The Closed Sicilian Move By Move - Carsten Hansen.pdf

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen B26 seems a rather odd choice, since we Hjartarson,J now have the same position as in Game Novikov,I 9 (6...e5 7 Qd2 Nd4 8 Nd1 etc) but with 1: Tilburg 1992 White to play. [Carsten Hansen] [ The more flexible 8...Ne7 is examined in the next game. ] 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ Black has also tried: [ As a committed Najdorf player, a) 8...f5 9.c3 Nc6 10.Ne2 Nf6 Novikov opted for 2...d6 here, and 11.exf5 exf5 12.0-0 0-0 13.h3 Bd7 only after 3.g3 then Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 14.c4 Qb6 15.Ndc3 Rae8 16.Rfe1 5.d3 Bg7 etc. ] Ne5 17.Nf4 Bc6 18.Ncd5 Qd8 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 , B.Spassky-B.Ivanovic, Niksic 1983, e6 7.Qd2 The most consistent and now Minic and Sindik suggest continuation; 19.Rab1 , followed by b2-b4 with a [ instead, 7.f4 Nge7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.0-0 slight advantage for White. ] transposes to 6 f4 e6 lines in Chapter [ b) 8...Rb8 9.c3 Nc6 10.Ne2 Nge7 Six. ] ( 10...b5 11.d4 cxd4 12.cxd4 Nge7 7...Nd4 This is generally considered 13.Rc1 0-0 14.b3 a5 15.h4 h5 premature. Black should normally wait 16.g4!? hxg4 17.h5 Nb4 18.a3 Na6 for White to develop the king's knight to 19.Bh6 gave White a strong attack in either e2 or f3 before jumping to d4. P.Lerch-I.Karim, Aix les Bains 2003 ) Even so, strong players play this way 11.Bh6 0-0 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.Ne3 from time to time in order to unbalance e5 14.f4 f6 15.g4 exf4 16.Nxf4 b5 the game. 17.0-0 b4 18.h3 Qd7 19.Rf2 bxc3 [ Of Black's main alternatives, 7...Qa5 20.bxc3 Ba6 21.Raf1 Ng8 is examined Game 3 ] , F.Kasioura-L.Yudasin, Ano Liosia [ and 7...Nge7 in Games 4-5. ] 2000, and here White should have [ The move 7...Rb8 is also very played 22.Ned5 with a promising popular, but these lines are position, intending Ne5? 23.Nc7! . ] considered via 6...Rb8 with a later ... 9.c3 Nc6 e7-e6 in Chapter Three; see the first [ Retreating the other way with 9...Ne6 note to Game 14 for a more detailed is also possible; e.g. 10.Ne2 Ne7 description of the various 11.Bh6 0-0 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.0-0 f5 transpositions. ] 14.exf5 ( or 14.f4 at once as in Game 8.Nd1 The critical response, clearing the 9, but with White having already way for c2-c3, after which the black castled ) 14...gxf5 15.f4 Rb8 16.Ne3 knight has to retreat again since there and thanks to his safer king and isn't anything for it to take. more coordinated pieces, White has [ If White prefers simply to develop the better chances, L.Ljubojevic-U. then 8.f4 Ne7 9.Nf3 0-0 10.0-0 Adianto, Indonesia 1983. ] transposes to Game 33 ] 10.Ne2 Nge7 The natural move, [ while 8.Nge2 Ne7 9.0-0 is covered [ but if Black is not ready to allow in Game 55 (see the note with 9 White the option of Bh6, there are a Qd2). ] couple of alternatives to consider: 8...e5!? Moving the e-pawn again a) 10...Be6 can be met by 11.d4 1

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen cxd4 12.cxd4 d5!? ( 12...exd4 13.Nxd4 should be better for White ) 13.Ndc3 Nge7 with a tense and almost symmetrical position in the centre: A) 14.f4!? exd4 15.Nxd4 Bxd4 ( 15...Nxd4 16.Bxd4 wins a pawn ) 16.Bxd4 0-0 17.Bf6 and White has the initiative.; B) 14.Rd1!? 0-0 15.0-0 exd4 16.Nxd4 Nxd4 17.Bxd4 dxe4 18.Bxe4 Nc6 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Bd5 ( 20.Qc1!? Qb6 21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.Qc3+ f6 23.Rxd5 is probably a better option ) 20...Re8 21.Rfe1 Bxd5 22.Nxd5 Rxe1+ 23.Rxe1 and although White has the initiative and eventually won the game, Black should be able to defend this position, D.Neelotpal-R.Aloma Vidal, Montcada 2013. ] [ 10...b6 11.0-0 has been tested several times at grandmaster level: A) 11...Nge7 12.Bh6 0-0 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Ne3 f6 15.f4 Rb8 ( or 15...b5 16.d4! cxd4 17.cxd4 Qb6 18.Rad1 a5 19.Kh1 Ra7 20.d5 Nd8 21.fxe5 dxe5 , as in Art. Minasian-L.Van Wely, European Championship, Ohrid 2001, when 22.Nc1 Qd6 23.Nd3 seems to offer White the better chances ) 16.Rf2 b5 17.h4 b4 18.h5 bxc3 19.bxc3 gxh5?! an odd decision, weakening the kingside considerably; ( 19...Qb6 is undoubtedly better, though after 20.fxe5 Nxe5 21.Nf4 , I would still give White the preference thanks to his nicely coordinated pieces ) 20.Bf3 Kh8 21.Rh2 Rg8 22.Kf2 Be6 23.Rxh5 Rg7 24.d4 cxd4 25.cxd4 Bf7 26.Rh6 and Black is under severe pressure, A.

Stripunsky-L.Van Wely, Minneapolis 2005.; B) 11...h5 12.h3 ( possibly 12.b4!? is White's best choice, intending b4-b5 and c3-c4 ) 12...Nge7 13.f4 ( 13.b4 is still an option ) 13...Bb7 14.f5 this certainly looks tempting, but it may be a mistake at some level; ( then again 14.d4 exd4 15.cxd4 Ba6 16.d5 Na5 is a pretty good Benoni for Black ) 14...gxf5 15.exf5 f6 16.d4 Qd7 17.d5 Na5 18.b3 Nxf5 19.Qd3 Bc8 , and while White definitely has some measure of compensation for the pawn, it is up to him to prove it, which may not be easy because Black's position is both solid and flexible, G.ZaichikA.Bykhovsky, Rishon LeZion 1997. ] 11.Bh6 [ 11.0-0 has been played as well, but then 0-0 followed by ...Be6 is perfectly okay for Black. ] 11...0-0 12.Bxg7 It looks tempting for White to throw in h2-h4 at this point, threatening to play h4-h5, exchange on g6 and g7, with Qh6+ and devastation to follow, but matters are not nearly so simple. [ After 12.h4 , Black has a couple of options: A) 12...f6 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Ne3 ( White might consider 14.h5 g5 15.h6+ Kh8 16.Ne3 Be6 17.d4 with the more pleasant position ) 14...Be6 ( 14...h5!? ) 15.Nd5 ( or again 15.h5 g5 16.h6+ and so on ) 15...Bg8 ( 15...h5! ) 16.f4 ( 16.h5! ) 16...Nxd5 17.exd5 Ne7 18.c4 and White has the somewhat better chances, H. Mossong-C.Valiente, Bled Olympiad 2002.; 2

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen B) 12...Bxh6 13.Qxh6 B1) or 13...f6 14.Qd2 ( of course not 14.h5?? g5! followed by ...Kh8 and ...Ng8 and White loses the queen ) 14...Be6 15.h5 g5 16.f4 h6 and Black should be fine; B2) 13...Kh8 14.Qd2 ( my computer assesses 14.h5 Ng8 15.Qd2 Nf6 16.hxg6 fxg6 17.Ne3 as equal; I prefer White's position on account of the break option d3-d4 in the centre, but ultimately White's advantage, if we can talk about that, is tiny ) 14...f6 15.Ne3 Be6 16.Nd5 b5 17.0-0 Bg4 was seen in G. Oppici-N.Bresciani, Bratto 1996, and now 18.Ne3 again looks marginally better for White. ] 12...Kxg7 13.Ne3 White prevents ...d6d5 (at least for the moment) and in some cases contemplates Nf5+ if circumstances are favourable. [ Nonetheless, 13.h4 seems more precise here; e.g. h5 ( if 13...f6 then 14.h5 g5 as in the previous note ) 14.Ne3 Be6 15.f4 d5?! too ambitious, ( but 15...f6 16.0-0; or 15...f5 16.d4 gives White the more promising position ) 16.f5 gxf5? ( 16...d4 is necessary ) 17.exd5 f4 18.dxc6 fxe3 19.Qxe3 Nxc6 20.Bxc6 bxc6 21.Qxe5+ Qf6 22.Qxf6+ Kxf6 23.Nf4 Bg4 24.0-0 and White has a huge advantage in the endgame, A.Dgebuadze-Mark. Hahn, Schw‫ن‬bisch Gmünd 2017. ] 13...Be6 Black intends to go forward with his ...d6-d5 plan. [ In another contest several years later, 13...b5 was tested: 14.0-0 b4 15.f4 f6 16.g4 a5 17.g5 fxg5 18.fxg5 Rxf1+ and a draw was agreed in P. Mora-L.Voloshin, Lodi 2005. A

possible continuation that could justify the rather premature decision is 19.Rxf1 Rb8 20.c4 Nd4 21.Nxd4 cxd4 22.Qf2 dxe3 23.Qf7+ Kh8 24.Qf6+ Kg8 25.Qf7+ with perpetual check. ] [ A third option is 13...f5 , and now 14.f4 Qa5 15.0-0 Be6 is more or less even. ] 14.h4 White is completely unconcerned about Black pushing forward in the centre and focuses on the recently weakened (after the departure of the dark-squared bishop) kingside. [ Breaking open the centre is a reasonable alternative and an entirely different plan; e.g. 14.d4 cxd4 15.cxd4 exd4 16.Nxd4 and now Qb6 17.Ne2 Ne5 18.0-0 Rac8 19.b3 leads to a position I will consider slightly favourable for White thanks to Black's backward d6pawn and White's control over the d5square. ] 14...d5! In my opinion, the only consistent move for Black. [ 14...f5 , which has been suggested elsewhere, leaves White somewhat better after 15.f4 fxe4 16.dxe4 , although we are hardly talking about a decisive advantage. ] 15.exd5 [ The immediate 15.h5 does not accomplish anything for White: dxe4 ( or 15...d4 16.Nc2 Ng8 17.f4 Bg4 and Black is fine ) 16.Bxe4 ( 16.dxe4 Qxd2+ 17.Kxd2 Rad8+ 18.Kc2 f5 looks decidedly pleasant for Black. ) 16...f5 17.Bg2 f4! ( Blatny mentioned 17...c4!? , but I don't see why White isn't just a pawn up after 18.Nxc4 Bxc4 19.dxc4 ) 18.gxf4 exf4 and only Black can be better. ] 15...Nxd5 16.h5 The simple threat is 17 3

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Nxd5 Bxd5 18 hxg6 hxg6 19 Qh6+, but this is quite easily parried. 16...Nde7 [ In Blatny's notes to the game, 16...Nxe3 is dismissed as being an almost losing error, but it turns out that it is in fact fully playable: 17.Qxe3 Bd5 ( on 17...Qd6 White can consider the strategically interesting plan of 18.hxg6 hxg6 19.Bxc6 bxc6 20.Qh6+ Kf6 21.0-0-0 Rh8 22.Qe3 Kg7 , and now 23.c4!? Bg4 24.f3 Bf5 25.Kc2 Rad8 26.Rxh8 Rxh8 27.g4 Bc8 28.Nc3 with an advantage thanks to the knight vs. bad bishop scenario ) 18.hxg6 was evaluated as winning for White by Blatny, but Black is perfectly fine after hxg6 19.Qh6+ Kf6 . ] [ Two other options are 16...Nf6 17.f4 Qd6 ] [ and 16...Qd6 17.Nxd5 Bxd5 18.hxg6 hxg6 19.Qh6+ Kf6 20.Qh4+ Ke6 with a pleasant position for Black. ] 17.f4 f6? Rather than reinforcing Black's position, this move creates weaknesses in his defences which White is now able to exploit. [ Once again 17...Qd6 is a plausible continuation for Black; e.g. 18.hxg6 fxg6! ( 18...hxg6 19.fxe5 Qxe5 20.0-0-0 Rad8 21.Nf4 is given a preference for White by my computer, which is not entirely unwarranted as White's pieces are all rather well placed ) 19.0-0-0 h5 20.Kb1 Nf5 21.Be4 with a sharp position where both sides have a share of the chances. ] 18.hxg6 hxg6 19.fxe5 Nxe5 20.Nf4!? A logical move which, in conjunction with what follows, demonstrates that White has taken the initiative in the game. [ There is a complex alternative in the

immediate 20.d4 ; e.g. cxd4 21.Nxd4 (aside from the rook on a1, all of White's pieces are actively and aggressively placed) Qb6 22.Bxb7 A) 22...Qxb7? 23.Nxe6+ Kf7 24.0-0-0! wins for White: Kxe6 25.Qd6+ Kf7 26.Rh7+ Kg8 ( or 26...Ke8 27.Nd5 Qxb2+ 28.Kxb2 Nc4+ 29.Kc2 Nxd6 30.Rxe7+ Kd8 31.Re6 Kd7 32.Nf4 , winning a piece ) 27.Rdh1; B) 22...Rab8 23.Bg2 Qa6 24.Bf1 Qb6 , and now after 25.b3 Qxd4 26.Qxd4 Nf3+ 27.Kf2 Nxd4 28.cxd4 , White has an extra pawn. Even if will not be all that easy to convert, a pawn is still a pawn. ] 20...Bf7 21.d4 cxd4 22.cxd4 N5c6 23.d5 Ne5 24.d6 So far, so good. This was actually a a rapid game in a play-off to get through to the next round of a knockout tournament. I suppose both players were getting short of time because the rest of the game contains an unusual amount of errors. Black's next move is the first inaccuracy, but the mistakes get a lot bigger, and both players join in the mêlée, which makes it very entertaining. 24...Ng8?! Black is concerned about the king's safety and guards the h6-square which potentially could be used by White's queen with devastating effect. [ Nevertheless, it is not clear that 24...N7c6 is a major improvement, since White's attack looks quite scary after 25.0-0-0 ( not 25.Bxc6? bxc6 26.Qh2?? which loses to Nf3+; while the forcing 25.Nf5+? fails to gxf5 26.Ne6+ Bxe6 27.Qh6+ Kf7 28.Qh5+ Ng6 29.Qh7+ Ke8 30.Qxg6+ Bf7 and Black has successfully repelled the attack ) 25...Rc8 26.Nfd5! (not only placing this knight actively, White also 4

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen threatens Nf5+ etc) Bg8 ( 26...Rh8 27.Rxh8 Qxh8 28.Rh1 wins quickly ) 27.Nf5+! gxf5 28.Qh6+ Kf7 29.Qh5+ Kg7 ( if 29...Ng6 then 30.Nf4; or 29...Ke6 30.Kb1!! Qa5 31.Nf4+ Kd7 32.Qxf5+ Kd8 33.Bd5 and wins ) 30.Kb1!! (once again this "quiet" move decides) Qxd6 31.Ne3 and Black will have to give up the queen to prevent mate. ] 25.Bxb7?! This is certainly one way of clearing the second rank, but it's not the best. [ White should prefer 25.Bd5! (threatening Qh2) Re8 ( or 25...Bxd5 26.Qxd5 Re8 27.Rc1 Rc8 28.Qxb7+ Qd7 29.Qxd7+ Nxd7 30.Kf2 with a large, if not decisive advantage for White ) 26.0-0-0 ( even better than 26.Qh2 Nf3+ 27.Bxf3 Rxe3+ 28.Kf2 , which also wins ) 26...Bxd5 27.Nexd5 Qxd6 28.Qh2 Kf8 29.Qh8 Rad8 30.Rh7 Rd7 31.Rxd7 Qxd7 32.Qxg8+! and White emerges a piece up. ] 25...Rb8 [ On 25...Nh6? , White wins with 26.Rxh6! Kxh6 27.Ne6! and it is curtains for Black. ] 26.Qh2?! Right idea, wrong move order! [ It was still better to play 26.Bd5 and after Re8 then 27.0-0-0 Qxd6 28.Qh2 , when White is doing well but is by no means winning. ] 26...Re8?? Black goes seriously wrong. [ After the correct 26...Qa5+ 27.Kf1 Rfd8 , White has to play accurately to maintain an advantage: 28.Qh8+ ( not now 28.Bd5? Bxd5 29.Qh8+ Kf8 30.Nexd5 Qa6+ 31.Kg1 Rxd6 32.Rh7 Rb7 and Black is able to defend ) 28...Kf8 29.Bg2! Rxd6 ( 29...Qb5+ 30.Kg1 Qxb2 31.Rf1; or 29...Qa6+ 30.Kg1 Qxd6 31.Rh7 Rd7 32.Kh1! leaves White with a very

strong attack ) 30.Rh7 Rd7 31.Qg7+ Ke8 32.Rh8 Qc5 33.Rxg8+ Bxg8 34.Qxg8+ Qf8 35.Qe6+ Qe7 36.Qh3 and White emerges with two pieces for a rook, but at least Black has found some way back into the game. ] 27.Bd5?? White returns the favour by making an equally large mistake. [ The win was not difficult to find: 27.Qh8+ Kf8 28.Rh7 Qa5+ 29.Kf1 Qb5+ 30.Kg1 , when Black is out of checks and has no satisfactory way of meeting both 31 Qg7 mate and 31 Nxg6+ etc. ] 27...Nf3+! This was called a mistake by Blatny in 'ChessBase Magazine', but it is probably Black's best move. [ The offered alternative is 27...Bxd5 28.Qh8+ ( instead, my computer favours 28.Qh7+! and offers the following crazy line: Kf8 29.Nexd5 g5 30.Nh5 Qa5+ 31.Nc3 Nc4+ 32.Kf1 Qf5+ 33.Qxf5 Ne3+ 34.Kg1 Nxf5 35.Rf1 and White has the better chances ) 28...Kf8 A) 29.Nfxd5 , assessed as "unclear". In fact Nf7 30.Qh2 Qa5+ 31.Kf1 Nxd6 then gives Black the upper hand; ( 31...-- ); B) so White should prefer 29.Rh7! Rb7 30.Nfxd5 Rxh7 31.Qxh7 , when either Nc4 ( or 31...Qa5+ 32.b4 Qa3 certainly is unclear. )] 28.Bxf3 Rxe3+ 29.Be2 [ Note that 29.Kf2?? now loses to Rxb2+ etc. ] 29...Qxd6 [ Equally good is 29...Rxb2 , and possibly with less risk of going wrong: 30.Qh8+ Kf8 31.Rh7 Rexe2+ 32.Nxe2 Qa5+ 33.Kf2 Qc5+ 34.Kf1 Qf5+ 35.Kg1 Qc5+ with a draw. ] 30.Qh8+ Kf8 31.Rh7 White's attack 5

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen looks decisive, but Black can still defend. 31...Ke7?? This, however, is not the move. [ Black can piece a defence together with the clever 31...Ke8! , leaving the way clear for both ...Qf8 and ...Rb7; A) e.g. 32.Qg7 Rb7 33.Rh8 Qf8 ; ( 33...-- ); B) while 32.Rxf7 can be met by Rxe2+; C) or if 32.Rd1 then 32...Qb4+ 33.Kf2 Qc5 34.b3 ( or again 34.Rxf7 Rxe2+! 35.Kxe2 Rxb2+ 36.Rd2 Rxd2+ 37.Kxd2 Qd4+ 38.Kc2 Qc4+ 39.Kb2 Qxf7 and Black gains the upper hand ) 34...Rb4 35.Qg7 Re7+ 36.Kf1 Qe3 37.Re1 Rxf4+ 38.gxf4 Qxf4+ 39.Kg1 Qg3+ with a draw by perpetual check. ] 32.Rd1 Good enough; [ though White has even better moves available: 32.Qg7! Rxe2+ 33.Nxe2 Rf8 34.Qxg6 ] [ or 32.Rxf7+ Kxf7 33.Qh7+ Ke8 34.Qxg8+ Qf8 35.Qxg6+ Qf7 36.Qc2 , threatening Kf2 and Bh5, and White is winning. ] 32...Qb4+? The last mistake. [ Black could carry on a bit longer with 32...Rxe2+ 33.Nxe2 Qe6 , although White has a big advantage after 34.b3 .] 33.Kf1 Qxb2 34.Rxf7+ Game over. [ Black resigned because mate is just around the corner: 34.Rxf7+ Kxf7 35.Qh7+ Kf8 ( or 35...Ke8 36.Qxg8+ Ke7 37.Nxg6# ) 36.Nxg6+ Ke8 37.Qd7# . ] 1-0

B24 Arencibia Rodriguez,W Ubilava,E 2: Manresa [Carsten Hansen]

1996

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 [ This game arrived below via 5...e6 6.Be3 Nd4 7.Qd2 ( which is regarded as somewhat suspect for Black in view of 7.Nce2! , as we'll see in Chapter Eleven ) 7...Ne7 8.Nd1 d6 .] 6.Be3 e6 7.Qd2 Nd4 8.Nd1 Ne7 9.c3 h6!? An interesting idea; Black uses tactics to forestall the possibility of Bh6 before retreating the knight. [ The usual continuation is 9...Ndc6 10.Bh6 ( not 10.Ne2 b6 11.d4?! Ba6! and White has problems in the centre, D.Genocchio-L.Lenic, Brescia 2009; while 10.f4 gives Black the same position as in the main game without having had to play ...h7-h6 ) A) after 10...Bxh6 11.Qxh6 Ne5 12.Qd2 c4?! ( but 12...0-0 13.f4 N5c6 doesn't seem too bad, despite the time Black has wasted with the knight ) 13.dxc4 Nxc4 14.Qd4 Ne5 15.f4 N7c6 16.Qd2 Nc4 17.Qd3 Nb6 18.Ne3 , White is clearly better, I.KosovE.Davydiants, Tula 2007; B) 10...0-0 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.h4 f6 ( 12...h5 , followed by ...d6-d5, looks fine for Black ) 13.f4 ( 13.h5 g5 14.h6+ Kh8 15.Ne2 is another option; while 13.Ne2 e5 was seen in the notes to Game 1, though Black is not obliged to push the e-pawn ) 13...f5?! an odd choice, seeing as Black only played ...f7-f6 last move; ( again 13...h5 is better ) 14.Ne3 6

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen d5?! (this definitely seems overambitious) 15.exd5 Nxd5 16.Nf3 ( or just 16.h5 ) 16...Nf6 17.Nc4 Ng4?! 18.h5 Bd7 19.hxg6 h6 20.0-0-0 and White has a big advantage, G.Andruet-B.Kouatly, French Championship, Ales 1984. ] 10.f4 [ Taking the knight does not do anything for White: 10.cxd4 cxd4 11.Bf4 e5 wins the piece back, and after 12.Ne2 exf4 13.Nxf4 0-0 14.0-0 Bd7 , Black has a comfortable position without any problems. QUESTION: Hang on a second, doesn't the doubled d4-pawn count for anything? ANSWER: If anything, it helps Black control more space. It is not a weakness unless White can attack it, which is hardly the case in this situation. ] 10...Ndc6 Now the knight has to retreat because White's bishop has the f2square available. 11.Nf3 [ 11.Ne2 is met in a similar fashion: b6 12.0-0 Bb7 13.Nf2 d5 14.d4 dxe4 15.Nxe4 c4 16.g4 f5 17.Nf2 Na5 18.Bxb7 Nxb7 19.Ng3 Nd5 with a favourable position for Black due to his control of the light squares, P.Lamford-I.Csom, Wales-Hungary match, Cardiff 1982. ] 11...b6 12.0-0 d5 13.e5 a5 14.d4 Ba6 15.Re1 c4?! QUESTION: Why does Black close the centre? It looks like White is further ahead with his plans than Black is with his. ANSWER: Ubilava must have thought that White's kingside play with g3-g4 and f4-f5 would be less dangerous than his own ...b6-b5-b4 break on the queenside, especially now that the white rook has left the f-file. However, the game doesn't turn out that way, and

the black b-pawn doesn't reach its destination for another thirty moves. QUESTION: What about Black's king? ANSWER: With the centre blocked, the king is safe enough where it is and could, in any case, theoretically castle either way at any moment. [ Instead, Black should probably consider 15...Rc8 , defending the c5pawn tactically, when 16.dxc5 bxc5 17.Qf2 ( not 17.Bxc5?! Nxe5 18.Bd4 Nxf3+ 19.Bxf3 0-0 and Black has a promising position ) 17...Qc7 18.Rc1 would lead to a quite different kind of game with chances for both sides. ] 16.Bf2 b5 17.g4 h5 Utilizing the fact that he hasn't castled kingside. 18.h3 [ Naturally, 18.g5 is out of the question because it puts an end to White's play on the kingside. Interestingly, my computer evaluates this position as equal even though Black clearly has the better chances after, say, Nf5 19.b3 b4 . ] 18...Qb6 19.Bh4! Kd7 QUESTION: What is this madness? ANSWER: It is not so mad. In fact this a typical idea in the French Defence, which the game now resembles; the king is usually quite safe on d7 and meanwhile the black rooks are connected. All the same, the position is more difficult for Black than he perhaps anticipated. 20.Ne3 [ White might also consider 20.Bf6!? . A) Taking the bishop is not an option: 20...Bxf6? 21.exf6 Nc8 ( while after 21...Ng8 22.g5 , the g8-knight and h8-rook are shut out of the game ) 22.f5! breaks in quickly.; B) But if Black defends the bishop with a rook, White ties him down further with Ng5 and can then 7

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen consider play on both sides of the board; e.g. 20...Rag8 21.Ng5 Ke8 ( or 21...Nd8 22.b3 ) 22.Ne3 Bc8 23.b3 and so forth. ] 20...hxg4 21.hxg4 Bh6 Trying to disrupt White's kingside initiative by attacking the f4-pawn. 22.Ng5 With a similar idea to that mentioned above: White puts pressure on the pawns on the kingside pawns to force Black to adopt a purely defensive and passive posture. [ Inserting an exchange of bishops with 22.Bg5 Bxg5 23.Nxg5 Raf8 looks to ease Black's defence; ] [ but 22.Bf6!? Rh7 23.Rab1 is another option, with various ideas of Ng5, b2-b3, or Kf2-g3 and Rh1. Note that Bxf4? runs into 24.Nxc4! dxc4 25.Qxf4 Nd5 26.Qg3 and White is clearly better. ] 22...Raf8 23.Rf1 Nd8 24.Rf3 White has plenty of time to improve his position, whereas it is difficult for Black to make useful moves. The thrust ...b5b4 doesn't help Black at all, given that most of his pieces are tied up elsewhere. [ Indeed, White might do well to open the queenside himself with 24.b3 and so on. ] 24...Bg7 25.Qf2 f5!? QUESTION: I don't understand this move. Wasn't Black supposed to play on the queenside? ANSWER: He was, but apparently he felt that White is making so much progress on the kingside that Black needs to take active countermeasures there. QUESTION: To whose advantage is such a change in the position? ANSWER: In general, it has to be White who benefits the most, since his pieces are better placed, while the e5-square and black pawn on e6 become

permanent weaknesses. On the other hand, if Black does nothing, White will just continue to build up until his initiative becomes overwhelming. In that sense, Black's move is a risk worth taking, and it pays off to the extent that White fails to find the strongest continuation. 26.exf6 Bxf6 27.Rh3?! [ White continues to take his time, shuffling the pieces around, thus overlooking a much more aggressive option that addresses the issue of Black's king being present in the centre: 27.f5! gxf5 ( 27...exf5 28.gxf5 Rfg8 29.fxg6 Rxg6 30.Nh7! is very strong too ) 28.gxf5 exf5 29.Re1! and White has a near decisive initiative thanks to his perfectly coordinated pieces; e.g. Kc8 30.Nxf5 Ng6 31.Bg3! Bxg5 32.Nd6+ Kd7 33.Qe2 Kc6 34.Qe4 with such threats as 34 Rxf8 Rxf8 35 Qg4+ Kc6 36 Bxd5+! Kxd5 37 Qe4 mate. ] 27...Qd6 28.Rf1 Bc8 29.Nf3 Exchanging dark-squared bishops enhances White's control over the e5square. 29...Bxh4 30.Rxh4 Kc7 [ The pawn on f4 is taboo: 30...Qxf4?? 31.Rxh8 Rxh8 32.Ne5+ wins the queen. ] 31.Ne5?! It was better to exchange rooks on h8 first. The text move gives Black a chance to stir the pot. 31...Bd7?! This is just too passive. [ Black should have tried 31...Rxf4!? 32.Rxh8 Rxf2 33.Rxf2 Ndc6 , even if the rooks are a bit better than the queen in this position. ] 32.Qg3 [ Another idea is 32.g5!? , followed by N3g4-f6, with good chances. ] 32...Be8 33.Qh2 Rxh4 34.Qxh4 Now Black is condemned to a passive 8

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen defence again. 34...Nec6 35.Rf2 Qe7 36.Qh6?! Exchanging queens would only ease Black's defensive burden, who can finally look to generate counterchances with ...b5-b4. When you have the initiative it is natural to go forwards, but the text seems to be a mistake. [ Instead, my computer suggests the backwards move 36.Qg3! , when the opposition of white queen and black king on the h2-b8 diagonal is soon to be revealed by f4-f5. For example, Nxe5 (moving the king doesn't help, as White just plays 37 f5 anyway) 37.f5! gxf5 38.gxf5 Bc6 39.fxe6 Nxe6 40.Qxe5+ Qd6 41.Nxd5+ Bxd5 42.Rxf8 Nxf8 43.Qxd5 Qxd5 44.Bxd5 and Black faces a difficult defence a pawn down in the endgame. ] 36...Nxe5 37.dxe5 [ Or if 37.fxe5 , then Rxf2 38.Kxf2 Kc8 is perfectly playable for Black, having avoided the trick 39.Bxd5! . ] 37...Qc5 38.Nc2 Nc6 39.Nd4! Nxd4 40.cxd4 Qe7 On the last move before the time control, realizing he can't take the d-pawn, Black cautiously retreats. [ It is probably too much to expect him to see the active idea of 40...Qb4 and 41...Rf7!, which seems to draw more easily; e.g. 41.f5 ( or similarly 41.Rf1 Rf7! 42.Qxg6 Qd2 43.Qxe6 Qe3+ 44.Rf2 Rxf4 and White has to take perpetual check ) 41...Rf7! 42.fxe6 ( or 42.Re2 c3! ) 42...Qe1+ 43.Rf1 Rxf1+ 44.Bxf1 Qg3+ and so on. ] 41.a3 [ After 41.f5 gxf5 42.gxf5 Rxf5 43.Rxf5 exf5 44.Bxd5 Qd7! 45.Qe6 Qd8 46.Kf1 b4! 47.Bf3 ( or 47.Bxc4 Qxd4 ) 47...Bb5 , White's king is too exposed for him to have serious

winning chances. ] 41...Rf7?! With the idea of ...Rh7, but this is easily answered. [ Instead, Black should at last play 41...b4!? with counterplay. ] 42.f5! gxf5 43.gxf5 Bd7?! Another passive move. [ Black should have played as before 43...Rxf5 44.Rxf5 exf5 45.Bxd5 Qd7 , though White's little extra move a2a3 complicates things somewhat; e.g. 46.Qe6 Qd8 47.Kf1 b4 48.Bf3 Bb5 49.a4! Qd7 50.Qg8 and Black has to be very careful. ] 44.f6 Qf8 45.Qg6 Qe8 46.Bh3 b4 Better late than never, I suppose. 47.axb4 axb4 48.Bg4! Kb6 49.Bh5?! After this Black can set up a blockade of sorts. [ 49.Rh2! is a stronger plan, intending a timely Rh7; for example, Rf8 50.Qxe8 Rxe8 51.Rh7 c3 52.bxc3 b3 ( or 52...bxc3 53.Bd1 ) 53.Bh5 b2 54.Bg6 Rg8 55.Rg7 and so forth. ] 49...Rf8 50.f7 Qc8?? The final mistake. [ 50...Qe7 51.Rf6 looks hideous for Black, but White has yet to win the game; whereas after the text Black is heading inevitably for defeat. ] 51.Qf6 c3 52.Qe7! Perhaps the move Black had overlooked. 52...Rxf7 53.Qxb4+ Bb5 54.Bxf7 [ Black resigned, as 54.Bxf7 c2 is effectively met by 55.Qc5+ . ] 1-0 B26 Romanishin,O Andersson,U 3: Biel [Carsten Hansen]

1996

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e6 7.Qd2 Qa5 9

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen This somewhat strange queen development is an effective way of avoiding a ton of theory while offering good chances of equalizing without too many headaches. The one problem is that, if you are playing for a win as Black, White has some options that simply kill all excitement. 8.Nf3 Out of White's possibilities here, this move scores reasonably well. [ Several others have been tried: a) 8.Nd1 Qxd2+ 9.Kxd2 Nge7 10.f4 b6 11.Nf3 Bb7 12.c3 e5 13.Nf2 0-0 14.Rhf1 Rad8 15.Nh4 d5 16.Kc2 d4 and despite the queens being off the board, it is clear that Black has taken over the initiative, V.PodinicG.Cabrilo, Serbian League 2006. ] [ b) 8.Nh3 Nd4 ( or 8...Bd7 9.0-0 Nd4 10.Kh1 Rc8 11.f4 Ne7 12.Rae1 Qb4 13.f5 gxf5 14.Bh6 Be5 15.Qc1 c4 16.dxc4 Qxc4 17.Bf4 f6 and White has some, but not full compensation for the pawn, D. King-C.Landenbergue, Swiss League 1999; 8...h5!? also comes into consideration ) 9.0-0 Rb8 10.Kh1 b5 11.a3 Qc7 12.Nd1 a5 13.Ra2 Bd7 14.f4 Ne7 15.Bg1 0-0 16.Ne3 a4 17.g4 f5 and Black is clearly doing well, F.Zeller-A.Maksimenko, Schmiden 1995. ] [ c) 8.f4 Nge7 ( 8...Nd4 transposes to Game 26 ) 9.Nf3 d5 ( 9...Nd4 is also Game 26 ) A) 10.exd5 exd5 11.d4?! probably premature; ( 11.Bf2 0-0 12.0-0 d4 13.Ne4 Qxd2 14.Nfxd2 b6 15.a3 Be6 16.Rfe1 Bd5 is equal, V.Satta-J.P.Karr, Porto San Giorgio 2002 ) 11...0-0 12.0-0 Nf5 13.Nxd5 Nxe3 14.Qxe3? ( 14.Qxa5 Nxa5 15.Nxe3 cxd4 16.Nd5 is still more or less okay for White ) 14...cxd4 15.Ne7+ Nxe7

16.Qxe7 Qb6 17.Kh1 Qxb2 and Black is just a pawn up, E. Mukhametzianova-O.Zimina, Kolontaevo 1997.; B) 10.Bf2 0-0 ( or 10...d4 11.Ne2 Qxd2+ 12.Kxd2 e5 , H.Jurkovic-D. Radocaj, Rabac 2003 ) 11.0-0 ( after 11.e5 f6 12.exf6 Bxf6 13.0-0 Nf5 14.g4?! Nfd4 15.Bg3 Bd7 16.Kh1 Rae8 , Black already has a nice position, R.Seppeur-R. Hübner,German League 1983 ) 11...dxe4 ( or 11...d4 12.Nb1 ) 12.Nxe4 Qxd2 13.Nfxd2 Bxb2 ( or 13...b6 ) 14.Rab1 Bd4 15.Nxc5 Bxf2+ 16.Kxf2 b6 17.Nce4 Rd8 with a level endgame, M.Aigner-V.Batangan, Sunnyvale 2002. ] 8...Nd4 [ After 8...Nf6 9.Bh6 0-0 10.Bxg7 Kxg7 11.0-0 Nd4 12.Kh1 Nxf3 13.Bxf3 Bd7 14.Bg2 Bc6 15.f4 Rae8 16.a3 d5 17.e5 Ng8 18.b4 Qb6 , it seems that White is making real progress, yet White quickly went for a draw: 19.f5 ( 19.b5 Bd7 20.a4 looks like a more interesting choice ) 19...gxf5 20.g4 fxg4 21.b5 Bd7 22.Rf6 Kh8 23.Qg5 Nxf6 Black agrees to the draw; ( 23...Qd8 24.Ne4 Nxf6 25.Nxf6 Rg8 26.Qh6 Rg7 could be considered, but Black has to be quite careful here ) 24.Qxf6+ Kg8 25.Qg5+ Kh8 26.Qf6+ Kg8 27.Qg5+ Kh8 28.Qf6+ Kg8 ½-½ A.Kislinsky-D.Fridman, Meissen 2013. ] 9.0-0 Bd7 [ Instead, 9...Ne7 10.h3 Nxf3+ 11.Bxf3 Nc6 12.Bg2 0-0 13.Bf4 e5 14.Bh6 Nd4 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.f4 f6 17.Rf2 Be6 18.Raf1 exf4 19.Rxf4 was played in B.Ivanovic-M.Cebalo, Vrsac 1983, and now b5 would be 10

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen about even. ] 10.a3 [ Grandmaster Ljubojevic has tested 10.Bf4 on a couple of occasions: Qb6 11.Rab1 Rc8 12.Rfe1 Ne7 13.e5 Bc6 14.Ne4 Bxe4 15.Rxe4 d5 ( or 15...Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 dxe5 17.Bxe5 Bxe5 18.Rxe5 0-0 19.h4 Nf5 20.c3 h5 21.Rbe1 Rfd8 and Black has completely equalized, L.LjubojevicAm.Rodriguez Cespedes, Biel Interzonal 1985 ) 16.Ree1 Nxf3+ 17.Bxf3 Nc6 18.c3 0-0 19.h4 Qc7 20.Qe2 and a draw was agreed upon in L.Ljubojevic-L.Polugaevsky, Tilburg 1985, even though there's plenty of play left. ] 10...Ne7 11.Bh6 0-0 12.Nd5 Nec6 13.Ne7+ Kh8 14.Bxg7+?! [ After 14.Nxc6 Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3 Qxd2 16.Bxd2 Bxc6 , the chances are completely even. ] 14...Kxg7 15.b4?? [ White should have played 15.Qxa5 Nxa5 16.b4 Nxf3+ 17.Bxf3 Rae8 18.bxa5 Rxe7 19.Rab1 Bc6 , when he would only be a tiny bit worse since his doubled a-pawns are difficult to get to. ] EXERCISE: The move order in the game turns out to be a major blunder; can you spot why? ANSWER: 15...Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 Nd4! This is the star move that White without doubt overlooked when he played 15 b4. [ His idea was 16...cxb4 17.Nxc6 Bxc6 18.axb4 , when White has a small advantage to work with. Unfortunately, Black is able to remove his own knight from capture first (the immediate threat is of course to the bishop, forking the king and queen), leaving the white knight trapped on e7. ] 17.Bd1 Qd8 Ouch! Romanishin could

just as well have resigned at this point. 18.c3 Nb5 19.bxc5 Qxe7 . White ends up with only one pawn for the knight, and therefore: 0-1 B26 Popovic,Du Draskovic,L 4: Croatian League [Carsten Hansen]

2016

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ Having recently taken up the Scheveningen, Draskovic played 2...e6 here, transposing below after 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 6.Be3 d6 . ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e6 7.Qd2 Nge7 8.Bh6 This is the main line and in some way the key idea behind White's set-up. [ Nevertheless, White has several other moves available at this point: a) 8.Nge2 Nd4 9.0-0 is the main alternative; we'll consider these positions via 6 Nge2 in the notes to Game 55. ] [ b) 8.Nh3 0-0 9.0-0 Nd4 ( or 9...b6 10.Bh6 Bxh6 11.Qxh6 f6 12.Qd2 Bb7 13.f4 d5 14.Nf2 Qd7 15.Rae1 f5 16.Qc1 d4 17.Ne2 Kh8 18.Kh1 Rae8 and White has not accomplished anything out of the opening, Cu.Hansen-L.Van Wely, European Rapid Championship, Cap d'Agde 1996 ) 10.Bh6 Bxh6 11.Qxh6 f6 ( not 11...Nxc2?? 12.Ng5 and mates ) 12.Qd2 e5 13.f4 Qb6 14.Rab1 c4 15.Kh1 cxd3 16.cxd3 Be6 17.Rf2 Kg7 18.Rbf1 Rac8 19.Ng1 with chances for both sides, Y. Balashov-J.Timman, Rio de Janeiro Interzonal 1979. ] 11

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ c) 8.h4 h5 9.Nh3 Rb8 10.0-0 b5 11.Rae1 ( 11.a3 seems like a reasonable alternative, if White prefers to avoid the following pawn sacrifice ) 11...b4 12.Nd1 Qa5 13.f4 Qxa2 14.f5 Be5 15.fxg6 Nxg6 16.Qf2 Rb7 17.Nf4 Nd4 18.Kh1 and White has some compensation for the pawn, J.Hjartarson-A.Shirov, Munich 1993. ] 8...Bxh6 [ We'll look at 8...0-0 in the next game. ] 9.Qxh6 QUESTION: Isn't the possibility of Qg7 now a problem for Black? It looks as if this will win at least a pawn. ANSWER: If Black didn't have any counterplay or activity to counterbalance that threat then, yes, it would have been a problem, but after Black's next move it becomes evident that White's queen may not want to stick around on h6 or g7 in the hope of picking up a pawn. 9...Nd4 [ 9...Ng8 , with the idea of equalizing after 10 Qg7 Qf6, is completely unnecessary. White simply plays 10.Qd2 h5 11.h3 Nge7 12.f4 e5 13.Nf3 f6 14.Nh4 with the better chances, M.Lazic-V.Vulevic, Bar 2010. ] 10.Qd2 The threat to c2 needs to be addressed, and White can do that in an additional couple of ways: [ a) 10.0-0-0 is largely unproblematic for Black: A) 10...Nec6 11.Nge2 ( after 11.Qg7 Ke7 12.f4 Qf8 13.Qxf8+ Rxf8 14.Nf3 f6 15.Rhe1 Bd7 16.Ne2 e5 17.c3 Nxf3 18.Bxf3 Be6 19.Kb1 b5 , if anything Black has the initiative in the queenless middlegame, R.Dudek-E.Gerigk, German League 2002 ) 11...Bd7

12.Nxd4 cxd4 13.Ne2 Qa5 ( or just 13...e5 14.Bh3 Rc8 15.Kb1 Bxh3 16.Qxh3 Qd7 17.Qxd7+ Kxd7 18.f4 f5 19.c3 dxc3 20.bxc3 Rhe8 and position is completely equal, O.Chaika-Z. Efimenko, Ukrainian League 2000 ) 14.Kb1 Qa4 15.c3 dxc3 16.Nxc3 Qb4 17.d4 Rc8 18.Qg7 , and now Black should opt for something like Na5!? ( 18...Rf8 19.Rhe1 was tricky for Black, V. Hort-Ju.Hodgson, Wijk aan Zee 1986 ) 19.Qxh8+ Ke7 20.Qxc8 ( 20.Qg7?? Nc4 ends the fun rather promptly ) 20...Bxc8 21.Bf1 Nc6 22.d5 Nd4 and chances are about even.; B) 10...b5 11.Nce2 e5 12.Nxd4 cxd4 13.Ne2 Be6 14.Kb1 Nc6 15.Nc1 Rc8 16.f4 Nb4 17.f5 gxf5 18.exf5 Bxf5 19.Rd2 Be6 with a sharp position where Black should not be worse, Jo.HorvathAd.Horvath, Austrian League 2011.; C) 10...Qa5 11.Kb1 Bd7 12.Nge2 Nec6 13.h4 0-0-0 14.h5 b5 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.e5 d5 17.Qd2 Qc7 18.f4 b4 19.Ne2 Nb5 20.c3 bxc3 21.Nxc3 Nd4 was played in N.Short-S.Movsesian, Sarajevo 2000, and now 22.Ne2 ( whereas after 22.Rc1 Kb8 23.Ne2 Qb6 , the game soon ended in a draw ) 22...Nxe2 23.Qxe2 Bb5 24.Rc1 Kb8 25.Qd2 would have left White with a somewhat preferable position. ] [ b) 10.Rc1 Qb6 11.Nd1 e5 12.c3 Ndc6 13.Qg7 Rg8 14.Qf6 ( or similarly 14.Qxh7 g5 ) 14...g5 15.Nf3 Rg6 16.Qh8+ Rg8 17.Qf6 Rg6 18.Qh8+ Rg8 19.Qxh7 left White a pawn up, but with 12

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen decent compensation for Black in view of White's interesting queen position, T.Migot-B.Kohlweyer, Metz 2014. ] 10...e5 [ Again 10...Qa5 is a valid option: 11.Nf3 ( 11.Nge2 Nec6 12.a3 Nxe2 13.Nxe2 Qxd2+ 14.Kxd2 is dull and equal, D.Vargic-Zo.Jovanovic, Bizovac 2007 ) 11...Nec6 12.0-0 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 Nd4 14.Bg2 Bd7 15.f4 f5 16.Qf2 0-0-0 17.Nd1 fxe4 18.Bxe4 was played in E. Kovalevskaya-E.Korbut, St Petersburg 2001, and here Nc6 ( or 18...d5 would have offered Black about level chances. )] 11.h4 [ 11.Nd1 0-0 12.c3 Ndc6 13.Ne2 d5 14.exd5 Nxd5 is pleasant for Black despite the absence of the darksquared bishop, T.Kulhanek-M. Simantsev, Prague 2015. ] 11...f6 12.Nd5 This is not going to rock Black's boat too much, [ but neither does 12.f4 Bg4 13.Nd1 Qd7 14.Ne3 Be6 15.c3 Ndc6 16.Nd5 Rf8 17.Ne2 0-0-0 18.0-0-0 Bg4 19.Ne3 Be6 , intending ...d6-d5, and Black clearly has solved his opening problems, O.Maiorov-A. Bragin, Russian Team Championship 1996. ] 12...Nxd5 13.exd5 0-0 Black is not afraid of ghosts; there is nothing for White to pursue on the kingside. 14.c3 [ 14.h5 g5 15.h6 does not threaten the safety of Black's king. ] 14...Nf5 15.Ne2 b6 16.0-0-0 Bb7?! [ My computer is so bold as to suggest that the provocative 16...h5!? is the best move; e.g. 17.f3 Ng7 18.Rdg1 b5 19.Bh3 f5 and I would honestly prefer to play Black. ] 17.f4 Ne7

[ Here 17...h5 is ugly but necessary. ] 18.h5 This is now a problem for Black, since White can open up the kingside without any issues. Black could find nothing better than to give up a pawn for no compensation at all. 18...g5 19.fxg5 fxg5 20.Qxg5+ Kh8 21.h6 Ng6 22.Qe3 Bc8 23.Bf3 Bd7 24.Kb1 Qe7 25.Rdf1 Rf6 26.g4? White seems to have been lacking a plan over the last few moves, but the text just throws the majority of his advantage away, leaving the f4-square in Black's hands. [ 26.c4!? Raf8 27.Nc3 , followed by Ne4, looks like the way to go. ] 26...Raf8 27.Ng3 R6f7 . Now that Black has decent compensation for the pawn, the players settled on a draw. 1/2 B26 Adams,Mi Ward,C 5: Southend [Carsten Hansen]

2001

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e6 7.Qd2 Nge7 8.Bh6 0-0 Rather than take the bishop straight away, Black takes the opportunity to castle first. 9.h4 [ Exchanging on g7 is an important alternative: 9.Bxg7 Kxg7 10.Nge2 ( 10.f4 Nd4 11.Nce2 Nec6 12.c3 Nxe2 13.Nxe2 d5 14.e5 b6 15.0-0 Bb7 16.Rf2 f6 17.d4 was played in E.Lobron-M.Dlugy, New York 1983, when f5 18.Qe3 Na5!? promises Black a comfortable position ) 10...e5 11.f4 ( or 11.0-0 Be6 12.f4 exf4 13.Nxf4 Nd4 14.Rf2 Nec6 15.Ncd5 Ne5 16.c3 Ndc6 17.h3 Bxd5 18.Nxd5 Ne7 19.Ne3 and with the 13

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen option of d3-d4 in hand, White has a pleasant position, A.Kharitonov-V. Tilicheev, Moscow 2010 ) 11...f6 12.0-0 Be6 13.Rf2 Qd7 14.Raf1 Nd4 15.Nd1 Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 Bg4 17.Qd2 Bxd1 18.Rxd1 Nc6 19.Rdf1 b5 20.h4 exf4 21.Rxf4 left White with a small but clear advantage, D. De Vreugt-Z.Medvegy, Zug 2001. ] 9...Bxh6 QUESTION: Isn't this dangerous? White is about to open the h-file towards Black's king and now the queen is invited to h6? ANSWER: It is actually a perfectly acceptable idea. As we will see below, the problem for White is that he cannot keep the queen on h6 and still play h4h5. [ In any case, the alternatives are worse for Black: a) 9...f5? 10.h5 Rf7 11.hxg6 hxg6 12.Bxg7 Rxg7 13.Nf3 d5 14.exd5 exd5 15.d4 c4? 16.Qh6 (Black is completely busted) Kf8 17.0-0-0 Be6 18.Qe3 Qd7 19.Ng5 Bg8 20.Rh8 b5 21.Re1 b4 22.Ne6+ Kf7 23.Qh6 1-0 V.Slovineanu-V.Jianu, Bucharest 1998. ] [ b) 9...f6 10.Bxg7 Kxg7 11.h5 ( after 11.Nge2 e5 12.Nd1 Nd4 13.Ne3 f5 14.exf5 Nexf5 15.0-0 Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 Nd4 17.Qd1 Be6 18.c3 Nc6 19.Qa4 Qd7 , Black equalized in L.Ljubojevic-An. Sokolov, Madrid 1988 ) 11...g5 12.h6+! Kh8 13.f4 gxf4 14.gxf4 Rb8 15.Nf3 Ng6 16.Ne2 b5 17.d4 cxd4 18.Nfxd4 Nxd4 19.Nxd4 and the veteran Danish grandmaster as White was in charge of the game, Jen.Kristiansen-A.Tari, Stockholm 2013. ] 10.Qxh6 f6 QUESTION: So what happens after h4-h5 - ? ANSWER: Black plays ...g6-g5 and, all

of a sudden, White's queen is trapped on h6. Black follows up with ...Kh8 and ...Ng8. [ Instead, 10...Kh8 is a little panicky and unnecessary: 11.h5 Ng8 12.Qd2 g5 13.Nge2 e5 14.f4 h6 15.0-0-0 Nd4 16.Rdf1 f6 17.Nd5 and White is clearly better, D.Shahinyan-V. Usmanov, World Youth Olympiad, Burdur 2010. ] 11.Qd2 White may as well retreat the queen because he cannot get any further with her on h6. [ The alternative is 11.Nge2 Nd4 ( or 11...Rb8 12.Qd2 b5 13.a3 a5 14.0-0 Kg7 15.d4 Qb6 16.dxc5 dxc5 17.b3 Ba6 18.Rfd1 Rbd8 and Black already has a pleasant position, A.Pihlajasalo-I.Fancsy, Dos Hermanas blitz 2004 ) 12.0-0-0 e5 13.Bh3 Bxh3 14.Rxh3 b5 15.Kb1 Qd7 16.Rhh1 b4 17.Nxd4 cxd4 18.Ne2 Rac8 19.Qd2 a5 and Black is obviously doing fine, V. Grokhotov-A.Zatonskih, Kharkov 1999. ] 11...e5 12.h5 [ Understanding that Black is essentially okay after 12 h5, White has also tried 12.f4 h5 ( or 12...Bg4 13.Bh3 Qd7 14.h5 gxh5 15.f5 Rf7 16.Bxg4 hxg4 17.Rh4 Rg7 18.Nd1 d5 19.Nf2 Kh8 20.Nxg4 Ng8 21.0-0-0 Rd8 with chances for both sides, A.Ledger-I.Novikov, Port Erin 1996 ) 13.Nf3 Kg7 14.0-0 Nd4 15.Rf2 Be6 16.Raf1 Qd7 17.Nh2 Rad8 18.Nd1 exf4 19.Rxf4 d5 and in my opinion Black has a pleasant position, H.Hamdouchi-M. Bezold, French League 1999. ] 12...g5 13.h6 Be6 [ After 13...Ng6 14.Nd5 Nce7 15.Ne3 Be6 16.Ne2 d5 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Nc3 Nge7 19.0-0-0 Nxe3 14

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 20.Qxe3 Qd4 21.Ne4 , White has a positional plus, as the light squares in Black's position can easily give him some long-term headaches, B. Golubovic-S.Boyd, Cannes 1996. ] 14.f4 gxf4 15.gxf4 Kh8 16.Nd5 Bxd5 [ Rather than capturing on d5 immediately, Black should probably have played 16...Qd7!? 17.0-0-0 ( or 17.Nxe7 Qxe7 18.f5 Bf7 19.a3 Rg8 and Black is by no means worse ) 17...Bxd5 18.exd5 Nb4 19.Kb1 Nbxd5 20.Ne2 Rg8 21.Rhg1 , when White has compensation for the pawn but no more than that. ] 17.exd5 Nb4 18.a3 EXERCISE: Can Black win a pawn on d5? 18...Nbxd5?? [ ANSWER: No. Black should have played 18...Na6 , although his position after 19.0-0-0 is unenviable. ] 19.Bxd5 Nxd5 20.Qg2! No pawn win for Black – rather a piece loss! Ward could have resigned at this point, since his position is completely lost, but he fought on for a long time. 20...Qe7 21.Qxd5 exf4+ 22.Qe4 Qxe4+ 23.dxe4 Now the queens have come off as well. 23...Rae8 24.0-0-0 Rxe4 25.Nf3 White might just have taken on d6, but it doesn't really matter: Black's three pawns are too weak to be worth anything like a piece. 25...Re6 26.Rh4 f5 27.Rdh1 Rg6 28.Rxf4 Rff6 29.Rfh4 Kg8 30.Rh5 Rg4 31.R5h2 Kf7 32.Kd2 Rfg6 33.Rf2 Rg2 34.Ke2 Kf6 35.Kf1 Rxf2+ 36.Kxf2 d5 37.c3 b6 38.Rd1 Ke6 39.Re1+ Kf6 40.Re5 Rxh6 41.Rxd5 Rh1 42.Kg3 Rb1 43.Rd6+ Ke7 44.Rd2 h6 45.Kf4 Ke6 46.Rh2 Kd5 47.c4+ Kc6 48.Kxf5 Kb7 49.Ke4 1-0

B25 Carlsen,Ma Wojtaszek,R 6: Tromsّ Olympiad [Carsten Hansen]

2014

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ Wojtaszek also tried 2...d6 , in case White felt like entering a Najdorf after all, but Carlsen wasn't interested, so 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 etc led to the position below. ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nh3 [ The consistent 7.Qd2 is the main continuation here and is examined in Games 8-12. The text move is little played but prepares the advance f2-f4, intending to recapture with the knight if Black takes on f4. ] [ 7.Nge2 with the same idea is the subject of the next game. ] [ The drawback with playing 7.f4 at this moment is that exf4 ( otherwise 7...Nge7 8.Nf3 Nd4 9.0-0 0-0 transposes to the 7 Nf3 line in Chapter Seven ) 8.Bxf4 has wasted time with the bishop. After Nge7 9.Qd2 Nd4 10.Nge2 Nxe2 11.Qxe2 Be6 12.0-0 Nc6 13.Nd1 0-0 14.c3 Re8 15.Qd2 d5 , Black already has the more pleasant position, S.VibbertG.Kamsky, Arlington 2015. ] [ Other moves: a) 7.Nf3 is somewhat illogical here; but for what it's worth, Nge7 8.0-0 transposes to Game 53 in Chapter Ten. ] [ b) 7.h4?! is not a terribly convincing plan even if it makes a little sense – okay, only a little: h5 8.Bh3 (the idea behind the previous move, to exchange light-squared bishops in order to claim the d5-square) Bxh3 15

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 9.Nxh3 Qd7 10.Nd5 Nce7 11.c4 b5 ( 11...Nxd5 12.cxd5 Nf6 is also perfectly playable for Black ) 12.b3 Rb8 13.Ng5 Nxd5 14.cxd5 Nf6 15.0-0 0-0 with more or less even chances, An.Sokolov-P.Chomet, French League 2008. ] [ c) 7.Nd5?! is both premature and harmless: Nge7 8.Nxe7 Qxe7 9.Ne2 Be6 10.0-0 0-0 11.c3 Rad8 12.f4 f5 13.exf5 Bxf5 14.Qd2 Kh8 ( 14...e4!? 15.d4 Na5 looks promising ) 15.Rae1 Qd7 with a comfortable position for Black, M.Narciso Dublan-S.Ionov, Vendrell 1996. ] 7...Nge7 [ Another option is 7...h5!? , an idea we will see more than once in this chapter: 8.Nd5 Bg4 9.f3 Be6 10.c3 Nge7 11.Nxe7?! ( 11.f4!? is a definite improvement ) 11...Qxe7 12.Ng5 Bd7 13.h4 Bh6 14.Qd2 f6 15.Nh3 Bxe3 16.Qxe3 0-0-0 is better for Black, C.Renner-Ad. Horvath, Austrian League 2012. ] 8.f4 [ Castling first makes little difference, since f2-f4 is the only logical follow-up. Indeed, 8.0-0 0-0 9.f4 exf4!? ( 9...Nd4 just transposes to our main game ) 10.Nxf4 Rb8 ( or 10...Ne5 11.h3 Be6 12.Qd2 Qd7 13.a3 Rae8 14.Kh2 b6 15.g4 Qd8 16.Kh1 Bc8 17.Qe1 Bb7 18.Qg3 Qd7 19.Rae1 and chances are more less even at this point, B.Spassky-R.Franke, German League 1981, though I would argue that it is easier to play White, who eventually won the game against his much lower-rated opponent ) 11.a3 b5 ( or 11...Ne5 12.Kh1 b6 13.Qe2 Bb7 14.g4 N7c6 15.h3 Qd7 and Black has equalized, B.SpasskyG.Sax, Reykjavik 1988 ) 12.Qd2 ( or

12.Rb1 a5 13.Ncd5 b4 14.axb4 axb4 15.Rf2 Ne5 16.Nxe7+ Qxe7 and Black should be quite pleased with his position at this point, L. Christiansen-N.De Firmian, Palo Alto 1981 ) 12...a5 13.Rab1 b4 14.Ncd5 Bb7 15.c3 bxa3 16.bxa3 Ne5 17.Nxe7+ Qxe7 18.h3 Bc6 and once again Black has solved his opening problems satisfactorily, A. Strikovic-D.Lima, Yerevan Olympiad 1996. ] 8...Nd4 [ Equivalently, 8...0-0 9.0-0 Nd4 transposes below ] [ while 8...exf4!? 9.Nxf4 0-0 10.0-0 returns to the previous note. ] 9.0-0 0-0 [ Black has several reasonable alternatives at this point: a) 9...exf4!? is still possible, but the d4-knight is usually better posted on e5 in such positions; e.g. 10.Nxf4 0-0 11.Nfd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Be6 13.Nf4 Bd7 14.Qd2 Ne6 15.Nd5 Nc7 16.Nf4 Bc6 17.c3 Re8 18.Rae1 is assessed as equal by my computer, but I prefer White's position which seems simpler to play, L.Pliester-H. Ree, Amsterdam 1985. ] [ b) 9...Bd7 10.fxe5 dxe5 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.exd5 Rc8 13.b4 b6 14.bxc5 bxc5 15.c4 0-0 16.Rb1 h6 17.Kh1 Rb8 with a complex position and approximately even chances, although in this case, I would prefer to play Black as it seems a little easier for him to find a concrete plan, A.Guseinov-A.Shirov, Klaipeda 1988. ] [ c) 9...h5!? is part of an ambitious game plan: 10.fxe5 dxe5 11.Nd5 Black now grabs the initiative; ( instead, 11.Bg5 Qd6 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Nd5 Qd8 14.Nf2 16

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen would be more or less equal, even if I like the knight on d5 a great deal ) 11...Nxd5 12.exd5 Bg4 (this move and Black's next two were the idea behind ...h7-h5) 13.Qd2 Ne2+ 14.Kh1 h4 15.Bg5 ( on 15.Nf2 , Black has Nxg3+ 16.hxg3 hxg3+ 17.Kg1 gxf2+ 18.Qxf2 f5 with a good game, although things are far from clear ) 15...f6 16.Bxh4 Bxh3? Black throws everything away; ( the best option is 16...g5 17.Nf2 Qd7 18.Nxg4 Qxg4 with a sharp position and chances for both sides ) 17.Bxh3 Nd4 ( 17...g5 18.Qxe2 gxh4 19.Qe4 also very much favours White ) 18.c3 Nb5 19.d4 cxd4 20.Qd3 Qxd5+ 21.Bg2 Qd7 22.Qxg6+ Qf7 23.Qd3 Nd6 24.cxd4 with a large advantage for White, F. Leveille-D.Anagnostopoulos, Paris 1996. ] 10.Qd2 [ 10.Rf2 has also been tried, protecting the c2-pawn and freeing the queen to run to h5 (for example, after f4-f5 and ...g6xf5), as well as making room to double the rooks. This was tested in a top correspondence game: Rb8 11.a4 f6 12.g4 f5 ( my computer likes 12...Qb6 13.b3 Be6 a lot, but the positions after 14.f5 Bf7 15.Qd2 are exactly of the kind White wants to obtain and Black to avoid ) 13.gxf5 gxf5 14.Qh5 Bd7 15.fxe5 dxe5 16.exf5 Qe8 17.Qxe8 Rbxe8 (although it looks a bit messy at the moment, the game soon peters out in a draw) 18.Ng5 Nexf5 19.Bd5+ Kh8 20.Bxd4 exd4 21.Nce4 Ne3 22.Nf7+ ( 22.Nxc5 Nxd5 23.Nxd7 Rxf2 24.Kxf2 h6 25.Ne4 Rc8 is more complicated, but White has no advantage and I don't blame him

for not heading down this path ) 22...Kg8 23.Nh6+ and a draw was agreed before they actually started repeating moves, M.Olesen-F.Serban, correspondence 2007. ] 10...Bd7 [ Several strong players have given preference to 10...Bg4 , with the idea that after 11 Nf2 Be6, the knight is misplaced on f2. Instead, White has tried various different moves: A) 11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Nf2 Be6 13.Ncd1 b6 14.c3 Ndc6 15.Bh6 Qd7 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Ne3 Rad8 is quite satisfactory for Black, A. Ledger-A.Kosten, British League 1996.; B) 11.Kh1?! Qd7 12.Ng1 Be6 13.Nd5 Bxd5 14.exd5 Ndf5 15.fxe5 Bxe5 16.c3 Nxe3 17.Qxe3 Rae8 18.Rae1 Qa4 and Black has the initiative, E. Relange-H.Stefansson, World Junior Championship, Buenos Aires 1992. ( 18...-- ); C) 11.Ng5 h6 12.Nf3 exf4 13.gxf4 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 Nxf3+ 15.Rxf3 f5 16.Rg3 Kh7 is complex and with chances for both sides, J.Koch-I.Nataf, French League 2001. ] [ Alternatively, 10...Rb8 is perfectly playable; e.g. 11.Rf2 b5 12.Raf1 b4 13.Nd1 Bg4 14.f5 ( or 14.fxe5 dxe5 15.c3 bxc3 16.bxc3 Ne6 ) 14...gxf5 15.c3 bxc3 ( 15...b3 16.a3 Nc2 is met by 17.exf5 f6 18.Ng5! ) 16.bxc3 fxe4 17.dxe4 Ne6 18.Bh6 Bxd1 19.Rxd1 Rb6 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.Bf1 Qd7 22.Bc4 f6 23.Rdf1 h6 24.Kh1 d5 25.exd5 ½-½ V.CiocalteaF.Gheorghiu, Rumanian Championship, Bucharest 1966. ] 11.Nd1 Qc8 [ Once again Black can consider 17

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 11...exf4 , even if seems counterintuitive to let the h3-knight get into the game in a constructive fashion: 12.Nxf4 Ne6 13.c3 Nxf4 14.Bxf4 Be6 15.Bh6 d5 ( 15...Nc6 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Ne3 looks more pleasant for White ) 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Qf4 Rc8 18.Ne3 ( or 18.Qe5+ Kg8 19.exd5 Nxd5 20.Nf2 Qc7 21.Rae1 with a smudge of an edge for White ) 18...d4 ( here 18...Kg8 19.c4 dxc4 20.dxc4 Qd4 21.b3 Nc6 22.Rad1 Qe5 23.Nd5 Kg7 is about equal ) 19.Qe5+ Kg8 20.Nd5 Bxd5 21.exd5 and White has the better game, H.Jurkovic-K.Hulak, Pula 1994. ] 12.Ndf2 QUESTION: This looks very artificial; the knight on f2 is now tied to the defence of the knight on h3 which really does not have anywhere to go. Surely White cannot be better at this point? ANSWER: The position is roughly equal, though of course this is still early on in the game. With regards to your observation about the coordination of the white pieces, you are absolutely right, it looks a little odd, but there are no real threats on either side so this is perfectly fine for now. That said, Black's latest move does not accomplish much either. In fact, in what follows, Black seems to be playing without any real plan or purpose, a dangerous situation against the World Champion. 12...Ndc6 QUESTION: Now why would Black do this? The knight is not threatened as far as I can see. ANSWER: This is prophylaxis; Black anticipates the forthcoming c2-c3 and decides that he might as well retreat the knight at once. [ The immediate 12...b5 was equally good, when 13 c3 Ndc6 would

transpose, but perhaps Black wished to avoid the possibility of 13.fxe5 dxe5 14.c3 , when the knight has to go back to e6 instead. ] 13.c3 b5 14.fxe5 Nxe5 15.Bh6 N7c6 Despite not having made any obvious errors, Black already seems to be slightly on the defensive. [ My computer likes 15...Qa6 , but after 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Nf4 (as in the game), White appears to be at least slightly better; e.g. Rfc8 18.d4 cxd4 19.cxd4 Nc4 20.Qe2 Qb6 21.Rad1 and it is clear that his position is preferable. ] 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Nf4 Qd8?! Only now does it become truly evident that Black has no plan. [ A more active continuation could be found in 17...b4 and now, for instance, 18.d4 bxc3 19.bxc3 Nc4 20.Qe2 Qa6 at least gives Black some measure of counterplay. ] 18.Rad1 Rc8 19.Qe2 h5 QUESTION: Isn't it risky to play like this for Black, exposing the king by moving the kingside pawns forward? ANSWER: Good point! Normally you would not recommend such a strategy. Here Black wants to lay claim to the g4square in order to exchange one or more minor pieces while restricting White's activities on that flank. Nevertheless, it does represent a longterm weakness that Black may end up paying for. 20.d4 cxd4 21.cxd4 Ng4 22.h3 Nxf2 23.Qxf2 Undoubtedly, Carlsen was very happy with his position at this point. White has two nice central pawns, excellently coordinated pieces, and pressure down the f-file; whereas Black's pieces are far more passively placed, he struggles both to find activity and an obvious plan. Despite my 18

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen computer only evaluating this as marginally better for White, he is clearly holding a solid advantage. 23...Ne7 To prevent White from playing Nd5. 24.Rd3 b4 25.Rf3 Qe8 [ Instead, 25...Kg8 seems slow and odd, but it makes a lot of sense to get away from potential tactics that include Rxf7+ with mate around the corner. ] EXERCISE: How should White best make use of his initiative? ANSWER: 26.g4!? A solid punch in the face for Black, who might have thought that his earlier ...h7-h5 would have helped prevent this expansion from happening. [ Alternatively, White could consider 26.d5 Kg8 27.Qd4 a5 and now 28.Qf6 ( or first 28.R3f2 with a clearly better game in either case. However, the text move is far more complicated for Black to deal with. )] 26...hxg4 27.hxg4 Bb5 [ EXERCISE: What happens if Black takes the pawn? ANSWER: He lands into a load of trouble that he cannot get out of: 27...Bxg4? 28.Rg3 Qd7 29.Bh3 Bxh3 30.Nh5+ and White will either win Black's queen or mate him. ] 28.Re1 Qd8 29.g5 Ruthlessly attacking the squares around Black's king – the absence of the dark-squared bishop is felt more strongly than one might initially have expected. [ Another option is 29.d5 Qb6 ( or 29...Bd7 30.Qd4+ Kg8 31.g5 ) 30.Qxb6 axb6 31.Rb3 and White wins a pawn. While this looks comfortably better for White, Carlsen must have realized that the game continuation puts Black under further pressure. ] 29...Qb6 EXERCISE: It looks as if Black

is getting back into the game; how should White continue? ANSWER: 30.Bh3! Rcd8 31.Be6! The threat is 32 Nh5+ gxh5 33 Rxf7+ with mate in a few moves. 31...Be8 32.Nd5 Not quite the strongest move according to the computer, [ which prefers 32.Rh3 ; e.g. Bd7 33.Nh5+ gxh5 34.Qf6+ Kg8 35.Rxh5 and Black can only delay the mate. Nevertheless, the text wins the game after just one more move from each side so it is difficult to argue efficiency. ] 32...Nxd5 33.Bxd5 QUESTION: What? I understand that Black is worse, but resigning seems quite premature. ANSWER: It may seem premature, but in view of the threat of Rh3 and Qf6+, Black is completely toast and clearly preferred not to see it through to the end. [ Let's take a quick look at what could have happened: 33.Bxd5 Rd7 (overprotecting f7 with the option of allowing the queen to return to d8 to put a little plug in the holes on the dark squares) 34.Rh3 Rg8 ( not 34...Qd8 35.Qh4 and Black will have to give up the queen to avoid getting mated on the next move ) 35.Rh7+ ( the computer prefers to play 35.e5 first ) 35...Kf8 (the rook cannot be captured on account of Qh4+ and Qh6 mate) 36.e5 f5 this move isn't possible via the computer's move order; ( all the same, after 36...dxe5 37.Rxe5 Qc7 38.Qh4 Qc1+ 39.Kh2 Qd2+ 40.Kg3 Qd3+ 41.Bf3 , Black is out of checks and done for ) 37.exf6 Rxh7 38.Rxe8+ Kxe8 39.f7+ and White wins easily. ] 1-0

19

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen B26

Rbe8 and Black's position definitely Movsesian,S leaves a better impression, M. Tischbierek,R Askarov-S.Sjugirov, Russian Team 7: German League 2007 Championship 2007. ] [Carsten Hansen] 8...Nd4 9.h3!? With an interesting idea in mind. 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ The standard continuation of 9.0-0 [ This game took a more unusual A) 9...0-0 10.f4 gives Black few course: 2...d6 3.Nge2 e5 4.g3 g6 difficulties: 5.d3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nc6 7.Bg2 A1) 10...Be6 11.h3 Qd7 12.Kh2 Rae8 13.Rae1 b6 , before reaching the position in the 14.g4 Nxe2 15.Nxe2 exf4 first diagram below. ] 16.Nxf4 d5 ( or 16...Qa4 17.c3 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Bc8 ) 17.Nxe6 Qxe6 18.exd5 e5 7.Nge2 While this is a standard Nxd5 and Black has obviously development for Black in the reversed solved all opening problems, Mi. position from the English, it is too quiet Adams-B.Lalic, Southend 2000.; to offer White realistic chances of an A2) 10...Rb8 11.a3 ( or 11.h3 edge in the Closed Sicilian. But of b5 12.g4 b4 13.Nd1 Nxe2+ course Movsesian had no choice over 14.Qxe2 exf4 15.Bxf4 Nc6 his knight placement at this point, 16.Qd2 Be6 and Black is doing having played Ne2 on move three. absolutely fine, J.Cubas-A. 7...Nge7 Black has other options here, Bachmann Schiavo, Luque but they generally come to the same 2012 ) 11...b6 12.Rf2 Bb7 thing since the knight will usually go to 13.Raf1 f5 14.fxe5 dxe5 e7 anyway. 15.Bg5 Qd7 16.Nc1 Rf7 [ For instance, 7...Be6 8.Qd2 Nd4 and Black has a comfortable 9.0-0 Ne7 ] position and more space, L. [ and 7...Nd4 8.0-0 Ne7 9.f4 0-0 Yudasin-M.Krasenkow, Tallinn 10.Qd2 are just alternate routes to (rapid) 1988.; lines given in the note to White's B) Alternatively, 9...Be6 ninth move below. ] transposes to Y.Lapshun-H. [ Otherwise 7...Nf6 8.h3 transposes Gretarsson, Riga 2015, which to Game 20 in Chapter Four. ] continued 10.Bxd4 ( 10.f4 Qd7 8.Qd2 The normal move, along with 11.Rf2 0-0 is much the same as castling. above ) 10...cxd4 11.Nd5 0-0 [ White has also tried 8.Nd5?! 12.Nxe7+ Qxe7 13.c3 dxc3 , but this is mistaken before ...Be6 14.Nxc3 Rac8 15.Rac1 has been played, since Black obtains . This position could easily be an easy game by taking the knight: evaluated as equal, but Black finds Nxd5 9.exd5 Ne7 10.c3?! an elegant way of demonstrating (I'm not entirely sure as to the why the two bishops are stronger purpose of this move, and White's than White's bishop and knight: h5! next moves do not really make any 16.Bf3 Kh7 and thanks to his sense either) 0-0 11.h4 Bg4 12.Qb3 control of the c1-square via ...Bh6, Rb8 13.Qa4 h5 14.Nc1 Qc7 15.0-0 20

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Black has a comfortably superior position. ] 9...0-0 [ Instead, Hou Yifan-Ju Weng, Hangzhou 2011, saw 9...Be6 10.f4 Qb6 11.Nd1 0-0 12.0-0 d5 13.c3 Nxe2+ 14.Qxe2 d4 15.Bf2 Qd6 , with a position that looks like a reversed King's Indian, but where the King's Indian player has played some really weird moves. ] 10.g4 White begins play on the kingside straight away. [ He couldn't castle now in any case, since 10.0-0? runs into Bxh3! , winning a pawn. ] 10...Be6 11.f4 f5?! This typical reaction to the kingside pawn storm looks mistaken with White's king still able to go to the queenside. [ Instead, after 11...Nxe2 12.Nxe2 ( or 12.Qxe2 exf4 13.Bxf4 Qb6 14.0-0-0 Bxa2 ) 12...exf4 13.Nxf4 Bxb2 14.Rb1 Bf6 15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.Rxb7 Qc8 17.Rb1 Bd4 , Black has no reason to complain about his position. ] 12.gxf5 gxf5 13.0-0-0 Qa5 14.a3 Ng6 15.fxe5 Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 f4 17.Bd2 Bxe5 18.h4 Kh8 White's kingside initiative is progressing nicely, whereas Black cannot say the same on the other flank. [ For instance, after 18...b5 19.h5 b4 20.hxg6 bxc3 21.Bxc3 Bxc3 22.bxc3 hxg6 23.Kd2 , the white king is perfectly safe, while the black king remains very much at risk. ] 19.Rdf1 Qa6 20.h5 By evicting the knight from g6, the pawn on f4 becomes an easy target for White's pieces; and as an added bonus, the h-pawn's advance clears the h4-square for the rook. [ Alternatively, 20.Bh3!? Bxh3

21.Rxh3 looks promising too; e.g. Rf7 22.h5 Ne7 23.Qh2 b5 24.Bxf4 Bxc3? 25.bxc3 Qxa3+ 26.Kd2 b4 27.d4! and White is winning. ] 20...Ne7 21.Rh4 [ Once again White can consider 21.Bh3 and if Black retreats this bishop with Bg8 , then 22.Bd7 , stopping Black from playing ...b7-b5 and preparing Rh4, leaves White comfortably better. ] 21...b5 EXERCISE: What is White's best move? 22.Rhxf4!? An imaginative solution; White offers the exchange to remove Black's strong e5-bishop which is the glue in his position, helping in both defence and offence. [ ANSWER: Nevertheless, 22.Bxf4 seems better, even though Black can now play Bxc3 ( or 22...b4 23.Bxe5+ dxe5 24.Nb1 ) 23.bxc3 Qxa3+ with greater effect: after 24.Kd1 ( not 24.Kd2 b4 , since d3-d4 is no longer available ) 24...Qxc3 25.Bxd6 , White can still fight for the advantage with his two bishops and somewhat safer king. ] 22...Bxf4? For the same reasons listed above, this is a significant mistake. Black should not accept the exchange, rather he should accept the loss of a pawn, when White may be material up but is without any clear plan of attack. [ Therefore Black should simply have played 22...Rg8! with decent compensation and 23...b4 as an immediate threat. ] 23.Bxf4 b4 24.Nb1 Ng8 Realizing that he seriously needs to watch the dark squares, Black tries to set up a defence. Considering the urgency of this matter, it is surprising that he didn't choose differently when he accepted the offered exchange just two moves earlier. 21

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ The alternative is 24...Qb6 (hoping to create some counterplay) 25.Bg5! ( stronger than 25.Bh6 Rxf1+ 26.Qxf1 Ng8 27.Bg5 Qc7 28.axb4 Qg7 and Black is still fighting ) 25...bxa3 26.Nxa3 Nc6 A) not yet 27.Bf6+ Rxf6 28.Rxf6 Rb8 29.b3 Qa5 30.Nb1 c4! and we still have a messy, complicated struggle on our hands; e.g. 31.Qf2 ( while 31.Rxe6?? cxb3 32.cxb3 Nd4 is an unmitigated disaster for White ) 31...Qg5+ 32.Nd2 cxb3; B) 27.e5! Nd4 28.Qe3 and the further Bf6+ will force Black to return the exchange is far worse circumstances; White could well be on the verge of winning. ] 25.axb4 cxb4 [ Trying to rid himself of dark-squared woes by 25...Rxf4 hardly solves anything, as after 26.Rxf4 cxb4 27.Qe3 ] 26.Be3 Threatening a nasty, life-ending check on the long diagonal; so Black hurries to make luft. 26...h6 27.Bd4+ Kh7 28.Rg1 The black king is still very short of breathable air; White now threatens 28 Bh3 Bxh3 29 Rg7+ etc. 28...Rf7 29.Bf3! This measured move would certainly not be my first inclination. [ Undoubtedly I would have tried to work my way through the variation 29.e5!? d5 30.Be4+ Kh8 ( 30...dxe4 31.Qxe4+ Rf5 32.Qxa8 should win without any headaches ) 31.Bxd5 Re8 ( if 31...Bxd5 32.e6+ Rf6 33.Bxf6+ Nxf6 34.Qe3 Qb7 35.Qxh6+ Nh7 , then 36.Qf4 Qe7 37.Qe5+ Nf6 38.Rg6 should secure the win ) 32.Rg6 Rg7 33.Rxg7 Kxg7 34.Qg2+ Kh8 35.Qg6 and White should be winning, since Black is completely tied up on his hands and feet. ]

29...Ne7 Trying to stop the threat of Rg6, but White plays it anyway... 30.Rg6! Nxg6 31.hxg6+ Kxg6 32.Bh5+ Kh7 33.Bxf7 Bxf7 34.Qg4 . Facing unavoidable mate, Black resigned. 1-0 B26 Jakubowski,K Dziuba,M 8: Czech League [Carsten Hansen]

2013

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ Perhaps fed up of facing 2...Nc6 3.Bb5!? (which we won't be examining in this book) ] [ Dziuba switched to 2...d6 , transposing below after 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 etc. ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e5 7.Qd2 So we reach the main line for this chapter. 7...Be6 [ Black has numerous options here: 7...Nd4 is seen in the next game; ] [ while the main continuation 7...Nge7 , not fearing the exchange of bishops via Bh6, will be examined in Games 10-12. ] [ Others: a) 7...Nf6 8.Bh6 ( 8.h3 transposes to Game 21 ) 8...Bxh6 9.Qxh6 accomplishes nothing for White, since Qg7 is not even a threat. After Nd4 10.0-0-0 b5 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.exd5 Qa5 ( 12...Nf5 13.Qd2 Bb7 is also quite nice for Black ) 13.Kb1 Bg4 14.f3 Bd7 15.Qg5 Qd8 16.Qd2 b4 , Black is obviously doing fine, H. Hamdouchi-C.Minzer, Castellar 1996. ] [ b) In a youthful game by two of the biggest experts on the Closed Sicilian, Black opted for 7...Rb8 8.f4 Nge7 22

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 9.Nf3 b5 10.0-0 Nd4 , reaching a position more characteristic of Chapter Seven. A.Krapivin-D.Larino Nieto, Pardubice 2006, continued 11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Bh6 ( 12.Nd5!? is certainly better; e.g. Nxd5 13.exd5 Bb7 14.c3 Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3 Bxd5 16.Bxc5 and White has grabbed the initiative, opening the centre while Black's king is still stranded in the middle ) 12...0-0 13.Bxg7 ( here 13.Rf2 transposes to the note to White's 12th move in Game 43 ) 13...Nxf3+ 14.Rxf3 Kxg7 15.Raf1 f6 16.Kh1 Qd6 and Black has a comfortable position with a simple game plan of pushing forward on the queenside; nevertheless, White ended up winning. ] [ c) Despite having been called dubious, Black can also play 7...h5 A) with the idea 8.f4 h4 9.Nf3 h3 10.Bf1 Nd4 and Black should be fine.; B) Instead, Z.Hracek-K.Aseev, Kecskemet 1992, saw 8.h4 Nge7 9.Nh3 Nd4 10.Nd1?! (intending to evict the knight from d4, but this is rather passive and allows Black to take over the initiative) ( Blatny offers 10.f4!? Bg4 11.0-0 Qd7 12.Kh2 intending Rf2, Raf1 with decent play for White; whether he has any advantage is debatable, but it certainly is better than the game continuation ) 10...d5 ( 10...Bg4 , forcing 11.Ng1 , can also be considered ) 11.c3 Ne6 (threatening to trap the bishop with ...d5-d4) 12.Qe2 ( Blatny gives 12.exd5 a question mark, claiming a clear advantage for Black after Nxd5 13.0-0 0-0 14.Bh6 may actually not be that bad and seems preferable to

allowing the black d-pawn to go on ) 12...d4 13.Bd2 b5 14.Ng5 Nc6 15.0-0 B1) 15...Nxg5 16.Bxg5 f6 ( Blatny considers 16...Qd6 to be the best option here; e.g. 17.Rc1 Bg4 18.f3 Be6 with advantage for Black, which definitely seems spot on ) 17.Bd2 Bg4 18.f3 Be6 19.f4 c4 20.f5 (now things are beginning to look somewhat more promising for White, or at least more equal) cxd3 21.Qf3 dxc3 22.bxc3 Bf7 23.fxg6 Bxg6 24.Ne3 with a messy position where White has excellent compensation for the pawn, thanks to the many weaknesses in Black's camp such as the d5and f5-squares.; B2) Blatny's suggestion of 15...dxc3!? 16.Nxe6?! ( but 16.bxc3 b4 may in fact be playable for White after 17.Be3 ) 16...Bxe6 17.Nxc3 ( or 17.bxc3 c4 ) 17...Nd4 18.Qd1 Bg4 looks very nice for Black.; C) 8.h3 is another option, somewhat akin to what we see in our main game; here 8...Nge7 9.Nge2 ( and 9.f4 to Game 28 ) 9...Nd4 in fact transposes to Game 27 ] [ d) 7...h6 is slightly less logical, as while White's ability to exchange bishops is removed, Black will not be able to castle kingside for some time: 8.Nge2 Nge7 9.0-0 Nd4 10.Nd1 d5 ( 10...Bg4 11.f3 Be6 is a reasonable alternative ) 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.c3 Bf5 ( 12...Nxe2+ 13.Qxe2 Nxe3 14.Nxe3 0-0 is approximately equal according to my computer, but I prefer White's position slightly on account of the 23

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen weak light squares in the centre as well as the strong bishop on g2 ) 13.Nc1 Bh3?! (this only looks clever; the bishop cannot be captured on account of ...Nf3+, but White has a stronger option available...) 14.Bxd4! ( after 14.cxd4 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 cxd4 , Black regains the piece and is perfectly okay ) 14...Bxg2 15.Bxe5! Bxf1 16.Bxg7 Rh7 17.Kxf1?! ( White could play 17.c4 Nc7 18.Qc3 with the better chances despite being an exchange down; e.g. Bh3 19.Ne3 Qd7 20.Nb3 b6 21.Be5 , followed by d3-d4 ) 17...Rxg7 18.Qxh6 Rg8 19.Ne3 Rc8 , Tian Tian-S.Kudrin, Philadelphia 2004, and now 20.Nb3 Nxe3+ 21.Qxe3+ Qe7 22.Qh6 looks best, when White has two pawns and excellent compensation for the exchange. ] 8.f4 [ White has various minor options available at this point: a) 8.Nge2 Nd4 9.0-0 Ne7 was considered via 7 Nge2 in the notes to Game 7 (see 9 0-0 Be6 there); Black has no problems. ] [ b) 8.Nd5 Bxd5 9.exd5 Nce7 10.Qc1 Nf6 11.c4 Nf5 12.Bd2 Qe7 13.f3 h5 14.Ne2 h4 and Black's position is already preferable, V. Smirnov-A.Kovalev, Belarus Championship, Minsk 2001. ] [ c) 8.Nf3 h6 9.0-0 Nf6 10.h3 Qc7 11.Kh2 g5 12.Ng1 Nd4 13.Nce2 d5 14.c3 Nc6 15.exd5 Bxd5 16.f3 ( 16.Bxd5 Nxd5 17.Bxc5 was obviously correct ) 16...Qd6 17.d4 cxd4 18.cxd4 0-0 19.dxe5 Nxe5 20.b3 Rad8 21.Rad1 was H.Hamdouchi-M.Al Modiahki, Tunis 1997, and now Rfe8 22.Nd4 Qd7 would have left Black with the somewhat better chances. ]

[ d) 8.Nh3 h6 9.f4 Nd4 10.0-0 Qd7 11.Nf2 Ne7 12.Ncd1 exf4 13.gxf4 ( or 13.Bxf4 g5 14.Be3 Qa4 15.c4 0-0-0 ) 13...f5 14.c3 Ndc6 was good for Black in A.KoukoufikisKr.Georgiev, Ikaros 1999, especially after 15.e5?! 0-0-0 16.b4? cxb4 17.exd6 Qxd6 18.Rb1 Nd5 and so on. ] [ e) 8.h4 h5 9.Bh3 Bxh3 10.Nxh3 Nd4 11.0-0-0 Ne7 12.Kb1 Qd7 13.f4 Rc8 14.Rdf1 b5 15.Bxd4 exd4 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.exd5 Qf5 18.Re1+ Kf8 19.Qa5 Bf6 20.Qxb5 Kg7 led to a quick draw in R. Borng‫ن‬sser-H.Wirthensohn, Dortmund 1978; even if White tries to hang on to the pawn after 21.Qc4 Rb8 22.a3 , he has no obvious way to make progress. ] 8...Qd7 This looks like the logical followup to Black's previous move; [ though Black has tried many others at this juncture: a) 8...exf4 9.Bxf4 Nd4 ( or 9...Nge7 10.Bh6 0-0 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.Nf3 d5 13.Ng5 d4 14.Ne2 Bd7 15.0-0 Ne5 16.c3 N7c6 17.Nf3 Nxf3+ 18.Bxf3 Be6 with a comfortable position for Black, M.Narmontas-R. Akesson, Warsaw rapid 2006 ) 10.Nf3 Nxf3+ 11.Bxf3 Qd7 12.0-0-0 Ne7 13.Bh6 Be5 14.Rde1 0-0-0 15.Bf4 f6 16.Kb1 h6 17.Rhf1 Kb8 18.Ne2 g5 19.Be3 Qa4 and Black should be pleased with the outcome of the opening, Z.Sturua-V.Loginov, Borzhomi 1984. ] [ b) 8...Nf6 9.Nf3 ( intending 9.fxe5 Ng4 10.exd6 Nxe3 11.Qxe3 Qxd6 with excellent compensation for the pawn; or 9.Nge2 Nd4 10.Nd1 Bh3 11.0-0 Bxg2 12.Kxg2 0-0 13.c3 Nxe2 14.Qxe2 c4 15.Nf2 cxd3 16.Qxd3 , as in G.Mahia-A.Zapata, 24

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Buenos Aires 2000, then Re8 is fine for Black ) 9...Ng4 10.Bg1 exf4 11.gxf4 0-0 12.h3 Nf6 13.Be3 Re8 14.0-0 Nh5 15.Qf2 was played in A. Kislinsky-S.Sivokho, Minsk 2006, and here Bf6 is quite comfortable for Black. ] [ c) 8...Nge7 is a natural choice, basically replicating the Botvinnik Variation of the English Opening with colours reversed. Then 9.Nf3 A) 9...Nd4 10.0-0 0-0 transposes a position considered in Chapter Seven (see 10...Be6 in the notes to Game 42). ( 10...-- ); B) Instead, 9...exf4 10.Bxf4 h6 11.h4 Qd7 12.a3 Ne5 13.Nxe5 Bxe5 ( 13...dxe5 14.Be3 b6 15.0-0-0 0-0-0 looks more acceptable for Black ) 14.0-0-0 ( 14.Bxe5 dxe5 15.0-0-0 might improve, when 0-0-0 16.Qf2 b6 17.Rdf1 Nc6 18.h5 gives White the somewhat better chances ) 14...Bg7 15.Nd5 Nc6 16.Rdf1 b5 17.Be3 Bxd5 18.exd5 Ne5 19.h5 g5 20.Be4 was played in A.Ledger-A.Kosten, British League 2001, and now a5!? looks like the best way forward for Black on the queenside. ] 9.Nf3 exf4?! QUESTION: Does this kind of exchange not play into White's hands by strengthening his control over the centre? ANSWER: In fact this is a normal approach for Black, who in return opens up the diagonal for the g7-bishop. However, it may perhaps be mistimed here. [ Instead: a) 9...Nge7 10.0-0 Nd4 11.Rf2 ( 11.Ng5 looks more promising ) 11...Nxf3+ 12.Rxf3 h5 13.fxe5 Bxe5 14.Bg5 0-0-0 15.Raf1 Rdf8 16.Bf6

Bxf6 17.Rxf6 h4 and Black has a comfortable game, Ma.Olesen-J. Carstensen, Danish League 2007. ] [ b) 9...0-0-0!? 10.Ng5 exf4 11.Bxf4 h6 12.Nxe6 fxe6 13.0-0 Bd4+ 14.Kh1 g5 15.Be3 Bxe3 16.Qxe3 Qg7?! ( 16...Nge7! 17.Bh3 Ne5 leaves Black with a comfortable position ) A) 17.Rf2? Qe5 18.Qe2 h5 (Black's initiative quickly gains strength) 19.Rf7? h4 (and now White is finished) 20.Qg4 ( or 20.g4 h3 21.Bf1 Nh6 22.Rf2 Nd4 23.Qd1 Rdf8 and Black controls just about every important square on the board ) 20...Nh6 and White resigned next move, L.Mancini-M. De Pirro, correspondence 1997.; B) Overlooking the elegant continuation 17.e5! Qxe5 18.Qf2 Qg7 ( or 18...Nge7 19.Rae1 ) 19.Bxc6 bxc6 20.Qf7 Qxf7 21.Rxf7 Rd7 22.Ne4! and White regains the pawn at least with a solid advantage in hand. ] 10.gxf4 Nge7 [ If Black seeks to prevent White's next move with 10...Nd4 , he runs into different problems after 11.Bxd4! cxd4 12.Ne2 Qb5 (otherwise White just takes on d4) 13.a4! ( better than 13.Nfxd4 Bxd4 14.Nxd4 Qxb2 15.Nxe6 Qxa1+ 16.Ke2 Qxa2 17.Nc7+ Kd7 18.Nxa8 Ne7 , followed by ...Rxa8, when Black is okay ) 13...Qxb2 ( 13...Qb6 14.a5; or 13...Qc5 14.b4 drives the queen away ) 14.0-0 Rc8 15.Rab1 Qxc2 16.Qxc2 Rxc2 17.Nexd4 Rc7 18.Nxe6 fxe6 19.Ng5 and White has a strong initiative in the endgame, despite being at the moment a pawn down. ] 11.d4! Pinpointing the drawback to 25

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Black's play, who will now be left with a weak d-pawn. 11...cxd4 12.Nxd4 Bg4 13.h3 Bh5 14.0-0 f5?! QUESTION: This looks odd too; why would Black open the diagonal for the g2-bishop in this fashion? Shouldn't he have focused on getting the king to safety and completing his development? ANSWER: You're absolutely spot on with both your observations, but Black was clearly concerned about the ramifications of allowing f4-f5. [ For instance, 14...0-0 15.f5 Bxd4 ( 15...Nxd4 16.f6! is good for White ) 16.Bxd4 Nxd4 17.Qxd4 Nc6 18.Qd2 Kh8 19.Nd5 Qd8 and White has the initiative, even if Black should be able to defend. ] [ Alternatively, after 14...0-0-0 15.a4 Nxd4 ( or 15...Kb8 16.Nxc6+ Nxc6 17.a5 Rhe8 18.a6 b6 19.Nb5 and I clearly prefer White ) 16.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 17.Qxd4 Kb8 18.a5 Nc6 19.Qe3 , White is somewhat better due to the opportunities to attack Black on the queenside. ] 15.exf5 [ The immediate 15.Ndb5!? also causes considerable headaches; e.g. Rd8 16.Nxa7 0-0 17.Nab5 and Black does not have full compensation for the pawn. ] 15...gxf5 16.Ncb5!? [ Once again 16.Ndb5 is a worthy idea. ] 16...Rd8?? [ He should have sent his king to safety on the kingside with 16...0-0 , although 17.Nxc6 Nxc6 18.Rae1 Rf6 19.Kh2 is then comfortably better for White in view of Black's weak pawns. ] TACTICAL EXERCISE: How should White continue? ANSWER: 17.Ne6! Oops! The knight

cannot be captured because the fork on c7. Black's game goes downhill rather quickly from here. 17...Bxb2 This does not help the situation, [ but obviously 17...Kf7 18.Nxd8+ Rxd8 19.Rae1 is pretty disgusting for Black. ] 18.Rab1 Bf6 19.Nxd8 Kxd8 20.Nxd6 b6 EXERCISE (combination alert): How does White finish Black off? ANSWER: 21.Rxb6! Bd4 The rook of course cannot be touched. 22.Bxd4 Qxd6 23.Rxc6 Nxc6 24.Bf6+ . Game over! Black will end up a rook down. 1-0 B26 Ledger,D Kosten,A 9: British Championship, Scarborough [Carsten Hansen] 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 [ White adopted the move order 4.d3 Bg7 5.Be3 here, which is preferred by some players. I'm not sure what the point is exactly, since it doesn't seem to avoid any line in particular. Anyway, it makes no difference from our perspective; the game quickly transposed after d6 6.Qd2 e5 7.Bg2 .] 4...Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e5 7.Qd2 Nd4 QUESTION: Isn't this premature? White has yet to develop his kingside knight; isn't that the rule? ANSWER: It is the rule, but we often see strong and stronger players – as well as people who don't know what are they are doing, but that's unimportant for our purposes right now – trying to rock the boat early on to force the opponent think for themselves or into 26

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen new territory. 8.Nd1 Intending to drive the black knight away again with c2-c3. [ White can prepare this in two other ways: a) 8.Nd5 Be6 9.c3 ( or 9.c4 Nf6 10.Nxf6+ Bxf6 11.Ne2 h5 12.h4 Qd7 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Bg5 Bg7 15.Qa5 0-0 16.0-0 Rfc8 and the game is are more or less even, R.Hartoch-L.Christiansen, Wijk aan Zee 1977 ) 9...Bxd5 10.cxd4 cxd4 11.Bg5 f6 12.exd5 fxg5 13.Bh3 Nf6 14.Be6 Nd7 , and while it could appear as if White has accomplished something, the bishop on e6 will soon be evicted, leaving Black with the better chances, B. Roselli Mailhe-G.Llanos, Buenos Aires 1997. ] [ b) 8.Nce2 Ne7 9.c3 Ndc6 10.Bh6 0-0 11.h4 Bxh6 12.Qxh6 . QUESTION: Isn't it dangerous to invite the queen to h6, especially when White has already played h2-h4 and is ready to open the h-file? ANSWER: It certainly could seem so. Nevertheless, Black is in no danger in getting mated right now; and as we saw already in the notes to Game 5, if White is careless then it is his queen and not Black's king which is in danger. Here f6 13.Nh3 ( if White continues his kingside ambitions with 13.h5?? then g5 , followed by ...Kh8 and ... Ng8, traps the queen ) 13...Kh8 14.Qe3 b6 15.f4 d5 16.h5 d4 17.Qd2 dxc3 18.bxc3 g5 19.fxg5 Bxh3 20.Bxh3 fxg5 21.0-0-0 h6 led to a messy position where both sides have their share of the chances, Ju.Hodgson-Y.Razuvaev, Sochi 1986. ] 8...Ne7 9.c3 Ne6 Alternatively, Black

can just withdraw the knight to its original departure square (as in Game 1), claiming that White's Nd1 and c2-c3 is not a worthwhile accomplishment. [ After 9...Ndc6 10.Bh6 0-0 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.h4 f6 13.Ne3 ( White might consider 13.h5 g5 14.h6+ Kh8 15.Ne3 Be6 16.Nd5 , although the evaluation needle hasn't moved a great deal on that dial ) 13...Be6 14.f4 d5 15.h5 d4 16.Nc2 Qb6 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.f5 Bg8 19.fxg6 Kxg6 20.Na3 ( or 20.cxd4 cxd4 21.Qh6+ Kf7 22.0-0-0 Ke8 with a doubleedged position, where Black has to remember that his king can't castle any longer ) 20...dxc3 21.bxc3 Qa5 22.Nc2 Rad8 23.Ne2 Kf7 and once more we have unbalanced position with chances for both sides, J.Klinger-L.Yudasin, Bern 1989. ] 10.Bh6! [ More precise than 10.Ne2 0-0 11.0-0 d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Bh6 Bxh6 14.Qxh6 Nec7 ( 14...f5!? looks like a promising alternative ) 15.Ne3 Be6 16.Nc4 f6 17.Rad1 b5?! ( 17...Qd7 is preferable and equal ) 18.Ne3 Rb8 19.d4 exd4 20.cxd4 ( the computer suggests 20.Nxd4! cxd4 21.Rxd4 , showing that White regains the piece with advantage ) 20...c4 21.Nc3 Rb6 22.Nexd5 ( here 22.Rfe1 Nxe3 23.Qxe3 Bg4 24.Rc1 Re8 25.Qf4 looks more promising for White ) 22...Bxd5 23.Nxd5 Nxd5 24.Bxd5+ Qxd5 25.Rfe1 Re6 26.Rxe6 Qxe6 and the chances are pretty even in the major piece ending, F.PancevskiM.Vasilev, Sofia 2006. ] 10...0-0 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 QUESTION: What is more dangerous for Black: to exchange on h6 and have White's queen near Black's king or let White 27

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen exchange on g7? ANSWER: It entirely depends on the circumstances. Normally I would say that White would prefer the latter, but it is too broad a question to generalize. 12.Ne2 [ Another option is 12.Ne3 f5 13.exf5 gxf5 14.Nf3 f4 15.Nc2 Bd7 16.0-0-0 Rc8 17.Kb1 Bc6 18.Nh4 Bxg2 19.Nxg2 Nc6 20.gxf4 Nxf4 , when the chances are about evenly spread, C.Gulbas-U.Tuncer, Turkish League 2014; even though Black's king looks wide open, it can always crawl back into the hole on h8 and be quite safe. ] 12...f5 [ With reference to the previous question, note that 12...d5 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.0-0 reaches a similar position to that in the 10 Ne2 line above, but with the bishops having been exchanged on g7. All the same, the position remains equal. ] 13.f4 exf4 14.gxf4 Bd7 15.0-0 Bc6 16.Ne3 Qd7 17.exf5 Nxf5 18.Nxf5+ Rxf5?! QUESTION: Why is this normallooking move a mistake? ANSWER: Just because a move is "normal" doesn't mean that it's the best available. In this case it allows White to grab the initiative, whereas the "ugly" ... g6xf5 keeps the position balanced. However, Black was possibly considering another factor as part of his equation: keeping the position unbalanced, hoping to be able to outplay his almost 300 points lower-rated opponent. [ For instance, after 18...gxf5 19.d4 Bxg2 20.Kxg2 Rae8 21.d5 Nc7 22.Rg1 , Black has very few winning chances, and I would probably prefer White's position on account of his king being somewhat safer. ]

19.Ng3 Rff8 20.Bh3 [ White might improve here with 20.f5 gxf5 21.Bxc6 bxc6 ( or 21...Qxc6 22.Rae1 ) 22.Rxf5 ( or 22.Nxf5+ Kh8 23.Qh6 Rg8+ 24.Kh1 Rg6 25.Qh4 ) 22...Rxf5 23.Nxf5+ Kh8 24.Rf1 , when his more active pieces give him the better chances. ] 20...Qf7? Moving out of the pin, but this is not ideal. [ Instead, he should have played 20...Kg8 21.Rae1 Rae8 22.f5 Ng7 23.Rxe8 Nxe8 24.Qe3 b6 , and Black is not worse. ] 21.f5! Now things are getting problematic. 21...Nc7 [ The alternative is not much better: 21...gxf5 22.Bxf5 Qe7 23.Qe2 Bd7 24.Rae1 Rae8 25.Qg2 Kh8 26.Qxb7 and Black is pinned from all angles. ] 22.fxg6 Qxg6 23.Bf5 Qh6 24.Qxh6+ Kxh6 QUESTION: Didn't White help his opponent by exchanging the queens? The pressure seems to have been taken off for now. ANSWER: It may appear so, but in fact Black's king is in just as much danger as before, as White will aptly demonstrate in the game. 25.Rf4 Nd5 [ Or 25...Kg7 26.Rh4 Rh8 27.Rg4+ Kh6 28.Be4 Bxe4 29.Rh4+ Kg5 30.Rxe4 Raf8 31.Re7 , when Black's active king is not a sign of things going his way, rather White has the initiative. ] 26.Rh4+ Kg5?! Black is playing with fire; [ but 26...Kg7 27.Rxh7+ Kg8 28.Rh6 Ne3 29.Bh3 is also clearly better for White. ] 27.Rh5+ Kf4?? An incredible blunder that loses the game very quickly. [ However, White also has excellent 28

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Game 43). ] 8...0-0 [ We will examine 8...Bxh6 in the final game of this chapter. ] 9.Bxg7 [ In our next main game, we consider the consequences of 9.h4!? . ] [ Another option is 9.Nge2 , but then Black can choose between allowing a subsequent Bxg7 anyway with White now committed to Nge2, or playing Bxh6 10.Qxh6 Nd4 (as in Game 12) without any inconvenience. ] 9...Kxg7 10.Nge2 This continuation is generally considered inadequate for an advantage. [ Instead: a) 10.h4 h5 doesn't do much for White either: 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.exd5 Ne7 13.Ne2 b5 14.c4 Rb8 15.0-0 f6 16.b3 Nf5 17.Kh2 Bd7 and if anything Black's position is preferable, G.Jamrich-Sa.Horvath, Hungarian League 1996. ] [ b) 10.f4 is somewhat more promising: B26 Krapivin,A A) 10...Be6 11.Nf3 f6 12.0-0 Amonatov,F ( 12.0-0-0 is playable but seems to 10: Moscow Championship 2006 invite more trouble than it [Carsten Hansen] provides opportunities ) 12...Nd4 13.Nh4 Qb6 ( 13...exf4 14.gxf4 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 Nec6 15.f5 Bf7 is also acceptable [ This game featured a slight variation for Black ) 14.Rf2 on the Najdorf player's detour: 2...d6 A1) 14...c4?! 15.dxc4 Bxc4 3.g3 and then g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 16.b3 Bg8 17.Na4 Qc7 18.c3 Nc6 etc. ] Ndc6 19.c4 and White has good 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 control over the game, B. e5 7.Qd2 Nge7 8.Bh6 The obvious Spassky-N.De Firmian, London idea behind this move is to weaken 1984. ( 19.-- ); Black's kingside through the exchange A2) Instead, my computer is in of dark-squared bishops. love with 14...exf4 15.gxf4 Bg8 [ Otherwise 8.f4 Nd4 9.Nf3 0-0 , which I'm not sure I 10.0-0 transposes to 6 f4 e5 7 Nf3 understand; ( but 15...f5; and lines in Chapter Seven, which 15...Bf7 can be considered. ); Krapivin has played as well (see B) 10...Nd4 11.Nf3 Bg4 12.0-0

winning chances after 27...Kf6 28.Be4 Ne3 29.Bxc6 bxc6 30.Rh6+ ( or first 30.Re1 ) 30...Kg5 31.Rxd6 ; e.g. c4 32.d4 Rab8 33.Rb1 Nd5 34.Rxc6 Nxc3 35.Re1 Rxb2 36.Rxc4 and White is much better, even if the position still requires a fair amount of work. ] 28.Rf1+ Ke3 29.Rf2 Ouch! White threatens mate in one by 30 Nf1. 29...Rxf5 [ Or 29...Rg8 30.Re2+ Kf4 31.Be4 with the dual threat of 32 Bxd5 and 32 Rf5+ Kg4 33 Bf3+ and 34 Rh5 mate. ] 30.Nxf5+ Kxd3 31.Rh3+ Ke4 32.Nxd6+ Ke5 33.Nc4+ Ke4 34.Rh4+ Kd3 35.Ne5+ [ Overlooking 35.Rd2# , but it doesn't matter. ] 35...Ke3 36.Kf1 . And since he is forced to give up more material to delay mate, Black decided he had enough. 1-0

29

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Qd7? ( 12...exf4 is better; or else 12...Bxf3!? 13.Bxf3 Qb6 14.Nd1 c4 15.Kh1 cxd3 16.Qxd3 Rac8 17.c3 Nxf3 18.Rxf3 f5 and Black is doing rather well, S.Narayana-D. King, Kolkata 1993 ) 13.fxe5! ( much stronger than 13.Nh4 exf4 14.gxf4 f5 15.Rae1 Rae8 , when Black has successfully solved any opening problems he may have had, L.Ljubojevic-J.Van der Wiel, Tilburg 1983 ) 13...Nxf3+ ( 13...Bxf3 14.exd6 Bxg2 15.dxe7 leaves White with an extra pawn ) 14.Bxf3 dxe5 15.Bxg4 Qxg4 16.Qf2 (Van der Wiel) and with threats against both c5 and f6, White is clearly better. ] 10...Be6 [ Black has two more options available: a) 10...Bg4 11.f3 Be6 (Black gains nothing from prompting f2-f3 since White intends to push the f-pawn to f4 anyway, and indeed 12 f4 would just transpose to the game) 12.0-0 Nd4 13.Nd1 b5 14.c3 Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2 Rb8 16.Ne3 Nc6 17.f4 b4 , O.Maiorov-D.Nyudleev, Anapa 2009, and now 18.f5 Bd7 19.Rf2 promises White good chances. ] [ b) 10...Nd4 11.Nxd4?! ( 11.0-0 Rb8 12.Nd1 is probably White's best, intending both c2-c3 and f2-f4; O. Maiorov-V.Zakharstov, Cherkessk 1997, was agreed drawn at this point, which doesn't tell us much ) 11...cxd4 12.Ne2 Be6 13.0-0 Rc8 14.c3 dxc3 15.bxc3 f6 was seen in H.Bastian-A. Naumann, German Championship, Osterburg 2006. Objectively speaking the chances are more or less even, but clearly Black has nothing to worry about, and I would prefer playing the black side in view of his slightly

superior pawn structure. ] 11.f4 [ The similar 11.0-0 A) 11...f6 12.f4 Nd4 13.Nd1 Nxe2+ 14.Qxe2 exf4 15.Rxf4 d5 16.exd5 Bxd5 17.Ne3 Bxg2 18.Qxg2 Qd7 also leaves chances evenly divided between the two players, V.Bakhrakh-A.Vaulin, St Petersburg 1995. ( 18...-- ); B) Occasionally Black pushes the fpawn one square further: 11...f5!? 12.f4 Qd7 13.Rae1 Rad8 14.Nd5 Ng8?! reducing the pressure on d5 frees White's hand; ( either 14...fxe4; or 14...Rf7 is more circumspect ) 15.Nec3 ( here 15.exf5 makes a lot of sense; e.g. Rxf5 16.Ne3 Rff8 17.fxe5 Rxf1+ 18.Nxf1 Nxe5 19.d4 and White is clearly in command of the game ) 15...fxe4 16.dxe4 Bh3 17.Bxh3 ( 17.f5!? also comes into consideration ) 17...Qxh3 was P.Leko-A.Soos, Kecskemet 1990, and now 18.Rd1 Nd4 19.Ne2 promises White the somewhat better chances. ] 11...f6 QUESTION: It seems as if Black plays ...f7-f6 at all sorts of random times; is there a firm rule for when it is best to make this move? ANSWER: Not really, but Black should keep it in mind whenever White has played f2-f4 or h2-h4 and the darksquared bishops have already come – or are about to come – off the board. [ Instead, 11...f5 appears less attractive while the white king can still go to the queenside; ] [ but playing 11...Nd4 and then ...f7-f6 is perfectly acceptable. ] 12.h3 Keeping the option of castling long; [ otherwise 12.0-0 transposes to 11 30

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 0-0 above. ] 12...d5 This central break is logical enough, though it does weaken Black's pawn structure a little. [ The standard 12...Nd4 seems safer. ] 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.0-0-0 Qd7 15.g4 [ If White plays 15.fxe5 Nxe5 and then 16.g4 , Black has the extra option of starting a queenside initiative with b5 and posting the queen's rook behind the c-pawn. ] 15...Rae8 [ Here 15...Nd4 16.fxe5 fxe5 17.Nxd5 Bxd5 18.Bxd5 Qxd5 19.Nc3 Qf7 is assessed as equal by my computer, whereas I prefer White's long-term chances in view of Black's inferior pawn structure. ] 16.fxe5 Nxe5 17.Rhf1 b6 18.Bxd5 This looks unnecessary to me. [ Instead, 18.Rde1 patiently improves White's position. ] 18...Bxd5 19.Nxd5 Qxd5 20.Nc3 Qd7 [ 20...Qe6 , preventing White's next move, is a better choice. ] 21.Ne4 Qe6 22.Qc3!? Krapivin plays quite aggressively. [ After 22.b3 Nc6 23.Rde1 , I would once more prefer White, but we are talking about marginal matters here. ] 22...h6 [ I'm not entirely sure why Amonatov didn't take on a2. After 22...Qxa2 23.Rf4 ( 23.g5? is met by fxg5 24.Rxf8 Kxf8 25.Nxg5 Kg8 and Black is simply a pawn up ) 23...Re6 24.b3 Nc6 25.Rxf6 Rfxf6 26.Nxf6 Nd4 27.Ne4 Re5 , Black appears to be doing quite well. ] 23.a3 Nc6 24.Rde1 Nd4 QUESTION: How should a position like this be evaluated?

