3 g6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 f6 5.c3 [ Keeping open the option of a later c2-c4 does not seem to be much of a threat either. 5.e2 g7 6.0-0 0-0 7.c4 d6 8.c3 c6 intending ...Bg4 puts pressure on the d4 pawn. ] 5...d6 6.e5 g7 7.e2 0-0 8.f4 d5 9.xd5 xd5 10.0-0 c5 11.c4?! An unsound pa wn sacrif ice, but W hite is already experiencing some difficulties. [ 11.dxc5 xc5 12.d3 a5 looks more comfortable for Black, due to the fact that he has an extra central pawn. ] 11...xd4 12.xd4 cxd4 13.fe1 xe5 14.xe5 c6 15.ad1 f5 16.b3 fd8 17.f3 ac8 18.d2 g5 Making room for his bishop on g6 in case of g2-g4. 19.a4 f6 20.xc6 xc6 21.xd4 e5 22.e3 xd2 23.xd2 xc2 24.c3 f7 25.d1 h5 26.d2 c1+ 27.f2 g4 28.g3 f1 29.fxg4 xg4 30.d8 f5 31.d2 e4 32.a3 e6 33.e2 c6 34.h4 f4+ Sacrificing his extra pawn in order to drive W hite's king int o a net . 35.xh5 e8+ 36.h6 h4+ 37.g7 g4+ 38.h6 g6+ 39.h7 f7 40.f2 c6 41.d2 e4 42.d7+ e6 43.g7 xg2+ 44.g8 xh2 0-1
838 Zarnicki,Pablo McShane,Luke J IV Final, ICC INT [Andrew Martin]
B06 2535 2565 2003
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 e6!? Spassky liked all this stuff-he even used it in one of his W orld Championship Matches against Petrosian.....with decent results. Black's play is impossible to classify. It seems 859
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 heavily reliant on W hite overestimating his chances or launching a premature attack. Surely if White builds up slowly he must retain a slight edge? Or maybe 4 f4 is already too c o m m i t t a l ? ? 5.f3 e7 6.d3 b6 Flexibility above all. Black should not castle too early. 7.0-0 [ 7.e2! is more incisive from where I sit. W hite keeps the option open of castling queenside and he prepares e4-e5. Fischer's upcoming play is original but he gets a very passive game: a5?! 8.e5 a6 9.b5 xb5 10.xb5+ c6 11.d3 d5 12.a4 d7 13.b3 0-0 14.a3 e8 15.0-0 c7 16.g4 c5 17.c3 f8 18.h1 ec8 19.f5! White's play has been a model. c4 20.bxc4 dxc4 21.e4 d5 22.xd5 exd5 23.e6 f6 24.exf7+ xf7 25.e5 g7 26.g5 e4 27.fxg6 hxg6 28.g4 c7 29.e6+ h7 30.f4 1-0 Glod,P-Fischer,J/6th St Quentin Open, Elancourt FRA 2003 Compelling evidence that Black cannot simply potter around. ] 7...d7 8.f5 Zarnicki changes up a gear. It's a stron g m ove, pu tting t he qu est io n t o th e whole Black set-up. exf5 9.exf5 f6 10.g5 0-0 11.e4! Putting on the pressure. Black's move is forced. xe4 12.xe4 d5 13.xe7 xe7 14.xd5 b8 15.fxg6 hxg6 16.c3 If this is the best that Black can get then forget the whole thing! a6 17.e1 d6 18.b3 c6 19.c4 b5 20.d3 c8 21.e5 e6 22.c2 c5! McShane fights on valiantly. He must try to create some dark-squared pressure. The Bishop on g7 is the only piece t h a t W h i t e c a n n o t c o n t e s t . 23.dxc5 Zarnicki is very concerned about his structure, no doubt the legacy of incessant blitz chess at the Internet Chess Club. Keep the pawn structure tight and run the other guy's flag out as the saying goes. [ 23.f2 was interesting: cxd4 24.cxd4 fd8 25.e2! a6 ( 25...xd4 26.xd4 xd4 27.c6 ) 26.f3 bc8 27.a4 ] 23...xc5+ 24.f2 fc8 25.xg6 b4 White has to be a little careful now. 26.ab1 [ 26.xc5 xc5 27.f4 bxc3 28.bxc3 xc3 29.xe6 fxe6 30.ab1 gives an extra pawn but this ending is difficult to win. ] 26...bxc3 27.xc5 xc5 28.bxc3 xb1 29.xb1 xc3 30.e4 f6 31.d3 xa2
32.f4 a5 Whereas this ending gives no advantage in material and is a complete draw with even Black for choice! My guess is that both players were glad to end this scrappy game. Objectively, 4...e6 seems to me to be dubious-White just gets too much of the game wi t h ve r y l i t t l e p r e s s u r e b e i n g m o u n t e d against his big centre. I quite like 7 Qe2 but Zarnicki's 7 0-0 and 8 f5! seems good too. ½-½
839 Zhao Jun Liu Qingnan ch-CHN 2014 Xinghua CHN (7.5) [Tom Rendle]
B06 2608 2501 18.03.2014
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 a6 4.f4 b5 5.d3 b7 6.f3 d7 7.0-0 g7 8.e5 c5 [ 8...h6 I covered in some detail last year in Kanep-Iturrizaga. Black won that game but both sides could've handled the opening better, overall I suspect W hite is slightly better in that line. ] 9.e4 [ 9.exd6 cxd4 ( 9...exd6?! 10.e4 xe4 11.xe4 is an improved version of the game as Black can not ignore the threat on d6 now. White is clearly better after df6 12.e2 e7 13.dxc5 xe4 14.xe4 dxc5 15.e1 a7 16.a4! ) 10.e4! ( 10.e2?! was better for Black in Kulicov-Gelashvili in the archives and Black can maybe even improve on that game with c5! 11.dxe7 xe7 12.g3 0-0 and Black is already very comfortable ) A) 10...gf6! 11.dxe7 xe7 12.xf6+ xf6 13.e1 ( 13.e1!? e4 14.f5!? is worth considering if White doesn't wish to go in for the risky pawn grab) 13...e4 14.e2 f5 15.a4 0-0 is a very unclear gambit, as noted by John W atson in his annotations to the Kulicov-Gelashvili game. Critical is 16.axb5 axb5 17.xa8 xa8 18.xb5 h8 when I feel that, from a practical point of view at least, Black has enough compensation for the pawn.; B) 10...e6 11.a4 b6 12.axb5 axb5 13.xa8+ xa8 14.e2 h6 15.e5! and White had a slight advantage in Leon 860
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Hoyos, M (2528)-Machin Rivera, M (2359) San Sebastian Del Pepino 2014 ] 9...xe4 10.xe4 cxd4 11.exd6 e6?! The first new move comes from Liu Qingnan and although it works in this game I'm not convinced in it's overall soundness. [ 11...b6 is currently Black's most popular move but I think White is somewhat better h e r e , f o r e x a m p l e 12.a4 ( 12.e1!? ) 12...exd6 13.axb5 e7 14.bxa6 0-0 15.e1 and White was slightly better in Amanov, Z (2382)-Liu, E (2291) Los Angeles 2011 ] [ 11...gf6 is probably best and is covered in t h e n o t e s t o K u l i c o v- G e l a s h vi l i a n d Kanep-Iturrizaga. ] 12.e5 [ 12.a4 immediately looks good for White as well since Nh6 is now less effective A) 12...b6 is better but after 13.e5! gf6 ( 13...d3+?! 14.h1 dxc2 15.xc2 only helps White - a nice point is that after gf6 16.e3 the bishop cannot be taken due to xe3 17.xf6+ xf6 18.xd7 xd7 19.c7+ e8 20.c6+ f8 21.xa8+ g7 22.xa6 and White is easily winning) 14.xf6+ xf6 15.axb5 xe5 16.fxe5 xe5 17.d7+! e7 18.bxa6 and White has the better chances in this unusual middlegame although Black is still just about OK after f6!; B) 12...h6 13.xd4 f5 14.xf5 exf5 15.c3 and Black really doesn't have much for the pawn ( or 15.g5!? )] 12...h6 13.xd4 This allows Black to gain time against the queen and justifies Black's idea [ instead I pref er 13.a4! f5 14.e2 ( 14.g4!? could be strong as well, e.g. e3 15.xe3 dxe3 16.xd7 xd7 17.axb5 xb5 18.f3 0-0 19.xe3 xb2 20.c3 with a difficult position to assess. W hite's king is open but the pawn on d6 looks more of a strength than a weakness and W hite is constantly threatening f5. I'd rather be White! ) 14...xe5 15.fxe5 xe5 16.axb5 b6! A key move, gaining a tempo with the threat of 17...d3+ 17.d3 xd6 18.xa6 xa6 19.bxa6 0-0 20.b4! and White has a slight edge since the pawn can't be taken because of xb4? 21.a3 b8 22.xd6
xd6 23.f6+ g7 24.d7 winning an exchange and soon the game ] 13...f5 [ 13...g4!? is dangerous as well but perhaps White is a little better after 14.d3! b6+ 15.h1 gxe5 16.fxe5 xe5 17.f3 0-0 18.h6 xb2! 19.xf8 xf8 although all 3 results are definitely possible in this position. Whether White is better or not depends on if he can keep the pawn on d6 comfortably. ] 14.f2 xe5 15.fxe5 xe5 16.c3?! A very logical move from Zhao Jun, deciding to be extra safe against ...Bd4 but it's just less accurate than an immediate 16.Rd1 and the result is that the pawn on d6 becomes almost impossible to hold. [ 16.d1 0-0 17.g4! might looks risky but it's definitely the best line for W hite, for example after g7 18.d7 f5! 19.g5! c7 20.e7 it's anyone's game right now. Black h a s t o p l a y fd8 giving up the exchange, but of course he'll have excellent compensation ] 16...0-0 17.d1 c8 18.f4 [ W hite should probably try 18.d7 c4 ( 18...c7? 19.f4 xf4?! 20.xf4 leaves Black in lots of trouble since he can't take the pawn on d7 due to Nf6+ at the end ) 19.f3 although Black has no problems here after c7! and the pawn on d7 looks destined to fall at some point in the not too distant future ] 18...c4! 19.xe5 xe4 20.d4 e5 21.b6 d7 22.c5 c8 23.c7? [ 23.xc8+! xc8 24.d7 was White's best chance - in fact a draw is the most likely result after e1+! 25.f2! ( 25.xe1 xd7 26.xe5 d2 and Black's activity give him the better chances) 25...xd7 26.xd7 xa1 27.g4! h6 28.d8+ g7 29.g5 f5 30.c7 f6 31.d7+ g8 32.gxf6 xa2 and White has enough to draw the ending. ] 23...xd6?! This wins a pawn but gives White some chances to hold the rook and pawn ending [ 23...e2! was much stronger as the pawn on d6 is lost in any case and the rook is very strong as usual on the 7th rank. Black should be winning here ] 861
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 24.xd6 xc7 25.xc7 xc7 26.f1 b4 27.xa6 e2 28.f2 e1+ 29.f1 xf1+ 30.xf1 bxc3 31.bxc3 xc3 32.a5 e4 33.a4?! I don't know if the ending was holdable bef ore, but af ter this it's almost certainly lost - the rook is just very misplaced on a4, blocking his own pawn [ 33.g4! aiming to prevent ...f5 gives White some chances to hold the ending ] 33...f5 34.a7 c1+ 35.f2 c2+ 36.g3 g5 The pawns are clearly unstoppable now 37.h4 gxh4+ 38.h3 f8 39.a4 f2 40.b7 e3 41.b3 e2! [ 41...e2 42.e3 f1! and Black threatens 43...Rh1 as well as promoting the pawn ] 0-1
easily believe that Black can never survive such a position and there are many out there who do! One of the main points in showing this game is to demonstrate Black's resources, even when the W hite attack is as far advanced as this. e5 Taking on h5 is right out. 10.dxe5 [ 10.hxg6 fxg6 11.dxe5 is the first line w h i c h h a s t o b e c o n s i d e r e d : dxe5 ( 11...xe5 is almost certainly better: 12.c5!? e8 13.f4 g4 14.e2 xe2 15.gxe2 c4 ) 12.d6 b7 13.h3! ] 10...dxe5 11.g4 [ Whereas 11.hxg6 may transpose to the previous variation, there is also ] [ 11.d6! to consider: xh5 12.xc6 b8 13.xb5 It is very hard to see any compensation whatsoever for Black. ] 840 B06 11...c7 [ After 11...b4 12.a4 a5 13.b3 Zhigalko,Sergei 2490 White is dominating. The possession of the Berkes,Ferenc 2596 h and d files and the a2-g8 diagonal gives World Jr Ch - Boys U20 (8) 17.11.2005 him a huge advantage. ] [Andrew Martin] 12.hxg6 fxg6 [ 12...hxg6? 13.h6 is game over. ] 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 c6 The older move. W hat is wrong with it and 13.g5 h5 14.xb5! Initiating an excellent why is 4...a6 preferred almost exclusively combination. [ 14.xb5 isn't a s good : cxb5 15.d5+ these days? Perhaps the answer lies after 5 h8 16.xa8 b6 17.xb6 xb6 18.d5 Qd2 b5 6 Nf3, although I remain to be (or else Bb7) g3 19.g2 xh1 20.xh1 convinced that Black's chances are in any a6 21.a3 b4 22.d6 bxa3 23.xa3 wa y in f e rio r t h e re . 5.d2 b5 6.0-0-0 b5 and Black has sufficient counterplay. ] Fearless or stupid? In my view this gives 14...cxb5 15.d5+ h8 16.xa8 b7 Black unnecessary chances. d7 7.h4 [ Stein - Bronstein, Moscow 1961 USSR ch 17.xa7 a8 18.xd7! [ 18.xb5 is also possible, but after c6! continued 7.b1 b6 8.d3 a5 9.h4 h5 19.xd7 xd7 20.b6 comes xa2 10.h3 b4 11.e2 xh3 ( 11...f6 12.f3 and not everyone would like to play the Fritz 0-0 13.h6 b3! 14.cxb3 a4 ) 12.xh3 e6 suggestion of 21.b4 now. ] 13.f3 f6 14.g5 c7 with a complicated [ 18.d5 o n l y l e a d s t o e q u a l i t y : c6 position. ] 19.e7 c7 20.d5 ] 7...gf6 Black's choice here is a question of taste. Both players seem to having a small, 18...xd7 19.b6 g3 20.h2? He had to u n wr it t e n c o n t e st a s t o wh o i s t h e m o s t make a choice for the Rook, but h2 seems like f e a r l e s s . N a t u r a l l y B l a c k h a s p l e n t y o f the worse square possible. [ Either 20.h4 c6 ( 20...f1 21.xg6 alternatives which delay ...Ng8-f8, including f8 22.f2! and the check on d2 is just a [ 7...a5 ] fatal waste of time) 21.f2 f1 22.e1! [ 7...b6 ] f8 23.f2! b4 24.xf1 bxc3 25.xc3 [ and of course 7...h5 I would choose any of xa2 26.b1 a7 27.b3 ] these moves before ...Nf6 ] [ or 20.h3 f1 21.f2 b4 22.b1 f7 8.f3 0-0 A continuation of the same risky and would have retained W hite's clear uncompromising strategy. Black's options advantage. ] were the same as before. 9.h5! White could 862
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20...f1! Suddenly Black has useful counterplay. 21.e2 xe3 22.xe3 b4 23.d2 c6? [ Fritz 9 suggests 23...c7! and if 24.b5 ( 24.b1 xa2; 24.d5 xa2! and maybe Black is suddenly better.) 24...a5 25.d6 xa2 26.d1 leads to very unclear play. I'm baffled as to why Berkes didn't play this way. ] 24.b1 [ 24.ce2! e6 25.b3 xb3 26.cxb3 is a simple variation which confirms the unevenness of this game. Perhaps the two players were getting short of time it certainly looks that way. ] 24...f8 25.d5 c4! 26.d1 c5 The game turns. White is going backwards. 27.d2 [ 27.e2 xa2 28.d7 c6 29.c7 e6 30.e1 b6 leaves the White position utterly stretched. ] 27...xa2 28.h3 d4 29.c3 bxc3 [ 29...b3! is also very strong. ] 30.bxc3 c4 31.d3 c5 32.e1 a6 33.d2 b8 34.f4 b6 35.a3 c5 0-1
[ 9.e6 is intimidating, but no more as long as Black defends correctly. fxe6 10.g5 f8 11.0-0 A) 11...f5! is a certain improvement. Black must get his Knight into the game and this is the right moment. For instance: 12.xf5 ( 12.f2 h6! 13.f3 xf3 14.xf3 xd4 15.c6+ f7; 12.e1 b4 13.a4 h6 14.h3 xe3 15.xe3 d7! ) 12...exf5 13.d5 c5! 14.dxc6 xc6 15.d5 xb2 16.b1 a3 17.d4 e5; B) 11...d7 12.f2 f5 13.e4 d5 14.d3 d6 15.e2 b6 16.c3 d7 17.e1 f6 18.c1 c8 19.b3 h6 20.f3 g4 21.c5 xf2 22.xf2 0-0 23.e5 d6 Melnikova,Y-Zielinska,M/ D r e s d e n 2 0 0 4 a n d n o w 24.g1 Timing is of critical importance in such a sh a p p o s i t i o n . H e r e B l a c k j u s t g o t i t wrong. ] 9...b6N A very logical novelty in that Black is trying to control the squares c4,d5 and f5 which have been left in the wake of the pawn on e5. I strongly prefer White's extra space and feel that it should give him a comfortable advantage. [ 9...e6 has been tried, 'a la' Azmaiparashvili. Black might be able to scrape his way to a 841 B06 playable game: 10.0-0-0 b6 11.hg1 f5 12.xf5 exf5 13.d5 c4 14.d4 Zufic,Miroslav 2370 dxe5 15.xe5 xe5 16.xe5 0-0 Nevednichy,Vladislav 2552 17.xg7 xg7 18.ge1 e8 19.xe8 XI Open A Bosnjaci CRO (2) 04.01.2005 xe8 20.xe8 xe8 21.b4 d8 22.g3 [Andrew Martin] d6?! ( 22...f6 23.d3 e7 24.d2 c6!= ) 23.b2 h6 24.b3 Antal,G-Vajda, 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 a6 L/Nagyka nizsa 2 003 It's OK f or Black I 5.f4 b5 6.f3 b7 7.d3 d7 Although suppose, just uninspiring. ] I've played Black's position myself I don't White begins the business of opening really believe it. White has strong attacking 10.a4 chances on the Kingside no matter how Black u p t h e p o s it io n f o r h is b e t t e r d e ve lo p e d juggles with the moves. Black must be alert in pieces. b4 11.e4 0-0 12.0-0 a5 13.fg5 defence and have very steady nerves if he d7 [ 13...f5 14.f2 d7 15.b5 c6 16.c4 wishes to play this line. 8.e5 h6 bxc3 17.xc3 xb5 18.axb5 e6 [ 8...e6 9.a4 b4 10.e4 b6 ( 10...xe4 another way.. I'm worried about the Bishop 11.xe4 d5 12.d3 c5 13.dxc5 c7 throttled on g7 but perhaps .... f7-f6 will 14.e2 ) 11.d2 a5 12.b5+ f8 liberate that piece . Nevertheless I am a bit 13.e2 e7 14.0-0 c6 15.xc6 xc6 surprised that Nevednichy didn't take the 16.c3 d7 17.fc1 bxc3 18.xc3 b4 chance to get his Knight off the edge. Black 19.b5 Morozevich,A-Azmaiparashvili,Z/ keeps the game very tense. ] Bugojno 1999 although Black managed an 14.b3 f6 15.f3 d5 16.d2 c6 17.g3 eventual draw. ] [ 17.ae1! fxe5 18.fxe5 f5 19.c4 dxe5 9.e2 863
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.dxe5 ad8 21.f2 leads to a very complex position. Although Black is still a little worse he is still well in the game after, say, h8 ] 17...dxe5 18.fxe5 f5?! [ 18...fxe5! 19.dxe5 ad8 20.c4 f7 21.ad1 e6 is a good way of organising Black's pieces. I an not sure that I like this idea of freezing the centre at all. Once again I am becoming worried about the fate of that Bishop on g7. ] 19.h1 b6 20.e1 e6 21.e2 f7 22.h4 h6 23.g3 g5 [ After 23...h7 24.h4 g5 It appears that B l a c k wi l l h a ve t o l o o s e n h i s k i n g s i d e anyway. The imme diate sa crif ice on f 5 doesn't seem too effective so White must settle for 25.f3 ( 25.xf5 exf5 26.xf5 g8 27.af1 c5 ) 25...c5 26.dxc5 xc5 27.ed4 with an edge due to his strong Knight. ] 24.h4 g4 25.h2 ad8 26.xg4 S o m e t h i n g l i k e t h i s h a d t o c o m e . fxg4 27.xg4 Now Black has to plan a defence. It must be said that the pawn on e6 hampers the rescue mission. So much for blocking the centre long ago. a6 [ 27...e7 28.f6 c5 ( 28...d5 29.af1 c6 30.f4 f5 31.xf5 exf5 32.g3 xc2 33.h5 ) 29.xh6 xh6 30.xh6 f5 31.g6 ] 28.g3! Heading for an ideal square. xd3 29.h5 g5 30.cxd3 e7 31.hxg5 xd4 [ 31...xd4 32.f4 hxg5 33.xg5 f5 34.xg7 xg7 35.e3+- ] 32.xf8+ xf8 33.xe6+ h7 34.f7+ h8 35.f1 h4+ 36.g1 d4+ 37.f2 a1+ 38.h2 xe5+ the fun will be shortlived. 39.f4 c5 40.f6+ h7 41.f7+ h8 42.f6 A game which confirms the Modern Defence as a masochist's paradise. Black has to put up with a lot of trench warfare, and then when his small window of opportunity comes he has to take it or get rubbed out. 1-0
842
B07
1 e4 d6 2 Nc3: Transpositions Independent Lines [John Watson] Reader Michael Ridge puts in a request: "On the 1 e4 ... ChessPub website, it would be interesting to see some coverage of a repertoire based on the line 1 e4 d6 2 Nc3!? a handy line if you play the Grand Prix Attack, and often used by Nigel Short among others, b u t r a re l y co ve re d in wo rk s o n t h e P irc / Modern, which I know technically begins after 2 d4, but the upshot is that this whole move order tends to fall through all the cracks. I have the Bangiev CD which recommends this, but it would be very interesting to see your take on this move order. Obviously I'm not asking for coverage of lines with an early ...c5 which is just a GPA by transposition, but instead what White should do if Black does not play ...c5 early on - when to transpose into an Austrian Attack or whatnot - anyway, your thoughts on this would both be very interesting and fill a sort of gap in the opening literature here, as far as I can see." [Back to jw:] I'm not sure that I can devote enough effort to single update game to fill a gap in theory, and my luck with Bangiev lines has been poor. But I notice that 2 Nc3, while not a mainstream move, has been played steadily, through the years. It's most prominent practitioner seems to be Nigel Short, but he uses it to aim f or other lines such as the Sicilian Grand Prix or a main line Austrian Attack of the Pirc. One of my bigger merged databases has 720 games with 2 Nc3 that are independent of the Pirc, Grand Prix, Closed Sicilian, and everything else represented by another ECO code. Let me try to help with some transpositional and independent lines, with the understanding that the play can head anywhere. I will stick mainly to 2500+ average ELO games to preserve my sanity. 1.e4 d6 2.c3 [ Short has also played 2.c4 f6 3.c3 , which is the equivalent of 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bc4. This position is represented by 325 games in one large database that I have. ShortC a m p o r a , M o s c o w 2 0 0 1 c o n t i n u e d c6 ( 3...g6 4.d4 g7 transposes to a normal 864
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Pirc line ) 4.b3 e5 5.f4!? g4!? ( 5...exf4 6.f3 h6!? ) 6.f3 exf4 7.d4 h5 8.0-0 e7 ( 8...g5 ) 9.h3 A) 9...xf3 10.xf3 g6 11.g4 ( or 11.xf4 ) 11...g3 12.xf7+; B) 9...e6 10.d5!? ( 10.xe6! fxe6 11.g5 xg5 12.xh5+ g6 13.g4 ) 10...cxd5 11.d4 f6 ( 11...g6 ) 12.xf4 0-0 13.exd5 ( 13.xd5 xd5 14.exd5 g6 15.f3 with two bishops and an advantage ) 13...d7 14.ce2 a6 15.c4 c5 16.c2 a5 17.g3! (as so often, the f5 square causes problems for Black) b6 18.df5 ae8 19.h2 ( 19.xe7+ xe7 20.d4! ) 19...xf5?! 20.xf5 fe4 21.f3?! ( 21.xg7! xg7 22.d4+ f6 23.xe4 and White is winning) 21...f6 22.ae1 e5 23.xe4! xe4 24.xd6 and W hite destroys black's centre while picking up a pawn. ] 2...f6 The Pirc move, which very often t ra n s p o s e s . T h e r e a re m a n y in t e r e st in g alternatives: [ a) A game in which Nigel Short experimented with 2 Nc3 went 2...e5 3.c4 ( I'd also look at 3.d4 exd4 4.xd4 c6 5.b5 with the idea d7 6.xc6 xc6 7.f3 , with the idea of developing simply, or perhaps continuing with the aggressive Bg5 and 0-0-0 ) 3...e6!? 4.b3 ( 4.xe6 fxe6 5.f3 c5! prevents d4 again, 5 d4 cxd4 6 Qxd4 Nc6 7 Qc4 is worthy of consideration) 4...c6 5.ge2 g6?! ( 5...f6 6.d4 xd4 7.xd4 exd4 8.xd4 e7 9.f4!? 0-0 10.0-0-0 is probably all right for black, but there's a little pressure on him) 6.d4! xb3 7.axb3 g7 8.d5 ( 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.d5 ce7!? ) 8...ce7 9.0-0 f6 ( 9...f5 10.d3! ) 10.d3 0-0 11.g3!? (usually a dubious move when the squares f5 and h5 are covered here W hite is anticipating a later ...f5) a6 ( for example, 11...d7 12.b4 f5 13.exf5 gxf5 14.h5 ) 12.b4 c6 13.g5! c8 ( 13...h6 14.xf6 xf6 15.fd1 cxd5 16.xd5 ) 14.dxc6 xc6 15.fd1 (W hite is in charge) h6 16.xf6 xf6 17.b5 axb5 18.xb5 c8 19.b3 b6 20.c4 h4 21.a2 xg3 22.hxg3 g7 23.g4! d8 24.a8 d7 25.g3 e7 26.b4 c8 27.xc8 xc8
28.c5 a6 29.cxd6 a4 30.c1 b6 31.b1 a2 32.g2 g8? (but things were bad anyway) 33.h1 c4 34.c3 b3 35.b1 b2 36.d2 c4 37.c1 1-0 Short-Wahls, Bundesliga 1991. ] [ b) 2...c5 opens plenty of options for White: 3.f4 transposes to a Sicilian Grand Prix Attack, but one in which Black has c o m m i t t e d t o . . . d 6 , wh e r e a s t h e m o s t frustrating and arguably best anti-Grand Prix lines delay ... d6 in favour of a setup with ... g6/...Bg7...e6/...Nge7 and, at the right time, ...d5. Instead, ( 3.f3 and 4 d4 is an Open Sicilian, except in the case of e5 when 4.c4 e7 is a playable variant of the Sicilian that goes 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 e5 4 Bc4 Be7; 3.g3 is a Closed Sicilian in which White has avoided 1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 e6, which is still considered a respectable defence )] [ c) 2...g6 can go anywhere. An interesting game with notes by Romanishin went 3.f4 ( there are quite a lot of games with 3.h4!? ) 3...g7 4.f3 c6?! 5.b5! f6 6.0-0 ( 6.e5?! dxe5 7.xe5 d7 8.xd7 xd7 9.0-0 0-0= ) 6...0-0 7.h1!? g4?! ( 7...d7 ) 8.xc6 bxc6 9.d3 c5 10.e1 d7 , and Romanishin suggests 11.f5! e6 ( 11...gxf5 12.h4 fxe4 13.dxe4 |^ ) 12.e5! dxe5 13.fxg6 hxg6 ( 13...fxg6 ) 14.g5 e8 A) 15.xf6 xf6 16.e4 e7 ( or 16...g7 17.fg5 f6 18.h4+- ) 17.xe5; B) 15.h4!? Romanishin-Nijboe omanishin-Nijboer, Groningen 1993. ] [ d) 2...c6 has been chosen by some strong players, for example, 3.f4 d5 A) 4.d3 dxe4 5.dxe4 xd1+ 6.xd1 f6 7.f2 may even be slightly better for White due his centre and excellent knight on f2. Since ...e5 tricks won't work while ... Ng4 ca n be m e t b y Nxg4 , W h it e ge t s smooth development: g6 ( 7...bd7 8.e5 d5 9.f3 ) 8.f3 g7 9.d3 ( 9.e3!? g4 10.xg4 xg4 11.0-0-0 ) 9...0-0 10.h3 fd7 11.c3 c5 12.c2 ( 12.e2!? b6 13.e3 ) 12...f5?! ( 12...b6 ) 13.e3 ba6 14.0-0-0 e6 15.exf5 gxf5 16.b1 d5 17.d4 e6 18.hg1 with much better placed pieces 865
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 an d t he th rea t o f g4 , W ah ls-Che rnin , Tastrup 1992.; B) 4.f3 g4 ( 4...dxe4 5.xe4 d7 6.d4 gf6 7.f2!? ) 5.h3 ( 5.e2 ) 5...xf3 6.xf3 e6 7.d3 b4 8.a3 a5 9.d2 ( 9.g3 ) 9...e7 10.0-0-0 0-0 11.g4 d7 with a strangely balanced position, Reinderman-M Gurevich, Zwolle NED 1996. ] 3.f4 Here just about everything has been played, e.g., [ 3.d3 (75 games, but a horrendous record in master play) ] [ 3.h3 ] [ 3.b3 and the more natural-looking ] [ 3.ge2 ] [ and 3.g3 , for example, A) 3...g6 4.g2 g7 can become a Closed Sicilian after 5.f4 ( 5.d4 0-0 6.ge2 is a Pirc ) 5...0-0 6.f3 c5 7.d3 c6 8.0-0; B) 3...c6 4.g2 bd7 5.f4 e5 6.d3 exf4!? 7.xf4 e5!? 8.e2 e7 9.f3 g4 Waitzkin-Ehlvest, New York 1994. ] 3...g6 4.c4 This is kind of weird, almost a Pirc but not quite a normal one. More conventional would be [ 4.f3 g7 5.g3 0-0 6.g2 , and c5 is the most natural move, transposing to a Closed Sicilian. White has 'prevented' a Pirc, and gotten Black to play .. . Nf6 versus the Closed Sicilian, which is usually easier to play for White than against the systems with ...e6 or ...e5 and ...Nge7. ] 4...g7 5.e5!? fd7 [ 5...dxe5 6.fxe5 g4 7.d4 ( 7.e6!? f5! ) 7...c5!? ( 7...c6 8.f3 h6 9.d5! ) 8.e6 f5 9.d5 is obscure. Then the play seems to favour White, for example, 0-0 ( 9...xe6 10.dxe6 xc3+ 11.bxc3 xd1+ 12.xd1 f2+ 13.e2 xh1 14.f3 is hopeless) 10.f3 , and already 11 d6 is threatened, so a p l a u s i b l e a c t i v e l i n e w o u l d b e a5 11.d2!? b4 12.e2 xb2! 13.b1 xc2 14.d3 xc3! 15.xc3 xc3+ 16.f1 , when it's still hard not to prefer White. ] 6.f3 [ 6.d4!? b6 7.b3 ] 6...b6 7.b3 c5!? [ 7...0-0 8.d4 c6 9.0-0 g4 10.e3
isn't clear, but perhaps White gets a little something because of his centre. ] 8.d3 c6 9.exd6 0-0 [ 9...exd6 10.e2+ e7 11.xe7+ xe7 12.d2!? and 0-0-0 looks interesting, but fine for Black. ] 10.0-0 exd6 11.a4 g4 [ 11...a5! 12.a2 f5 13.e1 d7 ] 12.a5 d7 13.a6 bxa6 14.d5 [ 14.xa6 ] 14...b6 15.h3 xf3 [ 15...e6! ] 16.xf3 f6 17.g4 ae8 18.g5 d7 19.d5 b8 20.c3 e7 21.xe7+ xe7 22.xa6 b6 Short-A Sokolov, playchess. com INT 2004 and here 23.f5! gxf5 24.g2 looks to favour White because of his bishops and pawn structure.
843 Adams,Michael Reizniece,Dana 8th Gibtelecom Masters (1) [Gawain Jones]
B07 2694 2341 26.01.2010
I was impressed with Mickey Adams' play here in Gibraltar which he eventually went on to win in the playoffs. Normally he's known to grind down his opponents but here he reminded everyone he can play aggressively too! 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.h3 c6 5.g4!? We've had this position with bishops already developed on e3 and g7 in the archives but without them developed probably favours White. This is because the bishop may not h a ve t o go t o e 3 wh ile B la ck will a lm o s t certainly play Bg7. This line is very rare and has hardly ever been reached. There are actually two plans here for White he can play aggressively with long castles and attacking on the kingside or more sedately with Bg2, Nge2-Ng3 and 0-0 when it's an accelerated fianchetto position. h5 Black attacks back immediately but this move means that any future f4-f5 will be a lot stronger as g6 is now vulnerable. [ 5...b5 6.g2 A) 6...b4 7.ce2 g7 8.e3 ( I like 8.a3 while Black cannot defend with a5 and so has to make a concession.) 8...b7 866
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.d2 a5 10.g3 h5 11.g5 fd7 12.h4 c5 13.f4 c6 14.1e2 and in this unclear position they agreed to a draw in Rodriguez-Leitao, Santos 2006; B) 6...e5 7.e3 ( 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.xd8+ xd8 9.f3 bd7 10.e3 looks like an in t e re s t in g alt e rn a t ive wh e n f 7 m igh t prove vulnerable.) 7...g7?! ( 7...bd7 immediately was required) 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.xd8+ xd8 10.0-0-0+ c7 11.f4 e8 12.f3 1-0 Rogic, D-Skoberne, J/ Zadar CRO 2005 (31) ] [ 5...e5 has been played but fails tactically to 6.dxe5 ( Instead 6.ge2 was played in 1-0 S o l l e v e l d - P e l , H o o g e v e e n 2 0 0 2 ( 6 2 )) 6...dxe5 7.xd8+ xd8 8.f3 bd7 9.g5 e8 10.c4 and Black cannot hold on to the pawn. h6 ( 10...b4 11.xf7+ e7 12.c4 h6 13.f7 h7 14.xh6 xe4 15.0-0 Also puts Black in trouble) 11.xf7 h7 12.g5 ( 12.xh6 xh6 13.g5 Is probably a simpler path to the advantage ) 12...b5 Black has to try and conf use the issue 13.e6 b4 14.e2 xe4 15.xd7+ xd7 16.xe5 xg5 17.h4 f7 18.xd7 xd7 19.e3 White's better as Black's pawns are loose and his pieces don't connect well. ] [ 5...g7 6.g2 0-0 7.ge2 e5 8.e3 b5 9.a3 b7 10.0-0 bd7 11.d2 a6 12.g3 b6?! Missing a cute tactic 13.dxe5 c4 14.exf6! xd2 15.fxg7 xf1 ( 15...xg7 16.xd2 is also good for White. The three pieces are more effective than the queen generally and here d6 is a big weakness.) 16.gxf8+ xf8 17.xf1 Again I prefer the three pieces to the queen 1-0 Vitolinsh-Hoerstmann, Porz (50) ] 6.g5 fd7 7.f4! Mickey goes for it! It actually rem ind s me of a f ew of m y game s in th e G r a n d P ri x A t t a c k . W h it e m a y n o t m a t e immediately but it's useful taking the extra space in the centre and on the kingside while the h5 pawn looks a bit stupid for Black. g7 8.f3 b5 [ 8...0-0 is a bit risky. White doesn't have to attack on the kingside straight away but can first develop his pieces. 9.e3 followed by Qd2, Bd3, 0-0-0 and f5. ] 9.g2 Adams eyes up the long diagonal. The computer reckons the position is about level
but I think it's a lot easier to play for White, it's always nicer to attack the king and play with more space. [ 9.d3 is the alternative square with ideas of pressurising g6. ] 9...b4?! I don't like this move. It's hard to put pressure on e4 and this just forces White to put another piece on the kingside to increase the offensive. 10.e2 d5 The only way to target the e4 pawn but this allows W hite a strong attack. 11.f5! Black's in trouble [ 11.e5 is a calmer way of playing which would exploit d5 and gives W hite a promising advantage but f5 is the most dynamic. ] 11...f8 [ 11...dxe4 12.h4 b6 ( 12...f8 would transpose to the note to the next move ) 13.xe4 xf5 14.xf5 gxf5 15.xf5 d5 16.f1 has similarities to the game, White can be very happy here. ] [ 11...gxf5 is initially the computer's top suggestion but after 12.exf5 White holds an extremely pleasant position. White's knights can be placed on h4 and g3 and White can castle kingside safely when the h5 pawn is doomed and an f6 or g6 break is going to wipe out the Black king. ] 12.h4 dxe4 [ 12...gxf5 13.xf5 xf5 14.exf5 How can Black ever hope for an acceptable position? I don't see how he d e ve l o p s a l l h i s p i e c e s t o r e a s o n a b l e squares. ] 13.0-0 [ 13.fxg6 also gives White a clear advantage xg6 ( 13...f5 14.g3 e6 15.e3 doesn't really help, W hite's pieces have been restrained temporarily but h5 is going to drop when Black's position is likely to collapse. White can take time out to castle queenside first if he wants too.) 14.xg6 fxg6 15.xe4 0-0 16.d3 followed by Bd2 and 0-0-0 ] 13...gxf5 [ 13...a6 14.xe4 hardly helps Black xe2 15.xe2 xd4+ 16.g2 has picked up a pawn but Black's king cannot survive bd7 17.xc6 c8 18.f6+- ] 14.xf5 xf5 15.xf5 g6 [ 15...e6 16.f2 d5 17.e3 ] 867
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.xe4 White is clearly better. Black's king is 6.f4 in trouble while White has the bishop pair and [ 6.g4 is also interesting but it doesn't seem a better pawn structure. d7 17.d3 e6 so clear after h5!? 7.g5 fd7 8.g2 c5! 18.f2 This is a disaster for Black. If that pawn and Black has a comfortable game ( 8...b5?! were back on b7 he'd have some hopes as 9.e5 a7 10.e6 fxe6 11.d3 f8 12.e4 then it would be easier to develop his f7 13.d5 and White was clearly on top in queenside and have somewhere where the Bauer, C (2637) -Fressinet, L (2698) Caen king could hope to be safe. Here, however, 2011 )] the position is already lost and against as 6...0-0 strong a player as Adams, he has no chance. [ 6...b5 doesn't seem to solve Black's e7 19.d2 a5 20.af1 opening difficulties either 7.e5 fd7 8.f3 [ White's spoilt for choice which target to go a7 ( 8...c6 9.d3 b7 10.ge2 c7 for 20.a3 would be another choice. ] 11.h4 b6 12.h5 8d7 13.hxg6 hxg6 20...f8 21.c3 a6 22.g3 h4 23.h5 14.xh8+ xh8 15.e6! was very strong in h8 24.g6 f5 25.g7 xg7 26.xg7+ d8 Hracek, Z (2610)-Konopka, M (2445 Black's king never managed to castle. 27.g2 P a rd u b i ce 1 9 9 8) 9.d3 b4 10.e4 c7 28.c4 d5 29.xd5 A very easy was pleasant for White in Goloshchapov, A victory for W hite and an interesting idea. I (2523)-Murshed, N (2435) Dhaka 2003 ] think 5...h5 was the route of Black's problems [ 6...e6 is Vigus' suggestion on the forum, which only helped White while the plan of 9... with the idea of playing Nb8-c6-e7, however b4 and 10...d5 to strive for counterplay really this looks a little slow and W hite's space backfired. advantage seems to guarantee a slight edge 1-0 after 7.f3!? c6 8.0-0-0 ] 7.f3 [ 7.f3 and a quick 0-0-0 is also possible ] 844 B07 7...b5 [ 7...e6 is probably safer but White has the Adams,Michael 2724 better chances still after 8.e5 ( 8.d3 c6 Zhukova,N 2426 9.0-0 is comfortable too) 8...d5 9.xd5 Gibraltar Open (1.3) 24.01.2012 exd5 10.d3 ( 10.d2!? ) 10...c6 11.c3 [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle] dxe5 12.fxe5 f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.0-0 f5 Petrik, T (2487) -Tkachiev, V (2664) 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 a6 Dresden 2008. ] 5.h3 this is Vigus' suggestion to meet [ 7...c6 looks odd but might be worth a Kramnik's hybrid setup of Nf6/a6 without Bg7 gamble, for example 8.e5 ( 8.d5 a7 and it certainly works well in this game! and Black can open things up with c6 or [ 5.d2 b5 6.f3 has been examined in the even Nb5!? ) 8...h5 9.f2 f6!? ] archives, including the key game Naiditsch, 8.e5 fd7 A-Kramnik, V ] [ 8...h5!? might've been worth a try, 5...g7 especially given the lack of counterplay [ 5...b5 6.e5! causes problems for Black, e. Zhukova got in the game g. fd7 ( 6...b4 7.exf6 bxc3 8.fxe7 xe7 A) 9.d3 b7 ( 9...g3 10.g1 ) 10.g4 9.bxc3 leaves White an (admittedly doubled) g3 11.g1 b4 12.xg3 bxc3 13.bxc3 pawn up ) 7.f3 b6 8.a4 Vigus ( 8.d3 c5 is unclear; g7 9.0-0-0 0-0 10.g3 wasn't so B) 9.f2 f6 10.exd6 ( 10.g4 xf4 convincing in Cornette, M (2573)-Fluvia 11.xf4 fxe5 with excellent chances for Poyatos, J (2442) Montcada i Reixac 2009) Black ) 10...xd6 11.a4! is probably better 8...b4 9.e4 f5 10.a5 d5 and now for W hite but at least Black can create 11.xd6+! ( Better than 11.c4 of Rojas some attacking chances here ] Keim, L (2453)-Peralta, F (2545) Badalona 2009 ) 11...cxd6 12.xd5 just seems to win 9.d3 b6 [ if 9...b7 then 10.e6! fxe6 11.g5 f6 a pawn ] 868
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.ce4 is awkward for Black although Bd5 keeps the position messy ] 10.e2 8d7?! this is just too slow and it gets ruthlessly punished [ perhaps 10...c6!? should be tried, although White retains good chances after 11.a3 b4 12.e4 d5 13.d2 bxa3 14.bxa3 ] 11.0-0-0 [ 11.0-0 of course this should also be good for White but Mickey can smell blood on the Kingside ] 11...e6 [ 11...b4 12.e4 d5 13.h4 c5 14.dxc5 dxe5 15.h5 exf4 16.f2 looks very strong for White ] 12.h4 b7 [ 12...h5 13.g4! hxg4 14.g5 and White's attack is crushing ] [ 12...b4 13.e4 f5 14.exf6 xf6 15.xf6+ xf6 16.h5 is clearly better for White ] 13.h5 b4 14.e4 xe4 15.xe4 d5 Zhukova tries to block up the position, but in the absence of counterplay she can't expect the Kingside to remain closed for long 16.d3 c5 17.hxg6 hxg6 [ 17...fxg6 18.dxc5 a4 19.g5 ] 18.g4 [ 18.dxc5 is also winning but Adams is doing for the direct attack a4 19.c6 ] 18...e8 [ 18...c4 traps a piece but to no avail after 19.h2 e8 20.h7+ f8 21.f5! cxd3 22.h6 xh6+ 23.xh6+ e7 24.g5+ when White regains the piece and more ] 19.h2 cxd4 20.xd4 c7 [ 20...f8 covers h7 but simply f5 is crushing ] 21.f5! the att ack crashes through exf5 22.gxf5 xe5 23.xe5 xe5 [ 23...xe5 24.h8+! xh8 25.xh8# ] 24.fxg6 f6 25.df1! a typically accurate move from Adams, bringing another piece to the attack d7 26.f5 f8 27.xe5 xe5 28.h3 a5 29.e1 d6 30.hf1! setting up a pleasing finish [ 30.e6+ of course wins as well ] 30...a4 31.e6+ xe6 32.h7+ f8 33.xf6+ with mate to follow shortly. Overall an impressive perf ormance f rom Adams,
demonstrating that 5.h3 is not to be underestimated. Black players should examine options on moves 7 and 8 otherwise this line may quickly fall out of fashion... 1-0
845 Adamson,Robby Ivanov,A Reno [John Watson]
B07
2007
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 bd7 4.f4 e5 5.f3 Martin calls this the 'Pirc/ Philidor hybrid', also known as 'the LION' . Remarkably, I see 184 games with it in my TWIC database. The whole system doesn't inspire confidence in me, and yet no real solution has been found. exd4 [ 5...e7?! 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.fxe5 g4 8.f4 ] [ 5...c6 has been suggested by Lion advocates, but may not be that great: 6.dxe5 ( 6.c4!? ) 6...dxe5 7.fxe5 g4 8.f4? ( 8.e6! fxe6 9.g5 ) 8...c5 with unclear play. ] 6.xd4! And 116 of those games reached this point. [ A recent game Alberola Mulet-Llorente Zaro, La Ro d a 2 0 0 8 re in f o rce d th e id e a t h a t 6.xd4 is harmless after g6 7.e3 g7 8.d3 0-0 9.g4? d5! 10.e5 ( 10.g5 xe4 ) 10...c5! 11.exf6 xf6 12.e2 e8 13.f2 cxd4 14.xd4 xg4 and Black soon won. ] 6...c6 For some time this has been considered the main line, but there are options. [ 6...c5!? was given some attention in the Archives: 7.e5 ( 7.e3 g6 8.e5 e6 9.a4+ d7 10.b5 g4 11.xd7+ xd7 12.xd7+ xd7 13.d2 f5! PonomariovBeliavsky, Bled SLO 1999) 7...e6 8.c4 dxe5 9.fxe5 d7 10.e3 Cosma - Ianov, Bijeljina 2001 and Davies suggests b6 11.xb6 axb6 12.d1 d7 . ] 7.e3 It's a bad sign for Black that Christian Bauer chose this line as White, since Bauer plays the Lion. But there seem to be enough resources. d5 [ 7...e7 8.g4!? ( 8.0-0-0 ) 8...d5 ( 8...c5!? 9.d2 xg4 10.0-0-0 0-0 11.g1 xe3 12.xe3 b6 gives White a nice attack 869
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 with a better game overall, but Black is a pawn up and White will have to take a little time to recover his pawn.) 9.g5 c5 10.d3 dxe4 11.xe4 xe4 12.xe4+ e7 13.xe7+ xe7 14.d4 ( 14.d4!? e8 15.f2 ) 14...xd4 15.xd4 c5 16.0-0-0 d8 17.f5! h6 18.h4 and White has a bind and some space, with a limited advantage, Shirov-Ftacnik, Senek SVK 1998. ] 8.exd5 c5 9.d3 [ A crazy line comes from 9.d2!? e7 10.d4 g4 ( 10...b6!? is safer and maybe better) 11.d1? ( 11.0-0-0! xe3! 12.e1 xd4 13.d1! xe1 14.xe1+ d8 15.e4 c5 16.dxc6 bxc6 17.xc6 b8 18.d5 gf6 19.xf7 g6 with nearequality ) 11...df6 12.h3? xe3 13.xe3 e4 14.d3 h4+ and Black won shortly, Cukuroglu-Gelashvili, Izmir TUR 2003. ] 9...e7 10.d4 xd5 [ 10...b6! is a gambit that promises equality: 11.dxc6 A) 11...bd5? 12.cxb7 ( 12.xd5 xd5 13.cxb7 xb7 14.e4+ e7 15.b5+ f8 16.xb7 xb7 17.0-0 and White has two extra pawns) 12...xb7 13.b5+ xb5 14.xb5+ d7 15.xd5 xd5 16.f2 0-0-0 17.a6+ with a winning advantage, Bauer, C -Strikovic, Calvia ESP 2005.; B) 11...0-0 12.0-0-0 bxc6 13.g1 c7 14.g3 d8?? ( 14...g4 15.e2 xe2 16.dxe2 ad8 17.d4 with some advantage ) 15.db5! xd3 16.xc7 xd1+ 17.xd1 xg1 18.xa8 xa8 19.xg1 1-0 J Polgar-Khalifman, ? 1993; C) 11...bxc6! C1) 12.e2! looks best, unpinning the e3 bishop, but Black is still okay: a6! 13.d2 fd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.xc6 ( 15.f5! ) 15...xe3 16.xe3+ xe3 17.xa6 xc2+ 18.d2 xa1 19.xa1 0-0; C2) 12.0-0-0 C2a) 12...a6! justifies Black's play: 13.d2 xf1 14.f5 ( 14.hxf1 c4! ) 14...c4 15.xe7 xe3 16.xe3 xe3 17.dxf1 xf1 18.xc6 xh2 19.xh2 0-0 20.h3 gives W hite something, but not
enough for the exchange; C2b) 12...0-0 13.g1 c7 14.g3 bd5 15.xd5 cxd5 16.b5 b6 17.xc5 xc5 18.d4 c6 19.c3 and W hite has a nice positional advantage, Sprenger-Galdunts, Cappelle la Grande FRA 2002. ] 11.xd5 cxd5 12.f5 f6 13.0-0-0 0-0 14.g4!? A little ambitious. [ 14.g3 and Bg2 is a good alternative. ] 14...xe3+?! [ Better is 14...e8 15.g5!? ( 15.xc5!? xc5 16.xd5 xf5 17.xf5 xf5 18.gxf5 e4 19.d5 c8 ) 15...xe3! 16.gxf6 xd3 17.xd3 xf6 gives Black a pawn and bishop pair for the exchange, and W hite's pawns are weak. That should be enough for equality, for example, 18.he1 d7 19.c3 g6 20.d4 d6 , winning another pawn. ] 15.xe3 b6 16.e7+ h8 17.xc8 axc8 18.g5 c6 19.d3 c4 [ 19...fe8 is slightly more flexible - the knight might go to a4. ] 20.d4 a4 21.a3 fe8 [ 21...b5 doesn't do enough: 22.he1 b4 23.b3 xa3+ 24.b1 b6 25.h4 a5 26.e7 ] 22.he1 c6 23.h4 White's pawn storm begins. g8 24.h5 b6 25.xe8+ xe8 26.xc4 dxc4 27.xb6! [ 27.xc4 is also possible, but the queen exchange is risk-free. ] 27...axb6 28.d6 h6 29.gxh6 gxh6 30.xh6 e4 31.xb6 xf4 32.xb7 h4 33.b5 No w W h i t e i s h o m e f r e e . g7 34.d2 f6 35.a4 c3+ 36.xc3 xa4 37.b4 a3+ 38.b2 h3 39.d5 e6 40.d3 xh5 41.c4 h4 42.b3 f5 43.c5 h1 44.c6 f4 45.c3 h8 46.b5 f8 47.b6 f3 48.b7 f2 49.c7 f1 50.c8+ 1-0
870
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 846 Afek,Yochanan Van der Wiel,John TH Open Dieren NED (3) [Carsten Hansen]
B07 2330 2531 20.07.2000
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 c6 5.d2 bd7 6.f4 a5 7.f3 b5 This is the natural way for Black to meet this set-up from White. However, the combination of the early ...Nbd7 and ...Qa5 doesn't seem to work so well. 8.d3 b4 9.e2 [ 9.d1 has also been tried successfully, e. g. d5 10.f2 dxe4 11.xe4 g7 ( 11...d5!? 12.c4 bxc3 13.xc3 b8 14.xd5 xd2+ 15.xd2 cxd5 is fully playable, and it seems to improve over 11...Bg7) 12.0-0 b6 Again it appears that 12...Nd5 is the correct way for Black to continue 13.a3 bxa3 14.xa3 All of a sudden it becomes clear that Black's position is anything but desirable b8 15.f5 ( Here 15.xf6+ xf6 16.xf6 xf6 17.b3 c7 18.xb8 xb8 19.c3 looks ve ry good f or W hit e) 15...xb2 16.xa7 b6 17.xf6 xf6 18.d6+! exd6 19.e3+ e6 20.xf7! and now it's all over xf7 21.xe6+ f8 22.xd6+ g8 23.c4+ d5 24.e6+ f8 25.fxg6 b7 26.c8+ e7 27.e1+ 1-0 Kogan,ARoa Alonso,S/Madrid ESP 2000 ] 9...a6 10.0-0 d5 11.e5 e4 12.e3 f5 [ 12...b6!? ] 13.a3 [ The more direct 13.exf6!? dxf6 14.e5 b6 15.xa6 xa6 16.a3 seems very unpleasant for Black ] 13...b7 14.axb4 xb4 15.c3 b6 16.b4 White wants to prevent Black from playing ... c5. The text move allows Black to put pressure on the W hite queen side with . ..a5, but it appears that Black has forgotten about two much more important things: development and king safety. a5 17.ab1 17 bxa5 Rxa5 is also playable, but simpler for Black to play against than the text. c7 18.c4 e6 An argument could also be made for 18...a4, which wastes some time, but more importantly keep the position closed. 19.bxa5 xa5 20.cxd5 exd5 21.xe4 fxe4 22.e6! Now White's attack become irresistible. b6 23.f5! d6
24.f6 a3 25.f7+ f8 26.h6+ e7 27.g5+ xe6 28.g4+ xf7 29.g5+ e8 30.e6 d7 31.xb6 c8 32.f6 e7 33.xg6 a1+ 34.f2 h4+ 1-0
847 Almasi,Zoltan Marin,Mihail 51st It Reggio Emilia ITA (2) [John Watson]
B07 2663 2556 28.12.2008
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 In this month's games, White scored 9 out of 10 points from this position! Pirc players, beware. g7 5.d2 h6 [ 5...c6 (Vigus calls this 'Plan B') 6.0-0-0 ( White has also played. 6.f3; 6.h6 and; 6.f4 ) 6...0-0 7.b1 b5 8.f3 ( 8.d3 b4 9.ce2 is a standard reorganization) 8...b4 9.ce2 a5 10.h4 h5 11.g4! bd7 ( 11...hxg4 12.xf6 exf6!? 13.h5 is very dangerous) 12.g3 hxg4 13.h5 a4? 14.h6 h8 15.e5 ( actually, 15.h7+ xh7 16.h2 wins immediately) 15...g7 (? ? a m isprin t ) 1 -0 A ro sh id ze-Drlje vic , Antalya TUR 2009. ] 6.h4 g5 7.g3 h5 This manoeuvre is the standard one: Black secures the two bishops, which he judges to be more important than the weakening of the kingside. That is pro b ab ly th e ca se , a lt h ou gh W h it e d o e s increase his lead in development. 8.0-0-0 [ Another game from this month went 8.c4 c6 9.ge2 xg3 10.hxg3 , which is better for White, for example, e5 ( 10...e6 ) 11.b5!? exd4 12.xd4 d7 13.de2 a6 14.xc6 bxc6 15.0-0-0 b8 16.f4 0-0 17.d4 e8 18.b3 a5 19.de1 gxf4 20.gxf4 and White stood well, Gomez G a rri d o -L in a r e s N a p o le s, M e rid a ME X 2008. ] 8...c6 [ There's no reason to open the h-file until forced to by 8...xg3 9.hxg3 , when c6?! 10.b5! a6 11.xc6+ bxc6 12.f4 gxf4 13.gxf4 g4 14.f3 gave White a lead in d e ve lo p m e n t a n d p o we r f u l ce n t re in C Balogh-Nyback, Budapest 2002. ] [ But 8...d7 is a reasonable alternative, 871
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 intending ...c5. ] 9.ge2 [ A last example from this month: 9.e3 d7 10.e2 xg3 11.hxg3 e5 12.dxe5 xe5 13.f4 g4 14.xg4 xg4 15.f3 xf3 16.gxf3 , and again, White has space and open lines, Alonso-Barrionuevo, Buenos Aires 2008. ] 9...d7 [ 9...e6 might run into d5. ] 10.f3 xg3 Before Bf2 can be played. 11.hxg3 e6 12.f4 Aggressive, planning e5. and perhaps a novelty. Vigus cites a game with [ 12.e3 f6 13.f4 e7!? , which clears c6 for a bishop and plans the occupation of d5 in the case of e5. The queen can go to g6. ] 12...f6 [ Now 12...e7 drops the g-pawn, although 13.fxg5 ( 13.d5!? ) 13...hxg5 14.xh8+ xh8 15.xg5 g6 isn't so terrible. ] 13.e5 dxe5 [ 13...g6? 14.exd6 cxd6 15.b5 ] 14.fxe5!? [ 14.dxe5 is logical, maintaining attack on g5 and clearing e3 for White's queen. The text allows Black to counterattack in the centre. ] 14...e7 15.e4 0-0-0 16.2c3 f5! [ or 16...f6 ] 17.exf6 xf6 18.xf6 xf6 19.e4 f5 White has a slightly better-looking position, but his g-pawns are almost as weak as Black's e-pawn, which might be liquidated anyway, freeing the bishop on d7. 20.c5 It may be best to keep this knight centralised for a while. d5 21.c4 d6 22.e3 e7 This is fine, but [ 22...e5! 23.d5 d4 also looks good enough. ] 23.g4 b8 24.e2 c8 25.d3!? [ The natural move is 25.f3 , when c6 ( or 25...b6 26.b3 b4!? ) 26.b3 a5!? is interesting. ] 25...b6 [ Or 25...c6 26.hd1 b6 ] 26.f3! g6 [ Not 26...bxc5?? 27.b3+ ] 27.b1 h4?! 28.e4 Now g3 is threatened, so Black tries to cover g6. e5 29.b3 [ On the less-than-obvious 29.dxe5 xe5
30.g3 , he8 31.gxh4 xd3 is adequate. ] 29...he8?! The position is extremely complex, and over the next few moves one feels that time trouble is a factor. 30.d5?! [ Missing 30.a5! , when Nc6+ can really be stopped unless Black tries d7 31.dxe5 ( or 31.hd1 ) 31...xe5 32.xd7! xa5 33.d5!? with a clear advantage. ( 33.c6 )] 30...xg4 31.c5 bxc5? [ Better 31...d7 32.a5 f5 ] 32.a5? [ 32.xc5 leaves White with a dominant position and strong attack. ] 32...f5 33.b3+ a8? [ 33...c8 followed by ...Nd4 gives Black a lot of play. The king gets in trouble in the corner. ] 34.d3 d4 35.b7 e2? 36.c3 a6 37.xc5 c4 There is no defence. 38.d6+ c6 39.d7 xb3 40.dxe8 xe8 41.xc4 xc4 42.xc6+ b8 43.axb3 1-0
848 Anand,Viswanathan Chernin,Alexander European Club Cup [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2770 2615 1999
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 5.f3 b5 6.g4 h6 [ Hungarian GM Alexander Chernin is one of leading experts in the Pirc. In fact, he had already played the black pieces before in this position in a game against Beliavsky in Reggio Emilia1995, which continued 6...g7 7.d2 h5 8.gxh5 A rather unusual approach. ( A more normal way is 8.g5 fd7 9.d3 b7 10.f4 b4 11.ce2 c5 12.f3 with mutual chances.) 8...xh5 9.ge2 d7 I think Black can be satisfied with the results of the opening. 10.g1 c7 11.g3 ( 11.d5 b4 12.dxc6 bxc3 13.cxd7+ xd7 14.xc3 b8 with tremendous compensation f or t he sacrif iced pawn .) 11...b7 12.0-0-0 a6 13.f4!? b4 14.xh5 ( 14.ce2 hf6 15.e5 g4 ) 14...xh5 15.e2 ( 15.b1 c5 16.d5 f6 ) 15...c5! ( 15...xh2 16.f5 ) 16.g3 h7 17.g2?! ( 17.f5 cxd4 18.xd4 e5 19.xb4 872
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xh2 ) 17...a5 18.b1 b6 19.f5 g5! 20.f2 ( 20.dxc5 a4! 21.cxd6 xb2 and it's difficult to parry ...Nc3.) 20...cxd4 21.f6!? ( 21.xd4 xd4 22.xd4 f6 ) 21...xf6 22.xd4 xd4 23.xd4 c5 with huge advantage to Black, although in the time-trouble scramble White managed to salvage a draw. ] 7.d2 g7 8.h4 h5 9.g5 fd7 10.ge2 b7 11.g3 0-0 12.f4 b4 13.d1 c5 14.d5 The moves of both sides are very natural and suggest themselves quite readily. b6 15.c4 bxc3 16.xc3 a6 17.xa6 xa6 18.e2 c8 19.f5 c7 [ The natural looking 19...e5 is bad in view of 20.xh5! gxh5 21.xh5 and Black's King is in trouble after A) 21...xc3+ 22.bxc3 xd5 trying to include the Queen in the defence 23.g6! ( 23.exd5 xf5 ) 23...f6 24.h6 and trouble follows with Rg1 and a quick mate.; B) The attempt to conjure up a counterattack also doesn't work: 21...b4 22.g6 fxg6 23.fxg6 c2+ 24.d2 c4+ 25.e2 and there are no more checks; C) 21...d7 The alternatives don't help Black either: 22.g1 g7 23.f6 exf6 24.gxf6 xf6 25.xg7+ xg7 26.g5+ h7 27.xf6 g4 28.h6+ g8 29.f2 ] 20.0-0 d7 It might look as if White is running out of ideas on how to continue the attack. But Vishy finds an excellent blow! 21.xh5! gxh5 22.xh5 b8 23.f2 e8 24.af1 e5?! Until this moment both sides have played very inventively and precisely. But this plan of transferring Knight to ...c4 qu i c k l y l e a d s t o t h e c o l l a p s e o f B l a c k ' s position. [ 24...a6! is much more to the point. Black's Queen becomes very active and the Knight is placed well on d7 for protecting the King. 25.g2 d3 ] 25.g2 c4 26.c1 d4+ 27.h1 Now it has become clear that Black's plan was wrong. The "active" Knight doesn't really attack anything while White is ready for the direct attack to roll over the Black King. g7 28.h6 xb2 Desperation, but I couldnâ []t find any real improvement:
[ 28...e5 This move doesn't help Black either in view of 29.e2! Now White wins by force: d7 30.xd4 cxd4 31.f6! e8 32.g6! with quick mate: h3+ 33.g1 fxg6 34.xg6+ xg6 35.xg6+ h8 36.h5+ g8 37.f7+ xf7 38.xf7+ h8 39.f8+ h7 40.h6+ g8 41.f8# ] 29.xb2 xb2 30.f3! Excellent! White doesnâ []t need to waste a tempo capturing that Knight. The text protects the h3-square and keeps open the possibility of both pawn advances (f5-f6 or g5-g6). Now the game is over. xc3 31.f6! e8 32.g6! Now all the white pieces (Queen and 2 Rooks) attack that lonely Black's King while all Black's pieces are far away... xf6 33.gxf7+ Mate in 2 is unavoidable, so Black resigned. Wonderful game! [ 33.gxf7+ xf7 34.g6# ] 1-0
849 Anand,Viswanathan Gurevich,Mikhail 9th Corsica Masters (KO) rapid (3.1) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2520 2699 04.11.05
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 It is rare indeed that someone is so bold to venture the Pirc against Anand. Perhaps Vishy was so surprised that he decided to deviate from the normal 3 Nf3. I don't know of any drawback to 3 f3 other then W hite must be prepared to play different types of position. If pushes, I would vote to 3...d5 now, but there are plenty of other moves. 3.f3 g6 Gurevich insists on the fianchetto. Now he has to be prepared to play a King's Indian. 4.e3 c6 5.d2 bd7 [ 5...b5 6.c3 led to a very unusual position in the following game, not necessarily bad for Black at a ll: ( 6.a4! is more critical, taking advantage of the Queen on d2: bxa4 7.c3 b7 8.d3 bd7 9.ge2 g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.xa4 e5 12.fa1 exd4 13.xd4 c5 14.db5 d5 15.exd5 b6 16.xa7 fxd5 17.xc5 e8 18.d6 h4 19.f2 xa7 20.xa7 d4 Pascot, J-Prioul, J/Bretagne 2004 This could well be a promising route for W hite.) 6...g7 7.a3 bd7 8.c2 It's hard to believe in this time-consuming 873
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 manoeuvre. Of course, White is solid. c7 9.e2 b6 10.b3 a6 11.h4 h5= 1/2-1/2 Ivanova, Y-Kariakina, M/Dagomys 2004 ] 6.c4 [ 6.h3 g7 ( 6...e5 7.f2 is another Knight wheel, this time on the other flank! White gets nowhere again: g7 8.d5 cxd5 9.exd5 0-0 10.c4 h5 11.c3 f5 12.h3 e7= ) 7.e2 e5 8.dxe5 xe5 9.f2 0-0 10.a3 I just don't get these Knight moves to the edge. White can afford one of Nh3-f2 or Na3-God knows where, but not both! d5 11.0-0-0 e6 12.exd5 xd5 13.c5 d7 14.xf8 xf8 15.d3 c3 16.de1 xa2+ 17.b1 c3+ 18.c1 b6 19.f4 d8 20.f3 a2+ 21.b1 xb2 22.xe6 xa3 0-1 De Ruiter, T-Piket, M/Netherlands 1994 Very nice! ] 6...a6!? 7.a4 This is not quite a main line King's Indian. In the Byrne system of the Samisch Variation, Black would normally have played ...Bg7 at this point, not ...Nbd7. There a2-a4 would be answered by ....a6-a5! and ... Nb8-a6-b4! Gurevich can't do this now and this is what prompts Anand to play a2-a4 himself. [ 7.c3 c7 8.c1 g7 9.h3 0-0 10.f2 e5 11.d5 c5 12.g4 h5 13.h4 b6 14.e2 d7 15.b3 c8 16.g1 e8 17.d1 gave White his usual Benoni space advantage in Pfaffel, T-Szenetra, W / Finkenstein 1998, although anyone who has played these positions as Black will tell you that the a dvantage is not at a ll easy t o increase. ] 7...a5 8.c3 e5 9.d5 c5 10.a3 g7 [ The s tra nge 10...e7!? could well be an option now, intending counterplay after .... Nf6-h5. I don't see any clear way for white to g e t t h e e d g e : 11.h6 ( 11.ge2 0-0 12.g3 h5 ) 11...h5 12.g3 b6 ] 11.ge2 0-0 12.g4 xg4! This should be a brilliant idea, which Anand surely underestimated. For the piece Black gets several pawns, a displaced White King and a connected, advancing pawn chain. 13.fxg4 [ 13.xc5 xf3-+ ] 13...xg4 [ In a rapid game one makes rapid decisions. Yet 13...fxe4! may well have been the
better capture: 14.xe4 ( 14.c2 h4+ 15.d1 f2+ 16.xf2 xf2 17.c1 e4 ) 14...xe4 15.d3 h4+ 16.d1 xg4 17.g1 h4 ] 14.xc5 He takes his chance. h4+ 15.g3 dxc5 [ After 15...h6 16.g2 dxc5 17.d1 f4 18.e2 White is holding on. ] 16.g2 [ 16.b3 might be a useful zwischenzug: h6 17.d3 ab8 18.d1 The Rook on b3 looks more impressive than the Black rook on b8. ] 16...f5 The second wave of the Black attack commences. 17.exf5 e4?! [ Why not 17...gxf5 Black has threats: A) 18.d1 e4 Now he gets the move for free. 19.h3 g5 20.h5 xh5 ( 20...f4 21.e2 d6 22.h3 ) 21.xh5 e5; B) 18.b3 e3 19.f2 g4= 20.g2 ] 18.cxe4 ae8 19.fxg6 [ 19.e2 might have been clearer: xb2 20.b3 d4 21.dxc6 bxc6 22.fxg6 hxg6 23.xg4 xg4 24.d2 ] 19...f2 20.h3 xe4+? The last mistake. [ Black should prefer 20...xf1+ 21.xf1 xe4+ 22.d1 d4+ 23.c2 hxg6 although he is still worse. ] 21.xe4 A flawed game, but not without opening interest and of course a game between two great players. Are we hunting for crumbs when we consider blitz games in a theoretical column? The jury is still out on that one. 1-0
850 Aseev,Konstantin N Korotylev,Alexey Sankt Peterburg [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2545 2415 1994
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 f6 5.d3 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.bd2 e5 8.e1 This modification of Dolmatov's system is worthy of consideration. W hite intends to strengthen the d4 square by playing Nb3, and it's important he avoids playing 7 h3 (aimed against ...Bg4) which amounts to rather a 874
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 considerable weakening of the K-side. Russian GM Konstantin Aseev is the main adherent of this set-up. h5 [ 8...d7 was played in Aseev-Hickl, Munchen 1991. The game continued: 9.b3! exd4 10.cxd4 a5 11.g5 f6 12.h6 e8 13.a4 b4 14.f1 wh e n W h it e 's su p e rio r it y in t h e c e n t r e secured him the better chances. b6 15.h3 d7 16.bd2 g7 17.g5 c8 18.c4!? xc4 19.xc4 c6 20.c1 b8 21.f4 e6 22.f1 d8 23.c3 h6 24.d2 h7 25.ce3 d5 26.e5 b6 27.c3 c8 28.b3 e7 29.ec1 c7 30.h2! g5 31.g3 ec8 32.f4 f5 33.exf6 ( 33.f3 gxf4 34.xf4 was not bad either.) 33...xf6 34.f3 g4 35.hxg4 xg4 36.e5 with a huge advantage for White due to the exposed position of Black's King. ] 9.b3! h6 10.e3 f6 11.g3! g4 12.e2 fe8 13.d5 b8 14.a4 a5 15.fd2! An important gain: the exchange of lightsquared bishop's clearly favours White. xe2 16.xe2 b6 17.c1 d7 18.b4! White has a clear edge. Black lacks ideas as to how to organize counterplay on the K-side while White has achieved a lot on the Q-side. Now Black has an unpleasant choice: either to play 18... axb4 19 cxb4 which opens the c-file and gives White a dangerous passed a-pawn (after 20 a5) or to allow W hite to play bxa5 (after Nb3) that creates a tangible weakness on a5. e7 19.cb3 hf6 20.f3 h5 21.bxa5 bxa5 22.c4 Now White wins the a5-pawn and can easily parry Black's desperate attack. f5 23.f2 hf6 24.bxa5 h5 25.c6 f7 26.d2 g5 27.c4 f4 28.a5 g4 29.a6 h6 30.a7 h7 [ 30...fxg3 doesn't help Black either: 31.xg3 xd2 32.xd2 gxf3 33.g5+ intending Qf5, with a decisive advantage. ] 31.ab1 g8 32.f1 h4 33.b7 fxg3 34.hxg3 f4!? 35.xc7 h5 36.fxg4 xg4 37.h2 hxg3 38.xg4 gxf2+ 39.xf2 g8+ 40.f1 The time trouble is over, so Black resigned. [ After 40.f1 h2 41.f3 Black has no real threats. ] 1-0
851
B07 Bacrot,Etienne 2705 Bologan,Viktor 2658 1st ACP World Rapid Cup rapid (1.3) 06.01.07 [Jonathan Rowson]
1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.xd8+ xd8 6.c4 e8 The highest level clash in this line for a while, and Black doesn't fare well. 7.g5 bd7 8.f3 d6 9.0-0-0 a6 10.a4! This seems right to methere is no need to grant Black the spacegaining ...b5. h6 11.h4 b6 [ 11...h5!? might be an improvement here. Given time Black could even continue with ... Nf8-g6 12.d5 f8? ( 12...b8!? ) 13.b6! is one to watch out for though. ] 12.d5 g5 13.xf6+ xf6 14.g3 xe4? This looks wrong in principle. If you are going to keep your king in the centre and lose a lot of time, the last thing you want to do is open the centre. [ 14...g4 looks better, but Black will have to deal with some sort of exchange sac 15.xe5 ( 15.xe5 xe5 16.xe5 xd1 17.xf7+ e7 18.xd1 hc8 19.f3 and W hite is better, with two clear pawns and some initiative for the exchange, but nonetheless this looks preferable for Black compared to the game.) 15...xd1 16.xd1 ( 16.xf7 e2! 17.xh8 xc4 18.e5 d7 19.exd6 xh8 20.dxc7 And White has a lot for the piece, but I imagine some players w o u l d p r e f e r B l a c k h e r e .) 16...f8 looks playable. ] 15.xe5 xe5 16.xe5 xf2 17.xf7 [ 17.xf7+ e7 18.hf1 xd1 19.g6+ is even stronger, because White can take the knight on d1 with check. ] 17...xd1 18.xh8 g4 19.h3 h5 20.g4 f2 21.f1 xg4 22.hxg4 xg4 23.f7 e7 24.xh6 d7 25.f7+ d6 26.f5+ xf5 27.xf5 g4 28.g5 1-0
875
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 852 Becker,Michael Van Liempt,Michael Dutch youth tournament [James Vigus]
B07
03.01.2009
PLAN C. Finally we come to Black's most radical reply to the 150 Attack: castling into it. After 4 Be3 Bg7 5 Qd2 0-0 W hite's critical move is 6 0-0-0, preventing ...e5 and ...c5 and preparing an attack with f2-f3 and an advance of the kingside pawns. This attacking setup for White, which deserves to be known as the Argentinean Attack in recognition o f the games o f Arge ntinea n players such as Pilnik and Rossetto in the mid 20th century, is formidable. However, I have explored some exciting resources for Black in the forthcoming book 'Dangerous W eapons: The Pirc and Modern'. W ithout giving too much away, it is astonishing how often Black's queenside attack overtakes the white onslaught on the kingside. Michael van Liempt kindly sent me the present game, which reminded me of an approach for Black that I have not considered in the 'Dangerous Weapons' book: van Liempt plays ...Re8 to preserve the bishop on g7. This loses a tempo and leaves Black a little cramped, but in the notes I think I have shown that White's path to an advantage is narrow - albeit quite certain. I'd also like to mention that I have learned a lot about the Argentinean Attack from discussions with Mark Nieuweboer (MNb on the ChessPublishing forum). No doubt he will find many improvements on the provisional analysis below! 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 [ Another peculiar (or just old-fashioned) move-order: instead 4.e3 g7 5.d2 0-0 allo ws W hit e t o preve nt 6 ... e5 with th e critical 6.0-0-0 , when c6 7.f3 e8?! would transpose to the note to White's 7th, below, and the correct 7... b5 is analysed in depth in 'Dangerous Weapons: The Pirc an d Mo de rn '. [n ot e f rom Jo hn W at so n : James pointed out to me that these games don't include the order 4 Be3 Bg7 5 Qd2 c6 6 Bh6 Bxh6 7 Qxh6 Qa5, when he thinks t h a t B l a c k h a s p r o b l e m s. H e sa ys ' ye t McNab and Nikolic still go into this, and are
they plannin g 8 Bd3 c5 9 d5 (the move White mysteriously never seems to play!) Nbd7 10 Nf3 c4 11 Bxc4 Qc5 and ...Qxf2+ with some sort of plan to draw the endgame? Maybe I'll go into this another time...'. ] 4...g7 5.e3 0-0 6.d2 e8?! [ I think Black should seize the opportunity to b r e a k w i t h 6...e5! There is something appealingly romantic about the move 6... Re8?!: it is as though Black were announcing that he has placed the bishop on g7 in order to checkmate the white king o n t h e qu e e n sid e , a n d t h a t t h e b is h o p must therefore be protected at all costs from being exchanged by Be3-h6. Perhaps not surprisingly I don't recommend that you incorporate it in your repertoire. White must play extremely precisely to exploit the move's slowness, however, so as an occasional weapon it has something to be said for it. It was once chosen by a world champion, and it succeeds spectacularly in the present game! ] 7.c4 [ White eyes up the f7-pawn, but this is White's first step in the wrong direction, as the bishop runs into Black's natural pawn advances. Let's venture into some territory th a t e st a blishe d t he o ry p a sse s o ve r in contemptuous silence: 7.0-0-0! A) 7...e5 8.d5! leaves Black's rook looking silly and prevents Black's key break with ...c6. The game J. Sanz-FPrada Rubin, Lugo 1957, continued thematically ( 8.dxe5 xe5 9.h4 a5!? would be a sort of maverick justification of Black's play) 8...bd7 9.g4 f8 10.h6 h8 11.h4 d7 12.ge2 b8 13.g3 b5 14.b1 a5 15.h5 b4 16.ce2 e7 17.f5! xf5 18.gxf5 b6 19.g3 c5 20.dxc6 xc6 21.b5 c5 22.a4 d5 23.h2 g7 24.xg7 xg7 25.fxg6 fxg6 26.f5+ gxf5 27.g1+ h8 28.xc5 and White soon won.; B) 7...c6 B1) 8.b1 b5 ( 8...a5 9.ge2 b5 10.c1 b4 11.3e2 bd7 12.g4 c5 13.g5 h5 14.dxc5 dxc5? 15.g3 c7 16.xh5 gxh5 17.f4 was clearly better for W hite in Pilnik, H-Sanz 876
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Aguado, J/Madrid 1951/EXT 2003 (33)) 9.ce2!? (a clever idea: ...Qa5 is prevented, while the other knight will develop on the kingside) bd7 10.h6 h8 11.h4 e5 12.h5 d5!? ( the solid 12...e7 is n o t so b a d f o r B l a c k) 13.hxg6 fxg6 14.h3 b6 15.g5 c4 16.e1 e7 and Black had managed to achieve a dynamic balance in Gipslis, A-Smyslov, V/Baku 1961/URSch (51); B2) 8.g4 b5 9.h6 h8 10.h4 a5 B2a) 11.h5 b4 12.b1 a6 ( 12...xa2?! 13.hxg6 fxg6 14.xb4 was played in J.Wieweg-P.Sundstrom, S t o c k h o l m 1 9 9 3 , w h e n a5 keeps Black in the game but just 15.a3 gives White a structural advantage ) 13.e2 ( 13.hxg6 hxg6? 14.xa6 xa6 was Masermann, HSchneider, H/corr 1963, when 15.h2 threatens Bf8! - a nasty trap which is basically the foundation of all Black's problems in the ...Re8, ...Bh8 line: it means that Black must recapture with the f-pawn, thus weakening the a2-g8 d i a g o n a l , a n d t h i s i s n e ve r r e a l l y s a t i s f a c t o r y) 13...c5 ( 13...bd7 is preferable, maintaining the Qa5's important influence on the fifth rank) 14.hxg6 ( 14.g5! ) 14...fxg6 ( this time Black might actually get away with 14...hxg6!? ) 15.a3? c6 favoured Black in Berkes, F (2230)Bali, J (2365)/Budapest 1998: W hite should be willing to sacrifice his a2pawn.; B2b) 11.b1 e6?! ( 11...b4 12.ce2 c5 13.g5!? is a common theme in this line, and slightly better for White, though the position remains v e r y c o m p l e x) 12.d5?! ( 12.g5! again looks good, though Black has some curious resources, e.g. fd7!? 13.d5 f6 14.d2 f7 15.h5 g5!? ) 12...cxd5 13.xd5 xd2 14.xd2 xd5 15.exd5 a6 16.e2 bd7 17.f4 b6 18.h5 ab8 19.h3 1/2-1/2 Belakovskaia, A (2385)-Everet, A (2290)/Bratto 199800; B3) 8.h6! h8 9.h4! is the most
direct: if White can manage to save two tempi by omitting Kb1 and g4, this is likely to speed up his attack considerably, e. g. B3a) 9...b5 10.h5 B3a1) 10...a5 is preferable in principle, keeping ...b4 as a 'threat' in reserve, but in this case the queen's lack of control of the fifth rank causes a problem, e.g. 11.hxg6 fxg6 12.e5!? ( 12.g5 e5 enables Black to stabilise his position slightly, but; 12.d3 e6 13.h3 or the immediate 12 Nh3 is f airly u n p l e a s a n t f o r B l a c k) 12...b4! 13.e4 ( 13.b1! d5 14.d3 dxe5 15.g5 threatens kingside mayhem ) 13...xa2? ( 13...xe4 14.fxe4 e6 15.a3 dxe5 16.xb4 xb4 17.axb4 a5!? is u n c l e a r) 14.xb4 d5 15.c4! a6 16.c3 a4 17.b3 b5 18.exd6 won for White in Sirotkin, V-Dubovik, Y/corr 1967/MegaCorr4/[SB 6/68 157] (39); B3a2) 10...b4 11.ce2 ( or 11.b1 e6 12.hxg6 fxg6 13.g5 bd7 14.e2 xa2 15.f4 f7 16.e5 dxe5 17.dxe5 b6 18.e6! e3+ 19.d2 xe6 , M. Askerov-G. C h u b e n k o , B a k u 2 0 0 0 , 20.h4 t h r e a t e n s N xg 6 w h y h a v e n ' t w e heard more of Askerov, who was only twelve years old when he p l a y e d t h i s g a m e ? !) 11...a5 12.hxg6 hxg6 13.b1 bd7 14.c1! (this snug defence rules out all possible counterplay against a2) a6 15.xa6 xa6 16.g4 b5 17.h2 e5?! 18.ge2 h7 19.e3 df8 20.d5 c5 21.g3 g7 22.dg1 e7 23.g5 d7 24.e2 c8 25.h4 c4 26.gh1 a5 27.h2 a4 28.xh7 xh7 29.xh7+ f8 30.f5 gxf5 31.exf5 f6 32.gxf6 xf6 33.g6 f7 34.g5 d8 35.xf6 xf6 36.xf6 xf6 37.h8+ e7 38.xa8 b3 39.xa4 1-0 was a game between two very strong Russian players, S. Solovyov-A.Potapov, Smolensk 2005. 877
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Unfortunately this is all very depressing for Black.; B3b) 9...a5!? is an attempt to improve, (i) exploiting the queen's influence on the 4th rank to discourage h4-h5 and (ii) keeping open the possibility of ... Be6 to attack a2 before the Nc3 trundles round to c1. W hite mu st n ow re act p re cise ly, b ut ca n certainly get a clear edge with 10 g4, which is why this whole ...Re8 is not adequate: B3b1) 10.h5?! xh5 11.ge2 d7 12.g4 g7 must give White some sort of compensation, but how exac tly does he pro ceed wit hou t being able to play hxg6?; B3b2) 10.ge2?! b5 11.g3 ( 11.g5 is better ) 11...b4 12.b1 B3b21) Black can counterattack a g a i n s t b 2 w i t h 12...c5! 13.e5 ( 13.dxc5 c6 14.cxd6 xa2 ) 13...fd7 14.e6 xa2 15.exd7 xd7 16.h5 c6; B3b22) 12...e5 13.h5 (W hite should take on e5 and develop his bishop to c4, with an edge) exd4 14.hxg6 fxg6 15.c4+?! e6 16.d3 bd7 17.xe6+ xe6 was good for Black in Rossetto, H-Rodriguez, R/ Buenos Aires 1959/MCD (44); B3b3) 10.g4 b5 transposes after 11 h5 or after 11 Kb1 to the note on 7 0-0-0 c6 8 g4 above.; B3b4) 10.b1! b5 11.g4! , and W hite has transpose to the edge offered by BelakovskaiaEveret' above. ] 7...c6 8.ge2 e5 9.0-0-0 [ It wasn't too late for White to change strategy, for instance with 9.d5! intending b5 10.b3 b4 11.a4 with a slight edge to White. ] 9...c7 10.h4 b5 11.b3 a5 12.a3? [ Now the pawns keep rolling. A better defensive setup was 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.a4 b4 14.b1 c5 15.c4 c6 with a balanced game. ] 12...b4 13.b1 White prefers to protect the a3-pawn with the knight rather than be left
with an isolated pawn there. a4 14.c4 [ 14.a2 b3! 15.cxb3 e6 is also hard for White to negotiate. ] 14...d5! 15.d3 [ 15.exd5 cxd5 16.b5 d7 maintains the initiative - Black would be very happy to give up the pawn on b4 to open the way to b2. ] 15...exd4 16.xd4 c5 17.xf6 xf6 18.b5 [ Or 18.exd5 d7 intending ...Rb8, targeting b2. ] 18...b6! A very elegant sacrifice. van Liempt must have been glad that he'd safeguarded his bishop with 6...Re8... 19.xe8 [ Fritz finds the defence 19.c4! d7 20.f4! . Even so, dxe4 21.d5 d8 22.xf6+ xf6 leaves Black a pawn up. ] 19...bxa3 20.xd5 e6! 21.xa8 a2 22.ec3 [ 22.d2 was White's last chance to prolong the game, though a1 23.e1 axb2 24.xa4 c4! should catch the king in the crossfire. ] 22...a1 23.d2 axb2 24.b5 d6+ 25.d5 xb5 0-1
853 Beliavsky,Alexander G Azmaiparashvili,Zurab Portoroz [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2710 2645 1997
1.f3 g6 2.e4 d6 3.d4 f6 4.d3 g7 5.0-0 0-0 6.e1 c6 7.c3 e5 8.h3 h5 9.e3 d5?! An interesting attempt from Black to solve all his problems immediately but unfortunately it meets with a very nice r e f u t a t i o n . 10.g5! This very strong move was an unpleasant surprise for Azmai who had already played this position and equalized easily after Now very interesting complications arise. [ 10.dxe5 xe5 11.xe5 xe5 12.exd5 xd5 13.e2 f4! 14.f3 xd1 15.xd1 ,Magem Badals - Azmaiparashvili, Pamplona 1996. ] 10...f6 11.exd5 fxg5 [ 11...xd5 12.a3 h8 13.e3 is clearly better for White. ] 878
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.dxc6 exd4 13.b3+ h8 14.cxb7 xb7 15.xb7 dxc3 16.xc3 xd3 17.ad1 f5 18.xc7 All these move s were forced. White has won a pawn but it may seem that open f-file gives Black sufficient compensation. However concrete variations prove that it's just a mirage. g4 [ The tempting 18...f4 doesn't help either in view of 19.e7! xh3+ 20.h2! and Black is in trouble: g4 ( The endgame after 20...f4+ 21.xf4 xf4 22.xg5 is very bad for Black.) 21.xg7 h5 22.dd7! g5+ 23.g1 gxf3 24.ge7! 25 and Black has no defence against Qe5 ] 19.hxg4 xg4 20.d7! Still all Beliavsky's homework! Only this move justifies W hite's combination begun on the 10th move, otherwise Black would play 20...Nf4 with a c r u s h i n g a t t a c k . xd7 21.xd7 ab8 22.a4 a5 23.g5! b5 [ 23...xb2 24.xb2 xb2 25.xh7 fb8 26.g4! g7 27.f6! is hopeless for Black. ] 24.e6 e8 25.b3 e5 26.ac5? A clear inaccuracy. [ The natural 26.c7 won a second pawn: f6 27.xh7+ xh7 28.xb5 h2+ 29.f1 and Black could easily resign. ] 26...f6 27.dd1 c3 28.e3 b4 29.f3 xc5 30.xc5 xc5 31.xf6 g7 32.f3 e7 33.d2 h5 34.fd3 h6 35.d4 e6 36.f3 g5 37.d6 g6 38.f2? After this inaccuracy the win becomes problematic. [ 38.h2! was correct, and if Black plays, as h e d i d i n t h e g a m e , h4 , White's King penetrates to the g4-square: 39.h3 h5 40.xg6 xg6 41.g4 a4 42.d6+ g7 43.bxa4 and White wins. ] 38...h4 39.6d5 gc6 40.xc5 xc5 41.e3 h5 42.d4 f5 43.c2 g4 44.e4 g5 45.c8 gxf3! Probably White missed this blow. After this exchange the passed h-pawn secures Black good drawing chances. 46.gxf3 [ White can't win the rook with 46.g8+ f6 47.f8+ g6 48.xf5 i n v i e w o f fxg2 49.f8 g7 and the pawn queens. ] 46...b5 47.f4+ f6 48.c6+ e7 49.f3 a4 50.c3 h3 51.g3 h5 52.h2 axb3?! Now it's Black's turn to be falter. Although this move doesn't throw away draw, Black must play very attentively now.
[ The correct 52...h4! led to an easy draw: 53.c4 axb3 54.axb3 d6 55.b4 d5 56.c5+ d6 57.f5 e6 and White can't make any progress. ] 53.xb3 h4 54.f3 e6 55.a4 f5 56.a5 g4?! An inaccuracy again. [ 56...h6 is better, when after 57.a3 a6 58.a4 g4 it's a clear draw. ] 57.f2 h6 58.f5 f6 59.f1 h4 60.f3 g4 61.g3+ f4 62.g1 e3 63.e1+ d2? Only this move is the decisive mistake. T h e f o l l o wi n g v a r i a t i o n s w e r e g i v e n b y Beliavsky: [ 63...f4? 64.a1 a6 65.f6+- ] [ 63...f2? 64.a1 xf5 65.a6 f8 66.a7 a8 67.a3! e2 68.xh3 d2 69.g4 c2 70.f5 b2 71.a6 b3 72.e6 b4 73.d6! b5 74.a1 b6 75.b1+ a6 76.c7 xa7+ 77.c6+- ] [ 63...d3! The only move! 64.f1 e2 65.f4 e3 66.a4 xf5 67.a6 f8 68.a7 a8 69.xh3 d3 70.g4 c3 71.f5 b3 72.a1 b4 73.e6 c5!! 74.d7 b6 75.b1+ c5 76.b7 h8!= ] 64.e5 d3 65.a6 xa6 66.xh3 Now Black is helpless. d4 67.e6 a8 68.g4 g8+ 69.f4 d5 70.a6 [ 70.e1 cutting Black's King off on the e-file is another winning method. ] 70...g1 71.f6 f1+ 72.g5 e5 73.g6 g1+ 74.f7 b1 75.g7 g1+ 76.f8 f5 77.f7 e1 78.g7 g1+ 79.h7 A very instructive Rook ending. 1-0
854 Beliavsky,Alexander G Bezold,Michael Portoroz [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2615 2485 1996
This game shows how precise Black's play should be in the opening. Any mistake even in a side line can quickly lead to disaster. 1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 a5 5.e5 e4 6.f3 xc3 7.d2 d5?! This continuation is known to be dubious. [ 7...f5 is the main line. ] 8.xc3 f5?! Again not the best move. [ 8...e4+?! is also not good as the Queen 879
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is clearly misplaced here: 9.f2 dxe5 10.fxe5 e6 11.f3 and White has a huge development advantage, Afek-Deketelare, Vlissingen 2000. ] [ 8...dxe5 does not solve the problems: 9.dxe5 f5 10.f3 e6 11.c4 e4+ 12.d1 with initiative ] [ 8...c5!? deserves attention, according to Alexander Beliavsky. ] 9.f3 dxe5 [ 9...e4+ is in White's favour: 10.d1 g4 11.d3 xf3+ 12.c1 d5 13.gxf3 xf3 14.f1 h5 15.b3 b6 16.d5 and Black is in trouble. ] 10.c4! A very strong and well calculated move. White launches a very strong attack. d8 [ 10...e4+ 11.d1 g4 was bad due to 12.b3 e6 13.xb7 xf3+ 14.c1 xd4 ( 14...xg2 15.c8+ e7 16.b4+ f6 17.d8+ f5 18.g5# ) 15.gxf3 xc4 16.c8+ e7 17.fxe5 ( 17.d1 ) 17...f6 18.b7+ d7 19.xa8 and White is winning. ] 11.b3 e6 12.xb7 e7? Black had obviously hoped to trap W hite's Queen but actually it cannot be done. [ 12...d7 was relatively better, although Black's position is no good anyway: 13.xe5 xe5 14.dxe5 e4 15.0-0-0! b8 16.xa7 a8 17.e3 d5 18.b3 xb3 19.xb3+- ] 13.xa8 b6 14.0-0-0 0-0 15.xe5! d6 16.he1! xe5 Here Black resigned. [ After 16...xe5 17.dxe5 d7 White has 18.e3! securing a huge material advantage. ] 1-0
[ 5...b5?! 6.e5! dxe5 ( or 6...fd7 7.exd6 exd6 8.d5 b4 9.dxc6 bxc3 10.cxd7+ xd7 11.b3 with a clear edge in SokolovZakharevich, Elista 1995) 7.dxe5 xd1+ 8.xd1 fd7 9.f4 g7 10.f3 f6 11.e6 f8 12.xb5! xe6 13.xa7 b7 14.c4 c7 15.f2 d5 16.xc6 xc6 17.xd5 xd5 18.xd5 xa2 19.b5 winning in Jansa-Schlosser, Muenster 1992 ] [ 5...g7?! 6.f4! 0-0 7.f3 bd7 8.e5 h5 9.e2 h8 10.g4 g7 11.g2 dxe5 12.fxe5 b6 13.h6 with a clear edge for White in Jansa-Hoi, Gausdal 1991. ] 6.f4 b5 7.f3 [ 7.e5?! is premature in view of the typical b4! 8.exf6 bxc3 9.bxc3 xf6 ] [ b u t t h e n a t u r a l 7.d3 is worthy of consideration. ] 7...b4 8.b1 b7 9.d2 c7 10.d3 g7 11.e2 c5 Black can be satisfied with the result of the opening all his pieces are well placed and ready to attack the W hite pawn centre. 12.c3 [ 12.0-0?! leads to a Sicilian-like position which is very good for Black: cxd4 13.xd4 0-0 ] 12...bxc3 13.bxc3 0-0 14.0-0 e6 15.g4 b6 16.ac1 fd7 17.f2 [ 17.f5!? is worthy of consideration. ] 17...ae8 18.g3 f5! A very instructive multipurpose move. Black prevents W hite from launching a Kingside attack with f4-f5, gets control of the important d5-square and opens the a8-h1 diagonal. 19.gxf5 exf5 20.exf5 [ 20.e5 doesn't help much: dxe5 21.dxe5 xe5! 22.fxe5 f4 23.xf4 g5 24.f5 gxf4 ] 20...d5 21.c4 [ 21.fe1 xe3 22.xe3 xe3 23.xe3 855 B07 cxd4 24.e6+ h8 is also insufficient. ] Berezjuk,Sergej 2354 21...7b6 22.dxc5? Losing by force. [ However, it's not easy to find a real Stohl,Igor 2600 improvement for W hite, for example: Presov 1999 22.fe1 xc4 23.xc4 a6 24.d2 xe3 [Alexander Volzhin] 25.xe3 cxd4 and Black is winning. ] 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 22...xc4 23.xc4 a6 Now Black wins a 5.h3 This line is rather dangerous for Black piece and the game is over. 24.cxd6 xc4 and he has to play carefully to avoid problems. 25.xa7 xc3 26.h2 d5 27.fe1 xe1 bd7! In my opinion, the best. In other lines 28.xe1 b5 29.c5 d4 30.xd4 xd4 The rest of the game is a matter of technique. Black has serious problems: 880
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 31.e4 xf5 32.d2 xd2+ 33.xd2 xd6 34.e6 d8 35.b3 c4 36.e5 f5 37.c5 xb3 38.axb3 d2+ 39.g1 d3 40.b4 xh3 0-1
856 Buckley,David Shaw,John K 4NCL/Div1/GUI1-BRI1 (5.116) [Jonathan Rowson]
B07 2232 2447 13.01.2007
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 e5 Does this line really matter? I think so, simply because if White doesn't get any advantage from taking now, Black has a move order to give him a Hanham Philidor, which is at least very solid, and possibly perfectly good. Moreover, most W hite players face this line so rarely that when they do, they are inclined to take on e5 on the grounds that they shouldn't be in any danger and might conjure up an attack. It is precisely such players who should be careful, because W hite's initiative often runs out of steam, and you are lef t playing an equal position against somebody very happy to have the queens off. 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.xd8+ xd8 6.c4 e8! As recommended in previous updates. It seems strange that Black can lose so many tempi and the right to castle and still be ok, but this might in fact be the case, and nobody has conclusively proven to the contrary. 7.f3 Already questionable. [ 7.f4 b4 looks comfortable for Black, but ] [ 7.ge2 intending f3 and g4 should be considered. ] 7...d6 8.g5 [ 8.e3 might be better here, because it can be useful to have Ng5 later, perhaps followed by f4. ] 8...bd7 9.0-0-0 a6 10.h4 h6 11.e3 Given that John was no doubt playing for a win, I wonder how we would have dealt with [ 11.xf6 xf6 12.f5 because now it is n o t e a s y t o k e e p t h e g a m e a l i v e f8!? ( 12...xf5 13.exf5 e7 is comfortable, but v e r y d r a w i s h a f t e r 14.d5+ xd5 15.xd5 ) 13.d5 xd5 14.xd5 f6 15.d2 and sooner or later Black will have to take the knight on f5. ]
11...g6 12.f3 Double-edged play by White. The knight on h4 is not at all sure of himself, but on the other hand Black is tied to the defence of h6. b5 13.b3 b7 14.d5 d8 15.g3 c6 16.xf6+ xf6 17.d2 e7 18.xd8+ xd8 19.d1 e7 20.b6 c8 21.c7 d7 22.g2 h7 23.e3 h5 24.h4 f6 25.e6 c5 26.d2 f8 27.xc8 xc7 28.h3 e7 29.e2 a7 30.c3 a5 So far, so equal, but you can already feel that at least psychologically Black is gaining the u p p e r h a n d . 31.a4?! As often happens in such positions, the f irst player to initiate events spoils his position. Even if W hite is fine after this, it is encouraging for the stronger player to see that the opponent is restless. bxa4 32.a1 a3 33.bxa3 xe3 34.xe3 b7 Just an open file, but enough to claim a small advantage, and note that this is 30 moves after the queens were exchanged! 35.a2 b1 36.d3 g1 37.g2 e6 Now Black also has the more effective minor piece. 38.b2 c5+ 39.c4 a4 40.b7+ d6 41.h3 f5 When you are grinding out an endgame win, it is important to spot the ma t e s in on e - yo u d on 't wa n t to le t yo u r opponent off so easily. [ 41...xg3 42.d7# ] 42.g7 b6+ 43.b3 xg3 44.xf5 xf3 45.xg6+ c5 46.a4 f2 47.e6 f4 48.h6 xh4 49.f7 c8 50.e6 xe4 51.xh5 d6 52.e7 e3 53.a7 b6 54.e7 e4 55.e8 xc3 56.e6 b5+ 57.b2 d4 An impressive display by John Shaw, showing why this seemingly submissive li n e i s a ct u a l ly q u i t e a go o d wi n n i n g t r y against weaker players. 0-1
857 Byrne,Robert E Gipslis,Aivars izt Sousse [Alexander Volzhin]
B07
1967
Now let's consider the Trompovski style Bg5 sortie. This system is very popular now and is used by ma n y to p gran d ma st e rs: Dree v, Almasi, Yakovich, Ulibin, Tiviakov etc. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 c6 5.d2 881
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 b5 6.d3 g7 7.f4 White obtains a strong pawn centre, and his dark-squared Bishop is situated much more actively than in the 4.f4 attack. 0-0 8.f3 bd7 This move is out of fashion, but it's far from bad. 9.0-0 b6 10.ae1 b4 11.d1 c5 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 cxd4 14.cxd4 b7 A clear inaccuracy. Black doesn't feel the danger. [ Later the game Byrne - Portisch was played, where Black improved with 14...d5! 15.e5 ( 15.xf6 exf6 ) 15...e4! 16.xe4 dxe4 17.xe4 and proved he had enough for the pawn: a6 18.f2 c4 19.b4 f6 20.h4 b8 21.c5 b6 22.c3 c8 23.a5 b7 24.e1 a8 25.g3 d5 26.xd8 fxd8 27.xd5 xd5 28.exf6 and a draw was agreed, as Black has sufficient compensation for the pawn due to his strong light-squared Bishop. ] 15.f5! White begins a direct attack. d5 [ 15...gxf5 is very risky, as White obtains a strong attack after 16.h4! ( The seemingly strong 16.h6 fxe4 17.g5 e8 18.xg7 xg7 19.h6 f5! is far from clear.) 16...fxe4 17.f5! ] 16.xf6! exf6 [ 16...xf6 17.e5 g7 is even worse for Black, after for example 18.e6!? ] 17.e5 c4 18.f4 c8 19.e6! e7 20.g4 g5 Forced, as there is no other defence against 21.ef with 22.fg to follow. 21.h4 h6 22.h5 fxe6 23.fxe6 d6 24.e3 e8 25.g6 xe6 26.f5 e4 27.xh6+ [ 27.hxg5 w a s e v e n s t r o n g e r : fxg5 28.xh6+ xh6 29.xh6 d7 30.e5 g7 31.f7+! xf7 32.xf7 winning at once. ] 27...xh6 28.xh6 d7 29.hxg5 g7 [ 29...fxg5 transposes to the line with 27.hg ] 30.f5! xh6 Now White has a technically won endgame due to his strong passed pawn, but [ 30...ce8 31.h3 is even worse for Black. ] 31.gxh6 c7 32.c1 c3 33.h2 f7 [ 33...c8 34.g6 ] 34.h4 h8 35.h7 c4 36.fe1 c8 37.g6+ g7 38.g3 h6 39.d3 c7 40.c2 b5 41.f2 1-0
858 Caruana,Fabiano Peralta,Fernando XXXII Open Badalona ESP (8) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2444 2546 09.07.2006
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 f6 4.g5 g7 5.d2 h6! Virtually Black's only good move in this position, for the attack with Bh6 is just too strong. It was Robert Byrne who played the important games with 4 Bg5 all the way back in the sixties and seventies now we see the system put to the test. 6.f4 g5 7.g3 h5 Hunting down the Bishop an absolute necessity before h2-h4 strikes him down. 8.0-0-0 d7 [ 8...e6 9.ge2 d7 10.f3! worked well for White in the following game: xg3 11.hxg3 b6 12.g4! Fixing the square h5. d7 13.g3 g8 14.e3 e7 15.b5 xb5 16.xb5+ c6 17.e2 0-0-0 18.b1 b8 19.c3 c8 20.h5 h8 21.g3 g7 22.h5 h8 23.g3= Tiviakov, S-Nyback, T Warsaw 2005 ] 9.e5 Pretty sharp. There are plenty of other moves: [ 9.ge2 e6 10.f4 leads to some of the original games. ] [ 9.e2 xg3 10.hxg3 c5 11.d5 Cannot be too dangerous for Black. I believe in that dark-squared Bishop! a5 12.f4 xc3 13.xc3 xc3 14.bxc3 f6 15.e1 f8 16.d3 g7 17.f3 g4 18.h4 d7 19.c4 e5! 20.dxe6 xe6 21.e5 dxe5 22.fxe5 d7 23.f5+ f8 24.hf1 b6 Mestel, A-Miles, A/Hastings 1974 ] [ 9.f4? has to be prefaced by Nge2: xf4 10.xf4 gxf4 11.xf4 xd4 12.c4 f6 13.b1 e5 14.e2 c6 15.f3 xf3 16.xf3 e6 17.hf1 a5 18.xd6 exd6 19.xf6 e5 20.h4 g8 21.g4 g6 22.f2 b6 23.a6 b8 Baekelant, RVerduyn, F/Belgium 2005 ] 9...xg3 10.hxg3 dxe5 11.dxe5 xe5 12.f4 That's the idea! White sacrifices a pawn to smash open the position. W hich is the weakest square in Black's position? Noticeably f7. Thus White should obtain good chances here. gxf4 13.gxf4 g7 14.f3 e6 [ 14...c6 15.e5 c7 16.c4 xe5 17.fxe5 e6? ( 17...xe5 was both brave 882
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and necessary.) 18.xe6 fxe6 19.de1 d8 20.e3 Bruzon Bautista, L-Cavatorta, F/Saint Vincent 2004 Naturally, White went on to win. ] 15.f5 f6 16.g4 Why does he need to bother with this? Black's King is ripe for the taking if he just opens the position. [ Thus 16.fxe6! was indicated, with a very dangerous attack: fxe6 17.b5! c6 18.e2 0-0 19.g3 b6 20.h5 g6 21.g4 d5 22.e5 ] 16...b6 17.g5 hxg5 18.xh8+ xh8 19.xg5 d7 20.fxe6 fxe6 21.ge4 e5 22.g2 Too little, too late. Black gets to castle long.... 0-0-0 23.f2 b8 24.c5 g5+ 25.b1 c8 Two Bishops and an extra p a wn is a p r e t t y s u b s t a n t ia l a d va n t a ge . 26.xd8 xd8 27.d3 xc3 The advantage increases. 28.bxc3 g5 29.e4 a4 30.d4 a5 31.b4 c5 B i g g e r a n d b i g g e r . 32.d6+ c7 9 e5 is dangerous. I'm not sure I see a clear way for Black. 0-1
7...bd7?! [ 7...e6! was surely better because now Cebalo gets to develop his Bishop to c4 in peace. ] 8.c4! [ 8.f3 also seems good. White gets to put serious pressure on Black's position due to the lag in his development. e8 9.b5 a6 10.xd6+ cxd6 11.d2! b5 12.a4 b7 13.f3 c6 14.b3 e7 15.a5 b8 16.e3 bxa4 17.c4 bd7 18.xd6 hb8 19.c4 e8 20.xf7 h6 21.d2 b4 22.xd7+ xd7 23.xe5+ d6 24.f4 c5 25.a2 xe4 26.fxe4 xe4 27.g3 f6 28.d1 e2 29.f2+ b4 30.c6+ 1-0 Nevostrujev,V-Zablotsky,S/ Stade 2003 ] 8...e8 9.f3 a6 At least he cut out the idea of Nb5. 10.ge2 b5 11.b3 h6 12.h4 b4? W ith a modest position one must play modestly. 12...b4 is a pawn move too far. Maybe [ 12...c5 was a better shot but White still seems to be better after say 13.xf6 xb3+ 14.axb3 gxf6 15.g3 e6 16.d5! ] 13.a4 b7 14.d2 c6 15.hd1 859 B07 White's edge grows. The problem is that Black Cebalo,Miso 2527 can do nothing and must wait for the action to Marzano,Carlo 2244 t a k e p l a c e . C e b a l o d e m o n s t r a t e s g o o d Open A Bratto ITA (2) 21.08.2004 technique in his subsequent build-up, never giving Black a snif f . b8 16.f2 b5 [Andrew Martin] 17.g3! g6 18.f1 a5 19.b6! b5 1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 e5 Purely a 20.xd7 xd7 21.e3 e6 A bit too late. question of taste. Some might shy away from 22.xe6 fxe6 23.c4+- b5 24.xd6+ t h e q u e e n l e s s m i d d l e g a m e . 4.dxe5 cxd6 25.xd6 e7 26.xa6 The endgames W hy let him off by agreeing to a Philidor? are defensible but I recommend Black play ... That's not such a bad opening at all. dxe5 Be6 early wherever possible, if only to get some pieces out! The fate that will befall him 5.xd8+ xd8 6.g5 d6 7.0-0-0 [ 7.c4 e6 8.xe6 fxe6 9.0-0-0 e7 if he does not is graphically demonstrated 10.ge2 h6 11.h4 c6 12.g3 g5 here. Cebalo was allowed to dish out a lesson. is roughly the type of endgame that Black is 1-0 aiming for. W hilst the doubled pawns are potentially weak, they cover all the B07 important central squares and the Bishop on 860 d6 is a sturdy defender too. Time and again Cerveny,P 2292 I have seen White lose patience in such a Umanec,F 2244 position and go on to lose. 13.f3 a6 14.h4 13th Marienbad IM (6.1) 22.01.2014 b5 15.f2 g4 16.e3 gxf3 17.gxf3 h5 [Neil McDonald] 18.hg1 af8 19.df1 f4 20.a3 hg8 21.d1 a5 Hasan,M-Islam,A/Dhaka 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 bd7 4.f4 e5 BAN 2004 ] 5.f3 exd4 6.xd4 c6 7.e3 d5 8.exd5 883
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c5 9.d3 e7 10.d4 b6 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.e2 0-0!? This position is analysed in Neiksans-Vachier Lagrave in the archives by Gawain where he gives analysis to show that [ 12...a6 doesn't work for Black. ] 13.g1 c7! Black wants to pin the knight on d4 with Rd8, but [ 13...d8 14.xc6 is a disaster, so first of all he defends c6. The black queen also attacks the f4 pawn. ] [ G a w a i n e x a m i n e s 13...b4 14.xc6 xc3+ 15.bxc3 c7 and concludes Black has good compensation, but putting the queen on c7 straightaway looks a better way of playing it for Black. ] 14.g3?! The drawback to defending f4 with this move is that White becomes vulnerable down the long diagonal a8-h1 once Black p la ys B b 7 . I n s t e a d I t h in k W h it e sh o u l d develop with [ 14.0-0-0 for example I would prefer pinning d4 with A) After 14...bd5 15.g3!? looks good for White. ( whereas Black got counterplay after 15.xd5 cxd5 in Z.Erdelyi-E. Mensch, Budapest 2001. ); B) 14...d8!? 15.b1 b8 ( Not 15...xd4? you should only play a move like this if it wins something. Here after 16.xd4 c5 White escapes with 17.e5 so Black has given up his dark squared bishop for nothing.; 15...g6? 16.db5 ) 16.f3 d7 and Black keeps up his initiative with 17...Nfd5 or possibly even 17...g6 intending Bf5. ] 14...d8 15.0-0-0 b7 Now White has to worry about Bxd4 followed by c6-c5. 16.f5 b4! The bishop moves to safety, opens the wa y f o r c 6 - c 5 a n d i n t e n d s t o s m a s h u p W hite's queenside by taking on c3. 17.f3 xc3 18.bxc3 e7! Threatening not only 19...Qa3+ in combination with Nc4, which would be lethal to the white king, but also the tactic that occurs in the game. W hite can't deal with both. 19.a5 c5 20.a3 [ The double attack on d4 and h1 is decisive after 20.xb7 xb7 while ] [ 20.f5 xd1+ 21.xd1 e1 hardly helps White ] 20...c7
[ Also crushing is 20...c4 21.b3 xf3 22.xf3 xd1+ 23.xd1 e4 ] 21.f2 cxd4 22.xb7 xb7 23.xd4 e4 24.he1 c6 25.d3 c4 26.e7 e8 27.h4 b7 0-1
861 Collins,Sam Gormally,Daniel BCF-chT 1112 (4NCL) (2.16) [Sam Collins]
B07 2426 2520 13.11.2011
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.d3 g6 If Black wants to avoid the line in the game, the simplest in my view is 4...cxd4 5.cxd4 and then 5...g6. 5.dxc5 [ It is notable that, in his game with Weber, R o z e n t a l i s a c t u a l l y s t a r t e d w i t h 5.e5 , reaching the lines under consideration after 5...dxe5 6.dxe5. Praxis is limited with this 5. e5 move. An interesting recent example continued h5 6.f3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe5 8.dxe5 c6 9.0-0 g7!? . Not spending time on ... Ng7-e6, Black creates immediate play against the e5-pawn. 10.h3 0-0 11.g4 ( 11.e1 b4 12.e4 xd1 13.xd1 f5! gives Black adequate counterplay) 11...b4 12.e2 xd1 13.xd1 c2 A) 14.gxh5 launches into complications which seem to fizzle out to equality, for instance xa1 15.h6 h8 16.g5 c2 17.xe7 e8 18.d6 xh3 19.c1 f5 20.d1 xe5 21.xe5 ( 21.xe5 b4 ) 21...ad8 22.xc2 xc2 23.xc2 xd6; B) 14.a3 xa1 15.d2 f6 ( 15...d8! ) 16.exf6 xf6 17.c3 xc3 18.bxc3 e6 19.xa1 ac8 with a playable endgame for Black in V. I a k ym o v ( 2 4 8 3 ) - V . S k l i a r o v ( 2 2 0 6 ) , Alushta 2011 (1/2-1/2 in 69). ] 5...dxc5 [ If Black goes in for this line I think 5...d5 is a much more promising continuation. This was used a couple of times by Kjetil Lie though he lost both games I think he had no c o m p l a i n t s f r o m t h e o p e n i n g . 6.d2 ( 6.exd5 xd5 7.f3 xc5 left Black with a playable position, akin to those arising from the 2...g6 variation, in S. Agdestein 884
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 (2571) - K.Lie (2472), Sandnes 2005 (1-0 in 40). ) 6...g7 7.gf3 0-0 8.0-0 bd7 9.exd5 xc5 10.c4 a6 11.b3 a4 12.d6 exd6 13.bd4 b5 14.b3 c5 15.c2 b7 and Black's activity full compensated for his slightly inferior structure in J.Shaw (2433) - K.Lie (2474), Mallorca 2004 (1-0 in 51). ] 6.e5 d5 [ 6...h5 is the most common move here, but White has no problems consolidating his e5-pawn. 7.h3 c6 8.f3 c7 9.e2 g7 10.a3 e6 11.0-0 g7 12.e1 0-0 13.b5 b8 14.a4 with a solid advantage for White in E. Rozentalis (2575) - U.Weber (2406), Bad Wiessee 2011 (1-0 in 60). ] [ 6...fd7 7.e6 is D.Pavasovic (2581) - A. Fauland (2427), Austrian TCh 2003 (1-0 in 32). Af ter fxe6 8.f3 c6 9.e2 g7 10.h4! Black had a rotten position. Readers can check Gary Lane's coverage of this game in the Archives. ] [ As pointed out by Gary Lane in his notes, 6...c4 drops a pawn for very little compensation after 7.a4+ ] [ 6...g4 7.b5+ c6 ( 7...d7 8.e6! wins on the spot.) 8.xd8+ xd8 9.xc6 bxc6 10.f3 f6 11.exf6 exf6 12.h3 e5 13.xe5 fxe5 14.e3 c7 15.d2 e6 16.0-0-0 c4 17.he1 d5 18.f3 and a draw was agreed in M.Ragger (2434) N.Stanec, N (2566), Gmunden 2005, but clearly the black pawn weaknesses are worth prodding. The two bishops don't count f or muc h in such a structu re, since th e white knight can blockade on e4 if necessary. ] 7.e4 e6 [ 7...c7 8.xd8+ xd8 9.f3 d7 was A.Jerez Perez (2416) - P.Kogan (2221), Arinsal 2011 (1/2-1/2 in 33), and now best would have been 10.a3 followed by Be3 and playing a rook to the d-file. ] 8.f3 [ 8.c4 leads to similar play. The attempt to complicate with h4 backfires: 9.e2 b4 10.f3 d8 11.c3 8c6 12.g5 a5 13.f6 g8 14.0-0 and White has a total b i n d . A f t e r d7 15.a3 a6 16.b5 ( 16.fd1 is also strong) 16...e7 17.fd1 xf6 18.exf6 h6 19.d6+ f8 20.e3
h8 ( 20...g5 21.xf7 wins ) 21.xb7 c7 22.xc5 xc5 23.xc5+ g8 24.d6 Black resigned in M. Pap (2507) - C. Sandipan (2656), Paleochora 2011. ] 8...c6 [ 8...g7 has been tried in a couple of games, but White has not responded with the logical 9.c4 b6 ( 9...a5+ 10.d2 b4 11.c3 is good for White) 10.e2 with a solid advantage. ] 9.c4 de7 10.xd8+ xd8 11.c3 d7 Black is really on the ropes here. 12.b5?? A t e r r i b l e m o ve , s q u a n d e r i n g m y wh o l e advantage. [ The path had already been shown by a c3Sicilian specialist 17 years ago: 12.g5 a6 13.0-0-0 g7 14.d2 h6 15.e3 dc6 16.hd1 d8 17.a4 c8 18.xd8+ xd8 19.b6 dc6 20.xc5 xe5 21.xe5 xe5 22.xc8 xc8 23.xb7 1-0 D.Sermek (2520) - S.Mali (2290), Bled 1994. ] 12...xb5 13.cxb5 a6! 14.bxa6 xa6 15.d3 a8 16.g5 g7 17.e4 [ 17.f4 0-0 18.e4 b6 doesn't look better for White. ] 17...xe5 18.xc5 d4 19.b5+ f8 20.b3 f6 21.c5 d4 Given his opening position, Danny is happy to repeat moves, though it was quite possible to play on here. 22.b3 f6 Move orders are highly important in this variation. After 5.dxc5, recapturing gives Black a prospectless position but 5... d5!? is interesting. Rozentalis' recent outing o f 5 . e 5 is a n a t t e m p t t o a vo id t h i s . . . d 5 defence, but 5...Nh5!? is a decent line. Of course, neither side needs to go in for this: W hite can keep his pawn on d4, while the simplest for Black is to chop on d4 before playing ...g6. ½-½
862 Conquest,Stuart Lahno,Kateryna Premier Hastings (7) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2545 2485 2004
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 c6 I never favoured this move against the Byrne 885
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Variation because it felt too much like sitting on a knife edge. We must admire the bravery of the young woman. Stuart Conquest is no slouch when it come to the attack! 5.d2 g7 6.f4 b5 7.d3 0-0!? And this is even more bold, possibly an attempt even at this very early stage to push Conquest towards his habitual time trouble. [ 7...b6 8.f3 g4 finds favour with me at least, staying flexible with the King as much as anything and creating concrete counterplay against d4. 9.e5! A) 9...xf3 10.gxf3 ( 10.exf6 exf6 ) 10...fd7 is much better.; B) 9...d5? 10.xd5 cxd5 11.exd6 f6 12.h4 xf3 13.gxf3 e6 14.f5! It's a pity W h it e f o llows t his mo ve u p incorrectly. gxf5 15.xf5 ( 15.g1! f7 16.c3 f8 17.e2 xd6 18.xb5 ) 15...xd6 16.d3 ( 16.g1! ) 16...a6 17.0-0-0 d7 18.hg1 f8 19.g3 b6 20.de1 0-0-0 21.b1 b7 22.f4 e5 23.dxe5 xe5 24.h4 d6 25.f5 c4 26.h5 d7 27.e8 c7 28.xc4 bxc4 29.d8 c5 30.xd5+ a7 31.g8? ( 31.e6! ) 31...xg8 32.xg8 d4 33.b3 cxb3 34.xb3 c6 35.e6 d7 36.g3 b7 37.d6 a4 38.c1 xb3 39.axb3 a1+ 40.d2 c3+ 41.d1 xf3+ 42.c1 e3+ 43.d1 e5 44.d3 g1+ 45.e2 xg3 46.hxg3 g2+ 47.d1 h5 48.c4 b6 49.b4 c6 50.e1 b2 51.b5+ axb5 52.cxb5+ xb5 53.f3 c4 54.f1 h2 55.xf6 xg3 56.f2 d4 57.d2+ c3 58.g2 e3 59.g8 f4+ 60.g2 e4+ 61.h2 d2 62.g2+ e1 63.g8 d5 64.g1 c5+ 65.h2 f1 66.g3 e5 67.h3 f2 68.g2+ f3 69.g1 h4 70.f1+ e2 71.g1 f2 72.g2+ f3 73.g1 g3+ 0-1 Zimmerman, YHoffmann, P/12th Donau Open, Aschach GER 2003 A typical Open Swiss game incorrect but interesting. ] 8.f3 g4 9.e5 b4 10.e2 xf3 11.gxf3 d5 12.exd6N Conquest must innovate! After 12 Bc4 there are two conflicting views: [ 12.c4 A) 12...d7!? 13.xd5 cxd5 14.exd6 f6 15.dxe7 ( 15.h4 exd6 16.xb4 c7 17.b3 a5+ 18.c3 ab8 19.c2 b6
20.b3 f5 21.0-0 fe8 22.ae1 trying to clamp down on Black's counterplay, might have been a sounder choice. ) 15...xe7 16.h4 ae8 17.f2 g5 18.g3 h5 19.h4 g4 20.fxg4 hxg4 21.f5 e4 22.d3 h6 23.xe4 xe4 24.f1 b6 25.g1 fe8 26.c1 c4 27.f2 e3+ 28.xe3 xe3 0-1 Aleksic, N-Chatalbashev, B/Cutro 2000; B) 12...a5 13.0-0-0 d7 14.f5 xf5 15.g3 e6 16.f4 dxe5 17.f5 d6 18.fxg6 hxg6 19.dg1 exd4 20.f5 e5 21.xg7 e3 22.xe3 dxe3 23.d3 xg7 24.xf7 h5 25.xg6+ 1-0 Dreev, A-Azmaiparashvili, Z/Moscow 1989. ] 12...xd6 13.f5 d7 14.h4 7f6 15.h5 xh5 16.0-0-0 e5!= Black has emerged from the opening in good shape. White's attack is strong but by no means decisive and Black is a pawn up after all. Practical chances are approximately equal. 17.dg1 h8 18.h6 g8 19.b1 A small time-out. [ It was probably worrying Conquest slightly that he couldn't see a win after, say 19.xg7+ xg7 20.fxg6 fxg6 21.xh5 gxh5 22.xg7 xg7 23.g5+ h8 24.dxe5 e7 25.xh5 f8 ] 19...df4 20.xf4 exf4 [ 20...xh6 le a d s t o e qu a lit y: 21.xg6+ xg6 22.xg6 xg6 23.fxg6 xd2 24.xh5 fxg6 25.xg6 g7!= So we must assume that around here Lahno started thinking of the win. ] 21.xg7+ xg7 22.fxg6 fxg6 23.c4 e7 24.e1 ae8 25.xe7 xe7 26.c1 a5 White is in the process of being outplayed! 27.d5 d8 28.d4+ f6 29.xf4 xd5 [ Can't see anything at all for White after 29...cxd5! ] 30.d4+ f6 31.c5 d6 [ 31...xf3 32.xa5 f8 33.xd5 xd5 34.c7 is difficult to win for Black in view of the open King. However, after c5 35.h1 h6 she could make a serious attempt. It looks like mutual time-trouble to me which a prompts a premature end to the game. ] 32.xa5 c5 33.xd5 ½-½
886
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 863 Dastan,B Laznicka,V 15th ch-EUR Indiv 2014 (2.52) [Neil McDonald]
B07 2416 2681 04.03.2014
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 bd7 4.f4 e5 5.f3 exd4 6.xd4 c6 7.e3 White has many options here, but this is probably the critical move. d5 8.exd5 [ Here 8.e5 tries for a slight edge in a quiet position. The game move leads to huge tactical complexity. ] 8...c5 9.d3 e7 10.d4 b6 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.0-0-0 a6!? This bishop move unleashes crazy complications, and only a player who has prepared thoroughly with a computer can be confident of finding his way thro ugh the m. In Adam son -Ivanov in th e archives 12...Ba6 is given as good for Black, indeed as gaining material by force, but in fact W hite can still keep some sort of objective advantage. 13.d2 [ White loses a piece after 13.xa6 xe3+ 14.b1 xd4 when the flamboyant 15.b5 fails to the cold blooded 0-0! ] 13...xf1 14.g1? It appears that White was sh o c k e d b y 1 2 . . . B a 6 a s h e qu ickly go e s astray. [ Firstly 14.hxf1 c4 threatening both the queen and the bishop on e3 is an immediate disaster for White. ] [ It seems that Black will emerge the exchange up after 14.f5 c4 for example 15.xe7 ( Or 15.xc5 xc5 16.d4 xd4 17.xd4 c5 18.xc4 xc4 19.d6+ f8 20.xc4 ) 15...xe3 16.xe3 xe3 17.dxf1 xf1 18.xc6 xh2 19.xh2 0-0 ] [ White's best move is 14.f2! 0-0 15.hxf1 ( After the convoluted line 15.xc6!? b7 16.a5 xg2 17.hxf1 ad8 18.xd8 xd8 19.xd8+ f8 20.dd1 xh2 It is by no means easy to prove that the two white rooks are superior to the black queen. Nonetheless this looks to me White's best c h a n c e f o r a d v a n t a g e .) 15...c7 Finally after A) 16.e6 here Black has the amazing reply b8!! ( rather than the miserable 16...fxe6? 17.xc5 ) 17.e2 ( Not
17.xc5 c4 when the threat of mate on b2 wins th e wh ite queen .) 17...xf2 18.xf8 c5 the white knight is trapped, and after White gives it up for a pawn or two with 19.e6 fxe6 20.e4 xe4 21.xe4 h8 22.xe6 the position remains double edged.; B) 16.b1 ab8 Black has pressure on th e qu ee n sid e t o com p en sat e f o r t h e pawn. ] 14...c4 15.f2 [ If 15.e1 xg2 ] 15...b7 [ Even stronger was 15...xd4! 16.xd4 ( Black is also winning after 16.xd4 xg2 17.xc4 xh1 18.c5 e6 ) 16...b4 17.d1 c5 18.c3 a4 when White's rook on d4 has no safe moves. ] 16.a4 [ Black also wins 'on points' after 16.e1+ f8 17.d1 xb2 18.e6+ fxe6 19.xc5+ f7 20.xb2 xg2 ] 16...0-0-0 17.xf1 a6 18.d3 White can save his knight on a4 as [ 18.c3 a3! gives Black a mating attack. ] 18...xa4 19.c3 d2 20.d3 [ Hopeless is 20.xd2 xd4 ] 20...xd4 21.xd4 xd4 22.f5+ b7 23.c5 de4 Already two pieces down and with more material dropping, White gave up. A convincing win for Black, but you need to analyse 14.Bf2 in depth if you are considering playing this line for Black. 0-1
864 Degraeve,Jean Marc Kasparov,Sergey Open, 2002 Bethune [Paul Motwani]
B07
2002
Mr Mo's game G6.16: "Degraeve digs grave for 'the other' Kasparov!" 1.e4 e5 2.c3 d6 3.d4 f6 I took the liberty of changing the actual move-order, which was 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 e5. 4.dxe5 Generally reckoned to be not dangerous, but France's big GM JeanMarc Degraeve notches up a quick White win in the current encounter. dxe5 5.xd8+ xd8 6.g5 887
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 6.c4 e6 7.xe6 fxe6 8.f3 d6 9.e3 e7 poses Black no serious problems. ] 6...e6 7.f4 exf4 8.f3 [ 8.e5 h6 9.h4 g5 is an important resource for Black. ] 8...h6 9.xf4 bd7 10.0-0-0 c6 Simply assessed as being "equal" on page 137 of "Nunn's Chess Openings" (NCO), but there's clearly still a lot of fight left in this battle. 11.d4 c5 12.e2 e8 13.f3 c8?! [ I would prefer something more active like 13...g5 , for example. In the game itself, W hite is allowed to get things all his own way rather too easily. ] 14.e5! xd4 [ 14...g4?? loses on the spot to 15.xe6 ] 15.xd4 h7 Seemingly very passive, but the 'alternatives' were also unattractive. [ For instance, 15...g4 16.e4 c7? walks into 17.xg4 xg4 18.e6+ ] 16.e4 c7 17.d6 e7 18.hd1 hf8 19.g3 a5 20.h4 b6? A plausible-looking move, but Black has missed the forthcoming stunning tactic... 21.f5! d7 [ 21...xf5 22.e6+ c8 23.d8# ] 22.xg7 xd4 23.xd4 d8 24.f4 Black now resigned, being a pawn down in a hopeless position, especially with his f-pawn being so frail, and the h-pawn about to be hit by Rf6. 1-0
A) James says that 6...d5!? is possible'. Then a critical follow-up that seems good for W hite would be 7.xf6 ( 7.e5 e4 8.d3 xg5 9.fxg5 is unclear ) A1) 7...xf6 8.e5 ( even 8.d2!? dxe4 9.xe4 g7!? 10.c4 0-0 11.0-0 , although rather anti-positional, may favour W hite slightly because of his development and idea of Ne5) 8...g7 9.e2 ( 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 ) 9...0-0 10.d2 g4 11.d1 e6 12.e3 xf3 13.xf3 d7 14.0-0 with a space advantage, but Black stands solidly.; A2) 7...exf6 8.exd5! cxd5 9.e2+! f8!? ( 9...e6 10.f5! gxf5 11.h4 0-0 12.0-0-0 ) 10.b5!? c6! 11.0-0-0 e7 12.g3 and Bg2 with pressure on d5 Black's king and g7 bishop are hard to coordinate.; B) 6...b5 Back to the Main Game: 7.d3 b6 8.e5 d5 9.exd6 f6 10.e2 0-0 11.xd5 cxd5 12.dxe7 e8 13.h4 c6 14.0-0 xe7 B1) a strange choice White may have underestimated Black's next. Better was 15.d2! B1a) 15...xd4 16.xd4 xd4+ 17.f2 xb2?? ( 17...a4 18.b3 a3 19.xg6! ) 18.a5! winning, because Black's queen is threatened with Rb1, but Qd8+ is also devastating.; B1b) 15...g4 16.c3 b4 17.ae1 ae8 18.xe7 xe7 19.h3 and a pawn is a pawn; 865 B07 B2) 15.d1?! b4! 16.e1 ( 16.c3 xd3 17.xd3 f5 18.d2 e4 Dobrov,Vladimir 2510 with compensation) 16...xe1+ 17.xe1 Nikolic,Predrag 2623 ( maybe 17.xe1 xd3 18.cxd3!? f5 10th EICC Budva MNE (10) 16.03.2009 19.b3 d8 20.b4 , but this isn't [John Watson] forced ) 17...xd3 18.e8+ f8 19.cxd3 b7 20.e3 c8 21.h3 d7 This game contains no less than three high22.c1 e8 23.d2 b4 With White's level wins for Black out of the 4 Bg5 system! weak pawns and Black's bishops, the But the good news ends there... I've given second player has at least equalised. serious notes to all three because somehow Black eventually won. ] Black needs to improve in these lines or return to the... h6/...g5 plan. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 5...c6 6.f4 b5 7.d3 0-0 [ Black got a poor opening but chalked up 3.c3 g6 4.g5 g7 5.d2 another victory after 7...b6 (Vigus gives [ In Dreev (2688)-T Petrosian (2623), Budva this '?!', correctly) 8.e5! MNE 2009, White played 5.f4 c6 6.f3 A) 8...d5 or bypassing Qd2 for the nonce. 888
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A1) or 9.xd5 cxd5 10.c3 ( 10.f3! ) 10...dxe5?! 11.fxe5 c6 12.e2 with advantage, as in a game quoted in Vigus; A2) 9.exd6 xc3 10.bxc3 f6 11.h4 exd6 12.f3 0-0 13.0-0 and White is clearly for choice; B) 8...b4 9.exf6 bxc3 10.e3! f8 11.fxe7? ( 11.bxc3! leaves Black a pawn down, and worse if he gets greedy by b2 12.d1 xa2 13.fxe7 g7 14.c4! ) 11...g7 12.bxc3 b2 Now Black has roughly equalized. 13.d1 xc3+ 14.f1 xd4 ( 14...xd4 15.f3 ) 15.xd4 ( 15.g3! looks better, e.g., h6 16.e2 c5 17.h4 ) 15...xd4 16.f3 ( 16.e2; 16.e2 ) 16...c3! 17.f5?! d7 18.h4 c5 19.e2? (White is falling apart) ( 19.f4 ) 19...e4 20.fxg6 hxg6 ( 20...g3+! 21.g1 h6 22.gxf7+ xf7 23.c4+ d5 ) 21.f4 xe7 ( 21...d5! ) 22.d4 d7 23.f3 d5 24.xe4 dxe4 25.e5 a5? ( 25...hd8 would have kept a large edge. As it goes, Black f in ally b rings ho me t he p oint wit h his bishop pair:) 26.xh8 xh8 27.f2 f5 28.e3 b6 29.g4 f6 30.gxf5 gxf5 31.c3 e5 32.df1 h5 33.f2 d8 34.d1 xh4 35.xf5+ xf5 36.xc6+ f6 37.xd8 h3+ 38.f2 e3+ 39.g2 e4+! 40.xh3 e2 41.d6+ g5 0-1 Godena, M (2537)-T Petrosian, T (2623)/ Budva MNE 2009. ] 8.f3 d5 9.e5 h5 10.e2 [ An alternative order for W hite is 10.h4 h6 11.e2 f6 12.0-0 ] 10...f6 [ 10...g4 11.0-0 d7 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 f6 14.h4 doesn't change things. ] 11.h4 h6 12.0-0 g7 [ 12...g4 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 fxe5 15.dxe5 d7 16.e3! with the centre still intact. ] 13.h3!? Rather unnecessary, since ... Bg4 wasn't a threat. [ 13.a4! is thematic, for example, bxa4 ( 13...b6 14.b4! ) 14.xa4 d7 15.c3 b6 16.aa1 with a grip. ] 13...d7 14.h2!? White threatens Ng4, and maintains control of his centre. Nevertheless, this complicates matters.
[ 14.exf6 exf6 15.e5! xe5 16.dxe5 e8 17.c3 leaves Black's pieces awkwardly-placed and was easier. ] 14...fxe5 15.g4 xf4 16.xf4 exf4 17.ae1 [ 17.xf4 f6 18.h6+ h8 19.e3 has the idea of Rae1 with pressure. ] 17...f6 18.h6+ h8 19.xf4 e6 20.g5 a6 21.g3 d7?! [ 21...b6 22.e5 ] 22.h4?! [ 22.xf8+! xf8 ( 22...xf8 23.e5 ) 23.f1 e8 24.h4 f6 , and among other moves, 25.g4! restricts Black's knights and leaves them no good squares. ] 22...xf1+ 23.xf1 e8 [ 23...b6! 24.e5 xe5 25.xe5 b8 still favours White, but there's no obvious way in. ] 24.f3 [ Or 24.e1! with the idea c8 25.h5! ] 24...c8 25.b4? [ 25.e5! xe5 26.xe5 with the idea h5. ] 25...a8 26.a3 [ 26.c7 ] 26...a5 27.h2 axb4 28.axb4 a1 This piece provides some counterplay. 29.e3!? [ 29.e5 ] 29...f8 30.f3 e8 31.f4 d1 [ 31...e1! ] 32.g4 [ 32.e5! e1 33.f4! ] 32...f8 33.g2 f6 [ 33...e8 ] 34.e3! xg5 35.xg5 e8 36.e3 g7 37.xe7 White is winning now, but tragedy strikes: a1 38.g5 a8 39.f6 e8 40.h5? The 40th move! [ 40.h2 wins. ] 40...xf6 41.gxf6 xh5 42.f7? f8 43.e2 [ White evidently missed 43.xe6? f4+ ] 43...f4+ 44.f3? [ 44.g3 xe2+ 45.xe2 xf7 46.e7 g7 47.g4 leaves a few chances because the knight on e5 will be so much better than the bishop. ] [ It seems early to resign, but if Black plays 44.f3 g5! followed by ...Kg7 or ...Bxf7, it won't be difficult to convert. ] 0-1 889
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 866 Dolmatov,Sergey Eingorn,Vereslav S USSR [Alexander Volzhin]
B07
1983
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 f6 5.d3 0-0 6.0-0 c6 The critical position of this line. Now W hite has to choose a plan. The inventor of this variation, GM Dolmatov, prefers 7 Re1 and 8 h3. His games provide White with a standard way of playing this line. 7.e1 [ 7.d5?! Although White wins a tempo this move is not consistent with the ideas behind his set-up because it opens the diagonal for Black's dark-squared bishop. b8 8.c4 g4 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 a6 11.c3 d7! All Black's minor pieces are very active. 12.e2 ac5 13.d2 a5 14.ab1 e6 15.d1 f5! , and Black seized the i n i t i a t i v e : 16.dxe6 e5 17.e2 f4! with an undisputable advantage for Black, Korchnoi - Sznapik, Luzern 1982. ] [ 7.b4 This move was introduced in early 90s and brought White many victories but it's no longer considered dangerous for Black: h5!? In my opinion, the best. Black intends 8...e5. ( 7...a6 is weaker, after 8.bd2 e5 9.a3 h5 10.b3 h8 11.d5 e7 12.c4 White has the better chances, SpeelmanCrouch, Hastings 1992.) 8.b5 ( 8.e3 e5 9.d5 e7 10.c4 f5 and Black's chances should be preferred.) 8...a5 9.e1 c5 10.bxc6 xc6 11.e3 e5 and Black's chances are by no means bad, as the game Kortchnoi-Azmaiparashvili, Madrid 1996 proved: 12.d5 ( 12.bd2 is strongly met by d5!? with good chances for Black: 13.dxe5 xe5 14.xe5 xe5 ) 12...a5 13.bd2 d7 14.b3 c8! 15.xa5 xa5 16.c4 f5 17.d2 c7 18.c1 fxe4 19.xe4 f6 20.b1 g4 21.h3 xf3 22.xf3 d7 23.g3 c5 and Black is already slightly better. ] 7...e5 8.h3 d7 [ 8...e8 was played in Dolmatov-Sturua, Moscow 1992: 9.bd2 d7 10.c2!? h6 11.f1 h7 12.g3 The position is very s im ila r t o a R u y L o p e z. W h it e 's sp a c e advantage secures him a lasting initiative.
g5 I don't like this move because the compromised pawn structure limits Black's p o s s i b i l i t i e s . H o we ve r i t ' s n o t e a s y t o recommend a real improvement for Black. 13.xg5 hxg5 14.e3 f6 15.d5 b8 16.f3 e7 17.e2 g7 18.g4!? A typical method of preventing counterplay on K-side which is also very common in the King's Indian. c6 19.c4 cxd5 20.cxd5 a5 21.a3 c8 22.b4 d8 23.d2 a5 24.d3 and White is clearly better. ] 9.e3 exd4 [ 9...a6 10.bd2 e8 11.d5 e7 12.c4 c5 13.dxc6 xc6 14.b1! A very instructive manoeuvre: the Knight aims for the d5square, a strong outpost in the centre of the board. c8 15.c3 a5 16.d2 h5 17.d5 f4 18.f1 xd5 19.cxd5 The poor position of the knight on a5 allows one to evaluate the position as strategically lost f or Black. b5 20.b4 b7 ( After 20...c4 21.xc4 bxc4 22.c1 White wins a pawn.) 21.a4! a8 22.axb5 axb5 23.d3 a4 24.xa4 bxa4 25.a6 c7 26.c4 a8 27.b6 b8 28.b5 a5!? Black couldn't find anything better than to give up this unfortunate Knight for nothing! But his position is lost anyway. 29.xa5 xb5 30.xb5 xb5 31.c2 a3 32.a1 and Black resigned, Dolmatov Gurevich, USSR 1982. ] [ 9...e8 was tried in Kuporosov-Sturua, Helsinki 1992: 10.bd2 h6 11.a3 h5 12.b4 f4 13.xf4 exf4 This pawn struct ure f avours W hite . 14.c4 e7 15.b3 e8 16.d3 d8 17.bd2 (Black was threatening to win a piece by 17.. .b5) h8 18.e2 a6 19.ae1 b5 20.d5 d7 21.b3 a5 22.c4 axb4 23.axb4 b5 24.a5 b8 25.d2 with a clear edge. ] 10.cxd4 b4 11.c3 xd3 12.xd3 Black has managed to exchange White's lightsquared Bishop, but the price is too high. W hite has a strong pawn centre, and the threat of e5 is very unpleasant for Black. e8 13.e5! f5 [ 13...h5? i s b a d i n v i e w o f 14.g4 and White wins a piece. ] 14.b5! dxe5 15.dxe5 d7 The only move again. [ 15...e4 16.xb7 b8 17.c6 890
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is hopeless. ] 16.d4! xe5 17.xb7 c5 18.f3 d7 19.ed1 f8 20.f4 ee8 21.d5! e4 22.h6!! An unexpected blow which leads to a decisive positional advantage. f5 23.xg7 xg7 [ 23...xg7 24.c3 ] 24.c3 ee8 25.d5+ e6 26.xf5! The simplest. W hite wins a pawn and liquidates to an endgame. gxf5 27.xd7 ad8 28.xg7+ xg7 29.xd8 xd8 30.d1 xd1+ 31.xd1 Straighforward technique. The endgame is easily won for White. f6 32.f1 e5 33.e2 f4+ 34.f3 d3 35.e3 f4 36.g3 d5+ 37.e2 f4 38.f3 fxg3 39.fxg3 d4 40.g4 h6 41.h4 e7 42.e3 e5 43.h5 c6 44.b4 Black is in zugzwang and is forced to retreat. The rest is easy. e6 45.e4 f6 46.f4 c8 47.f5 b6 48.xh6 d5+ 49.g3 xb4 50.h4 d5 51.g5+ g7 52.f5+ f7 53.g6+ f6 54.g7 f7 55.h6 g8 56.g5 h7 57.d6 Black resigned. 1-0
867 Dominguez Perez,Leinier Kramnik,Vladimir 19th Amber Rapid rapid (2) [Gawain Jones]
B07 2713 2790 14.03.2010
1.e4 d6 [ A n o t h e r r e c e n t g a m e s t a r t e d 1...g6 but soon transposed into the same position after 2.d4 g7 3.f3 I prefer developing the queen's knight first to keep options of f3 or f4. d6 4.c3 a6 5.e3 f6 6.d3 0-0 7.d2 g4!? ( Somehow I think 7...g4 is more in keeping with Black's normal play in these systems although ...Bg4 is not necessarily bad.) 8.h6 e8 9.xg7 xg7 10.f4 e5?! ( 10...c6 would have been a better move order) 11.dxe5?! ( Overlooking t h e s t r o n g 11.xe5! dxe5 12.dxe5 picking up a pawn) 11...dxe5 12.e3 ( 12.xe5? loses a piece to d6 ) 12...c6 13.0-0 xf3 14.xf3 d4 and Black was for preference and went on to convert. Yang Kaiqi-Li Chao2 Ningbo 2010. ] 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 a6 I noticed
Svidler hasn't approved of this in the past in his annotations and indeed it looks strange but a lot of strong players have attempted this se t up , ad m it t e dly m o stly in ra p id c he s s . Normally Black delays developing the knight in this setup so not to run into a quick Bh6 or quick e4-e5 break but Kramnik is happy to repeat the line which is a great commendation. 5.d2 [ 5.f3 b5 6.d2 bd7 7.d1 An unusual decision but then what can you expect from the erratic Russian? He evidently decided that Black's attack would be too swift on the queenside so he forgets a quick mating attack and plays in a slower style. ( 7.g4 b7 8.g5 h5 9.ge2 c5 10.g3 cxd4 11.xd4 e5 12.e3 f4! Resembled a Dragadorf, see my Dragon updates! Amonatov, F-Timofeev, A Tomsk 2008. It's not in W hite's interests to grab the pawn with 13.xf4 exf4 14.xf4 as h6! 15.h4 g7 16.0-0-0 e5 17.g4 c8! and W hite's discomf ort is not worth the pawn. ) 7...b7 8.h3 b6 I don't trust this m o ve . I 'd p re f e r k e e p i n g t h e kn i g h t t o su p p o rt t h e c7 -c5 b re a k. 9.e2 g7 10.h6 0-0 11.xg7 xg7 12.e3 b4 13.b1 e6 14.f2 e7 15.0-0 was balanced Morozevich, A-Grischuk, A Moscow 2007. ] [ 5.a4 There's an argument for this move as Tiger advocates a Hippo setup against an early a4 but Black has already developed his knight on f6 and so that isn't possible. g7 6.h3 ( 6.a5 is only effective once the b8 knight has gone to d7. Here Black can develop with . ..Nc6 and perhaps .. ..Bg4.; I a l s o m e n t i o n e d 6.d2 in my notes to Smeets-Kramnik.) 6...0-0 7.f3 c6 8.e2 e5 9.0-0 exd4 10.xd4 e8 11.f3 e5 12.e2 had definitely been a successful opening for Black even if the game later went wrong. Erenburg, SGrischuk, A Rishon Le Ziyyon 2006. ] [ 5.e2 was played in Smeets-Kramnik which I analysed a couple of months ago which was another opening disaster for White. ] 5...b5 6.d3 b7 7.a3 [ 7.f3 bd7 8.a4 b4 9.ce2 c5 10.c3 bxc3 11.bxc3 g7 12.a5 0-0 13.h3 c7 891
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.0-0 e5 15.d5 c4 16.c2 c5 17.fb1 c8 Black's position started looking like either a good Spanish or Kings Indian. It's educational to see how Grischuk won this very quickly. 18.f2 d7 19.c1 b5 20.d1 h5 21.b2 f5 22.a4 xa4 23.xa4 fxe4 24.c6 ad8 25.xc5 dxc5 26.fxe4 xc6 Oops! 0-1 Sprenger, JGrischuk, A Mainz 2007. ] 7...bd7 8.f3 e5 Slightly unusual. Normally Black plays the c5 break in these a6 Moderns. [ 8...g7 would be my choice, hoping to tra n s p os e t o a ve ry go o d Dra go n st yle position once I break with c7-c5. 9.0-0 c5 immediately looks possible but Black has to correctly analyse ( 9...0-0 is safer ) 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5 g4 12.e6 fxe6 13.g5 b6 which is messy but looks fine for Black. ] 9.0-0 It doesn't work well to allow Black to capture on d4 so I think White should fix the centre [ 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.0-0-0 would be somewhat risky but the only way to play for an a d v a n t a g e . ( 10.0-0 is a safe option but I see no real reason why Black shouldn't have comfortable equality. )] 9...exd4! 10.xd4 [ Perhaps 10.xd4 is more accurate but the Cu b a n wo u ld h a ve h a d t o se e t h a t g7 11.f3 i s p l a y a b l e a s a l t h o u g h c5 win s a p i e c e , W h it e ca n sa c ri f i ce wit h 12.dxb5! axb5 13.xb5 0-0 14.xd6 when White has three pawns for the piece and a temporary initiative which should be enough for rough equality. ] 10...g7 11.a4 Forcing Black's hand but Kramnik takes the advantage after a forced series of moves. It's not easy to come up with an alternative plan for White while Black can start atta cking e4 with . ..Re8 , c5-c4 an d perhaps win the dark squares with an eventual Nf6-g4xe3. b4 12.d5 c5! 13.xf6 xf6 14.xf6+ xf6 15.e5!? [ 15.b3 0-0 16.ad1 is a (boring!) alternative but Black's bishop pair give him any advantage going. ] 15...dxe5 16.xe5 0-0 17.f4 d6 So the opening stage has concluded and Black has the upper hand with the bishop pair and in particular play down the h8-a1
diagonal while White's f2-f4 only weakens his own king rather than having any aggressive potential. 18.e3 ae8 19.ad1 d5 [ 19...xe5 20.fxe5 xe5 looks like a clean extra pawn to me as W hite doesn't even have the pressure on f7 that he achieves in the game. ] 20.f2 xe5 21.fxe5 xe5 22.c4 e7 23.de1 d6 24.xe7 xe7 25.f6 Dominguez seeks solace in the endgame a pa wn d o wn , h o p in g t h a t h is m o re a c t ive pieces will allow him to hold the draw. xf6 26.xf6 a5 27.b6 e4 28.b5 d8 29.d3 xd3 30.cxd3 xd3 31.xc5 d1+ 32.f2 d2+ 33.f3 xb2 34.xa5 Th is p o sit io n is n o w a b o o k d ra w a s t h e queenside pawns are going to be exchanged leaving rook and 3 vs rook and 2. Kramnik t rie s b u t ca n 't q u it e ge t t h e f u ll p o i n t . A success for Black and yet more proof that any mechanical plan for W hite involving simply developing his knights and castling gives Black a very easy game. a2 35.a8+ g7 36.a5 g5 37.b8 a4 38.g4 h5 39.h3 h4 40.g2 f6 41.b5 a2+ 42.g1 b3 43.xb3 xa5 44.f3+ e6 45.g2 a2+ 46.g1 f6 47.f5 e2 48.f3 e4 49.g2 f4 50.e3+ d5 51.a3 b4 52.f3 b2+ 53.g1 b6 54.g2 e4 55.f2 c6 56.h2 e3 57.g2 e6 58.f3+ d2 59.f5 e2+ 60.g1 e3 61.g2 e6 62.d5+ e1 63.f5 e2+ 64.g1 e3 65.g2 e6 66.f1+ d2 67.f5 d3 68.d5+ e4 69.f5 d6 70.f2 e3 71.f3+ d4 72.f5 e4 73.f2 e5 74.f5+ e6 75.f3 d2+ 76.g1 d5 77.g2 f5 78.gxf5+ xf5 79.xf5 xf5 80.f3 e5 81.e3 f6 82.f2 e6 83.e2 f7 84.f3 f6 85.f2 g6 86.g2 g7 87.g1 f6 88.f2 ½-½
868 Dreev,Alexey Azmaiparashvili,Zurab Moskva Guam [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2520 2560 1989
Before this game theory considered the 4.Bg5 line as rather harmless, due to 8...Bg4. The 892
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f o l l o wi n g g a m e h a s s h o wn t h a t W h i t e ' s resources should not be underestimated. 1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g5!? f6 5.f4 0-0 6.f3 c6 7.d2 b5 8.d3 g4 The most popular line. 9.e5! b4 10.e2 xf3 11.gxf3 d5 12.c4! [ It's premature to castle queenside immediately as Black obtains good counterplay after 12.0-0-0?! a5 13.c4 d7 , intending 14... N7b6 15. Bb3 Qb5 followed by a5-a4 ] 12...a5 13.0-0-0 Now White is ready for the breakthrough f5 d7 Preventing White's main idea. However... 14.f5! xf5 [ Later this position occurred in Yakovich B e i m , 1 9 9 3 . B l a c k p r e f e r r e d 14...dxe5 but White obtained a very strong attack after 15.fxg6 fxg6 ( 15...hxg6 16.h4 ) 16.h4! The game continued: e6 17.h5 b6 18.d3 d5 19.b1 xf3 20.hxg6 h5 21.h6 e4 22.xg7 xg7 and Black resigned as 23.f4 wins easily. ] 15.g3 e6 16.f4 dxe5 17.f5! d6 [ Of cause, 17...gxf5 i s s u i c i d e : 18.hg1 with Nh5 to f ollow, and Black has no defence against the threats on the g-file. ] 18.fxg6 hxg6 [ 18...fxg6 19.e4 d8 20.c5 with a large advantage ] 19.dg1! exd4?! Now White wins by force. [ 19...f5 is more stubborn, although White's attack is very strong after 20.h4!? ( or 20.h6!? with Nh5 to follow. )] 20.f5! e5 21.xg7 e3 [ 21...xg7 doesn't help Black: 22.h6 e5 23.g5 e4 ( 23...e3? 24.xg6+ ) 24.xd5 cxd5 25.e1 winning. ] 22.xe3 dxe3 23.d3 Now the g6-square becomes the main target. xg7 24.xf7! h5 25.xg6+ Black resigned, as he is mated in five. Brilliant attack! [ 25.xg6+ xf7 26.f1+ e8 27.xf8+ xf8 28.d8+ f7 29.g8# ] 1-0
869 Dreev,Alexey Beim,Valery Ordix Open Frankfurt GER (10) [Carsten Hansen]
B07 2680 2563 18.06.2000
1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 g7 5.f4 h6 6.h4 bd7 7.d2 c5 8.d5 a6 9.f3 b5 [ 9...g5!? was tried out in Gofshtein-Chernin, Bastia 1998: 10.fxg5 hxg5 11.xg5 b5 12.a3 b4 13.axb4 cxb4 14.xf6 xf6 15.a4 ( 15.d1 makes somewhat more sense b6 16.d3 ) 15...xe4 16.xb4 f5 and now instead of 17.b6? b8 18.a4+ f8 19.c4 xb2! 20.xb2 c3+ 21.e2 xb2 22.a5 c8 23.e3 xc2 when it is all over. White should have played 17 c3 or 17 Bxa6, in both cases with somewhat better chances for W hite, although it is by no means clear. ] 10.e5 b4 11.a4 dxe5 [ The alternative for Black is to play 11...g8 but after 12.e2 g5 13.g3 gxf4 14.xf4 c7 15.e6 a5 16.exd7+ xd7 17.xd6 xa4 18.e5 White has a fairly clear advantage. ] 12.fxe5 g4 [ Or 12...g5!? 13.exf6 xf6 14.xg5 ( 14.a3 gxh4 15.axb4 cxb4 16.xb4 b8 17.d2 e5 with a good game for Black) 14...hxg5 15.xg5 h5 ( 15...a5!? ) 16.xf6 xf6 17.e2 xd5 18.h6 with a complicated struggle ahead. ] 13.e6 fxe6?! Once again 13...g5!? is a move that has to be considered for Black. After the text move, the end comes swiftly. 14.dxe6 de5 15.xd8+ xd8 16.0-0-0+ c7 17.xc5 By now it should be evident that the Black opening has failed: he is a pawn down, he is behind in development, his pieces are not working together, and finally his king is under attack... g5 18.g3 c6 19.b3 xf3 20.gxf3 e3 21.a5+ b6 22.c4+ xc4 23.xc4 c5 24.d5 1-0
893
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 21.xe2 is bad: xf4 22.c4+ d5 23.f1 B07 g5 24.b1 hxg6!? and Black's advantage Dreev,Alexey 2645 is obvious. ] Zakharevich,Igor 2485 Russia 1996 21...ec3+! [ 21...dc3+? 22.bxc3 bxc3 23.c4+ d5 [Alexander Volzhin] 24.xe2 ] A f t e r W h i t e ' s b ri l li a n t vic t o r y i n D r e e v - 22.bxc3 [ 22.a1? xd1 23.xd1 ( 23.xh6 Azmaiparashvili Black had to look f or an xf2-+ winning ) 23...g7 24.xh7 f5 improvement. The following game shows that 25.h1 a7-+ , parrying all the threats and Black has sufficient chances in this line. 1.d4 winning. ] d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 g7 5.f4 0-0 6.d2 c6 7.d3 b5 8.f3 g4 9.e5 22...xf4?? A terrible mistake. [ After the correct 22...bxc3 23.c1 xf4 b4 10.e2 xf3 11.gxf3 d5 12.c4 a5 24.a3 ( After 24.gxh7+ h8 Black's King 13.0-0-0 f6! This is the novelty. 14.h4 h6 is safe ) 24...h6!? Black's advantage is 15.exf6 exf6 16.f2 d7 17.h4 7b6 beyond any doubt. ] 18.d3 a4!N Now White's Queen is very active [ Previously Zakharevich chose 18...e8?! 23.e1 ( Ulibin â (+) Zakharevich, Russia,1995), (compared to the previous line where it was on but failed to prove that this move is really a3). [ The spectacular 23.xh7? doesn't work: necessary here. White got the upper hand xd2 24.dh1 f5! and Black wins. ] after 19.b1! h8 20.dg1 a4 21.h5 g5 22.fxg5 xg5 23.f4 h6 24.a1 d7 23...e8 24.g1! bxc3 [ 24...xc3+? 25.a1 xd1 26.g7! g5 25.c4! bxc3 26.bxc3 a3 27.c4 e7 28.d5! 27.xd1 intending f4 and Qh5 with an and won soon. ] unstoppable attack. ] 19.h5!? White chooses the sharpest 25.a1 h6 26.e4 d7 27.g3 e3 continuation. The alternatives are: [ 19.b1!? h8 ( 19...dc3+?! 20.bxc3 28.h2 g7 29.xd5 cxd5 30.d3? Missing Black's reply. Both players were in bxc3 21.c1! ) 20.h5 g5 with unclear play ] [ 19.c4 ab6 and White hardly has time trouble already. [ 30.f2! was correct, and after the forced anything better than 20.d3 with a draw by b5 31.b1 e2 32.b7+ g8 33.xd6 repetition. ] xf2 34.d7+- White wins. ] 19...ac3! 20.hxg6?! In contrast with previous games, it is Black who is attacking! 30...b5 31.b1 [ 31.xc3?! ab8! 32.c7+ g8 33.c3 But by playing the extremely risky text, White g5!? 34.c2 e3! led to a very unclear wants to fight for the initiative at any cost. He game. ] had other possibilities. [ Of course, accepting the sacrifice is poor: 31...xd3! after this brilliant Queen sacrifice it 20.bxc3? bxc3 21.xc3 ( or 21.e1 b6 is White who has to save his skin! 32.cxd3 [ 32.b7+?! xg6 33.cxd3 xd4 34.b1 22.xc3 xf4+ winning ) 21...xf4 ( 34.h4 e4!-+ winning; 34.f2 e1+!!-+ and Black wins the Queen. ] winning ) 34...ab8 35.b3 ( 35.xb8 [ Probably, 20.g3!? was the best: xb8+ 36.c1 b2-+ winning ) 35...a4 A) 20...xa2+? 21.b1 ac3+ and despite white's huge material advantage, 22.a1!? xe2 ( 22...g5 23.bxc3 ) it's not so easy to find a good defence. ] 23.hxg6! xg3 24.xh6 and White's 32...ab8! An excellent move again. attack is very strong, or; [ The hasty 32...xd4? loses by force: B) 20...xd1 21.hxg6 xb2 22.xb2 33.f2! e2 34.b7+! g8 35.xh6! g7 23.f5! with fantastic compensation.; e1+ ( 35...c2+ 36.xd4+winning ) C) 20...xe2+ Other moves seems bad: 36.xe1 c2+ 37.b2+- winning ] 21.xe2 g5! 22.c4 h8 with mutual 33.xb8 chances. ] [ The natural looking 33.f4? even lost the 20...xe2+ 21.b1! The only move. 870
894
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 game! xb1+ 34.xb1 b8+ 35.a1 ( 35.c2 b2+ ) 35...xf4 36.xf4 c2 37.c1 b1+ and the pawn ending is easily won for Black ] [ 33.c2 clearly is not an improvement: xb1+ 34.xb1 xd4 35.b7+ xg6 36.b1 e2 and White is in trouble ] [ Besides the text, 33.a4 was good enough to draw: xb1+ 34.xb1 b8+ 35.a1 b2 36.h3 c2 37.d7+ xg6 38.e8+ g7 with a perpetual. ] 33...xb8 34.c2 xd4 35.f4 b2 36.a4 c2 37.d7+ xg6 38.g4+ f7 39.d7+ g6 40.g4+ f7 41.d7+ A very nice game despite the mutual mistakes. ½-½
871 Dvoirys,Semen I Tkachiev,Vladislav Aeroflot Open (8) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2594 2642 24.02.2004
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 c6 5.e3 bd7 6.d2 b5 7.ge2 b7 Black plays traditionally, delaying ...Bf8-g7 as long as possible. Dvoiris tries to show that this does not matter. 8.h6!?N [ 8.g4 is played more frequently. White usually waits for ...Bg7 before playing Bh6 because it is a simple gain of a tempo. ] 8...xh6 9.xh6 e5 Tkachiev adjusts the central pawn formation to suit. By any normal positional yardstick he should be at least e q u a l n o w . 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.c1 c5 12.d3 xd3+ 13.xd3= The only reason White could have any advantage at all here might lie in the exposed Black pawn structure. One could argue that the pawns on b5 and e5 are targets. Maybe Black also has a small problem with his King, although a quick 0-0-0 is possible. I personally feel that Black is fine and I would have expected either 13...Qe7! or 13...Nh5, intending ...Qf6. g8? Sorry, but this cannot be right. 14.e3 e7 15.0-0-0 a6 16.h4 f6 Is he going to castle short? 17.g4 I think not. d7 18.b1 0-0-0 19.g5 Standard play so far. W hite is nicely c e n t r a l is e d a n d i s p r e p a r i n g h 4 - h 5 wi t h
pressure on the h-file. There are possibilities of in vasio n wit h Qe 3-a 7 too which Blac k moves to stop. I should reiterate that statically Black is fine-if the pawn structure remains unchanged he has a better ending. W hite m u s t m a k e t h e c h a n g e . b8 20.f1 Just marking time. I'm not sure Dvoirys sees a way forward. c5 21.d2 Of course not the ending. c8 22.d3 b6 23.e2 e6!= Tkachiev has done enough to finally claim equality, despite his unusual coming and g o i n g wi t h . . . N f 6 - g 8 - f 6 . 24.c1 e7 Both players seem afraid to make any positive moves. Perhaps both expected an imminent draw. I prefer [ 24...h6! and Black has good play in all v a r i a t i o n s : 25.gxh6 ( 25.b3 xb3 26.cxb3 hxg5 27.hxg5 xh1 28.xh1 d4= ) 25...f6! 26.b3 ( 26.h5 g5 27.b3 xb3 28.cxb3 d4 29.a5 b7=; 26.a5 b7 27.e2 xd1 28.xd1 xh6 ) 26...xb3 27.cxb3 f8 28.h5 xh6 29.c3 b7 30.c1 d6 ] 25.e3 c5 [ 25...b7 ] 26.c3 c7 27.c2 c8 With 27....Nc4 available, retaining Rooks is an ambitious move. 28.f2 a5 29.f4 b4 [ 29...exf4 30.d3 he8 31.xf4 ] 30.f5 Suddenly White is much better. Black's initiative on the queenside has no real punch whereas the Kingside chances lie exclusively with W hite. In general, if the central pawn structure vis-Ã -vis the Bishops is in your favour, it's a good idea to trade down to an ending. d7 31.h3! h6 32.hd3 hxg5 33.hxg5 c6 34.f3 bxc3 35.xc3 c4 36.fxg6 fxg6 37.f3 b7 38.f7 The natural flow of the position leads to this penetrative move. c7 39.f6! hc8 40.xc7 xc7 41.xg6 a4 [ He could try to change things with 41...c3 42.b3 a4 but after 43.d3 axb3 44.xb3 b5 45.h3 there is no way for Black to get his major pieces in. ] 42.e2 c3 [ 42...e8 43.h6 followed by the promotion of the pawn was not attractive to Tkachiev. ] 43.b3 e8 44.d6 h5 45.xc7+ xc7 46.d3! No need for any heroics. As long as 895
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 White can solidify the pawn on g5 will do the rest. d7 47.h1 xe2 48.xe2 g8 49.g1 f6 50.g6 xe4 51.g7 d6 52.c4 xc4 53.bxc4 Not that impressive by Black and ...Ng8 was particularly poor. A game of pawn structure in many ways. White understood more and that's why he won. 1-0
872 Efimenko,Z Skoberne,J 19th European Teams (9.7) [Tom Rendle]
B07 2657 2573 17.11.2013
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 5.d2 White has a lot of options here but it's good to see an old-fashioned 150 Attack approach against this setup. [ 5.h3!? with the idea of a quick g4 worked we l l i n S v i d le r - I va n c h u k a n n o t a t e d b y Jonathan Rowson in the archives. ] 5...c7 Skoberne chooses an unusual reply th a t h a s n 't be e n a n a lyse d o n Ch e ssP u b before. It's very flexible, basically waiting to see what setup White is going to adopt here. Obviously ...b5 will make a lot of sense if/ when W hite castles Queenside but it also keeps the option of a quick ...Nbd7 & ...e5 as well as ...Ng4 in some positions. Efimenko chooses a very straightforward response. 6.0-0-0 Already threatening a quick e5 [ 6.f4 looks tempting but after g4! 7.f3 xe3 8.xe3 g7 White has no obvious follow up and in the long run Black's two bishops are going to be very useful. ] [ of course White can play it safe here with 6.h3 g7 7.f3 bd7 8.a4 0-0 9.e2 but after e5! Black has pretty much equalised. ] [ 6.f3 bd7 7.d3 would transpose to K a s p a r o v - A z m a i p a r a s h vi l i c o ve r e d b y Andrew Martin back in 2003. ] 6...bd7 7.f3 b5 [ 7...g7 allows 8.e5!? ( 8.h6 is also logical with a slight edge after 0-0 9.xg7 xg7 10.h4 h5 11.g5 with the plan of f3 and a later g4) 8...dxe5 ( or 8...g4 9.exd6 exd6 10.h3! xe3 11.xe3+ f8 12.d3 and Black has lost
the right to castle with no obvious compensation) 9.dxe5 g4 10.e6! fxe6 11.g5 with an easier position for White to play although Black may still be OK after xe3 12.xe6 e5 13.xe3 xe3+ 14.fxe3 xc3 15.bxc3 f7 ] 8.e5! [ 8.d3?! is too slow here, for example g7 9.h6 0-0 10.xg7 xg7 11.h4 b4! 12.e2 c5 and Black's play in the centre and on the queenside is much further along than White's kingside attack. ] 8...b4! The only move to avoid a serious disadvantage 9.e2 [ 9.b5!? is very interesting here and it may be the best try for an edge cxb5 10.exf6 xf6 11.xb5+ d7 12.xb4 ( 12.xd7+?! xd7 13.xb4 g7 14.a5 0-0 gives Black a very dangerous looking initiative with two half-open files to use on the queenside) 12...b8 13.xd7+ xd7 14.c3! and Black should probably swap queens here and after xc3 15.bxc3 b6 I suppose with W hite's queenside pawns being so vulnerable his advantage is minimal at best ] 9...d5 10.f4 e6 [ 10...xe3! seems to equalise here, for example 11.xe3 dxe5 12.dxe5 e6 13.c4 ( 13.e2 g7 and White drops the pa wn o n e 5) 13...b6 and with the Black knight heading for d5 he is at least equal. ] 11.xd5 cxd5 12.h6! Now White has a definite advantage as after the bishops are exchanged Black has real problems on the dark squares. dxe5 13.xf8 [ 13.dxe5! is more accurate with a slight e d ge a f t e r c5 14.f4 xh6 15.xh6 d7 16.g7 0-0-0 17.d3 ] 13...xf8?! [ 13...xf8! looks strange as it drops a pawn with check but actually Black is completely fine after 14.xb4+ g7 15.dxe5 xe5 16.xe5 xe5 ] 14.dxe5 xe5?! This leads to a very unpleasant endgame for Black [ 14...a5 was better but I still like White after 15.b5! a6 16.xd7+ xd7 17.he1 ab8 18.b1 although Black can try for counterplay with a4!? ] 15.xe5 xe5 16.b5+ d7 17.he1! 896
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d6 18.xd5 xd5 19.xd5 0-0-0 [ 19...xb5?! drops a pawn to 20.xb5 a5 21.ee5 ( 21.b7! taking control of the 7th is probably even stronger )] 20.c5+ b8?! [ 20...b7 also loses a pawn but Black has reasonable drawing chances after 21.xd7 xd7 22.b5+ c6 23.xb4 fd8 as both his rooks and king are very active. ] 21.e4 xb5 22.xb5+ a8 23.bxb4 Now Black's king is stuck on a8 the ending should be lost. Efimenko quickly wraps up the game. d7 24.bd4 fd8 25.xd7 xd7 26.e3 b7 27.d3! A slightly premature resignation from Skokerbe here perhaps but there is no real defence to the simple plan of b3, c4, Kc2-c3 and the gradual advance of White's kingside pawns. 1-0
873 Ermenkov,Evgenij Abdulaziz,Mahmoud zt 3.1 Beirut LIB (8) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2454 2101 20.12.2004
LI ON T AME R 1.e4 d6 2.c3 f6 3.f4 I've often felt that this is an awkward moveorder for Pirc players to meet. One point might be that after 3... g6 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 g3!, W hite can force play back into a Closed Sicilian which Black might well not be prepared for. Attempts by Black to avoid ...c7-c5 can be rejected, since with simple moves e.g. Bg2, d3, 0-0, h3, Be3, Qd2 and an eventual f5, White obtains a strong attack. e5 4.f3 bd7 5.d4 But here we are back in that 'Pirc/Philidor hybrid ( or the LION' as it's known in Holland) and there's no pussyfooting around by White this time. Ermenkov goes straight for the most attacking line. e7?! I don't like this at all. If Black's going to ignore the threat to e5 he'd much better play 5...c6!. Possibly most reliable is the capture on d4: [ 5...exd4 6.xd4 ( 6.xd4 c6 idea ...d6d5,. ..Bc5.) 6...c5 7.d3 g4 8.f3 g6 ] [ 5...c6!? 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.fxe5 g4 8.e6 fxe6 9.g5 de5 10.xd8+ xd8 11.h3 h6 12.f4 hf7 13.0-0-0+ e8 14.xf7
xf7 and Black is surviving, according to Jerry Van Rekom and Leo Janssen in their innovative book, 'The Lion, a Black Weapon'. Unfortunately, Abdulaziz is a lion with no teeth. ] 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.fxe5 g4 8.f4! Substitute ...c6 for ...Be7 and this move isn't playable due to ... Qd8-b6! c6 9.h3 Too late now. g5 [ 9...b6 10.hxg4 xb2 11.d2+- ] [ 9...h6 10.d2! a5 11.0-0-0 b4 12.c4 xc3 13.xc3 xc3 14.bxc3 c5 15.hf1 leads to a curious position where W hite has two sets of doubled isolated pawns and yet he has a clear advantage thanks to his powerful dark-squared bishop. ] 10.hxg4 Ermenkov has decided that he can beat this guy without thinking and do you know what I think he's right! Against a stronger opponent it would be necessary to find [ 10.e6! fxe6 11.xg5 xg5 12.xg4 xf4 13.xf4 f8 14.h6 f6 15.h5+ g6 16.xg6+ hxg6 17.d1 ] 10...gxf4 11.d2 b6 12.c4 [ 12.0-0-0 e3 13.g5! f8 14.e2 g4 15.h4 xd2+ 16.xd2 xf3 17.gxf3 xg5 18.h5 h6 19.d4 g6 20.dh2 0-0-0 ] 12...c5 What a wimp. Of course Black must take on b2 and after [ 12...xb2 13.b1 a3 14.e6 fxe6 15.xe6 d6 16.xd6 xd6 the position is not that clear. ] 13.b3 xe5 14.xf4 c4 [ 14...f6 15.0-0-0 xg4 16.c7! is an incisive strike, meanwhile ] [ 14...xf3+ 15.gxf3 is a pawn up, no comp position for White. ] 15.xc4 xc4 16.0-0-0 e6 17.g5! If Black does nothing White's plan of Kb1,e5 a n d Ne 4 -f 6 o r d 6 + wi ll b e cru sh i n g. . f8 18.d4 e7 19.f5 e6 20.he1 Perhaps he could do nothing after all. White just funnels his pieces into ideal positions. g8 21.d5! Yes p lease . cxd5 22.exd5 xe1 23.xe1+ d8 The Lion is an opening which can be unexpectedly different and this after only a few moves. Nevertheless, results overwhelmingly favour White, and the trend
897
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 does not look set to change. 1-0
874 Farkas,Zsolt Hansen,Lars Henrik Bech ICCF Masterclass EM/M/197 [Andrew Martin]
B07 2053 20.06.2002
I am always on the lookout for correspondence games of interest. In a sense they are timeless. The following game features a novelty and also sheds some new light on Black's resources in the 150 attack, despite the final result. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 5.d2 b5 6.d3 bd7 7.f3 Results have been very good for White using this particular line. His game plan is ce rt ainly eas y to u nd ersta nd a ) Ra pid development. Quick castling. b) Be3-h6 as quickly as possible c) e4-e5 if possible d) a2a4 if possible e) the Knight transfer Nc3-e2-g3, followed by an all-out Kingside attack. Or some combination of these ideas. Black's response needs to be accurate. Briefly stated he should: a) Delay the development of the Bf8 to g7 for as long as possible in order to nullify the effect of Bh6. b) Play ...e7-e5 as soon as possible to erect central fortifications. c) Keep flexible with castling e5! 8.0-0 b7 9.a4 [ John Emms prefers a more patient approach: 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.h3!? c7 ( 10...e7 ) 11.e2 c5 12.g3 d8 13.c3 fd7 14.b4 a4?! ( Why not 14...xd3 15.cxd3 a5 16.a3 g7 with castles to come?) 15.b3 db6 16.c4 xd3 17.xd3 xc4 18.a3 c8 19.d2 e6 20.fc1 e7 21.xc4 xc4 22.xc4 b2 23.xc6 xc6 Emms, J-Konings, F/ Gent 2005 ] 9...a6 [ 9...b4 is interesting here: 10.a2 ( 10.e2 exd4 11.exd4 c5 ) 10...exd4 11.xd4 c5 12.xf6 xf6 13.c3 a5 14.fe1 g7 15.b5 0-0-0 16.e2 c7 17.a6 c6 18.b5 b7 19.a6 c6 20.b5 b7 1/2-1/2 Moldovan, D-Ghinda, M/Stara Zagora 1990 ] 10.ad1 b4N
[ Alternatives are worth investigation, particularly Ponomariov's approach: 10...e7 11.h6 exd4 12.xd4 b4 13.ce2 c5 14.f3 c7 ( 14...xe4 15.f4 ef6 16.fe1 Gelfand ) 15.f4 e5 16.xe5 dxe5 17.d5 xd5 18.exd5 c4 Gelfand-Ponomariov Biel 2000 ] [ 10...g7 11.axb5 cxb5 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.xb5! axb5 14.xb5+- a6 15.xa6 xa6 16.xe5 c8 17.d4 xe5 18.xe5+ e6 19.b5+ d7 20.d5 c6 21.b4 e5 22.fd1 xd5 23.exd5 c7 24.f4 c5 25.e1+ d8 26.b7 d4 27.e4 a5 28.h4 f6 29.b4 a1+ 30.h2 e5 31.e3 c3 32.b6+ e8 33.c5 1-0 Kupreichik-Karasev Minsk 1976 ] 11.dxe5 I quote Junior Tay: dxe5 Previously, W h it e used t o t ra nsf e r th e Nc3 t o g3 (t o bolster the e4 pawn) before working on the Black Queenside. GM John Nunn has shown the virtues of such a plan in his clinical 1991 win over Gelfand in Munich. But now, Farkas comes up with a violent solution instead! 12.c4!!N [ Instead 12.e2 c5 13.g3 c7 Szabo, K-Resika, N/Paks 2001 is still a bit better for white. ] 12...bxc3 He wants to be shown. Black has two other possibilities: [ 12...h6 13.e2 e7 14.g3 g4 15.d3 xe3 It is not clear to me that this position is markedly better for W hite, despite what Deep Fritz says. ] [ 12...g7 13.e2 e7 14.d6 xd6 15.xd6 xe4 16.xf7+ e7 17.d3 ec5 ] 13.xc3 c7 [ 13...xe4?? 14.b3 f6 15.xd7+- ] 14.xf7+! BANG! Of course 14 Ng5 was good too. xf7 15.g5+ e8 [ 15...e7 16.c4 e8 17.f7+ d8 18.xf6+ e7 19.e6+ c8 20.f7 a5 21.xd7 xd7 22.c5 d2 23.xe7 xe7 24.c5+ d6 25.xb7+ xb7 26.xb7+Junior Tay ] 16.c4 Two pieces up but no moves left for Black. He has to offload some baggage. c5 17.xc5 xc5 18.xc5 e7 [ 18...h6 19.d6! d7 20.e6+ does not help at all. ] 898
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19.d6 d7 20.b4 f8 21.fd1 b8 22.c5 a8 23.f3 xb2 24.xe5 A short, sharp, relevant and interesting game. 1-0
875 Fedorov,Alexei Bologan,Viktor Belfort [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2659 2620 1999
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 f6 5.d3 0-0 6.0-0 c5!? This move has had a certain rise in popularity over the last year and was played even at top level. Similar positions may also a rise f rom the Alapin Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Bd3 g6 etc. ) a n d t h e T o rre A t t a ck . 7.h3 The most common reply. [ 7.dxc5 dxc5 aiming for a minimal advantage deserves certain attention. The similar idea is normal in Torre Attack after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Bg5 Bg7 4 Nbd2 0-0 5 c3 d6 6 e4 c5 7 dxc5! dxc5, but there W hite can put the bishop in an active position 8 Bc4! Nc6 9 Qe2 with chances of a serious opening advantage (see for example the game Speelman-Howell, Calcutta, 1996). Although this idea here looks rather harmless, Black has to play very attentively: 8.h3 c6 9.e2 c7 10.e5 d5 11.e1 e6 12.a4 ae8?! 13.a3 h8?! Black's play is pretentious and bad. 14.c4 b6 15.f4 d5 16.cd2 xf3 17.xf3 with a clear edge for W hite, Danielsen Kristiansen, Denmark, 1992. ] 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 c6 [ 8...bd7?! is less logical as the Knight doesn't create pressure against W hite's centre. 9.c3 e5 10.e3 and it's difficult to find a suitable plan for Black. The game Leko-Strikovic, Cacak 1996 continued: a6 11.a4! exd4 ( After 11...e8 12.d5 is very unpleasant.) 12.xd4 e8 13.c4! and Black has difficult problems to solve: xe4 ( Other moves are clearly insufficient: 13...c5? 14.e5!; or 13...b6?! 14.xf7+! xf7 15.b3+ winning a pawn for nothing.) 14.xg7 xg7 15.xe4 xe4 16.xf7! White wins the pawn back and destroys the
position of Black's King. The difference in the relative activity of all the pieces makes Black's position indefensible. f6 17.d5 b4 18.e1! b6 ( 18...e5 is no better: 19.c1! d7 20.c7 ) 19.c1! d7 20.c7 h8 21.xb7 d8 22.a5 c4 23.d5 xb2 24.c6! xc6 ( 24...f5 25.ee7 g5 26.f7 ) 25.xc6 f8 26.d7 h4 27.e6 and Black resigned. ] 9.c3 e5 10.d5 Now the position is typical of a King's Indian. [ 10.dxe5!? is also worthy of consideration. After dxe5 11.e3 There is some reason for White to hope for an opening advantage: he has an extra tempo in the symmetrical position and his bishops are more active than their Black counterparts (the Bishop on g7 is clearly misplaced). e6 ( 11...h5? 12.c4 d4 13.d5 e6 14.b3! and W hite has huge edge: d4 Bad, but wha t's b ett er? 15.xd4 exd4 16.ad1 h8 17.xd4 h4 18.f3 xe4 19.fe1 f5 20.g4 and White wins, Nun - Trapl, Namestovo 1987.) 12.b5 a5 13.xc6 bxc6 14.c2 h6 15.a4 d7 and White is clearly better due to his superior pawn structure, Smirin - Kempinski, Groningen 1996, for example: 16.d2 fc8 17.b3 c5 18.b2! b6 19.dc4 xc4 20.xc4 a6 21.ac1 ] 10...e7 The plans for both sides are obvious: W hite will attack on the Q-side, trying to exploit the open c-file while Black will try to create counterplay on the opposite side of the board. 11.e3 h5 12.c1 f4 13.b5 The moves of both players here are very natural. a6 14.c7 b8 15.a4 [ The tempting 15.a7?! is strongly met by t h e u n e x p e c t e d xh3! 16.gxh3 c8 17.b6 d7 and Black has a strong attack. ] 15...b5!? 16.axb5 axb5 17.b4 [ I would prefer 17.xf4!? exf4 18.d2 an d Black st ill ha s ce rt ain prob le ms t o solve. ] 17...d7 18.xf4 exf4 19.e2 b6 [ 19...b7 was safe and good. I can't see anything better for White than a draw after 20.xb5 xb5 21.xb5 b8 ] 20.e5 dxe5 21.xe5 d6? A gross mistake. [ Black had an excellent resource: 21...xd5! 899
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 22.xd7 ( 22.xd5 e6 is good for Black.) 22...xd7 23.xb5 d8 24.fd1 d6 and draw is the most likely outcome of the game. ] 22.c5! xd5?! Desperation. It's too late! 23.xd5 e8 24.xf4! The Rook on c5 is really great! White has everything protected! d4 25.g3 a8 26.f3 xf3 27.xf3 xb4 28.d1 1-0
876 Fedorov,Alexei Korotylev,Alexey St.Petersburg [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2500 2430 1994
Although I can't claim that such a quiet line gives White considerable opening advantage, the statistics of the ...g6 lines against c2-c3 can hardly satisfy Black. That's why he has begun to deviate from a normal Pirc with 3... g6, finding other ways. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.d3 e5 4.c3 d5! In my opinio n this is the best possibility. Black exploits the drawback of 3 Bd3 which is the lack of control over d5 and breaks in the center. [ 4...c6 5.f3 e7 6.d5! b8 7.c4 leads to a position from the old line 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Be7 4 d4 d6 5 d5 Nb8 6 Bd3 Nf6 7 c4 which is considered as good for White. One of the latest examples from top level: 0-0 8.c3 A) 8...c6 9.0-0 bd7 10.e3 a6 11.h3 cxd5 12.cxd5 b5 13.a4! b4 14.b1 a5 15.bd2 b7 16.c1 b6 17.b5 fd7 18.b3 b8 19.c4 xc4 20.xc4 c5 21.c2 ( 21.xc5 dxc5 22.c2 intending the manoeuvre Nd2-c4 is also very good for White.) 21...f5 22.xe5 dxe5 23.xc5 xc5 24.xc5 and White is winning, A. Ivanov-Negulescu, Washington 1998.; B) 8...bd7 9.c2! h5 10.h3! ( W h i t e c o u l d n ' t p l a y 10.xe5? immediately in view of xe5 11.xh5 g4 and the queen is trapped. After the text Nxe5 is a real threat. ) B1) 10...g6 is no better: 11.h6 g7 ( 11...e8 12.d2 ) 12.g4! and White
h a s a cle a r e d g e , f o r e xa m p le : h8 13.e2 f6 14.0-0-0 g8 15.d2 f5 16.gxf5 gxf5 17.exf5 xf5 ( 17...xf5 18.e4 ) 18.xf5 xf5 19.e4 and the open g-file and firm control over the important e4 square makes Black's position hardly defensible.; B2) 10...c6 11.xe5! xe5 12.xh5 xc4 13.0-0 e8 14.d1! f6 15.e2 b6 16.dxc6 bxc6 17.d3! (attacking the d6-pawn and threatening 18 e5) g6 18.xd6 xd6 19.xd6 and White won e a s i l y, S h i r o v - S p e e l m a n , L o n d o n 1991. ] 5.dxe5 xe4 [ 5...dxe4 is dubious as White has a nice way to obtain an edge: 6.b5+ d7 A) 7.e2 is weaker, as the position after xb5 8.xb5+ fd7 is not clear at all: 9.e3 ( 9.e6 fxe6 10.h3 c6 11.g5 e7 12.xe7 xe7 13.0-0 0-0 with mutual chances, Sharif-M.Gurevich, Marseille 1988.) 9...c6 10.d2 dxe5 11.xe4 d3 and Black is even slightly better, Jacobs-Andruet, London 1988.; B) 7.c4! g4 8.xf7+ xf7 9.e6+! xe6 10.xg4+ with a clear edge for W h it e. T h e ga me Do lm a t ov-K a ra s e v, USSR 1982 continued: f7 11.h5+ g6 12.d5+ g7 13.e2 c6 14.d4 g4 15.e6+ xe6 16.xe6 c5 17.0-0 f8 18.d2 d3 19.xe4 b6 20.g5 fe8 21.f6+ g8 22.h6 e7 23.ae1 ae8 24.g5 f5 25.g7+! and Black resigned. ] 6.f3 [ White could win a pawn here: 6.xe4 dxe4 7.a4+ d7 8.xe4 but Black's lightsquare domination gives him tremendous compensation: c6 9.g4 h5 10.h3 d7! ] 6...c6 7.bd2 c5 This position is very typical for the Ruy Lopez Open Variation: (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Nxe4 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 d5 8 de Be6 9 Nbd2 Nc5 10 c3). The important difference is that Black's Q-side pawns are still in their initial positions. This clearly favours Black as in the Ruy Lopez the b5-pawn is a good target (White plays a2a4 in the right moment), and the weakness of the c5-square is also rather important 900
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 especially after a knight exchange on d4. 8.b5 [ 8.c2 is the alternative to the text. ] 8...d7 Threatening 9...Nxe5. [ 8...e7!? is also possible: 9.b3 xb3 10.axb3 0-0 11.h3 b8!? 12.d3 c5 13.c2 h6 14.f4 b6 15.0-0 c6 16.fe1 d8 17.h2?! ( 17.d2!? ) 17...a5! 18.a3 White's Rook is forced to occupy such a miserable position because of the inaccuracy on the previous move. c4 19.h7+ h8 20.b4 b3 21.f5 A) I would prefer 21...xf5! 22.xf5 e6 23.xe6 ( 23.c2 a5 ) 23...fxe6 and the endgame favours Black.; B) 21...d4?! 22.e4! e6 23.e2 d3 24.h5 f8 25.g4 xg4 26.hxg4 g8 and although Black has a strong passed pawn the position seems to be in White's favour, as Black's king is in danger, A. Fedorov-V.Fedorov, Moscow 1996: 27.g5!? g6 28.f3 hxg5 29.xg5 d7 30.d5 , threatening e5-e6. ] 9.e2 [ 9.0-0? blunders a pawn: xe5 10.xe5 xb5 ] 9...a6 10.xc6 xc6 11.d4 d7 12.0-0 e6 The critical position for the evaluation of this line. Although Black lags a bit in development, the absence of his important light-squared Bishop doesn't allow White to create real threats. 13.d1 [ 13.a4 was tried in Smirin-Chernin, Groningen 1993: c5 14.xe6 xe6 15.f4 d7 16.c4 f5 17.a3 d4 and Black's chances are by no means worse. ] 13...c5 14.xe6 xe6 15.c4 d4 16.e4 e7 17.a4 c7 18.f4 [ 18.f4 c6 19.b3 h5 intending ...h4-h3 is good for Black. ] 18...c6 19.d6+ A wise decision. Now the position becomes drawish. [ After 19.b3 0-0 I prefer Black. ] 19...xd6 20.exd6 a5! 21.a3 d7! The best place for the King. 22.b3 he8 23.d3 b6 24.b5 g6 25.f3 h5 26.b3 ab8 27.e1 f6 Neither player can seriously play for a win, so draw was agreed. ½-½
877 Finkel,Alexander Maryasin,Boris ChT Israel (4) [Gary Lane]
B07
1997
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 Black wishes to avoid the main lines. 3.d4 f6 4.d3 cxd4 5.cxd4 c6 6.e2!? A rarely played move but it is worth investigating. The so called 'normal' move is Nf3 which is fine but Black can play 6...Bg4 instantly and try to undermine the centre. With the text move 6...Bg4 is a waste of time as 7 f3 breaks the pin and helps White to achieve his desired pawn structure. White has the option of castling kingside with a space advantage or even adopting a set-up which is similar to the aggressive Samisch va r i a t i o n i n t h e K i n g ' s I n d i a n D e f e n c e . Basically, White's plan is Nc3, f3, Be3, Qd2, 0-0-0 and push the kingside pawns. The only drawback is the open c-file which gives Black counterplay. g6 [ 6...e5 7.d5 b8 8.bc3 e7 9.f3 ( 9.0-0 intending f4 is a reasonable alternative.) 9...0-0 10.e3 a6 11.a4 a5 12.d2 a6 13.0-0 d7 14.c1 dc5 15.c4 b6 16.d3 xd3 17.xd3 c5 18.c4 h8 19.ab1 d7 20.b3 f5 21.b5 f4 22.f2 g5 23.xd7 xd7 24.e2 d8 25.b5 e7 26.b4 axb4 27.xb4 c8 28.c4 g8 29.a5 bxa5 30.a4 g7 31.xc5 dxc5 32.xc5 xc5 33.xc5 g4 34.e2 gxf3 35.xf3 f6 36.d1 c7 37.a3 c2 38.c1 d2 39.h1 d8 40.d1 c2 41.c1 d2 42.d1 1/2-1/2 N. Praznik-R.Osterman,Bled 1999. ] 7.bc3 g7 8.0-0 0-0 9.h3!? e5 [ 9...d7 10.e3 a5 11.d2 Th ese m ove s are a lm o st a u to ma t ic f o r W hite. The bishops are employed in the centre and the queen lends support to give the option of playing Bh6 to deprive Black of a key defender. fc8 12.a3 a6 13.b4 Sax quickly demonstrates the hidden benefits of W hite's position. He can push Black back by advancing his pawns on the queenside and particularly in the centre. d8 14.ac1 e8 15.f4 b5 16.e5 d7 17.d5 cb8 A very passive position for black to cope with. 18.e6 fxe6 19.dxe6 901
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f6 20.f5 c6 21.fxg6 xg6 22.xg6 hxg6 23.f4 e8 ( 23...e5 24.cd5 c4 25.d3 ) 24.cd5 ab8 25.xf6+ exf6 26.xd6+e5 27.d5 d8 28.e7+ f8 29.xg6+ g8 30.e7+ f8 31.xe5 1-0 H.Sax-D.Baric, Bled 1995. ] [ 9...d7 10.e3 b4 11.c4 b6 12.b3 e6 13.d2 d7 14.g5 f6 15.xf6 xf6 16.f4 d5 17.a3 c6 A) 18.exd5! looks like a possible improvement: a5 ( 18...exd5 19.xd5 and Black has no convincing compensation for the pawn) 19.e4 f5 20.2g3 wins; B) 18.e5 h4 19.h2 a6 20.a2 ac8 21.g1 a7 22.f3 h6 23.fc1 c6 24.d1 fc8 25.f2 f8 26.g4 xc1 27.xc1 xc1 28.xc1 c8 29.e1 h5 30.f6+ g7 31.g3 h8 32.b1 c6 33.b3 h6 34.h4 h8 35.f2 e7 36.c2 c6 37.c5 d8 38.c1 d7 39.e1 g8 40.xg8 xg8 41.c3 g7 42.e1 b6 43.c2 h8 44.a4 a5 45.d3 g7 46.g4 hxg4 47.hxg4 b8 48.g2 d7 49.c5 c8 50.f5 exf5 51.gxf5 gxf5 52.e6 f6 53.g3 c6 54.h4+ g7 55.xf5 xe6 56.h7+ f6 57.xe6 b4 58.xf7+ g5 59.g7+ 1-0 E.Grosse Kloenne-M. Schmidt,Muenster 1994. ] 10.d5 d4!? A calculated gamble in the knowledge that if White exchanges on d4 it is not so easy to round up the pawn without compromising the position. [ If 10...e7 then W hite can try 11.e3 with a similar position to a King's Indian in that he can soften up the Black queenside with Rc1 and playing Nb5. It is worth noting that if Black ever gets around to organising f7-f5 then White puts up the barriers with f3 and will then if necessary take on e4 with the pawn. ] 11.xd4 exd4 12.e2 e8 13.f3 d7 14.h1!? There is no rush to try and capture the d-pawn so W hite avoids the pins associated with a future Qb6 by stepping into the corner of the board. [ 14.b3 c5 15.b2 b6 16.f2 a4 17.a3 c3 18.d2 and White is no nearer to claiming the d-pawn ]
14...a6 15.a4! c5 16.b4 xd3 17.xd3 h4 18.f4! [ 18.xd4? xh3! 19.gxh3 xh3+ 20.g1 g3+ 21.h1 xd4-+ 22.xd4 e5 and the threat of Rh5+ wins. ] [ 18.b2?! f5 gives Black excellent counter chances. ] 18...f5 19.ac1 g5?! This doesn't quite work which suggests Black should try to hang on with something like 19... Bd7 but it is already a difficult task. 20.xd6 fxe4 21.fxe4 d7 [ 21...xe4?! 22.xe4 xe4 23.g3 e8 24.c7 d3 25.h5 b2 26.e7 d2 27.d6+- ] [ 21...xe4?! 22.g3! e3 23.xe3 dxe3 24.xh4 gxh4 25.f3+- ] 22.c7 ad8 23.g3 This is logical but the game can be more quickly wrapped up: [ 23.f3! allows White to win in style. f8 ( 23...h8 24.f7 xe4 25.g3 g6 26.xd7+- ) 24.xd7! xf3 25.xd8++- f7 26.xf3+ g6 27.g3 xe4 28.d6+ h5 29.e1 and the threat of g4+ and Ng3+ is definitely the end for Black. ] 23...g4 24.f5! gxh3 25.e5 hxg2+ 26.xg2 g4 27.e6 Crushing. xe6 28.dxe6 xe6 29.f4! h6 [ 29...xf5 30.xf5 xf5 31.xf5 f8 32.xb7+- ] 30.d2 e8 31.h5 a2 32.xh6 e3 33.xe3 1-0
878 Finkel,Alexander Oratovsky,Michael Israel [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2415 2485 1994
I've received quite a few e-mails asking about the Czech Pirc and I have dedicated this up d a t e e xclusive ly t o t his line . T h is lin e reached the peak of its popularity in the early nineties, initially due to the efforts of players from what was formerly Czechoslovakia: J. Pribyl, M.Pribyl, K.Mokry and others. Black achieved very good results and at that time it became a significant part of Vladimir Kramnik's opening repertoire. Later its popularity decreased when W hite found a 902
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 rather unpleasant way to set problems for Black, but definitely the last word has not yet been said . 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.f4! The most dangerous line for Black. Now it's not good for Black to play 4... g6 in the spirit of the Classical Pirc, because the move ...c7-c6 is senseless here: as we already know, in the Austrian Attack Black should counter in the centre with c7-c5. [ 4.f3 is the main alternative to the text and a f t e r t h e u s u a l g4 the same position occurs as after the moves 1.d4 d6 2.Nf3 Bg4 3.e4 Nf6 4.Nc3. We'll consider this line next month. ] 4...a5 The key position of the Czech System. Now 5...Nxe4 is threatened, therefore White has a choice between three main lines: 5.e5, 5. Bd2 and 5. Bd3. We'll consider all of them in turn. 5.e5 [ 5.d2?! has also been tried, but this move looks wrong. In Kramnik-Taborov, Belgorod 1989 Black had no problems in the opening: e5 6.f3 bd7 7.d3 exd4 8.xd4 g6 9.b3 c7 10.0-0 g7 and in this complicated position (which is similar to a Classical Pirc) Black's chances are by no means worse. ] 5...e4 6.d3!? [ 6.f3 is a more common option. ] 6...xc3 7.d2 g6 This move doesn't look good since the Bishop on g7 will be restricted b y W h i t e ' s p a wn c h a i n , b u t B l a ck p l a n s something unusual. [ Many commentators recommended the Queen sacrifice: 7...xa2!? 8.xa2 xa2 9.f3 and this position was evaluated as unclear, but I believe that White is clearly be t t e r h e re a s it 's dif f icu lt f o r B la ck t o complete his development. ] [ 7...c5! is more solid in my opinion: 8.bxc3 d5 9.f3 g4 with mutual chances in a complicated position occurred in TimmanHodgson, Biel 1995. ] 8.bxc3! [ If 8.xc3?! xc3+ 9.bxc3 with equal chances in a complicated endgame. ] 8...dxe5 9.fxe5 [ If 9.dxe5 a6 intending ...Nc5 with very comfortable play for Black. ] 9...h6 This is the idea behind Black's previous move. Now wild complications occur.
10.xh6 Forced. xc3+ 11.e2 xa1 12.f3 Threatening 13.Qg7 Rf8 14.Qxf8+ Kxf8 15.Bh6+ xa2 13.g7 f8 14.h6 d7 The critical position. It has been tested in two games. 15.g5! An important novelty. [ 15.e1 as played in Suetin-Hodgson, London 1991 is less precise: b6 16.f2 b7 17.e6 fxe6 18.xh7 xf3+! ( 18...0-0-0?! 19.xf8 xf8 20.xe7 is clearly better for White.) 19.gxf3 0-0-0 20.xe7 d5 and in this complicated position Black's chances are at least not worse: 21.xe6 xd4+ 22.e3 h8 23.f4 ( 23.h4 f8 24.xg6 c5 is OK for Black) 23...d4+ 24.e3 h8 25.f4 d4+ and a draw was agreed. ] [ 15.xh7 is weak: by winning the exchange back White loses the initiative: b6 16.xf8 xf8 17.h6 a6 and White has nothing for the pawn. ] 15...b6 16.e6! This is the idea behind White's previous move. The alternatives are clearly worse: [ 16.xh7?! a6! 17.xa6 xa6+ 18.f2 c4! 19.d1 xc2+ 20.d2 f5+ intending 0-0-0 ] [ White also has another interesting p o s s i b i l i t y : 16.a1!? xa1 17.e6 but this fails to a2! ( But not 17...fxe6? in view of 18.xg6+ hxg6 19.xg6+ d8 20.xe6# ) 18.exd7+ xd7 19.xf8 a6! 20.xa8 xc2+ 21.f3 xd3+ 22.f2 xd4+ and White is in trouble. ] 16...a6! The only way. [ Unfortunately after 16...fxe6 17.xh7! Black's position is just hopeless, for example: f6 ( 17...a6 18.xg6+! d8 19.xe6+ c8 20.xf8 xc2+ 21.e3 xd3 22.xd3 xg2 23.f5 winning ) 18.g8+ f8 19.h7! ( 19.xf8? a6 winning ) 19...a6 20.xf6+ exf6 21.xf8+ d7 22.f7+ c8 23.xa6+ winning ] 17.exd7+ xd7 18.xa6 xa6+ 19.f2 c4! 20.e1! A complicated position has arisen: Black has a slight material advantage but White has the initiative. fe8?! [ 20...g8! 21.e5 ( Not 21.xf7 xf7+ 22.xf7 gf8 23.xf8 xf8 winning ) 21...ge8 with the idea of ...f7-f6 looks more p r e c i s e . W h i t e c o u l d c o n t i n u e 22.e4 with unclear play. ] 903
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 21.g1 f6 22.e6 b4! 23.e2 b5 looks necessary to me when Black's 24.e1 a5?! A slightly strange decision. position looks fine.) 11.d5! e7 12.0-0 [ Repeating moves with 24...b4 looks more h8 13.d2 and Whit's extra space to the point if Black has not seen a better gives him an advantage. Campora, D idea. ] (2503)-Alvarado, N (2318) Decameron [ The risky-looking 24...a5!? was also worthy 2003.; of consideration. ] A2) 6...h6 7.h4 g5 8.fxg5 hxg5 25.e3 b4 26.h4! Taking the chance to ( 8...dxe5 immediately is probably a improve his position. a5 27.c3 b1+ slight nuance as the bishop is worse 28.h2 f5 29.f7 d5?! placed on h4.) 9.xg5 dxe5 10.dxe5 Another inaccurate move which allows White xe5 11.xd8+ xd8 12.0-0-0+ bd7 to launch a very strong attack. with an interesting imbalance between [ 29...a4?! was also dubious due to 30.g7! W hite's kingside pawns and Black's d5 ( 30...f2 31.e4 winning; 30...g4 centre. It's easier for White to develop 31.d5 xh4+ 32.g1 xh6 33.e6+ his pieces but should Black succeed in d8 34.dxc6 winning ) 31.e6! and Black is getting his queenside out he'll stand well. defenceless: a3 32.f4! a2 33.d6 ] Shukh, N (2459)-Tseshkovsky, V (2564) [ Both 29...g4!? ] Irkutsk 2010.; [ and 29...h5!? were much better. ] B) 6.exd6 The calmer option. cxd6 7.f3 30.c4! O f c o u r s e ! h5 31.f4 xh4+ c6 8.d2 a5 9.e2 b6 10.h6 0-0 32.g1 g5? The last mistake. 11.xg7 xg7 12.d5 e5 13.d4 [ Black should have taken the e6 square bd7 14.0-0-0 and White had a definite under control by 32...g4! though White's edge as e7 is a long term weakness while attack looks quite strong after 33.d5 ] Black will miss his dark squared bishop. 33.c5+! A decisive blow. bxc5 34.e6+ Borgo, G (2414)-David, A (2587) Milan d8 35.dxc5! xf4 36.d3+ c7 37.d7+ 2010. ] Black resigned. 6.dxe5 g4 This is Vigus' suggestion. 1-0 [ 6...fd7 A) He prefers 7.e6! fxe6 8.d2! 0-0 ( 8...e5 looks stronger to me (GJ) 879 B07 transposing back into positions similar to the mainline.) 9.0-0-0 Watson "and not Gallagher,Joseph G 2501 only does Black have trouble unwinding, Karim,Ismael 2375 but White has multiple ideas like Bh6, Bc4 Gibraltar Masters (10.26) 03.02.2011 and h4-h5".; [Gawain Jones] B) 7.d5?! can be seen in Gashimov, V (2644)-Moran Llera, J (1976) Sanxenxo Joe was pleased with this game afterwards 2007 annotated by John. ] and told me he tried it as he's faced some problems in online blitz games on the Black 7.xd8+ xd8 8.0-0-0+!? And this is his side! 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 new idea. He's happy to sacrifice the pawn without harming Black's pawn structure (i.e. g7 5.e5 dxe5 [ John suggested that Black should he doesn't throw e5-e6 in). However he does investigate 5...fd7 but the text is the more manage a great lead in development and c o m m o n . A c o u p l e o f r e c e n t g a m e s Black has to be careful. Objectively I don't think it gives W hite an advantage but it's continued: A) Instead White can keep his centre with easier to have the White pieces. [ 8.d1+ d7 9.e6 fxe6 10.c4 ( Both 6.f4 although Black can generate 10.e2; and 10.f3 are looked at by John counterplay with Watson in the archives.) 10...e8 11.f3 A1) 6...0-0 has been the most popular c6 12.0-0 ge5 13.xe5 xe5 14.b5 7.f3 f6 8.exf6 exf6 9.h4 b6 c8 15.xd7 xd7 16.xe6 e5 17.f4 10.e2 c6?! ( 10...d5 904
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d6 18.h6 d8 19.g7 f8 20.xd6+ 1/2-1/2 Magem Badals, J (2535) -Chernin, A (2645) New York 1998 was annotated by Alexander Volzhin - check the archives. ] 8...d7 [ Perhaps 8...d7 is the better way to block the c heck. Pla ying as in the game wit h 9.h3 gxe5 10.e2 ( 10.d5 m a y b e b e s t b u t i t c a n b e m e t b y c6! 11.xe7 f6 12.xc8 fxg5 13.d6 h6 14.b1 g4 and Black starts to take over the initiative although 15.f4! keeps the position in dynamic equality territory.) 10...h6 11.e3 c6 12.he1 e6 would allow Black t o s lo wly u n t a n gle a n d st a rt t o t ry a n d utilise his extra pawn. ] 9.h3 This appears to be the novelty. [ 9.e4 was played in a previous game and looks more logical. h6 10.h4 g5 11.e6 fxe6?! ( 11...gxh4! 12.exd7 xd7 was a better approach as 13.c5 e8 14.xd7 xf2 is probably good for Black.) 12.g3 b6 13.c4 c8 14.f3 c5 Kadlec, B (1905) -Sorsak, J (2060) Slovakia 1998 when W hite could have claimed a c l e a r a d v a n t a g e wi t h 15.xd7! xd7 ( 15...xd7 16.d1+ e8 17.xe6 wins material as both the g4 knight and Bd5 are threatened.) 16.d1! ge5 17.xe6 a n d W h i t e w i l l e n d u p wi t h a d e c i s i v e material advantage. ] 9...xe5 It's natural to bring the knight back into the f old but now W hite has a decent initiative compensating for the pawn. [ 9...xe5 might be better. Joe might have tried to continue as in the game with 10.e2 but h6! 11.f3 ( 11.xg4 hxg5 12.xd7 xd7 13.e4 f6 14.c5 e8! 15.xd7 d6 regains the knight with a clear advantage. This is the point of forcing ...c6 so the bishop won't be defended.) 11...c6 12.xg4 hxg5 13.xd7 xd7 14.e4 g4 15.hg5 f4+ 16.b1 xg5 17.xg5 h5! 18.xf7+ c7 19.he1 e5 and due to the knight being trapped on f7 W hite would have to try 20.xd7+ xd7 21.xe5+ d6 22.xg4 with a complex e n d g a m e b u t a s W h it e d o e s n ' t h a ve a passed pawn Black's rooks shouldn't be worse. ] 10.e2 f6
[ 10...h6 11.e3 c8 12.f4 ec6 looks very passive but Black is solid and W hite does have to prove something as otherwise Black will be able to convert his extra pawn. ] 11.e3 c8 12.f4 bc6 13.e4 e6?! Karim was evidently worried about a knight jumping into e6 but this is too slow and White now takes over the advantage. [ 13...b6 looks risky creating big holes on the light squares but 14.a6+ b8 looks fully playable for Black who can slowly continue with ...Rd 8, ...Bh6 f ollowed by pushin g W h it e 's p ie ce s b a ckwa rds a n d I'm s t ill sceptical White has complete compensation for the pawn. ] 14.c5 e8 15.d2 f8 16.hd1 Simple chess. The Anglo-Swiss GM puts his pieces on the best squares and doesn't allow Karim enough time to complete his d e v e l o p m e n t . xc5 17.xc5 d8? And this is the losing move. Karim overlooks a pretty tactic. [ The position was already awkward but p e r h a p s wit h 17...a6 Black can hold. The problem is Black's still extremely passive and White can choose whether to play very s l o w l y w i t h 18.b3 when it's not clear how B l a c k m a k e s p r o g r e s s a s ( 18.xg6!? is a cousin of the game continuation. hxg6 19.f4 b6 20.g1 g5 21.fxe5 xe5 22.d4 and White will be able to regain the pawn with the better ending.) 18...b6 19.a3 keeps him under the cosh. ] 18.h5! Getting the knight out of the way. gxh5 19.f4 [ 19.xh5!? is an interesting nuance but the text is good enough. ] 19...g6 20.xd7 xf4 21.f3 White has regained his piece and, although two pawns down, is clearly on top. Black can still not get that a8 rook out of the game while W hite's rooks and bishops completely dominate. He can ch oose when he want s t o rega in his pawns as Black's kingside is dropping. e5 [ 21...h8 is the computer's ultra-passive a p p r o a c h b u t n o w 22.e7 ( 22.f2!? is also interesting with ideas of Bh4xf6 or even Bg3 looking at Black's king.) 22...d5 23.xd8+ xd8 24.xd8 xd8 25.c4 and White wins the piece with a technically 905
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 12.xd7+ i s u n i m p r e s s i v e : cxd7! ( 12...fxd7 13.d4 g8 14.0-0 ) 13.g3 g7 14.0-0 0-0 It's a bog-standard position and Black is absolutely OK. ] 12...dxc5 13.0-0 xb5 14.axb5 xb5 15.e5 White needs to prosecute his attack before Black can play .. Bg7 and 0-0 it really is as simple as that. Azmai is well aware of the risk that he is taking but you should not play the Pirc if you do not want to tough out this type of position. d8 [ 15...d7 16.d5 ( Maybe 16.e6 fxe6 17.e3 is more dangerous.) 16...b6 17.b7 h6! 18.xa7 0-0 19.xa8 xa8 20.g3 is rather unclear but in principle Black is alright he has to play a few accurate moves though. ] 16.ed4! [ 16.e1 d5 17.xa7 h6 18.g3= ( 18.e6 fxe6 19.g3 b6 880 B07 is unconvincing. )] Ganguly,Surya Shekhar 2574 16...e4 17.xb5 [ I prefer 17.f4! cxd4 18.xe4 a5 Azmaiparashvili,Zurab 2679 19.fd1 White's simply better developed: It Pune IND (1) 03.09.2004 g7 20.xd4! White must keep Black's [Andrew Martin] Que en m ovin g to preven t ca st ling. d5 ( 20...b6 21.c6 c8 22.xa5 0-0 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 23.c4 ) 21.xd5 xd5 22.c6! ] 5.d2 b5 6.d3 bd7 I've already made the point countless times that Black should 17...xd2 18.xd2 xd2 19.fd1 [ There's also 19.xa7 g7 20.c7+ d8 delay ...Bg7 and ...0-0 as long as possible in 21.e6 With the Black King still exposed this variation, heading off the possibility of White has plenty of chances. ] White's outright Kingside attack. 7.a4 [ Here's what happens if White does not 19...xd1+ 20.xd1 e6 21.a1 d7! 22.c4 [ 22.xa7+ c6 23.c4 bxc3 24.xc3 g7 s wi t c h t a c k : 7.0-0-0 a5 8.b1 b4 25.f4 f8 26.e4 seems rather better for 9.ce2 g4 10.f4 g7 11.f3 xe3 White. ] 12.xe3 0-0 Amonatov,F-Torre,E/Bled 2002 Owning his da rk-square d Bishop , 22...bxc3 23.xa7+ c6 24.xc3 c4 Looks like a desperate attempt to get the Black stands well. ] 7...b4 8.ce2 a5 9.f3 c5!? As you can Bishop going. 25.xf7 b4 26.f4 c5 see, Azmai takes the idea of delaying ..Bg7 to 27.e4+ d4 28.g5+ d5 And now 29 b3 would keep White on the right track, steadily the logical extreme. [ If 9...g7 then 10.0-0 0-0 11.h6! b8 pro gre ssin g t owa rd s t h e win. I n s t e a d . . . . And resigns before 29...Bd2. 12.xg7 xg7 13.g3 White has the 29.g3?? usual edge although it may not amount to Confounding and annoying! mu ch as th e gam e p an s o u t. A t ta ckin g 0-1 possibilities of f4-f5 and Qg5 oblige Black to be very careful , but the position is defensible. ] 10.dxc5 xc5 11.b5+ d7 12.xc5 He is fighting to keep the Black King in the middle. winning endgame. ] 22.e7 c6 [ 22...f7 23.g3 e6 24.xf6 f8 25.e7 e8 26.xh5 is also disastrous. ] 23.xf6 T h a t ' s o n e b a c k . a5 24.xh7 And the other. h5 is also dropping when the two connected passed pawns win easily for White. b8 25.g3 e4 26.xh5 [ 26.h1 e2+ 27.d2 ed4 28.xh5 is an alternative to keep the bishop pair but the game is simple. ] 26...xh5 27.xh5 a7 28.e1 e6 29.f5 g8 30.g5 a6 31.h4 d4 32.f6 xf6 33.xf6 f3 34.xe4 xg3 35.b3 h3 36.b2 b5 37.e3 a4 38.h5 axb3 39.axb3 c5 40.g7 c4 41.h6 cxb3 42.xb3+ 1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 9.d5 grabs space but Black gets sufficient B07 play after a5 10.0-0 c6! 11.dxc6 xc6 Gashimov,Vugar 2761 12.exd6 xd6 ] Ivanchuk,Vassily 2766 74th Tata Steel GMA (5) 19.01.2012 9...f6 10.exf6 exf6 11.h4 d5! Ivanchuk takes a very sensible approach, simply taking [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle] his fair share of the centre and asking 1.e4 g6 2.d4 d6 3.c3 f6 4.g5 g7 Gashimov to come up with a plan. 12.e1 [ 12.e5!? looks interesting but it will 5.e5 Gashimov clearly believes in this move probably just transpose to the note below as he has played it before but I have to say after e7 13.d3 ] that 5.Qd2 looks like a more testing approach 13.g4? Perhaps Vugar was fd7 Although dxe5 was long considered the 12...e7 m a i n l i n e t h i s m o ve h a s b e e n g a in i n g i n burdened by the expectation of an advantage popularity, and I'm not surprised as it's by no with White because this is far too ambitious. means easy to find an advantage for White With the centre still relatively open this just seems to be weakening. here [ 13.d3 was more reliable with balanced [ 5...dxe5 has been covered in Gallagherchances after f5 14.f2 c4 15.e1 c6 Karim and Gashimov-Moran Llera in the 16.f3 ] archives. ] 13...c4! 14.xc4 dxc4 15.g2 6.f4 [ 15.e2 xd4+ 16.f2 d6 17.b5 c6 [ since White gets nothing in the game 18.d4 d7 19.xc4+ f7 20.h3 b6 perhaps the way to try for an advantage is with a clear advantage to Black ] 6.exd6 cxd6 7.f3 c6 8.d2 Chucky goes for the most aggressive and as Gawain previously commented White 15...b5 had a slight advantage in Borgo, G (2414)- approach, opening up lines all over the board D a v i d , A ( 2 5 8 7 ) M i l a n 2 0 1 0 , a l t h o u g h for his more active pieces to exploit [ 15...f5 may also be good but White does at Black's position is very playable here. ] least get good compensation with the pawn 6...0-0 7.f3 b6 ...f6 is a more common sac. 16.e2! xd4+ 17.f2 d6 move-order 8.e2 18.fe1! ] [ 8.e2 is probably more critical but Black this doesn't turn out well but seems to be doing fine with accurate play, e. 16.xb5 otherwise Black is just very comfortable g. f6 9.h4 [ 16.e2 b8 ] A) 9...dxe5! 10.fxe5 ( 10.dxe5 fxe5 11.d1 e8 12.fxe5 e6 with chances 16...b8 17.c3 [ 17.xa7 b7 and the knight is trapped on f o r b o t h s i d e s) 10...h6 preventing a7 ] Queenside castling ( 10...g5!? ); [ 17.a3 xb2 18.xc4 b4 19.ge3 B) 9...c6 10.0-0-0 d5 11.b1 d5 and Black has an excellent position ] was better for White in De la Villa Garcia, 17...xb2 18.a4 J (2470)-Houska, M (2284) Lisbon 2001. ] [ 18.e3 f5 19.e1 d7 20.xe7 xe7 [ 8.d3 has also been played a few times i s b e t t e r f o r B l a c k a s 21.xf5 a3 but after f6 9.h4 fxe5 10.fxe5 dxe5 22.e7+ h8 leaves White's position in 11.dxe5 c6 12.e2 d4 Black has at tatters ] least equalised ] 18...b4 19.c5?! 8...c6 [ 19.c3 was better when Black can grab a [ there don't seem to be many problems for pawn with xg4 20.xg4 xa4 21.e3 Black after 8...dxe5 either 9.fxe5 ( 9.dxe5 d6 but at least here Black has a few f6 10.h4 c6 ) 9...f6 10.e3 fxe5 ( or problems to overcome with a misplaced rook 10...c6 11.exf6 exf6 ) 11.xe5 c6 and a weak pawn on c4 22.g2 ] 12.xc6 bxc6 when Black's active pieces 20.e2?! this quickly leads to a c o m p e n s a t e f o r h i s m a n g l e d p a w n 19...c3 Queen sacrifice but not a very successful one structure. ] [ 20.b3 b7 21.a3 xb3!? 22.cxb3 f5 9.0-0 881
907
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 admittedly looks terrible for White ] 20...c6 21.a3 e8! 22.xe8+ this appears to be more desperation than anything else [ 22.e3 xd4 23.ae1 a5 and Black is a pawn up with a better position to boot ] 22...xe8 23.axb4 xg4 24.f2 d8! this accurate move stops Gashimov f rom getting any serious counterplay and Ivanchuk quickly mops up. 25.b3 xb4 26.xa7 xc2 27.c1 b8 28.a2 b4 29.a4 d5 30.c5 f8 31.ca1 c2 32.d3 b5 33.c1 h3 34.a5 c4 35.1a4 c3 An excellent game from Ivanchuk, showing the Pirc can be a dangerous weapon even at the highest level. 0-1
882 Gashimov,Vugar Moran Llera,Jose Angel IV Open Sanxenxo ESP (1) [John Watson]
B07 2644 1976 16.06.2007
Okay, White was outrated by his opponent by almost 700 points, but who's counting? A very interesting opening. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 g7 5.e5 dxe5 The standard response. [ Maybe 5...fd7 should be looked at more carefully. ] 6.dxe5 fd7 [ 6...g4 is given '!' by Vigus and may be best, but not really convincing to me. The lines with e6 for W hite seem like a worse version for Black of the similar King's Indian lines I used to play, because there is no d y n a m i c c o u n t e r p l a y : 7.xd8+ ( Compare the following line with 7 Nd5 c6?! in our game: 7.d5?! c6! 8.xe7 a5+ 9.c3 xe5+ 10.e2 d7! -Vigus ) 7...xd8 8.d1+ ( even 8.e2 xe5 9.0-0-0+ d7 10.f4 ec6 11.c4 gives a lot of compensation, and there are other ideas after; 8.0-0-0+ ) 8...d7 9.e6! fxe6 . This is a key position: A) 10.f3 and: A1) 10...xc3+ 11.bxc3 c6 12.c4 c8 13.d4; A2) 10...e5 11.xe5 xe5 12.c4 e8 , and White seems to have a
v a r i e t y o f g o o d m o v e s , e . g . , 13.0-0 ( 13.h4!? ) 13...c6 KarpatchevBerelovich, Smolensk 1992 and 14.e4! with the idea ( or 14.h6 ) 14...xb2 15.c5; A3) 10...c6 11.a4 ( or 11.e4 ) 11...b6 12.b5 b8?! 13.xd7 xd7 14.h3 ge5 15.d4 with a clear a d va n t a ge , B I va n o vic- Ho i, P lo vd i v 1983; B) Not as clear but still promising is 10.c4 xc3+ 11.bxc3 h6 ( 11...e8 12.h3! ) 12.c1 c8 13.e2 e5 14.b3 with superior activity and targets; C) 10.e2 (again, there are other moves that seem to keep some advantage, e.g., e5 C1) 11.f4 f7 12.f3 c6 C1a) 13.e4 d6 ( 13...xb2 14.c5 d6 15.0-0 c8 ); C1b) 13.0-0 d6 14.a3 e8 15.fe1 a6 16.f1 d8 17.e5 xe5 18.fxe5 f7 19.f4 c8 20.d3 f8 21.e2 h6 22.g3 f7 23.de1 g8 24.a4 f5 25.e4 b6 26.c3 d4 27.f2 f5 28.g2 d4 29.e4 fd8 30.ff1 f8 31.c3 dd8 32.d1 h6 33.h4 xd1 34.xd1 xh4 35.h1 f5 36.g4 h4 37.g3 f3+ 38.xf3 xf3 39.g2 f8 40.f2 f7 41.h2 e8 42.d3 g5 43.c4 b7 44.h3 f3 45.c1 h5 46.gxh5 h8 47.f2 xh5+ 48.g3 g4 49.d4 h3+ 50.f2 e4 51.e1 c5 52.e3 xe5 0-1 Bronznik, V (2405)-Held, P (2295)/Wuerttemberg 199800; C2) 11.f3 f7 ( 11...c8 12.xe5 xe5 13.xe7 c6 14.c5 and White is for choice) 12.0-0 ( 12.e3 ) 12...h6 13.e3 c6 14.e4 (Black has major p r o b l e m s n o w ) d6 15.c5 b6 16.xd7 xd7 17.c3 hf8 18.fe1 ( or 18.b5 a6 19.a4 b5 20.c2 ) 18...g5 19.c4 ( again, Black has real problems after 19.b5! a6 20.a4 b5 21.b3 ) 19...xf3! 20.gxf3 e5 21.e2 g6 22.c4?! f8 with the mighty f4 square and good counterplay, Asensio Lisan-Vidarte Morales, Barbera 1999. But obviously I don't like the looks 908
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 of this variation for Black. ] 7.d5?! This wins so effortlessly that it's easy to pass it over. But in fact, I think that there are two better moves: [ (a) 7.e6! looks quite strong: A) 7...xc3+ 8.bxc3 fxe6 9.c4 ( or 9.h6! ) 9...c6 10.e2 f6 11.d1; B) 7...fxe6 8.d2! ( two other moves are 8 Nf3 and 8.c4 c6 9.f3 0-0 10.e2 Mezcua Coronil-Fuentes Reyes, Aragon 2003 ) 8...0-0 ( 8...b6 9.xd8+ xd8 10.0-0-0+ d7 11.e4 ) 9.0-0-0 and not only does Black have trouble unwinding, but W hite has multiple ideas like Bh6, Bc4, and h4-h5. ] [ (b) 7.f4 has done well in a couple of games. I don't think it's much to brag about, but I'd rather be W hite: f6 (otherwise White may play Bh4) 8.exf6 exf6 9.h4 0-0 10.d5+ h8 11.0-0-0 favoured White in SisniegaKuninheam, Mexico 1980. ] 7...c6! [ 7...c6?! isn't like 6...Ng4 7 Nd5 c6! above: 8.xe7 a5+ 9.d2! xe5+ 10.e2 wit h t h e a d v a d n t a g e , K ivist o -G o rsko v, Finland 1990 ] 8.b5!? [ Or 8.e6 de5! 9.exf7+ xf7 10.f4 e5 ( 10...0-0!? 11.xc7 xb2 )] [ I s u p p o s e t h a t W h it e sh o u ld t r y 8.e2 , but it's not promising after 8...h6 or even d4 9.e4 c6! 10.xd4 xe5! ] 8...f6!? [ Good, but 8...h6! wins the e-pawn and puts the burden of proof on White, for example, 9.h4 ( 9.xc6 hxg5 10.a4 c6 ) 9...g5 10.g3 cxe5 11.xd7+ xd7 12.f3 c6! ] 9.exf6 exf6 10.f4 ce5 11.xe5 fxe5 12.e3 0-0 13.e2 c6 With his two bishops, Black stands better, but he needs to activate them. 14.c4+ h8 15.0-0 b6 [ 15...e4! 16.c3 h4 clears e5 for the knight. ] 16.b3 f6 [ 16...c5! 17.c4 d8 18.d6 e7 ] 17.c4 c7? 18.d6! xd6 19.xd6 h6 20.c3!? b5 21.f7+ h7 22.xe5 b4? This gives up the queenside. Better [ 22...a5! 23.a3 a4 24.a2 e4! 25.xe4 xe5 26.c3 f5 ]
23.a4 e4?! 24.xc6 d2 25.fe1 xb3 26.axb3 a5 27.c5 xb2 28.xa5 xa5 29.xa5 d4 30.d3 a6 31.c6 b6? 32.cxb4 xd3 33.xd3 h5 34.g3 g5 35.e7+ g8 36.e5 1-0
883 Godena,Michele Polgar,Judit 38th Olympiad (8) [David Vigorito]
B07 2517 2711 21.11.2008
Judit Polgar shows some rust as she takes too many liberties against her lower rated opponent. 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 This move always seemed to passive to me. I understand that it keeps pieces on the board and is less theoretical than the main lines, but it seems to just give White an easy edge with simple play. 3.d4 f6 4.d3 c7 An unusual move. [ 4...g6 is well met by 5.dxc5 dxc5 6.e5 ] [ while 4...cxd4 5.cxd4 c6 is the normal continuation. ] 5.f3 g6 6.0-0 g7 7.e1 0-0 Black has a p a s s i v e P i r c - l i k e s e t u p . 8.f4 g4 A typical method for outplaying a weaker opponent is to create a minor piece imbalance, bu t W h it e will ha ve no com pla in ts a bo u t securing the bishop pair. Black does not even get any real pre ssure on W hite's centre . 9.bd2 cxd4 10.cxd4 c6 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 d7 13.e3 ac8 14.d2 b6 15.f1 b4 16.d3! White does not want Black's kn ight com in g in to b 4 an d c2 . e5 This is not good, but it is difficult to offer Black advice. White has everything - space, the centre, the bishop pair, and the initiative. [ O f c o u r s e n o t 16...xb2 17.eb1 trapping the queen. ] 17.a3 a5 18.b4 d8 19.d5 e7 Black has a bad King's Indian now. Without a light-squared bishop it will be d if f icult t o attack the kingside. Also ...f5 will weaken the l i g h t - s q u a r e s f u r t h e r . 20.b5! Another problem for Black - the queenside is weak. This move provokes Black into further weakening the light-squares. b6 21.a4 h6 [ If 21...f5 immediately, White has 22.g5 coming to e6. ] 909
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 22.b5!? [ White does not even want to allow 22.xa7 a8 23.b7 b8 24.a6 f5 with some counterplay. ] 22...f6 [ Black has been prevented from playing ... f5 f o r n o w , b u t t h e a l t e r n a t i v e 22...c7 23.ac1 will force Black to move the d7knight anyway. ] 23.d2 c7 24.ec1 b8 25.d1! I like such moves. By going back home, the queen is ready to help fight for the c-file. The control of the d1-h5 diagonal can be important too. h5 [ Black gives up the c-file, hoping that the f8rook will help her develop counterplay on the kingside. After 25...fc8 26.a6 xc1 27.xc1 xc1 28.xc1 Black is totally passive. ] 26.xc7 xc7 27.c1 b8 28.d7!? f4 [ 28...f5 29.exf5 is one point behind Qd1 B l a c k c a n n o t r e c a p t u r e wi t h t h e p a wn because the h5-knight hangs, while r e c a p t u r i n g w i t h ( or 29.e6+ h8 30.exf5 ) 29...xf5 runs into 30.xf5 xf5 31.g4 ] 29.f1?! This looks unnecessary, but it doesn't do any harm. b7 30.b5 f5 31.c4 a6? [ This just hangs the queenside. It was better to just defend the d-pawn with 31...d8 ] 32.c6 b8 [ If 32...xc6 33.xd6 followed by 34. Rxc6. ] 33.xb6 fxe4 [ This is just desperate, but 33...d8 34.c2 l e a v e s B l a c k a p a wn d o wn wi t h a b a d position. ] 34.d7 d8 35.xf8 xf8 36.g4 h5 37.d7 f6 38.d1 h7 39.xf4 exf4 40.e6! xe6 41.dxe6 xc6 42.xd6 e7 43.xa6 g5 44.a7 f6 45.b5 g6 46.b6 c6 47.c7 1-0
884 Goloshchapov,Alexander Lahno,Kateryna 73rd ch-UKR Kharkov UKR (1.1) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2577 2472 24.08.2004
FULL THROTTLE 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 g7 5.d2 c6 6.f3 b5 The Pirc move-order means That Black is more or less committed to delaying castling and playing with ...c6 and ...b5. Nevertheless, this is not such a bad approach there's a lot of hype around about Be3 and Qd2. 7.g4 h5! I think this is good, interrupting White's plan. 8.g5 [ 8.gxh5 xh5 9.ge2 d7 10.g2 b6 11.b3 a5 12.d1 c7 13.g3 a4 seems very reasonable for Black, who has considerable queenside counterplay. For instance: 14.f2 d7 15.ce2 d5 16.e5 f6 Zude,A-Espig,L/Plauen GER 2004 ] 8...fd7 9.f4! Very logical. White can't open the kingside anymore so he maximises his options in the centre. The defect is that it's yet another pawn move. [ After 9.h4 White's attack is blocked and he m u st f a c e qu e e n s id e co u n t e rp la y : b6 10.d3 0-0 11.f4 c4 12.xc4 bxc4 13.ge2 d5 14.e5 g4 15.g3 e6 16.b3 cxb3 17.cxb3 d7 18.a4 c7 19.0-0 fc8 White is merely defending against Black's impending ...c5 break. 20.fc1 f8 21.h1 a3 22.b2 a5 23.f2 f5 24.h2 b7 25.g1 c5! It could not be stopped for ever. 26.dxc5 xc5 27.d4 a4 28.xc5 xc5 29.gc1 xf2 30.xf2 axb3 31.axb3 xa1 0-1 Nitin,S-Sangma, R/ Chennai IND 2004 ] 9...b6 10.f3 0-0 [ Could Black have waited with any of 10...a5 ] [ 10...d5 ] [ 10...b4 11.d1 a5 It's the eternal dilemma when to castle. ] 11.d3 c7 12.a3 a5 13.e2 d5! The longer Black left the central counterstrike, the more menacing White's impending attack would have been. I think Lahno has timed her c h a l l e n g e we l l , b u t t h e s e p o s i t i o n s a r e uncommonly difficult to play. 14.e5 h3 Very tempting, but I prefer 910
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 14...g4! 15.h4 ( 15.0-0 c4 16.xc4 bxc4= ) 15...c4 16.xc4 bxc4 17.f5 c5 18.fxg6 cxd4 19.xd4 ( 19.gxf7+ xf7 20.xd4 c6 ) 19...xe5 20.gxf7+ xf7 21.g6 g7 22.0-0-0 xd4 23.xd4 e6 ( 23...xe2? 24.xd5+ ) 24.de1 ] 15.f5!? Going for it! [ 15.h4 c4 16.xc4 bxc4 17.f5 wa s a l e s s e x c i t i n g w a y, b u t p o s s i b l y equally effective. ] 15...g2 16.f2 xh1 17.xh1 c4 [ 17...gxf5 18.f4 c4 19.xc4 bxc4 20.xh5 d7 21.g1 obviously gives White a very dangerous attack. The Black Rooks are helpless at present and there seems little opportunity for them to show any strength. ] 18.xc4 dxc4 19.f4 d7 20.c3! I really like this move calm in the face of the storm. White recognises that he doesn't need to rush and instead extends his grip on the position. [ 20.fxg6 fxg6 21.e6 b7 22.xf8 xf8 releases the pressure prematurely. ] 20...b6 [ 20...gxf5 21.xh5 c5 22.c2! e6 23.f6+ h8 24.e1 cxd4 25.g2! shows the extent of Black's plight. She can't get her pieces working! ] 21.f6! W hat a pawn chain! h8 22.c2 Sacrifices on g6 loom. e6 Hoping to defend wi t h t h e Q u e e n a l o n g t h e s e c o n d r a n k . 23.xh5 [ It's not clear why White rejected either 23.xe6 fxe6 24.xg6+ g7 25.fxg7 xg7 26.xe6+ h7 27.xc6 ] [ or 23.xg6 fe8 24.xh8 xh8 25.g6 fxg6 26.xg6 h7 27.xh7+ xh7 28.g1 g8 29.g5++- both of which seem very convincing. ] 23...b4 24.f4 bxc3 25.bxc3 d5 26.h4 fb8 27.h5 xe3 28.xe3 c5 29.d5 The pawn chain has to be seen to be believed. exd5 30.xd5 d7 31.e7+ f8 32.hxg6 g7 33.f5 fxg6 34.xg7 Games like this make one realise just how difficult the Modern/Pirc Defence is to play. Certainly it is absolutely crucial in the Be3/ Qd2 variation for Black to delay castling until the last possible moment. 1-0
885 Granda Zuniga,Julio E Movsziszian,Karen XXI Open Benidorm ESP (9) [John Watson]
B07 2609 2536 03.05.2008
A question from Felix Eickenbusch: while preparing for a club match against a Pirc player I noticed your comments regarding Mr. Vigus Pirc Inquiry (Update April 07) and the game Svidler-Ivanchuk (11/06). You recommended 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4. Be3 c6 5.h3 Nbd7 6.g4!? as an improvement (alas I don't own his book). W hile crosschecking the position I noticed a recent high-level clash in this variation transposing from a queen pawn opening. I found the game very interesting, yet it struck me as odd that Movsziszian played b4 only on move 20. I'd be glad if I could learn more of this game on one of the following updates. [jw: Here's a stab at it. ] 1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 5.h3 bd7 6.g4 Here's that g4 idea again, which appears in several orders. James Vigus has talked about this in this column. I think that Black needs to forget about the kingside for a while and move on the queenside. Here he does so in the most radical manner. b5!? Risky, and maybe even stemming f rom a misconception, although Black is a terrifically strong player. [ 6...a5 is safer then ...e5 can follow. The immediate 7.d2 ] [ 6...e5 is also interesting after 7.g5 h5 8.d2 , White may have a slight advantage, but he has to worry about Black's knight coming to f4 (sometimes with a pawn sacrifice), and that piece also assists against an f4 break. ] 7.g2 [ I wonder if Black's idea was 7.g5 b4 ? B u t t h e n 8.ce2 xe4? fails to 9.f3 , trapping the knight! ] 7...e5 8.d2 b7 9.g5 h5 10.ge2 e7 11.b3!? Odd-looking, but the point is clear in the note to Black's 12th. 0-0 12.h4 f5 Not terrible, but is this the wrong side of the board? [ 12...b4! 13.a4 exd4 14.xd4 c5! 15.b2 b6 , and I prefer Black, but it's double-edged. ] 911
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.exf5 gxf5 14.dxe5! xe5 15.f4 xf4 16.xf4 g6 17.e2 d5 [ 17...xf4 18.xf4 d5!? 19.0-0-0 ( 19.e6?! d6 20.xf8 e5+ ) 19...a3+ 20.b1 looks safe for White and therefore promising. ] 18.g3 d6 19.f4 Ugly, but after h5, the bishop can re-route via f2. e8 20.0-0 [ jw: There seems no reason to be shy: 20.h5 e7 ( 20...f8 21.0-0-0 e6 22.h3 ) 21.d4 ] 20...b4?! As Felix Eickenbusch indicates above, this doesn't work out very well. [ Let me try to improve. An interesting sample line might be 20...e7 21.ae1 ( 21.fe1 e3+ 22.xe3 xe3 23.h5 f8 24.f2 e7 25.d4 xe1+ 26.xe1; 21.d4 may be best: f7 22.d3 e7 23.h3 c8 24.ad1 ) 21...e3+ 22.xe3 xe3 23.f2 e7 24.d4 xe1 25.xe1 b4 26.e3 xf4 27.xf5 f8= ] 21.d4! d7 22.h5 e7 23.f3 c5 To prevent Nd4, but now Black has to cede his best bishop: 24.e5 xe5 25.fxe5 e6 26.g6!? I would say '!' for bravery, but it is unnecessary when W hite has such a fine position. hxg6 27.h4! xe5? Too greedy, and a real misjudgement. [ 27...f7 was a tough defensive move, intending 28.f6 gxh5 ] 28.ae1 g7 29.g5 Ouch. f8 30.e6! Total domination. White wins. ad8 31.h6 d4+ 32.h1 d7 33.f6+ g8 34.xg6+ h8 35.f6+ xf6 36.xf6+ h7 37.g7+ [ 37.g7+ xh6 38.f3 mates in a few. ] 1-0
[ 5...c5 would transpose into a Sicilian Defence. ] 6.xf7+ The only dangerous move, temporarily displacing Black's king at the cost of the two bishops. [ 6.xe4 d5 7.d3 dxe4 8.xe4 c5 9.0-0 0-0 10.c3 c6 11.h1 c7 was very comfortable for Black in Eisinger - Mohrlok, Bad Aibling 1965 ] 6...xf7 7.xe4 f8 [ Black can also put the rook on e8, though this leads to much the same sort of game. Herzog - Sorsensen, Danish Ch., Hinnerup 1979 continued 7...e8 8.c3 g8 9.0-0 c6 10.d4 e6 11.eg5 f6 12.e3 h6 13.e4 f7 with a solid game for Black. ] 8.0-0 g8 9.d4 Bringing about a position in which White has more space and a superior pawn structure. Black's bishops are not very useful at present. c6?! [ In Rivera - Black, Moscow (ol) 1994 Black played a better move with 9...e6 but White still had the more comfortable game after 10.c3 d7 11.e1 f6 12.eg5 e8 13.b3 e7 14.d2 etc. ] [ 9...d5 10.c5 b6 11.d3 gave White a n ice o u t p o st o n e 5 in Ro m e ro - Ro ja s , Spanish Ch., Torrevieja 1997 ] 10.c3 c7 11.e1 e6 12.eg5 e7 13.g3 d7 14.d2 f6 15.ae1 h5 16.h4 White has a very nice attacking game and comes within a whisker of victory. f6 17.g4 xg5 18.xg5 f6 19.f5 gxf5 20.gxf5 e5 21.h1 Not as decisive as it looks as Black has tricks based on getting her queen to d5. [ 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.g3 h8 23.xe5 looks strong. ] 886 B07 21...h8 22.e4 f7 23.xf6 xf6 24.xf6+ xf6 25.dxe5 dxe5 26.xe5 d7 Grigoryan,Meri 27.g5 Ornstein,Petra [ Missing a strong idea in 27.c4 followed by European Womens' Ch., (6) 27.04.2001 28.Bc3. ] [Nigel Davies] 27...f7 28.f6?! This pawn gets in the way of Grand Prix Attack meets the Pirc. White plays White's bishop. [ 28.e3 is much better, intending 29.Bd4. ] the same moves as he might in the 2.Nc3 and 29.h6 g4 30.g7+ g8 3.f4 line of the Sicilian, and asks Black if he 28...g8 can do better than transpose. The first big 31.fe1 h6 32.h5 c5! Spotting the idea question is about 5...Nxe4, as in this game. that White had missed. 33.h4 c6+ 34.h2 1.e4 d6 2.c3 f6 3.f4 g6 4.f3 g7 g2+ 35.h3 d7 36.xh6 d3+ 37.e3 dd2 38.g3+ xg3+ 39.xg3 xb2 5.c4 xe4 912
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 40.xc5 xa2 41.e5 g2+ 42.f4 f2+ 43.g5 g2+ 44.f4 ½-½
887 Hillarp Persson,Tiger Azmaiparashvili,Zurab Hotel Bali Stars, Benidorm (8) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2510 2690 2003
1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.f3 A noble attempt to force the game off the beaten track. Many Black players would allow the game to drift into a Samisch King's Indian but Azmaiparashvili has his own brand of chess. e5!? [ 3...g6 is the fianchetto treatment-quite playable as Black is willing to go into the aforementioned King's Indian. 4.e3 g7 5.d2 bd7 6.d3 ( 6.c4 ) 6...c6 7.a4 e5 8.c3 White insists on originality. 0-0 9.e2 e8 10.0-0 d5!= Rouzaud, P-Delgado Pico, L/Open Bali A, Benidorm ESP 2003 ] 4.d5 e7 5.e3 [ 5.d3 c6 6.c4 fd7 7.e2 g5 8.0-0 xc1 9.xc1 a5 10.bc3 1/2-1/2 Giorgadze, G-Malaniuk, V/Forli 1992 Shows how Black easily ditches his bad Bishop. ] 5...h5 Black prepares ..Bg5, activating his dark-squared Bishop. f 7-f 5 will be the liberating pawn break. [ 5...0-0 6.d3 c6 7.c4 An Old Indian now? Adams lashes out, quite against the spirit of that slow def ence . b5!? 8.c3 bxc4 9.xc4 b7 10.b3 c7 11.ge2 bd7 12.c1 fb8!? 13.dxc6 xc6 14.xf7+ f8 15.c4 xb2 16.d5 c5 17.0-0 ab8 18.a3 xd5 19.xd5 xd5 20.exd5 Gelfand, B-Adams, M/Tilburg 1996 ] 6.e2 [ 6.c4 a5 7.c3 a6 8.g3! is a typical Dreev method, cutting out counterplay long before it arrives. White keeps an active plan too with the later advance of his Kingside pawns. g6 ( 8...g5 9.f2 g6 10.h4 h6 11.h3 ) 9.d2 f5 10.exf5 gxf5 11.f4 0-0 12.h3 e8 13.e2 g6 14.0-0-0! f6 15.f2 g4 16.xg4 fxg4 17.fxe5 dxe5
18.h3 f3 19.xf3 gxf3 20.g4 d7 21.c2 g7 22.hf1 f8 23.e4 f6 24.d6 cxd6 25.d5 e6 26.xf3 c8 27.xe7+ xe7 28.d5+ e6 29.xd6 e8 30.f8+ 1-0 Dreev, A-Illescas Cordoba, M/Montpellier 2002 I like this impressive game greatly. ] 6...g5 7.f2 Taking on g5 or allowing an e xc h a n g e o f B is h o p s co m e s t o n o t h i n g . White's pawns give him a space advantage so he must keep the pieces on. g6 8.h4 h6 9.c4 It's a similar method to the one Dreev used. Black's pieces on the Kingside could turn out to be targets for the advancing White pawns. [ 9.g4 f4 10.g5 g7 11.bc3 h6 12.xf4 exf4 13.d4 e5 14.xe5 dxe5 15.gxh6 xh6 16.d2 xh4 17.0-0-0 d7 18.c4 a6 19.f2 xh1 20.xh1 f6 21.xa6 bxa6 22.d6 c6 23.a4 Grivas, E-Lagopatis, N/Serres 1990 ] 9...f5 10.bc3 0-0 11.exf5 gxf5 12.g1 h8 Obvious, but a move laced with cunning 13.g4?? And Hillarp Persson falls straight into the trap. White should delay this advance until he removes his King from the centre. Any of the following moves are quite reasonable: [ 13.c2 d7 14.g3 df6 15.c5 ] [ 13.a3!? ] [ 13.g3 ] 13...fxg4 14.fxg4 xf2! 15.g5 [ 15.xf2 is quite hopeless. xh4+ 16.g3 ( 16.g2 e3! 17.e1 xg4+ 18.h2 xg1+ 19.xg1 f4+ 20.g2 a6-+ ) 16...xg3 17.xg3 f4 ] [ 15.gxh5 xh4 16.g3 h2! 17.ge4 xb2-+ ] 15...h2 16.gxh6 xh4+ 17.d2 f5 But this is also a disaster zone. W hite has been obliterated on the strength of one small move. 18.c1 a6 There is no sanctuary for the White King so Black has all the time in the world to mobilize his pieces. White's virtually a piece down thanks to the dormant Rook on a1. 19.b3 b4 Honing in on d3 but this is li g h t wo rk f o r a n y d e c e n t p l a ye r . 20.b2 d3+ 21.a3 f2 Idea ...Qc5+ with mate to follow. 22.a4 a6 23.g5 b5 Enough is enough. Going back to the opening I am not totally convinced that Black is f ully OK if W hite follows the Dreev recipe. The space 913
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 advantage conferred by the White pawns must surely count for something! 0-1
888 Hou,Yifan Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar Gibraltar Open (10.1) [Tom Rendle]
B07 2605 2747 02.02.2012
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 c6 An interesting choice by Mamedyarov, again we see the Modern employed to try and create winning chances as Black (he needed to win to have a chance of winning the tournament). Hou Yif an chooses a very saf e and solid line. 4.f3 [ 4.f4 is probably the critical continuation and has been thoroughly covered in the archives ] 4...g4 [ 4...a5 is Black's main alternative here and now sensible is 5.d2 A) 5...e5 was played in Llaneza Vega, M (2521)-Galego, L (2435)/Donostia ESP 2009 and Black held a quick draw after A1) H o w e v e r I t h i n k t h a t 6.dxe5 gi v e s m o re p ro b l e m s f o r B l a c k, f o r example dxe5 7.c4 e7 ( 7...c7 8.g5 is awkward for Black) 8.d5 d8 9.xe7 ( 9.xf6+ xf6 10.0-0 is also a little better for White) 9...xe7 10.0-0 and the two Bishops should give White some edge here; A2) 6.d5 d8 7.xf6+ xf6 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.g5 d6 10.c4 f6 11.xd6 xd6 12.0-0-0 c7 13.e3 d7 where a draw was agreed.; B) 5...c7 6.c4 with some advantage for White ] 5.e2 [ 5.h3 h5 6.g4!? was looked at by Paul Motwani in the game Nyback-Puranen. ] 5...e6 [ 5...bd7 is Black's other main option and now after 6.0-0 e5 7.e3 e7 8.h3 h5 9.h4! g6 10.xg6 hxg6 11.a4 White had a small but definite edge in Kraai, J (2514)-Akobian, V (2610)/ICC INT 2011 ] 6.0-0 e7 Here White has tried a number of
moves 7.h3 [ 7.g5 0-0 8.h3 h5 9.e5 dxe5 A) 10.xe5!? xe2 11.xe2 would be more testing as taking the pawn is risky: xd4 ( 11...bd7 is very solid) 12.ad1 c5 13.fe1 and Black has trouble developing, meanwhile White can consider a rook swing with Rd3-g3.; B) 10.dxe5 d5 and Black was already very comfortable in Kalmachevskikh, V (2293)-Kabanov, N (2520)/KhantyMansiysk RUS 2011 ] [ 7.e3 0-0 8.h3 h5 A) 9.g4!? g6 10.h4 strikes me as a more dangerous way of playing as the pawn on e4 cannot be taken either way: xe4? ( 10...xe4? 11.xg6 xc3 12.xe7+ ) 11.g5; B) 9.a4 d5 10.e5 fd7 was fine for Black in Matuszewski, M (2317)-Biolek, R (2441)/Olomouc CZE 2010 ] [ 7.e5 dxe5 8.dxe5 d5 ( 8...xd1! 9.xd1 d5 is a safer way of playing and Black has basically equalised) 9.e4 ( 9.xd5?! gave no advantage after cxd5 10.c4 dxc4 11.a4+ c6 12.xc4 h5 wit h e qua l cha nce s in A rkhan gelsky, B (2 35 5)-Jan sa, V (24 94 )/G mu nd en A UT 2007 ) 9...0-0 10.c4 b6 11.e3 is slightly better for White ] 7...h5 8.e5 This tends to lead to positions where White has a very slight edge but it can often become quite drawish - although not in this game! [ 8.e3 0-0 transposes to the note after 7. Be3 ] 8...dxe5 9.xe5 xe2 10.xe2 bd7 11.c4 This allows Black to pretty much equalise but I suppose Hou was happy to let Mamedyarov takes risks here [ 11.f4 0-0 12.d3 might keep the smallest of edges but I doubt any Black players are going to be losing sleep over this sort of position! ] 11...xe5 12.dxe5 d7 This keeps the ga me in te re sting an d it 's su rprising h o w quickly the game bursts into life [ 12...xd1 13.xd1 d7 14.f4 0-0-0 is at least equal for Black and maybe Mamedyarov would've been better trying to grind this position out as Black - still, you'd 914
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 expect it to end in a draw from here ] 13.f4 a5 [ 13...0-0 was perhaps better in hindsight, certainly it avoids the complications that h a p p e n e d i n t h e g a m e . A f t e r 14.d4 Black still has to be careful as Qg4 is a little annoying. Still, it must be equal enough after c7 15.g4 h8! ] 14.a3! An excellent practical decision from Hou Yifan, showing she isn't just going to sit around and passively play for a draw. [ 14.d4 d8 15.e3 0-0 is about equal but Black can try pressing, perhaps with Rfe8, Nf8 and then doubling on the d-file. ] 14...xe5!? Accepting the pawn sacrifice must be critical [ 14...c7 would feel like admitting a small defeat ] 15.b4 c7 16.d4 f6 After this it feels like White has the easier game, if not an objective edge 17.ad1 a5 [ 17...c5! was probably a better way to do it, for example 18.xe5 xe5 19.d7+ f7 20.g3 and now the position probably looks scarier f or Black than it actually is cxb4 21.axb4 ab8 and Black seems to be holding on, White will have to play actively to demonstrate sufficient compensation for the pawn ] 18.e4 f7 19.g3 Perhaps this was a little slow as Black just about gets away grabbing the second pawn [ 19.c5 is the most solid option and now axb4 20.axb4 ad8 21.c1! and with Black rather cramped I like W hite's compensation for the pawn ] [ 19.c1!? is very dangerous, for example A) 19...axb4?! 20.d3 bxa3 21.xe5 and Black can't recapture the piece b e c a u s e o f fxe5 ( 21...a5 22.a1 and the piece is worth more than the 3 p a wn s h e r e) 22.xe5+ e8 23.d7 xd7 24.xd7 xd7 25.d1+ e8 26.xe6 and White should be winning here; B) 19...d6 20.c5 f3+ 21.xf3 xf4 22.d3 h6 23.h5+ e7 24.fe1 and White has a very strong attack ] 19...axb4 20.axb4 xb4 21.d4 c5 22.f4 [ 22.fe1 was also possible but I doubt W hite is bett er here. One possible lin e
l e a d i n g t o l i q u i d a t i o n w o u l d b e hd8 23.xe5 fxe5 24.f3+ g8 25.xe6 xd1 26.xd1 e7 27.xc5 xc5 and now the White should force a draw with 28.d7 f8 29.g3 f7 30.d8+ f8 31.d7 f7 32.d8+= ] 22...xd4+ 23.xd4 d7 24.xe6+! Hou Yifan wisely enters a balanced endgame [ 24.fd1 would keep up some pressure but I'm not convinced it's enough for two pawns after c5 25.f3 f5 although the position remains very tense ] 24...xe6 25.f5+ e7 26.xc7 he8 27.b1 a7 28.bd1 f8?! This move feels a little passive and White starts to get a small advantage after this [ 28...e5! is better as taking the knight is b a d f o r W h i t e a f t e r 29.xe5?! fxe5 30.d7+ f6 Black's active King ensures he has no problems ] 29.b1 f7 30.c5 e7 31.d6 d7 32.db4 h5 33.h4 h7 34.xh5 The position is a little more pleasant for Hou now and Mamedyarov has to be careful g8 35.h4 a8 36.b6 g5 37.hb4 a7 38.b8 a1+ 39.h2 d5 40.xb7 xf5?! [ 40...a2! was more accurate and now the game is likely to end in a draw, e.g. 41.d6 f3+ 42.g3 d4 and the nicest way to draw here is with 43.xg7+! xg7 44.b7+ g8 45.b8+ g7 46.b7+ with repetition, o f c o u r s e n o t h6?? 47.f4+ h5 48.h7# ] 41.d6 [ 41.e7! would cause more problems I think, it's not so easy to defend against Rbb7 doubling rooks on the 7th. Probably best is f2 42.h4 e1! 43.xe1 f3+ but after 44.h3! ( 44.g3 xe1 45.xf2 d3+ is drawn ) 44...xe1 45.g3 e2 46.b6 xg2 47.xc6 only White can play for a win here ] 41...a2 42.g4 Allowing a draw but I suspect Hou was happy enough with that at this stage [ 42.h4!? f3+ 43.h3 g1+ 44.g4 is a possible (if risky) winning attempt, and now d5 45.b2 d2 46.xa2 xa2 47.g3 and White has the better chances in the endgame but it still should end in a draw ] 915
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 42...f3 43.h4 h3+ 44.g1 a1+ 45.f2 a2+ 46.g1 A draw was probably the fair result and it ended an impressive Gibraltar performance from Hou Yifan (she tied for first in the tournament with Short). ½-½
Hedgehog position indeed! 20.e5 dxe5 21.xe5 fd8 22.xd7 xd7 23.f4 d4 24.e3 cd8 25.e2 4d6 26.xb6 xb6 27.bd1 bd6 Black's edge is enduring thanks to his better placed pieces and the pawn on b4,restraining W hite's queenside. Feeling the game slipping away and getting short of time, my impression is that Hunt 889 B07 becomes demoralised. 28.c1 a5 29.e2 xd1 30.xd1 c8 31.d3 a4 32.e2 Hunt,Adam d5 33.b3? Rahman,Ziaur [ 33.a3 bxa3 34.bxa3 c3 35.xc3 xc3 British Championship (5) 2003 36.a1 f6 was better with White retaining [Andrew Martin] chances of a draw. ] 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 33...a3! 34.f3 g5 35.f2 f5 36.e1 f6 37.d4 f4 From now on, Black improves 5.f3 b6!?N Provocative! [ 5...g4 6.d2 bd7 7.h3 xf3 8.gxf3 his position at will and Hunt is unable to hold b5 9.0-0-0 a5 10.b1 b4 11.e2 g7 the game. 38.c4 e5 39.e2 d8 40.xf4 12.h6 xh6 13.xh6 b6 14.g7 g8 gxf4 41.g3 d2+ 42.e2 fxg3+ 43.xg3 15.h6 g5 16.e5 g6 17.xg6 hxg6 xe2 44.xe2 f4+ 45.f2 g5 46.d3 18.exf6 exf6 19.c1 0-0-0 20.b3 f5 c8 47.e1? White's Bishop stayed bad until 21.d2 f4 22.a6+ d7 23.he1 e8 the end! 5...Qb6 is a very provocative and 24.e2 f5 25.c3 h4 26.d3 xe1 interesting idea, although it is noteworthy that 27.xe1 bxc3 28.bxc3 xf2 0-1 Lukin,A- Rahman declined to repeat the move later on in the British Championship against Motwani. Skytte,R/ Aarhus 1997/ ] [ 5...bd7 6.a4 g7 7.e2 0-0 8.0-0 b6 0-1 9.e1 b7 10.h3 c7 11.a5 ad8 12.axb6 axb6 13.f1 b5 14.b4 a8 B07 15.d2 fd8 16.h6 xh6 17.xh6 e5 890 18.ad1 a3 19.e3 da8 20.h4 Ibragimov,Ildar 2590 Short,N-Beliavsky,A/Las Vegas 1999 ] Chekhov,Valery A 2520 6.b1?! Moscow 1998 [ 6.d2 xb2 ( 6...g4 7.a4 c7 [Alexander Volzhin] 8.g5 ) 7.b1 a3 8.d3 ( 8.e5 must be the critical test. )] This game shows very clearly the dangers [ 6.a3 must also be considered. ] Black may be faced with. He plays his queen 6...g7 7.h3 0-0 8.d2 c7 Whilst Black's out early and so must be very careful not to set-up seems perfectly normal, the Rook on find himself too far behind in development. b1 sticks out like a sore thumb. This becomes 1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 a5 especially apparent should White play a2-a4, 5.d3 e5 6.f3 g4 7.e3! The best move which is quite normal in this type of position. in the position. Black has difficult problems to 9.h6 bd7 10.d3 b5 11.0-0 b7 solve here, and in my opinion, that's why this 12.xg7 xg7 13.fe1 b4 14.e2 c5! line is not played so often nowadays. exd4 Hunt has enacted the usual Bishop exchange [ In Shirov-Rivas, Manila 1992 Black on g7 but in doing so has lost valuable time. preferred 7...exf4 but failed to equalise: With his last move, Rahman constructs a very 8.xf4 b6 ( 8...xf3? is bad in view of favourable pawn structure and leaves the 9.xf3 b4 10.0-0-0! xd4 11.b5! White Bishop bad. Black's opening idea has and White wins; and immediate 8...b4?! been completely successful. 15.g3 cxd4 is also hardly good in view of the simple 16.xd4 b6 17.g5 e6 18.f3 h6 9.a3! ) 9.e2! xf3 10.gxf3 xb2 11.b1 19.d2 ac8 A very favourable Sicilian/ xa2 12.xb7 a5+ 13.d2 d8 916
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.a1! a5 15.d5! with a growing attack. ] 8.xd4 b4 9.e2! [ 9.xf6 gxf6 10.0-0 ( 10.d2?! xf3 11.gxf3 d7 12.0-0-0 0-0-0 and Black's chances should be preferred: White can't attack Black's weak pawns while the pawn on f4 is a real target, Kaminski-Ciemniak, Lubniewice 1993.) 10...xb2 11.e1 b6+ 12.h1 xf3 13.xf3 d7 In UlibinKramnik, Sochi 1990 White failed to prove he had enough for the pawn: 14.b1 c7 15.h4 h5 16.c4 h6 17.g3 c5 18.e2 0-0-0 19.xh5 f5! 20.exf5 e7 and Black seized the initiative. ] [ The tempting 9.a3 is also harmless in view of xd4! 10.xd4 xd1 11.xd1 bd7 with equal endgame. VoitsekhovskyRublevsky, Russia 1991. 12.f2 0-0-0 13.he1 b6 14.f3 g6 15.a4 a5 16.b3 d5 17.exd5 fxd5 18.xd5 xd5 19.e8+ c7 20.a1 g7 21.e7+ d7 22.xd7+ xd7 and here a draw was agreed. ] 9...xe4 Black has to accept this sacrifice, otherwise it's difficult to justify his previous play. 10.0-0! At the cost of only one pawn W hite has overwhelming development ad va nt a ge in a n o p e n p o sit io n. P ract ice proves Black's defence is very hard. d5 [ 10...xc3 is ba d sin ce af t e r 11.bxc3!? ( 11.xc3 is not bad either: b6+ 12.d4 d7 13.e1 e7 14.g4! with a growing attack. ) 11...a5 12.g5! Black's position is barely defensible. ] 11.xe4 dxe4 12.c3 e7 [ 12...xb2 was played in Glek-Pribyl, Germany 1991 (by the way, the move 9.Be2 was introduced in this game). White quickly obtained decisive advantage: A) 13.b1! xa2 14.xb7! i s g o o d a l t e r n a t i ve : exf3 ( 14...e7 15.d2 ) 15.xf3 xf3 16.e1+ d8 17.b6+ c8 18.c7#!; B) 13.e1! f5 ( 13...exf3 14.xf3+ e6 15.f5+- ->; 13...a3 14.g5 xe2 15.xe2+- -> ) 14.a4! /\\ 15.Ne5 Be2 16. Re2+- d7 15.g5 ( 15.h4! c5 16.xg4 xc3 17.xf5+- ) 15...c5 16.xg4 xc3 17.xc5 xc5+ 18.h1 f6 ( 18...fxg4 19.xe4++- ) 19.b3 0-0-0 20.ab1 d7 21.h3! e8
22.e6!+- a5 23.ec1! d5 24.xd5 xd5 25.xf5 g6 26.h3 b8 27.c5 de7 28.d7! d8 29.xb7+ a8 30.xc6 and Black resigned. ] 13.e5 xe2 14.xe2 c5 [ 14...f5 is bad: 15.h5+ g6 16.xg6 f7 17.xh8 ( 17.h3!? ) 17...hxg6 18.e2 c5+ 19.h1 d7 20.fd1 0-0-0 21.d4 xd4 22.xd4 and White is a clear exchange up for nothing, Kindermann, Dorfman, Debrecen 1990. ] 15.f2 d7 [ There were no better alternatives: 15...f6 16.h5+ g6 17.xg6 f7 18.f5 g8 19.f4 ] [ 15...c6 16.xc6 bxc6 17.f5 in both cases White had a big advantage. ] 16.xd7 xd7 The only move. [ 16...xd7 loses by force: 17.xe4+ e7 18.a4+ d7 19.fe1+ e7 20.xd7+ xd7 21.ad1+ e8 22.xc5 winning the Bishop. ] 17.b4! An excellent idea. Black intends to evacuate his King to Q-side and therefore White opens files there without any delay. f5 18.ad1+ c7 19.d5! e6 20.fd1 c8 21.e5 f7 22.bxc5 b8 23.b5+All White's pieces are in action while Black has half an army undeveloped. It is not a big surprise that Black is almost helpless here. a6 [ 23...c7 24.d7 c6 25.xc6 followed by Rf5 was absolutely hopeless for Black. ] 24.d7! [ 24.b6 c7 25.xc7+ followed by Rf5 was also good enough. ] 24...axb5 [ 24...c7? 25.d8+ c8 26.xc8+ xc8 27.e8+ c7 28.b6+ d7 29.b8+- ] 25.xf7 g6 26.d4 h5 27.d5 g8 28.c6! A very precise way to open the 7th rank. [ A f t e r t h e c a r e l e s s 28.dd7? xc5 29.xb7+ a8 White's win was too difficult, if possible at all. ] 28...bxc6 [ 28...xc6 was impossible due to 29.d8+ c8 30.e5+ ] 29.dd7 e8 30.e5+ In view of the quick mate Black resigned. 1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B07 which is the elementary Qd2/Bh6 that is used in some variations of the 150 Attack). In two James Vigus Pirc Inquiry of our featured games from last month N,N Nakamura also included a4, perhaps [John Watson] unnecessarily, and in one case that may have James Vigus writes: I was very interested to been too many tempi to burn. Refer to that read your first Pirc update on ChessPublishing, column. I think the basic plan of foregoing Be3 w h i c h g a v e m e s e v e r a l n e w i d e a s ( w e in favour of g4/Bg2 is essentially unique and analysed Nakamura-Smirin slightly differently, prompted Elisabeth Vicary's question about it. a n d I m u s t c o n f e ss t h a t 7 B xa 6 ! ? in t h e Of course, a database search almost always Austrian Attack was new to me). I have so far finds some sort of predecessor game. [ Vigus mentions a third order used by GM only had a chance to glance at your March Vajda: 4.h3 g7 5.ge2!? , and, for update, but am glad that you bring the example, c6 ( In one game Vigus cites, important and little-known g4-line to attention. White got the advantage after 5...0-0 6.e3 However, although it might be buried in the c6 7.a4 a5 8.g4!; 5...b5!? has also been middle of my book [jw: 'The Pirc in Black and played, when after 6.e5 fd7 , he suggests W hite', my new Pirc Bible] and not easy to 7.e6! fxe6 8.f4 b6 9.xb5+ c6 10.e2 f in d via th e in de x, I h a ve in f a ct m ad e a d5! . I doubt t hat White has any special feature of the early g4--at the end of advantage in that case, but I like the the chapter on the 150 Attack. I dubbed it the unbalanced play that is created.) 6.a4 ( 6.g4 "Archbishop Attack" (for reasons explained in b5 7.g2 might be looked at, with the idea the introduction to the 150 Chapter), and b4 8.b1 0-0 9.a3 ) 6...a5?! analysed it mainly in the form 4 Be3 c6 5 h3 Another tempo loss a5 was not to be feared. Nbd7 6 g4/6 a4 intending g3, which seems to 7.e3 a6 8.g4 and White has a nice be by far the most dangerous. Perhaps it game, having played the normal g3-g4 in could even have warranted a small chapter to one jump. ] itself, but my view was that this move-order (inducing ...Nbd7 which is not necessarily 4...c6 [ Vigus doesn't like White's h3/g4 plan as helpful in a Fianchetto-type structure) makes m u c h a f t e r 4...g7 5.h3 0-0 6.g4 it part of the whole mo dern Be3 / h3/Qd 2 , when he suggests d5 7.e5 e4 8.xe4 complex. I hope you will find some more food dxe4 9.g2 c5! , improving upon a Vajda for thought in my coverage of this, and I'm game with 9...f6?!. This shows one of the looking forward to reading your notes more drawbacks to an early Be3 in conjunction thoroughly soon!' Thank you, James! It's great with g4: it doesn't cover e4 or d5. I think to get feedback from an author. I'll try to give that this and Vigus' points that follow below the reader a brief overview of what the book are spot on. ] says with regard to the Be3/h3/g4 setup, c o n c e n t ra t in g u p o n m o ve o rd e rs a n d o f 5.h3 bd7 6.a4!? We are reaching the main course skipping the details that are given to line in which Vigus thinks that the h3/g4 plan illustrate them. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 is effective. If true, that militates against 4... 4.e3 This is the move that is associated with c6. [ 6.g4! is a similar alternative that he also h3/g4 in James' Pirc book, which we'll now finds very bothersome. I think that is more d i s c u s s . I n t h e la st c o l u m n we f e a t u re d accurate, since ...b5-b4 doesn't achieve several games by Hikaru Nakamura, who I much. See my suggestion on move 8. If think should be given credit for his rather these lines are difficult for Black, it again different idea: he avoids the move Be3 for indicates a problem with 4...c6 and 5...Nbd7, some time in favour of a setup involving h3/g4/ instead of simply 4...Bg7. In the end Vigus Bg2 and/ in some cases Nge2. This could be prefers the latter move (in spite of other argued to 'save' a tempo with which to batten problems). I agree: ...c6 and ...Nbd7 at such down the centre, although naturally Be3 has an early stage seems to limit Black's many advantages for other reasons (one of 891
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( meets 12.g5 f8 13.xh7 xh7 14.xh7 with g5 and decent coun terpla y) 12...c5 13.a2 g4 ( 13...cxe4 14.xe4 xe4; 13...e6 14.xe6 xe6 15.0-0 g4 16.h4 f6; 13...a5 14.0-0 ) 14.g5 e6 15.xe6 xe6 16.xe6 xe6 17.0-0 maintains a pleasant edge for White; A2) 10...bd7 11.g5! ( 11.0-0-0 b5 12.xb5 cxb5 13.xb5 c5 14.d6+ e7 , Ulko, J (2486)-Chekhov, S (2227)/ Voronezh RUS 2007/ The W eek in Chess 658 (28), transposes to the note to Black's 10th, below, except that White has his pawn on h3 there) 11...f8 12.xh7 xh7 13.xh7 g5 14.h4 f4? ( n e c e s s a r y w a s 14...xg2 15.0-0-0 b5 16.b3 , but Black is unlikely to survive this) 15.g7 e7 16.e2 was winning for White in Fedorchuk, S (2592)-Zozulia, A (2352)/ Tarragona ESP 2006/The W eek in 892 B07 Chess 618 (43); B) 9.0-0-0 g4!? 10.e2 bd7 11.e3 Jansa,Vlastimil 2477 Cech, P (2420)-Sergeev, V (2434)/ Czech Hartoch,Robert G 2196 Rep CZE 2006/The W eek in Chess 594 World Senior Championship (2) 29.10.2008 b5 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 b6 is fairly [James Vigus] solid for Black. ] The name '150 Attack' reflects the contribution 8...bd7 [ Black can try to transpose to 'b' in the of English players, but the Czech previous note with 8...e7 , though then grandmaster Vlastimil Jansa was another of 9.f3!? bd7 10.h4 is one way for White to its successful pioneers in the late 1980s. This keep up his initiative. ] game shows that even in his veteran years he is still capable of treating the Pirc brutally. 9.f3 e7 10.h3 a6?! [ This is too slow. Black must bite the bullet: We're onto 'plan B' for Black. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 10...b5! 11.dxe5 ( White can't claim much of g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 f6 5.d2 c6 6.h6 an edge in a quiet continuation such as xh6 7.xh6 e5 11.d3 b7 12.he1 0-0-0 13.e3 b8 ) [ This is rather passive for Black, but may be 11...dxe5 ( 11...xe5 ) 12.xb5 cxb5 necessary. 7...a5 8.d3 c5 used to be 13.xb5 c5 14.d6+ e7 15.g5 f8 standard, but John Watson has pointed out 16.d2 (J.Seret-A.Mista, Cappelle la Grande b ig p r o b le m s f o r B la c k in t h e l in e 9.d5! 2004) b8! and now White's intended bd7 10.f3 ] 17.hd1 re su lts in a d ra w a f t e r xb2! 8.0-0-0 18.xb2 b4+ . Can anyone strengthen [ 8.f3 tends to transpose, but a few White's attack? ] i n d e p e n d e n t p a t h s a r e p o s s i b l e : e7 ( I think 8...bd7 is more precise, with a 11.c4!? [ Perhaps this was a prepared improvement likely transposition to our main game if o n t h e g a m e G . K a s p a r o v- T . R a d ja b o v , 9.dxe5!? Black should probably reply xe5 ) Mo sco w (ra pid) 20 02 , which co n tinu e d A) 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.c4 (this is a good 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.c4 b5 13.b3 a5?! move order for White) ( 13...c5 , to eliminate the bishop on b3, is A1) 10...b5!? 11.b3 bd7 12.a3! flexibility. ] 6...g7 Vigus discusses a variety of alternatives, none of which seem to fully equalise. 7.g4 e5 8.ge2 e7 [ I think 8...d5!? should be considered before W hite consolidates. It is a dynamic try, hoping to exploit the moves a4 and Be3, which again, failed to cover e4 or d5. A pla u s ib le lin e wou ld b e 9.exd5 xd5 10.xd5 cxd5 11.g2 e4 12.0-0 0-0 13.f4 f6 14.a5 h6 , when you suspect that W hite should have a slight pull, but his kingside weaknesses seem to get in the way and he may not get even that. ] 9.g2 White got a good game twice out of this position he has the plan of simply castling and preparing f4, for example, 0-0 10.0-0 b6 11.g3 b7 12.f4 e8 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.f5 with a stereotypical advantage, Y VisserB Pel, Leeuwarden 2004.
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 a n i m p r o v e m e n t . A f t e r 14.d2 d7 15.hd1 0-0-0 16.e3 Black has some hopes of equalising. Jansa aims to cut out this . ..Nc5 defence.) 14.a4 b4 15.b1 a6 16.bd2 0-0-0 17.e3 , and Black's king didn't last very long ] 11...b5 12.b3 b7 [ 12...f8 13.h4 e7 14.g5 is not the answer to Black's problems, ] [ perhaps 12...a5 13.dxe5 xe5 (avoiding transposition to KasparovRadjabov with 13...dxe5) 14.a4 b4 15.b1 xf3 16.gxf3 e6 is what Black should have ventured to disturb the status quo. ] 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.g5 f8 15.xh7 xh7 16.xh7 g5+?! [ 16...a5 17.a4 b4 18.e2 g5+ 19.b1 xg2 is suggested by Lev Gutman as an improvement (in the magazine 'Rochade Europa', January 2009). This does provide c o u n t e r p l a y a g a i n s t t h e e 4 - p a wn , b u t 20.g7 xe4 21.he1 0-0-0 22.g3 h4 23.e4 gives White enormous compensation for the pawn. ] 17.b1 xg2 18.hg1 f3 19.xg6! The rook swings round to d-file, since recapturing on g6 would result in instant mate. 0-0-0 20.gd6 f6 [ 20...c5 was the last chance, though 21.h6 maintains White's grip. ] 21.h4 b4 22.xf6 xf6 23.xf6 bxc3 24.xd8+ xd8 25.bxc3 c5 26.f3 1-0
893 Jobava,Baadur Shanava,K 71st ch-GEO 2012 (1) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B07 2721 2589 13.05.2012
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.xd8+ xd8 6.g5 [ Gawain looked at 6.f3 in 1/2-1/2 Vallejo Pons, F (2697)-Vachier Lagrave, M (2723) Sestao 2010. ] 6...d6 [ 6...e6 has been the most common but A) 7.0-0-0+ is by far the most common although it hasn't scored that well A1) 7...bd7
A1a) 8.g3!? c5 ( 8...c8 is normal and looks better.) 9.f4 e3+ 10.b1 c8 11.f3 g4 12.e2 exf4?! 13.xf4 xf4 14.gxf4 already gave White a clear advantage. S a n i k i d ze , T ( 2 5 3 0 ) - H a u s r a t h , D (2507) Muelheim 2011.; A1b) 8.f4 exf4 9.ge2 d6 10.xf4 h6 11.xf6+ gxf6 12.g3 e5 13.cd5 c6 14.e3 e7 and Black shouldn't have any worries and actually went on to win. His structure is compromised but so is White's and he will ha ve t o ma ke som e so rt o f concession to deprive Black of his bishop pair. Bajarani, U (2409)Sjugirov, S (2610) Chotowa 2010.; A2) 7...c8 8.f4 ( 8.f3 bd7 9.h4 h6 10.xf6 gxf6 11.h4 c6 12.e2 c5 was all very comfortable for the second player. Pap, M (2509)-Popovic, D (2564) Vrnjacka Banja 2010.; 8.g3 c5 9.xf6 gxf6 10.d2 Can, E (2500) -Kurmann, O (2452) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 d8 and White's best is probably t o g i v e u p t h e f 2 p a w n w i t h 11.h3 xd2 12.xd2 xf2 but Black obviously can't have any problems.) 8...exf4 9.ge2 ( T h e f o rc in g 9.e5 doesn't get White anywhere: h6 10.xf6 gxf6 11.exf6 d7 12.ge2 c5 13.d4 xf6 and Black had picked up a pawn. Kanovsky, D (2471)-Malaniuk, V (2573) Prague 2010) 9...bd7 ( 9...d6 is also f ine f or Black. 10.xf6 gxf6 11.d5 d7 12.exf4 c6 13.xe6 fxe6 14.c3 c7 and Black had a small advantage thanks to his superior structure. Dzhumaev, M (2495)Khismatullin, D (2657) Voronezh 2010.) 10.xf4!? ( Perhaps 10.xf4 is a better bid for an opening a d va n t a g e .) 10...g4 11.d4 c5 ( 11...f2 looks rather dangerous but Black seems to su rvive , i.e . 12.xe6 fxe6 13.c4 xh1 14.xe6 d6 15.xd6 cxd6 16.xd6 d8 17.e5 a5 18.d2 c7 19.d5+ c6 20.e7+ c7 21.d5+= with a draw) 12.cb5 b6 13.xe6 fxe6 14.c4 e8 15.hf1 a6 16.a3 e3+ 17.b1 920
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xf4 18.xf4 ge5 with equality. Sutovsky, E (2657)-Akobian, V (2628) Wijk aan Zee 2010.; B) 7.f4!? might allow White some initiative although nothing too serious: exf4 8.f3 B1) 8...c8 9.0-0-0 b4 ( 9...bd7 10.xf4 has transposed to quite a common position where White's scored decently. One recent high rated encounter continued: h5 11.g3 c5 12.d4 g4 13.d3 b6 14.h3 xf4 15.gxf4 d7 16.e5 e7 17.e2 g6 18.g4 c6 19.hd1 xg4 20.hxg4 c7 21.f5 and White had drummed up a big advantage. Vysochin, S (2558) Khismatullin, D (2635) St Petersburg 2011. ) 10.xf6 gxf6 11.d5 xd5 12.xd5 d7 and White had good compensation for the pawn but the game never really left the draw zone. Shyam, S (2457)-Gagunashvili, M (2599) Dubai 2011.; B2) 8...h6 9.xf4 bd7 10.0-0-0 c6 11.d4 b4 ( 11...c5 12.e2 e8 13.f3 c8 14.e5 xd4 15.xd4 h7 16.e4 c7 17.d6 was already really unpleasant for Black in Degraeve, J (2588)-Kasparov, S (2475) Bethune 2 0 0 1 . T h e g a m e c o n c l u d e d e7 18.hd1 hf8 19.g3 a5 20.h4 b6 21.f5 d7 22.xg7 xd4 23.xd4 d8 24.f4 1-0 ) 12.e5! g4 13.xe6+ fxe6 14.e4 e7 15.e2 gxe5 16.c3 a5 17.c5 xc5 18.xe5 e4 19.he1 gave White a strong initiative. Gharamian, T (2517)-Eliet, N (2454) Charleroi 2007. ] [ 6...c6 is also seen regularly when Jobava tried 7.f4 in another recent game. ( Again it's possible to castle first but 7.0-0-0+ e8 8.f4 bd7 9.fxe5 g4 10.e6 fxe6 11.h3 e7 12.xe7 xe7 was certainly no better for White in Riff, J (2505)-Pelletier, Y (2611) Clichy 2010.) 7...exf4 ( 7...h6 is the computer's recommendation but 8.xf6+ gxf6 9.f5!? gives White decent long term chances.) 8.e5 h6 9.xf4 fd7 10.c4 e8 11.e6 fxe6 12.xe6 b6 13.xc8 xc8 14.0-0-0 b6 15.f3 and White had a very obvious chance with his huge lead in development.