ANSWER: It is dynamically equal, which means that both sides have factors in their favour. White's king is somewhat safer, but Black's knight is very much a nuisance on d4. 25.Kb1 Qc6 26.h4 f5?! I do not know what prompted Black to play this move. [ The normal 26...Qd5 would have left the game level. ] 27.gxf5 gxf5 28.Ng3 Now the weaknesses around Black's king are more pronounced. 28...Kh7 29.Rxe8 Rxe8 30.Qd2 Rg8 31.Nh5 Qg6 32.Nf4 Qg3 33.h5 Re8 34.Qg2 Qxg2 35.Nxg2 Having entered the endgame phase and therefore moved outside the immediate area of interest for the purposes of this book, I will only add a few brief comments to the remainder of the game. 35...Rg8 36.Nf4 Rg4?! This is an inaccuracy. [ Black should have nudged the rook one square further: 36...Rg3 , when 37.c3 can be met by Rf3 ( or 37...Nf3 , if Black prefers to stay clear of the knight ending ) 38.Rxf3 Nxf3 and the chances are probably more or less even. ] 37.c3 Nc6 38.Ne6 Ne7 39.Re1 Nc6 40.Rf1 Ne7 41.Re1 Nc6 42.b4 Rh4 I'm not sure why Black so willingly parts with the c-pawn. [ 42...cxb4 43.axb4 Rh4 44.b5 may be good for White, but at least he does not have connected passed pawns. ] 43.bxc5 bxc5 44.Nxc5 Rxh5 45.d4 f4 46.Rf1 Rf5 47.Nd3 Kg6 48.Nxf4+ Kg5 49.Ne6+ Kf6 50.Re1 Now White is a pawn up as well. Black's last hope is to make something of his h-pawn. 50...h5 51.Nc5 Kg5 52.Rg1+ Kf4 53.Nd3+ Ke4 54.Kc2 Na5 55.Re1+ Kd5 56.Rh1 Ke4 57.Re1+ Kd5 31

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 58.Nf4+ Kc4 59.Re4 Nb7? This hastens the end dramatically. [ 59...h4 would have been a better chance; e.g. 60.Nd3 Rh5 61.Rg4 Kb5 62.a4+! A) not 62...Kxa4?? since 63.d5+ wins on the spot: Kb5 ( or 63...Ka3 64.Nb2 ) 64.Rb4+ Ka6 65.Nc5#; B) 62...Kb6 63.Rg6+ Kc7 64.Nf4 Rh7 and while White is obviously much better, there is still a considerable amount of work to be done. ] 60.d5+ Kc5 61.c4 Kd6 62.Re6+ Kc5? The king had to go back to the second rank. The text walks into a mating net. 63.Kc3 Rxf4 64.Rc6# 1-0

trapping the white queen. [ Nevertheless, Black can (and should) improve on this idea by trading bishops first: 9...Bxh6! 10.Qxh6 f6 ( not yet 10...Nd4?? which loses on the spot to 11.h5! etc ) 11.Qd2 (White cannot make progress without retreating the queen at some stage) ( still not 11.h5?? g5; while 11.0-0-0 Nd4 12.f4?? Nef5 is another trick to be avoided – but then White is one or two tempi down on the main game ) 11...Nd4 ( or 11...Kh8!? 12.h5 g5 13.h6 Bg4 14.Nd1 Be6 15.f4 gxf4 16.gxf4 exf4 17.Nh3 Ng6 18.Nxf4 Nxf4 19.Qxf4 f5 and Black is well ahead in development, G.Knol-J.Van der Wiel, Hoogeveen 2011 ) A) 12.Nd1 f5!? 13.c3 Ne6 14.exf5 gxf5 15.Ne3 f4 16.Nd5 Kh8 17.Nxe7 Qxe7 with a complicated position, where I B26 Stukopin,A personally prefer Black's chances, Narayanan,S M.Strijbos-J.Van der Wiel, 11: Kirishi 2009 Vlissingen 1998. ( 17...-- ); [Carsten Hansen] B) 12.Nce2 d5 13.c3 Ndc6 14.f4 ( after 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Nf3 Bf5 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 16.0-0 Qd7 17.a3 Rad8 18.Rad1 [ Another Najdorf player, another a5 19.d4 cxd4 20.cxd4 e4 game that began 2...d6 and then , Black is already in charge of the followed the previous one with 3.g3 game, A.Orlov-R.Tischbierek, Porto g6 4.d3 Bg7 5.Bg2 Nc6 San Giorgio 2003 ) 14...Bg4 15.Bf3 and so on. ] Qd7 16.h5 gxh5 17.0-0-0 dxe4?! 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 ( 17...Rad8 looks stronger ) 18.dxe4 e5 7.Qd2 Nge7 8.Bh6 0-0 9.h4!? Qxd2+ 19.Rxd2 Rad8 20.Bxg4 By playing this before taking on g7, hxg4 21.Rh4 exf4 , and a draw White rules out the blocking move ...h7was agreed in A.Krapivin-Mi. h5. The drawback is that Black can Hoffmann, Moscow 2006, although exchange the bishops on h6 after all. there is still plenty left to play for.; 9...f6 QUESTION: This seems a little C) 12.h5 g5 13.h6 (this reaches the same position as after 12...Kg8 strange; what's the point? in the game, but with ...Nd4 thrown ANSWER: You should be familiar with in for free and Black to move as the point by now. Black intends to meet well; surprisingly, this is still 10 h5?? with 10...Bxh6 11 Qxh6 g5, playable for White) Qa5 14.f4 exf4 followed by 12...Kh8 and 13...Ng8, 32

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen ( 14...Bg4!? 15.fxg5 f5 might be considered ) 15.gxf4 Ng6 16.f5 Ne5 17.0-0-0 Bd7 18.Nge2 Bc6 19.Kb1 Nxe2 ( or 19...Nxf5 20.Bh3 with compensation ) 20.Qxe2 b5 21.d4 cxd4?! ( 21...Nc4 is preferable ) 22.Rxd4 looks like an Open Sicilian where a number of things have gone wrong for Black, E.Moser-I.Rajlich, European Women's Team Championship, Plovdiv 2003. ] 10.Bxg7 Kxg7 11.h5 [ Anything else and Black could just play 11...h5 again: a) 11.f4 h5 12.Nd1 ( or 12.Bh3 Nd4 13.Nd1 Bxh3 14.Rxh3 Qd7 15.Nf2 Qa4 16.b3 Qa3 and Black is clearly better, K.Hِnnekes-Ja.Becker, Bad Wiessee 1999 ) 12...d5 13.Nf2 dxe4 14.Nxe4 exf4 15.gxf4 Bg4 16.Bf3 Qd5 17.c4 Qf5 18.0-0-0 b6 19.Bxg4 Qxg4 20.Ne2 Rad8 21.Rhg1 Qxh4 22.f5 Nxf5 23.Nf4 Ne5 24.Ne6+ Kf7 25.Nxd8+ Rxd8 26.Qe2 Nd4 27.Qe3 Qf4 and White resigned in M.Strijbos-Kr. Georgiev, Avoine 1995, since after 28.Qxf4 Ne2+ 29.Kc2 Nxf4 , Black soon-to-be three connected passed pawns are much stronger than White's extra exchange. ] [ b 11.0-0-0 A) 11...h5 12.f4 Bg4 ( 12...Nd4; 12...Qa5; and 12...Rb8!? by ...b7-b5 are all logical too ) 13.Bf3 f5 14.Rf1 Nd4 15.Bxg4 fxg4 16.Nge2 Nf3 17.Qe3 Nc6 18.fxe5 Ncxe5 19.Nf4 Qe8 20.Kb1 b5 21.Ncd5 Rf7 and Black is certainly not worse, V. Bachin-M.Solovchuk, Vladivostok 2007.; B) Another option for Black is to play ...h7-h6, ruling out ideas of h4-

h5-h6, though this is more risky in that it allows White to push the fand g-pawns. For example, 11...h6!? 12.f4 Nd4 13.Rf1 Be6 14.Bh3 Bf7 15.g4 Nec6 16.g5 fxg5 17.hxg5 h5 18.Nf3 Qa5 19.f5 Bxa2 20.f6+ Kf7 was A.Maljush-A.Zhigalko, Minsk 2006, and now 21.Qg2! is the correct move, when the analysis becomes very interesting: Nb4!? ( Black can force a draw with 21...Bb3 22.cxb3 Qa1+ 23.Nb1 Nxb3+ 24.Kc2 Ncd4+ 25.Nxd4 Nxd4+ 26.Kc1 Nb3+ etc ) 22.Bf5 gxf5 ( 22...Rg8 is met by the brutal 23.Qh2! intending Nxf3 24.Bxg6+! Rxg6 25.Qxh5 Nxg5 26.Rhg1 and wins ) 23.g6+ Ke8 ( not 23...Kxf6? 24.exf5 Nxf3 25.Qxf3 Bb3 due to 26.Rxh5 Qa1+ 27.Kd2 Qxb2 28.Qe4! Qxc2+ 29.Ke3 Qxd3+ 30.Qxd3 Nxd3 31.Ne4+! Ke7 32.Rh7+ Kd8 33.Kxd3 and the two white pawns are very strong ) 24.exf5 Rxf6 25.Ne4 Ndxc2 ( again not 25...Bb3? 26.Nxd4 Nxd3+ 27.Kd1 Nxb2+ 28.Ke2 Bc4+ 29.Kf2 and White is winning ) 26.Nxf6+ Kd8 27.Qg5 Bb3 28.Kd2 Kc7 29.Ke2 Qa6 and the chaos continues. I apologize for giving this long line, but it is a ton of fun. ] 11...g5 12.h6+ QUESTION: Why this move? Doesn't the pawn just get left to its own devices on h6, out of touch with the remaining white army? ANSWER: The point is that it prevents Black from sealing the kingside with ... h7-h6. Furthermore, the pawn can easily become a thorn in Black's side, participating in White's attack, as we will see in this game. 33

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ In any case, White has little hope of accomplishing anything if he allows ... h7-h6. For example, 12.f4 h6 13.Bh3 ( not 13.Nh3 Nd4 14.fxg5?! fxg5 15.Nxg5? Nec6! 16.Nh3 Bxh3 17.Rxh3 Qg5! 18.0-0-0 Rf2 and Black is winning ) 13...Nd4 14.0-0-0 b5 15.Nce2 Nec6 ( or 15...d5!? ) 16.c3 ( 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.Kb1 a5 looks pleasant enough for Black ) 16...Nxe2+ 17.Nxe2 d5 18.d4?! Bxh3 19.Rxh3 cxd4 20.exd5 Qxd5 and Black has a clear advantage, A.Pakhomov-R.Swinkels, Teplice 2009. ] 12...Kg8?! [ Tucking the king in the corner with 12...Kh8!? is better, although here too White gets his hands on the initiative: 13.0-0-0 ( 13.f4!? , as in the main game, is also an option ) 13...Ng6 14.Nge2 ( or 14.Nd5!? ) 14...Nd4 15.Rdf1 ( 15.Kb1 Bg4 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.Ne2 Rc8 18.f3 Be6 19.Bh3 Bxh3 20.Rxh3 d5 is double-edged ) 15...Qa5 16.a3 Nxe2+ 17.Nxe2 Qxd2+ 18.Kxd2 with a tiny plus for White in the queenless middlegame, F.La Rota-J.Smejkal, New York Open 1988. ] 13.f4! The vulnerability of Black's king on the g-file now becomes apparent. 13...exf4 [ Black can consider the pawn sacrifice 13...Bg4 14.fxg5 Nd4 , but White should be better after 15.Nd1 Bxd1 16.Rxd1 . ] 14.gxf4 Ng6 15.Nge2 Bg4?! Black's problems start to increase. [ He should have played 15...Nd4 , when 16.f5 Nxe2 17.Nxe2 Ne5 18.0-0-0 definitely is more promising for White, who will break with d3-d4, but it is much safer for Black than the game continuation. ]

16.Bh3! Bf3 17.Rg1 Nd4? The downhill ride gains pace. [ Here Black should have tried 17...Kh8 18.0-0-0 Nd4 19.Rdf1 Nxe2+ 20.Nxe2 Bxe2 21.Qxe2 Qe7 , when he can still fight; ( but not 21...Nxf4?? 22.Rxf4 gxf4 23.Qg4 , since 24 Qg7+! wins against every move. )] 18.Nxd4 cxd4 19.Nd5 f5? Another mistake; [ but even after 19...Kh8 20.Rg3 Bh5 21.fxg5 fxg5 22.Qxg5 , White should win rather easily. ] 20.Rxg5 fxe4 21.Be6+ Kh8 22.dxe4 Ne5 23.Qxd4 Rxf4 24.Rxe5 Qh4+ 25.Kd2 Qh2+ 26.Kc3 . With mate or heavy material losses around the corner, Black called it a day. 1-0 B26 Blatny,P Babula,V 12: Czech League [Carsten Hansen]

2013

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e5 7.Qd2 Nge7 8.Bh6 Bxh6 [ Rather than allowing a possible exchange on g7 after 8...0-0 , Black opts to bring the white queen to h6 at once. ] 9.Qxh6 Nd4 10.Qd2 QUESTION: How come White immediately retreats the queen again? ANSWER: For the simple reason that, apart from preventing the black king from castling, there is nothing constructive for the queen to do on h6, but if this is the best move then Black was certainly justified in exchanging bishops at once. 34

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ White does have a couple of alternatives to choose from: a) 10.Rc1 and now: A) 10...Ng8!? 11.Qd2 ( or 11.Qg7 Qf6 ) 11...Nf6 12.Nd1 0-0 13.c3 Nc6 14.Ne2 d5 15.exd5 Nxd5 16.0-0 Be6 17.Ne3 Nxe3 18.Qxe3 Bd5 and Black has equalized, F.La Rota-L. Christiansen, New York Open 1997.; B) 10...Be6 11.Nf3 Qb6 ( or 11...Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 Qd7 13.0-0 0-0-0 14.Bg2 f6 15.a3 Kb8 16.b4 c4 17.dxc4 Bxc4 18.Rfd1 Qe6 with chances for both sides, R. Baumhus-G.Timoscenko, Vienna 1991 ) 12.Nd1 Qa5+!? a risky pawn grab; ( simply 12...0-0-0 is fine for Black ) 13.c3 Nxf3+ 14.Bxf3 Qxa2 15.0-0 Nc6 ( 15...Qb3 was safer ) 16.Ne3 0-0-0 17.Nd5 Kb8 18.Ra1 Qb3 19.Ra3 Qb5 20.Qd2 Bxd5 21.exd5 Ne7 22.Rfa1 and White has a strong initiative for the pawn, M.Rohde-M. Dlugy, US Championship, Estes Park 1986. ] [ b) 10.0-0-0 with the following options: A) 10...Qa5 11.f4 Be6 ( 11...Bg4 12.Rd2 b5!? is another way to play ) 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.Qg7!? A1) 13...Rg8 14.Qxe5 Bxa2?! ( here too 14...Nec6 15.Qg5 Nb4 is possible ) 15.Nge2 Nxe2+ 16.Nxe2 Be6 17.Nf4 and White is now in charge, A. Krapivin-V.Zakhartsov, Lvov 2006.; A2) or simply 13...0-0-0 , intending 14.Qxe5? ( or 14.Bh3 Nec6 15.Qxf7 Bxh3 16.Nxh3 Nb4 ) 14...Nec6 15.Qg5 Nb4;

B) 10...Be6 11.Nd5 ( 11.Qg7 Kd7 gets White nowhere, who now has to be aware of the nasty threat that comes to life after a move like 12.f4?? Nef5 and the queen is trapped; while 11.Bh3 Qd7 12.Bxe6 Qxe6 13.Kb1 0-0-0 14.f4 Kb8 15.Qh3 exf4 16.gxf4 Qxh3 17.Nxh3 f5 should be fine for Black, A.Martin Fuentes-D.Alsina Leal, Alicante 2011 ) 11...Bxd5 ( or 11...Nxd5 12.exd5 Bg4 13.f3 Bd7 , and if 14.Qg7? then Ke7! threatening 15...Nf5 ) 12.exd5 Qa5 13.Kb1 Nef5?! ( 13...Ndf5 14.Qc1 f6 improves for Black ) 14.Qc1 Qb6 15.c3 Nb5 16.Nf3 h6 17.Rhe1 and White's position is now clearly preferable, L.Fritsche-E. Kengis, German League 1995. ] 10...Qa5 [ Black has several reasonable and more interesting moves available at this juncture: a) 10...b5 11.Nd1 b4 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 Ndc6 ( 13...Ne6!? ) 14.Ne3 Rb8 15.Ne2 Qb6 16.Nc4 Qc7 17.0-0 0-0 18.f4 was C.Acor-K.Troff, Arlington 2015, and now f6 looks equal, ( whereas after 18...f5?! then 19.exf5 Bxf5 20.fxe5 Nxe5 21.Nf4 Nxc4 22.dxc4 promises White the better game. )] [ b) 10...0-0 (a logical move, now that the white queen has gone away) 11.f4 ( after 11.Nd1 d5 12.c3 Ndc6 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Nf3 Bf5 , the players settled on a far too premature draw in E.Bricard-M.Santo Roman, Marseilles 2001 ) 11...Be6 12.Nf3 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 Nc6 14.h4 Nd4 15.Be2 b5 16.h5 b4 17.Nd1 exf4 18.gxf4 f5 19.hxg6 hxg6 with a complicated position where both sides have their share of the 35

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen chances, V.Bachin-S.Sjugirov, Russian Team Championship 2008. ] [ c) 10...Be6 keeps options of castling on either side: A) 11.Nce2 d5 12.Nxd4 cxd4 13.Ne2 dxe4 14.Bxe4 Bd5 15.0-0 0-0 16.f4 Bxe4 17.dxe4 Qb6 18.Qd3 ( 18.Kh1 Qxb2 19.fxe5 d3 20.Qxd3 Qxe5 is also somewhat better for Black ) 18...Rac8 and Black has grabbed the initiative, A.Krapivin-R.Ankit, Moscow 2012.; B) 11.Nge2 Qd7 12.h3 f6 13.f4 0-0-0 14.0-0-0 Kb8 15.Kb1 Rhf8 16.Rdf1 Rc8 17.Rf2 Nec6 18.Nc1 Rce8 19.Nd5 was seen in J.TarjanC.Duncan, Douglas 2014, and now f5 20.c3 Nb5 keeps the game approximately balanced.; C) 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.exd5 Bd7 13.c3 Nf5 14.Nf3 0-0 15.h4 h5 16.Ng5 b5 17.Ne4 Kg7 18.0-0 ( or 18.f3 Rh8 19.0-0-0 b4 20.c4 Nd4 21.Rdf1 f5 22.Ng5 Qe7 and Black is slightly better, A. Krapivin-S.Sjugirov, St Petersburg 2009 ) 18...Qb6 19.Rae1 f6 20.Kh2 Nh6 21.f3 Rae8 22.Bh3 Bxh3 23.Kxh3 Qd8 24.Kg2 Qd7 with chances for both sides, A. Krapivin-A.Kremenietsky, Moscow 2011; ] 11.h4 h6 [ Naturally, 11...h5 is possible too. ] 12.Nge2 Bg4 This essentially forces the following reduction in battle forces. 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Nd5 Qxd2+ 15.Kxd2 Nxd5 16.exd5 Ke7 Black has completely equalized. The remainder of the game does not bring much more excitement than the first part. 17.c3 dxc3+ 18.bxc3 Rhc8 19.Rhb1 Rc7 20.Rb4 Bd7 21.c4 b6 White will never break through on the

queenside unless Black slips up in a major way. 22.Bf1 g5 23.hxg5 hxg5 24.Bg2 Rh8 25.Rh1 Rxh1 26.Bxh1 Rc5 27.Bf3 Ra5 Now Black even has a minor initiative, but nothing that will cause White any headaches, and the players soon agreed upon a draw. 28.Rb2 b5 29.Bd1 Kd8 30.Kc3 bxc4 1/2 B26 Larino Nieto,D Valmana Canto,J 13: La Roda [Carsten Hansen]

2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Rb8 7.a4 Setting up a temporary roadblock on the queenside, or if Black insists with ... a7-a6 and ...b7-b5, as usually occurs, then the exchange of pawns on b5 opens the a-file for White's rook. Strangely, in this game Black never gets round to pushing the b-pawn. [ The main move here is 7.Qd2 , which is considered in the rest of this chapter; ] [ while 7.f4 b5 8.Qd2 is another path to Game 14. ] [ In general, 7.Nge2 will transpose as well (to Games 16 or 17) if both Qd2 and ...b7-b5 are played, though this is not always the case. For example: A) 7...b5 8.a3!? Nf6 9.h3 0-0 10.b4 Nd7 11.Rb1 ( or 11.0-0 Nd4 ) 11...cxb4 12.axb4 a5 13.bxa5 Qxa5 14.Bd2 ( 14.d4 b4 15.Ra1 Qd8 16.Nb1 Bb7 is quite comfortable for Black, although by no means worse for White ) 14...b4 15.Nd5 e6 16.Ne3 Ba6 17.0-0 Nc5 and Black has the initiative, L.Ljubojevic-J.Polgar, 36

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Monte Carlo (rapid) 1995.; B) 7...Nf6 8.h3 b5 9.Qd2 ( 9.a3!? is line 'a' ) 9...b4 10.Nd1 0-0 11.0-0 is seen via 6...Nf6 7 h3 0-0 8 Qd2 Rb8 9 Nge2 b5 10 0-0 b4 11 Nd1 in the notes to Game 19.; C) 7...Nd4 8.0-0 e6 ( 8...b5 9.b4!? e6 10.a4 a6 11.axb5 axb5 12.Rb1 Bd7 13.Na2 Ne7 14.bxc5 dxc5 15.c3 Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 Rc8 was J.Van der Wiel-G.Sosonko, Wijk aan Zee 1984, and here 17.d4 looks somewhat better for White ) 9.Qd2 Ne7 C1) 10.Rab1 Nec6 11.a3 0-0 12.b4 (White gets his break in first!) cxb4 13.axb4 b5 ( 13...b6 is more solid ) 14.Nxd4 Nxd4 15.Ne2 Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 a5 17.bxa5 Qxa5 18.Bd2 Qc7 19.Bb4 Bb7 and while this is assessed as equal by my computer, I definitely prefer White's position with a harmonious pawn chain, S.Roy Chowdhury-Y.Solodovnichenko, New Delhi 2009.; C2) 10.Bh6!? Nxe2+ ( but simply 10...0-0 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.Nxd4 cxd4 13.Ne2 e5 is about even ) 11.Nxe2 Bxb2 12.Rab1 Bf6 13.d4! cxd4 14.Nxd4 a6 15.Rfd1 gave White good compensation for the pawn in O.Romanishin-L. Van Wely, Novy Smokovec 1992. ] 7...a6 This is the most consistent move and usually played, though it's not obligatory. [ In Chess Informant, V.Sokolov gave 7...e6 an exclamation mark, following V.Hort-R.J.Fischer, Rovinj/Zagreb 1970, which continued 8.Qd2 Nd4 9.Nf3 Ne7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Bh6 e5

12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Ne2 Be6 15.f4 f6 16.c3 Qa5 17.Qe1 dxc3 18.bxc3 f5 and Black was fine. ] 8.Qd2 [ 8.f4 is also played quite frequently, when Black has several options: A) 8...b5 9.axb5 axb5 10.e5!? Nd4 11.Ne4 Nh6 12.Nf3 Ng4 13.Bg1 dxe5 14.h3 Nh6 15.Nxe5 Bb7 16.c3 Ne6 17.Qd2 Ra8 18.Rd1 Rc8 19.Ng5 Bd5 20.Nxe6 Bxe6 21.Bf2 Bd5 22.0-0 is more or less equal, R.Di PaoloKi.Georgiev, Italian League 2010.; B) 8...Nd4 9.Nh3 Nf6 10.Nf2 e5 11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Nd5 Be6?! ( Black should prefer 12...Nxd5 13.exd5 b6 14.0-0 Bb7 15.c4 0-0 with equal chances ) 13.c3 Bxd5 14.exd5 Nf5 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.Qf3 0-0 18.0-0 and White is in the driver's seat, I. Starostits-V.Zavoronkov, Tallinn (rapid) 2005.; C) 8...Nf6 9.h3 0-0 10.Nf3 Qb6 11.Rb1 Qc7 12.0-0 b5 13.axb5 axb5 14.g4 b4 15.Ne2 e6 16.Qe1 Re8 17.Qh4 Ne7 18.Ng3 ( or 18.Nd2 Bb7 ) . EXERCISE: White is building up to throw either g4-g5, f4-f5, or both at Black. How should he respond to these threats? ANSWER: 18...g5!! (ouch!! – it turns out that White's queen is trapped) 19.fxg5 ( or 19.Qxg5 h6 20.Qh4 Ng6 ) 19...Ng6 20.gxf6 Nxh4 21.Nxh4 ( 21.fxg7 Nxf3+ 22.Rxf3 Kxg7 23.Rbf1 offers a few more chances ) 21...Bf8 and White is obviously lost, M. G‫ن‬hler-T.Burg, Zürich 2010. ] 8...e6 This position could also arrive via 37

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 6...e6 7 Qd2 Rb8 8 a4 a6. There is nothing at all wrong with 8...e6 here, even if advancing the b-pawn seems more consistent, given that Black has spent two moves preparing it. [ After 8...b5 9.axb5 axb5 , White has tried: A) 10.f4 b4 11.Nd1 e6 12.Nf3 Nge7 13.0-0 0-0 transposes to the 9...e6 line in the notes to the next game.; B) 10.Rb1 (consolidating the queenside at the cost of giving up the a-file) b4 11.Nd1 Nd4 12.b3 Nf6 13.h3 0-0 14.Ne2 e5 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Bg5 d5 17.exd5 Bb7 18.0-0 Bxd5 19.f4?! ( 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.Bxd5 Qd6 21.Nb2 is level ) 19...Bxg2 20.Qxg2 exf4 21.Bxf4 and a draw was agreed in M.Simons-B.Lalic, British League 2005, although Black's position looks somewhat preferable after Rc8 in view of his safer king position, along with White's backward c-pawn and holes at c3 and e3.; C) 10.Nge2 b4 11.Nd1 Nd4 12.0-0 e6 ( or 12...e5 13.Nc1 Ne7 14.c3 bxc3 15.bxc3 Ne6 16.Bh6 0-0 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Ne3 f5 19.exf5 gxf5 20.f4 exf4 21.gxf4 d5 with an unclear position, M. Ivanov-Ma.Andersen, World Junior Championship, Caldas Novas 2011 ) 13.Nc1 Qb6 ( 13...Ne7 transposes to the 10...e6 line in the notes to Game 16 ) 14.c3 Nc6 15.f4 Nge7 16.Qf2 bxc3 17.bxc3 0-0 18.Ra2 Bd7 19.g4 f5 20.gxf5 exf5 21.e5 dxe5 22.Bxc5 Qc7 and both sides have their chances, C.Bank Friis-L. Schandorff, Danish Championship, Holstebro 1987. ]

9.Nge2 Nd4 10.Nd1 This looks like a thematic retreat, clearing the way for c2c3, but in fact White has an unusual idea in mind. [ A more standard path is 10.0-0 Ne7 ( here 10...b5 might be met by 11.axb5 axb5 12.b4!? , intending Nxe2+ 13.Nxe2 Bxa1 14.Rxa1 with strong play on the dark squares for the exchange ) A) 11.Bh6!? 0-0 ( both 11...Bxh6 12.Qxh6 Nxc2 13.Rac1 Nb4 14.d4; and 11...Nxe2+ 12.Nxe2 Bxb2 13.Rab1 Bf6 14.d4 give White reasonable compensation for the pawn ) 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.f4 Nec6 14.Nxd4 Nxd4 15.e5 d5 16.g4 Qh4 17.h3 Bd7 18.Ne2 Nxe2+ 19.Qxe2 a5 20.Kh2 b6 with chances for both sides, V. Gorkavij-I.Kudelya, Taganrog 2014.; B) 11.Nd1 0-0 ( or 11...b5 again ) 12.Nc1 f5 13.c3 Ndc6 14.Bh6 Bxh6 15.Qxh6 e5 16.Ne2 Be6 17.Ne3 Kh8 18.Nd5 Ng8 19.Qd2 Bxd5 20.exd5 Na5 21.Qc2 f4 22.Bh3 b6 23.f3 fxg3 24.hxg3 with an unusual but roughly equal position, M.Zlatic-N.Djukic, Serbian League 2004. ] 10...Ne7 [ Black can still advance the b-pawn if desired; indeed, 10...b5 11.axb5 axb5 12.0-0 b4 transposes to 8...b5 lines above. ] 11.Nxd4!? White suddenly takes the game in a different direction. [ As we saw in the previous note, 11.Nc1 , followed by c2-c3, is the usual idea behind Nd1, though it offers White no particular advantage. ] 11...cxd4 12.Bh6 0-0 13.h4 38

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Launching a kingside attack. [ 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.0-0 Qc7 does not rock the boat and leaves the game more or less balanced. ] 13...Bxh6 QUESTION: Should Black not delay this move until White has made a decision about castling or not? Is seems a little hazardous to invite the white queen to h6 at this point. ANSWER: While it certainly would look safer to wait until White has castled, who knows if White would accommodate Black with that favour? Anyway, in this case it is actually perfectly safe, since there is no imminent danger of Black getting mated. 14.Qxh6 Kh8 [ As we have already seen, 14...f6 is pretty much the standard reply against a queen on h6 and an oncoming h-pawn. White has to respond with 15.Qd2 if he intends to push the h-pawn forward ( as usual 15.h5?? loses to g5 , intending ...Kh8 and ...Ng8 ) , after which 15...Nc6 16.f4 Bd7 is about even. ] [ Alternatively, 14...Nc6 15.h5 Qe7 defends for the time being, but White might then increase the pressure with 16.f4 , followed by Nf2-h3-g5, while the black f-pawn is stuck supporting its colleague on g6. ] 15.h5 Ng8 16.Qd2 g5 17.c3 e5 When I first went through this game, I thought Black's last two pawn moves were somewhat unnecessary, but looking again now it appears to be a perfectly viable option. 18.cxd4 exd4 19.f4 [ Or 19.0-0 Qf6 20.b4 Be6 with about even chances. ] 19...gxf4 20.Qxf4 [ Here 20.gxf4 is possibly safer, but Black has no serious problems in this line; e.g. Bd7 21.Nf2 Rc8

with chances for both sides. ] 20...f5? This attempt to exploit the position of White's king and queen is easily answered. [ 20...Qa5+ 21.Ke2 Qe5 was a better choice, when Black has a rather pleasant game. ] 21.0-0! Evacuating the king from the centre as well as pinning the black fpawn. 21...Qf6?! [ It is difficult to look into the future, but it would probably have been better to put the queen on e7; for example, 21...Qe7 22.Nf2 ( or 22.Rc1 Nf6 23.exf5 Qe5 24.Rc7 Rg8 ) 22...fxe4 23.Qxe4 Qg7 24.Qh4 Nh6 25.Ne4 Bf5 26.Rae1 ( or 26.Nxd6 Bxd3 ) 26...Bxe4 27.Rxf8+ Rxf8 28.Rxe4 Nf5 29.Qg4 b6 and White has the better chances, but Black is still alive. ] 22.Nf2 Qe5 [ Or 22...Bd7 23.exf5 Bxf5 24.Ne4 Bxe4 25.Qxe4 Qg7 26.Rae1 , when in comparison with the previous note, the exchange of minor pieces favours White. ] 23.Qxe5+ dxe5 24.Ng4 Be6 25.Nxe5 [ Another option is 25.exf5 Rxf5 26.Rxf5 Bxf5 27.Nxe5 Nh6 28.Rc1 and White has an extra pawn and the clearly better chances. ] 25...fxe4?! This only helps White further. [ 25...Nh6 offers more resistance. ] 26.Rxf8 Rxf8 27.Bxe4 [ Here Black decided to resign, which seems a bit early, but continuing would have been on a one-way street; e.g. 27.Bxe4 b6 28.a5 bxa5 29.Rxa5 Bc8 30.Nc6 Nf6 31.Bf3 Bb7 32.Nxd4 Bxf3 33.Nxf3 Nxh5 34.Kg2 Nf6 35.Rxa6 and now with two extra pawns, White should win easily enough. ] 1-0 39

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen B26

as 7 a4 a6, followed by 8...b5 9 axb5 Short,N axb5 and 10...b4, in the notes to the Kramnik,V previous game. ] 14: Wijk aan Zee 2005 8...b4 9.Nd1 Qb6 QUESTION: I'm not [Carsten Hansen] sure I understand why placing the queen opposite the white bishop on e3 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 is a good idea. Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Rb8 7.Qd2 b5 ANSWER: Kramnik is quite fond of this There is little point in Black delaying this move, which increases Black's control advance; over the important d4-square and allows [ but it's worth noting that the position some additional options in terms of after 7...e6 can also be reached via completing his development, as we will 6...e6 7 Qd2 Rb8. As we said in see in this game. The fact that the Chapter One, this will generally queen is "facing" the bishop is only a transpose to 7...b5 lines where Black minor nuisance. plays a later ...e7-e6. For example: [ Naturally, Black has numerous other A) 8.a4 a6 returns to the previous possibilities: game.; a) 9...e5 10.Nf3 exf4 11.Bxf4 Bg4 B) 8.f4 b5 9.Nf3 b4 10.Nd1 12.0-0 Nge7 13.c3 bxc3 14.bxc3 is the note with 9...e6 below.; 0-0 15.Ne3 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Ne5 C) 8.Nf3 b5 9.0-0 b4 10.Nd1 17.Bg2 and White's position is is 9...e6 in the notes to Game 15. favourable, O.Castro Rojas-J. ( 10.-- ); Dorfman, Oviedo (rapid) 1991. ] D) 8.Nge2 Nd4 ( 8...b5 9.0-0 b4 [ b) 9...Bg4 10.Nf3 e6 11.0-0 Nge7 10.Nd1 Nd4 is 10...e6 in the notes 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Bxf3 Qc7 14.Bg2 0-0 to Game 16 ) 9.0-0 , and now b5 15.c3 bxc3 16.bxc3 f5 17.Rc1 Kh8 is 9...e6 in the notes to the same 18.exf5 gxf5?! ( 18...Nxf5 19.Bf2 game; ( while 9...Ne7 (without ...b7is still marginally better for White, but b5) was seen via 7 Nge2 Nd4 in is definitely to be preferred over the the notes to Game 13. )] game continuation ) 19.Bf2 Ng6 [ Otherwise, for what it's worth, 7...e5 20.d4 and White is clearly in was seen in the notes to Game 8; ] command of the game, A.Krapivin-E. [ while 7...Nf6 8.h3 features in the Miroshnichenko, Russian Team notes to Game 22. ] Championship 2007. ] 8.f4 This position perhaps belongs in [ c) 9...Ba6 10.Ne2 e6 11.0-0 Nf6 Chapter Nine (via 6 f4 Rb8), but it's 12.Nf2 0-0 13.a3 (trying to exploit more often reached via the game move the bishop's unguarded placement on order so we'll examine it here. a6) Bb7?! (Black panics a bit) [ Of White's alternatives: 8.Nf3 ( instead, 13...b3!? 14.c3 Qb6 is considered in the next game; ] is perfectly acceptable – in fact my [ and 8.Nge2 in Games 16-17. ] computer assesses it as good for [ Instead, 8.Nd1 b4 merely switches Black, which may be a bit of a the move order; ] stretch ) 14.axb4 cxb4 15.c4 bxc3 [ while 8.a3 a5 , followed by 9...b4 10 16.bxc3 Nd7 17.Bxa7 Nxa7 axb4 axb4, comes to the same thing 18.Rxa7 Qb6 19.Ra2 Ba8 20.d4 40

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen and White was up a pawn which he converted in a long game, N.ShortA.Greenfeld, Douglas 2014. ] [ d) 9...e6 10.Nf3 Nge7 11.0-0 and now: A) 11...Nd4 12.Nh4!? ( 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 Nxf3+ 14.Bxf3 0-0 15.d4 sets Black few problems; e.g. Ba6 16.Re1 cxd4 17.cxd4 d5 18.e5 Nf5 19.Bf2 Qb6 20.Be2 Bxe2 21.Rxe2 h5 22.h3 Rfc8 23.g4 hxg4 24.hxg4 Ne7 25.Be3 Qb4 and I prefer Black's position, P. Vieira-S.Dumont, Vitoria 2001 ) 12...f5 13.c3 bxc3 14.bxc3 Ndc6 15.exf5 gxf5 16.Nf3 Nd5 17.Re1 0-0 18.Bf2 Bd7 19.Rc1 h6 20.h3 Qa5 21.d4 Nf6 22.Ne5! dxe5 23.dxe5 Rfd8 24.exf6 Bxf6 was A.Krapivin-J.Gunnarsson, Budapest 2003, and here 25.Ne3! , intending Nc4, looks somewhat better for White.; B) 11...0-0 12.a3 a5 13.axb4 axb4 14.d4 ( or 14.Rb1 Ba6 15.b3 Nd4 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.Bf2 Qc7 18.Ra1 Bb5 19.Ra2 f5 20.exf5 Nxf5 21.g4 Ne7 22.Re1 Bd7 with a dynamic position where both sides have their share of the chances, A.Krapivin-I.Khairullin, St Petersburg 2009, although my preference would be playing Black here ) 14...cxd4 15.Nxd4 Qc7 16.Nxc6 ( 16.Nf2 is safer and equal ) 16...Nxc6 17.Ra4 Bd7 18.b3 Rfd8 19.g4 d5 20.exd5 exd5 21.f5 d4 22.Bg5 ( 22.Bf4 Ne5 23.Ra2 gxf5 24.gxf5 Bxf5 25.Nf2 Qc3 seems promising for Black too ) 22...Re8 23.h3? d3! 24.fxg6 fxg6 25.Qf2 was A.Krapivin-A.Timofeev, Moscow 2012, and here Nd4! would have won quickly. ]

10.Nf3 Nh6 Preparing to push the fpawn; [ which looks preferable to playing 10...f5 at once, as then 11.exf5 gxf5 12.0-0 gives White perhaps a slight edge. ] 11.a3 [ Instead, 11.h3 f5 12.0-0 0-0 A) and then 13.a3 a5 14.axb4 axb4 comes to the same thing, but Krapivin has tried a couple of other moves here:; B) 13.c3 bxc3 14.bxc3 Nf7 ( it is better to exchange on e4 first: 14...fxe4!? 15.dxe4 Nf7 16.Bf2 Ba6 17.Re1 with a pleasant position for Black ) 15.exf5 gxf5 16.d4 Ba6 ( 16...e5 17.dxc5 dxc5 18.Qf2 is good for White ) 17.Re1 cxd4 18.cxd4 Na5? ( 18...Qb4 was preferable ) 19.Bf2 (all of a sudden Black is struggling with loose pieces, hanging, backward pawns and weak squares) Qd8 ( 19...Nc4 doesn't help after 20.Qc2 ) 20.Rc1 d5 21.Nc3 ( or 21.Nh4!? and if Bc8 then 22.Rxc8 Rxc8 23.Nxf5 is pretty dangerous for Black ) 21...Qd6?! 22.Ne5!? ( 22.Nxd5! Qxd5 23.Rc5 may be even better ) 22...Nc4 23.Qe2 Ncxe5? ( Black should have tried to muddy the waters with 23...Nb2 24.Qh5 Bc4 25.Nxc4 dxc4 26.Qxf5 Bxd4 , though 27.Ne4 still gives White excellent winning chances ) 24.dxe5 Qa3 25.Qe3 e6 26.Nxd5! Qxa2 27.Ra1 Qc4 28.Ne7+ Kh8 29.Nxf5! 1-0 A.Krapivin-V.Rozhkov, Russian Team Championship 2010 (if exf5 then 30.Bf1 etc).; C) White achieved less after 13.exf5 Nxf5 14.Bf2 Nfd4 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.c3 bxc3 41

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 17.bxc3 Qa5 18.Kh2 Nb5 19.a4 Nc7 and Black is quite comfortable, A.Krapivin-D.Frolyanov, Zvenigorod 2008. ] 11...a5 12.axb4 axb4 13.h3 White has to prevent Black from playing ...Ng4. 13...f5 14.0-0 0-0 QUESTION: Black appears to have control over both wings; does he have the better chances? ANSWER: Well, if he controlled the centre as well, then maybe. Here White still can generate play in that sector to counterbalance Black's aggressive setup, which admittedly looks enticing. 15.Bf2 White commences a reorganization of his pieces, clearing the e3-square for the c2-knight and the e-file for the f1-rook. 15...e6 16.Ne3 Nf7 [ Not 16...Bxb2? 17.Nc4 Bxa1 18.Nxb6 Bc3 19.Qe2 Rxb6 20.e5! and although Black has rook, knight and pawn for the queen, his position is disintegrating. ] 17.Nc4 Qc7 18.Rfe1 Rd8 [ Short later gave 18...fxe4 19.dxe4 Rd8 as better. If 20.g4 , then 20... Bb7 seems safe enough, or even d5!? 21.exd5 exd5 22.Nce5 Ncxe5 23.Nxe5 Nxe5 24.fxe5 Be6 with mutual chances ( but not 24...Bxe5?? 25.Qg5 and White wins. )] 19.exf5 exf5 20.c3 [ Rerouting the knight back towards d5 with 20.Ne3 achieves little after Ne7 ( if 20...Bxb2 , then 21.Nd5 Qb7 22.Rab1 Bh8 23.d4! gives White excellent compensation for the pawn ) 21.c3 bxc3 22.bxc3 Bb7 and the position is fairly equal. ] 20...bxc3 21.bxc3 d5 22.Nce5?! QUESTION: Is it necessary for White to sacrifice a pawn in this fashion?

ANSWER: Not really; Short probably considered that the activity provided would more than compensate for the loss. [ Instead, the patient 22.Ne3!? Bb7 23.d4 cxd4 24.cxd4 Qd7 25.Reb1 , followed by Ne5, should give White the upper hand. ] 22...Nfxe5 23.fxe5 Nxe5 24.Nxe5 Bxe5 25.Qg5?! [ White might improve here with 25.Bxc5 Qxc5+ ( not 25...Bxg3? 26.Bxd5+! Rxd5 27.Re8+ Kf7 28.Re7+ Qxe7 29.Bxe7 Kxe7 30.Qg5+ and wins ) 26.d4 Bxd4+ 27.cxd4 Qd6 28.Re5 Be6 29.Qg5 (Short), when Black's extra pawn is not very significant. ] 25...Bb7?! [ Black should collect the second pawn as well: 25...Bxc3 26.Ra7 Rb7 27.Rxb7 Bxb7 28.Re7 Rd7 29.Rxd7 Qxd7 30.Bxc5 Be5 , and although White has won one pawn back, he will still have a yucky endgame to defend for some time to come. ] 26.Ra7 Rd7 27.c4! This move enables White to regain his material. 27...Qd6 28.cxd5 [ Or 28.Bxd5+ Bxd5 29.Rxd7 Qxd7 30.Rxe5 Bf3 31.Qf6 Rb1+ 32.Re1 Qxd3 33.Qe6+ Kg7 34.Qe7+ Kg8 ( not 34...Kh6?? 35.Be3+ and White wins ) 35.Qe8+ with a draw by perpetual check. ] 28...Bf6 29.Qf4 Qxf4 30.gxf4 Rbd8 31.Re6 Bxd5 32.Rxd7 [ White could have made his opponent suffer a little after 32.Bxd5! Rxa7 33.Bc4 Kg7 34.Rxf6 Rxd3 35.Bxd3 Kxf6 36.Bxc5 , though Black shouldn't have much trouble drawing. Instead, all of a sudden all the heavy pieces come off the board. ]

42

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 32...Bxe6 33.Rxd8+ Bxd8 34.Bxc5 1/2

25.d4 and White's eight consecutive pawn moves finally generated a clear advantage, A.Krapivin-A.Kornev, Vladimir 2008. ] B26 [ c) 9...Nd4 10.Nh4!? Qa5 ( or Krapivin,A 10...e5 11.f4 exf4 12.Bxf4 Ne7 Shomoev,A 13.0-0 h6 14.Be3 g5 15.Nf3 Nxf3+ 15: Moscow 2010 16.Bxf3 Nc6 17.Bg2 Be6 18.a3 a5 [Carsten Hansen] 19.axb4 axb4 20.c3 bxc3 21.bxc3 Ne5 and a draw was agreed, V. 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Smyslov-L.Portisch, 6th matchgame, Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Rb8 7.Qd2 b5 Portoroz 1971 ) 11.0-0 Qa4 12.c3 8.Nf3 An unpretentious move which bxc3 13.bxc3 Nc2 14.Rc1 Nxe3 Vasily Smyslov tried a couple of times. 15.Nxe3 Nf6 16.f4 0-0 17.h3 Ba6 QUESTION: Doesn't the knight block the 18.g4 Rfd8 19.g5 Ne8 f-pawn? ( the computer suggests 19...Nh5!? ANSWER: In this game White stays , intending 20.Bf3 Bxd3! 21.Qxd3 away from ideas of f2-f4 for the moment, Nxf4 , followed by ...Nxh3+ and ... focusing instead on the deployment of Nxg5 with four pawns for the piece ) his forces, perhaps hoping to punish 20.f5 Nc7 21.Ng4 Qb5 with a sharp Black for his rapid expansion on the position where both sides have their queenside without having developed share of the chances, even though it much else. is about to get hot around Black's king, 8...b4 9.Nd1 e5 A.Krapivin-J.Ulko, Moscow 2009. ] [ As usual Black has a number of [ d) 9...e6 10.0-0 Nge7 11.Bh6 0-0 alternatives available: 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.d4 ( or 13.Ne3 f5 a) 9...a5 10.0-0 Ba6 11.Re1 Qb6 14.exf5 exf5 15.Nc4 f4 16.Rae1 12.h3 Nf6 13.Bh6 0-0 14.Bxg7 Bg4 17.gxf4 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 Qd7 Kxg7 15.e5 dxe5 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 19.c3 Rf6 20.d4 bxc3 21.bxc3 cxd4 17.Rxe5 e6 and the players soon 22.cxd4 Nf5 23.d5 Ncd4 24.Bg4 agreed a draw in a roughly even Qa4 and Black has good play for the position, O.Sepp-K.Sakaev, Kuopio pawn, T.Jandecka-J.Jurek, Klatovy 1995. ] 2003 ) 13...e5 14.d5 Nd4 15.Nh4 f5 [ b) 9...Bg4 (this is a reasonably ( 15...Ba6 16.Re1 f5 17.c3 bxc3 common idea with colours reversed) 18.bxc3 Qa5 19.f4 exf4 20.e5 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 Nf6 12.0-0 0-0 creates a big mess ) 16.c3 bxc3 13.Bg2 Re8 14.f4 ( 14.Bh6 Bh8 17.bxc3 Qa5 18.Qg5 Ne2+ 19.Kh1 15.Ne3 Nd7 16.Rab1 Rb6 17.Nc4 Rf7 20.exf5 , I.Kosov-A.Smirnov, St Ra6 18.a3 Nb6 was quite equal in V. Petersburg 2007, and now Bxf5! Smyslov-R.J.Fischer, Rovinj/Zagreb 21.Qe3 Qa6 22.Nxf5+ Nxf5 23.Qe4 1970 ) 14...Nd7 15.c3 bxc3 16.bxc3 Nexg3+ 24.hxg3 Nxg3+ 25.fxg3 Qb6 17.Rc1 Rec8 18.g4 Qa6 19.h4 Rxf1+ 26.Bxf1 Qxf1+ 27.Kh2 Rf8 e6 20.h5 Rb6 21.g5 Rcb8 22.f5 28.Rb1 Rf5 29.Rb7+ leads to a draw Nde5 23.fxe6 fxe6?! ( 23...Qxd3! by perpetual check. ] 24.exf7+ Kf8 is better ) 24.h6 Bf8 10.0-0 a5 43

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ After 10...Nge7 , White again plays 11.Bh6 0-0 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 , when 13.Nh4 ( or 13.Ne3 f5 14.exf5 gxf5 15.Nc4 e4 , La.Hansen-J.Rowson, Copenhagen 1996, and here 16.dxe4 fxe4 17.Nh4 d5 18.Ne3 Ne5 19.Rad1 Bb7 20.Qe2 remains unclear ) 13...Nd4 14.Ne3 g5 15.Nf3 Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 f5 17.exf5 Nxf5 18.Nxf5+ Bxf5 19.Bg2 h6 20.b3 a5 21.a3 offers mutual chances, A.Krapivin-V.Gagarin, Moscow 2010. ] [ Another option is 10...h6 , which prevents Bh6, but then Black will be unable to castle kingside because of the now vulnerable pawn on h6. All the same, after 11.a3 a5 12.c3 ( or 12.axb4 axb4 13.b3 Nf6 14.h3 Nd4 15.Bxd4 cxd4 16.Nb2 0-0 17.Ra4 and White has some measure of initiative to work with ) 12...bxc3 13.bxc3 Nge7 14.h3 Qb6 15.Ra2 Be6 16.Rb2 Bb3 17.Nh2!? ( 17.c4 and 18 Nc3 looks better for White ) 17...a4 18.f4 exf4 19.gxf4 f5 20.exf5 gxf5 21.Bf2 0-0 , Black had a rather comfortable position, C. Renner-L.Milov, Nuremberg 2010. ] 11.c3 [ Our main proponent for White in this line, GM Alexander Krapivin, once tried 11.Nh4 h6 12.Nf3 , which is an odd idea. Even if White is pleased to see ...h7-h6, it hardly seems worth giving Black this move plus another one for free. A.Krapivin-E.Bareev, Moscow 2010, continued Be6 13.c3 ( 13.b3!? might be best here ) 13...Nf6 14.h3 Qd7 15.Kh2 c4 ( 15...bxc3 16.bxc3 c4!? also looks promising for Black ) 16.Ne1 h5!? 17.d4 d5 18.f3 0-0 19.dxe5 Nxe5 20.f4 Nc6 21.f5 gxf5 22.exf5 ( or 22.exd5 Bxd5 23.Bh6 Bxg2 24.Qg5 Ng4+! 25.hxg4

f6 with a clear advantage for Black ) 22...Bxf5 and White was without compensation for the pawn. ] 11...a4 Black ploughs ahead on the queenside, not worrying about White impending pawn break in the centre. [ The normal 11...Nge7 12.Bh6 0-0 is still possible: 13.d4 ( 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Ne3 is probably better, if less combative ) 13...bxc3 14.bxc3 cxd4 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.cxd4 Bg4 17.d5 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 Nd4 19.Bg2 Rb4 ( here 19...Qb6!? 20.Ne3 Rfc8 looks promising for Black, since the knight on d4 is a monster ) 20.Rc1 Qb6 21.Kh1 Rc8 22.Rxc8 Nxc8 23.f4 and the chances are about even, A.Krapivin-I.Ivakhinova, Russian Team Championship 2010. ] 12.d4 bxc3 13.bxc3 exd4 14.cxd4 Bg4 15.e5 cxd4 QUESTION: It seems like Black is playing with fire, well behind in development, yet opening the centre. Am I the only one to think this is dangerous? ANSWER: No, Black is definitely pushing the envelope, and his latest move may be a bit too much. [ In fact, 15...Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Nxd4 17.Bxd4 cxd4 18.Qxd4 Bxe5 19.Qxa4+ Kf8 20.Rc1 Kg7 seems playable, although I feel that White must be better with the passed a-pawn, more coordinated pieces, as well as a temporary lead in development. ] 16.Nxd4?! This involves an interesting exchange sacrifice but is probably not White's best. [ Instead, White should consider 16.Bg5!? Qd7 ( or 16...Nge7 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Qxd4 Be6 19.Qxa4+ Qd7 20.Qxd7+ Kxd7 21.Bf6 Bxf6 22.exf6 Ng8 23.Ne3 Nxf6 24.a4 and White is better in the 44

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen endgame ) 17.exd6 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 Ne5 19.Bg2 h6 ( or 19...Qxd6 20.f4 ) 20.Bf4 Qxd6 21.Re1 Ne7 22.Nb2 , when Black is clearly having troubles. ] 16...Nxd4 17.Qxd4 Bxe5 18.Qxg4 Bxa1 19.Ba7 Rc8 20.Ne3 Be5 21.f4?! [ The critical move is 21.Qxa4+ Qd7 22.Qxd7+ Kxd7 23.Bh3+ f5 24.Nxf5 gxf5 ( or 24...Rc7 25.Nd4+ Ke7 26.Nb5 Rc6 27.Be3 and White has an excellent game despite being the exchange down ) 25.Bxf5+ Kd8 26.Bb6+ Rc7 27.f4 Bg7 28.Re1 intending Re4; ( not 28.Rc1?? Bd4+! and wins ) 28...d5 29.Kf1 Nh6 30.Bh3 Bf8 31.Rd1 Bd6 32.Rxd5 Nf7 33.a4 and White's pawns weigh heavier than Black's extra piece. ] 21...Nh6 22.Qh3 QUESTION: This looks suspect too; why would White put his queen on this ugly square? ANSWER: I think it is a matter of not having a satisfactory alternative; [ e.g. 22.Qe2 Qa5 23.fxe5 Qxa7 24.Kh1 0-0 25.Nd5 Qd4 26.Ne7+ Kg7 27.Nxc8 Rxc8 28.e6 Qe5 29.Qxe5+ dxe5 30.exf7 Nxf7 31.Rd1 and even if White is not necessarily losing, it is not going to be a lot of fun trying to save the game. ] 22...Bg7 23.Nd5 Rc2? [ The straightforward 23...f5 gives Black excellent winning chances; e.g. 24.Re1+ Kf7 25.Re7+ Qxe7 26.Nxe7 Kxe7 27.g4 Rc1+ 28.Bf1 Nxg4 29.Qf3 Rhc8 with a large material advantage. ] 24.Re1+ Kf8 This is the starting point for a series of serious errors from both sides, for which we'll have to assume mutual time trouble. 25.Be4? [ White should have played 25.Rb1

Rc8 26.Bf2 Nf5 27.g4 Nd4 28.Qd3 Ne6 29.Qd1 Rb8 30.Rxb8 Qxb8 31.f5 gxf5 32.gxf5 with full compensation for the exchange, if no more than that. ] 25...Rc4? [ Black could have secured a large advantage with 25...Rxa2 26.Bb6 Qe8 27.Nc7 Qb8 28.Nd5 f5 29.Bf3 Nf7 , when he has the situation under control and can focus on consolidating his material advantage. ] 26.Bd3?? An even bigger mistake. [ He should have played 26.Bf2 Qc8 27.Qh4 Rc1 28.Rxc1 Qxc1+ 29.Kg2 f6 30.Qh3 Nf5 31.Bxf5 Qc4 32.Ne3 Qc6+ 33.Kg1 gxf5 34.Qxf5 and Black's awkwardly placed pieces provide White with adequate compensation. ] 26...Qc8?? [ This time Black could have secured a decisive advantage with 26...Qa5 27.Bxc4 Qxe1+ 28.Qf1 Qxf1+ 29.Kxf1 Nf5 , followed by ...Bd4, ... Ne7, ...Kg7 and so on. ] 27.Qh4 Rc7? Another mistake. [ Instead, after 27...Rc1 28.Qe7+ Kg8 29.Rxc1 Qxc1+ 30.Bf1 Qc8 31.Nf6+ Bxf6 32.Qxf6 Qe6 33.Bd4 Qxf6 34.Bxf6 Ng4 35.Bxh8 Kxh8 36.a3 , followed by Bb5, White has won the exchange back and should be in okay shape to hold the draw. ] 28.Nb6? Giving Black yet another chance. [ Simply 28.Nxc7 Qxc7 29.Be3 leaves White with more than enough for the pawn. ] 28...Bd4+ 29.Kf1 Qb7?? The final blunder. [ 29...Qg4 keeps Black in the game; e. g. 30.Qxg4 Nxg4 31.Nd7+ Rxd7 32.Bxd4 Rg8 33.h3 Ne5! 34.fxe5 45

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen dxe5 35.Bc5+ Kg7 with a probable draw. ] 30.Nd7+ Rxd7 31.Bxd4 Qf3+ [ Or 31...Qh1+ 32.Kf2 Ng4+ 33.Qxg4 Qxh2+ 34.Kf3 Qd2 35.Qxd7 Qxd3+ 36.Be3 Qd5+ 37.Kf2 and White is winning. ] 32.Kg1 Ng4 [ Or 32...Ng8 33.Bxh8 Qxd3 34.Qxh7 and it is rapidly all over for Black. ] 33.Be4 Qa3 EXERCISE: What is White's fastest win? 34.Qxg4?! Two bishops versus Black's useless king's rook are more than enough for White, but he had a stronger move. [ ANSWER: 34.Rb1! ends the game immediately. ] 34...Qb4 35.Qd1 Rg8 36.Bf6 d5 37.Bg2 Qb6+ 38.Bd4 Qb4 39.a3 Qc4 40.Bf1 Qc6 41.Qe2 f6? Preventing White's next was essential, even if the result is no longer in doubt. 42.Qe8+ Kg7 43.Re7+ Rxe7 44.Qxc6 1-0 B26 Adams,Mi Anand,V 16: Dortmund [Carsten Hansen]

1998

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Rb8 7.Qd2 b5 8.Nge2 Nd4 Exactly the right time to play this move; i.e. with White's minor pieces on c3, e2 and e3. Now White will not be able to play Bh6 without having addressed the c2-pawn. [ The immediate 8...b4 , at least where Black does not follow up with ... Nd4, is considered in the next game. ] 9.0-0 b4

[ Here 9...e6 is a significant alternative, especially since it can arrive via the 6...e6 7 Qd2 Rb8 move order. Mostly this will transpose to our main line after ...b5-b4, but Black can opt to hold that back or even omit it altogether. For example, 10.Nd1 ( or 10.Nc1 first ) 10...Ne7 11.Nc1 ( White doesn't get anything from 11.c3 Nxe2+ 12.Qxe2 0-0; nor 11.Nxd4 cxd4 12.Bh6 0-0 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.f4 f6 15.Bh3 e5 16.Nf2 Bxh3 17.Nxh3 and a draw was agreed in B.Spassky-L.Portisch, 11th matchgame, Mexico 1980, since after Qd7 and 18...Rbc8, Black has little to worry about ) 11...h5 ( 11...b4 still transposes below ) 12.c3 Ndc6 13.Ne2 ( the obvious 13.d4 cxd4 14.cxd4 0-0 is fine for Black ) 13...b4 14.f4 bxc3 15.bxc3 Qa5 16.Rc1 d5 17.f5 gxf5 18.exd5 Nxd5 19.Bxd5?! ( 19.Bf4 is better ) 19...exd5 20.Bg5 d4 21.Qf4 Qxa2 22.Re1 0-0 and Black is doing well, R.TischbierekKi.Georgiev, European Championship, Ohrid 2001. ] [ Another idea is 9...h5 , which has some independent lines (i.e. without ... b5-b4) as well. For example, 10.b4!? ( for 10.h4 b4 11.Nd1 see 10...h5 11 h4 below; while after 10.Nd1 h4 11.c3 Nxe2+ 12.Qxe2 hxg3 13.fxg3 Be6 14.Nf2 Nf6 15.Rfd1 Qc8 16.Bf3 d5 17.Bg5 dxe4 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Qxe4 Qd7 , the chances are about even, M.Iskandarov-B. Dastan, Turkish League 2014 ) 10...a5 ( after 10...Nxe2+ 11.Nxe2 Bxa1 12.Rxa1 cxb4 13.Bxa7 Ra8 , White has reasonable compensation for the exchange ) 11.bxc5 dxc5 12.Rab1 Bd7 13.e5 Bxe5 14.Ne4 Bg4 15.f3 Bf5 16.f4 Bg7 17.Nxc5 Nh6 18.Nxd4 Bxd4 19.Nb3 ( here 46

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 19.Bxd4!? Qxd4+ 20.Qf2 Qd6 21.h3 leaves White with the upper hand ) 19...Bxe3+ 20.Qxe3 Rc8 21.Qd4 0-0 with chances for both sides, Mi. Adams-V.Ivanchuk, Linares 1999. ] 10.Nd1 Nxe2+!? QUESTION: Why does Black give up his strong knight unprovoked? ANSWER: It is true that he might wait for c2-c3, but one of White's main plans is to prepare this move with Nc1, after which the d4-knight will have to retreat again. So the immediate exchange is not illogical; the danger is of the game opening up while Black remains very much undeveloped. [ Black has tried numerous other moves: a) 10...a5 11.c3 ( here 11.Nc1 Nf6 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 Nc6 14.Bh6 0-0 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Ne2 Ba6 17.f4 Rb6 18.Rc1 Qd7 is fine for Black, E.Grosse Klِnne-A.Huhndorf, German League 2002 ) 11...Nxe2+ 12.Qxe2 Ba6 13.Re1?! ( commencing kingside action with 13.f4 seems a more logical way to proceed ) 13...Nf6 14.f4 0-0 15.Nf2 a4 ( 15...bxc3 16.bxc3 a4 17.Qc2 Qa5 18.Bd2 is about even ) 16.c4! Nd7 ( 16...a3?! 17.b3 leaves Black with without targets on the queenside and White full of opportunities on the kingside ) 17.Rab1 b3! (fixing the b2-pawn as a long-term weakness) 18.a3 Rc8 19.h4 Nb8 20.f5 Nc6 with chances for both sides, L.Yudasin-B.Gelfand, Munich 1991. ] [ b) 10...Bg4 11.f3 Bd7 12.Nc1 Ba4!? (an interesting way to interfere with White's plan) 13.Nb3 ( now 13.c3?! bxc3 14.bxc3 Nc2 15.Ne2 Nxe3 16.Qxe3 Bd7 is good for Black ) 13...Qc7 14.f4 Nh6 15.h3 f5

16.Bf2 0-0 17.Ne3 e6 18.Kh2 Bc6 19.Bg1 Kh8 20.Rae1 Ng8 21.Nc1?! returning to his original plan; ( instead, 21.exf5!? Bxg2 22.Nxd4 Bxd4 23.Qxg2 exf5 24.Nd5 might give White a little something ) 21...fxe4 22.dxe4 Nf6 23.Nd1 Bb5 24.Rf2 e5 25.c3 exf4 26.gxf4? ( 26.cxd4 fxg3+ 27.Kxg3 cxd4 28.Kh2! d5+ 29.Kh1 just about keeps White in the game ) 26...Ne6 27.f5? Nh5 28.Bf3? Be5+ and Black won quickly, A.Ledger-V. Neverov, Port Erin 2002. ] [ c) 10...h5 is a surprisingly valid option, despite Black being significantly behind in development: 11.h4 ( after 11.h3 Nh6 12.f4 f5 13.Nc1 h4 14.gxh4 Nf7 15.c3 bxc3 16.bxc3 Ne6 , Black had a decent position and eventually won in M. Narciso Dublan-R.Aloma Vidal, Barcelona 2014 ) 11...e5 ( or 11...e6 12.Nc1 Ne7 13.a3 a5 14.axb4 axb4 15.c3 bxc3 16.bxc3 Ndc6 17.d4 cxd4 18.cxd4 0-0 19.Ne2 d5 with roughly equal chances, S.B. Hansen-F.Handke, Hamburg 2002 ) 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe2+ 14.Qxe2 Ne7 15.f4 Bg4 16.Qd2 Qa5 17.Rc1 0-0 18.f5! (White starts the kingside attack, readying himself to throw a couple of pawns on the fire) gxf5 19.Bh6 f6 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.Ne3! fxe4 22.Nxg4 hxg4 23.Qe2! exd3 24.Qxg4+ Kh8 25.Qh5+ Kg7 26.Be4 Rf7 27.Bxd3 Qxa2? ( Black should have played 27...Kg8 28.Qg4+ Kh8 29.Qe6 Rbf8 30.Qxd6 Qxa2 31.Rce1 Rg7 32.Rf3 Qd5 33.Qxd5 Nxd5 , when White's initiative is worth the pawn but no more than that ) 28.Rb1 Rb6 29.Qh7+ Kf8 30.Qh8+ Ng8 , was Mi.Adams-M.Illescas Cordoba, Madrid 1998, and now 47

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 31.Bg6 would have crowned White's attack; e.g. Qd2 32.Bxf7 Kxf7 33.Ra1 a6 34.Qh7+ Kf8 35.Rfb1 Qxc3 36.Rxb6 , when White faces a barrage of checks but eventually gets away: Qxg3+ 37.Kf1 Qf3+ 38.Ke1 Qe3+ 39.Kd1 Qf3+ 40.Kd2 Qf2+ 41.Kc3 Qd4+ 42.Kc2 Qf2+ 43.Kb1 Qe1+ 44.Kb2 Qd2+ 45.Qc2 Qd4+ 46.Kb1 Qg1+ 47.Ka2 and that's it. ] [ d) 10...e5 11.Nc1 ( after 11.c3 bxc3 12.bxc3 Nxe2+ 13.Qxe2 Ne7 14.f4 exf4! and 15...0-0, Black has no problems; but now that he has closed the long diagonal, 11.b3!? is not a bad idea; e.g. Ne7 12.Nxd4 cxd4 13.Bh6 0-0 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.a3 and I slightly prefer White's chances, although this is by no means a scientific evaluation ) 11...Nf6 ( or 11...Ne7 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 Ne6 14.Bh6 0-0 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Ne2 f5 17.f4 exf4 18.Nxf4 Nxf4 19.Rxf4 fxe4 20.Rxf8 Qxf8 21.dxe4 Nc6 22.Ne3 Ne5 with a more-or-less equal position, J.Houska-B.Lalic, British League 2004 ) 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 Ne6 14.h3 Nh5!? (an interesting way to prevent f2-f4) 15.Nb3 0-0 16.Bh6 f5 17.exf5 gxf5 18.Bxg7 Nhxg7 19.f4? (obviously concerned about ...f5-f4, White pushes his own f-pawn forward, but this is a big mistake) exf4 20.gxf4 Nh5 21.Bd5 Kh8 22.Bxe6 Bxe6 23.Kh2 Rg8 24.Qf2 Qf6 25.Ne3 a5! 26.Rac1 a4 27.Na5 Qh6 28.Nc6 Rbe8 29.Qh4 was M.Narciso DublanH.Hamdouchi, Arinsal 2011, and here Bd7 30.Ne7 Rxe7! 31.Qxe7 Nxf4 32.Rf3 Nxh3! 33.Qxh7+ ( or 33.Rxh3 Qf4+ 34.Kh1 Bc6+ ) 33...Qxh7 34.Rxh3 Qxh3+ 35.Kxh3 f4+ would have won a piece and surely the game for Black. ]

[ e) 10...e6 is Black's most popular move, which again can arrive via a 6... e6 7 Qd2 Rb8 move order. Here White has tried: A) 11.f4 Ne7 12.g4 f5 13.gxf5 ( or 13.h3 0-0 14.Ng3 Qa5 15.Bf2 fxe4 16.dxe4 Ba6 17.Re1 Nec6 and Black is already much better, A.Krapivin-S.Azarov, Moscow 2010 ) 13...exf5 14.Ng3 Qa5!? ( or just 14...0-0 15.c3 bxc3 16.bxc3 Ne6 with a good position ) 15.e5? ( it may be best to allow the trick 15.c3 Nb3! , when 16.axb3 Qxa1 17.d4 offers White some compensation for the exchange ) 15...dxe5 16.fxe5 0-0 17.c3 bxc3 18.bxc3 Ne6 19.Bh6 was played in G.Huber-S.Kudrin, Las Vegas 1997, and now after Bxh6 20.Qxh6 Qc7! , White has a hard time keeping his position together.; B) 11.Nf4 Ne7 12.Nh3 (otherwise the knight is just in the way) e5 13.f3?! ( 13.f4 makes more sense ) 13...0-0 14.c3 Ndc6 15.Bh6 d5 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Qf2 bxc3 18.Nxc3 Nb4 19.Rfd1 Ba6 20.Bf1 d4 is quite comfortable for Black, G. Kjartansson-H.Stefansson, Icelandic League 2010.; C) 11.Nc1 Ne7 ( or 11...Qa5 12.a3 Qa4 13.b3 ) 12.a3 ( or 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 Ndc6 14.Bh6 0-0 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Ne3 Bb7 17.Nb3 a5 18.a4 Ba6 19.Rfb1 Qb6 and Black has equalized, L. Ljubojevic-G.Tringov, Lucerne Olympiad 1982 ) 12...a5 ( Black can consider 12...b3!? 13.Bxd4 cxd4 14.Nxb3 Qc7 with reasonable compensation for the pawn ) 13.axb4 axb4 14.c3 bxc3 15.bxc3 Ndc6 16.Bh6 0-0 48

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Ne3 d5 19.Qc2 d4 20.Nc4 e5?! ( 20...dxc3 21.Qxc3+ Qd4 improves this for Black, I.Ivanisevic-M.Perunovic, Yugoslav Championship, Subotica 2000 ) 21.Nb3 dxc3 22.Qxc3 Nd4 23.Nxd4 cxd4 24.Qa3 and White has the initiative, B.Spassky-L. Portisch, Mexico (14th matchgame) 1980. ] 11.Qxe2 Nf6 Accelerating his development, but the knight is vulnerable here to attacks with e4-e5, as we will see. 12.a3! Playing to open the game at once. [ 12.h3 0-0 13.Qd2 a5 14.f4 ( or 14.Bh6 d5 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.e5 Nd7 17.f4 d4 18.Nf2 Nb6 19.Ne4 Qc7 20.Rae1 Nd5 and Black has the better chances, U.Arat-N.Djukic, Skopje 2012 ) 14...a4 15.a3 b3 16.c3 Bb7 17.f5 d5 18.e5 d4 19.cxd4?! ( 19.exf6 dxe3 20.Nxe3 is preferable ) 19...cxd4 20.Bh6 , was M.Jorquera Cahuin-M.Golubev, Dos Hermanas (blitz) 2004, and now after Nd7! 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.Bxb7 Rxb7 23.Qf4 Rb5 , it's not clear how White continues. ] 12...a5!? Maintaining the pawn chain. [ 12...bxa3 13.Rxa3 Qc7 14.b3 is somewhat better for White ] [ while closing the queenside with 12...b3 13.c3 , even if objectively the safest option, is not at all what Black had in mind and leaves White with all the long-term prospects. ] 13.axb4 cxb4? [ QUESTION: Why is Black not recapturing with the a-pawn? ANSWER: In this case there is a very concrete answer to that question: 13...axb4 is met by 14.e5! Ng4 ( after 14...dxe5 15.Bxc5 0-0 16.Qxe5 Nd7 17.Qxe7 Nxc5

18.Qxc5 , Black's compensation is hardly enough to make up for two pawns ) 15.exd6 Qxd6 16.Bg5 ( or just 16.Bf4 e5 ) 16...h6 17.Bf4 e5 18.Bd2 0-0 19.h3 Nf6 20.Ne3 and while Black's position may seem tenable, it is somewhat overextended and White has the better chances. This was tested in M.Narciso DublanA.Dreev, Barcelona 2009, and it required all Black's ingenuity to extricate himself: b3! 21.Nc4 Qe6 22.Ra5 bxc2 23.Rxc5 e4! 24.Rc1 Ba6! 25.Rxc2 Nd7 26.Rc7 exd3 27.Qxe6 fxe6 28.Rc1 Bxc4 29.Rxd7 Bb5 eventually led to a draw. ] 14.Bd2?! [ QUESTION: What about 14 e5 now? Couldn't White have won material? ANSWER: Yes, he could! In fact, in 'Chess Informant' Adams gave his own move a full question mark, together with the line 14.e5! (K.Bischoff) dxe5 15.Ba7 A) 15...Rb7 16.Bxb7 Bxb7 17.Qxe5 0-0 18.Qxa5 Qd7 19.Ne3 , which he assessed as clearly better for White. So perhaps he didn't reject 14 e5 so much as simply not see it.; B) 'ChessBase Magazine' featured an attempt to justify Black's play with 15...Bg4 16.Bc6+ ( or 16.f3 Ra8 ) 16...Kf8 17.f3 Rc8 18.Qxe5 and Black's queenside pawns are going to drop off.; C) 15...Nd7 16.Bxb8 Nxb8 17.Qe4 looks plain bad for Black. ] QUESTION: So instead of winning material White plays a weirdly passive move? ANSWER: I agree it looks a little odd, but there is a concrete positional idea behind it: White wants to continue Ne3c4 and then double the rooks on the a49

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen file with R1a2 and Rfa1, targeting Black's soft a-pawn. 14...Nd7 Uncovering an attack on b2, while heading round to influence play on the queenside light squares a4, b3 and d3. Adams disliked his position so much by this stage that he added a "clear advantage for Black" symbol, but it is perhaps not as bad as he thought. 15.Ra2 0-0 16.Ne3 Nc5 17.b3 Correctly postponing his plan for the moment. [ 17.Nc4 Be6 ( 17...a4 18.Be3 Ba6 19.e5!? is not so bad ) 18.b3 a4 19.bxa4 b3 20.cxb3 Rxb3 looks pleasant for Black ] [ while 17.Rfa1 is met by a4 18.Nd5 ( or 18.Nc4 Be6! ) 18...b3 ( 18...a3!? is good too ) 19.cxb3 Nxb3 20.Rd1 Nxd2 21.Qxd2 Bd7 22.d4 e6 23.Nc3 Qa5 and Black's position is very favourable. ] 17...Ba6 18.Nc4 a4 19.bxa4 b3 20.Ra3! Adams is noted for his resilient defence, and he shows that here. [ Not 20.cxb3? Rxb3 , which is even better for Black than the 17 Nc4 line above. ] 20...Bxc4 Black decides to cash in on his position pressure and win the exchange. [ The alternative is 20...bxc2!? , after which White needs to be very careful. A) Adams' intended 21.Be3? Qc8 22.Bxc5 in fact runs into Bxc4! (Bangiev) 23.Be3 ( 23.dxc4 Rb2 24.Rc1 Qxc5 25.Rf3 Qb4 wins for Black ) 23...Be6 24.Bc1 Qc5 and White is in severe trouble if not already lost.; B) Instead, he would have to find 21.Bc3! Nxd3 22.Qxd3 Qc8 23.Qxc2 Qxc4 24.Rfa1 Qc5 ( or 24...Rfc8 25.Bf1 ) 25.Qd2 Rfc8

26.Bxg7 Kxg7 27.a5 , when White looks to have extricated himself more-or-less satisfactorily. ] 21.dxc4 Bb2 22.Rxb3 Nxb3 23.cxb3 Rxb3 24.Rb1 Qc7? A strange oversight, which gives the exchange back for nothing and leaves Black a pawn down. [ Instead, 24...Rb8 keeps the extra material, though after 25.Be3 and 26 Rb5, it's not easy to see how Black will make progress. There are no open lines for his rooks, while White's queenside pawns are easily defended, and could even become dangerous if left to themselves. White may in fact be completely okay here. ] 25.Bc1! Bxc1 26.Rxb3 Rb8 Black aims for a queen and oppositecoloured bishop endgame. [ Leaving the rooks on makes it more difficult for Black to coordinate his pieces; e.g. after 26...Ra8 27.Qa2 Ra5 28.Rb5 Qa7 29.Qa1! Bh6 30.Qb2 ] [ or 26...Rc8 27.Bf1 Ra8 28.Qc2 Bg5 29.Rb5 Bf6 30.c5 , White seems to be making good progress on the queenside. ] 27.Rxb8+ [ Not 27.Rb5?! Ba3! 28.Qa2 Bc5 29.a5 e5 and Black has a solid blockade on the dark squares. ] 27...Qxb8 28.c5! QUESTION: Why does White throw this pawn away so randomly? ANSWER: It is not random at all. In opposite-coloured bishop endgames, the rules are a bit different than in normal bishop endgames. What matters is how and where they can participate. Here it is clear that Black wants his bishop on c5, where it sets up a firm blockade. [ For instance, after 28.a5 Ba3 50

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 29.Qa2 Bc5 , White's a-pawn is going nowhere and the c-pawn may as well not be on the board at all; so he jettisons it in order to disrupt Black's defences. ] 28...dxc5 29.a5 Bb2 30.a6 Bd4 31.Bf1 c4! Touché. [ Black returns the pawn in order to clear the a7-g1 diagonal. With a pawn on c5 the bishop is protected on d4, but it cannot coordinate with the queen, nor assist in the defence against the a-pawn; e.g. 31...Kg7 32.Qa2 ( 32.Qb5 Qxb5 33.Bxb5 c4 34.Bxc4 e5 is similar to the next note ) 32...Qa7 33.Bc4 e6 34.Qb3 leaves Black with a long defence ahead, even if the chances of it being successful are pretty good. ] 32.Qxc4 Qb2 33.Qe2 Qc3 [ QUESTION: Hold on, why didn't Black exchange queens? Isn't the opposite-coloured bishop endgame drawn? ANSWER: It certainly looks that way to me. After 33...Qxe2 34.Bxe2 e5 , I find it hard to see how White can get anywhere. But of course both players here are world-class grandmasters, so if they felt White had more chances in the bishop endgame, it is difficult to argue with them. ] 34.Kg2 Bb6 35.Qa2 Qd4 With the battery against f2 now restricting White's forces, Black should be able to defend. 36.Qc2 e6 37.Bb5 h6 38.Qe2 Qc5 39.Qb2 g5!? A rather startling idea from Anand. By advancing his g-pawn he hopes to restrict White even further, albeit at the cost of weakening his own king position. Both Adams and Bangiev (in ChessBase Magazine) called the text move a mistake, but that is difficult to

assess accurately. I think Black still has excellent chances to save the draw. 40.Bd3 g4 41.Qf6 h5 42.Qf4 Kf8 43.e5 Qd5+ 44.Be4 Qd4 45.Qh6+ Ke7 46.Qf6+ Kf8 47.Bc6 Kg8 48.h4 With the threat of Be8. [ The immediate 48.Be8? only looks attractive until we notice that Qe4+ leads to perpetual check. ] 48...gxh3+? This seems so logical, but it turns out to be the losing mistake. [ Black should have sat tight with 48...Qc4 49.Be8 Qc7 50.Kh2 Ba7! , when I don't see how White can make any progress; e.g. 51.Qf4 Kf8 52.Ba4 Qb6 (renewing the pressure on White's f2-pawn) 53.Kg1 Qa5 54.Bc2!? Qxa6 55.Bg6 Qb7 56.Bxh5 Qf3 57.Qxf3 gxf3 58.Bxf3 Bd4 with a fairly easy draw. ] 49.Kxh3 Qa1 [ Unfortunately, 49...Qxf2 50.Qxf2 Bxf2 is no good since the bishop endgame is now lost for Black: 51.Kh4 Kg7 52.Kxh5 f6 (otherwise White wins by g4-g5, Be8, Bxf7! and Kh6 etc) 53.exf6+ Kxf6 54.g4 Bb6 55.g5+ Kg7 56.Be4 (Bangiev), followed by 57 g6, after which the king marches over to the queenside. ] 50.Kg2 Qc1 [ After 50...Qxa6 , White sets up a mating net: 51.Qg5+ Kf8 52.Qxh5 Kg7 53.Qg5+ Kf8 54.Qh6+ Kg8 55.Be4! Qa7 56.Qh7+ Kf8 57.Qh8+ Ke7 58.Bc6 and the threat of mate on e8 forces Black to gives up his queen. ] [ Nor is 50...Qb1 51.Be8 Qh7 ultimately any better; e.g. 52.Kh3 (intending Kh4, Bxf7+ etc) Kf8 53.Bd7 h4 54.Bxe6 hxg3+ 55.Kxg3 Qg7+ 56.Qxg7+ Kxg7 57.Bxf7 Kxf7 58.f3! and wins. ] 51.Bf3 h4 52.gxh4 Qc5 53.Bh5 Qc6+ 51

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 54.Qf3 Qc7 55.Qb7 Qxb7+ 56.axb7 Bc7 57.f4 1-0

as seen in M.Narciso Dublan-L.Rojas Keim, Vallfogona de Balaguer 2013, and now 21.h4 promises White the marginally better chances. ] [ c) 9...h5!? 10.h3 ( not 10.h4?! B26 Nf6! ) 10...h4!? 11.g4 e5 12.0-0 Narciso Dublan,M Bxg4!? 13.hxg4 h3 14.Bh1 h2+ Barbot,Pi 15.Kg2 Qh4 16.f3 f5 17.exf5 17: Andorra 2014 ( 17.Bg5! Qh3+ 18.Kf2 looks critical ) [Carsten Hansen] 17...gxf5 18.Ng3 Qh3+ 19.Kf2 f4 20.Nf5 fxe3+ 21.Ndxe3 Bf6 22.Bg2 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Qh7 23.Nxd6+ Kd7 24.Ne4 Qh4+ Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Rb8 7.Qd2 b5 25.Ng3?? ( 25.Ke2 Nd4+ 26.Kd1 8.Nge2 b4 The most consistent move, h1Q 27.Bxh1 Qxh1 28.c3 driving the white knight away and was necessary ) 25...Qxg3+ 26.Kxg3 increasing Black's control of the long Bh4+ 27.Kxh2 Be1+ 28.Bh3 Bxd2 diagonal before getting on with and Black was rewarded for his development. Note that a subsequent ... enterprising play, J.Garcia Padron-I. Nd4 will usually transpose to lines Teran Alvarez, Spanish League examined the previous game, so here 1993. ] we'll look only at variations where Black 10.0-0 Nge7 refrains from, or at least defers, that [ Just to reiterate the point, 10...Nd4 knight move. would transpose to the previous game 9.Nd1 e5 (see the note with 10...e5). ] [ Black has also tried: 11.Bh6 0-0 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.Ne3 a) 9...e6 10.0-0 Nge7 ( for 10...Nd4 [ Another possibility is 13.a3 a5 see 10...e6 in the previous game ) 14.axb4 axb4 15.c3?! ( 15.Ne3 11.Bh6 0-0 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.Ne3 at once seems better, as in the main and here stronger players (such as game ) 15...Be6 16.f4 f6 17.Ne3 Shabalov and Timoshenko) have Na5 18.Rad1 Qb6 19.Kh1 Bb3 tended to favour e5!? , which seems 20.Rde1 Ba4 21.Nd5 ( 21.fxe5 fxe5 like an odd choice given that we 22.Rxf8 Rxf8 23.Nc1 is the lesser reach the same position in our main evil, but certainly does not represent game with Black to move. Still, the a problem for Black ) 21...Nxd5 position is of course a Closed one. ] 22.exd5 was seen in E.Bricard-O. [ b) 9...Nf6 10.Bh6 ( for 10.h3 Foisor, Saint Affrique 1999, and now see 7 Nge2 Nf6 in the notes to Game Nb3 23.Qe3 c4! 24.Qxb6 Rxb6 13 ) 10...Bxh6 ( or 10...0-0 11.Bxg7 25.dxc4 Rc8 would have given Black Kxg7 12.0-0 Qc7 13.Ne3 Nd4 14.f4 a strong initiative in the endgame. ] Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2 with the initiative, M. 13...Be6 Narciso Dublan-V.Gandrud, Andorra [ Or 13...Bd7 14.f4 f6 15.h3 ( simply 2014 ) 11.Qxh6 Bg4 12.f3 Bd7 15.Rf2 looks better, followed by either 13.0-0 e6 14.Qd2 e5 15.Ne3 0-0 Raf1 or a2-a3; e.g. Qb6 16.a3 bxa3 16.f4 Nd4 17.fxe5 Nxe2+ 18.Qxe2 and now 17.b3! leaves White with the dxe5 19.Rf2 Be6 20.Raf1 Nd7 upper hand ) 15...Nd4 16.Nc1 a5 52

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 17.c3 Ndc6 18.Nd5 ( 18.Ne2 is more flexible ) 18...Nxd5 19.exd5 bxc3 20.bxc3 Ne7 21.fxe5 fxe5 22.Rxf8 Qxf8 23.Ne2 and chances are more or less equal, although I think I would prefer Black, G.LetayV.Loginov, Budapest 1993. ] 14.f4 exf4 [ Black more usually defends with 14...f6 in these positions. Presumably he didn't like the possibility of 15.f5!? with a definite initiative, but White gets that in the game anyway. ] 15.Rxf4 Qd7 16.Raf1 [ White doesn't achieve much with 16.d4 cxd4 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Qxd4+ Kg8 . ] EXERCISE: What is Black's best move? In particular, calculate the consequences of 16...d5. 16...d5?? This natural-looking break is actually a blunder. [ ANSWER: The best move is 16...Ne5 and then: A) 17.d4 cxd4 18.Nxd4 ( 18.Qxd4 ) 18...N7c6 19.Nef5+! (critical) Kg8 ( not 19...gxf5? 20.exf5 Nxd4 21.Rxd4 Bxf5 22.Rxd6 Qc8 23.Qg5+ Bg6 24.Qxe5+ , and White is clearly better ) 20.Nxc6 Nxc6 21.Rh4 f6 22.b3 and now simply a5 keeps the balance. Note that White cannot take the d-pawn: after 23.Nxd6!? ( 23.Qxd6?? loses to Bxf5 ) 23...Ne5! 24.Nc4 Qxd2 25.Nxd2 Rbc8 , Black has a big advantage.; B) 17.b3 f6 18.d4 g5! ( not now 18...cxd4? 19.Nxd4 N7c6? due to 20.Nxe6+ Qxe6 21.Nd5 Nd7 22.Bh3! Qxh3 23.Rh4 and wins ) 19.R4f2 Ng4 20.Nxg4 Bxg4 21.c3 and White has an edge, but nothing that should keep Black up

at night. ] 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Rh4! This is the refutation of Black's play. 19...Rh8 An unfortunate necessity; [ as 19...h5 is met by 20.Rxh5! gxh5 21.Qg5+ Kh7 22.Qxh5+ Kg7 23.Qg5+ Kh8 24.Rf6 and Black will have to give up the queen just to delay getting mated. ] 20.Qh6+ Kg8 21.Nf4?? With this rather routine move, White throws the entirety of his advantage on the floor. [ He should have played 21.Bxd5 Qxd5 22.Re4 and only then sent the knight forward; e.g. f5 23.Nf4 Qf7 24.Ne6 Re8 25.Nxc5 and White has picked up material while retaining the initiative. ] 21...Bxg2 22.Nxg2 On account of his weak 21st move, White has lost crucial time. Even so, I find it difficult to believe that White is not better nonetheless. 22...Re8?! The first of two mistakes in a row. This one is by no means a losing move, but it makes things more difficult for Black. [ He should have played 22...Nd4 , after which it turns out to be surprisingly difficult to exploit Black's awkward set-up with the rook on h8; e. g. 23.Re4 Re8 24.Ne3 f5 25.Rxe8+ Qxe8 26.g4 Qf8 27.Qxf8+ ( or 27.Qh3 f4 28.Nd5 Qd6 29.Nxf4 Kg7 and the rook gets out ) 27...Kxf8 28.gxf5 Kg7 29.fxg6 hxg6 30.Rf2 Re8 and it will be a long road to conversion for White. ] 23.Ne3 f5? This turns out to be another major blunder. [ Here Black should have played 23...Ne5 , when 24.Rhf4 Re6 25.g4 certainly leaves White with the better chances, but there is nothing immediately decisive on the horizon. ] 53

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen EXERCISE: How should White continue? ANSWER: 24.Nxf5! Rf8 [ The knight cannot be taken since 24...gxf5 25.Rg4+! fxg4 26.Qg5+ Qg7 27.Qd5+ leads to mate. ] 25.Ne3 Good enough, if not the best. I suspect the Spanish Grandmaster may have seen the strongest move, but played the text for practical reasons, as a safe way to the win. [ The computer solution is 25.Rhf4! Rxf5 26.Rxf5 gxf5 27.Qg5+ Kf8 ( or 27...Qg7 28.Qxf5 Nd8 29.Rf4 etc ) 28.Rxf5+ Ke8 29.Qh5+ Kd8 30.Rd5 and Black loses the queen. ] 25...Rxf1+ 26.Kxf1 Qg7 27.Qg5 Ne5 28.Re4 Qf7+ 29.Rf4 Qe6 30.Rf6 Qe8 31.Nf5 h6 32.Nxh6+ Kh7?! Losing at once; [ but 32...Kg7 33.Nf5+ Kg8 34.Rd6! Rh5 35.Rd8 Rxg5 36.Rxe8+ Kf7 37.Rxe5 gxf5 38.Rxc5 leaves White with an easily winning rook endgame. ] 33.Nf7 1-0

c1-h6 diagonal with the idea of Bh6, while leaving d2 as a retreat square for the bishop should Black send the knight to g4. [ The main move 7.h3 is examined in Games 19-22. ] [ Instead: a) 7.Qd2?! is a very common mistake, especially between lower-rated players – understandable, because the move is White's answer against basically any other move. But here it is mistaken in view of Ng4 and Black picks up the bishop; e.g. 8.Bf4 e5 9.Bg5 f6 10.Be3 0-0 11.Nge2 Nxe3 and the players agreed a draw in A.Parkanyi-T. Nikovits, Hungarian League 2003, which tells us something, since White was 180 points higher rated and still settled for half a point this soon. ] [ b) 7.f4?! is also unsatisfactory for White because of Ng4 8.Bd2 Bd4 9.Nh3 0-0 10.Qe2 , as in V.Bachin-B. Grachev, Russian Team Championship 2003, and now after Nb4 ( or 10...Bd7 11.0-0-0 b5 with the initiative ) 11.Rc1 Qb6 B26 , Black is clearly doing well. ] Narciso Dublan,M 7...Nd4 Moreno Ruiz,J [ The attack on c2 prevents White's 18: San Sebastian 2011 Bh6 for the moment, not that Black [Carsten Hansen] need fear this move particularly: a) 7...0-0 8.Bh6 Bxh6 9.Qxh6 Nd4 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 10.Qd2 e5 11.Nge2 Bh3 12.0-0 [ Black went for 2...g6 3.g3 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 d5 14.f3 Rc8 ( we'll look very briefly at the 15.Rae1 Re8 and Black obviously attempted spoiler 3.d4!? in the notes has no problems at all, M.Narciso to Game 69 ) 3...Bg7 4.Bg2 Nc6 Dublan-I.Salgado Lopez, Spanish here, which is a sensible option for Championship, Linares 2013. ] anyone with the Accelerated Dragon [ b) 7...Rb8 8.Bh6 Bxh6 9.Qxh6 Nd4 in their repertoire; i.e. after 3 Nf3 Bg7 10.Qd2 Qa5 11.Nge2 Bg4 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nxd4 Nc6. ] ( 11...Bh3!? is possible ) 12.Nxd4 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 cxd4 13.Nd5 , M.Narciso Dublan-H. Nf6 7.Qc1!? White lines up on the Delgado Ramos, Barbera del Valles 54

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 2011, and here Qxd2+ 14.Kxd2 Rc8 15.Nxf6+ exf6 is equal, despite Black's inferior pawn structure. ] [ c) 7...Ng4 8.Bd2 Nd4 , switching the moves round, is also possible but misses out on the possibility in the next note: 9.h3 Ne5 10.Nce2 ( instead, 10.Nd1 0-0 transposes to our main game; while 10.f4 Nec6 11.Nd5 e6 12.Ne3 Ne7 13.c3 Ndc6 14.g4 f5 15.gxf5 exf5 16.Ne2 0-0 offers mutual chances, R.Hawkes-K. Spraggett, Canadian Championship, Winnipeg 1986 ) 10...Qb6 11.f4 Nec6 ( or 11...Nxc2+!? 12.Qxc2 Qxb2 13.Qxb2 Nxd3+ 14.Kf1 , V.SmyslovD.Bronstein, USSR Championship, Moscow 1951, when Nxb2 15.Bc3 0-0 16.a4 Nd3 would have left Black with good compensation for the piece ) 12.c3 Nxe2 13.Nxe2 f5 14.Be3 Qa6 15.Qd2 fxe4 16.dxe4 Na5 17.Qc2 Nc4 with a pleasant position for Black, L.Pachman-D. Bronstein, Gotha 1957. All these games actually arose via 6...Nh6!? (see Game 25) 7 Qc1 Ng4 etc. ] 8.Nd1 [ White has also tried 8.Nce2 Ng4! 9.Bd2?! ( relatively best is 9.Bxd4 cxd4 10.Nf3 Qa5+ 11.Qd2 Qxd2+ 12.Nxd2 , although this position is not at all what White wants from the opening ) 9...Qb6! A) and now after 10.Nf4? c4! 11.c3? . EXERCISE: How should Black continue? A1) ANSWER: There are two ways to win: 11...Nb3! 12.axb3 ( or 12.Be3 Qxe3+! ) 12...Qxf2+ 13.Kd1 e5 14.Bh3 exf4 15.bxc4 fxg3 16.hxg3 Qxg3; A2) or 11...Ne2! 12.Ngxe2 ( or 12.Be3 Nxc1 13.Bxb6 axb6

14.Rxc1 Rxa2 ) 12...Qxf2+ 13.Kd1 cxd3 and White is completely busted in either case.; A3) Instead, C.Renner-L.D. Nisipeanu, German League 2009, continued 11...e5? 12.Nfh3 Ne6 13.dxc4? ( after 13.f3 Nc5 14.Bf1 Nxd3+ 15.Bxd3 cxd3 16.fxg4 f5 , Black merely has good compensation for the piece ) 13...Nc5 14.Qc2? Qxb2! 15.Rc1 Qxc2 16.Rxc2 Bd7 , and White resigned because the threat of ...Ba4 followed by ... Nd3 will cost him additional material.; B) Not 10.h3? Nxe2 11.Nxe2 Bxb2 12.Qd1 Bxa1 13.Qxa1 Nf6 .; C) The immediate 10.c3 is not attractive either: 10...Nxe2 11.Kxe2 f5 ( 11...Qa6!? 12.c4 b5 is also quite unpleasant for White ) 12.f3 Ne5 13.f4 Ng4 14.h3 Nf6 15.Be3?! Qa6 16.Kd2 Qc6 17.Rh2 fxe4 18.Qc2 d5 19.dxe4 Nxe4+ 20.Bxe4 dxe4 and Black has a very large advantage, A. Parkanyi-Nhat Minh To, Budapest 2010. ] 8...Ng4!? Without the dark-square tricks in the previous note, this move is less effective but it's still okay. [ Otherwise Black can play more straightforwardly: a) 8...e5 9.c3 Ne6 10.Bh6 0-0 11.Bxg7 Nxg7 12.Ne2 Be6 13.f4 Bg4 14.Qd2 Bxe2 15.Qxe2 exf4 16.gxf4 Nfh5 17.0-0 Ne6 ( 17...f5!? keeps the game going ) 18.Qg4 Nf6 19.Qf3 Nh5 20.Qg4 Nf6 and ½-½, L. Pachman-F.Olafsson, Portoroz Interzonal 1958. ] 55

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ b) 8...d5 9.c3 ( or 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.c3 Nxe3 11.Nxe3 Nf5 ) 9...Nc6 10.f3?! ( 10.f4 is preferable ) 10...d4 11.cxd4 cxd4 12.Bh6? Nb4! 13.Ke2 0-0 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Qd2 Qb6 16.a3 Nc6 17.Rc1 Na5 18.Qb4 Nb3 and Black is much better, H.SeidmanP.Benko, US Championship, New York 1959. ] 9.Bd2 0-0 10.h3 Ne5 11.f4 Nec6 [ I would prefer 11...Nd7!? 12.c3 Nc6 to the game continuation, though whether it is actually better is another question. ] 12.c3 Nb5 QUESTION: It seems like the black horses are being kicked around and sent galloping off to safer ground. Does White have the advantage, considering all those moves Black has spent with his knights? ANSWER: That is a very good question, because White does appear to be making progress. Actually, the evaluation is probably still about even. White is not better, but he is certainly not worse either. 13.Nf3 [ Here 13.Ne3!? seems preferable, preventing Black from playing ...d6d5 straight away. ] 13...f5?! The text move curtails White's ambitions on the kingside but causes some long-term structural issues. [ As just indicated, 13...d5!? is an attractive alternative. ] 14.Qc2 Nc7 15.exf5 gxf5 16.0-0 [ White should definitely consider 16.Ne3! now, keeping the option of castling on either side; e.g. e5 ( or 16...d5 17.0-0 b6 18.Rfe1 Bb7 19.Qd1 , intending Qe2 and Nc2, when I prefer White's position ) 17.0-0-0 . ] 16...Kh8 17.Nf2?! It is unclear what the knight's purpose is on this square.

[ Instead, 17.Ne3 might be met by e5 ;] [ but 17.Be3 Rg8 18.d4 grabs the initiative; e.g. cxd4 19.cxd4 h6 20.Bf2 e6 21.Rc1 and White has a tiny plus with an easier position to play. ] 17...Bd7 18.d4 cxd4 19.Nxd4 Nxd4 20.cxd4 Bc6 Taking the d-pawn was acceptable, but Black naturally prefers to keep his dark-squared bishop on the board. 21.Bxc6 bxc6 22.Qxc6 Ne6 23.Qg2?! This is another odd move, which relegates the queen to the lowly post of guarding White's kingside pawns and surrenders the initiative. [ After 23.Qc4 Nxd4 24.Bc3 , the chances are fairly even. ] 23...Nxd4 24.Kh2?! White soon realizes that h2 is not the right square for the king. [ 24.Rad1 Rc8 25.Nd3 is only marginally better for Black. ] 24...e5 25.fxe5 dxe5 26.Rad1?! e4! 27.Kh1 Qb6 Now Black is in control of the entire board, while White position is pretty sad. 28.Be3?! There is no reason is give up the b-pawn. [ 28.b3 makes more sense. ] 28...Qxb2 29.Rd2 Qb4 Needless to say, White's position is pretty miserable here and Black is well on the way to winning. The rest of the game will therefore be lightly annotated. 30.h4 Rac8 31.Nh3 Nf3 32.Rd7 Rc3 33.Bg1 Qc4 34.Ng5 Rc2? Perhaps in time trouble, Black begins to allow his opponent some drawing chances. [ The correct continuation is 34...Qc6! 35.Rdd1 ( or 35.Rfd1 Rc2 ) 35...Nxg1! 36.Rxg1 Be5 and White's position quickly collapses; e.g. 37.Qd2 ( or 37.Qb2 h6 38.Nh3 Rb8 39.Qd2 Rc2 40.Qd5 Qxd5 41.Rxd5 Rbb2 ) 37...h6 38.Nh3 e3+ 39.Qg2 56

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Qxg2+ 40.Rxg2 Bxg3 41.Rxg3 e2 and Black wins. ] 35.Rf2 Rxf2 36.Qxf2 Ne5?! 37.Rxg7! Kxg7 38.Qxa7+ Nf7 39.Qe7?! [ White should play 39.Qd7 straight away, when e3 can be met by 40.Bxe3 Qf1+ 41.Bg1 . ] 39...Rc8 40.Qd7? Now this just loses; [ instead, 40.Nxf7 Qxf7 41.Bd4+ Kg8 42.Qe5 Rc1+ 43.Kg2 Qxa2+ 44.Bf2 Rc2 45.Qxf5 sees White still fighting. ] 40...e3! 41.Bxe3 [ Or 41.Qxf5 Qc6+ 42.Nf3 Re8 . Once the queens are off, White has no hope of saving the game. ] 41...Qc6+ 42.Qxc6 Rxc6 43.Nf3 Ra6 44.Nd4 Kf6 45.Kg2 Rxa2+ 46.Kf1 Ke5 47.Ne2 Ra3 48.Bf4+ Ke4 49.Ng1 Ra2 50.Ne2 Rc2 51.Ke1 Nd8 52.Kd1 Rc8 53.Ke1 Ne6 54.Bd6 Ke3 0-1 B26 Wen Yang Ding Liren 19: Chinese Championship, Xinghua [Carsten Hansen] 1.e4 [ This was a game that actually began 1.g3!? and only entered a Closed Sicilian after g6 2.Bg2 Bg7 3.e4 c5 4.Nc3 Nc6 . ] 1...c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.h3 Safeguarding the e3-bishop from attack. [ White has occasionally tried to do without h2-h3 while giving priority to castling after 7.Nge2 , and then: A) 7...0-0 8.0-0 Rb8 ( or 8...Ng4!? 9.Bd2 Nd4 10.Nxd4 cxd4 11.Ne2 Qb6 12.h3 Ne5 13.f4 Nc4 14.dxc4 d3+ 15.Kh2 dxe2

16.Qxe2 Qxb2 with a good game for Black, R.Spielmann-W.Schwan, Barmen 1905 ) 9.a4 ( instead, 9.h3 b5 10.a3 a5 11.Qd2 transposes to our main game and was in fact the route taken ) 9...a6 10.Qc1 b5 11.axb5 axb5 12.Bh6 b4 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Nd5 e5 ( 14...e6 15.Ne3 d5 16.exd5 exd5 17.Re1 Bb7 18.Nf4 Nd4 19.Ra4 Re8 is also quite equal, Mi.Adams-L. McShane, Kilkenny 1999 ) 15.Nxf6 ( or 15.Ne3 Ng4 , as in V.JakimovA.Zubarev, Ukrainian League 2007 ) 15...Qxf6 16.h3 Qe7 17.f4 f6 18.Kh2 Bd7 19.Ra8 and Black has a perfectly good position, M.Narciso Dublan-S. Shankland, Barcelona 2013.; B) 7...Ng4!? 8.Bd2 0-0 ( here 8...Nd4 seems more appropriate, intending 9.h3 Ne5 ) 9.h3 Nf6 is not a great achievement for Black, spending a tempo to drive the white bishop back one square, which might just return to e3 in any case. Alternatively, White has tried 10.0-0 Rb8 11.a3 ( 11.Qc1 b5 12.Bh6 b4 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Nd5 e5 15.a3 a5 16.axb4 axb4 is much the same as line 'a', as the omission of h2-h3 makes no real difference; e.g. 17.c3 Nxd5 18.exd5 Ne7 19.d4 bxc3 20.bxc3 cxd4 21.cxd4 e4 22.Nf4 Nf5 ½-½ E.Lobron-L.Dominguez Perez, Wijk aan Zee 2004 ) 11...b5 12.b4!? cxb4 13.axb4 Nxb4 14.Rxa7 Nc6 15.Ra1 e6 ( 15...b4 16.Nd5! Nxd5 17.exd5 Bxa1 18.Qxa1 Ne5 19.Bh6 Re8 20.f4 Qb6+ 21.Kh2 Qe3 22.Nd4 gives White good play for the exchange ) 16.Rb1 Ba6 17.Na2 Qc7 18.Kh1?! ( 18.Nb4 57

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen might give White a tiny edge ) 18...d5 19.exd5 Nxd5 20.Nf4 Nce7 21.Nb4?! was agreed drawn in N.Short-L.McShane, British League 2002, though Black now looks to have a very pleasant position after Nxb4 22.Bxb4 Rfc8 .] 7...0-0 The usual and most natural move. [ Others: a) 7...e5 8.Nge2 ( while 8.Qd2 Nd4 9.Nge2 h5!? is Game 21 ) 8...0-0 9.0-0 is Game 20. ] [ b) 7...Rb8 will likely transpose below (e.g. after 8 Qd2 b5 9 Nge2 or 9 a3 etc); independent lines such as 8.f4 Nd4 9.Nce2 are considered in Game 22. ] [ c) 7...Bd7 8.Nge2 ( 8.Qd2 is more consistent, but White has often played Nge2 already by this point ) 8...Qc8!? 9.g4 h5 10.g5 Nh7 11.h4 Nf8 12.Ng3?! ( 12.Qd2 is about equal ) 12...Ne5 ( 12...b5 looks promising for Black ) 13.f3 Ne6 14.Qd2 Nd4 15.0-0 Bh3 16.Nd5 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 e6 18.Nf6+ Bxf6 19.gxf6 Ndc6 20.Bg5 with chances for both sides, L.McShane-S.Bogner, German League 2011. ] 8.Qd2 [ We will look at 8.Nge2 in the next game, but note that Rb8 9.0-0 b5 10.a3 ( or 10.Qd2 ) A) 10...a5 11.Qd2 transposes below. ( 11.-- ); B) One game which deviated was N.Short-L.McShane, Reykjavik 2000: 10...Bd7 11.f4 a5 12.a4!? b4 13.Nb5 Ne8 14.Rb1 Na7!? ( simply 14...Nc7 15.c4 Ne6 16.f5 Ned4 is about equal ) 15.c4 ( not 15.Nxa7?! Bxa4 16.b3 Bd7 17.d4 Qc7 18.dxc5 Qxa7 and Black is doing well ) 15...bxc3 16.Nxa7

, and now Black should have tried Rxb2!? 17.Qe1 Bxa4 18.e5 Bd7 19.Nc6 Bxc6 20.Bxc6 dxe5 21.Nxc3 Rxb1 22.Nxb1 exf4 23.Bxf4 , though whether the three pawns are quite enough for the piece is another question. ] 8...Rb8 Pushing the b-pawn is the most common plan for Black in this variation. [ Another important option is 8...Nd4 , which we'll examine in the notes to Game 21. ] 9.Nge2 [ With White having spent a move on h2-h3, the exchange of bishops with 9.Bh6 is less troublesome to Black, since any attack will necessarily be one move slower. For example, Bxh6 ( 9...b5 is good too ) 10.Qxh6 Nd4 11.Qd2 ( or 11.0-0-0 b5 12.Nf3 b4 13.Nd5 , M.Vilar Lopez-A.Cantero Martin, Castellar 1999, and now Nxd5 14.exd5 Nf5 , followed by ...Qa5, sees Black seize the initiative ) 11...b5 12.Nce2 ( or 12.Nd1 e5 13.c3 Ne6 14.Ne2 d5 15.exd5 Nxd5 and Black has the better chances, J. Sanpera Bonet-V.Vehi Bach, Manresa 2004 ) 12...e5 13.c3 Nxe2 14.Nxe2 Bb7 15.Qe3 d5 16.0-0 was A.Mohammadi-A.Greenfeld, Gothenburg 2016, Qd6 17.Rad1 Rbd8 looks promising for Black. ] 9...b5 10.a3 It is perhaps a matter of taste whether White inserts this move or opts to castle straight away, though the latter is seen more frequently. [ After 10.0-0 b4 11.Nd1 , Black has tried several continuations: A) 11...a5 12.Bh6 ( or 12.g4 Ba6 13.f4 Nd7 14.Rb1 a4 15.b3 Nd4 16.g5 axb3 17.axb3 f5 18.gxf6 Nxe2+ 19.Qxe2 Nxf6 with chances for both sides, F. Pancevski-B.G.Smith, Paracin 58

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 2011; whereas 12.f4 Nd7 13.h4 Ba6 14.h5 gxh5 15.Rb1 Kh8 16.Nf2 Rg8 17.Nh3 Nd4 turned out better for Black in E. Ghaem Maghami-E.Najer, German League 2009 ) 12...Nd4 ( 12...Bxh6! 13.Qxh6 Nd4 14.Qd2 Bxh3 15.Nxd4! Bxg2 16.Nc6 Qc7 17.Nxe7+ Qxe7 18.Kxg2 d5 is about equal ) 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.f4 e5 15.Kh2 Nh5 16.f5 h6 17.Ne3 Nf6 18.a3 Bd7 19.axb4 Nxe2 20.Qxe2 axb4 , S.RublevskyI.Khairullin, Russian Championship, Moscow 2006, and now 21.h4 Ra8 22.Rxa8 Qxa8 23.Bh3 looks somewhat more promising for White at this point, although we are talking about tiny margins.; B) 11...Ba6 12.f4 Nd7 13.a3 showing the drawback of playing ... Ba6 without ...a7-a5; ( instead, 13.h4 c4 14.d4 c3 15.bxc3 Nb6 16.Bf2 d5 17.e5 Nc4 18.Qc1 e6 sees Black in control, N.ShyamWang Hao, Abu Dhabi 2014 ) 13...Qc8 14.axb4 cxb4 15.Re1 e6 16.d4 d5 17.e5 Ne7 18.Nc1 Rb6 19.g4 Qc7 20.Nb3 and White has the upper hand, J.Sindarov-S. Vokhidov, Baku 2016.; C) 11...Nd7 12.Bh6 Bxh6 13.Qxh6 Nd4 14.Qd2 a5 (there is no ...Bxh3 trick here as the d7-knight is in the way) 15.Ne3 Nb6 16.f4 f5 17.exf5 Nxe2+ 18.Qxe2 gxf5 19.a3 Qd7 20.axb4 axb4 21.g4 e6 22.gxf5 exf5 23.Kh2 Kh8 24.Rg1 ( 24.Qh5 looks more precise ) 24...Qe7 25.Qf3 Be6 26.Qh5 Qf7 27.Qh6 Qf6 28.Qxf6+ Rxf6 29.Ra7 Bf7 30.Re1 and White's pieces are better placed than their black counterparts, S.Rublevsky-A.

Areshchenko, Russian Team Championship 2011.; D) 11...Qb6 12.f4 Nd4 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Bf2 h5 ( 14...Ba6!? 15.b3 Qc5 16.Nb2 Rfc8 gives Black the initiative ) 15.b3 e5 16.a3! Be6 17.axb4 Bh6 18.Qe2 Qc7?! 19.Be1 d5? 20.fxe5 Qxe5 21.Ra5 ( or just 21.Qf2! ) 21...Rbc8 22.Nb2! , threatening Nc4, left Black with serious problems, D. Shahinyan-H.Hayrapetyan, Yerevan 2014.; E) 11...e5 12.f4 ( or 12.c3 a5 13.f4 exf4 14.gxf4 Bd7 15.Nf2 Ne8 16.d4 cxd4 17.cxd4 d5 18.e5 Nc7 19.Nd3 Ne7 20.Ng3 h5 with chances for both sides, J. Hjartarson-L.McShane, Qaqortoq rapid 2003 ) 12...Nd4 13.f5!? d5 ( 13...Nh5 14.Bf2 gxf5 15.exf5 Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 Nf6 17.g4 is good for White, Hou Yifan-Gu Xiaobing, Jiangsu Wuxi 2011 ) 14.g4 dxe4 15.g5 exd3 16.cxd3 and now Bxf5!? (J.Van Mil-M.Kuijf, Haarlem 1995) ( or 16...Nd5 17.f6 Bh8 18.Rc1 Rb5 19.h4 is quite unclear ) 17.gxf6 Bxf6 18.Nf2 . ] 10...a5 11.0-0 b4 12.axb4 cxb4!? QUESTION: Why does Black capture away from the centre? Now he loses control over the d4-square and his apawn appears to be a long-term weakness. ANSWER: Yes, it seems more consistent to recapture with the a-pawn – why else did Black play ...a7-a5 after all? – but using the c-pawn is neither bad nor entirely unusual. If Black wants to play for a win, in this case being almost 200 points higher rated, he must find some way to imbalance the game and cause it to change direction. 59

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ Otherwise, 12...axb4 is more natural; for example, 13.Nd5!? ( or 13.Nd1 Bb7 14.Bh6 Ra8 15.Rxa8 Qxa8 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Ne3 Qa2 18.b3 with equal chances, Z.Gyimesi-R. Ruck, Slovenian League 2007 ) 13...Nd7 14.Bh6 Bxh6 15.Qxh6 e6 16.Ne3 Nd4 17.Nxd4 cxd4 18.Nc4 Ne5 19.b3 Qc7 20.f4 Nxc4 21.dxc4 f6 22.h4 ( my computer likes 22.f5 quite a lot, but ultimately Black should be fine; e.g. exf5 23.Kh2 Re8 24.exf5 Bxf5 25.Qf4 Re2 26.Rf2 Rbe8 27.Ra8 Rxf2 28.Rxe8+ Kf7 29.Qxf2 Kxe8 30.Qxd4 Qe7 with a level endgame ) 22...e5 23.h5 Qg7 24.Qxg7+ Kxg7 and while White has a slight initiative, it is nothing that should worry Black unduly, Mi.Adams-L.Van Wely, Frankfurt (rapid) 1999. ] 13.Nd5 Nd7 14.d4 Ba6 15.Rfd1 Bb5 [ Another game saw 15...e6!? 16.Ndf4 Nb6 17.b3 e5 18.dxe5 dxe5 19.Nd5 ( 19.Qe1 Qc7 20.Nd5 is much the same ) 19...Nxd5 20.exd5 Bxe2 21.Qxe2 Nd4 22.Bxd4 and was agreed drawn, D.King-O. Cvitan, Swiss League 2000. I'm not sure the position is quite dead yet, but it's certainly equal. ] 16.b3 Re8 17.c4 [ Here 17.Ndf4 is an attractive alternative; e.g. e6 18.Rab1 Ne7 19.c4 bxc3 20.Nxc3 Bc6 21.Rdc1 and White's position looks more promising. ] 17...bxc3 18.Nexc3 Ba6 19.Rab1 Nf8 20.Nf4 Now unless Black plays accurately, White will have the better chances. 20...e5! 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.Qxd8 Rexd8 23.Rxd8 Rxd8 Black has equalized, but he cannot really hope for any more than that. 24.Nfd5 Rb8 25.Bf1 Bxf1 26.Kxf1

Nd7 QUESTION: I like White's position, the knight on d5 is strong and the other pieces look well placed as well; isn't White just better? ANSWER: It could seem that way, but Black will soon have a knight on d4, when his pieces will actually be very well placed as well. 27.Na4 Nd4 28.b4 axb4 29.Rxb4 Rxb4 30.Nxb4 1/2 B26 Adams,Mi Topalov,V 20: Dos Hermanas [Carsten Hansen]

1999

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 Topalov has played all of 2...Nc6, 2...d6. 2...e6, and 2...g6 here. [ In this game, he went for 2...d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 , perhaps considering that Adams was just as likely to open the Sicilian with 3 Nf3 and 4 d4, as in their game at Tilburg a few months earlier. ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.h3 0-0 [ The move order switched again here with 7...e5 8.Nge2 0-0 . Via this route, 8 Qd2 features in the next game. ] 8.Nge2 e5 [ Note that 8...Rb8 9.0-0 b5 10.a3 ( or 10.Qd2 ) 10...a5 11.Qd2 was examined in the previous game. ] 9.0-0 b5!? Kasparov's provocative idea. Rather than preparing this advance with ...Rb8, as we saw in the previous game, Black offers it as a temporary sacrifice in order to open the b-file. [ Naturally, 9...Rb8 is playable too; ] [ or 9...Nd4 10.f4 ( not 10.Qd2? 60

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Bxh3 etc; and 10.Kh2 Nh5 11.Nd5 Be6 12.c3 Nxe2 was a quick draw in S.Rublevsky-B.Gelfand, Russian Team Championship 2007 ) 10...Rb8 ( or 10...b5 11.a3 Rb8 12.b4!? Nh5 13.bxc5 dxc5 14.g4 Nxf4 15.Nxf4 exf4 16.Bxf4 Rb7 17.Nd5 Ne6 18.Be3 Rd7 19.Rb1 a6 , which seems fairly equal, Lin ChenYu Lie, Chinese League 2013 ) 11.f5 ( 11.Qd2 is covered via 7...0-0 8 Qd2 Nd4 9 Nge2 in the next game ) 11...h6 ( or 11...gxf5 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bh4 Qe8 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Nd5 Bd8 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.Qh5 and White is slightly better, R.Dudek-G.Chrapkowski, Bydgoszcz 1978 ) 12.g4 b5 13.Ng3 b4 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 gxf5 16.Nxf5 Bxf5 17.gxf5 Qf6 18.Be4 Qh4 19.Kh2 with a strong attack for White, H.Westerinen-S.Pons Sastre, Saragossa 1993. ] 10.Nxb5 [ More testing than 10.a3 , when Nd4 11.f4 transposes to the previous note. ] [ Otherwise Black will have saved a move with the a8-rook; for example, 10.f4 b4 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.exd5 Nd4 13.fxe5 Nxe2+ 14.Qxe2 Bxe5 and Adams' assessment that Black is slightly better appears correct, since 15.Bxc5? Re8 lands White in trouble ] [ or 10.Qd2 b4 11.Nd1 a5 . ] 10...Rb8 11.Nec3 [ Improving on his game against Kasparov a few weeks earlier, which saw 11.a4 a6 12.Na3 Rxb2 13.Nc4 Rb8 14.f4 ( 14.Nc3 ) 14...exf4 15.Nxf4 Na5 16.Nd2 Bd7 17.Ra2 Bc6 18.Nf3 Ba8 19.c4 Nd7 20.Raf2 Nb3 21.h4 Nd4 and Black had some initiative to work with, Mi.Adams-G. Kasparov, Linares 1999. ]

11...a6 12.Na3 Rxb2 13.Nc4 Rb8 14.Bg5! White kills off the f6-knight in order to control the d5-square. If we consider that White might have played 14 Nc3 in the previous note (and in fact did play that in R.Palliser-J.Rowson, British Championship, Scarborough 2001), clearly Bg5 is a more useful move here than a2-a4. 14...h6 [ In 'Chess Informant' Adams gives the terse note 14...Be6 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 Ne7 "unclear", but as long as he can contain Black's counterplay, it seems to me that White must have the better chances here. One idea is 17.Qf3!? Nf5 ( or 17...Nh5 18.Rab1 f6 19.Bd2 f5 20.Na5 , followed by c2-c4 ) 18.c3 h6 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.Rfb1 , after which the queen can swing round to the queenside again; e. g. Be7 21.Qd1 Qc7 22.Be4 Ng7 23.Qa4 f5 24.Bg2 and White has a definite advantage. ] 15.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.Nd5 The white knights are wonderfully placed. Now if only the light-squared bishops could be exchanged, then Black would be in serious trouble. 16...Bg7 17.Rb1 Rxb1 18.Qxb1 Na5 19.Qb6!? An interesting decision; Adams essentially forces an endgame where White has a tiny edge and Black will have to defend patiently. [ Nevertheless, it looks stronger to keep both knights for the moment and play 19.Ncb6 , when Be6 20.c3 Nc6 21.Qb3 Ne7 22.Nc4! Nxd5 23.exd5 Bc8 24.Rb1 sees White more dominant than in the game. I.ChaikaA.Khvorostyanov, correspondence 2011, continued Qe7 25.Qb6 Rd8 26.Na5 Re8 27.Qc6 Bf8 28.a4 h5 29.h4 f5 30.Nc4 f4 ( or 30...Rd8 31.Qa8! Qc7 32.Rb8 ) 31.Nxd6 Bd7 61

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 32.Qxa6 Qxd6 33.Rb6 Qe7 34.Rb7 Qg7 35.Bh3 Re7 36.Rxd7! Rxd7 37.Bxd7 Qxd7 38.Qxg6+ Bg7 39.a5 Qxd5 40.Qe4 and Black resigned: Qd6 41.Qc4+ Kh8 42.a6 Qd7 43.Qa2! Qa7 44.Qe6 leaves his queen tied down by the a-pawn, while the g7-bishop is surprisingly useless. ] 19...Nxc4 20.Qxd8 Rxd8 21.dxc4 Rd7 22.Nb6 It's a shame to give up the strong knight, [ but 22.Rb1 Rb7 gives Black no problems at all, while if he gets his rook to the b-file unopposed, then Black would even have a clear plus. ] 22...Rc7 23.Nxc8 Rxc8 24.Rb1 QUESTION: This looks 100% drawn; why don't the players just sign the scoresheets and head home? ANSWER: White controls the only open file on the board and that gives him the advantage. If the rooks come off then, yes, it would be completely drawn, but as long as they are on the table, White has a chance and Black will have to play accurately. Therefore, Adams forces his opponent to defend for quite a while longer. 24...Rc7 Topalov decides that the most important thing is to keep the white rook out of the seventh rank. [ Otherwise Black might play 24...Bf8 25.Rb7 Re8! (intending ...Re7) 26.Ra7 Rb8 27.Rxa6 Rb2 28.a4 Rxc2 29.a5 Ra2 and hope that the passed a-pawn can be sufficiently restrained, which indeed looks likely to be the case. ] QUESTION: How does White intend to win after the text? ANSWER: You will see his plan in action in the game, but before moving on, what would be your own plan if you were trying to win here? QUESTION: How about 25 Rb6, winning

a pawn? ANSWER: It does win a pawn, though that's not exactly a plan, because what will you do once you have it? That question is what planning is all about. We'll come back to this in the next note. 25.h4?! QUESTION: This looks like a strange idea; why has White suddenly decided to play on the opposite side of the board from the action? ANSWER: Actually, this is the key move in White's plan. Right now his own bishop doesn't accomplish much on g2; its ideal post is on d5, where it both attacks the f7-pawn and takes away a lot of squares from Black's pieces. QUESTION: Is that enough to win? ANSWER: As it turns out, no, it isn't. In fact your own idea of grabbing a pawn was better, but only with the same plan in mind. [ First of all, note that after 25.Rb6 Ra7 ( or 25...Bf8 26.Rxa6 Rb7 27.Bf1 Rb2 28.Bd3 ) 26.Rxd6 a5 27.a4 Bf8 28.Rb6 A) 28...Rd7 29.Ra6 Rd4 30.Bf1 Rxe4 31.f3! Rd4 32.Rxa5 , White has more chances than in the 24...Bf8 line above. ( 32.-- ); B) Naturally, Black is not obliged to give up the a-pawn, but if he sets up as in the game with 28...Kg7 , say, White can then go for 29.h4 , aiming to activate the bishop via h3 and c8 etc; for example, Be7 ( or 29...Rd7 30.Bf1 Rd4 31.c3! Rxe4? 32.Rb1! and the black rook is trapped ) 30.Bh3 h5 31.Bc8 Ra8 32.Bd7 , followed by Bc6-d5, ( not 32.Bb7? due to Rb8! . The difference from the game is not that White is a pawn up – the extra pawn on c2 is quite inconsequential – but that Black's dpawn has disappeared, which 62

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen means that both his c- and epawns are now more vulnerable. It may still not be enough to win, but White certainly has more to work with. )] 25...Ra7 26.Bh3 Kf8 27.a4 a5 28.Bc8 Bf6 29.Rb8 Kg7 30.Bb7 Be7 Adams assesses this position as equal, though that doesn't mean that he is ready to agree a draw just yet. 31.Kg2 Bf6 32.Kh3 Be7 33.Bd5 So the bishop has arrived at its ideal location. The next logical step is to try and break open the kingside so that the white king can penetrate, but that fails to achieve anything here. Imagine, on the other hand, the same position with Black's d-pawn removed from the board, then things might have been completely different. 33...Bf6 34.Kg4 Be7 35.h5 g5 In 'ChessBase Magazine' Donev mentions that this move weakens the f5square, but it doesn't really matter as there is no way at all for White to break through beyond putting the king on that square. 36.Kf5 Bf6 37.Rb5 Bd8 38.Bb7 Be7 39.Rb2 Bd8 40.Rb1 Bf6 41.Bd5 Bd8 42.Rb3 Re7 43.Rb1 Bc7 Black has now reached an optimum defensive formation, and White is unable to make any progress. 44.Rb7 Bd8 45.Rb8 Bc7 46.Ra8 Bb6 47.f3 Bc7 48.Ra6 Re8 49.Rc6 Re7 50.f4 gxf4 51.gxf4 exf4 52.Kxf4 Bd8 53.Rc8 Bc7 54.Ra8 Bb6 55.Ra6 Bc7 56.Rc6 . And finally a draw was agreed. 1/2

B26 Chandler,M Kovalev,A 21: German League [Carsten Hansen]

1993

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.h3 e5 [ Black can adopt the same set-up as in this game after 7...0-0 8.Qd2 Nd4 , followed by ...e7-e5. For example: A) 9.Nd1 e5 10.c3 Ne6 11.Bh6 d5! 12.exd5?! ( but 12.Bxg7 Nxg7 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Ne3 Nxe3 15.Qxe3 Qb6 certainly gives Black no problems, W.Sachsenhofer-D. Rogic, St Veit 2004 ) 12...Nf4! 13.Bxg7 ( or 13.Bxf4 exf4 14.Qxf4 Nxd5 with fine compensation for the pawn ) 13...Nxg2+ 14.Kf1 Kxg7 15.Kxg2 Qxd5+ 16.Nf3 b5 17.Ne3 Qc6 and Black is already better, H.Seidman-A.Bisguier, New York 1956.; B) 9.Nce2 e5 10.c3 Ne6 ( 10...Nc6 , intending ...d6-d5, is good too ) 11.f4 ( after 11.Nf3 c4 12.dxc4 Nxe4 13.Qc2 f5 14.Rd1 Qc7 , I prefer Black's position, H. Bastian-F.Bindrich, German Championship, Bonn 2011 ) 11...exf4 12.gxf4 Nh5 13.Nf3?! ( 13.0-0-0 seems preferable, and if f5 then 14.Bf3 ) 13...f5 14.0-0 Bd7 15.e5 dxe5 16.Nxe5 Bxe5 17.fxe5 Bc6 and Black has an excellent game, H.Bastian-A. Naiditsch, German Championship, Saarbrücken 2002.; C) 9.Nge2 may well be best: 9...e5 10.f4 ( again not 10.0-0? Bxh3! etc; while 10.g4 b5 11.Ng3 b4 12.Nd1 Rb8 13.0-0 Be6 14.c3 bxc3 15.bxc3 Nc6 gives Black a 63

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen decent position, G.Appelt-O. Chernikov, Dresden 2010 ) 10...Rb8 11.0-0 b5 12.g4 ( 12.Rae1 b4 13.Nd1 Nh5 with good play, A. Wisniewski-V.Faibisovich, Swidnica 2000 ) 12...b4 13.Nd1 Nxe2+ 14.Qxe2 exf4 15.Bxf4 Ne8 16.Qd2 as in M.Lazic-Y. Solodovnichenko, Padova 2011, and now Nc7 17.Bh6 Nb5 leaves both sides with an equal share of the chances. ] 8.Qd2 This position can also arise via 6...e5 (as in Chapter Two) 7 Qd2 Nf6 8 h3 and was in fact the route taken – or nearly: Kovalev played 5...e5 and 6...d6. 8...Nd4 9.Nge2 QUESTION: I don't get this move; normally when Black plays ... Nd4 before White has committed a knight to e2 or f3, then White will try to evict it with a prompt c2-c3. Why not here? ANSWER: That's a very good point. The problem for White is that the desired plan involving Nd1 or Nce2 allows Black to play an equalizing ...d6d5. [ A couple of examples of this: a) 9.Nd1 d5 10.c3 Ne6 11.Bh6 Bxh6 ( Black can even consider 11...dxe4 12.Bxg7 Nxg7 13.dxe4 Qxd2+ 14.Kxd2 0-0 and should not have any problems ) 12.Qxh6 d4 13.Ne2?! ( 13.Nf3 Qd6 14.0-0 Bd7 is more or less equal ) 13...g5 ( 13...b5!? looks promising ) 14.h4 (White has to address the threat of ... Rg8-g6, trapping the queen) c4 15.cxd4 cxd3 16.Nec3 d2+ ( or 16...Ng4 17.Qh5 Nxd4 18.Kf1 Be6 ) 17.Kf1 with a sharp position in D. Vargic-H.Stevic, Croatian League 2010, where Ng4 18.Qh5 Nxd4 19.Qxg5 Be6 looks promising for Black. ]

[ b) 9.Nce2 d5 (again!) 10.c3 Ne6 ( better than 10...Nxe2 ) 11.Nf3 Qd6 12.Bh6 Bxh6 ( or just 12...0-0 ) 13.Qxh6 Bd7 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.0-0 Ne7 16.Qe3 f6 17.Nd2 Nf5 18.Ne4 Qe7 19.Qd2 0-0-0 . Furthermore, in both these lines simply 9...0-0 is good too, as we saw via 7...0-0 above. ] [ c) 9.f4 has a different drawback: Nh5! 10.Nce2 Nxe2 11.Nxe2 exf4 12.gxf4 Bxb2 13.Rb1 Bg7 and White doesn't have enough for the pawn; e.g. 14.0-0 0-0 15.f5 Rb8 16.Bg5 Bf6 17.Bh6 , A.Krapivin-N. Konovalov, Moscow 2006, and now simply Re8! 18.Bf3 Ng7 19.Kh1 d5! is good for Black. ] 9...h5!? Black intends ...h5-h4 to create long-term dark square weaknesses in the enemy camp. There's also a small bag of tricks to which White needs to be alert. [ Otherwise, 9...0-0 is again perfectly acceptable for Black. ] 10.f4 h4 11.fxe5! QUESTION: Why doesn't White play g3-g4 to minimize the relevance of Black's pawn advance? ANSWER: That's a good question, but I will challenge you right back by making this an exercise! [ EXERCISE: So why shouldn't White play 11.g4 - ? A) Obviously 11...exf4 12.Nxf4 is not the answer, as White then has a very comfortable position, despite minor issues on the dark squares. ( 12.-- ); B) ANSWER: 11...Nxg4! 12.hxg4 h3 is the solution, when the g2bishop has to stay put to guard the f3-square (else 13...Nf3+ is game over), so Black regains the sacrificed piece with a much better position; e.g. 13.g5 hxg2 64

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 14.Rxh8+ Bxh8 15.Kf2 Nxe2 16.Qxe2 Be6 17.Kxg2 Qb6 18.Bc1 ( both 18.Rb1; and 18.b3 run into exf4 winning material ) 18...0-0-0 and Black is clearly better. ] 11...dxe5 12.gxh4!? [ White can play 12.0-0-0 hxg3 13.Nxg3 as well, but the text move presents Black with more problems to solve. ] 12...Nh7?! This is an odd decision. [ Presumably Black didn't like 12...Rxh4 13.0-0-0 followed by Bg5, so he voluntarily misplaces his knight in order to recover the pawn with the queen. But the h4-pawn wasn't going anywhere, and now White gains the initiative. ] [ Instead, after the more level-headed 12...Qd6 13.Bg5 Be6 , both sides would have their share of the chances. ] 13.0-0-0 Qxh4 14.Nd5 0-0 15.Kb1 [ QUESTION: What is the purpose of this move? It's not like Black is threatening anything, right? ANSWER: The answer to your question lies in the fact that if White plays 15.c3 at once, then Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 Bh6 enables Black to get some minor pieces off the board. White is still better – the knight on d5 is a beast – but he probably thought that the exchanges favoured Black more than the game continuation. ] 15...Be6 16.c3 Nxe2 17.Qxe2 White's position already leaves the much better impression. 17...Bxd5 [ Now 17...Bh6 is answered simply by 18.Bxc5 and White is close to winning. ] 18.exd5 Rac8 19.Bf2 Qd8 EXERCISE: White is clearly better with the pair of bishops and a nice passed

pawn on d5, while Black has no significant counterplay. How should White proceed? ANSWER: 20.h4! It is time to create some additional weaknesses in Black's position, and the king can easily become very compromised if Black doesn't immediately take care of the situation. 20...Nf6 [ I would probably have opted for the sharper response 20...f5 21.h5 g5 22.h6 Bf6 , hoping to create some counterplay. ] 21.h5!? QUESTION: Can't White just gobble up the pawn on e5 and be happy? ANSWER: Absolutely! In fact that's also what I would have played; [ e.g. 21.Qxe5 Re8 22.Qg5 Qb6 23.Rhe1 and Black has very little in return for the pawn he just lost. White preferred to continue his assault on the king, deeming that more difficult for Black to deal with. ] 21...Nxd5?! This seems like asking for trouble, as Black's king position will now be holed like a colander. Perhaps he thought the knight would find a home on f4, from where it could help to defend the king. [ The alternative 21...Nxh5 22.Rxh5 gxh5 23.Qxh5 leaves Black with a position that requires great care; for example, f5 24.Rg1 Rf7 25.Bh3 Qxd5 ( 25...Qd7 26.c4 b6 27.Be3 Rcf8 is possibly Black's best set-up, although certainly no guarantee of a successful defence ) 26.Bxf5 Kf8 27.c4 looks quite hairy. ] 22.hxg6 fxg6 23.Be4 Qd6 [ Or 23...Nf4 24.Qg4 Qd6 25.Be3 , and the defensive role of the knight on f4 comes to an end whenever White decides it's time. ] 65

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 24.Bg3 Rf7 25.Qg4 Rc6 Guarding g6 and planning to slide the rook to b6 in the hope of generating some counterplay. 26.Rd2 Rb6 27.Ka1 And that's the end of Black's counterattack! 27...Qd7 28.Qh4 Kf8 29.Bf2 Rc6 30.c4 Ne7 [ I would have tried the more aggressive 30...Rf4!? 31.Qh2 Ne7 32.Bg3 Rcf6 , which at least gives Black some activity in return for his otherwise miserable position. ] 31.Be3! QUESTION: Why is this better than taking on c6? ANSWER: Objectively speaking, taking the rook is probably just as good, but the text move does not allow Black any kind of counterplay. He remains stuck in a passive position with terribly disorganized pieces, whereas White's active, well-coordinated forces and safer king position are worth far more than a pawn. 31...b6 32.Bh6 Re6 33.Bxg7+ Rxg7 34.Rf2+ Ke8 EXERCISE: How can White make the most of his superior position? ANSWER: 35.Bd5! Kd8 [ Not 35...Nxd5 due to 36.Qh8+ Ke7 37.Qf8# . ] 36.Qh8+ White continues in consistent fashion. [ 36.Bxe6 Qxe6 37.Rf6 Qd7 38.Qe4 is just as convincing, when Black's position collapses. ] 36...Rg8 37.Rf8+ Rxf8 38.Qxf8+ Kc7 39.Rh7 This seals the deal. [ Seeing as 39.Rh7 Kd6 fails to 40.Qb8+ etc, Black has no other option than to resign the game. ] 1-0

B26 Li Ruifeng Xiong,J 22: US Junior Championship, St Louis [Carsten Hansen] 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ GM Jeffrey Xiong, one of the strongest juniors in the world, has also played several moves against 2 Nc3; in this game he opted for 2...d6 , his recent preference, and then 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 etc. ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.h3 Rb8 [ We have seen this set-up via 7...0-0 8.Qd2 Rb8 in Game 19. Here we will only consider continuations which do not return to that game. ] 8.f4 [ It seems like White is mixing up the Be3 and f2-f4 lines, but at the same time White has not had much luck achieving anything with other moves: a) 8.Nge2 b5 9.Qd2 b4 10.Nd1 0-0 11.0-0 is the 10 0-0 line in the notes to Game 19. ] [ b) 8.a4 a6 ( while 8...b6 9.Qd2 Bb7 10.Nf3 0-0 11.0-0 would be an unlikely transposition to Game 54 ) 9.Qd2 b5 10.axb5 axb5 11.Nge2 is similar. ] [ c) 8.Qd2 b5 ( or 8...Nd4 9.Nd1 b5 10.c3 Nc6 11.Bh6 Bxh6 12.Qxh6 Ne5 13.Bf1 c4!? 14.d4 Nd3+ 15.Bxd3 cxd3 16.Qe3 b4 17.Qxd3 bxc3 18.bxc3 Qa5 , followed by ... Ba6, with more than enough compensation for the pawn, D.Luft-T. Beerdsen, Vlissingen 2016 ) 9.f4 ( for 9.Nge2 b4 10.Nd1; or 9.Bh6 Bxh6 10.Qxh6 Nd4 11.Qd2 0-0 , see Game 19 again ) 9...b4 10.Nce2 Nd7 11.c4 bxc3 12.bxc3 Qb6 13.Nf3 Qb2 14.Kf2 Qxd2 15.Nxd2 66

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Ba6 ( 15...e5 16.Rhb1 Ba6 17.Rxb8+ Ndxb8 keeps more play in the game ) 16.e5! Rc8 17.exd6 Bxd3 led to a quick draw in H.Bastian-G. Siegel, French League 2002. ] 8...Nd4 [ One of the plus points of 8 f4 is that 8...b5?? now runs into 9.e5! , winning a piece. Still, Black hardly minds playing ...Nd4 in these positions. ] [ Another option is simply 8...0-0 A) 9.Nge2 Bd7 (preparing ...b7-b5 again; retreating the f6-knight is possible too) 10.0-0 ( 10.g4 b5 11.Ng3 b4 12.Nce2 Ne8 13.f5? Bxb2 14.Bh6 Ng7 15.Rb1 Be5 is just good for Black, G.WheatcroftL.Barden, British Championship, Aberystwyth 1955 ) 10...b5 11.Qd2 ( or 11.a3 Ne8 12.d4 cxd4 13.Nxd4 b4 14.Nxc6 Bxc6 15.axb4 Rxb4 16.Rxa7 Rxb2 and Black is fine, B.Spassky-R.J. Fischer, 22nd matchgame, St Stefan/Belgrade 1992 ) 11...b4 12.Nd1 a5 13.f5 Qc7 14.Rc1 Bc8 15.Bh6 Nd4 16.Bxg7 Nxe2+ 17.Qxe2 Kxg7 18.Ne3 Bb7 looks fairly balanced, though Black misplayed his position in J.Van der Wiel-A.Bezemer, Vlissingen 2006: 19.g4 a4 20.Qd2 Ba8 21.g5 Nd7 22.Ng4 e6 23.Rce1 Rbe8 24.Nf6 Rc8 25.Qf4 Qd8?? ( 25...e5 26.Qh4 Nxf6 was necessary ) 26.Nxh7! and Black resigned in view of Kxh7 27.Qh4+ Kg8 28.f6 etc.; B) Instead, 9.Nf3 allows b5 , when 10.a3 ( while 10.0-0 is covered in the notes to Game 45 ) 10...a5 11.0-0 transposes to Game 44 in Chapter Eight; C) and 9.Qd2 Bd7 10.Nf3 b5

is much the same. ] 9.Nce2 White immediately targets the intrusive knight. [ Instead, 9.Nf3 can be met similarly by Nd7 ( or even 9...Nh5!? . )] 9...Nd7 10.c3 Nxe2 11.Nxe2 b5 12.Qd2 Bb7 13.0-0 0-0 Now White is fully developed, he begins his typical pawn advance on the kingside. 14.g4 e6 15.f5!? exf5 16.gxf5 Re8! QUESTION: I don't understand. Why would Black move his rook off a file that is about to be opened? ANSWER: Black can always put the rook back on f8 if necessary, but Xiong wants to use it more actively than just sitting behind the f-pawn. 17.Bh6 c4 By hitting the base of the chain, Black undermines the e4-pawn which his rook and bishop are already attacking. [ 17...Bf6!? should be considered as well, side-stepping the exchange of dark-squared bishops and showing another benefit to Black's previous rook move. ] 18.fxg6 hxg6 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Qf4 Qe7 [ Alternatively, 20...cxd3 21.Qxf7+ Kh6 22.Qf4+ Qg5 23.Qxg5+ Kxg5 24.Nf4 Bxe4 25.Bxe4 Rxe4 26.Nxd3 leaves us in an endgame that will probably result in a draw. ] 21.d4 QUESTION: It looks like White has now taken complete control of the game. Is that a correct assessment? ANSWER: It may seem that way, but in fact Black is fine. 21...Rh8 [ Indeed, Black could more or less force a draw at this point with 21...Bxe4 22.Bxe4 Qxe4 23.Qxf7+ Kh6 24.Qxd7 Qe3+ 25.Kh1 ( not 25.Rf2?? Rf8 26.Raf1 Rxf2 27.Rxf2 Rf8 and wins ) 25...Qe4+ 26.Kg1 Qe3+ etc, except that Xiong is hoping 67

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen for more. ] 22.Ng3 Rh4 23.Qf2 Rbh8!? 24.a4! Now that Black has swung both rooks to the kingside, White plays to seize the initiative on the other flank. 24...b4!? Sacrificing a pawn in order to keep the queenside closed. [ Both 24...bxa4 25.Rxa4 a6 26.Rxc4 ] [ and 24...a6 25.axb5 axb5 26.Ra5 look quite promising for White. ] 25.cxb4 Nf6 This plays into White's hands; [ but at the same time 25...f5 26.exf5 ( 26.d5!? is even more messy ) 26...Bxg2 27.Kxg2 ( or 27.Rae1 Be4 28.fxg6 Rf8 29.Qxf8+ Nxf8 30.Nf5+ Bxf5 31.Rxe7+ Kxg6 32.Rxa7 Ne6 is more complex and difficult to evaluate accurately ) 27...Rxh3 28.Rae1 Qg5 29.Qf4 Rh2+ 30.Kf3 Qxf4+ 31.Kxf4 Nf6 32.fxg6 Kxg6 33.Re6 Rxb2 34.Rxd6 is an endgame where only White can play for the win. ] 26.Rae1 Nh7!? Xiong continues to mix it up, sending his knight round to attack h3. [ After either 26...Nh5 27.Nxh5+ R8xh5 28.Re3 Rg5 29.d5 Bc8 30.Rf3 f5 31.exf5 Bxf5 32.Rg3 ] [ or 26...Bc8 27.e5 dxe5 28.dxe5 Nh5 29.Nxh5+ R8xh5 30.Qf6+! Qxf6 31.exf6+ Kh6 32.Bf3 , White again has whatever chances are going. ] 27.e5 d5 28.Qe3?! [ White should have played 28.e6! , keeping the opposing bishop out of the game. After fxe6 29.Qe3 Re8 30.Qe5+ Kg8 31.Re3 , Black's attacking ambitions are at an end and he is the one who now has to be careful. ] 28...Bc8! 29.Bxd5 Ng5 30.Rf6 Nxh3+ 31.Kg2? The situation is very tense and

small mistakes are costly. [ The correct move was 31.Kf1 , when Be6 32.Be4 Rd8 ( or 32...Qxb4 33.d5 Bd7 34.Qd4 ) 33.b5 Qb4 34.Qc3 leaves White with a definite edge. After the text move, Black takes over the game. ] 31...Bb7! A strong switchback. 32.Bf3? [ Now 32.Bxb7 Qxb7+ 33.Kf1 Rg4 34.Qf3 Qxf3+ 35.Rxf3 Ng5 36.Rc3 Rf4+ 37.Kg2 Rxd4 would have kept White's disadvantage within limits. Instead, things go downhill rapidly for him. ] 32...Bxf3+ 33.Rxf3 Ng5 34.Rf6 Rg4 [ Or 34...Qb7+! 35.Kf1 Rg4 , which is slightly more precise. ] 35.Rf4 Qb7+ 36.Kf1 Rh2?? A tragic blunder. [ Black could have won with 36...Rh1+ 37.Ke2 ( 37.Nxh1 Qg2#; or 37.Kf2 Rh2+ ends the game even faster ) , the computer prefers 37...Rh2+ ( while 37...Qg2+ etc ) 38.Kd1 Rxb2 39.Rxg4 ( or 39.Nf5+ Kf8 ) 39...Qxb4 and now declares mate in ten. ] EXERCISE: How can White now save himself? ANSWER: 37.Nf5+! gxf5 [ Draw agreed, because of 37...gxf5 38.Rxg4 fxg4 39.Qxg5+ Kf8 40.Qd8+ with perpetual check. 37 Nh5+! would also have done the trick. Despite letting this game get away, Xiong went on to take the US Junior title with 6½/9. ] 1/2

68

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen B26

14.cxd4 0-0 15.Nc3 d5 Ljubojevic,L with chances for both sides, E. Miles,A Kovalevskaya-T.Kosintseva, 23: London 1982 Krasnoturinsk 2005 ) 8...Nf6 9.Bh6 [Carsten Hansen] Bxh6 10.Qxh6 e6 11.0-0-0 Qe7 12.Rhe1 0-0-0 13.Qd2 h5 14.f3 h4 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 15.g4 Nd4 16.g5 Nh5 17.f4 Kb8 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 b5!? This highly with a quite obscure position, J. provocative move is not nearly as bad Hjartarson-H.Olafsson, Reykjavik as its reputation. 1992. ] QUESTION: It appears quite ridiculous, 7.e5 The critical response; not only does it look like Black is [ 7.Nxb5?! Rb8 is just bad for White. hanging a pawn, there must be some ] issues on the long light diagonal with [ Otherwise Black will just advance ... Black's knight and rook unprotected. b5-b4, though White can always allow ANSWER: You would certainly think so. this and play for a2-a3. For example, I did a double take when I first saw this 7.Qd2 b4 8.Nd1 e5!? ( 8...a5; move. Of course Miles did experiment or indeed 8...Rb8 quite a bit in the opening, but he rarely is more circumspect ) 9.a3 a5 played moves that got him in a clearly 10.axb4 cxb4 11.Ne2 Nf6 12.Bh6 worse position from the outset. Bxh6 13.Qxh6 b3!? 14.cxb3 ( 14.c3 [ Black has occasionally prepared ...b7looks better ) 14...Ba6 15.Qd2 Nb4 b5 with 6...a6 as well, but that 16.Nc1 Nd7 17.Ne3 Nc5 18.0-0 doesn't seem part of a coherent plan; Nbxd3 19.Nxd3 Bxd3 20.Rfd1 0-0 e.g. 7.Qd2 b5 8.f4 Bb7 9.Nf3 Nf6 21.Qc3 Bb5 and the computer says 10.h3 e6 ( 10...0-0 11.0-0 b4 equal, though I would prefer Black 12.Nd1 a5 is more thematic ) 11.0-0 here, R.Hawkes-S.Conquest, London h5? , A.Csaba-T.Sleisz, Budapest Lloyds Bank 1984. ] 1995, and now 12.e5! dxe5 13.fxe5 [ 7.a3!? is possible too. ] Nd7 14.Ne4 would have been very 7...Bb7 This is the strongest move, in good for White. ] my opinion. [ If Black simply wants to develop, it's [ In a later game, where Miles had the possible to advance the b-pawn a chutzpah to repeat this line, he single square: 6...b6 7.Qd2 ( for 7.f4 switched to 7...Qd7 . see the notes to Game 51 in Chapter A) L.Ljubojevic-A.Miles, European Team Championship, Plovdiv 1983, Nine ) 7...Bb7 8.Nh3 ( White has continued 8.Nf3 Nh6 9.exd6 exd6 tried putting the knight on its other 10.Ne4 Nf5 11.Bg5 0-0 12.0-0 f6 squares too: 8.Nge2 Qd7 9.0-0 Nd4 13.Bc1 Bb7 14.Bh3 Rae8 15.Nh4 10.Nd1 e6 11.Nc1 Nf6 12.c3 Nc6 Nce7 , when it is pretty clear that 13.Bh6 Bxh6 14.Qxh6 Qe7 15.Ne2 Black has solved his opening 0-0-0 16.Qc1 d5 and Black is not problems successfully. ( 15...-- ); worse, A.Vella Ramirez-B. B) Instead, 8.exd6 exd6 9.Bf4 Damljanovic, Lorca 2001; or 8.Nf3 ( or 9.Nge2 Nf6 ) 9...Nge7 Qd7 9.0-0 Nd4 10.Nh4 e6 11.Nd1 10.Nxb5 0-0? ( however, 10...Nf5! Ne7 12.c3 Ndc6 13.d4 cxd4 69

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen is a definite improvement, when Black looks to have good compensation for the pawn, as was brutally demonstrated in M. Gebigke-M.Womacka, Berlin 1994: 11.c3?! 0-0 12.Qd2? Bb7 13.Ne2?? Ne5! and White resigned ) 11.Nxd6 Bxb2 12.Ne2! ( or 12.Rb1 Qe6+ 13.Ne2 Bc3+ 14.Kf1 Bg7 15.Nb5 Qxa2 16.Nec3 Qe6 , G.Lebredo Zarragoitia-R.Hernandez Onna, Bayamo 1984, and now 17.h4! with the better chances ) 12...Ba6 ( 12...Bxa1 13.Qxa1 leaves Black vulnerable on both long diagonals ) 13.Rb1 Bg7 14.Ne4 Qf5 15.0-0 Rad8 16.Bd6 c4 17.Nf4 Rfe8 18.Bc7 gave White a big advantage in Ma.Werner-D.Migl, German League 1985. ] [ The third option, 7...Bd7 , seems inferior; e.g. 8.exd6 exd6 9.Nge2 ( not yet 9.Nxb5? due to Qb8! ) 9...Nge7 10.Nxb5 Nf5 ( now 10...Qb8 11.Nbc3 Qxb2?! 12.0-0 gets Black into trouble ) 11.Bc1 , G.Giorgadze-D.Verduga Zavala, Linares 1999, and even after 0-0 12.0-0 Rb8 13.Nbc3 Ne5 , Black does not have full compensation for the pawn. ] 8.exd6 exd6 9.Nxb5 Nge7 [ Another possibility is 9...Rb8!? 10.Nc3 ( or if 10.c4 Ne5 11.Bxb7 Rxb7 12.Rb1 , N.Yakubboev-D.Peng, Khanty-Mansiysk 2016, then a6 13.Nc3 Qd7 ) 10...Nge7 ( or 10...Nd4 11.Bxb7 Rxb7 12.Rb1 Ne7 ) 11.Rb1 0-0 12.Nh3 Nf5 13.0-0 Re8 and Black's nearly ideally placed pieces compensate for the sacrificed pawn. ] [ QUESTION: Wait a minute! Shouldn't Black try to regain the pawn with

9...Qa5+ etc? ANSWER: In this case, absolutely not. Black has sacrificed a pawn to put his pieces on active squares, and to have open files and diagonals to work with. Recapturing it at this point not only destroys all that, it will also send Black careening over the edge: 10.Nc3 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qxc3+ 12.Bd2 and White is obviously better; in fact Black has to play Qg7 13.Rb1 f6 just to stay in the game. ] 10.Nc3 [ The move given in the Encyclopaedia is 10.Ne2 , and indicated as being good for White. Interestingly, my computer engines entirely disagree with that evaluation, claiming that Rb8 11.Rb1 Ne5! 12.Bxb7 Rxb7 gives Black excellent compensation for the pawn. One of White's main issues is the weakness of the light squares. This was put to a test in F. Piccoli-C.Guizar, correspondence 2001, where White (rated over 2500) could not get a good grip on the position: 13.c4 0-0 14.0-0 Qd7 15.f4 Ng4 16.Bf2 Nf5 17.Qc1 Re8 ( or 17...d5!? ) 18.Nbc3 Qc6 19.h3 Nge3 20.Bxe3 Rxe3 and Black is clearly in complete control of the game. ] 10...Qb6 [ Alternatively, 10...Rb8!? transposes to the note with 9...Rb8 above. ] 11.Rb1?! It is hard to fault White for playing this solid, normal-looking move, but he is beginning to get himself into trouble. [ According to my trusty computer, White should have sharpened the game considerably with 11.Nf3!? Qxb2 12.Ne4 0-0-0 ( 12...Qxa1 13.Qxa1 Bxa1 14.Nxd6+ Kf8 15.0-0 Bf6 16.Nxb7 Kg7 17.Nxc5 70

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen leaves White with two strong pawns for the exchange and somewhat better chances ) 13.Rb1 Qxa2 with fascinating complications which I will not dare evaluate, except to say that I would more likely choose the black pieces in such a position. ] EXERCISE: How should Black continue? ANSWER: 11...Ne5! A simple and very strong move. The key factor is that White is weak on the light squares, not having finished his development, while his queen has to try and fulfil a surprising number of defensive tasks. 12.Nf3? From being difficult, now things really start spinning downwards and out of control. [ In order to stay in the game, White should have played 12.Kf1 0-0 13.h4 , although Black clearly has ample compensation for the pawn. ] [ 12.Ne4 is met by Nd5! , ( rather than 12...0-0?! 13.b4! . )] 12...Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 Bxc3+ 14.bxc3 The white queen is now overloaded. 14...Bxf3 15.Qxf3 Qxb1+ 16.Kd2 Qb8 17.Rb1?? And this seals the deal. [ A rook down, White's only chance for some swindling was to attack before Black mobilizes his forces; for instance, 17.Bg5! Kd7 18.Re1 Nf5 19.g4 h6 20.Bf4 Ne7 21.Bxd6 Qxd6 22.Qb7+ Kd8 23.Qxa8+ Nc8 , when White has regained the exchange and a pawn, leaving him with a couple of pawns for a knight. Black is probably still winning, but at least some work remains to be done. ] 17...Qd8 18.Bg5 f6! This should have made White resign, but he keeps it going a bit longer with a few more pointless moves. 19.Bxf6 0-0 20.Rb7 Rc8! 21.Rxa7 Rc7 22.Ra6 Qd7 23.g4 Qe6 24.g5 Nd5 25.Qg3 Re8 . With mate and other

unpleasantries looming, Ljubojevic finally decided to call it quits. 0-1 B26 Short,N Stefansson,H 24: Reykjavik (5th matchgame) [Carsten Hansen]

2002

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Bd7 Black plays a non-committal developing move, defending the c6-knight, and waiting to see how White intends to set up. 7.f4 The sharpest response. [ White has not caused too many problems with the solid and normal 7.Qd2 , after which Black has tried a few different things: A) 7...Qa5 (GM Gutman has tried this a few times against lowerrated opponents) 8.Nge2 Nd4 9.0-0 Rc8 ( 9...e6 10.Rab1 Ne7 11.a3 Nxe2+ 12.Nxe2 Qxd2 13.Bxd2 Rc8 14.Bc3 0-0 is just equal, J.Freiberger-L. Gutman, Paderborn 2009 ) 10.f4 e6 11.Nc1 Ne7 12.Nb3 Qc7 13.Nd1 0-0 14.c3 Ndc6 15.Nf2 a5 16.Nc1 a4 17.Ne2 f5 with mutual chances, even if Black looks to have gained a move in all the backwards and forwards, S.HermsL.Gutman, Goch 2010.; B) 7...Qc8 (now if White develops the g1-knight, the black bishop will zoom to h3 to be exchanged, just as White intends to do on h6 when the g8-knight is developed) 8.h3 (preventing the bishop incursion at h3, but it also means White will be unable to castle any time soon) b5 9.Nge2 b4 10.Nd1 Rb8 11.a3 a5 71

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 12.axb4 axb4 13.f3!? (a rather odd move) ( 13.f4 is more natural ) 13...Nd4 14.Nxd4 cxd4 15.Bf2 e6 16.b3 Ne7 and Black has absolutely no problems, M.Narciso Dublan-E.Romanov, Sitges 2014.; C) 7...b5!? 8.f4 ( in my opinion, White has more chances of an advantage after 8.Nxb5 Bxb2 9.Rb1 Bg7 10.Nf3 ; for example, Nf6 11.e5 dxe5 12.Bxc5 0-0 13.0-0 and I prefer White's position even if my computer calls this equal ) 8...b4 9.Nd1 Rc8 10.Nf3 Qa5 11.0-0 Nf6 12.h3 c4 13.g4 (the battle lines have been drawn up; Black attacks on the queenside and has already made it pretty far, whereas White will seek his fortune on the kingside) c3 (it seems logical to castle at this point, but Black persists in postponing it) 14.bxc3 bxc3 15.Qf2 e5 16.f5 gxf5 17.exf5 Nd5 ( in view of White's next, 17...h6!? might be considered ) 18.Ng5 Nd4?? ( 18...Nf6 keeps the battle going ) 19.Bxd4 exd4 20.f6! (this is undoubtedly what Black missed when he played ...Nd4, and he is now completely busted) Bxf6 21.Re1+ Kd8 ( or 21...Kf8 22.Bxd5 ) 22.Nxf7+ Kc7 23.Nxh8 Bxh8 24.Rb1 Qxa2? (a final error). EXERCISE: How should White continue? ANSWER: 25.Nxc3! dxc3 26.Ra1 (now the rook is protected and the black queen is trapped) Qxa1 27.Rxa1 Be6 28.Qxa7+ 1-0 D.Norwood-M.Hebden, London 1986. ] 7...b5!? QUESTION: It seems as if Black can play this move almost at will

without any preparation; why does Black then play ...Rb8 first in other lines? ANSWER: That's a good question. Firstly, Black may not want to give up the b-pawn (as in Game 20), even when it is acceptable to do so. Secondly, the rook is usually well placed on b8, away from tactics on the long diagonal (as in the previous game), while helping to carry the queenside attack forward. As it happens, no one seems to have repeated Stefansson's 7...b5. [ Apart from standard set-ups similar to those examined elsewhere, Black has also tried: a) 7...Qc8 (with ideas of ...Bh3 again) 8.h3 b5 9.Qd2 b4 10.Nd1 e5 11.g4 exf4 12.Bxf4 Ne5 13.Nf3 h5 14.Bxe5 dxe5 15.g5 Ne7 16.Ne3 0-0 and Black has no problems, G.Barenboim-I.Botvinnik, Petah Tiqwa 1996. ] [ b) 7...Rc8 8.Qd2 Nf6 9.h3 Qb6 10.Nge2 Nd4 11.Nd1 Nh5 12.Bf2 e5 with a good position for Black, O. Herrmann-Tho.Koop, Vienna 2016, since the intended 13.c3? loses material after Nxe2 and 14... exf4. ] 8.a3 [ Instead, 8.Qd2 transposes to 7 Qd2 b5!? 8 f4 above. ] [ Taking the pawn is not an option here: 8.Nxb5?! Rb8 ( 8...Qb8!? is good too ) 9.Nc3 ( or 9.a4 a6 ) 9...Rxb2 10.Nge2 Nd4 and Black already has the better chances. ] 8...Nf6 After this move the game soon begins to resemble those in Chapter Eight (6 f4 Nf6). [ Instead, 8...a5?! 9.Nxb5 Bxb2 10.Rb1 Bg7 11.Nf3 ] [ and 8...b4?! 9.axb4 cxb4 10.Na4 are somewhat better for White; ] [ but obviously 8...Rb8 72

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen is reasonable. ] 9.Nf3 0-0 [ QUESTION: Can't Black play 9...Ng4 to mess with White's dark-squared bishop? ANSWER: He certainly can, but after 10.Bd2 and 11 h3, the black knight will have to retreat again, when White has essentially gained h2-h3 for nothing. ] 10.h3 Rb8 Black decides there is nothing better than to play ...Rb8 anyway. [ If he tries 10...a5?! , White would certainly take the b-pawn since the knight can no longer be driven back with ...a7-a6. ] 11.0-0 a5 12.g4 Getting straight on with his own plans. [ Another option is to challenge Black on the queenside with 12.a4!? b4 13.Nb5 Ne8 14.Rb1 Nc7 15.c4 , which Short considers to give White a slight edge. ] 12...Ne8 QUESTION: Why does Black retreat the knight without it being threatened? ANSWER: This is standard plan for Black. After ...b5-b4, the knight will head, via c7 and b5, to the important d4square. QUESTION: This is deep planning, right? ANSWER: In some way yes, but once you have seen it a couple of times, this type of manoeuvre will stick in your memory. I'm sure you will not soon forget it. [ Furthermore, by playing 12...Ne8 first with ...b5-b4 to follow, he restricts White's options as to the defence of the b2-pawn; whereas the direct 12...b4 13.axb4 axb4 14.Ne2 Ne8 might also be met by 15.c3 . On the other hand, Black is not

obliged to play 14...Ne8 at all in that line and might prefer something else, such as 14...Ra8!?. ] 13.Rb1 b4 14.axb4 axb4 15.Ne2 Nc7 QUESTION: It seems like Black has made the most progress, having gotten quite far on the queenside. Is Black better here? ANSWER: Not really; the chances are split fairly evenly. White's attack on the kingside is just about to start, though it is not likely to tear Black's king shelter apart in a split second. These types of positions require precise play from both sides. Nigel Short is very experienced in the Closed Sicilian, as well as the reversed set-up in the English Opening, and he plays such positions very well. Studying his way of handling them will therefore pay dividends. 16.f5 Nb5 [ In the spirit of 12 a4!? above, Black might also challenge White's kingside initiative with 16...e6!? . ] 17.Qd2 Nbd4 [ QUESTION: I understand that this was Black's plan, to put the knight on d4, but what about the a-file? Can't Black take control with 17...Ra8 - ? ANSWER: That doesn't accomplish much for Black as yet. Only when the pawns are fixed should he concern himself with the a-file. ] 18.Nexd4 Nxd4 19.Bh6 Nxf3+ 20.Rxf3 Ra8 As just explained, the afile is not very significant at the moment, though Black's move is hardly a mistake. [ Nonetheless, in 'ChessBase Magazine' Donev prefers 20...Qb6 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.Rbf1 f6 , which indeed looks quite equal. ] 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.d4! Having weakened the black king's cover by exchanging the fianchettoed bishop, White seeks to exploit the dark squares 73

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen by opening up the centre. 22...Qb6!? Black remains cool-headed. [ Seeing that 22...cxd4 23.Qxd4+ and Qxb4 picks up a pawn; ] [ while 22...f6? 23.dxc5 dxc5?? loses a piece after 24.Rd3 Ra7 25.Rd1 , he simply develops his queen, while eyeing the white king at the other end of the diagonal. ] [ Another possibility is 22...Qc7 , and if 23.e5!? ( 23.Rf2!? might be considered ) 23...dxe5 24.dxe5 , then Bc6 25.f6+ Kh8 and the attack comes to nothing. Note that 26.fxe7?! ( while 26.Qh6?! Rg8 27.Rf4 Bxg2 28.g5 (threatening 29 Qxh7+! etc) fails to Bf3! ) , is met simply by 26...Qxe7 . ] [ As it happens, 22...cxd4!? 23.Qxd4+ f6 24.Qxb4 Ra4 doesn't look too bad for Black, whose active pieces offer decent compensation for the pawn; e. g. 25.Qb7 Bc8 26.Qb8 Qa5 27.b4 Qe5 , but there's no real need to go in for this. ] 23.e5! White keeps pushing forward. Now Black must hurry to meet the threat of f5-f6+, followed by Qh6. 23...dxe5 This is one solution. [ The main alternative was 23...cxd4 24.f6+ exf6 25.exf6+ Kh8 , when Donev suggests 26.Qh6 ( instead, Short gives simply 26.Rf2 , when he thought White might have a little something ) 26...Rg8 27.g5 (threatening Rf4 and Qxh7+ again) d3+ 28.Kh2 ( 28.Kh1?? dxc2 wins for Black ) 28...Qc5 ( 28...Qd4 29.Rxd3 Qe5+ 30.Kh1 Rac8 looks perfectly acceptable as well ) 29.Re1 ( aiming for Re4, since 29.Rf4 Qe5 pins the rook ) , but Black should be able to defend; e.g. 29...Qd4 30.cxd3 ( or 30.Rxd3 Qf4+ 31.Kh1 Ra4 ) 30...Bc6 31.Rfe3 Bxg2

32.Kxg2 Rac8 33.Re8 Rc2+ 34.Kh1 Rh2+! 35.Kxh2 Qf2+ with perpetual check. ] 24.dxe5 Bc6? This natural move, which was perfectly good in the 22...Qc7 line above, is a critical mistake with the queen on b6. [ Black had to defend the bishop with the rook: 24...Rad8 after which Short gives 25.Qf2 ( or 25.f6+ exf6 26.exf6+ Kh8 27.Qh6 c4+ 28.Rf2 Rg8 ) 25...gxf5 ( while 25...Kg8 also seems safe enough; e.g. 26.Rd3 Bc6 27.Rbd1 Rxd3 28.Rxd3 Qb7 and Black should be fine ) 26.gxf5 Kh8 27.Kh1 as unclear in 'Chess Informant'. ] [ 24...c4+ 25.Kh2 Rad8 is okay too. ] 25.f6+! exf6 Black played ...Kh8 in the 22...Qc7 line, but here that just loses to 26 fxe7. 26.Rxf6! This is the clever point behind the previous move. Rather than attempting to mate Black now, White utilizes the pins on the sixth rank and ffile to tie him up completely. 26...c4+ 27.Kh2 Rac8 28.Rbf1 Threatening to win material with 29 Qd6. [ Not yet 28.Qd6? due to Qe3! 29.Bxc6 Rxc6 30.Qxc6 Qxe5+ and Black comes out a pawn up. ] 28...Qc5 29.Qf4 Be8 [ Now if 29...Bxg2 then 30.Rxf7+ Rxf7 31.Qxf7+ Kh8 32.Qf6+ Kg8 33.Qe6+! Kh8 34.Rf7 wins. ] [ After 29...Kh8 30.Bxc6 Rxc6 31.e6 g5 32.Qf5 Qd6+ ( while 32...Qxf5 33.R1xf5 Ra8 34.exf7 Rxf6 35.Rxf6 Kg7 36.f8Q+! leads to a winning pawn endgame ) 33.Kh1 Rc5 34.Qf3 , White has a huge advantage. ] 30.h4! QUESTION: What is White trying to accomplish by pushing the h-pawn forward? ANSWER: The pawn is heading for h6, 74

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen where it will assist in making the life of the black king a lot less safe. [ Instead, the tempting 30.e6?! allows Qc7 , getting the queens off the board. ] [ But there was a strong alternative in 30.Rd6! , followed by 31 Bd5, which seems to win quite quickly. ] 30...Rd8 31.h5 Rd4 32.h6+ Kg8 33.Qe3 Rd5 34.Qxc5 Rxc5 35.e6 Re5 EXERCISE: Here Short finished the game with a beautiful combination. Can you find it? ANSWER: 36.Bd5! Rxd5 37.e7 Re5 [ Black cannot save himself with 37...Rg5 on account of 38.Kg3 followed by Kh4. ] 38.Rxg6+!! [ After 38.Rxg6+ hxg6 39.h7+ , one of the pawns will queen. ] 1-0

11.Bg2 e5 12.h4 h6 13.Ne4 Bg4 14.c3 Qe7 is quite pleasant for Black, J.Moreno Carnero-P.Glavina Rossi, Linares 1997 ) 8...Ne5 9.f4 Nc4 10.Qd3 Nxe3 11.Qxe3 Nh6 12.Nge2 0-0 13.h3 b5 14.g4 b4 15.Nd1 Bb7 16.0-0 Nf7 and Black has the better chances, M.Loeffler-F.Ochoa de Echaguen, French League 1998.; B) 7.exf5 Bxf5 8.Nge2 Nf6 9.h3 e5 10.Qd2 Qd7 11.g4 Be6 12.f4 0-0 was agreed drawn in M.Narciso Dublan-D.Garcia Ilundain, Barcelona 1998, but there is obviously still plenty left to play for. One possibly continuation is 13.fxe5 Nxe5 14.Nf4 Rae8 15.0-0-0 with a position I think is more pleasant for White, though that could be a matter of taste. ]

7.h3 [ There is no reason to allow – or force – the knight to jump to g4 after B26 Feller,S 7.Qc1!? , though this was the choice Demuth,A of both Smyslov and Pachman in a 25: French League 2015 couple of early games against [Carsten Hansen] Bronstein. See the transposition 6... Nf6 7 Qc1!? Ng4 in the notes to 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Game 18. ] Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Nh6!? 7...f5 This is Black's idea, clearing a QUESTION: This seems very odd. It retreat square for the knight, while at doesn't look like the knight has much of the same time attacking the white a future on h6, and can't White just centre. attack it with h2-h3 and Qd2 - ? 8.Qd2 Nf7 9.Nge2 ANSWER: It does indeed look a bit [ The main alternative is 9.f4 unusual, but the h6-square is only a , after which the game can turn very temporary stop; and while White sharp and messy; for example, 0-0 certainly can play the moves you 10.Nf3 Rb8 11.h4 ( or 11.0-0 e6 mention, Black has something in mind 12.d4 fxe4 13.Nxe4 b6 14.Rad1 d5 for the knight. 15.Nf2 Nd6 16.c3 is roughly equal, L. [ Regarding which, Black has a not Yudasin-H.Nakamura, New York rapid too dissimilar idea in 6...f5 and then: 2002 ) 11...Qb6 12.Rb1 Nh6 A) 7.Qd2 fxe4 8.dxe4 ( 8.Bxe4?! (back again) 13.h5 Ng4 14.Bg1 Bd7 Nf6 9.Bh6 0-0 10.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.hxg6 hxg6 16.Ng5 e6 17.exf5 75

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen gxf5 18.Nd5 Qd8 with chances for both sides, V.Samolins-I.Starostits, Cambados 2007. ] 9...0-0 [ Black can also play 9...Nd4 straight away, when 10 f4 0-0 transposes to the next note, but 10.h4 might instead be met by fxe4 11.dxe4 ( or 11.Bxe4 Bg4 ) 11...Nxe2 12.Qxe2 Bxc3+!? 13.bxc3 Qa5 14.0-0 Ne5 and if 15.f4 then Bg4 with an unclear position. ] 10.h4 [ This is far more enterprising than 10.f4 Nd4 ( or 10...Bd7 11.0-0 Nd4 12.Nd1 Rb8 13.c3 Nxe2+ 14.Qxe2 e6 15.Nf2 b5 , which is approximately even, D.De Vreugt-Y. Pelletier, Zug 2001 ) 11.0-0 e6 12.Nd1 Qc7 13.Kh2 Bd7 14.Ng1 Rae8 15.c3 Nc6 16.exf5 gxf5 17.Nf3 Ne7 with mutual chances, A. Skripchenko-N.Benmesbah, French Women's Championship, Saint Quentin 2015. ] 10...Nd4 11.h5 Nxe2?! With the pressure building against his kingside, Black feels the need remove the white knight before it can appear at f4, but it fails to solve his problems entirely. [ The computer prefers 11...fxe4!? , and then 12.hxg6 hxg6 13.dxe4 ( or 13.Nxe4 Nxe2 14.Qxe2 Bxb2 15.Rb1 Bg7; or 13.Bxe4 Bg4! , though such lines perhaps require nerves of silicon; and White might try 13.0-0-0!? as well ) 13...Nxe2 14.Qxe2 Ne5 . ] 12.Qxe2 e6 13.hxg6 hxg6 14.exf5 exf5 QUESTION: How should this position be evaluated? On the surface it appears that Black has more weaknesses than White: the open h-file, the g6-pawn, the d5-square, and so on. Is that a fair assessment?

ANSWER: Absolutely; you are hitting on all the sore points in Black's position. Although none of them are easy to exploit at the moment, they certainly do contribute to the overall evaluation. 15.Nd5?! Very aggressive, quite possibly overly so. [ After the more mundane 15.Qd2 Re8 16.0-0-0 Qa5 17.d4 , White should have a comfortable advantage. ] 15...Bxb2 16.Rb1 Bg7? [ With 16...Be5 Black can keep the balance. Now things go a little crazy. ] 17.Bxc5? With the idea of 17...dxc5?? 18 Ne7+ and wins, but Black does not have to take the bishop. [ Therefore White should have played 17.Nf4 , and if Black guards the gpawn with Qf6 ( 17...g5?? 18.Qh5 wins at once ) , only then 18.Bxc5! , since dxc5? ( while 18...Qc3+ 19.Kf1 Qxc5 20.Nxg6 (threatening Ne7 mate) Ne5 21.Bd5+! Rf7 22.Nf4 also wins for White ) 19.Nd5 is just as bad. ] EXERCISE: Whether the bishop is taken or not, White is still threatening Ne7+ etc. How should Black deal with this? ANSWER: 17...Be6! A clever resource. [ If now 17...Be6 18.Qxe6 ( while retreating with 18.Be3 drops a piece to Bxd5 19.Bxd5 Qa5+ etc ) , then 18...Re8 pins the queen to the king. ] 18.Qxe6!? White takes the bishop anyway! [ There is nothing better; 18.Nf4 Bxa2 19.Rxb7 dxc5 20.Nxg6 Re8 21.Ne7+ Kf8 22.Ng6+ Kg8 23.Ne7+ leads to a draw by repetition. ] 18...Re8 19.Qxe8+ Qxe8+ 20.Be3 Rb8 21.Kf1 b6 Despite White having only rook and bishop for the queen, chances are more or less even, due to 76

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen his well-placed forces: rooks on open files and minor pieces on active squares. 22.g4!? White takes a bit of a gamble, wanting to crack open Black's kingside. 22...Qa4?! Black is a little too willing to settle for a draw, in which his opponent is clearly not interested, given his previous move. [ Instead, 22...fxg4 23.Rb4 Qd7 24.Rc4 ( 24.Be4 g5 25.Bf5 Qb7! 26.Be4 Qd7 is another possible draw ) 24...Rb7 leads to a complex position where both sides have their share of the chances ] 23.Ne7+ Kf8 24.Nxg6+ Kg8 25.Ne7+ Kf8 26.Ng6+ Kg8 27.Ne7+ Kf8 White repeats moves in order to gain time on the clock and bring the time control a little closer. 28.Nxf5 Qxc2 [ Not 28...Ne5?! since the removal of Black's dark-squared bishop after 29.Bh6! Bxh6 30.Rxh6 leaves him in difficulties; e.g. Qxc2 31.Rf6+ Nf7 32.Re1 Qxd3+ 33.Kg1 Qc3 34.Ree6 Re8 ( or 34...Rd8 35.Bd5 ) 35.Rxd6 Qa1+ 36.Kh2 Qe5+ 37.Kh3 Qc3+ 38.Kh4 Qe5 39.f4! Qxf4 ( or 39...Qb2 40.Nh6 Re7 41.g5 etc ) 40.Rxf7+! Kxf7 41.Bd5+ and White wins. ] 29.Rc1 Qxd3+ 30.Kg1 Ne5?? [ Instead, Black should have played 30...Qe2 , when a possible continuation is 31.Rh4 Bf6 32.g5 Nxg5 33.Bxg5 Bxg5 34.Rh8+ Kf7 35.Rc7+ Kg6 36.Rxb8 Qd1+ 37.Kh2 Kxf5 with a position neither side should be able to win. ] EXERCISE: Black's last move, which looks completely logical and good, turns out to be a blunder, which you now know because I told you. With that information in hand, can you determine White's winning move? (Warning: it is

not easy to spot, though White did find it in the game.) ANSWER: 31.Rh3!! Why is this move so good? First of all, it threatens to win material with 32 Nxg7, which cannot be recaptured due to 33 Bh6+ with a discovered attack on the queen. But most of all it demonstrates that Black's pieces, despite looking active and reasonably coordinated, are in fact anything but that. The king is vulnerable, the queen is loose, and the rook is unprotected too. 31...Qe2 [ The magnitude of Black's problems is well illustrated by the sequence 31...Nxg4 32.Nxg7 Nxe3 33.Rc7 Qd1+ 34.Kh2 , when Black will either get mated or fall decisively behind in material. ] 32.Nxg7 Kxg7 33.Rc7+ Nf7 [ If Black moves the king, we see how well everything works out for White tactically: 33...Kf6 34.Rh6+ Ng6 35.g5+ Ke5 36.Rxg6 Qd1+ 37.Kh2 Qh5+ (it seems like Black just turned things around, but not so fast...) 38.Kg3 Qxg6 39.Re7+ (ouch, the king has no escape squares) Qe6 40.f4+ Kf5 41.Bh3+ Ke4 42.Rxe6+ and White is winning easily; ] [ or just 33...Kg8? 34.Bd5+ . ] 34.Bf3 Several moves win for White at this juncture, but Feller has a specific target in mind and this works perfectly. 34...Qxa2 EXERCISE: How should White continue? ANSWER: 35.Rh5! Targeting the knight on f7 and Black's open king. The immediate threat is 36 Bd5. 35...Re8 36.Bd5 Qb1+ 37.Kg2 Rxe3 Black is running out of moves and counterplay. [ The knight cannot be protected any longer; e.g. 37...Rf8 38.Bh6+ ] 77

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen against Kramnik. [ As Black he has switched between 2...Nc6, 2...e6 and, as in the current game, 2...d6 , which continued 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 . ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Nd4 An interesting attempt to interfere with White's normal schemes. 7.Qd2 White usually plays this way, intending to kick the knight away with Nd1 and c2-c3. [ Instead, 7.Nce2?! (cf. Games 59-60) gives up a pawn for not very much here: Nxe2 8.Nxe2 Bxb2 9.Rb1 Bg7 ; ] [ while 7.Nd5!? e6 8.Nf4 Ne7 9.c3 Ndc6 10.h4 e5 11.Nfh3 h6 offers chances for both sides, H. Bastian-M.Kr‫ن‬mer, German Championship, Altenkirchen 2005. ] 7...Qa5!? The key move in Black's setup, preventing Nd1 on account of ... Nxc2+. [ Others will likely transpose elsewhere; e.g. 7...e6 is Games 1-2; ] [ 7...e5 is Game 9; ] [ and 7...Nf6 8.h3 e5 is Game 21. ] 8.f4 [ Instead: a) 8.Nf3?! runs into Bh3! ( 8...e6 transposes to Game 3 ) 9.Nxd4 Bxg2 10.Nb3 Qd8 11.Rg1 Bf3 ( or 11...Bh3 ) 12.g4 h5 13.g5 h4 and Black stands better, G.Feher-V. Balogh, Budapest (rapid) 1996. ] B26 Short,N [ b) 8.Nge2 can be met by Bg4 Kasparov,G ( or just 8...Nxe2; but not 8...Bh3? 26: Wijk aan Zee 2000 this time, as 9.Bxd4 cxd4 10.Bxh3 [Carsten Hansen] dxc3 11.Nxc3 wins a pawn ) 9.h3 Bxe2 10.Bxd4 Bxd4 11.Kxe2 e6 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 When Kasparov with about even chances. ] has played 2 Nc3 as White, it has [ c) 8.h3 has been played virtually always been as a feint followed occasionally, perhaps with an eye to up by 3 Nge2 and 4 d4, as in six games line 'b', though it's not a very useful

[ and 37...Qg6 38.Rg5 both win a bucketload of material. ] 38.Rxf7+ Kg6 39.fxe3 Qd1 40.Rf3 With White having reached the time control, Black's only hope is for a perpetual check, but that is not likely to happen. In fact, according to my silicon friend, Black's king is actually getting mated by force! 40...Qc2+ 41.Kg3 [ It doesn't really matter but 41.Kh3! is more precise, after which Black doesn't even have any checks; e.g. Qb1 ( or 41...Qc1 42.Be4+ Kg7 43.Rg5+ and mates ) 42.Rf8 (note that both f1 and h1 are covered) Qg1 ( or 42...Qd3 43.Kh4! ) 43.Rg8+ Kf6 44.Rf5+ Ke7 45.Rf7# . ] 41...Qb1 42.Rh1!? An entirely practical continuation: if Black takes the rook then 43 Rf6+ and 44 Bxh1 removes even the slightest chances of a draw. 42...Qd3 43.Be6 [ Or 43.Bf7+ Kg7 44.g5 d5 45.g6 Kf8 46.Rh8+ Ke7 47.g7 and it is all over. ] 43...Qc3 44.Bf5+ Kf6 45.Rh6+ Ke7 46.Rh7+ Kf6 47.Be4+ Ke6 48.Bd5+ Ke5 [ But 48...Kxd5 49.e4+ is hardly any better. ] 49.Rh5# 1-0

78

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen move here. For instance, after 8 f4 e6 9 Nf3 Ne7 in the main game, 10 h3 would not be anyone's choice. Or if e6 9.Nge2 Nxe2 not strictly necessary; ( 9...Ne7; and 9...Bd7 look perfectly fine for Black ) 10.Kxe2 , again we might question what h2-h3 was for. Still, even in a level position, it's always possible to outplay one's opponent: Ne7 11.Bh6 0-0 ( I would prefer 11...Bxh6!? 12.Qxh6 Bd7 , when 13.Qg7 0-0-0 14.Qxf7 Nc6 leaves Black with excellent compensation for the pawn due to White's somewhat vulnerable king and the queen being on an adventure far from home ) 12.h4 f5? (in light of the coming attack against his king, Black panics and overreacts badly) ( as we have seen in previous chapters, 12...f6 is the usual defence in such positions; e.g. 13.h5 g5 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.h6+ Kh8 16.f4 gxf4 17.gxf4 Bd7 18.Rag1 Ng6 and Black should be okay ) 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.h5 Bd7 15.hxg6 hxg6 16.Qh6+ Kf6 17.Qh4+ ( 17.f4! is even stronger ) 17...Kf7 18.Qf4 Rh8 19.Qxd6 and White went on to win, D.Gormally-I.Snape, Coulsdon 2005. ] 8...e6 [ The most common continuation, though Black can and has tried others too: a) 8...Nf6 9.h3 0-0 10.Nge2 Nxe2 11.Nxe2 Qxd2+ 12.Bxd2 Bd7 13.Bc3 Bc6 with a very equal position; it took a blunder deep in the endgame before Black managed to win, W. Paschall-E.Sutovsky, Port Erin 1999. ] [ b) 8...Rb8 9.Nf3 b5 10.0-0 ( or 10.e5 b4 11.Ne4 f5 12.exf6 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 Nxf6 14.d4 c4 , Mart.Hansen-M.Ulibin, Stockholm

2006 ) 10...b4 11.Nd1 Nh6 12.h3 Nxf3+ 13.Rxf3 f5 14.Rf1 0-0 15.c3 bxc3 16.bxc3 Ba6 17.Re1 e6 18.Rc1 Rfd8 19.Bf2 fxe4 20.dxe4 Kh8 21.Ne3 with mutual chances, M. Marinkovic-R.Panjwani, Canadian Junior Championship, Victoria 2009. ] [ c) 8...Nh6!? (perhaps the most interesting; compare this with Game 25) 9.h3 f5 10.Nf3 0-0 11.0-0 Bd7 ( 11...Nf7 12.Rae1 e6 13.Qf2 Qb6 14.Nd1 Bd7 15.e5 Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 Bc6 17.exd6 Bxf3 18.Qxf3 Nxd6 19.Bf2 Rfe8 20.Re2 Rac8 21.Rfe1 offered White a little something, O. Romanishin-B.Golubovic, Pula 1994 ) 12.Kh2 e6 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Ne2 Qxd2 15.Bxd2 Rac8 16.Rac1 fxe4 17.Bxe4 Bc6 with a level position, M. Narciso Dublan-B.Lalic, LLucmajor 2014. ] 9.Nf3 [ Another option is 9.Nh3 , not allowing the d4-knight to exchange itself, but Black has done quite well with ...f7-f5 ideas; for example, Ne7 ( or immediately 9...f5!? 10.0-0 Nf6 11.Nf2 0-0 12.Rab1 Nd7 13.Kh1 Rb8 14.a3 b5 15.Qd1 Qc7 and Black has equalized, V.Petrienko-G.Serper, Russian Team Championship 1994 ) 10.0-0 f5 ( or 10...Bd7 11.Rae1 f5 , and if 12.e5?! , as in S.Conquest-O.Cvitan, Forli 1992, then dxe5 13.fxe5 Nec6 looks good for Black ) 11.Kh1 Bd7 12.a3 Qc7 13.Rae1 0-0 14.Nd1 Rae8 15.c3 Ndc6 16.b4 b6 with chances for both sides, A. Rodriguez Vila-J.Sunye Neto, Pinamar 2002. ] 9...Ne7 10.0-0 Nec6 [ If Black routinely castles with 10...0-0 , White has the trick 11.Nd5 , which might be a bit annoying; e.g. 79

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Qd8 ( or 11...Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 Qd8 13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.c3 with a tiny edge ) 12.Nxe7+ Qxe7 13.Nh4 f5 ( 13...Bd7 is more solid ) 14.c3 Nc6 15.exf5 gxf5 16.d4 cxd4 17.cxd4 d5 18.Nf3 Bd7 19.Ne5 and I prefer White's position somewhat, although the chances are probably pretty even, A.Krapivin-I.Khairullin, Zvenigorod 2008. ] 11.e5!? As we will see in several other games, this move is a standard idea in the Closed Sicilian. [ The alternatives are not that convincing: a) 11.Ne1 0-0 12.Nd1 Qa6 13.Kh1 ( not 13.c3? Nb3 ) 13...f5 14.Qc1 e5 15.c3 Ne6 ( 15...exf4! 16.gxf4 Ne6 is more pleasant for Black ) 16.exf5 gxf5 ( and here 16...Rxf5!? 17.fxe5 Rxf1+ 18.Bxf1 Nxe5 appears to improve ) 17.fxe5 dxe5 18.Bh6 and Black's set-up now looks a bit loose, A.Krapivin-S.Savitskiy, Moscow 2012. ] [ b) 11.Qf2 0-0 A) 12.e5 dxe5 ( but Black might prefer 12...Nf5! here ) 13.Nxe5 transposes to 13 Qf2 in the main game.; B) 12.Nd1 Bd7 13.Nd2 Qa4 14.c3 Nc2 15.Rc1 Nxe3 16.Nxe3 was V.Ronin-A.Kabatianski, Russian Team Championship 1989, and here Qa6 17.Nec4 Ne7 18.a4 Rad8 looks like the best way to equalize. ] [ c) 11.Nh4 f5!? (Black takes the threat of f4-f5 very seriously and hurries to blockade it) ( although 11...0-0 should be fine ) 12.exf5 gxf5 13.Qf2 Bd7 14.Rfc1 b5 ( instead, 14...Bf6 15.a3 Bxh4 16.b4 Qc7 17.gxh4 Rg8 looks quite pleasant for Black; who might even consider

14...0-0-0!? ) 15.Nd1 b4 16.c3 bxc3 17.bxc3 Nb5 18.Bd2 Qa6 19.Bf1 Na3 20.d4 c4 21.d5 (now Black has to be very careful because the king is fending for himself and his pieces are not particularly well coordinated) exd5 22.Qe2+ Kf8 23.Qh5 Ne7 24.Bh3 Be8?! ( 24...d4! is better, creating some active counterplay and allow connection between the two wings ) 25.Qf3 Bg6 26.Ne3 Qc8 27.Kh1 Bf6?! 28.Nxd5 Bxh4 29.Bg2 Qc6?? ( 29...Rb8 30.gxh4 is good for White, but the text loses at once ) 30.Nxe7 Qxf3 31.Nxg6+ hxg6 32.Bxf3 Bxg3 33.Kg2! 1-0 A.Strikovic-V.Gallego Jimenez, Saragossa 1996. ] 11...dxe5 [ QUESTION: Doesn't Black just win a pawn with 11...Nxf3+ etc? ANSWER: Only temporarily, as after 12.Bxf3 dxe5 13.Bxc6+ bxc6 14.fxe5 Bxe5 15.Qf2 , White recovers the pawn with a positionally superior position. ] [ QUESTION: Okay, so how about closing the centre with 11...d5 then? ANSWER: 11...d5?! is met effectively by 12.a3! , intending b2-b4, when Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 0-0 ( 13...d4? 14.Bxc6+ bxc6 15.Ne4 is terrible for Black ) 14.b4 cxb4 15.axb4 Qxb4 16.Rfb1 Qe7 17.Qf2 left the 427point rating underdog pressing for the win, H.Lang-Y.Dembo, KhantyMansiysk Olympiad 2010. ] 12.Nxe5 0-0 [ QUESTION: How about now? Can't Black win a pawn with 12...Nxe5!? 13.fxe5 Bxe5 here? ANSWER: This sequence may well be playable for Black, but it doesn't win material: 14.Qf2! A) not 14...f5? 15.Ne4! Qc7 16.c3! fxe4 ( or 16...Nc6 17.Nxc5 80

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Bd6 18.d4 ) 17.cxd4 cxd4 18.Bxd4 Bxd4 19.Qxd4 Qb6 20.Qxb6 axb6 21.Bxe4 and having regained the pawn, White is firmly in control of the game; B) 14...0-0 15.Ne4 Nf5! ( still not 15...f5? 16.c3! Bg7 17.Nd6 Nc6 18.Bxc5 with an obvious advantage for White, J.Houska-S.Vajda, European Team Championship, Plovdiv 2013 ) 16.Bxc5 b6! ( 16...Qxc5 17.Qxc5 Bd4+ 18.Qxd4 Nxd4 19.Rf2 offers White a small edge thanks to his more active pieces ) 17.Bxf8 Bd4 18.Qxd4 Nxd4 19.Bd6 f5! 20.Nf6+ Kg7 21.Ne8+ Kf7 22.Bxa8 Kxe8 and after all that material is roughly balanced with two rooks for a queen. This was seen in an old game, I.Rohacek-C. Kottnauer, Czech Championship, Bratislava 1948, which continued 23.c3 Nc2 ( 23...Kd7 is also possible ) 24.Rac1 Ne3 25.Rfe1 Ng4 26.h3 Nf6 27.Bc6+ Kf7 28.a3?? b5! (whoops) 29.Re5 Qb6+ 30.Rc5 Nd7 31.Bxd7 Bxd7 and White resigned. ] 13.Rae1 [ More recently, White has preferred 13.Qf2 ; for example, Ne7?! (losing control of the game) ( instead, 13...Bxe5 14.fxe5 Nxe5 15.Qf4 f6 16.Bxd4 cxd4 17.Qxd4 restricts White to a far smaller edge; while 13...Nxe5! 14.fxe5 Bxe5 returns to the previous note ) 14.Ne4 Nd5 15.Bd2 Qb6 16.c3 Nc6 17.Nc4 ( 17.Nxc5 may be even stronger ) 17...Qd8 18.Nxc5 b6 19.Ne4 and White is simply a pawn up, U. Arat-Zhai Mo, Albena 2015. ] 13...f5?! Kasparov deemed it necessary

to gain control over the e4-square; the price is that it leaves the e6-pawn and the e5-square as long-term weaknesses. [ This time it was definitely best to take the pawn: 13...Nxe5! 14.fxe5 Bxe5 15.Bh6 ( here 15.Qf2 Bg7 16.Ne4 f5 is not very convincing for White; e.g. 17.Nd6 Qc7 18.Nc4 e5 19.c3 Ne6 ) 15...Bg7 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Qf2 A) and now in 'Chess Informant' Short gives 17...f5 18.Ne4 Nxc2 ( 18...Bd7 allows 19.Nd6 and 20 Nxb7 ) 19.Rc1 Nd4 20.Nxc5 with compensation, though it's unclear whether White has any more than that.; B) Alternatively, in 'ChessBase Magazine' Donev suggests 17...f6 18.Ne4 e5! , when 19.c3 ( not 19.Nxf6? on account of Qd8 ) 19...Ne6 20.h4 again offers no more than adequate compensation for the pawn. ] 14.Bxc6 Nxc6 15.Nxc6 [ Much better than 15.Nc4?! , which wins a pawn but is otherwise wholly unambitious. After Qa6 16.Bxc5 Rd8 (threatening ...Qxc4) 17.Ne5 ( not 17.Qg2?! b5! 18.Nd6? Rxd6! 19.Bxd6 Bb7 and White is in serious trouble ) 17...Nxe5 18.fxe5 b5 ] 15...bxc6 QUESTION: This looks quite promising for White. Black has doubled c-pawns and that bishop on c8 is pretty ugly. Is this a fair assessment? ANSWER: Indeed it is. White has a definite positional advantage. EXERCISE: How should White best try to exploit his positional trumps? ANSWER: 16.Nd1! Exactly like this. Black is now forced to make a decision regarding his queen. 16...Qxa2 [ Black cannot allow himself to swap 81

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen queens, as his position after 16...Qxd2? 17.Bxd2 Rb8 18.b3 , while not immediately losing, is quite unpleasant. In particular, he risks ending up in a good knight vs. bad bishop endgame. ] 17.Bxc5 QUESTION: Why would White want to give up his a-pawn for one of Black's c-pawns? ANSWER: This is a common theme in chess: you trade one advantage for another. Ideally, White would have liked to keep his a-pawn and then start applying pressure against the weak pawns, but the situation on the board did not allow that to happen; i.e. with a black rook coming quickly to the b-file. The result of the previous moves is that Black's queen is now a little offside, his position is disjointed, and counterplay is not immediately apparent. I can't imagine that Kasparov was happy with the outcome of the opening. On the other hand, if there is counterplay to be had, you can trust Kasparov to find it. 17...Rd8 18.b3 Rb8 Threatening ... Rxb3. 19.Rf2 Qa6 20.Nc3 Heading for a4 to put a clamp on Black's position. 20...Rxb3! My computer is not a great fan of this drastic move, but it seems 100% logical to me. Rather than struggling through a lengthy and depressing defence, Black alters the nature of the game completely, creating active counterplay. 21.cxb3 Rxd3 22.Qa2 Rxc3! [ As Short notes, the tempting sequence 22...Bxc3 23.Qxa6 Bxa6 24.Rxe6 Rd1+ 25.Kg2 Bd3 is refuted by 26.Rf3! Bg7 ( or 26...Be4 27.Rxe4 ) 27.Rd6 , forcing a pair of rooks off and making White's task considerably easier. ] 23.b4 Ra3 24.Qc2! Rd3

[ After 24...Rc3 25.Qd1 Rd3 , White can choose between 26.Rd2 ( and 26.Qe2 , followed by Rd1 ) 26...Rd5 27.Rxd5 cxd5 28.Bd4 . In either case he is clearly having the better of it. ] 25.Rd2 [ Or 25.Qe2 again, as in the previous note. ] 25...Rd5 26.Rxd5? Short's first mistake of the game. [ He should have played 26.Bf2! first, forcing Black to put his lightsquared bishop on the less active d7square. Then after Bd7 27.Rxd5 cxd5 ( or 27...exd5 28.Qd2 , followed by Bd4 ) 28.Qc7! Qa4 29.Rc1 h5 30.Qxa7 , the win seems fairly straightforward. Whereas now Kasparov claws his way back into the game ] 26...cxd5 27.Bf2 Bb7! 28.Qc7?! This doesn't work without the black bishop being en prise. [ The last chance for White is 28.Qe2! Kf7 29.Qxa6 ( or 29.b5!? Qd6 30.Bxa7 Bf6 ) 29...Bxa6 30.Rc1 ( or 30.Bxa7 Bc3 31.Rb1 Bd3 32.Rb3 d4 ) 30...Bc4 31.Bxa7 , although this would be by no means easy to win, since the rook is struggling to become active. ] [ 28.Qc5?! d4! 29.Bxd4? Qc6! ] 28...d4! After this simple move, opening up the diagonal for the long-dormant light-squared bishop, Black is fully in the game again. In view of the potential threat of mate on g2, White's options are rather limited. Note that 28 Qc5?! would have been met the same way: 28...d4!, and if 29 Bxd4? then 29...Qc6!. 29.Qd8+ [ Or 29.Qd7 Bd5 30.Qe8+ Bf8 31.Bxd4 Qa2 32.Bf2 Qc2 and White is unable to make any 82

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen progress. ] 29...Bf8 30.Qf6 d3! 31.Bc5 [ Now White can't even take on e6, since 31.Qxe6+?? Qxe6 32.Rxe6 d2 wins for Black. ] [ Or 31.Bd4 d2 and White has to take perpetual check. ] 31...Bxc5+ 32.bxc5 d2 33.Qd8+ Kg7 34.Qe7+ [ Short decides to take the draw, since 34.Qxd2 Qc6 with penetration on h1 gives Black fully adequate counterplay. ] 1/2

instead, and that's when the idea behind ...h7-h5 comes into play: Black can follow up with ...h5-h4 and attack White on the dark squares. This usually involves inserting ...e7-e5 as well. QUESTION: So should White play h2-h4 to prevent Black's plan? ANSWER: Preferably not, since it weakens the g4-square, especially if White follows up with a later f2-f4. 7.h3 [ There are various other options to consider: a) 7.h4?! is met by Nf6 , heading straight for g4; e.g. 8.Nh3 ( or 8.f3 d5! 9.Bxc5 d4! 10.Nd5 Nxd5 B25 11.exd5 Qxd5 12.Ba3 Bh6 Bachmann Schiavo,A and Black is clearly better, R.HasslerBu Xiangzhi K.U.Schmidt, Dortmund 2012 ) 8...Ng4 27: Calvia Olympiad 2004 9.Bd2 Nge5 10.f3 Rb8 11.Nd5 e6 [Carsten Hansen] 12.Ne3 d5 13.0-0 d4 14.Nc4 Nxc4 15.dxc4 b5 16.cxb5 Rxb5 17.Rb1 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 e5 and Black is certainly for [ Bu started with 2...g6 , after which preference, K.Zamit-M.Chatzidakis, the game took a roundabout route to Anogia 2012. ] the position at move nine: 3.g3 Bg7 [ b) 7.Nge2?! is too passive: h4! 8.0-0 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.Nge2 d6 6.d3 h5 7.h3 ( after 8.d4 , Emms' suggestion Bg4 e5 8.Be3 Nge7 9.Qd2 . ] 9.dxc5 h3 10.Bf1 Bxc3+! 11.bxc3 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Nf6 looks very good for Black ) 8...Nd4 h5!? This provocative thrust was ( Emms notes that 8...Nf6 endorsed by John Emms in 'Dangerous may be even better ) 9.Qd2 hxg3 Weapons: Anti-Sicilians'. 10.hxg3?! ( 10.fxg3 Nxe2+ 11.Qxe2 QUESTION: What's the purpose behind Nf6 is playable for White, though this move? Is Black starting a kingside obviously quite comfortable for Black ) attack before White has castled? 10...Bh3! 11.f3 Qd7 12.Nf4?! Bxg2 ANSWER: Well, if White castles 13.Qxg2?? g5! and White decided kingside and furthermore is a bit he'd had enough, 0-1 V.Amarger-N. careless then, yes, Black can get a Miezis, Thorigny 2005. ] kingside attack going, but that's not the [ c) 7.Nh3 h4 8.Nf4 Nd4 9.h3 hxg3 real point of the move. 10.fxg3 g5!? 11.Nh5 and here Black QUESTION: So what is the point then? should probably opt for Rxh5 ANSWER: Since the standard plan with ( rather than 11...Nxc2+ 12.Qxc2 Bh6 has at least temporarily – perhaps Rxh5 13.g4 Rh8 14.Bxg5 permanently – been prevented, it is and White was okay, J.Vesin-V.Milov, reasonable to expect White to play f2-f4 Geneva 2003 ) 12.Qxh5 Nxc2+ 83

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 13.Kd2 Nxa1 14.Rxa1 Qb6 ( or 14...g4!? 15.hxg4 Nf6 16.Qg5 Kf8 ) 15.Kc2 Be6 16.Qxg5 Kf8 , though it's not entirely clear ] [ d) 7.Nf3!? is another way to prevent ...h5-h4. Emms suggests Nd4 8.Qd2 ( 8.h3 Bd7 9.0-0 Qc8 10.Kh2? Nxf3+! won a pawn in H.Müller-N. Stanec, Linz 1997, since 11.Qxf3?? runs into Bg4! ) 8...e5 9.0-0 ( 9.Nd5 Bh3! works out well for Black ) 9...Ne7 ( or 9...Nxf3+ 10.Bxf3 Ne7 , but at least White has spoiled Black's fun and can play for either f2f4 or b2-b4. )] 7...e5 Interestingly, 6...h5 was played twice by Henry Bird in a match against Emanuel Lasker. [ Here Bird went for 7...Bd7 8.Qd2 Nd4 9.Nd1 e5 and drew both games; e.g. 10.c3 Ne6 11.Ne2 Bc6 12.d4!? d5 with a very messy position where Black is no worse, Em.Lasker-H.Bird, Liverpool (4th matchgame) 1890. ] 8.Qd2 [ White has also tried: a) 8.Nge2 Be6 ( 8...Nge7 9.Qd2 transposes below ) 9.Qd2 Qd7 10.f4 Nd4 11.fxe5 dxe5 12.0-0-0 Ne7 13.Rdf1 f6 14.Kb1 0-0-0 left White struggling to find a plan in E. Bolshakov-V.Korchnoi, Frunze 1956. ] [ b) 8.f4 Nge7 9.Nf3 Nd4 10.0-0 f6!? 11.Ne2 ( 11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Qd2 Be6 13.Kh2 Qd7 is fine for Black, F. Egeland-N.Miezis, Oslo 2003; or if 11.Nh4 , Emms suggests exf4 12.gxf4 f5! ) 11...Be6 12.c3 Nxf3+ 13.Rxf3 Qd7 14.Kh2?! ( 14.fxe5 fxe5 15.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4 d5 keeps things equal ) 14...h4 15.g4 f5! 16.g5 Rc8 ( or 16...0-0-0 ) 17.Rf1 d5 and Black seizes the initiative, C. Stevens-S.K.Williams, French League 2008 ]

[ c) 8.Nd5 Nce7 ( 8...Be6 is also playable; e.g. 9.Ne2 Bxd5 10.exd5 Nce7 11.c3 Nf5 12.Bd2 Bh6 13.0-0 , B.Golubovic-V.Lukov, Marostica 1993, and now Bxd2 14.Qxd2 Nf6 15.f4 Qb6 16.c4 Nd7 should not be any worse for Black ) 9.Nxe7 Nxe7 10.c3 Be6 11.f4 h4 12.g4 exf4 13.Bxf4 Be5 and Black has equalized, C.Blodig-C.Koepke, Erbendorf 2009. ] 8...Nge7 9.Nge2 [ The immediate 9.f4 , without Nge2, is examined in the next game. ] 9...Nd4 10.f4 [ Instead, 10.Nd1?! is well met by d5! (Black's pieces are better placed so opening up the position should favour him) 11.c3 Ne6 12.Qc2 d4 13.Bd2 h4! 14.g4 Nc6 15.f4 exf4 16.Nxf4 Nxf4 17.Bxf4 Be5 18.0-0 Qd6 19.Bg5 f6 20.Bd2 g5 and Black has a huge grip on the dark squares in M. Nabuurs-T.Bus, Maastricht 2007. ] 10...Be6 11.0-0 [ White seems already to be on the back foot: a) 11.0-0-0 Qa5 12.a3 b5 gives Black a promising attack, since 13.f5? gxf5! 14.exf5 Nexf5 15.Bxa8 ( or 15.Bg5 Rc8 ) 15...Nxe3 is devastating for White. ] [ b) 11.Nd5 Bxd5 12.exd5 Nxe2 13.Qxe2 exf4 ( 13...Nf5 is good too ) 14.Bxf4 Bxb2 15.Rb1 Bc3+ 16.Kd1 Qd7 and Black appears to be a pawn up for nothing. ] [ c) 11.Nd1 is again answered by d5! 12.c3 ( or if 12.fxe5 then dxe4 13.Bxe4 Nxe2 14.Qxe2 Bxe5 looks attractive for Black ) 12...Nxe2 13.Qxe2 d4 14.Bd2 Qd7 15.cxd4 ( Finkel's 15.c4!? improves somewhat, though only Black can be better here ) 15...cxd4 16.Nf2 Rc8 84

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 17.Qd1 Qb5 18.b3 h4! and again Black takes over the dark squares, G. Soppe-G.Needleman, Buenos Aires 2005. ] 11...Qd7 12.Kh2 0-0 13.Nd1?! This meets with the same response as before. [ 13.Rf2 ] [ or 13.Rae1 is preferable, though as Emms indicates, Black is perfectly fine and can play for either ...b7-b5 or ...f7-f5. ] 13...d5! 14.Nec3 f5 Black is now completely in charge of the game. He has a solid space advantage and all of his pieces are well placed. In contrast, White's pieces are relatively placed which leads him to seek exchanges, but it fails to solve his problems. 15.exd5 Nxd5 16.Nxd5 Bxd5 17.Nc3 Bc6 18.h4 Rfe8 19.fxe5 Bxe5 20.Bf4 Bxf4 21.Rxf4 Re6 Since we took stock at move 14, White has managed to remove a fair bit of wood from the board, but of the pieces remaining Black's are still clearly superior, and he is now in firm control of the e-file as well. 22.Raf1 Rae8 23.R4f2 Bxg2 24.Rxg2 Re1 25.Rgf2 Rxf1?! Exchanging a pair of rooks reduces the pressure a little. [ 25...R1e3 , followed by 26...Qd6, looks much stronger. ] 26.Rxf1 Qc6 27.Kh3 b5 EXERCISE: Black threatens to win immediately with ...b5-b4 and ...Re2. How should White respond? 28.Qg2? This is a certain loser, which allows Black to reduce to a winning endgame and vacuum up a bunch of pawns, so I suspect White must have been in time trouble at this point. [ ANSWER: The best chance was 28.Qh6! , A) the point of which is seen after 28...b4? 29.Nd5! , when White

suddenly has a whole heap of counterplay; e.g. or 29...Qxd5 ( or 29...Re2 30.Nf4 Rxc2 31.Qg5 Rxb2 32.Qe7 Rxa2 33.Re1 ) 30.Qxg6+ Kf8 31.Qf6+ Qf7 32.Qh8+ Ke7 33.Qe5+ Kd7 ( or 33...Ne6 34.Rxf5 ) 34.Qxc5 and so on.; B) 28...Nxc2? 29.Nd5 Nd4 30.Nf4 is even worse for Black, as his kingside is now falling apart.; C) Instead, Black would have to find something like 28...Re5! (28...Re7 and 28...Re6 are also possible) 29.Qf4 ( or 29.Ne4 Nxc2 30.Ng5 Re7 ) 29...Qe6 30.Rf2 ( or 30.a3 Nxc2 31.Nxb5 Ne3 32.Re1 Qd5! ) 30...b4 31.Nb1 Ne2! 32.Qc4 Qxc4 33.dxc4 Re3 , but at least such a sequence is not immediately obvious. ] 28...Qxg2+ 29.Kxg2 Nxc2 30.Rc1?! Ne1+ 31.Kf1 Nxd3 32.Rd1 Nxb2 And this is the third. White should have resigned by now. 33.Rd7 a6 34.Nd5 Re6 35.Nf4 Rc6 36.Nd5 Kf8 . Either White finally gave up the ghost or else lost on time. 0-1 B26 Barbeau,S Zugic,I 28: Montreal [Carsten Hansen]

2001

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 h5!? 7.h3 e5 8.Qd2 Nge7 9.f4 [ Deviating from 9.Nge2 as in the previous game. ] QUESTION: If Black's strategy is to play on the dark squares, doesn't this move help Black in that regard? I mean, after 85

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen ...h5-h4, White will be forced to play g3g4 and then all the kingside dark squares look weak. ANSWER: You are absolutely right, it does seem counterintuitive to 'play into' Black's plans. On the other hand, White has to do something active. Normally 'the rule' is to counter a premature flank attack with action in the centre, but that is not easily accomplished; it would require moving the c3-knight to follow up with c2-c3 and d3-d4, and even that wouldn't be terrible productive. Nor can White start anything relevant on the queenside. Thus he presumably concluded that f2-f4 was the only way to go. 9...Nd4 10.Nd1 Now that Black has committed a knight to d4, White does not hesitate to proceed with the standard eviction plan, a plan that could include the central pawn break with c2c3 and d3-d4 we just mentioned. [ 10.Nge2 is Game 27 again. ] [ In subsequent games, White has given preference to another knight move: 10.Nf3 Nxf3+ 11.Bxf3 Be6 ( here 11...h4?! 12.g4 exf4 13.Bxf4 is in White's favour; e.g. Be5 14.0-0 Be6 15.Rab1 Qd7 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.exd5 f6 18.b4 and White is in charge on all parts of the board, as there is no opportunity for Black to exploit the slightly open kingside, D. Viana-E.Barbosa, Mar del Plata 2012 ) 12.Ne2 ( playing for d3-d4 is not particularly effective, but Black has no issues after 12.0-0-0 Qa5 13.a3 0-0-0 with roughly equal chances ) 12...Qd7 ( or 12...Qb6!? ) 13.c3?! ( White should still castle: 13.0-0-0 , when Bxh3? runs into 14.Rxh3! Qxh3 15.f5 and the black queen in in trouble ) 13...Bxh3 14.fxe5 Bxe5 15.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4 Bg7

17.0-0-0 , A.Krapivin-D.Kryakvin, Vladimir 2006, and now after d5! , it is clear that Black has the upper hand. ] 10...h4 QUESTION: In the previous game when White played Nd1, Black struck in the centre with ...d6-d5. Can't he do that here too? ANSWER: Yes, and it actually looks quite promising for Black; but the text is consistent with his plan of fighting for the dark squares, and he can always play ...d6-d5 later on. 11.g4 exf4 12.Bxf4 Ne6 [ QUESTION: Why does Black chose to retreat his knight from the d4square? Isn't it perfectly placed? ANSWER: The text is a continuation of his strategy, threatening to remove White's dark-squared bishop. However, there is no rush to do this, and White might yet play c2-c3, so 12...Nec6 looks like a good alternative with a pleasant game for Black. ] 13.Bh2 [ In S.Glinert-J.Fedorowicz, Toronto 2000, White left the bishop where it was, playing 13.Ne2?! , after which the grandmaster surprisingly declined to take it at once, preferring to press in the centre: d5!? 14.Ndc3?! I don't like this move, ( instead, 14.0-0 d4 15.Bh2 Nc6 16.Nf4 looks playable, if still quite comfortable for Black ) 14...d4 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Nxf4 17.Qxf4 Qa5+ 18.Kf2 0-0 and Black is clearly on top. ] 13...Be5!? You can run and hide, but I will find you. Now the bishops come off the board, rendering White's dark squares permanently vulnerable, which may count in the long term. In the meantime Black is falling behind in development. 86

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ Emms suggests 13...Nc6 14.Nf3 Ned4 here, though in that case Black might have played 12...Nec6 at once. ] 14.Nf3 Bxh2 15.Rxh2 d5 16.Nc3? This is definitely wrong, as it only helps Black execute his plan. [ White should seize the opportunity to open the position with 16.exd5 Nxd5 17.Nc3 ( or 17.Ne3 Ndf4 18.0-0-0 , when his lead in development and reasonably well-placed pieces give him the edge. )] 16...d4! 17.Ne2 Nc6 Although my computer assesses this position as equal, I think Black has the better chances. The dark squares count in his favour, and his light-squared bishop is now considerably stronger than its colleague on g2 which is merely enjoying the view of its own pawns. White's only assets are the half-open ffile (supposing he can ever get his rooks on it) and the d5-square, so he sends his knight in that direction straight away. 18.Nf4 Qd6 19.Nd5 Nc7? QUESTION: Why don't you like this move? It seems sensible to remove White's strong knight. ANSWER: The question is what happens if White just lets it be taken: after 20...Nxd5 21 exd5, White frees his bishop and gets the open e-file for a rook. At the moment Black is playing a strategy of containment, aiming to exploit his superiority on the dark squares when good and ready, and ... Nc7 is inconsistent with this plan. [ Instead, 19...Qg3+ 20.Qf2 Bd7 ( or 20...Nb4!? looks reasonable. )] 20.Nxc7+? White seems quite happy to follow along with his opponent, and I really don't understand why. [ As just explained, he should leave the knight where it is and try to utilize

his lead in development after 20.0-0-0! . A) Taking the pawn is then very risky for Black: 20...Nxd5?! 21.exd5 Qxd5 22.Re1+ Be6 23.b3 Qd6 24.Ng5 0-0-0 25.Bxc6 Qxc6 26.Nxe6 fxe6 27.Qg5 and White will easily regain it with a much better position; ( 27.-- ); B) while after 20...Be6 21.Nf6+ Kf8 22.Re1 Ne5 ( or 22...Bxa2 23.e5 Qe7 24.Qf2 ) 23.Bh1 Kg7 24.Rf2 , White keeps the initiative and is certainly not worse. ] 20...Qxc7 21.Qg5?! Now White decides to invite an exchange of queens when it can only be in Black's favour. If White hopes that the many exchanges will steer the game towards a draw, he is going to be disappointed. 21...Qe7 22.Qxe7+ Kxe7 23.Kd2 Be6 24.a3?! White does seem to be taking the game rather casually. [ 24.e5 was the move to play here, after which his light-squared bishop comes to life and, more importantly, the black king is not allowed into e5. ] 24...Kd6! 25.Rf1?! It is getting near now or never time. Despite his suboptimal play so far, White is not yet really worse, but he needs to find some counterplay quickly before Black consolidates his grip on the position. [ To this end 25.b4! suggests itself; e. g. cxb4 ( or 25...Rac8 26.e5+ Nxe5 27.bxc5+ Rxc5 28.Nxd4 ) 26.axb4 a6 27.Rhh1 , followed by Rhb1, and White is very much in the game. ] 25...Ne5 Incredibly, my computer still gives a smudge of preference for White, even though the game is clearly heading in Black's favour. 26.c3 It seems that White is finally waking up to the fact that Black will slowly squeeze the life out of him if he lets him. 26...Nxf3+ 87

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 27.Bxf3 Ke5! The king is now in complete control of the events on the board. White has constantly to worry about the possibility of ...Kf4-g3, and at the same time, Black can build up an initiative on the queenside. 28.g5!? White plays another active move, allowing the exchange of lightsquared bishops with Bg4, which will remove the guardian of Black's f7-pawn. However, if this doesn't work out, then White has just weakened the kingside further and tied the h2-rook to the passive defence of a pawn. 28...Rad8 29.c4?! I don't know what is up with White in this game: he starts an active plan and then immediately abandons it and plays passively. [ He should have continued with 29.Bg4 Bxg4 30.hxg4 Rh7 . It certainly isn't much fun for White, but he looks to have more chances of holding here than after game continuation. ] 29...b5! With all of White's pieces sitting passively on the kingside, Black opens up a second flank on the queenside. The foundation for this stems from the fact that his king is well placed on e5, his bishop on e6 equally so, participating on both wings, and finally the mobility of his rooks. It is quite instructive. 30.cxb5 [ White cannot hold the queenside with 30.b3 because of Rb8! 31.Bd1 ( or 31.Rb1 bxc4 32.dxc4 Bxc4 ) 31...a5 32.Kc1 a4 and the defence crumbles. ] 30...Rb8 31.a4 a6! This was the idea behind 29...b5. Allowing the black rook to capture on b2 is out of the question, so White belatedly has to find a way to develop some counterplay. 32.Rc1?

[ The last chance was 32.Bg4 axb5 33.a5 , trying to keep the queenside closed; e.g. Ra8 34.Bxe6 fxe6 35.Rf6 Rhg8 and although White is definitely worse, at least he is still fighting. ] 32...axb5 33.Rxc5+ Kf4 With one rook gone from the kingside, the black king is able to make his entrance on the weak dark squares. 34.Bg4?! Tantamount to resigning the game; [ although after 34.Rf2 Kg3 35.Ke1 Bxh3 36.axb5 Rhc8 , Black would win for in any case. ] 34...Bxg4 35.hxg4 h3 36.Ke1 Kg3 37.Rcc2 bxa4 38.Kf1 a3! 39.Kg1 axb2 40.Rxb2 Rhc8 . White cannot stop a black rook from appearing on the back rank and ending the game. 0-1 B25 Savon,V Bondarchuk,S 29: Nikolaev [Carsten Hansen]

2001

1.e4 [ The two times it arose in his games he started with 1.g3 , and the current one only transposed at move eight after c5 2.Bg2 Nc6 3.d3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 e6 6.e4 d6 7.0-0 Nge7 8.Nc3 . ] 1...c5 2.Nc3 As it happens, Savon never played the Closed Sicilian as White, or at least not directly. 2...Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e6 7.Nf3 The logical square for the knight; [ though White has also played: a) 7.Nge2 Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 ( there's no mileage in 9.g4 f5! 10.gxf5 exf5 11.Ng3 Nd4 12.Nce2 fxe4 13.dxe4 Bg4 14.c3 Nxe2+ 88

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 15.Nxe2 Qd7 and Black is better, R. Hoen-D.Byrne, Tel Aviv Olympiad 1964 ) 9...Nd4 10.Qd2 is seen via 6 Nge2 in the notes to Game 55. ] [ b) 7.Nh3 doesn't really fit with this pawn configuration (unlike after 6...e5 – see the next chapter); e.g. Nge7 8.Be3 ( or 8.0-0 0-0 9.Kh1 Rb8 10.Ne2 f5 11.a4 b6 12.c3 Qd7 13.Be3 , J.Granda Zuniga-G.Barbero, Benasque 1998, and now fxe4 14.dxe4 d5 is good for Black ) 8...b6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Kh1 Qd7 11.Bg1 Bb7 12.Qd2 Rae8 13.Rae1 f5 14.Ng5 Nd4 15.Nf3 (more or less admitting that the knight was misplaced on h3) Nec6 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.Ne2 e5 and Black is better, H.Nakamura-K. Sasikiran, World Team Championship, Bursa 2010. ] [ c) 7.Be3 is mostly just transpositional: Nge7 8.Nf3 ( 8.Qd2 0-0 9.Nf3 Nd4 10.0-0 is Game 33 ) 8...Nd4 9.0-0 , since there's little point in Black delaying castling; e.g. Rb8!? ( 9...0-0 reaches the main line of Games 30-36 ) 10.Bf2 Nec6 ( 10...0-0 is seen in the notes to Game 34 ) 11.Nxd4 Nxd4 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 Bxe5 14.Ne4 b6 15.c3 Nf5 A) 16.Qa4+ Bd7 17.Qxa7 0-0 led to a quick draw in B.AbramovicJ.Diaz, Vrnjacka Banja 1988; ( 17...-- ); B) but White might try 16.d4!? cxd4 17.g4 dxc3 ( or 17...Nh4 18.cxd4 Bc7 19.Be3 ) 18.Qxd8+ Kxd8 19.gxf5 gxf5 ( or 19...cxb2 20.Rad1+ ) 20.Nxc3 Rg8 21.Kh1 and the piece looks better than the pawns. ] 7...Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.g4 QUESTION: This seems somewhat premature, or am I missing something?