Jobava, B (2678)-Lazic, M (2459) Milano 2011. ] [ 6...bd7 whilst relatively rare, has been the choice of a couple of GMs recently and looks very sensible. 7.0-0-0 c6 8.f3 ( 8.f4 here doesn't look so good and White quickly got into trouble: e7 9.f3 g4! 10.d2 f6 11.fxe5 fxg5 12.e6 c7 13.exd7 xd7 14.c4 f6 15.d1 ae8 16.e1 e7 and Black had coordinated his pieces and stood very well. Acs, P (2601)-Rogozenco, D (2522) Hamburg 2010.) 8...e8 ( 8...c7 9.c4 b4 10.he1 looks like White has s o m e t h i n g .) 9.c4 ( 9.h4 ) 9...e7 10.h4 g4 11.g3 f6 and Black's position looked fine and he went on to win Lund, E (2398)-Strikovic, A (2564) Ascona 2011. ] 7.0-0-0 bd7 8.f3 [ 8.c4 is played more frequently but Jobava h a s a d if f e re n t squ a re p l a n n e d f o r t h e bishop. ] 8...e8 getting out of the pins. [ 8...a6 preventing White's next is seen from time to time but 9.xf6+ gxf6 ( 9...xf6 10.xe5 is the point.) 10.d5 g8 11.h4 g4 12.f5 xe4 Sethuraman, S (2529)Neelotpal, D (2458) Mumbai 2011 13.d3 and White's knights totally dominate. ] 9.b5!? A rare idea but, although it worked well in this game, doesn't look as strong as [ 9.b5 which seems to give White a modest plus: A) It's also possible to defend the pawn with 9...e7 but the structure isn't so d i f f e r e n t . 10.d2 h6 11.h4 b6 ( 11...a6 12.xd6 cxd6 13.f3 b5 14.b3 gives White a definite plus with the bishop p a i r i n wh a t r e s e m b l e s s o m e s o r t o f Na jd orf . Be rescu , A (25 1 0)-B a de a, B (2489) Amara 2007.) 12.f3 e6 13.f2 fd7 14.b3 hc8 15.xd6 cxd6 16.b2 c5 17.b1 f5 18.exf5 xf5 19.c4 g5 20.c3 also looked very pleasant for White. Dvoirys, S (2590)-Spasov, V (2540) Biel 1993.; B) 9...xe4? 10.xd6! wins; C) 9...a6 10.xd6+ cxd6 11.d2 h6 ( 11...b5 12.a4 b7 13.f3 c6 14.b3 e7 15.a5 and Black was already in some tro uble . Ne vost ruje v, V (25 10)921
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Zablotsky, S (2410) Tomsk 2003.) 12.e3 b5 13.f3 c5 Timofeev, A (2658)-Hansen, L ( 2 5 6 5 ) S k a n d e r b o r g 2 0 0 5 14.c4 again promises White a small nibble. ] 9...f8? Jobava's opening experiment works as Shanava blunders straight away. [ In a previous game Black found the correct way of playing with 9...a6 when we presume J o b a v a p l a n n e d 10.xf6 ( Instead 10.xd7+ xd7 was totally fine for Black. Burreh, H (1985)-Schulz, W (2158) Bad S o o d e n 2 0 0 4 .) 10...axb5 ( 10...gxf6 11.xd7+ xd7 12.d5 picks up a pawn.) 11.xg7 g8 12.h6 Here Black has a wide variety of moves that look adequate, o n e s u c h l i n e b e i n g b4 ( 12...f6; 12...xg2; and 12...a5 all look playable too. ) 13.b5 xa2 14.b1 a6 15.h4 c5 16.f3 d7 and Black certainly seems to be fine. ] [ While 9...g4 was played in the other game to reach this position but 10.h4 a6 Schmitt, T-Hauke, C (2235) Zell 1993 11.xd7+ xd7 12.d5 f6 13.d2 again feels more pleasant for White. ] 10.xd7! xd7 [ Presumably Shanava missed that 10...xd7 allows 11.xe5! xe5 12.xf6 f4+ 13.b1 g4 14.f3 and Black is a clear pawn down. ] 11.b5 Shanava has saved his e pawn but loses a queenside one. f6 12.e3 e7 [ Rybka prefers giving the c pawn with 12...b6 but again White has a clear extra pawn after 13.xd6 cxd6 14.xd6 e7 15.hd1 ] 13.xd6! cxd6 14.c7 A nice tactic bagging the extra pawn. b6 15.xa8 d8 [ The computer toys with 15...b7!? 16.c7 xe4 but following 17.b5 c8 18.c3 we can't believe that Black has anything like enough play f or his piece f or pawn deficit. ] 16.d2 b7 17.c4 xa8 18.xd6 The o pen in g h as be en a big success f o r Jobava who's gone straight into an endgame a pawn up. Obviously Black must have some hopes of drawing but White executes the rest of the game flawlessly. c7 [ Perhaps Black's king should stay in touch with his kingside pawns although 18...e7
19.d1 followed by advancing the queenside pawns must be winning in the long term. ] 19.b5+ b8 20.d1 c6 21.c4! xb5 Shanava hopes to salvage half a point in the knight versus bishop position. [ Likewise 21...c8 22.c3 c7 23.f3 looks very grim. ] 22.cxb5 d8 [ 22...c8+ 23.b1 c7 24.c1 isn't so different. ] 23.c2 c7 24.a4 f8?! As the following endgame is completely lost Shanava should have tried keeping the rooks on for a while. 25.xd8 xd8 26.d3 e7 27.c4 d6 28.f4! g6 29.f5 h4 30.g4 f3 31.h3 g6?! And this hastens the end. [ We tried defending Black's position with 31...e1 but here too White wins with something like 32.d2 f3 33.b4+ d7 34.d5 g5 35.fxg6 hxg6 36.d6 g5 37.b8 c8 38.xa7 b7 39.xb6 xb6 40.e6 when there are too many pawns for the knight. ] 32.a5 bxa5 33.c5+ d7 34.d5 g5 35.xa7 xh3 36.b6 f4+ 37.c5 d3+ 38.c4 xb2+ 39.b5 A well played game from Jobava but objectively 9.Nb5 looks a better try for an opening advantage. 1-0
894 Jones,Gawain C B Reid,John 100th ch-GBR 2013 (1.1) [Smerdon, David]
B07 2643 2151 29.07.2013
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 This move can be a bit annoying for a 2.c3 player as the structures and idea s are ve ry dif f e rent to the usua l isolated queen's pawn positions of the opening. Still, it's certainly inferior to 2...Nf6 and 2...d5, and I'm sure far more players would play 2.c3 if they could be guaranteed to face 2...d6! 3.d4 f6 4.d3 g6 5.dxc5!? A common idea in many of the 2... d6 variations, but I've never been a big fan. In my opinion, White usually gets very pleasant positions with natural moves in this opening, though objectively Black is okay. [ 5.f3 g7 6.0-0 0-0 7.h3 has all been 922
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 seen before. White has to be a little better of course, but Black will probably hit with ... d5 soon to change the structure. Still, I always prefer to have the centre and extra space in these lines - and as a 2.c3 player, it's nice not to worry about losing my isolated pawn for a change! ] 5...dxc5 [ 5...d5!? is another line, which is more effective in the 4.f3 variation. ] 6.e5 h5 7.h3 c6 8.f3 c7 [ Black would have no reasons to complain after 8...g7 with ...Ne6, ...Bg7, ...0-0 and ... Qc7 to follow. ] [ E n d g a m e p l a y e r s m i g h t p r e f e r 8...f5 9.xf5 xd1+ 10.xd1 gxf5 when White might have a little something due to the better structure, but it's really not much. ] 9.0-0 d7? There's nothing concretely wrong with this, but Black starts to play aimlessly a n d G a wa in h a s e n o u gh t i m e t o u s e h i s development and space advantage to open things up. [ Again, 9...g7 was possible, because even after 10.h6 e6 11.xf8 xf8 the black king should be pretty comfortable on g7. ] 10.e2 h6 11.e6!? Always a nice move to play in these lines. [ Still, 11.a3 was probably an even s t r o n g e r i d e a , a s a6 12.c4 is very pleasant for White. Note that if ever Black plays ...Bg7 he drops his h5 knight to g4, while b5?? 13.d6+!+- is game over. ] 11...xe6 12.xg6 g7 Finally! 13.e4 0-0-0 14.a3 White is significantly better: he's just a couple of moves away from full mobility, and Black is rarely happy if he's forced to castle queenside in these lines. d5 15.b5 [ 15.xd5 xd5 16.b4! was extremely stro ng. If Bla ck d oesn't cap ture , W hit e follows with Be3 and the attack continues. But the pawn is taboo: cxb4 17.cxb4 xb4 18.e3 and Black is completely busted. However, over the next few moves Gawain d o e s n 't p la y e n e r ge t ic a lly a n d le t s h i s opponent back into the game. ] 15...b6 16.xd5 xd5 17.c4 [ 17.b4! again was close to winning. ] 17...d8 18.b4 e6 19.bxc5 a5
[ Both 19...xc5 20.b1+- ] [ and 19...xc5 20.b1 were no-go. ] 20.b1 g7 21.c2? Quite a strange move, throwing away White's advantage. I guess the idea is to trap the black queen, but there's a pretty obvious reply. [ 21.e4! was far more active. Perhaps Gawain was worried about his pawn, but xa2 22.f4 is absolutely huge. ] 21...d7? Throwing it back. [ 21...a6! 22.d2 xd2 23.xd2 axb5 24.cxb5 cd4 ] 22.d2 a6 23.b3 cd4 24.fxd4 xd4 25.xd4 xd4 Now White's pumping again. 26.fb1 c6 27.f4 e5 28.g3? This bishop turns out to be a hero, but actually this move is a mistake. [ 28.e3! g8 29.g3 xc5 30.e4 is still close to winning. ] 28...e4? [ 28...g8= hits g3, and after 29.h2 xc5 the rook also has eyes on g2, so Black's just won a pawn. W hite probably has enough co mp e nsat ion bu t o bviou sly t h is is n o t ideal! ] 29.c1 e3 30.xe3! Of course! xc5 [ 30...xe3? 31.xe3 and the h2-b8 diagonal rolls out the red carpet to White's queen. ] 31.f3 g6 32.b5 b6? 33.xc5+ bxc5 34.b2 1-0
895 Karpov,Anatoly Timman,Jan H Motreal [Alexander Volzhin]
B07
1979
I n p r e vi o u s g a m e s we h a ve c o n s i d e r e d different attacking lines for White. But many players don't like the wild complications that are unavoidable in those lines. I can recommend them the Fianchetto system. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g3 g7 [ 4...c5 is premature: 5.dxc5 a5 6.cxd6 xe4 7.d5! and Black is in trouble. ] 5.g2 0-0 6.ge2 e5 7.0-0 The critical position of the Fianchetto system. a6 8.e1 c6 9.h3 e8 10.g5! h6 923
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Black is not ready for active counterplay as the White pieces are better coordinated, for example: 10...b6 11.b1 exd4 12.xd4 c5 13.b4! cxe4 14.xe4! xe4 15.xe4 xd4 16.f6+ and white wins. ] 11.e3 c7 [ 11...exd4 is premature because of: 12.xd4 intending Qd2 and Rad1 with pressure on the d-file, and c5 fails to 13.e5! h7 14.exd6 xd6 15.b4! a6 16.b5 cxb5 17.xb5 with a big advantage, as it's difficult for Black to complete the development of his queenside. ] [ Probably best is wait and see tactics: 11...h7 (this move necessary anyway) . Now it's not easy for W hite to prove his advantage. For example, after the natural 12.d2 exd4 is possible, and Black is OK: 13.xd4 ( 13.xd4 c5 and now 14.e5 is i m p o s s i b l e) 13...c5 14.f3 d5! and the complications after 15.xc6 cxe4 16.xd8 ( 16.fxe4 bxc6 ) 16...xd2 17.xf7 xe3 18.xe3 d4 are dangerous for White. ] 12.d2 h7 13.ad1 d7 Both sides have completed their development. White's position is slightly better due to his space advantage, but the Black position is very solid, as he has no weaknesses. Karpov's play is very instructive. He begins kingside action. First of all he strengthens the e4 square with g4 and Ng3, preventing any counterplay in the centre. 14.g4! ad8 15.g3 c8 16.f4 b5 17.a3 b4?! This nervous move leads only to the creation of weaknesses. 18.axb4 xb4 19.ce2! Black intended a5, Ba6 etc with some chances. Karpov prevents any counterplay. exd4 [ After 19...a5 20.c3 White has an overwhelming advantage in the centre. ] 20.xd4 a5 21.c3 a6 Now Black intends Nc5 with pressure on the e4 square. 22.c2! An excellent move. White once more protects the e4-square and prevents Nc5. d7 [ 22...c5 23.b4 ] 23.f3! White intends the doubling of the major pieces on the d-file. e7 [ Now 23...c5 is also bad due to: 24.e5 ] 24.f2 e8 25.d3! b7 [ 25...b8 26.e5 ] 26.a1! Winning a pawn for nothing. White
has achieved a decisive advantage, although none of his pieces have crossed the middle of the board! c7 [ Of course, the pawn is taboo: 26...xb2? 27.eb1 trapping the Queen. ] 27.xa5 Straightforward technique. dd7 28.b4 e6 29.e3 c5 30.f5 d8 31.b5 h8 32.f2 c7 33.a4 b8 34.c4 a7 35.xa7 xa7 36.e5 dxe5 37.xe5 a2 38.xc5 Black has nothing to hope for, so he resigned. A real masterpiece of positional chess. 1-0
896 Kasparov,Garry Azmaiparashvili,Zurab Blitz Match, Crete blitz (1) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2830 2700 2003
Only a 5 mins/5secs game, but Kasparov is Kasparov! 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 5.d2 It's official- Kasparov plays and likes the 150 Attack! [ 5.f3 was an attempt to do without Qd2 from the same match. a5 I don't think White could have done without Qd2 for long if Black hadn't played ... Qd8-a5 . Kasparov sees a chance to exploit the exposed Black Queen. 6.d3 e5 7.0-0 g7 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.d2! c7 10.a4 0-0 11.c4 ( Just 11.h3! would have preserved a stable advantage. Here we see the small inaccuracies typical of rapid, even blitz chess ) 11...e6 12.e2 bd7 13.f3 fd8 14.f2 b6 15.fd1 f8 16.f1 c5!= Black took his chance well and has clawed his way back to equality. 17.xc5 xc5 18.g3 xc4 19.xc4 a5 Kasparov, GAzmaiparashvili, Z/Blitz Match, Crete GRE 2003. ] 5...bd7 6.f3 c7 [ 6...g7 is thought inaccurate because White can now play Bh6. I'm not convinced that Black's position is so bad: 7.h6 0-0 8.xg7 xg7 9.d3 e5 10.0-0 b6 11.a4 c7 12.fe1 b6 13.xb6 axb6 14.c3 e8 15.h3 e7 16.a4 h5 unclear, Lutz, C-Kasimdzhanov, R/Batumi 2001. ] 924
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 7.d3 e5 8.0-0 g4!?N White's hopes of a swift attack are dashed instead he has to switch thinking mode to a more positional game where cramping Black's Queenside or piling up on the d file will have to do. Yes, I know this nabs the Bishop on e3 but it slows down Black's development. [ I prefer 8...g7 , a less time- consuming and very thematic move. In my view, White struggles to prove any advantage: 9.dxe5 xe5 10.xe5 dxe5 A) 11.h6 0-0 12.xg7 xg7=; B) 11.ad1 0-0 12.e2 b5! I think it's important to prevent Bc4. 13.d2 ( 13.c5 d8 14.h3 e6= ) 13...e6 14.fd1 fd8 15.h3 h5; C) 11.a4 e6 12.a5 0-0 13.a4 d7 14.b4 b5 15.c5 xc5 16.xc5 fd8 17.a3 d7 18.e3 f8 19.c3 c8 20.c5 h6 21.aa1 cd8 22.fd1 c4= Waitzkin, J-McNab, C/London 1998 ] 9.c4! g7!? [ 9...xe3 10.fxe3 looks like some sort of Trompowski where White will enjoy pressure against f7. Unclear But surely the whole point of ... Ng4 is negated if Azmai doesn't take the Bishop. ] 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xe5 xe5 [ 11...dxe5 12.c5! ] 12.f4 d5 That was the point of his play. But I still feel very uncomfortable, maybe irrationally, with the black King hanging around in the centre, 13.xe5 xe5 14.f4 h5 15.h3 dxc4 16.hxg4 White could have centralised his Q u e e n b u t t h a t wo u ld a llo w B la ck t o solidify on e6. The text allows more attack and the possibility of f4-f5. [ 16.d4 e5! ( 16...f8 17.hxg4 xg4 18.xc4 0-0-0 19.e5 ) 17.fxe5 e6 18.f2 0-0 19.d1 fe8= ] 16...c5+ [ 16...xg4 17.d4 f8 18.f5 ] 17.f2 xg4 18.f5 e5 Black hastens to lock up the centre. He has two other decent defensive possibilities: [ 18...g8 19.g5 h5 20.af1 d8 21.h1 ] [ 18...h5 19.fxg6 fxg6 20.af1 f8 21.g5 xg5 22.xf8+ e7 23.xa8 Azmai faces a protracted defence before he will be able to realise his extra pawn and
when short of time, this is a most uncomfortable prospect. ] 19.e1 d8 20.d5!? The inevitable complications commence and Azmai just isn't up to holding on against Kasparov- he seems p s y c h e d o u t . O b j e c t i v e l y, I b e l i e v e t h e position to be OK for Black, but his King will have to run the gauntlet-. d6 [ 20...b5 21.b4 d6 22.c7+ d7 23.a6 c8 24.fxg6 hxg6 25.xf7 e6 ] 21.b4 0-0?? Who would think that castling could be such a ghastly blunder! [ 21...b5! transposing. ] 22.e3! c5 23.xb7 [ 23.xg4 was simpler: cxb4 ( 23...xe4 24.xe4 cxb4 25.fxg6 d1+ 26.h2 hxg6 27.xc4+- ) 24.xe5 b5 25.fxg6 fxg6 26.xf8+ xf8 27.f2+- ] 23...g3 24.e7 dd8 25.g5 h5 26.fxg6 fxg6 27.xg6+ h8 28.f5 e5 29.h6+ g8 30.ef1 xf5 31.exf5 d7 32.f6 Error-ridden, yes! Interesting, also yes! The way Azmai played provides another decent system for Black against this Be3, Nf3, Qd2 stuff. 1-0
897 Kazhgaleyev,Murtas Gallegos,Carlos ACP Blitz Prelim2 blitz (8) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2596 2452 13.04.2004
1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.a4! Some of you have written in asking for more games with the Czech System. To be quite honest recent results have been very bad for Black so I have deliberately maintained a distance. There are several awkward systems that Black has to counter. 4 f4 is the obvious one and here 4 a4! is another. Black's idea is reactive. He is waiting to see if W hite will commit to a particular plan and then he hits back appropriately. 4 a4! meets fire with fire. White makes a very useful move, commits no piece to a bad square and asks Black to show HIS plan. In our featured game, Gallegos goes back into a Philidor-like position and he is always slightly worse. e5 [ 4...a5 5.f3 g4 6.e2 e6 7.0-0 d5 925
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is a different interpretation. I feel that Black is mixing and matching. It will be important to play ...c6-c5 quite soon and then the move 4...a5 doesn't fit in at all. 8.e5 fd7 9.h3 h5 10.e3 a6 11.d2 b6 12.g4 g6 13.h4 b4 He's putting off ...c6-c5 for as long as possible but this isn't very convincing. 14.xg6 hxg6 15.g2 e7 16.f4 0-0-0 17.f3 c5 ( 17...h7 is an option: 18.d1 dh8 19.h1 f6 20.c3 a6 21.c2 Long-term, White has all the chances.) 18.b5 a6 19.dxc5 dxc5 20.c3 Reminiscent of Short's line against the Caro-Kann ( 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 Bf5 4 Nf3). Quite often there White gets the two Bishops and a position where all Black can do is sit and wait. Few are up to the onerous task. b8 21.d4 c6 22.b4 axb4 23.cxb4 b6 24.bxc5 xc5 25.d2 winning, Svendsen,B-Stava,J/Oslo NOR 2004, Black lacked counterplay throughout. ] 5.ge2 e7 6.g3 0-0 7.g2 e8 8.h3 c7 9.e3 bd7 10.0-0 Black will search for an object of attack and there is little to be found. He cannot expand with ...b7-b5 that has been stopped. He may attack e4 several times but White will always be able to defend that square comfortably. Meanwhile the threat o f a k in gs id e p a wn a d va n ce h a n gs o ve r Black's head. Black has no active plan. b6 11.b3 a5 12.g4! Making room for the Knight t o c o m e t o g 3 . f8 13.g3 bd7 The trouble with these fast games is that one n e v e r h a s t i m e t o d e ve l o p i d e a s . B l a c k needed some space to think his way through the difficulties but here he has been pressured to m ake 'a m ove'. 13 ...Nbd7 is p lanless. There were two other possibilities, but I still prefer White in each: [ 13...e6 14.g5 ( 14.d5! cxd5 15.exd5! c8 16.b5 d8 17.g5 fd7 18.e4 ) 14...exd4 15.xd4 fd7 16.ad1 d5 17.exd5 c5 18.f4 d6 19.h4 cxd5 20.xd5 xd5 21.xd5 xd5 22.xd5 e5 23.h5 ] [ 13...d5 Ma yb e t h e be st sho t . 14.dxe5 xe4 15.cxe4 dxe4 16.xe4 d5 17.d4 f4 18.f3 xg2 19.xg2 Black has some play here. ] 14.f4 exd4 [ 14...h6 15.f3 b6 16.g5 ]
[ 14...b6 15.g5 exd4 16.xd4 fd7 17.h5 Black has nothing to set against White's tremendous initiative. ] 15.xd4 b6? [ If 15...e6 16.g5 e8 17.f5 e7 18.f6 Black is being shunted off the board. ] [ 15...c5 16.xf6 gxf6 17.h5 e7 18.d4 d7 19.ae1 ] 16.g5+- xe4 17.cxe4 d5 18.f2 xf4 19.g4 d2 20.ad1 We may forgive White, it's a quickplay game. [ 20.d3! c5 21.xc5 bxc5 22.ad1 xc2 23.f4 f8 24.c1 xb3 25.xc5 xc5 26.xc5 d7 27.e2 ] 20...xc2 21.f4 Correctly playing for attack, given the time limit. c5 22.g4 xg4 23.xf7+ h8 24.hxg4 e6 25.e3 xb3 26.f5 e7 [ 26...xa4 27.g6 hxg6 28.xg6 leaves the Black King wide open. ] 27.xe7 xe3+ 28.h1 xe7 29.xe7 The middle game was rather poor but I do feel that White's opening play is worthy of close scrutiny. The moves a2-a4 and b2-b3! drain the dynamism from Black's position and then the Kingside pawn advance follows on naturally. An easy plan to remember and very effective too! The Czech System is currently under pressure. 1-0
898 Khenkin,Igor McNab,Colin Anderson Koszalin [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2550 2490 1997
We considered the Fianchetto system against the Pirc in the Karpov-Timman game. Now let's have a closer look at the line. 1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g3 g7 5.g2 0-0 6.ge2 e5 7.h3 This is the most precise move order. [ After 7.0-0 c6 White can't play 8.e3 because of g4 ] 7...c6!? [ The old move 7...c6 gives White the slightly bet ter ch ances. Fo r e xam ple th e gam e Aseev-Zakharevich, Elista 1994 continued: 8.a4 exd4 9.xd4 e8 10.0-0 a6 11.a5 926
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) The breakthrough in the centre looks premature: 11...c5 12.e1 d5 13.exd5 xe1+ 14.xe1 xd5 15.xd5 xd4 ( 15...cxd5 16.e3 is also better for White. ) 16.e7+ g7 17.a6! and White destroys Black's Queenside.; B) 11...b4 12.f4 a6 13.g4 h6 14.de2 c5 15.e3 c7 16.d2 d7 ( 16...c6 17.b3 xa5? 18.g5 hxg5 19.fxg5 h7 20.d5 winning ) 17.f2 c6 18.g3 ad8 19.fe1 First White strengthens the e 4 - s q u a r e a s i n K a r p o v- T i m m a n d7 and now the simple 20.a4 ( instead of t h e d u b i o u s 20.g5?! ) 20...de7 21.c3 xa4 22.xa4 c6 23.b4 secured White a huge edge. ] 8.e3 d7 9.0-0 exd4 10.xd4 e8 The critical position of this line. 11.e1 [ 11.de2 is less accurate as it allows b5! and in a complicated position Black has go o d c h a n c e s: 12.a3 ( 12.xb5 xe4 13.bc3 xc3 14.xc3 b8 15.b1 c8 16.h2 a5 17.d5 b4 18.c3 xd5 19.xd5 b5 20.d2 xh3! and Black won a pawn for nothing in Molvig-Sorensen, Copenhagen 1995.) 12...b8 13.c1 c8 14.h2 a5 with excellent prospects for Black: 15.g5 b4 16.axb4 axb4 17.xf6 xf6 18.d5 g7 19.g4 b5 20.g3 c5 21.b1 d8 22.d1 e5 23.xb4 h4 Prandstetter-Fritz, Berlin 1991. ] 11...c8 12.h2 e5!? A very ambitious plan which is also typical in similar positions in the King's Indian. 13.g4! White prevents th e Ro ok 's t ra nsf e r to h 5 wh ere it wou ld create serious threats for White's King, and is also ready to play f2-f4 next move. xg4!? A very interesting try, unfortunately it meets wit h a nic e re f u t a t io n . 14.hxg4 xg4+ 15.g1 xe3 16.xe3 xd4 17.xd4 b5 18.d2 xb2 The previous moves for both sides were forced. Black has collected three pawns for his piece, but by very energetic play W hite now proves his advantage. 19.c1! b6 20.d5 d8 21.e5!! The introduction to a brilliant combination. [ 21.xb6 axb6 is OK for Black as he will win the exchange back on the next move (22... Bxa1 or 22... Bh6) ] 21...xe5 22.h3! Now 23.Qh6 is threatened as well as 23. Nxb6. b5
[ 22...xa1 doesn't help either: 23.xa1 h5 24.f6+ f8 25.xh5! gxh5 26.h8+ e7 27.e3+ d7 28.h3+! c6 29.c3+ with a quick mate. ] 23.h6! xa1 [ 23...c6 24.xh7+ f8 25.f3! g7 26.xg6! d7 27.h3!! winning ] [ 23...g7 24.xh7+ f8 25.e1 c6 26.e7 e5 27.xe5 dxe5 28.xg6+! fxg6 29.f3+ f6 30.xg6 winning ] 24.c3!! Excellent! After the Rook sacrifice White plays a quiet move! [ 24.xh7+ is premature as Black has f8 25.c3 xd5! 26.xd5 g5+! with a perpetual. ] 24...xd5 [ 24...xc3 leads to a beautiful mate: 25.xc3! h5 26.xh5 gxh5 27.d5 f6 28.xf6+ f7 29.d5+ e7 30.g7#! ] 25.xd5 f6 26.xh7+ f8 27.h8+! Black resigned as he loses a Rook. An excellent game! 1-0
899 Kobalia,Mihail Burmakin,Vladimir Novgorod [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2537 2534 1999
This game proved once again that the line with 4.Bg5 is one of the most dangerous setups against the Pirc Defence. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 g7 5.f4 c6 6.d2 b5 [ A n o t h e r p o s si b i li t y i s 6...0-0 7.d3 and now b6 is one of Black's best possibilities. The game Yakovich - Wang Pin, Beijing 1997 continued with 8.ge2 ( after 8.e5 d5 9.xd5 cxd5 10.c3 d7 11.e2 e8 12.a4 f6 13.exf6 exf6 14.h4 f5 Black had obtained a good position in the game Romanishin - G.Kuzmin, Tallinn 1979 since his Knight has the possibility of going to e4.) 8...e5 9.0-0-0 exd4 10.a4 c7 11.xd4 bd7 12.c3 b5 13.he1 b4 14.b1 a5 15.f3 c5 with good prospects for Black on the queenside. ] 7.d3 b6?! Black's position can tolerate 927
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 either b5 or Qb6, but combining both of them asks for trouble. It's important that after b5 the b2-pawn is not hanging. 8.e5! [ 8.f3 g4 is unclear. ] 8...d5 [ Bad is 8...dxe5? 9.fxe5 d5 10.xd5 cxd5 11.b4! and White wins a pawn (e7 or b5). ] 9.xd5 cxd5 10.c3 dxe5 11.fxe5 c6 12.e2 b4 13.e3! Preparing to castle. [ 13.h6 xh6 14.xh6 a6 15.xa6 xa6 16.g7 f8 17.xh7 bxc3 18.bxc3 b8 gives Black strong counterplay, as the penetration of Black's Rook to the 2nd rank is unavoidable. ] 13...bxc3 14.bxc3 a6 15.f4 e6 16.0-0 e7? The text move allows White to gain some tempi. [ 16...a5 was better but White has a very unpleasant initiative on the kingside after 17.xa6 xa6 18.d3! c4 ( or 18...0-0 19.g5 c4 20.f4 ) 19.f2 0-0 20.g5 ] 17.ab1 c6 18.xa6 xa6 19.d3 0-0 20.c5 c6 21.g5 c8 [ 21...ae8 was losing immediately. 22.b7 c8 23.f4 ] 22.f4 b6 [ 22...a5 was as bad: 23.b7 a7 24.xa7 xa7 25.e7 winning ] 23.e7 e8 24.xf8 xf8 25.d3!? [ An interesting idea: to transfer the Knight to the kingside although the direct 25.a4 c8 26.a5 d7 27.b7 xc5 28.dxc5 xc5+ 29.h1 was good enough as well. ] 25...c8 26.bc1 c7 [ 26...a4!? 27.f2 xc3 ( 27...xc3 28.f3 xa2 29.g4 ) 28.g4 e7 was more stubborn, according to Mikhail Kobalia. ] 27.f2! a4 28.g4 xa2 29.f6+ h8 30.f3 A decisive attack. Black's King will be ma t ed so o n . c4 31.h3 h5 32.xh5+ Black resigned. [ 32.xh5+ gxh5 33.g5 ] 1-0
900 Kobalia,Mihail Zakharevich,Igor Yekaterinburg [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2573 2523 1999
An exciting encounter in the Byrne variation by two leading experts. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 g7 5.d2 c6 6.f4 0-0 7.f3 b5 8.d3 g4 [ T h e o l d m o v e 8...bd7 was played in Ulibin - Joksic, Padova, 1999. In this game W h it e h a s t rie d a ve ry in t e re st in g n e w approach: 9.e5! ( 9.0-0 was played in Birn Gipslis. Although White won this game, my comments prove Black had some possibilities to equalize.) 9...b4 10.e2 dxe5 ( 10...d5 is the alternative to the text, but it looks quite dubious: 11.exd6 f6 12.dxe7 xe7 13.h4 e3 -this attempt to obtain counterplay at the cost of a pawn is parried by 14.f2! and if xg2+ ,then 15.f1 , winning a piece.) 11.fxe5 d5 12.h6! b8 13.h4! White takes advantage of the fact he hasn't castled yet and begins a very dangerous kingside attack. f6 14.h5 g5 This move is losing by force, but I've failed to find a real improvement for Black. 15.xg7 xg7 16.e6 7b6 17.xg5! a6 ( The Knight is taboo: 17...fxg5 18.xg5+ h8 19.e5+ f6 20.xb8 w i t h a d e c i s i v e m a t e r i a l a d v a n t a g e .) 18.xa6 fxg5 19.xg5+ White has 2 extra pawns as well as a strong attack against Black's King. The rest needs no comment. h8 20.d3 f6 21.h6 g8 22.g7+! Ulibin converts his advantage into the full point very convincingly. xg7 23.hxg7+ xg7 24.xh7+ g8 25.0-0-0 bf8 26.g3 xe6 27.dh1 f6 28.7h6 d6 29.f5 d7 30.g4 f7 31.g5 g4 32.g6+ e8 33.g7+ d8 34.e6+ e8 35.h8 , and Black resigned. ] 9.e5 b4 10.e2 xf3 11.gxf3 d5 12.c4 a5 13.0-0-0 f6 14.exf6 exf6 15.h4 h6 16.g3!? Up to this move it's been well known theory. W hite's last move is a novelty, prepared especially for this game. [ Zakharevich is a well-known expert in this line and he had already played this position vs Dreev. In that game W hite pref erred 928
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.f2 ,but after d7 17.h4 7b6 18.d3 a4! Black had seized the initiative. ] 16...d7 17.h4 7b6 18.d3 a4! [ During his preparation White considered only 18...a4? This move is really bad here purely because the f4-pawn is protected! 19.h5 ac3 ( 19...g5 20.hg1 ) 20.hxg6! The position of W hite's Bishop made this mo ve p o s s ib le . xe2+ 21.xe2 xf4 22.xf4! This is the difference in comparison wit h t h e a b o ve -m e n t i o n e d g a m e . xf4+ 23.b1 and White obtains a decisive attack. ] 19.h5 g5! Black's excellent feel for the position enables him to find the drawbacks of White's novelty. Having his Bishop on the g3square, White can't exploit g-file effectively. 20.f5 a3 21.b3 With kings castled on opposite sides sharp mutual attacks are quite usual. But here both sides have rather limited attacking resources, because both kings are in safety behind their pawn chains. Now both sides begin to manoeuvre, trying improve the positions of their pieces. d7 22.f2 fe8 23.e4 a7 24.b1 a5 25.e1 ab8 26.a1 c8! 27.g1 a7 28.d3 Protecting the f5-pawn and threatening 29. B:d5 Q: d5 30.Nf4!, Ne6 to follow, so Black has to prevent this. h8! 29.g4 bc8 30.c4?! White has clearly overestimated his chances. [ White was afraid that after 30.c1 b5 he will have no active plan, but here Black also doesn't have many possibilities. In my opinion, this position is about equal. ] 30...bxc3 31.xc3 f4 32.b1 c7 Now it's clear that White is in an u n c o m f o r t a b l e s i t u a t i o n . Hi s f o r c e s a r e uncoordinated (the rook's position on g4 looks quite strange), and Black is threatening d6-d5 at the right moment followed by the penetration of the rook down e-file. But in playing his 30th move White hoped for 33.d5 cxd5 34.xf4 [ Other moves lose on the spot: 34.xd5 xd5 35.xd5 xe1! ] [ or 34.xd5 xe1 ] 34...gxf4 35.xd5 g7 36.c3 It may seem that at the cost of the exchange W hite has firmly seized the initiative and compelled Black to passively defend. But an unpleasant
s u r p r i s e a w a i t s h i m . b5! Excellent counterattacking resource. Black exploits the poor position of White's King. White definitely missed this blow. 37.b4 [ Unfortunately, 37.xf6 loses on the spot in view of xf6+ 38.xf6 g7! and White is hopeless: 39.d3 xf6+ 40.b1 c3+ 41.c2 xe4+ ] 37...a7! 38.d3 f2 39.d2 g8! the decisive move. W hit e ha s no thin g t o op po se t he pe n et rat ion of Bla ck's m ajo r pieces on the 7th rank. 40.c3 [ 40.xb5 d4+ ] 40...xc3 41.xc3 g2! The rest is just agony. 42.xf6+ g7 43.xg7+ xg7 44.f6+ h6 45.b1 c1! This nice blow is the logical result of Black's strategy. White resigned because of unavoidable mate: [ 45...c1 46.xc1 ( 46.xc1 xa2# ) 46...d4+ So we can conclude that 8...Bg4 is Black's best choice in the Byrne variation, wh e re B la ck c a n s u cce ssf u lly f igh t f o r initiative. ] 0-1
901 Kotronias,Vasilios Felgaer,Ruben 37th Olympiad (5) [Jonathan Rowson]
B07 2598 2580 25.05.2006
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.xd8+ xd8 6.c4 e6 [ 6...e8 As I suggested last month, I think this is a better move here. Indeed, A z m a i p a r a s h vi l i d e s c r i b e s 6 . . . B e 6 a s 'passive' and I tend to agree with him. Once yo u ge t o ve r t h e e xci t e m e n t a b o u t t h e doubled e-pawns not being as bad as they look, there is not much to be said for Black's position. ] 7.xe6 fxe6 8.e3 d6 9.f3 e7 10.ge2 Nothing much wrong with this, but I prefer the approach covered last month. The problem is that the white's knights don't look bad, but familiarity with this structure tells you that they want to be on d3 and d2, and it will take them a while to get there now. [ 10.b1!? intending c3 and Nd2, and Nh3f2-d3 (Vescovi). ] 929
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10...a6 11.d1 h6 12.b3 c6 13.b2 [ 13.c3 keeping Black at bay, looks better. ] 13...b4! Hassling White before he can settle down and build up pressure on e5. 14.d2 hd8 15.c1 c6 16.a4 In general, I don't think this move should be played until Black has played a5 himself because otherwise it weakens b3(c3 will have to played) without gaining anything in return. [ 16.c3 a3 17.c2 xb2 18.xb2 d3 looks awkward, until you see 19.c5+ f7 20.ad1 ad8 21.xd3 xd3 22.c2 when white keeps control, and a pair of rooks on(useful for creating play on the queenside). ] 16...d7 17.c3 b5 18.b4 [ 18.c2 b4 seems to give sufficient counterplay. ] 18...a5 19.axb5 axb4 20.c2?! Understand ably not ceding the a-file, but in fact W hite should give the a-file in order to pin the knight when it goes to a5. [ 20.xa8 xa8 21.c2 a5 22.a1 looks like a serious advantage. ] 20...a5 21.cxb4 xb4 22.d3 d6 23.d2 c4 24.b4 Black has lots of moves now. a3+ 25.b2 [ 25.xa3 xa3 26.c6+ e8 27.xd8 a2+ 28.d3 c5+ 29.e3 xd8 30.b1 allows the game to continue, but it is hard t o b e l i e v e W h i t e i s r e a l l y b e t t e r wh e n Black's rook is so active. ] 25...c4+ 26.c2 a3+ ½-½
902 Kotronias,Vasilios Skembris,Spyridon ch-GRE Athens GRE (9) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2599 2446 12.12.2004
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.xd8+ xd8 One might wonder at first glance why Black should ever wish to go into this ending. His King is stuck in the centre and W hite maintains the advantage of the first move. He also seems to have a free tempo with 6 Bc4 that will put Black even more at a disadvantage. There's no doubt about it, Black's position appears prospectless. But
that's not the full story. It all depends on style. If you are a tough defender, who is willing to wait for an opportunity or a player who wishes take the prospect of direct attack away from the opponent, then the solid Black position might well be for you. Or.....you are happy with a draw. Now this thing about drawing....At a lower level one might fling up one's hands in horror at the thought of just playing for a draw, but I assure you that to have the Black pieces against a strong, experienced adversary is no easy task. So it's not all black and white and who knows, the guy might overstretch. Black has won many games with this line when White did just that! 6.c4! He should do this o f c o u rs e . b4!? A new one on me. My first impression that it is more combative than the normal idea of just shoring up the centre. The following fragment is pretty representative of that approach: [ 6...e8 7.f3 d6 8.g5 e6 9.d2 bd7 10.0-0-0 h6 11.h4 e7 12.xe6 fxe6 The famous doubled central pawns, so common to this variation. W ell, they certainly co ver a lot of squares. 13.c4 b6 14.xb6 axb6 15.f3 b5 16.xb5 xa2 17.b1 a5 18.c4 ha8 19.c2 a4 20.b3 8a6 21.d3 Rublevsky I agitated over whether this was slightly or clearly better for White but that is not really the main issue. Black has very little counterplay. ] [ 6...e6 7.xe6 fxe6 leads to roughly the same sort of game. ] 7.d2 e7 I guess Black is hoping that playing his King to e7 in one move is a gain. 8.0-0-0 [ 8.f3 d6 9.h3 is relatively simple. Whether White can expect anything this way is o pe n to d ou bt : e6 10.b3 bd7 11.0-0-0 c6 12.h4! Interestingly, White does not take on e6 this time. A) 12...b4 13.f5+ xf5 ( 13...f8 14.xe6 fxe6 15.e3 e7 16.f3 hd8 17.a3 ) 14.exf5 c5 15.he1 xb3+ 16.axb3 leaves the Black King looking pretty exposed.; B) 12...g6 13.g3 xb3 14.axb3 c5 15.g5 c7 ( 15...ad8 ) 16.f4 h6 17.xf6+ xf6 18.hf1 exf4 19.gxf4 ad8 20.de1 g7 ( 20...d4; 930
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20...he8 ) 21.e5 he8 22.b4 e6 Cools,G-Thiry,J/ TCh-BEL 2003 ] 8...bd7N 9.f3 c6 10.d5+! The fate of this move will decide the overall assessment of 6...Bb4. A couple of pairs of pieces are going to be exchanged, which you would have thought might favour Black, but at the end of it all the Black central position loses its ' t igh t ' lo o k an d h is K ing is o p e n . xd5 11.exd5 xd2+ 12.xd2 cxd5 13.xd5 b6 14.b3 f6 15.he1 d8 So is this position equal or not? One thing is for sure White MUST attack because Black's King will be very well placed if too many pieces come off. 16.a4 a5 [ Frankly, I see nothing wrong for Black at all after 16...f5! just getting the pieces out. White can play f4 if he wants to: A) 17.f3 ac8 18.f4 g4 19.f3 xd1+ 20.xd1 xf3+ 21.gxf3 d6 22.fxe5+ fxe5 23.e2 c4 24.d1+ e7 25.d5 f6 26.a5=; B) 17.f4 g4 18.f3 xd1+ 19.xd1 xf3+ 20.gxf3 d8+ 21.c1 d7 22.fxe5 fxe5 23.d5 ( 23.f4 f6 ) 23...b6=; C) 17.a5 d5 18.f1 e6 19.xd5 xd5 20.xd5 xd5 21.e3 e6 22.d1 d8= ] 17.f4 g4 18.fxe5!? The best practical try to win as demonstrated by the game. Kotronias frightens Skembris with this move. [ 18.f3 leads nowhere, as the last note implies. Well, it leads to a draw. ] 18...xd1 19.exf6+ d7? Horrible. What on earth was going through his head? Aggressive play with the King was called for and Black holds his own: [ 19...xf6 20.e6+ g5! 21.xb6 ( 21.xd1 I'm guessing that this is why Skembris didn't play ...Kxf6. d7 22.e4+ h4 23.e2 f8 24.e5 e8! j u s t i n t i m e .) 21...g4 22.xb7 d7 23.e4+ f4 ] 20.e7+?! Mistake for mistake although at the board this move must have looked pretty good. [ Deep Fritz shows 20.fxg7! to be better: g4 ( 20...xc2 21.xc2 ac8+ 22.b1 g8 23.e6+ d6 24.xc8 xc8 25.e4+ e5 26.g5+ f6 27.xh7+ g6
28.f8+ xg7 29.e6++- ) 21.e4! c7 ( 21...f5 22.f6+ d6 23.g4 g6 24.g8 xg8 25.xg8 xa4 26.e6+ c7 27.xh7+- ) 22.f6 h5 23.g8 xg8 24.xg8 f8 25.e7+ d7 26.f7 xf7 27.xf7 h4 28.b3 ] 20...c6 21.fxg7! g4 22.h3 d5? [ Just bringing the bishop back into play was called for: 22...f5 23.f3 ( 23.g4 g6 ) 23...d6 24.xb7 d7 25.d4 e4 26.b5 f6= It is clear that Skembris has been really unsettled by White's unbalancing tactics. ] 23.e5! Cutting ...Bf5 out, an important gain for White. f6 [ 23...d7 24.c4!! g8 25.hxg4 gxg7 26.b5+ c7 27.xd7 xd7 28.g5+- ] 24.hxg4 e8 25.f3+Let's take stock: W hite has a magnificent Bishop and three extra pawns for an exchange. The g pawn will surely cost Black extra material. It's all over. h6 26.f5 g8 27.d4+ b6 28.xg8 xg8 29.f7 ac8 30.f5 c7 31.f6+ c5 32.xh6 b4 33.b6+ xa4 When you are totally lost, you can play in such a fashion. 34.b1 e8 35.c3 d7 36.d6 dd8 37.b3+ a3 38.c4# Summarizing, I think the endgame isn't too bad for Black overall, and that 6...Bb4 shows a new way to play it. One must be quite content with a draw though. 1-0
903 Landa,Konstantin Korotylev,Alexey Moscow [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2542 2440 1999
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 A very ambitious attempt to combine the advantages of Dolmatov's setup the protected d4 square) and Austrian attack (a strong pawn centre). f6 [ An attempt at immediate breakthrough in the centre with 4...e5?! is premature: 5.dxe5 h4+ 6.g3 e7 7.exd6 xe4+ 8.e2 xe2+ 9.xe2 cxd6 10.a3! e6 11.b5 d7 12.f5! gxf5 13.f4 f6 14.xd6 d5 15.0-0-0 e7 16.g2 xf4 17.xf4 931
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c6 18.xb7 and White is winning, Portisch-Suttles, Siegen 1970. ] 5.d3 0-0 6.f3 c5! Black has to attack White's centre without delay, otherwise White will complete his development and launch dangerous kingside attack with 0-0, Qe1, e5 etc. 7.dxc5 bd7! By this unexpected temporary pawn sacrifice Black manages to solve all his problems. [ 7...dxc5 This pawn structure (with a pawn o n f 4 ) n o r m a l l y f a vo u r s W h i t e . J u s t 2 examples to illustrate Black's difficulties: 8.0-0 ( 8.e5 d5 9.e4 c7 10.e2 f5 11.d3 b6 12.c4+ e6 13.0-0 c6 14.a3 b7 15.b5 d5 16.d6 e7 17.g5 d8 18.xb7 xb7 19.d1 c7 20.d7 e8 21.d1 c6 22.d6 xd6 23.exd6 d5 24.xe6 xe6 25.xd5 h8 26.xa8 1-0 Saidy - Sznapik, Lublin 1973. ) 8...c6 9.e5 d5 10.e4 b6 11.a3 c7 12.e3 a6 13.e2 d8 14.f2 d7 15.g5 h6 16.xf7 xf7 17.e6+ xe6 18.f5+ f7 19.fxg6+ g8 20.f7+ h8 21.xh6 g8 22.xg7+ xg7 23.e8+ g8 24.g7+ 1-0 Ree-van Baarle, Nederland 1972. ] 8.e2?! This move allows Black to seize the initiative. [ The alternatives are: 8.e3!? xc5 9.xc5 dxc5 10.a3 c7 11.e5 d5 12.g3 d8 13.e2 a6 14.0-0 g4 and Black's chances are by no means worse, BareevTodorcevic, Belgrade 1988. ] [ 8.cxd6 exd6 9.0-0 ( 9.e3?! e8 10.bd2 d5! 11.e2 xe3 12.xe3 f6 13.g3 f5 14.0-0-0 c8 with ample compensation, Komljenovic-Todorcevic, San Sebastian 1991.) 9...c5 10.c2 Other moves doesn't promise W hite any advantage as either: ( 10.e1 e8 11.c2 xd3 12.xd3 xe4 13.xe4 f5 14.e3 xe4 15.e2 e7 and the strong light s qu a r e d b is h o p s e c u re s B l a c k s li gh t l y better chances, Brustman - Segal, Manila 1992.; 10.e5 dxe5 11.xe5 g4 12.c4 xe5 13.fxe5 xd1 14.xd1 e6 15.a3 xe5 with an equal endgame, LodhiNorwood,Dhaka 1993.) 10...e8 11.bd2 d7!? 12.d4 c8 13.h1 e7 14.f5 fxe4 15.xe4 xe4 16.fxg6 hxg6 and Black has good prospects, Hodgson -
Norwood, 1989. ] 8...xc5 9.c2 b6! Black exploits the drawbacks of White's set-up very convincingly. 10.0-0 a6 11.c4 d5! Breaking White's center and taking the initiative into his hands. 12.exd5 xd5 13.d1 e6 The pin looks unpleasant, but really W hite can't derive benefit from it. 14.e5 Hoping to close the "monster" on g7! c7 15.a3 b4! 16.d2 xc2 17.xc2 ad8 18.b4 g5! Another break in the center, now with even more disastrous consequences for W hite. 19.d4 White can't hold the material balance: [ 19.g3 gxf4 20.gxf4 f6 21.g4 xf4 is hopeless. ] 19...gxf4 20.dc6 Giving up another pawn in hope of creating counterplay. xd1+ 21.xd1 xc4! 22.xc4 xe5 23.xe5 xe5 The slightly insecure position of Black's King doesn't compensate White for the loss of two pawns. 24.e1 [ After 24.c3 Black wins by force: e3+ 25.h1 e4! 26.d4 d8! 27.h3 f2+ 28.g1 xd4! 29.xd4 e1+ 30.h2 h1# ] 24...f5 25.d4 h6 26.e5 [ 26.c3 f6 is also bad for White. ] 26...b1+ 27.e1 f5 28.e5 f6 29.h4 [ White could win one pawn back but the endgame after 29.xc5 bxc5 30.xc5 d8 31.e1 xb2 32.xa7 d2 33.a8+ g7 is hopeless for him. ] 29...d8 Now the game is over. 30.xc5 bxc5! 31.c3 d1+ 32.f2 xh4+ 33.e2 h1 White resigned. 0-1
904 Landa,Konstantin Rudolf,Henrik ECC, Rethymnon (2) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2610 2315 2003
BRUTAL 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 5.d2 bd7 6.f3 e5!? We've seen all this sort of stuff before. Black delays ... Bg7 hoping that White will play Bh6 prematurely and tries to find constructive moves in the meantime. White in turn delays Bh6 until the right moment. 7.h3 g7 932
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ No-one famous seems to have tried the [ 5...xf3 is hardly to be recommended here, immediate 7...e7!? so I will suggest it. for example after 6.xf3 e5 7.e3 a5 Some analysis: 8.0-0-0 ( 8.a4 g7 9.d3 8.0-0-0 e7 9.g4 White was already clearly 0-0 10.0-0 exd4 11.xd4 e5 12.e2 better in Aabling Thomsen, J (2314)e6=; 8.d3 g7 9.h6 xh6 10.xh6 Krasenkow, M (2628) Copenhagen 2010 exd4 11.xd4 c5 12.0-0-0 e6 13.e3 and in fact he went on to beat his much 0-0-0 ) 8...g7 ( 8...b5!? 9.dxe5 dxe5 ) higher rated opponent. ] 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.g4 0-0 Not sure about all 6.d3 this but it's worth a look. ] [ 6.g4 g6 7.e2! looks like a very 8.h6 0-0 9.xg7 xg7 10.0-0-0 e8 tempting option here for White a5 ( 7...e6 [ As Black's Queen is so ineffectual in the 8.g5 fd7 9.h4 was better for White in game he could consider .. Qe7 now: Lahno, K (2557)-Reinderman, D (2581) Wijk 10...e7 11.g4 b5 12.g5 h5 13.dxe5 aan Zee 2012 so Black sacrificed a pawn dxe5 14.e2 f6 ] with d5!? 10.exd5 cxd5 11.xg6 hxg6 11.g4 b5 12.g5 h5 13.e2! This is why 12.xd5 c6 but he didn't have quite the 150 attack has such broad appeal. White enough compensation after 13.c3 a5 intends to root the defender out and go to 14.b5! xb5 15.c7+ d8 16.xb5 a6 work with the h pawn. Black's counterplay on 17.a3 xa3 18.bxa3 although the game the queenside is a long way off. b6 14.g3 eve n t u a lly e n d e d in a d ra w.; 7...d5 xg3 doesn't solve Black's problems after 8.e5 [ 14...f4 15.dxe5 dxe5 16.xe5 e4 9.e6! fxe6 10.e5 a5 11.xg6 is a disaster for Black. ] hxg6 12.e3 and White has an excellent 15.fxg3 exd4 16.xd4 c5? position. ) 8.d2 a6 ( 8...b6 [ 16...e5 17.e2 e6 had to be played ca n b e se e n in Nyba ck-P ura n e n in t h e and White's attack isn't so dangerous. The archives but in summary White is just doing threat to e4 is illusory. ] well in these positions!) 9.e3 b6 10.g5 17.g2 xe4 18.f4! Now its tough for h5 and now in Alonso Rosell, A (2529) Black. f6 and f7 creak and Black can't defend Romero Holmes, A (2508) San Agustin 2012 both. d5 19.hf1 b7 20.xc6! White would've been clearly better with the Very strong indeed. If the attack falters, White simple 11.0-0-0 ( instead after 11.a4 c7 wins all the endgames. e6 21.d4 ad8?? 12.c4?! e5! the position wasn't so clear )] He gave up. 6...e6 7.g4 g6 8.g5 [ 21...g8 22.fe1 is enduringly passive, [ 8.e2 doesn't lead to much here as after but it might be possible to defend. ] e7 9.d2 d5! Black has no problems ] 22.xe6+ After either capture on e6, White 8...fd7 takes on e4, winning. A sudden finish. [ 8...h5?! runs into 9.e2! and the knight 1-0 is in trouble on h5 ] 9.h4 d5 10.xg6 hxg6 11.g4?! [ 11.f4 was a better option - planning to 905 B07 meet b6 with 12.exd5! xd4 ( 12...cxd5?! 13.b5; 12...xb2?! 13.d2 Leko,Peter 2732 exd5 14.b1 a3 15.xb7 ) 13.e3 e5 Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar 2764 14.dxe6 xe6 15.e2 followed by 0-0-0 FIDE GP Tashkent (2.4) 23.11.2012 and White has an excellent game. ] [Tom Rendle] 11...b6 Now Black is absolutely fine. 12.e2 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.f3 g4 a6 13.c3 dxe4 14.xe4 c7 15.f3 b5! Mamedyarov brings his knight back to 5.h3 [ T h e q u i e t e r 5.e2 was played against the centre where it will do an excellent job on Mamedyarov earlier this year by Hou Yifan d6. 16.a4 d6 17.a5 b5 18.d3 d5 19.xd5 cxd5 White may have the two in a game I annotated in the archives. ] bishops here but the pawn on g5 has lef t 5...h5 933
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 behind some weak squares and that's enough compensation to ensure Black is in no danger here. 20.a6 b6 21.h4 c8 22.g3 e7 23.e2 f8 24.f4 c4 25.h5 [ 25.ab1!? was interesting and now d6 sh o u ld b e e n o u gh t o h o ld e qu a lit y ( not 25...b5 26.b3 a3 27.a1! and the knight is a little awkwardly placed on a3 and the pawn on c3 cannot be taken because after xc3?! then 28.hc1! xc1 29.xc1 and suddenly there's an embarrassing check on c8 to deal with )] 25...gxh5 26.xh5 g8 27.c1 [ 27.g3 xh1 28.xh1 xb2 29.h7+ f8 30.d3 and Black should take a draw with g8 ( 30...e8?! 31.b5! gives White a dangerous initiative) 31.h7+ f8 32.d3= ] 27...g6 28.g3 xh1 29.xh1 e5 Now it's Black that has slightly the better chances but Leko is up to the defensive task. 30.dxe5 cxe5 31.b5 c5 32.e3 e6 33.d1 c7 [ 33...xg5 leads to a drawn endgame after 34.xd5 xe3 35.fxe3 c5 36.xc5 xc5 37.f2 f8 38.b4 ] 34.d3?! [ 34.f4! was best and White is comfortable after xb5 35.fxe5 c7 36.f2 as the knight gets to g4 and the resulting position should be a draw. ] 34...e8! Suddenly White has to be very careful 35.f4 xg5! 36.f2 [ not 36.fxg5 g4 37.f3 xe3 and Black has good winning chances ] 36...xd3 37.xd3 e7 38.f3 Black has an extra pawn but White has enough activity to hold a draw with accurate play. f6 39.d4 f7 40.h1 xa6 41.a1 c5 42.xc5 bxc5 43.f5! g5 44.xa7 f8 45.b4 W hite is happy to swap pawns as this just brings a draw ending closer. c4 46.c5 Black cannot allow the knight to reach e6 so he must take on c5 and the rook and pawn ending is a simple draw. xc5 47.bxc5 c8 48.a6 f7 49.a7+ g8 50.a5 e8 51.a7 c8 52.a5 e8 53.a7 c8 54.a5 With such a passive king Black cannot play for a win so here the players agreed to a draw. ½-½
906 Levin,Felix Nolte,Christian Schachtuerken-Cup A (2) [Eric Prié]
B07 2486 2111 27.12.2009
1.f3 d6 2.d4 d7 3.e4! g6 4.c4! e5? [ 4...h6 5.e5 With the idea e5-e6 and then Qd3 attacking g6 is quite strong, much like ] [ 4...gf6 5.e5 which makes ] [ 4...e6 The only move, with the idea to play a Hippopotamus implying a double fianchetto - an idea that can now be t h w a r t e d b y 5.a4! Profiting from the inappropriate black move order and directed against the couple Nd7/Bc8. ( 5.e2 g7 6.e5 e7 7.0-0 El Debs, F (2480)-Rodriguez Vila, A (2521) Campinas 2010 1-0(53)) 5...a6 6.a5 With the idea of castling kingside and an easy course of action for White. b5? 7.axb6 cxb6 8.e2 b5 9.xb5 ] 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.g5 [ 6.xf7+!! xf7 7.g5+ A) 7...e7 8.d5 df6 ( 8...e8 9.e6+ d8 10.f7+ ) 9.xe5+ d7 10.e6#; B) 7...e8 8.e6 h4 9.c3! b4 ( 9...c6 ) 10.xc7+ f8 ( 10...f7 11.d5+; 10...d8 11.g5+ xg5 12.e6+ ) 11.0-0! b8 12.e6+ f7 13.g5+ g7 14.d5 h6 15.e6+ f7 ( 15...f6 16.g5+ xg5 17.xg5 xg5 18.f4+ ) 16.g5 g4 ( 16...b6 17.d8+ e8 18.xe5+ ) 17.c7+ g7 18.f3 xg5 19.e6+ ] 6...e7? [ 6...e7? 7.d5 ] [ 6...f6 7.e3 ] 7.f6! g8 [ 7...xf6 8.xf7+ xf7 9.xd8 ] 8.g5 1-0
934
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 relevant to learning opening theory. g6 7.0-0 g7 8.d2 0-0 9.a4 b6 10.a5 bxa5 Looshnikov,Nikolai 11.a4 b8 12.b3 cxd4 13.cxd4 b4 Gabrielian,Artur 14.xa5 xa5 15.xa5 e5 16.c4 exd4 14th Master Open (4) 17.xd6 h6 18.d2 xb3 19.c4 b6 [John Shaw] 20.e5 g4 21.f4 [ 21.xf7+ xf7 22.xc8 is messy but 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.d3 c7 promising for White ] A re la te d lin e t o th e syste m I sugge st e d 22.fxe5 xe5 23.f4 d3 against 2.Nf3 a6 3.c3. White is not committed 21...gxe5 to Nf3, Black is not committed to ...a7-a6. 24.g3 xc4 25.xc4 b4 26.d2 e8 27.d6 b2 28.c4 c2 29.e5 b7 5.g5 [ 5.f3 g6 6.0-0 g7 7.h3 is the closest 30.f3 d2 31.b4 d8 [ 31...xf3 was even simpler ] this variation has to a main line. For e x a m p l e , a n o t h e r G a b r i e l i a n g a m e 32.xd2 dxd2 33.xd2 xd2 34.b1 continued: 0-0 8.e1 fd7!? 9.g5 c6! xg2 35.a4 d5 36.e4 d4+ 37.f1 10.d5 ce5 11.xe7 xf3+ 12.gxf3 xe4 38.bb4 d3+ 39.e1 e2+ 40.d1 h6!? Testing a suggestion of Piket in his c3 Informant annotations to Kramnik - Piket, 0-1 Wijk aan Zee 2001, although Piket awarded it an!!. ( 12...e8 is also okay, as Inarkiev B07 has shown in one game) 13.xf8 xf8 908 Black has good compensation on the dark Lopez Martinez,Josep Manuel 2550 squares. 14.d2 ( 14.f1 e5 was Piket's Gurevich,Mikhail 2635 line ) 14...e5 15.c4 e7 16.xe5 8th ch-Euro Dresden GER (6) 08.04.2007 xe5 17.f1 ( 17.h4!? f4 18.g2 xh4 [John Watson] 19.h1 g5+ 20.f1 ) 17...b5 18.a4 b4 19.c2 b8 20.c4 g7 21.ac1 xh3+ James Vigus brought my attention to this 22.e2 d7 23.b5 c8 24.cxb4 a6 earlier game, which he thinks is theoretically 25.c4 xb4 26.b3 h5 27.d2 h4 28.g1 critical (and who am I to argue!). Indeed, f6 29.e3 g5 30.c2 a5 31.h1 h3 since he gives the general picture that Black 32.f1 e7 33.f4 d4 34.d3 g4 35.e2 is rather counter intuitively exposing himself h4 36.e5 h5 37.exd6 f5 38.d7 b8 t o d ire ct a t t a ck b y p la yi n g t h is lin e , a n y 39.g3 d8 40.f3 xd7 41.d6 f6 change of moves or move orders is extremely 42.e3 h4 43.fxg4 xg4 44.xh3! important. That is, Black has good counterplay xh3+ 45.xh3 xd6 46.d3 d4 on the queenside, and has survived thus far, 47.xd4 1/2-1/2 Khairullin - Gabrielian, but White's attack is presumably within a half Sochi 2005. Black had most of the fun, but tempo or so of succeeding! 1.e4 d6 2.d4 White defended well. ] f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 g7 5.d2 0-0 [ 5.h3 g6 is another move order. ] As Vigus points out, ...Bg7 and ...0-0 is a less [ 5.e2 is also logical. For example, g6 common combination of moves, even 'quite a 6.0-0 g7 7.f3 is a rock-solid way to start r a r e m o v e - e x c e p t a m o n g b e g i n n e r s the game ] a n d 2 6 0 0 p l a ye r s ! ' 6.f3 c6 7.h4 h5 5...bd7 I guess the first question is whether this is [ Black could pla y 5...g6 as taking on f6 n e c e s s a r y. B y a n a l o g y wi t h t h e D r a g o n looks an empty threat. This would keep the Variation of the Sicilian, where White's attack o p t io n o f a la t e r . . . Nf d 7 a s we ll a s t h e is slower than this (relative to Black's that is), obvious Nbd7. ] one would certainly think it desirable to stop 6.e2 A new move. Once again, Black's non- h5. That doesn't mean obligatory, and this forcing yet sound set-up has created a non- would have to be analysed in depth, but a theory position where both sides can just play random few lines might be: c h e s s . T h e r e s t o f t h e ga m e is t h u s n o t [ 7...e5 8.0-0-0 ( 8.g4 exd4 9.xd4 e6
907
B07 2500 2557 15.06.2010
935
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10.h5 ) 8...a5 9.b1 e6 10.g4 exd4 11.xd4 b5 12.a3 ] [ 7...b5 8.ge2 ( 8.h5!? xh5 9.ge2 b4 10.d1 and g4 also looks very strong; 8.g4 h5!? ) 8...e5 ( 8...b4 9.d1 a5 10.h5 bd7 11.hxg6 fxg6 12.f4 b6 13.a3 ) 9.h5 ] 8.0-0-0 b5! Certainly natural. [ 8...a5 can be considered, to enforce ...e5, but 9.b1 ('threat' Nd5) e8 10.h6 looks dangerous, e.g., e5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.g4 . But often these primitive attacks can be neutralized with the right move order. ] 9.h6 [ The positional method would be 9.d3 b4 10.ce2 , wh e n d ire ct a t t a ck b y a5 wouldn't do much after, for example, 11.b1 e6 12.a3 a6 13.f4 d7 14.c4 ] 9...b4 10.ce2 a5 11.b1 e6!? This allows White to close things up a bit on the queenside, although it can hardly be too bad. [ The other appealing move in this type of position is 11...c5! when White should react quickly, perhaps by 12.g4!? ] 12.c1 c5 [ 12...bd7 ] 13.ge2 [ Perhaps 13.d5 d7 14.g4 , when the queen is cut off from the kingside. ] 13...c4!? [ 13...c4 is met by 14.c3 bxc3 15.xc3 c8 (versus d5), and White can play positionally by 16.d5 ( or go for broke by 16.g4 )] 14.e5!? [ 14.xg7 xg7 15.g5! It's funny: the computer is rarely so untrustworthy as in these lines. But here it finds an odd move (sometimes played in the Dragon, but not in this kind of position) that continues the attack while cutting off all counterplay. ] 14...dxe5 15.dxe5 d5? 16.xg7 [ 16.g5! Again! I'm not so sure that I'd even be inclined to play this move, and yet it practically wins outright. Nf4 and e6 are immediate problems. e6 17.f4 xf1 18.xg7 xg7 19.xh5+ h7 20.xd5! and Nf6+ with h5 will be too strong, e.g., exd5 ( 20...c4 21.f6+ g7 22.h5 h8 23.e8+! ) 21.f6+ g7 22.h5 h8
23.hxg6 xh1 24.gxf7+ xf7 25.g8+ e7 26.e8# ] 16...xg7 17.g5 d8? [ 17...f6 ] 18.xd5? [ 18.g3 leaves Black no kingside defence. Perhaps White feared c3+ but 19.a1 xf1 ( 19...xa2 20.f5+ g8 21.xd8+ xd8 22.xe7+ h7 23.d3! ) 20.f5+ g8 21.xe7+ h7 22.dxf1 ( or 22.f5 xa2+ 23.xa2 xd1+ 24.c1 gxf5 25.bxc3 )] 18...xd5 19.f4 xa2+! These positions are obviously torture to play. Here [ 19...c4? 20.xh5+ f8 21.e6! is strangely killing gxh5 22.f5 f6 23.xh5 g7 24.xc4! c6 25.b3 c7 26.f7+ h8 27.d3 ] 20.xa2 d1+ 21.c1 b3! Suddenly it's Black who is attacking. 22.xh5+ h7 23.cxb3 c6 24.b4? [ 24.b5! xh1 25.xc6 d8 looks very s t r o n g f o r B l a c k , y e t 26.g3 holds: ( o r p e r h a p s 26.f4!? g8 27.e6 ) 26...e1 27.h5 dd1 28.hxg6+ fxg6 29.xe7+ h8= ] 24...xb4?? A tragic mistake, but forgivable, since it misses only one very subtle move. Obviously [ 24...xb4 threatens mate and forces 25.c4 xh1 , so Black must have feared 26.xf7 , but ( 26.xe7?? a1+; 26.g3 a4 ) 26...xc1+ 27.xc1 gxh5 wins, because 28.g5 a6! covers h6 and d3. Instead, ( 28...b6? loses to 29.e6 )] 25.f4 This gives White the advantage with h is p ie ce s ve rsu s t h e ro o k, p e rh a p s n o t enough to win. Eventually he does. xf4?! [ 25...f8 ] 26.xf4 xe5 27.h5 g7 28.hxg6 xg6 29.fd3 c4 30.f2 d4 31.e2 d2 32.e4 d1+ 33.c2 ad8 34.2c3 e1 35.g3 f4 36.h4 d3 37.xd3 cxd3+ 38.d2 g1 39.f5+ f6 40.e3 e6 41.cd1 d7 42.b4 h1 43.f2 h8 44.e4+ e7 45.c5 c7 46.xd3 d8 47.e2 dd7 48.a4 b7 49.c4 d4 50.e3 d5 51.b4 c7 52.c5 d1 53.d2 g1 54.g4 e1+ 55.f4 f6 56.de4+ g6 57.g5 d1 58.a3 d4 59.d3 g7 60.e3 d5 61.dc5 g6 936
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 62.a1 g7 63.f4 d8 64.f6 65.a6 f5 66.a5 g6 67.g4 68.e5+ g7 69.g6 e1+ 70.d2 71.fxe5 xg6 72.a1 f6 73.e3 74.exf6 xf6 75.a6 e5 76.d3 77.xe6 h7 78.f4+ e5 79.e3 80.a5+ d6 81.d3 c6 82.d4 83.e5 h7 84.c4+ b7 85.g5 86.d5 g7 87.e5 b6 88.c4 89.c5 h7 90.c6+ b7 91.e6 92.b5 h7 93.a5 g7 94.b5 95.e7+ a8 96.c6 a1+ 97.b4 98.c5 1-0
909 Macieja,Bartlomiej Azmaiparashvili,Zurab 1st ch-Europe (5) [Carsten Hansen]
g6 d1 xe5 f5 d5 g7 b6 a6 c7+ g7 g1 a2
B07 2538 2675 07.07.2000
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 c6 5.d2 b5 6.d3 bd7 7.f4 g7 With 7. ..Qa5 play will transpose to Beim-van der W iel that we have already examined. 8.f3 [ 8.e5 b4 9.exf6 bxc3 10.xc3 exf6 11.h4 b6 is fairly balanced. ] 8...b6!? A new move, several other things have been tried out, but apparently Azmaiparashvili didn't find these sufficient. 9.e5 b4 10.a4 a5 11.b3 d5 12.0-0 0-0 [ 12...f6 13.h4 0-0 14.a3 fxe5 15.fxe5 leaves White clearly better. He has better development and piece coordination. ] 13.a3 f6 14.h4 h6 15.axb4 xb4 Black decides, more or less forced, to sacrifice the exchange. Although this should be good for White, the positions that arise are r e m a r k a b l y d i f f i c u l t t o p l a y wi t h W h i t e . 16.xb4 xb4 17.e6 b8 18.b6 axb6 19.xa8 xe6 White is an exchange up, but the black position is quite solid, and the white p i e c e s l a c k c o o r d i n a t i o n . 20.e1?! This move looks logical, but in fact it's only making things worse. [ Correct is 20.e1!? , intending Bc4, after which the white pieces are beginning to find each other again. ]
20...f7 21.g5+? I'm sure this is the move W hite was counting on when he played 20 Re1?!. However, there is a big hole in his calculations. fxg5 22.fxg5 d7 Ooooops! Th is is t h e mo ve W h it e m isse d wh e n h e played 20 Re1. It's beautifully simple, but easy to miss. 23.f1+ [ 23.a4 xd3 24.f1+ g8 reaches the same position as the game. ] 23...g8 24.a4 xd3 25.gxh6 f4 26.e1 f7 27.f1 g8 28.e1 f5 29.xe7 d5 30.e4 f7 31.xd6 h3+ 32.gxh3 xd6 Black has a small, but clear advantage in the endgame, which he converts after some time. 33.h4 f5 34.f4 f6 35.c3 g5 36.hxg5+ xg5 37.f3 g6 38.a1 xh6 39.e1 b5 40.h3+ g7 41.e2 f7 42.g2+ h8 43.b2 f6 44.g3 d5 45.e3 g7 46.h3 h5 47.h2 f6 48.g1 g6 49.f2 xb3 50.xf6+ xf6 51.f2 d5 52.e5 f4 53.g3 e6 54.h5 g6 55.e5 c4 56.e3 c7 57.g4 e6+ 58.g3 f5 59.e5+ f6 60.e3 d5 61.f3+ g5 62.h2 h5 63.g3+ f4 64.g6 f5 65.h6 f6 66.h8 g8 67.g3 g5 68.f3 g6 69.f4 g7 70.xg8+ xg8 0-1
910 Magem Badals,Jordi Chernin,Alexander New York [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2535 2645 1998
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 g7 5.e5!? dxe5 [ 5...fd7 is the main alternative to the text. Theory considers it dubious, but it's premature to draw definite conclusions as only a few games have been played. One example: 6.exd6 ( 6.f4 is also worthy of consideration.) 6...cxd6 7.d2 0-0 8.0-0-0 c6 9.h4! Sacrificing a pawn White wins some important tempi for a kingside attack. xd4?! ( 9...xd4 is better, although White has strong attack for the pawn after 10.h5 e6 11.h6 ) 10.h5 a5 11.hxg6 hxg6 12.xe7! g7 The sole defence against Q h 6 w i t h a q u i c k m a t e . ( 12...xc3 937
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.h6 ) 13.xf8 xf8 Black has no compensation for the exchange, the rest needs no comment. 14.c4 e6 15.xe6 xe6 16.ge2 cd4 17.xd4 xd4 18.h4 f5 19.a4 c5 20.g4 h6 21.f4 b5 22.e4 g3 23.d4 b4 24.e2 xe2+ 25.xe2 a5 26.b1 f8 27.f5 g5 28.d5 c8 29.f6 h6 30.h2 f8 31.h1 e8 32.xg5+ and Black resigned, Ivanovic - Borkowski, Pristina, 1976. ] 6.dxe5 g4! Absolutely the only move. The alternative is bad: [ 6...xd1+ Now White gets an important tempo for developing his rook, an obvious drawback of Black's move. 7.xd1 fd7 ( 7...g4 is even worse in view of 8.h3 xe5 9.d5 and White wins, as was pointed out by Ron Birnbaum.) 8.d5! xe5 9.f3 d6 10.xe7! xe7 11.xc7+ d8 12.xa8 b6 Now White's knight is in danger, but Black is still in trouble due to his pure lack of co-ordination. 13.c4 b7 14.e5! with a huge advantage. ] 7.xd8+ [ The "active" 7.d5 leads White nowhere in view of c6! 8.xe7 a5+! and Black is better, for example: 9.d2 xd2+ 10.xd2 e6 , threatening 11...h6 12.Bh4 g5, winning the brave knight. ] 7...xd8 8.d1+ [ 8.f3!? is worthy of considering: e6! ( After the immediate 8...xe5 9.xe5 xe5 10.0-0-0+ d7 11.c4 W hite's initiative looks very dangerous.) 9.h4 xe5 10.g5 d7 11.g3 bc6 12.b5 , and White has sufficient compensation for the sacrificed pawn, but hardly more, as the game Raaste-Parma, 1974 proved. ] 8...d7 9.e6 Besides the text, White has oth er po ssibilit ies, b ut no ne of th em are sufficient for achieving an opening advantage, and maybe not even equality: [ 9.d5 I don't think that this move particularly helps W hite. c6 10.b5 ( 10.f4 f6 11.e6 fxg5 12.exd7 e6 ) 10...gxe5 11.f4 h6 12.h4 g4! and White has to prove he has enough for the pawn. ] [ 9.f4 h6 10.h4 g5! 11.e6 ( 11.fxg5 is just bad for White: hxg5 12.xg5 xh2!
( t h r e a t e n i n g N f 3 + ) 13.h3 xe5 and White has little to prove for the pawn.) 11...fxe6 12.g3 e3 13.d2 f5 and here I prefer Black. ] 9...fxe6 10.c4 e8! [ The alternatives are clearly inferior: 10...c8 11.xe7 ] [ 10...e5 11.xe6 c8 12.b3 ] [ 10...xc3+ 11.bxc3 h6 12.xe6 xf2 13.xf2 hxg5 14.f3 In all lines White has dangerous initiative. ] 11.f3 c6 12.0-0 ge5 13.xe5 xe5 The outcome of the opening is good for Black. W hite definitely has compensation for the pawn, but it's only enough for maintaining the balance. 14.b5!? c8 15.xd7! [ 15.xa7 xc4 ] 15...xd7 [ The alternative is not bad either: 15...xd7 16.d1+ c6 17.xa7+ c5 18.xc8 xc4 and Black has everything in order. ] 16.xe6 e5 17.f4 d6 18.h6 Now White wins back the exchange, and the position becomes completely equal. d8 19.g7 f8 20.xd6+ [ 20.xd6+ cxd6 21.xf8 xf8 Neither side can realistically hope to win this endgame, so draw was agreed. Thus we can conclude that Black can successfully solve his opening problems in this line. ] ½-½
911 Magomedov,Magaram Nikolaidis,Ioannis Koszalin [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2604 2505 1999
This variation is fairly complicated and routine play can lead nowhere. Here White quickly finds himself without any good prospects. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 a5 5.d3 e5 6.f3 g4 T h e m a i n l i n e . 7.dxe5 This continuation promises nothing special for White. [ 7.e3! keeping tension in the centre is best. ] [ 7.d2 sacrificing a pawn is another attempt to deviate f rom theory, but this move is ha rd ly pro misin g. In K o tron ias-A d am s , 938
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Chalkidiki 1993 W hite failed to prove his initiative was worth a pawn: exd4 8.d5 d8 9.xf6+ xf6 10.0-0 d7 11.e1 (intending 12.e4-e5) xf3 12.xf3 0-0-0 13.b4! /\\ b5 d5! 14.e5! ( 14.exd5 cxd5 ) 14...e6 15.f2 c5 16.bxc5 xc5 17.b1? ( 17.e1 f5 18.b1 ) 17...f6! After this strong move Black's advantage is beyond any doubt. 18.g3?! ( 18.f5 xe5 19.f4 e7; 18.exf6 xf6 /\\ Ne4 ) 18...fxe5 19.fxe5 g6 20.g5 df8 21.f4 f7! 22.h3 hf8 23.h2? ( 23.e1 /\\ 24.Bh6 R f 3 2 5 . g f 3) 23...b6! /\\ Bc7 24.h6?! c7!-+ and in a few moves White resigned. ] 7...dxe5 8.h3?! An inaccuracy which gives Black slightly the better chances. [ 8.fxe5 fd7 9.f4 is critical for the evaluation of this line: b4! The only move. ( The alternatives are clearly insufficient: 9...a3? 10.d2 xb2 11.b5 d8 12.d6+ f8 13.b1; 9...xf3 10.xf3 xe5 11.xe5 xe5 12.c4 e7 13.0-0-0 d7 14.xf7+ xf7 15.xf7+ xf7 16.xd7+ ) 10.0-0 A) in the case of 10...0-0 White had the i n t e r e s t i n g 11.d5!? which could have posed problems for Black: A1) the game Huzman - Taborov, USSR 1989 continued with 11...cxd5 12.exd5 e7 13.h3 h5 14.h1 g6 15.xg6 hxg6 16.c4 b6 ( 16...b5 17.d6 d8 18.c5; 16...a6 17.a3 ) 17.b3 ( 17.e2? a6! /\\ Nd5 ) 17...8d7 18.e2 ae8 19.f2 d8 20.ae1 c5 ( 20...c5 21.d2+- ) 21.g3 with a big advantage; A2) 11...c5+ 12.h1 d4 ( 12...cxd5 seems to be better) 13.e6! fxe6 14.c7 a4 15.e7+ h8 16.g5!+A v e r y n i c e b l o w ! h5 ( 16...xd1 17.xf8+ xf8 18.f7# ) 17.xf8+ xf8 18.f1 bd7 19.f7 f6 20.e5 and Black resigned, de Firmian-Miles, USA 1988.; B) 10...xc3!? 11.bxc3 0-0 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 xe5 14.g3 bd7 and Black had obtained comfortable play, DizdarevicWeil, Wiesbaden 1993. ] [ Another possibility is 8.0-0 A) 8...exf4 9.xf4 bd7 10.h3 ( 10.e1 is worth considering.) 10...xf3 11.xf3
e5 was very good for Black, Suetin - J. Pribyl, Debrecen 1987; B) 8...bd7 9.e1 xf3 10.xf3 0-0-0!? 11.f5 c5 with sufficient counterplay ] [ 8.f5 bd7 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 c5 looks also good for Black. ] 8...xf3 9.xf3 exf4 10.0-0 bd7 The weakness of the dark squares in white's position and the bad placement of the knight on c3 and bishop on d3 makes black's position even better. 11.xf4 [ In the case of 11.xf4 e5 12.e2 c5+ 13.h1 d4 Black placed his pieces very comfortably on central dark squares. ] 11...e5!? A solid move. [ 11...0-0-0!? was interesting. ] 12.e2 d6 13.f3?! It was better to exchange queens heading for a worse but tenable ending. h2+ 14.f2 c5+ [ 14...e5 15.f5 c5+ 16.e1 was what White was hoping for. ] 15.e3 xe3+ 16.xe3 e5 17.g1 c5 18.d4?! A bad move. The pin of the Knight is very unpleasant for white. [ A f t e r t h e c o r r e c t 18.xc5 xc5 White's position was not much fun but still defensible. ] 18...e5 19.b4 b6 20.f5? A blunder. White missed the following reply but Black's advantage is beyond doubt anyway. eg4! N o w t h e g a m e i s o ve r . 21.hxg4 xg4 22.e1 xd4+ 23.h1 g6 24.f4 e5-+ Rest of the game is just a matter of technique. Black has a healthy extra pawn as well as a huge positional advantage: his excellent knight on e5 dominates White's bad Bishop. 25.d1 0-0-0 26.b5 White tries to find some practical ch a n ce s b u t B la ck e a sil y p a rri e s a ll t h e threats. cxb5 27.a5 a6 28.a4 xa4 29.c3+ c6 30.f6 b8 31.xc6 bxc6 32.xc6 a5 33.b1 a7 34.c5+ b6 35.e7+ b8 36.a3 d7 37.c4 hd8 38.e2 d2 39.f3 g5 40.cxb5 8d6 41.g4 f2 42.bxa6+ a7 43.h3 [ 43.h3 h6! ] 43...d1+ 44.xd1 xd1+ 45.h2 f4+ 46.g3 f2+ 47.g2 d2! Looks suspicious, but Black's calculation is precise: White has no perpetual. 48.e7+ xa6 49.a3+ b5 50.b3+ c6 51.c4+ d6 52.b4+ e6 53.c4+ f6 54.c3+ g6 55.c6+ g7 939
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 56.e5 h5 White resigned. 0-1
912 Mahjoob,Morteza Azmaiparashvili,Zurab FIDE WCh KO Tripoli LBA (1.3) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2478 2679 20.06.2004
PIRC OR PHILIDOR? 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 e5!? Why not? The position with the qu e e n s o f f is n o t h in g sp e c ia l f o r W h it e . 4.ge2 He probably saw the Anand game below. e7 5.f3 [ After the sluggish 5.h3 Black achieves an excellent position by expanding quickly in th e c en t re : 0-0 6.e3 a6 7.a4 exd4 8.xd4 d5! The traditional freeing move in open games, which is what this has become. 9.exd5 xd5 10.xd5 xd5 11.f3 xf3 12.xf3 c6 13.c4 f5 14.c3 ad8= 1/2-1/2 Rakesh,R-Koshy,V/ Mumbai IND 2004 Oh, if playing Black was this easy all the time... ] 5...0-0 6.e3 exd4N A much-needed improvement on the fiasco below. [ 6...c5? 7.d5 h5 8.d2 g6 9.0-0-0 a5 10.g4 g7 11.g3 a6 12.h4 f6 A move which highlights how much quicker the White attack is. Anand wastes no time whatsoever. 13.g5 f5 14.f4! Opening up the game with the Black queenside looking on. b5 15.h5 b4 16.b1 fxe4 ( After 16...exf4 17.xf4 xa2 18.hxg6 hxg6 19.h2 f7 20.h7 it really is looking grim. ) 17.fxe5 d7 18.e6 e5 19.hxg6 g4 20.e2 f3 21.xf3 exf3 22.xh7 1-0 Anand,V-Azmaiparashvili,Z/Hotel Bali Stars, Benidorm ESP 2003 A game which perhaps points out why Azmaiparashvili never quite made it to the very top of world chess, He has the talent but can't quite rid himself of his opportunistic, rather shallow side. Of course anything even remotely halfbaked against Anand just gets murdered. ] 7.xd4 I Robot. [ I think Anand must have been intending 7.xd4 c6 8.d2 and White maybe has an edge although I am perfectly willing to accept that I am wrong about this. ]
7...d5! Absolutely thematic. 8.e5 fd7 [ 8...c5! seems good to me. Black is blasting open the game while the W hite King remains in the middle: 9.exf6 ( 9.de2 d4 10.exf6 xf6 11.d2 dxc3 12.xc3 xc3+ 13.xc3 h4+ 14.g3 b4 ) 9...xf6 10.f2 xd4 11.xd4 cxd4 12.xd4 e8+ 13.e2 c6 I wonder why he didn't play this way? ] 9.f4 b6 10.b3 He had to prevent . ..c7-c5. c6 11.d3 8d7 But ultimately, Black a gg re s sio n o n t h e qu e e n s id e ca n n o t b e c o n t a i n e d . 12.f3 a5 13.a4 b4! Well, I preferred the earlier stuff with 8...c5 but no w B lack h as a good po sit ion . I a m baffled why White didn't castle now. 14.f2? Sometimes I cannot understand what goes through a player's head at the board. Nor what has ha ppe ned to th e E LO system as th e cu rre n t rat in gs se e m inf la te d b e yo n d a ll recognition. White HAS to castle and just get on with this messy game: [ 14.0-0 h4 ( 14...xc3 15.bxc3 e7 16.h5 h6 ) 15.f2 h6 16.d4 c5 17.f5= ] 14...c4 Getting on the case before 0-0. 15.xc4 dxc4 16.d2 e7 17.0-0 Finally, but the two bishops are about to have a say. [ 17.xc4 f6 18.exf6 xf6 19.0-0 g4 20.g3 e6 is ugly for White. ] 17...f6! 18.xc4 fxe5 19.f5 f6 Black is just better thanks to the Bishops. He needs to dislodge the Nc4 before matters can proceed to a satisfactory conclusion. 20.g3 h5! 21.xe5 xe5 22.xe5 xf5 23.d3 Mission accomplished. White's best piece has been persuaded to go to an inferior square. But the alternatives were unappealing too-the Black bishop on f5 is very strong indeed. [ 23.g4 ae8! 24.xf5 ( 24.gxf5 xe5 25.d4 exf5 26.xf5 xf5 ) 24...xf5 25.gxf5 xe5 26.d4 xf5 ] [ 23.a2 xc2 24.xb4 axb4 25.xf8+ xf8 26.c5 e8 27.e1 xa4 ] [ 23.ac1 ae8 24.g4 xc3! 25.bxc3 xe5 26.d4 d5 ] 23...xd3 24.cxd3 f6 25.ad1 ad8 Fl a g d o wn . I s u p p o se W h i t e c a n p u t u p resistance after 26 Bb6 but 26...Rde8 just gives an ongoing advantage with no 940
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 cou nt erplay t o sp ea k of . All th e sa me , a slightly odd, premature finish, even though it was a rapid game. 0-1
913 Malakhov,Vladimir Khismatullin,Denis 63rd ch-RUS Moscow RUS (9) [Gawain Jones]
B07 2712 2659 20.12.2010
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 bd7 These lines of the Philidor are becoming really popular at GM level. [ Another couple of recent high rated encounters started with 3...e5 4.ge2 A) 4...c6!? The knight is usually posted on d7. Here Black puts more pressure on d4 but will find it harder to advance on the queenside while he also has to watch out for d4-d5. A1) 5.f3 has been the most common but Jobava chooses to outplay his opponent in a drier position.; A2) 5.d5 might be the critical test but Black seems to be hanging in there. e7 6.g5 c6 7.g3 ( 7.xf6 gxf6 8.g3 f5 9.h5 h6 is very messy but looks reasonable for Black. ) 7...g6 8.h5 A2a) 8...b6! keeps Black in the game. 9.xf6+ gxf6 10.xf6?! ( 10.c1 should be played but Black h a s d e c e n t c o u n t e r p l a y a f t e r f5 ) 10...xb2! 11.e2 g8 and Black has the better prospects.; A2b) 8...g4?! 9.xf6+ gxf6 10.xf6! xf6 11.xg4 and White had a clear extra pawn but Black held the draw. Motylev, A (2648) Savchenko, B (2577) Krasnoyarsk 2007.; A3) 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.xd8+ xd8!? ( 6...xd8 looks logical. White can try to k e e p t h e k n i g h t p a s s i ve wi t h 7.d5 xd5 8.exd5 but f5 9.c4 f7 looks reasonable for Black.) 7.g5 e6 8.0-0-0+ c8 9.xf6 gxf6 10.g3 c5 11.b5!? ( 11.f3 is much safer but Black doesn't have any major problems after d8 ) 11...xf2 12.xc6 bxc6 13.f5
c5 14.hf1 g8 15.g3 with some compensation for the pawn but W hite sh o u ld h a r d l y b e b e t t e r . J o b a v a , B (2707)-Pedzich, D (2418) W arsaw 2010.; B) 4...e7 5.f3 ( 5.g3 would likely transpose back to the game.) 5...0-0 6.e3 exd4 7.xd4 d5! 8.e5 B1) Andrew Martin's suggestion of 8...c5! in the archives continues to look p r o m i s i n g . 9.exf6 xf6 10.d2 ( 10.b3 d4 11.e4 dxe3 12.xd8 xd8 13.bxc5 d7 and Black's bishops compensate for the possible weakness of the e3 pawn.) 10...cxd4 11.xd4 e8+ 12.e2 Wang Shuo (2228) -Popovic, D (2471) playchess. com 2005 and here xd4 13.xd4 c6 gives Black a very promising position as 14.xd5? xd5 15.xd5 d4 picks up material.; B2) 8...fd7 9.f5 ( 9.f4 was looked at by Andrew previously in Mahjoob, M (2478) -Azmaiparashvili, Z (2679) Tripoli 2004. ) 9...b6 10.xe7+ xe7 11.xb6?! ( 11.d2! looks the most promising as xe5 12.0-0-0 c6 13.e1 d6 14.b1 a6 15.e4 d8 16.c5 gives White decent pressure for the pawn. ) 11...axb6 12.f4 c6 13.d3 Sengupta, D (2558)-Neelotpal, D (2486) New Delhi 2010 when f6! wins a pawn as 14.e2 fxe5 15.fxe5 d7 and the loose pawn drops. ] 4.g3 This move order hasn't been featured before on ChessPublishing but we soon return to chartered waters. [ 4.f4 is examined elsewhere in the update. ] 4...e5 5.ge2 This more flexible setup has become a popular way of facing the Philidor in recent times. c6 A slightly different move order than Svidler-Salgado but it soon t r a n s p o s e s . 6.a4 Preventing Black from grabbing space on the queenside. [ Instead Carlsen preferred 6.g2 but after b5 7.a3 e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.h3 a5 10.g4 a6 11.g3 b4 12.ce2 Carlsen, M (2710) -Radjabov, T (2746) Biel 2007, it's o b se rve d t h a t d5! would give Black good play. ] 6...e7 7.g2 b6 8.0-0 a6 9.h3 h5 941
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Khismatullin follows Salgado Lopez's play from the Olympiad which worked so well. 10.e3 b7 11.b4!? A new try. Generally W hite plays on the kingside in these structures but Malakhov decides to take Black on the queenside. [ I lo o ke d a t 11.c1 in Svidler, P (2731) Salgado Lopez, I (2595) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010. ] 11...0-0 12.b5 Consistent with the previous move but I don't believe this should scare Black. [ It's possible to wait with 12.b1 c7 13.b3 when both sides are somewhat at an en-passe. Black would be a little foolish to play a5 ( 13...fe8 should probably be p r e f e r r e d .) 14.b5 as the b5 outpost promises White decent play. fc8 15.ac1 cxb5 16.xb5 ( 16.axb5?! exd4 17.xd4 c5 and Black has many useful squares to p l a y w i t h .) 16...c4 17.ec3 xb3 18.cxb3 exd4 19.xd4 c5 20.b1 and White stays on top as fxe4 21.xe4 xe4 22.xe4 xe4 23.be1 d5 24.f3 xg3 25.xe7 xf1 26.xf1 leaves Black in an unpleasant ending. ] 12...cxb5 13.axb5 axb5 Black's structure looks ugly but it's not easy to regain the b5 pawn while Black has decent pressure on White's centre. 14.b1 [ 14.d5 blocking in the bishop looks tempting but b4 15.a2 c5 16.f3 a3 forces White backwards. ] 14...a5 Sensibly holding onto the pawn but I think Khismatullin could have seized the initiative. [ 14...b4! This forces White to play a c c u r a t e l y t o k e e p e q u a l i t y . 15.d5 ( 15.xb4?! d5! puts a lot of pressure on White's centre.) 15...xd5 16.exd5 g5 ( 16...e4!? 17.xb4 xd5 18.f4 b7 19.d5 picking up the e4 pawn looks more pleasant for W hite as the h5 pawn looks really out of place.) 17.d2!? ( 17.xb4 xe3 18.fxe3 g5 gives Black strong kingside pressure.; 17.d2 xe3 18.xe3 a4 also favours Black as White is no closer to regaining the pawn.) 17...xd2 ( 17...e4!? is also possible, liberating the bishop. ) 18.xd2 h4 19.dxe5 xe5 20.xb4 a6 21.fe1 xe2 22.xe2 hxg3
23.fxg3 b8= with an objectively equal position but I like Black with his huge e5 knight that cannot be shifted. ] [ I t ' s a l s o p o s s i b l e t o t h r o w i n 14...h4!? first so that the pawn won't be hanging later in the variation. 15.g4 b4 16.d5 xd5 17.exd5 a4 This looks the most straightforward. ( 17...a6 18.xb4 c7 19.e1 fc8 20.b2 and White has chances to take the upper hand.; 17...e4!? 18.xb4 xd5 19.c3 b7 20.d5 c7 21.xe4 fc8 22.c4 a6 23.d2 e5 24.b1 and White has developed a definite edge.) 18.dxe5 xe5 19.c3 a2 20.cxb4 e8 and in my mind Black has at least equality. ] 15.d5 A very sensible move but probably not very good. This is because Black can happily sit his bishop on a6 to keep his extra pawn and then utilise the c5 outpost for his knight. Then he can use the open a file and semi open c file with a decent position. White will struggle to come up with a challenging plan. [ 15.d2 is the computer's suggestion but following a6 16.d5 Black can ignore the threat to the rook. xd5 17.exd5 ( 17.xa5 bxa5 18.exd5 h4 gives Black good play on b o t h s i d e s o f t h e b o a r d .) 17...h4! and, if W hite can't take the rook then it's not clear what 15 Bd2 achieved. ] 15...c5 In the game Khismatullin declines to hold on to his e xtra p awn an d still h as a pleasant position. [ However 15...a6 looks promising after something like 16.d2 c7 17.b4 ( 17.f4 h4! doesn't get anywhere as 18.g4 exf4 19.xf4 gives Black another strong outpost for his knight.) 17...c8 18.fb1 c5 and it's not clear how either side advances. ] 16.c1 [ It was possible to play 16.xc5 bxc5 17.xb5 d7 18.c4= but this would acknowledge that White's opening has failed as he obviously has no advantage here. ] 16...a3!? Black takes the opportunity to activate his rook and creates threats along the third rank. 17.xc5 [ 17.1e2 would give Black the choice of repeating position with a5 or playing more actively with ( 17...a6 when White should probably stick rather than regaining material 942
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 equality with 18.xc5 bxc5 19.xb5 xb5 20.xb5 a8 as Black's queenside play promises him the better chances. )] [ 17.xb5 would allow the strong exchange sacrifice xe3! 18.fxe3 fxe4 with strong compensation after 19.e2 g5 20.xe4 xe4 21.d3 c5 22.d2 h4 as White's kingside is feeling really ropey. ] 17...xc3!? Black feels he's taken the upper hand and so keeps the position double edged. [ 17...bxc5 18.xb5 a8 19.xd6 xd5!= is simply level. ] 18.b4 c4 19.e2 h4 20.c3 Both sides start a long manoeuvring battle and don't really get anywhere but it's clear that Malakhov's new idea hasn't really paid off. c8 [ 20...d7!? 21.b3 b8 would keep hold of the b5 pawn but again it's not clear how he is to proceed. However it's obviously Black who's trying to do something. ] 21.d3 hxg3 Black decides to take the pawn as Malakhov was starting to threaten the f2-f4 break. 22.fxg3 a8 23.f2 c8 [ 23...d7 24.g4 c5 25.h4 c8 26.e3 would allow White to start making p ro gre s s o n t h e k in g sid e a lt h o u gh t h e computer actually prefers Black here and I don't believe he should have any problems. ] 24.d1 [ 24.a1 I think White should challenge on t h e a f i l e . a4 ( 24...d7 would allow 25.xa8 xa8 26.d3 e8 27.g4 d8 28.g5 h7 29.h4 and White has made definite progress.) 25.xb5 d7 26.e2 a8 and White has regained the pawn but Black's control of the a file keeps the position level. ] 24...d7 [ Again Black could, and probably should, have taken the chance to reroute his knight around to the c5 square. 24...d7 25.e3 c5 26.f5 d7 27.f2 g6 28.xe7+ xe7 29.bf1 g7 30.e3 f5 and Black has the better position. ] 25.e3 g6 26.f2 e8 This looks rather artificial and it's clear Black wasn't sure how t o c o n t i n u e . 27.bf1 g7 28.c2?! Allowing Black the second rank is foolhardy. a2! 29.d3 h5 30.f3 a8?! The key play will occur on the kingside and
Black had a couple of different ways to go about it. [ 30...c8! 31.e3 d7 would give White a headache how to defend the h3 pawn as 32.b1 xg2+! 33.xg2 xh3 34.d3 g4 gives Black a huge attack. ] [ 30...f5!? is also interesting. 31.exf5 gxf5 32.xf5 xf5 33.xf5 d7! 34.d3 g6 35.e4 xe4 36.xe4 xh3 and again Black has a very good position. ] 31.e3 b2?! Black keeps up his queenside play but again the kingside is vital. [ Black should have reactivated his bishop with 31...d7 keeping an eye on g4. ] 32.g4 a2 33.3f2! This blocks Black's play and suddenly he has to be careful to keep equality. xf2 [ 33...f5!? looks insane but looks to end in a draw a f t e r 34.xb2 xb2 35.exf5 xf5 36.xf5 gxf5 37.xf5 xg3 38.e6 g5 39.xe8 e2+ 40.f1 g3+ 41.g1= ] 34.xf2 a7 35.e3 h8 36.f1! Rerouting the bishop to d3 to stop Black's ... f5 break and suddenly Black has become very passive. f6 37.g2 d7 38.d3 a1 39.f3 f8 40.e2 c1 41.h4 [ 41.xb5!? xb5 42.xb5 f5 takes an eye off the kingside and allows Black to get s o m e a c t i vi t y a l t h o u g h t h e p o s i t i o n i s probably still level. 43.exf5 gxf5 44.d7 f7 45.xd6 xd6 46.xd6 fxg4 47.xf7+ xf7 48.e6+ g7 49.xg4+ h6 50.e6+ and the game will end in perpetual with both kings so vulnerable. ] 41...a1 Khismatullin fears his queen getting trapped but he needn't have worried. [ 41...a8 trying to get some counterc h a n c e s l o o k s a c c u r a t e a s 42.f1 can be met with xg4! ] 42.e3 h8 43.c2 This is the start of the wron g plan a s Ma lakhov f orgets that th e k i n g s i d e i s t h e m a i n b a t t l e g r o u n d . a6 44.a3 c8 45.xb5?! [ 45.e3 g5! 46.hxg5 fxg5 47.xd6 f4+ 48.gxf4 h3+ 49.h1 exf4 gives Black a strong KID style attack. ] 45...h3+? [ M i s s i n g t h e c h a n c e t o p l a y 45...g5! when White's king needs that knight back to keep it safe. 46.xd6 xd6 47.xd6 gxh4 48.gxh4 xc3 and Black is obviously doing 943
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 very well. ] 46.h2 d7 47.e3 The bishop on h3 is both out of play and also gets in the way of his own rook down the h file. g5 48.a2! gxh4 49.gxh4 f4 50.g3+ Now it's White's pieces which have coordinated well and it is Black's king which is extremely weak. g4 [ 50...g6 was probably Black's best when 51.a7 xh4! 52.e2! defending the g4 square. ( 52.xd7 xd7+ 53.g2 g4 54.xg4 xg4 55.g3 d1 56.xd6 xd6 57.xd6 f4 58.c4 e2+ looks like a draw to me.) 52...g4+ 53.xh4 xh4 54.xd7 xd7 55.xd6 and White has a clear advantage in the ending. ] 51.xg4+ xg4 52.f1?! And this is too slow and allows Black enough activity to hold the draw. [ Instead Malakhov should have played the immediate 52.a7! xd3 53.xe7+ g6 54.g3 d1 55.xd6 a8 56.f5 xb4 57.g7+ h5 58.cxb4 and White's extra pawn should be enough for the win. ] 52...f5! Now the game peters out to a draw. 53.a7 xh4+ 54.g1 f6 55.xd6 xd6 56.xd6 h3+ 57.xh3 [ 57.g2 f4+ and White should just repeat as 58.g3 h1 59.e7+ g6 60.b5 h3+ 61.f2 d3+ leaves Black the one trying for the full point. ] 57...xh3 58.e7+ f7 59.d8+ g6 60.exf5+ xf5 61.c4 c3 62.xb6 xc4 63.d6 c6 ½-½
[ 7...b4! is more ambitious, but equally effective: 8.ce2 a5 9.g4 b6 10.g3 h5 11.g5 fd7 12.h4 d5! The correct way to handle this particular central pawn structure. If W hite blocks the centre now, note the perfect position of the Bishop on f8, supporting ...e7-e6 and ...c6-c5! 13.d3 e6 14.b1 c7 15.1e2 a6 16.f4 c4 17.e2 xe3 18.xe3 xd3 19.cxd3 d6 20.ge2 b6 21.c1 d7 22.c2 b3 23.axb3 a4 24.b4 xb4 25.exd5 xd5 26.xd5 cxd5 27.e5 0-0 28.c7 d8 29.c6 e8 30.hc1 f8 31.c7 a3 32.xd8 exd8 33.b3 a2+ 34.a1 db8 35.1c3 b4 36.c2 e1 37.xa2 xh4 38.f4 f2 39.xa8 xa8+ 40.b2 e3 0 - 1 T o l n a i , T - C h e r n i n , A / A u s t r ia 1 9 9 4 Textbook play by Chernin. ] 8.d3 b7 9.g4 c7 10.ce2!?N White is lacking a clear target to attack and so he has to try to fond moves which gradually improve his position. This is not at all easy as Black is well placed to respond to anything. W hat to make of 10 Nce2? W ell, W hite sidesteps . ..b5-b4 which must be a plus and he prepares g4-g5 and Ng3 so my verdict is that this odd-looking move is not too bad. [ Kingside pawn advances are possible, but as I say, Black can cope: 10.g5 fd7 11.h4 g7 12.h5 g8 13.f4 b4 14.ce2 c5 15.dxc5 xc5 16.xb4 a5 17.a3 xe4 18.h2 c5 19.hxg6 hxg6= 1/2-1/2 Blasl, D-Testor, S/Austria 2000 ] [ 10.h4 0-0-0 ( 10...h5! 11.g5 fd7 ) 11.h5 g8 12.h3 g7 13.hxg6 hxg6 14.g5 e6 15.xb5 cxb5 16.xb5 d7 17.xa7+ 914 B07 b8 Canfell, G-De Groen, M/ Sydney 1996 although W hite went on to win this messy Matsuura,Everaldo 2462 position. ] Leitao,Rafael 2580 71st ch-BRA Sao Paulo BRA (3) 15.02.2005 10...e5 A White piece has dropped away from the centre and so Black advances there. [Andrew Martin] Logical. 11.g5 fd7 12.h3 a6 13.b1 [ 13.f4 c5! 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.g3 h6! 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 doesn't seem too bad for Black at all who 5.d2 b5 6.f3 bd7 Black delays ... Bf8-g7 is chipping away at the broad White pawn for as long as possible in order to dissuade front with all his might. ] White from playing Bh6.He may also castle queenside. The effectiveness of this flexible 13...0-0-0 14.c3 d5 15.f2 c5! As White s t r a t e g y h a s r a t h e r b l u n t e d W h i t e ' s loses this game on time almost without a fight , enthusiasm for systems involving Be3, Qd2 we m a y s u p p o s e t h a t t h i s p o s i t i o n w a s causing him some confusion. Black continues and f2-f3. 7.0-0-0 b6 944
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 with his excellent play, obliging White to make with a d e c i s i o n . 16.c1 This is a very complex [ 8...c5 9.d5 bd7 (what else? Wouldn't position with a wide choice of moves. I give most players be happy with W hite here?) some alternatives to W hite's f inal choice 10.f3 without beginning to suggest which is best. A) At first my engine likes 10...c4 11.xc4 Let's agree that in all variations Black is very xe4 , but 12.0-0 xc3 13.g7 f8 much in the game. 14.bxc3 looks difficult for the second [ 16.h4 h5 ] player. Perhaps this can be tried, although [ 16.f4 exd4 17.cxd4 dxe4 18.xe4 White seems to keep the attack burning, e. c4 ] g., f6 15.g5 c7?! ( 15...c5 [ 16.g4 dxe4 17.fxe4 h5 18.gxh6 f5 ] 16.b3 h5! 17.h6 xc3 18.e4 ) [ 16.hf1 h6!? ] 16.b5+ d7 17.fe1! 0-0-0 18.xe7 16...g7! 17.h4 b8 18.h5 a8 xc3 19.xd7+ xd7 20.xf8+! d8 Quite a clever way to run down the other 21.xd8+ xd8 22.ae1 etc.; g u y ' s c l o c k . 19.h6 f8 20.g4 d6 B) 10...b5! (Vigus) 11.0-0! The Pirc Bishop finds alternative employment. ( Simply developing his cited game went 21.dxc5 11.xb5 b8 12.xd7+ xd7 [ Possibly White is a little better after with ample play) 11...c4 12.e2 b4 21.he1 he8 It's very hard to tell. ] 13.d1 xe4 ( 13...a6 14.d4! c5! 21...xc5 22.f6 e7 23.xd5 15.e3! ) 14.xc4 and White's safer king W h it e wa nt s so m e so rt o f cla rif ica t ion it is the most important factor. A forcing line seems. xd5 24.exd5 xd3 25.xd3 f o r B l a c k w o u l d b e b6 ( 14...b7 xd5 Flag down, but with the two Bishops 15.e3 0-0-0 16.a3! ) 15.d3 ( 15.b3!? and more compact pawns, Black has solved xd5 16.e1 ) 15...c5 16.e3 xd3 all his problems. I think games such as this 17.cxd3 xd5 ( 17...b7? 18.g7 f8 one and the Chernin example mentioned in 19.g5 0-0-0 20.xf7 ) 18.c4 the notes prove that Black's chances against with both the c- and e-files. Naturally Black Be3 and f2-f3 are perfectly OK. This is not the has all kinds of options here. I just feel Yugoslav Attack in the Dragon! that the whole line beginning with 7...Qa5 0-1 (and perhaps 6 Bh6!) is a bit depressing. ] 9.f3 b4 10.e2 b3+?! This merely strengthens White's centre in order to make a 915 B07 fairly neutral bishop exchange. [ Vigus cites D Pikula-D Velimirovic, Zlatibor Mirzoev,Azer 2551 2006: 10...a6 11.0-0 xd3 12.cxd3 Movsziszian,Karen 2534 bd7 13.g3 e6?! (But Black stands XVII Open La Pobla de Lillet ESP (4) 05.08.07 poorly in any case) 14.fe1 h5 15.g5 [John Watson] xg3 16.hxg3 ( 16.fxg3! ) 16...e7 17.e5 af8 18.h4 and Black is pretty much As usual, James Vigus Pirc book covers the busted. ] f o llo win g va ria t io n e xce lle n t ly. He re t h e course of the game with 8...b5?! confirms his 11.c3 a6 12.xa6 xa6 13.e5 [ Naturally, 13.0-0 can't be bad either. ] assessment, yet I think Black needs some help even when he plays a better move. 1.d4 13...d5?! [ B e t t e r b u t n o t i n s p i r i n g i s 13...dxe5 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 g7 14.xe5 ] A major decision! 5.d2 c6 6.h6 xh6 14.0-0 bxa2 15.c1 ac7 16.xa2 b5 7.xh6 a5 8.d3 [ Vigus is also worried about 8.d2 , when 17.e1 0-0-0!? 18.d2!? [ 18.xa7 xb2 19.c4 is also good. ] bd7 9.f3 0-0 and ...e5 looks reasonable 18...a6 19.d3 c5 20.ea1 c4 21.f4 b6 if not yet equal. ] White's game is overwhelming. 8...b5?! The dubious mark stems from Vigus, 22.a5 correctly. I wonder, however, about his line W hether what f ollows is accurate or not, 945
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 6...b5 7.g4 b6 8.g5 h5!? You would think that 8...Nfd7 was better, having played ... Nb6. 9.d3 The immediate attempt to take advantage of the offside Knight fails : [ 9.f4 g7 10.e2 h6! 11.xh5 c4! A very important tactic which justifies ...Nh5. 12.c1 xe3 13.xe3 gxh5 14.f3 g4= ] 9...e6 10.ce2 e5 [ I once saw Beliavsky go 10...d5 in a similar position. If W hite blocks with e5 he takes 916 B07 elasticity out of his pawn chain and Black can build a queenside attack gaining from Molander,Riku 2290 the Bishop still on f8. For instance: 11.0-0-0 Lugovoi,Aleksei 2540 c4 12.xc4 bxc4 and Black has Troll Masters (8) 2003 immediate pressure. ] [Andrew Martin] 11.0-0-0 e7 12.f4?! I personally feel this move helps Black. He gets rid of his offside 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 [ 4...g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d2 a6 7.h6 g4 K n i g h t a n d t h e a b o u t - t o - b e B g 7 h a s a 8.e2 xf3 9.xf3 c6 10.e3 e5 splendid diagonal. W hite should play more 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.0-0-0 xd2+ 13.xd2 naturally with [ 12.g3 OK, I know this exchanges the fd8 14.hd1 xd2 15.xd2 d8 Knight too.... xg3 13.hxg3 g7 14.e2 16.xd8+ xd8 A prospectless position for White definitely has more of the play here. ] Black, but Van der W iel ekes out a draw. 17.d5 Jonkman,H-Van der Wiel, J/GMB, 12...exf4 13.xf4 xf4 14.xf4 g7 15.f3 g4 No way is Black worse now. Wijk aan Zee NED 2003. ] 16.e5 5.d2 [ 16.g2 xf3 17.xf3 xd4 ] [ 5.f3 bd7 6.g4 is a dangerous move order. White threatens, with g4-g5, to mess 16...0-0! 17.g2 Taking on d6 was poor: [ 17.exd6 e6! 18.g2 xf3 19.xf3 up the Black Knights. h6 7.d2 b5 8.ge2 xa2 20.c3 c4 21.xc4 bxc4 ] b6 9.b3 c7 10.g2 g7 11.h3 [ With 17.df1 xf3 18.xf3 ( 18.exd6 Laznicka,V-Guidarelli,L/Friendship A, e6 ) 18...dxe5 19.e1 e6 20.b1 Roznov CZE 2002. ] ( 20.xe5 xe5 21.xe5 xa2 ) 5...bd7 20...g4!-+ not much better. ] [ 5...b5 6.d3 bd7 7.f3 A) 7...e5 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.h3 b7 17...xf3 18.xf3 dxe5 19.xe5 xe5 ( 9...e7 10.a4 b4 11.e2 20.dxe5 xg5+ 21.b1 xe5 22.h4 Baron Rodriguez,J-Bustamante Montoni,R/ The tactics have misfired. White has to rely on Open, Pamplona ESP 2002) 10.0-0 g7 a caveman attack. He fails. c4 23.c3 e3! ac8 Regaining the initiative. 11.a4 a6 12.e2 Ramesh, R-Valdes,L/ 24.xc6 25.a6 f3 26.c2 b4 27.h5 bxc3 Budapest 2002.; B) 7...g7 8.h6 xh6 9.xh6 e5 28.hxg6 hxg6 29.b3 d2+ 30.c1 f4 e4+ I prefer the Modern move 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.0-0 Smerdon,D- 31.xg6 order with ...g6 before...Nf6 because I feel Timofeev,A/41st WJun, Goa IND 2002. ] that Black has better chances to tackle the 6.f3 [ 6.f3 c7 7.a4 g7 8.c4 Rather than Be3 and Bg5 systems. Games like this one 8 Bd3 and a'150' attack formation W hite show the other side of the coin the Pirc movedecides on a more aggressive but exposed order appears perfectly playable too. square for this Bishop, Langer, M-Burnett,R/ 0-1 Rotary Open, Lindsborg Kansas USA 2002. ] W hite never gives his opponent a chance: e8 23.h3 d5 24.c2 g8 25.e2 h6 26.b3 g5 27.d2 g6 28.bxc4 xc4 29.xc4 dxc4 30.f5+ b8 31.g3 b6 32.e4 a7 33.c5 g8 34.e4 db8 35.d7 b5 36.xb6 xb6 37.d5 The Pirc is ever-resilient, but this sort of thing makes a case for 4...c6. 1-0
946
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 917
B07 Morozevich,A 2731 Onischuk,V 2594 FIDE World Rapid 2014 rapid (10.12) 17.06.14 [Neil McDonald]
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 a6 5.f3 White has often tried to avoid, or at least delay, f2-f3 in this opening scheme. For example in the archives you can find [ 5.d2 b5 6.d3 ( Instead 6.f3 transposes back to the main game.) 6...b7 7.a3 in Dominguez-Kramnik while ] [ 5.e2 is Smeets-Kramnik and ] [ 5.h3 is Adams-Zhukova. ] 5...b5 6.d2 b7 In his game with Naiditsch in the archives Kramnik preferred [ 6...bd7 7.ge2 b6 ] 7.0-0-0 bd7 8.g4 Very direct play by Morozevich. He castles queenside as quickly as possible and uses his pawns aggressively on the kingside. Note that this approach is more effective for W hite in the Pirc rather than the Modern set up, as here there is a target on f6 for the g-pawn. b6 As will be seen, Onischuk has decided not to put up any barriers against White's kingside advance. He will let him play h5-h6 and chase Black's dark squared bishop off the a1-h8 diagonal. He hopes that by 'forgetting' about the kingside and focusing all his attention on counterplay in the centre he will solve his opening problems. It ends in failure as in a rapid play ga m e a ga ins t a n im a gin a t ive pla ye r like Morozevich it's hard not to go astray in the resulting tactics. Nonetheless Onischuk's idea is interesting. 9.g5 fd7 10.h4 c5 11.dxc5 The exchange on c5 ensures that Black won't have an open c-file for his rook. Besides, White wants to utilise the d-file. dxc5 12.h5 Having opened the a1-h8 diagonal and conceded the e5 square to a black knight with his previous move, Morozevich rushes to strike a t th e g7 squ are bef o re B lack ca n organise an attack with moves like Bg7, b5-b4, Qc7, Ne5 and Nc4 etc. g7 13.h6 e5 14.f4 c7 Black completes his plan of evacuating the kingside. He might have tried [ 14...d6!? which would have saved a tempo if W hite had continued as in the game. For example
A) White doesn't have anything for the exchange after 15.e5 xh1 16.exd6 b4; B) 15.d5 xd5 16.exd5 b6 17.xc5!? xd5! ( after 17...xc5 18.c3 there is a fork on c5 and h8.) 18.xd6 xd6 19.g2 0-0-0 20.e2 b4 with equality.; C) 15.a3!? b4 16.axb4 cxb4 17.d5 xd5 18.exd5 a5 19.b1 c5 with a slight advantage to White. ] 15.d5 [ After 15.a3 0-0 ( 15...b4 fails to 16.axb4 cxb4 17.d4 when Black loses his b4 pawn. ) 16.f3 e6 keeping the white knight out of d5, Black has sufficient chances. ] 15...xd5 16.exd5 d6 17.e2 [ Black has good counterplay after 17.g2 c7 ( But not 17...b6 18.xc5 xc5 19.c3 with a fork familiar from the notes above. ) 18.b1 b6 19.f2 0-0 20.e2 b4 etc. It is not at all easy for White to get at the black king despite the lack of defenders. His own pawns on g5 and h6 are blocking his attack. ] 17...c7 18.c3 b6 19.e4 True to his dynamic style, the Russian Super GM sacrifices a pawn to gain the two bishops and avenues of attack on the black king. xd5 20.xd6+ exd6 21.h3 0-0-0 22.f5 gxf5? Rather than damaging his pawn structure Black should have preferred [ 22...e4! for example 23.fxg6 fxg6 24.f4 hf8 25.e1 and White maintains pressure to compensate for the pawn, but not more as ( 25.xd6? fails to xd6 26.xd6 xd6 27.xd6 xf1+ )] 23.f4 [ The best way to maintain the attack was 23.a4! ] 23...he8 24.a3 b7 25.a5 a8 26.ad3 e4 [ Naiditsch misses the chance to use his cpawn actively with 26...c4 27.d4 e4 when if 28.d2 c3 29.bxc3? ( Equal is 29.xc3 xc3 30.bxc3 g8 ) 29...c5! suddenly gives Black the initiative- 30.xd5? a3+ 31.b1 a4 32.c1 xc3+ and mate follows on a2. ] 27.d2 c6 28.g3 c4 [ Black could have held on with 28...ae8 29.xd5 xd5 30.xd5+ xd5 31.xd5 947
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f4 32.f2 c6 33.d1 d5 34.d3 8e5 Alternatives: when his awesome pawns would give him [ In Kengis-Hausner, Luxembourg 1990 the b ette r of it af te r 35.xe4 ( 35.g1 B l a c k t r i e d 8...g6?! but failed to equalise: keeps it unclear. ) 35...dxe4 ] 9.bxc3 d5 10.e2 xd3 11.cxd3 c5 29.c3 12.c4! An interesting pawn sacrifice allows [ Stronger was 29.f2 ] W hite to obtain a huge development 29...f4 advantage and maintain the initiative. xd4 [ The last hope to save the game was 13.b1 dxe5 14.f3 d7 15.xe5 c7 29...d4! ] ( 15...c8!? deserves certain attention.) 30.xd5 fxg3 31.xc4 xc4 32.xg3 d8 16.e4! c6 17.xc6 xc6 18.c3 f6 33.d3! Black is temporarily a pawn up but 19.xb7 xe4+ 20.dxe4 h6 21.g3 f7 there is no good way to defend h7. Therefore 22.e2 hd8 23.d1 xd1 24.xd1 White will acquire a decisive passed pawn. and the endgame is very bad for Black. ] a4 34.xh7 c7 35.b1 g4 36.f5 [ 8...e6!? This interesting blockade idea is d7 37.f3 b6 worth considering: 9.xc3 ( 9.bxc3 d5! [ Losing at once, but hopeless is also and now 10.c4 is hardly good in view of 37...b8 38.f6 c7 39.h7 ] b4 with good chances for Black.) 9...d5! 38.xd6+ the rook on g4 will be lost. 10.xf5 exf5! ( 10...xf3 11.xf3 exf5 1-0 12.d5 ) 11.xd5 ( 11.e2!? /\\ Nf3= ) 11...cxd5 12.f3 c6 with balanced chances in a complicated endgame, Purgin918 B07 Mih. Tseitlin, USSR 1987. ] Motwani,Paul 2520 9.cxd3 d5 10.bxc3 dxe5 [ If Black doesn't exchange Queens (here or Adams,Michael 2640 on the next move) 10...e6 , then 11.e2 olm Moscow 1994 is very unpleasant, intending 12 Nf3, with c3[Alexander Volzhin] c4 to follow. ] [ 10...xf3 11.xf3 d7 12.e2 e6 Paul Motwani smashes one of the world's top 13.hb1 b8 14.a4 e7 15.a5 0-0 16.c4 players in typically brilliant style. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 and again the endgame is very nasty for f6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 a5 5.e5 e4 6.f3 Black, Palac-Rausis, Bordeaux 1990. ] xc3 7.d2 f5 8.d3!? The only way to fight for an opening advantage. Alternatives 11.fxe5 xf3 12.xf3 e6 13.e2 d7 14.hb1! Now Black is compelled to weaken lead White nowhere: Relatively best. The [ 8.c4?! is no good in view of b4! 9.xc3 h i s p o s i t i o n . b6 alternatives are clearly insufficient: xc3 10.xc3 xc2 11.e6 d5 12.exf7+ [ 14...b5? 15.c4 a6 16.a4! , destroying xf7 and White has nothing for the pawn, Black's pawn structure on the Q-side ] Mueller-Oratovsky, Saanen 1994. ] [ and 14...0-0-0? is just a blunder in view of [ 8.xc3 is also harmless: d5 9.xd5 15.g5 ] cxd5 10.d3 xd3 11.cxd3 e6 Attacking Black's queenside which is This endgame looks similar to Motwani- 15.a4! Adams, but indeed there is an important weakened by its lack of defenders. e7 [ 15...a5 wasn't good due to 16.c4 e7 difference. White has no pressure on b-file 17.d5!? exd5 18.cxd5 cxd5 19.b5 here and thus has no active plan at all. with a huge advantage. ] Black's chances are by no means worse, to say the least. 12.e2 c6 13.0-0 b6 16.a5!? [ The routine 16.c4 was also better for White 14.g4 h5 15.h3 hxg4 16.hxg4 g5 17.g2 but Black could keep defence by d8 17.a5 gxf4 18.xf4 d8 19.af1 h7 20.b3 d7 c7 ] 21.b2 b4 22.4f3 c7 23.c1 xc1 24.xc1 h4 and Black is already clearly 16...b5 17.c4 a6 18.c1! A very strong move. Black has managed to prevent better, Yudasin-Kiselev, USSR 1989. ] 8...xd3 Not the best, in my opinion. penetration on the b-file, therefore W hite 948
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 switches to the c-file. The text prepares 19 cxb4, with 20 Rc7 to follow. 0-0 [ There were some alternatives: 18...d8!? 19.a2 /\\cb5,Rac2 ] [ 18...b4 19.ab1 b8 20.b2 intending 21. Rc1-b1, and it's not clear how Black can hold the pawn on b4 ] [ and another attempt to keep c-file closed: 18...b8 19.cxb5 axb5 fails to 20.a6! a7 21.e3 , and Black can't avoid 22 d4-d5. ] 19.cxb5 cxb5 20.c7 fd8 21.ac1 f8 I t wo u l d s e e m t h a t B l a c k h a s d e f e n d e d everything but a very annoying surprise awaits him. [ An attempt to obtain counterplay: 21...b4 fails to 22.b7 ab8 23.cc7 b3 24.c3 xb7 25.xb7 and Black's position is hopeless. ] 22.d5! exd5 23.e6! Such sacrificial play looks especially attractive in an ending. f6 The pawn cannot be taken but this move can hardly help solve the problems. [ 23...fxe6?! 24.d4 d6 ( 24...f7 25.c6 ) 25.xe6+ e7 26.xd8 xc7 27.g5+ e8 ( 27...d6? 28.f7++-; 27...f6? 28.xc7+ xd8 29.xg7+- ) 28.xc7 h6 29.h4 g5 30.xg5 hxg5 31.c6 following by Ke3-d4 with a huge advantage. ] 24.g5! h6 [ 24...d6 was impossible due to 25.exf7! xc7 26.xc7 d6 27.b4 followed by Ne6 checkmate! ] 25.xe7! Very energetic play! [ T h e s i m p l e 25.xf7 e8 26.f4 could have secured a big advantage. ] 25...hxg5 [ 25...xe7 was t oo b ad : 26.b4+! e8 27.c7! fxe6 ( 27...hxg5? 28.exf7# ) 28.e7+ f8 29.xe6+ g8 30.xg7+ h8 31.g6 g8 32.xd8 xd8 33.xa6+- and Black is helpless against the a-pawn march. ] 26.b4 This time- trouble move is enough for a win, but W h ite ha d mo re bea utif ul an d qu ic k e r wa y a s wa s p o i n t e d o u t b y P a u l Motwani: [ 26.cc7! e8 27.b4! xc7 28.exf7!! e8 ( 28...e8 29.d7+ d6 30.xd6# ) 29.xe8+ xf7 30.e7++- winning a piece and the game. ]
26...e8 [ 26...fxe6 27.cc7+- ] 27.xe8+ xe8 28.c7 fxe6 29.e7+ d8 30.xg7 e8 31.xg5 In spite of material equality Black's position is almost helpless. a7 [ 31...c8 32.d2 c7 33.h4 f6 34.c3+- ] 32.g6 [ 32.h4!? was more straightforward. ] 32...h7 33.xe6 xh2 34.f3 h4?! [ 34...c7 was more stubborn, White should h a v e p l a y e d 35.f6 with idea of Bd6 and marching the g-pawn. ] 35.e1 h1 36.g3+- d1? [ 36...b4 37.xa6+- ] 37.h4+ d7 38.e7+ c6 [ 38...d8 39.e1++- ] 39.xe8 b4 [ 39...xd3+ 40.e2 a3 41.e6+ b7 42.b6+ a7 43.f2+- ] 40.e2 Black resigned. Excellent play by Paul Motwani! 1-0
919 Motylev,Alexander Kasimdzhanov,Rustam Corus B Wijk aan Zee NED (13) [John Watson]
B07 2676 2687 01.02.2009
White is on a roll with 4 Bg5 against the Pirc. Here two near-2700s battle it out. Black plays a reasonable system and nearly equalises. But it seem to me that his position is more difficult to play than White's. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 g7 5.d2 [ 5.e5!? shouldn't achieve anything, as shown by fd7! 6.exd6 cxd6 7.f3 0-0 8.d2 f6 of Campora, Seville 2009. ] 5...h6 6.h4 g5 7.g3 h5 8.0-0-0 c6 Last month we saw 8...Nc6 and 8...Nxg3 9 hxg3 Nc6 10 Bb5! here. I like the modest text move better. One recent example with [ 8...c6 went 9.e3 xg3 10.hxg3 e6 (last time we saw 10...Bd7, which doesn't c h a n g e m u c h ) 11.f4 g4 12.h5! with a nice advantage, De Groote-Hickman, Caleta 2009. ] 9.ce2!? A strange-looking move that has 949
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 several good points. A simple one is that Black can't play mindlessly with 9... Qa5 followed by...b5, ...Be6 and the like. b6 A good, active move, pinning White's d-pawn and refusing to commit the queenside yet. [ 9...d7 is a natural alternative. ] [ So is 9...e6 , although 10.h4 g4 11.f4 is positionally attractive for White. ] 10.e5! [ The natural-looking 10.c3?! can be met by 10...Qa5, or even f5 11.f3 fxe4 12.fxe4 e6 ] 10...dxe5 [ White's point becomes clear after 10...xg3 11.xg3 dxe5 12.h5 ] [ 10...c5 m i g h t b e b e s t , s i n c e 11.exd6 ( 11.dxc5 dxc5 12.c3!? ) 11...exd6 holds together pretty well. ] 11.xe5 f6 12.h4! bd7?! [ 12...e4 has the tactical point 13.e3 xf2!? 14.xf2 xe5 , b ut t he n 15.f3 f6 16.hxg5 hxg5 17.xh8+ xh8 18.xg5 f6 19.h7 is strong, with ideas of Nxf6+ and Qg3. ] [ Maybe 12...g4 is best. ] 13.hxg5 e4 Black's point, but there's a special problem. 14.xg7! [ 14.f4 xe5 15.xe4 is also possible, for example, c4 16.b3 d6 17.f4 hxg5 18.xh8+ xh8 19.xg5 f6 20.g8+ d7 with the idea ...Kc7. This is complex, but one feels that Black's bishops don't compensate him for a pawn. ] 14...xd2 15.xd2 g8 16.gxh6 f8 17.h7 xh7 18.xh7 White is left with three pieces and a pawn for his queen, and the pieces turn out to be secure. a5 [ 18...f5 19.h1 f6 ( 19...xg7? 20.h8+ ) 20.f3 0-0-0 21.h6 h8 22.g3 safely keeps the material. ] 19.d5!? Tricky, but unnecessary. White can play [ 19.c3 , guarding the a-pawn, and if Black tries to win a pawn back by f5 20.d3 g5 , he does so at the cost of his position following 21.f4! xf4 22.e5 e3 23.f3 , e.g., f6 24.d1 and Black's queen is trapped. ] 19...xa2 [ 19...f5! seems a better try. White keeps a reduced advantage with 20.h4! ( 20.h5
has the idea 0-0-0 21.xf5 xg7 22.c3 ) 20...0-0-0 ( 20...xa2 21.b3! xg7 22.a4 xa4 23.bxa4 cxd5 24.d4 d7 25.b5 ) 21.c3 xa2 22.b3 . Obviously, White is less in control than he'd like to be in that case. ] 20.c3 a5 [ 20...a1+ 21.b1 f5 22.h5 with the idea g6?! 23.dxc6! bxc6 24.h3! a4 25.d4 intending Ra3. ] 21.f3 f5 22.h4 [ 22.h5!? g4 23.h4 xf3 24.gxf3 ] 22...d8 23.a4 b6 24.e5 [ Or 24.d4 c5 25.e3 White is simply winning in that case. As the game goes, White's pieces are much better-coordinated and he slowly converts his advantage: ] 24...f6 25.g3 g4 26.d4 d7 27.e2 xg3 28.fxg3 c5 29.e6 xe6 30.dxe6 xd2 31.xd2 xe6 32.xa7 d6+ 33.c1 xg3 34.f3 e1+ 35.d1 g3 36.f3 e1+ 37.d1 b6 38.b7 a5 39.b1 c4 40.c3 f8 41.b8+ g7 42.c8 b4 43.g4 h6 44.c6 g5 45.e2 h4 46.xc4 a5 47.e4 c5 48.e6 h3 49.a2 b4 50.e3+ h2 51.e4 d6 52.c4 g3 53.b3 d7 54.e6 c6 55.d5 c7 56.c4 d7 57.e2 f2 58.d1+ g3 59.e3 f2 60.c4 e5 61.a2 a4+ 62.b1 a5 63.d5 b5 64.d3 d8 65.c3 f3 66.xb5 b6 67.b3 c5 68.b2 b6 69.c3 c5 70.e2+ g2 71.b4 c6 72.d3 g3 73.b5 b7 74.b4 e7 75.d5 1-0
920 Muzychuk,Anna Zhorzholiani,Meri Maia Chiburdanidze Cup (1) [John Watson]
B07 2533 2135 05.06.2009
Once again this month the 4 Bg5 Pirc showed up in many games. After killer results in the last few months (see the updates), Black held his own overall this time. He did lose the game before you, however. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 The most dreaded move of 2009! c6 Other recent games: 950
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ a) 4...g7 5.d2 h6 6.h4 c6 7.f4 0-0 8.0-0-0 h7 9.e3 g4 10.d2 g5?! 11.fxg5 xd4?? ( 11...hxg5 12.g3 e6 ) 12.gxh6 e5 13.xd4 xd4 14.xd4 e5 15.f2 d7 16.g3 f5 17.h3 fxe4 18.c4+ 1-0 Fercec-Takac, Sibenik CRO 2009. ] [ b) 4...bd7 5.d2 c6 6.f4 c7 ( 6...h6 7.h4 b5 ) 7.e5 ( 7.f3 ) 7...d5 8.0-0-0 xc3 9.xc3 g7 10.f3 b6 with easy development and equality, Sun Fanghui-Zhang Jilin, Subic Bay PHI 2009. ] [ c) 4...h6 5.e3 c6 6.d2 b5 is a technique worth noting. I'll use an old game to illustrate: 7.d3 g4 8.f4 ( or 8.f3 ) 8...e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.g3 h5 11.f3 h4 12.xe5 xe5 13.xe5 f6 14.f4 h6 15.e2 xe5 16.fxe5 xd2+ 17.xd2 with a small advantage, J PolgarLobron, Munich 1991. ] 5.d2 [ Also just played: 5.f4 g7 6.d2 0-0 ( 6...h6 7.h4 h5 8.f3 xf4 9.xf4 g5 10.g3! f6 11.xg5 hxg5 12.0-0-0 gives White an edge) 7.f3 b5 8.d3 b7 9.e5 ( 9.0-0-0 ) 9...b4 10.e2 d5 11.0-0-0?! ( White stands better after 11.0-0 f6 12.h4 ) 11...f6 12.h4 h6! 13.c4 a5 14.g4 d7 15.g5 g7 16.gxf6 exf6 Strohhaeker-Heinl, Ditzingen GER 2009 the game is level. ] 5...g7!? The most committal line. [ One much-used sequence is 5...h6 6.f4 g5 7.g3 h5 8.0-0-0 ] [ 5...b5 is another normal move. ] 6.h6 [ 6.f4 0-0 7.d3 b5 8.f3 is Peng XiaominGallagher from the Archives. ] 6...xh6 7.xh6 bd7 [ B l a c k c a n a l s o p l a y 7...a5 8.0-0-0 , and 8...Be6 or b5 ] 8.0-0-0 a5 9.f3 b5?! [ 9...g4! 10.d2 ( 10.g7 f8 11.d2 df6 threatens ...Rg8) 10...b5 11.a3 0-0?! ( 11...b8 12.h3 gf6 13.e5 b4 is double-edged) 12.h3 gf6 13.e5 b4!? 14.axb4 a1+ 15.b1 d5 with some counterattac k, although W hite must b e better. ] 10.e5! White can't wait for ...b4, when after the knight moves, both e4 and a2 will be
hanging. dxe5 [ 10...b4!? 11.exf6 bxc3 12.g7 f8 13.fxe7 xe7 14.c4 cxb2+ 15.b1 f5 16.he1+ d8 obviously favours White, but there's a lot of play in the position. ] 11.dxe5 g4 12.f4? [ T h e o b v i o u s 12.g7! is actually better because of the idea f8 13.e6! fxe6 14.xh7 and g6 hangs. ] 12...b4 13.c4 dxe5?! [ The play is still unclear after 13...0-0 14.e6 b6 15.xg4 f5! ] 14.xe5 xe5 15.d5 f6?? [ Better 15...cxd5 16.xe5 0-0 17.xd5 b6 18.xe7 , but White is well on top. ] 16.xf6+! exf6 17.xf6 f8 18.g7 d7 [ 18...xc4 19.he1+ ] 19.he1 0-0-0 20.xe5 [ In view of 20.xe5 c7 21.xd7! ] 1-0
921 Naiditsch,Arkadij Kramnik,Vladimir Sparkassen GM (9) [Gawain Jones]
B07 2684 2790 24.07.2010
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 a6 Again Kramnik keeps faith with his weapon that worked well against Smeets and D o m i n g u e z P e r e z . 5.d2 b5 6.f3 Naiditsch's new try. [ 6.d3 was played in Dominguez PerezKramnik which I investigated in the archives. ] 6...bd7 [ 6...b7 Again Black has the choice between developing first knight or bishop. I wonder if Naiditsch would have continued with the same plan with 7.ge2 ( 7.h4 h5 8.h3 bd7 9.a4 c6 10.g5 g7 is a position in which W hite has scored reasonably well and probably critical.; 7.d3 bd7 transposes to the 7.f3 note of Do m in gu e z P e re z-K ra m n ik. 8.a4 b4 9.ce2 c5 ultimately saw the strong Russian outplay his opponent. Sprenger, J (2535)-Grischuk, A (2726) Mainz 2007, a game I covered in the notes to the previous Kramnik game.; 7.g4!?; and 7.a4 951
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 have also been tried.) 7...bd7 8.f4 with a similar position to the game but of course Black isn't obliged to play b6 ] 7.ge2 [ I lo o ke d a t 7.d1 Morozevich, A (2755)Grischuk, A (2715) Moscow 2007 and ] [ 7.g4 Amonatov, F (2625)-Timofeev, A (2664) Tomsk 2008 in Dominguez PerezKramnik. ] 7...b6 8.f4 A unique position has appeared which is rather unusual after such few moves in an elite tournament. g7 [ 8...b7 would prevent the German's plan although 9.a4 b4 10.d1 e5 ( 10...a5 11.d5 c6 12.dxc6 xc6 13.e5 fd7 14.e6 also seems to favour White.) 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.xd8+ xd8 13.d3 fd7 14.b3 and Black's a little worse. White can utilise the c4 square and fracture Black's pawn structure with c2-c3. ] 9.a4 b4 10.cd5 bxd5 11.xd5 xd5 12.exd5 An interesting position has arisen. At first glance the d5 pawn looks vulnerable but without any knights remaining on the board it's hard for Black to put any pressure on the pawn. Meanwhile the d pawn does a good job of preventing Black breaking out with either ... c7-c5 or ...e7-e5. Kramnik decides to sacrifice the b4 pawn for counterplay. 0-0! [ 12...b8 13.h6 xh6 ( 13...0-0 14.h4 looks very scary to me.) 14.xh6 b7 15.c4 is clearly better for White. ] [ 12...a5 13.b5+ ( again 13.h6 is an idea.) 13...d7 14.c4 bringing the prodigal son on d5 back into the camp when I think W hite has the slightly better chances. ] 13.xb4 [ Now Black has time to defend against the direct 13.h6 with xh6 14.xh6 e5 15.dxe5 e8 and Black's completely fine. ] [ 13.c4!? is a safer option. a5 ( 13...e6 14.0-0 gives White enough time to get his king to safety.) 14.h4!? would be much more to my liking than the game continuation as it's the first player who has the initiative although it's probably just a personal preference. ] 13...e6 14.c4 [ 14.dxe6 xe6 15.0-0-0 is possible although c5 gives Black great
compensation. ] 14...h4+ 15.d1!? Naiditsch decides to run with his king. [ 15.f2 g5 wins back the pawn. 16.dxe6 ( 16.0-0 exd5 17.h4 f5 is unclear but I have a feeling Black would feel more comfortable.) 16...xg2 17.exf7+ h8 18.f1 xf3 is another messy position but one in which Black's king looks the safer. ] [ 15.g3 h5 also forks one of the kingside pawns and the d5 pawn. ] 15...xd4?! This move was condemned by most of the commentators. [ 15...e8 was suggested by ChessVibes and indeed Black seems to have at least enough for the pawn, e.g. 16.d2 exd5 17.xd5 b8 18.c3 h5 19.c6 xe3! and Black's initiative is very dangerous. 20.xe3 xb2 21.e8+?! f8 22.xc8? g5! and White cannot prevent mate. ] [ 15...e5!? is a slightly unusual looking move but also looks to give Black decent compensation. ] 16.xa6 e5!? This is basically a piece sacrifice and a good practical try. We have to admire Kramnik playing such entertaining chess, even if it didn't fully work out for him. [ 16...xa6 17.xd4 xd4+ ( 17...d8 18.c1 and White's king seems safe enough. ) 18.xd4 e5 19.c3 c4 would leave Black in an awkward endgame as the passed a pawn will cause him severe problems. ] 17.xc8?! Naiditsch takes the bait and takes the extra move. However ChessBase doesn't like this move and instead suggests [ 17.b5! which looks very strong. Their line runs f6 ( I wonder if Kramnik intended s o m e t h i n g l i k e 17...b7 18.c3 xd5 19.cxd4 fb8 in order to keep the position a bit messier even if objectively this position should be very good for White.) 18.xd4 exd4 19.c6 h3 20.d2 ab8 21.c1 when White is almost winning thanks to his super strong a pawn and safe king position. ] 17...fxc8 18.c3 ab8 19.c4 c5 Kramnik becomes over-optimistic. [ The straightforward 19...xb2 was offered by many commentators when it seems that Black's play is worth the sacrificed piece. 952
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 The prin cipal line run s 20.cxd4 cb8! 21.c1 e4 22.c2 b1+ 23.c1 1b2 with a draw as offered by ChessBase. ] 20.c1! A very strong retreat. White defends the b2 pawn and will pick up the piece next move. I wonder if Kramnik overlooked this after all retreats are the easiest to miss in ches s a s we n aturally look at the piece s moving forward. e4 Kramnik is forced to go into randomiser mode but Naiditsch defends well. 21.cxd4 exf3 22.gxf3 e8 [ 22...b4 23.e2 and White's king will be able to run either kingside or queenside depending which way Black takes on d4. xd4+ ( 23...xd4+ 24.c2 c4+ 25.b1 and W hite has consolidated.; 23...cxd4 wo u l d k e e p t h e k i n g i n t h e c e n t r e b u t 24.e4 is very good for White.) 24.e1 bb8 25.f1 e8 26.d2 c4+ 27.f2 e5 28.g3 and White's king looks loose but I don't see anywhere to exploit it for Black and thus White has good chances to exploit his extra piece. ] 23.a3 [ 23.c2! Running to b1 looked the easiest. b4 24.c3 xd4 25.b1 would give White enough time to get secure. ] 23...b4 24.f1 xd4+ 25.c2 c4?! Following this White successfully consolidates his extra piece. [ 25...eb8 was the suggestion of ChessVibes, threatening to sacrifice on b2 although 26.a2 xa4 27.xa4 xa4+ 28.b1 c4 29.d1 a7 30.c2 and W hite still has to play accurately but objectively he's winning. ] 26.d1 f2+ 27.d2 e2 28.a2 xf3 29.e1 [ 29.c1! c3 30.xc3 b3 31.b1! e4+ 32.a1 would be the smoothest path. ] 29...b3+?! Kramnik's final mistake. [ 29...f5+ 30.c1 c3! would have at least complicated the issue a little. A) 31.xe2? cxd2+ 32.xd2 c4+ would suddenly turn the tables.; B) 31.xc3? f4+ 32.b1 e4+ 33.c1 ( 33.a1? would give away the whole point. d4! 34.c1 xe1 35.xe1 g4 ) 33...f4+ is drawn.; C) 31.bxc3?? b1#; D) 31.xe2! cxd2+ 32.xd2 c4+
33.c2 f4 34.b3 f1 35.xf1 xf1+ 36.b2 and White's queenside pawns should bring in the point but there's still some hard work to do. ] 30.b1 xe1 31.xe1 c3 32.xc3 e4 33.f1 xd5 34.a3 1-0
922 Nakamura,Hikaru Hickl,Joerg Mallorca Trophy final blitz (1.2) [John Watson]
B07 2571 2554 08.02.2004
1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.h3 f6 5.g4 c5 It's hard to believe that this typical Pirc/Sicilian solution isn't good. 6.dxc5 a5 7.g2 xc5 8.ge2 0-0 9.0-0 c6 10.e3 a5 11.f4! But now we've something that might have arisen from 1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 g4!?, also saving the tempo g4-g5. Of course, Black needn't cooperate in that case. e6 12.d5 xd5? Now Black loses space and the bishop pair. Threatening ...Bxd5 by means of [ 12...fc8 was more apropos, for example, 13.c4 d7 14.f5 xd5 15.cxd5 ( 15.exd5 ce5 16.b3 )] 13.exd5 b4 14.c4 d7 15.a3 a6 16.d4 Two bishops and space: "and wins... ?". Of course the game isn't perfect, but that's it for the opening. c7 17.c1 fe8 18.b4 d8 19.h1 c7 20.e1 b6 21.g1 b8 22.d3 d7 23.e2 h6 24.f1 bc8 25.g5 g7 26.h4 a4 27.h3 cd8 28.fe1 a5 29.b5 xb5 30.cxb5 d7 31.xe7 xe7 32.xe7 axb4 33.axb4 f8 34.f5 e5 35.fxg6 xg6 36.xb7 xb4 37.f3 f8 38.h5 h4 39.g4 e1 40.c7 g3 41.c2 e5 42.b6 b1 43.c8 xc8 44.xc8+ g7 45.g4 1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 19...b6 20.e3 h6 21.d6+- ] B07 Narciso Dublan,Marc 2465 20.d6 f7 21.d7 The referee steps in, Garcia Castro,Pablo 2330 almost before a single punch has been thrown. Cerrado CEMAR A, Mondariz (6) 2002 Re7 looms large. W ell as you saw it wasn't 100% clear but who goes in for these dry [Andrew Martin] endgames where there is little chance of a win 1.d4 d6 2.e4 e5 Hmm. Quite rare. To go in if the opponent plays even half decently? for this line 1) You have to enjoy the Philidor 1-0 2) You cannot be unhappy in a slightly worse ending or 3) You have to be willing to sacrifice B07 a p a wn ra t h e r d u b io u sly. No wo n d e r it 's 924 unpopular. 3.dxe5 dxe5 Negi,Parimarjan 2597 [ 3...c6 4.exd6 xd6 Akshayraj,Kore 2400 is the aforementioned pawn sacrifice. Black 46th ch-IND National A (12) 29.12.2008 is a pawn down although this will not affect [John Watson] some maniacs. ] 4.xd8+ xd8 5.c4 f6 And here is the 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 slightly worse ending. Not lost by any means 5.xd8+ xd8 It's remarkable how well but most of us would prefer to be White. Black has done from this position over the [ 5...e6 Fu n n il y e n o u g h 6.xe6 fxe6 last year. In this month's batch, he scored 6.5 has also been played. I much prefer this out of 8 games! 6.c4 type of position when the White Knight has [ After 6.g5 In the recent game Petr, Mcommitted to c3. For instance 7.f3 d6 Sabol, Litomysl CZE 2008, Black decided 8.bd2 and with Nc4 and b3, Bb2 as plan that gaining the bishop pair was worth the e5 looks very weak. Summarising I think doubled pawns: c6 ( or 6...e6 ) 7.0-0-0+ Black's choice of move order isn't optimal if c7 8.f4!? h6 9.xf6 gxf6 10.fxe5 fxe5 he wants the ending. 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 11.f3 f6 12.h4!? e6 ( 12...c5; e5 would be a better choice. ] 12...g4 13.e2 g8 ) 13.d3 d7 6.f4!? Very aggressive. Another way : 14.hf1 g8 15.e2 c5 with some [ 6.c3 b4 7.d2 e7 8.ge2 bc6 edge ( or 15...c5 )] 9.a3 a5 10.0-0-0 e8 11.e3 xc3 6...e6 12.xc3 a6 13.d2 b5 14.d5 b7 [ 6...e8 is also doing well. Several leading 15.c5 xd5 16.xd5 c8 17.hd1 f7 players have decided to go this way. White 18.f3 he8 19.h3 g6 20.xc7 ed8 just doesn't have enough targets to play 21.d7+ xd7 22.xd7+ g8 23.d5 against, so his lead in development doesn't d8 24.e7+ 1-0 Saldanez,J-Domingo,J/ mean much. ] Jujuy 1999 ] 7.xe6 fxe6 8.f3 Computers all like White 6...d6 7.fxe5 xe5 8.f3 d7 9.c3 c6 here (doubled pawns), but if you just keep 10.e2 e7 11.f4 c5 making them play against good moves, they [ 11...xf4 I think 12.xf4 g6 13.g3 e8 tend to grow disillusioned. bd7 Not bad, but 14.d2 was the best shot for Black. White perhaps not the best. keeps his small edge but it really isn't easy [ 8...c5 is the usual move, reserving ....Nc6 to win these position where Black has such as a possibility. ] strong control over e5 ] [ 8...b4 9.d2 xc3!? 10.xc3 bd7 12.xe5 fxe5 13.h5 e6 14.e3! xc4 is a terribly conservative interpretation, 15.xc5 g8 16.0-0-0+ e8 17.d2 asserting that the knights can protect There's a simple problem of counterplay. g6 against any breakthrough that W hite can [ 17...d8 18.xd8+ xd8 19.xa7 ] mount. In Lenderman-Bonin, Mineola 2008, 18.hd1 e6 19.h3 Running him out of Black simply curled up and reacted normally useful moves. This one prepares Rd6 without to W hite's attempts with bishop-versusallowing ...Bg4 h8 knight. I'll include the whole game to 923
954
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 illustrate White's frustration: 11.h3 e8 12.f2 d6 13.d3 f7 14.0-0-0 e7 15.b4+ e8 16.d2 a5 17.c3 e7 18.hd1 hd8 19.b3 b6 20.b2 f6 21.c4 xd2 22.xd2 d7 23.a4 g5 24.e3 h8 25.b2 g6 26.a3+ e8 27.c4 c5 28.c2 d8 29.xd8+ xd8 30.c1 h5 31.g3 h8 32.d1 f7 33.f2 d7 34.h3 g4 35.fxg4 hxg4 36.f2 f6 37.c5 d7 38.d3 c6 39.cxb6 cxb6 40.d2 c5 41.c3 c6 42.e3 c7 43.b2 c6 44.d3 d7 45.f2 f6 46.a3 d6 47.d3 d7 48.c1 f7 49.h3 gxh3 50.xh3 d6 51.f2 e8 52.g4 d7 53.e3 f7 54.h3 b5 55.axb5 xb5 56.g5+ f6 57.f3 d6 58.d2 b7 59.c3 d6 60.b2 g6 61.g5 f7 62.a3 xg5 63.a4 f6 64.xa5 gxe4 65.xe4 xe4 66.b4 c3 67.b5 , drawn. ] 9.e3 c5 10.e2 [ A sample variation after 10.xc5 would be xc5 11.h3 e7 12.0-0-0 hd8 ( it would be more interesting to avoid exchanges, since the d-file is well-covered, for example, 12...a6 13.d2 b5 14.hd1 b4 15.e2 a5 ) 13.xd8 xd8 14.d1 g8!? with the idea ...g5-g4. ] 10...e7 11.h3 This knight does little on e2, f ro m wh e re it is cla ssically re stricte d b y Black's pawn on e5. a6 Really not necessary. If Black wants to play his plan from the game, it's a good time for [ 11...d4!? 12.hd1 , and ( 12.d1 hd8 13.c3 b6 ) 12...c5 looks a little risky, but White can't exploit the position of the bishop on d4. ] 12.f2 d4!? [ 12...xe3 13.xe3 hf8 exact orders don't seem to be very important here. ] 13.cd1 b5?! Weakening. [ 13...hf8 is fine. 14.c3 xe3 15.xe3 e8 and ...Nd6 is one possibility. ] 14.c3 xe3 15.xe3 c5 16.c4! b8 17.d3 fd7 18.b4!? [ Or 18.hc1! with advantage. ] 18...c6!? [ 18...cxb4 19.cxb5 axb5 20.xb4 c8 ] 19.bxc5 b4 20.f2 a5 21.d5+!? An enterprising sacrifice, to be applauded, but W hite is better to begin with and it's
unnecessary. exd5 22.cxd5 [ 22.exd5! hc8 ( 22...d4 23.ae1 ) 23.dxc6 xc6 24.he1 f6 25.ad1 a7 26.g3! and Nf2 can be a useful move. This is only mildly better for White, however. ] 22...d4 [ A simple solution is 22...hc8! with the idea 23.dxc6 ( 23.ac1 a6! ) 23...xc6 24.ac1 ac8 and Black has no problems. ] 23.c6 b6 24.xe5 Those 3 passed pawns lo o k d a n g e r o u s! B l a ck a c h i e ve s a g o o d blockade, however, and they never advance. I t ' s n o t cl e a r wh e t h e r W h it e c o u l d h a v e organised that, but in any case he drifts and finds himself in trouble: hf8 25.d3 [ 25.hc1 b5 26.c4 is a safe course. ] 25...d6 26.ac1 a4 27.c4!? b5 28.e3? [ T h i s w a s W h i t e ' s c h a n c e f o r 28.c7! , wit h ch a n ce s , e . g. , d7 ( 28...xc7 29.e5+ d7 30.e6+ d6 31.c6+ xd5 32.xc7 xe6 33.e1+ ) 29.e5 b6!? 30.c5! c3 31.d6 e4+ 32.e3 xc5 33.xc5+ followed by Rc1. ] 28...a3 29.d4? Wildly optimistic. [ 29.cc1 ] 29...xc4 30.xc4 b6+ 31.d4 [ 31.b5 xd5! 32.exd5 f5 ] 31...xd5! Probably White simply missed this whole idea. 32.exd5 f5 33.f4 e8 34.c4 e4+ 35.b3 xd5 36.e5 xf4 37.c1 c7 38.d7 d3+ 39.a4 b3+ 40.b5 bxa2 41.c5 d5 42.e1 b4+ 0-1
925 Neiksans,Arturs Vachier Lagrave,Maxime European Rapid Championship rapid (7) [Gawain Jones]
B07 2503 2703
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 bd7 Black in te nd s t o rea ch a t yp ica l P hilid o r position but without allowing the queen trade. 4.f4 And this is the critical test. e5 5.f3 The so called Lion. Unfortunately I don't have the recent book but have tried to give my thoughts. exd4 [ 5...c6 is an alternative but doesn't look to e qu a lise . A re ce n t co m p u t e r m a t c h u p 955
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 continued 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.fxe5 g4 8.e6! fxe6 9.g5 de5 10.xd8+ xd8 11.h3 h6 12.f4 hf7 13.xf7+ xf7 14.d1+ d7 15.c4 e8 16.0-0 c5+ 17.h1 b5 18.b3 f8 19.e5 e7 20.e4 and Black was rather passively placed. HIARCS-KALLISTO Leiden 2010. ] [ Similarly 5...e7 looks to favour White. 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.fxe5 g4 8.f4 c6 ( 8...c5 9.c4 0-0 10.e2 e8 11.0-0-0 gxe5 12.b3 and Black still hadn't managed to develop all his forces. Conquest, S (2460)-Hodgson, J (2545) London 1991.) 9.h3 and White was clearly better - see Ermenkov, E (2454)-Abdulaziz, M (2101) Beirut 2004 annotated by Andrew Martin. ] 6.xd4 [ 6.xd4 was also played against the young Frenchman in W arsaw. g6 7.e3 g7 8.d3 0-0 9.h3 c5 10.f3 e8 11.0-0-0 d7 12.g4 xd3+ 13.cxd3 c5! 14.de2 Andriasian, Z (2585)-Vachier Lagrave, M (2703) Warsaw 2010 and here I like the look of d5! 15.g5 d4 16.gxf6 xf6 and Black would have taken the upper hand. ] 6...c6 [ 6...e7? allows 7.e5! when Black's position is already rather awkward. dxe5 8.fxe5 c5 Makoli, P-Michalik, P (2455) P l o v d i v 2 0 1 0 9.a4! g8 10.e4 gives White a beautiful position. ] [ 6...c5 was looked at in Ponomariov, R (2616) -Beliavsky, A (2618) Bled 1999 by Nigel Davies. ] 7.c4 The most natural move putting pressure on f7 but allowing Black the following interesting pawn sacrifice. Stohl actually gave this a question mark. I think he was being a bit dramatic but Black certainly takes over the initiative. [ 7.d2 allows b6 which is a fairly solid response. A recent game continued 8.0-0-0 e7 9.h3 0-0 10.g4 e8 11.g2 f8 12.he1 xd4 13.xd4 and a draw was agreed 1/2-1/2 Eppinger, G (2212)-Klundt, K (2355) Nuremberg 2010 although I f eel W hite should have a little something still as Black is rather passive. ] [ 7.e3 has been the main try which has had some recent tests. d5 A) 8.e5 looks consistent but practice has
shown Black can get enough counterplay. g4 9.g1 b6 10.xb6 axb6 11.h3 h6 12.e2!? ( 12.g4 was Pete's choice a n d i n ve s t ig a t e d in W e l l s, P ( 2 4 7 6 ) Oratovsky, M (2481) Budapest 1999 by Nigel in the archives.) 12...b4+ ( 12...f6! looks sensible when 13.exf6 gxf6 14.g4 is unclear but Black can't be too unhappy. ) 13.c3 e7 14.ed4 c5 15.g4 g8 16.h2 f6 and Black had reasonable counter-chances. White erred here with 17.0-0-0?! and after xa2 18.b1 Cosma, E (2332)-Gara, A (2370) Bucharest 2010 Black should have played a4 to prevent 19.c4; B) 8.0-0-0!? looks logical to me, keeping flexible in the centre. c5 9.d3 e7 10.e5 g4 11.xc5 xc5 12.d4 h5 13.h3 h6 14.f2 f5 15.g3 d7 16.g1 0-0-0 17.g4 hxg4 18.hxg4 h6 19.f5 and White's extra space gave him a decent edge. Debray, C (2362) Vingerhoets, L (2057) Avoine 2010.; C) 8.exd5 This has been White's most common, grabbing the pawn. c5 9.d3 e7 10.d4 b6! This was John W atson's recommendation. Black gets good play for the pawn. ( The forced line 10...g4 11.f5! de5! 12.xe7 xd3+ 13.xd3 xe3 14.xc8 xc8 Moussard, J (2276)-Manouck, T (2330) Paris 2010 must be a little better for White as I d on 't belie ve Bla ck ca n h ave f ull compensation for the pawn.; 10...xd5 11.xd5 cxd5 12.f5 definitely gave White something Adamson, R-Ivanov, A Reno 2007 check John's analysis in the archives. ) 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.e2 C1) 12...a6! is given by John but W h i t e i s b e t t e r wi t h a c c u r a t e p l a y . 13.d2 fd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.xc6 ( 15.f5 "!" John xe3 16.xe7 xd2+ 17.xd2 xe7 18.xa6 hd8 19.ae1+ f8 20.c1 xf4 21.e4 leaves Black attempting to hold a rather unpleasant ending.) 15...xe3 16.xe3+ xe3 17.xa6 xc2+ and here John overlooks 18.e2 xa1 19.b7! 0-0 20.xa8 xa8 21.xa1 when Black will still have to work for the half point.; 956
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 C2) 12...0-0 13.g1 b4 14.xc6 xc3+ 15.bxc3 c7 gave Black good compensation but here White committed suicide wit h 16.0-0-0? xc6 17.f3 a4 18.xa8 c4! with a decisive attack Dukaczewski, P (2319) -Aharon, O (2199) Olomouc 2010. ] [ 7.e5 dxe5 8.fxe5 c5 is generally considered to be fine for Black. ] 7...d5 8.exd5 c5 9.d3 0-0 Natural but this allows White time to get his king to safety. [ 9...e7+! looks best to me forcing a concession out of White. 10.f1 ( 10.e2 b6 11.xe7+ xe7 and Black regains the pawn with a pleasant position.) 10...0-0 and, due to White's lack of king safety and slight problem with development he already struggles to equalise. 11.d2 b6 12.e1 c7 13.dxc6 bxc6 14.e4 xe4 15.xe4 xc4 16.xc4 b6 17.b3 a6+ 18.c4 e6 forced White to sacrifice the exchange with 19.xe6 but Black was clearly better a n d wo n qu ic kly in Ra h m a n , Z (2 3 2 0 ) Murshed, N (2520) Dhaka 1995. ] 10.dxc6 bxc6 11.d2 e8+ 12.e2 After this it looks like Black should take the advantage. [ Therefore White should sidestep with his king. 12.f1! c7 ( 12...h6! preventing Ng5 should be played with decent c o m p e n s a t i o n .) 13.e1 ( 13.g5! ) 13...xe1+ 14.xe1 b6 15.e5 xc4 16.xc4 Shetty, R (2356)-Belkhodja, S (2506) Dubai 2002 and here e7 17.d1 e6 would have resulted in an interesting unbalanced position. Personally I'd pick Black as White will have to be very accurate to have any hopes of converting his extra pawn. ] 12...e4! Now White has problems. 13.0-0-0 [ 13.f1 Defends the f2 square but now W hite has problems with his king safety. xd2! 14.xd2 b6 15.c3 a6 16.xa6 xa6 17.c2 e7! Meszaros, A (2395) Sutorikhin, V (2335) Hungary 1994 and White had no defence to the pressure down the e file. ] [ 13.g5 has been tried a couple of times but xg5 14.fxg5 b6 is unpleasant to d e a l w i t h a s 15.0-0-0 e5 16.b3 ( 16.e4 is better but a6 17.xa6 xa6
18.a3 c4 leaves Black with a decisive attack. ) 16...xc4 17.xc4 a6 wins the stranded e2 knight. ] 13...e7 [ 13...f2! is critical and was played in the o n l y o t h e r g a m e I c a n f i n d . 14.xf7+!? tempting ( but perhaps White should try the simple 14.c3 when Black needs to find h6! 15.g3 xh1 16.h5 f6 17.xf7+ xf7 18.xf6 gxf6 19.xc5 g4 20.xh1 xf3 21.gxf3 d5 and Black's on top.) 14...h8 15.c4 e4 16.ed4 xd4 17.xd4 b6 18.c5 ( 18.xc6 c7 19.c5 xf7 20.xf2 xa2 ) 18...xd4 19.he1 e4 and Black had consolidated his material advantage. Zuse, K (2255)-Brix, G (1990) Hockenheim 1994. ] 14.hf1 xd2? Vachier Lagrave had used up all his energy in the Blitz tournament the day before and here he misses White's powerful counter. [ 14...b6 was best when Black has good compensation for the pawn. The game might continue 15.ed4 ( 15.g3 xc4 16.xc4 xd2 17.xd2 e6 and the bishop pair and queenside pressure looks quite pleasant for Black.) 15...xd4 16.xd4 c5 17.d3 f5 18.e2 b7 when White has to walk a tightrope to keep equality. 19.a6 d5 20.c4 d7 21.b5 g3 22.hxg3 xe2 23.xd7 xd7 24.b3 xg2 25.e5 and White survived Black's pressure and has perhaps a nibble here. ] 15.g5! Neiksans is up to the task. Impressive calculation here, especially seeing as it was a Rapid game. Black cannot su cc e ssf u lly d e f e n d b o t h f 7 a n d h 7 . f6 Black's best try. [ 15...e4 16.xf7+ h8 17.xe8 xg5 18.xd7 is hopeless. ] 16.xf7+?! This is very logical but actually offers Black a way out into a playable position. [ 16.xd2 was far better when Black has to take a time out to defend f7 and after f8 White can play 17.d4 with an extra pawn and pressure, a great position. ] 16...h8?! The Frenchman was obviously not all there for this game and after this he isn't given another chance. [ G i v i n g u p h i s q u e e n w i t h 16...xf7! was essential when the position is far from 957
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 clear. 17.xf7 xf1 18.h6+! ( 18.xf1 e3+ 19.b1 xf7 and I prefer Black's rook and two bishops to White's queen and couple of pawns.) 18...gxh6 19.c4+ g7 20.xc5 xe2 21.xf1 d7 leaves a very complex position. Perhaps White is a little better as Black's king is vulnerable but it's a true battle. ] 17.xe8 xf1 18.xc6 b7 [ 18...e3+ 19.b1 d2+ 20.xd2 xd2 21.xa8 xf4 22.f3 would also leave White with a clear extra two pawns. ] 19.xb7 xb7 20.xf1 xg2 21.d1 The dust has settled. White has a clear extra two pawns and Black must be careful with his king. Vachier Lagrave fights well but already his position is pretty hopeless. Obviously the following moves aren't perfect as it was just a rapid game. f8 22.e6 [ 22.g3! would keep both extra pawns. ] 22...e8 23.f5 xh2 24.b1 b6 [ Lagrave should have taken the opportunity to bring his queen back into the game with 24...e5 ] 25.2f4! Now Black's queen is extremely offside. c8 26.c3 b8 27.d2 g1+ 28.c2 e3 29.d6 e8 30.d1 f2+ 31.b1 xf4 32.xf4 With every exchange W hite gets nearer an easy technical win. Ho we ve r, t h e prob le m a s f a r a s Black is concerned is that W hite can generate an initiative much more easily. e2 33.g1 e4 34.a1 f6 35.c7! g8 36.a3 e8 37.f4 [ 37.xa7 is very easy. ] 37...f6 38.g5 e5 39.h1 e4 40.g1 e5 41.f4 e4 42.h4 e8 43.g5 g8 44.e6 e5 45.f1 e4 46.h4 f6 47.g5 f8 48.e6 b8 49.f2 a5 50.a7 h5 51.g5 b5 52.f2 e8 53.e6 a4? Now the knight drops. 54.f7 h6 55.c4 b8 56.xh5 e7 57.g4 e5 58.g2 d7 59.a2 e3 60.g3 b6 61.c3 An interesting tactical sequence just ou t o f t h e o pe n in g b u t o bje ct ive ly 7 .B c4 s h o u ld n 't c h a lle n ge B l a ck a n d s o W h it e should examine the alternatives. 1-0
926 Nepomniachtchi,Ian Yudin,Sergei Aeroflot Open (8) [James Vigus]
B07 2628 2562 24.02.2009
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.h3 [ 4.e3 c6 5.h3 is the more usual route to our point of departure. Here Black usually chooses between 5...b5?! (our previous ma in ga me ), 5 . .. B g7 (ou r cu rre n t m a in game), and 5...Nbd7. In the examples below, we will see repeatedly that Black is most successful at breaking the Archbishop's grip when he does not play ...Nbd7, which can get in the way of a central counterattack. Therefore after bd7 (intending to meet 6 f4 with 6...b5 7 a3 Nb6, securing the d5square for the knight on f6 in case W hite ploughs forward with e4-e5), the critical m o v e i s s u r e l y 6 g 4 ! ( n e x t g a m e ) 6.a4 ( 6.g4 ) 6...g7 7.g4 0-0 (Black should probably try 7...e5 possibly followed by a quick ...d5, as John W atson suggests in 'James Vigus Pirc Inquiry') 8.g2 a5 9.ge2 A) 9...d5 10.e5 ( 10.f3 dxe4 11.fxe4 e5 ) 10...e4; B) 9...c5 10.d5 e8 11.0-0 e5 12.f4 c4 13.c1 e6 14.a2 d8 15.d3 exd5 16.xd5 b6 17.e3 was very good for W hite in Ninov, N (2526) Spielmann, A (2324)/Nancy FRA 2009 ] 4...g7 5.e3 c6 White's peculiar moveo r d e r m e a n s t h a t B la c k s h o u ld h a v e n o qualms about 5... 0-0 here, since the plan of Qd2 and Bh6 is too slow in combination with h3 to be troubling, and 6 g4 invites a quick counterattack with 6...e5. 6.g4 [ 6 f4 remains critical here, and would be a good topic f or a future update. If W hite wants an Archbishop Attack, however, he probably does best with Nepomniachtchi's move-order, rather than the 6 a4 0-0 7 g4 of L-D.Nisipeanu-P. Svidler, Ukraine 2007, annotated by John Watson in the archive. 6.a4 ] 6...b5 [ G a gu n a sh vili's su gge st io n o f 6...b6!? has yet to be tested now 7 Qc1 is not a particular concession for W hite, and 958
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 7.ge2!? xb2 8.g2 is a dangerous if unnecessary gambit. ] [ 6...a5 has been a very popular try in practice. It puts the onus on Black to strike back rapidly in the centre (otherwise the queen's excursion will have done nothing to hinder W hite's smooth development) and leads to sharp play: A) 7.d2 is designed to avoid the line 7 Bg2 d5!, and limited evidence suggests t h a t i t ' s p r o m i s i n g f o r W h i t e , e . g . h5 ( 7...e5 8.ge2 b5 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.c5!? bd7 11.b4 d8 12.0-0-0 led to a storming attack for W hite in S. Williams-M.Gagunashvili, Hastings 2006, but a5!? (Gagunashvili) seems to give Black enough counterplay I feel that in principle W hite should maintain the c e n t r a l t e n s io n i n t h e s e p o s i t i o n s . . .; ...though he must at the same time be on the lookout for Black's thematic ...d5 break, e.g. 7...bd7 8.f4 b5!? 9.g2? (9 e5!) b4 10.ce2 d5 11.e5 e4 12.xe4 dxe4 13.g3 b6 14.b3 f6 15.1e2 0-0 16.xe4 d5 17.0-0 1/2-1/2 Efanov, N (2348)-Pavlovski, Y (2263)/ Kazan RUS 2008/The Week in Chess 714; 7...b5 8.g5 b4 9.gxf6 bxc3 10.fxg7 cxd2+ 11.xd2 xd2+ 12.xd2 g8 13.f4 W hite's spatial advantage gave him a nagging edge in the endgame, Sibilio, M (2330)-Satta, V (2230)/Italy 1998/EXT 2002 (41) ) 8.g5 fd7 9.g2 b5 10.ge2 b4 11.d1 b6 12.b3 b7 13.0-0 c5 14.b2 0-0 15.d3 with a slight edge owing to Black's offside que en in E. Mukha me to v-D. Ko njevic, Yugoslav Championship 1996; B) 7.g2 B1) 7...e6!? 8.ge2 c4 9.g5 g8 10.c1 d7 11.b3 c7 12.f3 h6 13.h4 hxg5 14.hxg5 xh1+ 15.xh1 e5 16.0-0-0 xb3 17.axb3 exd4 18.xd4 xd4 19.xd4 c5 was rather enterprising from Black in Leon Hoyos, M (2454)-Valdes, L (2401)/ Santo Domingo 20078 ext (79), but still a little way from full equality.; B2) 7...e5 8.ge2 ( releasing the t e n s i o n w i t h 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.d6 g i v e s W h i t e n o t h i n g , a n d a f t e r e6
10.a4? a6 11.d1 b4 12.d2 White must have been relieved that his draw offer was accepted in Jones, G (2549)-McNab, C (2450) / Coulsdon ENG 20 08/ The W e ek in Che ss 72 0) 8...bd7 9.0-0 could quickly turn into a good version of the Fianchetto Variation for White, who enjoys the 'extra' move g4, while Black's queen lacks purpose on a5. In Laine-Nippula, Black tried b6! 10.d3 ( perhaps 10.b3!? e6 11.g5 g8 12.d5 cxd5 13.exd5 f5 14.d2!? ) 10...e6 11.ad1 ( 11.b3 d5! ) 11...c4 12.d2 h5 13.g5 fd7 14.f4 0-0-0 15.b3 exd4 16.xd4 xd4+ 17.xd4 xe2 18.xe2 xa2 19.d2 a5 20.a1 c5 21.xa7 c7 22.d1 and a draw was agreed, though even in the final position White could look forward to an endgame with a promising future for the 'archbishop' on g2, Laine, P (2203)-Nippula, T (2224)/ Finland 200103; B3) 7...d5! 8.e5 e4 B3a) 9.xe4?! dxe4 10.d2 c5 11.dxc5 xe5 12.d4 xd4 13.xd4 0-0 14.b4? c6! - A.Ivanov; B3b) 9.d3 xc3 ( Black should exploit the light squares with 9...a6! 10.xe4 dxe4 11.xe4 e6 ) 10.d2 b5 11.xc3 d7 12.f4 was slightly better for White in Kudischewitsch, D (2384)-Chernomordik, P (2305)/Tel Aviv 2002; B3c) 9.ge2 h5!? 10.xe4 dxe4 11.gxh5 xh5 12.g3 xh3 13.xh3 xh3 14.gxe4 a6 15.f3 f5 16.0-0-0 0-0-0 was roughly balanced in Ivanov, A (2460) -Christiansen, L (2555)/USA 1989/Inf 48/[Ivanov, Alexa] (34) ] [ 6...h5 7.g5 fd7 is an attempt to play by analogy to the 4 Be3 c6 5 Qd2 Nbd7 6 f3 b5 line that Marin has recently analysed in depth in an article in ChessBase Magazine. One of his main lines is then 7 g4 Nb6 8 h4 h5 9 g5 Nfd7 10 f4 Bg7, reaching something very similar to our present line. However, there are two important differences: (i) White has 'saved' a tempo by missing out the possibly unhelpful move Qd2 (ii) the h4959
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 square is not occupied by a pawn, and so is f r e e f o r a wh i t e k n i gh t . T h i s m i gh t n o t necessarily be disastrous for Black, but these factors did prove important in the game: 8.f4 b5 ( 8...0-0 9.f3 c5 10.d2 cxd4 11.xd4 , Aleksandrov, A (2535)Poluljahov, A (2480)/St Petersburg 1996, wasn't too promising for Black either) 9.f3 (a sensible alternative to the 9 Bd3 of S. Rocha-M.Marin, Linares 1998, as given in TPIBAW) b6 10.b3 8d7 11.h4! b4 12.e2 c5 13.f5! b7 ( 13...cxd4 14.xd4 g8 is a better defence, but feels uncomfortable) 14.fxg6 xe4 15.gxf7+ xf7 16.g2 xg2 17.xg2 e6?! 18.0-0+ e7? 19.ef4 f8 20.dxc5 1-0 Ovetchkin, R (2515)-Abelian, A (2356)/Voronezh 20028 ext ] 7.g2 [ The sharp 7.e5 was P.Svidler-V. Ivanchuk, Spain 2006, annotated by Jonathan Rowson in the archive. W hite won that game convincingly, but the opening wasn't particularly clear. ] 7...b7 [ The only previous all-grandmaster encounter to reach this position meandered sedately on with 7...fd7!? 8.f3 b7 9.0-0 0-0 10.d2 e8 11.ad1 c7 12.e2 ( 12.h6 h8 13.g5!? , r e l e a s i n g t h e f - p a wn , m ig h t b e m o r e incisive ) 12...c5 13.g3 cxd4 14.xd4 a6 15.h6 h8 16.f4 c6 17.c3 ac8 and equality, Sulskis, S (2582)-Postny, E (2537)/Cappelle la Grande 20049 ext (49) ] 8.g5! [ Against quieter play, Black, having cunningly refrained from ... e7-e5, can build slowly up to the ...c6-c5 break, e.g. 8.d2 c7 9.a3 bd7 10.ge2 b6 11.b3 a6 12.0-0 (Callet, E-Gallego, E/Paris 1993) 0-0 13.f4 c5 with unclear play. ] 8...fd7 9.h4 e5 [ With a weakness on d6 and without any genuine pressure against d4, this break is double-edged for Black. He probably didn't fancy the alternatives, though: a) 9...h5?! does not, of course, reach the sort of kingside blockade favoured by Marin, since 10.gxh6 xh6 11.xh6 xh6 12.d2 h8 13.f3 leaves White with good central
play. ] [ b) 9...c5!? is the move Black would prefer to play with his bishop on b7, but 10.h5! ( 10.xb5 b6! ) 10...c6 11.f3 b4 12.e2 leaves the bishop on g7 with a h e a d a c h e , p e r h a p s b e s t a l l e vi a t e d b y g8!? ] 10.d5!? [ Continuing his policy of maximum spacegra b b in g. T h is is ce rt a in ly cr it ica l, b u t sometimes the Archbishop is most effective when W hite reins himself in slightly, and 10.f3 b6 11.b3 8d7 12.h5 would have asked Black what exactly he is proposing to do about that Pirc prelate on g7. ] 10...b4 [ 10...b6 11.dxc6 xc6 12.xb5 c4 is another way to sacrifice a pawn, but Yudin is probably right to jettison the sickly d6pawn rather than its healthy comrade on the b-file. ] 11.dxc6 xc6 12.b5 [ This is hard to resist, but classical principles would suggest occupying the square in front of a backward pawn rather than hurrying to capture the pawn itself: 12.d5! . This surely offers White some sort of edge, since attempts to break out with ... h6 or ...f5 will make the kingside un in h a b it a b le f o r t he b la ck kin g, wh ile White's own monarch could still choose to go to either side. ] 12...0-0 13.xd6 [ The point of Black's play is that White's lone-raiding knight lacks retreat squares, guaranteeing Black good counterplay after, say, 13.xd6 a6 14.f1!? ( or 14.e2 b6 ) 14...xf1 15.xf1 b6 ] [ 13.f3!? a6 ] 13...b6!? [ Yudin's plan is to induce White to castle, then offload a couple more pawns to get at the king. Less risky was 13...a6! 14.c7 ( 14.d1? axb5 15.xd7 xd7 16.xd7 fb8 is good for Black) 14...c8 15.d5 e8 : it looks strange to force the white knight to d5, but more importantly Black now has access to d4. One sample line goes 16.h3 d4 17.xd4 exd4 18.xd7 xd5! 19.xc8 e7 20.xa6 xe4 960
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 21.e2 , when the position has certainly not clarified! ] 14.0-0-0! [ White probably didn't think too much about p l a y i n g ' s a f e ' w i t h 14.xd8 fxd8 , when Black's position is quite harmonious and both ...Nc4 and ...Nd4 come into the reckoning. ] 14...d4 15.xb4 [ This time 15.xd8 fxd8 16.xd4 exd4 17.f4 ac8 was a more serious option for W hite, but a coming ... Na4 should give Black enough for the pawn. ] 15...c8 16.xd4 exd4 17.xd4 c7 18.c3? [ The natural defence, but it involves returning a pawn and allowing the black queen to become active. 18.b3 f4+ ( 18...fd8 19.e2 ) 19.e3 ( 19.e3 c7 invites a repetition, since 20.c3 c4 will be hard for White to negotiate) 19...e5 probably doesn't offer Black enough compensation objectively, but this would be quite a scary prospect for White. ] 18...xd4! 19.xd4 [ If 19.xd4 fd8 the white king will be dragged into the open. ] 19...f4+ 20.c2 xf2+ 21.d2 g3 22.b3? [ Giving up control of the d-file is disastrous. Instead 22.d6 g4 remains hard to fathom, but who wouldn't take Black? ] 22...fd8 Remarkably, White's kingside is so congested that he cannot avoid the loss of a p i e c e . T h i s d o e s i ll u st ra t e t h e p o t e n t i a l danger W hite faces with the 'maximalist' approach of the Archbishop: those advanced kingside pawns confer a space advantage, but also leave holes in their wake! 23.c4 e3 24.h3 xg1 25.b2 a6 26.h1 e3 27.xd8+ xd8 28.c1 xc4+ 29.bxc4 g3 30.a5 b8+ 31.a1 xg2 32.b1 xb1+ 33.xb1 f1+ 34.b2 e2+ 35.a3 d3+ 36.b2 d4+ 37.a3 xc4 38.b4 g7 39.e5 e3+ 40.a4 xa2 41.e6 b3+ 0-1
927 Nestorovic,Lazar Svetac,Nenad Spring Open Belgrade SRB (8) [John Watson]
B07 2207 2322 30.03.2009
A pleasant miniature, and no comf ort f or Black's cause. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 c6 5.d2 g7 6.0-0-0 c7 Aiming for ...e5. 7.d3 [ 7.f4 still looks annoying, for example, h6 ( 7...e5? 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.fxe5 fd7 10.d6! ) 8.h4 0-0 9.f3 , but maybe b5!? is better than in the previous game b e c a u s e o f 10.e5 b4! 11.exf6 bxc3 12.xc3 exf6 ] 7...e5 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.h6 0-0 10.h4! This position is still difficult for Black. xh6 [ Some sample analysis after 10...e6!? : 11.h5 ( 11.f3 ) 11...xh5 A) 12.xh5 gxh5 13.xg7 ( 13.g5?! f6 ) 13...xg7 14.g5+ h8 15.f6+=; B) 12.e2! f4 13.xg7 xg7 14.f3 f6 15.g3 h5 16.e2 f7 ( 16...f7 17.xh5 gxh5 18.f3 a6 19.h4 ) 17.xh5 gxh5 18.xh5 gives White some kingside chances. A typical crazy line goes a6 19.f4 ad8 20.xd8 xd8 21.f5 xa2 22.g4+ f8 ( 22...h8 23.xa2 xa2 24.xh7+! ) 23.h4 g8 24.h6 d7 25.f3 c5 26.xf6 b3+ 27.cxb3 xb3 28.g5+ h8 29.d2 d3 30.f8+ xf8 31.xb3 and White should win. ] 11.xh6 g4 [ 11...g4 (to prevent Nf3-g5) 12.f3 e6 13.h5 bd7 14.g4 c5 15.h3 b5 16.g5 ad8 ] 12.d2 f5? A terrible misjudgement, exposing his king. Perhaps [ 12...b6 13.h3 f6 is best, with White st i ll h a vi n g t h e a t t a ck f o ll o win g 14.g5 , with the idea h5. ] 13.c4+?! Not the best exploitation. Better is [ 13.f3 f6 14.exf5 gxf5 15.g5+ g7 16.xf5 , or, still better, ] [ 13.h5! f4 14.hxg6 hxg6 15.g3! ( 15.f3 ) 15...e6 16.gxf4 exf4 17.f3 and Rdg1. ] 13...g7 14.h5 f4 15.hxg6 hxg6 16.f3 d7? Missing the winning sacrifice. [ 16...e7! defends for a while, for example, 961
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.h4!? b5 18.b3 a5 19.dh1 f6 meet. On the other hand, f5 14.xe4!? 20.g5! d8 21.e2 a6 22.g3! a4 ( 14.h6 ) 14...xd2+ 15.xd2 fxg4 23.e6 ] 16.hxg4 xg4 isn't inspiring for White. ] 17.h7+! Whoops! A pretty shot that is easy 11...exf6 12.0-0 f5?! to miss. f6 [ 12...xc3! 13.xc3 ( 13.bxc3 e8 ) [ 17...xh7 18.g5+ h6 ( 18...h8 13...f5 intends ... fxg4 or in some cases ...f4. 19.h1+ g7 20.e6+; 18...g7 Black has an edge. ] 19.e6+ )] 13.xe4 fxe4 14.f3 exf3 18.d6+ It's mate next move! ½-½ 1-0 929 928 Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter Svidler,Peter Aerosvit Foros UKR (7) [John Watson]
B07 2693 2736 25.06.2007
Nyback,Tomi Puranen,Jukka Finnish Team Championship 2001 [Paul Motwani]
B07
2001
W44: "Fine finish in Finland!" 1.f3 d6 2.d4 The Wade Defence is named after 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.h3 g7 g4 It's interesting that at the top levels players England's IM Robert Graham W ade, and don't seem as worried that ...Bg7 allows Bh6 although the current game is not one of the with an 'extra' tempo, as opposed to leaving better adverts for the system championed by the bishop on f8 for a while with, say, 4...c6. B o b W a d e , d o n ' t b e s u r p r i s e d i f t h e This leaves open the argument of whether 2... irrepressible man himself notches up some Nf6 is too committal! Awfully unlikely, but the cracking counter-attacking victories for us le a v in g it o n g8 f o r a wh ile give s u s t h e before 10 April 2002...when he'll be 81! 3.e4 Modern Defence, which has its own set of If we imagine replacing White's earlier d2-d4 with c2-c4, then a noteworthy possibility now advantages and disadvantages 5.e3 c6 [ 5...bd7 with an early ...e5 is a very would be 3 Qb3!? intending 3...Qc8 4 h3, different plan that yields a familiar setup after which 4...Bh5?? falls into the deadly trap after 6.g4 e5 7.g2 c6 8.a4 0-0 9.ge2 5 Qb5+ followed by 6 Qxh5. f6 4.c3 c6 [ 4...c6 5.e3 e6 6.h3 h5 7.d5 e5? . We looked at this without the moves . ..0-0 ( 7...exd5 is relatively best) 8.g4! g6 and Bg2 ha vin g b een playe d. I like th e tradeoff a bit for White, who has made ...d5 ( he's also in double trouble after 8...xf3+ 9.xf3 g6 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.e5! less likely. ] with the shattering Qxb7 coming) 9.d2! [ 5...0-0 transposes directly into analysis leaves Black facing the terrible threat of f4 from the Vigus inquiry in May. He thinks that then f5. ] 6.g4 d5 7.e5 e4 is satisfactory for Black in that case, and that 5...c6 makes Black 5.h3 h5 6.g4! Black's light-squared bishop is sent reeling f urt her backward s by this more vulnerable to the g4 attack. ] 6.a4 0-0 7.g4 This is another version of what particularly energetic case of g for "go for it"! Vigus calls the 'Archbishop Attack', named g6 7.e2 a5 and analysed by Vigus and Simon Bibby. a5 [ W44.1: 7...e6 transposes to the game I. Farago-V.Nevednichy, Bled 1992, where The attack on e4 facilitates Black's next: the continuation 8.h4! h6 9.h5 h7 10.g5 8.g2 d5! 9.e5 hxg5 11.xg5 was not pleasant for Black. ] [ White should consider 9.f3!? ] 8.d2 White quickly stops his opponent's 9...e4 10.ge2 f6 fleeting threat of capturing the e4-pawn, and [ 10...xc3! 11.xc3 f6 is more effective. ] now the bishop at d2 gives Black's queen 11.exf6 [ 11.xe4 dxe4 12.exf6 exf6 13.d2 cause for concern. b6 9.0-0-0 e6 10.h4! threatens Nxe4, which is not so easy to Echoing an idea from the earlier notes at 962
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 move seven. h5 11.g5 g8 [ 11...fd7 would have kept the knight a bit more in play. ] 12.d5! White aims to prise open the position in order to get at Black's king and exploit the seriously under-developed situation of that monarch's almost dormant pieces. e5 13.e3 c7 [ 13...c5 14.d2 is also horrible for Black, who then faces threats such as Nc4 and/or f2-f4. ] 14.d2! e7? This critically weakens the d6pawn, and W hite now acts very speedily to produce a fine finish to this game in Finland! 15.dxc6 bxc6 16.c4 c8 17.h3 a6 [ 17...d7 also loses instantly, to 18.xd7+ xd7 19.xe5 ] 18.xe5 dxe5 19.d7+ Black resigned, in view of 19...Qxd7 20 Rxd7 Kxd7 21 Qxa6. 1-0
17.c1 fc8 18.d2 xb2 19.ge2 e5 Maybe so, but this will be a rough ride.) 17...e5 18.ge2 c4 19.b3 a3+ 20.b2 xb5 Mola,P-Sarno,S/63rd ch-ITA, Arvier ITA 2003 ] 7...b5 8.f3 bd7 9.e5?! there were plenty of alternatives, all of which were better than the move chosen. [ 9.g4 ] [ 9.h6 ] [ 9.h4 ] [ 9.h3 ] 9...b4! The thematic response, either securing Black the d5 square or forcing open the b file. 10.exf6 bxc3 11.xc3 xf6 12.xc6 Almost suicidal, as Black quickly develops a massive attack along the open files. Parligras obviously did not like his position, resolved to take everything on offer and try to tough it out. [ What were his options? Few and far between. Perhaps 12.d3 is possible, but Black has the better game already. ] 930 B07 12...e6 13.c1 b8 14.h3 xa2+!! An idea which is spectacularly successful. Parligras,Mircea [ Of course 14...a5 would also have given Jobava,Baadur Black a big attack at zero risk. ] Antalya 2004 15.xa2 a5+ 16.b1 d5 With ...Rfc8 [Andrew Martin] coming, every Black piece joins in the attack. There now follows a breathtaking attacking White will not survive with his Kingside pieces game by Black, demonstrating the potential of mere onlookers. 17.d3 fc8 18.d2 xb2+ the Pirc. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 Certainly the most dynamic follow-up. [ 18...b4 enables White to grovel: 19.a3 4.e3 g7 5.d2 0-0 6.0-0-0 I believe that d8 20.a4 xc2 21.a2 xd4 22.a6 ] 6 0-0-0 is already too committal. White has plenty of good moves available e.g. Bd3,Nf3, 19.xb2 b8+ 20.b3 xd4+ 21.c3 b4!! even h2-h3,before castling. Why not wait to Intended all along and a wonderful, study-like see how the game develops? c6 7.b1 conception. Black rips the White King apart. If White sets up his Be3/g5, Qd2 battery it's 22.a6 [ 22.cxd4 a2+ 23.c1 xc6! ( 23...xb3 almost always best to play Bh6 as soon as isn't totally clear: 24.xb4 xb4 25.d2 one can. Otherwise what is the point? Black xd4+ 26.e1 b2 27.e2 b1+ 28.f2 has already made his own intentions clear with xh1 ) 24.xb8+ xb8 25.c3 c6 ..c7-c6 he wants to launch his b pawn forward, 26.f4 a5 White can't move very much-the so to hesitate with 7 Kb1 seems wrong. a pawn just walks. ] [ M i n d y o u , i f 7.h6 Black gets good counterplay anyway: b5 8.f3 ( 8.xg7 22...xa6 23.xa6 xb3+ 24.xb3 xa6 xg7 9.e5 dxe5 10.dxe5 xd2+ 11.xd2 25.cxd4 e2! 26.e1 xg2 27.f2 xf3+ g4 12.f4 f6= ) 8...a5 9.b1 xh6 28.c4 a5-+ 29.g1 a4 30.d3 a3 31.d2 10.xh6 e6 11.a3 bd7!? Very sharp, e5 32.dxe5 c6+ We see many such similar considering he could just have played 11... games in the Sicilian Dragon and King's Indian. b4 12.d5 cxd5 13.exd5 f5 14.g4 b4 Defeat is the price of hesitation by White, and 15.axb4 xb4 16.gxf5 ab8 17.b5 th a t is wh y t he se B lack op e nin gs a re s o ( Fritz argues that White survives after popular. Attacks such as this one come along 963
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 less often for Pirc/Modern fans, so when the [ 11...xf3+ 12.xf3 c4 13.e4 ] o p p o r t u n i t y a r i s e s i t H A S t o b e t a k e n . 12.a3 xf3+ 13.gxf3 Congratulations to Jobova on a wonderful [ 13.xf3 f8 14.e2 e5 ] performance. 13...d7 0-1 [ 13...e5 14.e3 ] 14.e3 b6?! A timid response when action is required. It also means that castling 931 B07 queenside is much more awkward because of Pavasovic,Dusko 2581 the weakness on the light squares. [ 14...0-0-0!? is the answer to connect the Fauland,Alexander 2427 rooks and protect the king. 15.b5 e5 Austrian Team Championship (8) 11.10.2003 16.xc6 bxc6 17.a3 ( 17.xa7+? b7 [Gary Lane] traps the unfortunate knight) 17...d5 and Black can fight on because it is not 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 3.d4 f6 4.d3 g6 obvious how White should proceed when his 5.dxc5!? This looks like a good idea but it is own king is badly placed. ] rarely played. 15.h5 gxh5 16.f4 c8 [ 5.f3 is considered the main line. ] [ The big difference now is that 16...0-0-0? 5...dxc5 6.e5 fd7?! A natural move to walks into 17.a6+ b8 18.b5 ] attack the advanced e-pawn but it is 17.b5 b8 18.0-0-0 Now that White has inaccurate. [ 6...c4 7.a4+ d7 8.xc4 White is a go t a ll h is p ie c e s in t o t h e a ct i o n h e c a n pawn up for nothing but complacency will smoothly step up a gear to accelerate the cost his dear g4 9.f4 c6 10.e4?? attack. d4 19.cxd4 The easiest way to fend a nightmare move f5 0-1 Huber, A-Gheng, off the attempt at counterplay. Others: [ 19.xd4!? cxd4 20.xh5+ f8+- ] J/Wuerttemberg 2000. ] [ 19.xd4? cxd4 20.b1 xf4 21.xa7 [ 6...d5 is the usual reply when play can c5 22.cxd4 c7 is still in favour of White continue 7.e4 c7 8.xd8+ xd8 but Black has active play. ] 9.e3 ( 9.a3 d7 10.f3 g7 11.e3 e6 12.0-0-0 gave White an edge in 19...cxd4+ 20.b1 dxe3 21.xh5+ f8 Firman,N-Kuzubov,Y/Alushta 2002.) 9...d7 22.xd7 xf4 23.f3 The grandmaster is 10.f3 f5 11.exf6 exf6 12.a3 f5 13.c2 happy to enter a superior ending. [ 23.f3!? is the top move which maintains the b5 14.0-0-0 White has a lead in a t t a c k i n g o p t i o n s . F o r e x a m p l e : e2 development which offers him more 24.e1+- h6 25.xh6 xh6 26.c3 attacking options a6 15.he1 the big threat when the extra piece ensures victory. ] is Bg5+ e6 16.b3 c4 17.g5! e7 18.xe6 cxb3 19.d4 1-0 Salai, L-Demeter, 23...xf3 24.xf3 exf2 25.f1 h6 26.c7 e3 27.b7 b8 P/Nove Zamky 1999. ] [ 27...xc7!? 28.xc7 f7 ] 7.e6! A nice positional idea which helps to create tactics later in the game because the 28.d3 xb7 29.xe6+ f7 [ Or 29...e8 30.xe3 d7 31.xf2+- ] black king will be vulnerable. This is because the doubled e-pawns are a hindrance to Black 30.xe3 d7 31.xf2+ e8 32.c3 [ 32.c3 d6 33.c8+ d7 34.xh8 xe6 developing fxe6 8.f3 c6 9.e2 g7 35.xh7+- ] 10.h4 This is the standard way of exploiting such positions. The fianchetto on the kingside 1-0 is hardly rock solid without the defence of the f-pawn and it is up to White to try and create further havoc. [ It will all en ds in te ars af te r 10.xe6?? when de5 11.b3 xd3+ 12.e2 g4 the position is massively in Black's favour. ] 10...de5 11.e4 d6 964
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 has some chances here but Granda Zuniga quickly quashes any counterplay. ac8 19.f5 Perez Candelario,Man c6 20.f6 d8 21.f4 exf6 22.d5 Granda Zuniga,J Creative play but Black has it under control XVIII Navalmoral Open (7.2) fxg5 23.xg5 f6! 24.h6 f7 25.h3 e5 [Tom Rendle] Now Black's play gets going and W hite's 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 position quickly falls apart 26.h1 h7 [ 26...g5! was even stronger ] I'm not a big fan of f3 this early on as it just signals your intent to Black who can choose a 27.f4 a5 28.e1 b8 [ 28...f3 wins another exchange - it seems setup accordingly. likely that at least one player was very short [ 4.e3 or ] of time around here. ] [ 4.g5 are both sensible alternatives for 29.g2 It's not clear if White resigned here or players wishing to be aggressive ] 4...c6 5.e3 b5 6.d2 g7 7.g4 lost on time - either way Black is winning. I don't really think this gives White anything 0-1 after Black's reply [ 7.h4!? might give Black more problems B07 although the position is still balanced after 933 bd7 8.h3 0-0 ( or 8...c7 9.g4 b4 Petronic,Jovan 2450 10.e2 c5!? ) 9.0-0-0 b6 ] Djuric,Stefan 2520 7...h5! 8.g5 fd7 9.a4?! This seems to give Jugoslavija 1998 Black a good game [Alexander Volzhin] [ 9.f4 is a better try and can be found in the archives in Goloshchapov-Lahno. Recently White sacrifices 2 pawns and the exchange in Saptarshi, R (2389)-Peralta, F (2602) ju s t t o s e c u re a b l o c k a d e o ve r t h e d a r k Barbera del Valles 2012 the game continued s q u a r e s . A t t h e c r i t i c a l m o m e n t b o t h b4 ( 9...b6 was chosen by Lahno) 10.d1 opponents blunder but it is W hite who errs c5! 11.c3 ( 11.f3 is perhaps an last... 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 i m p r o v e m e n t a n d n o w 0-0 12.a3 a5 5.e5 e4 6.f3 d5 7.d3 c5!? with an unclear middlegame) 11...b7 [ 7...xc3 doesn't fit with Black's previous 12.d3 0-0 13.d5 bxc3 14.bxc3 a6 move: 8.d2 e6 9.e2 and so on ] 15.f3 a5 and Black was already better ] [ 7...a6 8.ge2 b4 9.0-0! ( White can't 9...b4 10.ce2 c5 11.f4?! This doesn't fit at grab t he p awn : 9.xe4 dxe4 10.xe4 all in this position in view of f5! 11.exf6 f5 and Black wins [ 11.dxc5 was best and after xc5 12.d4 material: 12.f3 xc2+ 13.f2 0-0-0 0-0 13.xg7 xg7 14.xb4 b7 15.d2 E m m s - H o d g s o n , G r e a t B r i t a i n 1 9 8 9 .) c6 Black has good compensation for a 9...xd3 10.cxd3 xc3 11.bxc3 g6 12.a4 pawn but probably no more. ] h5 13.h3 h4 14.a3 f5 15.fb1 c7 11...b7 12.g2 c6 13.h3 and now 16.a5! ( I n s t e a d o f 16.e3 [ 13.d1 may be best but where will White which was played in Motwani-Summerscale, p u t t h e K in g n o w? A f t e r 0-0 Black is Edinburgh 1999: e6 17.a5 xa3 18.xa3 comfortably better. ] and White is only slightly better.) 16...e6 13...b6 14.dxc5 xc5 15.0-0 Black is 17.c5! as was pointed out by Paul Motwani, clearly better and wins rather easily from here. se cu re d W hit e a clea r e d ge du e t o h is a5! 16.b3 White won't have enough pressure on the b-file. ] compensation for the exchange but it was still [ 7...f5? is just bad for Black due to 8.g4! better than allowing the knight into c4 xc3 9.gxf5 e4+ 10.c3 ] [ 16.c1 c4 17.a5 c7 18.d4 xd4+ 8.ge2?! 19.xd4 xe4 leaves Black a clear pawn [ According to Jovan Petronic, White should up with a good position ] have tried 8.xe4 dxe4 ( 8...cxd4?! 9.xd5 16...xa1 17.xa1 0-0 18.f2 White still dxc3 10.xc3 xc3+ 11.bxc3 e6 932
B07 2568 2641 08.12.2012
965
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.e4 ) 9.xe4 cxd4 10.xd4 f5 ( 10...c6 11.e4 b4 12.d3 e6 13.a3 ) 11.f2 c6 12.f3 b4 13.d4 xc2! 14.0-0 d3 15.d1 c4 16.e3 with the better prospects ] [ In the case of 8.dxc5 xc3 9.d2 d4 10.e2 c6 11.bxc3 dxc3 12.xc3 xc5 White is probably also slightly better. ] 8...xc3 9.xc3 e6 10.d2 [ The alternative 10.dxc5 A) 10...d4? fails to 11.b5+! e7 ( 11...d7 12.xb7+-; 11...d8 12.d3 xc5 13.e3+-; 11...d7 12.xd7+ xd7 13.xb7 c8 14.b4 d8 15.e2 c6 16.a6 xg2 17.g1 h4+ 18.d2+- ) 12.d3 d7 ( 12...dxc3?? 13.d6# ) 13.xd7 dxc3 14.b4! xb4 15.b5+- and White is winning as xc5 does not save him due to 16.a3!! xa3 17.d1 f5 18.d8+ f7 19.e8+ g8 20.xe6# checkmate; B) 10...xc5 11.d2 was worthy of consideration and it may promise a slight edge for White. ] 10...cxd4 Ambitious play. [ 10...c4!? looked quite good. After A) 11.e2? w a s b a d d u e t o c6 12.d1 ( 12.e3? a3!!-+; 12.f2? b6 ) 12...b4! 13.xb4 ( 13.c3? xd4! 14.g4 c2+ 15.f1 f8!? 16.c1 d4!-+ ) 13...xb4! 14.d2 c6+ 15.e3 xd4! 16.xd4 d2+ 17.d3 ( 17.c5 b6+ 18.c6 a6 19.c3 c8+ 20.d6 b7 21.xd2 c6# ) 17...cxd3; B) 11.d1 a4 12.c3 Black could choose between a repetition of moves by ( 12.b3? cxb3 13.cxb3 xd4 ) 12...a5 ( or 12...c6!? 13.e2 b5 with complicated play )] 11.b5 b6 12.g3! g6 The only move to prevent 13. Nd6 Bd6 14. Qg7 [ 12...a6?! was suspicious: 13.d6+ xd6 14.xg7! f8 ( 14...xe5 15.fxe5 f8 16.0-0-0 d7 17.h6+- ) 15.exd6 xb2 16.0-0 with the initiative. ] 13.0-0 a6 14.d6+ xd6 15.exd6 xd6 16.c3! [ The attempt to exploit the weaknesses of d a r k s q u a r e s b y 16.h4 0-0 17.f6
could have been parried by b6 18.f5 d7 19.e7 c5 and so on. ] 16...dxc3 [ 16...c6 17.cxd4 0-0 was also worth considering. ] 17.xc3 0-0 [ It was impossible to neutralise the Bishop by 17...d4 b e c a u s e o f 18.ad1 c6 19.e4 d7 20.xc6 xc6 21.xd4 with the initiative. ] 18.d4! The only way to keep the Bishop active. [ 18.e5 e7 19.ac1 c6 was too good for Black. ] 18...d8!? [ If 18...c6 then the Bishop would be firmly p l a c e d o n f 6 : 19.f6 with permanent mating threats. ] 19.ac1! c6 20.xc6!! Excellent! itch would have been happy: White has sacrificed 2 pawns and the exchange for a blockade! bxc6 21.h4! In spite of Black's big material advantage the position is unclear as he is forced to continue a rather unpleasant defence. e7 22.c1! d7 23.h5 [ Of course White didn't sacrifice the exchange to get it back by 23.c5? ] 23...e8 24.f5! Very energetic play! exf5 25.xf5 b4? This inaccurate move leads to the real trouble. [ 25...f6!? was critical for the assessment of White's idea. ] 26.e5 f6 27.e6+ g7 [ Of course not 27...h8?? 28.xf6+! xf6 29.xf6# ] 28.c7+ [ 28.f4? allows Black to consolidate his army: e7 29.h6+ h8 30.e1 d7 31.c7 ae8-+ ] 28...f7?? A blunder which could have led to catastrophe. [ Black's task was not so easy: 28...h6?? 29.e3+! g5 30.c5+- ] [ 28...h8?? 29.c5 xb2 30.f1 g8 31.xg8 xg8 32.e7 f7 33.xf6 c1+ 34.f1+- ] [ 28...f7 was the only defence. White could have maintained the initiative by A) 29.xf6+ led to a repetition of moves after xf6 30.xf7 d4+ ( 30...xf7 31.xc6+ g7 32.xa8 d4+ ) 31.h1 966
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 h4+ 32.g1 d4+=; B) 29.f4 e7 30.xf7 xf7 31.hxg6 hxg6 32.f1 g8 33.xf6 d7 34.g5! f8 35.f4! and Black is still suffering. ] 29.h6+?? A terrible mistake. Until this moment White had played brilliantly and could have been rewarded with the full point but now he gains nothing. [ White could have exploited the fact Black intersected the bishop rather than the rook by a retreat of the queen: 29.f4!! and now e7 i s n o d e f e n c e d u e t o ( 29...xe6 30.xf6+ xf6 31.xb4+- ) 30.xf6+! xf6 31.h6+ g8 32.xf6+- ] 29...g8 30.xf6 ae8-+ Now all Black's pieces are in play and his material advantage begins to tell. 31.h3 d2 32.xc6 e3+ 33.h1 xh6 34.f1 e6! 35.f3 xh3 36.gxh3 d2 37.f1 d3 38.g2 e2+ 39.f2 xf2+ 40.xf2 f5+ White resigned. A very interesting and exciting game. 0-1
934 Ponomariov,Ruslan Beliavsky,Alexander G ch-(team) Bled SLO (1) [Nigel Davies]
B07 2616 2618 08.11.1999
Whilst 6...c6 has been the standard choice for Black, he could have a good alternative in 6... Nc5. This was Belyavksy's outing with this defence, and he holds a draw against the brilliant Ponomariov. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 bd7 4.f4 e5 5.f3 exd4 6.xd4 c5!? [ B y n o m e a n s a s p o p u l a r a s 6...c6 , but Belyavksy's patronage is an interesting sign. ] 7.e3 [ The critical line may be 7.e5 after which e6 8.c4 dxe5 9.fxe5 d7 10.e3 was Cosma - Ianov, Bijeljina 2001 and now b6 ( in the game White had pressure after 10...c5 11.xc5 dxc5 12.d1 d7 13.b4 e7 14.xe7+ xe7 15.d5+ etc ) 11.xb6 axb6 12.d1 d7 looks OK for Black. ] 7...g6 8.e5 e6 9.a4+ d7 10.b5 g4 11.xd7+ xd7 12.xd7+ xd7 13.d2
f5! A nice blockading move after which Black has no further difficulties. [ After 13...c6 White would gain space on the kingside with 14.h3 h6 15.g4 etc. ] 14.h3 h6 15.0-0-0 c6 16.e2 f7 17.e3 c7 18.ed4 e8 19.xe6+ xe6 20.d4 g8 21.he1 dxe5 22.xe5 xe5 23.xe5 xe5 24.xe5+ c8 25.c4 c5 26.c2 d8 27.d3 ½-½
935 Ponomariov,Ruslan Felgaer,Ruben Young Masters (8) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2723 2607 10.02.2006
This is a very interesting game played between two young talents. It starts off as a Pirc Defence, but turns into a Benko-Style game where Felgaer sacrifices a pawn for play on the queenside. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.f3 F a vo u r e d b y m a n y v e r y s t r o n g p l a y e r s , amongst them Kasparov and Dreev. It is often used as a way to return to a Saemisch Variation of a King's Indian, preparing to meet g6 with c4. c5 4.d5 [ 4.c3 is also popular. c6 5.e3 e5 6.dxe5 xe5 7.f4 g6 8.b5+ d7 9.xd7+ xd7 10.g5 e7 11.e2 d5 12.xf6 xf6 13.xd5 xd5 14.exd5 d8 15.d2 xd5 16.0-0-0 g5 17.g3 xd2+ 18.xd2 xd2 19.xd2 d7 20.f4 e7 21.e3 f5+ 22.f3 e8 23.d1+ 1/2-1/2 Deviatkin - Solovjov, St Petersburg 2005 ] [ 4.dxc5 a5+ ] 4...e6 5.c4 b5!? 6.cxb5 exd5 7.exd5 e7 8.c4 bd7 9.e2 b6N A novelty, but a move which I would dub 'the most obvious in the position' As long as White cannot play a4a5 quickly Black's Knight is on the right square, pressurising d5. [ 9...e5 10.b3 a6 11.bc3 fd7 12.f4 h4+ 13.g3 f3+ 14.f2 d4 15.xd4 cxd4 16.e1+ f8 17.e4 e7 18.xd4 f5 19.b2 f6 20.xf6 xf6 21.d2 xb2 22.xb2 axb5 23.d3 b6+ 24.f1 d7 25.e7 xe7 26.xg7+ 1-0 Htun Htun Than-Moun Moun Latt/Yangon 1999 ] 967
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10.b3 fd7 11.a4 f6 12.a2 e5 13.a3 a6 14.0-0 exc4 15.bxc4 [ 15.xc4 axb5 16.xb6 xb6 ] 15...axb5 16.xb5 xc4 17.c2 e5 18.f4 [ 18.g3 0-0 19.e4 ] 18...g6= 19.g3 0-0 With a sigh of relief no doubt. Black is fine now. 20.e4 f5 21.c4 xe4 22.xe4 e8 23.c4 d7 24.h1 e7 25.e2 c8 26.xe8+ xe8 27.b3 e7?! [ 27...e2 28.g1 e7 29.xd6 d4 would keep Black his edge. ] 28.d2 b6 29.e1 d7 30.a5 c4 31.b4 xd5 32.xc4 e7 33.d4 d5 34.b5 d6 35.b4 White is starting to get an edge, xf4 36.xe7 xd4? [ he should simply play 36...xe7 37.xd5 c8= and Black is fine. ] 37.xd5 c8 38.d7 b8? [ 38...c1 is the best Black's got. 39.b4 e5 40.a6+- ] 39.h4? Ponomariov doesn't take advantage of Felgaer's mistake and gives him time to move his rook to f8 to protect against the back-rank mates. [ 39.g5! attacks Felgaer's queen and also threatens the mate and both can not be protected. e5 40.d2+- is a clear win for White. ] 39...f8 40.g3 d2 [ 40...f6 ] 41.a6 Ponomariov's a-pawn is very powerful. b4?! Not a great move but Felgaer is in trouble whatever he plays. [ 41...g6 42.a7 b4 43.f1 ] 42.a7 [ 42.e8! b6 43.a7 xa7 44.xf8+ xf8 45.xa7+- ] 42...h5 [ 42...g6 ] 43.d1 c5 44.d6?! [ 44.b8 xb8 45.axb8+ xb8 46.f5+- ] 44...a8?? [ 44...xd6! 45.xd6 b7 and there are still chances for Felgaer. ] 45.c6 [ 45.c6 d8 46.a8+- ] 1-0
936 Rausis,Igors Davies,Nigel R 5th United Insurance (5) [Nigel Davies]
B07 2525 2464 23.02.2001
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.d3 e5 4.c3 d5 5.dxe5 xe4 6.d2 [ 6.xe4 dxe4 7.a4+ d7 8.xe4 c6 9.g4 h5 10.g3 h4 11.h3 d7 12.xd7+ xd7 gives Black more than enough for his pawn. ] 6...c5 7.b1 [ Rausis intended this as an improvement on his game against Khalifman from Eupen 1994. After 7.c2 c6 8.gf3 g4 9.0-0 e7 10.e1 d4 11.h3 h5 12.e4 d3 his bishop on c2 was 'en prise', the same line with the bishop on b1 would clearly favour White. ] 7...c6 8.gf3 g4 9.0-0 d7 10.e1 0-0-0!? With the bishop on b1 I felt justified in castling queenside, though this is not a plan for the faint of heart. [ Black has safer alternatives in 10...e7 and ] [ 10...d8 ] 11.b4 d4! The point. 12.cxd4 [ During the post mortem an assortment of ex-Soviets claimed that 12.b2 would be good for White. The following day Rausis came back to say that he wasn't so sure. Black would reply with d3 13.xd3 dxc3 14.xc3 xd3 15.e3 but then d5 looks reasonable. ] 12...e6 13.a4 xb4 14.e4 xf3 15.gxf3 [ The line 15.xf3!? xe1 16.e3!? is a lot of fun until Black finds c3 17.b1 xd4 18.xd4 exd4 etc. ] 15...f4 16.b3 d5 [ I was also tempted by 16...g5 but then 17.xc6 h3 18.xf4 gxf4 19.xb7+ b8 20.h1 xe1 21.b5 just happens to cover the threat of mate on f1. Back to the drawing board. ] 17.d2 [ After the game Rausis preferred 17.c5 but then Black has at least xc5 18.dxc5 c3 with light squares and an open d-file. ] 17...xd2 18.xd2 f5 19.exf6 gxf6 20.h1 968
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f5 21.d3 b6 22.a3 b8 With my opponent in desperate time-trouble I was trying to be ultra-sensible and make him think. I didn't want to allow forcing sequences which would buy him valuable clock time. 23.b3 d5 24.e3 hg8 25.c5 xc5 26.dxc5 f4 27.xh7 The final mistake. [ 27.e4 xd3 28.cxb6 axb6 29.xf4 e5 is good for Black but White could certainly play on. ] 27...fxe3 28.xg8 e2 0-1
937 Roberson,P Laznicka,V 4NCL 2013-14 (9.132) [Neil McDonald]
B07 2374 2686 03.05.2014
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 bd7 [ Black often plays the move order 3...e5 to avoid White's next move, so it is clearly a critical test of his set up. ] 4.f4 e5 5.f3 exd4 6.xd4 c6 7.d2 There are various other moves here for White w h i c h a r e a n a l y s e d i n t h e a r c h i v e s . d5 If Black plays slowly the threat of e4-e5 hangs over his head. Therefore he offers a pawn to activate his bishop on c5. [ In Neiksans-Vachier Lagrave in the archives Gawain Jones mentions 7...b6 as being a solid response, but he thinks that W hite might have something to build on in the endgame that is likely to arise after 8.0-0-0 etc. Very slight inferiority with few winning chances isn't a problem for some players, but here Laznicka is playing to win. ] 8.0-0-0 [ The immediate capture on d5 should lead to t h e s a m e p o sit io n in t h e ga m e a f t e r 8.exd5 c5 9.d3 0-0 10.0-0-0 ] 8...c5 9.d3 0-0 10.exd5 c7!? An interesting idea. Black plans to regain the pawn with Rd8 and Nb6, unless White plays d5xc6, when after b7xc6 the black pieces will have a lot of open lines. The white queen is awkwardly placed on d3, shutting in the bishop on f1 and a target of attack by Rd8 or, in some cases with Ba6, after say a7-a5. In fact s h e d o e s n ' t s e e m t o h a ve a t o t a lly s a f e
square anywhere on the board! Her other pieces are boxing her in, and she's too near the front line for comfort. There are also ideas of a Ng4 and Nf2 fork. After Black has ca p t u re d 1 0 . e xd 5 , I 'm le f t wit h a s im ila r feeling about the pawn on f4 as in the King's Gambit Falkbeer Variation: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3. exd5 e4- why on Earth is the white pawn on f4? In contrast, after the alternative line with 7. Be3 and 8.e5 the pawn on f4 is strategically justified. [ I n s t e a d a f t e r 10...cxd5 11.xd5 Black is struggling to show any compensation for the pawn. ] 11.g3 [ A t r i c k y a l t e r n a t i v e i s 11.g5!? Instead Black looks worse after A) 11...d6 attacking f4 and clearing the wa y f o r Nc5 . 12.e3 ( Black has typical compensation for the pawn after due to his activity after 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.f3 b8 ) 12...xf4 13.d6 xe3+ 14.xe3 a5 15.c4 b6 16.xf7+ xf7 17.xf7 xf7 18.he1 d7 19.g3 e8 20.xe8 xe8 21.e1 g8 Black has survived the first wave of White's attack and seems OK here. If 22.e7?! f5 is a dead end for White.; B) 11...d8 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.c4 ] 11...d8 12.g2 b6 13.he1 f8 An ambitious move. As we shall see Black intends to bring his rook via d5 into an attack on the white king and so wants his bishop out of the way. Solid play looks more or less equal for example [ 13...bxd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.e2 e6 16.e5 dd8 17.b1 ] 14.e3 bxd5 15.xd5 xd5 16.d4 f5 17.c4 b5 18.e5?! [ You would have to be a cool customer as W hite to play the variation 18.xf6 c5 19.e2 xc2+ ( Good for White is 19...gxf6 20.d4 ) 20.xc2 xc2 21.e5 a5 22.xc2 xa2 23.c3 though it looks at least OK for him. ] 18...a5 19.d4? [ It's too late f or 19.xf6 as Black has a winning attack after c5 20.e2 ( Or 20.b3 xc2 ) 20...xa2 21.d4 a1+ 22.d2 xb2 etc. ] [ It was best for White to bail out with 19.c3 969
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c5 20.xa5 xc4 21.d4 with equal chances. ] 19...b4 20.c3 g4 21.d3 [ Or 21.xf6 xa2 ( Also good for Black is t h e s i m p l e 21...gxf6 when both a2 and d1 a r e h a n g i n g .) 22.d3 ( White gets obliterated after 22.e5 xd1 23.xd1 xb2! 24.xb2 a3; while also insufficient is 22.xg7 c4 ) 22...gxf6 and Black has a huge attack. ] 21...xa2 22.h3 d7 [ B l a c k m i s s e d t h e n i c e m o v e 22...b6! when there is no good answer to 23...Bb4 next move. For example 23.hxg4 b4 24.b3 a1# ] 23.b3 d5? [ Instead 23...f5 keeps up Black's strong attack. ] 24.xd5 cxd5 25.xd5 e6 26.a5 a4 27.xa4? This game shows that if there are any complications you should never give up hope, no matter how bad the position and strong the opponent. [ White could have saved himself with the resource 27.xg7! xa5 ( Black finds he is t h e o n e b e i n g m a t e d a f t e r 27...xg7 28.g5! ) 28.xf8 xf8 29.xa5 xb3 30.g5+ h8 31.f6+ g8 with perpetual check. ] 27...xa4 28.e2 c8 The game is over as if the white queen moves to safety then b3 drops. 29.c7 d7 30.f5 xb3 0-1
12.f4 d7 13.a4 a6 14.d4 xd4 15.xd4 c6 16.a5 d7 17.xg7 xg7 18.d4+ g8 19.f2 b6 20.axb6 xb6 21.xb6 xb6 22.b3 c8 and Black's chances were better in Djurhuus-Volzhin, Bergen 2000. ] 7...c5 8.h3 [ White has also tried 8.d5 which leads to a Benoni-like position, but here it doesn't look good for White as his Knight is misplaced on e2. White's main plan is to break through in the centre of the board by playing e4-e5 and the Knight is much better placed on f3 for this purpose. Just one example: e8 9.a4 a6 10.e3 b8 11.d2 e5 12.b3 b5 13.ae1 d7 14.axb5 axb5 15.h1 b4 16.d1 g4 17.f4 e5 18.dxe6 fxe6 19.f3 e5 20.h6 b5 21.xg7 xg7 22.e3 c6 23.f2 a8 24.c4 bxc3 25.xc3 a6 26.f4 b4 27.d1 d3 28.f1 xf1 29.fxf1 a6 intending Qa8 and I definitely prefer Black here, Timoshenko-Minasjan, USSR 1991. ] 8...b8! Black should postpone the pawn exchange and play ...Rb8 and ...b6 first. Only then will Black take on d4 and complete his development by playing Bc8-b7. [ 8...cxd4 9.xd4 is much weaker as normal development of Black's Queenside is difficult now: c5 ( or 9...a6 10.e1 b6 11.a4 e5 12.de2 e6 13.b3 c7 14.e3 ac8 15.d2 fd8 16.a5 bd7 17.ec1 b8 18.d5 xd5 19.exd5 e8 20.g4 c7 21.a4 c5 22.c4 e7 23.b4 cd7 24.xc8 xc8 25.c4 e4 26.c5! 938 B07 wit h a h uge ed ge in Do rf ma n -Ap ic ella , Cann es 1 989 .) 10.e1 a6 11.a4 e5 Rodriguez Talavera,Juan Carlos 2425 12.b3 xb3 13.cxb3 e6 14.e3 d7 Gulko,Boris F 2615 15.h2 ad8 16.e2 e8 17.d5 f5 San Roque 1996 18.g5 f6 19.c1 f7 20.xf6 xf6 [Alexander Volzhin] 21.c7 d7 22.exf5 gxf5 23.xf6+ xf6 24.xd7 xd7 25.d2 and Black was in After considering the lines where Black plays trouble in Khenkin-Timman, Tilburg 1994. ] King's Indian type moves such as e5, we can conclude that W hite has a small but steady 9.a4 [ 9.dxc5 xc5 10.e3 b6 is fine for Black. advantage there. In my opinion the line we The game Luecke-Khalif man, Germany consider here is much more promising for 1998 continued: 11.g4 b7 12.g3 fd7 Black. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 13.d2 e5 14.b3 c8 15.b5 a6 4.ge2 f6 5.g3 0-0 6.g2 bd7 7.0-0 16.d4 c6 17.c3 c7 18.h6 xh6 [ 7.h3 c5 8.e3 cxd4 9.xd4 e5!? 19.xh6 e5 20.de2 e6 21.fd1 b5 10.0-0 c6 11.e3 This position may and Black got the upper hand. ] occur in the Sicilian Dragon as well. b8 970
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9...a6 So which move (9...a6 or 9...b6) to prefer is entirely up to you - both are perfectly playable. [ 9...b6!? is a good alternative to the text: 10.g5 a6 11.d2 e8 12.fe1 cxd4 13.xd4 b7 14.d5 e6 15.xf6+ xf6 with very pleasant play for Black. The game Aseev-Khalifman, Vilnius 1997 continued: 16.a3 d7 17.h6 h8 18.b4 e5 19.b3 a5 20.c4 xe4! 21.xe4 d5 22.xd5 xd5 23.h2 bc8 24.e2 g7 25.xg7 xg7 Black dominates the centre of the board while White's pieces occupy miserable positions. 26.aa1 b4 27.c3 d3 28.ed1 cd8 29.c1 e4 30.e3 f5 31.d2 e5 32.xd8 xd8 33.b3 f3+ 34.g2 d3 and White resigned. ] 10.dxc5 [ 10.a5!? is worthy of consideration. ] 10...xc5 11.e3 b6 12.g4 More or less forced if White wants to avoid playing the ugly f3. [ 12.d4 b7 13.f3 allows e5! 14.b3 xb3 15.cxb3 d5 with advantage to Black. ] 12...b7 13.g3 c8 14.d2?! This passive move allows Black to seize the initiative. [ 14.g5 should be preferred: fd7 15.f4 b5 16.axb5 axb5 17.d4 with very complicated play. ] 14...b5! 15.axb5 axb5 16.h6 [ Now 16.g5?! doesn't work: b4 17.gxf6 bxc3 and Black is better ] [ and 16.xb5 cxe4 is also good for Black. ] 16...xh6 17.xh6 b4 18.d5 xd5 19.exd5 b3! 20.c3 [ 20.cxb3 xb3 is also bad for White as his b2-pawn is very weak. ] 20...a8 21.xa8 xa8 22.g5?! After White cuts off his Queen Black wins easily, as the tactics don't work for White. e8! As we'll see later it's important to protect the g7-square. 23.f4 a2 24.f5 xb2 25.f6 [ 25.fxg6 hxg6 26.h5 xc3 is hopeless for White ] 25...xc3! Now the game is over. 26.h2 [ 26.fxe7 e3+ winning ] 26...exf6 27.h5 [ 27.gxf6 xf6 winning ]
27...e5+ 28.h1 fxg5! threats, so he resigned. 0-1
939 Romero,A Insua Mellado,Jose Luis (open) Alicante (Spain) (5) [Nigel Davies]
White has no
B07
1997
This time round Black temporarily keeps his options open by castling short. 1.e4 d6 2.c3 f6 3.f4 g6 4.f3 g7 5.c4 0-0 6.b3 [ This time 6.0-0 is bad because of xe4 7.xf7+ ( White has to play 7.xe4 d5 8.d3 dxe4 9.xe4 ) 7...xf7 8.xe4 xf4 etc. ] 6...c6 [ 6...c6 7.d4 d5?! 8.e5 e8 9.0-0 g4 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 f5? 12.xd5! was winning for White in Kosten - Schlosser, European Team Ch., Haifa 1989 ] [ 6...c5 would transpose into a Sicilian Defence. ] 7.d3 g4 8.e3 d7 9.d2 xf3 10.gxf3 d4 11.0-0-0 xb3+ 12.cxb3 Breaking t he rules by capturing away from the centre. But this way makes it more difficult for Black to ob t a in co u nt e rp la y o n t h e qu e e ns id e . e6 13.h4 Sounding the charge. f5 14.h5 e8 15.e2 f8 16.hxg6 hxg6 17.d4 xd4 [ Avoiding the exchange of dark-square b i s h o p s w i t h 17...e5 is strongly met by 18.c3 intending 19.exf5. But now Black's king becomes that little bit weaker. ] 18.xd4 f6 19.e2 a5 20.b1 a4 21.b4 a3 22.b3 e7 23.d4 g7 24.c3 b6 25.d5 e5 26.fxe5 xe5 [ 26...dxe5 looks slightly more tenacious. Black probably overlooked the following sequence. ] 27.f4 f6 28.e5 dxe5 29.d6 c6 [ Or 29...xd6 30.g2 etc. ] 30.b5 c5 31.d5+ 1-0
971
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B07 38.hh2 xa5 39.hb2 a6 40.a1 xa2 41.xa2 c6 42.h6 f8 43.c1 e7 Romero Holmes,Alfonso 44.a3 xa3 45.xa3 a8 46.f3 xa3 Wortel,Marten 7th Sonnevanck (5) 05.12.1998 47.xa3 b7 48.d6 e8 49.d8 c7 50.a8 b6 51.h4 With the remarkable [Nigel Davies] threat to sac on g6. It isn't easy for Black to As 5...Nxe4 fails to equalise, Black has tried deal with this. c7 52.xg6 hxg6 53.h7 quieter moves. Here we see the stock in trade g7 54.xe8 xh7 55.xe6 b7 56.h4 Pirc move 5...c6. 1.e4 d6 2.c3 g6 3.f4 b2 57.f7+ h8 58.f8+ h7 59.h6+ g8 60.xg6+ h8 61.h6+ g8 62.h5 g7 4.f3 f6 5.c4 c6 6.b3 [ After 6.0-0 d5 , White would not be able to a2 63.g6+ h8 64.e8+ g7 65.e7+ g8 66.g6 maintain his duo of pawns on e4 and f4. ] 6...a6 And now Black sets about eliminating 1-0 the bishop. [ He has also played 6...0-0 7.d4 a6 B07 ( 7...a5 8.a4 b6 9.e5 e8 10.0-0 c7 941 11.exd6 exd6 12.h1 g4 13.h3 xf3 Rusev,Krasimir 2479 14.xf3 d5 15.f5 gave White a strong Paunovic,Dragan 2535 initiative in Romero - Todorcevic, Leon IV Festival Figueira da Foz POR (5) 01.11.07 1991 ) 8.0-0 c5 9.e5 g4 10.h3 cxd4 [John Watson] 11.xd4 h6 12.f2 c5 13.e3 e6 14.g4 h8 15.ad1 b6 16.d5 a6 This game features an important ending that 17.fe1 c8 18.h4 looked very is White's main (only?) way of sidestepping dangerous for Black in Surtees - Kosten, the newly-popula r Philid or Def en ce if h e British Ch., Plymouth 1989, but Black went enters into the Pirc Defence (with 3 Nc3). So on t o win b y virt u e o f b e in g a st ro n ge r far Black is doing fine: this month's batch player. ] finished 4 points to 2 for him, with a 200-point [ W i t h t h e b i s h o p o n b 3 a l r e a d y , 6...d5 performance rating edge for Black! Still, the no longer causes the breakup of White's e4/ f o l l o wi n g h i g h - l e ve l g a m e wa s n o t v e r y f4 pawn duo. On the other hand it does bring convincing, and I think Black overextended a b o u t a r e a s o n a b l e G u r g e n i d z e t y p e with ...a6/...b5. 1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 e5 po s it io n, t h e ga m e De ge n h a rd t - S e u l, 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.xd8+ xd8 6.c4 Dortmund 1992 being OK for Black after Usually played White has also waited before 7.e5 g8 8.d4 h5 9.e3 h6 10.0-0 committing, as in: g4 11.d2 d7 12.e1 e6 13.d3 f5 [ 6.g5 e6 7.0-0-0+ bd7 8.f4 exf4 etc. ] 9.f3 c8 10.xf4 c6 with a comfortable 7.d4 c7 8.0-0 0-0 9.a4 b6 10.e1 d5 game, Gara-Srebrnic, Crete 2007. ] 11.e5 fe8 12.e3 White has a nice space 6...e8 There are two options here, one of advantage and it's difficult for Black to get which is fairly new: counterplay. Of course it isn't easy to break [ 6...e6 7.xe6 fxe6 has held up well in a do wn B la c k ' s d e f e n ce s a n d a p ro lo n ge d couple of recent games. ] manoeuvring game ensues. f5 13.e2 a6 [ 6...b4!? (to get the king to e7 quickly an 14.c3 e6 15.h3 e7 16.c2 c5 17.d2 interesting idea, although it probably doesn't xe2 18.xe2 c4 19.g4 h6 20.g2 f7 fully equalise) 7.f3 ( 7.f3!? xe4 8.xe5 21.g5 g7 22.h4 d7 23.h5 f7 24.h2 f8 is unclear; 7.d2!? ) 7...e7 8.ge2 c6 h8 25.f2 a6 26.ah1 ec7 27.g3 9.a3 d6 10.e3 b5 11.b3 e6 ag8 28.d1 e8 29.b3 With Black's 12.xe6 xe6 13.c1!? ( 13.0-0-0 ) pieces huddled on the kingside, White opens 13...bd7 14.d3 b6 15.b3 fd7 up a second front. b5 30.axb5 xb5 31.b4 16.e2 a5 17.a4 b4 18.b1 c5 19.d2?! b8 32.c1 c6 33.a2 a8 34.h4 a5 ( 19.c4 bxc3 20.xc3 c4 ) 19...c4 20.xc4 35.a4 b6 36.xc6 xc6 37.bxa5 b5 ( 20.bxc4 hc8 21.b2 ) 20...xc4 940
972
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 21.bxc4 hc8 22.b2 c5 23.hd1 b6 24.xc5 xc5 25.d3 xc4 26.xc4 xc4 Rendle, T -N Berry, Birmingham ENG 2007. Black is clearly better. ] 7.f3 a6!? [ I like 7...c6 , when Black stands solidly and covers key squares. ...a6/.. .b5 comes back to ha unt h im . 8.e3 b5 9.b3 bd7 and ...Bc5 or ...Nc5 follows. ] 8.e3 d6 9.ge2 bd7 10.c1 Good, but this idea takes time. Perhaps even better is [ 10.0-0-0 , for example, b5 11.b3 b7 12.g3 g6 13.b1 c5 14.h6! ] 10...b5 11.e2 b7 [ 11...c5 12.xc5 xc5 13.b4! e6 14.d3 d7 15.a4 d4!? , but White stands better. ] [ 11...c6 ] 12.a3 e7?! [ 12...c5 ] 13.b3 ac8 [ 13...c5 14.a5 ] [ 13...hb8 14.0-0 e8 15.a4! ] 14.a4! Now White has the advantage. Black has no plan. c6 15.0-0 hd8 16.b1 [ 16.fd1 ] 16...c7!? [ 16...e8 ] 17.c4 bxc4 18.xc4 a8 [ 18...b6 19.xb6 xb6 20.e2 still leaves Black with positional problems. ] 19.a5 db8 20.c3 c8 21.a4 e8 22.a3 d6 23.e2 b5 24.a2 c3!? 25.bxc3 [ 25.xc3 xb3 26.c4 b4 27.b3 with a clear advantage. ] 25...xb3 and the game was soon drawn. ½-½
e5, 8...Ng4 and 9...Qf6. Very neat equalisation. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 An unusual line which has its points. [ A n i n t e r e s t i n g e x a m p l e o f 4.e3 wa s t h e ga m e S ve sh n ikov - B e lia vs k y, Slovenian Team Ch 2001. Black played the approved c6 and there followed 5.h3 bd7 ( 5...g7 6.f3 0-0 would lead to normal lines which are thought to be OK for Black) 6.f4 a5 7.d3 c5 8.ge2 c4 (this eliminates the e4 pawn, but W hite is left with a huge lead in development) 9.xc4 xe4 10.0-0 df6 11.b5+ d7 12.xd7+ xd7 13.xe4 xe4 14.d3 f5 15.c4 g7 16.fc1 hc8 17.c3 xc3 18.xc3 d5 19.c5 with White standing better due to his queenside pawn majority ] 4...g7 5.d2 a6!? I also like this kind of treatment. Black wants to expand on the queenside with ...b7-b5 but leaves open the a8-h1 diagonal. 5... c6 would block it. White's next move is very aggressive, but Chernin tames it with his excellent 7th. 6.h6 xh6 7.xh6 e5! 8.0-0-0 g4! 9.g7 f6 Exch anging que ens to produce a n e qua l endgame. 10.xf6 xf6 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.h3 e6 13.f3 bd7 14.g5 e7 15.e2 ad8 16.hf1 h6 17.xe6 fxe6 18.d3 c5 19.g3 g5 20.b4 cd7 21.h4 dg8 22.h1 h7 23.hxg5 hxg5 24.xh7+ xh7 25.h3 hf6 26.d2 b5 27.f3 a5 28.a3 d8 29.e1 g8 30.d1 ½-½
942
I never quite figured out why the following system isn't tried more often by White. Here's an old game, but one which has relevance even today. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e2 g7 5.g4 After 5 g4 I always remember Donner losing to the Chinaman and Seirawan getting Black revenge against K o v a c e v i c . 0-0 Castling into it in a big way. Only very brave players should consider 5.. . 0-0, which plays right into White's hands. The
Salmensuu,Olli Chernin,Alexander European Club Cup, Crete (2) [Nigel Davies]
B07
24.09.2001
If you want to play the Pirc, find every one of Alexander Chernin's games with this defence and play through the lot. In this encounter he effectively defuses White's early Bh6 with 7...
943 Seirawan,Yasser Ganz,J Zuerich sim Zürich [Andrew Martin]
B07 2595 1988
973
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 plan of attack is crystal-clear: g4-g5 and then h4-h5 . W e pic k up play in one of Yasse r Seirawan's simultaneous games from the late 1980's. Interestingly, he's now on the other side of the board! [ Clearly there are better and more flexible moves for Black. To delay castling for as long as possible would be my considered advice: 5...a6 6.g5 d7 7.h4 c5! 8.d5 c4 9.h5 ( 9.xc4 c7 ) 9...ac5 10.h6 xc3+ 11.bxc3 f6 12.d4 a5 13.d2 0-0 14.f4 b5 15.f3 c7 16.0-0 e5! with the initiative in Katalymov-Tseitlin Daugavpils 1978 ] [ 5...c6 6.d5 b4 7.a3 a6 8.e3 0-0 9.h4 c5 10.xc5 dxc5 11.g5 e8 12.f4 d6 13.f3 f6 14.d2 b5 15.h2 1/2-1/2 Hjertenes, O-Mortensen, E/Haifa 1976/ ] [ 5...h6 6.e3 c6 7.h3 a5 8.d2 b5 9.e5 dxe5 10.dxe5 b4 11.exf6 bxc3 12.fxg7 cxd2+ 13.xd2 e5 14.c3 xc3+ 15.bxc3 g8 16.f3 xg7 17.e2 e5 18.0-0-0 e6 19.he1 e7= Zapolskis, A-Fridman, D/Liepaya 2004 A ga m e wh ic h t a k e s t h e i d e a o f d e la ye d castling to its logical conclusion. ] [ 5...fd7 6.e3 e5 This way looks a bit rigid. 7.d5 b6 8.d2 h6 9.0-0-0 a5 10.h4 a6 11.b1 xe2 12.gxe2 a6 13.h5 g5 14.g3 Charpentier, W-Georghiou, A/ Dubai 1986 ] 6.g5 [ As an alternative you may like to consider 6.h4!? White figures he can do without g5. c5 7.d5 e6 8.h5 exd5 9.hxg6 hxg6 ( 9...fxg6 10.g5! e8 11.xd5 e6 12.c4 d7 13.g4! looks terrific for White. ) 10.g5 a5 ( 10...dxe4! 11.xe4 a5+ 12.d2 b6 is a much better way f o r B l a c k .) 11.f1 e8 12.xf6 xf6 13.xd5 g7 14.d3 e6 15.f4 c6 16.c3 e7 17.xe7+ xe7 18.f5 gxf5 19.gxf5 c8 20.g3 f8 21.f4 e5 22.f6 e8 23.h8+ d7 24.fxe7+The right result in the right manner, but when all said and done I prefer the straightforward 6 g5. ] 6...fd7 7.h4 e8 8.h5 f8 Black often musters his pieces in this manner to guard against an early h4-h5 attack by White. The
minor pieces cover all the squares. However, the Bishop and Knight are tied to exclusively defensive duties and it is hard to view the Black position as anything other than passive. In the manner of a very strong player, Seirawan patiently builds the pressure. 9.e3 c6 10.d2 b5 11.a4! Forcing Black to clarify the pawn structure. b4 12.d1 a5 13.f4! The second wave of attack. e6? Absurdly passive. [ If Black is to make a fight of it he must try 13...e5 b u t e v e n t h e n 14.f2! retains White's advantage. ] 14.f2 f5 [ 14...bd7 15.0-0-0 a6 16.xa6 xa6 17.f3 b3 18.c4 leaves White with a massive sp ace a dvant age. Attem pts t o disrupt the position are easily rebuffed: b6 19.d3 xa4 20.c5 a8 21.xb3+- ] 15.gxf6 xf6 16.f3 a7 17.g4 e7 18.hxg6 hxg6 [ If 18...xg6 19.g5! f8 20.e5! gives a massive attack. ] 19.h6+ xh6 20.xh6 g7 21.h2 h7 22.0-0-0 d7 23.d5 c5 24.dxe6+- b6 25.xd6 xa4 26.e5 b7 27.c4 b6 28.d8 xd8 29.xd8+ f8 30.e7+ e6 31.xf8+ My simple conclusion is that 5... 0-0 is a mistake and gives W hite an automatic attacking position . In the evasive, elastic m a n n e r o f t h e P ir c, B l a ck m u st k e e p a l l options open for as long as possible. 1-0
944 Shabala,S Shtanko,D ch-Poltava Lubny UKR (1) [Gawain Jones]
B07 2346 2358 19.02.2011
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 bd7 4.f4 e5 5.dxe5!? This is a new move for the site. On the surface it doesn't look too challenging but I was impressed how quickly White created a ve ry d a n gero u s in it ia t ive . S pa ssk y o n c e played this way and so it should be respected. [ In January I investigated 5.f3 in Neiksans, A (2503)-Vachier Lagrave, M (2703) Warsaw 2010. ] 5...dxe5 6.fxe5 974
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.xd6!; 11...e8 12.d4 d7 13.hf1; [ 6.f3 doesn't make so much sense and 11...h6 however is fine for Black and a the following miniature is rather painful for sample line could run 12.xf6 gxf6 13.d4 the W hite side. c5!? ( 6...d6 is safer c5 14.hf1 g8 15.g3 h3 16.xf6 when Black has no problems.) 7.xe5 e7 17.f2 g5+ 18.b1 e3 19.f6 ( 7.fxe5 g4 8.g5 is necessary with a g5= ) 12.gxf3 h5 13.xd6!? complex game.) 7...e7! 8.d5? xd5 An interesting try but the computer frowns 9.xd5 c6 10.d3 xe5 11.fxe5 xe5 upon it. ( 13.c4 f6 14.e3 h3 12.d2 g4 13.c3 f4 0-1 El Haskouri, is, however, completely f ine f or Black.) A-Bissieres, M (2341) Marrakesh 2010. ] 13...xd6 14.d1+ e5?! ( 14...c7 6...xe5 7.xd8+ xd8 8.g5 was safer when 15.e7 b6 16.c4 f6 [ 8.f4 isn't at all challenging. d6 9.0-0-0 seems better for Black.) 15.e7 ( 15.d5!? e7 10.g3 Relange, E (2445)-Chomet, P is very interesting) 15...g5 ( 15...e8 ( 2 3 5 5 ) C h a m b e r y 1 9 9 4 w h e n eg4! 16.d6+ f6 17.f4 g6 18.e5+ xe5 favours Black. ] 19.fxe5+ e7 would again see Black [ 8.f3 is also logical and could actually surviving into a pleasant endgame.) 16.xg5 transpose af te r d6 ( Instead 8...fd7 g8 17.d8 g7? And this is the decisive 9.f4 d6 10.g3 c6 11.0-0-0 c7 mistake ( 17...h3 was necessary to defend 12.d4 f8 13.c4! f6 14.e6+ b6 the f1 square.) 18.f4+! xf4 19.f1+ 15.e2 g6 16.f2+ a5 17.a3 c5 18.b4+ and Black resigned in Spassky, B (2551)1-0 Ivanovic-Krecak, Z Yugoslavia 1967 E l i e t , N ( 2 4 0 1 ) F r a n c e 2 0 0 2 a s e5 again sh owed the dan gers Bla ck m igh t 20.c7+ e6 21.c4+ d7 22.xf7+ face. ) 9.g5 c6 ] e8 23.d6 wins back the invested 8...c6 The most logical reply, giving the king a material with interest. ] square to run to on c7 and controlling the d5 11...b4?! This move is the start of Black's square. [ 8...e7 9.d1+ d7 10.f3 fg4 problems. He had a couple of reasonable 11.xe7+ xe7 12.d5+ d8 13.h3 alternatives. [ 11...d7 was the choice of the high rated xf3+ 14.gxf3 e5 15.f2 c6 16.e3 French GM. 12.f5 xf5 13.exf5 eg4 e7 17.f4 g6 18.g3 was a little better 14.c4 h6 for W hite as his knight and e4 and f4 A) 15.xf6 gxf6 ( 15...xf6 is no longer pawns control a lot of squares while so good as White can snaffle the pawn. Black's knight was misplaced. Miljanic, B 16.xf7 ) 16.d4 with a drawish (2340)-Acimovic, S (2370) Belgrade 1988. ] endgame. ( 16.xf7!? f2 17.xd6 9.f3 xd6 18.e1 h7 19.e6+ d7 [ Again 9.0-0-0+ is likely to transpose c7 must be a little better for Black. ); 10.f3 fd7 ( Again 10...d6 B) 15.xd6!? would transpose to the game.) 11.e2 b4 B1) 15...xd6 16.f4+ c5 12.f4 f6 13.hf1 e8 14.g4 xc3 ( 16...e7?! 17.e1+ f8 18.d6+ 15.bxc3 h6 16.h4 e7 17.g5 hxg5 g8 19.e7 gives White a strong 18.hxg5 c5 19.gxf6 gxf6 20.xe5 fxe5 initiative.) 17.xf7 and White's bishops 21.g5 d7 22.f6 xe4 23.xe5+ b6 dominate.; 24.f4 xd1+ 25.xd1 1-0 Duran Vallverde, B2) 15...hxg5! 16.d2 e5 17.b3 J (2084)-Guevara Pijoan, J (2020) ICCF ae8 18.e2 fd7 19.he1 f6 20.h3 email 2008 saw Black fail to ever develop c5 21.e4 xe4 22.xe4 his queenside pieces and he paid the price. ] when Black had a good knight vs bishop 9...d6 10.0-0-0 c7 11.d4 scenario but couldn't manage the full [ 11.e2 was Spassky's choice and he won point. Sedina, E (2394)-Bauer, C surprisingly quickly: xf3 Not really what (2630) Switzerland 2006. ] Black wants to play but White's last actually [ 11...a6 is similar, I'm not sure who the h a d a h i d d e n t h r e a t . ( 11...e6? addition of ...a6 favours, it probably doesn't is good strategically but fails tactically to 975
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 make so much difference to the position. 12.f5 xf5 13.exf5 was already agreed drawn in Quillan, G (2325)-Shaw, J (2310) Isle of Man 1994. One game continued eg4 14.xf6?! I don't like this as White's only trump was the bishop pair. ( 14.c4 makes more sense with a roughly level position. ) 14...gxf6!? ( There was nothing wrong with the normal 14...xf6 ) 15.e4 f4+ 16.b1 e5 17.d3 e3 18.d2 h5 19.e1 g4 20.h3 h6 21.f1 and Black's odd last few moves had allowed White comfortable equality but nothing more. Boguszlavszkij, J (2279)-Csiszar, C (2390) Balatonlelle 2004. ] 12.f4! Suddenly this pin is awkward to deal with fd7? And surprisingly this is a losing mistake. [ 12...d6? of course also loses to 13.db5+ ] [ Therefore 12...e8 was forced but White still has an edge after 13.f3 d6 14.xd6! xd6 15.xe5 xe5 16.c4 g4 17.xf7 e7 18.xe5 xe5 19.b3 although Black has a good bind for the pawn and thus good drawing chances. ] 13.db5+! b6 [ 13...cxb5 14.d5+ wins back the piece with a fantastic position. ] [ 13...d8 14.xe5 cxb5 15.xg7 also picks up a couple of pawns. ] 14.e3+ c5 [ Perhaps 14...a5 should have been tried but the king looks like it's walking to its own execution and indeed 15.a3! xc3 16.b4+ xb4 17.axb4+ xb4 18.b2! is forced m a t e , e . g . b6 19.c3+ a5 20.a1+ a4+ 21.xa4+ xa4 22.e2 when there's no defence to Ra1 mate. ] 15.a4+ a5 16.xc5 cxb5 Black must have been feeling stunned at this point. White traded queens at the earliest opportunity but by move 16 his position is already resignable. 17.b3+ [ 17.xd7! is also very strong as xd7 ( 17...xd7 18.f4 picks up a piece while) 18.d3 sets up a mating net Black cannot escape from. ] 17...a6 18.a4 [ 18.d5 b6 19.xb5+ b7 20.hd1 also wins material. ]
18...b6 19.xb5+ b7 20.a5 c7 21.f4 f6 22.d5 White has a pawn plus and a strong initiative while Black has f ailed to develop most of his army. e8 23.hd1 e7 24.d4 b7 This loses but it was difficult to find anything playable. 25.xd7+! xd7 26.xe5+ fxe5 27.e6+ A one sided encounter. 5. dxe5 should not be a theoretical test of Black's opening but he must be aware of W hite's various ideas or else might go down very quickly. This is certainly an option I would consider in rapid forms of chess as Black is set with practical problems right from the start although, if he plays accurately, he has absolutely nothing to fear. 1-0
945 Short,Nigel D Campora,Daniel Hugo FIDE World Ch (1.2) [Nigel Davies]
B07
28.11.2001
Nigel Short has shown an increasing preference to play sensible non-theory. Here he comes up with an unusual but interesting second move, exploiting the fact that 1...d6 means that a later ...d6-d5 will lose a tempo. 2.Bc4 would not be good against the French! 1.e4 d6 2.c4 f6 [ In Porper - Eberlein, Badenweiler 1990 Black played 2...e6 but found himself with a cramped position after 3.e2 c6 4.c3 f6 5.b3 e7 6.f3 0-0 7.0-0 e5 (transposing into a kind of Italian game but with an extra move for White) 8.h3 d7 9.d4 f6 10.e3 e7 11.bd2 e8 12.d5 cb8 13.a4 f8 14.b4 etc. ] 3.c3 [ Short is aiming for a fairly blunt and aggressive set-up. In Balinas - Gligoric, Manila 1975 White adopted a much quieter set-up with 3.d3 keeping open the option of a later c2-c3. The game continued e6 4.b3 c5 5.c3 c6 6.f3 e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.e1 b6 9.bd2 b7 10.f1 e8 11.g3 b5 12.c2 c8 13.h3 c7 14.d2 e5 with a complex struggle ahead. ] 3...c6 [ 3...g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 c6 976
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 7.e3 e5 8.fxe5 g4 9.g5 e7 10.d5 unattended so Black immediately attacks it. 1-0, Shchennikov A. - Bespalov K.(2133), 6.e5 g4!? The sharpest continuation. Tula 1998 Ch Russia ] [ 6...d7 is a good alternative to the text. 4.b3 e5 5.f4 g4 6.f3 exf4 Entering a A) 7.xf7+?! xf7 8.e6+ e8! ( 8...g8 kind of King's Gambit in which several of 9.exd7 xd7 10.f3 h6 intending ... Kh7 Black's moves look slow. 7.d4 h5 8.0-0 is also playable, but the text is stronger.) e7 9.h3 e6 10.d5! The first in a series of 9.exd7+ xd7 Now White has to sacrifice sharp moves which take the initiative. cxd5 a central pawn. 10.e3 ( 10.d5 d4 11.d4! f6 12.xf4 0-0 13.exd5 d7 11.d1 f5 is clearly insufficient.) 14.ce2 This knight is headed for f5. Black's 10...xd4 11.xd4 xd4 In Zieher lack of space makes it dif ficult f or him to Chandler, Hamburg 1980 White couldn't obtain counterplay. a6 15.c4 c5 16.c2 prove he had enough for the pawn: a5 17.g3 b6 18.df5 ae8 19.h2 12.d2 xc3 13.xc3 f8 14.0-0-0 e5 xf5 20.xf5 fe4 21.f3 f6 22.ae1 15.f3 e6 16.h4 d7 17.h5 g5 18.h6 e5 23.xe4 xe4 24.xd6 d2 25.xd2 c6 19.d3 c4 20.xc4 xc4 xe1 26.xe1 xd6+ 27.g3 e5 28.b3 with a decisive advantage for Black.; With a sound extra pawn. Rather surprisingly, B) 7.e6? To o op timist ic. fxe6 8.f3 Short fails to convert. f5 29.xe5 xe5+ ( 8.xe6 de5 9.d5 xc4 10.xc4 30.f4 e8 31.d6 xf4+ 32.xf4 g6 xd4 and Black is winning.) 8...d5 9.b5 33.d4 f7 34.g3 e6 35.f4 d7 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.h4 ( 11.xe6 36.d2 h6 37.c5 e4+ 38.f3 e5 39.c2 c6 is also very bad for White.) 11...c6 g5 40.a3 f4 41.c3 e1 42.g4 e2 12.d3 e5 13.h5 e4 14.hxg6 hxg6 43.g3 fxg3 44.xg3 c2 45.b4 axb4 15.xh8+ xh8 and White resigned, 46.axb4 c4+ 47.h5 xb4 48.xh6 b6 Fedorowicz - Chandler, Brighton 1979.; 49.cxb6 xb6 50.xg5 b4 51.g4 b3 C) 7.f3 other moves are dubious: b6! 52.h4 xd6 53.e4 g3 54.h5 d7 8.b3 0-0 9.h3 a5! It's very important 55.e5 d6 56.e1 d7 57.h7 g2 to exchange W hite's active Bishop. 58.h6 g3 59.h8 g2 60.a1 e7 ( 9...dxe5 i s i n f e r i o r : 10.dxe5 d4 61.a7+ f6 62.g7 a2 63.h7 a8+ 11.xd4 xd4 12.f4 , Be3 to follow, and 64.g8 a7 65.b8 f7 66.b7+ xb7 White is slightly better.) 10.0-0 h6!? ½-½ 11.e4 xb3 12.axb3 f6 and Black's chances are by no means worse, Kveinys Speelman, Moscow 1994. ] 946 B07 [ So both 6...Nd7 and 6...Ng4 are suitable for Black. But Black should avoid the following Sigurjonsson,Gudmundur trick: the tempting 6...xd4? is bad in view Timman,Jan H of the queen sacrifice 7.exf6! xe2 8.fxg7 Wijk 1980 g8 9.gxe2 The critical position. Although [Alexander Volzhin] Black has a material advantage his position is hardly defensible. My database contains The Holmov system (Bc4) leads to a very a b o u t 4 0 ga m e s a n d t h e st a t ist ic s a r e i n t e r e s t i n g f i g h t wh e r e b o t h s i d e s h a v e horrible for Black: White has won almost all chances. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 t h e g a m e s ! ! J u s t a f e w e x a m p l e s : e5 4.c4 g7 5.e2 By developing his pieces ( 9...xg7 10.h6 g8 11.0-0-0 c6 in this way W hite intends an early e4-e5. 12.he1 c7 13.f4 g5 14.e4! Here Black can choose between two different an d W h ite win s: gxf4 15.xd6+ d8 lines: 5... c6 and 5... Nc6. Both are perfectly 16.xf7+ e8 17.d6+ xd6 18.xd6 playable. I personally prefer the latter. But this xg2 19.xf4 xf2 20.g5 f5 21.xe7+ position may also a rise f rom the Modern 1-0 Jahr - Kraus, Nuernberg 1990.; 9...c6 defence with an early ...c7-c6, for example: 1 10.h6 a5 11.0-0-0 b5 12.b3 b4 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nc3 c6 4 Bc4 d6 5 Nf3 Nf6. 13.e4 h5 14.g5 g4 15.f4 d5 c6!? White's last move left his d4-pawn 977
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.xd5! cxd5 17.xd5 f5 18.ef6+ exf6 19.xf6+ f7 20.xg4 fxg4 21.he1 e6 22.d7+! 1-0 Vodicka - Djurkovic, Hradec Kralove 1992.) 10.h4 xg7 11.h6 g8 12.g5! d7 13.d5 f8 14.h5! g4 15.e7+ e8 16.f6+ xe7 17.xg4 xg4 18.hxg6 hxg6 19.f3 with a decisive advantage for White, Holmsten - Weiding, Santiago 1990. ] 7.b5 The only way to hold the central pawns. 0-0 8.xc6 bxc6 9.h3 h6 10.f3 c5! 11.dxc5 b7! This pawn sacrifice gives Black excellent compensation. His light-squared bishop is very strong now and pressure on the b-file and long diagonals give him a lasting i n i t i a t i v e . 12.d2 After this me White tried different improvements but none of them gave him the advantage: [ 12.f4 b8 13.0-0-0 a8!? 14.d4 d7 15.e6 c8 16.c6 f5 17.xf5 gxf5 18.exf7+ xf7 19.c4 e8 20.d3 xc6 21.xc6 xc6 and Black has a clear edge due to is strong bishop pair and massive pawn centre, Topakian - Van Wely, Arnhem 1988. ] [ 12.xh6?! A dubious move. A darksquared Bishop is very important here. xh6 13.0-0 b8!? 14.fd1 ( 14.exd6 cxd6 15.cxd6 xd6 16.fd1 b4 17.ab1 g7 with tremendous compensation. ) 14...g7 A) 15.exd6 exd6 16.cxd6 A1) 16...e8!? 17.d3 cxd6 18.ab1 f6 ( 18...a5!? ); A2) 16...cxd6; B) 15.e4 e8! 16.b4 ( 16.cxd6 exd6 ) 16...c6 17.c3 B1) 17...dxe5! is worthy of consideration: 18.d5 fe8 19.c4 ( 19.xe5 e6 20.xc7 xe5 21.xe5 xe5 22.xe8 xa1; 19.e3 e4!? 20.b5 xb5 21.xc7 c6 22.xe8 xa1 with a decisive a d v a n t a g e f o r B l a c k i n b o t h l i n e s .) 19...e6 20.c3 a6 with clear edge.; B2) 17...dxc5 18.b5 e6 19.e1 fd8 20.ab1 xf3 21.xf3 xe5 22.e3! and W hite equalised in Kveinys Gurevich, Bonn 1996. ] 12...f5 13.0-0-0 xf3 14.xf3 xe5 W hite decides to give back his extra pawn an d c o mp let e his d e ve lop m e nt . B u t n o w
strong Black's dark-squared Bishop and halfopened b-file give him excellent attacking chances. 15.h4 d7 16.h3 h5 17.he1?! This move wastes an important tempo. [ 17.g4 should be preferred: g7 18.gxh5 xh3 19.xh3 xc3 20.xc3 xh5 wit h ap p ro xim a t ely e qu a l ch a n c es in a complicated endgame. ] 17...g7 18.c6 White decides to sacrifice a pawn in order to play g2-g4 opening files on the K-side. [ Now 18.g4 is not good in view of h6 ] 18...xc6 19.g4 hxg4 20.xg4 ab8! Black's attack is more dangerous. The threat of sacrificing the rook on the b2-square is very nasty. 21.g1 [ 21.h5 xb2! 22.hxg6 fb8 23.gxf7+ f8 and White can't parry the threat of ] 21...d4 [ 21...xb2! was not bad either: 22.xb2 b8+ 23.c1 b7! ( Of course, not 23...xc3 24.xc3 xc3 25.xf5 ) 24.de1 b2+ 25.d1 d4 with a decisive attack: 26.xe7 ( 26.e3 f5 27.xg6 xc2+ 28.e1 b1+ ) 26...xc2+ 27.e1 b1+ 28.xb1 xb1+ 29.d1 f3+ 30.e2 xg1+ 31.e1 f3+ 32.e2 d4+ 33.e1 c2+ 34.e2 b5+ 35.f3 h5+ winning the Queen. ] 22.g3 [ 22.h5 xb2! 23.xb2 b8+ 24.c1 b7 25.df1 b2+ 26.d1 f5! 27.xg6 xc2+ 28.e1 b1+ mating. ] 22...b4 23.f4 xb2 24.xb2 b7+ 25.c1 f5! Mate is unavoidable, so White resigned. [ 25...f5 26.xg6 e2+ 27.xe2 b2# ] 0-1
947 Simacek,Pavel Videki,Sandor Paks Cup GM (3) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2439 2409 23.08.2004
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e2 g7 5.g4!? My attention has been drawn to this move recently whilst writing an article for Jeremy Silman's excellent website. You may 978
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 recall an old Olympiad game where Donner got slaughtered by a then unknown Chinaman. I think that 4 Be2 and 5 g4 is an ideal system for the club player, direct and easy to u n d e rs t a n d . . c5 ' This is the recommended procedure against 4 Be2 and 5 h4, so let us see whether 5...c5 works out as well here. W h i t e s h o u l d c e rt a i n l y b l o ck t h e c e n t r e immediately. A more fluid, Sicilian-type of game would certainly increase the likelihood that Black could expose g2-g4 as something of a luxury.' 6.g5 [ 6.d5 is clearly the only other possibility worth mentioning. There are few decent examples: h5!? ( 6...a6 7.g5 fd7 8.a4 b6 9.h4 White seems unperturbed by taking on so many pawn commitments. b4 10.d2 e5 11.f3 c4 12.c1 c5 13.a5 b5 14.axb6 xb6 15.a4 c7 16.e3 ed7 17.h5 Portisch, G-Horvath, G/ Hungary 1999 Black's position is congested.; 6...a6!? 7.g5 d7 8.h4 a5 9.d2 ) 7.g5 g8 ( 7...fd7 8.f4 a6 9.f3 b5 10.a3! intends 0-0, Nh4 and f4-f5! after which I think White is better.) 8.e3 e5 9.dxe6 xe6 10.d2 c6 11.b5 Todor, R-Steinermayr, T Aschach 1997 ] 6...fd7 7.d5 0-0 [ 7...a5 is possibly more appropriate , as Black seeks counterplay before presenting W hite with a target : 8.d2 h6 9.gxh6 xh6 10.f4 f6 ( 10...g7 11.f3 a6 12.h4 b6 is completely unclear.) 11.h4 g7 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 h5 14.e6 c7 15.b5+! f8 16.ge2 ( 16.f3 g3+ 17.xg3 xg3 18.h3 f5 19.0-0-0 ) 16...fxe6 17.g5 c4 18.f1+ g8 19.d2 White has an obvious attack. In practice, he will win this position time after time after time. Katalymov-Movsziszian Bad Woerishoven 1996 ] 8.h4 e8 9.h5 a6 [ 9...e6 tries to make sense of the Rook on e8 but I think White can just play on route o n e a g a i n : 10.d3! e5 ( 10...b6 11.hxg6 hxg6 12.f4 exd5 13.0-0-0!? d4 14.b5 e5 15.g3; 10...exd5 11.xd5 c6 12.hxg6 hxg6 13.c3 ) 11.g3 ] 10.hxg6 hxg6 11.a4 b5?! Rather than get slaughtered in a mechanical manner, Videki tries to break loose. 11...b5 is inadequate.
[ 11...a5 is ' obvious, but again White seems to hold the advantage: 12.d2 b6 13.a3! e6 14.b3 c7 15.f3 e5 16.xe5 xe5 17.c4 d7 18.f4 g7 19.dxe6 fxe6 20.e3! b6 21.d3! ] 12.axb5 b6 13.h3 [ 13.f4! just seems very good for White indeed with the plan Qd3-g3-h4 in mind. If c4 14.bxa6 xa6 15.xa6 xa6 16.e3 e6 17.dxe6 xe6 18.d4 ] 13...e6 14.f4 exd5 15.cxd5 8d7 [ 15...xe4 16.xb6 xb6 17.d5 b7 was a much better defence. ] 16.d3 b7 17.bxa6 xd5 18.xd5 c4 19.h3 xa6 20.xa6 xa6 21.d2 b7 22.c3 e5 23.f4 xd5 24.exd5 Game over. An uneven example. I think we can formulate some definite ideas now: 1) 4 Be2 and 5 g4 leads to a very wild positions in most lines, posing novel problems for BOTH players. 2) Black should not castle short early, if at all! 3) White pushes his Kingside pawns forward to CRAMP Black, not necessarily to mate him. 1-0
948 Smallville Borg,I ICC 3 0 Internet Chess Club [John Watson]
B07 3304 3229 10.09.2005
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.a4 g6 5.h3 g7 6.g4 a5 7.g2 h5 8.g5 fd7 9.ge2 a6 10.0-0 0-0 11.f4 e5?! 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.f5 White has what he wants. Black's 11th move was a positional blunder of considerable proportions, even for a Blitz game. d8 14.e1? [ 14.e3! maintains a clear advantage. ] [ and 14.d2 is also good, since b6+ 15.h2 xb2 16.e3 leaves Black tied up. ] 14...b4 15.f2? [ 15.d1 ] 15...xc2 16.fxg6?! [ 16.a2 ] 16...fxg6 17.f7+ h7 18.f6? a stab in the dark hereafter the game degenerates, but the opening was reasonably successful for 979
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 White. f8 [ 18...xf6! 19.gxf6 d7 ] 19.f3 d7 20.e8 d8 21.xd8 xd8 22.b1 xf6 23.gxf6 e1 24.h1 xh3 25.g5 e6 26.h4 d3 27.f7 g5 28.g3 h4 29.h2 g4 30.g2 xg2 31.xg2 g3 32.g1 df4+ 33.xf4 xf4+ 34.f3 g7 35.g4 xf7 36.xh4 g8 0-1
949 Smallville Scorpion83 ICC 3 1 Internet Chess Club [John Watson]
B07 3325 3092 09.10.2006
It took me some time to think about this h3/g4 stuff and understand its drawbacks, and they seem especially noteworthy in the order given in the following games. They are Blitz games between ICC-rated 2300+ players Nakamura an d A ko bia n. No t of to urn am en t qua lit y, naturally, but they offer a platform for some ideas about the h3/g4 plan. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.a4 Is this already optimistic, at least for the h3/g4 player? ...c6 contributes to central control, a4 doesn't. e5 In our other game Black played [ 4...g6 With 4...e5, Akobian prefers to challenge the centre immediately, entering into a Philidor Defence. ] 5.ge2 e7 [ Especially with the relatively unproductive move a4 in, I wonder if Black can't afford to wa ste a t em p o t o ch allen ge t h e cen t re 5...exd4 6.xd4 d5!? 7.e5 ( 7.e2 e7 8.e5 g4 w i t h t h e i d e a 9.e6 f6 is an improved version for Black) 7...g4 8.e6 ( 8.f4 b6! ) 8...f6! 9.exf7+ (what else?) ( maybe 9.d3 fxe6 10.e2 f7 11.f3! d6 12.g5+ g8! 13.xe6 e7= ) 9...xf7 10.e2 d6 ( or 10...b4 11.0-0 e8 ) 11.0-0 f8 with a reasonable game. ] 6.h3 0-0 7.g4 The Plan! Not only does White prepare to develop smoothly by Bg2 and 0-0, but g5 is always looming. So Black should move quickly. bd7 This is a crucial juncture. Here Black is too easy on W hite. I'm not a believer in 'counter-flank-advance-with-central-
thrust', but it depends upon the situation, and here we have h3/g4/a4 and the passive Nge2, which begs for play where Black is strongest. There are two ways to do this: [ (a) 7...d5!? is only moderately effective, because W hite can transf orm the pawn structure after A) 8.exd5 is unimpressive af ter exd4 ( or simply 8...xd5! 9.dxe5 a5 with the idea ...Rd8) 9.xd4 xd5 10.xd5 cxd5 --see below; B) 8.dxe5! xe4 9.xe4 dxe4 10.xd8 xd8 11.g2 d7!? 12.e6! fxe6 ( 12...c5 13.exf7+ xf7 14.0-0 ) 13.c3 b4 ( 13...f6 14.xe4 xe4 15.xe4 e5 16.e3 ) 14.d2 e3 15.xe3! b6 16.0-0 xc3 17.bxc3 e5 Black has play (...Nd5, ... Nc4), but I like the bishops. ] [ (b) Best is 7...exd4! A) 8.xd4?! d5 9.exd5 xd5 10.xd5 cxd5 11.f4 ( 11.g2 e6 and ...Nc6 or ...Bf6 ) 11...c6! 12.xd5 b4! and White has great difficulties defending; B) 8.xd4 d5! 9.e5 ( 9.g2 e8! 10.0-0 xe4 11.xe4 dxe4 ) 9...e4 ( 9...fd7 ) 10.xe4 dxe4 . This is not what White wants! Perhaps 7...exd4 casts the whole line into doubt. What's more, .... e5 and a timely ...d5 may be a good way to meet most of the h3/g4 systems! This needs to be investigated, of course. ] 8.g2 e8 [ This time 8...d5 isn't as powerful, but it should still yield balanced play, e.g., 9.exd5 xd5 10.xd5 cxd5 11.dxe5 ( 11.xd5 a5+ 12.c3 b4! is strong ) 11...xe5 ] 9.0-0 White calmly castles on his 'weakened' kingside. His pawn thrusts act defensively as well as aggressively. The natural advance [ 9.g5!? (why else g4?, you might ask) isn't clear after h5 10.f3 f4! ( 10...g6?! 11.xh5 gxh5 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.g3 ) 11.xf4 ( 11.xf4 exf4 12.h4 intending f6!? 13.g6! hxg6 14.xf4 ) 11...exf4 12.xf4 ( 12.h4 f6!? ) 12...xg5 13.xd6 b6 ] 9...f8 10.f4 [ Now is a good time for 10.g5 h5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.f3 ] 10...exf4 980
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 10...exd4 11.xd4 c5 12.e1 and now what? ] 11.xf4 b6 [ Another game between Nakamura and A k o b i a n w e n t 11...c5 12.dxc5 xc5 13.g3 (arguably White's ideal setup once Black opens the e-file now g5 followed by N d 5 m u s t b e m e t ) e6 ( best may be 13...h6 , intending 14.g5 hxg5 15.xg5 e7 , although White remains better placed after 16.f3 e6 17.f5 ) 14.d4! ( great instincts White centralizes and looks over the whole board. Also not bad is 14.g5 fd7 15.d5 ) 14...a6?? 15.ad1? ( 15.g5 fd7 16.b4 wi n s a p i e c e) 15...b6? 16.e3 ( A g a i n m i s s i n g 16.g5! fd7 17.b4 ) 16...xb2 17.xf6!? gxf6 18.h5 d7 19.b1 xc2 20.xb7 g7 ( 20...ec8! 21.xd7 xc3 22.xf6+ h8 ) 21.xd7! xd7 22.d5 e6 ( 22...eb8 23.dxf6+ h8 24.xg7 b2 25.f2 b1+ 26.h2 b2 27.g3 b3+= with the idea 28.f3?? e2 ) 23.dxf6+ xf6 24.xf6+ h8 25.e5!? The game ends more or less irrationally. xf6 26.xd6 e6?? 27.xa8 c8 28.exf6 xa8 29.h6 a7+ 30.f1 a8 31.f2 a7+ 32.f3 a8+ 33.g3 e8 34.a5 c8 35.h4 g8 36.g7+ Black resigns 1-0 Smallville-SCORPION83/Internet Chess Club 2006 ] 12.a5 c7 13.g3 White has the centre and space for free. d8 14.f5 e8 15.e1 df6 16.e5 The details aren't that important [ 16.h4! threatens e5 and g5, and is also strong. ] 16...dxe5 17.dxe5 d5 18.xd5 cxd5 19.e6 c5+ 20.e3 d4 21.exf7+ xf7 22.h6+ Mate or some other disaster for Black follows. 1-0
said that he picked up a book on the opening and was int ereste d and wan te d to s ee if Smeets had a refutation. It certainly worked and Jan was in time trouble after a few moves. 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 a6 Bizarrely this move doesn't seem to have been covered on ChessPublishing before although this line is fully playable for Black. 5.e2 I don't like this move. I prefer to either defend the e4 pawn either directly or by preventing the b5 break. [ 5.a4 has been the most common choice by strong players here. g7 6.d2 ( 6.h3 Prophylaxis against any Ng4 ideas, White plays very classically. 0-0 7.f3 c6 8.e2 e5 9.0-0 exd4 10.xd4 e8 11.f3 e5 12.e2 ed7 13.d3 c5 was extremely comf ortable f or Black although W hite later caused an upset in Erenburg-Grischuk, Rishon Le Zion 2006 1-0 (41) ) 6...0-0 7.f3 c6 8.h3 e5 9.d5 e7 reached a Kings Indian type position except with White's pawn back on c2. This means that both White's queenside play is slower, there's no c5 break here, but also Bla ck' s kin gsid e p lay isn 't so e f f e c t ive 10.c4 d7 ( 10...h5 11.g4 is a typical idea taken from the 5.h3 KID) 11.a5 b5!? 12.xb5 axb5 13.b4 1/2-1/2 TimofeevTseshkovsky, Moscow 2004 (44) ] [ I always feel the Austrian Attack style play is the most dangerous for Black to deal with but of course this is very double edged as White has done nothing to help defend his e4 pawn. 5.f4!? ] [ 5.d2 is covered in Chapter 2 "Flexible Dragon Unleashed" and ] [ 5.f3 in Chapter 3 "Flexible Dragon Restrained" of Hillarp-Persson's excellent book Tiger's Modern ] 5...g7 6.d2 [ 6.h4!? was a typical move from the aggressive Lithuanian but it actually makes se n s e p o s it io n a ll y. h5 Now White has 950 B07 control over the g5 square which helps defend e4 too . ( 6...b5 7.e5; and 6...c6 Smeets,Jan 2657 7.h5 both look promising for White) 7.h3 Kramnik,Vladimir 2788 b5 8.g5 b4 Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (5) 21.01.2010 A) I prefer 9.d5! xd5 ( 9...b7 [Gawain Jones] 10.c4 ) 10.exd5 when White's doubled pawns control the centre and keep Black 1.e4 d6 What's this, Kramnik played d6? In passive.; the post mortem press conference Kramnik 981
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B) 9.a4 0-0 10.a3 a5 11.f3 c6 12.0-0 d7 1/2-1/2 Sulskis-Fluvia, Barcelona 2007 ] [ 6.a4 would transpose back into the previous note. ] 6...b5 7.h6 [ 7.e5 would be a much better version of the i d e a u s e d i n t h e g a m e b y W h i t e . g4 ( 7...dxe5 is also a possibility) 8.f3 ( 8.exd6 xe3=; 8.f4 dxe5 wins a pawn.) 8...xe3 9.fxe3 ( 9.xa8 c4 10.e2 dxe5 11.dxe5 c6 and White will have trouble escaping with his bishop.) 9...c6 10.exd6 exd6 ] 7...0-0 [ 7...xh6 8.xh6 b7 ( 8...b4 9.d5 xd5 10.exd5 b7 11.f3 would keep W hite with the advantage.) 9.f3 b4 10.d5 xd5 11.exd5 xd5 is also fine for Black. ] 8.e5? I'm not sure what Smeets missed when he played this, I know he used a lot of time to reach this position, maybe he couldn't adjust to the opening surprise. Black has already equalised comfortably and White lacks control of e4. Normally a move like 8.f3 would be normal but not with the bishop on e2. [ 8.xg7 xg7 9.f4 b4 10.e5 bxc3 11.exf6+ exf6 12.bxc3 d7 is also unpleasant for W hite, Black can either try Bb7, f6-f5 and Nf6-e4 or try with Nb6, Re8 and Bg4 ] [ 8.a3 is extremely passive but might be White's best try to hold equality b7 9.xg7 xg7 10.e3 e5= ( 10...bd7!?; 10...c5!? )] 8...dxe5 9.xg7 [ 9.dxe5 g4 10.f3 ( 10.xg4 xg4 11.xd8 xd8 12.xg7 xg7 ) 10...c6 is pretty sim ilar to t he game and again favours Black, both c2 and e5 are tough to hold in the future. ] 9...xg7 10.f3 [ 10.dxe5 xd2+ 11.xd2 g4 12.xg4 xg4 Is even better than the game as Black can now develop his knight to c6. ] 10...c6 11.dxe5 xd2+ 12.xd2 d8+ 13.e3 g4+ 14.xg4 xg4 So the position has simplified but Black can play for the win risk free. Black is slightly ahead in development and targets c2 and e5 before White can complete his development.
15.h3 f5 [ 15...e6 16.f3 d7 Black can expand on the queenside and put either his knight or bishop on d5. ] 16.g4 xc2 17.c1 so the bishop is trapped and thus Black has to give up his extra pawn but he still holds the advantage. b4 18.xc2 bxc3 19.f3 [ Regaining material equality with 19.xc3 allows d1 when it's extremely awkward for white to develop his kingside and so understandably Smeets decides he has better chances sacrificing the pawn. ] 19...cxb2 20.b1 d5 21.e6 [ White was worried that after 21.bxb2 e6 The e5 pawn will prove vulnerable but White s h o u l d b e a b l e t o h o l d h e r e ( 21...d7 22.e6 e5 might actually give better winning chances) 22.b7 ( 22.d2 d7 23.xd5 cxd5 24.b7 also gives very good drawing chances as Black is rather passive. ) 22...d7 23.xc6 xe5 24.xe5 ( 24.xe6 d3+ 25.e2 xf3 26.xe5 xh3 gives Black better winning tries.) 24...xe5+ 25.f3 should be holdable for W h it e b y p u t t in g p re ssu re o n f 7 b u t o f course not what you want as White after 25 moves, e sp ecially again st so me one a s strong as Kramnik. ] 21...c5 22.exf7 c6 23.bxb2 ad8 Both sides have successfully brought out all their pieces. The f7 pawn drops by force and thus White has a very difficult task to get the half point although in the game he collapses abruptly. Playing this short of time against K r a m n i k t h o u g h i s n o e a s y t a s k . 24.e4 xf7 25.c3 d4 26.e5+ e8 27.b6 b5 28.c2? [ 28.e3 5d6 29.xd6 xd6+ ( 29...exd6 30.c6 d7 31.d5+= ) 30.f4 gives White better drawing chances but of course it's still very tough. ] 28...5d6 29.c4 [ 29.xd6 exd6 30.c6 c8 31.d5 is n o lo n ge r p la ya b le f o r W h it e d u e t o xc6-+ ( In fact 31...d7 also wins )] 29...d3 30.e3 a3?! [ 30...3d4+ looks the most accurate 31.f3 ( 31.e5 d6-+ ) 31...4d6 when White is forced to trade due to Nd4+ 32.xd6 exd6 and the two connected passed pawns are 982
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 going to win the position easily enough. ] b7 19.b4 cxb4 20.axb4 d7 21.d2 31.b2? h7 22.xc6! xc6 23.d5 d7 ( 23...c3 [ 31.xc5 xa2 32.f3 dd2 33.g3 24.ac1 xd2 25.xd2 b5 26.c7 c8 challenges Black much more as after xf2 27.b3 is also very bad for Black.) 24.d4! 34.xa6 Smeets should have held. ] f5 25.xg7 xg7 26.d4 After the ex 31...c4 The pawn starts rolling! 32.e5 c3 change of dark-squared bishops White has 33.c2 d2 a d e c i s i v e p o s i t i o n a l a d v a n t a g e . f6 [ 33...d4! 34.c1 a4!!-+ wins at least a 27.a3! fxe4 28.e6 f7 29.xe4 g5 rook as there's no good defence to Nf3+ and 30.f3 g6 31.xf7+ xf7 32.xg5+! Re4 mate. ] hxg5 33.xg5 and Black resigned, 34.c1 xf2 35.d5 c2 36.b4 e3+ Ivanchuk - Bologan, Debrecen 1992. An 37.d5 d2+ 38.c6 c3+ 39.b7 d6+ excellent achievement by Vassily Ivanchuk! ] 40.a8 a5 Kramnik brings out a surprising 9.a3!? A novelty. new weapon and it looks tough for White to [ 9.e3 has been played before and Black find an advantage. managed to solve his opening problems: 0-1 h5 ( 9...d5!? deserves certain attention: 10.exd5 exd4 11.xh6 xd5 12.f4 f5 13.c4 d7 14.xf5 xf5 15.xc7 ac8 951 B07 16.h2 fd8 and Black has sufficient compensation for a pawn, Svirin -- Djachkov, Smirin,Ilia 2555 Russia, 1992.) 10.bd2 d7 ( 10...f4?! Bologan,Viktor 2555 11.xf4 exf4 was played in Dolmatov - G. Debrecen 1992 Kuzmin, USSR 1982. In the King's Indian [Alexander Volzhin] (with W hite's pawn on c4) this exchange normally is very good for Black (he can 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.d3 e5 4.c3 c6 even sacrifice the f4-pawn) as the Bishop on 5.f3 g6 6.0-0 g7 7.h3 0-0 8.e1 h6 g7 runs riot. But here matters are different. The main line. Black's prepares counterplay White's centre is firmly protected by the c3on the K-side. pawn, the prospects for the bishop on g7 are [ Earlier in this tournament Bologan tried still uncertain and White's superiority in the 8...a6?! b u t a f t e r t h e c o r r e c t 9.c2! centre secures him lasting initiative. Sooner failed to equalise. ( The idea behind Black's or later Black will be forced to play g6-g5 temporising move is to meet 9.bd2?! with after which White can create a battery on h5!; and 9.e3?! with d5! ) 9...h6 the b1-h7 diagonal (Bc2 and Qd3) 10.bd2 h7 11.f1 exd4 ( If Black plays threatening e4-e5 with dangerous threats 11...g5 immediately then 12.xg5 hxg5 against Black's King. So I strongly 13.d5! b8 14.h2 is very unpleasant. recommend Black to avoid this. 12.b4 e7 White is ready to launch a pawnstorm on the 13.a3 d7 14.f1 b5 15.d2 g5 16.e2 Q-side (c4, b4, c5 etc.) while Black's attempt a6 17.ad1 e8 18.3h2 d5 19.c1 at activity on the K-side with f5 is strongly f6 20.c2 c8 21.e5 d5 22.c4 b6 met by 15.exf5 gxf5 16.h5! ) 12.cxd4 23.c5! and White's advantage is beyond g5 13.1h2! Probably Black doubt. ) 11.a4 a6 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.f1 underestimated this move. Now W hite's e6 14.b4 b6 15.c4 f4 16.h2 f6 centre is firmlyprotected and Black has no 17.fd2 fd8 18.c2 d7 19.g3 g5 20.f3 compensation for the obvious drawbacks of g6 21.f2 h5 22.e3 ce7 and in this his position. xf3+ ( 13...f5 is strongly met complicated position Black has sufficient by 14.xg5! hxg5 15.b3+ h8 16.exf5 counterchances, Dolmatov - Tseshkovsky, xf5 17.e3 with a huge edge.) 14.xf3 USSR 1982. In my opinion, Tseshkovsky's b4 15.b3 c5 ( 15...d5 is bad in view of play in this game is a model example for 16.e5! ,threatening 17.a3, and after dxe4 Black players. ] W hite destroys Black's K-side by playing 17.xg6! ) 16.e3 b6 17.a3 c6 18.d5! 9...h5 10.e3 a6 11.h2 f6 12.f1! 983
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 An important prophylactic move: now ...Nf4 is pointless in view of g3. exd4?! Unnecessarily giving up the centre. [ 12...e8 was much better and Black certainly has his chances: 13.d5 ( 13.c2 g5 with ...Qg6, ...Nf4 to follow seems OK for Black. ) 13...b8 14.c4 e7 intending 15... f5 with very complicated play. ] 13.cxd4 e8 14.c2 g5 15.c4! Now W hite is ready to break through in the centre. g6?! After this inaccuracy White's initiative progresses without hindrance. [ B l a c k s h o u l d t r y 15...g4 although the complications after 16.e5 dxe5 17.fxe5! ( 17.dxe5 is weaker: e7 18.hxg4 xg4 19.e4 f5 20.d5+ h8 , and Black is fine. ) 17...gxh3 18.g3! b5!? 19.d2 xe5 20.dxe5 xe5 21.d4 xe1 22.xf6 xa1 23.xg7 xg7 24.c6! favor White. ] 16.d5 b4 17.d2 a5 [ 17...b5 is just a blunder in view of 18.a5! xe4 19.a3 and White wins a piece. ] 18.a3 a6 19.d3 f6 20.c2! f4 [ 20...g4 here also doesn't work: 21.d4 f4+ 22.xf4 xf4 23.hxg4 xg4 24.xg7 xg7 25.g3 with a decisive advantage for White. ] 21.d4 g6 22.xg7 xg7 23.e5!? [ 23.xa5 xb2 24.e5! is not bad either. ] 23...dxe5 24.xe5 d7 25.ae1 a4 26.d6! This breakthrough in the centre is a logical o u t c o m e o f W h i t e ' s s t r a t e g y . ed8 27.e7?! An inaccuracy which could cost W hite half a point. Now unnecessary complications arise. [ 27.h4! won easily: cxd6 28.xd6 c6 29.hxg5 and Black is helpless. ] 27...e6 28.1xe6 xe6 29.fe5 xd6! An unexpected defensive resource. 30.e3! Th e o n ly m o ve , b u t n o t a b a d o n e . B o t h opponents play with great inventiveness. f8 31.xd6 cxd6 32.xf7 ac5 33.f5 xf7 34.xe6 xe6 35.xe6 e5+? A timetrouble mistake. [ 35...f6 was obligatory and after 36.xf6 xf6 37.g3 b5 White has only a minimal advantage. Of course, a draw would be the most likely outcome of this exciting encounter. ] 36.g1! Definitely Black missed this nice move. xe6 37.xe6 g7 38.xd6
No w t h e win is e a sy. W hit e 's ad va n t a ge consists not only of an extra pawn but he also a much the more active rook. Black can't avoid the loss of a second pawn. c7 39.b6 c1+ 40.h2 c7 41.g3 c2 42.xb7+ g6 43.f3 h5 44.g3 f6 45.b4 g6 46.h4 g4+ 47.e3 f6 48.b6+ g7 49.b5 g6 50.b4 f6 51.xa4 xb2 52.f4+ e5 53.a4 b3+ 54.d2 a3 55.c2 e6 56.b2 d3 57.a5 d5 58.a4 f5 59.c3 xf2 60.a6 1-0
952
B07 Solovjova,Elizaveta 2324 Mammadova,Gulnar 2175 10th EICC w St . Petersburg RUS (6) 13.03.09 [John Watson] 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 g7 [ Black was too passive in Civric -Loncar, Budva MNE 2009: 4...h6 5.h4 g7 6.f4 c6 (slow) 7.f3 a6 (and slower! Black can't play these kind of luxury moves that are okay versus Classical and other deliberate systems) 8.d3 g4 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 b6 11.e2! ( 11.0-0-0 xd4 12.f2 b4 13.he1 is another method of attack, but unnecessary) 11...xb2? (too greedy of course, W h ite stood bett er regard less ) 12.0-0 b6 13.ab1 c7 14.e5 d5 15.c4 b6 16.f5 (this is already resignable) g5 17.f6 exf6 , and here 18 exf6 retained a very large advantage and won, but even more killing was 18.exd6! d8 ( 18...xd6 19.g3 wins the knight on b6) 19.e4+ f8 20.xb6 xb6 21.e7+ g8 22.e8+ f8 23.xf6 ] 5.d2 c6 6.f4 h6 7.h4 a5 I like this move, which actually develops something and supports ...e5. In comparison with the ...b5 plans, Black's risk is minor. 8.f3 g4 Development! 9.d1 [ W h i t e d o e s n ' t w a n t t o r i s k 9.0-0-0 , but that may be his best chance for ad va nt a ge . Up o n bd7 10.b1 xf3 11.gxf3 , Black can't pla y e5? due to 12.b5! xd2 13.xd6+ e7 14.xd2 xd6 15.dxe5+ , etc. ] 9...h5 984
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Here Black can continue the fight for e5 by 9...bd7! 10.e2 ( 10.e5 d5 11.xd5 xd5 12.e2 g5! breaks up the centre: 13.fxg5 dxe5 14.gxh6 xh6 15.b4 d6 16.xb7 b8 17.xa7 b4+ 18.c3 xb2 ) 10...xf3 11.xf3 e5 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.d5 0-0 ] [ S i m i l a r l y , 9...xf3 10.gxf3 bd7 looks quite playable. ] 10.xf6 xf6 11.e2 0-0 12.0-0 a5 13.h3 [ 13.f5!? g5 14.h4 d7 is fairly solid. ] 13...xf3 14.xf3 e5?! Black apparently gets so absorbed in her plans that she misses White's next, although it isn't necessarily a fatal mistake: [ 14...d7 ] 15.d5! An old trick. [ The idea was 15.fxe5 g5 ] 15...d8 [ 15...xd2? 16.xf6+ g7 17.xd2 xf6 18.fxe5+ e7 19.exd6+ xd6 20.c4 e7 21.df2 f6 22.e5! d7 ( 22...f5 23.g4 ) 23.exf6+ xf6 24.e3+ d7 25.e6 and more pawns fall. ] 16.f6+ g7 17.xa5 xa5 18.fxe5 dxe5 19.dxe5 c7 20.d7 Well-timed, although perhaps Black can exploit the drawing possibilities of the opposite-coloured bishops. xd7 21.xd7 xe5 22.xb7!? [ 22.c4! b5 23.fxf7+ xf7 24.xf7+ h8 25.d3 xb2 26.e7 and e5 or Rg6 causes Black problems probably she's still within drawing range. ] 22...ab8 23.xb8 [ 23.fb3 xb7 24.xb7 b8! ] 23...xb8 24.b3 [ 24.c4 b7 25.b3 d4+ 26.f1 e7 ] 24...d4+ 25.f1 e8 26.d3 This should b e a f a i rly e a sy d r a w. c5? A positional mistake, ceding d5. Simply [ 26...h5 27.g3 e5 , among others, challenges White to make progress. ] 27.c4 e7 28.d5 h5 29.c3 e5 30.e2 heading for c4. f5?! [ 30...f6 31.d3 c7 32.c4 h6 , and see what happens. ] 31.exf5 xc3+ 32.d3 e5 33.c4 c7 34.fxg6 xg6 35.e4+ h6 36.f5 Black's pawns are too weak. The rest is fairly easy: g3 37.xc5
[ 37.f6+ g5 38.g6+ f4 39.c6 ] 37...xc5+ 38.xc5 h4 39.b4 g5 40.a4 f6 41.c6 e7 42.b5 d8 43.f5 c7 44.b7 b6 45.g4 e7 46.a6 f2 47.b7 e3 48.e2 1-0
953 Svidler,Peter Ivanchuk,Vassily TCh-ESP Final (1) [Jonathan Rowson]
B07 2750 2741 03.11.2006
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 This is the standard response to 4.Be3, and it generally works well when W hite plays too crudely(f3, g4, Qd2, Bh6) or too slowly(Nf3, Bd3). However, Svidler's next move suggests that Black should think twice about this moveorder, because White can also play the 'I'm going to push my pawns before developing' game. [ 4...g7 5.d2 c6 6.h6 has been covered in previous updates, and is generally considered somewhat better for White. ] 5.h3!? g7 This can't be wrong, but Black's problems seem to be easier to solve after 5... Nbd7. The basic problem with playing Bg7 early is that Black cannot easily meet e4-e5 with b5-b4 because when White takes on f6 he is hitting g7 with tempo. This is not a huge problem, but it does limit Black's options. [ 5...b5? 6.e5! fd7 7.exd6 exd6 8.d5! is good for White. ] [ 5...bd7 A) 6.g4 b5 7.g5 ( 7.a3 b6 ) 7...b4; B) 6.f4 b5 ( 6...e5 ) B1) 7.d3 e5 and now White always seems to play Qf3, but I don't understand what is wrong with the most n a t u r a l m o v e ( 7...b4 8.ce2 c5 should also be considered.) 8.f3 I don't see why White can't do this, and indeed White's position looks preferable to me.; B2) 7.a3 looks timid, but has been played by Bauer, Fressinet and Movsesian, which makes me think it is probably quite good. b6 ( 7...e5 8.f3 985
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is awkward for Black, for instance after e7 9.fxe5 dxe5 10.d5! when White was better in Fressinet-Marin Andorra 2004 ) 8.f3 ( 8.d5 b7 ) 8...a6 White was threatening d5, breaking up B l a c k ' s p a w n c h a i n . 9.d3 e6! This move looks quite important, because I have the impression that if Black just castles and plays Bg7 white's position is too easy to play, 0-0, Qe1-h4, f5, Bh6 etc. 10.0-0 c5 given by Chernin/ Alburt as okay for Black in Pirc Alert!; B3) 7.e5 b4 looks fine for Black, with Nd5 to come. ] 6.g4!? [ 6.f4 0-0 7.f3 b5 8.e5 ] 6...b5 7.e5! An unusual combination of moves- h3 and g4 as a preparation for e5. fd7 8.f4 b6 9.f3 8d7 [ 9...h5!? looks worth a try, but it does mean that Black can't castle any time soon, and one problem is that after 10.g1 hxg4 11.hxg4 White already threatens f5 due to the discovered attack of the rook on g1 on the bishop on g7. ] 10.d3 b4 11.e4 d5 12.d2 c5 13.fg5 b6 White wins this game quite convincingly, but it is possible that Black was ok at this stage. [ 13...h6!? is cheeky, but sometimes it is best just to draw your opponent's fire. 14.e6 ( 14.xf7 xf7 15.f3 7b6 16.dxc5 dxc5 17.xc5 c7 is highly double-edged and few human players would like to be Black here because W hite's attack is enduring, but objectively this might have been the best way to play.) 14...hxg5 15.xg5 0-0 is also not clear- it looks very risky for Black, but anybody playing the Pirc should be quite comfortable with that! ] 14.c4! bxc3 15.bxc3 a6 [ 15...0-0 16.b1 c6 17.b5 doesn't look much better. ] 16.b1 xd3 Probably not Ivanchuk's plan A, but perhaps the best practical chance. [ 16...a5 17.xa6 xa6 18.e6 gives W hite a big initiative and complete control. ] 17.xb6 5xb6 18.exd6 h6 19.xc5! xc5 20.dxc5 0-0 21.f3 c4 22.cxb6 hxg5 23.b7 ab8 24.c6 xa2 25.0-0
exd6 26.a1 e6 27.xa7 e5 29.xb8 xb8 30.c7 1-0
954 Svidler,Peter Salgado Lopez,Ivan 39th Olympiad Men (11.2) [Gawain Jones]
gxf4
28.a8
B07 2731 2595 03.10.2010
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 e5 Salgado writes that he plumped for the Philidor as he could only find one game of Peter Svidler's in the opening. 4.ge2 bd7 5.g3 e7 [ 5...c6 was featured in Carlsen, M (2710)Radjabov, T (2746) Biel 2007 in the archives. ] 6.g2 c6 7.a4 b6 8.0-0 a6 Black has to remain flexible to make sure W hite cannot close down the queenside. 9.h3 [ 9.d5 was tried in another recent game. b7 10.dxc6 xc6 11.d5 xd5 12.exd5 b7 13.c4 0-0 14.a5 c8!? ( 14...f5 also looks possible.) 15.b3 d8 16.a3 b8 17.axb6 xb6 18.c3 d4 19.c1 c7 ( 19...f5 taking control of the e4 square is the alternative when Black's position looks comfortable to me.) 20.e4 c5 Klauser, M (2362)-Pelletier, Y (2589) Biel 2010 when 21.xc5 dxc5 22.b4 cxb4 23.xb4 fd8 24.d2 a5 25.c3 gives White a clear advantage. ] 9...h5! This move has scored well. The idea is to simply prevent White's plan of g3-g4 and Ne2-g3. Salgado writes in NiC that he was shown the idea by his team member, Jordi Magem Badals. Black has to be careful that the h5 pawn doesn't prove vulnerable but it's tough to see how W hite should continue. 10.e3 [ 10.g5 is an alternative option, attempting to exploit the weakening of the g5 square. b7 A) 11.d5 c5!? ( 11...cxd5 would be somewhat similar to 9.d5. 12.exd5 0-0 13.c1 c8 14.b3 c7 with rough equality. The pawn on h5 is rather awkward but other than that Black should be content with his position.) 12.f4 g8 13.xe7 xe7 14.f5 g5!? 15.d3 986
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 gf6 16.d1 e7 17.c4 b5!? with complex play. Pereira Neto, W (2481)Janoszka, A (2223) Zuerich 2004; B) 11.d2 0-0 12.f4 e8 13.f3 b5 Black's counterplay is always linked to this move. 14.ae1 b6 15.h2 f8 16.b4 c7 17.g4 hxg4 18.hxg4 a5! and Black had strong queenside counterplay. Li, C (2596) -Pelletier, Y (2589) Khanty Mansiysk 2009. ] 10...b7 11.c1 This is a new move and Sa lga d o lik e s t h e ide a . S vid ler wa n t s t o relocate the knight to d3 where it controls the b4 and e5 squares. [ 11.f4 has been played previously. 0-0 12.dxe5 ( 12.d2 b5 13.d1 e8 14.c3 b6 15.b3 bxa4 16.dxe5 dxe5 17.xd8 xd8 18.bxa4 c4 left Black with a positional advantage thanks to the c4 knight. Payen, A (2356)-Kazhgaleyev, M (2626) Livry Gargan 2009.) 12...dxe5 13.f5 b5 14.axb5 axb5 15.xa8 xa8 16.g4 hxg4 17.hxg4 b4 18.b1 d8 19.g3 c5 20.xc5 xc5 21.f3 left Black with a great position due to the weakness of the e4 pawn and vulnerable king. White's kingside attack looks impressive but it's not able to get through. Negi, P (2529)-Magem Badals, J (2500) Sabadell 2008. ] 11...0-0 This looks somewhat odd with the pawn on h5 but there's no clear way to exploit it and the pawn continues to slow W hite's k i n g s i d e p a w n s t o r m . 12.d3 c7 Black has to be patient. [ 12...b5?! i s p r e m a t u r e . 13.d5! c7 14.axb5 axb5 15.b4 favours White as the b5 pawn will prove vulnerable- Salgado. ] 13.f4 And Salgado criticizes this move which he deems premature. [ He considers 13.d2 stronger, to prevent the .. .b6-b5 break. fe8 ( 13...b5?! 14.d5 b6 15.dxc6 xc6 16.axb5 c4 17.e2 xe3 18.xe3 axb5 19.b4 h4 20.g4 leaves White an edge thanks to his control of the d5 square and play against the b5 pawn. ) 14.fe1 ad8 15.b3 "and in this position it is difficult to make progress for eit her s ide , but du e to his slight sp ace advantage W hite should have an edge"Salgado. However I would say that White has to be accurate not to allow Black's
pieces out of their cage. h4!? looks to give Black reasonable play. 16.g4 ( 16.gxh4 looks ugly but is probably better.) 16...d5! gives Black good counterchances. 17.dxe5 xe4 18.xe4 dxe4 19.xe4 xe5 20.f4 d6 with rough equality. ] 13...b5 [ 13...c5 14.d5 c4 15.e1 exf4 16.gxf4 would favour White. ] 14.f2?! Svidler was worried about his e4 pawn but the move is rather illogical, transferring his knight from a strong central square to the rather passive one on f2. [ 14.d5! is Salgado's recommendation when his line continues: cxd5 15.exd5 A) 15...bxa4!? GJ 16.xa4 b6 17.b4 c4 18.xc4!? ( 18.f2 might be a better try for an edge.) 18...xc4 19.fxe5 dxe5 20.d6 xg2 21.dxe7 xf1 22.exf8+ xf8 23.xf1 isn't so clear. Normally the two pieces are better than rook and pawn but here W hite's king is also rather vulnerable.; B) 15...e4 16.b4 ( 16.xe4 xd5 17.f2 h4 18.g4 c5 gives Black strong qu ee nsid e play.) 16...bxa4 17.xe4 xe4 18.xe4 fe8! 19.xa4 h4 results in an odd looking position but I feel Black should have decent chances. 20.gxh4 f6! ( 20...xe4 21.xa6! ) 21.h7+ xh7 22.d4 a5 23.c6 ( 23.xf6 axb4 24.xh5+ g8 25.g5 c5+! and Black's mate is coming first. 26.f2 e1+ 27.g2 xd5+-+ ) 23...xd5 24.xh5+ g8 25.xd5 xc6 26.c4 xd5 27.xc7 e2= ] [ 14.g4?! was Svidler's suggestion after the game but hxg4 15.hxg4 exd4 16.xd4 c5! 17.xf6 xf6 looks easier for Black. ] 14...fe8 Salgado considered that he had reached a good position out of the opening and decided to offer a draw for the match situation. Evidently Svidler would have been happy taking the draw but his team orders were to play on. 15.g4 After this move White had just 20minutes lef t to make the time control. [ 15.axb5 axb5 16.xa8 xa8 17.e2 is a more solid option mooted by Salgado but c5 18.d5 a5 and I prefer Black. ] 15...hxg4 16.hxg4 b4 987
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 16...exd4 was the other option and also f a v o u r s B l a c k . 17.xd4 b4 ( 17...d5 is Salgado's mainline but 18.axb5 c5! 19.d3 d4 20.bxa6 xa6 21.xa6 dxe3 22.xe3 xa6 23.a1 c8 24.e5 xe5 25.fxe5 xg4 26.xg4 xg4 27.d5 is very messy.) 18.xb4 d5 19.b3 c5 20.a2 cxe4 21.cxe4 dxe4 22.c4 i s a n o t h e r S a l g a d o l i n e w h e n c5! m u s t b e b e t t e r f o r B la ck a s t h e r e 's n o good response to 23...Bd6. ] 17.e2 exd4 18.xd4 [ 18.xd4 looks more threatening. A) 18...f8!? GJ 19.g5 ( 19.f5 c5 tran s po se s .) 19...xe4! 20.xe4 c5 21.xd6 xd6 22.f5 f8 23.xb7 xb7 24.f3 xf3 25.xf3 ad8 and Black has a small but definite edge.; B) 18...c5 19.f5 f8 20.d3 g6 21.g3 B1) 21...d5 22.e5 xe5! 23.fxe5 xe5 24.d2 d6 B1a) 25.g5 e4! 26.g4 xg3 27.xg3 xg3 28.xe4 dxe4 29.h6+ ( 29.f6+ g7 30.xe8+ xe8 must favour Black, the bishop pair and two pawns are more than a match for the exchange.) 29...h8 30.e3 d5 and Black's a little better.; B1b) 25.h3 xb2 is highly unclear.; B2) 21...c4 22.d2 c5! 23.xb4 fxe4 24.gxe4 xe4 25.fe1 c8 is give n b y S a lga d o wh ich is h igh ly unclear but favours Black slightly. ] 18...c5 19.d3 White has to keep the e4 pawn under control. [ 19.d2 f8 ] 19...d5 [ 19...c4! was more accurate according to Salgado. 20.d4 d5! 21.e5 ad8! 22.d2 ( 22.exf6 c5! ) 22...e4 23.xe4 dxe4 and Black has a pleasant edge. ] 20.e5 e4 21.xe4 [ 21.g5!? is an interesting computer suggestion. Salgado gives the line ad8 ( 21...c4 GJ 22.d1 c5 23.xc5 dxc5 also looks good for Black as the knights dominate the board.) 22.g6 f5! 23.h3 c6! 24.xf5 f8 25.xd7 xg6+ 26.g4
c8 regaining the piece when White's king is very vulnerable. ] 21...dxe4 22.d1 [ T h e p a wn i s n ' t e d i b l e : 22.xe4 c4 23.h7+ ( 23.d4 c5-+ ) 23...h8 24.f5 c6-+ ] 22...ad8 23.c1 [ 23.e1 is a more active square and thus more desirable. However the problem lies in the fact that after b6 24.g3?! allows ( 24.g5!? GJ is better c4 25.g3 xb2 26.e2 looks acceptable for W hite.) 24...h4! 25.f2 xg3 26.xg3 c4 as pointed out by Salgado. The knight is jumping into f3 via d2 when Black has a clear advantage. ] 23...f6! Allowing Black's pieces to exit the ca g e wh ic h i s im p o se d b y t h e e 5 p a wn . However Black has to be accurate to prevent a kingside attack. [ 23...h4 24.g5 looks unclear to me. Perhaps Black is still better but the game continuation is more active. ] [ 23...g5!? is offered by Salgado as a very dangerous continuation for both sides. ] 24.e6 b6 25.f5 [ 25.g3 f8 Highlights one of the reasons behind 23...f6 as the e6 pawn drops. ] 25...d5 [ 25...c4?! looks like a sensible alternative but W hite will be able to generate a kingside attack. 26.f4 e5 ( 26...a5 is the only move considered by Salgado which looks like a waste of time to me.) 27.e1 c4 28.h4 c5 29.xc5 xc5+ 30.h1 d2 31.g6! and Black's in trouble. ] 26.f4 [ 26.f2 d6 27.d1 ( 27.xe4 fails to the aesthetic c3! 28.xc3 bxc3 29.xb7 h2+! Salgado 30.g2 f4! followed by c a p t u r i n g o n b 7 a n d b 2 .) 27...g5! Salgado is a very important idea when White has no good defence to 28...Qh7. ] 26...c4 27.xd5 xd5 28.f4 [ 28.e1 b3 29.f2 bxc2 30.xc2 d3 Salgado leaves Black with a strong initiative. The immediate threat is 31...Rxe3. ] 28...b6+ 29.h2? This allows an idea we have already seen. [ 29.e3 is probably White's best try but c5 988
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 30.e1 b3 31.xc5 xc5+ 32.e3 xe3+ 33.xe3 bxc2 as given by Salgado leaves Black basically winning. ] [ 29.h1 g5! 30.e3 c7 threatens ...Kg7 and ... Rh8 while 31.xg5 fxg5 32.f6 g3! S a l g a d o i s e x t re m e l y st r o n g a s 33.e1 xg4 34.fxe7 ( 34.f7+ ) 34...xe7 35.f2 d8 36.ae1 xe6 and White doesn't have anything like enough compensation for the two pawns. ] 29...g5! Not only stopping White's attack but also preparing . ..Kg7 and ...Rh8+ which will prove decisive. 30.fxg6 Unpleasant but [ 30.a5 c5 31.e3 d6+ 32.g1 g3 33.f2 d6 ] [ or 30.g3 g7 are both winning. ] 30...xe6 31.g3 g5! 32.xg5 fxg5 White's king cannot survive he can simply not compete on the dark squares. 33.f5 d6+ 34.f2 e3+ 35.g1 xg2 36.xg2 e4+ 0-1
955 Taimanov,Mark E Mikeli,Leonard European Seniors, Saint Vincent (3) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2425 2002
1.f3 g6 2.d4 g7 3.e4 d6 4.c3 f6 5.bd2 c6 [ 5...0-0 6.e2 c6 7.0-0 e5 8.dxe5 xe5 9.xe5 dxe5 10.c2 h6! 11.d1 e7 12.c4 xc1 13.axc1 b6 14.d2 b7 15.f3 fd8 is perhaps the most efficient equalising method. ] 6.e2 Geller's Quiet System, an eminently satisfactory method of play which has been somewhat ignored in the modern rush. White develops sensibly, flexibly, takes the centre. It's a game. c7 7.b3 Prophylaxis against an early ...e5- in that event W hite might play Bc1-a3! 0-0 8.a4 a5 9.0-0 h6 10.e1 e8 11.f1 Typically unrushed-one can just imagine two old f riends easing out a f ew decent moves before popping on their slippers and retiring for the evening with a nice glass of stout. However... .. ..it's not really like that at all. Taimanov is waiting constructively. if Black goes active too soon he could find himself in trouble. There are signs on the
queenside ( the square b6) that problems could occur. Mikeli ignores those signs. e5?! 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.c4! d8 14.c2 e8 If this was forced, then Black's already in a bad way. Witness : [ 14...bd7 15.a3 f8 ( 15...e8 16.e7+- ) 16.xf8 xf8 17.ad1 e8 ( 17...g7 18.fxe5! ) 18.d2 ] 15.e3 d7 16.ed1 b6? 17.xd7! Oh..... xd7 18.xb6 b7 19.xd7 xd7 20.d1+- e7 21.d2 c7 22.c4 c5 23.b6 d8 24.xc5 And Mikeli is left scratching his head..... Lines with an early c2c3 are largely ignored these days in the rush to blow Black's brains out with some of the more aggressive ideas. I think fashion will change as we see more and more games where B lack copes successf ully with th e Austrian attack and the Be3,Qd2 stuff (you've seen some this month!) and that Geller's method will return to prominence. 1-0
956 Tal,Mihail Rivas Pastor,Manuel Barcelona [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2525 2520 1992
Here only White has to solve problems in the opening with careful play. Luckily for him Black decided to sacrif ice a piece f or an attack which happened to be illusory. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 a5 5.d2 e5! The best reaction. [ The alternative 5...b6 is weaker because of 6.f3 g4 A) in the case of 7.e5 d5 8.exd6 xc3 9.xc3 e6 10.h3 f5!? ( not 10...xf3?! 11.xf3 xd6 12.f5! 0-0 13.0-0-0 with a clear advantage, Liberzon-Hodgson, Palma de Mallorca 1989) 11.g4 e4 12.d3 d5 Black is more or less OK. The position is similar to some variations of the Centre Counter. The Bishop on d5 is in danger, but it's not easy to trap it! The game O'Connor - Hodgson, 1992 continued with 13.f1 xd6 14.e5 c7 15.d2 b5 16.a5 e7 17.g5 f6!? and after 18.g6+ hxg6 19.xg6 f7 989
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.xh8 h5 his chances already looked preferable; B) 7.a4! xf3 8.gxf3! c7 ( Of course, the pawn is taboo: 8...xd4?? 9.c3 and the Queen is trapped in the centre of the board!) 9.f5! g6 10.h3 bd7 11.e2 Practice proves White's considerable central advantage secures him the better chances: g7 ( 11...b5 12.c3 g7 13.f4 b4 14.d1 a5 15.e5 Rybak - J.Pribyl, Karvina 1989) 12.c4 c5 13.d5 a6 14.c3 0-0 15.0-0 with good prospects for a K-side attack, Kudrin-Terrie, Los Angeles 1991. ] 6.f3 [ Here are some alternatives: 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.fxe5 ( 7.f5? is weak in view of b4! 8.a3 xb2 9.f3 b6 10.xe5 bd7 11.c4 d4 12.d3 c5 13.f3 e5 14.xe5 Here in Bareev-Mokry ,Novi Sad 1990 draw was agreed although in my opinion after xe5 Black is clearly better.) 7...g4 8.e2 xe5 9.f3 xf3+ 10.gxf3 d8 11.e3 xd1+ 12.xd1 d7 13.g1 g6 14.f2 c5 15.f4 xe3+ 16.xe3 e7 17.d2 b6 18.gd1 e6= and Black has almost equalised, Dolezal - M.Pribyl, Praha CS-ch 1992 ] [ 6.d5 does not promise too much: d8 7.xf6+ xf6 A) 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.f3 g4!? ( 9...exd4?! 10.c4 ) 10.dxe5 g6 11.d3 d7 -6.Nf3; B) 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.f3 exf4 10.e5 h6 ( 10...g6 seems to be weaker due to 11.d3! xg2 12.g1 h3 13.xf4 g4 14.g3 h5 15.e2 with the initiative, Burovic - Kramnik, Leningrad 1991 ) 11.g3 g4 12.xf4 g6 13.g2 e4+ 14.e2 xe2+ 15.xe2 a6 16.ad1 c7 17.h3 xf3+ 18.xf3 e6 19.g4 e7 20.d2 h5 21.xe6 fxe6 22.hd1 d8 with equality, Brunner Mokry, Graz 1991. ] 6...exd4!? [ Here 6...g4 is also unsuccessful: 7.fxe5 dxe5 8.d5 d8 9.xf6+ xf6 10.dxe5 g6 11.d3 d7 12.c3 c5 13.d2 0-0 14.0-0-0 ae8 15.b1! xf3 16.gxf3 xe5 17.f4 xd3 18.f5! g4 19.cxd3 and White is clearly better, Ftacnik-Mokry,
1987. ] 7.xd4 b6 8.b3 a5! A good idea. Black tries either to push back the Knight or to provoke a weakening a2-a4. 9.b1 [ 9.a4?! is much weaker: a6 10.e2 b4 11.f3 e6 (threatening 12...Nxc2) 12.c1 d5 13.d3 ( 13.e5 f5 14.exf6 xc2+ 15.f1 xa1 ) 13...dxe4 14.xe4 xd3+ 15.cxd3 xe4 16.dxe4 0-0-0!-+ and Black has an overwhelming position, Belaska - M.Pribyl, Morava 1991 ] [ I n t h e c a s e o f 9.e2 a4 10.e3 Black has an interesting option: b4 11.a3 axb3!? 12.axb4 xa1+ 13.d2 g4 14.c4 bxc2 15.xc2 d5!? and Black has taken the initiative: 16.exd5 a6 17.c5 xc5 18.bxc5 0-0 19.d6 d5 with sharp play, Alvarez Ibarra - Rivas Pastor, Albacete 1989. ] 9...a4 10.c1 g6 [ 10...g4 does not solve the problems: 11.e2 xe2 12.xe2 e7 13.e3 a6 14.d3 with a definite advantage. ] 11.f3 g7 12.d3 0-0 13.1e2 [ 13.e3 a5 14.0-0 bd7 was good for Black. ] 13...g4 14.g3 [ The endgame after 14.f2 xf2+ 15.xf2 bd7 was roughly equal. ] 14...xe2 15.xe2 bd7 It is clear that Black's opening strategy has been successful he has comfortably developed all his pieces while White still has some problems castling. 16.f3 [ The careless 16.e3? would have been immediately punished by xe4! 17.xe4 ( 17.xb6 xg3 18.hxg3 xb6-+ ) 17...b4+-+ followed by ...Qe4. ] 16...c5 17.e3 fxe4? An interestinglooking sacrifice but as it turns out W hite soon has enough resources to extinguish Black's initiative. [ By playing 17...b4+ 18.d2 ( 18.c3? a3 ) 18...b6 Black could have forced a draw. ] 18.xe4 [ Of course not 18.xe4? b4+-+ ] 18...fe8 19.xc5 dxc5 [ After 19...xc5 20.c4 e3 21.b4! White's chances were much better but it was much more stubborn. ( 21.f1?! d5 22.b4 990
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c5 23.b5 a3!? )] 20.c4 [ 20.f3? c4 ] 20...a7 Intending to play ...b7-b5 followed by ...c5-c4. 21.b4?! Not the best decision. [ 21.f5! was the more precise way: b5 22.f4 c4 23.e4 e7 24.f3 and so on. ] 21...axb3 22.xb3 b5 23.c4 a5+ 24.f1?! [ 24.f2! should have been played. ] 24...ad8? This centralising move loosens the initiative. [ 24...xa2! was correct and it looks like it's already W hite who has to be careful: 25.xa2 xa2 26.cxb5 d2 27.c4 ( 27.bxc6 xd3 28.c7 d2 ) 27...c2 and here it looks reasonable to repeat the moves by A) th e at te mp t 28.bxc6? xc4 29.c7 fails to c2! and 30.b8? is losing: cxe2 31.c8 e1+ 32.f2 d4+ 33.g3 1e3+ 34.g4 ( 34.f2 d3+ 35.f1 d1# ) 34...h5+ 35.g5 g7! 36.c6 xb8-+ and there is no defence against ... Re6 followed by ...Bf6 checkmate.; B) 28.d3 d2 29.c4 ] 25.d1 b8 [ 25...e3 26.f2 ] 26.c2 bxc4 27.xc4 b2 28.c1 Everything is protected, now Black cannot prevent h4 and Rh3 bringing the last piece i n t o p l a y . b4 29.h4 e4 30.a3! An excellent defensive resource! b8 [ 30...xc4? was just a blunder: 31.d8+ f8 32.xb2+- ] [ while 30...xa3 31.h3 b4 32.d3 e8 33.h5+left Black with no hopes of surviving. ] 31.h3 e8 32.c3! Well-calculated! xc4 [ 32...xc3 33.xc3 ee2 did not work due to ( 33...xf4+ 34.f3+- ) 34.g3 ec2 35.d3+- ] 33.xb2 xf4+ 34.f3 [ 34.g1!? w a s a l s o n o t b a d : d4+ ( 34...d4 35.b1!? ) 35.h1 f2 36.c1 e6 37.f1+- keeping an extra rook. ] 34...xh4 35.e2 h1+ 36.f2 d4+ 37.xd4 xe2+ 38.xe2 cxd4 39.xd4+The position is winning for White though Black can organise some counterplay advancing his
kingside pawns. c5 40.c6 a1 41.c3 a2+ 42.f3 f5 43.a7 g7 44.b5 h5 45.g3 g5 46.xc5 f6 47.c3 g4+ 48.f4 f2+ 49.e3 g2 [ 49...f3+ 50.d4 xc3 51.xc3 f4 52.gxf4 f5 53.e3+- ] 50.d4 f4 51.c6+ g5 52.c5+ h6 53.gxf4 h4 The pawns lo ok dangerous but White finds a competent way of realising his extra piece using the awkward position of B la ck 's K i n g . 54.e5! h3 55.d6 h2 56.f5+ g6 57.c6+ f7 58.c7+ g8 [ 58...g6 59.g7+ h5 60.g5# ] [ 58...e8 59.h7+- ] 59.h6+! f8 [ In the case of 59...h8 White could set a mating net by 60.f6!! h1 61.f7+ h7 ( 61...g8 62.c8+ h7 63.h8# ) 62.g5++with checkmate on the next move. ] 60.f6 e8 61.f5! d8 Once again Black has no time for the pawn's promotion! Here the time trouble was over and he resigned because White can simply stop the h-pawn by Rh7. [ 61...h1 62.g7+ d8 ( 62...f8 63.c8# ) 63.e6+ e8 64.e7# ] [ 61...d8 62.h7+- ] 1-0
957 Taleb,Moussa Pavlov,Maxim Summer I Alushta UKR (11) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2456 2451 20.05.2004
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.d3 White cannot hope for much with this approach but it's a solid, unpretentious perfectly good way of meeting the Pirc. g6 4.c3 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.0-0 c6! I think this is a good enough way to equalize, especially with the White Bishop on d3. W hite can only dream of d4-d5 - that would not fit in at all with his set-up. 7.e1 [ 7.d5 b8 8.c4 c6= ] 7...e5 8.h3 d7 [ It seems that 8...e7 is also reasonable. If attacked the Knight will retreat to d8 and the point is that when the centre is blocked Black can turn his mind to advancing on the 991
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Kingside 9.a3 b6 10.c2 b7 11.b4 fe8 12.a4 a5 13.d5 Finally. b8 14.d2 c6 15.c4 a6 16.a3 axb4 17.xb4 xb4 18.xb4 h5 19.f1 c5 20.c3 c8 21.b1 d7 22.d2 a6 23.c3= Zaitsev,M-Balashov,Y/Germany 2003, Black is well placed after f8! ] 9.e3 [ 9.bd2 h5! 10.b3 a5 11.a4 e8 12.g5 c8 13.d2 is the same, quiet de ve lop m en t . Bla ck is f u lly e qua l: exd4 14.bxd4 e5 15.xe5 dxe5 16.b5 e6 17.f1 f6 18.c2 d7 19.a3 f8 20.c4 c5 21.xa5 f6 22.c1 xa5 23.b4 a8 24.bxc5 xc5 25.e3 b3 26.ab1 a5 27.c4 d7 28.c5 f7 29.c3 c4 30.c6 1/2-1/2 Kramnik,VTimman,J/W ijk aan Zee 1998 I daresay Timman was intending 30...b6! It's a rather boring position. ] 9...e8 10.bd2 h5 You will have noticed that ...Nf6-h5 crops up quite a lot in this line. Black would love to get a Knight established on f4 and use it as a bridgehead to aid his Kingside attack. Now that White has played h2-h3 the attack gains impetus by the threat of a sacrifice on that square. But... . W hite is fine and he has a dangerous resource which you will see employed later. [ ...Nh5 may be delayed: 10...h6 11.a3 h5 12.b4 f4 13.xf4 I had the same experience against Speelman once in a British Championship game. He took on f4 in a similar position and I thought "that can't be anything special" But he managed to follow up with e4-e5! and shut down my fianchettoed Bishop, later establishing a g r i p wh i c h c o u l d n o t b e s h a k e n o f f . I t follows: When White takes off the Knight on f4 he has to be able to follow up with e4-e5 otherwise the exchange makes no sense. exf4 14.c4 e7 15.b3 e8 16.d3 d8 17.bd2 h8 18.e2 a6 19.ae1 b5 20.d5 d7 21.b3 a5 22.c4 axb4 23.axb4 b5 24.a5 b8 25.d2 g8 26.e5 dxe5 27.d6 cxd6 28.xd6 c8 29.xe5 xc3 30.d5 h7 31.xf7 xf7 32.xg6+ h8 33.xd7 xe2 34.xe2 xe2 35.xf7 f3 36.h2 e4 37.f8 c8 0-1 Kuporosov,V-Sturua,Z/ Helsinki 1992 So it came to pass. White didn't play
e4-e5 and he lost! ] 11.a3 f4 12.xf4 exf4 13.c2 g5 14.e5! Note this move carefully. It's the same idea that Speelman used and virtually White's only winning try. All hinges on whether Black can liberate his Bg7. An added bonus in this case is that h7 hangs. h5 [ 14...dxe5 might be possible but in the end lea ve s Bla ck p layin g wit ho ut his Ro ok : 15.xh7+ h8 16.dxe5 xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.f3 f6 20.e4 c8 ( 20...b8 21.d1 e7 22.d3! a4 23.e1 d8 24.b1 ) 21.e1 ] 15.exd6 xe1+ 16.xe1 cxd6 17.h7+! f8 18.f5 Flicking in the check was unsettling and now the exchange of light squared Bishops will encourage the exposure o f t h e w e a k B l a c k p a w n s . g4 Getting desperate. 19.hxg4 hxg4 20.xd7 xd7 21.g5 e8 22.xe8+ xe8 23.f5 The position is now absolutely horrid for Black. g3 24.de4! gxf2+ 25.xf2 e7 26.f1 Calm [ 26.d5! was possibly more incisive: e5 ( 26...d8 27.h7+ g8 28.hf6+ xf6 29.xf6+ f8 30.xf4+- ) 27.c8+ e8 28.xb7 d3+ 29.f1+- ] 26...d5 27.h7+ g8 28.hf6+ xf6 29.xf6+ f8 30.xf4 e6 31.c4 An instructive game for many reasons with many interesting points to be studied. Black's idea of ...Nh5-f 4 is good but it cannot be played willy-nilly. The timing must be right. W hite's response of capturing on f4 is dependant on a subsequent e4-e5 for effectiveness. 1-0
958 Tiviakov,Sergei Pikov Imperia [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2635 2550 1993
Th is in stru ctive ga m e illu st ra t e s B lac k 's chances very nicely. Given the opposite sides' castling White plays too slowly... 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 a5 5.d3 e5 6.f3 bd7 7.e3 White intends to castle Qside but this aggressive plan is unlikely to be 992
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the best in the position. [ 7.0-0 is more popular and promises the better chances for White: e7 8.e3 A) 8...g4 9.d2 c7 ( 9...exd4 10.d5; 9...c7 10.h3 gf6 11.e2 0-0 12.g4 g6 13.e3 exf4 14.xf4 Mellado - B.Rodriguez, Las Palmas 1996 ); B) 8...0-0 9.e1 [/\\ Nd5] d8 ( Another possibility is 9...c7 10.e2 exd4 11.fxd4 c5 12.g3 e8 13.b4 xd3 14.cxd3 g4 15.df5 xe3 16.xe7+ xe7 17.xe3 with better chances for White, Dyce - Rufener, EUchJM U16 1995 ) B1) An interesting idea was seen in the game Thiel - M.Tseitlin, Krumbach 1991: 10.h3!? b6? 11.a3!? exf4 ( 11...exd4 12.xd4 e8 ) 12.e5! d8 ( 12...xe5 13.xe5 dxe5 14.b4+- ) 13.b4 b6 14.exf6 fxe3 15.xh7+! with a winning position for white; B2) 10.h1 e8 11.a3 exd4 12.b4!? ( 12.xd4!? ) 12...h5 ( 12...c7!? ) 13.xd4 f8 14.ce2 g4 15.g1 [ / \ \ R f 3 - h 3 ] g6 16.d2 with a big advantage, V.Ivanov - Chekhov, Moscow 1999 ] [ White's play in the game Brodsky G a s p a r ia n t s , K a t o wic e 1 9 9 2 d e s e r ve s attention: 7.e2!? e7 8.d2 c7 9.0-0 0-0 10.h1 exd4 11.xd4 c5 12.b3 xd3 13.cxd3 e8 14.ae1 f8 15.f3 e7 16.f5 h6 17.d4 d7 18.g3 with a huge advantage. ] 7...e7 8.d2 c7 9.0-0-0 0-0 10.e2?! A dubious move - W hite wastes time and loosens the pawn on e4. [ Something like 10.h3!? intending g2-g4 looked more to the point. ] 10...e8 11.h3 exd4 12.xd4 [ 12.exd4? w a s b a d a s a f t e r f8 W hite would have had problems with the pawn on e4. ] 12...c5!? A double-edge d move. Black weakens the d5 square but forces White to part with a strong Bishop. 13.xf6 xf6 14.c3 c4 15.c2 c5 16.g3 a5 17.b1 g6 [ 17...d7!? was also interesting with the idea of exchanging the def ender of the important squares d3 and e4 by ...Ba4. ]
18.xd6?! Underestimating the danger. [ White should have started K-side action by 18.f5! d7 19.h4 with unclear play. ] 18...e6 19.d2 a6! 20.a3 b6 21.a2 d7 22.d4 [ Perhaps White could have taken some active steps like 22.e5!? e7 23.f5!? - his position does not look so bad here. ] 22...a4 23.ge2 d8 24.e5 e7 25.hg1 Too slow but Black's attack was already very s t r o n g a n y w a y . b3! 26.e3 xd4 27.xd4 [ 27.xa4 xe2 28.xd8+ xd8 29.d1 e7 30.c2 did not work due to xb2+!-+ ] 27...xd4! Well calculated! 28.xa4 xa4 29.cxd4 b3 30.c1 c3-+ Completely destroying the Kin g's f ortif ications . 31.d5 cxb2 32.c8+ g7 33.b1 xa3 34.d6 a1+ 35.c2 b1+ White resigned as he will be checkmated in a few moves. Excellent play by Yury Piskov. 0-1
959 Tolnai,Tibor Bezold,Michael Balatonbereny [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2455 2490 1995
White plays carelessly in the opening and is punished very convincingly. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 a5 5.d3 The main continuation. e5 [ 5...g4?! is not good in view of 6.d2! and black's Bishop is clearly misplaced: e6 ( 6...d7 looks ugly, but this move seems to be the only one) 7.h3 h5 8.f2 d5 9.e5 fd7 10.h2! e7 11.f5! xf5 12.g4 xg4 13.hxg4 xg4 14.g2 h5 15.e2 and Black resigned, Khenkin-Schebler, Eupen 1993. ] 6.dxe5 [ 6.f3 is known to be the best move. ] 6...dxe5 7.f5 In a position with the open d-file and fixed e4/e5 pawns W hite's pawn e4 is weaker than Black's, on the other hand White has space and attacking chances on the Kingside, as the following examples illustrate. Therefore Black must seek active counterplay on the other flank as soon as possible. b5! 993
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Routine play with 7...bd7 8.f3 c5 allows W hite to f inish the developmen t comfortably: 9.d2! Now an attempt g4?! fails to 10.g5! and ( 10.e2 f2 11.f1 xd3+ 12.cxd3 ) A) 10...df6 is the only move: 11.d5 ( 11.c4!? ) 11...d8 12.xf6+ xf6 13.f3 with better chances for White; B) 10...f2? is bad due to 11.h5 g6 12.f3 xh1 ( 12...f6 13.d5! d8 14.e6+-; 12...0-0 13.f1 xd3+ 14.cxd3+- ) 13.fxg6 B1) 13...0-0 14.gxf7+ g7 ( 14...h8 15.f5 ) 15.e6+ h8 16.h6+-; B2) 13...f6 14.g7 g8 15.h5++-; B3) 13...f8 14.g7 c7 15.g8! and Black resigned in Arnason - J.Pribyl, Yurmala 1987. ] 8.f3 [ Let's take a brief look at the alternatives: 8.e2 b4 ( 8...a6 9.d2 b4 10.d1 xd3 11.cxd3 bd7 12.f3 c5 13.e3 xe3 14.xe3 0-0 15.d2 ad8 16.b3 b5 17.g4 a5 18.g5 e8 19.c1 Mo r t e n s e n - J a n s a , K e r t e m i n d e 1 9 9 1) 9.d1 b3+ 10.c3 b4 11.d2 bxc2 12.a3 a6! 13.f3 xd3 14.xd3 bd7 15.xc2 0-0 16.0-0 c5+ and here a draw was agreed in the game Brigljevic - J. Pribyl, Praha 1990 ] [ 8.e3?! bd7 9.f3 g4 10.g1 b4 11.h3 xc3+ 12.bxc3 xc3+ 13.f1 gf6 14.f2 0-0 Bures - J.Pribyl, TCH-ch Luhacovice 1993 ] [ 8.f3 bd7 A) 9.0-0 b4 10.b1 c5!? 11.xe5 cxe4 12.g4 ( 12.c4 d5 ) 12...xg4 13.xe4 c5+ 14.h1 a6 15.xc6+ xc6 16.e1+ e7 17.xg4 0-0 A1) 18.xe7? is taboo: fe8 19.e3 h5 20.d1 ( 20.xh5 xc2 21.c3 bxc3 22.bxc3 xc3!-+ ) 20...b7 21.g1 xe3 22.xe3 e8 23.f2 xc2-+ and Black is winning; A2) 18.d2 fe8 19.e4 b7 20.f4 f8 21.g5 xe1+ 22.xe1 e8 23.xe8 xe8 24.d1 h6 with exce llent co mpensatio n f or th e pawn thanks to the powerful Bishop on b7, M.Schlosser - Casagrande, AUT-ch 1995;
B) 9.e2!? b7 10.0-0 a6 11.d2 c7 12.a4 e7 13.d1 c5 14.axb5 axb5 15.f2 0-0 16.g4 with the initiative although Black is not without counterplay, Sveshnikov - Rashkovsky, Moscow rapid 1992 ] 8...bd7 [ In the game Lanka - Gervasi, Roma 1990 Black failed to solve his problems after 8...c5 9.d2 b6 10.ge2 bd7 11.g4 h6 12.g3 b7 13.h4 0-0-0 14.0-0-0 e8 15.g5 hxg5 16.hxg5 g8 17.g6 f6 18.b1 with a clear advantage. ] 9.d2 [ Black seems to be fine after 9.ge2 A) 9...b7!? 10.d2 c7 11.g4 c5 and here in the game A.Neverov-Kramnik, R u s s i a 1 9 9 0 W h i t e b l u n d e r e d 12.a4? ( 12.g5 ) 12...b4 13.d1 fxe4! 14.xe4 xe4 15.xe4 c5-+ with a decisive material advantage; B) 9...a6 10.0-0 c5 11.g5 b4 and Black's chances are preferable, PeinHodgson, Great Britain 1988. ] 9...c5 10.d5 [ S o m e t h i n g l i k e 10.g4!? h6 11.h4 was worthy of consideration. ] 10...d8 11.xf6+ gxf6! A good decision, now White's main idea - an attack with K-side pawns - looks pointless. On the other hand, Black's Rook has got the g-f ile... 12.e2? A careless move which leads to trouble. [ 12.h3!? was correct, when after xd3+ 13.cxd3 c5 14.f2 White had protected the d3-pawn and the position was unclear. ] 12...d4! Of course! 13.c3 xe4 14.b4 xf3 15.xf3 e4 16.xf6 exf3 17.xf3 [ 17.xh8? fxg2-+ was too good for Black. ] 17...g8 18.bxc5 xf5 The pair of Bishops are very powerful in this endgame. Black's task is even easier if we take into account the numerous pawn weaknesses in White's camp. 19.0-0-0 g6! [ 19...xc5 20.he1+ e6 21.g5 is what White was hoping for. ] 20.he1+ e6 21.h4 xc5 22.g3 [ White could have exchanged one of the B i s h o p s b y 22.d4 xd4 23.xd4 but two extra pawns would be good enough for Black after xg2-+ ] 22...g4! 23.c3 h6 24.f6 994
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ After 24.d4 xd4 25.cxd4 d7-+ Black also had reasonable winning chances. ] 24...a4 25.d4 xd4 26.xd4 xa2 27.h4 d7 28.b1 g2 29.xh6 e8-+ Black has an extra pawn and his King is much safer. White is helpless. 30.c1 [ 30.d1+ d5 intending Ree2 ] 30...a5 31.d4 a4 32.c5 a3! 33.d1+ c7 White resigned. [ 33...c7 34.xa3 a8 35.b2 a2-+ ] 0-1
960 Vaganian,Rafael A Ermenkov,Evgenij (ol) Thessaloniki [Alexander Volzhin]
B07
1984
Besides Dolmatov's setup (7 Re1 and 8 h3) White can also try 7 Bg5). The play here is very similar to that in a Torre attack and sometimes it can even transform to it, for example: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bg5 Bg7 4.Nbd2 0-0 5.e4 d6 6. c3 etc. 1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.c3 f6 5.d3 0-0 6.0-0 c6 [ After 6...bd7 White can also play 7.g5 The game Tiviakov - Kasimdzhanov, Groningen 1999 continued: h6 8.h4 e5 9.bd2 b6 10.a4! a6 ( If 10...b7 then 11.a5 is very nasty.) 11.e1 b7 12.dxe5 ( 12.c2 maintaining the tension in the centre also deserved attention.) 12...dxe5 13.c2 e7 14.f1 a5 15.c4 c5 16.fd2 A) 16...e8 was better, although after 17.f3 c6 18.f2 White still maintains a s m a l l b u t l a s t i n g a d v a n t a g e : xa4 ( 18...xa4 19.b3 c5 20.xc5 bxc5 21.xa5 is the same to the text.) 19.b3 d7 20.xc5 bxc5 21.xa5; B) 16...fd8?! A tactical oversight. 17.f3?! W h it e c o u l d e xp l o i t B la c k' s m is t a k e : ( 17.f4! i s v e r y s t r o n g .) 17...c6?! ( 17...e6 with the idea ...Nf4 was better.) 18.f4! and Black is in trouble. ] 7.g5 d7?! This game was the first where 7 Bg5 was introduced and Black's reaction is far from the best. [ Later Black improved with 7...h6 8.h4 e5!
and as practice shows he has good chances to equalise here: 9.dxe5 A) 9...xe5 is also possible : 10.xe5 dxe5 11.a3 e8 12.f3 h5! ( 12...e6 i s w e a k e r : 13.f2 b6 14.c4 d7 15.e3 h7 16.f2 c6 17.d2 a6 18.f1 c8 19.ad1 b7 20.c2 c8 21.b4 b7 22.a4 a5 23.d5 xd5 24.xd5 xd5 25.xd5 with huge edge for W hite, Bischoff-Bilek, Budapest, 1985. ) 13.f2 e7 14.g3 h3 15.e1 fd8 16.c2 f6 17.e2 f8 18.c4 g7 19.ad1 e8 20.b4 e6 21.e3 c6 and in this complicated position Black has good chances, Popchev Azmaiparashvili, Albena 1983.; B) 9...dxe5 10.a3 e6 11.e1 g5!? 12.g3 h5 13.c4 g4 14.e2 f4 15.xf4 exf4 16.xd8 axd8 17.b5 d7 18.ad1 fd8 19.xd7 xd7 20.d1 e7 and Black is even slightly better, Dunnington - Guf eld, Hastings 1988. ] 8.a4! e8 9.a3! a6 [ 9...e5 is impossible in view of 10.b5 ] 10.d2 f6 11.h6 e5 12.xg7 xg7 13.b4 Black has no counterplay while White has lots of possibilities to improve his position. d8 14.a5! e7 15.fe1 f7 16.c4 d8 17.e3! c6 An important achievement for White: now the weakness of the b6-square wi l l c a u se B l a c k a l o t o f t r o u b l e . 18.h4 (threaten ing Nf 5 winning t he Queen ) f8 19.g3! An important multipurpose move. First of all, it's prophylactic: protecting the Knight on h4 W hite prevents any counterplay. In addition, W hite prepares f2-f4 in the right moment. [ The hasty 19.c4?! is premature in view of f5 20.b6 b8 21.g3 f4! and Black has improved his position a lot. ] 19...c7 20.c4 b8 21.b6 h3?! [ 21...e6 22.d5 cxd5 23.exd5 h3 24.c4 d7 25.e3 is equally bad for Black ] [ I n m y o p i n i o n , 21...d7 is obligatory, alt hou gh af te r 22.xc8 bxc8 23.f1! intending Ra1-d1, f2-f4, Bh3 etc. W hite's advantage is beyond any doubt. ] 22.d5 d7 23.e3! c5 24.c4 f8 25.ab1 d7 26.b6 e8 27.bxc5! dxc5 [ The endgame after 27...xc5 28.xc5 995
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 dxc5 29.f3 is hopeless for Black as his pawns on b7 and c5 are very weak. ] 28.f3 d6 29.d2 b5 This move is just a waste of time, but Black's position is very bad anyway. [ After 29...d7 White can switch to the Kside: 30.f4! xb6 31.axb6 c8 32.fxe5 fxe5 33.f1 with a decisive advantage. ] 30.c4 e8 31.b3 Black could easily resign here. bc8 32.f1 d7 33.xc8 xc8 34.ec1 d8 35.h3 f5 36.d2! xa5 37.exf5 gxf5 38.g5+ g6 39.e7+ f7 40.xd7 d8 41.b3 b6 42.e7 1-0
is always a bit annoying 8.a4 b4 9.d1 is slightly better for White) 7.d2 bd7 looks like Black's most solid option here and now ( 7...b5 8.d3 bd7 9.h3 a6 10.e2 e5 11.c3 d5 12.f2 led to some very original play in Ponkratov, P (2530)Dvoirys, S (2553)/Satka RUS 2008 although the position is definitely somewhat better for White ) 8.a4 a5 ( 8...h5 was perhaps a better option although I slightly prefer White after 9.h3 0-0 10.g5 a5 11.e2 although Black has reasonable chances.) 9.ge2 a6 10.c1! h5 11.b3 c7 12.a5 was very pleasant for White in the game Fries Nielsen, J (2411) -Bejtovic, J (2415)/Lund SWE 2011 ] 961 B07 6...bd7 [ 6...a6 doesn't seem to fit in very well here, Vallejo Pons,Francisco 2716 f or e xample 7.e5! fd7 ( after 7...dxe5 Maiwald,JU 2459 8.dxe5 xd1+ 9.xd1 fd7 10.f4 Schachbundesliga 2011-12 (11) 26.02.2012 and White has a space advantage as well as [Tom Rendle] a lead in development.) 8.e6! fxe6 9.d3 was already good for W hite in the game 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g5 Shutzman, J (2187)-Tseitlin, M (2472)/Tel Slightly unusual here, it's more typical to be Aviv ISR 2002 ] played against an early Nf6 (rather than Bg7). objectively I don't believe this is the T h i s i s m a i n l y b e c a u s e B l a c k h a s a n 7.g4!? best move but it certainly mixes things up abundance of choice here h6 [ 4...f6 transposes to mainlines is covered early - and given how quickly Vallejo wins it in the archives, including in last months was probably a good decision [ 7.f3 this should lead to a slight edge for game Gashimov-Ivanchuk ] White, a possible line would be 5.e3!? Aiming to show ...h6 is a weakness A) 7...0-0 8.e5! is again strong for White, [ 5.h4 was examined by Gawain last month e.g. h7 ( 8...e8 9.d2 g5 10.0-0-0 in the annotations to one of his own games and Black's Kingside is very ropey!) 9.e6 as Black against Sukandar ] again this pawn sacrifice is very 5...f6 dangerous fxe6 10.d3 and now Black is [ maybe given the problems Black can get in trouble as he can't play e8 because of into with the pawn on h6 the delaying the 11.b5; development of the knight and playing in a B) 7...c6 8.d3 e5 9.dxe5 xe5 Tiger Modern style could be Black's best 10.xe5 dxe5 11.d2! with a slight edge option. Play could continue 5...a6 6.d2 b5 for W hite due to the fact that Black still 7.d3 b7 8.a4 ( 8.ge2 d7 9.a4 b4 has problems getting castled. ] 10.d1 gf6 11.f3 c5 12.c3 bxc3 [ 7.d2 preventing 0-0 is another option ] 13.bxc3 c7 gave reasonable play and led An attack on the wing should be met t o a q u i c k w i n f o r B l a c k i n t h e g a m e 7...c5?! Gassanov, A (2319)-Krasenkow, M (2641)/ with counterplay in the centre - except here it Batumi GEO 2002) 8...b4 9.ce2 a5 10.f3 backfires! It's always dangerous to rely too much on general principles in very tactical with a slight edge for White ] positions.... 6.h3 [ 7...b6 is perhaps Black's best option, [ 6.f3 is played more often c6 ( 6...a6 playing a very flexible Hippo structure. If 7.d2 b5 is another way for Black to play White is going to get an advantage at all he but the fact that he can't castle anytime soon 996
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 should try the critical 8.e5 and now dxe5 9.dxe5 xe5 10.xd8+ xd8 11.0-0-0+ fd7! 12.f4 c6 13.h2 leaves White with good compensation for the pawn although chances are roughly balanced. ] [ 7...e5 is the most solid choice and I'm not sure if White can count on an edge here. Of course the position remains very tense after 8.g2 0-0 9.ge2 exd4 10.xd4 e7 11.e2 and White can castle Queenside and try and create a Kingside attack ] 8.e5! An excellent counterstrike in the centre already Black is in some trouble I think [ 8.f3 cxd4 9.xd4 a6 would be a comfortable Dragondorf type structure for Black ] 8...dxe5 [ 8...h7 is hardly much fun for Black after 9.exd6 exd6 10.d2 as White will quickly castle long and build up an attack ] 9.dxe5 xe5 [ after 9...h7 10.f4! Black's pieces are getting horribly hemmed in on the Kingside ] 10.xd8+ xd8 11.0-0-0+ d7 12.f4 [ 12.xc5 regaining the pawn immediately is also good for White ] 12...c6 13.xc5 With material equality restored Black faces an uphill task to defend here - the King is caught in the centre and White's pieces are all very active h5 14.g5 e8 15.ge2 c7 16.g2 e8?! this quickly runs into problems [ Black should probably try to run with the King and get the rooks connected as soon a s p o s s i b l e s o 16...c8 17.d2 f5 18.hd1 b8 although White still has control over the centre and a comfortable edge. ] 17.d2 c8 18.hd1 e6 19.b3! W hite's in no rush - this move takes a few more squares away from Black's pieces who must feel like they're being strangled! f8? This is far too passive [ 19...f5 was the best chance although W hite can keep up the pressure with 20.b1 e6 21.e3 b8 22.d5 ] 20.a4! White is simply planning to retreat the Bishop back to f2 and then play Nc5. Perhaps it's kinder that Maiwald blundered here as it's unlikely that he'd have saved the game at this stage. d8? 21.xd8+ xd8
22.xa7! A pawn drops and with it the last of Black's defences. The idea of Bg5 and dropping back to e3 af ter h6 looks like a reasonable one but objectively I think 7.g4 isn't White's best continuation - despite a big success in this game! [ 22.xa7 xa7 23.b6+ b8 24.xd8+ c8 25.xc8# ] 1-0
962 Vallejo Pons,Francisco Vachier Lagrave,Maxime TCh-ESP CECLUB Honor (2) [Gawain Jones]
B07 2697 2723 24.08.2010
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 e5!? 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.xd8+ xd8 Over the past few months I've seen more and more of the top players happy to face this queenless middlegame. Here we see the famed theoretician Vachier Lagrave taking a break from his Najdorf and instead happy to defend this position. I quite like playing this way with Black. I don't believe he should have too many problems and if you're patient it's a good way to outplay weaker opponents as well as holding the half point against others. The main problem is that if White plays on autopilot he runs out of useful moves before Black an d t h e re f o re o f t e n st a rt s t o wo rs e n h is position out of inertia. 6.f3 [ 6.g5 e6 7.0-0-0+ ( 7.g3 c8 8.f4 b4 9.xf6 gxf6 10.0-0-0 xc3 11.bxc3 Manakova, M (2306) -Zablotsky, S (2553) Chalkis 2010 d8 is roughly level.) 7...c8 8.f3 ( 8.f4 exf4 9.xf4 bd7 10.h3 c5 11.d4 a5 12.f3 c6 13.e5 e7 14.c4 Sutovsky, E (2676)-Predojevic, B (2654) Kragujevac 2009 xc4 15.xc4 b5! looks strong as 16.xf7 f8 17.e5 xf7 18.exf6 xf6 is a little better for Black.) 8...bd7 9.h4 h6 10.xf6 gxf6 11.h4 c6 12.e2 c5 13.hf1 Pap, M (2509)Popovic, D (2564) Vrnjacka Banja 2010 g8 and I'd prefer Black. ] [ 6.c4 e8 ( Of course 6...e6 is also fine and 7.xe6 fxe6 8.f3 d6 9.ge2 e7 10.b3 c6 11.b2 a6 12.0-0-0 ad8 13.b1 g5 14.c1 hg8 997
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.g4 h5 16.h3 h4 17.3e2 d7 18.d3 gf8 19.hf1 f7 20.a3 df8 saw Black s lo wly t a k i n g t h e u p p e rh a n d . Co rr a le s Jimenez, F (2590)-Bachmann, A (2563) Netherlands 2010.) 7.f3 bd7?! ( 7...d6 would transpose to the game and is a better choice. ) 8.g5! This is extremely awkward to deal with. h6 ( 8...b4 9.xf7 b6 10.b3 f8 11.xe5 xe4 12.d3 a5 13.0-0 xc3 14.e1+ d8 15.g5+ f6 16.e5 was disastrous. 1-0 Dvoirys, S (2572) -Yudin, S (2511) Miass 2007.) 9.xf7 h7 10.b5 b4+ 11.d2 xd2+ 12.xd2 e7 13.xc7 b8 14.f4! b5 15.xb5 xb5 16.xb5 xf7 17.xd7 xd7 18.fxe5 Kosteniuk, A (2519)-Kurmann, O (2449) Lenzerheide 2010 and W hite's rook and three pawns are far stronger than bishop and knight. ] 6...d6 7.c4 e8 Very calm. Evidently Vachier Lagrave believes W hite can make nothing of his development initiative. [ In the archives we've tended to focus on 7...e6 when Black's happy to double his e pawns in return for control over the important d5 and f5 squares. ] 8.g5 bd7 9.0-0-0 a6 10.a4 [ The following note shows what Black is aiming for in this structure. 10.he1 h6 11.h4 b5 12.b3 b8 13.g3 h5 14.h4?! provoking Black into playing a move he wanted to anyway but obviously he was running out of plans. g6 15.d5 f8 16.f3 a5 17.a3 c5 18.f2 xb3+ 19.cxb3 e6 20.g4 xd5 21.exd5 f4 22.e3 g7 23.d2 h3 24.c2 be8 25.g2 h5 26.g5 hf8 27.b1 f6 a n d B la c k h a d c o m p l e t e l y t a k e n o ve r . Gerzhoy, L (2469)-Predojevic, B (2628) Netherlands 2010. ] 10...h6 11.h4 f8 [ 11...g6 12.d2 f8 13.b3 g7?! ( 13...b5 would still have been fine for Black as 14.axb5 axb5 15.xb5 a1+ 16.b1 g5 17.g3 xe4 18.xd6 cxd6 19.f3 xg3 20.hxg3 e7 is fine for Black.) 14.c4 b4 15.xe5! Evidently Black missed this trick. xc3 16.xd7 xb2+ 17.xb2 xd7 18.g3 was truly terrible for Black who didn't last long. c5 19.xc7 xb3 20.cxb3 e6 21.d6 hc8 22.c1
e8 23.b6 c8 24.f3 g5 25.d6 1-0 Berelowitsch, A (2566)-Strikovic, A (2557) Netherlands 2010. As Rowson has said in the archives, it's imperative to be very caref ul in the opening as Black as W h i t e h a s a d e f i n i t e i n i t i a t i ve , i f o n l y temporary if Black plays correctly. ] [ 11...b6 also looks reasonable. A recent top 100 clash continued: 12.b3 g4 13.xf6 gxf6 14.e2 d8 15.g3 h5 16.h3 d7 17.a5 c8 18.c3 c5! 19.d2 h4 20.f5 xf5 21.exf5 xd2 22.xd2 d6 Smeets, J (2642)-Navara, D (2692) Novi Sad 2009 and Black was winning a pawn and went on to convert. ] [ 11...h5!? was a suggestion of Rowson on ChessPublishing which as far as I can see s t i l l h a s n ' t b e e n t r i e d . 12.d5 b8 with ideas of ...Nf8-g6 is his line. ( 12...f8? 13.e7!; 12...hf6!? however, offering the knight exchange also looks playable. )] 12.d2 g5?! Gaining time on the bishop and blocking in the bishop but giving away the f5 square which proves costly. [ 12...g6 would transpose to the previous note and would probably be my suggestion. ] 13.g3 g7 [ 13...b4!? looks quite a clever move order although I still think White's better. 14.d5 ( 14.f3 gives Black the choice of transposing back to the game with 14...Kg7 or else xc3 15.bxc3 g7 16.h4 transposing to 15.h4.) 14...xd2+ 15.xd2 xe4 16.dd1 c6 17.e3 when White has enough initiative for the pawn but probably no more. ] 14.f3 b4 15.d5 [ 15.h4 xc3 16.bxc3 g4 17.hf1 f8 18.h2 ( 18.b3 h5 19.e1 c5 is fine for Black.) 18...b6 19.f2! b5 20.b3 b7 21.f1 fe8 22.e3 is also rather unpleasant for Black. ] 15...xd5 16.xd5 e8 17.h4! f6?! After this Black has some major problems and Vallejo Pons plays excellently to secure a decisive advantage. [ 17...f6 was a better defence. A sample line might continue: 18.hxg5 hxg5 19.a2 b5 20.c3 c5 21.a5 e3 ( 21...e6 also looks possible.) 22.c2 xd2 23.xd2 e6 and Black has soaked up most of the pressure although White's still better. ] 998
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18.hxg5 hxg5 19.c3 e7 20.h5 c6 21.dh1! f8 [ 21...cxd5? fails to 22.h7+ g8 23.h8+ f7 24.1h7+ g6 25.xe8 xh7 26.xe7+ g6 27.exd5 ] 22.b3 c5 23.f1 e6 24.xe6 xe6 25.e1! Making room for the knight to jump into the f5 outpost. d6 26.g3 f7 27.f5 d7 28.c2 ad8 29.b4 a7 30.c4 e6 31.h8 Vallejo Pons has played a perfect game and Vachier Lagrave is under intense pressure. I imagine at this point he was really regretting 12...g5. b5 32.axb5 cxb5 [ The other recapture would be similar 32...axb5 33.g8 bxc4 34.hh8 f7 35.h6+ e7 36.b5! and White's attack crashes through. ] 33.g8 [ 33.c3! would also be winning as after bxc4 White can enter on the other side of the board with 34.a1 ] 33...bxc4 34.hh8 f7 35.h6 b6 36.xf7 xf7 37.c3 [ The calm 37.d2! would be winning as Black has no way to prevent Bd2-c1-a3 and b4-b5. ] 37...c8 [ 37...d3+ would win back the exchange. 38.xc4 d4+ 39.b3 g6 although 40.b8 xh8 41.xb6 is still winning for White as a6 drops when the b pawn will be too strong. ] 38.xf8+?? After a well played game Vallejo Pons blunders away the win. [ 38.c2 d8 39.d2 going back to 37.Bd2 would bring home the full point. ] 38...xf8 39.xf8+ xf8 40.xc4 e7 W hite has no way through so it's a simple draw. 41.b5 axb5+ 42.xb5 e3 43.c6 e6 44.g4 ½-½
963 Van Beers,Eddy Van Houtte,Thierry Belgian Interclubs, 2000/2001 [Paul Motwani]
B07
2000
G6.10: "A quiet endgame---NOT!" 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 e5 This position can of
course also be reached via alternative moveorders such as 1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 d6 3 d4 Nf6 which are particularly relevant to our "e4-e5" site, and so I felt that the current game was well-worth including here. 4.dxe5 Personally, I would not make this unforced capture as White, because I know that the forthcoming exchange of queens is certainly not dangerous for Black, whose king will quite happily remain a r o u n d t h e i m p o r t a n t c e n t r a l f i l e s . dxe5 5.xd8+ xd8 6.f3 [ 6.g5 e6 followed by ...Nbd7 is also comfortable for Black. ] 6...d6 7.c4 e6! 8.xe6 fxe6 Black really doesn't mind having doubled epawns here, because they control important squares near the centre of the board, and into the bargain there's a partly-open f-file to be used. 9.e3 c6 10.0-0-0 e7 11.a3 Cl e a rl y, W h i t e wa s wo rr ie d a b o u t B la c k playing .. .Bb4, but the "down side" of a2-a3 is that the a3-pawn is now a target for Black to attack by means of a well-timed ...b5-b4 advance. a6 Preparing to play ...b5, while also stopping any Nb5 by White. 12.h3 h6 OK, we won't be seeing any black or white pieces moving to g4 or g5 in the near future! 13.he1 b5! Black's aggressive plans are already underway, but meanwhile W hite is looking rather lost for any truly constructive ideas. 14.d2 hb8 15.b3 d7 A prophylactic move, preventing a white piece from landing at c5. 16.g3 White hopes to stir up something with f2-f4-f5, but he doesn't get the chance to do it. b4 17.axb4 xb4 Now ...a5-a4 is a simple yet highly unpleasant threat to White. 18.a2 b7 [ White just set the obvious trap 18...xe4? 19.g5+ hxg5 20.xe4 but Thierry van Houtte is much too good to fall for that one! ] 19.d2 a5 Another prophylactic move, this time preventing Nd2-c4 with which W hite could have protected his exposed b2-pawn. 20.f4 ab8 21.fxe5 xe5 22.d4 g5 23.c3? Surprisingly, this loses by force! c5! [ 23...xb2? 24.d5+ exd5 25.xb2 is another little trap which Black naturally avoids. ] 24.f2 [ W hite also loses after 24.xe5 xe5 which leaves him in double trouble at b2 and 999
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 g3. ] 24...xb2 25.b3 Trapping Black's b2-rook. Right...? 8xb3 ...Wrong! 26.xd6 [ 26.cxb3 xf2 is also hopeless for White. ] 26...xd6 27.d1+ c6 28.cxb3 xf2 0-1
964
B07 Van Kampen,R 2572 Cuijpers,F 2445 TCh-NED Meesterklasse 2012-13 (1.2) 15.9.12 [Tom Rendle]
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.e3 f6 5.d2 c6 6.h6 [ The aggressive approach 6.f3 b5 7.g4 was examined by Andrew Martin in Goloshchapov, A-Lahno, K ] 6...xh6 7.xh6 a5 [ 7...e5 isn't particularly challenging to W hite's setup and is covered by James Vigus in Jansa, V-Hartoch, R ] 8.d3 c5! This is probably Black's best choice in this line [ 8...b5?! 9.f3 b4 10.e2 just seems to be much better for White, as analysed by John Watson in Mirzoev-Movsziszian ] 9.d5 bd7 10.f3 Here we have a key position for this line - Black has two ways of p l a y i n g h e r e c4 This effectively forces an ending that should be a little better for White, but as the game shows it's not so easy for White to create winning chances against this move. [ 10...b5 is a major alternative which leads to more complicated play A) 11.0-0 has been the usual response h e r e a n d n o w c4 is the only consistent continuation 12.e2 b4 13.d1 c5 ( 13...xe4 14.xc4 seems a little better for White ) A1) 14.e3 c3! ( 14...xe4 isn't best because of 15.xc4 df6 16.ad1 g8 and now in Smerdon, D (2513)-McNab, C (2438) Hinkley 2012 W hite could've obtained an excellent game with 17.d4! g5 18.b5+ d7 19.xd7+ xd7 20.f3 ) 15.bxc3 xc3 16.g5 g8! and Black had succeeding in reaching an unclear middlegame with
chances for both sides in Nguyen Anh Du n g (2 4 9 5 )-Z im m e r m a n , Y (2 3 4 0 ) Budapest 1998; A2) 14.g5! is critical and now the game Pert, N (2570)-McNab, C (2454) Reading 2011 continued e5 15.e3 a5 16.a3 b8 17.axb4 xb4 18.a2! b6 19.fa1 xb2 20.xa5 b1+ 21.f1 xa1 22.xa1 and White had good chances due to Black's problems on the Queenside. Black definitely needs to look for an improvement somewhere before this point but nothing immediately stands out to me so probably 10...c4 is just a better move; B) 11.e5!? looks like a dangerous new idea that certainly worked well against a Pirc/Modern expert in Munoz, L (2428)M c N a b , C ( 2 4 4 6 ) I s t a n b u l 2 0 1 2 dxe5 12.xb5 b8 ( Black doesn't get enough co m pe n sa t ion f o r th e e xch a n ge af t e r 12...xd5 13.c6 xc3 14.xa8 a4+ 15.d2 ) 13.xd7+ xd7 14.xe5 xb2 15.0-0 xc3 16.g7 g8 17.xf7+ d8 18.ae1 e8? ( 18...e8 was the only move to keep reasonable chances but after 19.c6+ xc6 20.dxc6 e8 21.e6 White still has a dangerous attack although d4 keeps Black in the game) 19.d6! b6 20.xd7 xd6?! 21.f8 xc2 22.e6+ c8 23.xc5 b8 24.e4 and Black resigned. ] 11.xc4 c5 12.d3 [ 12.b5 is similar to the game (although I don't really like the Bishop on b5 here) xf2+ 13.xf2 g4+ 14.e2 xh6 15.e5 a6 16.xd7+ xd7 17.exd6 exd6 18.d2 and a d ra w was a gree d in La ngro ck , H (2313)-Engelbert, C (2269) Hamburg 2002 ] 12...xf2+! Otherwise Black would just be a pawn down 13.xf2 g4+ 14.g3 xh6 Now we have a Queenless middlegame that must be assessed. W hite has a lead in development and a space advantage but B l a c k i s ve r y s o l i d s o t h i s s e e m s l i k e a sensible way to play as Black if you're happy w i t h a d r a w . 15.he1 0-0 16.e5!? This more has to be played sooner or later if White is going to try for the advantage c5 [ 16...dxe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.xe5 f5! solves a lot of Black's problems (namely the 1000
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 wea kne ss of the pa wn on e7) altho ugh White can keep some slight advantage with 19.d1 I think ] 17.f1 [ 17.exd6!? was an interesting option and now exd6 ( 17...xd3?! 18.cxd3 f5+ 19.f2 exd6 20.e4 and Black has real problems getting developed) 18.d4 xd3 19.cxd3 and Black should probably exchange off into an almost equal ending with f5+! 20.xf5 xf5 21.e7 fe8! 22.xb7 ab8 23.xb8 xb8 24.b3 xd3 25.d1 f5 and White's winning chances are small. ] 17...g4 18.exd6 exd6 19.b5?! [ 19.d2! looks like a better option to me, aiming to put the pawn on d6 under pressure with Nde4. Play might continue ad8 20.b4 d7 21.h3 f5 22.c4 and Black definitely has to be careful, for example f6 can be met with 23.h2! planning g4 ] 19...a6! Now Black is very comfortable 20.bd4 Van Kampen attempts to keep some tension in the position but he only succeeds in getting slightly the worse of it [ 20.xd6 ad8 21.e4 xe4+ 22.xe4 xf3 23.xf3 xd5 is very equal! ] 20...fe8 21.f4 xf3 22.xf3 f6 23.h4 f7 Finally the knight returns to the centre and it's clear Black has no problems here. 24.b4 a4 25.e6?! [ 25.c4 would have kept the game about equal after e5 26.ac1 b6 ] 25...c3! 26.c4 e5 Now Black has a definite advantage 27.xe5 [ 27.b3 xe6 28.dxe6 f8 and the pawn on e6 is more of a weakness than a strength as it's easily blocked - on both sides! ] 27...dxe5+ 28.e3 xe6 29.dxe6 f8 30.h5! A good practical choice, keeping the position tense g5 [ 30...c8!? might've given better winning c h a n c e s - p r o b a b l y W h it e s h o u l d p l a y 31.d3 gxh5 32.h1 but after e2! 33.xe2 xc4 34.xh5 xc2+ 35.f3 e7 only Black can be playing for a win, although I suspect with best play the position should be drawn. ] 31.a4 d8 32.a3 d1+ 33.e2 b2 [ 33...e4!? 34.g4! is getting rather unclear ]
34.b3 f5?! After this White has no real problems [ 34...e7! 35.a1 d4 would've given Black the better endgame - although at least W hite still has that pawn on e6 for some chances of counterplay ] 35.a1 d4 36.f1! f4 37.c3 e4+ 38.d2 c4+ 39.xc4 xc4 40.d3 with the minor pieces exchanged the draw is pretty much i n e v i t a b l e c6 41.e4 e7 42.xe5 xe6+ 43.f5 A definite success for 10...c4 with a comfortable draw for the player rated over 100 lower than his opponent - with ...b5 looking under a cloud at the moment this move needs careful examination. ½-½
965 Vavra,P1 Popchev,Milko Open A Prague CZE (9) [James Vigus]
B07 2319 2444 16.01.2009
1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 Nowadays, the toughest decision a Pirc player has to make is how to respond to this flexible move, which can introduce the 150 Attack (usually involving h3 and Nf3), the Archbishop Attack (h3 and g4), or the Argentinean Attack (f3 intending g4, h4). Through some lively re cen t ga me s, let 's review Bla ck' s t hre e distinct responses: PLAN A: 4. ..c6, delaying ...Bg7 PLAN B: a combination of ...c6 and ... Bg7, delaying ... 0-0 PLAN C: the brave - or maverick - ...Bg7 and ...0-0, delaying ...c6. A is standard, B under pressure, and C deserves a revival despite the obvious risk involved. In all cases White is doing quite well theoretically, yet Black's results turn out to be quite good, reflecting the ever-resilient nature of t he P irc. c6 5.h3 This little move is the cause of Black's anxiety, and has emerged as more promising than 5 Qd2 Nbd7 intending ... e5, although many stron g pla yers like t o develop simply with 5 Nf3. b5?! The least promising way to interpret plan A for alternatives see the next couple of games. 6.e5 b4 [ 6...fd7 7.exd6 exd6 8.d5! is good for W h ite , e . g. ( 8.d2?! f6 9.d3 g7 1001
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10.h6 0-0 11.xg7 xg7 12.f3 b4 13.e2 c5 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.g5 c7 16.d2 h6 17.h4 b7 18.0-0 bd7 was fine for Black in B.Golubovic (2403)-T. Petrosian(2623), Budva 2009, but) 8...b4 9.e4 ( 9.d4 is also strong, but there's no need to invite a mess with bxc3 10.xh8 cxb2 11.xb2 a5+ 12.d2 xd5 ) 9...c5 10.g5 f6 11.e2 f7 12.f4 a6 13.e3 xf1 14.xf1 A.Morozevich(2605)A.Chernin(2600), Moscow 1995 ] 7.exf6 bxc3 8.fxe7 xe7 9.b3? [ This is an odd decision, since White now has to contort himself to retrieve the c3pawn, and 9.bxc3 would have bolstered his centre nicely. Black can make a couple of a g g r e s s i v e b i s h o p m o v e s , e . g . h6 ( 9...g7 10.f3 0-0 11.d3 ) 10.e2! ( much better than 10.d2 0-0 11.d3 f5 ) 10...a6 , but now 11.d2 0-0 12.xa6 xa6 13.e2 xe3 14.xe3 f6 15.0-0 c7 is a continuation with too many exchanges to satisfy Black, who remains about half a pawn down. ] 9...h6 10.d3 [ 10.f3 intending Bd3 and Ne2 is more harmonious. ] 10...0-0 11.e2 [ If 11.xc3 , Black needn't hurry to retrieve the pawn with 11...Re8 and ...Bxc3, but can o p e n li n e s o n t h e qu e e n s id e , e . g . d7 12.0-0-0 g7 13.xc6 b6 ] 11...a6 12.xc3 g7 13.f4 c5! 14.xa6? [ Vavra faced a tricky choice. Instead 14.d5 e4 hits d4 ] [ but he might have tried 14.0-0-0! , when c8 15.c4!? gives him some hope of beating off the Black initiative. ] 14...cxd4! 15.d5 e6 16.c7 e4 17.c4?! [ The pin on the d4-pawn only has temporary effect. The alternatives are complex but none too appetising for W hite: a) 17.d3 xg2 18.xd4 xh1+ 19.e2 xd4 20.xh1 ( 20.xd4 c6 21.xh1 xd4+ 22.e3 ac8 ) 20...xc3 21.xa8 e8+ 22.d1 c8 corners White's knight. ] [ b) 17.d3 xg2 18.0-0-0 xa6 19.xa8 dxe3 20.xa6 xf2 21.f1! (otherwise 21...e2 prepares to transfer the queen to
t h e a 1 - h 8 d i a g o n a l ) o r g3 22.d5 ( p r e v e n t i n g . . . Q e 5 ) xa8 and Black's dominance continues. ] 17...xa6! [ Much clearer than transposing to line 'b' of the previous note with 17...xg2 18.0-0-0 dxe3 19.xa8 ] 18.xa8 c5? [ 18...d5! wins, e.g. 19.xa6 dxe3 20.0-0 ( 20.d3 exf2+ 21.xf2 d4+ 22.f1 h4 23.g3 f6+ 24.e2 xa1 ) 20...exf2+ 21.h1 xa1 ] 19.0-0 [ 19.0-0-0! dxe3 20.xe4 xe4 21.c7! saves White, since on xf2 22.he1 xd1 23.xd1 the advanced e3-pawn turns out to be very weak. ] 19...dxe3 20.xe4 exf2+ 21.xf2 xe4+ 22.e3 g3 23.c7 c8 24.b5 xc2 25.f2? [ White had to play 25.xd6 , but after xg2 Black will regain the exchange and keep an extra pawn in the bank. ] 25...c5 26.d4 c3+ 0-1
966 Vescovi,Giovanni P Felgaer,Ruben Festival Prefeitura (11) [Jonathan Rowson]
B07 2592 2591 19.11.2006
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 [ 3.f3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.xd8+ xd8 6.c4 ( 6.e3!? ) 6...e6 ( 6...e8! ) 7.xe6 fxe6 is considered better for White, which makes sense when you conside r W hite's tenth move in the game that follows! ] 3...e5 This move order is a 'Philidor by stealth', and the following ending is not thought to give White an advantage, but is still not a position that many top GMs want to play. 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.xd8+ xd8 6.c4 e6 [ 6...e8! looks playable to me. Azmaiparashvilli has beaten several GMs from this position as Black, and although he has also lost a few, I am not sure he was really worse from the opening(if that's the right word!). Luke McShane has also played 1002
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 this way with Black, and seems to think that White's initiative can gradually be soaked up. This is the kind of line where temperament is more important than theory. With white you need to 'hurry slowly' and make something happen without forcing the issue, while with Black you need to be very careful and very patient for the next ten moves or so. 7.f3 d6 8.e3!? This was Julian Hodgson's choice, and looks most promising to me. There are many possibilities now but the line that comes to my mind is a6 9.a4 c6 10.0-0-0 when White still has a little initiative but can easily lose it with one sloppy move. ] 7.xe6 fxe6 8.f3 In the given structure, the basis of white's advantage is that he has pawn control of the central square e4, while black's pieces are tied down to the defence of e5, and sometimes has practical problems based on white playing f4. d6 9.e3 e7 10.b1!? This is the move that caught my attention. Vescovi willingly invests two tempi to p u t h is p ie c es o n t h e ir m o st e f f ect ive squares. The knight is heading to c4, the cpawn is freed to control d4 or advance to c4, and the time lost doesn't seem to matter much. c6 11.c3 ag8?! This looks like the wrong plan. There is no real 'minority attack' and white's king on e2 will be able to cover any weaknesses on the kingside. [ 11...b5 Makes more sense to me, or perhaps ] [ 11...d7 intending to exchange bishops on c5. ] 12.h3 h6 13.f2 g5 14.h3 h5?! More vague activity. [ 14...h5 looks better, perhaps with g4 to follow, or maybe with ...h4 followed by Nh5f4. ] 15.d2 f4 16.g1 a6 17.g3 h5 18.d3 f6 19.e2 Now White has control, although Black should still be ok if he doesn't make any f u rt h e r c o n c e ssio n s . d7 20.a4 b6 Too passive. Black should try [ 20...b5 and hope for the best. 21.axb5 axb5 22.a6 db8 23.a8 d7 24.xg8 xg8 25.a1 leaves white with an edge, but without a clear plan for increasing it. ] 21.c4 d8 22.b4! For those who enjoy this sort of game, it is worth cross-referencing with my game against Stephen Gordon from the
British Championship on Isle of Man 2005. That game started as a Trompovsky, but led to a very similar position to the one we have. b7 23.f2! I always like these moves that transparently create a threat (f4) that can't really be dealt with. h5 24.f4 e8 25.fxe5 e7 White has won a clear pawn, but his winning technique was impressively emphatic. 26.d2! h7 27.b3 f7 28.c4 gf8 29.e3 d8 30.b5 a5 31.c5 xc5 32.dxc5 xc5 33.xc5 bxc5 34.xc5 g8 35.gf1 g4 36.h4 gg7 37.f6 xf6 38.exf6 d7 39.d1 xd1 40.xd1 e5 41.d2 e6 42.e3 f7 43.d3 xf6 44.c4 f8 45.d5 1-0
967 Wells,Peter K Oratovsky,Michael 15th ECC Gp 6 (3) [Nigel Davies]
B07 2476 2481 13.10.1999
Th e a tt em p t t o tra nspo se int o a P hilid o r Defence with 3...Nbd7 (whilst avoiding various forcing lines by White) is one of the more interesting unexplored frontiers in chess. It has actually attracted quite a classy following, such as the strong Israeli IM Mikhail Oratovsky and even GM Alexander Belyavsky. This game features the critical line in which Black seems to be doing OK. If he does his homework on these positions, it seems like a very useful surprise line. 1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 bd7 4.f4 The critical line. [ 4.f3 e5 transposes into a Philidor after avoiding some nasty move-order surprises that await Black if he tries to get there via 1. e4 e5. ] 4...e5 5.f3 exd4 6.xd4 c6 Clearly announcing his intention to play 7... d5. 7.e3 Preparing to castle long like this has been White's main choice, but due to the dearth of practical experience it is by no means clear that this is the best. The alternatives are as follows, with Spragget's 7. Be2 looking like W hite's most interesting alternative move. [ a) 7.d3 d5 8.e5 c5 9.a4 g4 10.d1 b5 11.b3 b6 gave Black 1003
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 excellent counterplay in Skytte - Johnsen, Budapest 1999 ] [ b) 7.e5 dxe5 8.fxe5 c5 9.h4 ( 9.f4 e7 10.e2 d5 11.xd5 cxd5 12.e3 xe3 13.xe3 b4+ 14.c3 e4 was fine for Black in Mestrovic - Loncar, Pula 2002 ) 9...e7 10.f4 b4 11.c4 ( 11.d3 d5 is also fine for Black.) 11...e4 12.xe7+ xe7 13.a3 xc3+ 14.bxc3 b6 15.d3 d5 16.c1 dxc3 and Black was a pawn up in Jaenig - Bauer, Metz 2000 ] [ c) 7.d2 d5 8.e5 c5 9.d3 g4 10.d1 e7 11.e3 c5 12.e2 b6 left Black with the initiative in Andolo - El Taher, Cairo 2000 ] [ d) 7.f5 b6 8.e2 ( 8.xb6 axb6 9.d3 b5 10.e2 c5 11.g3 d5 12.exd5 xd3+ 13.cxd3 xd5 14.0-0 f6 15.d4 f7 left Black with a clear advantage in the endgame in Moreno Carretero - Bauer, Salou 2000) 8...e7 ( 8...c5 9.d2 cd7 10.b3 e5 11.f4 xd4 12.xd4 e7 was also fine for Black in Milov,L - Galdunts, Griesheim 2002) 9.0-0 d5 10.xb6 xb6 11.d3 dxe4 12.xe4 was Smirin Altounian, Los Angeles 2000, and now xe4 13.xe4 0-0 would have left him very comfortably placed. ] [ d) 7.h3 d5 8.exd5 c5 9.c4 0-0 10.e5 cxd5 11.d3 e8 12.e2 b6 gave Black the initiative in Kesseler - Bauer, Heiligenhaus 2001 ] [ e) 7.e2!? d5 8.exd5 c5 9.d3 cxd5 ( Black could also consider offering a pawn with 9...0-0!? ) 10.e3 0-0 11.0-0-0 e8 12.e5 e7 13.f3 xe5 14.fxe5 xe3+ 15.xe3 xe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.xd5 and W hite retained some pressure in the endgame in Spraggett - Calvo, Seville 2002 ] [ f) 7.c4 d5 8.exd5 c5 9.d3 0-0!? 10.dxc6 bxc6 11.d2 e8+ 12.f1 c7 gave Black some compensation in Shetty Belkhodja, Dubai 2002 ] 7...d5 8.e5 Once again there are alternatives for White: [ a) After 8.exd5 the Swedish player Rolf Bergstrom recently introduced the simple cxd5 and after ( previously Black had played 8...c5 9.d3 e7 10.d4 b6 with wild complications) 9.0-0-0 c5
10.d3 0-0 11.xd5 xd5 12.xc5 xc5 13.xd5 a5 obtained excellent counterplay in Van Hoolandt - Bergstrom, Helsinki 2001 ] [ b) 8.0-0-0 c5 9.d3 ( 9.d2 b4 10.exd5 xd5 11.c4 0-0 12.xd5 cxd5 13.a3 xc3 14.xc3 f6 was also fine for Black in Sveshnikov - Boric, Pula 2000) 9...e7 10.e5 g4 11.d4 f2 12.xf2 xf2 13.e2 c5 14.g4 h5 was not for the feint-hearted in Beider - Oratovsky, Ramat Aviv 2000 ] 8...g4 9.g1 [ 9.d2 xe3 10.xe3 b6 gave Black a nice two bishop game in Niknaddaf - Varga, Yerevan 2001 ] 9...b6 10.xb6 axb6 11.h3 h6 12.g4 b4 13.d4 c5 14.g2 a4 15.0-0 xc3 16.bxc3 c5 17.e3 xc3 18.f5 White clearly has a few chances for his pawn, due mainly to the poor position of the knight on h6. When Oratovsky repositions the beast W hite's attempts to gain compensation become more and more frantic. g8 19.e6 fxe6 20.fxe6 f6 21.g5 f8 22.ae1 xa2 23.e7 h8 24.d2 xc2 25.xc3 xc3 26.xd5! xd5 27.f7 Threatening all sorts of horrible things, but Black can return some of his booty to defuse the attack. e3 28.xh8 xe1 29.xe1 xe7? Was this really necessary? [ It seems to me that Black can play 29...d7 30.d1 e6 when his pawns are ready to roll. ] 30.b1 d5 31.e1+ e7 32.b1 c4 33.b4 e6 34.xb6 d5 35.f2 c8 36.b5 c6 37.e5+ d7 38.f7 b5 ½-½
968 Werle,Jan Nijboer,Friso Harmonie Groningen (5) [Andrew Martin]
B07 2430 2555 2002
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 The Byrne Variation, still a most dangerous attacking line. It is very direct and difficult to meet. c6 Nijboer chooses one of the main highways where Black delays ...Bg7 for a 1004
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 while in favour of Queenside counterplay. [ 4...g7 5.d2 h6 ( 5...c6 6.h6 xh6 7.xh6 b5 8.e5 b4 9.exf6 bxc3 10.bxc3 e6 11.g7 f8 12.xh7 d7 13.d3 xf6 14.h4 d5 15.xd8+ xd8 16.e2 a5 17.d2 a6 18.ab1 c7 19.h4 h8 20.g3 c5 21.e4 c4 22.a3 ab8 23.d3 xd3 24.cxd3 cxd4 25.xd4 f6 26.a4 d7 27.b5 a8 28.hb1 a7 29.b3 ha8 30.g4 e5 31.h5 xg4 32.f3 e5 33.f4 g4 34.f5 1-0 Chan,M-Chia Keng San/20th Cairnhill Open, Singapore SIN 2002 (34)) 6.h4 g5 7.g3 h5 8.0-0-0 ( 8.ge2 d7 9.0-0-0 c5 10.f3 xg3 11.hxg3 a5 12.b1 b6 13.d5 xd2 14.xd2 xd5 15.exd5 cxd4 16.xd4 h5 17.f4 g4 18.d3 gxf4 19.gxf4 xd4 20.b5+ d7 21.xd7+ xd7 22.xd4 ag8 23.h2 h4 24.a4 h5 25.b4 b6 26.a5 xd5 27.axb6 axb6 28.xh4 xg2 29.xb6 d1+ 30.a2 xc2 31.b7+ e6 32.h6+ f6 33.h7 f5 34.hxe7 xf4 35.b4+ g5 36.g7+ f5 37.g3 f2 38.b3 d5 39.c3 f4 40.b5 e4 41.g8 e3 42.g3+ f2 43.g8 f5 44.d8 c4+ 45.b3 d3+ 46.a2 cd4 47.b7 f4 48.f7 f3 49.f5 e2 50.df8 a4+ 51.b1 d1+ 52.c2 c4+ 53.b3 d3+ 54.a2 a4+ 55.b1 d1+ 56.c2 c4+ 57.b3 d3+ 1/2-1/2 Reinaldo Castineira, R-Narciso Dublan,M/ Cerrado CEMAR A, Mondariz ESP 2002 (57)) 8...d7 ( 8...c6 9.b5 d7 10.ge2 e6 11.e3 a6 12.xc6 xc6 13.h4 xg3 14.xg3 g8 15.h5 h8 16.e5 e7 17.hxg5 hxg5 18.he1 0-0-0 19.g4 b8 20.a3 a5 21.e2 b6 22.ed2 b7 23.b1 1/2-1/2 Balogh,CValdes,L/Budapest 2002 (23)) 9.e5 dxe5 10.dxe5 xg3 11.hxg3 xe5 12.f4 gxf4 13.gxf4 g7 14.c4 e6 15.f3 e7 16.f5 b6 17.b3 d7 18.a4 c5 19.fxe6 fxe6 20.e4 f5 21.a5 xe4 22.axb6 c6 23.d4 axb6 24.b1 xd4 25.xd4 0-0-0 26.d2 hg8 27.xh6 xg2 28.d1 e5 29.h4 f3 30.xd7 f8 31.e6 f1+ 32.d1+ 1-0 Aldea,L-Marin,L/ Bucharest 2002 (32) ] 5.d2 b5 6.d3 g7 [ 6...bd7 ]
7.f4 0-0 8.f3 g4 The idea of this move is simply to remove the Knight on f3, an essential component of the coming Kingside attack. In my view Black can obtain counterplay with 8...b4 but he has to be very quick there : [ 8...bd7 9.e5! b4 10.e2 d5 ( 10...dxe5 11.fxe5 d5 12.h6 ) 11.exd6 f6 12.dxe7 xe7 13.h4 e3 14.f2! ] [ 8...b4 9.e2 b6 10.f5! e5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.g3 bd7 13.h4 c5 14.0-0-0 xd3+ 15.cxd3 b3 16.axb3 xb3 ] 9.0-0 b6 10.e2 bd7 11.h1 [ Apparently Black can claw his way to equality after 11.c3 for instance : d5 12.e5 e4 13.e3 xg5 14.xg5 f6 15.f3 fxe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.fxe5= The Bishop on g7 is shut down but by trading Rooks and playing .. .e6 and ... c5 Black stays in the game. ] 11...e6 [ 11...d5 Nunn and McNab give 12.xf6 xf6 13.e5 e4 14.e3 f6 15.c3 f5 16.h3 h6 17.g4 e6 18.xe4 dxe4 19.xe4 ( 19.exf6 exf6 20.xe4 ae8 21.c2 d5 ) 19...f5 ] 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 c5 This is the essence of Nijboer's plan. He has a tough, hedgehoglike structure in the centre and on the Kingside and tries to create some counterplay against d4. White must not sit back-Black's position has potential. 14.c3 ab8 15.af1 b4? A very serious mistake and a pity, because Nijboer devised a deep and interesting idea. Black has to play 15... c4! first and then matters are not clear : [ 15...c4 16.b1 ( 16.c2 a6 17.a3 d5= ) 16...b4 ] 16.e5! Had to come. White has to go for it tactically with Black's positional pressure increasing every move. bxc3 17.bxc3 d5 18.c4 b4 [ 18...b4 19.c2! 5b6 20.e7 ] 19.e7! cxd4 20.xd6 c5 Black can claim well-placed Knight but that Bishop on d6 outshines them both. Werle is rightly loathe to grab the exchange, preferring to increase his grip. 21.b1 a5 22.a3! bxd3 [ 22...xa3 23.xc5 ] 23.xa5 xb1+ 24.h2 c8 Black is still giving material away but a Queen is a Queen. 1005
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 W erle is ruthless in the mop-up 25.xd4+f8 26.c3 h6 27.xd3 e4 28.c2 xf4+ 29.g3 c1 30.g2 xg3 31.xg3 1xc4 32.e2 xg3+ 33.xg3 h5 34.e3 a5 35.g2 c2 36.e7 b2 37.f6 cc2 38.h6 xe2+ 39.f1 f2+ 40.e1 fe2+ 41.d1 Pirc players will know how lethal the Byrne Variation can be so they can draw some comfort from this game despite the final result. Nijboer's plan was very interesting and it was a shame that he didn't play 15.. .c4! after which it would have very much been 'game on' 1-0
1977, and White won in brilliant style: 7.g4! cxd4 8.xd4 dxe5 9.fxe5 g7 10.e6! xe6 ( 10...fxe6 11.0-0-0 was more stubborn but of course not much fun for Black. ) 11.xh8 xg5 12.0-0-0 a6 13.h4 e6 14.c4 b6 15.h3 h6 16.he1 dc5 17.d5 a7 18.g5 h5 19.c7+!! xc7 20.xe7+!! Excellent! Black resigned in view of mate in two: xe7 21.f6+ e8 22.d8# ] 7.dxe5 h5 8.c4 h6 9.e6! fxe6 10.d3 f7 11.f3 g7 12.0-0 White has developed his pieces in the most powerful way. It looks like Black is already in dead trouble. b6 [ 12...hxg5 was also losing, but survives for 969 B07 longer: 13.xg5 b6 14.xe6+ h7 15.f5 and the attack is irresistible. ] Yakovich,Yuri 2592 Gual,Antonio 2433 13.h4! [ Losing the g6 pawn means checkmate for Terrasa 1999 the Black King but there is no way to defend [Alexander Volzhin] the pawn: 13.h4 e5 14.d5 ( or 14.d5 e6 15.e4 ) 14...d6 15.f6+ so Black 1.e4 This game is another good example of resigned. ] how dangerous it is to use somebody else's id ea wit ho ut c aref ul an alysis, espe cially 1-0 against strong opponents. One of the leading experts in the P irc with 4. Bg5, GM Yury B07 Y a k o v i c h f o u n d a n a t u r a l a n d s t r o n g 970 Yakovich,Yuri 2565 improvement which posed serious problems Romero Garcia,Mariano 2285 for Black. d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 1999 We have already seen the excellent victory of Sevilla Ya k o vi c h o v e r G M B e im . O f co u r s e , h i s [Alexander Volzhin] opponent, the strong Spanish IM Gual, knew this game and prepared a relatively new idea. A passive approach has its drawbacks as well. If White secures his strong pawn centre and bd7 5.f4! [ As IM Gual explained after the game, completes development unimpeded then he during his preparation he studied the game has good chances to prove an advantage. Almasi - Beliavsky, 1997: 5.d2 h6 6.h4 1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 c6 4.f4 a5 e5 6.f3 g4 7.e3 bd7 c5 7.dxc5 g5 8.g3 xc5 9.f3 g7 5.d3 10.b5+ d7 11.ge2 xb5 12.xb5 A solid but passive move. In the forthcoming h5! 13.bc3 xg3 14.hxg3 a5 struggle strong pawn centre and considerable 15.0-0-0 0-0-0! Draw agreed, and was space advantage secure W hite the better satisfied. However an unpleasant surprise chances. However this move has been Black's awaits him. The threat 6.e5 is obvious, but u s u a l c h o i ce i n r e c e n t g a m e s s i n c e t h e it's not clear how to react against it. ] complications after 7...exd4 or 7...exf4 are even worse for him. 8.0-0 e7 9.h3 xf3 5...c5 [ 9...exf4 as was played in Glek[ 5...h6 6.h4 h5 doesn't work, as after 7.f5! the weak g6-square is a target. ] Cseshko vsky, P hilade lph ia 1 990 is th e alternative to the text, but also insufficient 6.e5 dxe5 But the text move is hardly an for equality: 10.xf4 xf3 11.xf3 b6 improvement. 12.e2! White has firmly protected his pawn [ 6...h5 was played in Vasiukov - Pribyl, 1006
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c e n t r e a n d h a s a c l e a r e d g e . e5? A mistake based on miscalculation. ( 12...0-0 looks better but af ter 13.h1 it's not easy f or Black to f ind suf f icien t defence against 14 e5.) 13.xe5 dxe5 14.g3! and Black is in trouble. ] 10.xf3 0-0 11.e2! c5 [ 11...fe8 12.c3 b5 13.a3 c7 14.f2 a5 15.af1 b4 16.g3 f8 17.f5 , and White has good attacking chances on the K-side, Pektor-Adamek, Praha1992. ] 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.c3! d6 [ 13...exf4? 14.xf4 is bad for Black since the threat of 15 e5 is very nasty. ] 14.f5! b6 Black intends 15...c4 and 16...Bc5 exchanging his bad Bishop but White's next move prevents this plan. 15.e2! fd8 [ An interesting attempt to obtain c o u n t e r p l a y : 15...c4 16.xc4 xc4 17.xc4 ac8 18.b3 b4 fails to 19.d5! and White has healthy extra pawn. ] [ 15...ac8? 16.b5! fd8 17.d2 and White wins. ] 16.a3! A very good prophylactic move. White prepares 17 Bc4 which is not so good immediately in view of [ 16.c4 xc4 17.xc4 b4! ] 16...ac8 17.c4! xc4 18.xc4 a6?! Allowing W hite to exchange his Bishop for Black's Knight after which Black has nothing to challenge White's Knight on d5. [ 18...f8 19.g5 d4 20.e2 e8 is the only way to fight although after 21.e3 d7 22.ad1 xd1 23.xd1 White has a huge advantage, Yakovich-Mokry, Pardubice 1994. ] 19.g5! b5 20.e2 e7 21.xf6 xf6 22.d5+The difference in the strength of White's Knight and Black's Bishop allows us to evaluate this position as strategically won for W hite. d6 23.ad1 d8 24.a4! c4 25.g4 f8 26.axb5 axb5 27.h1 a8 28.c3 a7 29.g3! a2 30.f2 c8 31.b4 xd1 32.xd1 a8 33.b6 e8 [ 33...b8 34.d6+ g8 35.c6 a8 36.d5+- b7? 37.e7++- ] 34.c6 c8 35.a7 b8 36.c7 g8 37.d7 b4 38.c6 c8 39.d6! [ The hasty 39.e7+? could have thrown away W hite's advantage: xe7 40.xe7
d8 41.xd8+ xd8 42.xe5 b3! 43.c5 f6 ( 43...h5!? ) 44.xc4 d2 and so on. ] 39...bxc3 40.bxc3 a8 41.e7+ h8 [ In the case of 41...xe7 42.xe7 b8 W hite would have won easily b y 43.d5 b1+ 44.h2 f8 45.xe5 d3 46.f6+- ] 42.d5 g5 [ 42...h4 43.h2! ] 43.f6! gxf6 [ 43...xf6 is also hopeless: 44.xf6 gxf6 45.xf6+ g8 46.e7 and White wins. ] 44.c7 a1+ [ 44...b8 could have been parried by 45.xa8 b1+ 46.d1 ] 45.h2 f4+ [ 45...g8 46.d8 f4+ was not a mate as after 47.g3 xg3+ 48.g2 the Queen is under attack. ] 46.g3 xg3+ 47.g2 [ Of course not 47.xg3?? g8+ ] 47...a2+ 48.f3 Black resigned. 1-0
971 Yegiazarian,Arsen Marin,Mihail Bucharest [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2455 2545 1998
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.d3!? e5 4.c3 d5! 5.dxe5 xe4 6.f3 c6 7.bd2 c5 8.c2 g4! The Bishop transfer to g6 (via the h5-square) which is typical for the Ruy Lopez Open Variation is the best possibility here as well. 9.0-0 e7 10.e1 d7 [ 10...d4 is worthy of consideration: 11.h3 h5 12.e4 d3!? ( 12...dxc3 deserves serious attention) 13.xc5 dxc2 14.xd8+ xd8 15.xb7 d1 16.e3 xf3 17.gxf3 xe1+ 18.xe1 d7 and Black has excellent prospects, Rausis-Khalif man, Eupen 1994. ] 11.b4 [ 11.f1 is possible but after d4! Black is fine: 12.b4 ( 12.cxd4?! is we a k e r : xf3 13.gxf3 xd4 and Black's Knights dominate the center.) 12...e6 13.b5 cd8 14.b2 dxc3 15.xd7+ xd7 16.xc3 xf3 17.gxf3 a6 and in this complicated endgame Black's chances are by no means 1007
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 worse as the game Smirin-Dorfman, Tilburg 1993 proved. ] 11...e6 12.b3 a5! 13.b5 cd8 14.a4 c5 15.h3 h5 16.f5 [ An attempt to commence action on the Kside leads W hite nowhere: 16.g4 g6 17.f5 b6 18.c2 b7 19.h4 0-0-0 20.h5 in view of xf5 21.gxf5 c7 and Black can exploit the exposed position of White's King by playing 22... g6 or 22...f6, intending ... Qe8 winning h5-pawn. ] 16...g6 17.xg6 hxg6 18.a2 White intends to play 19 Rd2 Nc7 20 b6 so Black's reply is forced. b6 Now Black's plan is very simple: to put his knights on the c7 and e6-squares, then to put his king in a safe place by castling Q-side and finally to begin an attack on the K-side. The plan is very long, but I can't see how W hite can counter it. 19.e3 c7 20.g5 de6 21.xe7 xe7 22.bd2 0-0-0 Another additional possibility in comparison with the Ruy Lopez: having pawns on a6 and b5 Black would be unlikely to castle Q-side, at least I can remember only 2 games where such idea occurred (Reshevsky-Keres, 1948) and PanchenkoKharitonov, 1981) . 23.f1 f4! Putting the knight in a better position. 24.g3 ce6 25.d2 [ 25.e2!? trying to exchange one of the strong Knights was better. ] 25...d7 (threatening ...Nxg2) 26.c4 [ An attempt to transfer the Knight to the d6square 26.e4? fails to dxe4! 27.xd7 xd7 28.d2 hd8 with a material advantage for Black. ] 26...d4 27.e4 The only move. [ 27.e4 a l l o w s t h e s a c r i f i c e xg2! which gives Black a decisive attack: 28.d6+ ( 28.xg2? f4+ 29.g3 xh3+ 30.xf4 f5# ) 28...b8 29.xg2 f4+ 30.g3 xh3+ 31.xf4 xd6! and Black wins: 32.exd6 f5+ 33.g3 h3+ 34.g2 g4+ 35.f1 h1+ 36.e2 e4# ] 27...b7 28.g5 h4 29.xe6 fxe6 30.f3 e7 31.e2 g5 32.xf4 xf4 33.xf4 xf4 In spite of the exchanges Black's advantage has n ot dimin ished. He has a strong passed pawn in the centre and White's e5-pawn is very weak. 34.e2 d3 35.e4 g5 36.h4?! h6 37.f2 d2 38.e2 g5!
After this break Black wins easily 39.g3 gxh4 40.xh4 g5 The rest needs no comment. 41.f2 xe5 42.e4 h5 43.g2 e5 44.h4 f5 45.h1 d3 46.h4 f8 (threatening ... Qxf3) 47.h1 b8! 48.f1 [ After the queen exchange Black wins easily: 48.f1 xf1+ 49.xf1 e4 50.f4 d8 51.d1 e3 52.f3 d3 53.e2 c3 54.f5 c7 55.g4 d6 56.g5 c1 ] 48...d8 49.h1 xc4 White resigned. Now it's time to draw certain conclusions. The examined line is rather unpleasant for Black especially if develops his dark-squared Bishop on g7. So I recommend Black players to play the line with 4...d5 and if the Bishop is already on g7 as in the Modern Defence in my opinion Morozevich's plan with ...Nc6 is worth playing. In any case this line leads to very complicated positions with mutual chances and I hope that this material will help you to feel confident playing either colour. 0-1
972 Yu Yangyi Giri,A Reykjavik Open 2013 (6.1) [Tom Rendle]
B07 2688 2722 23.02.2013
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 g7 5.f3 c6 6.d2 b5 This position has appeared a few times on ChessPub but we've tended to concentrate on lines where White goes for an all out attack on the Black king with g4/h4/Bh6 etc. In this game we see two SuperGMs take a more positional approach 7.a4 [ 7.g4 I analysed in Perez CandelarioGranda Zuniga last year. ] 7...b4 8.d1 This is probably the best retreat as the knight will be well placed on f2. [ 8.ce2 is a more serious alternative and now a5 9.h6 xh6 ( 9...0-0 10.h4 looks dangerous as White is threatening h5) 10.xh6 c7 with an unclear middlegame ] [ 8.a2 looks rather odd but it did score rather a big upset in the following game a5 9.c3 bxc3 10.xc3 a6 ( 10...0-0 straight away is also absolutely fine for Black ) 11.h3 xh3 12.gxh3 0-0 1008
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and Black had a good position in Sequera Paolini, J (2396)-Iturrizaga, E (2646) Cappelle la Grande 2013 although later he misplayed it and lost. ] 8...a5 9.f2 [ 9.c3 is a major alternative here and now bxc3 ( 9...0-0!? is actually an idea here as it's not clear if White is better after 10.cxb4 axb4 11.xb4 fd7! and c5 is coming with good compensation) 10.bxc3 0-0 11.d3 bd7 12.e2 e5 13.0-0 d5 14.f2 a6 15.xa6 xa6 and this position was reached in a couple of games: Sagit, R (2367)-Jocys, D (2205) Pardubice 2012 and Vysochin, S (2482)-Poluljahov, A (2566) Swidnica 1999 but White was unable to find an edge in either. ] 9...bd7 [ 9...a6 makes less sense as White gets an easy slight edge after 10.xa6 ( 10.d3 may even be more accurate) 10...xa6 11.e2 d7?! ( 11...0-0 12.0-0 c5 is only a little better for White) 12.h6 xh6 13.xh6 e5 14.0-0 e7 15.c3 and White was very comfortable and went on to win in Kjartansson, G (2391)-McKenna, J (2147) Hastings 2009 ] 10.d3 0-0 11.e2 e5 Giri seeks immediate counterplay in the centre [ 11...c5 is Black's other way of playing the position but I think W hite can keep th e better chances with 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 c7 14.b5! and the bishop on b5 is rather annoying for Black. ] 12.c3 d5! This is a key idea for Black in this line and it seems to fully equalise here 13.0-0 [ it's too early for 13.cxb4 axb4 14.xb4?! as Black gets quick play in the centre with dxe4 15.fxe4 exd4 16.xd4 c5! 17.xc5 xc5 18.xc5 g4! and despite being two pawns down Black is clearly better and White's dark squares are unenviable. ] 13...e8 14.h6 After this Black is doing fine but there isn't an obvious improvement. [ 14.cxb4 axb4 15.xb4 is critical but Black has great compensation after exd4 16.xd4 dxe4 17.fxe4 e5 ] 14...bxc3 15.bxc3 a6?! This is slight inaccurate and gives Yu Yangyi the chance for the initiative. [ 15...xh6 16.xh6 b8 was better.
There's little to be feared from the queen on h6 and in fact it's probably misplaced here. ] 16.xg7 xg7 17.xa6 xa6 18.g3?! White missed this early opportunity. [ 18.f4! was a chance for a definite advantage xe4 ( 18...exd4 19.e5 e4 20.xe4 dxe4 21.cxd4 and again White is d o i n g w e l l) 19.xe4 dxe4 20.fxe5 and White has the better pawn structure and more coordinated pieces. Black should try f5! but that leaves the king a little vulnerable and White can consider 21.e3 with ideas of g4!? ] 18...dxe4 19.fxe4 h6 Now the position is evenly balanced again although Black still has to be a bit more careful as his king isn't totally secure 20.ae1 b6 21.d1! A fine move which really puts the pressure on Giri and the talented young Dutchman isn't able to find the best continuation. exd4 [ 21...b1! seems to keep the balance as now Ne3 allows the exchange of rooks. White has the dangerous looking 22.f5+! gxf5 23.e3 xe1 24.xf5+ g8 but there doesn't seem to be more than a draw for W hite here, e.g. 25.xe1 h7 26.xh6+ g7 27.f5+ g8 A) 28.e3 is tricky but not decisive after e6 ( or 28...h8 29.g3 f6 ) 29.dxe5 hf8; B) 28.h6+ ] 22.cxd4 c5 23.f4! g5?! After this the f5 square is far too weak and Black is in trouble [ 23...cxd4 is best but Black is still under p re ssu re a f t e r 24.e5 g8 ( 24...xe5 25.xe5 xe5 26.xe5 e6 27.c5 b6 is also possible as Black should draw the ending with careful play.) 25.xf7+ h8 26.e6 although c5 keeps the game unclear ] 24.f5 be6 25.e5?! This is good but not crushing [ 25.d5! e5 26.f3 is even stronger as White can bring the knight to c3 to cover e4 before mounting a decisive kingside assault. Play might continue h8 27.f5 h7 28.h3 h5 29.d6 8e7 30.e3 and black's position is going to be broken by the arrival of a second knight to f5! ] 25...h8 26.h3 h7 [ 26...g4! looks odd but it was a better way to 1009
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 stay in the game. After 27.xh6+ h7 a1-h8 diagonal is blocked. 7.dxe5 ( 7.d5 28.h5 df6! 29.xf7 xd4+ 30.f2 should also be considered) 7...dxe5 8.xd8 xe5 31.xe5 xe5 White is still a lot xd8 9.g5 White should always be careful better but there is lots of work to do. ] before playing the lunge which loses control 27.f5 cxd4 28.xh6?! over a lot of key squares. fd7 10.b5 [ 28.d6 b8 29.f2! is hard to see but ( 10.d5= ) 10...a6 11.e3 b6 12.a3 Black's position is collapsing here, e.g. xe5 c6?! ( 12...c4! immediately favours Black) 30.xf7+ g7 31.xe5! xe5 32.xh6+ 13.xa7! c4 14.xc8 dxc8 15.b1 xf7 33.xh7+ e6 34.g4 ( 15.0-0-0! is a better way to hold the b2 with a decisive attack. Admittedly this is pawn. ) 15...xe3 16.fxe3 c5 17.h4 d8 much easier to see with lots of time and a 18.h3 h6 19.gxh6 xh6 20.e2 d6 computer which is why W hite should've shows the lower rated White player holding preferred the simpler 25.d5! ] a draw comfortably, and indeed he's just a 28...xh6 29.xh6 xe5 30.f2 d3 pawn up in the final position 1/2-1/2 Suddenly Black has counterplay and it's not so Andreev-Chatalbashev, Plovdiv 2010. ] easy. 31.h3 e6 32.g3 d5 33.h1?! 6.g5N A wasted move that points to time-trouble [ 6.dxc5 is Nakamura-Hickl annotated by [ 33.d1 d6 34.d2 and White still has John Watson in the archives. a5 7.g2 good chances. ] ( 7.d3 is interesting where the game 33...d2! 34.e3 f5 35.b3 g7 36.bb1 finished unexpectedly quickly after xe4?? And here the players agreed to a draw. I 8.b5+ and the knight drops 1-0 Rogicsuspect Black was short of time here as well Ljubicic, Rabac 2003) 7...xc5 8.ge2 as with more time Giri might've played on with These positions are equal but both sides f4! 37.h3 f6 with a clear advantage. Still, ha ve ch a n ce s a nd yo u sh o uld h ave a n he can consider himself lucky to have understanding of the Dragon to play Black. escaped with the draw! Despite that fact I 0-0 don't think the positional 7.a4 leads to any A) 9.e3 c7 10.0-0 c6 11.f4 d7 real edge for White. 12.e2 a6 13.cd5 d8 14.c4 e6 ½-½ 15.c3 c7= 1-0 Sambuev-Ignatiev, St Petersburg 2001 ( 15...xc3!? 16.bxc3 ce5 would require White to get an 973 B07 initiative quickly as c4 is dropping ); B) 9.0-0 c6 10.e3 a5 11.f4 e6 Yudin,Sergei 2573 B1) In a later game, admittedly another Ajrapetjan,Yuriy 2525 b l i t z g a m e , N a k a m u r a p l a y e d 12.g5 9th Aeroflot Open A (7) 15.02.2010 h5 13.d5 xd5 The game wasn't [Gawain Jones] perf ect but Nakamura shows a good illustration of W hite's ideal plan. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.h3 g7 ( 13...xb2! 14.b1 g7 15.xb7 fb8 I think this is more sensible than 4... c6 which 16.xe7+ xe7 17.xe7 c4 ) we saw last month as here Black can break 14.exd5 b8 15.a3 d7 16.b1 fc8 with c5 immediately. 5.g4 17.h2 d8 18.b3 a5 19.a4 c5 [ If White doesn't like what he sees here then 20.c4 d7 21.f3 e6 22.dxe6 fxe6 he can transpose back into the Classical 23.xh5 gxh5 24.xc5 xc5 25.g3 with 5.f3 ] h4 26.e4 c6 27.h5 d5 28.f6+ 5...c5 xf6 29.gxf6 h8 30.g1 dxc4 [ 5...0-0 was also played recently 6.g2 e5 31.g2 f8 32.bg1 1-0 NakamuraI'm not totally happy with this move. If we Navrotescu, playchess.com 2005; compare this to an early h3 line against the B2) 12.d5 xd5 ( 12...d8 13.d2 Kings Indian, it's currently considered better a5 14.d4 xd5 15.exd5 c4 to play a Benoni style system with c5 rather 16.d3 b6 17.ae1 in this type of than e5, as g4 is more usef ul when the 1010
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 position it's awkward to come up with a plan for Black 1-0 Rodriguez Vila-Iermito, Villa Martelli 2008) 13.exd5 b4 14.c4 d7 15.a3 a6 16.d4 c7 17.c1 fe8 18.b4 etc. is 1-0 Nakamura-Hickl, playchess.com 2004 is in the archives. ] [ 6.ge2 cxd4 7.xd4 amusingly I've already annotated this position in my game Nokes-Jones which started off as a Dragon which if you subscribe to all sections you'll be able to see. The game continued c6 8.e3 d7 ( 8...xd4 9.xd4 a5 10.b5+ f8 was one line I looked at, in which I favoured White, although it's not so clear. ) 9.g2 e5 10.0-0 c4 11.c1 wh e n I p l a y e d a n i n a c c u r a c y w i t h b6 It's curious that the computer favours Black but White's position should be fully playable. White has to make sure he doesn't push g5 too early, a mistake which Roger made in our game. ] 6...fd7 7.d5 a6 The problem for White here is that he's never going to mate Black on the kingside. The idea behind h3-g4 is more to grab space than to mate black, something Y u d i n r e a l i s e d t o o l a t e . 8.h4?! Maybe marking it as dubious might be unfair but this plan doesn't work well at all. There is a problem once g5 has been played, though, that it's harder to find good squares for his pieces. [ 8.ge2 0-0 9.g3 b8 feels easier to p la y f o r B la c k h o we ve r, h e h a s lo gica l queenside play. ] 8...a5 9.d2 b4 10.h3 Way too artificial [ 10.ge2 is necessary, even if the pawn is edible xb2 11.b1 a3 12.h5 e5 when there's no real compensation for the pawn. ] 10...0-0 [ Now Black can't take 10...xb2 11.xa6 bxa6 12.b1 a3 13.b5! ] 11.b1?! This loses the centre but already it's hard to suggest a solution. [ Perhaps White had to try and go for broke with 11.h5 ] 11...xc3 12.xc3 xe4+ 13.e3 h1! You ha ve to be ca ref ul you d on't get th e queen trapped but it highlights how badly W hite's pieces coordinate. 14.f3 b6 15.xe7? This loses on the spot but the
posit io n is b eyon d salva tion a nywa y g4 and White resigned as he can't hold onto the knight as 16.Re3 Rae8 increases the pressure. A well played game by Black and the game displays how White can go wrong if he's not careful. 0-1
974 Yudin,Sergei Smirnov,Pavel 4th Open A Moscow RUS (7) [John Watson]
B07 2519 2599 08.02.2008
The game provides an active recipe to a setup that is slightly irritating to meet. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.g3 f6 5.g2 0-0 6.ge2 e5 7.h3 c6 8.a4 The usual move. [ A game just weeks ago showed that the m o v e o r d e r 8.e3 may not be the most accurate: b5!? 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.c5 xd1+ ( 10...e8! ) 11.xd1 e8 12.c1!? fd7 ( 12...a5! a n d . . . N a 6) 13.e3 ( 13.d6 b6 ) 13...a6 14.b3 b4? 15.d2 b6 16.a5 f8 17.0-0 c4 18.xc4 bxc4 19.f4 ( 19.fd1 e6 20.f4 l o o k s s t r o n g) 19...a6 20.fxe5 b8 21.a4 c3!? 22.bxc3 b5 23.fd1 e6 24.f1 a5 25.d8?! xd8 26.xd8 g7 27.xa6 xa4 28.d3 ( 28.c8! ) 28...xh3 29.a8 xa2 30.xa7 xa7 31.xa7 e6 with approximate equality. White even went on to lose in Khayrullin, D (2382) -Varavin, V (2427)/Kazan RUS 2008. ] 8...a5 [ 8...bd7 9.0-0 ( 9.a5 d5!? 10.exd5 exd4 11.xd4 e8+ 12.e3 cxd5 13.0-0 c5!? ) 9...b6 is Philidor-like. Black would like to play ...Qc7/...a6/..Bb7 and ...b5. ] 9.e3 A standard position that is sometimes called the Martinowsky System (well, named thus by me, many years ago). Black's next introduces a primitive plan that has no easy answer. a6! 10.0-0 [ 10.d2 b4 11.0-0-0! threatens dxe5 and isn't as risky as it may look. ] 10...b4 11.f4 [ 11.d2 e7 12.ad1 e6 13.f4 fd8 gives central counterplay. ] 11...h5!? 1011
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 11...e6 ] 12.g4 [ 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.d5 cxd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.exd5 f5 16.d6 is messy, but I prefer W hite just b ecause of th e d-pawn (an d chance for a timely g4). ] 12...xf4 13.xf4 exf4 14.xf4 f5!? [ 14...e6 would be safe and sound. ] 15.exf5 [ 15.gxf5! gxf5 16.d2 fxe4?! ( 16...e6 17.ae1 ) 17.xe4 f5 18.c3 ] 15...gxf5 16.g5 e6 Okay, Black's isolated fpawn is blockaded, but his pieces are active. 17.d2 d7 18.fe1 ae8 19.e2!? d5! 20.g3 e4 21.ac1 d5 22.c3 [ 22.xe4 xe4! 23.xe4 fxe4 24.h2 e6! intends ...e3, even after 25 c4. ] 22...c5 23.dxc5? xf4 24.xf4 e5 25.f2 xg3 26.xg3 f4 27.f2 f3 28.f1 d5 [ 28...e5! ] 29.cd1 xa4 30.c4 dxc4 31.d4 d3 32.xe8 xe8 33.xd3 cxd3 34.xd3 e4 White's position is too loose. 35.c3 f5 36.h2 e5+ 37.h1 e2 38.c2 e4 39.c3 f7 40.e3 xe3 0-1
975 Zagrebelny,Sergey Morozevich,Alexander Novgorod [Alexander Volzhin]
B07 2480 2595 1997
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.c3 f6 5.d3 0-0 6.0-0 c5 7.h3 c6!? This move leads to very complicated play which is more typical of a King's Indian. 8.d5 a5 9.c4 [ White has also tried 9.a3 b6 10.d2 e6 11.c4 e8?! ( I wo u l d p r e f e r 11...e5 with mutual chances.) 12.e1 d7 13.b1 e5 14.xe5 xe5 15.f4 , and White is clearly better, Yusupov-Speelman, Munchen 1992. ] 9...e5 10.a3 b6 11.b4 b7 12.a2? It's very difficult to explain this move. In my opinion it's just a ridiculous one. [ T h e n a t u ra l 12.c3 should definitely be preferred with very complicated play. The transfer of the light-squared Bishop to a4 via
the c2-square seems the most logical idea in this position. ] 12...h8 13.g5 e8 14.c3 g8 15.b5?! White plays without any plan. As we'll see later the Knight is clearly misplaced here. d7 16.d2 f5 17.exf5 [ 17.f3 is the alternative to the text but Black has very easy play here: f4 ( 17...h6!? is a possible move since the exchange of dark-squared Bishops is one of Black's ideas. ) 18.h4 h6 19.f2 g5 intending ... h5, ...Nh6 ... Rg8 and finally ...g5-g4 with strong attack. It's not clear how White can stop it. ] 17...gxf5 18.c2 [ The typical 18.f4? is impossible in view of e4 19.e2 a6 , and Black wins a piece. ] 18...f7 19.b3 d7 20.bxc5 xb5! 21.cxb5 dxc5 It took Black less then 10 moves to completely outplay his opponent. White has a weak pawn on d5, all his pieces are uncoordinated while Black has an advantage in the center, a strong passed cpawn and a fantastic place for his "bad" knight on d6. 22.f3 d6 23.a4 f6 24.d2 [ 24.xf6 xf6 25.d2 g8 seems very bad f or W hite, but in the game Black is just winning. ] 24...xd5 25.d1 b4 26.aa1 c4 27.e2 xc2 28.xc2 f4 Black has a clear extra pawn as well as positional advantage, so the outcome of the game is beyond any doubt. 29.e4 e3 30.db1 h5 31.e7 g8 32.g4!? Th e last cha n ce . h6 Black is precise until the very end. [ Grabbing the pawn gave White counterplay After 32...xh3? 33.a2 g3+ 34.h1 the position is not clear at all! ] 33.h4 ae8 34.g5 e6 35.a2 h6 36.h2 f8 37.d2 g7 38.f2 d7 39.e2 g7 40.c6 d6 0-1
1012
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 976 Zhigalko,S Onischuk,V VIII Governor's Cup (6.2) [Tom Rendle]
B07 2682 2563 20.11.2012
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.g5 g7 5.d2 h6 6.h4 0-0!? [ 6...g5 7.g3 is more usual and has been examined in Motylev-Kasimzhanov and A lm a s i-M a rin . I t se e m s l ike W h it e h a s some advantage here. ] 7.0-0-0 c6 Since Black has not played g5 things are relatively safe on the kingside but now White has some interesting options 8.f4 [ 8.xf6 is interesting but Black has two playable options here xf6!? ( 8...exf6 9.h4 f5 10.h5 fxe4 11.hxg6 fxg6 12.xe4 d5 and Black has the two Bishops and a solid centre although the weaknesses on the kingside might give White some edge) 9.h4 ( 9.xh6?! e5! is awkward for White) 9...h5 with a tough position to assess, possibly White is better after 10.f4 e5 11.f3 g4 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.d5! closing down the h8a1 diagonal for Black's bishop. ] [ 8.f3 is also worth investigating. Play might continue b5 9.d3 b4 ( 9...bd7?! 10.e5! and White can open up Black's position with e5-e6!) 10.e2 a5 11.b1 bd7 12.he1 with balanced chances ] 8...b5 [ 8...a6!? has been tried here 9.f3 c7 10.d3 b5 11.f5 g5 12.g3 b4 13.a4 ( 13.e2 may be a better place for the knight if Black has to play ...g4) 13...a6?! and now in Smirin, I (2675)-Viskic, P (2234) Raba c 2 004 W hite could've ob tain ed a large advantage with ( 13...g4 is probably best although White is better after 14.h4 ) 14.e5! e.g. fd5 15.f6? exf6 16.exd6 b5 17.c5 c8 18.xb5 cxb5 19.d3 and Black's position is pretty miserable ] [ 8...c7 led to interesting play in Chernyshov, K (2585)-Velikhanli, F (2322) Abu Dhabi 2004 9.f3 b5 10.e5 b4! 11.exf6 bxc3 12.xc3 exf6 13.d5 and here A) 13...c5?! was played in the game and W hite won after 14.xf6 xf6 15.xf6 d7 16.c3 ( 16.e7! was stronger)
16...b6 17.b5 b7 18.f5 xd5 19.d2 g7 20.he1 ab8 21.c4 b6? ( 21...f6 22.xd6 xd6 23.xd6 fe8 and Black has some slim drawing chances ) 22.f6+! h7 23.g5+ hxg5 24.xg5 h8 25.d3 xg2 26.xg2 xc4 27.h3+ 1-0; B) 13...f5 would've given Black reasonable chances, for example 14.f6 xf6 15.xf6 cxd5 16.h4 h5 and it's not clear how White progresses from here and Black will have time to complete development with good chances ] 9.d3 [ 9.e5!? must be critical but Black seems to be doing fine after A) 9...b4 is also interestin g 10.a4?! ( 10.exf6! bxc3 11.xc3 xf6 12.xf6 exf6 13.f3 should've been preferred when White has a slight edge) 10...d5 11.c4 a5 was better for Black in Ko ba lia, M (26 20 ) -K uzmin, G (25 27 ) Moscow 2002; B) 9...dxe5! 10.fxe5 ( or 10.dxe5 xd2+ 11.xd2 b4! ) 10...d5 11.xd5 xd5 12.xe7 xa2 with balanced chances ] 9...b4! 10.ce2 a5 11.b1 bd7 Black is absolutely fine here and moreover I th in k he h a s th e e a sie r p o sit io n to p la y. 12.f3 [ 12.a3 is the way my computer initially wants to play but most players are rightly wary of opening up lines in front of their king - for example here after c7! 13.axb4 ( or 13.xb4?! c5! when Black is definitely on top ) 13...a5 14.b5 ( 14.bxa5?! is far too gr e e d y. A f t e r xa5 Qa7 is coming with a st ro n g a t t a ck) 14...cxb5 15.f3 b7 Black has excellent chances ] 12...b8 13.a1 c5 14.e5 d5 15.dxc5 xc5 16.c4 b6 17.b3 e8 18.ed4 b7 19.e6 f5 20.hg1 ba4 21.e3? e4?! [ 21...xb3+! 22.cxb3 c5 is surprisingly strong, for example 23.d2 d5 24.b1 b6 and White is completely lost ] 22.d2 xb3+ 23.2xb3 d5 24.d2 bc8 [ 24...b6! was also very strong ] 25.g4 fxg4 [ 25...xb2 26.xb2 c3 27.f2 f3! 1013
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 was perhaps what both players had missed 28.e2 xb3+ 29.axb3 xd4+ 30.c1 a5! 31.xd4 a1+ wins the house! ] 26.xg4 c4 27.g1 ec8 [ 27...xb2! is again crushing ] 28.e1 f5 29.xe7 xb2! Finally the breakthrough comes 30.xb2 [ 30.d8 is White's best try but unfortunately i t f a i l s t o xd4! ( 30...xd8?! 31.xb2 isn't 100% clear) 31.xd4 c4 32.f2 xd8 ] 30...xc2+ 31.a1 8c3 32.xc2 xe3 33.c8+ h7 34.d1 xb3 A nice game from Onischuk and 6...0-0 deserves more practical tests. 0-1
977 Adams,Michael Bosboom Lanchava,Tea 4th Staunton Mem (6) [Andrew Martin]
B08 2732 2389 19.08.2006
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.e3 c6 5.d2 b5 6.f3 f6 7.d3 0-0 I am not too f on d of th is p articular lin e f or B la ck. White's position is very flexible and he can adapt to any changes in the pawn structure that Black may bring about. One could say th a t L a n c ha va p la ys 't h e m a t ically' h e re , developing and then challenging W hite's centre with ...e7-e5, but she never really equalizes. Further evidence that this is the most dangerous system that Black has to face in the Pirc and why W hite's easy plan is so popular. 8.h3 bd7 9.0-0 c7 10.e2! Scorched earth on the queenside. W hite regroups his Knight and prepares a2-a4! e5 Black has to try this. 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.a4! If Black cannot reply to this move with ....b5b4, then the position is very passive. b7 13.g3 a6 14.c4 bxc4N [ 14...fd8 does not help: 15.cxb5 cxb5 16.axb5 axb5 17.xa8 xa8 18.xb5 xe4 19.xe4 xe4 20.d1 f5 21.g5 f6 22.d5+ h8 23.xe5 1-0 Zufic, MTrtanj, T/Umag 2005 ] 15.xc4 c5 16.c2 ac8 17.ac1 Adams is at his merciless best when he is ganging up on weaknesses. White's overall
plan in this line is Kingside attack, but there is no reason why he may not change tack if Black tries too hard to get active play d6 18.fd1 e7 19.h4 The attack begins with a traditional softening up of the King with h4-h5. [ 19.a5 fixing a6, was also possible. ] 19...g4 [ 19...h5 20.g5 ( 20.d2; 20.a5 All roads lead to Rome. )] 20.g5! f6 21.e2 b8 22.f1 h6 23.e3! A nuance which Lanchava may have overlooked. Exchanges favour White thanks to his better pawn structure. hxg5 [ 23...xe3 24.xe3 xe4 25.xh6 xf3 26.xf3 fd8 27.h5 ] [ 23...xg5 24.hxg5 xe3 25.xe3 h5 26.d5! Switching to positional mode. xd5 27.xd5 d7 28.cd1 ] 24.xg4 gxh4 25.e3 g7 26.g5 xg5 27.xg5 It is easy to miss assess this position, particularly for computer programs. White is manifestly better thanks to his d-file control and threats on f7. c7 28.d6 c8 29.h2 c6 30.cd1 h6 [ It appears that alternatives are not working: 30...f6 31.xf7 xf7 32.xf6! ( 32.xc6? xc6 33.d6 a5 ) 32...cxf6 33.d8+ g7 34.xf7 xf7 ( 34...xf7 35.xc8 d7 36.f3 b6 37.c7 e8 38.xh4 xb2 39.c6! ) 35.xc8 b7 36.xc5 ] [ 30...h3 31.xf7 xf7 32.d8+ f8 33.e8! ] [ 30...a5 31.xf7 xf7 32.d8+ f8 33.e8 ] 31.xf7! xf7 32.xc6 xc6 33.d6 This time Rd6 is crushing. b7 34.xf7+ 1-0
978 Akopian,Vl Chatalbashev,B Bronstein Mem Open A 2014 (6.14) [Tom Rendle]
B08 2682 2522 16.02.14
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 g7 5.d2 c6 6.h3 0-0 7.f3 e5!? An unusual choice from Chatalbashev, perhaps aiming to be relatively solid in this position [ 7...b5 is more popular and can be found in the archives in Papa-Mamedyarov but since 1014
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 that was back in 2003 it's worth checking out a m o r e r e c e n t g a m e : 8.a3 ( 8.d3 was preferred by Papa) 8...bd7 9.d1 ( 9.e5!? is critical as ever but Black should be fine after e8! 10.h4 b6 11.h5 g4 ) 9...b7 10.e5 and now in Lozano, R (2102)Zu lu aga, C (2 36 1) Bo go ta 2 0 13 I t hin k Black could've obtained a comfortable game with dxe5 11.dxe5 d5 12.xd5 cxd5 13.e6 e5! and Black is very active here ( 13...fxe6 14.g5 f6 15.xb5 is perhaps a little better for White )] [ 7...bd7 8.d3 e5 9.0-0 b5 is also a standard way for Black to play but I feel W hite should have some advantage here after 10.dxe5 ( instead after 10.h6 exd4 11.xd4 b4 12.ce2 c5 13.f3 e5 14.xe5 dxe5 Black was completely OK in Dvoirys, S (2538) -Finkel, A (2500) Jerusalem 2013) 10...dxe5 11.e2! a5 12.a4 b4 13.c3! and Black's queenside is starting to look rather vulnerable ] 8.0-0-0 [ 8.dxe5 doesn't win a pawn but White might keep a slight edge here after dxe5 9.xe5 A) or 9...xd2+!? 10.xd2 e8 11.f4 h5 12.c4 e6 13.xe6 xe6 14.0-0-0 xe5 15.fxe5 d7 ( 15...xe5 16.g4 g7 17.g5! a6 18.f6 e6 19.e5 is obviously much better for White) 16.g4! g7 17.f4 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.d7 and White's rook on d7 gives him a very comfortable endgame; B) 9...xe4 10.xe4 xd2+ 11.xd2 xe5 12.0-0-0 but Black is still solid enough after d7 ] 8...exd4 [ 8...a5?! has been played before here but i t d i d n ' t w o r k o u t s o w e l l a f t e r 9.b1 ( 9.g4!? is also very dangerous) 9...bd7 10.dxe5 A) 10...xe5! is more testing but I still like White's position after 11.d4 ( 11.xd6?! xf3 12.gxf3 e6 isn't clear at all) 11...c7 12.b3!; B) 10...dxe5 11.d5! xd2 12.e7+ h8 13.xd2 b6 14.xc8 axc8 and n ow in Zh ou , Y (248 1)-Lo rn ije , F (2216) Sunny Beach 2013 White could've kept a very comfortable advantage with t h e s i m p l e 15.e2 cd8 16.g4
and W hite is in complete control of the game. ] 9.xd4 e8 10.f4 Akopian chooses the most aggressive but Black seems to be just about OK here [ 10.b1 was worth considering as a pawn sacrifice after xe4 ( 10...bd7 11.e3 xe4 12.xe4 xe4 13.xd6 a5 14.d2! is slightly better for White) 11.xe4 xe4 12.xg7 xg7 13.h4! ( 13.xd6?! xd6 14.xd6 d7 and Black is even a little better here) 13...h5 14.g5 e8 15.c3+ g8 16.d3 and White has a lot of compensation for the pawn here, largely due to his big lead in development and strong knight on g5. ] 10...b5!? A risky move as White has a couple of aggressive options but is seems Black gets counterplay in all lines [ 10...e7 was safer and perhaps more accurate as I don't see an edge for W hite here, for example 11.e3 f8 12.g4 ( or 12.h4 bd7 ) 12...b5! 13.d3 bd7 14.g5 h5 15.h4 g7 and Black has the more dangerous attack ] 11.e5 This looks very dangerous but Chatalbashev shows Black is fine here with some great defence [ 11.c5! was the critical test of Black's last move a5 12.xd6 h5 13.g5! preventing ...b4 ( 13.d2 b4 14.b1 f6! 15.xb4 xa2 16.e5 d5 and Black has excellent play for just one pawn) 13...xc3 14.bxc3 d7 15.d3 xc3 16.e3 and I think White has some advantage with the two bishops, especially considering Black is missing his fianchettoed bishop on the kingside. Still W hite's queenside is vulnerable so it isn't completely clear! ] 11...h5! 12.h2 dxe5 13.xe5 d7 14.xg7 xg7 15.d3 a5! Black should be absolutely fine at this point 16.he1 xe1 [ 16...b4?! is tricky but inaccurate as after 17.e4 xa2 18.d6! a1+?! Black is much worse if he doesn't play this 19.d2 xb2 20.xc6 b8 21.b1 a3 22.a1 Black's queen is getting trapped and he's a piece down after b6 23.c4! b2 24.a2 e5 25.xb2 xc4+ 26.xc4 ] 17.xe1 c5 18.d6 xd3+ 19.cxd3 e6 20.e5?! 1015
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ W h it e s h ou ld set t le f o r t h e solid 20.a3 with rough equality here after b6 21.e4 e8 22.f4 d5 ] 20...b4! 21.xc6 g5+ 22.f4 h4! This wins an exchange but Akobian does a fantastic job of keeping up the pressure here 23.xe6 xe6 24.d5! [ 24.xb4?! xf4+ 25.xf4 xf4 and Black should eventually win the endgame ] 24...e1+ 25.c2 e2+ 26.b3 xd3+ 27.xb4 Amazingly there is no easy win for Black here and the queen and two knights are v e r y t h r e a t e n i n g a5+ 28.a4 g7?! The first mistake for Chatalbashev and his winning chances evaporate [ 28...e4+! 29.a3 g7 was the right way to do it as now checking on e5 would just exchange the queens. W hite should try 30.g4 but after a6! 31.f5! gxf5 32.gxf5 xf5 33.g3+ g5 34.c3+ f6 Black should be winning. Of course this was a lot easier for me to see with a computer! ] 29.e5+ h6 30.e3 f5?? A tragic blunder costs Black the draw as well [ 30...e4+! 31.xe4 c5+ 32.b5 xe4 is tough to assess but I would say that a draw is a fair result, e.g. 33.a4 d6+ 34.c5 e4+ 35.b5 d6+ 36.c5 ( 36.b6 is risky because of g5! 37.fxg5+ xg5 38.xa5 f4 and the kingside pawns are dropping for White ) 36...e4+= ] 31.xe6 a6 32.g4! [ Black is completely lost here, one nice finish would be 32.g4 g7 33.e7+ g8 34.e8+ g7 35.xf5+! gxf5 36.e7+ g8 37.g5+ A) or 37...f8 38.f6+ e8 ( 38...g8 39.e7# ) 39.e7#; B) 37...h8 38.f6+ g8 39.e7#; C) 37...f7 38.e5+ winning the queen ] 1-0
979 Anand,Viswanathan Chernin,Alexander Masters Rapid rapid (4.1) [Nigel Davies]
B08
31.10.2001
Some more theory on the'150 Attack', which is now appearing at top GM level. Although this game was a rapidplay encounter, it was well played by both sides and has some theoretical importance. Anand's 10.h3 looks relatively harmless but requires accurate defence by Black. 1.e4 g6 [ Chernin rarely plays this way, almost invariably choosing a standard Pirc Defence with 1...d6 2.d4 f6 etc. His choice of a 'Modern' on this occasion, was probably influenced by the time limit. ] 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 [ After 3...c6 4.c4 d6 (Short â (+) Klaver, Simultaneous Display, Glenvista 2001) Nigel Short demonstrated great maturity with the continuation 5.b3 ( In his youth he played 5.f3!? , in the great tradition of Lancastrian chess ) 5...f6 6.e2 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.f4 h5 ( White's last move is quite difficult to meet, as if 8...0-0 there follows 9.fxe5 g4 10.e6 etc. ) 9.fxe5 xe5 10.f3 g4 11.xf7+ f8 12.b3 g7 13.c4 f8 14.xe5 h4+ 15.g3 xg3 16.h6+ xh6 17.xg4+ h5 18.0-0-0 g5+ 19.b1 xh1 20.xh1 b5 21.d4 c5 22.d6 d8 23.f6+ 1-0 Short N-Klaver C/ Glenvista Simul 2001 (23) ] 4.e3 a6 5.f3 [ Playing much more quietly than he did against me in Moscow 1987. That historic encounter went 5.h4 f6 6.f3 b5 7.d2 b7 8.0-0-0 h5 9.h3 bd7 10.b1 c8 11.e1 e5 12.d5 c6 13.dxc6 xc6 14.g5 c7 15.d2 xc3!? 16.xc3 xc3 17.bxc3 d5 with compensation for the exchange. ] 5...f6 6.d2 b5 7.h6 0-0 8.xg7 xg7 9.d3 c6 10.h3 [ Anand adopts a quiet treatment, hoping to e xp l o it t h e s l i gh t we a k n e s s o f B l a c k ' s queenside pawns. 10.e5 was played in the game Emms - Pein, given as a note within Kosakov - Chernin from the July update. ] 10...e5 11.d5 e7 12.0-0 b7 13.a4 c6 1016
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 14.dxc6 xc6 15.axb5 axb5 16.xa8 xa8 17.xb5 xb5 18.xb5 xe4 19.d3 c6 20.d1 b8 21.c4 W hite hopes to make something of this position because of the well-supported knight on b5 and pressure on the d-file. b6 22.b3 a6 23.e2 f6 24.fd4! A nice combination. But Chernin finds a way to bail out into a drawish rook endgame. exd4 25.f3 d5 26.fxe4 dxc4 27.xd4 b6 28.xc4 c6 29.xc6 xc6 30.xc6 xc6 31.b1 Getting his rook behind the passed pawn. But it isn't enough to win. e6 32.b4 xe4 33.b5 e7 34.f2 f7 35.b6 b7 36.e3 e6 37.d4 d6 38.h4 c6 39.c4 f5 40.b2 xb6 41.xb6+ xb6 42.d5 c7 43.e6 f4 44.e5 [ After 44.e5 c6 45.xf4 d5 46.g5 ( or 46.g4 h6 ) 46...e4 47.h6 f4 48.xh7 g4 49.xg6 xh4 Black will pick up the g-pawn. ] ½-½
ed8! 21.c5 f6 22.ee1 xc5 23.xc5 xb2 24.ab1 d4 and a draw was soon agreed. ] 13...f4! 14.c4 f6! Black already has the better chances. White's main problem is the bad position of his dark-squared Bishop. 15.d6 [ N o w W h i t e h a s n o t i m e f o r 15.dxc6? in view of g4! 16.cxb7 ad8! destroying White's Kingside. ] [ 15.xe5 6xd5 16.xd5 xe5 17.f3 f5 and Black's minor pieces are more active than their White counterparts. ] 15...g4! 16.e4 [ 16.h3 xf3 17.xf3 d8 intending a7-a5, b7-b5 etc. ] 16...xe4 17.xe4 d8! 18.f1 f6 19...Nh3 is a nasty threat. 19.e3 e4 20.e1 h3+ 21.h1 h6 22.e2 e6 23.gxh3 xf3+ 24.g2 xe2 25.xe2 f8 26.xe4 xd6 0-1
980
981
Asrian,Karen Kasimdzhanov,Rustam Yerevan [Alexander Volzhin]
B08 2575 2600 1999
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.c3 f6 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 This line is also in fashion now. 7.e1 c7 8.f4 bd7 9.e5 h5 10.g5 Before this game this line was considered to be dangerous for Black but here he finds new resources. dxe5! 11.xe7 e8 12.d5 b6 [ The exchange sacrifice looks insufficient: 12...xe7 13.d6 d8 14.dxe7 xe7 15.e4 f8 16.c4 b6 17.b3 g7 18.g3 g4 19.h3 xf3 20.xf3 xg3 21.xg3 with a clear edge for White as in Popovic-Damljanovic, Jugoslavija 1992. ] 13.a3 [ 13.dxc6 bxc6 14.a3 as was played in Savon-Chernyshov, Podolsk 1992 seems more precise, but after e4! 15.c4 hf6 16.g5 e5 17.cxe4 g4! Black is OK: 18.xf6+ ( 18.e2?! ad8 19.c1 xe4 20.xe4 xe2 21.xe2 c4 is excellent for Black.) 18...xf6 19.d6 xg5 20.xe5
Benjamin,Joel Gufeld,Eduard National Open (6) [Nigel Davies]
B08
19.03.2000
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.e3 0-0 6.d2 g4 7.g5 f6! [ This is much better than 7...h6 8.h4 g5 ( 8...c6 is possible) 9.g3 e5 10.dxe5 xe5 11.xe5 dxe5 12.xd8 xd8 13.d5 d7 14.h4 Glek - Heck, Bad Zwesten 1999 ] 8.h4 h6! [ 8...c6 9.d3 a6 ( 9...h6 can now be met by 10.e2 ) 10.0-0 c7 11.h3 h6 12.d5 was better for White in Reinderman Oosterom, Groningen 1998 ] 9.d1 [ G u f e l d p o i n t e d o u t t h a t 9.c4+ can be answered with d5 ] 9...g7 10.c4+ h8 11.e2 a6! Often a useful move for Black in the Pirc and Modern, it discourages queenside castling by White. 12.a4 c6 13.d1 h6 14.d5 [ White should play 14.h3 when the position is p ro b a b ly a b o u t e qu a l . N o w B l a c k i s 1017
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 already slightly better. ] able to achieve more than the slightly better 14...e5 15.xe5 fxe5 16.f3 g8! 17.0-0 side of a draw. 14.d3 c3 15.e1 e4 f6 18.d2 d7 19.b3 e8 20.a5 h6 16.xe4 xe4 17.xe4 f5 18.c4 xa1 21.f2 g5 22.e3 19.xa1 e8 20.e1 xe1+ 21.xe1 e7 [ White should try to stop Black's attack with 22.f1 d6 23.d3 c5 24.e2 b6 22.g4 . Now things start to get serious. ] 25.d2 f8 26.a6 c7 27.c4 d6 22...h5 23.e2 g6 24.h3 f4 25.xf4 28.a6 e7 29.g4 e4 30.a5 c7 gxf4 26.f2 f7 27.h2 f6 28.g1 h5 31.axb6 axb6 32.c4 e7 33.f4 f6 29.c4 g8 30.e1 fg7 31.f1 g5 34.c3 c6 35.f5 g5 36.a6 c7 32.d2 g6 33.g4 fxg3+ 34.xg3 h5 37.a1 g7 38.e1 a7 39.e3 d5 35.g2? 40.h4 h6 41.hxg5 hxg5 42.g3 [ W hite's last chance was to play 35.d3 and draw agreed in Diesen, M-Planinec, A/ but then xg3 36.xg3 g5 37.b3 f7 Hastings 1974. ] 38.xb7 f4 39.xf4 xf4+ is winning ] 14...e6 35...xg3 36.xg3 xg3 37.xg3 h4 [ The plan of preparing e5-e4 at once A neat finale. re b o u n ds a f t e r 14...c5 15.c4! e4?! 0-1 16.g5 e7 17.xf7+ f8 18.f4! ] 15.d1 e8 16.a5 e7! Onischuk offers the a7 pawn in order to infiltrate on c3 with his 982 B08 knight, after which his kingside pawns get Bernadskiy,V 2358 rolling. 17.xa7? [ White should have restrained the black Onischuk,Vladimir 2483 p a w n s w i t h 17.d3 c5 ( If 17...g5 Vasylyshyn Mem (7) 01.12.2009 18.xg5 xg5 19.f4! ) 18.fe1 [Neil McDonald] with a dynamic balance. ] 1.e4 g6 2.d4 c6 3.c3 d6 4.f3 g7 17...c3! 18.de1 e4 19.h2 d8 20.e3 5.h3 f6 6.e2 0-0 7.0-0 bd7 8.a4 d4 [ A p r o m i s i n g a l t e r n a t i v e w a s 20...d6 A standard move that restrains Black from intending f5-f4, or even Qd2 in some gaining space with 8...b5. e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 cases. ] 10.b3 White's play so far might seem u n o b t r u s i v e , b u t i t c o u l d g a i n h i m a 21.f4 g5 22.g3 f5 23.c4 xc4 stranglehold on the d file if his opponent is 24.bxc4 g7? [ More energetic was 24...f4 25.g4 e3 careless. For example, if allowed Ba3 26.fxe3 xe3+ 27.h1 e4 threatening a combined with the manoeuvre Nd2, Nc4 and killer check on g3. ] Nd6 and then Bc4 would place Black in a hopeless bind. Therefore an active response 25.h4 h6 [ The immediate 25...g4 was preferable. ] i s r e q u i r e d . c5!? Black prepares an exchange sacrifice than was introduced by 26.h1 h7 [ And here Black can keep up his attacking the famously wild tactician Albin Planinc. momentum with 26...e5 27.e3 g4 ] [ Instead he could divert the bishop from g o i n g t o a 3 w i t h 10...a5 11.d2 27.hxg5 hxg5 28.f4 g4?! This only leads to ( W h i t e s h o u l d i n v e s t i g a t e 11.d2!? ) perpetual check. [ Onischuk might have tried to eke out a win 11...c7 when Black gained counterplay in the endgame after 28...h8! 29.xg5 based on 12...Nh5 and 13... Nf4 in Chytilek, xg5 30.fxg5 g6 31.g3 e5 32.g2 R-Chatalbashev, B/Pardubice 1997. ] xa4 ] 11.a3 fxe4 12.xe4 xe4 13.xf8 xf8 An extra centre pawn and an 'Indian' 29.h4+ h6 30.xd8 g3 Now mate on h2 b i s h o p wi t h n o r i va l i s n o r m a l l y e n o u g h can't be prevented by direct means, but31.d7+ g8 compensation for the exchange. 14.e1 [ The black king can't escape the checks for [ In the following example Black got the example 31...g8 32.e8+ g7 33.e7+ exchange back straightaway, but he wasn't 1018
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 h8 34.e8+ h7 35.f7+ h8 ( for if 35...g7?? 36.xf5+ g8 37.h3 and Black is lost. )] ½-½
983 Casper,Thomas Pavlovic,Milos 16th Monarch Assurance (9) [John Watson]
B08 2421 2541 30.09.2007
Is Black's 6th move underestimated? There doesn't seem much against it, and it's quite a mystery that the move hasn't been seen more often. It's amazing how top-level players have gone wrong early on as White. See also the note to move 7, where Black avoids a problem in a standard variation. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 d6 3.c3 g7 4.f3 f6 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 c5!? This is rarely played, for what seem like obvious reasons, i.e., W hite gets a lead in development. Still, he has no obvious place for his pieces. This simple problem throws W h i t e c o m p l e t e l y o f f b a l a n c e . 7.dxc5 Natural, but maybe it doesn't lead to anything! [ 7.d5 is something that could have arisen by 1 d4 c5 (or 1...Nf6 2 Nf3 c5 3 d5 g6 4 Nc3) 2 d5 Nf6 3 Nc3 etc. W hite is held to stand somewhat better. There's a big difference, however: With those orders, White generally has the chance for a disrupting Bb5+, and indeed this is considered the best way to advantage. But here that move has been eliminated. ] 7...dxc5 8.xd8 Surely White should have some small edge, one might think, yet he has no entry squares. [ Maybe 8.e3 is better, since b6 A) Instead, 9.e5 g4 10.d5! xd5 ( 10...xe3?! 11.xa8 xf1 12.xb8 ) 11.xd5 c6! seems to equalise, for example, 12.g5 ( 12.b5 cxe5! ) 12...b7 ( 12...gxe5 13.fe1 is u n c le a r) 13.fe1 cxe5 14.xe7+ h8 15.xe5 xe5 16.f4 (Gligoric thinks that White has a small advantage, but I doubt it) c6!? ( 16...f6! 17.h4 ae8! is at least equal) 17.f3 a5 18.xb7 xb7 19.c3 f6?! ( 19...h6 20.h4 fd8 ) 20.h4 ad8 21.e2 d7
22.f5! with a powerful initiative, Gligoric, S (2560)-Quinteros, M (2545), Bled 1979; B) 9.c1!? is a try, intending moves like Bh6, Rd1, and e5. Black is probably okay a n d ye t n e e d s t o wo r k t o m a i n t a i n a balance b7 B1) 10.e5 d5 ( 10...g4 11.e6! ) 11.h6 c6 12.d1 xc3 13.bxc3 c7 14.xg7 xg7 15.f4 ad8; B2) 10.d1 c8 11.h6!? ( 11.d5 c6 12.e5 xd5 13.xc6 xc6 14.exd5 1/2-1/2 Zarnicki, P (2487)-Gulko, B ( 2 6 0 2 ) , C a l i 2 0 0 1 .) 11...xe4 12.xg7 xg7 13.xe4 xe4 14.e3 f5! 15.d2 - with the idea Ng5 - h6 16.ad1 c6= ] 8...xd8 9.e3 b6 10.ad1 c6 11.d5? Confusion. You might think that it's strange for a 2400+ player to blunder in this way, but no less that Robert Huebner and Pavel Blatny did the same. Even top players can react poorly to an unfamiliar situation. W hite should play simply [ 11.xd8+ xd8 12.d2!? ( 12.d1 b7 13.d2 hopes for a minor pull. But it's probably nothing.) 12...c6 13.h3 e8 14.d5 b7 15.c3 e6 16.f4 d8= Horvath, J (249 5)-Spee lman , J (26 45), Rotterdam 1988. Black went on to win. ] 11...xd5 Of course. Black wins material. [ 11...xe4?? 12.xe7+ was White's point. ] 12.exd5 [ 12.xd5 xd5 13.exd5 b4 ] 12...b4 13.c3?! But the two GM games didn't work out well either after [ 13.g5 f6 ( 13...xd5 14.xe7 e8 15.xd5 e6! also gives a big advantage to Black) ) 14.h4 ( 14.f4 xd5 15.d2 f7 16.b5 b7 and Black was simply pawn and position up in Blatny, P (2515)Ribli, Z (2590), Austria 1995) 14...xd5 15.fe1 b7 16.c3 f4 17.c4+ f8 18.g3 h6 , again with an extra pawn and much better position, Huebner, R (2560)Beim, V (2555), Frankfurt 1998. Amazing! ] 13...xd5 14.c4? Probably played in sheer disgust. a6! 15.c1 b4 16.a3 a2 A little early, yet White is quite lost. 0-1
1019
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 984 Cuartas,Jaime Alexander Cruz,F 34th Open Sitges ESP (6) [John Watson]
B08 2495 2416 27.07.2008
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.f3 g7 4.c3 f6 5.e2 c6 6.a4 b6!? Stopping a5, but at the c o s t o f t i m e . 7.0-0 a6!? Black plays in Philidor-Defence style, rendering a5 harmless due to ...b5, and preparing for . ..b5 himself, perhaps following ...Bb7. But as you might imagine, this is all rather slow, and castling first must be better. 8.e1 [ White should play e5 soon, if not immediately: 8.e5 dxe5 ( 8...d5 9.e4 ) 9.xe5 b7 ( 9...0-0 10.f3 b7 11.f4 ) 10.c4!? ( or 10.a5! b5 11.f3 ) 10...0-0 11.g5 bd7 12.e1 with a classical advantage in space and activity, although this may be playable for Black. ] 8...0-0 9.h3 [ Or 9.e5! ] 9...c7 [ 9...b7 is more accurate, because 10.e5 dxe5 11.xe5 bd7 doesn't land Black in the fix that he now gets into. ] 10.e5! dxe5 11.dxe5!? [ 11.xe5! would yield a bigger advantage than this. ] 11...d8 [ White can't help but like 11...fd7 12.e6! fxe6 13.c4 c5 , for example, 14.e3 ( or 14.g5 d6 15.g4 ) 14...bd7 15.d4! ] 12.d3 d5 [ Or 12...fd7?! 13.e6 fxe6 14.e2 f8 15.c4 ] 13.xd5 cxd5 14.f4 c6 15.d2 e6?! Quite a concession of dark squares. Black should probably try [ 15...e6 16.g5 c8 , although naturally White stands better. ] 16.h4! b7 17.h5 It's hard to believe that B l a c k wi l l s u r vi ve t h i s . d4!? 18.hxg6 A little cooperative. [ 18.e4! or ] [ 18.h6 h8 ( 18...f8 19.g5 d7 20.f4! has several ideas, including Nh2g4. ) 19.e4! are both very strong. ] 18...hxg6
[ 18...fxg6!? 19.c4 e8 ] 19.g5? An awful oversight. Among other moves, [ 19.e4 was good. ] 19...xe5! From being hopelessly cramped, Black suddenly has a pawn for the exchange, with two unopposed centre pawns, and for the time being, he has the bishoppair. 20.xe5 xe5 21.xd8 xd8 22.e4 f6!? [ S a v i n g t h e b i s h o p p a i r b y 22...c8!? is an idea otherwise ] [ 22...xe4 23.xe4 c8 should be considered. ] 23.xb7 xb7 24.a3! c6 25.f4 [ 25.f3 g7 26.b3 ] 25...e5 26.f3 e6?! [ Even 26...c8 27.xc6 xc6 is close to equal, since Black can play ...f5 and centralise his king. ] 27.d3 [ 27.b7 a5 28.f4!? ] 27...g7 28.c3 [ 28.b7! a5 29.b3 d6 30.f4 Qb7 is strong on the next move as well. The following moves aren't necessarily best, but neither side breaks the fundamental balance for a while. ] 28...d6 29.g3 h8 30.cxd4 exd4 31.c1 h5 32.c6 e5 33.cd1 [ 33.xb6?? e4 ] 33...e2 34.b3 b5 35.axb5 axb5 36.3d2 e7 37.g2 c5 38.a8 e6 39.d3 c8 40.b7 c3! 41.xb5? e4+ 42.g1?! [ But 42.f1 h1+ 43.e2 c2+ 44.1d2 c7 makes it hard for White to defend: 45.d1 g2 and ...Re7+. ] 42...c8? [ 42...e2! has killing threats. White's best is 43.h1 ( 43.b4 c2 44.f1 d2 wins ) 43...xf2 44.xc3 dxc3 45.d3 b2 and Black will soon pick up the b-pawn with ongoing threats. ] 43.a5! h8 44.f3 e6 45.d2! W hite is in control again. W hat follows is tragicomic, and doubtless due to time pressure. f5 46.f2 h3 47.g2 g5 48.b4? [ 48.f4 g4 49.b4 ] 48...h8? [ 48...e5! 49.f4 xf4! 50.gxf4 xd3 51.xd3 xd3 52.xg5+ with a perpetual. ] 1020
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 49.f2 S yr t la n o v, S co t la n d 1 9 9 5 ) I p re f e r t h e [ 49.f4! ] immediate 9.0-0-0 in order to meet 49...h3 50.g2 e6? 51.f4 b8 52.d2 ( Hebden played 9.h4 h5 10.0-0-0 a6 g4 53.f1 e8 54.f2 a f t e r wh ic h 11.e5 would be met by dxe5 [ 54.df3! wins. ] 12.dxe5 g4 ) 9...a6 10.e5 dxe5 54...e2 55.f3 e6 56.fxg5? xg5 11.dxe5 g4 12.xa6 bxa6 13.he1 57.f2 e3 58.xe3? xe3 59.g2 xf2 threatening 14 h3. ] 60.xf2 c4 61.a3? c2+ 62.f3 d3 [ 7...e5 8.xg7 xg7 9.dxe5 dxe5 63.a1+ g6 64.a6+ h7 65.b5? 10.xe5 e7 11.f4 d8 12.d3 e2+ 66.f4 f2+ 67.g4 d4+ 68.f3 le f t B la c k wi t h n o t h in g f o r t h e p a wn i n d2 69.h5+ g7 70.g5+ Godena - Manca, Saint Vincent 1999 ] 0-1 8.xg7 [ 8.0-0-0 bd7 9.xg7 xg7 10.e5 d5 11.exd6 exd6 12.xd5 cxd5 13.f4 xf3 985 B08 14.xf3 g5+ 15.b1 f6 was quite good for Black in Speelman - Piket J, Tilburg 1992 Degraeve,Jean Marc - the doubled d-pawns are not a problem for Ponomariov,Ruslan Black and his queen and knight make a Hastings (England) (3) 1998 good team. ] [Nigel Davies] 8...xg7 9.g5 h6 10.h3 c8 [ After 10...h5 (Hennigan - Krasenkov, 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.c3 f6 Hastings 1994) White can get a tremendous 5.e3 0-0 6.d2 c6 A lot of the more solid a t t a c k w i t h 11.xf7! xf7 12.g4 breed of Pirc players have this move as their , so Ponomariov's move looks like the only stock response to a variety of White plans. I way to go. ] tend to try and leave this square for my knight o n b 8 - o r i f I w a n t t o e x p a n d o n t h e 11.f3 a5 12.e5 dxe5 13.xe5 bd7 queenside expand with ...a6 and ...b5. That 14.g4 xg4 [ 14...h5 15.h6+ g8 16.c4 is nasty. ] way my light squared bishop gets to attack e4 from b7, and I also get the chance to go for ... 15.hxg4 h8 16.f3 f6 17.c4 b5 18.b3 c7-c5 in one move (rather than ...c6-c7-c5). b7 19.0-0-0 c5 20.g5 After this the game 7.h6 Exchanging off the dark-squared heads towards a double-edge endgame. [ After 20.dxc5 Black plays b4 when 21.d5 bishop can be use as a prelude to either xd5 22.xd5 ad8 is good for him. ] mega-violence (castling long and charging up the right flank) or the more gentle approach of 20...hxg5 21.xg5 cxd4 22.xh8 xh8 Bd3, 0-0, Ne2 etc. g4 With storm clouds 23.xb5 xb5 24.xb5 h2 25.e1 f8 gathering around Black's king, I definitely 26.xd4 xg2 27.a4 f2 28.c6 xc6 prefer the look of development and play in the 29.xc6 xf3 [ 29...e6 30.e3 looks more passive. centre. Ponomariov, like every Russian schoolboy, [ 7...b5 looks slightly too laid back to me, decides to push his passed pawns. ] and in fact White developed strong pressure in Sadler - Szmetan, Buenos Aires 1985 30.xe7 f1+ 31.d2 g5 32.e1 f4 after 8.d3 g4 ( 8...bd7 allowed 9.e5 33.xa7 g4 34.b5 d5 35.e5 b6 e8 10.xg7 xg7 11.h6 in Gallagher - 36.b3 d7 37.e2 f5 38.a4 g3 39.c7 Stro wsky , L yons 199 3, in wh ich W hit e g4 40.g2 f7 41.e2 e5 42.d5 developed a massive attack after e8 12.h4 e4+ 43.f1 e6 44.c4 f4 45.e2 d4 f8 13.h5 f5 14.hxg6 fxg6 15.0-0-0 d5 46.xf4+ xf4+ 47.g2 f5 48.e3 g4 16.g5 xd3 17.xd3 f5 18.h3 h5 49.f3 xf3 50.xf3 e5+ 51.xg3 e4 19.g4 etc. ) 9.xg7 xg7 10.g5 e5 11.h3 52.a5 c6 53.a6 d4 54.f4 c3 55.e4 c8 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.a4 b4 14.e2 a5 xb3 56.d5 b4+ 57.d6 xa6 58.c5 xc5 15.f4!? bd7 16.0-0 e7 17.f2 ] [ After 7...a5 8.xg7 xg7 (Hebden - ½-½ 1021
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.ac1 Although Black has b4 and b3 under surveillance Fercec retains his advantage. Fercec,Nenad xd3 17.xd3 b3 Pseudo- penetration. Rukavina,Josip Nothing is attacked. 18.d2! b7 19.b3 Hotel Opatija GM Nov, Rijeka (7) e8 20.c4 c7 21.d5! A nice move. If [Andrew Martin] Black takes, the c file opens up. If he pushes, 1.e4 g6 2.d4 d6 3.c3 g7 4.e3 c6 b5 becomes weak and the Black Knights lack scope. c5 22.f4 a6 23.d2 ab8 5.d2 b5 6.d3 d7 7.f3 gf6 8.h3 [ 8.h6 xh6 9.xh6 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 24.d1! b6 25.de3 It's a Benko or a 11.h3 e7 is very reasonable for Black as King's Indian gone wrong. It's well known that long as White can't sacrifice a piece on b5 Black should try to exchange the Knights in and mate the Black King while he remains in su c h p o s i t i o n s - F e r c e c e n s u r e s t h a t h e the centre. No such sacrifice works here. cannot exchange them all. Meanwhile e4-e5 Ongoing plans for Black include ...b4,...Nc5 or f4-f5 looms . d4 26.h1 e6 27.dxe6 xe6 28.f5 f4 29.f1 h5 30.f3 or ...Nh5 etc ] xc4 31.xc4 c7 32.f1 8...0-0 9.0-0 c7?! [ Better was 32.g4 g7 ( 32...f6 33.g5 [ After 9...e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.a4 b4 d7 34.xa5 cb7 35.g4! e5 12.e2 produces a typical position. White's 36.xe5 dxe5 37.b4! ) 33.xa5 ] Bishop on d3 isn't too great but he does h a v e s o m e c h a n c e s t o p r o b e B l a c k ' s 32...cb7 33.fxg6 hxg6 34.g4 [ 34.xa5 e5 35.e1 f6 36.a5 a d v a n c e d Q u e e n s i d e p a w n s . c5 must also be good for W hite although it's ( 12...e7; 12...a5 are clearly also clear that Fercec wanted to end the game possible. ) 13.c3 b7 ( 13...a5 14.g3 here and now. Possibly Rukavina was in b7 15.cxb4 axb4 16.fc1 b6 17.c4 time trou ble, which, with the new FIDE c6 18.b3 b7 19.g5 ) 14.cxb4 cxb4 time control is almost compulsory. ] 15.xb4 b8 16.a3 ( 16.xa7 xe4 17.xb8 xd3 18.xe5 xe2 19.c6 34...f6 35.e5 Yes, he is definitely trying to d5 20.d2 f6 21.xd5 xb8 22.fe1 put Black away. Rukavina now misses a shot . xc6 23.xe2 d4 is a complicated and d5? [ 35...xb3!! 36.xf6 b7+ 37.h2 e4 almost unfathomable variation of tactics. was a brilliant counterattack. W hite must No wonder Akopian avoided it!) 16...xe4 b a l e o u t wi t h a d r a w : 38.xf7+ h8 17.xe4 xe4 18.xa7 b7 19.e3 b8 39.f6+ g8 40.cc1 e2+ ] 20.c3 b3 21.e7 xc3 22.bxc3 b6 23.fd1 c4 24.c5 xc3 25.d7 b6 36.xa5 e4 37.xb7 g3+ 38.g2 26.b5 xa4 27.xb8 xb8 28.a7 b4 xf1 [ 38...xf1+ 39.xf1 xf1 40.xc5 xd2 29.d8+ f8 30.xe5 c7 31.b8 xb8 41.d7! leaves White material ahead. ] 32.xb8 c5 33.c1 e6 34.xc7 xc7 35.d7 e6 36.xf8 xf8 37.h2 g7 39.d6 xb3 40.xf7+ h8 41.f8+ h7 38.g3 h5 39.f4 d7 40.d8 f6 42.h6+ A typical Modern 'mess' which, when 41.e5 g8 42.xg8+ xg8 43.f6 f8 combined with a fast time limit gives great 44.h4 g8 45.f4 f8 46.f5 gxf5 47.xf5 entertainment but not very correct chess. As e7 48.g5 e6 49.xh5 f5 50.g3 f6 far as the opening is concerned I don't like 9... 51.g4+ 1-0 Akopian,V-Azmaiparashvili,Z/ Qc7 that much. 9...e5 is straightforward and gives more options Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002 (51) ] 10.a4 b4 11.e2 a5 12.c3 bxc3 13.xc3 1-0 B l a c k h a s t o b e c a r e f u l t h a t h i s c p a wn doesn't become exposed. He's a little bit worse simply due to development and the centre-basic chess. It's pretty clear that White has demonstrated that the Black queen isn't ideal on c7 . a6 14.fc1 b8 15.c2 c8 986
B08 2500 2390 2002
1022
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 987
B08
Forum Pirc Be3/h3 line N,N [John Watson] 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.h3 [ 5.e3 may be more accurate, but it will transpose for our purposes after 0-0 6.h3 ] 5...0-0 6.e3 This attack has driven Black c ra zy f o r m a n y ye a rs n o w. Nige l Da vie s suggests an interesting solution: a6 7.a4 Certainly natural. If White allows ...b5, Black will be happy, regardless of whether he gets full equality thereby. c6 This is Davies' point (although I don't have his analysis in front of me): after d5, Black can now settle in on b4 in most cases, with activity. Otherwise, Black can think about ...e5. 8.e2 [ 8.d2 (harmless) and ] [ 8.d5 have been played here. Against the latter, I like 8...Nb4!, but Black has also played e5 with even results among strong players, ( even 8...a7!? has been tried )] 8...e5!? The problem with this is that now it's hard to avoid the standard Modern Defence/ King's Indian position in which W hite has pawns on e4/f3/g4 versus a Black knight on e7 (generally a poor square unless there are tactics). [ T h e r e f o r e I ' m i n t e r e s t e d i n 8...e8! (I'll give it a '!', to boost Black's spirits) a noncommittal move that holds out for ...e5 and ...Nd4, for example, A) 9.d5 b4 10.b1!? (with the idea c3, trapping Black's knight) ( 10.0-0 e6 ) A1) 10...fxd5!? 11.exd5 xb2 12.c3 ( 12.a3 xa3 13.xa3 e6 14.dxe6 xe6 ) 12...xa1 13.cxb4 e6 and probably Black's OK, but in practice I hate to play with the rook-and-twopawns versus two pieces in the middlegame; A2) 10...a5 11.c3 a6 12.bd2 e6 with equality.; B) 9.e5 d7 10.exd6 cxd6!? , when White has space, but Black has a central majority, for example, ( 10...exd6! 11.0-0 f6 is probably easier, when Black has nothing to fear) 11.0-0 f6 ( or 11...a5 12.e1 f6 ) 12.d5 b4 13.a5
f5 ( 13...e6 14.dxe6 xe6 may slightly favour White, but Black is active) 14.d4 d7 15.f3 c8 16.d2 c7 ( 16...c4!? ) 17.cb5 axb5 18.xb4 c4 and Black should be content.; C) 9.0-0! e5! C1) 10.dxe5 xe5 ( 10...dxe5 11.xd8 xd8 12.c4 e6 13.xe6 fxe6 is also possible, with control over d5 and prospects of ...Nd4) 11.xe5 xe5 12.d3 d7 13.fd1 c6 14.f3 e8 with approximate equality; C2) 10.d5 d4 11.d2 ( 11.xd4 exd4 12.xd4 xe4 13.xg7 xg7 14.xe4 xe4 with full equality) 11...c5 ( 11...d7 has ideas of ...b5 and may also be satisfactory) 12.dxc6 xe2+ 13.xe2 bxc6 14.ad1 d5= 15.exd5 cxd5 16.xd5! ( 16.g5 d4 17.e4 b7 ) 16...xd5 17.c4 b7 18.cxd5 C2a) hitting a4 and preparing to harass the d-pawn, as well as attack with the two bishops after ...f5. This is easier to play than 18...e4 19.d2 xd5 20.c4 xc4 21.xc4 c8 with near-equality. White's queenside majority is insuf f icient to win af ter 22.xc8 exc8 23.b4 ab8 24.b1! ( 24.d6 xb4 25.xa6 d4 ) 24...f5 ( 24...c4 ) 25.b5 axb5 26.axb5 b7 27.b6 f7; C2b) 18...d7! 19.d6 ac8 with active play and the two bishops for the pawn. 8...Re8 would be the m o ve I 'd p la y, if o n ly t o a vo id t h e mostly static structures that now arise: ] [ 8...e6 9.0-0 b6 and .. .Bb7 was played by Sturua. That's not my preference, but White can't bowl it over. ] 9.d5 [ 9.0-0 exd4 10.xd4 e8 and 10...Bd7 have both done well for Black, as has ] [ 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.xd8 xd8 ] 9...e7 [ 9...b4 is riskier now, but not necessarily bad that might be worth checking. ] 10.d2 Now ... c6 can be met by dxc6 and Nc4. Then the tradeoff ...a6 for a4 favours White because he wins the b6 square. [ 10.0-0 gives Black good play by either 1023
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 h5 ( or 10...e8 with the idea ...f5 )] 10...e8 [ a) 10...d7 11.g4 f5 12.f3 f6 13.f2 is similar. ] [ b) 10...c6 was played in Mueller-Buhmann, L e i m e n 2 0 0 1 : 11.c4 ( 11.dxc6 looks okay for Black in the forcing line bxc6 12.c4 d5 13.exd5 fxd5 14.c5 xc3 15.xd8 xd8 16.xe7 e8 17.b6 b8 18.xc8 xe2 19.xe2 xb2 ) 11...cxd5 A) Rybka likes 12.b6! and you can see why after d7 13.exd5 f5 14.0-0 ( 14.g4 is looser but more ambitious: h4 15.0-0 e7 16.e3 h6 this may also be in W hite 's f a vou r, bu t it's not e asy t o bre ak th ro ugh o n the quee nside , an d Black can resort to .. .g5 and ...Ng6 if necessary ) 14...e7 . It's hard not to prefer W hite here, for example, a welltimed f4 break is possible on the other hand, Black is starting to get his pieces out and he may be able to keep his disadvantage to manageable proportions.; B) 12.exd5?! f5 13.b6 e7 Black has gained a tempo, although he is still slightly worse. 14.0-0 d7 15.a3!? ac8 16.e1 e8 ( 16...h5!? ) 17.a5 d7?! ( 17...h6 ) 18.e4 xb6?! 19.xb6 c7 20.a8?! ( 20.c3 with a positional advantage.) 20...c8 21.b6 c7 22.a8 1/2-1/2 ] 11.g4 f5 The only logical move. [ R y b k a g i v e s 11...c6?! 12.c4 cxd5 13.exd5 f5 14.b6 c7 15.d2 e4 16.d4 xd4 17.xd4 with a substantial advantage, and W hite has other paths to advantage. ] 12.f3 According to the Forum, this is a line that appears in some Dzindzihashvili work. It resembles the advantage that White gets in some of the 6 h3 King's Indian Defence lines in fact, I've been in this basic type of position many times with a pawn on c4, and I tend to like W hite, although it's never easy. In this position, W hite's centre is a little weaker without the pawn on c4, but the possibility of Nc4 might help him just as much (especially after ...c6 and dxc6). Here are a few ideas I've drummed up in analysis, all untested: f6 Aiming at h4 and g5 this keeps things interesting. W hite probably retains an edge
regardless. A few sample lines are [ a) 12...c6 13.c4 ] [ b) 12...f6 13.h4! ( 13.gxf5 gxf5 14.c4 h5 is c o m p l e x) 13...e8!? ( 13...fxg4 14.fxg4 d7 15.g1! ) 14.a5 ( 14.c4 fxe4 15.fxe4 h5 ) 14...fxg4 15.fxg4 h5 16.gxh5 xh5 17.c4 f4 18.h5 ( or 18.d2 - White has a positional edge in any case ) 18...xh5 19.xh5 gxh5 20.xh5 g6 21.h2 f4 22.d2! with the idea Qh1/Rag1, etc. ] [ c) 12...fxe4 A) 13.fxe4 xd5?? ( 13...c6! 14.f3 d4 15.0-0 ) 14.c4 h4+ 15.e2; B) 13.dxe4! f6 14.d2 ( or 14.0-0 xe4 15.fxe4 - look at the awful knight on e7 ) 14...xe4 15.xe4 with several ideas, including a5 and c4 and h4-h5. ] 13.f2 Stopping ideas of penetration on h4. Black isn't so badly off after [ 13.0-0 d7 14.g2 ( 14.d3 ) 14...h4 and ] [ 13.h4? fxg4 has the idea 14.fxg4? xd5! ] 13...g5 [ Black can also try 13...d7 14.h4 g7 , thinking about ...b5 in some lines and asking White what he's doing, for example, 15.h5 ( 15.c4 fxg4 16.fxg4 b5 ) 15...fxg4 16.fxg4 gxh5 ( 16...f6!? ) 17.gxh5 h6 18.a5 ( 18.g4 f6 19.xd7 xd7 . This looks playable for Black.) 18...f6 19.c4 with the idea Be3. These positions aren't theoretically much better for White, but they're easier for him to play. ] 14.d3 fxg4 15.hxg4 xd2+ 16.xd2 xf3 17.e2! [ 17.g5 g7 18.e2 f7 19.e3 h5 ] 17...f7 [ 17...xg4? 18.h6 ] 18.h4 f6 19.0-0 [ 19.0-0-0 ] 19...f8 20.f2 h6 21.g5 [ 21.af1 g5 22.xg5 hxg5 23.xf6 xf6 24.xg5+ g7 25.xf6 d7 with the idea ...Ng6-f4 or in some cases ...Ng8-f6 is tricky. On the other hand, it's a pawn for now. 26.xg7+ xg7 27.f3 g8 28.g2 f6 29.g3 g6 ] 21...h5 22.xf7 xf7 23.gxh6 f4 24.g5 d7 and I have to prefer White, but it's a game. When all is said and done, I think 1024
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 that Black should investigate 8...Re8, not only because it might be best, but because Black's position is much more flexible.
988 Getz,Nicolai Istratescu,Andrei 85th Masters (1) [Neil McDonald]
B08 2270 2624 28.12.2009
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c6 4.f3 d6 5.c4 f6 6.b3 0-0 7.0-0 d5 Istratescu decides to place his pawns on light squares: a solid approach which however concedes a space advantage to his opponent. The alternative was to ease his game by exchanging on f3 and putting his pawns on dark squares, when W hite has a small but lingering plus after [ 7...g4 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 e5 10.e3 e7 11.a4 a5 12.ad1 a6 13.fe1 d7 ( Maybe 13...c7!? intending Ne6, which keeps the option of meeting W hite's next two moves with Nh5 as appropriate.) 14.g3 h8 15.f4 Kett, T-Alfred, N/Sunningdale ENG 2008. ] 8.exd5 [ Perhaps critical is 8.e5 e8 9.e2 a6!? a notable manoeuvre. The knight heads to e6 to thwart a white attempt to build up pressure on the kingside with Nf4 etc. 10.h3 ac7 11.f4 e6 12.xe6 xe6 13.e1 c7 14.f4 d7 15.d2 ae8 16.a5 W hite can't see any way to profit on the kingside, and so decides to probe until his opponent weakens himself. a8 17.ad1 b6 18.d2 a5 19.c3 a4 ( The plan begun with this move allows White a breakthrough. Simply 19...ae8 puts the onus back on W hite to find a way to improve his game. Under some circumstances f7-f6 would be a good counterattacking move for Black, but he would need to judge the resulting opening of lines carefully.) 20.c2 f5 21.e6! Before Black can consolidate with 21...Bxc2 and 22...Ne6. A) After 21...fxe6 22.e5 and then Bh6 if necessary to exchange bishops Black is weak on the dark squares. Meanwhile the black kingside is rather ragged after;
B) 21...xe6 22.xf5 gxf5 23.e5 c8 24.h6 ( Perhaps 24.h2!? ); C) 21...xe6 22.g5 a7 23.xc7 xc7 24.xe6 fxe6 25.xa4 and White had the edge due to his superior pawn structure in Nisipeanu, L-Sanduleac, V/ Calimanesti 1999. ] 8...xd5 [ Instead 8...cxd5 would free the c6 square for the black knight but Istratescu prefers an imbalanced pawn structure. ] 9.e1 [ Black would be very comfortable after 9.xd5 cxd5 10.h3 c6 ] 9...g4 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 xc3 12.bxc3 e6 [ Instead 12...d7 13.a3 would be highly awkward for Black. ] 13.a4 a6 [ One advantage of taking this route with the knight is that White can't encroach on the qu e e n sid e a s is t h e ca se a f t e r 13...d7 14.a5 a6 he has to deal with the threat of 15 a6. 15.f4 and the black pawn on b7 is very weak. ] 14.f4 In this type of position you would expect a much higher rated player to outwit his opponent as either colour. And indeed Getz doesn't find a convincing plan. In view of his bishop pair, the preparation of a centre breakthrough with c3-c4 and d4-d5 would make sense. For example [ 14.a3 e8 15.ad1 and then 16.c4 and 17.d5. ] 14...c8 15.e5?! [ He could still play 15.ad1 and 16.c4. ] 15...c7 16.ab1 b6 17.bd1 [ White is left with broken pawns and a p a s s i v e b i s h o p a f t e r 17.xc6 xe5 18.dxe5 d5 19.b7 c7 20.a6 xc3 ] 17...e8 18.c4 Finally White becomes active in the centre, but the exchange of bishops saps the strength of a breakthrough. xe5 19.xe5 f6 The knight has had an interesting journey from b8 to a6, c7, e8 and finally f6. 20.e3 g7 21.g4 Advancing 22. d 5 h a s lo st a ll i t s l u st re a s it wo u ld ju s t f urth er f ragm ent the white pawns. W hit e therefore makes a half hearted attacking gesture on the kingside which merely weakens his game. d6 22.c5? Getz thinks he has 1025
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f o u n d a wa y t o g e t r i d o f h i s p o t e n t i a l l y vulnerable pawns and activate his pieces. Unfortunately for him this is a miscalculation. [ He should wait with 22.c3 ] 22...bxc5 23.dxc5 xc5 24.c3 g5 25.xc6 xg4! 26.xc8 [ White drops the rook on d1 after 26.hxg4 xc6 27.xc6 xg4+ ] 26...f6+ 27.g2 xg2+ 28.xg2 xc8 No w I s t ra t e s c u m a ke s sh o rt wo rk o f t h e endgame. 29.d4 f8 30.g3 c3+ 31.f3 e7 32.b4 c7 33.f4 d7 34.e3 c5 35.c4 a5 36.b5 xa4 37.b3 c5 38.xa5 xb3 [ White will remain two pawns down after 38...xb3 39.cxb3 c3+ ] 0-1
989 Gochelashvili,David Tseshkovsky,Vitaly Doroshkevich mem (9) [James Vigus]
B08 2442 2504 01.06.2008
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 f6 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.a4 This is the move you can expect to face most often after 6...c6, though I tried to show in TPIBAW that there are still good arguments for 7 h3. For one thing, it rules out Tseshkovsky's plan in the present game! a5 8.h3 Since almost all the following material is encouraging for Black, so White should consider omitting this move in favour of 8 Be3 immediately followed by 9 Nd2 (see TPIBAW for details). a6 9.e3 [ The obvious follow-up to h3, though not obligatory: a) 9.g5 h6 10.h4?! h5! 11.d2 g5! 12.xg5!? hxg5 13.xg5 f6 14.e5 h7 ( better is 14...dxe5 15.dxe5 d7 ) 15.xe7 xe7 16.xe7 dxe5 17.xf8 xf8 was a bit better for Black in E. Fatzer-V.Tseshkovsky, Davos 2008. ] [ b) John Watson recently annotated the game D.Khamrakulov-S. Iuldachev, Tashkent 2008. After 9.e1 b4 10.g5 d5 ( after 10...h6 White was presumably not going to play 11 Bh4 Nh5 as in line 'a'; whether after 11.e3 c7 12.d2 h7 the extra king move has helped Black or White is hard to say.) 11.exd5 cxd5 12.b5
f5 13.c1 c8 14.e2 h6 15.f4 I think Black could have equalised with e4 rather than the loosening 15... g5?!. ] 9...b4 [ Bla ck ca n also pla y slo wly, bu t 9...c7 10.d2 b4 11.cb1! e5 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.c3 a6 14.a3 e6 15.ac4 d7 16.f3 dc5 17.c2 f6 18.xa5! xa5 19.b4 c7 20.bxc5 left White with a typical nagging edge in B.Lengyel-Y.Zimmerman, Budapest 2008. ] 10.d2 e8!? Another good old 70s line. 10...Ne8 was first played by Benko back in 1971; and Tseshkovsky himself has been a leading exponent of the ...Na6-b4 plan for a good three decades. Black's knight on b4 is well-placed, nagging W hite's c2-pawn, but Black's dilemma is how to make inroads in the centre before White crawls forward with f2f4, Nc3-b1, c2-c3, etc. W hite is poised to reply to ...e7-e5 by exchanging and playing Nd2-c4, when b6 is vuln erable, so Blac k sometimes tries 10...d5 instead, and after 11 e5 Ne8 and ...f5. This, though, is really stodgy, and the immediate 10...Ne8!? (or sometimes 10...Nd7!?) is much more enterprising, going for a kind of Leningrad Dutch formation with ... f5. I think this is a good practical choice for Black, and incidentally ideal for anyone who, like me, dabbles with the Leningrad as Black. 11.c4 [ It may be that White already needs to seek an alternative: a) The timid 11.a2 xa2 12.xa2 f5 13.exf5 ( 13.f4 fxe4 14.xe4 f6 15.xf6+ xf6 16.a3 d5 17.g4 d7 18.b3 c7 19.f3 af8 20.d3 h6 wa s a n o t h e r s u c c e s sf u l c o u n t e ra t t a c k against the extended White centre, G.CuriA.Poluljahov, Buenos Aires 1998) 13...gxf5 ( 13...xf5 i s a l s o f i n e) 14.f3 c7 15.c4+ e6 of U.Boensch-M. Knezevic, Keszthely 1981, doesn't challenge Black. ] [ b) 11.f4 f5!? ( the more conventional 11...d5 12.e5 f6 is also playable) 12.e5 ( Black is okay after 12.c4+ d5 13.exd5 cxd5 14.b3 f6 , A.Aighasra-J.Smejkal, Bahrain 1990) 12...c7 13.h1 cd5 14.g1 h6 is typical strategy from Black, sniping at White's centre from the sides. In the following game this was sufficient to hold the balance: 15.c4 dxe5 16.dxe5 h8 1026
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.e2 e6 18.c3 a6 19.c2 d7 20.ad1 b5 21.b3 b7 22.f3 g8 23.e1 ad8 24.d3 bxa4 25.xa4 dc7 26.c4 e6 27.c3 c7 28.d4 ac5 29.xc5 xc5 30.xc6 e4 31.xe4 fxe4 32.e6 g7 33.c2 c8 34.xe4 xc4 35.fe1 d6 36.b3 b4 37.e3 b7 38.d3 a6 39.ed1 xe6 40.xe6 1/2-1/2 Oral,T (2543) -Strikovic,A (2563)/Ourense 2007/CBM 118 ext ] [ c ) I n T P I B A W I i n d e n t i f i e d 11.cb1 as critical. Let's take a closer look: A) 11...d5 12.c3 a6 13.a3 d6 14.exd5 cxd5 15.b5 c7 16.xd6 xd6 17.f3 looks like a tiny edge for White since the queenside pawn structure rules out Black's standard minority attack, N.Bojkovic-M.Petrovic, Cetinje 1992; B) 11...c5!? 12.b3 cxd4 13.xd4 d7 14.c3 a6 15.d2 c5 16.b5 is balanced, J.Szmetan-A. Giaccio, San Luis 1992; C) 11...f5!? is in keeping with Tseshkovsky's scheme: C1) 12.exf5 xf5 13.a3 d5 14.dc4 xe3 15.xe3 was typically tentative play by a white player confronting this line for the first time, J. Ivanov-A.Strikovic, Dos Hermanas 2004, and just retreating the bishop would have preserved Black's edge.; C2) 12.f3 h8 ( 12...c5!? ) 13.c3 a6 14.a3 f6 15.e1 c7 16.h4 e6 17.exf5 gxf5 18.h6 xh6 19.xh6 d5 20.c4 f6 21.h4 f4 22.e4 g6 23.xd5 cxd5 24.f2 f8 25.g4 g7 saw Black seize the initiative in fine style, R.Simic-V. Tseshkovsky, Cetinje 1993.; C3) 12.c3 a6 ( the critical 12...f4!? 13.cxb4 fxe3 14.b3+ h8 15.fxe3 xf1+ 16.xf1 axb4 17.xb4 , Z.Ilincic-A.Strikovic, Niksic 1996, c5!? is messy ) 13.f3 f6 14.e1 ( 14.g4?! h5?! 15.a3 c7 16.ac4 e6 17.b6 b8 18.c4 f4 19.f2 h7 was f ine f or Black in S.Beshukov-V. Tseshkovsky, Krasnodar 1997, but I'm not sure what was wrong with 14...e5) 14...c7 15.a3 h8 16.f2 fxe4 17.fxe4 e6 18.e3 g5 19.f1 d7
was another bout of obscure manoeuvring, V.Lukov-V.Tseshkovsky, Cappelle la Grande 1996 - but W hite enjoys a compact centre.; C4) 12.--; D) 11...-- ] 11...f5!? [ Tseshkovsky is presumably not so keen on Black's static pawn structure after 11...d5 12.exd5 cxd5 13.a3 d6 14.cb5 e6 15.f4 c4 16.xc4 ( 16.c3 xa3 17.xa3 preserves an unpretentious edge for White ) 16...dxc4 17.c3 d5 18.h2 , L.Vajda-M.Marin, Bucharest 1998. ] 12.d5 This is another reason why I previously felt that ...Nd7 is a better preparation for ...f5 than ...Ne8. But Tseshkovsky's admirably provocative play is changing my mind! [ 12.f3 f4 13.f2 d5 ] 12...a6 [ 12...fxe4!? is another provocative possibility. It appears risky to allow the invasion on b6, giving up either the a5-pawn or the bishop-pair, yet how can White take a d v a n t a g e ? 13.b6 ( 13.dxc6 bxc6 14.b6 c7 15.xa5 a6 ) 13...b8 14.xc8 xc8 15.g4 ( 15.dxc6 bxc6 ) 15...c7 16.e6+ h8 17.xe4 xd5 18.c1 probably gives White adequate compensation for the pawn, but not more. ] 13.a3?! [ 13.dxc6 bxc6 ( 13...xc6!? looks a little s u s p e c t a f t e r 14.d5! ) 14.e5! may be critical: it makes sense to try to prise the centre open while Black has a knight on e8 and a rook on a6. The continuation f4 15.c5 d5 still looks fine for Black, though ( whereas the over-enthusiastic 15...f3?! 16.xf3 xf3 17.xf3 dxc5 18.ad1 c7 19.e4 doesn't do much for Black's coordination. )] 13...f4! [ 13...a8 is reasonable, though of course Tseshkovsky doesn't want to invite a repetition; Black would be fine after 14.c4 e6 15.dxe6 e7 . ] 14.xa6 [ The young Russian master can't resist the bait, perhaps reckoning that he would come u n d e r a t t a c k a n ywa y in a l i n e s u c h a s 14.d4 a8 15.xg7 xg7 16.d2 e5 1027
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.c4 f3! 18.xf3 xf3 19.gxf3 xh3 . Black's advanced f-pawn is remarkably powerful! ] 14...bxa6! [ A wonderful idea, justified by the fact that white's king's knight has wandered ecc en tric ally away f ro m def en ce o f his monarch. The relatively routine 14...fxe3 15.c4 exf2+ 16.h1 h8 17.d2 b6 , though not ba d f or Black, wo uld have been something of a concession after such a belligerent start. ] 15.d4 e5! 16.dxe6 f3 17.xg7 [ White could conceivably cling on with 17.g3 , but Black has the plan of bringing his darksquared bishop to g2 and then sending his queen in afterwards, e.g. xe6 18.xg7 ( 18.h4 h3 ) 18...xg7 19.d2 xh3 20.fd1 g2 21.h6 h5 and White is struggling desperately to cover the entrysquare h3. ] 17...xg7 18.d2 [ The ugly 18.g3 would not have succeeded in the aim of keeping Black's knight out of f4. Apart from transposition to the previous note Black also has xe6 19.h4 f4! 20.c4 d7 21.e3 g2 with a continuing attack. ] 18...fxg2 19.xg2 xe6 20.f4! h4?! [ Consistently aggressive, though Black had a safe route to an advantageous ending with 20...xf4+! 21.xf4 g5+ 22.h2 xf4 23.f1 f5! 24.xg5 xg5 25.c4 xc2 26.xd6 e6 . ] 21.e2? [ Keeping Black's unopposed light-squared bishop shut out is paramount, and W hite had to counterattack to save himself: 21.f5! , e.g. g5 ( or 21...gxf5 22.f2! h6 23.exf5 ) 22.e3 d5!? ( 22...gxf5 23.f4! h5 24.af1 finally mobilises White's heavy artillery ) 23.g3 h6 ( 23...h5 24.h4 xe4 25.xe4 dxe4 26.fxg6 f5 27.gxh7+ xh7 28.h2 and the complications continue even after simplification. White stands better now, but not surprisingly in the game he was unable to get through such a minefield alive. )] 21...g5! Finally unleashing that slumbering monster on c8. 22.e3 [ 22.fxg5? xh3+ 23.g1 g4+
and the computer announces forced mate in 7! ] 22...xh3+ 23.g1 xf1 24.xf1 g4+ 25.h2 d5 Black has recouped the material with interest and a continuing attack, and it only remains to reactivate the knight on b4: 26.e5 c5! 27.c3 c6 28.c2 e7 29.f2 e4 30.f3 xf3 31.xf3 b8 32.b4 axb4 33.cxb4 c6 34.d3 xb4 35.xb4 cxb4 36.d4 c5 37.d1 b3 38.c6 b7 39.e6 xe6 The 'revolutionary 70s' generation is still going strong! 0-1
990 Guseinov,Gadir Dzhumaev,Marat III President's Cup (4) [John Watson]
B08 2625 2557 15.05.2008
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 f6 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.a4 bd7 8.e3 e8 9.d2!? A standard manoeuvre, but in a slightly different position than it usually occurs. W hite's idea is twof o ld: to exploit the d 6 square after ... e5 happens or, if Black waits, to play f4. e5 10.c4 [ 10.d5! may not be better, but it's safer and yields a small advantage. Since Nc4 is becoming a serious threat, Black needs to take action, for example, A) 10...c5 11.a5 f8 12.c4 e8 13.f3 ( 13.b1!? int en ds b 4) 13...f5 14.exf5 gxf5 15.d2; B) 10...c5 11.b4 a6 12.xa6 bxa6 13.dxc6; C) 10...cxd5 11.exd5 b6 ( 11...c5 12.b4 a6 13.b1 c7 14.c4 with a limited advantage) 12.g5!? h6 13.xf6 xf6 14.a5 d7 15.a6 b6 16.b5 ] 10...exd4 11.xd4 e5! This seems to cede the centre without a fight, but it has dynamic potential. [ 11...xe4 12.xg7 xg7 13.xe4 xe4 14.xd6 followed by Bc4 is uncomfortable for Black. ] 12.e3 [ As usual, giving up White's dark-squared bish o p le a ds n o wh e re : 12.xe5 dxe5 1028
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.d6 e6 14.fd1 xc4! 15.xc4 b6 Ng4. It's a steady move I like it! bd7 8.d3 ( or 15...f8 ) 16.a3 f8 and Black is 0-0 9.0-0 e5 10.a3 e8 11.fd1 c7 slightly better. The f8 bishop can travel to 12.dxe5 d4 via c5. ] A) 12...xe5 leads to a steady, small 12...e7 13.e1 h5! 14.f4! edge for White. It's just easier to develop! [ White won't get much by playing slowly with 13.xe5 dxe5 ( 13...xe5 14.a4! 14.d2 h4 15.h3 h6 ] B l a c k h a s a p r o b l e m d e ve l o p i n g t h e 14...eg4 15.xg4 xg4 16.xg4 xg4 q u e e n s i d e .) 14.c4 e6 ( 14...b5 17.xg7!? h4!? 15.a2 a5 16.c5 ) 15.xe6 xe6 [ 17...xg7 18.h3 f6 19.d4 a6 16.d3; 20.ad1 ad8 is about equal. It seems as B) 12...dxe5 13.c4 b6 14.b3 e6 though this opening line is satisfactory for 15.d6 xd6 16.xd6 xb3 17.cxb3 Black. ] ad8 18.ad1 xd6 19.xd6 c8 18.h3 f2+ 19.h1 xg7 20.f1?! 20.d3 e6 21.d8+ e8 22.d3 e6 [ Perhaps White survives 20.e2!? xf4 23.f1 d6 24.xe5 h5 25.xd6 21.hxg4 hxg4 22.d2 h8+ 23.g1 h2+ xd6 26.c4 xc4 27.bxc4 xc3 24.f2 h4+ 25.e3! g3+ 26.d4 28.bxc3 f6 29.f3 a6 30.e2 d7 - hard to play over-the-board! ] 31.f4 f6 32.d3 f7 33.f5 c5 34.f4 20...e3 21.f3 xf3 22.gxf3?! g5 35.d6 e5+ 36.e2 xc4 37.xc5 [ 22.xf3 f6 23.e1 e6 24.g1 ae8 b6 38.d4 b5 39.c5 e5 40.e3 c6 25.fe3 d5!? 26.xd5 cxd5 27.e5 dxe5 41.d6 e8 42.e5 fxe5 43.e4 a5 28.fxe5 g5 with the idea ...Kg6 gives Black 44.xe5 f7 45.c5 c4+ 46.d5 h5 something to play around with. ] 47.a4 h4 48.d4 b2 49.axb5 axb5 22...e3 23.f2 d5! 24.g1 f6 25.d2 50.e4 c4 51.f3 b2 52.g4 d3 ad8 26.e1 d4 27.d1 c4 28.d3 c5 53.xg5 e1 54.f2 xg2 55.g4 29.g1 a5 30.f2 c4 31.dd1 c6 1-0 Horvath, C-Qendro, L/23rd Open, Bla c k n o w h a s a su bst a n t ia l a d va n t a ge . Bratto ITA 2003 ] White blunders, so that we don't get to see 7...bd7 whether it is truly decisive. 32.c3 b6 33.e5+? [ 7...g4 8.g1 e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.h3 f5! 34.e4 d3! 35.d6+ xf4 36.xe8 e6 11.f3 h6 12.0-0 c7 13.a4 a5 xe8 37.b3 xe5 38.bxc4 c8 39.a5 14.ad1 bd7 15.e2 0-0 16.c4 fe8 bxa5 40.b1 xc4 41.b7 xc3 42.d1 17.xe6 xe6 18.c4! c2 43.xa7 f5 Luch, M-Dobrowolski, P/ Polish Extraleague, 0-1 Lubniewice POL 2003 The disappearance of the light-squared Bishops spells trouble for Bla ck, wh o h a s ced e d t h e d f ile, ha s a 991 B08 worse Bishop and is rather cramped. ] [ 7...g4 might well be the way to take Haskell,Robert advantage of White's seventh move. Black Donaldson,John W 2440 gets active! 8.g5 ( 8.f4 e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 22nd NAO, Oklahoma (1) 2003 10.g3 d7 11.h3 h6 12.e2 gf6 [Andrew Martin] 13.0-0 h5 ) 8...f6 9.f4 e5 10.g3 e6 ( 10...h6 11.d1 exd4 12.xd4 e5 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 13.e2 ) 11.h3 h6 12.b4 c7 13.b5 5.e3 c6 6.d2 a5 Simply preventing Bh6 f7 14.0-0 0-0 15.bxc6 bxc6 16.dxe5 due to the reply 7 Bh6 Bxh6 8 Qxh6 Nxe4. It is dxe5 17.d4 c8 18.b3 d8 19.e2 a controversial placement for the Black Queen. d7 20.f3 f8 21.f2 b4 22.a4 b6 On the face of it a5 is a very active square, in 23.a3 f8 24.ac5 g7 25.a4 a5 no small measure dissuading W hite f rom 26.fb1 e8 27.xa5 xa5 28.e6+ castling long. But at the same time the Black xe6 29.xb6 c5+ 30.xc5 xc5 Queen may become exposed. 7.d3 31.b4 a5 32.f1 c5 33.b5 c4 [ 7.h3! plays tit for tat, preventing ...Bg4 or. .. 1029
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 34.xa5 xa5 35.xc4 c3 0 -1 V a n B u i t e n e n , H- S t u h l ik , M/ O p e n , Vienna AUT 2003 ] 8.h6 xh6 9.xh6 e5 Positionally a fine move but I think Donaldson is banking on a timid reaction. If Black is allowed time to sit and consolidate he's obviously going to be OK, so W hite should try and heat up the game while the Black King remains in the middle. 10.0-0 [ 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.0-0-0! is thus indicated and I think Black is worse: c5 ( 11...h5 12.g4 f4 13.g7 f8 14.g5 Brutal and effective. ) 12.d2 b5 13.hd1 ] 10...exd4 11.xd4 h5 12.xh5 xh5 13.f4 0-0 14.f5?! So far not so bad for Haskell but here he would have been well advised to be more patient. [ Just 14.ad1 maintains the edge. ] 14...e5 15.e2 f6 16.fxg6 fxg6 17.f4 d7 18.af1 g7 19.h3 White's got more or less everything he could have hoped for after 14 f5 he's placed his pieces as actively as they can be. The problem is that from here his position can only get worse while Black's game has potential for considerable improvement-a motif borrowed from Backgammon. All due to e5! a6 20.g4?! Not very attractive. Perhaps W hite thought that he was still better! h6! 21.d1 ad8 22.ff1 Into reverse! b5 23.f3 e6 24.b4 xf3+ 25.xf3 [ 25.xf3 d5 26.exd5 xd5 27.xd5 xd5 28.a3 f4 ] 25...h7 26.g2 xf1+ 27.xf1 g5! Slowly but surely for Black. His minor pieces are superior to their white counterparts and the King has a route into the centre. 28.e2 A move with a miserable look to it. W hite knows that he is being outplayed and lacks the tenacity to defend this poor position. But the grip on e5 allows Black to dictate the play irrespective: [ 28.g2 f6 29.e5+ xe5 30.e1+ d4 ] [ 28.f2 f6 29.e3 e5 30.h4 f7 31.e2 g5! ] [ 28.g2 f6 29.h4 f7 30.g3 g5 31.h5 e5 32.e2 e7 33.f1 c8 34.e1 c5 ] 28...xh3+ 29.h2 f4 30.f3 g5-+
[ 30...f6-+ ] 31.a3 g6 32.g3 e5 33.e2 f6 34.d4 d7 [ 34...c5 is also very effective but one can understand that Donaldson didn't want to pa rt wit h his won d e rf u l K nigh t . 35.xe6 xe6 36.bxc5 xf3 37.xf3 f8+ 38.e3 dxc5-+ ] 35.h1 h8 36.f5 xf5 37.exf5 d5 38.a4 bxa4 39.a1 h5! 40.gxh5 xf3 41.xf3 xh5 42.xa4 h3+ 43.g4 c3 44.xa6 c4+ 45.f3 xf5 A typical game from an o p e n t o u r n a m e n t wh e r e t h e lo we r -ra t e d player outplays himself! Objectively, Black's opening play can be challenged by 7 h3!. He then has it all to prove. 0-1
992 Hebden,Mark Sutovsky,Emil Monarch Assuarance Open (8) [Nigel Davies]
B08
13.11.1999
1.d4 f6 2.f3 g6 3.c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.e3 0-0 6.d2 e5 Why should ck prepare this move if he can play it right away? One of the arguments in its favour is that Qd1-d2xd8 loses some time. 7.dxe5 This probably gives White nothing. [ Aggressive White players should therefore consider 7.0-0-0 exd4 ( 7...e7!? 8.h6 g4 9.d5 xh6 10.xh6 xf3 11.gxf3 h5 was already quite nice for Black in Breutigam, - W Watson, Bundesliga 19992000 ) 8.xd4 e8 9.f3 which transposes into a Philidor Defence (with 3...exd4). A sample game, Goritas - Ermenkov, Chania 1999 went on c6 10.de2?! - the first in a series of passive moves - e6 11.f4 e5 12.h4 c4 13.e2 xe2 14.xe2 c6 15.b1 b5 16.f2 c4 17.c1 a5 18.h5 b4 19.ce2 ab8 20.d2 xd2+ 21.xd2 b3 22.c3 bxa2+ 0-1. White's play was fairly horrible here. ] 7...dxe5 8.xd8 [ Or 8.0-0-0 e7 9.h3 ( 9.d5 xd5 10.xd5 d7 11.a5 b6 12.a4 f6 13.b5 b7 14.c6 xc6 15.xc6 e8 16.xe8 fxe8= Hebden - Carlier, French 1030
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Team Ch., Noyon 2001) 9...bd7 10.c4 b4 11.b3 c5 12.xc5 xc5 13.g5 c6 14.xe5 d5 15.g5 f6 16.g3 xc3 17.bxc3 xc3 Larsen - Penrose, Dundee 1967 ] 8...xd8 9.c4 c6 10.0-0 [ 10.h3 a5 11.d3 e6= Kindermann Reich, Germany 1999 ] 10...h6 11.h3 e8 12.fd1 [ 12.ad1 d4 13.xd4 exd4 14.e2 d6 15.d3 c5 16.e5 f5 17.f4 g5 was also fine for Black in Emms - Ftacnik, Bundesliga 1996-7 ] 12...d4 13.xd4 exd4 14.d5 e6 15.b3 d6!? Typical Sutovsky. Rather than settle for equality he drums up dynamic play an d e ven a f t e r t he e xch an ge o f qu ee n s. 16.xc7 xb3 17.cxb3 [ 17.xa8 xc2 18.d2 d3 19.c7 xe4 is horrible. ] 17...ac8 18.d5 c5 19.b4 Inviting Black's rook into the 7th rank is dangerous. [ 19.e1 xe4 20.f4 should draw - but Hebden was probably still hoping to show that Black doesn't have enough f or th e pawn. ] 19...c2 20.xd4 xb2 21.f3 e8 22.e5 e4 23.ac1 Hereabouts White seems to have missed something, maybe Black's 25th. [ In fact White's position looks a bit dodgy in a n y c a s e , i f 23.d4 t h e r e f o l l o w s g5 ( 23...xf2 24.f1 ) 24.xg5 hxg5 25.f6+ xf6 26.exf6 e6 with some problems for White. ( 26...ee2? 27.c1 xf2 28.c8+ h7 29.dd8 xg2+ 30.f1 bf2+ 31.e1 e2+ 32.d1 wins for White )] 23...xf2 24.d4 xe5 25.e1? xh3+ 26.h1 f2+ 27.g1 f6 28.xe5 fxe5 29.c4 f8 30.xe5 h5 31.e3 xa2 32.e7 a1+ 33.h2 [ 33.h2 h1+ 34.g3 h4+ is mate ] 0-1
993 Hossain,Enamul Rahman,Ziaur Dhaka [Andrew Martin]
B08
03.2005
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.c3 c6 5.e3 b5 The elastic Modern Defence remains one of the best ways to play for a win as Black against weaker opposition. Not that Hossain is weak you understand, just that Rahman is an excellent, practical player who takes every opportunity. 6.d2 d7 7.d3 gf6 8.h3 [ 8.a4 b4 9.e2 a5 10.h6 xh6 11.xh6 e5 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 g4 14.d2 0-0 15.g3 e8 16.0-0 f8 17.ab1 g7 18.h3 f6 19.fe1 c7 20.c4 e6 21.xe6 xe6 22.h4 g8 G a n gu l y, S -M i t o n , K / Ca l vi a E S P 2 0 0 4 shows Black defending toughly. ] [ For me the sternest test is offered by 8.h6! as it is in all cases early on when Black p e rm i t s t h is m o ve . T h e wh o l e p o i n t o f White's opening system is to try and get rid of Black's fianchettoed Bishop so that he has a choice in the middle game of either: a) Direct attack on the Black King b) Play in t h e c e n t r e wi t h a we l l - t i m e d e 4 - e 5 ! c ) Positional development based on Black's limited counterplay thanks to the weakness of his King. For instance: xh6 9.xh6 a5 ( 9...b4 10.e2 c5 11.e5! ) 10.0-0 b4 11.e2 e5 12.a3 In my opinion Black has yet to equalize in both cases. ] 8...c7 9.e2N A redeployment which is common enough. White hopes to reroute to g3 to 'soup up' a Kingside assault. But in this case Black has a tactical shot. [ 9.0-0 is also very common and a recent example continued 0-0 10.a4 b4 11.e2 c5 12.g3 b7= Black has no problems here. 13.c3 c4 14.b1 b3 15.d5 a6 16.h4 ae8 17.h5 e6 18.dxe6 xe6 19.f4 e5 20.d4 ee8 21.h6 d8 22.df5 gxf5 23.g5 xh5! Rodriguez Guerrero, E-Peralta, F/Seville ESP 2005 ] 9...c5! 10.e5? Rushing to take advantage of a possible Black weakness on the h1-a8 diagonal but this aggression rebounds in Hossain's face. 1031
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 10.c3 was the stable move, but after b7 11.g3 0-0 12.0-0 c4 13.c2 e6 White doesn't really have any advantage. He can play for attack on the Kingside and Black goes ..a5, ...b4 etc. Mutual chances. ] [ 10.xb5 xe4 is no answer for White at all. ] 10...c4! probably White missed this move. 11.exf6 xf6 12.c3 cxd3 13.xb5 [ 13.xd3 a6 is looking very nice for Black with those two Bishops so the text is essentially forced. ] 13...b6 14.c4 d5! 15.b3 [ 15.f4 does not solve White's problems as can be seen by 0-0! 16.c7 b8 17.xd5 xd5 18.xb8 b4! ] 15...f5 16.0-0 e4 With a huge initiative and a mighty light-squared Bishop to boot. 17.e1 [ 17.c1 c8 18.d1 0-0 19.xd3 xf2! maintains the Black advantage. It is very difficult to offer White any advice at all he really misses his light-squared Bishop. ] 17...c8 18.c1 0-0 19.c3 dxc4 20.bxc4 b7! 21.c5 [ 21.b1 a6 ] 21...fd8! [ 21...xh3! introduces a tactic which crops up in the game, but perhaps Rahman considered the text even stronger, which builds up pressure in the centre to breaking point as far as White is concerned. 22.gxh3 ( 22.b1 a8 23.gxh3 xc3 24.xc3 xf3 25.xd3 fd8 ) 22...xc3 23.xc3 xf3 24.xd3 xh3 ] 22.b1 a8 23.b4 xh3! Signalling more or less the end. Hossain's King is opened up. 24.gxh3 xc3 25.xc3 xf3 26.xd3 d5 Guess that was one of the points of ... Rfd8 27.a6 xh3 28.fb1 cd8 Joining up the pieces in this way avoids any tactical accidents. Strong players very rarely have any loose pieces lying around. 29.b8 xd4 30.c4 [ 30.f1 h5-+ ] 30...g5+! 31.xg5 g3+ 32.h1 f3+ Because 33 Kh2 Qxf2+ 34 Kh1 Qf3+ 35 Kh2 Qh5+ is the end of the road. An attractive game by Black. 0-1
994 Hulburd,George Kamberi,Sonny 22nd NAO, Oklahoma (2) [Andrew Martin]
B08 2275 2003
Coming up, in many ways a typical Modern. White sets out to dominate the game early, taking the centre, shun ting h is pie ces t o approved squares. Unruffled, Black defends calmly and slowly but surely takes over the ga m e , d isp l a yin g su p e r io r st ra t e g ic a n d tactical control. If you are good strategically and you're able to withstand the occasional vicious attack, the Modern might well be the opening for you. 1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 f6 5.h3 A system popularised by Boris Spassky. W hite hopes to develop the Bishop on f1 to c4 in one go and just takes away the g4 square. All the same, 5 h3 is rather slow. 0-0 6.e3 a6! This move I like and it was recommended in the excellent 'Pirc Alert' by Alburt and Chernin. Black keeps all his options open and prepares to develop counterplay on the Queenside and against e4. 7.a4 [ 7.d3 ] [ 7.c4 ] 7...b6 8.d3 e6 9.0-0 b7 10.e1 [ 10.d2 is a little more pointed and I quite like 10..Re8 now, preserving the Bishop on g7. bd7 11.h6 e5 12.xg7 xg7 13.d5 c6 14.dxc6 xc6 15.e3 c7 16.d2 c5 17.f4 White has the edge d u e t o B la ck 's s li g h t ly we a ke n e d K i n g position. e7 18.c4 b5 19.fxe5 dxe5 20.b6 xd3 21.axb5 axb5 22.xa8 c5 23.c7 cxe4 24.7xb5 Larsen, BHodgson, J/New York 1990 (24) ] 10...bd7 11.d2 e8N Same idea-he doesn't want his Bishop exchanged. Of the alternatives 11... c5 has merit: [ 11...e5 12.d5 h8 13.g5 e8 14.a5 b5 15.a2 g8 16.c4 bxc4 17.xc4 f6 18.h4 f5 19.b4 h6 20.exf5 gxf5 21.g3 f7 22.c3 e7 23.ac1 g8 24.ed1 g6 25.h4 xh4 26.xh4 Kadimova, IMovsziszian, K/Berlin 1994 ] [ 11...c5 12.h6 cxd4 13.xd4 xh6 14.xh6 c8 ] 12.g5 c5! If this move is possible then 1032
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black's whole game plan can be justified-he will get a position resembling the Sicilian Dra gon with W hit e 's p ie ce s pe rh a ps n o t optimally posted. 13.e5? The overreaction B la ck wa s wa it in g f o r a n d a n a b so lu t e l y typical display of impatience by a playe r below master rank. Although both [ 13.h6 h8 ] [ 13.d5 c7 don't change things, either of the two white moves were better than the game. ] 13...cxd4 14.e4 xe5 [ Not 14...xe4 15.exf6 xf3 16.fxg7 f6 17.h6 d5 18.b4= ] [ but 14...dxe5 gives fantastic value for the exchange. 15.d6 xf3 16.xe8 xe8 17.gxf3 d5 ] 15.xd4 xe4 16.xe4 c7 Kamberi makes all the right decisions. Having tempted W hite and induced a blunder he p l a y s i t s a f e . 17.xb7 xb7 18.b4 White is reduced to hacking around, hoping to get back the missing pawn, but with 18...Rac8 Black shows that he is still in charge. ac8! 19.xd6 c4 20.f4 e5 21.f3 xf3 22.xf3 xb2 [ Or 22...e4 ] 23.a2 e4 24.d2 It's easy now, a mop-up job. f5 25.b1 xc2 26.b3 ec8 27.c1 d1 28.xc2 xc2 By no means a good game BUT.... instructive. The Modern is still an extremely efficient opening for outplaying we ak er o pp on en ts, le ad in g as it do es t o positions of considerable strategic and tactical complexity. Here, Hulbard lost track and simply blew a fuse! 0-1
alternative, preventing ...e5. ] 8...e5 This a well-known position. 9.e3 [ W hite more of ten plays 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.c4 ( 10.e3 e7 prepares ...Nc5 and perhaps ...Ne6 in conjunction with ...Nh5-f4 and ...Nd4.) 10...e7 , again with the idea ... Nc5 and possibly ...Be6 or ...Ne6, depending upon White's reply. ] 9...exd4 It seems a little odd to surrender the centre at this point. [ 9...c7 is the main line, especially because ... Qc7 has often been played before ...e5. ] [ And 9...e7 has its virtues, with the idea 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.d3 h5!? ] 10.xd4 e8 11.e1!? Losing no time. Perhaps Mamedyarov expected [ 11.d2 c5 ] [ or 11.d3 c5 ] 11...xe4 Black simplifies to near-equality. It's hard to find another plan because of Black's weak d-pawn, but [ 11...b6 is possible, intending 12.c4!? b7 13.d2 e5 ] 12.xg7 xg7 13.xe4 xe4 14.xd6 f6 15.xf6+ xf6 16.d3 f4!? [ F o r a l l p r a c t i c a l p u r p o s e s , 16...xe1+ 17.xe1 d7 and ...Re8 levels things. ] 17.c3 This cuts off a Black rook move to the queenside, and invites Black into the following complications: xh3 18.e5 Now the rook is trapped, but Black can sacrifice the exchange for a pawn and harm White's pawn structure. f5 19.g3 xd3 20.gxf4 f5 21.a5 a6?! No t a wf u l, b ut it 's n ot ne cessary t o t a k e another move. Either [ 21...c5 22.ad1 h5 or ] [ 21...c8 improves. ] 22.ad1 h5 23.d4 c5 24.c4 c8 25.b4 cxb4 26.cxb4 f8!? Black plays ambitiously 995 B08 and keeps the rooks on. He would have to Inarkiev,Ernesto 2684 defend following [ 26...xc4 27.xc4 e6 28.d6 d5 Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar 2752 29.f5! ] FIDE GP Baku AZE (2) 22.04.2008 27.d4 f6 28.c1 e6 29.f3 b8 30.f2 [John Watson] h5 31.c7 d5 32.d7! f6? [ 32...c3! blockades the queenside. Then A rare Pirc from one of the world's elite. 1.e4 33.d8 xd8 34.xd8 f6 35.b8 d5 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.e2 36.e3 b5 should draw. ] 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.a4 bd7 The central approach for 7...a5 and 8. ..Na6, see the 33.d8! xd8 34.xd8 d5 35.d3 [ 35.b8 xb4 36.xb7 d5 37.g3 Khamrakulov-Iuldachev game. 8.h3 will also win, if only because of the idea Nd7[ 8.f4 is probably the most important 1033
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c5. ] after 10.xe5 xe5 11.xe5 ( 11.dxe5 35...h4 36.f5!? Black resigned. White can win may also yield an edge) 11...b6 12.a4 with several techniques, either before or after a5 13.c5 d8 14.f3 White was very this move, a convincing one being comfortable and went on to win smoothly [ 36.b5 axb5 37.b8 and Rxb7, or ] in Kasimdzhanov, R -Valdes, L Benidorm [ 36.c5 , for example, xb4 37.xe6+ 2004 ] fxe6 38.d7+ ] 10.g5 1-0 [ 10.exd6 exd6 11.g5 promises little edge for White h6 ( 11...b6 may be a simpler way to equalise 12.d2 e8 and it's hard 996 B08 to see what's wrong with Black's position here ) 12.e3 d5 13.h3 f4 14.f1 e6 Iordachescu,V 2644 15.c1 h7 16.e2 e8 17.f4 xf4 Shanava,K 2586 18.xf4 xe1 19.xc7 xc1 20.xc1 f8 Nakhchivan Open 2012 (3.2) 30.04.2012 21.c3 e6 22.e1 e8 23.d3 d7 [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle] 1/2-1/2 Vokarev, S (2517) -Chernyshov, K (2565) Pardubice 2008 ] 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.e2 f6 10...dxe5 11.xe7 e8 12.d5 Here we have 5.c3 c6 6.0-0 0-0 7.e1 [ 7.a4 bd7 8.a5 Pridorozhni, A- reached something of a critical position f6 After careful examination of a few lines we Cheparinov, I Aix les Bains FRA 2011 and ] [ 7.h3 bd7 8.f4 Vallejo Pons, F- believe this is inaccurate [ 12...b6! and now Gashimov, V Reggio Emilia ITA 2011, have A) 13.dxc6 bxc6 14.a3 both been analysed before by Gawain on A1) 14...e4 is a bit risky as now 15.c4 the site. ] A1a) 15...xc3 16.bxc3 might be just 7...c7 about playable but those holes on the [ 7...bd7 kingside look nasty; A) 8.f4 b6 9.c1 e5 10.dxe5 xe5 A1b) 15...e3 16.h1! ( 16.fxe3 e5 ( 10...dxe5 11.e3 c7 ) 11.h3; is un clea r) 16...h6 17.fxe3 df6 B) 8.e5 e8 was analysed by Volzhin in 18.d4 is better for White; Lutz, C-Svidler, P Bad Homburg 1997 A1c) 15...hf6 16.g5 e5 ( 8...dxe5 9.dxe5 g4 10.e6 fxe6 11.h3 was all played in Asrian, K (2599)gf6 12.c4 d5 13.e4 was played in Gagunashvili, M (2486) Moscow 2002 the top level encounter Karpov, A (2780)and now 17.b3! would've left Black Shirov, A (2710) Linares 1995 and my struggling to hold onto e4; feeling is that the position is pretty equal A2) 14...df6! 15.d3 d5 16.e4 although White has the easier to position d8 and Gawain says this is a pretty to play as Black has many weaknesses reasonable Dragon position for Black that can be attacked )] here and it certainly looks fine.; [ 7...b5 8.e5 dxe5 9.xe5 fd7 10.xd7 B) 13.a3 doesn't seem to give an edge xd7 11.f3 b7 12.xb5 ( 12.f4 for White and was analysed by Volzhin in is also sensible if White wants to avoid any A s ri a n , K - K a si m d zh a n o v, R Y e r e v a n unnecessary complications with some edge, 1999 ] e.g. b4 13.e4 b6 14.c3 ) 12...b6 [ 12...f4 13.d6 is strong for White ] 13.xe7 cxb5 14.xd7 xf3 15.gxf3 and Black didn't have quite enough for the 13.a3 [ 13.d6 is an important alternative here sacrificed material in Dos Santos, R (2374) A) 13...b6 14.g5! ( 14.xf6 hxf6 -Fernandez Gramajo, G Mar del Plata 2007 ] 15.c4 c5 16.b3 e4 17.d2 e3 8.f4 bd7 9.e5 Definitely the critical move 18.xe3 xe3 19.fxe3 xd6 is fine for here as otherwise Black will play ...e5 with a Black ) 14...xe7 15.dxe7 hf6 16.c4 good game. h5 xe7 17.d6 c5 18.d3 and Black [ 9...dxe5?! seems to be inaccurate here as 1034
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 h a s re a l p r o b l e m s u n ra ve l li n g h e r e interestingly the computers want to return the pawn with g7 19.xf7! and White keeps a slight edge; B) 13...a5 14.g5 ( 14.xf6 hxf6 15.d2 looks like a simpler way to get an edge ) 14...xe7 15.dxe7 h6?! ( 15...hf6 16.c4 xe7 17.d6 c5 transposes to the 13..Qb6 note above) 16.xf7! xf7 17.xh5 was good for White in Kulikov, O (2335)-Lukin, A (2435) Podolsk 1992 ] 13...f4 [ 13...e4 14.dxc6 bxc6 ( 14...exf3 is an ot he r po ssib le - b ut risky - way o f playing 15.cxd7 xd7 16.xf3 xc3 17.bxc3 c6! a tough move to see is playable without silicon help! 18.xh5 a5 forking the two Bishops and Black should hold a draw here) 15.d2 xc3 16.bxc3 f4 this may be a playable position for Black bu t I 'd b e very re lu cta n t t o give u p t h e fianchettoed Bishop like this - already White can consider ideas like 17.f3! f5 18.xe4 fxe4 19.d6 ] 14.d6 [ 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.e4 is also comfortable for White ] 14...xe2+ 15.xe2 d8 16.ad1 g7 The opening can definitely be considered a success for White but here he makes a slight mistake 17.h4?! an attacking move but perhaps Black can get sufficient counterplay with accurate play now [ 17.e4! b5 18.c4 and Black is struggling for counterplay - the pawn on d6 gives White an obvious edge ] 17...a5 [ 17...b5 18.e4 b6 is similar to the game - with a5, b4 coming Black is doing OK ] 18.e4 b5 19.b3 f5 [ 19...a4!? ] 20.g3 [ 20.c5 keeps the game in the balance, e. g. e4 21.g5 f6 22.xd7 xd7 23.c5 and the pawn on d6 should give White just enough play to avoid being worse here ] 20...a6?! Shanava misses his chance [ 20...e4! 21.d4 e5 and Black is getting active - suddenly Qxh4 is an annoying threat as well and White is struggling somewhat ]
21.b2 e4 22.d4 [ 22.xg7!? is a fascinating piece sac probably White has the better chances in the complications exf3 23.xf3 xg7 24.c3+ f6 25.xe8 xe8 26.d7 d8 27.xc6 a7 28.d6 and Black is under real pressure ] 22...b7 23.dxf5! Probably a very good practical decision leading to a forcing continuation [ 23.c4 is the computer's preference but now f6! 24.a1 f7 25.cxb5 cxb5 26.xb5 xa1 27.xa1 a6 and although White is a pawn up it's Black that has all the pressure ] 23...xb2 24.e7+ xe7 25.dxe7 xe7 26.xe4 And now Black errs in this difficult position f8?! [ 26...f8 was necessary 27.c4 ( 27.d6 xe2 28.xe2= ) 27...g7 28.d6 xe2 29.xe2 and White is still very active however two Bishops for the rook is a good swap so I would expect Black to hold here ] 27.c3 a3 28.f3 f7 Avoiding Nf6+ 29.g3 g7?! [ 29...e7 would've brought the Bishop back to help out in the defence although W hite can keep up the pressure in lots of ways 30.c7 ( 30.h5; 30.d6 )] 30.b4! Suddenly the Bishop is out of the game and Black is in trouble h8? [ 30...axb4 was a better try but after 31.cxb4 c5 32.xc5 f7 33.xb7 xb7 34.c3 the Bishop is still marooned on a3 and Black is facing an uphill task ] 31.d6 axb4 32.cxb4 c5 33.bxc5? I su sp e ct t im e -t ro u b le b e ca m e a n i s s u e around here as W hite makes the win much more tricky with this move [ 33.xc5! xb4 34.e7 is crushing as if c3 35.d4 and Black is caught in a mating net ] 33...c8 34.d3 xe4?! [ 34...xc5 35.xc5 xc5 36.d6 c7 37.e8 f7 is unpleasant for Black but I can see no way for White to breakthrough ] 35.xa3 b7 36.d6 g5?! Looking for some counterplay but in fact this just loses the position was already difficult though 37.h5! g4 38.h6 c7 39.c6! A critical opening choice from Iordachescu but it seems Black may be doing OK after 12...Qb6! 1035
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 39.c6 wins ] 1-0
xc6
40.b2+
997 Ivanchuk,V Kramnik,V FIDE Candidates (14.3) [Tom Rendle]
g8
41.xc6!
B08 2757 2810 01.04.2013
1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 Kramnik chooses the Pirc for this 'must-win' game. He's had great success with this in the past but normally against 2650 Grandmasters. Ivanchuk is somewhat more dangerous but also susceptible to time-trouble! 4.f3 g7 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 a6 [ 6...c6 is Black's main option and now W hite's most promising continuation appears to be 7.d5 ( 7.e3 g4 8.d2 should also be considered) 7...b8 8.h3 ( 8.e1 ) 8...c6 9.e1 ( 9.a4 wa s c o n s id e r e d i n R o ze n t a l is - E f i m o v, a n a l y s e d b y J o h n W a t s o n .) 9...a6 ( probably 9...bd7 offers Black a better chance of equalising.) 10.a4 a5 11.g5 bd7 12.d2 e8 13.ad1 b6 14.b3 and White had the more comfortable game in Socko, B (2617)-Bauer, C (2639) Graz 2013. ] 7.h3 [ 7.a4 b6 8.e1 e6 9.f1 b7 10.f4 bd7 11.d2 e8 12.h6 e7 13.h3 f8 14.xg7 xg7 and Black had few problems in Malakhov-Topalov examined by Watson for ChessPub. ] 7...c6!? Another provocative choice from Kramnik [ 7...b5 is the logical alternative and now A) 8.a3 feels too slow to me and Black should have no problems after b7 9.e5 ( or 9.d3 bd7 and Black will break with ...c5 and have the better game. ) 9...d5; B) 8.e5 B1) 8...fd7 9.e6 is a typical pawn structure but it probably doesn't offer more than adequate compensation after fxe6 10.g5 B1a) instead 10...b6?! B1a1) 11.g4! just looks strong
h e r e a s w e l l - f o r e x a m p l e c6 ( 11...f5!? 12.xf5 exf5 gives Black a pawn for the exchange but I don't fully believe in his c o m p e n s a t i o n a f t e r 13.e1! as Black still has some problems on the light-squares.) 12.xe6+ h8 13.e3 and White has control over the position; B1a2) 11.d3 f6 12.ce4 gave W hite the better chances in Pavlo vic, M (25 30) -Hunga ski, R (2488) Biel 2012; B1b) 10...f6 11.d3 c6! seems to be OK for Black.; B2) 8...e8 B2a) 9.a4! b4 10.d5 is the critical t e s t o f B l a c k ' s s e t u p . A f t e r c6 ( 10...a5 11.g5 f6 12.exf6 exf6 13.f4 is very unpleasant for Black) 11.e1 White has a good game as the knight can't easily be chased from d5 with e6 b e c a u s e o f 12.g5! f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.c4! a nice tactic that gives White a clear advantage.; B2b) 9.d3?! b7 10.e4 c6 11.exd6 cxd6 12.c3 c7 13.c2 d7 and Black had at least equalised and went on to win in Andrijevic, M (2357)-Sargissian, G (2693) Valjevo 2012 ] 8.g5 I really like this move from Vassily, avoiding the complications of 8.d5 in favour of a more positional bind. b5 [ 8...d5!? might be playable here but it's a rather atypical move for the variation. A) 9.xf6 exf6 10.exd5 ( 10.xd5? f5! 11.c3 xd4 and Black is comfortably better. ) 10...e7 11.c4 b5 12.b3 b7 and Black regains the pawn with roughly balanced chances; B) 9.exd5 xd5 10.xd5 xd5 11.c3 and White has a slight advantage - also it might be hard for Black to create winning chances after d8 12.b3 ] 9.a3 h6 [ 9...b7 10.c1! keeps a stable advantage for White. The point of this slightly strange square is that after e5 11.dxe5 xe5 12.xe5 dxe5 W h i t e c a n p la y 13.d1 with a good game and the queen is coming 1036
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 to e3 in any case. ] 10.e3! Having provoked a small weakness on the kingside the bishop is best placed on e3 where it controls the centre and keeps an eye on h6. e5 [ Black could also have continued with 10...e6 when we have a kind of Hippo structure, although there the knights are normally placed on e7 and d7. White should be somewhat better after 11.d2 h7 12.d3 b7 13.a4! b4 14.e2 ] 11.dxe5 dxe5 [ 11...xe5 12.xe5 dxe5 13.c5 e8 14.a4 is obviously better for White and Black has little counterplay here. ] 12.c1 h7? A serious mistake which hands the initiative over to White. [ it was necessary to sacrifice a pawn with 12...d4! 13.xh6 c5 ( 13...b7 14.xg7 xg7 15.d1 c5 16.e3 doesn't feel like enough comp.) 14.xg7 xg7 and Black has reasonable compensation due to his control of the centre and the dark-squares in particular. ] 13.c5 e8 14.d1 d7 15.b4 c8 16.e3 White has an excellent position with more control of the centre and the queenside. Kramnik does his best to mix it up d8!? [ 16...b7 might've been the best option but W hite is still in control after 17.a4 ( or 17.d3!? )] 17.a4 bxa4 18.xa4 e6 19.c4 h5!? Not liking his position Kramnik seeks counterplay on the kingside but it's dealt with relatively easily. 20.c3 [ 20.d5 b8 21.c3! is also very strong. Black probably has to sacrifice the exchange with b5 22.a7 a8 23.xa8 xa8 followed by Nhf4 and Black at least has some counterplay. ] 20...hf4 21.d5 b5 22.b3 c6 23.a5 b7 24.g3! An excellent pawn sacrifice that kills Black's counterplay. xh3+ 25.g2 hg5 26.h1 g8 27.xg5 xg5 28.f3! Now e4 has been solidified White again has complete control of the position, albeit he's still a pawn down. xd5 Otherwise Ne7+ was c o m in g a n d B la c k's p o sit io n f a lls a p a rt . 29.xd5 c6 30.c4 c8 31.b3 h5 This doesn't turn out well but it's hard to suggest an alternative way for Black to obtain
c o u n t e r p l a y . 32.e3 e6 33.ha1 Ivanchuk regains the pawn and keeps all his po sit io n a l p lu sse s. h4 34.gxh4 d8 35.xa6 c8?! A further mistake after which the position is probably lost for Kramnik. [ 35...xa6 36.xa6 xh4 and Black is still f ighting although af te r 37.xe6! xe6 38.a8+ h7 39.a1! d8 40.c4 the ending is very difficult for Black and he has practically no winning chances. ] 36.h1 c7 37.xe6 xe6 38.b5! b7 [ 38...cxb5 39.xe6 fxe6 40.xe6+ f7 ( 40...h8 41.h5 ) 41.xg6 is also hopeless for Black ] 39.b6 c5 40.b1 White makes the time control and the pawn on b6 gives him an easily winning position. f8 41.d5 b8 42.ba1 d6 43.a8 xd5 44.xb8 xb8 45.exd5 d6 [ 45...xb6 loses to 46.a8 g7 47.xf8! xf8 48.xc5+ ] 46.a6 b7 47.f1 And here Kramnik resigned as the White king is simply walking to b5 and a6 and it's all over. The tragedy for Vladimir of course was that as it turned out a draw would've been enough to win the tournament as Carlsen lost a shock game as White against Svidler. I'm sure if Kramnik had known he only needed a draw we might've seen a different opening choice! 1-0
998
B08 Jakovenko,Dmitrij 2736 Svidler,Peter 2754 World Blitz Moscow RUS blitz (32) 18.11.2009 [Neil McDonald] 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 Most players adopt the Classical Pirc as White in order to restrain the dynamism in the black se t u p , b u t S vid le r m a n a ge s t o c re a t e a disturbance on the queenside. f6 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 a6 Black intend s to adopt a Hippopotamus set up. This is far more dynamic than the lines that emerge after 6... Bg4 or 6...Nc6, where White gets a small edge with no hassle. 7.a4 b6 8.e1 e6 [ Black prevents any disruptive e5-e6 advance of the kind that might occur after 1037
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 8...b7 9.e5 ] 9.f1 b7 So far play has followed MalakhovTopalov in the archives. There John Watson remarks that White 'probably wishes that he had his bishop on f1 in a more active position. ' Here Jakovenko aims to achieve that by putting his bishop on g2, but it just goes to show you have to be careful what you wish for. Once the bishop leaves the f1-a6 diagonal, Svidler is able to expand on the queenside with b6-b5. 10.g3?! [ Instead 10.f4 was played by Malakhov in the aforementioned game. This looks like the better treatment for W hite, as Black doesn't have many problems achievin g activity in the present game. ] 10...bd7 11.g2 c8 The queen sidesteps the pin that was looming after W hite's next move and defends the bishop on b7 against any surprises af ter e4-e5 . 12.g5 b5! A classic flanking move in the Pirc. 13.e5?! [ After 13.axb5 axb5 14.xa8 xa8 planning 15...b4 to undermine the defence o f e 4 . H e r e 15.b4! looks about equal. ( and not 15.e5? dxe5 16.dxe5 g4 when the e5 pawn drops with the better chances for Black. )] 13...dxe5 14.dxe5 d5 15.axb5? Of course this is a blitz game so we can't expect perfection. White's last chance to keep out of trouble was probably the modest [ 15.d2 to avoid any weaknesses on the queenside, though Black has a nice game after xc3 16.xc3 d5 intending 17... Qb7 ( or 16...c5!? )] 15...xc3 16.bxc3 axb5 17.xa8 xa8 18.f4 d5! 19.d4 b7 Now Svidler has a grip on the important d5 and c4 centre light squares. 20.xd5 xd5 21.f3 b6 22.e2 d8 23.h4 c4 24.g5 [ He should exchange with 24.xc4 xc4 when the black knight has been kept away from the d5 square. ] 24...xe2 25.xe2 d1+ 26.g2 d5 27.c4 [ White should try to tough it out with 27.d2 though Black can probe his weak queenside pawns after c5 etc. ] 27...bxc4 28.e4 c3 29.d8 b6?? Evidence that this is a blitz game. [ Instead 29...c1 keeps the advantage. ]
30.d4?? [ Did both players miss 30.xc7 here, or is the game score incorrect? ] 30...xd4 31.xd4 xe5 32.b5 d5 33.f4 c6 34.a7 g7 35.xc6 e3+ 36.f3 xc2 37.e4 f5+ 38.d3 e1+ A highly instructive battle as regards the opening/ early middlegame. 0-1
999 Jonkman,Harmen Iordachescu,Viorel 12th Monarch Assurance, Erin (1) [Andrew Martin]
B08 2420 2605 2003
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.c3 c6 5.e3 f6 6.d2 0-0 If this move is possible, then the idea of the 150 attack is wholly undermined. 7.d3 [ 7.h4 seems more dangerous, as does 7 Bh6. Take a look at the following rout: b5 8.a3 g4 9.h5 xe3 10.xe3 a5 11.hxg6 hxg6 12.g5 e5 13.0-0-0 e8 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.h4 ( 15.h4 is also dangerous) 15...e6?! 16.f5! winning! d7 ( 16...gxf5? 17.exf5 f6 18.h8+!! xh8 19.h5+ g8 20.xe8+ wins ) 17.xg7 xg7 18.f4 exf4 19.h6+ f6 20.e5+ xe5 21.g5+ f5 22.c4 d5 23.xd5 1-0 Lastin, A-Yandemirov, V/ Novgorod 1999 I wonder quite what Iordachescu has prepared? ] 7...g4 [ 7...bd7 8.0-0 e5 9.h3 e8 10.dxe5 xe5 11.xe5 dxe5 12.a4 b6 13.fd1 e6 14.e2 c7 15.g3 ed8 Hunt, H- Fridman, D/12th Monarch Assurance, Port Erin IOM 2003 (37), seems a fairly straightforward approach in the style of the Classical Pirc. Fridman goes on to outplay Hunt. ] 8.g5 e5! 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.f3 c8 11.h4 h5! I think this is a very good two-way move, both defensive in that in holds up the h-pawn and offensive in that it prepares a possible pawn sacrif ice with ... Nf4, liberating the Bishop on g7. W ith 11 h4 W hite burns his boats. He's committed to castle long now and if the Bishop on e3 disappears, extra pawn or 1038
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 not, W hite is going to have some serious defending to do. 12.0-0-0 b5 13.e2 [ 13.g4 f4 14.xf4 exf4 15.xf4 sees the pawn sacrifice accepted and Black whipping up a strong attack: a5 16.d2 b4 17.e2 h6 18.h3 e6! No way was White going in for something like this. ] 13...f6! Jonkman was hoping for g4 but the veiled threat to b2 dissuades that move . 14.c4!? Bit of a body-swerve, this one! [ 14.h3 xh3 15.xh3 f4 16.xf4 exf4 17.c3 b4 18.xf4 e6 19.b1 bxc3 20.xc3 d7 ] 14...h6 15.h3 xh3 I don't immediately see why he gives up the Bishop maybe just to maintain momentum. Instead [ 15...d8!= was fine for Black. ] 16.xh3 d8 17.a5 [ 17.c3 d7 18.g4 e6 19.h2 f4 ] 17...d7 18.cxb5 f4! Black plays with energy! 19.xf4 [ If 19.h2 then b6 20.xf4 exf4 21.c3 cxb5 22.xb5 ac8 and Black has a tremendous initiative. ] 19...exf4 20.c3 c5 21.e2 One can see that W hite isn't really happy about the way the game has turned out. He's struggling to find a good square for the Bishop. Certainly with other moves Black gets enviably centralised: [ 21.c4 xd1+ 22.xd1 cxb5 23.xb5 ( 23.xb5 d4 ) 23...c8 24.b1 d4 ] [ 21.c2 xd1+ 22.xd1 cxb5 23.xb5 c8 24.h5 g5 25.c4 d8 ] 21...xd1+ 22.xd1 cxb5 23.xb5 d4! 24.h1 c8 25.b1 d2 Very strong. The presence of opposite-colour Bishops only enhances the Black initiative. 26.c4 a5 This pawn will arrive on a3 in a flash if it isn't halted. 27.a4 h5 T i d yi n g u p . 28.c2 But he was running out of decent moves. [ 28.f1 d8 29.c2 xa4 30.xd2 xd2 31.e1 xb2-+ ] 28...xc2+ 29.xc2 xa4+ 30.b3 xb2 31.xb2 b8+ 32.a3 xb2 33.c4 xg2 34.b1 c2 35.b8+ f8+ 36.b3 c1 37.d3 c7 38.c4 g7 39.c3 d6 I won't say that the 150 attack is burning out because as we have seen, White could have played either 7 h4 or 7 Bh6, both of which
seem better than 7 Bd3. But it's certainly not a ro u t e t o a win n in g a t t a c k a s h a s b e e n claimed by some. 0-1
1000 Karpov,Anatoly Carr,Neil L ARC Simul Westergate [Andrew Martin]
B08
1982
Coming up is a remarkable game which I am sure that you won't have seen before. The days of the eagerly-anticipated Grandmaster simul are waning thanks to the Internet, but back in 1982 and especially in England, they were one of the highlights of the calendar. The player of the White pieces was the then W orld Champion and household name, Anatoly Karpov. Neil Carr has drifted away from chess these days, but back then he was a n e xt r e m e l y t a l e n t e d yo u n g p l a y e r , a n England Junior International who went on to become World U12 boys champion and FIDE Master. Hardly the ideal simultaneous opponent! It was Leonard Barden who laid th e a n nu a l a m bu sh, wit h 2 0 o r 30 ha n d picked players ready to confront the Grandmaster. The poor guy usually didn't know what he was letting himself in for. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 g4 7.e3 c6 8.d2 e5 9.d5 e7 10.ad1 This is the Classical Variation of the Pirc, quite in Karpov's style. W hite contents himself with modest development and is getting ready to squeeze the Black position. The point of 10 Rad1 is to prevent 10...c6 which would free Black's game. White intends a purely positional plan involving ideas such as Ne1 (exchanging light-squared Bishops), a4-a5 and then Nb4, with pressure. b5!? One of the sharpest replies, which Karpov had problems against, as you will see. Black offers a pawn which when accepted, will allow him to damage W hite's kingside. 11.a3 [ 11.b4 is somewhat safer: a6 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 d7 14.e2 f5 15.f3 b6 16.a4 bxa4 17.a1 d7 18.a3 fxe4 19.fxe4 xf1+ 20.xf1 a5 21.b5 f8 22.e2 g5 1039
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 23.xa4 g6 24.xa5 f4 25.g4 xg4 26.hxg4 c4 27.b4 xa3 28.xa3 e2+ 29.h2 f6 30.g3 f3 31.g2 d4 32.d3 h6 33.c3 xe3 34.xe3 xb5 35.d3 1-0 Eschbach, D-Seelinger, L/ Germany 2003 ] 11...a5 12.xb5 [ A year later Karpov was still struggling: 12.b4 axb4 13.axb4 a3 14.g5 xc3 15.xf6 xf3 16.xf3 a3 17.xg7 xg7 18.a1 a8 19.xa3 xa3 20.e2 b2 21.d1 f5 22.exf5 xf5 23.c3 xd2 24.xd2 a8 25.xb5 a3 26.c2 e7 27.f4 exf4 28.c6 f5 29.f2 e3 30.c1 f6 31.g3 e5 32.f3 g5 33.gxf4+ gxf4 34.h4 xd5 35.xd5 xd5 36.xf4 c4 37.e1 xc3 38.e7 xb4 39.xh7 d5 40.e5 c6 41.d4 c4+ 0-1 Karpov, A-Azmaiparashvili, Z/Moscow 1983/ URS-ch ] 12...xf3 13.gxf3 h5! Intending ...f7-f5! 14.fe1N Clearly this is a critical position for the whole variation not exactly what you want as the simul giver, world champion or no world champion! The problem precisely is that Black is going to get the attack come what may. Carr is not interested in material he wants to first bamboozle Karpov and then checkmate him! I don't think Karpov could quite believe what was going on at this stage. Surely the young man would falter in the face of the Grandmasters active defence? [ 14.e2! tries to find the best way of organizing W hite's minor pieces. It is es s en t ial th a t W h it e pla ys B g5 ne xt : f5 15.g5 A) 15...f4 16.h1 h6 17.xe7 xe7 18.g1 h7 19.g2 g8 20.dg1 f6 Huber, A-Vodep, O/ Graz 2001 and now the cold-blooded 21.c6! ( 21.c3 g7 22.c6 ag8 23.h3 h4 24.c3 f6 25.xa5 xe4 26.fxe4 f3 27.h2 fxe2 28.xe2 f6 29.g4 h5 30.d1 g5 31.g3 f4 32.f3 h4 33.e1 xh2 34.xh2 g5 35.e3 g4 0-1 was the continuation of the game above. Huber, AVodep, O/Graz 2001) 21...a7 ( 21...af8 22.xa5+- ) 22.c4 g5 23.c3 f6 24.c5! dxc5 25.e2 brings the Black pressure to an end.; B) 15...h6 16.xh6 xh6 17.xh6 f4
18.h1 f7 19.g1 h8 20.g5 b8 21.a4 f6 22.xf4 exf4 23.xf4 h5 24.g5 h8 25.xh5 xh5 26.g1 g7 27.c4 f8 28.g3 h6 Petrosian, AMovsziszian, K/ Yerevan 1983 when 29.c5 h5 30.h4 would have seen White finally assume the initiative. ] [ 14.h1 f5 15.g5 ( 15.e1 f4 16.g1 h6 17.xf4 exf4 18.exf5 g5 19.d3 h8 20.f6 xf6 21.e4 f5 22.b5 f7 23.c3 e5 24.c4 f6 25.xf5 xf5 26.d4 h3 27.f1 h5 28.e2 a4 29.c6 Liberzon, V-Quinteros, M/Netanya 1983) 15...f6 16.g1 xg5 17.xg5 f4 18.h4 b8 19.a4 g7 20.b3 f6 21.d2 f8 22.d1 h6 23.e3 g5 24.d7 fg6 25.h3 f4 26.f1 fg6 27.xf5 h4 28.g3 exf5 Enders, P-Buchal, S/Binz 1 9 9 5 a n d n o w 29.xf5+ xf5 30.exf5 xf5 31.a6 xf3 32.xa5 looks rather better for White. We can safely reach the verdict that this variation is better for White, but that he must play with extreme care. Carr's tactics are impeccable for a simul he forces the great player on to the defensive at any cost. ] 14...f5 15.e2 f4 16.d2 g5 17.f1 f6 18.h3 h6 19.d7 I'm sure Karpov saw to here and may even have analysed it at home, coming to the conclusion that Black doesn't have enough. He might have been right, but he underestimated Carr's complete lack of nerve, added to which this position is not THAT easy to play for White. Basically Black must forget about material and throw in the kitchen sink. f8 20.xc7 c8 21.xa5 He takes everything! The next part of the plan is to run out with the King. f6 22.f1 g4 23.e2 [ 23.fxg4 is illogical, opening up the side of the board where Black is strongest: A) 23...xg4 24.d7 xh2+ ( 24...a8 25.c7 xh2+ 26.e2 f7 27.d3 h5 28.b7 d8 29.e6+ xe6 30.dxe6 h3+ 31.c4 c8+ 32.b3 xe6+ 33.d5+- ) 25.e2 b8 26.b1 f7 27.c7 h5+ 28.d3+-; B) 23...xh2! 24.f3 xg4!! Perhaps a double exclam is too much. Black has to rip open White's King. 25.fxg4 ( 25.d7 e3+ 26.g1 g2+ 27.h1 g5 1040
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 28.xe3 fxe3 29.f1 f4-+ ) 25...f3 26.g5 f2 27.e3 g6-+ 28.a6 h4 ] 23...gxf3+ 24.d3 xh2 25.b6 g4 26.f1 b8 27.xd6 Not an everyday situation! xf2+ 28.xf2 xf2 29.a4 g2 30.c4 A well-travelled King. Unfortunately for Karpov, his monarch does not find safety on the queenside either! g6 31.d7 c8 32.b3 d6 33.h1 f2 This is the baby that is tying White down. He must spare defensive units to look after the pawn. 34.f1 b7 35.h3 xb5 36.axb5 xb5+! A lovely touch. 37.a2 [ 37.xb5 g3+-+ ] 37...a6+ 38.b1 xb2+! Superb play by Black all the way through. One could never recognize this game as from a simul. 0-1
1001 Khalifman,Alexander Adams,Michael World Team Ch (4) [Nigel Davies]
B08
1997
1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.e3 0-0 6.d2 g4 7.g5! c6 [ The point behind White's last move is that 7...h6 can be met by 8.h3 h5 ( or 8...d7 9.f3 ) 9.xf7 xf7 10.g4 with a strong attack ] 8.d5 [ 8.h3 d7 9.0-0-0 was also pretty good for White in Emms - Johansen, Gausdal 1993. Khalifman's move could be even stronger. ] 8...b8 9.f3 d7 10.h4 h5 11.g4! Wow! Khalifman announces that he's in no mood to take prisoners. Black is in big trouble. c6 [ 11...hxg4 would have been answered by 12.e2 after which White wants to rip Black's king limb from limb with various combinations of castling long and h4-h5. ] 12.gxh5 xh5 13.0-0-0 a5 14.d4 xd4 15.xd4 b5 16.b1 b4 17.e2 Stopping t h e c o u n t e ra t t a c k i n i t s t ra c k s. No w i t ' s White's turn.... c8 18.d2 cxd5 19.f4 b3!? An ingenious attempt to complicate but Black never has nearly enough for his queen. 20.xa5 bxc2+ 21.c1 cxd1+ 22.xd1
xf4 23.exd5 f5 24.d2 h5 25.e3 c7 26.b5! White gets his attack in before Black can finish his development. The threat is 27.Be8!. f8 27.d4 f6 28.h7+ g7 29.xf6 exf6 30.h5 gxh5 31.xh5 1-0
1002 Khamrakulov,Dzhurabek Iuldachev,Saidali ch Tashkent UZB (4) [John Watson]
B08 2548 2501 27.04.2008
An interesting game in the traditional Classical Variation. 1.d4 f6 2.f3 d6 3.c3 g6 4.e4 g7 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.a4 a5 [ I ' l l l o o k a t 7...bd7 in MamedyarovInarkiev. ] 8.h3 a6 This ...Na6-b4 manoeuvre used to be a main line in the Pirc, and is still fully viable. 9.e1!? [ 9.e3 b4 is a well-known position in which W hite often plays Nd2 and f4. For example, a couple of recent games went 10.d2 e8?! ( 10...d5 11.e5!? e8 12.f4 c7 13.a2 xa2 14.xa2 f6 15.f3 with space and some advantage, Lyell-Parkanyi, Budapest 2008.) 11.c4 f5 12.d5! a6 13.a3 f4 14.xa6 bxa6 15.d4 Gochelashvili-Tseshkovsky, Maykop 2008 Black doesn't seem to have enough attack for the exchange. ] 9...b4 10.g5 Perhaps an innovation, this is a straightforward development that may intend to combine the ideas of Qd2/Bh6 and e5. Black reacts with a central counterattack, so we're not sure how W hite would have proceeded. [ 10.d2 resembles the last note: ] 10...d5 11.exd5 White opens the e-file to profit from his rook's position, but also to render Black's knight on b4 out of place. [ The obvious option is 11.e5 , when e4 12.e3 f5!? is worth looking at. ] 11...cxd5 [ 11...bxd5?! 12.xd5 xd5 13.d2 gives White space and central control. ] 12.b5!? f5 13.c1 c8 14.e2 [ Or 14.h4 d7 15.d2 . White has more 1041
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 space to work with. ] 14...h6 15.f4 g5 16.h2 e4?! [ The active 16...b6! has the idea 17.xe7 e4 threatening ...Bf6. ] 17.xe4!? [ 17.d1 with the idea c3 and Ne3 is less forcing, but also attractive. ] 17...dxe4 18.e5 xd4?! [ 18...d5? looks weak after 19.g4! h7 20.d7 e8 21.c5 ] [ But 18...xe5 and ...Qb6 might be best. ] 19.c3 c5 [ 19...d5 20.cd1 d3 21.xd3 exd3 22.xd3 favours White. ] 20.cxb4! xc1 21.g4! This creates space for W hite's king and ref utes Black's idea. In general the opening has been a smashing success for W hite. The rest is chaotic, but good for him. c2 22.gxf5 axb4 23.xe4 xb2 24.d7!? [ Best was 24.f6! exf6 25.d3 fd8 26.xf7! xd3 27.e6! ] 24...fd8 25.xe7 d4 26.g3 [ 26.e2! ] 26...d2? [ Losing. White still has the advantage after 26...e8 27.xe8+ xe8 28.xe8+ g7 29.g2! ] 27.e6! e8 [ White wins after 27...fxe6 28.xe6+ h7 29.e7+ g7 30.f6 g8 31.e4+! h8 32.d3 ] [ or 27...g7 28.g6! fxg6 29.f6 Now White finds a pretty combination that sacrifices 3 pieces ] 28.g6+! fxg6 29.f6+! xf6 30.c4+! [ 30.c4+ xc4 31.xe8+ g7 32.xg6+ f8 33.xf6+ e8 34.e6+ d8 35.xc4 ] 1-0
1003 Khamrakulov,Dzhurabek Karimov,I ch Tashkent UZB (6) [John Watson]
B08 2322 2317 16.05.2007
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f3 f6 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.a4 c7 As far as I can tell, all of the games in Vigus' book with
a4 (without h3, which is never played in this game) either include ...a5 or ...Nbd7. There are just so many possible move orders, which is one of the appeals of the Pirc. Covering every line is impossible, but a serious Index of Variations which includes a careful listing of transpositions is a more important omission, and quite achievable. 8.e1 e5 9.g5 [ 9.c4 bd7 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.g5 h6 12.h4 is similar to the game, and indeed, White usually throws in Bc4 at some point in this line. For example, c5 13.c1 h5! 14.e3 e6 15.e2 e8 16.d2 ef4 17.f3 e6= Tarve, U-Etruk, Tallinn 1969. Placing a knight on f4 tends to equalise or bet te r in t he se lin es, bu t pa rt ic ularly if White has played h3, when it is hard to kick the knight with g3. ] 9...h6 10.h4 [ A provocative move was 10.dxe5!? hxg5 (it's natural to want to secure the bishop pair, but the pawn recapture may have been p r e f e r a b l e ) 11.exf6 xf6 , with the nice point 12.e5! dxe5 13.e4 g7 14.fxg5 ( 14.c4 d7 15.fxg5 would be irritating) 14...d7 15.a5!? ( both 15.c4 and; 15.d6! look nice for White, the latter proceeding xd6 16.xd6 b6 17.c4! ) 15...f6 16.c4 ( 16.d6 xd6 17.xd6 d5 isn't so bad this time) 16...xe4 17.xe4 f5 18.g3 ad8 19.e2 c8 20.c3 e7 21.e3 a6 22.a4 h7 23.e4 1/2-1/2 Cladouras-Werner, GERchT. A fair result once W hite missed his early chances. ] 10...h5 [ One of the few games arriving at this p o s i t i o n w e n t 10...e8 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.d2 d8 13.c1 bd7 14.c4 f8?! ( Trying to get to c5 or b4, but it doesn't hapen. Better was 14...c5 ) 15.e3 g7 16.ad1 e7 17.g3 ( 17.d2! and Black is tied up) 17...h7 18.h4 hf8 19.h1 g5 A) A n i c e t a c t i c : 20.hxg5! hxg5 ( 20...xg5 21.f3 is pretty bad for Black ) 21.d6! xd6 22.xd6!; B) 20.h5 f6? 21.f3 c5 22.e3 ( a g a i n , s i m p l y ( 22.d2! ) 22...xe3 23.fxe3!? c5 24.f1 cd7?? Uusi-Hazai, Tallinn 1981, and although 25. 1042
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Qf5 ultimately won material (the game was drawn), 25.xd7+! xd7 26.f5 would have won immediately, the only try g8 failing to 27.c4 ] 11.d2 [ 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.c4 would set up the normal formation. ] 11...f4 [ 11...g5! 12.dxe5 ( 12.g3? xg3 13.hxg3 g4 ) 12...dxe5 ( 12...gxh4?! 13.exd6 a5 14.e5! ) 13.g3 d8 14.e3 xg3 15.hxg3 e6 ] 12.ad1 xe2+ 13.xe2?! [ 13.xe2 g4 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.d8! is the computer suggestion. I'm not sure that it d oes muc h a f te r c8 16.e7 e8 17.a3 d7 , but it avoids what could happen next. ] 13...g4 [ Better 13...g5! 14.g3 g4 ] 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.e3!? a6 16.h3 e6 17.d3 f6 18.h2 g5 19.g3 fe8 20.e3 b6 21.f3? Losing material. [ 21.f1 is more natural. ] 21...ad8? [ 21...c5! 22.3d2 xb2 ] 22.b3 b4 23.3d2 xd2 24.xd2 d8 25.xd8+ xd8 26.e2 d4 Black has some initiative and the bishops, but his king is a little exposed and White is able to keep his disadvantage small. 27.d1 a1 28.f1 a2 29.f3 f8 30.f2 a6 31.d3 e7 32.fe3 d4 33.xd4 exd4 34.f5 xf5 35.exf5 c5 36.f1 b4!? 37.c3 dxc3?! 38.xc3 d3 39.e3 f7 40.e2 e5 41.f4 c6 42.fxg5 hxg5 43.e4 a5? 44.xc5 xb3 45.b6! Black's knight is almost trapped. c1+ 46.d2 a2 47.c5! b4 48.xb7 d5 49.e3 b4+ 50.d3 e7 And White converted his extra pawn: 51.d4 xe3 52.xe3 d7 53.d4 c6 54.d8+ d7 55.f7 c6 56.h6 a3 57.g4 b2+ 58.c4 d6 59.g3 a5 60.h4 gxh4 61.gxh4 e7 62.h5 f7 63.d5 a1 64.h6 b2 65.h7 g7 66.e6 xh7 67.xf6+ g7 68.d7 a3 69.f6+ g8 70.e5 f8 71.c6 b2 72.xa5 1-0
1004 Kizov,Atanas Ardelean,George Catalin 5th Open Sozina SCG (2) [Andrew Martin]
B08 2345 2447 19.02.2004
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.c3 If White wants a modern Be3 system I think this is the best move-order. a6!? For instance, if W hite now plays 5 Be2!, he gets a good classical variation. 5.e3 But Kizov is feeling stubborn. [ 5.h3 b5 6.a3 I hardly think that this is the way to trouble Black. h3 and a3 - what is that?? d7 7.d3 c5 8.e3 cxd4 9.xd4 gf6 10.0-0? 0-0? Already Black's position is very satisfactory, Brajovic, R-Moldovan, D/Sozina SCG 2004. ] [ 5.a4 b6 6.c4 e6 7.g5 e7 8.d2 h6 9.e3 d7 10.0-0 b7 More and more strong players are going this way with Black. It really is tough to break the Black position down. And on the slightest mistake, Black is ready to react. The Hippo is a good Open Tournament weapon. 11.d5 e5 12.e1 f5 13.exf5 xf5 14.d3 ( 14.d3 0-0 15.e4 xe3 16.fxe3 xf1+ 17.xf1 c8= Yagupov, I-Shchekachev, A/Bela Crkva 1990 ) A) 14...f6 15.a5 ( 15.xf5 gxf5 16.f4 e4; 15.f3 e7 16.fe1 0-0 ) 15...b5=; B) 14...0-0? I don't understand this move at all. W hy not 14...Nf6 with an unclear s i t u a t i o n : 15.xf5! xf5 16.xh6 Postny, E-Inarkiev, E/Cappelle la Grande FRA 2004. ] 5...f6 6.d2 b5 7.d3 b7 8.h6 0-0 9.xg7 One of the main points behind White's opening idea. The fianchettoed Bishop is exchanged at the first opportunity and White is hoping to capitalise on the weakened King position. However, in this position Black has more than his fair share of counterplay. White hasn't castled yet, so Black's King can't be attacked immediately and the Bishop on b7 is rather good when we compare it with the' sophisticated pawn' on d3. There's also the immediate threat of ...b5-b4 to consider. xg7 10.e5! What else? It's hard to believe moves like a2-a3. dxe5 11.dxe5 fd7 12.e3 e6 1043
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Fixing that e-pawn. 13.e4 c6 14.0-0-0 change of plan which gave Black a good [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 14.h4 was also worth game in Carlier - D Gurevich, Cappelle la consideration: b4 ( 14...h5 15.0-0-0 e7 Grande 1995.) 8.e2 c6 9.d5 e5 16.d2 c5 17.xc6 xc6 18.hd1 b4 10.xe5 dxe5 11.0-0 e6 12.dxe6 xe6 19.e2 d5 ) 15.e2 h6 16.h5 g5 13.a4 c5! (14.Bxc5? Nxe4 14.axb5 c4!) 17.0-0-0 ] gave Black the initiative in Rowson - Smirin, 14...e7 15.h4 Thematic, after Bh6xg7. h5 MSO Masters, London 1999. ] 16.e2 As suggested, 16 Rd2 was a good [ 7.h3 b5 8.d3 b7 9.e5 d5 10.h6 move. b6 17.f4 c4 18.c3?? xc3 11.xg7 xg7 12.xc3 d7 A funny one. 13.0-0-0 b6 14.h4 dxe5 15.dxe5 a4 [ Stepping away with 18.e2 was indicated, 16.b4 xf3 17.gxf3 c5 18.f4 d4 but after ad8 Black has counterplay - the wa s f i n e f o r B l a c k i n E m m s - F t a c n i k , position is not clear. 19.d3 ( 19.he1 4NCL Birmingham2000 ] 6a5 20.g5 g8 21.d3 xe4 7...b5 8.d3 22.xe4 d5 23.g4 ) 19...6a5 20.xb7 [ 8.xg7 xg7 9.a3 b7 10.d3 c5 xb7 21.hd1 xb2!? 22.xh5+!? gxh5 11.dxc5 dxc5 12.e5 h5 was already very 23.xb2 xd3 24.xd3 b4+ 25.b3 awkward for White in Bunning - Hodgson, g4 ] Canada 1994 ] 18...b4!-+ I think Kizov missed this move 8...c6 This seems like the most solid move entirely perhaps it is the sheer directness of to me, hitting back at the central dark squares. the idea that makes it so dif ficult to see. [ Black has also played 8...b7 which was White is controlling the game, he feels good, ju st a b o u t O K f o r B la ck in K h a lif m a n his prospects are rosy, and then he suddenly Kanstler, Jerusalem 1997: 9.xg7 xg7 gets felled by a one-mover! The importance 10.e5 fd7 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 dxe5! of vigila nc e th rou gh ou t a nd t he sp ortin g ( 12...d5 13.g3 e6 14.h4 gave White mantra of 'Focus, Determination and much the better game in Hebden - Sutovsky, Concentration' should have been running Monarch Assurance Open, Port Erin 2000) through his head. 19.e1 xe4 20.xe4 13.0-0-0 b6 14.h4!? d5! 15.c3 d6 xa2+ 21.b1 b4 22.d4 ad8 16.xe5 f6 17.g4 c4 18.e4 xd2 0-1 19.xd6 exd6= ] 9.d5 After this Black gets pretty good counterplay. 1005 B08 [ A more critical and dangerous line seems to be 9.xg7 xg7 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5 Kozakov,Mikhail g4 12.0-0-0 with the game Emms - Pein, Chernin,Alexander Southend 1999 continuing b4 13.b1 Leonid Stein Memorial (3) 23.08.2000 ( 13.e4 gxe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.xb4 [Nigel Davies] looks interesting and double-edged too) 13...d5 14.f4 xf2 15.c4 c5 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 16.d5 b6 17.e1 e6 with a full5.e3 0-0 6.d2 a6 This would ably be my blooded struggle in prospect ] choice too, though I might have considered playing it on move 5. Black wants to expand 9...e5 10.xe5 dxe5 11.xg7 xg7 12.a4 b4 13.a2 a5 14.c3 e6 15.cxb4 on the queenside with ...b5. 7.h6 [ White prefers a huge mess to giving Black a [ I f W h i t e s t o p s . . . b 7 - b 5 w i t h 7.a4 simple edge after 15.dxe6 bxc3 16.xc3 , he loses the possibility of castling long. xe6 , though his judgement in so doing Gallagher - van Wely, Krumbach 1991 went was probably questionable. ] b6 ( 7...c6 is also possible) 8.h6 b7 9.d3 bd7 10.0-0 e6 11.xg7 xg7 15...exd5 16.bxa5 c5! 17.exd5 xd5 18.c3 xg2 19.0-0-0 xa5 20.h4 h5 12.fe1 c5 with good counterplay. ] f3 Black is clearly better here [ 7.d3 b5 ( 7...g4!? 8.0-0-0 e5 9.d5 21.hg1 xf3 10.gxf3 h5 was an interesting because of the weakness of White's king. He 1044
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 manages to draw by the skin of his teeth. [ 16...axb4?! is inferior, after 17.xb4! xa3 22.c2 a6 23.de1 g4 24.e4 c4 18.xc6 xc6 19.xb5 a2 20.c4 b2 25.g3 f4 26.xf4 exf4 27.f3 e8 21.xd6 Black lost a pawn, Vogt,L-Bernard, 28.d1 b7 29.xf4 xe4 30.xe4 xa4 C,Wildbad 1990. ] 31.c6 a1+ 32.c2 e2+ 33.d2 xd2+ 17.c5 e8 18.f2?! Black is better out of 34.xd2 f1 35.f3 e5 36.d5 f5 the opening so White should be careful. 37.xc4 xf3 38.xf3 xf3+ 39.e3 [ After 18.exd5 exd5 19.xd5 xd5 xh4 40.b4 f6 41.b5 e5 42.b6 f4+ Black is slightly better, for example 20.bxa5 43.d3 d6 44.e4 g2 45.f1 e3 e4 21.fxe4 c3 with unpleasant threats. ] 46.e2 g5 47.xh5 c6 48.f3 xb6 [ I n m y o p i n i o n , 18.xe7!? is the most 49.e5 c7 50.e4 b6 51.f6 g4 precise way to equality, xe7 19.exd5 52.g5 f3 53.f4 f2 54.d3 xd5 20.xd5 xd5 21.c5 c6 ½-½ with a balanced position. ] 18...axb4 19.axb4 d4 20.b1 a2 21.d3 d7 22.c1! a8 23.d3 xc5 1006 B08 [ 23...f5!? was possible, keeping a slight advantage. ] Kuczynski,Robert 2525 Chernin,Alexander 2600 24.xc5 [ The stupid looking 24.bxc5!? deserves Budapest zt-B (8) 1993 attention, as the b5-pawn may become a [Alexander Volzhin] target. ] 6... Bg4 is Black's most popular response to 24...c8 25.b3 [ 25.c3 d6 with the idea of Nc4 ] the Classical system. As the following game shows, it's not easy for W hite to prove his 25...b6 26.h1 d6 27.a5 ec8 28.c3 advantage. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 d7 29.cxd4 exd4 with the idea of Nc4-+ 4.f3 g7 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 g4 winning 30.c1 e6 31.a3 c3 32.b1 The main line. 7.e3 c6 8.d2 e5 9.d5 cc8 33.a3 c3 34.xc3? A strange move. e7 10.ad1 d7 [ 34.b1 is obligatory, although Black can [ 10...b5 This move brought Azmaiparashvili try c4!? 35.a3 ac8 keeping his a sensational win over Karpov, but White is advantage. ] able to improve on that game: 11.a3 a5 12.xb5! ( The above mentioned game 34...dxc3 35.f4 b7! Now White is lost. continued 12.b4 axb4 13.axb4 a3 36.xb5 [ 36.xb7 xa3-+ winning ] 14.g5 xc3 15.xf6 xf3 16.xf3 a3 36...xa5 37.c7 17.xg7 xg7 , with a comfortable game [ 37.bxa5 xa5 38.c7 b3!-+ winning ] for Black.) 12...xf3 ( 12...xe4 13.xe4 38.xe6 xe6 39.bxa5 c2 f5 14.eg5 f4 15.c5 dxc5 16.c4 ) 37...c8 13.gxf3 h5 14.h1 and in a game 40.d3 [ 40.c1 a2 with the idea of Bb2 ] Liberzon - Quinteros, Netanya,1983, Black Black wins piece at least, so White had failed to prove he had something for the 40...b2 resigned. pawn. ] 11.e1 b5 12.a3 a5 13.d3 b8 14.f3 0-1 c6!? [ The opponents had already had this position: 14...d8 15.b4 axb4 16.xb4!? xa3 17.a1 xa1 18.xa1 e8 19.a6 c8 20.c6 xc6 21.dxc6 b4 22.b5 d5! with mutua l cha nces was K uczyn ski,RChernin,A,Polanica Zdroj 1992. ] 15.dxc6 xc6 16.b4 d5! A natural and good move. 1045
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1007 Kulaots,Kaido Maki,Veijo Tch-FIN 2004-5 (6) [Andrew Martin]
B08 2593 2388 15.01.2005
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 f6 5.e3 a6 Quite a common move in this position. Black anticipates the Kingside attack with Qd2 and Bh6 by preparing immediate queenside counterplay. 6.e2!? A rather unusual alternative to the normal 6 Qd2. White is clearly planning 0-0-0 and e4-e5 and if Black is contemplating ...b7-b5 at some point (as he surely will be), he has to watch out for sudden attacks by the White Queen, a stone's throw away from the f3 and e4 squares. Black is forced to solve new problems. 0-0 [ It looks like the idea of 6 Qe2 originated some time back: 6...g4 7.0-0-0 ( 7.g5! h6 8.d2! c6 9.h3 f6 10.0-0-0 ) 7...xe3 8.xe3 g4 A) 9.h3! xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.e2 ( 11.c4 e6 12.e2 b5 ) 11...e6 12.g3 f6 13.xf6 xf6 14.g2 is mildly better for White.; B) 9.e2 d7 10.e5 e6 11.g1 h5 ( 11...xe2 12.gxe2 e7= ) 12.f4 e7 13.f3 dxe5 14.dxe5 0-0-0 15.a7 c5 16.xc5 xc5= Lastin, A-Beliavsky, A/ Vrnjacka Banja 1999 Not an especially inspiring debut. But improvements for W hite are not hard to find as I have indicated, and perhaps Kulaots had formed the same impression ] [ Black should definitely consider the immediate 6...b5 ] 7.0-0-0 g4 Clearing timber off the back but t h is i s r a r e l y a c o m p le t e s o lu t i o n t o t h e problems of this position. [ 7...b5 must be critical and then: 8.e5 fd7 9.h4 seems the way to go, with play very m u r k y a f t e r b7 10.h5 b4 11.b1 I prefer White though, who seems ahead in the race. ] 8.h3! Simple play will do for an edge. White obtains the two Bishops and a nice centre. 'Very well' the Modern player may exclaim, but that is quite normal for this opening. 'Then I d o n ' t l i k e i t ' w o u l d b e m y r e p l y . xf3
9.xf3 c6 10.e5! d7 11.h4! W hite has h3 for the Queen as and when needed, so this attack appears very strong. dxe5 12.dxe5 c8 [ 12...e6 would have prevented what follows, but after 13.h5 cxe5 14.xb7 ( 14.g3!? e7 15.hxg6 fxg6 16.e4 is the singlemin de d ap proa ch .) 14...b8 15.xa6 Black is once again in an unenviable position, having jettisoned his entire queenside to distract White from his mating plan. ] 13.e6! de5 [ 13...fxe6 14.h3 de5 ( 14...f6 15.c4 ) 15.h5 g5 16.xg5 xf2 17.g3 f5 18.h6 is pretty horrible for Black. ] 14.exf7+ xf7 15.e4 White is not even material down for this commanding position. b5 16.g3 f5 17.g2 [ I quite like th e sim ple 17.xf5 xf5 ( 17...gxf5 18.g2 b4 19.d5 ) 18.h3! maintaining a big advantage at no risk. ] 17...b8 18.h5 e6 19.hxg6 hxg6 20.h3 f6 [ 20...xe4 21.xe4 e8 22.c5 d8 23.g5+- ] 21.f4+- Black gets dismembered from here on in. c4 22.xe6 e8 23.xf7+ xf7 24.xc6 xe3 25.d7 f5 26.d1 Against the specific move-order where Black plays 5...a6, 6 Qe2 seems rather good. 6..b5 must be critical perhaps future games will test this out. 1-0
1008 Lengyel,B Chapman,T FSIM June Budapest HUN (8) [James Vigus]
B08 2267 2263 14.06.2008
In my recent book 'The Pirc in Black and W hite' (hereafter TPIBAW ), I concentrate mainly on new material: this seemed to me the m o st u r ge n t t a sk , a n d a t t h e sa m e t i m e p r e ve n t e d t h e b o o k f r o m s we l l i n g t o a n impractical size. However, I have just read Kasparov's stimulating book 'The Openings Revolution of the 1970s', which has reminded me of the value of studying opening theory 1046
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 from the time before either I was born or the silicon onslaught had begun. Furthermore, a re a d e r o f m y b o o k, Mr K o h K a h H u a t o f Singapore, has pointed out an important improvement in what was practically the main lines of the Pirc during Karpov's reign as world champion. This, combined with a new game or two, has set me on the trail of new life in an old line. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 g4 Despite the popularity of 6...c6 (see the next game) and the rise of modern provocative approaches (6...a6!? is currently in vogue), this one-time standard choice retains a good reputation. All kinds of experiments are tried in reply, but perhaps White does well to stick to the antediluvian main line. 7.e3 c6 8.d2 e5 9.d5 In 'Pirc Alert', Alburt and Chernin comment: 'This move intends more b e l l i g e r e n c e t h a n 9 d xe 5 [ wh i c h i s n o w considered harmless - JV]. Yet how good can 9 d5 be? Transposition into a King's Indian structure is not beneficial to W hite, considering both that his knight blocks his cpawn, and that Black's light-square bishop s u d d e n ly e m e rge s in t h i s st ru ct u re a s a valuable piece. Moreover, it's necessary to take into account that Black can take action in the center by playing ...c7-c6.' In reply, let's try to understand why 9 d5 - Karpov's choice for many years - might be good. a) Black must usually lose a tempo retreating the Bg4, since an exchange of light-squared bishops will make Black's counterplay with ...f5 rather masochistic - the e6-square is a constant worry. b) This plus the fact that White has not played c4 means that White centralises much more rapidly than in a standard King's Indian. c) White can hinder ...c6 by placing a rook on d1. d) When Black plays ...f5, he will not be allowed to advance this pawn further to f4. Instead White, having manoeuvred with Nf3e1, employs one of two strategies: meeting ... f5 directly with f2-f4 to open the centre; or playing gxf5, when if Black recaptures with a piece, the e4-square falls into White's hands, and if Black recaptures with a pawn, White wi l l p u s h f 2 - f 4 , e x e r t i n g f u r t h e r c e n t r a l pressure. In either case the bishop on g7 often becomes a passenger. Does this mean that the position is grim for Black, in fact?