ANSWER: No, it is premature – and more than that, it's ineffective. Without some mistakes from the opponent, White cannot hope to achieve anything with this sort of attack, since Black's entire set-up is designed to neutralize it. [ In the rest of the chapter we'll concentrate on the main line with 9.Be3 . ] [ However, White does have a few other options available which are tried occasionally: a) 9.Ne2 prepares to take control of the d4-square with c2-c3, but this setup is too quiet to cause Black any problems; e.g. b6 ( naturally 9...b5 is good too; or 9...Rb8 followed by ... b7-b5; the central breaks with 9...d5; and 9...f5 are also perfectly playable; or if Black is determined to exchange a pair of knights, then even 9...Nd4 is possible ) 10.c3 Ba6 11.Rb1 Qd7 12.b4 Nd8 13.Be3 Rc8 14.a4 f5 15.b5 Bb7 16.Nd2 Nf7 ( 16...c4!? comes into consideration ) 17.Qb3 fxe4 18.dxe4 d5 with mutual chances, J.Cori-V.Hamitevici, Tromsّ Olympiad 2014. ] [ b) 9.Kh1 is not especially useful here, and Black should reach a pleasant position with normal development; e.g. b6 ( or 9...Rb8 ) 10.Be3 d5 ( 10...Bb7 11.d4 d5 led to mass exchanges and a quick draw in J. Polgar-V.Kramnik, Paris (rapid) 1994: 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Nxd5 cxd4 14.Nxd4 Nxd4 15.Bxd4 Bxd5 16.Bxg7 Bxg2+ 17.Kxg2 Kxg7 18.Qxd8 Rfxd8 ½-½ ) 11.Bg1 dxe4 12.dxe4 Ba6 13.Rf2 Qxd1 14.Rxd1 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Rad8 and Black is certainly not worse, N.Minev-K. Langeweg, Varna Olympiad 1962. ] [ c) 9.Bd2 aims to reinforce the queenside against the plan of ...b7-b589

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen b4, though Black has no reason to desist: Rb8 ( there is nothing wrong with 9...b6 either ) 10.Rb1 b5 11.a3 Qd7 ( White's ideas can be seen after 11...a5 12.a4 b4 13.Nb5 d5 14.c4 bxc3 15.bxc3 c4 16.Be3 cxd3 17.e5 Ba6 18.Qxd3 , B.Spassky-Be. Larsen, 3rd matchgame, Malmo 1968; or 11...Ba6 12.b4 Qb6 13.Kh1 cxb4 14.axb4 Rfc8 15.Ne2 d5 16.Nc1 Rd8 17.Qe2 dxe4 18.dxe4 , B.Spassky-J.Timman, Hamburg 1982, where White has the better chances and went on to win in both cases; while if 11...c4 12.Be3 d5 13.Bc5 Re8 , E.Simon Padros-R. Jose Abril, Spanish League 1999, then 14.d4!? looks interesting; but simply 11...b4 12.axb4 cxb4 13.Ne2 Qb6+ 14.Kh1 a5 15.b3 Na7 , followed by ...Nb5, looks fine for Black, T.Casper-L.Ftacnik, Zinnowitz 1976 ) 12.Kh1 a5 13.a4 b4 14.Nb5 Na7! 15.Nxa7 ( now 15.c4 bxc3 16.bxc3 just loses a pawn ) 15...Qxa7 16.Be3 d5 17.e5 d4 18.Bd2 b3 and Black took over the initiative, B. Spassky-J.Polgar, Monte Carlo 1994. ] [ d) 9.Rb1 has the same ideas as line 'c', and Rb8 ( or 9...b6 again ) 10.Bd2 just transposes, ( while 10.Be3 is seen via 9 Be3 Rb8 10 Rb1 in the notes to Game 30. )] 9...f5 This is Black's normal response, killing any danger right from the get-go. 10.gxf5 [ Other continuations pose no problems either: a) 10.exf5 exf5 11.g5 gives up on the kingside play at once; after d5 12.Ne2 d4 13.c4 dxc3 14.bxc3 Be6 15.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4 Bc4 , Black already stands better, B. Saacke-U.Markmann, Paderborn

1977. ] [ b) 10.h3 (White sometimes plays this move before g3-g4) b6 ( or 10...Rb8 11.Ne2 b5 12.Ng3 b4 13.Qe1 Nd4 14.Qf2 Nxf3+ 15.Qxf3 Nc6 16.g5?! Nd4 17.Qd1 e5 and Black is better, A.Moshovakis-A. Kharitonov, Malevizi 2016 ) 11.Qe1 Qd7 12.Ne2 Ba6 13.Qh4 Rae8 ( 13...fxe4 14.Ng5 h6 15.Nxe4 Nb4 looks good too ) 14.Ng3 Nd4 15.Nxd4 Bxd4+ 16.Kh2 Bf6 17.g5 Bg7 and with the kingside now closed, Black can dictate events in the centre, A.Zamudio Diaz-M.Illescas Cordoba, Dos Hermanas 2002. ] 10...exf5 [ More solid than capturing with the gpawn; e.g. 10...gxf5 11.Kh1 ( after 11.Ne2 Rb8 12.Ng3 b6 13.Kh1 Bb7 14.c3 Qd7 15.Qc2 Ng6 16.exf5 exf5 17.Bd2 Rbe8 , chances are about even, M.Hennigan-A.Muir, British Championship, Swansea 1987 ) 11...Ng6 12.exf5 Rxf5!? ( or 12...exf5 13.Ng5 Nge7 14.Re1 h6 15.Ne6 Bxe6 16.Rxe6 , when I would prefer playing White in this position ) 13.Bh3 Rxf4 14.Bxf4 Nxf4 and Black probably does not have quite enough for the exchange, Y. Lialin-L.Erogov, Pskov 1998. ] 11.Be3 [ There is little chance of breaking Black's hold on f5; for example, 11.Ne2 Kh8 ( or 11...Qd7 12.c3 b6 13.Ng3 Bb7 14.Bh3 Rae8 15.Be3 Nd8 16.Qd2 Qc7 17.Rae1 Bc8 18.Bg2 Ne6 with chances for both sides, S.Kosanski-S.Videki, Croatian League 1999 ) 12.Ng3 Be6 13.c3 Qd7 14.Ng5 Bg8 15.Bh3 Rae8 16.exf5 Nxf5 17.Nxf5 gxf5 18.Bd2 , A.Maljush-D.Kryakvin, European Rapid Championship, Minsk 2015, 90

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen and now Ne7 followed by ...Nd5 gives Black a pleasant position. ] 11...Rb8 [ Another option is 11...Kh8 , when I.Manor-B.Gelfand, Israeli League 1999, continued 12.Kh1 Be6 13.Qd2 Qd7 14.Rae1 b6 15.Ng5 Bg8 (this retreat was the point of moving the king) 16.Nd5 h6 17.Nxe7 Nxe7 18.Nf3 Rad8 with a comfortable game for Black. ] 12.a4 b6 13.Qd2 Nb4 [ The normal 13...Nd4 seems to favour White slightly after 14.Rae1 Bb7 15.Bxd4 cxd4 16.Nb5 , as in M.Hennigan-P.Manoj Kumar, Oakham 1986; but there is no particular need to send the knight on an adventure just yet. ] [ Simply 13...Bb7 , followed by ...Qd7, gives Black a pleasant position. ] 14.Bf2 fxe4 [ Again, 14...Bb7 and 15...Qd7 comes into consideration. ] 15.dxe4 d5 16.Bh4 d4?! Planless play can ruin any position. [ Instead, after 16...dxe4 17.Qxd8 Rxd8 18.Nxe4 ( not 18.Bxe7? exf3 19.Bxd8 Bd4+ 20.Kh1? fxg2+ 21.Kxg2 Bb7+ and wins ) 18...Kf8 19.c3 Nc2 20.Rac1 Ne3 21.Rfe1 N3f5 , I would still prefer Black, though it probably is quite equal. ] 17.Nb5 a6? Now Black falls for a cheap trick. [ He should have opted for 17...Rb7 18.e5 Nbd5 19.Nd6 Rd7 , intending 20.Qd3 ( or 20.Bxe7 Qxe7 21.Nxd4 Nxf4 22.Rxf4 Bxe5 23.Rxf8+ Qxf8 24.N4b5 Bxd6 25.Bd5+ Kh8 26.Rf1 Qg7 27.Be6 Be5 28.Bxd7 Bxd7 , when Black's bishop pair and extra pawn provide decent compensation for the exchange ) 20...Rxd6 21.exd6 Qxd6 . ]

18.Nbxd4 Re8 19.c3 cxd4 20.cxb4 Bg4 21.Qd3 Qd7 22.f5? [ Instead, 22.h3 would keep a big advantage, but White's attempt at a quick knockout proves remarkably successful. ] 22...Bxf3?? A dramatic blunder that basically loses the game on the spot. Presumably Black envisaged nasty things happening after Qc4+ and so rushed to eliminate the white knight, but the f-pawn is far more dangerous. [ He should have played 22...gxf5 23.Qc4+ Kh8 24.Qf7 ( or 24.Ng5 h6 25.Nf7+ Kh7 ) 24...Qc6 A) 25.Ng5 Qf6 and Black is still in the game; ( 25...-- ); B) not 25.Bxe7? Qc7; C) or if 25.Bg3 then 25...Bxf3 26.Bxf3 f4! 27.Qxf4 ( or 27.Bxf4? Rf8 28.Qxe7 Rxf4 ) 27...Rbd8 , when the passed d-pawn providing a measure of compensation for White's extra doubleton. ] 23.Rxf3 . There is no good answer to f5f6 etc, so Black resigned. 1-0 B25 Arakhamia Grant,K Wojtaszek,R 30: Gibraltar [Carsten Hansen]

2016

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ Wojtaszek repeated his 2...d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 move order from Game 6, while Arakhamia later played 8 Be3 and 9 0-0, which makes no difference. ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e6 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 So we reach the main line. The most 91

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen popular response here is 9...Nd4, which we will examine in Games 33-36. 9...b6 Black continues to develop while securing his position against central action with d3-d4 or e4-e5. [ Another option is the standard 9...Rb8 , removing the rook from the long diagonal and preparing ...b7-b5. Here White has tried: A) 10.a4?! is misconceived, since the white rook generally does not belong on the a-file in these lines; for example, b6 (a logical response, claiming that a2-a4 is less than useful for White here) ( naturally, 10...a6 and 11...b5 is possible too; while 10...Nd4 11.Qd2 is covered in the notes to Game 33 ) 11.Bf2 e5!? ( 11...Qd7 12.Qd2 Bb7 is also fine, V.Hort-M. Stean, Teesside 1975 ) 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Nb4 15.c4 a5 16.Be1 Qd6 17.Qe2 Bd7 18.Bc3 Rbe8 19.Bxb4 cxb4 20.Qc2 f5 and Black has the better chances, V.Samolins-A.Zhigalko, Warsaw (rapid) 2008.; B) 10.e5?! Nf5 ( both 10...b6; and 10...dxe5 are also fine ) 11.Bf2 b6 ( or again 11...dxe5 , intending 12.Bxc5?! exf4! 13.Bxf8? Qb6+ 14.Kh1 Kxf8 with a big advantage for Black ) 12.exd6 Qxd6 13.Ne4 Qc7 14.c3 Ba6 15.Qc2 Rfd8 16.Rad1 Rd7 17.Rfe1 Rbd8 with a good position for Black, W. Walz-R.J.Fischer, Montreal 1956.; C) 10.d4 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Qb6 C1) 12.Nce2 Qxb2 13.Qd3 (covering a3) ( both 13.Qd2 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Bd7; and 13.Rb1 Qxa2 are good for Black ) 13...Qb4 14.Rab1 Qa5 15.Nxc6 Nxc6 16.e5 ( improving on 16.Qxd6 Rd8 17.Qc5 Qxc5

18.Bxc5 e5 and Black stood better in B.Rogulj-G.Timoscenko, Oberwart 1995 ) 16...d5 17.c4 b6 18.cxd5 Ba6 19.Qd1 exd5 20.Rf2 with some compensation for the pawn, B.Rogulj-A.Brkic, Bizovac 2004, though even here I would prefer Black.; C2) 12.Na4 can be met by either 12...Qa5 ( or 12...Bxd4!? 13.Nxb6 Bxe3+ 14.Kh1 Bxb6 15.Qxd6 Rd8 16.Qa3 e5 with interesting play ); D) 10.Rb1 b5 11.a3 Qb6!? ( 11...a5 12.a4 bxa4 13.Nxa4 Nd4 is quite equal and was agreed drawn right here in B.Spassky-K. Robatsch, Munich 1979; while 11...Nd4 12.Bf2 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 e5 14.fxe5 Bxe5 15.Bg2 also leads to balanced chances, B.Spassky-Zsu. Polgar, Monte Carlo 1994 ) 12.Bf2 Bb7 13.Qd2 Nd4 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 15.Bxd4 cxd4 16.Ne2 Rbc8 17.Kh1 ( not 17.f5 exf5 18.exf5? Bxg2 19.Kxg2 Nd5! ) 17...d5 18.g4 dxe4 19.dxe4 Rcd8 20.f5 f6 21.Nf4 exf5 22.gxf5?! ( 22.exf5 is safer and equal ) 22...gxf5 23.Rbe1 Kh8 and White's attack came to nothing in B.Spassky-J. Polgar, Prague 1995.; E) 10.Qd2 b5 ( 10...Nd4 transposes to Game 33 ) 11.d4 ( or 11.a3 Nd4 12.Rab1 a5 13.Ne2 Nec6 14.c3 Nb3 15.Qd1 a4 16.Nd2 , V.Krapivin-G.Gutman, Pardubice 2009, and now after Nxd2 17.Qxd2 Na5 , Black is certainly not worse ) 11...b4 ( 11...cxd4 12.Nxd4 Bxd4 13.Bxd4 Nxd4 14.Qxd4 Qb6 is sufficient for equality ) 12.Ne2 Ba6 13.Rfd1 Qb6 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.e5 f6 16.exf6 Bxf6 17.Rab1 Rbd8 92

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 18.Qe1 Rxd1 19.Qxd1 Rd8 20.Qe1 Nf5 21.Bf2 Qb5 22.Nc1 Qc4 23.Nb3 Ncd4 24.Nbxd4 cxd4 with chances for both sides, J. Alonso Moyano-A.Zhigalko, Spanish League 2013. ] [ QUESTION: In some previous positions Black was able to play 9...b5 without any preparation. Is that possible here? ANSWER: In this case it rather plays into White's hands: 10.e5! b4 ( not 10...Rb8? 11.exd6 Qxd6 12.Ne4 and White is already much better, e.g. Qd8 13.Bxc5 Bxb2 14.Rb1 Bg7 15.d4 , B.Rogulj-M.Bender, Zadar 1995; or 10...Nd5 11.Bf2 Bb7? 12.Ne4 dxe5 13.Nxc5 Qc7 14.fxe5 and White is a clear pawn up, I. Starostits-J.Groh, Teplice 2009 ) 11.Ne4 Nd5 ( 11...dxe5 12.fxe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Bxe5 14.Bxc5 Bxb2 is probably the best try ) 12.Bf2 dxe5 13.fxe5 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Bxe5 15.Bxc5 Re8 , S.Wiecker-Nic.Nielsen, Esbjerg 2005, and here simply 16.d4 Bg7 17.Nd6 Re7 18.a3! is very good for White. ] 10.d4 Seeing as Black has not prevented it, White takes the chance to break in the centre. This is the most common continuation, though whether it is actually best is a good question; I'm not certain. [ White has also tried: a) 10.Rb1 d5 ( or 10...Bb7 11.Ne2 Qd7 12.g4?! f5 13.h3 d5 14.Ng3 Rad8 15.e5 d4 16.Bd2 Nb4 17.a3 Nbd5 with a very pleasant position for Black, G.Gasser-I.Ibragimov, Bled 1995 ) 11.Bd2 dxe4 12.dxe4 Bb7 13.Qe1 Nd4 14.Rc1 Qd7 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Nd1 Rac8 and Black is in charge, Jen.Kristiansen-J.Pinter, Copenhagen 1985. ]

[ b) 10.Qd2 d5 ( or 10...Bb7 11.Rab1 f5 12.Ng5 Qd7 13.Bf2 Rae8 14.Rfe1 Nd4 15.Ne2 h6 16.Nf3 e5 17.Nfxd4 cxd4 with chances for both sides, M.Grigoriv-Y.Vovk, Ukrainian League 2008 ) 11.Bf2 dxe4 ( 11...d4 12.Nb1 e5 13.a4 Bh6 14.Nh4 Qc7 15.Be1 f5 16.exf5 Bxf5 also seems promising for Black, I.Starostits-Y. Solodovnichenko, Poznan 2003 ) 12.dxe4 Qxd2 13.Nxd2 e5 14.Nf3 Ba6 15.Rfd1 Rad8 16.Be3 Nb4 and despite the queens having come off the board, Black has a definitive initiative in the middlegame, P.TishinA.Zaitsev, Chern 2012. ] [ c) 10.Bf2 A) 10...Qd7 11.Qd2 Ba6 ( or 11...Bb7 12.Rae1 f5 13.h3 Nd4 14.Nxd4 cxd4 15.Ne2 e5 16.exf5 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 gxf5 18.c3 dxc3 19.Nxc3 Nd5 20.Kh2 Nxc3 21.bxc3 Rae8 and although I prefer Black's position, the chances are probably about even, B.Tiller-M. Turner, Davos 2007 ) 12.Rfe1 Nd4 ( or 12...Rac8 13.g4 Rce8 14.d4 cxd4 15.Nxd4 Na5 , I.Starostits-K. Kulaots, Tallinn 2006, and now 16.Rad1 Nc4 17.Qc1 looks fairly equal ) 13.Nh4 Bb7 14.Nd1 f5 15.c3 Ndc6 16.Nf3?! ( 16.Ne3 is still level ) 16...e5 17.Be3 Rae8 18.Qc2 exf4 19.Bxf4 Ne5 20.Nxe5 dxe5 , followed by ...f5-f4 and Black takes complete control of the game, B.Rogulj-G.Grecescu, Bizovac 2008.; B) or 10...Ba6 first; C) whereas 10...d5 can now be met by 11.e5 ; ( or else 11.exd5 exd5 12.d4 which transposes to 11 exd5 exd5 12 Bf2 in the main game. )] 10...d5 93

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ We will examine 10...Ba6 in the next two games. ] 11.e5 Closing the centre in the style of a Classical French does not pose Black any problems. [ Therefore White should probably prefer 11.exd5 and then: A) 11...exd5 12.Bf2 ( 12.dxc5 can be met by Nf5 13.Nxd5 Be6 14.g4 Nxe3 15.Nxe3 Bxb2 , which seems roughly equal ) A1) 12...Qd6 13.Re1 Bg4 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.Ne4 Qb8 16.Nxc5 Qxb2 17.Nb3 Rfe8 18.h3 Bxf3 19.Bxf3 Qa3 with chances for both sides, M. Meinhardt-G.Beikert, German League 2007; ( 19...-- ); A2) or 12...Bg4 13.dxc5 d4 14.Ne4 Qd5 ( 14...Rb8 with compensation ) 15.h3 Bxf3? 16.Bxf3 ( and 16.Qxf3 may be even better ) 16...Qf5 17.cxb6 axb6 18.Re1 Rfd8 , as in B.Rogulj-M.Cebalo, Zagreb 1993, when 19.Qd3 Qxh3 20.Ng5 Qc8 21.Qb3 grabs the initiative; B) 11...Nf5 12.Bf2 Ncxd4 and now: B1) 13.dxe6?! (activating the black bishop seems wrong, even if White does open the long diagonal) Bxe6 14.Ng5 ( after 14.g4 Ne7 15.h3 Rc8 16.Re1 Nxf3+ 17.Qxf3 Nc6 18.Ne4 Nd4 19.Qd1 Bc4 20.c3 Ne2+ 21.Kh1?! Nxf4 22.Nd6 Nd3! 23.Bg3 Nxe1 24.Qxe1 Be6 25.Nxc8 Qxc8 , Black is a pawn up, M.Lazic-G.Todorovic, Yugoslav League 1999; while 14.Re1 Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3 Rc8 followed by ...Nd4 is just good for Black ) 14...Bc4 15.Re1 Rb8

16.g4 Ne7 17.Bg3 Qd7 18.Nf3 Nec6 19.Nd2 Ba6 20.Nd5 Rbe8 21.Rxe8 Rxe8 22.Ne4 Rxe4! 23.Bxe4 Be2 24.Qd2 , D.Novitzkij-M.Erdogdu, St Petersburg 2006, and now Ne7! 25.Nc3 Bxg4 gives Black excellent compensation for the exchange, in view of his far more very active pieces.; B2) 13.Nxd4 B2a) 13...Nxd4 14.Re1 ( after 14.dxe6?! Bxe6 15.Ne4 Bc4 16.Re1 Ne2+ 17.Kh1 Bxb2 , Black is well on the way to winning, F. Fernandez Barrera-C. Matamoros Franco, Mancha Real 1998 ) 14...Ba6 15.Rb1 exd5 16.Nxd5 Bc4 17.Nc3?! ( 17.Ne3 is correct ) 17...Rc8 18.h3 Rc7 19.b3 Be6 and White is struggling badly with both weaknesses and piece coordination, V. Saravanan-D.Prasad, Indian Championship, Nagpur 2002.; B2b) or 13...cxd4!? 14.Ne2 Ne3 15.Bxe3 dxe3 , when White should prefer 16.c3 ( with a fairly even position to 16.dxe6?! Bxe6 , as in A.Pinchetti-Ch.Bauer, Geneva rapid 2016, where Black is clearly better; picking up the exchange on a8 is quite unattractive because as it leaves permanent lightsquare weaknesses around the white king. ); B3) 13.Ne5 exd5 14.Nxd5 Be6 15.c4 Rc8 ( or 15...b5!? 16.b3 bxc4 17.bxc4 Rb8 18.Qa4 Ne7 19.Bxd4 cxd4 20.Qxa7 Nxd5 94

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 21.cxd5 Bxd5 22.Qxd4 Bxg2 23.Qxd8 Rfxd8 24.Kxg2 Bxe5 25.fxe5 Rd5 26.Rfe1 Ra5 27.Re2 Rba8 and ½-½ in J. Radulski-S.Cvetkovic, Belgrade 2007, since White has no way of making progress ) 16.a4 ( instead, 16.Rc1 Re8 17.Re1 b5 18.b3 bxc4 19.bxc4 Qa5 20.Rb1 Nd6 21.Rc1 Qa3 22.Bxd4 cxd4 23.Qxd4 Qxa2 was complicated but probably level, V.Krapivin-M.Oleksienko, Pardubice 2005; whereas 16.b4 b5 17.g4?! bxc4 18.Nc3 Ne7 19.bxc5 Nec6 20.Nxc6 Nxc6 21.Rc1 Qxd1 22.Rfxd1 Bxg4 23.Rd6 Nb4 left Black with the initiative, V.Krapivin-D.Fernando, Pardubice 2013 ) 16...Re8 17.Re1 Qd6 18.g4 Ne7 19.Bxd4 cxd4 20.Qxd4 Nxd5 ( after 20...Bxg4 , Black is certainly no worse ) 21.Bxd5 g5 22.Rad1 gxf4?! 23.Qxf4 Bxd5 24.Rxd5 Qc7 25.Re4 gave White the better chances, D.Larino Nieto-A.Franco Alonso, Elgoibar 2009. ] 11...Nf5 12.Bf2 Ba6 13.Re1 [ My computer actually wants to give up the exchange here with 13.dxc5!? Bxf1 14.Bxf1 , though it hardly looks as if White has sufficient compensation. ] 13...cxd4 [ Or 13...Ncxd4 14.Nxd4 cxd4 15.Ne2 ( rather than 15.Bxd4 Nxd4 16.Qxd4 , transposing to the game ) 15...Bxe2 ( but not 15...Ne3 16.Bxe3 Bxe2?! , as in S.Glinert-A.Moiseenko, Toronto 2003, due to 17.Rxe2 dxe3 18.c4! and White grabs the initiative ) 16.Rxe2 Rc8 and the position is roughly equal. ]

14.Nxd4 [ Here too 14.Ne2 seems preferable; e.g. Ne3 ( or if 14...d3 15.cxd3 Qd7 , as in B.Spassky-S.Stoeri, Zürich simul 2009, then 16.Qd2 ) 15.Bxe3 dxe3 16.Ned4 Nxd4 17.Nxd4 e2 18.Qd2 Re8 19.Bf3 Bf8 with mutual chances, H.Bastian-D.Riegler, German Championship, Altenkirchen 1999. ] 14...Nfxd4 15.Bxd4 Nxd4 16.Qxd4 Qe7 17.Qa4 Qc5+ 18.Kh1 Bb7 [ Black can consider 18...Qa5!? 19.Qxa5 bxa5 . Taking on doubled pawns may look odd, but the open band c-files more than compensate; e. g. 20.Bf1 Bxf1 21.Rxf1 Rfc8 22.Rf2 Rab8 23.Na4 f6 24.exf6 Bxf6 25.c3 , B.Gonzalez Acosta-M.Roeder, Santa Clara 2000, and Rc4!? 26.b3 Bxc3 27.Rc1 Bd4 28.bxc4 Bxf2 29.cxd5 exd5 promises Black excellent chances. ] 19.Ne2 b5 20.Qb3 a5 QUESTION: This looks like trouble for White. Is that a fair assessment? ANSWER: White is in some trouble, yes, since Black has every chance of breaking through on the queenside. White must hope to keep the knight on d4 to minimize the damage, but even that much is difficult. 21.Qd3 [ Also unsatisfactory is 21.a4 b4 ( Black might even improve with 21...bxa4 22.Qxa4 Bc6 , when White is already struggling to stay in the game ) 22.c3 Ba6 23.cxb4 axb4 24.Rac1 Qb6 25.Qd1 Rfc8 with a large advantage for Black, I. Johannesson-Si.Lund, Reykjavik 2007. ] 21...Rfc8 22.Nd4 b4 23.a4 Qb6 24.Rad1 Rc4 25.b3 Rc3 This is an important step forward for Black, who 95

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen now has a fantastic platform from which he can truly make White's life miserable. A further issue is that White has no counterplay, and unless she can find some somewhere, the game is only going one way and that is down. 26.Qd2 Rac8 27.g4?! It is hard to fault White for wanting to shake things up, but ultimately more weaknesses only mean one thing: a quicker death. [ Sitting tight with 27.Rc1 was better. ] 27...Bh6 28.Rf1?! This only helps Black. [ 28.Rc1 was still the best option. ] 28...Ba6! Seizing the diagonal now that White cannot answer with Bf1. 29.Rf3 Rxf3 30.Nxf3 Normally we would say that exchanges favours the defender, but here Black is ready to plug the next rook into the c3-platform, and White's weaknesses are not going away – they only become more and more pronounced. 30...Rc3 31.Re1 Qc5 32.Nd4 EXERCISE: If White manages to maintain the knight on d4, she has good chances of surviving for some time, but Black has an elegant way of removing it. Can you find Black's best move? ANSWER: 32...Bd3! 33.Ne2 Forced. [ After 33.cxd3?? Qxd4 , White's pawns on f4, e5, d3 and b3 are ripe and ready to be picked off by Black's perfectly placed pieces. ] 33...Bxe2 34.Rxe2 EXERCISE: Pinpoint White's critical weaknesses and outline a plan for Black to take advantage of them? ANSWER: The dark squares in White's position are very weak. In order to exploit them Black needs to bring his bishop back into the game. 34...Qe7? This attempt to infiltrate at h4 merely wastes time. [ The best way to proceed was with 34...Qc7! , when White is unable to

set up a defence; e.g. 35.Rf2 ( or 35.Bf1 Rf3 ) 35...Bf8 36.Bf1 Bc5 37.Re2 ( or 37.Rg2 Be3 ) 37...Qb6 , followed by ...Be3 and Black should win. ] 35.g5 Bf8 36.Re3? Missing her chance. If White can get the bishop to d3 without anything untoward happening, she should be able to hang on. [ The correct move was 36.Bf1! , intending Qc5 ( or 36...Qa7 37.Re1 Bc5 38.Bd3; Black can try and disrupt this plan with 36...h6!? , but it is unclear whether he can make progress after 37.Re1 hxg5 38.fxg5 , despite White's vulnerable-looking eand g-pawns ) 37.Rf2 and 38 Bd3. ] 36...Qc5! 37.Re2 Exchanging rooks is equally hopeless for White. 37...Qb6 Now the black bishop comes round. 38.Qd1 Bc5 39.Qe1 Be3 40.Qf1 Qd4 41.f5 gxf5 1-0 B25 Lapshun,Y Le Quang,L 31: Budapest [Carsten Hansen]

2006

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ This game followed the previous one's move order in every degree, with Black playing 2...d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 , and White inserting 8 Be3 before castling. ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e6 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 b6 10.d4 Ba6 [ Instead of breaking in the centre with 10...d5 , Black develops the c8bishop with tempo, hitting the f1-rook. Pushing the d-pawn remains an option in any case. ] 96

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 11.Rf2?! While this allows White to swing the rook across to the d-file, the potential drawback is that e3-bishop often desires the f2-square too. [ We will discuss 11.Re1 in the next game. ] 11...Qc7 Rather than commit himself to any specific action, Black continues simply to develop. [ Other moves: a) 11...cxd4?! only helps White: 12.Nxd4 Na5 ( or 12...Nxd4 13.Bxd4 e5 14.Be3 Qc7 15.f5 f6 16.g4 Rad8 17.Rd2 Rd7 18.Bf1 Bxf1 19.Qxf1 Qc6 20.Rad1 with a clear advantage for White, M.Khademi-E. Ghaem Maghami, Rasht 2014 ) 13.f5 Nc4 14.Bc1 exf5 15.exf5 Nxf5 16.Rxf5 gxf5 17.Nxf5 Ne5?? ( my computer bravely suggests 17...Bxc3 18.bxc3 Qf6 19.Qg4+ Kh8 20.Bxa8 Qxc3 21.Rb1 Rxa8 22.Bg5 , when White is only clearly better ) 18.Qh5 Rc8 19.Bh6 Bh8 20.Bg5 Bf6 21.Ne4 and facing heavy material losses, Black resigned, I. Starostits-A.Kovacevic, Geneva 2007. ] [ b) 11...Na5 12.Bf1 ( or 12.b3 Rc8 ) 12...Bxf1 13.Qxf1 d5 14.Rd1 Rc8 15.dxc5 bxc5 16.exd5 exd5 17.Na4 d4 18.Bd2 Nb7 19.c3 Nd6 20.cxd4 cxd4 gave Black a comfortable position in J.Radulski-V.Topalov, Bulgarian Championship, Sofia 1992. ] [ c) 11...d5! looks like the critical reply; e.g. 12.Rd2 ( obviously 12.exd5; or 12.e5 is met by Nf5 , when 13 Bf2 is impossible; while if 12.dxc5 d4 13.Rd2 bxc5 14.Bf2 , as in J. Claesen-Y.Pelletier, World Junior Championship, Matinhos 1994, then Qa5 15.Ne2 Rab8 is good for Black ) 12...Na5! ( 12...dxe4 13.Nxe4

is equal ) 13.b3 Qc7 14.Ne5? heading down a slippery slope; ( White should settle for 14.e5 Nf5 15.Bf2 cxd4 16.Ne2 Ne3 17.Qb1 Rfc8 18.Nexd4 Nxg2 19.Kxg2 Bf6 , when Black is only slightly better ) 14...Bxe5 15.dxe5?? and this just loses material; ( 15.fxe5 cxd4 16.Bxd4 Nac6 17.exd5 Nxd4 18.d6 keeps White in the game ) 15...d4 16.Bf2 dxc3 17.Rd7 Qc8 and since 18.Rxe7 fails to Rd8 and 19...Nc6, White was just a piece down and soon resigned in K.Jakubowski-D. Raznikov, Porto Mannu Palau 2016. ] 12.a4 Probably best, preparing to send the c3-knight to b5. If Black takes it off then White gains the half-open a-file. [ The alternative is 12.Rd2 Rad8 ( or 12...Rfd8 13.Bf1 Bxf1 14.Qxf1 Nxd4 15.Nxd4 Bxd4 16.Bxd4 cxd4 17.Rxd4 d5 18.exd5 Nxd5 19.Nxd5 Qc5 20.Qc4 Rxd5 21.Qxc5 Rxc5 with a completely even rook ending, B. Rogulj-D.Rosandic, Croatian Championship, Zagreb 1993 ) 13.Bf1 Bb7!? 14.Nb5 Qb8 15.dxc5 dxc5 16.c3 Rxd2 17.Nxd2 a6 18.Na3 e5 19.Qe2 exf4 20.gxf4 Re8 and Black has the initiative, S.NikolovG.Cabrilo, Dubrovnik 2008. ] 12...Rad8 [ Here too 12...d5 comes into consideration. ] 13.Nb5 Bxb5 [ Instead, 13...Qb8 14.c3 Bb7 15.Re2 a6 16.Na3 Qc7 17.Bf2 is about equal according to my computer, but I would rather play White now that the centre is more secure; e.g. d5 18.e5 c4 19.g4 ( 19.b4 cxb3 20.Qxb3 Na5 is comfortable for Black ) 19...Na5 20.Nd2 Bc6 21.Nc2 b5 ( or 21...Qd7!? 22.Nb4 Bb7 23.Bh4 f6 97

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 24.exf6 Bxf6 25.Qe1 ) 22.axb5 axb5 23.Ne3 and White has the somewhat better chances, B.Abramovic-A.Haik, Paris 1988. ] 14.axb5 Nxd4 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Bxd4 e5 17.Bc3 [ Here 17.Be3 improves for White, though probably not enough to secure any advantage: exf4 A) if 18.gxf4?! , I.Starostits-M. Roeder, Cutro 2002, then Bxb2 19.Ra2 Bc3 looks good for Black; e.g. 20.Qd3 ( or similarly 20.f5 d5! 21.fxg6 Nf5 ) 20...d5 21.exd5 Nf5; B) 18.Bxf4 Bxb2 19.Bh6 ( 19.Ra4!? could be a better try ) 19...Bg7 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.Qd4+ Kg8 22.Qa4 Nc8 23.Bh3 Rde8 ( 23...d5!? is possible ) 24.Bxc8 Rxc8 25.Qxa7 Qxa7 26.Rxa7 Rc5 with a level rook endgame, M. Bilalic-J,Hopkins, British League 2004. ] 17...exf4 18.gxf4 [ Instead, 18.Bxg7 is met by fxg3! 19.hxg3 Kxg7 20.Qd4+ f6 21.c4 Rf7 and it is unclear whether White's compensation for the pawn is quite enough; e.g. 22.b4 ( or if 22.Bh3 , B.Rogulj-E.Kengis, German League 1999, then d5! ) 22...Nc8 23.Rd1 ( 23.Bh3 runs into d5! again ) 23...Re8 24.Qc3 Re5 25.Rc2 was J.Landaw-M.Casella, Los Angeles 2005, and now Qd7 more looks pleasant for Black. ] 18...Bxc3 19.bxc3 d5 20.exd5?! [ Rather than grab material, 20.e5 Qxc3 21.Rxa7 looks safer, when White should be okay. ] 20...Qxc3 [ Or 20...Nf5 21.Qd2 Rfe8 22.Kh1?! ( even 22.Ra4!? Re7 23.Be4 Nd6 leaves Black with more than

adequate compensation, due to White's weak pawns, poor bishop and open king ) 22...Re3 23.Rf3 Rde8 24.Rxe3 Rxe3 25.d6 Qxd6 26.Qxd6 Nxd6 27.Bc6 Rxc3 28.Rxa7 Rxc2 29.Ra6 Nc4 and now Black is a pawn up, which he had no issue converting to a full point, I.Starostits-M.Thesing, Triesen 2007. ] 21.Rxa7 QUESTION: White has won a pawn and in fact has a protected passed pawn on d5, so he should be happy, right? ANSWER: Hardly; he is actually in serious trouble. We will see why very shortly. 21...Qc5 22.c4 Rfe8 [ Here 22...Nf5! may be even stronger, when White has holes all over his position; e.g. 23.Bh3 Ne3 24.Qd3 Nxc4 25.Ra4 Ne3 ( or 25...Nb2 ) 26.Rd4 Rxd5 27.Rxd5 Nxd5 28.Kg2 Re8 and Black is winning, O.HartvigE.Mortensen, Copenhagen 1997. ] 23.d6 White tries to bring his bishop to life before Black blockades the d-pawn, [ but it was probably better to defend with 23.Bf1 , even if Nc8 , followed by ...Nd6, still looks pretty ugly for White. ] 23...Rxd6 24.Qe2? [ White should have tried 24.Qa1 , although Qxc4 25.Qe5 Re6 26.Bf1 Qc1 27.Qb2 Qc5 is obviously very good for Black as well. ] 24...Re6 25.Qd3 Re1+ 26.Bf1 Nf5 27.Rd7 Ne3 28.Qd4 Qf5 . With no good defence to ...Qg4+, White resigned. 0-1

98

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen B25

13.a4 Nc4!? ( 13...Nec6 is solid and Tischbierek,R equal ) 14.b3 cxd4 15.Nxd4 e5 Avrukh,B 16.Ndb5 Na5 17.fxe5?! ( 17.f5!? 32: Biel 2004 looks better ) 17...Bxe5 18.Bd4 Bxb5 [Carsten Hansen] 19.Nxb5 a6 20.Na3 Nec6 21.Bxe5 dxe5 and Black has at least equalized 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 in view of White's poorly coordinated Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e6 7.Nf3 Nge7 pieces, H.Bastian-I.Farago, Saarlouis 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 b6 10.d4 Ba6 1999. ] 11.Re1 [ c) 11...Qc7 12.a4 ( or 12.Bf2 Rad8 [ In view of the problems with 11.Rf2 13.d5 exd5 14.exd5 Na5 15.Rb1 d5! in the notes to the previous game, Rfe8 16.g4 Nc4 and Black has White probably has to put the rook on already taken control of the game, M. this square. ] Turner-U.Nielsen, Aarhus 1994 ) 11...Rc8 12...Rad8 13.Nb5 Bxb5 14.axb5 [ Black has several reasonable Nxd4 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Bxd4 e5 alternatives: is identical to the previous game, a) 11...cxd4 12.Nxd4 Rc8 ( or except for the position of the white 12...Na5 13.f5 e5 14.Ndb5 d5 15.f6 rook on e1. After 17.Bc3 d5 ( even Bxf6 16.exd5 Nf5 17.Bc1 Qd7 17...exf4 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Qd4+ 18.a4 Bg7 19.b3 Rac8 20.Ba3 Rfd8 Kg8 20.gxf4 d5! 21.exd5 Nf5 with a level if complicated position, seems okay for Black, M.Fortier-M. H.Logdahl-R.Sagit, Swedish Larochelle, Quebec 2004 ) 18.fxe5 Championship, Uppsala 2016 ) 13.a4 ( or 18.Bxe5 Qc5+ 19.Kh1 dxe4 ( not 13.Nb3?! d5 14.exd5 Bxc3! 20.Qe2 f6 21.Bc3 f5 22.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.bxc3 Nxd5 16.Bxd5 exd5 23.Rxa7 Ra8! with sufficient and Black has stands better ) counterplay, B.Gonzalez Acosta-R. 13...Nxd4 ( or again 13...Na5 Vera Gonzalez Quevedo, Ubeda 14.Ncb5 e5 15.fxe5 dxe5 16.Nb3 2001 ) 18...dxe4 19.Qe2 Nd5 Qxd1 17.Rexd1 Rxc2 18.Nxa5 bxa5 20.Qxe4 Nxc3 21.bxc3 Qxc3 and the chances are about even, B. 22.Rxa7 Rde8 23.Rf1 Rxe5 24.Qc6 Rogulj-M.Ulibin, Zagreb 2010 ) Rc5 25.Qf3 Qxf3 26.Bxf3 Rxb5 14.Bxd4 e5 15.fxe5 Nc6 16.Be3 and Black is now a pawn up, though Bxe5 17.Bh6 Re8 18.Bh3 Rb8 the game should realistically end in a looks messy but somewhat easier for draw, V.Krapivin-M.Turov, Salekhard Black to play, in view of White's open 2008. ] king and somewhat disorganized 12.a4 Again enabling Nb5 to block the pieces, V.Krapivin-V.Zakhartsov, a6-bishop. Pardubice (rapid) 2016. ] [ White has also tried: [ b) 11...Na5 12.Bf2 ( or 12.b3 Rc8 a) 12.Qd2 Na5 13.b3 Qc7 14.dxc5 13.Ne2 cxd4 14.Bxd4 e5 15.Bb2 , as in O.Alkaersig-J.Kjeldsen, Nac6 16.a4 , B.Rogulj-R.Ekstrِm, Norresundby 1992, and now Rfd8! Dresden 1998, and now Qc7 17.c4 15.Red1 dxc5 16.Qe1 Nac6 Nb4 18.Kh1 Qc5 offers both sides a leaves Black with the better position. fair share of the chances ) 12...Rc8 ] 99

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ b) 12.Bf2 Nxd4 ( or 12...cxd4 13.Nxd4 Na5 14.f5 , O.Gesing-V. Nevednichy, Nice 2002, when Nc4 15.fxg6 hxg6 looks quite pleasant for Black ) 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Bxd4 e5 15.Bf2 Qd7 16.Qd2 Rfd8 17.Rad1 Bc4 18.h3 Qe6 19.a4 Qd7 20.Re3 Nc6 and the position seems more or less equal, M.Meinhardt-U.Bِnsch, German League 2007. ] 12...d5 As we have already seen several times, this is a standard move in this particular variation. [ Another option is 12...Bb7 , when V.Neimer-G.Kacheishvili, Arlington 2013, continued 13.Nb5?! this looks a bit odd here, ( but 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Qe2 Nd4 is unproblematic for Black ) 13...a6 14.Na3 cxd4 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 e5 17.fxe5 Nc6 18.Bh3 Rb8 19.Nc4 Nxd4 20.Qxd4 Bxe5 21.Nxe5 dxe5 22.Qxe5 Re8 23.Qc3 Rxe4 and while the computer evaluation is close to equal, Black certainly has the better practical chances in view of White's open king position. ] 13.exd5 [ Not 13.e5?! Nf5 14.Bf2 Nfxd4 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 cxd4 and Black has a favourable version of Game 30. ] 13...exd5 14.Bf2 Nf5 15.dxc5 d4 QUESTION: It does seem like Black is always leading the charge for the initiative in this line. Should White not play more aggressively to take over this role? ANSWER: Having played d3-d4 and Re1, White has been fighting for the initiative, but he must find a good balance. Going too aggressive also means weakening the position, and we will soon see what that entails, just as

we did in the previous game. 16.Ne4? [ Avrukh pinpoints this move as a mistake in 'Chess Informant', and says that 16.Nb5 bxc5 17.c3! would keep the game level, which looks like a fair assessment and is certainly more consistent with White's 12th move. ] 16...Nb4 17.Qd2 [ Instead, 17.Ne5 bxc5 18.c3 dxc3?! ( but Black can improve on this with 18...Nd5 19.Qd2 Nde3 20.Bf3 Nc4 21.Nxc4 Bxc4 , when it seems to me that Black is just better ) 19.bxc3 Qxd1 20.Rexd1 Bxe5 21.fxe5 Nd3 22.g4 Ne7 was B.Rogulj-O.Jovanic, Zagreb 2008, and now 23.Bg3 would have left White with a clear advantage. ] 17...bxc5 18.Nxc5? After this further error, White's game is soon beyond repair. [ He should have played 18.Rad1 , and if Nd5 ( all the same, 18...Qc7! should offer Black a little something ) , only then 19.Nxc5! Rxc5 20.Nxd4 Bxd4 21.Bxd4 Rc8 22.Qf2 (Avrukh) and White comes out okay; e.g. Nxd4 23.Rxd4 Qb6 24.Bxd5 Rxc2! 25.Qe3 Qxb2 26.Bxf7+ Rxf7 27.Qe8+ Kg7 28.Qe5+ Kh6 with perpetual check. ] 18...Rxc5! [ Much stronger than 18...Qb6? 19.c3 ( 19.Nxa6 Nxc2 20.Qe2 Nxa1 21.Rxa1 is also good ) 19...Qxc5 20.cxb4 Qc2 21.b5 Bb7 , as in V. Slovineanu-M.Marin, Rumanian League 2000, when 22.Qxc2 Rxc2 23.Rac1 Rxb2 ( or 23...d3 24.Ne5 ) 24.Rc7 looks very promising for White. ] 19.Qxb4 Rxc2 Now the passed d-pawn is very dangerous. 20.Ne5 d3 21.Be4 100

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ while 10.e5 is examined in Games 35 and 36. ] [ Another idea is 10.Rb1 , planning to regain control of the d4-square after Ne2 and c2-c3 without dropping the b2-pawn, but this is too cautious to pose Black any problems; for example, d5!? (by no means obligatory) ( 10...b6 11.Ne2 Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 Bb7 13.c3 Qd7 , as in H. Bastian-An.Karpov, Hanover 1983, is more than okay for Black; as are 10...Bd7; and 10...Rb8 ) 11.Ne2 Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 d4 13.Bf2 e5 14.a3 ( or 14.fxe5 Nc6 15.Nf4 Nxe5 16.c3 Nxf3+ 17.Qxf3 f5 and Black has the better chances, A.Winkelmann-R. Hِrstmann, German League 1998; while after 14.b4 b6 15.bxc5 bxc5 16.f5 gxf5 17.exf5 Bxf5 18.g4 Be6 , K.Hِnnekes-L.Maugg, German League 1998, and now 19.Bxa8 Qxa8 20.Ng3 Ng6 , Black has more than enough compensation for the exchange ) 14...Bh3 15.Re1 Qd7 16.fxe5 Nc6 17.Nf4 Nxe5 18.Nxh3 B25 Castro Rojas,O Qxh3 19.Bg2 Qd7 and Black's knight Escobar Forero,A is better than either of White's 33: Columbian Ch, Cartagena de Indias bishops, T.Casper-I.Glek, German [Carsten Hansen] League 1993. ] 10...Rb8 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 [ Another idea is to reinforce the d4Bg7 5.d3 d6 knight with 10...Nec6 11.Ne1 [ The players took a long way round to preparing Nd1 and c2-c3; the game position below: 5...Rb8 6.f4 ( if White starts with 11.Nd1 d6 7.Nf3 e6 8.0-0 Nge7 9.Be3 Nd4 , Black can just play Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 10.Qd2 0-0 . ] b6 13.c3 Ba6 14.Nf2 Rc8 15.Bg2 6.f4 e6 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 , Sang Cao-Vinh Bui, Vietnamese Nd4 This is Black's primary response, League 2013, and now Qd7 occupying the outpost at once and with a perfectly good position ) blockading the white d-pawn. 10.Qd2 11...Qa5 12.Nd1 ( not 12.Qc1? Opting to complete development before Qxc3! ) 12...Qa6 13.Kh1 ( and not undertaking concrete action. 13.c3? due to Nb3!; while after 13.Nf2 [ We will look at 10.Bf2 in the next b5 14.c3?! Nb3 15.axb3 Qxa1 game; ] 16.e5 Bb7 , White still does not have

Bxe5 [ Or 21...Re8 22.Bxd3 Bxd3 23.Nxd3 Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 Nd4 25.Re3 Qa8! 26.Qe7 Nf3+ and Black is winning, but the game continuation is even more straightforward. ] 22.fxe5 Re8 23.Rad1 Nothing else was any better; [ if 23.b3 Rxe5 24.Bxa7 , then Nd6! wins. ] 23...Rxe5 24.Bxd3 [ Or 24.b3 Rxf2! 25.Kxf2 Nd4 with decisive threats of ...Nc2 and ... Qf6+; e.g. 26.Rd2 Nc2 27.Rxc2 dxc2 28.Bxc2 Qf6+ 29.Qf4 Qb6+ 30.Re3 Re6 and wins. ] 24...Rxe1+ 25.Qxe1 Bxd3 26.Qf1 EXERCISE: At a quick glance it looks as if White has somehow escaped the worst. How did Black end the game in one move? ANSWER: 26...Rc1! 0-1

101

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen enough for the exchange, A.D.MartinG.Serper, Hastings 1990/91 ) 13...f5 14.Qc1 e5 15.c3 (White has finally arranged to drive the knight away, but it clearly taken a lot of time) A) here 15...exf4! 16.Bxf4 ( or 16.gxf4 Ne6 ) 16...Ne2 seems fine for Black; B) 15...Ne6 16.exf5 gxf5 17.fxe5 dxe5 18.Bh6 Ne7 19.Bxg7 Nxg7 20.Qe3 Qd6 21.Nf3 Ng6 22.Nf2 Bd7 23.Qh6 Rf6?? ( 23...Ne6 is still okay for Black ) 24.Ne4! fxe4 25.Ng5 Nf5 26.Qxh7+ Kf8 27.Nxe4 Qe7 28.Nxf6 1-0 A.Krapivin-S.Savitskiy, Moscow 2012. ] [ Alternatively, Black can challenge directly in the centre with 10...d5 , threatening ...Nxf3+ and ...d5-d4. For example, 11.Ne1 ( after 11.Bf2 Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 d4 13.Ne2 e5 14.c3 Nc6 15.cxd4 cxd4 16.b4 a6 17.a4 Be6 18.b5 Na5 , Black has no reason to complain, A.Rodriguez VilaR.Felgaer, Ayamonte 2004 ) 11...b6 ( 11...Nxc2 12.Nxc2 d4 13.e5 is good for White ) 12.e5 (now threatening 13 Bxd4 cxd4 14 Nb5 etc) f6 13.exf6 Bxf6 14.Nd1 Ndf5 , but now Black misplayed his position: 15.c3 Rb8 ( 15...Bb7 , followed by ...Qd7 and ...Rae8, looks a better set-up ) 16.Bf2 e5?! 17.fxe5 Bxe5 18.Nf3 Bg7 19.g4 Nd6 20.h3 h6 21.Bg3 g5 22.Ne3 Be6 23.Rae1 and White had the better chances, L. Roos-D.Levacic, French Championship, Puteaux 1980. ] 11.Rae1 [ White has a whole bevy of possibilities at this point: a) 11.a4?! does not really fit with White's system; e.g. b6 12.Bxd4 ( or 12.Nb5 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 a6 14.Nc3

d5 and I prefer Black's position already, Ga.Horvath-B.Martini, Hungarian League 2006 ) 12...cxd4 13.Nb5 Nc6 14.c3 dxc3 15.bxc3 a6 16.Na3 b5 ( or 16...Qc7 17.Nc2 Na5 with a pleasant Hedgehog position ) 17.Nc2 b4 18.d4 a5 19.g4 , S.Bücker-J.M.Hodgson, Krefeld 1983, and now e5! 20.fxe5 dxe5 21.d5 bxc3 22.Qxc3 Nd4 looks very good for Black. ] [ b) 11.Nd1 b5 12.c3 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 b4 14.d4 ( instead, 14.c4 is basically saying that White is happy with a draw, and after Nc6 15.Bg2 Nd4 16.Bf2 a5 17.Ne3 , Black was okay with that too: ½-½ G.Guseinov-S. Zhigalko, Nakhchivan 2013 ) 14...Ba6 ( the position after 14...bxc3 15.bxc3 features in Game 14; see 12 c3 etc in note 'd1' to Black's ninth move ) 15.Rf2 bxc3 16.Nxc3? ( 16.bxc3 is still correct ) 16...cxd4 17.Bxd4 Rxb2! 18.Qxb2 Bxd4 19.Rd1 Bxf2+ 20.Kxf2 Qa5 21.Kg2 Nc8 and Black has won a pawn, V.PodinicVu.Djordjevic, Serbian League 2016. ] [ c) 11.Nh4 b5 ( 11...f5 12.Nd1 b6 13.c3 Ndc6 is a solid alternative; e.g. 14.exf5 exf5 15.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4 Na5 17.b3 Bb7 18.Nc3 Bxg2 19.Qxg2 Qd7 20.Rac1 Rbc8 is quite level, Y.Stepak-M.Matulovic, Tel Aviv Olympiad 1964 ) 12.Nd1 b4 13.c3 bxc3 14.bxc3 Ndc6 15.f5 exf5?! ( 15...f6! is correct here ) 16.exf5 gxf5 17.Bh6 Ne5 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Ne3 and Black is in some trouble, V.Chekhov-E.Ovod, Serpukhov 2003. ] [ d) 11.Rab1 b6 ( naturally 11...b5 is possible too ) 12.Bf2 Bb7 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Ne2 e5 15.g4 exf4 ( Black should prefer 15...Qd7 16.g5 Rbc8 17.Bg3 Rc5 with the initiative ) 102

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 16.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 17.Nxd4 g5 18.h4 Ng6 19.Nf5 Bc8 20.hxg5 Qxg5 was P.Lyrberg-V.Loginov, Kecskemet 1992, and now 21.d4 Rd8 22.Rbe1 looks more promising for White. ] [ e) 11.Bf2 Nxf3+ ( or 11...Nec6 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13.Nd1 b6 14.c3 Nc6 15.Ne3 Ba6 16.g4 b5 17.a3 Na5 18.Qc2 Bb7 19.b4 Nc6 20.Rab1 Ba8 and although White has more space, Black's position is very resilient, D.Roos-R.Edouard, French League 2011 ) 12.Bxf3 Nc6 13.Bg2 b6 ( or 13...Qa5 14.a3 Bd7 15.g4 Nd4 16.f5 exf5 17.gxf5 gxf5 18.Bg3 , P.Lyrberg-A.Kharlov, Gausdal 1992, and now Qb6 19.Rab1 Be6 is fairly level ) 14.Rae1 Bb7 15.Ne2 Qd7 16.g4 f5 17.gxf5 exf5 18.Ng3 Ne7 19.c4 b5 20.d4 cxd4 21.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 22.Qxd4 bxc4 23.Qxc4+ Rf7 and the chances are about even, T. Thorhallsson-Y.Kuzubov, Icelandic League 2008. ] [ f) 11.Qf2 Nec6 ( or 11...Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 b5 13.a3 a5 14.d4 cxd4 15.Bxd4 Bxd4 16.Qxd4 b4 17.axb4 axb4 18.Na4 Nc6 19.Qc4 Na5 20.Qd3 Qc7 with chances for both sides, S.Zablotsky-A.Stukopin, Vladimir 2008 ) 12.Rae1 b5 ( 12...b6 is safer ) 13.e5! dxe5 14.Nxe5 Nxe5?! ( here 14...Nb4!? 15.Rc1 f6 16.Nf3 f5 looks better ) 15.fxe5 Bxe5 16.Ne4 Bg7?? ( 16...Nf5 17.Bxc5 Bd4 keeps Black in the game ) 17.c3 e5? 18.cxd4 and Black soon resigned, M.Ashley-L.Remlinger, New York 1995. ] 11...b5 QUESTION: Are there any guidelines for when Black should prefer ...b7-b5 over ...b7-b6 or vice versa? ANSWER: Not really; in most situations both moves are available, as we have seen in the notes above. However, in

my opinion Black should only play ...b7b6 if there are specific reasons for holding the pawn back; in particular, if it seems more important to reinforce its colleague on c5. Otherwise, pushing it pawn all the way forward to b5, initiating queenside counterplay, is the more logical approach. [ Here 11...b6 seems unnecessarily prudent; e.g. 12.Nh4 ( White does not achieve anything with 12.Bxd4 cxd4 13.Nb5 Nc6 14.e5 dxe5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.fxe5 Bb7 , since the outpost on d6 is not secure ) 12...Bb7 13.Nd1 f5 ( 13...d5!? is a possibility ) 14.c3 Nb5 15.exf5 exf5 16.Nf3 Re8 17.c4 Nc7 18.d4 Nc6 ( 18...Be4!? might be considered ) 19.d5 Ne7 20.a4 Qd7 21.b3 and while Black's position is not as bad as it looks (he can reorganize with ...Kh8 and ...Ng8-f6), White's space advantage certainly offers him the better chances, K.Sasikiran-T. Rahman, Sri Lanka 2001. ] 12.e5!? [ This attempt to force the pace should not give White any advantage, but playing more slowly with 12.Nd1 b4 13.c3 bxc3 14.bxc3 Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3 does not offer anything either; e.g. Qa5 16.g4 f5 17.gxf5 ( or 17.Re2 fxg4 18.Bxg4 d5 ) 17...exf5 18.e5 dxe5 19.Qf2 , O.Krylova-Z.Lanka, Algarve 1997, and now Rd8 20.fxe5 ( or 20.Bxc5 Nd5 ) 20...Rxd3 21.Be2 Ba6 22.Bxc5 Nc6 looks good for Black. ] 12...Nef5 [ A simple solution is 12...dxe5 13.Nxe5 ( or 13.fxe5 Bb7 ) 13...f6 14.Nf3 Nef5 15.Bf2 Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 Nd4 17.Bg2 Bb7 and Black has obviously solved his opening problems, M.Meinhardt-A.Naumann, 103

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Bad Wiessee 2005. ] 13.Bf2 Nxf3+ [ Black does not have to exchange knights at once: a) 13...Qc7 14.Ng5 Bb7 15.Nce4 h6 16.Nh3 dxe5 17.c3 exf4 18.cxd4 fxg3 19.hxg3 , S.Bücker-U.Bِnsch, German Championship, Bad Neuenahr 1991, and now Bxe4 20.Rxe4 ( or 20.dxe4 Bxd4 ) 20...Nxg3 should give Black sufficient compensation with three pawns for the piece. ] [ b) 13...Bb7 14.Ne4 Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3 Qc7 16.exd6?! ( 16.g4 Nd4 17.Bxd4 Bxe4 18.dxe4 cxd4 19.exd6 Qxd6 20.e5 is roughly equal ) 16...Nxd6 17.c3 Rfd8 18.Qe3 Bxe4 19.Bxe4 Rbc8 20.a3 a5 21.Bg2 b4 22.axb4 axb4 23.cxb4 cxb4 and Black has a positional advantage thanks to his superior pawn structure and better coordinated pieces, S.Bücker-P. Schlosser, German League 1991. ] 14.Bxf3 Nd4 15.Bg2 Although this position is probably about equal, statistics very much favour White, which indicates that Black needs to exercise some care. 15...dxe5 [ Not 15...b4?! 16.Ne4 dxe5 17.c3 bxc3 18.bxc3 Nb5 19.Bxc5 Re8? 20.fxe5 Bxe5 21.d4 Bg7 22.Rxf7 Kxf7 23.Qf4+ and White is winning. O.Castro Rojas-A.Tzoumbas, Manila Olympiad 1992. ] [ Or 15...Bb7 16.Bxb7 Rxb7 17.Bxd4 cxd4 18.Ne4 d5?! 19.Nc5 Rc7 20.Nb3 Qb8 21.Nxd4 and while Black has some compensation for the pawn, it is clear that White is the one with the chances, M.Tosic-D.Lekic, Serbian League 2005. ] 16.fxe5 Qc7 [ Here 16...Bb7 17.Ne4 b4

is a possible improvement; e.g. 18.c3 bxc3 19.bxc3 Bxe4 20.Rxe4 , O.Castro Rojas-Liang Jinrong, Manila Olympiad 1992, and now Liang presumably played Qa5 , which promises Black decent counterplay ( rather than 20...Qg5?? as given in the database. )] 17.Ne4 Bxe5 18.c3 Nf5 19.Bxc5 [ White can also capture with the knight: 19.Nxc5!? A) not 19...a5?? 20.Rxe5! Qxe5 21.g4 Ne7 ( or 21...Ng7 22.Ne4 Ne8 23.Bg3 ) 22.Bd4 Qc7 23.Bf6! Qxc5+ 24.d4 and wins; B) 19...h5!? 20.b4 Bd6 21.Ne4 Be7 22.Bc5 Bb7 23.d4 , when I think White's position leaves the better impression, even if the computer does assess this as close to equal. ] 19...Rd8 20.d4 b4 [ Another game saw 20...Bb7 21.Qf2 Bxe4 22.Rxe4 Bg7?! ( 22...Bd6 is preferable ) 23.g4 Nd6 24.Re2 with a comfortable plus for White, V. Zhelnin-V.Kedrov, Kaluga 2013. ] 21.Qg5?! Too direct; [ instead, 21.Qf2 Bg7 22.g4 Ba6 ( or 22...Nh6 23.Qh4 ) 23.gxf5 Bxf1 24.Bxf1 exf5 25.Ng5 leaves White with the somewhat better chances. ] 21...h6 22.Qc1 Bg7 23.g4 bxc3 24.bxc3 Nh4 25.Bh1 [ Here White should have limited himself to 25.Nf6+ Bxf6 26.Rxf6 Nxg2 27.Kxg2 , when the game should lead to a draw; e.g. Rb5 ( or 27...Bb7+ 28.Kh3 h5 29.gxh5 Rd5 30.Kg4 Qxh2 etc ) 28.Qxh6 Rb2+ 29.Kg1 Bb7 30.Rexe6! Rg2+ 31.Kf1 Rxg4 32.Re7 Qb8 33.Rexf7 Bg2+ ( or 33...Ba6+ ) 34.Ke1 Qb1+ with perpetual check. ] 25...f5 26.Ng5!? An optimistic sacrifice, 104

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen which is not 100% correct, but White probably felt he was losing control of the game and wanted to change its direction. [ For example, after 26.gxf5 gxf5 27.Ng3 Rb5 28.Qe3 Ng6 29.Bf3 Kh7 ( better than the wonderfully messy 29...Nf4 30.Nh5 Nxh5 31.Bxh5 Rd5 32.c4 Rdxc5 33.cxb5 f4 34.Qh3 Bxd4+ 35.Kh1 e5 36.Qb3+ Rc4 37.Re2 Be6 , which is equal according to my computer; I'm sure it has found a move repetition somewhere ) 30.Bh5 Ne5! 31.Rd1 Bb7 , Black is the one with all the chances. ] 26...e5! Analysis seems to indicate that White is okay if the piece is taken. [ One line runs 26...hxg5 27.Qxg5 Rb5 28.Qxh4 Rxc5! (making the white king more vulnerable) 29.dxc5 Bxc3 30.Bg2! (giving the king a hiding place) Bxe1 31.Rxe1 Qxc5+ 32.Kh1 Qd4 33.Qg5 Kf7 34.gxf5 gxf5 35.Qh5+ (now the black king has nowhere to hide) Kf6 ( or 35...Kf8 36.Bf3 Qf6 37.Rg1 , threatening Rg6 ) 36.Qh6+ Ke7 37.Qh7+ Kd6 38.Bf3 Rh8 39.Qf7 Rxh2+ 40.Kxh2 Qf2+ 41.Bg2 Qh4+ 42.Bh3 Qxe1 43.Qf8+ and White will give perpetual check. Such a long and convoluted variation is very much open to improvement, but it does at least illustrate White's possibilities after 26...hxg5. ] 27.gxf5 exd4?? This is a hideous blunder which could have lost the game in a few moves. [ He should have played 27...Nxf5 28.Ne4 Rb5 29.Bg2 exd4 30.cxd4 Nxd4 and Black is simply a pawn up without a shade of compensation for White; e.g. 31.Nf6+ ( or 31.a4 Ra5 ) 31...Bxf6 32.Rxf6 Rxc5 33.Rxg6+

Kh8 34.Rxh6+ ( or 34.Qxh6+ Qh7 ) 34...Kg7 35.Qe3 Qe5! and Black emerges with an extra piece. ] EXERCISE (combination alert): What is White's best move? 28.cxd4 The text move does win but White has something much better. [ ANSWER: 28.Bd5+!! Kh8 ( 28...Rxd5 leads to a pretty pawn mate: 29.Re8+ Bf8 30.Rxf8+ Kg7 31.f6# ) 29.f6 Qxc5 30.fxg7+ Kxg7 . EXERCISE (combination alert): And what is White's best move now? A) ANSWER: 31.Qa3!! Qxa3 32.Rf7+ Kg8 33.Rd7+ Kf8 ( or 33...Kh8 34.Rh7# ) 34.Nh7# .; B) A decoy sacrifice to rule out 31.Rf7+ Kg8 32.Rd7+ ( or indeed 32.c4 ) 32...Qxd5! , even though White would win anyway after 33.Rxd5 Rxd5 34.Re8+ Kg7 35.Ne4 . ] 28...Bxf5? [ Recapturing with the knight was relatively best: 28...Nxf5 29.Qc4+ Kh8 30.Qf7 Qd7 31.Qxd7 Bxd7 ( not 31...Rxd7? 32.Re8+ ) 32.Nf7+ Kg8 33.Nxd8 Rxd8 , when White is up an exchange and should be winning without too much trouble, but at least there is still some work to do. ] 29.Qc4+ Kh8 30.Nf7+ Kh7 31.Nxd8 Rxd8 32.Re7 Rxd4? A final error that loses on the spot, but Black was losing anyway; [ e.g. 32...Rd7 33.Re8 h5 34.Qg8+ Kh6 35.Qb3 Kh7 36.Qg3 (beautiful geometry with the queen) Bf6 ( or 36...Qxg3+ 37.hxg3 ) 37.Rf8 and White wins material. ] 33.Rxg7+ 1-0

105

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen B25 Tischbierek,R Kritz,L 34: Biel [Carsten Hansen]

2004

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 [ Black actually played 5...e6 first, but then after 6.f4 Nge7 7.Nf3 , he restrained himself to d6 ; ( rather than 7...d5 (which we will look at in Chapter Eleven). )] 6.f4 e6 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 Nd4 10.Bf2 A prophylactic retreat, which gives White the option of exchanging on d4 now that ...c5xd4 won't fork two pieces, as well as playing e4-e5 without a subsequent ...Nf5 disturbing the bishop. [ As we will see, this can lead to the same positions as after 10.e5 , but there are some other possibilities along the way. ] 10...Nec6 [ Supporting the d4-knight is the most popular option, but not the only one: a) 10...Nxf3+ 11.Bxf3 Nc6 12.e5 ( 12.Bg2 b6 13.Qd2 Bb7 14.Rae1 Qd7 is fine for Black, M.Todorcevic-M. Matulovic, Cuprija 1986 ) 12...dxe5 ( but if Black doesn't want to sacrifice then 12...Nd4 13.Bg2 is another route to our main line ) 13.Bxc5 exf4! 14.Bxf8 ( or 14.Bxc6 Bd4+ ) 14...Kxf8 offers perfectly good compensation for the exchange, D.Larino Nieto-R. Felgaer, Ourense 2007. ] [ Otherwise, Black will have to recapture on d4 with the c-pawn, which leads to a different type of position. For example: b) 10...Rb8 11.Nxd4 ( 11.Qd2 was seen in the notes to Game 33 ) 11...cxd4 12.Ne2

A) 12...Nc6 13.c3 dxc3 14.bxc3 Bd7 15.Qd2 ( or 15.Qb3 b5 16.a3 a5 17.Rab1 b4 18.cxb4 axb4 19.axb4 Rxb4 20.Qa3 Qb8 21.Rxb4 Qxb4 22.Qxb4 Nxb4 , which is almost completely equal, although Black's position maybe a little easier to play, D.Roos-B.Ivkov, Torremolinos 1983 ) 15...b5 16.Rac1 Qe7 17.Be3 f5 18.Nd4 Rfc8 19.Rfe1 Qf7 20.Qf2 a5 , D.Larino Nieto-E.Rodriguez Guerrero, Salobrena 2009, and now 21.exf5 gxf5 22.c4!? would leave White with the initiative.; B) Instead, 12...e5 13.c3 dxc3 14.Nxc3 Nc6 ( but 14...b6 15.d4 exf4 16.gxf4 Bb7 is reasonable for Black, S.Johannessen-J.Rotstein, Dresden 2006 ) 15.f5 gxf5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Bxa7 Ra8 18.Rxf5 Rxa7 19.Be4 Ne7 20.Qf3 gives White a strong attack, M.Todorcevic-F.Van Seters, Brussels 1971. ] [ c) 10...Bd7 11.Nxd4 ( here 11.e5 is met by Bc6! ) 11...cxd4 ( even 11...Bxd4 is possible; e.g. 12.Bxd4 cxd4 13.Ne2 Qb6 14.Qd2 d5 and Black already has no cause for complaint, B.Spassky-P.Cramling, Prague 1985 ) 12.Ne2 Nc6 13.c3 dxc3 14.bxc3 ( 14.Nxc3 allows Nd4 again ) 14...f5 ( for 14...Rb8 see 10...Rb8 above ) 15.Rb1 b6 16.exf5 gxf5 17.d4 d5 , and now White should play 18.c4 ( after 18.Nc1 Na5 19.g4?! Rc8 20.gxf5 Rxf5 , Black has the upper hand since White has some structural issues to deal with, D.Roos-J.Benjamin, New York 1984 ) 18...Ne7 ( or 18...dxc4 19.d5 ) 19.cxd5 Nxd5 20.Bxd5 exd5 21.Nc1 (Benjamin) with chances for both sides. ] 106

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 11.Nxd4 [ Alternatively, 11.e5 dxe5 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.fxe5 transposes below. ] [ 11.Rb1 , with the idea of 12 Ne2, doesn't cause Black any problems; for example, Rb8 ( or 11...b6 12.Ne2 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 Bb7 14.c3 d5 15.exd5 Ne7 16.c4 exd5 17.d4 Rb8 18.dxc5 dxc4 19.Bxb7 Rxb7 20.cxb6 axb6 is about equal, V. Saravanan-R.Sherbakov, Kolkata 1996 ) 12.Ne2 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 Nd4 14.Bg2 Qa5 15.Nc1 Qa4 16.c3 Qxd1 17.Rxd1 Nc6 18.Ne2 e5 19.Rd2 Bg4 20.h3 Be6 is also more or less equal, and with the queens off things are decidedly less exciting, V.Saravanan-S.Roy Chowdhury, Indian Championship, Mumbai 2003. ] 11...Nxd4 Capturing with the pawn is a little inconsistent but remains perfectly playable. [ Indeed, 11...cxd4 12.Ne2 A) 12...Rb8; B) or 12...Bd7 transposes to the notes with 10...Rb8 and 10...Bd7 above; C) as does 12...f5 13.c3 dxc3 14.bxc3 Bd7 . ( 14...-- ); D) Black has also tried 12...e5 13.Qd2 ( or if 13.c3 dxc3 14.bxc3 exf4 15.gxf4 , as in B.Roselli Mailhe-O.Panno, Vicente Lopez 2002, then Bg4!? is quite interesting ) 13...Be6 14.c3 dxc3 15.bxc3 Qa5 16.Rab1 Bg4 17.Rb3 Nd4 18.Nxd4 exd4 19.Qc2?! ( 19.f5! gxf5 20.h3 fxe4 21.hxg4 e3 22.Bxe3 dxe3 23.Qxe3 Rae8 24.Qd2 b6 is fairly equal ) 19...Rac8 20.c4 b5 21.f5 was J.Radulski-M.Savic, Bijeljina Dvorovi 2000, and now bxc4 22.dxc4 d5! leaves Black with a clear advantage. ]

12.e5 Reaching the same position as after 10 e5 Nef5 11 Bf2 Nxf3+ 12 Qxf3 Nd4 13 Qd1, but with a move less for each side. [ Again, 12.Rb1 shouldn't trouble Black, though it is always possible to outplay one's opponent; e.g. Bd7 ( after 12...b6 13.Ne2 Bb7 14.c4 f5 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.exf5 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 Rxf5 18.Qf3 e5 19.g4!? Rxf4 20.Qd5+ Kh8 21.Bg3 , White's wonderfully centralized queen gives him compensation for the pawn but no more than that, P. Simacek-M.Kolosowski, Polanica Zdroj 2011 ) 13.Ne2 Ba4 14.b3 Bc6 15.c4 Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 Qd7?! ( 16...Qc7 keeps the game level ) 17.Rbd1 Qe7 18.Qd2! f5?! ( and here 18...b6 is preferable ) 19.Rfe1 e5 20.exf5 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Rxf5 22.d4! cxd4 23.Qxd4 left White with a nice plus in the top flight game, Mi.Adams-J.Lautier, Tilburg 1996. ] 12...dxe5 [ Closing the centre with 12...d5?! fails to secure Black's position: 13.Na4! b6 14.b4 Bd7 ( or 14...f6 15.bxc5 fxe5 16.fxe5 Bxe5 17.c3 with advantage to White, M.Chan-N. Mariano, Yangon 1998 ) 15.bxc5 ( Donev's suggestion of 15.c4! Bxa4 16.Qxa4 dxc4 17.bxc5 bxc5 18.dxc4 may be even stronger ) 15...Bxa4 16.Bxd4 A) after 16...Rc8 17.cxb6 Bxc2 ( or 17...Rxc2 18.Rf2! ) 18.Qd2 axb6 19.Rfc1 , White obviously has all the chances; B) 16...Qc7 17.cxb6 axb6 18.Rf2 Rfc8 19.Rc1 Bf8 , and now 20.g4!? Ba3 21.f5! Bxc1 22.Qxc1 Bxc2 23.Qh6 f6?? ( Black had to find 23...Qe7 24.Bxd5! Ra4! 107

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 25.Bxe6! Rxd4 26.fxg6 fxe6 27.Rf7 Rxg4+ 28.Kh1 Rg1+! 29.Kxg1 Qc5+ and draws ) 24.fxe6 Bxd3 25.Bxd5 and White won in I. Starostits-C.Michel Yunis, Dos Hermanas (blitz) 2004. ] [ Nor is 12...f5?! very attractive, since it surrenders the initiative: 13.exf6 Qxf6 14.Ne4 Qe7 15.c3 Nc6 16.Qd2 e5 17.Rae1 Bf5 18.fxe5 Nxe5 19.d4! and White has the upper hand as his pieces are just that much better placed than their black counterparts, Y.Balashov-J.Arnason, Reykjavik 1989. ] 13.fxe5 Bxe5 [ Declining the pawn with 13...Rb8 leaves White with a free hand: 14.Ne4 b6 15.c3 ( not yet 15.Nf6+ Bxf6 16.exf6 Bb7 and Black defends ) 15...Nf5 16.g4 ( and here 16.Nf6+?! Bxf6 17.exf6 h5! 18.h3 Qxf6 19.g4? hxg4 20.hxg4 Qg5 21.gxf5? Bb7 even wins for Black ) 16...Nh4 ( 16...Ne7?! 17.Nf6+ Kh8 transposes to B.Rogulj-D.Paunovic, Belgrade 1987, where 18.Qf3 Bb7 19.Qh3 Bxf6 20.exf6 Ng8 21.Bg3 Bxg2 22.Qxg2 Rc8 23.Qe4 Qd7 24.Be5 gave White a big advantage ) 17.Bh1 Bb7 ( or 17...Ba6 18.Bg3; and not 17...Bxe5?! 18.Qe1 ) 18.Bg3 g5 19.d4 leaves White with the better chances. ] 14.Ne4 QUESTION: How should one evaluate this type of position? If White picks up the c5-pawn, he will have cand d-pawns vs. e- and f-pawns for Black. ANSWER: By themselves the difference would be a significant one, but the real issue is what to do with the pieces around the pawns. Right now, White's pieces are well placed, pointing in the direction of the black queenside, but the

position is a dynamic one and a nice appearance can soon disappear if White is unable to turn it into something more tangible. 14...Rb8? [ This standard-looking move is actually a serious error, and all the more so because Black can play ...b7b6 in any case without worrying about tactics on the long diagonal. For example, 14...Nc6 15.c3 ( or 15.Bxc5 Bd4+ 16.Bxd4 Qxd4+ 17.Rf2 f5 18.c3 Qd8 19.Nc5 Qe7 20.b4 a5 21.a3 axb4 22.axb4 Rxa1 23.Qxa1 e5 with chances for both sides, A.Villavicencio Martinez-J.C. Diaz, Las Palmas 1989 ) 15...b6 16.Nxc5 bxc5 17.Bxc6 Rb8 18.Bxc5 Qc7 ( 18...Rxb2 19.Bxf8 Qb6+ 20.d4 Qxc6 21.Qf3 Qd7 22.dxe5 Bb7 looks fine too ) 19.Qf3 Bd7 20.Bxd7 Qxc5+ 21.Qf2 Qd5 22.Ba4 Qxd3 with a roughly even position, J. Ciruk-Z.Jasnikowski, Polish League 1999. ] [ Or 14...Nf5 15.c3 b6 16.Nf6+ Bxf6 17.Bxa8 Bg7 18.Qc2 h5 19.Rad1 e5 20.Bg2 Be6 21.a3 Qe7 22.b4 cxb4 23.axb4 Rc8 with decent play for the exchange, R.AmarasingheThien Hai Dao, Asian Team Championship, Singapore 1995. ] [ Nevertheless, Black mostly prefers 14...f5 , which is examined in the next main game. ] 15.c3 Nb5 Now the drawback to ...Rb8 is clearly seen, as Black has to worry about the undefended a7-pawn. [ After 15...Nf5 16.Bxc5 Re8 17.Bxa7 Ra8 18.Bf2 , White is just a clear pawn up, R.Camarena GimenezD.Kanovsky, Olomouc 2005; ] [ while 15...Nc6 16.Bxc5 Re8 17.d4 f5 ( or 17...Bg7 18.Nd6 ) 18.dxe5 fxe4 19.Qxd8 Rxd8 20.Bd6 Ra8 108

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen chapter. 11.Bf2 Nxf3+ Black is not obliged to exchange at once. [ Another option is 11...Bd7 12.Ne4 and then: A) 12...Bc6 A1) 13.exd6 Nxf3+ 14.Bxf3 b6 is fine for Black; ( who might even consider 14...Bxb2!? ); A2) 13.c3 Nxf3+ 14.Bxf3 dxe5 15.fxe5 Bxe4? ( Black should have played 15...Qc7 16.Nxc5 Bxe5 17.Bxc6 Qxc6 18.Ne4 , when the chances are fairly even ) 16.dxe4! Ne7 17.Bxc5 Nc6 18.Bxf8 Qb6+ 19.Kh1 Bxf8 20.Qb3 and White is clearly better, N.Short-G.Rechlis, European Championship, Ohrid 2001.; B) 12...Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 Bc6 ( after 13...dxe5 14.fxe5 Bxe5 15.Nxc5 Bc6 16.Bxc6 bxc6 17.c3 a5 18.Qf3 Ne7 19.Rae1 Bg7 20.g4 Qd5 21.Ne4 Qxa2 22.Nf6+ , White has built up a strong B25 Rodriguez Vila,A initiative, I.Starostits-D.Stets, Matsuura,E Schw‫ن‬bisch Gmünd 2012 ) 14.g4!? 35: Sao Paulo 2004 ( 14.c3 is line 'a' ) 14...Bxe4 ( or [Carsten Hansen] 14...Nd4 15.Bg2 dxe5 16.fxe5 Bxe5 17.c3 Nb5 18.Nxc5 Bxg2 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 19.Kxg2 b6 with a level position, I. Only a slight detour for this game: Starostits-N.Jactel, Le Touquet White played d2-d3 before Bg2. 4...Bg7 2007 ) 15.dxe4 Nd4 16.Bxd4 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e6 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.0-0 ( White should consider 16.c3 0-0 9.Be3 Nd4 10.e5 With this Nxf3+ 17.Qxf3 Qe7 18.exd6 aggressive move, White seeks to open Qxd6 19.Rad1 Qc6 20.Bh4 f6 lines in the centre and undermine 21.Qe2 but is at best only Black's presence there, even if it means marginally better ) 16...cxd4 giving up both the e- and f-pawns in the 17.Qxd4 Qc8 18.Qxd6 Rd8 process. 19.Qb4 Qxc2 20.Rac1 Qd3 10...Nef5 The main response, gaining a 21.Qc3 Qa6 22.a3 and it looks tempo on the bishop. We will look at like White should have the better Black's numerous, though less played, chances with the extra pawn, V. alternatives in the final game of this Samolins-B.Grachev, Jurmala

21.Bxe4 is even worse, as White is virtually winning already, B.Rogulj-F. Cirkvencic, Bled 1992. ] 16.Bxc5 Re8 17.d4 Bg7 18.a4 b6 19.axb5 bxc5 20.dxc5 White has more than one valid continuation here. [ 20.Rxa7 Re7 21.Rxe7 Qxe7 22.dxc5 Rxb5 23.b4 is good too; ] [ or else 20.Nxc5 Re7 21.Bc6 f5 22.Qe2 , as seen in T.DovramadjievA.Babev, Bulgarian League 1995. ] 20...Qe7 [ Or if 20...Rxb5 then 21.b4 Rb7 22.Nd6 looks simplest. ] 21.Qa4 I'm not sure why Black isn't resigning, since the a-pawn is now certain to drop as well. 21...Be5 22.Qxa7 Rb7 23.Nf6+ Bxf6 24.Bxb7 Bxb7 25.c6 Ra8 26.cxb7 . Perhaps Black wished merely to escape being on the losing end of a miniature; having done so, he finally resigned. 1-0

109

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen (rapid) 2012, but after g5! 23.f5 Qb5 24.f6 Bf8 , the pawn is meaningless and Black is fine. ] 12.Qxf3 [ The game actually saw 12.Bxf3 A) 12...Nd4 13.Bg2 , transposing below; ( 13.-- ); B) but this move order allows Black a more straightforward solution in 12...dxe5! 13.fxe5 ( grabbing the exchange with 13.Bxc5? exf4! 14.Bxf8? Kxf8 leaves White in all sorts of trouble ) 13...Bxe5 14.Bxc5 Bd4+ 15.Bxd4 Nxd4 16.Bg2 Qb6 17.Rf2 ( or 17.Na4 Qc7 ) 17...Bd7 18.Ne4 f5 , and now after 19.Ng5?! f4! 20.gxf4 Rxf4 21.Rxf4 Ne2+ 22.Kh1 Nxf4 , Black was clearly better, M. Aveholt-N.Engsner, Vaxjo 1992. ] 12...Nd4 [ Here 12...dxe5 13.Bxc5 exf4 ( or 13...Re8 14.fxe5 Bxe5 15.Rae1 ) 14.Bxf8 Kxf8 15.Qxf4 is rather less appealing for Black. ] [ But there is another playable option in 12...Bd7!? 13.Qxb7 Rb8 14.Qxa7 Rxb2 ; for example, 15.Rac1 ( or 15.Ne4 Rxc2 ) 15...dxe5 16.Qa3 ( if 16.Bxc5 exf4; or 16.fxe5 Bxe5 17.Ne4 Nd4 ) 16...Rb8 17.Bxc5 ( or 17.fxe5 Bxe5 18.Bxc5 Rc8 ) 17...exf4 18.Rxf4 Qc7 19.Rc4 Rfc8 20.Bf2 Qd8 21.Rb1 , D.Novitskij-J. Zezulkin, USSR 1991, and now Rxc4 22.Rxb8 ( or 22.dxc4 Rxb1+ 23.Nxb1 Bd4 ) 22...Rc8 23.Rxc8 Qxc8 24.Ne4 Qxc2 25.Qa8+ Bc8 gives Black sufficient counterplay. ] 13.Qd1 We have now reached the same position as in the previous game, with each side taking an extra move to get here. 13...dxe5 14.fxe5 Bxe5 15.Ne4 f5 Forcing White to take the c-pawn with

the knight. The alternatives were discussed in our previous main game. 16.Nxc5 Qc7 The most popular move, hitting the white knight while defending the bishop and c7-pawn, but whether it is actually best is open to question. [ Black has a couple of significant alternatives that need to be discussed: a) 16...Qd6 17.b4 ( if 17.Nb3 Nxb3 18.axb3 Bxb2 19.Ra5 Bc3 20.Ra4 b5 21.Rxa7 Rxa7 22.Bxa7 , as in A.Miles-M.Marin, Manila Interzonal 1990, then Rf7 23.Be3 e5 leaves Black with the better position ) 17...Nc6 ( after 17...Rb8 18.c3 Nb5 19.d4 Bf6 20.Qb3 b6 21.Nd3 , White has a pleasant edge, B. Spassky-E.Gufeld, Wellington 1988 ) 18.Rb1 Bd4 A) 19.Qd2 A1) after 19...Bxf2+ 20.Rxf2 Rb8 21.Qf4 e5 ( or 21...Qxf4 22.Rxf4 g5 23.Rf2 Nd8 24.Re1 b6 25.Nb3 Bb7 26.Nd4 , White's chances are definitely preferable, I.Starostits-P. Dukaczewski, Palma de Mallorca 2015 ) 22.Qc4+ Kg7 23.Re1 , B.Rogulj-S.Rezan, Croatian League 1999; A2) 19...a5! 20.c3 Bxf2+ 21.Qxf2 ( here 21.Rxf2 axb4 22.cxb4 Nd4 is fine for Black, S. Himanshu-S.Narayanan, Mumbai 2009 ) 21...axb4 22.cxb4 Ra3 23.Qb2 Qd4+ 24.Rf2 Qxb2 25.Rbxb2 was played in I.Starostits-Zhai Mo, Albena 2015, and now Black could have activated all his pieces with Nd4 26.Bxb7 Bxb7 27.Nxb7 Rb8 28.Nc5 Kf7 , when he has adequate counterplay for the pawn.; 110

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen B) 19.Qe1 should also be met by 19...a5 ; ( rather than 19...Rb8 20.Bxd4 Nxd4 21.c3 b6 22.cxd4 Qxd4+ 23.Qf2 Qxf2+ 24.Kxf2 bxc5 25.bxc5 and White has the better chances in the endgame on account of the passed c-pawn, A. Muzychuk-A.L'Ami, European Women's Championship, Rijeka 2010. )] [ b) 16...f4!? is the sharpest option: A) 17.c3 f3 18.cxd4 ( or 18.Bh3 Ne2+ 19.Kh1 Qg5 , B.Rogulj-F. Ljubicic, Croatian League, when the forcing line 20.Qb3 Qh6 21.Nxe6 Bxg3 22.Be3 Qxh3 23.Nf4+ Be6 24.Nxh3 Bxb3 25.axb3 Rad8 26.hxg3 Nxg3+ 27.Kg1 Nxf1 28.Kxf1 Rxd3 leaves a fascinating endgame that I have a hard time evaluating accurately ) 18...fxg2 19.Kxg2 Bxd4 20.Bxd4 Rxf1 21.Qxf1 Qxd4 22.Qf2 Qxf2+ 23.Kxf2 b6 24.Ne4 Ba6 and this endgame seems quite equal, J.R.Koch-J.Lautier, French Championship, Besancon 1999.; B) 17.gxf4 Bxf4 18.c3 Nf5 19.Qb3!? ( 19.Qe2 Qd6 20.h3 Bh2+ 21.Kh1 Bg3 22.Ne4 Bxf2 23.Rxf2 Qe7 is approximately equal, I.Starostits-A.Zozulia, Condom 2004 ) 19...Qd6?! ( 19...Qc7 is better ) 20.Rae1 Bxh2+ 21.Kh1 , and now Black collapsed quickly: Ng3+? 22.Bxg3 Bxg3 23.Ne4 Qxd3? 24.Rxf8+ Kxf8 25.Qb4+ 1-0 I.Starostits-Jo. Ivanov, Mondariz 2007. ] 17.b4 Qg7 The idea of switching the battery to the long diagonal is not the best. [ Black has a large number of alternatives here: a) 17...a5 18.c3 Nb5 19.d4 Bg7

20.Qd3 Nd6 21.b5 Bd7 22.b6 Qc8 23.Rfe1 and it should be clear that White is in charge, P.Shvydkin-G. Nagibin, Moscow 2010. ] [ b) 17...Rb8 18.c3 Nb5 ( 18...Nc6 19.d4 is even worse ) 19.d4 Bg7 20.Qb3 Qf7? ( 20...b6 limits White's advantage after 21.Nxe6 Bxe6 22.Qxe6+ Kh8 23.Rac1 Nxc3 24.Rfe1 ) 21.d5! Nxc3 22.dxe6 Qe7 , M.Muzychuk-A.Savina, European Junior Championships, Herceg Novi 2004, and now 23.Rfe1 is very good for White. ] [ c) 17...Nb5 18.d4 Rd8 19.c3! Nxc3 20.Qf3 Rxd4 21.Rac1 Ne4 22.Nxe4 fxe4 23.Qe2 Qd6 24.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 25.Kh1 and Black has insufficient compensation for the exchange, N. Zhukova-M.Lomineishvili, European Women's Championship, Dresden 2004. ] [ d) 17...Nc6 18.d4 Bf6 ( or 18...Rd8 19.c3 , followed by 20 Qb3, and White is much better ) 19.c3 Rb8 20.Qb3 Nd8 21.Be3 Kg7 22.Bf4 e5 23.dxe5 Bxe5 24.Bxe5+ Qxe5 25.Rfe1 Qc7 , B.Abramovic-A.Rodriguez Cespedes, New York Open 1988, and now simply 26.Rad1! b6 27.Nd3 gives White a very promising position according to Abramovic. ] [ e) 17...Bg7 18.c3 Nb5 19.Rc1 ( 19.Qb3 Nxc3 20.Rae1 Kh8 21.Nxe6 Bxe6 22.Rxe6 Rad8 23.Bc5 Rfe8 24.Rfe1 Qd7 offers Black reasonable counterplay, J.Landaw-L.Van Wely, Las Vegas 2010 ) 19...Nxc3 20.Qd2 Qe5 21.Rfe1 Qf6 22.Nb3 Nd5?? ( 22...Nb5 improves, when 23.a4 Nd6 24.Bd4 Qe7 25.Bxg7 Qxg7 26.b5 is only somewhat better for White ) 23.Bxd5 exd5 24.Rc7 Qb2 25.Ree7 Bf6 26.Qh6 and Black resigned, D. 111

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Larino Nieto-J.Santaclara Rodriguez, Mondariz 2007. ] [ f) 17...f4! is probably critical: 18.c3 ( 18.gxf4 Rxf4! 19.c3 Nf5 20.d4 Rxf2 21.Rxf2 Bxh2+ 22.Kh1 Bg3 gives Black good play for the exchange, and 23.Rf1 Qg7 24.Qg4 was agreed drawn in D.Larino Nieto-A. Vazquez Torres, La Roda 2010 ) 18...Nf5 19.g4 f3! 20.Bxf3 Bxh2+ 21.Kg2 Ng7 ( 21...Ne3+?? 22.Bxe3 Qg3+ 23.Kh1 Qh4 24.Bg5 Qxg5 25.Kxh2 is completely winning for White, D.Flores-O.Zambrana, Santa Clara 2004 ) 22.Rh1 Bf4 23.d4 Rb8 ( not 23...Bd7?! , as in O.Stjazhkina-I. Polovodin, St Petersburg 1999, since after 24.Bxb7 Bc6+ 25.Bxc6 Qxc6+ 26.Kg1 , Black probably does not have enough for the pawn ) 24.Qd3 b6 25.Ne4 Bb7 with a complicated position where White has more space but Black should be fine, taking White's open king into account; e.g. 26.Rh3 Rf7 27.Rah1 Ne8 , S.Chowdhury-S.Himanshu, New Delhi 2008, and now 28.c4 Rd8 29.b5 Nd6 30.Rxh7 Bxe4 31.Rh8+ Kg7 32.R8h7+ Kg8 33.Rh8+ is a draw by perpetual check. ] 18.Rc1 f4 [ Instead, 18...Nb5 19.a4 Nc3 accomplishes nothing for Black. After 20.Qd2 Bd4 21.Rce1 a5 22.b5 e5 23.Bxd4 exd4 24.Qf4 , White was in complete control and won quite quickly, C.Schrِder-A.Vlasov, correspondence 2009. ] 19.c3 f3 This forcing move only lands Black in a inferior endgame; [ but staying in the middlegame with 19...Nf5 is unappealing too; e.g. 20.Qe1 Re8 21.d4 Bc7 22.Rd1 and White clearly has the upper hand. ]

20.cxd4 fxg2 21.Kxg2 Bxd4 22.Bxd4 Rxf1 23.Bxg7 Rxd1 24.Rxd1 Kxg7 25.Rc1 Kf6?? This routine move, centralizing the king, merely helps White to reorganize his pieces more effectively. [ 25...b6 26.Ne4 Ba6 27.Rc7+ Kf8 28.Rxh7 Bxd3 does not solve Black's problems either: after 29.Kf3 ( of course not 29.Rh8+? Kg7 30.Rxa8?? Bxe4+ ) 29...Rd8 30.Rxa7 Rd4 31.Nf2 e5 32.a3 , White has excellent winning chances. ] [ Instead, the computer suggests the ridiculous-looking 25...Kh6! , intending to play ...b7-b6 without running into the seventh rank rook check. Then 26.Kf3 ( 26.Ne4 allows Bd7 ) 26...b6 27.Ne4 Bb7 28.Rc7 Bd5 29.a4 is still good for White, but at least Black has reasonable chances of defending himself. ] 26.Ne4+ Ke5 27.Rc7! Now Black has a hard time getting his pieces into play at all without losing pawns. 27...b6 28.Kf3 Kd4 29.Nd6 Ba6 30.b5 Kd5 31.bxa6 White swaps off into an easily winning rook endgame. [ Alternatively, he might have played 31.Ne4! , when Rf8+ ( 31...Bxb5 loses a piece to 32.Nc3+ ) 32.Ke3 Bc8 33.Rxa7 leaves Black unable to do anything at all. The attempt to develop the bishop with e5 34.Rc7 Bf5 just leads to a mating net after 35.Rc6 . ] 31...Kxd6 32.Rxh7 Rc8 33.Rxa7 Rc2? 34.Ra8! [ Black resigned in view of 34.Ra8 Rxa2 35.a7 Kc7 ( or 35...Ke5 36.d4+ and the king has to expose itself to a rook check ) 36.Rh8 Rxa7 ( or 36...Kb7 37.a8Q+ etc ) 37.Rh7+ Kb8 38.Rxa7 Kxa7 39.h4 and h-pawn promotes after g3-g4, h4h5 etc, whereas the white king king 112

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen is within the square of the black bpawn. ] 1-0 B25 Balashov,Y Kiselev,S 36: Moscow [Carsten Hansen]

1989

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 [ Kiselev also opted for 5...e6 here, after which 6.Be3 d6 7.f4 Nge7 8.Nf3 Nd4 9.0-0 0-0 transposed below. ] 6.f4 e6 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 Nd4 10.e5 Qb6 [ In the previous two games we looked at the main line with 10...Nef5 . In this one, we cover some of the less frequently seen options for Black on the 10th move, the text being one of them. ] [ Some of the other choices are: a) 10...Nxf3+ 11.Qxf3 Nf5 12.Bf2 Nd4 13.Qd1 returns to Game 35. ] [ b) 10...Bd7 11.Ne4 Nef5 12.Bf2 transposes to the note with 10...Nef5 11 Bd2 Bd7 12 Ne4 in the same game. ] [ c) 10...Nec6 11.Ne4 ( 11.exd6 Rb8! 12.Ne4 b6 seems okay for Black ) 11...dxe5? a clear inaccuracy since White saves a move with the bishop; ( 11...Nxf3+ 12.Qxf3 dxe5 13.Bxc5 f5! might be a way of justifying this variation ) 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.fxe5 Bxe5 14.c3 Nf5 15.Bxc5 Re8 ( not 15...Bd6?? 16.Rxf5 exf5 17.Nxd6 and White is winning already, B. Rogulj-Sla.Milosevic, Croatian League 1992 ) 16.Qf3 h5 17.d4 Bg7 ( or if 17...Bc7 18.Rad1 b6

, J.Furhoff-T.Hellborg, Swedish League 2002, then 19.Bd6! Bxd6 20.Nxd6 Qxd6 21.Qxa8 Ne3 22.Qxa7 will leave White a pawn up ) 18.Rad1 Bd7 19.Nd6 Bc6 20.d5! Bxd5 21.Rxd5 exd5 22.Nxf5 gxf5 23.Qxf5 Qc7 24.Bd4 Bxd4+ 25.cxd4 and White has a strong attack, J. Claesen-A.Dgebuadze, World Student Team Championship, Leon 1996. ] [ d) 10...f5 is typically a move Black needs to be careful playing, even if it is often seen in the Closed Sicilian. Here it risks weakening Black's control of the dark squares; e.g. 11.exd6 Qxd6 12.Ne5 Rb8 ( after 12...Bxe5 13.fxe5 Qxe5 14.Bf4 , White has good compensation for the pawn ) 13.a4 a5 14.Nc4 Qd8 15.Nb1 Nd5 16.Bd2 b6 17.Nba3 Bb7 18.c3 Nc6 19.Qb3 and White has a nice dynamic plus, I.StarostitsM.Ivanov, Leutersdorf 2001. ] [ e) 10...dxe5 was recommended by Gallagher in 'Beating the AntiSicilians', together with continuations that do not just transpose to the main line: A) 11.fxe5 Nef5 ( or 11...Nec6 12.Ne4 Nxf3+ 13.Qxf3 Nxe5 14.Qe2 f5! 15.Nxc5 Ng4 16.c3 Nxe3 17.Qxe3 e5 and Black is fine, E.Hidegh-J.Pasztorcsik, Hungarian League 2008 ) 12.Bf2 Rb8 ( 12...Nxf3+ 13.Qxf3 Nd4 14.Qd1 is the main line again ) 13.Ne4 Nxf3+ ( Gallagher preferred 13...b6 here ) 14.Qxf3 Bxe5 15.Bxc5 Bxb2 , D.Larino Nieto-A.Franco Alonso, Elgoibar 2010, and now 16.Rae1 Bd4+ 17.Bxd4 Qxd4+ 18.Rf2 h5 19.Qf4 gives White has excellent compensation for the pawn in view 113

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen of his far more active pieces.; B) 11.Nxe5 Rb8 12.Ne4 b6 B1) 13.Bf2 Bb7 14.c3 Ndc6 ( if now 14...Ndf5 then 15.Qa4! poses some problems ) 15.Nc4 Qc7 16.Qe2 Rbd8 17.a4 Nd5 18.Ng5 Nf6 19.a5 Rfe8 ( taking the pawn is safe enough, since 19...Nxa5 20.Nxa5 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 bxa5 offers White no more than equality ) 20.axb6 axb6 21.g4!? Qxf4?? (this time picking up a pawn is punished in brutal fashion) ( Black should play 21...b5 22.Ne5 Nd5 23.Bg3 f6 24.Nxc6 Qxc6 25.Nf3 and the chances are fairly level ) 22.Nxf7 Kxf7 , A.Neiksans-L. Rogule, Jurmala (rapid) 2014, and now the simplest line is 23.Bxc5 Qb8 24.g5 bxc5 25.Bxc6 , when White is completely winning.; B2) or 13.c3 Ndc6 ( Gallagher's line 13...Ndf5 14.Bf2 Qc7 , intending 15.g4 Nd5! , looks good too ) 14.Nc4 Qc7 15.Qe2 Ba6 16.Rad1 and ½-½ in Y.Balashov-O.Cvitan, Warsaw 1990, which of course is wildly premature but Black has in fact equalized. ] 11.Rb1 [ Spassky has tried 11.Ne4 , but it probably isn't the most testing move: Nef5 ( Adorjan and Vegh also suggest 11...dxe5!? 12.Nxe5 Qxb2 13.Rb1 Qxa2 14.c3 Ne2+ 15.Kh1 f5! with a complete mess ) 12.Bf2 Qxb2 ( not now 12...dxe5?! 13.c3 Nxf3+ 14.Qxf3 and White is better; while 12...d5? 13.Nxc5! Qxc5 14.Nxd4 Nxd4 15.c3 is even worse, M.Turner-D.James, London Lloyds

Bank 1994 ) 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.g4 Ne3 15.Bxe3 dxe3 16.Nxd6 A) 16...f6 17.Qe2 fxe5 18.Nc4 Qd4 19.fxe5 Rf2 20.Qxe3 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Bxe5 22.Qxd4 Bxd4+ 23.Kh1 Rb8 24.Rb1 , when it was clear that Black had no issues and hence ½-½ B.Spassky-Jo.Horvath, European Cup, Rotterdam 1988. ( 24.-- ); B) or 16...g5!? , intending 17.Qe2 ( or 17.d4 e2! 18.Qxe2 Qxd4+ ) 17...gxf4 18.Nc4 Qd4 19.Rac1 Rd8 with a perfectly good position for Black. ] 11...Nef5 12.Bf2 Nxf3+ 13.Qxf3 [ Instead, 13.Bxf3 dxe5 14.fxe5 Bxe5 A) not 15.Na4?! Qc7 16.Nxc5 ( while after 16.Bxc5? Bd7 17.Bxf8 , B.Abramovic-M.Cebalo, Yugoslav Championship 1989, and Bxa4 , White is pretty much losing ) 16...Nd4! and Black is immediately in charge, I.Donev-O.Gschnitzer, Dornbirn 1990; B) 15.Ne4 Bd4 ( or 15...Qc7 16.c3 Rd8 17.Nxc5 Rb8 ) 16.Qe2 Bxf2+ 17.Qxf2 c4?! ( but 17...e5 looks solid enough ) 18.dxc4 Qxf2+ 19.Rxf2 Rd8 20.c5 gave White a little something in Y.Balashov-I. Stohl, Albena 1989. ] 13...dxe5 14.fxe5 Bxe5 15.Ne4! So we have reached a position similar to the main lines after all. It remains to be seen which side the inclusion of Rb1 and ...Qb6 will favour. 15...Bd7? When challenged a little Black immediately goes wrong. [ Therefore, the alternatives need to be examined carefully: a) 15...Nd4 16.Qd1 f5 17.Nd2 Qc7!? trying to keep the pawn by avoiding ideas of b2-b4; ( otherwise 17...Bf6 18.c3 Nc6 19.b4 Qc7 114

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 20.Bxc5 Rd8 is nothing for Black to worry about, O.Panjkov-M.Pashinsky, St Petersburg 2009 ) 18.c3 Nb5 19.Qe2 a6?! ( Black should prefer 19...Bf6 20.d4 Nd6 21.dxc5 Nf7 22.Nc4 e5 23.Bd5 Kg7 24.Rbd1 , even if White has regained the pawn with a slight initiative, K.Rasmussen-K. Berg, Danish Championship, Lyngby 1991 ) 20.a4 Na7 21.Nc4 Bf6 and now 22.b4 was good for White in Y.Balashov-E.Pigusov, USSR Team Championship 1990; ( while 22.Qe3! may be even stronger; e.g. Be7 23.b4 cxb4 24.Nb6 Rb8 25.Nxc8 Nxc8 26.Qxe6+ Kg7 27.Rxb4 is just awful to look at for Black. )] [ b) 15...Qc7!? also comes into consideration: 16.Bxc5 Rd8 ( 16...Bd4+? 17.Bxd4 Nxd4 18.Qf2! is very unpleasant; e.g. e5 19.c3 Ne6 20.Nf6+ Kg7 21.d4 exd4 22.cxd4 and Black is completely busted ) 17.c3 b6 18.Bf2 Ba6 , when it is not easy for White to get anything out of this position. One ambitious idea is 19.d4! changing the nature of the game; ( 19.Rfd1 h5 , on the other hand, is completely comfortable for Black ) 19...Bxf1 20.Rxf1 Bg7 21.g4 Nh6 and White certainly has compensation for the exchange, but possibly not a whole lot more than that. ] 16.Bxc5 Bd4+ EXERCISE: This standard riposte is what Black has been counting on, but he has overlooked a clever response. What did White play? ANSWER: 17.Kh1! There is no need for White to exchange bishops here; [ since 17.Kh1 Bxc5? is met by 18.Nf6+ Kg7 19.Nxd7 , winning the piece back and then netting the exchange on top. ] 17...Qc7 18.Bxf8 Rxf8 19.c3 Bg7

Black has lost the exchange anyway, but at least he has kept the two bishops and his pieces are well developed and actively placed, so it will require some accuracy for White to convert. 20.d4 [ White may consider a different approach, aiming to dislodge Black's knight from f5 while improving the position of his own pieces: 20.Qf2 (attacking a7) Bb5 ( or 20...b6 21.g4 Nh6 22.Qh4! , intending f5 23.Ng5 ) 21.Rbd1 Qa5 22.g4 Nh6 23.h3 and White has a clear advantage. ] 20...h5 21.Nc5 Bc6 22.Qf2 b6 23.Nd3 Bb5 24.Rbd1 Bc4 25.a3 Bb3 26.Rde1 Bc4 Black is fighting hard, trying to make White's task as difficult as possible. So it is helpful to watch how Balashov, a strong grandmaster, finds his way towards the victory. 27.Qf3 Rd8 28.Rf2 Bf6 29.Ne5! This is an instrumental part of White's plan and the reason why the rook went to f2. If White can manage to remove one of the black bishops, the conversion becomes easier. If that turns out to be the light-squared bishop, then it will be easier still. 29...Bd5 30.Qe2 [ Here 30.Qf4! is more precise, intending the trick Bb3? ( while after 30...g5 31.Qd2 , Black has just weakened his kingside ) 31.Nxg6! and wins. ] 30...Kg7?! [ As we have already noted, Black needs to hang on to his bishops, so 30...Bb3 is preferable. ] 31.Bxd5 Rxd5 32.Nd3 Rd8 33.Qf3 Rd6 34.h3 Having managed to exchange the light-squared bishops, the next stage of White's plan is to evict the knight on f5. 34...Bg5 35.g4 hxg4 36.hxg4 Nh6 115

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 6...e5 7.Nh3 Deploying the knight to the edge is usually considered optimal in this set-up. From h3 it is able to go either to g5 or f4 (should Black play ... e5xf4), it obstructs neither the f1-rook (after White castles) nor the queen (in the case of f4-f5 and ...g6xf5), and it cannot be swapped off with ...Nd4. [ The more 'natural' 7.Nf3 is examined in Games 41-43; ] [ while 7.Nge2 appears via 6 Nge2 e5 in Chapter Ten. ] 7...Nge7 The usual reply. [ We will look at the aggressive alternative 7...h5!? in Game 40. ] [ Black does have another significant option in 7...exf4!? . It seems contrary to Black's best interests to give up the central pawn so readily, while allowing White either to develop the c1-bishop to f4 in one go (without making a stop on e3) or bring the h3knight across to participate in the battle for the centre, but 7...exf4 has been tried by some rather strong players and does have two points in its favour. A) Black gains the e5-square as an outpost ( 8.gxf4?? loses a piece to Bxh3 9.Bxh3 Qh4+ ) and White is no longer able to play f4-f5.; B) For example: 8.Bxf4 Nge7 9.0-0 h6 (to preserve the g7bishop) ( 9...0-0 10.Qd2 Rb8 11.Bh6 b5 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.Nf4 B25 Short,N b4 14.Ncd5 Nxd5 15.Nxd5 Ne7 Zhu Chen 16.Nf6 perhaps offers White a little 37: FIDE Grand Prix, Dubai 2002 something, P.Garcia Castro-U. [Carsten Hansen] Andersson, EU Championship, Liverpool 2008 ) 10.Rb1 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 ( if White tries to prevent ...0-0 by Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 playing 10.Qd2 , Black has no problem opting for g5 11.Be3 0-0 [ Short actually played 6.Nh3 first. We will look at this move more 12.Qd1 Ne5 13.Nf2 f5 14.exf5 closely in Chapter Ten. ] Nxf5 15.Nd5 Be6 16.c3 Qd7

37.Ref1 White's king is quite exposed, but Black's pieces are so awkwardly placed that he has no way of capitalizing on it. 37...Rd8 38.Rh2 Rh8 39.Nf2 Be7 40.Kg2 Bd6 41.Rh3 Bf4 Black's attempt to create a blockade the f-file proves quite hopeless. 42.Ne4 g5 43.Ng3 f5 44.Nh5+ Kf7 45.Nxf4 fxg4 46.Nd5+ This wins, but there's an even better move available. [ 46.Qxg4! Nxg4 47.Nd5+ and White will end up with an entire extra rook, leaving Black with no choice but to resign. ] 46...gxf3+ 47.Rfxf3+?! There was no need to give the exchange back; [ 47.Rhxf3+ Qf4 48.Nxf4 gxf4 49.Rxf4+ was stronger. After the text, White's material advantage is reduced to a single pawn, though that proves quite adequate too, and we will leave the rest of the game unannotated. ] 47...Qf4 48.Nxf4 g4 49.Rh5 gxf3+ 50.Kxf3 Kf6 51.Nd3 Kg7 52.Ke4 Re8 53.Nf4 Nf7 54.c4 Kf6 55.c5 Rg8 56.Ne2 Rg4+ 57.Kf3 Rg5 58.Rxg5 Nxg5+ 59.Kf4 bxc5 60.dxc5 e5+ 61.Ke3 Ke6 62.Nc3 Kd7 63.Ne4 Ne6 64.Kd3 Kc6 65.Kc4 a5 66.b4 axb4 67.axb4 Nf4 68.b5+ Kc7 69.Nf6 1-0

116

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen with a pleasant game, J.Landaw-E. Sevillano, Monterey Park 2013 ) 10...0-0 11.a3 Be6 12.Be3 Ne5 13.Nf4 Bd7 14.Kh1 Rc8 15.Qd2 Kh7 16.h3 Bc6 17.g4 and White is at most a smidgen better, B. Spassky-L.Portisch, Geneva (13th matchgame) 1977.; C) Instead, 8.Nxf4 Nge7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Be3 transposes to 9...exf4 10 Nxf4 in the notes to Game 6, ( while 10.Nfd5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 Be6 12.Nf4 Bd7 13.c3 b5 14.a3 a5 15.Be3 Ne5 16.h3 a4 leaves Black with the better chances, I.Bilek-L.Evans, Lugano Olympiad 1968. )] 8.0-0 [ White can also play 8.f5!? at once: A) 8...gxf5 9.Qh5 Nd4? allowing the white knight to g5 is very risky; ( similarly 9...0-0 10.Ng5! h6 11.Nf3; so Black should prefer 9...h6 , when 10.0-0 Nd4 transposes to Game 39 ) 10.Ng5 Rf8 11.Qxh7 Bf6 ( or 11...Nxc2+? 12.Kd1 Nxa1 13.Qxg7 Kd7 14.Nh7 Rh8 15.Bg5 1-0 I.Starostits-E.Jakubiec, Krakow 2010 ) 12.0-0 Ne6 13.Nxe6 Bxe6 14.exf5! Rh8 15.Ne4 Nxf5 16.Rxf5 Rxh7 17.Nxf6+ Kf8 18.Nxh7+ Kg7 19.Rh5 and White has far too much for the queen, H. Pecorelli Garcia-G.Estevez Morales, Cienfuegos 1991.; B) Instead, 8...0-0 9.0-0 transposes to our main game; ( but 9.g4!? comes into consideration here. )] 8...0-0 This looks the normal move, but it actually dares White to come forward with a big stick. [ We will look at 8...Nd4 in Game 39. ]

[ Alternatively: a) 8...exf4!? is again possible, when 9 Bxf4 and 9 Nxf4 return to the previous note, but in this case Black has to reckon 9.gxf4 as well; for example, f5 ( 9...0-0 would be met by 10.f5! ) 10.Be3 0-0 11.Qd2 Rb8 ( or 11...h6 12.Rae1 Be6 13.e5! b6 , H.Camilleri-F.Peralta, Bled Olympiad 2002, and now 14.Nb5! dxe5 15.fxe5 a6 16.Nf4 leads to interesting play ) 12.Rae1 b5 ( or 12...b6 13.Kh1 Nd4 14.Bf2 Bf6 15.Bg3 Bb7 16.Nd1 d5 17.c3 Ndc6 18.e5 Bg7 19.d4 and White has a meaningful space advantage, V.Sergeev-E.Nagy, Balatonlelle 2002 ) 13.Nd5 h6 14.e5! Bb7 15.Qf2 Nd4 16.Nxe7+ Qxe7 17.c3 Ne6 18.d4 cxd4 19.cxd4 dxe5 20.d5 Nc7 21.Bc5 Qf7 22.Bxf8 , followed by 23 fxe5, and Black does not have enough for the exchange, V.Sergeev-A.Frolov, Kiev 1995. ] [ b) 8...h6!? takes the g5-square away from White's minor pieces, which is a worthwhile cause, but this is perhaps not the most precise moment to do so. For example, after 9.Be3 intending to target the h-pawn with Qd2; ( otherwise 9.f5 gxf5 10.Qh5 Nd4 transposes to Game 39 again ) 9...exf4 ( if 9...Be6 then 10.fxe5 Nxe5 11.Nf4; or 9...Nd4 10.Qd2 Be6 11.Nd5 ) 10.Nxf4 0-0 (Black is now committed to playing ...h7-h6 in the ... e5xf4 lines above) 11.Qd2 Kh7 and now, rather than 12.Rae1 ( simply 12.Rf2 , followed by 13 Raf1, looks to give White somewhat better chances ) 12...Rb8 13.Ncd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Ne7 15.Bf2 Nf5 16.Be4 b5 , when Black is clearly doing fine, N. Short-Ye Jiangchuan, FIDE World Cup Shenyang 2000. ] 117

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 9.f5 The thematic advance in this chapter. [ Lines with 9.Be3 were examined in Game 6, and Nd4 transposes there directly. ] 9...f6 The consequences of accepting the pawn sacrifice are discussed in the next main game. 10.g4 [ White achieves nothing with 10.fxg6 hxg6 11.Be3 Be6 12.Qd2 Qd7 13.Nf2 Rf7 14.Bh6 Bxh6 15.Qxh6 Rh7 16.Qd2 Kg7 as in Bo.JacobsenS.E.Sorensen, Helsingor 2008. ] 10...Rb8 [ Taking the f-pawn makes little sense now, since 10...gxf5?! 11.gxf5 just allows White to build up a strong attack on the kingside; e.g. Kh8 12.Nf2 Bd7 13.Ng4 Ng8 14.Nd5 Nce7 15.Nxe7 Qxe7 16.Qe1 Be8 17.Qh4 Qf7 18.Bf3 (planning Kh1, followed by Rg1-g3-h3) Qh5? 19.Qxh5 Bxh5 20.Nxe5 Be8? 21.Nc4 and Black resigned in H. Jurkovic-Zv.Tomic, Croatian League 1998. ] [ Something similar happened after 10...Nd4 11.Ne2 Nxe2+ 12.Qxe2 d5 13.c3 d4 14.c4! in P.Ostermeyer-R. Hubner, German League 1978: Rb8 15.Nf2 Rf7 16.h4 Qf8 17.Nh1 Bh6 18.g5 Bg7 19.Ng3 Kh8 20.h5! gxf5 21.g6 f4 22.gxf7 fxg3 23.h6 Bxh6 24.Rxf6 Bg7 25.Bg5 and White soon won. ] 11.a4 Bd7 [ An earlier game had seen 11...Kh8 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.exd5 Ne7 14.Be4 b6 15.Qe1 a6 16.Qh4 Kg8 . EXERCISE: How should White continue? ANSWER: 17.Ng5!! fxg5 ( according to the computer 17...h6 is relatively best, although I think we

can all agree that 18.Ne6 Bxe6 19.fxe6 is pretty far from desirable for Black ) 18.Bxg5 Nxf5 19.gxf5 Qd7 20.Be7! (the end is nigh) Rxf5 21.Bxf5 gxf5 22.Rf2 Bb7 and in view of the impending Rg2, Black resigned at the same time, M. Todorcevic-S.Bojkovic, Yugoslav Championship, Bjelovar 1979. ] 12.Kh1 g5 This is perhaps not the kind of provocation Black should be issuing here. [ Donev suggests 12...Nd4 as a reasonable alternative, when play might proceed as after 10...Nd4 above; e.g. 13.Ne2 a6 14.c3 Nxe2 15.Qxe2 b5 16.axb5 axb5 17.Nf2 b4 18.h4 and White still looks to have the better chances. ] 13.Nxg5!? QUESTION: If White can play like this, does it refute Black's previous move? ANSWER: No, we are not talking about a refutation, but rather an interesting positional sacrifice that is both complicated and unbalanced, requiring Black to play with accuracy. The fact that this was a rapidplay game no doubt influenced Short's decision. 13...fxg5 14.Bxg5 Bf6 [ On 14...h6 , White intended 15.Be3 ( not 15.Bh4?! Bf6 16.Bxf6 Rxf6 17.h4 Rf7! 18.Qd2 Rh7! and Black is taking over ) 15...Nd4 16.Qd2 Kh7 17.h4 Nec6 18.g5 with a strong initiative for the piece. ] 15.Bh6 Bg7 16.Be3 It is preferable to keep the dark-squared bishops on the board, especially with Black's bishop facing the rolling kingside pawns. 16...Nd4 17.g5 QUESTION: This is beginning to look a little uncomfortable for Black. Is returning the sacrificed piece an option that should be taken into account? 118

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen ANSWER: Absolutely! While Black can consider retreating the dark-squared bishop to h8, capturing on f5 with one of the knights is the preferred choice of one of my engines, and was in fact Zhu's choice in the game. 17...Nexf5 18.exf5 Nxf5 19.Bd2 Bc6 QUESTION: It seems as if Black is doing quite well now, no longer staring down the barrel of white pawns marching forward on the kingside. Is that a reasonable way to look at it? ANSWER: The pawns are in part gone, but Black's problems are still very much there. Her main worry is the many soft light squares in her position. 20.Nd5! The idea is to follow up with Be4 and Qh5. [ One of my silicon friends recommends 20.Qg4 Nd4 21.Ne4 Qe7 22.Rac1 , when White again has excellent chances. ] 20...Kh8?! This does nothing to counter White's plan. [ The best chance looks to be 20...Nh4 21.Rxf8+ ( or 21.Be4 Rxf1+ 22.Qxf1 Qd7 ) 21...Qxf8 22.Be4 Qf7 23.c4 Ng6 , though Black's position remains unappealing. ] 21.Be4 Bxd5 [ 21...Qc8 is met by 22.Qh5 , when Black is struggling to stay in the game, tied up and pinned in all directions. ] 22.Bxd5 Ne7 [ If Black tries to stop Qh5 by playing 22...Qe8 , White responds effectively 23.Be4 Ne7 24.Rxf8+ Bxf8 25.Qf3 Bg7 26.Qh3 Ng6 27.Rf1 and Black is again very much tied up. ] EXERCISE: How should White continue his attack? ANSWER: 23.Bf7! Preventing the exchange of rooks on the f-file and preparing the final assault with Qh5.

23...d5 24.Qh5! Now White threatens both g5-g6 and Rf3-h3. Black is complete toast. 24...Qb6 25.Rf3 Qxb2 26.Raf1 [ Short probably didn't stop to think over this move in a rapid game, and therefore missed the chance for a flashy finish with 26.g6! Qxa1+ 27.Kg2 Nxg6 28.Bxg6 h6 29.Bxh6 , when Black can only postpone the mate by giving up material, starting with the queen. ] 26...Rxf7 [ If Black plays 26...Ng8 to meet 27.g6 with h6 , then 28.Rh3! breaks through anyway after -29.Bxh6 Bxh6 30.Qxh6+ Nxh6 31.Rxh6+ Kg7 32.Rh7# . ] 27.Qxf7 Ng6 28.Rh3 Nf8 [ Nothing stops White's attack: 28...Rf8 29.Qxg6 Rxf1+ 30.Kg2 Kg8 31.Qe8+ Rf8 32.Qe6+ Kh8 33.Rxh7+ Kxh7 34.g6+ Kh8 35.Qh3+ and mates; ] [ or 28...Qb6 29.a5 Qc6 30.Rf6 Qe8 31.Qxg6 and White ends up with an extra rook. ] 29.g6! Qxc2 30.gxh7 Ne6 31.Bh6 . Facing mate in a few moves, Black decided that this was the time to resign. 1-0 B25 Bilek,I Gheorghiu,F 38: Bucharest [Carsten Hansen]

1968

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e5 7.Nh3 Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.f5 gxf5 10.exf5 [ Although tested several times, and by some strong players too, 10.Qh5 is not the most dangerous move for 119

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Black in view of f6! (preparing to oppose queens with ...Qe8) ( instead, 10...f4 11.gxf4 Bxh3?! 12.Bxh3 exf4 13.Bxf4 Ng6 , P.Hages‫ن‬ther-I.Yousof, World Junior Championships, Bratislava 1993, and now 14.Nd5 promises White a strong initiative; while 10...Nd4?! 11.exf5 Bxf5 12.Rxf5! Nexf5 13.Be4 is covered via 12 Qh5 Ncd4?! in the notes to the main game ) 11.exf5 Qe8 ( but not 11...Nd4? in view of 12.Nd5! with the very strong threat of 13 Ng5!; e.g. Nxc2 13.Ng5! h6 14.Nxe7+ Qxe7 15.Bd5+ Kh8 16.Nf7+ Rxf7 17.Bxf7 Qf8 18.g4 Bd7 19.g5 Be8 , M.Burakovsky-A.Vaschenko, Kiev 2003, and now 20.gxh6 pretty much wins at once ) 12.Qxe8 ( after 12.Qd1? Bxf5 13.g4 Be6 14.Ne4 Qd7 15.Nhf2 Ng6 , White has nothing for the pawn, S.Sorbe-J.San Emeterio Cabanes, French League 2009 ) 12...Rxe8 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.Bxd5+ Kh8 15.c4 Nb4! 16.Be4 d5 17.cxd5 Rd8 18.Be3 b6 19.d6 and a draw was agreed in A.KovalevL.Basin, Simferopol 1988, but it is clear White achieved nothing from the opening. ] 10...Bxf5 [ The solid 10...f6 is another option; then after 11.g4 d5 12.Ne2 , Black has tried several moves: A) 12...Kh8 13.Ng3 Ng8 14.Be3 b6 was played in V.Krapivin-V. Filippov, Perm 1997, and now 15.c4!? is suggested by Donev in 'ChessBase Magazine'; e.g. Nce7 16.Qe2 Bb7 17.g5 and White is clearly better.; B) 12...Qd6 13.Ng3 ( after 13.c3 Bd7 14.Ng3 h6 15.Nh5 Be8 16.Nxg7 Kxg7 17.Qd2 Rh8 18.Qf2 Bf7 19.Bd2 Rag8

20.Rae1 Kf8 21.Qh4 Ke8 , Black safely evacuated his king and soon took the initiative on the kingside, P.Hulshof-Ch.Bauer, Maastricht 2015 ) 13...Bd7 14.Be3 Nd8 15.c4! Ndc6 16.cxd5 Nd4 17.Ne4 Qb6 18.Nd2 Qxb2 19.d6 Nec6 , L.Day-H.Olafsson, Haifa Olympiad 1976, and now 20.Rb1 Qxa2 21.Rxb7 Rad8 22.Nf2 looks very good for White.; C) 12...Bd7 13.Ng3 ( here 13.c4 dxc4 14.dxc4 Be8 15.Nf2 Qxd1 16.Rxd1 Rb8 17.Ne4 Nd4 18.N2c3 b6 19.Rb1 h5 20.h3 Kh7 21.Be3 Rd8 was fine for Black in L.Day-H.Spangenberg, Elista Olympiad 1998 ) 13...Be8 14.g5 Qd7 ( or 14...Qd6 15.Qg4 Kh8 16.Bd2 and Black is under pressure ) 15.gxf6 Rxf6 16.Bg5 Rxf5 17.Nxf5 Nxf5 18.Qf3 Nfe7 19.Nf2 Bg6 20.Ng4 Qd6 21.Nh6+ Kh8 22.Nf7+ Bxf7 23.Qxf7 with a large advantage for White, who soon won in I.Starostits-An. Horvath, Budapest 2004.; D) 12...b5 13.Ng3 a5 14.Nh5 Ra7 15.Be3 d4 16.Bd2 c4 17.Nf2 ( 17.g5 Nxf5! 18.Bxc6 c3 is quite unclear; but 17.a4!? is a possibility ) 17...Nd5 18.Qf3 Rd7 19.Ne4 Ncb4 20.Nc5 Rc7 21.Ne6 Bxe6 22.fxe6 Ne7!? ( the copycat 22...Ne3 looks equal ) 23.Qh3? ( here 23.dxc4 Nxc2 24.Rad1 bxc4 25.Qh3 d3 26.Rf2 might offer White something ) 23...c3! 24.bxc3 dxc3 25.Bc1 Nxc2 26.Rb1 Nd4 27.Nxg7 Kxg7 28.Bh6+ Kg8 29.Be4 Ng6 30.Bxf8 Qxf8 and Black has more than enough for the exchange, J.Shaw-M. Hennigan, Isle of Man 1993. ] 120

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen EXERCISE: How should White best continue? ANSWER: 11.Rxf5! Anything else and Black would consolidate the extra pawn. 11...Nxf5 12.Be4 Move order is important. [ The immediate 12.Qh5 is less accurate: A) 12...Nfd4?? 13.Be4 transposes to the main game.; B) 12...Ncd4?! 13.Be4 Qf6 14.Nd5 Qg6 15.Qd1! ( stronger than 15.Ne7+ Nxe7 16.Bxg6 fxg6 17.Qd1 h6 18.c3 Nf3+ 19.Kg2 Rf7 , as in F.Kroeze-A.Kharlov, Leeuwarden 1994 ) 15...h5 ( now if 15...h6 then 16.c3! ) 16.Ne7+ Nxe7 17.Bxg6 fxg6 18.c3 Nf3+ 19.Kg2 and White has the upper hand, A.Pazos Porta-I.Starostits, Ourense 2007.; C) 12...Nfe7! 13.Be4 f5 14.Ng5 h6 15.Ne6 Qe8 16.Nxg7 ( 16.Qxe8? Rfxe8 17.Bxc6 Nxc6 18.Nc7 Nb4 is winning for Black, R. Burgin-A.Delaney, Malta Olympiad 1980 ) 16...Qxh5 17.Nxh5 fxe4 18.Bxh6 Rf5 19.g4 exd3!? ( or just 19...Rxh5 20.gxh5 Nf5 ) 20.gxf5 Nxf5 21.Bd2 dxc2 and Black is doing fine. ] EXERCISE: What is Black's best move here? 12...Nfd4?? This move pretty much loses by force. [ 12...Nfe7?? is no good here either in view of 13.Bxh7+ Kxh7 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Ng5 and White wins; ] [ 12...Ncd4?! 13.Qh5 returns to the previous note; ] [ while 12...Qd7? is met by 13.Qg4 Nce7 14.Nd5 (J.L.Seret-E.Juglard, Belfort 1989) Nxd5 15.Bxf5 Qe7 16.Bh6 f6 17.Be6+ Kh8 18.Bxg7+ Qxg7 19.Qxg7+ Kxg7 20.Bxd5

and White is clearly better. ] [ ANSWER: Black's only chance is 12...Nh4!! , but it turns out to be a very good chance indeed: A) 13.Bxh7+? Kxh7 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Ng5 now fails to Nf3+! 16.Qxf3 ( or 16.Nxf3 f6 ) 16...Qf6 and Black consolidates.; B) 13.Qh5 Ng6 14.Ng5 h6 15.Nxf7 Rxf7 16.Qxg6 ( or 16.Bxg6 Qf6! 17.Bxf7+ Qxf7 18.Qh3 Rf8 19.Bxh6 Bxh6 20.Qxh6 Qf2+ with a draw ) 16...Qf6 17.Qh7+ Kf8 18.Be3 Ne7 19.Nd5 Nxd5 20.Bxd5 Qf5 21.Qxf5 Rxf5 22.Bxb7 Rb8 23.Be4 Rf6 24.b3 and White has sufficient compensation for the exchange, although he managed to lose in the end, A.Ipek-A.Ornstein, European Junior Championships, Groningen 1972.; C) 13.Bg5 Qd7 14.Bxh4 was agreed drawn in Ru.Haag-Fri. Pedersen, correspondence 2006, presumably in view of the forcing line Qxh3 15.Qh5 f5 16.Bd5+ Kh8 17.Ne4 Qg4 ( not 17...fxe4?? 18.Bxe4 h6 19.Qg6 and White wins instantly ) 18.Qxg4 fxg4 19.c3 , when chances are about even despite Black being an exchange up.; D) 13.gxh4 Qxh4 14.Ng5 ( or 14.Bg2 Bh6 15.Ne4 Bxc1 16.Rxc1 f5 17.Neg5 Kh8 18.c3 , I.Starostits-D.Rivera Kuzawka, Mondariz 2006, and now h6 19.Nf3 Qf6 looks better for Black ) 14...h6 15.Nh7 Rfe8 16.Be3 Re6 17.Bf2 Qh3 18.Nd5 f5 19.Bg2 Rg6 20.Nhf6+ Bxf6 21.Nxf6+ Kf7 22.Bg3 Rxg3 23.hxg3 Qxg3 24.Nh5 ( or 24.Nd5 Rg8 25.Qh5+ Ke6 26.Qxh6+ Rg6 27.Qh2 f4 121

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 was once again the move order here. ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e5 7.Nh3 Nge7 8.0-0 Nd4 Rather than make a target of the king, Black opts simply to centralize the knight and await events. Now 9 Be3 would transpose to Game 6, but we'll continue with the thematic advance here: 9.f5!? [ White cannot achieve anything with 9.fxe5 dxe5 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.Nd5 Qd6 ; for instance, 13.c3 Nc6 14.Nf2 Be6 ( 14...Ne7 is also fine ) 15.Qb3 Rb8 16.Nd1 0-0 17.N1e3 b5 18.a4 b4 19.Qc2 Na5 20.g4 bxc3 21.bxc3 c4 and Black has a perfectly good position, B, Rogulj-H.Koch, German League 1998. ] 9...gxf5 10.Qh5 [ Instead, 10.Bg5 is defused by f6! ( not 10...fxe4? 11.Nd5! and White already has a devastating attack; e.g. Ndc6 12.Rxf7! Kxf7 13.Qh5+ Kg8 14.Bxe7 Nxe7 15.Ng5 Ng6 16.Bxe4 Bd7 17.Rf1 Bc6 18.Nf7 Qd7 19.Nh6+ Bxh6 20.Qxh6 Qe6 21.Nf6+ Kf7 22.Nh5+ Ke7 23.Qg5+ Kd7 24.Bf5 and Black is toast ) 11.Qh5+ Kd7 (the idea behind Black's previous move: the king crawls to safety on the queenside while White will have to figure out what to do with his loose pieces and pawns) 12.exf5 Qe8! 13.Qd1 ( or 13.Qg4 Qf7 14.Be3 h5 15.Qe4 Bh6 16.Bxd4 cxd4 17.Nb5 , A.Rodriguez B25 Starostits,I Vila-A.Zuriel, Villa Martelli 2001, and Kulaots,K now a6 18.Na3 d5 looks very good 39: Latvia-Estonia match, Riga 2002 for Black ) 13...Kc7 14.Ne4 Rf8 [Carsten Hansen] 15.Bd2 Bxf5 16.b4 b6 ( or 16...cxb4!? 17.Bxb4 Rd8 ) 17.bxc5 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 dxc5 18.a4 Bxh3 19.Bxh3 f5 [ For the record, 2...d6 3.g3 Nc6 20.Nc3 a6 21.Bg2 Rd8 , and White

28.Qxg3 Rxg3 29.Kf2 Rxg2+ 30.Kxg2 Kxd5 and Black should not lose ) 24...Qg5 25.Qf3 Rg8 with chances for both sides, M. Bulgarini Torres-E.Grobshtein, correspondence 2010. ] 13.Qh5 Re8 [ 13...f5? loses at once: 14.Bd5+ Kh8 15.Ng5 and Black resigned in I.DonevI. Tiberkov, Bulgaria Championship 1978, on account of h6 16.Qg6 hxg5 17.Qh5+ and mate on the move. ] 14.Qxh7+ Kf8 15.Bg5 Several roads lead to Rome if the follow-up is precise. [ 15.Ng5 is also very strong; ] [ while 15.Bh6!? Bxh6 ( or 15...Qf6 16.Qh8+ Ke7 17.Nd5+ Ke6 18.Qxg7 Qxg7 19.Bxg7 with a decisive advantage ) 16.Qxh6+ Ke7 17.Nd5+ Kd7 was seen in J. Moreno Ruiz-O.Gonzalez Somoza, Madrid 2006, and now 18.Rf1 Re7 19.Ng5 Qh8 20.Nh7 wins for White. ] 15...Qd7 [ Or 15...f6 16.Rf1 Ne6 17.Bxf6 Bxf6 18.Bg6 Ng7 19.Nd5 1-0 D.Larino Nieto-A.Vidarte Morales, Catalonian League 2012. ] 16.Nd5 Re6 17.Rf1 Nxc2 [ Nothing else is any better; e.g. 17...Rae8 runs into 18.Rf6! (threatening Bh6 and mates) Rxf6 19.Nxf6 Qd8 20.Qg8+ and wins. ] 18.Bg6 N2d4 19.Bh6 Bxh6 20.Qh8# 1-0

122

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen does not have quite enough for the pawn, M.Dvoretsky-T.Giorgadze, Tbilisi 1973. ] 10...h6 Black obviously cannot allow 11 Ng5. The text move puts a brake on White's attack, who must now build up before proceeding further. 11.Rf2 Be6 12.Be3 The most accurate move; White has sacrificed a pawn and needs to be a little patient. QUESTION: Why shouldn't White win the pawn back by taking on f5 and b7? [ ANSWER: 12.exf5? Bxf5 13.Bxb7 accomplishes little and surrenders the initiative; for example, Bg6 14.Qh4?! Rb8 15.Be4? f5 16.Bg2 Rb4! (Black is already on the way to winning the game) 17.g4 Ne6 18.Qg3 Rxg4 19.Qf3 d5 and it is clear that White's opening play has been a total failure, D.Larino NietoH.Stefansson, Malaga 2009. ] 12...Qd7 [ Black has tried 12...Ng8 on multiple occasions; the idea is to send the knight to f6 to evict the white queen from her aggressive post. It isn't as challenging as the game continuation, but certainly requires an extra look: 13.Bxd4 Nf6 ( or 13...cxd4 14.exf5 Nf6 15.Qf3 Bd7 16.Ne4 Bc6 17.Nxf6+ Bxf6 18.Qh5 Bxg2 19.Rxg2 Qd7 20.c4 dxc3 21.bxc3 Rc8 22.Rc1 Bd8 23.Re2 Kf8 with chances for both sides, V. Krapivin-V.Zakhartsov, Pardubice 2011 ) 14.Qe2 cxd4 15.exf5 Bd7 and now: A) 16.Ne4 Bc6 17.Re1 Nxe4 18.Bxe4 Bf6 19.Nf4 Qa5 and now White went for the ultrasharp 20.h4!? ( instead, 20.c4 dxc3 21.bxc3 exf4 22.Bxc6+ Kf8 23.Bxb7 Rb8 24.Qe4 Qxc3 is probably better, with chances for

both sides ) 20...exf4 21.Bxc6+ Kd8 22.Bg2 fxg3 23.Rf4 Kc7 24.Re4 Rad8 25.Qf3 Qb6 , which should more than okay for Black, even if he soon went wrong and lost the game, I.Starostits-I. Nataf, Pardubice 2002.; B) 16.Nd5!? Kf8 ( after 16...h5 17.Nhf4 h4 18.g4 Bc6 19.c3 dxc3 20.bxc3 Qa5 21.c4 h3 22.g5! Nxd5 23.cxd5 0-0-0? 24.f6 , White has a huge advantage, I. Starostits-M.Krasenkow, German League 2008 ) 17.c3 dxc3 18.bxc3 Bc6 19.c4 Qa5 20.Nhf4! ( improving on 20.Raf1?! Re8 21.Be4 Qc5 22.Kg2 Bxd5 23.cxd5 Rc8 24.g4 Ke7 , which was good for Black in D. Novitzkij-V.Dydyshko, Belarus Championship, Minsk 2003 ) 20...e4 ( 20...exf4 21.Qe7+ Kg8 22.Nxf6+ Bxf6 23.Qxf6 fxg3 24.Re2 is good for White ) 21.Raf1 Bxd5 22.cxd5 exd3 23.Qxd3 and although Black somehow managed to win this position and my engines evaluate it as even(!), I cannot think of many who would enjoy playing Black here, D. Novitzkij-V.Dydyshko, Belarus Championship, Minsk 2004. ] [ Another option is 12...fxe4!? 13.Raf1 Ndf5 ( not 13...Nf3+? 14.Kh1 Ng6 15.Nxe4 , which is good for White; while 13...Rf8 14.Nxe4 Kd7 15.c3 Ndc6 16.d4 looks to give White excellent compensation for the pawn ) 14.Rxf5 Nxf5 15.Rxf5 Bxf5 ( not 15...exd3?! 16.Bd5 0-0 17.Rf1 and White is clearly better ) 16.Qxf5 with an interesting material imbalance. Ma.Olesen-A.Kazoks, correspondence 2003, continued exd3?! ( but 16...d5!? 17.Bxc5 Qc8 123

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 18.Qf2 Qc6 is a possible improvement ) 17.Bxb7 dxc2 18.Bc6+ Kf8 19.Bd5 Qe8 20.Qxc2 Rc8 21.Qf5 Rd8 22.Ne4 , when the minor pieces proved far superior. ] 13.Raf1 0-0-0?! Although getting the king to safety on the queenside is logical, this is not quite the best moment to do so. [ Instead, Black has tried: a) 13...Rf8 14.Nd5 fxe4 ( here 14...Bxd5!? 15.exd5 0-0-0 looks fine for Black ) 15.Bxh6 Nxd5 16.Bxg7 e3 17.Bxf8 exf2+ 18.Rxf2 Ne3 ( 18...0-0-0 19.Bh6 Rh8 20.Ng5 f5 should be okay for Black too ) 19.Bh6 Nxg2 20.Bg5 Qc8 21.c3 Ne1 22.cxd4 Nxd3 23.Rf6 Kd7 24.Qf3 c4?! (now the problems start) ( a more prudent continuation is 24...Nb4 25.dxe5 Nd5 26.Rh6 dxe5 with a complicated and messy position ) 25.Rxf7+ Bxf7 26.Qxf7+ Kc6 27.Qxc4+ Nc5 28.dxc5 Qxh3 29.Be7 Qf5?? this loses on the spot; ( whereas 29...d5 30.Qa4+ Kc7 31.Bd6+ Kd8 32.Qa5+ Ke8 keeps White advantage to a bare minimum ) 30.cxd6+ Kb6 31.b4 Qb1+ 32.Kg2 Qb2+ 33.Kf3 e4+ 34.Kxe4 Qg2+ 35.Ke5 and out of checks, Black resigned in I.StarostitsC.Cruz, La Roda 2009, due to Qc6 36.Qxc6+ Kxc6 37.Ke6 , and the dpawn's march forward cannot be stopped. ] [ b) 13...f4!? 14.gxf4 Bg4 15.Qh4 Ng6 16.Qg3 exf4? ( 16...f5 17.Nd5 0-0-0 is correct; or even 16...h5!? 17.f5 f6! with the idea that 18.fxg6?? h4 sees the white queen trapped ) 17.Nxf4 Be5 , J.Bohak-S.Nikolic, Bled 2000, and now 18.Ncd5 0-0-0 19.c3 looks clearly better for White. ] 14.Bxd4!

[ In one of the stem games of this variation, Spassky opted for 14.Nd5 , which is playable but definitely not as strong as the game continuation: fxe4 ( 14...Bxd5 15.exd5 Rhf8 16.Kh1!? , intending Ng1 and Bh3, should be quite nice for White; but 14...f4!? is another possibility ) 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.Bxd4 cxd4 17.Rxf7! Qe8 ( not 17...Bxf7? 18.Rxf7 Qe8 19.Bxe4 and White wins ) 18.Bxe4 Rf8 19.Bf5! Qxf7 ( 19...Kb8! was suggested as an improvement in the bulletin, but this too leaves the chances even: 20.Bxe6 Qxe6 21.Qh4 Qc8!! 22.Rxg7 Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 Rf8+ 24.Ke1 Qxc2 and now one or the other side will force a draw: e.g. 25.Rxb7+ Ka8 26.Rxa7+ Kb8 27.Rb7+ leads to a repetition, since Kc8?? would lose to 28.Qg4+ etc ) 20.Qxf7 Rxf7 21.Bxe6+ Rfd7 22.Rf7 Kc7 23.Bxd7 Rxd7 24.Rxd7+ Kxd7 (while the kingside pawn majority gives White some chances, Black shouldn't lose with careful play) 25.Kg2 Ke6 26.Kf3 d5? (obvious, but clearly not the best) ( 26...Kf6 27.g4 Ke6 leaves Black with decent chances of survival ) 27.Kg4 Kf6 28.Kh5 Bf8 29.Ng1 b5 ( or 29...e4 30.Ne2 Ke5 31.Kg6 ) 30.Ne2 a5 31.g4 a4 32.h4 b4 33.b3 a3 34.Ng3 e4 35.g5+ hxg5 36.hxg5+ Ke5 37.Kg4? a slip; ( 37.Ne2 was correct ) 37...Bg7? ( after 37...e3 38.Ne2 Bg7 , White cannot make progress ) 38.Nh5 Bf8 39.g6 e3 40.Kf3 Kf5 41.g7 1-0 B.Spassky-V.Hort, Bugojno 1978. ] 14...cxd4 [ Black had success with 14...exd4 in one outing: A) 15.Nd5?! Bxd5 16.exd5 Rdf8 124

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 17.Nf4 Kb8 18.Bh3 Be5 19.Ng2 Qa4 with a good game in C.RennerG.Mohr, Austrian League 2010. ( 19...-- ); B) But 15.exf5! is an obvious improvement: 15...dxc3 ( after 15...Nxf5 16.Ne4; or 15...Bxf5 16.Rxf5 Nxf5 17.Ne4 Nxg3 18.hxg3 Rhf8 19.Nf4 , White is clearly better ) 16.fxe6 fxe6 17.bxc3 Bxc3 18.Rf7 d5 19.Nf4 (threatening Nxe6) Kb8 20.Qe2 and White has a strong initiative. ] 15.exf5 Nxf5 [ If 15...dxc3 , then 16.fxe6 fxe6 17.Rf7 Rhg8 18.bxc3 leaves White with a large advantage. ] [ Instead, 15...Bxf5 is endorsed as the best move by several of my engines, though Black still has a pretty miserable position: 16.Rxf5 Nxf5 17.Nd5 Ne7?? ( 17...Nxg3 is hardly encouraging either, as after 18.hxg3 Rhf8 19.Be4 , White has a wonderful bind ) 18.Nxe7+ Qxe7 19.Rxf7 Qe8 20.Qg4+ Rd7 21.Rxg7 and White is winning, H.Bastian-H. Cordes, German League 1983. ] 16.Nd5! Ne7 [ Black has a couple of other options to consider, both of course with the knight: a) 16...Ne3 17.Rxf7! Nxd5? ( White has a significant advantage after 17...Qe8 18.Rc7+! Kb8 19.Rxb7+! Kxb7 20.Nf6+ Qc6 21.Bxc6+ Kxc6 22.Rf2 , but at least Black can still put up a fight ) 18.Rxd7 Rxd7 19.Qg6 Nc7 20.Nf2 Re7 21.Bh3 d5 22.Bxe6+ Nxe6 23.Ng4 and with the opposing bishop pair eliminated, White managed to convert without difficulty against his much higher-rated opponent, S.Sale-L. Psakhis, Portoroz 1995. ]

[ b) 16...Nxg3!? looks ridiculously desperate, but it isn't entirely stupid; in fact my silicon friends like it just as much as the alternatives. Nevertheless, after 17.hxg3 f5 18.Rxf5 Bxf5 19.Rxf5 Rhf8 20.Rxf8 Rxf8 21.Qg6 Kb8 22.Nf2 , White's two knights are far superior to Black's rook, particularly because the g7-bishop is no more than a tall pawn. ] TACTICAL EXERCISE: It looks as if Black might have his opponent's initiative under control. So how does White proceed? ANSWER: 17.Rxf7! This is the obvious answer, and White crashes through. If Black accepts the exchange sacrifice his position will collapse in short order, but declining it is almost as horrible. 17...Bf8 [ If 17...Bxf7 18.Rxf7 Bf8 , then 19.Nhf4! (threatening Bh3) Qe8 20.Bh3+ Kb8 21.Nf6 Qb5 22.Ne6 Rc8 23.Nxf8 Rhxf8 ( or 23...Qxb2 24.N6d7+ Ka8 25.Rxe7 ) 24.Nd7+ and White ends up with an extra piece. ] 18.Ng5! Threatening 19 Nxe6 Qxe6 20 Bh3. 18...Bxf7 [ Getting the king off the diagonal doesn't help either: 18...Kb8 19.Nxe6 Qxe6 20.Nxe7 Bxe7 21.Bh3 and Black cannot keep the bishop guarded. ] 19.Nxf7 Qb5 20.a4 [ 20.a4 diverts the queen's attention from the d5-knight, when Qxa4 ( or 20...Qc5 21.Nxd8 Kxd8 22.Qh4! , threatening Rxf8+! etc ) 21.Nxd8 Nxd5 22.Nf7 leaves Black facing heavy material losses, and so he resigned. ] [ Actually, the immediate 20.Nxd8 wins anyway after Nxd5 ( or 125

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 20...Kxd8 21.Qh4 Qe8 22.Qf6 ) 21.Nf7 Rg8 22.Qh4 Be7 23.Bxd5 Bxh4 24.Nxd6+ etc; ] [ while my computer gives preference to 20.Nf6 . In either case Black will lose substantial material. ] 1-0 B25 Zhigalko,S Burg,T 40: Enschede [Carsten Hansen]

2009

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ Here too 2...d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 was the route taken. ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e5 7.Nh3 h5!? QUESTION: What is the idea behind this provocative-looking move? ANSWER: There are several ideas. First of all, it lays claim to the g4-square, supporting a potential ...Bg4. Secondly, the pawn might be pushed further forward to h4 as and when appropriate. Finally, and not least, it prevents the white queen from appearing at h5, as occurred in the previous three games. 7...h5!? has scored quite well for Black, so it certainly deserves some attention. 8.f5?! This now-familiar pawn sacrifice seems like a reasonable response to Black's advance on the flank, but it is actually far less dangerous here since it cannot be backed up by Qh5, so White should probably opt for one of the several alternatives available. [ a) 8.Nf2 addresses the issue of ... Bg4 but is otherwise rather passive: h4 ( 8...Nge7 is perfectly reasonable for Black ) 9.g4 ( 9.Nd5 Nf6 10.Nxf6+ Bxf6 11.c3 Be6 12.Qf3 hxg3 13.hxg3 Rxh1+ 14.Bxh1 exf4

15.gxf4 Qe7 16.Be3 0-0-0 was comfortable for Black in B.RoguljV.Lazarev, Austrian League 1994, as White has some issues with his king ) 9...exf4 ( or 9...h3!? 10.Bxh3 exf4 11.Bxf4 , D.Larino Nieto-J.Arizmendi Martinez, Spanish Championship, Ceuta 2008, and now Be6 12.Bg2 Qa5 13.0-0 0-0-0 leaves Black with dynamic compensation for the pawn ) 10.Bxf4 Be5 11.Bxe5 dxe5 12.h3 Be6 13.Qd2 Nge7 14.b3 Nd4 15.Nfd1 g5 , followed by ...Ng6-f4, gave Black a good game in S. Marjanovic-B.Ivanovic, Yugoslav Championship, Zagreb 1977. ] [ b) 8.Be3 Nd4 9.Nf2 ( not 9.Bxd4?! cxd4 10.Nd5 Ne7 11.Nxe7 Qxe7 12.0-0 Bg4 13.Qd2 h4 14.Ng5 hxg3 15.hxg3 Rc8 16.Rf2 Bh6 17.c3 exf4 18.gxf4 dxc3 19.bxc3 Bxg5 20.fxg5 Rc5 and White cannot guard the g5pawn, K.Movsziszian-V.Petkov, La Pobla de Lillet 2005 ) 9...h4!? ( simply 9...Ne7 is fine for Black ) 10.Nd5 Nf6 11.Nxf6+ Qxf6 12.c3 exf4 13.gxf4 h3 14.Bf1 Ne6 15.Qd2 Rh4 16.0-0-0 Nxf4 17.d4 Ng2 with a sharp position where I would prefer White, but the computer claims Black to be okay, D.Roos-J.Murey, Manchester 1981. ] [ c) 8.0-0 Bg4 9.Qe1 ( if 9.Qd2 Qd7 10.Nf2 , H.Schِnangerer-R.Wiedner, Graz 2015, then exf4! 11.gxf4 0-0-0 with a pleasant position for Black ) 9...Nd4 , and here White has tried: A) 10.fxe5 looks logical but only seems to help Black: dxe5 11.Qf2 f6 12.Ng5 ( or 12.Nd5 Qd7 13.c3 Ne2+ 14.Kh1 h4 15.gxh4 Nxc1 16.Raxc1 and now Bxh3 17.Bxh3 Qxh3 18.Nc7+ Kf7 19.Nxa8 Rxh4 looks good for Black, since after 20.Nc7 Bh6 21.Rce1 Bf4 22.Qg2 126

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Qd7 , White has nothing better than to return the exchange by taking on f4 ) 12...h4 13.h3? (a mistake) ( but 13.Nf3 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 hxg3 15.Qxg3 Ne7 also leaves Black with a comfortable position ) 13...hxg3 14.Qxg3 Bh5 15.Nf3 Nxc2 16.Rb1 Ne7 17.Qf2 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 Nd4 and Black is a pawn up for nothing, S.Davidov-N.Miezis, Baku 2007.; B) 10.Qf2!? is probably White's best; for example, 10...Qd7 11.Ng5 ( or 11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Ng5 f6 13.h3 Nh6 14.hxg4 ½-½ I.Starostits-D.Mikrut, Wroclaw 2005, which hardly tells us anything, though Nxg4 15.Bh3 fxg5 16.Qg2 does look fairly level ) 11...Nh6 ( 11...f6 might be more accurate ) 12.fxe5 Bxe5 13.Bf4 Bg7 14.Rae1 0-0 15.Qd2 f6 16.Nf3 Bxf3 17.Bxf3 Ng4 18.Nd5 Rae8 19.Bg2 Ne6 20.Bh3 ( 20.c3!? is a possible improvement; I would certainly prefer White here ) 20...Nxf4 21.Qxf4 Re5 with chances for both sides, O. Chaika-V.Baklan, Yalta 1996. ] 8...gxf5 9.0-0 Nge7 We have reached almost the same position as in the previous game, but with ...Nd4 replaced by ...h7-h5. The obvious difference is that White is unable to reinforce the early attack with Qh5, and nothing else is quite as effective. 10.Bg5 [ Instead, 10.Ng5 f6 11.Nf3 fxe4 12.dxe4 ( or 12.Nxe4?! d5! 13.Nxc5 Qb6 ) 12...Bg4 13.Nb5 Nd4 14.Nbxd4 cxd4 15.Qd3 Qb6 leaves Black with the more promising position; ] [ while the exchange sacrifice 10.exf5

Bxf5 11.Rxf5? fails to achieve anything for White here: Nxf5 12.Nd5 Nfd4 13.Ng5 Ne6 14.Ne4 Nb4 15.c4 Nxd5 16.cxd5 Nd4 17.Bg5 f6 18.Bh4 Rh6 19.Bh3 Qc7 20.Qf1 f5 ( 20...Qe7!? 21.Qf2 Kd8 looks good too ) 21.Bxf5 ( better than 21.Ng5? , V.Arjun-T.Duong, Budapest 2006, when Bf6 is virtually winning for Black ) 21...Qf7! 22.Be6 Qxf1+ 23.Rxf1 Nxe6 24.Nxd6+ Kd7 25.Nxb7 Rf8 26.dxe6+ Kxe6 and White still does not have enough for the missing rook. ] 10...f6 [ Another option is 10...f4!? 11.gxf4?! ( 11.Bxe7 Nxe7 12.gxf4 gives White more chances of equalizing ) 11...Bg4 12.Qd2 f6 13.f5? fxg5 14.f6 Bh6 15.fxe7 Nxe7 16.Rf6 Ng8 and Black is clearly better, C.FrickS.Secouard, Avoine 2015. ] 11.Bh4 Be6 Not necessarily the strongest move, even if it is logical enough. [ The alternatives are: a) 11...Ng6 12.exf5 Nxh4 13.gxh4 Ne7 14.Nd5 Nxf5 15.Qe1 Ne7 ( 15...Rh6!? might improve here ) 16.Qg3 Bg4 17.Nxf6+ ( not 17.Rxf6? Nxd5 18.Rg6 Nf4 19.Nxf4 exf4 20.Qxf4 Be5 21.Qc4 Qe7 and Black is completely winning, E. Atalik-J.Paasikangas Tella, Vammala 2002 ) 17...Bxf6 18.Rxf6 Rg8 19.Raf1 Qb6 20.Ng5 0-0-0 with a complication position and chances for both sides. ] [ b) 11...Nd4 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.exd5 f4! 14.gxf4 Bg4 15.Qd2 Qd7 16.fxe5 dxe5 17.Ng5!? , V.ShulmanN.Miezis, Riga 2012, and now Black might just take the knight: fxg5 18.Qxg5 Rf8! 19.Rae1 ( or 19.Qg6+ Rf7 20.Rae1 Kf8 ) 19...Rxf1+ 127

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 20.Rxf1 Ne2+ 21.Kh1 Nf4 and should win with the extra piece. ] [ c) 11...Qb6!? looks a decent option too; e.g. 12.a4 Nd4 13.Ra2 (the b2-pawn was beginning to become a problem for White) Qa5 14.Nd5 fxe4 15.Nxe7 Bg4 16.Qb1 Kxe7 and only Black can be better in this position. ] 12.Nd5 Rh6 13.Qd2 EXERCISE: Can Black get away with 13...Rg6, intending ...f5-f4, or should he opt for 13...Qd7, aiming to castle queenside as soon as possible? 13...Qd7?? Whatever the merits of other moves, the text is just an enormous blunder which sets White well on the way to victory. [ ANSWER: 13...Rg6! would indeed have been much better; e.g. 14.Bf3 Kd7 15.Nxe7 Nxe7 16.Nf2 ( or 16.Bxh5 Rh6 17.Qe2 Qh8 ) 16...f4 17.Qe2 Kc7! (getting the king off the light squares) 18.Bxh5 Rh6 19.Bg4 Qd7 and Black clearly has the upper hand; White has serious issues on the kingside, whereas Black's king is quite comfortable on c7, leaving the back rank clear for the a8-rook to join the fun as well. ] 14.Qxh6! Bxh6 15.Nxf6+ Kd8 16.Nxd7 Kxd7 White has regained the sacrificed pawn and picked up the exchange as well without any detriment to his position, and now wins quite easily. 17.Bg5 Bg7 18.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.Ng5 fxe4 20.Nxe6 Kxe6 21.Bh3+ Kd5 22.Rf7 Bf8 23.dxe4+ Kxe4 EXERCISE: Purely as a matter of technique, what is White's fastest win here? 24.Raf1 [ ANSWER: 24.Rd1! leads to mates in five; e.g. Ke3 25.Rd3+ Ke2 26.Rf2+

Ke1 27.Bf1 , followed by Re2 mate. ] 24...Ng6 25.Bf5+ 1-0 B20 Markowski,T Smirin,I 41: European Ch, Saint Vincent [Carsten Hansen]

2000

1.e4 [ It is many years since GM Markowski played 1 e4 regularly or even at all. In this game he began with his favourite 1.g3!? and only transposed below after g6 2.Bg2 Bg7 3.e4 c5 4.d3 Nc6 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3 e5 7.Nc3 .] 1...c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e5 7.Nf3 [ A different set-up to the aggressive 7.Nh3 of the previous four games. White develops the knight to its most natural square and proceeds to castle, though this doesn't necessarily rule out ideas of f4-f5, as we will see. ] 7...Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 [ As in the 7 Nh3 line, if Black is concerned about the f-pawn advancing further, it is always possible to take it off: 8...exf4!? 9.Bxf4 ( developing the bishop with tempo makes more sense than 9.gxf4 here ) 9...0-0 ( or 9...h6!? 10.Nb5 Ne5 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.Be3 b6 13.Qd2 Be6 14.Rf2 Qd7 15.Nc3 h5 16.Bg5 0-0 17.Raf1 Kh7 and Black should be fine, I.Ibragimov-S.Kudrin, Lowell 2003 ) 10.Qd2 Ne5 11.Bh6 ( 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.Bh6 Be6 13.Rf2 c4 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Raf1 cxd3 16.cxd3 Qd4 17.Ne2 Qd6 doesn't offer White anything of 128

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen significance, Hen.Danielsen-O. Salmensuu, Munkebo 1998 ) 11...Nxf3+ 12.Rxf3 Qb6 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.b3 Qb4 15.Raf1 Be6 16.Rf4 Qd4+ 17.Kh1 Qe5 18.Ne2 Rad8 and both sides have their share of the chances, J.Maiwald-A.Brenke, Lippstadt 2003. ] 9.f5!? QUESTION: This pawn sacrifice seems to be played in any number of variations; is it always good? ANSWER: No, it is not always good, but it is often a viable option, and unless Black takes the utmost care, it can be very dangerous. Provided proper caution, however, Black should be able to accept the sacrifice without fearing serious ramifications. [ The usual move is 9.Be3 , for which see the next two games. ] 9...gxf5 10.Nh4 Clearing lines for the queen and rook, while putting pressure on f5. 10...fxe4 [ Black has also tried: a) 10...Nd4 11.Qh5!? ( or 11.exf5 Nexf5 12.Nxf5 Bxf5 13.Nd5 Bg6 14.c3 Nc6 15.h4 h6 16.h5 Bh7 17.Be3 f5 18.Qd2 Rf7 19.Bxh6 f4 20.Bxg7 Rxg7 21.gxf4 Qh4 with chances for both sides, A.KasiT.Parameswaran, Madras 1997 ) 11...fxe4? ( Black should prefer 11...f4 12.gxf4 Nxc2 13.Rb1 Nd4 14.fxe5 dxe5 15.Nf5 , although White still has reasonable play; if Ndxf5 16.exf5 f6 17.Be4 Qe8 , S.Bohosjan-H.Wirthensohn, Caorle 1972, then 18.Qxe8 Rxe8 19.Be3 regains the pawn with an edge ) 12.Bg5 Nf3+ ( after 12...f6? 13.Bxe4 h6 14.Bxf6! Qe8 , F.Molnar-J. Bednarski, Paris 1967, White wins with 15.Bg6! Nxg6 16.Bxg7 Rxf1+ 17.Rxf1 Kxg7 18.Ne4 etc ) 13.Nxf3 exf3 14.Bxf3 Qe8 , F.Molnar-B.

Huguet, Paris 1966, and now 15.Bf6! Bxf6 16.Be4 Ng6 17.Rxf6 looks very good for White. ] [ b) 10...f4!? attempts to throw a spanner in White's works: 11.gxf4 ( here too 11.Qh5!? seems better, when Be6?! 12.Nf5 Qd7? 13.Nxg7 Kxg7 14.gxf4 exf4 15.Bxf4 left White with a big advantage, S. Ofstad-J.Pellus Ruiz, Barcelona 2013 ) 11...exf4 12.Bxf4 Ng6 13.Nf5 Nxf4 ( 13...Bxf5 14.exf5 Nxf4 15.Rxf4 Be5 16.f6 Kh8 looks promising too, A.Guadamuro Torrente-A.Herrera Delgado, Lucena 2012 ) 14.Rxf4 Be5 15.Qg4+? ( but after 15.Rf2 Bxf5 16.Rxf5 Kh8 is unclear whether White has enough for the pawn ) 15...Kh8 16.Rf3 Rg8 17.Qh5 Rg5 and Black is already winning, M.Simons-A.Hammond, British League 1999. ] 11.dxe4 f6 [ Black has had some success with 11...Nd4!? , but not on account of the objective value of the move itself. After 12.Nd5 f6 ( 12...Nxd5 13.exd5 f5 14.c3 Nb5 15.Qh5 Nc7 16.Nxf5 Bxf5 17.Rxf5 Rxf5 18.Qxf5 is clearly better for White, M.SimonsM.Twyble, British League 1998 ) 13.c3 ( 13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.c3 Nc6 15.Nf5 Bxf5 16.Rxf5 is good too ) 13...Ndc6 14.Nf5 Nxf5 , a draw was agreed in C. Flückiger-O.Cvitan, Swiss League 2006, and Black was probably quite content with that since 15 exf5 leaves White with excellent compensation for the pawn. ] 12.Nf5 Bxf5 13.exf5 Kh8 14.Nd5 Nxd5 Black can do himself a favour by being a little patient at this juncture. [ White too has to be patient, even if that seems counterintuitive when you have just sacrificed a pawn: 14...Qd7 129

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 15.c3 Rad8 16.Qh5 ( rather than rushing in, 16.a4 b6 17.g4 keeps control over the light squares and provides White with good compensation for the pawn, if not necessarily any more than that ) 16...Qe8 17.Qh3 Nxd5 18.Bxd5 Ne7 19.Be6 d5 20.g4 Rd6 21.Bd2 Rxe6!? ( a valid sacrifice, though 21...Nc6 22.g5 fxg5 23.Bxg5 Nd8 looks to give Black the better chances as White is forced to give up one of his bishops ) 22.fxe6 Qc6 23.g5 f5 24.g6 Nxg6 25.Rxf5 Qxe6 26.Rxf8+ Nxf8 27.Qxe6 Nxe6 and Black is doing fine with two pawns for the exchange, B.Bujisho-E.Bacrot, French League 2004, but there was no reason for White to end up losing. ] 15.Bxd5 Qb6 16.c4 Ne7?! A step in the wrong direction. Having encouraged White to play c2-c4, it is logical to put the knight on d4 where it covers the f3square, while if Black can manage to exchange it for the dark-squared bishop (with a future ...Ne2+, say), his kingside will be that much more secure. 17.Be6 d5?? QUESTION: Why would Black decide to give up his extra pawn in this fashion? ANSWER: This is the kind of thing that can typically happen when a dynamic player is defending a passive position without counterplay. Rather than patiently sit tight they are inclined to try and break out by giving up material in order to activate their pieces. [ Such strategies are sometimes required, especially if the opponent's initiative might easily build up to take a decisive shape. You can imagine Black being concerned here about ideas like Qh5, g3-g4, and Rf3-h3, when his king risks being mated. For

instance, 17...Rad8 18.Qh5 Qc6 19.g4 b5 20.Re1 bxc4 21.Re3 Ng8? ( or 21...Qe8 22.Qh4 Ng8 23.Rh3 h6 24.g5 fxg5 25.Bxg5 with a strong attack ) 22.Rh3 h6 23.Bxh6! Bxh6 24.Qg6 and White wins. But this was hardly inevitable, whereas Black's move makes matters much worse. ] [ Instead, he should just put the knight back with 17...Nc6 , and if 18.Qh5 ( not 18.Qxd6?? Rad8 and White loses the queen ) 18...Nd4 19.Bd5 ( or 19.Bf7 Ne2+! ) 19...Qb4 , Black's position looks perfectly acceptable. ] 18.cxd5 c4+ 19.Kg2 Rfd8 20.Qf3 Rd6? Another mistake, though Black's position is probably already beyond repair. EXERCISE: Can you spot how White might have reached a winning position very quickly? 21.Rd1 [ ANSWER: After 21.b3! cxb3 22.Ba3 Nc8 23.Bxd6 Nxd6 24.axb3 , White wins easily, having both the extra material and the compensation. But this idea doesn't go away. ] 21...Rad8 [ Even 21...Qa6!? doesn't really help: 22.b3! cxb3 23.Bb2 b5 ( 23...bxa2 24.Ba3 wins ) 24.axb3 is little better; ( and the computer even suggests 24.Bxe5!? fxe5 25.f6 . )] 22.b3! White doesn't miss his chance the second time around. 22...c3 23.Ba3 c2 24.Rd3 Bh6 25.Qh5 c1Q 26.Bxc1 Bxc1 27.Rxc1 Qa5 28.Qf7 [ Faced now with 29 Qxf6 mate, or if 28.Qf7 Ng8 then 29.Rc7 , Black resigned. ] 1-0

130

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen ; ( while 10...Nd4 transposes to the next game. )] Narciso Dublan,M [ c) 9...exf4 should be considered by Blomqvist,E both sides at every stage: 42: Barcelona 2011 A) 10.gxf4 f5!? (this leaves White [Carsten Hansen] a tempo up on Game 29, having 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 The line covered in played g3xf4 rather than g3-g4xf5) the final two games of this chapter may ( so 10...Bg4 11.Qd2 Qd7 not be the most critical, but it has some might be preferred and already importance since it can also arise via seems quite pleasant for Black, L. Chapter Two if White then continues Tamarkin-G.Acholonu, Philadelphia with f2-f4; e.g. 6 Be3 e5 7 Qd2 Nge7 8 1993 ) 11.Qd2 Nd4 ( or 11...Rb8 f4 Nd4 9 Nf3 0-0 10 0-0. 12.a3 b6 13.Rae1 h6 14.Kh1 [ Indeed, the current game, after Be6 15.Rg1 Qd7 with a solid starting 2...d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 position, B.Spassky-D.Minic, USSR5.d3 Bg7 , took an equivalent course Yugoslavia match 1965 ) 12.Kh1 with 6.Be3 e5 7.f4 Nge7 8.Nf3 Nd4 Nec6 13.Rae1 Nxf3 14.Bxf3 fxe4 9.0-0 0-0 and so on. ] 15.dxe4 Nd4 16.Bg2 Bg4 17.Nd5 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 e5 , B.Kovacevic-M.Tratar, Zagreb 7.Nf3 Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 Nd4 2008, and now after Be6 18.c3 The most common reply, though Black Bxd5 19.exd5 Nf5 , the chances has a few alternatives. are fairly level.; [ a) 9...Bg4 10.Qd2 Bxf3?! B) 10.Bxf4 d5!? (very direct) ( 10...Nd4 is still possible, when (there seems little reason to give up 11.Qd2 transposes below; or else the two bishops) ( instead, 10...Nd4 10...h6 11.Qd2 Kh7 12.Rae1 Be6 returns to the main game ) 11.Bxf3 13.Qf2 b6 14.h4 a6 15.e5 dxe5 ( 11.Rxf3 is good too ) 11...exf4 16.Nxe5 Rc8 and Black has no 12.Bxf4 Nd4 13.Bg2 Qb6?! ( here particular problems, Be.Larsen-F. 13...Qd7 is preferable ) 14.Rab1 c4 Hellers, Aarhus 1997 ) 11.exd5 15.Kh1 cxd3 16.Qxd3 and White has Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Qxd5 13.c3 Bg4 the better chances, O.Romanishin-Z. ( 13...Qd8!? is more solid ) 14.h3 Kozul, Croatian League 1993. ] Bxf3 15.Qxf3 Qxf3 16.Bxf3 Rad8 [ b) 9...Rb8 17.Be3 Rxd3 18.Bxc5 Rc8 A) 10.fxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Bxe5 ( not 11...dxe5? since the c5-pawn 19.Rad1 Rxd1 20.Bxd1 b6 falls ) 12.Bh6 Re8 ( 12...Bg7 21.Be3 Ne5 22.Be2 and White 13.Qd2 is slightly better for White ) has somewhat better chances with 13.Bg5 Be6 14.Qf3 Qd7 15.Bh3?! the bishop pair and queenside was seen in Joh.Franke-N.De pawn majority, M.Narciso Dublan-E. Firmian, German League 2002, Iturrizaga Bonelli, Barcelona and now Nc6!? 16.Bxe6 fxe6 2011. ] 17.Bh6 b5 looks more promising 10.Qd2 Bg4 QUESTION: This looks a for Black, since White cannot little odd; why is Black playing the accomplish anything on the f-file.; bishop to g4 when the knight is not B) 10.Qd2 might be met by 10...b5 pinned? B25

131

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen ANSWER: The point is not to pin the knight but to create the option of exchanging on f3 a couple of times, thus reducing White's potential to generate an initiative. [ Nevertheless, Black has several other possibilities: a) 10...Rb8 is examined in the next game. ] [ b) 10...Be6 11.Rf2 ( 11.Nh4!? transposes to Game 53 ) 11...Qd7 ( or 11...Qb6 12.Rb1 a5 13.h3 Rad8 14.Kh2 exf4 15.Bxf4 d5 16.Ng5 dxe4 17.Ngxe4 , when a draw was agreed in V.Smirnov-V. Dydyshko, Belarus Championship, Minsk 2001 ) 12.Ng5 exf4 ( after 12...Rab8?! 13.Nxe6 Qxe6 14.Raf1 f5 15.fxe5 dxe5 16.Bg5 , White stands very well, N.Short-M. Rodriguez, Linares, Chile 2000 ) 13.Bxf4 Nec6 14.Nxe6 fxe6 15.Raf1 Ne5 16.h3 b5 17.Nd1 a5 18.Kh1 b4 19.c3 Nb5 with mutual chances, Li Ruifeng-S.Gindi, Chicago 2016. ] [ c) 10...Nxf3+!? 11.Rxf3 exf4 12.Rxf4 ( for 12.Bxf4 see note 'd' ) 12...Be6 13.Raf1 Qb6 (as we will see in the main game, the queen is often well placed here) ( 13...Qd7 is also perfectly playable ) 14.Qc1 (this leaves a rather artificial impression) ( but 14.b3 Rae8 15.Ne2 Nc6 should not cause Black any problems ) 14...Rae8 15.R4f2 Nc6 16.h3 Qd8 (going back to d7 after all) ( instead, 16...Nd4 , followed by ...Be5, may be better for Black ) 17.Bh6 Qd7 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Kh2 f6 20.Ne2?! d5 21.exd5 Bxd5 22.Bxd5 Qxd5 23.Nc3 Qe5 now favours Black in view of his more coordinated pieces and White's weakened structure around the king, M.Narciso Dublan-A.Gonzalez Perez,

Vallfogona de Balaguer (rapid) 2013. ] [ d) 10...exf4 is again possible: A) 11.Bxf4 Nxf3+ 12.Rxf3 ( or 12.Bxf3 Qb6 13.Rab1 Be6 14.Kg2 Rae8 15.a3 Qd8 16.Bh6 Qd7 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 with roughly even chances, M.Narciso Dublan-F. Peralta, Barcelona 2009 ) 12...Qb6 ( or 12...Be6 13.Bh6 Nc6 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Raf1 Qe7 16.Rf4 Rad8 17.Nd1 d5 18.exd5 Bxd5 and nothing much else happened in V.Smyslov-M.Tal, Russian Team Championship 1962 ) 13.Rb1 Be6 14.Bh6 (exchanging bishops makes sense because Black's is clearly the stronger piece) ( 14.Bg5 Nc6 15.Be3 Ne5 16.Rff1 Ng4 17.Bf4 c4+ 18.Kh1 cxd3 19.cxd3 Bd4 20.h3 Ne3 21.Rfe1 Nxg2 22.Kxg2 Qc6 23.Be3 Bh8 and Black has the better chances, Be.Larsen-L.Portisch, 1st matchgame, Rotterdam 1977 ) 14...Rae8 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Kh1 f6! (shutting down White's prospects on the kingside) 17.a3 d5 18.b4!? (White has to seek active counterplay and the queenside is now the only option) cxb4 19.Rxb4 Qc7 20.Nb5 Qd7 21.Nd4 Bg8 22.Re3 Nc6 23.Nxc6 Qxc6 is more or less equal, Mi. Adams-V.Kramnik, FIDE World Championship (rapid playoff), Las Vegas 1999.; B) 11.gxf4 f5 was seen via 9... exf4 10 gxf4 above; ( 11...Bg4 might now be met by 12.f5!? Bxf3 13.Bxf3 gxf5 14.Bh6 fxe4 15.Nxe4 with some play for the pawn, De.Schumacher-S.Gramlich, Marburg 2000, though Black isn't really in any danger. )] 11.Rf2 Doubling rooks on the f-file is the 132

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen standard plan; [ but White often inserts 11.Nh4 first, mainly in order to avoid exchanges; e.g. exf4 12.Bxf4 Qd7 13.Rf2 Rae8 and now: A) 14.Raf1 b5 15.Bh6 b4 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Nd1 f6 ( more solid than 17...Bxd1 18.Qxd1 d5 19.c3 bxc3 20.bxc3 Ndc6 21.Qf3 d4 22.Qf6+ Kg8 , O.Romanishin-Jo.Horvath, European Cup, Balatonbereny 1993, when 23.Nf3! dxc3 24.Qxc3 gives White the better chances ) 18.Ne3 Be6 19.c3 bxc3 20.bxc3 Ndc6 21.c4 Ne5 22.Nf3 N7c6 23.Nxe5 Nxe5 nd Black is doing well, A.Krapivin-A.Zabotin, Vladimir 2006.; B) 14.Bh6 Bxh6 ( or 14...f6 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Raf1 b6 and once more the game is fairly balanced, V.Malaniuk-O.Kalinin, Polanica Zdroj 1998 ) 15.Qxh6 b5 16.h3 Be6 17.Raf1 Qd8?! (wasting time) ( 17...b4 18.Nb1 f6! should be safe enough, since 19.c3 Ndc6 20.Rxf6 Rxf6 21.Rxf6 Ne5 gives Black good play for the pawn ) 18.Nb1 (with the dangerous plan of Nd2, c2-c3 and Ndf3-g5) d5? ( 18...f6 was now essential ) 19.Nd2 dxe4 ( or 19...c4 20.c3 Ndc6 21.d4 b4 22.g4 with a very strong attack ) 20.Nxe4 Nef5 21.Rxf5 Nxf5 22.Rxf5! Qd4+ ( or 22...Bxf5 23.Nxf5 gxf5 24.Nf6+ etc ) 23.Rf2 f5 24.Ng5 Qg7 25.Qxg7+ Kxg7 26.Bc6 h6 27.Nxe6+ Rxe6 28.Bxb5 and White won in B.Adhiban-D. Andreikin, Wijk aan Zee 2017 (which actually arose via 1 e4 e5 2 Nc3). ] 11...exf4 QUESTION: Although we've

seen it several times already, I'm not sure I understand this exchange. Isn't Black giving up his control of the centre and activating White's pieces? ANSWER: A very good question! Well, as far as activating the pieces goes: after the exchange on f4, the bishop on g7 really comes to life and becomes a major factor. Black doesn't need pawns in the centre to fight for the centre and, furthermore, the possibility of f4-f5 is ruled out. The pawn exchange is therefore a typical idea, both in this line and with colours reversed in the Botvinnik English. [ All the same, Black is not forced to play this way (or at least not yet) and has also tried: a) 11...Rc8 12.Raf1 Qd7 13.Nh4 b5?! ( here 13...exf4 is definitely best, when 14.Bxf4 b5 still offers mutual chances ) 14.f5! (this is exactly what Black should strive to avoid; now White gains the initiative at the cost of a pawn) gxf5 15.h3 ( 15.Bh6!? f6 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.h3 Bh5 18.Nd5! Nxd5 19.exd5 is also promising ) 15...f4 16.gxf4 exf4 17.Bxf4 Bxh3 18.Qe3 ( here too 18.Bh6! looks good ) 18...Bxg2?! (now the trouble really starts to build) ( 18...Bg4 19.Bh6 f6 may hold up better for Black, though White obviously has excellent compensation for the pawn ) 19.Rxg2 Ng6 20.Qg3 Kh8 , A.Muzychuk-W.Ju, Beijing (blitz) 2011, and now 21.Bxd6! Rfe8 22.Nf5 is absolutely terrible for Black. ] [ b) 11...b5!? 12.Raf1 ( instead, 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.Raf1 f6 is about even; White might consider 12.f5!? again, though Black is probably fine here, e.g. gxf5 13.Nh4 b4 14.Nd1 f4 15.gxf4 Ng6 16.Nf5 Bxf5 17.exf5 Nxf5 18.fxe5 Nxe3 19.Nxe3 Bxe5 133

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 20.Bxa8 Qxa8 and Black has quite enough for the exchange ) 12...exf4 13.Bxf4 b4 14.Nd1 Bxf3 15.Bxf3 Nxf3+ 16.Rxf3 d5 (Black is already doing rather well, and it soon got even better) 17.Nf2 Nc6 18.Ng4?! dxe4 19.Bg5? Qd4+ 20.Be3 Qxb2 and Black is pretty much a pawn up for nothing, K.Movsziszian-Ni Hua, Benasque 2013. ] 12.Bxf4 Qb6!? A typical deployment in this variation: Black applies pressure on b2 as well as indirectly on the a7-g1 diagonal. [ But again there are other reasonable moves: a) 12...Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 Bxf3 14.Rxf3 d5 is also completely okay for Black; e.g. 15.Kg2 ( or 15.Re1 Qd7 16.Bh6 Rae8 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Qf4 d4 19.Ne2 Nc6 20.Qf6+ Kg8 , followed by Ne5 and Black has nothing much to worry about ) 15...d4 16.Nd1 f5 17.Nf2 Qd7 18.Rf1 Rae8 19.b3 b6 20.exf5 Nxf5 21.Ne4 Qc6 22.Qf2 Qa8 and a draw was agreed in K.Keosidi-P.Maletin, Tomsk 2009. ] [ b) 12...Qd7 13.Raf1 ( 13.Nh4 returns to the 11 Nh4 line above ) 13...Nxf3+ ( or 13...Rae8 14.Bh6 Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3 Bh3 16.Bg2 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 , M.Narciso Dublan-Ad. Horvath, Vandoeuvre les Nancy 2013, and now d5 , when the energetic 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.d4!? can be met by dxe4 20.dxc5 Qc6 21.Qd4+ f6 22.Qxe4 Nf5 23.Qxc6 bxc6 24.Nd1 Re5 with a level endgame ) 14.Bxf3 Bxf3 (as we noted above, Black aims to neutralize any potential initiative by exchanging as many minor pieces as possible) 15.Rxf3 A) 15...b5 16.Bh6 b4 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Nd1 ( or 18.Ne2 Rae8 and if 19.Qg5 then Ng8 ) 18...f6

( 18...f5!? is possible too ) 19.Ne3 Qe6 20.a3 a5 21.Rf4 Rf7 22.Qg2 Raf8 23.g4 and while White has some initiative to work with, Black's position is ultimately perfectly solid and playable, N. Short-I.Nataf, FIDE World Championship, New Delhi/Tehran 2000.; B) Alternatively, 15...d5 looks fine, when Donev gives 16.Bg5 ( while 16.Bh6 d4 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Ne2 f5 seems safe enough ) 16...d4 17.Ne2 Nc6 18.Bf6 Ne5 19.Bxe5 Bxe5 as equal. ] 13.Rb1 Nxf3+ [ Black carries out his plan of exchanging pieces, although there's no real urgency about it, and he could obtain a pleasant game with simply 13...Rad8 . ] 14.Bxf3 Bxf3 15.Rxf3 Rad8 16.Bh6 QUESTION: It looks like White is making progress; is that correct? ANSWER: Yes and no. Exchanging dark-squared bishops is usually something White wants to achieve. However, in this case Black is fine: his pieces are well coordinated, in fact more so than White's, and there are no immediate issues regarding the king's safety. 16...d5 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Qf2!? Preparing to triple on the f-file. [ White does not gain anything from 18.exd5 Nxd5 19.Nxd5 Rxd5 20.Qc3+ f6 , which is at least equal for Black and perhaps even slightly better. ] 18...d4 19.Rf1 f5!? A very committal move. [ On 19...f6 , A) my computer endorses the forcing 20.Na4!? Qc6 21.Nxc5 134

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Qxc5 22.Rxf6 Nc6 ( or similarly 22...Ng8 23.Rf7+ Rxf7 24.Qxf7+ Kh8 25.Qxb7 Qxc2 26.Rf7 Qd1+ and it is Black's turn to give the checks ) 23.Rf7+ Rxf7 24.Qxf7+ Kh8 25.Qf6+ with perpetual check. ; B) Presumably Blomqvist did not like the prospect of defending passively after 20.Ne2 , followed by Nf4, c2-c4 and g2-g4; e.g. 20...Qe6 21.Nf4 Qxa2!? 22.c4 Qa6 23.g4 ( or 23.b4!? cxb4 24.Qb2 ) 23...h6 24.h4 and White has the initiative, even if there is no definite way through. ] 20.exf5 Rxf5 21.g4 QUESTION: It seems that White's attack is finally beginning to gain momentum? ANSWER: It sure does; but in fact, while being forcing, the text isn't objectively the best move – far from it. [ The alternatives are more interesting: a) 21.Ne4?! is met by Rdf8! , when White has to be careful: 22.Rxf5 Rxf5 23.Qd2! Rxf1+ ( 23...Qxb2!? 24.Re1 Nd5 25.Nd6 Ne3 26.Nxf5+ gxf5 may give Black enough for the exchange but certainly no more than that ) 24.Kxf1 Qxb2 25.Qf4 and the combination of queen and knight around the black king should provide perpetual check; e.g. Qb1+ 26.Kg2 Qxc2+ 27.Kh3 Nf5 28.Qe5+ Kh6 29.Qf4+ Kg7 etc. ] [ b) 21.Rxf5 Nxf5 ( 21...gxf5? 22.Ne2 Rf8 23.Nf4 Ng6 24.Re1 is obviously good for White with his safer king ) 22.Ne4 h5 23.Qf4 Re8 24.h3 ( or 24.b3 Qc6 ) 24...Qe6! ( not 24...Qxb2?? 25.Qg5 and wins ) 25.g4 ( or 25.Nxc5 Qe3+ ) 25...hxg4 26.hxg4 Ne3 27.Nxc5 Qxg4+ 28.Qxg4 Nxg4 29.Nb3 Rd8 30.Rf4 Ne5 31.Kg2 Nc6 32.Nc5 and White

is perhaps a touch better in the endgame. ] [ c) 21.Qe2!? is probably the best try; e.g. Qc7 22.Ne4 h6 23.g4 Rxf3 24.Qxf3 Nd5 25.g5 and White has the initiative, though Black should probably be okay if he plays precisely. ] 21...Rxf3 22.Qxf3 dxc3 23.Qf7+ Kh6?? A terrible blunder. I'm not sure what possessed Black to send the king out on his own. If he perhaps thought there was no difference between h6 and h8, he was in for a shock. [ Instead, 23...Kh8 24.Qxe7 c4+! 25.Kg2 Qc6+ 26.Kh3 ( 26.Kg1 Qb6+ repeats; while 26.Kg3 Qd6+ leads to a drawn endgame ) 26...Qe8! is the only defence, but it's good enough; e.g. 27.Qxb7 cxd3 28.Rf7 Qe3+ 29.Kg2 Qe2+ and Black gives endless checks. ] EXERCISE: How does White win? Try to calculate the variations in your head first. Only if necessary work the out the win by moving the pieces on the board. ANSWER: 24.g5+! [ Not 24.Qxe7? cxb2! ( 24...c4+ 25.Kg2 Qc6+ 26.Kh3 Qd7! 27.Qf6! cxb2 28.Re1! is less clear ) 25.g5+ Kh5 26.Qe2+ Kxg5 27.Qe3+ Kh5 and White has to take perpetual check. ] 24...Kh5 [ Or 24...Kxg5 25.Qxe7+ Kh5 26.Rf7 Rh8 ( 26...c4+ 27.Kf1 doesn't change anything ) 27.Rf3! and the black king has no defence. ] 25.Qf3+ Kxg5 26.Qe3+ Kh5 27.Qh3+ Kg5 28.Qe3+ Kh5 QUESTION: Hold on, this looks like the same position as after 24 Qxe7 etc above, except that Black has an extra knight! ANSWER: There is one other crucial difference; so in case you hadn't found 135

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen the win before, let's ask the question again. EXERCISE: How does White win? ANSWER: 29.Rf7! The black king is once more surrounded. Note that White couldn't play this at the end of the 24 Qxe7 line, since Black would promote his b-pawn with check, whereas here the pawn is still on c3. 29...h6?! This loses on the spot. [ But 29...Rh8 isn't really any better: 30.Rxe7 Qf6 31.Re5+ g5 32.Qe2+ Kg6 33.Re6 and White wins easily. ] 30.Qf3+ Kg5 31.h4+ 1-0

21.Rf2 Ne5 22.Ne3 c4 23.dxc4 Bxc4 is roughly even, T.StepovaiaWang Pin, Russia-China match, Shanghai 2001. ] [ c) 11.Nd1 b5 12.c3 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 b4 ( 13...exf4 14.Bxf4 Be6 15.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4 Qb6 17.Be3 d5 is also quite level, R.Disconzi da SilvaR.Leitao, Brazilian Championship 1995 ) 14.fxe5 Bxe5 15.d4 bxc3 16.bxc3 cxd4 17.cxd4 Bg7 18.Nc3 Ba6 19.Rfc1 f5 with chances for both sides, E.Khaskelman-A. Evchenko, Kiev 1998. ] 11...b5 12.Raf1 [ White tested 12.fxe5 dxe5 in a few old games without getting B25 anywhere: Krapivin,A A) 13.Ne2 b4 14.Raf1 Qd6 Rakhmanov,A 15.Nc1 a5 16.Nh4 f6 17.c3 bxc3 43: Russian Junior Ch, St Petersburg 18.bxc3 Ne6 19.Nf3 [Carsten Hansen] ( here Dolmatov notes 19.Nb3 a4 20.Na5 Ba6 , which is also more or 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 less balanced ) 19...a4 20.Qc2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e5 7.Qd2 Nge7 Bd7 21.Nd2 Nc8 and here a draw 8.f4 Nd4 9.Nf3 0-0 10.0-0 Rb8 was prematurely agreed in I.Bilek-A. This time Black opts for the standard Gipslis, Moscow 1967. Dolmatov queenside attack. 11.Rf2 gives a sample continuation 22.Nc4 [ Doubling on the f-file is the most Qa6 23.Bd2 Nd6 24.Ne3 natural continuation, though White , when it is obvious that Black has has also tried various others: no problems.; a) 11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Bh6 B) 13.Bh6 b4 ( or 13...f6 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Raf1 Qd6 16.Nd1 Be6 doesn't achieve very much: then b5 17.Ne3 a5 18.Nh4 a4 and Black ( and 12...f6 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 is fine, E.Reicher-V.Ciocaltea, is much the same ) 13.Bxg7 Rumanian Championship, Sinaia transposes to Krapivin-Larino Nieto in 1975 ) 14.Nd1 f6 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 the notes to Game 8; ( while 13.Rf2 16.Ne3 a5 17.Raf1 Qc7 18.c4 transposes to the next note. )] Be6 19.Kh1 Rbd8 20.Rc1 Nc8?! [ b) 11.Nh4 exf4 (there is no reason saw another premature peace to allow f4-f5) 12.Bxf4 b5 13.Rae1 accord in J.Kovacevic-J.Barle, b4 14.Nd1 Be6 ( 14...Nec6!? Slovenj Gradec 1968. Here White might improve, leaving the e6-square might try something like 21.Nd5 for the other knight ) 15.c3 bxc3 Bxd5 22.cxd5 Qe7 23.Nxd4 cxd4 16.bxc3 Ndc6 17.Nf3 Ne5 18.Bh6 24.Rc6 with the initiative, so 20... Nxf3+ 19.Rxf3 Nc6 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 136

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Nxf3 and 21...Nc6 was preferable with a level game. ] 12...f6 QUESTION: Why does Black play this move so soon? Isn't it better to wait until White has either played f4-f5 or exchanged dark-squared bishops with Bh6 etc? ANSWER: Certainly there is no real hurry to play ...f7-f6; on the other hand, the position is hardly of a forcing nature, so there is no firm rule either. [ Black could equally continue 12...b4 , when 13.Nd1 Nxf3+ 14.Rxf3 Bg4 15.R3f2 exf4 16.gxf4?! ( 16.Rxf4 is better, but then Bxd1 17.Qxd1 Bh6 18.R4f3 Bxe3+ 19.Rxe3 Nc6 is simple for Black ) 16...f5 ( 16...Bxd1!? 17.Qxd1 Bxb2 is possible too ) 17.c4 Qc7 18.h3 Bh5 19.b3 Kh8 left Black with the initiative in V.Slovineanu-A.Istratescu, Bucharest 2001. ] 13.h3 Bb7 14.g4 White proceeds with the direct plan of a kingside attack. 14...Qd7 [ If necessary, Black could prevent his opponent's next by playing something like 14...Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3 exf4 16.Bxf4 b4 17.Nd1 Nc6 , but Rakhmanov rightly sees no reason to be concerned. ] [ Not 14...exf4?! 15.Bxd4 . ] 15.f5 [ If White delays this move in favour on transferring the knight to the kingside with 15.Ne2 , Black probably would exchange on f4; e.g. b4 16.Ng3 exf4 17.Bxf4 Ne6 18.Bh6 Nc6 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 and it is anybody's game. ] 15...Rbc8 [ Trying to close the kingside at this point with 15...g5? would be a serious mistake in view of 16.Nxg5! fxg5 17.f6 and White regains the

piece with advantage. ] 16.Nh4!? Very provocative; White is so keen to see ...g6-g5 that he is willing to sacrifice two tempi as an inducement. 16...gxf5 Rakhmanov refuses to be provoked. [ I'm not sure I like this decision; it isn't incorrect per se, but 16...g5 17.Nf3 Nxf3+ 18.Rxf3 ( or similarly 18.Bxf3 b4 19.Ne2 d5 ) 18...b4 19.Ne2 d5 looks quite promising for Black. Note that 20.Bxg5? fxg5 21.f6 fails to dxe4 22.Qxg5 ( or 22.R3f2 e3! 23.Qxe3 Bxg2 ) 22...Rf7 23.dxe4 Bxe4 24.fxg7 Bxf3 25.Bxf3 Qd6 and White does not have enough for the exchange. ] 17.exf5 [ QUESTION: I'm not sure I understand this move. Why recapture with the e-pawn and leave the centre to Black? Wouldn't it be better to open the g-file by taking with the g-pawn, or with 17.Nxf5 Nexf5 inserted first? ANSWER: That's an excellent question! White probably felt that his chances of a successful attack were better with the use of an extra pawn on the kingside rather than in the centre; and taking with the e-pawn also lets the g2-bishop out of his pawn cage. All the same, personally I would have preferred your suggestion. ] 17...d5 18.Nd1 Qd6 Protecting the c5pawn as 19 c3 Ndc6 20 Bxc5 was threatened. [ The alternative was 18...b4 19.c3 ( or 19.Bh6 Rf7 ) 19...bxc3 20.bxc3 Nb5 21.Bh6 ( 21.c4?! Nd6 22.cxd5 Nxd5 favours Black ) 21...Bxh6 ( or 21...Rf7 22.Bxg7 Rxg7 23.Nf3 Qd6 ) 22.Qxh6 Nd6 23.Ng6 Rf7 ( not 23...hxg6? 24.fxg6 Nc6? due to 25.Bxd5+ ) 24.Nxe7+ Qxe7 137

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.0-0 0-0 and only now 8.Nc3 . ( At this point White has the additional option of 8.c3 , entering a system known as the "Big Clamp"; but that is not the topic of our book. )] 2...Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 Nf6 7.Nf3 The most logical development for the knight. [ Instead: a) 7.Nge2 0-0 8.0-0 Rb8 9.h3 is examined via 6 Nge2 Nf6 in Chapter Ten (see Games 56 and 57). Ba.Jobava-I.Nepomniachtchi, Russian Team Championship 2014, saw both players trying to be more creative: Nd7 10.e5 Nd4 11.exd6 exd6 12.Ne4 Nf6 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Nxf6+ Bxf6 15.f5 Be5 16.Bh6 Bxf5 17.Qd2 with chances for both sides in a rather obscure position. ] [ b) 7.Nh3 makes less sense here due to Bg4 ( 7...0-0 8.0-0 is seen in the notes to Game 52 ) 8.Qd2 Nd4 9.0-0 Qd7 10.Nf2 and Black has equalized already, S.Cao-I.Ak Shariful, Asian Team Championship, Kuala Lumpur 1993. ] [ c) 7.h3 is a significant alternative, however, since it prevents Black from playing ...Bg4 (as in Game 46), after which 7...0-0 8 Nf3 Rb8 9 h3 just transposes to our main line. Black has no particular reason to avoid this, but some players have aimed to so do anyway. For example: A) 7...0-0 8.Nf3 ( 8.Nge2 Rb8 B25 Fedorov,A 9.0-0 lands up in Chapter Ten Van Wely,L again ) 8...Ne8 9.0-0 Nc7 10.Be3 44: Riga (rapid) 2014 b6 11.Qd2 Bb7 12.f5 d5 13.Bh6 dxe4 14.Nxe4 Nd4? ( 14...gxf5 [Carsten Hansen] 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Qg5+ Kh8 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 is not necessarily fatal ) 15.Nh4 Bxe4 16.Bxe4 Bxh6 17.Qxh6 [ This game featured a rather unusual move order: 2.d3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 Qd6 18.Kh2 Rae8 19.fxg6 fxg6

and Black should be able to defend. ] 19.Bh6 Ndc6?? I have no idea why Black retreated the knight unprompted. [ 19...Rf7! was correct, so as to be able to recapture on g7 with the rook. Then I actually prefer Black's position, though it's pretty unclear who is best. ] 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.g5! White's plan from move 17 is coming to fruition; Black is now in serious trouble. 21...Kh8 [ If 21...Rg8 , hoping for 22.gxf6+ Qxf6 , then 23.Qe2! and Qh5 is very strong. ] 22.gxf6 Ng8? This loses on the spot. [ Black had to play 22...Rxf6 , despite the fact that 23.Ne3 Rg8 24.Ng4 Rg7 25.Nxf6 Qxf6 26.Nf3 , followed by Nh2-g4, is very promising for White. ] [ Note that 22...Qxf6 would lost in similar fashion: 23.Ng6+! hxg6 24.Qh6+ Kg8 25.fxg6 Qg7 26.Rxf8+ Rxf8 27.Qh7+! Qxh7 28.gxh7+ Kxh7 29.Rxf8 with a winning endgame. ] EXERCISE: How should White continue? ANSWER: 23.Ng6+! hxg6 24.fxg6 Black is helpless against the threat of Qg5 and Qh5+. 24...Rxf6 25.Rxf6 Nxf6 26.Qh6+ [ Black resigned in view of 26.Qh6+ Kg8 27.Rxf6 Qxf6 28.Bxd5+ and mates. ] 1-0

138

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 20.Nxg6 with a decisive attack, V. Smyslov-G.Ilivitzki, USSR Championship, Moscow 1952.; B) 7...e5 8.Nge2 ( 8.Nf3?! Nh5! is annoying ) 8...Nh5?! , as in K. Soldatenkov-S.Beshukov, St Petersburg 1999, seems somewhat dubious in view of 9.f5! gxf5 10.exf5 Nf6 11.Bg5 and Black lacks counterplay, since Ne7 12.g4 ( 12.Ne4!? Nxe4 13.dxe4 is another option ) 12...d5 13.Ng3 leaves the centre looking fragile. ] 7...0-0 The usual move; [ 7...Rb8 will likely transpose below as and when Black decides to castle; e.g. 8.0-0 b5 9.a3 0-0 10.h3 and so on. ] [ The main alternative 7...Bg4 is examined in Game 46. ] 8.0-0 [ Here too 8.h3 is possible, if White prefers. The text allows Bg4 again, which was in fact the route taken to Game 36. ] 8...Rb8 The plans of both sides are apparent: White will try and organize an attack on the kingside, whereas Black will strive to get counterplay on the queenside. [ As usual, 8...a6 is less accurate, since a subsequent ...b7-b5 and a2a3 will mean that Black cannot then play ...b5-b4 and ...a5xb4 without wasting another tempo with the apawn. ] 9.h3 [ White sometimes opts for 9.a4 , after which a6 10.h3 b5 11.axb5 axb5 12.Be3 ( or 12.g4 ) 12...b4 reaches our main line; the current game did in fact take this route. ] [ Instead, the first Spassky-Geller game saw 9.Nh4 Nd4 ( by transposition, 9...Bd7 10.f5 b5

11.Bg5 b4 12.Nd5 a5 13.Kh1 Ne5 14.Qd2 Bc6 was equal in B.SpasskyT.V.Petrosian, World Championship, 17th matchgame, Moscow 1966; and 9...Ng4!? is good too ) 10.f5 b5 11.Bg5 b4 12.Nb1?! ( better is 12.Ne2 Nxe2+ 13.Qxe2 Nd7 14.Rab1 Rb6 15.Qd2 Ra6 16.Bh6 Rxa2 17.fxg6 fxg6 18.e5! e6 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.exd6 with chances for both sides, A.Medina Garcia-V. Korchnoi, Palma de Mallorca 1968 ) 12...Nd7 13.Nd2 Ne5 14.Kh1 a5 15.Rb1 a4 16.Nhf3 Nexf3 17.Nxf3 Nb5 18.Qd2 a3 and Black had a pleasant position until he went wrong in time trouble, B.Spassky-E.Geller, Sukhumi (2nd matchgame) 1968. ] 9...b5 10.a3 This was Spassky's improvement in his match with Geller. [ Previously White continued directly on the kingside with 10.g4 , which we will examine in the next game. By inserting 10 a3 a5 and then 11...b4 12 axb4 axb4, White tries to reduce the effectiveness of the opposing pawn storm by ruling out the possibility of ...a5-a4-a3 (as Geller played in the previous note). Instead, Black will generally concentrate on taking control of the afile with a later ...Ra8 and use it to infiltrate White's queenside. ] 10...a5 11.Be3 [ White frequently plays 11.g4 b4 12.axb4 axb4 13.Ne2 as well. Leaving the c1-bishop at home keeps the b2-pawn protected while White attempts to make progress on the kingside, but it does allow Black an additional option (see line 'c' below): A) 13...Bb7 14.Ng3?! (the knight does not do much here) ( 14.Be3 transposes to 14 g4 in the main game ) 14...Qc7 15.Be3 Nd7 139

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 16.Rb1 Ra8 17.Qc1 Ra2 18.f5 Nce5 19.Ne1 Rfa8 20.Bh6 Bh8 21.Qg5 Qd8 22.Qf4 Qe8 23.h4 b3 24.c3 Ba6 25.Qd2 Nxg4 and Black is clearly better, P.BlatnyR.Kalod, Czech League 2001.; B) 13...Nd7 14.g5 ( note that the desirable plan of f4-f5, Qe1-h4 and Bh6 is too slow; e.g. 14.f5 Bb7 15.Qe1 Nde5 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.Qh4? b3! and White's position is collapsing, D.Larino Nieto-A. Shomoev, European Championship, Budva 2009 ) 14...Bb7 15.h4!? Nd4 16.Nexd4 cxd4 17.b3 f5 18.gxf6 Nxf6 19.Ng5 Bc8 20.f5 with chances for both sides, A. Gelman-B.Arkhangelsky, Moscow 1999.; C) 13...c4!? (this is perhaps the main reason for developing the white bishop earlier) 14.Be3 ( both 14.dxc4?! Qb6+ 15.Kh2 Nxe4; and 14.e5!? Qb6+ 15.Kh1 cxd3 16.Qxd3 appear to favour Black ) 14...Bb7 ( or 14...b3!? 15.c3 cxd3 16.Qxd3 Qc7 17.Nfd4 Na5 18.f5 Nc4 19.Bc1 Bb7 20.Nf4 Ne5 21.Qe2 Ra8 22.Rxa8 Rxa8 23.Re1 Ra1 24.g5 Nfd7 with the initiative, A.Rabinovich-V. Akopian, New York Open 1994 ) 15.Ng3 ( or 15.f5 b3 16.c3 cxd3 17.Qxd3 Nd7 18.Nf4 Nce5 19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.Qe2 Bc6 21.Rfd1 Ra8 22.Nd5 Bxd5 23.exd5 Qc7 with a pleasant position for Black, M.Simons-J. Emms, British League 2002 ) 15...cxd3 16.cxd3 Ra8 17.Qb3 Nd7 18.d4 Qb6 19.Rxa8 Rxa8 20.Rd1 Na5 21.Qd3 Rc8 22.e5?! , D.Petrosian-H.Gabuzyan, Yerevan 2012, and now Ba6 looks very good for Black. ]

11...b4 Advancing the b-pawn is the logical continuation but it is not essential to do so at once. [ Black has occasionally tried 11...Nd7 12.Rb1 and now Nd4!? ( otherwise 12...b4 13.axb4 axb4 14.Ne2 transposes to 13...Nd7 14 Rb1 below ) 13.Ne2 ( or 13.g4 b4 14.axb4 Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3 Bd4!? 16.Qd2 Bxe3+ 17.Qxe3 cxb4 18.Ne2 Qc7 with chances for both sides, A.Shimanov-A.Vovk, Turkish League 2011 ) 13...e5 14.f5 d5 15.g4 dxe4 16.dxe4 b4 17.Ng3 Nb6 and Black has solved his opening problems rather successfully, L. McShane-Zhang Pengxiang, Tiayuan 2005. ] 12.axb4 axb4 13.Ne2 QUESTION: These variations are looking incredibly similar and seem to transpose from one to another. Is it very important to get the move order exactly right? ANSWER: In most lines there are a few moves that are similar and which reach approximately the same positions. What the players must be alert to are subtle differences where tactical and positional opportunities arise that are not part of the main flow; for instance, Black throwing in ...c5-c4, ...b4-b3, or even ... d6-d5, and for White d3-d4 or e4-e5, after which the opponent will not be able to play routinely. This could be because of an unprotected piece or some other reason. 13...Bb7 Black develops the bishop to its optimum diagonal, while preparing to seize the a-file with ...Ra8. [ The fact that c6-knight is now defended also creates the option of ... c5-c4, which is dubious at this moment since 13...c4?! 14.dxc4 Nxe4 15.Nh4 uncovers a skewer on the long light diagonal, and Na5 140

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 16.Bxe4 Bxh3 does not give Black enough. ] [ The main alternative is to retreat the f6-knight, uncovering the g7-bishop on the long dark diagonal and forcing White to defend b2, albeit with slight drawback of releasing the pressure against the e4-pawn so that ...c5-c4 ceases to be an option: a) 13...Ne8!? (setting off on a roundabout manoeuvre to the d4square) 14.Rb1 Nc7 ( surprisingly, 14...Bd7 15.g4 would transpose to Game 24, but obviously d7 is not the best square for the bishop here ) 15.Qd2 Nb5 16.c3 ( 16.f5 Nbd4 17.Nh4 Nxe2+ 18.Qxe2 Ne5 19.Nf3 Nxf3+ 20.Qxf3 Bb7 led to a draw in the classic game S.Reshevsky-V. Korchnoi, 5th matchgame, Amsterdam 1968 ) 16...Ba6 17.f5 bxc3 18.bxc3 Nc7 19.g4 Rxb1 20.Rxb1 d5 21.exd5 Nxd5 22.Bf2 Qa5 with chances for both sides, H. Bastian-G.Sosonko, Hanover 1983. ] [ b) 13...Nd7 and now: A) 14.Qc1!? (this ambitious attempt to maintain the queenside undisturbed ultimately proves unsuccessful) Bb7 15.g4 Ra8 16.Rb1 Ra2 17.Kh1 Ba6 18.Rd1 Qb6 19.f5 Nd4 20.Nf4 Nxf3 21.Bxf3 Ne5 22.Bg2 Bb7 23.Rf1 Rfa8 24.Qd2 Bc6 25.Qf2 Qb7 26.Qh4 b3! 27.cxb3 , L.McShaneA.Volokitin, German League 2006, and now Qxb3! 28.Qxe7 Bf8 29.Qf6 Re8 30.fxg6 hxg6 31.Qe7 Qb8! intending ...R2a7-b7 looks good for Black, as White has to address issues with both his queen and queenside. ( 31...-- ); B) 14.Rb1 B1) 14...Bb7 15.g4 Ra8 16.c4 ( not 16.b3 e6 17.g5 Ne7

18.Ng3 d5 19.f5? dxe4 20.dxe4 exf5 21.exf5 , when Black suddenly gets to play all the moves he wants: Nd5 22.Bd2 Qc7 23.Ne2 Rfe8 24.f6 Bf8 25.c4 Ne3 26.Bxe3 Rxe3 and Black is very much on the way to winning, J.Bejtovic-P.H. Nielsen, Swedish League 2011 ) 16...e6 17.g5 Re8 18.h4 d5 19.e5 Ne7 20.Ng3 Qc7 21.Bf2 Nf5 and it is anybody's game, N. Short-G.Kasparov, Zürich 2001, although Black was steadily outplayed from here and was perhaps relieved when White later accepted a draw.; B2) Better than 14...Qb6 15.g4 Ra8 16.Qe1! , when Nd4 ( 16...Ra2?! can be met simply by 17.Qh4! ) 17.Nexd4 cxd4 18.Bf2 e5 19.f5 Ra2 20.g5 Re8 21.Nd2 reaches a sharp position where Black has to defend more precisely, A. Fedorov-T.Gelashvili, Dubai 2002.; B3) Note that the immediate 14...Ra8 allows White to change the game with 15.e5!? and if dxe5 16.Nxe5 Ndxe5 17.fxe5 Qb6 18.d4 Rd8 19.dxc5 Qc7 20.Qe1 Bxe5 , as given by Fedorov, then 21.Qf2 f6 22.Nf4 with a slight initiative, though Black probably has little to fear. ] 14.b3 Spassky's second improvement against Geller. [ The fourth game of the match continued 14.Qd2 Ra8 15.Rab1 Qa5 16.b3 Rfc8 ( the later suggestion 16...d5 17.e5 d4 looks good too, and if 18.Bf2 Nd5 19.Ng5 then Na7 and ...Nb5 ) 17.f5 Qb6 18.g4 Ra2 19.Nc1 Ra5 20.Qf2 141

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Qc7 21.Ne2 Ra2 22.Rbc1 Qd8 23.Nf4 Qe8 and now Spassky launched an unsound attack with 24.Ng5?! ( 24.Qh4 is the best try according to Kasparov ) 24...Nd4 25.fxg6? ( now 25.e5 is necessary ) 25...hxg6 26.Nd5?! Nxb3 27.e5 Nxc1 28.Bxc1 ( no better is 28.exf6 exf6 29.Nxf6+ Bxf6 30.Bxb7 in view of Ne2+ 31.Kh1 Rxc2 ) 28...Bxd5 29.Bxd5 Nxd5 30.Qh4 Nf6 , at which point the computer virtually claims a win for Black, though Geller somehow ended up losing. ] [ With 14 b3 White consolidates the queenside, preventing both ...c5-c4 and ...b4-b3, and hopes that the defence of the c2-pawn with Rac1 will hold up long enough to develop a kingside attack. Alternatively, 14.g4 Ra8 ( but here Black has the option of 14...c4!? which we examined earlier – see note 'c' to 11 g4 above ) 15.Rc1 Ra2 16.b3 leads to the same position. ] 14...Ra8 Geller later criticized this; [ suggesting 14...Nd7 15.Rc1 e6 16.g4 d5 as safer, but that was largely due to match psychology: whatever the objective merit of his own moves, Geller understood that he should not have allowed Spassky to conduct the game quite so completely as intended. So far no one has seen the need to test Geller's idea, at least not via this move order – if Black intends to play this way then 13...Nd7 14 Rb1 Bb7 is perhaps more accurate (see above). ] 15.Rc1 Ra2 16.g4 This position, or positions like it, has been reached on numerous occasions since the SpasskyGeller match. Interestingly, the engines tend to give Black a clear advantage

here, but that can swiftly change if White's kingside attack gains momentum. A similar situation occurs in the Classical King's Indian, where the engines very much prefer White's position until they see an unstoppable kingside attack for Black. 16...Nd7 Logical enough; Black retreats the knight in advance of g4-g5, and it can hop into e5 if and when White plays f4-f5. [ Otherwise, Black has mostly opted to move the queen somewhere: a) 16...Qa8 17.Qe1 Qa6 18.Qf2 ( not 18.Qh4?? due to Rxc2! 19.Rxc2 Qxd3 and wins ) 18...Na7? (ignoring White's attack leads to disaster) ( 18...Nd7 may still be okay for Black ) 19.f5 Nb5 20.fxg6 hxg6 21.Ng5 Na3? ( trying to run with the king after 21...Rc8 was the last chance ) 22.Qh4 Rc8 23.Rxf6 exf6 24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.Nxf7! Rxc2 ( or 25...Kxf7 26.Bh6 Rg8 27.Nf4 ) 26.Bh6 and White won quickly, B. Spassky-E.Geller, Sukhumi (6th matchgame) 1968. ] [ b) 16...Qa5 was Van Wely's choice in an earlier game: 17.Qe1 Ra8 ( Kasparov's suggestion of 17...Qb5 18.Qf2 Rfa8 , intending ...Nd7 and ... Ra1, looks too slow after 19.f5 Nd7 20.Ng5 ) 18.f5 Qa3 19.fxg6 hxg6 20.Qh4? ( here too 20.Qf2 is correct, when Qb2? fails to 21.g5 Nh5 22.Nd2 Ne5 23.d4 ) 20...Qb2 21.Ng5 Ra1 and now White blew up with 22.d4?? cxd4 23.e5 dxe5 24.Rxf6 exf6 25.Qh7+ Kf8 and Black won easily, A.Boog-L.Van Wely, Bern 1993. ] [ c) 16...Qb6 17.Qe1 Rfa8 18.f5 Rb2 19.fxg6 hxg6 20.Qf2 Qd8 ( not 20...Raa2?! 21.g5 Nd7 because of 22.Nd2 Nde5 23.Nc4 with a family 142

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen fork ) 21.e5 dxe5 , B.Gonzalez Acosta-J.Egger Mancilla, Istanbul Olympiad 2000, and now 22.g5 Nh7 ( or 22...Nd5 23.Nh4; but not 22...Nd7? 23.Nfd4! cxd4 24.Qxf7+ Kh7 25.Nxd4! , when White has a very strong attack ) 23.Nd2 Qe8 24.Nc4 Rba2 25.h4 gives White good compensation for the pawn. ] [ d) 16...Qc7 (mentioned by Kasparov and recommended by Palliser) 17.f5 ( here 17.Qe1?! looks too slow in view of Rfa8! 18.f5 Rb2 19.Nf4 Raa2 20.Qf2 Nd4 21.Bxd4 cxd4 22.Nxd4 g5 23.Nfe2 Nd7 and Black has the better play, D. Reinderman-K.Van der Weide, Dutch Championship, Rotterdam 1998 ) 17...Rfa8 18.Nf4 A) 18...Nd4 19.Bxd4!? ( 19.fxg6 hxg6 20.Ng5 , Gr.Huber-J.Reeve, Edmonton 2008, can be met by Bh6! ) 19...cxd4 20.g5 Nd7 21.Nd2 with chances for both sides.; B) If 18...Rb2 19.g5 Nd7 20.Nd5 Qd8 , M.Hug-J.Wendt, Bad Homburg 2009, then 21.h4!? ( or even 21.d4!? looks quite unclear. )] 17.Qe1 e6 18.f5 [ An earlier game saw 18.g5 f5 19.gxf6 Nxf6 20.Ng5 Qe7 21.f5?? ( 21.Qh4 is correct ) 21...exf5 22.Nf4 Ne5 23.Qg3 fxe4 24.Nxe4 Nxe4 25.Bxe4 Bxe4 26.dxe4 Nf7 and White was soon two pawns down for nothing, B.Roselli Mailhe-L. Valenzuela Fuentealba, Bled Olympiad 2002. ] 18...Nde5 [ Another option is 18...exf5 19.gxf5 Nde5 , when 20.Nh2?! (exchanging on e5 is better) Re8 21.Qf2 Nd4 22.Nxd4? ( but 22.fxg6 Nxe2+

23.Qxe2 hxg6 24.Ng4 Bd5! looks good for Black in any case ) 22...Nxd3! led to a quick win in D.Di Berardino-R.Leitao, Sao Paulo 2006. ] 19.Nf4? This seems to be too ambitious. [ White probably has to play 19.Nxe5 Bxe5 ( or 19...Nxe5 20.d4 ) 20.fxe6 fxe6 21.Rxf8+ Kxf8 22.Qd2 , followed by Rf1, even if it means there is now little prospect of a successful kingside attack. ] 19...Nxf3+ 20.Rxf3 Nd4 21.Rf2 exf5 22.gxf5 Re8 23.Qf1 d5 With Black's pieces well placed, it is natural to break the centre open. [ An alternative plan is 23...Qh4 , with ideas of ...Be5, ...Qg3 and ...g6g5, and in this case 24.f6 Bxf6 25.Nxg6 hxg6 26.Rxf6 Ne2+ 27.Qxe2 Qxf6 just leaves White the exchange down. ] 24.f6! White must do something before his position falls apart. 24...Bf8? Being in control of the game, Black does not want to allow his opponent any counterplay, but refusing the sacrifice achieves the opposite effect. [ It was better to take the pawn: 24...Bxf6 25.Nxd5 Bg7 ( 25...Bxd5 26.Rxf6 Bxb3 27.cxb3 Ne2+ 28.Kh2 Qxd3 is good too ) 26.Nf6+ ( not 26.Rxf7? Bxd5! ) 26...Bxf6 27.Rxf6 Ne2+ 28.Qxe2 Qxf6 29.Bxc5 Qg5 30.Be3 Qe7 and White does not have enough for the exchange. ] 25.Bxd4 cxd4 26.exd5 Re3? [ Here 26...Bd6 is preferable, intending 27.c4 Rxf2 28.Qxf2 Qxf6 29.Ne2 Bh2+ 30.Kf1 Qg5 , when Black still has good chances. ] 27.c4! The discovered attack on the a2rook along the rank means that Black cannot use his one chance to capture en passant, so White gains connected passed pawns. 143

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen switched to the Closed Sicilian with 5.g3 d6 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.0-0 0-0 8.d3 . )] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 Nf6 7.Nf3 0-0 8.0-0 Rb8 9.h3 b5 10.g4 Here we'll look at positions where White elects not to provoke the exchange of apawns with either a2-a3 or a2-a4. [ In this case, the text is the most common continuation, though White sometimes plays 10.Be3 b4 11.Ne2 and then: A) 11...c4?! 12.dxc4 Nxe4 is dubious for the same reason as 13...c4?! etc in the previous game; i. e. 13.Nh4 ( rather than 13.Qd5?! Bb7 14.Qxe4 Ne5 15.Qxb7 Rxb7 16.fxe5 Rc7 , which is most likely good for Black, A.Gubajdullin-J. Geller, Moscow 2006 ) 13...Na5 ( or 13...Bxb2 14.Rb1 Nc3 15.Nxc3 Bxc3 16.Bxc6 ) 14.Bxe4 Bxh3 15.Rf2 Nxc4 16.Bxa7 Rc8 17.Bd4 e5 18.b3! and Black does not have enough for the piece.; B) 11...a5 is a practical choice since White has nothing better than 12.g4 , transposing to 11...a5 12 Be3 in the notes to the main game.; C) 11...Nd7!? is my favourite option, which I think promises Black good chances. For example: 12.c3 ( if 12.Rb1 then Qa5 is annoying; while 12.Qc1 e6 B25 Finkel,A 13.f5!? exf5 14.exf5 Re8 15.fxg6 Greenfeld,A hxg6 16.Bg5 , L.McShane-P.H. 45: Beersheba 1997 Nielsen, German League 2005, [Carsten Hansen] and now Qc7 17.Rf2 Bb7 appears to favour Black ) 12...Ba6 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 ( or 12...bxc3 13.bxc3 Ba6 [ The game actually started as a 14.Qd2 Qa5 15.Rab1 Nb6 Grand Prix Attack: 2...g6 3.f4 Bg7 16.Rbc1 Qa3 17.Ne1 Rfd8 4.Nf3 Nc6 , where the usual moves with a comfortable position, K. are 5.Bc4 ( or 5.Bb5 .; Instead, Finkel Movsziszian-Po.Carlsson,

27...Ra5 [ Now after 27...Rxf2 28.Qxf2 Qxf6 29.c5 , the two pawns give White sufficient counterplay; e.g. Qe5 30.d6 Bxg2 31.Nxg2 Rxh3 32.Qf4 Qh5 33.d7 Rh1+ 34.Kf2 Rxc1 35.d8Q Rxc5 36.Qfxd4 Rf5+ with perpetual check. ] 28.Be4 Bd6 29.Qg2 Qxf6 Faced with threats like 30 Qg5 and 31 Ne6, Black decides to remove the intrusive f-pawn, which should be okay, but it does set himself up for a trap. 30.Nxg6 Qg7 31.Nh4 Rg3?? The fatal blunder. [ Instead, 31...Bg3 32.Rcf1 ( not 32.Nf5?? Bxf2+ 33.Kxf2 Ra2+ and wins ) 32...Bxf2+ 33.Rxf2 Qxg2+ 34.Rxg2+ ( or 34.Kxg2 Bc8 ) 34...Kf8 35.Nf5 Rxh3 36.Nxd4 should lead to a draw. ] 32.Nf5 Qg5 33.Rcf1 Rxg2+ 34.Rxg2 Qxg2+ 35.Bxg2 Bf8 White has a winning endgame, which he converted quite easily. 36.d6 Bc8 37.Bd5 Bxf5 38.Rxf5 Ra1+ 39.Kg2 Bxd6 40.Rxf7 Kh8 41.Rd7 Bf8 42.Rc7 Rc1 43.Kf3 Rc3 44.Ke4 Rxb3 45.c5 Rc3 46.c6 Rc1 47.Bc4 Re1+ 48.Kd5 Re8 49.Rd7 Rc8 50.c7 1-0

144

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Tarragona 2007 ) 13.Rf2 bxc3 14.bxc3 Qa5 15.d4 Bxe2 ( or 15...Nb6 ) 16.Rxe2 Qxc3 17.Rc1 Qa3 18.dxc5 Nxc5 19.e5 Rfd8 and Black has the better chances, R.Tischbierek-L.Van Wely, Antwerp 1998. ] 10...b4 11.Ne2 c4!? Seizing the chance to strike at the white centre, but this is a crucial juncture with plenty of other moves for Black to choose from. [ a) 11...Ne8 12.f5 Nc7 ( not 12...Rb6 13.Qe1 d5? 14.exd5 Qxd5 15.Ng5 Qe5 , M.Schِneberg-Y. Balashov, Kapfenberg 1970, when 16.fxg6! fxg6 17.Rxf8+ Bxf8 18.Qf2 leaves White with clearly better chances ) 13.Qe1 Nb5 14.Qh4 Nbd4 15.Nexd4 Nxd4 16.Bh6 ( or 16.Nxd4 Bxd4+ 17.Kh1 Bb7 18.Rb1 f6 19.Bh6 Rf7 with a solid position, C. Hengl-T.Reich, Austrian League 2007 ) 16...Nxf3+ ( not 16...f6? 17.g5 Ne2+? 18.Kf2 Bxh6 19.Qxh6 and it is already over for Black, S. Buchal-U.Kersten, Dِrnigheim 1994 ) 17.Rxf3 Bxb2 18.Raf1 f6 19.Bxf8 Qxf8 and White is nominally better thanks to the material advantage, but it will be hard to make progress given Black's wonderful control of the dark squares. ] [ b) 11...Nd4!? 12.Nexd4 ( 12.c3 Nxe2+ 13.Qxe2 bxc3 14.bxc3 Nxg4!? 15.hxg4 Bxc3 16.Be3 Bxa1 17.Rxa1 Bxg4 is better for Black ) 12...cxd4 13.Qe1 Nd7 14.Bd2 a5 15.a3 Qc7 16.Rc1 bxa3 17.Bxa5 Qc6 18.bxa3 Rb2 19.e5 Rxc2 20.exd6 exd6 was A.Rodriguez Vila-L. Valenzuela Fuentealba, Santiago 1999, and now 21.Nd2 Rxc1 22.Bxc6 Rxe1 23.Rxe1 Nc5 24.Bb5 might offer White a little something. ] [ c) 11...Ba6 12.Be3 ( or 12.Ng3 c4

13.Re1 cxd3 14.cxd3 Nd7 15.d4 e5 16.fxe5 dxe5 17.d5 Nd4 18.Be3 Qf6 with a messy position and chances for both sides, P.Blatny-R. Kuczynski, Stara Zagora 1990 ) 12...Nd7 ( instead, 12...c4 transposes to 12...Ba6 in the notes to the main game ) 13.b3!? Bxa1 14.Qxa1 e5 15.f5 f6 16.Bh6 Rf7 17.g5 Nd4 18.Nexd4 cxd4 19.h4 gxf5 20.exf5 Bb7 21.Qe1 , with ideas of Qg3 and g5-g6, gave White excellent attacking prospects, V.Moskalenko-L.Gomez Jurado, Sabadell 2011. ] [ d) 11...Nd7 12.f5 ( after 12.Qe1 Ba6 13.Rb1 c4 14.d4 c3! 15.d5 Bxe2 16.Qxe2 Nd4 17.Qd1 Nxf3+ 18.Bxf3 cxb2 19.Bxb2 Qb6+ 20.Rf2 Bxb2 21.Rxb2 Qc5 , Black has the better chances, A.Rodriguez Vila-G. Milos, Santos 2007 ) 12...Nde5 13.Nxe5 Bxe5 14.Kh1 ( previously White tried 14.c3 bxc3 15.bxc3 Ba6 16.Bh6 Rb2!? 17.Bxf8 Qxf8 18.Rf2 Qh6 and Black had excellent dark square play for the exchange, M. Klenburg-Li Shilong, Vlissingen 2006 ) 14...Bg7 15.g5 Ne5 16.Be3 Re8 17.b3 Nc6 18.Rb1 Rb5 19.Nf4 Ra5 20.h4 Rxa2 21.h5 with a complicated position in which White has sufficient compensation for the sacrificed pawn, M.Klenburg-A. Maksimenko, Dresden 2014. To illustrate how quickly White's attack can crash through we will include the remainder of the game where the Ukrainian Grandmaster rapidly gets dismantled: Ne5 22.Bh3 e6? ( 22...gxf5 23.exf5 Bd7 is a better defence ) 23.hxg6 exf5 24.gxf7+ Nxf7 25.Nh5 f4 26.Nxg7 Kxg7 27.Bxc8 Qxc8 28.Qh5 Rxc2 29.Rxf4 Ne5 30.Rbf1 Qe6 31.Rf6 Qe7 145

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 32.Bf4 Kg8 33.Bxe5 Qxe5 34.Rf7 and Black resigned. ] [ e) 11...a5 and now: A) 12.f5!? c4 ( 12...d5!? is interesting too ) 13.Be3 ( or 13.d4 c3 14.d5 cxb2 15.Rb1 Ne5 16.Nxe5 dxe5 17.Rxb2 , which Van Wely gave as good for White, whereas the engine prefers Black after Ne8 and ...Nd6 ) 13...cxd3 14.cxd3 Ba6 15.Ned4 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 Rc8 17.Nf3 Nd7 18.Rf2 d5!? 19.a3 Nc5 20.Bxc5 dxe4 21.axb4 exf3 22.Qxf3 axb4 23.d4 Bc4 was I.Morovic Fernandez-L.van Wely, Wijk aan Zee 1994, and now 24.Qf4!? Bd5 25.Ra7 Bxg2 26.Kxg2 Qd5+ 27.Qf3 seems like it would have offered White decent chances for an edge.; B) 12.Rb1 c4 13.Be3 Ba6 14.Qd2 cxd3 15.cxd3 Qd7 16.Rfc1 Rfc8 17.Ng3 e6 18.g5 Ne8 19.h4 a4 20.Bf2 a3 21.bxa3 bxa3 22.d4 and I prefer White, while my computer calls this equal; the fact that White won in S. Movsesian-D.Swiercz, Wroclaw (rapid) 2010, doesn't count for much as both sides subsequently made serious mistakes.; C) 12.Be3 Ba6 ( not 12...c4?! 13.dxc4 Nxe4?! 14.Ne1 with the familiar skewer; instead, 12...Nd7 13.Rb1 a4 14.b3!? axb3 15.axb3 Bb7 led to an open a-file after all in M.Al Modiahki-R. Ponomariov, FIDE World Championship, Las Vegas 1999; as did 12...a4 13.b3 Ra8 14.Rc1 axb3 15.axb3 Ra2 in K.Movsziszian-E.Kalegin, European Senior Championship, Yerevan 2016; seeing as the a2-

pawn has only moved once here, White is essentially a tempo up on positions from Game 44, though that doesn't seem to alter the basic assessment of evenly balanced in terms of play and chances ) 13.f5 ( not now 13.b3?! due to Nxe4! 14.Nh4 d5 which is good for Black, according to Palliser; who also notes 13.Nd2 Nd7 14.Rb1 a4 15.Nc4 Bxc4 16.dxc4 b3 17.axb3 axb3 18.cxb3 Na5 19.Nc1 Qb6 as unclear, K. Bryzgalin-P.Smirnov, Russian Junior Championship, Kazan 2001; or if 13.Ng3 c4 14.Rf2 b3!? 15.axb3 cxb3 16.cxb3 , M.Klenburg-A.Bykhovsky, Israeli Championship, Ramat Aviv 2004, then Nb4 17.Rd2 Rc8 18.f5 Nd7 19.d4 Qb6! with ample compensation for a rather meaningless pawn ) 13...a4 ( 13...Nd7 14.Rb1 Nde5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.b3 a4 17.Qd2 axb3 18.axb3 Re8 was quite level in S. Lalic-J.Emms, British League 2006; while 13...c4 transposes to 12 f5 c4 above ) 14.Nf4 c4 with a wonderful battle of who comes first: 15.Qe1 cxd3 16.cxd3 Ne5 17.Rd1 b3 18.a3 Nfd7 19.fxg6 Nxf3+ 20.Rxf3 hxg6 21.d4 Nb6 and I think Black has made the most progress and has the better chances, S.Lalic-S. Gordon, British Championship, Great Yarmouth 2007. ] 12.Be3 It makes sense to take control of the a7-g1 diagonal. [ The immediate 12.f5 can be met by Qb6+ 13.Kh1 cxd3 ( after 13...b3!? 14.axb3 cxb3 15.cxb3 a5 16.Nf4 Nb4 17.Bd2 e5 18.fxe6 fxe6 19.Ng5 Re8 20.Bc3 , White seems 146

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen to have accomplished more, E.LobronR.Keene, Bochum 1981 ) 14.cxd3 Ba6 15.Nf4 Nd7 16.Re1 Nde5 17.Be3 , at which point a draw was agreed in A.Selivjorstov-V.Terentiev, Russian Team Championship 1995. ] 12...Bxg4? QUESTION: Is this really an option? If so, White must have done something wrong to allow such a strike. ANSWER: Honestly, it is wildly premature and shouldn't even be possible. Although it has been played two or three times, it is not likely to cause White any headaches. [ Black has two normal alternatives: a) 12...cxd3 13.cxd3 Nd7 14.d4 Ba6 15.Re1 ( or 15.Rf2 Qb6 16.Qd2 Qb5 17.b3 Rfc8 18.Rd1 Nd8 19.f5 and Black is struggling to find counterplay as the c-file is easily guarded, M.Klenburg-E. Odnorozhenko, Slovakian Championship, Banska Stiavnica 2010 ) 15...Qa5 16.d5 Nd8 17.Bd4 Nc5 18.Nc1 Qb6 19.e5 e6 20.Nb3 Bc4 21.Rc1 exd5 22.f5 gxf5 23.gxf5 and White's initiative is beginning to become uncomfortable for Black, K.Movsziszian-D.Flores, Lorca 2007. ] [ b) 12...Ba6 A) 13.Ned4 Nxd4 14.Bxd4 Qc7 15.Rf2 Nd7 ( 15...Rfe8 16.f5 e5 17.fxe6 fxe6? 18.e5! Nd5? 19.exd6 Qd7 20.dxc4 led to a rapid debacle in V.Smyslov-M. Taimanov, USSR Spartakiad 1959 ) 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.d4 e5 18.f5 was played in M.Stojanovic-R. Dragomirescu, Obrenovac 2010, and now Nf6 19.Qe1 Bb7 20.d5 Qc5 is an interesting continuation for Black; I'm not sure which side I prefer here.; B) 13.Ng3 Nd7 14.Rb1 cxd3

15.cxd3 b3 16.a3 Nc5 gave Black good play in K. Movsziszian-E.Zude, Palma de Mallorca 2009; C) 13.Rf2 Rc8 14.Ng3 d5!? also worked out well after 15.g5?! ( but 15.e5 improves, since d4 16.Nxd4! Nxd4 17.dxc4 Nc6 18.exf6 Bxf6 19.b3 Bxa1 20.Qxa1 looks very risky for Black ) 15...Nd7 16.e5? cxd3 17.cxd3 d4 18.Nxd4 Ndxe5! , M.Klenburg-A. Shariyazdanov, Oberwart 2004. ] 13.hxg4 Nxg4 14.Bc1! Guarding the b2-pawn, to prevent Black from recouping any additional material, is more important than remaining on the kingside, which can handle itself. [ Instead, after 14.Bf2 cxd3 15.cxd3 Bxb2 16.Rb1 Bg7 17.Bh3 ( 17.d4 may be stronger ) 17...Nxf2 18.Rxf2 , Black has three pawns for the piece and reasonable chances, J.NehybkaJ.Simek, Czech League 2010. ] 14...cxd3 15.cxd3 Qb6+ 16.d4 e5 Black utilizes the pin on the a7-g1 diagonal in order to pick up another pawn. EXERCISE: What is White's best response and what is the idea behind it? ANSWER: 17.Bh3! A very strong defensive move that interferes with Black's quest for compensation. [ After 17.Kh1 exd4 18.Qd3 Qb5! 19.Ne1 Na5 20.Bh3 , J.Paredes Cordo-J.Aguera Naredo, Sanxenxo 2009, and now Ne3 21.Qxb5 ( or 21.Bxe3 dxe3 22.Qxe3 Nc4 ) 21...Rxb5 22.Rf3 Re8 , Black has definite counterplay. ] 17...h5? This lands Black in deeper trouble; [ but even after 17...Nf6 18.Ng3 ( here 18.Qd3 Rbe8 19.Be3!? may well improve; e.g. exf4 20.Nxf4 147

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Rxe4 21.Nd5! ) 18...Rfe8 ( or 18...exd4 19.Qd3 Rfe8 20.Bd2 , followed by Rac1 ) A) 19.Re1 exd4 20.Qd3 Re7 21.Bd2 (Finkel), Black's initiative is running out rapidly and his three split pawns are not worth the piece. ( 21.-- ); B) on 19.Qd3 , Finkel was concerned about 19...d5!? 20.fxe5 dxe4 21.Nxe4 Nxe4 22.Qxe4 Nxe5 , though 23.Kh1 Nxf3 ( or 23...Nc6 24.Qf4 f5 25.d5 ) 24.Qxf3 f5 25.d5 , followed by Bf4, still looks clearly better for White. ] 18.Bxg4 hxg4 19.Ng5! This is the move that Black either overlooked or underestimated. All of a sudden, his king becomes a target! 19...exd4 [ Taking the f-pawn is no better: 19...exf4 20.Rxf4 Be5 21.Be3! Bxf4?! 22.Nxf4 , followed by Qxg4, and the party is over for Black. ] 20.Ng3 White removes the knight from danger, while clearing the path for the queen to take part in the fun on the kingside. 20...d3+ 21.Kg2 Qd4 [ The attempted counter-attack with 21...Rfc8 22.Qxg4 Nd4 does not succeed: 23.Qh4 Rc2+ 24.Kh3 d2 ( or 24...Qb7 25.f5 Qd7 26.Be3 ) 25.Bxd2 Rxd2 26.Qh7+ Kf8 27.f5 Qb7 28.Ne6+! and White wins. ] 22.Rf2 [ The immediate 22.Qxg4 wins for White; e.g. d2 23.Bxd2 Qxd2+ 24.Rf2 Qd3 25.Qh4 etc. ] [ But Black has no good answer to the threat of Qxg4 in any case (if 22.Rf2 f5 then 23.Qh1 Rf6 24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.b3! wins), and so resigned. ] 1-0

B25 Hess,Ro Gopal,G 46: Philadelphia [Carsten Hansen]

2008

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ The precise move order was 2...d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 and, further on, 7...0-0 8 0-0 Bg4 9 h3 Bxf3 10 Qxf3 etc. ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 Nf6 7.Nf3 Bg4!? [ An interesting divergence from the main line with 7...0-0 and 8...Rb8, as examined in the previous two games. In 2007, IM Palliser wrote that 7...Bg4 "has been virtually untouched by theory"; ten years later, the number of games in MegaBase has doubled, and it has even been tried by superGM Caruana. ] 8.h3 White should address the g4bishop before it is too late. [ For instance, 8.0-0 can be met by Nd4 , with the option of reducing White's active potential by exchanging twice on f3, ( or else 8...Qd7 , preventing h2-h3 altogether. )] [ Nor is 8.Ne2 an effective solution: after 0-0 9.0-0 Qd7 10.c3 Rab8 ( 10...c4!? is tempting too ) 11.Nh4 b5 12.f5 b4 , Black already has good counterplay, O.Castro Rojas-A. Rodriguez Cespedes, Bogota 1979. ] 8...Bxf3 [ Retreating with 8...Bd7 , say, doesn't make sense as White has basically been given h2-h3 for free, a move he wanted to make anyway. ] 9.Qxf3 Recapturing with the bishop is less accurate as after ...Nd4 there is nothing better than to retreat it again to g2, whereas the queen can find a more useful post on f2. 148

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 9...0-0 10.0-0 Nd7 [ This is an important crossroads, where Black has several options to choose between: a) 10...Nd4 11.Qf2 Rb8 ( for 11...Rc8 12.g4 see note 'b2' ) 12.g4 ( or 12.Nd1 e6 13.Ne3 Nd7 14.c3 Nc6 15.g4 b5 16.g5 Ne7 17.a3 f5 18.gxf6 Nxf6 19.Bd2 Qd7 and Black is fine, M.Vokac-J.Suran, Czech League 2016 ) 12...b5 13.Nd1 b4 ( or 13...Nd7 14.c3 Nc6 15.Be3 Qb6 16.h4 b4 17.h5 bxc3 18.bxc3 Qa6 19.Qd2 and a draw was agreed in K.Movsziszian-V.Baklan, Balaguer 2005 ) 14.Ne3 Nd7 15.h4 a5 16.a4 e6 17.Bd2 c4!? (an interesting idea) 18.dxc4 b3 19.c3 Nc2 20.Rac1 Nc5 21.Nxc2 bxc2 22.Rxc2 Nd3 23.Qe2 Nxb2 24.Ra1 , K.Movsziszian-M. Cebalo, Bratto 2015, and now Qd7 gives Black a pleasant position. ] [ b) 10...Rc8 and now: A) 11.Be3 Nd7 12.Kh1 Qa5 13.Bd2 Nd4 14.Qd1 Qa6 15.Nd5 Nc6 16.Bc3 Nf6 ( here 16...Bxc3 17.bxc3 e6 18.Ne3 b5 is about equal ) 17.Qd2 Nxd5 18.Bxg7 Kxg7?! ( throwing in 18...Ne3! was better ) 19.exd5 Nb8 20.Rae1 and White has the better chances, thanks to the open e-file and kingside potential, B.SpasskyK.Robatsch, German League 1984.; B) 11.g4 Nd4 ( or 11...e6 12.f5 Nd7 13.Qg3 Be5 14.Qf2 Bd4 15.Be3 Qb6 16.Ne2 Bxe3 17.Qxe3 , D.Larino Nieto-M. Narciso Dublan, Seville 2007, when there was nothing wrong with simply taking on b2 ) 12.Qf2 b5 13.Nd1 b4 14.Ne3 Nd7 15.h4 Nb6 16.Bd2 Nb5 17.b3 (this is unjustifiably optimistic)

( 17.Rab1 keeps the game fairly level ) 17...Bxa1 18.Rxa1 Nd7 19.Rf1 Rc6 20.h5 Ra6 21.Qh4 Rxa2 22.f5 g5 23.Qxg5+ Kh8 24.f6 exf6 25.Qh6 was played in N.Short-M.Narciso Dublan, Spanish League 2003, and now Rg8 26.Bf3 Ne5 27.Bd1 f5 should win for Black.; C) 11.Nd1 b5 12.a3 c4 13.c3 cxd3 14.Qxd3 a6 15.Be3 Na5 16.Bf2 Nb3 17.Rb1 Qd7 18.Re1 Nc5 19.Qc2 Qe6 ( Black might consider 19...e5!? 20.f5 Qc6 ) 20.e5 dxe5 21.Rxe5 Qd6 22.Ne3 e6 23.Rd1 Qe7 24.Nf1 Ne8 25.Re2 Nd6 26.g4 and White is slightly better, A.Pridorozhni-F. Caruana, FIDE World Cup, KhantyMansiysk 2011. ] [ c) 10...Rb8 is recommended by Palliser, and then: A) 11.Be3 Nd7 ( not 11...b5?? 12.e5 and wins ) 12.Qf2 e6 13.f5 Nd4 ( 13...b5 at once seems better ) 14.g4 b5 15.Nd1 b4 16.c3 bxc3 17.bxc3 Nb5 18.d4 Na3 19.g5 Re8 20.f6 Bf8 21.h4 and White has a definite initiative, even if Black should still be okay, D. Larino Nieto-J.Fernandez Montoro, Seville 2004.; B) 11.g4 b5 12.Qf2 (threatening e4-e5) ( if 12.e5?! then Nd4 13.Qf2 dxe5 14.fxe5 Nd7 wins a pawn ) 12...Nd7 ( for 12...Nd4 see note 'a' ) 13.Nd5 ( 13.e5 b4 14.Bxc6 bxc3 15.bxc3 dxe5 16.f5 e4! is okay for Black ) 13...b4 14.Kh1 a5 15.Rb1 a4 16.g5 Nd4 17.h4 e6 18.Ne3 f5 19.Bd2 Nb5 is quite unclear, A. Kveinys-E.Pigusov, German League 1994.; C) 11.Nd1 b5 12.c3 Nd7 13.Ne3 149

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen b4 14.e5 Rc8 15.exd6 e6! 16.Bd2 Nb6 17.Nc4 bxc3 18.bxc3 Nxc4 19.dxc4 Qxd6 and Black is doing fine, V.Neverov-G.Jones, European Championship, Gjakova 2016.; D) 11.Ne2 Nd4 12.Nxd4 cxd4 13.Bd2 Qb6 14.Rab1 Rbc8 15.Rfc1 Rc7 16.Qf2 Nd7 17.c4 dxc3 18.bxc3 Qxf2+ 19.Kxf2 Rfc8 , and Black has obviously solved his opening problems, Jen. Kristiansen-S.B.Hansen, Danish Championship, Helsingor 2012. ] 11.Nd5 [ White has not achieved much with other moves: a) 11.g4 Rb8 12.Be3 b5 13.Nd1 Nd4 14.Qf2 b4 15.h4 Qa5 16.a3 Qa4 17.b3 Nxb3!? ( 17...Qa6 is fine ) 18.cxb3 Qxb3 19.d4 bxa3 20.e5 cxd4 21.Bc1 dxe5 22.Rxa3 Qb1 23.Rxa7 , K.Movsziszian-D. Rivera Kuzawka, Burgas 2001, and here Nc5 24.Bd2 e4 would maintain excellent compensation for the piece. ] [ b) 11.Qf2 Rb8 12.a4 ( 12.g4 b5 returns to line 'c2' in the previous note ) 12...a6 13.g4 b5?! (mistimed) ( 13...e6 is preferable here ) 14.axb5 axb5 15.e5! Nd4 ( 15...b4 16.Bxc6 is now good for White ) 16.exd6 exd6 17.f5 gxf5 18.gxf5 Kh8 19.Ra7 Bf6 20.Kh1 Ne5 21.Ne4 Rg8 and a draw was agreed in I.MarkovicD.Antic, Herceg Novi 1999, though 22.Bf4 looks very good for White. ] [ c) 11.Ne2 Nd4 12.Nxd4 cxd4 13.e5?! dxe5 14.Qxb7 Rc8 15.Qxa7?! ( 15.Rf2 is still about equal ) 15...Rxc2 16.Rf2 Rxf2 17.Kxf2 Qc8! 18.Kg1 Nc5 19.Qa3 Ne6 and Black is clearly better, J. Melendez Fierro-M.Perez Candelario,

Saragossa 2003. ] [ d) 11.Kh2 e6 12.Qd1 a6 13.Ne2 b5 14.a3 Nb6 15.c3 Rc8 16.Be3 f5 17.Qc2 Re8 18.Bf2 c4 19.Rad1 cxd3 20.Qxd3 Nc4 with chances for both sides, T.Markowski-M.Manik, Budapest 2000. ] 11...Rc8 [ It is perfectly possible to kick the knight straight away: 11...e6 12.Ne3 Rc8 ( not 12...f5?! 13.c3 Rb8 , as in P.Garcia Castro-M.Gutierrez Valero, Linares 2015, since 14.exf5 gxf5 15.g4 offers White a strong initiative ) 13.g4 ( 13.c3 b5 14.Bd2 is also logical ) 13...b5 14.Qg3 Nd4 15.Qf2 b4 16.h4 f5!? (even here this looks unnecessary) 17.exf5 gxf5 18.c3 bxc3 19.bxc3 Nb5 20.gxf5 exf5 21.Bb2?! ( 21.Bh3 is better ) 21...Nxc3 22.Rac1 Nb5 23.Bxg7 Kxg7 24.Rfe1 Nd4 25.Nd5 Rf7 and White does not have enough for the pawn, R.E.Chavez-H.Leyva, El Salvador Championship, San Salvador 2003. ] 12.g4 [ In view of Black's response, White might consider 12.c3 here, when e6 13.Ne3 transposes to the previous note. ] 12...c4!? With this temporary pawn sacrifice, Black begins a forcing variation which decimates the queenside pawns. 13.dxc4 Na5 14.Rb1 Nxc4 15.b3 e6 16.bxc4 exd5 17.cxd5 Rxc2 18.Rxb7 Qc8 19.Rb1 QUESTION: White now has a big pawn mass and the pair of bishops, so he is better, right? ANSWER: Normally you would be correct; White's position indeed looks enticing, but Black's position is not without its qualities. For instance, the advance of the kingside pawns has left 150

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen the white king a little exposed; in addition, the isolated pawn on d6 helps Black by providing an anchor for a minor piece on c5. 19...Rxa2 [ Rather than grab the a-pawn at once, Black might try 19...Bd4+ 20.Kh1 Qa6 (all of a sudden the black pieces have become very active, and the other rook is right behind) 21.Rb4 Rfc8 22.Rxd4 Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 24.Rd1 Rxd1+ 25.Qxd1 Qxa2 and Black is doing fine, with a potential good knight vs. bad bishop endgame. ] 20.Be3 a5 "Passed pawns must be pushed", as Tarrasch may or may not have said. It's an old rule, but here it makes sense to wait a bit. [ Instead, 20...Rc2 21.Rfc1 Bb2 22.Re1 a5 23.Re2 Qc3 looks more favourable for Black. ] 21.Rfc1 Rc2 22.Qd1 Qc3 23.Bf2!? QUESTION: What is going on? Couldn't White just win the exchange? [ ANSWER: Not without cost; after 23.Rxc2 Qxe3+ 24.Kh1 Qxf4 25.Qd2 Qe5 26.Qxa5 Nc5 , Black has excellent compensation through his control of the dark squares. ] 23...Rxc1 24.Rxc1 Qa3 25.Rc7 The most active and natural move. [ If White plays more cautiously, Black will have no problems at all; e.g. 25.Rc4 Rb8 26.Bf1 h6 27.Qa4 Qxa4 28.Rxa4 Bc3 and again Black is doing fine. ] 25...Rd8? This is the first mistake, as the rook has no business on the d-file. [ Instead, the logical and active 25...Nc5 is preferable: A) intending 26.e5 Nd3 27.e6 Nxf2 28.Kxf2 fxe6 29.dxe6 Rxf4+ and Black has no problems.