W ell, no, but I wa nted to point out som e logical reasons why this old-fashioned approach could still be a critical try against t h e P irc . I t m i gh t b e sig n i f i ca n t t h a t t h e veteran IM Bela Lengyel, Chernin's compatriot, remains faithful to this line for W hite, long after most players have switched to something more trendy. Lengyel's opponent in this game, Terence Chapman, might also be well p r e p a r e d , h a v i n g e n j o ye d t r a i n i n g f r o m Speelman a few years ago in preparation for an odds match with Kasparov! e7 10.ad1 d7 [ The notes below might encourage Black to take a fresh look at the alternatives here, some of which John Nunn analysed in depth in his excellent 1989 book 'The Complete Pirc'. Nevertheless I guess 10...Bd7 will still emerge as best; it is certainly more constructive than a waiting move such as 10...Kh8, since then 11 Ne1! 'threatens' the exchange of light-squared bishops. But alternatives include Donner's 10... Nc8!? i n t e n d i n g . . . c 6 . O r : a ) 10...b5?! h a s a n i n t e r e s t i n g h i s t o r y, b u t 11.xb5 xe4 12.xe4 f5 13.eg5 f4 14.c5 dxc5 15.c4 favours White - Nunn. ] [ b) 10...c8!? is, as a secondary choice to 10...Bd7, endorsed in Alburt and Chernin's 'Pirc Alert' (2001). The idea is to bring the Nf6 round to e5. However, 11.e1 d7 12.f4 exf4 13.xf4 e5 14.f3 d7 15.h1 (why not 15 Nxe5 immediately?) a6?! ( 15...xf3 16.xf3 f5 ) 16.xe5 dxe5 17.g5 f6 18.d6 cxd6 19.xd6 was good for White in J.Bielczyk-P.Petran, Czechoslovakia 1990. ] [ c) 10...d7?! 11.g5! xe2 12.xe2 h6 13.h3 h7 14.b3 f5 15.exf5 xf5 ( or 15...gxf5 16.f4 ) 16.f3 f6 17.g3 xe3 18.xe3 c6 19.c4 with a grip on e4 shows p r e c i s e l y wh a t s t r a t e g i c g o a l W h i t e i s pursuing in this line, J. Timman-Y.Seirawan, Las Palmas 1981. ] 11.e1 [ 11.h6!? is a quite-looking alternative that was presumably dropped when white players realised that 11... Ng4 wasn't such a wo r r y i n g p r o s p e c t . I t ' s a t f i r s t s i g h t su rp rising t ha t W h it e sh ou ld e xc ha nge Black's 'bad' bishop, but the idea, known 1047
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 from lines like the Breyer Variation of the Ruy Lopez, is to soften up the black kingside in readiness for the f4-break. A) A successful example of this strategy is 11...h5 12.xg7 xg7 13.g3 h3 14.fe1 g4?! ( 14...h6 15.h4 f6 16.f4 was just a fraction better for White in E.Haag-G. Botterill, Birmingham 1975) 15.h4! xe2 16.xe2 f6 17.c1 d7 18.f4 exf4 19.gxf4 c6 20.dxc6 g4+ 21.g2 xc6 22.c3 ad8 23.d3 d5 24.f2 h5 25.exd5 xd5 26.e4 f5 27.d6 1-0 Matulovic,M (2530)-Matera,S (2385)/ Birmingham 1975/ EXT 1999; B) Nunn likes Black's play in A.GroszpeterE . M e d n i s , B u d a p e s t 1 9 7 8 : 11...c8 12.xg7 xg7 13.e1 c5 14.f4 exf4 15.xf4 e7 , followed by ...Nb6, ...Bc8, ...Nd7 and ...Ne5. But I wonder whether 16.a4 might not throw an annoying spanner in the works.; C) 11...b5 ( t h e m o s t a c t i ve ) 12.xg7 xg7 13.d3 ( 13.a3 b8 14.b4 a5 15.a1 c6 16.dxc6 xc6 equalised in A. Dikmen-J.Noomen, correspondence 2002 ) 13...b8 14.e2 b6 15.g3 g4 (not ideal, but perhaps Black's last chance to play this before White plays h3, b u i ld in g u p wi t h K h 1 , Nh 2 a n d f 2 - f 4 ) 16.e2 xf3 17.xf3 fg8 18.g4 f5 19.exf5 h6 C1) W h i t e s h o u l d g o i n f o r 20.h5+! gxh5 21.g5+ , when Black may be struggling for compensation after either g6 ( or 21...h8 22.xh6 hxg4 23.f6 f5 24.g5 f7 25.xf5 af8 26.xg4 xf6 ) 22.xh5 c5 23.fxg6 hxg6 24.g5 xg4 25.xg4; C2) 20.h3 hxf5 21.e4 1/2-1/2, L. Barczay-R.Keene, Dortmund 1982.; D) 11...e8 (t h e m o st s o l i d ) 12.xg7 xg7 13.g3 f6 14.h4 f5 15.g2 fxe4 16.xe4 ef5 ( 16...f5 17.f3 d7 looks okay) 17.f4 e7 18.de1 ae8 19.d3 was a little better for White in A. Planinec-J.Donner, Amsterdam 1974; E) 11...-- ] 11...b5 [ Alexander Chernin's adoption of this dynamic move in the 1990s is the main
reason why this whole main-line Classical went out of fashion. However, the older move 11...g4 is probably at least as good, even if not quite suff icient f or equality: 12.xg4 xg4 13.f3 d7 14.f4 g4 ( 14...exf4 15.xf4 f5 16.f3 fxe4 17.xe4 g4 18.de1 d7 19.eg5 ae8 20.c4! c8 21.d4 xe1 22.xe1 e8 23.xe8+ xe8 24.h3 d7 25.de6 xe6 26.xe6 f7 27.b3 17 led to a fine positional win for White in E.Geller-M.Tal, Moscow 1975, though Black might be able to improve on move ) A) 15.b1 A1) 15...exf4 16.xf4 ( Stohl's 16.xf4 d7 17.d3 is also good for a nagging edge ) 16...d7 17.d4 xd4+ 18.xd4 f5 was successful for Black in A.Greenfeld-V.Anand, Lyon 1994, but 19.d3 ( Stohl likes Black after 19.e5 g5! 20.f2 dxe5 21.xe5 g6 ) 19...g5 ( more dynamic than 19...fxe4 20.xe4 f5 21.c3 , as Stohl notes) 20.f2 f4 21.e1 (rather than rushing with 21 e5?! Nf5) g6 22.b4 b5 23.e2 leaves Black's position a touch ragged; A2) 15...c6 A2a) 16.h3 d7 17.fxe5 dxe5 18.c5 A2a1) 18...cxd5!? 19.xd5 xd5 20.xf8 b6+ 21.h1 xf8 22.exd5 ( 22.xd5 c6 23.d3 d4 picks up the e4-pawn - Nunn) 22...b5 23.f3 e4 24.b3 f6! 25.d3! c4 26.c5 xb3 27.axb3 f5 28.xb7 e3 29.xe3 xd5 30.f3 xf3 31.gxf3 e8 32.c3 e3 33.g2 e2+ 34.g1 h6 35.d6 , draw agreed, was the exciting course of E.Torre-M. C h a n d l e r , L o n d o n 1 9 7 8 - e3+ 36.h1 f4 and ...Rh2+ regains Black's pawn.; A2a2) 18...e8 19.f2 (L.Gachon-J. Chabanon, French Championship 1989) f5 20.xa7 f8 21.b6 e8 gives Black good compensation, e.g. 22.h4 cxd5 23.exd5 e4; A2b) 16.fxe5 dxe5 17.c5 b6 ( not 17...cxd5? 18.g5 , V.Liberzon-M. 1048
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xg7 was agreed drawn in an unclear Chandler, Hastings 1980/1) 18.a3 c5 position, E. Geller-P.Thipsay, New Delhi 19.b4 (Nunn considered this good for 1987 ) 19...d6 20.c5 d7 ( 20...f4!? White, yet the present game 21.g3 g5 is a double-edged method of convincingly exhibits Black's forestalling Thipsay's plan, when Black's c o u n t e r a t t a c k i n g p o t e n t i a l ) cxb4 advanced pawns make up for the 20.xb4 d7 21.f3 h6 badness of the Pirc bishop) 21.e2 a6 A2b1) White could activate more 22.xd6! cxd6 23.exf5 gxf5 24.g4! quickly with 22.e2 h7 23.b5 fxg4 25.xf8+ xf8 26.xf8+ xf8 , but f5 24.exf5 ( or 24.d6 a5 27.xg4 xg4+ 28.hxg4 h6 29.e4 25.b7 e8 26.xe7 xe7 forced Black to suffer for a long time 27.xb6 ab8 ) 24...xf5! 25.d6 before gaining a draw, P.Thipsay-R. xd5 26.xf5 xf5 27.bd1 e4 Ravisekhar, Delhi 1987; gives Black dynamic play; B2) 17.c5! prevents the ...Nc8 A2b2) 22.fe1 h7 23.a3 c8 m a n o e u v r e j u s t s e e n , e . g . d7 24.b5 c4 25.d3 a4 18.g5!? (an imaginative rook manoeuvre!) B2a) 18...f6 19.h6 ( 19.e3 26.c4 f5 27.d2 a6 28.c7? keeps the queen better centralised, ( 28.d6 is still unclear, when and the d6-break could be fairly Adorjan might have been attracted promising ) 19...f7 20.d6!? cxd6 b y 2 8 . . . b 5 ! ? , t h o u g h c7 21.xd6 c7 22.a3 g7 23.h4 i s m o r e p r u d e n t) 28...b5 , S. Gligoric-H.Pfleger, Moscow 1977, ( t h e p i c t u r e s q u e 28...c8!? would not have amounted to much is also good) 29.d6 c6 30.c5 after fxe4! 24.xe4 f4; ( 30.cxb5 axb5 31.xb5 b6+ B2b) 18...ae8 19.exf5 xf5 32.h1 a6 ) 30...d4 31.bc1 20.de1 xc2 21.xe5 xf1+ g5 32.f3 xf3+ 33.xf3 fxe4 22.xf1 xe5 23.xe5 f5 24.f6 34.e3 xe3+ 35.xe3 h5 36.b3 and White retained a bit of pressure in h6 37.e1 d2 38.e2 e3 39.h3 M.Narciso-G.Loderbauer, email 2000; b4 40.b2 xa2 41.xe5 c2 B3) 17.-and from here Black has not 42.d4 f1+ 43.h2 h4 44.g3 found the going too easy, e.g.; c6 45.gxh4 e1 0-1, V.Liberzon-A. C) 15.-and now I think White achieves Adorjan, Amsterdam 1977. This fine more in the relatively obscure line 'b' than game is rather typical of Adorjan's the traditionally popular 'a': ] play during the 70's 'opening revolution' - he also came up with 12.a3 a5 13.d3 [ 13.b4 axb4 14.axb4 b8 intending ...Rd8 p le n t y o f id e a s in t h e G ru e n f e l d and ...c6 has proved sufficient for Black, as Defence!; I discuss in TPIBAW. A different and rather B) "White should be able to keep a very enterprising plan that I did not mention there slight edge by 15 Nf3", according to Nunn, is 15.f3 e8!? 16.g4 f5 17.g2 f6 and this makes sense, e.g. 15.f3 f5 18.h3 h5 19.g5 xe4!? 20.fxe4 f4 ( 15...exf4 16.xf4 f5 17.de1 xf3 with roughly balanced chances in B.Lengyel18.xf3 d7 19.e5 dxe5 20.xe5 c8 A.Cohen, Balatonberenyi 1992. ] 21.xg7 xg7 failed to equalise for Black in A . K arp ov-J. Nu nn , Ham b urg 1 98 2 , 13...b8 14.f3 c6 [ C h e r n i n ' s i n i t i a l t r y w a s 14...d8 though he did manage to draw) 16.fxe5 , but he was not satisfied with the dxe5 ( 16...fxe4 17.xe4 xf3 18.xf3 continuation 15.b4 axb4 16.xb4!? xa3 xf3 19.gxf3 xe5 doesn't look quite 17.a1 xa1 18.xa1 e8 ( or 18...c5 equal either ) 19.dxc6 xc6 20.a6! ) 19.a6 c8 B1) 17.h3 xf3 18.xf3 ( 18.gxf3!? ) 20.c6 xc6 21.dxc6 b4 22.b5 d5 18...c8! 19.df1 ( 19.exf5 gxf5 23.c5 e8 24.xb4 f8 , R.Kuczynski-A. 20.h6 d6 21.e1 h4 22.xg7 1049
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Chernin, Polanica Zdroj 1992, when 25.a5! dxe4 26.a7 c8 27.xc7 d8 28.xe5 maintains White's initiative. ] 15.dxc6 xc6 16.b4 d5 [ This move has perhaps been too much praised, and Black should look to alternative 'c': a) 16...axb4?! 17.xb4! xa3? 18.xc6 xc6 19.xb5 a2 20.c4 was grim for Black in L. Vogt-C.Bernard, Wildbad 1990 ] [ b) 16...a4 prevents the Nd3 from landing on b4, but also blocks Black's a-file counterplay, and 17.f2 d8 18.f4 exf4 19.xf4 b7 20.h6 b6 21.xg7 xg7 22.f4 gave White an attack, G. Garcia-L. Gofshtein, Ubeda 1997 ] [ c) 16...c8!? gains vital counterplay on the c-file. Detailed analysis would be needed to determine whether this is good enough, but one possible line is A) 17.bxa5 xa5 18.b4 xa3 19.xc6 ( 19.a1 xc3!? 20.xc3 xe4 21.d2 b7 22.xb5 d5 and ...Nf5 is a further r e a s o n f o r p l a c i n g t h e r o o k o n c 8) 19...xc6 20.xb5 a2 with equality, is a much improved version of Vogt-Bernard; B) 17.f2 axb4 18.axb4 a3 ( 18...d5 19.c5 d4 20.b1 b7 21.c3 is slightly better for W hite owing to the constant pressure on b5) 19.b1 a2 20.xd6 xd6 21.xd6 xc2 and Bla ck hold s, since 22.d3 xf2 23.xf2 e8 regains the exchange. [jw: A lone note here: 24.xc6 xc6 25.xb5 xb4 26.b2 looks pleasant for White] ] 17.c5 e8 18.f2?! [ This knight should be aiming for b4 or c5, an d W h it e ge ts a cle ar a dvan ta ge wit h 18.bxa5! dxe4 ( 18...d4 19.a2 d7 20.xe7 xe7 21.db4 is just a pleasant edge for W hite) 19.fxe4! (as Mr Kah Huat pointed out, this is much stronger than the messy 19 Nb4 that I discuss in TPIBAW ) xe4 20.xe4 xe4 21.b4! b7 appears only to have been played in one obscure Internet game (Mutz-Michaeljohn, 2003), but puts Black's whole ...d5 idea in que stion af te r 22.b6! . Now 23 Nc5 is a nasty threat, and -- ( 22...xd3 23.xd3 d5 24.e4! xa5 25.xa5 xb6+ 26.xb6 xb6 27.c6 c8 28.xb5
xc2 29.a4 leaves Black a grim defensive task in the endgame.; Instead 22...xg2 sm a cks o f de sp e ra t io n : 23.c5 xf1 24.xb7 xe2 25.d7 , etc.; 22...c6 23.c5 c8 24.xb5 f5 25.xc6 xc6 26.e4 xe4 27.xe4 may be the best B l a c k c a n d o , b u t t h e wh i t e r o o k s a r e powerfully posted )] [ In an old update on this site, Alexander Volzhin suggested that White should head for equality with 18.xe7 xe7 19.exd5 xd5 20.xd5 xd5 21.c5 c6 . ] 18...d4? [ Now a knight will get to b4 after all. Black should exchange first: 18...axb4 19.axb4?! ( I imagine Lengyel was planning to improve with 19.xb4 d4 20.b1 intending c3, but this isn't too scary) 19...d4 20.b1 a2 21.d3 d7 22.c1 a8 23.d3 xc5 24.xc5 c8 25.b3 b6 26.h1 d6 27.a5 ec8 28.c3 d7 29.cxd4 exd4 30.c1 e6 31.a3 c3 32.b1 cc8?! ( 32...c4! ) 33.a3 c3 34.xc3? dxc3 35.f4 b7! 36.xb5 xa5 37.c7 c8 38.xe6 xe6 39.bxa5 c2 40.d3 b2 0-1 was that stirring game R.Kuczynski-A. Chernin, Budapest 1993, that did so much to raise 11...b5's profile. ] 19.a2 d7 20.xe7 xe7 21.bxa5! Despite a couple of inaccuracies, a reasonably typical situation for this line has arisen. Black doesn't stand so badly, but unfortunately must keep a constant eye on that weak b5-pawn. f6 This piece might have been more active on c5. 22.b4 [ A small improvement over the previously played 22.b1 ea7 23.b4 d7 24.a6 c7 , R.Perez-W.Arencibia Rodriguez, Santa Clara 2005. ] 22...e8 23.a6 f8 24.g3 [ This looks rather vague. Instead 24.c3! is a timely way to open the game while Black is still scrambling to retrieve the pawn. ] 24...e6 25.d3 exa6? [ This extravagant sacrifice doesn't succeed, w h e r e a s d o u r d e f e n c e w i t h 25...xb4 26.axb4 exa6 27.c3 dxc3 28.xc3 need not have been so bad for Black. ] 26.xa6 xa6 27.a1 xa3 28.xa3 xa3 29.a5 d6 30.a1 g7 31.a7 c8 32.a6 b4 33.a8 d7 34.b8 e7 1050
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 18...dxe4 19.c4! d8!? ( 19...f8? 20.fxe6 e7 21.g5 with Rf7 to follow.) 20.xe6+ h8 21.e2 f8 22.f4 ] [ 18...xe4 19.xe4 dxe4 20.c4! d8 21.xe6+ h8 22.e2 with a clear advantage ] 1009 B08 Lutz,Christopher 2600 19.gxf5 dxe4 [ 19...gxf5 20.exd5 e8 21.d6! a5 Espig,Lutz 2440 22.d4 b6 23.d3 ] Bremen 1998 20.fxg6 hxg6? Black misses a nice but very [Alexander Volzhin] simple tactical blow, and loses on the spot. [ 20...e5 ] 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 g4 7.e3 c6 8.d5 21.c4+ h7 22.xe4! Opening the third 23.f4! b6+ This move has recently become White's main rank for the Rook. xe4 Otherwise Black is mated: weapon. [ 23...e5 24.h3+ g7 25.h6+ h8 [ 8.d2 is the old main line. ] 26.f8# ] 8...xf3 9.xf3 e5 10.e2 c6 11.a4 a5 24.xb6 xb6 25.d3 e8 26.f3 12.a3 fc8 13.b3 c7 [ 13...ab8 is the main alternative to the text, A great performance by Lutz! bu t it se e m s t ha t th e re W hit e a ls o h a s 1-0 chances for an opening advantage: 14.d4! c5 ( 14...xd5?! is hardly good: 15.exd5 B08 f3+ 16.xf3 xd4 17.xd4 e5 18.dxe6 1010 fxe6 19.e4 e5 20.c3 c7 21.g4 f8 Lutz,Christopher 2590 22.f4 and the three minor pieces are much Svidler,Peter 2660 stronger here than Black's Queen, as in Bad Homburg 1997 Batakovs-Kuznetsov, 1991 .) 15.d2 a6 [Alexander Volzhin] 16.f3 ( The straightforward 16.f4 ed7 17.g4 is also worthy of consideration: e8 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.e2 f6 18.g5 c7 19.g4 d8 20.xd7 xd7 5.c3 0-0 6.0-0 c6 21.f5 with a strong attack in Panchenko[ Black can also play 6...bd7 Both moves Ehlvest, USSR 1984.) 16...ed7 17.b1 normally lead to the same position. ] e8 18.c1 d4!? 19.h1 g7 20.d2!? 7.e1 bd7 8.e5! c7 21.a3 f5 22.exf5 gxf5 23.a5 d8 [ After 8.h3 e5 it's difficult to prove White's 24.f4! f6 25.f3 with a clear edge for advantage. ] White in Yakovich-Zakharevich, Novgorod 8...e8 9.f4 dxe5 10.dxe5 c7 11.c1 1997. ] White intends to exchange the dark - squared 14.f3!? e6?! This natural move seems to be Bishops. the source of amazingly rapid problems for [ 11.d2?! i s w e a k e r , a s a f t e r e6! Black! It gives White the opportunity to launch 12.h6? i s s t r o n g l y m e t b y xe5! a sudden Kingside attack. winning a pawn for nothing. ] [ 14...ed7!? deserves serious attention. ] 11...b6 15.f4 ed7 16.dxe6 fxe6 17.g4! [ 11...e6 12.h6 a5 13.f1 ] An unexpected and very strong move. d5?! 12.h3 After this move Black's position crumbles into [ 12.h6?! is premature because after g4 ruins. Even worse was Black obtains counterplay. ] [ 17...f8?! 18.g5 e8 19.g4! e5 12...e6 20.e6+ h8 21.f5 ] [ 12...e6!? intending Bd5, deserved serious [ Probably 17...f8 is best although it's not attention. ] easy to defend Black's position. ] 13.h6 d4? This exchange takes too much 18.f5! White has a large advantage exf5 time. 35.xb5 d2 36.xe8 xe8 37.d3 d7 38.g2 e3 39.xe5+ f6 40.c5 1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Either 13...f5 14.exf6 exf6 with an edge for white ] [ or 13...d7 also with an edge for white should be preferred. ] 14.xd4 xd4 15.d3 with a clear advantage and planning Re4-h4 [ 15.xg7?! is premature: xg7 16.d3 h4! 17.e4 h6 with a balanced position. ] 15...d8 [ 15...h4? fails to 16.g5 ] [ The exchange sacrifice doesn't work: 15...xe5 16.e4 d6 17.xf8 xf8 18.h6+ g8 19.h4 winning ] [ 15...f5 is also insufficient: 16.exf6 exf6 17.xg7 xg7 18.e7+ f7 19.xf7+ xf7 20.h6 g8 21.e1 and Black is in trouble ] 16.e4 f5 Otherwise White will play Rh4, obtaining a strong attack. [ 16...f5 17.h4 e6 18.xg7 xh4 19.f6 g5 20.xg5 h5 21.g4+- winning ] 17.exf6 [ 17.h4? xe5 ] 17...exf6 18.xg7 xg7 19.h4?! White switches to kingside play, but central strategy is far better here. [ Th e na tu ra l 19.e3 should be preferred d7 ( 19...f7 20.e8 ) 20.e1 Now White controls the very important e-file A) 20...e8 21.e7+ g8 ( 21...xe7 22.xe7+ xe7 23.xe7+ g8 24.e4 f8 25.d6+- winning ) 22.c5 xe7 23.xe7 f8 24.e4 with a clear advantage; B) 20...f7 21.a4 ( 21.e7?! f8 ) 21...f8 ( 21...a5 22.e7 with a clear advantage ) 22.a5 ] 19...h5 This is forced. [ 19...c7 l o s t a t o n c e : 20.h6+ g8 21.xg6+- winning ] 20.e2 Intending Nf4 [ other possibilities also keep a slight a d v a n t a g e : 20.e3 f5 21.g3 h6 22.e1 with a small edge ] [ 20.e4 f5 21.e3 xd3 22.xd3 c7 with a small edge ] 20...d5? Wasting time again. [ 20...e6? is just a blunder: 21.f4 f7 22.xg6! xg6 23.e6+ winning the Queen ]
[ But 20...f5!? is worth considering. In my opinion, Black has good defensive resources here. For example: 21.f4 f6 22.g3 f7 23.d4 e6 24.c7+ e7 25.xe7+ xe7 26.f4 f7 and white is bett er b ut with accurat e d ef en ce B lac k should hold the position. ] 21.c4 With a clear advantage e7 [ 21...b4 Misplaces the knight, so a sudden attack is now possible: 22.xg6!? ( 22.d4 ) 22...xg6 23.f4+ f7 ( 23...g7 24.c3 with the idea of Qg3) 24.c3 c5 25.xh5 intending Re1, Qg3 ] 22.d4 c7 23.e3 c5?! This move creates new weaknesses (the d5-square),so it's bad. Black's problem is he has no good moves. [ 23...f5 24.xf5 xf5 25.g3 e5 26.xf5+ ( 26.d2!? with a large advantage ) 26...xf5 27.ad1 with a large advantage ] 24.e4 f5 25.f3 With the idea of Nf4 and Rae1 d6 26.e3 f5 [ 26...f5 27.f4 ] 27.e4 d6 28.e3 f5 29.xf5 xf5 30.g3 d7 [ 30...ae8 31.xf5+ gxf5 32.xe8 xe8 33.xh5+- winning ] [ 30...c8 31.ae1+- winning ] 31.e7+ f7 32.e4+- Black resigned. It may seem premature but the following variations prove Black is completely lost: [ 32.e4 f5 33.c3+ with the idea of Rf7 ] [ 32.e4 c6 33.xf7+ xf7 34.d1 f5 ( 34...f5 35.xc5 ) 35.d6+ g8 36.xc6 bxc6 37.xf5 gxf5 38.d6 and the rook ending is easily won. ] 1-0
1011 Malakhov,Vladimir Topalov,Veselin XXIII Rapid Open rapid (6) [John Watson]
B08 2689 2777 03.08.2008
Here's Topalov on the Black side of the Pirc. 1.f3 g6 2.e4 d6 3.d4 g7 4.c3 The game transposes to a Classical Pirc it would be fun to see Topalov's reaction to his own move 4 Bc4, featured in this month's column. f6 5.e2 0-0 1052
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 5...a6 6.0-0 b5?! led to a recent disaster: 7.e5 fd7 8.e6! fxe6 9.g5 A) 9...b6? 10.g4 e5 ( 10...b4 11.ce4 ) 11.e6! f8 12.d5; B) But 9...f6 stays alive, though White gains the advantage in a number of ways, with 10.e1 c6! 11.f3! being the easiest.; C) 9...f8? Presumably missing the following trick. Equally bad is 10.xb5+! c6 ( 10...axb5 11.f3 threatens both Qxa8 and Qf7+ followed by Qxg7.) 11.f3 f6 12.xc6+ xc6 13.xc6+ d7 14.c4 ( Or 14.e4! ) 14...a5 15.ge4 g7 16.d3 and White was on top in Babaev-Movsziszian, Benasque 2008. ] 6.0-0 a6!? It's interesting to see this modern move. It takes White out of book earlier than the alternatives 6...c6, 6...Nc6, and 6...Bg4, all analysed at length over the years. 7.a4 b6 8.e1 b7 9.f1 White plays very solidly, although without much ambition. This line pops up from time to time. e6 10.f4 bd7 Black has reached his basic setup. White has more space and a small advantage. But it's not anything special, and he probably wishes that he had his bishop on f1 in a more active position. 11.d2 e8 [ a) Much more ambitious (too much so?) was 11...b5!? 12.axb5 axb5 13.xa8 xa8 14.xb5 xe4 15.xe4 xe4 16.xe4 xe4 17.xd7 a8 in Martz, W (2385) -Tisdall, J, Lone Pine 1975. W hite should stand somewhat better after 18 h3 or 18 h4 but 18.b5 b7 19.f1 xb2 gave Black compensation. ] [ b) 11...c8 12.ad1 e8 13.h6 h8!? 14.h3 e5 15.d5 g7 16.a5 d8 17.g5 e7 involved a great waste of time for Black, but he was still only slightly worse in Mancini, M (2280)-Chomet, P (2350), France 1994. ] 12.h6 [ 12.ad1 c8 13.h6 h8 ( 13...e5!? ) 14.h3 b8?! ( 14...c5 is a better try Black has to win some space.) 15.g5!? e7? 16.f4 ( 16.e5! ) 16...e8 17.f3 c8 18.g5 ( 18.h4 c6 19.e5 is another strong method.) 18...h5 19.d2 f6! 20.e3 f7 and although it's inferior, B l a c k ' s p o s it i o n i s s t il l qu i t e r e s i l ie n t , Jasnikowski, Z (2405) -Ivanov, M (2510)/
Berlin 1999. ] 12...e7 13.h3 f8 14.xg7 xg7 15.ad1 ad8 16.e5 h5 17.h2 f8 To make room, upon g4, for the knight on g7. 18.e3 g7 19.g4 f6 20.exd6 cxd6 21.d5?! Mobilizing Black's pawns for him. A small advantage was still there after [ 21.g2 ] [ or 21.f4 ] 21...e5 22.a2 f5 23.b4 Apparently this wa s W h it e's id ea wit h 2 1 d5 , bu t it 's n o t impressive. c8! 24.xa6 xc2 [ 24...fxg4 25.hxg4 ( 25.xg4 f5 ) 25...xc2 p re ve n t s t h e id e a o f 26.b4 due to xb2 threatening f2. ] 25.b4 c5 [ 25...xb2? 26.c3! ] 26.b5 f7 27.c6 c8 28.d3 c4 29.b3 e4 A funny manoeuvre. 30.d2!? [ 30.h6 is more aggressive, in view of xe1+ 31.xe1 f8 ( 31...fxg4 32.hxg4 f8 33.e3 ) 32.f3! ] 30...xe1+ 31.xe1 f8 32.b4 Now White gets holes all over his kingside. [ 32.f4! ] 32...e4 33.f4 e5 34.g5 h5!? [ A good follow-up to his provocation on the kingside is 34...e7! 35.h4 h6 36.gxh6 xh4 ] 35.d1?! [ 35.xh5! gxh5 36.e3 ] 35...e7 36.h4 xf4 37.xf4 d3 The activity of this knight in conjunction with his mobile centre pawns gives Black a powerful attack. 38.e3 xb4 39.xb6 d3 40.b5 c5 41.a5 e3 42.e1 [ 42.f1 f4 ] 42...f4 43.a6 e5 44.f3 [ 44.a7 exf2+ 45.xf2 d4+ ] 44...e4 45.e2 xa6! 46.h2 exf2+ 47.xf2 e3+ 48.f1 h3+ 0-1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 22.hd1 xd7 23.xd7 g1+ B08 ad8 24.d2 [ 24.d1 xb2+ 25.xb2 xd1 ] 1967 24...f2+! After this precise move the result of the game is beyond doubt. [ W hite had hoped for 24...xb2 25.e2 c3 26.d1 and the fight goes on. ] 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.c4 c6 This is the most precise move 25.d3 [ 25.c1 leads to immediate mate after order. 6.b3 f1+! 26.d2 xb2 ] [ 6.a4 0-0 7.0-0 d5 8.d3 g4 9.e5 fd7 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 e6 Black is already 25...f1+ 26.e2 xf4 The rest needs no better. After the inevitable ...c6-c5 White's comment. Black has a material advantage as center will be in real danger. 12.e2 c5 well as a strong attack against White's King. 13.c3 c6 14.b4? This panic move loses 27.f3 e5 28.b7 a5 29.c6 xb2 on the spot, but it's difficult to recommend 30.e2 e5+ 31.f1 h5 32.c7 f4+ a n y r e a l i m p r o v e m e n t . ( 14.e3? 33.e2 d4 34.c8 e3+ 35.d1 c3 is equa lly bad : dxe5! 15.dxe5 xe5 36.xf8+ xf8 Mate is unavoidable, so White , winning the piece back; probably 14.g3 resigned. was relatively best, although Black has a 0-1 clear edge after b6 , for example: 15.b5 cxd4 16.cxd4 ac8 ) 14...cxb4 15.cxb4 B08 dxe5! 16.dxe5 xe5 17.g3 xd3 1013 and in a few moves W hite resigned, Motwani,Paul 2535 Shankar - Bologan, Calcutta 1999. This Carlier,Bruno 2415 game shows how important it is for modern TCh Belgium (3) 2003 players to know classic games. Botvinnik's [Andrew Martin] plan was executed successfully almost 40 years after it was introduced! ] 1.d4 g6 Two old friends of mine engage in a 6...0-0 7.e2 g4! A very logical plan. Black royal duel. I know that Bruno Carlier likes the exchanges his light-squared Bishop and then Mo de rn De f e n ce very m uch - h e loa th e s builds a pawn chain on the light squares (e6, preparation and is quite happy to improvise d5) , restricting W hite's Bishop on b3. 8.h3 freely at the board 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 xf3 9.xf3 e6 10.g5 h6 11.h4 bd7 4.e3 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.h3 An attempt to get 12.0-0-0?! Here the King is a good target. a superior version of the Classical Variation. [ 12.0-0 was better, with level chances. ] In particular, White hopes to be able to play 12...a5 13.e2 b5 14.f4 This move Bf1-c4 without losing a tempo on Be2. The w e a k e n s t h e e 4 - s q u a r e a n d B l a c k plan is a bit slow and Black if Black reacts i m m e d i a t e l y e xp l o i t s t h i s d r a wb a c k . b4! energetically he can obtain a decent game. 15.b1 d5 16.d2 c5! Opening the c-file What Black must not do is play sluggishly. c6 and a1-h8 diagonal. 17.xf6 7.a4 c7 [ 17.e5 h5 is very bad for White. ] [ 7...d5 is another popular move. Carlier 17...xf6 18.dxc5 does not want clarification just yet. ] [ 18.e5 h5 19.f3 c4 20.g4 xf4 8.a5 d5 21.xf4 cxb3 is bad for White as well. ] [ 8...e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.c4 allows White 18...dxe4 19.xe4 xe4 20.xe4 xc5 to achieve his aim. ] It has taken Black only 8 moves to prove 9.e5 e4 10.xe4 dxe4 11.g5 W hite's 12th move was mistaken. Black's [ After 11.d2 Black has to be careful: c5 position is strategically winning already. White 12.c3 has no defence against the march of the aA) I much prefer 12...d8 which doesn't pawn. Transferring Black's queen to f6 (via the allow White such an easy time: e7 -s qua re ) is a n ot h e r n a st y id e a . 21.d7 A1) 13.c1 c6 ( 13...cxd4 1012 Medina Garsia,Antonio Botvinnik,Mikhail Palma de Mallorca [Alexander Volzhin]
1054
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 maybe this is best of all, having dragged the White queen to c1. 14.cxd4 xc1+ 15.xc1 c6 16.b3 e6 ) 14.xe4 cxd4 15.cxd4 f5 16.g3 e6 17.b5 d5 18.0-0 ac8; A2) 13.xe4 cxd4 14.cxd4 xe5 15.c1 xc1+ 16.xc1 g7 17.c7 c6 18.a6 b8 19.c5 xd4 20.axb7 c2+ 21.e2 f5; B) 12...cxd4?! 13.cxd4 c6 14.c2 d8 15.c4 f8 16.b3 d7 17.a4 b5 18.axb6 b7 19.bxa7 xa7 20.0-0 c6 21.a5 b5 22.xa8 xa8 23.c4 d5 24.xd5 xd5 25.xd5 xd5 Rogic, D-Rukavina, J/Kastav 2002 when either 26 Ra1 or 26 Rc1 would be very good for White. ] 11...c5 12.c3 cxd4?!N Once again I feel that taking on d4 early makes life easier for White. If Black can delay the capture, he should: [ 12...c6! 13.a4 ( 13.xe4 cxd4 14.cxd4 xa5 15.c1 d8; 13.a6 bxa6 14.xe4 cxd4 15.cxd4 b8 16.d2 d8 ) 13...d7 14.a3 cxd4 15.cxd4 ad8 16.c3 c8 17.e2 f5 18.c4+ h8 19.f7+ xf7 20.xf7 e6 21.h4 d8 22.h5 g5 23.h6 f8 24.d2 xe5 25.dxe5 xc3 26.xc3 b5 27.d1 Schmittdiel, E-Nikolic, P/ Germany 1998 It felt as though Black was in there fighting all the way through in a Grünfeld-like position. ] 13.cxd4 c6 14.c2 The rub. White gets to d e ve lo p h is Q u e e n t o a m o re in f lu e n t ia l square, keeping an eye on e4 if nothing else. d8 15.c4 e6 16.b5 d7 17.xe4 But now it's ugly. Carlier must hope that his active pieces compensate for the missing pawn. I'm not sure I believe that they do. ac8 18.d6 b4 19.xc7 xc7 20.0-0 a6 21.xd7 cxd7 22.fc1 f8 23.e4 Motwani plays rationally, without risk, maintaining his extra pawn. e7 24.a4 c6 25.cc4 d5 26.g4 f8! [ 26...xa5 27.xa5 xa5 28.c7 f8 29.g5 e8 30.f4 leaves Black almost without a decent move. ] 27.g2 b5 28.g5 One of those advantages that is indisputable but very hard to convert. Black is defending very toughly and has a pawn blockade. Motwani moves to create an outside h pawn.
[ 28.c2 bd5 29.g5 xd4 30.xd4 xd4 31.xd4 xd4 32.c8+ d8 33.c7 ] 28...xg5 29.xg5 e7 30.xh7 xb2 31.g5 b5 32.h4 bd5 33.f3 xa5 34.xa5 xa5 35.c7+ d7 36.c8 d8 37.c7+ d7 38.c5 c6 39.c4 Strange the way this game slipped away from White without Motwani appearing to make a single mistake. d8 40.g3 a5 41.h5 gxh5 42.gxh5 d7 43.f4 b5 44.c5 b4 45.d5! Bef ore the queenside pawns became too strong. exd5 46.xd5+ e7 47.c5 d7 48.d5+ e7 49.c5 d7 50.d5+ The result of the opening was no advert for the Modern Defence although I have suggested improvements . I think I prefer to try and do without ...Qc7 if at all possible and play ...d6-d5 straight away. ½-½
1014 Motwani,Paul Rahman,Ziaur British Championship (7) [Andrew Martin]
B08
2003
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.e3 c6 5.f3 g7 One wonders what Motwani had to show against 5...Qb6? Certainly not 6 Rb1 as played by Adam Hunt you can stake your life on that. Perhaps 6 a3!? 6.a4 0-0 7.h3 bd7 [ 7...d5 8.e5 e4 9.xe4 dxe4 A) 10.g5 c5 11.c3 ( 11.dxc5 xe5 12.xd8 xd8 13.c3 f5 14.c4+ g7 15.f7 c6 16.h6+ f6 17.g5+ g7 18.xd8 xd8 19.xe7 e6 20.xe6 xe6 21.0-0-0 f4 22.d7 d3+ 23.c2 xf2 24.h4+ 1-0 Burovic,IMastrokoukos,G/Kavala 1990) 11...cxd4 ( 11...d5 12.dxc5 xe5 13.d4 xd4 14.cxd4 h6 15.xe4 f5 16.c3 f4 17.c1 xd4 18.d5 c6 19.xf4 g5 20.d3 f5 21.e3 ad8 22.d1 e4 23.xd4 xd4 24.f3 g6 25.b3 fd8 26.f2 Ilincic,Z-Chernin,A/Prague 1989) 12.cxd4 d5 13.c1 c6 14.c4 a5+ 15.c3 d7 16.0-0 ad8 17.xf7 xf7 18.e6 f6 19.exd7+ h8 20.b5 xd7 21.g4 fd6 22.xc6 bxc6 23.xc6 1055
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xd4 24.xd6 xd6 Haba,P-Vadasz,L/ Kecskemet 1993; B) 10.g5 is a major alternative: ] 8.a5 Sluggish in appearance only. [ 8.d2 seems more pointed but Black works up counterplay after a5! ] 8...b8! In order to play ...b7-b5 and recapture on b6 with a pawn. 9.e2 b5 10.axb6 axb6 11.0-0 c7 12.d5 b7 13.d4 cxd5!= Attempting to improve on [ 13...c5?! allowing White a grip: 14.a7 a8 15.xc6 fxe4 16.xe4 xe4 17.c3 e6 18.xa8 xa8 19.b4 e5 20.a4 f5 21.c6 c5 22.b5 d7 23.f3 b7 24.a1 f6 25.a7 a8 26.xa8+ xa8 27.a4 c8 28.b5 c5 29.a7 b7 30.xb7 xb7 31.b4 d7 32.a7 f8 33.c6 xc6 34.dxc6 d8 35.c8 d5 36.xb6 e6 37.xd8 1-0 Motwani,PNorwood,D/London 1988 ] 14.db5 c6 15.a7 c7 16.exd5 [ 16.ab5 c6 would have been rather cowardly. Motwani shows courage. ] 16...c5 17.e1 a8 18.cb5 d7 19.c4 fe4 20.d4? With the clock relentlessly ticking away the tactics of the wily Bangladeshi Grandmaster pay of f. W hite should have gone for [ 20.b4! forcing the play: A) 20...a6 21.a3! e6 ( 21...xb4? 22.b1+- ) 22.dxe6 xe6 23.d4 xb4 24.xg7 xg7 25.f3; B) 20...xa1 21.bxc5!! bxc5 ( 21...c3 22.c6 ) 22.xa1 e5 23.d3 f5 24.xe4 fxe4 25.b1 ] 20...e5 21.dxe6 fxe6 22.f3!? Ugly, compounding the error of his last move. [ 22.f3 keeping his King more secure, had to be preferable. ] 22...xd4+ 23.xd4 [ 23.xd4 b3 ] 23...g5 24.db5 e5!? The game turns, and with the W hite Knights way offside, a sacrifice on h3 is inevitable. 25.a3? [ 25.xd6! i s c r i t i c a l , xh3+ 26.h2 ( 26.gxh3? xh3 27.xe5 f5-+ ) 26...xd6 27.xd6 f4 28.b4 with the better endgame ] [ 25.xd6!? xh3+ 26.gxh3 ( 26.f1? f4 27.xb7 xb7 28.b5 xa1 29.xa1 e7 threatening to come to h4, 30.g1
b3 31.d1 c5+ lightening strikes from a different angle! 32.h1 f2 and mates quickly. ) 26...xh3 27.xb7 and now Black should probably acquiesce to a draw by: g3+ 28.f1 h3+ 29.f2 h2+ 30.e3 f4+ ] 25...xh3+ 26.gxh3 [ 26.h2!? might be a better chance, f4 27.xd6 f5 28.f1 although White is clearly in trouble. ] 26...xh3 These positions cannot be defended when short of time. 27.f1 g3+ 28.g2 e6! [ 28...xf3 29.xf3 xf3 30.xf3 xe1+ is also good, as the white knights do little. ] 29.e2?! [ 29.ee3 f4 30.d2 hangs on. ] 29...f4?! [ 29...xf3 is strong. ] 30.e1!? [ 30.d2 ] 30...g5 31.d2 f6! 32.e3?! [ 32.c7 af8 33.ab5 was a better stab at defence. ] 32...af8 33.f1 e4 [ 33...h5! is also a killer, planning to capture on g2, then f3. ] 34.f2 exf3 35.xf3 xf3 36.xf3 e6 37.d1 Sometimes you have to take risks to win with Black. For that reason alone, Rahman deserves our admiration and respect. [ 37.d1 xf2+ 38.e1 g1# ] 0-1
1015 Munoz,Lisandro Grischuk,Alexander 40th Olympiad Open (1.1) [Tom Rendle]
B08 2428 2763 28.08.2012
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 f6 5.e3 a6 6.d2 b5 7.h6 Although this looks like a dangerous setup I don't think it's that strong with a knight on f3 - Black always seems to have enough counterplay to keep the balance here. [ 7.d3 b7 8.h6 often leads to transpositions into 8...Bb7 ] 7...0-0 8.d3 [ 8.xg7 xg7 9.d3 c6 is quite a 1056
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 similar idea to the game and now A) 10.a4 g4! is a key idea behind ...Nc6 ( 10...b4 11.d5 is awkward for Black) 11.e5 ( 11.e2 e5 and Black can hardly be worse here ) A1) 11...g8?! lead to a swift defeat in Hebd en, M (250 6)-Collier, D (2 100 ) G u e r n s e y 2 0 1 1 a f t e r 12.e4 d7 13.f4 h6?! ( 13...b4 would've been a be t t e r c h o ice) 14.0-0 b4 15.d5 ab8?? ( 15...xf3 16.xf3 would only ha ve b ee n slight ly be tt er f or W hit e) 16.f6 and Black had to resign; A2) 11...dxe5 12.dxe5 d5 13.e4 db4 14.d5 xd5 ( 14...f5! 15.xf5 xd5= is a much safer choice for Black ) 15.xd5 xf3 16.gxf3 xe5 17.xa8?! ( 17.axb5! would have led to unclear play after c6 18.bxc6 e6 19.f4 exd5 20.fxe5 e8 but only White can b e b e t t e r h e r e I t h i n k a f t e r 21.f4 ) 17...xa8 18.c3 xf3 19.xf3 xf3+ 20.e2 d4+ and Black went on to grind out a win in the game Collutiis, D (2404)-Peralta, F (2524) Turin 2006; B) 10.h3 has been examined on ChessPublishing before in Anand-Chernin which continued e5 11.d5 e7 12.0-0 b7 13.a4 c6 and Black was doing fine. ] 8...c6 [ 8...b7?! seems less accurate to me here, e.g. 9.h4 ( 9.xg7 xg7 10.e5!? is also dangerous) 9...b4?! ( 9...xh6 10.xh6 g4 11.g5 d7 looks somewhat artificial but it may be just about OK for Black as he can meet 12.h5 with h6 13.d2 g5 still this position is hardly to be recommended) 10.d5! xd5 11.exd5 bd7?! 12.h5 and Black was already lost in Fressinet, L (2640) -Smirin, I (2659) Bastia 2006 ] 9.d5!? An interesting idea in a lot of positions but here it doesn't seem to give White any edge [ 9.h3 may be more testing but White does have to accept playing positions that would mo re n o rma lly a rise a f t e r 1. d 4 a f t e r e5 10.d5 e7 with chances for both sides in the correspondence game Nimtz, M (2634)Umansky, M (2654) ICCF COR 2004 ] [ 9.xg7 xg7 10.h3 e5 11.d5 e7
wo uld tran sp ose to t he A na nd -Che rn in game mentioned above ] 9...g4! 10.xg7 xg7 11.c3 xd5 [ 11...xf3! 12.gxf3 d7 is perhaps an easier way to equalise but probably Grischuk was seeking an even more unbalanced position. ] 12.exd5 xf3 [ 12...a7 is safer but White is still more comfortable after 13.d2 ] 13.gxf3 b8 14.h4! Suddenly Munoz has cr e a t e d a d a n g e r o u s a t t a c k a g a i n s t h i s illustrious opponent d7 [ 14...h5?! 15.f4 and White should be able to open up the Kingside to his advantage ] 15.h5 b6! Grischuk calculates correctly that White's attack is not enough to win and so he seeks counterplay 16.d2 h8 17.0-0-0 xd5 18.e4 c6 19.h3?! Although logical this seems to be the wrong plan [ 19.dg1! e6 20.b1 f6 21.g4 and the position is finely balanced - it's not clear how either side can really play for the win from here ] 19...e6 20.xd5 Not a move that White wanted to play I'm sure [ 20.dh1 f6 21.h4 e7 and Black is slowly pushing White back ] 20...cxd5 21.f4 e7 22.h2 g5?! This gives Munoz a few more chances than necessary [ 22...g5+ 23.b1 f5 and White is struggling to demonstrate any compensation for the pawn ] 23.h6+?! [ 23.f4! h6 24.g1 and suddenly it's not clear that White is at all worse ] 23...f8 24.b1 g8 25.f4 g4 26.g3?! This just loses a tempo after Black's next move [ 26.h5 wa s a b e t t e r t ry a s n o w f6 can be met with ( 26...c8! 27.g3 f5 and Black is still much better) 27.f5! exf5?! 28.xf5! ] 26...f6 27.c3 g6 28.g3 f5 No w B la ck h a s e ve ryt h in g u n de r c o n t ro l 29.c6 xh6 30.a3? A final mistake [ 30.f3 Would be a more stubborn choice although Black should eventually win after gxf3 31.xf3 e4 32.xe4 dxe4 33.xd6 e7 ] 1057
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 30...xf4 31.xd6 g7 Black's King is safe and the W hite pawns are in danger of dropping off one at a time 32.xa6?! xd4 33.g1 b4! Initiating a forcing sequence which quickly ends the game 34.f3 g6 35.e2 xa6 36.xa6 g3 0-1
13...b3 14.h6 e5! Now White is struggling, psychologically I think. He would not have expected to see his bishop on b1 gumming up the works, with consequent problems for the Rook on a1 and the pawn a4. 15.0-0 a5 16.h2 e8 17.xg7 xg7 18.h1 exd4 19.xd4 [ 19.cxd4 xe4 ] 19...b6! After the exchange of queens Black 1016 B08 can play and play all day against the pawns on Papa,Severin 2397 e4 and a4. 20.e1 [ 20.d1 xd4 21.xd4 d5! 22.g4 ad8 Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar 2662 23.xf6 xf6 helps not a jot. ] 5th YM Lausanne SUI (1.2) 16.09.2004 20...xd4 21.cxd4 b6 22.f3 c6 [Andrew Martin] One weakness is all a strong player often Here's a good example of Mamedyarov's style. needs to convert the game to victory. 23.e5 One positional mistake by W hite and the fd7 24.e4 dxe5 25.d6 Of course this is game is up! 1.d4 g6 2.e4 c6 Played more to desperation. e6 26.dxe5 xf3 27.gxf3 28.e4 d8 29.b7 d2 baffle White than with any great intention of xe5 p l a y i n g . . . d 7 - d 5 . 3.c3 g7 4.h3 The philosophy and strategy of the Modern At least White has been lured away from the carried out to perfection. White was invited to A u s t r i a n a t t a c k o r s o m e o f t h e b l u n t e r overreach or at least form a bad plan. He attacking system that he can play. As long as managed to do so with ease, after which you are happy playing ...c7-c6 you can use Black stepped in on the weaknesses and took this move order. d6 5.e3 f6 6.d2 0-0 him apart. 7.f3 b5 8.d3 bd7 Evidently Black is not 0-1 afraid of Bh6 etc, a la 150 caveman attack. 9.a4N B08 [ Of course he should play it and not be 1017 bluffed: 9.h6! e5 ( 9...xh6 10.xh6 b4 Parker,Jonathan 2509 11.e2 e5 12.0-0 e8 13.fe1 c5 Nijboer,Friso 2598 14.dxe5 xe5 15.xe5 dxe5 16.ad1 ) 3rd ACT Amsterdam NED (7) 21.07.2006 10.xg7 xg7 11.0-0-0 White can only [Andrew Martin] count on a small edge in these lines but it 's b e t t e r t h a n t h e ga m e ! T h e p re ci s e 1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 problem with a2-a4 in the current position is 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.h3 bd7 8.a4 e5 that White can't castle long anymore and the 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.e3 e7 11.d3 pawn on a4 might well become weak. It At first glance a curious move, but clearly the looks like a normal 150 attack but it's not. most popular here, the White queen heads for White has played h2-h3 and that makes a the queenside, and vacates the d-file. h5 difference. Black has an extra tempo to hit 12.a5 f4 This leads to active counterplay for the centre with. ] Black. 13.c4 f6 Black supports the 9...b4 10.e2 c5! Here's where the tempo dangerous knight. comes in useful. White has no time now for [ 13...xe2+ is worse, 14.xe2 e8 Bh6 etc he must deal with the central 15.g3 f8 16.a6 bxa6 17.xc6 b7 situation. 11.c3 b7 12.g3 c4 13.b1? 18.a4 with a plus, Nowak, I-Sznapik, A/ [ With the greatest respect White should Poznan 1984. ] s e t t l e f o r 13.xc4 bxc3 14.bxc3 xe4 14.b4!? A novelty, grabbing space on the 15.xe4 xe4 16.e2 c7 17.0-0 queenside. and the game is balanced. Moreover, White [ 14.fd1 i s n o r m a l , e8 15.a4 doesn't get his light-squared bishop buried! ] ( 15.e1!? xe2+ 16.xe2 f8 17.f3 1058
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is nothing special, Juarez Flores, C-Sznapik, A/Dubai 1986) 15...f8?! the knight heads f o r e 6 t o e ye f 4 a n d d 4 , b u t t h e r e is a tactical problem: 16.xf4! xf4 17.d5! Ouch! cxd5 18.xe8 dxe4 Tregubov, PPoluljahov, A/Orel 1992, and now 19.a3! is best, exf3? 20.xf3 e4 21.xf7+ h8 22.c4 winning. ] 14...b8! The knight retreats, but the threat of ... Be6 is annoying. 15.xf4 xf4 16.b3 a6 17.fe1 c7 Black has the bishop pair, and his remaining knight heads for the important e6-square. 18.b5?! [ 18.c4 ] 18...e6 19.bxc6 bxc6 20.c4 d4! W ell calculated, now Black seizes the initiative . 21.xd4 exd4 22.xc6 xh3 Defending the a8-rook with gain of tempo. 23.d5 g5 24.f1 ac8 25.a4 e6 After the tactics we can easily see that White is worse, Black has the bishops and the c2p a w n i s w e a k . 26.ab1 e5 27.f4 Desperate. xf4 28.xf4 xf4 29.xd4 a6!? [ 29...xc2 30.xa7 h4 is more to the point. ] 30.d3 fd8 31.e3 e5 32.b6 c4 33.xc4 xc4 34.xa6 xc2 Material is equal, but the pawn structure tells the story. 35.f1 b5 36.af6 dd2! 37.6f2 xa5 38.xd2 xd2 39.f3 [ 39.xd2 xd2 is hopeless, the black king heads for e5, when the e4-pawn is lost. ] 39...d4+ 40.h1 c7 41.d1 d7 [ 41...xd1 42.xd1 should win. ] 42.e2 e7 43.e1 e5 44.c4 g3 45.e2 e5 Black combines threats of winning the e-pawn with menaces towards the w h i t e k i n g . 46.g1 c3 47.f2 g7 48.e2 d3 49.f4 d1+ 50.f2 d4+ 51.g3 d6 52.d2 c7 53.d5 f6 54.f2 I suppose that both players were short of time as the end of the game lacks consistency. c2+ 55.d2 c5+ 56.g3 e7 57.d4 a3+ 58.f3 g5+ 59.h3 c1 60.d7+ h6 61.d1 [ 61.g4! offers some chances. ] 61...c7 62.g4 c5 63.d3 c2 64.d2 c3 [ 64...xd2 65.e3+ g7 66.xd2 ] 65.d3 e5 66.e3+ g5 Now Black
threatens ...Rc4. 67.d2 xd2 68.xd2 xe4 69.d7 g6 70.c8 d5 71.e8+ g7 72.e7+ f7 73.e4 h5 74.gxh5 xh5+ 75.g2 f7 76.f5 c7 77.f3 c3+ 78.g4 d4+ 79.g3 e5+ 0-1
1018 Pazderski,Ziemowit Onischuk,Vladimir Najdorf Memorial Open (2) [John Watson]
B08 2197 2506 03.08.2008
1.d4 f6 2.f3 g6 3.c3 g7 4.e4 d6 5.h3 0-0 6.e3 Vigus calls the 'Accelerated Classical'. White waits to develop his king's bishop, in part because it may come to c4 in one jump. c6 Here's one of Black's most reliable setups in the Classical. In this particular position, Vigus finds that 6...Nc6 and 6...a6 7 a4 Nc6 are practical solutions. 7.a4 Versus ...b5. bd7 [ Topalov once played 7...b6 here, and Vigus shows games with ] [ 7...a5 and ] [ 7...a6 ] 8.e2 This is recommended in 'Chess Openings for White, Explained'. Vigus calls it 'less critical', and indeed, the main line [ 8.a5 is more challenging. White's main idea is e5?! 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.d6! in t e n d i n g B c4 , wh i c h h a s wo n s e ve r a l games. So Black should look into 8...Qc7, as described in Vigus' book. ] 8...e5!? Now that the bishop has moved to e2, this should be okay. A safer option, however, is [ 8...c7 ] 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.d2 e7 11.c4 e8 12.d2 [ 'Chess Openings for White, Explained' gives 12.h4 c5 13.h5 e6 14.hxg6 hxg6 (here ( I t h i n k t h a t 14...fxg6! sh o u ld d e f i n it e l y b e c o n sid e re d , s in c e Bla ck's kn igh t ca n go t o f 4 a t t h e righ t moment, as well as to d4. Furthermore, ... fxg6 allows for 2nd-rank defence of Black's kingside. Black may even stand slightly better, for example, 15.d2 f4 16.0-0-0 e6 ) 15.d2 d4 16.h6 f6 17.0-0-0 1059
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 , when Vigus thinks that Black is all right after e6 ] 12...c5 13.0-0 e6 14.g4? A bizarre move, weakening key dark squares. Interest in the opening declines at this point, so we should glance at [ 14.ad1 d4 15.f3 e6 16.b3 and ] [ 14.h6 d4 15.xg7 xg7 , both about equal. ] 14...d4 15.f4 xe2+ 16.xe2 exf4 17.xf4 White has good development and an open line or two, but his e-pawn is weak, his kingside exposed, and there's no obvious way to make progress. e6 Threatening ...Qc5+. [ 17...h5 is also attractive. ] 18.d2 b4 19.e5 c7 20.ce4? d5 21.g3 xb2 22.c4 d4+ 23.f2 f4! 24.f3 xh3+ 25.xh3 xe4 and Black w e n t o n t o w i n e a s i l y . 26.d6 xe5 27.xb7 e4 28.c5 xg4+ 29.xg4 xg4 30.ab1 ab8 31.a6 bd8 32.fe1 f5 33.b4 d4 34.xc6 xf2+ 35.xf2 d2+ 36.f3 xc2 37.b4 a6 38.a5 g7 39.b6 a4 40.b4 c8 41.e3 c4 42.xa6 d5 43.a3 xa5 44.g3 g5+ 45.f3 c6+ 0-1
wit h h is ne xt) is a gra ve e rro r. In s te a d Ehlvest has shown how Black should proceed: ( 10...b7 11.h6 a6 12.xg7 xg7 13.d3 e5 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.e3 b5 with at least equality as Black has decent queenside play. Zainuddin, Y-Ehlvest, J ( 2 6 2 2 ) B a l i 2 0 0 0 .) 11.h6 h8? I b elieve th is to be qu ite an in struct ive mistake. The young Italian wants to keep his fianchettoed bishop (he is a Dragon player too after all!) but here this just kickstarts W hite's attack. Instead he should h a v e s i m p l y c o n t i n u e d p l a yi n g o n t h e queenside. 12.g5! f8 13.f4 Suddenly W hite has a very dangerous attack and I d o u b t D a n i e l e wa s h a p p y t h a t h e wa s obliged to play g7 I'll continue the game as the young Scot plays a very pretty attack. 14.xg7 xg7 15.e5 ( 15.f5 is also very strong. ) 15...d5 16.c4 xc3 17.xc3 f6 18.ae1!? I really like the concept behind this move and shows W hite wasn't overawed against his GM opponent. ( 18.f7 d8 19.exf6+ exf6 20.d5 is also very good for White but nothing like as creative.) 18...fxg5 19.d5!? g8 20.fxg5 c5? ( 20...b5 was necessary but White still has a huge attack for the invested piece.) 21.e6! And Black's pieces were completely 1019 B08 immobilised. d7 22.b5 f8 23.exd7 ( 23.f3! e5 24.xf8+ xf8 25.xe5 Pridorozhni,Aleksei 2542 would have forced an instant resignation.) Cheparinov,Ivan 2664 23...xf1+ 24.xf1 xd7 25.f3 h8 12th ch-EUR Aix les Bains FRA (2) 23.03.2011 26.c3+ g8 27.f3 h8 28.f7 xb5 [Gawain Jones] 29.axb5 d7 30.e1 e8 31.xe7 xe7 32.xe7 a6 33.d7 axb5 34.xd6 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 f6 and W hite had an easily winning ending. 5.e2 Sreeves, C (2135) -Vocaturo, D (2564) Aix[ 5.h3 looks like a slightly more aggressive les-Bains 2011. ] version of the Classical and indeed has been called the Accelerated by Vigus. The 5...0-0 [ 5...g4 was also used in a recent all GM idea is simply to develop the bishop to e3 clash. 6.0-0 0-0 while leaving options open f or the light A) 7.e3 is the mainline and has been squared bishop. 0-0 6.e3 c6 7.a4 b6 examined in detail previously. c6 ( 7...bd7 has been the most common as A1) 8.d5 The mainline of the Classical far as I can see and makes sense once P i r c r o a d m a p . xf3 ( 8...b8 W hite has committed to h3 but Vocaturo is looked at in Rytshagov, M (2495) attempts a more double-edged position Chernin, A (2620) Yerevan 1996 against his much lower rated opponent.) [Alexander Volzhin]) 9.xf3 e5 8.e2 bd7 9.0-0 c7 10.d2 e8 10.e2 c6 11.a4 cxd5 ( 11...a5 This looks logical from my Dragon is seen in the archives in Lutz, C (2600)upbringing but I believe here (in conjunction 1060
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Espig, L (2440) Bremen 1998, examined by Alexander Volzhin.) 12.exd5 c8 13.d4 ed7 14.f4 e8 15.f3 xd4+ 16.xd4 ef6 17.fe1 e8 18.e3 c5 19.xc5 xc5 20.b5 an d W h it e e ven t ua lly co n ve rte d h is pressure. Petrov, M (2526)-Klinova, M (2303) Thessaloniki 2010.; A2) 8.d2 e5 A2a) 9.d5 is the old mainline reaching KID style positions: e7 A2a1) 10.e1!? is an unusual plan d7 ( 10...xe2 11.xe2 c6 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.d1 d5 14.c5 e8 15.d3 c7 looked fine for Black. Vokac, M (2390)-Jansa, V ( 2 4 8 5 ) P r a g u e 1 9 8 6 .) 11.f4 This is White's point. g4 12.xg4 xg4 13.fxe5 dxe5 14.h3 d7 when I would continue with 15.Nd3 as 15.h6 strikes me as rather odd, that bishop was hardly super strong. Martinez Duany, L (2510)-Bukal, V (2381) Sitges 2010; A2a2) 10.ad1 d7 ( T h e i n t e r e s t i n g 10...b5!? was investigated in the W orld Champion's defeat: Karpov, A-Carr, N A RC Sim u l W est erga te 19 8 2 .) 11.e1 b5 12.a3 a5 13.d3 wa s s e e n i n L e n g ye l , B ( 2 2 6 7 ) Chapman, T (2263) Budapest 2008 annotated by James Vigus.; A2b) 9.dxe5 This is considered ha rm les s b y Ja m es V igu s b ut h a s seen a fair bit of play recently but the verdict must still be that it is f airly t o o t h l e s s . dxe5 10.ad1 c8!? ( 10...a6 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 e7 13.fe1 b4 14.c1 fd8 15.a3 f8 16.e2 xd1 17.xd1 d8 18.xd8 xd8 19.c3 d4 20.d1 c6 and Black must have equalised although he eventually went down in Hernandez Carmenates, H (2543)Almeida Quintana, O (2541) Havana 2010.; 10...xd2 11.xd2 fd8 12.fd1 xd2 13.xd2 e8 14.b5 d6 15.xc6 bxc6 16.b3 was seen in an early encounter in the line in which the great Swedish defender held
the draw but the ending is rather unpleasant. Browne, W (2530) Andersson, U (2535) Hastings 1972.) 11.c1 d8 12.xd8+ xd8 ( 12...xd8 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 c6 15.d1 e6 16.d2 Petrov, M (2535)-Iturrizaga, E (2611) Cappelle la Grande 2011 also looks fine for Black h a d h e c o n t i n u e d w i t h c7 followed by ...Rd8. True White has the bishop pair but I don't think it's anything like enough here.) 13.d1 f8 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 d8 16.xd8 xd8 17.d2 xd2 18.xd2 d4 19.d1 f8 The first new move! ( Instead Karpov couldn't get anywhere against 19...c6 20.g3 f8 21.g2 b4 22.b1 xd2 23.xd2 f8 1/2-1/2 Karpov, A (2715)-Timman, J (2675) Amsterdam 1988. ) 20.f3 c5 21.f1 h5 22.e2 xe2 23.xe2 f4+ 24.xf4 exf4 and a draw was agreed within a few moves. Spasov, V (2599) Chatalbashev, B (2555) Kyustendil 2010.; B) 7.h3 doesn't seem to have been mentioned on ChessPublishing before but seems critical to me a s f ollowin g xf3 8.xf3 c6 9.e3 ( 9.e2!? ) 9...e5 ( 9...d7 is more flexible and should probably be preferred. ) B1) 10.dxe5 doesn't look very critical. dxe5 11.b5 e7 12.c3 d8!? 13.a3 ( Both players presumed that 13.xa7 c6 would be good for Black and it looks rather suspicious although it's Rybka's suggestion, believing the knight won't get trapped after 14.b3 ) 13...a5 14.c4?! b5 15.xe5 T h e id e a b e h in d t h e la st b u t t h is i s flawed. xe5 16.d4 e6 17.xf6 Ivanchuk, V (2704) -Hillarp Persson, T (2474) Malmo 2003 when xf6 18.e5 a6 19.xa8 xa8 gives Black a pleasant plus.; B2) 10.d5 e7 We have reached a KID style position but one in which Black has been forced to cede his light squared bishop and thus the ...f5 plan will lose impact. As any Kings Indian players 1061
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 (2504) Maykop 2008. ] know, keep ing t he c8 bishop o n th e [ As has been noted in the archives, the board is important for the success of immediate 7...c7 allows White to annoy t h e i r k i n g s i d e a t t a c k . ( 10...d4!? the Black queen with is an interesting pawn sacrifice but White A) Instead in Michalczak, T (2332) m u s t h a v e s o m e e d g e a f t e r 11.xd4 Chatalbashev, B (2602) Reykjavik 2011 exd4 12.xd4 despite Black's play on White allowed Black's model play following the dark squares. ); 8.h3 e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.e3 h5 C) 7.e1 c6 8.d5 xf3 9.xf3 e5 11.b1!? The queen reroutes to a2 to 10.e2 c6 11.a4 a5 12.a3 c7 13.f1 defend the bishop once it moves to c4 but ed7 14.e3 c5 and Black had it does look odd. f4 12.c4 comfortably equalised. W hite tried the A1) 12...e6 looks more logical and a g g r e s s i v e 15.e5 b u t f o ll o win g xd5 was Chatalbashev's choice last time 16.xd5 cxd5 17.xd5 xe5 18.h6 13.a2 a6 14.xe6 Rather obliging. fc8 19.f3 e6 White had nothing to ( 14.ad1 is probably better but Black show for the pawn. Guseinov, G (2591) must be completely fine.) 14...xe6 Abbasov, F (2537) Baku 2011. ] 15.c4 e7 16.fd1 b4 17.xb4 6.0-0 c6 Topalov's second is happy to follow xb4 18.d2 f5 19.g5 d4 the most common line. and Black had taken control and went on [ 6...a6 was the weapon used by the highest to win, Armanda, I (2323) -Chatalbashev, rated Italian against the Italian who for a B (2579) Zadar 2008.; long time was their number one. Neil A2) 12...e6!? The Bulgarian GM comments that this is much more dynamic wants to keep more pieces on the board. than the alternatives. 7.e1 ( 7.a4 b6 13.d1 a5 14.a2 a6 15.d2 ac5 playing in the spirit of a Hippo has been 16.ad1 b6 17.h4 h6 18.g3 h7 played by Topalov and Svidler in games one 19.g2 b8 20.h1 d7 21.hd1 can find in the archives, Black scored 2/2) e8 22.a1 White is obviously stumped 7...c6 8.f4 A very quiet approach. ( 8.d5 at how to continue. e7 23.ad1 f5 is the mainline, i.e. e5 9.xe5 dxe5 24.h1 f4 25.xc5 xc5 26.g4 d8 10.e3 e6 11.c5 e8 12.c4 b6 27.g5+ h8 28.xd8 xd8 29.f7 13.dxe6 xe6 14.xe6 xe6 15.e3 when f3+! 30.g3 f6 31.xe8 f4+ Zilberman, Y (2516) -Avrukh, B (2609) Tel 32.h3 xe8 would have been winning Aviv 1999 and White had a tiny nibble as the for Black.; Black queenside pawns aren't ideal.) 8...g4 B) 8.f4 intending to break with e4-e5. 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 d7 ( 10...e5 However Rozentalis, E (2581)-Tkachiev, V looks to equalise immediately but Caruana (2661) Crete 2007 saw Black holding quite wanted the position to have some e a s i l y - c h e c k t h e a r c h i ve s f o r J o h n imbalances.) 11.e3 c8 12.d2 a5 W atson's comments. A recent game 13.e2 c5 14.dxc5 ( 14.d5 is a better try continued: bd7 9.e5 h5!? ( 9...dxe5 f o r a n e d g e .) 14...xc5 15.ad1 b5 is examined in the aforementioned game.) 16.d4 xd4 17.xd4 c6 18.e3 b4 10.exd6 exd6 11.g5 d5 12.d2 e8 19.d5 e6 20.f4 a5 and Black had 13.fe1 f8 14.h6 xh6 15.xh6 f5 decent chances. Godena, M (2549)and Black had equalised comfortably but Caruana, F (2709) Reggio Emilia 2011. ] was unable to beat his lower rated 7.a4 White's most common gaining space on opponent. Lukjanenko, A (2375)-Lastin, A the qu een sid e. I looked at W hite's o the r (2643) Voronezh 2010. ] seventh moves in Vallejo Pons, F-Gashimov V Strangely this popular move doesn't Reggio Emilia 2011 in the preceding game. 8.a5 appear to have been covered previously but bd7 [ 7...a5 is an attempt to exploit White's move the positions are still similar. [ 8.e3 was examined in Guseinov, G order, check James Vigus' comments in (2625)-Dzhumaev, M (2557) Baku 2008 by Gochelashvili, D (2442)-Tseshkovsky, V 1062
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 John Watson. ] [ 8.h3 is the most common and has been looked at in detail in the archives. One recent game was a triumph for Black: e5 9.e3 ( 9.dxe5 was looked at by Neil in Bernadskiy, V (2358)-Onischuk, V (2483) Lviv 2009.) 9...e7 ( 9...exd4 is looked at in Inarkiev, E (2684) -Mamedyarov, S (2752) B a k u 2 0 0 8 b u t J o h n W a t s o n c ri t i ci se s opening the centre so early.) 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.d2 The first new move for the site. ( Instead Andrew Martin annotated the game Parker, J-Nijboer, F Amsterdam 2006 in which Black had an instructional victory after 11.d3 ) 11...c5 12.f3 This looks very clumsy. d8 13.c1 b6 14.d1 e6 15.b3 a6 and Black had won the opening battle. Georgiev, K (2422)-Petrov, M (2534) Bansko 2010. ] 8...c7 [ 8...e5 also looks playable and was the c h o ic e o f t h e t o p Ca n a d ia n G M . 9.dxe5 ( 9.e1 c7 would transpose to the game but Black could also consider trading on d4. ) 9...dxe5 10.d6 has been played most often and is the probably critical test of this move ord er. ( 10.c4 e7 11.b3 b8 12.a3 c5 13.d3 b6 14.a6 h5 15.fd1 df6 16.d6 xd6 17.xd6 e8 18.dd1 c7 19.b5 xb5 20.xb5 f4 21.b2 g4 and Black had survived the opening and was starting to take the up p e rh a n d. Ma rt in ez Du a n y, L (2 5 1 0 )Bluvshtein, M (2583) La Bordeta 2010.) 10...e8 11.c4 ( 11.a3 f8 12.b4 h5 13.d1 f4 14.f1 f6 15.e3 b8! I like this rerouting. 16.d2 a6 17.a2 c7 18.e1 e6 19.c3 b5 20.b2 d6 21.ad1? xe4 And the knight lands! Guliyev, N (2545)-Mamedyarov, S (2754) C a l a t r a v a 2 0 0 7 .) 11...f8 ( 11...e7 12.xe7 xe7 13.d1 gives White a small but stable advantage.) 12.d3 e7 13.g5 c5 14.g3 h5 15.xf7+ xf7 16.xf7 xg3 17.fxg3 e6 18.g5 c4 19.d1 and White's extra pawn promised him an edge. Brodsky, M (2500)-Grichak Alushta 1994. ] 9.e1 This plan is a little unusual but quite logical. White wants to drop the light squared bishop to f1 while leaving the c1 bishop at
home so it doesn't get in the way of play in the centre. [ A high rated encounter continued 9.e3 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.h3 d8 12.b1 bringing the queen to a2 which defends the a5 pawn and also x rays towards the f 7 pawn. f8 13.a2 e6 14.a3 h6 15.fd1 8d7 16.d2 f8 17.b4 c5 18.b5 c4 19.b2 b6 20.axb6 axb6 21.f3 ( 21.a6! is a little better for White.) 21...xa1 22.xa1 c8 23.d5?! xd5 24.exd5 e4! 25.d2 d6 and Black was for preference Lutz, C (2610) -Topalov, V (2700) Frankfurt 1999. ] 9...e5 10.f1 [ 10.c4!? looks strange moving the bishop again but then the position resembles a Philidor to me. ] 10...e8 11.g3 As the bishop never actually makes it to g2 this looks a little odd. [ 11.d5 has also been played. cxd5 ( 11...a6 has actually been more common.) 12.xd5 xd5 13.exd5 Vasquez, R (2546)-Nyback, T (2554) Mallorca 2004 when f6 14.c4 d7 15.h3 b6 is roughly level. ] 11...b8 12.d5 I think this is probably necessary now. [ 12.g2 is logical and was played in the only previous encounter. The moves look to b e r a t h e r g a r b l e d t o m e b u t b5! looks promising. 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.b3 c5 an d B la ck alre a dy ha d a very p le a sa n t position in Tkachiev, V (2664) -Mamedyarov, S (2731) Almaty 2008. ] 12...a6 Preparing to capture on d5. [ 12...cxd5?! 13.b5! would have been awkward. ] 13.d2 Bringing the knight round to c4 targeting the hole just created on b6. cxd5 14.xd5 This makes sense to make way for c2-c4 after the exchange. [ However of course 14.exd5 is also possible w h e n t h e g a m e m i g h t c o n t i n u e b5 ( 14...h6!? 15.de4 h7 followed by ...f5 looks interesting.) 15.axb6 xb6 16.de4 xe4 17.xe4 f5 18.b4 e4 19.xa6 xa6 20.xa6 d7 with good play for the pawn. ] 14...xd5 15.exd5 b5 Cheparinov doesn't want to be squashed on the queenside. [ 15...f6!? isn't a very human move but 1063
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.c4 g4 17.f3 h3! looks playable. ] 16.axb6 xb6 17.c4 f5 So the position has settled somewhat and it's obvious that White is going to gain space on the queenside while Black generates counterplay on the kingside in typical Kings Indian style. 18.b4 e4 19.b1 d7 20.f3! White utilises the pin to bring his knight to a more active square. b7 [ 20...b7!? was an interesting possibility keeping the bishop on c8 to keep e6 under control. 21.d4 e5 looks easier for Black to me. ] 21.d4 bc8 [ I would have preferred to prevent the k n i g h t j u m p i n g i n t o e 6 w i t h 21...e5 However 22.f4 ( 22.e6? allows f3+ ) 22...bc8 23.c1 looks a little better for White. ] 22.f4 [ I think it was time to take the plunge with 22.e6! xe6 23.dxe6 e5 24.e2 e7 ( 24...xc4 25.g5! h6 26.c1 hxg5 27.xc4 favours White.) 25.c5 d5 26.f4! a n d I d o n ' t b e l i e ve B l a c k h a s e n o u g h compensation for the exchange. ] 22...e5 23.xe5 xe5 24.e6 xe6!? Cheparinov decides to sacrifice the exchange to get rid of the troublesome knight and open up the diagonals for the bishop pair. [ 24...d7 is possible but passive and 25.e3 feels like White should have a nibble. Ho we ve r it 's p o s sib le t o n o w p la y xe6 26.dxe6 xe6 and Black at least gets the e6 pawn immediately. ] 25.dxe6 e7 26.c5 d5 [ 26...xe6 27.cxd6 xd6 28.d2 is better for White. ] 27.xa6! A nice tactic that Cheparinov may have overlooked when he sacked the exchange. xa6 28.xd5 Black has two bishops for rook and two pawns, a decent material imbalance in general but the pawns are marching forwards and cannot be easily stopped. f6 [ 28...c3 29.d6! xd6 30.cxd6 and the pawns prove decisive. ] 29.b5 xc5 [ 29...d8 was the alternative but 30.c4 ( 30.xd8+!? xd8 31.bxa6 a5 32.c6 also looks interesting as the three pawns take some stopping but Black can create
c o u n t e r p l a y w i t h d4! 33.e7 f7 with a highly complex position.) 30...c8 31.ed1 xd1+ 32.xd1 xe6 33.b4 is very dangerous. ] 30.a8+ c8 31.b6 b7 32.xb7 [ Keeping queens on the board with 32.a2! was very strong, i.e. e7 33.ec1 f8 34.xc5 xc5 35.c4 c6 36.b5 d5 37.b7 xb7 38.xb7 xe6 39.xh7 xf2+ 40.h1 with a winning position. ] 32...xb7 33.ec1?! It's conventional wisdom that when you have rooks and pawns versus minor pieces then you should exchange a pair of rooks but here that is flawed as both rooks were needed to force the pawns through. [ 33.ed1! was correct. c8 34.d7 b8 35.c1 c8 36.a7 d4 37.d1 xb6 38.e7 e6 39.d8+! xd8 40.exd8+ xd8 41.a8 and I think Black's pawns are on the wrong colour to hold the draw as White's king will be able to penetrate on the dark squares. ] 33...d4 Cheparinov misses the chance to take the advantage. [ 33...xc1+ 34.xc1 d4 35.c7?! ( 35.b1 is better but still White will have to grovel for the draw.) 35...e3! 36.fxe3 ( 36.xb7 e2 ) 36...xe3+ 37.f1 a6+ 38.g2 xb6 and Black would have good winning chances. ] 34.xc5 xc5 35.c1 xb6 36.e7 f7 37.b1 A rather disappointing draw offer by Pridorozhni who could have played on risk free. However a very interesting game and proof that Black can always make the game double-edged in the Modern and Pirc, even against the Classical! ½-½
1020 Prie,Eric Legay,Axel Argeles op rapid (2.2) [Eric Prié]
B08 2480 2020 12.09.2010
1.d4 f6 2.f4 d6 3.f3 g6 4.c3!? g7 [ 4...f5!? must be critical in this peculiar o rd e r o f m o ve s t h e n . 5.e3! Like in the previous game. ( 5.h3!? g7 6.g4; 5.h4 d7 6.e4 g7 7.f3 0-0 8.d2 c6 1064
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 13...f8 14.d3 h6 ( 14...d7 15.xf7 9.d5 e5 10.xe5 dxe5 11.e3 e6= ) xf7 16.g5+ e8 17.xg6+ xg6 5...g7 6.d3 xd3 7.xd3 ] 18.xd7+ f8 19.f5+ ) 15.e4 f5 5.d2 c6 6.e4 With interesting control of the 16.he1 xe4 17.xe4 d8 18.d4 xd4 e5 square already, W hite now logically 19.xd4 With the idea... f6 20.xc6! fxg5 decides to go for the advance of his e-pawn. 21.e6 xe6 22.d7+ f8 23.xe7+ g8 b5 We again find some big names in this 24.xe6+ h7 25.d6 ] transposition into a Pirc, with a wide collection of some 150 games with the Qd2-Bf4 set-up in 14.xf7!! A little calculation and a good dose of intuition! xf7 15.g5+ e8 my database. [ 15...e7 16.d6+ ] [ 6...a5 7.h3! bd7 8.0-0-0 b5? This move does not go well with ...Qa5. 16.xe6 h6 [ 16...xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.d6 ] 9.e5! b4? 10.exf6 bxc3 11.xc3 f5 [ 16...f8 Was the most stubborn, covering ( 11...xc3 12.fxg7! ) 12.fxg7 xf4+ t h e k e y s q u a r e d 6 . 17.d3 e7 13.b1 g8 14.xc6 b8 15.b5! I had stopped here, and with already two Threatening Qc7. d8 ( 15...a6 16.a4 ) pawns, the black king having lost the right 16.d3! f5 ( 16...b6 17.c4 ) 17.c3 to castle and the black pieces all tangled up, xb5 18.c7+ 19.Qxc8+! leads to a nice I felt confident in the pursuit of the attack. checkmate 1-0 Stangl, M (2535) The following lines suggested by my engine Azmaiparashvili, Z (2625) Tilburg 1994. are ju st h ere t o pro ve m e righ t . 18.e4! Although this normally belongs to another Threatening Qd6. Not easy to work out section of ChessPublishing (but since some beforehand but not difficult to find over the themes may be related to the main game) I board. a7 19.c3 same remark as could not resist the temptation to give it in before: the queen opens the way for the full! ] rook and heads for the attacking square g3. [ 6...g4 7.e2 bd7 8.0-0-0 h6 9.e5 A) 19...h6 20.xh6 xh6 21.g3 b4 dxe5 10.xe5 Grigoriants, S (2506) -Vajda, 22.g5 bxa3 23.bxa3 h7 24.xg6+ L (2592) W-ch U20 Istanbul 2003 0-1(32) ] xg6 25.xg6+ f7 26.xh5! 7.a3 In order to keep the king's bishop for e2 Protects e5 while introducing an unusual in case of ...Bg4, but also to reinforce the idea and unstoppable motive with the attacking of e4-e5 without having to worry about Black's couple queen and knight. ( 26.g5 xe5 ...b5-b4. 27.he1 c5 ) [ 7.d3 g4 8.e5 h5 9.h6 xf3 A1) 26...b7 27.g7+ e7 28.h4+ 10.gxf3 dxe5 ] f6 ( 28...f8 29.h8+ e7 7...bd7 8.h3! White is ready. a6? 30.e8# ) 29.exf6+ xf6 30.he1+ f7 [ 8...0-0 9.e5 dxe5 10.dxe5 e8 11.0-0-0 31.d3 xg7 32.g3+ g6 33.e7+ c7 12.h6 ] xe7 34.xe7+ h6 35.f8+ h5 [ 8...c7 9.e5 ( 9.e2!? e5 10.h2 ) 36.h8+ h6 37.e5+ h4 38.g5#; 9...dxe5 10.xe5 ( 10.dxe5? h5 11.h2 A2) 26...e7 27.h4+! xe6 28.d6+ xe5 ) 10...xe5 11.xe5 b6 12.d3 xe5 0-0 13.0-0 ] A2a) 29.h6 f6 30.e1+ 9.e5 dxe5 Black had better give a pawn A2a1) 30...d6 31.f4+ d7 rather than play this... 32.d1+ e8 ( 32...d5 33.d6+ ) [ 9...h5 10.h2 c5 11.g4 ( 11.dxc5 xe5 33.h8+ f8 34.xf8+ xf8 12.xe5 xe5 13.xe5 dxe5 14.xd8+ 35.xf6+ f7 ( 35...e8 36.e1+ ) xd8 15.0-0-0+ e8 16.d5 a7 ) 36.d8+; 11...cxd4 12.xd4 b7 13.e3 xe5 A2a2) 30...d5 31.d1+ e5 14.xe5 xe5 15.gxh5 c8 16.xe5 ( 31...c5 32.d4+ b5 33.b4#; xh1 17.0-0-0 c7 18.g4 ] 31...e6 32.e4# ) 32.g3+ e6 [ 9...d5 10.xd5 cxd5 11.exd6 ] 33.d6+ f5 34.g4+ g5 10.dxe5 g8 11.0-0-0 b6 12.e4 h5 35.d2+; 13.eg5 e6 1065
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A2b) 29.d2 T h e s i m p l e s t . . . e6 30.e1+ e5 31.f4 f5 32.h6+ f7 33.h7+ f8 ( 33...f6 34.fxe5+ e6 35.d6#; 33...e6 34.g6+ ) 34.h8+ f7 35.d8; B) 19...xf2 20.e3; C) 19...a5 20.g3 g8 21.e3 c5 ( 21...b8 22.xa7 xa7 23.d6 b4 24.a4 ) 22.d6 b8 23.hd1 b4 24.xf8 xf8 ( 24...xf8 25.e6 ) 25.d8+ f7 26.e6+ xe6 27.xb8; D) 19...b7 20.d6 b4 21.d3 g8 22.xc6! xc6 ( 22...xc6 23.xc6 xc6 24.c4 db8 25.c5 f7 26.e6 f5 27.e7; 22...b5 23.xc8+ xc8 24.xg6+ e7 25.g5+ xe6 26.f5+ d5 27.e4+ ) 23.xg6+ xg6 ( 23...e7 24.d6# ) 24.xg6+ e7 25.g5+ f6 26.xf6+ d7 27.d1+ ] 17.xh6 xh6 18.d6 f7 [ 18...a7 19.d3 g8 There again I had stopped here confident in finding a way to break through the weak g6 point over the board. 20.xg6+! ( 20.f4 I had in mind also wins f8 21.d5 b7 22.f6+ f7 23.xg8 xg8 24.e4 ) 20...xg6 21.c7+ xc7 ( 21...d8 22.xg6 xc7 23.e6 e5 24.xh6 b8 25.he1 ) 22.xg6+ f7 23.e6 de5 24.g8+ e7 25.exf7 xf7 With two pawns and a rook (and what a rook!) against knight and bishop one can tranquilly assume this is already winning for White... 26.d3 f5 27.e1+ f6 28.f3 g5 29.f8+ f7 30.d6+ g7 31.xf5 xf5 32.d4+ ] [ 18...f5 19.c7+ f7 20.e6+ g7 21.xd7+ xd7 22.xd7+ h6 23.d2+ g7 24.xa8 I had seen this nonetheless. ] 19.g7+ d8 20.f6+ c7 21.xf7 1-0
1021 Rozentalis,Eduardas Efimov,Igor ETCC Crete GRE (2) [John Watson]
B08 2581 2446 29.10.2007
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 A classical line. Vigus points out that Rozentalis likes to play
[ 6...g4 7.e3 c6 8.d2!? . Maybe Black was trying to sidestep that. It's ironic that Rozentalis himself has played 6...Bg4. ] 7.d5 b8 8.h3 To prevent ...Bg4. The other main move is [ 8.e1 ] 8...c6 Attacking the pawn chain. [ 8...e5 9.dxe6 xe6 is another known line. ] 9.a4 White's idea is to prevent ...b5 and prepare a5 in certain cases. So Black switches plans: a5 10.e3 a6 11.e1 [ A game Yuferov-Czerwonski, Lublin 1992 went 11.d4 b4 12.f3 ( 12.c4!? ) 12...c7 ( Vigus mentions 12...e5 ) 13.d2 d7 14.fd1 ad8 15.b3 , when Vigus recommends fe8= Some players might be more comf ortable with W hite here, just because they prefer space. ] 11...c7 12.d4 Perhaps trying to discourage ...e5. I don't think f4 is an effective notion. [ 12.d2 is natural. ] 12...b4 13.d2 e8 14.ad1 d7 15.f3!? ad8 16.g4!? Another space grab, but weakening. Easier was [ 16.f4 . I like White in these positions. ] 16...c8 17.g2 e6! 18.dxe6 fxe6 19.f4 e5! 20.f3 d5!? Now things develop tactically. If this move works, the Black's problems are solved. 21.xe5 dxe4 22.f2 bd5 Preventing Bb6, of course, but also ce n t ra lisin g. I t lo o ks e qu a l n o w. 23.xe4 xe4 24.xe4 xe3 This doesn't quite keeps the balance, because White emerges a pawn up. [ 24...xf4! 25.xf4 xd1 26.xd1 xe5 is equal. ] 25.xd8 xd8 26.xe3 xe5 27.fxe5 d4! [ 27...xe5? 28.xg6 is a cheapo, threatening Qf7+ as well as Rxe5. ] 28.d3 e6 [ 28...xe5?? 29.c4+ ] 29.b3 f8 30.f3?! White risks nothing by playing on via [ 30.e2 ] [ or 30.g3 , although it's hard to make progress. ] 30...a1+ 31.f1 [ 31.g2 xf3 32.xf3 xe5 ] 1066
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A very professional game. ½-½
31...d4+ 32.f2 ½-½
1022 Rozentalis,Eduardas Tkachiev,Vladislav ETCC Crete GRE (3) [John Watson]
B08 2581 2661 30.10.2007
An example of the confidence top players have these days as Black in cramped positions with the d-file half open. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f3 f6 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 This is one of several ways to treat the Classical. Black retains options of ...b5 and ...e5. 7.a4 [ 7.e1 ] [ and 7.h3 are the most common alternatives. ] 7...c7!? A funny order. Black usually stays flexible by playing ...Nbd7 first. The difference makes itself clear on the next move: 8.f4 With the queen still on d8, this isn't particularly threatening, but here e5 is an issue. bd7 9.e5!? Given an '!' in Vigus' book (he doesn't like Black's position). The main alternative is probably [ 9.d2 e5 10.h6 ] 9...dxe5 Unashamed of giving White space and pieces that are nicely centralised. [ Vigus quotes the game G Shahade-T Nyback, Bermuda 2002: 9...h5 10.g5 dxe5 11.xe7 e8 12.d5 f4 13.d6 a5 14.c4 b6 15.b3 fd5 , which doesn't l o o k b a d . G a l l a g h e r s u g g e s t s 16.xd5 xd5 17.xd5 xd5 18.c4 with advantage, but xd1 19.axd1 d7 20.fe1 f6 looks just fine for Black. ] 10.xe5 xe5 11.xe5 a5 12.c4 The classic space central advantage: Re1/ Qd2 etc. with advantage, right? g4 13.xg7 xg7 14.h3 f6 15.e2 [ 15.e1 b4 16.b3 d8 ] 15...b4! 16.b3 d7!? 17.e5 d6 18.fe1 fe8 A sort of "What can you do to me?" challenge. W e all know that W hite is better, but Black is happy with his restricted pawn structure. 19.a5 ad8 20.a4 c8 21.c3 xe5 22.xe5 d7 23.e3 b5 24.axb6 axb6 25.c4 e6 26.c3
1023 Rublevsky,Sergei Markowski,Tomasz Polanica Zdroj [Alexander Volzhin]
B08 2645 2540 1996
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.f3 d6 4.c3 f6 5.c4 0-0 A small inaccuracy which allows White to undertake action in the center. [ After 5...c6! White can try for central activity as well, but it's not so strong as after the text: 6.e5 ( 6.e2 d5! 7.exd5 cxd5 8.b5+ d7= ) 6...d5! 7.xd5 ( 7.xd5 cxd5 8.xd5? a5+-+; 7.exd6 xc3 8.bxc3 xd6= ) 7...cxd5 8.f4 ( 8.xd5 a5+ 9.c3 dxe5 10.dxe5 c6 with excellent compensation.) 8...g4! 9.exd6 e6! Black sacrificed a pawn temporarily but W hite is not able to hold both his d4 and d6-pawns. 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 c6 12.e2 xd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.0-0 0-0 15.c3 g7 16.c4 ( 16.ad1 b6 ) 16...e5 17.d2 ( 17.g3 xd6 18.xd5 xd5 19.cxd5 fd8 20.fd1 f5 is good for Black.) 17...xd6 18.cxd5 fd8 19.g5! f6 20.e3 xd5 21.xd5+ xd5 22.fd1 xd1+ 23.xd1 f5 24.d7 and the active position of White's Rook is sufficient for a draw, Rublevsky Minasian, Kazan 1997. ] 6.e2! c6 7.e5! White has managed to execute his opening plan in the most f avourable circumstances and Black has difficult problems to solve. However even here he should able to maintain the balance. d5 8.d2 dxe5!? 9.dxe5 xc3?! This move is a real mistake which allows White to seize the initiative. [ After Rublevsky - Markovsky this position was considered as insufficient for Black. However recently he found a good i m p r o v e m e n t : 9...g4!? In Rublevsky Khalifman, Russia 1999 the leading expert in this line has failed to prove any advantage: 10.h3 xf3 11.gxf3!? e6 12.f4 d7 13.h4 xc3 14.xc3 b6 15.b3 h5! and Black's chances are by no means 1067
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 worse. ] 10.xc3 b5 11.b3 a6 12.e6! After Black has given up the outpost in the center White's light-squared Bishop becomes really strong. xc3+ 13.bxc3 f6 14.h4! The e6-pawn se p a ra t es B la ck's p o sitio n a n d it m a ke s difficult for his pieces to help his King. c5 15.h5 g5 [ The attempt to win e6-pawn with 15...xb3 16.axb3 d6 fails to 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.d4 c5 19.g4 and White wins. ] 16.0-0 b6 [ 16...a5? fails to the unexpected 17.xg5! a n d W h i t e wi n s : fxg5 18.e5 xb3 19.xg5+ h8 20.h6! g8 21.e5+ ] 17.d4 a5 [ 17...xb3 18.axb3 c5 19.xb5! b8 20.xb6 axb6 21.f5 xe6 22.xe7+ f7 23.a7+- ] 18.f5 e8? After this passive move White's in i t ia t i v e p r o gr e s s e s wi t h o u t o b s t a c l e s . Black's hopes to win e6-pawn comfortably but White has many tactical resources. [ Black should try 18...a4!? 19.xe7+ h8 20.g6+ hxg6 21.hxg6 g4! and the matters are not so clear, for example 22.e7 e8 23.f7 b7 ] 19.a3! xb3 20.cxb3 c5 [ 20...c5 i s n o b e t t e r : 21.d4 xc3 22.fd1 intending Ra1-c1 with a huge advantage. ] 21.fe1 a6 22.h6! After this strong move W hite's advantage is decisive. Qh5 is the threat. xe6 Finally Black has managed to take the pawn but the price is too high: White wins 2 pawns on the Q-side. [ 22...xe6 loses on the spot in view of 23.g7 ] 23.xb5 f7 24.g7 f8 25.xc5 e5 26.b4 The rest is easy. d7 27.ad1 c8 28.e3 a4 29.d3 g6 30.f3 e4 31.xe4! c2 32.c4! 1-0
1024 Rytshagov,Mikhail Chernin,Alexander Erevan olm [Alexander Volzhin]
B08 2495 2620 1996
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.e2 0-0 6.0-0 g4 7.e3 c6 8.d5 b8!? This move which was introduced by the Hungarian GM Alex Chernin, an expert in the Pirc, becomes more and more popular. I think this is because in the 8... Bxf3 line White has found ways to fight f or an opening edge. 9.e1!? White has a wide choice here. [ 9.a4 c6 10.a5 a6 11.d2 xe2 12.xe2 bd7 13.c4?! xe4! 14.xe4 cxd5 15.b6 dxe4 16.xa8 xa8 with a huge advantage for Black in Braga-Martin del Campo, Manila 1992. ] [ 9.d4 xe2 10.xe2 c5!? 11.f3 b6 12.ab1 a6 13.d2 g4 14.g5 e8 15.f4 e5 16.xe5 xe5 17.h4 c4! with good chances for Black in Chatalbashev-Popchev, Cacak 1991. ] [ 9.d2 c6 10.ad1 a5 11.a3 c8 12.b4 c7 ( 12...xa3? 13.a1 xb4 14.a4 winning ) 13.d4 bd7 14.fe1 a5 a n d B la ck ca n h o p e t o e xp lo it W h it e ' s weaknesses on the Q-side as in BlatnyChernin, Pardubice 1993. ] [ 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.a4 a5 12.b1 bd7 13.g3 b6 14.g2 c7 15.a2 fe8 16.b3 fd7 17.c4 b8 18.d2 6d7 19.c3 a6 20.aa1 dc5 and Black's chances were by no means bad in Arbakov-Chernin, Bern 1995. ] 9...c6 10.d2 c7 11.ad1 bd7 12.h6 xf3 13.xf3 xh6 14.xh6 a6 Black is at least equal. 15.d2 fe8 16.dxc6 [ 16.e2 cxd5 17.exd5 b5 18.a3 b6 with a slight edge for Black ] 16...bxc6 17.b3 ed8 18.e2 f8 19.d3 e5! 20.c4 g7 21.e3 e6 22.d3?! [ 22.xe6 fxe6 should be preferred, with equal chances. ] 22...c5! 23.h3 A mistake again. [ 23.xd6 is better, and although after fxe4 24.xe4 xe4 25.xd8 xd2 26.xa8 xc4 27.bxc4 a5 Black's Queen is better than White's Rooks, in my opinion a draw is the most likely outcome of the game. ] 1068
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 23...h5 Now White has no real attacking chances on the Kingside, whilst sooner or later Black will break through in the centre with d6-d5. 24.e2 a5 25.f3 d7 26.h3 ad8 27.e3 e8 28.c1 b8 29.e3 f6 30.ee1 bd8 31.e3 a7 32.g3 b6 33.a3 d5! This well calculated move lead s to a decisive ad van tage f o r Black. 34.exd5 cxd5 35.b5 e7 36.f1 [ The pawn is poisoned: 36.xe5 ce4 37.xe4 xe4 38.f4 xf2! The point. 39.h2 ( 39.f1 xb5+ ) 39...c7 40.de1 e4 and Black wins: 41.5xe4 xf4+ 42.xf4 xe1 ] 36...d4 37.b1 ce4 38.d3 c5 39.g3 c7 40.d2 d5 White lost on time, but his position is far from pleasant anyway. 0-1
1025 Schmaltz,Roland Krasenkow,Michal 21st Open Reykjavik ISL (8) [Andrew Martin]
B08 2527 2609 15.03.2004
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c6 Rather flexible. 4.f3 d6 Now White is invited to choose a plan. 5.h3 f6 6.a4 White plays for restraint. He'll probably play his Queen's Bishop to e3 but at least he has a choice with that piece.. a5!? An interesting move. Black feels it is very important to prevent a4-a5 which to a certain extent would cramp his queenside. 7.e2 [ 7.e3 0-0 8.d2 is a very straightforward way which I like for W hite. c7 9.e5 No need for heroics so soon. Simply 9 Bd3 is fine. dxe5 10.xe5 d5 11.xd5 cxd5 12.f4 b6 13.b3 c6 14.b5 xe5 15.dxe5 e6 16.0-0 d7 17.fe1 c6?! ( 17...xb5! 18.axb5 fc8 19.a2 b6 ) 18.d4 Cheparinov, N-Ljangov,P/Plovdiv BUL 2004. ] 7...0-0 8.0-0 Schmaltz is deliberately delaying the decision about where to place his Bishop on c1 - that is the main battleground of the opening in question. [ 8.e3 is again possible: c7 9.0-0 bd7 10.d2 e5 11.ad1 e8 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.d6 ( 13.c4 f8 14.d6! is surely
better timing: xd6 15.xd6 e6 16.e2 ad8 17.xd8 xd8 18.b6 a8 19.d1 ) 13...xd6 14.xd6 f8 15.dd1 b4 Valkov,V-Peev,P/Plovdiv BUL 2004, a colourless game, but encouraging for Black nevertheless. ] 8...a6 9.e1 You know White has to be always slightly better in a position such as this but it is very, very difficult to pin the advantage down. Black has less space but he can wriggle in typical Modern style and cloud t h e i s s u e o n v i r t u a l l y e v e r y m o v e . d5 Maybe this way he can get to develop his Bishop to f5. [ 9...c7 10.f4 d7 11.f1 b5 12.e5 fe8 13.axb5 cxb5 14.d5 b4 15.e4 f5 16.c4 bxc3 17.xc3 a6 18.d4 d7 19.d2 b4 20.h6 dxe5 21.xg7 xg7 22.xe5 f6 23.ae1 e8 24.g4 Dervishi,E-De Santis,A/Genova 2002 ] 10.exd5N Schmaltz sees a small advantage in occupying the b5 square and goes f or it. White also opens the e-file for his Rook. But I am unsure whether this is the correct decision because resolving the central pawn structure seems only to benefit Black! [ 10.e5 is more critical and I think White ga ins a n a dva n ta ge : e8 ( 10...e4?! 11.xe4 dxe4 12.g5 c5 13.c3 b6 14.c4 cxd4 15.cxd4 e6 16.xe4 d8 17.d6 Siklosi,Z-Varoscic,C/Kecskemet 1990 ) 11.f4 ac7 12.d2 f5 13.h4 ( 13.h6! is positionally correct and White will wend his way to c2-c4. e6 14.xg7 8xg7 15.d1 b6 16.b3 a6 17.c4 ) 13...e6 14.h5 xf4 15.xf4 gxh5 shows Black dragging the game downhill. White falters later. 16.g5 h6 17.h4 e6 18.f4 xg5 19.fxg5 h6 20.xh5 xg5 21.f2 f4+ 22.f3 g7 23.g6 xd4+ 24.f1 f4 Grechihin,V-Makhnev,V/Tula 2000 ] 10...cxd5 11.b5 c7 Quickly, before Bf4. 12.f4 e6 [ 12...xb5 13.xb5 ( 13.axb5 f5 14.d3 xd3 15.xd3 e6 16.e5 b6 17.c3 ) 13...f5 14.c3 e4 15.e2 c8 16.g5! ] 13.e5 d7 14.d3 h6 15.c3 c6 16.h2 d7 [ I expected 16...f4 now but maybe White 1069
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 can manoeuvre more easily than Black: 17.c2 xb5 18.axb5 d7 19.a4 fc8 20.e5 f5 21.c2 g5 22.g3 6h5 23.h4 f6 24.g4 ] 17.g3 f4 18.xf4 xf4 19.f1 g7 Gradual improvement. 20.c1 Reaching a position absolutely typical of this provocative defence. Black is without doubt a little worse but as remarked before, his game is sufficiently resilient to put up stubborn resistance. White uses oceans of time trying to increase his advantage, the game gets mes sy a pp ro ach in g th e time co nt ro l an d bingo! As Keene and Botterill remarked in the earlier classics on the Pirc/ Modern, the Black player of these systems has to be a very tough defender with a keen eye for active counterplay as and when necessary. h5 21.e3 e6 22.e5 hf6 He will not clarify the situation just yet. [ 22...xb5 23.xb5 hf6 24.xd7 xd7 25.e2 c8 26.ae1 sees White keeping a by now easy edge. ] 23.d3 xb5 24.axb5 xe5 25.dxe5 [ 25.xe5 b8 26.f4 b6 possibly did not look like enough. ] 25...d7 26.a4 b6 27.d2 f5! 28.exf6+ xf6= Well played Mr Krasenkow! Finally Black reaches equality and there's still enough in the game to give him some encouragement. 29.b4 [ 29.h4 g8! isn't especially effectual for White. ] 29...af8! 30.xa5? I have no idea what was go in g th ro ugh W hite 's m in d a t th is t im e . Possibly he wanted to get back to ICC to play some more 1 min games against 1800's. Possibly he found himself with even less time than that. Whatever, it is hard to explain [ 30.e2 was not tried, maintaining equality. ] 30...xf2 31.e3 d6 32.xe6 Maybe that was the idea but...... g3! 33.f1 [ 33.xd7+ h6 34.xd5 d8! 35.xb7 xd3-+ ] 33...xc3! 34.aa1 d4 35.h1 [ 35.e3 xf1+ ] 35...f6 36.e7+ f7 37.c5 f4 38.g1 e4 Having defended for so long, Black is not slow in showing his attacking skills. 39.xd5 d2 40.e2 e3 41.h1 xe2 42.xe2
xe2 43.d4+ h6 44.h4+ h5 What to think after a defeat such as this? One that got away? Was I outplayed? Where did I go wro ng? In re ality Sch maltz out pla ye d himself by pushing slightly too hard, a typical Modern scenario. 0-1
1026 Stellwagen,Daniel Bosboom,Manuel ch Hilversum NED (3) [John Watson]
B08 2600 2423 18.06.2007
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.h3 g7 5.e3 0-0 6.f3 [ 6.g4 would be a e of 'Archangel Attack', as in Stellwagen-Bosboom as well as in our April column. ] 6...a6 7.a4 b6 8.e2 e6 9.0-0 b7 10.e5!? [ 10.d3 gives White a spatial edge. ] 10...fd7?! [ 10...dxe5 11.xe5 bd7 12.f4 ( 12.f3 xf3 13.xf3 e7= ) 12...e7 ( 12...c5 13.dxc5 bxc5 14.d6!? ) 13.f3 with only a small advantage, if that ] 11.g5 e8 12.exd6 cxd6 13.d5!? Threatening Ne4 to win the d6 pawn. Still, any developing move like [ 13.d2 or ] [ 13.e1 was good. ] 13...c5 14.dxe6 xe6 15.e3 c6 16.d2 d8 17.ad1 d5!? [ 17...d7!? with the idea 18.xd6 dc5! 19.xc6 xc6 yields some compensation. ] 18.d4 d6 19.f3 d7 20.de2 f6 21.f4 This is a concession that Black's dpawn is not a serious target and the play is about equal. xf4 22.xf4 e7 23.e3 e6? This chucks away a clear pawn. [ 23...b4! 24.e5 e4!? 25.xg7 xg7 is unclear. ] 24.xe6 [ 24.c7! is an even better way to win the pawn: e8 25.xb6 c6 26.c5 ] 24...fxe6 25.c7 dc8?! [ 25...d7! 26.xb6 e5 at least gets the center pawns some mobility. ] 26.xb6 d7 27.d4 xd4 28.xd4 e5 29.e2 c7 30.e1 c8 31.b4! f7? 1070
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 32.xa6! f3+ 33.gxf3 xa6 34.f4 [ 14...c6 is also bad because of 15.xc6 Locking down on ...e5. It's pretty easy from bxc6 ( 15...xc6 16.xd8 axd8 17.xc7 n o w o n , a s B l a c k c a n ' t s i t a r o u n d wh i l e give s W h it e a n e xt ra pa wn) 16.ad1 W h i t e ' s t w o p a s s e d p a w n s d e c i d e . d7 , with a decisive advantage. ] 35.g2 f6 36.f3 ac6 37.d1 xc3+ 15.xe4 xe5 16.f3 g7 The only move. 38.bxc3 xc3+ 39.d3 xc2 40.a3 c6 [ Grabbing a pawn with 16...xb2 fails to 41.e3 e5 42.fxe5+ xe5 43.a5 g5 44.a6 17.ad1 threatening Nc5 ] h5 45.a7 a8 46.a5 c3+ 47.d2 [ and 16...c6 blunders a piece: 17.xe5 1-0 xe5 18.f4 c6 19.xd7 ] 17.ad1 c8 18.c4 e8 Again Black is ready to complete his development with Nc6 1027 B08 o r N d 7 , b u t a g a i n T a l d o e s n ' t a l l o w i t ! 19.eg5+!! hxg5 Loses immediately, but Tal,Mihail other moves are also hopeless: Petrosian,Tigran V [ 19...h8 20.f4 f5 21.xf5 gxf5 USSR 1974 22.d8! The rest is easy c6 23.xf7+ [Alexander Volzhin] h7 24.e7 xf3 ( 24...f6 25.7g5+ g6 26.xf8 xe7 27.g8+ f6 Finally we'll consider the Classical set up with 28.h7# ) 25.g5+ g6 26.xg7+ xg7 Nf3 and Be2. This system is Karpov's career 27.e6+ ] long favourite. The outstanding Soviet Grandmaster Efim Geller has also greatly 20.xg5+ g8 21.f4 d7 Too late... contributed to the theory of this line. 1.e4 g6 22.xd7! xd7 [ M a t e i s u n a v o i d a b l e a f t e r 22...xd7 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f3 f6 5.e2 0-0 23.h4 ] 6.0-0 c6 Provocative. 7.d5 The only way to 23.xf7+ fight for the advantage. [ 7.h3 allows e5 8.dxe5 ( After 8.d5 e7 1-0 the position looks similar to a main line King's Indian, but with White's pawn on c2. B08 Now it's difficult for W hite to organise a 1028 Vallejo Pons,Francisco 2698 Queen-side attack, so by playing Nh5 (or Gashimov,Vugar 2733 Nd7) and f5 Black obtains good 53rd Masters (7) 04.01.2011 counterplay. ) 8...dxe5 with equality. ] 7...b8 8.e1 e5 9.dxe6 xe6 10.f4 [Gawain Jones] h6?! [ 10...c6 is better 11.h3 h6 12.d2 g5 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 c6 4.f3 d6 13.g3 ( According to Efim Geller, 13.h2 5.e2 f6 6.0-0 0-0 So via a different move is preferable, intending to meet d5 with order we have reached the most common 14.e5 e4 15.e3 keeping an opening position in the Classical. 7.h3 a d v a n t a g e .) 13...d5 14.exd5 xd5 [ 7.e1 has been looked at by Alexander Volzhin in the archives. ] 15.xd5 xd5 with equal chances in Geller[ 7.a4 is investigated in Pridorozhni, AKuzmin, USSR,1974. ] Cheparinov, I Aix-les-bains 2011, elsewhere 11.d4 d7 Now all Black's pieces are very in this update. ] passive. [ 7.f4 is quite similar to the game and was [ 11...d7 should be preferred, although K a r p o v' s c h o i c e . T h a t c o n t i n u e d bd7 White's advantage is undisputable. ] 8.e1 ( 8.h3 would transpose back.) 12.d2 h7 13.e5! Very logical: White has 8...b6!? ( 8...a5 is the most common a development advantage, so he opens the and is likely to follow the game.) 9.c1 e5 central f iles. Other moves allow Black to 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.e3 ( 11.xe5?! xe5 complete his development (Nc6), when White 12.xe5 xe4 now works well for Black as only has a small advantage. dxe5 14.xe5 13.xg7? xf2! wins for Black due to the e4 It's not easy to find a sufficient defence. 1071
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 11...e6 was a strong German GM's classic mating net 14.xf8 h3+ 15.h1 ch o ice b u t h e d id n 't m a n a ge t o qu it e g1+ 16.xg1 f2# ) 11...c7 12.d2 equalise: 12.c4 dxc4 13.xc4 b6 d8 13.d1 Stohl assesses this position as 14.d3 d5 15.g5 b6 16.d2 d7 a little better for W hite but to be honest I 17.e4 c6 18.fe1 fe8 19.a3 ac8 can't see why Black hadn't fully equalised. 20.ac1 c7?! 21.xd5! exd5 Karpov, A (2715)-Hansen, C (2635) Biel ( 21...xd5 22.e3 is t h e p ro b le m .) 1992. ] 22.f6 d4!? 23.xg7 xg7 24.xd4 [ 7.g5 is also seen quite commonly when and W hite had a clear extra pawn. Black has normally responded h6 Bindrich, F (2512)-Fridm an, D (2654 ) A) 8.f4 bd7 9.e1 c7 ( The line Caleta 2010.; with 9...e5 might be better now: 10.dxe5 B) 11...c7 12.xd5 ( Carlsen chose dxe5 11.xe5 xe4 12.xe4 xe5 12.c3 but again the Azeri Super GM and Black's possession of the g5 square equalised easily with xe5 13.xd5 means I don't think he should have any xf3+ 14.xf3 e5 15.h2 e6 significant problems. ) Carlsen, M (2714)-Mamedyarov, S (2752) A1) 10.e5! is critical dxe5 ( 10...h5!? M o s c o w 2 0 0 7 .) 12...xc2 13.fe1 11.exd6 exd6 12.e3 looks like a White has tried a few different moves at nib ble f or W hite .) 11.xe5 xe5 this point. xb2 14.a4 b6 15.e4 f5 12.xe5 and White must be a little 16.xb7 xa4 17.xe7 c3 18.c4 better.; ac8 19.a6 d5 20.h4 c2 21.g3 A2) 10.d2 g5 11.e3 g4 12.h4 h6 22.d4 and White was a little better: xe3 13.xe3 g4 14.h2 e5 15.d5 Radulski, J (2574)-Mista, A (2562) f6 and I already quite like Black's Warsaw 2010. ] position. Recuero Guerra, D (2407)[ 8.e3 is actually the most common but it Tkachiev, V (2661) Benidorm 2007.; hasn't been played so often by the stronger B) 8.e3 when a recent game continued players. It's illustrative to see how Azmai bd7 9.d2 g4! 10.ad1?! plays the Black side: c7 9.a4 b6 10.d2 I wouldn't give away the dark squared d8 11.c4 e6 12.f4 b7 13.ad1 b5! bishop for free personally. ( 10.f4 e5 f i n a l l y B l a c k b r e a k s o u t . 14.d3 11.g3 gf6 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.xe5 Alonso Arburu, J (2300)-Azmaiparashvili, Z xe4 14.xe4 xe5 is close to level.) ( 2 6 1 0 ) S a n S e b a s t i a n 1 9 9 2 w h e n b4 10...xe3 11.fxe3 b5 12.a3 a5 13.e1 15.e2 c5 is very pleasant for Black. ] f6 14.d2 e5 15.g3 e7 16.d5 b4 [ 8.a4 is looked at briefly in Pridorozhni, and Black already had a great position. A(2542)-Cheparinov, I(2664) Aix-les-bains Meseljyan, A (1834)-Kalashian, D (2449) 2011. ] Yerevan 2010. ] 7...bd7 8.f4 A new try for ChessPublishing 8...a5 Black prepares ...e7-e5. [ The Russian veteran recently tried the but played for the first time back in 1956. This immediate 8...c7 when 9.e5 makes sense when the queen is already on c7 must be critical e8 10.exd6 ( 10.g5!? as it threatens e4-e5 but here it doesn't make e6 11.e7 wins the exchange but Black has so much sense although it has been tried by very good compensation f ollowing xe5 Kramnik against no other than Kasparov. 12.xf8 xf3+ 13.xf3 xf8 ) 10...xd6 [ 8.e5 is of course quite critical and doesn't 11.e1 d8 12.d3 f6 13.e2 e8 appear to have been looked at on here 14.ad1 f5 15.e5 c8 16.d2 xd3 before. dxe5 ( 8...e8 is more common but 17.xd3 d8 18.e2 b5 and Black was maybe 9.f4 is a little better for White.) closing in on equality and even went on to 9.dxe5 d5 10.xd5 cxd5 11.f4 win. Klundt, K (2355)-Tseshkovsky, V (2564) ( 11.xd5 xe5! 12.xd8 xd8 13.xe5 Arco 2010. ] xe5 14.c3 e6 was easy equality. [ 8...e5 is perhaps the critical test of 8.Bf4 Radjabov, T (2751)-Mamedyarov, S (2731) but it seems White keeps a small edge after Elista 2008. ) 1072
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 the f orced line: 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.xe5 xe4 11.xe4 xe5 12.xd8 xd8 13.g5 f8 14.ad1 f6 15.f4 f5 16.c5 b6 17.g4 xg4 18.hxg4 bxc5 Lerner, K (2530)-Kovalev, A (2505) Rostock 1989 gave White some winning chances in the ending, despite his pawn deficit. ] 9.d2 [ 9.d2 was Kramnik's choice. e5 10.dxe5 ( 10.h2 exd4 11.xd4 g4 12.xd6 xh2 13.xh2 xc3 14.bxc3 xc3 mu st h a ve b ee n f in e f or B la ck. G ha e m Maghami, E (2604) -Ajrapetjan, Y (2490) Moscow 2009.) 10...dxe5 11.h6 e8 12.xg7 xg7 13.a3 c7 14.h2 f8 15.g4 xg4 16.xg4 xg4 17.hxg4 e6 and Kaspy had taken the advantage although Kramnik held the draw. Kramnik, V (2775)-Kasparov, G (2775) Moscow 1996. ] 9...c7! This looks a little odd, moving the queen twice in a row but as the knight has moved away from f3 W hite can no longer break through with e4-e5. [ 9...e5 is probably premature although was Cha talbas hev's cho ice re cen tly. 10.c4 must be critical c7 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.e3 e8 13.a4 f5 14.exf5 gxf5 15.f4! e4 16.e1 and the Australian GM's position loo ked a bit rop ey. Rossit er, P (233 0)Rogers, I (2595) London 1993. ] 10.a4 [ 10.e3 was a GM's recent choice but he failed to get any advantage. b5 11.f4 b6 12.e1 b7 13.b4 a5 14.a3 axb4 15.axb4 xa1 16.xa1 a8 17.e1 a4 18.xa4 bxa4 19.d3 a3 and Black's a d va n c e d a p a wn g a ve h i m t h e b e t t e r chances. The draw agreed within a f ew moves concurs with that assessment as W hite outrated his opponent by over 300 points. Ghaem Maghami, E (2589)-Koshy, V (2281) Chennai 2010. ] [ 10.c4 can be met with b5! 11.d2 e5 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.e3 d8 and Black is better. ] 10...e5 11.e3?! Paco's new idea but perhaps he overlooked Gashimov's reply. [ 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.e3 d8 13.c1 f8 has been reached a couple of times but Black has absolutely no diff iculties and can continue with ...Nf8-e6 and ... Nf6-h5-f4
with a pleasant position. ] 11...g4! A cute tactic. 12.xg4 [ T h e c o m p u t e r p r e f e r s 12.d5 White's position looks rather ugly following xe3 13.fxe3 Although at least here it's harder for Black to break out. ] 12...exd4 13.xd4 [ 13.c4 is the alternative although dxe3 14.xd6 exf2+ 15.xf2 xd6 16.xd6 h5 definitely favours Black with his superior pawn structure and strong dark squared bishop. ] 13...xd4 14.c4 c5 15.a5 I think this is an error as W hite f inds he has problem s defending the a pawn. [ Therefore I'd prefer 15.e2 but Black still has an obvious edge due to his dark squared control, e.g. e8 16.e3 e5 17.xc8 axc8 18.fe1 b6 19.ab1 b4 ] 15...e5 16.xe5 dxe5 17.xc8 axc8 18.e2 b4!? forcing the pawn further forward. [ 18...fd8 is another possible continuation. One sample line runs 19.fd1 g7 20.c4 d4 21.b3 b5 22.axb6 xb6 23.xb6 axb6 and White will have to suffer in the ending. ] 19.a6 b5 20.a2 e7 21.c1 fd8 22.b3 b6 Black has a definite edge here as the a6 pawn is vulnerable while the bishop trumps the knight yet W hite still has good drawing chances. 23.fd1 g7 24.g4 [ The Spanish GM should probably have played 24.d2 so he could meet c5 with 25.c4 b4 26.f3 when I believe he should hold the draw. ] 24...c5! Gaining more space 25.d2 c4 26.f1 c5 27.g3 xd1 Gashimov trades i n t o a g o o d e n d g a m e . 28.xd1 xa6 29.xe5+ f6 30.xf6+ xf6 31.d5?! The rook is actually misplaced here as it doesn't help stop the march of the a pawn. [ Therefore 31.c3 should be preferred but obviously Black has great winning chances ] 31...e6 32.g4 a6?! Rather slow. [ There's no reason not to start the pawn marching immediately with 32...a5 33.g3 ( 33.e3 also allows c3! ) 33...c3! 34.bxc3 a4 when the a pawn gives great winning chances: 35.e2 a3 36.c1 d6 37.a2 1073
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c5 38.d1 f5 ] 33.d2 c3!? The same idea although Gashimov should have got his a pawn a little further up the board first. The next few moves see both players manoeuvring. 34.bxc3 b6 35.c4 bxc4 36.f1 [ 36.g2 a5 37.b5 d8 38.b1 might be the most accurate. ] 36...a5 37.b5 d8 38.e2 [ 38.b7! to meet a4 with 39.a7 ] 38...a4 39.b1 a8 40.a3 e7 41.xc4 a3 42.b6+ d7 43.b1 c6 44.c3 a2 45.a1 b5 46.e3? This is a big mistake as Black's king can now penetrate. [ Instead 46.b2! looks to be a draw as Black cannot make progress. ] 46...c5 47.d3 xe3 48.fxe3 f6 W h it e is in zu gzwan g a nd so mu st a llo w Black's king into the game. 49.h4 [ 49.d4 is correct strategically but unfortunately allows d8# ] 49...h5 50.gxh5 gxh5 51.c2 c4 52.b2 b8+ 53.c2 g8 54.xa2 g2+ 55.b1 xa2 56.xa2 xc3 57.b1 d2 0-1
1029 Vasiesiu,Dan Dinu,Dumitru Daniel Open Bucharest ROM (9) [Andrew Martin]
B08 2414 2308 26.09.2004
THE SIMPLE DISH IS OFF THE MENU 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.e3 g4!? If life was so simple we would all be doing it! Black gives up the two bishops but in return obtains a measure of freedom with development. One cannot escape the feeling that after a quick...Bxf3 he is solidly worse. Among other unusual alternatives at this stage: [ 5...c6!? is provocative and interesting at the same time: 6.d5 b8 7.d2 c6 8.h6 xh6 9.xh6 b6! 10.b1 xf2+ 11.xf2 g4+ 12.g3 xh6 Ivanov,A-Zubov,A/chUKR, Simferopol UKR 2003 ] [ 5...c5 allows White a useful lead in development: 6.dxc5 a5 7.d3 dxc5 8.0-0 0-0 Joy,J-Graham,S/Oklahoma USA 2004 when either 9 Qe2 or 9 h3 maintain
White's edge. ] 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 c6 8.0-0-0 0-0? Far too casual. Black has to wait around in the middle and try to gain time to catch his breath. [ Any of 8...bd7 ] [ 8...a5 ] [ 8...e6 were superior. The game move makes Black a sitting duck. ] 9.g4 a5 10.b1 bd7 11.h4 These moves are hardly difficult to understand and Black is forced into ...h7-h5, a move he desperately doesn't want to make. Otherwise h5 , Qh 3 co me s et c. , et c. , with t he u su a l crushing attack.. h5 12.gxh5 xh5 [ After 12...xh5 White can choose between an aggressive and a positional approach: 13.g2 ( 13.xh5 xh5 14.g1 hf6 15.h3 ) 13...g4 14.h2 xe4 ( 14...h5 15.e2 a5 16.g3+- ) 15.h3!+I leave it to you to guess which was which. ] 13.g1 e5 14.d5 c5 15.g5 Rxh 5 is c o m in g. S u rp ri si n g i sn 't i t . a4 16.xa4 xa4 17.b3 b4 18.xh5! gxh5 19.c4 This is a combination which is slightly different to the norm in that White takes his time to get to the g file. No matter how Black wriggles though, he cannot contest this plan. b5 20.d2! c5 21.g1 f5 22.e3! [ 22.g2 f7 23.h6 fxe4 24.xg7 xf2! This was the point of pushing Black's queen to b4. ] 22...b4 23.g2 f7 24.h6 1-0
1030 Ye Jiangchuan Gulko,Boris F US-Summit Seattle USA (1) [Nigel Davies]
B08
14.03.2001
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f3 g7 5.e3 0-0 6.d2 d5 Probably the best of the odds and ends. [ 6...a6 looks a bit slow in this position with W hite obtaining a massive initiative after 7.0-0-0 g4 8.g5 c5 9.h3 f6 10.e5 cxd4 11.xd4 d7 12.h4 in Carlier Kerkho, Brussels 1995 ] 1074
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 6...bd7 is worth considering - after 7.h6 ( 7.0-0-0!? ) 7...e5 ( 7...c5 8.xg7 xg7 9.e5 e8 Dunnington - Crocker, London 1993 and now 10.0-0-0 looks unpleasant for Black; 7...c6 8.0-0-0 c7 9.h4 b5 10.h5 b4 11.hxg6 gave White a powerful attack in Damaso - Dias, Loures 1997) 8.xg7 xg7 9.0-0-0 e7 10.h4 h5 11.g5 b8 12.f4 c6 Black was OK in Castillo Larenas Najdorf, Dubrovnik Olympiad 1950. ] 7.exd5 xd5 [ Black can also play 7...bd7 but then 8.h6 b6 9.xg7 xg7 10.d3 bxd5 11.0-0 xc3 12.xc3 left White with an edge in Hebden - Dishman , Hastings 1990 ] 8.h6 f5 9.xg7 xg7 10.0-0-0 c6 11.h4 g4 12.f3 e6 13.e4 f6 14.g3 d7 15.c4 c7 16.g2 White is for choice on account of his space, but Black's position is very solid. Gulko's next move starts hunting down some squares in the centre. b5 17.f4 f7 18.cxb5 xb5 19.xb5 cxb5 20.b1 b6 21.b4 fe8 22.c3 ab8 23.d5 a5 24.d4 xd4 25.xd4 e5 Now Black is better - there are weak pawns on d5 and f3. So me ho w W h it e ma na ge s to scram ble a draw. 26.f1 ed8 27.h4 h6 28.dd1 b4 29.e4 g5 30.hxg5 hxg5 31.e6+ xe6 32.dxe6 xd1+ 33.xd1 xf3 34.d7 f8 35.d5 b6 36.c5 c6 37.a4 bxa3 38.bxa3 g7 39.b2 d4 40.e4 xe6 41.xa5 d4 42.d5 c4 43.c5 xc5 44.xc5 g6 45.a4 f5 46.c3 c6 47.c4 e5 48.b3 d6 49.a5 f5 50.a6 e5 51.g4 fxg4 52.d2 c7 53.e4 e7 54.c5 f5 55.d5 g3 56.xg5 g2 57.h3 ½-½
1031 Yemelin,V Iturrizaga,E Karpos Open 2013 (8.1) [Tom Rendle]
B08 2574 2650 15.03.2013
1.f3 g6 2.e4 g7 3.d4 d6 4.e2 f6 5.c3 0-0 6.0-0 We've reached the same position via a slightly odd move order as in Ivanchuk-Kramnik but now Black plays a more solid option rather than 6...a6 c6 7.a4
This is White's simplest approach, preventing Black from expanding with ...b5 [ 7.e1 was most recently looked at in the archives by myself and Gawain in Iordaschescu-Shanava. ] 7...c7 8.f4!? This makes a lot of sense after Black's last move. [ 8.h3 e5 has scored reasonably for Black ] [ 8.e3 is a more trendy way for White to play this position, doing without h3. One advantage of this is that after e5 ( 8...g4 isn't really so annoying here as after 9.g5 Black doesn't have an obvious follow-up and White remains slightly better.) 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.a5 White has a pleasant advantage. Harikrishna, P (2669)-Ivanchuk, V (2768) N i n g b o 2 0 1 1 c o n t i n u e d g4 11.c4 ( 11.b1!? might be the way to keep the better chances - the queen is actually quite well placed on a2.) 11...d8 12.e2 e7 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 bd7 15.b1 ( 15.g4!?; or 15.a4 look better) 15...b5 16.axb6 axb6 17.xa8 xa8 and Black had equalised. ] 8...bd7 9.e5 Otherwise Black will play ... e5 with gain of time. [ 9.h3 is possible here but after e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.e3 b6 Black is fine. ] 9...h5 [ 9...dxe5 is solid but it concedes a very sligh t advan ta ge af te r 10.xe5 xe5 11.xe5 a5 12.c4 see RozentalisTkachiev annotated by John Watson. ] 10.g5 f6 [ 10...dxe5 has long been considered Black's main continuation here but now 11.xe7 e8 12.d5! is dangerous for Black but perhaps with accurate play he is fine here: f6! ( 12...f4 13.d6 a5 14.c4 was better for White in Shahade, G (2454) Nyback, T (2448) Bermuda 2002) 13.a3 e4 14.dxc6 ( maybe White should settle for 14.d2 xc3 15.d6 a5 16.bxc3 although Black is actually getting quite a lot of counterplay after f4 ) 14...bxc6 15.d6 b6 16.d2 xb2 17.a3 f4! with a very complicated but roughly balanced position in Rozentalis, E (2592)Admiraal, M (2301) Wijk aan Zee 2012 ] 11.exd6 exd6 12.e3 [ 12.d2 has also been played but it 1075
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 probably isn't all that different from Be3. Now Sakelsek, T (2339)-Nyback, T (2497) Halkidiki 2003 continued d5 13.c1 f5 A) 14.e1 df6 ( 14...f4 is the move Black should like to play but after 15.a5 isn't not clear how he should follow up and h e h a s t o b e c a r e f u l o f N g 5 i d e a s .) 15.e5! seems to offer White chances for the advantage; B) 14.h6 xh6 15.xh6 f4 16.fe1 f6 with chances for both sides. ] 12...d5 Black has a solid enough position here but I can't help feeling that having played f6 he's probably a little worse here. [ 12...f5 13.d5! is one advantage of having the bishop on e3. After df6 14.c4 h8 15.d2 e4 ( or 15...f4 16.d4 c5 17.xf6 xf6 18.e4 xb2 19.ab1 and W hite has fantastic play for a pawn.) 16.xe4 fxe4 17.d4 and Black's position was a little shaky in Arizmendi Martinez, J (2510)-Narciso Dublan, M (2467) Mondariz 2002. Actually the position reminds me a lot of a L en in gra d Du t ch ! ( 17.g5 xb2 18.ab1 e5 19.xe4 is also better for White. )] 13.d2 f5 14.h6 hf6 [ 14...df6 15.e5 xh6 16.xh6 g7 is probably OK for Black. ] 15.xg7 [ 15.f4 might've been better here - for example d8 ( or 15...a5 16.h3 ) 16.g5 e8 17.h4!? ] 15...xg7 16.a2 The idea of this is to put the knight on e5 via c1 and d3 but I think it loses too much time after Black's reply. [ 16.a5 e4 17.e3 was better ] 16...e4 17.b4 a5 18.a3 b6 19.c1 b7 20.d3 c5! Now Black has taken over the initiative and the queen on a3 is out of the game. 21.de5 df6 22.ac1 ae8 23.c3 e7 24.cd1 g5! Maybe White isn't really worse here but it's hard to suggest a plan for Yemelin whilst Black's play is now relatively easy. 25.a1 h6 26.c1 Possibly this is a mistake in view of what of Black's next two moves. c8 27.g3 [ 27.a1 would take the sting out of cxd4 but it's pretty uninspiring. ] 27...cxd4! 28.cxd4 c2 29.b5 b3 [ 29...g4!? was worth considering. ]
30.d3 a2? This allows White a tactical shot which he misses although it's not at all easy to see. [ 30...b4 keeps the better chances ] 31.e3? [ 31.c6! is hard to spot as it self-pins the Bishop but Black doesn't have a good move h e re a n d t h e t h re a t is sim p ly Ra 3 xc6 ( 31...xc6 32.a3 xa3 33.bxa3 e6 34.b1 xa4 35.c1 is at least clearly better for White) 32.xc6 xc6 33.xc6 leaves White with an extra exchange ] 31...xb2 32.h4! Now the position gets very complicated and the players are probably short of time here as well f4 [ 32...g4 is again interesting here, for example 33.xg4 fxg4 34.e5 f8 ] 33.gxf4 g4 34.d2 d6 35.f5 f7 36.f4?! [ 36.b3! c2 37.f4 was the right way to do it and White may even be better here ] 36...xe5 37.dxe5? [ 37.e3 was necessary to keep the balance and the position is still unclear. Black can't take on d2 because of xd2? ( 37...c6 38.xc6 xe3 39.xe3 xc6 40.e7+ h8 41.xb7 c2 is about equal. Black is mo re a ctive b u t h is king is very o p e n .) 38.dxe5 h7 39.exf6 and White has regained the piece with a winning position ] 37...xe5 Now Iturrizaga has an extra pawn and a good position and he quickly converts f or t he win . 38.g3 xf5 39.b3 h5 40.d6 f6 41.xf6+ xf6 42.d4 f4 43.g3 e4 44.d1 e5 A complicated game but one that shows Black's chances are quite reasonable after 9...Nh5!? so I would prefer 8.Be3 for White. 0-1
1032 Zhigalko,Sergei Kupreichik,Viktor D 69th ch-BLR Minsk (4) [Andrew Martin]
B08 2290 2490 2003
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.h3 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.e3 This system has moved out of the limelight recently as antidotes have been discovered. It's an attempt by White to 1076
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 get a better version of the Classical as he gets to develop his King's Bishop to the more active squares d3 or c4 rather than e2. Dangerous, must be respected but Black can cope, would be my assessment. c6 [ 6...a6 was the move recommended by Alburt and Chernin in their excellent 'Pirc Alert' book whose only real defect was the price. If you are feeling very rich you can buy it because the chess content is great! I think 6...a6 is the answer and have used it with s u c c e s s o n n u m e r o u s o c c a s i o n s . 7.a4 ( 7.c4 b5 8.b3 b7 9.e5 e8; 7.d3 b6 8.0-0 b7 ) 7...c6! ( 7...b6 is also good.) 8.d5 b8 9.e2 e6 10.0-0 exd5 11.exd5 bd7 12.d4 h6!? 13.d2 e8 14.c4 c5 15.f3 ce4 16.e1 xc3 17.xe8+ xe8 18.xc3 f5 19.g4 d7 20.a5 xg4 21.hxg4 b8 22.f3 g7 23.xg7 xg7 24.b3 b6 25.c6 1/2-1/2 Andersson,B-Couso,L/TchSWE 2002 ] 7.a4 b6N New to me an d has a 'Hedgehog' feel to it. Black invites White to overstretch. If White pussyfoots around then ...a6,...Bb7 and ...b6-b5! is the plan. 8.d2 b7 9.d3 a6 With White developing so directly Kupreichik figures there's no time for ...a6 etc. 10.h6 b4! 11.xg7 xg7 12.0-0 e8= But an unclear type of equality. Black will have to play either ..e5 or ...d5 sooner rather than later and how will the position be then? 13.c4 [ 13.fe1 ] [ 13.fd1 ] [ 13.ad1 ] 13...e5! 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.e2 h5! Well spotted. Black has a nice position now. 16.g3 e7! Usually the best square for Black's Queen in this and analogous Classical positions. the dark squares near the King are guarded, sacrifices against f7 prevented and the Knight b4 protected. An allround move! 17.d1 a5 18.e3 f6 19.c3 a6 20.g4 [ 20.h4 tries to catch Black flat-footed but a c c u r a t e d e f e n c e s a v e s t h e d a y : c8 21.xa6 xa6 22.hf5+ gxf5 23.xf5+ h8! ( 23...f8? 24.d2+- ) 24.e3 ( 24.xe7 xe2-+ ) 24...f8 ] [ Or 20.g5 f8 21.ad1 c5 22.g4
xg4 23.xg4 h6 which leads nowhere for White. ] 20...c5 The drawback of pushing Black's Knight from b4 is revealed-he finds an even stronger square. 21.gxe5 c7! The tactics favour Black who has an extra Room in active play. 22.xf7 xe4 23.d2 xc4-+ 24.3e5 e4 25.h6+ g8 26.g5 xe5 27.xf6 [ 27.xe5 fe4-+ ] 27...h5 28.g5 White was outplayed-it is as simple as that. Kupreichik's play from move 12 onwards was very instructive indeed. 0-1
1033 Aagaard,Jacob Nouro,Mikael 34th Rilton Cup (7) [Andrew Martin]
B09
03.01.2005
1.e4 We'll now see an example of a theoretical line where Black knows a lot, but not quite enough.... d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 I believe this to be the best choice for White against the Pirc move-order, although as with all sharp lines, one has to be willing to alter the assessment from time to time! g7 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ [ 6.dxc5 a5 7.d3 xc5 8.e2 g4! is still very reliable for Black. ] 6...d7 7.e5 g4 8.e6 fxe6 9.g5 xb5 10.xe6 xd4 11.xb5 a5+ 12.d2 f2+ 13.d1 e3+ 14.e2 xb5+ 15.xf2 g4+ 16.g3 a6!? Mentioned by Alburt and Chernin in ' Pirc Alert ' as a promising try for Black. The point is that it is r i s k y f o r W h i t e t o c a p t u r e o n g 4 : 17.b3 A sensible choice. White intends to complete development with Bb2 and Rae1, reinforcing the strong Knight on e6. [ 17.xg4 d7! 18.e1 c7 would be the main idea. To carry the pin theme to an extreme let us suppose that White continues to protect his knight! 19.e2 f7 20.f5 gxf5+ 21.xf5 You have to laugh! ag8! This has now become a disgusting position f o r W h it e wh ose K ing will u n d o ub t e d ly perish within a very short space of time. ] [ Instead 17.e1 h6 18.b3 f5+ 19.f2 1077
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 h5 20.b2 g8 21.ad1 d7 22.c4 c6 gxf5 ) 11.e4 a5+ 12.d2 b6 23.a5 ae8 24.b4 cxb4 25.c5 h4-+ (N.Laursen-J.Kristiansen, Helsingor 2008) Alburt/Chernin ] 13.0-0-0 d4 14.e3 c5 with balanced 17...f6 play. ] [ 17...h6! looks like a better choice, when 8...d7!? the Knight has more options: 18.b2 f5+! [ My thanks again to Mr Kah Huat for pointing 19.f2 g8 With the King about to go to d7, out that this attractive idea is missing from the position looks satisfactory for Black. ] TPIBAW . There, I gave as the main line 18.e1 d7 19.b2! This would be my 8...h5 , when after a subsequent ...f6 problem with the Knight on f6. f7 20.g5+ Black has good equalising chances but not g7 21.xe7+!!N a particularly thrilling game. Chatalbashev's [ I m p r o v i n g d r a m a t i c a l l y o n 21.e6?! move blocks the queen's bishop and Nataf-Thorarinsson, Reykjavik 2004, appears vulnerable to a quick e5-e6, yet although that was also better for White ] by keeping pressure on the centre makes 21...xe7 22.e1+The pin on the long Black's breaks ...f6 and ...c5 potentially diagonal turns out to be the deciding factor. more effective. The theoretical verdict is d7 inevitab ly 'plu s equals', but the arisin g [ Alternative variations are short and easy to positions offer rich territory for outplaying u n d e r s t a n d : 22...xe1+ 23.xe1 he8 an opponent. ] 24.a1!+- ] 9.0-0 [ 22...d8 23.e6+ f7 24.xd8+ axd8 [ White faces a large and not particularly 25.xf6 xf6 26.d5+- ] easy choice: a) 9.a3 b6 10.e3 g4 23.xf6+ h6 and ...f6 is fine for Black. ] [ 23...xf6 24.c3+ f5 25.e5+! f6 [ b) 9.e2 f6 10.exf6 exf6 ( 10...xf6!? ) 26.e6+ f5 27.f6# ] 11.d5 e7 12.f4 b6 13.0-0 24.f7+ It's mate! An excellent novelty from was a bit better for W hite in M.W ahls-J. Aagaard. Manion, New York 1994 ] 1-0 [ c) 9.e2 is considered in the next game. ] [ d) 9.e4 is Khalifman and Soloviov's ambitious recommendation, but after b4! 1034 B09 (Black must strive for ...c5 at once, otherwise White will smother all counterplay Abergel,Thal 2528 with c2-c3) 10.c4 c5 11.c3 c6 Chatalbashev,Boris 2581 A) 12.b3 cxd4 13.cxd4 b6 Open Ancona SUI (7) 07.12.2007 A1) 14.0-0 is better than this [James Vigus] decentralisation, when -( 14...g4 15.eg5! is annoying,; so Black should 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 kick the bishop first - 14...a5 15.c2 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 c6 Here is another oldg4 when the knight will return to c6, fashioned line, a common reply to the pressurising d4 ); Au s tria n A t ta c k in th e 19 7 0 s. I nst e ad o f A2) 14.c3?! g4 15.e3 a5 16.0-0 aiming for ...c5, Black tries to contest the xb3 17.xb3 e6 18.d1 d5 centre with ...e5. This logical idea is beginning 19.d2 xe3 20.xe3 b6 21.f2 to regain popularity. 7.e5 Not as popular as ad8 22.e4 f5 23.h4 f6 the main line 7 0-0 e5, but Khalifman and favoured Black, E.Anka-L.Vadasz, Soloviov recommend it for White in 'Opening Kecskemet 1989; for White According to Anand 4' (2005). dxe5 B) 12.xf7+? xf7 13.e6 xf3! ( not 8.fxe5 13...f8? 14.exd7 xd7 15.xc5 ) [ 8.dxe5 is fairly common, but less critical, as B1) 14.xf3 f8 15.xc5 ( and I discuss in TPIBAW . A recent example: 15.f7+ h8 16.xc5 b6 also favour d5 9.xd5 xd5 10.e2 g4!? Black ) 15...xe6; ( rather than the solid 10...f5 11.xf5 1078
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B2) 14.exd7?! was played in J.Rigo-L. Vadasz, Budapest 1976, and now f5! 15.dxc8 xc8 16.xc5 e5 is clearly better for Black - Minic and Sindik; C) 12.e6 b6 13.exf7+ h8 14.b3 cxd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.cxd4 f5 ( better than 16...xd4 17.xd4 xd4 18.h6 g7 19.xg7+ xg7 20.0-0 ) 17.g3 e6 18.xf5 gxf5 19.0-0 d7 is balanced; D) An attraction of this line is that the most natural move, 12.0-0 , may actually get White into trouble, e.g. cxd4 13.cxd4 b6 14.b3 ( 14.e2?! g4 15.e3 d5 16.f2 f4 17.c4 c8! was A.Martin Gonzalez-A.Adorjan, Lanzarote 1977) 14...a5! ( 14...g4 15.eg5! covers d4 and attacks f7 at the same time, and e6 16.h3 xf3 17.xf3 d7 18.g5 gave White a persistent edge in W ang Zili-D.Gurevich, Luzern 1989 ) 15.c2 g4 and now a sample line, f a v o u r i n g B l a c k , i s ( an improvement on the 15...e6 given by Khalifman and Soloviov: 16.e1 c6 17.h4 and if xd4 18.eg5 White takes on e6 with the initiative) 16.h3 ( 16.c5 c6 ) 16...xf3 17.xf3 c6 18.e3 c4 19.f2 xb2 20.d2 c4 21.c3 c8!; E) 12.-Black's lead in development has tended count for a lot: ] [ e) Khalifman and Soloviov mention 'the standard' 9.e3 , but no examples appear on my database. Black continues with b4 and ...c5 as usual. ] 9...b6 [ Continuing in Alekhine Defence-style, but the f orcing play initiated by the centra l c o u n t e r a t t a c k 9...b4 10.c4 c5 has yet to be refuted: A) 11.dxc5 c7 ( 11...xe5 12.xd8 xd8 13.xe5 xe5 14.xf7+ g7 15.b3 d4+ 16.h1 f5 17.g5 is just a fraction better for White) 12.h1?! ( 12.e6 xc5+ 13.f2 e5 14.exf7+ xf7 is messy ) 12...xc5 13.b3 xe5 is very satisfactory for Black, S.Del Rio Angelis-M.Narciso Dublan, Burgos 2003; B) 11.e6?! b6 12.exf7+ h8; C) 11.g5 e6 12.xf7! xf7 13.xe6
h4! (threatening ...Nxe5!) 14.g3 h5 15.xh5 gxh5 16.g5 xc2 17.xf7+ h8 18.b1 xd4 19.e6 f6 20.e3 h6 21.ge4 xe4 22.xe4 xe6 23.xe6 xe6 24.xc5 xc5 25.xc5 b6 26.e3 1/2-1/2 Lebedev, V (2429)Bartsch , G (2 32 4)/ I CCF Em ail 20 03 / MegaCorr4 is a critical game which I have not analysed exhaustively, but my impression is that Black is okay.; D) 11.-- ] 10.e2! [ This is a bit more solid than the previously played 10.e3 , since the bishop come under threat here: A) 10...f6 11.exf6 exf6 12.d5! e7 ( 12...xd5 13.c4 ce7 14.c5 ) 13.c5! e8 14.e1 f8 15.e4 g7 16.d6 is grim for Black, R.Skrobek-L. Ftacnik, Polska - CSSR 1978; B) 10...g4 'may be better, but the whole idea looks dubious', wrote Nunn in 'The Complete Pirc' (1989); C) I prefer 10...b4! , making sure that this piece will reach d5 rather than getting pushed back as in the Ftacnik game. C1) 11.e4 f5 ( 11...c4?! 12.c1 ) 12.exf6 exf6 13.a3 4d5 14.xd5 xd5 15.f2 f5 16.d3 f4!? is unclear; C2) 11.e2 f5 12.c1 c5! gives Black promising counterplay, e.g. ( 12...f6 13.exf6 exf6 ) 13.dxc5 6d5 14.xd5 xd5 15.g5 h6 16.c4 c3! 17.xc3 hxg5; D) 10...-- ] 10...f6 11.exf6 exf6 12.c3 White has re a ct e d we ll t o t he o pe n in g su rpris e: n o explosion with ...Nb4 and ...c5 today. But the position seems a little frustrating for White: how does he actually improve his optically impressive pieces, or advance his central pawns without allowing the Black knights to c o m e f o r wa r d ? C h a t a l b a s h e v b e g i n s t o unravel, f irst protecting the light squares around his king. e6 13.b3 f7 14.d2 e8 15.b2 e7 [ 15...d5!? ] 16.fe1 f8! [ 16...e3+? 17.xe3 xe3 18.f4 would, if nothing else, be psychologically 1079
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 bad: White presses at very little risk. ] 17.c4 h6 18.d1 ad8 19.a3 e3+ 20.h1 h6 21.c2 a5 22.d5 This is correct - otherwise W hite will never make serious headway - but Chatalbashev to ada pt be tt er th an A berge l t o th e sud de n change in the game's tempo. e5 23.xe5 fxe5 24.f1 [ 24.g1! ] 24...c6! The rook on d8 x-rays the d2-square. 25.dxc6 bxc6 26.f3 d7 [ Objectively better is 26...e6 , but the game's course certainly vindicates Chatalbashev's rerouting of the knight! ] 27.af1? [ White could chase the c6-pawn with 27.e4 since the spectacular f6?! 28.xf6 d2 29.c3 xe2 30.af1 g5 31.xf7 xe4 32.d3 works out in White's favour. ] 27...c5 28.h3 g5 29.g3 h6 30.h3 (White decides to settle for a draw, but gets more than he bargained for) xh3! 31.gxh3 xd3 [ If 31...xd3 , then 32.c1 is an annoying defence. ] 32.c3? The decisive mistake, presumably overlooking Black's next. [ 32.c3 e6 and Black has great coordination, but by no means a forced win. ] 32...d2! 33.c2 e6 34.d4? [ White must do something drastic in the face of the threat of ...Bxh3 (and not 34 Rf3 Ne1), but 34.d4 xh3 35.xd2 xf1 36.xc6 d7 was the correct way, when Black still has plenty of work to do. ] 34...xh3! 35.d1 xd4 36.xd2 e1 The point is that if White moves his queen, Black takes on d2, and White can't recapture owing to ...Bg2+ and ...Nf3+. White's defence in t h e ga m e o nly p rolo n gs his su f f e rin g. 37.xd4 xc2 38.xc2 f8 39.e3 f3 40.e2 c5 41.g1 g7 42.e1 h5 43.d5 e4 44.b4 axb4 45.axb4 cxb4 46.xb4 e3 47.d3 f5 This is what the Pirc is all about: gradually outmanoeuvring the opponent after a cagey start, and then pouncing on a tactical opportunity! And this is why the ubiquitous 'plus equals' is inadequate to describe the situation after a move like 8...Nd7!?... 0-1
1035 Alexander,Gregor Anand,Viswanathan Munchen München [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1991
1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.e3 b6 One of the best moves after 6. Be3. Black prepares c7-c5 as well as d e v e l o p i n g h i s b i s h o p . 7.e5 Principal decision. g4 8.g1 c5 9.h3 h6 The play was logical and almost forced till this m o m e n t wh e r e w h i t e c h o o s e s t h e m o s t ambitious option. 10.d5 [ After 10.dxc5 bxc5 11.d3 c6 12.e4 d7 13.g4 b8 white's posit ion did not look very promising in Ioseliani - Zaichik, Tbilisi 1991 ] 10...b7 Black has some alternatives here: [ 10...f5 11.f2 d7 12.g4 d4 13.xd4 cxd4 14.xd4 dxe5 15.fxe5 xe5 16.e3 with mutual chances in Mikhalchishin - Kosten, Budapest 1989 ] [ 10...d7 11.h2 f5 12.b5 b7 13.g4 d4 (a typical manoeuvre) 14.xd4 cxd4 15.xd4 c7 16.xd7 xd7 with reasonable compensation for the pawn in Beliavsky - Speelman, Reykjavik 1988 ] 11.d2 f5 12.h2 dxe5 13.fxe5 e6 Destroying white's powerful looking pawn centre. 14.0-0-0 [ Other moves were much worse: 14.g4? h4 with a clear advantage ] [ or 14.d6? d7 and the pawn on e5 is in trouble. ] 14...exd5 15.xd5 c6 Black's chances are at least not worse here as he has all his minor pieces com f ortab ly develo ped an d whit e should be careful about his proud knight on d5 which is actually rather unstable. 16.c3 cd4! A good decision. By giving white an opportunity to create a powerful centre again black seriously weakens white's queenside p a wn st r u ct u re a n d ge t s go o d a t t a c k in g chances. 17.f6+ [ 17.cxd4? w a s b a d b e c a u s e o f xd5 18.b1 cxd4 19.xd4 h6 and White is in trouble. ] 17...xf6 18.cxd4 g7 19.d5 c4 Ignoring white's pawn centre black begins direct action against the white king. 20.e2 1080
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 20.f4!? deserved attention ] 20...c8 21.b1 [ 21.g4?! e7 22.d6 d5 was dangerous for white. ] 21...h6 22.f4 The only move. [ 22.c3 fails to e3 winning a central pawn for nothing. ] 22...xf4 23.xf4 xd5 24.h4 [ 24.g4 does not solve white's problems but maybe it was a lesser evil: g7 25.h6 e6 26.h4 c3 27.bxc3 ( 27.g5? was losing af ter c2+ 28.a1 cxd1+ 29.xd1 xg5-+ winning ) 27...e4+ 28.b2 c7 29.e3 c5 with a big advantage. ] 24...c3 25.bxc3 xc3 26.h5 [ 26.b2 does not help because of c7! ] 26...e3 27.g5?! [ 27.d2 was more stubborn ] 27...c7 28.xh7 b3+! White resigned because of mate in four. 0-1
1036 Anand,Viswanathan Gurevich,Mikhail Linares [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1991
For decades 8...Bxb5 was considered the only move. But in the mid 80s Jan Timman introduced 8...fxe6. Nowadays this is the main line. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ d7 7.e5 g4 8.e6 fxe6 9.g5 xb5 10.xb5 [ The seemingly strong 10.xe6 leads only to a draw after the sudden queen sacrifice: xd4! 11.xd8 f2+ 12.d2 e3+ with a perpetual. This is the tactical justification of the whole line. ] 10...a5+ 11.c3 xb5 12.xe6 a6 13.xg7+ [ 13.xg4 was played in Beliavski - Timman, Belfort,1998, and Black reached comf ortable e quality af te r f6 14.d5 ( 14.dxc5? f7! is dangerous for White.) 14...d3 15.d1 xd1+ 16.xd1 h5 ] 13...f7 14.xg4 [ White was able to get a small advantage after 14.e6 f6 ( 14...xe6 15.xg4+
f7 16.e3! ) 15.g5+ g7 16.b3!? cxd4 17.e6+ f7 18.xd4 c5 19.f3 d5 20.xd5+ xd5 21.c4 db4 22.0-0 but it is extremely difficult to convert it to a full point in the game Hellers - Seirawan, Haninge 1990 black did not have many problems achieving a draw. ] 14...xg7 The critical position. In my opinion, Black has good chances. 15.e3 White has to sacrifice pawns, otherwise it's difficult to complete his development and castle. xb2 A principled decision! 16.0-0 xc3 17.ae1 W hite is ready to start a direct attack but black has enough resources to defend his king. hf8 Seems to be the only move as other continuations let white launch a very strong attack: [ 17...ae8? 18.f5 hf8 19.f6+ xf6 ( 19...exf6 20.d7+ g8 21.h6 ) 20.h6+! h8 21.xf6 xe1+ 22.f1 c3 23.e6 with Qf7-f8 mate next ] [ 17...cxd4? 18.d2 c7 19.f5+winning amongst others White has the threat of Bh6 with Qh4 and Re7 to follow. ] 18.f5 [ 18.h4!? was an interesting continuation with the idea of playing f4-f5 next. ] 18...xf5 19.h3? This move contains a lot of threats but white has missed the cool king retreat after which the game is almost over, as further simplification of the position is forced and black retains a big material advantage. [ It was time to force a draw with 19.h6+! xh6 ( 19...h8 w a s l o s i n g : 20.xf5 xe1+ 21.f1 c3 22.e6 xd4+ 23.h1 h4 24.f8 xf8 25.xf8+ g7 26.f7+ h6 27.e3++- winning ) 20.h4+ h5 21.f4+ g5 22.h4+ ( 22.h4?! was not in white's favour: xd4+ 23.xd4 cxd4 24.hxg5+ xg5 25.xe7 c5 26.xh7 e8 and Black is clearly better.) 22...h5 23.f4+ with repetition of moves ] 19...h8!! [ After 19...xf1+? 20.xf1 cxd4 21.h6+ h8 22.e6 the black king could be mated soon. ] 20.xf5 W h a t e l s e ? gxf5 21.h4 b4 22.f2 Unfortunately for white he cannot create serious threats because the black queen keeps a lot of important squares under 1081
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 control. [ 22.g5 was not better: xd4+ 23.xd4+ cxd4 24.xe7 b6 25.f6+ g8 26.g7+ f8 27.xh7 e8 28.xa7 d3! and the dpawn will queen soon. ] 22...d5 23.h5 f8 Everything is protected. 24.dxc5 dxc5 25.g3 [ 25.d1 f4 26.h6 g6 27.h4 g7 28.g5 b6-+ winning ] 25...f4 26.h4 e3-+ winning It's fine to have so m an y pa wn s t o co nt ro l so m an y squares. 27.f3 g8 28.h1 d2 29.g1 d6 [ A safe move but 29...xg2 was not bad either. 30.xg2 xg2 31.xg2 d1+ 32.g1 d5+ 33.g2 f3 34.b2+ e5 35.f6+ g8-+ winning ] 30.xb7 [ After 30.e4 black was winning by d5 31.xe7 xg2 32.f6+ g7+-+ ] 30...f5 31.e1 g3+ 32.xg3 fxg3 33.h3 a6 And white resigned as he has nothing to hope for in this position. 0-1
1037 Anisimov,Pavel Voinov,Alexandr 60th ch-RUS Higher League (8) [John Watson]
B09 2482 2428 11.09.2007
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d4 c6!? It's not clear to me that Black can equalise even if there's away to do that, the resulting positions look full of life. 7 Qd4 seems a lot more promising than it's supposed to be! [ 7...0-0 hasn't worked out for Black in either theory or practice. Both 8.cxd6! and 8 Bd2 seem to give White a substantial edge, the former continuing xe4 9.xe4 xc3+ 10.bxc3! xc3+ 11.f2 xa1 12.dxe7 e8 13.c4 with more than enough for the exchange. ] [ Therefore Vigus and others recommend 7...dxc5 , which he calls 'almost certainly best'. I'm not sure what the verdict should be, but in my opinion Black has something to prove after A) Now for a long digression, which you
may want to skip: Vigus thinks that Black is okay after 8.b5+ xb5! 9.xf6 xf6 10.xb5 a6 11.e5 g7 12.e3 , in view of White's missing light-squared bishop. But Black's bishop is blocked off and his knight on a6 is a little funny, so maybe we should go a touch further: A1) Vigus also likes 12...d7 13.0-0-0+ c6 14.c3 f5 , but this is likely to lead to W hite's advantage after 15.h3! ( or 15.d5 he8 16.c4 ) 15...h5 ( 15...b4 16.g4 xc2 17.d2 h5 18.a3 hxg4 19.axb4 b3 20.b5+ b6 21.g5; 15...c7 16.g4 e6 17.g5 ) 16.d5 he8 17.c4 ( or 17.d2 b6 18.hd1 ); A2) 12...d7! Back to 12...Bd7: 13.c4 A2a) best seems 13...c6! 14.0-0-0 0-0 15.he1 b6 ( 15...f6 16.e6 f5 17.a3 ) 16.e2 h6 17.ed2 W hite has space, but he isn't going anywhere for a while; A2b) 13...0-0-0!? 14.g5 ( or 14.xa7+ ) 14...e8 15.xa7+ b8 16.b5 h6 17.f3 b4 18.e2 A l l t h is h a s t o b e t e s t e d . I f B l a c k stands worse, it's not by much. I think that 8 Qc4 is more important:; B) 8.c4! , which deserves a close look [ F o r r e a d e r s wh o m a y b e l o s t i n t h e variations, WE'RE FINALLY BACK TO 8 Qc4!:] 0-0 ( 8...c6?! 9.e5 h5 10.e3 0-0 11.0-0-0 ) B1) 9.b5 looks important. Black still has to solve the problem that his bishop will be cut off by e5: B1a) 9...xb5 10.xb5 a6 -look for improvements here?- 11.d3 c6 12.e5 seems to favour White, for example, h5 13.e3 g4 ( 13...b6? 14.e4 b7 15.g4 ) 14.e4 fd8 15.0-0 d4 16.ad1 , etc.; B1b) 9...c7 10.e5 a6 ( 10...fd7 11.e3 a6 12.e2 ) 11.b3 e6!? 12.c4 xc4 13.xc4 b5 14.e2; B2) Martin gives 9.d2 , which doesn't seem as good after e6 10.e2 ( jw: 10.b5 c7 11.g5 d7 12.b3 h6 13.e5 hxg5 14.exf6 exf6 15.0-0-0 c6 , about equal) 10...b6 ( jw: better is simply 10...c6 11.e5 d7= ) 11.0-0-0 1082
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c6 12.e5 d7 13.e3 "Thanks to the blocked-in Bishop on g7, I prefer White." - Martin agreed, but Black can improve, as seen.; B3) 9.e5!? There are two other choices: B3a) Black came up short after 9...g4 10.h3 h6 11.e3 a6 B3a1) 12.0-0-0! e6 ( 12...f5 13.f2 ) 13.b5 xb5 14.xb5 clearly favours White; B3a2) 12.b5!? xb5 13.xb5 b6 14.c6 b8 15.a3 b7 16.xb7 xb7 17.0-0-0 in Van Herwaarden, A-De Saegher, C (2203)/Dieren NED 2006/.; B3b) 9...h5 10.e3; B3c) 9...e6 10.b5 xb5 11.xb5! (For some reason, this isn't played or looked at ( Vigus correctly thinks that Martin's 11.xb5!? d5 12.a3 a6 13.c4 axb5 14.cxd5 xd5 15.xb5 is fine for Black then a6!? 16.e3 c7 17.e2 b6 is an easy solution) 11...d5 ( 11...fd7?! 12.g5; 11...g4?! 12.h3 h6 13.e3 ) 12.xd5 xd5 13.e3 b6 ( 13...a6 14.e2 b6 15.0-0-0 has to favor W h i t e s o m e w h a t) 14.0-0-0 e6 ( 14...xf3 15.gxf3 a6 16.c4 c6 17.c3 ) 15.e2 f6 (thematic, to free the bishop, and probably best, but it also leaves Black a little vulnerable) ( 15...c4 16.b3 cxb3 17.axb3 c8 18.b2 f6 19.c4 e4 20.exf6 xf6+ 21.d4 ) 16.c4 e4 17.hg1! -in order to bring a knight to g5 or d2 or e5 and not leave g2 hanging ( 17.d6!? ) 17...fxe5 ( 17...a6 18.exf6! xf6 19.a3 and Rd7 or Ng5; 17...e8 18.exf6 xf6 19.d2! and Bf3 ) 18.fxe5 h6 19.d6 ] 8.b5 0-0?! [ 8...xb5? 9.xf6! xf6 10.xb5 Milov, L-Henderikse, H/Haarlem NED 2004. ] [ 8...d7! l o o k s b e s t : 9.xc6= ( 9.a4 xa4 10.xa4 b4! 11.b3 e6! 12.0-0 xb3 13.axb3 dxc5 14.e5 g4 15.e1 is a forcing line that gets Black close to equality, although White may still have some pull after, for example, 0-0 16.h3 h6
17.g4! ) 9...xc6 10.cxd6 exd6 11.0-0 0-0 threatens ...Nxe4, and 12.e5 g4! 13.xd6 fd8 14.e7 b6+ 15.h1 f2+ 16.g1 e4+ arguably draws by force. ] 9.a4! xa4 10.xa4 dxc5 11.e5 d7 12.d5 Or 12 Be3 this is exactly what Black doesn't want. e6 13.c7!? [ 13.xc6 bxc6 14.e7+ h8 15.e3! is even better. Black is paralysed. ] 13...b8 14.e3 b6?! [ 14...b4 15.a3 b5 16.axb4 bxa4 17.xa4 ] 15.b5 d8 16.xc5 and wins. f8 17.xf8 xf8 18.a6 bxa6 19.xc6 c4 20.b3 e3 21.f2 xc2 22.ad1 xd1 23.xd1 b7 24.xb7 xb7 25.d8+ g7 26.d2 b4 27.e4 d5 28.d6 b4 29.g3 d4 30.d7 d2+ 31.f3 g5 32.f5 g4+ 33.xg4 e3+ 34.f3 f1 35.fxe6 1-0
1038 Bareev,Evgeny Ivkov,Borislav Roma [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1990
1.d4 g6 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.e3 a6 7.d3?! This is dubious. When white plays the 6.Bd3 system 6. ..Na6 is one of the best replies after which white plays 7.0-0 but not 7. Be3. [ White has a lot of possibilities here: 7.e2 ] [ 7.e5 ] [ 7.h3 ] 7...c5 8.d5 c7 Surprisingly Black is already better! 9.a4 [ Usually white has already castled here but n o w h e d o e s n o t h a v e t i m e f o r 9.0-0 b e c a u s e a f t e r b5! black is taking the initiative. ] 9...e6 10.dxe6 xe6 [ The text seems logical although I prefer 10...fxe6! 11.0-0 b6 with d6-d5 to follow with a clear edge. ] 11.f5? Too ambitious. White has probably underestimated black's reply... or just missed it. [ After 11.0-0 e7 12.f2 white could obtain reasonable play although black is 1083
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 already slightly better. ] 11...xf5! Of course! 12.exf5 e8 13.d2 d5! 14.g5 c4 15.fxg6 hxg6 16.c1 [ After 16.f1 d4 17.xc4 dxc3+ 18.xc3 black could start a strong attack against the w h i t e k i n g b y b8! with b7-b5 to follow. ( the hasty 18...e4+? 19.b3 is fine for white. )] 16...cxd3 17.xd3 e6 18.a3 xg5 19.xg5 e4! An excellent decision. [ Other moves were not so effective: 19...h6 20.h4 e4 21.b1! xg5 22.hxg5 f2 does not work: 23.d4 xh1 24.xd5+and the black king is in dead trouble ] [ 19...d4!? 20.b5 g4 looks promising but white has 21.xf7! xf7 22.c4+ with Nc7 next and things are not so clear. ] 20.gxe4 dxe4 21.xe4 h4! 22.c3 e3! 23.f1 c8 During the last few moves all the black pieces have reached very active positions while the white pieces have been pushed back and now they cannot help the king to survive. 24.b1 xc3 25.c1 [ 25.xc3 was losing after cxc3 26.bxc3 xc3 27.b5 e4 with Rc4 to follow ] 25...e1 26.xe1 xe1 27.h3 f2 28.h6 Probably black was in time trouble so white tries his last chance which can of course be easily parried. xc2+ 29.a2 [ 29.a1 c1+-+ winning ] 29...xa4+ 30.b1 d1+ 31.a2 a4+ 32.b1 c2+ 33.a2 c3! Now the game is over. 34.h7+ f8 35.xc3 xc3 36.h8+ e7 37.e5+ Of course the pawn ending is lost for white. d7 38.d5+ c8 39.xf7 a4+ 40.b1 d1+ 41.a2 c6 T h e t i m e c o n t r o l h a s p a s s e d a n d wh i t e resigned. 0-1
Pretty direct. Black must be very accurate or h e w i l l b e b l o w n a w a y . b6 7.e2!? Lending impetus to e4-e5 but the Queen is oddly placed for the time being and perhaps Black can take advantage of this feature. Others: [ 7.c4?! xe4 8.xe4 d5 9.d3 dxe4 10.xe4 c6 11.e5 b7 12.f3 c7 with no problems, Sineux, S-Urtado, O/ Elancourt FRA 2004. ] [ 7.d2 In my opinion the most testing. W hite blocks nothing and prepares a supped-up Kingside attack. c5 8.0-0-0 cxd4 9.xd4 c6 10.xf6! xf6 11.h4 It is shocking how quickly W hite's attack develops and this without the aid of the dark-squared Bishop. Polgar wastes no time at all! g4 12.h5! In for a penny.... xh5 13.xh5 gxh5 14.d5 c8 15.xh5 A) 15...b4 16.e5 g7 ( 16...xc3 17.bxc3! xa2+ 18.b2 xc3 19.xc3! g7 20.d3+- ) 17.a3 c6 18.a6 b8 19.g5 h6 20.c4!; B) 15...g7 16.e5 e8 17.h3 h6 18.d3 b4 19.e4 e6 20.f5 xc3 Boy is he getting roughed up! Take a look at the alternatives: ( 20...xa2+ 21.xa2 a4 22.d4!! xa2 23.f6 a1+ 24.d2+-; 20...d5 21.f6+- ) 21.f6 b5 ( 21...a4 22.bxc3 xa2+ 23.b2 xe4 24.fxg7 xg7 25.d4! e3 26.g3+ h7 27.xa2 ) 22.g3 1-0 Polgar, J-Smirin, I/Istanbul 2000 I like this game a lot! ] 7...b7 [ An extended fianchetto may also expose t h e e a r l i e r Q u e e n m o v e e . g . 7...a6!? 8.d2 b7 9.e5 dxe5 10.dxe5 g4 11.d3 a6 12.0-0-0 b4 13.e1 xd3+ 14.xd3 c8 15.d2 1/2-1/2 Lanka, ZJaracz, P/Bad Wiessee 2002 ] 1039 B09 8.e5 d5!?N [ Sticking the Knight on g4 always seems to Bologan,Viktor 2665 me to be a bit too provocative. Often the Fridman,Daniel 2594 Knight gets driven to a lousy square on h6 ACP Blitz Prelim4 blitz (8) 15.04.2004 and Black just ends up passive. Maybe [Andrew Martin] Black can play these positions but why toil away if 8...Nd5 works? W hich naturally Some will sniff and say this is only blitz. I say brings us to Fridman's sensible innovation. these are damn good players and there's an With ... c7-c5 upcoming, White may well be interesting novelty coming up. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 over-extending already....maybe. 8...g4!? f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.e3 1084
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.0-0-0 xe3! ( 9...xf3 10.xf3 xe3 11.xe3 c5 12.dxc5 bxc5 13.h4 Lanka, Z-Hoffmann, H/Leutersdorf 2001) 10.xe3 e6 11.h4 dxe5 12.dxe5 e7 13.h5 a6 1/2-1/2 Zawadzka, J-Lahno, K/ C h a l k i d i k i 2 0 0 1 w h e n 14.hxg6 fxg6 15.g5! would have been excellent for White. ] 9.xd5 xd5 10.0-0-0 e6 11.b1 d7 Black's play is based on the clear premise that c2-c4 will be' a pawn too far' for White and that ...c7-c5 will give adequate counterplay. I am not totally sure. 12.h4 c5 He has to play this move somewhere. The alternative [ 12...h5 seems rather passive. ] 13.exd6 c8 14.h5 White is definitely right in going for the throat. f6 15.hxg6 hxg6 16.dxc5 bxc5 17.c4 e4+ 18.a1 c6 19.g5 [ One can see why Bologan plays 19 Ng5 but it ap pears tha t 19.d7!! ties Black up long enough f or W hite to get his pieces into good positions: xf3 ( 19...c7 20.e5 d6 21.xd6 xd6 22.f2 b8 23.e1! c6 24.c3 xd7 25.xc6 xc6 26.xg7 xg7 27.d2; 19...c7?! 20.e5 xd7 21.xc5 ) 20.xf3 b6 21.xc6 xc6 22.d8 xd8 23.xd8+ f8 24.h3 Of course this was very difficult to see with little time. ] 19...f5 20.g4 Going right off the rails. [ Again 20.d7! ] 20...xg4 21.h7 f6 [ 21...xd6 22.xd6 xd6 23.c1 h6! ] 22.h8+?? xh8 23.h3 a6 24.xc5 a5 Mate in two follows, irrespective of 25 a3 or 25 Ba3 The question now arises as to whether 7 Qe2 is any good or not? My impression is that it is very dangerous, as is 7 Qd2 for that matter. The point is to play e4-e5, stifling the Bishop on g7 and then to get on wit h t he a t t a ck wit ho u t d e la y. Frid m a n 's novelty was natural enough but with a longer time limit I believe that he would have lost after he lashed out with ..c7-c5. But maybe Black's game was poor at that stage anyway. W h a t t o p l a y f o r B l a c k . . . h m m a d i f f i cu l t question? The Austrian attack with 6 Be3 is really looking good. 0-1
1040 Bracaglia,Carlo Korsunsky,Yuri Montecatini Terme (Italy) (1) [Nigel Davies]
B09
1999
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ d7 7.e5 g4 8.xd7+ [ An interesting alternative to the popular 8.e6 ] [ and occasional 8.h3 ] 8...xd7 9.d5 dxe5 10.h3 e4 11.hxg4 exf3 12.xf3 a6 13.d2 b4 [ Black can also play 13...0-0-0 after which 14.0-0-0 f5 ( 14...c7 15.e1 f5 wa s a lso O K f o r B lack in W e st e rin e n Nijboer, Gausdal 1994) 15.gxf5 gxf5 16.e1 c7 17.h4 d6 18.he1 he8 19.g3 d7 20.e3 d4 21.ed3 was agreed drawn in Wahls - Kindermann, Germany (Bundesliga) 1998 ] 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 15.e1? [ I suspect that this was more a case of perspiration rather than deliberate preparation. White has previously played 15.e4 af t e r wh ich xd5!? 16.c4 f6 17.xf6 xf6 18.a5 a4 19.xd8+ xd8 20.xd8 xa2 21.a3 xc4+ 22.b1 xd8 23.xa7 e4+ 24.a2 d5+ 25.b1 gave Black the option of a draw in Relange - Chabanon, French Ch., 1994. ] 15...xc3 16.xc3 xa2+ 17.b1 xc3+ 18.xc3 d6 Black is a pawn up for nothing and polishes his opponent off efficiently. 19.g5 b8 20.g3 f6 21.gxf6 exf6 22.f3 de8 23.h6 f5 24.h1 e7 25.f3 he8 26.d3 e3 27.xf5 e1 28.d3 c4 29.d2 c3 30.bxc3 1e2 31.d4 2e4 32.g7 a4 33.c4 a3 34.b2 b4 0-1
1041 Chernov,Vadim Bargan,Sergei Kishnev (1) [Gary Lane]
B09 2388 2217 07.10.2001
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 3.f4 g6 4.d4!? A nice way to change the Grand Prix opening by trying to take advantage of Black's move1085
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 order. f6 Black aims to counterattack by trying to undermine the centre. [ 4...cxd4!? is the main line when play continues 5.xd4 f6 with equal chances. ] 5.dxc5 a5 6.cxd6 [ 6.d3 is more sedate and indication that White is not aware of the trap revealed in the main game xc5 7.f3 g7 8.e2 0-0 9.e3 a5 10.0-0 g4 11.h1 c6 led to equal chances in Messa,R-Smit,D/ Caorle 1981/ ] 6...xe4? I reckon a lot of people will think this is the obvious move to take advantage of the pin on the queen's knight but in fact it loses. [ 6...exd6 is possible when 7.d3 g7 8.b5+ is excellent for White. ] [ 6...c6 7.d3 g4 8.f3 0-0-0 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 exd6 11.0-0 d7 12.d5 whe n W hit e is a clea r p awn u p with a n initiative, Glek,I-Cerny,M/Prague 1985/ ] 7.d5! A surprising response but it is very effective. xd5 [ 7...c5 looks reasonable BUT 8.b5+! bd7 ( 8...cd7 9.xd7+ xd7 10.xa5 wins ) 9.xc5 1-0 Privara,I-Hlavaty,P/ Bratislava 1982/ ] 8.xd5 Things are now clearer and it looks pretty miserable for Black can do little constructively to prevent Nc7+. xd6 [ Or 8...a6 9.xa6 bxa6 10.dxe7 xe7 11.c7+ winning. ] 9.c7+ d8 10.xa8 c6 [ 10...b6 11.e3+- ] 11.c3 [ 11.c4 might be even better because soon it can threaten the d6 knight. g7 12.e3 e6 13.0-0-0 ] 11...g7 12.e3 e6 13.f3 d7 14.b6+ axb6 15.xb6 a8 16.d3 [ 16.a3 a4+- ] 16...c4 [ 16...xa2 wins a pawn but with less piece son the board White has a fairly easy task to win the game. 17.xa2 xa2 18.f2+- ] 17.xc4 xc4 18.f2 a6 19.hd1+ c8 20.e3 f6 [ Or 20...xa2 21.d4 h6 22.b4 with a clear advantage. ] 21.d4 e5 22.xc6 xc6 23.fxe5 fxe5
24.d2 e4 25.ad1 The big threat is mate in two provoking Black to further concessions. d3 26.xd3 exd3 27.xd3 Well, White is two pawns having returned the exchange. This is certainly good enough to win the game along with a little technique. e5 28.g3 a6 29.a3 f6+ 30.g2 e6 31.a4 c6 32.d5 e6 33.f3 f6+ 34.e4 c7 35.a5 e6+ 36.d3 f6 37.b4 f1 38.c4 e1 39.d4 e2 40.b5 xh2 41.b6 Black can look forward to Rc5. d8 42.a6 bxa6 43.b7+! xb7 44.xd8 h5 45.d7+ c8 46.g7 1-0
1042 Computer Ioseliani,Nana The Hague (Netherlands) (6) [Nigel Davies]
B09
1993
1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d3 xc5 8.e2 0-0 9.e3 a5 10.h3 bd7 This looks like a good move. Black adopts a set-up in which 10.h3 is useless at best. 11.0-0 a6 12.d2 c7 13.a4 b6 [ 13...b6 followed by ...Bb7 seems more consistent to me. ] 14.e2 e6 15.f5 c4 16.fxg6 hxg6 17.a5 Now Black has to strengthen White's centre after which I don't like her position that much. xd3 18.cxd3 bd7 19.fc1 fc8 20.g5 d8 21.f1 e5 22.a4 xa5? [ Black had to bring the knight back with 22...ed7 . The text gives up material for not very much, an especially suicidal way to play against a machine. ] 23.b6 b5 24.xa8 xa8 25.a3 d8 26.c2 h6 27.b3 a4 28.h1 h5 29.h2 e8 30.c3 f6 31.d2 d7 32.b4 b5 33.a5 d5 34.xa6 c7 35.h1 c2 36.xb5 xd2 37.xf6 c8 38.c3 xc3 39.e8+ f8 40.xf7 e1+ 41.h2 1-0
1086
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1043 Dolmatov,Sergey Gipslis,Aivars USSR 39/173 [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1985
Finally we'll consider 6...Na6, which is the most popular response to 6.Bd3. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 7.0-0 [ It's too optimistic to play 7.e5 as black plays d7 with c5 to follow, and obtains strong counterplay. ] 7...c5 8.d5 [ 8.e5?! is premature again: d7 9.e3 cxd4 10.xd4 dxe5 11.fxe5 xe5! , and Black had won a pawn without any compensation in Vetemaa-Gipslis, Parnu, 1982. ] 8...b8 [ 8...g4 is a major alternative to the text. ] 9.e2 [ Later Dolmatov improved with 9.e5! dxe5?! ( 9...e8 is better, with mutual chances.) 10.xa6 bxa6 11.fxe5 g4 12.f4 xb2 13.h3 and Black was in trouble in DolmatovPfleger 1991, as h6 fails to 14.c1! ] 9...c7 10.a4 a6 11.a5 b5 12.axb6 xb6 13.a4 b8 14.c4 Now the pawn centre is very strong and White is ready to attack in the centre with e4-e5. Black has to do something immediately, or he will be smashed soon. Grandmaster Aivars Gipslis finds a brilliant rook sacrifice. e6! 15.e5 fe8 16.exd6 xd6 17.e5 exd5! [ Of course 17...b7 is insufficient: 18.xc5 exd5 19.xb7 xb7 20.cxd5 and White is a pawn up. ] 18.c6 h4 19.xb8 d4+ 20.h1 [ 20.e3 is bad: e8 21.xd4 ( 21.f3 xe3 22.xe3 xf4 23.e1 dxc4 is even worse for White) 21...xe2 22.xe2 cxd4 and Black's advantage is obvious. ] 20...e8 21.f3 [ 21.c2 dxc4 ] 21...dxc4 22.c6! White finds the only defence. Alternatives are far worse: [ 22.e2 b7 23.g3 xg3 24.hxg3 xe2 winning ] [ 22.c2 g4 23.g3 ( 23.c6 e2 24.xd6 f3 ) 23...xg3 24.hxg3 xb8
and Black has fantastic compensation for the exchange. ] 22...g4 23.xd4! The best move again. [ 23.g3 xg3 24.hxg3 cxd3 is bad for White. ] 23...cxd4 24.c6 cxd3 25.xd6 Now W hite needs only one move (Bd2) to complete his development and win. However a n u n p le a sa n t su r p rise a wa it s h im . f3!! 26.e3 [ Taking the Bishop is bad: 26.gxf3 e2 27.f5 h3 28.d8+ e8 with unavoidable m a t e a f t e r 29.xe8+ xe8 with Re2 to follow ] [ Probably 26.xd4 is best xg2+ 27.xg2 e2+ 28.f2! The only move, as ( 28.f2 l e a d s t o m a t e : g4+ 29.f1 h3+ 30.g1 e1+ ) 28...g4+ 29.h1 xf2 30.xf2 d1+ and Black should take the draw by perpetual: 31.g2 g4+ 32.f1 d1+ ] 26...dxe3 27.gxf3 [ 27.xd3 e4 28.e2 d5 and Black has a pawn and a strong initiative for the exchange. ] 27...d2 Now Black has only two pawns for the Rook, but it is White who has to save his skin! 28.c3 e2 29.xd2 exf1+ 30.xf1 d8 31.e3 d5 32.xd5 xd5 33.c1 h3 34.g1 a5 [ 34...d7 is stronger, keeping some winning chances because W hite's king is slightly exposed, although with accurate defence White should hold the position. ] 35.c3 d7 36.c8+! The transposition to the rook ending is the best way to draw here. xc8 37.xc8+ g7 38.a8 b5 39.b3! xb3 40.xa5 xf3 41.a4 f6 42.g2 d3 43.a5! An excellent game! Both players played very creatively. ½-½
1044 Dorenberg,Gaston Gurevich,Mikhail Gent [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1992
As we saw in the previous game, early activity with (5.e5) doesn't promise W hite much. 1087
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 That's why development with 5.Nf 3 is f ar more popular. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 This move is often played by such Pirc experts as Gurevich, Chernin, Seirawan,Timman and many others. [ 5...0-0 is the major alternative. ] 6.b5+ d7 7.e5 g4 8.e6 [ This spectacular move leads to interesting complications. 8.h3!? deserves attention as well: cxd4 9.xd4 A) 9...dxe5?! 10.d5! e4 11.g5 h6 12.xb7 xc3+ 13.bxc3 xb5 14.xa8 c6 15.xa7 0-0 ( 15...f5!? white is slightly better) 16.g4! d5 17.a3 d8 18.d4 a5 19.c5 white was much better in Sigurjonsson Vogt, Cienfuegos 1976; B) 9...xb5 10.xb5 a5+? ( 10...c6 11.e4 -9...Nh6 ) 11.c3! xc3+ 12.bxc3+- winning; C) 9...h6 and now white has several po ss ible c on tin ua tio ns, t he m a in o n e seems to be 10.g4!? restricting the black knight on h6 although both players have chances. ( 10.d2 xb5 11.xb5 c6 12.f2 dxe5 13.fxe5 a6 14.c3 f5 15.0-0-0 deserves attention, as was played in the game Sigurjonsson Westerinen, Geneva 1977; after 10.xd7+ xd7 11.g4 c6 12.e4 0-0 13.d2 dxe5 14.fxe5 e6 15.0-0-0 f5 16.exf6 xe4 17.xe4 exf6 an unclear endgame arose in the game Thorhallsson Gretarsson, Hafnarfirdi 1992 )] 8...xb5 [ 8...fxe6 is another possibility which we'll consider in other games. ] 9.exf7+ d7 10.g5 h5 11.f3 c6 12.d5 xc3+! The position is very unusual and calls for a concrete approach. [ After 12...d4 13.e4 black's pieces are uncoordinated while white's initiative is growing. ] 13.bxc3 a5! 14.d2 a4 15.dxc6+ bxc6!? [ Limiting white's active possibilities while 15...xc6 16.d3 xg2 17.g1 c6 18.xg6 led to an unclear position. ] 16.h3 h6 17.d1 c4 18.a4 a6 19.e1 xf7 Black has won the pawn and seems to be on top now but white is still fighting thanks
to his strong knight on e6. 20.e3 ae8 21.e6 h6 22.g4!? [ After 22.g7 f5 23.xf5 gxf5 White had little to hope for. ] 22...hxg4 23.hxg4 xg4 24.g3 f6 25.xg6 d5! Black hopes to swap the queens after Qh5. 26.g7 eg8 27.c4 An interestin g attempt to activate his other pieces but it does not have much effect. xc4 28.b1 a6 29.c4 Another pawn is given up but black has prepared something. h5+! [ After 29...xc4? 30.f5+ the black king could suddenly find itself under serious attack. ] 30.xh5 xg6 31.f5 g4 The queens have been swapped and the rest is a matter of te ch n iqu e b e ca u se as we ll a s b ein g t wo pawns down white has a lot of pawn w e a k n e s s e s . 32.f4 h2 33.b8!? Otherwise white is hopelessly lost. xd2+ 34.xd2 xf4 35.a8 d4+ 36.c2 xc4+ 37.d1 [ 37.b2 b4+ ] 37...d5!-+ Winning Now the outcome of the encounter is beyond doubt. 38.xa7+ c7 39.f6 White is very creative in finding a way to activate his rooks but unfortunately he loses t o o m a n y p a w n s . exf6 40.h1 xa4 41.h7+ e6 42.axc7 d3 43.ce7+ d5 44.h5+ f5 45.h6 e4 The pawn on d6 is safe so white resigned. [ 45...e4 46.d7 e6 ] 0-1
1045 Ehlvest,Jaan Anand,Viswanathan Reggio Emilia [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1988
Lets consider 6.Bd3 now. During the last decade this move has become White's main weapon in the Three Pawns Attack. 1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 c6 7.e5 [ The main alternative to the text seems to be 7.0-0 ] 7...dxe5 8.fxe5 [ 8.dxe5 will be considered in the game Marjanovic - Beliavsky. ] 1088
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 8...d5 [ 8...h5!? deserves attention, the game Borocz - Beliavsky, Ajka 1997 continued with 9.e3 g4 10.e2 f6 with complicated play. ] 9.xd5 xd5 10.c3 e6 11.0-0 White's position looks promising now, he is going to begin direct action on the kingside. ad8 12.f4! [ The immediate 12.e1 could be met by f6!? ] 12...d7 13.e1 f5 14.xf5 xf5 15.g3 h6 16.ae1 Swapping off the light squared bishops has not make black's life easier. e6 17.a3 a5 18.g5! d7 [ T a k i n g t h e b i s h o p b y 18...hxg5? was absolutely impossible as after 19.xg5 followed by Qh4 the black king would be mated soon. ] 19.h4! h5 This weakening is forced. 20.b4 c4 21.c1 Now the N is going to g5 to push away the queen so as to play e5-e6 breaking up black's pawn structure. b6 [ After 21...g4 22.f2 with Ng5 next black would face the same problems. ] 22.g5 c6 23.e6!+The decisive breakthrough. fxe6 24.xf8+ xf8 [ 24...xf8 was more tenacious but after 25.xe6+ g8 26.xg7+- winning, black has nothing to hope for. ] 25.f2! Mate is unavoidable so black resigned. It's not so easy to find other such convincing losses by Anand. A good achievement by Jaan Ehlvest. 1-0
1046 Felgaer,Ruben Peralta,Fernando 84th ch-ARG La Plata ARG (1) [John Watson]
B09 2561 2545 11.05.2009
The variations with 6 Bd3 Na6 in the Austrian Attack continue to fascinate. White has spent years trying to break down Black's position but ultimately it seems as though the second player can hold his own. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 We've seen this repeatedly. Let me simply show two recent games. g4
[ A fresh example of 8...b8 went 9.a4 ( 9.f5 is the most popular move, and we've seen; 9.e5 in an earlier update) 9...b4 10.c4 e6! 11.dxe6 xe6 12.xe6 fxe6 13.f5! (W hite was slightly worse otherwise) exf5 14.exf5 gxf5 15.h4! g4! 16.xf5 xf5! ( 16...xh2 17.h6! ) 17.xf5 h4 18.h3 d4+ 19.h1 f2+ 20.xf2 xf2 21.e4 ( 21.d2 ) 21...xc2 ( 21...f5! 22.xd6 xc2 ) 22.g4+ h8 23.h6 LivshitsLerner, Israel 2009 and here d5 24.g5 g6 25.f1 is equal. ] 9.h1 b8 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 c7 12.a4 d7!? [ 12...a6 13.a5!? b5! 14.d2 c8 15.b3 d4 was about equal in SeirawanSpeelman, Rreykjavik 1990. ] 13.c4 a6 14.d3 c8 15.a5 b5 16.axb6 xb6 17.xa6 [ 17.b3 b5! ] 17...xa6 18.xa6 a8!? [ 18...xa6 19.xa6 f5! , destroying White's ce n t r e , is a t le a st e q u a l , f o r e xa m p l e , 20.exf5 xc3! 21.bxc3 ( 21.xc3 xd5 22.f3 gxf5 ) 21...xd5 22.fxg6 b1 23.f1 ( 23.gxh7+ xh7 24.f1 xf4! w i t h i n i t i a t i v e) 23...hxg6 ( 23...xf4 24.a8+ g7 25.g1 c4!? 26.h6+ xh6 27.xb1 hxg6 is interesting, although you have to think that White can retain an edge )] 19.xc8 fxc8 20.b1! [ 20.xa8 xa8 21.h2 f5! 22.exf5 gxf5 , and ...Bxc3 is hard to stop. ] 20...xc3!? [ 20...cb8 ] 21.xc3 a4! 22.b4 [ W h it e ca n ke e p so m e e d ge wit h 22.b4 cxb4 23.xc8+ xc8 24.d2 b3! 25.cxb3 xe4 26.b4 b6 , which isn't clear, although W hite has the more attractive game after 27.b5 f5 28.a5 xd5 29.g3! ( 29.b6?! xb6 30.xb6 xf4 with a likely draw. ) 29...e3 30.h2 e2+ 31.g1 ] ½-½
1089
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1047 Fierz,Martin Gurevich,Mikhail Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (2) [Nigel Davies]
B09 33.g5+ h8 34.xh5 4e5 35.h6 d7 0-1 25.02.2001
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d3 xc5 8.e2 0-0 9.e3 a5 10.0-0 g4 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 c6 13.a3 [ The odd-looking 13.ab1 didn't achieve much either in Van der W eide, - Van der Sterren, Dutch Ch., Leeuwarden 2001: The game went e6 14.a3 d5 15.e5 d7 16.b4 d8 17.b5 a5 18.c4 dxc4 19.xc4 axb4 20.axb4 e7 21.fd1 fd8 22.e4 g5!? with excellent counterplay ] 13...d7 14.d2 d8!? When someone as strong as Gurevich plays this, take careful note. Black carefully moves his queen away from potential harassment by White's minor pieces. [ Zimmerman has been playing the more obvious 14...ac8 , Wong - Zimmerman, B u d a p e s t 2 0 0 0 go i n g o n 15.h1 a6 ( A month later the game Galyas Zimmerman, Budapest Spring Festival 2000 went 15...d8 16.g4 c5 17.f5 e5 18.g3 exd3 19.cxd3 b3 20.ad1 xd2 1/2-1/2 ) 16.f2 d8 17.ac1 b5 18.f5!? ce5 19.h4 e6 20.g5 f6 21.xf6 xf6 22.h6 g5 23.h5 g7 24.cd1 with a complex struggle ahead ] [ A n o t h e r a l t e r n a t i v e i s 14...d4 when Sameeh - Berelovich, Cairo 2000 went 15.f2 c5 16.d5 d8 17.c3 c6 18.xg7 xg7 and now 19.ad1 l o o k s r i g h t ( in the game he gave the e5 square away with 19.f5 )] 15.ae1 e6! Nice prophylaxis against a potential White attack. 16.h1 c8 17.f5 a6 18.g3 e5 19.f4 f6 20.xe5 xe5 21.e2 h5 22.e3 h4 23.g1 fe8 24.h6? Launching into a wild fling at his illustrious opponent. [ White should settle for a slight disadvantage with 24.fxe6 ] 24...exf5 25.f4 xd3 26.cxd3 fxe4 27.xh5 xh5 28.xh5 gxh5 29.dxe4 c4 30.f6 e6 31.f5 cxe4 32.ef1 e7
1048 Gharamian,Tigran Peralta,Fernando IV Open Calvia ESP (9) [John Watson]
B09 2557 2546 23.10.2007
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 This certainly is popular among stronger players! Maybe the 6...Nc6 lines are just a bit too passive, whether satisfactory or not. [ 6...c6 7.0-0 e5 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.d5 b4 Vigus suggests that the alternative 9...Ne7 is soun d, b ut tha t W h ite ca n ac hie ve a p ro m isin g e n d in g, so 9 . . . Nb 4 t a k e s o n a d d e d s i g n i f i c a n c e . 10.e2 d6?! (a funny piece to take on blockading functions, it does allow Black to develop quickly, but neither ...c6 nor ...f5 is achieved. ( 10...e8 followed by ...Nd6 has been Black's usual strategic plan.) 11.h1 g4? ( 11...d7 , to cover b 5) 12.e3 ad8 It seems that ...c6 will be necessary at some point. ( but 12...c6 13.a3 a6 14.dxc6! ) 13.a3 a6 14.d2! xe2 15.xe2 c5 16.b5 ( 16.c4 is close to winning outright: e7 17.f3 e8 18.a5! b8 19.f2 ) 16...e7 17.c4 The rest is not relevant to the opening. cd7 18.xa7 e8 19.b3 d6 20.b5 f6 21.xd6 cxd6 22.g5 h6 23.h4 c8 24.c4 g5 25.f2 e8 26.b6 d7 27.d3 f6 28.f2 d8 29.xd8 xd8 30.f1 g7 31.e3 f6 32.af1 h5 33.b3 c7 34.a4 cf7 35.f5 h7 36.h3 h8 37.e3 xf5 38.xf5 g6 39.c5 hf8 40.b4 a8 41.h4 gxh4 42.f3 g7 43.xh5 xa4 44.g4+ h8 45.h5+ h7 46.xh7+ xh7 47.f5 1-0 Hammer-Narciso Dublan, Crete GRE 2007 ] 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 g4!? I'm still not sure if anyone knows what's truly best here! Here are the other two recent games (Black scored 2.5 points to 0.5 after 6...Na6) [ 8...b8 9.f5 a5 (threatening ...c4, and if B x c 4 ? , . . . Q c 5 + ) 10.fxg6 ( 10.h1 ) 10...fxg6!? (Black gets some room in which 1090
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 to manoeuvre, and of course the f-file. His real goal is to get a knight to e5) 11.h1 g4!? (a strange mix of ideas: guarantee ... b5, then eliminate the attacker to ensure kingside safety. I don't know how good it is, but it works in this game) ( 11...g4 12.h3 e5 13.xe5 xf1+ 14.xf1 xe5 15.h6 d7 16.f3 ) 12.d2 d7 13.e2 b4 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 c4 (Black seems to be making more progress than White. In fact, he has achieved sufficient counterplay) 16.b1 e5 17.e2 a4 18.f4 c7 19.e2 xa2!? 20.c3 b5 21.a1 xc3 22.bxc3 b2 23.d2 d7 24.xa7 xc3 an d Bla c k win s. 25.d1 e5 26.e6 xf1+ 27.xf1 f6 28.f3 xc2 29.a3 c3 30.e1 b2 31.a1 c2 32.c1 c8 33.d2 f7 34.h6 e8 35.g4 xg4 36.hxg4 xc1+ 37.xc1 b2 0-1 Okkes, M-Pel, B, Hoogeveen NED 2007/ ] [ 8...c7 (abnormal: Black says goodbye to ...Nb4 ideas. Then again, he doesn't 'waste' time on ...Rb8) 9.e1 (thematic) ( 9.a4 b6 10.e1 e6 ) 9...b5!? A) 10.xb5! fxd5!? ( 10...xb5!? 11.xb5 d7!? ) 11.exd5 xc3 12.xc3 xb5 13.e3 c7 14.c4 e6; B) 10.xb5? c4! 11.xc7 xc7 12.e2 xe4 (suddenly Black has an extra centre pawn and powerful bishops) 13.h1 b7 14.f5 (desperation) xd5 15.h4 e6 16.g5 xg5 17.xg5 exf5 and wins. 18.ad1 e4 19.f3 fe8 20.f4 ad8 21.g3 xc2 22.xd6 xd6 23.xd6 b6 24.c7 xb2 25.c6 f8 26.h4 d4 27.h5 d3 28.e1 g4 29.hxg6 h5+ 30.h2 xh2+ 31.xh2 0-1 Van den Brande)-Cekro, E (2433) Belgium BEL 2007. ] 9.c4 c7 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 a6 12.a4 b6 13.d3 e6 14.dxe6 [ 14.f5!? is recommended by Khalifman. Blindly following the computer I get A) maybe Black does all right with 14...exf5 15.exf5 d7 ( 15...b5?! 16.axb5 axb5 17.xa8 xa8 18.xb5! cxd5 19.xd5 xd5 20.g4 is slightly better for White, according to Khalifman I'm following Vigus for this research. I think that's true, or even better than he says for White.) 16.g3! e5 This may
be playable for Black, but he does have to deal with Bg5 and if he strays, f6.; B) 14...gxf5 15.exf5 exd5 16.xd5 ( 16.xd5?! fxd5 17.xd5 d4+ 18.h1 xd5 19.c3 xc3 ) 16...cxd5 17.xd5 xd5 18.xd5 d4+ ( 18...e7!? ) 19.h1 f6 20.c3 e5 . At any rate, Peralta probably had something planned. ] 14...fxe6 15.d1 d5! A nice pawn sacrifice to activate Black's pieces and take advantage of his better development. 16.exd5 fxd5 [ Or 16...exd5 , although ... dxc4 isn't threatened just yet. ] 17.xd5 [ White gets only one more option by 17.xd5 exd5 18.xd5 ( 18.a5!? , but b5 19.xd5 d4+ ) 18...xd5 ( 18...d4+ 19.e3 isn't worth it) 19.xd5+ xd5 20.xd5 ad8 gives obvious compensation: 21.xd8 xd8 22.f2 d1 23.g3 f7 24.f3 f1+ 25.e2 h1 26.f3 f1+ etc. ] 17...exd5 18.xd5+ xd5 19.xd5+ xd5 20.xd5 This has transposed to the last note. ½-½
1049 Graf,Alexander Tischbierek,Raj ch-GER Koenigshofen GER (5) [John Watson]
B09 2610 2486 23.01.2007
A pretty game of some theoretical significance. 1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 This line has survived all attempts at refutation. The idea of ...c5 makes up for the knight's decentralization. 7.xa6!? "An exchange on a6 in unprofitable for White, because his lightsquared bishop plays an important part for an attack on the kingside." - Aleksei Lugovoi, in 'The Pirc Defence' In Nunn and McNabb's 'The Ultimate Pirc', 7 Bxa6 isn't even mentioned! For one thing, it's the second move by the strong bishop. bxa6 Black has two bishops and the b-f ile, while W hite's central weak square on e4 is on light squares! But chess isn't always logical (until you look back and adjust your logic!). 8.0-0! b7!? 1091
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ It may be better not to commit the bishop y e t . T h e o t h e r n a t u r a l m o v e i s 8...b8 , for example, 9.e5!? ( 9.e1 c6; 9.d3 a5 with the idea 10.b3 c5 ) 9...g4!? ( 9...d7 10.e1 c5 ) 10.h3 h6 11.g4 ( 11.d5 ) 11...b7 , which is hardly clear. One p o s s i b i l i t y i s 12.f5!? dxe5 ( 12...c5 looks playable; 12...gxf5? 13.g5 traps the knight! ) 13.dxe5 xd1 14.xd1 f6!? ] 9.e1! Could White already be better here? The problem is e5, good bishop or no. At some point the stereotyped attack via Qh4 and f5 has to be considered as well. c8! Black moves to secure the light squares so as to block White's activity, and he prepares the vital undermining move ...c5. [ a)A no th er light -squa re e xa mp le , 9...e6 10.e5 ( or 10.d2 d7 11.e5 d5 12.xd5 xd5 13.b3 f5 ) 10...d5 ( 10...d7!? 11.d2 e7 ) 11.d2 f5 Black's bishop on g7 is pretty awful, but he can aim for a break by ...c5. ] [ b) Or he can go directly for ...c5 by 9...c8!? , since 10.e5 d7 is unclear: 11.e6 fxe6 12.xe6+ h8 13.e3 ( 13.g5 xd4+ 14.e3 c5 15.h3 f6 ) 13...c5 with the idea 14.d5? xc3 15.bxc3 b6 ] 10.d2 [ 10.e5 d5 11.xd5 xd5 seems okay for the second player. ] 10...b8!? I'm not su re that Black can fully equalise, but it's hard for White to get through after [ 10...c5 11.d5 ( 11.e5 d7 12.d5 b6 13.h4 f6 ) 11...b8 with the idea 12.h4 g4 ] [ or 10...e6 11.e5 d7 with the idea 12.h4?! c5 ] 11.d1!? [ Or 11.e5 d5 12.e4 ] 11...a8?! Now the bishop cant get back to c8 and things go downhill. [ 11...c5 12.d5 a5 ] 12.b3 b7 13.e5 d7 [ 13...e4 14.d5! xd2 15.xd2 ] 14.h4 c5 15.d5 dxe5 16.f5! gxf5 17.g5!? Not bad, but safer was [ 17.h6! f6 18.xg7 xg7 19.h5! threatens the powerful Nh4-f5: ( 19.h3 f4 20.e4 c4 ) 19...f4 20.h4 b6 21.f3 etc. ]
17...h6 [ P e rh a p s b e st wa s 17...f6!? 18.xf5 b4!? 19.h3! ( 19.g3 g4 ) 19...d4+ ( 19...g4 ) 20.f1 g4 21.xh7! xh3 22.xf6+ xf6 23.gxh3 with a substantial edge. ] 18.xf5 f6 [ 18...e6 19.xf7! xf7 20.xf7 xf7 21.xh6! f6 22.dxe6+ xe6 23.g4+ e7 24.e4! ] [ 18...c4 19.ge4 b6+ 20.h1 g6 21.df1 ] 19.xf6! hxg5? [ But White has enough power to get through after 19...exf6 20.ge4 f5! 21.f6+ xf6 22.xf6 b6 23.xe5 fe8 ( 23...g6 24.f1 fe8 25.xf5 ) 24.xf5 g6 25.xg6+ fxg6 26.xh6 White's d-pawn is too much. ] 20.xg5 exf6 [ 20...c4 21.e4 cxb3 22.axb3 and Bh6 follows. ] 21.h6 1-0
1050 Greet,Andrew Chatalbashev,Boris Premier Hastings ENG (3) [James Vigus]
B09 2441 2581 30.12.2007
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 c6 7.e5 dxe5 8.fxe5 d7 9.e2 Played with the same idea as 9 Ne4 - to shore up the centre with c2-c3 - but with an extra-solid defence. This is unlikely to trouble Black's standard counterplay. b4 10.c4 [ Wherever this bishop runs it is liable to be hit again. I suppose 10.e4 is feasible, intending f5 ( or 10...c5 11.c3 c6 ) 11.d3 when Black's f-pawn would really like to move backwards to f6 - but this is rather artificial. ] 10...b6 11.b3 a5?! [ Very original play, with a scheme in mind to secure the d5-square for a Black knight. Despite its success in the game, though, this seems a somewhat static procedure, and I see nothing wrong with the obvious1092
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 looking 11...c5 12.-- , e.g. ( 12.d2 c6 13.dxc5 d7 14.e6 fxe6 15.xe6+ h8; 12.c3? c4!; or 12.dxc5 xd1+ 13.xd1 d7 14.e6 xc5 15.exf7+ h8 . Perhaps Chatalbashev feared that the simplifications in this last line might become drawish but Black with his bishoppair has excellent prospects. )] 12.a3 a6 [ Black would have some compensation after 12...a4 13.xf7+ xf7 14.axb4 g4 , but doesn't really need to do this. ] 13.e3?! [ It seems natural to prevent ...c5, but is this actually in White's interest now that Black has spent time manoeuvring his knights offside? 13.0-0 c5 14.a2 cxd4 15.exd4 looks a fairly pleasant edge for White. ] 13...a4 14.a2 d5 15.f2 b5 16.0-0 c6 17.d2 ac7 Now Black has consolidated, and although White can claim a slight plus, he has to take care not to let his bishop on a2 become exiled from the kingside action. 18.c3 g4 19.ae1 xf3 20.gxf3 f6 21.exf6 [ Better than 21.f4 d7 , when it's the turn of W h ite 's d ark-squa red bisho p t o f e e l claustrophobic. ] 21...exf6 22.c1! d7 23.g3 e6 24.d3 This well-placed piece covers several critical squares, not least tying Black's Ne6 down to defence of the hole on c5. Perhaps this knight gave Greet the dangerous impression of keeping his whole position intact... fe8 25.f4 There was no particular hurry for this committal push: W hite could tuck his king in the corner, and conside r doubling rooks on the e-file or bringing the queen to h3 via g2. It's less easy for Black to improve his position: he'd like to rejuvenate his bishop by bringing it to d6, but after ...Bf8, White's f4-f5 advance might be troublesome. h8 26.h4? But this (with the easily thwarted purpose of threatening f4-f5, by removing the g5-square from the black knight) is terribly over-optimistic: White makes no impression on his opponent's kingside and weakens only his own. h6 27.h5 g7 28.hxg6 g4! 29.g2 xg6 30.b1? [ It was necessary to get rid of the piece threatening to invade on e3, even though 30.xd5 cxd5 remains clearly in Black's
favour. ] 30...f5 31.h2 [ Hastening the end, but also nasty was 31.f3 g8 and 32...Nh4. ] 31...h5! 32.g3 xg3 33.xe8+ xe8 0-1
1051 Hernandez,Gilberto Khalifman,Alexander II Magistral (6) [Nigel Davies]
B09
22.05.2001
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+ Some big guns have wheeled this variation out, and it actually requires very accurate handling by Black. fxd7 8.d5 b5 9.e2 Protecting the e-pawn and vacating the d1 square for the knight. [ After 9.xb5 Black obtained adequate play with a5+ 10.c3 xc3+ 11.bxc3 xc3+ 12.d2 c4 13.e2 b6! ( 13...xe2+ 14.xe2 f6 15.d3 bd7 16.hb1 0-0 17.c4 ab8 18.a5 was better for White in Heymann - Lopatskaya, European Womens' Ch., W arsaw 2001) 14.a4 a5 15.xc4 xc4 16.c3 0-0 17.e2 d7 18.d2 cb6 19.g4 e6 20.dxe6 fxe6 in Rytshagov - Agrest, Stockholm 1997 ] 9...b4 10.d1 b6 11.0-0 0-0 12.f2 c8! 13.f5!? A suggested improvement on Shirov - Belyavsky, Linares 1997. [ I n t h a t g a m e S h i r o v p l a y e d 13.e1 after which Black should probably have played the immediate a6 ( in the game Black played 13...a5 14.b1 e6 15.c4 ! bxc3 16.bxc3 a6 17.dxe6 ! xe2 18.xe2 a4 and now 19.exf7+ xf7 20.c2 would have left White with a clear a d v a n t a g e .) 14.d1 c4 with counterplay. ] 13...a6 14.e1 8d7 15.g4 f6 16.h6+ xh6 Giving up the dark-squared bishop is a necessary evil. [ 16...h8 A) the tempting 17.xf7+ fails to convince after xf7 18.g5 ff8 19.h4 g8 20.fxg6 hxg6 21.xf6 xf6 22.h7+ f8 23.e6+ xe6 24.dxe6 c4! ( and not 1093
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 24...d4+ 25.e3 xe3+ 26.h1 etc. ) 25.h6 xe6 etc.; B) 17.fxg6 followed by Qh4 is horrible for Black ] 17.xh6 fe8 18.fxg6 hxg6 19.g5 bd7 20.f4 c4 This seems to give Black just enough counterplay, but the experience of watching W hite's kingside build-up is definitely not for the feint-hearted. 21.h4 xc2 22.af1 xb2 23.h3 c3 24.g3 e5 25.h4 e3+ 26.h1 e2 27.g1 e3+ 28.h1 e2 29.g1 e3+ ½-½
1052 Ivanovic,Bozidar Gurevich,Mikhail Luzern [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1989
This game features one of white's sharpest weapons - the Three Pawns Attack. By playing e4,d4 and f4 W hite creates a very strong pawn centre and prepares a kingside attack. On the other hand this ambitious plan gives Black count ercha nces, as th e see mingly strong central pawns may become a target. That is why this line usually leads to very interesting encounters. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.e5 First we'll consider this direct attempt to push black's pieces back. fd7 [ The endgame after 5...dxe5 6.dxe5 xd1+ 7.xd1 g4 8.e1 is slightly better for White. ] 6.f3 c5 [ A direct and logical reaction but 6...0-0 also looks good, we consider this line in the game Skvortsov - Erymovsky, where big complications arose after 7.h4 c5 ] 7.exd6 0-0! Black is just continuing his development, not counting the pawns. 8.dxc5 [ I t ' s t o o r i s k y t o g r a b t h e p a w n 8.dxe7 xe7+ 9.e2 cxd4 10.b5?! ( 10.xd4 is probably better, but after e8 I prefer Black. ) 10...c6 11.0-0 a6 and Black was clearly better in Pfleger - Torre, Manila, 1974. ] [ In my opinion, 8.e3 is best: exd6 9.d2 c6 10.0-0-0 a5 11.f5 with mutual
chances, Sax - Sigurjonsson,1975. ] 8...a5!? An interesting attempt. [ After 8...xc5 9.c4 exd6 10.0-0 white was able to hide his king in a safe place although black is also fine here, as the weakness of the d6-pawn is co mp en sa t ed b y t he a ct ivity o f B la ck 's pieces. ] 9.e2 [ 9.e3!? was interesting. ] 9...xc3+ We also see this kind of concrete approach in the game Dorenberg - M.Gurevich. Of course the bishop on g7 is a very powerful piece but black achieves other pluses instead. [ If 9...xc5?! white could obtain a reasonable position by both 10.b5!? ( and 10.d3 )] 10.bxc3 xc3+ 11.d2 xc5 12.dxe7 e8 13.b1 c6 So white h as problems castling his king. One can hardly talk seriously about the dark square weaknesses in the black king's camp. 14.b3! The correct way to push the black queen back. [ After 14.b5? xe7 15.c3 b6 The white king was in real trouble. ] 14...xe7 15.c3 b6 16.b3 c7!? Black is trying to get more than a draw by repetition and he is absolutely correct, as his pieces are better developed and white has pawn weaknesses on the queenside. 17.0-0 c5 18.a3!? [ 18.e3 e4! was also in black's favour. ] 18...g4?! A strange move. [ T h e n a t u r a l 18...f5 was better, with a serious advantage. ] 19.h3 xf3 20.xf3 d8 21.c1 d4 22.f5! Well played! Now black should be careful with regard to his king. e2+ [ After 22...e2 23.g5 white would also obtain counterplay ] 23.xe2 xe2 24.h6! Still the same ideato utilise the dark square weaknesses, but Black's defensive resources are sufficient as Black's pieces are very active. e4 25.b2 [ 25.d3 deserved attention as after xd3 26.cxd3 xg2+ 27.xg2 g3+ black could hardly find more than perpetual check. ] 25...f6 26.b3+?! A dubious move which leaves the rook on a3 out of play for a while. [ C o r r e c t w a s 26.e3! when xg2+? does not work: 27.xg2 d2+ 28.f3+1094
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 winning ] 26...h8 27.b5?? Probably white was in serious time trouble which would explain his l a s t t w o m o v e s . xc2 28.h1 xg2 Black takes everything. 29.f4 f2 30.f3 xf3 31.xf3 d1+ 32.f1 f2+ [ 32...c6! was not bad either. ] 33.g2 Other retreats were also losing: [ 33.g1 xh3+ 34.h1 xf1+ 35.xf1 e4+ ] [ 33.h2 g4+ 34.g3 ( 34.g1 f2+; 34.h1 e4+ 35.g1 xf4 ) 34...d3+ 35.f3 f2+ 36.xg4 h5# ] 33...e4+ 34.g3 d3+ White resigned. 0-1
1053 Jovanovic,Zoran2 Bukal,Vladimir Jr 17th Open A Zadar CRO (6.4) [Gawain Jones]
B09 2527 2390 15.12.2010
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 Black's second most common try (after 5...0-0). It has been looked at in some detail in the archives but this is the first time I ' v e i n v e s t i g a t e d i t m y s e l f . 6.dxc5 This continues to be popular and is probably a critical test of 5...c5. [ 6.b5+ is the other critical continuation. d7 7.e5 ( 7.xd7+ is seen in Yudin, S (2531) -Tseshkovsky, V (2504) Dagomys 2008 looked at by John Watson. ) 7...g4 A) 8.xd7+ xd7 9.d5 ( 9.h3 Shirov, A (2719)-Markowski, T (2629) W a r s a w 2 0 0 9 i s l o o k e d a t b y N e i l .) 9...dxe5 10.h3 e4 11.xe4 f6 12.xf6+ xf6 13.0-0 0-0 ( 13...d6 is suggested as an improvement by Nigel Davies in the archives in Senff, MGurevich, M Pardubice 2000 but this is a l s o f i n e .) 14.e5 a4 ( 14...d6! and White won't be able to keep his knight on e5 so Black is doing well.) 15.c4 xd1 16.xd1 d8 17.d2 d7 18.c3 and W hite had a small edge but Black held the draw. Baklan, V (2602)-Hillarp Persson, T (2524) Reykjavik 2011.; B) 8.e6 xb5 ( 8...fxe6 is the alternative and been examined in various games in
the archives. ) 9.exf7+ B1) 9...f8 is rarer but was one of the e li t e 's ch o i ce in K a r ja k in , S (2 7 3 2 ) Mamedyarov, S(2760) Nice 2008. That c o n t i n u e d : 10.xb5 a5+ 11.c3 cxd4 ( 11...c6 is annotated by Nigel Davies in Korneev, O-Cebada, F Coria del Rio 2001 but is a weaker alternative.) 12.xd4 xf7 13.0-0 c5 14.xg4 ( 14.ce2 is Rybka's choice.) 14...xd4+ 15.h1 xc3 16.bxc3 f5 17.e2 d7 and Black's structural edge compensated for his slightly loose king.; B2) 9...d7 10.xb5 a5+ 11.c3 cxd4 12.xd4 B2a) 12...xd4 13.xd4 c6 14.c4 b4 Nabaty, T (2565)-Arun, K ( 2 2 9 4 ) N e w D e l h i 2 0 1 1 wh e n t h e f o r c e d l i n e s t a r t i n g ( 14...b6 h a s b e e n m o re co m m o n a l t h o u g h 15.e2 h5 16.h3 h6 17.d2 f5 18.0-0-0 g3 19.d3 xh1 20.xh1 lo o ks p ro m isin g t o m e .) 15.b3 looks good for W hite: b6 16.d2 hf8 ( 16...f2+ 17.d1 xg2 18.e1+- ) 17.e4 ac8 18.xb4 e3+ 19.xe3 xe3 20.f2 xc2 21.xd6! exd6 22.ad1 c6 23.f3 xf7 24.d2 and White has a decisive endgame advantage.; B2b) 12...h5 13.h3 ( 13.f3 is examined in the archives by Andrew Martin, see Wempe, J (2265)K o ro t yl e v, A ( 2 6 0 3 ) W ijk a a n Ze e 2005. ) 13...h6 ( 13...c6 has been more common and is probably a better try.) 14.e3 c6 Smith, A (2445)-Hillarp Persson, T ( 2 5 1 7 ) B o r u p 2 0 1 0 w h e n 15.d3! looks the most accurate when Black is struggling to hold. ] [ I n st e a d a G M clo se t o 2 6 0 0 t rie d 6.e5 and achieved some advantage after dxe5 ( Instead 6...fd7 is probably better and was seen in Kramnik, V (2754)-Grischuk, A (2710) W ijk aan Zee 2005 annotated by Andrew Martin.) 7.dxe5 xd1+ 8.xd1 g4 9.b5+ d7 10.e2 xb5+ 11.xb5 a6 12.h3 h6 13.g4 0-0 14.e3 and W hite's extra space promised him a cl e a r e d g e . Zu b a r e v, A ( 2 5 9 4 )- N e u , A 1095
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Anzere 2011. ] 6...a5 7.d4 This was extremely rare until a couple of years ago but has become very fashionable with many games annotated in the archives. [ 7.d3 has been played in the vast majority of games. ] 7...0-0 This is the sharpest option. [ 7...c6 has also been seen a fair bit recently. 8.b5 A) 8...dxc5 9.a4 xa4 10.xa4 has been featured twice in the archives with the consensus that W hite is doing well after both d7 Papp, G (2524)-Medic, M (2244) Pula 2009 [John Watson] ( and 10...d7 Ledger, A (2425)-Baker, C (2351) Staverton 2009 [John Watson]. ); B) 8...0-0 was criticised by John 9.a4 c7!? A new try against England's yo u n g e s t G M a n d wh a t lo o ks li k e a n i m p o r t a n t i m p r o v e m e n t . ( 9...xa4 was investigated in Anisimov, P (2482)Voinov, A (2428) Krasnoyarsk 2007 [John Watson] ) 10.e3 ( 10.cxd6 exd6 11.0-0 is an important alternative but Black still appears to have decent compensation.) 10...d7 11.0-0-0 a6 12.xc6 xc6 13.cxd6 Maybe this is a mistake. ( 13.b4 keeping the queenside closed could be better although I still believe Black had decent compensation.) 13...exd6 14.b4 fe8 15.b6 a5 16.b3 c8?! ( Black had to throw in 16...a4! 17.b4 c8 with good compensation for the pawn. ) 17.g5! f8 18.xd6 h6 when 19.d4! would keep the material advantage. ( 19.xf7!? Howell, D (2597)Mitchell, M (2195) Hastings 2009. ); C) 8...d7 This has been favoured by John in the past. 9.a4 ( He also looked at 9.xc6 but here Black gets good play.) 9...xa4 ( 9...d8 10.e5! g4 11.exd6 0-0 was looked at by John in Kapnisis, S (2464)-Gurevich, M (2618) Chalkida 2009 but here I believe White can improve with 12.f5! xf5 13.g5 with a highly complex position but one in which W hite has the better chances, i.e. h6 14.h3 ge5 15.xe5 xe5 16.xh6 g3+ 17.d2 exd6 18.xc6 bxc6 19.ad1 and White's king will find safety on the queenside)
10.xa4 b4 11.b3 e6 when White saw nothing better than the draw with 12.a4+ ( 12.0-0 xb3 13.axb3 dxc5 14.e5 g4 15.e1 is given by John in which he rightly says W hite maintains a pull.; 12.e2!? is the computer's choice and makes sense with the queens exchanged. W hite looks to have a pleasant position following xb3 13.cxb3 dxc5 14.d1 ) 12...d7 13.b3 e6 14.a4+ d7 15.b3 1/2-1/2 Leventic, I (2498)-Lazic, M (2502) Borovo 2010. ] [ 7...dxc5 is Black's final alternative but this is what W hite's hoping for with Qd4 and Watson believes White can get an edge with A) 8.b5+ is the alternative: A1) 8...d7 A1a) 9.xc5?! is very risky as a recent game proved: 0-0! 10.b4?! xe4! 11.xe4 xb5 12.b1 a6 ( Black could also win material instantly with 12...c8 13.xb5 xb5 14.d1 c4 15.a3 a2 ) 13.xb5 xb5 14.b2 fc8 15.xg7 xg7 16.d4 c4 17.c3 xd4! 18.cxd4 d3 19.c1 xe4 20.b5 b4 21.0-0 d8 22.c4 d5 was rather one sided. 0-1 Chan Wei Xuan, T (2338)Gagunashvili, M (2596) Manila 2010.; A1b) 9.xd7+ bxd7 10.d2 d8 and the line is left here by John. Let's go a little further: 11.0-0 g4 12.d5 ( 12.e2!? xc3 13.bxc3 0-0 looks risky but is probably viable.) 12...xd2 13.xd2 e6 14.e3 xe3 15.xe3 b6 16.e5 f6 and Black should hold without too much difficulty.; A2) 8...xb5 9.xf6 xf6 10.xb5 a6 11.e5 ( 11.0-0 d7 12.a4 c6 13.e5 g7 14.e3 0-0 15.c3 fc8 16.f2 was similar Eulering, G (2094)He n rich s, T (2 4 7 1) S o lin ge n 2 0 1 0 .) 11...g7 12.e3 looks easier to play for White with his better structure (that pawn on c5 is a real problem for Black) and I have scored well in this type of queenless middlegame arising from the Grand Prix Attack. However John gives analysis in the archives indicating that Black's position is playable.; 1096
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B) 8.c4 0-0 when Watson's main line co n t in u e s : 9.e5 e6 ( 9...g4 10.h3 h6 11.e3 a6 12.b5!? Hector is happy to repeat this but John mentions that 12.0-0-0 might be stronger. xb5 13.xb5 b6 14.g4 b7 15.f2 b4 16.hc1 fd8 17.a3 d5 18.xd5 xd5 Hector, J (2592)-Jahnel, G (2320) Nuremberg 2010 when the Swedish GM should have preferred 19.d1 preventing f6? as 20.exf6 exf6 21.xd5 ) B1) 10.a4 has been the choice of a couple of GMs recently. xa4 11.xa4 fd7 ( 11...e4 looks stronger but White still has an edge.) 12.e3 f6 13.xc5 xc5 14.xc5 c6 15.exf6 ( 15.b5 fxe5 16.xc6 bxc6 17.fxe5 was Savchenko, B (2642)-Selbes, T (2263) Konya 2010 when f5 18.0-0-0 d5 would give Black good hopes of holding the ending.) 15...xf6 16.c3 d5 17.e2 g7 18.g3 f5 19.e3 e5 20.0-0 e8 21.ae1 exf4 22.xf4 and Black had insufficient play for the pawn. He trie d xe2?! but 23.xe2 xf3 24.xf3 g5 Heberla, B (2532)Selbes, T (2263) Konya 2010 (yes the same tournament - Selbes evidently believes in this line for Black!) 25.f2! gxf4 26.xf4 xf4+ 27.gxf4 looks like a lost endgame.; B2) 10.exf6!? xc4 11.fxg7 d8 12.xc4 was played in a Correspondence game and on the surface I like the idea. Indeed it was good enough to convert the full point in Grabliauskas, V (2494) -Samraoui, M (2420) ICCF email 2004 Telechess.; B3) 10.b5 xb5 11.xb5 d5 12.xd5 xd5 13.e3 b6 14.0-0-0 e6 15.e2 ( 15.h4!? also looks interesting to me ) 15...f6 16.c4 e4 17.hg1 fxe5 18.fxe5 h6 19.d6 when White has a definite advantage. ] 8.cxd6 White continues with the most critical option. [ 8.d2 is a safer option and is also a decent attempt at an advantage. c6 9.c4 ( 9.f2 is examined by John but he overlooks b4! which is awkward to deal with. ) 9...xc5 ( 9...e6 10.b5 xb5
11.xb5 dxc5 12.xc6 bxc6 13.e5 is offered by Andrew Martin and gives White a very pleasant endgame.) 10.xc5 dxc5 11.e5 g4 ( 11...e8 Milov, L (2454)Gonzales, J (2403) Castelldefels 2004 is looked at by Andrew Martin in the archives.) 12.h3 h6 13.g4 f6 14.c4+ f7 15.exf6 exf6 16.0-0-0 and White's greater space and more active pieces gave him the better chances. Baklan, V (2638)-Altini, D (2260 ) Bratto 2010. ] 8...c6 [ 8...exd6 has been played a couple of times recently and is reasonable. 9.d2 e8 ( 9...c6 10.f2 b4 11.d3 g4 12.e2 xb2 13.b1 a3 14.b3 a5 15.h3 f6 16.0-0 e6 Kokolias, K (2238)Dimopoulos, N (1933) Agios Kirykos 2010 when there was nothing wrong with grabbing the b7 pawn with a clear edge.) 10.d3 ( T h e e n e r g e t i c 10.b5! d8 11.e5 loo ks strong.) 10...d8 11.f2 xe4 12.xe4 d5 13.e5 dxe4 14.c4 e6 15.xe6 xe6 and Black had taken the upper hand. Fieandt, J (2185)-Vainio, V (2214) Finland 2009. ] [ 8...xe4 is given as the critical line by John. It is exceedingly dangerous but probably the best theoretical try. 9.xe4 xc3+ 10.bxc3 xc3+ 11.f2 xa1 12.dxe7 e8 13.c4 "with excellent attacking chances in return for the exchange". In fact I believe Black will h a v e t o p l a y v e r y we l l t o a vo i d l o s i n g instantly. Therefore it's probably useful to extend the line a few moves. f6! Forced ( 13...c6? 14.xf7+! xf7 15.c4+ g7 16.b3 picks up the queen.) 14.a3 e6 15.xe6 ( 15.xb7 d7 16.d1 xc4 17.xd7 b6+ also leaves a draw odds on f a v o u r i t e .) 15...xe6 16.xe6 fxe6 17.e5 c6 18.xc6 bxc6 will probably end as a draw. ] 9.d2 Thus far has all been covered by John in the past when he wrote that he didn't see anything particularly good for Black here. Now we get a practical test and it seems John was correct. exd6 The time has come to start recapturing pawns. [ 9...d8 10.e5 e8 11.d5 xd2+ 12.xd2 exd6 13.b5 dxe5 14.xc6 bxc6 15.e7+ h8 16.xc6 is obviously very 1097
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 good for White. ] 10.d3 White's queen is a little misplaced on d2 while Black has a lead in development but he has lost his e7 pawn over a normal Dragon position and so must strike fast if he hopes to have any compensation for the pawn deficit. h5?! And this move doesn't really achieve anything. [ 10...b4 is offered by Rybka but its plan doesn't really get anywhere, i.e. 11.0-0 e6 12.g5 d7 13.e2 h6 14.f3 c5+ 15.h1 g4 16.a3 c6 17.d3 and White is successfully unravelling. ] [ Perhaps playing as in the game with 10...e8 11.0-0 a6 followed by ...b5 is Black's best but it's obvious that White has the better chances. ] 11.0-0 e8 12.h3 b5?! Rash and objectively this just loses a further pawn but Bukal was clutching at straws. 13.f2? And this justifies Black's previous. [ Had Jovanovic calculated correctly he would have seen that the pawn was edible: 13.xb5 c5+ ( 13...xe4 14.d5! was perhaps what W hite overlooked but now xd5 15.xd5 b7 16.c7 is awful. ) 14.e3 xe3+ 15.xe3 b7 16.d2 and Black has no compensation for either pawn sacrificed! ] 13...b4 14.e2 This keeps hold of the e4 pawn thanks to the knight fork on g3 but Black has at least managed to gain some space on the queenside. a5 Back to where it should h a v e b e e n a l l a l o n g ! 15.g3 h5?! This is the start of an ill-advised combination. [ Bukal should have been content with 15...a6 but it's obvious White is on top still as Black is still scrabbling f or anything resembling compensation. ] 16.d2 h4?! This was the point of the previous move but he missed something. 17.xh4 xe4 Ok perhaps I should also mark this as dubious but then what else? 18.xe4 d5 [ Considering White's riposte maybe 18...f5 should have been preferred but now White has a choice on how to reach a winning position. 19.ae1 This is simplest ( 19.xd6 d4 20.xd4 xd4 21.xe8 is also very good for W hite but in general when up material you don't want to create
any imbalances.) 19...fxe4 20.xe4 f5 21.xe8+ xe8 22.xf5 gxf5 23.e1 and W hite is two pawns up with an initiative. ] 19.f5! This must be what Black overlooked. Jovanovic leaves the knight to it's death but in re t u rn o p e n s u p B la ck' s ve ry vu ln e ra b le monarch. g5 [ 19...dxe4 20.fxg6 f6 21.ae1 and Black wouldn't last long. ] 20.f6! f8 21.g3 The human move. [ The computer is happy to give up the queen with 21.xg5!! c5 22.h7+ A) 22...h8 loses to 23.xf7+ xh7 24.g5+ h6 ( 24...h8 25.g6+ g8 26.f7+ ) 25.e6+ h7 26.xc5; B) 22...f8 23.xf7! xf2+ 24.xf2 and Black has no hope of defending the minor pieces assault. ] 21...dxe4 22.xg5 h7 23.ae1 Black's opening has obviously been a failure. He is two pawns down while he will get mated shortly. d5 24.xe4 [ 24.g6! is the computer's suggestion but if a h u m a n were t o p lay t h e m o ve in t h is position I think you should be able to reserve the right to search him! ] 24...xe4 25.f3 Not throwing anything away but [ 25.f4 d6 26.h6! was a more clinical finish. ] 25...c5+ 26.h1 [ 26.e3! ] 26...xg5 [ Black could have struggled on a little longer with 26...g8 but only into a lost endgame after 27.xe4 ( 27.xe4 is also very good for White. ) 27...xe4 28.xe4 ] 27.xe4+ g8 28.xc6 b8 29.f3 [ 29.e8+ f8 30.h7+ xh7 31.xf7++- ] 29...h5 30.c7 a8 31.g3+ f8 32.e1 h6 33.e5 A one sided encounter and pro o f t h a t 7 . Q d 4 is still a crit ica l wa y o f playing against 5...c5. I still don't see an entirely comfortable way to reach equality for the second player. 1-0
1098
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1054 Kapnisis,Spyridon Gurevich,Mikhail 24th ICT Acropolis (2) [John Watson]
B09 2464 2618 11.08.2009
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d4 White continues to try this move with success, this time at pretty high levels against a superb theoretician. c6 [ Here are excerpts from the previous updates of 7 Qd4, with new games to follow: a) 7...0-0 hasn't worked out for Black in either theory or practice. "More daring is A) 8.d2 c6 9.f2 xc5?! ( The white queen is a little awkwardly placed so Black would have done better to play 9...dxc5 . At least the game is more complicated after something like 10.e5 g4 11.h4 h6 . ) 10.xc5 dxc5 11.e5 d7?! ( 11...g4 was a better chance. Black's plan of opening the centre wh e n w a y b e h i n d i n d e v e l o p m e n t i s doomed to failure.) 12.0-0-0 f6 13.c4+ h8 14.exf6 exf6 15.e3 White has won the opening battle. a6 16.he1; B) 8.cxd6! and 8 Bd2 seem to give White a substantial edge, the former continuing xe4 ( the critical line I don't see anything particularly good for Black after 8...c6 9.d2 ) 9.xe4 xc3+ 'and now White should prefer 10.bxc3! xc3+ 11.f2 xa1 12.dxe7 e8 13.c4 with more than enough for the exchange.' ] [ b) 7...dxc5 8.c4! ( see my earlier update for close analysis of 8.b5+ ) 8...0-0 9.e5!? There are two other choices: ( I also look at 9.b5 ) 9...e6 ( 9...h5 10.e3 ) 10.b5 xb5 11.xb5! d5 ( 11...fd7?! 12.g5; 11...g4?! 12.h3 h6 13.e3 ) 12.xd5 xd5 13.e3 and White is better see earlier updates. ] 8.b5 d7 [ I also analysed 8...0-0?! 9.a4! xa4 10.xa4 in some depth, to White's advantage as well as ] [ 8...dxc5 9.a4! ] 9.a4 d8 [ 9...xa4 10.xa4 b4! 11.b3 e6! 12.0-0 xb3 13.axb3 dxc5 14.e5 g4
15.e1 is a forcing line that gets Black close to equality, although White may still have some pull after, for example, 0-0 16.h3 h6 17.g4! ] 10.e5 g4 [ 10...dxe5?! 11.fxe5 g4 has the drawback that the queen on a4 looks at the knight on g4, so 12.xc6 bxc6 13.f4 with a huge advantage. ] 11.exd6 [ 11.h3 a6 12.xc6 xc6 13.c4 xf3 14.gxf3 h6 15.a4+ d7 16.cxd6 exd6 17.d2 ( 17.xd7+ xd7 ) 17...b5 18.e4 0-0 19.0-0-0 f5 20.he1 fe8 21.d5 with the ideas and Nb6 and Bc3. W hite seems to stand better, but this is a complex position. ] 11...0-0 12.h3 a6 13.xc6 xc6 14.c4 Probably not best. [ 14.b3 and ] [ 14.a3 are more natural. ] 14...h6 15.e3 f5 16.f2 exd6 17.0-0-0 xf3!? [ 17...c8 also offers counterplay, not allowing the slightly bothersome attack on b7 that follows. ] 18.gxf3 c8 19.b4 a5 [ Strange to say, Rybka suggests getting rid o f B l a c k ' s m o n s t e r b i s h o p b y 19...xc3 w i t h t h e i d e a 20.xc3 ( 20.bxc3 a5 21.a3 ) 20...e8 and White has trouble activated his pieces. As usual, the machine is right. ] 20.b3 c6? Too optimistic. [ 20...d7 21.e4! ] [ 20...xc3! 21.xc3 e8 ] 21.xb7 c7 22.b3 a8 [ 22...d7 is better, but White has a nice advantage after, for example, 23.b5 ( or 23.d3 )] 23.b5! a4 24.xc7 [ 24.d5! ] 24...axb3 25.xa8 bxa2 26.d2 xb2 [ 26...xa8 27.c3 dxc5 28.xc5 h6 29.c2 xf4 30.a1 ] 27.b6 dxc5 28.a1!? [ 28.c4! intends Nd5 White is better in any case. ] 28...d8+ 29.e2 e8+ 30.d3 d8+ 31.c4 xa1 32.xa1 d2 33.xc5 [ Or 33.g1 xc2+ 34.b3 ] 1099
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 33...xc2+ 34.b4 g7 35.d7 d2 36.e5 c2? [ 36...h2 keeps the game going. ] 37.d3 h4 38.d4+ h6 39.e5 f5 40.b3 h2 41.xa2 and wins. xh3 42.c4 h5 43.a7 h6 44.d7 g5 45.f6+ g6 46.d5 xf3 47.g7+ h5 48.f6+ h4 49.f2+ g3 50.fxg5 xg5 51.g6 1-0
1055 Karjakin,Sergey Ivanchuk,Vassily 5th Kings Tournament (9) [Milos Pavlovic]
B09 2776 2776 20.06.2011
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 Perhaps the most important set up in the Austrian Attack, here we have many moves that Black can play. c7 My impression is that this move is a cause for the early defeat in this game. Alternatives are surely better: [ 8...b8 ] [ 8...g4 ] 9.a4 b6 10.e1 e6 11.dxe6 fxe6 12.e5! In my opinion White is already better here. fd5 [ R e l e v a n t i s : 12...h5 13.exd6 ( in my opinion even stronger is: 13.f5! exf5 14.g5 d7 15.exd6 xd6 16.e7 e6 17.g5 xe1 18.axe1 a6 19.xf8 White is much better) 13...xd6 14.e4 e7 15.eg5 b7 16.f5 gxf5 17.h4 e8 18.f4 d5 19.d6 h6 20.xe6 f6 ( 20...xe6 21.xf8 xf8 22.xh5 f4 ) 21.e1 g6?! ( 21...f7 ) 22.xf8 xf8 23.e6+ h8 24.xf5 e8 25.d7 d4+ 26.h1 g8 27.xb7 e3 28.h4 1-0 Jakubiec, A-Gazik, I Orlova 2011 - an entertaining game. ] 13.e4N Karjakin launches a new move, but it is so obvious that I wouldn't be surprised if he simply found it at the board. [ A much earlier example was less clear: 13.g5 dxe5 14.h4 h6 15.xg6 f6 ( Perhaps Ivanchuk was counting on an improvement like this: 15...a6 16.d1 exf4 17.ce4 e7 The position looks ok
for Black.) 16.h5 xc3 17.h7! e2+ 18.h1 e7 19.xf8 xf8 20.xe2 a6 21.d3 xd3 22.xd3 Van der Sterren, P Ermenkov, E Amsterdam 1988, W hite is winning. ] 13...dxe5 [ 13...e8 14.eg5 this is also better for White ] [ 13...xf4 14.xf4 xf4 15.xd6 e7 16.g3 h6 17.d2 xf1+ 18.xf1 xd2 19.f7 with a winning position for White, this is just one possible line. ] 14.fxe5 b7? [ 14...b4 ] 15.g5 d7 16.h4 The position plays itself. b4 17.ad1 c6? 18.f6+! xf6 19.xg6! White can even play such an intermediate move. hxg6 20.xf6 xf6 21.exf6 f8 22.g5 1-0
1056 Karjakin,Sergey Kramnik,Vladimir 19th Amber Rapid rapid (11) [Gawain Jones]
B09 2725 2790 25.03.2010
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 The Austrian Attack- White's most aggressive line against Black's Modern. g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 b8 An extremely theoretical position and one which Kramnik attempted twice in the Amber t o u r n a m e n t ( a l t h o u g h l o s t b o t h ) . 9.h3 The new Russian goes for a slower setup than Smeets. Delaying Qe1 means that Nb4 loses it's point as White can simply retreat the bishop. [ Six days previously the young Dutchman went for the most aggressive 9.e1 b4 10.h4 The position is similar to either a Grand Prix Attack against the Sicilian or the Four Pawns Attack against the Kings Indian (although with the c2 pawn still at home). In rapid chess I would much rather take White here as his play is much easier, to quote Fischer, 'sack, sack, mate!'. The computer prefers Black but underestimates White's attacking potential. A) 10...b5 1100
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d o u b t h e s h o u l d f e a r t h e a t t a c k .) A1) 11.a3 has been the most common 15...a6 ( 15...b5 16.e3! xe3 move, taking the threat of c4 seriously. 17.bxc3 ) 16.g1 when Black has at Lots of interesting games have occurred l e a s t a d r a w w i t h ( 16.d1 e2! but I'll just show one for the moment. is awkward to deal with. ) 16...b6+; xd3 12.cxd3 g4 13.f5 I feel like B2) 14...ce3 15.e1 h5?! W hite should have a good position at Now his knights run out of room 16.e2 this point but his kingside attack needs f5 17.h3 fxe4 18.hxg4 exd3 19.xe3 to work or he'll find he's burnt his b4 20.a3 c4 21.d2 a6 22.ee1 bridges. c8 14.h6 xf3 15.xf3 b4 xg4 23.xe7 and Black didn't really 16.axb4 cxb4 17.d1 c5+ 18.f2?! have very much for the piece in Smeets, ( 18.e3 was probably strongest when J-Kramnik, V Nice 2010. ] c2 would keep both sides with [ 9.e2 ] chances.; 18.h1 xh6 19.xh6 [ and 9.e5 has been looked at in the bc8 ) 18...xh6 19.xh6 d4 archives ] now White has some problems with the pin along the g1-a7 diagonal while the 9...c7 10.a4 a6 [ 10...b6 cutting out Karjakin's response, was queen on d4 holds W hite's attack in t rie d i n a p re vio u s ga m e 11.e1 a6 check. 20.f1 b3 21.h3 fc8 22.h1 ( S w a p p i n g b i s h o p s w i t h 11...a6 xb2 23.g4 Tempting but would be sensible but White stops Black's unfortunately this doesn't work. xg4 intentions 12.b5! ) 12.h4 b5 13.axb5 24.xh7+ f8 25.fxg6 g7 26.h4 axb5 14.e5 ( 14.f5 might be my choice with ( 26.xf7+ e8! and White has no way Black's knights so far from e5.) 14...fxd5 to guard against the back rank mate 15.f5 dxe5 16.g5 f6 17.ce4 d4+ 27.f1 f2+! ) 26...b2 27.xg4 b1 18.h2 ce8 19.fxg6 fxg6 20.a7 f5 28.xg7+ xg7 29.gxf7+ h6 ( 20...c4 21.xf6! xf6 22.xf6+ and White's attack had run out of steam is White's threat.) 21.xe7 h6 was Svatos, a n d h e d isc o ve re d h e wa s a qu e e n J-Oral, T Pardubice 1996 when instead of down. 0-1 Nunn, J-Van der Sterren, P A) 22.xg7+! w a s w i n n i n g , xg7 Ramsgate 1981.; ( 22...xg7 23.e6+ xe6 24.xh6+ A2) 11.f5 c4 12.a3 xd3 13.cxd3 f7 25.h7+ g7 26.xf6+ e8 cxd3 14.h6 b4 15.axb4 xb4 16.fxg6 27.xg7 etc. ) 23.xf6+ xf6 24.xh6 fxg6 ( 16...hxg6 is always really risky in d5 25.e4!+- and seeing as the Black this type of attack but possibly Black qu e e n is f o rce d a wa y f ro m t h e a 2 -g8 c o u l d g e t a w a y w i t h i t h e r e 17.g5 diagonal 26.Qh7+ and 27.Qh8+ will b6+ 18.h1 due to f5! exploiting decide.; the pin across the 4th rank and B) 22.xf6+ ] preventing a Rxf6 sacrifice.) 17.g5 xh6 18.xh6 b7 19.ad1 b6+ 11.a5 b5 [ 11...e6 didn't work out well for Black in an 20.h1 xb2 21.xd3 c7? e a r l i e r g a m e : 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.e3 was Sznapik, A-Van der W iel, J ( 13.e5!? ) 13...e7 14.a4 d7 ( 14...c4! A m s t e r d a m 1 9 8 4 w h e n 22.xh7! 15.xc4 xe4 looked like Black's best would have finished the game chance at equality.) 15.c3 h8 16.d2 e5 immediately.; 17.fxe5 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.xf8+ B) 10...c4 11.xc4 xc2 12.b1 g4 xf8 20.f1 g8 21.f4 e8 22.xe5+ 13.d3 b6+ 14.h1 xe5 23.f7 e8 24.xc7 xa4 25.f4 B1) 14...xc3! looks like an d7 26.f6+ g8 27.c4+ 1-0 Babaeva, i m p r o v e m e n t 15.xc2 ( 15.f5!? F-Foisor, C Istanbul 2000. ] should also be investigated but after f6 16.xg4 e3 17.xe3 xe3 12.axb6 xb6 [ 12...b5?! 13.a4! and Black regretted B l a c k h a s su cc e e d e d in t ra d i n g o f f not taking the pawn immediately. Jamieson, W hite's dark squared bishop and so I 1101
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 R-Hebert, J Luzern 1982 ] 13.a4 Karjakin plays solidly. If you want to go for mate then [ 13.e1 d7 14.h4 would be the way to go. In the only game I could f ind Black played b5 ( 14...b4 looks right to defend across the 4th rank.) 15.f5 ( 15.xb5 axb5 16.c3 ) 15...xd3 16.cxd3 b4 17.fxg6 fxg6 seemed to be ok for Black, the direct attack can be deflected. Llaneza Vega, PFoisor, C Benasque 2001 ] 13...b8 14.c4 e6 15.c2 exd5 16.exd5!? Another unusual looking recapture but Karjakin tries to stop Kramnik getting any activity. [ 16.cxd5 would look like a typical Benoni or Four Pawns Kings Indian but it would be easier for Black to get counterplay here with b5 ] 16...fxd5!? Kramnik wants activity at all costs! The knight on c7 looks terrible so Black needs to do something to activate it. [ However 16...a5! with the idea of Nc7-a6b4 equalises for Black. ] 17.cxd5 xd5 so Black has two pawns for the piece and central control, his pieces seem to connect better together. White should be better with his extra piece but he's required to play accurately for a few moves. In rapid chess Kramnik hopes to put Karjakin under enough pressure. 18.f2 b4 19.f5 f4 [ 19...e8!? immediately is also possible. ] 20.c2 e8 21.c3 b7 22.a4 [ 22.d1 is the computer's suggestion but it's logical to start trading material when we have more of it. ] 22...xc3 23.xf4! xb2 24.c1 b4 25.xb4 cxb4 26.fxg6 hxg6 This allows too much pressure on f7. [ 26...fxg6 was required. Black has gained another pawn for the piece but White has regained the initiative and after 27.b3+ d5 28.h6 Black's position is done for anyway. ] 27.g5 [ 27.e5! would be a smoother win. The knight is of course untouchable as Qxf7+ is coming and if Black moves his f7 pawn then g6 drops. Therefore e7 is forced but then 28.b3! dxe5 ( 28...d5 29.g5! is the difference between 27.Ng5 and 27. Ne5 ) 29.xf7+ xf7 30.xf7+ f8
31.xg6+ e7 32.f7+ d6 33.xb7+- ] 27...f5?! And this allows the killer blow when the game really is over [ 27...f6 28.xg6 e7 29.f3 is hardly pleasant though ] [ 27...e7 would be the best way to keep the game going. 28.b3 ( 28.xf7 e2 29.h6+ h8 30.d1 should result in a White win but Black has chances with his connected queenside pawns.) 28...d5 and there's no longer 29.Bg5 but 29.b6! is very good for White. ] 28.xf5! f6 [ 28...gxf5 29.xf5 is also hopeless. ] 29.e6+ g7 30.e2 d4+ 31.e3 e5 32.f7+ g8 33.xb7+ A good win for White and Kramnik got 0/2 with Black in these lines but his positions out of the opening have been ok and the theoretical viewpoint is still that Black holds his own. 1-0
1057 Karjakin,Sergey Mamedyarov,S 8th Tal Memorial (4.2) [Tom Rendle]
B09 2782 2753 17.06.2013
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.d3 [ 5.f3 0-0 ( 5...c5 6.b5+ has been seen many times in the archives, for example see Shirov-Markowski f rom 2009.) 6.d3 is a much more common move order ] 5...0-0 [ 5...c5?! can now be met by 6.dxc5 dxc5 7.e5! and the knight on f6 doesn't have any ideal squares to go to, e.g. g4 8.b5+! c6 9.xd8+ xd8 10.xc6 bxc6 11.f3 and W hite can play against Black's weak queenside. ] 6.f3 c5 Already very unusual and probably not best. [ 6...a6 is annotated plenty of times in the archives, notably Gawain takes a look at Karjakin -Kra mnik in a ra pid game f ro m 2010 ] [ 6...c6 is another major alternative. James Vigus examined this position a few years ago in Greet-Chatalbashev and Abergel1102
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Chatalbashev. 7.e5 dxe5 8.fxe5 h5 ( 8...d7 was preferred by Chatalbashev but White should be better after 9.e4! b4 10.c4 ) 9.e3 g4 10.e2 f6 11.exf6 exf6 12.0-0 ( 12.d2 e8 13.0-0-0 is more aggressive but perhaps black is just about OK af ter e7! ) 12...e8 13.d2 was slightly better for W hite in Mista, A (2565)-Markowski, T (2625) Warsaw 2011 ] 7.dxc5 bd7!? This pawn sacrifice is practically a novelty with just the one previous game from more than 25 years ago. The idea of this pawn sacrif ice seems to be to put quick pressure on White's centre but my first impression is that with accurate play Black doesn't have quite enough compensation. Still, it certainly has potential as a surprise weapon. [ 7...dxc5 is more usual but White seems to be very comfortable after 8.e5! e.g. d5 9.xd5 xd5 10.e2 f5 11.xf5 gxf5 12.0-0 a6 13.e3 and White had a pleasant edge in Le Quang Liem (2542)Mahjoob, M (2479) Cebu City 2007, especially with Black's bishop on g7 shut out of the game for the time being. ] 8.cxd6 exd6 9.0-0 e8 [ 9...c5 10.h1 e8 11.f5?! fxe4 12.xe4 xe4 13.xe4 xe4 A) 14.g5 was the only way to justify 11. f5 but Black is still fine after d4 ( or 14...xf5!? 15.xe4 xe4 with excellent compensation. ) 15.f3 xf5; B) 14.fxg6?! hxg6 15.g5 e7 and Black was already slightly better with the two bishops in Gladu, P-Schleifer, M (2310) Quebec 1997 ] 10.h3 [ 10.c4 at first looked dangerous - the idea is to play Ng5 to both hit f7 and defend e4 b u t B l a c k h a s c o n c re t e p l a y a f t e r c7! 11.d3 ( 11.e2 allows b6! 12.b3 xe4 13.xe4 f5 and Black regains the piece with a good game) 11...c5 12.b5! e7 13.xd6 fxe4 14.xe7 xe7 and Black has very reasonable co m p e n s a t io n f o r t h e sa crif ice d p a wn , especially as it's not clear how W hite should develop his queenside. ] 10...b5!? A tricky move from Mamedyarov but one that gives W hite a couple of ways to obtain the advantage
[ there may not be a good alternative though, for example W hite is doing well after the logical line 10...a6 11.a4 c5 12.e1 b6 13.a5 c6 ( 13...a7?! 14.e3 ) 14.d4 c7 15.b3! ] 11.xb5 [ 11.xb5 was possibly a more accurate way to capture the pawn xe4 12.xe4 xe4 13.g5! e7 ( or 13...b6+ 14.h2 e7 15.e1! xe1 16.xe1 e5 17.f1 h6 18.e4 and Black is still yet to demonstrate sufficient comp. for the pawn) 14.xd6 h6 15.f5! and White has a very dangerous looking attack ] 11...xe4 [ 11...b6+ 12.h2 c5! gives Black a lot of activity but it is for two pawns. Still, I prefer this to the game. ] 12.xe4 xe4 13.xd6 e7 14.xc8 [ 14.f5 at first looks dangerous but actually B l a c k g e t s g o o d c o u n t e r p l a y w i t h a6 15.f2 b6 16.g5 f6 17.fxg6 d8! with a very unclear position that may well burn out to a draw. For example 18.gxh7+ xh7 19.xf6 xf6 20.g5+! or White is simply dropping a piece g8 ( 20...xg5?! 21.h5+ h6 22.xf7 is promising for W h i t e a l t h o u g h s t i ll ve r y c o m p l ic a t e d) 21.g4 xd6 22.e6+ h8 23.h5+ g8 24.g4+ h8 25.h5+= A spectacular way to force the draw ] 14...xc8 15.e1 xe1+ 16.xe1 b6+ 17.h2 White may be two pawns up but it's far from easy here as he's almost certainly going to drop one of them in order to develop the queenside. c5 18.d3 xd3 19.xd3 e8 20.d2 xb2 21.e1 b8 [ 21...xe1?! 22.d8+ f8 23.xe1 is more awkward for Black ] 22.a4 Karjakin has done well to complete development and has an extra pawn to take into the ending but Black is active enough to have excellent drawing chances. [ 22.e7!? xa2 23.c4! gives White a strong initiative although Black can maybe defend with f8 24.c7 a6 25.d5 f6 26.xa7 c8 ] 22...f6 23.c4 h5 24.e3 a1 25.e1 b2 26.a5 d8 27.b4 d4 28.e4 a1 29.a6 h4 30.e1 d4 31.xd4 xd4 32.e8+ h7 33.c3 c4 34.a8 xc3 1103
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 35.xc3 xc3 36.xa7 g7 37.b7 a3 38.a7 The pawn on h4 clamps down on the kingside and prevents White from having any real winning chances f6 39.g1 e6 40.f2 f6 41.e2 f5 42.h7 e4 43.xh4 And a draw was agreed - excellent defence from Mamedyarov. ½-½
1058 Karjakin,Sergey Petrosian,Tigran L 2nd Sanjin Hotel Cup (1) [Andrew Martin]
B09 2645 2581 09.07.2005
1.e4 Here comes a rare win for Black in the Austrian Attack main line with 6 Bd3 Nc6. Most attention is focused on 5...c5 or on 6... Na6 these days. Perhaps one has to employ the element of surprise if this older line is to be used successfully. d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 c6 7.0-0 [ About 30 years ago Black started to get very good results with 7.e5 dxe5 8.fxe5 h5 This move is still satisfactory, but Black has to play with precision as you will see: 9.e3 g4 10.e2 f6 11.exf6 exf6 12.0-0 A) 12...f5! 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 f4 15.f2 g3 is correct and Black is not worse after either 16.xg3 ( or 16.e1 f5 17.d5+ h8 18.e4 e3! 19.xe3 fxe3 ) 16...fxg3; B) 12...d7 13.d5 e7 14.e5! fxe5 15.xf8+ xf8 16.xg4 f5?? 1-0 Smeets, J-Zakharevich, I/Moscow RUS 2005 Catastrophic. Black is losing a piece: ( 16...d6 17.e6+ h8 18.b5 d8 19.f3 is obviously better for White too. ) 17.xf5 xf5 18.g4+- ] 7...e5 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.d5 d4 10.xe5 The fantastically talented young man goes straight for the critical line. [ 10.e1 brought success in the following encounter, but as so often, Black played very poorly: A) 10...e8! i s c r i t i c a l : 11.e3 d6 12.e2 ( 12.f2 f5 ) 12...xf3+ 13.gxf3 ( 13.xf3 f5 14.c3 d7 ) 13...h3 14.f2 f5 15.h1 f4 16.d2 f6 17.g1 d7;
B) 10...xf3+? Far too compliant. 11.xf3! c6 ( 11...g4 12.f2 h5 13.e3 a6 14.d2 d6 15.af1 ) 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.e3 a5 14.a3 c5 15.c4 b8 16.g5 b6 17.h4 a6 18.xa6 xa6 19.af1 h5 20.e7 e8 21.d5 xb2 22.c7 c6 23.xe8 xe8 24.d3 b8 25.fd1 1-0 Konev, VKovalchuk, A/Kiev UKR 2005 ] 10...xd5 11.xd5 [ 11.xf7? xc3 ] 11...xe5 12.f4 c6 Securing the e5 square would appear to be very important. 13.d2 e6 14.h6!? Is this Karjakin's improvement over existing theory? If so, it comes a cropper. [ White can put Black to the test after 14.xe5 xe5 15.f6+ g7 16.c3 but I think he can survive: d6 17.ad1 ad8 A) 18.h1 d4! 19.xc7 xb2 20.b1 d4 21.xb7 c8 22.e7 xa2 23.xa7 xd3 24.cxd3 xd3 25.h5+ gxh5 26.f6+ g8 27.a5 h6 28.xa2 ( 28.g5+ hxg5 29.xg5+= ) 28...xe4=; B) 18.e2 b6+ 19.h1 xd1 20.h5+! gxh5 21.xe5+ f6 22.g3+ h8 23.xd1 xb2 24.xc7 g4! 25.xg4 hxg4 26.e7 g8 Now the chance s of an unprepared opponent knowing all this are infinitesimal, so I would say this line is worth an occasional outing, but don't make a habit of it! ] 14...xb2 15.ab1 d4+ 16.h1 xd5!? [ 16...e8 17.g5 d6 18.f4 ] 17.exd5 xd5 18.xf8 xf8 Black has a m p l e c o m p e n s a t i o n f o r t h e e xc h a n g e : 19.xg6?? The complicated position has thrown him completely. He is still trying for the knockout blow when the shift to a quieter approach was called for. Mind you, is White really better after either [ 19.xb7 b6 20.f4 c5 21.c4 e7 22.h6 d8 23.f4 e7= or ] [ 19.c4 a5 20.f4 b6 ] 19...hxg6 20.c3 a5 21.xb7 b6 6...Nc6 is still quite playable. 0-1
1104
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1059 Karjakin,Sergey Wang Hao FIDE GP Beijing (2.1) [Tom Rendle]
B09 2776 2752 05.07.2013
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.d3 Karjakin seems to favour this move order which makes it harder for Black to play an immediate ...c5. e5!? Wang Hao attempts to take advantage of White's move order to strike in the centre immediately [ last month we saw 5...0-0 6.f3 c5!? 7.dxc5 bd7 8.cxd6 exd6 9.0-0 e8 and Black had some compensation for the sacrif iced pawn, although probably no t enough for equality in KarjakinMamedyarov. ] [ 5...c6 6.f3 0-0 takes us back into more familiar territory ] 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.f3 [ I s u p p o s e W h i t e c o u l d p l a y 7.fxe5 but somehow it looks all wrong to me. After g4 8.b5+ ( 8.f3 xe5 and Black has equalised ) 8...c6 9.xd8+ xd8 10.e2 xe5 Black is completely fine. With the queens off his king is fine on c7 and the knight on e5 ensures Black has a reasonable game. ] 7...exf4 [ 7...fd7 8.0-0 ( 8.f5!? also looks better for White here ) 8...c6 9.d5 0-0 10.f5! A) 10...b6 was perhaps better although White is still doing well after 11.f6! h8 ( 11...xf6 12.xf6+ xf6 13.h6 wi n s a n e x c h a n g e a s e8? 14.g5 and Black can safely resign ) 12.c4; B) 10...e7?! 11.g5 f6 12.e3 b6?! ( 12...xd5 13.exd5 gxf5 14.xf5 b6 15.h4 is rather unpleasant for Black but at least he's still in the game) 13.xb6 axb6 14.c4+ h8 15.xd8 xd8 16.xe5! f8 17.f7+ g8 18.h6+ h8 19.ad1 and White had a winning position which he duly converted in Bok, B (2530)-Gofshtein, L (2480) Eilat 2012 ] [ 7...g4?! 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 leaves White with the two bishops on a board that's ready to open up. ] [ 7...c6 is tricky but unfortunately for Black i t r u n s i n t o 8.fxe5! g4 9.g5 d7
10.b5! which is actually surprisingly awkward for Black to deal with. W hite is clearly better after 0-0 11.d5 gxe5 12.xe5 xe5 13.0-0 e8 14.f6 d6 15.h1! ] 8.xf4 0-0 [ 8...g4 9.h3 h5!? is an interesting way to handle the position but White should be better after 10.h2 xf3 11.xf3 h4+ 12.f2 ( 12.g3?! xc3+ 13.bxc3 xh3 was less clear in Schepetkova, M (2189)Chekhov, S (2361) Voronezh 2010 and Black went on to win quickly. That said my computer still prefers W hite after 14.f1! e6 15.0-0-0 but this is a position for computers rather than humans!) 12...xf2+ 13.xf2 d4+ 14.f3 and White's two bishops are the most important feature of the position giving him a small but persistent advantage. ] 9.d2 [ 9.0-0 is also possible but it's less a g g r e s s i ve a n d B l a c k i s ve r y c l o s e t o e q u a l i s i n g n o w a f t e r c6 10.e1 ( 10.b5!? e8! gets W hite nowhere) 10...d4! ] 9...c6 10.0-0-0 e6 11.h3 The first new move which prevents Ng4-e5. [ 11.he1 d7 ( 11...b4! seems to equalise here) 12.b5 a6 13.xc6 bxc6 14.g5?! ( 14.h6! immediately was better with perhaps a small advantage for White a lt h o u g h t h e p o si t io n r e m a i n s d o u b le edged ) 14...b8 15.h6 b6 16.b3 c4! 17.bxc4 b4 18.xg7 a3+ 19.b1 fb8+?! ( 19...ab8+! 20.b5 xg7 was better f or Black) 20.b5 xg7 ( 20...xb5+ leads to a draw after 21.cxb5 xa2+ 22.a1 b3+ 23.b1 a2+ 24.a1 b3+ ) 21.d4+ f6 ( 21...g8! 22.d8+! f8 23.xf8+ xf8 24.e5 axb5 25.xc6 b6 26.cxb5 xb5+ 27.c1 c5 and Black can play for a win with no risk in the ending) 22.d3 e7 23.g5 axb5 24.xe6+ xe6 25.d7+ f7 26.cxb5 xb5+ 27.c1 xd7 28.xd7+ h6 29.xc7 c5 30.b2 b8+ 31.c1 a8 32.b2 and White was probably relieved to have held the draw in Cyborowski, L (2450)-Agrest, E (2532) Ohrid 2001 ] 1105
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 11...d7 This seems solid, Black aims to put a knight on e5 anyway but somehow things quickly go wrong as Karjakin builds up a strong kingside attack [ 11...b4 is again worth considering here although it seems that now White can retain the better chances after 12.h6 xd3+ 13.cxd3 c5 ( 13...b5!? 14.b1! b4 15.a4 should be better for White) 14.b1 c7 15.xg7 xg7 16.e5 d5 17.e4 although I think Black should probably go for something like this as he should be able to get counterplay in this line. ] 12.g5 f6 [ 12...f6 was more solid although it does block the bishop on g7. Still, W hite's a d v a n t a g e i s o n l y s l i g h t a f t e r 13.f4 ( 13.h6 de5 14.xg7 xg7 15.h4 h5! is solid for Black ) 13...de5 14.e3 ] 13.h4 h5 If Black has to play this move it's clear something has gone wrong but otherwise White had h5 coming. 14.f4?! [ 14.b5! was a more precise move order, preventing ... Nce5 and now xg5 15.hxg5 e7 16.f4 transposes back to the game ] 14...xg5?! [ 14...ce5! was perhaps a better try for Wang Hao here but White keeps an initiative after 15.b1! xf3 16.gxf3 c6 17.g3 and White has f4 coming ] 15.hxg5 e7 16.b5! b6?! [ 16...c5 was a last chance to put up some fight and indeed it's not so simple for White here. 17.xc6! bxc6 18.xc7 is probably best but Black can put up stiff resistance now after b6 19.d6 e3+ 20.d2 c4 21.xe3 xe3 22.d2 fd8 and Black has pretty good drawing chances in the endgame. ] 17.xc6 bxc6 18.e5! Now Black is positionally busted as well as coming under a big kingside attack. c4 19.xc4 xc4 20.g4 Obvious and strong - Black's kingside collapses. ab8 [ 20...hxg4? 21.d7! wins on the spot ( not 21.h2?? xg5+ 22.b1 g7 and Black is back in the game )] 21.gxh5 b4 22.d4?! [ 22.a4! was a more accurate way to finish the game xa4 23.hxg6 fxg6 24.e5 and Black is getting mated ]
22...xb2+ 23.d2 fd8?! [ 23...bd8 was more stubborn although W h i t e s h o u l d b e w i n n i n g a f t e r 24.f6 xd4+ 25.xd4 c5! 26.f6 ( 26.xc4?! d8+ 27.d5 c6 and Black is only slightly worse ) 26...b6 27.hxg6 xf6 28.gxf6 fxg6 29.e5 there is still work to be done for White here ] 24.f6 xd4+ 25.xd4 b6 26.xc4 d8+ 27.c1 d4 28.e2 c5 29.b1 xg5+ 30.d2 Black has run out of checks and Karjakin is simply a piece up so W ang Hao resigns. 1-0
1060 Kasimdzhanov,Rustam Svidler,Peter WCh-FIDE San Luis ARG (2) [Andrew Martin]
B09 2670 2738 29.09.2005
I'm writing this only a day after this coming game was played. At the highest level, the Pirc is a rare anima l. Ap paren tly S vid le r intended 1...d6 as a complete surprise. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.e3 Kasim launches a surprise of his own! This is one of White's more dangerous variations, planning Qd2, 0-0-0 and the usual kingside attack. b6 Black has other moves, but there is a soft spot on e4 and ...b7-b6 helps not only to support ...Bc8-b7 but also ... c7-c5. 7.d2 b7 8.e5 g4 9.0-0-0 c5! [ 9...dxe5 looks far too committal at this stage. Black is pushed into a passive position: 10.xe5! Surprising and ....good! xe3 11.xe3 d7 12.b5 f6 13.d5 d6 14.he1 ad8 15.c6 A) 15...xc6 16.dxc6 b4 17.xd8 ( 17.a3 xd1+ 18.xd1 g4!? ) 17...xd8 18.a3; B) 15...g4 16.xe7+ h8 17.f3 e5 18.fxe5 xe7 19.g3 a6 20.a4 b5 21.b3 b4 22.a4 fe8 23.d6 cxd6 24.exd6 h6+ 25.b1 xd6 26.xd6 xe1 27.xf7 f8 28.xe8 1-0 Stopa, JSzczep in ski, M/K osza lin PO L 20 05 A game worth seeing through to the end. ] 10.dxc5 bxc5 11.xc5 a5 Black forces White to think about HIS counterplay, before 1106
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 any kingside attack can even get underway. 12.a3 dxe5 13.d5!?N A novelty of sorts, where Black manages to defuse the bomb... just. [ It would have been interesting to see how Svidler would have responded to the c h a l l e n g i n g 13.h3! h6 ( 13...h6 14.xe5; 13...f6 14.xe7 ) 14.g5 exf4 15.xf7! xf7 16.hxg4 g5 17.b1 ( 17.e4 xd2+ 18.xd2 f3 19.gxf3 xf3 20.c4 xh1 21.xh1 c6 22.xf7+ xf7 23.xh7+ f6 24.b3 f4 25.h3 d8 26.d3 xd3 27.cxd3 g5 28.c5 xg4 29.b4 a6 30.a4 d6 31.xd6 exd6 1 / 2 - 1 / 2 I lle s ca s Co r d o b a , M- Ma ri n , M / Mo n d a r iz 2 0 0 2) 17...f3 18.f2 fxg2 19.xg2 xf2 20.xb7 c7 21.xa8 f6 22.d5+ g7 23.b3 xc3 24.bxc3 c6 25.c1 e5 ( 25...g3 ) 26.h3 h8 27.hd3 f8?? ( Lazy players might look only at the result of this game and assume the whole thing is better for W hite. But L a h n o s h o u l d h a v e p l a y e d 27...h5 with a very unclear position.) 28.d7 c8 29.h6 1-0 Charbonneau, P-Lahno, K/ Montreal 2004 ] 13...xd2+ Simplification over this and the coming moves does not give Black the desired equal position. 14.xd2 xd5 15.xd5 e3! 16.d2 c6 17.b5 fc8 18.xc6 [ 18.a6 c7 19.fxe5 xe5 20.xe5 xe5 21.g3 f6 doesn't look anything special for White. ] 18...xc6 19.xe5 xe5 20.fxe5 c4 21.xe7! An exchange sacrifice which gives Kasim good winning chances. xd2 22.xd2 b8 23.c1 Passive. [ 23.b3 was a winning try, cutting the Black Rook out of c4. ] 23...c4! 24.d6 Black starts with 24....Rbc8 25 c3 Rf4! and should have enough counterplay to claim at least equality. Overall, it's time for a handshake. ½-½
1061 Kindermann,Stefan Gurevich,Mikhail Haifa [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1989
The blocking move f7-f5 was introduced in this game and it became a popular method of defending against White's attack. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d3 xc5 8.e2 0-0 9.e3 a5 10.0-0 c6 11.a3 g4 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 d7 14.d2 b6+ 15.h1 c5 16.ab1 xd3 17.cxd3 f5!? [ The less precise 17...e6 was played in the game Tolnai - M.Gurevich. ] 18.d5 [ 18.exf5 was played in the game Sax Seirawan, Skelleftea 1989 which continued with gxf5 ( 18...xf5!? deserves attention) 19.d5 b3 20.fe1 f7 21.c3 e6 22.b4 d8 23.xg7 xg7 24.ec1 a4 25.c4 and a draw was agreed although in my opinion white is slightly better here. ] 18...b3!? An ambitious decision. [ 18...d8 was safer. ] 19.c3 [ Black was fine after 19.exf5 xf5 20.e3 f7 ] 19...f7 20.xg7 xg7 21.e3 [ After 21.exf5 xf5 22.e3 f7 23.e4 af8 black would obtain a small advantage but this was probably the best option for white. ] 21...e6 22.c3 d5! Taking the initiative thanks to the fact that the white queen is badly placed on e3. 23.f3 [ 23.exd5 wa s n o t b e t t e r : exd5 24.d4 ( 24.e6 ? d8; 24.c5 d4 25.b5 xb5 26.xb5 d8-+ winning ) 24...e7 25.f2 ae8 with the advantage. ] 23...fxe4 24.dxe4 d4 25.e2 xf3 26.xf3 e5 27.fxe5?! [ 27.d1! was more accurate and white should be able to equalise without many problems. ] 27...xf3 28.gxf3 d3! 29.c3 [ 29.f4 does not solve all white's problems: xe5 30.d1 c8! 31.xd3 xf3 32.g2 g5! with the advantage ] 29...f8! 1107
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ After 29...xe5 30.f4 c4 31.b3 ! xa3 32.d1 d8 33.d5 the pawn on d3 could be successfully neutralised. ] 30.g2 xe5 31.f1 g5 32.f2?! Too slow. [ 32.h4!? deserved attention and after gxh4 33.f4 c4 34.h3! an unclear position could arise. ] [ 32.d5 also comes into consideration. ] 32...g6 33.f1 f4+ 34.g3 f6 35.h4 e5! [ After 35...h6 36.hxg5+ hxg5 37.f2 e5 38.e3 unclear-the white king is just in time to prevent penetration. ] 36.hxg5 g8 37.h4? A big mistake which loses the game. White has probably missed black's idea or just did not see what to do. [ Bu t he s till co u ld h o ld o n a f t e r 37.f2! xg5 38.e3 h5 A) bad was 39.d5? xd5+ 40.exd5 xd5 41.xd3 ( 41.h1 c4 ) 41...h4; B) 39.d1!! g3 40.b3!! with the idea of Nb2-d3! ( not 40.f2? g2+ 41.xd3 xf3+ 42.e2 g3 with a big advantage. )] 37...h6! White's king is cut off from the centre and cannot help the fight against the very strong d-pawn. 38.gxh6 g6 39.d1 xh6+ 40.g3 g6+ 41.h4 d4 White resigned as there is no good defence against d2 with the penetration of the black king to e2 or c2 next. The endgame was played brilliantly by Mikhail Gurevich. 0-1
1062 Klovans,Janis Volzhin,Alexander Graz [Alexander Volzhin]
B09 2465 2569 1999
The Veteran W orld Champion, Latvian GM Janis Klovans has played the Three Pawns attack against the Pirc throughout his long career. So my game with him was of especial interest to me. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d3 xc5 8.e2 g4 9.e3 a5 10.0-0 c6 11.a3!? [ 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 is known to be the
main line. ] 11...d7 [ 11...0-0 deserves attention. ] 12.d2 xf3?! Premature. [ The natural 12...0-0 should be preferred. ] 13.xf3 0-0 14.e1! To tell the truth, I missed this strong move. W hite takes advantage of having not playing h2-h3 early, and prepares a quite unpleasant kingside attack (Qh4, Rh3). Now Black should be very careful. c5 15.h3 [ 15.b4? doesn't win a piece in view of xd3 16.cxd3 d8 and White has voluntarily weakened his queenside. ] 15...xd3 16.cxd3 f5!? A typical pawn advance for this type of position. 17.h4 h6 18.g4!? Starting a direct attack which looks strong. g5! A counterblow on the side where Black is being attacked! The aim is to eliminate the pawn on f4 thus gaining some important central squares for the black pieces. 19.h5! [ 19.fxg5 f4 A) 20.gxh6? is bad as both xc3 and ( 20...f6 21.g5 xg5+ 22.g3 xg3+! 23.hxg3 xh4 win. ); B) 20.f2 xg5 was fine for Black. ] 19...gxf4 20.xf4 b6+! The only move. It seems very risky as grabbing the b2-pawn takes two tempi and allows a very strong a t t a c k . F o r t u n a t e l y B la c k h a s su f f i c ie n t defensive resources. [ W h i t e h o p e d f o r 20...fxe4? 21.d5!! w i t h a d e c i s i v e a d v a n t a g e : f7 ( unfortunately 21...xf4 fails to 22.xe7+! h8 23.g6+ g8 24.xf4 ) 22.xh6 , and White's attack is unstoppable. ] 21.h1 xb2 22.g1 [ After 22.c1 fxe4 is also good. ] 22...fxe4! The only move again. [ It's not necessary to calculate variations to understand that ope ning the g-f ile wit h 22...xc3 23.gxf5 gives White a crushing attack. ] 23.d5? Both players were short of time and it was difficult for W hite to choose between two possible continuations of the attack. [ 23.g5! was the most dangerous option after which Black's task is not so easy: h8 ( 23...xc3?? 24.g6+ ) 24.d5 and now Black has to play ( 24.gxh6 xc3 ) 1108
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A) 24...d4 25.gxh6 e5 26.g5 g8 27.xe5+ xe5 28.g7+!! xg7 29.hxg7+ g8 30.h8+ f7 31.xa8; B) 24...exd3 25.f6!! e5 26.g6!! g4!? ( 26...e2 27.xh6+! xh6 28.g7#!! ) 27.xg4 ( 27.xg4?! xf4 28.xh6 e2! ) 27...xf6 28.xh6 winning xh6 29.g7+; C) 24...f2! with unclear play as other moves give W hite excellent chances to win the beauty prize: ] 23...d4 24.xh6? A clear mistake in time trouble which ends the game. [ 24.e3 was necessary and after the possible e5 ( 24...xd3? was wrong: 25.xh6 f3 26.g6 d4 27.xf3 exf3 28.g5 there is no defence against Nf6.) 25.xe5 dxe5 26.dxe4 ac8 27.xh6 e6 28.e3 d4 29.xg7 xg7 and Black has the initiative in the endgame. ] 24...exd3! Winning. With the very unpleasant Qe4 threat. 25.e1 [ After 25.xg7 e4+! ] 25...xh6 26.g6+ g7 27.xh6 xh6 28.xh6 White has found the only way to save the piece but now the Queens are swapped and the d-pawn decides. d2 29.d1 f2 30.g1 af8 31.c3 2f3 White resigned. Interesting and exciting game. 0-1
1063 Korneev,Oleg Cebada,F del Rio Open (2) [Nigel Davies]
B09
15.02.2001
One reader asked me about the advisability of 9...Kf 8 in this sharp line, rather than the habitual 9...Kd7. Maybe it is, but the only chance seems to be 10...Qb6. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ d7 7.e5 g4 8.e6 xb5 9.exf7+ f8 [ The books devote most attention to 9...d7 ] 10.xb5 [ 10.g5? d7 11.dxc5 a5 12.cxd6 xc3+ 13.bxc3 xc3+ 14.d2 c5 left Black a piece up in Skibbe - Lauterbach, Bundesliga 1992 ]
10...a5+?! This seems to be poor for Black. [ The big question is whether or not 10...b6 is playable, with one intriguing game having continued 11.g5 ( 11.c4 is met by a6 12.dxc5 xc5 13.bd4 xc4 ) 11...xb5 12.xg4 c6 13.c3 cxd4 14.e6+ xf7 15.c7 a5 16.e6+ f8 17.xa8 dxc3 18.b4 d4 19.c8+ f7 20.c4+ d5 21.xc3 b5 22.d2 Blecha - Vacovska, Klatovy 1996 and now c8 looks like the right move. ] 11.c3 c6 [ 11...cxd4 12.xd4 xf7 13.xg4 xd4 14.d2 f5 15.f3 left Black with an inferior pawn structure and the worse king in Mansurov - Ader, Budapest 1993 ] 12.d5 d4 13.g5 Whilst this alone should be enough to discourage Black, White has two other promising continuations which leads me to believe that this position is just good for him: [ a) 13.d2 h6 14.0-0 hf5 15.g5 a6 16.e6+ xe6 17.dxe6 d4 18.g4 c4 19.ae1 was horrible for Black in Lekic Rajic, Pula 1990 ] [ b) 13.0-0 xf3+ 14.xf3 xc3 15.bxc3 f6 16.f5 gave White a tremendous attack in Teschner - Impris, Bundesliga 1993 ] 13...h6 14.ge4 f6 15.0-0 xf7 16.xf6 exf6 17.e4 a6 18.f5! This, and the subsequent exchange sacrifice gives White a tremendous attack. xf5 19.xf5! gxf5 20.h5+ e7 21.xf5 ae8 22.f4! Completely crushing. d8 23.xd6 b5 24.f7+ e7 25.e1+ xf7 26.h5+ g8 27.xe8+ 1-0
1064 Korneev,Oleg Zimmerman,Yuri Katowice [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1993
This spectacular game is very important for the whole line. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ d7 7.e5 g4 8.e6 xb5 9.exf7+ d7 10.xb5 This natural move is far superior to 10.Ng5 as played in the previous game. a5+ 11.c3 1109
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 cxd4 12.xd4 xd4!? [ 12...h5 is another possibility but it does not promise full equality for black: 13.h3 c6 14.de2 h6 15.e3 A) or 15...f5 16.f2 ac8 ( 16...af8 17.0-0 xf7 18.a3 a6 19.e4 c8 20.d5 xb2 21.ab1 xe2 22.fe1 xc2 23.xf7 xa3 24.xg6 fd4 25.h1 c4 26.g5 c5 27.bc1 d5 28.xd4 xd4 29.xe7 with advantage in Hellers - van Wely, Philadelphia 1992) 17.0-0 and white had the better prospects because of the weak black king, in Stefansson - M. Gurevich, Tilburg 1994; B) 15...hf8 16.d3 f5 17.f2 xf7 18.0-0-0 ( 18.0-0 also looks reasonable.) 18...h4 19.b1 c8 20.e4 d8 21.he1 with advantage for White, as the game Beliavsky - Tal, Brussels 1988 has shown. ] 13.xd4 c6 14.c4 The best square for the queen. [ Other moves are: 14.e4 f5 15.d2 hf8 16.f3 ab8 17.e2 xf7 18.0-0-0 f6 19.b1 e4 and things were not so clear in Beliavsky - Carr, London 1985 ] [ 14.d1 f5 15.h3 e6+ 16.e2 xe2+ 17.xe2 h6 18.d2 hf8 19.g4 xf7 20.0-0-0 ac8 21.c3 b5 with a good game for black in Clausen - Hoi, Copenhagen 1986 ] 14...b6! This natural looking move hadn't been played before, but it's very strong. [ 14...hf8 has been played a couple of times: 15.d2 ac8 ( 15...f5 16.h3 f6 17.0-0-0 e6 18.d3 xf7 19.he1 ad8 20.b1 c8 21.g4 with a small advantage in Timman - Spassky, Tilburg 1981 ) 16.h3!? f6 ( 16...b4? 17.b3 with a large advantage and the idea of a3; 16...h6 17.0-0-0 xf7 18.he1 with the better chances) 17.0-0-0 a6 18.xa6 bxa6 19.he1 and White had achieved a better endgame in Beliavsky Kanstler, Azov 1991. ] 15.e2 h5 16.h3 h6 17.d2 f5 18.0-0-0 There is no other way to complete development. g3 19.d3 xh1 20.xh1 Bu t n o w t h e pa wn o n g6 is lo st so b la ck should play very precisely. af8! 21.e1 [ Of course 21.xg6!? is possible, but after
d4 , intending Qc4 or Qf6 Black is OK. ] 21...xf7 22.xg6 f6!? 23.g7 [ After 23.xe7+?! xe7 24.xf6 white wins a pawn but the rooks are swapped so the black king is saf e: h7! 25.g5 c5 26.xc5 dxc5 with a big advantage ] 23...d8 24.d5 e6 25.xe6 xe6 26.f5+! An excellent resource! xd5 [ The only move as after 26...d7? 27.c3 f8 28.f6 white would obtain an o v e r w h e l m i n g a d v a n t a g e a n d e8 is losing after 29.fxe7+- ] 27.f7+ c5?! [ It was probably a time scramble already and black did not have the time to calculate 27...e4!? but I do not see how black is losing here. Besides, it is probably white who should prove he has enough compensation for the sacrificed material. ] 28.e3+ d4 [ 28...b5? loses by force: 29.a4+ xa4 30.b3+ a5 31.c4 with a quick mate. ] 29.b4+! c6 30.xd4 White has won a piece back but now it's black's turn to activate his pieces. g8! [ Much weaker was 30...g8 31.c4+ d7 32.xa7 c8 33.e6+ c7 34.e4 with a big advantage. ] 31.xe7 [ Nothing would be achieved by 31.b5+?! xb5 32.xe7 h7 33.xd6 b6! ] 31...e8! 32.h4 [ Again 32.b5+? was bad: d5 33.f6 e1+ 34.b2 b4+-+ winning ] 32...g8 33.c3 e2 [ 33...xg2? lost the game after 34.c4+ d7 35.b5+! ] 34.g3 b5 The black king is safe now and it looks like black has solved all his problems. 35.b2 f3 36.e7! It is time for white to be careful as he is the exchange down. xf5 37.g4 hxg4 38.hxg4 xg4 39.xa7 The position is equal now and no one can play f o r a wi n a lt h o u gh b la c k h a s a sym b o li c advantage here. c8 40.e3 c4 41.f3+ b6 42.d4+ c7 43.c3 e6 44.a3 e4 45.h5 c4 46.a4! bxa4 47.a5+ b7 48.xa4 c6 49.xc6+ It is possible to swap the queens since the pawn on b5 has been exchanged. xc6 A draw was agreed. 1110
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A very spectacular and interesting game. ½-½
1065 Kramnik,Vladimir Grischuk,Alexander Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (11) [Andrew Martin]
B09 2754 2710 28.01.2005
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.e5 Wow! Most unexpected. What has Kramnik got to show in this discredited line or is just a one-off? fd7 7.exd6 cxd4!? 8 Evidently Grischuk has something new to show against Nb5 [ I r e m e m b e r s o m e w h e r e t h a t 7...0-0 was recommended here although 8.e3! gives a fair chance for advantage, particularly after one has been surprised. There follows exd6 9.d2 c6 10.0-0-0 a5 11.f5 which is messy: f6 12.fxg6 hxg6 13.h6 g4 14.xg7 xg7 15.dxc5 xf3 16.gxf3 dxc5 17.g5 ad8 18.d3 c4! 19.xa5 xa5= Dviorys-Kanstler USSR Ch Moscow 1991 ] 8.b5! 0-0 [ 8...a6 9.dxe7 xe7+ 10.e2 xe2+ 11.xe2 ] 9.c7 c5N There is nothing in 'The Complete Pirc' and ECO is non-existent on the matter so will have to rely on my good old trusty database. Kramnik has been working a lot with computers so we may assume he has analysed this stuff. Surely Black's play is very fishy here? [ 9...exd6 has been played before on the rare occasions anyone has been brave en o ugh to go t his wa y: 10.xa8 c6 ( 10...e8+ 11.e2 c6 12.0-0 c5 13.b5 g4 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 xa8 16.f5 e5 17.d5 b6 18.xd6 e4 19.a3 d8 20.fxg6 hxg6 21.f4 d5 22.b3 c5 23.d3 d6 24.xe5 xe5 25.ae1 Weber, A-Pleyer, R/ Passau 1997) 11.e2 c5 12.0-0 g4 ( 12...f5? 13.h1 h8 14.b1 e6 15.b3 d5 16.b2 xf3 17.xf3 e4 18.xe4 fxe4 19.e2 e8 20.f5 gxf5 21.xf5 xa8 22.bf1 d8 23.a3 h4 24.1f4 e7 25.f7 e6 26.xb7 g6 27.g4 1-0 Gonzalez
Custodio, R-Medina, J/Ceuta 1993) 13.h1 h5 A) 14.g5! is very good: xe2 ( 14...f5 15.d2 xa8 16.f3 e8 17.e1 ) 15.xe2 xa8 16.e1 d3 17.cxd3 b4 18.e3 cxd3 19.a3! xe1 20.axb4; B) 14.d2 xa8 15.b4 Schneider, VKlein, J/Germany 1998 Black gets a pawn for the exchange and control of the centre in most lines. You either like this type of play or you do not. ] 10.xa8 xd6 11.d3 c6 12.0-0 e6 13.g5 d5 14.f5 [ 14.b6!? axb6 ] 14...xa8 15.fxg6 hxg6 16.g4 We have roughly the same scene as before where Black has a p awn and centralise d pieces for the exchange. Kramnik tries to emphasize his advantage by switching to direct attack. By these means he will negate Black's centralization, or he hopes so.... xd3 17.cxd3 f6 18.f3 f7 19.h4!? [ Deep Fritz suggests 19.b3! with the point that after e5 20.d2 f5 White has 21.h4 planning Ng5. ] 19...e5 20.g3 d7 21.f4 g5 22.xg5 [ 22.xe5 gxh4 23.f2 d8 24.f4 e5 25.d2 was a serious alternative, but there Black has good chances after g6! ] 22...fxg5 23.f5 g6 [ Two other possibilities suggest themselves: 23...f6 24.ae1 ] [ 23...g6 24.xg5 f8 25.xg7 xg7 26.h4 Grischuk's move leads to a liquidation where White emerges with a slightly better Rook ending. ] 24.xg7 f7 25.xf7! xf7 26.e5 xd3 [ 26...d6 27.f1+ g8 28.xd6 exd6 29.f5 ] 27.d1 g8 28.xd3 xg7 29.xd4 e6 30.xe6+ xe6 31.b4 b6 32.a4 White has two advantages in the ending: a) More active Rook b) Possibility of establishing an outside passed pawn on the Kingside Set against this is Black's more active King which naturally Grischuk is relying on. My impression is that the ending is drawn, but that Black will have to suffer a bit. a5 33.b4 axb4 34.xb4 f5 35.xb6 e5 36.a4 e4 37.b3 a7 38.a3 a5! It was crucial to hold up the pawn. Now, in o rd er to win W hite h as t o 1111
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 create a second passed pawn. 39.h3 f4 40.f2 e4 41.g3 g4! The best try, lest white play h4 42.hxg4 [ After 42.h4 Black must pass with his King and it's not so easy to make progress: d4 43.e2 e4! 44.a1 d4 for instance 45.h5? e4 46.h6 h5 ] 42...d4 43.g5 d5 44.e3 e6 45.e4 f7 46.d3 [ What did Black have in mind against 46.f5 g7 47.g6? ] 46...g6 47.c4 xg5 48.b4 a6 49.a5 e4 50.c4 d6! What else? Black must pray. A forced sequence follows: 51.a6 e3 52.a7 e2 53.a8 e1 54.a5+ [ It's incredible that after 54.g8+ g6 55.d8+ Black holds with f6!! 56.a5+ g4! 57.xf6 xa5 58.f4+ h5= ] 54...g4 55.g8+ f3 Both Rooks hang and so W hite has no real trickery to pull. 56.f7+ g2 57.a2+ g1 58.a7+ f1 59.f7+ g1 60.a7+ f1 61.a1 d1 Black's rook is incredibly agile. 62.f7+ g1 63.a7+ f1 64.xd1 xd1 65.d4 a4+ 66.d3 b3+ 67.c3 d5+ The endgame play by both players was superb, demonstrating high-class. The opening...will not be repeated by either player. I am willing to wager a lot of money on that. ½-½
1066 Kramnik,Vladimir Morozevich,Alexander Melody (blindfold) [Andrew Martin]
B09
2005
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.e3 A system which has given Black a lot of hassle over recent years. c6 7.d3 a6 8.a3 [ White can try to hit Black immediately: 8.e5 but pawns can't move backwards and Black get s his co un te rp lay right o n time : g4 9.g1 dxe5 10.fxe5 b4 11.h3 h6 12.c4 h8 13.e2 f6! 14.0-0-0 b5 15.b3 a5 Grischuk, A-Tseshkovsky, V/ Krasnoyarsk 2003 ] 8...c5 [ 8...g4 9.g1 e5?! isn't the right pawn
break. W hite holds the advantage after 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.h3 h6 12.fxe5 ( 12.xa6! bxa6 13.xd8 xd8 14.xe5 xe5 15.fxe5 is probably even stronger.) 12...e7 13.xa6 bxa6 14.d6 b7 15.b4 c7 16.c5 e8 17.h2 e6 18.0-0 Zehrfeldt, M-Brender, H/ Hockenheim 1994 But this is not bad for White of course. It follows that Black should be looking to play f or c5 rather than e5 against this particular White pawn formation and system. It's similar to the King's Indian: when the Bishop on c1 develops early, baring b2, aim for ...c5, otherwise go for ...e5. These little rules of thumb really help the average player to navigate through the fianchetto systems. ] 9.d5 b8 10.e2 c7 11.a4 a6 Now W hite has to make a decision about whether to inhibit ..b7-b5 or not. Long experience suggests he should hold this move up with a4 because it gives him a later target on a6. 12.a5 [ 12.0-0 b5 is perfectly OK for Black whose position springs immediately to life: 13.axb5 axb5 14.xb5 ( 14.e1 c4 15.e2 b4 16.d1 xe4 17.xc4 e6 ) 14...xb5 15.xb5 xe4 16.d3 f6 17.c4 g4 ] 12...b5 Black has to play this move or his p o s i t i o n m a k e s n o s e n s e . 13.axb6 And now W hite has his weakness on a6 to aim at.....maybe. I prefer Black's activity. xb6 14.a4 b4 A typical move. Black harries W hite by attacking e4 and monitoring b2. 15.d2 b8 16.0-0 e6! The second essential pawn break from Black, who plays this game in model fashion. If the e file opens up White's Queen is misplaced: 17.dxe6 [ 17.c4 exd5 18.exd5 ( 18.cxd5 e8 19.a5 fxd5! ) 18...e8 ] 17...xe6 18.f5 White has to press for the initiative or his pawns would simply become weak. gxf5! Enabling Black to use the d5 square and opening the a8-h1 diagonal for action. This type of move is a judgement call a n d i t i s ve ry in st ru c t i ve t o s e e t h e wa y Morozevitch juggle attack and defence in the ensuing play. 19.exf5 c7 20.f2 cd5! Centralization is used to beat off the coming Kingside attack. 21.h4 b4 22.g5 xd3 A key component in any direct White assault 1112
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 o n h 7 i s d e s t r o y e d . 23.cxd3 b4 And now it remains to break the pin on the K n i g h t f 6 . 24.d4 cxd4 25.d2 c4 Keeping active. 26.g5 b7 27.f2 e8 As White has no clear way to take advantage on the pin on f6, Black activates his last piece. 28.b3 [ 28.d2 b4 29.g3 h8 ] 28...b4 29.d2 a5 30.b2 d3 31.h3 h6! 32.h4 [ 32.xh6 xh6 33.xh6 g4-+ ] 32...b6 33.xd3 [ 33.dc4 d4-+ ] [ 33.bc4 d4 34.af1 g4 35.f6 xf2 36.xf2 xf6-+ ] 33...e3 34.f3 xd3 35.xf6 xf6 36.e1 e4 37.xe4 xe4 38.g4+ f8 39.xe4 d1+ 40.e1 c3 41.a8+ e7 Brilliant, counter attacking skills by Morozevich, considering the quality of the opposition. An important theoretical game for Pirc players too, where Black shows the way forward against 6 Be3. 0-1
1067 Lanka,Zigurds Sznapik,Aleksander (ol) Manila (ol) [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1992
L a t vi a n G M Zig u rd s L a n ka is o n e o f t h e foremost opening experts in modern chess. In the following game he played an important novelty on move 7! 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.e3 b6 7.c4!? [ The move 7.e5 was considered earlier in the game Beliavsky - Anand. ] 7...b7 [ Black has a lot of possibilities: 7...xe4?! i s d u b i o u s : 8.xe4 d5 9.d3 dxe4 10.xe4 c6 11.e5 b7 12.f3 leads to a clear advantage for White. ] [ but 7...c5 ] [ or 7...e6 are quite playable. ] 8.e5 [ 8.f5!? was also interesting, then possible was A) after 8...xe4?! 9.fxg6 hxg6 10.xe4 d5 ( or 10...xe4 11.g5 ) 11.b3! dxe4
12.g5 white would achieve good attacking chances; B) 8...d5!? could lead to an unclear position after 9.exd5 xd5 ( 9...gxf5 ? 10.h4 ) 10.xd5 xd5 11.d3 c6 12.c3; C) 8...c5!? with very complicated play ] 8...g4 9.e2 c5 [ After 9...xe3 10.xe3 c5 11.d5 both black's bishops are passive. ] 10.0-0-0 [ 10.g1 also came into consideration, the text move is a more direct try. ] 10...xf3 Other continuations do not solve black's problems: [ 10...c6?! 11.g1! a5 ( 11...h6 ? 12.b1 ! xf4 13.e4 g5 14.xg5+winning ) 12.d5 with the advantage ] [ or 10...xe3 11.xe3 cxd4 ( 11...c6 12.d5 a5 13.d3 with the better game) 12.xd4 c7 13.d5! dxe5 14.db5! c8 15.fxe5 was also better for white ] 11.xf3 xe3 12.xe3 cxd4 [ After 12...c6?! 13.dxc5 bxc5 14.h4 white's attack was coming quickly. ] 13.xd4 c6 14.e4 a5 15.b3 [ If 15.a6 black could gain some tempi to begin his attack first by b5! ] 15...xb3+ 16.axb3 b5!? 17.b1 [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 17.he1 deserved attention. ] 17...a5! 18.xb5 b8 19.c3 dxe5 20.f5! Trying to keep the bishop on g7 passive. gxf5! Of course black has quite a different plan. 21.xf5 e6 22.g5 h6 23.g3 b7 24.f3 fb8?? A terrible blunder which loses immediately. [ After the correct 24...ab8 the position was unclear. ] 25.d8+! A typical combination which ends the game. Black resigned. 1-0
1113
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1068 Ledger,Andrew Baker,Chris W 4NCL 2008-9 Staverton ENG (9) [John Watson]
B09 2425 2351 02.05.2009
1.d4 g6 Starting as a Modern... 2.e4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 ...into a Pirc, Austrian Attack. 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d4!? So far, this strange move seems to be doing rather well. The point is to guard the e-pawn and force Black, IF he wants to win the c-pawn, to end up with a pawn on c5, which is generally undesirable because e5 will follow. In a case like this, it's all in the specifics. I reported on this line in great detail in An is im ov-V oino v, Ru ssia n Ch 2 00 7 . c6 Here, are other answers to 7 Qd4. Since you might want to have all this analysis in one place, I'm going to simply paste in my lengthy analysis from the earlier game AnisimovVoinov, which can be found in the Archives. I'll combine this with Joe Gallagher's and James Vigus' analysis, with some new thoughts: [ a) First, there's 7...dxc5 , when Gallgher gives 8 Bb5+, but I think that 8 Qc4 may be even better: From my earlier update: A) Vigus thinks that Black is okay after 8.b5+ A1) 8...bd7 9.a4 xa4 10.xa4 a6 11.e5 g4 12.b3 was B.Certic-G. V u j a d i n o vi c , K l a d o vo 1 9 9 6 , a n d i s obviously in White's favour; A2) 8...xb5 '!' 9.xf6! xf6 10.xb5 a6 11.e5 g7 12.e3 was Vigus' and Gallagher's line, which I took further, as follows: ', in view of W hite's missing light-squared bishop. But Black's bishop is blocked off and his knight on a6 is a little funny, so maybe we should go a touch further:' A2a) V i g u s a l s o l i k e s 12...d7 13.0-0-0+ c6 14.c3 f5 , but this is likely to lead to W hite's advantage after 15.h3! ( or 15.d5 he8 16.c4 ) 15...h5 ( 15...b4 16.g4 xc2 17.d2 h5 18.a3 hxg4 19.axb4 b3 20.b5+ b6 21.g5; 15...c7 16.g4 e6 17.g5 ) 16.d5 he8 17.c4 ( or 17.d2 b6 18.hd1 );
A2b) 12...d7! Back to 12...Bd7: 13.c4 A2b1) b e s t s e e m s 13...c6! 14.0-0-0 0-0 15.he1 b6 ( 15...f6 16.e6 f5 17.a3 ) 16.e2 h6 17.ed2 White has space, but he isn't going anywhere for a while; A2b2) 13...0-0-0!? 14.g5 ( or 14.xa7+ ) 14...e8 15.xa7+ b8 16.b5 h6 17.f3 b4 18.e2 All this has to be tested. If Black stands worse, it's not by much. I think that 8 Qc4 is more important:; A3) 8...d7 , when White should probably follow Certic's suggestion of 9.xd7+ ( 9.xc5 looks risky after 0-0! ) 9...bxd7 10.d2 d8; B) 8.c4 0-0 ( 8...c6?! 9.e5 h5 10.e3 0-0 11.0-0-0 ) B1) 9.b5 looks important. Black still has to solve the problem that his bishop will be cut off by e5: B1a) 9...xb5 10.xb5 a6 -look for improvements here?- 11.d3 c6 12.e5 seems to favour White, for example, h5 13.e3 g4 ( 13...b6? 14.e4 b7 15.g4 ) 14.e4 fd8 15.0-0 d4 16.ad1 , etc.; B1b) 9...c7 10.e5 a6 ( 10...fd7 11.e3 a6 12.e2 ) 11.b3 e6!? 12.c4 xc4 13.xc4 b5 14.e2; B2) Martin gives 9.d2 , which doesn't seem as good after e6 10.e2 ( jw: 10.b5 c7 11.g5 d7 12.b3 h6 13.e5 hxg5 14.exf6 exf6 15.0-0-0 c6 , about equal) 10...b6 ( jw: better is simply 10...c6 11.e5 d7= ) 11.0-0-0 c6 12.e5 d7 13.e3 "Thanks to the blocked-in Bishop on g7, I prefer White." - Martin agreed, but Black can improve, as seen.; B3) 9.e5!? There are two other choices: B3a) Black came up short after 9...g4 10.h3 h6 11.e3 a6 B3a1) 12.0-0-0! e6 ( 12...f5 13.f2 ) 13.b5 xb5 14.xb5 clearly favours White; B3a2) 12.b5!? xb5 13.xb5 b6 14.c6 b8 15.a3 b7 16.xb7 xb7 17.0-0-0 in Van Herwaarden, A-De Saegher, C (2203)/Dieren NED 1114
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 2006/.; B3b) 9...h5 10.e3; B3c) 9...e6 10.b5 xb5 11.xb5! (For some reason, this isn't played or looked at ( Vigus correctly thinks that Martin's 11.xb5!? d5 12.a3 a6 13.c4 axb5 14.cxd5 xd5 15.xb5 is fine for Black then a6!? 16.e3 c7 17.e2 b6 is an easy solution) 11...d5 ( 11...fd7?! 12.g5; 11...g4?! 12.h3 h6 13.e3 ) 12.xd5 xd5 13.e3 b6 ( 13...a6 14.e2 b6 15.0-0-0 has to favor W h i t e s o m e w h a t) 14.0-0-0 e6 ( 14...xf3 15.gxf3 a6 16.c4 c6 17.c3 ) 15.e2 f6 (thematic, to free the bishop, and probably best, but it also leaves Black a little vulnerable) ( 15...c4 16.b3 cxb3 17.axb3 c8 18.b2 f6 19.c4 e4 20.exf6 xf6+ 21.d4 ) 16.c4 e4 17.hg1! -in order to bring a knight to g5 or d2 or e5 and not leave g2 hanging ( 17.d6!? ) 17...fxe5 ( 17...a6 18.exf6! xf6 19.a3 and Rd7 or Ng5; 17...e8 18.exf6 xf6 19.d2! and Bf3 ) 18.fxe5 h6 19.d6 and White stands better. ] [ b) The other major line is 7...0-0 A) M o r e d a r i n g i s 8.cxd6 xe4 ( the critical line I don't see anything particularly good for Black after 8...c6 9.d2 ) 9.xe4 xc3+ , and now White should prefer 10.bxc3! ( Black has plenty of play after both 10.d2 xd2+ 11.xd2 c6; and 10.f2 f6 11.dxe7 e8 ) 10...xc3+ 11.f2 xa1 12.dxe7 e8 13.c4 with excellent attacking chances in return for the exchange.; B) 8.d2 c6 9.f2 xc5?! ( The white queen is a little awkwardly placed so Black would have done better to play 9...dxc5 . At least the game is more complicated after something like 10.e5 g4 11.h4 h6 . ) 10.xc5 dxc5 11.e5 d7?! ( 11...g4 was a better chance. Black's plan of opening the centre wh e n w a y b e h i n d i n d e v e l o p m e n t i s doomed to failure.) 12.0-0-0 f6 13.c4+ h8 14.exf6 exf6 15.e3 White has won the opening battle. a6 16.he1 h6
17.g3 b6 18.e6 cb8 19.d5 a7 20.xb6! xb6 21.xc5 c7 22.xb6 c6 23.xc8 xb6 24.e6 b4 25.xa6 a4 26.b5 xa2 27.c4 g5 28.b1 a7 29.xg5 xg5 30.fxg5 fxg5 31.ed6 g7 32.d8 xd8 33.xd8 a6 34.xa6 xa6 35.c2 f6 36.c3 1-0 Ninov-Peev, Ulcinj 1997 this 7. ..0-0 analysis come largely from Joe Gallagher. ] 8.b5 dxc5 [ The Ansimov game went 8...0-0?! 9.a4! xa4 10.xa4 dxc5 11.e5 d7 12.d5 Or 12 Be3 this is exactly what Black doesn't want. e6 13.c7!? ( 13.xc6 bxc6 14.e7+ h8 15.e3! is even better. Black is paralysed.) 13...b8 14.e3 b6?! ( 14...b4 15.a3 b5 16.axb4 bxa4 17.xa4 ) 15.b5 d8 16.xc5 AnisimovVoinov, Krasnoyarsk 2007. ] [ 8...xb5? 9.xf6! xf6 10.xb5 Milov-Henderikse, Haarlem 2004. ] [ 8...d7 '!' 'looks best:' 9.xc6= ( 9.a4 xa4 10.xa4 b4! 11.b3 e6! 12.0-0 xb3 13.axb3 dxc5 14.e5 g4 15.e1 is a forcing line that gets Black close to equality, although White may still have some pull after, for example, 0-0 16.h3 h6 17.g4! ) 9...xc6 10.cxd6 exd6 11.0-0 0-0 t h r e a t e n s . . . N xe 4 , a n d 12.e5 g4! 13.xd6 fd8 14.e7 b6+ 15.h1 f2+ 16.g1 e4+ arguably draws by force. ] 9.a4! xa4 10.xa4 d7 11.e3 b8?! [ 11...xc3+ 12.bxc3 0-0 13.0-0-0 ( 13.d2!? a5 14.xd7 xd7 15.xc5 fe8 ) 13...b8 14.c4 a6 15.xc6 bxc6 16.d3 with the idea Rhd1 and advantage. ] 12.e5 f6 13.0-0-0 fxe5 14.xc6?! [ 14.d5! threatens Nc7+ and is hard to meet, for example, h6 15.c7+ f8 16.e6+ f7 17.fg5+ xg5 18.xg5+ e8 19.xc6 bxc6 20.fxe5 and Black stands very poorly, especially since xe5? loses to 21.f4 ] 14...bxc6 15.fxe5 0-0 16.he1 xe5?! [ 16...b7 or ] [ 16...e8 is better, still favouring White, but not by so much as in the game. ] 17.xe5 xe5 18.xc5 xh2 19.xe7 g4 20.h1 bd8 1115
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 20...f4+ 21.b1 h5 22.xa7 ] 21.xa7 f5 22.b6 [ 22.e4! ] 22...f4+ 23.b1 d2 24.a4 e5 25.e4 [ 25.axh7! ] 25...xg2 26.a5 f4 27.e1 e2 28.xe2 xe2 29.f2 f5? [ 29...f6 ] 30.d3 f6 31.a6 1-0
1069 Lodhi,Mahmood Rahman,Ziaur 7th United Insurance (3) [Andrew Martin]
B09 2406 2493 09.05.2004
1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.e5 A blast from the past. Velimirovic liked this move and so should anyone who enjoys attacking chess. But is 6... Nfd7! 7 h4!? sound? e8!? That question will have to wait for another day! 6...Ne8 is very rare indeed and by comparison with 6.. ..Nfd7, the Black Knight exerts less pressure on the centre. On the plus side the Bishop on c8 remains free to go and ...f7-f6 is a possible retort. W hich of these factors is more significant? I would be looking very closely now at 7 h4 but Lodhi decides on a slower way. 7.e3 [ 7.h4! g4 was actually played in the game we are about to see. Black is very much relying on 7...Bg4 to bail him out. 8.e2 d7 9.g5 xe2 10.xe2 h6 11.xf7! xf7 12.e6 f8 13.exd7 xd7 14.e3 ( 14.h5! fearing nothing, is consistent: gxh5 15.xh5 f6 16.h4 ae8 17.g4 ) 14...f6 15.0-0-0 c6 16.d2 f5 Black seems to have got away with it. There seems plenty of light-squared counterplay available. 17.dg1 h5 18.b1 g4 19.g3 e6 ( 19...e5! grasping the nettle, was also good. ) 20.e1 c4 21.d1 e5 22.dxe5 dxe5 23.fxe5 xe5 24.h6 xc3 25.bxc3 f5 26.he1 b5+ 27.c1 xa2?? C a t a s t r o p h e ! ( 27...c5! is a c ru s h e r !) 28.d8+! xd8 29.xd8+ 1-0 Villanueva,MAlvarez Castillo,H/Tres de Febrero 2003 ] 7...c6
[ 7...c5!? 8.dxc5 c6 looks in the spirit of the Pirc: 9.exd6 ( 9.e2 a5 10.cxd6 exd6 11.d5 d8 12.0-0-0 e6 13.b5 b8 Lepeshkin-Gufeld USSR Ch 1966) 9...exd6 10.d2 a5 11.cxd6 xd6! 12.d3 d8 13.d1 b4 TimoschenkoKarasev USSR 1972 ] 8.a4 Setting the scene for a more placid game than is usually the case after 6 e5 but I can't help feeling that Rahman has succeeded with his opening idea. For me , White has changed his mind. He starts out hyper-aggressively with 6 e5 and goes into full reverse with 8 a4. The Pirc is all about hitting back and tempting W hite to over-extend. That's exactly what Lodhi has done. [ 8.e2 a5 9.h4! is much more appropriate. h5 ( 9...g4 10.d2 b5 11.0-0-0 d7 12.g5! looks good for White too.) 10.g5 f6 11.xh5 fxg5 12.xg6 gxf4 13.h5 f6 14.exf6 xf6 15.e4 fxe3 16.g5 ( 16.h7+! f8 17.xf6 exf6 18.h5 is a wipe-out.) 16...e2 ( 16...e5 17.dxe5 dxe5 18.d1 e7 19.f7+ xf7 20.d8+!; 16...e6 17.0-0-0 e2 18.de1 e7 19.xe2 e5 20.dxe5 dxe5 ) 17.f7+ xf7 18.xf7+ h8 19.g6 g8 20.h5 1-0 Van Popta, H-Van der Bilt,W/Groningen 1999 ] 8...c7 9.c4 ba6 10.0-0 b4= Painless equalization. Even the THREAT of Black counterplay reduced White to playing p a s s i v e l y . 11.e2 a5 12.fd1 h8 He is going to play... f7-f6 and dismantle that huge White centre. I wouldn't say this is a Pirc players dream position but it's certainly not to be sneezed at. Black has a nice game. [ 12...d5 13.b3 g4 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 f6 ] 13.b3 f6 14.h3 bd5 15.xd5 xd5 16.c4 He can't decide how to handle the position but his over-extended centre is the real problem. xe3 17.xe3 It remains for Black to activate the Bg7.This he accomplishes on his very next move. h6! 18.e6?! I am doubtful - the pawn may become isolated and weak. Lodhi should have settled for [ 18.exf6 xf6 19.g5 g7 20.e1 which is only slightly worse for him. The Bishop on g7 might become King but Black 1116
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 has to worry about the pawn on e7 before he can claim any true advantage. ] 18...d5 19.cxd5 cxd5 20.g3 a6! The life-support has been cut off to the poor p a w n o n e 6 21.e1 xe6 22.xe6 He probably felt this was his best shot. xe6 23.xe6 d7 24.ae1 c8! 25.xe7 xh3 26.f2 The only move. f8 27.xb7 g5! 28.f7 [ 28.xd5 gxf4 29.gxf4 d6 leaves the White King facing a firing squad. The Black attack is of course enhanced by the presence of opposite-coloured Bishops. ] 28...b4 29.e2 gxf4 30.gxf4 g8 31.ee7 g2+ Well, Rahman psyched Lodhi out of the attack. He plays a bit like Hodgson, confidently! Both are willing to try out risky lines which have potential. I would like to have seen Lodhi employing a much more aggres s ive a p pro a ch . h2 -h 4 so m ewh e re seems key, not pussyfooting around castling short. 0-1
1070 Marjanovic,S Alexander,Gregor Jugoslavija [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1992
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 c6 7.e5 dxe5 8.dxe5 d5 9.d2 [ No t h i n g wo u l d b e a c h i e ve d b y 9.xd5 xd5 10.e2 f5!? 11.xf5 gxf5 12.0-0 ad8 13.e3 f6 14.exf6 xf6 15.c3 h8 16.f2 e4 with good play for black in Wang Zili - R.Antonio, Sydney 1991 ] 9...cb4 10.e4 c6 11.e2?! This looks logical but black has a strong reply. [ 11.xd5?! was not better: cxd5 12.xb4 dxe4 13.xd8 xd8 14.d2 f8 ( 14...e3 is also good) 15.0-0-0 f5 16.de1 a5 17.c3 b5 with a strong initiative ] [ Probably 11.a3 was best: xc3 ( 11...a6 12.b4!? ) 12.xc3 d5 13.d2!? with mutual chances. ] 11...a6 An excellent resource! The knight is go i n g t o c 5 . 12.fd4?! Another inaccuracy which leads to real problems for white.