( 29...-- ); B) By playing 26.Bxc5 dxc5 , White can gain a dangerouslooking central pawn mass, but he actually has to be very careful since Black has the far stronger bishop; e.g. 27.Kh1 ( not 27.d6?? Qe3+ 28.Kh1 Qxf4 29.Rxc5 Be5 30.Qg1 a4! 31.d7 a3 32.Ra5 Bb2 with a winning position ) 27...Bd4 ( 27...Qe3 28.Qf3 Qe1+ 29.Qf1 Qd2 30.e5 a4 31.e6!? is less clear ) 28.d6 Kg7 29.e5 Qe3 30.Qf1 a4 31.Bd5 a3 32.e6 a2! 33.Bxa2 Qe4+ 34.Kh2 Qc2+ 35.Qg2 Qc1! 36.Rxf7+ Rxf7 37.exf7 Qxf4+ and Black has at least a draw. ] 26.Qc2 Nc5? Now his troubles start escalating. [ Black should pulled back a little with 26...Qb2 27.Qxb2 Bxb2 28.Ra7 Bc1 29.f5 Bd2 , when he is only slightly worse. ] 27.e5! Nd3 EXERCISE: What is White's best move? 28.Rc8 Logical and strong, but not the best. [ ANSWER: White could have played 28.e6! Nxf4 ( or 28...Nxf2 29.e7! Nxh3+ 30.Kh2! etc ) 29.e7 Re8 30.Qc6 Ne2+ 31.Kf1 Qa1+ 32.Kxe2 Qe5+ 33.Kf1 Rxe7 34.Rxe7 ( or 34.Rc8+ Bf8 35.Qc3 , which may be even better ) 34...Qxe7 35.Qa8+ , followed by 36 Qxa5 and wins, since Black has only a single pawn for the bishop. ] 28...Rxc8 29.Qxc8+ Bf8 30.e6 Qb2 In view of the monster pawn on e6, Black has to start thinking about defence. [ Note that swapping queens with 30...Qc1+ 31.Qxc1 Nxc1 fails to 32.Bh4! and e6-e7. ] 151

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 31.Bg3? This allows Black to cobble together some sort of defence. [ The bishop should have gone the other way: after 31.Be3! A) 31...Qe2 loses to 32.exf7+! Kxf7 ( or 32...Kg7 33.Bd4+ Kxf7 34.Bf1 ) 33.Qe6+ Kg7 34.Bf1 .; B) 31...Qf6 32.g5 Qe7 33.Bf1 Nb4 ( or 33...Nc5 34.Bd4 fxe6 35.Bc4! ) 34.Bc4 , White has a near decisive bind. ] 31...Qf6 32.Qe8 Qe7 33.Qa8 Nc5 34.f5 Securing the e6-pawn. [ Taking the a-pawn was possible: 34.Qxa5 fxe6 35.Qa2 Kg7 36.dxe6 Qxe6 37.Qd2 and White has a certain advantage, but Black has at least been able to crawl out of his super-passive position. ] 34...gxf5 35.gxf5 a4 36.Kh2 f6? Black should not commit to this move unless forced to, because he is now essentially without counterplay. [ The active 36...Kg7 was correct, freeing the black queen from her defence of the d6-pawn; e.g. 37.Qa5 Qf6 38.Qc7 a3 39.Bxd6 Bxd6+ 40.Qxd6 a2 , when White has to seek a draw by perpetual check after 41.Qg3+ . ] 37.Bf3? Now both sides play inaccurately, which probably indicates mutual time trouble. [ 37.Bh4! is stronger, tying the black queen to the f6-pawn, so that White can target the a4-pawn with Bf3-d1. ] 37...Qb7 38.Qe8 [ Not 38.Qxb7? Nxb7 39.Be2 a3 40.Bc4 Bh6! and Black holds easily. ] 38...Qe7 39.Qb8 Kg7? [ Black should continue to oppose queens with 39...Qb7 40.Qd8 Qe7 41.Qa5 Qb7 , when there is no easy way forward for White. ] [ 39...Kg7

A) The text offers another chance for 40.Bh4 ; -- ( 40...-- ); B) or else 40.Bf4! , which may be even stronger here; e.g. 40...Nd3 41.Be3 Nc5 42.Qa8 Kg8 ( or 42...Qb7 43.Bh6+ ) 43.Bd1 and White should win. ] 40.Qb4?! Kg8? Black drops his guard. [ 40...Qb7 is still best, but White now has 41.Qxb7+! ( if 41.Qg4+ Kh8 42.Qh5 , then a3! 43.Qe8 Kg7 44.Bf2 Nd3 45.Bd4 Ne5 46.Bg2 Qc7 47.Qa8 Qc1! 48.Qa7+ Kh8 49.e7 Bxe7 50.Qxe7 Kg8! with it seems sufficient counterplay ) 41...Nxb7 42.Be2 , followed by Be1-b4, winning the a-pawn, since Black's king obstructs his own bishop. Black will therefore face a very difficult minor piece ending. All the same, he should have played this way since the text is even worse. ] 41.Bh5! Qg7? Now it goes downhill even faster. [ The last hope was to jettison the apawn (which will fall anyway) with 41...Nd3 in order to centralize the knight on e5, though it looks hopeless for Black in the long run. ] 42.Bf7+ Kh8 43.Bh4 Qh6 EXERCISE: How does White break through Black's defence? ANSWER: 44.e7! Bxe7 45.Qb8+ [ Black resigned on account of 45.Qb8+ Bf8 46.Bxf6+ and mate next move. ] 1-0

152

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen B25 to the advance of the white a-pawn by Navara,D switching to an ...e7-e6 set-up. Sasikiran,K [ Another option is 8...Nf6 , when 47: Wijk aan Zee 2009 9.0-0 0-0 10.h3 transposes to Game [Carsten Hansen] 44. ] [ Naturally, Black can play to enforce ... 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 b5-b4 as well: 8...a5 9.0-0 b4 g6 5.d3 Bg7 6.f4 Rb8 This standard 10.axb4 axb4 11.Ne2 ( for 11.Nd5 rook move, preparing ...b7-b5, is rather e6 12.Ne3 Nge7 see 9 Nd5 in the less popular against 6 f4, perhaps notes to the next game ) 11...e6 ( or because Black feels it more appropriate 11...Qb6 12.Kh1 e6 13.g4 Nge7 to react to White's potential aggression 14.Ng3 0-0 15.f5 d5 16.Ng5 exf5 in the centre. Nevertheless, 6...Rb8 is 17.gxf5 Ne5 with mutual chances, V. perfectly playable and in fact scores Krapivin-E.Shaposhnikov, St higher than the more common Petersburg 2001 ) 12.g4 Nge7 continuations in the database. ( 12...h5!? is also possible ) 13.Ng3 7.Nf3 The standard response. 0-0 14.f5 exf5 15.exf5 gxf5 16.gxf5 [ Instead, 7.Be3 b5 8.Qd2 Nxf5 17.Nxf5 Bxf5 18.Ng5 Ne7 returns to Game 14 in Chapter Three. 19.Rxf5! Nxf5 20.Qh5 h6 21.Ne4 ] Bd4+ 22.Kh1 Ng7 23.Qxh6 [ White sometimes throws in 7.a4 was played in Th.Casper-A.Sznapik, here: Berlin 1979, and here Qe7 A) when 7...a6 8.Nf3 b5 9.axb5 (intending ...Qe6) 24.Bg5 Nf5! axb5 10.0-0 b4 transposes to 8... should lead to a draw. ] a5 etc below; ( 10...-- ); 9.Be3 B) but Black might improve by [ More usually White castles with 9.0-0 changing plans with 7...e6 8.Nf3 Nge7 10.Be3 and then: Nge7 9.0-0 0-0 , the point being A) 10...0-0 11.d4 ( both 11.Qd2; that a2-a4 is not desirable for and 11.Rb1 were considered via White in 6...e6 lines; for example, 9...Rb8 in the notes to Game 30 ) 10.g4 ( for 10.Be3 see 9...Rb8 10 11...cxd4 12.Nxd4 a6 13.Nxc6 a4 in the notes to Game 30 ) 10...f5 Nxc6 14.e5 d5 ( sacrificing the d11.h3 a6 ( 11...b6 also makes pawn with 14...Bb7!? sense, leaving 7 a4 as a useless is more active ) 15.Ne2 Bb7 move or worse ) 12.Ne2 b5 16.Nd4 Qd7 17.Qd2 f6?? ( after 13.axb5 axb5 14.Ng3 b4 15.Rb1 17...Nxd4 18.Bxd4 , White has Nd4 with good play for Black, M. only a slight edge ) 18.Nxe6! Rfe8 Zlatkovic-Sa.Zivkovic, Serbian 19.Nc5 1-0 M.Al Modiahki-M.Al League 2004. ] Sayed, Casablanca 2002.; 7...b5 8.a3 Discouraging the further B) 10...Nd4 11.Rb1 ( or 11.e5 Nef5 12.Bf2 0-0 13.Ne4 Nxf3+ advance of the b-pawn, albeit not for 14.Bxf3 dxe5 15.fxe5 Bxe5 16.c3 very long. c4 17.Bxa7 cxd3 18.Qd2 Rb7 [ 8.0-0 is the main line and will be 19.Bf2 Rd7 20.Nc5 Rd6 covered in the next game. ] and Black is fine, R.Dudek-L. 8...e6 As with 7 a4 above, Black reacts 153

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Arnold, German League 2009 ) 11...d5!? (rather hasty) ( 11...0-0 is safer ) 12.Ne2 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 dxe4? ( Black should play 13...d4 14.Bf2 0-0 ) 14.dxe4 Qc7 15.Qe1 Bd7 16.Qf2 and White's game is far easier on account of the many soft spots in Black's position (f6, d6, c5), J.Plachetka-J.Polasek, Prague 1989.; C) 10...b4!? 11.axb4 Rxb4 12.Ra2 Bd7?! ( 12...0-0 should be okay ) . EXERCISE: How can White take advantage of Black's last move? ANSWER: 13.e5! Nf5 14.Bf2 Qb8 15.Ne4! (we have seen this idea several times already; Black's weaknesses in his pawn structure suddenly materialize to give him headaches) dxe5 ( or 15...Rxb2 16.Rxb2 Qxb2 17.exd6 , and White is clearly better ) 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.fxe5 Bxe5 18.Bxc5 Rb5 19.Bxa7 Qc7 20.Bf2 Rxb2 21.Ra8+ Bc8 22.d4 Bg7 23.g4 and White is winning, Jen. Kristiansen-J.Nilssen, Danish League 2012. ] 9...Nge7 Now 10 0-0 would return to the previous note, but Navara has a different idea in mind. 10.d4 All of a sudden White seeks to open the Sicilian. 10...b4 [ Now 10...cxd4 11.Nxd4 a6 12.Nxc6 Nxc6 13.e5 d5 ( not 13...Bb7? 14.Ne4! dxe5? 15.Nd6+ and wins ) 14.0-0 0-0 transposes to Al ModiahkiAl Sayed above. If Black does not like that, he must play something else. ] [ The immediate central counter 10...d5 looks like the safest response: 11.exd5 exd5!? ( the zwischenzug 11...Nf5! improves, with a comfortable game

after 12.Bf2 Ncxd4 ; this is a trick worth remembering because it works quite frequently ) 12.Bf2 b4 (and here Black should perhaps just castle) 13.Na4 Qa5?! 14.axb4 cxb4 15.0-0 0-0 16.Ne5 Qc7 17.Re1 and White now has the advantage, since her pieces are placed more actively and are better coordinated, E.Matseyko-E.Borisova, Kharkov 2006. ] 11.axb4 Rxb4 12.dxc5 d5?! QUESTION: Can't Black capture the b2pawn? It seems like a more logical choice given that the knight on c3 is then hanging. ANSWER: He sure can! [ In fact, he definitely should: 12...Rxb2 13.Ra3 ( if 13.0-0!? Bxc3 14.cxd6 then 0-0! should be okay for Black ) 13...d5 ( the tempting 13...Nb4? is no good because White can just ignore the threat: 14.0-0! Nxc2 15.Bc1 Nxa3 16.Bxb2 Qa5 17.Qb3 sees Black way behind in development and in serious trouble ) 14.Nd4 dxe4 15.Nxe4 0-0 16.Nd6 Qc7 17.Nxc6 Nxc6 18.0-0 Rd8 and it is probably anyone's game. Instead, Sasikiran tries a belated counterpunch in the centre, but this time it helps White who is better developed. ] 13.exd5 exd5 [ Note that 13...Nf5? doesn't work here, since 14.dxc6 Nxe3 15.Qxd8+ Kxd8 16.Rxa7! leaves White with a huge advantage. ] 14.Ne5 [ My computer likes the retreat 14.Bc1 , simply defending the b2-pawn, when White has the better chances on account of Black's messed up pawn structure, and Bxc3+?! 15.bxc3 is not an appealing solution. ] 154

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 14...Nxe5 [ Capturing with the bishop is even worse: 14...Bxe5? 15.fxe5 d4 ( or 15...Be6 16.Bh6 with a decidedly unhappy situation for Black ) 16.Bg5 Qc7 ( 16...dxc3? 17.Bxc6+ wins on the spot ) 17.Ne4 0-0 18.0-0 and Black's position has more dark holes than a golf course. ] 15.fxe5 d4 16.Bg5 QUESTION: Can such a sacrifice really be correct? White hasn't even finished his development. ANSWER: The problem for Black is that the attack develops incredibly quickly, on account of his king being stuck in the centre and his pieces hopelessly uncoordinated. 16...dxc3?! Black accepts the piece, perhaps not realizing how bad things are going to get, even with the queens off the board. [ The much safer alternative is 16...Qc7 , when 17.Ne4 0-0 18.0-0 Nf5 19.Bf4 promises White the better chances, but Black is still very much in the game. ] 17.Qxd8+ Kxd8 18.bxc3 Rg4 19.0-0-0+ [ The immediate 19.Bf6 is strong too: Bxf6 20.exf6 Nf5 ( or 20...Bf5 21.fxe7+ Kxe7 22.Rxa7+ Kf6 23.0-0 Rc4 24.Bd5 Rxc5 25.Rxf7+ Kg5 26.c4 with a winning endgame ) 21.Rxa7 Re8+ 22.Kf2 Ne3 23.Re1 and even the computer's idea Rf4+!? 24.gxf4 Ng4+ can't save Black after 25.Kf1! Nxh2+ 26.Kg1 Rxe1+ 27.Kxh2 Be6 28.Re7 . ] 19...Ke8 20.Bf6 Bxf6 [ Not a happy choice by any measure, but the alternative is just as bad: 20...Rg8 21.c6 Bh6+ ( or 21...Rc4 22.Rd6 ) 22.Kb2 Be3 23.c7 (threatening Rd8 mate) Bd7 24.Bh3 and White wins. ]

21.exf6 Ra4 EXERCISE: How should White best continue? ANSWER: 22.c6! White intends c6-c7 and Rd8 mate, which perfectly illustrates the desperate situation Black is in. [ Instead, 22.Rhe1 is nowhere near as convincing: after Ra1+ 23.Kb2 Rxd1 24.Rxd1 Bd7 25.Re1 Be6 26.fxe7 Kxe7 27.Ra1 Rb8+ 28.Kc1 Rb5 29.Rxa7+ Kf6 , White may be two pawns up, but they are tripled on the c-file and Black has definite drawing chances. ] 22...Bg4 [ Nothing else is any better; e.g. 22...Rc4 23.Rd6 , followed by Rhd1; ] [ or 22...Ra1+ 23.Kb2 Rxd1 24.Rxd1 Ng8 25.c7 Nxf6 26.Rd8+ Ke7 27.Rxh8 and wins. ] [ For a moment it looks as if Black can save himself with 22...Nf5 23.Rhe1+ Be6 24.c7 and now 24...0-0!, until we remember that castling is illegal since his king has already moved. ] 23.Rd2 h5 This move does nothing for Black but he has no good moves anyway. 24.c7! Threatening mate on d8. 24...Bd7 TACTICAL EXERCISE: Find a move that will cause Black to resign on the spot. ANSWER: 25.Bc6! [ After 25.Bc6 Nxc6 26.Re1+ Kf8 27.Rxd7 , the c-pawn promotes with mate to follow. ] [ From the other direction, 25.Bh3! wins as well. ] 1-0

155

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Bd4+ 16.Kh1 f6 and Black consolidates, D.Ariel-G.Shahade, Muzychuk,A USA 1998. ] Stefanova,A 48: Beijing (rapid) 2014 9.Ne2 [ As just mentioned, 9.Nd5 [Carsten Hansen] is another option. 1.e4 c5 QUESTION: Why put the knight here [ This game began as a sort of Modern when ...e7-e6 immediately kicks it Defence with White refusing to away? occupy the centre: 1...g6 2.f4 Bg7 ANSWER: White is of the opinion that 3.Nf3 c5 ( 3...d5!? is a spoiler ) 4.Nc3 the knight is better placed on e3, with Nc6 5.g3 Rb8 6.Bg2 b5 7.d3 d6 . ] the option of jumping to c4 or 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 supporting the f4-f5 advance, than on d6 6.f4 Rb8 7.Nf3 b5 8.0-0 b4 e2 where it looks decidedly less [ Sometimes Black inserts 8...e6 active. here, presumably to avoid the For example: e6 10.Ne3 Nge7 possibility of Nd5. 11.a3 A) Then 9.a3 transposes to 9 0-0 A) 11...a5 12.axb4 axb4 in the previous game, but White (this position can also arise via 8 can also try to exploit the lead in a3 a5 9 0-0 b4 etc) 13.f5!? ( if development by resorting to 13.Nc4 0-0 14.g4 , as in in S. violence:; Brenjo-L.Cernousek, Sozina 2004, B) 9.e5!? dxe5 ( 9...d5 then d5 15.Nce5 Qc7 is safer, when 10.a4 a6 11.axb5 leaves Black with a comfortable axb5 12.g4 Nge7 13.h3 0-0 position ) 13...exf5 14.exf5 Nxf5 gives Black a perfectly good game, 15.Nxf5 Bxf5 16.Re1+!? D.Larino Nieto-A.Strikovic, Lorca ( previously the immediate 2006 ) 10.fxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 16.Ng5?! was played with little ( 11.Bf4! Nxf3+ 12.Qxf3 Rb6 success; e.g. Ne5 17.g4 Bd7! 13.a4 offers decent play for the 18.Bd5 0-0 19.Ra7 Qe8 pawn ) 11...Bxe5 12.Ne4 f5 and White has nowhere near 13.Ng5 Bf6 14.Bc6+?! Kf8 enough for the pawn, H.Bastian-A. and Black is clearly better, D. Miles, Baden-Baden 1981 ) Novitzkij-A.Sharafiev, European 16...Be6 ( Black might consider Blitz Championship, Minsk 2015.; 16...Kf8!? , although after 17.Nh4 C) 9.f5!? exf5 ( or 9...b4 10.fxe6 Bd7 18.Bd5 Qf6 19.Kh1 Nd8 fxe6 11.Nb1 Nf6 12.e5 dxe5 20.Rf1 Qe5 21.Qf3 , White's 13.Bg5 0-0 14.Nbd2 Qc7 initiative and better coordinated and Black's pawns are wrecked but pieces still provide sufficient not easily attacked, T.Siaperas-R. compensation ) 17.Ng5 Ne5 Hübner, Skopje Olympiad 1972 ) 18.Nxe6 fxe6 and now: 10.exf5 Bxf5 11.Nh4 Nge7 A1) 19.Rxe5!? (a bold attempt 12.Nxf5 Nxf5 13.Bxc6+ ( 13.Nd5!? to shake things up) Bxe5 ( after may provide more chances ) 19...dxe5?! 20.Bc6+ Kf8 13...Kf8 14.g4 Ne7 15.Bg5?! 21.Qf3+ Qf6 22.Qe4 Kg8 B25

156

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 23.Be3 Qe7 24.Ra5 , White has excellent compensation for the exchange, I.Donev-N.Michaelsen, German League 1997 ) 20.Bc6+ Kf8 21.Bh6+ Kg8 ( not 21...Bg7?? 22.Qf1+ Kg8 23.Bxg7 Kxg7 24.Ra7+ Kh6 25.Qh3+ and mates ) 22.Ra7 Qb6 ( not 22...Qf6? 23.Kg2 and Black can hardly move ) 23.Bd7 Qxa7 24.Bxe6+ Qf7 25.Bxf7+ Kxf7 26.Qf3+ Ke7 and the chances are probably about even.; A2) 19.Rf1! Qd7 ( after 19...Rf8 20.Ra7! Rxf1+ 21.Qxf1 Qf6 22.Bg5! Qxf1+ 23.Kxf1 Bf8 24.Rxh7 , White regains the pawn with advantage ) 20.Ra6 Rc8 21.c3 Rf8 22.Bf4 and White chances are to be preferred.; B) Not 11...bxa3 12.Rxa3 Bxb2?? ( while after 12...0-0 13.c3 d5 14.e5 f5 15.exf6 Bxf6 16.Ng4 Bg7 17.Nge5 Qb6 18.Re1 , White is slightly better, H.BastianG.Hund, West German Championship, Menden 1974 ) 13.Bxb2 Rxb2 14.Qa1 and wins. ] 9...e5!? An interesting idea, which on the face of it looks similar to 6...e5 lines from Chapter Seven. One key difference is that in the notes to Game 43, for instance, by the time Black's ...b5-b4 arrives, White has arranged to retreat the knight to d1, whereas here it has already been forced to e2. On the other hand, Black has not managed to establish a knight on d4. [ Naturally, there are numerous other possibilities at this juncture: a) 9...Nf6 10.h3 0-0 11.g4 transposes to Game 45. ] [ b) 9...Nd4?! looks like a normal

move but is actually a clear mistake: 10.Nexd4 cxd4 11.a3 Qc7 ( or 11...a5 12.axb4 axb4 13.e5!; the severity of Black's situation is illustrated by the fact that 11...b3 12.cxb3 is his best option at this point ) 12.axb4 Rxb4 13.b3 Bg4 14.Qd2 Rb5 15.Ra4 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Nf6 17.Bb2 Nd7 18.Rfa1 0-0 19.Rxa7 and White is a pawn up for nothing, A.Rodriguez Vila-E.Scarella, Vicente Lopez 2000. ] [ c) 9...Bg4 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 Nd4?! (still wrong) ( instead, 11...Qb6 12.Kh2 Nf6 13.Bg2 0-0 14.a3 a5 15.axb4 axb4 leads to a fairly standard 6...Nf6-type position with chances for both sides, P.Lurje-Z. Kozul, Linares 1996 ) 12.Nxd4 Bxd4+ ( 12...cxd4?! 13.a3! is already good for White ) 13.Kg2 Nf6 , C.Hengl-M. Novkovic, Austrian League 2006, and now 14.Qe1! (threatening c2-c3) Nd7 15.e5 dxe5 16.c3 e4 17.dxe4 bxc3 18.bxc3 Bg7 19.e5 0-0 20.Be3 leaves White with a clear advantage. ] [ d) 9...Qb6 10.Kh1 ( after 10.h3 e6 11.g4 f5 12.gxf5 exf5 13.exf5 Bxf5 14.Ng3 Nge7 15.Nxf5 Nxf5 16.Qe1+ Kd7 , Black is clearly better since the king is perfectly safe on d7, A.FinkelL.Aronian, Dos Hermanas 2001 ) 10...f5!? 11.Nd2 Nh6 12.Nc4 Qc7 13.exf5 gxf5 14.Ng1 0-0 15.Nf3 Ng4 16.h3 Nf6 17.Re1 e6 18.Kh2 Bd7 19.Be3 a5 20.Bf2 a4 21.a3 Na5 22.Nfd2 Nxc4 23.Nxc4 Nd5 with chances for both sides, M. Meinhardt-L.Milov, Nuremberg 2008. ] [ e) 9...e6 A) 10.a3 bxa3 ( for 10...a5 11.axb4 axb4 , see 8...a5 in the notes to the previous game ) 11.Rxa3 Nge7 12.c3 Qb6 13.g4 0-0 ( again 13...h5!? should be 157

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen considered ) 14.Kh1 f5 15.gxf5 gxf5? ( 15...exf5 16.Ng3 leaves the chances about even ) 16.Ng3 Kh8 17.Ng5 Bd7?? ( after 17...h6 18.Qh5 Kg8 19.Nf3 , Black is only slightly worse ) 18.Qh5 h6 19.Nf7+ Kh7 20.Nxd6 Na5 21.e5 and White is winning, I. Starostits-G.Zschischang, Goch 2008.; B) White has also tried 10.g4!? Nge7 ( but before castling 10...h5!? is a definite consideration for Black ) 11.f5 exf5 12.gxf5 gxf5 13.Ng3 fxe4 14.Ng5 Ne5 15.Nh5 Rg8 , B.Szuk-Ad.Horvath, Hungarian League 2005, when 16.Nxe4 Nd5 17.Nxg7+ Rxg7 18.Kh1 keeps good play for the pawn. ] 10.Rb1 QUESTION: What is the purpose of this move? ANSWER: By defending the b2-pawn, White negates the threat of ...e5xf4 and allows the c1-bishop to be developed. [ Instead: a) 10.f5 should not be major concern provided Black is a little careful: Nf6 11.h3 gxf5 12.exf5 d5 13.g4 h6 14.Ng3 Qd6 with chances for both sides, K.Jakubowski-E.Sveshnikov, Warsaw 2010. ] [ b) 10.fxe5 dxe5 11.Be3 can be met by Nf6!? ( after 11...Qd6 12.Nc1 Nf6 13.Nb3 Rb5 14.Nfd2 , White appears to have the more comfortable set-up ) 12.Bxc5 Ng4 ( 12...Rb5!? looks promising too ) 13.c3 Bh6 A) 14.Qa4?! Bd7 15.Qb3? , K.Azimova-R.Eidelson, St Petersburg 2008, when Be3+! 16.Bxe3 Nxe3 wins material, due to the additional threat of ...Na5, trapping the white queen. ( 16...-- );

B) Here 14.cxb4! Be3+ ( or 14...Nxb4 15.d4 ) 15.Bxe3 Nxe3 16.Qa4 Qb6 17.Rfc1 Bd7 18.b5 might offer White something. ] [ c) 10.a3 a5 11.axb4 axb4 ( after 11...cxb4 12.d4 , White has both the initiative and a lead in development ) 12.c3 ( this may be a better moment for 12.fxe5! dxe5 13.Be3 , since the open a-file increases White's possibilities after Nf6 14.Bxc5 Ng4 etc ) 12...Nge7 13.Be3 bxc3 14.bxc3 0-0 15.Qd2 Bg4 16.fxe5 , L.Ptacnikova-M.Chojnowski, Olomouc 2009, and now Bxf3 17.Bxf3 Nxe5 looks pretty equal. ] 10...Nge7 11.Be3 Qa5!? [ Following the themes of Chapter Seven, 11...Nd4 is probably the most logical move, when Black has nothing much to worry about. ] 12.Qd2 0-0 QUESTION: Hang on a second, isn't the pawn on a2 hanging? [ ANSWER: Presumably Stefanova intended to take it but then changed her mind, since White gains the initiative in the following fashion: 12...Qxa2 13.fxe5 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Bxe5 15.Ra1 Qxb2 16.d4! cxd4 17.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 18.Nxd4 Qc3 19.Qxc3 bxc3 20.Rxa7 and while this is by no means a disaster for Black, White's position is certainly more comfortable. ] 13.a3 Qc7?! [ After 13...bxa3 14.Qxa5 Nxa5 15.bxa3 Rxb1 16.Rxb1 , Black has some issues with her pawn structure; ] [ but rather than retreating the queen again, 13...f6 seems a more solid way to reinforce the centre. ] 14.axb4 Rxb4 15.b3 [ The immediate 15.fxe5 looks good too; e.g. Nxe5 16.Nxe5 Bxe5 158

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 17.Bh6 Re8 18.c3 and White has the upper hand. ] 15...f5?! With Black having wasted time with the queen, this aggressive thrust can hardly be justified. [ Again 15...f6 should be preferred. ] 16.fxe5 Nxe5 17.Nxe5 Bxe5 18.Bh6?! This standard move seems too routine here. [ It is stronger to play in the centre; e.g. 18.c3 Rb8 19.b4!? cxb4 20.cxb4 a6 21.Rbc1 Qd7 22.Nd4 and White has the more harmoniously placed pieces; ] [ or else 18.d4!? cxd4 ( or 18...Bg7 19.dxc5 dxc5 20.Rbd1 ) 19.Nxd4 a5 20.c4 with a dominant position. ] 18...Re8 19.Nf4 Kh8?! The idea of ... Ng8 to expel the white bishop is sensible, but this is perhaps the wrong moment. [ Instead, Black might play 19...Rb8 20.Rbe1 fxe4 21.Bxe4 ( or if 21.dxe4 only then Kh8 etc ) 21...Bb7 . ] 20.Rbe1 Rb8 21.Bg5 Ng8 22.Nd5 QUESTION: It looks as if White has now taken full control of the game. Is that a fair assessment? ANSWER: Absolutely; Black is struggling, since White's pieces are far better coordinated and aligned. 22...Qg7 23.exf5 Bxf5 24.Kh1 h6?! This only helps White, who now wants to play Bf4 anyway. [ 24...Rf8 more resilient. ] 25.Bf4 Rbd8 26.Bxe5 Rxe5 27.Rxe5 Qxe5 28.Re1 Qg7 29.Qf4 White's pieces are finding better and better squares, whereas Black's are stuck defending and completely lack targets. 29...a5 30.h4 h5 31.Qg5 Rf8 32.Nf4 Qh6 33.Be4? White potentially throws away a good chunk of her advantage with this move. [ She should have played 33.Bd5 Qg7

( 33...Qxg5 34.hxg5 Kg7 transposes to the game ) 34.Kg2 Kh7 A) 35.Bc4 and White is clearly better; -- ( 35...-- ); B) while the computer crunches out 35.Bxg8+! Kxg8 36.Re7 Qc3 ( 36...Rf7? fails to 37.Nxh5! gxh5 38.Re8+ etc ) 37.Qh6 Qd2+ 38.Re2 Qc1 39.g4! Bxd3 40.Re7! Qf1+ 41.Kg3 Qxf4+ 42.Qxf4 Rxf4 43.Kxf4 Bxc2 44.gxh5 gxh5 45.Rb7 with a winning endgame. ] 33...Qxg5 34.hxg5 Kh7? [ Missing 34...Re8! 35.Kg2 ( or 35.Ra1 Bxe4+ 36.dxe4 Kh7 37.Rxa5 Rxe4 38.Ra7+ Re7 and White has nothing left of her advantage ) 35...Re5 36.Ra1 Bxe4+ 37.dxe4 Rxg5 38.Kf3 Ne7 39.Rxa5 Nc6 40.Ra6 Ne5+ 41.Kf2 , when White should no longer expect to win. ] 35.Bd5 Correcting her mistake, after which everything runs smoothly again. 35...Kg7 36.Ra1 Re8 37.Rxa5 Re1+ 38.Kg2 Ne7 39.Ra7 Kf8 40.Ra8+ Kg7 41.Re8 Bd7 42.Rd8 Bg4 43.Rxd6 With White now two pawns up, we will end the annotated transmission at this point. For the record and your entertainment, the remaining moves were: 43...Rc1 44.c4 Rc2+ 45.Kg1 Rc3 46.Be4 Rxb3 47.Nxg6 Nxg6 48.Rxg6+ Kf7 49.Rc6 Rb1+ 50.Kf2 Rb2+ 51.Ke3 Re2+ 52.Kf4 Rf2+ 53.Ke5 Rg2 54.Rxc5 Rxg3 55.Rc7+ Kf8 56.g6 Bh3 57.Kf6 h4 58.g7+ Ke8 59.Bg6+ 1-0

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The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 13.Nxd4 Qd7 14.Qd3 Nxd4 ( 14...e6!? may be better here ) Starostits,I 15.Bxb7 Qxb7 16.Bxd4 Qd7 Tazbir,M 17.Rad1 Rac8 18.Rfe1 49: Polanica Zdroj 2011 and I prefer White's position on [Carsten Hansen] account of his pressure on the 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 central files, V.Samolins-S.Roa Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 f5!? QUESTION: Alonso, Collado Villalba 2010.; This looks positively ridiculous. Is it C) 9.Kh1 (avoiding the problems with Be3 in line 'b') 9...Bd7 ( or really playable? And if so, why even 9...Kh8 10.Be3 Be6 11.Qd2 Qd7 bother with the Closed Sicilian as 12.Ng5 Bg8 13.Rae1 Rad8 14.b3 White? b6 15.Bg1 Ng4 16.Nd5 e6 ANSWER: It is indeed playable and, yes, 17.Ne3 Nxe3 18.Bxe3 Bf6 19.Nf3 it does look a bit bizarre, so it is fxe4 20.dxe4 e5 21.fxe5 perhaps a little unfair that it is playable. and after so much shadow boxing As to why it is worth sticking with the the players agreed upon a draw in Closed Sicilian, we covered that in the J.Maiwald-V.Babula, German Foreword to this book. This opening is League 2015 ) 10.Be3 Rb8 not about quick knockouts but winning 11.Qe2 b5 12.Bg1 b4 13.Nd1 through superior understanding of the Ne8 14.c3 Nc7 15.Rc1 Ne6 positions that arise on the board. 16.Ne3 Qa5 17.exf5 gxf5 18.Nh4 7.exf5 Ned8 19.g4 ( 19.Nc4!? Qa6 [ The main alternative is 7.Nf3 Nf6 20.Rfe1 takes the game in a ( incidentally, 7...Nh6!? transposes to different direction ) 19...fxg4 20.f5 our next main game ) 8.0-0 0-0 Ne5 21.Nxg4 Nxg4 22.Qxg4 , when White has tried various things: and Black's position was becoming A) 9.h3 Rb8 10.a4 Kh8 11.Kh2 Be6 12.Be3 Bg8 13.Qe2 Qd7 difficult in the stem game V. 14.Rad1 b6 15.Ng5?! (this looks Smyslov-Be.Larsen, Munich rather pointless here) ( 15.exf5 Olympiad 1958; indeed, after Nf7? gxf5 16.d4 is a definite ( 22...Rf7 is better ) 23.Bd5 Qa6? improvement, even if it isn't , White could have declared mate necessarily good for White ) in three with 24.Bd4! etc. ] 15...Nd4 16.Bxd4 cxd4 17.Nb5 7...Bxf5 e5 and I think Black now stands [ It is quite possible to provoke the better, M.Chigaev-K.Miton, situation even further with 7...gxf5!? European Blitz Championship, 8.Qh5+ Kf8 9.Qd1 (returning to base Wroclaw 2014.; before developing the g1-knight) B) 9.Be3 b6 ( my silicon friend ( after 9.Nf3 Nf6 10.Qh4 Nb4 suggests 9...Qb6!? , which looks 11.Kd1 Rb8 , R.Borng‫ن‬sser-W. odd but actually makes sense as Vandrey, Dortmund 1992; or 9.Bd2 now both ...Qxb2 and ...Ng4 are Nf6 10.Qh4 Nd4 11.0-0-0 Ng4 threatened; indeed 9...Ng4!? 12.Rf1 Bd7 , Black is doing perfectly at once is also possible ) 10.h3 well ) 9...Nf6 10.Nf3 Nd4! Bb7 11.exf5 gxf5 12.d4 cxd4 ( improving on 10...Kf7?! 11.Ng5+ B25

160

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Kg6 12.h4 h5 13.Nd5 Ng4 14.c3 Bd7 15.0-0 b5 16.Qe2 , which is good for White, U.Tarva-H.Pohla, Parnu 1971 ) A) 11.0-0 Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 h5 13.Qe2 and here a draw was prematurely agreed in A.Rodriguez Vila-R.Leitao, Serra Negra 2002, though Black might very well have continued; e.g. h4!? 14.Re1 Bd7 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.Bxd5 hxg3 17.hxg3 e6 18.Bxb7 Rb8 19.Bf3 Bxb2 20.Bxb2 Rxb2 and I would prefer playing Black. ( 20...-- ); B) Note that 11.Nxd4 cxd4 12.Ne2 doesn't get anywhere after Qb6 ( or even 12...Nd5!? . )] 8.Nf3 Nf6 9.h3 [ After 9.0-0 , A) Black is not obliged to transpose with 9...0-0 10.h3 ; ( 10.-- ); B) but can play 9...Qd7 10.Kh1 0-0 11.Be3 b5 12.Bg1 b4 13.Ne2 Rab8 14.d4 c4 15.Qd2?! ( 15.d5 Nd8 16.a3 keeps the game level ) 15...Be4 16.Rae1 Qf5 17.Nc1 Bd5 and Black is definitely in control. B.Roselli Mailhe-I. Morovic Fernandez, Calvia Olympiad 2004. ] 9...0-0 [ Black can also play to encourage g3g4 or even go long: a) 9...Qc8 10.Be3 0-0 11.g4 Bd7 12.0-0 Nb4 13.Bd2 Bc6 14.a3 Nbd5 15.Ne2 b5 16.c3 a5 17.Ng3 e6 and there is no reason why Black should be any worse, T.Casper-S. Gross, Leipzig 1982. ] [ b) 9...Qd7 10.Be3 Be6 ( or just 10...0-0-0 ) 11.Ng5 Bg8 12.0-0 h6 13.Nge4 Be6 14.Kh2 Nd5 15.Nxd5 Bxd5 16.Nf6+ Bxf6 17.Bxd5 e6 18.Bb3 0-0-0 19.Qg4 Rde8 20.c3 Rhg8 and the chances are more or

less even, R.Liiva-V.Babula, European Junior Championship, Vejen 1993. ] 10.0-0 This appears to be the only highlevel game to reach this position, so there is plenty of scope for original play. 10...Rb8 11.Be3 Bd7 12.a4 Nh5 13.Kh2 Nd4 14.Bf2 Bc6 15.Nxd4 Most likely the wrong decision. [ After 15.Bxd4 cxd4 16.Nb5 Qb6 17.Qe2 Bf6 18.Nd2 , the chances are about even, which is a definite improvement for White on what happens in the game. ] 15...cxd4 16.Ne4 e5 17.fxe5?! Another bad decision. [ He should play 17.Bf3 exf4 18.Bxh5 gxh5 19.gxf4 Rxf4 20.Qxh5 Bxe4 ( or 20...Qe8 21.Qg5 Qe5 22.Bg3 etc ) 21.dxe4 Qc7 22.Qd5+ Kh8 23.Bxd4 Qxc2+ 24.Kh1 Qxe4+ 25.Qxe4 Rxe4 26.Bxg7+ Kxg7 27.Rf3 and although White is a pawn down, he has decent drawing chances in the endgame with his active rooks. ] 17...Bxe5! QUESTION: Why is this move better than straightening out the doubled pawns? ANSWER: While the latter is positionally attractive pawn structurewise, it does nothing for Black dynamically; [ for instance, 17...dxe5 18.c3 Kh8 19.Qb3 Rc8 20.cxd4 exd4 21.Rac1 is roughly balanced. Whereas 17... Bxe5 leaves White with serious issues on the kingside, which are very difficult to meet satisfactorily, and he is almost entirely without counterplay. ] 18.Bf3? [ My computer suggests 18.Kg1 d5 19.Qg4!? as White's best chance, though both dxe4 ( and 19...Rf5 161

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 20.Nd2 Qc7 look pretty good for Black anyway ) 20.Qe6+ Rf7 21.Qxe5 e3 . ] 18...d5 19.Nd2 Qg5 QUESTION: White's position seems absolutely horrible; is that a fair assessment? ANSWER: It is in fact right on the money; White is close to a technically lost position. However, as we will see perfectly demonstrated in this game, "technically lost" doesn't mean "completely lost" because human errors do occur. [ Black might also play 19...Qd6 20.Rg1 Ng7 , intending to bring the knight to f5 and then push the h-pawn forward. ] 20.Rg1 Kh8?! QUESTION: I don't understand this move; why is Black concerning himself with the safety of his king when there are no immediate threats, nor anything on the horizon? ANSWER: Perhaps he expected White to exchange on h5, and then the open gfile would come in handy. [ Nevertheless, moving the king is a waste of time, which might again be spent on 20...Ng7! , followed by ... Nf5, and Black dominates completely. ] 21.Rg2 Ng7?! The lost tempo with the king means this manoeuvre is now less effective. [ Black should switch directions here and try 21...Bd7! , against which the hardcore defending computer suggests 22.Nf1 Nf6 23.h4! Qxh4+ 24.Kg1 Qh3 25.Qd2 and White may yet pull a successful defence together. ] 22.Bg4 h5 23.Nf3 Rxf3 [ Black probably intended 23...Qf6 , but then noticed the fabulous defence 24.Qd2! hxg4 25.Qh6+ Kg8 26.Ng5 Rfe8 ( nor does 26...Rf7

succeed in view of 27.Qh7+ Kf8 28.Re1! Re8 29.Bxd4 Ne6 30.Qxf7+ Qxf7 31.Nxf7 Nxd4 32.Nxe5 Rxe5 33.Rf2+! Rf5 34.Ref1 and again a draw is the most likely result ) 27.Be1!! and all of a sudden White has a surprisingly strong counter-attack. The immediate threat is 28 Qh7+ Kf8 29 Bb4+ and wins, while after Nf5 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.hxg4 Re7 30.gxf5! , Black has nothing better than to assent to Qxg5 31.Bb4 Qh5+ 32.Qxh5 gxh5 33.f6! Bxf6 34.Rf1 Kg7 35.Rxf6! Kxf6 36.Rf2+ etc with a probable draw. ] 24.Bxf3 Nf5 25.Kg1 Ne3 26.Bxe3 Qxe3+ 27.Kh1 Rf8?? This naturallooking move allows White a very nice shot. [ Instead, Black should prefer 27...Kg7! 28.Qe2 Rf8 29.Re1 Bd6 , when he is certainly not worse. ] 28.Bxh5! gxh5? A further mistake on Black's part. [ He had to ignore the en prise bishop and play 28...Kg7 29.Bg4 Bxg3 30.Re2 Qf4 , when White still has a lot of work to do. ] 29.Qxh5+ Kg7 30.Re2? This makes matters decidedly more complicated; [ whereas after 30.Qg4+ Kh6 31.Re2 Qxg3 32.Qe6+ Rf6 ( or 32...Bf6 33.Rf1 ) 33.Qxe5 , White is just winning. ] 30...Rf5 31.Qxf5 Qxe2 32.Rf1 Bd6 33.Qf6+ Kh7 34.Rf5? [ White fails to find the correct coordination of his major pieces: 34.Rf2! Qe5 35.Qh4+ Kg7 36.Qg4+ Kh8 37.Rf7! Qe1+ 38.Kg2 Qd2+ 39.Rf2 Qh6 40.Qc8+ Kg7 41.b4 Qg6 42.b5! Be8 ( 42...Qxg3+? 43.Kf1 wins at once ) 43.g4 and despite his two bishops, Black is struggling to stay in the game. ] 162

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 34...Qe1+? [ And here 34...Be7! 35.Qf7+ Kh6 is the right way to defend, when White no longer has an obvious way forward. ] 35.Rf1 Qe2 [ I suspect that both players were in time trouble in the latter stages, and that is why White decided to accept the draw here, when he might yet have won with 35...Qe2 36.Rf2! etc as above. ] 1/2

h-pawn never got going and otherwise White does not have enough for the queen. ] [ b) 7.h3 f5 8.Be3 0-0 9.Qd2 Rb8 10.g4!? Nd4 11.Nd1 fxg4 12.c3 Nc6?! ( 12...g3!? 13.f5 Nhxf5 seems okay for Black ) 13.f5! Nxf5? a panic reaction; ( 13...gxh3 14.Bxh3 Nf7 is not necessarily fatal ) 14.exf5 Bxf5 15.hxg4 Bxg4 16.Nf2 and Black's three pawns are not worth the piece here, R.Kagirov-A.Tuzhik, Novosibirsk 2007. ] 7...f5 GM Hamdouchi prefers to make this thrust at once; B25 [ whereas GM Nakamura, who has Larino Nieto,D also played this line a few times, opts Hamdouchi,H for 7...0-0 first. Either way, it almost 50: Salou 2011 always leads to the same positions (i. [Carsten Hansen] e. after 8 0-0 f5 or 8 h3 f5 9 0-0), since there is nothing to be gained 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 from White delaying castling. For Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 Nh6!? QUESTION: example, 8.h3 f5 9.Bd2 Rb8 What's this? The knight doesn't appear 10.Qe2 b5 (discouraging the king to have any kind of future on h6; White from going long) 11.0-0 b4 12.Nd1 can play h2-h3 and it is going nowhere, Qc7 13.Kh2 Bd7 14.c3 bxc3 right? 15.bxc3 Nf7 16.exf5 gxf5 17.Ne3 ANSWER: Black intends to play ...f7-f5, e6 with a dynamic position where and if White then captures on f5, Black both sides have their chances, La. can recapture with the knight. Karlsson-Si.Lund, Sweden 2009, QUESTION: But what if White doesn't though personally I would probably capture on f5, isn't the knight just left prefer Black, even if I have hard stranded? time describing why. ] ANSWER: For the moment, yes; but if 8.0-0 0-0 9.Kh1 We saw this desired, Black can re-route the knight prophylactic move in the notes to the via f7, where it can even contemplate previous game; before developing the supporting ...e7-e5. c1-bishop, White makes room for it to 7.Nf3 drop back to g1 if need be. [ White has made a couple of attempts [ The main alternative is the aboveto disturb Black's set-up: mentioned 9.h3 and then: a) 7.f5?! gxf5 8.Qh5 Ng4 9.exf5 A) 9...Nf7 seems almost impatient, but there's nothing clearly wrong Nf6 10.Qg5?! h6! 11.Qxg7?! Rh7 with it; for example, 10.Be3 Nd4 12.Bxh6 Rxg7 13.Bxg7 Ng4 11.Kh2 Bd7 12.Bg1 Bc6 13.Nxd4 was a failed experiment in D.Larino cxd4 14.Ne2 e5 15.c3 ( inserting Nieto-A.Mirzoev, Madrid 2007, as the 163

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 15.exf5!? first might improve ) 15...dxc3 16.Nxc3 exf4 17.gxf4 fxe4 18.dxe4 g5 19.Bd4 Bxd4 20.Qxd4 gxf4 21.Rxf4 Ne5 22.Rxf8+ Qxf8 with a complicated game in view of the very open kings, despite the simplifications; I prefer Black's position, my computer calls it equal, B.Roselli Mailhe-H.Nakamura, Buenos Aires 2003.; B) 9...Kh8 10.Be3 b5!? ( 10...Rb8 is more usual ) 11.Nh4 ( not 11.Nxb5?! Rb8 12.a4 a6 13.Na3 fxe4 14.dxe4 Rxb2 and Black is fine; but 11.e5!? looks more testing ) 11...b4 12.Ne2 fxe4 13.dxe4 B1) 13...Ba6 14.f5 Bxe2 15.Qxe2 Ne5 16.Rad1 Qe8 17.g4 ( my computer recommends 17.b3!? and I do prefer White here, whose pieces are better coordinated with good prospects of making Black's life miserable on the kingside ) 17...Nhf7 18.g5 Nd8 19.fxg6 Rxf1+ 20.Rxf1 hxg6 with chances for both sides, H.Hamdouchi-S.Belkhodja, French League 1998.; B2) 13...Bxb2 can be met by either 14.f5 ( or 14.e5!? again with unclear play in either case. ); C) 9...Bd7 10.Be3 ( 10.exf5?! is rather obliging, allowing the h6knight to participate in the desired manner: Nxf5 11.g4 Nfd4 12.Nxd4 cxd4 13.Ne4 Qb6 14.Kh1 Rae8 15.Bd2 , A.Barsov-A. Graf, Tashkent 1992, and now Nb4 , intending ...Bc6 and ...Nd5, is somewhat better for Black ) 10...Nd4 11.Qd2 Nf7 12.Kh2

( after 12.Rae1 Bc6 13.Kh2 Qd7 14.Bg1 Rae8 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Nd5 e6 17.Nb4 , a draw was agreed in B.Golubovic-J.Dorfman, Cannes 1996, which doesn't tell us much but Black does appear to be comfortable; e.g. fxe4 18.dxe4 Bb5 19.Nd3 Rc8 and I prefer Black slightly ) 12...Kh8 13.Rae1 Bc6 14.Bg1 Qd7 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Ne2 e5 17.c3 dxc3 18.Nxc3 exf4 19.gxf4 a6 20.Ne2 Rae8 21.Nd4 Nd8 22.exf5 gxf5 with a symmetric pawn distribution and roughly equal chances, U. Bajarani-J.Duda, World Junior Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk 2015. ] 9...Bd7 10.Be3 Nd4 [ The standard approach of pushing the b-pawn forward is also acceptable: 10...Rb8 11.Bg1 b5 ( for 11...Nd4 see 11...Rb8 in the next note ) 12.Qd2 b4 13.Nd1 Nd4 14.e5 Qb6 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.c3 bxc3 17.bxc3 dxe5 18.fxe5 dxc3 19.Nxc3 Qa5 20.d4 Rfc8 21.Rab1 Nf7 22.Rxb8 Rxb8 and Black does not stand worse, even with his kingside pieces currently shut out of the game, F.Stahl-B.Malich, East German Championship, Magdeburg 1964. ] 11.Bg1 By retreating the bishop, White creates the option of trading knights on d4, since there is no longer a potential pawn fork. 11...Rc8 Black too makes ready for a knight exchange, placing the rook on the potentially half-open file. [ Other games have seen: a) 11...Nf7 12.Qd2 Bc6 13.Rae1 Qd7 14.Nd1 Rae8 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.c3 dxc3 17.Nxc3 b6?! ( here 17...fxe4 18.dxe4 b5 may improve, when there is no reason why Black 164

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen should be worse ) 18.d4 e6 19.d5 exd5 20.exd5 ( or 20.exf5!? Bxc3 21.Qxc3 gxf5 22.Rxe8 Rxe8 23.Rc1 Nd8 with excellent play for a rather useless doubled pawn ) 20...Bb7 21.Bd4 leaves White with some extra space and the initiative on account of his better placed pieces, D.NovitzkijS.Sivokho, St Petersburg 2005. ] [ b) 11...Rb8 12.e5?! (overly ambitious) ( 12.a4 Bc6 leaves the game fairly balanced ) 12...Nxf3 13.Qxf3 dxe5 ( or 13...Bc6!? 14.Qe3 dxe5 15.Qxc5 Bxg2+ 16.Kxg2 exf4 17.gxf4 b6 18.Qc6 Qc8 19.Qxc8 Rbxc8 20.d4 Rfd8 , when Black's pieces are nearly ideally placed, with the exception of the knight on h6 which can be easily remedied, whereas White suffers from some annoying structural weaknesses ) 14.Bxc5 b6 15.Ba3 Nf7 16.Rfe1 Re8 17.fxe5 Bxe5 18.Rad1 Bg7 ( my unsentimental computer doesn't hesitate to suggest 18...Bxc3 , arguing that after 19.bxc3 Rc8 20.c4 Bc6 21.Qf2 Bxg2+ 22.Qxg2 e5 , Black is better despite the missing dark-squared bishop ) 19.d4 Rc8 and chances are roughly equal, M.Meinhardt-L.Milov, Nuremberg 2012. ] QUESTION: I'm finding it difficult to come up with a plan that will help White improve his position. Am I wrong to assume that Black is just better here? ANSWER: It can often feel like the opposing side is better when you cannot find something constructive to do. However, that is usually a sign that you need to look a bit deeper. One standard piece of advice is to improve the position of your worst placed piece. Another possibility here for White is

simply to play as intended and remove the centralized enemy knight from the board. 12.Nxd4 This is certainly an attempt to shake things up a bit. [ In a later game, White inserted 12.Qd2 first, but it quickly emerged that Black has nothing to fear: b5 ( 12...Nxf3 13.Bxf3 b5 is another option ) 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Ne2 e5 15.c3 Qa5 16.Rad1 dxc3 17.Nxc3 exf4 18.Nd5 Qxd2 19.Rxd2 f3 20.Bxf3 Kh8 21.Kg2 Nf7 and now, in a fairly equal position, White suddenly blew up with 22.exf5?! Ng5 23.Nf4? Nxf3 24.Kxf3?? g5! 0-1 A.Marechal-H.Hamdouchi, Belgian League 2012. ] 12...cxd4 13.Ne2 e5 [ Initially I was attracted to 13...Qb6 14.c3 on account of Qxb2 , but White should probably not fear this since 15.Rb1 Qxa2 16.Nxd4 Rc7 17.c4 provides excellent compensation for the pawn. ] 14.c3 dxc3 15.Qb3+ Kh8 16.Nxc3 exf4 17.Rxf4 [ QUESTION: Why not recapture towards the centre with 17.gxf4 - ? ANSWER: That is certainly a viable alternative. It is very much a matter of taste as to whether White prefers to have a central pawn mass or dynamic pieces. I lean towards the decision in the game, though there's nothing wrong with your suggestion; for example, b6 ( or 17...Bc6!? 18.Bxa7 Qh4 19.Qb4 fxe4 20.dxe4 Rxf4 , which is difficult to assess ) 18.Qa3 Qc7 19.Rac1 Qb8 with chances for both sides. ] 17...g5!? Black chooses the sharpest continuation, sacrificing a pawn. [ Instead, 17...b6 18.Qa3 Qc7 19.Nd5 Qb8 is assessed as more or 165

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen less equal by my computer, but in all fairness I prefer White's chances as his pieces looks better coordinated. ] 18.Rff1 f4 19.Qxb7 Bg4 20.gxf4 gxf4 21.Bf3 Rb8 22.Qxa7 Rxb2 23.Rab1 Rxb1 24.Nxb1 Bxf3+ 25.Rxf3 After that forcing sequence it could look, unless you are alert, as if Black has just thrown a pawn away for nothing. In fact, he has excellent compensation: the rook on f3 is a poor blockader of the passed f-pawn and the other white pieces are far from working well together. That said, White is not yet losing or even worse, but now is the time to be careful, as otherwise the balance in the game may rapidly change. 25...Qg5 A slight inaccuracy; [ 25...Ng4 A) 26.Nd2 Qg5 is more precise, preventing White from bringing the queen back to f2; ( 26...-- ); B) while 26.Rf1 can be met by 26...Qf6! ( rather than 26...Qg5 27.Nd2 as below ) 27.Qd7 Qh4 28.Nd2 Qh3 29.Qxd6 f3 30.Qg3 Qxg3 31.hxg3 f2 32.Bxf2 Nxf2+ 33.Kg2 Nxd3 34.Rxf8+ Bxf8 with some winning chances as long as Black keeps the knights on the board. ] 26.Nd2 [ As just intimated, he should take the chance for 26.Qf2! , intending to meet Ng4 with 27.Qg2 Qg6 28.Nd2 and White can begin to dream of consolidating, even if Black has more or less sufficient compensation for the sacrificed pawn right now. ] 26...Ng4 27.Bd4? This looks like the sort of move made in time trouble (though I have no knowledge of whether either of the players actually was short of time at this juncture). White should

be aiming to get his opponent's initiative under control, rather than trying to seize the initiative himself. [ Instead, 27.Rf1 is correct, clearing the f3-square for the knight, when a draw is the most likely result; e.g. Rg8 ( or 27...Ne3 28.Bxe3 fxe3 29.Rxf8+ Bxf8 30.Qd4+ Bg7 31.Qxd6 exd2 32.Qb8+ etc ) 28.Nf3 Qh5 and now my computer spits the following line out: 29.Qe7 Bf6 30.Qxd6 Qh3 31.Nd2 Be5 32.Qc5 Qxd3 33.Rxf4! Bxf4 ( or 33...Qxd2 34.Rxg4 ) 34.Bd4+ Be5 35.Bxe5+ Nxe5 36.Qxe5+ Rg7 37.Qe8+ with perpetual check. ] 27...Rg8 28.Rh3 It seems White is trying to tie Black down defensively, but in fact he is placing his own pieces on poor squares, and the pin on the g7bishop is easily undone. 28...h6!? [ Surprisingly, using the knight may be even stronger: 28...Nh6! 29.Bxg7+ ( 29.Bg1 Bc3! 30.Bd4+ Bxd4 31.Qxd4+ Rg7 comes to the same thing ) 29...Rxg7 30.Qf2 Ng4 31.Qe2 ( or 31.Qg1 d5! ) 31...Ne3 32.Qf2 Qe5 and White is beginning to have real problems. ] 29.Nf3 Qb5 This sudden switch to the queenside creates new difficulties for White. 30.Bg1 Bf6 31.Qf7 Qb2 32.d4 Rg7 33.Qc4 Qb1? This obviouslooking move throws most of Black's advantage away. [ Instead, the patient 33...Kh7 34.Qf1 Qc2 is very uncomfortable for White. ] 34.Qe2 Kh7 35.Nd2 Qxa2 36.Qd3 Kh8 37.Rf3 With his rook back from the sidelines, White should now be able to defend. 37...Bg5 38.h4 Bxh4 39.Rxf4 Be7 40.Nf1 Qe6 41.Rf5?! White is not far so out of the woods that he can conduct active operations. [ His first priority must be the safety of 166

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen his king which has no pawn shield. To that end White should prefer 41.Ng3 Qg6 42.Qe2 , although he needs to see that Bh4 can be met by 43.Bh2! Nxh2 44.Rxh4 Qxg3 45.Rxh6+ Kg8 46.Qc4+ Rf7 47.Qc8+ Rf8 48.Rh8+ Kxh8 49.Qxf8+ with a draw. ] 41...Qg6 42.Qg3?! Walking on a knife's edge is a tricky business and this move does not help. [ Here White should play 42.Qf3 , intending d5 ( or 42...Ne5 43.Qg3! ) 43.Ng3 dxe4 44.Nxe4 Ne5 45.Qf2 Nf3 ( or 45...Nd3 46.Qf1 ) 46.Rxf3 Qxe4 47.Qe3 Qg6 48.Qf2 and the game should end in a draw. ] 42...d5 43.Qf4?? A final and fatal mistake. [ The correct continuation is 43.Ne3! dxe4 44.Qxg4 Qxg4 45.Nxg4 Rxg4 46.d5 and White keeps the draw within reach. ] 43...dxe4 [ The immediate 43...Bd6! is even stronger; e.g. 44.e5 ( or 44.Qf3 dxe4 45.Qxe4 Nf6 ) 44...Nxe5 45.Ng3 Nd7 and White doesn't even get a check. ] 44.Ng3 Bd6 45.Qxe4 Bxg3 46.Rf8+ Kh7 47.Qa8 A last hopeless trick in a hopeless position. EXERCISE: How does Black win most swiftly? ANSWER: 47...Qh5+ 48.Kg2 Ne3+! [ In view of 48...Ne3+ 49.Bxe3 Bh4+ 50.Kf1 ( or 50.Kh1 Bd8# ) 50...Qd1# ; ( and 50...Qb5# is mate too. Full points to you if you saw this finish, even if we don't count the points. )] 0-1

B25 Larino Nieto,D Cheparinov,I 51: Zafra [Carsten Hansen]

2009

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 6.f4 b6 QUESTION: Why would Black want to play this move? If the b-pawn is to be advanced, then ...Rb8 and ...b7-b5 looks more active. ANSWER: That's a fair observation. Nevertheless, as in the English Opening (i.e. with colours reversed), Black has many possible set-ups; and while this version is far from common, it is completely viable and has a bit of pedigree, since it was once used by Fischer. With 6...b6 and ...Bb7, Black reinforces the c5-pawn, opposes White's control of the long light diagonal, and intends to strike at the centre with ... f7-f5 again. [ Before we continue, let's look briefly at a few of Black's rarer 6th move options: a) 6...Nd4 7.Nd5 ( instead, 7.Nf3 allows Bg4 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 e6 10.Bg2 Ne7 11.0-0 Qd7 and Black has no problems, S.Kartsev-L. Gutman, Werther 2005; and 7.Nce2 Nf6 8.c3 Nxe2 9.Qxe2 0-0 10.Nf3 Bd7 11.0-0 Bc6 is also quite equal, B.Koch-R.Fuchs, East German Championship, Berlin 1953; while 7.Be3 e6 8.Nf3 Ne7 9.0-0 0-0 is another route to the main line of Chapter Six, though Black is not obliged to play this way ) 7...e6 8.Ne3 Ne7 9.c3 Ndc6 10.Nf3 0-0 11.0-0 d5 12.e5 d4!? ( 12...b5 13.d4 b4 seems safer ) 13.Nc4 Rb8 A) 14.a4 b6 15.Ng5 Bb7 16.Nd6 Na5 17.Nxb7 Nxb7 18.c4 Nf5 167

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 19.Qe2 h5 20.Be4 Qe7 21.Bd2 and White can play for b2-b4 with the better chances, A.Angelov-M. Vasilev, Sunny Beach 2004. ( 21.-- ); B) 14.cxd4 cxd4 ( or 14...Nxd4 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Bd2 ) 15.a4 b6 16.b3 and Ba3 looks good too. ] [ b) 6...Bd7 7.Nf3 ( 7.Be3 transposes to Game 24 ) 7...Rc8 ( after 7...Qc8 8.Nd5!? b5 9.0-0 e6 10.Ne3 Nge7 11.c3 a5 12.a4 b4 13.Nc4 Qc7 14.e5 , White is better, H.Bastian-W. Ott, German League 1994, so Black should probably resort to 8...Nf6, challenging the d5-knight without blocking the c8-h3 diagonal; naturally, other 7th moves are possible for Black, but in that case there is little reason for ...Bd7 ) 8.0-0 Nd4 9.a4 ( after 9.Ne2 Nxf3+ 10.Bxf3 b5 11.c3 Bh3 12.Bg2 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 Nf6 14.h3 Qc7 , Black has a quite pleasant position, R.Kohlei-L.Gutman, Kassel 1993 ) 9...Bg4 ( the computer suggests 9...h5!? ) 10.Nd5 e6 11.Ne3 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 Ne7 13.Bg2 f5 14.c3 Ndc6 15.g4 ( 15.exf5 gxf5 16.Qh5+ also comes into consideration ) 15...0-0 16.Qb3 Qd7 , J.Boersma-L.Gutman, Dieren 2005, and now 17.gxf5 gxf5 18.exf5 Nxf5 19.Nxf5 Rxf5 20.Bh3 looks good for White. ] [ c) 6...h5!? 7.h3 ( alternatively, 7.Nf3 Bg4 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 e6 10.0-0 Qd7 11.Be3 Nge7 12.Kh1 0-0-0 13.Rab1 f5 14.e5 dxe5 15.Bxc5 was played in J.Iruzubieta VillaluengaJ.Gil Capape, Cala Galdana 1994, when h4 16.g4 Nd4 leads to obscure play; while 7.Nh3 is seen in the notes to Game 52 ) 7...e5!? (following the same plan as in Chapter Five) 8.Nf3 ( and 8.Be3

Nge7 9.Qd2 transposes to Game 28 ) 8...Nge7 9.0-0 exf4?! (premature) ( 9...Nd4 is preferable and unclear ) 10.Bxf4 0-0 11.Qd2 Kh7 12.Rae1 a6 13.Kh2 f6 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Ne5 16.d4 cxd4 17.Nxd4 and White has a definite advantage, A.Muzychuk-A.Kosteniuk, Women's World Blitz Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. ] 7.Nf3 [ In I.Starostits-I.Miladinovic, Vaduz 2003, White attempted to interfere with Black's plan by playing 7.Nge2 Bb7 8.0-0 Qd7 9.f5!? , which led to a fascinating game: gxf5 10.Rxf5 e6 11.Rf1 0-0-0 12.Nf4 h5! 13.Nxh5 Bd4+ 14.Kh1 f5 15.exf5 Qh7!? 16.Bg5 ( possibly 16.g4 is critical ) 16...Nf6 17.Bxf6 Bxf6 18.g4 Bxc3 19.bxc3 Ne5 20.Qe2 Rdg8 21.h3 and now, rather than Qc7? ( 21...exf5! seemingly leads to a forced draw; i.e. 22.Rxf5 Bxg2+ 23.Qxg2 Qxf5 24.Qa8+ Kc7 25.Qxa7+ Kc6 26.gxf5 Rxh5 27.Qa4+ Kb7 28.Qe4+ Kc7 29.Qe3 Rgh8 30.Kg2 Rg8+ 31.Kh1 Rgh8 and so on ) 22.Bxb7+ Qxb7+ 23.Kh2 and White is winning. ] 7...Bb7 8.0-0 Qd7 9.Be3 The most natural move. [ White has also tried: a) 9.Ne2 f5 10.exf5 ( or 10.c3 e6 11.Kh1 Nf6 12.exf5 exf5 13.d4 0-0 and Black is better, U.Garbisu de Goni-A.Strikovic, Aviles 1992 ) 10...gxf5 11.c3 Nf6 12.d4 e6 13.dxc5 bxc5 leaves Black with an appealingly flexible position, V.HِhnK.Rِderer, German League 1993. ] [ b) 9.f5!? Nf6 10.Ne2 gxf5 11.Bh3 Qc7 12.Bxf5 e6 13.Bh3 0-0-0 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bh4 d5?! ( 15...Rde8 keeps the game balanced ) 16.Nd2 168

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Qe5 was seen in J.Seret-C.Bernard, Val Thorens 1988, and now 17.Rxf6 Bxf6 18.Nf3 Qxb2 19.Rb1 Qa3 20.Bxf6 dxe4 21.Ne1 would have been good for White. ] 9...f5 [ If preferred, Black can prepare this advance with 9...Nh6 ; for example, 10.h3 f5 11.Qd2 0-0 ( or 11...0-0-0!? 12.Rad1 e6 13.Rfe1 Rhe8 14.Bf2 Nf7 15.a3 e5 with another mess, G. Giorgadze-H.Olafsson, Moscow Olympiad 1994 ) 12.Rae1 Rae8 13.Kh2 Nd4 14.Bg1 Nf7 15.a3 e6 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.Ne2 e5 18.Qb4 h5 19.Qb3 h4 and in this very unclear position a draw was suddenly agreed, Kr.Georgiev-I.Miladinovic, Chania 1999. ] 10.d4 [ Routine play does not trouble Black: 10.Qd2 Nf6 11.Kh1 0-0-0!? 12.Rae1 Kb8 13.Bg1 fxe4 14.dxe4!? ( after 14.Nxe4 Nxe4 15.Rxe4 e5 , Black has the better chances since White's pieces are far from ideally placed; while 14.Ng5 exd3 15.Ne6 Rdg8 16.cxd3 Nd8 just leaves White a pawn down ) 14...Ba6! 15.Ng5 ( 15.Rf2? Ng4 is clearly worse ) 15...Bxf1 16.Bxf1 Rhe8 ( 16...e5!? 17.Bh3 Ng4 18.f5 h5 19.Ne6 offers White reasonable compensation ) 17.Bb5 e5 18.fxe5 Rxe5 19.Bxc6 Qxc6 20.Nf7 Rde8 21.Nxe5 Rxe5 (the isolated e-pawn means Black has the advantage, but having regained the exchange White mistakenly relaxes) 22.Qf4? b5! 23.a3 b4 24.axb4 cxb4 25.Bd4 Rf5 and facing the loss of a piece, White called it quits in Y.Bernstein-R.J. Fischer, Netanya 1968. ] [ However, exchanging on f5 before breaking in the centre is a serious

option: 10.exf5!? gxf5 ( my computer prefers 10...Nh6!? 11.fxg6 hxg6 with some play for the pawn ) 11.d4 Nf6 ( 11...cxd4 12.Nxd4 0-0-0 13.a4 looks better for White ) 12.d5 Nd8 ( 12...Nb4?! would be met by 13.Ng5 ) 13.Kh1?! ( here 13.a4 0-0 14.Re1 may offer White a little something ) 13...b5 14.Nh4 b4 15.Ne2 e6 16.dxe6 Qxe6 17.Bxb7 Nxb7 18.Bc1 0-0 19.a3 a5 20.Ng1 d5 and the best that can be said about White's position is that it's not as bad as it looks, P.Pazos Gambarrotti-A. Zapata, Medellin 1987. ] 10...Nf6 11.d5 Nb4 12.Bh3 [ The immediate 12.Ng5 is met by Nxe4! 13.Ngxe4 ( not 13.Ncxe4?! Nxd5!; or 13.Ne6?? Bxc3! ) 13...fxe4 14.Bxe4 0-0-0 and Black is fine. ] 12...0-0 13.Ng5 h5 QUESTION: I'm not sure where to begin understanding this move. What is Black up to? Leaving the g5-square permanently in the hands of White's knight seems like a radical decision if not a definite mistake. ANSWER: It does seem very provocative and bordering on incomprehensible, but it does have a clear purpose: Black is concerned about the kingside light squares. First of all, White was threatening 14 a3 Na6 15 exf5 gxf5 16 Qd3, which can now be met by ...Ng4. Secondly, he believes that White will very likely put his knight on e6 and then follow up with g3-g4, opening up for a direct attack on the king, which would be very difficult to meet in view of Black's cramped pieces. So 13...h5 both defends against White's immediate threat and a kingside attack that is not yet happening. [ The natural alternative is to hit the knight with 13...h6 , when 14.Ne6 ( after 14.Nf3 Nxe4! 15.Nxe4 Bxb2 169

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 16.Rb1 Nxd5 17.Re1 Bg7 18.Bd2 c4 , Black has three good pawns for the piece ) 14...fxe4 15.Ng5 ( not 15.Nxf8?? Qxh3 ) 15...Qe8 16.Ngxe4 Nxe4 17.Be6+ Kh7 18.Nxe4 Bxb2 19.Rb1 Bg7 is possibly playable for Black (my computer certainly seems to think so), but White has pretty good compensation since Black remains quite cramped and uncomfortable; presumably Cheparinov did not wish to risk the chance that he might fail to conduct a successful defence over the board. ] 14.a3 Na6 15.Ne6?! This obviouslooking move is not the best, since Black is not worried about losing the exchange; [ and given that the base of his centre is already under pressure, White should probably leave the knight where it is and opt for 15.exf5 gxf5 A) 16.Bg2 Nc7 17.a4 , trying to keep control of the position with a slight advantage. Note that Ng4 18.Re1 Nxe3?? is not now a solution due to 19.Qxh5! and White wins ( 19.-- ); B) as noted above, 16.Qd3 is well met by Ng4; C) while 16.Ne6 Ng4 17.Nxf8 Rxf8 18.Bf2 Nc7 also gives Black sufficient counterplay; e.g. 19.Bg2 Ba6 20.Re1 ( or 20.Bf3 Bxf1 21.Qxf1 Bxc3 22.bxc3 Qa4 23.Qe2 Rf7 24.c4 b5 and so on ) 20...Nxf2 21.Kxf2 Bd4+ . ] 15...Ng4 16.Bxg4 QUESTION: Why doesn't White just take the rook? ANSWER: Because he doesn't achieve anything by doing so; [ after 16.Nxf8 Rxf8 17.Bf2 ( 17.Re1 Nxe3 18.Rxe3 Bd4 re-establishes the material status quo ) 17...Nc7

, his centre is falling apart and the second rook hardly registers at the moment; e.g. 18.Re1 ( not now 18.exf5? since Bxc3! 19.bxc3 Nxd5 20.Bxg4 Nxc3! is virtually winning for Black ) 18...fxe4 19.Nxe4 Nxd5 20.c3 Ndf6 21.Nxf6+ Rxf6 22.Bg2 Bxg2 23.Kxg2 e5 and Black has good play for the exchange. In more general terms, the knight on e6 is quite a nuisance and may well be worth more than a rook; therefore White weighs his options before cashing in. ] 16...hxg4 17.exf5 gxf5 18.Ne4!? Nc7 [ The knight cannot be taken, since 18...fxe4?? 19.Nxg7 Kxg7 20.f5! and 21 Qxg4 gives White a tremendous attack. ] [ Black is not eager to capture on b2 either because 18...Bxb2 19.Rb1 Bg7 20.c4 Nc7 21.Nxc7 Qxc7 22.Ng5 , followed by h2-h3, can rapidly become dangerous for Black, who is left with only a few pieces to guard the king. ] 19.Nxc7 [ Not now 19.Nxf8?? Rxf8 20.Ng5 Nxd5 and White is fatally exposed on the light squares. ] 19...Qxc7 20.Ng5 Rf6 21.c4 e6 22.Nxe6 [ White is not obliged to take the pawn, but after 22.Re1 exd5 23.cxd5 Re8 24.Qa4 Rff8 25.Rad1 Ba8 , I still prefer Black's position. ] 22...Rxe6 23.dxe6 Re8 So White has "won" the exchange after all, at the cost of opening the position for Black's powerful bishops on the long diagonals. 24.Re1? White goes wrong immediately; [ 24.Bf2 A) 24...Rxe6 25.Re1 is the correct move order; ( 25.-- ); B) or if 24...Bxb2 then 25.Ra2 170

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Bg7 26.Re2 Qc6 27.Qd5 Qxd5 28.cxd5 Bxd5 ( or 28...Ba6 29.Rc2 ) 29.Rd2 Bc4 30.Rxd6 and White may be able to defend. ] 24...Rxe6? Returning the favour; there is no hurry to pick up the e6-pawn. [ Instead, after 24...Bxb2! 25.Rb1 Bc3 26.Re2 Rxe6 , Black should win without too many headaches. ] 25.Bf2 Bd4 Keeping the pieces on the board certainly has its appeal, and the dream of utilizing of the beautiful a8-h1 diagonal would light Christmas candles in the eyes of some. However, apart from the immediate trap of 26 Rxe6?? Qc6 and wins, it turns out that this is more difficult to achieve than anticipated. Indeed, I can no longer find a clear path to an advantage for Black, and soon he is seriously worse. [ Perhaps the best practical chance at this stage is in the endgame: 25...Rxe1+! 26.Qxe1 Kf7 27.Qb1 Kf6 28.Qd1 Qc6 29.Qd5 Qxd5 30.cxd5 Ke7! , when White would have to play very precisely to stop the opposing pawns; e.g. 31.Rd1 Bxb2 32.h3! gxh3 33.Kh2 a5 ( not 33...Bxa3? 34.Ra1 ) 34.a4 Bc3 35.Kxh3 b5 36.Be1! Bd4 37.axb5 a4 38.Rd2 a3 39.Ra2 Bb2 40.Bc3! Bxd5 41.Rxb2 axb2 42.Bxb2 and the opposite-coloured bishops hold the draw. ] 26.Qa4! The only move, but good enough. 26...Bxf2+? QUESTION: Why does Black exchange his dark-squared bishop, when it has a bigger reach than its white counterpart? ANSWER: That is a very good observation; no, it doesn't make a lot of sense. I suspect Black felt it to be the only way to continue playing for a win, but it is more like playing for the loss. [ My computer gives preference to

26...Bc6 27.Qd1 ( or 27.Qc2 Be4 ) 27...Bb7 28.Qa4 Bc6 with a draw by repetition. ] 27.Kxf2 Be4 28.Qd1 Qf7 29.Kg1 Qb7 30.Qd2 Qc6 31.Re3 Kf7 White has consolidated his extra exchange and now has a couple of ways forward. He can aim to open the queenside for his rooks, starting with b2b4, and placing the queen threateningly on the long dark diagonal; or he can play to open the kingside, which is his choice in the game. 32.b3 b5 33.a4 b4 34.Rae1 Qa8 35.h3! QUESTION: Why is White giving away his kingside pawns? ANSWER: Well, he operates with the thought that it will allow him to break open the position with g3-g4, making his rooks strong, leaving Black's king exposed and, in particular, undermining the key defensive bishop on e4. It is a good idea, even if the execution in the game leaves us unimpressed. 35...gxh3 36.g4? At this point I think White misses his biggest opportunity to win the game. [ He should have prepared this advance with 36.Kh2! a5 (a random reply to illustrate White's idea, but I'm not sure how much Black can really improve on it) 37.Qe2 Bf3 ( or similarly 37...Qh8 38.g4 Qh4 39.Rg1 and White's pieces are coming to life ) 38.Qf2 Be4 and only then played 39.g4 , when Black is in all sorts of trouble. ] 36...fxg4 37.Qe2 Tripling the major pieces seems utterly decisive, but he has overlooked something. 37...Bd3! Since the bishop cannot be taken (38 Qxd3?? Qg2 mate) Black gets to break the pin, exchange a pair of rooks, and then defend the two pawns he has just been given. 171

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 38.Qf2 Rxe3 39.Rxe3 Bf5 It is hard to see how either side can make any relevant progress now, and indeed the players soon agreed a draw. 40.Qd2 a5 41.Kh2 Qb7 42.Qb2 Qa8 43.Qd2 Qb7 44.Qb2 Qa8 45.Qd2 1/2

fxg6 14.g5 hxg5 15.Nxg5 Nh5 is nothing to fear either ) 13...g5 14.Nf2 Nh7 , when Black consolidated the kingside and slowly took over the initiative, Ye JiangchuanBu Xiangzhi, Taiyuan 2004. ] [ d) 6...Nf6 is a logical response, seeing as White cannot at present play h2-h3. After 7.0-0 0-0 ( 7...h5!? B25 returns to the main game ) 8.f4 Bg4 Granda Zuniga,J 9.Qd2 ( if 9.Qe1 Nd4 10.Qf2 h6 Demuth,A , White's position looks even more 52: Andorra 2016 clumsy ) 9...Nd4 10.Kh1 ( or 10.Nf2 [Carsten Hansen] Bf3 11.Ncd1 e5 12.c3 Ne2+ 13.Kh1 Bxg2+ 14.Kxg2 Nxc1 15.Rxc1 exf4 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 16.Qxf4 d5 and Black can have no Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Nh3!? This slightly complaints, Sv.Pedersen-B.Brinck offbeat move is mainly played to avoid Claussen, Danish League 1976 ) the heavily theoretical lines. In its favour, 10...Qd7 11.Ng1 Be6 12.Nd1 d5 the knight leaves the f-pawn free to 13.c3 Nc6 14.e5 and now, instead advance and avoids an exchange with ... of Ne8 as in A.Medina Garcia-P. Nd4, though its position on the edge Benko, Malaga 1970, ( Palliser can sometimes prove a liability. suggests 14...Ng4!? , followed by ... 6...h5!? A direct attempt to exploit f7-f6 and ...Nh6, as the knight is White's set-up, now that the further ... more useful on the kingside, though h5-h4 cannot be prevented. either way Black has no problems. )] [ Naturally, all the usual options are 7.0-0 available too: [ Instead: a) 6...e6 7.0-0 Nge7 transposes to a) 7.Be3 is covered in the notes to notes elsewhere depending on how Game 27. ] White continues: 8.Be3 (or 7 Be3) is [ b) 7.Nd5 looks premature and is in the notes to Game 4, ( while 8.f4 effectively met by Bg4 8.f3 Bxh3 (or 7 f4) is the notes to Game 29. )] 9.Bxh3 e6 10.Ne3 h4 11.f4 hxg3 [ b) 6...e5 leads to direct 12.hxg3 d5 and Black is already transpositions: 7.Be3 is Game 6; doing rather well, W.Hug-G.Kasparov, ( while 7.f4; or 7.0-0 Nge7 8.f4 Switzerland (clock simul) 1987. ] is the main line of Chapter Seven. )] [ c) 7.f4 Bg4 ( 7...e5!? transposes to [ c) 6...Rb8 7.0-0 b5 8.f4 b4 9.Nd5 Game 40 ) 8.Qd2 h4!? ( the normal e6 10.Ne3 Nf6 ( 10...Nge7 11.f5! 8...Nd4 9.Ng1 Qa5 10.h3 Bd7 exf5 12.exf5 gxf5 13.Nd5 0-0 11.Nf3 Rc8 12.0-0 e6 13.e5 Nxf3+ 14.Qh5 gives White good play for the 14.Bxf3 dxe5 15.Bxb7 Rb8 16.Bg2 pawn, S.Keskinen-A.Nokso Koivisto, Nh6 17.fxe5 Bxe5 is also quite Naantali 1998 ) 11.f5 0-0 12.g4?! comfortable for Black, T.Kulhanek-J. ( 12.Nf4 is preferable with mutual Plachetka, Czech League 2013 ) 9.Nf2 chances ) 12...h6 13.Nc4 ( 13.fxg6 ( or 9.gxh4?! Bxh3 10.Bxh3 e6 172

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen and White is just worse ) 9...Bd7 10.Ne2 ( after 10.g4 , I like Palliser's suggestion h3!? 11.Bxh3 Nf6 for Black ) 10...e5 11.c3 Nf6 12.Qe3 Qb6 and White's position is quite unappealing, even if he did later win the game, M.Krasenkow-B. Grabarczyk, Polish Championship, Sopot 1997. ] 7...Nf6 [ Another option is 7...Nh6!? 8.Nf4 ( or 8.f3 Bd7 9.Ne2 e5 10.c3 Qb6 11.Kh1 0-0-0 with chances for both sides, D.Suttles-P.Benko, US Championship, New York 1965 ) 8...h4 9.Nce2 e6 10.c3 Ng4!? A) 11.d4 hxg3 12.hxg3 Nh2 13.Re1 e5 14.Nd5 Bg4 15.Qd3 exd4 16.cxd4 Bxe2 17.Qxe2 Nxd4 18.Qd1 g5 19.e5?? ( 19.Be3 and 20 Bxd4 keeps White in the game ) 19...g4! 20.exd6+ Kf8 21.Re3 Qxd6 and Black won quickly in C.Frick-E.Schmittdiel, Bِblingen 1999.; B) Not 11.h3 Nf6 12.g4? ( but 12.d4 is a complete mess ) 12...g5 and the f4-knight is embarrassed. ] [ Pushing the h-pawn at once doesn't really achieve anything: 7...h4?! 8.g4 Nf6 9.f3 Nd4?! 10.Nd5 Bd7 11.c3 Ne6 12.Ne3 Bc6 13.f4 Qb6 14.f5 gxf5 15.Nxf5 and White is in command, A.Petrushin-A.Kondenko, Sochi 2005. ] 8.Nd5 This makes more sense than on the previous move because Black has committed his knight to f6. [ Alternatives don't give White anything: a) 8.Nf4 h4 9.Rb1?! ( 9.Ncd5 is more logical ) 9...hxg3 10.fxg3?? ( but 10.hxg3 Ng4 11.Nh3 Bd7 is good for Black anyway ) 10...Ng4 and Black is already winning, R.

Patino-C.Alvarez de la Torre, Haifa Olympiad 1976. ] [ b) 8.Bg5?! doesn't prevent h4 and is therefore a waste of time: 9.gxh4 ( not 9.Bxh4?? Bxh3 10.Bxh3 g5 and White loses a piece ) 9...Ng4 10.Nd5 ( better than 10.Nf4?! , K.Movsziszian-M.Bach, Hamburg 1998, as after Bxc3! 11.bxc3 f6 12.Nxg6 Rg8 13.Bh3 Rxg6 14.Bxg4 Rg8 , Black's soon-to-be extra knight is stronger than White's three pawns ) 10...f6 ( if 10...Bxb2 11.Rb1 Bg7 12.c3 f6 13.Bf4 Rxh4 then 14.Bg3 , followed by 15 d4 offers White decent compensation ) 11.Bf4 Rxh4 12.Bg3 Rh6 13.c3 with chances for both sides. ] [ c) 8.f3 enables White to answer h4 ( after 8...b6 9.Rb1 Bb7 10.Ng5 Nh7 11.Nxh7 Rxh7 12.f4 Qd7 13.Nd5 e6 14.Ne3 0-0-0 , Black has a comfortable position, A. Shchekachev-V.Kotronias, Reykjavik 1994 ) , with 9.g4 again, but otherwise the pawn looks a bit odd on f3. ] 8...Nxd5 [ Deviating from N.Short-S.K.Williams, British League 2003, which saw 8...Ne5 9.f3 h4!? ( 9...Nxd5 10.exd5 is still possible – see below ) 10.g4 Be6 11.Ndf4 Bd7 12.c3 Nc6 13.Rb1 e5 (the ginger GM, albeit not a GM at the time, is never one to back out of a knife fight or invite to one) ( otherwise 13...0-0!? 14.Qe1 e5 15.Nd5 Nh7 seems okay for Black ) 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Ne7 16.f4 (now things get complicated, and mostly in White's favour) Qc8 17.Nf2 f5 18.fxe5 dxe5 19.d6! (messing with Black's troops; all of a sudden the light squares are getting a little soft) Nc6 20.Qb3 ( 20.Be3 Nd8 21.d4!? is an attractive alternative ) 173

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 20...Be6 21.Qb5 0-0?! ( 21...Qd7!? is more resilient ) 22.Bg5 e4?! 23.Qxc5 b6 24.Qe3 Ne5 25.Bxh4 Qd7 26.Bg3 Qxd6 27.gxf5 gxf5 28.dxe4 and White is winning; in fact the database give 1-0 right here, so possibly Black lost on time. ] 9.exd5 Ne5 10.Ng5!? QUESTION: This just looks ridiculous; what is White doing? ANSWER: White has a very concrete idea in mind to counter Black's plan of ... h5-h4. [ The alternative is to copy Short and play 10.f3 , though White then needs to be careful over the d5-pawn: b5 11.Nf2 0-0 12.h3? too slow; ( 12.Re1 Re8 13.Bg5 is fairly equal ) 12...Nd7 13.Re1 Re8 14.Re2 Nb6 15.f4 Bb7 16.c4 , S.Fِrster-T.P‫ن‬htz, Jena 2009, and now bxc4 17.dxc4 Ba6 wins a pawn, since 18.f5 is nothing to be afraid of; e.g. gxf5 19.Rc2 Bxc4 20.Qxh5 Bxd5 21.Qxf5 e6 22.Qh5 f5 and Black is clearly better. ] 10...h4 11.f4 Ng4 12.Bf3! Keeping calm under fire! [ It is necessary too, since 12.c3 hxg3 13.hxg3 Bf5 and ...Qd7 is quite pleasant for Black. ] 12...Nf6 13.g4 h3! Black cannot allow h2-h3, whereas now the g-pawn is isolated as a direct target. 14.Kh1 Qd7 15.Rg1 Rh4!? [ My computer gives preference 15...b5 ] [ or 15...Kf8 , but the text presents White with some concrete problems to solve. ] 16.Qe1 Hitting the rook. [ If White tries 16.Qe2 Nxg4 17.Ne6 fxe6 18.Bxg4 , there is b6! 19.Bxe6 Qxe6! 20.Qxe6 ( not 20.dxe6 Bb7+ 21.Rg2?? due to hxg2+ 22.Kg1 0-0-0 , followed by ...Rdh8 and wins )

20...Bxe6 21.dxe6 0-0-0 22.Rxg6 Bh6 and Black should soon regain the pawn. ] 16...Rxg4! This was the point behind Black's last move; the exchange sacrifice is quite dangerous for White on account on his weak king, emphasized by the intrusive h3-pawn. 17.Bxg4 Nxg4 18.Ne6! If not for this clever move, White would be clearly worse. 18...fxe6 19.Rxg4 exd5 20.Rxg6 Bf6 Despite my computer assessing this position in White's favour, his vulnerable king means that Black has sufficient counterplay; indeed, the bishop pair and central pawns could soon prove to be more important if White does not continue aggressively. 21.Rg8+ [ Not 21.Rxf6?? due to Qg4 22.Qf1 Bd7! (even stronger than taking the rook) 23.Rh6 d4! , when ...Bc6+ is quickly fatal. ] 21...Kf7 22.Qg3 Qf5 23.Rd8? [ The threat of Qg8 mate looks very strong, but White should have played 23.Bd2 first and only after d4 then 24.Rd8 ; for example, Qh7 ( not 24...Qd5+?! 25.Kg1 Qg2+ 26.Qxg2 hxg2 27.b4! , when White has definite chances ) 25.f5 ( or 25.Rg1 Be6 26.Rxa8 Bd5+ 27.Rg2 Bxg2+ 28.Kg1 b6 ) 25...b6 26.Kg1 Bb7 27.Rxa8 Bxa8 28.Qg4 Bd5 29.Rf1 and while I doubt Black will lose this, nor is White in any danger. The same cannot be said about the game continuation... ] EXERCISE: Can you spot Black's best move? (Hint: It doesn't win on the spot but is very dangerous for White.) ANSWER: 23...Qg4!! A beautiful resource! 24.Be3 [ If 24.Qxg4 Bxg4 25.Rxa8 , then the ice cold Bd4! decides; i.e. 174

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen has a certain significance because it can also arise due to White having played Nf3 earlier on, while subsequent transpositions increase its incidence even more. For instance, continue to move seven below and the number of games in the database more than doubles, while 6...Nf6 7 0-0 0-0 in the next game sees a five-fold boost. So it has to be taken at least a little seriously. 6...e5 Adopting a Botvinnik formation makes sense, since f3-knight will now have to move again if White is to advance the f-pawn. [ Instead, 6...Nf6 is examined in the next game; ] [ and we should at least mention Black's other two main moves: a) 6...e6 7.Bg5!? (an interesting attempt to justify White's set-up) ( instead, 7.0-0 Nge7 8.Nh4 0-0 9.f4 is an inferior version of Chapter Six, e.g. Rb8 10.Kh1 Nd4 11.Ne2 Nxe2 12.Qxe2 b5 13.c3 b4 14.c4 Nc6 15.Rb1 Nd4 16.Qf2 f5 and Black is better, M.Krstic-R. Pogorelov, Budapest 1990 ) 7...Nge7 8.Qd2 h6 9.Be3 e5 ( after 9...Nd4 10.0-0 Nec6 11.Ne1 Qa5 12.Nd1 Qa6 13.a3 b5 14.Rb1 , I prefer B26 White, who can break on both sides Piorun,K of the board, A.Kogan-M.Ashley, Kveinys,A Budapest 1997 ) 10.0-0 Be6 11.Ne1 53: Bad Wiessee 2015 Qd7 12.a3 Bh3 13.f4 Nd4 14.Rb1 [Carsten Hansen] exf4 15.Bxf4 Bxg2 16.Qxg2 0-0 and Black has no problems here, 1.e4 though he was outplayed in V. [ The current game saw 1.Nf3 c5 Smyslov-A.Kotov, Moscow 1943: 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.0-0 Bg7 5.e4 17.g4 Rad8 18.Kh1 Ne6 19.Bd2 d5 d6 6.d3 e5 7.Nc3 . ] 20.Nf3 d4?! ( 20...dxe4 21.Nxe4 1...c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 Nd5 was better, according to 5.d3 d6 6.Nf3 This naïve-looking Smyslov ) 21.Ne2 Nc6 22.Qh3 Kh7 knight deployment is comparatively rare 23.Ng3 f6 and now 24.Nf5! gxf5 after 5...d6, occurring in just 1% of 25.gxf5 Nc7 26.Rg1 gave White games. Nevertheless, the position itself excellent play for the piece, with the

26.Be3 Bxe3 27.Rf1 Be2 and ouch! ] 24...Qxg3? Exchanging queens lets White off the hook. [ Black should have played 24...d4! at once: A) as after 25.Qxg4 Bxg4 26.Rxa8 dxe3 , there's no stopping the epawn when supported by such a pair of bishops. ( 26...-- ); B) So White would have to play 25.Bf2 and then: EXERCISE: What is Black's best move? ANSWER: 25...Bh4! , which forces 26.Qxg4 Bxg4 27.Bxh4 ( not 27.Rxa8?? Bxf2 and mate in a couple of moves ) 27...Rxd8 28.Kg1 Rc8 29.b3 d5 and leaves White having to try and defend a very unpleasant endgame. ] 25.hxg3 d4 26.Bd2 e6 [ After 26...e6 27.Rxc8! Rxc8 28.Kh2 , White should expect to hold the draw, even if Black might yet have made him work for it. ] 1/2

175

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen immediate threat of 27 Bxh6 Bxh6 28 Rg6 and wins. ] [ b) 6...Rb8 7.Be3 Nd4 ( or 7...b5 8.d4!? b4 9.Ne2 Qb6 10.0-0 Nf6 11.dxc5 dxc5 12.Nd2 , J.Mohebbi-E. Prevot, French Championship, Rouen 1987, and now Ba6 looks quite nice for Black ) 8.0-0 ( after 8.Bxd4 cxd4 9.Ne2 Bg4 10.c3 dxc3 11.Nxc3 Nf6 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Bxf3 Nd7 14.0-0 Ne5 15.Bg2 0-0 16.Rc1 Nc6 and I prefer Black due to his control of the dark squares, C.Acor-G.Kacheishvili, Philadelphia 2016 ) 8...Bg4 9.Bxd4 cxd4 10.Ne2 Qd7 11.Qd2 e5 12.c3 dxc3 13.Nxc3 Ne7 14.Ne1 and the players agreed a draw in H. Hamdouchi-D.Prasad, Yerevan Olympiad 1996. ] 7.0-0 [ Castling straight away is the most consistent continuation, though not compulsory: a) 7.Nd2 Nge7 8.Nc4 Be6 9.h4!? ( 9.0-0 0-0 transposes below ) 9...h5 10.Nd5 Bg4 11.Bf3 Nxd5 12.exd5 Nd4 13.Bxg4 hxg4 14.c3 Nf3+ 15.Ke2 f5 16.Qa4+ Kf7 17.Nd2 Nxd2 18.Bxd2 with a curious position where both players have given up the right to castle, D.De Vreugt-Bu Xiangzhi, Lausanne 2000. ] [ b) 7.Bg5 is somewhat pointless since an extra ...f7-f6 does not harm Black's position in any way; e.g. Nge7 8.Qd2 f6 9.Be3 Nd4 10.0-0 0-0 11.Ne1 b6 12.Nd1 Bb7 13.f4 exf4 14.Bxf4 d5 15.exd5 Bxd5 16.Nc3 Bxg2 17.Qxg2 Qd7 and White's brief initiative has been completely neutralized, N.Delgado Ramirez-D. Flores, Villa Martelli 2010. ] 7...Nge7 8.Be3 This leads, after Nh4 and f2-f4, to a version of 7 Nf3 lines in Chapter Seven.

[ a) 8.Nh4 0-0 9.f4 is similar to the game continuation; e.g. exf4 10.Bxf4 ( or 10.gxf4 f5 11.Be3 Nd4 12.Qd2 Nec6 13.Nf3 Qa5 14.Rad1 Bd7 15.Nd5 Qxd2 16.Rxd2 Nxf3+ 17.Bxf3 Nd4 18.Bg2 Rae8 and the chances are completely even, Be.Larsen-B.Ivkov, 3rd matchgame, Bled 1965 ) 10...Be6 11.Qd2 d5 12.Bh6 d4 13.Ne2 Ne5 14.h3 N7c6 and Black has no problems whatsoever, E.Rozentalis-F.Manca, Padova 2013. ] [ b) 8.a3 is an obvious alternative based on Black's pawn structure: 0-0 9.b4!? ( 9.Rb1 is also possible ) 9...cxb4 ( after 9...h6 10.Rb1 b6 11.Nd2 Be6 12.Nd5 Rc8 13.Nc4 f5?! 14.b5 Nb8 15.f4 Nxd5 16.exd5 Bf7 17.g4 , White had a strong initiative in O.Dzuban-N.Rashkovsky, Alma-Ata 1989 ) 10.axb4 Nxb4 11.Ba3 Na6 ( 11...Nec6 is probably better ) 12.Nb5 Nc5 13.d4 Nxe4 14.dxe5 d5 15.c4 Bd7 was D.LiZhou Jianchao, Chinese Blitz Championship, Shenzhen 2016, and now 16.Nbd4 promises White the better chances. ] [ c) 8.Nd2 0-0 9.Nc4 makes sense too, rerouting the knight to target the light squares, and has even been played by the 16th World Champion: Be6 ( after 9...Rb8 10.a4 Be6 11.Ne3 a6?! 12.Ncd5 b5?! 13.axb5 axb5 14.c3 b4 15.Nc4 h6? 16.Ra6 Rc8 17.Qa4 , Black suddenly found himself in huge trouble, Ma.CarlsenA.Grischuk, chess.com blitz 2016 ) 10.a4 Qd7 ( or 10...h6 11.Ne3 Qd7 12.Ncd5 Bh3 13.Bxh3 Qxh3 14.c3 Nxd5 15.Nxd5 Kh7 16.Qf3!? f5 17.Qg2 Qxg2+ 18.Kxg2 Rf7 19.exf5 gxf5 20.f4 Re8 and Black has no reason to complain but was ground 176

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen down anyway, Ma.Carlsen-M.Sebenik, Chess.com Pro League 2017 ) 11.Bd2 f5 12.Nd5 Kh8 13.c3 Bg8 14.f4 Nxd5! (improving on an earlier game, V.Bologan-M.Brodsky, Nikolaev 1995) 15.exd5 Ne7 16.fxe5 dxe5 17.Re1 Nxd5 18.Nxe5 Qd6 and Black has equalized, G. Bakhtadze-M.Brodsky, Krasnodar 1998. ] 8...0-0 9.Qd2 Nd4 10.Nh4 [ This makes more sense than 10.Bh6 Bxh6 11.Qxh6 f6 12.Nxd4 ( or 12.Qd2 Qa5 ) 12...cxd4 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Bf5 15.Qd2 Rc8 16.Rfc1 Rf7 17.c4 dxc3 18.Rxc3 Qb6 , when Black has whatever chances are going, Al.Karpov-S. Iskusnyh, Prokojevsk 1997. ] [ Or 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.exd5 Nf5 12.Rab1 a5 13.a4 Bd7 14.b3 b5 15.axb5 Bxb5 16.Rfe1 Qc7 17.Qc1 Nxe3 18.Qxe3 a4 19.bxa4 Bxa4 and Black has a comfortable game, Cao Sang-A.Salem, Jakarta 2013. ] 10...Be6 [ Black must be careful over pushing the f-pawn; after 10...f5?! 11.exf5 gxf5 12.Bg5 ( 12.f4 is promising too ) 12...Ne6 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.Nd5 Qd8 15.f4 Bh6 16.Rae1 Kh8?! , as in L.Karsa-G.Gauglitz, Zalakaros 1989, White could have played 17.Qc3 Bg7 18.fxe5 , intending Bxe5 19.Rxe5 dxe5 20.Qxe5+ Ng7 21.Nc7 Rb8 22.Na6 Ra8 23.Nxc5 with a significant advantage. ] 11.f4 exf4 12.Bxf4 QUESTION: Wouldn't it be better to play 12 gxf4 - ? ANSWER: Not necessarily. By recapturing with the bishop White keeps some dynamic attacking potential; [ whereas 12.gxf4 could be met by f5 , which more or less puts an end to his kingside hopes. ]

12...Qd7 [ My friendly computer prefers 12...Qb6 13.Rab1 ( or 13.Nd1 d5 14.c3 Ndc6 ) 13...Rad8 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Bg4 16.Kh1 Rde8 17.c3 Nf5 18.Nxf5 Bxf5 and Black has a very nice position, J.SpeelmanL.Portisch, London 1982. ] 13.Rae1 Rae8 14.Nd1 d5 15.c3 Ndc6 16.Nf2 At this point the position might be considered roughly equal, but due to a series of inferior moves, Black manages to lose quite quickly. 16...b6 [ While this is not a mistake, it looks better to play 16...f6 (threatening ... g6-g5 and preventing e4-e5) 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Bh6 f5 , when Black is fine. ] [ Or if he really wants to push the dpawn then 16...d4 17.e5 ( or 17.c4 Ne5 ) 17...dxc3 ( or 17...c4!? ) 18.bxc3 Nd5 19.Ne4 Nxf4 20.gxf4 b6 21.Nf3 Ne7 and objectively speaking Black should again be fine, even if I might prefer White. ] 17.e5 d4 [ Here Black should probably opt for 17...Nf5 18.Nf3 ( or 18.Nxf5 Bxf5 19.d4 cxd4 20.cxd4 f6 ) 18...d4 19.Ne4 ( not 19.c4?! Ne3! 20.Bxe3 dxe3 21.Qxe3 Qc7 22.Qf4 Bc8 and Black regains the pawn with the better position ) 19...Bxa2 20.Nf6+ Bxf6 21.exf6 Rxe1 22.Rxe1 h5 23.c4 Re8 24.Bh3 and while White has excellent compensation for the pawn, Black is at least still fighting. ] 18.c4 Qc7?! Putting the queen opposite the white bishop is asking for trouble. [ Playing 18...Nf5?! is no good either now in view of 19.Nxf5 Bxf5 20.g4! Be6 21.Bh6 Qc7 22.Bxc6 Qxc6 23.Ne4 and White's kingside initiative 177

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen is beginning to take shape. ] [ The best option at this point looks to be 18...Kh8 , after which Black is more able to react to events. For example, 19.Nf3 ( both 19.Ne4 Nxe5 20.Bxe5 Bxe5 21.Nxc5 bxc5 22.Rxe5 Qd6; and 19.Bh6 Bxh6 20.Qxh6 Ng8 21.Qd2 Qc7 are fine for Black ) 19...Nf5 20.Ne4 ( and not 20.Ng4? Nxg3! ) 20...Ne3 21.Bxe3 dxe3 22.Rxe3 Nxe5 23.Nxe5 Bxe5 24.Nxc5 Qd4 25.Nxe6 Rxe6 26.Qf2 Bg7 27.Rxe6 fxe6 28.Qxd4 Bxd4+ 29.Kh1 Rxf1+ 30.Bxf1 Bxb2 with a drawn endgame. ] 19.Nf3 Nf5 20.Ng4! Kh8 [ This time 20...Nxg3 fails to 21.hxg3 Bxg4 22.e6 Qc8 23.exf7+ Rxf7 24.Ng5 and with the additional threat of Bd5, White should be winning. ] 21.Nf6 Rd8? This is a definite error; [ though even 21...Re7 22.Ng5 h6 23.Bxc6 Qxc6 24.Nge4 is in White's favour. ] 22.Ng5 Rather amazingly, Black is now complete toast. 22...Ne3 [ If 22...Bxf6 23.exf6 Qc8 24.Rxe6 fxe6 25.Bxc6 Qxc6 26.f7 , threatening Be5+ with decisive penetration on the dark squares; ] [ while 22...h5 is met by 23.Nxh5! Qd7 ( or 23...gxh5 24.Qe2 ) 24.Nf6 Bxf6 25.exf6 and White is winning, e. g. Nb4 26.Nxe6 fxe6 27.a3 Na6 28.g4 Ne3 29.Bxe3 dxe3 30.Qxe3 Qd4 31.Qxd4 Rxd4 32.Rxe6 Rxg4 33.Re7 and so on. ] 23.Ngxh7 Nxe5 Black steals a pawn and walks into a pin. [ 23...Nxf1 24.Rxf1 is equally hopeless, as White will soon recoup the exchange with interest. ] 24.Rxe3 dxe3 25.Qxe3 About that pin... 25...Ng4

[ 25...Rxd3 26.Qe1 doesn't change anything. ] 26.Nxg4 . Having avoided being on the losing end of a miniature (25 moves or less), Black resigned. 1-0 B25 Danielsen,Hen L'Ami,A 54: Reykjavik [Carsten Hansen]

2015

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 [ This time White played 2.Nf3 , transposing below after d6 3.g3 Nf6 4.d3 Nc6 5.Bg2 g6 6.0-0 Bg7 7.Nc3 . ] 2...Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Nf3 Nf6 Palliser recommends this line as the simplest response; Black develops the knight to its most natural square and castles. 7.0-0 0-0 8.h3 Preventing ...Bg4, as well as ...Ng4, so that the c1-bishop can be developed to e3 safely. White has tried many other things in this position. None of them really promises an advantage, but playing a reversed English or King's Indian White can't really expect any advantage; instead, the battle is postponed to the middlegame, while both sides are thrown on their own resources from an early stage. [ Let's look at the various alternatives anyway: a) 8.Ne1 e5 ( or 8...Rb8 9.f4 Bg4 10.Qd2 Nd4 11.h3 Bd7 12.g4 b5 13.Ne2 Nxe2+ 14.Qxe2 , F.Cruz Ravina-D.Larino Nieto, Malaga 2009, and now Bc6 looks pleasant for Black ) 9.f4 exf4 10.Bxf4 Ng4 11.Qd2 Be6 12.Nf3 Nd4 13.Kh1 178

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Qd7 14.Ng5 h6 15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.Bh3 h5 with a complicated position and chances for both sides, S.Mamedyarov-B.Gelfand, Wijk aan Zee 2008. ] [ b) 8.Nh4 e5 ( 8...Rb8 is fine too ) 9.Bd2 ( or 9.f4 exf4 10.Bxf4 h6 11.Bd2 Nd4 12.Kh1 Bg4 13.Qc1 Kh7 and Black is comfortable, V. Malaniuk-M.Chiburdanidze, Baku 1979 ) 9...Rb8 10.Qc1 Nd4 11.Kh1 b5 12.Bg5 Qd7 13.Qd2 Bb7 14.Rae1?! b4 15.Nd5? Nxd5 16.exd5 f6 17.Be3 g5 18.Nf3 Bxd5 saw Black a pawn up on the way towards the win, M.Sadler-D.Hausrath, Dutch League 2001. ] [ c) 8.Be3 A) 8...Ng4 9.Bd2 Nf6!? ( 9...Nge5 keeps the game going, c.f. line 'd' below ) 10.Be3 Ng4 11.Bd2 Nf6 is one way to agree a quick draw, G.Guseinov-Rau.Mamedov, World Blitz Championship, Berlin 2015.; B) Here 8...Rb8 will likely transpose to our main line after 9.h3 ( or 9.a4 . )] [ d) 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bd2 ( or 9.Be3 Ng4 10.Bd2 Nge5 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.Be3 b6 13.Qd2 Kh7 14.f4 exf4 15.gxf4 Bb7 16.f5 Ne5 17.Bh3 e6 18.fxe6 fxe6 19.Rxf8 Qxf8 20.Qg2 Qe7 and despite an inferior pawn structure, I prefer Black's position because of the well-placed knight on e5 and weak squares in White's camp, P. Peelen-O.Reeh, Amstelveen 1994 ) 9...e5 ( as usual there is nothing wrong with 9...Rb8 ) 10.a3 Be6 11.Rb1 a5 12.a4 d5 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Nxd5 Bxd5 15.Be3 c4 16.dxc4 Bxc4 17.Qxd8 Rfxd8 18.Rfd1 and although my computer assesses this as close to equal, I think White's position is somewhat

preferable, or at least easier to play, as proved to be the case in B. Spassky-M.Tal, Tbilisi (10th matchgame) 1965. ] [ e) 8.Re1 has ideas of e4-e5, which Black can answer by Bg4 ( or 8...e5 9.Nd2 Rb8 10.a4 a6 11.Nc4 b5 12.axb5 axb5 13.Ne3 b4 14.Ncd5 Nxd5 15.Nxd5 Be6 16.Be3 Ne7 17.Ra7 Bxd5 18.exd5 Nf5 and Black is fine, W.Hug-S.Gligoric, European Team Championship, Bath 1973 ) 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Bxf3 Nd7 ( after 10...Rb8 11.Bg2 b5 12.a3 Nd7?! 13.e5! Nd4 14.exd6 exd6 15.Nd5 Nb6 16.Ne7+ Kh8 , V.Kramnik-V. Anand, Moscow rapid 1994, then 17.c3! Re8 18.Bg5 f6 19.cxd4 Rxe7 20.Bf4 gives White good play, whether or not Black takes the pawn ) 11.Be3 b5 12.Ne2 Bxb2 13.Rb1 Bg7 14.d4 cxd4 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Bxd4 17.Qxd4 a6 left Black a pawn up in A.Grashuis-E. L'Ami, Vlissingen 2011. ] 8...Rb8 [ Once again, 8...e5 is a sensible alternative; e.g. 9.Be3 Nd4 10.Kh2 b5 ( or 10...b6 11.Qd2 Qd7 12.Nh4 Bb7 13.a4 d5 and Black's position already looks very pleasant, L.GalegoA.P.Santos, Portuguese Championship, Lisbon 2002 ) 11.a3 Bd7 12.Ne2 a5 13.c3 Nxe2 14.Qxe2 Qe7 15.Nd2 Bc6 16.b4 axb4 17.axb4 cxb4 18.cxb4 Qe6 19.Rfc1 Rxa1 20.Rxa1 Ra8 21.Rxa8+ Bxa8 22.Qd1 d5 and even Smyslov at his peak was unable to make any impression on Black's defences, V.Smyslov-O. Moisieev, USSR Championship, Moscow 1951. ] 9.a4 As in Chapter Eight, White has the choice between advancing the a-pawn 179

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen or allowing Black to play ...b7-b5 undisturbed. There seems to be no consensus as to which is better since each is played with equal frequency, but I would personally prefer the former; White's attack is not so strong that Black's counterplay can simply be ignored. [ Here are a few examples of White doing so: 9.Be3 b5 10.Qd2 ( it is not too late for 10.a3 a5 11.Qd2 b4 12.axb4 axb4 , transposing to the next note; whereas 10.e5?! dxe5 11.Bxc5 b4 12.Ne4?! Nxe4 13.dxe4 Qa5 14.Be3 Ba6 15.Re1 Rfd8 16.Qc1 Nd4 is good for Black, A.Reinhard-R.J. Fischer, Bay City 1963 ) 10...b4 11.Ne2 ( or 11.Nd1 Ba6 12.Bh6 c4 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.dxc4 Bxc4 15.Re1 Qa5 16.Ne3 Be6 17.Ng5 Qe5 18.f4 Qc5 19.Qf2 Rb5 20.Rac1 Bd7 21.Nd1 Rc8 22.Nf3 e5 and Black has the initiative, A.Morozevich-L. McShane, Biel 2004 ) 11...Nd7 ( or 11...a5 12.Bh6 e5 13.g4 c4 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.dxc4 Nxe4 16.Qd5?! f5 17.gxf5 gxf5 18.Ng3 Ne7 19.Qd1 Ng6 with strong play for Black, P.Paneque-J.Becerra Rivero, Havana 1994 ) 12.Rab1 Qa5 13.Nc1 Ba6 14.Bh6 c4 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.dxc4 Bxc4 17.Rd1 Rfc8 18.Nh2 Be6 19.b3 Rb5 20.Nf1 Nf6 and again Black has the better chances, M.Lazic-A.Huzman, Belgrade 1988. ] 9...b6 QUESTION: What's this? Is that all it takes to stop the b-pawn from advancing two squares? Can't Black just play ...a7-a6 and then follow up with ... b7-b5 anyway? ANSWER: Let's take the questions in bite-sized morsels. No, White's 9 a4 doesn't prevent Black from playing ...b7-

b5, who can indeed prepare it by playing ...a7-a6 first. Then again, White's a2-a4 also left a weakness behind, the b4square, which might come in handy; and instead of pushing the b-pawn further, Black can open the centre with ...d6-d5, reaching a version of the King's Indian Fianchetto with colours reversed. [ But to return to your question about 9...a6 , in fact Black does more often play this way, so let's have a look at it: 10.Be3 b5 ( or 10...e5!? first ) 11.axb5 axb5 12.Qd2 ( 12.e5 is an idea we know from the English Opening, but it isn't very dangerous with colours reversed; e.g. dxe5 13.Bxc5 Qc7 14.Re1 b4 15.Na4 Rd8 16.Nd2 Nd4 17.Nc4 Nd5 18.Bxd4 exd4 19.b3 Bb7 20.Qd2 e5 and Black has a perfectly satisfactory position, E.Mednis-R.J. Fischer, US Championship, New York 1958 ) 12...b4 13.Nd1 ( or 13.Ne2 Bb7 14.Bh6 Ra8 15.Rab1 e6 16.Rfe1 Qc7 17.Qe3 Rfe8 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.g4 Nd7 20.Ng3 Ra2 21.c3 Nce5 22.cxb4 cxb4 23.d4 Nxf3+ 24.Bxf3 Qb6 and the chances are more or less even, E.Inarkiev-L.Van Wely, Russian Team Championship 2008 ) 13...Re8 ( or 13...Bb7 14.Bh6 Ra8 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Ne3 Rxa1 17.Rxa1 Qc7 18.c3 Ra8 19.Rxa8 Bxa8 20.Nd5 and the players agreed a draw in V.Zvjaginsev-A.Dreev, Krasnoyarsk 2007 ) 14.Kh2 c4 15.Bh6 Bxh6 16.Qxh6 cxd3 17.Ng5!? dxc2 18.Ne3 Nd4 19.f4? ( 19.Nd5 is the correct continuation, leading to equality ) 19...Ne6 20.e5 dxe5 21.Nxf7 , Ale.Moreno-A.Blanco Gramajo, Pinar del Rio 1995, and now the computer shows that Qd2! would have refuted White's attack. ] 180