[ 12.c3 was the normal continuation but black's chances are already preferable. ] 12...f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.f3 e5! Opening the position. W hite has no time to complete his development without any material loss. 15.fxe5 g4 16.f4 [ 16.0-0? was impossible because of xe5 winning material ] 16...xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.d3?! Trying to make things more complicated for black but this actually leads to quite a different result. [ Of course 18.0-0 was possible but black is much better here ] 18...c5 19.b3+ h8 20.e6 xe6 21.xe6 xb2 22.b1 h4+! 23.g3 b4+ 24.c3 xc3+ 25.f2 ae8?! Simplifying the position but black parts with some of his advantage. [ 25...b2 was stronger. ] 26.d5?! Now it's all over. [ 26.xe8 was necessary: xe8 27.xb4 cxb4 28.xc3 bxc3 29.c1 c5 30.xc3 b6 with an extra pawn in the ending but white can still fight. ] 26...d4+-+ winning 27.g2 [ 27.xd4 d2+ 28.g1 cxd4-+ winning ] 27...d2 White resigned. 0-1
1071 Martinez Ramirez,E Narciso Dublan,M 37th Barbera del Valles Open 2014 (2.4) [Neil McDonald]
B09 2324 2523
The variation in this game has been studied e xh a u s t ive ly b y Jo h n W a t so n a n d M ilo s Pavlovic and Andrew Martin on ChessPub. You can find their comments in the archives. In particular check out John's analysis to the game Nakamura-Smirin (there are two versions). 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.e5 fd7 7.h4 c5 8.h5 cxd4 9.hxg6 dxc3 10.gxf7+ xf7 11.c4 e6! 12.g5 cxb2 13.xb2 a5+ 14.c3 xe5 15.h5 bc6 16.xe6 So far, so theory. Bur rather than the game move, my computer program suggests [ 16.0-0-0!? which certainly sets Black a lot 1117
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 o f p r a c t i c a l p r o b l e m s . F o r e xa m p l e h6 the only move as ( 16...xc4 loses at once to 17.xf7+ ) 17.fxe5 hxg5 18.exd6 W hite is a piece down but his attacking chances plus the strong passed pawn give h i m e n o u g h f o r d yn a m i c e q u a l i t y . e5 ( 18...g4 19.h7+ f8 20.b1 c5 21.d3 e5 22.df1 e6 23.g6 c4 24.a3! xd3+ 25.xd3 xa3 26.g6 f4 27.xf4+ exf4 28.f5+ e8 29.e6+ f8 30.h5 and White has a winning attack =with 31.Rf5+.) 19.h7+ f8 20.hf1 c5 21.b3 d7 22.c4! opening up the diagonal of the other bishop. f4 23.xf4+ gxf4 24.d4 f7 25.xg7+ xg7 26.d5+ e5 27.xc5 f6 28.c7 e6 29.c5 the position remains dynamically balanced going into the endgame. ] [ In contrast, 16.fxe5 is bad for White- see John's comments. ] 16...d3+! Instead John analyses [ 16...f3+ but that is not as convincing as the game move. ] 17.d2 xe6 18.xh7+ f8 19.xe6+ e7 20.xg7 xf4 21.g3 [ This should lose quickly, but 21.af1 g5 is no fun for White either as he is obliged to enter a lost endgame with 22.h4 xh4 23.xh4 xg7 24.hxf4 xg2+ ] 21...d5+ 22.c2 g2? [ The winning move was 22...d3! A) 23.af1 cb4+! Black has a forced win, but he has to do it all with check, or else his own king will be for the chop. 24.cxb4 ( Or 24.d2 g2+ ) 24...xb4+ 25.b1 xa2+ 26.c1 c8+ 27.d1 xf1+ 28.xf1 b3+ 29.e1 d3+ 30.d2 c2+ 31.e3 f2+ 32.f4 c4+ 33.g5 xg3+ 34.h6 e3+ 35.h5 h3+ 36.g6 g4+ 37.f5 xh7# and Black has had the ignominy of losing his queen and being mated on the same move.; B) 23.ac1 f2+ 24.b1 xb2+ and mate next move.; C) 23.xd3 f2+ and wins the queen. ] 23.ag1 g8 [ Black is out of danger with a clear edge after 23...e3+ 24.b1 d7 ] 24.b1? [ White is alive again after 24.c4! awakening
his bishop xc4+ 25.b1 b4 26.f6+!? xf6 ( Black loses his queen after 26...d7 27.f5+ c7 28.c1 ) 27.f1+ e7 28.xf7+ xf7 29.f5+ f6 30.xf7+ xf7 31.h6+ g7 32.xg8 xg8 33.d1 e3 34.xd6 and it's burnt out to an equal endgame. ] 24...gxg7 25.c2 e3 26.e2 e4+ 27.c1 e5 A crushing win for Black, but 16. 0-0-0 at least seems to make the line playable for White, even if objectively speaking he has no more than equal chances or even slightly worse chances. How many players would want to delve into these huge complications as Black? 0-1
1072 Mastrovasilis,Dimitrios Schmaltz,Roland Athens [Andrew Martin]
B09
2005
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 c6 7.0-0 e5 This game makes 7....e5 look dubious, but as we know this assessment can fluctuate from month to month, such is the sharp nature of this line. 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.d5 d4 10.xe5 xe4 11.xe4 [ Judit Polgar has been successful with 11.xe4 xe5 12.f4 xf4 13.xf4 f5 14.xf5 xf5 15.d4 and indeed this looks like a trouble-free route to a small edge for White. ] 11...xe5 12.c3 Kicking the Knight appears best at this stage. [ Instead 12.f4 allows xd5!= once recent example going 13.c4 e6 14.g5 e7 15.e1 f6 16.xh7 xh7 17.xe5 fxe5 18.xe5 f5-+ Ozerov, I-Zachos, I/Essen 2004 ] 12...f5 13.f3! Black is not able to take on d5 and thus his position starts to become unpleasant. c6 14.dxc6 bxc6 [ 14...b6+ 15.f2 xc6 is no real solution either: 16.f4! g7 ( 16...xf4 17.xf4 d8 18.c2 e6 19.f6+ g7 20.e5 ) 17.g4 h6 18.xh6 xh6 19.f6+ g7 20.e4 c5 21.e1 g5 22.b4 b6 1118
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 23.d5 d6 24.d1 f5 25.gxf5 xf5 26.e3 e5 27.xf5+ gxf5 28.d7+ g6 29.d3 Moiseev, V-Schoeneich, M/Berlin 1994 ] 15.g5 f6 An unwelcome weakening of the K i n g p o s i t i o n . 16.c4+ g7 17.f4! Stripping out the defenders very logical. xf4 [ 17...b6+ 18.h1 xb2 19.xe5 fxe5 20.g4! is a crusher. ] 18.xf4 b6+ 19.h1 d7 [ Not the tempting 19...e3 when 20.xf6 xf1 ( 20...f5 21.ae1 ) 21.h5+ gxh5 22.g5+ h8 23.e5++- finishes matters cleanly. ] 20.ae1 h5? By this stage Schmaltz looks as though he was demoralized. Black can put up a better fight with [ 20...b8 but there is no disputing White's ongoing advantage af ter 21.d2 d8 22.c5! ] 21.xf6! xf6 [ 21...xf6 22.e7+ f8 23.e5! c5 24.xf5! finishes Black off: xf5 ( 24...gxf5 25.xd7 e8 26.g3 g6 27.f7+ g8 28.e7+! f8 29.e5!+is a neat variation. ) 25.h7!+- ] 22.d6+ g5 23.d2+ f6 24.xd7 A game which is quite easy to understand, given a reasonable command of tactics and one which brings 7...e5 into question. 1-0
chess books like this any more. dxe5 8.fxe5 h5 Enabling the bishop on c8 to come immediately into the game. This is the great advantage o f 8...Nh5 o ver 8...Ng4 . 9.e3 g4 10.e2 The sole purpose of this move seems to be to allow White to play c2-c3, yet he never plays it here! [ Better seems 10.c4 with distinct chances of an advantage: A) 10...a5 11.e2 d7 ( 11...c5 12.dxc5 b8 13.0-0 xf3 14.xf3 xe5 15.d5 xh2+ 16.h1 c6 ) 12.e4 f5 13.c5 d5 14.0-0 c4 15.xc4 xc4 16.h3 xf3 17.xf3 d5 18.b3 e6 19.c4 c6 20.b4 b6 21.b5 e8 22.a6 d7 23.b4 f4 24.f2 f7 25.c6 a5 26.e2 af8 27.d1 h6 28.d5 f5 29.d4 g7 30.dxe6 e7 31.xf5 xf5 32.d7 xe6 33.xc7 xe5 34.d3 1 -0 S p re n ge r, J-S a lce d o T o rn e ro , P / Madrid 2002; B) 10...xf3 11.xf3 xd4 12.e4! b5 13.xd4 bxc4 14.0-0-0; C) 10...h8 11.d2 f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.0-0 xf3 14.xf3 e5 15.d5 d4 16.ff1 f5 17.f2 d6 18.b3 g5 19.e1 e7 20.e4 xe4 21.xe4 f4 22.e2 af8 23.ae1 a5 24.c3 f6 Karpov, A-Nikolaevsky, Y/Leningrad 1971 and now 25.xe5 ] 10...f6N As mentioned earlier, this is one of the moves Black relies upon to enable counterplay. 1073 B09 [ Or 10...b4 11.c4 c5 12.c3 d5 13.d2 c8 14.b3 c4 15.c2 f6 16.h6 Michalczak,Thomas 2361 fxe5 17.xg7 xg7 18.xe5 xe2 Narciso Dublan,Marc 2525 19.xe2 hf4 20.e4 e3! Thirion, M7th ch-Euro Kusadasi TUR (11) 15.04.2006 Claesen, J/Belgium 1995 (24) ] [Andrew Martin] 11.exf6 xf6 12.c4+ d5 13.d2 xf3 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 14.gxf3 xf3 Already Black is doing very well 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 c6 7.e5 "The rationale indeed. 15.f4?! It is far too risky to leave the behind White's 7th move is clear: he wishes King in the middle. He had to castle: [ 15.0-0-0 e6 16.g5 d7 17.h4 f2 to gain space in the centre, limit the radius of 18.c3 Sometimes the decision a player th e b la ck K B a n d m inim ise th e po t e nt ia l makes baffles the spectator. This is one pressure against d4. In return this militant such moment. ] crossing of the 'fourth parallel' will involve White in certain heavy positional commitments 15...e6 16.xe6? Off track. [ 16.xd5 exd5 17.0-0-0 d6 18.hf1 - it will prove a difficult task to maintain his xf1 19.xf1 f8 still leaves Black a little advanced centre against the flanking blows ... b e t t e r , b u t a n yt h i n g w o u l d h a v e b e e n c5 and ...f6" From the Pirc Defence, Keene preferable to the game. ] and Botterill, Batsford 1973. They don't write 1119
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16...h4+ 17.f2 xf2 18.xf2 e4+-+ 10.xc5 dxc5 11.e5 e8N Apparently a 19.d1 xh1+ 20.d2 h6+ 21.f4 e4 n e w m o ve a n d o n e c a n we l l u n d e rs t a n d 6 . . N c 6 i s r a r e r t h a n a P e n n y B l a c k a t Black's desire to keep c7 under control. Grandmaster level and winning with it rarer [ After 11...d7 White works up a sizeable still. 7 0-0! is in my view the best reply, but 7 initiative: 12.0-0-0 f6 ( 12...d8 13.e3 e5 appears OK as long as W hite does not is better for White, who has more space and collapse, as he did here... ideas of Bb5 or Bc4: a6 14.c4 e6 0-1 15.d3! b6 16.e4 b7 17.d6 a5 18.hd1 ) 13.c4+ h8 14.exf6 exf6 15.e3 a6 16.he1 h6 17.g3 b6 18.e6 1074 B09 cb8 19.d5 a7 20.xb6 xb6 21.xc5 c7 22.xb6 c6 23.xc8 xb6 Milov,Leonid 2454 24.e6 b4 25.xa6 a4 26.b5+Gonzales,Jayson 2403 Ninov,N-Peev, P/Ulcinj 1997 ] I Fincas Mediterranea (4) 21.08.2004 12.e3 b6 13.0-0-0 This position is just more [Andrew Martin] comfortable for White. He can probe on the 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 light squares and operate on the d file. He 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d4!? A genuinely can use e4 as a transfer point. As long as the unusual move which I have never seen before bishop on g7 remains shut in Black has little and could come as a complete surprise to the to look forward to. c7 14.b5 e6 15.c4 unprepared. White seems to be forcing Black a6 16.c3 b8 17.d2 a5 18.e2 b7 to take on c5 with a pawn af ter which he 19.d5 fe8 20.b3 b5 21.hd1 c6 dominates the centre with a well-timed e4-e5!. 22.g4 [ I like the patient 22.c3! here, denying Black 0-0! the d4 square. Then White can launch his [ I'm analysing this for the first time so here Kingside pawn storm. ] goes: 7...c6 is obvious but White seems to be better after 8.b5! xb5 ( 8...0-0 22...f6 The critical moment of the game. Black 9.a4! xa4 10.xa4 dxc5 11.e5 d7 makes his bid for freedom. If he did not find a 12.e3! White has more space and simple chance to play ... f7-f6 his position would i d e a s o f B x c 6 f o l l o we d b y N e 4 a n d / o r remain horribly cramped. 23.f5 That was the po in t o f g2 -g4 . W it h h is p ie ce s in b et t e r 0-0-0. ) 9.xf6! xf6 10.xb5 is cute. ] [ 7...xc5 8.xc5 dxc5 9.e5 g4 10.d5 positions, White initiates tactics. gxf5 24.gxf5 d8 11.g5 h6 12.e3 White is much ed4 25.g1 xf5? [ 25...fxe5 26.c7 ec8 ( 26...f8 better here with clear pressure on the d file 27.xd4 xd4 28.xd4 cxd4 29.e6 f7 and against c5. ] 30.h5+- ) 27.h6 xf5 28.xg7 xg7 [ 7...dxc5 Maybe Black's best. 8.c4 0-0 29.e6 ] 9.e5 ( 9.d2!? e6 10.e2 b6 11.0-0-0 [ 25...h8! is best, after which I see nothing c6 12.e5 d7 13.e3 Thanks to the clear for White. ] blocked-in Bishop on g7,I prefer W hite.) 9...e6 10.b5 xb5 11.xb5 d5 12.a3 26.exf6 exf6 27.xf6+ h8 28.xe8 xe8 a6 13.c4 axb5 14.cxd5 xd5 15.xb5= 29.xc5+- e5 30.xe5 xe5 31.f1 The conclusion is rather unexpected ( for 5...c5 has scored very well for Black overall m e ) A f t e r 7 Q d 4 , W h i t e h a s ve r y g o o d and I know a lot of Austrian players who do not like to face it. Could 7 Qd4 be the answer? practical chances. ] I am not fully sure, but for one or two games 8.d2 c6 9.c4 xc5 [ 9...e6 10.d5 ( 10.b5! is the move I or as a surprise the ideas displayed in this would choose, aiming for a superior ending: game will serve as a good points-scoring xb5 11.xb5 dxc5 12.xc6 bxc6 weapon. 13.e5 ab8 14.b3 fc8 15.h3 c4 16.g4 1-0 d7 17.xd7 xd7 18.0-0-0 ) 10...xc5 11.xc5 dxc5 12.xf6+ xf6 13.0-0-0= ] 1120
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1075 Mortensen,Erling Nilsson,Nils Specht Politiken Cup (10) [Nigel Davies]
B09 1076 Nakamura,Hikaru Smirin,Ilia 24.07.2001 Foxwoods/Mashantucket (5) [John Watson]
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d3 xc5 8.e2 0-0 9.e3 a5 10.0-0 g4 11.e1 A Mortensen speciality. White is trying to get his opponent to capture on f3 without playing h2-h3. The big idea is that he might want to put a rook on that square when he later tries to attack Black's king. [ 11.f2 is similarly motivated, Thipsay P l a s k e t t , D h a k a 1 9 9 7 c o n t i n u e d xf3 12.xf3 c6 13.h1 ac8 14.a3 h5 15.g3 d5?! (Plaskett had probably in t e n d e d t h e f o l l o wi n g q u e e n s a c, b u t probably overestimated his compensation) 16.exd5 xd5 17.e2 f5 18.g4 xg4 19.xg4 xe3 20.h3 xf1 21.xf1 fd8 22.e4 e6 23.c3 and White consolidated his queenside and went on to win ] 11...c6 12.d2 d7 13.b3 Reaching a position very similar to the Classical Dragon. c7 [ An earlier Mortensen game (Mortensen Yrjola, Espoo 1989) went 13...d8 14.h3?! ( If Black had repeated this I think that Mortensen would have improved with 14.h1 ) 14...b4 15.f2 b5 16.a3 xd3 17.cxd3 b8 with counterplay based on ... b5-b4 coming. ] 14.h1 b4 15.f5 e6? A horrible move that weakens the dark squares around his king. [ 15...xd3 16.cxd3 b5 is a better try, but it still looks quite good for White. ] [ (and not 15...b5? b e c a u s e o f 16.xb5 xb5 17.xb4 ) ] 16.h4 xd3 17.cxd3 c6 18.g5 e7 19.ae1 ae8 20.d4 h6 With White systematically building his attack Black can't just sit there. But he doesn't get anything for his pawn. 21.xh6 h7 22.xe7 xe7 23.xg7 xg7 24.g4 exf5 25.gxf5 h8 26.e2 d7 27.fxg6 xg6 28.g2+ g5 29.f5 f6 30.e6 h7 31.xg5+ fxg5 32.fxg5 1-0
B09 2613 2644 25.03.2005
Again, reader Elizabeth Vicary asks a great question, or rather, strikes a major theoretical blow to the whole wild Austrian Attack line that we just saw Shirov use against Smirin. We'll see this in the context of the high-profile game Nakamura-Smirin. In neither case did Black try the key move! Nor is it in Vigus book. Maybe we're missing something. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.e5 fd7 7.h4 c5 8.h5 cxd4 9.hxg6 dxc3 10.gxf7+ xf7 [ 10...h8?? 11.d3 ] 11.c4 I remember that Hikaru Nakamura's father played this position for many years as Black, so it's of particular interest to see what he comes up with. Creating fewer chances are: [ 11.g5? cxb2 12.xb2 a5+ 13.c3 xe5 ] [ and 11.e6?! cxb2 ( 11...f5!? ) 12.exf7+ f8 13.xb2 xb2 14.c4 a5+ 15.f1 f6 16.b1 c3 17.b3 f5 18.g5 c6 --Nunn and McNab. ] 11...f8 As in the Shirov game that we just saw. [ 11...e6! 12.g5 A) 12...xe5 13.h5 ( 13.fxe5 cxb2 14.h5 xg5 ) 13...h6 14.fxe5 hxg5 15.h7+ f8 16.h8+ xh8 17.xh8+ g7 18.xd8 c6 19.xd6 xe5 20.e2= is an old analysis by Nunn and McNab. Vigus continues ( 20.xe6? e7 ) 20...c7 ( or 20...d7 21.bxc3 h8= ) 21.bxc3 f7 22.d4 b6= , and 22...e5 is attractive. In general, this line looks okay for Black.; B) But more importantly, Elizabeth asks a very simple question: W hy not 12...cxb2 ? She points out that her Fritz loves this (so does mine), and that 'nobody mentions it o r p lays it'. Le t's ta ke a look at he r analysis (my notes indicated): B1) 13.h5?? xg5! 14.fxg5 ( jw: 14.xh7+ f8 15.xb2 xf4 ) 14...bxa1 15.xh7+ f8; 1121
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B2) jw: 13.xf7? bxa1 14.xd8 c3+; B3) 13.xb2 a5+ B3a) jw: better but still not good enough (I think) is 14.e2! B3a1) 14...d5!? 15.xf7 xf7 16.d3! i s u n c l e a r ( instead, 16.xh7!? has the idea 16...dxc4? 1 7 Q h 1 ! , b u t 1 6 . . . N f 8 ! o r b4!? 17.d3 f8 18.xg7+ xg7 looks advantageous ); B3a2) An interesting idea is 14...b6 15.d3 d5; B3a3) 14...c7!? 15.d3 f8 16.exd6 b6! 17.xf7 xb2 18.h6+ xh6 ( 18...h8 19.f7+ g8= ) 19.xh6 g7 20.h1 c6 , and it's hard to believe that White has enough.; B3b) 14.c3 xe5! 15.h5 bc6 B3b1) jw: T h e b e s t t r y i s 16.xe6 f3+ 17.gxf3 xc3+ 18.f2 xe6 19.xc3 xc3 20.xe6 c2+ ( 20...b2+ 21.g3 e7 22.ag1 is not at all clear) 21.g3 e7! ( 21...g6+ 22.xg6+ hxg6 23.h6 ) 22.ag1 f5 and Black is well on top; B3b2) 16.fxe5 xe5+ 17.d1 f2 18.xh7+ f8 , which is practically winning for Black. Maybe forced is 19.g6 a5 20.f1 xf1+ 21.xf1 f5 22.xf5+ exf5 . Vicary has really put the ball back into White's court this time!; C) 12...f8 is the main game again, but Black has two potential showstoppers. One is well-known, but the other may be even better: ] 12.g5 [ 12.xf7+ xf7 13.g5+ g8 14.h5 h6 15.f7+ h8 16.b3 a5 17.f7+ h7 18.g5+ is a draw. ] 12...e6 13.xf7 [ 13.h5 c7 came up short in two games, but who knows? ] 13...cxb2 [ The current theory of 13...xf7 seems at first to favour W hite after 14.h5+ g8 15.d3 h6 ( 15...cxb2 16.xb2 a5+ 17.c3 ) 16.h4! , to which Vigus appends
much analysis, but particularly his re c o m m e n d a t i o n bd7! 17.g4 e7 18.exd6 ( 18.xh6 dxe5 19.b3 f6 20.g3 e4 21.c4 e8 'with good ch a n ce s' , b u t 22.f5!? is double-edged) 18...f6 19.b3 b6 intending ...Bd7-e8... unclear'. That seems fair. ] 14.xb2 a5+ 15.f1 xf7 16.h5+ g8 17.d3 b4 18.b1 d7? [ Vigus analyses 18...xf4+? 19.e2 h6 20.bf1 g5 21.f7+ h8 22.c1 xe5+ 23.d1 c6 24.xf8+ xf8 25.xf8+ g7 26.xh6# ] [ and he suggests the last chance: 18...b6! 19.h3 ( jw: 19.f3!? d5 20.f5 ) 19...a6 20.f5 dxe5 21.fxe6 e7 ( 21...xd3+ 22.cxd3 e7 23.f3 ) 22.c4 h6 23.xe5 , although he concedes that White is clearly better. ] 19.c4 d2 20.xh7+ xh7 21.xh7+ f8 22.h4 1-0
1077 Nakamura,Hikaru Smirin,Ilia Foxwoods Open [Andrew Martin]
B09
2005
Pure entertainment now as two top Grandmasters get to grips with one of the sharpest variations of the Pirc. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.e5!? It's at times like these that I am very grateful to have my old copy of 'The Pirc Defence' by Botterill and Keene to hand. Nobody has analysed this variation as well before or since. The general opinion is that Black is doing very well indeed if he negotiates the initial complications. Let's see if either player has anything new to offer or whether Nakamura is simply willing to gamble big-time in an effort to enjoy the game of chess! If so, then he is a rare breed indeed among grandmasters. fd7 7.h4 As critical as can be. c5 8.h5 cxd4 9.hxg6 dxc3 10.gxf7+ xf7 11.c4 [ It's worthwhile checking out the alternatives t o s e e wh y N a k a m u r a p r e f e r s 1 1 B c 4 : 11.g5 cxb2 A) 12.c4 xe5! 13.h5 ( 13.fxe5 1122
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 a5+ 14.d2 xe5+; 13.xf7 a5+ 14.d2 xc4! ) 13...a5+ 14.f1 d5 15.xb2 xf4+ 16.f3 dxc4 17.xh7+ f8-+; B) 12.xb2 a5+-+ ] [ 11.e6 cxb2!! 12.exf7+ f8 13.xb2 xb2 14.c4 ( 14.xh7 a5+ 15.f2 c5+ 16.g3 f6 ) 14...a5+ 15.f1 f6 16.b1 c3! 17.e2 g4! The capture on b2 followed by the check on a5 seems to break up the white offensive and give Black a tremendous counterattack. ] 11...f8 [ 11...e6! is given by Keene and Botterill as Black's best move because it avoids the drawing variation that I will demonstrate later. Then 12.g5 xe5 13.h5 A) 13...h6! is better for Black: 14.fxe5 hxg5 15.h7+ f8 16.h8+ xh8 17.xh8+ g7 18.xd8 c6 19.xd6 ( 19.e8 xe5 20.xe6 xe6 21.xa8 c4 22.bxc3 f1+ 23.d2 f2+ 24.e3 xg2 ) 19...xe5 20.xe6 e7 21.xc8 xc8 I am wondering what White had to show against this analysis. My guess is nothing-it was just bluff.; B) 13...cxb2 He does not know enough. Instead 14.xb2 e7 15.fxe5 f5 16.xh7+ f8 17.h8+ xh8 18.xh8+ g7 19.exd6+ f6 20.xf6+ xf6 21.xc8 1-0 Villanueva, M-Aloy, J/Banfield 2003 ] 12.g5 [ 12.xf7+ secures a draw: xf7 13.g5+ g8 14.h5 h6 15.f7+ h8 16.b3! a5 17.f7+ h7 18.g5+ h8 19.f7+ h7 20.g5+ h8 1/2-1/2 Nadyrhanov, STseshkovsky, V/Krasnodar 1999 ] 12...e6 13.xf7 [ 13.h5 c7! meets every threat. ] 13...cxb2?N A new move, which looks like it was made up, on the spur of the moment. The apparently risky 13...Kxf7! is however, best: [ 13...xf7 14.h5+ ( 14.f5 cxb2 15.fxe6+ xe6 16.h5+ e7 17.g5+ d7 18.xe6+ xe6 19.f7+ c8 20.xe6+ d7 21.c4+ c5 22.g4+ d7 23.xd7+ xd7 24.b1 xe5 25.xh7+ e6 26.d2 e4 27.c3 g8 28.xb2 xg2 29.bxb7 g3+ 30.f1 f2+
31.g1 xd2 32.he7+ d5 33.c4+ d4 34.xa7 g5 35.a3 h3+ 0-1 Berndt, SPolzin, R/Hamburg 199798) 14...g8 15.d3 h6! 16.b3 ( 16.g4 d7! 17.g5 e8 18.g6 dxe5 19.f5 cxb2 20.xb2 a5+ 21.e2 bd7! ) 16...c6 17.g4 d7 18.g5 e8 19.h3 h5 20.g6 h4 21.a3 dxe5 22.xf8 xf8 23.fxe5 g5 24.xh4 xh4+ 25.xh4 xe5 26.e4 d8 27.d1 xd1+ 28.xd1 b6 29.b4 xg6 30.xg6 xg6 31.c4 h5+ 32.c1 e8 33.d1 a5 34.bxa5 bxa5 35.c5 a4 36.c4 e7 37.c7+ d7 38.c4 d6 39.e1 c6 40.g4 e5 41.e2 d5 42.e3 f6 43.b4 c5 44.g4 e5 45.g6 h4 46.g4 e1 0-1 Schmitt, T-Gerigk, E/ Birkenfeld 1990 I can't find better ways for White to play, just a few bluffs. ] 14.xb2 a5+ [ 14...xf7 15.h5+ g8 16.0-0-0 d5 17.d3 h6 18.g4 f7 ( 18...a5 19.xh6 xa2 20.dh1+- ) 19.h3 ] 15.f1 xf7 16.h5+ g8 17.d3 White threatens Rh3-g3, a manoeuvre which isn't that easy to meet. Black cannot transfer his pieces from one side of the board to the other at speed. b4 [ 17...b6 Deep Fritz started off suggesting the cold-blooded 18.h3 a6 19.g3 xd3+ 20.cxd3 b5 but after 21.g4 d7 22.exd6 g6 23.xg7 xg7 24.e1 this seems only to lead to a better position for W hite. Perhaps ...Qa5 was tempting, too tempting. Black needs his Queen immediately for defence ] 18.b1 d7 [ 18...xf4+ was possibly Smirin's original intention but as he's only attacking with one piece it's unlikely to succeed. Thus 19.e2 h6 20.bf1 g5 21.f7+ h8 22.c1 is virtually game over. ] 19.c4! Closing down any hope of co u nt e ra t ta ck b y B la ck's Q u ee n a n d t h e Bishop on d7. d2 [ 19...d5 20.xh7+ xh7 21.xh7+ f7 22.f5 xc4+ 23.g1 c5+ 24.h2+- ] 20.xh7+ xh7 21.xh7+ f8? [ 21...f7 was a better chance: 22.h4! c6 23.exd6 d4 24.xd4 xd4 25.xb7 xc4+ 26.g1 c5+ 27.h2 xd6 28.h5+ g8 29.g4 Black fights on with 1123
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d8 ] 22.h4 Rg4 is next. Congratulations to Nakamura for his youthful fearlessness and his efforts to please the spectators. But what does this game say about 6 e5? Only that the move is very useful as an outright surprise, objectively it is still doubtful. 1-0
1078 Papp,Gabor Medic,Miljenko Open Pula CRO (4) [John Watson]
B09 2524 2244 30.06.2009
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d4 Once again this move, and again it meets with success. c6 [ 7...dxc5 8.c4 a6 9.e5 (the structure that White wants) e6 10.a4+ xa4 11.xa4 fd7 12.e3 b6 ( 12...c6 should probably be answered by 13 Ng5! or 1 3 0 - 0 - 0 . F o r B l a c k , 13.xc5 xc5 14.xc5 c8 might be okay after 15.a3 d5 16.f2 xf3 17.xf3 d4+ 18.e4 xc2 19.c1 f5+ 20.exf6 exf6 21.d3 f5+ 22.f3 d4+ 23.g3 d7 ) 13.0-0-0 0-0 14.h3 c8 15.g5! (White is already winning) xa2 16.b3 h6 17.f3 c4 18.b2 cxb3 19.cxb3 xb3 20.xb3 b5 21.c3 f6 22.e6 f8 23.d5 c6 24.b6 d8 25.c1 ac8 26.xc8 xc8 27.d3 f5 28.g4 xe6 29.gxf5 gxf5 30.xf5 f7 31.he1 a5+ 32.a2 xc1 33.xc1 c4 34.xe6+ xe6 35.d4 1-0 Sharapov-Koscielny, Lubawka POL 2009. ] 8.b5 dxc5 In Anisimov-Voinov in the Archives, I look at [ 8...0-0?! and ] [ 8...d7 ] 9.a4 xa4 10.xa4 d7 [ I previously analysed the game LedgerB a k e r , w h i c h w e n t 10...d7 11.e3 and W hite stood better. See the notes in these archived games to get the bigger story. ] 11.e5 g4 12.h3 h6 13.e3 f6 [ 13...b6 14.g4! keeps the knight on h6 out
of play, and 0-0-0 15.0-0-0 doesn't solve t h e p r o b l e m d u e t o f6 16.e6! e8 17.he1 ] 14.exf6 [ 14.d5! is also strong: 0-0-0 15.xc5 fxe5 16.xc6 xc6 17.xe7+ b8 18.xc6+ bxc6 19.fxe5 xe5 20.xe5 he8 21.0-0 xe5 22.f8 and wins. ] 14...exf6 15.xc5 0-0-0 16.0-0-0 b6 17.f2 f5 18.g4 fe7 19.e4 c7 20.g5 [ 20.f5! gxf5 21.g3+ e5 22.xf6! xf6 23.xd7 is faster. ] 20...fxg5 21.fxg5?! [ 21.exg5! ] 21...hf8 22.g3+ b7 23.fd2 d4 [ 23...f5! ] 24.d6 f7 25.xd7 xd7 26.c3 e2+ 27.b1 c8 28.c4 c6 29.e5 d5 30.f6 c5 31.d8 b5 32.b3 e7 33.b2 cxe5 34.xe5 xe5 35.xc8 xg5 36.f1 g2 37.a4+ a6 38.a3 h6 39.d5 c1 40.b4+ b7 41.h8 1-0
1079 Polgar,Judit Azmaiparashvili,Zurab II Amsterdam II [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1989
After some failed attempts to get an advantage with 6.Bb5, White has switched to 6.dc. In the following game White tries a very interesting and unusual idea. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 [ B y t h e w a y , 6.e2 cxd4 7.xd4 is a Sicilian Dragon! ] 6...a5 7.d3 xc5 8.e2 0-0 9.e3 a5 10.h3!? Preventing Bg4. e5 [ If 10...h5 then 11.f2 with 12. g4 next, and white would achieve good attacking prospects. ] 11.0-0-0!? A very sharp and interesting continuation. [ After 11.0-0 c6 black is OK. ] 11...bd7 [ 11...h5?! was proved to be dubious in the game 12.f5 g3 13.e1 xh1 14.g4! A) Probably 14...d5 was better, although after 15.xd5 xe1 16.xe1 c6 1124
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 16...d7? 17.c7+- winning; 16...g3 17.f6+- winning ) 17.f6 ( 17.xh1 d8 ) 17...h8 18.xh1 e6 19.g5 black's position was not much fun.; B) 14...gxf5?! 15.gxf5 d8 ( other moves d o n o t h e l p : 15...d7 16.h4 f6 17.g1+ h8 18.g5 d8 19.d5+winning; 15...f6 16.c4+ h8 17.h4+winning the idea is 18.Ng6) 16.c4 with the idea of Bg5 h8 17.g5 h6 ( 17...f6 18.xh7+- winning ) 18.h4 xg5 ( 18...f6 19.g1 with the idea of 20.Nf7 Rf7 21.Qf6 Rf6 22.Rg8) 19.xg5 f6 20.h6 d7 21.g1 e7 22.g4 and black resigned in the game S.Polgar Van Wely, Wijk aan Zee 1990 ] 12.g4 d5! The central breakthrough is a typical reaction to a wing attack. [ After 12...exf4 13.xf4 e5 14.xe5 dxe5 15.c4 white has achieved a superior position. ] 13.exd5 e4 14.xe4 xa2 [ 14...xe4 15.xe4 e8 ( 15...xa2 16.c3 ) 16.d4 is bad for black ] 15.c3 a1+ 16.d2 xb2 17.d4 b4?! [ It was better to push the white queen away first: 17...e8 18.g2 ( 18.f2 c5 19.xc5? xg4! ) 18...b4 19.b1 d6 and if 20.e5 then black can simply sacrifice an exchange by xe5! 21.fxe5 xe5 and white king cannot feel comfortable in the centre ] 18.b1 a5 [ 18...d6 19.e5 ] 19.a1 c7 [ T h e i m m e d i a t e 19...d8 was probably better. ] 20.e5 Now the white knight is well placed on e5. d8 21.f3 e8 22.he1 All the white pieces are in action now. In my opinion, the position is still not so clear as black can find some tricks utilising the central placement of the white king. b6 23.a5! White is playing with all her pieces while black still cannot develop some of his. fd7 24.d6? [ This active move looks very logical but it helps black to develop the bishop on c8. Much stronger was 24.b5! a6 25.bb1 with advantage forcing weakening moves like f7-f6. ] 24...xe5 25.fxe5 e6 26.c5 The rook
finds an unusual way to penetrate to the 7th rank. g5+!? [ 26...d7 27.c7 ] 27.e3 d8 At the cost of some time black has defended against the rook's penetration but white has another active plan. 28.e4 d7 29.g5 b6 30.b5 d4? Probably under time pressure black puts his queen on the wrong square. [ After 30...c6! with the idea of meeting 31.f4 with a6 pushing the rook away from the defence of the e5-pawn white could find herself in trouble. ] 31.f4 xe5 A dangerous move to face especially in time trouble. Black is close to missing something. [ 31...h8 w a s s a f e r : 32.c3 xf4+ 33.xf4 b6 and the ending looks unclear. ] 32.f6! c4?? A terrible blunder which loses immediately. [ 32...f5? was also bad: 33.xe5 xe5 34.xe5+- winning ] [ but after 32...xd3! 33.cxd3 a4! 34.xb7 a5+ 35.e2 d5 black is fine as the white king cannot find a safe place. ] 33.xe5 xe5 34.f6+ xf6 35.xd4 xe1 36.xc4 ae8 37.d7 g5+ And black resigned as white has 38. Kc3 retaining an enormous material advantage. 1-0
1080 Polgar,Judit Hennigan,Michael London (England) (2) [Nigel Davies]
B09
1988
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d3 xc5 8.e2 0-0 9.e3 a5 10.h3 h5!? The attempt at outright refutation. 11.f2 [ W h i t e p l a y e d 11.d2 g3 12.g1 in Trubitsyn - Avdeev, Russian Corres Ch., 1996, and is certainly worth a further look. The game reeled on with the moves c6 ( I like 12...f5!? here as well) 13.f2 h5 14.g4 f6 15.a3 e6 16.b4 d8 17.f5 d7 18.ad1 c8 19.e2 d5 20.g3 dxe4 21.xe4 d5 22.h6 b6+ 23.g2 d4 24.c4 b3 25.a2 xh6 26.cxd5 1125
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c1 27.xc1 xc1 28.xc1 xc1 29.fxg6 17...h8 18.c4 exf4 19.c3 e5; hxg6 30.d6 h6 31.c4 d8 32.e5 c6 A2) 15...h5 16.b5 ac8 17.xa7 33.xf7+ g7 34.xc6 bxc6 35.g5 xg5 b8 18.c6!; 36.xg5 xd6 37.e6+ xf7 38.xf8+ B) 11...d7 12.a4 a6 13.d2 b8 xf8 39.f2+ 1/2-1/2 ] 14.e2 with slow preparation for e4-e5 to 11...e5 follow. ] [ 11...f5!? is an interesting suggesting of 9...b8 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 c7 12.a4 a6 N u n n a n d M c N a b , p r e v e n t i n g g 4 a n d 13.a5 e6!?N attempting to expose White's king along the [ B e f o r e t h i s g a m e 13...b5 had been f-file. ] considered the main line, which is a little 12.f5 f4 13.xf4 exf4 14.d2 c6? a w k w a r d f o r B l a c k : 14.xb5! After this White gets a dangerous attack. Simple enough. W hite focuses on Black's [ B l a c k s h o u l d p l a y 14...b6+ 15.e2 backward e pawn. ( 14.e1 d4 15.f1 e8!? 16.fxg6 hxg6 17.d5 c5 c4 16.e3 cxd3 17.xd4 dxc2 18.f2 with very reasonable chances. ] c8 19.b6 d7 20.xc2 c4 21.d3 15.xf4 b6+ 16.e3 xb2 17.d5 b4 fc8 22.ae1 b4 23.e5 h5 24.e6 e8 18.xb4 xb4 19.ab1 a5 20.g4 b6 25.f5 xb2 26.fxg6 fxg6 27.e4 cc2 21.g5 e8 22.f6 Temporarily boxing in 28.f2 xf2= Groselj, P-Praznik, A/Bled Black's prize bishop whilst gaining time for the 1997; 14.d2 c8 15.b3 d4 16.f2 e6 final onslaught. f8 23.f4 d5 24.e5 c5+ 17.g1 exd5 18.exd5 b5 19.a4 xd5 25.g3 a6 26.h4 a3 27.bd1 ad8 20.c4 d4 21.cxd5 xb3 22.a2 xd2 28.h5 d7 29.hxg6 fxg6 30.xa6 xa6 23.fxd2 xa5 24.b1 b4 25.b6 c7 31.g4 e2 32.d2 f2+ 33.g2 e4 26.e2 xf4 27.e4 g3 28.g4 e5 1-0 1/2-1/2 Seirawan, Y-Speelman, J/Reykjavik 1990 ) 14...axb5 15.xb5 xe4 16.e2 f6 17.c4 h8 18.d2 g8 19.c3 xc3 1081 B09 20.xc3 f5 21.e3 a8 22.e1 f7 23.ea3 f6 24.a6 bxa6 25.xa6 xa6 Ponomariov,Ruslan 2723 26.xa6 g7 27.c3 f8 28.a7 Zvjaginsev,Vadim 2664 Mkrtchian, L-Socko, M/Mallorca 2004 A 7th Karpov Poikovsky RUS (8) 26.03.2006 passive position such as this could never [Andrew Martin] satisfy Zvjagintsev. He strives to create immediate activity. ] Two heavy hitters cancel each other out. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 14.dxe6 xe6 [ 14...fxe6!? must certainly be considered in 0-0 6.d3 a6!? A rare choice at this level. t h e f u t u r e : 15.e1 ( 15.e3 d7 ) 6..Na6 is probably Black's best choice in the 15...d7 16.d2 e7 17.g3 be8 Austrian Attack if he wants to play flat out for 18.e1 d4 ] a win, but the risks are high. The main danger i s t h a t W h i t e ' s k i n g s i d e a t t a c k c r a s h e s 15.d5 [ I'm not sure how Black equalizes or even through before Black's counterplay has fully comes close after 15.c4! Perhaps d4 developed. 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 g4 9.h1 16.f1 e7 17.d3 be8 with full [ 9.c4! is recommended in 'The Ultimate development at least. ] Pirc' with the following analysis: c7 10.h3 15...d4 16.f1 h5 xf3 11.xf3 [ 16...xd5 17.exd5 f6 18.d2 f5 A) 11...e6 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.d1! e7 must also have been at the f oref ront of 14.e5 dxe5 15.xb7 Black's mind. ] A1) 15...fd5! AM, seems like an improvement: 16.xd5 ( 16.xd5 xd5 17.h2 c6 18.d2 e8 19.a4 e7 17.xe7 xe7 18.fxe5 xe5 19.e4 20.xe7+ [ 20.b6 d5 ( 20...c8 21.xc8 xc8 ac8= ) 16...exd5! 17.xd5+ ( 17.xd5 22.f2 f5 ) 21.e5 ] h8 18.d1 exf4 19.c3 ae8 ) 1126
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20...xe7 21.b3 c7 22.e2 be8! 11.xb5 a5+ 12.d2 xd2+!? 23.xh5 gxh5 24.f5 A simple exchange that gets away from the [ 24.d1 xe4 25.xe4 xe4 26.xd6 main lines. xd6 27.xd6 d4 28.b6 d7 29.a3 [ Vigus doesn't discuss this move. He feels c3 30.xc5 xa5 probably gives enough that the sequence 12...f2+ 13.d1 e3+ counterplay to draw. ] 14.e2 xb5+ 15.xf2 g4+ 16.g3 24...e5+ 25.h1 f6 26.h6 is forced. In any case, it is certainly the [ 26.d5+ h8 27.f4 g8!= ] most important one, especially if the result 26...d4 27.d2 of 12...Qxd2+ is at least somewhat [ 27.f3 looks strong now, going for the favourable for W hite. The assessment of attack: e5 28.f4 g7 29.xe5 fxe5 the position after 16 Kg3 is difficult. Vigus 30.a1 h8 31.d1 It is surprising that gives a6 as his main line, leading to Ponomariov does not go for this e q u a l i t y w i t h b e s t p l a y ( and says that straightforward idea. ] 16...d7 is 'doing well on limited evidence', 27...xe4 28.c3 e3 29.xe4 xh6 although after 17.e1 h6 , I think that 30.xe8+ f7 31.e2 xd2 32.xd2 g7 White has prospects similar to and perhaps [ 32...xa5 is met by 33.xd6 xc3 b e t t e r t h a n 1 6 . . . N a 6 b y p l a y i n g 18.b3 34.d7+ f8 35.xb7 d3 36.a1 ] , since Black will find it extremely difficult 33.c4 xa5 34.xd6 b5 35.cxb5 axb5 to untangle. So 16...Na6 appears to me 36.c6 c3 Two Rooks are very good at the critical line. It goes:) 17.b3 ( 17.e1 ganging up on isolated pawns. So Black keeps h6 18.b3 t r a n s p o s e s) 17...h6 his pa wn s t o get h e r a n d ma in ta in s e qu a l ( 17...f6? 18.e1 d7 19.b2 chances. 37.f3 e1+ 38.h2 e5+ occurred a a game cited in the book) 18.b2 39.h1 e1+ My take on Black's opening g8 19.he1 f5+ ( 19...c6?! 20.e2 ) play is that it is rather dubious a variation for 20.f2 h5 21.ad1 d7 DeFirmiansurprise as much as anything else. If Black Chernin, Biel 1994. Now the knight on e6 wants to venture 13..e6 on a regular basis he and full activity of White's pieces is attractive, will have to find a good answer to 15 Bc4! a n d I f in d W h it e 's co m p e n sa t io n m o r e ½-½ convincing than Alburt and Chernin do (they think that Black stands better), particularly after the typically sneaky Fritz move 1082 B09 22.c3!? , intending Qh3 or in some cases doubling on the e-file. This is very messy, Radjabov,Teimour 2729 and probably the sort of position that Ivanchuk,Vassily 2750 Radjabov was heading for, assuming that Amber Blindfold (4) 20.03.2007 most of this was preparation. Play might [John Watson] continue c6 ( 22...c8 23.d4 d7 24.c4 e8 25.xf5!? gxf5 26.f7 ) This 2700+ battle is a Blindfold Rapid game. 23.h3 In the old days, it would have been unusual to A) 23...c7 24.g5 af8 ( 24...d5!? s u gge s t t h a t s u ch a co n t e st co u ld b e o f 25.e4 ae8 26.c4 f6 27.e2 c7 theoretical importance. And, in particular, that 28.e6+ b8 29.g1 is unclear Black the players would reveal any preparation, has no particularly impressive moves, but including the willingness to play a critical line. White will take some time to enforce a3 These days it's different, and Blindfold games and b4. ) 25.c4 and Black has a hard time are scattered throughout theoretical books. continuing without returning the pawn. I Here Ivanchuk shows his faith in what seems suspect that this line as a whole is to be an inferior ending. I've used the game as sufficient for Black, but no more, and he an excuse to talk about the theory of this very must be careful.; important line. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 B) 23...ae8 ] 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ d7 7.e5 g4 8.e6 fxe6 9.g5 xb5 10.xe6 xd4 13.xd2 d7 14.ec7 a6! 1127
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 14...c6!? 15.xa8 xa8 16.h3 game: 9.xd4! c6 10.xf6! ( 16.xd4 xd4 17.c1 h5 ) 16...f2 Very unexpected and puts Black in serious 17.f1 e4 18.c3 leaves Black a little trouble. xf6 11.h4 g4 ( 11...h5 short of full equality. ] 12.d5 g7 13.f5 is still very fast for 15.xa8 axb5 16.a4 bxa4 17.b6+ White. ) 12.h5 One must not count the [ Or 17.h3 e3! ( 17...f6?! 18.c3 b5 cost. xh5 13.xh5 gxh5 14.d5 c8 19.cxd4 cxd4 20.b6+ c6 21.xa4 15.xh5 The computers all show bxa4 22.xa4; 17...f2 18.f1 e4 advantage for Black , but anyone who has 19.b6+ c6 20.xa4 d5 21.c3 ) defended these positions over the board 18.xe3 xe3 19.xa4 c4! 20.b4 a6 will know how hard or even impossible it 21.b6+ c6 22.xc4 xb4 23.xe3= ] is! g7 16.e5 e8 17.h3 h6 18.d3 17...c6 18.xa4 d7 19.c3 b4 19.e4 It's the slow-motion White [ 19.h3 e3 20.xe3 xe3 21.f1 f8 a t t a ck t h a t give s t h i s g a m e a u n i qu e 22.g3 e6 23.c3 ] quality. There is barely any defence on the 19...b6 20.d1! A very accurate move light squares. e6 20.f5 xc3 21.f6!! b5 without sight of the board. c4 21.c3 ( 21...a4 22.bxc3 xa2+ 23.b2 [ But here more precise seems 21.c1 g7 xe4 24.g3 g6 25.xg6 fxg6 22.a7! intending h3 and b3, when it's not 26.fxg7+-; 21...xa2+ 22.b1 xf3 clear that Black has enough for the 23.xf3+- ) 22.g3 1-0 Polgar, J-Smirin, I/ exchange. ] Istanbul 2000 A breathtaking display.; 21...g7 22.c1 B) 8...c6! 9.d5 b4 10.a3 [ 22.b3 xd2 23.xd2 h6! ] A move which does not help W hite a6 22...h5 23.0-0 11.e5 g4 12.g1 h6 13.exd6 ( 13.h3 [ 23.h3 h6 24.g3 ] xe5! ) 13...exd6 14.h3 f6 15.g4 g7 23...h4 24.e1 f6 25.h3 h6 26.f2 f5 16.f5 b5! 17.xb5 c7 18.c6 b8 27.g4 f8 28.xf6 xf6 29.b3 b6 19.f4 b7 20.xb7 xb7 21.c4 d7 30.c4!? d7?! 22.h2 b6 Hernandez, G-Movsziszian, [ Giving away a second exchange by K/Lorca 2004 Black has serious 30...d4! 31.b2 ( 31.b1= ) 31...xb3! counterplay. ] 32.xf6 exf6 is good for Black, as in most 8...b7?! I would be loathe to put the Bishop lines he gets three passed pawns. ] here looking at the brick wall on d5. 31.b2 f8 32.c3 White can play on. [ 8...a6 would be my choice and if 9.0-0-0 ½-½ b5 ] 9.0-0-0! This time Black does not get to take on d4 nor develop his knight to c6. Better 1083 B09 timing by White I would say. [ 9.c4 a6 10.h3 c7 11.a4 a6 12.0-0 Sadvakasov,Darmen 2612 is a game with a different pace to it. if Black Dzhumaev,Marat 2507 is allowed the chance to settle like this, he 5th ch-Asian (5) 10.10.2005 or she usually gets a reasonable position [Andrew Martin] and so it proves here. b5! 13.axb5 axb5 14.xb5 xb5 15.xb5 xe4 16.d3 SHORT AND NOT SO SWEET 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g3 Wolter, K-Kistella, R/Germany 2003 ] g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.e3 Here is another cautionary tale which Black 9...a6 10.e5 g4 [ 10...d7 11.h4 dxe5 12.h5 once again would do well to ponder upon. The line with 6 sees Black unable to muster any effective Be3 is most definitely very dangerous and queenside counterplay. ] Black must time his counterplay exactly right. 11.h3! As in the earlier Polgar game, White b6 7.d2 c5 8.d5 does not stereotypically remove the dark[ 8.0-0-0 is a straightforward alternative. A) 8...cxd4 is logical in one sense, but s q u a r e d B i s h o p f r o m a t t a c k . I n s t e a d , look what happens to Smirin in this short attacking momentum is maintained. xe3 1128
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.xe3 c4 13.h4 b5 [ 13...h5 14.g4 hxg4 15.g5 is most unenviable for Black. ] 14.h5 White's attack is just too quick! b4 15.e4 c3 16.hxg6 fxg6 17.xh7!! It's fitting that the winning strike comes on the light squares. Black's fianchettoed bishop, usually the pride of the position, isn't relevant. b6 [ The alternatives are nasty, brutish and short. 17...cxb2+ 18.b1 xh7 19.fg5+ g8 20.h3+- ] [ 17...xh7 18.fg5+ g8 19.h3 h6 20.xh6 cxb2+ 21.b1 f7 22.xf7 xf7 23.g5+ e8 24.e6+- ] 18.d3 a5 19.f6+! exf6 [ 19...xf6 20.xg6+ g7 21.xg7# ] [ 19...xf6 20.exf6 cxb2+ 21.b1 xh7 22.g5+ g8 23.xg6+- ] 20.xg6 c7 21.d3 That must have been a lot of fun for W hite! A game which raises serious questions about Black's whole game plan after 6...b6 which frankly, looks very slow. 1-0
analysis over 30 years ago, the point being that if White captures the queen, Black plays 11...Bf2+ and draws by perpetual check. Thus has ended many a game. Sometimes, however, White tries to keep the play alive: 11.xb5 a5+ 12.c3 Last month we looked at [ 12.d2 from Radjabov-Ivanchuk, Amber Blindfold 2008. ] 12...f2+ 13.d2 e3+ 14.c2 a4+ 15.b1 e4+ This is played in nearly every game, and is the main line in James Vigus' book. One might be forgiven for thinking that [ 15...xd1 transposes, but it needn't do so if Black chooses to deviate: 16.xd1 ( or 16.ec7+ d7 17.xd1 ) A) 16...xc1 17.xc1 d7 18.ec7 a6 19.xa8 axb5 20.a4 is a 'tempo' ahead (Rd 1) o n t he m ain lin e ( also favourable looks 20.b6+ c6 21.d5 e6 22.h3 ); B) 16...d7! 17.ec7 , and now c6! 18.xa8 xa8 gives Black a pawn and compe nsat ion f or the e xcha nge. This seems an improvement when you consider what happens in the main line. ] 16.c2 xc2+ 17.xc2 d7 18.ec7 a6! 1084 B09 19.xa8 axb5 20.a4 xc1! Black improves Sadvakasov,Darmen 2643 upon [ 20...bxa4 21.xa4 c6? Lanc-Paehtz, Molner,Mackenzie 2382 Dresden 1988 , and now simply ( 21...xc1 National Chess Congress (5) 30.11.2008 22.xc1 c6 is the next note) 22.h3! [John Watson] would give W hite a clear advantage: f2 ( some funny geometry shows up with After looking at this game, I'm in doubt about 22...xc1? 23.hxg4 e3 24.d3! f2 the traditionally played move order of one of 25.e2 g3 26.f3 ) 23.f1 xc1 24.xf2 the main Austrian Attack lines. Fortunately for e3 25.e2 g1 26.g3 c4 27.xc4+ c5 the Pirc player, I think there's an earlier path 28.xe7! ( 28.a4 d5 29.b4 d6 30.d3 to equality that he should know about, and d7 31.b2? e5 32.b5+ c5 was about the game continuation is probably acceptable equal in Lanc-Paehtz, Dresden 1988 but if accurately played. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 even here, 31 Re6 preserves the 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ d7 advantage ) 28...a6 ( 28...d5 29.c7+ ) 7.e5 g4 8.e6 This is all old hat. The options 29.b4 b5 30.ce4 ( 30.xc5+ dxc5 are 31.a7 ) 30...f2 31.e8 and wins ] [ 8.xd7+ and ] 21.xc1 White should try [ 8.h3 ] [ 21.hxc1! , after which Black has to be 8...fxe6 Considered best by most careful: commentators, at least if Black is willing to A) 21...bxa4 22.xa4 c6 ( 22...e3+ take a draw. Here 23.d3 xg2 24.g1! h4 25.a7 [ 8...xb5 9.exf7+ d7 is the other main c6 26.b4! ) 23.a7 d7!? 24.e1 e5 line, probably somewhat in White's favour. ] 25.h3 with some prospects; 9.g5 xb5 10.xe6 xd4! I remember B) 21...e3+ 22.d2 xg2 23.axb5 when this idea was first discovered in some 1129
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xf4 24.b4 e6 ( 24...c4 ) 25.bxc5 dxc5 26.f1 g5 27.h4 h6 28.hxg5 hxg5 29.h1 d8 30.c2 ] 21...bxa4 22.xa4 c6 23.e1? [ 23.a7 is more challenging, with the idea b4-b5 then Black has to attack in the centre t o m a k e u p f o r h is m a t e ria l d e f ic it , f o r example, d7! 24.d2 e5! 25.h3 f2 26.f1 e4+ 27.c2 f8 28.b4 White may have some nominal edge based upon the idea of b5+, but it's insignificant. P l a y m ig h t g o cxb4 ( 28...exf4 29.b5+ xb5 30.b1+ ) 29.cxb4 exf4 30.c1!? d5 31.b2+ d6 32.c7 b6! 33.b5+ e5 34.xb7 c4+ 35.a2 h6 ] 23...a6 24.xe7 xa8 25.xh7 e8 26.d2? Now White's king gets in serious trouble: e3 27.h6 b5 28.a2 c4 29.xg6 c5 30.g5 f1+ 31.d1 c6 32.h4 d3 0-1
Consistent but bad. [ After 12...e8 13.h4 e6 14.g5 with initiative and the idea of 15.e5 de5 16. Nce4+- winning e5 15.ae1 white had obtained the initiative in the game Ruban Nogueiras, Santa Clara 1991 but it was a lesser evil for black. ] 13.h4 dxe4 14.g5 f5 [ 14...exd3?? lost immediately after 15.ce4+- winning ] [ 14...h6? was also bad because of 15.gxe4 xe4 16.xe4 h5 ( 16...e7 17.g5 !) 17.f6+ xf6 18.xf6 with an overwhelming advantage. ] 15.d6! An excellent blow, opening the f-file to destroy the only defender of the h7 square(the knight on f6) by any means. d4 [ 15...xd6? was losing: 16.cxe4 xe4 17.xf6 xg2+ 18.xg2 d5+ 19.e4 d2+ 20.f2+- mating ] 16.xf8 exd3 17.xd4 [ 17.f4!? b6 18.a4! with Bg7 next was also good. ( 18.xg7 xb2! )] 1085 B09 17...xd4 18.xg7 xg7 19.cxd3 xd3 20.fd1 g4 21.d2 Sax,Gyula [ 21.xd3 f2+ 22.g1 xd3 23.d1 d8 Nikolic,Predrag 24.xd3 e2+ 25.f2 xd3 26.xe2 (izt) Manila (izt) 1990 is better for white but Black can resist. ] [Alexander Volzhin] 21...c6 22.h3 ge5 23.f3 All piece 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 exchanges are in white's favour here. xf3?! [ Black had to keep his bishop with 23...f5 5.f3 0-0 6.e2 This move isn't very popular but of course white has real winning these days, but it's far from harmless. chances here. ] [ 6.d3 is considered to be the main line. Now the typical break c5 7.dxc5 a5 24.xd3+- Winning. Now black has nothing to hope for. fe5 25.e3 h5 is impossible in view of 8.cxd6 ] [ 25...d8 26.d1 ] 6...c5 7.dxc5 a5 8.0-0 xc5+ 9.h1 c6 Besides this move Black has other 26.d1 f8 27.b5 f6 28.d6 d8 29.e2 b8 30.c2 h4 31.a3 d8 32.cd2 b8 interesting possibilities. 33.b4 a6 34.d5 b5 35.e4 f5 36.c5 [ 9...b5 ] h6 37.e1 c4 38.e6 c8 39.xa6 [ 9...bd7 ] g5 40.g1 Time trouble was over and 10.d3 [ Black is OK after 10.d2 b6 11.c4 black resigned. 1-0 c7 12.d5 xd5 13.exd5 a5 ] 10...e5 I don't like this move. [ 10...g4 should be preferred and after 11.e1 a position from the line 6. Bd3 can be reached. Instead of losing a tempo with Qe2-e1, white has lost a tempo with the manoeuvre Be2-d3. ] 11.e1! The h4-square is a very good square for W hite's Queen. exf4 12.xf4 d5?! 1130
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1086 Seirawan,Yasser Peralta,Fernando Magistral Casino Barcelona (3) [Milos Pavlovic]
wins the rook. ] B09 2652 32.xb7 h8 33.xa7 2602 1-0 14.10.2011
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 b8 9.h1 g4 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 c7 12.a4 e6 [ 12...a6 13.a5 e6 14.dxe6 xe6 ( 14...fxe6 15.e3 e7 16.g1 d7 17.a4 This might be unpleasant for Black due to a subsequent e5, and if 17...e5 then 18.f5 gives White the advantage.) 15.d5 ( 15.f5 d4 16.f2 h5 17.g4 e7 18.d5 e5 19.g1 In my opinion this is a d v a n t a g e o u s f o r W h i t e .) 15...d4 ( 15...xd5 16.exd5 c7 17.c4 f5 18.c2 e8 19.d2 b6 20.axb6 xb6 21.b1 d4 With an unclear position.) 16.f1 h5 17.h2 c6 18.d2 e8 19.a4 e7 20.xe7+ xe7 21.b3 c7 The position is roughly equal, Ponomariov, R - Zvjaginsev, V/ Poikovsky 2006 ] 13.dxe6 fxe6 14.b5! It happened that your comm enta tor was lu cky enou gh to u se a similar motif on one occasion a long time ago, in a classical game that is. From now on things starts to look grim for Black. d5 [ 14...a6 15.xd6 xd6 16.e5 c6 17.exf6 xf6 leaves White with the bishop pair and better structure, but Black's position is playable. ] [ 14...xb5?! 15.axb5 leaves the a7-pawn exposed. ] 15.e5 e4!? [ 15...d7 ] 16.e3 g5?! 17.fxg5 xb5 18.axb5 xe5 19.xe4 dxe4 20.xf8+ xf8 21.c3 White has a clear advantage. d8 22.e2 [ 22.a4! wins e4 immediately. ] 22...b8 23.f1 d6 24.g1 White must defend against mate on h2. e5 25.h5! g7 [ 25...f8 26.xf8+ xf8 27.xh7+- ] 26.g4 [ 26.f6 wins even faster. ] 26...e5 27.h5 g7 28.xc5 g6 29.g4 h5 30.e2 xg5 31.xe4! e5 [ 31...xc5? 32.xe6+ h8 33.f6+
1087 Senff,Martin Gurevich,Mikhail Czech Open Pardubice CZE (2) [Nigel Davies]
B09
22.07.2000
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ d7 7.e5 g4 8.xd7+ xd7 9.d5 dxe5 10.h3 e4 11.xe4 [ More popular and dangerous for Black than 11.hxg4 ] 11...f6 12.xf6+ [ The alternative is 12.e5 after which Black has been playing a4 ( the previous tries were 12...c7 and; 12...d8 ) 13.xf6+ exf6! ( it's a good idea to eject the knight from e5 - 13...xf6 14.0-0 d4+ 15.xd4 cxd4 16.d1 d7 17.xd4 xe5 18.fxe5 xe5 19.e4 f6 20.e3 was better for White in Bozinovic - Zimmerman, Budapest 2000 ) 14.f3 0-0 15.0-0 f5 16.c3 a6 and Black had excellent counterplay in Zelic Cs. Horvath, Split 2001 ] 12...xf6 13.0-0 d6! Probably the most accurate treatment, rather than routinely castle, Black first prevents W hite from establishing his knight on e5. [ 13...0-0 14.e3! (the critical move) xb2 ( The alternatives have left White with a s t r o n g i n i t i a t i ve , f o r e x a m p l e : 14...a6 15.e5 d6 16.g4 xb2 17.b1 g7 18.f5 Yusupov - Adams, Dortmund 1994; 14...c7 15.d2 c4 16.d4 d7 17.f5 Beliavsky A. - Tseshkovsky V., Yugoslavia 1996; 14...d8 15.c4 e6 16.e5 e7 17.d2 exd5 18.cxd5 c6 19.g4 d4 20.f5 xf5 21.ae1 Motylev - Itkis, Bucharest 1998) 15.b1 g7 16.xc5 d8 17.e5 ( 17.c4 c7 18.d4 xc4 19.xg7 xg7 20.xb7 xd5 21.xd5 xd5 22.xe7 c6 was equal in Acs Chernin, Hungarian Ch., Lillafured 1999) 17...c7 18.a3 c6! 19.f3 d4 20.e4 f5 21.b3 ac8 22.c1 d6 23.e2 xe5 24.xe5 c4 25.xe7 d7 26.e4 xa3 27.xa3 c5+ 28.e3 1131
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xe3+ 29.xe3 xd5 left Black with a Black prepares ...c5 without blocking his c8 s l i g h t l y b e t t e r r o o k e n d g a m e i n L i s s - bishop, which may yet go to g4. 7.0-0 Chernin, Rishon le Zion 1994 ] [ 7.e5 d7 presents an entire set of 14.e3 problems of its own. Vigus talks about the [ 14.c4 d7 15.b3 b8 16.a4 a6 r a r e l y p l a y e d 8.e6!? fxe6 9.g5 17.g5 b6 18.c2 b4 19.e4 d4+ . Then some interesting lines are 20.h1 b5 gave Black excellent A) 9...b6 10.xh7! xh7 11.h5+ counterplay in V Mikhalevski - Kantsler, g8 12.xg6 ( 12.xg6 f6 13.h7+ Porath Memorial, Israel 1997 ] f8 14.g6 xg6! 15.xg6 e8 ) 14...d7 15.c4 12...f6 ( 12...f5 13.h7+ f8 14.g4 ) [ According to Nunn and McNab in 'The 13.h7+ f8 14.f5! exf5 15.h6 xg6 Ult im a t e P irc' (B a t sf o r d , 1 9 9 8 ) , 15.g5 16.xg6 xh6 17.xh6+ g8 18.g6+ Is 'good for White'. But this does not appear h8 19.0-0-0! g8 20.h6+ h7 to be the case after xg5 16.fxg5 b6 21.f8+ g8 22.xe7 with an ongoing attacking the d5 pawn. ] attack; 15...0-0! Correctly preparing central action. B) 9...f6 10.e2 b4 ( 10...c5 [ 15...b5 16.d2 bxc4 17.e4 a6 18.d6 11.xa6 cxd4 12.xe6 is known, and d8 19.f5 0-0 20.fxg6 hxg6 21.h1 fe8 now a5!? causes some problems after 22.f3 e5 23.f4 gave White a strong 13.c4 dxc3 14.b4 xb4 15.xg7+ d5! attack in Vaisser - Relange, Auxerre (French 16.e6 dxc4 17.xf8 g4! , Black has a Ch) 1996 ] lot of play for the exchange; Finally, 16.c2 e6 17.ad1 fe8 18.f2 g7 10...d7!? is unusual but may be best: 19.g5 exd5 20.xd5 c7 21.f5 11.c4 d5 12.b3 c5 ) 11.c4 d5 It looks as if White has the initiative, but this 12.b3 ( 12.d3 xd3+ 13.cxd3 ) proves to be an illusion. b6 22.fxg6 fxg6 12...d7 13.f3 with some compensation, 23.fd1 f6 24.d6 ad8 25.xd8 xd8 but c5! yields counterplay ] 26.e6 xd1+ 27.xd1 e7 28.xg7 [ For 7.xa6!? bxa6 8.0-0 , see Grafxg7 29.f3 e4 30.a3 Tischbierek, Koenigshofen GER 2007 in the [ Queen and knight make a potent Archives. ] combination, but if White went for 30.xe4 7...c5 8.d5 b8 9.e2 A major juncture: xe4 31.e1 he would still find himself in [ a) 9.e1 b4 eliminates the bishop and trouble after f6 -e5 and d4 etc. ] makes both ...e6 and ... b5 more effective. ] 30...a5 31.b3 e6 32.h4 e4 33.d8 [ b) 9.f5!? is more common, and has been f7 34.e3 xc4 35.xb6 a4 36.f4 hotly disputed. In an earlier update, we d5 37.c7 g5 38.e3 f6 39.a5 h5 looked at a5 (threatening ...c4, and if 40.b3 axb3 41.axb3 g4 42.hxg4 hxg4 B x c 4 ? , . . . Q c 5 + ) 10.fxg6 ( 10.h1 ) 43.e1 f5 44.f1 d1 45.g1 e5 10...fxg6!? (Black gets some room in which 46.f1 d5 47.f4 d4 48.f8 d2+ to manoeuvre, and of course the f-file. His 49.f2 g3+ real goal is to get a knight to e5) 11.h1 0-1 g4!? 12.d2 d7 13.e2 A) 13...xf3 14.xf3 xf3 15.xf3 ( 15.gxf3 f8 ) 15...e5 16.e2 c4 1088 B09 with good play; B) 13...b4?! 14.h3?! ( 14.c1 xf3 Shankland,Samuel L 2446 15.gxf3! bc8 16.b5! xb2 17.xb2 Ehlvest,Jaan 2606 xb2 18.ab1 g7 19.xa7 ) 14...xf3 Foxwoods Open (5) 10.04.2009 15.xf3 c4 Okkes-Pel, Hoogeveen NED [John Watson] 2007. Black stands actively enough and can claim at least equality with the more 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 dynamic chances. His outpost on e5 is 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 This is still the most particularly valuable. ] aggressive winning try, and also the riskiest. 1132
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ c) Another important move is 9.e5 , when dxe5 ( 9...e8 ) 10.xa6 e4! 11.e5 bxa6 12.c6 g4! 13.e1 d6 14.xb8 xb8 gives Black plenty of compensation for an exchange. ] 9...c7 [ Now 9...b4 10.c4 doesn't achieve anything. ] 10.a4 a6 11.a5 g4 [ One of the original games was 11...b5!? 12.axb6 xb6 13.a4 b8 14.c4 e6! 15.e5!? fe8 16.exd6 xd6 17.e5 exd5! 18.c6 h4 19.xb8 d4+ 20.h1 e8 with complications in Dolmatov-Gipslis, USSR 1985. Probably W hite has a small edge somewhere in all of this, but nothing drastic. ] 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 d7 Not the only move: [ a) 13...e6 14.c4!? ( 14.e3 exd5 15.exd5 d7; 14.dxe6 xe6 15.e3 h a s id e a s s u ch a s e 5 a n d f 5 a f t e r d4 16.f2 d7 17.d5 , White has a modest edge ) 14...exd5 15.exd5 d7!? 16.a4 with unclear complications, CherninSpeelman, Moscow 1990. ] [ b) We saw 13...b5 14.axb6 xb6 in the Archives: 15.d1 ( 15.a4 b7 16.e3 ) 15...d7 16.c3 e6 17.e3 exd5 18.exd5 b8 1/2-1/2 Nikolov-Spasov, B o r o v e c B U L 2 0 0 2 b u t 19.c4! f6 20.d1 e8 21.f5 surely favours White. ] 14.d1 White wants to cover d4 by c3 and then drift towards the kingside. e6 15.dxe6 [ 15.c3 exd5 16.exd5 f5!? has the idea ... Qe7-f7 and perhaps ...Nf6. ] 15...fxe6 16.g3 h8 [ 16...d5! is natural, expanding in the centre. It looks fully satisfactory after A) or 17.exd5 exd5 ( 17...xd5!? looks anti-positional but generates activity ) 18.c4! e7! 19.c3 d4+ 20.h2 d6 and the position is still unclear; B) 17.e5 c4 18.e2 b5 19.e3 g5! 20.c3 gxf4 21.xf4 e8 22.e3 g6 23.g4 bc8 , versus Nf6+, with equality. ] 17.c3 [ 17.e3 ] 17...e7 18.e3
[ 18.f5! ] 18...d5 19.e5!? c4 20.c2 b5 21.h2 bc8 22.d1 c5 [ 22...g5!? 23.g4 gxf4 24.xf4 f7 with the idea ...Rcf8 is unclear both sides have positive chances. ] 23.g4 b3!? 24.xb3 cxb3 25.a4 f7 26.d3 f5 27.xf5 xf5 28.b4 f7 29.xb3 c4 30.g3 a4 with approximate equality. 31.e3 xa5 32.c5 a4 33.e3 f8 34.xf8 xf8 35.g2 h5 36.c2 c8 37.f3 g8 38.b4?? [ 38.d4 xd4+ 39.xd4 b5! 40.xa4 bxa4 41.a3 c4 will draw. ] 38...xb4 [ 38...xc3! wins a pawn! This is easy to miss at the time control. W ith proper technique, Black should be able to translate the position into a win for Black. ] 39.xb4 ½-½
1089 Shirov,Alexei Armstrong,Robert J Scarborough CC Shirov simul (22) [Gawain Jones]
B09 2732 18.02.10
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.e5 Shirov goes for the most aggressive line possible true to his style and attempts (successfully as it turns out) to blow his weaker opponent off the board in this simultaneous game. fd7 7.h4 h5 [ 7...c5 has been investigated in the archives 8.h5 cxd4 A) 9.xd4 is playable if you don't want to sacrifice everything. dxe5 10.f2 e4 11.xe4 ( 11.g5!? ) 11...f6 12.xf6+ exf6 13.hxg6 e8+ 14.e3 hxg6 15.d3 b6 16.d2 b4+ 17.c1 f5= is a line given by John in the archives.; B) 9.hxg6 hxg6?! This is too s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d . ( Instead 9...dxc3 is e xa m i n e d e xt r e m e l y d e e p l y i n t h e a rc h ive s , i . e . 10.gxf7+ xf7 11.c4 where W hite has a great attack for the piece. The critical line runs e6 12.g5 xe5 13.h5 h6 14.fxe5 hxg5 15.h7+ f8 16.h8+ xh8 17.xh8+ g7 1133
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18.xd8 c6 19.xd6 xe5 again given in the archives. 20.e2 would leave White with some compensation for the pawn but it's around level. However this is certainly a n a re a t h a t ca n b e e xa m in e d wit h a computer. ) 10.xd4 b6 ( 10...c6 11.f2 a5 12.h4 d8 13.d2 is also extremely dangerous for Black.) 11.d5! It turns out Black can't trade queens after all. c6 B1) 12.xb6 xd4 13.d5 xf3+ ( 13...c6 14.b5 ) 14.gxf3 d8 15.e3 also gives White a huge advantage.; B2) 12.a4 d8 13.f5 e6 ( 13...e8 14.h4+- ) 14.g5 f6 15.h4! gxf5 16.h7+ f7 17.exf6 a5+ 18.d2 xf6 19.g5+ e8 20.g6+ showed exactly what White was aiming for in Morris-Atzmon Simon, Sydney 2010. ] 8.g4!? And this seems to be a novelty. Shirov going for the kill! Previously White has tried the slower [ 8.d3 ] 8...hxg4 [ 8...dxe5 9.fxe5 ( the out and out attack with 9.gxh5 doesn't quite succeed. exd4 10.hxg6 dxc3 11.gxf7+ xf7 12.g5 cxb2 13.xb2 xb2 14.c4 e6 15.xe6 e8 16.0-0 e5!-+ ) 9...hxg4 10.g5 A) 10...xe5 might objectively be best but 11.dxe5 xe5 12.c4 xd1+ 13.xd1 and I prefer White's extra piece.; B) 10...c5 11.e6 ( 11.h5 cxd4 12.hxg6 xe5 13.gxf7+ xf7 14.c4 ) 11...cxd4 12.exf7+ xf7 13.c4 e5 14.xf7 xf7 15.e4 is extremely messy but the line looks promising for White.; C) 10...f6!? is the computer's s u g g e s t i o n 11.h5 looks to be breaking through ( 11.exf6 exf6 12.ge4 f5 and W hite's is the more exposed of the two kings.; 11.c4 h5 12.f1 f5 ) 11...xh5 12.xh5 gxh5 13.d3 f5 14.exf6 xf6 15.h7+ f8 16.c4 e6 17.ce4 ( 17.xh5!? ) 17...h6 18.xe6+ xe6 19.e3! h4+ 20.d2 h2+ 21.c3+- Of course there may be improvements but White's attack feels like it should be strong enough. ]
9.g5 b6 [ 9...dxe5 10.fxe5 would transpose to the previous note while ( 10.h5 is probably even stronger. )] [ 9...f6 again may be playable but I'd still be te m pt e d t o p la y 10.h5 e.g. xh5 11.xh5 gxh5 12.d3 f5 13.exf6 xf6 14.h7+ f8 15.c4 e6 16.xh5 ] 10.h5 Consistent [ Although 10.e6 also deserves consideration A) 10...fxe6 11.h5 ( 11.xg4!? ) 11...e5 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.xd8 xd8 14.h6 f6 15.fxe5 xe5 16.d3; B) 10...f6 11.f7 e8 12.xg4 xe6 13.h6+ xh6 14.xe6+ f7 15.g4 ] 10...gxh5? Now Shirov's attack breaks through [ 10...f6 was necessary 11.h6 fxg5 12.d5! A clever computer move f6 ( 12...h8 13.h7+ g7 14.e6 and Qd4 is a killer threat c5 15.xg4 ) 13.exf6 exf6 14.fxg5 f5 It appears that Black's ok with perfect play but it's very tricky to survive the opening. Therefore 7...c5 was probably a better try. ] 11.d3 Now there's no way to stop White's queen getting in f5 12.exf6 xf6 13.h7+ f8 14.xh5 e5 Everything is hopeless. [ 14...f5 15.h8+ xh8 16.xh8+ g7 17.xd8+- ] [ 14...c6 15.ce4+- ] 15.fxe5 dxe5 16.h7+ g8 17.g5 8d7 18.e4 e7 19.exf6+ xf6 20.xf6+ [ 20.g6+ is actually the quickest win g7 21.e8+ f8 22.xf8 with mate in 3. ] 20...xf6 21.h8+ A very direct way of playing and if Black's not prepared then this is almost impossible to stop but from a theory point of view Black's still alive. 1-0
1090 Shirov,Alexei Markowski,Tomasz 9th Amplico Life Rapid rapid (12) [Neil McDonald]
B09 2719 2629 20.12.2009
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ d7 7.e5 g4 8.xd7+ xd7 9.h3!? 1134
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Previously on ChessPub we have examined the typical sequence 9.d5 dxe5 10.h3 when Black is able to keep White's centre to a moderate size with e4! ] 9...cxd4 [ Black has no choice, as after 9...h6 10.d5 White maintains his powerful pawn wedge. ] 10.xd4 c6 Despite being able to develop his queen's knight to its best square with gain of tempo, Black is still unable to shake off the bind that the pawn on e5 exerts on his centre. [ If instead 10...h6 then 11.g4! prevents t h e k n i g h t e m e r g i n g t o f 5 , f o r i f dxe5 12.xd7+ xd7 13.fxe5 and Black can't capture on e5 as he would drop the knight on h6. ] 11.e4 h6 [ Some years ago a fuss was made about 11...f5!? here, but after 12.e2 h6 13.e6! d8?! ( 13...xc3+!? 14.bxc3 c7 15.0-0 a n d W h it e wi ll p ro b a b ly co n t in u e B e 3 , keeping the bishop available to attack on either wing that Black decides to castle. If B la c k p la ys Ng 8 , t h e n N g5 i s a s t r o n g riposte, planning to invade on f7.) 14.d2 a6 15.d5! c8 16.d1 a5 17.0-0 c4 18.b3 xd2 19.xd2 b5 20.c4 bxc4 21.bxc4 0-0 ( If 21...xc4 22.c1 and W hite will breakthrough along the cfile bef ore Black can organise a decent defence, as the retreat Ng8 can be met as a l w a y s b y N g 5 t h r e a t e n i n g N f 7 , wh i l e k e e p i n g t h e k n i gh t o n h 6 a n d c a s t l i n g kingside wou ld lea ve the e7 pa wn as a target to a future Rc7. Instead in the game th e a t t a c k o n e 7 o ccu rs via t h e b -f ile .) 22.b1 xc4 23.b7 e4 ( If 23...e8 24.d7 and then e7 drops.) 24.xe7+ h8 25.g5 d4 26.e2? ( Here 26.c3 with t he th re at of 2 7. Nc6 , or 27 .Nxg6 + followed by 28.e7 or in some cases 28. Rxg7 is decisive. a5 ) 26...a5 27.xg6+ hxg6 28.e7 e8 29.b8 xb8 30.e8+ xe8 31.xe8+ g8 32.f7+ h7 33.g5+ h8 34.xg6 f6 35.f7+ g8 36.h6+ h8 37.f7+ g8 38.h6+ h8 39.xf5 c7 40.xd4 c5 41.d1 d5 42.e8+ h7 43.e4+ h8 44.h1 c3 45.e8+ h7 46.e6 f5 47.g5+ h6 48.xd6+ 1-0 Vasiliev, O-Hernandez, Y/Crete GRE 2007. ]
12.e3 dxe5 [ If 12...f5 13.f2 and the black knight will be pushed back by 14. g4, while if ] [ 12...0-0-0 13.0-0-0 f5 14.f2 also keeps Black under pressure. ] 13.fxe5 0-0-0! [ Castling kingside doesn't help much as Black was being squashed after 13...e6 14.0-0 f5 15.f4 0-0 16.d5 in Dymshits, G-Stroganov, A/St Petersburg 2005. ] 14.0-0 e6 15.ad1 f5 16.f4 xd1? [ Black is in too much of a hurry to simplifyperhaps this is an understandable weakness w h e n p l a y i n g S h i r o v ! I n s t e a d 16...f6! leaves him almost but not quite equal after A) Probably Black feared 17.g4 but then fxe5! 18.g5 ( Not 18.gxf5 gxf5 wh en B la ck ha s Qg6 + if h e n ee ds it .) 18...g8 and White has no good way to continue the attack.; B) 17.exf6 xe4 18.xe4 xf6 ( 18...exf6 19.g4 with ideas of Nd6+ if the black knight retreats. ) 19.c3 etc. ] 17.xd1 d8 18.xd8+ xd8 19.g4 b6+ [ After 19...h6 20.e3 both h6 and a7 are hanging, and b6 21.xb6 axb6 22.d5 costs Black a pawn. ] 20.g2 h6 21.d5 The black knight has been forced back into exile on h6, leaving the way clear for the white cavalry to conquer the centre. e6 22.c4+ c6 23.b4! Resignation may appear premature, but after [ 23.b4 a6 24.d4 d7 25.b6+ Black loses his queen. ] 1-0
1091 B09 Shirov,Alexei 2715 Smirin,Ilia 2654 1st ACP World Rapid Cup rapid (1.2) 05.01.07 [John Watson] 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.e5 fd7 7.h4 c5 8.h5 cxd4 9.hxg6!? Sacrificing a piece for a controversial attack. I'll give a fairly superficial but I hope informative overview. [ The 'safe' line is 9.xd4 with the idea Qf2h 4 . I n t h e o ld d a ys, t h e se qu e n c e dxe5 1135
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10.f2 e4! was considered a complete answer, with truckloads of analysis on the move 11 Ng5. . White can play more slowly by ( A prett y ga me f ollowe d 10...exf4 11.hxg6 hxg6 12.h4 f6 13.xf4 a5 14.b5! b4 15.a3!! xb2 16.e5 d8 17.d5 xe5+ 18.xe5 xd5 19.xg6! Vaisser-Palac, Cannes 2000) 11.xe4 f6 12.xf6+ exf6 13.hxg6 e8+ 14.e3 ( 14.e2!? fxg6 15.0-0 c6= ) 14...hxg6 15.d3 Banas, J-Kindermann, Trnava 1987 b6! 16.d2 b4+ 17.c1 f5= ] 9...dxc3 [ After 9...hxg6 10.xd4 , Black has tried just about everything, but as far as I can see White always gets the advantage. ] 10.gxf7+ xf7 11.c4 The key position, su d d e nly t he su b je ct of so m e h igh-le ve l contests. [ 11.e6 is another story, but the move is ultimately considered harmless. ] [ 11.g5 has also been played in numerous games. ] 11...f8 Smirin has tried this twice without success. [ I'm n ot su re wh y 11...e6 isn't the main m o ve , f o r e xa m p l e , 12.g5 ( 12.xe6 xe5! ) A) 12...xe5 looks best, for example, 13.h5 h6 ( 13...cxb2?! 14.xb2 a5+? 15.d1+- ) 14.fxe5 hxg5 15.h7+ f8 16.h8+ xh8 17.xh8+ g7 18.xd8 c6 19.xd6 xe5 20.e2 d7! 21.xg5 h8! 22.0-0-0 h2 . Research needed!; B) 12...f8 13.xf7 xf7 , and inspired by the computer, I like 14.b3! ( 14.h5+?! g8 15.f5 a5! Bochinski-Hoffmann, BLO 1 993 /9 4) 14...d5 15.h5+ g8 16.d3 h6 17.h3! ] 12.xf7+ [ I remember that Hikaru Nakamura's father played this position for many years, so it's of particular interest to see what he comes up with: 12.g5 e6 13.xf7 ( 13.h5 c7 c a m e u p s h o r t i n t wo g a m e s , b u t wh o knows? ) 13...cxb2 14.xb2 a5+! 15.f1 ( 15.e2 lo o ks b e st; 15.c3 ) 15...xf7 16.h5+ ( 16.xd6 ) 16...g8 17.d3 b4 ( 17...c6 18.h3! h6 19.g3 ) 18.b1 d7?! ( 18...b6! 19.exd6 xf4+ 20.e2
xb2 21.xh7+ g7 ) 19.c4! d2 20.xh7+ xh7 21.xh7+ f8 22.h4! 1-0 Nakamura-Smirin, Mashantucket 2005. e xd 6 f o llo ws. S m irin d o u b t le ss h a d a n improvement or two. ] 12...xf7 13.g5+ g8 [ 13...e8 14.h5+ d7 15.f7 h8 16.h6! ] 14.h5 dxe5? A blunder. [ a) 14...a5? loses to 15.f7+ h8 16.xh7! cxb2+ 17.f1 b5+ 18.c4 ] [ b) 14...h6! may hold: 15.f7+ h8 16.b3!? ( 16.b3 a5; 16.bxc3!? ) 16...c6 17.d5 a5! ] 15.f7+ h8 16.xh7? [ The obvious 16.b3 should win after e6! 17.xe6 xe6 18.xe6 c6 19.h3 g8 20.f5 ] 16...xh7 17.g6 [ 17.xh7+ xh7 18.f5 f8 ] 17...g8?? [ 17...g8 18.xh7+ xh7 19.e8+ g8= ] 18.xh7+ f8 [ 18...f7 19.fxe5 h8 20.xh8 xh8 21.xh8 ] 19.h8+?! [ 19.fxe5! d4 20.f1+ e8 21.xg7 e4+ 22.f2 ] 19...xh8 20.xh8+ f7 21.xd8 c6 22.h8 g7 23.e8? f7 24.h8 g7 25.e8 [ 25.h5! looks like it should win. Shirov doubtless f eared d4 , but ( 25...exf4 26.xf4 cxb2 27.b1 ) 26.f2 xc2 27.b1 ] ½-½
1092 Sideif Zade Gipslis,Aivars USSR [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1983
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.e3 bd7 Also a possible move after 6.Be3. 7.d2 c5 8.0-0-0 g4 9.dxc5 [ 9.g1!? cxd4 10.xd4 deserves attention. The position is double-edged but white 1136
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 keeps his dark squared bishop in this line. ] 9...xe3 10.xe3 xc5 11.e5 This was the idea behind 9.dc but it does not look very inspiring. a5 12.b1 dxe5!? [ 12...e6!? 13.d4 dxe5 14.fxe5 fd8 was also good for black. ] 13.d5 b6 14.xe5 b7 15.c4 The queen is trapped but black gets enough m a t e r i a l f o r i t . xc3! 16.bxc3 xd5 The Queen sacrifice was forced, but strong. To assess this position is not easy. Black has only a Rook and Bishop for the Queen, but his dark-squared Bishop is very strong as is the knight on c5. Also White's King is exposed, so in a game situation in my opinion, Black's chances are preferable. 17.e5 ac8 18.h4 White plays for kingside activity. f6 19.c4 White tries to exchange black's active pieces, but loses control over the very important e4square. [ 19.f3 was possible although I prefer black after e5! ] 19...e6! 20.xd5 exd5! [ After 20...fxe5 21.b3 xf4 22.h5 white would obtain counterplay, also black's bishop and central pawns are not so good now. ] 21.f3 e4 Now Black's advantage is obvious. 22.h5 fe8 23.d3 xc3+ 24.b2 e4 25.hxg6 hxg6 26.a3 [ 26.d2!? deserved attention but black c o u l d c o n f i r m h i s a d v a n t a g e b y b4+! ( after 26...a4? 27.xg6! xa2+ 28.b3 there is no mate so black has to force a draw f or example by a5 29.h7 a4+ 30.b4 b2+ 31.a3 a2+= ) 27.b3 f5 with a clear advantage ] 26...f5 27.e5 xf4 Of course black should keep the bishop. 28.xg6 e4 Black's idea now is to play Rc5-b5 29.g4?! This sharp move just wastes a very important tempo. [ 29.h3 was obligatory creating counterplay on the kingside. ] 29...c5 30.c1 [ After 30.gxf5 b5+ is winning ] 30...fxg4!? [ A cool decision as white has no defence although 30...e2+!? was winning by force: 31.d1 ( 31.b1 b5+! ) 31...d4 32.xe2 xd3 33.cxd3 fxg4-+ winning ] 31.h4 e2+ 32.d2 h6+
White resigned. 0-1
1093 B09 Sjugirov,Sanan 2491 Mihajlovskij,Sergei 2466 FINEC GMA St . Petersburg RUS (9) 01.02.08 [John Watson] 5 a3 wins again! It seems to me that Black hasn't yet fully absorbed the difficulties it presents. 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.a3 A silly yet meaningful move, typical of modern chess. 0-0 [ One idea is that the standard ...c5 line runs into 5...c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.b4 ] 6.f3 a6!? This is a standard idea after 5 Nf3 0-0 6 Bd3, as we have seen several times in this column.. . 7.e5 ...which leads to the thought that [ 7.xa6!? bxa6 8.0-0 , as in GrafTischbierek in the Archives, might be a good idea, entering the same line but with an extra a3 (for what that's worth!). The tempi are the same because in that game, White's bishop went to d3 before capturing on a6. ] 7...h5 [ 7...d7 is more natural, yet the move b4 may in fact help after ...c5/dxc5/...Nxc5. Furthermore, after ...c5 and ...Qb6, the move a3 means that ...Qxb2 can lose to Na4. ] 8.e3 c5 9.dxc5!? [ Either 9.e2 or ] [ 9.c4 leave open the question of exactly what Black is intending. I like White. ] 9...xc5 10.d2 f5 11.g1 c8!? A sacrificial idea that doesn't fully pan out, although it should have led to only a small disadvantage. In fact, you could argue that [ 11...c8 12.f2! leaves Black roughly the same disadvantage. ] 12.g4 e4 13.xe4 xe4 14.g5!? xc2 15.d1 xb2 [ 15...a5+ 16.b4 d5!? 17.gxh5 dxe5 has the idea ...Rxh2, restoring material equality. ] 16.xe4 xf4 17.xf4 a5+ 18.d2 xe5 19.xe5? White falters. The right move was [ 19.h6 c3 20.c1 with the idea Rc2. ] 1137
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ or 19.e3 ] 19...xe5+? Returning the favour, as they say. [ 19...xd2! 20.xd2 xe5+ 21.f2 xa1 gives Black 4 pawns for a piece, with the likelihood of picking up another. ] 20.e2 d5 21.c1 xh2 22.f3 W hite has consolidated the material. f4 23.c3 f6 24.c1 b6 25.e3 d6 26.f2 e5 27.h1 f6 28.c5 d7 29.c7 d8 30.g5 d4 31.xd7 xd7 32.d3 g7 33.gxf6+ xf6 34.d2 c7 35.g3 cc2 36.e4+ f5 37.f3 h5 38.d6+ e6 39.xb7 c3 40.xc3 dxc3 41.c1 c2 42.c5+ d6 43.d3 a2 44.e4 g5 45.f3 a5 46.a4 g4+ 47.e3 h4 48.f5 g3 49.h3 d5 50.d2 e4 51.f4+ e5 52.g6+ f6 53.xh4 xa4 54.g2 d4+ 55.e2 c4 56.e3 c5 57.xc2 xc2+ 58.xc2 e5 59.d2 a4 60.g2 d5 61.c3 e5 62.c4 f4 63.d4 1-0
1094 Skvortsov,O Erymovsky USSR [Alexander Volzhin]
B09
1989
Now let's look at 5...O-O. First we'll deal with the early kingside attack. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.e5 This sharp continuation is not very popular. fd7 7.h4 Starting an attack but it does not look very inspiring as the centre is unstable here and white has minimal development. c5 The logical reaction, meeting a wing attack with a central breakthrough. 8.h5 cxd4 9.hxg6 [ Sharp and very risky but 9.xd4 dxe5 10.f2 ( 10.g1 e4 with counterplay; 10.fxe5? xe5 11.xd8 xd8 with the advantage) 10...e6!? is fine for black: 11.hxg6 hxg6 12.g5 e8!? 13.d3 e7 14.h4 f8 15.fxe5 c6! 16.f4 xe5 17.0-0-0 d7 18.xe5 xe5 19.df1 f5 20.f3 xh4 21.xh4 f6 22.b4 c6 and Black was winning due to the extra pawn and the strong bishop pair in Viksni - D.Fridmans, Riga 1994. ]
9...dxc3 10.gxf7+ xf7 11.c4 f8 [ This is logical bu t 11...e6!? deserves serious attention. Possible then is: 12.g5 ( 12.xd6 is un clea r) 12...xe5 ( after 12...cxb2 13.xb2 a5+ 14.e2 d5 15.d3 f8 16.xf7 xf7 a position with mutual chances had arisen in the game W iniwarter - Hager, Austria (tt) 1994/95) 13.h5 h6 14.fxe5 hxg5 15.h7+ f8 16.h8+ xh8 17.xh8+ g7 18.xd8 c6 19.xd6 xe5 20.e2 d7 and black had the slightly better chances in the game Perecz - Nunn, Dortmund 1979 ] 12.g5 e6 13.xf7 xf7 14.h5+ g8 15.d3 [ 15.f5 did not work in the game Bochinski H o f f m a n n , G e r m a n y B L 2 1 9 9 3 / 9 4 a5 16.fxe6 cxb2+ 17.e2 bxc1+ 18.axc1 xe6 19.xe6+ h8 20.f7 xe5+ 21.d2 g5+ 22.e2 xg2+ 23.e3 xe6-+ with a decisive advantage ] 15...h6 16.h3 The rook is coming but black has enough defensive resources. dxe5 [ Other moves do not solve the problems: 16...d7? 17.g3 e8 18.xh6 d7 19.f5! and black is in trouble ] [ 16...b6?! 17.g3 cxb2 18.xb2 b4+ ( 18...xb2 19.xh6 xa1+ 20.e2 f7 21.xg7+ e8 22.f6+- winning ) 19.e2 xf4 20.xg7+ xg7 21.exd6+ with a very strong attack ] [ 16...c6 17.g3 A) after 17...dxe5 18.xg7+ xg7 19.fxe5 white has a decisive attack: cxb2 20.xh6+ h8 ( 20...g8 21.g4+ f7 22.g7+ e8 23.xf8+ d7 24.d6+ e8 25.g6# ) 21.b1+- winning; B) 17...cxb2 18.xb2 dxe5 19.0-0-0 f6 20.f1! and all the white pieces are in action now ] [ 16...cxb2? 17.xb2 a5+ 18.e2 c6 19.g3 dxe5 20.xh6 c7 21.h1+and white is winning ] 17.g3 e4! [ After 17...f6 18.fxe5 f7 19.xh6 c6 ( or 19...bd7 20.bxc3 xe5 ) 20.bxc3 xe5! ( 20...e7? 21.a3 f5 22.xf5 exf5 23.0-0-0+- winning ) 21.f4 ( 21.a3? xd3+ 22.cxd3 c7! ) 21...xd3+ 22.cxd3 d7 is very unclear ] 18.f5 f6? A terrible blunder. 1138
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Much stronger was 18...c7! gaining an 9.c4 e6?! important tempo, and securing a big [ Very rare! After a strong grandmaster has material advantage although very precise played such a move, one wonders "why play is still required after 19.h3 exd3 didn't I think of that?" - yet funnily enough, it 20.xh6 e5+!? 21.f1 e2+!? 22.g1 wo u ld b e h a rd t o st u mb le o n it wit h o u t cxb2 23.xg7 bxa1+ 24.xa1+ f7 ] considerable experience in this line. Let's try 19.xh6 cxb2 20.b1 exd3 21.xg7+ to reconstruct Black's reasoning. By playing xg7 8...Bg4 Black announces his willingness to [ 21...h8 22.g3+- winning ] part with the light-squared bishop in order to 22.xg7 xg7 23.g5+ Unfortunately for reduce W hite's control of e5 and his black his pieces are still undeveloped. f7 kingside attacking chances. In an ideal world, 24.f6 g6 25.cxd3 c6 26.xb2 Black would then like to play ...e6 and ... The position is winning for white as his queen exd5, ultimately leaving White with a 'bad' and rook will organise a direct attack against light-squared bishop. The difficulty is in the the black king very soon. d4 27.h6?! timing, however, as John Watson discussed [ 27.f2 was much more precise. ] recently in the game Wells-Spraggett. White 27...f5 28.h7+ xf6 29.g4 f4? can sometimes reply to ...e6 by capturing Now the game is over. and then blowing open the light squares with [ After the cool 29...fe7 black could offer f4-f5. But by ...e6 immediately, Black can tough resistance ] still recapture with the bishop. This is not a 30.h8+ e7 31.gxf5 serious loss of time, since W hite too has [ 31.c2 was also not bad. ] moved his bishop twice. And there is 31...xd3+ 32.d2 xb2 33.f6+ certainly something to be said for And black resigned. An interesting and very eliminating W hite's pride and joy on c4. exciting game. Unfortunately, though, White's knight on f3 1-0 proves at least equally adept at menacing the weakened light squares, and although Azmaiparashvili's move has surprise value, I 1095 B09 feel that So's energetic response casts some doubt on it. 9...c7 is standard, when So,Wesley 2577 10.h3 ( jw: A recent game went 10.a4 e6 Azmaiparashvili,Zurab 2615 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 e7?! 13.f5?! d7 1st Dragon Capital Vietnam Open (5) 29.08.08 14.dxe6 fxe6 15.g3 e5? 16.g5! [James Vigus] with advantage, Saric, I (2511)-Vujakovic, B (2381)/Sibenik CRO 2008.) 10...xf3 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 11.xf3 b8 12.a4 e6 ( 12...a6 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 g4 transposes to Game 36 in TPIBAW) 13.dxe6 [ This is currently much more popular than xe6!? (a provocative and unconventional 8...b8 , when 9 f5 has been scoring well. In re c a p t u r e , b u t i t wo r k s o u t q u i t e we l l ) D.Hartl-J.Rukavina, Trieste 2008, however, 14.e2 ( 14.d3 is more critical) 14...h8 the older main line was tested, and after 15.c3 e7 16.g3 a6 17.a5 d8!? 9.e5 e8 10.f5 c4 11.fxg6 cxd3 12.gxh7+ 18.d2 c6 19.b4 cxb4 20.cxb4 d5 h8 13.g5 the veteran Croatian IM fell 21.exd5 xb4 22.h1 fd8 produced a into a nast y tra p wit h f6?! ( 13...b6+ balanced game in B.Thorfinnsson-H. 14.h1 dxe5 is my recommendation Danielsen, Reykjavik 2008. ] TPIBAW ) 14.h5 dxe5? 15.-( But instead of finding 15.f3! , threatening 10.dxe6 [ In their repertoire book for White, 'Opening Nh4, e.g. f5 16.h4 f6 17.e4! b6+ for White According to Anand 4', Khalifman 18.h1 fxe4 19.xf6 xf6 20.g5; and Soloviov suggest that W hite keep in W hite returned the f avour with 15.f7+? "normal" positions here with 10.h3 xf7 16.xf7 d6 17.g6 e8 A) 10...xf3 11.xf3 c7; 18.xe8+ xe8 and Black went on to win. )] 1139
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B) Yet Black can mix things with 10...exd5!? B1) 11.hxg4?! dxc4 12.g5 ( 12.d2 d7 13.g5 g4 14.xc4 d4+ 15.h1 f5 gives Black good counterpla y) 12...g4 seems fine for Black, who can break with ...f5; B2) 11.xd5 e6 12.xf6+ xf6 ( not 12...xf6? 13.xa6 bxa6 14.xd6 ) 13.e2 b6 followed by centralising the ro ok s, with su f f icie n t play. A f t e r ( or 13...e7 ) 14.e5 Black could react solidly with xc4 15.xc4 g7 .; C) 10...-- ] 10...xe6 11.xe6! [ 11.e2 allows xc4 12.xc4 b4 , when Black's knight gets into play. ] [ In W.Womacka-S.Sulskis, Catalan Bay 2004, White was a bit over-eager to saddle his opponent with queenside pawn we a k n e s s e s , a n d a f t e r 11.xa6 bxa6 12.f5?! gxf5 13.exf5 c4 14.e1 d7 15.g5 xf5 16.xd6 Black could have g a i n e d g o o d c o u n t e r p l a y w i t h fe8 , when the position is hard to judge. ] 11...fxe6 12.f5! [ After 12.e2 -- ( 12...c7?! 13.e5 fd5 14.e4 xf4 15.xf4 xf4 16.exd6 d5 17.xc5 xd6 18.xe6+ xe6 19.xe6 b4 20.xg7 xg7 21.b3 White eventually converted his extra pawn in H.Namyslo-O.Schmidt, Tuebingen 2007, but; 12...b6 13.e5 dxe5 14.xe5 ad8 would be a much more active treatment for Black. )] 12...exf5 [ 12...e7 is playable, refusing to let things o p e n u p , b u t 13.fxg6 hxg6 14.g5 lo o k s s o m e wh a t m o re c o m f o rt a b l e f o r White. ] 13.exf5 gxf5 14.h4 g4!? [ Black tries to blast his way out of trouble, and eventually succeeds. A more obvious approach was 14...d5 15.xf5 d4 16.b5 d7 , but in such an open position, White will probably enjoy a long-term edge after exchanging his knight for the bishop on g7. ] 15.xf5 xf5! 16.xf5 h4 17.h3 d4+ 18.h1 f2+ 19.xf2 xf2 20.e4 f5 21.xd6 e6 This forcing passage of play has left White with an extra pawn and Black
and exposed king - but matters are not quite so simple, since White is still playing without the rook in the corner. 22.c3 [ 22.f4! f8 23.h2 looks a reliable way to s e c u r e a c l e a r p l u s , s i n c e xb2?! u n l e a s h e s t h a t r o o k - 24.b1 d4 25.xb7 ] 22...xd6 23.b3+ [ And here White could have piled on the p r e s s u r e w i t h 23.cxd4! , e.g. cxd4 ( 23...xd4 24.b3+ c4 25.g3+ g7 26.h4 with a dangerous initiative) 24.e3 d8 25.g4+ h8 26.d1 . After the text, Azmaiparashvili's active defence holds the draw without any particular alarms. ] 23...h8 24.cxd4 cxd4 25.xb7 f8 26.g5 c5 27.e7 xe7 28.xe7 f5 29.d1 e6 30.e1 c5 31.xc5 xc5 32.e8+ g7 33.d8 c1+ 34.h2 d1 35.d7+ g6 36.xa7 d3 37.g3 b1 38.d7 xb2 ½-½
1096 So,Wesley Mahjoob,Morteza 6th ch-Asia Cebu City PHI (4) [John Watson]
B09 2516 2479 22.09.2007
White makes it look simple. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 c7?! It's generally risky to query a natural move at so early a stage of a complex opening, but this simply doesn't take into account the importance of stopping White's primitive attack by Qe1-h4, with f5 at some early stage. Although Vigus doesn't give any games with 9... Nc7, he makes it clear that the similar move [ 8...b8 (in the sense that ... b5 is supported) makes more sense, because the natural 9.e1 c a n b e m e t b y b4 , ridding W hite of his bishop on d3. That both cuts down the direct attack, but means that ...e6 will not be followed by Bc4 after dxe6 and ... fxe6. ] 9.e1! No longer! Now ...Nb4 isn't in the cards, so Black feels compelled to challenge the centre. Instead, e6 [ 9...b8 can be met by the simple 10.a4 1140
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ( 10.f5!? gxf5 11.h4 fxe4 ) 10...a6 11.a5 although as usual that isn't completely clear, for example, b5 ( 11...d7 12.h4 b5 13.d2 ) 12.axb6 xb6 13.h4 ( 13.d2! b5 14.c4 b8 15.d2 ) 13...d7 14.f5!? gxf5 15.exf5 b4 16.g3 and White retains attacking chances. ] 10.dxe6 fxe6?! [ 10...xe6 11.f5 d4 12.h4!? ] 11.e5! fd5 12.e4 xf4 What else? [ 12...dxe5 13.fxe5 b4 14.g5 xd3 15.cxd3 xd3 16.d1 is simply too strong. ] 13.xf4 xf4 14.xd6 d5 15.g3 f8 16.ae1 e7? Black had to keep an eye on the all-important e-pawn. [ After 16...d7 , W hite might try 17.h4! and h5 with a strong attack. ] 17.g5 xf1+ Or resigns. 18.xf1 f5 [ 18...d8 19.xh7! xh7 20.h4+ g8 21.xg6 ] 19.xf5 gxf5 20.xf5! [ N o n e t o o e a r l y , e . g . , 20.xf5 d8 ( 20...exf5 21.b3+ h8 22.gf7+ g8 23.h6+ h8 24.df7+ ) 21.gf7 d7 22.h6+ h8 23.f8+! ] 1-0
1097 Spraggett,Kevin Jakobsen,Ole XXV Andorra Open (2) [John Watson]
B09 2631 2379 01.07.2007
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.e3 b6 [ V i gu s m a k e s a go o d c a s e f o r 6...bd7 intending ...c5 ] 7.d2 b7 [ 7...c5 is under a cloud due to 8.0-0-0 with the idea ( 8.d5 ) 8...cxd4 9.xd4 c6 10.xf6! xf6 11.h4 ( 11.d5 g7 12.h4 e6 13.c3 also has it's points) 11...g4! 12.h5! xh5 13.xh5! gxh5 14.d5 , as in J Polgar-Smirin, Istanbul 2000. The whole 6...b6 line is very well-analysed by Vigus. ] 8.e5! g4 9.0-0-0 dxe5 [ 9...c5!? 10.dxc5 ( 10.h3!? xe3 11.xe3 seems funny, but also hard to meet! I like
White ) 10...bxc5 11.xc5 is an interesting pawn sacrifice after which Black doesn't seem to fully equalise, but it wouldn't be surprising if he came up with something. ] 10.xe5 xe3 11.xe3 d7 [ 11...e6 12.h4 h5 13.c4 e7 isn't really better after 14.hg1 and g4. ] 12.h4 [ 12.b5! of Stopa-Szczepinski, Polish League 2005 is quite strong. But 12 h4 isn't bad either. It looks like10...Nxe3 is a mistake. ] 12...xe5 13.dxe5 c8 14.h5 Yikes. Only 14 moves and it's pretty much over. e6 [ 14...d8 15.c4 ( or 15.xd8+ xd8 16.d3 ) 15...xd1+ 16.xd1 threatens e6. ] 15.hxg6 hxg6 16.d3 [ Or 16.g3 ] 16...fd8 17.g3 d4 18.h3! ad8 19.dh1 f5 [ 19...c5 20.h2! - It's always pleasing when W hite triples like this. The middle slot is normally the best one for the queen. ] 20.g5 [ 20.e2 h a s t h e i d e a 4d7 ( 20...a4 21.b3 ) 21.c4! xc4? ( 21...d5 22.d4 f7 23.h2! ) 22.xg6 ] 20...f7 21.h7 g8 22.g1 e4 [ 22...h8 23.xh8 xh8 24.g4! ] 23.xe4 fxe4 24.g4! f8 25.h3 h8 26.xh8+ xh8 27.e1 g7 28.a3 c6 29.b1 a6 30.f5! The final blow. Black's bishop is finally liberated but W hite breaks through. xe5 31.fxg6 f6 [ 31...g7 32.f5+ ] 32.h6+ g7 33.f1+ g8 34.g5 d6 35.d5! xd5 [ 35...xg6 36.xe7+ ] 36.f7 h8 37.xe7 h1+ 38.a2 h6 39.e8+ 1-0
1098 Steenbekkers,Franck Van der Zalm,Marn 15th HZ Open (6) [Milos Pavlovic]
B09 2223 2058 03.08.2011
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 g4 1141
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.h1 b8 10.a3 This 'small' move is not without venom, on the contrary, by preventing ...Nb4 W hite keeps the bishop on d3 and prepares the trademark plan here of Qe1-h4. c7 11.e1 b5 12.h4 c4 [ 12...xf3 13.xf3 a5 14.f5 c4 A) 15.e2! This is the correct plan here. b4 16.axb4 axb4 17.d1 a8 18.b1 b5 19.h3 d4 20.g5 h5 21.xc4 xc2 22.f2 ( 22.e5!? dxe5 23.xf6 xf6 24.e4 d4 25.fxg6 White is winning. ) 22...a5 23.e5! a1 24.f1 dxe5 25.d6 fc8 26.fxg6 d4 27.gxf7+ f8 28.dxe7+ xe7 29.f8+ xf8 30.e4 f5 31.f2 1-0 Korneev, O C h a t a l b a s h e v, B / P o r t o C a r r a s G R E 2005; B) 15.f1 b4 16.axb4 axb4 17.e2 a8 18.xa8 ( 18.b1 b5 19.h3 h5 It seems to me that the plan in this game with the knight on e2 is not as effective as in the previous example.) 18...xa8 19.d4 a1 Zarnicki, P -Kasimdzhanov, R/playchess.com INT 2004 This already looks good for black. ] 13.e2 xf3 14.xf3 e6 Black is looking here for reaction in the centre 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.h3 [ Serious alternative might be: 16.f5!? A) 16...gxf5 17.exf5 e5 18.g4! d5 ( 18...d7 19.g5 fe8 20.f6 c6 21.h5 xf6 22.gxf6 xf6 23.g5 W hite is winning, Sanal, V -Drljevic, L / Antalya 2009. ) 19.g5+-; B) 16...exf5 17.exf5 d7 ( Or: 17...gxf5 18.xf5 d7 19.f3 g4 20.f4 e5 21.h3 f5 22.xe5 dxe5 23.a4 a6 24.axb5 axb5 25.f3 With the initiative again. ) 18.fxg6 ( 18.a4 a6 19.axb5 axb5 20.fxg6 hxg6 21.a7 ) 18...hxg6 19.g5 h7 20.e3 be8 21.xf8+ xf8 22.g4 f7 23.xa7 ] 16...a5 [ In my opinion it is possible to offer a pawn in order to reach an endgame which can give good counterplay. 16...h5!? 17.xh5 xh4 18.xh4 gxh5 19.xh5 a5 20.a4 d5 ] 17.e5N At first glance this move looks strong but perhaps the alternatives might actually be better.
[ The predecessor went: 17.e3 b4 18.axb4 axb4 19.a4 ( 19.d1 d5 20.e5 h5 21.xh5 xh4 22.xh4 gxh5 23.c5 fc8 24.xh5 a8 25.b1 a4 With some compensation.) 19...h6 20.xc4 xe4 21.xd8 bxd8 22.d3 d5 23.e1 a8 24.b3 White keeps some edge in this endgame due to his better structure and a bishop pair, Gruenfeld, Y (2505)- Lobron, E (2440)/Randers 1982. ] [ Changing the structure was also possible: 17.a4!?N b4 18.d1 d5 19.e5 h5 20.xh5 xh4 21.xh4 gxh5 22.e3 e8 23.g3 f7 24.xh5 White is better here, for example: f8 25.h3 g7 26.g1 h5 27.e3 d7 28.d1 ] 17...h5 18.xh5 xh4 19.xh4 gxh5 20.exd6 e8 21.e4 [ 21.xh5 The only and best move, White must take the pawn. xd6 22.g4! b4 23.axb4 ( 23.a4 b5 24.axb4 axb4 25.e3 W ith interesting play as well.) 23...axb4 24.e2 b3 25.c3 e4 26.g2 xc3 27.xc3 xc3 28.bxc3 b2 29.xb2 xb2+ 30.g3 With some small chances to win in the endgame. ] 21...xd6 22.xd6 bd8 23.c3? A careless move, now the initiative goes to Black. Better was: [ 23.e3 xd6 24.c5 d5 25.xf8 xb2 26.f1 xf8 Black has some compensation for the exchange. ] 23...xd6 24.e3 f5 25.h3 d3 26.e1 b4 Black has obviously seized the initiative here. 27.axb4 axb4 28.g3 bxc3 29.bxc3 fd5 [ 29...h4! Black is much better. ] 30.d4 xg3 31.hxg3 xd4 32.cxd4 f7 33.e4 f6 34.g1 f5 35.e3 g4 36.xe6 xg3 37.f5 xd4 38.e3+ g4 39.f6 d8 40.f7 ½-½
1142
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B09 16.e3 g3 17.f1 f5 18.f2 xh3+ 19.gxh3 xe4 20.e3 xd5 Only two pieces for the queen, but with bishops, open 1995 lines and weaknesses. Your guess is as good as mine as to what's really happening here. 21.h2 ae8 22.e1 e5 23.d2 g5 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 24.b5 c6 25.b3+ f7 26.fxg5 h8 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ c6 Scottish GM Colin 27.f1 xg5 28.xf8+ xf8 29.xg5 f2+ McNab used to play this move prior to his 30.g3 g2+ 31.h4 h6 32.e7 xd2 game aga inst W a tson. A couple of othe r 33.f7 d5 34.e8+ h7 35.d7 d4+ players, notably Reich and Beaumont, have 36.g3 e5+ 37.f2 f4+ 38.g1 d4+ 39.h2 f2+ 40.g3 g2+ 41.f4 f2+ carried the flag since then. 7.dxc5 Critical. [ After 7.d5 a6 8.xc6+ bxc6 9.dxc6 b6 42.g3 g2+ 43.f4 ½-½ Black recovers his pawn with a good game. ] 7...a5 8.0-0 0-0 9.cxd6 Adopting a 'show me' approach, though Black is also struggling 1100 B09 against other moves. [ W hite has a major alternative in 9.e1 Strugnell,C 2258 a f t e r w h i c h d7 ( 9...g4 10.a4 a6 Mortazavi,A 2353 11.d3 xc5+ 12.h1 d4 13.h3 xf3 2nd Kings Place Open 2014 rapid (6.5) 14.xf3 f6 15.e3 a5 16.g1 [Neil McDonald] wa s u n p l e a s a n t f o r B l a c k i n W a t s o n McNab C., London 1989) 10.xc6! xc5+ 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 11.e3 xc6 12.d5 xc2 13.h4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+ fxd7 14.g5 e8 15.ac1 gave White a strong 8.d5 0-0 A natural move that turns out well in attack in Wahls - Reich, Munich 1993 ] the present game after White's passive play. [ After 9.e2 a6 10.d3 xc5+ Nonetheless, I think it leads to a difficult game the position assumes characteristics of the 6. for Black if his opponent plays with sufficient dxc5 Qa5 line, and as White can prevent ... energy. Bg4 this is not a silly option. After 11.e3 [ The critical line runs 8...b5 9.xb5 ( For t h e ga m e Nij b o e r - K o h l e r , D u t c h C h . , 9.e2 see Hernandez-Khalifman in the A m s t e r d a m 1 9 9 4 c o n t i n u e d h5?! archives ) 9...a5+ 10.c3 xc3+ 11.bxc3 ( 11...a5 is better but this would also be xc3+ 12.d2 c4 13.e2 met by 12.h3 ) 12.h3 b5 13.f2 b4 A) 13...xc2!? looks risky as White can 14.e2 d7 15.e5! when the threat of Ng3 build up an attack on the black king, but it put Black's queen in trouble. ] isn't easy to prove White's advantage. 9...exd6 Black should leave his options open. A1) 14.e5 0-0 15.e6 ( Or 15.0-0 b6 ) [ The immediate 9...b6+ seems less good 15...f6 16.g5 fxe6 17.xe6+ h8 after 10.h1 exd6 ( 10...xe4 11.xe4 and Black was OK in Gunnarsson, J xb5 12.a4 b4 13.e1 exd6 14.c3 (2462)-Thorarinsson, P (2253)/Reykjavik b6 15.e3 c7 16.xd6 left Black with 2010.; inadequate compensation for the pawn in A2) 14.0-0 Plaskett - McNab, Stoke 1997.) 11.c4 g4 A2a) 14...b6 turned out well for 12.d5 c5 13.e2 e6 14.c3 Black in Andersson, F (2306)-Cramling, left Black a pawn down in Totsky - Bonoev, D (2395)/ Vesteras 2011, but a Moscow 1995 ] positional approach f or W hite with 10.d3 g4 11.d5 f5!? The position starts 15.a4 ( rather than the game getting very messy and chaotic. Frankly I continuation 15.ac1 xa2 ) 15...c4 have some difficulty in believing Black's play, 16.e3 then 17.Bc3 etc. looks but maybe he has something... 12.h3 fxe4 promising for him.; 13.xe4 c5+ 14.h1 f2+ 15.xf2 xf2 A2b) 14...0-0 1099 Stefansson,Hannes Kohler,A Open Leeuwarden (Netherlands) (9) [Nigel Davies]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A2b1) 15.f5 f6 16.fxg6 ( B l a c k a l so s u r vi ve s a f t e r 16.e5 dxe5 17.xe5 bd7 ) 16...hxg6 17.g5 bd7 18.ac1 ( if 18.e3 e5 19.c3 d3 frustrates White's attack ) 18...xa2 19.e3 fb8 20.c3 b3 and Black resisted the attack in Ragger, M (2529)-Klenburg, M (2387)/ Oberwart 2007.; A2b2) 15.ac1 a4 ( After 15...xa2 16.a1 b2 17.fb1 g7 18.e5 White has a dangerous initiative as the black queen is awkwardly placed and it isn't obvious how Black develops his queenside as b6 loses to 19.xb6 ) 16.e5 xa2 only now, when the black queen can take on d5 if it is attacked by a white rook. She gets herself involved in the centre struggle and s lo ws d o wn W h it e 's in it i a t ive b y pinning the bishop on d2. ( I n s t e a d a f t e r 16...b6 17.f5 White built up an attack and won in Alsina Leal, D (2430) -Movsziszian, K ( 2 4 4 5 ) / S o l l e r 2 0 0 7 .) 17.e6 ( 17.fd1 ) 17...f6 18.exf7+ xf7 19.g5 xd5 20.cd1 c6 21.c3 f5 22.xf7 xf7 with balanced chances.; B) 13...b6 this is the solid alternative. 14.a4 a5 15.xc4 xc4 16.e2 B1) Here I like the computer suggestion 16...f5!? B1a) B l a c k l o o k s f i n e a f t e r 17.d3 fxe4+ ( or 17...xd2 ) 18.xc4 exf3 19.gxf3 d7 20.hb1 f8 21.b7 f5 when he has counterplay with Rh5 etc.; B1b) 17.exf5 b6! the sort of move that a computer has to show us. The knight voluntarily retreats as White has n o g o o d w a y t o d e f e n d d 5 18.fxg6 hxg6 19.c3 0-0 20.hd1 xf4; B2) 16...d7 17.d3 db6 18.c3 0-0 19.d2 xd2 20.xd2 f5 21.hb1 a6 22.b5 fa8 with some plus for White in Oleksienko, M (2608) -Aabling Thomsen, J (2375)/Reykjavik ISL 2013. S o m a yb e t ry 1 6 . . . f 5 ! ? in t h e n o t e s above. ]
9.0-0 a6 10.h1 White could play the immediate [ 10.f5 but if Black's best reply to the pawn advance is to put his queen on b6, it makes sense to tuck the king away on h1 and hope Black plays 10...Nc7 rather than encourage h i m t o p l a y b6 Here's a sample game: 11.h1 c7 12.e2 ( Or 12.e1 b5 ) 12...c4 and Black had counterplay in Savon, V (2570)-Hort, V (2610)/Petropolis 1973, but I'm still somewhat worried about Black's king after 13.e1 followed by 14.Qh4 rather than Savon's ( 13.g3 )] 10...c7 Instead Black could have activated his queen with [ 10...b6 and sought counterplay as in the Savon game above. ] 11.a4?! [ Much more promising is 11.f5! At first glance it looks odd to hand over the e5 square to the black pieces. However, the point is that W hite has a straightforward attack on the kingside in the style of the Sicilian Grand Prix Attack. He can put his queen on h4 and attack with Bh6 and Ng5. Just how effective this plan can be is shown by the following two miniatures: b5 12.e1 b4 13.e2 A) 13...f6 14.h4 gxf5 15.h6 ( This was only a blitz game, but more p r e c i s e w a s 15.g3 fxe4 16.g5 ) 15...fxe4 ( Black could survive with 15...xe4 ) 16.g5 cxd5 17.g3 e6 18.ad1 e8 19.xd5 exd5 20.xg7 xg7 21.h5+ xh5 22.xh5 1-0 Ovetchkin, R (2532)-Bykhovsky, A (2457)/playchess.com INT 2005.; B) 13...e5 14.h4 xf3 15.xf3 f6 16.g5 xg5 17.xg5 e8 18.g3 f6 19.af1 g7 20.fxg6 hxg6 21.f5+ g8 22.g3 xe4 23.h6 1-0 Korneev, O (2568)-Reina Luque, R/Seville 2002. ( Black will be mated after 23.h6 xg3+ 24.hxg3 gxf5 25.g5+ h8 26.f4 )] 11...a6 12.a5 White could still have tried [ 12.f5 but it soon becomes clear he has no intention of attacking on the kingside. ] 12...b5 13.e2 c4 14.e1 Too late, as Black can now dissolve the white centre. e6! 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.b4 c8 17.c3 xc3 18.bxc3 f6 19.g5 1144
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ White should have entered complications [ 11...f8 12.xf7+ ( 12.g5 e6 13.xf7 with 19.xb7 f7 20.xa6 xe4 cxb2 14.xb2 a5+ 15.f1! With 15.Ke2 when his valuable passed pawn off sets we would have the same position as in the the destruction of his centre. ] game but Kf1 here makes a big difference. 19...d7 20.d1 d5 21.e5 xf7 16.h5+ g8 17.d3 with a nice [ He had to return his queen to the defence quick win, see Nakamura, H (2613)-Smirin, I of the kingside with 21.b6 c6 22.e3 ] in the Archive, but as usual things are not 21...g4 22.g1 f5? Black should have that simple in chess.) 12...xf7 13.g5+ increased his control of the light squares with g8 14.h5 Probably Sutovsky was [ 22...h6 intending 23...Bxg5 ] counting on this line to make a quick forced 23.h3? White misses the chance to activate draw, see Shirov, A-Smirin, I /Odessa 2007 his position with in the Archive. ] [ 23.d6! xd6 24.exd6 xc3 25.b1 12.g5 Practically forced and best. when it is Black who has to play precisely to [ A n o t h e r t r y i s : 12.xd6 b6 hold the position. ] ( Also possible was: 12...cxb2 13.xb2 23...f8 the entrance of Black's bishop into a5+ 14.e2 c5-+ ) 13.xe6 xe5 the attack on White's king proves decisive. 14.xf7+ xf7 15.xb6 axb6 16.b1 24.a4 c5+ 25.f1 h2+ 26.e2 xg5! xa2 Black was better Rios, C -Castro Rojas, 27.fxg5 f7 28.e3 xe3 29.xe3 f8 O /El Bagre 2010 ] Threatening mate for a second time on f2. 12...cxb2 30.d2 f4+ A nice attacking finish by IM Ali [ 12...f8 13.xf7 xf7 14.h5+ g8 Mortazavi. 15.d3 This is one possible line that was 0-1 tested here. ] 13.xb2 a5+ Forcing the white king to go to the worse square e2. 14.e2 1101 B09 [ 14.f1 xf4+-+ ] Ivanchuk comes up with a new Sutovsky,Emil 2700 14...f8N Ivanchuk,Vassily 2768 idea. [ One example with lots of mistakes was: FIDE World Cup 2011 (3.2) 04.09.2011 14...d5 15.d3 f8 16.xf7 xf7 17.f1 [Milos Pavlovic] b4 18.c1 h6? ( A better defence was: 18...g8 19.h3 Again with the initiative, 1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 for example: d7 With the idea ...Bb5 or ... 5.f3 0-0 6.e5 This line is a very rare guest Be8-g6 to block the b1-h7 diagonal. 20.d2 at grandmaster level and has been c5 21.b1 The position is unclear.) abandoned long time ago, probably with good 19.h3 Here White already has the initiative. reason. Black's chances to defend here are c6 20.g3 ( 20.a3! xa3 21.g6+ more then adequate. I must admit, though, xg6 22.xa3 White is winning.) 20...g8 that the position has some potential and it is 21.h5 e7 22.f5 ( 22.xh6 f7 23.e2 something that Black must be aware of. fd7 e7 24.d2 Here Black is probably lost.) 7.h4 c5 8.h5 cxd4 9.hxg6 dxc3 22...f7 23.xf7+ ( Here White missed a Probably best. chance to play inspirational chess: [ 9...hxg6 10.xd4 c6 11.f2 This might 23.xg7+!! xg7 24.f6 f7 25.g4+ h8 be a position that can promise W hite an 26.xh6 White is winning.) 23...xf7 24.f6 a t t a c k . O n e e xa m p le we n t l ik e t h is : e6 h8 25.xh6 xe5 26.g7 fg6 ( 11...dxe5 12.h4 f6 13.fxe5 h5 27.xg6+ xg6 28.xg6 xg6 29.xh8 14.g4+- ) 12.exd6 f6 13.d2 xd6 d7 Winiwarter, F (2240)-Hager, F /Austria 14.0-0-0 d8 15.c4 d7 16.f5 exf5 1995. ] 17.g5 b4 18.h4 h5 19.a3 b6 20.d6 Vakhidov, T) -Donguines, F/Manila 15.xf7 xf7 16.f5 This is too sharp. With the king on e2 this can't work. 2006. ] [ A more modest move gaining a pawn was 10.gxf7+ xf7 11.c4 e6! 1145
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 more to the point: 16.xd6 a4 17.d3 c6 The position is complicated 18.a3 xa3 19.xa3 d7 20.ab1 b6 21.xf8 xf8 22.xh7 g8 23.e3 This is only one possible line in which both sides have chances, it seems to me that the position remains in equilibrium. ] [ 16.h5 b4 ] 16...xe5 17.h5 e8 18.fxe6 xe6 19.xe6 b5+ 20.d3 xb2 Black is winning. 21.f5 b5+ 22.c4 b2+ 23.f3 c6 24.f7+ d8 25.xf8+ c7 Ivanchuk calculated well in this game, as although the computer gives better solutions for Black I think this was good enough as well. 26.xh7+ b6 27.xa8 d4+ 28.g4 xg2+ 29.h5 h2+ 30.g6 c2+ 31.h6 f4+ 32.g7 xe6+ 33.f6 xh7 34.xe6 g6+ 35.e7 g5+ 36.f8 f6+ 0-1
e6 16.f5 with the initiative in Reeh - Espig, Potsdam FRG-GDR 1988 ) 14.d2 A) after 14...b6 15.ab1 c5 16.c4!? b4 17.b3 d4 18.d1 a3 ( 18...dxb3? 19.xb3 xc3 20.xf7++winning ) 19.f5 b5 20.d5 white had the advantage in the game Lanc - Chabanon, Trnava 1990; B) 14...c5 15.ad1 b6 16.c1 and now in the game Kindermann Khalifman, Hamburg 1991 black should h a v e p l a y e d xd3 17.cxd3 f5 with counterplay. ] 13...d7 14.d2 b6+ 15.h1 c5 16.ab1 xd3 17.cxd3 e6?! [ The standard 17...f5 is better and will be considered in the game Kindermann - M. Gurevich. ] 18.f5!? It is not so easy to parry white's initiative on the kingside. exf5 [ 18...e5 does not solve the problems: 19.g3 d4 20.f6 h8 21.e3! xd3 1102 B09 22.xd3 xd3 23.g4 and it is hard to see any prospects for the bishop on h8. ] Tolnai,Tibor 19.exf5 d4 20.g3 xf5 Gurevich,Mikhail [ After 20...e5 21.g4 b3 22.f4 h8 Luzern 1989 23.xe5+ dxe5 24.f6 white had obtained [Alexander Volzhin] some advantage in the game Arnason Pergericht, Bela Crkva 1989. ] As we saw in the previous game, queenside S p e c t a c u l a r b u t f o r c e d . gxf5 castling is very interesting, but gives Black 21.xf5! serious counterchances. Probably that is why 22.d5 f4! Black defends very well. [ 22...c5? was losing immediately: 23.f6+ many White players prefer to castle kingside. h8 24.h4 xf6 25.xf6+ g8 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 26.c3+- winning ] 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d3 xc5 8.e2 23.f6+ h8 24.h4 h6 25.xf4!? 0-0 9.e3 a5 10.0-0 g4 11.h3 [ Bad was 25.c3? b e c a u s e o f b5! [ 11.e1 has been played a couple of times 26.d5 f6 27.xf4 f5 with a big but without much success: c6 12.h1 advantage ( 27...f7 )] b4 ( or 12...xf3 13.xf3 ac8 14.a3 [ 25.xf4 could lead to a draw after d4 d5!? 15.e5 d4 16.exf6 xf6 17.e4 dxe3 26.e4 f5!? ( or 26...xd3 27.e1 d5 18.xf6+ exf6 19.xe3 b6 unclear but 28.xh6 dxe4 29.xg7+ xg7 with good play f or black in de Firmian 30.g5+= ) 27.xh6! xd3! ( 27...xh6? Chernin, Moscow GMA 1990) 13.d4 xd3 was losing after 28.xh6+ g8 29.g5 14.cxd3 d7 15.b3 d8 16.a4 g4 g7 30.xg7+ xg7 31.e6+ ) 28.e1 17.g1 f5 (a very typical move in this sort of fxe4 29.xg7+ xg7 30.g5+ f7 p o s i t i o n . ) 18.h3 f6 with enough 31.f5+ with perpetual check since the counterplay in R.Kuijf - Nijboer, W ijk aan black king cannot go to the e-file. ] Zee 1990 ] 11...xf3 12.xf3 c6 This critical position 25...d5?! An inaccuracy which lets white get a very comfortable position. has occurred hundreds of times. 13.a3 [ 25...b5! was correct, and after the [ 13.h1!? is ano the r possib ility: d7 possible 26.h4 f5 ( of course not ( 13...b4 is weaker: 14.a3 xd3 15.cxd3 1146
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 26...xd3? 27.xh6 xb1+ 28.c1+ mating ) 27.xh6 xf6 28.g5+ g7 29.h6+ g8 30.xf6 h7 31.g5+ g6 32.h4 h7 black is more or less ok as the second pawn cannot be won: 33.g3+ g6 34.xd6 ad8! ] 26.c3 d4 27.xd4 e6 28.c3! with the idea of Re1. [ 28.e5!? was also interesting with the idea of advancing the d-pawn. ] 28...fe8 It's looks like black had no other defence here. [ 28...ad8 did not help: 29.e1 c8 ( or 29...a6 30.f5 xd3 31.e4; 29...d6 30.f5 xd3 31.e4 d1+ 32.h2 ) 30.e4! xf6 31.xf6+ g8 32.e3 fe8 33.g3+ f8 34.b4+ mating ] 29.xe8 xe8 White has won the exchange back and has a decisive advantage due to his extra pawn and the weakness of the Black king's position. 30.f1! With the idea of Rf3g3. [ It was still possible to lose after 30.e1?? xe1+ 31.xe1 xe1+ 32.h2 e5-+ winning ] 30...e7 31.f3 h7 32.g3 e5 [ 32...xc3 33.bxc3 e1+ 34.h2 xc3 was impossible: 35.f5+ h8 36.g4 e8 37.f4+- winning ] 33.xe5 xe5 34.g4 g5 35.f3! White should keep the queens on the board as the black king is exposed. e5 36.d4!+A decisive blow. e6 [ The pawn could not be taken: 36...xd4 37.f5+ h8 38.c8+ mating ] 37.d5 e1+ 38.h2 e5 39.d6! Simply winning as the d-pawn is always taboo. d7 40.g4 d8 41.c4! f6 42.e4+ h8 43.d7 h5 There were no other moves. 44.d5 Black resigned. 1-0
1103 Tzermiadianos,Andreas Anagnostopoulos,Dimitrios ch-GRE Athens (2) [Andrew Martin]
B09 2440 2435 2002
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 The Austrian Attack
has wa ned in popu larity against th e Pirc move-order largely due a) to the reliability of 6...Na6 and b) the advent of 4 Be3. Naturally the White set-up must still be treated with the utmost respect. 6...Na6 is unbalancing and very sharp. Black must develop counterplay quickly or the routine attacking plan of 0-0, Qe1-h4, f4-f5, Bh6 etc will wipe him out. 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 b8 [ The main alternative is 8...g4 In general I think the exchange on f3 is desirable for Black just to take away one of White's main attackers. The problem is that surrendering the light-squared Bishop early might leave Black's position seriously short of counterplay as the game progresses. Recent games have favoured White: A) 9.a3 c7 10.e1 xf3 11.xf3 e6 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.h4 d5 14.e5 d7 15.g4 c4 16.f1 f5 17.e2 h5 18.e3 e7 19.b3 c5 20.d4 e4 21.h3 xh3 22.xh3 c3 1/2-1/2 Pokorna,R-Zhukova,N/ Olympiad w, Bled SLO 2002 (22); B) 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 ( 10.xf3 b8 11.e2 c7 12.a4 a6 13.a5 b5 14.axb6 xb6 15.a2 b5 16.xb5 axb5 17.xb5 xe4 18.c6 f5 19.fa3 d4+ 20.h2 f2 21.a7 g3+ 22.h1 b8 23.2a6 f2 24.h2 g3+ 25.h1 f2 26.d1 b4 27.c3 g3+ 28.h2 e4 29.d2 c4 30.d7 b8 31.b7 e2 32.a8 xa8 33.xa8 xd2 34.a1 e2 35.c6 e1 36.xe1 xe1 37.xe7 e4 38.b5 c8 39.a6 g3+ 40.g1 a8 0-1 Shukurova,MDrljevic,L/ W Yg18, Heraklio GRE 2002 (40) ) 10...d7 11.d2 c7 12.ae1 a6 13.a4 b6 14.g3 b8 15.e5 b5 16.axb5 axb5 17.exd6 exd6 18.f5 c4 19.e2 f6 20.f4 b6 21.fxg6 fxg6 22.g4 h8 23.e4 xe4 24.xe4 xd5 25.d2 xf1+ 26.xf1 xb2 27.e6 e5 28.f2 f6 29.e1 a6 30.g5 a1 31.xa1 xa1 32.a7 e5 33.f7 h6 34.xh6 e4 35.xg6 f6+ 36.xf6+ xf6 37.f4 g7 38.g4 g5 39.xg5 xg5 40.d7 b4 41.e6 c3 1/2-1/2 Sergeeva,M-Zhukova,N/Olympiad w, Bled SLO 2002 (41); C) 9.c4! The best move I think. White 1147
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 will try to put a stopper on ...b7-b5 and The Bishop on c4 inhibits ...e7-e6. Black c a n n o t e q u a l i s e : c7 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 e6 ( 11...d7 12.a4! a6 13.d2 b8 14.e2 h8 15.a5 e8 16.d3 c8 17.b3 a8 18.ae1 b5 19.axb6 xb6 20.e5 Arnason-Hoi Reykjavik 1988 ) 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.d1 Black achieved his pawn break but inherited a poor structure as a result. e7 14.e5 dxe5 15.xb7 h5 16.b5 ac8 17.xa7 b8 18.c6; D) 9.h1 b8 10.f5 c8 11.g5 c4 12.e2 b5 13.d4 xe2 14.xe2 d7 15.c6 b7 16.ae1 c5 17.e5 b4 18.xe7+ xe7 19.exf6 xf6 20.xc4 d8 21.xf6 xf6 22.fxg6 xg6 23.e4 xe4 24.xe4 h5 25.e3 h8 26.f4 1-0 Ahmed,E-Abdulaziz,M/ Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002 (26) ] [ 8...c7 9.e1 e6 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 g4 13.g5 d7 14.d1 c6 15.g3 c4 16.xg4 cxd3 17.cxd3 b6+ 18.h1 xb2 19.e4 d5 20.h4 d7 21.b1 e2 22.fe1 xd3 23.c5 a3 24.xd7 xf3 25.gxf3 xf3+ 26.g1 c3 27.b2 c8 28.f2 d3 29.f6+ 1-0 Berzina,I-Drljevic,L/W Yg18, Heraklio GRE 2002 (29) ] 9.e2 [ 9.h1 g4 10.h3 ( 10.c4 c7 11.a4 a6 12.a5 b5 13.xb5 axb5 14.xb5 xe4 15.d3 f6 16.c4 e6 17.dxe6 fxe6 18.e1 d7 19.e3 was a previous game between these two and now Nunn recommends b6 ) 10...xf3 11.xf3 c7 12.a4 a6 13.a5 b5 14.d2 c8 15.b3 d4 16.f2 e6 ] 9...c7 10.a4 b6 Agnos decides to play for ... b5 the slow way. Another recent game suggests that Black can also play 10...a6 straightaway: [ 10...a6 11.a5 g4 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 b5 14.axb6 xb6 15.d1 d7 16.c3 e6 Black achieved both his breaks. He has enough activity to compensate for his poor pawns. 17.e3 exd5 18.exd5 b8 1/2-1/2 Nikolov,M-Spasov,V/Baharov Mem, Borovec BUL 2002 (18) ] 11.b5 Seeing ..a6 and ...b5 coming up, W hite changes tack. a6 12.xc7 xc7
13.c4 Consequent, but perhaps White could play for the attack: [ 13.xa6 xa6 14.xa6 xe4 15.e2 f6 16.c4 fe8 17.f5 Otherwise ...e7-e6 and Black is very comfortable. gxf5 18.g5 d7 19.a3 Computer programs like Black but my instinct tells me that White has good chances. ] 13...e6 14.e5 e8 15.d2 White plays for cramp but the exchange of Knights has helped Agnos. Despite the imposing nature of the W hite centre his d pawn can become exposed. d8! 16.c3 exd5 17.cxd5 c7 See what I mean! 18.ad1 xd5 19.c4 xf4 20.e4 e6 21.exd6! [ 21.xd6 e7 22.fd1 b5 23.axb5 axb5 24.d5 b7 Black is a pawn up! ] 21...b7 22.d5 A rueful move. [ 22.g4 retains pieces but with accurate defence Black can beat W hite back: xc3 23.bxc3 f6! 24.d7 ( 24.d4 g5 25.xg5 xg5 ) 24...bd8 Everything is covered. ] 22...xd5 23.xd5 A truce but Black could consider taking on c3 and playing ...b6-b5 or even ...b6-b5 immediately maybe followed by .. Rb6. The d pawn was intimidating so........ draw. If W hite cannot put a stamp on both Black's pawn breaks i.e. ...b5 and e6, the line with 9 Qe2 isn't really sharp enough to give any problems. Agnos showed one way to defend-others are mentioned in the notes. Right now,6...Na6 looks fully playable. ½-½
1104 Van Kampen,R Rapport,R N1 Reykjavik Open 2014 (5.1) [Tom Rendle]
B09 2603 2681 07.03.2014
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 a5 7.d4! White has had a lot of success with this recently so it's interesting to see what Rapport has in mind here [ 7.d3 for a long time was the main move but it's been surpassed by 7.Qd4 in recent years ] 7...0-0 8.d2 c6 9.c4 d8!? 1148
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 9...e6 10.b5 xb5 11.xb5 dxc5 12.e5 ( 12.g5?! d4 13.xe6 fxe6 and Black is at least equal) 12...d5 13.xc6 bxc6 14.e4 is better for White with no risk ] [ 9...xc5 was examined by Andrew Martin in Milov-Gonzalez but I think this is perhaps Black's best line: after 10.xc5 dxc5 11.e5 Black chose 11...Ne8 here and W hite obtained a pleasant edge but critical is h5! 12.0-0-0 d8 13.e2 h6 14.g3 b6 when I think White's advantage is very slight. The knight on h5 may be offside but it can easily return via g7 ] 10.0-0-0 e6 11.a4 [ 11.b5!? g4! is also very unclear, for example A) 12.e2! is probably enough for a slight edge, e.g. A1) 12...d4 is very risky as after 13.xd4 xd4 14.f5! f2 15.fxe6 xh1 and White has a number of dangerous ideas, for instance 16.cxd6 ( 16.h6!? ) 16...f2 17.d5! xd6 18.f4 e5 19.f6+ exf6 20.xd6 xf4+ 21.b1 xd6 22.exf7+ xf7 23.xf2 and White can park his bishop on d5 and will have the only realistic winning chances; A2) 12...dxc5 13.h3 f6 14.f2 b6 15.e5 d7 16.b1 with an advantage to White; B) 12.xb7 d7 13.cxd6 ] 11...g4 12.g1?! [ 12.e1! was best but the position is hard to assess after xc3! 13.bxc3 e3 14.d3 xf1 15.xf1 e8 but I think I prefer White as his king is actually fairly safe despite the wrecked pawn structure and he always has aggressive ideas on the kingside based on f5! ] 12...a6?! I don't really understand this move - I suppose it's preparing ...b5 but then why didn't Rapport play it later on when he had the chance? [ 12...dxc5! gives Black the type of game he wants here, e.g. A) or 13.c4 d7! 14.a3 d4 15.e5 ( 15.xc5?? drops a piece to c8 16.b4 a5 ) 15...b5! 16.xc5 xc2 17.b3 c8 18.xa7 b4 and Black has very decent
pla y f o r t he p a wn h e re ( or 18...a8 19.b7 b8 20.a7 a8 21.c5 c8= ); B) 13.e5 d4 14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 cxd4 16.b5 f2 17.xd4 xa2 18.e1 ac8 with roughly level chances ] 13.h3 This leads to more crazy complications but overall I'd rather be Black at this stage [ 13.f5! seems more promising to me, for example gxf5 14.exf5 xf5 15.f4 d7 16.cxd6 exd6 17.h3 ge5 18.e3 and W hite has the better structure in an otherwise fairly level middlegame ] 13...f2 14.e1 dxc5 15.a3 d4 16.g5 d7 [ 16...b5! 17.b1 d7 and the position is a complete mess but I'd be very surprised if Black turned out to be worse here ] 17.d5 c6 18.xc5?! A brave decision f r o m V a n K a m p e n t o g r a b t h e p a wn b u t objectively it was a mistake [ better was 18.a5! d6 19.c7 d7 20.xc5 xe4 21.xe7+ h8 22.xe4 xc7 23.xc6 xc6 24.c3 and Black has enough for the pawn but probably no more here ] 18...xd5 19.xd5 c8?! With the queens off Black's pressure isn't quite enough anymore [ 19...c7! 20.c3 e6 21.c4 d7! and Black seems to have more than enough play for the pawn here ] 20.xd8 fxd8 21.c3 h6 22.f3 xh3 23.xd4 xd4 [ 23...xg1 must be critical. The knight on g1 is trapped but it's not so easy to win, for example 24.b3 f6! 25.e3 h4 26.d1 g3! 27.xd8+ xd8 28.xg1 xf4+ 29.c2 g7 and a draw seems the most likely result although White has slightly the better chances here ] 24.h1 f2 25.xh6 b5 26.a3 b6 27.c2 The dust has settled and White is up a pawn although there is still a lot of work to do d7 28.c1 [ 28.f5!? looks strong but perhaps White was worried by c7 with the threat of ...Rxd2 but still after 29.c1! ( 29.fxg6 is possible still but after xd2+ 30.xd2 f4+ 31.e2 xh6 32.gxf7+ xf7 33.xf2 d8 I think Black should hold the endgame) 1149
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 29...g7 30.fxg6 fxg6 31.e5 White has excellent winning chances ] 28...cd8 29.e5 e6?! [ 29...g7! 30.h2 g4 31.h3 f2 32.g3 d1 33.xd1 xd1 34.d3 g1 and Black's activity gives him very good chances to hold ] 30.f5! d1? [ 30...exf5 31.g5 g4! and Black is still in the game, although after 32.h3 f8 33.e6! c7 34.exf7+ cxf7 35.e6 White is a pawn up for nothing and should win eventually ] 31.g5! A shocking move that Rapport must've completely missed e3 [ t h e p o i n t i s t h a t 31...xe1? 32.f6 is mating ] 32.xe3 A slight mistake but I get the feeling that time trouble was a factor for both sides at this point [ 32.xd1! xd1 33.xe3 xf1 34.fxe6 is more easily winning ] 32...8d2+ 33.b3 b1 34.b4 g4 35.eh3 xh6 36.xh6! [ 36.xd2?! xf5 isn't 100% clear ] 36...dxb2+ 37.a5 g7 38.d3 e1 39.fxg6 fxg6 40.xg6+ f7 and I suspect Black resigned as the time control had been reached [ 40...f7 41.f6+ e8 ( 41...g7 42.h6+ g8 43.f8# ) 42.xe6+ f8 43.xa6 is completely hopeless for Black ] 1-0
1105 Vibbert,Sean Nagle,S 2nd DC International 2014 (8) [Neil McDonald]
B09 2316 2412 29.06.2014
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.e5 fd7 7.exd6 cxd4!? A very ambitious capture which obliges Black to sacrifice the exchange. Perhaps it is OK for him, but it isn't really necessary when he gets dynamic chances after the simple [ 7...0-0 For example 8.e3 ( for 8.dxe7 and; 8.dxc5 check out Ivanovic-Gurevich in t h e a r c h i v e s .) 8...exd6 9.d2 c6 10.0-0-0 a5 Black has a weak pawn on d6
and a hole on d5, but his pieces soon get to active squares. It's not all fun for White as the following examples demonstrate: A) After 11.b1 f6 12.c4 f5 W hite pan icked ab out his o ppo nen t's attacking build up and tried to simplify, only to f all into a tactical trap: 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.d5 xd5 15.xa5 ( Also disastrous for W hite are 15.xd5 b4 16.b3 c4 17.xc4 xc2+ and; 15.xd5 xc2+ 16.xc2?! b4+ ) 15...xc2+! A horrible surprise and the only move that wins. 16.c1 ( White has l o s t a p i e c e a f t e r 16.xc2 xe3+ 17.d3 xa5 ) 16...xa5 17.xd5 xd1 White could resign but he played on some moves: 18.xd1 fe8 19.e5 xe5 20.fxe5 xe5 21.f4 e7 22.f3 c6 23.g5 ee8 24.d7 e5 25.xb7 xf3 26.gxf3 e2 27.h4 f2 28.e3 xf3 29.xc5 c8 30.b4 a5 31.b2 e8 0-1 Zelic, M (2354)-Ribli, Z (2582)/ Pula 1999.; B) 11.a3 After this move White ended up in a nightmarish Sicilian Dragon scenario: f6 12.h3 e8 13.c4 b5!? An enterprising pawn sac. Black would be OK after the long forcing sequence ( 13...cxd4 14.xd4 e4 15.xe4 xe4 16.xc6 xd2+ 17.xd2 bxc6 b u t h e w a n t s m o r e .) 14.xb5 ( Black has a nice initiative for his pawns after 14.xb5 d7 for example 15.dxc5 ab8 16.xc6 xc6 when already White has to reckon with deadly moves like 17... Ne 4 a n d 1 7 . . . . R xb 2 wh e n if 1 8 . K x b 2 Ne4. ) 14...d5 15.f1 ( White has two bishops hanging after 15.xa5 xa5 ) 15...d8 16.e5 ( Or 16.dxc5 e4 keeping up the pressure for if 17.xd5 xd5 18.xd5 g3 19.c7 xe3 20.xa8 xh1 and Black is better.) 16...b7 17.c3 cxd4 18.xd4 xd4 19.xd4 d7 20.b4 b8 21.xd7 ( Now Black's initiative will be too strong. The last chance to muddy the waters was with a queen sacrifice: 21.b5 xe5 22.fxe5 c6 23.xc6 xb4 24.axb4 xe5 25.xd5 but Black's maintains an edge. ) 21...xd7 22.b5 c6 23.a4 d4 24.c5 ec8 25.xc6 xc6 26.d5 1150
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 b7 0-1 Rogulj, B (2414) -Kuljasevic, D (2555)/Sibenik 2012. ( 26...b7 27.b5 xc2+ )] 8.b5! 0-0 9.c7 White wins the exchange, for which Black will have a pawn and a strong central grouping of pieces once he picks up the knight in the corner. exd6 [ Instead 9...c5 10.xa8 xd6 was played in Kramnik-Grischuk which is also in the archives. Andrew Martin assesses it as somewhat better for White. ] 10.xa8 c6 11.e2 c5 12.0-0 f5 I like this bishop development as it deters White from trying to win the d4 pawn due to the pressure on c2- see the next note. 13.e1 [ After 13.b5 b4! hitting c2 White is unable to conquer the d4 point, for example 14.f2 a6 15.f1 c6 ] 13...d3? The game ceases to be of theoretical interest as Black gives up the pawn that is cramping the white centre for no obvious reason. After [ 13...xa8 14.g4 c8! a strong move that gets the queen into the action 15.xf5 xf5 16.d3 e8 17.e1 e4 followed by reinforcing the knight on e4 with d6-d5 if necessary, and gaining space with h7-h5 etc. a hard struggle lies ahead. ] 14.xd3 xd3 15.xd3 xa8 16.c3 Now White is a whole exchange up and his pawns on c3 and f4 are restraining the black minor pieces. d5 17.e5 d8 18.e3 e4 [ Perhaps the best chance for Black is 18...xe5 19.fxe5 xe5 though his position is p ret ty m ise rable a f te r 20.d4 e8 21.xe5 xe5 22.e1 e4 23.d4 etc. ] 19.d4 xd4 20.cxd4 f6 21.d3 b6 22.c1 f8 23.d2 b7 24.c3 d7 25.a3 d6 26.f2 f5 27.e1 a4 28.e3 d7 29.f3 e8 [ After 29...xd4 30.d1 Black has only a couple of one move cheapos before Qxd5+ wins a piece: e8!? 31.g3 ( not 31.xd4 e1# ) 31...h3!? ( Upon 31...a4 Black loses a piece t o 32.xd5+ e6 33.e3 f7 34.xe6 xe6 35.xd6 ) 32.cd3 c5 33.b4 c6 34.xh3 and Black can resign. ] 30.xd5+ f7 31.f3 f8 32.f5 g5 33.b4 d7 34.h4 h6 35.hxg5 hxg5 36.ec1 e8 37.c7 xc7 38.xc7 e1+ 39.h2 d6+
40.h3 xc7 41.c3 e7 42.g4 f4 43.d5 e5 44.xe5 xe5 45.d6 d5 46.c8+ g7 47.d7 1-0
1106 Wells,Peter K Spraggett,Kevin 16th Monarch Assurance (7) [John Watson]
B09 2517 2585 28.09.2007
The main line Austrian attack continues to be debated between top players. I'd say that no theoretical verdict has been reached to this point. Unfortunately, in practice White seems to win a preponderance of games. 1.d4 g6 2.e4 d6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 f6 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 a6 7.0-0 [ We saw the remarkable, illogical, and practically unheard of 7.xa6!? bxa6 8.0-0 in Graf, A -Tischbierek, R Koenigshofen 2007. I'm not sure how Black can equalise! Still, that can't be enough to scare Black off of 6...Na6 entirely. ] 7...c5 8.d5 g4!? [ Both this move and 8...b8 have been discussed at some length in this column. After the latter move, 9.f5 makes a strange impression, but White frees his c1 bishop and prepares Qe1-h4. In James Vigus' book, the move c7 ("!") is defended vigorously, and it's definitely nicer for a Pirc player not to have to give up his bishop by .. .Bg4xf3. But you might want to refer to his book for the complex details, because Black can get mated with one small misstep. ] 9.c4 Played against .. .e6. As Vigus points out, a big issue is whether the bishop will be hit by either ...b5 or ...d5 (after...e6) and have to move a third time. c7 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 e6 [ 11...a6 12.a4 b8!? ( 12...d7 ) 13.a5 b5 14.axb6 xb6 is the kind of position that has traditionally given Black enough activity to make up for his problems in the centre. Vigus doesn't find any clear way to advantage for White here either, but there are some bothersome continuations, and again, it seems that Black has to walk a tightrope in several lines. ] 1151
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 11...d7!? has the similar idea of ...a6/... Rb8/...b5, but is a little more flexible. ] 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.e3 b6 14.ad1 e7 15.f2 Up to here we have a sort of main line, and Wells' move is unusual but logical. First, it has the idea of Bh4, but in some cases the bishop will be less exposed on f2 than e3 (if.. N d 5 o c c u r s l a t e r , f o r e x a m p l e ) . d7 16.g4!? h8?! We've almost transposed to one of Vigus' main illustrative games with this line, Alsino Leal-Leitao, Sants 2006. There, however, W hite king's rook was on e1 and bishop on e3. That allows White's next move: [ The computer likes 16...xc3!? 17.bxc3 f6 and ...d5. Who knows? It's not easy to exploit Black's dark-square weaknesses, but I still like the bishops. ] 17.h4 f6 18.xf6+ xf6 [ 18...xf6 may not be ideal, but it gains a tempo and lessens the congestion. ] 19.b5! Wells is still working with known ideas, which have gained in strength due to the Bf2-h4 manoeuvre. xb5 20.xb5 f8 21.h4! g7 22.f3 d8 23.fd3!? An understandable continuation - who would waste time thinking about this move? Still [ 23.c4! would leave Black even more tied down. At any rate, W hite had to see the drawbacks of the following resource: ] 23...e5?! [ 23...d5 has to be the best try. ] 24.f5 h6?! Now White game is virtually winning. Black may have been counting upon [ 24...e6 , But White has the counter-trick 25.fxe6! f1+ 26.xf1 xh4 27.f7+ with Rdf3 and/or e7 to follow. ] [ 24...h8 25.f3 was also very depressing. ] 25.c4! h7 26.g4 g5 27.h5 b7 28.d5 c7 Black is just hoping for a miracle. 29.h4! f8 30.g3 g7 31.f2 e7 32.h1 d7 33.a4 f8 Surely [ 33...d8 was more consistent with the escape theme. ] 34.e2 c7 35.b3 a6 36.hxg5 xg5 37.h4 b5 38.axb5 axb5 39.hg4 h7 40.xg5! The time control move! Of course it's not too risky. hxg5 41.xg5 h8 42.g8+! xg8 43.xg8+ e7 44.g4 The pawns roll through. 1-0
1107 Wempe,Joost Korotylev,Alexey Corus C Wijk aan Zee NED (1) [Andrew Martin]
B09 2265 2603 15.01.2005
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.f4 The Austrian Attack is much less common these days by comparison with the Nf3, Be3 at t a ck t h at we h a ve se e n so of t e n h e re . Nevertheless, Black cannot ignore this main theoretical highway and especially with the Pirc move-order, he must have something specific prepared. White's ' threat' , eventual or immediate, of e4-e5, is just too strong. f6 5.f3 c5 I guess this is the best move. A close second comes [ 5...0-0 6.d3 ( 6.e3! ) 6...a6 and the rest nowhere. ] 6.b5+ d7 7.e5 g4 8.e6 xb5 9.exf7+ d7 10.xb5 a5+ 11.c3 cxd4 12.xd4 All very common. h5 13.f3!? [ Rather than 13.h3 c6 14.de2 h6 15.e3 f5 16.f2 which is the alternative. ] 13...c6 Black gets his Knight out and covers b7. If he does not he gets caned: [ 13...xd4 14.xb7+ d8 ( 14...e6 15.e4+! e5 16.fxe5 xe5 17.0-0! ) 15.d2!! b6 16.xa8 xc3 17.bxc3 f2+ 18.d1+- ] 14.de2 f5 [ 14...af8 15.h3 ( 15.b1 xf7 16.h3 h6 17.b4 Bareev ) 15...f6 ( 15...h6 ) 16.0-0 c8 17.e3 xf7 18.ab1 d7 19.b4 xb4 20.e4 Bareev,EAzmaiparashvili,Z/Lvov 1990 ] 15.h3 h6 16.0-0N The novelty had to come, either when W hite's theory ran out or his dissatisfaction with the previously played moves spilled over. As long as Black can keep his grip on the light squares intact he can hold this position, despite the apparent vulnerability of his King. [ B e f o r e h a n d : 16.e4 h4? ( 16...b4! 17.0-0 xc2 18.b1 Dvoiris ) 17.d2 xf7 18.c3 xc3+ 19.2xc3 f5 20.0-0-0 fd4 21.xd6 exd6 22.xd4 af8 23.hd1 xd4 24.xb7+ e6 25.e4+ d7 26.xd4 c8 27.b5 c6 28.xd6 xd6 29.b7+ 1-0 Dvoirys, S1152
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Rukavina,J/Sibenik 1989 ] [ If 16.e3!? best seems xc2 17.0-0 xf7 18.ac1 f5 19.g3 e6 ] 16...xf7 17.e3 f5 That's why he took on f7 with the Queen. 18.f2 ac8 19.a4 b6 Very provocative and succeeds in encouraging W hite to sacrif ice a pawn. I believe Black could also play without touching the queenside: [ 19...hf8 20.a5 c7 21.a4 b8 22.d1 g5!? 23.fxg5 e5 with considerable counterplay. ] 20.a5?! [ Just 20.ad1 c7 21.fe1 was indicated, with perhaps a slight edge. ] 20...bxa5! 21.a4 b8 22.b3 hc8 White forgot that the Black King could still run back towards the kingside! 23.d5 e6 24.dc3 d5 Now Black starts to get he upper hand. His pieces are coordinating well and he has an extra pawn. 25.d1 e8! 26.g4? Poor. He opens up his King unnecessarily. White must just ignore the fact he's a pawn down, take note that he has to reinforce c2 and play normally. [ Thus 26.d2! is best I feel, and then b4 27.c5 xa4 28.xa4 f6 ] 26...hxg4 27.hxg4 fe7 28.g2 g5! [ 28...b4 was also good with ...g6-g5 in m i n d b u t j u s t d e l a y e d a l i t t l e : 29.xa7 ( 29.d2 g5! 30.f5 exf5 31.xa7 a8 32.d4 xd4 33.xd4 fxg4 34.xf7+ xf7 35.cb5 f6 ) 29...b7 30.d4 g5! 31.xg7 xg7 32.f5 exf5 33.gxf5 g4 34.f4 f6 ] 29.g3 [ 29.f5 b4! ] 29...gxf4 30.xf4 g6 31.f1 b4! A m o v e wh i c h t a k e s a l l t h e wi n d o u t o f W h it e ' s s a i ls . N o w h e wi l l re gr e t g2 -g 4 . 32.xb4 axb4 33.b5 d7 34.f2 e5-+ 35.c4 f8 36.e3 d4 37.d2 xf2+ 38.xf2 a6 12....h5 and the attendant variations seem to be holding up well. 0-1
1108 Yegiazarian,Arsen Minasian,Artashes ch Yerevan [Alexander Volzhin]
B09 2500 2600 1999
An excellent example of attacking, but also positionally sound chess. A textbook game both from the positional and tactical point of view. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d3 c6 7.0-0 g4 [ 7...e5 is regarded as the main line. ] 8.e5 dxe5 [ In Nijboer - Gurevich, Wijk an Zee 1990, B la c k t rie d 8...d7 , but failed to equalize 9.e3 dxe5 10.dxe5 f6 11.exf6 exf6 12.h3 e8?! A blunder, but the position after ( 12...xf3 13.xf3 is difficult for Black. ) 13.hxg4 xe3 14.e4! Trapping the Rook. b6 15.d2 and White wins the exchange for nothing. ] 9.dxe5 d5 10.h3 xc3 11.bxc3 f5 12.e2 [ There are some alternatives to the text: 12.e3 d7 13.e2 fd8 14.ad1 xd3 15.cxd3 b5 16.c5 d5 17.d4 ab8 18.de1 e6 19.g5 and White has good prospects for a kingside attack, Balashov Pfleger, Hannover 1983. ] [ 12.a3 is also possible, but I prefer either the text or 12.Be3. h6?! Missing White's m a in t h re a t . T h is m o ve is b a d o n b o t h positional and tactical grounds in view of: ( Naturally 12...d7 should be preferred, with a good position for Black.) 13.xf5 gxf5 14.h4! Now the material losses are unavoidable. e6 15.h5 g7 16.ad1 e8 17.xf8 xf8 18.h1 c5 19.f3 c4 20.g4 e2 21.g1 and in a few moves Black resigned, S. Polgar - Rakic, Novi Sad 1990. ] 12...d5 13.e3 a5 14.xf5 gxf5 15.c4 White is clearly better. The weakness of his queenside pawns is of no importance here because Black has no real possibilities to exploit it, while White has good prospects over on the kingside with g2-g4 at the right moment. e6 16.ab1 ab8 17.fd1 h6 18.g4! fxg4 19.hxg4 a6 20.e4! White should not exchange Queens as he has good prospect s f or a kingside a ttac k. O f 1153
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 course, this is a move that requires careful calculation as White is sacrificing material. [ T h e e n d g a m e a f t e r 20.xa6 bxa6 doesn't promise White too much. ] 20...fd8 [ Accepting the sacrifice is the main alternative to the text: 20...xa2 Now White s h o u l d p l a y 21.a1! ( Itâ []s tempting to l a u n c h t h e d i r e c t a t t a c k w i t h 21.g5 but itâ []s not so good. Black has sufficient r e s o u r c e s t o d e f e n d h i s p o s i t i o n fd8 22.gxh6 xh6 23.f2! (opening the way for t h e R o o k s ) xd1 24.xd1 e7! A very important resource. 25.h1 f5 26.d4 a4! and I can't find a win for White! ) 21...b2 22.d3 Black's Queen is in danger now. fd8 23.d4! ( 23.d4 is we a k e r in vie w o f b6! and Black's Queen escapes.) 23...xd4 24.cxd4 b6 The only move. 25.db1 c6 26.xa7 and White wins his pawn back and is clearly better. ( T h e i m m e d i a t e 26.f5!? also deserves serious attention. )] 21.f5! exf5 22.gxf5 xd1+ 23.xd1 e8 [ Again It's bad to grab the pawn: 23...xa2 24.f6 f8 25.f2! with decisive threats, for example d8 26.g1+ h8 27.g5! and mate is unavoidable. ] 24.e6! This breakthrough in the center is the point of White's strategy. h8 [ To grab the pawn here is even worse than a few moves earlier 24...xa2 25.g4! h8 26.h5! and White's attack is unstoppable: xc2 ( or 26...g8 27.g5 e5 28.f4 with a winning attack) 27.c1 a4 28.xh6 and a quick mate follows. ] 25.d7 e2 26.d2 [ 26.c4 with aspirations to trap the Queen after Rd2 is not bad either a5 ( 26...e5 is an int eres ting a tte mp t to com plicat e matters, but unfortunately it's also insufficient: 27.xe5 e1+ 28.h2 e2+ 29.h3 f1+ 30.g4 e2+ 31.f3 h5+ 32.g5! and White wins. Brave King!) 27.f6! xf6 28.exf7 f8 29.f4 g7 30.c5 xc4 31.xf8 xf8 32.g4 ] 26...b5 27.h2 The rest is easy: all Whiteâ [ ] s p ie c e s t a k e p a rt in t h e a t t a ck o n t h e helpless Black's King. e5 28.xh6 xf3+ 29.xf3 xh6 30.xh6+ g7 31.h7+
xh7 32.h5+ g7 33.f6+ xf6 34.xb5 1-0
1109 Yudin,Sergei Tseshkovsky,Vitaly TCh-RUS Major League (3) [John Watson]
B09 2531 2504 05.04.2008
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3.c3 d6 4.f4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+ bxd7 This is such a logical developing move that it sh o u l d n ' t b e a s b a d a s t h e o r y se e m s t o indicate. [ The main line is 7...fxd7 8.d5 b5! , which is highly unclear. ] 8.d5 0-0 [ It's hard to improve upon Black's play after 9 Q e2 in t he n ext n ot e, so let 's lo ok a t 8...b5!? 9.e5 dxe5 10.fxe5 g4 11.e6 - thus far Vigus - when de5! might be the wa y t o g o . . T h e n ( he gives 11...xc3+ 12.bxc3 fxe6 13.g5 , which is indeed promising for White ) A) 12.exf7+ xf7 13.0-0 0-0 14.xb5 b8 ( or 14...d6; 14...a6 15.c3 fe5 ); B) 12.g5! f5! 13.h3 b4 is a bit of a m e s s . P e r h a p s b e s t i s 14.b5 with the idea d6 yet f6 15.d6! ( 15.0-0 0-0 16.d6 exd6 17.xd6 e7 ) 15...0-0!? , leaves Black standing well enough with ideas of ...exd6 and ...Qb6. ] 9.0-0 [ Vigus gives Shirov-van Wely, Monaco (Blindfold 1998) as his main game: 9.e2! e6!? (this leaves Black's centre so weak that you wonder if it's not better to be cramped, e. g., ( 9...b8 10.a4 a6 11.0-0 c4!?; or 9...b6 10.0-0 c4+ 11.h1 ac8 . But frankly, it's hard to believe that White isn't somewhat better in such lines) 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.0-0 e7 12.d2 a6 13.a4 ae8 14.ae1 d8 15.g5 b6 and now ( 15...h6 16.f3 only weakens g6 perhaps then f7 17.h4 f8 would be possible, but it's not a nice picture.) 16.f5! would have kept a nice advantage ( 16.a5!? b4!? 17.d5 d4+ 18.e3 a4 19.c7 ) 16...exf5 ( 16...gxf5 17.exf5 c4+ 18.f2 ) 17.c4+ h8 18.exf5 . I really don't like 1154
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Black in these lines, and I think White has several other ways to set up. ] 9...b5! 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 g4 12.e6 b4 This is given as unclear by Nunn. This game seems to resolve the issue. 13.exf7+ [ 13.g5 d4+ 14.h1 fxe6! 15.xe6 b8! ] 13...xf7 14.e4 b6 15.h3 e5 16.xe5 xf1+ 17.xf1 [ 17.xf1 xd5! ] 17...xe5 18.xc5 c8 19.d3 xd5 20.e2 d4 21.h6 f7+ 22.e1 c6 with the idea. That's really the effective end: 23.f4 xb2 24.d1 c8 25.a6 f5 26.d3 g7 27.xg7 xf4 28.d4 xc2 29.e3 c4 [ 29...e4! ] 30.xc4+ xc4 0-1
1110 Zaja,Ivan Beliavsky,Alexander G Slovenian Team Ch (4) [Nigel Davies]
B09
21.10.2001
Alexander Beliavsky is one of the latest GMs to join the ranks of Pirc players, quite possibly inspired by the example of his former countrymen, Chernin and Gurevich. In this game he shows that he's very well versed in the latest wrinkles with 12...Qa4 effectively neutralising this whole line. 1.d4 d6 2.e4 f6 3.c3 g6 4.f4 g7 5.f3 c5 [ This has taken over as the accepted method of play for Black. But there's n o t h i n g w r o n g w i t h t h e o l d e r 5...0-0 as rising star Ponomariov demonstrated against Baklan this year: 6.d3 a6 7.0-0 c5 8.d5 g4 ( the alternatives are 8...c7 and; 8...b8 ) 9.h1 c7 10.a4 a6 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 b6 13.b1 e6 14.b4 1/2-1/2 ] 6.b5+ [ F u r t h e r t o m y r e c e n t l o o k a t 6.dxc5 , the game Baklan - Chernin, European Ch 2001 continued a5 7.d3 xc5 8.e2 g4 9.e3 a5 10.0-0 c6 11.h1 0-0 12.e1 xf3 13.xf3 ac8 14.a3 d5 15.xd5 xd5 16.xa5 xa5 17.exd5
xb2 18.b1 xa3 19.xa7 c5 20.b5 1/2-1/2. Chernin's games in the Pirc are always worth studying. ] 6...d7 7.e5 g4 8.xd7+ [ 8.e6 fxe6 9.g5 xb5 10.xe6 xd4 11.xd8 1/2-1/2 Grosar A-Ribli Z/TCh-SLO 2001 (11) ] 8...xd7 9.d5 dxe5 10.h3 e4 11.xe4 f6 12.e5 [ Or 12.xf6+ xf6 13.0-0 0-0 ( 13...d6 ) 14.e3 xb2 1/2-1/2 Atlas V-Chernin, European Ch., 2001 ] 12...a4! A relatively new discovery which gives Black excellent play. 13.c3 [ The notes to Senff - Gurevich, given in the September update, show how harmless 13.xf6+ is. ] 13...a6 14.e2 [ 14.e3 bd7 was also fine for Black in Karpatchev - Shchekachev, Salzburg 2001 ] 14...0-0 15.e3 d8 16.d1 fd7 17.e4 xe2+ 18.xe2 a6 19.xd7 xd7 20.b3 c4! Setting White some problems by cutting off support to the d-pawn. Given the chance, W hite would have played c2-c4. 21.bxc4? Opening Pandora's box. [ I think that White should try to bail out with 21.d4 af t er wh ich cxb3 ( or 21...xd4 22.xd4 b4 23.xc4 ) 22.axb3 xd5 23.xg7 xd1 24.xd1 xg7 25.d7 looks fine. ] 21...c8 22.d2 b4! 23.xa7 xa2 Suddenly Black has a tremendous initiative. The immediate threat is 24...Nc3+. 24.e3 c3 25.a1 e6 26.d4 exd5 27.xg7 xg7 28.d3 e4 29.hb1 xd2 30.xd2 xc4 31.a7 xf4 32.e3 c4 33.d3 dc7 34.b2 c3+ 35.d2 g3 0-1
1111 Abergel,Thal Edouard,Romain 26th Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (6) [Gawain Jones]
B10 2538 2608
1.e4 c6 2.e2 If you play this system as White (and if you check in the archives you will see one of my games) you have to be happy to reach a non theoretical position early. 1155
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Thal Abergel is something of an expert on 2. Ne2 and I've added in all of his games that I could find. Edouard was obviously expecting it and comes up with a critical response. d5 [ 2...e5!? This is an odd move, imagine the move order 1.e4 e5 2.Ne2?! c6?! I remember coming to the conclusion that White should play a system with a kingside fianchetto with a typical Pirc style position emerging. You can see what I mean about W hite having to be happy to play a nontheoretical game. 3.d4 d6 4.bc3 f6 5.f4 ( 5.h3 followed by 6.g4; or 5.g3 would make more sense of White's setup.) 5...a5 6.d3 a6 7.a3 e7 8.b1 d8 9.b4 c7 10.f5 g6 11.g3 h5 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.xd8+ xd8 14.d3 h4 15.ge2 gxf5 16.exf5 cd5 17.e4?! xe4 18.xe4 b6 had worked out quite well for Black in Abergel-Giffard, Malakoff Open 2009 and 18...Nf6 or 18...h3 to target the f5 pawn would have left Black with a clear advantage. ] 3.e5 d4 A critical try against White's setup which has not been examined on ChessPublishing yet [ 3...c5 4.d4 c6 5.c3 ( 5.dxc5 e6 6.d4 xc5 7.xc6 h4! 8.f3 bxc6 9.f4 b8 worked out well for Black in Abergel-Vallejo Pons, Paris 2008) 5...cxd4 6.cxd4 f5 ( 6...g4 was examined in ShortMchedlishvili which W hite won quickly.) 7.g3!? ( 7.bc3 is more usual but Abergel has played this a lot so obviously believes in W hite's position.) 7...xb1 ( 7...g6 8.c3 e6 9.e3 ge7 10.c1 f5 11.xf5 xf5 12.b5 c8 13.b3 d7 14.0-0 e7 15.a4 0-0 16.c5 xc5 17.xc5 a6 18.e2 Gave White a tiny advantage while Black has no real winning chances. 1-0 Abergel-Van Delft, Naujac sur Mer 2009 ) 8.xb1 A) 8...a5+ doesn't make much sense as Black can 't win a pawn . 9.d2 b6 ( 9...xa2 10.c3+- as Black can't get his queen back.) 10.c3 e6 11.a3 ge7 12.b4 I'd prefer delaying that as now Black has a beautiful potential outpost on c4. a6 13.e2 g6 14.0-0 h6 15.a4 c7 16.e1 b6 1/2-1/2 Abergel-Velicka, Vandoeuvre 2008;
B) 8...b6 9.e3 b4+ 10.d2 xd2+ 11.xd2 is another position where Black has almost equalised but White has more space and a risk free game to look forward to. e6 12.a3 f6 13.f4 g6 14.d3 h6 15.e2 fxe5 16.fxe5 e7 17.g4 xe3+ 18.xe3 h6 19.bg1 af8 20.h3 f7 21.f1 c8 22.xf7+ xf7 23.b4 a5 24.b5 b8 25.h4 and White had made def inite pro gress in Abe rgel, -K uehn , Germany 2009 ] [ 3...f5 4.g3 g6 5.h4 h6 ( 5...h5 has struck me as a more critical test.) 6.e6!? ( 6.h5 h7 7.e6 fxe6 8.d4 is given by Felgaer in his NIC article.) 6...fxe6 7.d4 f6 8.d3 f7 9.h5 c7 10.f4 was similar with Black in a complete bind in Abergel-Enault, Syre Memorial 2007. It's interesting, however, that computer's just c o n s i d e r B l a c k a p a wn u p d e s p i t e h i s problems developing on the kingside and I have a nagging feeling that these positions might be critical to the success of 2.Ne2 ] 4.b4 And this is the third time that I can find that Abergel has played this weird move. He hopes that the d4 pawn will prove to be a we a k n e s s . T h e p o s i t i o n s a r e d e f i n i t e l y interesting and there's a lot more life here than in some lines where everything has been discovered and analysed in depth for over 25 moves. [ 4.c3 c5 ( 4...d3 5.f4 f5 6.f3 d7 7.xd3 e6 is around equal as e5 will drop.) 5.b4!? Perhaps this is where White should play b4 if he has his heart set on it. c7 6.cxd4 cxd4 7.f4 g5 is a fun position! ] 4...f6N So we have a unique position after 4 moves! [ 4...a5 was played in the previous couple of games. 5.b2 d3 ( 5...axb4!? 6.xd4 e6 7.b2 d7 8.a3 I feel White should potentially be better here with the extra central pawn and use of the d6 square. However White still needs to wriggle to get his pieces out and the computer prefers Black slightly. I'd be hap py playing th e White side anyway.) 6.f4 dxc2 7.xc2 e6 ( 7...axb4 8.e6! looks strong) 8.b5 e7 9.c3 g6 10.h5 ( Abergel's improvement over 10.xg6 hxg6 11.e2 cxb5 12.xb5 c6 13.0-0 e7 14.a3 0-0 1156
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.fb1 d7 16.c3 b8 17.d4 a7 18.b5 a8 19.d4 a7 20.b5 1/2-1/2 Abergel-Gagunashvili, Cappelle la Grande 2007 but White didn't need to repeat and should investigate 19.Nd6!?) 10...d7 11.e2 dxe5 12.0-0 f5 13.h1 h4 14.bxc6 bxc6 15.f4 g4 16.xg4 xg4 17.e4! fxe4 18.xc6+ f7 19.xa8+1-0 Abergel-Housieaux, France 2009 ] 5.f4 Necessary, you can't give Black the centre. fxe5 6.fxe5 d5 7.b2 c5 8.bxc5 c6 9.d3 [ 9.c1 h6! 10.c4 xe5+ 11.e2 g4 These positions seem easier to play with Black. ] 9...xe5 10.c3 xc5 [ 10...dxc3 11.bxc3 xc5 12.e4 gives White at least adequate compensation for the pawn, Black is still a long way from successfully developing his pieces. You have to be a particular type of player to like having this sort of mess with White so early in the game (although generally I like chaos!). ] 11.cxd4 [ 11.xd4 xd4 ( 11...f6!? ) 12.cxd4 would be a better version of the game for White as it's easier to develop without that knight on e2. However with those doubled pawns I can't really see White claiming an advantage. ] 11...b6 12.c3 f6 13.a3 d5 14.c4 d8 This has been a definite opening success for Black, those d pawns are potentially weak but more importantly they block any coordination between White's pieces and give B l a c k a g r e a t o u t p o s t o n d 5 . 15.d2 and this move gives up the d pawn hoping to develop some pieces. xc3 16.xc3 [ 16.xc3 e5! ] 16...e6 17.e2 xd4 [ 17...b4! stops any of the counterplay that White manages in the game and gives Black almost a decisive advantage. ] 18.b1 c5 19.f1 f8 20.b5 d8 21.h5+ g6 22.xf8+ xf8 23.f3 a6 24.xc6+ bxc6 25.c3 White's position has improved somewhat, the knights have some good squares and Black's lack of development gives some counterplay. However of course B l a c k s t i l l h a s a c l e a r a d v a n t a g e . d4
26.e2 e5 27.e4 g4+ 28.f1 e6 [ 28...0-0-0! ] 29.c2 0-0-0? I'm not sure if the moves are correct for the rest of the game and I imagine that there was a relay error. However the opening was a disaster for White and 3... d4 seems like a big problem for W hite and will have to be solved. I would probably look for alternatives instead of 4.b4 30.b3? [ 30.xe5!= ] 30...xd3+ 31.f2 xb3 32.axb3 d3 33.e2 d4 [ 33...xb3-+ ] 34.ed2 h6 35.f3 e4+ 36.f2 c7 37.d1 e3+?? 38.f1?? d4 39.e1 f4 40.e2 c3 41.d1 c5 42.d5?? ½-½
1112 Aronian,Levon Carlsen,Magnus FIDE WCh KO Tripoli LBA (1.2) [Andrew Martin]
B10 2645 2552 20.06.2004
EQUAL 1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 f6 5.c3 xd5 6.f3 xc3 7.bxc3 g6 I remember one game between Sokolov and Karpov a while back in a Candidates match which really seemed to emphasize all the good things about Black's position. Since then, I have tried to angle for this Grünfeld-like system in my own games, without really managing because of course,2 c4 doesn't crop up that often and I don't play 1 c4 c6. 8.d4 [ S o k o l o v w e n t 8.h4!? but Black always seemed to be too quick. ] 8...g7 9.d3 On c4, the Bishop would be vulnerable to a quick hit. 0-0 10.0-0 c6 11.e1 g4! Dead easy to understand. Black relies on speedy development and plans . . Rc8, putting pressure on White's c pawn. if White has to play c3-c4, then he loosens his central pawn position. [ N e v e r t h e l e s s , t h e s l o w e r 11...b6 is an option, with Grünf eld-like variety. 12.f4 b7 13.h4 d7 14.d2 fe8 15.ad1 ad8 16.h6 f6 17.f4 with pressure, Peng Xiaomin-Dreev, A/ Shanghai 2001. ] 1157
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.e4 e5!N Improving over either 12...Rc8 or 12...Qd7 or just showing a route to clear equality? It depends what you want I guess. As Black in a mini-match, all other things being equal, a draw with is verysatisfactory [ The alternatives: 12...c8 Would be my own choice. A) 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 e5 ( 14...a5! is far more straightforward: 15.g5 e8 16.c1 d7= ) 15.a3 e8 16.d5 a5 17.d6 xc3 18.d7 xa3 19.dxe8+ xe8 20.c1 xf3? Matamoros Franco, C-Ma r t in P e re z, J / Co ri a d e l Ri o E S P 2004; B) 13.g5 e8 14.b1 B1) 14...b6 creates white-squared weaknesses which a timely Ba6 might be able to exploit: 15.h3 xf3 16.xf3 d7 17.d3 h6 18.h4 e6 19.b5 ( 19.a6! ) 19...g5 20.g3 Delchev, A-Vasquez, R/Linares 2003; B2) 14...d7 15.h3 xf3 16.xf3 e6 17.d5 exd5 18.xe8+ xe8 19.xd5 c7 20.c4 d4 21.xb7 xf3+ 22.xf3 xc4 23.b3 xb3 24.axb3 d4 25.d1 b6 26.f6 e6 27.c3= Romero Holmes, A-Morovic Fernandez, I/ L e o n 1 9 9 5 Yo u wil l n o t e t h a t B la c k avoided mixing ... Bg4xf3 and ...b7-b6 in this example. ] [ 12...d7 13.b1 ac8 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 ( 15.xf3 e6 16.h4 f5 17.d3 e5 18.b5 e4 19.h3 f7 20.a4 a5 21.b5 xa2 22.xa5 b5 1/2-1/2 Pelletier, Y-Dautov, R/ Bundesliga 2003) 15...a5 16.g4 e6 17.d5 h5 18.dxe6 xd1 19.exf7+ xf7 20.xd1 xc3 Summarisin g, the best alternative to Carlsen's new 12... e5 seems to be 12... Rc8. Black should decide how he wishes to handle the position probably ... b7-b6 is best coupled with ...Bc8-b7 and not ...Bc8-g4. ] 13.dxe5 xd1 14.xd1 xe5 15.b1 xc3 [ 15...ad8! also leads to the same sort of equality. ] 16.xb7 ad8 17.f1 Seeing as Rxd8 led to nothing whatsoever. d4! 18.g5 [ 18.xd4 xd4 19.f3 e6 20.e3 ( 20.xa7?? xe4 ) 20...a4 21.xa7 xa7 22.xa7 f5 23.c6 c8 24.b5 a8= ] 18...d7 19.xd7 Because after 19... Nxf3+
all the pieces are coming off. It seems that Carlsen's 12...e5 is a very good move, securing equality. A flurry of tactics results, but with care, Black holds easily ½-½
1113 Azmaiparashvili,Zurab Ortega,Lexy 11th Open Saint Vincent ITA (6) [Tony Kosten]
B10 2678 2452 13.02.2003
1.g3 d5 2.g2 c6 3.d3 f6 4.d2 g6 5.e4 g7 This position is also commonly reached from a Caro-Kann move-order (1 e4 c6 2 d3 d5 etc.) 6.e5!? Ambitious, [ 6.gf3 is the alternative, g4 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 0-0 9.0-0 bd7 Black has a solid set-up, but White's bishop pair give him an edge, Hennings,A-Boehnisch,M/Leipzig 1979. ] 6...g4 7.d4 c5!? A new move, hitting straight at the white centre. [ 7...h5 has been played, with the idea of playing a Gurgenidze-style position, 8.e2 ( 8.h3 h6 9.df3 c5 10.c3 cxd4 11.cxd4 c6 12.e2 Ejsing,E-Borbjerggaard,L/DEN 1995 ) 8...a6 (aiming for the blockading e6square) 9.c3 c7 10.f3 h6 11.h3 f5 12.h4 d7 13.xf5 xf5 14.f4 e6 15.d3 h6 with fair chances, Stein,L-Hort, V/ Sousse 1967. ] 8.h3 h6 9.dxc5! Better not to bother defending the centre, White prefers to aim for quick development. c7 10.b3!? [ 10.xd5!? xe5+ 11.e4 is also feasible. ] 10...xe5+ 11.e2 e6 12.f4!? White plays out-and-out for the initiative. [ 12.c3 f5 13.f4 is sounder. ] 12...xb2 13.0-0 f5 The black position seems pretty solid, how does W hite exploit his development advantage to assault it? 14.c3 Threatening to win the queen with Bc1. a3 15.e1 0-0 16.g4 h4?! I am not sure that the knight is particularly well-placed here, as there is no obvious escape route should it be attacked. [ 16...e7 17.ed4 bc6 may be better. ] 17.h1 h6 Black wants to play ...g5 and ... 1158
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Ng6 but this involves conceding kingside weaknesses - a necessary consequence of his previous move. 18.d6 e8 19.ed4 W hite has good play on the dark squares. a4 20.b1 c6? A pointless move, dropping a pawn and liberating the h1-bishop, [ after 20...d7 White still needs to justify his sacrifice. ] 21.xd5 Of course, the knight on c6 interferes with the black queen's defence of the rook on e8. d7 [ 21...xd4 22.xd4 attacks the black queen, xd1 23.bxd1 with advantage. ] 22.e4 f5?! This weakens the black structure. [ 22...e5 is sensible. ] 23.gxf5 exf5 24.d5+ h7 25.d3 xe1+ 26.xe1 e8?! Black has freed his position, but the white pieces are more powerf ully placed, almost all of them on central squares. 27.xe8 xe8 28.e2 Menacing the simple Qe6-g8 mate, against which it is not easy to find a defence. xd4 29.xd4 d7 30.e7 This leads to an excellent endgame for White, but it is a pity he missed the thematic combination [ 30.e6 d8 31.e7! a5 ( 31...xe7? 32.g8+ ) 32.xh4 which would prove that putting the knight on h4 was not a good idea! ] 30...xe7 31.xe7 g5 32.xb7 f7 33.d6 White prepares the c-pawn's route to stardom. g6 There is nothing better. [ 33...xa2 34.c6 d5 35.c4! e4 36.a6! and Black will have to give a piece to stop the pawn. ] 34.a4 f6?! 35.c6 d5 36.a8 1-0
prepared for a seasoned and tough NM. Our gam e was playe d at FICS (Free In terne t Chess Server). I added some material of my own to your research and I was feeling great. We started our game and he sure did play 1. c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 Nf6 and then I played 5.Qa4+ only to have him play 5... Nd7 ! My preparation for this was minimal and my preparation for 5...Bd7 went down the sewer. There was no mention of 5...Nd7 in your material, but this move will put the 5. Qa4+ out of commission, unless you know or someone else knows an antidote to this. I played the opening after 5...Nd7 in order to try and equalize. Black was never behind in development. I provide the game. JW: Here's the game with my notes. This is actually an opening that is out of my province in ChessPublishing (it's a Caro-Kann), but I will try to complete the circle. Naturally 5.Qa4+ is not out of commission, and my original notes applied to 5...Bd7 only - it's impossible to give an entire survey of every opening in each game. Anyway, out of the several approaches after 5...Nbd7, I like the one with Bc4 and d3 best. A lot of players have proceeded by g3 and Bg2, but for one thing that leaves d3 weak. The Bc4/d3 idea has occurred via several moves orders, as shown below. 1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 f6 5.a4+ bd7 6.c3 g6 7.e2 [ (a) W hite has done very well after 7.c4 g7 ( 7...a6 8.d3 g7 9.f3 0-0 --threatening ...b5-- 10.a3 transposes to lines below, and 1 0.Be3 has also bee n played ) A) I like 8.d3! , when 8...0-0 9.Nf3 transposes, and a6 can be answered by 9.f3 0-0 10.a3! --stopping ...Nc5 and answering ...b5 with Bxb5, since . ..Nb6 no 1114 B10 longer comes with tempo b6 11.0-0 b7 12.e1 e8 13.g5 ( 13.f4! Bladezi,I 2141 is also good) 13...b5 14.b3 b6 15.d6! Regnmanden 2239 e6 16.b4!? ( 16.f4! ) 16...h6 17.ge4 Team 45 45 League T26 (1) 20.03.2005 fd5 18.xd5 exd5 19.c5 xd6 [John Watson] 20.f4 with a small advantage, GoreskulMoskalets, Alushta 2004; From Jose Blades : I appreciate so much the B) 8.b3!? This has led to typical wins research and the input you provided in your but I feel that the move order is inaccurate. earlier update concerning the line 1.c4 c6 2.e4 B1) Here I think that Black should play d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 Nf6 5.Qa4+. I used 8...a6! , when the move ...b5 cannot be t h a t m a t e r ia l t o a r m m ys e l f a n d b e we l l 1159
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 answered by Bxb5 and the idea of Qa3 has been lost, e.g., 9.a4 ( 9.d6 e5! 10.dxe7 xe7 11.ge2 b5 ) 9...c5 10.d1 f5 11.d4 ce4 12.f3 c8 with great pressure; B2) 8...0-0!? 9.f3 B2a) 9...e8 10.0-0 d6 is a c o m mo n b lo ckad in g id e a, b u t W hite has more space and an extra pawn: 11.d3 b6 12.e4!? ( 12.e1 b7 13.g5 ) 12...f6 13.e1 a6 14.a4 f5 15.e3 d7 16.g3 d6 17.g5 with a clear advantage, Sudarikov-Kovalev, Tomsk 2003; B2b) 9...b6 10.d3 We're back to the n o r m a l p o s i t i o n . xc4 ( 10...g4 11.e5 f5 12.0-0 c8 13.e1 fd7 14.xd7 xd7 Jivkov-Rustemov, Dos Hermanas 2004 a n d a m o n g o t h e r m o v e s 15.g5! would give White a large advantage) 11.dxc4 e6 12.0-0 d6? ( 12...exd5 13.cxd5 d6 14.d1 with a clear advantage ) 13.b5 b8 14.d6 e8 15.f4 d7 16.c7!? ( 16.ad1! f6 17.c5 ) 16...xc7 17.dxc7 c8 18.d6 e8 19.c5 b6 20.cxb6 axb6 21.xb6 and White won with slightly more difficulty than should have happened: e5 22.fd1 g4 23.d5 f5 24.e3 c2 25.d2 c6 26.h3 xf3 27.xf3 e4 28.e3 xb2 29.b1? ( 29.xb2! xd6 30.c1 ac8 31.bc2 ) 29...c1 30.b8 xd2 31.xd2 g7 32.g3 h6 33.d8 f5? 1-0 Strohhaeker-Haller, Eppingen 2004 ] [ (b) 7.f3 g7 8.c4 0-0 9.d3 a6 10.a3! transposes to the variation given in 'a'. Here's an example: e8 11.f4 ( or 11.0-0 d6 12.g5 ) 11...df6 12.0-0 d6 13.fe1 e8 14.h3 b5 15.xb5 axb5 16.xa8 bxc4 17.xd6 xd6 1-0 Gagunashvili-Barnaure,Dubai 2004 ] [ (c)Amazingly, 7.g4 h6 8.g2 has been played fairly often. This does gain a tempo for the defence of d5 but is weakening and hasn't scored well. ] 7...g7 8.f3 0-0 9.d6! Otherwise ...Nb6 an d .. . Nb xd 5 gain s at le ast e qu ality a n d probably more, because White's pieces are
n o t we l l - p l a c e d f o r t h i s t yp i c a l i s o l a t e d queen's pawn structure. exd6 10.0-0 c5 11.a3 [ 11.h4 i s a n o t h e r o p t i o n t h e n f5 ( 11...fe4 12.xd8 xd8 13.b5!? ) 12.d4 ce4 13.h6 is roughly equal. ] 11...e8 12.d4 ce4 13.e3 [ 13.xe4 xe4 14.e3 would avoid ...Ng4 ideas ] 13...d7 [ 13...xc3! 14.bxc3 g4 ] 14.d2!? Again rather passive. Mor natural is [ 14.fe1 ] 14...c6 [ 14...xc3! 15.bxc3 g4 16.xg4 xg4 gives Black the two bishops. The rest of the game isn't relevant to the question. ] 15.dxe4 xe4 16.ad1 d5 17.fe1 a6 18.xe4 xe4 19.f3 e8 20.c1 b6 21.c3 f5 22.ed1 f8 23.f4 ad8 24.h4 b4 25.b3 a5 26.a3 e7 27.h5 a4 28.xb7 xd1 29.xd1 b5 30.c7 g5 31.h6 d7 32.e5 f8 33.f6 gxf4 34.g5+ h8 35.f6+ Game drawn by mutual agreement ½-½
1115 Cernousek,Lukas Mista,Aleksander GM Brno CZE (3) [Andrew Martin]
B10 2378 2443 04.07.2004
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.e5!? W e saw Sebag win with this crazy idea a couple of months ago and clearly the word has spread. If the Caro-Kann can be taken apart by these means it's time to give up chess. 4 Ne5 is such an UGLY move. d7 [ 4...f6 5.d4 g6 Utilises a similar plan to this game. 6.d3 g7 7.d2 0-0 8.0-0 c6 9.df3 g4 10.xc6 bxc6 11.e1 e8 12.h3 f6 13.c3 with an edge, Hakki, I-Magerramov, E/Damascus 2003. ] 5.d4 g6!N [ C l e a r l y B l a c k c a n p l a y w i t h 5...e6 W h i t e i n i t i a t e s t a c t i c s w i t h 6.b5 but what has Black done wrong? Nothing! So after gf6 7.0-0 e7 8.e2 0-0 naturally, Black is equal at least. 9.d2 1160
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xe5 10.dxe5 d7= 11.b3 f6 12.exf6 xf6?! ( 12...xf6 13.f4 e4! 14.e3 e5 ) 13.g5 g6 14.xe7 xe7 15.f4 f6 16.ad1 Labib, I-Ezat, M/Tanta 2001 ] 6.c3 He sees no future in anything to do with Bb5 and so just gets a piece out. But the time lost with Nf3-e5 must count for something. g7 7.b5 Changing his mind!? gf6 8.f3 0-0!= Painless. 9.f4 [ 9.xd5?? xe5 10.xf6+ exf6 11.dxe5 a5+-+ ] 9...xe5 10.dxe5 e4! An extremely logical move, taking full advantage of the White King still stuck in the middle. Don't forget the ... Qa5+ trick! 11.0-0-0 [ 11.xe4 dxe4 12.c3 e6 13.d1 b6 14.a4 fd8 15.0-0= ] 11...xc3 12.xc3 f5= But not the dry equality that went before. Now I prefer Black's chances on the c file and in general against the White King. 13.d2 b6 14.a4 ac8 15.b3? xc2+!! I have no idea whether W hite thought he was safe, but this tremendous move shatters any illusions he may have had. The speed and force of Black's attack shows that time-wasting in chess can be punished by accurate, pointed development. 16.xc2 c8 17.g3 [ 17.b1 xc2 18.xc2 xc2+ 19.xc2 xf2+ 20.d2 xg2-+ Pawns are dropping quickly and there is no sanctuary for the poor White king. ] 17...h6 18.f4 xc2 19.xc2 e3+! 20.b1 [ 20.d2 xc2+ 21.xc2 xf4 22.xf4 xf4 23.e1 xh2 24.xd5 xg2+ 25.d2 c6+-+ ] 20...xc2 21.xc2 e4+ Crunching. Rather than see his pawns disappear, White decides to pack it in. Conclusion: Black should not fear 2 Nf3 and then 4 Ne5 in fact the 5...g6 that we saw in this game is a very good response. 0-1
1116 Cherniaev,Alexander Lalic,Bogdan League (Hackney-Wood Green1) (6) [Andrew Martin]
B10 2504 2547 08.01.03
This month's update is perhaps a walk on the 'old' side, but I am sure that you will not have seen this game before and it is a good illustration of Black's resources in the Panov. 1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 f6 4.c3 cxd5 5.cxd5 xd5 6.f3 c6 7.b5 e6 8.0-0 e7 9.d4 0-0 10.e1 d6 [ 10...a6 11.xc6 bxc6 12.e5 seems to ensure White a permanent edge, exactly the type of advantage not to saddle oneself with when playing Karpov! b7 13.a4 c8 14.d3 a5 15.ac5 c7 16.d2 a8 17.c1 fd8 18.e5 xc5 19.xc5 Karpov, A-Dreev, A/Cap d'Agde 2000 What a baffling choice by Dreev. Naturally, he went on to lose. ] 11.a3 d8 12.e4 c7 13.d3N T h e p a r t in g o f t h e wa ys. I t se e m s m o r e appropriate to develop a new piece and there are several ways of so doing: [ 13.g5 f6 ( 13...d7 is less committal: 14.c1 b6 15.xc6 xc6 16.e5 xg5 17.xg5 e8 18.c4 a6 19.f3 ac8 20.ce5 b6 21.d2 b7 22.h3 xc1 23.xc1 c8 24.g4 xc1+ 25.xc1 c7 26.xc7 xc7 27.e1 a4 Pelle tie r, Y-Dree v, A/ Ca p d 'A gde 2 00 2 Dreev obviously learned his lesson.) 14.c1 b6 15.c4 a5 16.c3 f8 17.a2 h8 18.e4 ce7 19.e2 d7 20.xd5 xd5 21.h4 e7 22.e4 h6 23.e2 f5 1/2-1/2 Damljanovic, B-Fridman, D/ Santa Cruz de la Palma 2005 Solid enough by Black. ] [ 13.c2 e5 14.b3 xf3+ 15.xf3 d7 16.d3 h6 17.b4 a6 18.d2 c6 19.ac1 ac8 20.b1 b8 21.d3 b5 22.b3 xc1 23.xc1 c7 24.c5 c6 25.g3 f6 26.f4 d6 27.e5 xe5 28.dxe5 d7= Ortega, L-Khenkin, I Frascati 2005 ] 13...f6 14.c3 d7 15.g5 e8 Lalic contents himself with modest development, ...Rac8 should come next, with a d e q u a t e p l a y . 16.c2 Possibly a misplacement. Bb1 and Qd3 is the usual 1161
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 battery the other way around it looks ineffectual. [ 16.c1 ac8 17.b1 h6 18.xf6 xf6 19.d3 g6 20.d5 g7 ] 16...g6 17.e3 g4 18.e4 ac8 19.b4 e5 [ 19...xd4! looks like an opportunity missed: 20.xd4 ( 20.xc7 xf3+ 21.gxf3 xc7 22.fxg4 xd3 ) 20...xc2 21.xc2 xc2 22.xa7 c6 ] 20.dxe5 xe3 21.xe3 xe5 22.xe5 [ After 22.xc7 xf3+ 23.xf3 xc7 Black owns two powerful Bishops. ] 22...xe5 It turns out that Qc2 was an unsuccessful move. 23.a2 [ 23.d1 xd3 24.xd3 xe4 25.e3 h4 26.e2 c7 27.e1 f8 sees Black holding on. ] 23...xd3 24.xd3 xe4 25.e3 h4 26.ae1 [ 26.e2 c7 27.e1 f8 28.b2 f6 29.e2 f5 30.b2 f7 31.e5 d7 ] 26...a4! 27.g3 [ 27.xe7 xe7-+ ] 27...f6! [ Neat! After 27...f6 comes 28.xe7 c2 29.e8+ g7 Therefore Cherniaev graciously resigns. ] 0-1
1117 Collutiis,Duilio Miladinovic,Igor 2nd Chiuso GM (2) [Andrew Martin]
B10 2387 2630 12.09.2004
1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 e5 4.gf3 d6 5.e2!? Possible I suppose, although if I were Black I would not feel threatened by this move. 5 g3 is the Kings Indian Attack which can be comfortably met in quite a few ways. [ I recommend 5.g3 f6 6.g2 0-0 7.0-0 e8 as simplest, planning maybe ... Nbd7-f8g6 or ...a5 and ...Ba6-c5. Black has plenty of choice. ] 5...e7 6.d4 White will justify this move by telling you that the pawn on c6 blocks Black's natural development and thus the e5 square is tender.. exd4 7.xd4 [ 7.e5 c7 8.b3 g6 9.g5 d7
10.xd4 g4! is utterly unconvincing for White. ] 7...0-0 8.exd5 xd5 9.2f3 [ 9.e4 f4 10.c4 xc1 11.xc1 f6 ( 11...f4! is better, preventing castling thanks to ..Qxd4. But the game move is good enough.) 12.g3 a6 13.0-0 c7 14.gf5 xf5?? ( 14...c5 wins! An amazing oversight. Perhaps the free wine kicked in early that day.) 15.xf5 Romieux, SOupindrin, N/Cappelle la Grande 1995 ] 9...f4! 10.xf4 xf4 Already Black's game is preferable. He has a strong dark-squared bishop and the W hite knights look a little uncomfortable. 11.c3 f6 12.g3 h6 13.0-0 c5 14.b5 d8 Black operates on the dark squares, utilising his extra control. The White Knights still look clumsy. 15.a4 d7! 16.c4 [ 16.h4 xh4 17.xh4 c6 18.d6 ab8 might have been better than the game as far as White is concerned. ] 16...c6 17.g4 a6 18.a3 e8 19.ae1 d7 20.d1 b5 21.c2 g6 22.e3 g7!? [ 22...ad8! is objectively stronger after which Black is perfectly centralised and ready to rumble. 22...Qg7 sets a concealed trap into which W hite falls hook, line and sinker. ] 23.b3?? [ 23.h4 ] [ 23.h3 ] 23...f6 White loses his Knight on f3. A brief game of poor quality overall. Black was never threatened and that sums up the KIA vs the Caro Kann for me. 0-1
1118 David,Alb Vishnu,P 5th Kolkata Open (7.9) [Tom Rendle]
B10 2607 2469 09.12.2012
1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 f6 5.c3 xd5 6.f3 c6 7.b5 g6!? This move is relatively rare but it seems to be coming into fashion of late. Certainly Black seems to have an interesting idea in mind for this game... 1162
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 7...e6 is more usual and can be found in the archives in Cherniaev-Lalic, B. ] 8.b3 [ 8.a4 is the main alternative and now there have been several recent games with b6 9.xc6+ bxc6 10.xc6+ d7 11.e4 g7 12.d4 when Black looks to have good compensation for the pawn, for example c8 ( 12...0-0 13.0-0 c8 14.d1 f5 15.e2 d5 and Black was doing fine in Prizant, J (2524)-Sjugirov, S (2625) Tyumen 2012) 13.0-0 c6 14.e2 xf3 ( or 14...0-0 15.d1 d5 16.xd5 xd5= Artemiev, V (2459)-Maletin, P (2596) Tyumen 2012) 15.xf3 xd4 16.e3 b4 17.b7 ( 17.xb6 xc3 18.xa7 xb2 19.ab1 0-0 20.e2 a3 21.xb2 xa7 also led to an early draw in Szabo, K (2541) -Horvath, J (2539) Heviz 2012) 17...0-0 18.xa7 xb2 19.xb6 xc3 20.xb2 xb2 with a drawn ending in Andreikin, D (2688)-Eljanov, P (2690) Moscow 2012 ] 8...b6!? At first the computer hates this move and it's not until later that the idea becomes clear. If this is preparation from Vishnu it's very impressive indeed! Unfortunately White is probably doing well if he finds all the best moves here so perhaps Black should settle for the solid 8...e6 [ 8...e6 was played the only time this position had been reached before and now 9.0-0 ( 9.e5 de7 10.a4 g7 11.xc6 bxc6 12.xc6+ xc6 13.xc6+ d7 14.d6 c8 and Black had great compensation for a pawn in Swiercz, D (2595) -Kharitonov, A (2538) Paleochora 2012 ) 9...g7 10.xd5 ( or 10.d4 0-0 11.e3 ) 10...exd5 11.e1+ e6 12.d4 0-0 13.xc6 bxc6 14.f4 and perhaps White is minutely better ] 9.e5 [ 9.g5 e6 and Black has no problems ] 9...e6 10.xc6 bxc6 11.xc6+ d7 12.a4 So far we've been following all the top suggestions for White. It's not clear it makes much of a difference where the queen goes, a 4 s e e m s m o s t l o g i c a l a t a n y r a t e . c8 13.d4?! Very logical but probably not best because of Black's unexpectedly strong 14th move [ Instead 13.d4! is critical when Black has
a number of options xc6!? was perhaps Black's idea here (if this was still in preparation) and now ( 13...f6 14.b5 g7 15.0-0 0-0 16.xa7 and again Black is struggling to show enough compensation; 13...g8 14.b5 a5 and because Black can't castle it's hard to believe he has full compensation for a pawn.) 14.xh8 c4! 15.d3 xd3 16.e3 b8 and Black has a dangerous initiative for the exchange. Still, W h i t e i s p e r h a p s b e t t e r a f t e r 17.d1! for example e5 18.f4 xb2 19.xe5 f6 20.d4 xc3+ 21.xc3 xc3 22.d2 a3 23.c5 a5 24.xd3 xc5 25.d2 and Black is struggling to hold the endgame. ] 13...g7 14.d5 White must've felt relatively confident at this point so Black's next move probably came as a bit of a shock 0-0!! [ 14...f5 15.0-0 ( 15.g4 isn't completely clear af ter d3 16.xa7 0-0! 17.xd7 xd7 18.xd7 xc3 19.bxc3 xc3+ 20.d1 d8 although only White has wi n n in g ch a n ce s a f t e r 21.e3! xa1 22.d2 a6 23.c6 e5 24.b1 ) 15...0-0 16.f4 gives White a pleasant edge ] 15.dxe6 Amazingly this seems to only draw [ 15.0-0 would've kept chances for a slight edge with b6 16.e4 f5 17.f3 although Black is OK after d7 ] 15...c5 16.b5 [ 16.c4! possibly keeps a minimal edge but this position is so much of a mess that even my computer is struggling here - certainly over the board White has almost no chance to find the best moves. Anyway a possible line could be d3+ 17.e2 e5 18.d5 xc6 19.exf7+ xf7 20.xd8+ xd8 21.e3 d4+ 22.xd4 xd4 23.f3 an d B la ck st ill h a s so m e wo rk t o d o t o secure the draw ] 16...xe6 17.e3 [ 17.e2 is no better, in fact Black has the better chances after a6! 18.xa6 ( 18.d5 c7 is no better as the Bishop cannot retreat because of 19.a4 fd8 20.f3 a5+ 21.f1 xa4 ) 18...c5 19.b5 d3+ 20.f1 e5 21.c3 xc6 ] 17...xc3+ 18.bxc3 c7! Suddenly the position fizzles out to a draw 19.0-0 [ 19.f3 xc3+ 20.e2 b8! 21.b7 a6 1163
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and the best W hite has is to bail out to a w o r s e e n d g a m e h e r e w i t h 22.b3! ( 22.xa6? b2+ 23.f3 xb7 and Black has a winning attack) 22...xb3 23.axb3 xb7 24.xa6 fb8 25.b1 xb3 26.xb3 xb3 27.a7 and White should hold the draw ] [ 19.d7 doesn't help after xc3+ ( or 19...a6 20.d3 fd8 ) 20.e2 b8 21.d5 b2+ 22.f3 d8 and Black is at least going to regain the piece or get perpetual ] [ 19.e4 xc3+ 20.e2 d4+! 21.xd4 xd4 and White may even be struggling here 22.d3 ( 22.f3? b8 23.b7 a6! 24.b3 e5+ 25.f2 xb7!! 26.xb7 b8 and the best White can do is go into a c l e a r l y w o r s e e n d g a m e w i t h 27.xb8+ xb8 28.ae1 ) 22...b2+ 23.d2 e5 24.e3 and Black can take perpetual with b2+ ( or play on with 24...f5!? )] 19...xc6 20.xc6 xc6 21.xa7 a8 A short but fascinating game. ½-½
follows, this move order is worth considering. White has options here, including taking on c6, but if 4.c3 ( 4.dxc6 ) 4...cxd5 5.exd5 ( 5.e5!? ) 5...xd5 Black has managed to avoid Qa4+. ] 4.exd5 f6 [ 4...xd5 5.c3 d6 is playable, but will generally lead to an uncomplicated IQP position that will slightly favour White. ] 5.a4+!? bd7 [ Points off for 5...d7? 6.b5 ] [ A n d n o p o i n t s f o r 5...d7?! 6.b3 when Black's pieces are awkwardly placed. ] 6.c3 g6 7.f3 g7 8.c4 0-0 9.d3!? This is the main idea behind this system for White. As a result of the irregular move order, White can place the pawn on d3 instead of d4, which has the benefit of protecting the bishop on c4. [ 9.b3!? b6 10.d3 g4 is considered ok for Black. ] 9...a6 10.a3 [ 10.0-0? b5 11.xb5 b6 ] 10...b6 [ 10...b6 11.b3 And now the insertion of Qa3 a6 is thought to hurt Black, but it may 1119 B10 not be so clear. g4 ( 11...e6 12.dxe6 xc4 13.exf7+ xf7 14.dxc4 g4 Fernandez Garcia,Jose Luis 2470 looks a bit speculative.) 12.e3 bd7 Gomez Esteban,Juan Mario 2486 ( 12...c8!? ) 13.xb7 xf3 14.gxf3 b8 LXXI ch-ESP GpB (3) 24.11.2006 15.xa6 xb2 and I am not sure what is [Jonathan Rowson] happening, but personally I would rather be Black. ] 1.e4 c6 2.c4 This line is quite important, not [ 10...e8!? is also possible, though it looks merely as a sideline of the Caro-Kann, but a little passive. ] because White can reach it via the 1 c4 c6 2 e4 move-order, thus causing problems for 11.0-0 b7 12.e1 e8 13.g5 b5 14.b3 This natural move appears to be a Slav players who don't play the Caro-Kann. d5 c8!? [ 2...e5 3.f3 generally leads to some novelty. [ 14...b6 15.d6 e6 16.ge4 bd7 advantage for White. ] This was Dominguez's second attempt in [ 2...e6 3.d4 d5 looks a bit suspect for this position, so one assumes he must think Black, but has been ventured by serious it better than taking on e4, as he had players. White has many options now, but previously. But note that if he is going from my own preference would be 4.c3 b4 b6, back to d7, and white is going to play d6 5.e5 with a peculiar Winawer-type position anyway, it makes sense to keep the knight where I like the fact that white's doubled con d7 in the first place! 17.xf6+ xf6 pawns are not going to be as much of a 18.b4 Lead to some advantage for White problem as they are in the French, because in Harikrishna-Dominguez, Bermuda 2005, one of them will already be making contact but at this stage the position does not seem with the pawn on d5. ] totally clear. f8!? Now looks best 19.f4 3.cxd5 cxd5 h5 20.e5 f6 21.g3 xg3 22.xe6 [ 3...f6!? If Black is afraid of the line that 1164
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xe6 23.xe6+ h8 24.hxg3 xd6 25.b3 b6!? And Black probably has enough compensation for the pawn. ] 15.d6 I don't see any way to refute 14...Rc8 but alternatives should be considered here: [ 15.ge4!? ] [ 15.e3!? ] 15...e6 16.ge4 This is now HarikrishaDominguez, with Black having Rc8 and the move! g4!? An odd-looking move, but it seemed to confuse White, who now loses the plot completely. [ 16...d5 looks more natural to me, when Black seems to be very comfortable. 17.g5 b6 ] 17.g5?! [ 17.d1!? rerouting the bishop, might be better. ge5 18.e2 c6 The idea behind Ng4? 19.e3 b4 20.b3 and things are only going to get more unclear, so I'll stop there. ] 17...b6 With a double threat of b4 and f5. 18.b4 f5?! tempting, but this should be bad. [ 18...xc3! 19.bxc3 xe4 relentlessly targeting f2, should work out well for Black, for instance after 20.xe4 xf2 21.e3 xd3 22.xb6 xb6 23.e3 c5 When Black has control. ] 19.h3? [ 19.e7! messes up Black's coordination and seems to be good for White. ] 19...ge5 20.e3 c6 21.d5 Desperation. exd5 22.ac1 xd3 23.a5 xc1 24.xc1 xc1+ 25.xc1 xc1+ 26.h2 fxe4 27.d2 c5 0-1
Nge7. ge7 5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 d5 7.exd5!? [ 7.c3 is more popular here. ] 7...xd5 8.0-0 d7 9.c3 e7 10.e1 0-0 11.a3 c8 My impression is that Black is fine here, but some players like to have IQPs, and some don't. The same can be said for playing against them. Indeed, Julian Hodgson once put it to me that he didn't like IQPs with either colour because he always felt he would get mated if he was Black, and lose the ending if he was White! 12.d3 e8 I am not too sure about this move, but it works out ok. [ 12...f6!? is also possible. ] 13.e4 xc3 [ 13...f6 14.c2 ( 14.b1 ) 14...g6 intending ...Bf8, Bg7, Ne7 and Bc6 is possible, but looks too time-consuming to be good. ] 14.bxc3 f6 [ 14...a5!? is also possible, but things seem to work out for Black in the game, and I can't trace an obvious improvement for White. ] 15.d3 g6 16.h6 c7 [ 16...a5 17.e5 is dangerous for Black. ] 17.c4 ed8 [ 17...e5 18.d5 ( 18.xc6! xc6 19.xe5 xe5 20.dxe5 xe5 21.d4 ce8 is p r o b a b ly o k f o r B la ck, b u t i s f a r t o o nerve-racking for a blitz game.) 18...d4 looks fine, but ] 18.ad1 a5 19.c5 c6 20.h4 xe4 21.xe4 d5 Now Black should be ok, but in a blitz game anything can happen. 22.f4 d8 23.d6 c4 24.g3 cxc5?? This one is hard to explain. I guess Radjabov just didn't realise the rook on e1 was 1120 B10 defended. [ 24...b5!? ] Grischuk,Alexander 2709 [ 24...b6!? ] Radjabov,Teimour 2728 World Blitz Rishon Le Zion ISR blitz (2) 7.9.06 25.dxc5 xd1 26.xc4 xe1+ 27.xe1 d1 28.f1 c1 29.a4 xc5 30.f3 g7 [Jonathan Rowson] 31.b5 xb5 32.axb5 a6 33.b6 a5 1.e4 c5 2.f3 c6 3.b5 e6 4.d4 34.e5 a4 35.c4 e7 36.e5+ f6 I Strongly suspect there has been an error in 37.c3 f7 38.a5 c5 39.xb7 xb6 the recording of this game, and that the actual 40.d6+ g7 41.e8+ f7 42.xf6 d8 move order was 4.c3 Nge7 5.d4. Otherwise 43.e4 xh4 44.d6+ e7 45.c4 f7 Grishchuk is offering to play a strange Open 46.e5+ e8 47.c4 e7 48.b2 c5 Sicilian with his bishop on b5, and Radjabov 49.f1 h5 50.f4 d7 51.e5+ d6 is responding with the highly unlikely 4... 52.xg6 a3 53.c3 d5 54.e2 a2 1165
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 55.d3 f2 56.e7+ d6 58.e5 g3 59.e3 e1 61.d3 e1 62.c4 g3 64.e4 b4 65.c2+ b3 67.xe6 e1 68.d4 c3 70.d3 xa1 71.xa1+ b2 1-0
1121 Istratescu,A Houska,Jo Hastings Masters 2011-12 (2.2) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
57.g6 60.a1 63.e3+ 66.d4+ 69.c2 72.c2
d5 a5 c5 c4 b3
B10 2627 2415 29.12.2011
1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 f6 5.c3 xd5 6.f3 e6 [ 6...c6 is of course the other main way of playing these positions. ] 7.d4 e7 The solid choice. [ Gawain examined 7...b4 in Naiditsch, A (2687)-Nisipeanu, L (2681) W ijk aan Zee 2010. ] 8.d3 0-0 [ 8...c6 has been the more common move order but is likely to simply transpose. ] 9.0-0 f6 10.e1 c6 11.a3 The main move cutting out ...Nc6-b4 ideas. [ When annotating Naiditsch-Nisipeanu I looked at 11.g5 which continues to be q u i t e p o p u l a r : h6 ( It's also possible to simply develop with 11...d7 as in Sebag, M (2489) -Danielian, E (2454) Doha 2011. That continued 12.a3 c8 13.e2 e8 14.xf6 xf6 15.ad1 when Black broke out immediately with e5 16.dxe5 xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.e4 e8 19.f4 e6 20.d3 xc3 21.bxc3 a4 22.xh7+ f8 23.xe6 xe6 with decent positional co mp e ns a tio n f o r t h e p awn .) 12.f4 ( 12.h4 was also tried when Black was soon in trouble following b6 13.e5! xd4 14.a4 The knight on d4 is running out of squares while the c6 square looks appetising to the White knight. g5 15.g3 c5 16.b4 d6 17.ad1 b7 18.b5 c5 19.c6 and White had a beautiful position and went on to convert against his high rated opponent. Ter Sahakyan, S (2575)Sargissian, G (2676) Aix-les-Bains 2011.) 12...b4 didn't really work in Guseinov, G
(2591) -Mammadov, Z (2443) Baku 2011 as following ( I looked at 12...d6 in MamedovJobava, Rijeka 2010 which seemed respectable enough for Black, even if White had a small edge.) 13.b1 b6 14.a3 Black felt compelled to drop the knight back with c6 Here ( 14...bd5 would have been much more logical but 15.xd5 xd5 16.d3 f5 17.d2 feels more pleasant for White. ) 15.c2! would have been very strong as b7 16.e4 forces Black into g6 17.xh6 xd4 18.xd4 xd4 19.xf8 xf8 20.c3! with insufficient compensation for the exchange. ] 11...b6 12.c2 The old main line but recently this has been supplanted by 12.Bg5 [ 12.g5 has been slightly more common and is covered by JP W allace in the archives in both Hebden, M (2532)-Ciuksyte, D (2440) Liverpool 2006 and Yemelin, V (2516)-Galkin, A (2600) Tomsk 2006. ] [ 12.e3!? was David Howell's choice back in 2010 and resulted in an interesting game: b7 13.e2 d5 14.ad1 f6 15.e4 ce7 16.e5 g6 17.h5 xe5 18.dxe5 xe3 19.g5!? ( 19.xe3 h4 20.xh4 xh4 21.h3 xe4 22.xe4 ad8 23.xh7+ xh7 24.xh4+ g6 25.hd4 would have given W hite decent winning chances in the ending.) 19...h6 20.xf7 h4? ( 20...f4 was necessary but of course W hite's attack is very dangerous after 21.xh6+ ) 21.xg6 xf7 22.fxe3 g5 23.xg5 hxg5 24.g6+- and White had a beautiful position. Howell, D (2611)Swapnil, S (2409) Hastings 2010. ] 12...b7 I wonder if Jovanka forgot the theoretical equaliser here or instead prefers the logical text move. [ As pointed out by John Paul previously 12...a6! controlling the d3 square, is supposed to equalise. However perhaps matters aren't so clear. A) 13.g5 doesn't look to challenge Black. c8 14.d2 d5 15.xd5 xd5 16.e4 xg5 17.xg5 xd4 18.xh7+ h8 19.ad1 xd2 20.xd2 g6 ( 20...f6 21.xe6 xh7 22.xf8+ xf8 also looks fine to me.) 21.d7 e5 22.xa7 d3 23.a1 was rather p re m a t u r e ly a gr e e d d ra wn in G h a e m 1166
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Maghami, E (2583)-Antoniewski, R (2585) Germany 2011.; B) 13.f4 c8 And here ( Perhaps Black s h o u l d t r y 13...c4!? to cut out White's next. ) 14.d5! looks the critical way of playing ( Instead 14.c1 c4! of Timman, J (2635)-Karpov, A (2735) Wijk aan Zee 1998 was nothing special.) 14...exd5 15.f5 a8 16.a4 b7 17.ad1 was abruptly agreed drawn in Ramsdal, JNielsen, B Copenhagen 2010. White has dangerous pressure for the pawn and I quite fancy his chances. Perhaps this was what Istratescu was hoping for. ] 13.d3 g6 More or less forced to prevent the battery down the b1-h7 diagonal but now W h it e c a n s wit ch t o p l a yin g o n t h e d a r k squ a re s a n d pre p a rin g t h e d 4 -d 5 b re a k. 14.h6 e8 15.ad1 White has managed to gain a tempo compared to the 12.Bg5 lines as Bc1-h6 has happened in one go. Of course that doesn't necessarily promise him a big advantage but I think he at least has the more pleasant prospects. c8 16.b3 Eyeing the d5 square. I like how thus far White's play has all been very logical. a5 17.a2 d5?! And Black has been up to the task. Here though she f alters and is soon in a lot of trouble. [ 17...d5! was the right piece to blockade the pawn. We've added in sample lines to see how the game might proceed: A) 18.e4 f6! Of course in these positions Black is intent on exchanging off the minor pieces to lessen W hite's attacking force. 19.eg5 ( 19.xf6+ xf6 20.b4 c6 21.d5 exd5 22.xe8+ xe8 23.xd5 d8 is simply level.) 19...d5 Only now should Black block with the b i s h o p wh e n W h i t e d o e s n ' t h a ve t h e option to take with the knight. Here if White takes on d5 then Black has a very pleasant position and so he should try 20.xf7!? xf7 21.e5+ g8 22.xg6 with some attacking chances but it appears that Black can withsta nd th e attack, i.e. d6 23.e5 c7 24.g3+ h8 25.h4 g8 26.c1 b7 27.xd5 exd5 28.xc8 xc8 29.f4 c7 30.g5 g7= and Black's defensive wall holds strong.;
B) 18.h4?! here looks too optimistic and xc3 19.bxc3 d5! only now 20.b1 c4 and Black's control of the light squares would give her a great game. The a3 pawn is dropping by force and I don't really see White's attack breaking through any time soon.; C) 18.e5 f8 19.h3 xc3 20.bxc3 d5 21.xd5 xd5 22.d3 ( 22.xf8 xf8 23.g4 f5 24.e5 c4= and Black has succeeded in exchanging all the minor pieces and is definitely not worse. ) 22...c4 23.xf7!? xf7 24.xf8 xf8 25.xh7+ e8 26.g3 d8 and again I can't believe Black has an y pro blem s, his con t ro l o f th e ligh t squares is just too strong. ] 18.xd5 xd5 Now the problem for Black is that the bishop on a2 cannot be contested and so she'll always have to watch out. 19.h4! I really like this move. Istratescu wants to use the h pawn to crack open Black's kingside defensive shell. c7 [ 19...f8 20.g5 e7 21.d2!? keeping as many pieces on the board as possible f6 22.h5 gives White strong attacking chances. ] [ Taking the pawn is very risky as Black has a lot of loose pieces. 19...xh4?! 20.b4! A) 20...b7 21.xd5 xd5 22.e5 ( 22.xh4 h5 isn't so clear.) 22...d8 23.e4 d6 ( 23...f6 24.xb7 c7 25.e4 xe5 26.xe5 is very pleasant for W hite.) 24.xh4 xh4 25.xh4 f6 26.e3 g5 27.d5! with a great ending.; B) 20...c6 21.xd5 xd5 ( 21...exd5 22.xe8+ xe8 23.xh4 is a clear extra piece. ) 22.xh4 h5 23.e3 xh4 24.d5 and the strong d5 pawn and Black's cripplingly weak dark squares give White a fantastic position. ] [ 19...d6 immediately looks more logical but White still has the makings of a strong kingside attack starting with 20.h5 ] 20.c1 [ The text works well but White had a stronger possibility in the shape of 20.e5! when Black's position is already teetering: c6 gives White a pleasant choice between ( 20...xh4 21.f3! f6 22.c1 and White's attack is already decisive: d6 23.xc8 1167
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xc8 24.xg6! hxg6 25.xe6 and White wins; 20...f8 21.xf8 xf8 22.h5 is very dangerous.) 21.xf7 as ( and 21.xg6!? ) 21...xf7? impossible due to 22.f3+ f6 23.xd5! ] 20...d6 21.h5 xc1 [ 21...f8 doesn't really help: 22.xf8 xf8 ( 22...xf8 23.xc8 xc8 24.e5 would also be very strong.) 23.xc8 xc8 24.e5 g7 25.f3 and it's obvious Black's position is creaking. ] [ 21...c6 might be Black's best, bringing the knight back into the game although W hite still has a strong attack after something like 22.g5 ] 22.xc1 f4?! After this Black has absolutely no chances and so we can call this the decisive mistake. [ 22...f8 23.b5! a8 24.xf8 xf8 followed by the calm 25.g3! leaves Black in an uncomfortable bind the knight on a5 is completely out of the game. ] [ 22...f6 23.e4 followed by 24.Ne5 would leave White with a clear advantage. ] 23.b5 a8 24.hxg6 hxg6 [ 24...xg6 25.b4 b7 26.d5 is not really any better than the game. ] 25.b4! This is the problem. Not only does Black have problems with her kingside but the knight is also running out of squares. a6 [ 25...b7 26.e5 wins material as d5 27.c6 d8 28.xd5 exd5 ( 28...xd5 29.xd5 exd5 30.c7 ) 29.xg6! wins ] 26.f1 b7 27.e5! d5 28.d3 f8 [ 28...f6 29.c6! and White's attack c ra s h e s t h ro u gh : d8 ( while giving the q u e e n w i t h 29...xe5 30.xd6 xd6 doesn't really allow Black to fight on as 31.xd5 exd5 32.f3 e8 33.f1 wi l l a ls o e n d u p wi n n i n g a l l o f B l a c k ' s queenside pawns.; 29...e7 30.xg6! ) 30.xe6! ] 29.g5?! Good enough but not the cleanest victory. [ Instead 29.c6 again wins on the spot. xh6 ( Both 29...e7 30.xg6 fxg6 31.xg6+ h8 32.xe6+-; and 29...d8 30.xe6 xh6 31.xf7+- allow White to crash through.) 30.xd6 xd6 31.xd5 exd5 32.xg6! and White has extra material with an ongoing attack. ]
29...e7? A final blunder [ 29...d8 was necessary although 30.f3 g7 31.c6! win s m a t e ria l a s xc6? 32.xf7+ h7 33.xg6+ g8 34.f7+ h8 ( 34...h7 35.b1+ ) 35.g6+ h7 36.b1! shortly mates. ] 30.f3 And Black cannot defend b7 and f7. A ve r y s m o o t h g a m e f r o m I s t r a t e s c u a n d perhaps White should revive some interest in the immediate 12.Bc2. 1-0
1122 Kotsur,Pavel Mahjoob,Morteza 2nd Saipa Cup (5) [Andrew Martin]
B10 2607 2461 16.09.2004
NIGHTMARE ON f 7 1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 f6 5.b5+ [ I mu ch p re f e r 5.c3 but this is purely a question of taste. With 5 Bb5+, White lures one of Black's pieces to an unfavourable square. ] 5...d7 If Black can turn 5...Bd7 into a useful move then his position starts to work. If not, then W hite is reinforcing c4 and Black will have a devil of a job to get his pawn back in favourable circumstances. [ 5...d7 6.b3?! 6 Compares unfavourably with Bc4 xb5 7.xb5+ d7 8.xd7+ bxd7 9.c3 b6 10.d4 fxd5 That was simple! Black has regained his pawn and stands better due to the isolani on d4 11.f3 c8 12.d2 e6 13.0-0 e7 14.ac1 0-0 15.e4 c4 16.c3 fd8 17.g3 b5 18.b3 d6 19.xd6 xd6 20.d2 Karsdorp, N-Voegerl, R/Miercurea Ciuc ROM 2004 Despite W hite's best attempts, Black has an ongoing small edge. ] 6.c4! g6 This is how Black organises his pieces. 7.c3 g7 8.f3 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.d3 c7 11.a4 c8 12.b3 The pawn on d5 isn't a match winner on its own, but it nails down e7 and is proving very difficult to regain. W ith Qb3, Kotsur shows an optimal deployment for White. Pressure on the e file follows and possibly occupation of e5. White i s m u c h b e t t e r . b6 13.e5! d6? 1168
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 His sense of danger betrays him. Black will be 16.ad1 , but then what? One sample line swept away now. is f8 17.c4 xb2 18.c1 b1 [ Not 13...b7 due to 14.d6!+- ] 19.e4 a1 20.e7+ h8 21.a3 [ But 13...g4 14.c6 d6 15.g3 e5 xd1 22.xd1; 16.f4 f3+ 17.g2 e5 held out some B) 9.f3 b6 10.b3 xc4 ( 10...g4 c h a n c e s f o r s u r v i va l , a l t h o u g h W h i t e 11.e5 f5 12.0-0 c8 13.e1 fd7 remains better. ] 14.xd7 xd7 Jivkov-Rustemov, Dos 14.f4 h5 15.e4! This is becoming most Hermanas 2004 and among other moves uncomfortable for Mahjoob. d8 16.xf7!! 15.g5! would give White a large A beautiful move and the very logical outcome advantage ) 11.dxc4 e6 12.0-0 d6? o f W h i t e ' s e n t i r e o p e n i n g s t r a t e g y. xf7 ( 12...exd5 13.cxd5 d6 14.d1 17.xc7 xc7 18.d6 exd6 19.g5 f4 with a clear advantage) 13.b5 b8 20.xf7+ h8 21.d5 Simplicity will do in a 14.d6 e8 15.f4 d7 16.c7!? win n in g po s it io n . W h it e clea rs f 7 f or h is ( 16.ad1! f6 17.c5 ) 16...xc7 17.dxc7 Knight. xd5 22.xd5 b7 23.xd6 c8 18.d6 e8 19.c5 b6 20.cxb6 [ 23.f7+ g8 24.h6+ h8 25.xd6 axb6 21.xb6 'and White won with also suff ices e.g. c6 26.xc6 xc6 slightly more difficulty than should have 27.f7+ g8 28.g5+- Kotsur wishes to h a p p e n e d ' . T h is c a n b e f o u n d i n t h e avoid even the slightest risk and who can ChessPub archives under B10. ] blame him! ] 7...g7 8.c4 0-0 9.d3 a6 10.a3 b6 23...c8 24.ac1 f5 25.c7 a6 26.xg7 [ Here's more from my previous update: " A real demolition job and a very good 10...b6 11.0-0 b7 12.e1 e8 13.g5 thematic advertisement for 5 Bb5+. Possibly ( 13.f4! is also good ) 13...b5 14.b3 Black should prefer 5...Nbd7. A) I just discovered a J Rowson update 1-0 with 14...c8 15.d6 ( 15.e3 looks good jw ) 15...e6 16.ge4 g4!? Fernandez Garcia-Gomez Estaban, Spain 2006; 1123 B10 B) 14...b6 15.d6! e6 16.b4!? ( 16.f4! ) 16...h6 17.ge4 fd5 Leon Hoyos,Manuel 2490 18.xd5 exd5 19.c5 xd6 20.f4 Burmakin,Vladimir 2615 with a small advantage, GoreskulX Open Salou ESP (5) 12.05.2008 Moskalets, Alushta 2004". ] [John Watson] [ A l s o f r o m t h e e a r l ie r u p d a t e : 10...e8 11.f4 ( or 11.0-0 d6 12.g5 ) 11...df6 1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.exd5 f6 12.0-0 d6 13.fe1 e8 14.h3 b5 5.a4+ This continues to give Black some 15.xb5 axb5 16.xa8 bxc4 17.xd6 difficulties. bd7 In a previous update (found xd6 1-0 Gagunashvili-Barnaure, Dubai under B10 in the Archives, with the order 1 c4 2004 ] c6 2 e4 d5) I used Serper-Hahn as a main 11.b3 g4 12.e3 fd7 13.d2 game to analyse [ Or 13.g5! , intending h6 14.ge4 f5 [ 5...d7 6.b3 , which at the time had an 15.h3 ] 87% winning percentage for White. ] 13...c7 14.0-0 f5 15.ce4 xc4 6.c3 g6 7.f3 [ This looks slightly better for White. In an 16.dxc4 e6 17.g3! exd5 18.xf5 gxf5 E n g l i s h O p e n i n g U p d a t e ( ! ) , I g a ve a n 19.cxd5 f4 20.ac1 d6 [ 20...b8 21.c5 ] analysis as follows: " 7.c4 g7 8.d3 0-0 A) [ A d d e d i n t h i s u p d a t e : ] 9.ge2 21.c4! xd5 22.fd1 White retains his is more flexible. Then b6 10.b3 xc4 pawn and should win. f5 23.xb7 [ Or 23.d6! ] 11.dxc4 e6 12.0-0 exd5 13.cxd5 e8 14.f4 (for example) doesn't seem to give 23...e5 24.d4 xc4 25.xg7 xg7 Black much compensation. He can try ( or 26.xc4 ab8 27.f3 xb2 28.xf4 e5 White gets either Rg4+ and Qf6+, or 14.e1 ) 14...xd5!? 15.xd5 xe2 29.e4 1169
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Qc3+, picking up the rook. 1-0
1124 Ljubojevic,Ljubomir Dzindzichashvili,Roman Tilburg (10) [Nigel Davies]
B10
1978
Black's simplest and most classical response to this line is to put his pawns on d5 and e5 and then back them up with simple development. W hite has tried a number of different ways to eke out an edge, though none of the m h ave enjoye d very not able success. In this game we see the simple approach, Ljubojevic adopting his 'Philidor Attack' formation. 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 e5 4.gf3 d6 5.e2 f6 [ Another interesting way for Black to play it is to put his knight on e7. Ljubojevic - Lobron, Indonesia 1983 continued 5...e7 6.0-0 0-0 7.e1 f5!? 8.c3 d7 9.f1 h8 10.g3 fxe4 11.dxe4 g6 12.g2 f6 with a double-edged struggle in prospect. ] 6.d4 Simple development is not going to trouble Black and may even leave him better. Ljubo decides to challenge the centre before his opponent can complete his development. xe4 7.dxe5 xd2 8.xd2 c7 9.0-0 0-0 10.c4 g4 11.g5 This leads to a very equal position but by now there is little else. [ 11.cxd5 xd5 12.xd5 cxd5 13.f4 c6 looks rather good for Black ] 11...xe2 12.xe2 h6 13.f3 dxc4 14.xc4 d7 15.e1 e7 16.b3 c5 17.a3 fe8 18.d2 d7 19.b3 ½-½
1125 Ljubojevic,Ljubomir Karpov,Anatoly Roquebrune Hastings [Nigel Davies]
B10
1992
Another Ljubojevic speciality is to put his queen on e2, creating immediate pressure against the e5 pawn. In this game it was good e n o u g h t o b e a t K a r p o v, wi t h L j u b o j e vi c
unsettling the former World Champion with 6. d4. 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 e5 4.gf3 d6 [ In the game Ljubojevic - Christiansen, Szirak 1987, White answered 4...d7 with 5.e2 and won a pawn after dxe4 6.xe4 e7 7.d2 gf6 8.c3 d5 9.xe5 xc3 10.xc3 xe5 11.xe5 , albeit for long-term positional compensation. ] 5.e2 [ White has also played the immediate 5.d4 with Lobron - Seirawan, Indonesia 1983 continuing exd4 6.exd5 cxd5 7.xd4 c6 8.2f3 f6 9.e2 0-0 with equality. Not ve r y t h r e a t e n i n g f o r B l a c k , t h o u g h h e shouldn't mind having an isolated pawn. ] 5...f6 Ignoring White's threats must surely be the critical line. [ After 5...e7 6.d4 ( 6.g3 f6 7.g2 0-0 8.0-0 dxe4 9.dxe4 bd7 10.c4 c7 11.b3 b5 12.a3 b4 13.b2 a5 14.a3 a6 wasn't much for White in Ljubojevic Bouaziz, Szirak 1987) 6...exd4 7.exd5 cxd5 8.xd4 c6 9.2b3 ( 9.2f3 d7 10.g5 xe2+ 11.xe2 ge7 12.0-0-0 d8 13.he1 f6 14.e3 b8 15.g3 e5 16.d2 was agreed drawn in Ljubojevic Karpov, Bilbao 1987) 9...f6 10.xe7+ xe7 11.d2 e8 12.0-0-0 g4 13.e1+ f8 14.xe8+ xe8 15.b5 d7 16.f3 with an endgame advantage in Ljubojevic Seirawan, Belgrade 1991 ] 6.d4 [ 6.g3 0-0 7.g2 e8 8.0-0 a5 9.a3 a4 was quite good for Black in Ljubojevic Karpov, Linares 1992 ] 6...dxe4 7.xe5 f5 8.h3 h5 9.g1 [ In his game against Seirawan from Cannes 1992, Timman later improved White's play with 9.dc4! e7 10.d2 bd7 11.0-0-0 b6 12.e3 e6 and now 13.c4! w o u l d h a v e b e e n s t r o n g a s xd4 loses the queen after 14.c3 c5 15.b4 ] 9...h4 10.g4 hxg3 11.xg3 I have no idea what was happening over the following moves. B u t n e e d le ss t o sa y, t h is k in d o f m e s s y position suits Ljubo much more than Karpov. h5 12.b3 f6 13.xb7 e7 14.e3 c8 15.b3 d5 16.g3 e3 17.dc4 xc2 18.xg7 f8 19.xe3 xe3 20.xe3 f5 21.xf5 xf5 22.g2 b4+ 23.d1 1170
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d6 24.d3 h5+ 25.e2 h4 26.xc6 xc6 27.xc6+ e7 28.g4 fd8 29.e3 ab8 30.b3 f8 31.e2 With three pawns for the exchange it's finally clear that White is better. In the final stage he brings his pieces over to attack Black's king. h7 32.c1 b6 33.f3 e8 34.d7 d8 35.f5 h4 36.g1 e7 37.g4 h8 38.d3 f6 39.g2 e6 40.c4 ed6 41.f4 b6 [ And not 41...xd4 b e c a u s e o f 42.h6+ e8 43.b5+ 4d7 44.g8+ etc. ] 42.e5 f6 43.f3 e8 44.f1 e7 45.f4 xe5 46.xf7+ e8 47.dxe5 xe5 48.a8+ b8 49.d5 d6 50.f8+! d7 51.f5+ c6 52.f6 1-0
1126 Ljubojevic,Ljubomir Pfleger,H Manila [Nigel Davies]
B10
1975
Ljubojevic often puts his bishop on e2 in this line, not a very scary-looking move but it certainly has its points. W hite's early development is faster and should Black play ... dxe4 at some stage, the bishop is better on the f1-a6 diagonal. 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 g6 4.gf3 g7 5.e2 Ljubojevic has often posted the bishop on this modest e2 square, a kind of Philidor Attack. White is not trying to refute Black's opening but is rather angling for an interesting middlegame. e5 [ In a later game against Ljubojevic, Pfleger v a r i e d w i t h 5...dxe4 6.dxe4 f6 , but White retained the initiative after 7.0-0 0-0 8.a4 bd7 9.e5 d5 10.c4 7b6 11.d4 f5 12.h4 (Ljubojevic - Pfleger, Nuremberg 1978) ] 6.0-0 e7 7.b4! Reminiscent of Stein's play against Haag. 0-0 [ The immediate 7...a5 looks better, before White has his bishop on b2 and can answer with a2-a3. ] 8.b2 d7 9.e1 a5 10.a3 c7 11.f1 And once again there is the theme of pressure against e5. b6 12.d4! exd4 13.xd4 f6 14.e5 d8 15.exd5 exd5 16.c4 e7 17.h3 a7 18.c1 c5?!