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 10.Be3 Bb7 11.Qd2 [ Another option is to start with 11.Nh4 , clearing the path for the f-pawn, though after e5 12.Qd2 Nd4 13.Bg5 Ne6 14.Bh6 d5 15.Bxg7 Nxg7 , White was yet to push it and Black was doing fine, A.Kogan-G.Arsovic, Serbian Championship, Sabac 1998. ] 11...Re8 Safeguarding the dark-squared bishop from exchange. [ The immediate central counterpunch 11...d5 has also been tried; e. g. 12.Bf4 dxe4 13.dxe4 Qxd2 14.Nxd2 Rbd8 15.Rfd1 , T.Markowski-J.Polgar, Oviedo (rapid) 1993, and now Nd4 16.Rac1 Rd7 , followed by ...Rfd8, looks more than comfortable for Black. ] 12.Bh6 Bh8 13.Ng5 Nd4 14.f4 e6 [ Again 14...d5!? comes into consideration; e.g. 15.g4 ( or 15.f5 dxe4 16.dxe4 Qc7; and not 15.e5? due to Nf5! ) 15...dxe4 16.dxe4 Nxg4 17.hxg4 f6 and the knight cannot withdraw from g5 in view of ...Nf3+, winning the queen. ] 15.g4 [ It might be worth throwing in 15.Nb5!? at once, aiming to remove the strong knight from d4, while capturing on b5 would leave White with a backward pawn on an open file. ] 15...Nd7 16.f5 White's kingside attack is gaining pace so Black needs now to play precisely, which he unfortunately fails to do in the game. 16...Ne5 [ Opening the e-file with 16...exf5 is a more active defence: 17.gxf5 ( or 17.exf5 Ne5 18.Bxb7 Rxb7 19.Qg2 d5! 20.Nxd5 Rd7 21.Nf4 c4 and Black gains full compensation for the pawn due to his perfectly centralized pieces ) 17...gxf5 18.exf5 d5! (Black doesn't want a white knight

on d5 while the pawn is still on d6) 19.Bxd5 ( not 19.Nxd5?? Ne2+ 20.Kh2 Be5+ 21.Nf4 Qf6 and Black is winning ) 19...Bxd5 20.Nxd5 and now my computer spits out a long and entertaining variation, that I must share with you: Re2! 21.Qf4 Be5 22.Qg4 Bh2+ 23.Kh1 Ne5 24.Nf6+ ( or 24.Qh4 Qxd5+ 25.Ne4 Ng6 26.fxg6 hxg6 27.c3 Be5! 28.cxd4 Rh2+ 29.Kg1 Qxd4+ and so on ) 24...Qxf6 25.Ne4+ Nxg4 26.Nxf6+ Nxf6 27.Rg1+ Bxg1 28.Rxg1+ Kh8 29.Bg7+ Kg8 30.Bh6+ with a draw by perpetual check. ] 17.Nb5!? With the same ideas as in the note at move fifteen. 17...Ndc6?! [ Here Black should definitely give preference to 17...exf5! 18.gxf5 d5 , when 19.Nxd4 cxd4 20.exd5 ( or 20.Qf4 Qd7 ) 20...Bxd5 21.Rae1 Rc8 22.Bxd5 Qxd5 23.Ne4 Nd7 leaves White with next to nothing. ] 18.Qf2 Threatening to win directly with Qh4 and Bg7 etc. 18...a6?! [ It was essential to cover f7 with 18...Qe7 . White is clearly better after 19.f6 Qd8 20.c3! a6 21.Qh4 Bxf6 22.Nxd6 Bxg5 23.Qxg5 Qxg5 24.Bxg5 Rf8 25.Rad1 , but then h6! 26.Bf6 ( or 26.Bxh6 Rfd8 ) 26...Nd7 at least keeps Black in the game. ] 19.fxg6 fxg6 20.Nf7 Qd7 21.Nbxd6 Ba8?? After this final mistake the game is essentially over; Black will end up the exchange and a pawn down. [ He had to play 21...Nxf7 22.Qxf7+ Qxf7 23.Rxf7 Ba8 24.Rf4 , even if it sucks for Black. ] 22.Nxe5 Bxe5 23.Nxe8 Qxe8 24.c3 The rest of the game is close to irrelevant; Black might as well have resigned here. 24...Qe7 25.h4 Bd6 26.Bg5 Qc7 181

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 27.Qf6 Qd7 28.Bh6 Ne5 29.Bh3 Nxd3 30.g5 Bh2+ 31.Kxh2 Qd6+ 32.e5 1-0

Nfd4 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.Ne2 f6 18.Nxd4 Nxd4 19.c3 fxe5 20.fxe5 Bxe5 21.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 22.cxd4 Qxd4+ 23.Kh1 with good play for the pawn in view of Black's vulnerable king, V.Smyslov-I.Boleslavsky, B26 Voronovo 1952 ) 9.Nd5 Nd4 ( 9...e6 Garcia Padron,J 10.Ne3 Nge7 11.f5 seems more Baron Rodriguez,J promising for White ) 10.f5 gxf5 55: Spanish League 2013 11.Nxd4 Bxd4+ 12.Be3 e6 [Carsten Hansen] ( 12...Bxb2!? 13.Rb1 Be5 looks perfectly acceptable too ) 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 13.Bxd4 cxd4 14.Nf4 Nf6 15.exf5 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Nge2 So we reach the e5 16.Qe2 0-0 and Black is fine, H. last of the three destinations for the Simonian-V.Belikov, Alushta 2008. ] knight, and the most important, since [ c) 6...e5 is similar to lines White may have already put the knight considered elsewhere unless White on e2 – as was indeed the case in the opts for an early Nd5; e.g. 7.0-0 current game, which saw 3 Nge2 d6 4 ( here 7.Be3 transposes directly to g3 g6 5 Bg2 Bg7 6 0-0 e6 7 d3 etc. Game 7; while Spassky has used 6...e6 As with 6 Be3 and 6 f4, this 7.Nd5!? to make several more short flexible pawn move is Black's most draws, e.g. Nge7 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bf6 popular response. 0-0 10.Nec3 Bxf6 11.Nxf6+ Kg7 [ The main alternative is 6...Nf6 12.Nfd5 Nxd5 13.Nxd5 Ne7 14.Ne3 , which we will examine in Games 56 f5 15.exf5 Nxf5 16.0-0 Nxe3 and 57. ] 17.fxe3 Rxf1+ 18.Qxf1 Be6 [ In the meantime, we should have a ½-½ B.Spassky-L.Christiansen, brief look at Black's other possibilities Linares 1985; and 7.h4 h6 8.Nd5 as well. doesn't really improve on this at all ) a) 6...h5!? is quite tempting, after 7...Nge7 8.f4 0-0 9.Nd5 ( for 9.Be3 which 7.h3 e5 8.Be3 Nge7 9.Qd2 see Game 7 again ) 9...Nxd5 10.exd5 looks like best play for both sides, Ne7 11.c4 ( or 11.Nc3 Qb6 ) transposing to Game 27. ] 11...Nf5 12.Rb1 Re8 13.fxe5 Bxe5 [ b) 6...Rb8 7.0-0 b5 ( 7...Nf6 8.f4 14.a3 a5 15.Bd2 a4 16.Be4 Bd7 0-0 9.h3 transposes to 6...Nf6 lines; 17.Qc1 b5! and Black took over the while 7...e6 8.Be3 Nd4 9.Qd2 Ne7 initiative, C.Schrِder-K.Podzielny, features in the notes to Game 13 ) 8.f4 German League 1990. ] ( 8.a3 led to a quick draw in B. 7.0-0 Nge7 8.Be3 Spassky-V.Korchnoi, World Team [ White has other options here: Championship, Lucerne 1985: e6 a) 8.a3 0-0 9.Rb1 and 10 b4 will 9.Be3 Nge7 10.b4 cxb4 11.axb4 a6 likely transpose (e.g. after b6 10.b4 12.Rb1 0-0 13.Qd2 ½-½ ) 8...b4 ) to Murey's variation examined in the ( 8...e6 can be met by 9.e5! d5 notes to Game 58. ] 10.Be3 Qb6 11.a4 a6 12.axb5 axb5 [ b) 8.f4 0-0 9.g4 ( for 9.Be3 Nd4 13.Bf2 Nge7 14.Nc1 Nf5 15.Nb3 10.Qd2 see below ) 9...f5 is no more 182

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen impressive for White than Game 29; for example, 10.gxf5 exf5 11.Ng3 Nd4 12.Nce2 fxe4 13.dxe4 Bg4 14.c3 Nxe2+ 15.Nxe2 Qd7 16.Qb3+ d5 17.Ng3 c4 18.Qa3 d4 and Black has at least equalized, R. Hoen-D.Byrne, Tel Aviv Olympiad 1964. ] [ c) 8.Bg5!? is an attempt to give this line independent significance, though it should not really trouble Black: h6 ( or just 8...0-0 9.Qd2 Nd4 10.Nxd4 cxd4 11.Ne2 e5 12.c3 f6 13.Bh6 dxc3 14.bxc3 Bxh6 15.Qxh6 Be6 16.c4 Qd7 17.a4 f5 and White soon offered a draw, B.Spassky-U. Andersson, Reykjavik 1988 ) 9.Be3 Nd4 10.Qd2 (preventing Black from castling for the moment) Rb8 ( or 10...Nec6 11.Rab1 Rb8 12.a3 b6 13.b4 Bb7 14.f4 f5 15.bxc5 dxc5 16.e5 0-0 and Black is solid enough, S.Hemant-G.Gopal, Kolkata 2015 ) 11.Rab1 b6 12.b4 Bb7 13.bxc5 dxc5 14.g4?! ( 14.a4 is preferable ) 14...Qd7 15.h3 f5! 16.gxf5 gxf5 17.Nf4? Rg8 18.Kh1 e5 19.Nfd5 f4 20.Bxf4 exf4 21.Qxf4 Rc8 and Black should win, H.Westerinen-J. Gomez Esteban, Ceuta 1993. ] 8...Nd4 [ It's interesting to note 8...Qb6!? 9.Rb1 a5 10.Qd2 0-0 11.a3 Bd7 12.Bh6 Nd4 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Nxd4 cxd4 15.Ne2 Bb5 16.b4 Nc6 17.f4 axb4 18.axb4 e5 19.Kh1 Ra2 20.f5 f6 21.fxg6 hxg6 22.Bh3 Nd8 , when Black has a decent position with a quite modern appearance, as in L.Paulsen-A.Anderssen, 6th matchgame, London 1862, the first recorded game with the Closed Sicilian. ] 9.Rb1 QUESTION: What exactly is going on? Does White put the rook on

b1 so that he can recapture with the knight if Black exchanges on e2? It seems a little artificial. ANSWER: No, White has a different idea in mind, which you will see in what follows. Nevertheless, 9 Qd2 and 9 f4 are the "normal" continuations, so let's look at those too. [ a) 9.f4 0-0 A) Here 10.Rb1 is covered in the main line.; B) 10.Qd2 Rb8 ( or 10...f5!? , stopping White's plans of an immediate kingside attack: 11.Nd1 Qc7 12.c3 Nxe2+ 13.Qxe2 Bd7 14.Nf2 Rae8 15.Qd2 b6 16.Rad1 Bc6 17.Rfe1 Qb7 and Black has reason to be dissatisfied with the outcome of the opening, J.Ost Hansen-R.Bellin, Winterthur 1974 ) 11.Nd1 ( as usual 11.g4 is a bit optimistic and should not worry Black unduly: f5 12.gxf5 exf5 13.Ng3 Be6 14.Nd1 Qd7 15.c3 Ndc6 16.Nf2 b6 17.Qe2 d5 and Black is doing fine, P.Blatny-G. Shahade, New York 2001 ) 11...b5 12.c3 Nxe2+ 13.Qxe2 b4 14.c4 ( or 14.d4 bxc3 15.bxc3 cxd4 16.cxd4 Qa5 17.Rf2 Ba6 18.Qd2 Qa3 19.Rc1 Rfc8 and Black dominates on the queenside, F. Erwich-Ta.Horvath, Haarlem 1996 ) 14...Nc6 15.Nf2 Nd4 16.Qd2 Bb7 17.Kh1 f5 18.Rae1 Qa5 19.b3 Qc7 and Black has a very pleasant game, S.Maze-A.L'Ami, Reykjavik 2013.; C) Instead, 10.Bf2 prepares to exchange knights now that a pawn fork is avoided, but Black can reinforce the outpost with his second knight: 10...Nec6 11.Rb1 Rb8 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 ( or even 12...cxd4!? 13.Ne2 e5 14.h3 Be6 183

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 15.c4 b5 16.f5 Bd7 17.g4 Bh6 18.h4 f6 and Black's flexible set-up on the kingside will make it difficult for White to break through, whereas the queenside is likely to cause White headaches, J.Barle-A. Kovacevic, Pula 2010 ) 13.Ne2 b6 14.c3 Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2 Bb7 with equality, J.L.Roos-L.Cserna, West Berlin 1984. ] [ b) 9.Qd2 0-0 ( or 9...Qa5!? , preventing Nd1, when 10.Nd1 Bd7 11.Rc1 0-0 12.Bh6 e5 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Nxd4 cxd4 15.c4 f6 16.Rb1 b5 saw Black taking over the initiative, J.Babb-S.Shipov, Winnipeg 2005 ) A) 10.f4 transposes to 9 f4 lines above.; B) 10.Rae1 Rb8 11.Nd1 b6 12.Nc1 d5 13.c3 Ndc6 14.Bh6 dxe4 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Bxe4 Bb7 17.Ne3 Qc7 and Black has equalized rather effortlessly, N. Short-P.Leko, Wijk aan Zee 2000.; C) 10.Nd1 Nxe2+ ( or 10...b6 11.c3 Nxe2+ 12.Qxe2 Bb7 13.d4 cxd4 14.Bxd4 e5 15.Be3 d5 16.exd5 Bxd5 17.Bxd5 Qxd5 and Black has every reason to be happy with the outcome of the opening, A.Herzog-S.Kindermann, Austrian League 2000 ) 11.Qxe2 b6 12.h4 Bb7 13.h5 Qd7 14.Bg5 Rae8 15.c3 f6 16.Bd2 f5 17.Ne3 d5 18.Rad1 Qb5 19.a4 Qd7 20.Rfe1 Bc6 with a complex position and chances for both sides, Mi.Adams-J.Timman, Wijk aan Zee 2002.; D) 10.Nc1 Rb8 ( or 10...e5!? 11.f4 f5 12.Nd5 Rb8 13.c3 Ndc6 14.fxe5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Nxe5 16.Ne2 b5 17.Nf4 Qf6 and Black is probably within reach

of equality, although I prefer White's position for some reason, J. Alonso Moyano-P.Garcia Castro, Spanish League 2015 ) 11.Nd1 b5 12.c3 Ndc6 13.d4 ( or 13.a3 a5 14.Ne2 b4 15.axb4 axb4 16.Bh6 Na5 17.Nc1 bxc3 18.bxc3 Nb3 19.Nxb3 Rxb3 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 and a draw was agreed, S.Drazic-A. Kovacevic, Rijeka 2009 ) 13...c4 ( 13...Ba6!? 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.Qxd8 Rfxd8 16.Bxc5 b4 gives Black decent play for the pawn ) 14.Bh6 e5?! ( and here 14...Bxh6 15.Qxh6 f5 might improve ) 15.d5 Na5 16.b4! cxb3 17.axb3 Bxh6 18.Qxh6 give White a strong initiative in L. McShane-S.Karjakin, online blitz 2004. ] 9...0-0 [ Here 9...Nec6 , preventing b2-b4, is a logical and frequently played alternative. For example, 10.Qd2 ( 10.a3!? , preparing b2-b4 again, is worth a thought, and if a5 then 11.a4!? , claiming the b5-square, though Black should be safe enough ) 10...0-0 11.Nc1 b6 12.Nd1 e5 13.c3 Ne6 14.f4 Nc7 15.Ne2 d5 16.f5 d4 17.cxd4 Nxd4 18.Nxd4 cxd4 19.Bh6 Ne8 20.Nf2 Nf6 and the chances are about even, objectively speaking, even if I would probably prefer White's position, Ni Hua-Ye Jiangchuan, FIDE World Championship, Tripoli 2004. ] 10.b4 This is the key idea behind White's ninth move. QUESTION: I'm not sure I understand why this is something we would even consider. ANSWER: The attack on the kingside, while a wonderful idea, does not always work, and it is even less likely to 184

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen succeed here as the knight on e2 is rather in the way. So instead White opens up the b-file, while eroding the protection for Black's knight on d4. QUESTION: So does that mean that White is better in this line? ANSWER: No, not at all, but it poses different problems and takes the game in an entirely different direction than Black may be used to in the Closed Sicilian. [ a) White can also prepare the b2-b4 push with 10.a3 Rb8 A) 11.b4 b6 12.Qd2 Bb7 13.Rfc1 Qd7 14.Bh6 Bxh6 15.Qxh6 f5 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.Ne2 e5 and Black should not have many issues, L.Galego-E.Pupo, Cienfuegos 1997. ( 17...-- ); B) Or 11.Qd2 b6 ; ( rather than 11...b5!? 12.b4 a6 13.Rfc1 Re8 14.Bh6 Bh8 15.Nd1 Bb7 16.c3 Nxe2+ 17.Qxe2 , when White has a certain initiative, S.Maus-M. Borriss, German League 1993. )] [ b) 10.f4 Rb8 11.b4 is also possible: cxb4 ( or 11...b6 again; but not 11...b5?! 12.bxc5 dxc5 13.e5 Bb7 14.Bxb7 Rxb7 15.Ne4! and Black has serious problems with the queenside pawns, S.Galdunts-T. Nalbandian, Voskresensk 1993 ) 12.Rxb4 Ndc6 13.Rb1 b6 14.Nb5 a6 15.Na3 d5 16.c4 Qd6 17.Nc2 dxc4 18.dxc4 Qc7 and chances are probably fairly even, since White has more space but the c4-pawn is weak, S.Galdunts-E.Tangborn, St Ingbert 1991. ] 10...Nec6 [ That the position is roughly equal is shown by the fact that Black has several playable options here: a) 10...b6 11.e5 Nd5! A) 12.exd6 Nxe2+ 13.Nxe2 cxb4

14.Bd2 a5 15.a3 Ra7 16.axb4 Nxb4 17.Bxb4 axb4 18.Qd2 Qxd6 and Black is at least no worse, B. Spassky-M.Chandler, German League 1987. ( 18...-- ); B) After 12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Bxd4 ( and 13.Bxd5 Bh3 14.Re1 dxe5 15.Bxa8?? Qxa8 wins at once ) 13...cxd4 14.Nxd4 Bb7 , Black has good play with the bishop pair. ] [ b) 10...Nxe2+ 11.Nxe2 cxb4 12.Rxb4 d5 ( or 12...b6 ) 13.c4 dxc4 14.Rxc4 b6 15.Ra4 Bd7 16.Ra3 Nc6 and Black has no problems, H. Westerinen-D.Komljenovic, Benasque 1993. ] [ c) 10...cxb4 11.Nxd4 bxc3 is also possible; e.g. 12.f4 Qa5 13.Qe1 d5 14.e5 f6 with chances for both sides. ] 11.a3 Rb8 12.Qd2 b6 Reinforcing the queenside is the safest option. [ As we saw above, counter-punching with ...b7-b5 isn't always without consequences, and Black needs to be careful here too; for example, after 12...b5 13.f4 cxb4 14.axb4 Bb7 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Nd1 Rc8 17.c3 Nc6 18.f5 Re8 19.d4 , White has a useful initiative, M.LyellA.Boruchovsky, Douglas 2015. ] 13.f4 f5 QUESTION: It seems like both players are playing on both flanks. Is that advisable? ANSWER: Play where you are strongest is the standard rule, but in this case it is unclear where either player has the advantage, so playing on both sides of the board seems perfectly okay. Here Black makes a pre-emptive strike, staking his claim to some kingside territory before the battle continues. 14.Nc1 cxb4!? Black breaks formation to challenge White on the queenside 185

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen and perhaps create a passed pawn. [ Otherwise, Black could just sit tight with, say, 14...Bb7 ] [ or 14...Qc7 , when the game remains in the balance. ] 15.axb4 a5 16.N3a2 axb4?! There is no call to resolve the tension on the left flank. [ 16...fxe4! is preferable; for example, 17.b5 ( both 17.dxe4 Ba6 18.Rd1 Qc7; and 17.Bxe4 d5 18.Bg2 Qc7 are fine for Black; while 17.bxa5 Nf5 18.Bxb6 is met by Bd4+! 19.Kh1 e3 20.Qe1 Bxb6 21.axb6 Rxb6 and Black is in command of the game ) 17...Na7 18.dxe4 Naxb5 19.c3 Na3 20.cxd4 Nxb1 21.Qd3 b5 22.Ne2 Na3 23.Qxa3 b4 24.Qb2 leaves a position that is difficult to assess: White has two knights for rook and pawn, but Black's two connected passed pawns can easily cause headaches for White. ] 17.Nxb4 [ In similar fashion, White might do better to insert 17.exf5 , when Rxf5 18.Nxb4 Qc7 19.Nxc6 Nxc6 20.Ne2 Ra5 21.c4 offers him somewhat better chances. ] 17...Nxb4 18.Rxb4 Nc6 19.Rb1 fxe4 20.dxe4 Ba6? Black mixes up his move order; [ he should play 20...Na5! 21.Qb4 and only then Ba6 22.Rd1 Nc4 23.Bf2 Qc8 , when he looks to have everything covered. ] 21.Rd1 Na5 22.Bh3! Now Black faces definite problems as his b-, d- and epawns are all vulnerable. 22...Qc8 23.Bd4 Presumably trying to keep control of the position; [ whereas after 23.Qxd6 Re8 24.Bf2 Nc4 25.Qd7 Qxd7 26.Rxd7 e5! and something like 27.Bg2 exf4 28.gxf4 Rbd8 29.Rxd8 Rxd8 30.Nd3

Bc3 , Black limits losses to a single pawn and his active pieces offer him reasonable drawing chances. ] 23...Nc4 24.Qc3 Rf7?! This is probably the wrong rook. [ 24...Rb7 looks more accurate, intending 25.Nd3 Bxd4+ 26.Qxd4 Rc7 27.Nb2 ( or 27.Nf2 Rff7 28.Ng4 Qf8 ) 27...Re8 28.Nxc4 Rxc4 29.Qxb6 Rc6 and Black may yet survive. ] Open positions such as this, with tactical possibilities across the whole board, can be very difficult for humans to handle, especially when short of time as was likely the case here. Computers, on the other hand, are in their element and duly rip the rest of the game to shreds. I will point out the main issues but not dive too much into the thinking behind the moves, because I doubt the players had much time for reflection. 25.Ra1? [ To begin with 25.Bxg7 Rxg7 26.Nb3! , threatening both Qf6 and Nd4, promises White a clear advantage. ] 25...Bb5? The bishop is very vulnerable on b5; [ whereas after 25...Bb7 , Black seems to be doing more or less okay. ] 26.Nb3? [ Exchanging on g7 is even stronger now: 26.Bxg7 Rxg7 27.Nb3 Re7 28.Qb4 and Black's position is creaking at the seams. ] 26...Kh8?? A hideous move. [ After 26...Bf8! 27.Nd2 Nxd2 28.Qxc8 Nf3+ 29.Kg2 Rxc8 30.Kxf3 Re8 , White has no more than a slight advantage in the endgame. ] 27.Qb4? [ Here 27.Bxg7+! Rxg7 28.Ra7 leaves Black's position on the verge 186

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen of collapsing. ] 27...Ba6? [ The bishop belongs on d7, though 27...Bd7 28.Bxg7+ Rxg7 29.Ra7 still looks pretty bad for Black. ] 28.Bxg7+ Good enough, even if it's not the best this time. [ 28.Rxa6! Qxa6 29.Bxe6 is game over; e.g. Rc7 30.Bxg7+ Kxg7 31.Qc3+ Kh6 32.g4 and Black has no good defence to g4g5+ and Qh3 mate. ] 28...Kxg7 29.Nd4 Ne3 30.Re1 Qc5? 31.c3? [ Here 31.Nxe6+ looks quite enticing. ] 31...Nc4 32.Rxa6 e5 . Black either finally resigned or, more likely, lost on time. At least we were spared further lemons from each side.

recommended in several repertoire books, albeit not necessarily with the same continuation in mind. Notice that the positions bear a close resemblance to those after 6 Be3 Nf6 7 h3 Chapter Four, so here we will just consider lines where White avoids, or at least defers, developing the c1-bishop to e3. 7.0-0 [ The game actually saw 7.h3 Rb8 ( while 7...0-0 8.Be3 transposes directly to Game 20 ) 8.f4 ( via this move order, 8.Be3 (which has been tested by Russian super-GM Rublevsky) b5 9.Qd2 b4 10.Nd1 0-0 11.0-0 reaches a position examined in the notes to Game 19 ) 8...0-0 ( not 8...b5? 9.e5 ) 9.0-0 and so on. ] 7...0-0 8.h3 Since h2-h3 is useful with either Be3 or f2-f4, it makes sense to play it first and maintain White's options. B25 8...Rb8 Grigoryan,K [ Other moves will generally transpose Gomez Garrido,C below after 9 f4 Rb8, although each 56: Barbera del Valles 2015 side can aim for independent play; [Carsten Hansen] for example: a) 8...Ne8 9.f4 Nc7 ( if 9...f5 10.Be3 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nd4 11.Rb1 a5 12.a4 Nc7 13.exf5 [ The move order in the game was gxf5 14.Kh2 Rb8 , I.Smirin-A. 2.Ne2 d6 3.Nbc3 Nf6 4.g3 g6 Huzman, Pula 2000, then 15.Bg1 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.d3 Nc6 , reaching the , intending Nxd4, seems somewhat first diagram below. An early Ne2 is better for White ) 10.a4 Rb8 11.Be3 mostly used to try and tease Black Nd4 12.Bf2 Nxe2+ 13.Qxe2 Ne6 away from a favourite set-up in the 14.Qd1 b6 15.Ra2 Nd4 16.Nd5 open Sicilian, with White then Nc6 17.c3 f5 should be about even, throwing in d2-d4 after all. The main Wang Yue-A.Giri, Tromsّ Olympiad drawback, if we intend to stick with 2014. ] the Closed, is that White is committed [ b) 8...Nd7 9.Bg5!? ( or 9.f4 b6 to playing lines with the knight on e2, 10.g4 Bb7 11.Ng3 e6 12.Nce2 Qc7 which are not to everybody's taste, 13.c3 f5 , L.Kritz-Le Quang Liem, even if Spassky used to play them all Lubbock 2013, when 14.exf5 gxf5 the time. ] 15.gxf5 exf5 16.Nh5 and Neg3 looks 2...Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 best, even if no more than equal ) 6.Nge2 Nf6 This move has been 9...Nd4 10.Qd2 Ne5 11.f4 Nec6 187

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 12.f5 Nxe2+ 13.Qxe2 Nd4 14.Qd2 gxf5 15.Nd5 f6 16.Be3 fxe4 17.dxe4 Nc6 and I'm not sure how to assess this position, in view of the peculiar pawn structure for both sides, M.Tal-A.Petrosian, Riga 1981. ] [ c) 8...Bd7 9.f4 ( or 9.g4 Ne8 10.Ng3 Nc7 11.f4 e5?! 12.f5 f6 13.h4 and White had an almost unopposed initiative, L.Kubbel-A. Mikhailov, Moscow 1931 ) 9...Qc8 10.Kh2 Rb8 11.a4 Nb4 12.g4 Qc7 13.Ng3 Rbd8 14.f5 Bc6 15.Nb5 Qb8 16.c3 Na6 17.Bf4 Nd7 18.d4 saw White gaining ground across the whole board, I.Starostits-J.Diekmann, Assisi 2003. ] [ d) 8...e5!? 9.f4 ( 9.Be3 transposes to Game 20 ) 9...exf4 10.Nxf4 Rb8 11.Be3 b5 12.Qd2 b4 13.Nd1 a5 14.Kh1 Be6 15.Ne2 Qc8 16.Kh2 Nd7 17.Bh6 Nde5 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Ne3 with chances for both sides, V. Panbukchian-V.Okhotnik, Malakoff 2009. ] 9.f4 This is the virtually the same as the main line of Chapter Eight, except that the white knight is placed less actively on e2. On the plus side, the g2-bishop remains unobstructed, which means that 9...b5? again runs into 10 e5!, winning material; so Black needs either to secure the c6-knight first or retreat the other one from f6. The text move is the most popular option; we will look at the latter in the next game. [ Again, 9.Be3 is seen in Game 19. ] 9...Bd7 Both Gallagher and Rogozenko recommend this solid move for Black, [ whereas Palliser prefers 9...Nd7 which we will examine in the next game; ] [ along with 9...Ne8 . ] 10.g4 [ And here 10.Be3 featured in the

notes to Game 22. ] 10...b5 11.Ng3 QUESTION: Where is the knight best placed? On e2, f3, h3 or somewhere else? ANSWER: It depends on the position, which sounds like a cop-out but is nevertheless the truth. From the g3square, the white knight supports the advance of the kingside pawns and makes way for its colleague to retreat; on the other hand, it clearly has no influence at all on the central dark squares. 11...b4 [ Given the comment in the previous note, sinking the knight into d4 also makes sense: 11...Nd4 12.f5 Bc6 ( or 12...Ne8 13.Nce2 e6 14.c3 Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2 b4 16.c4 Qh4 17.Qf2 Bd4 18.Be3 Be5 led to a draw by repetition, L.Kritz-K.Troff, Dallas 2014 ) 13.g5 Nd7 14.h4 c4 15.dxc4 Be5 16.cxb5 Nxb5 17.Nce2 Na3 18.c3 Nc4 19.b3 Qb6+ 20.Nd4!? (otherwise ...Ne3 follows) Bxg3 21.bxc4 Be5 22.Be3 Nc5 and Black should not be worse, B. Jobava-Z.Andriasian, European Championship, Legnica 2013. ] 12.Nce2 a5 [ Black has other options too: a) 12...Ne8 13.f5 Nc7 14.g5 Nd4 15.h4 Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 Nb5 17.Rb1 Qa5 18.f6!? with a sharp position where both players have their chances, S.Rublevsky-I.Kurnosov, World Blitz Championship, KhantyMansiysk 2013; if exf6 19.gxf6 Bxf6 20.Rxf6 Qxa2 , then 21.Qd2 Qxb1 22.h5 and 23 Qh6 gives White sufficient play for the exchange. ] [ b) 12...Qb6 13.Kh1 (the threat of ... c5-c4+ is real) Ne8 is an attractive alternative; e.g. 14.f5 Nc7 15.h4 Nd4 16.g5 Be5 17.Nxd4 cxd4 188

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 18.Bf4 Qc5 ( the immediate 18...a5!? , intending ...a5-a4 and ...b4-b3, looks better ) 19.Bh3 Bc6 20.Qd2 Bxf4 21.Rxf4 Qe5 22.Kh2 a5 ( or 22...d5 23.Re1 ) 23.h5 e6 24.Raf1 and White had a slight pull in Ba. Jobava-J.Duda, Wijk aan Zee 2014. ] 13.Rb1 [ Morozevich once tested 13.a4!? , which is somewhat counterintuitive, but after bxa3 14.Rxa3 Ne8 15.c3 Nc7 16.f5 Ra8 17.Nf4 Ne5 18.g5 Bc6 19.c4 Qb8 20.h4 a4 21.h5 Ra6 22.Rf2 Rb6 23.Nf1 Rb3 24.Ne3 , White had more-or-less contained Black's queenside counterplay and was quite ready to do bad things on the other flank, A. Morozevich-Z.Efimenko, European Cup, Rethymnon 2003. ] 13...Ne8 14.f5 Nd4 15.g5 Ba4!? Seeking to provoke a weakness in White's queenside, but this plan is rather slow. [ Either 15...Nc7 , followed by ...Ncb5 and ...a5-a4; ] [ or 15...a4 first, seems more to the point. ] 16.b3 Bc6 17.h4 a4 QUESTION: It looks like both sides are making progress, White on the kingside and Black on the queenside. Which is more dangerous or important? ANSWER: Both are equally important. With the enemy attack aimed at his king, Black would obviously prefer to break through on the queenside more quickly, in order to distract White from his ambitions on the kingside. Obviously if Black's defences are able to hold their own, he can be more patient on the queenside, but that is a fine balance to strike. Normally, I would recommend zeroing in on your target and then attacking with full force as soon as

possible. 18.h5 axb3 19.axb3 Ra8 QUESTION: Now Black claimed the a-file as well. Should White be worried? ANSWER: Not especially, since the afile is not very significant at the moment. QUESTION: Isn't a2 a penetration square? ANSWER: It is, but the rook can't achieve much there by itself. If we compare this position with that in Game 44, say, we can see that White is further forward on the kingside here, so Black needs first of all to neutralize the enemy attack. [ To that end 19...Nc7 suggests itself: 20.Bb2 ( or if 20.Be3 Ncb5 21.Qd2 , then Ra8 ) 20...Nxe2+ ( after 20...Ncb5 21.Nxd4 cxd4 22.Qg4 Bd7 23.hxg6 fxg6 24.Rf2 Be5 25.Rbf1 , things start to look a little uncomfortable for Black ) 21.Qxe2 Bxb2 22.Rxb2 Nb5 23.hxg6 fxg6 with a complex position and chances for both sides. ] 20.fxg6 hxg6 21.hxg6 fxg6? Allowing White to mobilize the e2-knight as well is a serious mistake. [ Black had to play 21...Nxe2+ 22.Nxe2 fxg6 23.Rxf8+ Kxf8 A) when 24.Nf4 Bd4+ 25.Kh1 Ng7 26.Qf3 ( not 26.Nxg6+?! Kf7 and 27...Qh8 ) 26...Kg8 27.Nxg6 Qe8 28.Nf4 Ra2 gives Black excellent compensation for the pawn.; B) White can try 24.d4 instead, when 24...Kg8 ( but after 24...Qc8 25.Be3 Qg4! 26.dxc5 Bxe4 27.Nf4 Qxd1+ 28.Rxd1 Kf7 , Black should expect to hold ) 25.Be3 cxd4 26.Nxd4 offers him a promising initiative. ] 22.Rxf8+ Bxf8 23.Nf4! Clearly Black's strategy has failed, since his play on the 189

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen queenside is no longer going anywhere, whereas White's kingside attack is beginning to make an impact. In fact, it is already difficult to see a defence for Black. 23...Bg7 [ Black cannot save the g-pawn with the king, since 23...Kh7 24.Nxg6 ( while building up with 24.Bb2; or 24.Qg4 is even stronger ) 24...Kxg6? 25.Qh5+ wins easily for White. ] 24.Nxg6 e6 25.Nh5?! Slightly too eager. [ Bringing the queen forward first with 25.Qh5! is more accurate; e.g. Ra5 ( or 25...Ra7 26.Bb2 Rf7 27.Qg4 Bd7 28.Nh5 e5 29.Qh4 , threatening Nxg7 etc ) 26.Be3 Nxc2 27.Rf1! Nxe3 ( or 27...Ra1 28.Bc1 ) 28.Rf8+! Bxf8 29.Qh8+ Kf7 30.Qxf8+ Kxg6 31.Qg8+ and White wins. ] 25...Ra2 [ Or 25...Ra7 26.Qg4 e5 27.Qh4 and Black is in real trouble; e.g. Qd7 28.Nf6+! Bxf6 29.gxf6 Qh7 30.Ne7+! Rxe7 31.Qg5+ and White should win. ] 26.Qg4 Rxc2 27.Be3 Nf5 [ 27...Nf5 a futile trick, hoping for 28.exf5?? Rxg2+ and Black wins. ] 28.Bf2!? This is good enough; [ but 28.Bh3! is absolutely devastating: Nxe3 29.Qxe6+ Kh7 30.Ne7 , threatening mate on g8. ] 28...Rxf2 Desperation, since everything loses at this point. 29.Kxf2 Bd4+ 30.Ke2 Qa8 [ Or 30...Neg7 31.Nxg7 Kxg7 32.exf5 exf5 33.Qxf5 Qe8+ 34.Be4 d5 and now 35.Qf8+! is simplest, leading to an easily winning endgame. ] 31.Rd1 Nc7 32.Nf6+ Kg7 33.Nf4 Nb5 34.Nxe6+ Kf7 35.Qxf5 Qa2+ 36.Kf1 Qc2 37.Qh7+ Kxe6 38.Bh3+

. And with mate on the next move, Black decided that this was enough. 1-0 B25 Jobava,Ba Cvitan,O 57: European Club Cup, Skopje [Carsten Hansen]

2015

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ This game too took a roundabout route, with first 2...d6 3.Nge2 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.d3 , and then Rb8 7.0-0 Nf6 8.f4 0-0 9.h3 , before finally reaching our main line. ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Nge2 Nf6 7.0-0 0-0 8.h3 Rb8 9.f4 Nd7 Seeing as White is planning to push the g-pawn, the knight will probably have to move in any case, and retreating it now enables Black to play ...b7-b5 without being hit by e4-e5. [ Sometimes Black opts to drop it back the other way with 9...Ne8 and then: A) 10.g4 b5 11.Ng3 b4 12.Nce2 a5 13.Rb1 a4 14.Be3 Be6!? 15.b3 ( 15.c4 is safer ) 15...axb3 16.axb3 Nc7 17.f5 Bd7 18.Qd2 Re8 19.Bh6 Bh8 20.Nh5?! ( 20.Rf2 is better ) 20...Nb5 21.fxg6 hxg6 22.Qg5 Ne5 23.Qh4 Ra8 24.Neg3 Nd4 25.Rf2 Ra2 and Black has made all the progress, while White's supposed attack is going nowhere, A.BurehallM.Tal, Stockholm 1961.; B) 10.f5 b5 ( 10...e6!? is also possible ) 11.g4 b4 12.Nd5 e6 13.Ndf4 Nd4 14.Kh1 Nc7 15.Rb1 d5 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.fxe6 fxe6 18.exd5 e5 19.Ne2 Rxf1+ 20.Qxf1 Bb7?! 21.Ng3?! ( 21.c4 190

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen is better, but Black could have taken on d5 last move ) 21...Nxd5 and Black regained the pawn with advantage, S.Conquest-S.Collins, British Championship, Edinburgh 2003.; C) 10.Be3 Nc7 ( or just 10...b5 since 11.e5 b4 is nothing to worry about; 10...Nd4 11.a4 Bd7 12.Bf2 Nc7 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Ne2 e5 15.c3 dxc3 16.bxc3 b6 17.d4 looks more promising for White, Al. Ivanov-D.Vigorito, US Championship, Tulsa 2008 ) 11.Qd2 b5 12.Rae1 b4 13.Nd1 Rb5!? 14.f5 Ra5 15.Nc1 Nb5 16.Bh6 Ne5 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Ne3 Ra4 19.fxg6 hxg6 ( 19...fxg6 looks safer ) 20.Nf5+! (this is worth at least a draw) gxf5 21.Qg5+ Kh7 22.exf5 ( or 22.Rf4!? Ng6 23.exf5 Nxf4 24.Rxe7! Bxf5! 25.gxf4 Qc8! ) 22...Rg8 23.Qh5+ Kg7 24.Bd5?? ( 24.Rf4 is correct ) 24...Rh8 and ½-½ M.Kuijf-F.Hellers, Groningen 1989, though the computer in fact claims that Black is now winning; e.g. 25.Qg5+ Kf8 26.f6 Rh7 and so on. ] 10.Kh2!? QUESTION: Why is White placing his king on h2 so soon? Is there something to be concerned about? ANSWER: I don't see anything, no, so the king move does indeed look a little odd. However, GM Jobava often plays the opening atypically, trying to force his opponents to think for themselves rather than necessarily obtain an advantage. [ Naturally, we should look at "normal" moves as well: a) 10.g4 b5 11.Ng3 b4 ( or 11...c4!? 12.Kh2 b4 13.Nce2 Qb6 14.d4 c3 15.bxc3 bxc3 16.Be3 e5 17.d5?! Qxe3 18.dxc6 , Z.Rahman-J.

Rowson, Dresden Olympiad 2008, and now exf4 19.Nxf4 Ne5 20.Qxd6 Rb2 21.Nd5 Qd2 sees Black doing well ) 12.Nce2 a5 13.Rb1 Nd4 14.f5 Nxe2+ 15.Nxe2 e6 ( or just 15...Ne5 ) 16.Bf4 Ne5 17.Qd2 exf5 18.exf5 gxf5 19.gxf5 Kh8 20.Bg5 ( or 20.Rbe1 Rg8 21.Ng3 Bb7 22.Bxb7 Rxb7 23.Kh1 Qh4 and Black should be fine ) 20...Bf6 21.Bxf6+ Qxf6 22.Qf4 Rg8 and I prefer Black's position at this stage, though he later went wrong and lost, L.Kritz-E.Alekseev, Biel 2006. ] [ b) 10.Be3 b5 11.Qd2 ( again 11.e5 is well met by b4 ; e.g. 12.Bxc6 bxc3 13.bxc3 dxe5 14.fxe5 Nxe5 15.Bg2 Bb7 16.Bxb7 Rxb7 17.Bxc5 , J.Barle-O.Cvitan, Vienna 2009, and now Qd5 gives Black excellent play for the pawn, as White's kingside looks like a volcanic crater ) 11...b4 12.Nd1 Nd4 13.Nxd4 ( or 13.Nc1 f5 14.c3 bxc3 15.bxc3 Ne6 16.exf5 gxf5 with chances for both sides, R. Hoen-V.Hort, Havana Olympiad 1966 ) 13...cxd4 14.Bf2 Nc5 15.a3?! ( 15.b3 was called for, though Black has already equalized ) 15...b3! 16.c3 was played in V.Gashimov-J.Smeets, World Junior Championship, Istanbul 2005, where Qa5 17.Be1 dxc3 18.Nxc3 Bd4+ 19.Kh2 Ba6 looks to give Black a massive advantage. ] [ c) 10.a4 a6 11.g4 ( or 11.Nd5 e6 12.Ne3 Nd4 13.a5 b5 14.axb6 Nxb6 15.g4 Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 f5 17.Kh1 d5 18.gxf5 gxf5 and Black has enough play to compensate for his slightly inferior pawn structure, D.Swiercz-A.Areshchenko, Lublin 2014 ) 11...b5 12.axb5 axb5 13.f5 b4 14.Nd5 Nb6 ( 14...e6 191

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen may improve ) 15.Nef4 Nxd5 16.Nxd5 Bd4+ 17.Kh1 e6 18.Ne3 Bf6 19.Nc4 exf5 20.exf5 and here White's position is definitely preferable, D.Andreikin-S.Sjugirov, Moscow 2011. ] 10...b5 11.a3 a6?! [ QUESTION: Why doesn't Black play 11...a5 , so he can push his b-pawn further? ANSWER: That's a good question, which I'm not sure I can answer competently. Unless Black feels that he has a genuine opportunity to seek an advantage elsewhere, it doesn't make much sense to stall the queenside attack in this fashion. Perhaps he didn't like 12.e5 Nd4 ( or 12...b4 13.Bxc6 bxc3 14.Nxc3 dxe5 15.Rb1 ) 13.exd6 exd6 14.Nxd4 cxd4 ( incidentally, notice that 14...Bxd4 would not be check, thanks to White's earlier 10 Kh2, so he can play 15.f5 with advantage ) 15.Nd5 , though neither line looks very frightening. ] 12.g4 [ Here too White might consider 12.e5 Bb7 13.exd6 exd6 14.f5 , which seems more in the demand of the position, but Jobava may have rejected this as offering few winning chances. ] 12...Bb7 13.Ng3 Nd4 [ I would probably opt for something along the lines of 13...e6!? 14.Rb1 Qe7 15.Be3 Nd4 . ] 14.Nce2 Nxe2 15.Qxe2 a5 Now Black's 11th move seems even more peculiar, but he is playing the present position, rather than fixating on previous moves. 16.g5 b4 17.h4 Ba6 With ideas of ... c5-c4 perhaps, but there is a definite drawback to putting the bishop here.

[ I would prefer 17...Qc7!? 18.h5 e6 as Black. ] 18.axb4 cxb4 Due to his loose bishop on a6, Black is forced to recapture with the c-pawn, which means he has less control over the centre as well as a backward pawn on the open a-file. Is this a problem? Not necessarily, because the c-file is soft and a good target for Black, but he does need to play accurately now. 19.h5 Bb5?! [ Here 19...Bd4 , followed by ...Rc8 and/or ...Qc7, seems to give Black a pleasant enough position; for example, after 20.Rh1 Rc8 , it is not clear how White intends to break through on the kingside. ] 20.e5! This is why ...Bd4 was better on the previous move. 20...e6?! This just creates more weaknesses on the dark squares. [ If the e-pawn is captured then 20...dxe5 21.f5! looks quite unpleasant for Black; the immediate threat is -- 22.hxg6 hxg6 23.fxg6 fxg6 24.Bd5+ Kh8 25.Qg4 and wins. ] [ Black should prefer 20...Nc5 , intending 21.exd6 ( though something like 21.Be3 Qc7 22.Qf2 a4 23.h6 Bh8 24.exd6 exd6 25.Bd4 still looks good for White ) 21...Qxd6 22.Rxa5 Ne6 with counterplay. ] 21.exd6 Nc5 22.h6! QUESTION: Does closing the h-file mean that White has given up on winning in a kingside attack? After all, there is no more mate on the h-file. ANSWER: No and yes. Black may not be mated down the h-file any time soon, but the text move fixes his kingside and restrains the activities of his darksquared bishop. If that piece gets 192

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen diverted or exchanged, then g7 and f6 are some scary weaknesses to look at. Meanwhile Black has trouble on the queenside as well. 22...Bh8 23.Be3 Na4 This knight sally doesn't solve anything, but it is hard to find improvements now. [ For instance, after 23...Rc8 24.Qf2 Nd7 25.Ne4 Bxb2 26.Ra2 Bh8 27.Bd4 , Black's dark squares are beginning to creak. ] 24.b3 Nc3 25.Qf2 Qxd6 26.Rxa5 [ Not 26.Bc5?! Qc7 27.Bxf8?! Rxf8 and Black does not stand too badly. ] 26...Rfc8 [ Or if 26...Rfd8 then 27.Bc5 Qd7 28.Ra7 Qc8 29.Bb6 Rd6 ( or 29...Rd7 30.Rfa1 Bc6 31.Rxd7 Qxd7 32.Bxc6 Qxc6 33.Bd4 and so on ) 30.Bc7 Bd4 31.Qe1 Ra6 32.Bxb8 Bxa7 33.Bxa7 Rxa7 34.Qe5 Qf8 35.Re1 Ra2 36.Ne2 Nxe2 37.Rxe2 with a nightmare of a position for Black. ] 27.Ba7 Qd8 [ Or 27...Qc7 28.Rfa1 Nd1 29.Bxb8 Rxb8 30.Qf3 Bxa1 31.Rxa1 Nc3 32.Ne4 Nd5 ( or 32...Nxe4 33.Qxe4 Qc5 34.Ra8 etc ) 33.Qf2! Qxf4+ 34.Qxf4 Nxf4 35.Nf6+ Kh8 36.Ra7 and White has a winning endgame. ] 28.Rfa1 White will not capture on b8 until he can follow up with Ra8. 28...Nd1 29.Qe2 Nc3 30.Qf2 Nd1 31.Qe1 Nc3 32.Bxb8 Rxb8 33.Ra8 Black has had enough. [ After, say, 33.Ra8 Nd5 34.Rxb8 Qxb8 35.Bxd5 exd5 36.Ra5 Bc6 37.Rc5 , it is completely over. ] 1-0

B24 Thorhallsson,T Berkes,F 58: Reykjavik [Carsten Hansen]

2002

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 [ The actual moves saw the players tussle over variations with 2...e6 3.f4 Nc6 4.Nf3 d5 and only transpose below after 5.d3 g6 6.g3 Bg7 7.Bg2 Nge7 etc. ] 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 [ In regards to Black's set-up with an early ...e7-e6, I would be remiss if I didn't mention a specialty of the Israeli GM Jacob Murey: 5.Nge2 e6 6.0-0 Nge7 7.a3!? 0-0 8.Rb1 . The plan of attacking from the wing with b2-b4 has brought Murey quite a bit of success, although Black hardly stands worse in any of the following variations: A) 8...d6 9.b4 Nd4 ( for 9...b6 see line 'b' ) 10.d3 Rb8 11.Nxd4 ( after 11.f4 b6 12.Be3 Bb7 13.Qd2 Qd7 14.Nd1 Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2 d5 16.bxc5 d4 17.Bf2 bxc5 , Black has no reason to be unhappy with the outcome of the opening, D.Vocaturo-F.Manca, Italian League 2007 ) 11...cxd4 12.Ne2 Bd7 13.Bb2 Qb6 14.Qd2 Rbc8 15.Rfc1 f5 16.c4 dxc3?! ( 16...fxe4 17.Bxe4 e5 offers more counterplay ) 17.Nxc3 Rf7 18.Nd1 Rxc1 19.Rxc1 Bxb2 20.Nxb2 and White looks now to have the better chances, J.Murey-Je.Bosch, Dieren 2000.; B) 8...b6 9.b4 d6 10.d3 Bb7 11.b5 Nd4 ( or 11...Na5 12.Bd2 a6 13.Qc1 axb5 14.Bh6 e5 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Nxb5 Nac6 and Black has equalized, J.Murey193

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen B.Alterman, Israeli League 2000 ) 12.Nxd4 cxd4 13.Ne2 Rc8 14.Rb4 e5 15.Bb2 Rc7 16.c3 dxc3 17.Bxc3 d5 18.f4 dxe4 19.dxe4 a5 20.Rb2 Qxd1 21.Rxd1 exf4 22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.Nxf4 Re8 and once more Black has equalized, J.Murey-S. Mohandesi, Paris 2001.; C) 8...a5 9.Nb5 d5 ( or even 9...d6 10.d4 cxd4 11.Nexd4 d5! 12.exd5 Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Nxd5 and the chances are completely level, G.Grimberg-A.Khalifman, European Cup, Clichy 1989; Khalifman actually played ...d7-d6 on move three ) 10.d3 b6 11.Bd2 Ba6 12.a4 Rc8 13.Qc1 Bxb5 14.axb5 Nd4 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.b4 axb4 17.Bxb4 dxe4 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Bxe4 Rc3 and Black should have no problems, L. Semenova-V.Arutiunov, Kiev 2003.; D) 8...d5 9.exd5 exd5 10.Nf4 d4 ( if 10...Be6 11.b4 c4 12.b5 Nd4 13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.Ne2 Nef5 15.Nf4 Qd7 16.a4 a6 17.c3 Nb3 , J.Murey-L.Gerzhoy, Pardubice 2002, then 18.Re1 looks good for White, since Rfe8? fails to 19.Rxe6! ) 11.Ne4 c4 12.d3 cxd3 13.cxd3 Ne5 14.h3 Bd7 15.Nc5 Bc6 16.Bxc6 bxc6 17.Ne4 Nd5 18.Nxd5 cxd5 19.Ng5 Qd7 and Black is fine, M.Appleberry-A. Istratescu, Cappelle la Grande 1993. ] 5...e6 The aim of this move is obvious: Black holds the d-pawn back for the moment, intending after ...Nge7 to advance it two squares, or at least creating the option of doing so. 6.f4 [ White has the expected choices

here: a) 6.Be3 can be recommended if White prefers to avoid lines with ...d7d5, since the immediate attack on the c5-pawn restricts Black's options, though it doesn't rule out ...d7-d5 entirely as we'll see in the next two games. ] [ b) 6.Nge2 generally leads to something like Nge7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Nd4 , followed by 9...d6, transposing to lines considered in Game 55, though Black can still opt for ...d7-d5 if desired; e.g. 9.Qd2 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 ( or 10...exd5 11.Bf4 Bh3 12.Nxd4 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 Bxd4 14.Rae1 Qd7 and Black is fine, R. Palacin-M.Munoz Pantoja, Cornella 2013 ) 11.Nxd5 exd5 12.Nf4 Be6 13.c3 Qd6 14.Nxe6 ( obviously 14.cxd4 cxd4 15.Nxe6 dxe3 regains the piece ) 14...Nxe6 15.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4 Rac8 is pretty equal, L. Segura-P.Da Silva, Rio de Janeiro 2001. ] [ c) 6.Nh3 Nge7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 is similarly transpositional; A) since 8...d6 9.Qd2 is covered in the notes to Game 4. ( 9.-- ); B) If Black prefers to follow the theme of the current chapter, there is 8...b6 9.Qd2 d5 10.Bh6 d4 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.Ne2 e5 13.f4 f6 14.f5 ( improving on 14.fxe5?! Nxe5 15.Nf2 g5 16.b4 cxb4 17.Qxb4 N7c6 18.Qb2 Qd6 19.Rac1 Be6 20.c3 Rad8 , where Black is better, M. Taimanov-L.Stein, USSR Championship, Tbilisi 1967 ) 14...g5 15.Bf3 Ng8 16.Bh5 a6 17.Kg2 b5 18.a4 Bb7 19.axb5 axb5 20.Rxa8 Bxa8 21.Ra1 Bb7 22.Nc1 , as in D.Suttles-A.Gipslis, Sousse Interzonal 1967, when Qe7 194

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen keeps it level. ] 6...Nge7 7.Nf3 d5 [ Here 7...0-0 8.0-0 d5 transposes below; ( while 8...d6 )] [ or 7...d6 return to Chapter Six. ] 8.0-0 [ Or 8.e5 A) 8...0-0 9.0-0 , transposing again; ( 9.-- ); B) but Black is not obliged castle: 8...Nd4 9.Nxd4 cxd4 10.Ne2 Qb6 11.0-0 h5 12.Qe1 f6 13.exf6 Bxf6 14.Kh1 Bd7 15.Bh3 Rc8 16.c3 dxc3 17.bxc3 Nf5 and Black is clearly in control, M. Basman-J.Flesch, London Lloyds Bank 1978; C) 8...Nf5 is also possible. ] 8...0-0 [ Actually, Black does not need to castle here either, but can also try 8...b6 , intending 9.e5 h5!? ( more ambitious if no better than 9...0-0 ) 10.Ne2 ( or 10.Nb5 Nf5 ) 10...Nf5 11.c3 a5 12.Rf2 Ba6 13.h3 Bf8 14.Kh2 Be7 15.Neg1 Rc8 16.Re2 d4 17.c4 b5 18.b3 Kf8 and while nothing has yet been decided, Black has the initiative on the queenside, whereas White has a hard time getting equivalent counterplay elsewhere, V.Anand-G. Kasparov, New York (rapid) 1994. ] 9.e5 QUESTION: Okay, so which is better: White's space advantage on the kingside or Black's on the queenside? ANSWER: It is really too early to tell. At the moment, the lines are still being drawn up for future battle. QUESTION: What about the bishops? Black's bishops look terribly passive and restrained. ANSWER: It may seem that way, but it is at most a temporary issue. Black can break the centre open with ...f7-f6 to

bring the g7-bishop to life, after which it will be stronger than its white counterpart. The light-squared bishops, on the other hand, often balance each other out; if Black plays ...Bb7 and ...d5d4, they will face off on the long diagonal. [ White has of course tried other moves which are less committal in the centre: a) 9.Qe2 (or 9 Qe1) b6 10.g4 Qd7 11.Qf2 Bb7 12.Bd2 Nd4 13.Ne5 Qc7 14.exd5 exd5 15.Rac1 and a draw was prematurely agreed in Y.Dembo-K.Kulaots, European Championship, Aix-les-Bains 2011; but certainly Rad8 , followed by ... Rfe8, looks more than comfortable for Black. ] [ b) 9.Ne2?! b6 10.c3 dxe4 11.dxe4 Ba6 12.Kf2 ( if 12.Qxd8 Raxd8 13.Kf2 , then e5!? looks promising ) 12...Qc7 13.Qa4 Bd3 14.Ne1 b5 15.Qd1 Rad8 16.Nxd3 c4 17.Be3 cxd3 18.Nc1 b4 19.Nxd3 bxc3 20.Qe2? ( 20.Qc2 is necessary ) 20...Nd4! and Black is winning, D. Goes-R.Bellin, Guernsey 1990. ] [ c) 9.Rb1!? b6 10.Bd2 Bb7 11.a3 (shades of Murey's variation above) dxe4 12.Nxe4 Qc7 13.b4 cxb4 ( 13...c4!? looks interesting ) 14.axb4 Rac8 15.c3 Rfd8 16.Qe2 Nd5 ( and here 16...a6 might be better ) 17.b5 Nce7 18.Ne5 and I quite like White's position, M.Maki Uuro-M. Sorsa, Lahti 1999. ] 9...b6 10.g4 QUESTION: It seems as if White's attack will touch down before Black gets anything started on the queenside. Isn't that so? ANSWER: A good start is half finished, or so I was told when I was younger. Anyway, things are not so cut and dried. Black's position is solid, he has yet to 195

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen make any mistakes, nor is he behind in development; by that reasoning it should not be possible for Black to be worse. QUESTION: But doesn't White's position look at least a little more threatening? ANSWER: Not really; g3-g4 is perhaps the beginning of something, but Black hardly needs to shiver in his boots. If anything, White's position is a bit loose. [ Black would play the same way against other moves too; e.g. 10.Rb1 Bb7 11.a3 Nf5 12.b4 f6 13.exf6 Bxf6 14.Ne2 Qd6 15.c3 d4 16.g4 Ne3 17.Bxe3 dxe3 18.bxc5 Qxc5 with a complicated position and chances to both sides, Be.Larsen-M. Chiburdanidze, Vienna 1993 ] [ or 10.Nb5 f6 . ] 10...f6 QUESTION: Oh, I see; Black breaks White's pawns in the centre to stop the attack, right? ANSWER: In part, yes; but also to activate his own pieces. Indeed, 9...f6 was quite possible on the previous move. QUESTION: But how about the pawn on e6? Isn't the backward pawn weak? ANSWER: Pawns are only weak if they can be attacked. The e6-pawn is safe and if given the chance, Black may even play ...e6-e5 to open the position even further. 11.exf6 Bxf6 12.Bd2 Bd7 13.Qe2 Rc8 14.Rae1 QUESTION: It looks like White is doing quite well now; all his pieces are developed and he is putting pressure on the e6-pawn. Is that a fair assessment? ANSWER: I'm afraid not! In fact the opposite may be true; Black's pieces are all developed too and, as you will see, ready to get into action, whereas White's are not generating any meaningful threats. 14...Nd4! 15.Qd1 Nec6 16.Nxd4

Nxd4 [ Black can also consider 16...Bxd4+ 17.Kh1 Qh4 with a decent initiative. ] 17.Nb1 Kh8?! This is part of a plan that Black later executes, making it perfect that the king is in the corner. [ Nonetheless, 17...Nb5 18.c3 Nd6 looks more accurate at this point and quite comfortable for Black. ] 18.c3 Nc6 19.Na3 Bg7 20.g5?! This looks awfully ambitious and gets him in trouble. [ But it is difficult to outline a good plan for White; for instance, 20.Qe2 is met by b5 , and if 21.Nxb5 then Rb8 promises Black entrance to the enemy second rank. ] 20...e5!? QUESTION: Isn't the pawn on d5 hanging? ANSWER: Yes, but thanks to Black's earlier king move the pawn does not fall with check, so it is only a very temporary sacrifice, and the investment is soon recovered; indeed, White should certainly not take it. [ Once again 20...b5 looks promising. Instead, Black aims to show the consequences of White's scattered troops and loose pawn structure. ] 21.Bxd5?? [ The correct reply is 21.Qf3 and White may yet be okay. It seems Black cannot exploit the vulnerable position of the white queen, which can always slide across to g3. ] 21...exf4 22.h4 [ Not 22.Bxf4?? due to Rxf4 23.Rxf4 Qxg5+ and wins; ] [ while 22.Bg2 Qxg5 sees Black now a pawn up and still with a strong initiative. ] 22...Bh3 23.Bg2 Bxg2 24.Kxg2 Ne5! This move demonstrates with all clarity that White's position is collapsing. 25.Re4? White was possibly in terrible 196

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen time trouble as is sometimes his habit. If he had to play like this, he might as well have resigned at once. [ The only way to continue the game, albeit in misery, is 25.Rxe5 Bxe5 26.Qf3 , though Black should win sooner or later. ] 25...f3+ 26.Kg3 Qxd3 27.Qb1 . White either lost on time or resigned before Black captured the bishop on d2. 0-1

not even that, so no major risk is involved. [ All the same, 6...d6 is certainly the best move and Black's attempts to do without it all have their drawbacks. ] [ a) 6...Nge7? 7.Bxc5 Qa5 8.Be3 ( 8.d4 is also good ) 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Qxc3+ regains the pawn but leaves Black with appalling weaknesses on the dark squares. ] [ b) 6...Qb6 7.Rb1 sets the queen up for a later b2-b4 if Black doesn't play ...Nd4 after all; e.g. Nf6 ( 7...Nge7 B24 8.Nge2 Nd4 is relatively best ) 8.h3 Spassky,B 0-0 9.Nge2 ( or 9.b4 at once ) Hjartarson,J 9...Rd8 10.b4 d5 11.Bxc5 Qc7 59: Belfort 1988 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Nxd5 exd5 14.0-0 [Carsten Hansen] and White is clearly better, E. Szurovszky-S.Cao, Hungarian 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 League 1997. ] Bg7 5.d3 e6 6.Be3 This is by far [ c) 6...Qa5 White's most popular reply to the early A) at best reaches Game 3 with 7.Qd2 d6 ( or the next note with ...e7-e6, developing the bishop to its 7...Nd4 ; ); natural square and attacking the c5B) but after 7.Nge2 and 8 0-0 it is pawn. Then 6...d6 transposes to the not clear what the queen is really main line of Chapter One, and Black's doing on a5; e.g. 7...Nd4 8.0-0 choices otherwise are somewhat limited. Ne7 9.Rb1 ( 9.Bd2 d6 10.Nxd4 6...Nd4!? QUESTION: I thought it was cxd4 11.Nd5 Qd8 12.Nxe7 Qxe7 supposed to be premature for Black to led to a quick draw in B.Spassky-V. play ...Nd4 before White has committed Korchnoi, Montpellier Candidates a knight to either f3 or e2. Isn't that so? 1985 ) 9...Nec6 10.a3 d6 ( or if ANSWER: You're absolutely right. On 10...a6 , E.Kovalevskaya-A.Achang, the other hand, when there is no clear St Petersburg 2000, then 11.Bf4! ) refutation of a supposedly inferior 11.b4 Qc7 12.bxc5 dxc5 13.f4 continuation, you will sometimes see Nxe2+ 14.Nxe2 b6 15.e5 0-0 strong players utilize such lines to 16.Nc3 and White has the better muddy the waters early on, in order to chances, R.Baumhus-A. force opponents think for themselves Wojtkiewicz, Eupen 1993 (by right from the outset. transposition). ] QUESTION: Can't that be a risky [ d) 6...b6 7.Qd2 Bb7 8.Nge2 d5!? strategy? (this is original at least) ( whereas ANSWER: It depends on how inferior 8...Nge7 9.Bh6 0-0 10.h4 the line is. In this case, even if White just gives White a promising version knows the optimal continuation, Black of the attack in Chapter One ) 9.exd5 may only be slightly worse and perhaps 197

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Nb4 10.d4 c4 ( or 10...Nxd5 11.dxc5 ) 11.Nf4 Nxd5 12.Nfxd5 exd5 13.0-0 Ne7 14.Bh6 0-0 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Qf4 and White is slightly better, J.Salminen-J.Pessi, Finnish League 2005. ] 7.Nce2! This move was introduced by Smyslov in 1946 and it immediately cast a bit of a shadow over Black's previous move. White intends to follow up with c2c3 and d3-d4, gaining a nice-looking pawn centre. QUESTION: Can't Black win material by exchanging on e2 and then taking on b2? ANSWER: Yes, but there is nothing to be gained by doing so since trying to keep the pawn only lands Black in trouble, as we'll see below. [ Routine development with 7.Qd2 is less testing for Black, and generally transposes elsewhere. A) For example, 7...Qa5 8.f4 Ne7 ( or 8...d6 ) 9.Nf3 d6 is Game 26; B) while 7...d6; C) or 7...Ne7 8.Nd1 d6 returns to Chapter One; D) though Black has independent options too: 7...Qa5 8.f4 Ne7 9.Nf3 Nec6!? 10.0-0 0-0 11.e5 ( 11.f5 exf5 12.Bh6 d6 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 is nothing for Black to worry about, Ale.Ruiz-Ad.Horvath, San Agustin 1998 ) 11...d5 12.Bf2 ( 12.exd6 makes more sense ) 12...Bd7 13.Rad1 , G.A.Thomas-E. Steiner, Ujpest 1934, and now Nxf3+ 14.Bxf3 Nd4 15.Bg2 Rfc8 is fine for Black.; E) 7...Ne7 8.Nd1 b6 ( or 8...e5!? 9.c3 Ne6 10.Bh6 0-0 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.Nf3 d6 13.d4 cxd4 14.cxd4 exd4 15.Nxd4 d5 and Black has no real problems, Z. Rahman-L.Van Wely, Dresden

Olympiad 2008 ) 9.c3 Ndc6 10.Bh6 Bxh6 11.Qxh6 Ba6 ( or 11...Ne5!? , hoping for 12.Qg7 Nxd3+ 13.Kd2 Rg8 14.Qxh7 Ba6 with the clearly better chances ) 12.f4 Qc7 ( not 12...Bxd3? 13.Nf2 , followed by Ng4 ) 13.Qg7!? (very risky) ( 13.Nf2 is roughly equal ) 13...0-0-0 14.Nf2 f5 15.0-0-0 h6 16.Nf3 Rdg8 17.Qf6 g5 18.fxg5 Rf8 19.Qg7 Rhg8 20.Qxh6 Rh8 21.Qg7 and finding nothing better, Black took a draw by repetition on the queen, J. Hjartarson-B.Thorfinnsson, Icelandic League 2000. ] 7...b6 QUESTION: This looks very provocative; can Black afford to play in this fashion? ANSWER: Sure, he can; no real harm has been done yet. [ But Black has several other moves he can consider: a) 7...Ne7 is probably the strongest move and will be discussed in our next main game. ] [ b) 7...Nxe2?! 8.Nxe2 Bxb2 9.Rb1 Bg7 ( 9...Qa5+?? makes things much worse: 10.Bd2 Qxa2 11.Rxb2 Qxb2 12.Bc3 and White is winning ) 10.Bxc5 d6 ( 10...Qa5+? is not recommended either, as 11.Bb4 Qxa2 12.0-0 gives White huge play for the pawn ) 11.Ba3 Qa5+ 12.Bb4 Qc7 13.Qc1 a5 14.Ba3 Ne7 15.0-0 0-0 16.c4 and White is definitely for preference, L.Drabke-E.Anka, French League 2002. ] [ c) 7...d5?! is overambitious: after 8.c3 Nxe2 9.Nxe2 dxe4 ( or if 9...Qd6 10.exd5 exd5 V.Liublinsky-M. Kamishov, Moscow 1949, then 11.Qa4+ Bd7 12.Qa3 b6 13.d4 with a big advantage ) 10.Bxc5! exd3 11.Nf4 d2+ 12.Qxd2 Qxd2+ 198

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 13.Kxd2 , the queenless middlegame is quite unpleasant for Black, L. Barczay-W.Uhlmann, Czech Championship, Trencianske Teplice 1979. ] [ d) 7...d6 is more reasonable and was Black's choice in one of Smyslov's early games with this variation: 8.c3 Nc6 ( or 8...Nxe2 9.Nxe2 Nf6 10.h3 0-0 and Black does not stand so badly ) 9.d4 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 e5!? (this move was criticized for leaving the d-pawn backward, but variations such as the Sveshnikov have since taught us that things are more complicated) ( in fact Black is still fine here, whereas after 11...Nf6 , White might play 12.e5 dxe5 13.Bxe5 and nurse a small positional advantage on the queenside ) 12.Be3 A) 12...Ne7 13.Ne2 0-0 14.0-0 Be6 15.Qd2 Qc7 ( 15...d5?! 16.Bc5 is good for White ) 16.Rfc1! f5 17.c4 fxe4 18.Nc3 Nf5 19.Nxe4 Nxe3 ( on 19...Nd4 , Smyslov intended 20.c5! d5 21.Ng5 Bf7 22.f4 with strong play ) 20.Qxe3 and while Black's position is far from lost, the d5square and backward d-pawn are starting to look like serious weaknesses; White eventually won a classic game, V.Smyslov-A. Denker, USSR-USA match, Moscow 1946.; B) It was better to play 12...Nf6 13.Ne2 Be6 14.0-0 and now, rather than Smyslov's panicky d5?! , ( Black should take it easy and continue 14...0-0 15.b3 b5 , when he is by no means worse. )] [ e) One of the specialists in this line (or perhaps we should call him a repeat offender), Loek van Wely, has

recently tested another idea: 7...e5!? (this stems from the Bulgarian GM Ventzislav Inkiov) 8.c3 Ne6 9.Qd2 ( if 9.d4!? then cxd4 10.cxd4 exd4 11.Nxd4 Qa5+ is annoying; or 9.f4 exf4 10.Nxf4 d6 11.Nf3 Nf6 12.0-0 0-0 and the chances are more or less even, D.Larino Nieto-L.Van Wely, Rabat 2015 ) 9...Nf6 10.f4 exf4 11.Nxf4 d6 12.Nge2 Ng4 13.Bg1 0-0 14.h3 Ne5 15.Be3 b6 16.0-0 Ba6 and although White eventually won the game, he is by no means better at this point, G.Lane-L.Van Wely, Canberra 2015. ] 8.Bxd4!? QUESTION: Why would White voluntarily give up his pair of bishops? ANSWER: Spassky has a very specific strategic idea in mind, where Black's structural pawn weaknesses hopefully will outweigh the value of the bishop pair. [ The alternative is to continue as intended: 8.c3 Nxe2 9.Nxe2 Bb7 10.0-0 ( the immediate 10.d4 might be met by Nf6!?; while 10.Qd2 f5 11.0-0 Ne7 12.Rfe1 0-0 13.Bg5 Qe8 14.Nf4 Nc6 15.Nd5 Qc8 16.Ne7+ Nxe7 17.Bxe7 Re8 18.Bg5 Qc7 offers chances for both sides, A. Medina Garcia-H.Mecking, Palma de Mallorca 1969 ) 10...Ne7 11.d4 d6 12.Qd2 0-0 13.Bh6 Bxh6 14.Qxh6 Ba6 15.Rfe1 Rc8 , when Black looks solid enough, L.Sakurai-D.Walicki, Neuquen 1986. ] 8...cxd4 9.e5 Rb8 10.f4 f6 [ Black has a safe alternative in the pawn sacrifice 10...d6!? 11.Nxd4 Ne7 12.Nc6 Nxc6 13.Bxc6+ Bd7 14.Bxd7+ Qxd7 , as in B.Collinson-C. Woodford, correspondence 1995, when 15.d4 Qb5 leaves Black with a completely satisfactory position. ] 11.Nf3 fxe5 12.fxe5 Qc7?! 199

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Up to here Black has not done anything wrong, but he is now beginning to play with fire. By insisting on not giving up material, Black will soon end up considerably behind in development; [ whereas the active 12...Nh6 13.Nexd4 0-0 14.Qe2 Bb7 would offer him good compensation for the pawn, which he will likely regain quite quickly anyway. ] 13.Nexd4 Bxe5 14.Qe2 EXERCISE: Black now faces both Nxe5 and Nb5. Evaluate whether he should try and reduce White's initiative by exchanging on d4 or simply retreat the bishop to g7. 14...Bxd4? This move swaps off one of Black's few developed pieces and leaves his position holed like Swiss cheese. [ ANSWER: The better option is 14...Bg7 15.Nb5 Qc6 , when 16.a4 Bb7 ( 16...Bxb2? 17.Ng5 looks far too risky ) 17.d4 Nf6 18.Nh4 d5 19.Nxa7 Qd7 20.0-0 0-0 leaves Black a pawn down, but at least he is still in the game with the two bishops. ] 15.Nxd4 Qc5 16.Nb3 Qg5 17.0-0 Now Black is dangerously behind in development, and the f1-rook prevents him from getting the king to safety on the kingside. 17...Ne7 18.Rae1 Natural and good; [ but White has a stronger move in 18.Qe1! , poking with a long finger at the many dark square weaknesses in Black's position. The immediate threat is Qc3, followed by Qc7, and Nf5 doesn't help because of 19.Rxf5! Qxf5 20.Qc3 0-0 21.Rf1 Qh5 22.Rxf8+ Kxf8 23.Qc7 and wins. ] 18...Rf8 19.Nd2 Intending Ne4 or Nc4, aiming again at the weak dark squares. 19...Rxf1+ 20.Rxf1 Nf5 21.Nc4 Ke7? [ The counterintuitive 21...d6

holds up better, whereas now Black's position collapses. ] 22.g4! Hjartarson must have overlooked this simple thrust. 22...b5?! [ The last chance was 22...Nh6 (if the knight moves anywhere else then 23 Qf2 wins), but 23.Ne5 Ba6 24.Qe4 is still horrible for Black; e.g. Rf8 25.Qb4+ d6 26.Rxf8 Kxf8 27.Qxd6+ Qe7 28.Qxe7+ Kxe7 29.Nc6+ Kd6 30.h3 and 31 Nxa7 with an easily winning endgame for White. ] 23.gxf5 bxc4 24.Qe5! Note that with 21...d6 (rather than 21...Ke7), this move would not be possible. 24...Ra8 [ And Black resigned before White played 24...Ra8 25.f6+ . ] 1-0 B24 Stripunsky,A Browne,W 60: US Championship, Seattle [Carsten Hansen]

2003

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 e6 6.Be3 Nd4!? 7.Nce2 Ne7 The most popular and consistent move, maintaining the possibility of playing ...d7-d5. White has nothing better here than to continue as planned. 8.c3 Nxe2 9.Nxe2 b6 Sticking to his strategy of holding back the d-pawn. [ Otherwise Black can revert to 9...d6 and then: A) 10.0-0 0-0 11.Qd2 b6 ( or 11...Re8 12.d4 Qc7 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Rfd1 b6 15.Qd6 Qxd6 16.Rxd6 Ba6 17.Bf1 Be5 18.Rd2 Rad8 with a level game at this point, although White eventually ground his opponent down and won, V. Smyslov-H.Golombek, USSR200

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen England match, London 1947 ) 12.Rfd1 Ba6 13.Bh6 Qc7 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.d4 e5 16.Rac1 Rac8 17.dxe5 dxe5 18.Qe1 Rcd8 19.Rc2 Rxd1 20.Qxd1 Rd8 21.Rd2 Nc6 and chances are very much equal, M.Narciso Dublan-A. Pablo Marin, Barcelona 2015.; B) 10.Qd2 Bd7 ( rather than allow 10...0-0 11.Bh6 , followed by h2h4; while after 10...h5 11.h3 b6 12.0-0 Bb7 13.d4 Qc7 14.b4 0-0 15.Bh6 Bxh6 16.Qxh6 cxd4 17.cxd4 Qc4 18.Rfe1 Qxb4 19.g4 and White's attack is certainly worth a pawn, J.Alonso Moyano-W. Arencibia Rodriguez, Havana 2010 ) 11.d4 Qc7 12.0-0 h5!? 13.b4 c4 14.d5 exd5 15.exd5 Nf5 16.Nd4 Nxe3 17.Qxe3+ Kf8 18.Rae1 Re8 worked out fine for Black in V.Smyslov-A.Chistiakov, Moscow 1946.; C) 10.d4 Qc7 ( or 10...cxd4 11.Nxd4 0-0 12.0-0 a6 13.Qd2 Qc7 14.Bh6 e5 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Nc2 Be6 with approximately even chances, D.King-A.Domont, Swiss League 1999 ) 11.Qd2 b6 12.e5 d5 13.0-0 Ba6 14.Rfe1 Bxe2 15.Rxe2 0-0 16.Bh6 cxd4 17.cxd4 Bxh6 18.Qxh6 Qc4 19.Rd2 Rac8 and Black has no problems, A.Pitra-M.Miljkovic, Zürich 2010. ] QUESTION: If Black can equalize without any problems after 9...d6, why do we then see players use other moves? ANSWER: It could be because they don't know the variation particularly well, or else they don't like much the positions after 9...d6 and prefer something more complex and challenging.

10.Qd2 [ White can try 10.d4 here as well, but Black can usually equalize with a timely ...d7-d5; for example, cxd4 11.Bxd4 ( 11.cxd4 is met by d5; or if 11.Nxd4 Bb7 12.0-0 0-0 13.f4 , D.Bronstein-P.Korzubov, Minsk 1983, then d5 again ) 11...e5 12.Be3 Bb7 13.c4!? ( otherwise 13.0-0 d5 14.exd5 Bxd5 15.Qa4+ Qd7 16.Qxd7+ Kxd7 17.Rfd1 Ke6 and Black is fine, T.Escher-M.Klebel, German League 1991 ) 13...Nf5 14.Qd2 Rc8 15.b3 Nxe3 16.Qxe3 was E.Birmingham-L.Yudasin, New York Open 1991, and now my computer suggests b5!? 17.Qxa7 ( or 17.cxb5 Qa5+ ) 17...Rc7 with good play for Black. ] 10...Ba6 [ Black does not want to castle just yet since 10...0-0 11.Bh6 Bb7 12.h4 f6 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.h5 g5 , as in V. Smyslov-M.Kamishov, Moscow 1946, and then 15.h6+ offers White the better chances, as we saw in similar positions in Chapter One. ] [ But 10...Bb7 is certainly playable, with the idea 11.Bh6 Bxh6 ( or even 11...Nf5!? ) 12.Qxh6 Nf5 13.Qh3 Ng7 14.d4 0-0 15.0-0 d6 16.Rad1 Qe7 and Black is solid enough, A. Medina Garcia-R.Hartoch, Amsterdam 1968. ] 11.Rd1 White defends the d-pawn in order to continue with Bh6. [ It is possible to play 11.Bh6 at once, but after Bxh6 12.Qxh6 Bxd3 13.Nf4 Bb5 14.Qg7 ( or 14.0-0-0 Qc7 and White has sufficient compensation for the pawn, but no more than that ) 14...Rf8 15.Qxh7 Nc6 , Black has no problems, S.Grishanovich-S. Voitsekhovsky, St Petersburg 2000. ] 201

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 11...d5 This seems slightly inaccurate even it isn't actually a mistake. [ Since Black is forced to castle next move anyway, it is more flexible to do so at once; e.g. 11...0-0 12.Bh6 Rc8 ( 12...d5 transposes to the game ) 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.h4 h5 15.0-0 d5 and the chances are more-or-less balanced, A.Marechal-E.Billaux, Tihan 1998. ] [ A more provocative option is to prevent Bh6 altogether with 11...h5!? , when 12.h4 Rc8 A) 13.0-0 d5 14.exd5 ( or 14.Bg5 dxe4 15.dxe4 Qxd2 16.Rxd2 Nc6 ) 14...Nxd5 gave Black a comfortable position in S.IuldachevV.Malakhov, FIDE World Cup, Hyderabad 2002.; B) In 'ChessBase Magazine' Donev suggests that White might improve with 13.d4!? d5 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.exd5 Nxd5 16.Nf4 , but my computer is not convinced, spitting out Nxe3 17.Bc6+ Ke7 18.Qxe3 Bd4! and Black looks to be okay; e. g. 19.cxd4 Rxc6 20.Qc3 cxd4 21.Qxc6 Qa5+ 22.b4! Qxb4+ 23.Rd2 Qb1+ with a draw by perpetual check. ] 12.Bh6 0-0 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.exd5 exd5?! This is definitely inaccurate; [ as Donev points out, Black should use the opportunity to reposition his a6-bishop with 14...Bb7!? , when 15.c4 exd5 16.0-0 Qc7 17.Nf4 d4 keeps the game level. ] 15.0-0 Qd6 QUESTION: Black's position seems quite attractive; he has more space and his pieces look like they are well placed. It only remains to put the rooks on the central files and I would want to play Black. Is that a fair assessment? ANSWER: It might be if White is not

allowed to make any moves at all! However, as well know, the players take turns, and with his next move White stakes a serious claim to an advantage. 16.d4! Now it becomes clear that it is in fact White who is in control of game. His pieces suddenly appear very well coordinated, while Black's d5-pawn emerges as a potentially serious weakness. 16...Rad8 17.Rfe1 Bc8?! I'm not entirely sure as to the purpose of this move, since ...Bg4 is easily prevented, while ...Be6 only invites trouble with Nf4 at some point. It would have made sense to me if Black had decided to exchange on e2, eliminating his own bad bishop. 18.h3 c4 19.Nf4 g5?! And now Black recklessly weakens his kingside. 20.Nh5+! The strongest reply. [ Donev's suggestion of 20.Rxe7 is far less clear: gxf4 ( not 20...Qxe7?! 21.Nxd5 Qd6 22.Qxg5+ Qg6 23.Qe5+ and White has more than enough for the exchange ) 21.Rde1 ( or 21.Rxa7 fxg3 22.Qg5+ Kh8 23.Qxg3 Qh6! with counterplay ) 21...fxg3 22.Qg5+ Kh8 23.fxg3 ( or 23.Bxd5!? gxf2+ 24.Kxf2 Qh2+ 25.Ke3 Qg3+ 26.Bf3 etc ) 23...Rg8 24.Qe5+ Qxe5 25.R1xe5 Be6 26.Kf2 a5 and while Black is worse, he is not definitely losing. ] 20...Kh6? [ Black had to play 20...Kg6 , even if 21.g4 leaves White clearly better, because the text move is clearly worse. ] 21.h4! [ We must suppose that Browne overlooked this and was anticipating either 21.g4 Ng6 ] [ or 21.Bf3 Bxh3 22.g4 f5 with strong counterplay. But by 202

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen threatening mate on g5 before defending the knight, White saves the h-pawn and more or less refute Black's play. ] 21...Rg8 [ Not 21...f6 because of 22.Nxf6! Qxf6 23.hxg5+ Qxg5 24.Qxg5+ Kxg5 25.Rxe7 , and White has a winning endgame. ] 22.Bf3 f6 23.Kg2 Rdf8 Browne digs in and defends stoutly from this point on. [ If Black tries something pseudoactive like 23...Bf5 , he will simply get crushed; e.g. 24.g4 Bd7 ( or 24...Bg6 25.Nxf6! ) 25.Rh1 Kg6 26.hxg5 fxg5 27.Qc2+ Kf7 28.Qxh7+ Kf8 29.Rde1 and Black might as well resign. ] 24.Rh1?! Winning a won position is never easy, especially against a strong grandmaster. Having built up a massive advantage, Stripunsky now starts shuffling his pieces around without real merit, allowing Browne to claw his way slowly back into the game. Although it is logical to throw a rook on the same file as the opposing monarch, it turns out this is not the most productive moment, as the black king just steps away. [ Instead, White should first build up pressure on the e-file, exploiting the clumsiness in Black's defences, and only switch to the h-file when Black can no longer meet it effectively; for example, 24.Re2! Nc6 ( or 24...Ng6 25.hxg5+ fxg5 26.Rh1 ) 25.Rde1 Rf7 26.g4 , and only then 27 Rh1, when Black is completely lost. ] 24...Kg6 25.Rde1?! It is hard to criticize White for not wanting to open the f-file for Black's otherwise passive rook. [ Nevertheless, it was more accurate to play 25.hxg5! fxg5 26.Rde1 , followed by Re5, when the black king is quite open. ]

25...h6 26.Bd1 Kf7 27.Bc2 Ng6 28.hxg5 hxg5 29.Qd1 Rh8 30.Qf3!? White resorts to maintaining vague pressure with rather unconfrontational moves, since it is difficult to see a concrete path to victory. [ 30.f4!? g4 31.f5 is a more aggressive approach, but then Ne7 32.Qxg4 Rfg8 33.Qf3 Rg5 sees Black's pieces back in the game, providing ample active counterplay, and even the engines can't find a convincing way forwards for White. ] 30...Rfg8 31.Bxg6+ Rxg6 32.g4 Rgh6 33.Rh3 Qd7?? Having slowly fought his way back into the game, Black (who was probably in serious time trouble, as was his habit throughout his career) finally makes a fatal mistake. [ He should have played 33...Bd7 , when it is not obvious that White has any kind of advantage. ] TACTICAL EXERCISE: How does White take advantage of Black's error? ANSWER: 34.Nxf6! An elegant combination, which is not entirely easy to spot. 34...Rxh3 [ 34...Rxf6 runs into 35.Rxh8! Rxf3 ( or 35...Kg7 36.Reh1! etc ) 36.Rh7+ Kf6 37.Rxd7 and White ends up with a winning endgame. ] 35.Nxd7+ Rxf3 36.Ne5+! The key move of the combination; the horseman makes it back safely, so White emerges with an extra pawn as well as a massive knight versus a passive bishop. 36...Kg7 37.Kxf3 Rh3+ 38.Kg2 Rh4?! Tantamount to a resignation since White can now force the rooks off the board as well, but Black's survival chances were minimal in any case. 39.Rh1 Rxh1 40.Kxh1 Kf6 41.Kg2 . QUESTION: Doesn't it seem awfully early to resign? 203

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen ANSWER: Not really, at least not when the players are both grandmasters, and White has reached the time control. His powerful knight and extra pawn on the kingside make the win trivial. At lower levels there might still be room for mistakes which would allow Black to save himself, but I think most players would win this as White, even against a strong opponent. 1-0 B24 Larino Nieto,D Fedorchuk,S 61: Salou [Carsten Hansen]

2012

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 Rb8 This time Black intends ...b7-b5 without the slightest delay. In most cases the game ends up transposing elsewhere anyway when Black at some point plays ...d7-d6. Here we will only examine positions that either do not involve ...d7-d6 at all or which would not arise via a different move order. 6.f4 [ The main alternative is 6.Be3 A) when 6...d6 returns to Chapter Three.; B) The immediate 6...b5 is still possible: B1) since 7.Bxc5?! b4 8.Nce2 Qa5 9.Be3 Bxb2 10.Rb1 Qxa2 gives Black a promising position; ( 10...-- ); B2) but 7.Qd2 b4 8.Nd1 d6 just transposes to Chapter Three again ( 9.f4 is Game 14; ( 9.Ne2 is Game 17. ); C) That only leaves 6...Nd4!? C1) or 7.Qd2 b5 8.Nd1 Nf6

9.c3 Ne6 10.f4 Ng4?! ( Black should relent and play 10...d6 , which looks normal and about level, even if the position has only ever been reached once by any move order ) 11.f5 Nxe3 12.Qxe3 Nc7 13.Qxc5 Rb6 14.Ne2 0-0 15.0-0 d6 16.Qf2 and White is up a pawn for not very much, L.Pliester-M. Bosboom, Eindhoven 1987.; C2) 7.Nce2 Nxe2 (as we saw in the 5...e6 6 Be3 Nd4 line, taking the b-pawn rather plays into White's hands) ( 7...d6 is safer, when 8.c3 Nxe2 9.Nxe2 Nf6 10.h3 0-0 11.Qd2 b5 gives Black a decent enough position, S.Semenova-A. Pridorozhni, Tula 2002 ) 8.Nxe2 Bxb2 9.Rb1 Bg7 ( again 9...Qa5+?? loses to 10.Bd2 Qxa2 11.Rxb2! etc ) 10.Bxc5 d6 ( and 10...Qa5+?! 11.Bb4 Qxa2 12.c4 is also very good for White ) 11.Be3 ( improving on 11.Bd4?! Bxd4 12.Nxd4 Bd7 13.f4 , J.Sarfati-I.Rogers, Wellington 1988, when Qc7 14.Qd2 Nf6 leaves Black more comfortable, in view of the open c-file and soft dark squares in White's camp ) 11...Nf6 12.0-0 b6 13.c4 0-0 , V.Arjun-G.Pirisi, Budapest 2006, and now 14.h3 looks to offer White the better chances, even if Black's Hedgehog-like position is very solid. ] [ We'll also briefly mention 6.Nge2 , since White may have played this move already. For example, b5 ( 6...d6 features in the notes to Game 55 ) 7.0-0 ( 7.Bf4 forces d6 , but then ...e7-e5 will give Black a 204

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen tempo on similar positions from Chapter Two ) 7...b4 8.Nd5 e6 9.Ne3 Nge7 10.f4 ( or 10.a3 a5 11.axb4 axb4 12.c3 0-0 13.Bd2 d5 14.exd5 exd5 15.Nf4 d4 16.cxd4 Nxd4 17.Rc1 Rb5 and Black is fine at this point, B.Munguntuul-A. Ushenina, Moscow 2009 ) 10...d5 11.f5!? exf5 12.exf5?! ( 12.exd5 Nd4 keeps the game level ) 12...Bxf5 13.Nxf5 Nxf5 14.Rxf5?! gxf5 15.Nf4 Ne7 16.Qf3 0-0 and White has nothing for the exchange, Y.Morin-T. Likavsky, Montreal 2007. ] 6...b5 There is no reason to delay pushing the b-pawn; [ but we should note if Black does play 6...d6 here, or indeed subsequently, the game will transpose into Chapter Nine. ] 7.Nf3 [ Naturally, White can also insert 7.a3 a5 ( 7...d6 8.Nf3 is Game 47 ) 8.Nf3 b4 9.axb4 axb4 A) 10.Ne2 e6 11.0-0 Nge7 and then: A1) 12.Be3 d6 13.d4 ( Taimanov suggested 13.Qc1!? and c2-c3 in Chess Informant, though Black's position looks perfectly okay to me ) 13...cxd4 14.Nfxd4 0-0 15.Qd3 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 e5 17.Nb5 exf4 18.gxf4 Bxb2 19.Ra2 Bg7 20.Nxd6 Be6 21.Ra6 b3 22.f5 b2 23.Rb1?! ( White should have played 23.fxe6 b1Q 24.exf7+ Kh8 25.Rxb1 Rxb1+ 26.Bf1 , when Qd7 27.Bd4 Qg4+ 28.Kf2 Qf4+ 29.Kg2 Qg4+ leads to a draw by repetition ) 23...Bd7 24.Bd4?? ( 24.Bg5 was necessary ) 24...Bxd4+ ( the sly retreat 24...Bc8!? was good too; e.g.

25.Bxg7 Bxa6 26.Qd4 Nc6 27.Qf6 Rb4 and so on ) 25.Qxd4 Nc6 26.Qc5?! ( but if 26.Qd2 then Ne5 still looks terrible for White ) 26...Qg5! 27.Kh1 Qc1+ 28.Qg1 Qxc2 and Black soon won, B.Abramovic-M.Taimanov, Paris 1989.; A2) 12.d4!? at once is possibly White's best; e.g. 12...cxd4 13.Nexd4 0-0 14.Be3 Bb7 15.Nxc6 ( 15.Qd2!? is also worth considering ) 15...Bxc6 16.Nd4 Ba8 17.Qd2 ( or 17.Qd3!? ) 17...f5 18.e5 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 Nd5 20.Ra7 Re8 21.Rfa1 is assessed as equal by my computer, but I must admit that I somewhat favour White's position, even if Black went on to win in H. Jurkovic-L.Gofshtein, Nova Gorica 1997.; B) Or 10.Nd5 e6 11.0-0 Nge7 12.Qe1 0-0 13.Kh1 ( White should probably try 13.f5!? here ) 13...Nd4 14.g4 Bb7 15.Ne5 f5 and Black is clearly better, S.Kaspshik-I.Shmirin, Bankia 1990. ] 7...b4 8.Nd5 White hopes that the knight will be more useful on e3 than e2. [ All the same, it is more usual to retreat it with 8.Ne2 e6 ( 8...Qb6 is also playable; in which case Black might as well opt for 8...d6 9.0-0 , transposing to Game 48 ) 9.0-0 Nge7 and now: A) 10.a3 a5 ( unless Black wants to try 10...b3!? as in the main game ) 11.axb4 axb4 returns to the previous note; B) 10.Qe1 d5 11.g4 h5!? ( 11...c4!? also comes into consideration ) 12.gxh5 Rxh5 13.Ng3 Rh8 14.Qf2 Nd4 15.Ng5 205

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen was played in J.Granda Zuniga-S. Matthews, Bled Olympiad 2002, and now Qc7!? looks fine for Black. ; C) 10.g4 d5 ( again, 10...h5!? is fully playable for Black ) 11.Ng3 dxe4 12.dxe4 Ba6 13.Re1 Qxd1 14.Rxd1 Nd4 15.Nxd4 Bxd4+ 16.Kh1 0-0 , and Black has clearly solved his opening problems, S. Sorbe-Myo Naing, Kuala Lumpur 2005. ] 8...e6 9.Ne3 Nge7 10.a3 [ White has a couple of alternatives that deserve a look: a) 10.e5 d5 11.a3 ( 11.0-0 transposes to line 'b'; 11.exd6 Qxd6 12.Nc4 Qc7 doesn't get White anywhere ) 11...a5 12.axb4 axb4 13.b3 Qb6 14.Ng4 Nf5 and I already prefer Black's position, D.Larino NietoA.Herrera Delgado, Seville 2007. ] [ b) 10.0-0 0-0 ( or 10...d5 11.e5 Ba6 12.a3 b3 13.Rf2 bxc2 14.Nxc2 Na5 15.b4 Nb3 16.Rb1 , A.Medina Garcia-L.Ljubojevic, Olot 1972, and now Nxc1 equalizes ) 11.a3 a5 12.axb4 cxb4 13.f5!? ( 13.d4 d5 looks fairly even ) 13...d5 14.fxg6 hxg6 15.Ng5 d4?! ( 15...f6!? at once seems better ) 16.Nc4 f6 17.Nh3 e5 18.Nf2 Be6 19.Bh3 f5?! ( and here 19...Bf7 is preferable ) 20.Bg5 Re8 21.b3 and White has good chances since Black is now without counterplay, O.Castro Rojas-I. Ivanov, Philadelphia 1990. ] 10...b3!? QUESTION: If Black can just play like this, wasn't White's previous move a mistake? ANSWER: I tend to agree with you, although White truly only gets himself in trouble in the follow-up, where a2-a3 doesn't contribute anything positive. [ If he wants to play this way, it is

better to advance the a-pawn on move seven, especially since 10...a5 11.axb4 axb4 here would transpose to the relevant note anyway. ] 11.c3 [ After 11.cxb3 d5 12.0-0 0-0 , Black can regain the b-pawn at leisure with ...Qb6 and so forth. ] 11...d5 12.e5 d4 13.Nc4 dxc3 14.bxc3 [ White should not get tempted by 14.Nd6+ Kf8 15.Ng5 f6 16.Ngf7 , since c2! 17.Qd2 Qc7 18.Nxh8 Bxh8 is just good for Black. ] 14...0-0 15.Be3?! [ Here 15.Rb1 Ba6 16.0-0 was the way to go, when White still stands more or less okay. ] 15...Nd5 16.Bd2 [ Not 16.Bxc5?? b2 17.Rb1 Nxc3 and wins. ] 16...Ba6 17.Nb2 EXERCISE: How should Black continue? (There are two roughly equivalent moves.) 17...f6!? ANSWER: That was one of the answers; Black breaks open the centre, seeking to exploit White's structural issues and clumsily placed pieces. [ The other solution is more difficult to spot and was pointed out by my computer: 17...c4! 18.Nxc4 ( or 18.dxc4 Nb6 19.Be3 Qc7 20.0-0 Nxc4 21.Nxc4 Bxc4 and Black is dominating ) 18...Nb6 19.Nd6 ( or 19.Nb2 Bxd3 20.Be3 Bc2 ) 19...Bxd3 20.Qxb3 Nc4 21.Qa4 Nxd6 22.Qxc6 Ne4 with a very clear advantage for Black, who obviously has more than enough compensation for the pawn. ] 18.0-0 [ It is understandable that White didn't fancy 18.exf6 Bxf6 19.Rc1 , since e5 20.0-0 exf4 21.gxf4 then lands him with further weaknesses. Instead, he tries to stir up some confusion, 206

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen same thing as 4.Nge2 here and so on. It might be worth noting that if Black tries to return to traditional lines with g6 via this move order, White can open the Sicilian with 5.d4! cxd4 6.Nxd4 and Black is suddenly playing a rather odd system with both ...e7-e6 and ...g7-g6. For example, d6 ( or 6...a6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Qd4 f6 9.Bg2 Nh6 10.0-0 Nf7 11.Na4 Rb8 12.c4 d6 13.b3 and I prefer White, D. Genocchio-F.Bruno, Saint Vincent 2008; certainly not 6...Bg7? 7.Ndb5 with a big advantage ) 7.Bg2 a6 8.0-0 Bd7 9.a4 Bg7 10.Nxc6 Bxc6 was D.Popovic-D.Bojovic, Serbian Team Championship 2011, and now 11.Qd3 Nf6 12.Rd1 looks simple and good for White, though all this is somewhat outside our subject. ] 4...Nf6 [ As White cannot play d2-d4 here, there is nothing wrong with reverting to the main lines with 4...g6 5.d3 Bg7 and so on, which is in fact Black's most popular option and was the route taken in Game 4. ] [ Instead, 4...Nge7 is examined in Game 64. ] [ Black occasionally tries 4...d6 or 4... a6 as well, presumably hoping for Nge2 (or Nf3) and d2-d4 with an open Sicilian, but 5 d3 disobliges them in each case. After 4...d6 5.d3 B24 Nf6 ( returning to the main lines with Nepomniachtchi,I 5...g6 and ...Bg7 is probably best ) Potkin,V 6.f4 , Black is playing a reduced 62: Yaroslavl (rapid) 2014 version (with ...d7-d6) of our main [Carsten Hansen] game; ] [ while 4...a6 5.d3 b5 gives White 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 the choice of any set-up against 2... [ The game actually went 2...e6 a6 in Chapter Fourteen, whereas 3.Nge2 Nc6 4.g3 Nf6 5.Bg2 . ] Black is committed to playing ...Nc6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 (which, to be fair, is where the [ The previous note comes to the knight usually goes anyway). ]

but Black isn't biting. ] 18...fxe5 19.Qe2 Qd6 20.Nc4?! This idea fails because of Black's strong 21st move; [ so White should have left the blockading knight in place and tried 20.Ng5 h6 21.Ne4 Qe7 22.Rae1 , when he remains worse but is at least his pieces are somewhat more active. ] 20...Bxc4 21.dxc4 e4! 22.cxd5?! [ He had to try 22.Ne5 , although Nf6 ( or 22...Nxe5 23.fxe5 Qa6 ) 23.Nxc6 Qxc6 24.Rfb1 Rfd8 is still pretty ugly for White. ] 22...exf3 23.Qxf3 Ne7! 24.Rae1 exd5 Black is already technically winning and after White's next move it is a done deal. 25.f5? Rxf5 26.Qe2 [ Presumably White intended 26.Bf4 and then realized that Be5 ( or even 26...Rxf4!? doesn't get him anywhere. There is little to be said about the rest of the game. )] 26...Rxf1+ 27.Rxf1 c4 28.Bf4 Qc5+ 29.Kh1 Rf8 30.Re1 Rf7 31.Qe6 b2 32.Bd6 Qb6 33.Rf1 EXERCISE: Okay, one final thing: how does Black defend the rook exactly? ANSWER: 33...Bf6! 34.Rxf6 b1Q+ 35.Bf1 Qe4+ 36.Qxe4 Rxf6 0-1

207

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 5.Nge2 This is nowadays considered to be White's best move. Holding the dpawn back for the time being maintains the option of pushing it two squares, either as a response to ...d7-d5 or to reach an open Sicilian after all. [ Instead: a) 5.d3 Be7 ( the immediate 5...d5 is also fine; e.g. 6.exd5 exd5 7.Nge2 d4 8.Ne4 Nxe4 9.dxe4 Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Nf4 Bg5 12.c3 Bxf4 13.Bxf4 Be6 14.Qh5 b6 15.e5 Bd5 and White now risks being worse, so he went for a draw with 16.Bg5 Qd7 17.Bf6! Kh8 18.Bh3 Be6 19.Bxg7+ Kxg7 20.Qg5+ etc, N.Short-V. Topalov, Sarajevo 1999 ) 6.f4 ( neither 6.Nh3 d5 7.0-0 dxe4 8.dxe4 Qxd1 9.Rxd1 Nd4 , V.Kupreichik-E.Sveshnikov, Yerevan 1982; nor 6.Nge2 d5 7.exd5 exd5 8.Bg5 d4 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Nd5 0-0 11.0-0 Re8 , D.Shahinyan-Y.Kuzubov, European Championship, Yerevan 2014, gives White anything either ) 6...d5 7.e5 ( or 7.Bd2 Rb8 8.Nf3 b5 9.Ne5 Bb7 10.Nxb5 dxe4 11.0-0 0-0 12.a4 a6 13.Nc3 Ba8 14.Nxc6 Bxc6 and Black has a pleasant position, N.Short-An.Sokolov, European Championship, Ohrid 2001 ) 7...Nd7 8.Nf3 ( 8.Nge2 0-0 9.0-0 transposes to our main game ) 8...b5 9.0-0 ( not 9.Nxb5? Qa5+ 10.Nc3 d4 11.Ng5 Ndb8! ) 9...b4 10.Ne2 a5 11.Qe1 0-0 12.g4 f6 13.exf6 Nxf6 14.Bh3 Ne8 15.Be3 Bd6 with a complicated position where Black has at least equal chances, V.Kupreichik-E.Sveshnikov, Minsk 1979. ] [ b) 5.f4 d5 6.e5 d4!? ( otherwise 6...Nd7 7.Nf3 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 leads to a more standard play; e.g. 9.d3 Rb8 10.a4 a6 11.Bd2 b5

12.axb5 axb5 13.Qe2 Qc7 14.Nd1 Bb7 15.Nf2 Ra8 with chances for both sides, V.Kryvoruchko-Y.Kuzubov, Dubai 2014 ) 7.exf6 dxc3 8.fxg7 cxd2+ 9.Qxd2 Qxd2+ ( or 9...Bxg7 10.c3 Qc7 11.Nf3 0-0 12.0-0 Bd7 13.Qf2 Ne7 , Al.Zapata-A.Rodriguez Vila, Santos 2003, when 14.Ne5 Bb5 15.c4 looks to give White the somewhat better chances ) 10.Bxd2 Bxg7 11.0-0-0 Bd7 12.Nf3 h6 13.Be3 b6 14.Ne5 Bxe5 15.fxe5 and White has a definite initiative, even if Black might expect to defend for White, A.Parkanyi-J.Szabo, Hungarian League 1998. ] 5...Be7 Black plays in similar fashion, refraining from ...d7-d5 until White's setup has been determined. [ Playing 5...d5 at once is not incorrect, but after 6.exd5 exd5 ( or 6...Nxd5 7.Nxd5 exd5 8.d4 , which transposes to Game 64 ) 7.d4 , Black's centre requires careful handling: cxd4 ( not 7...Bg4?! 8.h3 Bh5 9.Bg5 cxd4 10.Nxd5 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 Qd8 12.Ndf4 and White is clearly better, K.Shirazi-D.Sprenkle, Pasadena 1983 ) 8.Nxd4 Bg4 ( after 8...Bb4 9.0-0 0-0 10.Bg5 Bxc3 11.bxc3 h6 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Bxd5 Bh3 14.Re1 Rad8 15.Bxc6 bxc6 16.Qh5 , White had the advantage in the old game W.Steinitz-C.Golmayo Zupide, Paris 1867 ) 9.Qd3 Bc5 10.Nxc6 ( if 10.Be3 then Bxd4! 11.Bxd4 Qe7+ is annoying ) 10...bxc6 11.0-0 0-0 12.Na4 Bd6 13.Be3 ( or 13.c4 Qa5 14.Qc2 dxc4!? 15.Qxc4 Qh5 16.Qxc6 Rfd8 with good play for the pawn, B.Gonzalez Acosta-N. Delgado Ramirez, San Jose 2009 ) 13...Nd7 14.Qc3 Qc7 15.Nc5 Nxc5 16.Bxc5 Bxc5 17.Qxc5 Qb6 18.Qxb6 axb6 and with the pawns 208

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen now sorted out Black has equalized, B.Golubovic-L.D.Nisipeanu, Stockerau 1993. ] 6.0-0 0-0 With kingside development for both sides now completed, it is approaching time for White to declare intentions. 7.f4 We will examine 7 d3 and 7 h3 in our next main game. [ Another common – in fact the most common – move here is 7.d4 ; A) when 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 d6 enters a Scheveningen Sicilian. ( 8...-- ); B) Having allowed White this option, we must assume that Black is happy with the transposition, but if not there is always 7...d6!? 8.Re1 ( or 8.d5 exd5 9.Nxd5 Nxd5 10.Qxd5 Be6 11.Qd1 Qb6 12.Nf4 Rad8 13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.c3 and White is a little better but not by much, S.T.Jovanovic-L.Zila, Nagykanizsa 1994 ) 8...Bd7 9.d5 Ne5 10.h3 Re8 11.a4 a6 12.f4 Ng6 13.Be3 exd5 14.exd5?! ( 14.Nxd5 Nxd5 15.Qxd5 Bc6 16.Qd3 keeps it level ) 14...h5 15.a5 Qc8 , as in D.K.Johansen-U. Andersson, Yerevan Olympiad 1996; despite his advantage in space, White is actually worse here as there are a few too many "loose" issues in his set-up; e.g. 16.Kh2 h4 ( or 16...Bd8!? first ) 17.Qd2 ( not 17.g4?? Bxg4! ) 17...hxg3+ 18.Nxg3 Nh4 and Black has the upper hand. ] 7...d5 This is certainly the most consistent and logical move; [ but there's nothing too wrong with 7...d6 either, after which 8.h3 ( or 8.d3 transposes to lines considered in the next game.; Note that 8.d4 would now require White to sacrifice a

pawn with cxd4 9.Nxd4 Qb6 10.Be3 Qxb2 , albeit for probably sufficient compensation. )] 8.e5 Nd7 9.d3 Rb8 [ Another option is to break up White's pawn centre first in the style of the Tarrasch French: 9...f6 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.h3 a6 12.g4 b5 13.Ng3 Qc7 14.Nce2 d4 ( Black should play 14...Bd6 first, preventing f4-f5 ) 15.f5! Bd6 (again Black is a move "behind") ( 15...exf5 is better here ) 16.Nf4 (now White has a strong initiative) exf5 17.g5 Ne8 was played in A. Naiditsch-M.Dann, German League 2014, and here White had the clever two-step 18.Qf3 Bd7 ( or 18...Bb7 19.Ne6 ) 19.Qh5! (threatening 20 Bd5+ Kh8 21 Ng6 mate) Bxf4 20.Bd5+ Kh8 21.Bxf4 Qd8 (here ...Qd7 is necessary, but of course that square is occupied) 22.Rae1 and Black is completely busted. ] 10.a4 It is worth prompting the exchange of a-pawns to give the a1-rook something to do, even if it's just to keep Black from playing a later ...Ba6 so easily. [ In S.Dumitrache-S.Gross, Cappelle la Grande 1991, White tried a slow reorganization of his forces, which merely allowed Black to build up a powerful position: 10.Kh1?! b5 11.Ng1 b4 12.Nce2 Qc7 13.Be3 a5 14.d4?! cxd4 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Ba6 17.Rf3?! (it is too late to start attacking now) ( 17.Re1 Nc5 18.Nf3 Rfc8 19.Rc1 Rb6 is somewhat more comfortable for Black, but White is still playing ) 17...Nc5 18.g4?! Ne4 19.f5 Rfc8 20.f6 Bf8 21.Rc1 Bc5 22.Nh3?! Be2 23.Qxe2 Bxd4 and White's position is on the verge on complete 209

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen collapse. ] 10...a6 11.g4 b5 12.axb5 axb5 13.Ng3 b4 14.Nce2 f6 Potkin opts to attack the white centre after all; [ though something normal like 14...Qb6 15.Be3 Ba6 looks to give Black a very acceptable position. ] 15.exf6 Nxf6 16.g5 Ne8 17.h4 [ White can't hope to achieve much with routine moves, such as 17.Be3 Nc7 18.Qd2 Bd6 . ] 17...Nd6 EXERCISE: What should White play here? (Hint: It is sort of a combination, but it doesn't win!) ANSWER: 18.f5! White activates his pieces and breaks Black's rhythm. 18...Nxf5?! [ It is probably better just to ignore the pawn; e.g. 18...Nb5 19.Nf4 Ncd4 20.g6 h6 21.fxe6 Nc7 with a very sharp position; White still has the initiative, but Black is fully in the game and nothing is settled. ] 19.Nxf5 exf5 [ Exchanging a pair of rooks with 19...Rxf5 20.Rxf5 exf5 doesn't seem to ease Black's defence: 21.Nf4 Ne5 ( or 21...Bb7 22.Bxd5+ Kh8 23.Qh5 Qd6 24.Ra7! ) 22.Bxd5+ Kh8 23.Qh5 Bd7 24.Ra6 and White has the better chances. ] 20.Nf4 Ne5 21.Qh5?! It is difficult to be precise in a rapid game. [ Here 21.Bxd5+ Kh8 22.Qh5 is stronger, when even Ra7 is looming on the horizon; e.g. Rb6 ( or 22...Qe8 23.Ra7; while 22...Qb6 is met by 23.Re1 Bd6 24.Kf1! ) 23.Ra7 Ng6 24.Re1 Nxf4 25.Bxf4 Qxd5 26.Rexe7 Rg8 27.Be5 Rg6 28.Rac7 Be6 29.Qe2 and Black has almost no moves. ] 21...g6?! Black is concerned about g5g6 at some point, but moving his own gpawn is far too weakening.