Making a poor position a whole lot worse because of the weakness of the c5 pawn. W hen the pawn f alls Black is just losing. 19.bxc5 bxc5 20.b3 c6 21.c3 d6 22.e3 b8 23.xc5 e7 24.d2 a7 25.xe7 xe7 26.b2 xc5 27.xf6 xf6 28.xf6 e8 29.g5 f8 30.e1 d7 31.e4 xa3 32.e3 c1 33.d6 1-0
1127 B10 Lopez Martinez,Josep Manuel 2576 Fluvia Poyatos,Jordi 2504 ch-Catalunya (3.1) 21.05.2008 [John Watson] 1.e4 c6 2.c4 e5 Trying to avoid 2...d5 3 cxd5 exd5 4 c4 and the Panov (or even 4 cxd5 Nf6 5 Q a 4 + , a s a n a l y s e d t h i s m o n t h ) . 3.f3 c7!? This works in the game before us, but objectively is probably no better than the usual [ 3...f6 4.xe5 d6 5.f3 xe4 6.c3 xc3 7.dxc3 ] [ 3...a5 4.c3 f6 ( 4...b4 5.a4! can be f ound in Rahman-Abdulla in the A rch ive s (B 1 0 )) 5.e2 b4 . Martin comments 'It's amazing how popular this line is- Black loses all the games. In each and every variation, the Black Queen has no b u s i n e s s o n a 5 . ' ( But I point out in my update to Postny-L'Ami that after 5...d6! 6.0-0 e7 7.d4 0-0 'the queen actually serves the useful function of protecting e5! This is certainly best.') 6.c2 from PelletierSeger, Bundesliga 2002, and I agree with Martin that W hite already has the advantage. ] 4.d4 b4+ 5.d2 xd2+ 6.xd2 d6 This is the point of 3...Qc7. Black exchanges his dark-squared bishop and then sets up on dark squares. 7.g5!? Strange, but not bad. W hite has a specific positional strategy in mind. I think he is also better after simply [ a) 7.c3! f6 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 g4 10.ad1 bd7 ( 10...xf3 11.xf3 bd7 12.e2 with the idea f4 ) 11.h4!? ] [ b) White may also get a little something from 7.c5!? dxc5 8.dxe5 d7?! ( 8...e6 ) 9.g5 ] 7...f6 8.g3 h6 1171
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 8...e6 9.c5!? ( 9.c3 )] 9.c5! Breaking down black's pawn chain. 0-0 [ 9...dxc5 10.dxe5 fxe5 11.c3 e6 ( 11...0-0 12.c4+ h8 13.xe5 ) 12.xe5 appears to favour White. ] 10.cxd6 xd6 11.dxe5 fxe5 12.c4+ h8 13.c3 [ 13.0-0 d7 14.a4 leaves open the idea of Nbd2, even if that isn't vital maybe Nc4-d6 would be possible later. ] 13...d7 14.0-0 f4?! [ Better is 14...b5 15.b3 e7 ] 15.ad1 [ 15.g5! (back again!) threatens Qd8+ f6 16.xf6 xf6 ( 16...gxf6 17.d2 ) 17.ad1 with a comfortable advantage. W hite has won the opening battle, so I'll just give some broad notes. ] 15...f6!? 16.h3 versus ...Rg4 White will soon play Ne2. b5 [ 16...c5 17.xe5 xh3 looks okay at first, but 18.d3 xd3 19.xd3 leaves the bishop up in the air ] 17.d3 c5 18.c2 f7 19.b4 [ 19.e2 xf3!? 20.gxf3 e6 is a bit unclear due to White's weak pawns. ] 19...a6 20.a3 e6 21.fe1 g5!? [ 21...f8 ] 22.e2 c5 23.bxc5 xc5 24.xf4 exf4 25.h2 e5 26.d4?! [ 26.xe5 xe5 isn't so easy, but 27.h4! g4 28.h5! g5 29.g3 has the ideas gxf4 and Qh4. Then f8 30.h6 d7 31.gxf4 xf4 32.b3! will win ] 26...c4 27.h4 g8? [ 27...g4! 28.f5 d3! ] 28.f5 ed3 29.hxg5 xg5 30.xd3 xd3 31.xd3?! [ 31.h3! ] 31...xd3 32.f3?! c4 [ Black holds his own after 32...c8! ] 33.c1 c8 34.h6? xh6 35.xh6 e6 36.xc8+ xc8 37.f7+ g7 38.e5 f6 39.d3 g5 40.f2 h5 Now White has a tiny something, but it shouldn't be enough. 41.g3 fxg3+ 42.xg3 h4+ 43.f2 a5 44.f4+ g4 45.f5 xf5 46.exf5 xf5 47.f3 h3 48.b2 e6 49.g3 d5 50.d3 d4 51.f4 a4 52.xh3 c4 53.e2 d3 54.f4+ c3 55.g2 b2 56.f2 xa3 57.e2 b3 58.e6 a3
59.d2 a2 60.d4+ b2 61.c6 0-1
1128 Mamedov,Rau Turov,Maxim 6th Agzamov Memorial (6) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B10 2624 2658 11.03.2012
1.e4 c6 2.e2 d5 3.e5 d4 A couple of years ago Gawain looked at this line and declared this to be critical. On the basis of this game it looks like White still hasn't found a g o o d a n t i d o t e . 4.c3 A sensible try at undermining Black's centre but White's tried lots of different options. [ Gawain had a look at 4.b4 1/2-1/2 Abergel, T (2538)-Edouard, R (2608) Cappelle la Grande 2010. ] [ It's also possible to move the knight out of the way of course. The W omen's W orld Champ tried 4.f4 e6 ( 4...h6; and even 4...g5!? could be considered too.) 5.e2 c7 6.c3 c5 7.cxd4 c6! 8.dxc5 A) 8...d4! looks awkward to deal with. 9.c4 ( 9.e4 xc5 would prevent White from playing Nd3 as c2 is no longer defended and thus Black has great compensation.) 9...xe5+ 10.e2 xc5 and Black would have regained her pawn with the better chances.; B) 8...xc5 9.d3 d4 10.d1 Hou Yifan (2589)-Chiburdanidze, M (2514) Jermuk 2010 and here e7 would have given Black fabulous play for the pawn. White's a long way behind in development and the pawn on e5 rather vulnerable. ] [ Instead 4.g3 has been more common but t h i s a l l o w s B l a c k t o p l a y d5 Narciso Dublan reached this position after 5.f4 twice in 2010. In the latter he played the critical g5! ( Rather than 5...h6 6.c4 d7 7.d3 which gave White a playable KIA type structure. Fierro Baquero, M (2372)-Narciso Dublan, M (2540) La Massana 2010.) 6.d3 gxf4 7.xf4 h6 8.d2 xf4 9.xf4 d7 10.d2 xe5 11.b3 c5 12.e2 f6 wh e n W h i t e r e a l l y s h o u l d n ' t h a v e h a d enough f o r the pawn. Farran Martos, F (2287) -Narciso Dublan, M (2553) El Sauzal 1172
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 2010. ] 4...c5 [ Gawain also examined 4...d3 5.f4 f5 6.f3 ( The second time we look at it 6.h4!?; and even 6.e6!? look interesting.) 6...d7 7.xd3 e6 is around equal as e5 will drop. ] 5.g3 [ 5.b4!? 'Perhaps this is where White should p la y b 4 if h e h a s h is h e a rt se t o n it . ' Gawain, has also had a couple of practical outings: d5 ( Surely better than 5...cxb4 6.xd4 e6 as seen in Grandelius, N (2542)Vidit, S (2492) Chennai 2011 when W hite could claim an advantage with his extra central pawn.; Gawain gave the sample line: 5...c7 6.cxd4 cxd4 7.f4 g5 'is a fun position!') 6.bxc5?! ( 6.cxd4 was necessary when cxd4 7.b3 xe5 8.b2 c6 9.b5 a5 10.a4 b6 11.xd4 is at least a complex position, although I don't think Blac k sh ou ld rea lly ha ve a ny con ce rn s here. ) 6...d3! 7.a4+ c6 8.g3 xe5+ 9.e4 f6 10.xe5 xe5 11.f4 g6 12.xd3 xf4 13.b5+ d7 14.0-0 xb5 15.xf4 e5 and Black had a fantastic position. Codenotti, M (2264)-Lemos, D (2553) Seville 2011. ] [ 5.f4 defending the e5 pawn also makes sense and has been seen since the last update. c6 ( 5...g5!? looks possible but at least W hite would get the mess she wanted. ) 6.g3 h6 ( 6...g5 here looks very dangerous with f7 rather vulnerable but perhaps White just has enough for a draw i. e. 7.c4 gxf4 8.xf7+! xf7 9.h5+ g7 10.g5+ f7 11.h5+ with a draw) 7.e2 g6 8.0-0 g7 9.d3 0-0 10.d2 f6 11.exf6 exf6 12.b3 Milliet, S (2367)Roumegous, M (2181) Belfort 2010 when f5 would have favoured Black. ] 5...d5 Again this queen sortie looks best, immediately exploiting W hite's weak pawn. 6.f4 [ 6.e2 is the other way to develop the pawn but looks rather unwieldy. c6 7.a3!? ( 7.f4 g5 just looks like a worse version of the game. ) 7...xe5 ( 7...f6!? is also possible.) 8.xe5 xe5 9.b5 d8! and Black has no problems ] 6...g5! Turov plays dynamically not allowing
White sufficient time to shore up his defence of the e5 pawn. 7.b3 Probably not the move that White wanted to play but the best way to reduce pressure on the e5 pawn. [ 7.d3 looks too slow: gxf4 8.xf4 h6 9.c4 e6 10.h5 c6 and White won't be able to hold onto his e5 pawn. ] 7...xb3 8.axb3 gxf4 9.e4 g7 [ Turov could also have defended the pawn with 9...b6 although White has decent co m p e n sa t ion f o llo win g 10.a3 c6 11.c4 b8 12.d3 ] 10.xc5 xe5 11.b5+ d7 [ 11...f8!? stepping away from the check and not self-pinning was also possible when Black seems to be a little better but Turov's choice also gives Black the better chances. ] 12.0-0 Continuing development is the most sensible course. [ Instead going after the pawn immediately with 12.a4 gf6 13.cxd4 looks rather d u b i o u s a f t e r b8 as White has such a disgusting structure. The computer thinks Black is only a little better but I can't imagine any human being happy with such a formation. ] 12...gf6 13.d3 c7 Thus far Turov has played very well but this isn't best. [ 13...b8! was much stronger the main point being that 14.xf4 a6 15.cxd4?! w o u l d a l l o w a7 breaking the pin and theref ore both the d4 pawn and bishop would be en-prise. ] 14.xf4 a6 15.cxd4 A structural concession but otherwise there wasn't really a good way to develop White's queenside. b6 16.h1 xd4 17.e2 It's important to push the bishop back before bringing the b1 knight out. [ 17.c3 allows a7! 18.e2 b5 and not only would Black have freed up his queenside but it's also very difficult to shift the bishop from d4. ] 17...a7 18.bc3! Mamedov correctly surmises that the bishop cannot be taken. 0-0 [ After 18...axb5?! 19.xb5 White regains the piece with an extra pawn. ] 19.d4 White seems to have successfully reclaimed equality after a series of accurate moves. axb5 And Turov decides to give up the pawn to free up his development. 1173
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 19...b6 was the chief alternative. Black has the better structure but a slightly vulnerable king which allows White enough play to keep the game balanced. A sample line continues: 20.c4 d8 21.a5 xc4 22.bxc4 xd4 23.h6 g4 24.xd4 xh6 25.d5 and, at the cost of a pawn, White's structure has improved an d with active pieces he has enough play. ] 20.xb5 b6 21.xa7 A slightly curious choice, voluntarily pinning himself. [ 21.xa7 xa7 22.xa7 d7 23.c3 fd5 and Black's blockade of the d5 square gives him adequate compensation for the pawn but at least here W hite could bring his knight back into the game. ] 21...g4 22.c3 c8 23.h3 [ 23.h6 was the alternative but after xa7 24.xf8 xf8 25.xa7 xa7 it's definitely Black pressing with the two pieces for rook and pawn. ] 23...xa7 [ 23...d7 was the alternative when I daresay Mamedov was planning on giving u p t h e e x c h a n g e . 24.xc8! ( 24.h6 would be very similar to 23.Bh6) 24...xa1 25.xe7+ h8 26.d5 g8 27.xg8 xg8 with a roughly level endgame. ] 24.xa7 xa7 25.hxg4 xg4 Black should have slightly the better of it but objectively t h i s e n d g a m e s h o u l d b e a d r a w 26.d5 Stopping the a7 knight getting into the game. c8 27.f4?! [ 27.g1 looks a better move order, not allowing Black's next. ] 27...e5! A strong decision. Again White gets caught up in a pin. 28.dxe6 fxe6 29.f3 [ 29.g1 ] 29...e5 30.g5 f2+ 31.h2 xf3 32.gxf3 d3 33.e4 g7 34.g3 xb2?! Carelessness from Turov - perhaps he was low on time. [ I n s t e a d w i t h 34...g6 he could have continued pressing for a long time. ] 35.f2! Oops! The knight's trapped on b2. Luckily W hite has so few pawns that it shouldn't matter. d6 36.c1 Surprisingly White makes no effort to win this endgame but it should be drawn anyway. bc4 37.bxc4 xc4 38.d3 g6 39.f4 ½-½
1129 Pelletier,Yannick Seger,Ruediger Bundesliga [Andrew Martin]
B10 2585 2405 2002
1.e4 c6 2.c4 It's that move again. Black goes for something different, possibly to avoid heavy theoretical preparation. e5 3.f3 a5!? I reckon this is a very high price to pay to prevent d4. Reasonable is [ 3...f6 4.xe5 d6 5.f3 xe4 6.c3 xc3 7.dxc3 ] [ and 3...f5!? is a manic idea of Jonny Hector 4.e2 fxe4 5.xe5 h4 6.c3 d6 7.g4 a6 8.xc8 xc8 9.g4 c5 10.0-0 Sher-Hector Vejle 1994 ] 4.c3 [ 4.e2 f6 5.0-0 xe4 ( 5...d6 6.c3 e7 7.d4 ) 6.e1 d6 7.d4 f6 8.d2 c7 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.xe5 ] 4...f6 5.e2 b4 It's amazing how popular this line is- Black loses all the games. In each and every variation, the Black Queen has no business on a5. [ 5...c5 6.0-0 d4 7.d3 d6 8.xd4 exd4 9.b1 0-0 10.f4 d5 11.e5 e8 12.d2 c7 13.b3 b6 14.c5 a6 15.xd4 b6 16.b4 b7 17.b1 b5 18.a4 a6 19.a1 e6 20.xe6 xe6 21.d4 d7 22.d3 f5 23.exf6 xf6 24.d6 fe8 25.a3 f7 26.c2 h6 27.h3 d7 28.fa1 f8 29.a2 ad8 30.axb5 axb5 31.f5 e6 32.a7 c8 33.c7 xc7 34.xc8 xc8 35.d2 e6 36.a6 g6 37.e5 f8 38.e3 fe8 39.a7 a8 40.a3 ac8 41.a6 f5 42.e7 1-0 Stocek, J-Jirka, J/ Friendship GM, Prerove CZE 2001 (42) ] 6.c2 0-0 [ 6...d6 7.0-0 g4 8.a4 b5 9.cxb5 cxb5 10.c3 xf3 11.xf3 0-0 12.e2 c6!? 13.a3 fc8 14.b1 xd2 15.b4 xb4 16.axb4 xb4 17.xb4 xb4 18.b1 a5 19.a3 c4 20.xb4 axb4 21.g3 g6 22.fd1 a2 23.xd6 g7 24.b6 cc2 25.xb5 xf2 26.1xb4 g5 27.xe5 g4 28.e2 fxe2 29.xe2 xe2 30.f1 e3 31.e7 g3 32.hxg3 xg3 33.bb7 g6 34.e5 g4 35.xf7 e3 36.g7+ f5 37.bf7+ e6 38.e7+ f5 39.xh7 xe5 40.h5+ f6 41.e8 e4 42.g3 1174
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e3 43.g2 e1 44.g4 e4 45.f5+ 1-0 Genkin, M-Goessling, G/13th Summer Open, Recklinghausen GER 2002 (45) ] 7.0-0 d5 Black's position stands or falls by this active move. If he played passively or quietly the Bishop and Queen would simply turn out to be targets, accelerating W hite's development. 8.cxd5 cxd5 9.xd5 xd5 10.exd5 d7 [ A very short future awaits after 10...xd5? 11.c4 a5 12.g5 g6 13.xf7+- ] 11.c4 c7 [ 11...d6 A fishy move , if I ever saw one. 12.d4 exd4 13.xd4 b6 14.d3 xd5 15.b5! ( 15.xh7+ h8 16.f5! is very strong.) 15...h8 16.xd6 xd6 17.e3 d8 18.ad1 d5 19.g5 f6 20.d2 g4 21.f3 ac8 22.b1 e7 23.e3 e6 24.fe1 c6 25.f2 g6 26.c1 d7 27.xc8 xc8 28.xe6 xe6 29.f5 c1+ 30.xc1 xf5 31.xa7 f4 32.d1 a5 33.e3 d5 34.c1 g5 35.a3 g7 36.h3 b5 37.c5 b3 38.d4 b6 39.c1 f4 40.c7+ g6 41.xb6 1-0 Jakovenko, D-Turov, M/chRUS, Krasnodar RUS 2002 (41) ] 12.d3 xc2 13.xc2 e8 The problem is that d pawn. It looks as though it's a matter of time before the pawn gets rounded up but there's development to think about and the pawn on e5 needs protection too. This variation is dubious for Black. 14.d4 e4 15.d2! d6 16.fe1 f6 17.e5 f5 [ I regard 17...xe5 18.dxe5 xe5 19.c3 xd5 20.xf6 gxf6 21.xe4 d2 22.ad1 as the best chance and try to grovel in an ending. ] 18.b3 g4 19.xg4 xg4 20.a3 a5 21.a4 e7 22.ac1 h6 23.c3 h5 24.h3 f5 25.ec1 f6 26.b3 The rub. b6 must be covered thus a Rook gets misplaced.. a6 27.b5 a7 28.e2 h4 29.b5 a4 30.b4 d7 31.c5 f4 [ 31...xc5 32.dxc5+- turns a small pawn into an adult. ] 32.xa7 xc1 33.b8 h7 34.d6 He never did get that pawn back,,,,,,,, g6 35.xf5 A nice finish. The pawn will promote or Black's Rook will disappear from view. I really think 3... Qa5 is poor. Perhaps best if Black must play 2...e5 is to return to the
calmer waters of the Old Indian. 1-0
1130 Peptan,Corina Danielian,Elina Olympiad w Bled (3) [Andrew Martin]
B10 2475 2385 2002
1.e4 c6 2.c4 A line recently brought into the spotlight by GM John Emms in his 'Repertoire with 1 e4' book. If I read his words correctly he thinks that whilst Black can equalize with care, it's not at all easy. The surprise value of 2 c4 is considerable and White has the option of returning to a favourable Panov in certain circumstances. Probably right. I'm guessing that most Caro players are less well prepared for 2 c4 than the other main lines. d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 f6 5.c3 xd5 6.f3 xc3 7.bxc3 g6 Black is angling for a favourable Grünfeld where the pawn on c3 will stick out like a sore thumb on the open c file. Whilst this is true, White has very good squares for his pieces. 8.c4 [ 8.d4! This is the best move for White- it has to be played and there's some flexibility with piece placement. g7 9.d3 0-0 10.0-0 c6 11.e1 b6 ( Or 11...g4 12.e4 The Bishop on c1 can come to a3 or g5 and Qb3 can be considered, pressurising b7. All in all, W hite has the more promising position.) 12.g5 b7 13.b5 d5 14.b1 e6 15.d2 ac8 16.c4 d6 17.f4 d8 18.d5 Activity dominates structure in this example. exd5 19.cxd5 a5 20.ed1 c5 21.d6 c4 22.xc4 xc4 23.d7 xf3 24.gxf3 d4 25.xd4 xd4 26.xd4 f6 27.bd1 g5 28.c7 xf3 29.e1 c6 30.e8 c1+ 31.g2 c6+ 32.f3 c2+ 33.h3 1-0 Cherniaev, A-Hinks Edwards, T/4NCL, West Bromwich ENG 2002 (33) ] [ 8.a4+ Possible but this looks like a ' tricky' move to me. c6 9.e5 d7 10.xc6 ( 10.f4 xe5 11.xe5 f6 12.e3 c6 13.d4 g7 14.a3 c8 15.f3 d5 16.b5+ f7 17.0-0 e6 18.fc1 a6 19.f1 f5 20.ab1 d7 21.b6 c6 22.xc6 xc6 23.c5 b5 1175
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 24.d1 d5 25.d2 b8 26.a4 c4 27.axb5 xf1 28.xf1 xb5+ 29.e2 e5 30.d6 xe2+ 31.xe2 c8 32.dxe5 xc3 33.b2 f4 34.b7+ g8 35.b8+ f7 36.d2 e3 37.b7+ g8 38.e7 g5 39.e6 c3+ 40.c2 f6 41.e8+ g7 42.b4 h5 43.h3 g6 44.e7 g7 45.c5 c3+ 46.d2 xc5 47.g8+ xg8 48.e8+ g7 49.xh5 d5+ 50.c2 d4 51.g4 f7 52.c8 a5 53.c7+ e6 54.xa5 e7 55.f5 f7 56.h7+ f8 57.b3 e8 58.g6+ e7 59.g8 d2 60.c4 xg2 61.d3 b2 62.c4 f8 63.e4 g7 64.f5 b7 65.g4 f7 66.h5 e7 67.e6 f6 68.e4 e7 69.g6+ f8 70.h6+ g8 71.g4 d8 72.g6+ f8 73.d6+ e7 74.h6+ g8 75.g6+ f8 76.h5 d8 77.d6+ e7 78.h6+ g8 79.g6+ f8 80.e6 g7 81.g4 f8 82.g1 h8+ 83.g4 f8 84.b1 f7 85.h5 d8 86.e4 e7 87.d3 g8 88.d4 f6 89.e4 e7 90.e5 f6 91.e6 g7 92.h4 gxh4 93.g4+ f8 94.xf4 e7 95.b8+ g7 96.g4 f6 97.e5 f7 98.h5+ g7 99.e8 g6+ 100.f5 f6+ 101.g4 1/2-1/2 Kritz, L-Mueller, K/ 74th ch-GER, Saarbruecken GER 2002 (101) ) 10...xc6 11.b5 xb5 12.xb5+ d7 13.a4 c8 14.a3 a6 15.xd7+ xd7 16.e2 b6 17.hb1 c6 18.b3 g7 19.ab1 c7 20.d4 d8 21.f4 d5 22.d3 f6 23.g4 e6 24.b4 g7 25.e1 f6 26.e3 h5 27.h3 d8 28.b1 c7 29.e4 cd7 30.f8 c7 31.e2 c6 32.eb2 d8 33.g7 a5 34.b4 hxg4 35.hxg4 b5 36.axb5+ xb5 37.c4+ b7 38.a1 g5 39.h6 gxf4 40.xf4 e5 41.e3 exd4 42.xd4 f5 43.gxf5 xf5 44.ca4 d6 45.e4 b5 46.h1 d7 47.c4 g5 48.b1+ c8 49.e5 1/2-1/2 Kostenko, P-Schandorff, L/Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002 (49) ] 8...g7 9.0-0 0-0 10.a3 I like this development of the Bishop very much, particularly so when Black has no c pawn. We see now that it is not quite a Grünfeld. There Black would block this Bishop out with ...Nd7, ...c5! and ... Qc7 . However although it looks like Peptan has hit the nail on the head and t h a t e 7 i s we a k , B l a c k sh o u ld s t i l l h a ve
enough activit y to coun ter this plan . c6 11.e1 g4 12.d4 Finally. c8! Natural, but there was also [ 12...a5! As far as I can see this equalizes. Black can accept a Rook on the 7th: A) 13.b2 ac8 14.h3 ( 14.e2 fd8; 14.b3 ) 14...xf3 15.xf3 e5!; B) 13.xe7 xe7 14.xe7 xc3 15.c1 xf3 16.gxf3 xd4 ( 16...b4 17.e1 xe1+ 18.cxe1 xd4 19.xb7 ac8 20.b3 c5 ) 17.xd4 xd4 18.xb7 a5 Maybe Danielan didn't play this because she simply wanted to win. The drawback of the last variation must be that Black has no winning chances at all. ] 13.b3 a5 14.b2 h5 15.e3 e6 [ 15...h6! is a good move, embarrassing White's Rook. Black is better now: 16.e4 ( 16.d3? f5; 16.e1 fd8 17.h3 xf3 18.xf3 xf3 19.gxf3 f4 ) 16...fd8! ] 16.h3 Peptan had just enough time for this move. xf3 17.xf3 a5 18.e2 c7 19.c4 h4 Neglecting [ 19...fc8! 20.c1 h4 Oh boy, are those pawns hanging. ] 20.d1 d8 [ 20...fc8 21.d5 ] 21.c3 xb3 22.axb3 cd7 Despite the e a r l i e r i n a c c u ra c i e s D a n i e l a n h a s g o n e t h r o u gh wi t h h e r p la n . W h a t h a p p e n s i s shocking. 23.h2! Trappy . [ 23.d5 exd5 24.cxd5 g5 25.xg7 xg7 26.g3 f5 27.d3 e5 ] 23...xd4?? [ 23...a6 ] 24.xd4! xd4 25.e5! 8d6?? [ 25...e4 26.f6 8d7 ] 26.d3 h5 27.xh5 Objectively, Black's position was fine for the majority of this game. Thus the system with ...Nc3 and...g6 can be recommended for Black. Peptan's 8 Bc4 is inferior to 8 d4 though-that is the biggest test. 1-0
1176
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1131 Ponomariov,Ruslan Gelfand,Boris 4th Kings Tournament (9) [Tom Rendle]
B10 2733 2741 24.06.2010
1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.exd5 f6 5.b5+ bd7 The main defence to Bb5+ (and almost certainly the best move) but not previously covered in ChessPublishing [ 5...d7 was looked at by Andrew Martin in t h e ga m e K o t su r, P -Ma h j o o b , M wh ic h continued 6.c4 g6 ( 6...b5 at least attempts to make some sense of the previous move but I still prefer White here, for example a sensible line seems to be 7.b3 a5 8.f3 a4 9.c2 b4 10.0-0 xd5 11.d4 and Black is rather behind in development) 7.c3 g7 8.f3 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.d3 c7 11.a4 c8 12.b3 and Black was a pawn down and struggling badly. ] 6.c3 [ 6.f3 a6 ( it's probably not best to capture the pawn straight away as W hite is very comf ortable af ter 6...xd5 7.c3 e6 8.xd5 exd5 9.0-0 e7 10.d4 with a small but secure edge for White in the game Narciso Dublan, M (2534)-Peralta, F Catalunya 2012) 7.a4 b5 8.b3 c5 9.c2 b7 10.0-0 xd5 11.d4 ce4 12.b3 h5 13.e5 e6 14.xh5 xh5 15.f3 d6 16.c3 f6 was all played in Rapport, R (2559)-Kreisl, R (2400) Plovdiv 2012 and Black didn't seem to have any problems so W hite tried 17.d5!? c4?! ( 17...xd5 looks at first risky but I don't see anything for W hite after 18.xd5 exd5 19.e1 e7 ) 18.xc4 bxc4 19.a4+ d8 20.dxe6 c5+ 21.h1 fxe6 22.g5 ( 22.b1!? planning b3 may cause Black m o r e p r o b l e m s) 22...e7 23.ac1 and White had some advantage ] 6...a6 [ 6...g6 7.d4 g7 A) 8.f3 0-0 9.d6 exd6 10.0-0 a6 11.d3 b5 12.a4 bxa4 13.xa4 ( 13.xa4!? b7 14.f4 may be slightly better for White) 13...b6 14.a2 b7 and Black had an active middlegame in Azarov, S (2583)-Gashimov, V (2658)
Moscow 2007; B) 8.d6 B1) 8...0-0!? looks like a reasonable p a wn s a c t o m e , f o r e xa m p l e 9.dxe7 xe7+ 10.ge2 a6 11.c4 b5 12.d5 and now it may be best to simply r e t r e a t t h e Q u e e n w i t h d8 ( instead after 12...e4 13.f3 e6 14.xf6+ xf6 15.d5 a7 16.0-0 b6 17.e4 d8 18.f4 Black was left struggling to prove sufficient play for the pawn in Reinderman, D (2565)-Khenkin, I (2634) Haarlem 2009) 13.xf6+ xf6 14.b3 b7 with good compensation for Black; B2) 8...exd6 9.e2+ e7 10.f4 f8 11.0-0-0 ( 11.f3!? is probably more accurate here, Black's position is certainly very unpleasant after xe2+ 12.xe2 a6 13.0-0 b6 14.fe1 e6 15.g5 ) 11...xe2 12.xe2 is definitely more pleasant for W hite b6 13.f3 e7 14.e1 e6 15.h3 d7 16.g5 d5 17.xd5 fxd5 18.d2 f5 19.e6 f6 20.e2 he8 21.he1 ac8+ 22.b1 c7 1/2-1/2 (22) Ghaem Maghami, E (2570) -Negi, P (2641) Moscow 2012 ] 7.e2 [ 7.a4 doesn't seem dangerous to me after b8 8.xd7+ xd7 9.b3 b5 10.f3 b4 11.d1 e6 12.e3 exd5 13.0-0 d6 14.d4 0-0 and Black had at least equalised in Miezis, N (2557) -Iordachescu, V (2644) Dubai 2012 ] [ 7.xd7+ also appears to be mostly harmless after xd7 8.f3 xd5 9.0-0 xc3 ( 9...b5!? ) 10.bxc3 e6 and Black was very solid in the game Berkovich, M (2397)Erenburg, S (2616) Israel 2011 ] 7...b5 [ 7...b6 also seems to be a reasonable enough way for Black to proceed although in Ghaem Maghami, E (2583)-Buhmann, R (2606) Hockenheim 2012 W hite got a pleasant IQP position after 8.f3 bxd5 ( 8...g6!? ) 9.0-0 e6 10.d4 e7 11.e5 0-0 12.f3 d7 13.g5 b8 14.e1 with a slight edge to White ] 8.d4 [ 8.f3 b7 9.0-0 b4 led to some 1177
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 interesting play in Rasik, V (2472)-Haba, P (2524) Karlovy Vary 2004 after 10.b3 b6 ( 10...bxc3 11.xb7 b8 12.c6! cxb2 13.xb2 xb2 14.fb1 b6 15.xb6 xb6 16.e5 xc6 17.dxc6! leaves Black in trouble as xe5?? allows 18.c7 d7 19.c1 c6 20.xc6 and the pawn cannot be stopped) 11.a4 d6 12.a3 xd5 ( 12...a5 may be a better option) 13.d4 e6 14.d2 and Black was under some pressure. ] 8...b4 [ 8...b7 9.f3 xd5 seems less accurate as now W hite has 10.a4! b4 11.xd5 xd5 and now in Jansa, V (2493)-Caletka, R (2357) Pardubice 2011 White would've kept the initiative with 12.f4! e6 13.c1 ] 9.a4 b7 [ I don't see anything wrong with 9...xd5 for example 10.f3 ( 10.f3 b7 11.0-0 e6 12.d2 d6 13.b3 0-0 14.a3 b8 15.axb4 xb4 16.xb4 xb4 17.xb4 xf3 18.d2 xe2 19.xe2 a5 20.fd1 f6 21.d2 d5 22.c3 c8 23.f3 c4 24.xd5 xd5 1/2-1/2 (24) Varga, Z (2473)-Rapport, R (2401) Budapest HUN 2009 ) 10...b7 11.e2 e6 12.0-0 d6 and Black was at least equal in Delgado, N (2554)-Dreev, A (2698) Calvia 2004 ] 10.f3 xd5 11.f4 e6 12.c1 e7 13.0-0 [ 13.c7!? looks dangerous but in fact there's no clear way to continue after c8 P e r h a p s W h i t e ' s b e s t o p t i o n i s 14.b6 xb6 15.xb6 b7 16.a4+ d7 17.a5 0-0 18.e5 e8 19.0-0 and Black is left with a solid position but still some problems to deal with before he can claim to have equalised ] 13...0-0 14.b3 Black should not have any serious problems here but it isn't easy to see how to continue, but there are plenty of safe ways to avoid this position if it's not your cup of tea, 6...g6 in particular looks worth investigating. a7 [ 14...c8! seems to be a clever way to equalise as White isn't better after grabbing t h e p a wn wi t h 15.xa6 xc1 16.xc1 ( 16.xc1 b6 17.xb6 xb6 18.d3 b7 must be very good compensation for a pawn ) 16...b6 17.xb6 ( 17.c7 a8 18.xb6 xf3 19.gxf3 xa6 and Black
has no problems) 17...xb6 18.e2 e4 a n d B la ck h a s su c h g o o d co n t ro l t h a t , despite behind a pawn behind, I still prefer his position ] 15.e5 a8 [ 15...xe5 16.dxe5 d7 17.d4 leaves Black rather cramped ] 16.f3 d8 definitely a sign that Gelfand isn't really sure what to do. Nevertheless Black has a very solid position and Ponomariov is unable to create real difficulties. 17.d3 a8 18.e2 a5 [ t h e c o m p u t e r m u c h p r e f e r s 18...d5 but I suspect Gelfand was (probably rightly) n o t wo rrie d t h a t m u ch a b o u t h a v in g t o concede the two Bishops ] 19.c6 xc6 20.xc6 d5 21.g3 7b6 White has the two Bishops on an open board but with e very exch ange the pawn on d 4 becomes a little more vulnerable. I suspect Black is just fairly comfortable here. 22.xb6 xb6 23.f4 This does seem a bit odd but I can't find what else White can do g6 [ 23...f6!? 24.f5 xd4+ 25.h1 e5 is at f irst suggested as playable by the engine Houdini but after a while it realises that White is dong very well after 26.f6 g6 27.d2 h8 28.f3! g8 29.f2 in any case no human player would deliberately go into this position as Black ] 24.f2?! After this White drifts into a worse middlegame [ 24.f5! was by the stage necessarily to keep the balance. A possible line would be exf5 25.xf5! gxf5 26.xf5 xd4+ 27.f2 a1+ 28.f1 xf1+ 29.xf1 and White regains the piece on b6 with a draw looking very likely ] 24...d5 25.f3 d7 26.b5 d6 27.g4?! [ 27.c2 c3 is better for Black in any case ] 27...b8 28.a4 f5 29.g5 c3? [ 29...xc6 30.xc6 xf4! leaves Black clearly better after 31.xd5 xg5+ 32.h1 exd5 33.xd5+ g7 34.xa5 f4 where the W hite king is rather open and Black has the much better structure. ] 30.e1 e4 31.e3 Black still seems to be some what bet ter here bu t p erha ps o the r considerations (time or tournament position) caused him to take a draw here. Overall I 1178
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 would recommend Nbd7 as a safe way to deal with 5.Bb5+ ½-½
1132 Postny,Evgeny L'Ami,Erwin 10th Essent Open (7) [John Watson]
B10 2609 2593 26.10.2006
Here is one of two games with 1 c4 c6 2 e4, an attempt to avoid the Slav Defence. This month I also give a game with the idea of Nf3 and g3. You can consult earlier ChessPub games for combinations of Nf3 and b3, but that won't appeal to everyone. 1.c4 c6 2.e4 The most promising way to avoid the Slav. At this point, Black generally tries one of two moves. e5!? Probably as good as [ 2...d5 , which has led to various answers: A) 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4 is a Caro-Kann Panov, and here ( 4.cxd5 f6 5.c3 xd5 6.f3 can again lead into a Panov, or to a Gruenfeld via g6 7.d4 g7 ); B) 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.exd5 f6 5.a4+! This is the one that I've concentrated upon in the past and as you will see (in B10! see the next note), I haven't found any way for Black to equalise. See Serper-Hahn (and Bladez11 from the Email Bag). ] 3.f3 [After I annotated these games, I noticed that this position has already been treated in ChessPublishing under B10. Hence I've merged and commented upon some notes from early annotated games. Apologies, and excus es be low! ] a5!? This oddball move has been tried by some strong players, and again, it should be included in B10. Alas, I promised not to tread upon other contributors' territory. However, I already have 4 games in the B10 archives, so hopefully my colabourers won't be offended (or are tired of being offended) . Anyway, In my opinion, it is clearly more of an English Opening than a Ca r o - K a n n , a n d i s l i s t e d a s s u c h i n t h e ChessBase smaller key, which is where I got the idea. [ 3...f6 4 Nc3 is a note in Van der ElburgVan Beek. Here is an interesting tidbit: 4.xe5 d6 5.f3 xe4 6.c3 xc3
7.dxc3 is an exact transposition to the Petroff Def ence, in f act, a line that I've written about: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 c4 c6 6 Nc3 Nxc3 7 dxc3! ] 4.c3 [ Andrew Martin previously analysed 4.e2 f6 5.0-0 xe4 ( 5...d6 6.c3 e7 7.d4 , but this is what Black would doubtless enter into. It justifies .. .Qa5 by protecting the e-pawn.) 6.e1 d6 7.d4 f6 8.d2 c7 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.xe5 ] 4...f6 [ Z Rahman-A Abdulla, Dhaka 2001 saw 4...b4?! 5.a4! f6 6.a3 e7 7.b4 c7 8.d4 d6 9.b2 with a substantial advantage. ] 5.e2 b4? I agree with my cohorts that the queen is generally misplaced on a5, and [ 5...c5?! 6.0-0 d4 is eccentric at best: 7.d3 d6 8.xd4 exd4 9.b1 0-0 10.f4 d5 11.e5 e8 12.d2 with White for ch o ice , J S t o ce k-J Jirka , P re ro ve CZE 2001. ] [ But here Black has the solid alternative 5...d6 6.0-0 e7 7.d4 0-0 , when the queen actually serves the useful function of protecting e5! This is certainly best. ] 6.0-0 0-0 7.c2 [ 7.d4! is also attractive, for example, xc3 8.bxc3 xe4 ( 8...xc3 9.d2 a3 10.b1! threatens both Bb4 and dxe5.) 9.d3 ( 9.dxe5 xc3 10.d2! xe2+ 11.xe2 c5 12.d3 is also somewhat better for W hite) 9...xc3 10.e1! d5 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.xe5! ( 12.d2 e4 13.xc3 d8 ) 12...b5 13.d2 b4 14.a3 and wins. ] 7...d6 [ Previously 7...d5?! was played (twice!) and analysed by Andrew Martin, who rightly criticised it after the simple 8.cxd5 cxd5 9.xd5 xd5 10.exd5 d7 11.c4 of Pelletier, Y-Seger, R/Bundesliga 2002. ] 8.a3 xc3 9.dxc3 g4!? [ 9...e6 looks better. Black would be happy to accept 10.g5 bd7 11.xe6 fxe6 out of this miserable opening. ] 10.h4!? xe2? [ 10...e6! intending 11.d1 bd7! 12.xd6 c5 ] 11.xe2 c7 12.g5 1179
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Or 12.f5 ] 12...e8 13.ad1 [ 13.f5 was the point of Nh4, right? ] 13...f6 14.c1 c5?! 15.f5! c6 16.f4 e7 17.e3 [ 17.xe7+! xe7 18.f5 looks like the GM treatment. Then Rf3-h3 is a good prelude to Kh1, Rg1, and g4-g5, as in many games of the Old Masters. ] 17...c6 18.c2 c7 19.f5! f7 20.a4?! For the next 23 moves White didn't touch his g-pawn, and by that time the queens were off the board. The game was drawn. ½-½
[ 39.e2 looks better, preparing to bring a rook to d1. ] 39...e6 40.e2 f7 41.f1 b8! Suddenly Black is back in the game. The knight on c4 has to leave the a3 pawn to its fate. 42.d2 xa3 43.xc8 xc8 44.xa7 c6 45.c5 xc5 46.xc5 e5 47.d6 c2 48.g3 h7 49.a1 a2 50.h3 a7 51.g5 hxg5 52.f5+ h6 53.e1 f7 54.d3 c7+ 55.h3 e5 56.d4 c6 57.d3 e5 58.d4 c6 59.d3 b4 60.d4 c6 The final moves looked like a frenzied battle against the clock. ½-½
1133 Rahman,Ziaur Abdulla,A 5th United Insurance (3) [Nigel Davies]
1134 Richmond,Peter Lee,Graham D 4NCL England (9) [Nigel Davies]
B10 2447 2359 21.02.2001
1.c4 c6 2.e4 e5 3.f3 a5 4.c3 b4?! [ Black should probably abandon this move in favour of 4...f6 , but even so I think his p o si t io n i s f a r f ro m p le a sa n t a f t e r 5.a3 . A game Kharlov - Volkov, Russian Ch. 2000 went c5 6.e2 d6 7.0-0 c7 8.b1 g4 9.b4 b6 10.d3 xf3 11.xf3 bd7 12.e2 0-0 13.b2 with the better game for White. ] 5.a4! A new move. The idea of a3 followed by b4 sends Black's queen and bishop running for cover. f6 6.a3 e7 7.b4 c7 8.d4 d6 9.b2 bd7 10.d3 0-0 11.c1 d8 12.0-0 h5 13.e1 f4 14.f1 g6 15.g3 f6 16.g2 d7 17.b3 f8 18.c5 An extremely thematic breakthrough! White converts his space advantage into a virulent initiative. e8 19.cxd6 xd6 20.c5 [ 20.dxe5 xe5 21.d4 also looks very strong, threatening to land on either b5 or f5. ] 20...exd4 21.xd4 d7 22.c3 xc5 23.bxc5 f8 24.h4 b6 25.h5 bxc5 26.e3 e7 27.xc5 h6 28.e3 f6 29.d4 f7 30.g4 d7 31.f3 c5 32.b3 c4 33.d2 The pawn on c4 is dropping but Black refuses to lie down and die. ac8 34.f1 d6 35.g2 a6 36.xc4 a4 37.b4 d7 38.b2 c6 39.f2
B10
1999
1.e4 c6 2.e2 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4!? cxb4 5.d4 [ 5.b2 was tried in Sorensen - Hellstrom, Copenhagen 1998 but it doesn't make much sense to me. The bishop on b2 does nothing more than bite on it's own e5 pawn and Black was a pawn up for very little after c6 6.d4 e6 7.d2 d7 8.g3 b6 9.f3 c8 10.d3 g6 11.0-0 a5 12.e1 a4 13.b1 c7 14.e2 c4 etc. ] 5...c6 6.a3 e6 [ The continuation of Bertholee - Peelen, Amstelveen 1994 was totally chaotic: 6...f6!? 7.f4 fxe5 8.h5+ g6 9.xg6 f6 10.h4 xd4 11.xe5 xc2+ 12.d1 d7 ( 12...xa1 13.b5+ d7 14.xd7+ forces Black to give up his queen as xd7 15.h5# is mate ) 13.a2 a4 14.axb4 e3+ 15.e1 xf1 16.xa4 c7 17.f4 c2 18.a1 c8 19.a3 h6 20.xh6 e4+ 21.xf1 xe5 22.a2 e4 23.d2 when Black doesn't have enough for his piece but it's anybody's guess what was happening en route. ] 7.axb4 xb4+ 8.c3 e7 9.g3 [ Alternatively White can put his knight on f4, Rosito - Hernandez, Trelew 1995 continuing 9.f4 g6 10.d3 a6 11.0-0 f8 and now bringing the other knight into play 1180
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 with 12.d2 looks like the best, with definite attacking chances for the pawn. ] 9...d7 10.h4 [ Both 10.g4!? and ] [ 10.d3!? look like interesting alternatives ] 10...f5 11.d3 a6 12.d2 h6 13.f3 f7 After allowing ... f7-f5 and the development of Black's king's knight, it doesn't look as if W hite has much compensation. But when Black gets careless, the position explodes in his face. 14.b3 c7 15.0-0 a5 16.b1 c4? 17.xc4 dxc4 18.d5! Suddenly giving W hite a very strong attack. exd5 19.e1 d8 20.xf5 xf5 21.xf5 g6 22.g4 b6 23.d4 c5 24.e6 c6 25.e7 Another pawn goes onto the bonfire. If you want to know what's happening here, leave Fritz on for a month or two. xe7 26.g5 f8 27.e6 c7 28.ae1 f7 29.h5 d7 30.hxg6 hxg6 31.h4 d8 32.h8+ e8 33.e5 d7 34.xg6 c8 35.xe7 xe7 36.g8+ f8 37.xf8+ xf8 38.e8+ d8 39.f7 1-0
1135 Sax,Gyula Martin,Andrew D Hastings [Nigel Davies]
B10
the knight to d7 might be better. [ Sax - Jakupovic, Sarajevo 1998 went 8...bd7 9.e1 h6 10.h4 ( 10.b3 m a y b e b e t t e r) 10...c5 11.f1 f8 12.e2 a5 13.d2 b6 14.ad1 a6 15.f3 e6 16.c3 g5 17.xg5 hxg5 18.f5 g6 with an excellent game for Black. ] 9.e1 a6 10.d4! dxe4?! [ Black sh ould pla y 10...xe4 11.xe4 dxe4 12.xe5 xe5 13.dxe5 with an edge for White, but a manageable one. ] 11.xe5 xe5 12.dxe5 xe5 13.xe4 f5 14.xf6+ xf6 15.xe5 xe5 16.c3 White's bishop pair gives him a clear edge, but Black defends very stubbornly. And in time-trouble things get turned around altogether. e8 17.e3 e6 18.h2 c7 19.b3 d5 20.e1 d7 21.d1 c8 22.xd5 cxd5 23.xd5 a4 24.d4 xh3 25.xa4 f1 26.h4 d8 27.e5 e8 28.h5?? [ 28.c5 leaves White much better, but now the tables get well and truly turned. ] 28...c6!! 29.xh7+ f8 30.c5+ xc5 31.g1 e1 32.h8+ e7 33.d4 h3+ [ W hite is mated after 33...h3+ 34.h2 h1+ 35.xh1 c6+ ] 0-1
1983
Gyula Sax has his own way of treating the 4... Bd6 and 5...Nf6 set-up, and that's to prevent Black from bringing his other bishop out to g4 (7.h3) and then put pressure on e5. It doesn't really set the world on fire but Black needs to respond accurately. 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 e5 4.gf3 d6 5.g3 f6 6.g2 0-0 7.h3!? [ There's been plenty of experience with the natural 7.0-0 but then e8 8.c3 ( 8.b3 g4 9.h3 h5 10.b2 bd7 11.e1 a5 12.a3 xf3 13.xf3 b5 was fine for Black in Ljubojevic - Karpov, Monaco 1993; or 8.e1 g4 9.h3 h5 10.f1 bd7 11.g4 g6 12.g3 dxe4 13.dxe4 c5 as in Ljubojevic - Seirawan, Rotterdam 1989) 8...g4 9.h3 h5 10.e1 bd7 11.c2 f8 12.f1 a5 Ljubojevic - Delemarre, Antwerp 1996 ] 7...e8 8.0-0 a5 Staking out space on the queenside, though the modest development of
1136 Sebag,Marie Xu Yuanyuan FRA-CHN Match (1) [Andrew Martin]
B10 2404 2381 07.02.2004
A REAL ODDITY 1.e4 c6 2.f3 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.e5!? Now I've seen everything. The initial impression is that this is nothing other t h a n a 'ch e a p o ' m o ve . B u t e ve n c h e a p o moves have to be dealt with. c6 Yes, that is what I would have done. Let's see how a very strong player reacts otherwise: [ 4...f6 5.d4 g6!? 6.d3 g7 7.d2 0-0 8.0-0 c6 9.df3 g4 10.xc6 bxc6 11.e1 e8 12.h3 f6 13.c3 Black has failed to find an adequate response. White is solidly, slightly better. b6 14.e2 a5 15.e5 a6 16.xa6 xa6 17.f3 b7 18.e2 e6 19.h6 xh6 20.xf6 g7 1181
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 21.f4 xe5 1/2-1/2 Hakki, I-Magerramov, E/Damascus 2003 Out of respect W hite takes the draw. I would play on and stick the Kingside pawns up the board. ] 5.d4 f6 6.b5N Clearly this is the main idea, pressurizing c6. The point of Sebag's novelty is that she wants to play aggressively with c2-c4 in place of the c3 stuff shown below. [ 6.c3 A) 6...e6 7.g5 e7 8.d2 b6 9.b3 c7 10.b5 0-0 11.df3 d7 12.xd7 xd7 13.0-0 e4 14.xe7 xe7 15.d3 f5 16.fe1 a5 17.a4 c7 18.e5 c6 19.f3?! ( 19.xc6! bxc6 20.f3 was far better.) 19...xe5 20.dxe5 b6+ 21.d4= Haahr, M-Skov, P/Hillerod 1980; B) I suggest the straightforward 6...f5!? with 7.b3 ( 7.a4 b6 8.b5 c8=; 7.b5 b6 8.b3 e6 9.xc6+?! bxc6 10.xb6 axb6 11.xc6 xb1 12.xb1 xa2 ) 7...c8 8.g5 e4 9.f4 e6= Sometimes simplicity will do.; C) 6...g6 7.d3 g7 8.0-0 0-0 9.e1 d7 10.xd7 xd7 11.d2 e5 12.dxe5 xe5 13.b3 xd3 14.xd3 f5 15.d1 xd3 16.xd3 e6 17.e3 fc8 18.d4 a5 19.xg7 xg7 20.d4 a4 Labib, I-Molina, J/Bled 2002 ] 6...b6 [ Ok, why not 6...d7 . I just don't see how White goes forward: 7.xd7 ( 7.c3 e6 8.0-0 b4= ) 7...xd7 8.0-0 ( 8.c3 e6 9.0-0 d6 10.d2 c7 11.f3 0-0= ) 8...a6 9.a4 e6 10.g5 e4 11.e3 b5 12.b3 d6= White obtains the two Bishops in these lines but the Black position is rock-solid. ] 7.c4! This lever will give White an attack. A more or less forced sequence follows. dxc4 8.c3 e6 9.a4 d7 10.xd7 xd7 11.e3 d8 12.d5 Sebag is as ever, direct. d4 13.dxe6 fxe6 14.0-0-0 c5 15.xd7+ xd7 16.xc4 Black's position creaks after this simple capture. c7 [ 16...0-0!? 17.a4 c6 18.xc5 b5 19.b4?! ( 19.xd4! is very strong. bxc4 20.xd7 f5 21.hd1 c3 22.b4 cxb2+ 23.xb2 ) 19...a5 20.xd4 axb4 21.xd7 f5 ]
17.xd4 f4+ 18.b1 xd4 19.xe6+ e7 20.xe7+ What Sebag played cannot be called bad or even dubious. Indeed in a lot of lines White whips up quite a dangerous attack. And psychologically Black's guard might well be lowered by this ' ridiculous' looking move. B u t I h o p e I h a ve s h o wn t h a t B l a c k h a s nothing really to fear if he sticks to the basics of simple development. However, Black can expect nothing more than equality. 1-0
1137 B10 Serper,Grigory 2542 Han,Aloysius 2235 2005 US Chessmaster Championship (2) [John Watson] 1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 [ 2...e5 is another story, with many games delivering mixed results. Personally I like White. ] 3.cxd5 cxd5 Remarkably, this has begun to look bad already. But Black probably doesn't achieve enough by gambitting: [ 3...f6 4.dxc6 xc6 5.c3 e5 6.f3 c5 7.e2 0-0 8.0-0 a6 9.d3 b5 10.a3 e7 11.g5 e6 12.c1 with an extra pawn and no special troubles, Topalov-Cruz Lopez Claret, Elgoibar 1992. ] 4.exd5 f6 [ 4...xd5 5.c3 e5+ 6.e2 has done very badly. Black has little to show for the loss of centre and development. ] 5.a4+ d7 6.b3 This position has scored an amazing 83% f or W hite with almost a 700-point performance difference. Black has several chances to avoid what follows. For example, c7 The most common move by far but I doubt that it's the best. Black could also try 6...Na6!?, while [ 6...b6 7.c3 is only somewhat better for White: a6 8.c4 ( or 8.xa6 xa6 9.d4 e6 10.ge2 ) 8...xb3 9.xb3 b4 10.d4 f5 11.f3 c2 12.c4 ] 7.c3 e6 Since White doesn't capture this pawn immediately and it soon becomes a weakness, it is worth thinking about making the gambit a real one by [ (a) 7...e5 , when Black has good activity 1182
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and mo bile p awns. That's proba bly no t enough for the pawn but is double-edged. 8.c4!? ( 8.f3! d6 9.d4 ) 8...d6 ( 8...c5 9.d6?! xd6 10.xf7+ e7 11.c4 c6 better simply 9.d3) 9.d3 a6 10.b5 xb5 11.xb5+ e7 12.xa6?! bxa6 13.e2 ab8 ] [ (b) The immediate 7...a6 8.d4! b6 9.c4 appears good for White. ] [ ( c ) F i n a l l y , 7...g6 is awfully slow, e.g., 8.c4 ( or 8.d4 g7 9.g3 h5 10.g2 0-0 11.ge2 with a nice advantage, LuettSachs, Hamburg 2001) 8...g7 9.d6!? ( 9.f3 0-0 10.d4 ) 9...xd6 10.xf7+ f8 11.c4 c6 12.b5 b4?! 13.f3 g4 14.g5 and Black stands poorly, KoellnKrooss, Eckernfoerde 2001 ] 8.c4 [ 8.f3 exd5 9.xd5 xd5 10.xd5 c6 is not so easy for White. ] 8...a6 [ 8...exd5 9.xd5 xd5 10.xd5 c6 11.f3 d6 12.0-0 0-0 13.d4 and Black had nothing for the pawn, Bjarnason-Voegeli, Basel 2001. ] 9.dxe6 Or even [ 9.d4 ] 9...fxe6 10.d4 b4 11.e2!? [ O k a y, b u t c o n se rva t ive . S u re l y 11.f3 (or 11.Nge2) c2+ 12.xc2 xc4 13.e3 intending an early Ne5 favours W hite, as does ] [ 11.ge2 c2+ 12.xc2 xc4 13.f4 ] 11...e7 12.f3 c6 13.0-0 White is a pa wn up an d h as th e b et t er p o sit io n . 0-0 14.h3 h5 15.d5 a5 16.d1 ad8 17.g5 f6 18.c1 b6 19.e3 [ Or 19.d2 ] 19...xb2?? [ 19...c5 was the best try. ] 20.d6 xd6 21.xd6 c8 22.c5 c6 23.b5 The line with 5.Qa4+ looks better all the time. Black has to think about deviating early on, probably with 6...Na6 or 6...Qb6. 1-0
1138 Short,Nigel D Sasikiran,Krishnan 34th Olympiad (3) [Nigel Davies]
B10
30.10.2000
1.e4 c6 2.e2 d5 3.e5 f5 The move that 2.Ne2 is designed against. W hite certainly seems to get something but it's not necessarily so bad. 4.g3 [ W hite has also played 4.d4 , but this looks as if it involves too much hopping around. Even the e5-e6 tricks associated with this idea look unconvincing and I think th a t B la ck ca n cold -b lo od e dly p la y g6 ( 4...h6!? is also interesting, Zakariasen Dahl, Copenhagen 1996 resulting in a superfast win forBlackafter 5.e2 c5 6.xf5 xf5 7.0-0 e6 8.d3 c6 9.f4 h5 10.f3? c4 11.c3 cxd3 12.xd3 c5+ 13.h1 h4 14.xd5? 0-0-0 15.g3 g4 0-1; 4...c8 5.xf5 xf5 6.d4 (Kranewitter Forster, Bundesliga 1999) looks a bit better for White because of his bishops, though once again it's not a huge advantage) 5.e6 d6 ( I also think that 5...fxe6 6.xe6 d6 7.xf8 xf8 looks fine for Black his lead in development compensates for the loss of the two bishops and castling rights.) 6.e2 a6 7.g3 c7 8.h3 xe6 9.xe6 fxe6 10.xe6 was played in Sorensen Pedersen, Copenhagen 1997 and now I suggest xe6+ 11.xe6 d7 12.c5+ ( 12.xf8+ xf8 13.d3 e5 ) 12...c7 13.d4 e5! 14.e6+ d7 15.xf8+ xf8 16.dxe5 xc2 with an excellent game. ] 4...e6 With White's knight on the more se n sib le g3 squ a re it 's p ro b a b ly wis e t o prevent these e5-e6 pawn sacs: [ 4...g6 can be met by 5.h4 A) 5...h5 has also been played after which a n h - p a w n h u n t w i t h 6.d4 ( 6.e6 was less convincing after fxe6 7.d4 f6 8.d3 f7 9.d2 d6 10.f3 bd7 11.e2 g4 12.0-0 g6 13.c3 e5 in B erczes - Ba nusz, B udap est 200 1) 6...e6 7.e2 looks interesting. Just off the top of my head, a possible line of play is e7 8.xh5 xh5 9.xh5 xh4 10.g4 xf2+ 11.xf2 g6 12.xg6! xh1 13.xe6+ e7 ( or 13...e7 14.xf7+ 1183
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d7 15.g5 ) 14.c8+ d8 15.xf7+ e7 16.g5+ etc.; B) 5...h6 6.h5 h7 7.e6 fxe6 8.d4 f6 9.d3 a6 10.xh7 xh7 11.d3 d6 12.g6+ d7 13.c3 d8 14.0-0 c8 (Getting 'castled' by hand, but Black's pieces are still awfully congested on the kingside) 15.e1 c7 16.ce2 d7 17.f4 e8 18.xe6 xe6 19.f5 g6 20.hxg6 g7 21.xe6 1-0, Rossetto L u c k i s , A rg e n t i n e Ch . , B u e n o s A i re s 1961 ] 5.d4 g6 6.c3 The game now proceeds at a totally different pace, with solid positional manoeuvres being the order of the day. White has more space, but it'sdif f icult to break through because of Black's control of f5. h5 7.d3 c8 8.h4 h6 9.d2 g7 10.0-0 c5 11.f3 c6 12.e3 g4 13.e2 cxd4 14.cxd4 0-0 15.c1 f5 16.xf5 xf5 17.c5 d7 18.g5 xe2 19.xe2 f6 [ It's no longer enough to be solid, Black has t o g e t s o m e c o u n t e r p l a y . 19...e6 would be met by 20.g4 , prising open files on the kingside. ] 20.exf6 xf6 [ 20...exf6 would be answered by 21.h3 , coming to f4 from where it would hit d5 and g6. ] 21.d3 d8 22.f4 g4 23.b3 fd6 24.f3 b6 25.c3 a5 26.c2 c4 27.e5 xe5 28.dxe5 xe3 29.xe3 6d7 30.f2 The storm clouds finally start gathering around Black's king and Short's youthf ul opponent has to defend brilliantly to survive. h7 31.g3 xh4 32.f5 g5 33.e6 c7 34.f6 f8 35.f7 h6 36.e3 d4 37.f3 d3 38.xd3 c4 39.d1 e4 40.e3 f4 41.e2 g4 42.de1 f6 43.e3 h4 44.a3 d4+ 45.h1 h3 46.gxh3 d5+ 47.h2 f3 48.xe7 h8 49.g2 xh3+ [ 49...xh3+ 50.xh3 g6+ 51.g3 d3+ 52.f2 d2+ 53.e2 f4+ 54.g1 c1+ 55.f2 f4+ is a draw by perpetual check ] ½-½
1139 B10 Smirin,Ilia 2641 Stellwagen,Daniel 2619 TOP 16 GpB Chalons en Champagne FRA (7) [John Watson] 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 g6 [ The other move order that is being played is 3...c7 4.g3 ( In an earlier update Black had no serious problems following 4.gf3 g4 5.h3 h5 6.g3 e6 7.g2 d7 8.0-0 gf6 9.e2 dxe4 10.dxe4 e5 TiviakovMchedlishvili, Dresden 2007) 4...f6 5.g2 g4 6.gf3 e6 (now there's no target on e5) 7.0-0 e7 of Shorokhov-Ovetchkin, Dagomys 2009, which continued A) 8.e2! 0-0 9.h3 is White's best setup, w i t h t h e i d e a xf3!? ( giving up the bishops, but Black doesn't have to strong central presence that he does in the game. 9...h5 may well be better, as in the Tiviakov game) 10.xf3 and he has some long-term prospects in the centre and on the kingside; B) 8.b3!? The bishop does nothing on b2. 0-0 9.b2 c5! (this seems to lose time, but it introduces the idea of ...d4, stifling White's bishop, and clears the way for ... Nc6) 10.h3 ( 10.e2 c6 11.h3 h5 ) 10...xf3 11.xf3 ( 11.xf3 d4 12.c4 b5 13.d2 c6 14.e2 may offer the chance for f4, and if ...e5, f5 with the idea Nf3 and g4-g5. This seems a little optimistic but Black's plan is as yet unclear ) 11...c6 12.exd5 (a sad concession Black gains easy equality because of his superior centre) xd5 ( Or 12...exd5 ) 13.xd5!? exd5 14.e1 d4 15.a3 d7 16.g4 f5 17.e2 ae8 18.e6+ xe6 19.xe6 B1) 19...g5 20.xe8 xe8 21.f3 ( 21.f4 e2 22.d1 d8 with the idea .. Ba5 ) 21...f6 22.e1 xe1+ 23.xe1 f7 only slightly improves upon the game, if that; B2) 19...f6 20.xe8 xe8 21.f1 f7 22.c4 e6 23.e1 b5 24.xe6 xe6 25.d2 d5 26.e2 g5 27.c1 h6 28.g4! fxg4 29.hxg4 e5 30.e4 d8 31.d2 e6 32.a5 f4+ Black can't make progress. ] 1184
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 4.g3 g7 5.g2 e5 6.gf3 e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.e1 c7 This is a traditional Black setup the only problem is his lack of a direct plan. [ We saw 8...d4 9.a4 c5 10.c4 bc6 wit h ap p ro xim a t e e qu a lit y in S t rik o vicGagunashvili, Benidorm ESP 2007. ] [ 8...d7 9.exd5 cxd5 10.c4!? holds forth some promise. ] 9.a4 [ 9.e2 and ] [ 9.c3 are more conventional. ] [ Now 9.exd5 cxd5 10.c4 invites d8! ] 9...h6 10.b4!? [ 10.d4 i s R y b k a ' s s u g g e s t i o n , exd4 ( a good alternative is 10...f5!? 11.exd5 e4 12.d6! xd6 13.c4 d5 ) 11.b3 Then c5 ( 11...dxe4 12.f4 d8 13.xe4 f5 14.e1 d3 15.cxd3 is surprisingly sound, due to the ideas of xd3 16.c5 16 an d 1 5 . . . B xb 2 B xh 6) 12.exd5 xd5 13.fxd4 cxd4 14.xd5 yields a small advantage. ] 10...e6 11.b2 d7 12.d4 This is White's idea but Black reacts well and it doesn't lead to anything. dxe4 13.xe4 f5 14.c5 xc5 15.dxc5 ad8 16.c1 e4! 17.xg7 xg7 18.b2+ h7 19.d4 e5 [ (or 19...g8 20.ad1 a5 21.c3 axb4 22.cxb4 d5 ] 20.c3 d5 21.b5 f7 [ 21...c7 is equal. ] 22.ad1 g8?! [ 22...c7 ] 23.bxc6 c8? [ 23...b8 24.cxb7 fxb7 25.a3 e7 26.f3! with good prospects of attack ] [ 23...f6! 24.cxb7 ( 24.a3! keeps the advantage ) 24...xb7 25.a3 c8 ] 24.b5 White wins material. He consolidates, only after allowing too much counterplay: xc6 25.f4 e6 26.d4 e7 27.xc6 xc6 28.b4 f6 29.f1!? [ 29.d6 ] 29...g5 30.fxg5 hxg5 31.c4 f4! 32.xf7 xf7 33.d4 e3 34.gxf4 a2 35.d3+ e4 36.e2 xe2 37.xe2 gxf4 38.d6? [ 38.d4! g6 39.g2+ f5 40.g7 with the idea f3 ( 40...c6 41.f7 g6 42.xf6+ xf6 43.xf4+ ) 41.f7 ] 38...g6? [ 38...g4! 39.a5 a6 40.h3 41 forced, or
40 Kf1 f3 h3 f3 41.f1 fxe2+ 42.xe2 h6 43.xe3 c6 44.f4 g7 . Suddenly it's not clear if White can win. ] 39.g2+ f5 40.g7 g4 41.f7+ e5 42.e7+ f5 43.f7+ e5 44.d4! f2 45.h4 f3 46.h5 h3+ 47.f1 g5 48.g7 e6 49.xe4+ xe4 50.e7 e5 1-0
1140 Stein,Leonid Birbrager,Isaak Moscow [Nigel Davies]
B10
1966
The 2.d3 line of the Caro doesn't look very exciting, but it has appealed to some of the most daring attacking players of the 20th century. The big point is that it keeps the tension and denies Black the opportunity for the kind of clear and simple development that Caro players usually like. In this game we see Black play some natural moves but then get pounded by a series of hammer blows. Vintage Stein. 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.dxe4 f6 5.gf3 g4 6.h3 h5 A llo win g a su d d e n a n d p o we rf u l ra id o n Black's position. [ H e h a d t o p l a y 6...xf3 7.xf3 e5 with a passive but solid position. ] 7.e5 d5 8.e6 f6 [ After 8...fxe6 the re f o llows 9.g4 g6 10.e5 with a powerful initiative. ] 9.g4 g6 10.d4 c7 11.c3 d5 At t a cking b o t h e6 a n d h1 , b u t St e in h a s prepared a stunning reply. 12.b3! xh1 [ E x c h a n g i n g q u e e n s w i t h 12...xb3 leaves Black's position cut in half by the pawn on e6 after 13.2xb3 . Black prefers to go down fighting. ] 13.xb7 d8 14.2f3 d3 15.f4! Playing f or mate xf1+ 16.d2 xf2+ 17.xd3 xe6 Eliminating the pawn on e6 any way he can. [ After 17...ba6 White wins with 18.xc6 ] 18.xe6+ e8 19.c8+ f7 20.fg5+ [ Black is mated after 20.fg5+ g6 ( or 20...fxg5 21.xg5+ ) 21.e8+ h6 22.h5# ] 1-0 1185
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1141 Stein,Leonid Haag,Ervin Tallinn [Nigel Davies]
B10
The knight on c7 defends the rook on e8. 1-0
1969
Stein's 8.b4 is a noteworthy idea which crops up a lot in the ...g6 lines. He probably got the idea after the 1968 Candidates play-off in which he first played c3 with a later b4 against Hort. Here we see it in a more refined form. 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 g6 4.g3 g7 5.g2 e5 6.gf3 e7 [ In the game Stein - Barcza, Caracas 1970, the Hungarian GM chose a more exotic d e v e l o p m e n t o f h i s k n i g h t wi t h 6...h6 , the game going 7.0-0 0-0 8.b4 f6 ( 8...a5 is better, though White will obtain dynamic play similar to the main game.) 9.b3 dxe4 10.dxe4 xd1 11.xd1 b6 12.f1 f7 13.e3 g4 14.g2 d7 15.h3 e6 ( 15...xf3+ wa s m a n d a t o ry) 16.bd4!! exd4 17.xd4 winning back the piece with an extra pawn. ] 7.0-0 0-0 8.b4!? Improving on a previous game. [ Against Hort, in the 1968 Candidates playoff, Stein first played 8.c3 and only after d7 went 9.b4 . The advantage of the text is that it leaves open the a1-h8 diagonal and saves the time spent on 8.c3. ] 8...a5 From a structural point of view this makes perfect sense, but the downside is that it leaves White with very active pieces. 9.bxa5 xa5 10.b2 c7 11.e2 d4 An attempt to ease the pressure against e5, but the d4 pawn can be effectively undermined. [ Defending it with 11...f6 would be strongly met by 12.d4! ] 12.c3 dxc3 13.xc3 a4 14.c4 b5 15.c2 e6 [ Keene recommended 15...f6 at this point, but W hite would then play 16.b2 a8 17.d4 with a powerful initiative. ] 16.cxe5 f6 17.c4 xc4 18.dxc4 xc4 19.d2 a4 20.b3 a6 21.fd1 Simple chess, taking the d-file. With Black's pieces spread all over the board he has little prospect of defence. c5 22.e2 c4 23.d4 b6 24.ab1 c7 25.b4 e8 26.xb5! xb5 27.xc4+ h8 28.f7 c7 29.d6
1142 Strikovic,Aleksa Gagunashvili,Merab XX Open Benidorm ESP (9) [John Watson]
B10 2563 2625 30.04.2007
Here's another way for Black to counter 2 d3. 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 g6!? 4.gf3 g7 5.g3 e5!? Giving White the centre pawns to attack, but it can't be too bad. 6.g2 e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.e1 d4 [ 8...d7 9.exd5 cxd5 10.c4!? is a standard King's Indian Attack theme I like White. ] 9.a4 c5 10.c4 This should be more-or-less what W hite wants yet he's still only about equal. bc6 11.c3!? [ 11.f1 intending a knight move and f4 is normal, but W hite can also try to use the position of his rook by means of the manoeuvre ] [ 11.fd2 e6 12.b3 b6 13.f4 ] 11...e6 12.cxd4 [ 12.g5 xc4 13.dxc4 dxc3 14.bxc3 is unclear, because although White's pawns are a mess, he can put a piece on d5 and Black has nothing similar on d4. W hite's pieces are so badly-placed, however, that it's hard to believe in any advantage. ] 12...xc4!? Black gives up his good bishop with the idea that White's will remain passive and the resulting locked position favourable. I doubt that's true, but I also doubt that White has anything in the resulting positions. [ 12...xd4!? w i t h t h e i d e a 13.fxe5 ( 13.cxe5? b3 ) 13...f6!? 14.f3 xf3+ 15.xf3 c6 with some nice squares, maybe enough for a pawn. ] [ 12...cxd4 is obvious and adequate. ] 13.dxc4 cxd4 14.d2 a5 15.c5!? [ 15.b3 c7 16.ac1 might prepare this advance better. ] 15...b6 16.c1 b8 17.f1! bxc5 18.xc5 xb2 19.c1?! [ 19.b5! xb5 20.axb5 and Qa4 gives plenty of play. ] 19...b6 1186
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 19...b3! ] A) jw: 9.f4 is the usual move in these 20.b5 d6 21.c4 a8 22.c1 d8 French-like positions, and if Black tries to 23.c7 f6 24.g5?! p r e v e n t N h 5 w i t h g6 , White has [ 24.c5! b7 25.a3 with some sort of compensation due to the dark squares, for dynamic balance. ] example, 10.d2 ( 10.b5 d7 24...xf3 25.xe7 bb8 26.d7? 11.e2; 10.d3 f6! ) 10...c7 11.f3; [ White should head for opposite-coloured B) 9.g3 d7 ( 9...f6 10.d3 c7 ) bishops by 26.xd8 xd8 27.d3 xd3 10.h4?! ( Davies pre f ers 10.d3; or 28.xd3 ] 10.g4 White has reasonable 26...h6 27.f1 b2 28.g4 b3?! compensation.) 10...f5 ( 10...f6! ) 11.d3 [ 28...xg4! 29.xd8 f3! ] ( 11.h5 g6 12.f4 with compensation) 29.c5?! 11...a6 12.d2 ( 12.h5 ) 12...h6 [ 29.xb3! xb3 30.d6 g7 31.f4 13.f3 f7 P Richmond-G Lee, England was the best try. ] 1999, although White went on to win. ] 29...e6! 30.c8+ xc8 31.xc8+ f8 [ 8...f8 might be met by 9.f4 g6 10.b5 32.d6 g7 33.e8 h5 34.d1 d3 ge7 11.0-0 g7 12.a3 ] 35.xf8 xf8 36.xe5 d2! and wins. 9.g3 ge7 10.h5 0-0 11.g5! 37.xh5 gxh5 38.xh5 g7 39.xa5 d1 [ In her book, Houska says: ' 11.g4 g6 40.xd1 xd1+ 41.g2 d3 42.d8+ h7 12.d3 h4 and Black is a pawn up." ] 43.h4+ h6 44.f6 h5 45.f3 xf3+ 11...c7 46.xf3 d2 47.e5 c3 48.e3 d2 [ 11...h6 ] 49.e2 g6 50.f4 f5 51.h3 b4 52.h4 [ 11...b6 12.xg7! ] g4 53.d1 c3 54.e2 xg3 55.a5 12.xa5! xf4 56.a6 d4 57.xd2 xe5 58.e2 [ Or 12.xg7 xg7 13.f6+ g8 14.xa5 f4 59.d3 a7 60.h5 g5 61.e4 f6 xa5 15.g4+ g6 16.h5 with mate to 0-1 follow. ] 12...xa5 13.xg7! f5! [ 13...xg7 14.f6+ g8 15.g4+ g6 1143 B10 16.g5 xd4 17.d3 ] Surtees,Michael 2182 14.h5 g6 15.f6+ h8 [ Martin suggests 15...xf6 16.xf6 b5 Houska,Jovanka 2405 17.c1 b8 18.h4 b4 19.h3 ( or 19.h5 )] 95th ch-GBR Liverpool ENG (7.15) 04.08.2008 16.xh7! c7 [John Watson] [ 16...xh7 17.h5+ g7 18.h6+ f7 19.h7+ e8 20.xg6+ f7 21.e2 ] 1.e4 c6 2.e2 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4!? Houska gives this '?!' and comments that b4, 17.xf8 xf8 18.f6+ g8 19.g4! f4 'often seen in the French and the Sicilian, 20.d3 b5 21.g5 b4 22.h5 e7 23.g6 does not work well here at all. cxb4 5.d4 1-0 c6 6.a3 e6 [ a) 6...bxa3 7.c3 e6 8.f4 ge7 9.xa3 B10 g6 10.h5 d7 11.d3 xa3 12.xa3 1144 0-0 13.0-0 f6 14.exf6 gxf6 15.b1 f5 Taylor,Peter P was Surtees-Arkell, Bradford 2002 when Dearing,Eddie Martin on ChessBase.de likes 16.e1! ] Surrey Open Coventry 24.03.2008 [ b) 6...f6 was analysed in Richmond-Lee in [Dearing] the next note it was played in Bertholee Peelen, Amstelveen 1994, with 'chaotic' Annotations to this game are by Ed Dearing, results (Davies). ] with a couple of bracketed notes by me. 1.c4 7.axb4 xb4+ 8.c3 a5 c6!? 2.e4! Completely unexpected. I don't [ Martin quotes a game from years back, play the Caro-Kann with Black and Peter analysed in ChessPub: 8...e7 Taylor rarely plays 1.e4 with W hite. I had 1187
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 entirely forgotten that he had spent a lifetime defending the black side of the Caro-Kann d5 3.exd5?! [ 3.cxd5 is better as it prevents Black's next move. ] 3...f6! A cunning move order trick. [ 3...cxd5 4.cxd5 f6 5.a4+ is currently very popular and is considered problematic for Black. ] 4.c3 cxd5 5.cxd5 g6?! [ Of course 5...xd5 6.c4 e6 7.d4 c6 8.f3 e7 9.0-0 0-0 is the main line, but I wanted to avoid "simple" IQP positions. By leaving the pawn on d5 Black forces White to play a position with an unusual pawn structure which obstructs the natural development of White's pieces. ] 6.a4+!? bd7 Now Black reaches the same difficult line mentioned in the note to Black's third move, above. 7.c4 g7 8.f3 [ [ j w : I g a v e s o m e a n a l y s i s o n 8.ge2 in last month's column, and haven't found a way to equality yet, but that's based on very little analysis] ] 8...0-0 9.d3 a6 10.a3! [ 10.0-0 b5 11.xb5 b6-+ ] 10...b6! [ 10...b6 11.b3 ] 11.0-0 b7 12.e1 b5 [ 12...e8!? Black delays b6-b5 with a view to keeping the 4th rank closed to the queen. In the game the bishop is forced to retreat to b3, but this opens an avenue for the white Queen to reach the kingside via Qa3-b4-f4/ h4. Whether or not this promises White any advantage remains open to debate, but the by delaying b5 Black at least forces White to f i n d a n o t h e r p l a n . 13.g5 [jw: ( in my update, I give 13.f4 an '!'. But I don't suppose that it's that much different in character.) 13...f8 14.d6 ( jw: here 14.b4 should be looked at. It's a handy move in any case, with the idea of a4, and in many cases the queen will skip over to the kingside ) 14...e6 15.f4 c8 looks pretty solid. Black can even consider stirring up counterplay with on the Kingside with Rc8c5-f5. ] 13.b3 e8 14.g5 f8!N A strong novelty, which exploits the position of the white Queen on a3 (hence the reason for 12...b5). 15.d6
e6 16.b4 [jw: now this seems poorly timed. Ed gives the following analysis:] [ 16.f4 h5!? ( 16...c8!?; 16...h6; 16...b6!? )] [ 16.ge4 xe4 ( 16...g4 was the move I wanted to play, intending the eccentric 17.b4 ge5 threatening Nc6, b4 18.d4 g7 19.e3 h4 ) 17.xe4 xe4 18.dxe4 b6 19.e3 xd6 20.xb6 xa3 21.d4 c5 is perhaps a pinch better for White, but there isn't much in it. ] 16...h6! 17.ge4 d5 18.xd5 exd5 19.g3 xe1+ 20.xe1 c5 21.c2 xd6 22.b4?! An impulsive decision, driven by White's frustration at the sudden transformation in the position. In essence W hite was not able to step back from the position and take stock of the fact that he is now worse and has to switch to the defensive. This is made worse by the fact that White's position appeared to be so dominating, but in fact fell apart at the first hurdle. [ 22.d4 e6 23.e3 was better, although Black retains a very slight advantage due to the superior piece placement and activity. ] 22...e6 23.a3 White had intended From this point on Black's position seems to play itself. All of White's moves are natural and obvious, but Black's attack becomes irresistible with surprising speed. [ 23.b2 xb4 24.e5 of course missing the simple response g7-+ . Of course, had W hite sensed the danger and stopped to think at move 22 such an oversight would never have been made. ] 23...d4! 24.d1 g7 25.e3! e8 [ 25...f3+ 26.xf3 xa1 27.xa1 ] 26.c1 h5! 27.d2 h4 28.e2 xe2+ 29.xe2 d4 30.g5 [ 30.f4 xe2 ] 30...h3 31.f1 [ 31.gxh3 d5 32.f3 xe2 33.xe2 xg5+ 34.f2 xc1 ] 31...hxg2 32.xg2 xg2 33.xg2 d5+ 34.g1 [ 34.f3 e2+ 35.xe2 xg5+ 36.f2 xc1 ] 34...f3 35.h4 e2 36.d1 e5 37.f1 g5! 0-1
1188
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1145 Tiviakov,Sergei Mchedlishvili,Mikheil 8th ch-Euro T/B Qualification (1.1) [John Watson]
B10 2663 2609 15.04.2007
9.b2 b6!? Black seeks to develop his lightsquared bishop, but other moves are possible, [ 9...b6 10.e1 g4!? 11.e2 Quinteros,M-Moreda,L/Villa Ballester 1997, when c5 12.e1 is unclear. ] 10.d4!? White tries to explode the centre and 1.e4 c6 2.d3 I couldn't find any examples of exploit the temporary weakness along the this modest but perfectly playable line in the long diagonal, another option was [ 10.exd5 cxd5 11.e1 b7 12.c4 archives. d5 3.d2 c7!? A unique idea, with chances to both sides. ] waiting for 4 Ngf3. [ 3...e5 is normal, and recommended in 10...dxe4! [ 10...exd4 11.xd4 dxe4 12.e1 b7 Houska's book. ] was the main alternative, when 13.xe4 4.gf3 xe4 14.xe4 favours White, who is more [ 4.g3 e5! ] mobile, e.g. xe4 15.xe4 c5 16.e6! 4...g4 5.h3 h5 6.g3 fxe6? 17.xd6 xe4 18.xe6+ winning. ] [ 6.d4!? dxe4 7.xe4 d7! 8.g3 g6 resembles the main line with 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 11.xe5?! Objectively speaking, [ 11.g5 is stronger, c7 12.e1 b7 Nxe4 Bf5. ] 13.dxe4 which is fairly level. ] 6...e6 7.g2 d7 8.0-0 gf6 Black has 12.dxe5 g4 13.c4!? equalised smoothly. 9.e2 dxe4 10.dxe4 e5 11...xe5 W hite decides t hat his b est chance s are 11.g4 g6 12.h4 c5 offered by a queen sac, [ 12...0-0-0 or ] [ 13.f3 exf3 ( 13...xe5!? 14.xe5 xe5 [ 12...c5! are more pointed. ] 15.fxg4 d5 can be met by another queen 13.c3 a5 14.f5 0-0 15.b3 b6 16.g5 sac, 16.xe4! xd1 17.axd1 e7 xf5 17.gxf5 ad8 It's hard to know if 18.xf6+ with sufficient play) 14.xf3 c5+ anyone stands better here. 18.h1!? a4 15.h1 d5 leaves Black with a small 19.d2 c5 20.ad1?! plus. ] [ 20.c4! with the idea d3 21.f4! ] 20...d3 21.b1 fe8 22.c4 a7 23.e3 13...xd1 14.axd1 d7 [ 14...g4! 15.xe4 ( 15.xd6?! e3! ) f4 24.xf4 exf4 25.g4 d7 26.bd1 15...xe5! 16.xd8 axd8 leaves Black an e5 27.f3 h8 28.g2 e7 29.xd8 exchange ahead, although W hite has xd8 30.d1 f6 31.xd8+ some compensation. ] ½-½ 15.xd6 xe5 Black elects to return some material to clarify the situation, [ 15...e6 16.xe4 c7 17.b5! cxb5 1146 B10 18.xa8 is similar. ] Ubilava,Elizbar 2545 Rasch,Holger 2232 16.xe8 xe8 17.xe4 The smoke clears, X Anibal Open (1) 28.02.2003 and White has rook and two bishops against queen and knight, which is about level. c4! [Tony Kosten] The practical decision, Black returns his 1.f3 d5 2.g3 f6 3.g2 c6 4.d3 bd7 queen to simplify. 18.fe1 [ 18.bxc4? xe4 ] There have been several questions about the possibility of playing like this, instead of the 18...xb2 19.xh7+ xh7 20.xe8 xe8 The point of White's combination: the standard ...Bg4, or ...Bf5, and as White has 21.b1 22.bxc4 e4 a l r e a d y p l a y e d d 3 i t s e e m s e v e n m o r e kn ig h t is t r a p p e d . c4 r e a s o n a b l e . 5.0-0 e5 6.b3 d6 The better pawn structure outweighs the Black develops sensibly behind his centre. pawn. 23.c5?! [ 23.b4 ] 7.bd2 0-0 8.e4 So, now the position resembles Geller's Quiet System against the 23...b5 24.f1 a5 25.c3 c4 Black wins a Modern Defence, with colours reversed. e8 pawn back, but maintains the better structure. 1189
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 26.c1 xc5 27.e2 c4 28.d3 g6 29.e1 f5?! [ 29...a4 keeps White tied to his pawns. ] 30.f4 f6 31.e8 f7 32.e5 g6 33.e1 a4 34.e2 f6 35.h3 g5 36.fxg5+ xg5 37.e5? V e r y r i s k y . xa2 38.g4 f2 39.c5?! f3+ 40.c2 xh3 41.gxf5 b4 [ 41...f3 42.xc6 xf5 43.b3 also draws. ] ½-½
1147 Zygouris,Hristos Jones,Gawain C Gibraltar Masters (5.42) [Gawain Jones]
B10 2215 2593 29.01.2011
1.e4 c6 My opponent now sunk into a deep think for close to twenty minutes. Evidently he doesn't subscribe t o ChessPub and thu s didn't realise I don't just rely on the Dragon... 2.d3 And a rather wet response. It was now my turn to think as I tried to recall the theory in particular White's subsequent d3-d4 idea. d5 3.d2 e5 4.gf3 d6 5.g3 I was happy to see this move as now Black must have at least comfortable equality with his extra space. [ 5.e2 has been thought as critical but s h o u l d n ' t t r o u b l e B l a c k . f6! 6.d4 White tries to create awkward threats but it seems Black can parry them comfortably. ( 6.exd5?! wins a pawn but cxd5 7.xe5 0-0 is given by Pete Wells and indeed White already has some problems completing his development.) 6...exd4 This looks to be an improvement. ( 6...dxe4 examined in Ljubojevic, L-Karpov, A Hastings 1992 by Nigel Davies.) 7.exd5+ ( 7.e5? does not win a piece as 0-0! 8.exd6 e8 9.e5 g4 10.f4 f6 wins back the material with interest.) 7...e7 8.xd4 0-0! 9.f3 g4 10.b3 e8! 11.xb7 xd5 12.e2 bd7 and Black had fantastic play for the pawn. Poobalasingam, P (2165)Houska, J (2393) Brentwood 2008. ] [ 5.e2 would play in the spirit of an Old Indian and has been featured in a couple of archive games. ] [ 5.d4 has also been tried in a recent game exd4 6.exd5 cxd5 ( 6...f6! is offered by
Schandorff but both moves look comfortable.) 7.b5+ c6 8.0-0 a6 9.e2 ge7 10.b3 c7 11.h3 0-0 12.bxd4 e8 was roughly level and a draw was agreed in a few moves. Mainka, R (2484)Saltaev, M (2495) Dortmund 2010. ] 5...f6 6.g2 0-0 7.0-0 [ 7.h3!? was looked at by Nigel in Sax, GMartin, A Hastings 1983. ] 7...bd7 8.e1 e8 9.b3?! This is actually the second most common move but I think it's an error. If you compare the position to a Kings Indian Black would never play ...b6 allowing W hite to jumpstart his queenside attack. The same applies here. I can suffocate the bishop on b2 anyway with ...d5-d4 and the c3 square becomes a big weakness [ 9.c3 is most common when Lars S c h a n d o r f f o f f e r s c7 ( 9...dxe4 has been more common in the past and was Karpov's choice but Lars prefers to keep the tension.) 10.c2 a5 11.f1 dxe4 12.dxe4 c5 13.h4 g6N 14.g5 e7 ] 9...a5! 10.a4 This cedes the b4 square which makes White's position highly unpleasant. [ Therefore 10.a3 might be better although I'd still prefer Black dxe4 ( Continuing in a s i m i l a r v e i n t o t h e g a m e w i t h 10...d4 followed by ...b7-b5 also looks promising.) 11.dxe4 c7 12.c4 c5 13.b2 g4 14.e2 b5 15.cd2 and it was clear that it was only Black making progress. Ljubojevic, L (2605)-Portisch, L (2630) Bugojno 1978. ] 10...b4! Eyeing the c3 weakness which White's last created. 11.b2 d4 The main problem for W hite here is that c2-c3 isn't viable as I can always play ...Nc5 and thus it's not clear how W hite is to generate any c o u n t e r p l a y . 12.f1 This move really surprised me but Hristos wanted to unpin his knight and perhaps prepare generating some counterplay with f2-f4. [ 12.c1 is perhaps best, at least forcing Black to think about the c2-c3 break but after something like c5 13.a3 xa3 14.xa3 a6 15.c4 b4 16.c1 c7 and Black will continue with ....Bg4 and ... b5 with a much easier game. ] 12...b5 13.h3!? A move I didn't expect but it's quite interesting. This is probably a bad bishop - it's never quite so clear in King's 1190
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Indian structures, but without light squared bishops White has greater hopes of holding on the queenside. However there's no need to a l lo w t h e t r a d e . b8 Threatening ... bxa4 when there would be no way to recapture. 14.a2 bxa4! 15.bxa4 [ 15.xa4 b6 drops the exchange. ] 15...c5 16.h4 a6 Denying the trade. [ However 16...b6 17.xc8 xc8 is very good for Black as W hite won't be able to prevent the ...c4 break. ] 17.f5 c4! Crashing through. Now White's position collapses. 18.xc4 xc4 19.dxc4 g6 20.h6+ g7 21.g4 xe4 Regaining t h e p a wn . B la ck h a s a virt u a ll y d e cisive advantage and my opponent was slipping short of time. 22.f4 This is forced. White has to open up the position for his bishop pair and try to confuse the issue. f5 And I felt this was the safest way to avoid any complications. [ 22...c3 is another sensible try 23.c1 exf4 24.xf4 f5! offering the exchange leaves Black with a great position. ] 23.fxe5!? Offering the piece to confuse me. [ 23.xe5 was my main line of analysis when xe5 24.xd4 ( 24.fxe5 c3 25.xc3 dxc3 when the e5 pawn drops and Black must be winning due to White's weak pawns and uncoordinated pieces,) 24...c7! 25.xe5+ ( 25.fxe5 xc4 ) 25...xe5! 26.fxe5 d8 27.c1 d2! with a decisive attack. ] 23...c3 [ G r a b b i n g t h e m a t e r i a l w i t h 23...fxg4 24.xg4 dc5 is also winning but I didn't want to allow any complications particularly after my bad start in the tournament. ] 24.xc3 xc3 25.f6 xf6 26.exf6+ xf6 The dust has settled. Material is level but White has a vulnerable king, an offside rook on a2 and a terrible pawn structure. I converted without any difficulty. 27.g2 e3 28.a3 d6 29.b3 xb3 30.cxb3 d3 31.d5 xg3+ 32.h1 h3 33.f2 e5 34.f1 e3 35.g2 d4 36.f3 e1 0-1
1148 Arapovic,V Campora,Daniel Hugo Open Mendrisio (Switzerland) (5) [Nigel Davies]
B11
1988
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 e6 A number of strong players have tried this move, though it seems to me that W hite maintains has excellent attacking chances. A quick tour of the alternatives: [ a) 3...d4 4.c4 is the move that White dreams about when playing 3 Qf3. Not that it's so clear, but certainly White gets decent attacking chances even if Black defends the threat against his f7 pawn: e6 ( 4...f6 5.ce2 e5 6.d3 b4+ 7.c3 dxc3 8.bxc3 e7 9.g3 gave White good attacking chances in Pelikian J.(2395) - De Freitas J., Sao Bernardo 1999) 5.ce2 b5 6.b3 a6 7.h3 c5 8.d3 a5 9.c3 xb3 10.axb3 dxc3 11.bxc3 f6 12.0-0 e7 13.g3 0-0 14.e5 e8 and although Black eventually won this game, White's position looks quite promising at this point (Kudrjavcev A.(2404) - Timofeev V.(2280), Russian Ch., Briansk 1995) ] [ b) 3...e5!? is an attempt to play a kind of Danish Gambit in which Black hopes that the extra tempo (3 Qf3) will do White more harm than good. But this didn't turn out to be the case in Brynell S.(2488) - Hansen L. (2564), Copenhagen 1985 - af ter 4.exd5 f6 5.c4 e4?! 6.e2 cxd5 7.xd5! c5 ( 7...xd5 8.b5+ ) 8.xe4! Black found himself a second pawn down without adequate compensation ] [ c) 3...g6 has a similar idea to 3...e5, but with a kind of hypermodern twist. Black had some compensation after 4.exd5 g7 5.dxc6 xc6 6.b5 d7 7.ge2 a6 8.a4 b5 9.b3 e5 in Asmundsson I. (2359) - Torfason J.(2320), Icelandic Ch., Reykjavik 1974. But it doesn't look like enough to me. ] [ c) 3...f6 is also worth considering for Black, and may in fact be more precise than 3... e6 in that it avoids 4 d4 Nf6 5 Bg5. The game Smyslov V.(2485) - Flohr S., Budapest 1950 continued: 4.e5 fd7 5.g3 e6 6.f3 ( 6.d4 c5 7.f3 transposes into the 1191
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 note to W hite's fifth move below) 6...a6 7.e2 c5 8.0-0 c6 9.e1 d4 10.d1 f5 11.h3 b8 12.e2 c6 13.c3 c7 14.f4 d7 15.c2 brought about a funny kind of French in which both sides ha d chances. ] 4.d4 f6 5.g5!? This is really in the spirit of 3 Qf3 and probably much stronger than the more popular 5 e5. [ An example of how Black should play against this latter move was seen in Ardeleanu - Kharitonov, Berlin 1997: 5.e5 fd7 6.g3 c5 7.f3 cxd4 8.b5 c6 9.bxd4 c5 10.d3 b6 11.xc6 bxc6 12.0-0 xd3 13.cxd3 a6 when Black's position proved to be very solid. ] 5...e7 6.e5 fd7 7.xe7 [ 7.h4!? is worth a thought, with similar play to the Alekhine-Chatard Attack against the French. ] 7...xe7 8.g3 0-0 9.f4 c5 10.f3 cxd4 11.xd4 c6 12.0-0-0 f6?? Falling for a huge cheapo. [ 12...b6 should be playable. ] 13.xd5! f7 [ 13...exd5 14.f5 f7 15.h6+ is not the kind of thing that Black would want his friends to see, but the game continuation ain't too purty either. ] 14.c7 fxe5 15.xc6 bxc6 16.xa8 exf4 17.c3 f6 18.c4 b7 19.hf1 xa8 20.xf4 b8 21.g3 e8 22.a5 d5 23.xd5 cxd5 24.b4 c7 25.df1 d8 26.f7 e5 27.xa7 e6 28.h4 c8 29.d6 e4 30.e5 1-0
1149 Areshchenko,Alexander Lenderman,Alex Chigorin Memorial 20th (9) [Danny Gormally]
B11 2710 2614 04.11.2012
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 dxe4 4.xe4 f6 5.e2 xe4 6.xe4 d5 [ 6...d7 is playable. 7.c4 f6 8.e5! e6 9.e2 e7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e1 d5 12.a4 f6 13.f3 d6 14.d4 1-0 Van der Wiel, J (2558)-Stanec, N (2479)/Austria 2000 ] 7.h4! Of course White is not interested in
the queen exchange, which would lead to total equality. e6+ [ 7...f5 gives White the opportunity to set up a neat trap : 8.c4! e4+? 9.xe4 xe4 10.xf7+ 1-0 Leventic, I (2499)Marjanovic, D (2101)/Osijek 2007 ] 8.e2 g4 9.g3! xg3 10.hxg3 Black has got what he wanted, the exchange of queens, but the half open h-file ensures an enduring initiative for White in the endgame. d7 11.g4!? [ There was nothing wrong either with the immediate 11.d4 ] 11...b6 [ 11...g6!? 12.d4 g7 13.h6 xh6 14.xh6 f8 15.0-0-0 f6 16.e5 leads to only a microscopic edge for White. ] [ another interesting idea was trying to gain some space and a foothold in the center with 11...e5!? 12.d4 exd4 13.xd4 e5 14.f3 c5 15.e3 0-0 16.f5 xe3 17.xe3 however leads to a nice edge for White- he can push with no risk whatsoever, and the pawns on the kingside produce a cramping effect on the Black position. ] 12.e5! g6 13.b3 g7 14.b2 d5 [ 14...d7 15.d4 is also not ensuring complete equality for Black. ] 15.0-0-0 g5?! I don't really understand the point of this move. Black cannot control the f4 square as White can always play g3, and this just seems to lead to more weaknesses in his o wn p o sit io n (t h e h 5 a n d f 5 sq u a r e s f o r example). That's the problem when you are slightly worse- there is a temptation to play inventively and actively, in a position where it is not warranted, which can accelerate your fate. 16.g3! Already White's advantage is obvious. f6 17.d3 b6 18.c4 c7 19.f3 b7 20.b4 d7 21.de1 White plans Re3, followed by either the simple Rd3 check, or doubling rooks with Rhe1. Black's forces are becoming quickly overwhelmed. [ as I always like to play in the center, I'm not sure I would have been able to resist playing 21.d4!? here. The Black king looks very uncomfortable on d7, especially as this isn't exactly a dull endgame. There's plenty of action still going on. ] 21...a5 22.c2 e6 23.e3 ad8?! 24.d4!? 1192
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ It's possible that 24.d4 was even stronger, especially as it forces the extremely ugly a8 25.g2 h6 26.f4 and Black is almost completely without moves, while White can continue to crank up the pressure. ] 24...f8 25.e4 c5 26.f3 e8 27.e1 a8 28.e2 f8 29.d3 d6 30.xh7 xd4 31.xd4 c5 32.c3 e5 33.e4 xe4 34.xe4 c6 35.e1 f7 36.xd8 xd8 37.h1 d6 38.c2 e6 39.d3 a8 40.d2 d8 41.e3 g8 42.f3 d8 43.a3 a8 44.h2 d8 45.b4! axb4 46.axb4 a8 47.b2 d6 48.bxc5 bxc5 49.b6 d7 50.b2 c7 51.b3 h8 52.c3 c6 53.a3 b7 54.a5 b6 55.a2 b7 56.e1 This endgame is torture for Black, as White can just manoeuvre around probing for weaknesses in the opponent's position. b6 57.f2 e8 58.a1 h8 59.a3 e8 60.a2 h8 61.a1 b7 62.e2 b6 63.f1 h1+ 64.g1 h8 65.g2 d8 66.e3 e8 67.h1 f7? Black crumbles, a normal outcome after already having to slog out a defence for many moves. [ the only way to put up any resistance was through 67...c6 68.h6 e6 when Black can still hope to defend. ] 68.b1+! maybe Black missed this decisive swit chb ack . c6 69.b5 a8 70.xc5+ d7 71.b5 d6 72.b3 a2+ 73.f1 a1+ 74.e2 a2+ 75.f1 a1+ 76.g2 a2+ 77.f2 c7 78.f1 a1+ 79.e1 b7 80.e2 c5 81.c3? A serious slip. [ 81.b5 c6 82.b4 d7 83.a5 Should have been winning easily. ] 81...a2+ [ With 81...e6! despite his two-pawn deficit, Black could have put a huge obstacle in the path of W hite's winning ambitions. 82.f2 ( 82.d2 d4+ 83.e3 f1 is certainly not good for White) 82...d4+ 83.xd4 exd4 84.c2 h1 85.d2 d6 and Black has very good holding chances. ] 82.d1? [ 82.e3! ] 82...a1+? [ 82...e6! ] 83.c1 a2 [ It is understandable that Black did not choose to defend the knight and bishop e n d ga m e t h a t wo u ld h a ve a ri se n a f t e r
83...xc1+ 84.xc1 xd3+ 85.d2 c5 86.f2 b3+ 87.c3 a5 88.c5 which looks as if it should be winning for White. ] 84.c2! now W hite is back on track. a1+ 85.e2 b3 86.f2 a3 [ 86...d4+ 87.xd4 exd4 88.f4! and the White king marches decisively to e4. ] 87.e3 c6 88.b2 d4+ 89.xd4 exd4 90.f4! a1 91.fxg5 fxg5 92.f3 e1 93.e2 d1 94.e4 c5 95.b2 e1+ 96.f5 e3 97.b5+ c6 98.d5 xd3 99.xg5 d1 100.g6 d3 101.g5 d2 102.g7 1-0
1150 Azarov,Sergei Akopian,Vladimir Aeroflot Open (2) [Andrew Martin]
B11 2581 2704 09.02.2006
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.h3 [ 4.exd5!? is sometimes played but Black copes comfortably: cxd5 5.b5+ c6 6.h3 xf3! is even more reliable. Black loses no time and pre-empts any attack. 7.xf3 e6 8.0-0 f6 9.e1 e7 10.d3 0-0= White has two Bishops and two misplaced pieces. The Knight on c3 and the Bishop on b5 do not impress. The two factors balance to create an almost sterile equality. ] 4...h5! Although 4...Bxf3 is eminently playable, there is plenty of mileage left after the sharper 4..Bh5. 5.exd5 [ 5.d3 is absurdly timid. dxe4 6.xe4 d7 7.e2 gf6 8.0-0 xe4 9.dxe4 e5 10.d2 g6 11.c4 e7 ( 11...h4 ) 12.e2 0-0= 1/2-1/2 Zaitsev, VSundararajan, K/Pardubice CZE 2005 ] [ 5.e2 should be answered simply by e6 ] [ Meanwhile, after 5.d4 dxe4 6.xe4 xf3 7.xf3 xd4 8.d3 d7 9.c3 d5 10.f4 e5 Black is starting to get on top. ] 5...cxd5 6.b5+ [ After 6.g4 g6 7.d4 e6 8.e5 c6 9.h4 f6 a s h a r p s t r u g g l e e n s u e s : 10.h5 ( 10.xg6 hxg6 11.b5 b4 12.d3 ge7= ) 10...f7 11.xf7 xf7 12.e2 1193
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d6 13.c3 ge7 14.f4 A) 14...a5! is more active, with the idea 15.h6 ( 15.f3 xd4 ) 15...g6 16.d3 e5; B) 14...c7 15.f3 ae8 16.e3 ( Possibly 16.g5 was a better choice.) 16...xf4 17.xf4 a5 18.e2 h6 19.0-0 hf8 20.g3 g8 21.f4 c7 22.g2 d8 23.d3 f7 24.ae1 d6 25.c1 d7 26.e2 c6 27.b3 e4 28.xe4 dxe4 29.xe4 f5 30.f3 fxg4 31.xg4 f5 32.f2 ef8 33.g2 8f6 34.e3 f7 35.c4 xh5 36.d1 e7 37.d5 exd5 38.d4 g6 39.e2 xg2+ 40.xg2 dxc4 41.bxc4 g6 42.e3 e6 43.c1 h7 44.f1 xc4 45.b2 h4 46.xb7 g4+ 47.h2 e2+ 48.h3 h4+ 49.g3 g4+ 50.f2 h2+ 51.e3 e2+ 0-1 Dekic, JRadlovacki, J/Sombor 2004 An interesting tussle all the way through. ] 6...c6 7.g4 g6 8.e5 c8 9.d4 [ After 9.h4 complications abound, but Black is OK if he knows his stuff: d4!? 10.h5 xc2 11.xc2 dxc3 A) 12.dxc3 d5! 13.f5! c7 ( 13...xh1+ 14.e2+- ) 14.f3 xf5 15.gxf5 a6 16.f4 c8 17.c4 f6; B) 12.bxc3 d5 13.f5 c7; C) 12.b3 e6 13.dxc3 d6 14.xc6 bxc6 15.e2 c5 16.f4 b6 17.xb6 xb6 18.a4 a5 19.b4 e7 20.h6 ] 9...e6 [ 9...f6? 10.xg6 hxg6 11.d3 f7 12.xd5! ] 10.e2 [ 10.h4 f6! 11.xg6 hxg6 12.d3 ( 12.d3 f5 13.gxf5 gxf5; 12.e3 b4 13.f1 xc3 14.bxc3 ge7 15.e2 a6 16.d3 a5= ) 12...f7 13.h5 gxh5 14.gxh5 ge7 15.e3 f5 ] 10...d6 [ It seems as though 10...b4! is the best m o v e , w i t h 11.h4 a5 ( 11...xc3+ 12.bxc3 a5 13.h3 ge7 14.h5 e4 15.h6 g6 16.d2 a3 17.c1 a5= ) 12.h3 ge7 13.h5 e4 ] 11.xc6+ [ 11.xg6 hxg6 12.xd5 f8! 13.xc6 xc6 14.e3 f6 15.h4 d5 16.xd5 exd5 17.c3 xh4 ]
11...bxc6 12.f4 e7 13.0-0-0 f6 [ 13...b8! 14.h4 ( 14.e3 b7 15.h4 h5 16.g3 xe5 17.xe5 f6 18.d6 hxg4 19.he1 f5 ) 14...h5 15.g5 ( 15.xg6 xg6 16.xd6 xd6 17.gxh5 f4 ) 15...f5 ] 14.xg6 hxg6 15.g3 xg3 16.fxg3 d6 17.d3 f7 18.e3 ce8 19.h4 c8 20.e1 White has emerged from the opening exerting pressure on e6 and Akopian does very well to create counterplay. b6 21.b3 d7 22.a6 c7 23.a4 e5! Excellent! Black marshalled his forces expertly. 24.dxe5 xe5 25.xe5 xe5 26.g5 e8 27.b1 e7 28.gxf6 gxf6 29.f1 a5 30.e2 g7 31.h5 b7 32.b2 b4 33.h6+ h7 34.d2 a4 35.f2 e4 36.d1 g4 37.g1 xh6 38.d3 g7 39.c5 e3 40.d3 c7 41.f4 g5 42.d3 e4 43.g2 b6 44.f1 f2 My conclusion is that Black holds his own in the complications that arise after 4...Bh5!? 0-1
1151 Balashov,Yuri S Smagin,Sergey Elista [Alexander Volzhin]
B11 2490 2545 1995
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.h3 xf3 5.xf3 e6 6.d4 [ 6.d3 f6 would lead to one of the main lines, but W hite tries another interesting and dynamic continuation. ] 6...b6?! This continuation looks dubious. [ I would prefer 6...f6 7.d3 dxe4 ( or 7...e7 ) 8.xe4 bd7 with a very solid position. ] 7.d3! The pawn cannot be defended by natural means so White just ignores the threat, especially as he is well ahead in development. f6 8.0-0 xd4 9.exd5!? [ This position was familiar to Balashov. In an earlier game vs. Lechtynsky, Trnava 1988 he preferred 9.e3 b4 10.exd5 exd5 The only move, other recaptures are clearly worse: ( 10...cxd5 11.b5 a6 12.c4; 10...xd5 11.xd5 cxd5 12.c4 dxc4 13.e4 with a strong initiative in both 1194
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 cases. ) 11.fe1 e7 12.f4 f8 13.g3 bd7 ( 13...h5 14.g4 a6 15.xh5 xf4 16.xa6 bxa6 17.e2 winning the pawn back with an undisputable edge.) 14.xe7! xe7 and now White should have played 15.e1+ d8 16.d6 with more than enough compensation for the sacrificed material. ] 9...xd5 [ 9...cxd5 hardly deserves attention, after 10.e3 b4 11.b5 White's initiative progresses without obstacles. ] 10.d1 f6 11.g3 d7 12.xd5 cxd5 13.g5 White's initiative grows quickly. xb2? Underestimating the dangers. [ However the position was already not much fun. In my opinion, Black's best option was 13...d6 14.xf6 xg3 15.xg7 g8 16.c3 e5 17.xe5 xe5 18.xh7 g7 19.d3 going into a much worse ending a pawn down. ] 14.ab1 a3 15.xb7 d6 16.f4 xf4 17.xf4 a6 The sole defence against Bb5. 18.db1 Rd7 is threatened. d8 [ 18...xa2 19.d6 ] 19.xd7! Nevertheless! xd7 20.b8+ d8 21.xd8+ xd8 22.b8+ e7 23.xh8 W hite has won a piece but Black still has saving chances. c1+ [ 23...xa2 was less stubborn: 24.xg7 a5 25.d4 a4 26.c4 winning easily. ] 24.f1 xc2 25.xg7 xa2 26.xh7 a5 The Bishop cannot be used to stop the apawn, but W hite has another very effective resource. 27.g4! a4 28.g5 Technically the gpawn is not passed, but actually it is even more dangerous. d2 29.h4 a3 30.g6+ f6 31.h7+ d6 32.h5! The most precise way. a2 33.g7 a1 34.g8 Black has pair of Queens and the move but can do nothing. a7 35.d8+ c6 36.xf6 Very solid. [ Forced mate was also not bad: 36.he8+! c5 37.b5+ d4 38.xf6+ e5 39.h4+ c3 40.hb4+ c2 41.b3+ c1 42.b1# ] 36...e1 37.e2 xe2 38.xe2 d6 39.g4 d7 40.h4 Black resigned. 1-0
1152 Bartel,Mat Popov,Iv RUS Basel Master Open 2014 (6.2) [Tom Rendle]
B11 2650 2650 04.01.2014
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.h3 xf3 5.xf3 e6 6.g3!? g6 [ 6...f6 7.exd5 ( 7.d3 bd7 8.e2 b4 9.e5 allowed Black a nice equalising trick with xe5! 10.xe5 d4 11.d2 dxc3 12.xc3 xc3+ 13.xc3 0-0 with complete equality in Torre, E (2557)A d i a n t o , U ( 2 6 0 7 ) B a l i 1 9 9 9; 7.e5 hasn't scored well here, however there are some interesting ideas for W hite, for example after fd7 White should consider 8.f4 c5 9.b3! c6 10.b2 with a position that resembles 2.f4 against French. I suppose Black should be OK here after g6 but White still has the flexibility of castling on either side of the board. ) A) 7...cxd5 is more accurate I think - the crit ical t est is 8.b5! but after e4! 9.c7 ( 9.f4 d6 equalises ) 9...c6 10.d3 d6 11.xd6+ xd6 12.xd8+ xd8 Black has no problems whatsoever; B) 7...exd5 8.d4 g6 9.e5+ not the most ambitious of options ( 9.g5! g7 10.0-0-0 0-0 11.h4! is much more promising ) 9...e7 10.xe7+ xe7 11.h6 f8 12.xf8 xf8 13.d2 bd7 14.e1 g7 15.d3 ae8 and Black had slightly the better endgame chances in Berg, E (2527)-Perelshteyn, E (2442) Bermuda 2003 ] [ 6...d7 7.e2 ( again I think 7.exd5! exd5 8.d4 should be at least a little better for White ) 7...b8 8.xb8+ xb8 9.a3 ( 9.0-0 gf6 10.exd5 cxd5 11.d4 c8 is also equal as White should probably just play 12.a3 here) 9...gf6 10.exd5 cxd5 11.d4 c8 and Black equalised in Borosova, Z (2284)-Pavlovic, M (2531) Caleta 2012 ] 7.d4 d7?! Perhaps I'm a bit harsh in giving this move as dubious but I really like the positions White gets after swapping on d5. [ 7...dxe4 makes more sense given Black's setup here although W hite does have a number of interesting options A) 8.xe4 xd4 9.d3 d7 10.0-0 1195
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 gf6 11.xf6+ xf6 12.g5 d4 and White has some compensation for the two pawns with his two bishops and lead in development but probably not enough f o r a n o ve ra ll a d va n t a ge . ( 12...xb2?! is asking for trouble after 13.ab1 ); B) 8.f4 is a little better for White but Black is still very solid after d7! 9.xe4 gf6 10.xf6+ xf6 11.e5 g7 12.e2 0-0 13.0-0 b6; C) 8.g5 is tricky but Black shouldn't have serious problems after f6 ( 8...xd4?? loses to 9.d1 b6 10.e5! ) 9.xf6!? xf6 10.c7 d7 11.0-0-0 ( 11.xb7 b8 12.xc6 xb2 is at least OK for Black ) 11...b8 12.xe4 and now Black has a nice trick with h6+! 13.b1 f4 14.xf4 xf4 15.g3 c7 and Black is very close to equal here. ] 8.exd5! exd5 9.d3 g7 [ 9...e7+ 10.e3 h6!? is worth considering but W hite still has a definite e d g e a f t e r 11.0-0-0 ( 11.0-0 might be a simpler way f or a slight edge given th e complications of 11.0-0-0 xe3 12.ae1! 0-0-0 13.xe3 an d W h it e is b e t t e r) 11...xe3+ 12.fxe3 f5 ( 12...gf6 13.e4! dxe4 14.he1 is very comfortable for White ) 13.e4!! fxe4 14.xe4 and White is clearly better as grabbing the piece lands Black in trouble after dxe4 15.xe4 df6 ( 15...xe4 16.de1 xe1+ 17.xe1+ d8 18.d5! and despite the fact Black has more than enough material for the queen with his king caught in the centre W hite's attack is very, very dangerous.) 16.xf6+ xf6 17.hf1 g7 18.de1+ e7 19.xe7+! xe7 ( 19...xe7?? 20.c7+ ) 20.e1 xe1+ 21.xe1+ d7 22.b4 with an excellent ending for White ] 10.g5 [ 10.0-0 would be my preference at this point and now e7 11.g5! 0-0 12.h4 ( 12.ae1! is perhaps more accurate) 12...f6 13.d2 is better for White as Black has been forced to block his fianchettoed bishop. Of course he can play ...f5 but this weaken the g5 and e5 squares. ] 10...gf6 11.0-0-0!? I'm not convinced this is the right side to ca stle and if it is I thin k White should follow up with a quick h4, which
he didn't in the game. 0-0 12.f3 [ 12.h4! must be critical but Black is just about OK here after h6 13.e3 e8 14.b1 but Black still has to be careful here, f or exa mple b6 15.h5 xh5 16.h3 and with g4 coming White has a dangerous initiative. ] 12...b5! Suddenly Black's queenside play is further advanced and Bartel has to be careful 13.b1 b4 14.e2 c5?! [ 14...b6! is a definite improvement, preparing ...c5 or even ...a5-a4 and an eventual ...b3 break ] 15.b5! Bxd7 is a very awkward threat h6 16.h4 c7 [ 16...g5 avoids dropping a pawn but after 17.g3 b6 18.xd7 xd7 19.h4! White's has a strong kingside attack. ] 17.xd7 xd7 18.xd5 fe8 19.g3 c8 White may have won a pawn but it's not easy to see a good plan here whereas Black is still ready to attack on the queenside 20.f3?! After this the game fizzles out to an early draw [ 20.he1! keeps some edge, for example cxd4 A) 21.xd4? b6 22.d6 ( 22.xe8+?! xe8 23.f3 d8 and White is caught in a n a st y pin on t he d -f ile) 22...xe1 23.xe1 c4 24.d5 xb2! and suddenly Black is better; B) 21.f4!? also makes sense, aiming to play the knight on d3.; C) 21.b5! a5 22.c1 and by blockading on d3 with the knight I think White retains the better position ] 20...b6 21.e5 White gives back the pawn in order to alleviate the pressure on the h8-a1 diagonal but this leaves a very equal ending. xe5 22.dxe5 xe5 23.f4 f5 24.he1 xe1 25.xe1 d8 26.c1 d4 in fact black is a little better here so I'm slightl y surprised he agreed to a draw at this point. [ 26...d4 27.d3! xf3 28.gxf3 h4 29.xc5 xh3 30.f4 h5 and since White has the worse pawn structure he has to be accurate to hold the draw here, still 31.d3 a5 32.d1 should be good enough ] ½-½
1196
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B11 xd4 9.e3! [ The Nevednichy - Iordashvili game from last month's update featured the passive 9.c3 ] 1950 9...b4+ By throwing in the check Black hopes to gain time by developing his bishop 1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.h3 xf3 and force White's king to remain in the centre. 5.xf3 e6 6.d4 f6 7.d3 dxe4 8.xe4 The negative side of this plan is that a White rook comes to the d-file more quickly. 10.e2 xd4 9.e3 d8 10.0-0-0! [ New moves aren't necessarily any better d8 11.hd1!? [ In Soloviev - Petrosian, Moscow Ch. 1950 than the old ones. Boleslavsky's choice is W h i t e r e c o ve r e d h i s p a w n wi t h 11.g3 c e r t a i n l y s t r o n g e r t h a n 10.xf6+ xe4 12.xg7 f6 13.g4 but after c5 which gave W hite very little for his pawn 14.xe4 xe3 15.xe3 d7 was certainly after xf6 11.g3 d7 12.0-0 e5 no be t t er. B o lesla vsky's mo ve is m u c h in Belkhodja - Ibragimov, Cappelle la more ambitious, remaining a pawn down but Grande 2001. ] keeping the pressure. ] 10...bd7 11.c4 a5 12.d2 12.xe4 e7 13.f1 0-0 [ A n o t h e r i n t e r e s t i n g m o v e i s 12.d4!? 11...xe4 , with the simple idea of doubling rooks on 14.g3 a6 [ And not 14...d7 because of 15.c7 ] the d-file. A correspondence game, Fornari Contini, Italy 1982 went on 0-0-0? 13.g5 15.c3 a5 [ White also has strong pressure after e5 14.xd8+ xd8 15.xf7! xf3 15...c5 16.f4 fd8 17.b4 - his bishop 16.xe6+ c7 17.xd8 xd8 18.gxf3 b6 can land on d6 and Black's kingside looks 19.g1 g6 20.g5 g7 21.f4 c7 22.f5 rather barren. ] gxf5 23.f4+ 1-0 ] 12...b6 13.he1 xe4 14.xe4 f6 16.d3 c7 17.d4 f6 18.h4 g6 19.e3 b6 20.h6 fd8 21.g3 h8 22.h4 d7 15.xe6!! fxe6 16.xe6+ e7 [ White wins in every variation, thus 16...d7 23.c2 ad8 24.xd7 xd7 25.e1 c5 26.f4 e7 27.b3 d8 28.e4 e5 is met by 17.f5+- ] [ and 16...f7 loses to 17.xf6+! gxf6 29.f3!? b5 30.g3 d6 31.c1 g7 18.h5+ g8 19.g4+ f7 20.c4+ g6 32.g2 d7 33.g4! e8 34.h5!? gxh5?? [ Having been under pressure the whole 21.e4+ f7 22.a5!! c5 23.d7+ e7 g a m e , B l a c k f i n a l l y c r a c k s . 34...e7 24.b4 g5+ 25.f4 according to analysis would have been better. ] by Sokolsky. ] [ and not 34...f8? because of 35.xe5 fxe5 17.de1 d5 18.g5+- 0-0-0 19.xe7 36.h6++- ] xe7 20.xe7 hf8 21.g4+ b8 [ or 34...g5? b e c a u s e o f 35.h6+ g6 22.xg7 xf2 23.b3 g8 24.xh7 xg2 36.h3 ] 25.xb7+ a8 26.be7 c5 27.h4 a5 28.e8 d4 29.b1 d2 30.xd8+ xd8 35.h6+ g6 36.gxh5+ 1-0 31.e4 f6 32.h5 1-0 1153 Boleslavsky,Isaak Flohr,Salo USSR Ch Moscow (Russia) [Nigel Davies]
1154 Boleslavsky,Isaak Makogonov,Vladimir Andreevich USSR Ch Moscow (Russia) (14) [Nigel Davies]
B11
1940
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.h3 xf3 5.xf3 e6 6.d4 f6 7.d3 dxe4 8.xe4
1155 Dominguez Perez,L Vachier Lagrave,M FIDE World Cup 2013 (3.2) [Tom Rendle]
B11 2757 2719 18.08.2013
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 f6 4.e5 e4 5.e2 A move that has scored very badly for White but I actually don't think the opening is 1197
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 to be blame. The position quickly becomes very tense and it's important for both sides to be very accurate at this point. [ 5.h3 I described as 'overly cautious' earlier this year and Black was quickly doing fine in Lu Shanglei- Ding Liren, although W hite could've improved at a few points as you can see in the notes to that game. ] 5...b6 6.d4 e6! A solid move, waiting for the right moment to play ...c5 [ 6...c5 was premature in Svetushkin-Landa, annotated by Gawain in the archives. ] 7.fg1 White has tried a couple of alternatives at this crucial moment [ 7.g3?! isn't at all convincing and after the logical c5 8.g2 c6 9.0-0 cxd4 10.exd4 c5 11.c3 0-0 Black was alre ad y ve ry co m f o rt ab le in Dvo irys, S (2533)-Shimanov, A (2664) Yekaterinburg 2013 ] [ 7.g3 is tricky but again Black is fine after c5! 8.c3 ( or 8.d3 xg3 9.hxg3 cxd4 10.g5!? c6 11.xh7 d7! 12.f6+ gxf6 13.xh8 0-0-0 14.h5 fxe5 and Black's big pawn centre gave him more than enough compensation for the sacrificed exchange in Ponkratov, P (2589)-Shimanov, A (2597) KhantyMansiysk 2012; 8.xe4?! dxe4 9.d2 cxd4 10.xe4 a5+ wins a pawn) 8...c6 9.d3 xg3 10.hxg3 cxd4 11.cxd4 d7 12.e2 b4+ ( 12...c8! may be more accurate as it's not clear that preventing W hite from castling serves any purpose here. ) 13.f1 e7 and Black had definitely equalised in Almasi, Z (2707)-Cheremnova, T (2235) St Petersburg 2012. ] 7...f6 Basically forced as f3 was threatened. 8.f3 g5 9.exf6 [ 9.xg5? fxg5 leaves b2 weak and when Black hits the centre with ...c5 and ...Nc6 he's going to be much better. ] 9...gxf6 10.f4 f7 [ 10...e4 is less accurate after 11.g3! d7 12.h5+ ( 12.xe4?! dxe4 13.c3 f5 14.h5+ e7 15.h3 f6 16.h4 g8 and Black was well coordinated in Saric, I (2622)-Mchedlishvili, M (2639) Fujairah City 2012 ) 12...d8 13.c3 f5 14.xe4 dxe4 15.h3 and Black should be very wary of the knight coming into g5 ]
11.f3 g7?! After this Vachier Lagrave quickly finds himself under a lot of pressure [ 11...d7 was more flexible. If White now plays 12.g3 then perhaps Black can try e5!? ] [ 11...c5 preparing ...Nc6 was also very logical and probably the safest option. ] 12.g3 0-0 13.h5 e5! Maxime correctly decides he has to go for counterplay although White is still better here [ 13...h8 14.e2! and Black has problems already - White's plan of Qf2-g3 is awkward to deal with. ] 14.xg7 xg7 15.fxe5 fxe5 16.e2 [ 16.dxe5 c a n b e m e t b y xe5 and obviously the knight cannot be taken because of mate on f2. Still, White might be be tt er a f t e r 17.d2! as Black's king is still very open. ] 16...exd4 17.xd4+ Dominguez Perez chooses to enter a slightly better ending but p e rh a p s , u lt i m a t e l y, t h i s wa s t h e wro n g decision as Black draws without any real problems. [ 17.xd4! was more aggressive when Black has to be careful. For example c5 18.f3 c6 19.0-0 e6 20.d2 ae8 21.b3! and with the bishop coming to b2 White's initiative is clear. ] 17...xd4 18.xd4 c5! 19.b5 a6 20.0-0 d7 21.f2?! After this White's advantage evaporates [ 21.a4! was necessary in order to keep realistic winning chances - W hite is somewhat better after b4 22.a3! xc2 23.g3+ h8 24.c3 xb5 25.xb5 a6 26.xc2 axb5 27.xc5 bxa4 28.xd5 and the two rooks and bishop (once it gets to c3) actually make Black's defence in this endgame rather unpleasant - especially as the king on h8 is not out of danger yet. ] 21...xb5 22.xb5 d6 23.xf8 xf8 24.f1 b4 25.c3 c2 26.b1 d4! Now it's White who has to be a little careful 27.g3 e3 28.xe3 dxe3 29.e1 f2 30.e2 c4 31.xf2 exf2+ 32.xf2 xb2 33.e3 f6 34.e2 a4 35.d2 b6 36.d3 e5 The bishop may be better in endings with pawns on both sides of the board but Black's king is active and the position is drawn. 37.f3 c4+ 38.d2 d5 39.xd5 1198
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xd5 40.e3 b5 41.g4 a5 42.a3 c5 43.d2 d5 44.e3 c5 45.g5 b4 46.cxb4+ axb4 47.axb4+ xb4 48.d2 c5 49.h4 d5 50.h5 e6 51.c3 f5 52.g6 hxg6 53.hxg6 xg6 54.xc4 ½-½
1156 B11 Dubov,Daniil 2614 Ding Liren 2742 TCh-TUR Super League 2014 (3.5) 20.08.2014 [Neil McDonald] 1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.h3 xf3 5.xf3 f6 6.e5!? Dubov seizes space on the kingside. As we shall see this means giving Black a freehand on the queenside, and in particular ascendancy over the important d4 square. On the other hand W hite's potential to gain the initiative with his two bishops shouldn't be underestimated. The usual moves are [ 6.e2 or ] [ 6.d3 ] 6...fd7 7.g3 [ Black has a comfortable Classical French style structure after 7.d4 b6 8.d3 e6 9.e3 c5 10.dxc5 xc5 11.xc5 xc5 12.f4 c6 13.0-0-0 c8?? ( Instead 13...0-0 is perfectly OK for Black. The white queen is odd on d3.) 14.e4! winning the exchange for nothing. a5 ( Of course if 14...dxe4 15.xd7+ ) 15.d6+ e7 16.xc8+ xc8 17.a3+ 1-0 Grabarczyk, B (2472)-Kaunas, K (2318)/Warsaw 2005. ] [ I n s t e a d t h e g a m b i t w i t h 7.e6?! doesn't seem to achieve much for White e.g. fxe6 8.d4 e5!? 9.dxe5 xe5 10.g3 bd7 and Black can consolidate his extra pawn. ] 7...e6 8.e2 c5 9.0-0 [ Here's another French style structure in which a strong Grandmaster got a miserable position as White: 9.b5 c6 10.f4 g6 11.c3 a6 12.a3 White drops a pawn after ( 12.d6+ xd6 13.exd6 f6 ) 12...c4! an important move to give the black pieces access to the dark squares. 13.c2 c5 14.d3 cxd3 15.xd3 xd3+ 16.xd3 c5 17.e3 h4+ 18.d2 xe3+
19.xe3 0-0 20.ad1 fc8 21.c1 b5 22.b1 a5 23.g4 b4 24.cxb4 axb4 25.g5 ( There was more chance of counterplay with 25.f5 ) 25...ab8 26.c1 A) 26...a5! 27.hd1 ( Even worse for White is 27.b3 c3 28.e1 xf4 ) 27...b3 and Black has a strong attack.; B) 26...e7? 27.d4 f5 28.xf5 gxf5 29.xc8+ xc8 30.c1 b8 31.b3 g7 32.b2 h5 33.b1 h4 34.c2 h5 35.c1 h4 36.b2 h5 37.d2 h4 38.c2 g8 39.a4 bxa3+ 40.xa3 a8+ 41.b2 g7 42.b4 d4 43.xd4 1/2-1/2 Rozentalis, E (2595)-Moldobaev, E (2388)/Mallorca 2004. Black is still much better after xh3 ] 9...c6 10.f4 d4! Making full use of the centre square that White has abandoned. The knight heads to f5 to alleviate the pressure on g7, which allows Black to develop his bishop from f8 without allowing Qxg7. 11.d1 f5 12.f3 c4!? Ding Liren looks for counterplay on the queenside. It was also possible to meet W hite's kingside advance head on by arranging f7-f6 e.g. [ 12...e7!? 13.e2 0-0 14.d3 ( Or 14.c3 f6 ) 14...f6 with complications. ] 13.b3 c8?! [ Instead 13...b5!? strengthening his clump of pawns on the queenside looks at least equal for Black after 14.h1 ( not 14.xb5? b6+ ) 14...a6 15.e2 c5 ] 14.bxc4 xc4 15.e2 b6+ 16.h2 Black's position looks very active, but the white pieces can be brought to life with d2-d3 etc. when the bishop pair will finally wake up. Therefore Ding Liren decides to f orce an immediate crisis before White can strengthen his game. g5 [ Perhaps he should play 16...h5!? first. ] 17.c3 Instead White could build up kingside pressure with [ 17.d3! c8 18.g3 d4 19.h5 when the f7 point is very vulnerable. ] 17...h5! Now Black gains counterplay. 18.d4 g4 19.d3 d8 20.g3 xg3 21.xg3 f5 22.exf6 xf6 23.e1 [ Another way for White to pursue his attack was 23.c2 e4 24.xe4 dxe4 25.b1 b6 26.f5 ] 23...e4 24.xe4 dxe4 25.b3 c7 26.f5 1199
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d6 27.f4 xf4 28.xf4 xc3? Black might have paid dearly for this greedy move. [ T h e p o s i t i o n i s u n c l e a r a f t e r 28...f8 29.e5 e7 30.xe6 ] 29.d5? White misses his big chance with [ 29.a4+! f7 ( Hopeless for Black is 29...e7 30.g5+ d6 31.f6! threatening mate when he has to give up a rook with c7 32.a5+ b8 33.xc3 ) 30.fxe6+ g7 31.f7+ h6 32.e7 d6+ 33.h1 gxh3 34.g3! Now the passed pawn costs Black a rook, after which White will win the endgame for example g6 35.e8 xe8 36.xg6+ xg6 37.xe8+ g5 38.e1 xg3 39.xe4 g2 40.a4 etc. ] 29...f8 30.e5 c7 31.d6 g3+ 32.h1? The decisive mistake of a hard fought game. It should be a draw after [ 32.xg3 xg3 33.dxc7 c3 34.xe6 xc7 35.e1 e7 36.xe4 f6 37.d4 etc. ] 32...c1+ 33.d1 c4! threatening mate on f1. 34.xg3 It is still mate on f1 after [ 34.xe6+ xe6 35.fxe6 f1# ] 34...xa1 35.g6+ d8 36.g5+ c8 37.d7+ xd7 38.g7+ c6 39.xa1 xf5 0-1
1157 Dvoirys,S Kabanov,N 72nd ch-Urals 2014 (8.5) [Tom Rendle]
B11 2560 2514 27.03.2014
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 f6 An unusual line against the Two Knights, but it's not so bad, and it can quickly lead to original play as we s e e i n t h is g a m e 4.e5 e4 5.d4 I considered this move in my notes to Lu Shan gle i-Ding Lire n, in t hat gam e W hit e played 5.h3 to prevent ...Bg4 but Dvoirys has an idea in mind against that plan! g4!? [ 5...xc3 6.bxc3 e6 is more usual, but then W hite has a slight edge with easy development ] [ 5...c5 looks a bit weird but it's worth considering in this position - there's no clear path to a safe edge for White - a plausible line is 6.b5+ ( Black has no real problems
after 6.d3 xc3 7.bxc3 c4 8.e2 c6 ) 6...c6 7.0-0 e6 8.xe4!? dxe4 9.g5 cxd4 ( 9...xd4?! 10.xc6+ bxc6 11.c3! xe5 12.d8+! xd8 13.xf7+ e7 14.xe5 leaves Black a pawn up but with a wrecked structure) 10.f4 d5 11.a4 e7 12.b3 a5 13.xe4 0-0 with balanced chances ] 6.e2!? A very tricky move, aiming to take advantage of the fact the knight on e4 has no retreat squares. Black needs to react quickly and I wonder if Kabanov underestimated White's idea. [ I actually quite like White's position after the strange 6.xe4 dxe4 7.h3 h5 8.g4 g6 ( 8...exf3 9.gxh5 e6 10.g1! is awkward for Black) 9.h4 as White will take the advantage of the two bishops and the pawn on d4 will be vulnerable ] 6...e6?! This actually loses a piece by force, although Black gets 3 pawns for it this normally isn't enough in the middlegame [ 6...c5! was critical, attacking d4 so that the kn i g h t h a s a r e t r e a t s q u a r e o n . . . c 5 i f n e c e s s a r y. T h e p o s i t i o n r e m a i n s v e r y complex here, for example 7.fg1 ( 7.c3 e6 8.fg1 cxd4 9.f3 d3! 10.xd3 c5 11.b5+ bd7 is fine for Black as the b i s h o p c a n n o t b e t a k e n 12.fxg4? a6 13.b4 d3+ ) A) Black can still sacrifice a piece if he wants, this time only for a pawn but more practical chances after 7...cxd4!? 8.f3 a5+ 9.c3 dxc3 10.bxc3 c6 11.fxg4 ( 11.fxe4 dxe4 12.b3 xe5 is very unclear) 11...e6 and White is very badly coordinated here so Black should have enough for the piece; B) 7...xe2 8.xe2 cxd4 9.xd4 e6 and Black has pretty much equalised ] 7.fg1! Unbelievably the knight is trapped on e4 b4+! The best chance - it's possible that Black always intended to give up the piece this way but somehow I'm not sure [ 7...h4?! only makes things worse after 8.g3 h5 9.d3 as f3 is still unstoppable ] 8.c3 xc3 9.bxc3 xc3+ 10.d2 xd4 [ 10...xa1 11.xa1 0-0 12.g3! should also be very pleasant for W hite as the bishop on g4 is badly placed as well. ] 11.b1 xe5?! 1200
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ if Black wanted to make this piece sacrifice b5 do not impress. The two factors balance v i a b l e I t h i n k h e h a d t o t r y 11...b6! to create an almost sterile equality.) 7.g4 when I still prefer White after 12.h3 f5 g6 8.e5 c8 9.h4 d4!? 10.h5 xc2 13.c1 d7 14.f3 0-0 15.g3 g6 11.xc2 dxc3 16.e2 but Black has 3 good central pawns A) 12.dxc3 d5! 13.f5! c7 for the piece and if they get going then the ( 13...xh1+ 14.e2+- ) 14.f3 xf5 position will be much less clear ] 15.gxf5 a6 16.f4 c8 17.c4 f6; 12.xb7 0-0 13.a4! f5 14.f3 c8 B) 12.bxc3 d5 13.f5 c7; 15.xa7 Suddenly it's only two pawns for the C) 12.b3 e6 13.dxc3 d6 14.xc6 piece d7 16.ed4 xd4 17.xd4 b8? bxc6 15.e2 c5 16.f4 b6 17.xb6 It looks like Black had been pinning all of his xb6 18.a4 a5 19.b4 e7 20.h6 ] h o p e s o n c o u n t e r p l a y wi t h . . . R b 1 + , b u t 4...xf3 5.xf3 e6 unfortunately White can just ignore the threat [ 5...f6 is perhaps a little more accurate, in [ 17...e5! 18.b4 c5 19.xa8 xa8 that 6 d4 becomes less attractive to White. 20.xa8 xa8 21.xc5 xa2 22.xf5 Usually that amounts to nothing more than exf5 and Black still has some slim drawing a transposition though: 6.d3 e6 7.a3 e7 chances as W hite has to find time to 8.g3 0-0 9.g2 fd7 10.0-0 f6 11.d1 develop his kingside ] a5 12.a4 a6 13.e2 ac5 14.h4 c7 18.a6! b1+ 15.e3 fd8 16.e5 e7 17.d4 a6 18.f4 [ 18...e8 19.0-0 is hopeless for Black ] c5 19.c3 ac8 20.f5 cxd4 21.xd4 c5 19.e2 b8 22.fxe6 xe5 23.exf7+ xf7 24.e3 [ or 19...d3+ 20.xd3 xh1 21.xc6 h8 xg3 25.xc5 xc5 26.f5 e5 27.e7+ 22.e7 b8 23.xd7 and Black can safely h8 28.ae1 xe2 29.xe2 d6 30.ef2 resign ] g6 31.f8+ xf8 32.xf8+ g7 33.d8 20.xb1 xa7 21.xc6 c5 22.xa7 c4 34.xd5 xb2 35.d7+ h6 xa4 23.c1 f6 24.c6 g4+ 25.f3 h5 36.xb7 xa4 37.a7 xc3 38.f6 c7 26.b4 Black has nothing at all for the piece 39.d7 c4 40.e5 c5 41.d7 c4 so he resigned. An interesting and original 42.e5 3b5 43.xa5 xh4 44.f3 h5 opening and maybe even the piece sacrifice 45.f1 d6 46.xh5+ xh5 47.d3 f5 was viable, but sloppy play from Black led to 48.f2 e6 49.b1 h6 50.e5 h4 a disappointedly one sided game. 51.xg6+ 1/2-1/2 Simeonidis, I-Kokolias, K 1-0 Acropolis Open, Athens GRE 2003 ] 6.g3 White could try 6 d4 now at least he has that option. Dvoryis heads straight for the two 1158 B11 Bishops but Black is very, very watertight. Dvoirys,Semen I 2555 f6N 7.g2 b4 8.0-0 [ The complications following 8.e5 fd7 Grischuk,Alexander 2730 9.g4 are interesting- it 's a rather 56th ch-RUS Krasnoyarsk (1) 2003 unconventional fork! However, Black once [Andrew Martin] again copes easily: ( After 9.d4 the game can take a 'French' turn: c5 10.a3 a5 1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 A rather solid 11.b4 cxb4 12.b5 0-0 13.axb4 xb4+ move with a dash of poison for the uninitiated. 14.c3 b6! ) 9...f8 10.f4 ( 10.d4 c5 ) g4 4.h3 10...b6 ] [ 4.exd5!? is sometimes played but Black copes comfortably: cxd5 5.b5+ c6 6.h3 8...xc3 9.xc3 dxe4 10.d3!? Naturally he h5 Absolutely playable but perhaps could regain the pawn with 10 Re1, but that ( 6...xf3! is even more reliable. Black loses would involve the loss of the light-squared no time and pre-empts any attack. 7.xf3 Bishop and any hope of advantage would e6 8.0-0 f6 9.e1 e7 10.d3 0-0= disappear. exd3 11.d1 bd7 12.xd3 0-0 The 'height' of White's pressure. In White has two Bishops and two misplaced 13.g5 pieces. The Knight on c3 and the Bishop on reality, Dvoryis has adequate compensation 1201
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 but that's about it. There aren't really any 15.0-0-0 with unclear play) 14...c5! 15.h5 weaknesses to probe, it's tough to create them gxh5 16.xh5 xh5 17.gxh5 f5 ] and while Black is tied up, he has plenty of 11...hxg6 12.d3 moves. e7 [ 12.d3 f5! is fine for Black for example [ Both 13...b6 14.ad1 d5 ] A) 13.gxf5 gxf5 14.e2 xh4 15.g1 [ and 13...c7 14.ad1 fe8 demonstrate f6 16.g5 h7 and White was that Black is fine-maybe even better in the struggling to demonstrate compensation last line.. ] for the pawn in Idani, P (2417)-Chighladze, 14.ad1 b6 15.a5!= Tying down the I (2377) Esfahan 2011; Queen's Rook. c4 16.c3 B) 13.e2 is an interesting pawn sacrifice [ 16.xf6 xf6 17.b4 xb2 18.f3 c5 but I'm not convinced by W hite's ( 18...a5 19.xb7 e5 20.d7 ) 19.xb7 compensation after xh4 14.g1 f6 e5 20.d7 is a last point of interest. The 15.g5 ( 15.gxf5 gxf5 is a little better for two players don't seem especially interested Black ) 15...a5+ 16.d2 b6 17.gxf5 in complications so it is time for a gxf5 18.c3 and now in Kravtsiv, M (2582)handshake. ] L'Ami, A (2372) Roosendaal 2012 Black 16...b6 17.a5 The Two Kn ights variation got greedy with xb2?! which probably isn't theoretically crucial because W hite is isn't so bad but things went wrong after completely unable to create immediate ( instead 18...d6! simply leaves Black a pressure. But, if you like the two Bishops and p a w n u p a s 19.xg7 g4 you are reasonably patient, then it might work is very awkward for W hite to deal with) well. Black has no reason to fear an early d219.b1 xa2 20.a1 b2 21.b1 a3 d4, but with 5...Nf 6! in place of 5...e6 as 22.xb7 e4 23.f3 xd2 24.xd2 played here, he can cut that idea right out of e7? ( 24...b8! wa s b e t t e r) 25.e3 W hite's head. Perhaps it's wisest to do so. d8? ( 25...d6 was compulsory c4 although the position is still messy after ½-½ 26.xg7 ) 26.xg7 h1+ 27.f2 xb7 28.xe6 d8 29.xf5 c7 30.xd5+ and Black had to resign because of d6 1159 B11 31.g8+ f8 32.xf8+ e7 33.g8 with mate soon to follow; Fedorchuk,S 2661 C) 13.g5 is perhaps White's best but Li Wenliang 2424 Black is still comfortable after f6 14.e2 World Cities Team KO (1.11) 25.12.2012 and now b6! is best ( instead [Tom Rendle] 14...a5+?! 15.c3 d6 16.f3 c7 17.d2 a6?! 18.f4 and White was 1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.h3 h5!? clearly better in Llaneza Vega, M (2473)5.exd5 cxd5 6.b5+ c6 7.g4 g6 8.e5 Prie t o A ra n gu re n , A (2 2 1 9 ) Do n o s t ia c8 9.d4 e6 10.h4! Definitely the critical 2011 )] continuation [ 10.e2 was covered by Andrew Martin in 12...f7 13.xc6 [ 13.e3 was tried by Nakamura against Azarov-Akobian in the archives and as he Grischuk recently, but it was only a blitz says Black should be doing fine with b4! game and Black was better after b4 instead of Bd6 which was played in the A) better was 14.0-0-0 a5 ( 14...xc3!? game ] 15.xc3 e5 is also interesting) 15.e2 10...f6 11.xg6 a6 16.a4 b5 17.b3 with chances for [ 11.xc6+ makes less sense here as after both sides; bxc6 12.xg6 hxg6 13.d3 f7 B) 14.h5?! gxh5 15.gxh5 ge7 16.a3 White doesn't really have enough pieces to xc3+ 17.xc3 and now a5! create a serious attack - indeed in Tolentino, would've given Black the better chances R (2276)-Alavi, S (2493) Cebu City 2007 after ( instead 17...a5 led to equality Black was better after 14.d2 ( 14.e3! c5 1202
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 after 18.xa5 xa5 19.d3 ) 18.d3 a6 19.a4 b5 20.b3 xb3 21.xb3 c7 ] 13...xc6 [ 13...bxc6 probably isn't so bad here either although it's not clear what Black does next after 14.e3! ] 14.d2 [ 14.h5?! immediately gets nowhere after gxh5 15.gxh5 e7 16.d2 f5! 17.e2 b6 18.0-0-0 a6 19.xa6 xa6 and Black was a little better in Groselj, P (2106) -Zelcic, R (2503) Ljubljana 2001 although White did end up holding his higher rated opponent. ] 14...a5?! It's a little harsh to give this move a d u b i o u s b u t t h in gs d o g o d o wn h il l q u i t e quickly from here - still that's largely because of the forceful play from Fedorchuk! [ 14...d6 15.0-0-0 e7 16.b1 a6 17.de1 was slightly better for White in Kantans, T (2338) -Shimanov, A (2549) Warsaw 2011 ] [ 14...b6! may be best here 15.0-0-0 a6 16.f3 b5!? with balanced chances ] 15.h5! Now is the time for this pawn push gxh5 16.xh5 [ 16.gxh5? e7 and Black would be at least fine. ] 16...xh5 17.gxh5 e7 [ 17...f5 18.g3 is also unpleasant for Black to deal with ] 18.h6! This is the key point, Black cannot keep the kingside closed and suddenly the Black queen looks misplaced on a5. gxh6 [ 18...g8 19.0-0-0 is no better, for example f5 20.g1 h8 21.hxg7+ xg7 22.e2! and Black is in serious trouble ] 19.h7+ g7 20.xh6 f5 21.xg7 xg7 22.0-0-0! White completes development and threatens to win immediately on the kingside with Rg1. xc3 A good practical try considering the alternative [ 22...c8 23.g1 g8 and now White can p l a y a l m o s t a n y t h i n g - p e r h a p s 24.a3 is most accurate which underlines the fact that Black can move anywhere e.g. A) 24...c7 25.g6+ f8 ( 25...e7? 26.xg7+! wins ) 26.xf6+; B) 24...f8 25.h6 f7 26.g6+ e7 27.e2! with Nf4 coming and a crushing attack ]
23.bxc3 [ 23.g1! was more accurate with the nice p o i n t t h a t a f t e r g3 24.fxg3 xa2 White has 25.c3! a1+ 26.b1 ] 23...xc3 24.d3 a5 25.b3 White obviously has good winning chances in this endgame but the lack of pawns means it's not simple at all. b6 26.c4 f5 27.cxd5 exd5 28.h3 e7 29.d2 b4 30.d3 e8 31.a3 d6 32.a6 Not a serious mistake but somehow this feels like a strange square for the Queen [ 32.e2! was stronger, e.g. d8 33.e3 c6+ 34.d2 d6 35.e1 with the plan of Rh1 or Qg3, both of which should be good enough to win with the plan of Rh1 or Qg3, both of which should be enough to win ] 32...c7+ 33.d1?! [ 33.b2 would've prevented Black's next move ] 33...c4! 34.xc4 dxc4 35.f3 d7 36.h2 b5 Suddenly Black should be holding a draw 37.h5 f5 38.h6 c6 39.d5 d4 40.a6 xf3 41.e2 e5 42.d2 f4 43.c3 f3? Black was so close but here he throws away the draw [ 43...g4! covering the f6 square and now 44.xa7+ d6 45.f7 ( 45.a4!? f3! 46.f7 bxa4 47.xf3 xd5 ) 45...e3! 46.d4 xd5 is an easy draw ( or 46...c2+ )] 44.f6 a5 45.d4 d3 46.xf3 b4?! Now it's all over [ 46...c1 was more stubborn although 47.f7+ d6 48.f6+ d7 49.c6! should be winning ] 47.axb4 axb4 48.f7+ e8 49.b7 Both pawns will drop and White is left with a trivial ending. 1-0
1160 Ibragimov,I Dreev,Alexey 19th TCh-RUS 2012 (6) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B11 2539 2698 14.04.2012
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.h3 xf3 5.xf3 e6 6.e2!? This modest bishop development was brought to our attention by Nigel Short and we've both tried it out 1203
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 ourselves. White delays moving the d pawn as h e m a y w a n t t o g o d 4 i n o n e g o . c5 A very rare try but quite logical. Black cuts across White's plan of d4. [ 6...f6 would transpose to Short-L'Ami which Gawain has previously annotated. We've left those notes in and added in some recent games. 7.0-0 A) 7...c5!? was Fridman's choice, preventing White from playing d2-d4 (and wo u l d a c t u a l ly b e ve ry si m i l a r t o t h e game). 8.d3 ( 8.d1!? is an interesting idea but d4! looks adequate.; 8.f4!? was tried in a recent GM game: b6 9.e5 fd7 10.d4 0-0 11.a4 c7 12.g4 f5 13.g3 e7 14.b3 b5 15.b2 a6 with a draw agreed in Solak, D (2588)Berkes, F (2693) Neum 2011 but W hite must have an edge after 16.a4 ) A1) 8...0-0 was better but perhaps 9.g3 A1a) Instead in a blitz game from last y e a r , R i a z a n t s e v p l a y e d 9...d4 against Gawain A1a1) 10.f4 l o o k s b e t t e r bd7 ( 10...e8 is also possible) 11.d6 wins the exchange, although a5 12.xf8 xf8 gives Black good play.; A1a2) 10.g5 bd7 11.h1 b6 12.ab1 c5 when 13.f4?! wa s f a r t o o a m b it io u s. Jo n e s, G (2635) -Riazantsev, A (2710) Warsaw 2011.; A1b) 9...bd7 10.f4 is still a little more comfortable.; A2) 8...c7?! 9.exd5! A2a) 9...cxd5 is of course best from a s t r a t e g i c p o i n t o f v i e w b u t 10.f4 is strong. A2a1) 10...a5 11.d4! e7 ( 11...xd4 12.b5 xb2 13.c7++- ) 12.g3 0-0 13.c7 b6 14.a3 leaves the Black queen out of bounds.; A2a2) 10...c8 11.b5 0-0 12.c7 c6 13.xa8 d4 14.e3 xc2 15.d2 ( 15.c1 xa1 16.c7 b6 isn't clear.) 15...b4 ( 15...xa1 16.c1!+- ) 16.c1 xa1 17.c7 d7 18.d4! c8
19.xa1 xc7 20.xc7 xc7 21.c1 and White's clearly better with his extra exchange.; A2b) 9...exd5 10.f4 d6 11.g3! xf4 12.xg7 g8 13.xf6 wins a pawn.; A2c) 9...xd5 10.e4 d7 11.xc5 xc5 12.d4 d7 13.c4 e7 14.f4 b6 15.c3 0-0 16.ad1 and White had a definite advantage thanks to his bishop pair. Kovacevic, A (2574) Fridman, D (2650) Rijeka 2010.; B) 7...dxe4 8.xe4 B1) 8...e7 9.d3 0-0 10.g3 h8 Czebe, A (2480)-Turov, M (2624) Bhubaneswar 2010 11.e3 ( 11.xf6 xf6 12.f4 b6 13.ab1 is a tiny bit better for W hite.) 11...bd7 12.c4! taking over the d5 square when Black still struggles to equalise.; B2) 8...xe4 9.xe4 d7 10.d4 f6 11.d3 This position is important to the th e o re t ica l a sse ssm e n t o f th is lin e . W hite has the bishop pair and a little mo re spa ce b u t B la ck is ve ry s o lid . Schandorf f believes that in practical terms the position is level as White lacks a plan but nevertheless I feel Black still has to be more accurate. I've added in some recent games to illustrate some ideas. Generally it's possible for Black to prevent the d4-d5 break as long as he's accurate and so White should also consider using b4-b5, coupled with Bf3 to put further pressure on Black's position. B2a) 11...e7 is Black's other option. This is a slightly more passive location for the bishop but keeps full control of the d5 square. 12.c4 0-0 13.e3 B2a1) 13...d6 14.fd1 fd8 15.d2 ( 15.b4 a5 looks acceptable for Black although 16.bxa5 xa5 17.a4 is still a touch better for White. ) 15...d7 16.ad1 ad8 17.c2 c7 18.f3 a5 19.a3 h6 20.g3 c8 21.d3 f5 22.g2 cd8 23.3d2 xc2 24.xc2 h7 Souleidis, G (2410) -Argiroudis, S (2315) Peristeri 2010 when W hite should have taken Short's lead with 1204
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 25.d5!; B2a2) 13...c7 14.f3 fd8 15.b3 I don't think this is accurate as this impedes the important idea of b4-b5 utilising the f3 bishop. ( T h e r e f o r e I ' d p r e f e r 15.c3; Two strong GMs reached this position recently and there W hite tried 15.e2 but never really had any winning chances: d7 16.fd1 ad8 17.a3 e5 18.dxe5 xe5 19.xd7 xd7 20.e1 c5 21.xc5 xc5 22.b4 f8 23.e3 a6 24.d1 xd1+ 25.xd1 g6 26.b6 d6 27.f3 f4 28.b5 c1+ 29.h2 f4+ 30.g1 c1+ 31.h2 f4+ 32.g1 c1+ 33.h2 1/2-1/2 Azarov, S (2667)Matlakov, M (2632) Plovdiv 2012.) 15...d7 16.fd1 ad8 17.ac1 has been reached three times this year. However Black is very solid and is overprotecting the d5 square so it's hard to see how White should proceed. The highest rated encounter continued: b8 18.g3 f8 19.g2 g6 20.f4 d6 21.g5 e7 22.e3 e8 23.f4 d6 24.h6 f8 25.f4 d6 26.g5 e7 27.xe7 xe7 28.d5 cxd5 29.xd5 xd5 30.xd5 ( 30.cxd5 e5 is nothing special for White as the knight sits comfortably on d6. ) 30...f6 31.f3 e5 32.d1 g7 33.c5 e4 34.e2 e5 and Black was fine. Milos, G (2618)Rodshtein, M (2622) Bursa 2010.; B2b) 11...d6 B2b1) 12.f3 0-0 13.b4!? looks like quite a promising idea. ( 13.b3 was tried in another strong GM encounter. W hite got a tiny nibble out of the opening and tried grinding for a long, long time. b6 14.d1 xb3 15.axb3 a6 16.c3 ad8 17.f1 d7 18.g3 fd8 19.b4 h6 20.e1 b8 21.e2 d5 22.c4 f8 23.b3 and only White could try to win but Black is very solid. Andreikin, D (2705)-Roiz, M (2668) Saratov 2011.) 13...a6 14.a3
c7 15.b2 ad8 16.fe1 a5 17.bxa5 xa5 18.b3 d7 19.c4 fd8 when instead of rushing with 30. d5 W hite would have retained the better chances with 20.a4 ( 20.d5 cxd5 21.xf6 gxf6 22.cxd5 exd5 23.g4 c7 24.f5 gave White good compensation for the pawn but B l a ck h e l d t h e d r a w wi t h o u t t o o many problems. Ismagambetov, A (2492)-Benidze, D (2504) Zuerich 2010. ) 20...h6 21.c3 f5 22.e3 as the pressure down the b file and ideas of a5-a6 are awkward to cope with.; B2b2) 12.g5 h6 13.h4 g5!? Probably overambitious. ( 13...c7 looks fine to me.) 14.g3 c7 15.f3 e7 16.c4 ad8 17.ad1 a6 18.e3 f4 19.xf4 xf4 20.b3 d7 and White is somewhat better as Black's king was stuck in the centre. Piper, M (2304)Speelman, J (2525) Hinckley Island 2010; B2b3) 12.b4!? Gawain wrote about this move: "...has never been played but looks interesting to me again playing to open the b file looks like a good plan." He actually got the chance to try it out against the very strong Viorel Bologan: e7 13.b1 ( 13.b5 c5 14.dxc5 xc5 15.b2 0-0 16.g3 might be something for White but he has to be accurate as otherwise Black could exploit White's over-advanced b pawn.) 13...0-0 14.f3 fd8 15.b3 a5 16.bxa5 db8 17.d2 c7 18.fd1 h6 19.c4 d8 20.d5! exd5 21.cxd5 d6 22.g3 xd5 Jones, G (2624)Bologan, V (2656) Muelheim 2011 when 23.bc1! would have been v e r y s t r o n g : d7 24.e1! and as Bla ck cann ot take on a5 , W hite will pick up a pawn with decent chances; B2b4) 12.c4 0-0 ( 12...h6 13.e3 0-0 14.fd1 c7 15.ac1 fd8 16.f3 h2+ 17.h1 f4= ) 13.g5 h6N 14.h4 e5 15.ad1 e8= 1205
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is given by Schandorff when Black has equalised. ] [ 6...g6 tries to keep the position unbalanced but it appears to favour White. 7.d4 g7 8.e3 so far this is given in Schandorff's new Caro-Kann book and here he suggests White has good attacking chances. A recent game did nothing to disprove his words. A) 8...f6 was tried by Andreikin but wasn't very convincing: 9.0-0 ( 9.0-0-0 was also possible of course.) 9...0-0 10.a4 bd7 11.fd1 a5 12.f1 h8 13.c1!? White's last two moves make a strange impression but his idea is to play b4 followed by Ba3. e5 14.dxe5 xe5 15.e2 dxe4 16.xe4 xe4 17.xe4 And White's bishop pair on the open board grant him some advantage. It's notable that the 2700 playing Black later switched to try the White side of this system. Azarov, S (2648)-Andreikin, D (2705) Rogaska Slatina 2011.; B) 8...d7 9.exd5!? exd5 ( 9...cxd5 10.b5 is awkward to deal with.) 10.g4 f8 11.0-0-0 e6 12.h4 e7 13.h5 and Black already had a few problems as White's attack has made definite headway. Czebe, A (2480)-Lafuente, P (2587) Bhubaneswar 2010. ] 7.g3 And this looks the critical reply. [ Instead in the only other game to reach this position W hite tried 7.0-0 but looks too straightforward. Following d7 8.d3 e7 9.d1 0-0 10.e2 dxe4 11.dxe4 g6 Black certainly had no problems. Gabrielsen, S (2322)-Sulskis, S (2537) Barcelona 2007. ] [ The computer offers 7.b4 as a suggestion but we don't really see what White's gained after d4 ] [ while 7.g4?! can be met with f6! as 8.xg7?! g8 9.h6 xg2 is good for Black. ] 7...d4 A typical move for Black, taking control of d4 and defending g7. [ The dif f erence is that 7...f6? 8.e5! is very good for White. ] [ However 7...e7!? looks an interesting pawn sacrifice A) 8.a4 is also possible: A1) 8...d4 9.c3 f6 ( 9...a5 10.d1
f6 11.b4 d8 12.c5 gives White some edge.) 10.c5 0-0!? ( 10...c8 11.d4 a ga in m u st f a vo u r W h i t e .) 11.xb7 b6 12.d6 g6 13.d4 e5 14.0-0 must be better for White.; A2) 8...d7 9.xc5 xc5 10.xg7 g8 11.xh7 xe4 also gives Black some compensation for the pawn.; B) 8.xg7 g8 9.xh7 xg2 10.exd5 ( Both 10.h8+ g8 11.h4 d7; and 10.f3 xf2 11.h5 d7! simply look ve ry me ssy.) 10...cxd5 11.d1 d7 12.e3 g8 13.g4 b6 14.c3 d4 and it seems Black has good c o m p e n s a t i o n f o r t h e p a wn , d e s p i t e Rybka's scepticism. ] 8.exd5 exd5 9.0-0 e7 [ The computer prefers 9...d7 but 10.d1 is likely to simply transpose. ] 10.d1!? Preparing to force the bishop back. [ Perhaps W hite should try 10.g4 f6 11.d4 but Black is very solid, for example: d7 ( 11...h5!? 12.f4 d7 is also possible.) 12.e3 f8 13.d3 d7 14.f3 e6 15.e2 and Black is very solid but perhaps W hite can claim something small with the bishop pair. ] 10...d7 11.c3 e5 12.f4 f6 13.d4 White's managed to grab some space but at the cost of ceding a potential outpost on e4. The question is whether White can manage to utilise his bishop pair and create some kingside initiative. 0-0 [ We'd have been tempted to reroute the k n i g h t w i t h 13...f5 14.g4 d6 when Black doesn't look to have any problems, for example: 15.f2 0-0 16.d3 e8 17.d2 h4 18.g3 e7 19.ae1 f6 20.f3 f8 21.xe8 xe8 22.f5 d7 23.g5 e7 24.xf6 xf6 25.g4 e7 26.f2 e8 27.e2 d8 with a draw. ] 14.f2 [ White could have prevented Black's plan s e e n i n t h e p r e v i o u s n o t e w i t h 14.e3 but following e8 we doubt Black has any problems. ( while here too he could try 14...c5!? )] 14...c5!? Dreev's playing for the win. [ 14...f5 would likely transpose to 13... Nf5. ] 15.dxc5 xc5 16.d3 Now Dreev should 1206
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 have taken the upper hand. [ 16.d1 f5 17.f3 d4 is obviously fine for Black. ] [ While 16.f3 d4 also looks totally fine for B l a c k , e . g . 17.b4 a4 18.g4 f5 19.d3 e3 20.xe3 dxe3 21.ad1 b6 22.xf6+ xf6 and Black certainly has no problems. ] 16...c6 [ After 16...b6! White's position would have quickly turned unpleasant: 17.e3 ( or 17.d1 xd3 18.xd3 fe8 ) 17...d4! 18.xd4 xd4 19.cxd4 xd3 20.xd3 ad8 and Black will regain the pawn with a positional edge. ] 17.c2 d4 18.d1 e8 19.f3 Ibragimov decides to cover the e2 square. [ 19.b4 was critical: e2! 20.xh7+ xh7 21.bxc5 e7 22.g4 e8 gives Black a strong initiative for the pawn. ] 19...b6 [ 19...e7! 20.g4 ad8 would have started to be very unpleasant for White. ] 20.b4 Ibragimov wants to try and get some counterplay on the kingside. [ 20.h1 dxc3 21.bxc3 a5 looks a little unpleasant for White. ] 20...e6 21.d3?! dxc3?? To be honest we're very confused by the subsequent course o f t h e g a m e - p e r h a p s it wa sn 't n o t a t e d correctly. [ 21...g6! leaves Black with a clearly better position. ] 22.xh7+ f8 23.b5? [ 23.d7! is forced mate. We're not sure what both players missed! ] 23...cd4 As we don't know that the rest of the game is even correct we've decided to skip over it. White should still be winning but doesn't find the cleanest path. Despite the result 6...Bc5 looks an interesting way for Black to cut across W hite's plan and we're e x p e c t in g t o s e e m o r e p l a ye rs t r yin g i t , especially as it seems W hite's system is becoming more and more popular. 24.a3+ c5 25.d3 ac8 26.xc5 xc5 27.h8+ e7 28.e1+ e6 29.h5 d4+ 30.h1 g6 31.d5 d8 32.g5+ d7 33.xc5 xc5 34.xc5 xc5 35.ad1+ d4?! 36.e3 c7 37.xc3 b6 38.a4 e8
39.d3 d6 40.c4 b3 1-0
1161 Jones,Gawain C Long,Peter 39th Olympiad Men (1.12) [Gawain Jones]
B11 2576 2302 21.09.2010
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.d4 I decided to follow my recommendation from the last update in which I investigated Satyapragyan-Khamrakulov. f6 Obviously I was hoping to follow the previous game but I think this is the most sensible reaction. 5.e5 [ I thought about playing the strange looking 5.h3 xf3 6.gxf3!? but I was embarrassed what my team mates might say! However I think this is an interesting attempt, e.g. e6 7.g1 bd7 8.e3 when it's not completely straightforward to see how Black proceeds. Of course he should be ok but it's an unusual position and sets him problems he might not feel comfortable facing. ] 5...fd7 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 e6 8.f4 I confess I forgot the move I advocated at this point. [ I suggested 8.g3 b6 9.f4 last month as taking the pawn gives W hite good play: xd4 10.e3 b4 11.0-0-0 a5 12.b1 g6 13.f3 a6 14.g4 with good play for the pawn. ] 8...a6 [ The immediate 8...c5 is playable although Pe te r was wo rried ab ou t issu es o n b 5 . 9.dxc5 c6 ( 9...xc5 10.g3 g6 11.0-0-0 resembles some sort of Advanced Caro. ) 10.b5 xc5 11.g3 g6 12.0-0 0-0 13.xc6 bxc6 14.a4 e7 15.b3 is slightly easier for White to play. ] 9.e2 This is probably mistaken. [ I n i t i a l l y I w a n t e d t o p l a y 9.0-0-0 b u t w a s r a t h e r c o n c e r n e d a b o u t b5 as it's not clear where White should target. ] [ Perhaps 9.g3!? would be the most accurate, keeping e5 under control. If c5 10.dxc5 c6 11.0-0-0 g6 12.h4 h5 13.xd5! exd5 14.xd5 looks like good compensation. ] 9...c5 10.dxc5 c6 11.g3 xc5 1207
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Analysing the game afterwards I came to the conclusion that 11...g6! would have been strong as e5 is rather too exposed. I think I should have tried 12.0-0-0 g7 ( 12...xc5!? looks paradoxical but seems to f a v o u r B l a c k .) 13.a4 ( 13.xd5?! do es n't se em so e f f ective h ere a s exd5 14.xd5 e7 15.hd1 xc5 16.g5 e4! defuses White's play.) 13...0-0 14.h4 h5 15.b1 with a complex position. Black will win the e5 pawn but White can try to get play with the c2-c4 break. ] 12.0-0 [ I was still rather worried that after 12.0-0-0 his queenside attack would be faster than mine on the kingside. ] 12...d4 [ Again 12...g6 was sensible when 13.g5 e7 ( 13...c7 14.f6 favours W hite.) 14.h6 f8 when taking the repetition is probably White's strongest option although I would probably have had to deviate! ] 13.d1 Keeping the bishop pair is my only hope for an advantage. h5 Long starts a kingside attack of his own. During the game I thought this was a mistake but due to Black's 15th move note it looks like it actually holds together. 14.b4 Fighting back. f5 [ 14...d7 15.b1 c8 is rather unclear but I t h in k W h i t e h a s m o r e p r o b l e m s t h a n Black. ] 15.f3 d4? And this is a mistake. [ 15...g5! was suggested by David Howell and looks very strong. 16.h2 ( 16.bxc5 h4! 17.e3 gxf4 18.xf4 xc5 is rather promising.) 16...g4 17.hxg4 hxg4 18.xg4 ( 18.f4 g3 19.xg3 h6 gives Black great dynamic play.) 18...h4! During the game I'd missed this idea. 19.g8 xb4 and Black's on top. ] 16.e3 f5 17.d2 d7 18.xd5! I really like this piece sacrifice even if others m i g h t b e s c e p t i c a l . M y t h i n k i n g wa s a s follows: without those e6 and d5 pawns the d1 bishop races back into life and on an open board the bishop pair are very strong. W ith the pawn on h5 Black will struggle to find any safe haven for his king. Finally I thought it likely I'll at least win the b7 pawn back to make it three pawns for the piece and no major material deficit. exd5 19.xd5 e7
After this Black is really struggling. [ 19...b6! was best but White still has very good chances. I've added in my analysis from straight after the game. A) 20.e6!? is interesting, trying to exploit Black's open king immediately but with accurate defence Black is ok. fxe6 21.e1 e5 22.xe5+ xe5 23.xe5+ e7 24.xh5+ xh5 25.xh5+ g6 26.h8 xb4 27.h6 c6 with a messy position but it looks like the worst is over for Black.; B) 20.c3 is the most logical step defending the b4 pawn and allowing the d1 bishop into the game. B1) 20...e7 21.d3 b5 22.d2!? is very good comp ensation . ( 22.d4 b6= ); B2) 20...c6 and surprisingly White can trade queens here with 21.f3! xd5 22.xd5 and I would stand better as b7 is dropping when the three pawns and bishop pair are worth more than the extra piece.; C) 20.d3 was probably going to my try in the game as I hadn't realised I could trade queens. David Howell, Jovanka Houska and I analysed some lines straight after the game: xb4 ( 20...g6! 21.c3 0-0-0! is probably Black's best and thus W hite should try 20.c3.) 21.c4 ( 21.xf5 g6 22.c3 c4 23.g5 h6 24.xh6 xh6 25.xh6 c5 is very messy but I'd prefer to be White. ) 21...e7 C1) 22.e6 c5 ( 22...fxe6 23.b1 c5 24.xh5+! xh5 25.e2 starts to r e g a i n m a t e r i a l .) 23.exf7+ xf7 24.d6 and practically it's tough playing Black here.; C2) 22.b1 c5 23.c2 a5 24.f3 c6 25.fd1 with continuing compensation thanks to Black's king being stuck in the centre. He also has to deal with the threat of 26.Rxb7.; D) 20.-- ] 20.xb7 Now Black has insurmountable practical problems. I have three pawns for the piece, the bishop pair and Black is a long way f r o m c o m p l e t i n g h i s d e v e l o p m e n t . g6 21.e4 [ I also considered 21.e6 fxe6 22.g3 1208
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 but was a little worried that Black might find the f7 square useful for his king. Also I had only just got back to material parity and wa s n ' t k e e n o n s a c r i f i c i n g s o m e t h i n g immediately! ] 21...xf4 22.xf4 b8? And this is the losing move. [ 22...e7 had to be tried although 23.e1 f8 24.c3 e6 25.a4+ f8 26.e4 leaves White with the definite upper hand. ] 23.c3! Only now did Black realise that my bishop could develop down the d1-a4 diagonal. Both b3 and a4 are causes of major concern to him. b6 [ It's too late to develop. 23...e7 24.a4 0-0 25.ad1 b7 26.e6! fxe6 27.e4 would win the knight. ] 24.b3 c7 25.a4 Attempting to gain access to the a4-e8 diagonal. g5 26.f5 d7 27.e6! fxe6 28.e5 Forking the rooks. An unusual ending to an interesting game. Black solved his opening problems rather easily and if 8.Bf4 is to be repeated then I think 9.Qg3 is a much better try than 9.Be2 which could have left me in some difficulty. 1-0
1162 Kokholm,Daniel Hansen,Jens Martin 25th Politiken Cup (6) [Andrew Martin]
B11 2115 2003
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f4!? Very unusual indeed, although Van Geet, innovator from Holland has recommended this idea. As you will see, 3 f4 has achieved a certain popularity recently, with good results. Positionally, White tries to establish a bind on the e5 square and cramp Black as a result. Personally, I would be worried about the exposed pawn on f4 and the g1-a7 diagonal but it takes all sorts! dxe4 4.xe4 d7 Well, this is very logical. Black simply prepares ...Ngf6 and plays in the style of the Smyslov system. [ 4...e6 You will see that Black's treatment is similar to the main game here. What could be more natural than 4...e6, also apparently preparing ...Nf6. Yet Black soon slips into p a s s i v i t y . 5.f3 d7 6.g3 b6 7.b3!
Training the Bishop on e5. b7 8.g2 e7 9.b2 gf6 10.f2 Thematic. The Knight re-routes to d3, once more fixing e5. c7 11.0-0 c5 12.d3 0-0 13.e2 fe8 14.ae1 The remarkable thing is that Black has played a whole stack of natural moves and now stands strategically worse! White has a strong initiative. Even if Black d e f e n d s p e r f e c t l y W h i t e ca n a i m f o r a Kingside pawn advance- that is the overall plan now. As it happens, Black gets crushed by a tactic. d5 ( 14...ad8 15.de5 f8 16.d3 would not change things.) 15.de5 ab8 16.c4 b7 17.xf7! Overlooked, I am sure. xf3 18.xf3 xf7 19.xe6+ f8 20.e5 xe5 21.fxe5 d8 22.d5 e7 23.g4 f7?? ( 23...e8 Frightening to play, but the only move. 24.exf6 xe1+ 25.f2 e5 26.g8+ d7 27.d3+ c7 28.xg7+ e7 29.xe7+ xe7 30.fxe7 xe7 ) 24.e6 g8 25.xf7+ 1-0 Bentancor, F-Marcolino, D/II American Continental, Buenos Aires A 2003 I got the impression throughout that Black didn't like his position it was just not the Caro-Kann that he was used to, and he played weakly as a result. ] [ 4...f6! This seems like the way to me. Quick development, not worrying about pawn structure, an ambitious move aiming to take immediate advantage of White's selfi n f l i c t e d w e a k n e s s . 5.xf6+ ( 5.f2 would be systematic but it appears that Black is fine after f5 6.f3 e6 7.g3 b6 ) 5...exf6 6.d4?! Ugly. d6 7.d3 0-0 8.f3 A) I like 8...e8+ 9.e2 f5 10.xf5 ( 10.0-0 xd3 11.xd3 a6= ) 10...a5+ 11.c3 xf5 12.0-0 d7=; B) 8...a5 9.e2 a6 10.a3 f5 11.e3 c7 12.0-0 e6 13.f2 a4 14.c4 g6 15.c3 e8 16.fd1 f6 17.f1 h5 18.h4 h7 19.d2 g8 20.g3 d7 21.ad1 h7 22.g2 g8 23.d3 a6 24.c2 b5 25.c5 f8 26.d5 cxd5 27.d4 e6 28.a2 c6 29.b4 a7 30.h2 a6 31.d3 g7 32.xg7 xg7 33.e5 ae7 34.c3 f6 35.xc6 xc6 36.xd5 e2 37.f3 h6 38.h3 xb2 39.5d3 xf3 40.xf3 xc5 41.c3 e4 42.xe4 xe4 43.c5 ee2 1209
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 44.h1 ed2 45.c3 a2 46.c5 db2 47.c3 b3 48.xb3 axb3 49.d1 b2 50.b1 g7 51.g2 f7 52.f2 e6 0-1 Tiviakov, S-L'Ami, E/ch-NED Open, Dieren NED 2003 (52) ] 5.f3 gf6 6.f2 e6 7.g3 b6 8.e2 e7 9.g2 b7 10.b3 c5 11.b2 0-0 12.c4 [ Either 12.0-0 or ] [ 12.d3 were possible. ] 12...e8 13.0-0 [ I feel that 13.d3 is an improvement in the move order, with White obtaining his usual grip in the centre: f6 14.de5 c7 15.0-0 ] 13...f6 14.e5 xg2 15.xg2 c7 16.fd3 b7+ 17.f3 g6 18.af1 d8 19.g4 Crunch time and we will soon see whether White's overall idea is a success or a failure. Over the board I would certainly prefer to be White, going for glory on the Kingside, but there should be sufficient resources to persuade the careful player that the Black p o s i t i o n i s d e f e n s i b l e . g7 20.e1 A sign that W hite is a little unsure about where he goes from here. [ Direct is 20.f5 but Black can cope: exf5 21.gxf5 xe5 22.xe5 f6! 23.fxg6 fxg6 24.g1 e4 25.g2 c2! ] [ A further try is 20.g1 unpinning. Again, Black copes: d6 21.xd7 xd7 22.xg7 xg7 23.e5 dd8 24.e3 a6 ] 20...ef6 21.f2 Perhaps the true assessment of this position is 'dynamically equal' Both sides have trumps and if White tries too hard the position could well blow up in his face. I guess White has better chances of landing the Kingside attack if light-squared Bishops remain on the board- the question of his tender King wouldn't then be so important. fe8 22.g1 a6 23.h3 b5= 24.d3 b4 25.g5!? Revealing a naked desire to win the game. Both of the last moves have been inflexible. Blocking the Queenside has allowed White to launch a dangerous assault but maybe that was intentional- Black is trying t o p r o v o k e a c r i s i s . H e s u c c e e d s . h5 26.xh5 gxh5 27.e4! f5? The defence is not easy but 27...f5 is definitely poor. Black should concentrate on e5: [ 27...xe5 28.fxe5 c7 29.e3! e7 ( 29...xe5 30.xe5 xe5 31.f6+ )
30.xc5 ] [ 27...c7! Best, under the circumstances. 28.xd7 xd7 ( 28...xd7 29.xg7 xg7 30.xc5 d4+ 31.e3 a5 32.f2 xe3+ 33.xe3 e5 34.f5 d4 ) 29.xg7 xg7 30.f6 ] 28.d6 c7 29.xe8 xe8 30.xh5+e7 31.f3 [ 31.g6 involves an element of risk so it's understandable that W hite preserves his advantage safely. Even so, this move should win: xe5 32.gxh7+ xh7 33.e8+ f8 34.xe5 d7 35.xd7 xd7 36.e3 g6 37.f2 ] 31...xe5 32.xe5 d7 33.xg7 xg7 34.e3 f7 35.f2 d6 36.h4 d7 37.d1 d4 38.h5 The Kingside pawns give White a winning position. b2+ 39.d2 a1 40.e2 Sticking to the policy of caution. Again 40 g6 was a winner: [ 40.g6+ hxg6 41.hxg6+ f6 ( 41...g7 42.xe6 d4+ 43.f3+- ) 42.xc5 xg6 43.b6 d4+ 44.xd4 xd4 45.e3 d6 46.d4+- ] 40...d4 41.g2!? [ 41.xd4 ] 41...d6 42.h6 xd3 43.e5 d4 [ 43...g6! 44.e3 d2+ 45.g3 h5 gives excellent chances to save the game. ] 44.f3 xe5?! The error-strewn finish is a clear consequence of the new FIDE time control. [ 44...d3+ ] 45.xe5 d2 46.xc5 xa2 47.c7+ f8 48.xh7 a3 49.g6 xb3+ 50.e2 g3 51.h8+ e7 52.g7 f7 53.f8+ Nearly botched, but not quite. The variation with 3 f4 will certainly come as a shock. You can almost guarantee that the opponent won't have anything specifically prepared. So for the time being: a very strong surprise weapon for White. Black should not give up hope- an energetic and immediate response i.e. 4...Nf6, will provide a good game. 1-0
1210
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1163 Lu Shanglei Ding Liren 4th Hainan Danzhou GM (1.3) [Tom Rendle]
B11 2551 2707 20.05.2013
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 f6 An unusual but perfectly respectable way of meeting the two knights - it tends to lead to more interesting positions than the main 3...Bg4 so it's a good option when needing to play for a win as Black. 4.e5 e4 5.h3 Not a bad move as such but it seems overly cautious at this stage as I don't believe White should be afraid of an early ...Bg4. [ 5.e2 b6 6.d4 was covered by Gawain in his notes to Svetushkin-Landa, from the 2010 archives. ] [ 5.b1 also gets a mention in the notes to Svetushkin-Landa ] [ 5.d4 is another important alternative for White here that needs to be examined xc3 6.bxc3 A) 6...g4 makes less sense here, it just gives up the two bishops. 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 e6 A1) 9.b1 was my choice when I reached this position earlier this year and it may in fact be a more accurate w a y o f h a n d l i n g t h e p o s i t i o n c7 10.e2 ( 10.c4! is also very logical with a definite advantage ) 10...d7 11.0-0 A1a) 11...b5 preventing c4 was better alth ou gh W hite is st ill be tt er a f t e r 12.a4! bxa4 ( 12...a6 13.a1 ) 13.c4; A1b) 11...f6?! 12.g4 f5 13.h4! e7 14.h5+ f8 15.g3 and I was clearly better in Rendle, T (2374)-O'Donnell, C (1970) Bunratty 2013; A2) 9.h4!? h5 10.a4 e7 11.b1 c7 12.c4 and White was a little better in Vallejo P ons, F (2 693) -Kha irullin, I (2626) Plovdiv 2012; B) 6...e6 B1) 7.c4!? strikes me as a critical way of handling the position - White is a little better after e7 8.cxd5 cxd5 9.d3 0-0 10.0-0 ( 10.h4!? is now interesting ); B2) 7.d3 is also sensible although it can lead to a blocked position after c5
8.0-0 c4 9.e2; B3) 7.e3 e7 8.d2!? is another option, bringing the queen to g4.; B4) 7.h4!? an ambitious try but perhaps B l a c k is O K a f t e r t h i s h6 ( 7...c5! seems very logical to me, after 8.h5 h6 9.d3 c6 Black is completely OK.) 8.h5 b6 9.d3 a6 10.0-0 c5 11.h2 xd3 12.cxd3 cxd4 13.cxd4 c6 with roughly level chances in Popov, I (2620)-Berkes, F (2688) Legnica 2013 ] 5...e6 6.e2 xc3 7.dxc3 c5 So a slightly unusual setup has been reached. White has a small lead in development but Black is very solid so Lu Shanglei has to pick a plan of attack - sadly he seems to get rather mixed up over the next few moves. 8.g5 [ 8.e3!? e7 9.f4 0-0 10.g3 se e m s t o m a ke s o m e s e n se g i ve n t h e opening. It may seem this manoeuvre has taken a long time but now W hite has re a so n ab le a t ta ckin g p ro sp ect s o n t h e kingside. Black should still be OK here though, perhaps after f6!? ] [ 8.c4! c6 9.c3 e7 10.c2 is another logical way to develop and here White has a slight advantage due to the extra space from the pawn on e5. ] 8...c7 9.g4?! This looks aggressive but I'm not really sure it's anything but a weakness here c6 10.c4?! [ 10.g2 h6 11.d2 e7 is only slightly better for Black ] 10...dxc4 11.g2 b5 Ding Liren can see that White is playing some rather odd moves and decides to try and hang on to the pawn on c4, at least for the time being. 12.a4 [ 12.0-0 h6 13.e3 a6 leaves White struggling for compensation. ] 12...b7! And then immediately he gives the pawn back under favourable circumstances, very instructive 13.axb5 d4 14.d1 [ 14.xd4 xg2 15.g1 cxd4 16.xg2 b8 and White is in all sorts of trouble with the b5 pawn about to drop a lack of coordination amongst his pieces, especially his rook on g2. ] 14...h6 15.d2 e4! The opening has been a disaster for White and Lu Shanglei does well to survive into the middlegame, although this is in part down to a couple of inaccuracies 1211
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 from Black. 16.0-0 b7 17.a3 d5?! [ I see no good reason Black can't simply t a k e n o w wi t h 17...xc2! 18.c3 d4 leaving Black a pawn up with a good position ] 18.e1 xg2 19.xg2 d8 Black may not have found the most accurate continuation earlier but W hite is still in a lot of trouble here, although it might not yet be actually lost. 20.f4 xb5 21.g3 d4 22.f5! In a bad position you might as well go for counterplay e4 23.f2 e7 24.f1 exf5 [ 24...xc2! 25.c3 d4 leaves Black clearly better ] 25.gxf5 xe5 26.f4 d5 27.e3 e4 White has fought hard and is close to getting back into the game but a final mistake here and his position collapses. 28.xc4? [ 28.c3! h4 ( 28...c6? 29.e2! and suddenly it's Black who's in trouble down the e-file.) 29.xc4 xg3 30.xg3 0-0 31.cxd4 xd4 32.b3 and Black has some material advantage with a rook and two pawns for knight and bishop but the position remains complicated and it's clear that Black has lost his earlier control. ] 28...h4 This wins at least an exchange and so White opts for a final desperate lunge but after 29.xg7? xf2+ 30.f1 d7 W hite is a rook down with no attack so he resigned. 0-1
Gawain from 2010. ] [ 6.g3!? is seen in Bartel-Popov in this month's update. ] 6...f6 7.0-0 b4?! Anand decides to develop his bishop aggressively but I think he must've underestimated White's plan here as this move quickly backfires. [ 7...bd7 is definitely a more solid option A) 8.d3 d6 A1) 9.d1 0-0 10.b1 is rather peculiar and Black was soon better after b6 ( 10...dxe4 11.dxe4 c7 is also better for Black) 11.d2 e5 12.e2 g6 13.a4 a5 14.b3 dxe4 15.dxe4 f4 with a definite edge to Black in Short, N (2682)-Lafuente, P (2555) Ekurhuleni 2011, although later things went wrong as Black blundered and lost.; A2) 9.d4 dxe4 10.xe4 xe4 11.xe4 f6 12.f3 0-0 13.d1 h6 14.c4 e7 15.b3 a5 16.b2 a3 17.c3 b4 18.b2 a3 19.c3 fd8 and Black chose to play for the win in Hunt, A (2458)-Jones, G (2635) London 2011 but the position was still very equal and the game eventually ended in a draw.; B) 8.d4 dxe4 9.xe4 xe4 10.xe4 f6 11.d3 e7 12.c4 ( 12.d1 0-0 13.a4 a5 14.c3 d5 15.g3 g6 16.d3 h4 17.g4 h5 18.e4 g5 and Black had successfully equalised in Andreikin, D (2723)-Rublevsky, S (2688) 1164 B11 Novosibirsk 2012) 12...0-0 13.e3 c7 14.f3 fd8 McShane,L 2684 B1) 15.ad1 is more accurate I believe Anand,V 2773 when W hite keeps a slight edge after 5th Classic GpA 2013 rapid (1.1) 11.12.2013 d7 ( 15...e5?! 16.f5! ) 16.c2 ad8 [Tom Rendle] 17.a3 although Black is very solid and shouldn't really have too many problems 1.e4 c6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 g4 4.h3 xf3 here.; 5.xf3 e6 6.e2 The Two Knights variation B2) 15.e2 d7 ( 15...e5!? 16.dxe5 might not be known as a fearsome attacking xe5 also looks fine for Black) 16.fd1 weapon against the Caro Kann but it can still ad8 17.a3 e5! 18.dxe5 xe5 be quite dangerous, as we will see the 19.xd7 xd7 and Black went on to opening works out well for McShane in this d ra w wit h o u t d if f icu lt y in A za ro v, S game. W e haven't covered 6.Be2 all that (2 6 6 7 ) - M a t la k o v, M ( 2 6 3 2 ) P l o v d i v much on this site in recent times so this game 2012 ] is a good reason to update some lines! [ 7...e7 8.d3 0-0 9.g3 gives White a [ 6.a3 has previously been played by Luke, pleasant slight edge, f or example bd7 s e e Mc S h a n e -Ha rikrisn a a n n o t a t e d b y 1212
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10.h1 dxe4 11.dxe4 e5 ( 11...h8 is a slight improvement but White's chances are still pref erable af ter 12.d1 b8 13.f4! ) 12.h6 e8 13.ad1 c7 14.c1 and Black was rather passive, although still very solid in Valsecchi, A (2412)-Postny, E (2628) Trieste 2013 ( 14.e3 seems a more logical square for the bishop )] [ 7...d4 must also be playable but then after 8.b1 I quite like White's position as he can follow up with d3, Qg3 (or Qg4) followed by a quick f4. Since Black has blocked the centre with 7...d4 it will be difficult for him to obtain counterplay. ] 8.e5! fd7 9.g4 Now the bishop has little choic e but to retre at ba ck t o it's sta rtin g position f8 [ 9...xc3?! only makes matters worse after 10.bxc3 0-0 11.d4 e8 ( 11...h8 12.d3 is very unpleasant to deal with) 12.h6 g6 and White has a clear advantage. ] 10.d4 c5! Black needs counterplay in the centre so this move is more or less essential. 11.g5 b6 12.dxc5 xc5 13.e3 h5!? [ perhaps Black would've been better off playing the simple 13...a5 when White is on ly s ligh tly be tt er, f o r exam ple 14.g3 ( 14.b5!? was possibly what Anand was worried about but Black is still just about OK after xe5 15.g3 bc6 ) 14...a6 15.ad1 c6 and despite not being able to develop the bishop on f8 Black's position remains very solid. ] 14.g3 d4 [ 14...c8 15.b5! leaves Black in a lot of trouble ] 15.e4 h4 [ 15...d5 16.f3 is also better for White after h4 17.h2 xe5 18.f4 f5 19.d6! ] 16.f3 d5 17.c4 xe5 18.f4 [ 18.g5! is even stronger when play should continue f6 19.xb7 dxe3 20.e4 exf2+ 21.xf2 d4 22.d1 b6 23.xa8 f5! the only move that gives any real counterplay 24.c5! ( 24.c3? allows c5 ) 24...xc5 25.c3 and White is the exchange for the pawn up with the better chances. ] 18...f5 19.d3 h5 [ after 19...e5?! 20.xe5 xe5 21.g5!
c7 22.e4 Black is in a great deal of trouble ] 20.f6+! gxf6 21.xb7 White is definitely winning material here but things aren't clear just yet e5? After this Black is losing [ 21...e5! is less clear though with accurate p la y W h it e st ill co m e s o u t a h e a d , e . g . 22.e4! exf4 23.c8+ e7 24.xa8 c5 25.fe1+ d6 26.b7 and despite Black having two knights for a rook White has by far the better coordinated army and has a clear advantage. ] 22.xa8?! [ 22.c8+ e7 23.e4 wins without allowing Black any counterplay, for example g7 24.c5+ e8 25.c7! ( not 25.xa8?? f3+ winn in g th e qu ee n) 25...a6 26.c6+ f8 27.d6+ g8 28.xa8 and White is the exchange up with a great position ] 22...d6 23.c5?! This avoids the main complications and instead heads for an ending that should be better for White but it makes the position much trickier for White to play [ 23.h1! would've avoided the check on f3 and kept a basically winning position although Black can fight on here with 0-0 ] 23...f3+ 24.xf3 xf3 25.gxf3 xf4 26.b4 c6 27.b5 d7 28.fd1 e5 29.a3 f5 Black's central pawns give him reasonable counterplay but it's still White with the better winning chances 30.f1 c7 31.e2? [ 31.d3! was essential to prevent ...e4 although it's tough to break Black down after e7 32.e2 c6 ] 31...e4! 32.fxe4 fxe4 33.xc6?! [ probably W hite should settle for 33.c4 d3+ 34.xd3 exd3+ 35.xd3 when a draw is the most likely result but Black still has to be a bit careful because of W hite's 3-1 majority on the queenside. ] 33...d3+! 34.f1 [ 34.xd3 exd3+ 35.f3?! fails to e5 36.e1 d2! 37.d1 xc6 38.xd2 a5 and Black should win the endgame ] 34...xc6 35.g2 d5 Suddenly White's position is very difficult and very short of time it's almost impossible to defend. 36.g1 e5 37.ad1 g8+ 38.f1 xg1+ 39.xg1 f5 The computer isn't really sure what's going on h e re b u t I su sp e c t W h it e i s a l re a d y lo s t 1213
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 40.g2 d4 41.c6 f4 42.b5 exf4? 13.xf4 c8 14.e5 d5 15.xd5 [ or 42.a4 c7! 43.a5 c3 44.b5 d2! cxd5 16.0-0-0 is extremely strong.) 9.g5 45.b6 axb6 46.a6 e3 47.a7 e2 48.xd2 g8 10.h4 e7 11.h5 b6 12.h3 f8 xd2 49.a8 e1 and although both 13.e2 g6 14.f4 0-0-0 Smirin, I (2647)players get a new queen Black is completely Delchev, A (2625) Guingamp 2010 was winning ] rather unclear but many people wouldn't 42...c7 43.b1 d2 44.f1 d3 45.a4 e3 feel comfortable ceding so much space on 46.fxe3 fxe3 The pawns cannot be stopped the kingside. ] so W hite resigned. A real shame for Luke 6.a3 McShane has tried this slightly offbeat after such a promising start in this game. line before and it's gaining in popularity. 0-1 [ 6.g3 d7 7.g2 gf6 8.d4 dxe4 9.xe4 xe4 10.xe4 g6 ( 10...f6 wa s P o n o m a r i o v' s c h o i c e wh e n W h i t e 1165 B11 should react with 11.d3 ) 11.0-0 g7 is a little better for White with more space McShane,Luke J 2624 and the bishop pair but Black is very solid. In Harikrishna,Penteala 2646 a recent game the top Spaniard got ground Canadian Open (5) 14.07.2010 down. 12.d1 0-0 13.e2 e8 14.e3 [Gawain Jones] f6 15.c4 e7 16.d3 d7 17.ad1 a6 18.f3 e7 19.g2 ad8 20.3d2 h6 1.e4 c6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 g4 4.h3 xf3 21.h4 b4 22.a3 e7 23.b4 a8 24.f4 [ 4...h5 is also possible of course. The e8 25.e3 d6 26.xd6 xd6 27.h5 critical line continues: 5.exd5 cxd5 6.b5+ gxh5 28.d5! and White broke through for a c6 7.g4 g6 8.e5 c8 9.d4 e6 10.h4 concrete edge. Berelowitsch, A (2551)( 10.e2 was Pete Wells' suggestion in his Vallejo Pons, F (2696) Baden-Baden 2010. ] Caro Kann book.) 10...f6 11.xg6 hxg6 [ 6.e2!? was the quiet choice of Nigel Short 12.e3 b4 13.f1 ge7 14.e2 d6 seen above and will be looked at on 15.c3 e5 16.dxe5 fxe5 17.f3 0-0 18.g2 ChessPublishing within the next couple of d7 19.g3 with a very complicated months. ] position. Ibrayev, N (2390)-Sundararajan, K [ 6.d4 would actually transpose to the (2520) Bhubaneswar 2010. ] previous game. ] 5.xf3 e6 This is the preferred move order of [ 6.d3 has been played most often but is Pete W ells as an early ..Nf 6 encourages fairly likely to transpose. ] White to gain space with g2-g4. [ 5...f6 6.d3 ( 6.e2!? dxe4 7.xe4 6...d7 This is a very flexible approach. Black xe4 8.xe4 d5 9.g4 d7 10.0-0 waits for White to commit before developing f6 11.a4 e4 12.xe4 xe4 13.e1 the rest of his army. [ 6...f6 has ideas similar to the game but g6 14.d4 g7 15.f3 f6 16.c4 d8 here White can try the interesting 7.e2!? 17.e3 0-0 18.ad1 e6 19.g4 h6 20.h4 e7 8.d3 d7 9.g3 h5 10.h4 when the fe8 21.g2 d7 22.d5! e5 23.dxc6 position looks like a Kings Indian Attack xf3 24.xf3 bxc6 25.b3 Short, N (2684)where Black's queen is rather suspiciously L'Ami, E (2593) London 2009 saw W hite located. e5 11.g2 d4 A move Black has seamlessly exploiting the advantage of the to be very careful playing. He gains time on b is h o p p a ir a n d t h e n t h a t o f h i s b e t t e r the knight but he'll regret having closed the structure. I remember he won this game very centre and leaving himself with a weak d4 quickly. ) 6...e6 7.a3 ( 7.d2 bd7 8.g4 pawn and allowing White use of c4. 12.b1 g6 9.g3 g7 10.f4 with a promising g6 13.d2 0-0-0 14.0-0 g4 15.e1 attack is given by Wells.) 7...bd7 8.g4 g6 16.b4 g4 17.b3 e5 18.c3 dxc3 d6 ( 8...h6 9.g3 b8 10.f4 dxe4 19.xc3 d6 20.f3 h6 21.d1 g6 11.dxe4 e5 Wantiez, F (2315)-Fridman, D 22.e3 b8 23.d4 and White had a great ( 2 6 5 4 ) C a l e t a 2 0 1 0 w h e n 12.d2 position. Berelowitsch, A (2551)-Rustemov, is a slightly more accurate move order as 1214
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 A (2532) Muelheim 2010. ] [ 6...g6 7.d4 g7 8.e3 f6 9.d3 dxe4 10.xe4 xe4 11.xe4 d7 12.c3 0-0 13.0-0 f6 Djukic, N (2495)-Solak, D (2547) Sarajevo 2010 was a tiny bit better for White with his bishop pair. ] 7.d3 [ I n a p r e v i o u s g a m e L u k e t r i e d 7.g3 but he didn't really get anywhere. g6 8.d3 g7 9.g2 e7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e2 e8 12.g5 h6 13.d2 b5 14.d1 a5 saw Black start a decent queenside expansion. McShane, L (2615) -W ells, P (2489) Sunningdale 2010. ] 7...c5 8.g3 And this seems to be a novelty. [ In previous games W hite has tried 8.g3 One recent game continued: e7 9.g2 0-0 10.0-0 f5!? 11.e2 g6 12.a4 d4 13.c3 f6 14.c4 dxe4 15.dxe4 f4! 16.gxf4 a5 and Black had a strong initiative. Kotsur, P (2565)-Dreev, A (2653) Tashkent 2010. ] 8...f6! Harikrishna's simple approach seems to find equality easily. His idea is to simply offer the queen trade when White has nothing in a closed position. 9.h4 g6 [ 9...d4 is an alternative approach which would result in more complications. The game could continue: 10.d2 e7 11.f3 0-0 12.0-0-0 h6 13.b1 b5 with a typical battle between kings castled on opposite sides but perhaps it's easier for W hite's attack to progress after 14.h3 although it's very unclear. ] 10.g5 White would prefer to have the semiopen h file himself. [ 10.c7!? is the computer's suggestion to try and sow disharmony in Black's position although to a human such a move seems suspicious as we're afraid our queen will get trap pe d . Ho we ver t his m ove kee ps t h e queens on the board for a while and f6 11.f3 d4 12.d2 e7 13.0-0-0 e5 14.xe5 xe5 15.h5 would be a little better for White. ] [ 10.xg6 hxg6 doesn't promise White anything and 11.g3 f5! leaves Black very comfortably placed. ] 10...e7 [ 10...f6!? immediately is also possible when I guess Luke wanted to respond with
11.f4 when d4 12.d1 e7 13.e3 xe3+ 14.xe3 xg5 15.hxg5 would allow him a position with which he could try to squeeze Black for 100 moves his favourite! ] 11.g3 f6 12.h2 h6 Forcing the exchange of queens when Black has no worries. 13.xf6 xf6 14.f3 h5 15.e2 d6 16.f4 dxe4! 17.dxe4 e5 A useful mechanism to keep in mind. Black forces a concession out of White's position. 18.f5 [ 18.h3 f6 19.c3 c7 is also level. ] 18...f6 19.g2 g4 20.h1 c5 21.f3 e3 22.xe3 If anyone is better here then it's Bla ck a s W hite 's ligh t squ ared bish op is blocked in by his own pawns. A solid showing by Harikrishna and it looks like Luke will have to come up with a different idea to challenge Black's setup. ½-½
1166 McShane,Luke J Shengelia,Davit 17th TCh-Eur (6) [Neil McDonald]
B11 2615 2560 27.10.2009
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 a6!? [ Th e a t t e m p t t o se ize sp a ce wit h 3...d4 asks too much of the unsupported black centre pawns after 4.e2 c5 5.c3 c6 6.cxd4 cxd4 7.a4! d3 8.f4 and the d3 pawn is doomed. ] 4.h3 Denying Black the chance to ease his game with the Bg4 and Bxf3 exchange. f6?! Shengelia decides to maintain a small pawn centre with the result that he has too many minor pieces and not enough squares for them- see the note to move nine. Therefore a radical change was required with [ 4...d4! 5.e2 c5 which clears c6 for his knight. W hite can try for advantage with 6.g3 ( whereas after 6.c3 c6 7.cxd4 cxd4 Black maintains his centre with a safe game as 8.a4?! fails to b5 etc. Note the value of 3...a6 here in confounding White's plan of attack against d4.) 6...c6 7.c4 e6 8.a4 d6 9.d3 ge7 10.0-0 g6 11.h5 0-0 12.h2 e5 but Black looked secure in Martin Fuentes, A-Paichadze, L/ Fermo ITA 2009. ] 1215
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 5.e5 e4 6.b1! McShane has no wish to unclutter the black position by exchanging knights. b6 It isn't often that Black threatens mate after only six moves. Shengelia wants to provoke 7.d4 so that his knight can stay on e4 unmolested by a pawn, but McShane is having none of it. 7.e2 h6 [ Black can't find a home for his bishop on g6 as if 7...f5 8.g4 g6 ( he should play 8...d7 but then after 9.d3 etc. when the k n i g h t o n b 8 h a s n o m o v e .) 9.e6! a standard type of retarding pawn sacrifice in this opening. fxe6 10.e5 Black's pawns are broken up and his bishop is left imprisoned on f8. ] 8.d3 g5 9.h2! Both white knights run away rather be exchanged off for the wandering black horse. e6 This is a pretty nice square for the knight, but Black's dilemma is that he has one piece too many to accommodate in his cramped quarters. If either his queen's bishop or his knight goes to d7, it leaves the other piece boxed in. Shengelia tries to solve the problem with an ambitious plan to get rid of White's strong e5 pawn, but then his king becomes a target. 10.c3 g5 11.g3 d4 With his last two moves Black has taken measures against W hite supporting his e5 pawn with d3-d4 or f2-f4. 12.g2 d7 [ Black might have cleared the c6 square for his knight and supported his d4 point with 12...c5 It looks risky to open the diagonal of the white bishop on g2, but at least after Nc6 and Bd7 etc. Black would be able to deploy his queenside pieces. ] 13.0-0 g7 14.f3 h5 The logical culmination of Black's plan to isolate the e5 pawn is to force its exchange for the g5 pawn. 15.xg5 xe5 Thus Black succeeds in freeing his game. The problem however is that his king has no where safe to castle. 16.a3 dxc3 [ Black remains uncomfortable after 16...xg5 17.xg5 c5 18.d2!? as if f5? 19.cxd4 xd4 20.c3 d6 21.ae1 f6 22.d4 and White has a strong initiative. ] 17.xe6 xe6 18.bxc3 d8 19.b1 a5 20.d4 d7 21.xb7 xc3? A bad blunder, but Black was already in deep trouble. 22.b2 a5 23.d5 cxd5 24.xg7 g8 25.b2
xg7 26.xg7 xa3 27.f4 c5+ 28.h2 d4 29.e1 c8 30.e5! c2 [ If 30...xe5 it's mate on g8 or h8. ] 31.xh5 f8 32.h8 1-0
1167 Melia,Salome Gilbert,Jessie WYg16 Heraklio (10) [Andrew Martin]
B11 2260 2110 2002
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 5.e2!? Previously regarded as no more than a joke, yet Melia finds a good way to bring the W hite position together and avoid existing theory. White will reinforce the centre with c2c3 and look for the best square for the King's Bishop. Gilbert is posed new problems at a very early stage. df6 6.c3 xe4 7.xe4 f6 8.c2 e6!? Perhaps [ 8...g4 is better, attending to the problem Bishop. Play might proceed 9.h3! ( 9.e2 e6 10.h3 xe2 11.xe2 d6= ) 9...h5 10.e2 g6 ( 10...e6 11.f4 g6 12.xg6 hxg6 13.d3 ) 11.b3 ] 9.f3 c7 10.g3! b6 11.g2 And White has an easy edge. In keeping with the tradition of such positions, she clamps down on e5. b7 12.0-0 d6 13.e1 0-0 14.g5 d7 15.ad1 h6 16.c1 c5 The crunch moment has arrived. Black breaks open the position and it's up to W hite to maintain her small advantage. 17.dxc5! xc5 [ 17...xc5 18.f4 c8 19.d2! d8 20.ed1 ] 18.b4 a6 [ 18...d7 19.g5! hxg5 20.xb7 xb7 21.xd6 c7 22.ed1 f6 23.xg5 ] 19.a3?! The only small blemish on an otherwise convincing game. White increases the advantage after [ 19.g5! hxg5 20.xb7 xb7 21.xd6 The horrible of f side Knight, Queenside pawn majority and exposed pawn on g5 mean that Black is suffering. ] 19...fd8 20.c4 ac8 21.d4 e7 [ Black gets tricky after 21...d5 but Gilbert had no time to work out the complications. A h u n t f o r B l a c k' s B is h o p b e gi n s : 22.a4 1216
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xc4 23.d2 e2 24.e4 d3 25.4e3 xc1 26.xc1 xc1+ 27.f1 This final pos it io n is u nresolve d bu t W h it e ha s a Queen and Black does not. ] 22.f4 d6 23.xd6! xd6 24.xd6 xd6 25.g5+c7 26.h7+ f8 27.xe6! That's the lot. fxe6 28.xe6+ f7 29.xc7 xc7 30.xb7 xb7 31.f5+ 5 Qe2 could well be underestimated by your o p p o n e n t s - a m o re t h a n u se f u l s u rp ris e weapon. It looks silly, as if White is basing his play on a cheap trick but 2001 W orld U14 Girls Champion Salome Melia shows there's more to it than that! 1-0
1168 Motylev,A Riazantsev,A 15th ch-EUR Indiv 2014 (6.1) [Tom Rendle]
B11 2656 2689 08.03.2014
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.h3 xf3 5.xf3 e6 6.d3 f6 7.d2 For a long time I haven't been that much of a fan of the Two Kn igh t s a ga inst t h e Ca ro , e ven th o ugh I played it quite a bit myself. It always seemed Black equalised quite comfortably but this setup with 6.d3 and 7.Bd2 is a bit more testing a s we 've s e e n b e f o re . d6 An unusual response from Riazantsev and I'm not sure it solves all of his problems here [ 7...b4 wasn't at all convincing in PappTomashevsky which I analysed last year ] [ 7...bd7! is probably Black's most solid option and I covered this in detail in my notes to the above game. ] 8.g4!? White follows up in typically aggressive fashion b4 I'm not sure what the point of trying to 'force' White to play g4 was - Black has just lost a tempo. [ 8...fd7 has some logic to it here as well, attempting to take the sting out of g5 ideas by pre-emptively moving the knight but I think White has a couple of ways to achieve an edge nevertheless A) 9.d4! changes the structure but given Black's last move it makes sense to play in t h e c e n t r e b6 10.d3! 0-0 ( 10...xb2? 11.b1 a3 12.b3 a6
13.e3! b5 14.exd5 leaves Black in big trouble ) 11.0-0-0 and White definitely has the better chances here; B) 9.h4 f6 10.xf6 xf6 11.e2 h5 12.g5 fd7 13.f4 f5?! ( 13...d4 14.d1 e5 15.f5 c5 is only slightly better for White ) 14.gxf6! gxf6 15.f3 a6 16.0-0-0 and White had a big space advantage in Kostenko, P (2490)-Roy, P (2194) Mumbai 2009 ] [ 8...b6 was more consistent but I still pref er W hite slightly after 9.0-0-0 d4 ( 9...bd7?! 10.g5 e5 11.e2 fd7 12.exd5 cxd5 13.f4! wins a pawn; or 9...fd7 10.h4! ) 10.e2 c5 11.g5 fd7 12.h4 and White's attack is definitely a bit f a st e r h e re , a lt h o u gh B la ck ca n c a s t l e queenside with c6 13.h3 0-0-0 14.f4 when White is only a little better ] 9.a3 a5 [ 9...xc3 is obviously a concession for Black and indeed White is very comfortable aftter 10.xc3 d4 11.d2 fd7 12.h4! ] 10.g5 fd7 11.d4! 0-0 12.0-0-0 The opening has gone very well for Motylev and Black rightly decides he needs to mix things up quickly but unfortunately he chooses the wrong move to do so e5?! [ 12...c5! was the critical line and now 13.exd5 ( 13.dxc5?! d4 14.e2 xd2+ 15.xd2 c6 is unclear) 13...cxd4 14.b1! xd2+ 15.xd2 exd5 16.xd5 c6 17.g2 c7 and Black's position is very respectable although I'd still rather be White after 18.b1 de5 19.he1 ] 13.dxe5 d4 14.e2 xd2+ 15.xd2 xg5 [ 15...c5 16.g3 c6 17.f4 and Black doesn't really have much for the pawn here ] 16.xd4 xe5?! After this Black has an up h ill ta sk t o de f e n d W hit e 's a tt a c k a n d Motylev expertly keeps up the pressure [ 16...xe5! was a much better chance. White should go for the better ending with 17.f5! an d no w a f t e r e7! ( 17...xf5 18.xf5 b5 19.f4 g6 20.g1! is very unpleasant for Black) 18.f4 c5! ( 18...g6 19.h4! and White's attack is far too strong) 19.xe5 xe5 20.fxe5 cxd4 21.c4! ( 21.xd4 c6 22.d7 ab8 and Black has excellent drawing chances here ) 21...c6 22.e6 fxe6 23.xe6+ h8 1217
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 24.d5 and Black will drop the d4 pawn Nonetheless White obviously has alternatives. soon enough and be faced with a tricky [ 4.d3 was the choice of another member of endgame to defend ] the English team. dxe4 This move strikes 17.f5 me as odd. Surely d2-d3 is a more useful [ 17.e3! was perhaps a little stronger, for m o ve t h a n . . . a 7 - a 6 in t h e f o rt h c o m i n g example f6 ( or 17...g6 18.f4 e7 19.e5 positions? 5.xe4 f5 6.e2 e6 7.g3 and White is dominating the whole board) e7 8.g2 f6 9.d2 0-0 10.h4 e8 18.f5! xe4?! 19.g5 e8 20.g1 g6 11.0-0-0 bd7 Howell, D (2612) 21.h6+ g7 22.e2 f3 23.f5+ g8 Morchiashvili, B (2345) Rijeka 2010 when 24.e7 with a crushing attack ] I ' d c o n t i n u e 12.f4 when White has good 17...f6 18.g2?! chances to drum up an attack on the [ 18.e3! transposes to the line above ] kingside. ] 18...g6 19.g5 e8?! [ 4.h3 was seen in the archives. A recent [ Black needed to develop with 19...bd7! game continued to follow with f6 5.e5 but W hite retains some advantage after e4 6.e2 ( 6.b1 was played in 20.g2 h8 21.f4 e6 22.d6 ] McShane-Shengelia in the archives.) 6...f5 20.f3 h8 21.g1 g8 Not a move that 7.d3 xc3 8.bxc3 e6 9.b1 c7 10.h4 Riazantsev would've relished playing, it's g6 11.xg6 hxg6 12.0-0 d7 13.f4 clear White is winning now 22.d6 xg5 b8 14.d2 e7 and Black was fine. 23.xg5 e7 24.e5! A nice finish from Hussein, A (2373)-Pantsulaia, L (2586) Poti Motylev c7 2010. ] [ 24...xe5 25.xf7+ g7 26.xe5 f6 4...g4 5.h3 Immediately putting the question 27.d8! xe5 28.xg8 is completely to the Black bishop. hopeless for Black ] [ 5.g5!? was tried recently but I prefer the 25.e8 b5 26.f5! game continuation. However White still had [ 26.f5 gxf5 27.g2 h5 28.gxg8+ h7 a small edge after f6 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 29.e5! with Bd3 to follow - Black is dxe4 8.xe4!? ( 8.e3 would be the safe completely tied up here. ] option. ) 8...xe4 ( 8...xd4 is critical 1-0 although W hite has good compensation following 9.xf6 gxf6 10.c3 d5 11.d1 e6 12.e2 with a large lead in 1169 B11 development.) 9.xe4 d5 10.h4 e6 11.d3 h6 12.e3 d7 13.0-0 Murey,Jacob 2415 and White's bishop pair and slight lead in Postny,Evgeny 2648 developed promised him the better chances. TCh-NED 2009-10 (3) 05.02.2010 Mrva, M (2485)-Kreisl, R (2389) Rijeka [Gawain Jones] 2010. ] [ 5.d3 resulted in a rather embarrassing 1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 a6!? This strange miniature. e6 6.e2 f6 7.g5 e7 8.0-0 looking move has been seen more and more 0-0 9.h3 h5 10.e5 fd7 11.xe7 xe7 since the Two Knights had its recent 12.e3? ( 12.g4 was necessary although renaissance. Black waits for White to commit it's obvious Black is doing quite well. ...a6 to a setup. I think another point is that Black will come in handy when Black breaks wit ... defends b5 so that exd5 isn't a problem when c6-c5. ) 12...xf3! 13.xf3 c5 14.e2 Black drops the bishop back to h5. and White resigned before seeing 14...c4. [ For example the line 3...g4 4.h3 h5 0-1 Paulet, I (2261)-Lupulescu, C (2593) 5.exd5 cxd5 6.b5+ c6 7.g4 g6 Eforie Nord 2010. ] 8.e5 is extremely complicated and I notice [ However 5.e3 worked much better. e6 most players choose to avoid this. ] 6.d3 f6 7.h3 h5 8.a3 g6 9.e5 fd7 4.d4 This move makes sense, especially 10.xg6 hxg6 11.0-0 c5 12.e2 cxd4 coupled with the game Satyapragyan13.xd4 c6 14.c4!? dxc4 15.c2 c8 Kha mra kulov see n e arlier in th e u pda te . 1218
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.ad1 e7 ( Defending the pawn with 16...b5 must be critical although White can complicate the position with 17.f4 e7 18.xg6! fxg6 19.xg6+ f8 20.xe6 with chaos.) 17.xc4 0-0 18.a2 c7 19.f4 xd4? Underestimating the pressure on e6. 20.xd4 c5?! 21.dxe6! fxe6 22.xe6 xe6 23.xe6+ f7 24.d7 xd7 25.xd7 d8 26.xb7 c5 27.xa6 h7 28.c4 saw Jan Werle's girlfriend making up for the previous note and defeating a GM. Paulet, I (2261)-Nanu, C (2515) Eforie Nord 2010. ] 5...h5 [ 5...xf3 was seen in Robson-Jobava in the archives. I wonder if 6.gxf3!? is completely out of the question, ugly as it may be. ] 6.g4!? Very aggressive play by Murey who follows the same style as the position without ... a6 and d4. [ Instead 6.e2 has been more common. e6 7.0-0 f6 ( 7...d7 8.f4 g6 9.d3 b4 10.exd5 exd5 11.xg6 hxg6 favoured White as Black's king safety will be a major issue. Yemelin, V (2578)-Doric, D (2477) Budva 2009.) 8.e5 xe2 9.xe2 e7 10.d1 0-0 11.a3 bd7 12.f4 e8 an d B la ck h a d equ a lised . S o u le id is, G (2429)-Gustafsson, J (2622) Emsdetten 2010. ] 6...g6 7.e5 xe4 8.xe4 [ 8.f3!? also looks quite promising. g6 ( 8...f6 9.xc6 xc6 10.fxe4 dxe4 11.d5 e5 12.e2 would reach a crazy position but one in which I quite like White.) 9.h4 f6 10.xg6 hxg6 11.d3 g5 12.g6+ d7 13.e2 e6 14.f7 e7 15.xg8 xg8 16.hxg5 fxg5 17.d2 left White with good compensation for the pawn as g5 is rather vulnerable and Black's king will take a few moves to find safety. Szelag, M (2478)Urban, K (2489) Legnica 2007. ] 8...dxe4 9.g2 d7 10.c4 The first new move. [ 10.d2 e6 11.e2 gf6 12.0-0-0 c7 13.xd7 xd7 14.xe4 f6 15.e3 d5 wa s a l r e a d y a g r e e d d r a w n i n W a l l , G (2305)-Speelman, J (2491) Sunningdale 2008. ] 10...gf6 [ I w o n d e r i f 10...b6 might be a better
defensive try, with the idea to go long with the Black monarch. 11.xb6 ( 11.e5?! f6 traps the knight.) 11...xb6 12.xe4 f6 13.g2 0-0-0 14.g5! still favours White. ] 11.g5 d5 12.xe4 So White has regained his pawn and now the argument centres over whether White's kingside pawn push will turn ou t t o b e a b e n ef it co n t rollin g im p ort a n t squares and dissuading Black from castling short or a weakness having ceded control over f4 and f5. In the game Murey does well to make it look like a positive against a very strong GM. e6 13.f3 [ 13.d2!? is also possible, with the idea b5 14.a5 b6 15.b3 d6 16.a5 b7 17.d3 with a slight advantage. ] 13...b5 14.e3 b4+ 15.c3 e7 Postny decides he doesn't want to give up two pieces for the rook and two pawns but this condemns him to an unpleasant defensive task which Murey exploits mercilessly. [ 15...xc3 16.bxc3 xc3+ 17.d2 xa1 18.c2 b2 19.b3 traps the bishop and leaves a position which is difficult to assess. On pure material count Black is slightly ahead but I think the bishop pair are likely to be very effective here and would definitely prefer to take the White pieces. ] 16.h4 Postny now has the issue that he doesn't really want to castle kingside with W hite's pieces ready to pounce and so he must play with his king in the centre. c8 17.g1 [ 17.a4!? is an interesting positional try. ] [ While if I were White I would be quite anxious to castle fairly quickly and so would probably play 17.d2 but maybe Murey was co n ce rne d t h a t B la ck wou ld b e a b le t o attack quickly. ] 17...7b6 18.g4! The knight eyes the e5 square. d6 Not a move Black wants to play as now White can continue to steamroll his pawns. [ However 18...c5 19.e5! is extremely awkward to deal with, e.g. 0-0 20.xh7+! xh7 21.xf7 when White has a huge attack. ] 19.h5 c7 20.e3 [ 20.h6 was an alternative way of playing although g6 21.f6+ xf6 22.xf6 f8 23.f3 d5 is solid enough for Black. ] 1219
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20...g6?! This is probably the losing mistake Lenderman but White had a slight edge after as W hite can now infiltrate Black's camp. 8.e2 g4 9.g3! ) 8.c4 d6 However the position is rather difficult to play. followed by swiftly castling on the kingside. The computer keeps wanting to castle ( not 8...e4+? 9.xe4 xe4 10.xf7+! kingside but I can assure you that's not a xf7 11.g5+ g6 12.xe4 )] good idea here. 21.h1! g8 22.g4 5...exf6 6.c4 g4?! In my view this is [ 22.hxg6 hxg6 23.h7 also looks very slightly premature as Black should concentrate strong. ] of first getting castled 22...gxh5 23.xh5 g7 24.f6+ xf6 [ 6...d6 7.0-0 ( 7.e2+ e7 8.xe7+ 25.xf6 f8 26.f4 e7? And this simply xe7 is at best minimally better for White loses. but realistically the game is already very [ 26...b7 was necessary so as to be able to drawish ) 7...0-0 8.d4 d7 9.b3 ( 9.e1 counter 27.e5 with d7 although White is e8 10.xe8+ xe8 11.d3 f8 12.d2 still clearly better following 28.f3 xe5 e6 13.e1 d7 Black has already 29.dxe5 b4 30.0-0-0 e7 31.g6! ] equalised - this is basically the setup with a 27.e5! Black is losing at least the exchange quick ...Re8, ...Nf8 and ...Be6 that I think he by force. g6 28.xe7+ xe7 29.f4!? should adopt, rather than the early ...Bg4?! [ 29.xg6 hxg6 30.h8+ d7 31.xc8 14.a4 d8 15.b3 b6 16.b4 xb4 xc8 32.f4 leaves White a clear exchange 17.xb4 g6 18.xe6 fxe6 19.a5 b5 up but perhaps Postny was dreaming of 20.c5 f8 21.b3 c7 22.a3 d5 holding this endgame. ] 23.b4 d6 24.b3 g6 25.c4 bxc4 29...f5 Black's rook has only temporary respite 26.xc4 e7 27.h3 f7 28.b1 f5 as it will have to sacrifice itself to stop the g 29.b5 cxb5 30.xb5 xb5 31.xb5 a6 pawn. 30.f3 d7 31.xh7 d5 32.f2 32.b7+ e7 33.b1 1/2-1/2 Stevic, H gg8 33.ah1 a5 34.1h6 cf8 35.h5 (2624)-Hansen, L (2574) Novi Sad 2009) A well played game by the senior Israeli GM 9...e8 10.e3 f8 11.c4 g4?! ( after and Black has to watch out for this direct 11...g6 Black has safely equalised and can approach. even consider aggressive play with ...Bc7 1-0 and ...Qd6 if he chooses) 12.h3 f5 13.c5! c7 14.d5 cxd5 15.xd5 e7?? A very strange blunder 16.xf5 1-0 Short, N 1170 B11 (2692) -Siemer, T (2046) Puhajarve 2012 ] Naiditsch,A 2706 7.0-0 e7 8.h3 h5 There's no reason to Ezat,M 2439 trade the bishop on f3 but now Black always N1 Reykjavik Open 2014 (3.1) 05.03.2014 has to be careful of g4!? ideas from Naiditsch 9.e1 0-0 10.d4 d6 11.g4! g6 12.h4 [Tom Rendle] Excellent timing from Naiditsch - he safely 1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 dxe4 4.xe4 f6 grabs the two bishops and Black isn't in a I've always found this line somewhat tricky to position to punish his weakened kingside. face when I've played the two knights - Black O ve r a l l I ' d s a y t h e o p e n i n g h a s b e e n a 13.b3 c7 gets a very solid position and it somehow su c c e s s f o r W h i t e d7 feels difficult for White to make progress in a 14.xg6 hxg6 15.f3 fe8 16.d2 f8 Far from g4 turning out to be a lot of positions, so it's interesting to see how 17.h4! Naiditsch chooses to handle the position weakness it's even helping in a White attack. White can also consider Kg2 and Rh1 in a lot against a lower rated opponent. 5.xf6+ [ 5.e2 is the other key line and it was of positions if the h-file is going to open up. 18.e4 c5 Ezat wants come a n a l y s e d b y D a n n y G o r m a l l y i n e6 Nepomniachtchi-Andreikin and Areshchenko- counterplay but Naiditsch calmly defends the Lenderman. I feel Black's best chance of centre 19.c3! cxd4 20.cxd4 d7 21.ae1 equalising here is xe4 6.xe4 d5 The position is very easy for White right now 7.h4 f5 ( 7...e6+ was chosen by c7 22.h5! With all his pieces on their best 1220
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 squares White goes for the kill on the kingside xe4 23.xe4 f5?! Under a lot of pressure Ezat makes a small mistake that could almost cost him the game but things are about to take a twist... [ 23...g5 was best but White still enjoys a c l e a r a d v a n t a g e , f o r e x a m p l e 24.h6 ( 24.c2!? also looks very dangerous, eying up the h7 square) 24...c8 25.g2 gxh6 26.xf6 f8 27.f3 and Black is still suffering here ] 24.hxg6 fxe4 25.xf7+? A big mistake from Naiditsch and suddenly all three results are possible again [ 25.gxf7+! f8 26.h3 was the right way to do it, with the crushing threat of Qh8+ followed by Qxg7. Black must defend with e6! but after 27.h8+ xf7 28.xa8 g6 29.h8 f4 30.d1! White is simply a pawn up with a good position and should go on to win ] 25...f8 26.h3 e6 27.d5 [ 27.h8+ now only leads to a draw because after e7 28.xa8 f4 White can no longer defend g4 so Black gets a perpetual check, e.g. 29.xf4 xg4+ 30.g3 d1+ 31.h2 h5+ 32.g2 f3+ 33.g1 d1+ 34.g2 f3+= ] 27...f4 28.xf4 xf4 29.e6 a4! 30.h8+ e7 31.xg7+? Obviously frustrated Naiditsch decides not to allow a draw but it's a risky too far and suddenly he's in a lot of trouble [ White now has to settle for the draw with 31.xa8 d1+ 32.g2 f3+ 33.f1 d1+ 34.g2 f3+= ] 31...d6 32.b3 [ or 32.xb7 d1+ 33.g2 f3+ 34.f1 d2! 35.g1 ( 35.xa8?? allows h1+ 36.e2 e1# ) 35...e1 36.c6+ e5 37.c5 e3 38.xe3+ xe3 39.fxe3 f6 and despite having 5 pawns for the rook White is lost here ] 32...b4 33.f5?! [ 33.c8 was the last chance but Black should still win after xc8 34.f6+ c5! ( 34...xd5? 35.f5+ ) 35.xf4 e1+ 36.g2 d1! ] 33...e1+ 34.g2 e3! It's all over - White has a few checks but no more 35.f6+ c5 36.e7+ b6 37.f6+ a5 38.b4+ xb4
White is out of checks and suddenly he's just a rook down 0-1
1171 Nepomniachtchi,Ian Andreikin,Dmitry Moscow friendly m rap rapid (1) [Danny Gormally]
B11 2707 2723 05.11.2012
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 dxe4 [ 3...g4 is the main alternative. ] 4.xe4 f6 5.e2! This keeps the tension in the center. [ 5.xf6+ exf6 Is kind of what Black wants, as then he can get easy development with ... Bd6 etc. ] 5...g4 [ 5...xe4 6.xe4 d5 7.h4! is seen in Areshch en ko , A (2 71 0) -L en de rma n, A (2614)/St Petersburg 2012. ] 6.h3 xf3 [ 6...h5! I think is superior, as this does not clarify the position so much. 7.g3 g6 8.e5 bd7 9.d4 could still lead to an edge for White, though. ] 7.xf6+ gxf6 8.xf3 e6 9.c3 d5?! As Black is likely to suffer in any case, he decides to sac a pawn to try and generate some play, but it is doubtful that he will gain enough comp for it. [ 9...d7 10.d4 d6 ( 10...f5 11.g4! ) 11.d3 gives White a very nice edge. ] 10.xf6 e4+ 11.d1 g8 12.d3?! [ 12.d4! d7 13.f4 g6 14.e3 0-0-0 15.g4! gives White a clear edge. ] 12...d5? far too tame. [ 12...a4+! would have justified his pawn sac. 13.e1 ( 13.b3? a5 is even better for Black. as ...Bg7 is coming) 13...d7 14.f3 d6 and as White hasn't sorted out his de ve lop men t yet , B la ck cle arly ha s action for the pawn. ] 13.h4! d7 14.c2 e7 15.e4! Effectively W hite is just winning now. Black has no compensation for the pawn and the t w o b i s h o p s w i l l e v e n t u a l l y r u l e . xe4 16.dxe4 c5 17.f3 e5 18.f4 g6 19.g4 0-0-0 20.e2 h4 21.b4 b6 22.a4 g2 23.f3 h4 24.f1 f5 25.a5 c7 26.e2 1221
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 de8 27.e5 a6 28.e3 ef8 29.g1 d8 30.g5 h8 31.ad1 g6 32.c4 e8 33.d6 f8 34.h4 c7 35.d2 g8 36.h5 g7 37.dg2 d8 38.b3 e7 39.g6 hxg6 40.xg6 xg6 41.xe6+ b8 42.hxg6 c5 43.xc5 xe6 44.g5 exg6 45.xf5 g8 46.f7 e6 47.f5 1-0
1172 Nevednichy,Vladislav Iordachescu,Viorel Victor Ciocaltea Mem (1) [Nigel Davies]
B11 2563 2578 04.03.2001
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 The two Knights variation had its heyday in the 1950s and 60s but may well deserve reviving. In this game White adopts an interesting gambit line which certainly offers plenty of chances. g4 4.h3 xf3 [ After 4...h5 White no doubt intended 5.d4 ( 5.exd5 cxd5 6.b5+ is the main line which has long since had its teeth drawn) 5...dxe4 6.xe4 xf3 7.xf3 xd4 with an extra tempo (Black hasn't played ... e6) compared to the game ] 5.xf3 [ 5.gxf3 has had a poor reputation since Tal got a bad game with the move in his 1960 match against Botvinnik. But in his book on the match Tal commented that after e6 6.d4 d7 it would have been much better to play 7.e3 followed by Qd2 and 0-0-0 rather than his mistaken 7 Bf4. In any case this deserves further tests as W hite has the bishop pair and a very strong centre. ] 5...e6 6.d4 dxe4 7.xe4 [ 7.xe4 is more common as the text involves a pawn sacrifice. Nevertheless it seems that W hite gets quite good compensation. ] 7...xd4 8.d3 f6 9.c3?! [ In my view White should aim to castle long and 9.e3 d8 ( 9...xb2 is the book 'recommendation' which takes the view that White has inadequate compensation for the pawns. Butafter 10.0-0 I would not want to touch Black's position with a very long barge pole - W hite has a massive lead in
d e ve l o p m e n t a n d p le n t y o f o p e n f i l e s) 10.0-0-0 seems much more to the point. The brilliant game Boleslavsky - Flohr, Moscow 1950 continued bd7 11.c4 a5 12.d2 b6 13.he1 xe4 14.xe4 f6 15.xe6!! with White going on to win brilliantly. ] 9...d8 10.0-0 bd7 11.f4 xe4 [ 11...c5 may be better as after 12.ad1 cxe4 13.xe4 b6 White does not have f 3 ava ilable as a ret rea t squ are f or his bishop. ] 12.xe4 b6 13.g3 f6 14.f3 A nice post for the bishop as it stops Black's knight coming to h5. e7 15.e3 a6 16.xg7 g8 17.h6 g6 18.h4 0-0-0 19.fd1 d5 20.xh7 [ 20.xd5 cxd5 21.xh7 would win a pawn without allowing opposite coloured bishops, but after dg8 Black has a massive attack along the g-file. ] 20...xe3 21.fxe3 f8 So White wins a pawn but it proves difficult to win the game. Black has enough initiative to persuade White to allow the major pieces to come off. 22.h1 b5 23.h5 g5 24.e4 h6 25.f3 f6 26.g3 c5 27.d4 h6 28.ad1 h4 29.g7 hh8 30.4d3 e7 31.f3 hg8 32.d4 d8 33.f4 xd3 34.xd3 f8 35.e4 f2 36.e3 f1+ 37.h2 d8 38.xd8+ xd8 39.e2 c7+ 40.g3 xe2+ 41.xe2 d7 42.h4 e7 43.g2 f5 44.f3 e5 45.d3 f6 46.exf5 exf5 47.g4 fxg4+ 48.xg4 b5 49.h5 ½-½
1173 Papp,Ga Tomashevsky,E 14th Euro Indiv 2013 (6.36) [Tom Rendle]
B11 2570 2719 10.05.2013
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.h3 xf3 5.xf3 f6 6.d3 [ 6.e2 is a fashionable alternative and was last examined in the archives in the game Ibragimov-Dreev. ] 6...e6 7.d2 This is quite an aggressive setup for White within the two knights variation. The idea is to castle queenside and play a quick 1222
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 g2-g4 and it's by no means easy for Black to face. b4 I'm not convinced by this move, perhaps Black is OK here but given that the line shouldn't be dangerous I don't think it's a wise choice. [ 7...bd7! is more solid and now White has a choice: A) 8.0-0-0 b4 ( 8...b5!? 9.g4 b4 10.e2 c5 11.g5 fd7 12.h4 e7 13.h3 and White's attack was slightly faster in Gunnarsson, J (2368)-Speelman, J (2623) Istanbul 2000; 8...b6 9.g4 h6!? is also worth checking although 10.g3 still gives W hite some chances for an edge. ) 9.a3 a5 10.g3 is awkward for Black although it might be OK after g6 11.e5 d4 12.e2 xd2+ 13.xd2 h5 14.h2 c7 15.f4 c5; B) 8.g4 B1) 8...b4 B1a) 9.0-0-0 d4 10.b1 xd2+ 11.xd2 c5 ( 11...c7! gains crucial control over the kingside dark squares and seems to equalise after 12.g5 e5 13.e2 fd7 14.h4 g6 ) 12.f4 ( 12.g3!? ) 12...fd7 13.e5 f6?! ( 13...f8 offered good chances for equality.) 14.xd4 fxe5 15.e3 and Black's doubled pawns gave W hite the advantage in Demchenko, A (2627)-Vidit, S (2546) Moscow 2013; B1b) 9.g5! g8 10.d4 a5 B1b1) 11.exd5! is critical here xc3 ( or 11...cxd5 12.a3 e7 13.0-0-0 xc3 14.xc3 b6 15.h4 and White has a definite initiative.) 12.bxc3 xd5 13.xd5 cxd5 14.c4!? opens the position up for the two bishops and offers a slight advantage to White; B1b2) 11.h4 e7 12.a3 dxe4 13.xe4 d5 14.h3 xc3 15.bxc3 e7 16.b1 b6 17.c4 f5 18.g2 c8 19.e2 g6 20.d3 1 / 2 -1 / 2 V a lle jo P o n s, F ( 2 7 0 7 ) Iordachescu, V (2626) Aix-les-Bains 2011; B2) 8...h6 is unconvincing here after 9.0-0-0 d6 10.h4 b6 11.g5 hxg5?! ( 11...e5 12.g2 hxg5 13.hxg5 xh1
14.xh1 fg4 at least gives Black some counterplay although White is still better after 15.h8+ f8 16.exd5 cxd5 17.d4! ) 12.hxg5 xh1 13.xh1 g4 14.e2 xf2 15.h8+ f8 16.f1 0-0-0 17.h4 c5?! 18.a4 a6 19.xc5 xc5 20.xf2 and White was a piece up a nd soon won in Saric, I (2609)-Zelcic, R (2538) Marija Bistrica 2011; B3) 8...d4 9.e2 b6 10.b1 ( 10.0-0-0! h6 11.h4 seems a much m o r e c r i t i c a l t e s t o f B l a c k ' s s e t u p) 10...h6 11.g3 g5!? ( 11...0-0-0 is about equal) 12.g2 h5 13.0-0 hxg4 14.hxg4 c5 was very unclear in Short, N (2698)-Motylev, A (2658) Poikovsky 2012 ] 8.a3 a5 [ 8...d6 is also an option but then why play 7...Bb4? W hite is a little better after 9.d4 dxe4 10.xe4 xe4 11.xe4 d7 12.0-0-0 ] 9.e5! d4 [ 9...fd7 10.g3 g6 11.h4!? is slightly unpleasant for Black ] 10.exf6 dxc3 11.bxc3! xf6 12.xf6 gxf6 13.b1 b6 So an early endgame has been reached and at first it seems fairly equal but I actually believe it's rather uncomfortable for Black - the bishop on a5 in particular is rather misplaced. The game rather bears this out as Papp wins in instructive style despite the rating gap of over 100 points. [ 13...b6 seems natural but after 14.e2 ( 14.a4!? ) 14...d7 15.0-0 0-0-0 16.b3 Black is still worse. ] 14.g3 d7 15.g2 c8 16.d1?! A rather odd move, perhaps aiming to put the king on b2. [ 16.e2 makes more sense here and now c5 17.d4 a4 18.c4 c3+ 19.xc3 xc3 comes close to equalising for Black but it's still tricky after 20.d3 a5 21.c3 as the bishop is rather out of the game on a5. ] [ 16.a4 also keeps an edge and prevents Black's plan of Nc5-a4 as ...Nc5 can now be met by Ra1. ] 16...c5 17.c4 xd2 18.xd2 e7 19.a4 hd8 20.a5 d7?! An inaccuracy from 1223
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Tomashevsky although understandably he wanted to keep his pawn structure intact but now White is able to press for the win with no risk. [ 20...bxa5 looks a little ugly but Black should hold a draw fairly comfortably after 21.he1 a4 22.c3 e5 23.f4 d6 ] 21.axb6 axb6 22.a1 c7 23.a6 dc8 24.ha1 f5 25.a8 d6 26.e3 xa8 27.xa8 b5 [ it was probably best to just sit tight with 27...f6 although White can slowly improve his position with c3 and d4. ] 28.cxb5 cxb5 29.d2 c5 30.f4 b4 31.f3 b5 32.g4! fxg4 [ 32...e5 33.e8! exf4 34.e7 is strong ] 33.hxg4 f5 34.gxf5 exf5 35.h8 c5 36.b8+ a5 37.a8+ b5 38.d5! The bishop comes into the game and rather overpowers the knight. Black still has good drawing chances but it's very tough to defend as th ere 's n o e nd in sight f o r B la ck. d7 39.e6 c5 40.c4+ [ 40.xf5?! f7 41.h3 xf4 and Black should draw without too much difficulty ] 40...b6 41.b8+ b7 42.d5?! [ 42.e6! c5 43.c8 c7 44.xb7+ xc8 45.xb4 would've won a pawn immediately although the ending is by no means trivial to win for White. ] 42...a7 43.f8 d6 44.f6 b5! 45.xf5 xc2+ 46.xc2 d4+ 47.b2 xf5 48.e4 d4 49.xh7 b6 Despite White's extra pawn Black is very close to drawing here 50.f5 c7 51.f6 d6 52.g8 d7 53.c4 d6 54.c1 f3 55.d1 d4?! [ 55...h2! draws immediately after 56.f7 e7 57.c2 g4 58.b3 e5 59.xb4 ( 59.d4 f3 60.d5 xf7 61.d6+ e8 62.xb4 d4 is a simple draw) 59...xd3+! 60.xd3 xf7 ] 56.d2 e6?? A tragic blunder from Tomashevsky just as he had the draw in hand. [ 56...f3+ is still good enough to draw, e.g. 57.e3 e5 58.e4 xc4 59.dxc4 e6= ] 57.f7 f8 58.d4 The pawn on b4 is now dropping and with it Black's remaining chances disappear. e7 59.c2 g6 60.b3 h4 61.xb4 f3 62.c5 g5 63.d5 h3 64.e6 g5 65.d5 h7
66.c6 f8 1-0
1174 Parligras,Mircea Svetushkin,Dmitry Spring Festival GM, ROM (12) [Andrew Martin]
B11 2495 2540 2003
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 How exactly does Black equalise against the Two Knights variation? That was the (unanswered) question at the forum recently. Theoretical manuals certainly don't think much of White's system- there you will find all manner of lines leading to equality or more. Over the board, it's not so simple. W hite's system is fully playable, complex, based on common sense development and deserves respect. The Two K n i g h t s va ri a t i o n s e e m s t o b e a d e c e n t practical weapon. 4.h3 xf3 5.xf3 e6 A bit more flexible than 5.. .Nf6, although it does allow W hite's next move which I think was an original suggestion of Keres. 6.d4!? Two very recent games suggest that Black is doing well in other lines: [ 6.g3 d7 7.g2 gf6 8.d4!? He finds a reason for delaying d2-d3. dxe4 9.xe4 xe4 10.xe4 f6 11.e3 d5 12.e2 b4+!= A nice touch, forcing a further exchange. 13.d2 ( 13.c3 xc3 ) 13...xd2+ 14.xd2 0-0 15.0-0 b6 16.c4 e7 17.fd1 ad8 White cannot be better. His Bishop bites on granite and the d4 pawn hangs in the air. Time to think of d4d5 and the impending draw IF that move can be played . 18.c3 d7! 19.d2 fd8! 20.ad1 g6 21.b3 a5 22.e4 b4! Restraint complete. The rest of the game is a masterly display of technique. 23.e3 a4 24.h4 axb3 25.axb3 b5 26.h5 bxc4 27.bxc4 xc4 28.h6 d5 Very good Knight versus useless Bishop! 29.f3 b4 30.c2 f8 31.g2 xh6 32.xc6 e7 33.c4 g5 34.dc1 xd4 35.c7 4d7 36.7c5 d5 37.xd5 xd5 38.c7 f5 39.c3 d2 0-1 De la Riva Aguado, OPonomariov, R/Andorra 2003 The sort of game that gives the Two Knights Variation a bad name. White obtained only a nominal 1224
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 advantage out of the opening which quickly disappeared and he was then ruthlessly ground down. ] [ 6.d3 f6 7.d2 e7 8.g4 fd7 9.0-0-0 a6 10.g3 d4 11.e2 b6 12.g5 0-0-0 13.h4 dc5 14.h3 That's the ishop Black cannot oppose but the question remains whether this is useful piece or not. As the central pawn structure stands I much prefer the Black Knights. c7 15.b1 a4 16.b3 b5! 17.e5 d6 18.xg7 a3+ 19.c1 c5 20.c4 dxc3 21.xc3 ( 21.e3 White was probably relaying on this move b u t B l a c k h a s a c r u s h i n g r i p o s t e : a5 22.bxa4 b5!! 23.df1 xa4 24.xc3 a3+ 25.d2 b4 26.e2 xc3 ) 21...xc3 22.xc3 xf2 23.de1 b5 24.c4 e3+ 25.b2 e5+ 26.d4 xd4 27.xd4 xd4+ 28.c2 a3+ 0-1 Ragger, M-Lenic, L/11th Vasja Pirc Mem, Maribor SLO 2003 Note the Bishop on h3, observing. ] 6...f6 7.d3!? A known pawn sacrifice offering Blackmar-Diemer gambit-like compensation. Open lines and momentum are garnered for the minimal material risk. dxe4 8.xe4 xd4 [ Perhaps simply declining the pawn with 8...bd7 is safer, although White has two good Bishops and a definite pull. ] 9.e3 d8 10.0-0-0 It's dangerous. bd7 Svetushkin wants to retain as many options as possible. W ho knows, he may want to castle long! The alternative was simply [ 10...xe4 11.xe4 a5 12.b1 e7 although castling short is fraught with risk: 13.d2 ( 13.d4! This move I like. 0-0 14.g3 g6 15.c3 b4 16.f6 e8 17.h4 ) 13...c7 14.c3 0-0 ] 11.b1 xe4 12.xe4 c7 13.f4 c8 Odd-looking, until you see the exchange sacrifice on d7: [ 13...b6 14.xd7 Worrying, to say the least. xd7 15.e3 b4 16.xf7+ e7 17.d1+ c8 18.h5 g6 19.xg6 g7 20.d3 Maybe this isn't winning for White, but not even a strong Grandmaster could judge the eventual consequences of this position with any accuracy several moves before. ] 14.g4 e7 15.g5 e5? Counterplay at any
cost, although this is a very risky, not to say foolhardy procedure. I think Black should bite the bullet and castle e.g. [ 15...c5 16.h4 xe4 ( 16...0-0 17.h5 f5 18.gxf6 xf6 19.e3 f8 ) 17.xe4 0-0 18.h5 ] 16.f5! Ouch! exf4 17.xd7+ xd7 18.xd7 xd7 19.xf4 ae8 20.xf7-+ g6 21.a3 h6 22.gxh6 hf8 23.xg6 Too easy. A mop-up follows. f6 24.h7 b5 25.d1+ c7 26.d3 e6 27.h8 The jury has not received conclusive proof that the Two Knights variation is redundant. The pawn sacrifice displayed in this game se e m s p o si t ive l y vi b ra n t a n d we ll wo r t h playing. 1-0
1175 Petrosian,Tigran L Prohaszka,P2 13th EICC Plovdiv BUL (9.36) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B11 2643 2553 29.03.2012
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 a6 A sideline that's seen from time to time when Black wa n t s t o avo id t h e ma in lin e s o f t he T wo Knights. The main point can be seen after 4.d4 g4 5.h3 h5 Here White's usual treatment is to capture on d5 followed by Bb5+ which of course is impossible. However Petrosian (as Murey did in a previous update) highlights a flaw in Black's strategy. 6.g4 g6 7.e5 This looks critical. [ White has also tried 7.exd5 cxd5 8.e5 as was played in Vorobiov, E (2565)-Maletin, P (2621) St Petersburg 2010. This does a l l o w B l a c k c6 however. The game continued 9.h4 xe5 10.dxe5 h5 11.xd5 xd5 12.xd5 0-0-0 13.g2 ( 13.f4 e4 14.g1 hxg4 15.e6! looks a better try f o r a n e d g e .) 13...hxg4 14.d2 e6 15.b6+ c7?! ( 15...b8 looks safer to me. 16.0-0-0 c5 17.a5 xd1+ 18.xd1 xb6 19.xb6 e7 20.d7 c6 and Black should hold.) 16.a5 b8 17.0-0 c5 18.fd1 xd1+ 19.xd1 xb6 20.xb6 e7 21.d7 d5 22.c4?! ( With 22.xd5 exd5 23.h2 White could continue pressing without risk as the Black 1225
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 rook is condemned to passivity.) 22...c8! 23.d6 and a draw was agreed. ] 7...xe4 And again taking the pawn must be the acid test. [ In a high rated encounter Black declined the pawn with 7...e6 8.xg6 ( 8.exd5 cxd5 9.h4 looks quite promising.) 8...hxg6 9.g2 f6 10.e5 fd7 11.e2 c5 12.c4 dxc4 13.xb7 a7 14.g2 cxd4 15.xd4 Bologan, V (2678)-Berkes, F (2693) Paks 2011 that resulted in a messy position in which W hite probably has the better chance s alth ough B lack was ult imately successful. ] 8.xe4 [ Previously Gawain suggested tha t 8.f3 might be a promising alternative and we've seen another example since. g6 ( He gave 8...f6 9.xc6 xc6 10.fxe4 dxe4 11.d5 e5 12.e2 as reaching a crazy position but one in which I quite like White.) 9.h4 f6 10.xg6 hxg6 11.d3!? A new try. ( 11.d3 g5 12.g6+ d7 13.e2 e6 14.f7 e7 15.xg8 xg8 16.hxg5 fxg5 17.d2 left White with good compensation for the pawn as g5 is rather vulnerable and Black's king will take a few moves to f ind s af ety. Sze lag, M (247 8)-Urban, K (2489) Legnica 2007.) 11...g5 12.d2 f7 13.h5 e6 14.g6+ e7 Computers really like W hite here and he certainly has very good compensation for the pawn but the position is highly complex. In Veszpremi, A (2256)-Medvegy, Z (2531) Decs 2011 Black managed to untangle and eventually converted against his lower rated opponent. ] 8...dxe4 9.c3 The first new move and a very logical one at that. W hite supports the d4 pawn and prepares his next. [ 9.g2 Murey, J (2415)-Postny, E (2648) Netherlands 2010 is seen in the archives. ] 9...d7?! It's natural to wish to exchange off White's dominant knight but Black's position now becomes really lousy. [ Instead he should probably prefer 9...e6 although 10.b3 c8 11.g2 d7 and now either 12.xe4 ( or 12.f4 gf6 13.g3 ) 12...gf6 13.g2 look more comfortable for White. ] 10.b3 xe5 11.dxe5 b5
Black's alternatives don't really help. [ 11...d7 12.e6! xe6 ( 12...fxe6 13.g5 is very similar to th e game .) 13.c4 is already decisive. ] [ Likewise 11...c8 12.e6! is good for White. ] 12.e6! A thematic push in the Caro-Kann and very strong here. At the cost (of a temporary) p a wn W h i t e d e s t r o ys B l a c k ' s s t r u c t u r e , weakens his king and gives him grave problems with his development. [ The computer suggests another path with 12.a4 which also favours White. Its idea can b e se e n f o ll o win g e6 13.axb5 axb5 14.xb5! when Black cannot take either piece. Therefore White picks up a pawn and has the better chances although Black can fight on after e7 15.xa8 xa8 16.e2 d5 ] 12...fxe6 There's not much else Black can do. [ I'm sure Prohaszka would have liked to try 12...d5 but 13.g2 f5 ( 13...fxe6 14.c2 ) 14.xd5 cxd5 15.gxf5 h6 16.a4! bxa4 17.c4! is also pretty terrible for the second player. ] 13.a4 Opening up the queenside. [ The immediate 13.g5!? was also possible as d5 14.c4 looks very pleasant. ] 13...e5 As taking the pawn wasn't the top of the list of White's priorities this looks too slow. [ Again 13...d5 could have been met with 14.c4! ( This looks stronger than 14.xd5 although this does win a couple of pawns after exd5 15.axb5 cxb5 16.xb5+ f7 but Black would be relieved to have the queens off the board. )] [ We think Black should have taken the o p p o r t u n i t y t o d e ve l o p h i s kn i g h t wi t h 13...f6 although 14.axb5 axb5 15.xa8 xa8 16.xe6 is pretty grim. At least Black can try expelling the White queen with b7 17.g5 d7 when he still might manage to develop his kingside. ] 14.g5! A very strong move preventing the knight from developing and depriving Black of any useful moves. b8 A sad move to have to play but Black is completely tied down. [ 14...d5 15.c4 is a common theme. ] [ Whilst trying to develop his kingside with 14...g6 could be met with 15.axb5 axb5 16.xa8 xa8 17.e6 g7 18.g2 1226
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 when the knight and rook are still prevented from joining the action and White can start picking up pawns. ] 15.axb5 axb5 16.e3 d5 17.c4 d6 18.c5 d5 19.c2 c8 Defending the c6 pawn in case of Bg2xe4 but again it's clear Black has no useful moves. [ 19...h6 feels better, at least to attempt to develop his kingside one day but 20.g2 still looks horrible. ] 20.b4 This is Petrosian's first inaccuracy but doesn't do much to ease Black's torture. [ I t w a s b e t t e r t o s t a r t w i t h 20.e2! preven ting Black's n ext po ssibility a n d keeping Black in a complete bind. ] 20...g6?! [ This time Black had to try and escape with 20...h6 although we think White's still winning, for example: 21.d1 e6 22.g2 c4 23.b1 d8 24.c1 d3 25.xe4 xb1 26.xc6+ f7 27.xb1 and the connected passed pawns supported by the rook and bishops should win the game fairly easily. ] 21.h4 [ Again 21.e2 was strong ] 21...f7 22.h3 e6 Black's run out of good options. [ 22...b8 23.xe4 d5 24.xd5 cxd5 25.e6! leaves Black powerless to prevent the march of the c pawn. ] 23.a2 f3 24.xe6+ e7 25.d7+ No more annotations are really required. White's position is completely overwhelming and he can choose a the win at his leisure. f7 26.g1 g7 27.a7 b8 28.g4 f7 29.d6 h5 30.e6 [ 30.gxh6+ is apparently forced mate ] 30...e8 31.xe5+ h7 32.d4 g8 33.xe7+ xe7 34.xg8+ xg8 35.xb8 e6 36.e5 c4 37.h8+ f7 38.f6+ 1-0
1176 Reefschlaeger,Helmut Krajewski,Wolfgang Open Bad Woerishofen GER (4) [Nigel Davies]
B11
18.03.2001
One reader pointed out that there was 'no mention' of 2.Nc3 d5 3.f4 on the site. Resisting the temptation to deem it 'unmentionable', I checked my database and found some good players on the White side. It certainly looks better for W hite than the equivalent Sicilian line (1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nc3) because the pawn exerts more central control on c5. 1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f4 dxe4 This has to be the best. [ 3...g6 4.d4 g7 5.e5 brought about a favourable Gurgenidze (Black's bishop is on g7 alre ady instea d of f 8 ) in McSh an e Thiruchelvam, 4NCL, Birmingham 2001. ] 4.xe4 f6 [ Another interesting possibility for Black is 4...d7 5.c4 ( Black also has very comfortable play after 5.f3 df6!? 6.f2 h6 7.g3 g6 ) 5...df6 6.f2 g6 when Horn - Tukmakov, Geneva1999 continued 7.c3 g7 8.d4 h6 9.f3 0-0 10.e5 d5 11.g4 f6 12.ed3 f7 13.f3 e5 with a fierce counterattack underway. ] 5.f2 5.Nf2 initiates an exotic set-up used by Hebden in the 2. f4 Sicilian. [ White's f-pawn is on the wrong square after 5.xf6+ exf6 ( or 5...gxf6 )] 5...e6 [ Lovric - Petrov, Croatia 1999 continued in interesting fashion with 5...a5!? 6.f3 d5 7.d3 f5 8.g3 a6 9.c3 f6 10.b4 b6 11.b2 0-0-0 intending ...e7-e5. ] [ For 5...c7 see Wall - Speelman. ] 6.f3 d6 7.g3 c7 8.g2 bd7 9.0-0 0-0 [ After 9...e5 10.fxe5 xe5 11.xe5 xe5 12.d4 d6 13.e1+ Black should have played e6 in Petraki - Kakogiannis, Korinthos Open 2000 ] 10.b3 b6 11.b2 b7 12.e2 c5 13.ae1 ac8 14.c4 a6 15.e5 xg2 16.xg2 b7+ 17.g1 fd8?? With a decent enough position, Black misses a shot. [ 17...cd8 is much better. ] 1227
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18.xf7! 13...c5! Whereas White is deprived of the f4[ 18.xf7 xf7 19.xe6+ f8 20.xd6+ f 5 t h ru s t , B la ck h a s e a s ily a ch i e ve d t h e is the simple point. ] thematic c6-c5 advance. 14.dxc5 xc5 1-0 15.dg1 Continuing his plan, but the removal of the rook from the centre will allow Black to co un te ra tt ack st ro ngly o n mo ve 2 2 . c7! 1177 B11 Of course [ 15...0-0?? would be one of the all time Robson,Ray 2567 worst examples of 'castling into it', as 16.h5 Jobava,Baadur 2696 etc. would soon mow down the black king. World Cup Khanty Mansiysk RUS (1.2) Instead Jobava wrongfoots the white rooks [Neil McDonald] by castling queenside, where there are no open files for them to attack along. ] 1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 a6!? 4.d4 Now W hite is deprived of Fischer's idea of 16.g6 hxg6 17.h5 0-0-0 18.hxg6 xh1 playing d2-d3 to maintain a pawn spearhead 19.xh1 fxg6 20.g1 g5 21.xg5 xg5+ o n e 4 . A s a r e s u l t h i s c e n t r e b e c o m e s 22.xg5 d4! Black takes over the initiative. inflexible, whether he exchanges on d5 or, as He achieves an important advantage, but is happy to draw as that means he wins the in the game, advances his pawn to e5. [ F o r e x a m p l e i f 4.exd5 cxd5 5.d4 match and proceeds to the next round of the d3 24.d1 dxc2 White's 2. Nc3 move gets in the way of c2- W o r l d C u p . 23.e4 c4, the natural way of putting pressure on d5. 25.e2 xe4 26.xe4 h8 27.g4 b8 In contrast 3... a6 is useful as it stops Bb5 28.xe6 a4 29.xc2 c5 30.g4 h1+ in response to Nc6, and also rules out any 31.d1 d3+ 32.b1 xf2! Black wins a p ie ce , b u t Ro b so n ca n t ry t o h o ld o n b y raid with Bf4 and Nb5. ] xc7 4...g4 Black carries out the logical idea of eliminating all the pawns. 33.xc7+ exchanging off this bishop and then putting all 34.xg7+ c6 35.g6+ c5 36.xa6 his centre pawns on light squares. 5.h3 xf3 xd1 37.c2 e3+ 38.d3 c4 39.e6 e1 6.xf3 e6 7.f4 f6! [ Here 39...xb2+ 40.e4 c4 should win [ Totally against the spirit of 3...a6 would be co m f o rt a b ly, b u t J o b a va h e a d s f o r t h e th e pa wn gra b 7...dxe4? 8.xe4 xd4 desired draw. ] Then White's lead in development becomes highly significant due to the open d-file, for 40.b3 e5+ 41.d2 f3+ 42.d3 e5+ example 9.c3 d5 10.d1 xa2 11.e5! 43.d2 f3+ 44.d3 e5+ in te nd ing 1 2. B xg7! Bxg7 1 3 .Nd6 +. d7 ½-½ 12.xd7 xd7 13.xf7+ e7 14.c5+ d8 ( or 14...c8 15.e8# ) 15.xe6+ 1178 B11 d7 16.c5+ and Black loses his queen. ] 8.e5 fd7 9.0-0-0 b5! Here we have a Romanov,Evgeny 2489 blocked centre of the kind that sometimes Pustov,Pavel 2411 a ris e s in t h e Mo d e rn De f e n ce . Fo r m a ll y Open Moscow RUS (9) 06.02.2006 speaking Black is at least three tempi behind [Andrew Martin] in development, but two of these developing moves- the bishop on f4 and the queen on f3- An interesting game in the Caro-Kann played get in the way of White's natural plan of an f4- a t t h e M o sc o w O p e n . R o m a n o v h a s t h e f5 breakthrough. 10.g4 Robson decides that pressure throughout, but is helped along by organising f4-f5 would be too laborious, and Pustov who blunders at the end. 1.e4 c6 so aims to strike at the g6 square. b6 11.h4 2.c3 This line is not as popular nowadays as 8d7 12.g5 e7 13.e2 it was in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, when Keres [ Putting the bishop on e7 helps to keep lines and Fischer propelled 2 Nc3 forward. However, on the kingside blocked after 13.g6 hxg6 it is still played at all levels and grandmasters 14.h5 g5 ] like Felgaer are still willing to give it a try. d5 1228
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 By far the most popular and natural response. [ 2...g6!? is also tried occasionally, a typical example being 3.d4 d5 4.e5 g7 5.f4 h6 6.f3 f6 7.e3 g4 8.e2 e6 9.exf6 xf6 10.e5 xe2 11.xe2 f5 12.g4 xe3 13.xe3 0-0 14.e2 c5 15.0-0 h4 16.g5 xe5 17.dxe5 g4+ 18.h1 c6 19.f2 ac8 20.g1 1/2-1/2 Felgaer - Foisor, Pobla de Lillet 2002 ] 3.f3 g4 4.h3 xf3 [ 4...h5 is also played but is nowhere near as popular as the game move: 5.d3 dxe4 6.xe4 d7 7.e2 gf6 8.0-0 xe4 9.dxe4 e5 10.d2 g6 11.c4 e7 12.e2 0-0 13.a4 c7 14.e1 a6 15.c3 b5 16.b3 c5 Zaitsev - Sundararajan, Pardubice 2005 ] 5.xf3 e6 [ 5...f6 is not quite as accurate: 6.exd5 cxd5 7.b5+ c6 8.0-0 e6 9.d4 e7 10.e2 0-0 11.c3 e4 12.d3 Ljubicic - Polak, Cvitanovic Memorial 2005 ] 6.d3 The most popular move, but a couple of other moves are also frequently played: [ 6.d4 dxe4 7.xe4 xd4 8.d3 d7 9.e3 d5 10.f4 e5 11.xe5 xe5 12.0-0-0 e7 13.he1 f6 14.b1 0-0-0 15.xf6 xf6 16.xf6 xf6 17.e2 d4 18.f1 c7 19.c3 b6 20.c2 xd1 21.xd1 d8 22.f1 f5 23.f4 g6 24.c4 e3 25.d3 e5 26.fxe5 e8 27.h4 h5 28.f3 xe5 29.g3 g5 30.hxg5 f4 31.h3 xg5 32.e4 f2 33.f3 h4 34.h1 e5 35.f1 g3 and White managed to hold Black to a draw. Felgaer Leitao, Mario Covas Rapid 2005 1/2-1/2 ] [ 6.g3 f6 7.g2 bd7 8.d3 c5 9.e2 dxe4 10.dxe4 e5 11.0-0 0-0 12.d1 b5 13.e3 g6 14.a4 a6 15.c3 e8 16.c2 f8 17.e3 c5 18.axb5 axb5 19.b4 d6 20.c2 e6 21.xa8 xa8 22.d1 g7 23.f3 g8 24.h2 e8 25.e2 a6 26.d3 d7 27.h4 dc5 28.f2 h5 29.f4 h6 30.f5 xe3 31.xe3 d8 32.f3 xd1 33.xd1 h7 34.g4 d8 35.g3 hxg4 and White managed to convert his advantage into a win during the endgame. Hertneck - Dautov, Bundesliga 2005 1-0 ] 6...d7
[ 6...f6 7.a3 e7 8.g3 bd7 ( 8...d4 9.e2 c5 10.g2 c6 etc ) 9.g2 0-0 10.0-0 d4 11.b1 c5 12.e2 e5 13.f4 b5 looks OK for Black. Perhaps he would prefer his Knight to be on c6. 14.d2 c8 15.f3 d6 16.a4 h5 17.e1 exf4 18.e5 b8 19.gxf4 bxa4 20.g5 e7 21.e4 g6 22.e1 g7 23.xa4 b6 24.a1 fd8 25.c4 h6 26.f3 f5 27.h2 d7 28.d2 f8 29.g1 e6 30.h4 xh4 31.xh4 xh4+ 32.h3 e8 33.g4 h5 34.g3 g5 35.g2 xh3 and the game was eventually drawn on move 78. Anisimov - Panchenko, Russia 2005 ] 7.a3 g6 8.e2 e7 9.g3 g7 10.g2 0-0 11.h4N [ 11.0-0 e8 12.h1 c7 13.d2 a5 14.f4 f5 15.e5 d4 16.a2 f8 17.f2 b6 18.ab1 ed8 19.c1 d5 20.xd5 cxd5 21.e2 dc8 22.xd4 f7 23.e3 c5 24.b4 axb4 25.axb4 xd4 De las Heras - Cativelli, Buenos Aires 2000 26.xd4 ] 11...h5 12.g5 f6 13.d2 f5 14.0-0 f6 15.exd5 exd5 16.ae1 e8 17.g5 d7 18.d2 [ 18.e6+ would keep White's edge. xe6 19.xe6 f7 20.fe1 ] 18...h7?! [ 18...d4 19.e2 fd5 ] 19.e2 eg8 20.f4 h6 21.h3 f7 22.f4 xe1 23.xe1 e8 24.d4 [ 24.xe8 xe8 25.c3= ] 24...xe1+ 25.xe1 e4 26.c3 f6 27.f1 e7 28.d1 g7 29.d3 h6 30.g2 [ 30.xh6 xh6 31.e1 is good for White. ] 30...xf4?! [ 30...g7 31.e2 f6 ] 31.xf4 f6 32.c4 dxc4 33.xc4 e4+ [ 33...d6 keeps Black nicely in the game. 34.e2 xe2 35.xe2 fe4 ] 34.f3 e7 35.d2 d6 36.a2 de8 37.a5 c7 38.e5 d8?? A major blunder by Pustov to let Romanov's bishop into f7. [ 38...xe5 39.dxe5 d7 and Black would be worse but not dead lost! ] 39.f7! cd5 40.xg6+ h8 41.xd5 1-0
1229
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1179 Satyapragyan,Swayangsu Khamrakulov,Dzhurabek 7th Malaysia Open (4) [Gawain Jones]
B11 2451 2485 03.09.2010
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 The Two Knights Variation has been quite popular recently and has been somewhat neglected on ChessPublishing so I decided that we should have a look. g4 4.d4!? Not seen before on the site. This move is quite unusual but must be investigated. dxe4 [ 4...e6 has been Black's most common response. 5.h3 A) 5...h5 has actually transposed to a position more often reached by the move ord e r 4 . h 3 a n d 5. d 4 . Nige l S h o rt h a s scored well from this position. 6.d3 f6 7.e5 fd7 8.g4 g6 9.xg6 hxg6 10.e2 c5 11.c3 c6 12.f1 b6 13.g2 e7 14.b1 and Postny remarks that Black has problems as the doubled g pawns means he has to be very careful preventing White's kingside attack. 0-0-0 ( 14...a5 15.e3 a4 16.f4 a6 17.h4 a3 18.b3 cxd4 19.cxd4 b4 20.d2 0-0-0 21.g5 xg5 22.hxg5 xh1 23.xh1 c6 24.d3 Short, N (2676)Khalif ma n, A (26 90) Merida 2 001 lef t W hite with a clear advantage which he smoothly converted.) 15.b4 cxd4 16.cxd4 b8 17.d2 c8 18.e1 a6 19.b3 a7 20.a4 c4 21.b5 Short, N (2706)Postny, E (2651) Kolkata 2009 and Black was being squeezed.; B) 5...xf3 6.xf3 dxe4 B1) Again the pawn sacrifice with 7.xe4!? is interesting and indeed has b e e n t h e m a i n c o n t i n u a t i o n . xd4 ( Declining the pawn is also possible. 7...d7 8.d3 gf6 9.c3 e7 10.0-0 xe4 11.xe4 f6 12.e2 0-0 13.g5 h6 14.xf6 xf6 15.ad1 d5 16.e4 xe4 17.xe4 fd8 18.g3 g6 19.g2 h5 20.h4 g7 and Black held easily. 1/2-1/2 Shanava, K (2557)-Pantsulaia, L (2587) Tbilisi 2010 ) B1a) 8.c3 b6 9.d3 ( 9.g5!? looks an interesting try.) 9...d7
10.g3 gf6 11.0-0 xe4 12.xe4 f6 13.c2 d5 14.c4 b4 15.e3 c5 16.xg7 0-0-0 17.xc5 xc5 and I would prefer to be Black. Andreikin, D (2509)-Kamsky, G (2705) playchess.com 2007.; B1b) 8.d3 d7 9.e3 d5 B1b1) 10.d1 e5 11.f4 a5+ ( 11...f5!? might be even stronger.) 12.e2 g6 13.d6+ xd6 14.xd6 d8 is given as equal by Pete Wells.; B1b2) 10.0-0 e5 11.g3 xd3 12.cxd3 f6 13.g5 e7 14.xf6 xf6 15.c7 d7 16.d6+ e7 17.f5+ e8 18.d6+ e7 19.f5+ e8 1/2-1/2 Can, E (2464)Nielsen, P (2662) Dresden 2008; B2) 7.xe4 is of course also possible.; B3) 7.e3 f6 8.xe4 bd7 9.c3 xe4 10.xe4 f6 11.f3 d5 12.e2 1/2-1/2 Vorotnikov, V (2425)L a s t i n , A ( 2 6 5 9 ) M o sc o w 2 0 1 0 h a s actually been reached a couple of times recently, once by this move order and one by the mainline Caro-Kann with 4... Nd7. ] [ 4...f6 5.e5 e4 ( 5...fd7 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 e6 8.g3 b6 1-0 Lugo, B (2418)Eden, T/ Dos Hermanas 2004 when White could have tried 9.f4!? with a French style position. ) 6.d3 xc3 7.bxc3 e6 Georgiev, K (2480)-Burovic, I (2375) Torcy 1991 when I think the doubled c pawns promise White the slightly better game as they support his centre but of course Black is very solid. ] [ 4...g6 would transpose to a position more often reached by the move order 1.e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg4. A recent game continued: 5.e2 g7 6.e3 f6 7.h3 xf3 8.xf3 0-0 9.d2 a6 Wiesinger, R (2252)-Bodiroga, P (2406) Schwarzach 2010 w h e n I ' d t r y 10.e5 d7 11.h4!? with decent chances on the kingside. ] 5.xe4 xf3 I guess this must be the critical response. Black wins the d4 pawn but at the cost of a lot of time. 6.xf3 xd4 7.e3! Sacrificing another pawn but gaining yet more time and more open lines for his pieces. In Mega2010 this position has been reached 13 1230
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 times and White has scored a very impressive 11.5/13. Certainly Black's position is perilous. xb2 8.c4 f6 [ 8...b4+ 9.d2 e6 10.b1 e7 is exceedingly dangerous for Black. True he has pocketed two extra pawns but he will struggle to develop his pieces. 11.e4 c7 Ertl, J-Schleischitz, J Austria 2002 and here White's strongest is 12.f4 a5+ 13.c3 b6 14.d1 d7 15.g5 d8 16.h3 threatening 17.Nxf7! when there isn't a satisfactory defence as e5 17.xd8+ xd8 18.0-0 leaves the whole of White's army fighting Black's unprotected king. ] 9.0-0 xc2? This actually loses instantly as a previous game has shown but Black already seems to be worse. [ 9...b4 was a Grandmaster's attempt here but he quickly fell into deep trouble. 10.xf6+ gxf6 11.g4 e6 12.ab1 e7 13.fd1 a6 14.xa6 bxa6 15.a4 c7 16.xa6 g7?! 17.b7 c8 18.c5 f8 1-0 Lugo, B (2418)-Li Shilong (2522) Dos Hermanas 2004 when 19.d6! leaves Black with no defence. ] [ 9...e5 was the path of the only Black win. 10.xf6+ xf6 11.g3 e5 Venevtsev, A (2148)-Ruchkin, I (2154) Lipetsk 2007 when I like the look of 12.ab1 b5 ( 12...b6 is saf er but 13.g4 d7 14.fd1 c5 15.xc5 xc5 16.d7+ f8 17.b7 e8 18.d7 looks incredibly dangerous.) 13.g5 f5 14.xb5! cxb5 15.xb5+ d7 16.d1 f6 17.xd7+ xd7 18.xd7 xd7 19.g4+ and White's queen looks better than the two rooks as Black's king is wandering alone. ] [ 9...bd7 has not been played but is the c o m p u t e r ' s t o p c h o i c e . H o we ve r a f t e r 10.ab1 xc2 11.xf6+ xf6 12.fc1 e4 13.g3 Black has an extra three pawns but b7 is dropping and he'll struggle to get his king to safety, e.g. g6? 14.xb7 g7 15.b8+ is immediately winning. ] 10.xf6+? [ 10.f5! threatening mate and a discovered check picking up the queen actually wins on the spot. d8 The only way to prevent both threats but now it's obvious White's attack w i l l b r e a k t h r o u g h . 11.fd1+ bd7 Ka yum o v, S (2 41 7 )-S a de ghi, M (21 9 7 )
Teheran 2005 when the easiest is 12.xf7! b6 ( 12...xe4 13.xd7+ c8 14.xe4 xe4 15.e6 wins at least a rook.) 13.f4 g6 14.e6 d5 15.ac1 and White's attack crashes through. ] 10...gxf6 White is still better despite his three pawn def icit as he h as d eveloped all his pieces while Black's king is stuck in the centre and has developed only his queen. 11.fc1 g6 12.ab1 d7 Unfortunately for Black it's not possible to defend the b7 pawn so his queenside collapses. [ 12...b6? 13.b5! wins at least the a8 rook. ] 13.xb7 e5 14.h3 g4 Black succeeds in trading queens but now the bishop pair and p a ss e d a p a wn a r e wo r t h f a r m o re t h a n Black's meaningless extra f pawn. 15.xg4 xg4 16.xa7 e5 17.e2 h6 18.c2 f5 19.a4 Here it comes. f4 20.f3 g7 21.f1 [ Staying on plan with 21.a5 is just winning. Black cannot prevent the pawn going all the way. ] 21...f5 22.a5 f7 23.c5 f6 24.a6 d8 25.c7 e6 26.xc6 d4? A final mistake but Black wasn't even material up anymore. 27.xf6! [ Black resigned as 27.xf6 xc2 28.b5+ d8 29.b6+ c8 30.c6+ b8 31.xc2 is of course totally lost. I would be surprised if this interesting idea doesn't catch on. ] 1-0
1180 Short,Nigel D L'Ami,Erwin 7th Staunton Memorial (9) [Gawain Jones]
B11 2684 2593 16.08.2009
I also played in this tournament and I was impressed how quickly White won this game. 1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 g4 4.h3 xf3 5.xf3 f6 [ 5...e6 is more common when White can continue with the same theme with 6.e2 A) 6...g6 tries to keep the position unbalanced but it appears to favour White. 7.d4 g7 8.e3 so far this is given in Schandorff's new Caro-Kann book and here he suggests W hite has good 1231
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 attacking chances. A recent game did n o t h i n g t o d i s p r o v e h i s w o r d s . d7 9.exd5!? exd5 ( 9...cxd5 10.b5 is awkward to deal with.) 10.g4 f8 11.0-0-0 e6 12.h4 e7 13.h5 and Black already had a few problems as White's attack has made definite headway. Cze b e , A (2 48 0 ) -L a f u e nt e , P (2 5 8 7 ) Bhubaneswar 2010.; B) 6...d7 is fairly likely to transpose. 7.0-0 ( 7.d4 dxe4 8.xe4 gf6 9.xf6+ xf6 10.b3 c7 11.0-0 e7 12.f3 0-0 13.c4 a5 14.a4 fd8 15.d1 e5 16.e3 exd4 17.xd4 xd4 18.xd4 d7 19.c2 c5 20.c3 b4 and Black had equalised. Kovacevic, A (2573)-Predojevic, B (2628) Pula 2010.) 7...gf6 8.d4 dxe4 9.xe4 e7 10.c3 0-0 11.d3 xe4 12.xe4 g6 13.f4 f6 14.e2 d5 15.d2 f6 16.g3 e8 17.f3 g7 18.h4 b6 19.ab1 Ho v h a n n i s ya n , R (2 5 2 2 )- P a i ki d ze , N (2376) Jermuk 2010, when, had Black played e5 it looks like he should equalise.; C) 6...f6 7.0-0 C1) 7...c5!? was Fridman's choice, preventing W hite from playing d2-d4. 8.d3 ( 8.d1!? is an interesting idea but d4! l o o k s a d e q u a t e .) 8...c7?! ( 8...0-0 was better but perhaps 9.g3 bd7 10.f4 is still a little more comfortable. ) 9.exd5! C1a) 9...cxd5 is of course best from a s t r a t e g i c p o i n t o f v i e w b u t 10.f4 is strong. C1a1) 10...a5 11.d4! e7 ( 11...xd4 12.b5 xb2 13.c7++- ) 12.g3 0-0 13.c7 b6 14.a3 leaves the Black queen out of bounds.; C1a2) 10...c8 11.b5 0-0 12.c7 c6 13.xa8 d4 14.e3 xc2 15.d2 ( 15.c1 xa1 16.c7 b6 isn't clear.) 15...b4 ( 15...xa1 16.c1!+- ) 16.c1 xa1 17.c7 d7 18.d4! c8 19.xa1 xc7 20.xc7 xc7 21.c1 and White's clearly better with his extra exchange.; C1b) 9...exd5 10.f4 d6 11.g3!
xf4 12.xg7 g8 13.xf6 wins a pawn.; C1c) 9...xd5 10.e4 d7 11.xc5 xc5 12.d4 d7 13.c4 e7 14.f4 b6 15.c3 0-0 16.ad1 and White had a definite advantage thanks to his bishop pair. Kovacevic, A (2574) Fridman, D (2650) Rijeka 2010.; C2) 7...dxe4 8.xe4 C2a) 8...e7 9.d3 0-0 10.g3 h8 Cze b e , A ( 2 4 8 0 ) -T u r o v, M (2 6 2 4 ) Bhubaneswar 2010 11.e3 ( 11.xf6 xf6 12.f4 b6 13.ab1 is a tiny bit better for White.) 11...bd7 12.c4! taking over the d5 square when Black still struggles to equalise.; C2b) 8...xe4 9.xe4 d7 10.d4 f6 11.d3 This position is important to the theoretical assessment of this line. White has the bishop pair and a little more space but Black is very solid. Schandorff believes that in practical terms the position is level as W hite lacks a plan but nevertheless I feel Black still has to be more accurate. I've added in some recent games to illustrate some ideas. Generally it's possible for Black to prevent the d4-d5 break as long as he's accurate and so White should also consider using b4b5, coupled with Bf 3 to put f urther pressure on Black's position. C2b1) 11...e7 is Black's other option. This is a slightly more passive location for the bishop but keeps full control of the d5 square. 12.c4 0-0 13.e3 C2b11) 13...d6 14.fd1 fd8 15.d2 ( 15.b4 a5 looks acceptable for Black although 16.bxa5 xa5 17.a4 is still a touch better for W hite.) 15...d7 16.ad1 ad8 17.c2 c7 18.f3 a5 19.a3 h6 20.g3 c8 21.d3 f5 22.g2 cd8 23.3d2 xc2 24.xc2 h7 Souleidis, G (2410)-Argiroudis, S (2315) Peristeri 2010 when White should have taken Short's lead with 25.d5!; C2b12) 13...c7 14.f3 fd8 1232
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 15.b3 I don't think this is accurate as this impedes the important idea of b4-b5 utilising the f3 bishop. ( T h e r e f o r e I ' d p r e f e r 15.c3 ) 15...d7 16.fd1 ad8 17.ac1 has been reached three times this year. However Black is very solid and is overprotecting the d5 s qu a r e so it ' s h a rd t o se e h o w White should proceed. The highest rated encounter continued: b8 18.g3 f8 19.g2 g6 20.f4 d6 21.g5 e7 22.e3 e8 23.f4 d6 24.h6 f8 25.f4 d6 26.g5 e7 27.xe7 xe7 28.d5 cxd5 29.xd5 xd5 30.xd5 ( 30.cxd5 e5 is nothing special for White as the knight sits c o m f o r t a b l y o n d 6 .) 30...f6 31.f3 e5 32.d1 g7 33.c5 e4 34.e2 e5 and Black was fine. Milos, G (2618)-Rodshtein, M (2622) Bursa 2010.; C2b2) 11...d6 C2b21) 12.f3 0-0 13.b4!? looks like quite a promising idea. a6 14.a3 c7 15.b2 ad8 16.fe1 a5 17.bxa5 xa5 18.b3 d7 19.c4 fd8 when instead of rushing with 30.d5 W h ite wou ld h a ve re t a in e d t h e better chances with 20.a4 ( 20.d5 cxd5 21.xf6 gxf6 22.cxd5 exd5 23.g4 c7 24.f5 gave White good compensation for the pawn but Black held the draw without too many problems. Ismagambetov, A (2492)-Benidze, D (2504) Zuerich 2010. ) 20...h6 21.c3 f5 22.e3 as the pressure down the b file and ideas of a5-a6 are awkward to cope with.; C2b22) 12.g5 h6 13.h4 g5!? Probably overambitious. ( 13...c7 looks fine to me.) 14.g3 c7 15.f3 e7 16.c4 ad8 17.ad1 a6 18.e3 f4 19.xf4 xf4 20.b3 d7 and White is somewhat better as Black's king was stuck in the centre. Piper, M (2304)-Speelman, J (2525)
Hinckley Island 2010; C2b23) 12.b4!? has never been played but looks interesting to me again playing to open the b file looks like a good plan.; C2b24) 12.c4 0-0 ( 12...h6 13.e3 0-0 14.fd1 c7 15.ac1 fd8 16.f3 h2+ 17.h1 f4= ) 13.g5 h6N 14.h4 e5 15.ad1 e8= is given by Schandorff when Black has equalised. ] 6.e2 dxe4 [ 6...e6 is likely to transpose to 5.. .e6 after 7.0-0 bd7 8.d4 ( 8.exd5 was attempted against Ivanchuk although cxd5 9.d4 e7 10.d3 0-0 11.a3 c8 12.d1 e8 13.f4 b6 14.e2 c4 15.c1 a6 allowed Black to equalise and indeed the Ukra in ia n we n t o n t o wi n i n A d e rit o , P (2352)-Ivanchuk, V (2787) Khanty Mansiysk 2007 ) 8...dxe4 9.xe4 xe4 10.xe4 ] 7.xe4 xe4 8.xe4 d5!? L'Ami doesn't f ee l like ab so rb in g pre ssure and t ries t o equalise immediately but this plan rather backfires. [ 8...e6 9.0-0 d7 10.d4 would again transpose to the critical position of the line. ] 9.g4 With queens off the board Black hopes not to have too many problems but the time taken to force the exchange takes its toll. d7 10.0-0 f6 11.a4 e4 12.xe4 xe4 13.e1 To be honest, when I saw this position during the game, I anticipated that Black should hold the draw without too many problems. However White does still have the bishop pair and the game continuation shows that Black has to be extremely careful. g6 [ 13...f6 allows an alternative pawn break with 14.b4!? 0-0-0 15.b5 cxb5 16.xb5 e6 17.b1 when Black still has slight problems. ] 14.d4 g7 15.f3 f6 [ 15...d6 16.f4 d7 17.d5 c5 18.g4+ f5 19.f3 isn't easy for Black either. ] 16.c4 d8 17.e3 0-0 18.ad1 White prepares to break in the centre as the bishop pair would obviously prefer an open board. e6 [ 18...d7 19.g4 is similar. ] 19.g4! Preparing to shunt the Black knight 1233
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 away from defending the important d5 square. h6 20.h4 fe8 [ 20...h5 is the computer's suggestion although W hite has a pleasant choice between A) and 21.gxh5!? xh5 ( 21...gxh5 is better although Black still has problems. ) 22.d5; B) 21.g5 g4 22.xg4 hxg4 23.g2 and the g4 pawn must drop. ] 21.g2 d7 22.d5! Nigel opens up the centre. e5 [ 22...exd5 23.cxd5 c5 was Black's last try, attempting to keep the centre closed although 24.f4 xb2 ( 24...e5 25.b3 is also clearly better.) 25.c7 c3 26.xe8+ xe8 27.d6 e1 28.xe1 xe1 29.xb7 f8 30.a6 is extremely unpleasant. ] 23.dxc6 xf3 24.xf3 bxc6 25.b3 I think Black is already lost amazingly and you have to ask where Black went wrong. White's advantage has been transferred from the bis hop pa ir int o B lack's we ak que ensid e pawns which Black cannot defend. a5 26.g5! The experienced English GM fixes the kingside to cut out any counterplay on that flank. hxg5 27.hxg5 a8 Ceding the d file looks illogical but White was able to take it whenever he wished with Be3-b6. 28.d7 f8 29.ed1 a4 30.c7 axb3 31.axb3 ec8 32.dd7 xc7 33.xc7 b8 34.xc6 xb3 35.c8 Black has succeeded in exchanging his weak queenside pawns but the c pawn is simply too strong. f5 [ 35...g7 is no better: 36.e4 d6 37.c5 b4+ 38.d4+ e5 39.cxd6 xd4+ 40.xe5 d2 41.c4 f8 42.f4 d1 43.d4 e1+ 44.d5 wins. ] 36.gxf6 f7 37.e4 b7 38.d4 g5 39.c5 b1 40.c6 c1 41.e3 A very easy looking win and proof that Black should take this line seriously. The critical position arises after ... e 6 a n d . . . . N x e 4 wh e n B l a c k i s c l o s e t o equality although care is required. 1-0
1181 Svetushkin,Dmitry Landa,Konstantin 11th EICC Men (8) [Gawain Jones]
B11 2554 2635 14.03.2010
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 f6!? Not yet covered on ChessPublishing. Black's main fight against the two knights has been with [ 3...g4 ] [ while 3...a6 has garnered some interested recently. ] [ 3...dxe4 trying to transpose into similar positions to the mainline is also possible but Black should be very careful with the knight alre a dy d e ve lop ed , e g. 4.xe4 f5?! 5.g3 g6 6.h4 h6 7.e5! is extremely unpleasant for Black ] 4.e5 e4 5.e2 White wants to keep his knights on in this variation as he attempts to prove the knight is misplaced on e4. [ 5.b1 was tried in the same tournament. b6 6.e2!? refusing to move the d pawn. g4 7.d3 c5 ( 7...g5! would seem to re f u t e W h i t e ' s p l a n a s 8.xg5 xb2 picks up the rook.) 8.bd2 e6 9.h3 h5 10.g3 cd7 11.g2 and by a strange series of moves the position resembled a Kings Indian Attack. Chudinovskikh-Lenic, Rijeka 2010. ] 5...b6 [ 5...g4 is Black's other logical try 6.d3 A) 6...c5 7.ed4 is a really bizarre position. Neither of the knights on d4 and c5 are on ideal positions. e6 8.h3 h5 ( 8...xf3 9.xf3 and White has at least solved the problem of the d4 knight.) 9.g4 g6 10.g2 is an interesting position!; B) 6...xf3 7.gxf3 c5 8.d4 e6 9.h3 c7 10.g5 ( 10.g1!? ) 10...h6 11.h4 g5 12.g3 e6 ( 12...h5 13.e6 xe6 14.xe6 fxe6 15.d3 is a typical Caro Kann pawn sacrifice motif which generally f a v o u r s W h i t e .) 13.f4 c5 was an extremely messy position but I feel W h i t e h a s t h e b e t t e r c h a n c e s wi t h a development advantage and the bishop pair but of course Black has his typical so l id p o sit io n : Ja n e v-Di m i t ro v, S o f i a 2010. ] 1234
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 6.d4 c5 I wonder if Black should delay this as it helps W hite's pieces find good squares. 7.dxc5 xc5 8.ed4 c6 9.b5 With an edge to White according to Wells, and this gam e c on f irms th e assessme nt . d7 10.0-0 e6 [ Black can pick up a pawn with 10...xe5 b u t i t a p p e a r s t o o d a n g e r o u s . 11.xe5 xb5 12.e1 The knights are placed on perfect squares on e5 and d4. A sample line could run A) 12...e6 13.xb5 xb5 ( 13...xf2+ 14.h1 b6 15.xe4+- ) 14.c4!+followed by 15. Rxe4 due to the mate threat on d7.; B) 12...f6 13.c3 d7 14.b3 b6 15.xd7 xd7 16.a4+ c8 17.f4 e6 18.ac1 a6 19.d1 d8 20.c4 with a great attack. ] 11.e3 b4 12.c4! White plays dynamically t o o p e n u p t h e B la ck p o sit io n b e f o re h e completes his development. xb2 [ 12...a6 doesn't solve Black's problems. 13.cxd5 exd5 14.d3 A) 14...e7 15.xc6 bxc6 16.c2 0-0 17.a3 b7 18.xe4 dxe4 19.xe4 picks up a pawn as xb2? drops a piece. 20.fb1 e2 ( 20...c3 21.d2 c5 22.b4+- ) 21.b7 ad8 22.e1 a2 23.e6 xe6 24.xe6 fxe6 25.e5+-; B) 14...c5 ] 13.cxd5 c3? [ 13...exd5 is necessary but still favours White. 14.b1 ( 14.c1 is another alt ern at ive which lo oks st ron g, e g. c5 15.b3 xe3 16.fxe3 c3 17.d3 xb5 18.xb5 d8 19.xb7 xe5 20.c7 g4 21.xd7 xd7 22.c8+ d8 23.xg4 ) 14...xa2 15.e2 c5 16.xc5 xc5 17.c3 a5 18.xd5 0-0 19.c2 e6 20.fd1 gives White more than enough compensation for the pawn. ] 14.dxe6! Underestimate by Landa. This is an extremely strong queen sacrifice and White is already practically winning. xd1 [ 14...xe6 15.d3 d8 ( 15...xb5 16.fb1! ) 16.xc6+ bxc6 17.g5 d5 18.a6 doesn't help Black's cause either. ] 15.exd7+ d8 [ 15...xd7 16.axd1 c7 17.d2 b4 ( 17...a3 18.c2+- ) 18.c1 and White's
attack crashes through. With the pawn on d7, White has enough compensation for the material and coupled with still having a massive attack the game is practically over already. ] 16.axd1 [ 16.fxd1 might be more accurate so Black doesn't have the 17th move alternative. ] 16...xd4 17.xd4 c5 [ 17...xa2 was the best try but if White finds the accurate 18.c1! b4 19.fd1 h6 20.c6! then again Black could throw in the towel. ] 18.c4 xd4 [ 18...f8 19.c6+ bxc6 20.xc5 is another crushing variation. ] 19.xd4 c2 20.xf7 White has the bishop pair and two pawns for the piece which is enough compensation in itself. If Black doesn't take the d7 pawn then White can roll the central pawns down and pick up at least a couple of rooks (!) but as we see if he takes t h e d 7 p a wn t h e n t h e ki n g b e co m e s t o o exposed. xd7 21.c5+ [ 21.c1 a4 22.e6+ e7 23.c7+ d6 24.d7+ c6 25.h5!+- is an alternative route to success. ] 21...c6 22.e3 b5 23.b1+ a6 24.fc1 a4 25.c4 a3 26.c1 a5 27.d2 a3 28.c3 a5 29.c4+ b5 30.xb5+ xb5 31.a3+ b6 32.e3+ A strong attack by Svetushkin with an extremely strong queen sacrifice which seems to refute 6...c5 and so also puts a cloud under 5...Qb6. If Black wants to continue playing 3... Nf6 then 5...Bg4 should be investigated. 1-0
1182 Tate,Emory Vescovi,Giovanni P 34th World Open (3) [Andrew Martin]
B11 2384 2622 30.06.2006
Emory Tate. The stuff of legends. Here we see him getting stuffed. 1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 5.c4 e6 6.e2 I personally prefer White here, who has good aggressive development and ideas of sacrifice on e6 or f7 against a careless opponent. Yet 1235
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 lo o k wh a t h a p p e n s a n d i t a ll st a r t s wi t h Black's next, very careful move. h6! 7.d4 gf6 8.g3 d6N Black plays catch-up chess! His position looks poor to begin with and gets better and better. White can't find a n y t h i n g t o l a t c h o n t o a n d t h e r e ve r s e happens to him! Discussing details it's a question of style whether you prefer ...Bd6 or ...Be7. The Bishop on d6 is certainly more active. [ Instead 8...e7 is perfectly solid: 9.0-0 0-0 10.d1 b6 11.d3 c7 12.c4 c5 13.dxc5 ( 13.e3 ) 13...a4 14.c2 ( 14.c6 bxc6 15.c2! ) 14...xc5 15.e5 a5 16.f4 b6 17.d2 with advantage, Reinaldo Castineira, R-Cano Sanchez, J/ Barcelona 2000. The strength of the enemy was eventually sapped. ] [ Or 8...b6 9.b3 bd5 10.0-0 e7 11.c3 0-0 12.e5 c5 13.dxc5 xc5 14.e4 xe4 15.xe4 f6 16.f3 d6 17.g4 xg4 18.xg4 f6 19.e3 b6 20.ad1 e5 21.e2 1/2-1/2 Praude, RMakka, I/Chalkidiki 2001 ] 9.d2!? Can't he find a better square for this Bishop? Or maybe Tate feints to castle long! [ I prefer 9.0-0 ] 9...0-0 10.0-0 Looks like White changed his mind hereabouts. [ 10.0-0-0 would be more in Tate's style and would certainly carry the fight to Black. Play is complex: b5 ( 10...c7 11.e4! xe4 12.xe4 c5 13.dxc5 xc5 14.h4 b5 ) 11.d3 ( 11.b3 c7 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 a5 ) 11...b7 12.e5 c5 13.xd7 xd7 14.dxc5 xc5 15.c3 e7 ] 10...c7 11.fe1 b6 12.e5 [ The Knight on g3 is White's 'problem piece' so why not get rid of it? 12.e4! xe4 13.xe4 b7 14.d3 f6 15.h4 I believe White is better here. c5 ( 15...e7 16.ad1 c5 17.dxc5 xc5 18.g3 ) 16.xh6! ] 12...c5 13.c3 b7 14.f4 a6 15.f5 cxd4 16.xd7 xd7 17.fxe6 'So far, so good 'thinks Tate. I am going to ' mullah' him. e5! Excellent, reminding White about his second problem piece on c4. 18.exf7+ h8 19.b3 d3! 20.h5! xf7 21.f5 The White attack rages but is unwieldy. Nothing really works.
g5 [ 21...c6 could well have been considered: 22.g4 c5+ 23.h1 f6 ] 22.xd6 xd6 23.xg5 c5+ 24.h1 xg2+!! A shock to the system! 25.xg2 f2+ 26.g3? [ 26.h3 leads to a line which is not very funny for White, but he may miraculously be a b le t o su rvive : af8 27.d1 c8+!! 28.g4 8f3+ 29.xf3 xf3+ 30.h4 hxg5+ 31.h5 g6+ 32.xg6 g8+! 33.h5 f7+ 34.xg5 f6+ 35.h5 f5+ 36.xf5 xf5+ 37.h4 One can understand why Tate did not go fo t h is, b u t wh a t h e d o e s is m u c h , m u c h , worse. ] 26...af8 27.e6 c7+ It's mate in three more moves. Entertaining chess! 0-1
1183 Tkachiev,Vladislav Podgaets,Mikhail Vienna [Alexander Volzhin]
B11 2620 2460 1996
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 This system is attractive for players who do not like to play deeply analysed variations. Although theoretically it does not promise too much for White, the arising positions are complicated, and it's still not clear how Black can achieve equality without any trouble. g4 Black has tried a lot of moves here but this Bishop sortie is the main line. 4.h3 xf3 5.xf3 f6 6.d3 e6 One of the key positions of this quiet system. 7.g3!? A rare continuation. [ 7.d2 is considered to be the main line here. Recently I played an interesting game in this line with Black vs. A. Jakubiec at Opole 1998. The game continued: bd7 8.g4 g6 9.h4!? dxe4 10.dxe4 h5 11.g5 g4 12.e2! Intending 13.f3. c7 13.h3 ( 13.f3? g3+ ) 13...c5! 14.xg4 hxg4 15.xg4 0-0-0 16.f4 b6 17.e2 The only move otherwise Black's Knight b e c o m e s ve r y a c t i ve : ( 17.0-0-0 c4 w i t h p l e n t y o f t h r e a t s .) 17...xd2! This unexpected sacrifice gives Black a strong and lasting initiative. 18.xd2 d8 1236
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19.h2 c4! The active position of all Black's pieces and the poor position of White's King is ample compensation for the exchange. 20.d1 d4 21.e2 e3 22.d3! ( 22.xd4 xd1 23.xd1 xd4+ 24.c1 xe4 25.f1 a5! and Black wins the important a2-pawn as 26.a3?? fails to e1+ mating. ) 22...g4 23.g2! The only move again. f2+ 24.d2 e3+ 25.e1 f2+ 26.d2 e3+ and in view of the repetition a draw was agreed. ] 7...a6 [ T h e a l t e r n a t i v e i s 7...bd7 8.e2 and now Black has tried a couple of moves: h5 ( 8...b4 9.e5 xe5 10.xe5 d4 11.a3 a5 12.f3 0-0 13.0-0 dxc3 14.bxc3 d5 15.d2 e8 16.a4 d7 17.fb1 ac8 18.b3 gave White a slight edge in the game Velikovic - Spiridonov, Pernik 1981; 8...b5 9.a3 b6 also does not solve Black's opening problems: 10.0-0 g6 11.f4 e7 12.f3 0-0 13.fe1 ac8 14.h4 h8 15.e2 d4 16.b1 c5 17.d2 c4 18.e5 e8 19.e4 g7 20.g5 d8 21.f4 f6 22.exf6 xf6 23.e5 cxd3 24.cxd3 with a clear advantage in Tkachiev A.Ledger, Isle of Man 1996) 9.0-0 h4 10.h2 e7 11.f4 d4 12.c7 c8 13.b1 f8 14.d2 g6 15.c4 was in White's favour in the game R.Ortega Hort, Polanica Zdroj 1967. ] 8.e2 dxe4 [ After 8...d4 9.b1 b4 ( or 9...d6 10.f4 e5 11.0-0 e7 12.a3 exf4 13.xg7 g8 14.h6 g6 15.h4 0-0-0 16.c4 with a clear advantage in Howell - Fontaine, Cappelle-la -Grande 1995.) 10.a3 c5 11.0-0 a6 12.f4 b5 13.c4! dxc3 14.bxc3 c6 15.c2 White had obt ained a tangible a d va n t a ge in t h e g a m e A ro n in - Flo h r , Moscow 1950. ] 9.dxe4 c5 10.f3 g6 Otherwise it's not so clear how Black can complete his development.. 11.g5 e7 12.d1 fd7 [ 12...b6? loses immediately due to 13.e5 cd7 14.xd7! ] 13.e3 White must keep the Bishop pair, as his light-squared Bishop on f3 needs a partner. h4 Black decides to gain some tempi by attacking the slightly cramped White Queen, but this actually makes things worse.
[ However the immediate 13...0-0 14.0-0 does not eliminate Black's problems. ] 14.f4 e5 15.h6 e7 16.g4 f6 17.0-0 e6 18.xe6 xe6 19.d3 White's play is sim p le a n d cle a r. 0-0-0 20.xa7 e7 This was probably what Black was hoping for: he moves the Queen from e6 to make b7-b6 effective and at the same time Bg5 is threatened. Unfortunately White has a strong and decisive blow. [ After 20...b6 21.a4 b7 The bishop e s c a p e s e a s i l y w i t h 22.xb6! xb6 ( 22...a8 23.xd7+! xd7 24.c5+ winning ) 23.c5+ winning the Queen. ] 21.d5! [ 21.e3 was not at all bad either. ] 21...e6 [ 21...cxd5 was impossible because of 22.c3+ winning ] 22.d2 e7 [ 22...cxd5 23.exd5 a6 24.c3+ winning ] 23.a5 Look at this! If I am not mistaken the Q u e e n wa s o n h 6 j u s t a m o v e a g o . d6 24.fd1 f5 25.b6+ xb6 26.xb6 Black resigned. [ 26.xb6 d7 27.a8+ b8 28.xd7 W inning. Thus we can conclude that the rare line 7.Qg3 deserves serious attention and further practical tests. ] 1-0
1184 Totsky,Leonid Burmakin,Vladimir (Open) Moscow (Russia) (4) [Nigel Davies]
B11
1995
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 dxe4 The most solid and 'Caro-Kanny' move. For the alternatives see Arapovic - Campora. 4.xe4 d7 5.d4 df6! [ M u c h m o r e p r e c i s e t h a n 5...gf6 because now White must worry about his dpawn. ] 6.c3 g4 Developing a piece whilst gaining time on the queen. [ Black can also play 6...xe4 7.xe4 f6 8.c2 g4 9.e2 e6 ( or 9...g6 10.f4 g7 11.c4 0-0 12.0-0 c7 13.e1 c5= Psakhis L.(2581) - Razuvaev Y.(2559), 1237
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Moscow 1981 Ch Moscow) 10.g3 d5 11.f3 h5 12.xh5 xh5 13.f4 d5 14.g3 g5 15.d2 e7 1/2-1/2 was Lutikov A. - Petrosian T., USSR Ch., Leningrad 1960 ] 7.g3 [ 7.f4 e6 8.f3 xf3 ( a fairly simple solution, but both 8...xe4 9.xg4 gf6; and 8...h5 look fine for Black) 9.xf3 xe4 10.xe4 f6 11.h4 and now e7 lo o k s f a i rl y e qu a l ( 11...d5!? 12.g3 e4+ 13.e3 d6 14.xe4 xe4 left White nominally better because of his bishops in Zankovich V. - Yermoshkin V. (2359), USSR Ch., Simferopol 1989 )] 7...e6 8.d3 h5 9.f3?! The start of a series of funny-looking moves which land White in hot water. [ Both 9.f3 and ] [ 9.e2 look better. ] 9...g6 10.e2 e7 11.0-0 d5 12.f4 h6! An effective way to develop the knight Black is bringing it to f 5. 13.h3 xf4 14.xf4 f5 15.g4? Lashing out in a dodgy looking position. White must have missed the reply. xd4! 16.e5 [ Probably trying to make it look deliberate of course 16.cxd4 xd4+ wins back the bishop on d3. ] 16...f5! 17.f2 [ If 17.ad1 then e3 ] 17...h4 18.xg7 g8 19.d4 e5! 20.xg6 xg6 21.e3 [ After 21.xe5 d5 threatens the bishop and f3. Black is better now and he soon tra n s po s e s in t o a n a d va nt a ge o us ro o k endgame. ] 21...d5 22.e4 f5 23.g5 fxe4 24.xh4 xg5! 25.xg5 d8 26.h1 xg5 27.xg5 xg5 28.fxe4 e7 29.f2 f8 30.xf8 xf8 31.g1 h5! Exchanging rooks would lead to a draw, but now W hite finds himself tied down to his e- and h- pawns. 32.g2 h4 33.e1 e7 34.e3 h5 35.e2 f4 36.e3 h4 37.e2 a5 38.b3 d6 39.e3 c5 40.e2 b5 41.e1 b4 Undermining the d4 square for later penetration by Black's king. 42.c1 b5 43.cxb4 axb4 44.c4 c5 45.c2 [ White is in zugzwang - if 45.h3 then f2 ] [ after 45.h3 f6 Black's rook is en route for
g3 ] [ and 45.g1 h3 gives White the unwelcome right to move once again ] 45...xe4 46.f3 f4+ 47.e3 h3 48.d2 g4 49.f3 g5 50.c2 b6 51.e2 c6 52.c2 d5 53.d2+ e6 54.c2 f5+ 55.g4 e4 56.c4 e3 57.c1 f2 58.g3 d5 59.d1+ 0-1
1185 Vasiesiu,Dan Vajda,Albert ch-ROM, ROM (3.2) [Andrew Martin]
B11 2430 2445 2003
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 a6!? It's official: Black can do anything after 3 Nf3. Something to break the endless chain of games with 3... Bg4. [ Or 3...h6!? Black can freak out on the other side too! 4.d4 dxe4 5.xe4 f5 6.c5 c7 7.c4 e6 8.0-0 b6 9.d3 d6 10.e2 f6 11.e1 bd7 12.fe5 0-0 13.f4 b5 14.b3 c5 15.dxc5 xc5 16.xc5 xc5 17.ad1 ad8= Kveinys, ASadler, M/Germany 2001 ] 4.h3 [ 4.d4 must be the logical move but even here proves t ou gh to d evelop a nyth in g tangible: g4 5.g5 f6 6.d3 dxe4 7.xe4 xe4 8.xe4 xf3 9.xf3 xd4 10.b3 e5+ 11.e2 b5 12.h4 d7 13.h3 Petrosian, S-Schwab, R/Open, Vienna AUT 2003 when I think the best for Black is h6 14.e3 ( 14.e3? h2-+ ) 14...d5 15.f3 xb3 16.axb3 e5 17.e4 e6 18.f4 f5 ] 4...e6 Two other moves have been played here to my knowledge: [ 4...d4 5.e2 c5 6.c3 c6 7.cxd4 cxd4 8.g3 g6 9.a3 g7 10.c4 f6 11.d3 0-0 12.0-0 b5 13.a2 d7 14.g5 b7 15.d2 c8 16.h4!? with some kingside cha nces, Va siesiu , D-Va jd a, A /T us na d 2000. ] [ 4...f6 5.e5 e4 6.e2 xc3 7.dxc3 e6 8.h4!? c5 9.h5 h6 10.g3 d7 11.g2 b5 12.e3 d7 13.f4 c7 14.a4 c6 15.0-0 e7 16.g4 g8 17.e1 0-0-0 1238
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 18.b4 b6 19.bxc5 xc5 20.d4 d7 21.b3 1/2-1/2 Van der Wiel, J-Speelman, J/ Leeuwarden 1997 As long as we remain unprejudiced and we recognise that moves such as 1 e4 a6!? are playable and have a right to exist, then it's easy to take the next step and say that 3... a6!? against the Two K n igh t s is a p e rf e c t ly re a so n a b le lin e . Stylistically, I don't like 4.. e6 very much because it blocks in the Bc8 but it will be difficult to break Black down. As usual, the best results f or W hite will come with patien ce an d a sound grasp of genera l principles. Take the centre, develop quickly and enquire what Black is doing. ] 5.d4 d7 6.d3 dxe4 7.xe4 gf6 8.xf6+ xf6 9.g5 It's a normal position with ... a7-a6 thrown in. Black must play ... c6c 5 b e f o r e l o n g t o l i v e n u p h i s g a m e . h6 10.d2 c5 So now we have a Rubenstein French with an extra tempo for W hite presumably the small move h3. This should not amount to much. 11.dxc5 xc5 12.e2 b5 13.e5 d5 14.g4 b7 [ 14...xg4 Black is absolutely not worse after A) 15.xg4 b7 16.0-0 h5 17.g3 d6 18.f4 h4 19.xg7 ( 19.g4 d4+ 20.h1 xb2 21.f5 ) 19...0-0-0; B) 15.hxg4 b7 16.f3 d6 I guess Vajda feels that he can use the g file but it doesn't turn out that way. ] 15.xf6+ gxf6 16.f3 d4 A temptation which should have been avoided. The Black Queen is very well placed on d5. I prefer [ 16...d6! and Black has no problems: 17.e4 g3+ 18.f1 ( 18.d1 d7 19.xb7 xb7 ) 18...d7 ] 17.0-0-0 f2? Black cannot seem to believe that he might be better and his play lacks confidence as a result. Simply [ 17...0-0-0 would keep the position very unclear. As played moving the Queen out of the centre has a catastrophic effect. ] 18.xb5+ axb5 19.xb5+ f8 20.xb7 xa2 21.b1 a7 I think Vajda saw to here and misjudged the position. He thought Black could move his King and double on the a file with an attack. 22.e4 e7 [ 22...g7 comes to much the same. White can simplify and enter an ending a clear
p a wn u p w i t h t h e b e t t e r K i n g t o b o o t . 23.g4+ h7 ( 23...f8 24.xh6+!+- ) 24.hf1 ha8 ( 24...d4 25.xd4 xd4 26.c3 b6 27.c2+- ) 25.e4+ f5 26.xa8 xf1 27.xf1 xa8 28.d1+- ] 23.hf1 g3 24.f4 xg2 25.c6 White put the boot in first. Also official. 1-0
1186 Vazquez,Guillermo Hamitevici,V 41st Olympiad Open 2014 (10.25) [Neil McDonald]
B11 2323 2467 12.08.2014
1.e4 c6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 a6 A useful move that prevents a future Bb5+ by White in the event of a pawn exchange on d5. On the other hand Black is falling behind in development so he has to play with care. [ The Tal-Botvinnik game mentioned in the note to 5...Bh5 began 3...g4 4.h3 xf3 5.gxf3 e6 6.d4 ] 4.d4 White builds a classical pawn centre and looks for an attack. g4 5.h3 h5 [ In my previous stint on this website back in 2009 I gave Robson-Jobava in which Black e q u a l i s e d o r m o re p re t t i l y e a s il y a f t e r 5...xf3 6.xf3 ( Gawain wondered if 6.gxf3 was worth a try. White strengthens his e4 point and might be able to use his centre pawn mass to advantage. It reminds me of how Tal 'insulted' Botvinnik in the third game of their match in 1960- see the note to 3... a6 above. Botvinnik's 5....e6 looks more useful than 3....a6. Not that time is necessarily a key factor here.) 6...e6 7.f4 f6 etc. Of course White might be able to make better use of his bishops. ] 6.g4 g6 7.e5 White tries to exploit his lead in development to the utmost. xe4?! [ To be preferred is 7...e6! which leads to the forcing line 8.exd5 cxd5 9.h4 f6 10.xg6 hxg6 11.d3 ( After 11.d3 f7 12.h5 gxh5 13.gxh5 e7 14.d2 bc6 15.0-0-0 f5 a draw was agree in Rade, M (2440)Doric, D (2495)/Bol CRO 2013.) 11...f7 It seems ugly for Black to give up his light squared bishop and have his king displaced t o f 7 t o gu a rd g6 . 1 1 m o ve s h a ve b e e n 1239
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 played, and all the black pieces save the bis h o p wh ic h h a s be e n exch a n ge d a re sitting on their starting squares. Only the black king is off the first rank. On the other hand, Black's pawns are compact and his pieces can be developed to good centre squa re s un im pe de d by W hite 's p awnscomfortable posts on c6, d6 and e7 await the black minor pieces. White's c-pawn is blocked, so no c2-c4 thrust is available. The white kingside pawns are advanced but as we know in the Caro-Kann Black tries to p r o ve t h e m a li a b il i t y r a t h e r a n a ss e t . 12.e2 d6 13.f4 e7 A) 14.f3 b6 15.c3 xf4 A1) White should have entered c o m p l i c a t i o n s w i t h 16.xf4 xb2 17.0-0 b6 ( Black's pieces get forked after 17...xh4? 18.fb1 a3 when White has a decisive attack after 19.g3 h8 20.xb7 ) 18.fe1 with compensation for the pawn due to his rooks attacking chances along the bfile and e-file.; A2) 16.xf4 g5 17.g3 bc6 18.h3 gxh4 19.xh4 g5 20.h5 xh5 21.gxh5 f5 22.g4 ce7 23.d2 c8 24.h6 ( White can't develop as 24.0-0-0 allows xd4 ) 24...h8 25.h5+ f8 26.h7 g7 27.f4 Better to submit to losing a pawn with ( 27.0-0-0 ) 27...xh7 28.f3 xb2 29.b1 xa2 30.fxg5 b5 31.gxf6+ xf6 A typical Caro-Kann disaster for White. He thought he was attacking and now he is two pawns down with uncoordinated pieces. 32.g2 a3 33.f2 d6 34.g5+ f7 35.f4 a3 36.e2 e8 37.c1 b2 38.f6 h4 39.e5 g6 40.xe6+ fe7 0-1 Kula ots, K (257 0)-P antsulaia, L (2557)/Konya 2012.; B) 14.h5 xf4 15.xf4 bc6 16.g5 gxh5 17.gxf6 gxf6 18.c3 g6 19.xg6+ xg6 20.e2 f7 Here a draw was agreed in Safarli, E (2660)-Mchedlishvili, M (2637)/Denizli TUR 2013. Black has a s m a l l i n i t i a t i v e a f t e r 21.xh5 g8 22.0-0-0 g6 23.xh8 ( And not 23.dh1? xd4! 24.cxd4 ac8+ 25.d1 b1+ 26.d2 c2+ 27.d3 c1+
and Black wins. ) 23...xh8 etc. ] 8.xe4 [ Gawain thinks 8.f3!? might be worth a puntsee his notes to Murey-Postny. ] 8...dxe4 9.c3 b6? This position was reached in Petrosian-Prohaszka in the archives. The simple [ 9...e6 was recommended, though White has the initiative after 10.b3 c8 11.g2 etc. The game move has the worthy aim of stopping White's Qb3 move. However, as we shall see the black queen is a target on b6 and is soon driven back. ] 10.g2 f6 After [ 10...e6 11.g5 stopping Black from playingNf6 and intending 12.Qg4 etc. is a nice initiative for White. ] 11.g5 fd7 12.c4! Sometimes the best a t t a c k i n g m o v e i s t o g o b a c k wa r d s . B y avoiding an exchange of knights on d7 White leaves his opponent with his other horse bu rie d o n b 8 . d8 13.g4 Black's ninth move has failed as the white queen has found a n o t h e r s p l e n d i d a t t a c k i n g s q u a r e . b5 14.d2 h5 15.e2 g6 16.xe4 g7 17.f4! If he is given time Black will consolidate. Therefore White needs to advance the f-pawn at once. e6 White would have a near decisive attack after [ 17...0-0 18.f5! gxf5?! 19.g3 e6 20.xh5 etc. ] 18.d6+ The immediate [ 18.f5 was also very strong for example exf5 ( Or 18...gxf5 19.g3 e7 20.xh5 g8 21.f4 with a decisive bind.) 19.d6+ f8 20.f4 followed by 21.0-0 and 22.Rae1. ] 18...e7 19.f5! Black has been unable to restrain the energy in W hite's set up. The o p e n i n g o f l i n e s o n t h e ki n g si d e wi ll b e decisive as the black pieces are badly disorganised. xd6 20.f4+ e7 21.f6+ xf6 22.gxf6+ xf6 23.0-0 Black has two extra pawns, but the pressure from the white bishop pair and the rook along the f-file is crushing. Black has a queen, two rooks and a kn ig h t o n t h e i r st a r t i n g s qu a r e s . A s l o w development is OK in some cases when the position is blocked, bit not when W hite has open lines of attack. h7 24.f2 d7 25.xc6 c8 26.d5 The defences around the black king start to crumble. exd5 Losing a 1240
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 piece, but the game wasn't to be held anyway. 27.ae1+ f8 28.d6+ g8 29.xd7 xd7 30.xf6 xh3 Black has three pawns for the piece and the white king has no shelter. But it doesn't matter. Black is in effect a rook down as well when it comes to the struggle in the centre, as the piece on h7 is shut out of the game. 31.e7 f8 32.f3 g4+ 33.g3 d1+ 34.h2 b1 35.e1 A pretty little touch to end the game. The black queen is d e f l e c t e d f r o m t h e d e f e n c e o f g 6 . xe1 36.xg6+ fxg6 37.xf8# 1-0
1187 Wall,Gavin Speelman,Jonathan S 4NCL Birmingham ENG (7) [Nigel Davies]
B11
17.03.2001
Jon Speelman often makes the supposedly dull Caro look like an attacking line. He meets White's unusual choice with his own offbeat moves, and when W hite tries to solve the small problems he ends up with big ones. A nice illustration of how to win with Black. 1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.f4 dxe4 4.xe4 f6 5.f2 c7 6.g3 e6 Causing trouble from the outset. [ A solid approach is 6...g6 7.b3 g7 8.b2 0-0 9.g2 b6 10.f3 b7 11.0-0 c5 12.e2 c6 13.fe1 ad8 with a more or less equal game in Plasman - Guliev, Essent Open, 2001. ] 7.f3 d5 8.c4? White should resist the temptation to attack this bishop just now. [ 8.g2 is the sensible move. ] 8...xf3 9.xf3 e6 10.b3 c5 11.b2 d8! Continuing in unstereotyped fashion. Black wants to plant his bishop on d4, and this possibility induces greater concessions. 12.d1 a6 13.d4? Suicide. [ White has to play 13.e2 ] 13...a5+ 14.c3 b4 15.xb4 xb4+ 16.d2 0-0-0 Simply threatening the pawn on d4. 17.d3 a5 18.e3 c3 The d4 pawn is falling after which more will surely follow. 0-1
1188 Zvjaginsev,Vadim Lenic,Luka Aeroflot Open A (4) [Gawain Jones]
B11 2660 2613 11.02.2011
1.e4 c6 2.c3 d5 3.e2!? Zvjaginsev is famous for going his own way and here we see it again. This move is very rare and he's the frst 2600+ to try it out. The immediate threat is to take on d5 and Qb5+ dxe4 [ 3...d4 must be the critical test but Black might regret his early expansion. 4.d1 A) 4...e5 also looks logical taking the centre. 5.g3 ( 5.f4!? would be some kind of weird King's Gambit! ) A1) 5...f6 6.d3 g4 7.f3 e6 8.h3 h6 9.g2 g5!? 10.f4 resembled some weird sort of Kings Indian reversed! gxf4 11.gxf4 g4?! ( 11...g4 12.f1 bd7 was a better method of playing.) 12.f5 h4+ Dvoirys, S (2590)-Csonka, A (2 22 5) O be rwart 19 99 a nd h ere th e straightforward 13.df2 xf2 14.xf2 xf2+ 15.xf2 c8 16.d2 and White has a slight edge.; A2) 5...c5 6.d3 f6 7.g2 c6 8.f3 g4 9.h3 h5 10.0-0 e7 11.g4 g6 12.h4 d7 13.f5 0-0 14.f4 exf4 15.xf4 with another King's Indian position in which W hite eventually triumphed Dvoirys, S (2569)-Grooten, H (2390) Hoogeveen 2003.; B) 4...c5 5.d3 ( An immediate 5.f4 c6 6.f3 looks sensible when the position lo o ks m ore like a stra n ge G ra n d P rix Attack than a Caro-Kann.) 5...c6 6.f4 e5 7.g3 d6 8.a3 f6 9.h3 b5 10.f2 and objectively Black must have at le a st e q u a lit y wit h a ll t h a t s p a c e b u t t h e r e 's d e f i n it e ro o m t o o u t p la y yo u r o p p o n e n t s, p a r t ic u la r ly if t h e y 're n o t comfortable in Kings Indian positions. Certic, B (2377)-Georgiev, K (2662) Bar 2008. ] [ W hile Black has scored best with 3...e6 sensibly keep ing his centre intact. Th e po sit ion re m in d s m e o f a so rt of K in gs Indian Attack and so I suppose must be playable. A) White could also return to fighting for 1241
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 th e ce n tre wit h 4.d4!? dxe4 5.xe4 ( 5.xe4!? xd4 6.f3 is also a po ss ibilit y f or t h e ta ctically in cline d .) 5...f6 6.h4 a5 7.d3 b5 8.d2 b4 9.e4 bd7 10.f3 b6 11.0-0 xe4 12.xe4 gave White a pleasant opening in Czebe, A (2472) -Gojani, G Baden 2000 but of course Black's play can be improved.; B) 4.g3 f6 5.g2 dxe4 6.xe4 xe4 7.xe4 d5 8.e2 xe4 9.xe4 d7 and Black had equalised and subsequently outplayed his lower rated opponent. Frick, C (2205) -Dumitrache, D (2500) Avoine 2001. ] 4.xe4 f5 [ 4...f6 has also been tried which seems sensible enough. ] 5.d3 e6 6.g4! And this wild lunge is the first new move but actually makes sense to me. Zvjaginsev gains space on the kingside and picks up the bishop pair. [ 6.d2 was played in the previous game between two strong players. That continued: d7 7.h4!? I feel that's the wrong pawn! gf6 8.g3 g4 9.f3 d6 10.f2 f5 11.xf5 exf5 12.0-0-0 0-0 with "dynamic equality" after a series of odd moves by White. Certic, B (2388)-Genov, P (2489) Bar 2007. ] 6...xe4 [ 6...g6 is the alternative but after 7.h4 ( 7.d2 is also a possibility) 7...h5 ( 7...h6 8.d2 f6 9.0-0-0 looks promising for W hite with a lot of space on the kingside and good attacking chances.) 8.g5 d7 9.d2 c7 10.0-0-0 0-0-0 11.f4 White can still try to use his extra space. ] 7.dxe4 a5+ 8.d2 a4 9.c4 After the queen exchange W hite must have a small edge due to the bishop pair but Black is solid as always. [ 9.b3 is the alternative when the game would probably continue: a3 10.f3 b2 11.c1 d7 ( 11...xa2 12.c3 a3 13.a1 c5 14.d4 b4+ 15.c3 xb3 16.d2 is very risky.) 12.g2 0-0-0 13.0-0 and I quite like W hite's chances. He has more space, a lead in development and the bishop pair. ] 9...xc4 10.xc4 f6 11.f3 I think we can
call White's opening idea a success. Perhaps Black should go back and examine his alternatives on move three. bd7 12.h3 [ 12.g5 h5 13.h3 h6 14.gxh6 g6 15.h7 xh7 16.g5 h8 shouldn't be anything for White. ] 12...h6 13.f2 e5 [ 13...a5 is also possible but after a series of natural moves like 14.0-0-0 e5 15.e2 c5 16.hf1 0-0 ( 16...g5? would fail here to 17.c3! ) 17.f4 g6 18.g5 hxg5 19.fxg5 d7 20.d3 White has a definite edge. ] 14.e2 g5 Lenic decides to take a stand on the kingside but this is a bit risky. 15.h4 g8 16.h3 [ 16.0-0-0 is also possible and would cut out the following possibility. ] 16...h7 Lenic defends passively. [ 16...gxh4 was an alternative 17.f4 e7 18.g2 ( 18.d3 xd3+ 19.cxd3 h5 20.g5 d7 21.f4 e5 looks ok for Black.) 18...0-0-0 19.xh6 is a little better for White. ] 17.0-0-0 [ 17.hxg5 hxg5 18.c3 g7 19.0-0-0 and Black is suffering although he's probably ok after d8 20.xd8+ xd8 21.f4 f8 22.h5 h8 ] 17...d8 18.hxg5 hxg5 19.f4!? [ 19.c3 would transpose to the previous note. ] 19...gxf4 [ Lenic evidently decided he didn't like the look of 19...f6 20.h5 xh5 when both captures give White a little nibble ] 20.xh7 g6 21.c3 xd1+ 22.xd1 d6 White appears to have an advantage here but there's probably not enough to win as Black's position is very solid and the knight is a useful defensive piece. 23.h5 f8 24.e5 c7 25.d2?! After this White definitely has nothing at all. [ 25.d2 b6 26.d3 e3 27.e4 e7 28.b4+ c5 29.a5 b6 30.c3 g6 31.h1 would keep Black under definite pressure. h8 is not advised as 32.xh8 xh8 33.e1 g6 34.c3 leaves Black extremely passive although it's possible that here too he can set up a fortress. ] 25...g6 26.d3 1242
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 26.c3 h8 27.xh8+ xh8 28.d3 g6 should be a draw but the game quickly peters out. ] 26...xe5 27.h7 g7 28.xf4 d7 29.xe5 Another interesting new idea by Zvjaginsev and it seems that W hite might have an advantage after 3...dxe4. Therefore Black players should probably examine the two alternatives. I wonder if we'll see more of this interesting offbeat plan. ½-½
approximately equal 27.af1 af8 28.f3 e8 29.g5 e7 30.f3 e8 31.d1 f6 32.exf6 xf6 33.g5 xf4 34.xf4 e7 35.h3 d8 36.f2 hf7 37.f3 g5 38.c2 g8 39.g3 c6 40.h4 gxh4+ 41.xh4 h8 42.g2 d8 43.f4 d6 44.e2 hf7 45.h2 g5 46.g6 e7 47.f2 h8 48.h5 h6 49.c2 df7 50.h4 d6 51.a5 e7 52.f1 d6 53.b3 cxb3 54.xb3 e7 55.c2 d6 56.d3 d7 57.b1 e7 58.f2 d6 59.c2 e7 60.f4 d6 61.f1 d7 62.a4+ d8 63.b5 e7 64.d3 d6 65.g3 c7 1189 B12 66.f4 h3+ 67.g3 hg5 68.f4 h3+ Adams,Michael 2715 69.e3 hg5 70.c4 dxc4 71.xc4 d6 Kolbus,Dietmar 2335 72.b1 c7 73.c1 d6 74.b1 c7 d6 76.f1 Finally, after many 98th ch Sheffield ENG (1.1) 24.07.2011 75.c1 moves W hite finds a way to make a small [Milos Pavlovic] breakthrough. h8 77.g2 b8 78.f4 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 d7 79.f6+ d8 80.e4 xe4 81.xe4 c5 6.e3 b6 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 c4 b6 82.a6 d7 83.g5 f8 84.g4 d6 This is an important crossroads, Black decides 85.d3 f2 86.g6 g2+ 87.f3 g5 to close the position, which is one of the 88.f4 g2 89.h1 At the very end of the oldest reactions in this line. He will obtain a game W hite has managed to get a winning slightly passive but solid set up. 9.h4 g6 position after only a few mistakes by Black in 10.a4N Mickey is known for his positional this long but instructive game. c6 90.e5 treatment with such "small" moves that take g3 91.b1 e3+ 92.f4 e2 93.f3 d2 94.g7 space and then slowly building up his position. [ A similar type of chess was seen in another 1-0 game: 10.b1 e7 11.xg6 hxg6 12.d2 a5 13.a3 a6 14.f4 b5 15.f3 d8 16.g4 B12 h6 17.g2 b6 18.bd1 d7 19.e2 1190 Adams,Michael 2723 We follow the old game Short, N -Burmakin, Monroy,Charles 2421 V /Moscow 1995, in which chances are Gibraltar Masters (1.2) 25.01.2011 about equal ] 10...d8 11.g3 e7 12.xg6 hxg6 13.f4 [Gawain Jones] b4 14.b1 ge7 15.c3 f5 16.f2 e7 17.d2 As we can now see that the a4 pawn 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 helps White to play on both sides, and this is The Short Variation continues to be the most a n i m p o r t a n t p o s i t i o n a l n u a n c e . g5! popular treatment against the Caro-Kann at Good p lay by Black - he is searching f o r elit e le ve l. d7 6.0-0 g6 7.c3 h6 counterplay before White gets his hands on White has a wide array of moves available to b3 before slowly building pressure on the him here. 8.f4 [ Jonathan Rowson examined taking the queenside. 18.g4 h6 19.fxg5 k n i g h t wi t h 8.xh6 in Bologan, V (2661) [ 19.b3 cxb3 20.fxg5 xg5 21.xb3 0-0 Dreev, A (2697) Poikovsky 2006 but Mickey 22.d3 c8 23.h3 b8 24.e1 d7 prefers to keep full control of the position. ] 25.a5 With another type of position that is [ Last year Adams tried 8.a4 in the British interesting, where chances are level. ] Championships. That game continued c8 19...xg5 20.g2 h4 21.e3 g5 22.f2 A slightly odd looking move, particularly as h4 23.e1 xf2 24.xf2 g5 25.f4 Black never managed to achieve the ...c5 xf4 26.xf4 e7 The position is 1243
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 break. 9.a5 a6 10.f4 e7 11.e1 0-0 12.b4! We will see more of this idea in the game. Black is already really cramped and s o m u s t p l a y f o r t h e . . . f 7 - f 6 b r e a k . f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.g5 f7 15.xh6 gxh6 16.d3 h5 17.bd2 f8 18.e5 g6 19.xg6 hxg6 20.e3 d6 21.e5 an d W hit e h ad co mp let e con t ro l o f t h e position while Black has vulnerable e6 and g6 pawns. Meanwhile the outpost on e5 is extremely useful. Adams, M (2706) Conquest, S (2523) Canterbury 2010. ] 8...e7 9.bd2 f5 [ 9...c5?! is t o o e a r ly. 10.c4! will favour White as he has much more control over the centre, e.g. 0-0 11.cxd5 exd5 12.b1!? c4 13.c3 b6 14.a4 a5 15.xh6 gxh6 16.d2 g7 17.e1 and Black's pieces, particularly knight on b6 don't coordinate well. ] [ 9...a5!? looks odd but would at least prevent Adams' next. ] 10.b4! I really like this move suffocating Black and preventing his typical counterplay with ... c5. Perhaps objectively W hite has no advantage but it is easier to play his side. a5 11.a3 0-0 12.b3 b6 Black must be fine here - at least Rybka claims equality and he has just played natural moves, but I would prefer W hite with his extra space. He can rearrange his forces before striking on the k i n g s id e wh il e B la c k s t r u gg le s t o f i n d a weakness to target. 13.h3 Adams, as always, is happy to slowly improve his position and force his opponent to come up with a good plan. h4 [ 13...c5 is not yet playable due to 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.xa5 ] [ while 13...axb4 14.axb4 c5 15.xa8 xa8 16.b5 b7 17.bxc5 bxc5 18.xd7 xd7 19.g4! is also unpleasant. ] 14.xh4 xh4 15.b5!? Mickey decides to change the structure - a dynamic decision. a4 [ 15...c5 16.dxc5 bxc5 17.a4 followed by 18.c4 puts pressure on Black's structure. ] [ P e r h a p s t h e i m m e d i a t e 15...c8 is strongest 16.bxc6 xc6 17.d2 e7 18.b5 c8 19.e2 and I'd still prefer White with his extra space whilst it's tough to generate counterplay f or the second player. ]
16.d2 c5 17.c4! This was the idea behind W h it e 's 1 5 t h . W h it e 's p ie ce s h a ve m o re control over the central squares and so this stand-off in the centre should favour him. cxd4 [ As the game progresses there's a strong argument for 17...e7 bringing that bishop back into the fold when Black's position looks ve ry solid . 18.f3 e4 19.e1 reaches an odd situation where it's hard to come up with useful moves for either side! ] 18.f3 c5 [ 18...d3 19.xd3 xd3 20.xd3 c5 21.e2 is also pleasant for White with the offside bishop on h4 and strong outpost for the white knight on c6. ] 19.xd4 c8 Sensible but now White has an edge. [ 19...dxc4 looks like it should equalise: 20.xc4 g5! 21.xg5 ( 21.c1!? might keep White with a small something.) 21...xg5 22.f4 g3 23.e1 xe1 24.fxe1 d3 25.ac1 xc4 26.xc4 fd8= ] 20.c1 [ I like the look of 20.g3 Playing against this bishop is an important theme in this game. e7 ( 20...dxc4!? is an interesting idea when I don't think W hite should take the p i e c e a n d i n s t e a d t r y 21.c6! xd1 22.fxd1 d8 23.xc4 with a definite advantage.) 21.cxd5 xd5 22.c6 fe8 23.xd5 exd5 24.ad1 and White will pick up a pawn. ] 20...dxc4 21.xc4 e4 22.e3 d5?! This is Black's first real mistake and W hite doesn't miss his chance. [ Monroy should have taken the opportunity to bring the bishop back into the game with 22...e7 when White's strongest looks to be the positional pawn sacrifice 23.c6 xc6 24.bxc6 xc6 25.b1 when Black will still have to suffer as White has good attacking chances on the kingside while also decent pressure on the queenside. ] 23.c6! xc6 [ 23...xc6 24.bxc6 xc4 25.xc4 c7 26.d6 would likewise be terrible for Black as the bishops dominate. ] [ P e r h a p s B l a c k s h o u l d t r y 23...xc4!? 24.xd8 fxd8 25.c2 xe2 26.xe2 1244
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d5 but White is a lot better, perhaps already winning. Curiously I would be much happier defending this position were the a4 pawn on a5 as here the queen vs rook and bishop endgame should be fairly simple as a4 will drop. ] 24.bxc6 xc6? But this just loses the misplaced bishop on h4 is the decisive factor. [ 24...e7 was necessary when White has a choice between playing positionally with 25. Qxd8 and 26.Bf3 or attacking with 25.g4!? g6 26.h6 e8 27.b5 with a great position. ] 25.d4 e7 26.b5! cc8 27.h5 and suddenly the bishop is trapped and so Monroy threw in the towel. A very well played game by Adams who kept full control. Perhaps we will see more of this b2-b4 idea. 1-0
xe2+! 17.xe2 xd4 18.ab1 e6 19.c1 b5! 20.b4 b6! 21.d1 hf4 a n d B la ck h a s a h u ge e d g e d u e t o t h e discoordination of White's pieces. ] 5...e5!? A new and very interesting continuation. [ 5...f6?! is weak as the French-like position after 6.e5 fd7 7.f4 e6 8.f3 clearly favours White (Black's dark-square Bishop is misplaced on g7). ] [ and 5...b6 which was good in AdamsLeko is now senseless in view of 6.d2 ] 6.dxe5 xe5 7.d2 e7 8.c2 W h i t e p r e p a r e s Q - s i d e c a s t l i n g . 0-0! A brave and correct decision. Now a very sharp position with opposite sides castling a rise s wh e re B la ck' s ch a n ce s a re b y n o means worse. [ 8...e6 intending to castle the same side as White was also possible but in the quiet position arisingafter 9.0-0-0 a5 10.a3 1191 B12 d7 11.e2 0-0-0 12.d4 White's chances are slightly better. ] Adams,Michael 2715 Seirawan,Yasser 2640 9.0-0-0 a5 [ The straightforward 9...b5!? is worthy of Bermuda 1999 consideration: 10.h4 b4! Sacrificing pawn, [Alexander Volzhin] Black wins some tempi and open files on the Q-side. 11.cxb4 a5 and at the cost of only 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 g6 4.c3 After 4 Nc3 one pawn Black obtains a dangerous Adams got absolutely nothing from the attack. ] opening in his game against Leko, so he deviates first. g7 5.e3 White has also tried 10.h4 b5 [ O f c o u r s e , 10...h5? can't stop White's other moves, but they are weaker: attack, moreover it only helps White to open [ 5.d3 e5 is good for Black ] files on the K-side after 11.g4! ] [ 5.f4 was rather popular, but after the 11.h5 d7?! Black plays too slowly. game Mitkov-Hebert, Cannes 1995 it is [ 11...b4!? is worthy of consideration. ] completely out of fashion: d7! (intending 6 . . . e 7 - e 5 ) 6.e5 ( 6.d3 e5 ) 6...f6! 12.hxg6 hxg6 13.e2 b4 14.d4 c5 [ 14...xd4 is weaker in view of 15.cxd4 a4 Undermining the pawn chain and W hite 16.d3 threatening Qe3-h6. ] can't strengthen the centre by his f-pawn in view of the bad position of his dark-square 15.xe5 xe5 16.f4?! The position is very bishop. 7.exf6 gxf6! 8.d3 0-0 9.e2 sh a r p a n d e ve n a sm a ll i n a cc u ra c y m a y e5! Seizing the initiative. 10.g5 ( Both become decisive. [ 16.exd5! should be played. In his notes in 10.xe5 xe5 11.dxe5 h5 or; 10.dxe5 Informant 74 Adams appends a question h5 are very good for Black.) 10...b6 mark to this move in view of xd5 17.b3 11.b3 h5 12.a3 exd4 13.xb6 axb6 c6 and according to Adams Black has a 14.cxd4 Black has a clear edge due to his c l e a r e d g e . H o we ve r I d i s a g r e e . L e t ' s more active pieces and better pawn c o n t i n u e t h i s l i n e : 18.d2! and in my structure but he can't dawdle, as White can opinion it is W hite who has decisive consolidate. c5! 15.c2 ( 15.dxc5 xb2 advantage! f5 The only move. ( 18...bxc3 16.c2 xa1 17.xa1 xa2 18.0-0 bxc5 loses on the spot in view of 19.h6 cxb2+ and White is helpless.) 15...e8 16.f2 1245
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.xb2 c4+ 21.c1 and mate is u n a v o i d a b l e .) 19.f4 f6 20.h2 and Black's position is hardly defensible. ] 16...a4! Now Black's attack is more dangerous. 17.b1 [ 17.exd5 is not good: f5 18.e4 b3! with a strong attack. ] 17...a5! [ The immediate 17...b3!? was an interesting alternative. ] 18.exd5 f5? After this move White is better again. [ T h e n a t u r a l 18...b3! gave Black a dangerous attack. Black can't delay this move any more! A) Acceptance of the sacrifice is very d a n g e r o u s : 19.axb3 axb3 20.xb3 ( 20.xb3? loses on the spot in view of f5+ 21.e4 fb8 ) 20...a2+ 21.c1 f5 22.d3 xd3+ 23.xd3 c4 and Black wins.; B) 19.c1 f5+ 20.e4 a3 Now White cannot avoid the opening of lines. 21.axb3 ( 21.bxa3 b2! and Black is winning) 21...axb2 22.xb2 fb8! (threatening 23... Rxb3!) B1) 23.c1 is insufficient in view of xe4 24.fxe4 g4! and White is in trouble, for example: 25.d3 ( 25.h3 a1+ 26.xa1 xa1+ 27.d2 a2+ 28.e1 f5! and all Black's pieces participate in the attack which is very strong even after a queen exchange.) 25...f2! and White can't play 26.xf2? in view of xc3+ 27.c2 a1#; B2) 23.d6! T h e o n l y m o v e . xb3 24.xb3 a1+ 25.c2 a2+ 26.xa2 xa2+ 27.c1 and Black can either take a draw by perpetual or to try playing for a win. ] 19.e4 The situation has changed completely. fb8 [ Now 19...b3 is not so strong as White's Queen has a good square to retreat: 20.f2! intending 21.Qh4. ] 20.cxb4! xb4 21.d6! xe4 22.fxe4 7c6 23.d5 b7 24.f2 c4 [ 24...g4 is also bad in view of 25.f6+! xf6 26.xf6 ] 25.d2 Preparing Qf6. Black could already resign here. f5 26.f6+ g7 27.h7+ xf6
28.h4+ In spite of his loss in this game Black ha d m an y go od po ssibilit ies an d we c a n co n c l u d e t h a t 3 . . . g 6 i s a ve r y so l i d a n d promising line for Black. 1-0
1192 Adhiban,Baskaran Burmakin,V 15th Sants Open 2013 (10.1) [Tom Rendle]
B12 2567 2565 01.09.2013
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 e7 6.0-0 h6 7.c3 d7 8.a3 h7 9.c2 c5 10.dxc5 c6?! [ 10...xc5! is the right way to play this position and now 11.cd4 a6! is what I recommend in my notes in the key game Ponomariov-Grischuk. Check that out in the archives for analysis and references for all the previous moves. ] 11.b4! xc2 [ 11...dxe5 12.xe5 xe5 13.b5+ d7 14.d4 gives White a dangerous attack, as I said in my notes to the above game. Black's best chance here is e7 but after 15.c6 ( 15.g4!? is also good) 15...bxc6 16.xc6 b6 17.e2 f6 18.e5! xe5 19.xd7+ xd7 20.xe5 Black's king is caught in the centre and the opposite coloured bishops only help White in his attack as he can play Bf4 or Be3-c5 and Back will have a tough job defending. ] 12.xc2 dxe5?! After this things go from bad to worse for Black - W hite's attack is simply too fast [ 12...a5! was a better try although White is still clearly better after 13.d4! axb4 ( 13...cxe5?! 14.f4! ) 14.xc6 bxc6 15.cxb4 xe5 16.b2 d7 17.a4 and Black is still struggling to develop here and W hite's queenside pawn majority is already looking ominous. ] 13.xe5 xe5 14.c4! White has a lot of good options here but this is perhaps the most direct - opening up the centre before Black gets a chance to get castled. [ 14.f4 c6 15.a4 preparing b5 was also strong ] 14...xc4 15.xc4 dxc4 16.d1! 1246
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 16.xc4?! d5! and Black escapes with only a slightly worse ending. ] 16...c7 17.b2 h5 18.xc4 Now that Black is tied to defending g7 Adhiban feels it's the right time to recapture the pawn. Burmakin desperately tries for counterplay but it's all a bit too little too late. h4 19.e5! c6?! [ 19...xe5? loses to 20.b5+ e7 21.xb7+ f6 22.xa8 ] [ 19...c8 was the only chance but White can simply double u p on the d-f ile wit h 20.d2 ( 20.h3 is safe as well) 20...h3 21.ad1 and it's hard to believe Black can survive for long here with such a passive position ] 20.b5! A decisive finish to a great game xc5 [ 20...c8 21.c6 is crushing ] 21.d3 e7 [ 21...e7 22.b6 f6 23.ac1! fxe5 24.c7 and Black can resign ] 22.d7+ f8 23.ac1 A fantastic miniature from Adhiban. 1-0
with a draw agreed by repetition in Erenburg, S (2629)-Akobian, V (2622) ICC INT 2012 ] [ 8.dxc5 xc5 ( 8...xc5 isn't as good here as White seems to have the better chances after 9.b3! c7 10.e3 d7 11.fd4! g6 12.f4 ) 9.b3 ( 9.c4!? e7! should be OK for Black, for example 10.b3 a7 11.cxd5 xd5 12.d3 g4! 13.e4 xf3 14.xf3 xe5 15.g3 g6 and it's not clear that White has enough for the pawn here) 9...e7 ( I'd prefer to keep the two bishops with 9...a7! ) 10.xc5 xc5 11.e3 c8 12.c4 0-0 13.g5?! Things quickly start to go wrong around here for White ( 13.c1 is about equal but I'd slightly prefer to be White because of the two bishops and then centre is ready to open up ) 13...h6 14.xe7 xe7 15.cxd5 exd5 16.xd5 fd8 17.c4 d3 18.b3?! ( 18.h4 was necessary although Black still has great compensation after e6 ) 18...f4 19.fe1? This just loses a piece xe2+ 20.xe2 d3 0-1 Pavlidis, A (2414)-Nikolaidis, I (2554) Chania 2011 ( 20...d3 21.b6 xf3! 22.gxf3 g5+ 23.h1 h3 is mating - 24.g1 xg1+! 1193 B12 25.xg1 c1+ 26.e1 xe1# )] Adhiban,Baskaran 2590 8...e7 9.dxc5 xc5 10.b3 Adhiban has Short,N 2683 responded in probably the most critical way Gibraltar Masters 2014 (10.7) 06.02.2014 and now Nigel goes wrong - perhaps trying to play too ambitiously early on as Black? c6?! [Tom Rendle] Things start to go downhill rather quickly for 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 Black here [ 10...d7! was the correct way to handle d7 6.0-0 a6 Black has an enormous variety the position and now White is struggling to of moves in this position but we've never seen even prove a slight advantage, one sensible 6...a6 before on ChessPub so this game is way f or t he game t o continu e would b e definitely worth a look, and even though it 11.e3 dxc4 12.xc4 c8 13.d3 xd3 doesn't work out well in this game I think it's 14.xd3 d5 and Black is going to have quite a reasonable option. The idea is to play enough time to play ...Be7 and ...0-0 with a a quick ...c5 and have the b5 square covered good game. ] to prevent Bb5 checks but this does lose some time so Black has to be very careful in 11.e3 xb3 12.xb3 d4?! [ 12...dxc4 was the lesser of two evils but I these lines! 7.bd2 c5 8.c4 imagine this was not the plan when Short [ 8.c3 h6 9.e1 e7 10.df3 c8 played 10...Nc6 as White has a comfortable 11.d3 b6 ( 11...xd3 12.xd3 f5 edge in the endgame after 13.xb7 a5 also seems to equalise here) 12.h3 cxd4 14.b6 xb6 15.xb6 c6 16.xc4 g4 13.cxd4 xd3 ( 13...e4!? ) 14.xd3 c6 17.b3! xf3 18.gxf3 xe5 19.a4+ e7 15.f4 e7 16.b1 0-0 Black is at least 20.g2 and White's two bishops and e q u a l h e r e 17.e3 c7 18.h2 fc8 queenside pawn majority give him the only 19.h5 f8 20.g4 h8 21.f4 g8 realistic winning chances ] 22.g4 h8 23.f4 g8 24.g4 1247
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.fd1 Black is already in a lot of trouble [ 13.ad1! is even more accurate because after c5 14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.a4+ f8 White can now improve with ( 16...d7 is a sad necessity for Black here but this leaves White a solid pawn up after 17.xd7+ xd7 18.xd4+ c7 19.fd1 ) 17.c5! and the point is that the rook on f1 s t i l l d e f e n d s f 2 s o xf2+ 18.xf2 is pretty hopeless for Black ] 13...c5 14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.a4+ f8 17.b4+ [ 17.c5 i s n o w l e s s c l e a r a f t e r xf2+ 18.xf2 c7 although White must still be clearly better after 19.b4! a5 ( not 19...xe5? 20.c6+ g8 21.cxb7 b8 22.xa6 and W hite is easily winning) 20.b6 xb6 21.cxb6 e7 22.ac1 hc8 23.f3! ab8 24.e3 ] 17...g8 18.c5 xf2+ 19.xf2 c7 [ 19...e7 was more stubborn as with the queens on Black still has some hope to defend, however after 20.f3 h5 21.d6! White should be confident of winning in the long run with such control of the centre ] 20.b6! e7 [ 20...xb6 21.cxb6 e4 22.f3 xf3 23.xf3 g6 24.d7 is hopeless for Black ] 21.f3 h5 22.xb7 b8 23.c6 The c-pawn is c l e a rly g o i n g t o d e c id e t h e g a m e h7 24.c7 xb7 25.xb7 c5+ 26.f1 h4 27.d8 g6 28.c8 A bit of a one-sided game in the end but I still think 6...a6 has some merit but it is definitely Black that has to be more careful in this line. 1-0
1194 Agdestein,Simen Ostenstad,Berge ch-NOR Royos (8) [Andrew Martin]
B12 2570 2440 2002
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 e6 5.g4 g6 6.ge2 e7 A VERY popular line recently, with both sides hitting hard. 7.f4 [ 7.f4 h5! is fine for Black but he must tread a n a r r o w p a t h a n d b e wi l l i n g t o s t r i k e i m m e d i a t e l y a g a i n s t t h e wh i t e c e n t r e . ( 7...d7 8.g3 h6 9.e3 c5 10.ce2
h7 11.c3 c6 12.f5 This is what Black must avoid. White's centre is consolidated and he has a strong clamp on the position. cxd4 13.cxd4 b4+ 14.f2 b6 15.b3 e7 16.f4 g5 17.e2 d7 18.h4 xf4 19.xf4 exf5 20.g5 hxg5 21.hxg5 e7 22.d2 g6 23.d3 ac8 24.af1 a8 25.e1 a5 26.b1 xh1 27.xh1 f8 28.f1 c7 29.h1 b5 30.e2 a3 31.d3 b4 32.c3 xd3+ 33.xd3 c8 34.f2 b5 35.c1 e6 36.e2 xc1 37.xc1 e7 38.f4+ d7 39.xa3 xa3 40.xb5+ c7 41.c5+ 1-0 Kotenko, P-Kulakov, V/6th Open, Voronezh RUS 2002 (41); 7...c5 8.dxc5 ec6 9.e3 a6 10.d4 xc5 11.b5 d7 12.f1! h5 13.f5 h7 14.h3 a6 15.xc6 bxc6 16.f3 The Bishop is swamped . a5 17.a4 b8 18.b3 a6 19.ce2 c5 20.g3 xd4 21.xd4 c5 22.c3 hxg4 23.hxg4 b4 24.f2 exf5 25.gxf5 xf5 26.xf5 0-0 27.xb4 xb4 28.0-0-0 g6 29.h6+ g7 30.f6+ 1-0 Thipsay, B-Goldberg, J/ch-GBR, Torquay ENG 2002 (30) ) 8.f5 A) 8...h7 9.f4 xf5! 10.gxf5 h4+ 11.e2 xf5 This is a bit more like it. Now Black will have all the fun. 12.h3 c5 13.b5 ( White went down quickly in the following game: 13.e1 d8 14.f2 c6 15.d3 xd4 16.xf5 xf5 17.g2 g5 18.d3 c4 19.f2 c5 20.f1 g8 21.fd1 g4 22.xf5 exf5 23.e6 gxh3+ 24.xh3 d6 25.e7 d7 26.xd5 f4+ 27.h2 f3+ 28.f4 g2+ 0-1 Nataf, I-Dreev, A/Gp B, Cap d'Agde FRA 2002 (28) Just a superb game with pe rf e ct coo rd in a tio n a ll t he wa y f ro m Dreev. ) 13...c6 14.c3 d8 15.e3 a6 16.d6+ xd6 17.exd6 xd6 18.dxc5 e5 19.d3 ( 19.g1; 19.f2 ) 19...xd3+ 20.xd3 0-0-0 21.d1 ( 21.d1 d4 22.d2 dxc3 23.xc3 e4 24.g1 xd2+!! 25.xd2 d8+ 26.d3 e5 27.g3 f4+ 28.e3 c4+-+ ) 21...d4 22.cxd4 xd4+ 23.xd4 xd4 24.xd4 d8 25.xd8+ xd8 26.g2 xb2+ 27.f3 f6+ 28.e4 g6+ 29.f3 f5+ 30.g3 e5+ 31.f2 b2+ 32.f3 xa2 33.d1+ c8 34.d6 e5 35.h4 e4+ 36.g3 e2 1248
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xe5+ 25.f2 h8 26.g3 d6 27.a4 37.d2 e3 38.a5 g4+ 39.h2 f4+ c4 28.b3 e3 29.c1 f5+ 30.f4 40.g1 f2+ 41.h2 xh4+ 42.h3+ d4 31.g3 a5 32.g2 c5 33.b1 f5 43.g2 g6 44.xg6 e4+ 45.h2 e8 34.f1 b4 35.c3+ xb3 36.cxd4 e5+ 46.g2 b2+ 0-1 Sutovsky, Eb2 37.c5 xb1 38.xa5 c2 39.a7 Nielsen, P/Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002 (46) b8 40.a5 d3 41.a6 bxa6 42.xa6 White was swept away.....; b1+ 0-1 Zambrana, O-Sasikiran, K/ B) 8...exf5 9.g5 a6 ( 9...h4 10.f4 c5 Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002 (42)) 8...c5 11.dxc5 d4 12.b5 ec6 13.d5 a6 9.e3 ec6 10.f4 xc2 11.xc2 cxd4 14.d6+ xd6 15.exd6 xc5 16.c7+ 12.0-0-0 dxc3 13.c4 cxb2+ 14.b1 b4 d7 17.b5 e8+ 18.f1 e4 19.f3 15.a4+ 4c6 16.a3 a5 17.xa5 xa5 c8 20.f4 e6 21.xe6 xe6 22.g2 18.b5+ bc6 19.xh5 a6 20.xc6+ b6 23.c4 e4 24.d3 e5 25.xe5 bxc6 21.d4 c4 22.a2 b8 23.h2 g6 xe5 26.he1 cc5 27.b4 xb4 24.f6+ d8 25.h5 gxh5 26.gxh5 xa3 28.eb1 d2+ 29.h1 xd6 30.xb7 27.h6 b4 28.h7 a4 29.g2 e7+ h3 31.b8+ c7 32.d8+ d7 30.b3 a3+ 31.c2 xf6 32.g8+ d7 33.b8+ c7 34.d8+ d7 35.b8+ 33.h1 a1 34.xa1 bxa1 35.xa1 c7 36.d8+ 1/2-1/2 Zaksaite, Sxh7 36.exf6 h2+ 37.b3 h3 38.b4 Tilenbaeva, J/Olympiad w, Bled SLO 2002 xf3 39.f8 d6 40.c5 e4+ 41.b6 (36) ) 10.f4 c7 11.h4 e6 12.ce2 b3+ 42.a7 d6 43.d4 b5+ h7 13.xe6 fxe6 14.f4 d7 15.xh5 0-1 Stevchev, V-Ivanov, I/Macedonian Open, g6 16.f3 g8 17.e3 f7 18.f2 c5 Struga MKD 2002 (43) ] 19.dxc5 c8 20.d4 c6 21.c3 g7 22.e3 a6 23.b4 c7 24.e1 g8 7...c5 8.h4 [ 8.dxc5 25.g3 e7 26.h2 h8 27.a4 b8 A) 8...ec6 9.h4 ( 9.g2 xc5 10.h4 28.b2 e8 29.g2 h7 30.xd5 exd5 c7 11.0-0 d7 12.fxd5 exd5 31.xd5 e6 32.b6+ d8 33.xa8 13.xd5 d8 14.g5 f6 15.exf6 gxf6 f4+ 34.xf4 d7 35.h2 h8 36.c6 f8 16.e1+ f7 17.f4 b6 18.f3 e8 37.c7+ c8 38.cxb8+ xb8 39.b6 19.xe8 xe8 20.e1+ e7 21.xg6 xf4 40.xd7+ xd7 41.xf4 f5+ hxg6 22.xf6 1-0 Bellaiche, A-Spielmann, 42.g3 d3+ 43.e3 f1 44.f2 g1+ A/IM It, Rosny sous Bois FRA 2002 (22)) 45.g2 c1 46.h2 c7 47.f2 c6 9...c7 10.g2 xe5+ 11.f1 xc5 48.ee2 d5 49.e6 xd4 50.cxd4 c7+ 12.h5 e4 13.f3 f5 14.ce2 0-0 15.g5 51.g2 e7 52.f7 e8 53.d7+ c4 d4 16.h3 a6 17.g3 c7 18.h3 54.d5 d3 55.f2 e3 56.d6 d3 d5 19.g6 d6 20.xf8 xf8 21.f4 57.f6 b5 58.a5 a8+ 59.g3 d5 e4 22.a3 a5 23.g2 d5 24.d2 d8 60.df7 xd6+ 61.g4 d4+ 62.h3 25.c1 e5 26.d3 xg2+ 27.xg2 e4 e4 63.f3+ c2 64.e7 e6+ 65.g2 28.xc5 xc5 29.c1 d5 30.c4 e3+ e4 66.f1 d1 67.g2 g4+ 68.g3 31.xe3 dxe3 32.b3 e2+ 33.xe2 d3 e6 69.f2 xe7 70.h1 e4+ 34.xb7 d4 35.b8+ f7 36.b7+ 71.g1 xh4 72.a3 g4+ 73.h1 e8 37.xe4+ fxe4 38.xe4+ f7 h4+ 74.g2 g4+ 75.g3 e4+ 39.xd3 d6 40.e4 b3 41.f5+ 76.g1 e1 77.f1+ e2 78.f2+ e1 g8 42.e1 d3+ 1-0 Milagrosa, A79.f1+ e2 80.f2+ e1 81.f1+ Antonio, R/ch-PHI, Makati PHI 2002 (42); 1/2-1/2 Kapnisis, S-Malakhatko, V/11th B) 8...d7 9.h4 xe5 10.g2 d4 Open, Kavala GRE 2002 (81) ] 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 7c6 13.h5 g6 [ 7.h4 h5 8.f3 ( 8.f4 d7 9.xg6 xg6 14.g3 xc5 15.f4 c4 16.f3 b6 10.g5 e7 11.gxh5 xh4 12.xh4 xh4 17.f1 0-0-0 18.g5 hf8 An odd move. 13.g4 g5 14.hxg6 xf2+ 15.xf2 xh1 After both 18... Ne3+ and 18...h6 Black is 16.g7 e7 17.g2 h7 18.d3 f5 better. ( 18...e3+ 19.xe3 dxe3 19.exf6+ xf6 20.xh7 xg4 21.g8 20.xc6 bxc6 21.e1 d2; 18...h6 ) xg8 22.xg8 xg8 23.f3 e5 24.dxe5 1249
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19.g2 f5 20.gxf6 xf6 21.xc6 xc6 22.xc6+ bxc6 23.e4 f5 24.f3 e7 25.b3 b6 26.g3 f6 27.g4 c5 28.h5 df8 29.e2 d6 30.d2 d5 31.hxg6 hxg6 32.h4 f5 33.g1 e7 34.c3 e5 35.cxd4 exd4 36.b4 cxb4 37.xd4 c5 38.c1 8f7 1-0 Kovac, BLendero, P/ch-SLO, Dobrna SLO 2002 (38) ] 8...cxd4 9.b5 ec6 10.h5 e4 11.f3 xf3? If Black is going to sacrifice a piece I think he as a better way to do it: [ 11...a6 12.d6+ ( 12.fxe4 axb5 13.exd5 exd5 14.e2 ) 12...xd6 13.exd6 e5 14.h3 ( 14.g2 xf3 15.xf3 xd6 cannot be better.) 14...xf3 15.xf3 xd6 16.g2 e4 It is very difficult to call this sort of st uf f . W hit e's e xtra p iece ca nn o t b e d is c o u n t e d b u t B la ck h a s a n im p o sin g centre and there's a good square on e5 for a Knight. ] 12.xf3 xe5 13.f2 xg4 14.e2 f6 15.xe6! Exposing the problem-Black has too many open lines against his King. fxe6 [ 15...b4+ 16.c3 fxe6 17.xe6+ f8 18.cxb4 ] 16.xe6+ e7 17.f4! Looks like Ostenstad missed this move. f8 18.d6 Short and sour for Black- however, I hope I have shown that he does not need to give up hope. 1-0
1195 Alekseev,Evgeny Berkes,Ferenc TCh-HUN 2007-8 (11) [John Watson]
B12 2716 2606 18.05.2008
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.d2 e6 5.b3 d7 6.f3 e7 Perhaps Black is trying to avoid preparation. [ Late last year, 6...g6 led Berkes to a win versus the 4 Nd2 line. I'm not convinced that the opening was the reason, but at any rate his setup bears notice: 7.e2 e7 8.0-0 h5 9.a4 h6 10.a5 a6 11.c4 f5 12.g3 dxc4 13.xc4 0-0 14.e2 b5 15.axb6 xb6 16.xa6 d5 with full equality, Sikula, -Berkes, Budapest 2007. ] 7.e2 g6 8.0-0 f5 9.e1!? Preparing to
advance his kingside pawns. [ 9.f4 was a simple alternative. ] 9...c5 10.dxc5 xc5 11.xc5 xc5 12.g4!? A typical modern advance it's a little loose, yet gains important space. e7 13.e3 d7!? 14.f4 e4 15.f3 h5 16.g5 g6 17.d2 f5 18.c4 Black's pieces look wellplaced, but his bishop is far from the queenside. 0-0 19.b3 b6 20.fd1 [ 20.f3 ] 20...c8 21.ac1 c7? [ A huge mistake that White fails to take a d v a n t a g e o f . B u t 21...c5 22.a3 isn't perfect either: d7 23.cxd5 xd5 24.xc5 xc5 25.xc5 bxc5 26.c4! ] 22.a3? [ 22.cxd5 xc1 23.xc1 xc1+ 24.f1! and Black is in trouble see a few moves hence. ] 22...fe8 23.f3 [ 23.cxd5! ] 23...g4 24.xg4 hxg4 25.cxd5! xc1 26.xc1 xc1+ 27.f1 White is winning. d1 28.d6 f5 29.d2 b1 30.a4 b5 [ 30...d8 31.c2 w i t h t h e i d e a a1 32.c7 ] 31.c2 a1 32.c6 g3 33.xd7 f8 34.g2 1-0
1196 Alekseev,Evgeny Iturrizaga Bonelli,Eduardo 39th Olympiad Men (2.2) [Gawain Jones]
B12 2691 2609 22.09.2010
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.h4 h5 The most common response. Black fights back on the kingside, not allowing White so much space. However, the downside is that the g5 square is now a chronic weakness. [ 4...c8!? is an odd looking choice but also prevents White expanding on the kingside. Th e yo un g Ru ssia n co nt in ue d wit h 5.c4 as in the game and following e6 This is now playable as attempts to trap the bishop fail to ...Bxb1. 6.c3 h6 7.ge2 e7 8.g3 h7 9.a3 dxc4 10.xc4 d7 11.ce4 d5 12.0-0 c7 13.d2 7b6 14.b3 d8 15.c1 c8 16.g4 saw Black 1250
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d6. ) 10.d2 b4 11.a3 b3 12.ge4 s t r u g g l i n g t o d e v e l o p . H e t r i e d ce7 d5 13.h3! b6 14.xc4 a5 but following 17.d6+ xd6 18.exd6 xd6 Svidler, P (2734)-Nakamura, H (2729) 19.fe1 f6 20.f4 xf4 21.xf4 Amsterdam 2010 and White had a very He had insufficient compensation for the pleasant edge. ] exchange and was eventually ground down. [ 6...e7 is also seen frequently. A recent Ne p o m n ia c ht ch i, I (2 7 0 6 )-S a sikira n , K ga m e c o n t in u e d : 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.d3 (2681) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010. ] White adopts the same plan as in the game. [ I covered 4...h6 last month. ] xd3 9.xd3 c6 ( 9...xh4 is of course a 5.c4 This is rather similar to 4.c4 but it's critical test but 10.b5+ d7 11.f3 e7 considered a slightly better version as the g5 12.xb7 is something for White as again square can create some problems. e6 6.c3 Black will struggle to find sanctuary for his d7 This is Black's usual response but, as king.; 9...h6 was seen in a previous we'll see in the game, White can now create a Balogh game but 10.xh6 xh6 11.f3 a6 small but definite edge. Therefore Black has 12.g3 c6 13.0-0 f8 14.a3 g6 15.ac1 tried alternatives here. g7 16.b4 h8 17.a4 c8 18.c5 [ 6...e7 has been the choice of the top Balogh, C (2617) -Paichadze, L (2392) Baku players recently and is Schandorff's choice. 2007 and W hite had a risk-free edge with A) Previously he was also successful with his queenside play while Black has yet to 7.g5 but Black seems to be doing well. complete his development.) 10.f3 h6 d7 ( Schandorff's line runs 7...dxc4 ( 10...c8 was seen in a high rated 8.xc4 d7 9.ge2 f6 10.exf6 gxf6 e n c o u n t e r . 11.g3 b4 12.d2 ge7 11.e3 b6 12.b3 ed5 13.g3 13.a3 xc3 14.xc3 f5 15.0-0 b6 xe3 14.fxe3 g4 15.d3 f5 16.e4 16.fd1 a6 17.g2 c7 18.d2 d7 when he recommends fxe4N 17.gxe4 19.a4 a5 20.db1 hc8 21.g5 h8 g7 18.c5 h6 19.xb7 xd4 22.d2 hc8 23.g5 h8 1/2-1/2 Short, 20.xd4 xd4 ) N (2674)-Anand, V (2786) W ijk aan Zee A1) 8.cxd5 makes sense as Black is 2005. ) 11.xh6! xh6 12.g3 f8 13.0-0 ob lige d t o t ry exd5 when ( 8...cxd5 g6 14.fc1 g7 15.a3 h8 16.a4 d7 9.b5! ) 9.d3 xd3 10.xd3 17.b4 hc8 18.c5 xc5 19.dxc5 looks pleasant for White.; Balogh, C (2622) -Harutjunyan, G (2476) A2) 8.ge2 f6 9.exf6 gxf6 10.e3 Dubai 2010 and White eventually exploited dxc4 11.g3 b6 12.e2 g6 his queenside pawn majority. ] 13.xh5 xh5 14.xh5 f5 [ 6...dxc4 is the final option. This gives Black with a very messy position. Svidler, P the d5 outpost but cedes e4 and so he has (2734)-Nielsen, P (2700) Copenhagen to be careful a knight cannot drop into d6. 2010.; 7.xc4 e7 8.g3 ( 8.f3 is more normal.; B) 7.cxd5 can now be met by xd5!; 8.e2!? might also be possible.) 8...h6 C) 7.ge2 Svidler's more recent try. 9.ge2 g4 10.xh6 xh6 11.d3 d7 C1) Schandorff offers 7...d7 8.g3 12.f3 f5 13.e3 b6 14.b3 a5 15.a4 g6 9.g5 ( Perhaps 9.cxd5 cxd5 c8 16.d1 h8 17.f1 d5 18.xd5 10.d3 should be played with similar cxd5 19.c3 f8 Vocaturo, D (2581)-Kreisl, ideas to the game.) 9...b6 10.d2 R (2376) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 and Black dxc4 11.xc4 0-0-0 12.e3 xb2 shouldn't have any problems as White's king 13.0-0 b6 14.b3 bd5 15.xd5 is rather loose. ] xd5 16.f3 d7; C2) 7...dxc4 8.g3 g6 9.g5!? 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.d3 Exchanging off the light ( 9.xc4 d7 10.g5 b6 11.b3 squared bishops and allowing W hite easy d7 12.0-0 Schandorff as it's hard to development. [ 8.g5 was investigated in Gelashvili, T shif t the bishop f rom g5 .) 9...b6 (2 5 7 7 )-Sa le h , N (2 2 6 0 ) Du b a i 2 0 0 5 b y ( 9...d7?! 10.ge4! and Black has no An d re w Ma rt in b u t t h e t e xt lo o k s m o re way to prevent the knight jumping into 1251
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 challenging. ] 8...xd3 9.xd3 e7 10.f3 b8 The first deviation from the archives. [ Instead 10...c6 was looked at by J o n a t h a n R o ws o n . I ' l l l e a ve t h e g a m e without annotations. 11.0-0 e7 12.g5 a6 13.ac1 b6 14.e2 d7 15.f4 c4 16.b3 a3 17.fd1 c8 18.xe7 xe7 19.c5 c7 20.dc1 g6 21.g5 d7 22.xc6 bxc6 23.xg6 fxg6 24.xg6+ d8 25.xc6 1-0 Short, N (2677)-Johannessen, L (2559) Turin 2006. ] 11.g5 d7 12.0-0 bc6 This is a typical position for the variation. Black is fairly solid bu t W hit e h as th e e a sie r p la y a s h e ca n exploit the vulnerable g5 and f4 squares. Meanwhile there are no targets for Black and he must be content to try and slowly equalise. 13.fc1 This move is somewhat unusual as normally White plays on the kingside. [ 13.d1 is an odd route for the knight (normally it goes to f4 via e2) but in this precise position could be good. The idea is to meet f5 with ( 13...c8 14.e3 e7 15.ac1 leaves Black very passive.) 14.e3 xe3 15.fxe3 when the pressure down the f file will worry Black. ] [ 13.xe7!? is another intriguing idea Giving away the bishop looks strange but W hite ho pe s h is kn igh ts will do m in a te o n t h e kingside. xe7 ( 13...xe7 might actually be stronger so the knight can cover on f5.) 14.e2 c8 15.f4 b4 16.b3 c6 17.a3 c2 18.e3 c6 19.d3 and White has an edge. ] 13...f5 14.a4 b6 Understandably Black wanted to prevent the knight jumping into c5 but now he will have long term problems with the c6 square. [ Therefore I think 14...e7 was a safer bet when 15.c5 ( 15.a3!? holding off from the knight jump looks interesting.) 15...xc5 16.xc5 0-0 17.ac1 ac8 and Black should equalise within a few moves. ] 15.c3 The knight's task on a4 is done and so it returns. c8 16.e2 Opening up the c file for the White rooks, overprotecting d4 and looking at playing Nf4 when the h5 proves vulnerable. e7 17.xe7 xe7 [ 17...cxe7 18.f4 ( 18.c3!? ) 18...xc1+ 19.xc1 g6 and Black is very close to
equality but he still has to be careful with his dark square weaknesses on the kingside. ] 18.c3 0-0 19.ac1 b7 20.g5 ce7 21.f3 g6 22.g4! Exploiting Black's early ... h5. The computer doesn't think Black has any problems here but over the board it's not at all easy to keep his king safe. hxg4 23.xg4 xc3 24.xc3 c8 After this White's kingside play proves too difficult to stop. [ 24...h6 is the computer's idea so that both knights can come to the aid of his king. However following 25.h3 ef5 26.h5 e7 27.f4 gxh5 28.xh5 b4 29.f2 g7 30.b3 Black's position is highly unpleasant practically as his king is so vulnerable while his knights look really offside. xd4? 31.g3! is just one of the many threats he has to look out for. ] [ 24...g7 25.f4 and White will still succeed in breaking with h4-h5. ] 25.h5 xc3 26.bxc3 c6?! After this W hite's advantage becomes decisive but Black's position was already very difficult. [ Again 26...h6 should have been tried but W h i t e h a s t h e s t r o n g 27.hxg6! xg6 ( 27...xg4 28.gxf7+ f8 29.xe6+ xf7 30.d8+ leaves White with an easily winning ending.) 28.h3 g7 29.g3 f4 30.h4 g6 31.h5+ h8 32.h3 e7 33.f6 g7 34.a4 and Black can hardly move. ] 27.h3! A slightly unusual looking move but suddenly Black cannot parry both the threat of hxg6 and Qh7-f7 and the simple h6-h7. [ 27.hxg6 xg6 28.h3 gh4 blocks up the kingside and isn't so clear. ] 27...g7 [ 27...e8 28.f4 brings the pressure to boiling point. ] 28.h6 The simplest. White is now winning material. [ 28.f4! would also crash through. ] 28...h5 29.h7+ g7 30.xf7 xh7 31.g5+ h6 32.xe6 White's picked up a pawn and Black still has definite problems wi t h h i s k i n g . W h i t e ' s a l r e a d y wi n n i n g . A l e k s e e v d o e s n ' t f i n d t h e q u i c k e s t wi n , perhaps he was low on time, but Iturrizaga gets no chances. b5 33.e3+ [ 33.h4! wins immediately: b1+ 34.g2 1252
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f5 35.g5+ h7 36.f8+ g8 37.xg6 e4+ 38.h2+- ] 33...h7 34.g5 b1+ 35.h2 g8 36.2f4 xf4 37.xf4 h6 38.g5+ [ 38.f8! g4+ 39.g2 e4+ 40.g3 d3+ 41.f3 and White has mate in a few moves. ] 38...g8 39.h4 f5 40.h3 f7 41.f4 c8 42.f6 xc3 43.e6 c7+ 44.g2 h6 45.f4 f5 46.xd5 g7 47.e7 f7 48.e5 1-0
1197 Alekseev,Evgeny Khairullin,Ildar 64th ch-HL Taganrog RUS (8) [Milos Pavlovic]
B12 2673 2649 23.06.2011
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.h4 h5 5.c4 e6 6.c3 e7 7.ge2 d7 8.g3 g6 9.a3N Recently we saw this position in another game: [ 9.g5 f6 10.exf6 gxf6 11.e3 f7 this is premature, Black can wait and decide what to do with his kin g later. ( 11...b6 12.d2 0-0-0 with sharp play to come.) 12.e2 dxc4 13.xh5 b6 14.f4 h6 15.xg6 xg6 16.h5 xe3 17.fxe3 d5 18.f3 h6 19.g4 McShane, L -Danielsen, H Reykjavik 2011, W hite has the better chances. ] 9...dxc4 10.xc4 f5 11.xf5 xf5 12.e2 g6 13.e3 This is an interesting purely positional type of chess where White has more space and Black's only idea is to place a knight on d5, but this doesn't entirely solve his problems. b6 14.b3 d7 15.c1 f5 16.a4 d5 17.xd5 exd5 18.a5 a6 White should have the better c h a n c e s in t h is p o si t io n b u t t o p ro ve a n advantage is not easy as Black is still very solid. 19.d2 [ 19.g5 e7 20.c3 this looks to me like a more precise attempt here xg5 21.hxg5 g6 22.b4 White has the initiative and now wrong is .. e7? due to.. 23.xe7+ xe7 24.b3 ab8 25.g4 White is much better ] 19...f6 20.b4 e7 [ B e t t e r w a s 20...xb4+ 21.xb4 e7
22.xe7+ xe7 23.d2 fxe5 24.dxe5 with an interesting endgame. I am not sure that White can claim an advantage here due to the blockade, but he has some small chances, for instance by putting a king on d4 then playing f4, g3, b4 and trying a later b5, but Black can probably hold. ] 21.xe7 xe7 22.exf6 gxf6 23.0-0 f7 24.fe1 d7 25.c3 ae8 26.e3 g6 White still preserves some initiative here but B l a c k m a n a g e s t o h o l d . 27.d3 xe3 28.xg6+ xg6 29.xe3 f7 30.d3 g4 31.g3 d7 32.g2 g4 33.h2 d7 34.e2 d6 35.e1 [ 35.f4 d7 36.f5 xf5 37.e7+ g6 38.xb7 e4 Black is ok now. ] 35...d7 36.g2 g8 37.e2 h8 38.d3 g4 39.b3 d7 40.d1 f5 41.e2 d7 42.e1 g8 43.e2 Without additional help (mainly consisting of the f 4-f 5 idea) White can't do much here. ½-½
1198 Alekseev,Evgeny Shimanov,Alexandr 64th ch-HL Taganrog RUS (4) [Milos Pavlovic]
B12 2673 2583 18.06.2011
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.h4 h5 5.c4 e6 6.c3 e7 7.ge2 g4 8.g5N This is a new attempt, and I must say very logical one. Previously [ 8.f3 was played: f5 9.g3 g6 10.g5 b6 11.d2 d7 12.a3 ( I think a better option was 12.c1 f6 13.exf6 gxf6 14.f4 f7 15.e2 with unclear play) 12...f6 13.e3 b3 14.cxd5 xd5 15.xd5 xd5 16.c1 b6 17.e2 fxe5 18.dxe5 xe5 19.d4 c7 20.g5 f5 21.g4 hxg4 22.fxg4 e4 23.h3 e7 24.xg7 h7 25.e5 xe5 26.xe5 xh4+ Nepomniachtchi, I -Nakamura, H Wijk aan Zee 2011, when Black was much better. ] 8...b6 9.d2 d7 [ 9...dxc4 10.g3 a6 11.b3 b5 12.f3 f5 13.d5!? cxd5 14.a4 a5 15.xe7 xe7 16.xf5 exf5 17.xd5 d8 18.xa5 xa5+ 19.b4 d8 20.axb5 White has the better chances. ] 1253
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 g7 17.xg7 xg7 18.d3 Fedorov, A (2609) -Mateuta, G (2507) Brasov 2011) 13...a6 with an unclear position in Edouard, R (2607)-Fridman, D (2653) Plovdiv 2012 ] 6...e6 7.b4 xf3 [ 7...a6 is examined by Gawain in the archives in Berkes-Zelcic ] [ 7...c7 has also been tried this year but w i t h o u t s u c c e s s 8.f4 ( 8.bd2!? deserves attention) 8...xf3 9.xf3 0-0-0? Queenside castling doesn't really make sense here ( 9...a5 10.a3! axb4 11.b5 d8 12.cxb4 xb4 13.c3 gives White a good position; 9...ge7 10.b5 g6 11.0-0 a5 and White only has a slight edge; 9...xe5? 10.b5+ e7 11.e2 and White is clearly doing very well) 10.g3 xe5 11.e2 f6 12.f4 c6 13.xe6+ d7 14.xd7+ xd7 15.d3 and White was simply a pawn up for nothing in Van Kampen, R (2563)-Krueger, A (2132) Hilversum 2012 ] 8.xf3 xe5 9.b5+ c6 Here we have an important position for the assessment of this line 10.0-0 [ 10.d2 doesn't seem to be the most accurate here as after f6 11.b3 e7 12.d4 d7 13.e2 0-0 14.0-0 a5 and Black had good play in Jones, G (2606)Lalic, S (2277) Sheffield 2011 ] [ 10.a4 is my computer's suggestion (looking to create the threat of b5 in some positions) and there might now follow e7 11.0-0 f6 12.f4 ge7 and it seems to 1199 B12 me that Black is doing absolutely fine ] Almasi,Zoltan 2713 10...f6 11.f4 e7 12.d2 This seems to Khenkin,Igor 2656 be W hite's most logical setup and indeed 40th Olympiad Open (8.5) 05.09.2012 Black now has to play well in order not to get squashed on the Queenside. 0-0 13.fe1 [Tom Rendle] [ 13.a3 d7 14.b3 f6 15.ad1 c8 16.d6 d8 17.fe1 de5 18.g3 g6 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.f3 g4 19.c4 ce7 20.cxd5 xd5 21.c4 ge7 5.dxc5 c6 6.c3 was agreed drawn in Baklan, V (2610)-David, [ 6.b5 remains White's most popular A (2599) Trieste 2012 but I must say I'm choice here and now a5+ ( 6...e6 7.b4 struggling to see why White isn't just much ge7 8.bd2 g6 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 g7 better after 22.f3 ] and here 11.e2 would've given White a comfortable game in Ivanchuk, V (2748)- 13...d7 14.b3 f6 15.d6 e8 16.ad1 Hansen, L (2565) Skanderborg 2005) 7.c3 c8! Black's pieces may be in a bit of a tangle e6 8.e3 ge7 9.a3 0-0-0 10.b4 xf3! here but his position is solid and there's no 11.gxf3 c7 12.xc6 xc6 13.f4 obvious plan for White. Still, he must have the ( 13.d4 a6 14.f4 f6 15.exf6 gxf6 16.xf6 better chances 17.a3 a6 18.xc6 bxc6
10.g3 f6 11.exf6 [ Another interesting option was: 11.f3 f5 ( 11...fxg5 12.fxg4 hxg4 13.c5 a5 14.h5 with Be2 to follow looks better for W hite.) 12.e3 g6 13.c1 fxe5 14.dxe5 a5 15.f4 f5 16.xf5 xf5 17.cxd5 exd5 18.d3 xd3 19.xd3 0-0-0 20.0-0 A sharp position is in f ront of us where White conserves the initiative. ] 11...gxf6 12.e3 f5 [ 12...0-0-0! this move simply had to be played. ] 13.xf5 xf5 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.c1 The situation has cleared up and White has the be tte r c han ces. f7 16.e2 d6 17.b5 b8 [ 17...ag8 18.xd6+ ( 18.f4 xf4 19.xf4 e7 20.0-0 a6 21.c3 d6 22.e3 f8 23.g3 g6 24.f3 f7 25.g2 with interesting play, probably chances are about equal.) 18...xd6 19.f4 e5 20.g3 due to the bishop pair and better king, and also the serious job Black has defending his center, it looks to me that White has the advantage. ] 18.f4 xf4 19.xf4 e7 20.0-0 ag8 21.fe1 [ 21.e3 w i t h t h e i d e a o f Q a 3 + a5 22.fe1 a6 23.d3 White is winning. ] 21...a6 22.c3 d6 23.f3! Black is quite lost. 1-0
1254
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19.c4 f8! weeks ago, playing in a French style. 7.c3 [ 19...dxc4? 20.a5 is just what Almasi is c6 ( 7...xb2 8.b5! is rather awkward to after ] deal with ) 8.b5 c4 9.h4 g6 10.0-0 20.g3 g6 21.cxd5 b4 11.xc4!? xc3 12.bxc3 dxc4 13.d5 [ 21.g4! was perhaps a way for White to c7 14.dxc6 xc6 and the fireworks had k e e p t h e b e t t e r ch a n ce s. B la ck c a n o f died down and W hite had to be careful to course continue to sit tight but White can try keep equality ] h4 -h 5 la te r if h e wa n ts t o in cre a se t h e 7.xd4 e7 8.c4 pressure. ] [ 8.d2 was tried in Iordachescu21...exd5 22.d3 h5 23.xe8+ xe8 24.h4 K r i vo b o r o d o v, M o s co w 2 0 1 0 wh i c h I ' l l [ 24.f4! would be a more aggressive choice, analyse next month. ] keeping the knight out of e5, however it's 8...bc6 9.c3!? not without risk: h4 25.a5 d7 26.e1 [ 9.a4 is more common and was seen in e8 27.xe8+ xe8 28.g2 c8 the archives, most recently in Leko-Anand with chances for both sides although I don't last year but it seems like Black has think White's King is quite weak enough for successfully neutralised it. a6 ( Anand took Black to have full compensation f or the on c4 9...dxc4 but transposed back to the weaknesses on a6 and c6 ] game after 10.c3 a6 11.0-0-0 ) 10.c3 24...e5 After this Black is completely OK dxc4 11.0-0-0 a5 12.xa5 xa5 25.xe5 xe5 26.f3 g6 27.d3 g7 13.xf5 xf5 14.b6 c6 15.f4 c8 28.g2 e8 29.a5 c7 30.e3 xe3 16.xc4 Finally deviating but hardly a 31.xe3 d7 32.d3 c8 33.e2 startling novelty. ( 16.f3 e7 17.d2 g5 I suspect Almasi had been hoping he could 18.g3 gxf4 19.gxf4 h4 and Black had no play for a win by targeting a6 & c6 but this problems in Leko-Anand) 16...g5 17.g4 turns out to be far too risky h4 18.f5 xe5 19.b3 c5 20.xc5 [ f o r e x a m p l e 33.c2 e6 34.a4? xc5 21.fxe6 fxe6 22.xe6 e7 23.b3 White's only way of increasing the pressure d8 24.h3 1/2-1/2 Bologan-Le Quang Liem, e4+ Moscow 2010 ] A) 35.g1? e2 36.xc6 ( 36.xc6 9...xd4 d4 quickly leads to mate ) 36...d4 wins; [ 9...dxc4 It's not clear White has anything B) 35.f1 c3 and the threats force the better than to transpose back to 9.Qa4 Q u e e n t o r e t r e a t w i t h 36.d1 10.cb5!? ( 10.a4 would transpose back leaving Black with a clear advantage ] to 9.Qa4 ) 33...f8 34.e3 g7 35.f4 e6 36.e3 A) 10...xe5?! 11.xe6! d7 37.d3 c8 38.e2 f8 39.d3 A1) 11...xe6 12.d6+ xd6 An interesting game that shows 3..c5 against ( 12...d7 13.xf7++- ) 13.xd6 7c6 the advance is still playable at a high-level. is an interesting queen sacrif ice but ½-½ should hardly be enough.; A2) 11...xd1+ 12.xd1 and White wins material due to the mate threat on 1200 B12 c7 but it's still not so clear A2a) 12...fxe6 13.d6+ d8 Amonatov,Farrukh 2634 14.xf5+ ( 14.xc4+ d5 15.xe5 Shimanov,Alexandr 2535 b4+ 16.f1!? ) 14...c7 15.d4 Open A Moscow RUS (5) 03.02.2010 and Black's pieces lack coordination.; [Gawain Jones] A2b) 12...d3+ 13.xd3 xd3 14.ec7+ d7 15.xa8 d5! 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 Black suddenly has big threats of his c5 6.e3 This line seems to be topical at the own and the knight on a8 is doomed moment. cxd4 so Black will have reasonable [ Hot off the press. Vallejo Pons tried 6...b6 compensation for the exchange. 16.a3 against Gashimov in Linares a couple of 1255
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e7 17.ac7 xc7 18.b3! 11...c6 12.0-0-0N [ 12.d1 was played in a high rated match A c omp ut er move tha t I can't t ake up although only Rapid and Blindfold game credit for but nevertheless seems to a n d W h i t e ' s g a m e d i d n ' t i m p r e s s . d3 promise White the better endgame.; 13.xd3 B) 10...d5 11.xf5 a5+ ( Of course A) 13...xd4 14.e4 xe5 15.0-0 not 11...exf5 12.xd5! ) 12.c3 xc3 gives W hite a pleasant initiative but it's 13.bxc3 exf5 ( Curiously 13...xc3+ not clear if this is enough for more than a sacrificing the piece is Rybka's top choice draw either. c5 14.d2 xe5 15.e3 c3 16.c1 b4 A1) 16.d4!? xd4 17.xc6+ e7 It's probably just a matter of taste which 18.d1 e5 ( 18...xd1+ 19.xd1 side you take here, Black has three pawns bxc6 20.e3 the Queen+ knight for the piece and active pieces and combo in action again.) 19.e4 bxc6 obviously no direct problems but W hite 20.xc6 ( 20.b4+ e8 21.b7 d8 does have an extra piece. ) 14.0-0 22.xc6+ e7 23.b7+= ) 20...d8 B1) 14...xc3 when Black has to watch 21.b7+=; out for both being mated and getting his A2) 16.b5 b6 17.d4 c8 q u e e n t r a p p e d . 15.b1! b8 18.xc4 e7 19.xe6 fxe6 20.xe6 ( 15...0-0-0 16.xf5+ b8 17.ab1 and the computer says this is equal too with a decisive attack.) 16.f3! b4 after c7 21.xh7 e5 22.xe5 xh7 17.xc6+ bxc6 18.xf5 although to the lay eye it appears that and all Black's problems are obviously White's attack is starting to slow. But of worth more than a pawn.; co u rs e it 's f o o l h a rd y t o p l a y in t h i s B2) 14...c5 Rather more human than manner as Black when you have t h e g r e e d y 15.f4 0-0 16.c2 reasonable alternatives.; ( 16.e6!? fxe6 17.xc4 xc3 B) 13...cxd3 14.xd3 ( 14.e3 b4 18.xe6+ h8 19.c1 d4 15.0-0 xc3 16.bxc3 d5 17.d4 0-0 gives W hite enough compensation to 18.fe1 b5 19.b3 fd8 0-1 Xie Junhold the draw but definitely no more than Ch i b u rd a n id ze , G ro n i n g e n 1 9 9 7 wa s that. ) 16...g6?! was Miroshnichenkoanother opening disaster.) 14...c5 Ruck, Panormo 2002 where White was 15.e4 xd4 ( 15...b4+!? could also be ultimately successful but ( 16...fe8! considered but there doesn't seem to be would have left Black firmly in the driving anything wrong with the game seat )] continuation.) 16.d6+ f8 17.xd4 10.xd4 dxc4 11.a4+ First move not xd4 18.xd4 a5+ 19.e2 mentioned on ChessPub. Instead B1) 19...g8 was played by Fritz back [ 11.xc4 c6 12.b5 e7= is given by in 2 0 0 0 , o b vi o u s ly u n im p re s s e d b y John W atson and practical tests seem to W hite's compensation and indeed it agree. There have been a few very quick doesn't seem to be anything for White. draws here with one of the longer ones 20.h4 h5 21.h3 xa2 The computer going: 13.0-0 0-0 14.xc6 bxc6 15.e2 greedy? Never! 22.f3 a6+ 23.e1 Personally this looks like a bad opening d8 choice for W hite as the bishop pair seem B1a) 24.xf7 might have been more relevant than the fractured pawns on W h it e ' s la st c h a n ce wit h t h e id e a the queenside. c5 16.c3 xd1 ( 16...d5 xd6? ( 24...h6 ) 25.xg7+ xg7 appeals to me when I'd assess it as better 26.exd6+ g8 27.e5 and Black for Black, just what is White supposed to be can't get out of the perpetuals h7 doing here?) 17.fxd1 fd8 18.f1 f8 28.xe6+=; 19.e1 e8 20.xd8+ xd8 21.d1 B1b) 24.a3 c6 25.f4 f6 26.xa7 xd1+ 22.xd1 d7 23.d2 c6 24.c3 h6 27.xb7 g6 28.e4 xd6 and W hite held the draw in Macieja29.xg6 c1+ 30.e2 d2+ 31.f3 Gelashvili, Ermioni 2006 ] 1256
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 d3+ 0-1 De Vreugt-Comp Fritz SSS, Rotterdam 2000; B2) 19...e7 20.c1 hd8 21.h4+ f8 22.c4 B2a) After 22...d5! it's not clear whose king is weaker while Black also has the extra exchange 23.xh7 b5 24.h8+ e7 25.h4+ f6 26.g3 ( 26.exf6+ f7! ) 26...f8; B2b) 22...c5 23.xh7 b5 24.h8+ e7 25.h4+ f8 ( 25...f6 Anand would be fully within his rights p l a y i n g o n h e r e) 26.h8+ e7 27.h4+ 1/2-1/2 Topalov-Anand, Nice 2009 ] [ 12.f3 was tried by Psakhis but didn't catch on as af ter d7 13.xc6 xc6 14.xc6+ bxc6 0-1 Psakhis-Sergejev, ICC 2001. White is simply a pawn down, without a light squared bishop it's going to be very difficult to retrieve that c4 pawn. ] 12...c8 This is very passive and gives White the advantage without a fight. [ 12...d3 like Topalov-Anand would be my immediate pick 13.xd3 A) 13...xd4 14.e4 b6 15.xc6+ xc6 ( 15...bxc6!? ) 16.xc6+ bxc6 17.e4 here c4 is dropping so White can enjoy a risk free endgame.; B) 13...cxd3 14.xd3 g5+! ( 14...c5? 15.xc5! xd3 16.d1 This rook swing shows why Amonatov preferred his king on c1 compared to e1. f5 17.b5+- ) 15.b1 B1) The greedy 15...xg2 also seems fine 16.hd1 ( 16.d1 g6 17.g1 f5 18.b5 0-0-0! ) 16...e7 17.g3 xh2 18.xg7 is given as clear advantage Black by Rybka but playing with the king stuck in the centre isn't everyone's idea of fun.; B2) 15...e7 followed by castling kingside and I can't see any problems at all for Black, indeed the computer assesses it as clear edge Black. ] 13.g4 g6 [ 13...d3 isn't as strong as on the previous move 14.xd3 cxd3 15.xd3 e7 16.b1 0-0 17.f4 d8 18.hd1 ] 14.h4 h6 [ 14...d3!? it's interesting that now the
move is slightly stronger than last move as after 15.xd3 cxd3 16.xd3 ( 16.h5!? might be better) 16...e7 17.f4 0-0 18.b1 d8 19.hd1 xh4 and Black can hopefully grab the pawn on h4 although admittedly it's risky 20.g5 and I'd prefer White. Theoretically I think the main improvement was 12... Bd3 when White needs something to rejuvenate this line. ] 15.f4 Aggressive and I'd start feeling uncomfortable as Black here e7 16.f5! exf5 17.d5 The attack has come too fast for Black as he doesn't have time to castle. d8 [ 17...0-0? 18.xc6! ] 18.c5!? And so Black is destined never to castle. [ Alternatively 18.f4 is possible but that lets Black get his king to safety 0-0 19.xg6 fxg6 20.c3 leaves White with good compensation for the pawn. ] 18...a6! Black continues to defend well [ 18...fxg4 19.e6! opening up lines looks g r e a t f o r W h i t e fxe6 ( 19...xe6 20.xc4+- ) 20.xg4 b5 21.xb5 b8 22.a4 b7 23.a3 exd5 24.he1++- ] 19.xc4 [ 19.hg1!? is the slow computer suggestion ] [ 19.e6!? again appeals to me when Black is in a bit of trouble, e.g. b5 20.a3 fxe6 21.f4 f7 22.e3 Black's extra pawns just stop W hite's king being attacked and W hite must be winning in practice, some sa crif ice is going t o op en u p th e Blac k monarch. ] 19...xe5? Black cracks. That pawn was do in g a n im p ort a nt jo b st op p ing W hit e 's pieces getting in. [ 19...b6! was necessary when it seems that Black survives. 20.gxf5 xf5 21.d6 a5! exchanging queens is a major triumph for Black ] 20.c3? It's a tough position but [ 20.d4! is winning. The difference is that f6 21.he1 b6 22.xb6 xb6 23.a4+! mates. A tough nuance to find of course. ] 20...f6 21.he1 fxg4? [ 21...b6 again was necessary to trade off queens. ] 22.f1?! [ 22.d4! This is the right square for the 1257
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 queen! White threatens Bc4 now that c5 is defended while b6 again loses to 23.xb6 xb6 24.a4++- ] 22...b5?! [ 22...f5 is a better defence and I haven't found a killer blow. 23.xe5+ ( 23.d4 xc5+! 24.xc5 c8-+; 23.xf6+ xf6 24.xe5+ xe5 25.xe5+ e6 26.xg7 e4! 27.xh8+ f7 28.c3 b1+ 29.d2 d8+ 30.d4 e4= ) 23...fxe5 24.xe5+ e6 25.xg7 g8 26.c3 c8 27.e1 b6 28.xe6+ xe6 and Black has survived. ] 23.f4 [ 23.xe5+ fxe5 24.xe5+ f7 25.f4 f5 ( 25...f5 would transpose) 26.xg6 xe5 27.xe5+ ] 23...f5? The final inaccuracy in an impossible position. [ 23...e7 wa s n o w n e ce s sa r y 24.xe7 xc3+ 25.bxc3 when Black has three pawns for the piece and exchanged queens but of course White is still clearly better ] 24.xe5+ fxe5 25.xe5+ f7 26.g2 e8 27.d5+ e6 28.h5+ A fiery aggressive game by W hite but the theoretical verdict doesn't impress for W hite and I doubt any strong players will repeat this line. 1-0
Perhaps this line, which leads to bizarre complications, is worth learning properly. 9.b5+ d7 10.f4 hxg4 11.f5 xh4 12.f1 exf5 13.e6 fxe6 14.xe6 e7 15.e2 gf6 16.g5 f7 17.xd5 xe6 18.xe6+ xe6 19.c7+ f7 20.xa8 h2 21.0-0-0 c5 All or nothing for White a s yo u c a n s e e . W i t h o u t a c o n v i n c i n g tactical continuation in this position the Kingside pawns are going to touch down, Lapinskaite, S-Koneru, C/19th WJun Girls, Goa IND 2002. ] [ 6...d7 7.e3 ( 7.h4 h6 8.e3 c5 9.f4 cxd4 10.xd4 c5 11.f5 Brkic, A-Tomic, J/ Christmas Open, Zadar CRO 2002) 7...e7 8.f4 h6 9.h4 b6 10.b3 h7 11.a4 c7 12.d3 Helm, L-Rajadharshini, M/19th WJun Girls, Goa IND 2002. ] 7.f4 c5 8.g3 cxd4 9.b5 ec6 10.f5 An advance which will win a piece but Black holds a massive centre and obtains considerable compensation. c5 11.d6+! xd6 12.exd6 xd6 13.g2 f6 14.fxg6 hxg6 15.0-0 d7 16.f2 0-0-0 So, three pawns for a piece and the centre looks as though it is about to roll forward. The open hfile is not a significant factor yet. Only a very confident player should be willing to take White here but Anand shows the way. 17.c3! Open lines are indispensable in order to use his extra piece. The pawns take a while to get 1201 B12 going. dxc3 18.bxc3 b6 19.f1 d7 f5 He doesn't want to expose his Anand,Viswanathan 2750 20.h3 Karpov,Anatoly 2685 Knights to the prospect of exchange. Of the GMA, NED Wijk aan Zee (5) 2003 two alternatives, I quite like 22.. .Ne5! Black gets a nice solid Knight on c4, stabilizes his [Andrew Martin] King position and can go to work on the c3 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 e6 5.g4 pawn. [ 20...c4 21.b1 f5 22.e3 g3 g6 6.ge2 This has been a very popular 23.xc4 dxc4 24.a4 ] va ria t io n re c en t ly. Sim ply a n in t ere st in g [ 20...e5! 21.b1 ec4 22.e3 c7 ] position and a refreshing change from the dryer Caro-Kann fare that we are used to. 21.b1 f8 22.b3 ff7 He's clearly trying to make his King position as safe as possible. e7 c7 24.d3 a4 25.f4! [ 6...b4 7.f4 e7 8.a3 xc3+ 9.bxc3 23.c2 a5 10.d2 a4 Phoobalan, P-Pranjal, P/ The drawback to Black's play is highlighted. Karpov didn't fix a target in W hite's camp 41st WJun, Goa IND 2002. ] [ 6...c5 7.h4 ( 7.e3 c6 8.h4 h6 9.h5 quickly enough and now has to advance his h7 10.f4 Zigangirova, S-Koneru, C/19th centre at a most inopportune moment. e5 WJun Girls, Goa IND 2002) 7...cxd4 ( 7...h5 26.h2 f4 [ 26...fxg4 27.xf7 xf7 28.xd5 xd5 8.f4 h7 9.xh5 Kosmo, S-Eriksson, J/ 29.xd5 f6 ( 29...xc3 30.xf7 xb1 41st WJun, Goa IND 2002.) 8.xd4 h5!? 1258
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 31.hxg4 c3 32.f2 The two bishops rule. ) 30.b3 gxh3 31.c4 ] 27.xd5 xd5 28.xd5 fe7 29.c4 d4 30.d2 c3 31.e1 b5 UnKarpov-like but the compensation is fading and he has to rely on desperation measures. 32.e4! xe4 33.xe4 g5 34.cxb5 xb5 35.e1 c3 36.b3 a5 [ After 36...e4 White returns his extra piece to obtain a winning endgame: 37.h4 e3 38.c2 a5 39.hxg5 a4 40.xf4 axb3 41.axb3 e2 42.xc7 xc7 43.g2 b7 44.f3+- ] 37.f1 a4 38.c2 The instant that Bishop emerges f rom h2 Black will be dead. b7 39.f5 a3 40.c2 c6 41.g1 c4 42.f2 e4 43.ec1 ec7 44.e1 1-0
[ 6.h3 e6 7.f3 g6 planning Nf5, Black's only problem is that he cannot put both p i e c e s o n f 5 a t t h e s a m e t i m e ! 8.c3 ( 8.xh6 gxh6 9.c3 c5 with the idea of ... Nc6 and the bishop pair is good compensation for the corrupted pawn s t r u c t u r e .) 8...f5 Smirin, I-Bareev, E/ Moscow 2002 again analysed by TK. ] [ 6.c4 g4! ] 6...e6 7.c4 dxc4 8.bd2 d3 9.xd3 cxd3 10.xh6 gxh6 11.0-0 Anand's meth od is interesting- he leaves Khenkin wondering how he will get the Bishop into meaningful play. The weakness of the pawn h6 seems more real than the pawn on d4, if that can be attacked at all. White has a decent advantage already. d7 Of course, Khenkin would love to park this Knight on d5 at the right moment. 12.d1 a6 13.e4 g8 14.e1 0-0-0 15.xd3 White doesn't know where he wants 1202 B12 the Queen yet thus [ 15.f4 g7 16.xd3 b6 was slightly Anand,Viswanathan 2755 inaccurate. ] Khenkin,Igor 2600 Bundesliga 2002 15...b6 16.e3 c4 [ 16...d5 17.f3! g7 ] [Andrew Martin] 17.f4 d5 18.f3 xf4 19.xf4 g7 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.e3 20.f6 e7 21.xh6 g6 22.xh7 xf6 : T h i s q u i e t a p p r o a c h h a s g a i n e d s o m e 23.exf6 d5 24.h3 xf6 [ 24...dg8 25.g3 xf6 26.b3 f3 popularity on the back of Kasparov's win 27.g2 ] against Shirov from the celebrated Russia vs R e s t m a t c h . b6 5.c1 The Queen is 25.g3 e4 26.g2 xd4 27.xe4 xe4 There is the small matter of the h surprisingly well placed here, preparing c2-c4 28.d2 and defending b2. h6 A provocative move, pawn to take care of-that is the skilful point of Anand's play. It's not so easy for Black to but taking on h6 is not very tempting. draw this position. c5 [ 5...e6 [ 28...f5 29.ad1 d5 30.h4 d7 A) 6.d2 c5 ( 6...d7 7.gf3 c5 ) 31.g2 ] 7.gf3 c6; 29.g2 c4 30.ad1 b5 He tries for B) 6.c4! B1) 6...dxc4!? 7.d2 ( 7.xc4 e4 counterplay by creating a passed pawn on the 8.f3 d5 9.d3 a6= ) 7...d3 q u e e n s i d e . E n o u g h t o d r a w ? N o t s u r e ( 7...d8 8.xc4 e7 ) 8.xd3 cxd3 because by advancing in this manner Black is 9.a3 a6 looks good, Corral, C-Heyne, creating further weaknesses 31.h4 f5 32.f4 Idea Kf3 c3 33.bxc3 e3 34.d8+ b7 M/Nuremberg 2002; B2) 6...xb1 was considered in Gelfand, 35.8d7+ b6 36.1d6+ c5 37.d2 a5 [ 37...xc3 38.c7+ b4 39.xa7 ] B-Dreev, A/Moscow 2002; B3) 6...e7 7.c5 a5+ ( 7...c7 38.2d3 xd3 39.xd3 c4 40.f3 h5 8.c3 d7 9.e2 ) 8.d2 c7 9.c3 41.h3 d5 [ 41...f5 42.e3!+- ] d7 10.e2 Kasparov, G-Shirov, A/ Moscow 2002, analysed by Tony Kosten 42.g4 d2 43.a3 a2 44.h5 xa3 45.h6 The final phase features excellent calculation on this site. ] by Anand. a1 46.g2 d1 47.f5 exf5 6.f3 1259
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 48.h7 d8 49.xf5 xc3 50.xf7 b4 51.g5 b3 52.c7+ d2 53.b7 For now 4 Be3 followed by Qc1 is scoring very well. It seems an excellent choice- I'm guessing the average player won't have anything prepared atall! 1-0
1203 Andreikin,D Khenkin,I 41st GM Dortmund GER (5.4) [Tom Rendle]
B12 2727 2605 30.07.2013
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.f3 A switch from the more usual 4.dxc5 and quickly the game finds itself in unchartered waters. cxd4 [ 4...g4 had previously been preferred by Khenkin in a game I annotated last year where he was Black against Almasi. In the notes to that game White should've come out of the opening with some advantage so here he tries something different, although as we'll see in his game with Naiditsch he also has plenty of experience with this move as well. ] 5.xd4!? This move looks a bit strange as the queen is something of a target, but Andreikin's idea is that he can relocate the queen to g3 where it gives Black problems on g7, making it harder for Khenkin to develop naturally. [ 5.xd4 will be seen in the next game, Naiditisch-Khenkin. ] 5...c6 6.f4 [ 6.h4 was also possible but less accurate a s i t a l l o w s B l a c k t o d e ve l o p w i t h f5! and now White's best chance for an edge is probably 7.d4 although Black is solid enough after g6 8.b5 ( 8.e6!? xd4 9.xd4 fxe6 10.c3 and White has some compensation for the sacrificed pawn but not more than enough after f6 ) 8...e6! 9.xd8+ xd8 10.xc6 ( Black can't be worse after 10.xc6+ bxc6 11.xc6 c8 12.b5 xc2 ) 10...bxc6 11.xc6+ d7 12.d4 c5 with excellent compensation for the pawn ] 6...e6 [ 6...g6! m a y b e a b e t t e r se t u p 7.c3!
is definitely the critical test and now ( 7.h4 would be dangerous if it weren't for the simple g7 8.b5 d7! when White has to cede the two bishops with 9.xc6 bxc6 10.0-0 h5! and Black can now safely develop ...Nh6 with a good game.) 7...h6 8.b5 ( 8.a4!? g7 9.b5 is slightly awkward for Black but the pawn sacrifice 0-0! 10.xc6 bxc6 11.xc6 b8 gives him excellent prospects with the two bishops and a lead in development. White will struggle to develop the bishop on c1 because of the pressure on the b2 pawn.) 8...a6 9.xc6+ bxc6 10.0-0 g7 gives Black a fully playable game ] [ 6...h6 is a little slow and White is able to build up a pleasant edge with 7.h4! e6 8.a3 ge7 9.d3 c7 10.c3 a6 and now in Sharapov, E (2468)-Jakubiec, A (2547) C r a c o w 2 0 1 1 11.h5! would've cramped Black's kingside plans and given a definite opening advantage to Sharapov. ] 7.d3 b4! Black rightly decides to remove the dangerous bishop on d3. [ 7...ge7 8.0-0 g6 9.xg6 hxg6 10.c4! a n d W h i t e o p e n s u p t h e c e n t r e wi t h a dangerous initiative. ] 8.0-0 xd3 9.cxd3 e7 10.c3 [ 10.g5!? causes Black more immediate problems f5 11.g4! is definitely worth investigating. I quite like White's position after h6 ( or 11...h6 12.xe6! fxe6 13.gxf5 exf5 14.c3 and it's Black's king that is in the more danger here.) 12.c3 d7 13.e3 ] 10...g6 11.g3 e7 12.e2 0-0 Black has managed to castle into safety and he should be at least equal here, although White has some chances for a kingside attack based on h4 Black's two bishops and the fact he can make use of the c-file keeps the game finely balanced. 13.f4 d7 14.e3 c8 15.a3 a5 [ 15...xf4! 16.xf4 a5 and I start to prefer Black here. After ...Qa6 Black can increase the pressure on d3 ] 16.fc1 xc1+ 17.xc1 b8 18.h4!? xe5?? A horrible miscalculation from Khenkin in a comfortable position [ 18...xf4 19.xf4 c8 and the game is heading for a draw, although Black is so 1260
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 solid that realistically he should be pressing ever so slightly for the win. ] 19.xe5 xe5 20.g6! f6 [ 20...xg3 21.xe7+ h8 22.fxg3 and White is simply a piece ahead ] 21.xf8 xf8 22.c7 c6 23.c8 e7 24.b4! Bc5 is now coming and Black can safely resign. axb4 25.axb4 xb4 26.h6 h8 27.xg7# In the end it turned into an easy win for Andreikin but I'm not convinced that his 5.Qxd4 will catch on 1-0
1204 Andriasian,Z Minasian,Art 6th Karen Asrian Mem (5.2) [Tom Rendle]
B12 2610 2505 20.06.2013
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.h4 h5 5.c4 e6 6.c3 e7 7.ge2 dxc4 This is actually Black's most popular move here, although recently ...Nd7 has been fashionable. Vachier Lagrave has played this way many times as White with good results although it's important to note he lost his last game in this line. See Vachier Lagrave-Vituigov for all the latest on 7...Nd7 8.g3 g6 [ 8...b5 has scored fantastically well for Black A) 9.a4?! doesn't seem very promising here after b4 10.a2 ( 10.ce4 xe4 11.xe4 f5 12.xc4 xd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.0-0 d7 and White had insufficient play for the pawn and went on to lose a long game in Ashwin, J (2472)Sagar, S (2359) Varna 2013) 10...b3 ( 10...c5!? 11.xc4 bc6! also looks very promising for Black) 11.c3 c2 12.d2 d5 13.xc4 b4 14.d3 c5! and Black had more than equalised in Gomez Garrido, C (2524)-Burmakin, V (2579) Balaguer 2011; B) 9.g5 must be critical and now a5 ( 9...b6!? 10.e2 g6 hasn't been played but seems worthy of attention) 10.e2 g4 11.f3 f5 12.a4! b6 instead after B1) 13.d5! gives White a tremendous initiative
B1a) 13...xd5? allows 14.xf5 exf5 ( 14...xc3?! 15.d6+ xd6 16.xd6 d5 17.d1 and there's no d e f e n c e t o t h e t h r e a t o f R x d 5) 15.xd5 cxd5 16.xd5 wins; B1b) 13...g6 14.dxe6 fxe6 15.ge4 and White is doing well; B2) 13.a5?! b7 14.0-0 a6 15.f4?! b4 16.xh5 d3 17.f2 d7 Black was clearly better in Mogranzini, R (2489) -Burmakin , V (2 558) Padova 2012 ] 9.g5 [ 9.xc4 may lead to a slight edge for White as well after f5 ( 9...d7!? ) 10.g5 A) 10...e7 might be Black's best here but I still prefer White after 11.xf5 xf5 12.xe7 xe7 13.d3! ( instead in Antonio, R (2523)-Alsharhan, F (2125) Tagaytay City 2004 Black was fine after 13.b3 a5 14.a3 0-0 ) 13...xd3 14.xd3; B) 10...b6 11.xf5 xf5 12.d2 d7 13.0-0 and White had a pleasant advantage in Stukopin, A (2495) -Mirzoeva, E (2282) Moscow 2013 ] 9...b6 [ 9...c7 10.xc4 d7 led to a quick defeat for Black in Sax, G (2568)-Hermansson, E (2430) Saint Vincent 2005 11.c1 f5?! ( 11...b6 was better but this just shows the queen was misplaced on c7) 12.xf5 xf5 13.d3 xd3 14.xd3 f6?! a bizarre move t h a t l o s e s q u i c k l y ( 14...b4 15.0-0 is clearly better for White but there is still a long way to go in the game) 15.g6+ e7 16.exf6+ gxf6 17.0-0! fxg5 18.d5+ fantastic play from Sax exd5 19.fe1+ e5 20.xe5+ xe5 ( 20...d7 21.e6+ d8 22.e8# ) 21.dxe5 d7 22.e6+ d6 23.e7+ xe7 24.e1+ d7 25.f7+ and Black resigned ] 10.xc4 [ 10.d2 is also possible and featured in an a l l 2 7 0 0 c l a sh a f t e r b4?! ( 10...d7 11.xc4 0-0-0 is how Black should handle this position, with at least equal chances.) 11.a3 b3 12.ge4 d5 13.h3! b6 14.xc4 and White was already much better in Svidler, P (2734)-Nakamura, H (2729) Amsterdam 2010 ] 1261
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 10...xb2 [ 10...d7 is a more solid option but White can still get the initiative after 11.0-0 0-0-0 12.e1! xb2 ( 12...b8 is safer but then W h i t e h a s a s o l i d p l u s a f t e r 13.d2 ) 13.ge4 xe4 14.xe4 xe5 15.b1! xd4 16.b3 d7 17.a6! b6 18.xb7+ xb7 ( 18...xb7? 19.c3 ) 19.d6+ c7?! ( 19...d7 20.xb7 xb3 21.xb3 c4 would've given Black more hope of a draw. ) 20.xb7 xb3 21.xb3 and White went onto win in Perunovic, M (2578)-Solak, D (2588) Valjevo 2011 ] 11.ce4! [ 11.ge4?! d5 12.xd5 exd5 13.b1 a3 14.b3 a6 15.g3 d7 and Black was better in was not so good a f t e r P e r p in ya R o f e s, L ( 2 3 9 5 ) -T re p a t Herranz, J (2352) Sabadell 2011 ] 11...f5 12.0-0 b4 [ 12...xg3?! also leads to trouble after 13.b1! a3 14.fxg3 xe4 15.xf7!! f o r e x a m p l e xg3 ( 15...xf7 loses to ) 16.f2 b5 ( 16...d5? 17.c2 and White's attack is unstoppable; 16...xb1 17.xb1 is c rus hin g) 17.b3 g4? ( 17...xf2+ 18.xf2 bxc4 19.b7 and despite Black's material advantage White is clearly winning here as Black cannot hold back W hite's attack ) 18.e2 ] 13.e2 xg3 14.xg3 [ 14.fxg3 was also dangerous, for example b5 ( 14...xe4? 15.xe4 xc4 16.f4 wins. ) 15.d3 xd4+ 16.h2 d7 17.d6+ xd6 18.xg6 fxg6 19.exd6 c4 20.b2 e5 21.a4! and Black is in big tro u b le . His t wo e xt ra p a wn s co u n t f o r nothing here with his king trapped in the centre of the board. ] 14...b5 [ perhaps Minasian should've tried for i m m e d i a t e d e v e l o p m e n t w i t h 14...d7 but I still like W hite's position here, f or example 15.a3 a4 16.fd1 b5 17.d3 xd3 18.xd3 b6 19.f3 c4 20.xh5 and White has regained the pawn with the better position. ] 15.d3 xd3 16.xd3 c4! Other moves see Black in immediate trouble [ 16...d7 is logical but after 17.fc1! c8 18.e4 Black's position is falling apart. ]
[ 16...e7?! makes little sense here as after 17.e4 the knight is set to jump into the fantastic outpost on d6. ] 17.d1 d7 18.xh5 Andriasian has won back the pawn and now has an excellent position - still there's little to suggest that Black is about to get mated! a4?! [ 18...b6 was a much better way to handle the position although W hite retains the better chances after 19.c1 d5 20.g4 c4 21.fd1 with Nf4 to come. ] 19.f3! xd4? Minasian clearly miscalculates something here as now White is winning by force [ 19...c8 was a better try but White is clearly better after 20.fc1 A) 20...a6 21.d5 c5 ( 21...xe5 22.f6+! gxf6 23.xf6 wins ) 22.dxe6 xe6 23.e1 and White has a winning attack with Rad1 and Nf4 both big threats; B) 20...xh5 21.xh5 xd4 22.e1 and in the long run White's extra exchange should be enough to win ] 20.ad1! xe5 [ 20...b6 loses to 21.xd7! ( 21.xg7+ xg7 22.xd7 xd7 23.xf7+ c8 24.xg7 also wins ) 21...xd7 22.xf7+ c8 23.d1! a3 24.xg7 f8 25.d7+ b8 26.xe6 xf2+ 27.h1 c8 28.d8 and Black loses a huge amount of material ] 21.f6+ gxf6 22.xf6 g7? This allows mate but Black was lost in any case [ 22...b6 23.xh8 g6 24.g8 is hopeless for Black ] 23.e7# 1-0
1205 Antonsen,Mikkel Kortschnoj,Viktor Copenhagen [Alexander Volzhin]
B12 2410 2645 1996
The sharp line 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4, was the winner of the November voting poll. It's one of my favourite lines, so I'm pleased to put together a round-up of the latest theory and ideas. I've tried to select the most interesting and instructive games which were played recently. By the way, this was quite a difficult task 1262
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 since the line has never been more popular and hundreds of games were played at the top level during the last two years. White's play may seem somewhat anti-positional but it fits well into one of the main principles of modern chess: White should fight for the initiative at any cost. Another explanation of the popularity of this variation is the fact Black is currently doing well in the Caro main lines with 3.Nc3 (l e t ' s s a y , i n S m ys lo v's 4 . . . N d 7 a n d t h e Classical 4...Bf5). The main experts in this line are A.Shirov, E. Sutovsky, I.Nataf (to name only a few) and among adherents of Black's position are GMs E.Bareev, A.Dreev, I. Khenkin and yours truly! 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 e6 5.g4 g6 6.ge2 The "tabia" of the line. Now it's Black turn to choose a defensive system. f6!? This old move is out of fashion nowadays but it's by no means bad. It f its in wit h the well known principle that a flank attack should be countered by action in the centre of the board. 7.f4 [ 7.h4 is the alternative to the text, and we'll consider it in the next game. ] 7...fxe5!? Looks risky but is by no means bad. [ 7...f7 is also playable: A) White achieves nothing by playing 8.exf6 gxf6 since Black has the advantage in the centre of the board, he can simply complete his development (. .. Nd7, ...Qe7, ...0-0-0) and prepare to play ... e6-e5 at the right moment: 9.e2 e7 10.d3 d7 11.f4 g7 12.e3 e5! and Black successfully solves his opening problems: 13.fxe5 ( 13.f5 is insufficient in view of h5! , destroying White's pawn chain; 13.0-0-0 e4 also looks good for Black. ) 13...fxe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.dxe5 A1) 15...xe5 as was played in Sveshnikov-Sorokin, Russia 1992, is weaker 16.0-0-0 f6 and here White could obtain a clear edge by playing 17.g5! ( in st ea d o f 17.c5?! e6! 18.e1 d7! 19.f2 xc5 20.xc5 0-0-0 21.d3 b8 22.hf1 g6 23.f5 d6 24.xd6+ xd6 with an equal endgame.) 17...g8 18.h4 and the pin is very unpleasant.; A2) 15...xe5! 16.0-0-0 f6! 17.g5 e4! and Black obtained strong
counterplay, Sveshnikov-Vyzmanavin, Helsinki 1992.; B) 8.e2!? fxe5 9.xe5 d7 10.e2 e7 with complicated play: 11.d3 g6 12.h4!? xd3 13.xd3 e5! By this break in the centre Black solves his opening problems: 14.g5 f7 15.0-0-0 d6 16.dxe5 xe5 17.e2 f3! 18.xf3?! ( Very interesting complications could arise after 18.e1!? xh1 19.xd5! and the position is a mess.) 18...xf3 19.e3 h6! Black holds the Knight on its o u t p o st a n d h is ch a n ce s a re a lr e a d y slightly better, Timman-Anand, Amsterdam 1992. ] 8.xg6 The alternatives are: [ 8.dxe5 f7 9.h3 is hardly promising s i n c e t h e e 5 - p a w n i s u n p r o t e c t e d d7 10.e2 c7! 11.g5 xe5 12.xe6 xe6 13.xe6 d6 and Black's chances are already slightly better, Kapengut-Bagirov, USSR 1981 ] [ 8.xe6 e7 9.xf8 is strongly met by the intermediate move A) 9...xf8 i s w e a k e r : 10.dxe5 d7 11.g2 xe5+ ( or 11...xe5 12.0-0 intending f4-f5.) 12.e3 and White is clearly better due to the unsafe position of Black's King, Vlassov-Shovunov, Russia 1998.; B) 9...exd4+! 10.e2 dxc3 and Black's chances are by no means bad: 11.xg6 hxg6 12.d3 f6! 13.xc3 ( 13.xg6+ d8 is very dangerous for White, for example: 14.bxc3 e8 15.e3 e4! with a growing initiative: 16.c4 d7! 17.cxd5 xf2! 18.g5 f6 19.xf6 gxf6 20.xf2 xe2+ 21.g1 e3+ 22.g2 d2+ and Black is winning.) 13...bd7 14.e3 ( 14.e3 is weaker: e4 15.d2 xd2 16.xd2 xe3+ 17.fxe3 h4 and the endgame favours Black due to White's pawn weaknesses and bad Bishop, Minasian-Karpman, Minsk 1990.) 14...e4 15.d4 0-0 16.0-0 h4 17.f3 g3! 18.hxg3 xg3+ and draw was agreed, Nunn-Andersson, London 1982. ] 8...hxg6 9.dxe5 d7 10.f4 The critical position for the evaluation of W hite's plan. Although Black's pawn structure on the K-side is exposed, in my opinion Black's chances are 1263
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 b y n o m e a n s wo rs e . F irst o f a ll, B la ck' s K n igh t s a re n o t a t a ll in f e rio r t o W h it e 's Bishop's pair since both Bishops are restricted b y p a wn c h a i n s . A l so W h it e ca n 't r e a ll y exploit the weakness of g6-pawn since Black can firmly protect it by playing... Ne7 and after completing his development (...Qc7, ...0-0-0 to follow) Black can hope to obtain a comfortable blockade position. b4 [ 10...c5 is another playable possibility: 11.d3 e7 12.g3 c7 ( 12...a5 tryin g t o k ee p t h e B ish op , is n o t goo d : 13.0-0 c7 14.e1 with better prospects for White: 0-0-0 15.d2 df8 16.g2 f7 17.e2 a7 18.a3 c5 19.b4 xd3 20.cxd3 b8 21.c1 d8 22.a4 and Black's King is a good target, BauerH a u c h a r d , F r a n c e 1 9 9 8 .) 13.a4 Now W hite can't protect the e5-pawn c o n v e n i e n t l y : ( 13.e2 d4! ) 13...a5 14.d2 b5 15.xc5 xc5 16.g5 h6 17.e3 xd3+ 18.cxd3 c5 19.c1 c8 with a complicated position, Sax-Kortschnoj, Tilburg, 1989. ] 11.d3 e7 12.0-0 c7 13.e2 Sacrificing a pawn W hite tries to seize the initiative. [ Once W hite has tried 13.a3?! but after xc3 14.bxc3 0-0-0 15.g3 c5 16.f4 a4 17.e1 c5 Black has good prospects, Fiore-Arlandi, Formia 1995. ] 13...xe5 14.d4 d6 15.e1 xd3 16.xe6 b8?! After this move White has to sacrifice a pawn but he obtains good compensation for it. [ The Queen sacrifice 16...xf4!? 17.xc7+ xc7 is a very interesting alternative to the text. Black has 3 pieces for the Queen and if he manages to complete his development, his advantage will be beyond doubt. 18.d4 f8! ( 18...f7 is weaker: 19.xe7+ xe7 20.xg7+ d6 21.f6+ c5 22.e7+ b6 23.b4+ with perpetual.) 19.xg7 h3+ 20.h1 ( 20.g2? xf2+ 21.xh3 xh2# ) 20...xf2+ 21.g2 e4 22.f1 g8!? and Black is clearly better. ] 17.xd6 xd6 18.xd3 xh2+ 19.f1 d6 20.f3 d7 21.e3 [ Here White missed an interesting possibility to continue the attack: 21.b4! b6 22.c4! opening files on the Q-side. Around here
Black has to solve difficult problems. ] 21...ae8 22.ae1 c8 23.g5? The decisive mistake. According to Kortschnoj's notes in Chess Base Magazine White's position is already bad anyway. But in my opinion, White had at least 2 possibilities to maintain the balance: [ 23.f7! d4 A) 24.e5 d3! ( 24...d5?? 25.c5! ) 25.xg7 d2! 26.xe8 xe5!; B) or 24.xd4 xd4 25.xe7 h1+ 26.e2 xg4+ with decisive advantage for Black in both cases; C) 24.h3! An improvement over Kortschnoj's C1) After 24...eg8 25.f4! Black is in trouble: g5 ( 25...xh3? 26.xh3 and White wins a piece.) 26.xe7 gxf4 ( or 26...xf4 27.e6+ b8 28.d7 c1+ 29.g2 xb2 30.b3 ) 27.xg7! d8 28.xh8 xh8 29.c7+! xc7 30.xh8+ d8 31.xd8+ xd8 32.e2 and White wins.; C2) 24...d5 The only move. 25.e4! and Black has nothing better than d7 ( 25...hf8? is bad in view of 26.xf8 xe4 27.e6! with unavoidable mate.) 26.xd7+ xd7 27.xh8 xh8 28.xd4 with equal endgame ] [ 23.xg7! is not bad either: ef8 24.g3 xg3 25.xg3 and in this endgame White's chances are by no means worse. W hite's Knight easily escapes via the e6-square. ] 23...f6! 24.xf6 gxf6 25.xe7? A gross blunder. W hite hoped to get half a point against his strong opponent in the Rook ending but a nasty surprise awaits him... [ 25.e6 was better but due to his healthy extra pawn. Black should win this endgame without difficulties: h1+ 26.g2 xe1 27.xe1 d7 28.c5+ c7 , and so on. ] 25...h1+! White resigned. 0-1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 and Black has reasonable compensation B12 here but whether or not it's worth a pawn 2714 is surely up for debate. ] 2527 07.10.2013 12...0-0 13.e1 c7 14.f4 axb4 15.cxb4 a3 16.xc6 xc6 The opening has been a complete success for Black against his higher 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 c6 rated opponent. Of course he is still a pawn down but with control of the half open a-file 5.f3 g4 6.c3 e6 7.b4 ge7 [ 7...a6 is the major alternative, analysed by and a very solid structure Black shouldn't be Gawain in Berkes-Zelcic and also in my worse here. Areshchenko however begins to s l o w l y o u t p l a y h i s o p p o n e n t . 17.h1?! notes to Grischuk-Shimanov ] 8.bd2 a5!? An interesting idea from After this it's possible that Black even has the Bernadskiy, not trying to regain the pawn better chances [ 17.b5 a4 18.bxc6 xf4 19.cxb7 xb7 immediately but instead relying on constant 20.a4 a8 21.a5 should be about equal as pressure on the queenside as well as the White won't be able to hold onto c5 for long centre for his compensation. At least for a here. ] while it works well... [ 8...a6?! didn't turn out well for Black in 17...fa8 18.d2 8a4! 19.fb1 b6?! G r is c h u k -S h i m a n o v wh ic h I a n n o t a t e d This move is premature I think - there wasn't much White could've done so Black would've earlier this year, ] been better of playing more slowly 9.b5 g6 [ 19...d8! preparing Qa8 is much stronger [ 9...c7 10.h3 h5 was an interesting 20.g3 ( 20.b5 a5 and Nc4 is awkward to choice in Li Shilong (2547)-Alavi, S (2493) deal with ) 20...a8 21.e1 xa2 22.xa2 C e b u C i t y 2 0 0 7 b u t 11.0-0 0-0-0?! xa2 and Black can play for the win with was a step too far. White could've obtained little risk here ] a b i g a d v a n t a g e h e r e w i t h ( 11...g5!? [ 19...xf3!? immediately was also possible looks interesting here although W hite is with balanced chances after 20.gxf3 xe5 probably doing well after 12.a4! axb4 21.xe5 xe5 as White's kingside structure 13.cxb4 g7 14.b5 xa4 15.xa4 xe5 is completely ruined. ] 16.xe5 xe5 17.b1 and Black doesn't really have enough compensation here) 20.b5 a5 21.cxb6 [ 21.c6 b3 was the trick Black was hoping 12.a4! h6 13.e1 g5 14.xc6 xc6 for but even that isn't so clear after 15.b5 b8 16.c6! bxc6 17.d4 c5 ( 21...c4 22.e2 a5 setting a blockade 18.4b3 and White is winning a pawn with a might be Black's best option) 22.axb3 xa1 good position. ] 23.bxa4 xb1+ 24.h2 and White's 10.h3 queenside p awns actua lly give h im th e [ 10.0-0 makes no difference here as after better chances, despite being down a n g7 White has nothing better than 11.h3 exchange. ] xf3 12.xf3 transposing ] 22.e3 b7 23.d4 c4 10...xf3 11.xf3 g7 12.0-0 This seems 21...xb6 to be a little inaccurate so W hite players 24.e2 f8 25.b3 xb3 [ Black should just sit here with 25...a5! should probably examine the alternatives and now after 26.b6 xb3 27.axb3 xa1+ carefully for an opening advantage. 28.xa1 xb6 29.b5 c7 Black has a [ 12.a3 0-0 13.f4 f6! seems to give Black better version of the game and should have enough play ] little trouble holding ] [ 12.g5 looks best to me c7 ( 12...0-0?! 13.xc6 bxc6 14.a4 and Black is really 26.axb3 xa1+ 27.xa1 a3 28.d4 c5 struggling for compensation) 13.0-0 0-0 29.d3 xd4 30.xd4 xb5 31.c3 b8? 14.xe7 xe7 ( 14...xe7?! 15.xc6 bxc6 This prevents the main threat of Qc8+ but it 16.a3 and White remains a pawn to the allows White's queen to c6 where it supports good ) 15.e2 axb4 16.cxb4 a3 the b-pawns advance down the board. 1206 Areshchenko,A Bernadskiy,V Chigorin Memorial (3.2) [Tom Rendle]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 31...e8! covers all the important squares a n d i t ' s h a rd t o s e e h o w W h it e m a k e s progress as Black can setup a light-squared blockade, e.g. 32.c1 b5 33.c5 c6 34.b4 h5 and Black is holding the draw ] 32.c6! Areshchenko pounces on the mistake and now Black is in real trouble b5 [ t h e p o i n t i s t h a t 32...xb3? loses to 33.e8+ g7 34.c5 f o r e xa m p l e g5 35.f8+ g6 36.xa3 and White is simply a piece up with a winning endgame. ] 33.b6 d4! The only chance but it's not quite enough [ 33...a7 loses to 34.d6 xd6 ( 34...a8 35.a3 ) 35.exd6 c6 36.d7 f8 37.d8+ xd8 38.xd8 ] [ or 33...c3 34.c7 c8 35.xc3 ] 34.xb5 d3 35.xd3?! [ 35.b4! is slightly more accurate as after d2 36.d3 xb6 37.xd2 the pawn is one square closes to where it wants to be ] 35...xb6 36.g1 These endings are very tricky and I'm not sure if Black should be able to save this one but it's obviously going to be very difficult a5?! [ 36...b4 was a better chance keeping the q u e e n f r o m d 4 , f o r e x a m p l e 37.e3 ( 37.c4? e1+= ) 37...g7 38.g3 h5 39.h2 g8 and it's difficult for White to advance the b-pawn, probably he'll have to sacrifice the e-pawn at some point. ] 37.d4 e1+ 38.h2 g7 39.b4 e2 40.c5 e4 41.b5 Now White is easily winning h5 42.b6 h4 43.c3 b1 44.c5 e4 45.g3! hxg3+ 46.xg3 b1 47.h4 g1+ 48.f4 h2+ 49.e3 h3+ 50.d2 xh4 51.c3 e4 52.c7 e1+ 53.b3 b1+ 54.a4 a2+ 55.b5 b3+?! [ 55...d5+ was the last chance but White should still win eventually after 56.c5 f3 57.d6 e4 58.f4! f3 59.d8 b7 60.d3 and Black is running out of moves! g2 61.d7 g5 62.b7 and Black can resign ] 56.a6 a2+ 57.b7 xf2 58.c8 a2 59.b7 a6 60.d8 A nice win from Areshchenko but the opening wasn't very convincing so I'm sure we'll see more of 8... a5!? in the future 1-0
1207 Areshchenko,Alexander Jobava,Baadur Black Sea Countries (8) [Tom Rendle]
B12 2702 2734 17.09.2012
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 c5 6.e3 b6 7.c3 xb2 [ 7...c6 is Black's main alternative and has been covered extensively in the archives, mo st re ce n t ly in K a rja kin-Frid m a n a n d Caruana-Postny. ] 8.b5!? So far this has only been covered in the notes on ChessPub - here we see it in a heavyweight main game! [ 8.b1 was considered 'more challenging' by Gawain in Christiansen-Seirawan. b4!? definitely an improvement over Seirawan's Qxc2 9.a3 xb1+ 10.xb1 c4 11.xb7 c6 12.c7?! ( 12.d2! would give Black m o re p ro b le m s h e re , f o r e xa m p l e xa3 13.hb1 although Black remains solid after d8 14.c7 a5 so this line could well be what Jobava was intending to go for against 8.Qb1 ) 12...ge7! 13.b5 d8 14.b7 a5 15.xa7 xa7 16.xa7 xc2 and if anything Black was slightly better in Pogonina, N (2449)-Cheremnova, T (2255) Sochi 2012 ] 8...c4 [ 8...xc2 9.c1 xc1+ 10.xc1 g6 is worth investigating if 8...c4 doesn't give Black enough play. ] 9.b1 xa2!? This seems to be a novelty, although it is known to the Hiarcs opening book. [ 9...xc2 is very similar to the game and wa s a n a lyse d in t h e n o t e s t o I n a rk ie vEljanov - still, my feeling from the game is t h a t W h it e i s d o i n g we ll a f t e r Q x a 2 s o perhaps Black players should check this analysis carefully. ] 10.c7+ d8 11.xa8 xc2 12.xb7! The Q ue en sa c. see ms to b e the c ritica l continuation here [ 12.a1?! b2 13.c1 b4+ seems to give Black enough play here, for example one line is 14.f1 xc1+ 15.xc1 f5 and with 3 connected passed pawns for the Rook Black has very good chances - the knight on a8 is doomed in the long run. ] 1266
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 12.g5+?! c8 13.a1 b4+ is a better version of the 12.Ra1 line for Black ] 12...xd1 13.xb8+ d7 14.xd1 e7 15.0-0 h6! [ 15...c6?! 16.b7+ e8 17.c7 leaves Black in trouble ] [ 15...f5? fails to 16.g5! f6?! 17.f7 g8 18.g4 xe3 19.fxe3 with a winning attack for White ] 16.d2 c6 17.b7+ e8 18.c3 e7 S o f a r t h e ga m e h a s b e e n f o ll o win g t h e excellent Hiarcs opening book but here it offers White a choice. 19.c7+ [ 19.d2! seems to be the more dangerous li n e , f o r e xa m p l e d8 20.h5 a3 21.xf7 xc3 22.f3 c8 23.c7+ b8 24.xc6 xa8 25.xe6 a3 26.xe7 xe7 27.xd5+ b8 and now the opening book ends but I think we can safely say that White has a very strong attack, and certainly in practical terms I think Black is almost lost. I've continued on the analysis a little bit here to show what I mean 28.b1+ c8 29.xc4 a3 30.d5 ( or 30.e6+!? c7 31.d5 ) 30...a4 31.b5 a2 32.c1+ b8 33.c6 and Black's King is caught in trouble on the Queenside. Bishop, Knight and two pawns vs a Queen is certainly an odd material balance but I think that activity of White's rook, the strength of his central pawns and Black's drafty King situation all point to a large advantage for White. Still, there are plenty of points to deviate for both sides so this analysis obviously requires a lot of checking but overall White does seem to have the better chances. ] 19...f8?! After this White obtains a clear edge [ 19...d8! is again the Hiarcs suggestion and the position is deeply unclear af ter 20.b2 a3 21.b5 a6 22.d2 a3 ( 22...d7?! seems to run into a dangerous attack after 23.xc4! dxc4 24.d5 exd5 25.g4+ d8 26.d1! c5 27.xd5+ e7 28.d7+ f8 29.e6! )] 20.d2! Suddenly White is threatening f4-f5 with a winning attack so Jobava's reply is forced. d8 21.f3 xd4 [ 21...g5 22.b2 a4 23.d1 a3 24.b1 e7 25.a6 is also deeply problematic for Black, and probably just
losing. ] 22.xd4 xd2 23.d1 a5 [ 23...c2 24.b8 e7 25.b5 is no improvement for Black ] 24.xa7 xc7 25.xc7 xc7 Black has just about survived but in truth the two pawns should not be enough to hold a draw here. 26.a1 e7 27.a7 b8 28.f1 d8 29.e2 b3 30.a8+ d7 31.a7 d8 32.e1 b1+ 33.d2 b5 34.e2?! The start of a mistaken plan that throws away Areshenko's winning chances. [ 34.a8+! e7 35.c1 followed by Bd1-a4 should be enough to win here. ] 34...b3 35.g4 d7 36.f4 g6 37.h3?! [ 37.e1! and Bd1 is still winning ] 37...h5 38.f3 c6 39.g4? It's only after this move that the winning chances have gone. [ 39.e1 and Black has to find the accurate b6! ( 39...d3 40.f2 ) 40.xb6 xb6 41.xf7 c5 and here 42.d1 and it's hard t o b e lie ve t h a t W h it e d o e sn 't h a ve t h e better winning chances in this position, although it has become rather messy. ] 39...hxg4 40.hxg4 d3 41.f2 b3 42.d4 d3 43.f2 b3 44.d4 d3 An important theoretical game for this line, but based on the analysis (and help from Hiarcs Book) 9... Qxc2 is probably a better way for Black to play - failing that 8...Bxc2 needs further investigation! ½-½
1208 Areshchenko,Alexander Shimanov,Alexandr 13th EICC Plovdiv BUL (8.25) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B12 2688 2591 28.03.2012
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.d2 e6 5.b3 d7 6.f3 g6 7.e2 e7 8.0-0 f5 9.a4 This hasn't been seen on ChessPub bef ore but it looks like a sensible way of playing - simply gaining some space on the Queenside and waiting to see how Black responds [ 9.e1 was looked at by Watson in Alekseev, E-Berkes, F ] [ 9.g4 h4 10.xh4 xh4 11.f4 1267
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 is covered by Pavlovic in the game Beliavsky, A (2616)-Solak, D ] [ 9.c3 e7 is covered in Delchev, AS c h l o s s e r , P i n t h e a r c h i v e s ( whereas 9...c8 was examined by Gawain in the game Polgar, J-Iordachescu, V )] [ 9.d2 e7 10.g4 h4 11.xh4 xh4 has some similarities to the game and was looked at by Milos in the game Zhigalko, SJobava, B ] 9...e7 This is Black's most popular response although there are other options [ 9...a6 10.a5 c5 11.dxc5 xc5 12.c3 ( 12.c4!? looks interesting to me here, it's not easy for Black to equalise, for example dxc4 13.xc5 xc5 14.a4+! d7 15.xd7+ xd7 16.d1+ leaves White wit h a s lig h t l y m o re p le a sa n t p o s i t io n) 12...d7 13.bd2 c5 and Black was comfortable enough in Nijboer, F (2546)Turov, M (2630) Haarlem NED 2011 ] [ 9...c8 10.a5 a6 11.d2 c5 12.dxc5 xc5 13.xc5 xc5 14.b4 a7 15.b5 may well be a critical line and here I think B l a c k n e e d s a n im p ro ve m e n t o ve r t h e game Kosintseva, T (2513)-Stefanova, A (2523) Tbilisi GEO 2012 axb5?! ( 15...h5!? may be an interesting pawn sacrifice here, for example 16.bxa6 bxa6 17.xa6 b8 and Black has some pressure for the pawn although I would still favour W hite here) 16.xb5+ f8 and White had a definitely advantage due to the poor placement of the King on f8 ] 10.a5 0-0 [ 10...h5 A) 11.e1 xe2 12.xe2 h5!? ( 12...0-0 looks sensible here with balanced chances ) 13.d3 g6 14.d2 c8 15.ac1 b5 16.b4 xb4 17.xb4 h4 18.c3 c5 was played in Ambartsumova, K (2332)-Kharitonov, A (2552) Cappelle la Grande FRA 2011 and now White could've obtained a slight edge with 19.a6! c4 ( 19...cxd4?! 20.xb5 is awkward for B la c k t o d e a l wi t h a s a k n i gh t i s st il l coming into c5 ) 20.bc5; B) 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 g5 13.a6 b5 14.g4 xc1 was agreed drawn in Brenjo, S (2522)-Solak, D (2547) Bihac BIH 2010 although W hite must be a little better
here ] [ 10...h5 cuts across White's plan of g4 and s h o u l d b e c a r e f u l l y e x a m i n e d 11.f4 I like this way of playing more than 11. c4 which was played in the game Areshchenko, A (2664) -Solak, D (2577) Plovdiv BUL 2010 0-0 12.e1 an interesting idea but I'm not convinced White gets an edge here ( 12.c4! looks strong now as White has less reason to be afraid of h4, h3 ideas since Black has already castled) 12...h4 13.g4!? ( 13.c3 p l a y i n g i t s a f e w a s a l s o a p o s s i b i l i t y) 13...hxg3 14.hxg3 with a tense middlegame struggle to come in the game Kosintseva, T (2526)-Rudolf, A (2347) Porto Carras GRE 2011 ] 11.g4!? Definitely the critical line in this variation at the time of writing! [ 11.c4 is White's other main option here ] 11...h4 [ 11...h6?! 12.h3 leaves the knight sidelined on h6 ] 12.xh4 xh4 13.f4 Here Black has a crucial decision to make.. f5 [ 13...f6!? given that Black is struggling after ..f5 this needs serious consideration 14.e3 e7 ( 14...c8!? ) 15.exf6 xf6 16.d2 h6 17.f3 A) 17...e4 may be best and now 18.a6 ( 18.e5 h7 19.a6 f6 is unc lea r) 18...b6 19.e5 leaves White a little better although e8 keeps Black quite solid and there is a chance that W hite may later regret pushing so many pawns!; B) 17...xg4 fails to solve Black's problems after 18.xh4 xc2 19.xc2 xe3 20.d3 xf1 21.g6! d6 22.xf8 xf8 23.xf1 and the endgame is extremely unpleasant for Black; C) 17...h7?! gave White a clear advantage after 18.e5 e8 19.d3! and Black was struggling in Kosintseva, T (2534)-Chiburdanidze, M (2514) Jermuk ARM 2010 ] 14.g5 h6 15.gxh6 gxh6 This is an important position f or this line but Black is scorin g terribly and in part this is probably because White's position pretty much plays itself (bring all his pieces to the Kingside) whereas Black is struggling for counterplay. Overall I wouldn't r e c o m m e n d p l a y i n g t h i s w a y ! 16.f3 1268
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Actually a novelty but it's not clear it really differs much from earlier games [ 16.h1 h7 A) 17.e3 g8 18.d2 e7 19.g1 a6 20.f1 c5 21.f3 cxd4?! ( 21...h5 might be a better try for activity although W h i t e c a n w i n a p a w n w i t h 22.g5+! hxg5 23.xh5 cxd4 24.xd4 but Black at least can create some counterchances now with g7! 25.fxg5 g8 ) 22.xd4 and Black had a miserable position in Zherebukh, Y (2473)-Margvelashvili, G (2478) Lviv UKR 2008; B) 17.f3 g8 18.h3 e7 19.e3 c8 ( 19...b6 doesn't change anything as White s im p ly ign o re s t h e t h re a t wit h 20.d2 bxa5 21.f3 and Black is in trouble again on the Kingside) 20.d2 c5 21.c3 ( 21.f3! immediately gives White a definite edge as he shouldn't be worried about cxd4 22.xd4 as black will be tied down to defending e6) 21...cxd4 22.cxd4 a6 23.f3 f8 24.f2 e8 25.h4 xh4 26.xh4 g6 27.xg6 xg6 28.b3 c6 29.h5 g7 30.e2 e7?? Black misses the threat ( 30...g6 31.h5 g7 32.g3 was only slightly better for White ) 31.xh6+! g8 ( if 31...xh6 32.h3+ g6 33.h5# ) 32.h3 c7 33.h4 1-0 Volokitin, A (2684)-Nanu, C (2515) Plovdiv BUL 2008 ] 16...f7?! [ 16...h7 looking to transpose to the above note is probably more sensible but it hardly solves Black's problems: 17.h3 g8 18.h1 e7 19.e3 c8 has transposed to Volokitin, A-Nanu, C ] 17.h3 h7 Not as effective a defensive setup as a King on h7 and Rook on g7 in our opinion 18.e3 h8 19.h1 e7 20.a6! Very instructive, not content with just Kingside pressure Areshenko creates a weakness on the other side of the board as well b5 [ 20...b6 was perhaps a better try although W h i t e n o w h a s t h e o p t i o n o f 21.c4!? when White could easily take control of the cfile ] 21.a5 b6 The Queen ends up horribly stranded on here not able to help out later on when Black's King comes under attack [ 21...c7 \/was perhaps better so the
Queen is still in tough with the Kingside ] 22.b7 g8 23.e1 [ 23.f2! would cut out the plan of h5-h4 and Black has no counterplay here at all ] 23...h5! wisely taking any chance for activity 24.f2 h4 25.c3 g7 [ 25...h5!? looks interesting but fails to 26.xh5 xh5 27.xh4 h7?! ( 27...h7 28.d6 is already close to lost for Black) 28.e2 h6 29.xe7!! xh3 30.d8 xd8 31.g2! a beautiful rook sacrifice simply for W hite to gain control of the g-file. It's all over now after h4 32.g1! g4 33.h3+ g7 34.xg4+ fxg4 35.xg4+ f8 36.xe6 and despite an extra rook Black is totally helpless against various threats like Qf5+ followed by e6 ] 26.xh4 gh8 27.f6+ xf6?! Black has fought really hard to stay in the game but after this it quickly goes wrong [ 27...xf6! was more stubborn and after 28.xh7+ xh7 29.exf6+ xf6 30.f3 e4 31.xe4 fxe4 32.g3 c7 33.g1 h6 34.c5 White has an enduring advantage but Black is still solid ] 28.exf6+ xf6? The decisive error [ 28...xf6 29.xh7+ xh7 30.g3 h4 31.e3 c7! an only move but 32.c5 is still clearly better for White ] 29.xh7! xh7 30.g3 Suddenly White has co n t rol o f t h e g-lin e a n d it's a ll o ve r h8 31.g1 g8 32.h5! An instructive game from Areshenko and the ball is definitely in Black's court in this line. 1-0
1209 B12 Arizmendi Martinez,Julen Luis 2540 Gomez Esteban,Juan Mario 2486 LXXI ch-ESP GpB (1) 22.11.2006 [Jonathan Rowson] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 White's most dangerous move, favoured by heavyweight attackers including Sutovsky and Anand. e6 [ 4...b6 would probably be my own preference, even though it has been established that 5.d3 gives white a slight edge. I once saw a Capablanca game in the 1269
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Caro-Kann where he played Qb6 followed by Qa6, exchanged queens and won the ending, an d I 've be en t rying to make it happen ever since... ( 5.g4 d7 ) 5...xd3 6.xd3 e6 and now Black can play ...Qa6 and c5. At Elite GM level, white is better, but for everyone else it is just a position you have to play. ] 5.g4 g6 6.ge2 e7 Protecting the bishop on g6, so h4 can now be met with h5. 7.f4 h5!? This is out of favour due to the move played in the game, first devised by French GM Nataf. However, although Black is a little passive in what follows, I am not sure that he i s a c t u a l l y w o r s e . 8.f5!? exf5 9.g5 W hite's compensation is based on the influential f4 square, the entombed bishop on g6 and the prospect of attacking f5 or playing o n t h e q u e e n s i d e . a6! Heading to the important e6 square. 10.f4 c7 11.h4 e6 12.ce2 d7 13.g2 0-0-0 This has all been seen before. W hite's position is certainly easier to play, but I quite like the plan that Black came up with. 14.c3 [ 14.0-0!? looks more to the point and it might be useful to keep the third rank open for a rook lift, either by Rf3-b3 or a4 followed by Ra3-g3 etc. ] 14...b8 15.a4 c8 16.0-0 e7 17.g3?! This might be a mistake, because there is a lot to be said for reinforcing f4 with a knight. In fact, I suspect this is a turning point, and when I look at the position carefully I have the feeling that White should be better somehow. [ 17.xg6!? fxg6 18.f4 radically transforming the position, is worth considering, because black's extra pawn is not felt at all, and the c8 knight is a long way from having any bearing on the key strategic squares. xf4 19.xf4 e6 20.a5!? to prevent Nb6-a8-c7-e6 ( 20.d3 b6 21.b3 a8 22.c4 c7 23.c5 looks like an advantage to white.) 20...a6 but now Na7-b5-c7 is possible, so maybe it wasn't such a great idea! ] 17...a8 18.d3 xf4 19.xf4 f6! Now White's king feels every so slightly drafty. 20.h3 [ 20.e3!? fxe5 21.xe5 d6 looks better for Black ] 20...fxg5 21.hxg5 White has chosen the
wrong plan- the g5 is too weak, and when it falls everything else becomes vulnerable. df8 22.ae1 h4 23.e6 d8 24.xf5 xg5 25.e5 f6 26.d2 e7 Black is a pawn up with the safer king and should now be winning. 27.xe7 xe7 28.xf6 gxf6 29.f5 hg8 30.h2 a6 31.f4 e8 32.e3 xf5 33.xf5 g3 34.e2 g7 35.f4 g8 36.ee1 0-1
1210 Azarov,S Navara,D TCh-CZE Extraliga 2013-14 (6.1) [Tom Rendle]
B12 2616 2705 19.01.2014
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 b6 4.c3 [ 4.a4 has become the standard move here but perhaps in light of e5 5.dxe5 a5! which I covered last year in Bauer-Ragger, Azarov decides to try a different approach with 4.c3, which has only been mentioned in the notes on ChessPub before. ] 4...e6 This is of course a very solid approach leaving us already in an original position after just 4 moves! [ 4...e5!? is obviously critical and now 5.e2 A) 5...e7!? is worthy of attention here, for example 6.exd5 ( or 6.dxe5 d7 7.f4 c5 8.d2 g6 good compensation for the pawn ) 6...cxd5 7.dxe5 bc6 8.f4 f5 9.f3 e7 and White still has some problems developing here; B) 5...exd4 6.exd5+ d8 7.cxd4 f6! ( 7...cxd5?! 8.c3 f6 9.g5 and I really like White's chances ) 8.c3 B1) 8...b4 is slightly less convincing although probably fine 9.d3 e8+ 10.ge2 cxd5 11.f4 ( 11.f2! keeps a slight edge) 11...d6 12.xd6 xd6 13.d2 c6 14.f2 e7 15.f4 e6 16.xd6+ xd6 and Black had safely equalised in A za r o v, S ( 2 6 3 6 ) - M a g h a l a s h v i l i , D (2502) Baku 2013; B2) 8...d6! 9.c2 e8+ 10.ge2 h6! 11.f2 cxd5 12.e3 c6 13.d2 d7 ( 13...e7!? preparing to castle manually on the kingside also seems 1270
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 reasonable here) 14.c1 c8 15.a4 1/2-1/2 Jakovenko, D (2724)-Motylev, A (2663) Poikovsky 2013 ] 5.e5?! This leads to a very pleasant French Defence for Black and makes little sense as far as I can see. Normally the pawn would be back on f2 and White could respond to ...c5 with Nf3 but here he has to 'waste' a move with f4, not something he really wants to do. [ 5.d3 looks much more sensible here waiting for the knight to come to f6 before playing e5 and now c5 ( 5...f6 6.e5 fd7 7.a4! gives White interesting play on the queenside ) 6.exd5 exd5 7.e2+ e7 8.dxc5 xc5 9.e3 c7 and Black should be completely OK although White can play against the isolated queen's pawn ] [ 5.h3 is a possible attempt to make sense of the position but Black should be fine here, e.g. f6 6.e5 fd7 7.b3 otherwise ...c5 is very annoying c5 8.xb6 xb6 9.a3 w i t h e q u a l i t y a s cxd4 can be met by 10.b5 ] 5...c5 6.f4 c6 7.f3 d7 [ 7...h6! looks logical and strong here, for example 8.d3 cxd4 9.cxd4 d7 10.c2 b4! and Black gains the two bishops and an excellent position ] 8.a3 [ 8.dxc5!? would be an interesting attempt to mix things up here, although Black keeps the better chances after xc5 9.e2 a5! 10.bd2 a4 ] 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 xa3 [ 9...b4+ 10.f2 h6! already looks just unpleasant for W hite, e.g. 11.c2 e7 ( 11...c8!? ) 12.d3 0-0 13.e1 f6! and White isn't really ready for the position to open up ] 10.bxa3 ge7 11.d2?! [ 11.d3 would've made more sense in hindsight, with the knight coming to c4 but Black is still slightly better after a5 12.e2 c8 ] 11...f5 12.b2 a5! 13.c3 c4 14.xc4 dxc4 15.d5?! This doesn't really work out for Avarov but W hite was clearly worse in any case [ 15.0-0 c6 16.ab1 d8 is a bit depressing for W hite as when the queen comes to d5 he will have zero counterplay ]
15...e3+ [ 15...exd5 is also very strong, for example 16.g4 e3+! 17.xe3 xe3 18.e2 c2! ( 18...xg4?! 19.h3 h6 20.e6! fxe6 21.xg7 f7 22.xh8 xh8 23.e5 and W hite should draw without too many problems ) 19.ac1 xa3 20.f5 h5 21.h3 b5 and White has some compensation but not nearly enough for two pawns ] 16.d1 [ 16.xe3 xe3 17.dxe6 was a better chance - Black is clearly better after fxe6 18.d2 xg2 19.hg1 xf4 20.xg7 but at least White is in the game here ] 16...exd5 17.e1 xd2+ [ 17...c5 is even stronger, with White's king ca u gh t in t h e ce n t re t h e re wa s n o re a l reason to exchange queens ] 18.xd2 h5! Black is a safe pawn up and so begins the slow process of improving the position and playing for the win. Navara's technique is more than up to the job. 19.d4 0-0-0 20.a4?! h6! The a-pawn is now doomed! 21.a5 a6 22.a4 xd4 23.xd4 xa5 24.c3 h8 25.b4 a6 26.a5 f5 27.e3 h4 28.g1 b8 29.g4 hxg3 30.hxg3 g6 31.g4! An excellent practical choice given the circumstances xg4? [ 31...e4 keeping control was safer ] 32.xg4 xg4 33.g3 h4 34.c5? White misses his last chance [ 34.f2! and suddenly things aren't so clear, e.g. e6 35.f5! xf5 36.xg7 h7 37.xh7 xh7 38.e3 and despite being 3 pawns to the good it's not clear to me how Black makes progress as W hite can just blockade on the dark squares ] 34...e6 35.d6+ c8 36.f5 xf5 37.xg7 e6 38.g8+ d7 39.a6 bxa6 40.a8 c6 0-1
1211 Baklan,Vladimir Lachmayer,Manfred 20th Open Böblingen (1) [Andrew Martin]
B12 2600 2003
Here's what happens when you try to cross swords with a Grandmaster in an unusual line. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 c6 3.c3 c7!? Will it be a 1271
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Philidor today, a Pirc or Modern? Perhaps a Caro-Kann? And who will choose? I have no problems with Black's move-order but the fatal flaw is that it's very passive. White can build up more or less as he or she pleases. So there might be some mileage in 3...Qc7 against a weaker player but against someone much stronger this opening line cannot be recommended. One must gamble to make a s t r o n g e r p l a y e r t r e m b l e p l a y wi l d , r i s k y a d v e n t u r o u s c h e s s - t h a t ' s t h e w a y ! . 4.f4 Baklan decides to try to annihilate Black. [ 4.a4 attempts insistent long-term pressure but now Black has more choice. e5 5.f3 g4 6.e2 f6 7.0-0 e7 8.e3 0-0 9.d2 xe2 10.xe2 a6 11.a5 b4 ( I like the modest 11...fe8 with chances of full equality.) 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.c4 d7 14.a4 a6 15.c3 ac5 16.xc5 xc5 17.ad1 xe3 18.xe3 b5 19 Savon, VLutikov, A/Dubna 76 It's only a small edge for White after 19 Nd6 ] 4...a6?! [ 4...g6 5.f3 g7 6.c4 e6 Yes, he has no other way to survive apart from to set up the Hippopotamus. The Queen on c7 is a bit ropey. 7.0-0 e7 8.e3 d7 9.d2 0-0 10.ae1 b5 11.d3 a6 12.f5 e5 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.h6 f6 15.fxg6 hxg6 16.e3 b6 17.f2 b8 18.c5 e6 19.h4 White has been given the run of the game and has notable positional achievements . The c5 square is a notable outpost and Black's King is loose. ] [ 4...f6 Provocative! 5.f3 ( 5.e5 d5 6.xd5 cxd5 7.d3 c6 8.c3! denies the Bishop on c8 a square and gives White the advantage.) 5...bd7 6.e5 g8 7.d3 b6 8.0-0 h6 9.e2 d5 10.g5 g4 11.f2 e6 12.h3 f5 13.g4 xd3 14.cxd3 0-0-0 15.e3 d7 16.a3 f6 Santos, MRosa, J/Sao Paulo 2000 It is all working out very well for Black. ] 5.f3 g4?! This I really do not like. Black refuses to recognise the limitations of his opening. Denied the Philidor set-up (4 f4!), he really has to be modest with moves such as [ 5...g6 ] [ 5...d7 ] [ 5...e6 avoiding an immediate clash of forces. ]
6.h3! xf3 7.xf3 d7 8.e5 White has a big advantage already. He has space and time on his side so he endeavours to open the game. 8 e5! is very strong. e6 9.d3 d5 Black finally gets the message, but he cannot p r e ve n t t h e f o ll o wi n g p a wn - b re a k . 10.f5! exf5 11.xf5 g6 12.xd7+ No time is wasted, the hallmark of good attacking play. xd7 13.0-0 h5? I don't know what he thinks he is doing. The following ideas represent a better survival chance but of course, White is much better: [ 13...h6 14.e6 xe6 15.g5! e7 16.ae1 f5 17.xf5 gxf5 18.xe7 xe7 19.xf5 ] [ 13...e6 best of all I think. 14.e2! e7 ( 14...0-0-0 15.xf7 ) 15.f4 f5 16.b3 0-0-0 ( 16...d7 17.d2 0-0-0 18.ae1 ) 17.xd5 e4 18.xe7+ xe7 19.c3+- ] 14.e6 T o o e a s y . . . . . . xe6 15.g5 Preventing 0-0-0 e7 16.ae1 f5 17.g3 d7 18.a4 Such a finish is child's play to Baklan. d8 19.c5 c8 20.xe7 There will be a further capture on e7 and a check on e5 followed by the removal men. Black's opening idea is suspect. Baklan had the energy necessary to prove it. 1-0
1212 Balogh,Csaba Bromberger,S TCh-AUT 1st Bundesliga 2012 (8.1) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B12 2665 2513 19.04.12
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.h4 h5 [ 4...h6 is of course the main alternative 5.g4 d7 6.h5 c5 ( 6...e6 7.c3 c5 8.f4 c6 9.f3 b6 10.h2 was an interesting approach examined by Gawain in NavaraShimanov. ) 7.dxc5 A) 7...c7 A1) 8.f4 e6 9.d2 xc5 10.b3 b6 11.f3 possibly an improvement over 11.Bd3 which was played in K u r n o s o v, I ( 2 5 2 3 ) - I o r d a c h e s c u , V (2583) Stockholm 2005 and Pavlovic a s s e s s e d a s b e t t e r f o r B l a c k . c6 12.d2 ge7 13.0-0-0 a5 14.xa5 xa5 15.e2 a6 16.d4 c6 1272
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.xc6 xc6 18.f3 b5 ( 18...c8!? ) 19.h2 xf1 20.hxf1 1/2-1/2 (20) Romanov, E (2501)-Riazantsev, A (2629) Chelyabinsk RUS 2007; A2) 8.c3 e6; B) 7...c6 8.xd5 xg4 9.c3 looks better for W hite and is annotated by Pavlovic in the blindfold game Vachier Lagrave, M-Grischuk, A; C) 7...c8 was tried in a recent game but it's not to be recommended, the problem is that the pawn on g4 shouldn't be taken as will be seen 8.e3! xg4? 9.xd5 d7 10.d2 e6 11.c3 e7 ( 11...xc5 12.xc5 xc5 13.0-0-0 and Black is already in serious trouble) 12.0-0-0 f5 13.f3 xe3 14.fxe3 c6 15.b5! the position is already lost for Black xc5 16.hg1 b4 17.d4 d7 18.xc6 bxc6 19.xe6! fxe6 20.xg7 xe5 21.d4 b8 22.e4 f8 23.a3 e7 24.xe7+! a forcing finish xe7 25.c5+ f7 26.d6+ g8 27.xe5 c7 28.g1+ h7 29.xe6 ad8 30.f5 1-0 (30) Rozum, I (2477) -Yevseev, D (2529) St Petersburg RUS 2012 ] 5.c4 e6 6.c3 e7 [ 6...d7 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.d3 xd3 9.xd3 wa s c o ve re d in S h o rt -Jo h a n n e ss e n b y Rowson and it seems that Nigel was doing very well from the opening in that game. ] [ 6...e7 is probably the critical continuation and has featured extensively in the archives, most recently in Vachier Lagrave-Laznicka this year. ] 7.cxd5 [ 7.ge2 is a serious alternative here A) 7...h6 didn't work out well for Black in Svidler, P (2739)-Galkin, A (2598) Moscow 2011 after 8.g3 A1) 8...g6 9.xh5 f5 looks to be a much more sensible way to play although 10.f4 h7 11.g4 xh4 12.g5!? is still a very dangerous idea and was perhaps Svidler's intention. It is risky to take on g5 now as after xg5 13.h5 xf4 14.xf4 Black has problems down the h-file; A2) 8...xh4!? 9.xf5 ( 9.xh5!? f8 10.e2 ) 9...xf5 10.cxd5 exd5 11.g3 looks a little better for White to me;
A3) 8...g6 9.f4 f8 10.d2 g7 11.g5 a6 12.e2 d7 13.0-0 dxc4 14.xc4 xg5 15.hxg5 g8 16.ge4 xe4 17.xe4 and Black had a pretty miserable position.; B) 7...dxc4 8.g3 g6 ( if 8...g4 9.f3 xh4 10.xh4! xh4 11.ce4 and Black is in some trouble) 9.xc4 h6 ( 9...xh4 10.ge2 e7 11.f4 f5 12.xh5 and Black is worse as he still has problems developing) 10.ge2 ( 10.e2!? is worth investigating if the Nge2 doesn't offer a real advantage) 10...f5 11.g3 h7 12.g5 d7 13.d2 0-0 14.0-0-0 b5 15.d3 b4 16.e4 c5 with extremely do ub le -ed ge d p la y in Kryvo ru c hk o, Y (2676)-Dziuba, M (2590) Warsaw 2012 ] 7...cxd5 8.d3 xd3 9.xd3 A typical position for this line c6 [ 9...xh4 seems to be dubious here after 10.b5+ d7 11.xb7 e7 12.f3 with a definite edge for White ] [ 9...h6 looks more interesting though and now 10.xh6 xh6 11.f3 a6 12.g3 c6 13.0-0 f8 14.a3 and perhaps now Black s h o u l d p l a y a5! before White gets a chance to go b4, with reasonable chances although the rook is somewhat oddly placed on h6. ( instead after 14...g6 15.ac1 g7 16.b4 White had a lot of pressure in Balogh, C (2617) -Paichadze, L (2392) Baku 2007 )] 10.f3 c8 11.0-0 [ 11.g3 was Nigel Short's choice against Anand a few years ago b4 12.d2 ge7 13.a3 xc3 14.xc3 f5 already Black has no problems 15.0-0 b6 16.fd1 a6 17.g2 c7 18.d2 d7 19.a4 a5 20.db1 hc8 21.g5 h8 22.d2 hc8 23.g5 h8 1/2-1/2 Short, N (2674)-Anand, V (2786) Wijk aan Zee 2005 ] 11...xh4?! [ 11...h6 given what happens in the game Black should examine this line carefully 12.xh6 xh6 13.g3 f8 14.fc1 g6 15.b5 d7 admittedly this position seems to be more comfortable for White but Black is very solid at least. 16.a4 g7 17.c5 xc5 18.xc5 hh8 19.ac1 a6 20.b6 c7 21.b3 and White was pressing in Becerra Rivero, J (2535)-Morovic Fernandez, I (2613) Havana 1999 ] 1273
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 12.b5! This looks to be a strong novelty [ 12.xh4 was seen previously but doesn't seem to be as strong xh4 13.b5 f8 14.xa7 ( 14.d6 c7 and Black is solid enough ) 14...xa7 15.a3+ e7 16.xa7 and now in Perunovic, M (2562)-Ruck, R (2534) Vogosca 2007 g4! with the simple idea of h4-h3 would've given Black a strong attack ] 12...e7 [ 12...f8 13.d6 c7 14.b4!? and White has a very strong initiative ] 13.g5 f6 [ 13...xg5? 14.d6+ f8 15.xg5 xg5 16.xc8 leaves White an exchange up ] 14.exf6 A critical moment gxf6 [ 14...xf6!? 15.g6+ ( 15.ae1!? also looks dangerous) 15...f8 16.fe1 and it's hard to recommend Black's position h e r e a l t h o u g h h e c a n f i g h t o n w i t h a6 17.c3 e8 so perhaps this is a better option than the game ] 15.f4 [ 15.d2 is the computer's preference but the game continuation certainly worked well. A possible line now would be f7 16.ae1 d7 17.h4!? f5 18.f3 and Black's position is full of holes ] 15...d7? An odd move and unsurprisingly a serious mistake [ 15...a6 w a s n e c e s s a r y 16.c3 d6 17.g6+ f8 and now White has a couple of interesting options although neither are 100% convincing 18.xd5!? ( 18.g3 xf4 19.xf4 c7 20.e3 f7 and Black looks t o b e o v e r t h e wo r st o f i t) 18...exd5 ( 18...b8?! 19.xb8 xd5 20.e5! fxe5 21.f4 is a very attractive line which shows how dangerous W hite's attack can be - if the position opens up Black's King will be easy prey.) 19.g5! fxg5 20.xd6+ ce7 21.f4 g4 22.ac1 xc1 23.xc1 h7! probably the best defensive try 24.e6 g7 25.c7 f8 26.e5+ f6 27.c7 g6 28.xb7 and White's attack is ongoing and there's little risk of losing here ] 16.fe1 b4 17.e2 a6 18.a3! f8 [ 18...axb5 19.axb4 e7 20.ae1 is also hopeless for Black ] 19.ae1! axb5 20.xe6 White's threats are overwhelming. A crushing victory and some
impressive preparation from Balogh. 1-0
1213 Bauer,Ch Ragger,M French Top 12 2013 (1.2) [Tom Rendle]
B12 2638 2666 30.05.2013
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 b6 4.a4 e5 5.dxe5 a5! As far as I can tell this move is a novelty and a very sensible one, simply preventing White from shifting the black queen from b6. [ 5...dxe4 6.a5 c7 7.f4 gives White the b e t t e r ch a n ce s - se e Ne p o m n i a c h t c h i Jobava. ] [ 5...c5 6.a5 c7 A) 7.f4! seems a much more critical option for W hite - I think Black is s t r u g g l i n g h e r e , f o r e x a m p l e e7 ( 7...dxe4 8.d2 f5 9.b3 f8 10.h3 i s h a r d l y wh a t B l a c k w a n t s f r o m t h e opening ) 8.c3 b4 9.exd5 cxd5 ( 9...xd5 10.d2 and Black is just a pawn down ) 10.f3 0-0 11.d3 xc3+ 12.bxc3 xc3+ 13.d2 c5 14.b1 and White has the two bishops and a very promising position.; B) 7.exd5 xe5+ 8.e2 xe2+ 9.xe2 f6! 10.dxc6 xc6 11.c3 a6 12.d2 0-0 13.g3 e8+ 14.d1 e6 and Black has enough compensation for the pawn and went on to draw comfortably in Bauer, C (2631)-Rausis, I (2516) Fortde-France 2013 ] 6.d3?! Immediately Bauer goes wrong something that's very easy to do when faced with a novelty. Now Black gets very dangerous compensation for the pawn [ 6.exd5 seems to be the critical test of this line: c5 7.h3 xh3 8.gxh3 f2+ 9.e2 cxd5 10.xd5 c6 and Black clearly has a very dangerous initiative in return for the sacrificed two pawns. Unless a safe route can be found for White in this position then this line is looking dodgy. Perhaps W hite can try 11.a3 ge7 12.e4 g1 13.e3 xe3 14.xe3 here although Black can either take equality with xb2 ( or try for more with 14...b4!? 15.f2 h4+ 1274
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.g1 0-0 ) 15.b1 xe5 16.xe5 xe5 ] [ 6.e2 c5 ( 6...e7!? is interesting but White should be a little better after 7.d2! g6 8.exd5 cxd5 9.b5+ xb5 10.xb5+ c6 11.e2 gxe5 12.b3 with an isolated pawn to play against on d5) 7.h3 xh3 8.gxh3 e7 9.exd5 xd5 again gives Black more than enough compensation for the pawn - White's pieces are really struggling for coordination. ] 6...c5 7.f1?! After this Bauer quickly finds himself in trouble [ 7.h3 was seemingly necessary although after xh3 8.gxh3 e7 9.e2 0-0 Black has a very promising position with White's king caught in the centre. ] 7...dxe4 8.fxe4 e6 [ 8...e7 was also strong, for example 9.d2 0-0 10.c4 c7 11.f3 g6 and when the pawn on e5 drops in a few moves Black is going to be left with a clear advantage. ] 9.f3 d7 10.a3 c7 11.f4 e7 Ragger has a very simple plan of ganging up on the weak pawn on e5 and there's no a lot White can do about it. 12.c4 [ 12.g3 was perhaps a better try when after h6 13.g2 g5 14.d2 g6 the pawn on e5 is doomed but at least W hite's king is safer than in the game. ] 12...0-0 13.g3 g6 14.c3 ad8 15.e2 xc4 16.xc4 dxe5 17.e1 [ 17.h4 d6 18.xe5 xe5 19.h5 f4 20.f2 was perhaps a better try for White although his position remains precarious after d3 21.e2 c5 22.h6 g6 ] 17...e7 18.xe5 xe5 19.xe5 xe5 20.g3 Just in time, otherwise Rd6-f6 was coming with crushing effect. g5 21.f3 d6 [ Black could have won a pawn with 21...d2 22.e2 xb2! 23.g2 ( or 23.xb2 c1+ 24.g2 xb2+ ) 23...xe2+ 24.xe2 but either Ragger missed it or simply preferred to keep up the pressure and not swap rooks. ] 22.h4 e5 23.g2 f6 24.g4 f2?! This gives White a chance to struggle on [ 24...b5! was tough to meet, for example 25.axb5 cxb5 26.d5 ( 26.xb5?? f2+ 27.h3 h5! 28.d7 f3 and wins )
26...f2+ 27.h3 h8! and Black keeps a clear advantage and excellent attacking chances ( 27...h5 can now be met by 28.g5 and there's no ...Qe6+ for black )] 25.g5 c7 26.ef1?! Bauer misses his chance and after this it quickly goes downhill. [ 26.e5! g6 27.f5 xe1 ( 27...xg3?? 28.h5 and suddenly it's White who is winning ) 28.xe1 e7 29.f1 and despite being an exchange down White would have his best position for a while as it would be very tough for Black to make progress here as he can hardly move anything. ] 26...g6 27.xg6 hxg6 28.xf2 e7 29.f4 h7 30.e1 f6 31.e5 White's chances are tied to the strength of this e-pawn but the Black queen is simply too strong here. b5 32.d3 d8 33.f3 f5 34.axb5 cxb5 35.h5 gxh5 36.xf5+ h6 37.e2 b4 38.cxb4 xb4 39.e6 d2! After this White's resistance is finally broken 40.ff2 xe2 41.xe2 b5 42.f2 e5 White no longer has a rook behind his passed pawn and Ragger has simple enough job from here. 43.h3 g5! 44.f5 g4 45.f1 g5 46.b3 e3 47.e2 [ or 47.g2 xb3 48.e7 b7+ ] 47...f3+ 48.e1 xg3+! [ It was still possible to throw it all away with 48...xf5?? 49.e7 b1+ 50.f2 f5+ 51.g1 and White wins ] 49.d2 f4+ 50.e3 xf5 51.e7 d7+ The queen blockades on e8 and Black can simply push his kingside pawns. 0-1
1214 B12 Beliavsky,Alexander G 2616 Solak,Dragan 2622 27th ECC Rogaska Slatina SLO (7.14) 1.10.11 [Milos Pavlovic] 1.d4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 g6 6.0-0 e7 7.bd2 f5 8.b3 d7 9.g4!? An interesting attempt, in my previous updates I mainly focused on 9.Bd2 which is the main idea. Beliavsky obviously thinks that the immediate 9.g4 can give White pressure, and that is not without logic, as the position is f a r f r o m b e i n g s i m p l e f o r B l a c k . h4 1275
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 I am not sure if this the best move. Another idea that might be better is: [ 9...e7 A) 10.h4!? h5 ( 10...c5 11.c3 c6 12.g2 cxd4 13.cxd4 a5 W it h c o u n t e r p la y.) 11.xg6 xg6 12.gxh5; B) 10.e1 h5 ( 10...c5 11.c3 c6 12.e3 We have another complicated position. ) 11.gxh5 f5 12.f4 g6 13.g3 gxh5 14.xh5 h3 15.g2 f5 B la c k h a s co m p e n sa t io n h e re . 16.e1 xg2 17.xg2 g5 18.g4 0-0-0 19.f4 g6 20.xf5 xf5 21.d3 h3+ 22.f2 f6 23.e2 h6 24.f1 Draw agreed, although Black actually has very strong play after 24...Rdf8, say Bartel, M -Motylev, A Budva 2009 ] 10.xh4 xh4 11.f4 h5 12.g5 h3? It seems that this move is bad but an alternative is not easy to find. The entire position looks strange as the Black queen is somehow surrounded by White pieces. [ 12...f5 13.e3 I have no clue how to conduct play with such a queen. ] 13.f3 f5 14.f1 This was played in two ga m e s a n d it s n o t b a d b u t t h e re is e ve n stronger: [ 14.h3!N For computers such moves are always easy, but for humans they are far from obvious. xc2 Otherwise 15.Bd3 wins t h e q u e e n . 15.f1 h7 16.c3 g6 17.d3 f5 18.exf6 f7 19.xh7 xh7 20.f5 exf5 21.e2+ d8 22.a5 White is winning. ] 14...c5N This is surely better then alternatives but still Black is under pressure. [ Predecessor: 14...xc2 15.c3 f5 16.h3 We have a previous note now with reversed moves. xe5 17.dxe5 e4 18.d3 a4 19.xg6 fxg6 20.d3 f7 21.e3 b6 22.d4 c5 23.b3 a3 24.xc6 hc8 25.xc5 bxc5 26.b5 c4 27.ac1 a6 28.b7+ f8 29.b4 1-0 Smirin, I -Dziuba, M/ Moscow 2009 ] 15.c4 dxc4 16.xc4 cxd4 17.d2 e7 18.c1 0-0 19.d3 g4+ 20.g3 xd3 21.xd3 f5 22.xf5 exf5 23.c7 fd8 24.g6 b6 25.f1 Another possibility was: [ 25.gxf7+ xf7 26.xd4 c5 27.e3 xd4 28.xd4 h4 29.g2 ac8 30.xa7
White is better. ] 25...f8 26.gxf7 c5 27.xc5 bxc5 28.e6?! Much better was: [ 28.b3 xf7 29.bb7 e8 30.xc5 eb8 31.cb5 xb7 32.xb7 e6 33.e2 W hite still preserves some advantage in this endgame. ] 28...d6 29.xc5 xe6 30.xf5 b8 31.b3 h4 32.d3 f6 33.c5 xf7 34.e1 be8 35.f2 e4 36.f5 f4 37.d2 e5 [ 37...h3! With this unpleasant move Black could still keep the game alive and he might even be better now. ] 38.c7+ e7 39.c5 e5 ½-½
1215 Berkes,Ferenc Zelcic,Robert 17th Open A Zadar CRO (3.4) [Gawain Jones]
B12 2680 2539 13.12.2010
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 c6 5.f3 g4 In the archives many commentators have been of the opinion that this offers Black a good game but, seeing as many strong W hite players have allowed it, w e s h o u l d d e f i n i t e l y i n v e s t i g a t e . 6.c3 This has had a topical surge. [ 6.b5 has been the mainline in the past. ] 6...e6 [ 6...xf3 has been seen a few times but looks safely better for White. One example c o n t i n u e d : 7.xf3 xe5 8.b5+ c6 9.e3 f6 10.0-0 e6 Morawietz, D (2425)Zatonskih, A (2462) Germany 2008 when I'd go for 11.c4! a6 12.a4 e7 13.c3 when W hite would have had a pleasant advantage. ] [ White's last indirectly defended the e5 pawn, a f a ct B la ck d id n ' t re a l is e i n 6...xe5?? 7.xe5! xd1 8.b5+ d7 9.xd7+ d8 10.xd1 f6 11.f7+ xd7 12.xh8 1-0 Bady, G (2185)-La Rota, F (2286) Miami 2007. ] 7.b4 a6 The computer's top choice taking possession of the b5 square and threatening to take on e5 but there are of course alternatives. [ 7...ge7 8.bd2 And we're at a 1276
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c r o s s r o a d s . ( B a k l a n p r e f e r r e d 8.f4 but following g6 9.g3 h5! 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 g5 Black was fine Baklan, V (2 6 1 3 ) -W ill e m ze , T (2 3 9 4 ) G ro n in ge n 2010. ) A) 8...g6 is a sensible choice, simply putting more pressure on the e5 pawn. 9.b5 g7 10.h3 xf3 11.xf3 0-0 12.f4 c7 13.e2 a5 14.b1 axb4 15.cxb4 d4 16.a4 ( Perhaps White should try 16.xc6 xc6 17.0-0 d5 18.b3 a4 19.d1 c6 20.b2 when Black still has to prove compensation for the pawn. ) 16...d5 17.d2 xe5 and Black was fine Lastin, A (2613)-Landa, K (2584) Tomsk 2006.; B) 8...a5 9.b5 c7 10.h3 h5 11.0-0 0-0-0 Li Shilong (2547) -Alavi Moghaddam, S (2493) Cebu City 2007 when 12.a4! would have given White a great game.; C) 8...c7 This was seen most recently. 9.a4!? ( 9.b5 looks logical.) 9...xf3 10.xf3 g6 Ponomariov, R (2737)Khenkin, I (2597) Dagomys 2010 when 11.b5! looks very strong as cxe5 12.b6+ d7 13.b5 c6 14.d4 ge7 15.f4 is highly unpleasant. ] [ 7...xf3 has been played most often in the past, immediately regaining the pawn but White keeps the advantage. 8.xf3 xe5 9.b5+ c6 10.0-0 f6 11.f4 e7 12.d2 0-0 13.fe1 a5 14.a3 axb4 15.axb4 d7 16.b3 xa1 17.xa1 and Black was struggling with her lack of space. Tokhirjanova, H (2137)Khamrakulova, I (2180) Tashkent 2009. ] 8.bd2 ge7? After this Black fails to regain his pawn. [ Three days later Zelcic improved with 8...xe5 which must be the critical test. This position reminds me of certain lines of the Universal System French Tarrasch. Black has two uncontested central pawns but White will try to make use of e5 and d4 for his knights while the queenside pawns often prove very useful. Meanwhile a well timed c3-c4 will disrupt Black's centre. A) 9.e2 xf3+ ( 9...c6 should be preferred when the position is extremely unclear. ) 10.xf3 f5 Kosintseva, T (2573) -Stefanova, A (2551) Moscow 2010
when 11.d4 g6 12.a4+ would have given White a fantastic position as d7? allows 13.b5!; B) 9.h3 should also be investigated. xf3+ 10.xf3 xf3 ( 10...h5 11.a4+ d7 12.xd7+ xd7 13.g4 g6 14.e5+ e8 15.c4 gives White a definite something.) 11.xf3 and I feel White should be a little better but he has to be careful to prevent Black's centre pawns motoring. g6 12.d3 g7 13.0-0 e7 ( 13...xc3 14.b5+ axb5 15.xc3 gives White strong compensation on the da rk squ a re s.) 14.g5 0-0 15.c2 with a complex position. I wonder if we'll see some practical tests of this position.; C) 9.a4+!? The strong Bosnian GM opts t o t r a d e q u e e n s i m m e d i a t e l y . d7 10.xd7+ xd7 11.b2 gf6 12.d4 e7 13.2b3 e5 14.h3 e6 15.xe6 fxe6 16.e2 f7 17.a4 and White successfully exploited his queenside pawn mass. Predojevic, B (2632) -Zelcic, R (2539) Zadar 2010. ] 9.a4! Threatening b4-b5 hitting both g4 and c6 while the pin defends the e5 pawn. xf3 As White now has enough time to establish control over his e5 pawn we should examine Black's alternatives. [ 9...c7 appears to be somewhat playable. 10.b5!? This is perhaps critical. ( 10.e2 is the most sensible response as g6?! 11.b5 cxe5 12.xe5 xe2 13.bxa6+ d8 14.xg6 hxg6 15.xe2 gives Black nothing like enough for the piece. ) A) 10...xf3?! allows a long line which looks very bad for Black to me. 11.xf3 xe5 12.bxa6+ 7c6 13.f4 xf3+ 14.gxf3 d7 ( 14...e5 should be preferred although 15.e3 e7 16.d1 leaves W hite on top.) 15.b1! xc5 16.xb7! xb7 17.axb7 xa4 18.b5 d7 19.xa4 d6 20.xc6+ xc6 21.xd6 xd6 22.d2 b8 23.b1 and this endgame looks lost to me although it's possible Black has some study like defence. On general principles the outside passed pawn in the king and pawn ending should decide.; B) 10...xe5 11.b1! xf3 12.xf3 d7 ( 12...xf3+ 13.gxf3 d8 1277
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 looks horrible) 13.bxa6 bxa6 14.b5 b7 15.xd7+ xd7 16.xd7+ xd7 17.e5+ e8 18.b7 f6 19.d3 and W hite has a definite advantage as Black struggles to complete his development. ] [ 9...h5 is a further option although 10.d4 c8 11.2b3 d7 12.a5 xa5 13.xa5 c6 14.xc6 xc6 15.d3 is a clear extra pawn. ] 10.xf3 b8 As Zelcic fails to win the e5 pawn this move doesn't achieve anything. However it's difficult to over a good alternative. [ Black could try 10...g6 but this is met by the powerful 11.d4! gxe5 12.f4! c4 13.xc6 d7 14.b5 bxc6 15.bxc6 c7 16.xc4 dxc4 17.e3 c8 18.b1 xc6 19.xc6+ xc6 20.b8+ e7 21.f2 and White's attack coupled with the passed c pawn will easily decide the game in his favour. ] 11.e2 g6 12.d4! The knight is extremely powerful on d4 completely dominating Black, while also getting out of the way allowing the e5 pawn further defence. g7 Zelcic decides the pawn wasn't edible but his position is already lost. [ Therefore he had to try 12...xe5 although 13.b5! A) 13...b8 14.bxa6+ bc6 15.f1! ( 15.b1 xa6 is the point behind shifting the king across to f1.) 15...g7 16.b1 0-0 17.xb7 and White's extra queenside pawns will prove decisive.; B) 13...xd4 14.cxd4 c7 15.bxa6+ c6 16.b1 g7 17.0-0 0-0 18.e3 bxa6 19.b6 and White has a clear and already virtually decisive advantage. ] 13.f4 0-0 14.0-0 White has consolidated his extra pawn and Black has absolutely nothing. A huge triumph for Berkes' opening idea. g5 Black's only possible pawn break but this doesn't cause W hite any problems. 15.g3 gxf4 16.gxf4 h8 17.h1 g8 18.d3 xd4 Ironing out White's pawn structure is hardly what Black wants but it's tough to offer any alternatives. 19.cxd4 f5 [ 19...c6 is perhaps a better try but 20.e3 d8 21.a3 f5 22.c2 h6 23.f2 followed by occupying the g file and finally advancing on the queenside will prove a
rather easy path to the full point. ] 20.xf5 exf5 21.d7! Winning another pawn should W hite wish and already Black could resign. e8 22.xe8 Berkes decides his position is good enough without grabbing another pawn. [ 22.xf5 and ] [ 22.xb7 are both a clear two pawns up. ] 22...axe8 23.a4 White's extra pawn on the queenside decides. h6 24.a3 g6 25.h3 f6 26.h5 fxe5 27.dxe5 f8 28.d1 g7 29.xd5 g4 30.d7+ g6 31.h3 xf4 32.hxh7 A rather one-sided game. It appears that Black has to take 5.Nf3 seriously as 6.c3 is an important new development. 1-0
1216 Bezgodov,Alexei Galkin,Alexander TCh Sochi RUS (1) [John Watson]
B12 2561 2590 02.05.2007
Black doesn't solve 4 Nd2 in this game, either. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.d2 See my note to the Rublevsky-Morozevich game e6 5.b3 e7 Not bad, but g7 is a target and his knight still has to get out. Black should consider castling queenside. 6.d3 [ 6.e2 ] [ and 6.f3 d7 7.e2 are also interesting, because Black has to figure out a way to develop his kingside. I like White. ] 6...xd3 7.xd3 d7 8.f3 [ 8.g3 f8! ( 8...g6? 9.f3 c5 10.dxc5 xc5 11.xc5 xc5 12.0-0 ) 9.e2 e7 is close to equal. ] 8...h5!? 9.h3 a6 [ 9...h6 should be the point of ...h5, but Black wants White to commit. ] 10.0-0 h6 11.d2 f5 [ 11...g5!? would be a typical French attacking/space-gaining move. ] 12.a5 c7?! Black walks onto the c-file. [ 12...b6 13.c4 g5! demonstrates that he has counterchances. ] 13.c4 b6?! [ 13...g5 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.fc1 b6 ] 14.b3 dxc4 15.xc4 Now White has space. c5 1278
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ 15...h4? 16.d5! exd5 17.f4 is a surprising win because of the dua l threats e6 and Qxf5! ] 16.dxc5 xc5 17.ac1 b7 [ 17...0-0 18.xc5 xc5 19.e4 b5 20.g4! , etc. ] 18.xc5 xc5 19.b4! Good, although [ 19.b4 e7 20.c7 yields a nice edge. ] 19...c8 20.xc5 [ 20.b3! threatens Bxc5 and is more convincing. ] 20...xc5 21.a4+ [ 21.e2 xc1 22.xc1 0-0 23.c4 d8 isn't convincing Black is almost equal. ] 21...b5 22.c2 0-0 23.f4! Exploiting the weak h-pawn. d5 24.fc1 b5?! 25.h2 [ 25.g5! h4 26.c7 would make life hard for Black. ] 25...b6 26.c8 xc8 27.xc8+ d8 28.xd8+ [ 28.c1!? ] 28...xd8 29.e4 a5 30.a3 h4 31.c6 d4 32.xd4 ½-½
1217 Bologan,Viktor Antoniewski,R Schachbundesliga 2011-12 (10) [Tom Rendle]
B12 2656 2585 25.02.2012
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 e7 6.0-0 c5 7.c4 bc6 8.a3 dxc4 9.xc4 d5 10.g5 d7 11.c1 h6 12.e3 b5 13.a3 a6 14.dxc5 e7 15.c2 xe3 16.xe3 e4 17.a4 Up until here this is all covered in my joint update last month with Gawain in GopalL a z n i c k a w h i c h c o n t i n u e d 1 7 . a 3 b7 18.axb5 axb5 19.d2 [ 19.d4 we thought might be the critical m o ve in t h i s p o sit io n wh e n t h e c rit ica l position arises after 0-0-0 20.xc6 xd1 21.xe7+ d8 22.fxd1+ xe7 and the question here is does the Rook, knight and pawn outweigh Black's Queen. My feeling is that the passed pawn on c5 is strong and White has a lot of control here so he certainly shouldn't be worse, however Bologan has now played this line with both
colours so I would have to imagine he's examined this position and declined to play it. Perhaps he doesn't see a way for White to improve the position after for example 23.f3 c6 24.b4 a8 25.d6 f8 Black is indeed very solid here, ] 19...g6 20.b3 Finally a new move from Bologan, aiming to set Black some practical problems here. Antoniewski responds very accurately so I'm not sure this move really changes the assessment of this line from equal. [ 20.f3 d8 21.xc6+ xc6 22.f3 c7 was equal in Cheparinov, I (2671)-Bologan, V (2692)/Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2009 (as mentioned in last month's update). ] 20...d8! Other moves aren't sufficient for equality in my opinion [ 20...xe5 21.d4 ( 21.d4!? f6 22.fd1 also looks preferable for White) 21...0-0 22.c6 b6 23.c7 it's important the pawn is pushed as quickly as possible as now Black d o e s n ' t g e t t o p l a y a R o o k t o d 8 fc8 24.xb5 and now White is a fairly safe pawn up unless Black tries a5 but this isn't g o o d e n o u g h b e c a u s e o f ( 24...e4 is probably best but still White is doing well after 25.d4 ) 25.c4! xb5 26.d6 d7 27.xc8 xc8 28.b3 a8 29.c3! d7 30.a1 and the pawn on c7 gives White a winning advantage ] [ 20...0-0 is the most solid move and now 21.f3 c7 22.xc6 xc6 23.d4 c7 24.e2! is good for White as xe5?! fails to 25.c6 f6 26.d5! exd5 27.xe7+ h7 28.xd5 ] 21.e1 xe5 22.c3 [ 22.c6 is interesting but doesn't seem to give any advantage after c7 ( 22...xc6? 23.f3 d6 24.a5 would be rather embarrassing for Black) 23.a5 xa5 24.xa5 d3! 25.xd3 xd3 26.c2 b4 and Black has no problems ] 22...f6! [ 22...b8 is interesting but maybe White c a n m a k e i t t r i c k y w i t h 23.f4!? d3 24.xd3 f6! 25.b4 xd3 26.f2 0-0 27.g4 when Black has to be a bit careful. ] 23.c6 c7 24.a5 xa5 25.xa5 d3! This move always seems to solve Black's problems, I can't see any edge for White here 1279
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 at all 26.fe1 [ 26.c7 c8 27.xd3 xd3 28.c2 0-0 and the pawn on c7 is more of a weakness than a strength, with Black intending to play Nb4 and Na6 to win the pawn. ] 26...xe2 27.xe2 d3 The knight is so well placed here Black is doing fine 28.cc2 0-0 29.ed2 b4 30.xd8 [ 30.c7?! would just be a mistake here after xd2 31.xd2 c8 32.d7 f8 and White would be left struggling to draw ] 30...xd8 31.c5 c8 Black has the pawn on c6 well blockaded and Bologan wisely grabs the pawn on b5. The resulting ending is just a draw but Bologan decides to test his opponent's technique anyway but Antoniewski is well up to the task. 32.xb5 xc6 33.c5 a7 34.xc8+ xc8 35.b4 f8 36.b5 d4 37.ec4 e8 38.c6 c5 39.f1 f6 40.e2 h5 41.f3 d7 42.d3 g1 43.h3 h4 44.e4 g6 Black is content to sit here as there's no way for W hite to make any progress. 45.d3 b6 46.c3 f2 47.b3 d6 Antoniewski chooses to swap off a pair of knights but I think sitting passively was also good enough as well [ f o r e x a m p l e 47...c7 48.a4 b6+ 49.xb6 xb6 is drawn ] 48.xd6 xd6 49.c4 b6 50.d3 g5 51.c4 f5 52.b4 e5 53.d3+ d6 54.b2 f2 55.b4 e1+ 56.c4 f2 57.d3 b6 58.b4 e5 59.d3+ Black was made to work hard for the draw but to be honest he was never is serious difficulty. The ball is definitely in White's court in this line and I wonder if we'll see someone try 19. Nd4!? sometime soon? ½-½
White is the flexibility he has in developing his pieces- sometimes c4 happens, sometimes c3, so m e t i m e s N d 2 - b 3 , s o m e t i m e s N a 3 - c 2 , sometimes Nh4, sometimes Ne1, sometimes Be3, sometimes b3 and Bb2. Black also has a lot of flexibility, which means that the opening is hard to 'pin down' theoretically- lines can look similar but have important nuances. It will take me a while to fully get my bearings on all the lines, but this particular game, although a win for Black, reminded of why the line is so popular for White. d7 6.0-0 g6 7.c3 h6 8.xh6!? This simple approach doesn't work well here, but I am sure there is a way to make it look more promising for White. Moreover, Bologan has played this way before, so he must believe in this approach. gxh6 9.bd2 e7 [ 9...c5 10.c4!? probably worried Dreev. ] [ 9...f6 is more commonly seen, when White c a n c h o o s e b e t w e e n 10.b3 and ( 10.b3!? with the idea b6 11.exf6 )] 10.e1 [ 10.b4!? holds up c5 and completely changes the character of the position. Left undisturbed, White can continue with Nb3 and Qd2 and will have a pleasant position. ] 10...c5 11.b3 b6 12.dxc5 xc5 13.f3?! White should probably take the opportunity to get rid of the bishop pair. [ 13.xc5 xc5 14.d4 ( 14.f3 e4 ) 14...xd4 15.cxd4 c8 16.f3 c2 17.fc1! is an important detail that allows White to play this way. ] 13...f8! An excellent move that will probably find itself in books on opening play for years to come. The idea of rerouting a bishop from a3-c5 to h8-a1 like this is not new, but here it works particularly well. 14.a4 There is a reckless feel to Bologan's play in this game, 1218 B12 a n d a l t h o u g h t h i s m o v e i s n o t b a d , i n Bologan,Viktor 2661 c o n j u n c t i o n wi t h c 4 i t s e e m s t o m e r e l y Dreev,Alexey 2697 weaken white's position. [ 14.c4!? e4 15.bd2 d8 16.a4 7th Karpov Poikovsky RUS (7) 25.03.2006 looks more promising. ] [Jonathan Rowson] 14...a6 15.c4 e4! 16.a5 b4 17.bd2 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 d8 18.cxd5 xd5 19.c2 g7 20.c4 I used to play this 'Short-system' about ten Perhaps only here does W hite actually go years ago, with good results, but I lost interest wrong. [ 20.a4 e7 21.c3 0-0 22.g4 in it when everybody else started playing it! looks more organised for White. ] One of the main attractions of this line for 1280
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20...0-0 21.fd1 c8 22.b3 [ 22.a4 was necessary. It is hard to imagine what Bologan missed in the game. ] 22...xe5! 23.fxe5 xe5 24.a4 e7 25.d2 g7 26.f3 [ 26.b6 xb3 27.xc8 xc8 28.g4 xd1 29.xh6 f6 30.xd1 c5 is not much better. ] 26...xf3 27.gxf3 fd8 28.e2 g5+ 29.f1 xd1+ 30.xd1 d8 31.c2 h5 32.g2 g6+ 33.xg6 hxg6 34.b4 d7 35.b6 c7 36.a8 c3 0-1
Karjakin, S (2723)-Bareev, E (2634) Moscow 2009.; A2) 9.cxd4 ge7 10.h4 f5 11.xf5 xf5 and Black's position is r e a s o n a b l y s o l i d . 12.c3 e7 ( 12...g6 was tried in Adams, M-Ragger, M Baden-Baden 2010 and also worked o u t w e l l f o r B l a c k : 13.b3 d7 14.ac1 e7 15.b5 c8 16.a4 0-0 17.c5 xc5 18.xc5 a6 19.e2 b8 20.fc1 xc5 21.xc5 c8 22.xc8+ xc8 and Black held without too much d i f f i c u l t y.) 13.a3 0-0 14.b4 c8 15.d2 a5 16.b5 b8 17.g4 White's only way to make progress here 1219 B12 is to advance on the kingside but of course this gives Black counter-chances. Bologan,Viktor 2687 g6 18.f4 f5 19.g5 b6 20.fc1 d7 Eljanov,Pavel 2704 21.h4 f7 22.h5 g6 23.h6 19th TCh-RUS 2012 (6) 14.04.2012 and of course W hite must have some [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle] advantage with that bishop stuck on f7 but the Italian failed to break through. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 Caruana, F (2675)-Lenic, L (2592) Chur c5 6.0-0 c6 7.c3 g6 A new move for the SUI 2010.; site. Eljanov drops the bishop back so White B) 8...b6!? 9.b3 ( 9.d2 seems more doesn't have the option of recapturing on d4 critical. ) 9...h6 10.dxc5 xc5 11.xh6 with the knight. gxh6 12.b4 f8! A classic rerouting of the [ 7...cxd4 8.xd4 was examined by John bishop. 13.b5 e7 14.bd2 g7 15.c4 Watson in Sjugirov, S (2562)-Cheparinov, I 0-0 16.b3 fc8 and Black's bishop pair (2679) Budva 2009. ] do a good job. In the end Black won in 8.a3 Bologan leaves his bishop back on c1 Arakhamia-Grant, K (2451)-Eljanov, P and prepares to fight on the queenside with b4. (2761) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010. ] The position resembles an Advanced French. The bishop on g6 is of course superior to the 8...cxd4 [ 8...c4 would be Black's typical reaction in bishop on d7 but Black is 2 tempi down (...c6t h e F r e n c h b u t p e r h a p s h e r e 9.b3! c5 and ... Bf5-g6) and so he has to be careful is rather annoying. ( Instead a recent game White doesn't blow open the position. continued 9.e3 but this looks rather [ A previous game of Eljanov's continued with illogical. Following h6 10.xh6 gxh6 the more popular 8.e3 11.e1 b6 12.a2 e7 13.d2 0-0-0 A) 8...cxd4 is more popular. Black is Black must have had quite a comfortable perhaps a shade worse but very solid. position. Liu Qingnan (2483)-Paragua, M A1) 9.xd4!? actually seems to be (2521) Ho Chi Minh City 2012.) 9...cxb3 possible here and was tried by one of 10.xb3 b6 when keeping the queens on the top 10 in the world, admittedly only in with 11.a2 looks critical and maybe grants a b l i t z g a m e : ge7 ( 9...xe5 W hite something, i.e. a5 12.a4 b3 is quite critical when I imagine Karjakin's 13.b5+ d8 14.e2 c2 15.e1 idea was something like 10.f4 c6 and Black's position looks a little shaky. ] 11.f5 exf5 12.xf5 but f6 must be fine for Black.) 10.f4 f5 9.cxd4 ge7 10.b4 c8 The first new move. 11.xf5 xf5 12.d2 h5 13.f3 e7 Eljanov brings the knight round to b6 and into 14.d4 xd4 15.xd4 g6 16.b3 b6 c4. [ Instead another GM chose to stick the 17.fd1 and White had some edge: 1281
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 knight on f5 which seems to fit better with his previous ...Bg6. 10...f5 11.b2 e7 12.bd2 b6 preventing the plan Bologan used in the game. 13.a4 0-0 14.b5 b8 15.c3 ( 15.g4!? h4 16.xh4 xh4 17.f4 is messier but we feel White should h a v e t h e b e t t e r c h a n c e s .) 15...d8 ( B l a c k s h o u l d p r o b a b l y o p t f o r 15...a6 when a logical line could run 16.bxa6 xa6 17.fb1 a7 18.d7 ab8 19.c1 fd8 20.a4 a8 when Black has forced White back and looks to have rough equality.; 15...a5!? is also interesting but may just t r a n s p o s e .) 16.a5! b6 17.b4 and White's extra space granted him some advantage. Zhigalko, S (2680)-Lupulescu, C (2626) Aix-les-Bains 2011. ] 11.bd2 b6 12.b2 A very sensible development plan by Bologan but it's surprising how quickly the strong Russian GM gets into hot water. e7 13.e1 f6?! Eljanov strives for counterplay but it backfires. [ 13...0-0 might be better but Black is a bit passive after something like 14.d3 a6 15.c1 d7 16.b3 when White can do more with c5 than Black with c4. ] 14.h4! Suddenly Black's in trouble. fxe5 15.h5 e4?! And after this Eljanov is virtually lost. [ He had to try 15...f7 but 16.dxe5 0-0 17.c1 leaves Black's very passive. ] 16.dxe5 0-0 17.b3 The bishop may look nice and centralised on e4 but unfortunately he cannot hold onto all his material. c4 E l ja n o v d e c id e s t o s a c ri f i ce a p a wn b u t White's initiative doesn't dissipate. [ Dropping the bishop back with 17...f5 but 18.g4! g5 19.f4 and Black gets insufficient play f or t he p ie ce : ( B e t t e r t h a n 19.gxf5 xd2 20.f6 gxf6 21.exf6 xf6 with an extremely complicated position.) 19...xg4 20.xg4 xf4 21.xe6+ h8 22.xf4! xf4 23.g3 and the two bishops trump the rook and pawn. White even has the safer king now. ] [ Perhaps 17...h8 i s b e s t b u t 18.xe4 dxe4 19.d1 d5 20.h6 gxh6 21.g4 leaves White with a very strong initiative. Following e3 White has a variety of ways of p l a y i n g , e v e n 22.f3!? e2 23.xe6 is very strong. ]
18.xc4 dxc4 19.xc4 h8 20.d1 b6 21.xe6 A second pawn drops and Black doesn't really have any compensation for it, he even has to watch out f or W hite's two bishops raking down the a1-h8 and a2-g8 diagonals. ad8 22.h6! Bologan doesn't take any time out from his initiative and shows that, together with being two pawns up, W hite's attack is more dangerous. d4 23.hxg7+ xg7 24.e3 xe6 25.xe4 f4 26.e2 df8 27.d7 4f7 28.d6! A pretty finish and a well played game by Bologan although Eljanov obviously had a bad day. However White's opening deserves to be repeated. 1-0
1220 Bologan,Viktor Panarin,M 19th TCh-RUS 2012 (2) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B12 2687 2523 10.04.2012
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 d7 6.0-0 g6 7.c3 h6 [ 7...a6 was investigated in Ni Hua (2632)Minasian, A (2595) Moscow 2007 by John Watson. ] [ 7...e7 8.h4 is the point ] 8.xh6 And this must be the critical test of Black's setup. [ Instead Gawain looked at 8.f4 in Adams, M (2723)-Monroy, C (2421) Caleta 2011. ] [ 8.a3 has proven quite popular in computer and Correspondence games but fairly rare in 'otb' encounters. However Najer did try it out twice against Dreev in 2004 albeit only in blitz games. ] [ 8.bd2 is the other main move in the Hiarcs Opening Book. Ni Hua tried this fairly recently which continued: e7 9.e1 c5 10.df3 f5 11.d3 cxd4 12.cxd4 0-0 13.f4 c8 14.g3 ( 14.d2 is Hiarcs' recommendation.) 14...b6 15.g2 b8 16.xg6 fxg6 17.b3 d8 18.a4 c6 19.d1 a6 and Black's position looked completely respectable although W hite eventually exploited his extra 300 rating p o in t s. Ni Hu a (2 6 3 3 )-T o lo go n t e gin , S (2330) Guangzhou 2010. ] [ While Mickey Adams tried grabbing space 1282
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 with 8.a4 c8 9.a5 a6 10.f4 e7 11.e1 0-0 12.b4 This game has similarities to Adams-Monroy in the archives. White's queenside expansion has prevented Black from getting counterplay there and so Black tried f6 but following 13.exf6 xf6 14.g5 f7 15.xh6 gxh6 16.d3 h5 17.bd2 f8 18.e5 g6 19.xg6 hxg6 20.e3 Black had a miserable position. Adams, M (2706)-Conquest, S (2523) Canterbury 2010. ] 8...gxh6 9.bd2 f6 [ In the archives Jonathan Rowson had a look at 9...e7 10.e1 ( 10.b4!? is JR's suggestion; while 10.b3 0-0 11.d2 g7 12.c1!? followed by 13.Nd3 looks interesting.) 10...c5 in Bologan, V (2661) -Dreev, A (2697) Poikovsky 2006. ] 10.b3 And everyone has so far played this way. [ However 10.b3!? also looks interesting. Following b6 11.exf6 d6 12.g3 White can try putting pressure on e6. Both sides will battle for the e5 square. ] 10...g7 11.exf6 xf6 12.fd2 Bologan's new try. Th e knight isn't on such a goo d circuit but W hite keeps the e1 square free, something Bologan exploits in the game. [ In the past White has always dropped the kn igh t b a c k t o e 1 , 12.e1 preparing to bring the knight back to d3 to keep an eye on e5. e5 Black breaks before White gets tim e to play f 4 , con dem ning Black t o a backward pawn on e6 for the rest of the game. ( 12...0-0 doesn't feel right as the g file was a big part of Black's counterplay. After 13.f4 e7 14.d3 b6 15.e5 xe5 16.dxe5 c5 17.g3 f5 18.d2 b5 19.f3 ab8 20.a3 a5 21.h4 e4 22.d3 xd3 23.xd3 White was definitely on top Inarkiev, E (2618)-Pantsulaia, L (2510) Saint Vincent 2005.; 12...0-0-0 13.d3 e5 14.g4 could be problematic ) A) 13.dxe5 has also been tried: xe5 14.g4 d6 15.d4 c5 ( Black was evidently scared that 15...0-0 would be met by 16.e6 but f7 17.xg7 xg7 doesn't look too bad for Black.) 16.f5 f6 17.xg7+ xg7 Inarkiev, E (2628)Anastasian, A (2580) Fuegen 2006 when maybe White's best would be to bring the
knigh t ba ck in to t he ga me wit h 18.f3 with something small.; B) 13.g4 This was how Bologan played last time . f5 14.dxe5 xe5 15.xf5 xf5 16.d4 f7 17.f4 0-0 18.d3 c4 19.f3 ae8 and Black's activity compensates for his slightly compromised structure. Bologan, V (2700)-Izoria, Z (2606) Saint Vincent 2005 ] 12...e5 [ 12...0-0-0 is probably better. Panarin was probably worried about 13.f4 hg8 14.g4 with a complex position: W hite can play against the e6 pawn and point at Black's doubled h pawns but in return Black has the bishop pair and some pressure down the g file. We had a look at h5!? giving up a pawn for the h6 square and deflecting the bishop but 15.xh5 h6 16.g3 f5 17.h1 feels to favour White. ] [ 12...0-0 13.f4 ] 13.g4 0-0-0 It makes sense to get the king to safety but now the knight cannot recapture on e5. [ Rybka recommends 13...d6 but A) 14.dxe5 doesn't look enough to promise an edge: xe5 15.f4 xg4 16.xg4 0-0 17.f5 h5 18.g5 ( or 18.h3 f7 19.f3 ae8= ) 18...f6 19.e3 when ae8 starts a long forcing line which works out alright for Black: 20.xa7 g5 21.d4 e3+ 22.h1 xd4 23.xd4 xf5 when Black looks to be doing fine.; B) 14.e1 0-0-0 15.dxe5 xe5 16.f3 g7 17.e6 f4 18.fd4 and White has taken the initiative. ] 14.dxe5 xe5 15.e1 f6 16.e6 Very logical but this isn't the most accurate. [ Instead 16.c5 looked promising: f5 17.xf5 xf5 18.e6 dg8 19.f3 g6 20.h3 Black will be obliged to trade queens when W hite can try utilising his passed f pawn. ] 16...f8 Panarin wants to control c5 to prevent the knight jump but he needn't have feared it. [ Instead 16...f7 l o o k e d s a f e r 17.c5 can safely be met with ( 17.f3 is White's b e s t , wh e n xf3 18.xf3 transposes to 17...Qxf3 in the game. ) 17...b8 ] 1283
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.f3 Bologan offers the exchange of queens. [ 17.e2 was a better way to exploit Black's previous b8 18.e7 keeps Black under pressure. ] 17...b8 [ 17...h5!? looks an interesting alternative when White should decline the pawn with 18.h3 ( as 18.xh5?! xf3 19.xf3 e5 leaves the rook on e6 looking very offside. )] [ The computer claims 17...xf3 18.xf3 c7 e qu a lise s b u t 19.ae1 feels more pleasant for White. ] 18.g3+ Bologan changes his mind about exchanging queens, a slightly strange decision. [ 18.ae1 is preferable when Black will soon have to swap queens. ] 18...a8 19.ae1 h5 20.h3 c5 21.e7? Around here the game becomes very sharp and both players commit errors. Bologan randomises but with correct play he is now in trouble. [ 21.xc5 was better but Black is definitely over the worst. ] 21...xb3? And Panarin errs in turn. [ Instead he needn't have feared White's a t t a c k a n d c o u l d h a v e c a l m l y p l a ye d . 21...d3! 22.a5 ( 22.1e6 h6!; and 22.1e2 f4 23.2e3 h6 both leave White in dire straits. ) A) 22...xe1 is very complicated after 23.xb7 ( 23.c7 b8 ) 23...e5! 24.e3 ( 24.xe5 xf2+! 25.xf2 d3+ is the point.) 24...b8 25.xe1 but Black probably has the upper hand.; B) 22...h4! was perhaps overlooked by both played but is extremely powerful. 23.c7 ( 23.e3 d4!-+ ) 23...xf2+ 24.h1 b6 and Black has fought off the attack with a decisive material advantage. ] 22.c7 b8 23.axb3?! Bologan is again over-optimistic. His play down the a file will come a tempo too late. [ Instead he should have recaptured with 23.xb3 when Black still has to show a route to equality, for example f6 24.7e6 d8 25.d6 f7 26.d4 f8 27.f3 e4!? 28.h1 and White still has the more pleasant prospects. ]
23...f6 24.a1 [ 24.d7 d8 25.e5 b6 also seems to favour Black. ] 24...d8! Defending against the threat of Rxa7+ and Qa5 mate. Now White is forced to exchange queens when his position is rather unpleasant as Black's bishop pair dominate. 25.xd8 bxd8 26.e6 hf8 Black definitely has the upper hand now but Panarin was evidently happy with the draw. 27.f3 d4 Black wants to force a draw with his higher rated opponent [ 27...b8 would have kept the pressure up on White. He may be able to draw but he'll have to work for it. ] 28.xd4 xd4 29.cxd4 xd4 30.ae1 b8 31.g3 fd8 [ 31...f3 was also a little better for Black but W hite should be able to hold reasonably comfortably with 32.6e3 ] 32.f4 f7 33.e7 xb3 34.xh7 d1 35.he7 a5 36.g4?! An odd choice. Both players were probably in time trouble at this point and again Bologan pushes his luck, [ 36.xd1 xd1+ 37.f2 was better when again the game should be drawn but it is now Black who has to be more careful. ] 36...hxg4 37.xg4 1d2 [ 37...1d4! was rather unpleasant for White. ] 38.e8 xe8 39.xe8+ c7 40.e2 xe2 Taking the draw. [ We're sure, had colours been reversed, B o l o g a n w o u l d h a v e p l a y e d 40...d4 and tried to grind down his opponent ] 41.xe2 d6 ½-½
1221 Bologan,Viktor Riazantsev,A 19th TCh-RUS 2012 (3) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B12 2687 2710 11.04.2012
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 e7 6.c3!? Most people castle automatically but this little pawn move has a decent pedigree with Caruana amongst the strong players recently essaying it. [ Instead 6.0-0 is played in almost all the 1284
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 games which has been examined many times in the archives, including Gopal, G (2566)-Laznicka, V (2704) Caleta 2012 which we analysed. ] [ w h i l e M i l o s h a d a l o o k a t 6.bd2 in Grischuk, A (2752)-Laznicka, V (2703) Porto Carras 2011. ] 6...d7 [ 6...h6 7.0-0 d7 has been seen in quite a lot of high rated encounters. A) Although the slightly odd knight jump 8.a3 has actually been the most common move. The knight will jump back t o c 2 a n d d i s s u a d e s t h e . . . c 5 b re a k , Black's main source of counterplay. c8 ( 8...c7 has been the overwhelming choice in Hiarcs Opening Book.; 8...h7 9.c2 f5 10.d3 e7 11.g4 h4 12.xh7 xh7 13.xh4 xh4 14.f4 White's extra space here should grant him s o m e s m a l l a d v a n t a g e . H o w e v e r f5? was definitely not helpful as 15.gxf5 exf5 16.h5+ f8 17.xf5+ g8 18.e3 wa s j u s t wi n n i n g . H r a c e k , Z ( 2 6 3 2 ) Kulovana, E (2362) Hustopece 2010.) 9.c2 c5 10.dxc5 xc2 11.xc2 xc5 12.d1 d7 13.a4 c6 Svidler, P (2723)- Nakamura, H (2699) Gjovik 2009 when 14.c4! looks very promising for W hite, e.g. b6 15.b3 d7 16.cxd5 xd5 17.d4 xe5 18.f4! c6 19.xc6 bxc6 20.e5 with very strong pressure for the pawn.; B) 8.bd2 would be in keeping with White's normal plans in this structure. B1) Caruana has had the White side of this position twice in the last couple of years. In the other game Black opted to drop back his bishop with 8...h7 9.b3 f5 10.d3 g6 ( Presumably he was worried that 10...e7 might be met with 11.g4 h4 12.xh7 xf3+ 13.xf3 xh7 when the rook looks slightly odd but Black's probably fine.) 11.e1 h5 12.g3 c5 13.b1 e7?! 14.xc5 xc5 15.dxc5 xb1 16.xb1 a5 Ca ru a n a , F ( 2 7 1 4 ) -M it o n , K (2 6 1 9 ) Mulhouse 2011 when giving back the pawn with 17.d3 xa2 18.g5 gives White a definite edge.; B2) 8...g5!? is an interesting way of
playing for Black. True his kingside is now a little vulnerable but at least he can develop his bishop to g7 and try pushing on the kingside. Iordachescu has played the W hite side twice this year. 9.e1 g7 10.f1 g6 11.h3 f5 ( In the second game Black d e vi a t e d wi t h 11...a6 12.d3 c8 Iordachescu, V (2644)-Evdokimov, A (2555) Dubai 2012. Here it looks the right time to try and block up the queenside with 13.b4 ) 12.d3 c7 13.a4 c5 Iordachescu, V (2651)-Vidit, S (251 3) Moscow 20 12 whe n t he ide a 14.b4!? looks quite tempting as grabbing a pawn with cxb4 15.cxb4 c3 16.a3 xb4 17.b3 xa4 18.b5 a5 19.xd7+ xd7 20.xb7+ looks very dangerous.; B3) 8...g6 9.b3 a5 10.a4 h5 11.h3 h4 12.h2 f6 13.e1 fxe5 14.dxe5 c5 15.xc5 xc5 16.f3 Caruana, F (2714)-Sasikiran, K (2676) New Delhi 2011 and Black was gradually ground down. ] [ 6...g6 7.0-0 f5 8.bd2 d7 9.g3 e7 10.g4! h6 11.e1 f6 12.f4 fxe5 13.fxe5 c5 14.g2 b6 15.b3 d8 16.a4 and White was better with his extra space while the knight looked offside on h6. Baklan, V (2627)-Podgaets, M (2465) Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 2009. ] [ 6...f6 was seen in Morovic Fernandez, I (2535)-Granda Zuniga, J (2550) Las Palmas 1991 and worked out well for Black after 7. Bf4 but 7.exf6 gxf6 8.h4 looks more promising. ] 7.0-0 Reaching the same position as in NegiBarbosa, seen elsewhere in this update. [ 7.h4 grabbing the bishop pair is the main alternative. g6 8.xg6 hxg6 9.d2 f5 10.f3 h4 11.xh4 xh4 12.g3 h8 13.0-0 e7 14.d3 c7 15.e2 c5 16.e3 And Black had the typical problem of wh e r e t o p l a c e h i s k i n g . H e t r i e d 0-0-0 17.a4 b8 but following 18.a5 White had the more attractive prospects. Morozevich, A (2747)-Asrian, K (2634) Fuegen 2006. ] 7...c5 Black's alternatives are all examined in Negi-Barbosa but this break feels critical. 8.dxc5 And again taking the pawn looks 1285
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 critical, gaining the d4 square for the White knight. [ 8.h4 is the main alternative but looks inferior. ] 8...xc5 [ 8...c6 is also played, delaying the recapture of the pawn but W hite now has good chances for an advantage. A) 9.b4 dxe5 ( Perhaps 9...a5 is a better plan.) 10.d4 xb1 11.xb1 e7 12.f4 d7 Benjamin, J (2540)Seirawan, Y (2615) Los Angeles 1991 13.b5 looks very unpleasant for Black.; B) 9.d4 xb1 10.xb1 xc5 11.b4 b6 12.f4 0-0 13.h1 e7 Bok, B (2 488)-Von Herman, U (2419 ) Dresden 2012 when my team mate could have increased the pressure with 14.xc6 bxc6 15.c4 and White's bishop pair and extra space give him a promising position. ] 9.d4 g6 [ 9...a6 was also tried in a recent GM game: 10.d2 d3 11.2b3 xe2 12.xe2 c6 13.e3 xd4 14.xd4 c8 15.fd1 d7 16.d2 c5 17.xc5 xc5 18.c4 0-0 19.b4 c7 20.cxd5 exd5 and White was a little better but Black held on. Bok, B (2513)-Lenderman, A (2581) Wijk aan Zee 2011. ] 10.c4 Bologan continues in the most forceful manner, opening up the centre before Black can get his king to safety. [ Of course such dynamic play isn't necessary and a high rated GM preferred 10.e3 c6 and only now 11.c4!? dxc4 12.xc6 bxc6 13.xc4 c7 14.f4 e7 15.c3 0-0 16.e2 fd8 17.fd1 with a small structural advantage. Baklan, V (2646)-Halldorsson, B (2240) Reykjavik 2010. ] 10...a6 [ 10...dxc4 11.xc4 a6 12.c3 would simply be a different route to the game. ] 11.c3 dxc4 12.xc4 f5 13.xf5 xf5 [ Exchanging queens doesn't look to be advisable but probably just about playable. 13...xd1 14.xd1 xf5 15.e3 c8 16.ac1 A) with 16...d7 Black looks to be able to
hold, for example 17.a4 c6 18.f4 might be a tad better for W hite. ( while the sharp 18.b3!? xe5 19.b6 d3 20.xc6 bxc6 21.a4 e4 22.f3 xb2 23.fxe4 xd1 24.xd1 is rather unclear. Generally we prefer the minor pieces but this situation isn't so clear. ); B) 16...e7? 17.b5! 0-0 ( 17...axb5 18.xb5+ f8 19.b4 would regain the piece ) 18.d6 xd6 19.exd6 d7 20.e2! e4 21.c7 with a beautiful position. Mamedov, N (2577)-Swapnil, S (2354) Sort 2008. ] 14.e3 e7 15.f3 0-0 16.ac1 [ White's main alternative would be to bring t h e o t h e r r o o k in t o t h e g a m e f irs t wit h 16.fd1 as was played last time this position was reached. A) 16...a5 17.ac1 b5 would transpose t o t h e g a m e ( while 17...fd8 is also playable. ); B) 16...c7 17.ac1 fd8?! ( 17...ad8 is the right rook, the point being that 18.b4 d7 19.d5 exd5 20.xd5 c2 and f 7 is de f end ed so 21.d2 xe5 is around level.) 18.b4 d7 ( or 18...d3 19.xd3 xd3 20.xd3 xd3 21.a4 d8 22.d1 when White would have a b i g a d v a n t a g e . B l a c k h a s t o t r y e8 to get out of the pin but 23.xd3 xa4 24.xb7 is a clear extra pawn.) 19.d5! exd5 20.xd5 xe5 21.d4 d6 22.xf5 and White's bishops dominated the board. 1-0 Mamedov, N (2580)Mammadov, Z (2443) Baku 2011. ] 16...b5 Of course this isn't forced but this compels W hite to show something. 17.fd1 a5 18.f1 [ Initially we got quite excited about 18.d5!? It seems as though Black holds on but still it was White's best try. exd5 19.xd5 A) 19...d3 would give White a pleasant c h o i c e b e t w e e n 20.xa8 ( and 20.xf7+!? ); B) 19...e4 20.xe4 xe4 21.xe4 xa2 This should be a little better for White but it might just drift towards a draw, e.g. 22.d7 ( 22.h4!? ) 22...e6 23.b7 fe8 24.f4 ad8 ] 18...ac8 19.d2 [ Again 19.d5!? is possible but now exd5 1286
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 20.xf5 xa2 21.c2 d4 22.xd4 e6 is fine for Black. ] 19...b4 20.d5 Now Bologan is compelled to play the knight jump. exd5 21.xf5 e6 22.a3 xc1 23.xc1 b6 24.d3 bxa3 25.bxa3 c5 The position has simplified. White can hope to exploit the bishop pair and two pawn islands against three but Black is rather active and we doubt he should really have any problems. 26.e1 The best way to play on. [ 26.e3 xe3 27.xe3 d4 is completely fine for Black. ] 26...b2 27.d1 d8 [ 27...c7 was also possible to hold onto both pawns and perhaps more accurate. ] 28.a4 a5 29.b1 [ 29.b5 was Bologan's last try for an a d v a n t a g e . xe5 ( 29...xb5 30.xb5 b6 31.g3 is at least a little awkward.) 30.xa5 b8 ( 30...h5 31.c1 d4 32.d2 e5 33.g3 d4 34.e3 and White holds together his kingside and can try to exploit his outside passed pawn.) 31.d2 And Black is at least under some pressure. However the following possible line indicates Black has enough to hold: b4 32.c1 d4 33.xb4 xb4 34.e1 d6 35.a5 a4 36.a6 d3 37.b1 a3 38.d1 c5 39.c1 f8 and Black will be able to trade a and d pawns for a draw. ] 29...xe5 30.xa5 a8 31.b4 g6 32.c2 xb4 33.xb4 a1 [ It was also possible for Black to advance his pawn with 33...d4!? but it won't change the result. ] 34.g3 d4 35.c7 f3+ 36.g2 e1+ Riazantsev takes the draw. [ 36...xa4 also boils down to a draw as long as W hite avoids 37.xa4 xa4 38.d8+ g7 39.xf3?? ( 39.xd5= ) 39...e4# ] 37.g1 f3+ 38.g2 e1+ 39.g1 f3+ 40.g2 A well played game by Riazantsev who, as always, looked very well prepared. W hite had the slightly better chances but Black held without too many problems. Perhaps next time White should try 18.Nd5. ½-½
1222 Brkic,A Zelcic,R 22nd TCh-CRO Cup 2013 (5.22) [Tom Rendle]
B12 2575 2543 25.05.2013
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.h4 h5 5.c4 e6 6.c3 dxc4 A slightly unusual choice in what's currently a fashionable variation - I don't think this game will gain it any more followers for Black either! [ 6...e7 7.ge2 d7 8.g3 g6 9.cxd5 xd5 10.e2 a5! is currently Black's best li n e , se e l a s t m o n t h ' s i m p o r t a n t g a m e Vachier Lagrave - Vitiugov ] 7.xc4 e7 [ 7...b5 had previously been played against Brkic but this quickly led to trouble after 8.b3 h6 9.g5 b6 10.ge2 a6 11.0-0 e7 12.d2 ( 12.xe7 xe7 13.a4 is obviously a lot better for White as well ) 12...g8?! a bizarre undeveloping m o v e t h a t d e s e r v e s t o f a i l ( 12...xg5 13.xg5 0-0 14.f4 is also bad news for Black ) 13.d5! f6 14.e3 c5 15.xc5 xc5 16.d4 xb3 17.axb3 d8 18.fe1 h6 19.exf6 0-0 20.fxg7 f6 21.xc6! xc6 22.dxc6 xd2 23.c7 e5 24.e4 c6 25.xd2 xc7 26.xe5 a6 27.xa6 and White had won rather easily in Brkic, A (2575)-Zelic, B (2354) Bol na Bracu 2013 ] [ 7...e7 is probably a better fit with 6...dxc4 although White should be a little better after A) 8.e2 A1) 8...d7 9.f3 ( 9.xh5!? ) 9...h6 10.g5 is definitely easier for White to play as Black's king is lacking an obvious place to hide.; A2) 8...xh4 A2a) 9.f1! is definitely an improvement here, for example e7 ( 9...g6? 10.g3 e7 11.g4 tra ps t he b isho p) 10.xh5 xh5 11.xh5 f8 12.ge2 and White has a nice edge; A2b) 9.g3 g5 10.g4 g6 11.gxh5 f5 was dynamically equal in Ziatdinov, R (2406)-Lenderman, A (2549) Moscow 2011; B) 8.f3 g4 9.b3 b5 10.e2 xf3 11.xf3 xd4 12.0-0 xe5 13.xb5 1287
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f6 14.g3! gave White excellent play for the pawn in Short, N (2660) -Khotenashvili, B (2333) Baku 2008 although later Black managed to hold the draw. ] 8.ge2 d5 [ 8...b5 9.d3 xd3 10.xd3 f5 was agreed drawn in Perunovic, M (2614)Ra d lo va c k i, J (2 4 0 8 ) V a lje vo 2 0 1 2 b u t 11.g5! e7 12.xe7 xe7 13.g3 seems to give W hite a pleasant edge as once the knight on f5 is removed the d6 square will look very inviting to the knight on c3! ] 9.g3 g6 10.e2!? A slightly strange move that works out well in the game [ 10.g5 a5 11.0-0! seems a safer way to an advantage to me, for example A) 11...xc3 12.bxc3 xc3 13.c1 a3 14.d5! exd5 15.xd5 gives White an extremely dangerous initiative, and of course the bishop cannot be taken here: cxd5?? ( 15...d3 16.e1! xd5 17.d1 d3 18.c3 a6 19.xd3 and Black is struggling here) 16.c8+ d7 17.xd5+ xc8 18.d8#; B) 11...b4 12.xd5! cxd5 13.f4 and f5 is coming with a strong attack ] 10...b4 At first this looks strong but in reality it leads to more problems for Black [ 10...c5! gives Black reasonable chances after 11.xd5 ( 11.dxc5 xc3 12.xd8+ xd8 13.bxc3 d7 and Black is at least equal here since c5 is dropping.) 11...xd5 12.f3 d7 13.d5 exd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.xd5 c6 ] 11.f1 c2 12.g5 f6? A plausible move but unfortunately for Zelcic it's tactically flawed [ 12...b6 13.c1 xb2 is a critical pawn grab but W hite seems to have more than enough compensation after 14.ge4! xe4 15.xe4 xd4 16.c3! c5 17.h3 t h r e a t e n i n g R b 1 b6 18.a4 a5 19.xc5! xc5 20.hc3 bc6 21.xc5 and White has the better chances although this is much preferable to the game continuation for Black. ] 13.exf6 gxf6 14.ge4?! This leads to a clear advantage but in fact moving the other knight was even better [ 14.ce4! is more accurate as after fxg5 15.xc2 g4 ( 15...gxh4 is not much better
16.d6+ xd6 17.xg6+ d7 18.e4 e7 19.c5+ c8 20.c4 and White has a winning attack) 16.d6+ xd6 17.xg6+ d7 White can now simply grab the pawn on h5 with 18.xh5 and White's a pawn up with a good position ] 14...fxg5 [ 14...xa1? 15.xf6 a5 16.xh8 is hopeless for Black ] 15.xc2 g4 16.d6+ xd6 17.xg6+ d7 18.e4 a6?! [ 18...e7 was a better defensive try although W hite is obviously clearly better after 19.g5 as the pawn on e6 will almost certainly drop at some point ] 19.d5! Smashing open the centre should lead to a quick win but Zelcic manages to keep the game going admirably cxd5 20.c1 c8 21.b5+ c6 [ 21...e7?? allows 22.g7# ] 22.g5?! [ 22.f6+ c7 23.xc6+ bxc6 24.xa6 was simpler - Black doesn't have much hope here, he's just a piece for a pawn down. ] 22...g8! 23.xg8 xg8 24.xc6 bxc6 25.xa6 e7! 26.e2 xg5 27.hxg5 xg5 so Black now has two pawns for the piece and at le ast so me cha nce o f ho ld in g a draw. W hite should still be winning here but it's actually surprisingly tricky to breakthrough here and if W hite was running low on time then it's obviously a lot tougher! 28.c1 [ 28.e3 e5 29.b4 d6 30.c8! leaves Black struggling g8 31.f5 g5 32.c2 c7 ( or 32...e4 33.f4 e5 34.d1 a6 35.a3 and Black is in a nasty zugzwang as e6? fails to 36.xh5 xh5 37.xg4+ f6 38.xh5 ) 33.g3 b6 34.c1! and Black is again struggling for moves ] 28...d6 29.b4 g7 30.g3 e5 31.h1 g5 32.c1 g7 33.d3 e4 34.c2 b7 35.a4 b6 36.e3 a6 37.b3 b6 38.a4 a6 39.b3 b6 40.h1 xb4 41.xh5 a5 42.h8 a4 43.d1 b2 44.xa4 xa2 45.d1 a3+ 46.f4 a2 47.e3 a3+ 48.f4 a2 49.e3 W hite must have been short of time as he could still have played on for a win with [ 49.h6+! c5 50.e3 a3+ 51.d2 a2+ 52.e1 a1 53.g6 although things 1288
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 are certainly a lot less clear than they were earlier. A great save from Zelcic! ] ½-½
1223 Carlsen,Magnus Doettling,Fabian VII Dos Hermanas Internet blitz (3.4) [Andrew Martin]
B12 2625 2542 25.03.06
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 I am fond of this move. Players with a good memory might prefer 3...Bf5, which has accumulated a vast body of theory in recent years. 4.f3 c6 5.c4!? This is about as radical as it gets in the Advance Caro. No stodgy, blocked positions here! g4 [ 5...e6 contradicts the basic idea of 3...c5, namely to keep the diagonal free for the c8 Bishop, but it is a solid move and cannot be criticized . 6.cxd5 White opens up anyway! exd5 7.b5 d7 8.0-0 cxd4 9.xd4 c5 10.b3 b6 11.c3 e6 12.a4 a5 13.e2 ge7 14.g5 0-0 15.xc6 bxc6 16.c1 c8 17.c5 Lastin, A-Zhang Zhong/Moscow 2001 ] [ 5...cxd4!? looks critical to me. 6.bd2 f5 7.b3 e6 8.cxd5 xd5 9.xd5 exd5 10.b5 a6 11.xc6+ bxc6 12.xd4 d7 ] 6.dxc5 [ 6.cxd5 xf3 ( 6...xd5 7.c3 ) 7.xf3 xd4 8.d1 xd5 9.b5+ d8 10.0-0 xe5 11.c3 e6 ( 11...f6; 11...c8 ) 12.b4 a6? ( 12...cxb4 13.e1 d6 14.f4! xf4 15.e4 ) 13.e1 c7 14.bxc5 xc5 15.e3 e5 16.f4 d6 17.e4 d5 18.xc5 xb5 19.g4 f6 20.xg7 e7 21.xe6 xe6 22.f5+ xf5 23.g5+ e4 24.xe4+ xe4 25.f6+ d5 26.d1+ d4 27.xf7+ c5 28.c7+ d5 29.xb7+ 1-0 Berescu, ASvetushkin, D/Bucharest 2005 ] 6...e6 Only a blitz game and so we cannot be to o ha rs h. Th ere ha ve be en o th er m ove s played: [ 6...dxc4!? 7.xd8+ xd8 8.xc4 xf3 9.gxf3 e6 10.e3 ge7 11.b5 a6 12.a4 d5 13.d2 xe3 14.fxe3 xc5 15.xc6+ bxc6 16.e2 Parligras, M-
Svetushkin, D/Agios Kirykos 2004 White has a minute edge. ] 7.cxd5 Carlsen continues with his policy of opening the game up but this does not turn out too well. All these pawn moves mean that he is falling behind in development! exd5 8.c3 xc5 9.xd5 xd5 10.xd5 0-0-0 I really like Black. The simple ideas of ...Bxf3 followed by ...Nxe5 or ..Nd4 and/or ...Nb4 make White's game unenviable. 11.c3 b4 12.e4 Desperate already. c2+ 13.e2 b6! [ De sp it e i n i t ia l a p p e a r a n ce s , 13...xa1 is not as good as it looks: 14.xc5 c2 15.e4 b8 ( 15...c7 16.d6 d7 17.d2 b4 18.b5 ) 16.d6 h5 17.d3 b4+ 18.c4 ] 14.d6+ [ 14.b1 d4+ ] 14...xd6 15.exd6 xa1 16.d1 f6 17.d3 d8-+ Even if White traps the Knight now his King is horribly exposed. 18.f4 [ 18.e3 xd6 19.e2 xe3 20.fxe3 b6 21.b3 xb3 22.axb3 xb3-+ ] 18...h5 19.e5 f6 20.g3 xg3 21.fxg3 xd6 22.e2 e6+ 23.d2 e3+ 24.d1 [ 24.e2 d4+ 25.d2 xb2 26.b1 b6 ] 24...c6 25.e1 c1+ 26.e2 xe1+ 27.xe1 e6 28.e2 c1 29.b3 g6 30.d1 e3 31.e2 h6 32.d4 d5 33.f2 a6 34.h4 d7 35.g4 f8 36.h5 c5 37.e3 xb3 38.xg6 hxg6 39.h6 g8 6 Naturally, importance of this game rests on W hite's uncommon opening choice and Black's response. Perhaps W hite should prefer cxd5 0-1
1224 Carlsen,Magnus Wang Hao 73rd Tata Steel (12) [Gawain Jones]
B12 2814 2731 29.01.2011
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.e3 This line used to be extremely topical. It has large similarities to the Short Variation but W hite remains flexible, able to play f2-f 4 before Nf3 if he wishes and dissuading the ... 1289
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c 6 - c 5 b r e a k . e6 5.d2 d7 6.gf3 As is typical of these systems there is now a big choice for Black in how to proceed. g6 [ Last time Carlsen had this position his opponent preferred. 6...f6 7.e2 A) 7...c7 has been more common: 8.f4 ( 8.0-0!? ) 8...fxe5 9.dxe5 e7 10.h4?! Typical Shirov, although I feel it is unsound. ( 10.d4 looks an interesting alternative although W hite doesn't have more than enough play for the pawn after g6 11.e3 xe5 12.2f3 d6 13.xf5 exf5 14.0-0 e7 15.c4 f4 16.d4 0-0 ) 10...g6 11.h2 0-0-0 12.g5 dxe5 13.g4 h6!? 14.gxf5 hxg5 15.fxg6 xh4 16.f3 b4 17.c3 dh8 18.cxb4? xh2 19.xh2 d3+ 20.e2 f4+ 21.e1 Shirov, A (2699) -Bologan, V (2666) Foros 2006 when the simple xh2 would have left Black with a decisive advantage.; B) 7...e7 8.0-0 c7 9.c4! A strong pawn sacrifice opening up the position. fxe5 10.dxe5 xe5 11.xe5 xe5 12.f3 d6 ( 12...xb2 looks very greedy. Maybe the best way to continue would be 13.d4 0-0-0 14.a4 a6 15.c5 with sacrifices on a6 looking very dangerous.) 13.b3 b6 14.ac1 g4 15.cxd5 exd5 16.fe1 xf3 17.xf3 0-0-0 18.xb6! axb6 19.xb6 h6? ( 19...c7 was forced but 20.g4+ d7 21.a6+ d8 22.xd7 xd7 23.b4 should also be a decisive attack.) 20.xe7! and White won quickly. Carlsen, M (2801)Bareev, E (2634) Moscow 2009. ] [ 6...e7 has been most common and is featured in two games in the archives. I daresay Magnus would have continued as in the game with A) 7.c3 was seen in a recent GM game. g6 8.h4 f5 9.xg6 fxg6!? An in te re st in g re cap tu re n ot a llowin g W hite the play he manages in the main game while perhaps finding counterplay down the f file. 10.d3 e7 11.0-0 0-0 12.f3 c5 13.g4 ( Tazbur evidently didn't feel like retreating although 13.d2 g5 14.g4! looks a better try for an edge.) 13...xe3 14.fxe3 c4 15.c2 b5 16.e1 b4 17.cxb4 b8 18.a3 a5 19.b3 axb4
20.axb4 xb4 1/2-1/2 Tazbir, M (2523)Macieja, B (2651) Wattenscheid 2010.; B) 7.h4 Degraeve, J (2566) -Lalic, B (2518) Cannes (open) 2004 is looked at in the archives with some joint analysis by Bogdan Lalic and Andrew Martin.; C) 7.e2 A recent game continued: c5 8.0-0 c6 9.c4! cxd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4 c5 12.b3 xd4 13.xd4 e4 14.f3 g6 15.cxd5 exd5 16.f4 and the structure obviously favoured White. Cao, S (2535)-Lan Zilun (2192) Kuala Lumpur 2010. ] [ 6...h6 is Black's option if he wishes to retain that light squared bishop. 7.e2 e7 8.c3 ( 8.0-0 seen in Shabalov, A (2608) Vallejo Pons, F (2678) Calvia 2004 looks more to the point - check the archives.) 8...h7 9.g4!? c5 10.0-0 c6 11.a3 a5 12.e1 b6 13.b3 a7 14.a4 e7 15.f4 0-0 White's pawn centre looks impressive but Black's pressure on the centre prevents White crashing through and gives Black enough time to create counterplay. 16.g2 ( 16.f5? cxd4 17.cxd4 dxe5! so White has to defend the bishop on e3 first.) 16...f6 17.h4 ac8 18.h2 b8 19.h3 cxd4 20.cxd4 d8 21.ac1 b6 22.b5 h5! And White's king suddenly felt extremely loose although capitulating with 23.xc6? bxc6 24.xc6 hxg4+ 25.g3 xe5! was surely not the answer. Kaplan, S (2422)-Roiz, M (2645) Biel 2010. ] [ 6...c7 7.h4 e7 8.e2 ( 8.f4 was Radjabov's choice and probably more critical. f6 9.d3!? xd3 10.cxd3 0-0-0 11.0-0 And here Ezat tried for counterplay with g5?! although 12.fxg5 fxe5 13.g4! left White with an edge. Radjabov, T (2748)Ezat, M (2472) Khanty Mansiysk 2009.) 8...c5 9.c3 cxd4 10.xf5 ( 10.cxd4 would be more logical but evidently White was worried about c2 ) 10...xf5 11.cxd4 b6 12.0-0 e7 13.b3 The knight is rather misplaced here ( 13.f3 looks like the more relevant square.) 13...a5 14.a4 0-0 15.b5 xe3 16.fxe3 xe5! 17.dxe5 xe3+ 18.h1 xe5 19.f2 and in this complex position the players agreed to a draw. 1/2-1/2 Varga, Z (2479)-Czebe, A (2480) Budapest 2010. ] 1290
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 7.e2 e7 [ 7...h6 has been seen more frequently. This is more sensible if Black definitely wants to commit the knight to f5 but perhaps W ang Hao wanted to keep flexibility with t h e k n i gh t t o d ro p in t o e it h e r f 5 o r c6 . Mickey Adams continued with A) 8.xh6 is of course the critical test of this move order. gxh6 9.0-0 e7 10.b3 ( 10.c4 0-0 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.b3 b6 13.d3 ac8 was about balanced. Smirnov, P (2620)-Galkin, A (2598) chessassistantclub.com 2004.) 10...0-0 11.d2 g7 12.c3 f6 13.exf6+ ( 13.e3!? keeping the centre flexible looks an interesting alternative.) 13...xf6 14.d3 c7 15.ae1 ae8 16.e3 e5 17.dxe5 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.xe5 xe5 20.g3 looked respectable for Black whose bishops and activity compensate for the open king and doubled h pawns. Spraggett, K (2592) -Pogorelov, R (2442) Andorra 2005.; B) 8.c3 f5 9.f4 e7 10.b4!? W e've seen him play in this style elsewhere in this update. a5 11.a3 0-0 12.0-0 b6 13.b3 c7 14.c1 axb4 15.axb4 xa1 16.xa1 c5 17.a4 c4 18.bd2 b7 19.a1 b5 20.a7 and W hite had a definite edge although the solid Peruvian held the draw. Adams, M (2703)-Granda Zuniga, J (2610) Zafra 2009. ] 8.h4 The critical test of Black's move order. c5 [ 8...f5 is Black's other attempt which looks a little more reliable although I feel W hite should be better. 9.xf5 xf5 when White can choose to grab space with A) or 10.0-0 which is a safer option that looks a little better for White. e7 11.g4 g6 12.f4 b6 ( 12...c5 13.c4! cxd4 14.xd4 dxc4 15.xc4 c5 16.d6+! xd6 17.exd6 xd6 18.f5 exf5 19.xg7 xd1 20.xd1 g8 21.d4 e6 22.f6 and White's bishops dominate the board. Bennett, H (2169)-Starostits, A (2 4 4 1 ) I C C F e m a i l 2 0 0 6 . A p o we r f u l display by the Kiwi captain!) 13.b3 0-0 14.e2 a5 15.a4 And White's position is t h e e a s i e r t o p l a y a l t h o u g h a f t e r c5
16.dxc5 xc5 17.f5 exf5 18.xf5 c7 19.xg6 hxg6 20.xc5 xc5 21.xc5 xc5+ 22.f2 c7 23.d4 ae8 24.fe1 e6 25.e2 c6 26.c3 d8 27.e3 e6 28.d4 c4 Black held wit h o u t t o o m a ny d if f icu lt ie s. 1 / 2 -1 / 2 Vaclav, J (2500) -W ojtkowiak, R (2250) ICCF email 2008.; B) 10.g4!? g6 11.h4 f6 12.h5 f7 13.f4 b6 won a pawn as Black threatens both ...Qxb2 and ... f xe5 and ...Nxe5. K o rn e e v, O (2 5 8 3 )-P e ra lt a , F (2 5 3 1 ) Seville 2005. I believe 14.c4 is best with a h i g h l y c o m p l e x p o s i t i o n . fxe5 ( 14...xb2?! Taking the pawn is too risky. 15.b1 xa2 16.cxd5 cxd5 17.xb7 b8 18.xb8+ xb8 19.c1! d8 20.h6! gives White a great initiative for the pawn. ) 15.fxe5 c5 16.cxd5 exd5 17.a4 cxd4 18.xd4 c5 19.xc5 xc5 20.f3 is probably around level. ] 9.c3 c6 10.xg6 hxg6 11.f3 This position has been reached a few times with great results for W hite. Black's main problem is that he cannot get his king to safety on the kingside as the doubled g pawns are a big weakness and h4-h5 will break through in short order. W hite's position is solid and it's tough to come up with a plan for Black. A further problem for Black is that ... . f7-f6 is now no longer a viable plan as the g6 pawn will prove too weak. c8 This appears to be new although doesn't change a great deal. [ 11...e7 was played in the previous two games that reached this position but White was successful in both. 12.0-0 A) 12...a6 13.d2 ( 13.g3!? using the plan Carlsen adopts in the game looks sensible. ) 13...b5 14.a4 b4 15.dxc5 xc5 16.xc5 xc5 17.ac1 e7 18.c4! and White had taken control of the queenside. Movsesian, S (2629)-Iljin, A (2522) Izmir 2004.; B) 12...0-0 13.d3 b6 14.e2 fc8 15.h4! highlighting Black's kingside weaknesses. cxd4 16.cxd4 b4 17.b1 a6 18.d1 Svidler wants to mate and so declines the queen trade. c6 19.e1!? Even going as far as sacrificing a pawn. xh4 20.a3 a6 21.g3 e7 22.d3 1291
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f8 23.g4 b8 24.g2 bd7 25.h1 a n d W h it e 's kin gsi d e p la y e ve n t u a ll y netted him the point. Svidler, P (2735) Macieja, B (2613) Germany 2004. ] 12.0-0 a6 13.g3! Preparing h2-h4 which both takes control of the g5 square and threatens h4-h5 should Black choose to castle. e7 14.h4 b5 This doesn't get anywhere but how else should Black proceed? [ 14...0-0 strikes me as extremely risky. 15.g2 b6 16.b1 followed by Rh1 and h5 and I don't really see how Black can survive. ] 15.a4! Attacking on both flanks. b6 16.axb5 axb5 17.g2 c4 Taking the pressure off the centre is not generally what Black wants to do but he was running out of a plan. [ 17...b4 would be more challenging but 18.a4 is now very awkward to deal with. c4 19.b3! cxb3 20.fb1 and White has taken over the queenside. ] 18.g5 d8 19.g4! Carlsen thought Wang Hao probably missed this plan. Suddenly there is overwhelming pressure on the e6 pawn. xg5 And Wang Hao decides he cannot live with that pressure and so exchanges but now his dark squares are extremely vulnerable. [ A sample line to show the difficulties Black f a c e s g o e s : 19...b6 20.xf7! xf7 21.xe6+! xe6 22.g4+ f7 23.e6+ g8 24.exd7 f8 25.e6+ h7 26.h5 gxh5 27.xd5 g6 28.e4 and the threat of d4-d5 wins material. ] 20.xg5 c7 21.h1 b6 22.h5 Crashing through - there's no defence. gxh5 23.xh5 a4 24.xf7+! And a pretty finish. xf7 25.f3+ g8 [ 25...g6 26.f6 is likewise winning. h6 27.xh6+ gxh6 28.h1 and White has forced mate. ] 26.xh8+ xh8 27.h1+ g8 28.h5 f8 29.f6 And Wang Hao resigned as his po sition is c olla psing com plet e ly. A we ll played game by Carlsen and I think Black players will stop playing 8...c5. [ T h e c o m p u t e r p re f e rs 29.h7+ f7 30.h6 but the text is more human. d8 31.f6+ e8 32.h5+ f7 33.f4! wins as White threatens Bxd8 and picking
up the rook. ] 1-0
1225 Caro Kann Advance Variation Question From Reader [John Watson]
B12
Reader Guy W hitehouse: "I don't like the tactics in the Advanced Caro Kann after 4 Nc3 e6 5 g4. One of the alternatives given in Joe Gallagher's starting out books is 4...a6, but he gives nothing on the alternative itself, other than very impressive statistics for Black wins. Is this better than avoiding 3. ..Bf5 and going for 3...c5, or has 3 ...Bf5 and 4...a6 held up? 4...Qb6 and 4.. .h5 seem to have weaknesses to me." Great questions, and too difficult to give a confident answer to! If we knew that certain of these lines were bad, grandmasters would stop playing them. Let me give you my two cents: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 [ Versus 3...c5 , a line that I mention in my Mastering the Chess Openings Volume 1 is 4.dxc5 e6 (this is Jovanka Houska's recommendation I frankly don't like other m o ve s f o r B la ck a t a ll, a l t h o u gh t h a t ' s another issue) 5.g4 , which I think is quite promising, although very seldom played. Here are some ideas: h5 6.g3 h4 7.f4 ( 7.g4 h6 is the main line in Jovanka H o u s k a ' s b o o k I t h i n k 7 Q f 4 i s b e t t e r) 7...xc5 8.d3 b6 , and now instead of h e r a n a l y s i s w i t h 9 N h 3 , I l i k e 9.d2! Generally if White can truly secure e5 he'll stand better. One line might be c6 10.b3 h5!? (This doesn't work well, but it's the most challenging move) 11.f3! xf2+ ( 11...e7 12.0-0 ) 12.f1 c5 13.xc5 ( or 13.g4! ) 13...xc5 14.g4 g6 15.xg6 xe5 16.xf7+ xf7 17.xh5 f6 18.xh4 I thank Pete Tamburro for alerting me to issues about this line that have been raised. ] 4.c3 a6 I think Wells' brief comments in his book have convinced me that this is not a very good move. [ As it stands, I'd recommend learning 4...e6 5.g4 g6 6.ge2 f6 , the subject of several ChessPub games, including one 1292
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 from last month, Szoen-Dziuba. ] position but the problem is that after 12.e2 5.e3! Perfect! This move helps White in both c4 13.c2 Black is lacking counterplay and the g4 variations and in the line with Be2, Nf3, W h i t e i s go i n g t o p la y f 5 wh e n e v e r h e and 0-0 whereas ...a6 is only moderately wants. ] u s e f u l . I n p a r t i c u l a r , W h i t e h a s g a i n e d 12.a4+ Not the most accurate as now Black something after e6 6.g4 g6 7.ge2 can keep the queens on if he wants and play , when his h4 and f4 plans, always dangerous, for counterchances in the centre. have gained speed. The only real advantage ... [ 12.dxc5 xc5 13.b4 didn't work out so a6 has is that the handy move Bb5+ is well for White in Kotronias, V (2626)-David, prevented, but the overall trade-off is clearly A (2560) Plovdiv 2003 after e3! 14.d3 in White's favour. ( 14.b5!? f2+ 15.e2 xb5+ 16.xf2 d7 is also about equal.) 14...xc1 15.xc1 a6 and Black already had good chances. In 1226 B12 f a c t a f t e r 16.f5 e7 17.h2 Black is probably just better if he plays d7! ] Caruana,F 2781 [ 12.b3! seems best to me here as White L'Ami,E 2627 h a s a n o b v i o u s e d g e a f t e r c6 75th Tata Steel GpA (8.7) 20.01.2013 ( 12...xb3?! 13.axb3 c6 leads to a [Tom Rendle] miserable position for Black after 14.dxc5! xc5 15.b4 e7 16.b5 d7 17.e3 a6 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.h4 h6 5.g4 18.0-0 ) 13.dxc5 xc5 14.c2 d7 6.h5 e6 7.f4 c5 8.c3 b6 an d t h e kn igh t is h e a d ed t o t he s t ro n g Not an unusual move in itself but it's usually outpost on d4. ] played with the intention of transposing back into 8...Nc6 on the next move as in the note 12...c6 [ 12...d7 13.c2 0-0-0 gives Black better below. counterchances although even here I prefer [ 8...c6 9.f3 b6 can be found in the White after 14.b4! ] archives in Navara-Shimanov and another recent game continued 10.h2 0-0-0!? 13.c2 cxd4 14.cxd4 a5+?! After the Shimanov played Rc8 but this looks like a q u e e n e x c h a n g e B l a c k s t r u g g l e s f o r counterplay. reasonable alternative [ 14...c8! was better - at least White now A) 11.dxc5!? xc5 12.b4 f8 13.a4 has to think twice over playing f 5. Play could be the critical test of 11...0-0-0 and might continue with 15.f2 ge7 16.b3 f5! in fact I think W hite is doing well here 17.exf6 gxf6 and the position is very although it's not so clear after f6 ( or even unclear. ] 13...d4!? ); B) 11.e3 b8 12.b3 cxd4?! 15.xa5 xa5 16.e2 e7 17.b3 c8 Black's position looks solid enough ( 12...a5 was preferable with an unclear 18.d3 game after 13.a3 xa3 14.xa3 cxd4 but how can it be improved? White has a clear 15.xd4 xd4 16.xd4 xa3 17.bxa3 plan of preparing f5 and I see no sensible way e7 ) 13.xb6 axb6 14.cxd4 ge7 for Black to prevent it. ac6 19.d2 c7 15.f2 c8 16.g3 e7 17.c3 20.h4 c8?! [ The computer wants to try defending with and White was doing well and went on to 20...d8 and it's true that it's more stubborn win in Zhou, Y (2419)-Byron, A (2167) but after 21.f5 ec6 22.hf1 White is still Hastings 2013 ] comfortably on top and can continue with 9.f3 b5!? Black has been struggling in the Ng2-f4 to increase the pressure. ] mainline so this appears to be L'Ami's attempted improvement, although it's not a 21.f5! a5 22.af1 g8 23.h2 [ 23.fxe6 fxe6 24.g6 is also strong but novelty. Caruana is in no rush as Black can do little [ 9...c6 transposes to 8...Nc6 ] about fxe6. ] 10.xb5+ xb5 11.a3 b6 Erwin seeks activity which is [ 11...a6 is an alternative way to play the 23...f6?! 1293
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 understandable in such a passive position but it quickly backfires. [ 23...b4 was a better try although Black still has an unpleasant task ahead of him after 24.hf2 xd2 25.xd2 8e7 26.g2 ] 24.exf6 gxf6 25.e3 [ 25.fxe6! xg4 26.xf6 was even stronger the pawn on h6 is doomed and then White's passed h-pawn will take some stopping. ] 25...e5 26.xd5 f7 27.g6 xd4 28.e3?! [ 28.g5! fxg5 ( 28...hxg5 29.h6 is crushing) 29.xe5 wins an exchange ] 28...c6 29.e2 g7 30.f3 d7 31.d2 f7 32.fd1 gd8 33.f2 Fabiano has drifted a little bit over the last few moves but of course he is still clearly better e8 [ 33...d4 34.xd4 xd5 35.e3 xd2+ 36.xd2 xd2+ 37.xd2 b6 38.f3 should be winning for White as the Bishop on g7 is tied to defending the pawn on h6. ] 34.e1 d4 35.xd4 xd5 36.c3 xd2 37.xd2 b6 38.c1 d7 [ 38...a7 was more stubborn - it's suddenly hard to see how W hite can break through but he still retains good winning chances with 39.a4 ( 39.e3 c8! )] 39.e3 e8 40.e2 d6 41.d3 d7 42.c3 f8 43.e4 With the king on e4 it's easily winning again. b4 44.c2 d6+ 45.d5 b5 46.xh6! c3+ Black wins an exchange but it's too little too late. 47.xc3 xc3 48.e3 d4 49.xd4 [ 49.e4! followed by h6 wins immediately ] 49...exd4 50.xd4 c6 51.h6 d8+ 52.e4 d7 53.g5! [ and Black resigned as after 53.g5 h7 ( 53...fxg5 54.e5+ ) 54.e5+! ot he r m oves win as we ll b u t th is is t h e prettiest fxe5 ( or 54...c5 55.g6 xh6 56.g7 h4+ 57.f3 ) 55.g6 xh6 56.g7 h4+ 57.xe5 and White will get a new queen ] 1-0
1227 Caruana,F Tomashevsky,E FIDE GP Paris (10.1) [Tom Rendle]
B12 2779 2703 03.10.2013
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 d7 6.0-0 g6 7.bd2 h6 [ 7...e7 is an important alternative so I've a d d e d i n a co u p l e o f r e ce n t h ig h l e ve l games from this position 8.h4! seems to give Black real problems here A) 8...c5 9.c3 b6 10.xg6 hxg6 11.f3 f5 12.a4 a6 13.d1 c4?! This leaves Black without serious counterplay ( 13...e7 14.b4! c4 15.d2 is only a little better for White) 14.c2 c6 15.g3 f6?! 16.h4 g5 17.hxg5 fxe5 18.dxe5 b6 19.d4 c5 Black is p l a yi n g a l o t o f t r i c k y m o v e s b u t h i s position doesn't hold togethe r 20.xf5 exf5 21.f3! g6 22.xd5 0-0-0 23.f4 and Black resigned in Hansen, E (2577)Porper, E (2424) Edmonton 2013; B) 8...f5 9.xg6 hxg6 10.f3 was good for W hite in NepomniachtchiShengelia which I annotated earlier this year. ] 8.b3! This is currently the most testing of White's many options [ 8.c4!? also deserves attention e7 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.b3 0-0 ( 10...f5 can be met by 11.g4!? h4 12.xh4 xh4 13.f4 and White has the advantage here, e.g. f5 14.exf6 xf6 15.d3 xd3 16.xd3 b6 17.d2 and White's space advantage gives him the edge) 11.xh6 gxh6 12.d2 g7 ( 12...b6!? 13.xh6 a5 14.d2 a4 15.c1 e4 gives Black reasonable co m p e n sa t io n f o r t h e p a wn) 13.b5 and W hite had the better chances in Gabrielian, A (2544)-Kovalenko, I (2621) Samara 2013 although later Black outplayed his opponent for the win. ] [ 8.c3 f5 9.b3 a6 10.d3 c8 11.h3 c5 12.g5 e7 13.xe7 xe7 14.c1 0-0 and Black was very comfortable in Van K a m p e n , R (2 5 9 5 )- L in d g r e n , P ( 2 2 8 7 ) Helsingor 2013 and despite the rating gulf it was Black that should've been pressing for a win when the draw was agreed on move 1294
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 31. ] 8...f5 9.a4 c8 [ 9...e7 was tried by Dreev in a recent rapid game but now 10.g4! h6 11.h3 g8 12.d3 c7 13.e3 xd3 14.xd3 h5 15.g5 g6 16.h4 f8 17.f4 left Black with a very cramped position in Grischuk, A (2779)-Dreev, A (2668) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013 ] 10.a5 h5!? Obviously this is a good way to stop White pushing the knight away with g4 but it does make it difficult for Tomashevsky to find a safe place for his king later on. [ 10...e7 A) instead 11.g4! is be tt er, e .g. h4 ( 11...h6 12.e1! and f4 is coming) 12.xh4 xh4 13.f4 f5 14.exf6 xf6 15.g5 e7 16.h5 and White has successfully pushed Black back and he sh o uld e n jo y t h e b e tt e r cha n ce s wit h pressure against e6 and the kingside in general.; B) 11.c4?! didn't lead to any advantage after dxc4 12.xc4 0-0 13.f4 h4 ( 13...h6 is also solid, simply asking what White's plan is and perhaps preparing ... Bh5 with ...Nh4 ideas later on) 14.xh4 xh4 15.d2 e7 16.fe1 b6 17.ec1 bxa5 and a draw was agreed in Parligras, M (2561)-Asrian, K (2630) Plovdiv 2008 ] 11.g3 [ 11.e1 c5! 12.dxc5 xc5 13.xc5 xc5 and Black's control of the centre gives him reasonable chances here ] 11...e7 12.f4 a6 I'm not sure about this move - a6 wasn't a threat and now it becomes dif f ic u lt f or B la ck t o b re ak o ut wit h .. . b 6 without dropping a pawn. [ 12...0-0 was critical and now A) 13.e1 c5! 14.dxc5 ( or 14.xh5 xh5 15.xh5 c4! winning back the pawn with a good position) 14...xc5 15.xc5 xc5 16.a6 b5 17.xh5 xh5 18.xh5 b4! with excellent compensation for the pawn - W hite's knight on e1 is stuck defending c2.; B) 13.c4 dxc4 14.xc4 b5! 15.axb6 axb6 16.e2 b5 17.d3 b6 gives Black a very solid position although W hite is possibly a tiny bit better after 18.e4 d5 19.d2 because of Black's
backward pawn on c6. Still, this looks like the right way for Black to play. ] 13.c4! Black won't be able to play ...Nb6-d5 so this move makes sense now. dxc4 14.xc4 0-0 15.e2 b5?! Tomashevsky decides to sacrifice a pawn for activity but it doesn't turn out to be enough compensation [ 15...e8 would've been better, waiting for W hite to find a plan. The game might continue 16.fd1 c7 17.ac1 f8 18.g5 cd8 when it's obvious that White is b e t t e r b u t it 's n o t cle a r h o w h e s h o u l d increase the pressure. Perhaps best is 19.d2!? planning to bring the queen over to the kingside to attack ] 16.axb6 xb6 17.xa6 c7 18.fd1 a7 19.h4! Caruana is in no rush here, he simply prevents any kingside counterplay with this move d5 20.d2 b6 21.c4 fa8 22.c3?! [ 22.f1! was more precise, the point it that White can recapture on a1 with the queen now after a2 23.c3 xa1 24.xa1 xa1?! 25.xa1 and White is simply a pawn up here ] 22...xa1 23.xa1 xa1+ 24.xa1 c5! Suddenly Black has a lot of pressure and Tomashevsky is close to getting enough play f or the pawn b ef ore a mistake co sts him dearly 25.b3 cxd4 26.fxd4 xc3 27.bxc3 c5? [ after 27...c7! it's not clear how White makes progress, for example 28.b5 b6 29.3d4 c5 30.d2 b8 31.f4 h6 32.b3 e7 and White is getting nowhere at all ] 28.xc5 xc5 29.xe6! I'm sure Tomashevsky missed this fxe6 30.xe6+ h8 [ 30...f8 a l s o l o s e s t o 31.e4! xh4 32.xh4 xe5 33.d8+ e8 34.d7 g5 35.c4 f7 36.xe8+ xe8 37.xe8+ xe8 38.f4 gxf4 39.gxf4 f7 40.f2 e6 41.g3 d6 42.h4 c5 43.f5 etc. ] 31.xf5 xf5 32.xh5+ h7 33.e8+ g8 34.e6 h7 35.e7 e5 36.f8 [ The ending is hopeless for Black after 36.f8 e1+ 37.h2 d5 38.f5+ g6 39.xd5 xf2+ 40.g2 e1 41.c4 xe7 42.f2 ] 1-0 1295
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1228 Caruana,F Vachier Lagrave,M 2nd Sinquefield Cup 2014 (2.2) [Neil McDonald]
B12 2801 2768 28.08.2014
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 c5 6.e3 b6 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 [ Tom Rendle analyses 8.dxc5 in the game Nakamura-Mamedyarov in the archives. After xc5 9.xc5 xc5 10.b5 in a recent game Black decided to give up t h e e x c h a n g e f o r a p a w n w i t h ge7?! 11.c7+ d7 12.xa8 xc2 13.xc2 xc2 14.b5 xa8 It's not much fun for him a n d h e wa s g ra d u a lly wo r n d o wn a f t e r 15.d4 g6 16.d2 a6 17.xc6+ xc6 18.xc6 bxc6 19.h4 in Iordachescu, V (2589)-Gagare, S (2421)/Abu Dhabi UAE 2014. ] 8...xb2 9.e1 cxd4 [ An important alternative is 9...c4 10.b1 xc2 A) 11.xb7 this is analysed by Tom in Zhigalko-Berkes who concludes that b4? ( Necessary is 11...b8 ) 12.xb4! xb4 13.d1! etc. is very strong for White.; B) 11.d1 xb1! is the only move for Black and has been tested in a recent game. ( Instead 11...d3 12.a4! c8 13.xb7 is crushing for White and Black actually resigned here in I.Smirin-v.Popov, St Petersburg 2010.) 12.xb1 xb1 13.a4 d3 14.xc6+ ( Gawain Jones mentioned 14.a5 d7 15.g5 h6 Black seems OK there as well.) 14...bxc6 15.a5 d7! Keeping the white queen out of c7. It would be difficult for Black to u n t a n g l e h i s p i e c e s a f t e r ( 15...xf1 16.c7! e7 17.xf1 ) 16.a6 c8 17.d2 e7 ( 17...xf1!? 18.a5!? e7 19.xa7+ e8 20.xf1 ) 18.a5! d8 19.xa7+ c7 B1) 20.g5!? h6 ( 20...e7? 21.xf7 hf8 22.d6 ) 21.e1; B2) 20.c1 e7 21.b6 hd8 22.a4 e8 23.c5 ( 23.xc7 d7 24.a5 cxc7 25.b8+ c8 26.b6 a8 ) 23...d7 24.a6 b8 25.h4 d8 Black has coordinated his pieces and held the draw in Rodshtein, M (2671)-
Kovalenko, I (2650)/Tromso NOR 2014. ] 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4 b4 12.db5 a5 13.b1 xc2 14.c1!? [ Caruana's improvement on 14.b3 e7 15.d6+ f8 16.xb7 b6 17.d6 ( S e e t h e a r c h i v e s f o r 17.d1!? as in Caruana-Postny.) 17...a5 More than one game between 2600 players has ended in a draw by repetition with A) 18.f3 d3 19.c1 xc1 20.xc1 g6 21.xd5 exd5!? ( Looking to improve on 21...xe5 in Karjakin-Fridman in the archives.) 22.xd3 xe5 23.xd5 xf3+ 24.gxf3 b6 25.a4 Tom says in his notes to the Karjakin-Fridman game that this could awkward for Black. It was tested in 2014. Black succeeds in eliminating all the pawns but he still has t h e t e d i o u s t a sk o f d e f e n d in g a ro o k versus rook and knight endgame. Objectively he's OK, but is this what you want when you sit down to play a game of chess? g6 26.a5 d8 27.c8 xc8 28.xc8 g7 29.xa7 f6 30.c6 a8 31.f1 f8 32.e2 e8+ 33.d3 h4 34.a6 a8 35.a5 xf2 36.c4 g7 37.d5 g1 38.h3 f6 39.d6 e8 40.a7 xa7 41.xa7 e3 42.d4 e1 43.a4 h1 44.e2 h2 45.f4 g5 46.d5+ g7 47.h4 h3 48.g4 h6 49.f4 f5 50.g1 xh4 51.e6 g6 52.g2 h1 53.e7+ h5 54.xf5 h4 55.fxg5 f1+ 56.e5 hxg5 57.f5+ h3 58.xg5 a1 59.f4 a4+ 60.f3 a3+ 61.e3 h4 62.b5 c3 63.f4 a3 64.f5+ h3 65.b4 a8 66.f3 a3+ 67.e3 a8 68.b5 f8+ 69.f5 a8 70.b3 f8 71.e4+ g2 72.b2+ f1 73.d6 g1 74.e3 a8 75.f5 a3+ 76.f4 a8 77.f3 f8 78.e4 a8 79.e3 e8+ 80.d3 d8+ 81.e2 a8 82.b4 h2 83.h4+ g3 84.f5+ g2 85.g4+ h3 86.g3+ h2 87.g7 h3 88.e3 a3+ 89.e4 a4+ 90.d4 a8 91.f4 f8+ 92.f5 a8 93.g3+ h2 94.d3 a4+ 95.d4 a8 96.e6 g2 97.d2+ f1 98.b2 a4+ 99.f3 a3+ 100.e4 a4+ 101.d4 a8 102.f5 e1 103.b3 d2 104.d3+ c1 105.d4 h8 1296
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 106.d3 b1 107.h4 xh4 108.xh4 1/2-1/2 Hovhannisyan, R (2611)-Rozum, I (2505)/ Yerevan ARM 2014.; B) 18.a3 b4 19.b3 a5 20.a3 b4 21.b3 a5 1/2-1/2 the latest being Sjugirov, S (2658)-Shimanov, A (2625)/ Katowice POL 2014. ] 14...b2 15.g4! The computers are deeply unenthusiastic about 15.g4, which is why this was such a deadly piece of home preparation. Black players hadn't bothered looking too deeply at it, if at all. Instead Black defends OK after [ 15.d6+ f8 16.xf5 exf5 17.a4 xe1 18.xb2 d2 19.c2 g5 20.d1 e7 or ] [ 15.a4 xe1 16.xb2 a5 17.d6+ e7 18.c5 b6 19.xf5+ exf5 20.xd5 h6 ] 15...g6 16.f4 e4! [ Black also seems to hold on after 16...h6!? 17.f5 ( Transposing would be 17.d6+ f8 18.f5 exf5 19.gxf5 xf5 ) 17...exf5 18.d6+ f8 19.gxf5 xf5 20.xf5 c8 21.b5!? A) The position is full of crazy tricks. For e x a m p l e i f 21...xc3? White wins after 22.e6! xb5 ( 22...xe1 23.xc8# ) 23.xc3 b6+ 24.h1; B) 21...xf5 22.e6 f6 23.xf5 xc3 24.xc3 xc3 25.e7+ f7 26.e8+ hxe8 27.xe8+ f8 28.xc3 xc3 29.a4 d3 30.b3 e7 31.xd5 xd5 32.xd5 b5 and it's burnt out to a drawn endgame. ] 17.f2! The point of 15.g4 was just to harass Black's bishop. It was to gain time to open up t h e f 2 s qu a r e f o r W h it e 's ro o k t o c re a t e threats of trapping the black queen. h6? Taken by surprise and confused by all the possibilities, Black blunders at once. [ N e c e s s a r y i s 17...b4! after which the complications seem to go forever. Here are some samples lines all of which seem OK f or Black/unclear. 18.f5 ( Very messy is 18.f1 b6 19.xe4 dxe4 20.f5 exf5 21.c7+ xc7 22.xc7; another bizarre position is reached after 18.d1 f8 19.a3 e7 20.xe4 dxe4 21.f1 d8 22.a4 b6+ 23.h1 e3 Black is two pawns up but how do you measure that against his
backward development?) 18...exf5 19.f1 b6 20.xe4 dxe4 21.c7+ xc7 22.xc7 a6 23.e6 fxe6 24.a1 f6 25.xg7 xg4 26.xg4 0-0-0 27.e5 d6 28.c2+ b8 29.xd6+ xd6 30.e2 hd8 31.xh7 f4 and after the slugfest Black's strong pawns balance the bishop. ] [ 17...b6?? l o s e s m a t e r i a l t o 18.a4 xf2+ 19.xf2 xa2 20.c7+ f8 21.b4+ e7 22.xa8 ] 18.d3 b4 [ The point of White's play is that 18...b6 fails to 19.xe4 dxe4 20.cc2 xf2+?! ( Or 20...xc2 21.d6+ f8 22.xc2 xg4 23.xe4 note how beautifully White's pieces are coordinated. It seemed like Black must have a way out, but it's not the case.) 21.xf2 when the black queen is trapped. ] 19.b1 c5 20.xe4 dxe4?! [ Th e b e st wa y t o f ight o n wa s 20...xe1 21.xc5 xf2+ 22.xf2 0-0 23.h3 b6 24.a6 Black isn't doing badly material wise, but his queenside is frozen, his rooks have lit tle sco pe an d h is kn ight is ou t of th e game. ] 21.xa5 threatening to win the black queen with a knight check. 0-0 22.e2 e3 23.ff1 fc8 [ W h i t e k e e p s t h e p i e c e a f t e r 23...a6 24.c3 ] 24.e1 d5 25.b2 f6 26.g3 fxe5 27.fxe5 f8 28.xf8+ xf8 29.xe3 f7 30.c3 1-0
1229 Caruana,Fabiano Arutinian,David 11th EICC Men (8) [Gawain Jones]
B12 2680 2576 14.03.2010
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 c5 6.e3 cxd4 7.xd4 e7 8.c4 bc6 9.a4 I looked at this recently in the notes to Amonatov-Shimanov but Caruana comes up with an interesting idea that must be investigated. a6 10.c3 [ 10.d2!? doesn't so logical as it fails to put pressure on the centre but leaves the c file 1297
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 free for the white rook. I wonder if Kosteniuk failed to remember her theory or just wanted to get her high rated opponent out of his c o m f o r t z o n e f o r t h e b l i t z g a m e . c8 ( 10...d7!? ) 11.cxd5 xd5 12.xf5?! ( 12.xc6 xc6 13.c1! xe3 14.xc6 xg2+ 15.f1 bxc6 16.xc6+ d7 17.a8+ d8 18.xd8+ xd8 19.xg2 would be a little awkward for Black as the a pawn is vulnerable.) 12...exf5 13.f3 ( 13.0-0 xe3 14.fxe3 xd2 is the problem.) 13...xe3 14.fxe3 b4+ 15.f2 0-0 was a definite successful opening for Black. Kosteniuk, A-Bareev, E Moscow 2009. ] [ 10.cxd5 b5 is the idea behind 9...a6. ] 10...dxc4 11.0-0-0 a5 Black's main move, attempting to simplify immediately but there are options. [ 11...c8 looks a little passive but has been giving Black quite good results recently and looks like a good alternative if you want to keep some pieces on the board. A) 12.xc6 xc6 13.b6 e7 14.f4 0-0 15.g4 d3 16.xd3 cxd3 h a s b e e n re a ch e d a co u p le o f t im e s, neither really troubling Black's defence. 17.a3 ( 17.b1 b4 18.h3 c6 19.xc6 bxc6 20.a3 ab8 21.a7 b7 22.axb4 xa7 23.xd3 xb4 and Black had taken the upper hand, Sebag, MMkrtchian, L Nanjing 2009.; 17.xd3? b4 followed by 18...Nd5 is definitely better for the second player.) 17...a5 18.b1 a6 19.b5 b4! 20.xa5 ( 20.axb4 axb4 21.e4? c2# would be embarrassing.) 20...d5 21.xd3 xf4 22.d4 g6 and Black had absolutely no problems. Yemelin, V-Deviatkin, A St Petersburg 2009.; B) 12.xf5 xf5 13.b6 B1) 13...b4 14.d8+ ( Both 14.f4 Predojevic, B-Harikrishna, P Sarajevo 2009.; and 14.f3 Svidler, P-Belov, V Dagomys 2009 have also been tried but I think the check is the most promising.) 14...xd8 15.xd8 xd8 16.a3 e7 ( 16...a5 is a better square although. 17.f3 fd4 18.xc6+ xc6 19.d1 0-0 20.xc4 would be the start of a thankless bid for the half point for Black,
even if I believe it should be possible.) 17.f3 fd4 18.xc6+ xc6 19.d1 Caruana, F-Cossin, S Rogaska Slatina 2009, in which the young Italian converted his material advantage.; B2) 13...e7 14.f4 0-0 15.xc4 d8 16.a4 ( 16.c5!? could be the best try to keep an advantage although after xb6 17.xb6 d8 Black should e v e n t u a l l y u n t a n g l e .) 16...a5 ( 16...ce7 looks more sensible, in order to jump into the d5 square.) 17.xc8 ( 17.c3! ) 17...xc8+ 18.b1 xb6 19.xb6 and Black still had to suffer for the eventual half point. Petrosian, TLenderman, A Las Vegas 2009. ] [ 11...d3 12.xd3 cxd3 13.xd3 a5 14.xa5 xa5 15.f4 h5 16.hd1 d8 given as equal by Pete W ells but W hite seems to still have something. The problem for black is that it's not so easy to develop his h8 rook while his queenside pawns may become potential targets. 17.f2 ( 17.h4 ec6 18.xc6 xd3 19.xd3 xc6 20.a3 h6 was already agreed drawn in Inarkiev, E-Ivanchuk, V Kusadasi 2006.) 17...ac6 18.xc6 xd3 19.xd3 xc6 20.a3 h4 21.e4 h6 22.c5 xc5 23.xc5 g6 24.g3 hxg3 25.hxg3 And White had a clear edge due to the rook out of the game on g6. Lastin managed to win very quickly from this position: d8 26.a4 f6 27.exf6 gxf6 28.e3 f5 29.a5 e7 30.d2 d6 31.b4 c6 32.d3 f7 33.e3 d8 34.c3 b5 35.b3 c6 36.xb7 xb4 37.c3 1-0 Lastin, A-Zontakh, A Dagomys 2009. ] 12.xa5 xa5 13.xf5 xf5 14.b6 c6 15.f4 c8 16.g4 A different move order but we reach the same position which I looked at in Bologan-Le Quang Liem in the notes to Amonatov, F-Shimanov, A. h4 17.xc4 g5 and this is the most forceful move, transposing back into my notes from last time. [ There's no need to waste a tempo with 17...e7 18.b3 g5 when White had an edge following 19.f5 xe5 20.fxe6 fxe6 21.d4 hf3 Kosteniuk, A-Ushenina, A Nalchik 2008 when the most precise ap p e a rs t o b e 22.xe5 xe5 23.he1 when Black is still somewhat struggling. ] 18.f5 xe5 19.b3 c5 20.a4+ 1298
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 And this is the novelty! [ Instead we saw 20.xc5 xc5 21.fxe6 fxe6 22.xe6 e7 23.b3 d8 24.h3 1/2-1/2 Bologan, V-Le Quang Liem Moscow 2010 which didn't threaten Black at all. ] 20...e7 [ Of course not 20...f8?? 21.xc5+ xc5 22.d8+ g7 23.f6+ ] 21.f6+! Caruana has seen a trick, temporarily winning a piece for two pawns although I think, h a d B l a c k p l a y e d a c cu r a t e l y, t h e re wa s n o t h i n g t o f e a r . xf6 22.e4+ g7 23.xc5 c4 [ I wonder what Caruana had prepared against 23...xc5+! ? Perhaps he judged 24.xc5 c8 25.b1 ( 25.b4 b6 ) 25...xc5 26.h3 to be better for White but honestly I don't see it. Black's knights and e pawn are a tough team to stop and it's still going to take a while to create a passed pawn of his own. ] 24.a7 b6 25.xa6 [ 25.d7 c7 ( 25...e3+!? ) 26.b8 xd7 27.xd7 xb8 is at least a better version of 23...Rxc5 for White, although I don't think B l a c k s h o u l d h a ve a n y p r o b l e m s h e r e either. ] 25...e3+? This is the first major slip by the Georgian GM. [ 25...e5+ would have kept Black alive 26.b1 a8 27.b8 xg4 28.b5 xa6 29.xa6 xb8 although here at least White has succeeded in getting one of the queenside pawns and thus it'll be easier for him to create a passed pawn to challenge Black's e pawn. ] 26.b1 xd1 27.xd1 h5 [ W hite now responds to 27...a8 with 28.d7 retaining the two bishops for the rook. ] 28.xb6 f3 29.h3 [ 29.gxh5! looks more accurate to me, when I believe White is winning, for example xh5 30.c7 xh2 31.b4 g4 32.b5 e3 33.c1 followed by b6-b7 and queen! ] 29...hxg4 30.hxg4 c4 Now at least Black manages some counterplay although the two connected passed pawns couple with the bishop pair are still extremely strong. 31.b5 xg4 32.a4 h2 33.a5 e5 [ 33...g1 was the last chance. Arutinian
should have remembered the general principle that when you have two rooks vs o n e a n d a p i e c e ( o r t wo ) i t ' s b e t t e r t o exchange rooks as they step on their own t o e s s o m e w h a t . I d o n ' t b e l i e ve t h i s i s enough to hold the draw but it would at least give White more practical problems. ] 34.c3 d4 35.a5 f4 [ 35...gh4 w i t h t h e i d e a 36.c7 h1 again exchanging a pair of rooks should be tried but it seems like the a pawn must be the decisive factor. ] 36.c7 g4 37.a6 So a comfortable win for White in the end but I still believe in Black's position and think 23...Rxc5+! was the most accurate way of dealing with White's new idea. 1-0
1230 B12 Caruana,Fabiano 2712 Eljanov,Pavel 2683 27th ECC Rogaska Slatina SLO (7.3) 01.10.11 [Milos Pavlovic] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.d2 e6 5.b3 d7 6.f3 c5 In earlier games we saw 6...a6 but here Black simply doesn't care about the Bb5 possibility and simply goes for direct play. 7.dxc5 xc5 8.xc5 xc5 9.d4 e7 10.b5+ d7 11.g5 g6N Black decides to keep his bishop which is a logical choice. [ P r e d e c e s s o r : 11...0-0 12.xf5 exf5 13.xe7 xe7 14.xd7 xd7 15.0-0 fd8 16.d4 ac8 17.ac1 c4 18.xa7 a4 19.b6 xa2 20.a1 And now with either 20...Raa8 or 20...Rda8 it is questionable if White has anything. xa1 21.xa1 c8 22.c3 c6 23.b4 White has some advantage here. g6 24.a7 c7 25.a5 h6 26.d6! Now White's advantage is undisputed. xd6 27.exd6 d7 28.xd5 g7 29.c4 f6 30.c5 e6 31.d2 b6 32.b4 bxc5 33.bxc5 a7 34.f4 d7 35.f2 a8 36.e3 e8+ 37.d4 c6 38.c4 a8 39.b2 a1 40.b6+ d7 41.b7+ White won in Antal, T -Magyar, O Hungary 2011 ] 12.d2 a6 13.xe7 xe7 14.xd7+ xd7 15.h4 h5 A very interesting position that 1299
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 a l re a d y a p p e a r e d i n so m e o f m y e a r li e r updates, notably in the line 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 Qb6, as I said then and I think the same thing now, the bishop is not worse than the knight, one may draw some similarities with the French, but the bishop is usually placed on d7 there. I would call this one equal. 16.c3 b5 17.g5 a5 18.a3 c8 19.0-0 0-0 20.fe1 c4 We can see typical ideas for both sides here: W hite is trying to make a breakthrough with g4 while Black is heading for ...b4. 21.e3 b4 22.axb4 axb4 23.g4 bxc3 24.bxc3 d8! This is an important de f e n sive as pe ct f or B lack h ere . 25.gxh5 xg5+ 26.hxg5 xh5 27.f3 fc8 28.e2 b8 29.f2 g6 30.g3 c7 31.d4 bc8 Although it looks equal, Black can freely move his pieces while W hite has problems finding active moves. 32.a3 c5 33.b3 h7 34.e2 5c7 35.d4 a7 36.f4 a1 37.b2 c1 38.e2 c4+ 39.g3 e1 Slowly Black is outplaying White because his pieces are more active while White had to s t a n d s t i l l . 40.d2 a4 41.d4 a2 42.h4+ g8 43.f2 b1 44.g3 a3 45.f2 b2 46.g3 c2 47.b4 a1 48.h4 e1 49.f2 d1 50.d4 h1 51.g3 h5 52.f4? The move that loses the game, further weakening the White squares is just what Black wanted. Instead, the last chance was 52.Rg4 [ For instance: 52.g4 f5 53.d4 xg4 54.fxg4 hh2 55.xc2 xc2 56.g6 fxg6 57.f4 Game is drawn. ] 52...f5 53.f3 h2 54.b4 h7 55.a4 g6 56.b4 h5 0-1
1231 Caruana,Fabiano Iturrizaga Bonelli,Eduardo 11th Aeroflot Open A (3) [Tom Rendle]
B12 2736 2649 09.02.2012
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 c5 6.e3 cxd4 7.xd4 e7 8.d2 bc6 9.2f3 This is a very topical line in the Caro right now and Black has a few options here g4 [ 9...e4 10.0-0 g6 11.xc6 bxc6
12.g5 is covered by Milos Pavlovic in Caruana, F (2714)-Laznicka, V (2681)/New Delhi IND 2011 ] [ 9...a6 is a sensible waiting move, covering th e b 5 squ a re a n d kee p in g t he Bla ck 's options open 10.0-0 c8 ( 10...g4 11.c3 d7 12.c1 d8 13.h3 h5 14.a3 a5 15.d2 xe2 16.xe2 was slightly better for W hite in Svidler, P (2738)-Kamsky, G (2723)/Sochi RUS 2008) 11.c3 e4 12.c1 d7 13.d2 xd4 and now 14.xd4 followed by f3, f4 looks very comfortable for White ( after 14.cxd4 c6 15.g5 b4 16.d1 g6 chances were balanced in Najer, E (2663)-Kacheishvili, G (2587)/ Wheeling USA 2010 )] 10.0-0 xf3 [ 10...g6 11.h3 ( 11.c4! looks to be more critical, for example dxc4 12.a4 g7 13.xc6 xc6 14.xc4 xf3 15.xf3 with some edge for W hite because after xe5 16.a4+! d7 17.xd7+ xd7 18.xb7 b8 19.c6 White's two Bishops and Queenside pawn majority gives him a definite advantage) 11...xf3 12.xf3 g7 13.f4 with a roughly equal position was looked at by Milos in Karjakin, S (2763)-Le Quang, L (2714)/Beijing CHN 2011 ] 11.xf3 c7 [ 11...f5 has been seen before on this site 12.f4 e7 13.d3 h4 14.xh4 xh4 15.g4 and White was doing well in Volokitin, A (2671)-Ruck, R (2558)/Budva M N E 2 0 0 9 , c o ve r e d b y W a t s o n i n t h e archives. ] 12.c1 d8 13.c4!? A novelty from Fabiano which aims to set Black some new problems in this line. It's always difficult to face novelties o ve r - t h e - b o a r d b u t I b e l i e v e t h a t B l a c k shouldn't have serious difficulties here. [ 13.c3 was previously examined by Milos in the game Giri -W ojtaszek which overall seemed fine for Black ] 13...d4! Almost certainly the best move [ 13...f5 was also possible but after 14.f4 dxc4 15.a4 e7 16.xc4 White is very active and should have the better chances ] 14.f4 [ 14.g5?! is tricky but probably not good after h6! 15.xe7 xe7 16.d3 is quite an interesting position, careless play 1300
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 could land Black in hot water for example 0-0? ( 16...g5! instead is strong for Black as he wins a pawn af te r 17.c2 f4 ) 17.e1 b4 18.b1 and the plan of a3, Qe4 is difficult to meet ] 14...h6 15.h3 g5!? This looks like a very logical way of playing, and if Black can get away with this then White will need to search for other options in this line [ 15...g6 might be possible but White chances are preferable after 16.g3 e7 17.d3 0-0 18.e1 ] 16.h2 g7 17.d3 g6 18.e2 gxe5?! A risky decision [ 18...0-0! might've been a more circumspect choice and now 19.fe1 ( 19.xg6 fxg6 20.fd1 b6 and Black's passed pawn and half -open f -file compensate f or his bad p a w n s t r u c t u r e) 19...b4 looks solid enough for Black ] 19.h1 [ 19.fe1! was also critical, and in my opinion probably stronger xf3+ ( 19...f6 20.g6+ is awkward) 20.xf3 e7 21.c5 0-0 is very unclear, White can try 22.e4 ( 22.a3! might be the best way to cause Black problems e.g. a5 23.c2 and it's rather unpleasant for Black who has to sit a n d w a i t f o r W h i t e t o d o s o m e t h i n g) 22...fe8 23.h7+ f8 but there's no obvious breakthrough for W hite here - I guess it's easier for him to play though ] 19...f6 [ 19...0-0 20.ce1 f6 21.xe5 fxe5 22.e4 is very unpleasant for Black. White has a blockade in the centre and can probe on both sides of the board (a3, b4 on the Queenside and h4 ideas on the Kingside). ] 20.xe5 xe5! [ if instead 20...fxe5 then 21.h5+ d7 22.f7+ c8 23.xe6+ b8 24.c5 and White has regained the pawn with an excellent position ] 21.ce1 e7 22.xe5 fxe5 23.g6+ d7 The dust has cleared a little and Black remains a pawn up but in practical terms only W hite can be better. The Bishop on g7 is terrible - still, with the centre blocked Black should hold with accurate play I think. 24.c1 c8 25.fd1 c7 26.d3 f8 27.e4 b5? I must say I don't understand this move at all -
where is t he Black king going af ter this ? Perhaps Iturrizaga missed White's reply. [ 27...c8! was much more logical - Black seems to be holding comfortably enough after 28.b3 c5 29.f3 b8 30.e4 ff7 as I don't really see how White improves his position here ] 28.b3! b8 29.c2 b4 30.a3 c5 31.h5! Black's position is creaking.... d6 32.g6 a5 33.axb4 xb4?! [ 33...axb4 might've been a better try but Black is still much worse after 34.f3 ] 34.xb4 axb4 35.b3 a7 36.d2 [ 36.f5! e7 37.xe6 xe6 38.xg7 also looks very strong for W hite but perhaps Caruana didn't like the pawn on d4 suddenly being unblockaded ] 36...c7 [ 36...f8 was unpleasant but necessary, although White is clearly better after 37.f5 c7 38.xe6 ] 37.c5+! xc5 [ 37...xc5? 38.xe6 and the King will be swiftly mated ] 38.c2 b5 39.c6+ xc6 40.xc6 xc6 41.xe6+ Sometimes a Rook + Bishop would have chances to create a blockade but here the Bishop on g7 has no good outpost and it's instead blocked in by the pawns, the b4 pawn is dropping and the W hite Queen is far too strong. Caruana wraps the game up with the minimum of drama. b5 42.c4+ b6 43.xb4+ c6 44.c4+ d6 45.d3 e7 46.f3 e4 47.fxe4 c7 48.g1 c3 49.a6+ e5 50.g6 c7 51.f5+ d6 52.d5+ e7 53.e5 d7 54.c5+ f7 55.c4+ f8 56.e6 e7 57.c8+ e8 58.d7 e7 59.d8+ e8 60.d6+ An excellent game from the young Italian, who is rapidly rising up the rankings - still, I'm not convinced his novelty is enough to give White an edge in this line although I'm sure we'll see more games in this line in the months t o come. 1-0
1301
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 leads to perpetual ] B12 2714 46.gxh4 gxh4 47.g2? [ 47.f1 only move. ] 2681 26.06.2011 47...f7? This move loses all the advantage. [ Much better and probably winning was 47...d7! 48.xc5 xa4 ] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 48.f2 g5 49.xh4 c6 50.b5 a8 c5 6.e3 cxd4 7.xd4 e7 8.d2 bc6 51.d3 f5 52.g3 f6 53.f4 g6 9.2f3 e4 10.0-0 g6 11.xc6 bxc6 54.g3 xe4+ 55.xe4 fxe4 56.c4 c6 12.g5 e7 13.xe4 dxe4 14.d4 d5 57.g4 xa4 58.xe4+ f6 59.f4+ 15.h5N White is trying something new in this ½-½ game. xe5 [ 15...xe5 16.xg6 xd4 17.xf7+ xf7 B12 18.xd4 f6 19.xf6 gxf6 20.ae1 ab8 1233 21.b3 f5 22.f3 exf3 23.xf3 White has Caruana,Fabiano 2598 some initiative in this rook endgame. ] Motylev,Alexander 2644 16.ad1 Aeroflot Open (3) 16.02.2008 [ 16.fd1 0-0 17.c3 b5 18.a4 b8 [David Vigorito] 19.ab1 f6 20.c5 d8 21.xd8+ xd8 Black is ok. ] Another game in the Short variation. The 16...0-0 17.c3 b5 18.a4 b8 young Caruana plays the sharp 6.Be3 only to Black is passive at the moment but his pieces follow with the passive 8.c3. Black vigorously are in play and he has an extra pawn, which seizes the initiative. After White misses his is something to count on. 19.h1 The wrong chance to f ight back, Black's centre rolls idea, much better was: through White's position. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 [ 19.b3 f6 20.c5 and White has 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 c5 6.e3 compensation due to the bishop pair, but a White's sharpest way of meeting 5...c5. White long game is ahead of us. ] relies on piece play and may break with c4. 19...f6 20.d4 cxd4 7.xd4 e7 8.c3 This is not very [ 20.f4 this logical move simply doesn't testing. work: c4! with good play for Black ] [ 8.c4 is considered White's most critical 20...c8 Black could have played even choice. It looks like Black is surviving after stronger: bc6 9.a4 a6! when 10.cxd5 b5! ] [ 20...c5! 21.xc5 c8 22.a3 c4 [ 8.g5 is another critical try ] 23.h3 xd4 24.xd4 xb2 8...bc6 9.f4 g5!? with advantage. ] [ Motylev tries to take advantage of White's 21.e3 c5 22.c3 b7 23.e2 g6 24.f3 s l o w p l a y . 9...xd4 followed by . ..Nc6 xc3 25.bxc3 ab8 26.fxe4 c7 27.b5 should be enough to equalize. Exchanging a d8 Black has achieved the better play with a piece helps Black, because he has less strong hold on the dark squares. 28.d3 e5 space. ] 29.g3 bc8 30.dd1 xd1 31.xd1 d8 10.fxg5 g7 Black will win the e5-pawn with 32.d3 f6 33.h3 d6 34.xd6 xd6 a double-edged middlegame. 11.d2 xe5 35.e3 a5 The endgame is favourable for 12.b5+ 5c6 13.0-0 0-0 14.xf5?! Black at the moment. 36.e2 g6 37.e1 This hands over the initiative to Black. Instead g7 38.e2 h5 39.g3 h6 40.g2 g7 [ 14.2f3 e4 15.d2 e5 16.xc6 bxc6 41.f2 f8 42.e3 g5 43.e2 g6 17.e2 is unclear. Black has a big centre, Black has steadily improved his position while but his kingside is a little weak and White W hite can 't do mu ch except wa it . 44.g2 has reasonable piece play. ] d6 45.f2 h4 It was also possible was to 14...xf5 15.c5 xg5! go for ...g4 ideas. [ 15...e8 16.h5 walks into an annoying [ 45...d7 46.xc5 xa4 47.f8 pin and gives White pressure against f7. ] 1232 Caruana,Fabiano Laznicka,Viktor AAI GM New Delhi IND (5) [Milos Pavlovic]
1302
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 16.f3 h6 17.g4? [ White wants to fight for the initiative, but this overlooks Black's reply. White should just take with 17.xf8 xf8 although Black has good play. ] 17...g6! 18.h1 [ 18.h3 h5 does not help. After White defends g4 Black can just move his rook, remaining a pawn up. ] 18...xg4 19.g1 h5 [ 19...f4 also looks good. ] 20.xf8 xf8 With two p awns for the exchange and good dark-squared control, Black has an excellent game. 21.d3 e3?! This adventure could have backfired. [ 21...ce7 was worth considering. From here Black supports the f5-knight and may head to g6, shielding the g-file while eyeing f4. ] 22.e2 g4 23.g3 h8 24.g2?! [ White misses a chance to fight back here with 24.ag1 f5 25.h3 threatens Nh2! and after ( not 25.xe6 f2+ 26.g2 xd3 ) 25...ge5 26.xg7 xf3+ 27.xf3 xf3 28.1g3 the tables are turning in White's favour. ] 24...f5 Now Black has a nice grip. 25.e2 h6 26.e1 e5 The Black pawns soon sweep away all in their path. 27.d1 f6 28.g1 e7 [ Also strong is 28...e4 29.d4 xd4 30.xg4 ( 30.cxd4 xd4 ) 30...h4! ] 29.d2 e3 30.f3 xd1 31.xd1 e4 32.b3 f4 33.g4 f3 34.c5 e5 35.h4 f2 36.f1 e3 0-1
V-Ivanchuk, V annotated by Gawain in the archives ] 12...a5 Postny seems well prepared and responds with the most combative line. [ 12...xc3 is described by Gawain in his annotations to Karjakin-Tukhaev as 'sensible' but I agree with him that White is somewhat better after 13.xc3 a6 14.b1 a3 15.xb7 ] 13.b1 xc2 14.b3 e7 15.d6+ [ 15.d4 worked out well for White in Tukhaev, A (2546) -Mirzoeva, E (2251) Samara 2012 but I'm sure Black's play can be improved upon: xc3 16.xc3 e4 17.b5+ f8 18.d2 xe5 19.fc1 A) 19...h6! leaves White having to demonstrate sufficient compensation 20.f4 may be best and now possible would be f6 21.c7 g8 22.xb7 c8 23.xc8+ xc8 24.xf5 exf5 ( 24...xf5? 25.d3 f6 26.b8 wins the knight on c8) 25.xd5 d6 26.d7 xb5 27.xb5 a1+ 28.f2 xa2+ 29.f3 g6 and it is White who has to be more careful in order to hold the draw; B) 19...a6 20.c7 g8 21.b4 c6? ( 21...h6 was necessary ) 22.7xc6! B1) 22...bxc6 23.xc6 f6 24.e7+ xe7 ( 24...f8?? 25.xf5+ g8 26.e7+ f8 27.xd5+ ) 25.xe7 axb5 26.b7 leaves Black struggling for a draw; B2) 22...h6 23.c8+ h7 24.xa8 xa8 25.f1 with a clear edge to White ] 15...f8 16.xb7 b6 17.d1!? A novelty that seems to cause Black some practical problems over the board although it may not lead to a real edge for White. 1234 B12 [ 17.d6 a5 18.f3!? was tried by Karjakin with success against Fridman which Caruana,Fabiano 2770 I cover in the next game of this month's Postny,Evgeny 2651 update. ( 18.b7 b6= )] 40th TCh-GRE 2012 (2.2) 01.07.2012 17...c1 18.a4 [Tom Rendle] [ after 18.d6 a5 I can't see anything better for W hite than trying to repeat with 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 19.b7 b6 ( 19...c6!? 20.xa5 xa5 c5 6.e3 b6 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 xb2 21.b5 c6 22.c5 e7 is possible for 9.e1 cxd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4 b4 B l a c k b u t i t s e e m s v e r y r i s k y t o m e) 12.db5! This seems to be the critical test in 20.d6 ] this line at the moment. [ 12.b1 doesn't seem as dangerous and for 18...c7 [ 18...d4 deserves careful attention in this all the goings on here check out Gashimov, 1303
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 position, if Black is doing OK here then there should be nothing to fear from 17.Bd1 A) 19.b4!? f4 20.a5 xe5 ( 20...d3 21.c5 xf1 22.xf1 is rather unclear as Black is going to drop the Bishop on d4 at some point) 21.d2 b6 22.xb6 axb6 23.xb6 c8 a n d B l a c k s e e m s so lid e n o u gh h e re . White will have to work hard to avoid just being a pawn down once Black gets his rooks connected.; B) 19.d6! appears to be critical and now f4 20.g3 ( 20.b7!?; 20.a5!? ) 20...xe5 21.b4 and Black is struggling to get untangled. The position remains messy but easier for White to play. ] 19.d6 [ 19.xb6 axb6 20.d6 leads to the same thing ] 19...g6 20.b4 g8 [ 20...a5 doesn't really help as now White can play 21.f4 with the strong threat of Rb7 ] 21.xb6 axb6 22.c3! [ 22.xb6 let's the pressure off Black earlier than I believe is necessary xb6 23.xb6 h6 and Black has basically equalised ] 22...d8 23.a4 h5 24.fc1 h7 Postny has finally managed to connect his rooks but now Caruana keeps up the pressure b y i n v a d i n g o n t h e 7 t h . 25.c7 f5! giving the pawn back solves most of Black's problems [ 25...f8? 26.c2 would leave Black in serious trouble, e.g. f5 27.xf5 exf5 28.a4 g8 29.h4 With a winning position for W hite - Black simply can't move anything ] 26.xf5?! The wrong way to regain the pawn and now Black is completely fine. [ 26.xf7! keeps a bit more tension in the position although Black is still OK after xf7 27.xf7 g5 28.cc7 hc8! although W hite remains better after 29.h4! h6 30.c2 ] 26...xf5 27.xf7 c8! 28.xc8 xc8 29.h3 c1+ 30.h2 c8 The position has simplified and it's just equal. Black has a strong passed pawn on d5 but his King is too vulnerable to create any real chances. 31.b3?!
[ 31.h4 was a better option allowing White the option to sacrifice a rook for perpetual in some lines, i.e. g6 32.e7 c4 33.xg7+ xg7 34.f6+ h7 35.e7+ g8 36.d8+ g7 37.e7+ h6 38.f8+ h7 39.e7+ ] 31...g6 [ 31...g6! would've given Black chances to win after 32.f8 ( 32.e7?? e4! 33.xe6+ h7 and Qf4+ will win) 32...xf8 33.xf8 f4+ 34.g1 d2 ( 34...xe5?! 35.e8+ g5 36.d8+ f6 37.xb6= ) 35.d6 h7 and White has an unpleasant defensive task ahead of him to draw from here ] 32.f4 c5 33.d2 f8 34.d4 e4 35.f3 g6 36.h4 e7 37.f2 g5 38.g3 e3 39.b4 c8 40.f4 Even here Black could play on with [ 40.f4 e1 as he's hardly risking much in doing so. 41.a4 may create enough counterplay though so White is probably not in any real danger ] ½-½
1235 Christiansen,Larry Mark Seirawan,Yasser ch-USA GpB Saint Louis USA (2) [Gawain Jones]
B12 2586 2636 16.04.2011
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 c5 Black's plan of immediately targeting White's centre is probably the most principled and continues to be highly popular. 6.e3 b6 7.c3 xb2 Yasser grabs the material but previously I've found this very risky. [ I annotated 7...c6 in my March update in Motylev, A (2687)-Alsina Leal, D (2531) Moscow 2011 which is a safer option. I've investigated recent updates in this variation. A) That game continued 8.0-0 but Black drew reasonably easily. xb2 9.e1 c4 10.b1 xc2 11.xb7 b8 ( 11...b4 was Alsina Leal's choice) 12.xb8+ xb8 13.a1 b4 14.b1 xc3 15.xb8+ d7 16.c1 ( Last time I wrote 16.f1 with a very sharp position. My computer declares the position as 0.00 but I wouldn't be surprised if W hite had a strong 1304
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 sacrifice opening up Black's king as he has no short term method of extracting h i s k i n g s i d e p i e c e s .; 16.d1!? is also interesting.) 16...c7 ( 16...xc1+ 17.xc1 a5!? is the computer's suggestion but 18.g5 g6 19.h4 h5 20.a3 leaves Black under unpleasant pressure. ) 17.a8 b7 18.f8 xc1+ 19.xc1 g6 20.a3 ( 20.g5!? is probably critical when xd4 21.xf7+ c6 22.xe6 xe5 23.d8+ c5 24.a3+! and White's attack looks decisive: b5 25.b7+ a6 26.c5 f6 27.a4! leaves Black's naked king in trouble. ) 20...f6 21.f4 h5 22.b8+! a6 23.exf6 gxf6 With a highly complex position. Black's protected extra pawn will be decisive should he be able to complete his development but he still has to be careful with his vulnerable king. Balogh, C (2601)-Michalik, P (2471) Aix-les-Bains 2011.; B) 8.b5!? has also been seen a couple times this year but I can hardly believe that it should trouble Black. B1) 8...c4 9.0-0 ( I commented that the 9.h4 g6 10.0-0 b4 11.xc4!? xc3 12.bxc3 dxc4 13.d5 c7 14.dxc6 xc6 of Gashimov, V-Vallejo Pons, F Linares 2010 "and the complications have resulted in a roughly level position".) 9...a6 ( 9...0-0-0!? wa s V a l e ry P o p o v's c h o i c e a g a in s t Alexa nd er Mo tylev b u t lo o ks a litt le risky. ) 10.xc6+ xc6 11.h4 Zhigalko, A (2571)-Lupulescu, C (2626) Aix-les-Bains 2011 when I don't think Bla c k s h o u ld a llo w h is p a wn s t o b e d o u b l e d a n d s o e7 looks respectable.; B2) 8...g4!? 9.dxc5 xc5 10.xc5 xc5 11.d4 xd4 12.xd4 ( 12.xc6+!? bxc6 13.xd4 might be White's best try for an edge. c5 14.b3 c4 15.d4 e7 16.f3 f5 17.b4! and White's knight on d4 and play on the queenside grants him a small a d v a n t a g e .) 12...ge7 13.f3 h5 14.0-0-0 c8 15.he1 0-0 16.xc6 xc6 17.cb5 g6 18.xc6 xc6 19.c3 b6 20.d4 c8 and somehow
Black managed to grind out the victory in t h is le ve l e n d ga m e . Ne ve d n ic h y, V (2534)-Dreev, A (2697) Aix-les-Bains 2011.; C) 8.a4!? Defending the pawn and gaining time o n t he quee n. Followin g a5+ 9.c3 c4 10.0-0 b5 11.c5 xc5 12.dxc5 ge7 13.b4 was played, deviating from Jakovenko, D-Eljanov, P Dagomys 2010. In fact I suggested this move in my annotations to Ni Hua - Ionov, S from last year, maybe Inarkiev reads ChessPublishing?! ( That game continued with 13.d4 ) 13...d8 ( I offered 13...a3 14.c1 xc1 15.fxc1 0-0 as marginally better for W hite but Black is extremely solid. The same could be said of the game continuation.) 14.a4 a6 15.d4 xd4 16.xd4 c6 17.d2 0-0 18.a2 c7 19.fa1 ad8 20.e3 f6 21.f4 g5!? Over-ambitious in my eyes although it was good enough to get the draw. ( 21...fxe5 22.xe5 xe5 23.fxe5 e4 24.g3 is a little better for White.) 22.axb5 axb5 and already a draw was agreed in Inarkiev, E (2674)-Dreev, A (2697) Olginka 2011. The critical line looks to be 23.g3 when g6 24.g4! ( 24.fxg5 fxe5 25.a6!? xd4 26.cxd4 f7 27.dxe5 d4 is very messy. Those c and d pawns look very formidable.) 24...f5 25.e2 g4 26.a6 favours White with his queenside control. The position actually re m i n d s m e o f K a m sk y- R a g g e r s e e n elsewhere in the update in which Black was squeezed to death. ] 8.b1! At the moment this has become more challenging than 8.Nb5 xc2? This is the one capture I failed to look at in my notes to Inarkiev-Eljanov last year but I think there's a very good reason. [ The main move 8...xb1+ was recently d e a lt a b lo w b y K a rja kin . 9.xb1 c4 10.xb7 c6 11.b5! An improvement over Inarkiev's 11.Kd2. Karjakin, S (2747) Eljanov, P (2761) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010. ] [ 8...b4!? is still an unplayed idea that looks interesting. ] 9.b5+! d7 [ 9...c6 10.c1 xc1+ 11.xc1 0-0-0 12.dxc5 and Black can hardly have anything 1305
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 like enough compensation for the queen with just a rook and one pawn. ] 10.c1 a6 Again the queen sacrifice is unconvincing so Seirawan is forced to sacrif ice a co uple o f pawns to ret urn his queen into the game. 11.xb7 b8 12.xa6 b2 13.b5 Pinning the d7 knight and highlighting the weakness of the Black king. [ White had an even stronger move with 13.a4! b7 ( 13...xa2 14.dxc5 e7 15.c6 and Black is forced to part with a piece to prevent the march of the c pawn.) 14.xb7 xb7 15.dxc5 c7 16.b5 already looks resignable. White has an extra pawn, a huge lead in development and in fact Black cannot avoid dropping the exchange. ] 13...c4 14.0-0 So material is level but White has completed his development while Black's king is still stuck in the centre for the f o r e se e a b le f u t u r e . T h is a ll o ws W h it e a decisive initiative. a3 Black has to try and reduce the pressure on his position. [ Developing with 14...e7 fails to 15.a4! xb5 ( 15...d8 16.b1! wins, i.e. xb1 17.xb1 xc3 18.xd7+ xd7 19.b8+ c8 20.xc8+ e7 21.d2 a1+ 22.e1 when Black cannot escape: f6 23.b4+ f7 24.xd7+ etc. )] 15.a4! Of course White declines the queen trade. e7 [ 15...b2 fails to 16.g4! g6 ( 16...xg4 17.b1+- ) 17.b1! xb1 18.xb1 xb1+ 19.xb1 xb1+ 20.g2+- ] [ 15...e7 looks pathetic and allows White various wins but the most clinical appears to be 16.g5! f6 17.exf6 gxf6 18.e5! d8 19.b5 g7 20.d6+ f8 21.xd7+ xd7 22.xf5 exf5 23.f4+- ] 16.b5 Another piece joins the attack. b2 [ 16...xa2 17.d6+ f8 ( 17...xd6 18.xd7+ ) 18.xf5 exf5 19.a1+- ] 17.d2! Precise play by Christiansen. It's not just Black's king that is in trouble his queen is still very short on squares. e4 18.c3 e2 [ 18...xa2 19.d6+ f8 20.a1 e2 21.fe1 is no better. ] 19.fe1 xf3 20.xe2 xe2 21.d6+ xd6 22.xd6 b7 23.c6 [ 23.b4 is actually a faster mate but either way White is of course completely winning.
A complete demolition of the American veteran and proof that 8...Qxc2? is hardly the remedy to Black's problems in this line. ] 1-0
1236 David,Alberto Khenkin,Igor Geneve [Alexander Volzhin]
B12 2315 2575 1996
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 c6 5.b5 e6 6.e3 ge7 7.c3 d7 8.xc6 xc6 9.f4!? g5! The only way to obtain c o u n t e r p l a y . 10.f3 White comple tes his development hoping to exploit black's weaknesses on the K-side. This move was thought to be a refutation of the whole line, but the novelty introduced by GM Igor Khenkin, the leading expert in this line, made White to forget this move once and for all. [ After this game White switched to 10.fxg5!? xe5 ( 10...h6 deserves certain attention. In Schroe der-Arkell, Hastin gs 199 9 Blac k obtained good prospects after 11.f3 hxg5 12.xg5 e7 13.e3 h4+ 14.d2 c7 15.e2 xe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.a3 g5 18.xg5 xg5+ 19.c2 g6+ 20.d2 c8 This line needs further practical tests.) 11.f3 xf3+ 12.xf3 g7 13.0-0 0-0 14.d2 b5 The critical position for the evaluation of this line. For the sacrificed pawn Black obtained a strong pawn centre and bishop pair. The question is whether this is worth a pawn. Here are some examples: A) 15.f2 was played in Lutz-Kacheishvili, Pula 1997. Black easily obtained good play: e5 16.g3 d4 17.cxd4 exd4 18.f4 d5! 19.f3 ( 19.a4 c6 20.d6 fe8 21.af1 d3 22.xf7 d4+ 23.h1 e2 is extremely dangerous for White.) 19...xf3 20.xf3 fe8 21.a4!? e2 22.e5 xe5 23.xe5 d3 24.f3 e8 and despite being an exchange up White has to fight for draw.; B) 15.fd1 c6 16.h3 e5 17.f3 c8! 18.xc8 axc8 19.f2 cd8 20.g3 fe8 21.e1 d4! 22.xe5 xf3 23.xg7 xg7 24.gxf3 dxc3 25.bxc3 1306
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xe1+ 26.xe1 d5 27.e7 xc5! 28.xb7 xc3 and Black managed to drew, Nisipeanu-Svetushkin, Bucuresti 1998. Although in these two games Black managed to solve his problems this line seems rather promising for W hite and I think W hite can imp ro ve som ewhe re . Unfortunately a lack of practical examples doesn't allow us to draw a final conclusion a b o u t t h i s l i n e . U n d o u b t e d l y we c a n expect new games here. ] 10...gxf4 11.xf4 xc5 12.bd2 b6 13.b3 f2+ 14.e2 Black has to win the pawn back but White is threatening to seize theinitiative on the K-side (Rf1, Ng5 etc) so Black should try to create threats against W hite's King first. a5! 15.xa5 b5+ 16.d2 d4!! A very nice move: Black doesn't recapture the Knight and just plays a "quiet" move. [ GM Khenkin has already played this position vs. Glek, W erfen 1990 where he has f aile d to equa lise a f t er th e na tu ra l 16...xa5 17.a4 d7 18.f1 c5 19.g5 g8 a n d n o w t h e n a t u r a l 20.h5 s e c u re d W h it e b e t t e r ch a n ce s . ( 20.f3 as was played in the game allowed strong counterplay after d4! )] 17.b4 The only move. The alternatives loose quickly: [ 17.b3 dxc3+ 18.bxc3 d8+ 19.bd4 xd4 20.cxd4 xd4+ 21.xd4 xd4+ 22.e1 xf4 with a decisive attack ] [ 17.xd4 xd4 18.c2 xc3 19.bxc3 d8 20.e1 d3+ 21.c1 xa5 with a clear edge for Black. ] 17...dxc3+ 18.c2? This move loses by force. [ 18.xc3! should be played although it's much easier to recommend such a move in h o m e a n a ly s is ra t h e r t h a n t o p la y it i n tournament game! Black has a very strong attack here as well but W hite's defensive resources should not be underestimated. d8 19.b1 ( 19.d2! deserves attention. Here I have failed to find clear win for Black although his position looks very promising. Just a few variations: d4+ 20.c2 c7+ 21.b3 xa1 22.xa1 d3+ 23.c3 b6 24.a4 xc3+ 25.xc3 xa4+ 26.b2 xc3+ 27.xc3 bxa5 28.bxa5 g8
wit h sligh t ly b et t e r cha n ces f or B la c k .) 19...d4+ 20.b3 xa1 21.xa1 d3+ 22.c2 f2+ 23.d2 xg2 24.xb7 xf3 25.d6+ e7 26.xb5 c8+ 27.c3 ( 27.c3 a6 ) 27...e2! and Black wins on the spot since W hite can't parry threat of 28...Rxc3. ] 18...d8 19.c1 a4+ 20.b3 xb4 Now White is defenceless. 21.f1 xb3+ 22.axb3 e4+ 23.xc3 c8+ 24.b2 White resigned in view of quick mate: [ 24.b2 c2+ 25.a3 c5+ A brilliant performance from GM Igor Khenkin! ] 0-1
1237 Davies,Nigel R Speelman,Jonathan S Redbus KO Southend ENG (2.2) [Nigel Davies]
B12
03.04.1999
1.e4 c6 2.e2 d5 3.e5 c5 4.d4 c6 5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 f5 7.bc3 I didn't know it at the time, but this is a new move. [ The conventional treatment is with 7.g3 g6 8.c3 e6 but this does not seem to be very effective Van den Doel - Magem Badals, Mondariz 2000 continued 9.b5!? ( Neither 9.e3 ge7 10.e2 f5 11.xf5 xf5 12.b3 a6 13.0-0 e7 14.ac1 a5 (Couso - Vernersson, Swedish Ch., Ronneby 1998) nor; 9.h4 h5 10.e3 e7 11.e2 xh4 12.xh5 xh5 13.xh5 h6 14.g3 g5 15.f4 e7 16.f3 b6 17.d2 0-0-0 18.f2 f5 (Braga - Brond, Mar del Plata 1976) seems to bother Black too much. ) 9...ge7 10.g5 c8 11.0-0 h6 12.h4 a6 13.xc6+ xc6 14.f4 d7 15.xe7 xe7 and now White finally got in his highly sought after 16.f5 , but even this proved ineffective after exf5 17.f3 0-0 18.xd5 d8 19.xd7 xd7 20.d5 c5+ 21.h1 b6 when Black had good counterplay. ] 7...e6 8.a3 a6 9.e3 f6 10.h3 h5 Speelman decides to stop g2-g4 but in doing so has to accept permanent kingside weakness. [ Taking the pawn with 10...fxe5 11.dxe5 xe5 looks downright bad after 12.d4 1307
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 intending g2-g4. ] 11.exf6 xf6 12.g3 d6 13.g2 c8 14.0-0 a5 15.f4 c4 16.c1 xf4 17.xf4 g5!? Sensing his growing positional inferiority, Speelman decides to invite complica tions. P robably this wa s a goo d practical decision, though Black's position soon teeters on the brink. 18.fe2 g8 19.b3 a5 20.d1 b6 21.b4 c4 22.a4 c6 23.c1 f7 24.c5 c7 25.e1 b6 26.d3 d6 27.c3 e4!? Inviting the following exchange sac, which certainly looks close to winning for White. If anyone finds a win for me I'd quite like to know aboutit! 28.xc4 dxc4 29.e5+ g7 30.g4 hxg4 31.xe4 xe4 32.g3 h7 33.h5+ f8 34.hxg4 e7 Heading for the hills.... 35.f3 gf8 36.e3 d8 37.d5 c7 38.c6+ xc6 39.dxc6 c7 40.c3 e5 41.xc4 d3 42.c3 e4 43.g7+ xc6 44.c1+ b5 45.g3 By now I knew I'd fluffed it. I had to win this game to stay in the tournament, so I tried for a few more moves. a4 46.xg5 f4 47.xf4 xf4 48.c6 xg4 [ After 48...xg4 W hite must play 49.c3 and he's certainly not better. ] ½-½
1238 Degraeve,Jean Marc Lalic,Bogdan (open) Cannes (5) [Lalic, Bogdan]
B12 2566 2518 11.02.2004
Bogd en L alic kindly se nt m e a f ile of his games recently, among which I found the f o l lo wi n g t o p ica l Ca ro -K a n n . L a li c is a n extre me ly st ron g p la yer wh en provo ke d , although all too often he is willing to settle for a short draw. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.e3 e6 5.d2 d7 6.gf3 [ The viability o f 6.f4 hinges on whether White can support his centre. The further c5 7.gf3 b6 8.e2 h6 9.h3 xb2 10.c4 c2 11.c1 c3! 12.f2 f5 ( 12...c8! ) 13.f1 xe3 14.xe3 cxd4 15.xc2 d3 16.e3 xc1 17.hxc1 Morozevich, ABareev, E/ Sochi 2004 led to obscure complications. ]
6...e7 7.h4 c5 I would classify 7...c5 an obvious move, yet other ideas have been at least as common: [ 7...g6 8.e2 c5 9.c3 c6 10.xg6 hxg6 Black is fine here. 11.a3 a5 12.0-0 e7 13.f4 cxd4 14.cxd4 b6 15.f3 a4 16.b1 0-0 17.e1 a5 18.g5 xg5 19.fxg5 xe5 20.h4 b3 21.f4 c2 Flu vi a P o ya t o s, J -P e re z d e M ig u e l, A / Barcelona 2005 ] [ 7...c7 I like this less as Black does not need to commit his queen just yet. 8.e2 ( Why not 8.xf5 xf5 9.d3 xe3 10.fxe3 c5 11.c3 with a good version of the Stonewall.) 8...c5 9.c3 cxd4 10.cxd4 c2 11.c1 c8 12.0-0 g6 13.xg6 hxg6 14.c4 dxc4 15.xc2 e7 16.ac1 b5 17.h3 b6 18.g4 d5 19.a3 d7 20.f3 0-0 21.d2 c7 Widjajanti, LRoos, C/Luzern 1982 I like Black's qu ee nside p awn m ajority a nd po we rf u l Knight. ] 8.c3 cxd4? [ L a l i c p r e f e r s 8...b6 and gives the following analysis: 9.b3 ( 9.b3 a5!? ) 9...xb3! ( 9...c4? 10.xc4! dxc4 11.xc4 xb3 12.d6+ d8 13.axb3 c7 14.xf7 g8 15.xf5 xf5 16.g5 ) A) 10.xb3?! c4! 11.d2 b5 12.a4 bxa4 13.xa4 ( 13.xf5 xf5 14.xa4 f6 15.exf6 gxf6 ) 13...c2 14.a1 b6; B) 10.axb3 cxd4 11.xd4 ( 11.cxd4?! h6 ) 11...g5!? 12.xf5 xf5 13.xa7 xa7 14.xa7 xe5 15.b5+ e7 ] 9.cxd4 b6 10.b3 xb3 11.xb3! e4!? Trying to deflect white from an easy advantage, Instead: [ 11...h6? 12.c1 ] [ 11...0-0-0 12.c1+ b8 13.xf5 xf5 14.d2 ] 12.f3 [ 12.b5?! c a n b e a n s w e r e d b y c6 13.c1 e7 ] [ Meanwhile 12.c1!? is worth consideration. ] 12...f5! 13.xf5 xf5 14.c1 d8 15.a5 [ 15.b5?! a6= ] [ 15.f2!? ] 1308
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 go ...c5. e6 5.b3!? d7 6.f3 g6 [ 6...g4 I think I prefer Schlosser's move to t h i s o n e , wh i c h l e a d s t o a ve r y m u r k y situation: 7.h3 h5 8.e2 f6 9.exf6 gxf6 10.f4 g7 11.0-0 e7 12.h4 f7 13.d2 g6 14.xg6 hxg6 15.d6 e5 I'm worried about Black's King in the centre. Several short variations will demonstrate the King's vulnerability. 16.dxe5 fxe5 17.a5 b6 18.g4 0-0-0 ( 18...c5 19.xd7+ xd7 20.c4!; 18...h6 19.c3 d4 20.a3 f4 ) 19.b3 ( 19.e7! Here W hite could have played more i n c i s i v e l y : de8 20.c4! ) 19...h4?! 20.g5 xg4 21.xg4 c5 22.xc5 Zhigalko, S-Novitzkij, D/Minsk 2003 Black scrambled a draw somehow. At this stage his position is lost. ] 7.e2 e7 8.0-0 f5 9.c3 e7 10.g4 h4 11.xh4 xh4 12.f4 f5 Black is clearly studiously avoiding .. .c6-c5. He reasons that the Knight on b3 makes no contribution as long as he stays away from that move. The emphasis of the game stays on the Kingsidegood strategy! 13.exf6 xf6 14.d3 xd3 15.xd3 g6 16.d2 e7 17.ae1 0-0 18.h1 ae8 19.f5 [ 19.e2 The plan of doubling on the e file is n e a t l y p a r r i e d : f7! To answer g5 with Bxg5! 20.fe1 h4= ] 19...gxf5 20.gxf5 e5 21.dxe5 xe5 22.h3 h8 23.d4 Back from the edge but White's King is open too. g8 24.e6 f7 25.f4 c5 26.g1 [ 26.e3 The attempt to attack Black's centre rebounds: b6 27.d1 d8 28.e6 ( White should prefer the restrained 28.b3 if h e g o e s i n f o r t h i s l i n e .) 28...d4! Freeing up b7 for the Black Queen and reminding W hite that he has his own 1239 B12 problems with the King. 29.g5 b7+ Delchev,Aleksander 2575 30.g2 xg2+ 31.xg2 xg5 32.xd8 Schlosser,Philipp 2525 f6+ 33.h3 xd8 ] National I Besancon (6) 2003 26...b6! eyeing b7 again. 27.g3 Shielding [Andrew Martin] the King and giving the option of Kg1 as and 28.hxg3 d4! 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.d2!? w h e n n e c e s s a r y . xg3 A s t r a n g e m o v e , a t l e a s t t o m y e y e . A s 29.cxd4 f3 30.xe8+ xe8 31.g2 e4 Tarrasch remarked 'A Black Knight on b6 is Delchev overstretched in what was probably a almost always badly placed'. The same might slightly better position around move 18. Thus apply to White! Anyway, White has an idea. Nd2 and Nb3 is interesting and certainly worth He wants to make it unattractive for Black to a look. Doubtless it will come as a complete
15...b8 [ 15...b4+?! fails to nullify White's a d v a n t a g e : 16.d2 xd2+ ( 16...xa5 17.xa5+ b6 18.b4 ) 17.xd2 b8 18.g4 ( 18.b5 a6 ) 18...g6 19.h4 h5 20.g5 b6 21.e2 Black must play very precisely in the given position. ] 16.a3! e7 17.b5? [ Degraeve misses his opportunity: 17.a6! bxa6 18.c6+ c7 ( 18...e8? 19.xb8 xb8 20.c8++- ) 19.xe7+ b7 20.xf5 exf5 21.f2 f8! 22.c5 f4! 23.d2 ( 23.xf4? e6! ) 23...d8 And as we see time and time again, oppo rtun itie s do not com e around very often against the strongest players. ] 17...b6! [ 17...a6? 18.xa6!+- ] 18.0-0 a6 19.e2 d7 20.b4 hc8 21.xc8 xc8! [ 21...xc8?! 22.b3 ] [ 21...xc8?! 22.c1+ d7 23.b3 ] 22.c1 [ 22.xb7?! c3! 23.c1 c4 24.c5+? ( 24.xc4 dxc4 25.c5+ xc5 26.dxc5 c2 ) 24...xc5 25.bxc5 d3 ] 22...xc1+ 23.xc1 c7= 24.f2 b1 25.e3 a2 Rather tragically, White loses on time in a drawn position but the value of this game lies a study of Black's opening approach. I am indebted to Bogdan for supplying most of the analysis here he is an excellent analyst as you can see. I also feel that he would make a very fine coach for strong players (say over 2000 ELO). Bogdan can be reached at
[email protected]. 0-1
1309
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 su rp ris e t o th e a ve ra ge o pp o n e n t t o o . 4 15.b1 b6 Nd2!? joins 4 Be3!? as a 21st century [ You'd think that 15...f5 would give Black interpretation of the Advance variation. the advantage, but 16.e2! c5 17.g3 0-1 xg3 18.fxg3 actually favours White, who has pressure down the f-file, and Black will have trouble castling. Furthermore, g4 and h5 are coming. ] 1240 B12 Della Morte,German 2345 16.b3 f5 17.e2 c5 18.dxc5! [ Promising but not as convincing is 18.g3 Lafuente,Pablo 2454 xg3 ( 18...xg5 19.hxg5 xd4 20.g6! ) LNA Copa Puma (5) 09.09.2007 19.fxg3 cxd4 20.xd4 c8 21.hf1 [John Watson] , for example, c5 22.xc5 xc5 23.g4 h7 24.h5 ( 24.c4!? , counting upon the 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 e6 5.g4 m a t e o n d 8 . T h e r e m i g h t f o l l o w c8 g6 6.ge2 e7 This move was played by 25.cxd5 xd5 26.f3 a6 27.df1 c7 the late Tony Miles. You have to wonder 28.b2 and Black is tied down, but I'm not whether we'll be seeing much more of it. I sure that Black can't hang on) 24...d7! don't think that Black's game was so bad in 25.fe1 b5 26.d4 a5 27.b2 b4 the early going, however. 7.f4 . Again, White must prove that he can get [ 7.e3 is the main option, recommended by through. ] Rowson, who continues d7 8.d2 h5 9.f4 hxg4 10.xg6 fxg6 11.e2! f8 18...xc5 19.c4! Tying the knight to defence 12.0-0-0 Nataf, I-Andersson, F/Stockholm of d5. [ 19.g3 xg3 20.fxg3 should favour 2000. But there are many options along the W hite as well, but then it's very hard to way. ] make inroads, because d5 is permanently 7...g5?! defended. ] [ 7...d7 prevents h4 due to the simple This is too desperate a move capture by the bishop, so White's plan has 19...xg5?! been interrupted. Then 8.e3 is natural, Black feels that he has to get his remaining and ( 8.h5!? would be the ambitious way rook out. [ Still, 19...h8 20.c3 e7 21.xe7 to proceed, simply hitting g7, and if f8 9.h4 xe7 22.cxd5 exd5 23.b5! leaves Black can actually be played, )] in trouble ] 8.d3 xf4 9.xf4 d7 [ Often 9...b6 is played in a position like 20.hxg5 e7 21.cxd5 xd5 22.c1 xf2 this, to force White into some concession to 23.c3 Breaking the blockade on d5. b4 [ 23...fe3 24.e4! f4 25.c7+! d8 defend his b-pawn. Here, for example, Rb1 ( 25...xc7 26.d6+ e8 27.h8# ) would forfeit castling queenside, and b3 26.d7+! xd7 27.b5+ c7 28.c5+ would cast it into doubt. White might reply d7 29.d6+ c8 30.h8# ] 10.xg6 hxg6 11.d2 because xb2 12.b1 a3 13.xb7 is a good trade-off for 24.b5 Now it's easy, with the exchange and attack. b6 25.a4 a5 26.b5 d5 White. ] 10.h4 Not to trap a bishop, as h4-h5 so often 27.a3+ d7 28.c5 a4 29.hc1 a5 do es , bu t to s ta ke o ut m ore sp ace ! xd3 30.bxa4 a8 31.b3 d8 32.a5 a6 33.xd5+ exd5 34.xd5+ 11.xd3 h5 12.gxh5 [ 12.g5 e7 lets a knight into f5, although in 1-0 this crazy line a beautiful knight and White's horrendous bishop do not necessarily lead to an advantage, or even equality! See the game itself. The whole variation is a tribute to the power of extra space. ] 12...xh5 13.0-0-0 e7 14.g5 a5 1310
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 1241 Dominguez Perez,Leinier Laznicka,Viktor 47th Capablanca Mem Elite (1) [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle]
B12 2725 2693 04.05.2012
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 c5 6.e3 cxd4 7.xd4 e7 8.d2 bc6 9.2f3 g4 10.0-0 xf3 11.xf3 c7 12.c4 The first new move on ChessPublishing [ 12.c1 d8 13.c4 Tom covered previously on this site in Caruana, FIturrizaga, E ( and 13.c3 was looked at by Pavlovic in Giri, A-Wojtaszek, R and Black was doing OK in both encounters. )] 12...dxc4 [ 12...0-0-0!? is an interesting reaction, although I believe W hite should be better after 13.cxd5! xd5 and now 14.b3! ( instead 14.c2 was played in Narayanan, S (2381)-Fedoseev, V (2318) Kirishi 2009 and after xe3 15.fxe3 d5 Black was very comfortable and eventually won a long game. ) 14...b8 15.ac1 xe3 16.xe3 and White should have the better chances here with the more active pieces and safer King. ] [ 12...d8 is a safe alternative although White keeps an edge after 13.a4 dxc4 14.xc4 a6 15.e2 and Black will still take a few moves to get organised ] 13.xc4 f5 [ 13...g6?! is an interesting idea, but it seems it's not worth trying to win a pawn h e r e a s i t t a k e s t o o m u c h t i m e : 14.b5 gxe5 15.xe5 xe5 16.a4 c8 17.ac1 d6 18.g3 xb2 19.xc6+ bxc6 20.xc6 xc6 21.xc6+ e7 22.xa7 and White has won the pawn back and has all the winning chances - grabbing on a2 would already lose for Black after xa2? 23.b7+ f6 24.d1! and Black's King is in deep trouble ] 14.e2 A novelty. [ 14.f4 was played by Grischuk in a rapid game d8 15.d3 and he was on top after A) 15...h6! is worth looking at here, for example 16.c2 g5 17.d2 ( 17.xf5 exf5 18.d2 c8 isn't clear at all) 17...h4 18.xh4 d7! 19.e4 xd2 20.xc6+ bxc6 21.xc6+ d7 22.xd7+
xd7 23.f3 g4 and Black has a lot of activity as compensation for the pawn; B) 15...c5 16.c1; C) 15...g6 is a solid option but White is comfortable after 16.c1 g7 17.e2 0-0 18.fd1; D) 15...e7 16.c2 fd4 17.xd4 xd4 18.e3 d7 and after 19.f4! White would h a v e a n o b v i o u s a d v a n t a g e ( 19.e4 xe5 20.xc7 xc7 21.ac1 c6 22.xa7 0-0 and Black has chances to hold although W hite was still better in Grischuk, A (2752)-Evdokimov, A (2569) Apatity 2011 )] 14...xe3 [ 14...e7 15.f4 maybe was the idea of 14. Qe2 - the Bishop is committed to e7 ] 15.xe3 e7 16.d3 0-0 17.e4 Dominguez has managed to keep some edge from the opening but Black is very solid here so it takes a lot to make anything of this kind of advantage. fd8 18.ac1 g6 A sensible choice, blunting the Bishop on the b1-h7 diagonal [ 18...a5 19.a3 a4?! could get Black into trouble, e.g. 20.c3 d7 21.e2 ad8 22.c4 a6 23.c2 and White wins a pawn ] 19.c2 An inaccuracy [ 19.c3! was the correct was to proceed and no w if a5 20.xc6 bxc6 21.d4! xa2 22.xc6 d7 23.b4 and White has a pleasant position although how to breakthrough is again not clear. ] 19...a5! 20.xc6 bxc6 21.xc6 [ 21.d4? now fails to a4 ] 21...ac8?! Just as Laznicka was about to equalise a mistake creeps in and the position again becomes difficult [ 21...ab8! 22.c1 xa2 23.c7 e8 and Black is holding pretty easily here ] 22.xc8 xc8 23.a3 c2 24.b4 a4 25.e4 [ 25.d2 was another way to cause p r o b l e m s . P l a y m i g h t c o n t i n u e a5 and now the direct approach comes very close to working with 26.e4! axb4 27.h6 but it seems Black hold a draw after the line a8! 28.f6+ xf6 29.exf6 f8 30.xf8+ xf8 31.axb4 b2 32.a1 e8 33.g3 xb4 34.a8+ d7 35.f8 e5 36.xf7+ 1311
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 e6 37.xh7 ( 37.f8 h5 38.g2 b7= ) 37...xf6 with a theoretical draw. ] 25...c3 26.b7 [ 26.a8+ g7 27.b7 looks dangerous but in fact Black is fine after d8 28.d4 c7! 29.f3 a5 and a draw will surely follow soon ] 26...f8?! [ 26...d8! equalises straight away, there's no way for White to make progress, e.g. A) 27.d2!? c2 ( 27...xa3 28.g3 a1 is also fine) 28.e4 c7 29.a8 c8 30.b7 c7 31.a8 c8; B) 27.d4 b6; C) 27.b8 d3! 28.g5 c6 29.h4 c7 and only Black can be better all of a sudden ] 27.d4! White seizes the opportunity to get the knight to c6 xa3 28.c6 g5 29.g3 c3?! [ 29...a6 seems to hold on here, e.g. 30.d7 b6 31.b5 c3 32.h4 A) 32...xg3+ is less clear after 33.h2 f3 34.g2 f5 35.xa7 xa7 36.xa7 f4 ( 36...xh4? 37.c6 wins as Black's pieces are horribly placed to deal with the b-pawn ) 37.d1! xe5 38.d4 g5 39.b6; B) 32...g7!! 33.hxg5 xb5 34.d8 xc6 35.f6+ g8 36.d1 c1= ] 30.xa7 e7 31.b5 c5 32.c8! [ 32.b6?! b4 33.c8 b3 34.c6 g7 and the pawn drops ] 32...d4 33.d6 xd6 34.exd6 xd6 35.b1 White definitely has chances now although objectively Black should still hold d3 36.a8+ e7 37.a7+ [ 37.a1!? was a dangerous idea ] 37...e8?! [ 37...f6 was necessary 38.a1 e5 39.b6 l o o k s s c a r y b u t a f t e r b3 Black has everything covered ] 38.a1 b3?? An unfortunate blunder in a tricky position [ 38...a3 39.h8+ e7 40.c1 a7 41.b6 d7 and Black is still solid although the advanced pawn gives W hite excellent chances after 42.b2 ] 39.d1 xb5 40.h8+ This line is a little unpleasant for Black - it should be very solid but Black doesn't get any winning chances
and it seems White certainly has an easier position to play. [ 40.h8+ e7 41.d8# ] 1-0
1242 Efimenko,Zahar Gyimesi,Zoltan Bundesliga 2008-9 (12) [John Watson]
B12 2680 2592 28.02.2009
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c4 This is an o l d v a r i a t i o n t h a t wa s n e v e r t h o u g h t t o achieve much until similar variations involving c4 began to work for White. Now the move is receiving more attention at the top levels. e6 [ 4...xb1 5.xb1 a5+ 6.d2 xa2 7.f3 gives White way too much for the pawn, e.g., e6 ( 7...dxc4 8.c1 ) 8.a1 xb2 9.b1 a2 10.xb7 ] [ What is probably the most common order after 4 c4 goes 4...dxc4 5.xc4 e6 6.c3 d7 7.ge2 b6 8.b3 e7 , for example, 9.0-0 ( 9.f4 is the game) 9...ed5 ( 9...d7 is less committal.) 10.g3 g6 11.ce4 e7 12.h4!? h5 13.f3 c7 Van der Wiel-Van der Sterren, Lyon 1990 and here 14.g5 gave White some advantage, whereas 14 a4 was a good option. ] 5.c3 e7 [ 5...dxc4 will often transpose to the previous note. ] 6.ge2 d7 7.f4 This knight goes to g3 more often than not, but the text has always been around. One idea is that it prepares g4 and h4. dxc4 Black has delayed this capture unt il t he kn ight we nt t o f 4 in st ead o f g3 . 8.xc4 b6 9.b3 ed5 This is not necessarily best. Two other moves: [ a) The recent game Van den Doel-Van den Ouden, Leiden 2009 went 9...g6 10.g4! xf4 11.gxf5 fd5 12.fxe6 fxe6 13.g4 d7 14.0-0 0-0-0 15.a4 , when White has t h e b is h o p p a i r a n d sp a c e a d va n t a g e , probably outweighing Black's outpost on d5. ] [ b) 9...d7 is the other main move, refusing to commit a knight to d5 until he sees more of What White's doing. Then an instructive 1312
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 top-level game is 10.0-0 h6 11.e3 h7 12.c1 ed5 13.cxd5 xd5 ( 13...exd5 14.d3 ) 14.xd5 exd5 15.d2!? ( 15.c2 , i n t e n d i n g f 4 - f 5) 15...e7 16.c3 ( 16.c2 ) 16...f5 ( 16...0-0 ) 17.c2 h5?! 18.xf5 xf5 19.b3 d7 20.f4 f5 ( v e r s u s f 5 ) 21.g3 ( 21.e6!? ) 21...f7 22.b4 xb4 23.xb4 ae8 24.ff3 e6 25.g5 g6 26.a3 b6 27.h3! (now g4 is always lurking) h4 28.h2 e7 29.a4 a5 30.b3 c7 31.c3 c8 32.c2 e7 33.g4! hxg3+ 34.cxg3 h8 ( 34...g8 35.xf5+! ) 35.xg6!+xg6 36.xf5+ and wins, Morozevich (2742)-Sasikiran, Moscow 2001. ] 10.cxd5 cxd5 [ 10...xd5 11.xd5 exd5 ( 11...cxd5 12.a4+ ) 12.0-0 e7 13.c2 , with an eye towards f4-f5. ] 11.g4! e4 12.f3 h4+ 13.e2 [ 13.f1 is also interesting. ] 13...g6 14.e3 White has a space advantage and bishop pair that will combine to win mo st en dings. Thu s he wo uld like t o exchange pieces and protect his king's safety. [ Or 14.d2 e7 15.c1 ] 14...0-0-0? [ But White's greater territory grants him the advantage after the better 14...e7 15.c1 g5 ( 15...0-0 16.c7; 15...d8?! 16.f2 h6 17.d2 g5 18.e3 ) 16.e1 xe1+ 17.hxe1 xf4 18.xf4 d7 19.c5 ] 15.c1+ d7 [ Still worse is 15...b8 16.xg6 hxg6 17.g5 c8 18.xh4 xc1 19.axc1 xh4 20.h3 ] 16.xg6 hxg6 17.g5 h3 18.xd8 g2+ 19.e3 White's king is perfectly safe here, and he's the exchange ahead. Black fights to make things difficult, but this game was far too easy for White, and an auspicious sign for 4 c4. Probably we'll be seeing more of it. xd8 20.d2 h3 21.ag1 e7 22.g2 g5+ 23.e2 xg2+ 24.xg2 h3 25.gg1 e7 26.f2 f4 27.g5 d7 28.g4 d2 29.g2 h5 30.h4 h8 31.d1 a5 32.c1 b5 33.h3 b6 34.a4 a6 35.c6 b8 36.d1 a8 37.g2 d8 38.b3 bxa4 39.bxa4 b8 40.xa6 b2+ 41.f1 b4 42.e2 b1+ 43.f2 b2 44.e3 b3+ 45.d2 b2+ 46.d1 b4
47.a7 b6 48.b7 xa4 49.xd7+ xd7 50.b5+ 1-0
1243 Efimenko,Zahar Riazantsev,Alexander Aeroflot Open (9) [John Watson]
B12 2616 2629 22.02.2007
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.e3 A f t e r a f e w s u cce ssf u l ye a rs, B la c k h a s developed ways to combat this move, but it is still unresolved and nearly always leads to original and dynamically unbalanced positions. b6 5.c1 e6 6.d2 c5 7.b3!? Trying to release the pressure on the queenside, but it loses important tempi. The natural and normal course is for W hite to shore up his centre (and his space advantage) by [ 7.gf3 ( o r 7 c 3 f i r s t ) c6 8.c3 , for example, c8 ( 8...h6!? 9.h3 e7 ) 9.e2 h6 ( 9...cxd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4 c5 12.xc5 xc5 13.b3 leaves White with the better minor pieces) 10.h3 cxd4 11.xd4 xd4 12.xd4 c5 13.xc5 xc5 14.b3 b6 15.g4 g6 16.h4 e4 17.h3! ( 17.f3 xg4 )] 7...c4 8.d2 f6! Played before White can consolidate. 9.gf3 [ 9.f4? loses a pawn af ter c6 10.c3 ( 10.gf3? b4; 10.exf6 xf6 11.c3 g4 ) 10...fxe5 11.fxe5 xe5 ] 9...c7 [ Bla ck m a y h a ve b e e n a f ra id o f 9...c6 10.xc4 dxc4 11.d5 , but c5 12.xc5 xc5 13.dxc6 xc6 is fine. On the other hand, so is 9...Qc7. ] 10.c3 c6 This is effectively a French D e f e n c e A d v a n c e V a r i a t i o n . 11.b3!? Trying to mix it up. [ 11.e2!? fxe5 12.xe5 xe5 13.dxe5 xe5 14.f3 yields some compensation for a pawn. ] 11...fxe5 Black begins a forcing sequence: 12.dxe5 xe5 [ HiArcs suggests 12...h6! , intending ...Nf7, and if 13.xh6 gxh6 14.bxc4 , g7! 15.cxd5 exd5 follows, with terrifically active 1313
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 bishops. ] notes to the Berkes game. The downside is 13.xe5 xe5 14.bxc4 c5 15.f3 xe3 that it leaves c3 unprotected but the point is 16.fxe3 that after g7 White can sacrifice the pawn [ 16.xe5 xc1 17.xc1 f6 18.cxd5 with 13.0-0! xc3 ( 13...f6 14.g5 exd5 19.b5+ e7 20.0-0 a6 looks about is now better for White, the bishop is much equal. ] more actively placed on d3.) 14.b5+ axb5 16...d6 Maybe 15.xc3 f6 16.b2 and White's dark[ 16...e4 17.cxd5 0-0-0!? ] square control gives him excellent 17.cxd5 xd5!? compensation for the pawn. If you're happy [ Avoiding 17...exd5 18.b5+ d7 to play this position (and I would be) then 12. ( 18...f7?! 19.0-0 f6 20.g5+ g6 Bd3 is a more accurate way to play the 21.xf5 xf5 22.f7 ) 19.xd7+ xd7 position. ] 20.0-0 f6 21.a3 ] 12...g7 13.0-0 e7 18.a3 c8! 19.xa7 f6 Black has just [ 13...f6! seems to equalise to me - the enough pressure to hold, as the rest of the knight is threatening to come to e4 after game shows. 20.c4 c5! 21.xc5 xc5 which Black will have no problems. For this 22.d4 e5! 23.xf5 exf5 24.d3 f4 reason I pref er Gawain's 12.Bd3 14.g5 25.f1 xe3+ 26.d2 e4+ 27.xe4 xe4 doesn't help here because Black can simply 28.d3 e3+ 29.d4 0-0 30.xf4 xf4+ play h6 15.h4?! g5 16.g3 e4 31.xe3 and Black is slightly better ] ½-½ 14.g5 This isn't very testing and Lupulescu easily equalises. [ 14.f4 was worth considering here as well. 1244 B12 Black would like to play e5 but now 15.g5 is a little awkward for Black as d5 is Fedorchuk,S 2660 vulnerable. After f6 16.xf6 ( 16.d2!? 0-0 Lupulescu,C 2634 17.h4! is a more ambitious way to play and 14th Euro Indiv 2013 (8.4) 13.05.2013 again I prefer W hite's chances although [Tom Rendle] the position remains complex.) 16...e4 17.f4 0-0 18.xe7 xe7 19.e3 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 c6 Black has some compensation for the pawn 5.f3 g4 6.c3 e6 7.b4 a6 8.bd2 xe5! but he's probably still a little worse. ] This position has been considered critical here on ChessPublishing for some time but this is 14...0-0 15.ad1 [ 15.f6 xf6 16.xf6 f5 17.e5 the first time it's featured in a main game. is just equal. It's very possible the game 9.h3! This seems to me to be White's most could even end with a repetition here after testing move here. I cover 9.Be2 and 9. Qa4+ b8 18.f6 ( 18.xb8 fxb8 19.a3 b6 in my notes to Grischuk-Shimanov from earlier can hardly be worse for Black) 18...d8 this year. xf3+ 10.xf3 xf3 19.e5 b8 ] [ 10...h5 11.a4+ d7 12.xd7+ xd7 13.g4 g6 14.e5+ e8 15.c4 15...c7 [ 15...a5 16.a3 axb4 17.axb4 h6 was given as slightly better for W hite by is absolutely fine for Black as well. ] Gawain in his notes to Berkes-Zelcic and I Fedorchuk realises he must put some a g r e e . B l a c k s h o u l d t r y ( 15.e3!? 16.c4! is also worth investigating, planning a quick pressure on Black's centre or risk being worse. Black get's a passed pawn but now White 0-0-0 ) 15...e7 but White's chances are still d4 preferable after 16.xg6 hxg6 17.a3! a5 at le ast h as a plan of ho lding up B lack's centre and putting pressure on his queenside. 18.b2 ] 11.xf3 g6! It makes a lot of sense for Black 17.f6 c6 18.a3 fe8 19.fe1 e5 20.d3 to fianchetto here the bishop wouldn't be Threatening to bring the bishop to e4 a5?! [ 20...xf6! 21.xf6 d8 was needed to doing a lot on e7. 12.e2 keep equality. After 22.xd8 ( 22.f3 f5! [ 12.d3! was Gawain's suggestion in his 1314
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 23.b5 a5 is less clear but still balanced.) 22...axd8 23.f3 g7 the position is very drawish. ] 21.b5 d8 22.xg7? After this it's definitely Black who is pressing for the win. [ 22.e4 was a real chance for Fedorchuk to get the advantage. The main point is that if Black grabs the pawn with xc5 then ( 22...xf6 23.xf6 e6 24.f3 g7 25.d5 e7 26.g3 is also better for W hite. Black can't capture on c5 without dropping e5 (and probably d4 as well) and in the meantime W hite can increase the kingside pressure with h4-h5.) 23.d5! causes real problems. Bxd8 is the threat and after xf6 24.xf6 xa3 25.xe5 xe5 26.xe5 the bishop on d5 is an absolute monster piece and Black's extra pawn will drop off at any moment. Still Black's passed a-pawn means he has some chances to hold on. ] 22...xg7 23.d5 c8 24.f1 f8 25.c6?! [ 25.f4! was necessary here although Black remains better after f6 26.c6 ( 26.d6+ xd6 27.cxd6 c5! ) 26...bxc6 27.f3 g7 28.xd4 e6 29.d2 exf4 but it's still better than the game for White. ] 25...bxc6 26.c5+ e7 27.f4 [ 27.a4 was perhaps a better chance but Black is obviously clearly better after b7 28.a3 d6! and White doesn't have nearly enough comp. for the pawn. ] 27...f6 28.fxe5 fxe5 29.d3 b7! 30.a7 cxb5 31.cxb5 c5 32.xc7 cxc7 With the queens off the board Black is simply a pawn up and Lupulescu shows excellent technique to bring home the full point. 33.c4 a4 34.f1 cd7 35.b1 d3 36.b3 e4! The pawns are far to strong for White to have any chance of saving the game here. 37.b6 b7 38.eb1 e6 39.e1 e7 40.f2 bxb6 41.xb6 xb6 42.e3 c4+ 43.d4 d6 44.g4 b5+ A fine win for B la ck in a c ri t ica l va ria t io n o f t h e 3 . . . c 5 Advance but perhaps we'll get to see some practical tests of 12.Bd3 in the future? 0-1
1245 Fedorov,Alexei Asrian,Karen Sankt Peterburg [Alexander Volzhin]
B12 2600 2515 1997
In the Advanced Variation White has a wide choice on the 4th move. But currently only two lines are really popular. The first is the very sharp approach 4. Nc3 e6 5. g4, the other is the positional line 4. Nf3 with Be2 and 0-0 to follow. This line is a favourite of Nigel Short and brought him many excellent vic t o rie s (e ve n i n t h e c a n d id a t e s m a t c h against Karpov!). 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 e6 5.g4 g6 6.ge2 After the text 7. h4 is a real threat as 7...h5 will be strongly met by 8 Nf4. [ The premature 6.h4 leads White nowhere after h5 ] 6...e7 [ 6...c5 7.h4 is another possible line. It leads to wild complications after cxd4 8.xd4 h5 9.b5+ d7 10.f4! hxg4 11.f5! xh4! 12.f1! Officially theory considers this position as unclear, but I believe W hite is better here. It is of note that major Caro Kann experts (including Karpov and Anand) always avoid this position with Black. ] 7.f4 [ Here 7.h4 is premature again: h5 8.f4 hxg4 The bishop on g6 is protected - that's the idea behind 6...Ne7 9.xg6 xg6 10.h5 c5 11.xg4 cxd4 ] 7...c5 8.h4 cxd4 9.b5 ec6 10.h5 e4 11.f3 The Bishop is trapped but Black takes all White's central pawns in return. xf3 12.xf3 xe5 13.g3 bc6 The knight on b5 is in trouble now so W hite has to do something. 14.d3 f6 15.f4 This Knight manoeuvre slightly loosens Black's position. f7 [ 15...d7!? was played in the game Kotronios - Adianto, Buenos Aires 1997. After 16.c3 b6 White had to play 17.d3 ( instead of 17.cxd4?! xd4 18.xd4 b4+ 19.f2 and now Black could fix his a d v a n t a g e b y xd4+ 20.e3 xb2+ 21.e2 a3 ) 17...dxc3 18.xe5+ fxe5 19.xc3 with unclear and double-edged play where Black's chances were not worse. But no doubt W hite's play could be 1315
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 improved. ] 16.c3 [ 16.g5!? deserved attention, according to Alexey Fedorov. ] 16...dxc3 17.bxc3 d4 [ Chess Informant 71 gives the following line: 17...a6!? 18.d4 xd4 19.cxd4 c6 20.e3 b4+ 21.f2 with mutual chances, according to Fedorov. However I disagree, as there is no real compensation for the piece. Besides White will play g4-g5 at the right moment with a dangerous attack. ] 18.g5 dxc3 19.e3! fxg5 [ 19...f5 20.e2! was in White's favour ] [ as was 19...a6 20.g6+!? g8 21.h3 and the Black King is in trouble. ] 20.xe6! d5 [ After 20...xe6? 21.h3+ f7 22.0-0+ e8 23.ad1 Black's position could hardly be defended. ] 21.xg5+ g8 22.h4? [ Mi s s i n g t h e b e a u t i f u l 22.h3!! e8 ( 22...d8 w a s s i m i l a r : 23.0-0! xb5 24.e6 df7 25.c7; 22...xh1+ 23.e2 ) 23.0-0! and Black's position is hopeless: xb5 24.e6+ xe6 25.xe6 f7 26.xf8! xf8 27.c7 winning ] 22...e7?! [ 22...b4! 23.a3 a5 was unclear. ] 23.c7 d6 24.g4 [ 24.f4!? deserved attention: a5 25.b5 f6 26.e4 with the better chances. ] 24...f8 25.g2? When there e such terrible complications on the board it is not a big surprise that the assessment of the position changes so frequently. [ Correct was 25.e4! and after A) 25...xf1+ wa s n o t b e t t e r : 26.xf1 d3+ 27.f2! ( 27.g2 e2+ 28.f2 xg4 29.xg4 xe3 30.c4+ f8 ) 27...xg4+ 28.xg4 is winning; B) 25...f3+ 26.xf3 xf3 27.c4+ f8 28.xd6 xe3+ 29.f2 xd6 30.xe3 xc7 31.f1+ White would obtain a decisive advantage. ] 25...b4! Now it looks like it is White who is in trouble, but the terrible position of the Black King on g8 allows W hite to keep the better chances. 26.xb4?! [ 26.d1!? deserves attention though it looks very dangerous after ed3+ ( or 26...xc7
27.e6 ed3+ 28.e2 xg3 29.xg3 f7 30.xd3 xd3 31.xd3 ) 27.e2 c2 28.g1 c1 ( 28...xg3 29.xg3 c1 30.xc1 ) 29.xc1 ( 29.xc1? f2+ 30.xf2 xf2 31.xf2 xc7 ) 29...xc1+ 30.xc1 xg3 31.xg3 and White has excellent prospects. ] 26...d3+? A lot of pieces are hanging and it is ve r y d if f i c u l t t o f i n d t h e co rr e ct p a t h , especially in time trouble. Calculating the lines Black should not forget that his King is in danger. [ Correct was 26...f3+! and after 27.xf3 ( 27.f2 was also u nclear despite the fact that Black could get a big material ad van t a ge af t e r xb4 28.xf3 b2+ 29.g1 xa1+ 30.h2 xa2+ 31.h3 and now he is forced to give some material back with xf3 leading to a situation which is difficult to assess.) 27...xf3 28.xf3 xb4 ( 28...xg5? 29.d5+ f8 30.c5! winning ) 29.d5+ f8 30.ge6+ f7 31.d4+ it's difficult to say what result both sides are playing for. ] 27.e2 xb4 [ Of course, the Queen could not be taken: 27...xg3? 28.d5+ f7 29.xf7+ f8 30.ce6# ] 28.xd6 xd6 29.h3 [ 29.a3!? would clarify the situation in White's favour: h6 30.axb4 hxg5 31.d5+ h7 32.e6 with a decisive advantage. ] 29...f6 30.e8 c2!? 31.d1? [ 31.g1! was correct, placing the Rook opposite the King: xe3 32.xf6+ gxf6 33.e4+ f8 34.xe3 with a technical win. ] 31...xe3 32.xf6+ gxf6 33.xd6 c2! 34.d7!? It is evident both players are in terrible time trouble, but they are playing very creatively, and posing interesting problems for each other. [ After 34.d8+ g7 35.e6+ h6 36.d2 xd8+ 37.xd8 Black is better and has some chances to promote one of his pawns. ] 34...fxg5 [ N o t i m e t o p r o m o t e ! A f t e r 34...c1? 35.e6+ f8 36.f7+ g8 ( 36...e8?? 37.d7+ d8 38.e6# ) 37.xb7+ White takes everything. ] 1316
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 35.e6+ f8 36.c7 Although Black has a lot of extra pawns his Rook is very passive. It looks like White has no losing chances . g2 37.d2 f4 38.b3 [ 38.g4!? deserved attention. ] 38...xh5 39.xb7 g4?! [ If Black has to give up this pawn, it was probably better to dislodge the Rook from the 7th rank by 39...a5 ] [ or 39...a6 ] 40.xa7 g3? The last move before the time control and a bad mistake which puts Black's pieces in a terrible situation. [ 40...g3 with the idea of h7-h5 was good enough to avoid the problems. ] 41.d5 h6 42.xc2 g2 A sad necessity as there were no other moves! 43.xg2 f4 44.e4 W here are the black pawns? g8 Finally the Rook enters the game but it's too late. 45.a4? [ White could win this crazy battle by swapping the Rooks with 45.a8+! g7 46.xg8+ xg8 47.a4 and White is just in time: f8 48.a5 e6 49.a6 c7 50.a7 e7 51.b3 d6 52.b4 and sooner or later Black will find himself in zugzwang. The following position will arise soon: White: Kb7, Bg2, Pa7 Black: Kd8, Nc7, Ph2, and White wins by playing Bc6 ] 45...g3 Now Black's task is to give up the Knight for the pawn. 46.a5 e6 47.a6 a3 48.d5 c5 49.c4 [ White had probably missed that he was not w i n n i n g a f t e r 49.a8+ e7 50.a7 because of d7! 51.h8 xa7 52.h7+ d6 53.xa7 xd5= ] 49...xa6! 50.xa6 h5 The rest is easy as the White pieces are on bad squares. 51.b2 a5 52.b3 h4 53.b4 a2 54.b5 h3 55.h7 h2 56.b6 g8 57.h3 g7 58.c4 d2 59.c5 g6 60.b4 g5 61.c3 f2 62.d5 g4 63.h8 g3 64.d3 f5 65.h1 a5 66.g8+ h4 67.h8+ g3 68.g8+ h4 69.c6 a6 A fantastic game. Maybe one of the most interesting ones I've ever seen. [ A draw was agreed. Black can even avoid the ending R+B against Rook easily, by sacrificing a Rook at the appropriate time: 69...a6 70.d5 d6 71.h8+ g3
72.d4 xd5+ 73.xd5 g2 ] ½-½
1246 Fedorov,Alexei Dreev,Alexey Aeroflot Open (3) [Andrew Martin]
B12 2575 2690 2003
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 e6 5.g4 g6 6.ge2 c5 Without a doubt the move that Black wants to make. The tactical complications are immense. 7.h4 [ 7.e3 has become popular. White takes a step in the direction of castling long and develops rather than flinging his Kingside pawns forward. Here too, knowledge of the latest games is of the utmost importance: c6 8.dxc5 A) 8...xe5 9.d4 ( 9.f4! a6 10.e2 f6 11.0-0-0 e7 12.g2 exg4 13.fxd5 exd5 14.xd5 xd5 15.xg4 0-0 16.xd5 ) 9...d7 10.b4 e7 11.a3 gf6 12.g5 e4 13.xe4 xe4 14.f3 g6 15.c6 bxc6 16.xc6 c7 17.xe7 xe7 18.c1 c3+ 19.f2 a5 20.b5 hc8 21.d4 xa3 22.xg7 e5 Mot ylev, A-Mit on , K/ Be rmu da 2 00 3 A position of remarkable imbalance. I think I would prefer to be Black, whose Rooks are already in the game.; B) 8...h5!? 9.d4 a6 10.g5 ge7 11.a4 xe5 12.f4 The cue for a quite crazy game: e4 13.fxe5 xh1 14.b6 a7 15.c3 c6 16.xc6 bxc6 17.d3 e7 18.h4 f5 19.gxf6 gxf6 20.a4 f5 21.0-0-0 f3 22.xc6+ f7 23.xf5 exf5 24.g1 g4 25.e6+ g6 26.d7 a8 27.a4 d4 28.xd4 e4 29.e5+ h7 30.xe4 fxe4 31.xg4 hxg4 32.xg4 c7 33.b4 c6 34.d4 g8 35.xe4 g6 36.c2 cxe6 37.xe6 xe6 38.d3 g8 ( 38...xh4 39.a4 g6 40.b5 axb5 41.axb5 f7 42.c6 e8 43.c4 d8 44.d5 e1 45.b6 g3 46.c4 d1 47.e4 xd4+ 48.xd4 f2+ 49.d5 xb6= ) 39.c4 f7 40.d5 h6 41.a4 e8 42.b5 axb5 43.axb5 d7 44.c6+ c8 45.b6 d8 46.c5 h5+ 47.d6 h6+ 48.c5 1317
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 h5+ 49.d6 xb6 50.xb6 xh4 1/2-1/2 Svidler, P-Macieja, B/Bermuda 2003 (50) ] 7...h5 8.f4 h7 9.xh5 cxd4 10.b5 [ The older 10.xd4 leads to nothing after c6 11.b5 ge7! 12.h6 a6 ] 10...c6 11.xd4 ge7!N It would be very surprising for me if White's idea were to work. He has lashed forward with his pawns and moved nothing but his Knights! By concentrating on the basics i.e. quick development, with this sensible novelty Dreev solves his opening problems. 12.g5 a5+ 13.c3 xd4 14.xd4 c6 15.f4 b6 16.b3 One can understand the reluctance to castle in this position-the Bishop on h7 is very intimidating indeed. However the move is just about playable, although very risky: [ 16.0-0-0 b4! ( 16...c8 17.d2 a5 18.a3 g6 19.h3 xh5 20.gxh5 xh5; 16...a5 17.a3 xa3 18.xg7+ f8 19.h3! xg7 20.f6+ g8 ) 17.xg7+ xg7 18.xb4 xb4 19.cxb4 c8+ 20.d2 c2+ 21.e3 xe5 ] 16...d4 17.g2 dxc3 18.0-0 c2 Getting the draw offer in before either player really understood what was going on. The final position is a mess although I believe Black's c pawn to be a potential winner. The opening appears to demonstrate that 6...c5 is still a strong move, albeit connected to long theoretical variations where exact knowledge is crucial. ½-½
B l a c k is o n l y t o o wil li n g t o s a c ri f i c e t h e incidental h pawn to increase his central pressure. 9.xh5 c6 10.dxc5 I think the main reason I don't like this line for White has to do with th e p awn struct ure. W h en th e smoke clears,. Black usually holds all the trumps in that area. It's almost as if White has no Plan B if the attack breaks down, he has nothing left to call on. [ 10.e3 cxd4 11.xd4 xc2! 12.xc2 xd4 13.a4+ c6 Compare the pawns and you see what I mean! 14.0-0-0 b6 15.f4 A) 15...g6! is strong: 16.f6+ ( 16.g3 e3+-+ ) 16...xf6 17.exf6 b4; B) 15...0-0-0 16.h3 g6 17.g3 b4 18.xb4 xb4 19.d3 xc3 20.bxc3 h6 21.e2 c7 22.f1 g8 23.d2 g5 24.fxg5 xe5 Nielsen, M-Nielsen, B/ Copenhagen DEN 2004 ] 10...xc5 11.g2 [ Two heavyweights duel after 11.b5 c7 12.xc6+ ( 12.xg7+ f8 13.h5 d4! ) 12...xc6 13.f3 f8 14.g3 e7 15.h5 d4= The fight seems to be evenly balanced. ] [ 11.xg7+ Not many take on g7 but perhaps it is possible: f8 12.h5 b6 13.h2 xe5 14.e2 Naturally Black holds a strong initiative. ] 11...g6 12.g5 [ This time I think it's unwise to take on h7: 12.xg7+ f8 13.h5 xg7 14.hxg6 xh1+ 15.xh1 h4 ] 12...e7N White's position is fragmented and he faces threats such as ... Qb6 so he's trying 1247 B12 to keep his game alive with tactics. Gyimesi's Fedorov,Alexei 2620 novelty is cool, hanging g7 as usual, but he's Gyimesi,Zoltan 2618 gaining a lot of time if W hite goes in and TCh-CRO Rabat CRO (6) 10.09.2004 takes the pawn (which of course he doesn't). It may be that Black has more than one good [Andrew Martin] move: [ 12...c7!? I think I pre fer to retain the 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 e6 5.g4 option of . ..Qb6 in one move, but it must be g6 6.ge2 Although the Advance Variation s a i d t h a t 1 2 . . . Q c 7 l o o k s g o o d ! 13.0-0 has increased massively in popularity, the ( 13.xg7+ f8 14.h5 xe5+ 15.e2 very sharp line with 5 g4 and 6 Nge2 hasn't d4! ) 13...xh5 14.gxh5 ge7 15.e1 followed. Black has a number of interesting 0-0-0 16.e2 a6 17.ac1 d4 and very satisfactory responses, one of which Bae, T-Hermansson, E/Aarhus 2003 ] we see here. In my view, Black must start with 6...c5! c5! Quite right! A vigorous reaction in 13.f4 [ 13.xg7+ f8 14.xe7+ gxe7 15.h5 the centre is indicated. 7.h4 h5 8.f4 h7 1318
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xh5 16.gxh5 b6 ] [ a) 5...e6 is a tempo-down French Defence 13...xh5 14.gxh5 b6 15.d3! for Black, but with Ne2 thrown in, which is The only move to hold the position together, not the ideal extra move. Nevertheless, it's covering e3. c8 a tempo: 6.d2!? cxd4 7.cxd4 h6 8.f3 [ Maybe 15...xb2 was playable, not so f5 9.a3 b6 10.g4 fe7 11.f4 much grabbing a pawn as downgrading (Davies: 'It's starting to look very good for White's pawn structure still further: 16.b1 White the d4 pawn is not a problem and he a3 17.xb7 ( 17.b3 is better, but White has lots of space on the kingside. Black still ends up with structural problems: a5 manages to generate some temporary piece 18.xe7 gxe7 19.xb7 c8 20.h3 ) activity but this doesn't amount to anything 17...b4 18.h3 c8 ] real.') a5 12.b1 b3 13.e3 d7 16.f1? I don't unde rstand this move from a 14.d3 c8 15.c2 a5 16.f1 c4 2600 player. W hat was going through his 17.c1 b5 18.g2 c7 19.d3 d7 head? It's pretty obvious that White has to try 20.b3 a5 21.d2 b6 22.h5! [ 16.xe7 gxe7 17.0-0-0 and this posit and W hite stood considerably better in ion is uncomfortable but you can play..... 16 Kasparov-Kaiumov, Tbilisi 1976. ] Kf1 is obviously going to lead to immediate [ b) 5...cxd4 6.cxd4 f5 clears c3 for a problems. ] knight. Then 7.bc3 e6 8.a3 a6 9.e3 f6 16...xh5 10.h3 h5 ( Davies: 'Taking the pawn with [ 16...xb2 17.b1 xe5! 18.fxe5 xc3 10...fxe5 11.dxe5 xe5 looks downright 19.xc3 xc3 20.xb7 f6! 21.exf6 gxf6 bad after 12.d4 intending g2-g4.') 11.exf6 22.f4 xc2 23.xa7 c5 ] xf6 12.g3 d6 13.g2 c8 14.0-0 a5 17.a3 xg5 18.hxg5 xh1+ 19.xh1 ge7 15.f4 c4 16.c1 favoured White in 20.b4 d4 He has no wish to face the Davies-Speelman, Southend ENG 1999. ] endgame after 21 Qxd4 Nxd4 22 Rd1 Rxc3.5 6.b3 A rather strange move which is g4 and 6 Nge2 is a variation for the committed. e f f e c t i v e i n t h i s g a m e . H o u s k a ' s b o o k It's very sharp and very well analysed so you analyses three moves, but not this, nor 6 h3: ha ve to k n ow a lo t . B la ck ha s n um e ro u s [ a) On the Forum, 'Mettwurst Lothar' reports interesting ideas in response. Finally, you a game he played: 6.h3 xe2 7.xe2 e6 have no plan B if the attack breaks down 8.0-0 b6 ( 'Doubled Pawns' suggests that maybe that's part of the attraction anyway! after 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 b6 10.e3 h6!? ) 0-1 9.dxc5 xc5 10.b4 f8 , and his opponent suggested the simple 11.e3 c7 12.f4 ] [ b) After 6.e3 (which may be the best 1248 B12 move) , Houska's recommendation is c7 ( instead of 6...b6 7.d2 ) 7.b3!? ( 7.h3 Felgaer,Ruben 2556 and; 7.d2 both look better. White's space Houska,Jovanka 2384 ma y b eco m e a re a l a sse t) 7...0-0-0!? Gibtelecom Masters (1) 23.01.2007 (Houska: 'I don't really think that Black [John Watson] should exchange pawns on d4 since this seems to free up White's development - in 1.e4 c6 2.e2 d5 3.e5 c5 p a rt icu la r h e ca n p la y t h e kn igh t t o c 3 [ 3...f5 4.g3 e6 ( or 4...g6 instead of the more passive square d2') , when a different type of idea is 5.d4 e6 ( 7...c4!? ) 8.d2 ( 8.f3 f5 9.g3 g6 6.h4 h5 7.e2!? ) 5.d4 g6!? 6.c3 h5 10.b5 is equal ) 8...b8 7.d3 c8 8.h4 in the Archives is the A) here Houska doesn't consider the game Short-Sisikirian, Olympiad 2000 not natural 9.h3! which is the most logical, for very clear but I'd prefer to be White. ] example, f5?! ( 9...xe2 10.xe2 e6 4.d4 This could also have come from the 11.0-0 ge7 12.f3 f5 13.ac1 ordinary Advance Variation via 3 e5 c5 4 Ne2. Black should be OK) 10.dxc5 xe5 [ For 4.b4!? , see Surtees-Houska ] 11.d4 g6 12.f4 with a nice 4...c6 5.c3 g4 1319
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 advantage; B) 9.g3?! h5! 10.h3 c8 11.b5 h4 12.e2 h6 (Houska: 'the knight is heading to f5 where it will put pressure on the d4-pawn') , and I think that W hite s h o u l d t r y 13.xc6 xc6 ( 13...c4 14.b5 xc6 15.xc6 bxc6 16.f4 ) 14.dxc5 f5 15.d4 xd4 16.cxd4 g6! 17.f1 ( 17.0-0-0!? ) 17...f5 18.g1 and the extra pawn and space seem to outweigh Black's bishops and better king. ] [ c) Houska analyses 6.f3 as follows: ' d7 A) 7.e6 xe6 8.dxc5 f6 9.b4 ( ' 9.d4 d7 10.b4 e5 11.xc6 xc6 looks good for Black.) 9...g6 10.f4 g7 11.d4 0-0 12.xc6 bxc6 (Black has the simple plan of retreating his minor pieces to make way for the pawn pushes ... e7-e5 and ...f7-f5) 13.e5 h6 14.d3 d7 15.d4 f6 16.0-0 f7 17.a4 e5 18.f2 f5! Black reached a superb position in Barendregt-Botvinnik, Amsterdam 1966. '; B) 7.a3 ] [ d) She also gives 6.dxc5 xe5 7.d4 f6 8.f4 e6 9.b5+ f7 10.d3 f5 11.xe5+ fxe5 12.xe5 xc5 13.0-0 f6 'and Black does not have any problems. Bla ck 's k ing is un der n o th rea t an d his minor pieces are excellently located.' ] 6...xe2 [ 6...d7 is mentioned in the forum, with the f o l l o w - u p l i n e 7.e6?! ( White should try 7.dxc5 xe5 8.d4 , which is unclear; 7.f3 f5 ) 7...xe6 8.dxc5 d4 ( alas, 8...f5 9.d4 g6 threatens ...e5) 9.a4 d3 10.d4 d5 11.xd3 xg2 12.g1 d5 13.b4 ( or 13.e3 , in view of e5 14.b5 )] [ Another forum line from 'Matemax' is 6...c4 7.xb7 d7 8.e6!? fxe6 9.f4 , when another member (sorry about the lack of names the reader can check all this on the Forum) suggested e5 10.xe5 xe5 11.dxe5 e6 'with ...Bc5 coming'. This is double-edged, but probably fine for Black, since ...Rb8 and ...Rxb2 is also a good idea. ] 7.xe2 d7 8.e3 e6 9.0-0 [ 9.dxc5!? ] 9...ge7 10.d2 f5 11.f3 e7 12.g4!?
Risky White wants an extra centre pawn. [ 12.ad1 ] 12...xe3 13.fxe3 c4!? [ 13...0-0 with the idea ...f6 is the safe route. ] 14.c2 f6 15.exf6 gxf6 16.h1 [ 16.e4! g8 17.d2 ] 16...0-0-0 17.b3 cxb3 [ 17...a5 18.d2 ] 18.axb3 c7 [ 18...b8 ] 19.b4!? [ 19.c4 ] 19...xb4 20.a4 c6 21.fb1 d6! 22.b5 g8 23.g5 h6! 24.gxh6 [ 24.xc6 xc6 25.gxf6 xf6 26.xa7 xc3 and White has some play for the pawn, but nothing concrete. ] 24...h8!? [ 24...f8! ] 25.xc6! xc6 26.xa7 xh6 27.g1 xc3?? [ 27...h8 ] 28.a8+ d7 29.gb1 d6 30.xb7 c1+ 31.xc1 xc1+ 32.g1 xh2+ 33.xh2 c2+ 34.g3 g6+ 35.f2 f5+ 36.e1 1-0
1249 Fier,Alexandr Hilario T Ducarmon,Q 5th ENCI Limburg Open (6) [Milos Pavlovic]
B12 2560 2347 13.06.2011
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 c5 6.e3 cxd4 7.xd4 e7 This month two interesting games appeared in this line and I will analyse them both separately. 8.d2 bc6 9.2f3 e4 10.0-0 g6 This is a starting point. Black develops and at the same time puts pressure on the e5 pawn 11.xc6 [ Relevant for this game is also: 11.b5 xf3 ( 11...c7 is Iordachescu, V-Krivoborodov,E/ Moscow 2010 in the PGN Archive.) 12.xf3 d7 13.h5 gxe5 A) 14.ae1 g6 15.h3 g7 16.f4 g4! not an easy move to see, but it is found by computers, ( 16...c4 17.xe6 fxe6 18.xe6+ f7 19.f6+ winning ) 1320
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 17.xe6 fxe6 18.xg4 0-0 19.c3 with equal chances; B) 14.f4 a6 15.fxe5 axb5 16.xb5 xe5 17.xe5 xb5 18.d4 d7 19.h5 c8 20.h1 h6 21.ad1 h7 22.e2 d6 draw agreed in Almasi, Z Landa, K Reggio Emilia 2010. ] 11...bxc6 12.g5 e7 13.xe4 dxe4 14.d4 d5 15.c3N A new attempt, but although the outcome of the game is favorable f o r W h it e B la ck a ct ua lly d id n 't ha ve a n y problems in the opening. [ Previously 15.f4 was played: exf3 16.xf3 xd4 17.xd4 0-0-0 18.xa7 xe5 19.e2 d5 ( perhaps it was better to challenge White: 19...d2 20.ae1 b7 21.f2 f6 with unclear play) 20.a4 c7 21.a5 it was also possible to refrain from pushing the pawn further: ( 21.f2 a8 22.b3 d2 23.d1 b7 24.e3 d5 25.e2 c5 26.f2 xe3+ 27.xe3 f6 28.fd1 it looks to me like a slight edge for White ) 21...a8 22.b6+ b7 23.c4 d2 24.f2 c5 25.d1 xd1+ 26.xd1 d8 27.xc5 xa5 28.b4 xc5 ( 28...b6 29.xb6 a1 30.f1 xb6 with equal chances ) 29.bxc5 c6 30.b2 xc5 31.e2 g5 32.f2 d4 Almasi, Z Berkes, F Szeged 2009, Black has enough compensation to hold a draw. ] 15...0-0 16.f4 exf3 17.xf3 xe5 18.d4 g5 19.xc6 ac8 20.a4 c5 21.c3 fd8 Black could have played two other good moves here: [ 21...b8 22.b3 b4! A nice motif! 23.cxb4 xd4+ 24.h1 xa1 25.xa1 e3 In my opinion Black is perfectly ok here, pe rh ap s with som e ch an ce s to gain a n advantage. ] [ 21...e5 22.e2 ( 22.xc5 xf3+ 23.xf3 xc5+ 24.h1 fd8 No problems for Black here again.) 22...xd4+ 23.cxd4 e3+ 24.f2 c6 Black is fine. ] 22.ad1 xd4+ 23.cxd4 c7 24.h1 h4 25.e4 f5 26.a5 e7 27.b1 cd7 28.a4 After an interesting sequence of moves we come to this position which is ok for Black, and perhaps even more than that. f6 An inaccuracy that changes things: now the passive bishop on b1 will suddenly play his role
[ 28...h6 a simple move like this guarantees Black a good game. ] 29.d5! Black surely missed this small tactical nuance. xd5 30.xd5 exd5 31.g3 g6 32.xf5 xb2 33.xa7 It is still drawish but this time it is Black who has to f ind good moves, something which he fails to do. e2 34.f2 e7 35.d4 d6 36.e2 e7 37.e6 c7 38.e3 d4 39.e2 g6 40.d3 c8 41.g2 f8 42.e7 c6+ 43.e4 d6 44.b7 e6 45.e7 d6? This move loses a pawn and the game, much better was 45...Qf6 and the game is still on. 46.xg7+! xg7 47.g4+ g6 48.xc8 a3 49.c2 e5 50.c7+ f6 51.d8+ g7 52.g5+ g6 53.d5 e3 54.h4 e2+ 55.h3 f1+ 56.g2 f6 57.a4 h5 58.a5 e5 59.xd4 g8 60.d5+ g7 61.d4 g8 62.d5+ h7 63.g2 1-0
1250 Firman,Nazar Eljanov,Pavel Bundesliga 2009-10 (13) [Gawain Jones]
B12 2571 2717 21.03.2010
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 In these next few games I investigate Black's options without an immediate ...c5 break. These were quite hard to group together as Black has so many dif f erent setups. The specific move order is less important in these variations than the more forcing games we've seen earlier in this update. Instead, both players simply try and situate their pieces on the strongest squares. d7 This seems like the most flexible move, we're not yet sure whether the knight on g8 is better placed on h6 or e7. 6.bd2 This doesn't appear to have been seen on ChessPublishing before but these days has become the most common move at the elite level and is very similar to the 4.Nd2 lines and often transposes. g6 The bishop generally either retreats to g6 or all the way back to h7. The positions with . .. h6 are seen in Volokitin-Rodshtein where we can see various plans which emerge in a different Black setup. I'll try to highlight a couple of differences. First of all, as we see in 1321
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 f5 and the knights are hardly worse than the 7...Ne7 note, the bishop isn't completely the bishops in such a blocked position. safe here, Black has to watch out for Nh4 27.f2 xd1 28.xd1 e7 29.d3 d5 t ra d in g it o f f . T h is is d e f in it e ly t h e m o st 30.d2 e7 31.g4 bc7 32.g3 f5!? flexible move however, Black hasn't Black plays for more but this really gives committed his knight to either h6 or e7, whilst White any advantage going. 33.exf6 xf6 now ...f6 is a definite idea (it would generally 34.f5 e5 35.e3 h8 36.e4 h5 we a k e n g 6 f a r t o o m u c h i f we t r i e d it i n 37.e1 hxg4 38.xe5 xe5 39.xe5 conjunction with the ...h6, ...Bh7 setups). g5 40.xc7 xc7 41.g2 f6 42.d2 Finally, Rodshtein's ...g5!? is no longer on the d5 43.xd5 cxd5 44.xd5 b2+ cards with the bishop on g6. 7.0-0 h6 45.g3 xb4 46.h4 xa5 47.xg4 [ 7...e7 would be the other square on 1 / 2 -1 / 2 L o b zh a n id ze , D -L a f u e n t e , P which to develop the knight but again we Deizisau 2010.; have to offset the pros and cons. On the B) 8.h4!? Gaining the bishop pair but I positive side: the knight is more centrally don't believe Black should be too worried. located and will be able to go to either f5 or This move is hardly forced and other lines c6, or even c8, simply to allow the f8 bishop are likely to transpose to types of position to develop. The last also highlights another examined in the notes to Vachier Lagraveproblem behind ...Ne7 the bishop on f8 is Mchedlishvili. c5 This looks most logical to temporarily stuck behind the knight and so m e a s t h e k n i g h t h a s j u s t va c a t e d i t development will be a bit slower. The knight central control. ( 8...f5 9.xg6 hxg6 has also blocked in Black's queen allowing: 10.f3 h4 11.g3 xf3+ 12.xf3 e7 A) 8.b3 would be normal, which saw 13.e1 g5 14.g2 xc1 15.xc1 0-0 another game recently. c8!? The same 16.b3 b6 17.h4! Gave White some plan that has been investigated quite often advantage as he finally has a plan, i.e. in the archives but with the bishop still on opening up the h file although White was f5 and pawn on h6. The change ensures later outplayed. Mekhitarian, K - Granda that W hite should constantly be on the Zuniga, J La Roda Albacete 2010.) 9.c3 look out for Black breaking out with ...f6!? c6 10.xg6 hxg6 11.f3 e7 ( 8...f5 played here or later, is again W e have an Advanced French with c8 looked at in Shirov-Mchedlishvili.) 9.a4 bishop and b1 knight exchanged. This e7 10.a5 a6 11.e3 a7 12.c4 dxc4 should favour Black as that's the "bad 13.bd2! A stronger square for the knight bishop" although now ...f6 is also harder than b3 has emerged. 0-0 14.xc4 b5 t o a ch i e ve a s e 6 a n d g6 will b e c o m e And Black's position is still extremely solid vulnerable. Black also has to watch out although there is no real potential in the and delay castling making sure White can't position anymore and he must simply sit. open up his king with h4-h5. 12.e3 c8 However, it appears that Black can get 13.d2 a5! Swapping queens means away with this super slow plan of ...Ne7-c8B l a c k wi l l n o t h a v e t o wo r r y a b o u t a a7 as the position is so closed and both kingside initiative. 14.a3 cxd4 15.cxd4 sides struggle for openings. Remember xd2 16.xd2 f6 17.f4 g5! 18.exf6 that in these lines the priority is to stop xf6 19.b3 gxf4 20.xf4 e5 your opponent getting any play patience is and Black had at least equalised. the necessary virtue. I leave the rest of the Brandenburg, D-Lenic, L Sarajevo 2010. ] ga me t o s ho w h ow dif f icu lt it is t o d o anything for either side. 15.d2 c7 8.b3 This is rather rare in this exact position. [ 8.b3 would be the automatic move, 16.b4 So Black can no longer ever break discouraging Black breaking with ...c5 and with ...c5 while ...f6 doesn't look attractive allowing the bishop to develop. Let's have a as e6 will become too weak. ad8 17.b2 l o o k a t s o m e r e c e n t g a m e s . c8 fe8 18.ad1 f8 19.e1 e4 20.d3 ( All lines where Black plays an early 8...f5 g6 21.c5 d5 22.b6 h4 23.xd5 are investigated in Shirov-Mchedlishvili.) xd5 24.c4 dd8 25.f4 xc5! 26.dxc5 1322
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 9.d2 ( 9.xh6!? is perhaps also playable but the dark squares and open g file should grant Black sufficient counterplay for the wrecked pawn structure. ) 9...e7 A) 10.c3 0-0!? Black still doesn't worry about taking on h6 as he judges that it will be too difficult for White to attack without that bishop anyway. 11.c1 c5 12.d3 f5 13.f4 b6 14.a4 fd8 Both sides have successfully developed their pieces and now White had to come up with a plan . 15.c4!? A useful rule of thumb is that this move is much more likely to work before Black has completed his development and so here it shouldn't threaten Black. A1) 15...xd4!? looks interesting if Black wants to keep more material on, f o r e x a m p l e 16.xd4 cxd4 17.a5 xb2 18.xd8 xd8 19.cxd5 d3!? ( 19...exd5 looks ok for Black; while 19...f5! is the most accurate.) 20.xd3 c5 21.c4 xd3 22.xd3 xd3 23.xd3 xe5 is a little better for White.; A2) 15...c6 16.xc6 bxc6 17.a5 e8 18.cxd5 exd5 19.dxc5 xc5 20.ac1 b8 21.d3? ( 21.b3 gives W hite a small edge.) 21...d4! 22.xd4 xd4 23.c7 Priyadharshan, K - D r e e v , A D e l h i 2 0 1 0 w h e n xd3 24.xd3 xb2 25.xc6 c5 26.b1 e6 27.d6 xf2+! would have given Black a great position.; B) 10.a4 White's typical plan with the knight on b3 but here it fails to trouble Black at all. 0-0 11.a5 f5 12.a6 b6 13.e1 c5 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.a5 e8 16.b5 b8 17.c4 xb5! destroying the bind that White has just taken 7 moves to try and create. 18.cxb5 b8 19.bd2 Azarov, S -Motylev, A Moscow 2010, when xb5 would have given Black the better chances. ] [ 8.c4 would have transposed back into Helstroffer-Grooten in the archives. ] [ 8.e1!? played twice by Gritsenko recently looks interesting to me. A) The following day, Black tried to i m p r o v e w i t h 8...c5 9.c3 cxd4?! I think this is wrong as this takes pressure
off White's centre. 10.cxd4 f5 11.df3 b6 I wonder if there's a stronger move for Black here as this provokes W hite's best. 12.a4 ( 12.a4! immediately is the most precise.) 12...b4 13.d1 b6 14.a4 A1) Maybe 14...b4!? is best, to at least s l o w W h i t e ' s a 4 - a 5 wh e n f o l l o wi n g 15.c2 e7 the knight is worse placed on c2 than e1 as it wants to jump to d3f4. ( 15...h5!? ); A2) 14...e7 15.a5 c7 16.d3 h4?! 17.xh4 xh4 18.f4 ( 18.d2! followed by 19.Rc1 is rather unpleasant for Black.) 18...e4 19.f3 ( 19.d2! ) 19...c2 20.d2 was somewhat better for White as Black struggled for counterplay. Gritsenko, A Zontakh, A Dagomys 2010.; B) 8...f5 9.df3! This is the idea, re ro u t in g t h e kn ig h t s a l t h o u gh B la c k played accurately and defused any a d v a n t a g e . c5 10.c3 e7 11.d3 ( 11.g4!? ) 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 0-0 13.f4 b6 14.xg6 hxg6 15.g4 h4 16.xh4 xh4 17.e3 Gritsenko, A -Maletin, P Dagomys 2010. ] 8...b4!? I like the look of this move, i m m e d i a t e l y e xp l o i t i n g t h e we a k n e s s e s White's last created. Black's bishop is going to end up on c7 to put some more pressure on e5. [ 8...e7 has also been played and is of course reasonable too. 9.c4 0-0 A) 10.b2 f6 ( 10...f5 resulted in a quick Black victory 11.g3 f6 12.g2 I have to confess I don't understand this or W hite's last! fxe5 13.xe5 xe5 14.dxe5 c5 15.f3 b6 and Black already had a pleasant initiative and White failed to survive for long: 16.c1 h6 17.g5? xf2 18.c5 xc5 19.xe6 xf1 20.xf1 e4+ 21.f3 g4 22.h3? e3 23.xc5 xf1 0-1 Blot, DPlantet, M Elancourt 2007.) 11.exf6 xf6 12.e5 xe5 13.dxe5 e7 14.f3 f5 15.g4 This is extremely aggressive once the f file has already been opened although otherwise Black is extremely satisfactorily placed. h4 16.xh4 xh4 17.f4 e4 18.cxd5 cxd5 19.d4 1323
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Cioara, A -Burmakin, V Porto San Giorgio 2 0 0 4 w h e n I l i k e t h e l o o k o f g5! When White's king is in trouble.; B) 10.e1 c8 11.f1 f5 12.d3 b6 13.c5 c7 14.g3 xg3 15.hxg3 b6 16.b4 a5 17.a3 a8 18.xg6 fxg6!? 19.g5 d8 20.xe7 xe7 21.d3 fb8 1/2-1/2 Himanshu, S - Sundararajan, K (2520) Mumbai 2010 never gave Black any real problems. ] 9.b2 0-0 10.a3 a5 11.c4 f6 Now we see the idea behind Black's deployment. The knight will be able to return to the fray via f7 if necessary. Black puts pressure on White's centre and opens up the position to get some squares for his pieces. 12.cxd5 The first new move of the game. [ A previous game proceeded 12.b4 c7 13.b3 h5 Increasing the pressure on e5. 14.fd2 g6 15.f3 h5 16.exf6 White tries for the win xf3! not allowing White control over the important e5 square. 17.xf3 xf6 18.e2 dxc4 19.xc4 b6 20.e2 a4 21.c2 xb2 22.xb2 ad8 and Black was very happy with how his opening had progressed. The e6 pawn is no weaker than the one on d4 whilst his pieces have found active homes. Lutz, C Schlosser, P Germany 1997. ] 12...exd5!? Elijanov changes the pawn structure for greater winning chances. [ 12...cxd5 looks equal to me. ] 13.b4 Now Black takes the upper hand. [ It was necessary to strive for the initiative w i t h t h e r i s k y l o o k i n g 13.e6!? b8 when White has to play very dynamically to ensure that the e6 pawn doesn't just drop. A line might run: 14.h4 e8 15.xg6 hxg6 16.d3 xe6 17.e1 ( 17.c2!? ) 17...e8 18.xe6 xe6 when 19.c4!? is aesthetically pleasing but I'd prefer Black after c7 20.d2 d7 ] 13...c7 14.b5 fxe5 15.dxe5 c5 [ The simple 15...e7 also looks to favour Black. 16.bxc6 bxc6 17.c1 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.xe5 xe5 20.xc6 ae8 would leave White needing to play accurately to hold the draw. ] 16.e1 e8 17.f1 f8 Around here Black starts to lose the plot for a few moves. [ 17...g4 18.b3= ]
[ 17...c4! is the first time that Black should have played this pawn push, we'll see it over the next few moves too. Black has to be careful ceding the d4 outpost but now the knight can jump to c5 and thence to either d3 or e6. Perhaps White's best is 18.xc4!? dxc4 19.xc4+ h8 20.e6 c5 but I doubt that objectively W hite should have enough for the piece. ] 18.g3 d7 [ 18...c4!? again looks promising. ] 19.h4 f7 20.c2 a5 [ 20...c4 looks even more tempting now that it also hits the b5 pawn. ] 21.f4?! [ G e t t i n g o u t o f t h e p i n w i t h 21.ed1 would give W hite good chances, e.g. g6 ( 21...xd2 22.xd2 ac8 23.f4 and White starts to take over the initiative.) 22.xg6 xg6 23.xc5 b6 24.b4 g4 25.d4 xe5 26.xe5 xe5 27.c4 with a small edge for White. ] 21...e6 [ 21...c4! At the risk of sounding like a broken record but now this move is even more logical as White might have problems down the a7-g1 diagonal. ] 22.df3?! Far too aggressive [ Although 22.ed1 now allows Black a decent game with d8! 23.e4 xh4 24.gxh4 f7 25.d6 xf4 with very good compensation for the exchange. ] 22...xe1 23.xe1 ac8 24.g5 c4 25.xe6 xe6 [ 25...xe6 26.f5 c5 looks a logical regrouping to me, so many outposts for that knight! ] 26.d4 g6 [ 26...d7?! 27.f5 xb5 would pick up another pawn but no human would choose to allow W hite to increase his initiative in this way. ] 27.d1 ed8 [ 27...d7 to sit the knight on e6 would be my pick. ] 28.c3?! White should have taken a time out to restore some material parity with [ 28.xa7! as there's no way to trap the bishop, i.e. b6 29.f3! a8 30.d4 ] 28...b6 29.d2 e7! The queen isn't a good blockader and so she leaves her post and 1324
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 allows knight to do its job. 30.h3 e6 31.f3 f5! Elijanov has successfully coordinated his pieces and can now go about exploiting his material advantage. 32.xf5 gxf5 33.h4 f8 34.g4?! Rash. White should have just sat still and waited to see how Black's to get his rooks into the game. fxg4 35.f5 h6! Presumably this is the move which Firman missed. Now it's Black who takes over the initiative, which coupled with the extra material, means the position is r e s i g n a b l e . 36.g2 g5 37.e1 e4 This flexible setup with ...Bg6 and ...Nh6 is looking promising for Black and the onus is on W hite to find a way to increase the pressure on Black's solid setup. 0-1
1251 Firman,Nazar Makarov,Vladimir Tch-UKR Alushta UKR (2) [Andrew Martin]
B12 2494 2172 16.04.2006
LIGHTNING STRIKE It is truly amazing how many completely new and original ideas are coming out of the Advance Caro. Why, 3 e5 has almost taken over as the main line these days, more commonly played than even 3 Nc3! Take a look at White's fifth move here. I have never seen it before. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.h4 h5 5.g5!? A very sharp continuation throwing Black completely on his own resources. 5...Qb6 looks very tempting, d o e s n ' t i t ? b6 Of course if Black doesn't play this move, he has problems organising good squares for all his pieces now that he cannot play the immediate 5..e6. 6.d3!?N This is the point. White sacrifices a Rook to trap the Queen on a1 a very interesting idea. [ By contrast 6.b3? is rather pathetic: e6 7.c3 c5 8.f3 c6 9.d3 g4 10.e3 cxd4 11.cxd4 b4+ 12.f1 h6 13.a3 e7 14.c3 c8 15.a4 d8 16.b4 f5 17.e2 f6 18.c5 xe3+ 19.fxe3 xc5 20.dxc5 xe5 Elser, C-Banik, A/ Ruhrgebiet 2004 ] 6...xd3 7.xd3 xb2 8.e6! It had to be. What amazes me is that white has the time to play as he does but I suppose a pawn on e6
really fouls Black up. fxe6 [ Black could take immediately, with similar play: 8...xa1 9.b3 fxe6 10.f3 b5 ( 10...d7 11.0-0 0-0-0 12.bd2 xf1+ 13.xf1 h6 14.a3 a6 15.e3; 10...b6 11.0-0 f6 12.bd2 xf1+ 13.xf1! bd7 14.a4! ) 11.0-0 a5 12.c3 xf1+ 13.xf1 d7 14.e2 gf6 15.f4 ] 9.f3 d7 10.0-0 xa1 11.b3 e5?! He is obviously very rattled who wouldn't be? [ Black's future may depend on either of 11...b5 12.bd2 xf1+ 13.xf1 gf6 14.f4 h7 15.a4 a6 16.c3 ] [ 11...0-0-0 12.bd2 xf1+ 13.xf1 gf6 14.a3 a6 15.a5 e4 16.f4 e5 17.xe5 xe5 18.xe5 d7 19.b6 ] 12.c3 xf1+ 13.xf1 e4 [ 13...exd4 14.xb7 b8 15.xc6 dxc3 16.e5 leads to mate in a few moves: gf6 17.xf6 d8 18.g5 h6 19.xh6 e6 20.xe6+ e7 21.f7# ] 14.e5 xe5 15.xb7 A strange and remarkable little game. 1-0
1252 Galdunts,Sergey Schulz 7th BayEM Bad Wiessee (1) [Andrew Martin]
B12 2495 2265 2003
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 e6 5.g4 g6 6.ge2 Play remains as wild and as woolly as ever after this fascinating move. Both players must know the theory backwards or risk a humiliating defeat. f6 Many ideas have been tried but 6...f6 and 6...c5 remain the most popular. It is appealing to attack the White centre immediately. [ Here's a recent game for you where 6...c5 works beautifully: 6...c5 7.e3 c6 8.dxc5 xe5 9.d4 A) The state of play after other moves: 9...f6 10.f4 ( 10.b5+ ed7 11.e2 Timman ) 10...exg4 11.b5+ e7 12.e2; B) 9...c6 10.b5 c8 11.e2 h5!? 12.0-0-0 hxg4; C) 9...d7!? Nullifies Bb5, steps out of the way of f4 and counterattacks c5 - very 1325
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 sensible. 10.f4 xc5 11.e2 gf6 12.g2 0-0 13.0-0-0 b4 14.f5 exf5 15.gxf5? After this howler White gets crushed. Like it or not he had to try ( 15.xd5 xd5 16.xd5 a5 17.xf5 f6 18.b3 ae8 19.f3 but then xg4 looks very good for Black.) 15...h5 16.f3 xf3 17.xf3 xc3 18.bxc3 e5 19.g2 a5 20.b3 xa2 21.dg1 g6 22.d4 c4 23.fxg6 fxg6 24.d1 e4 25.h3 0-1 Granara Barreto, S-Labollita, M/1st Chesspangenberg Open, Buenos Aires 2003 (25) ] 7.f4 f7 [ 7...fxe5 8.xe6 e7 9.xf8 exd4+ 10.e2 dxc3 11.xg6 hxg6 12.d3 f6 13.xc3 bd7 14.e3 e4 15.d4 was the old game Nunn-Andersson London 1982. I think I prefer the Bishops. ] 8.e2 d7! An improvement on [ 8...fxe5 9.xe5 d7 10.e2 e7 11.d3 g6 12.h4 Timman-Anand Amsterdam 1992 ] 9.exf6 xf6 10.g5 A typical jab in this line. White disrupts the position before Black can get his act together. xd4 11.xe6 xe6 12.xe6+ e7N The block with the Bishop seems reasonable as long as Black can eject the White Queen sooner rather than later. But 12...Ne7 has been scoring well too: [ 12...e7 13.e3 e5 14.g4 ( 14.h3 xe6 15.xe6 g6 16.0-0-0 c5 17.f5 f7 18.h4 d6 19.h5 f4 20.xh7 ce6 21.g6+ e7 22.h6 e5 23.hxg7 xg7 24.he1 g2 25.g5+ f6 26.xf6+ xf6 27.g1 gf4 28.de1 ae8 Vlassov, N-Vyzmanavin, A/Novgorod 1995) 14...f5 15.a4 b5 16.xb5 f3 17.g1 cxb5 18.xb5 f5 19.c7+ d8 20.xa8 xe3 21.g3 b4+ 22.c3 h1+ 23.e2 xa1 24.xe3 xb2+ 25.f1 f8 26.e2 c1+ 0-1 Zozulia, A-Wieczorek, R/ Krakow 1999 ] 13.e3 e5 14.g4 White does not want the Queens off with his compromised pawn s t r u c t u r e . c5!= There is good reason to think that Black has equalised. He is gradually neutralising W hite's attacking potential by exchanges and he retains the better pawn structure. All hinges on whether Galdunts can work up compensating light-squared pressure
b y a c t i v e l y m o b i l i zi n g t h e B i s h o p o n f 1 15.0-0-0 [ 15.e2 xe3 16.xe3 e7 ] 15...xe3+ 16.fxe3 e7? Sometimes you just have to be bold and here Black has to take on e3, not so much to win a pawn as to stop White levering open the position. I think that with accurate defence, Black should hold: [ 16...xe3+ 17.b1 0-0-0 18.h3 h5 19.g2 ( 19.h4 e7 20.de1 g6! 21.xe3 xh4 22.e7 g6! 23.xg7 f4 24.f5 hf8= ) 19...e7 20.he1 c5 ] 17.e4! Now I start to believe in the Bf1. d4 18.e2 c5 19.f4 0-0-0 20.e6 Passive play by Black hasn't brought any benefit. White is starting to crawl all over the position. de8 21.h3 b8 22.hf1 [ 22.g3! was very strong, exchanging Black's only active piece: c6 ( 22...xg3 23.hxg3 g6 24.xg7 e7 25.h5 de5 26.f5 ) 23.xg7 ] 22...f8 23.f4 fg6 [ After 23...xe4 Black gets pushed around: 24.de1 c6 25.g2 b5 26.h5 g8 27.f7+- ] 24.d3 c7 25.g3 xg3 26.hxg3 b6 27.f7 hg8 28.e6 c8 [ 28...c6 29.d5 ce7 30.h1 xd5 31.exd5 ] 29.d5 d6 30.d7 Schulz is demoralized. I wouldn't resign at this point although the situation of the clocks is unknown to me. Certainly Black is worse after 30...Nxe4 31 Bxg8 Rxg8 but he can struggle on. S u m m a r i si n g t h e o p e n i n g s k i r m i s h e s i s easier: Black has a good position after 9... Nd7 and the idea can be recommended. You are obliged to play with courage. 1-0
1253 Gashimov,Vugar Grischuk,Alexander Sportaccord WMG Rapid rapid (6) [Milos Pavlovic]
B12 2757 2752 11.12.2011
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 e7 6.0-0 c5 7.a3 ec6 8.c4 cxd4 Same players, same line! Not even a month ago I commented on their encounter from Tal 1326
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Memorial, and here we have another game, although this time with a rapid time control, although still theoretically important. 9.b5 a6 10.g5 d7 11.bxd4 e4 12.c1 h6 13.e3 e7 14.cxd5 xd5 15.d2!?N Gashimov deviates first, this is obviously his improvement over the above mentioned game, that you can find in my November update. b4 This move is made against White's main threat, e.g. [ 15...0-0 16.xh6! gxh6 17.xh6 Black is practically lost. ] 16.d3 0-0 17.a3 e7 18.d1! A nice idea, transferring the bishop to c2 is possible now that he has won a tempo with a3. d8 19.c2 g6 20.e2 g7 21.fd1 White could go directly on the attack: [ 21.h4!? xd4 22.xd4 A) 22...xh4 23.g4 e7 24.e2 c6 25.g3 h7 26.h5 e8 ( 26...xe5 27.f4+- ) 27.f4 f8 28.f6+ xf6 29.exf6; B) 22...c6 23.xc6 xc6 24.fd1 e8 25.h5 xd1+ 26.xd1 g5 27.f4 d8 28.fxg5 xg5 29.xg5 xd1+ 30.xd1 hxg5 31.h2 h8 32.g4 h6 33.d6 ] 21...xd4 22.xd4 [ 22.xd4 c6 23.xc6 bxc6 24.g4 a5 25.h4 h5 26.f4 e8 27.a4 White has some kind of pressure but Black's position is solid, albeit a bit passive. ] 22...b5 23.d3 e8 24.c3 [ 24.d2 c6 25.b6 d7 26.f4 c8 27.c4 d8 28.f2 xc4! 29.xc4 e7 Black has good play here. ] 24...c6 25.e3 d7 26.d2 ad8 27.e4 [ 27.e2 f8 28.b4 White enjoys the easier play but the position is not easy to handle for either side, if Black could transfer his knight to e7, aiming for the f5 or d5 squares, he would seize the initiative. ] 27...xe4! 28.xe4 c5 29.h4 h5 Now Black is even slightly better, his piece coordination is better. 30.f3 d4 31.xd4 xd4 32.f6+ g8 33.e2 8d5 34.f4 d8 35.xd8+ xd8 36.f3 f8 37.g3 White managed to hold the equilibrium here. xd1+ 38.xd1 xd1+ 39.xd1 d4 40.f2 e7 41.e3 f5+ 42.f2 d4
43.e3 f5+ 44.e4 ½-½
1254 Gashimov,Vugar Grischuk,Alexander 18th European Teams (6.3) [Milos Pavlovic]
B12 2757 2752 08.11.2011
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 e7 6.0-0 c5 7.a3 Recently this move started to gain popularity . [ 7.c4 bc6 8.a3 a6 9.dxc5 d4 I analysed this move in one of my previous updates, in the game Leko-Roiz. ] [ 7.dxc5 ec6 8.g5 e7 9.xe7 xe7 10.c4 dxc4 11.a3 c3 12.bxc3 d7 13.b5 0-0 14.d6 xc5 15.b5 g4 16.xc6 bxc6 17.h3 h5 18.g4 g6 19.d4 b7 20.ad1 c5 21.a4 xd6 22.xd6 f5 ( 22...b7 23.f4 ab8 Black is fine here.) 23.d7 e8 24.fd1 fxg4 25.xg4 f7 26.xf7 xf7 27.g5 f5 28.f4 e8 29.xf5 xf5 30.d7 f8 31.e7 h6 32.xe6 xe6 33.xe6 xf4 34.a6 f3 35.xa7 xh3 36.e6 e3 37.e7 f8 38.f7+ g8 39.e7 f8 1/2-1/2 Shirov, A -Anand, V Leon 2011 ] 7...ec6 8.c4 cxd4 9.b5 a6 10.g5 d7 11.bxd4 e4 12.c1 h6 13.e3 [ 13.h4 e7 14.xe7 xe7 15.d2 bc6 16.4b3 c7 17.xe4 dxe4 18.d6 b6 19.fd1 0-0 20.c5 c7 21.d6 Agreed drawn, Svidler-Anand/Tal Memorial 2011. W hile I was writing this game had just finished and so I added it as an important contribution to the theory of this line. Black had no problems whatsoever. ] 13...e7 14.cxd5 xd5 15.c4 0-0 16.e2 Another possibility might be: [ 16.xd5 xd5 17.xc6 xc6 18.xd5 exd5 19.a3 ( 19.b6 d8 20.c5 e8 21.d6 e7 22.fd1 ad8 23.xd5 xe5! 24.xe5 xd6 25.xe8+ xe8 26.f1= ) 19...fe8 20.fd1 ad8 21.c2 f8 22.b6 d7 I consider such a position equal. ] 16...d8 17.fd1 xc4 18.xc4 e8 19.b3 d7 20.a3 f8 Grischuk is delaying 1327
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 t a k i n g o n d 4 a s lo n g a s p o ss ib le , a n d i t Ivanchuk severe problems to complete his seems that W hite can't do much about it. development. 21.xc6 Releasing the tension, alternatives [ 17.c4 is my computer's top choice. dxc4 might be interesting but the position is still 18.xc4 g5 ( 18...g6 is a more human very solid for Black. move. 19.d2 e8 20.d7 e7 21.ed1 [ 21.h3 a5 22.c2 ac6 23.d2 d5 f4! and Black will slowly unravel.) 19.d2 24.e4 xd4 25.xd4 d7 ] e8 20.g3 e7 ( 20...h6?! 21.d7 e7 21...xc6 22.xd7 xd7 23.d1 c8 22.e6! is very strong.) 21.f4 gxf4 22.gxf4 24.c1 d7 25.d1 c8 26.c1 h6 and White still has good compensation Game drawn, which is a normal outcome in for the pawn but Black's position is this position. probably defendable. ] ½-½ 17...e7 18.c3 a6 I don't really like this move as the bishop is very strong on d7. [ Perhaps 18...h5 is best to bring the rook 1255 B12 back into the game via h6. Of course White still has good compensation but this will Gashimov,Vugar 2733 probably be a future battleground in the Ivanchuk,Vassily 2764 variation. ] 53rd Masters (6) 03.01.2011 [ 18...c8 must be the critical test of White's [Gawain Jones] new idea. 19.xc8+ xc8 20.d1 A) 20...e7 21.f4! ( 21.c4 g6 22.cxd5 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 e7 23.e1 c8 24.g3 c5 25.c6 c5 6.e3 b6 7.c3 c6 Another test of d8 is probably a draw as it won't be easy this theoretical line which a few months ago to keep White's imposing centre.) 21...g6 looked to be in such good shape for Black. 22.c4 dxc4 23.xc4 and, despite the 8.0-0 xb2 9.e1 cxd4 10.xd4 xd4 simplifications, Black has severe problems 11.xd4 b4 12.b1 with Rd7 coming next move.; [ Karjakin tried 12.db5 and won quickly but B) 20...e7 21.xd5 d8 22.c4 f6 I thought Black should have been able to 23.f4! fxe5 24.fxe5 and as the c8 knight equalise. Karjakin, S (2747)-Tukhaev, A cannot move Black has big problems. ] (2550) Wroclaw 2010. ] 12...xc3 13.xb2 xe1 14.xe1 b6 19.d7 g6 20.c7 White's threat of e5-e6 is I have previously looked at this position in the very difficult to deal with. b5 [ 20...g7 21.e6! hf8 22.exf7 would give notes to Ni Hua-Ionov and Karjakin-Tukhaev. I White a decisive advantage. ] have to confess that I believed Black to be [ 20...g8 is the computer's suggestion but holding on here. However Gashimov comes following 21.g3 it's not clear how Black up with a dangerous new idea which should proceed. ] c h a l l e n g e s t h i s v a r i a t i o n . 15.b5+ ChessVibes gives 17.Rb3 as the novelty but to 21.e6! f6 I bet Ivanchuk really hated playing be honest I cannot find any examples of this the move as White will now always have great compensation due to that passed e pawn move. [ Motylev, A (2705)-Belov, V (2619) Dagomys while Black's king will struggle to find safety. [ 21...fxe6 is of course the alternative but the 2010 continued 15.h4 and Black held the problem is that after 22.xe6 h5 23.f4 draw. ] Black is completely paralysed. ] 15...f8 16.xf5 exf5 So White has a pawn This rook manoeuvre is familiar. deficit but a strong lead in development and 22.e3! b e t t e r s t r u c t u r e . H o w e v e r h e m u s t d o Gashimov brings his second rook onto the something quickly or Black will be able to play seventh rank. b8 [ 22...b4 would prevent the following rook lift ...g6, ...Ne7 and ...Kg7 and he won't have any but the queenside pawns are vulnerable. A p r o b l e m s a t a l l . 17.b3! This looks like a sample line could continue: 23.b3 a5 strong new idea. Gashimov wants to play the 24.a3 bxa3 25.xa3 f4 26.f1 h5 27.b3 rook onto the seventh rank where it will cause 1328
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 Vacating b6 for the knight. 13.g3 g6 14.e2 b6 15.0-0 c4 16.xc4 when dxc4! is roughly equal ] [ 8...e7 Although the exchange of darksquared bishops should favour W hite in principle, it's hard to prove it: 9.xe7 xe7 10.d3 xd3 11.xd3 a6 12.ge2 Hoffman, A-Nivala, T/Dos Hermanas 2003 and now c8 leaves the game looking pretty level to me. ] 9.a3N he wants to take full advantage of the exposed Black queen. Is there any need for a novelty here? Not if the following evidence is anything to go by: [ 9.b5 b4 10.xd7+ xd7 11.ge2 A) 11...c8 12.0-0 f6 13.f4 e7 14.a3 xc3 15.xc3 g6 16.g3 fxe5 Possibly this is where it all starts to go downhill. ( Why not 16...c4! planning to double rooks and with pressure on d4.) 17.dxe5 c4 18.b4 a6 19.b5 b6 20.xd5 d4 21.e3 a4 22.b3 e4 23.fd1+ e7 24.f3 f4 25.fxe4 e2+ 26.h2 xe4 27.xf5+ exf5 28.d5 1-0 Kobylka, P-Michalek, M/Brno 1987; B) 11...e7 12.0-0 c6 13.g3 xc3 14.bxc3 xc3?! ( 14...g6 was more c a u t i o u s a n d w i t h o u t d o u b t b e t t e r .) 15.xf5 exf5 16.b1 e8 17.xb7 b8 1256 B12 18.c7 1-0 Epstein, E-Frenklakh, J/ Chandler 1997 ] Gelashvili,Tamaz 2577 [ 9.ge2 f6 ( 9...c8 ) 10.exf6 gxf6 Saleh,Nabil 2260 ( 10...gxf6!? leads to an interesting position 7th Open Dubai UAE (1) 04.04.2005 which should not be worse for Black: 11.f4 [Andrew Martin] b6 12.d2 e7 ) 11.g3 g6 12.d3 f7 13.0-0 d6 14.ce2 0-0-0 15.d2 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.h4 b6 16.a4 df8 17.a5 d8 18.a6 b6 A move which to a certain extent lives in the 19.g5 b8 20.c3 a8 21.b5 b8 shadow of 4 Nc3 and 5 g4, although games 22.e4 dxe4 23.xe4+ xe4 24.xd8 like the following may well propel 4 h4 back xd8 25.c2 f6 26.c7 d7 27.xd6 into the forefront of fashion. In my view, 3...c5 d5 28.g3 h6 29.fc1 g6 30.e5 is less hassle for Black to learn and probably 1-0 Mokry, K-Shaw, T/Thessaloniki 1984 more reliable. h5 5.c4 e6 6.c3 d7 Excellent results for White, and in double[ Possibly 6...dxc4 is superior and then the quick time too, although as I've shown, usual plan of controlling d5 with moves such Black had improvements in all the games. ] as ...Nd7-b6 and ...Ne7-d5 come into the 9...a6 10.b4 b6 11.c1 e7 12.e2 g6 frame. ] 7.cxd5! Now that the Knight cannot come to He's aiming to transfer a Knight to f5 , and c6 a capture on d5 is well-timed. cxd5 8.g5 su rprisin gly, it 's no t at all e a sy t o f in d a really good alternative: a5 There are two decent alternatives: [ 12...c8 13.xh5 ( 13.f3 f6 14.exf6 [ 8...b6 9.d2 c8 10.c1 e7 11.a3 gxf6 15.f4 ) 13...xg5 14.hxg5 g6 15.g4 c6 12.ge2 ( 12.f3 g4 ) 12...b3 g5 28.a4 and White has complete control. ] [ Perhaps 22...f4! was the last chance, with the idea 23.a3 ( 23.ec3!? f5 24.f1 b8 25.3c6 g7 26.xa6 f6 looks playable for Black.) 23...f5 24.xb5 g7! 25.d7 f6 and Black has succeeded in completing his development although of course White is still on top. ] 23.a7 b6 24.c3 h5?! After this Black has no chances. [ 24...d4 25.cc7 ( 25.a3 looks like a c l e a n e r r o u t e t o v i c t o r y .) 25...g7 would allow the h8 rook back into the game when White would still have a lot of work to do after 26.xb5 axb5 27.xe7+ h6 ] 25.c8! And that h8 rook is now trapped forever. h7 26.cc7 f4? And this loses instantly. [ 26...b8 wa s f o rc e d b u t 27.xa6 b4 28.cb7 xb7 29.xb7 will win easily. ] 27.a8! Not a good game by the Ukrainian genius but proof that Black needs to play accurately in this line. I think 18...h5 is a better try for Black who may be able to hold onto the draw. Further tests required! 1-0
1329
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 xg4 16.xg4 xh5 17.xh5 gxh5 18.f4 e7 19.f3 ] [ 12...xg5 13.hxg5 g6 14.h3 ] [ 12...f6 13.xh5+ d8 14.a4! ] 13.h3! The Knight certainly belongs on f4. xg5 14.hxg5 e7 15.a4 d8 16.f4 h4 17.g3 White has superior chances for several reasons: 1) He has two Rooks already in th e ga me 2 ) His pa wns give him more space. 3) He has excellent squares for his knights on f4 and c5 4) Black is passive e4 18.f3 f5? I guess Saleh wasn't too fond of his position. Instead [ 18...f5 19.xh4 xh4 20.gxh4 ] [ 18...h7 19.gxh4 f5 20.c5 xc5 21.xc5 were probably both too grim for him to contemplate at any length. ] 19.fxe4 xg3 20.g1 xg5 21.h3! e3 22.c3 xe4 23.d3 [ After 23.f2 xe2+ 24.xe2 xe2 25.xe2 Black has three pawns, but how does he prevent White from penetrating on the c file? ] 23...xd3 24.xd3 b5 [ 24...f6 is an attempt to get the pawns rolling but Black is suf f ering due to the inactivity of his Rooks. Thus 25.exf6 gxf6 26.c7 is still much better for White. ] 25.c5 xc5 26.xc5 The flag drops. Perhaps Black isn't totally lost here but his position remains unenviable after, say, 26... Kd7 27 Kf 2 f ollowed by Rgc1 and a King march into the centre. Black cannot do anything! My overall view is that 4 h4 is on a par with 4 Nc3 in terms of objective strength. With a bit of study, both should furnish decent practical results. 1-0
1257 Gelfand,Boris Dreev,Alexey vs. ROW Moscow RUS (6) [Tony Kosten]
B12 2710 2676 10.09.2002
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.e3 b6 5.c1 e6 6.c4 xb1 Preparation, no doubt, Shirov 'came a cropper' against Kasparov with [ 6...e7?! 7.c5 when White's space advantage proved decisive. ]
7.xb1 b4+ 8.d2 xd2+ The point, Black has managed to exchange two pieces which gives his remaining knights more room to manoeuvre . 9.xd2 dxc4 10.xc4 c5!? Black goes all-out to destroy the white centre, but [ 10...e7 followed by .. .Nd7, and eventually ...Nb6-d5, is also feasible, with a solid position. ] 11.d5! Well played! White allows his king to be displaced, but opens the a2-g8 diagonal for his bishop, whose relative value increases somewhat. exd5 12.xd5 b4+ Black had clearly been counting on this move. 13.e2 h6 14.f3 c6 15.a3 b6 16.hc1 0-0 17.f1 Bringing the king back to safety is a useful reflex. fe8 18.e4 A quick loo k at the position reveals that the displacement of the white king has had only a temporary effect - a couple of tempi has brought it back to safety - whereas the placement of the black knight on h6 (which was necessary to defend the f7-pawn) has more lasting consequences. d8?! To o pa ssive . 19.d5 c8 20.b4 a6+ 21.b5 g6 Black aims for the exchange of queens, but the ending is no more pleasant for him than the middlegame. [ 21...xa3?? loses, 22.a1 b2 23.a4 and there is no sensible defence against Rab1. ] 22.xg6 hxg6 23.b6 axb6 24.xb6 Hitting b7 and g6 at the same time, Black now tries to activate his pieces, but the harm is already done. f5 25.xb7 [ 25.b5! is better, White can take the cpawn first, and then return for the b-pawn. ] 25...b8 26.cb1 xb7 27.xb7 a8 28.1b3 d4 29.xd4 cxd4 30.f3 Not only is W hite a pawn up, but he has a ro o k o n t h e se ve n t h a n d st ill e n jo ys t h e initiative. f8 [ 30...xe5 31.fxf7 xa3 32.xg7+ f8 might offe r some drawing chances because of the d-pawn, but should still be a win for White. ] 31.d7 a5 32.xd4 xe5 33.fd3 fe8 34.g3 e1+ 35.g2 a1 36.d8?! W hite decides to play the single rook endgame, relying on his outside passed pawn, but keeping both on should be simpler. xd8 37.xd8+ h7 38.a8 g5 39.g4 c1 1330
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 40.f3 To win White will prepare the march of the queen on h4 is rather short on his king to the queenside to help the a-pawn squares ) 10.h4 h5! 11.gxh5 xh5 queen, and hope that he doesn't lose too 12.xh5 g6 13.xg6 xg6 14.g4 many kingside pawns in the process. c4 B1) 14...h4! 15.xh4 xh4 41.h3 g6 42.e8 c3+ 43.e3 c2 was better and W hite will struggle to 44.b3 a2 45.e3 f5 46.f3 f6 47.d4 make use of his extra pawn, e.g. 16.e2 h2 48.c4 xh3 49.a4 fxg4? This move 0-0-0 17.h1 h6 18.f4 ( or 18.g1 allows White to defend the g-pawn, f8! 19.g4 fg6 ) 18...g6 19.b3 [ 49...h4 50.a5 fxg4 51.fxg4 xg4+ dg8 and Black's activity should be 52.b5 e4 53.a6 g4 54.a7 e8 55.c6 enough for the pawn; a8 draws easily. ] B2) 14...g8?! 15.h1 h6 16.f3 50.fxg4 h4 51.g3 e5 52.a5 f4 xc1 17.axc1 and Black didn't have 53.g1 f3 54.a6 f2 55.a1 xg4+ quite enough for the pawn in Smirin, I 56.d3 Of course, the king returns to stop the (2654)-Kacheishvili, G (2575) Las Vegas g-pawns. g3+ 57.d2 f3 58.a7 f8 2010 ] 59.a8 xa8 60.xa8 g4 61.f8+ g2 9.b3! c4 62.e3 g3 63.f4 g5+ 64.g4 h2 [ 9...cxd4 also leads to a better position for 65.h8+ g2 66.h3 White after 10.b5+ c6 11.bxd4 fxd4 1-0 12.xd4 c8 13.a4 d7 14.e3 but it's possible that this is a safer option for Black than the game as White's edge is 1258 B12 minimal here and Black can safely castle soon. ] Giri,A 2737 Svetushkin,D 2614 10.bd2 c6 11.g4 h4 [ or 11...h6 12.h3 and White will open up TCh-ESP CECLUB Honor 2013 (2.2) 09.09.13 the queenside with b3 and meet ...b5 with [Tom Rendle] a4. ] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 12.xh4 xh4 13.f4 f6 [ m y c o m p u t e r w a n t s t o p l a y 13...h5 e7 6.c3 g6 So far this move has only but to a human eye it looks incredibly risky appeared in the notes to other games with 6... 14.g5 the queen is trapped but the computer h6 and 6...Nd7 appearing in several games. shows that it can normally escape via c2, e. 7.0-0 f5 8.bd2 g. b5 15.f3 ( 15.f2 h3 16.f1 [ 8.a3!? has been playing in a high level may be a more accurate approach for game, albeit 'only' in blitz d7 9.c2 c7 White ) 15...g4+ 16.g3 f5 17.f1 c2 10.ce1!? h6 11.d3 h7 12.a4 c5 18.e1 a4 and Black is at least OK ] 13.a5 g5?! ( 13...c4 14.f4 e7 f7 15.h1 Giri shows fantastic is fairly equal.) 14.dxc5 xc5 15.d4 14.f5! and White was slightly better in Rublevsky, understanding and calculation to see that S ( 2 6 9 5 ) - G r i s c h u k , A ( 2 7 7 9 ) K h a n t y - Black is now forced into retreat. The threat is 16.f3 M a n s i y s k 2 0 1 3 ( 15.g4! g7 16.e3 simply 16.Nf3 Qxg4 17. Ng5! fxe5 d8 17.dxe5 e7 18.d4! It's a big risk was even stronger )] pushing kingside pawns forward so early on 8...c5 [ 8...d7 is probably a more reliable choice but the opening has worked out well for White and Giri continues to keep up the pressure at this point A) 9.e1 is always a safe option in these d7 [ 18...xe5?? loses to 19.fxe6 g8 position, planning Nd3 and here play might 20.a4+ ] continue e7 10.d3 0-0 11.f4 c8 w i t h r o u g h l y b a l a n c e d c h a n c e s ( or 19.b3 [ 19.f6!? also sets Black problems: gxf6 11...c5!? 12.f3 c8 ); 20.exf6 d6 21.b3! and it's unclear what B) 9.g4 e7 ( 9...h4!? is a little risky as Black is going to do with his king. ] after 10.xh4 xh4 11.f4 h5 12.g5 1331
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19...0-0 [ Black should probably try grabbing a pawn with 19...xe5 as if you're going to be under pressure you might as well be up on material! 20.fxe6 xe6 21.f4 c6 22.xe6 xe6 23.g3 and while Black's king is caught in the centre still there's no immediate threat so it's possible for Black to survive here, although obviously it will take superb defence! ] 20.bxc4 [ 20.f6 looks logical and strong to me here, for example c5 21.xc6 xc6 22.bxc4 dxc4+ 23.f3 b6 24.fxg7 fd8 ( 24...xg7? 25.b1 and black is in serious trouble ) 25.e1! and Black is under severe pressure here ] 20...xe5 [ 20...dxc4 21.f6 is likely to transpose to 20. f6 ] 21.fxe6 xe6 22.xe6 xf1+ 23.xf1 xe6 24.g2 xg4?! Up until now Svetushkin has been defending admirably but finally he cracks and finds him self in a ending which must be close to lost [ 24...h8! was a better chance - after 25.xd5 ( 25.xd5 is probably best but now xg4! was probably missed by Black - the knight can't be taken because of the weak back rank so W hite has to go for 26.e3 c6 27.b5 with only a slight edge for White ) 25...g6 White's king is very open so Black has real compensation for the pawn ] 25.xd5+ h8 26.xg4 xg4 27.b1 f8 28.xb7 d6 [ 28...c5 offers slightly more counterplay but White keeps good winning chances after 29.g2! e3+ 30.h3 ] 29.xa7 f1+ 30.g2 f2+ 31.h3 h5 32.a8+ h7 33.e4+ g6 34.a7+ g8 35.h4! The king escapes the mating net and now Black is pretty much busted f8?! [ 35...c5 was the last chance but after 36.a6 f6 37.xg6 g7 38.d3 it's hard to believe Black will be able to stop all of White's extra pawns in the long run ] 36.h3 e5 37.g5 f1 38.f4 xc4 39.xd6+ xd6 40.xg6 f3 41.d7! c4 42.xh5
[ 42.xh5 xc3 43.f6 and Black is getting mated ] 1-0
1259 Giri,A Topalov,V FIDE GP Beijing (10.2) [Tom Rendle]
B12 2734 2767 15.07.2013
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 g6 6.0-0 h6 An unusual choice from Topalov but given how quickly it goes wrong I'm not sure we'll be seeing much more of it. [ 6...e7 is the usual line and it can be seen in b o t h B e li a vsk y- S o l a k a n d Zh ig a l k o Jobava in the archives. ] 7.c3 [ 7.bd2 e7 8.b3 0-0 9.h3 d7 ( 9...f5 10.g4 h4 11.xh4 xh4 12.f4 is a tough position for Black to play even if i t m a y b e O K i n p r i n c i p l e .) 10.g4!? was an interesting setup in Zhang Pengxiang (2622)-Asrian, K (2635) Taiyuan 2006 but Black was able to get an acceptable position after h8 11.e3 g8 12.e1 f6! 13.f4 c5 and Black had enough pressure on the centre to maintain an even game. ] [ 7.g5 e7 8.xe7 xe7 isn't dangerous at all and resulted in a quick draw the only time it was played: 9.bd2 0-0 10.c4 d7 ( 10...a5!? followed by ...Na6 is a more ambitious setup for Black but the position is still pretty equal.) 11.cxd5 exd5 12.b3 ab8 13.fe1 f6! 14.d3 xd3 15.xd3 fxe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.xe5 f6 18.f3 f7 19.e2 be8 20.ae1 1/2-1/2 Edouard, R (2508)-Granda Zuniga, J (2599) La Massana 2008 ] [ 7.xh6 is also logical straightaway gxh6 8.c4!? now looks to be the most testing of White's options but Black seems to be OK here after dxc4 9.xc4 d7 10.c3 c7 with ...0-0-0 and Nb6-d5 coming for Black. ] 7...e7 [ 7...d7 would take us back into more mainline territory and is analysed in both Adams-Monroy and Bologan-Dreev. ] 8.xh6 gxh6 9.g3 Although Topalov has 1332
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 been playing the unusual moves the actual novelty for the game goes to Giri for this move, but it doesn't really seem to improve much on what went before. Despite what I said earlier it seems Black is d oing OK here and th e opening is not really to blame for the disaster that is to follow. [ 9.d2 seems very sensible to me and may actually be a better try for the advantage b6 10.b3 ( 10.b4?! a5! solves all of Black's problems; 10.a4! a5 11.a3 may be the way to play this position as White as now c5?! 12.dxc5 xc5 13.b5 is clearly better for White) 10...c5 11.xh6 c6 12.f4 ( 12.dxc5 seems critical here and now xc5 13.f4 0-0 14.b4 e7 15.b5 a5 16.d4 and the question is does Black have enough compensation for the pawn. I suspect the answer is probably yes, after something like ac8 ) 12...f6! 13.exf6 0-0 14.e3 xf6 and Black had more than enough compensation for the pawn and went on to win in Sjugirov, S (2562)-Riazantsev, A (2634) Moscow 2009 ] 9...0-0 [ 9...b6 is still possible here and now m a y b e G i r i ' s i d e a w a s t o p l a y 10.c1 leaving the d2 square free for his b1 knight. Still, Black seems to be absolutely fine after d7 11.bd2 0-0 with ...f6 or ...c5 to come. ] 10.bd2 a5 11.e1 c5! After this Black seems to get the kind of position he wants from the opening before it all goes wrong. 12.h4 cxd4 [ 12...f6 was a better option given what happens. Chances are roughly balanced after 13.h5 f7 14.exf6 xf6 15.dxc5 d7 16.d3 a4! and Black's central control a n d t wo b i s h o p s g i v e h i m r e a s o n a b l e compensation for the pawn. ] 13.h5 e4 14.cxd4 c6 15.f3 f5? [ 15...xf3 was necessary here although perhaps W hite is a little better after 16.dxf3 b6 17.d2 but at least Black c a n s t il l g a in co u n t e r p l a y h e r e wi t h f6! and actually it seems that he should not really be worse here, for example 18.exf6 xf6 19.d1 ( 19.xh6?! xd4 and Black has taken control of the centre) 19...g7 with balanced chances. ]
16.g4 xd4? This just loses a piece and Topalov doesn't really get any compensation. [ 16...b4! avoids the piece loss as now 17.gxf5 ( 17.a3! is White's best option with a clear advantage after xd2 18.xd2 e4 19.e2 g5 20.d1 xd2 21.xd2 fc8 22.f3 b1 23.b3 and although Black is still at level material the bishop on b1 is r u n n i n g p e r i l o u s l y s h o r t o n s q u a r e s .) 17...g5+ regains the piece and White is only slightly better after 18.g2 xd2 19.a3 xd1 20.xd1 xe1 21.fxe1 h8 ] 17.gxf5 h8?! Things go from bad to worse for Topalov - allowing the pawn to f6 brings a swift end to the game. [ 17...xf5 18.g4 d4 19.df3 xf3+ 20.xf3 is of course winning for White but Black can at least fight on here, perhaps with h8 21.d3 c8 ] 18.f6 b4 19.g2 g8 20.df3 c6 21.d3 b6 22.h1 c5 23.c1 Black is simply a knight down with a bad position . A n o dd ga me f rom Top alov bu t actually the opening doesn't look too bad! 1-0
1260 Giri,Anish Wojtaszek,Radoslaw 18th European Teams (6.6) [Milos Pavlovic]
B12 2714 2705 08.11.2011
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 c5 6.e3 cxd4 7.xd4 e7 8.d2 bc6 9.2f3 g4 10.0-0 xf3 11.xf3 We have already seen this line in my previous u p d a t e s, o n ly n o w B l a c k co m e s u p wi t h a n o t h e r i d e a . c7 12.c1 d8 An interesting setup for Black. 13.c3 g6 14.a4 e7 15.c4 0-0 Another solid approach was: [ 15...dxc4 16.xc4 b8 17.e4 0-0 18.g3 gxe5 19.xe5 xe5 20.f4 d6 21.fd1 c6 22.d3 g6 23.h6 fe8 24.b5 f8 The position looks ok for Black. ] 16.cxd5 xd5 17.xa7 c8 18.a4 gxe5 19.b4 Better was: [ 19.fd1 xd1+ 20.xd1 xf3+ 21.xf3 e5 22.e2 ] 1333
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 19...g4! 20.b5 xe3 21.fxe3 c5 seems to have been played in some 22.xc5 xc5 23.bxc6 xc6 Rook and Correspondence games but the text has pawn for two minor pieces is a reasonable been played almost always when the players t r a d e h e r e . 24.b4 g6 25.h4 c1! have reached this position 'otb'. ] B l a c k i s e x c h a n g i n g a p a i r o f r o o k s t o 10...d7 11.c1 h6 12.e3 b5 13.a3 diminish White's potential attack down the f [ A s G a w a i n w r o t e p r e v i o u s l y 13.d6+ line. 26.e5 c5 27.f4 xf1+ 28.xf1 didn't get White anywhere in Cheparinov, I e7 29.c4 (2671) -Bologan, V (2692) Khanty-Mansiysk [ 29.a4 c5 ] 2009. ] 29...c5 30.b3 c7 31.f3 xf4 32.exf4 13...a6 14.dxc5 e7 This seems to be g7 Black has achieved an endgame which is Black's most reliable line. ok. 33.f2 h6 34.e3 f6 35.e4 e7 [ The Hiarcs Opening book gives the line 36.d4 c1 37.g4 f1 38.e3 c1 14...xe3 15.xd7+ ( 15.fxe3!? 39.d4 f1 40.e3 c1 41.d2 c5 could also be looked at) 15...xd7 16.fxe3 42.g5 hxg5 43.hxg5 f6 No need, at least e4 17.d2 g6 18.f3 e7 which is not yet. 44.d3 a5 45.e3 c5 46.d3 perhaps a little better for White after 19.c2 a5 47.e4 c5 48.gxf6+ xf6 49.e5 but xe5! 20.xa8 xa8 21.b4 a5 c7 50.c4 g5 Black simply wants to isn't clear at all. ] simplify, even at the cost of a pawn. 51.fxg5+ [ 14...e4 is also given in the xg5 52.xe6 f6 53.d5 e7 54.g6+ a f o r e m e n t io n e d b o o k wh ic h c o n t i n u e s d8 55.e5 e7 56.f5 c1 57.a4 a1 15.c2 xe3 16.xe3 c7 ( 16...e7 58.c2 d8 59.d6 c8 60.c4 b8 17.a4 b7 18.d3 xd3 19.xd3 0-0 61.c5 a7 62.b4 h1 63.d3 h4 seems a little more pleasant for White but 64.f5 f4 65.d7 h4 66.b5 h5 is rather typical of the variation.) 17.e1 67.e3 b6 68.c4 a7 69.d5 h6 d8 18.d2 h7 19.f4 d4 20.f2 a5 70.b5 g6 71.c5 h6 72.f4 f6 21.a3 adopting the same plan as the game. 73.d3 f5+ 74.d4 b6 75.e5 a5 e7 22.c3 c7 23.b4 xe2+ 24.xe2 76.c4+ b4 77.d6 h5 After a long d4 25.f5 0-0 26.f3 e4 27.fxe6 struggle Black got what he wanted - a draw. when White has consolidated his extra pawn ½-½ and definitely stands better. ] [ 14...d8?! a l l o w e d t h e s h o t 15.xb5! G a w a i n w r o t e p r e v i o u s l y t h a t xe3 1261 B12 ( 15...axb5 16.xb5 and the pressure on the a4-e8 diagonal coupled with the three Gopal,G 2566 connected passed pawns gives White very Laznicka,Viktor 2704 good chances.) 16.fxe3 xd1 Ramesh, R Gibraltar Open (5.3) 28.01.2012 (2473)-Prakash, G (2341) Kolkata 2008 [Gawain Jones & Tom Rendle] when my relay goes haywire but 17.fxd1 axb5 18.xb5 c8 19.d4 e4 20.a4! 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 would have been very good for White as the e7 6.0-0 c5 This line continues to be three pawns are so strong. ] popular with the elite with Carlsen and Anand xe3 16.xe3 e4 17.a3 having joined Grischuk happy to play the 15.c2 black side in the past 12 months. 7.c4 bc6 And only this move looks like the novelty. Gopal takes control of b4 and prepares to 8.a3 [ Gawain checked out 8.dxc5 in Motylev, A defend his c5 pawn. [ 17.a4 happened previously when Gawain (2677)-Maletin, P (2584) Olginka 2011. ] wrote b7 18.axb5 axb5 8...dxc4 A) 19.d4! looks like an improvement [ While 8...a6 is seen in Leko, P (2717)-Roiz, w h e n c r i t i c a l i s 0-0-0 ( 19...xd4 M (2669) Ningbo 2011 by Milos Pavlovic. ] 20.xd4 0-0 21.b4 ) 20.xc6 xd1 9.xc4 d5 10.g5 21.xe7+ d8! 22.fxd1+ xe7 [ 10.e3!? deserves further attention and 1334
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 when White has rook, knight and pawn for the queen and what feels like a slight edge.; B) 19.d2 didn't get White anywhere either: g6 20.f3 d8 21.xc6+ xc6 22.f3 c7 23.fd1 0-0= Cheparinov, I (2671)-Bologan, V (2692) Khanty Mansiysk 2009; C) 19.b3 b8 ( 19...0-0 20.xb5 xb5 21.xb5 xf3 22.gxf3 xe5 is evaluated as = by the computer but the connected passed pawns looks scary to me. ) 20.c3 c7 21.d4 b4 22.c4 1/2-1/2 Motylev, A (2704)-Riazantsev, A (2674) Poikovsky 2010. Evidently Ria z a n t s e v h a s c h e ck e d 1 9 . Nd 4 a n d decided Black can hold. ] 17...c7 A logical response targeting the vulnerable e5 pawn. 18.d3!? As ...Qc7 is the computer's top suggestion I think it's fairly safe to assume we're still in Gopal's preparation. [ 18.d2 h7 ( 18...d8 19.f4 h7 20.e1 and White has successfully defended the e5 pawn and so should stand better. ) 19.f4 ( 19.f3!? might also be interesting. ) 19...g5 is extremely messy. ] [ 18.b4 cementing the c5 pawn looks the most logical but with correct play it shouldn't ch a lle nge B lack u n du ly. 0-0! 19.d2 Otherwise it's not clear how W hite makes a n y p r o g r e s s . fd8 20.e1 ( 20.f4? falls foul of xe5! 21.fxe5 g5 regaining the piece with interest.) 20...d3 21.f4 xe2 22.xe2 a5 looks fine for Black. It's not really possible to hold on to the extra pawn as 23.b1? axb4 24.axb4 a2 leaves White in a lot of trouble. ] 18...xd3 After this move White appears to have an edge. [ I n s t e a d t h e b r a v e l o o k i n g 18...0-0-0 is critical: A) Here the queen sacrifice fails to convince: 19.xe4 xd1 20.fxd1 xe5 21.c6 d6 looks fine for Black as ( 21...d8 22.d7 xd7 23.cxd7+ xd7 24.xc7+ xc7 isn't so clear.) 22.xe5?! ( 22.g3 is better but f5 23.xe5 xe5 is certainly not worse for Black.) 22...xe5 23.d7 xh2+ 24.h1 f4 is very good for Black.;
B) 19.c3 xe5 ( 19...b8!? ) 20.xe5 xe5 21.a4 with an interesting position. Black may well win a pawn but his king is a little draughty. ] [ 18...d8 also seems to be an improvement on the game and is a safer choice. 19.xe4 ( 19.c3 is very passive and xe5 20.xe5 xe5 is a much better version of the 18... 0-0-0 line as Black's king will be far more secure. ) 19...xd1 A) 20.fxd1 gives Black the added option of xe5 ( 20...0-0 21.xc6 would just transpose ) 21.xe5 xe5 22.b7 ( 22.c6+ f8 is also quite unclear.) 22...xc5 seems to draw: ( 22...0-0 23.c6 is another hard to assess position, the computer reliably informs me it's completely equal after d8 ) 23.c6+ e7 24.d7+ f8 25.d8+ e7 26.d7+ ( 26.xh8 xe3 would instead favour Black. ) 26...f8=; B) 20.xc6+ xc6 21.fxd1 0-0 22.b4 d8 seems roughly balanced. It seems White has to play slowly as 23.d4 e4 24.c6 f8 ( 24...g5!? ) 25.f3 e8 26.d2 g5 looks like Black's starting to get the upper hand. ] 19.xd3 xe5 20.xe5 xe5 21.g4 Ambitious. White wants to continue pushing his pawn. [ 21.b4 consolidating the passed pawn, looks logical and seems to favour White. ] 21...f4 22.e2 [ 22.c6!? immediately was also possible as xg4 ( although 22...d8 23.e2 does just transpose) 23.d7+ f8 24.c7 wins ] 22...d8 23.c6 h5! The game starts to become extremely sharp. [ 23...d2 24.c7! 0-0 25.g3 xe2 26.gxf4 c8 27.fd1 would give White a big advantage with that monster pawn on c7. ] [ 23...c7 24.e5 looks comfortable for White as the c6 pawn is definitely more of a strength than a liability. ] 24.e3?! I think this is the wrong route for the knight. [ 24.e5 would have been better. Perhaps Gopal was concerned about d6 but 25.f3 looks quite good for White ] 24...d6 1335
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ I prefer 24...h4! here, when White will have to co nced e som ething on the kingside . 25.fd1 d6 A) 26.g3 hxg3 27.fxg3 ( 27.hxg3? e4 ) 27...e5 and Black has full compensation for the pawn.; B) 26.f1 e7 is very messy but I think Black is probably fine. ] 25.g3 e4 26.fd1 Gopal completes his development. [ However it looks much stronger to throw in 26.c7! c8 first. Now 27.fd1 leaves Black with some issues: A) 27...xc7 28.d6! Not an easy move to spot but this move grants White a clear advantage, i.e. h4 29.dc6 hxg3 30.fxg3 xh2! 31.xh2 ( 31.xh2 xg3+ 32.xg3 xc6 33.xc6 xc6 is a ppro xim ately equal.) 31...xe3+ 32.f2 xf2+ 33.xf2 b6+ 34.f3 b8 35.c8+ and White has very good chances in the ending.; B) 27...xc7 28.d2! xc1 29.xc1 d7 30.c5 c6 31.a7+ c7 32.xa6 and White has a big advantage thanks to Black's exposed king. ] 26...h4 27.c2 White has to exchange queens to dissolve Black's initiative. xc2 28.xc2 The endgame definitely favours White with his big c6 pawn but with accurate defence Black should hold. e7 29.cd2 f5 30.e1 [ 30.b4 is the computer's choice but it doesn't seem that White actually has a way t o m a k e a n y p ro gr e ss, f o r e xa m p le : g5 31.g2 g4 32.g1 hxg3 33.hxg3 h3 34.g2 hh8 35.d3 when I don't see any constructive plan. ( Not 35.h1? xh1 36.xh1 e5 when only Black can win. )] 30...f6 Having said that Black is certainly now fine. 31.c1 h3 A bit committal perhaps but it doesn't change the evaluation from roughly balanced. 32.f1 e5 33.xd8?! White should really keep both rooks on the board as it is now Black who takes over. xd8 34.c2 c7 35.f4 g5?! Laznicka is no longer happy with th e draw and starts t o press. [ H o w e v e r t h e s i m p l e 35...e7 was the better option when following 36.e2 d6 37.d1 b6 it's White who has to
think about how to make a draw. ] 36.fxg5+ xg5 37.e2 f6 38.d1 b6 39.f2 xf2?! As this is move 39 there's a good chance this move was made in bad time trouble but it was a very bad decision. [ Instead looks like it will probably be a draw following 39...e7 40.xh3 h8 41.f3 xh3 42.c7 xc7 43.g2 h8 44.xc7+ d6 45.a7= ] 40.xf2 c8 41.f3 e5? And we think this one might be the decisive error. [ 41...e7! was the right route 42.g4 ( 42.c7 d7 43.g4 fxg4+ 44.xg4 g8+ 45.xh3 c8 would transpose.) 42...fxg4+ 43.xg4 g8+! cutting off the king. 44.xh3 d8 45.g2 ( 45.c7+ c8 46.c6 e5 also seems ok for Black.) 45...h8+ 46.g4 g8+ 47.f3 h8 and it's not clear how W hite makes headway here, despite his extra pawn, for example: 48.c2 c7 49.g4 g8+ 50.f4 h8 51.g5 g8+ 52.f6 h8 53.xe6 a5= and here Black will play ...b5-b4-b3 with a drawn rook and pawn endgame. ] 42.g4 d6 [ 42...fxg4+ also loses as the Black king can't get in front of the pawn. 43.xg4 d4 44.c7+- ] 43.g5! Now the two passed pawns are too much for Black. c7 [ 43...e5 44.c7! tying down the rook wins trivially. ] 44.f4 h8 45.g6 h4+ [ 45...g8 46.g5 f4 was a possible bid for counter-chances but 47.e2 snuffs them out instantly. ] 46.g5 g4+ 47.f6 f4 48.g7 e5 49.c5 f3 50.xe5 f4+ 51.g5 f2 52.g8 f1 53.e7+ b6 54.d8+ c5 55.e5+ xc6 56.e6+ c5 57.d6+ 17.a3 is an interesting new try but theoretically Black should be fine. I'm sure this line will continue to be the battle field of the elite GMs. 1-0
1336
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 B12 Poor, opening the game at the wrong moment. [ Definitely preferable was 11...c5 12.dxc5 ( 12.fxg4! hxg4 13.xg4 xg4 14.xg4 cxd4 15.xd4 xe5 16.e2 ) 12...c6 04.2005 wi t h c o m p l i c a t i o n s : 13.fxg4?! ( 13.g3 cxe5 14.fxg4 hxg4 15.xg4 xg4 16.xg4 xc5! 17.xc5 a5+ 18.c3 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.e3 xc5 19.d4= ) 13...hxg4 14.g3 e4! As we have seen, a new line with a great deal 15.0-0 cxe5 ] of potential. W hite saf eguards his space g6 13.g5 c7 14.0-0 advantage as his first priority and then may 12.xf3 Now Gormally is able to whip up a quick attack develop freely. e6 5.d2 e7 [ 5...g6!? was an interesting piece of on the f file, in a way most uncharacteristic of prophylaxis in a recent top-level encounter: the Caro-Kann. f5 15.d3 g3 16.xg6! 6.h4 f6 7.h5 f7 8.gf3 d7 9.d3 h6 xf1 [ He had to try and batten down the hatches 10.e2 g4 11.f4 fxe5 12.dxe5 c5 after 16...fxg6 17.d3! g8 18.fe1 f5 13.g5 xd3+ 14.cxd3 h6 15.xf7 but 19.c4! gives White the ongoing better xf7 16.g4 d7 17.f3 0-0-0 18.e3 game. ] b8 19.c1 c8 20.0-0 Shirov, A-Dreev, A/Tallinn 2004 Perhaps White is still a little 17.xf7+! Easy chess! xf7 18.xf1 e7 19.f6! A nice clearance sacrifice, enabling all better. ] the White pieces to enter the attack. xf6 6.b3 [ 19...xf6 20.g5+ g6 21.e1!! ae8 [ 6.c3 g6 7.f4 is a radically different 22.c5!+shows the same winning approach, somehow typical of the mechanism as the game. d8 23.exf6 xf6 aggressive, exuberant Nakamura. However, 24.d3+ h6 25.cxe6 d7 26.e3 whether it is more dangerous to Black than g6 27.f1 ] t h e m o v e i n t h i s g a m e i s d o u b t f u l : h5 8.gf3 f5 9.f2 c7 10.b4 a5 11.a3 20.g5+ e7 21.exf6+ xf6 22.e1 d6 The kitchen sink attacks e6. g4 d7 12.e2 e7 13.0-0 b5 14.a4 axb4 23.c5 Not exactly a normal weekend 15.axb5 0-0 16.b3 a3! Nakamura, H- 24.f7+ Ch a n d le r, M / P o r t E r in 2 0 0 4 B l a c k h a s tournament game, where the stronger players expect to dispatch weaker opposition with the good counterplay. ] minimum of fuss and delay. Gormally 6...d7 [ 6...g6 makes room for the Knight to come produced a real crowd-pleaser! to f5 and as such, is logical. 7.f3 f5 1-0 8.g5 e7 9.xe7 xe7 10.d3 h4 11.xh4 xh4 12.0-0 d7= Maybe one B12 could say that 6..Nd7 attempts to keep more 1263 lif e in the game, but against a rampant Gorovykh,Eduard 2410 Gormally who has just qualif ied f or th e Akesson,Ralf 2454 Grandmaster title, this might not have been 39th Rilton Cup (7) 03.01.2010 such a good idea. ] [Neil McDonald] 7.e2 h6 8.f3 g5 [ 8...e4!? or ] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 The Fantasy Variation[ 8...h7 look better to me. I think Black the only third move response to the Caroshould be preparing ...Nf5 without delay with Kann which neither advances nor allows the the White Bishop on e3, not lashing out on exchange of the e4 pawn. One consequence the Kingside. ] is t h a t t h e b la ck b ish o p is d e n ie d t h e f 5 9.h4! Getting to grips with Black's pawn chain square. e6! A good response as White is as quickly as possible and quite correctly denied his natural plan of gaining space in emphasizing his lead in development as he this 'French style' pawn configuration. 4.c3 does so. g4 10.h2 h5 11.f3 gxf3? [ Compared with the French Defence, where 1262 Gormally,Daniel Watson,PR Blackpool [Andrew Martin]
1337
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 White can seize space after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5, or similarly with 3. Nd2 Nf6 4.e5, here the white centre would be over extended after 4.e5 c5 5.c3 c6 6.f4 b6 combined with c5xd4 and Nge7 [or Nh6] and then Nf5, when Black has too much pressure on the white centre. ] 4...b6!? [ The natural way to put pressure on the white centre was with 4...b4 For example 5.f4 ( A gambit approach succeeded in the following gamelet: 5.a3 xc3+ 6.bxc3 dxe4 7.e2 exf3 8.xf3 f6 9.e3 bd7 10.g5 0-0 11.d3 Here White has compensation for the pawn in the shape of the semi-open f-file and his bishop pair. The game ended abruptly d5?? Did Black think the white queen was on e3? 1-0 Caspi, I-Genov, P/Groningen NED 2009.) 5...f6 6.d3 The pressure on e4 forces the white queen to lend a hand to keep her centre intact. b6 7.e3 a6 8.xa6 xa6 9.ge2 0-0 10.a3 e7 11.d3 b8 12.d1 c8 13.0-0 a5 14.fe1 d8 15.e3 a7 16.h1 h6 17.g1 h7 18.g4 White kept the balance in the centre and won by starting a direct attack on the kingside: h8 19.f2 dd7 20.h4 d8 21.h2 db7 22.g5 h5 23.g6 fxg6 24.xg6 f8 25.g2 bd7 26.dg1 g6 27.xg6 xg6 28.xg6 f6 29.g3 f8 30.xf6 xf6 31.e5 xe5 32.xe5+ g8 33.f4 f7 34.ce2 ae7 35.g2 d7 36.xh5 dxe4 37.g6 g7 38.f2 e8 39.ef4 f6 40.e5 e3+ 41.xe3 1-0 Steadman, M-Nijman, B/ Auckland NZL 2010. W ith his alternative move 4.. .b6 Akesson doesn't make the white queen go to d3- perhaps he believes that the white q u e e n i s we l l p l a c e d o n e 3 , a s i n t h e Steadman game, and so doesn't want to drive it there. But more importantly, b y avoiding any early pressure on c3, he is cajoling W hite into the ambitious plan of castling queenside. ] 5.f4 f6 6.h3 e7 7.d2 a6 Black carries out his mini-plan of exchanging off his 'bad' bishop for White's 'good' bishop. 8.0-0-0 Gorovykh takes the 'bait' offered to him by Black's refusal to put pressure on his centre. But as we shall see, the white king will
become a target on the queenside. [ The safe alternative was 8.xa6 xa6 9.0-0 with fairly equal chances. ] 8...xf1 9.hxf1 b5! No time is lost in beginning counterplay. 10.d3 Defending e4 against a possible 10...b4 followed by 11... dxe4, but I would prefer the closing of the centre as a prelude to the preparation of an f4f5 pawn advance with [ 10.e5 fd7 11.g5!? etc. ] [ If instead 10.exd5 cxd5!? ( Or 10...b4!? ) 11.xb5 a6 and Black has activity of the kind seen in the game. ] 10...a5 11.b1 a4 12.g4 fd7 13.exd5 cxd5! Akesson has two rooks and a knight on their starting squares and his king is uncastled, whe rea s h is op pon en t h as all h is pie ce s developed. But White has problems opening lines for his pieces as the centre is blocked and the natural line clearing advance f4-f5 is difficult to arrange. From this we can conclude that the natural pawn recapture [ 13...exd5? would be a serious mistake, as it presents the white rooks with the open efile. It is far better for Black to gambit the b5 pawn so that his own heavy pieces have the b-file. ] 14.xb5 0-0 15.c4 dxc4 16.xc4 b6 17.d3 [ Despite the exchange of queens Black has a st ro n g in it ia t ive a f t e r 17.c7 d5 18.xd8 xd8 when he can continue with moves like Nc6 and then Rab8 or Ra5, or maybe a4-a3. ] 17...d5 Now Akesson's build up on the queenside gains strength with every move, whereas W hite is unable to generate any a ct ivit y o n t h e ki n g si d e . 18.c3 c6 19.xd5 xd5 20.e4 b5 21.d3 b6 22.g1 b4 23.d2 e5! A splendid move that vacates g6 for the black queen. 24.xe5 g6+ 25.a1 c2+ 26.b1 b4+ 27.a1 e6? Good enough to win a piece and the game, but for the first time Akesson fails to use his pawns to their maximum value. [ Instead 27...a3! would win very quickly. For example 28.b3 fc8 29.c1 c2 30.xc2 ( 30.d1 xa2# ) 30...xc2+ 31.b1 e3+ 32.a1 xf1 and Black has won a rook. ] 28.d5 xe5 29.a3 a6 30.d6 c5? 1338
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 [ Black should still win comfortably after 30...f6 31.f4 c5 attacking the a3 pawn. 32.f3 ab8 33.b1 xb2! 34.xb2 b8 35.d7 xg1+ etc. ] 31.d5 b3+ We'll pass over the rest of the game lightly, as no doubt in time trouble Black throws away both a win and a draw. A tragedy after his brilliant play up to move 26. 32.a2 f6 33.xe5 xe5 34.f4 f6 35.g5 d8 36.e2 a5 37.f5 fd8 38.d5 d2 39.c1 e4 40.d7 xg5 41.d4 f8 42.c8 b6 43.c6 [ Black has a lost endgame after say 43.c6 g6 44.d8 xd8 45.xa8 f6 46.xa4 ] 1-0
1264 Greet,Andrew Arkell,Keith C British Championship, Somerset [Paul Motwani]
B12
2000
B11: "A bit of Arkell sparkle" A.Greet-K.C. Arkell, British Championship, Somerset 2000. Advance Caro-Kann, Code B12. I have been thoroughly enjoying playing through hundreds of action-packed games from the Smith & W illiamson British Chess Championship, concluding August 12 in Somerset. Since the very strong field of competitors includes a galaxy of titled masters, there have been numerous fascinating clashes between them. Still, a real favourite of mine is the encounter Andrew Greet versus GM Keith Arkell from round two, when the 39-year-old grandmaster produced a bit of Arkell sparkle to defeat an opponent 18 years younger in just 18 moves. White gets a fright in the Caro-Kann Defence, but my notes to the moves include some alternative ideas from two recent personal games at the Staffordshire Millennium Congress. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 Keith Arkell also likes the French Defence, 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5, and he favours 3...dxe4 against 3 Nd2 or 3 Nc3. However, the latter move is more often answered in practice by the pin 3...Bb4, known as the "French W inawer", which is also the title of an excellent new Everyman book by GM Neil McDonald. He elucidates the subtleties of the W inawer Variation using
many illustrative well-annotated games, plus very u sef ul explanatio ns an d sum marie s respectively at the start and finish of each chapter. 3.e5 c5 [ 3...f5 is much more common, but Keith loves to push the c-pawn, and after all "C" is his middle initial! ] 4.dxc5 c6 [ B11.1: Deviating from the game P. MotwaniK . A rke ll o n Ju l y 6 a t t h e S t a f f o r d s h ir e Millennium Congress, where the different continuation was 4...e6 5.f3 xc5 6.a3!? b6 7.d2 a5 8.c3 9 Menacing Na4 d7 9.d3 e7 10.0-0 h6 11 Black was understandably afraid of Qg5 11.f4 a4 12.b1 c6 13.g3 g6 14.b4 axb3 15.cxb3! Renewing the threat of b4 xa3 16.a1 xb3 17.d2 18 Threatening Rfb1 b6 18.b1! and White soon won Black's pinned a3-bishop. ] 5.b5 [ B11.2: I chose 5.f3 in the rapid encounter P. Motwani-J.Bourne at the Staffordshire Millennium Blitz Tournament on July 15, and t h e g a m e c o n t i n u e d e6 ( 5...g4 merits attention too) 6.a3!? xc5 7.b4 b6 8.b5 a5 ( 8...xe5? 9.xe5 f6 10.f4 wins for White) 9.d3 e7 10.0-0 d7 ( 10...0-0? allows the "Greek gift" sacrifice 11.xh7+! intending xh7 12.g5+ g8 13.h5 with a winning attack for White) 11.e2 c8 12.bd2 c7 13.a4 g6 14.g3 c4? 15.xc4! dxc4 16.a3 Preventing Black from legally castling, and leaving him with no proper answer to W h it e 's t h re a t s o f B d 6 o r Ne 4 -d 6 + c5 17.xc5 xc5 18.e4 after which the forthcoming fork Nd6+ was quickly fatal for Black. ] 5...e6 6.e3 [ B11.3: 6.b4 a5 7.c3 d7 8.xc6 xc6 9.f3 axb4 10.cxb4 b6 was OK for Black in the game P.San Segundo-I.Khenkin, Zaragoza 1995. ] [ 6.g4!? is also interesting ] 6...ge7 7.c3 d7 8.xc6 xc6 9.f4 g5 10.fxg5 h6!? [ This bold move is not mentioned in "Batsford's Modern Chess Openings" or in "Nunn's Chess Openings", which both focus on 10...xe5 ] 1339
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 11.gxh6 12.d4 f6 ) 12...f6 13.xf6 gxf6 [ Another possibility is 11.f3 c7!? ] 14.d4 e5 and Black isn't worse.; 11...xh6 In return for two sacrificed pawns, B2) 11...gf6 White got the better Bla ck no w ha s a ve ry d a nge ro u s le ad in chances in Predojevic, B (2632)-Zelcic, development and open lines for attacking on R (2539) Zadar 2010 ] the kingside. 12.e2 h4+! 13.f1 8.bd2 a6?! This seems too slow and after [ 13.g3? e4 or ] Grischuk's next move Shimanov struggles to [ 13.f2? xe3 wins material for Black, regain the pawn and ] [ 8...c7 9.a4 ( 9.b5 a6 seems to be [ 13.f2 g5 is also highly unpleasant for OK for Black ) White. ] A) 9...xf3 10.xf3 g6 was seen in 13...xe3 14.xe3 xe5!! 15.a3 Ponomariov-Khenkin but Gawain point out [ B l a c k wa s i n t e n d i n g 15.xe5 b5+ that White is just clearly better here with 16.e2 h5! 17.e3 f5+ 18.g1 e1# ] 11.b5! a5 ( or 11...cxe5 12.b6+ d7 15...g4 16.d2 xh2+ 17.e2 g4+ 13.b5 c6 14.d4 ) 12.xa5 xa5 18.e1 13.e3; [ 18.d3 e4# is another way for White to B) 9...g6 seems like an improvement to exit. ] me a n d h e re K le in , D (2 4 4 7 )-B u rg, T 18...f3+! White resigned in view of 19 gxf3 (2471) Haarlem 2012 continued Qg3+ 20 Qf2 Qxf2+ (or 20...Qe5+) 21 Kxf2 B1) 10.e2 strikes me as much more Rxh1. sensible with an unclear position after 0-1 xf3 11.xf3 g7 12.0-0 0-0 ( 12...xe5? 13.b5 wins a piece) 13.f4 and Black can now regain the pawn but I 1265 B12 still think White has a nice position due to the queenside space advantage he Grischuk,A 2764 enjoys.; Shimanov,A 2640 B2) 10.b5?! xf3 11.xf3 xe5 Aeroflot Open Rapid Final rapid (1.1) 16.2.13 12.b6+ d7 13.b5 xf3+ 14.gxf3 [Tom Rendle] c6 and Black had a slight advantage and went on to grind out a win ] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 c6 9.a4! xf3 10.xf3 g6 5.f3 g4 6.c3 e6 7.b4 ge7 [ 10...b8 transposes to the previously [ 7...a6 8.bd2 xe5 is critical, as was men tione d Berke s-Zelcic which can b e pointed out by Gawain in his notes to found in the archives but Black was also Berkes-Zelcic (see the note to Black's 10th) struggling in that game. ] A) 9.e2 was tried out in the final of the women's world blitz championship xf3+ 11.d3 g7 12.f4 0-0 13.0-0 The game ( 9...c6 looks like a better way to handle may be 'only' a rapid game but it's a serious Be2 and now White's edge is minimal after one and the opening has been a complete 10.0-0 f6 11.h3 h5 12.b2 e7 success for Grischuk. Black has little, if any 13.a3 0-0 14.c4 although White's dark- compensation for the sacrificed pawn and so s q u a r e d b i s h o p g i v e h e r t h e b e t t e r tries to complicate things with little success. f6 chances. ) 10.xf3 f5 11.0-0 What else? [ after 13...h6 14.h4! ] and W hite has a good position in [ and 13...d4 14.c4 and White keeps a firm Kosintseva, T (2573)-Stefanova, A (2551) grip on the centre. ] M o s c o w 2 0 1 0 ( 11.d4!? is possibly 14.exf6 xf6 15.h6 e8 stronger ); [ Maybe the exchange sacrifice with B) 9.a4+ d7 10.xd7+ xd7 11.b2 15...xc3 is a better try. At least after and now after 16.xf8 xf8 Black has some chances and B1) but 11...e7! offers good chances a clear plan of advancing the e-pawn. Still, to at least equalise, e.g. 12.c4 ( or 1340
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 after 17.ad1 White is obviously a lot better as xb4 is met by 18.b1 a5 19.a3 xc5 20.xb7 ] 16.b3 f5 17.xf5 gxf5 [ 17...exf5? 18.ad1 e7 19.f4 and Black can hardly move. White can win the d5 pawn with Bd6 at his leisure. ] 18.ad1 e7 19.fe1 f7 20.c4 [ 20.g5 looks simpler to me, simply swapping another piece off. ] 20...d4?! [ 20...dxc4 21.xc4 e5! should be tried as Black still has excellent chances to hold the e n d g a m e a f t e r 22.xf7+?! ( 22.c1! keeps a clear edge but this is still preferable t o t h e g a m e f o r B l a c k .) 22...xf7 as e4 is annoying for White and b4 is weak ] 21.b5 a5 22.d3 c7 23.g5! Grischuk looks to finish the game off with a direct attack xg5 24.xg5 xc5 [ 24...g7 keeps the game alive but White is easily winning after 25.h4 ] 25.f6 Now there is no defence - the knight on a5 is hardly contributing to Black's defence. c7 26.e5 f7 27.xd4 ac8 28.e3 xc4 29.g3+ f8 30.g7+ Black resigns before he can get mated. A straightforward win for Grischuk that shows the danger of playing this pawn sacrifice line. If you get your theory mixed up then you may simply end up a pawn down! 1-0
1266 Grischuk,Alexander Anand,Viswanathan CCM5 Rapid Match rapid (8) [Andrew Martin]
B12 2720 2788 14.08.2005
A game between these two players will always be a special event. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.e3 b6 5.c1 Again this strangelooking queen move, but when you think about it there's no other reasonable way to protect b2. e6 6.c4 dxc4 The main continuation. [ Kasparov - Jobava (Rethymnon 2003) went 6...xb1 7.xb1 b4+ and here Garry successfully tested 8.d1!? ( instead of 8.d2 that was played by Gelfand against Dreev in Moscow - Gelfand won as well
though )] 7.d2!? [ Shirov - Anand, Monte Carlo 2005 continued 7.xc4 e7 8.e2 d8 9.0-0 d7 10.g3 g6 11.c3 f5 12.g5 b6 13.xf5 xf5 14.d1 h6 15.h4 with White holding an edge. ] 7...a5 Anand sees that it is important to prevent Nxc4. 8.xc4 e7 9.e2 d7 10.0-0 d5 11.g3 g6 12.h4 h6 13.h5 h7 14.a3 d8 A retreat which both steps out of the way of an imminent b2-b4 and prepares ...Qh4! 15.f3 e7 16.d1 c8 Again a very logical move. Black prepares ... c6-c5! . My impression is that Anand has equalized. 17.d3 [ The prudent options were 17.d2 ] [ or 17.b4 ] 17...c5! 18.dxc5 [ 18.xh7? cxd4 ] 18...xc5 19.xh7!? Playing with fire! [ After 19.xc5 play becomes very complex indeed: xc5 20.xh7 b3 21.b1 xa1 22.d2 c7 23.d3 0-0 ( 23...c2 24.c1 0-0 25.xc2 xe5 26.c4 ) 24.xa1 xe5 25.f3 f4 White should be a little better here. ] 19...xe3 20.b1 f4 21.e2 [ 21.e4 xg3 22.fxg3 b6+ 23.h1 e3 24.d6 c7 25.d3 g4 ] 21...xe5! [ By 21...xe5 Black could force 22.e4= where he is unable to retain the extra pawn in view of bishop's hanging position. ] 22.xf4 xf3+ 23.f1 Sources indicate that the post mortem seemed to suggest that Black was lost at this point. However, analysis by Maxim Notkin plus computer in the excellent 'Chess Today' demonstrates otherwise: [ 23.gxf3? g5+ ] [ 23.h1 h4+ 24.h3 g5 25.f5 f6!? ( 25...exf5 26.xd5 xh3 27.e5+! f8 28.xf5! g5+ 29.g1 d8 30.ae1 and the Rh8 is out of play Notkin )] 23...h2+ [ If 23...h4 24.xd5 h2+ ( 24...d4 threatening with Qh1 is parried by 25.f4 ) 25.g1 g4 26.d2 A) 26...exd5?! 27.f5! d8 28.e1+ f8 29.g6 h2+ 30.f1 f6 ( 30...h1+? 31.e2 e8+ 32.f3+- ) 1341
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 31.xd5! and White is better; B) 26...c5 27.e4! xd5 28.xd5 xf2+ 29.h1 h4+ 30.g1 with perpetual; C) 26...h2+ 27.f1 h1+ 28.e2 xg2 29.g1 xg1 30.xg1 xh7 31.xg4 exd5 32.xd5 and the clumsy position of the black rook makes the extra pawn invalid ] [ Once again Black could restrain his a m b i t i o n b y 23...g5 24.e4 wit h e qu a liza tio n. All va ria t io n s a re b y Notkin. ] 24.e1!? [ 24.g1 f3+ ] 24...e7 [ Perhaps the strongest continuation is 24...c4! but such a move is very tough to find: 25.e4 ( 25.xd5 exd5 26.d2 h4 27.e2+ f8 28.c2 b6 ) 25...a5+ 26.b4 xb4! 27.axb4 e5 28.e2 xe4 ] 25.e4! [ Anand couldn't really hope f or 25.xd5 exd5+ 26.d2 g5+ 27.e1 c7! winning because this line is too transparent. ] 25...f6?! [ After 25...xh7 26.ac1! xc1 27.xc1 t h e K n i g h t o n h 2 wi l l n o t e m e r g e : g5 28.c8+ d7 29.f8! e7 ( 29...xf4 30.xf7+ e8 31.xf4 xf4 32.xf4; or 29...xf4 30.xf4 xf4 31.xf7+ d6 32.xf4 ) 30.b8 d6 31.d3! ( less good is 31.xh7 xf4 ) 31...c7 32.h4! and the rook is untouchable ] 26.a4+ f8 27.ac1 a8? Possibly Anand was disappointed at the way the game was going how else to explain this rather dejectedlooking withdrawal. [ Instead 27...xc1 was forced, again with complications, possibly leading to a draw: 28.xc1 xh7 29.c8+ e8 A) 30.d3 e5 ( 30...f6 31.f4 f7 32.g6 ) 31.c5 g5 32.xb7 g4 33.xe8+ xe8 34.xg4 c6 35.b4+ g7 36.d6; B) 30.e2 e5 31.xa7 g4; C) 30.g6+! fxg6 31.hxg6 h8 32.f4+ g8 33.b8 f8 34.f4+ f6 35.d6+= ]
28.b1! hg4 29.b4! Despite being a pawn down, White's superior rook-power gives him a big advantage with the queens off . xb4+ 30.axb4 e5 31.d5 xh5 32.c7 g6 33.e3! Ruthlessly exchanging off all Black's active pieces. xe3 [ 33...gf6 34.a2 h7 35.xb7 a6 36.c4 ] 34.fxe3 g7 35.dd7 hf8 36.a2 ac8 37.xb7 c1+ 38.d2 f1 [ 38...g1 39.xf7+ xf7 40.xf7+ h8 41.d5 ] 39.xa7 g3 40.d5 f2+ 41.c3 f1 42.d3 d2+ 43.e4 f2 44.b5 h5 45.xf7+! After the smoke clears, the b pawn promotes. 1-0
1267 Grischuk,Alexander Ehlvest,Jaan FIDE WCh New Delhi [Alexander Volzhin]
B12 2606 2627 2000
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 e6 5.g4 g6 6.ge2 c5 7.h4 h5 8.f4 c6 9.xg6 fxg6 10.e2 cxd4 This move has a bad reputation, but Black has something in mind... 11.xd4 Now the e6-pawn is hanging but Black finds a very unusual way to protect it! d7!? An attempted improvement over [ 11...xd4 12.xd4 d7 13.d3 e7 14.g5 hxg4 15.0-0-0 f5 16.xg4 wi t h a h u ge e d g e f o r W h i t e , Ma n n i o n Campbell, Largs 1998. ] 12.h3 b6 13.c3? After this humble move, Black's opening idea is justified. [ The position of Black's King is very unsafe, therefore the Knight sacrif ice - 13.xe6! suggests itself. I analyzed this line quite a while and I can't see a good way for Black to defend: A) 13...xe6 14.gxh5+ xe5 ( 14...e7 15.g5+ e8 16.xd5 a5+ 17.xa5 xa5 18.hxg6 - despite the Queen exchange W hite has a decisive attack.) 15.c3! d8 ( 15...d4 16.e2+ d6 17.f4+ c5 18.cxd4+ with a quick mate; 15...f6 16.e2+ e4 17.f3 win n i n g t h e p i e ce b a ck , a ga in wit h a 1342
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 decisive advantage; 15...d6 16.f4+ e5 17.g4 and Black's cause is hopeless. ) 16.f4+ xf4 17.g4+ e5 18.g3+ e4 19.xg6+ e5 20.e6+ f4 21.f5#; B) 13...b4+ 14.f1 xe6 15.gxh5+ xe5 ( 15...e7 16.xd5 winning on the spot. ) 16.f3 d6 17.f4+ c5 18.e3+ d4 19.c3 xb2 20.cxd4+ b5 21.g2 and Black's position is barely defensible. Maybe it's possible to find improvements in these lines, but anyway I guess it's rather unlikely that anybody will want to repeat Black's opening experiment. ] 13...xd4 14.cxd4 hxg4 15.xg4 e7 16.0-0 f5 Black has a comfortable blockade, and he is ready to exploit White'sweaknesses on the K-side. 17.xg6 Now very interesting c o m p l i c a t i o n s a r i s e o n t h e b o a r d . xh4 18.f7+ e7 19.g5 ae8 Threatening 20... Rh8-f8. 20.ac1! T h e o n l y m o ve . hf8 21.xe6+ xe6 22.c7+ xc7 23.xe6 xg5 White has won the Queen but he has paid a huge price for it. His only hope is the u n s a f e p o s i t io n o f B l a ck's K in g . 24.d6+ The only move. [ 24.xd5 is inferior: f3+ 25.g2 d8 26.c5+ b8 - Black's King is safe again and his chances are clearly better. ] 24...c8 25.e6 f3+ 26.g2 xd4 27.f4! e7 Many commentators criticized this move suggesting [ 27...d8 as the winning one. But in my opinion this statement is not true: 28.c1+ c6 29.b4! ( 29.xc6+ bxc6 30.xc6+ b8 and Black is winning - this is the line I've seen in many periodicals.) 29...c7 30.d7+ b8 31.b5 e7 32.xd5 ( 32.bxc6? is bad: xd7 33.cxd7 d6 34.d1 e7 35.xd5 c7 36.f5 f6 and Black is winning.) 32...a5 The only m o ve , o t h e rwise B la c k lo se s m a t e ria l : ( 32...d8? 33.xc7! xc7 34.e7; 32...d8? 33.g5! ) 33.xc7! xc7 34.e7 e8 35.d8+ c8 36.xa5 xe7 37.d2 and again a draw is the most likely outcome. ] 28.c1+ c6 29.xc6+! Now the draw is inevitable. bxc6 30.xc6+ b8 31.b5+ c7 32.a5+ b8
[ Attempting to play for a win is dangerous for Black: 32...d6 33.a6+ c5 34.xa7+ c4 35.c7+ ] 33.b5+ c7 34.a5+ b8 Black's Kin g can't escape from the perpetual, and so a draw was agreed. An exciting encounter! ½-½
1268 Grischuk,Alexander Karpov,Anatoly 2nd ACP World Rapid Cup rapid (1.1) [John Watson]
B12 2711 2655 5.1.08
I guess even a Rapid Game between Grischuk and Karpov in the Advance Caro-Kann must have theoretical interest. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.e3 I have had a good deal of enthusiasm for this move, which puts the bishop where it likely belongs before co m m i t t e d t h e o t h e r p a wn s a n d p i e c e s . However, Black has found ideas against it of late, and I would assess it as no better nor worse than most variations. e6 5.d2 d7 6.c3 [ For what it's worth, White won in the only two similar games I could dig up, apart from the notes to moves 8 and 10. 6.f4 h5 7.e2 h4 8.gf3 e7 9.0-0 g4 10.h3 f5 11.f2 xf3 12.xf3 g6 13.d3 (White stands well now, but there were all sorts of options for both sides) e7 14.b3 f8 15.c4 g7 16.a3 a5 17.d2 a4 18.fb1 axb3 19.cxd5 cxd5 20.xb3 b6 21.e2 a4 22.ab1 c4 23.xb7 xa3 24.c1 c4 25.xf5 gxf5 26.e1 a3 27.cb1 a2 28.h2 ( 28.xe7 xe7 29.xh4 xh4 30.g3+ wins on the spot) 28...a8 29.a1 a3 30.c3 h6 31.c7 xc7 32.xc7 b5 33.xa8 xc7 34.c8 b5 35.e8 f8 36.xh4 xh4 37.xh4 xd4 38.g4 fxg4 39.hxg4 b4 40.g2 d2 41.f3 c2 42.xd2 1-0 Oleksienko, M (2587)-Truskavetsky, A (2398)/Kharkov UKR 2007 ] 6...e7 [ 6...b6 7.b4 "!" was discussed on ChessPub by Rowson, notably in the game Vachier-Lagrave, M-Bologan, V, Corus B 2007. ] 1343
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 7.f4 h5 8.e2 h4 [ 8...g6 9.gf3 f5 10.f2 c5 11.0-0 e7?! 12.c4! dxc4 13.xc4 0-0 14.c1?! ( 14.d5! ) 14...c8? 15.dxc5 ( 15.d5! ) 15...xc5 16.d4? xd4 17.xd4?? d3 18.e3 xc1 19.xc1 xd1 20.xd1 c5+ 21.h1 fd8 22.xd8+ xd8 23.f3 d3 24.h3 h4 0-1 Gabrielsen, T (2262)Hole, O (2290)/Oslo NOR 2004 ] 9.gf3 g4 10.0-0?! Why commit when there's no threat? Better to spend the tempo on [ 10.h3 ] [ 10.f2!? g6 11.g1 xe2 12.xe2 c5 13.0-0 cxd4 14.cxd4 e7 15.f3 f5 16.d3 e7 17.ac1 a5 was about equal in Gajewski, G (2445)-Paterek, M (2277)/ Jarnoltowek POL 2003 (47) ] 10...f5 11.f2 e7 [ Better 11...h3 12.g3 e7 ] 12.h3! h5 13.d3! E q u a l i s i n g . g6 14.e2 a6 15.c4!? dxc4 16.xc4 f8 17.ac1 h6 18.a4 [ 18.g5!? ] 18...a5 19.b1 g8 20.e3 b6! 21.b3 d7 22.cd1 h5 [ 22...xe3! 23.xe3 d5 ] 23.g4 [ 23.xf5 exf5 24.d3 ] 23...h8 24.e3 d5 25.xd5 xd5 26.e4 d7 27.d3 g6 28.d2 h6 29.c4 d8 30.fe1 b4 31.e2 c7 32.e3 xe3 33.xe3 xe4 34.xe4 h5 35.f3 g6 36.g4 d8 37.f3 e7 38.c3 d5 39.f3 d8 40.xd5 xd5 and Black ground out a win, not in the position yet. 41.f1 f5 42.f3 f8 43.e2 e8 44.c1 d7 45.c2 e8 46.c1 d7 47.c2 h5 48.fc3 f5 49.c4 g5 50.fxg5 xg5 51.f3 g8 52.e1 e8 53.b4 axb4 54.xb4 g3+ 55.f2 d8 56.b2 d7 57.e1 d3 58.a5 a3 59.c5 xd4 60.xb7 a2+ 61.f1 f4+ 62.g1 a1 63.xc6 xe1+ 64.h2 ff1 65.xe6+ f8 66.g4 f2# 0-1
1269 Grischuk,Alexander Karpov,Anatoly SuperGM Linares ESP (7) [Nigel Davies]
B12 2663 2679 03.03.2001
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 Having seen Kasparov - Karpov, Grischuk decides to vary from the quiet treatment he adopted in his round 3 game against Leko: [ 4.c3 e6 5.e3 b6 6.b3 d7 7.d2 f6 8.f4 g5 9.gf3 gxf4 10.xf4 h6 11.xh6 xh6 12.exf6 xf6 13.e2 g8 14.xb6 axb6 15.0-0 e4 16.xe4 xe4 17.e1 f5 18.f3 e3 19.f2 f5 20.e2 e7 21.d3 c5 22.xf5 xf5 23.f3 h5 1/2-1/2 Grischuk, A-Leko, P/ Linares ESP 2001 (23) ] 4...b6 Karpov in turn decides to avoid the dangers of 4...e6 5 g4, instead adopting a much quieter treatment. He was probably hoping to outplay his young opponent in a quiet middlegame rather than indulge in any kind of theoretical battle. 5.f3 e6 6.e2 e7 7.0-0 g4 8.a4 c7 9.b3 b5!? 10.b2 d7 11.c4 bxc4 12.bxc4 dxc4 13.g5!? Enterprising, but not necessarily the best. [ Simply 13.xc4 d5 14.d2 would maintain a nice edge for White. ] 13...xe2 14.xe2 b6 [ Shipov thought that 14...f5 would solve Black's problems but what can he do after 15.d1 apart from transpose back into the game with b6 16.xc4 ] 15.xc4 f5 16.d1 e7 17.f3 xc4 18.xc4 d7 19.g4!? What it is to be young. W ith Karpov on his way to an equal game, Grischuk sharpens the struggle. In doing so he sets a nasty trap which Karpov either overlooked or underestimated. h4 20.xh4 xh4 21.g5 h6? Black should play simply [ 21...d5 a f t e r w h i c h 22.xd5 cxd5 23.b1 0-0 followed by ...f6 would equalise. ] 22.d5! Diabolical. The bishop on h4 is hanging, meanwhile White wants to take on c6. hxg5 23.xc6 c8 24.xd7+ xd7 25.d6 The passed pawn isn't Black's biggest problem. His real difficulties stem from the fact that the bishop on h4 is out of play. f6 1344
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 26.e3 a5 27.ab1 b8 28.b6 game for W hite, who shows how to [ Perhaps 28.d4 would have been better, conduct this endgame with the bishop pair keeping the d6 pawn alive. ] - the position strongly resembles the dxc4 28...fxe5 29.dc1 e4 30.c7+ xd6 Classical Slav mainline. e8 28.b4 d7 31.xg7 hc8 32.d1+ 29.b5 b4 30.d2 xc5 31.xc5 a6 [ White can win the exchange with 32.c7+ 32.b6 c6 33.c3 Svidler, P xc7 33.d1+ e5 34.xc7 but after b2 Azmaiparashvili, Z /Beer Sheva. Black Black assumes the initiative and will win at simply gave too much in this game, which least another pawn. ] White eventually won - see the Archive.; 32...e5 33.e3 f6 B) 12.0-0 0-0 13.f4 c7 14.d4 [ After 33...c2 Black would actually be xd4 15.cxd4 c6 16.e3 b6 17.c3 bette r. He do esn't ne ed t o wo rry abou t ac8 18.fc1 g6 19.d2 b4 20.h4 34.f7 as after b5 35.d4+ d5 c2 21.xc2 xc2 22.h5 f5 23.c1 W hite does not have a useful discovered xe3 24.xe3 xb2 25.a4 h6 check. ] V a ch ie r L a g ra ve , M - S ve t u s h k i n , D / 34.dd7 d8 35.xg5+ xg5 36.df7+ Mulhouse 2011 W hite has some e5 37.xg5+ d4 38.a7 b1+ 39.g2 compensation due to his control of the cb2 40.axa5 f8?? A blunder in timefile, and the game ended in draw. ] trouble. 11...e7 12.b4 d7 [ 40...d5 would draw. ] [ 12...c7 13.c5 xe5 14.d4 a6 41.a4+ d3 42.g3+ d2 43.xe4 xa2 15.xf5 exf5 16.xd5 bd7 17.d4 0-0 44.xe6 a4 45.d6+ c2 46.dd3 af4 18.0-0 fe8 19.fe1 e6 I don't think that 47.df3 xf3 48.xf3 h8 49.f4 d3 this is part icula rly da ngero us f or Blac k 50.h4 despite the fact that White enjoys the bishop 1-0 pair, as Black's position looks solid enough. ] [ 12...e4 13.g5 g6 14.f4 This certainly helps White. ] 1270 B12 [ 12...g4 13.c5 d7 14.d6 xf3 15.xf3 f6 16.c4 ] Grischuk,Alexander 2752 Laznicka,Viktor 2703 13.g5 f6 [ 13...f8 14.0-0 h6 15.h4 g4 16.e1 18th European Teams (2.1) 04.11.2011 a6 17.d2 White has an initiative. ] [Milos Pavlovic] 14.exf6 xf6 15.b5 d8 16.0-0 Grischuk 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 didn't get any advantage from the opening but e7 6.bd2 An important move order - it he has a playable position. [ 16.h4 e4 This is ok for Black. ] seems that Grischuk (who also plays this line with Black) thinks that 6.0-0 c5 is ok so he 16...f7 17.h4 0-0 18.c4 dxc4 19.xc4 gives preference to this move. c5 7.dxc5 d6 20.b3 White gives up a pawn in order ec6 8.b3 xc5 9.xc5 a5+ 10.c3 to keep the bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal. xb5 21.e2 White has compensation and xc5 11.e3!?N A new idea from Grishuk. Laznicka didn't manage to overcome certain [ 11.b3 e7 A) 12.g5 c7 13.d4 xd4 14.cxd4 problems. c7 22.d4 g6 23.ac1 ae8 There is serious pressure on the c6 15.c1 0-0 Better was: ( 15...a5+ 24.e5 16.d2 b6 17.e3 xb3 18.axb3 Black position. cd5 25.xf6?! [ 25.fe1 b4 26.xe6 xh4 27.xd5 d7 19.h4 h6 20.f3 ac8 21.f2 a6 f7 28.b2 xe6 29.xe6+ h8 30.g3 The B lack position is solid enou gh t o White is better. ] secure equal chances.) 16.e3 a5+ 17.c3 b4 18.0-0 ac8 19.fc1 xb3 25...xf6 [ 25...xf6 26.g3 f7 27.fe1 b4 20.axb3 b8 21.c5 h6 22.f3 fd8 W hite still has a good game but it is not 23.f2 f8 24.g4 g6 25.h4 h5 clear how to improve his position. ] 26.g5 dc8 27.e3 This is a model 1345
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 26.xf6 xf6 27.xe6 f7 28.g5 [ 28.xd5 xe6 29.fe1 f8 30.xb7 xa2 31.xe8+ xe8 32.e4 f7 33.a1 d6 34.h4 a6 the position is drawish . ] 28...f4 29.xf7 e2+ 30.h1 xc1 31.xc1 xf7 32.g3 f8 33.xf7 xf7 34.g2 e6 Still not losing, but there is always the danger of faulty calculation in pawn endgames, and that is exactly what happened here. [ 34...e2 This gives an easy draw. ] 35.e1+ d7 36.xe8 xe8 37.f3 d7 38.e4 d6 39.f4 h5? A crucial mistake. [ 39...g6 40.g4 e6 41.h3 h6 42.d4 d6 The f-pawn is not dangerous, for instance: 43.f5 gxf5 44.gxf5 h5 45.e4 e7 46.e5 a6 and it is Black who is winning now! ] 40.f5! Obviously missed in calculation. e7 41.g6 f8 42.xh5 And White is in time to cover the queenside. Black resigned. 1-0
c7 28.c4 d4 29.xd4 d8 30.e3 xd2 31.xd2 d4 32.e3 f3+ 33.xf3 xf3 34.e1 c6 35.xh4 xa4 36.e1 b3 Draw agreed, Svidler, P -Berkes, F/Rogaska Slatina 2011 ] 17...f6! This is a key idea, just as in the Svidler-Berkes game. 18.exf6 xf6 19.f2 g6 20.h5 h6 21.e2 g6 The position looks very solid for Black and I don't see how White can seriously improve. 22.b3 c7 23.e1 e5 24.d1 ½-½
1272 Gubajdullin,Alexey Kornev,Alexei Open Vladimir RUS (5) [Andrew Martin]
B12 2442 2574 22.08.2004
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 A move which appears still to be in good shape and in a sense it's the most aggressive and logical move too! Black wastes no time assaulting 1271 B12 White's pawn chain and gives his opponent Grischuk,Alexander 2757 little time to settle. I often feel that W hite Ragger,Markus 2655 needs a few moves to establish his game plan 27th ECC Rogaska Slatina SLO (3.1) 27.09.11 in all these 'advance' variations, so why give h i m t h a t t i m e ? 4.dxc5 c6 5.f4 [Milos Pavlovic] Common, but not especially effective in my 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.d2 e6 view. For starters, the Bishop is vulnerable to 5.b3 d7 6.f3 a6 It seems that this line the ...Nge7-g6 hit. e6 6.d2 is gaining popularity among players of the [ O n e c o u l d d u b 6.f3 xc5 7.d3 a m o r e n a t u r a l w a y t o p r o c e e d . ge7 Black pieces. The idea is, of course, to go ... ( There are only unanswered questions after c5 without allowing Bb5+ 7.e2 c5 8.dxc5 xc5 Giving up on the bishop pair, but on the 7...b6! 8.0-0 xb2 9.bd2 ge7 other hand Black develops quickly. 9.xc5 Evidently Zelcic regards this as too risky.) xc5 10.d4 e7 11.0-0 0-0 12.a4 8.0-0 g6 9.g3 0-0 10.bd2 f5 11.exf6 Blocking b5 which would give Black much xf6 12.xg6 xg6 13.c4 If this is White's best shot then Black is hardly sweating. e7 more space. c8 13.e3 d7 14.f4 e4 14.b3 f7 15.ac1 f6 16.fe1 a5 Black has the e4 square under firm control. 15.c3 c6 16.xc6 xc6 17.a5N 17.d6 d8 18.a3 h6 19.f1 d4 20.g3 e5= Nijboer, F-Zelcic, R/EuTCh, A logical attempt but Black finds good Plovdiv BUL 2003 ] counterplay. [ Another important recent game played in 6...ge7 As stated. Black's idea is perfectly t h is l in e is : 17.d4 f6! 18.d2 c5 good. [ Of course 6...xc5 must be considered too. 19.a3 White's rook is a bit misplaced and that gives Black enough time to get serious It seems OK as well: 7.b3 co u nt e r c ha n ce s. fxe5 20.xe5 d7 A) 7...ge7 8.c3 b6 9.h5 g6 10.g3 a5! 11.a4 d4 12.d1 e7 21.d4 e5!? 22.fxe5 g6 23.xf8+ xf8 24.f1 e6 25.e3 h5 26.b3 h4 27.h3 13.xd4? A terrible move, allowing Black 1346
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 t o g e t o n t o t h e a t t a c k . ( 13.b5! ) 13...xd4 14.cxd4 d7 15.b5 b4+ 16.d2 xb5 17.axb5 a4 18.f3 xb5 19.d5 a3 20.dxe6 a2 21.exf7+ f8 0-1 Lee, G-Lyell, M/Edinburgh 2003; B) 7...b6 8.d3 ge7 9.f3 g6 10.g3 f6! For all the world this looks like a French. 11.e2 gxe5 12.xe5 fxe5 13.h5+ f8 14.xe5 xe5 15.xe5 f6= Petrov, M-J akubiec, A/Aarhus 2003 Now White got ambitious by checking on d6 and was instantly worse. He should have been practical and exchanged queens, after which a quick handshake is likely. ] 7.gf3 g6 8.g3 xc5 9.h4 If there is a drawback to the position of the Knight on g6 then it will be exposed by h2-h4. So that he is not disrupted by the further advance of the pesky h pawn, Black should attack in the centre immediately. f6! 10.b3 b6 11.b5 0-0 12.exf6 xf6 I just don't see why Black has any problems at all in these positions. He has good , active play for all his pieces and the prospect of attack on the f file. It's a bad Advance French for W hite. Note the strong Black Bishop on b6 and the exposed White p a wn o n b 2 . W h i t e n o r m a l l y s t r i v e s f o r something like c3, Nbd4 but he's already lost control over e5 so a Knight on d4 would just get pushed away! 13.d2 xb2 Why not? 14.xc6 bxc6 15.h5 e7 16.e5 a3 17.h6 This is clearly the best chance. White must try to strike on the dark squares before the Black Queen returns to the defence. g6 18.c4 a4 19.h4 dxc4 20.f4 White only has 'optically' decent continuations. The Black Queen seems to be able to get in on the act whatever happens: [ 20.d6 f7 21.c1 a6 22.c5 b5 23.xa6 xa6 24.hxc4 d8!-+ ] [ 20.c3 a6 21.d6 f7 22.xe7 xe7 23.e5 f8 24.f3 b5 25.xc4 g5 This is a particularly striking example of what can happen to White should the Queen return. ] 20...xf4 21.xf4 d5! 22.g4 b4+ 23.bd2 c3! 24.e4 c2+ 25.fd2 a3 B la ck a llo ws n o re sp it e f o r W h it e a t a ll . 26.b3 d7 27.c1 [ 27.h4 f8 28.f6+ xf6 29.xf6 a5+
30.f1 d2-+ ] 27...xa2 It's amazing how little play White r e a l l y h a s . 28.g3 f8 29.a1 f4!-+ 30.bd2 a4 31.d3 h4 32.f6+ xf6 33.xf6 h1+ 34.f1 xf2+ 35.xf2 f4+ A very dynamic performance by Korneev. If this is the best that White has, he may as well abandon 5 Bf4. 0-1
1273 Haslinger,Stewart Marusenko,Petr Premier Hastings ENG (8) [John Watson]
B12 2502 2304 04.01.2008
A miniature. I've suggested some improvements for Black, although you can see that 4...e6 isn't a complete solution. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c4 e6 This looks safer than 4...Nc6 5 Nf3 cxd4, but may transpose (see the next note) . 5.cxd5 [ It's important to point out that 5.f3 (!) c6 is Muzychuk-Ushenina, so if Black wants to deviate, he needs to find another order ( perhaps 5...cxd4 6.xd4 b6!? )] 5...exd5 6.c3 c6 [ 6...c4!? releases the pressure on White's centre, but gives Black some time to develop. White should have something after 7.f3 b4 8.e2 e7 9.0-0 f5 10.a3 intending a5 11.b4! cxb3 12.xb3 ] 7.b5 a6 [ Here the reorganisation by 7...cxd4 8.xd4 e6 9.f3 ge7 looks reasonable, with ideas of ...a6 and ...Ng6. I still like White, but not by much. ] 8.xc6+ bxc6 9.ge2 [ 9.f3 g4 ] 9...h6? A good move in the French advance variation, when Black has good development, b u t n o t h e r e . 10.xh6! gxh6 11.0-0 Already Black's position is extremely difficult. cxd4? The last chance to limit his disadvantage by, for example, [ 11...e6 12.f4 cxd4 13.xd4 b8 ] 12.xd4 c7 Now it's over. [ But 12...d7 13.e1! threatens e6, which Black can't prevent. ( or 13.e6 xe6 14.xc6 )] 1347
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 13.c1 e6 14.h5 d7 15.a4 16.xc6 a7 17.xe6 [ Because of 17.xe6 fxe6 18.f7+ 19.xe6+ ] 1-0
g8
trouble in Mathe - Groszpeter, Kecskemet 1987 ] e7 [ d) 5...xc3 6.xc3 dxe4 7.d5 ( White can also play in gambit style with 7.e2 exf3 8.xf3 ) 7...f6 8.dxe6 xd1+ 9.xd1 xe6 10.xf6 gxf6 11.fxe4 with a drawish endgame in Brenke Groszpeter, Lippstadt 1991 ] 1274 B12 [ e) 5...d7 6.d3 e7 7.f4!? c5 8.e5 Hector,Jonny c6 9.b5 xd2+ 10.xd2 0-0 11.f3 Danielsen,Henrik f6 brought about a sharp struggle in Watson, Jonsson Mem Open (9) 01.11.2001 W - Stangl, Bundesliga, Germany 1998 ] [Nigel Davies] [ f) 5...f6 6.e5 fd7 7.f4 b6 8.g4 0-0 9.f3 f5 10.exf6 xf6 11.h4 c5 12.dxc5 If W hite wants a 'romantic' line against the xc5 13.0-0-0 c6 14.d3 d4 15.e5 Caro, then the so-called 'Fantasy Variation' f5 16.h3 xc3 17.xc3 e3+ 18.xe3 should certainly be considered. It has enjoyed xe3 left White with a clear advantage in the patronage of such neo-romantics as the the endgame in Hoffmann - Negele, Lugano great Bronstein plus Sweden's Jonny Hector. 1999 ] White's idea is to maintain the due of pawns on e4 and d4, arguing that Black's passive 1... 6.d3 [ 6.ge2 a6 7.g3 e7 8.g2 c5 9.a3 c6 will mean that he can't exploit this. In this xc3 10.xc3 0-0 11.0-0 dxe4 12.e1 game Hector tries 5.Bd2, simply unpinning his exf3 13.xf3 bc6 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.f4 knight on c3. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 e6 c7 left Black a pawn up in Kamsky - Dreev, 4.c3 b4 5.d2 Borzhomi 1988 ] [ White's most common alternatives are 6...e7 5.d3 and ] [ 6...dxe4 7.xe4 xd2+ 8.xd2 xd4 [ 5.f4 ] 9.0-0-0 gives White a huge lead in 5...b6 Black has tried a number of development for his pawn. The text is safe alternatives: and solid. ] [ a) 5...dxe4 6.xe4 e7 7.c3 ( 7.e2 is a ls o in t e re st in g, p re p a rin g t o ca st l e 7.ge2 0-0 8.0-0 c5 9.exd5 exd5 10.g3 11.e2 f5 Black is at least equal queenside ) 7...f6 8.c2 b6 c4 xf5 wa s S a n d k a m p - A n d ru e t , B u n d e sliga , because of his extra space. 12.xf5 Germany 1987 and now 9.0-0-0 would have 13.a3 xc3 14.xc3 c6 15.a4 a6 16.d2 e8 17.fe1 d6 18.b3 b5 been White's most natural move. ] [ b) 5...f5 6.e2 e7 7.0-0-0 f6 8.exf5 19.axb5 axb5 20.bxc4 xa1 21.xa1 bxc4 h6 23.a6 c7 24.a1 g5 exf5 9.xe7+ xe7 10.e1+ f7 11.h3 22.f1 h6 12.f4 bd7 13.h4 gave White the An ambitious move which gains space. The b e t t e r e n d g a m e i n C h r i s t - R o e p e r , weakening of Black's kingside is not serious here. 25.h4?! Bargteheide 1989 ] [ 25.g3 intending 26.Kf2 looks more solid. [ c) 5...e7 (Black's main alternative to The text just weakens the g3 square. ] capturing on e4) 6.a3 ( 6.e2 0-0 7.0-0-0 26.hxg5 hxg5 27.e1 xe1 b5 8.h4 a5 9.h3 a6 10.f2 d6 25...f6 11.h5 d7 12.e5 c7 13.h6 g6 14.g5 28.xe1 f7 29.d1 f4 30.f2 g4 was double-edged in David - Magem Badals, With the thr eat of 31...g3+. Hector bails out French Team Ch., 1999) 6...xc3 ( 6...a5 into an endgame in which his bishop pair is also possible) 7.xc3 b6 8.e2 0-0 helps him draw a pawn down. 31.g3 xf3+ 9.g3?! ( Convoluted and slow. Either 9.d2; 32.xf3 gxf3 33.xf3 xc2 34.e3 e7 or 9.g3 looks more to the point) 9...c5 35.f4 f5 36.g2 e6 37.f3 c8 10.exd5 exd5 11.g2 f5 12.f2 c6 38.b4 e8 39.c5 d7 40.e3 c6 13.d3 e8 and White was in serious 41.d2 f5 42.c3 h3 43.b4 f1 1348
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 44.c3 d3 45.b4 d6 46.xd6 Ensuring a . Because Black's bishop is on the same colour as his pawns, he is unable to drive White's king from a blockading position. xd6 47.c3 f5 48.b4 d7 49.c3 c6 50.b4 e6 51.d1 h3 52.f3 f1 53.c3 d3 54.b4 f5 55.g2 e4 56.h3 d6 57.c3 e6 58.b4 f3 59.c3 g4 ½-½
1275 Hector,Jonny Fridman,Daniel Politiken Cup (5.2) [Milos Pavlovic]
B12 2568 2659 02.08.2011
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 This is an interesting line that White suddenly started investigating in order to confront an opening like the CaroKann which has a very solid background. b6 This modern approach was recently played in some games. The usual preference is 3..e6 or 3...dxe4 even 3...g6. 4.c3 dxe4 5.fxe4 It is also interesting to play in gambit style with [ 5.c4 f6 6.b3 exf3 ( 6...f5 7.fxe4 xe4 8.f3 With a similar type of play.) 7.xf3 e6 8.0-0 e7 9.h1 0-0 10.g5 ( 10.e1 With the usual Qg3 to follow was als o p o s s ib le .) 10...d8 11.e1 h6 12.h4 d5 13.xe7 xe7 14.g3 xc3 15.bxc3 c5 16.fe1 d7 17.d5 b6 18.e5 g5 19.dxe6 xe6 20.xg5 hxg5 21.xe6 fxe6 22.a4 f2 23.d3 xc2 24.xc5 xc3 25.xb7 a5 Draw agreed Timofeev, A - Maletin, P /Irkutsk RUS 2010. Not a perfect game, but an interesting idea. ] 5...e5 6.f3 exd4 7.xd4 f6 8.e5 g4 9.e6 xe6 10.c4 xc4 11.xg4 d7 [ 11...a6!?N One of the key computer choices, humans prefer to go to the centre, of course, but here the idea is to have one more square for the king. A) 12.e4+ d7! This is the difference, now its not obvious what White should do. A1) 13.de2 xe2 ( 13...e6 14.e3 c5 15.0-0-0+ c8 16.d4 White has the initiative.) 14.f5+ e8 15.e5+ e7 16.xg7 d7 17.xe2 b4 18.g4+ e8 Black is fine again.;
A2) 13.f5+ e6 14.xe6 e8 Black is better.; B) 12.d2 c5 13.0-0-0 e6 14.g3 0-0-0 15.e3 With some compensation. ] 12.e4+ d8N [ Previously Black played 12...e7 13.f5 c5 14.g5 e6 15.xg7+ d8 And now in the game Polivanov, A -Yevseev, D Voronezh 2011 after 16.xe7+ xe7 17.0-0 c7 18.ad1 White would have a winning attack. ] 13.g5+ f6 14.0-0-0 fxg5 15.f3 Even better was: [ 15.e6+ xe6 16.xe6 c7 17.d3 d6 18.hd1 e8 19.f7 f8 20.xg7 e7 21.xh7 With a winning position for White. ] 15...c7 [ 15...c5 16.e5 e6 17.xd7+ xd7 18.d1 e8 19.xd7 e7 20.xb7 White has an attack. ] 16.xc4 c5 17.d3 f6? [ 17...d6 18.d4 ae8 19.cb5+ cxb5 20.xb5+ c6 21.xd6 e3+ 22.xe3 xe3 23.xb7 f8 White is better but the game can be played on. ] 18.d4! Now after this move Black can't de f e n d an y m ore . e5 19.he1 xh2 20.e6+ b6 21.d4+ a6 22.c4+ b6 23.a4+ a5 24.ac5 b5 25.b3+ b6 26.d4+ a6 27.bc5+ xc5 28.xc5+ b6 29.d3+ c7 30.e7+ c8 31.c5 xg2 32.d6 1-0
1276 Hector,Jonny Khenkin,Igor Bundesliga 2008-9 (9) [John Watson]
B12 2551 2647 14.12.2008
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c4 We've seen this before. In my opinion, the similar [ 4.f3 c6 5.c4! has more effect, or at the very least avoids some sidelines see the Archives for some analysis of that order. ] 4...cxd4 [ 4...c6 5.f3! transposes to 4 Nf3 Nc6 5 c4. ] [ 4...e6 5.cxd5 ( 5.f3 ) 5...exd5 6.c3 1349
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c6 7.b5 is covered in two games in the Archives. ] 5.f3! [ I think that 5.xd4 e6 6.cxd5 could be met by c6 . Then the only serious try for advantage is ( 6...exd5 7.c3 e6 8.f3 c6 9.b5 favours White, as indicated by Wells ) 7.b5 , when xd5 8.xd5 exd5 leaves Black with free play and at least equality. ] 5...g4! An enterprising move that appears to equalise, as opposed to the complex [ 5...c6 6.xd4 ] 6.xd4!? This works out poorly after Black gambits a pawn. Maybe it even deserves a '?!'. [ White's best chance for advantage is probably 6.cxd5! xd5 7.c3 xf3!? ( 7...a5 may be best, when 8.b5+ c6 9.xc6+ bxc6 10.xd4 xf3 11.gxf3 e6 12.e3 makes it a little awkward for Black to develop his pieces, although this may not be much ) 8.xd5 xd1 9.c7+ d8 10.xa8 and White seems to have the advantage, even though there's always the chance that the knight on a8 will be trapped. A sample line: c2! A) 11.f4 e6 12.c1 d3 13.a3 ( 13.h4 c6 14.h3 b4+ ) 13...c6; B) 11.b4!?; C) 11.d2! c6 ( 11...e6 12.c1 e4 13.a5+ b6 14.xb6! ) 12.c1 e4 ( 12...d3 13.h4! e6 14.h3 xe5 15.f4 ) 13.e6! fxe6 14.b4 , etc ] 6...xf3 7.gxf3 c6! 8.xd5 e6! 9.e4?! [ But 9.xd8+ xd8 10.f4 h6! with the idea ...Nf5 must be fine for Black. ] 9...b4+ [ Or 9...d4! ] 10.d2 xd2+ 11.xd2 a5 12.0-0-0 0-0-0! [ 12...xe5 13.xe5 xe5 14.e4 ] 13.f4 Protecting the more important pawn. xa2 14.g1 [ 14.d3 ge7 15.b1 improves, but I still like Black. ] 14...d4! 15.b1? xb1+ 16.xb1 xf4 17.c3 ge7 18.xg7 xe5 19.d3 h6 20.e4 xf2 Black is two pawns up and wins comfortably. 21.b5 7c6 [ 21...xc4 ]
22.c5 a6 23.d6+ c7 24.xc6 25.e4 f4 26.d6+ c7 27.c3 28.b4 b6 29.a4 bxc5 30.xa6 31.b2 b8 32.g1 c4 33.f1 34.a5 e4 35.c1+ d8 36.d1+ 37.b1 d8 38.g1 f8 39.c5 40.a7 f3 41.c1 d2+ 42.a1 43.a8+ e7 44.a7+ f6 0-1
xc6 d7 cxb4 e5 e8 e2 d5
1277 B12 Heimann,Andreas 2485 Lenic,Luka 2641 27th ECC Rogaska Slatina SLO (5.13) 29.9.11 [Milos Pavlovic] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 c5 Probably the critical move here, and it may be a reason why some players started to use the 4.Nd2-b3 line and then later on Nf3. 6.e3 cxd4 7.xd4 e7 8.d2 bc6 9.2f3 e4 10.0-0 xf3 11.xf3 g6 In some previous updates I mainly focused on some other ideas but this one also looks solid. 12.c4 Another idea might be: [ 12.f4 g7 13.d3 0-0 14.e2 c8 15.a3 b6 16.c3 a5 17.fe1 a6 18.e3 c7 19.ad1 c4 20.g5 fe8 21.h4 b6 22.h5 f5 23.g4 ( 23.c1 This modest retreat is sufficient for some small pressure but the position remains complex. g3 24.c2 xh5 25.g4 ) 23...g3 24.c2 e4 25.xe4 dxe4 26.xe4 xb2 27.d7 c6 28.xc6 xc6 29.xb7 xc3 30.g2 d3 31.e3 gxh5 32.d2 h6 33.e4 c4 34.d6 xg4+ 35.f1 c5 36.xe8 xb7 37.f6 f8 38.h3 c5 39.f3 g6 40.xh5 d7 41.h4 xf6 42.xf6+ g7 43.a4 g5 44.f4 f5 45.g2 e7 46.e4 xf4 Black won in Zherebukh, Y -Yevseev, D/Lviv 2009 ] 12...g7 13.c5N [ Predecessor: 13.cxd5 xd5 14.c5 f8 15.c1 c8 16.xf8 d4 17.d1 xe2+ 18.xe2 xf8 19.ac1 g7 With equal cha nces b ut actu ally it is W hite who is struggling to find adequate or active moves. 20.h4 b6 21.g3 h6 22.a3 c5 23.c2 hc8 24.fc1 a5 25.d2 xc2 26.xc2 1350
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 c5 27.c1 xc2 28.xc2 e7 29.c3 c6 30.b3 d8 31.a4 d1+ 32.g2 e2 Topalov is pressing but Kamsky is re s o u rc e f u l a n d m a n a g e s t o e q u a l ize . 33.e3 d1 34.d2 b4 35.c4 c2 36.d2 b1 37.f4 e1+ 38.h2 xb3 39.f6+ g8 40.d8+ h7 41.f6 g8 42.d8+ h7 game drawn, Kamsky, G Topalov, V Sofia 2009 ] 13...dxc4 14.a4 c8 15.xc4 [ 15.fd1 a5 Black is fine. ] [ 15.ac1 Black has two interesting possibilities to consider: A) 15...a6 16.fd1 d5 ( 16...a5 17.xc4 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.b4 c7 20.e4 g7 21.b5+- ) 17.xc4 f8 18.e3 g7 19.e4 0-0 20.c4 ce7 An interesting fight is ahead of us.; B) 15...0-0 16.fd1 c7 17.d6 b6 18.xc4 fd8 19.b4 a6 With a solid position for Black, as although the bishop on d6 looks scary at the moment Black does have pressure on e5. ] 15...a6 16.b3 a5 17.xa5 xa5 Black is now fine. 18.a3 xb3 19.axb3 d5 20.fe1 h6 21.e4 d7 22.h4 c1+ 23.xc1 xc1 24.e1 Black achieved everything what he wanted and the initiative is f i r m l y o n h i s s id e . g5 25.d4 e7 Another way to play this endgame is: [ 25...c8 26.d3 b5 27.g3 e8 28.c5 a5 Black is still slightly better. ] 26.xe7 xe7 27.d3 c8 28.f1 b5 29.e2 a5 30.d2 h5 31.h4 c6 32.c1 b6 33.d3 d5 34.d1 c8 35.d2 Chances are now about equal, Black failed to find a path to increase his advantage. d8 36.e2 f6 37.exf6+ xf6 38.e4 e7 39.e1 c6 40.c2 e5 41.e3 d4+ 42.xd4 xd4 43.g3 e4 44.c3 b4 45.c6+ g7 46.c7+ f6 47.c6+ f7 48.c7+ e6 49.c5 d3 50.xa5 xb3 ½-½
1278 Helstroffer,Arnaud Grooten,Herman 10th Open Bad Zwesten GER (5) [Andrew Martin]
B12 2281 2350 05.01.2006
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 d7 6.0-0 g6 This is how an old friend of mine from the Netherlands, Hermann Grooten, tackles this variation. Black makes a prophylactic retreat, keeping all options open an d p e rha p s p re pa ring . .. Nh 6-f 5 . 7.bd2 h6 8.c4 e7 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.b3 0-0 [ 10...f5 is not strictly necessary and should only be played if Black fears Bxh6. A s we s h a l l s e e , t h a t e xc h a n g e i s n o t dangerous. Thus A) 11.d2 0-0 ( 11...c8 12.a5 b6 13.c3 0-0 14.c1 b8 15.d3 h5 16.f4 xf3 17.xf3 b5 18.a3 Baklan, V-Khenkin, I/Hoogeveen 2004 and now g5= ) 12.c1 b8 13.a5 e8 14.c7 b6 15.d2 d8 16.c3 a5 17.a4 a6 18.g4 h4 19.xh4 xh4 20.f4 e4 21.g5 h6 22.gxh6 g6 23.d3 xd3 24.xd3 e7 25.h7+ Baklan, VRiazantsev, A/bereg.ru Int 2003 (25); B) 11.g4 h4 12.xh4 xh4 13.f4 f5 14.exf6 xf6 15.g5 e7 16.g4 starts to look a bit better for White. ] 11.d2 Modest f6 Time for Black to start thinking about pawn breaks and having been denied ...c6-c5, ...f7-f6 is the only one left! A typical way to get counterplay in this variation. 12.a5 [ 12.exf6 xf6 13.a5 e7 14.d2 fc8 15.c3 f7= Volokitin, A-Pogorelov, R/ Istanbul 2003 ] 12...b6 13.exf6 xf6 14.b4 f7 15.c1 a5 [ I quite like 15...f5 16.c3 h4 17.xh4 xh4 18.g4 e7 19.e2 e8 20.f4 f6= 21.g3?! xg4 22.xg4 f6 ] 16.d6 f5 17.c7 f8 18.c6 a4 19.c1 c8 [ 19...a3 20.b3 e8 was worth consideration: 21.xb6? ( 21.f4 h5 ) 21...h5! Black has some pressure against d4. ] 20.c3 b7 21.g4 h4 [ 21...xd4! 22.xd4 a3! is a very strong 1351
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014 continuation, taking full advantage of the lack of coordination among the W hite pieces: 23.bxa3 ( 23.b4 c8 24.e3 xc7 25.xe6 d6 26.d3 xc1! 27.xc1 xd3 28.c8+ f8 29.xd3 xe6 ) 23...c8 Instead, Grooten takes a safe route to the advantage. ] 22.g3 [ 22.xh4 xh4 23.f4 was my first thought and I believe this to be better than the game from White's point of view. ] 22...xf3+ 23.xf3 [ 23.xf3 e4 24.e3 a3! This prod causes W hite problems in all variations. 25.b4 c8 26.d2 c2 27.xc2 xc2 28.d3 c8 The position is a jumble, but it is easier for Black to unravel than White. ] 23...b5 24.g2 b6 25.e2 b4 26.c7 a3! The W hite Bishops have no effect on the game. 27.b3 af8 28.d2 b8? So far so good for Black evidently the congested position has taken its toll on the clock. If I recall Grooten always was fond of his own time-pressure. Instead [ 28...d8 29.c8 b5 maintains a Black advantage, but the game continues. ] 29.fc1 d8 30.c8 e7?? [ 30...d7 31.8c6 b5 32.xe6 ] [ 30...a6 31.f4 c7 32.xf8+ xf8 33.xg6 hxg6 34.f4 ] 31.xb8+however White is subject to the same time shortage.... xf2 32.g3 2f7 33.e3 h6 34.h4 [ 34.8c6+- ] 34...xc8 35.xc8+ h7 36.f4 f6 37.e2? [ 37.xg6 I cannot really say too much about the new international time schedule other than it promotes exciting error-strewn chess. Returning to theory 6...Bg6 looks like a good response to the Short system, albeit a n i d e a wh i c h c r e a t e s a c o m p l i c a t e d , congested game. ] 0-1
1279 Holmsten,Aleksei Minasian,Artashes Open Ubeda [Nigel Davies]
B12
2000
3.e5 makes Caro players very nervous, at least part of the problem being psychological. The Caro is often chosen for being a nice solid defence that dulls W hite's attacking ambitions Black certain doesn't want to go into the wild complications following 3...Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5.g4. In Grischuk - Karpov Black tried to avoid this with 4...Qb6, which gave him a reasonable game when White defended the epawn with 5.Nf3. But W hite can play something far more dangerous by offering the e5 pawn as bait... 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.c3 b6 5.d3!? Offering a pawn for fast development, which is how Kotronias suggested White play it on his book on the 3. e5 Caro. [ For 5.f3 see Grischuk - Karpov. ] 5...xd4 6.f3 [ 6.xf5 xe5+ recovers the bishop with interest. ] 6...g4 7.h3 h5 [ I t ' s n o t q u i t e c l e a r t h a t 7..