[ It was better to defend the d-pawn with 21...Bb7 , when 22.Ne6 Qb6 23.Nxf8 Rxf8 leaves him with a pawn for the exchange and reasonable drawing chances. ] 22.Qe2?! This allows Black an extra possibility as well. [ 22.Bxd5+ Kh8 ( or if 22...Qxd5 then 23.Nxd5 gxh5 24.Nxe7+ Kf7 25.Ra7 Bd7 26.Nd5 gives White a big advantage ) 23.Qe2 Bd6 was the correct move order. ] 22...Bd6 23.Bxd5+ Kh8? A natural reaction, especially since he has been expecting to play this move anyway, but it's a poor choice as we will see in the game. [ Black should take the chance for 23...Nf7 , even if 24.Re1 Bxf4 25.Bxf7+ Rxf7 26.Bxf4 Qd4+ 27.Qe3 Rb6 means trying to defend a difficult endgame a pawn down. ] 24.b3! Now Black's king faces big trouble on the long diagonal. 24...Re8 [ Or 24...Qb6 25.Qe3 , followed by Bb2. ] 25.Bb2 Qc7 26.Rfe1 Bd7 EXERCISE: How should White best continue? ANSWER: 27.Ra6! The weakness in Black's position is his king trapped in the corner, which is only covered by the knight on e5. So the first step is to remove the defenders of the knight, and the text move threatens the bishop. [ Incidentally, 27.h5 is also pretty deadly for Black, though not nearly as pretty... ] [ Note that if White had played 27.Ra7 immediately, he loses after Qxa7 28.Qxe5+ Bxe5 29.Rxe5 c4+! , followed by 30...c3. ] 27...Rb6 28.Ra7!! Qxa7 29.Qxe5+! Bxe5 30.Rxe5 . Black will only be able to prevent mate through heavy material

210

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen losses. 1-0 B24 Cherniaev,A Guliyev,N 63: Geneva [Carsten Hansen]

2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 [ The players went round the houses to the position at move eight: 2.Ne2 Nf6 3.Nbc3 d6 4.g3 Nc6 5.Bg2 e6 6.0-0 Be7 7.h3 0-0 8.d3 a6 . Note that Guliyev's early ...d7-d6 means he didn't actually have some of the options with ...d7-d5 given below. ] 2...Nc6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.Nge2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.h3 White finds something else to do: preparing g3-g4, while continuing to hold back the d-pawn. [ The only other option left to consider is 7.d3 and then: A) 7...Rb8 8.f4 ( or 8.h3 b5 9.a3 a5 10.Be3 b4 11.axb4 cxb4 12.Na4 d5 13.Nd4 Nxd4 14.Bxd4 dxe4 15.dxe4 Ba6 16.Re1 Qc7 17.e5 Nd7 with chances for both sides, J.Murey-V.Kramnik, Moscow rapid 1992 ) 8...d6 ( 8...d5 9.e5 Nd7 returns to Game 62 ) 9.h3 Qc7 ( not 9...b5?! 10.e5!; but 9...Bd7 10.Be3 b5 11.Qd2 b4 12.Nd1 e5 13.g4 Nd4 14.Ng3 exf4 15.Bxf4 Ne6 16.Be3 Ne8 is fairly even, J. Seret-F.Meinsohn, French Championship, Rouen 1987 ) 10.g4 b5 11.Ng3 b4 12.Nce2 Re8 13.g5 Nd7 14.f5 Nce5 15.Nf4! (a little trick, but Black is fine) Bxg5 16.fxe6 fxe6 17.Qh5 Qd8 18.Nxe6 Rxe6 19.Bxg5 ( or 19.Nf5 Nf7 ) 19...Nf6 20.Bxf6 Rxf6

21.Rxf6 Qxf6 22.Rf1 Qe7 and the game was eventually drawn, D.Andreikin-S.Rublevsky, World Blitz Championship, KhantyMansiysk 2013.; B) 7...d6 8.f4 ( for 8.h3 see 7 h3 d6 below ) 8...Bd7 ( 8...Rb8 is line 'a' above; even 8...d5!? is possible, despite 9.e5 Nd7 giving White an extra tempo on the previous game ) 9.h3 ( 9.Kh1 is actually better here: Rc8 10.Be3 e5!? 11.f5 Nd4 12.h3 b5 13.g4 b4 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Bg5?! 16.Bxg5 Qxg5 17.Ng3 and White has the initiative, J. Gdanski-A.Adorjan, Budapest 1993 ) 9...Rc8 10.Be3 d5! 11.exd5 ( or 11.e5 d4 12.exf6 Bxf6 ) 11...exd5 12.d4? ( 12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.Bxd5 Bxh3 is the point ) 12...cxd4 13.Nxd4 Re8 14.Qd3 ( 14.Bf2 is necessary ) 14...Bc5 15.Bf2 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Bf5 17.Qd2 Ne4 18.Nxe4 dxe4 19.c3 e3 20.Qe2 Bxd4 21.Rfd1 Bb6! 22.Rxd8 Rcxd8 and Black is winning, K.Dave-R.Hegde, Indian Championship, Hyderabad 1994.; C) 7...d5 8.exd5 C1) 8...exd5 9.Bg5 ( 9.Nf4 can be met by Bg4! 10.Qd2 d4 11.Ncd5 Ne5 12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.f3 Bd7 14.Nd5 Bc6 15.Nxf6+ Qxf6 and Black is more active, C.Morrison-J. Plaskett, Manchester 1983 ) 9...d4 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Ne4 Be7 12.Nf4 Re8 13.Re1 Bf8 and it is difficult to find an effective plan for White; e.g. 14.h3 Bd7 15.Re2 Re5 16.Qf1 Qb6 17.Rae1 Rae8 18.b3 Qa5 19.g4 Be7 20.Nh5 Bh4 21.f4 R5e7 22.Ra1 f5 23.gxf5 Bxf5 211

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 24.Bf3 Qc7 and Black is clearly better, M.Aigner-E.Sevillano, Reno 2006.; C2) This is preferable to 8...Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.Nf4 Bf5 11.Bd2 Qd7 ( or 11...Bd6 12.Qh5 Ne7 13.a4 a5 14.b3 b6 15.Rae1 and White has a strong initiative, J.Murey-L. Ungure, Cappelle la Grande 1995 ) 12.Qh5 Rfe8 13.h3 Bf8 14.g4 Bg6 15.Qxd5 Red8 16.Qxd7 Rxd7 17.h4 f6 18.Nxg6 hxg6 19.a3 with a favourable endgame for White, Z.Rahman-D.Abhishek, Mumbai 2009. ] 7...a6 Black can temporize for just as long and sets about preparing ...b7-b5. One reason for preferring this move over ...Rb8 is that White may yet play d2-d4, when ...a7-a6 will be slightly more useful. [ Naturally, Black has other options too: a) 7...Rb8 8.d4!? ( or 8.a4 a6 9.d4!? etc; instead, 8.d3 was seen via 7 d3 Rb8 8 h3 above; while 8.g4 b5 9.Ng3 d5!? 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.d3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Bb7 13.Rb1 b4 14.a3 Ba8 15.axb4 was fairly even and in fact agreed drawn here in D.NovitzkijA.Lukin, St Petersburg 2000 ) 8...cxd4 9.Nxd4 d6 10.Be3 a6 11.f4 ( or 11.a4 Qc7 12.Qd2 Bd7 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.a5 c5 15.b3 Bc6 16.Rfe1 Qb7 17.Qd3 Rbd8 with chances for both sides, J.Roos-J.Koch, France 1994 ) 11...Bd7 12.a4 Qc7 13.Nb3 b6 14.g4 Na5!? 15.Nxa5 bxa5 16.g5 Ne8 17.Bd4 Rb4 18.Kh1 Bc6 ( 18...Qc4!? is a possibility ) 19.b3 Qb7 20.Qd3 f5 21.Rae1 fxe4 22.Nxe4 and White looks better, P. Smederevac-E.Gereben, Beverwijk 1966. ]

[ b) 7...d6 8.d3 ( or 8.f4 Rb8 9.g4 Nd7 10.a4 a6 11.g5 b5 12.axb5 axb5 13.Ng3 c4 14.d4 cxd3 15.cxd3 Qb6+ 16.Kh2 b4 17.Nce2 Ba6 and Black has no problems, G. Iskov-A.Law, London Lloyds Bank 1979 ) 8...Rb8 9.a3!? ( 9.Be3 b5 10.Qd2 b4 11.Nd1 d5 12.f4 dxe4 13.dxe4 Qxd2 14.Bxd2 Ba6 15.e5 Nh5 16.Bxc6 Bxe2 is good for Black since the knight cannot be trapped, A. Piroth-G.Sax, Hungarian League 1999 ) 9...b5 ( or 9...b6 10.Kh2 Bb7 11.f4 a6 12.g4 Nd4 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Ne2 e5 15.Ng3 Bc8 16.Bd2 Ne8 17.Nf5 Bxf5 18.exf5 exf4 19.Bxf4 , and White has the better chances, J.Gdanski-E.Agrest, Swedish League 2002 ) 10.g4 b4?! ( Black should play 10...a5 since 11.a4 b4 12.Nb5 Ba6 is nothing to worry about ) 11.axb4 cxb4 12.Na4 d5 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.c4 bxc3 15.bxc3 Bb7 16.Re1 Qd7 17.d4 and White has the initiative, D.Reinderman-I.Efimov, Escaldes 1998. ] [ c) 7...d5 8.exd5 exd5 ( or 8...Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.d4 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Bc5 12.Be3 Qb6 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Bxc5 Qxc5 15.c3 Rb8 16.Qd2 a5 , when White has the superior pawn structure but Black's pieces have excellent potential, H.JurkovicG.Kuzmin, Ceske Budejovice 1995 ) 9.d4 Be6 ( 9...cxd4 10.Nxd4 Qb6 transposes to B.Spassky-D.Barlov, New York Open 1987, where 11.Nde2 d4 12.Na4 Qa6 13.b3 Rd8 14.Nf4 b5 15.Nb2 Bb7 16.a4 ½-½ was a rather tame effort by the former World Champion ) 10.Be3 Qd7 11.Kh2 cxd4 ( 11...b6 is also fine ) 12.Nxd4 Ne5 13.Nce2 Nc4 14.Bc1 Rad8 15.b3 Nd6 16.Bb2 ( 16.Nf4!? at once is better ) 16...Rfe8 17.Nf4 212

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Nfe4 18.Ndxe6 ( not 18.f3?? due to Nxg3! and wins ) 18...fxe6 19.Qe2 Bf6 and the chances about even, E. Fernandez Romero-D.Martinez Lopez, Spanish Championship, Linares 2015. ] 8.d3 d6 Now that White has finally committed his d-pawn, Black does likewise – though as we mentioned, Guliyev actually played ...d7-d6 on move three. [ Otherwise he could consider: a) 8...b5 9.e5 Ne8 10.Bxc6!? dxc6 11.Ne4 ( 11.Re1 Qc7 12.Nf4 might improve a little ) 11...f5 12.exf6 Nxf6 13.Kg2 e5 14.f3 Be6 15.b3 Qd7 and Black's actively placed pieces more than compensate for his inferior pawn structure, D. Reinderman-V.Kuporosov, Pardubice 1993. ] [ b) 8...d5 is still possible, but the inclusion of h2-h3 and ...a7-a6 is in White's favour since ...Bg4 is now ruled out; e.g. 9.exd5 exd5 10.Nf4 d4 11.Ncd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Bf5 13.Re1 Bd6 14.Qf3 Bg6 15.h4 h6 16.Bf4 Bxf4 17.Nxf4 and White's position is certainly preferable, L. Lejarre-G.Lucio, Avoine 2003. ] 9.f4 Nd7 10.g4 b5 11.Ng3 [ White does not bother to insert 11.a3 this time as he intends to retreat the c3-knight to e2 in any case. ] 11...Nd4 [ Black has tried a couple of other moves: a) 11...Bb7 12.Nce2 Re8 13.Bd2 Rc8 14.Kh2 b4 15.f5?! (too soon) ( 15.g5 and 16 h4 is better as in the main game ) 15...Bg5 16.Qc1 h6 17.fxe6 fxe6 18.Bf4 Nde5 and Black has no problems at all, G. Pradip-D.Debashish, New Delhi 2009. ]

[ b) 11...Nb6!? 12.Nce2 d5 13.e5 f6 14.exf6 Bxf6 15.g5 Be7 16.h4 Bd6! (as we saw in the notes to the previous game, this move a good way of deterring f4-f5) 17.d4 c4 ( 17...cxd4! 18.Nxd4 Nxd4 19.Qxd4 Qc7 looks even better ) 18.b3 Bd7 19.bxc4 bxc4 20.Bd2 Qc7 and Black has a very satisfactory position, K.Grigoryan-C.Houriez, Cappelle la Grande 2013. ] 12.Nce2 Nxe2+ 13.Qxe2 Bb7 14.g5 Re8 15.h4 Bf8 16.h5 QUESTION: This is beginning to look positively scary for Black – is he completely busted? ANSWER: No, Black is fine; but the white pawns are indeed close to making contact with the guardrail in front of Black's king, so he needs to play precisely and make sure that his own play in the centre and on the queenside makes a similar impact. 16...g6 17.Be3 b4 18.a4 QUESTION: I have always been told to play in the area of the board in which you are strongest. White's move seems to go against that philosophy, so am I wrong? ANSWER: White is trying to hamper Black's counterplay on the queenside, but his move does go against normal conventions. [ Objectively, as you intimate, 18.f5 is probably best; for example, exf5 19.exf5 d5 20.hxg6 hxg6 21.Rae1 Ne5 ( not 21...d4?? 22.fxg6 fxg6 23.Bxb7 Rxe3 24.Bd5+ and Black gets mated ) 22.d4 cxd4 23.Bxd4 Qxg5 24.fxg6 Qxg6 25.Bxe5 Bg7 and the chances are about even. ] 18...Bg7 19.Rab1 Qc7 20.b3 This is only a temporary roadblock, as Black will soon reinforce his queenside infantry by advancing the d-pawn. 20...Rac8 21.Qg4 a5 22.Kh1 d5 213

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 23.exd5 [ White could push past with 23.e5 , but then his attack on the kingside is pretty much over (there is no way in on the h-file) and he would have to spend the rest of the game trying to defend against Black's initiative on the queenside. ] 23...exd5 24.Bg1 c4 25.d4 cxb3 26.cxb3 f5! White is now ready to play f4-f5, so Black gets in first. 27.gxf6 Nxf6 28.Qg5 gxh5?! [ Guliyev should have defended himself with 28...Qf7 , while clearing the c-file for the rook; e.g. 29.h6 ( or 29.Bh3? Rc3 ) 29...Bh8 30.f5 Rc3 31.Kh2 Re7 32.Rb2 Qe8 33.Rbf2 Ree3 and Black is still doing fine. ] 29.Bh3 Ne4? Swapping the knights off only helps White. [ The best chance was 29...Qc3 , seeking counterplay with the queen; e.g. 30.Bxc8 Bxc8 31.Rbc1 ( or 31.f5 Kh8 ) 31...Qxb3 32.Rc7 Bd7 and White can't bring the knight forward in view of ...Qh3+. ] 30.Nxe4 dxe4 31.Be3 Rcd8? Now it really goes downhill. [ He should have opted for 31...Qd8 32.Bxc8 Qxg5 33.fxg5 Rxc8 34.Rbc1 Rxc1 35.Rxc1 Bf8 , although White clearly has excellent winning chances. ] 32.f5 Bc8 [ On 32...Qd7 White simply plays 33.Kg1! , threatening f5-f6 again. ] 33.f6 Bxh3 34.f7+ Kh8 35.fxe8Q+ Rxe8 36.Qxh5 Qd7 37.Rf4 Threatening Rh4 and wins; [ while 37.Rg1! was even stronger; e. g. Rg8 38.d5 Qf5 39.Qxf5 Bxf5 40.Rg5 Rf8 41.Rf1 and it will soon be over for Black. ] 37...Rd8? [ He had to play 37...Be6 , when

38.Rh4 ( but 38.d5! Bxd5 39.Rd1 Re5 40.Rf8+! Bg8 41.Rxd7 Rxh5+ 42.Kg2 is a winning endgame for White, since Bxf8?? loses at once to 43.Bd4+ ) 38...Bg8 defends for the moment. ] 38.d5 [ Or still 38.Rh4 Bf5 39.Rf1 Bf6 ( or 39...Rf8 40.Rhf4 ) 40.Rh2 Bg4 41.Qh4 and White wins a piece. ] 38...Re8 39.Kh2 [ Here 39.Rg1 is completely decisive; White threatens 40 Rf7. ] 39...Be5 40.Qxh3 An extra piece in the endgame will be good enough. [ Otherwise he could play 40.Rg1 again, intending Bf5 41.Rg5 Rf8 42.Kg1 and Black is toast since the rook on f4 obviously cannot be touched. ] 40...Qxd5 41.Rbf1 Rd8 42.Qf5 Bxf4+ 43.Rxf4 Qxf5 44.Rxf5 Kg7 45.Kg3 Rd3 46.Kf4 Rxb3 47.Rxa5 Rb1 Black's last hope is to swap the rooks off and put his king on a8, but neither possibility is ever going to happen. 48.Rb5 Kf7 49.a5 Ra1 50.Bd2 e3 51.Kxe3 Ra3+ 52.Ke4 b3 53.Kf5 Ra2 54.Bc3 Ke7 55.Rxb3 Kd6 56.Rb6+ Kc5 57.Ke4 Kc4 58.Rc6+ Kb3 59.Kd5 Ka4 60.Kc4 . White will push the a-pawn next and Black will soon be mated by either the rook or a new queen. 1-0 B23 Sepp,O Rezaei,R 64: Moscow Olympiad [Carsten Hansen]

1994

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Nge7 Putting the knight on e7, rather 214

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen than f6, has the benefit of allowing Black to play ...d7-d5 without being disturbed by e4-e5. On the downside, the knight puts no pressure on the centre from e7 and also obstructs the f8bishop, which must either go to g7 after all or patiently await its turn. 5.Nge2 As in the previous two games, by developing the king's knight first White keeps the option of pushing the dpawn two squares; in particular, the prospect of 6 d4! usually discourages Black from following up with 5...g6. If White plays anything else then, more often than not, Black reverts to the main lines with 5...g6 and ...Bg7 (or 5...d6 and ...g7-g6 etc). [ On the other hand, if we're intending to play the Closed Sicilian anyway, we shouldn't mind the transposition, so let's look at two other standard moves as well: a) 5.f4 d5 ( 5...g6 should transpose elsewhere; see Game 58 for starters ) 6.d3 ( after 6.Nf3!? dxe4 7.Nxe4 Nf5 8.0-0 Qc7 9.c3 b6 10.Qe2 Be7 11.g4 Nd6 12.Ng3 0-0 13.d3 Re8 14.Be3 Bb7 15.Rad1 Bf8 16.Qf2 , the players agreed a draw in A. Rodriguez Vila-A.Caldeira, Serra Negra 2002 ) 6...dxe4 ( 6...d4 7.Nce2 e5 looks fine too; while 6...g6 7.Nf3 Bg7 is Game 58 ) 7.Nxe4 Nd5 8.Nf3 ( or 8.Ne2 Be7 9.N2c3 0-0 10.0-0 Re8 11.Kh1 f5 12.Ng5 Bf6 13.Bd2 h6 14.Nf3 b6 15.Nxd5 exd5 and I prefer Black, S.Mozer-T. Borsavolgyi, Hungarian League 2009 ) 8...Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Ne5 Bd7 11.Bd2 Be8 12.a3 Rc8 13.c4 Nb6 14.Nxc6 Bxc6 with equal chances, T.Kulhanek-S.Cicak, Czech League 2003. ] [ b) 5.d3 d5 ( again 5...g6 should return to the main lines; c.f.

Chapter Eleven ) 6.exd5 ( for 6.f4 see line 'a'; while after 6.Nh3 d4 7.Nb1 e5 8.f4 exf4 9.gxf4 Ng6 , Black is certainly no worse, I. Starostits-A.Zapolskis, Vilnius 2009 ) A) 6...exd5! 7.Nge2 d4 8.Ne4 Ng6 9.0-0 Be7 10.Nf4 ( 10.f4?! f5 11.Ng5 h6 12.Nf3 0-0 13.Re1 Be6 14.h4 Bf6 is good for Black, M.Schmelz-V.Yemelin, Bad Wiessee 2009 ) 10...Nxf4 11.Bxf4 0-0 12.h4 h6 13.Re1 Bf5 14.a3 Qd7 and Black has no difficulties, B. Maslesa-M.Kastelic, Skofja Loka 1998.; B) Despite the temporary traffic jam, this is more promising than 6...Nxd5 7.Nxd5 exd5 8.Ne2 d4 9.0-0 , even if Black should still be okay after Bd6! ; ( i.e. rather than 9...Be7 10.Nf4 0-0 which we saw in the notes to the previous game )] 5...d5 White's score is so favourable after this move that I'm tempted to give it a dubious mark, but active play should see Black more ore less okay. [ Instead, as mentioned above, 5...g6 is well met by 6.d4! ( for 6.d3 Bg7 , see 6 Nge2 in Game 58 ) 6...cxd4 7.Nxd4 and Black has a rather dodgy open Sicilian; e.g. a6 ( or 7...Bg7 8.Ndb5 , as in L.Paulsen-C. Hengstenberg, Düsseldorf 1862 ) 8.Bg5 Bg7 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Qd6 f6 11.Be3 and White is clearly better, A. Hossain-H.Nishimura, Asian Team Championship, Penang 1991. ] [ From the other side of the board, Paulsen used to play 5...Nd4 , which is a major alternative: A) 6.d3 Nec6 7.Nxd4 ( 7.0-0 is line 'd' ) 7...cxd4 8.Ne2 Bc5 9.c3 Bb6 10.Nxd4 Nxd4 11.cxd4 Bxd4 12.0-0 0-0 13.Qe2 Qb6 14.Rb1 d6 and the game was quite 215

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen equal, Mik.Weiss-L.Paulsen, Vienna 1882.; B) 6.Nxd4 cxd4 7.Ne2 Nc6 8.0-0 g6 ( 8...Be7; or 8...Bc5 again is also fine ) 9.c4 Bg7 10.d3 0-0 11.Rb1 a6 12.f4 b5 13.b3 Qb6 14.Ba3 b4 15.Bb2 d6 with chances for both sides, L. Espig-U.Bönsch, Berlin 1982.; C) 6.b3!? Nec6 7.Bb2 d6 8.Nf4 g6 9.Nce2 Bg7 10.c3 Nxe2 11.Qxe2 e5 (I'm not sure this is necessary) ( 11...0-0 looks better ) 12.Nd5 Be6 13.f4 exf4 14.Nxf4 Bd7 15.0-0 0-0 and while my computer calls this equal, I think White's position is preferable, R. Slobodjan-W.Gerstner, German League 2004.; D) 6.0-0 Nec6 ( or 6...g6 7.d3 Bg7 8.Rb1 0-0 9.a3 d5!? 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 Nxe2+ 12.Qxe2 exd5 13.Re1 Be6 14.Bf4 Re8 15.h4 Qd7 with more or less equal chances, R.Kashtanov-I. Yagupov, St Petersburg 2000 ) 7.d3 Be7 8.Be3 ( or 8.a3 d6 9.Rb1 h5!? 10.b4 h4 11.Be3 g5 12.Qd2 Bf6 13.b5 Nxe2+ 14.Nxe2 Ne5 with a double-edged position, I. Biriukov-R.Ibrahimov, Bogoroditsk 2011 ) 8...0-0 9.Nf4 intending Nb1 and c2-c3; ( after 9.Qd2 d6 10.f4 Bd7 11.Rf2 Rb8 12.Raf1 b5 , Black already stands well, F. Riemann-L.Paulsen, Berlin 1881 ) 9...Qb6 10.b3 Qa5 11.Bd2 Qa6 12.Nb1 Ne5 led to interesting play in E.Torre-D.Juswanto, Manila 2001: 13.h4 h6 14.c3 Ndc6 15.Bc1 g5 16.hxg5 hxg5 17.d4 cxd4 18.cxd4 Nxd4 19.Qxd4 Bf6 and here White might have tried 20.Qc3! , intending gxf4?! 21.gxf4 Nf3+ 22.Qxf3 Bxa1 23.e5

and Black's king is awfully lonely. ] 6.exd5 [ Nothing else makes sense here; for instance, 6.d3 d4 7.Nb1 e5 leaves White essentially playing with the black pieces. ] 6...Nxd5 [ This time 6...exd5?! is inappropriate, as 7.d4! puts the the centre under fire while Black's pieces are stepping on each other's toes; e.g. cxd4 ( or 7...Be6 8.dxc5 ) 8.Nxd4 Nxd4 ( or 8...Qb6 9.Ndb5 ) 9.Qxd4 Be6 10.0-0 Nc6 11.Qa4 Bc5 12.Qb5 and White is clearly better. ] 7.Nxd5 exd5 8.d4 [ Another option is simply to castle: 8.0-0 Be7 9.Nf4 d4 10.Nd5!? ( or 10.d3 , transposing to the 7 d3 d5 8 exd5 Nxd5 line in the notes to Game 63 ) 10...Bd6 11.Re1+ Be6 12.d3 0-0 13.Qh5 g6 14.Qg5 f6 15.Qh6 Qd7 16.Bf4 Rae8 17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.Qf4 Qxf4 19.Nxf4 and the position may be close to equal, strictly speaking, but White's position is a little easier to play, Ba. Jobava-J.Polgar, European Blitz Championship, Warsaw 2010. ] 8...Be6?! Too passive; as we said above, Black's position requires active play. [ For instance: a) 8...Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.0-0 cxd4 11.g4 ( 11.Qe1!? might improve ) 11...Bg6 12.Nxd4 Be7 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.c4 Be4 15.Bxe4 dxe4 16.Qxd8+ ( or 16.Qe2 Qd3 ) 16...Rxd8 17.Re1 h5 18.g5 f5 and Black has equalized, S.HimanshuJ.Markos, Kolkata 2009. ] [ b) 8...cxd4 9.Nxd4 Bc5 10.Qe2+ ( not 10.Be3?! Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Qe7+ ) 10...Qe7 11.Qxe7+ Kxe7 12.Nb3 Bb6 13.c3 ( or 13.Bxd5 Nb4 216

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 14.Be4 Re8 15.0-0 Kf6 ) 13...Be6 14.0-0 Rhd8 and Black can look to eliminate the isolated pawn with ...d5d4. ] 9.0-0 Qd7 10.Be3 cxd4 [ Other moves are no better now: a) 10...0-0-0 11.dxc5 d4 12.Bxc6 Qxc6 13.Nxd4 and White has a big advantage, which soon increased: Qa6 14.Qd3 Bc4? 15.Qf5+ Kb8 16.Rfd1 Qa5 17.b4 1-0 A.Arribas Lopez-M.Chuvnik, Zürich 2012. ] [ b) 10...c4 11.Nf4 Bb4 12.b3 Na5 ( or 12...cxb3 13.c4! ) 13.Bd2 Bxd2 14.Qxd2 b6 15.Rfe1 0-0 16.Re3 Rae8 17.Rae1 and Black's position is creaking, Rol.Martinez-E.Jara, Milan 2012. ] 11.Nxd4 Be7 12.Nxe6 fxe6 QUESTION: It looks like White should be much better here: bishop pair, superior pawn structure, and even a slight lead in development. Is that a fair assessment? ANSWER: Absolutely; the factors you list are sufficient to guarantee White a clear advantage. 13.Qg4 [ The direct 13.c4 d4 ( or 13...dxc4 14.Qe2 ) 14.Bxc6 Qxc6 15.Bxd4 0-0 16.Qe2 is good too, but White probably saw no need to force events, preferring to build up methodically against the vulnerable black pawns in the centre. ] 13...Bf6 14.c3 Rd8 15.Rad1 0-0 16.Rfe1 Qf7 17.Bc5 Rfe8 18.f4 b6 19.Bf2 Kh8 20.Qe2 Na5 21.Bd4 Bxd4+ 22.cxd4 QUESTION: Why does White take on an isolated pawn himself, while having just given up the bishop pair? ANSWER: Sometimes, in order to make progress, you have to take one advantage and convert into another. In

this case, White no doubt felt that fixing the backward e6-pawn permanently was worth more than the two bishops and a flawless pawn structure. 22...Rc8? White's strategy pays dividends at once as Black is now unable to defend the e6-pawn at all. [ He had to play 22...Qf6 , intending 23.Bh3 Re7 , when White cannot play 24.Bxe6? since g6! (threatening ...Rde8) 25.Qe5 Qxe5 26.Rxe5 Nc6 wins material. ] 23.Bh3! Qf6 [ 23...Rc6 is no good either because of 24.f5 . ] 24.Bxe6 Rc4 EXERCISE: Black is attempting a small counter-attack against the d4-pawn. What is White's best reply? 25.f5 [ ANSWER: White could have played 25.Qh5! Rf8 ( or 25...g6 26.Qxd5 ) 26.Bxd5 Rxd4 27.Rxd4 Qxd4+ 28.Kh1 and Black is having real issues. The immediate threats of 29 Re8 and 29 Be4 are pretty devastating and the fact that the knight has no squares is not a small point either. ] 25...Rxd4 26.Rxd4 Qxd4+ 27.Qf2 Qxf2+ 28.Kxf2 d4 [ The endgame is clearly very good for White too. For instance, 28...Nc4 29.Bxd5 Rxe1 30.Kxe1 Nxb2 31.Kd2 Na4 32.h4 and White has every chance of winning: his king is far more active, and a bishop is usually stronger than a knight when there are pawns on both wings. ] 29.Bd5 Rf8 30.Re5 [ Remember the last note but one? Here 30.b4! wins the knight: Rxf5+ 31.Kg2 g5 (the bishop cannot be touched because of the back rank mate) 32.Be6 Rb5 33.bxa5 bxa5 217

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen C) and the Taimanov player's 3...Nc6 ends up in Chapter Twelve after 4.g3 C1) 4...Nf6 5.Bg2 . ( 5.-- ); C2) In the latter variation Black has the additional option of 4...d5 5.exd5 exd5 6.Bg2 ( or 6.d4 Bg4 ) 6...d4 ( this is similar to Game 67 and is safer than 6...Nf6 7.d4 , as in the notes to Game 62 ) 7.Nd5 Nf6 8.Nef4 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 Bd6 10.0-0 0-0 11.d3 Be6 , which is basically equal, even if White did go on to win in R.J.Fischer-B.Spassky, 17th matchgame, St Stefan/ Belgrade 1992. ] 3...d5 As noted above, this is our main move for this chapter, though Black has tried various alternatives; [ for instance: a) 3...Nc6 is actually the most popular move, returning to Chapter Twelve. ] [ b) 3...a6 4.Bg2 b5 ( 4...Nc6 is more circumspect ) 5.e5!? ( otherwise 5.d3 Bb7 is Chapter B23 Roselli Mailhe,B Fourteen ) 5...Nc6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.d3 Cubas,J Bb7 8.Qe2 Ne7 9.Ne4 Nf5 10.c3 65: Vicente Lopez 2003 Qd5 ( or 10...c4 11.dxc4 bxc4 [Carsten Hansen] 12.g4! c5 13.gxf5 Qh4 14.Ng3 Bxh1 15.fxe6 Bd5 16.exf7+ Bxf7 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.g3 17.e6 Bg8 18.f4 0-0-0 19.Qe4 [ It is worth mentioning the tricky with good play for the exchange ) 3.Nge2!? ; 11.Nf3 c4 12.dxc4 Qxc4 13.Qxc4 A) when 3...d5 4.exd5 exd5 5.d4 bxc4 14.0-0 c5 15.Re1 h5 16.Bg5 can cause Black problems. and White has the better chances, T. Otherwise, Black's response needs Kulhanek-J.Votava, Czech League to consider the possibility of White 2008. ] opening the Sicilian after all with d2[ c) 3...Ne7 4.Bg2 Nec6!? ( 4...Nbc6 d4.; is Game 64 ) 5.Nge2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 B) With that in mind, the Kan 7.d3 a6 8.a4 ( or 8.Be3 d6 9.Qd2 player's 3...a6 transposes to Game b5 10.f4 Nd7 11.a3 Nb6 69 after 4.g3 b5 5.Bg2 Bb7 ; and Black has a reasonable position, ( 5...-- ); O.Biti-F.Bistric, Pula 2003 ) 8...Nd4

34.Kf3 and White is a piece up for virtually nothing. ] 30...b5 31.b3 g6 32.g4 gxf5 33.gxf5 Rf6 34.Be4 a6 35.Rc5?! [ Now 35.Re6! is the simplest way forward; e.g. Kg7 36.Ke2 Kf7 37.Kd3 h5 ( or 37...Rxe6 38.Bd5 ) 38.Rxf6+ Kxf6 39.Kxd4 , followed by Kc5-b6 and the knight falls again. But White was in terrible time trouble at this stage. ] 35...Kg7 36.Ke2?! Rh6 37.Rc7+ Kf6 38.Kf3 Rh3+ 39.Kf4 [ We should note that 39.Kg4! Re3 ( or 39...Rxh2 40.Ra7 ) 40.Kf4 Re1 ( or 40...Rh3 41.Bf3 ) 41.Ra7 sees White winning again; ] [ whereas after 39.Kf4 Rxh2 40.Ra7 Rh4+ 41.Kf3 Kg5 , there is no time to take the a-pawn ( 42.Rxa6? Rf4+ ) so the position is finally equal. Or it would be if White's flag had not fallen. ] 0-1

218

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 9.Nxd4 cxd4 10.Ne2 Nc6 11.f4 d5 12.exd5 exd5 13.f5 Bg5 ( or just 13...Re8 ) 14.c3 Bf6 15.Kh1 Re8 and Black does not stand so badly, D. King-V.Milov, Swiss League 1998. ] [ d) 3...h5!? 4.Bg2 Nc6 ( 4...h4 seems more consistent ) 5.d3 g5!? 6.Nf3 Be7 7.Be3 d5 8.exd5 exd5 9.d4 c4 ( 9...Bf6 improves somewhat ) 10.Qd2 g4 11.Ne5! Nf6 12.0-0-0 and White is clearly better at this point, H.Camilleri-S.Mariotti, Praia da Rocha 1978. ] 4.Bg2?! This routine move is generally considered imprecise because of the line Black adopts below. [ Instead, 4.d3 is the next game; ] [ while the main line with 4.exd5 is examined in Games 67 and 68. ] 4...d4 Advancing the d-pawn twice is the critical continuation. [ Other moves are acceptable too; for example: a) 4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 A) 5...Nc6 6.d3 Be7 7.f4 ( again not 7.Qg4? f5! 8.Qxg7 Qd4 and Black is pretty much winning already, Ba.Jobava-M. Vachier Lagrave, Khanty-Mansiysk Olympiad 2010 ) 7...Nf6 8.Nf3 Qc7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Kh1 b6 11.Nfg5 Bb7 12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.Ne4 Be7 14.Bd2 Rad8 15.Bc3 Nd4 and Black is perfectly fine, N.ShortA.Wojtkiewicz, online blitz 2000.; B) Or 5...Be7 6.Nf3 ( not 6.Qg4? since f5! 7.Qxg7 Qd4! 8.Qxd4 cxd4 leaves the white knight without a square ) 6...Nf6 7.Nxf6+ Bxf6 8.0-0 0-0 9.d3 Nc6 10.c3 b6 and ...Bb7 with a pleasant position for Black, R.Kozel-I. Smirnov, Odessa 2008. ] [ b) 4...Nf6 5.e5 ( for 5.d3 see 4...Nf6 5 Bg2 in the next game )

5...Ng8 ( or 5...Nfd7 ) 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.0-0 Nge7 8.Re1 Nf5 9.d3 Be7 led to a quick draw in Y.Balashov-A. Vyzmanavin, Lvov 1990. ] 5.Nce2 [ Against 5.Nb1 , Black can play in similar fashion: d3 ( for 5...e5 , see the notes to the next game ) 6.cxd3 Nc6 7.Ne2 ( or 7.d4 Nxd4 8.Nc3 Ne7 9.d3 Nec6 10.Nge2 Be7 11.Nxd4 cxd4 12.Ne2 Qa5+ 13.Bd2 Qb5 14.Qb1 e5 and Black has good chances, J.Jonitz-S.Cicak, Brno 1995 ) 7...Nf6 ( naturally, 7...Qxd3 is also possible ) 8.0-0 Bd6 9.f4 e5 10.Nbc3 0-0 11.a3 Bc7 with a pleasant position which soon got even better: 12.Nd5?! Bg4 13.h3? Bxe2 14.Qxe2 Nxd5 15.exd5 Nd4 16.Qg4 exf4 17.gxf4 f5 and White didn't last much longer, H. Waller-K.Landa, Bled 1991. ] 5...d3 [ Pushing on is not obligatory; again 5...e5 (or 5...Nc6 first) is playable, if Black doesn't mind an entirely reversed King's Indian (see 4 d3 d4 etc in the notes to the next game). ] 6.cxd3 Qxd3 [ Black doesn't need to recapture immediately; 6...Nc6 is a good alternative. A) For example, 7.d4?! this pawn move is entirely unnecessary; cxd4 8.d3 Qa5+ ( or 8...Nf6 9.Nh3 Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.f3 a5 12.Nf2 a4 13.f4 a3 14.g4?! , S.Keskinen-J. Penttinen, Tampere 2000, and now axb2 15.Bxb2 e5 16.f5 Nd7 gives Black an excellent reversed King's Indian ) 9.Bd2 Qb5 10.Qc2 Nb4 11.Bxb4 Bxb4+ 12.Kf1 e5 13.f4 Ne7 14.fxe5 Nc6 15.Nf3 , M.Narmontas-S.Cicak, Warsaw (rapid) 2006, and now 0-0 219

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen is quite promising for Black; e.g. 16.Nfxd4 Nxd4 17.Nxd4 Qxe5 18.Nf3 Qb5 with excellent compensation for the pawn.; B) White could be patient and play 7.Nf3 , when 7...Qxd3 transposes to the game; ( while 7...e5 8.0-0 Bg4 9.Nc3 Qxd3 10.Nd5 Bd6 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Qxf3 13.Bxf3 is roughly equal. )] 7.Nf3 [ White more often plays 7.Nf4 , when Black has to choose a square for the queen: A) 7...Qa6 8.b4!? cxb4 9.Bb2 Ne7 was K.B.Petersen-P.Husted, Danish League 1996, and here 10.Nh5 f6 11.e5 f5 12.Ne2 looks to give White interesting play for the pawn.; B) 7...Qd6 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Re1 e5 11.Nd5 Be7 12.b4 cxb4 13.d4 Bg4 14.Bb2 Bxf3 was agreed drawn in R.Pokorna-R. Hasangatin, Presov 2002, but I think White might have played on; e.g. 15.dxe5 Nxe5 16.Bxe5 Bxd1 17.Bxd6 Bxd6 18.e5 0-0 19.Nxf6+ gxf6 20.exd6 and White has the slightly better chances.; C) 7...Qd7 8.Nge2 Nc6 9.0-0 C1) 9...Be7 10.b3 Bf6 11.Rb1 h5 12.h4 (too pedestrian) ( 12.b4!? is more ambitious, e.g. cxb4 13.d4 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Qxd4 15.Qe2 h4 16.Be3 Qe5 17.Rxb4 and White has a massive lead in development for the sacrificed pawn ) 12...Nge7 13.Nc3 Be5 14.Nh3 b6 15.Re1 Ba6 and Black has a pretty wonderful position, A.Cieza Vega-C.Beyer, German League 2000.;

C2) Or 9...Nf6 10.b3 Bd6 11.Ba3 ( but 11.Bb2 e5 12.Nd5 looks like a solid improvement and reasonably promising for White ) 11...0-0 12.Rc1 e5 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Nb4 15.Bxb4 cxb4 16.d4 and chances are about even, D. Vargic-B.Lalic, Croatian League 2010.; D) 7...Qd8 8.Nge2 ( after 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.0-0 Bd6 10.d3 Nf6 11.Be3 0-0 12.Rc1 e5 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Nd4 , Black is certainly no worse, M.Bastian-A.Balzar, German League 1993 ) 8...Nc6 9.0-0 Be7 10.b4 Nxb4 11.e5 Nh6 12.d4 Nf5 13.a3 Nc6 14.d5 exd5 15.Nxd5 0-0 16.Bb2 Be6 17.Nef4 and White may have enough for the pawn but no more than that, D. Valerga-F.Peralta, Villa Ballester 1996. ] 7...Nc6 [ The greedy 7...Qxe4?! is just asking for trouble after 8.d4 and 9 0-0. ] 8.0-0 Nf6 [ Black has also tried 8...e5 , hoping to set up a clamp on the backward d-pawn, but White can work around it; e.g. 9.Ne1 Qa6 10.Nc3 Nf6 11.d3 Be7 12.Bg5 Bg4 13.Qd2 Nd4 14.Nc2 Be6 ( not 14...Nf3+?! 15.Bxf3 Bxf3 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.Qe3 Bg4 18.Qxc5 , as the two bishops are not enough for the missing pawn; while after 14...0-0 15.f4 h6 16.fxe5 hxg5 17.exf6 Bxf6 18.Nd5 Bd8 19.Nxd4 cxd4 20.b3 , I still prefer White in this position ) 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.exd5 h6 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Qb4 Rd8? ( only 19...Be7 keeps Black above water ) 20.Rfe1 and White is fully in charge of the initiative, A.Krapivin-N.Zhadanov, 220

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Moscow 2011. ] 9.Nf4 [ Another option is 9.e5!? Nd5 10.Nc3 Be7 A) 11.Ne1 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Qd7 , as in F.Verduyn-K.Schulz, Belgian League 2002, when 13.Qg4 g6 ( or 13...0-0 14.d4 ) 14.Qe4 looks quite promising for White.; B) I'm not so convinced about 11.Re1 0-0 12.Ne4 Nd4 13.Nxd4 Qxd4 14.d3 Qxe5 15.Nxc5 Qc7 16.Ne4 ( my computer assesses 16.d4 b6 17.Bxd5 exd5 18.Bf4 Qd8 19.Nd3 as equal, but I'm not very happy about the missing lightsquared bishop ) 16...Bd7 , when White is left with the weak dpawn, G.Canfell-I.Bjelobrk, Auckland 2005. ] 9...Qxe4 QUESTION: Didn't White just lose a pawn? ANSWER: He did indeed, but this works like a normal gambit: the cost of the pawn is that Black has invested (and is still investing) time with his exposed queen and can end up well behind in development. 10.Re1 Qb4 11.a3 Qb6 12.b4!? White pours more gasoline on the fire. [ The alternative is 12.d4 Nxd4 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.b3 ( better than 14.b4 , which allows a5 15.Bb2 axb4 16.Bxd4 Bc5 17.Bxc5 Qxc5 18.axb4 Rxa1 19.bxc5 Rxd1 20.Rxd1 Ke7 21.Rb1 and everything peters out to a drawish endgame ) 14...Be7 15.Bb2 0-0 16.Bxd4 Qd6 17.Re2 Rd8 18.Rd2 Qb8 ( or 18...Nd5 19.Nxd5 exd5 20.b4 ) 19.Qe2 e5 20.Re1 exd4 21.Qxe7 Qd6 22.Qxd6 Rxd6 23.b4 and White will soon reclaim the sacrificed pawn with even chances. ] 12...cxb4 13.d4 Be7 14.d5 exd5 15.Be3 Qd8 16.axb4 0-0 17.b5

QUESTION: I can see that White is pushing hard and has some initiative, but does it really compensate fully for the two sacrificed pawns? ANSWER: Two pawns is a lot, I agree. Personally, I have never enjoyed being down on material, but in this case I think White has near enough full compensation. Nevertheless, he has to keep the pressure up or Black will consolidate and that's when things get dicey. 17...Na5 Black hangs on to the a-pawn. [ Otherwise he might have tried 17...Nb4 18.Bxa7 Bg4 , though after 19.Qb1 Qd6 ( or if 19...b6 then 20.Bxb6 Qxb6 21.Rxa8 Rxa8 22.Rxe7 Qc5 23.Re1 Qxb5 24.Ne5 and White is close to having equalized ) 20.Ne5 b6 21.Nxg4 Nxg4 22.Nd3 Nxd3 23.Qxd3 Qc7 24.Qe2 Rxa7 25.Rxa7 Qxa7 26.Qxe7 , White's activity easily makes up for the pawn, if no more than that. ] 18.Bd4 b6 [ Or 18...Nc4 19.Qe2 Bb4 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Red1 and White can be quite happy with his compensation for the missing pawns. ] 19.Qe2 Ne4 20.Rad1 [ White had the option to steer for equality with 20.Nd2 ; for example, Nxd2 21.Qxe7 Qxe7 22.Rxe7 Ndb3 23.Bxd5 Bb7 24.Rxb7 Nxa1 25.Rc7 N1b3 26.Be3 Nc5 27.Bxa8 Rxa8 28.Bxc5 bxc5 29.Rxc5 and the likely outcome is a draw. ] 20...Bb7 21.Nh5 [ Again 21.Nd2 Nxd2 22.Qxe7 Qxe7 23.Rxe7 is a less crazy option, and if Ndb3 then 24.Bc3 Rfd8 25.Nxd5 Rac8 26.Re5 h6 27.Bb4 , which my computer likes for White, though Black should not lose this. ] 221

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 21...g6 QUESTION: Isn't this what White wants, weakening the dark squares around the king and all? Why not play 21...f6 instead? ANSWER: That's an excellent point; why weaken the dark squares unless you have to? [ But here 21...f6 doesn't solve Black's problems either, since it weakens the light squares instead (in particular e6 and f5) and also allows a tactical opportunity: 22.Nh4!? Qc8 23.Nxg7! Kxg7 24.Qh5 Qe8 25.Nf5+ Kh8 26.Qg4 Qf7 27.Nxe7 Qxe7 28.f3 and White regains the piece with approximately equal chances. ] 22.Qe3?? Very creative, very optimistic, and very bad. [ He should definitely have settled now for 22.Nd2 f5 ( or 22...gxh5 23.Nxe4 dxe4 24.Bxe4 Bxe4 25.Qxe4 and Black has to give up his remaining bishop to prevent instant mayhem; e.g. Bf6?? 26.Ba1 and wins ) 23.Nf4 Rf7 24.Ba1 Qe8 25.Qd3 ( if White is okay with a lot of pieces being swapped off to reach an even endgame, then 25.Nxd5 Bxd5 26.Nxe4 Bxe4 27.f3 Bb7 28.Qb2 Rf6 29.Rxe7 Qxe7 30.Qxf6 Qxf6 31.Bxf6 should be good enough ) 25...Rd8 26.h4 and White has sufficient compensation for the sacrificed pawns thanks to the many holes in Black's position, especially on the dark squares. ] 22...Re8?? Black sees ghosts or simply trusts his opponent too much. [ After 22...gxh5 23.Qh6 f6 24.Nh4 Qc8 25.Qxh5 Bb4 26.Re2 Qc7 , White does not have enough for the sacrificed material. ] 23.Ng7 Rf8?? Mistakes often come in pairs (or more). [ Here Black should have played

23...Nc4 A) 24.Qf4 f5 25.Qh6 Bf8 (forced) ( not now 25...Ncd6?? 26.Ne6 and wins ) 26.Rxe4! fxe4 27.Ng5 Qxg5 (also forced) 28.Qxg5 Bxg7 29.Bxg7 Kxg7 30.Rxd5 Bxd5 31.Qxd5 Rac8 32.Bxe4 and White has some winning chances, even if they are decidedly small.; B) This looks more promising than 24.Qh6 Ncd6 25.Ne6 ( or 25.Nxe8 Nf5 26.Qf4 Qxe8 27.Ba1 Qxb5 28.Qc7 Qc6 , when my computer favours White, but with three pawns for the exchange Black is not in bad shape ) 25...Nf5 26.Nxd8 Nxh6 27.Nxb7 Rab8 . ] TACTICAL EXERCISE: How can White punish Black for his latest move? 24.Nf5?? White gets his move order wrong and messes up his one golden opportunity. [ ANSWER: He should have played 24.Qh6! Bg5 ( or 24...Bf6 25.Nh5! gxh5 26.Ng5! and Black is forced to give up his queen ) 25.Nf5! Bf6 ( or 25...Bxh6 26.Nxh6# ) 26.Rxe4! and Black gets mated. ] 24...gxf5 25.Qh6 f6 26.Rxe4 dxe4 Taking with the f-pawn is even stronger. 27.Ng5 Rf7 28.Nxf7 Kxf7?? Black lets his opponent right back in; [ 28...Qf8! would have won rather easily. ] 29.Qxh7+ [ I presume White's flag fell at this point, partly because the massive errors on both sides indicate a time scramble, and also because a draw by perpetual check is now likely; e.g. 29.Qxh7+ Ke6 ( not 29...Ke8?? 30.Qg8+ Bf8 31.Qg6+ and White wins; 29...Kf8 30.Qh8+ Kf7 just repeats ) 30.g4 Qd5 ( or 222

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen is basically equal, which is not the same thing as dead; GM Suba has managed to win from here with both colours ) 6...Nxe4 7.Bxe4 Nd7 8.Bg2 Be7 9.Nf3 Bf6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Rb1 e5 12.Re1 Qc7 13.Qe2 a5 14.Bg5 Ra6 15.Bxf6 and a draw was agreed in N.Fries Nielsen-B.Thorbergsson, correspondence 1994, since Rxf6 16.Nxe5!? Re6 17.d4 cxd4 18.Qc4 Qc5! doesn't seem to get anywhere.; B) Instead, 5...Be7 6.e5 ( or 6.f4 Nc6 ) 6...Nfd7 7.f4 Nc6 is seen in the notes to Game 62. ] [ b) 4...d4 leads to a reversed King's Indian: 5.Nce2 ( or 5.Nb1 e5 6.Na3 B23 Roselli Mailhe,B Nc6 7.Bg2 Bd6 8.Nc4 Bc7 9.a4 Tregubov,P Be6 10.Nf3 f6 11.Nh4 Qd7 12.0-0 66: Buenos Aires 1998 Nge7 13.f4 0-0-0 14.b3 Kb8 15.Kh1 [Carsten Hansen] exf4 16.Bxf4 Bxf4 17.gxf4 g5 18.fxg5 fxg5 19.Nf3 with a sharp 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d3 position where Black should not be [ In the previous game we saw the worse given his safer king, I.StarostitsUruguayan International Master opt V.Kunin, Worms 2013 ) 5...e5 ( or for 4.Bg2 , which is generally 5...f5!? 6.Bg2 fxe4 7.Nf4 Nf6 considered to be inferior. His move 8.dxe4 Nc6 9.Nf3 e5 10.Nd5!? here, in an earlier game, is Nxe4 11.Nxe5 Qxd5 12.Nxc6 Bh3!? marginally better because it prevents 13.c4 Qf5 14.Qf3 Qxf3 15.Bxf3 Nd6 the ...d4-d3 sacrifice. Nevertheless, it 16.b3 Kf7 and Black is doing fine, Pr. is entirely harmless for Black, who Kovacevic-S.Djuric, Yugoslavia 1989 ) can equalize very easily. ] 6.Bg2 Nc6 7.f4 Bd6 ( or 7...exf4 4...dxe4 This move is a simple equalizer, 8.gxf4 g6 9.Nf3 Bg7 10.0-0 Nf6 but if Black wants to be more ambitious, 11.h3 0-0 12.Ng3 Qc7 there are a couple of alternatives and the players agreed a very available. premature draw in V.Hort-M.Tal, [ a) 4...Nf6 5.Bg2 ( or 5.e5 Nfd7 6.f4 Tbilisi 1969 ) 8.Nf3 Nge7 9.0-0 f6 Nc6 7.Nf3 Nd4 8.Bg2 Nb8!? 9.0-0 10.c4 a6 11.Nh4 exf4 12.gxf4 Nbc6 10.Ne2 Be7 11.c3 Nxe2+ Be6?! ( 12...0-0 is fine ) 13.Ng3 0-0?! 12.Qxe2 0-0 13.Be3 a5 14.e5! fxe5?! 15.f5 Bd7 16.Bg5 with chances for both sides, R. and Black is suddenly in big trouble, Slobodjan-G.Borgo, Arco 1999 ) O.Romanishin-L.Polugaevsky, A) 5...dxe4 6.Nxe4 ( after 6.dxe4 Moscow rapid 1982. ] Qxd1+ 7.Nxd1 Nc6 , the position 5.Nxe4 30...fxg4 31.Bxe4 Bxe4 32.Qxe4+ Kf7 33.Qh7+ Kf8 34.Qh8+ ) 31.gxf5+ Kd7 ( not 31...Kd6? 32.Qh5 Kc7 33.Be3 and Black runs into trouble ) 32.Rd2 Rh8!? ( or 32...Nc4 33.Bxf6 Qxd2 34.Qxe7+ Kc8 35.Qe8+ Kc7 36.Qf7+ Kb8 37.Qe8+ and so on ) 33.Qxh8 Nb3 34.Bxf6 Qxd2 35.Bxe7 and now Black has to force the perpetual to avoid bad things from happening: Qd1+ ( not 35...Kxe7?? 36.f6+ Ke6 37.Bh3+ and White wins ) 36.Bf1 Qg4+ with a draw. ] 0-1

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The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ Here again 5.dxe4 Qxd1+ 6.Nxd1 is objectively harmless, but there is still plenty of scope to either player to go wrong; e.g. Nc6 ( or 6...Bd7 7.Nc3 a6 8.Nf3 f6 9.Be3 Nh6 10.Bh3 b5 11.0-0 Nf7 12.a4 b4 13.Ne2 Nc6 14.Nf4 , I.Starostits-T. Oral, Granada 2006, and now 14 Nf4 looks promising for White ) 7.Ne3 b6 8.c3 ( or 8.Nf3 Bb7 9.Bg2 0-0-0 10.0-0 Be7 11.Nc4?! Ba6 12.b3 Bxc4 13.bxc4 Bf6 14.Rb1 Nd4 15.Nxd4 Rxd4 16.e5 Bd8 17.f4?! Ne7 18.Re1 Rxc4 19.Be4 Ra4 and White does not have enough for the pawn, Zs.Szabo-L.Barczay, Hungarian League 1998 ) 8...Nf6 9.f3 Bb7 10.a4 Ne5 11.Bb5+ Nfd7 12.Be2 g6 ( 12...Be7 is safe enough ) 13.Nh3 f5!? 14.0-0 fxe4 15.fxe4 Bg7? ( 15...h6 should still be okay ) 16.Nc4! Nxc4 17.Bxc4 Ke7?? 18.Bg5+ and White won, V.Slovineanu-O.Lemmers, Bucharest 2003. ] 5...Bd7 A logical development, intending to challenge the white bishop on the long diagonal. [ Several other moves have been tried as well: a) 5...Nf6 6.Nxf6+ Qxf6 7.Bg2 Bd6 8.Ne2 Nd7 9.0-0 Qe7 10.Nc3 Nf6 11.Re1 h6 12.Nb5 Bb8 13.a4 a6 14.Na3 Bc7 15.Nc4 Rb8 16.a5 0-0 , G.Rajna-M.Mozny, Kecskemet 1985, and here 17.b3 , followed by Ba3 and d3-d4 would cause Black problems. ] [ b) 5...Nd7 6.Bg2 Ngf6 7.Nc3 Be7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.0-0 Nb6 10.d4 Nbd5 11.Nxd5 exd5 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Nd4 Re8 14.c3 Qb6 15.h3 Bd7 16.a4 Bxd4 17.Qxd4 Qxd4 18.cxd4 Re2 and Black is fine, B.Abramovic-B. Podlesnik, Yugoslav Championship 1988. ]

[ c) 5...Be7 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.Qe2 ( or 7.Nxf6+ Bxf6 8.Ne2 Nc6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nc3 Be7 11.Ne4 Bd7 12.Be3 b6 13.f4 Rc8 14.Qd2 f5 15.Nc3 Bf6 16.Rae1 Nd4 and Black stands well, A.Krapivin-E.Vorobiov, Moscow 2009 ) 7...Nc6 8.Nf3 0-0 9.0-0 h6 ( 9...Nxe4 is simpler ) 10.Nxf6+ Bxf6 11.c3 e5 12.Be3 Bf5 13.Rfd1 Qd6?! ( but if 13...b6 then 14.d4 cxd4 15.Nxd4! Nxd4 16.Qb5 with an edge ) 14.Nd2! Qxd3 15.Qxd3 Bxd3 16.Bxc5 Rfd8 17.Ne4 Be7 18.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.Nc5 Bc2 , S.B.Hassan-E.El Gindy, Al Ain 2012, and now 20.Re1 Rd2 21.Bxb7 looks good for White. ] 6.Bg2 [ Inserting 6.f4 does not seem to improve White's chances; e.g. Bc6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.Bg2 Ngf6 9.Qe2 , T.Kulhanek-J.Votava, Czech League 2004, and now Black might consider Nxe4 10.dxe4 Qa5+ , intending 11.Bd2 Qa4 12.c4 Qc2 . ] 6...Bc6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.0-0 Ngf6 9.Bf4!? [ The usual continuation 9.Qe2 offers White no advantage either; e.g. Be7 10.Bf4 0-0 11.Rfe1 ( or 11.Rfd1 Qb6 12.c3 Rad8 13.Ne5?! Nxe5 14.Bxe5 Nd7 15.Bf4 e5 16.Be3?! f5 and Black seized the initiative, A. Marechal-S.Kalinitschew, Bethune 2000 ) 11...c4!? 12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.d4 Nb6 14.Rad1 Rc8 15.c3 Nd5 16.Be5 b5 and with the d5-square under control, Black has no problems, A.Kislinsky-N.Papenin, Dnipropetrovsk 2002. ] 9...Nxe4 10.dxe4 Be7 QUESTION: I know Black is a bit behind in development, but can't he win a pawn right here? ANSWER: He can, but only at the cost of helping White mobilize his remaining 224

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen forces; [ e.g. 10...Bxe4 11.Qe2 Bc6 12.Rfd1 Qb6 13.a4 and Black has to be very careful. In any case, if White had been concerned about this, he could have played 9 Qe2. ] 11.Qe2 0-0 12.c4 Qb6 [ Deviating from I.Zaitsev-E. Sveshnikov, Kishinev 1976, which saw 12...Qa5 13.Bd2 ( Sveshnikov suggested 13.b3 as an improvement, keeping more pieces on the board, but Black doesn't seem to be in any real difficulties ) 13...Qc7 14.Bc3 Bf6 15.Bxf6 ( or 15.e5 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Bxe5 17.Bxb7 Rab8 ) 15...Nxf6 16.e5 Nd7 17.Rfe1 Rad8 18.Rac1 Nb8 with approximately even chances. ] 13.Rad1 Rfd8 14.Rd3 a5 [ Another option is to fix the centre with 14...f6 15.e5 f5 , when 16.Rfd1 Nf8 is also quite equal. ] 15.Rfd1 Nf8 White has a slight initiative, nothing earth-shattering but enough that Black needs to exercise a little care. QUESTION: With only one open file on the board, isn't this a draw waiting to happen? ANSWER: Only if the players allow it to happen. The open file doesn't necessarily have to be used to swap off all the heavy pieces; and even though White has doubled his rooks there, Black has all the possible entry points well covered. 16.Be5 Rxd3 17.Rxd3 Nd7 18.Bc3 Qc7 19.Rd1 h6 20.Ne1 Rd8 21.f4 [ On 21.Nc2 Nb8 22.Rxd8+ Qxd8 , the game is basically symmetrical and uneventful and would very likely end in your anticipated draw. ] 21...b6 22.Nc2 Qb7 23.f5!? White tries to make something happen. [ Another idea is to grab more space

with 23.e5 , but it's unlikely to achieve much after Nb8 24.Rxd8+ Bxd8 25.Na3 Bxg2 26.Qxg2 Qd7 27.Qf3 Nc6 28.Nb5 Na7 . ] 23...Nf6 [ Another option is just to take the pawn: 23...exf5 24.Ne3 ( 24.exf5 Re8 is nothing for White ) 24...Nf6 ( not 24...fxe4?! due to 25.Bxg7! ) 25.Rxd8+ Bxd8 26.Nxf5 Qd7 and Black should be fine. ] 24.Re1 Re8?! QUESTION: Both players have abandoned the open file. What's happening? ANSWER: As we noted above, there is nothing that can be accomplished on the d-file, so White switched his rook elsewhere and Black rather routinely followed suit. [ Otherwise, 24...exf5 was still possible; e.g. 25.exf5 Bxg2 26.Qxg2 Qxg2+ 27.Kxg2 Rd7 28.Ne3 Ne8 29.Nd5 Bf6! with a fairly easy draw. ] 25.e5 Nh7 26.Bxc6 [ White might gain a little traction after 26.fxe6 fxe6 27.Bxc6 Qxc6 28.h4 , as Black is beginning to have some issues with his lack of active counterplay. ] 26...Qxc6 27.f6?! [ Here too 27.fxe6 is preferable, and if Qxe6 then 28.Ne3 , followed by Nd5, when Black again has to be careful. ] 27...gxf6 28.Qg4+ Kh8 29.Qh5 [ The forcing line 29.exf6 Bxf6 30.Bxf6+ Nxf6 31.Qf4 Kg7 32.Rf1 e5 33.Qf2 Re6 34.Ne3 Qe4 35.b3 is better, after which Black can have few expectations of making anything of his extra pawn, given his exposed king, the wide-open f5-square and White's complete control of the f-file. ] [ A strange coincidence: as in the previous game, the database stops 225

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen the moment is mistimed: after 6...cxd4 7 Qxd4 Nc6, Black seizes the initiative as we'll see in the next game. [ The main alternative is 6.d3 ; for example, Be7 ( here 6...Nc6 returns to Chapter Twelve, notes to Game 62; 6...d4 7.Ne4 Nxe4 8.dxe4 Nc6 9.Ne2 Bd6 10.0-0 0-0 should be okay too, though it requires more careful handling from both sides ) 7.Nge2 ( or 7.Bg5 0-0 8.Nge2 d4 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Ne4 Be7 11.0-0 Bd7 12.f4 f5 13.Ng5 Bxg5 14.Bxb7 Bc6 15.Bxc6 Nxc6 16.fxg5 Qxg5 and Black is fine, V.Smyslov-R. Sanguineti, Biel Interzonal 1976 ) 7...d4 ( 7...Nc6 is Game 62 again ) 8.Ne4 0-0 9.0-0 Nc6 ( or 9...Nbd7 , when 10.Nxf6+ Nxf6 transposes to our main game ) 10.Nf4 Ne5 B23 Narciso Dublan,M 11.Nxf6+ Bxf6 12.Nd5 Bg4 13.f3 Ivanov,Se Be6 14.Nxf6+ Qxf6 15.f4 Nc6 67: Barbera del Valles 2013 16.Qh5 Bf5 17.g4 g6 18.Qh3 Bd7 [Carsten Hansen] 19.f5 gxf5 20.Be4 Ne7 21.Bh6 Rfe8 22.gxf5 Kh8 and White's attack didn't 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.exd5 get anywhere, M.Chigorin-S.Tarrasch, This is the main continuation; White Ostend 1907. ] resolves the immediate tension and 6...d4 seeks either to attack the black centre [ Otherwise d2-d4 will likely follow; e.g. with d2-d4 or else encourage ...d5-d4 6...Nc6 7.d4 and we're back in Game and then play around it. 62 again (see the note with 5 Nge2 d5 4...exd5 5.Bg2 this time), ] [ We will examine 5.d4 in the next [ while 6...Be7 7.d4 is much the game. ] same. ] 5...Nf6 7.Ne4 Nxe4 8.Bxe4 QUESTION: This [ If Black plays 5...d4 straight away, looks pretty harmless; does Black have A) White has the additional options any problems in this line? of 6.Nd5 -- ( 6...-- ); ANSWER: Objectively speaking, Black B) and 6.Qe2+ . In the latter case, has no problems in any variation of the 6...Be7 7.Nd5 ( 7.Ne4 can be met Closed Sicilian and this is no exception. by d3!? ) 7...Nc6 8.d3 Be6 9.Nf4 That doesn't mean the line carries no Bd7 10.Nd5 Be6 has been used potential for White, nor that Black can several times to score quick do whatever he likes without draws. ] consequences. For instance, by 6.Nge2 Preparing d2-d4 again, which for grabbing space with ...c7-c5 and ...d7here on move 29 with Black declared the winner. On this occasion I'm inclined to think that the rest of the score is simply missing, since White is obviously not losing and nothing much has occurred to cause him to use up all his time. A possible continuation is 29.Qh5 f5 30.Ne3 ( after 30.Qxh6?! Qf3; or 30.Qxf7?! Ng5 31.Qh5 Kg7 32.Rf1 Qe4 33.h4 Rh8! , Black takes over the initiative ) 30...Bf8 31.Rf1 Re7 32.Rf4 and White still has reasonable compensation for the pawn, even if the balance has swung somewhat towards Black. ] 0-1

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The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen d5-d4, Black has left some permanent weaknesses behind on the the light squares. 8...Nd7 Bringing the queen's knight to f6 is the standard procedure. [ Developing the f8-bishop first generally makes no difference, unless Black opts to fianchetto; e.g. 8...g6!? 9.Nf4 Bg7 10.0-0 0-0 11.c4 d3!? ( otherwise 11...Nd7 again ) 12.Qf3 ( 12.Nxd3 is met by Qd4; or 12.Bxd3 Re8 and ...Nc6 ) 12...Nc6 13.Qxd3 Nd4 14.a4 Re8 and Black has excellent compensation for the pawn, A.Del Mundo-U.Adianto, Minneapolis 2005. ] 9.0-0 [ Or 9.d3 Nf6 10.Bg2 Be7 ( or 10...Bd6 ) 11.0-0 0-0 which comes to the same thing; but by castling first White keeps the option of a quick c2c3 as well. ] 9...Nf6 10.Bg2 Be7 [ The alternative is to put the bishop on d6: 10...Bd6 , even if it does appear to be biting on granite: A) 11.d3 0-0 12.Bf4 ( if 12.c3 Re8 13.Re1 dxc3 14.bxc3 Rb8 15.d4 Bg4 16.Be3 Qc7 , Black has a comfortable position, M.Narciso Dublan-O.Korneev, Spanish League 2013; or 12.h3 Be6 13.Nf4 Bxf4 14.Bxf4 Qd7 15.Be5 Nd5 16.g4 f5 and Black is already in control of the game, S. Robovic-K.Volke, Munich 1993 ) 12...Bg4! 13.Bxd6 Qxd6 14.h3 Bd7 15.Nf4 Rfe8 16.Qd2 Bc6 17.Rae1 Nd7 and Black has whatever chances are going, B. Spassky-V.Korchnoi, 5th matchgame, Kiev 1968.; B) 11.c3 0-0 ( or 11...d3!? 12.Nf4 0-0 13.Nxd3 Bxg3 14.fxg3 Qxd3 15.Qf3 Qxf3 16.Bxf3 Bh3

17.Bxb7 Rae8 18.Bg2 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 Re2+ 20.Rf2 Rfe8 and Black has compensation for the sacrificed pawn, but not much more than that, B.Spassky-G. Kasparov, Bugojno 1982 ) 12.cxd4 cxd4 13.d3 Re8 14.h3 ( if 14.Nxd4 then Bxg3 regains the pawn; while after 14.Bf4 Bg4 15.f3 Bf5 16.Qd2 Bc5 17.Rac1 Qe7 , Black is clearly better, C. Luncescu-E.Goudriaan, German League 2013 ) 14...a5 15.Bf4 Bf8 16.Rc1 Qb6 17.b3 Bd7 18.Bc7 Qa7 19.Nf4 Bb4 20.Nh5 Nxh5 21.Qxh5 Bc3 and I prefer Black's position at the moment, R.Dudek-A. Karpatchev, German League 2012. ] 11.d3 [ 11.c3 makes less sense here since the d4-pawn is protected by the queen. ] 11...0-0 12.Re1 [ White has tried various other moves at this point: a) 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Nf4 Be5 ( or 14...Bg5 15.Qf3 Qd6 16.Nd5 Be6 17.h4 Bd2 18.Rfd1 Ba5 19.Nf4 , T.Seeman-A.Kveinys, Jyvaskyla 2001, and now Bc8! keeps the position level ) 15.Qf3 Rb8 16.Rfe1 Re8 17.Re2 Qd6 18.Rae1 Bd7 19.Nd5 b6 is largely uneventful, M.Taimanov-L.Polugaevsky, USSR Championship, Tallinn 1965. ] [ b) 12.c4 dxc3 13.Nxc3 h6 14.Re1 a6!? 15.Qb3 Ra7 16.Be3 b5 17.Ne4 Rc7 18.a4 Be6 19.Qd1 Nd5 20.axb5 Nxe3 21.Rxe3 axb5 and while Black is no worse, he is not really any better either, H.BentsenA.Kveinys, Gausdal 2005. ] [ c) 12.Nf4 Bg4 13.Qd2 Rb8 14.h3 Bd7 15.a4 Re8 16.Re1 Qc7 227

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 17.Qd1 Bc6 18.Bd2 g6 19.b3 Bd6 left White with little to do except try and draw, R.Fernandez Gutierrez-O. Korneev, Spanish League 2006. ] 12...Re8 [ 12...Rb8 is also logical, but then Black must meet 13.Bf4 with Bd6 after all; e.g. 14.Qd2 Be6 15.Bxd6 Qxd6 16.Nf4 Bd7 17.Qa5 Qb6 18.Qxb6 axb6 19.a4 Rfe8 20.Rxe8+ Bxe8 21.b3 Bc6 with equality, A. Stripunsky-J.Ehlvest, New York (rapid) 2003. ] 13.Bg5 QUESTION: Why is White so eager to exchange this bishop for Black's knight? ANSWER: Black's weaknesses are on the light squares which the knight helps to defend, whereas White's darksquared bishop has nothing much to do. 13...h6 [ If Black tries to keep the knight with 13...Nd5?! , then 14.Bxe7 Nxe7 ( not 14...Rxe7? 15.Nxd4! and White wins a pawn ) 15.c3 gives White a little something to work with. ] 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Nf4 Rxe1+ 16.Qxe1 Bf5?! After this White is able to force the exchange of light-squared bishops; [ so Black should probably prefer 16...Bg5 17.Nd5 ( or 17.Qe5 Bxf4 18.Qxf4 Be6 19.b3 Qd7 ) 17...Be6 , followed by 18...Qd7, with roughly equal chances. ] 17.Bxb7 Rb8 18.Be4 Bxe4 19.Qxe4 Rxb2 20.Re1 Now we have a different dynamic on the board: good knight vs. bad bishop. Although Black's position is not yet objectively worse, there is at least the risk of it becoming so, which means he needs to be careful. 20...Qd7?! Leaving the back rank is less than ideal. [ With his rook on the seventh Black might as well take the c-pawn, when

20...Rxc2 21.Qc6 Kf8 22.Nd5 c4 23.dxc4 d3 eliminates most of the danger. ] [ Or if he wants to keep the white queen out of c6, then 20...Qc8 was definitely better; ] [ or even 20...Rb6 (defending the bishop as well) 21.h4 g5 22.hxg5 Bxg5 23.Qd5 Qxd5 24.Nxd5 and Black should be able to hold the rook and minor piece ending. ] 21.h4 Rb8? Black's mistakes are beginning to mount, and retreating the rook cannot be right. [ 21...Rxc2? is not possible due to 22.Qa8+ Kh7 23.Re8 g6 24.h5 Bg7 ( or 24...Rb2 25.Rf8 Bg7 26.Rxf7! etc ) 25.hxg6+ fxg6 26.Re6 and Black has massive problems. ] [ But perhaps it wasn't too late for 21...Qc8! ; e.g. 22.Qd5 Rxc2 23.Ng6!? ( or 23.Nh5 c4! 24.Nxf6+ gxf6 25.Re7 Qf8 26.Rd7 cxd3! , when 27.Rd8?? d2 even wins ) 23...Rb2 24.Ne7+ Bxe7 25.Rxe7 Qf8 26.Rd7 Rb8 27.Rxa7 Rc8 and Black has reasonable drawing chances. ] 22.Nd5 Rd8 23.Nxf6+ gxf6 White's good knight vs. bad bishop has now been exchanged for something more tangible: a substantial weakening in the black king's pawn shield. In fact it's difficult to see how Black might defend successfully from this point. 24.Qf3 Kg7 25.Re4 Re8?! This drops a pawn and lands Black in a losing queen endgame. 26.Rxe8 Qxe8 27.Qg4+ Kf8 28.Qh5 Qe1+ [ If he opts to keep the h-pawn with 28...Kg7 , then 29.Qxc5 Qd7 30.c3 creates a passed d-pawn instead. ] 29.Kg2 Qc3 [ It is no use playing 29...Qe5 either, since 30.Qxe5! fxe5 31.Kf3 228

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen points of behind 5.Nge2 in Chapter Twelve, but the fact that White cannot recapture on d4 with the knight here changes the play quite considerably. ] 5...cxd4 [ Both 5...Be6 ] [ and 5...c4 are unnecessarily passive; ] [ and 5...Nf6 generally transposes below: A) 6.Bg2?! cxd4 7.Qxd4 is our main game ( 7.-- ); B) 6.Nge2 is well met by Bg4; C) while 6.Bg5 Be7 ( or 6...cxd4 7.Qxd4 ) 7.Bg2 cxd4 8.Qxd4 is the note with 7 Bg5 ( since White gets nowhere with 8.Bxf6 Bxf6 9.Nxd5 0-0 . )] [ However, 5...Nc6!? is a significant alternative: A) 6.dxc5 d4 7.Ne4 Bxc5 ( or just 7...Nf6 , since 8.Bg5?? loses to Qd5! ) 8.Nxc5 Qa5+ 9.Bd2 Qxc5 10.Bg2 Bf5 11.c3 Nf6 12.Nf3 Qe7+ ( Palliser suggests 12...dxc3!? 13.Bxc3 Rd8 , when 14.Qc1 0-0 15.0-0 Ne4 is equal ) 13.Qe2 Qxe2+ 14.Kxe2 , K.Kokolias-H.Banikas, Ikaros 2003, and now d3+ 15.Kf1 0-0 looks no worse for Black.; B23 Sengupta,D B) Instead, 6.Nge2 is met by Bg4 Vorobiov,E again; 68: Bhubaneswar 2009 C) 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Bxd4 Nge7 [Carsten Hansen] 8.Bg2 Nf5 9.Nge2 Be6 10.0-0 Be7 11.Be3 Nxe3 12.fxe3 Qb6 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.exd5 , H.Jurkovic-D.Sermek, Pula 1999, exd5 5.d4 By playing d2-d4, which aims ( but 12...0-0 13.Nf4 d4 to leave Black with an isolated queen's seems pretty equal ) , and now pawn, White takes the game into 13.Nf4 Qxe3+ 14.Kh1 is better for different territory than our usual d2-d3 White; in the Closed Sicilian. D) while if 6.Bg2 then Palliser's [ Of course, we have seen this basic 6...cxd4 ( rather than 6...Nxd4 idea before, as it was one of the 7.Nxd5 Bf5 8.Ne3 Qe7 9.Kf1!

Ke7 ( or 31...f5 32.g4 ) 32.Ke4 Ke6 33.g4 gives White an easily winning pawn endgame. ] 30.Qxh6+ Ke7 31.Qc1 a5? The idea of advancing the pawn to a3 and playing ...Qb2 is unfeasible, so this move only makes White's task simpler. [ 31...Kf8 puts up more resistance, even if 32.h5 c4 ( or 32...Kg7 33.h6+ Kg6 34.Qh1 Kh7 35.Qh4 and wins ) 33.Qh6+ Ke7 34.Qf4 cxd3 35.cxd3 Qxd3 36.h6 Qg6 37.Qxd4 Qxh6 38.Qxa7+ is ultimately hopeless for Black. ] 32.Qb1 [ Passed pawns should be pushed, at least so the rule says, and that rule applies here: 32.h5! c4 ( or 32...Kf8 33.h6 Kg8 34.Qf4 ) 33.h6 cxd3 34.h7 d2 35.Qd1 Qc8 36.Qxd2 and it will very soon be over for Black. ] 32...Kf8 [ Or 32...a4 33.Qb7+ and another check will pick up the a-pawn. ] 33.Qb3 Qa1 34.Qa3 Kg7 35.Qxa5 c4 36.dxc4 Qd1 37.Qf5 . Black decides that he has had enough. 1-0

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The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen and things get very messy ) 7.Nxd5 Nge7!? seems fine. ] 6.Qxd4 Rather unexpectedly we have ended up in a reversed Gِring Gambit Declined (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 c3 d5 5 exd5 Qxd5) with g2-g3 thrown in for free. 6...Nf6 [ Again 6...Be6 is unnecessary; e.g. 7.Bg2 Nc6 8.Qa4 Bb4 9.Nge2 a6 10.0-0 Nge7 11.Nf4 0-0 12.Nce2 Bc5 13.c3 b5 14.Qd1 Bb6 15.a4 b4 16.cxb4 Nxb4 17.b3 Rc8 18.Bb2 and White has a small plus, G.Lane-V. Bologan, Cappelle la Grande 1992. ] 7.Bg2?! Trying to utilize the extra g2-g3 at this precise moment is somewhat dubious. [ White should stick to the standard Gِring move 7.Bg5 and then: A) 7...Be7 with three options for White: A1) 8.Bg2 Nc6 9.Qa4 0-0 10.Nge2 d4 11.0-0-0 Bd7 12.Nxd4?! ( here 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Nd5 Rc8 14.Nxf6+ Qxf6 15.Nxd4 Qxf2 is safer and equal, D.Novitzkij-M.Zacurdajev, St Petersburg 2006 ) 12...Na5 13.Nf5 Bxa4 14.Rxd8 Bxd8 15.Nxa4 and White barely has enough for the exchange, R. Spielmann-J.Mieses, 2nd matchgame, Regensburg 1910.; A2) 8.0-0-0 Nc6 9.Qa4 Be6 10.Bg2 0-0 11.Nge2 ( again 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.Nxd5 Bxd5 13.Bxd5 Qb6 14.Qb3 Qxf2 led to a quick draw in R.Baran-W. Ehrenfeucht, Warsaw 1998 ) 11...Qb6 12.Be3 Bc5 13.Bxc5 Qxc5 14.Qf4 Rac8 15.Rd2 b5 16.Rhd1 Rfd8 with chances for both sides, J.Mieses-A. Rubinstein, The Hague 1921;

A3) 8.Bb5+ Nc6 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Qc5! (following Capablanca's recipe in the reversed position) Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qe7+ 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 13.0-0-0 is fairly level, since Black's isolated d-pawn balances White doubled cpawns; e.g. Rd8 14.Ne2 Bg4!? (exploiting the fact that g2-g3 rules out f2-f3 for White) ( 14...Be6 15.Rhe1 Kf6 would be 'normal' and equal ) 15.Rd2 Kf8 16.Nf4 Ne7 17.h3 Bf3 18.Re1 Rac8 19.Re3 Be4 led to interesting play with chances for both sides, A. Stefanova-P.Tregubov, Wijk aan Zee 2002.; B) 7...Nc6!? is also possible: 8.Bxf6!? ( not 8.Qa4?! Bb4 9.0-0-0 Bxc3 10.bxc3 0-0 and Black has the better chances; while 8.Bb5 Be7 transposes to line 'a3' above ) 8...Nxd4 9.Bxd8 Nxc2+ 10.Kd2 Nxa1 11.Bg5 (unlike in the Gِring proper, the resource Bh4-g3 is unavailable) d4 12.Nd5 Bd6 13.Bb5+ ( note that 13.Bf4? is no good in view of Be6! 14.Bxd6 Bxd5 and wins ) 13...Bd7 14.Bxd7+ Kxd7 15.Nh3 Rac8 16.Rxa1 Rc5 17.Nb4 Rxg5 18.Nxg5 Bxb4+ 19.Kd3 f6 20.Nf3 Rc8 with equality. ] 7...Nc6 Now the white queen gets knocked back and Black seizes the initiative. 8.Qd1 [ Other moves are even worse: 8.Qa4?! Bd7! 9.Bg5 ( or 9.Nce2 Bc5 10.c3 0-0 11.Bg5 Ne5 12.Qc2 Bxf2+! and Black won, D.Sajkowski-A. Chow, Illinois 1996 ) 9...d4 10.Nd5? ( but 10.Bxf6 Qxf6 11.Nd5 Qe5+ is very good for Black too ) 10...Nb4 11.Qb3 Nbxd5 12.Bxd5 Qa5+ 230

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 13.Kf1 Qxd5 14.Re1+ Be6 0-1 D.Haessel-A.Chow, Toronto 1998. ] [ Or 8.Qd3?! Nb4 9.Qe2+ Qe7 10.Be3 d4 11.a3 dxe3 12.axb4 exf2+ 13.Kxf2 Qxe2+ 14.Ngxe2 Bxb4 and Black is clearly better, J. Listiak-L.Salomons, Slovakian League 2012; ] [ while after 8.Qe3+?! Be7 9.Nge2 0-0 , the threat of ...d5-d4 forces the queen to move again. ] 8...d4! [ More testing than 8...Bb4 9.Nge2 Bg4 10.h3 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 , when White's two bishops compensate for the inferior pawn structure; e.g. Bf5 12.0-0 0-0 13.Bg5 Be4 14.f3 Bg6 15.Rb1 Re8 16.Rf2 b6 17.Nf4 h6 18.Bxf6 Qxf6 19.Nxd5 Qd6 and the players soon agreed a draw in B.Predojevic-S. Halkias, Serbian League 2008. ] 9.Nce2 Bb4+?! This routine check allows White to equalize. [ Black does better to keep all the pieces on the board with 9...Bc5 10.Nf3 Bf5 11.0-0 0-0 , when White has an unappealing position; e.g. 12.Nf4 Re8 13.Nd3 Bb6 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.Nd2 Qg6 17.Nc4 Bc7 18.a4 Bg4 19.Bf3 Bh3 20.Re1 Qf5 21.Bh1 Re6 22.Qf3 Rae8 23.Qxf5 Bxf5 A) 24.Bxc6 bxc6 25.Rxe6 Bxe6 26.Re1 Kf8 27.Nc5 Bf5 28.Rxe8+ Kxe8 29.Nd3 Kd7 and Black won with the two bishops, D.Suttles-M. Tal, Hastings 1973/74. ( 29...-- ); B) For what it's worth, Suttles conducted the early middlegame pretty well, and 24.Rxe6 Bxe6 ( or 24...Rxe6 25.a5 Re2 26.a6 ) 25.Na3 Bb6 ( or 25...a6 26.Nc5 ) 26.Nb5 might have enabled him to

hold on, though that's no recommendation for the line in general. ] 10.c3 dxc3 11.Qxd8+ Kxd8 [ Or 11...Nxd8 12.bxc3 Bc5 13.Nf3 0-0 14.0-0 Re8 15.Ned4 and White should be okay. ] 12.bxc3 Bc5 13.Bg5 Kc7 [ Or 13...Re8 14.Bxf6+ gxf6 15.Nh3 , followed by Nhf4. ] 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Nf4 Re8+ 16.Kf1!? [ Moving the king off the e-file isn't really necessary, since 16.Nge2 is safe enough; e.g. Bg4 ( or 16...Be6 17.Rd1 Bxa2 18.Bd5 ) 17.Nd5+ ( or 17.Rd1 again; but not 17.f3? Be6 and the white king is very uncomfortable ) 17...Kd6 18.f3 Bf5 ( or 18...Kxd5 19.fxg4+ Kc4 20.Rf1 ) 19.Nxf6 Bd3 20.Nxe8+ Rxe8 21.Bf1 Ne5 22.0-0-0 Be3+ 23.Kb2 Nc4+ 24.Kb3 Nd2+ with a probable draw. ] 16...Be6 17.Nd5+ Bxd5 18.Bxd5 Rad8 19.Bxf7 Re7 20.Bh5 Re5 21.Bg4 [ Not 21.Bf3? Rf5! 22.Kg2 Ne5 and White is completely tied down. ] 21...f5 22.Bf3 Returning the bishop to h5 was also fine. 22...Rd3 23.Kg2 Rxc3 [ Here the players agreed a draw, which seems a little premature. Black might have played on a bit, even if 23...Rxc3 24.Ne2 Rc2 25.Rhc1 Rd2 26.Kf1 is more or less equal. ] 1/2

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The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ c) 2...e5!? is perhaps best met by 3.Bc4 ; ( but from a Closed Sicilian Rublevsky,S perspective 3.g3 will generally Papin,V transpose to whichever line White 69: Russian Team Championship 2010 prefers against a Botvinnik [Carsten Hansen] formation. )] 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6 To some degree this [ d) 2...b6 makes some sense: 3.g3 is quite a logical move: White has Bb7 4.Bg2 g6 ( or 4...e6 5.d3 Nf6 committed the knight to c3, so Black 6.f4 d5 7.e5 Ng8 8.Nf3 h5?! 9.f5! targets it in a thematic Sicilian fashion exf5 10.0-0 g6 11.Bf4 and White by preparing ...b7-b5. As Richard has excellent play for the pawn, A. Palliser details in his book 'Fighting the Rodriguez Vila-E.Limp, Santos 2004 ) Anti-Sicilians', White has numerous 5.d3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nh6!? 7.h3 ( 7.f3!? possibilities in reply, but we'll limit is almost certainly a better choice ) ourselves to the typical Closed Sicilian 3 7...Nf5! 8.exf5?! Bxg2 9.Rh2 Bb7 g3. and Black is already clearly better, [ Let's also use this game as an A.Bozbey-B.Savchenko, Canakkale opportunity to show some of the truly 2016. ] minor alternatives available to Black [ e) 2...Nf6!? is very provocative; on the second move: Black claims that after 3.e5 ( or 3.g3 a) 2...d6 3.g3 transposes with d5!? ) 3...Ng8 , the white e-pawn will almost 100% certainty to chapters become a target, compensating for earlier in the book; indeed we have the time lost with the knight; e.g. seen the move order Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bb5 Nd4 6.0-0 Qc7 5.d3 Bg7 numerous times. ] 7.Re1 e6 8.d3 ( White might [ b) 2...g6 is fairly common but usually consider 8.b3!? ) 8...a6 9.Bc4 b5 transposes elsewhere too: 10.Bb3 Bb7 11.Ne4 , M.Cornette-K. A) such as after 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 Shirazi, Paris (blitz) 2011, and now Nc6 . ( 4...-- ); Nxb3 12.axb3 d5 looks sensible, B) White can attempt to exploit when Black doesn't stand so badly. ] Black's move order by playing 3.g3 3.d4!? , but the repeated use of 2... [ White rarely plays 3.a4 , since Black g6 by top grandmasters such as Bu can aim for set-ups where a2-a4 is Xiangzhi and Gadir Guseinov less than useful, such as ...e7-e6 and should tell us that Black's position ...d7-d5 lines from Chapter Thirteen. is fully playable; for example, Alternatively, Nc6 4.g3 g6 5.Bg2 3...cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Nf3 ( or Bg7 6.d3 Rb8 7.Be3 d6 transposes 5.Bb5!? a6 6.e5 axb5 7.exf6 Nc6 to Game 13 and was in fact the move 8.fxe7 Qxe7+ 9.Qe3 Nd4 10.Kd1 order there. ] Ne6! with good play for Black ) 3...b5 4.Bg2 Answering ...b7-b5 with a25...Nc6 6.Qa4 d6 7.e5 dxe5 a3 is sort of a specialty of GM Leonid 8.Nxe5 Bd7 9.Nxd7 Qxd7 10.Be3 Kritz. Bg7 11.Rd1 Qc7 and while White [ Here 4.a3 is hardly critical, since it has a tiny edge with the bishop pair, gives Black an extra tempo for action in praxis this has meant very little. ] in the centre, but when the positions B23

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The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen are equal anyway it's often more important to play the way you prefer. L.Kritz-J.Xiong, Dallas 2014, continued Bb7 5.Bg2 e6 6.d3 Nf6 7.f4 Be7 ( 7...d5 is the standard response ) 8.Nf3 d6 9.0-0 Nc6 10.Ne2 Qc7 11.h3 Nd7 12.c3 0-0 13.g4 f5 14.Ng3 fxe4 15.dxe4 Rad8 16.g5 Nb6 17.Nh4 g6?! ( now Black should certainly get his retaliation with 17...d5 in first ) 18.f5! d5 19.Bf4 e5?? ( 19...Ne5 20.Qg4! exf5 21.exf5 Bc8! keeps the game messy ) 20.Bd2? ( White wins with 20.fxg6! exf4 21.gxh7+ Kg7 22.Ngf5+ etc ) 20...dxe4 21.fxg6 Bxg5?? ( 21...Rxf1+ was essential ) 22.Rxf8+ Kxf8 23.Qh5 Bxd2 24.gxh7 and White won. ] 4...Bb7 5.Nge2 We'll start with this move, which follows the example of Chapter Twelve and maintains White's options with the d-pawn. [ The main line with 5.d3 e6 is examined in Games 70-71, apart from 6 Nge2 which transposes below. ] [ 5.Nh3 ] [ and 5.f4 also feature in the notes to Games 70 and 71 respectively. ] 5...e6 Black continues his Kan-like setup, placing his pawns on the light squares. [ 5...b4 is possible too, but then White might play 6.Nd5 as well. ] 6.0-0 [ White has two major alternatives: a) 6.d3 Nf6 7.0-0 ( 7.Bg5 rarely bothers Black; e.g. Be7 8.0-0 Nc6 9.e5 Ng4 10.Ne4 Bxg5 11.Nd6+ Ke7 12.Nxb7 Qb6 13.Nd6 Ngxe5 14.Ne4 Bh6 and Black can be pleased with the outcome of the opening, S.Conquest-I.Nikolaidis, European Team Championship, Leon

2001 ) 7...d5 ( a small centre is quite acceptable too; e.g. 7...d6 8.f4 Nc6 9.h3 h5!? 10.a3 Be7 11.Be3 Nd7 12.Qd2 Bf6 13.Rab1 Qc7 14.Nd1 Nb6 15.Nf2 Nd4 16.Nc1 Nc6 17.c3 c4 18.d4 Na5 19.Ne2 0-0-0 with chances for both sides, L.KritzT.Henrichs, Differdange 2007; or 7...Qc7 8.h3 Be7 9.Be3 0-0 10.g4 h6 11.Ng3 d6 12.f4 Nfd7 13.Qd2 Nc6 14.Nce2 Rae8 15.f5 Qd8 16.Nf4 Bg5 17.Ngh5 Nce5 18.Rae1 and the players agreed a draw in V. Spasov-M.Tabatabaei, Albena 2015, as after g6 19.Ng3 Bh4 , for example, Black is doing fine ) 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 Bxd5 10.Bxd5 Qxd5 11.Nf4 Qb7? ( 11...Qc6 is correct ) 12.Qh5! Nc6 was A.Krapivin-I.Popov, Lvov 2006, and now 13.Nxe6 g6 14.Qd5! Qd7 ( if 14...fxe6? then 15.Re1 wins ) 15.Nc7+! ( even stronger than 15.Qxd7+ Kxd7 16.Nxf8+ Rhxf8 17.Be3 with an extra pawn ) 15...Qxc7 16.Re1+ Be7 17.Rxe7+ Kxe7 18.Bf4 Ne5 19.Re1 Rhd8 20.Rxe5+ Kf8 21.Qf3 Qb6 22.Bg5 Qd6 ( not 22...Re8? 23.Bh6+ Kg8 24.Re7! and wins ) 23.Be7+ Qxe7 24.Rxe7 Kxe7 25.Qe3+ Kd6 26.Qe4 gives White excellent winning chances. ] [ b) 6.d4!? A) 6...cxd4 7.Nxd4 takes the game into a Kan Sicilian (2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 a6 5 Nc3 b5 6 g3 Bb7 7 Bg2). ( 7.-- ); B) Having set up with ...a7-a6 and ...e7-e6, such a transposition should not be unwelcome, but if it is Black can try 6...Nf6!? B1) 7.d5 e5 ( not 7...b4?! 8.Na4 d6? 9.dxe6 fxe6 10.Nf4 e5?! 11.Ne6 Qd7 12.Nxf8 233

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Qxa4 13.Qxd6! Rxf8 14.Qe6+ Kd8 15.Qb6+ Ke7 16.Qxb7+ Nbd7 17.Bg5 and White is winning, S.K.Williams-A.Adly, Reykjavik 2011 ) 8.f4 d6 9.fxe5 dxe5 10.h3 c4 11.Be3 Nbd7 12.g4 Bc5 13.Bxc5 Nxc5 14.Ng3 0-0 15.0-0 Ne8 16.Qf3 Nd6 with chances for both sides, M.Gevorgyan-M.Kekelidze, Poti 2015.; B2) After 7.0-0 b4 8.Na4 Bxe4 9.dxc5 ( or 9.Bxe4 Nxe4 10.Be3 , C.Oblitas Guerrero-R. Leitao, Sao Paulo 2000, and now cxd4 11.Nxd4 d5 , Black is at least equal ) 9...Bxg2 10.Kxg2 Qc7 11.c3 Bxc5 12.Bf4 Qb7+ 13.Kg1 Ba7 , S.B.Hassan-S.Shyam, Al Ain 2013. ] 6...b4 Pushing the pawn takes us into different territory. [ 6...Nf6 is actually played more often, but then 7 d3 or 7 d4 transposes to the previous note. The only remaining option is 7.e5!? which should pose no problems for Black: Bxg2 8.Kxg2 Ng4 9.f4 ( or 9.d4 cxd4 10.Qxd4 f5 11.exf6 Nxf6 12.Ne4 Nc6 13.Nxf6+ Qxf6 14.Qxf6 gxf6 15.Be3 Nb4 16.Rfc1 Rc8 17.Bd2 Nd5 18.c3 Nb6 19.Rd1 d5 and I prefer Black's chances with the central pawns, D. Lomsadze-M.Kekelidze, Tbilisi 2008 ) 9...Nc6 10.d4 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nxd4 12.Qxd4 Rc8 13.Qd1 Nh6 14.Ne4 Rc4 15.Re1 Qa8 16.Qd3 d5 17.Nd2 Rc7 and Black is fine, M. Petrov-D.Eggleston, Penarth 2011. ] 7.Na4 [ If putting the knight on the edge does not appeal to you, then 7.Nb1 is also possible; A) e.g. 7...Nf6 8.d3 d5 ( or 8...d6

9.f4 Qc7 10.c4 bxc3 11.Nbxc3 Nc6 12.f5 e5 13.h3 h5 14.Bg5 Nd4 15.Qd2 Be7 16.Rfc1 Qd8 17.Bh4 Rb8 18.b3 a5 and chances are about equal, P.H. Nielsen-A.Rotstein, Minsk 1993 ) 9.Nd2 Be7 10.e5 Ng4 11.Nf3 Nd7 12.d4 h5 ( 12...cxd4 13.Qxd4 h5 improves, when 14.h3 Nh6 15.Bxh6 Rxh6 seems fully playable for Black ) 13.h3 Nh6 14.dxc5 Bxc5 15.Ned4 Qb6 16.Be3 g6 ( or 16...h4 17.g4 Ng8 18.c3 a5 19.cxb4 axb4 20.Rc1 Be7 21.Nf5 sees Black in serious trouble ) 17.a3 bxa3 18.b4 Bxb4 19.Nf5 and White has a large advantage, J.Sindarov-A.Mista, Sharjah (rapid) 2016.; B) The immediate 7...d5 should be met by 8.d3 ( rather than 8.exd5 Bxd5 9.Bxd5 Qxd5 10.d4 Nf6 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.Qxd5 Nxd5 and Black is certainly no worse, J.Blokhuis-K. Landa, Dutch League 2006 ) , intending 8...dxe4 9.Nd2 . ] 7...Nf6 [ QUESTION: With the knight vulnerable on a4, wouldn't it make sense to attack it with 7...Bc6 - ? ANSWER: It might seem tempting to do so, but let's not forget that at present Black has only developed one piece: the one you want to move again to attack a knight that can easily be defended; while 7...Bc6 may be playable, I doubt it is best decision. For example: 8.b3 ( or 8.c3 Qa5 9.b3 Bxa4 10.bxa4 bxc3 11.e5 Nc6 12.Bxc6 dxc6 13.dxc3 Rb8 14.Qd3 Be7 15.Qe4 Qc7 16.Be3 and White has much the better chances, M.Fryc-S.Ilandzis, Marianske Lazne 2009 ) 8...Nf6 9.d3 234

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Be7 10.Be3 Bxa4 11.bxa4 d5 12.Nf4 d4? ( 12...dxe4 is more or less okay ) 13.e5 Nd5 , V.KotroniasM.Papadakis, Greek League 2010, and now the straightforward 14.Nxd5 exd5 15.Bf4 gives White a substantial advantage, as Black can hardly defend the d5-pawn. ] 8.d3 [ Note that 8.d4 is still possible, and transposes to 6 d4 Nf6 7 0-0 again. ] 8...d6 [ Having compromised the queenside slightly with ...b5-b4, the small centre seems more appropriate, though 8...d5 is also played; for example, 9.exd5 ( 9.Bg5 allows Black to bail out with dxe4 10.dxe4 Qxd1 11.Rfxd1 Nbd7 as in J.Gdanski-A. Lach, Trzcianka 2015 ) 9...Bxd5 10.Bxd5 Nxd5 ( or 10...exd5 11.Bg5 Nbd7 12.Nf4 Be7 13.Qf3 0-0 14.Rae1 h6 15.Bxf6 Nxf6 , D.Castano-C.Rios, Pereira 2014, and now 16.Re2 Ra7 17.Rfe1 gives White an ongoing initiative ) 11.Nf4 Nxf4 12.Bxf4 Nd7 13.a3! g5? ( obviously 13...Be7 is more sensible ) 14.Be3 h5? 15.d4 bxa3 16.Rxa3 cxd4 17.Bxd4 e5 18.Re3 f6 19.Qf3 Be7 20.Bc3 Ra7 21.Rd1 and White is probably winning already, Z.Jovanovic-I.Bender, Osijek 2014. ] 9.a3 a5 10.c3 Nbd7 [ Black has tried a couple of other moves here: a) 10...bxa3?! 11.bxa3 Nbd7 12.Rb1 Bc6 13.c4 Be7 14.Nac3 Rb8 15.Rxb8 Qxb8 16.f4 ( 16.Qc2!? , followed by Bd2 or Bg5 and Rb1, also makes a lot of sense ) 16...Qa8 , N.Georgakopoulos-Al.David, Rethymnon 2011, and now 17.Nb5!? 0-0 18.Nec3 looks like a comfortable

advantage for White. ] [ b) 10...Nc6?! 11.d4 cxd4 12.cxd4 d5? (this is too ambitious, as White's lead in development now weighs rather heavily) 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Nf4! Nce7?! . EXERCISE: How should White continue? (We need at least the next 3-4 moves) ANSWER: 15.Nc5! Bc6 16.Nfxe6! fxe6 17.Qh5+ g6 ( or 17...Ng6 18.Nxe6 Qd7 19.Re1 Be7 20.Nc5 Qd8 21.Re6 and wins ) 18.Qe5! Rg8 19.Bg5 ( 19.Re1! may be even better ) 19...h6 20.Bxe7?! Nxe7 21.Bxc6+ Nxc6 22.Qxe6+ Ne7 23.Ne4! and a knight check at f6 or d6 is decisive, so Black resigned, M.KuijfT.Shaked, Wijk aan Zee 1998. ] 11.Bd2 bxc3 12.bxc3 [ QUESTION: How about 12.Bxc3 - ? It looks more active than the pawn recapture. ANSWER: What's the follow-up? White has made the d3-d4 advance less of a possibility, and the knight on a4 is still stranded without a retreat square. Bottom line, 12 Bxc3 is possible, but I'm not sure it's a good idea. ] 12...Qc7 [ On 12...c4 , White can secure his centre with 13.Rb1! Ba6 ( not 13...Rb8? 14.Rxb7! Rxb7 15.e5 etc ) 14.d4 , when I prefer his position; nonetheless Rb8 15.f4 Rxb1 16.Qxb1 e5 17.h3 Be7 18.g4 Qc7 seems fully playable for Black and an improvement on the game. ] 13.Rb1 Bc6 14.c4! QUESTION: I'm not sure I understand why this is supposed to be a strong move for White. It looks like he has given up on the centre and the hope of using his lead in development for anything. 235

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen ANSWER: To address the issue regarding the centre first: White has not given up on it, but the d3-d4 break you are thinking about would have to be prepared by Qc2 and is not particular effective right now anyway. As regards the lead in development, that is a fleeting thing and unless White plays aggressively, as he is doing right now, it will soon be neutralized. With the text move, White has a very specific idea in mind. 14...Be7 15.Nec3 0-0 16.Nb5 Qc8 [ Taking the knight at once with 16...Bxb5 17.cxb5 gives White a strong passed pawn. Instead, Black hopes to remove it by means of ... Ne8-c7 and ...Rb8. ] 17.Bc3 Ne8 18.Qd2 White aims to discourage ...Nc7 by attacking the a5pawn. [ Another option is to support the knight with 18.f4 Nc7 19.Rf2 Rb8 20.Rfb2 and White has the better chances. ] 18...Bd8?! [ It might be better to play 18...Nc7 anyway, intending 19.Bxa5 ( but 19.Rb2 Rb8 20.Rfb1 keeps an edge for White ) 19...Ne8! 20.Nb2 Qa6 21.Bc3 Bxb5 22.cxb5 Qxb5 23.Nc4 Qa6 . ] 19.d4! Having busied his opponent with threats on the queenside, Rublevsky now starts attacking in the centre, utilizing his space advantage and considerably more active pieces. 19...cxd4 20.Bxd4 f5?! This seems almost desperate and only weakens his position further. [ 20...Qa6 is a better choice, when Black is worse but still quite solid. ] 21.Nac3 Qa6 22.Be3 Uncovering an attack on the weak d6-pawn. [ A simple, positional alternative is

22.Rfe1!? fxe4 23.Nxe4 e5 24.Be3 Be7 25.Red1 , where Black's weak pawns and light squares promise White a substantial plus. ] 22...Ne5?! This gives up the d-pawn without a fight; [ 22...Bf6 at least saves it for the time being. ] 23.Nxd6 Nxd6 24.Qxd6 Nxc4 25.Qxe6+ Kh8 26.Nd5 fxe4?! [ Black has few hopes of putting up active resistance and so should opt for 26...Nxe3 27.fxe3 Bxd5 28.Qxa6 Rxa6 29.exd5 , when the oppositecoloured bishops promise some drawing chances. In the game things soon get much worse for Black. ] 27.Bxe4? I'm guessing that both players were getting short of time since their moves become increasingly erratic. [ The strongest continuation here is 27.Bd4! Be8 28.Qxe4 Bg6 ( or 28...Nd2 29.Bxg7+ Kxg7 30.Qd4+ etc ) 29.Qg4 Qc8 30.Bxg7+ Kxg7 31.Qd4+ Kg8 32.Rbc1 and White regains the piece with two extra pawns as interest on the account. ] 27...Nxe3?? Papin repays White's mistake with an even bigger one. [ After 27...Qc8! 28.Qxc8 Rxc8 29.Bc1 , Black is still living. ] 28.fxe3 Bg5 29.Rxf8+ Rxf8 TACTICAL EXERCISE: What is White's best move? 30.Nf4?! [ ANSWER: 30.Qf5!! threatens the rook on f8, the bishop on g5, as well as mate on h7 – and to top it off, Black cannot touch the queen because of a weak back rank. In other words: it is game over. ] 30...Bb5?! [ For what it's worth, taking on f4 first avoids the option in the next note, since 30...Bxf4 31.exf4?! Qa7+ 236

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Ng8 9.Qh5!? Nc6 10.d3 d5? (again a mistake) ( 10...g6 11.Qe2 Qc7 is fine ) 11.exd6 Bxd6 12.Ng5 Qd7 13.Nce4 Bf8 14.Re1 Nd4 , A.Würdinger-J.Jolly, Rennes 2008, and now 15.c3 Nc2 16.Re2 Nxa1 17.Nxe6 wins for White.; B) 6...d6 7.f4 Nf6 ( 7...Be7; or 7...Nd7 is more circumspect ) 8.e5!? Bxg2 9.Kxg2 dxe5 ( or 9...Nfd7 10.exd6 Bxd6 11.f5 ) 10.fxe5 Nd5 11.Qh5 Ra7 12.Ne4 and White has the initiative, if no definite advantage.; C) 6...b4 7.Ne2 Nf6 8.e5 Bxg2 9.Kxg2 Nd5 is safer for Black and led to a quick draw in I.StarostitsM.Matlakov, Riga 2009: 10.c4 Ne7 11.d4 cxd4 12.Nxd4 Nbc6 13.Ng5 Nxd4 14.Qxd4 h6 ½-½.; D) Not 6...d5?? 7.exd5 exd5 8.Re1+ Be7 9.Nf4 Nf6 10.Qf3 and the d-pawn drops off. ] 5...e6 [ Black has been known to switch to 5...g6 occasionally; e.g. 6.Be3 ( 6.f4 Bg7 7.Nf3 e6 8.h4!? Ne7 9.h5 d5 10.e5 Nbc6?! 11.Be3! d4? 12.Ne4! Nxe5 13.h6! Nxf3+ 14.Qxf3 Kf8 B23 Wen Yang 15.hxg7+ Kxg7 16.f5! led to a rapid Artemiev,V debacle in A.Utegaliev-R.Kulkarni, 70: Moscow 2016 Moscow 2015 ) 6...d6 7.Qd2 Bg7 [Carsten Hansen] 8.f4 Nd7 ( 8...Nc6 transposes to a rare line from Chapter Five; see 6...a6 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6 3.g3 b5 4.Bg2 in the notes to Game 23 ) 9.Nf3 Ngf6 Bb7 5.d3 In this game we'll focus on 10.h3 d5! 11.Bf2 b4 12.Nd1 dxe4 lines with Nh3. 13.Ng5 Qc7 14.Nxe4 Nxe4 15.Bxe4 [ Some of the leading practitioners on 0-0 16.0-0 Rad8 17.Qe2 Rfe8 the White side have tried 5.Nh3 e6 and Black emerged with the more 6.0-0 , which generally transposes promising position, M.Aigner-A. below after a subsequent d2-d3, but Stripunsky, Los Angeles 2003. ] does offer some additional 6.Nh3 By developing the king's knight to possibilities such as a quick e4-e5. the edge, White leaves the e2-square For example: free for the queen's knight if needs be. A) 6...Nf6 7.e5!? Bxg2 8.Kxg2 [ Instead, we saw 6.Nge2 in the notes

32.Kg2 Bxe4+ 33.Qxe4 h6 gives White a lot of technical problems. ] 31.Qe5 Bxf4 32.gxf4 [ Capturing the other way is now stronger: 32.exf4! Bd7 ( or 32...Qa7+ 33.Kg2 ) 33.Rb7 Qe6 34.Qd4 Rd8 35.Rb6 Qe8 36.Rd6 and Black is completely lost. ] 32...Bd7 33.Rb8 Bc8?! [ But nothing is really any better at this point; e.g. 33...Rxb8 34.Qxb8+ Qc8 35.Qxc8+ Bxc8 36.Bc2 with a winning bishop endgame; ] [ or 33...Rg8 34.Kf2 Qc4 35.Rxg8+ Qxg8 36.Qxa5 and checks from the black queen have no more than irritation value. ] 34.Qh5 h6 35.Qg6 Liquidating to an easy win is the human solution. [ The computer prefers 35.Qc5! Rg8 36.f5 and Black is essentially without moves. ] 35...Qxg6+ 36.Bxg6 Kg8 37.Ra8 Bb7? Losing on the spot. 38.Bh7+! 1-0

237

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen to the previous game; ] [ while 6.f4 is examined in the next game. ] [ We should also mention the possibility of 6.Nf3!? , even though this isn't really a Closed Sicilian at all. It generally arises via 2 Nf3 e6 3 Nc3 a6 4 g3 b5 5 Bg2 Bb7 6 d3 and is designated as a 2 Nf3 sideline in the 'Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'. One of the ideas for White here is the strange-looking Ng5, clearing the way for f2-f4, or if ...h7-h6 then Nh3, so it would seem to make more sense, via our move order, for White to play either 6 f4 or 6 Nh3 at once. Nevertheless, here are a few sample variations from grandmaster practice: d6 7.0-0 Nf6 ( 7...Nd7; and 7...Be7 are also possible ) 8.Ng5!? ( other ideas include: 8.e5 dxe5 9.Nxe5 Bxg2 10.Kxg2 Nbd7 11.Nxd7 Qxd7 12.Qf3 Rc8 13.a4 b4 14.Ne4 Be7 15.Nd2 Nd5 16.Nc4 Bf6 17.Re1 0-0 and Black has no particular problems, V.Jansa-S. Rublevsky, Ostrava 1992; or 8.Re1 Nbd7 9.Bf4 Be7 10.a4 b4 11.Nb1 0-0 12.Nbd2 d5 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Ne5 Ra7 15.Nxd7 Qxd7 16.Be3 Nxe3 17.fxe3 Bxg2 18.Kxg2 Bf6 with a similar sort of position, E. Safarli-F.Caruana, Reggio Emilia 2009/10; or 8.a3 Nbd7 9.Nh4!? Qc7 10.f4 Be7 11.Bd2 Bc6 12.Qe2 0-0 13.Nd1 c4 14.Nf2 cxd3 15.cxd3 Nc5 16.Rad1 a5 with chances for both sides, A.Fedorov-V.Bologan, Kishinev 1998 ) 8...Nc6 ( or just 8...h6 9.Nh3 Nc6 10.f4 b4 11.Ne2 Qc7 12.Nf2 Be7 13.h3 Nd4 14.g4 Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2 Nd7 and Black is fine, T.Abergel-O.Korneev, Lille 2011 ) 9.f4 Be7 10.f5 exf5 11.exf5 d5 ( otherwise 11...0-0 12.Nge4

is fairly equal ) 12.Nxd5!? Nxd5 13.Qh5 Bxg5 ( my computer suggests 13...Ne5!? as a potential improvement ) 14.Bxg5 Nf6 15.Rae1+ Kf8 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Re6! Qd4+ 18.Rf2 Qd7 19.f6! Qxe6 , E.Najer-S.Ionov, St Petersburg 1998, and now 20.fxg7+! Kxg7 21.Bd5 Qe1+ 22.Kg2 Ne5 23.Rxf7+! Nxf7 24.Qxf7+ Kh6 25.Qf6+ Kh5 26.Qf5+ is a draw by perpetual check. ] 6...d6 Black refrains from ...b5-b4 for the time being, perhaps hoping for a more apposite moment. As things turned out, he probably regretted this decision. [ Instead: a) After 6...b4 7.Ne2 , the logical continuation is d5 ; for example, 8.0-0 ( or 8.e5 Nc6 9.f4 Nh6 10.Nf2 Nf5 11.0-0 Qb6 12.c3 Be7 13.g4 Nh4 14.Bh1 h5 15.g5 f6!? 16.exf6 gxf6 17.Ng3 fxg5 18.fxg5 0-0-0 19.Qe2 e5 20.Nxh5 Kb8 21.Qg4 Ng6 and Black has excellent play for the pawn, Yu Yangyi-D.Khismatullin, Moscow 2017 ) A) 8...Nf6 9.e5 ( after 9.exd5 Bxd5 10.Bxd5 Qxd5 11.Nhf4 Qb7 12.b3 Nc6 13.Bb2 Bd6 14.Ng2 Be5 15.Qc1 Nd5 , White is weak on both the dark and the light squares, F.Bolourchifard-E.Ghaem Maghami, Iranian League 2015 ) 9...Nfd7 10.f4 Be7 11.a3 Qb6!? ( 11...a5 is fine ) 12.axb4 cxb4+ 13.d4 g6 14.Be3 Nc6 with chances for both sides, A. Skripchenko-M.Lujan, Istanbul Olympiad 2012.; B) This is more enterprising than 8...dxe4 9.dxe4 ( or 9.Ng5 Nf6 ) 9...Qxd1 . ] [ b) 6...Nf6 7.0-0 b4 ( 7...d6 transposes to the main game; not 7...d5?! here since 8.exd5! Nxd5 238

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 9.Ne4 Nc6 10.Bg5 Qd7 11.c4 Ndb4 12.Nf4 bxc4 13.Nh5! Qxd3 14.Qa4 is very good for White, J.Viterbo Ferreira-C.Suarez Garcia, Portuguese League 2014 ) 8.Nb1 ( we have looked at 8.Ne2 d5 already; and 8.Na4 d6 9.c3 bxc3 10.bxc3 Nbd7 11.Nb2 Be7 12.f4 Qc7 13.Nf2 h6 14.Be3 Rb8 is fairly balanced, Li Ruifeng-E. Cordova, St Louis 2017 ) 8...Be7 ( 8...d5 is again possible ) 9.Nd2 0-0 10.f4 Nc6 11.Nf2 a5 12.Nf3 a4 13.a3 bxa3 14.bxa3 c4 15.Rb1 Na5 16.Bd2 Ba6 17.Bb4 Rb8 18.d4 ( 18.Nd4 Bxb4 19.Rxb4 Rxb4 20.axb4 Qb6 leaves chances about even ) 18...c3! 19.Re1 Nc4 and Black grabbed control of the game, M.Narciso Dublan-A. Morozevich, Barcelona 2015. ] [ c) 6...Nc6 7.0-0 d6 ( not 7...Nge7 8.Be3 Nd4?! 9.Ne2 Qb6 10.c3 Nxe2+ 11.Qxe2 Qc7 12.f4 with a strong initiative for White, N. Short-E.Kharous, Gibraltar 2016 ) 8.f4 Nd4?! (this idea doesn't seem to work in this line) ( 8...Nf6 is the main game again ) 9.f5 e5 10.Nd5 h6 11.c3 Nc6 12.a4 b4 13.a5 Nf6 14.Nxf6+ gxf6 15.Qa4 Qd7 16.Nf2 and Black has serious structural headaches, M.Narciso Dublan-C. Gomez Garrido, Barbera del Valles 2014. ] [ d) 6...d5? is again a mistake: 7.exd5 b4 8.0-0! bxc3 9.dxe6 Bxg2 10.exf7+ Kxf7 11.Ng5+ Ke8 12.Re1+ Ne7 13.Ne6 Qd6 14.Kxg2 Ra7 15.bxc3 , when White has three pawns and fantastic play for the piece, even if the grandmaster somehow won in P.Friese-Ch.Bauer, Bad Zwesten 2004. ] 7.0-0 Nf6

[ Some players prefer to defer this move or avoid it completely; e.g. 7...Nd7 8.f4 Be7 ( or 8...Qc7 9.f5 e5 10.a4 b4 11.Nd5 Bxd5 12.exd5 Be7 13.g4 h6 14.a5 Bf6 15.c3 Rb8 with mutual chances in a rather obscure position, B.Adhiban-P. Salinas Herrera, World Blitz Championship, Doha 2016 ) 9.f5 exf5 ( or 9...e5 again ) 10.Rxf5 Ne5 11.Nd5 Bxd5 12.exd5 Nf6 13.Bg5 0-0 14.Qd2 Nfd7 15.Raf1 Bxg5 16.Nxg5 Qe7 17.Ne4 Rae8 and White has to be more careful due to the weak d5-pawn, Art.Minasian-Xu Jun, Istanbul Olympiad 2000. ] 8.f4 Nc6 [ As we will see in the game, there is some justification for defending the bishop with 8...Qc7 here, after which 9.g4 ( or 9.f5 e5 10.Nf2 Nbd7 11.g4 h6 12.h4 c4 13.a3 Nb6 14.g5 hxg5 15.hxg5 Nfd7 16.Be3 Be7 with a complicated struggle ahead, Art.Minasian-R.Kempinski, Linares 2001 ) 9...b4 ( after 9...Nc6 10.g5 Nd7 11.f5 Nde5 12.fxe6 fxe6 13.Nf4 Qe7 14.a4 b4 , J.Maiwald-G. Pitl, Austrian League 2006, simply 15.Nce2 looks better for White ) 10.Nb1 Nfd7 ( 10...h5!? 11.g5 Ng4 12.g6 f6 13.f5 d5?! 14.Nf4 is a complete mess but looks very dodgy for Black, V.Moskalenko-E. Cordova, Sabadell 2011 ) 11.Nd2 Nb6 12.Nc4 Nxc4 13.dxc4 Nc6 14.b3 Be7 15.g5 h6 and now 16.g6?! fxg6 17.Qg4 0-0 18.Qxe6+ Kh7 created more problems for White than Black, P.Adlersburg-E.Agrest, Oberwart 1992. ] 9.Be3 [ White has also tried various ways of pushing the kingside pawns: a) 9.f5 exf5 ( or 9...b4 10.Nb1 exf5 239

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 11.exf5 Be7 12.Nf4 d5 13.g4 h6 14.Nd2 Ne5 15.h3 0-0 16.Nf3 Bd6 and Black stands better, T.KulhanekL.Ftacnik, Czech League 2003 ) 10.exf5 Be7 11.g4 b4 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.Bxd5 Qd7 14.Nf4 Bf6 15.Qe2+ Be5 and Black has a comfortable position, H.Pilaj-R.Kempinski, European Cup, Kallithea 2002. ] [ b) 9.Nf2 Be7 10.g4 Nd7 11.g5 h6 12.gxh6 Rxh6 13.Nh3?! (it just came from there) ( 13.f5 Bg5 14.Ng4 Bxc1 15.Qxc1 Rh4 16.h3 looks better ) 13...Rh4 14.f5 Nde5 15.fxe6 fxe6 16.Nf4 Kd7 is very pleasant for Black, whose king is much safer on d7 than White's on g1, M.Narciso Dublan-A. Rodriguez Cespedes, Spanish League 2000. ] [ c) 9.g4 h6 10.g5!? Nd7 ( 10...hxg5 11.fxg5 Nd7 12.g6 f6 13.Nf4 Qe7 could well be an improvement ) 11.g6 fxg6 12.f5 e5 13.fxg6 Nf6 14.a4 b4 15.Nd5 Be7 16.c3 0-0?? ( 16...bxc3 17.bxc3 Na5 18.Nxf6+ Bxf6 is more or less equal ) 17.Ng5! Qe8 was T.Luther-F.Gheorghiu, Crans Montana 1999, and here the computer trots out 18.Nxf6+ Bxf6 ( not 18...Rxf6? 19.Qb3+ Kh8 20.Rxf6 gxf6 21.Nf7+ Kg7 22.Bh3 , followed by 23 Bxh6+ and wins ) 19.Qb3+ Kh8 20.Nf7+ Rxf7 21.Qxf7 Qxf7 22.gxf7 Kh7 23.Bh3 and White has every chance of winning the game. ] 9...Be7? The natural-looking move is actually a mistake. [ It is not yet too late for 9...Qc7 , supposing Black has foreseen what is to follow. ] 10.e5! dxe5 11.fxe5 Nd7 QUESTION: Didn't White just leave himself with a terribly weak pawn on e5? ANSWER: He did, but the open files and

lead in development weigh heavier at the moment than that sole weakness. 12.Qg4 g6?? Again, so obvious and natural, but in fact a major blunder. [ Black had to play 12...0-0 13.Bh6 g6 14.Bxf8 Qxf8 15.Qf4 Qg7 16.Bxc6 Bxc6 17.Rae1 Rf8 , when the two bishops give him some, if not full compensation for the exchange. ] EXERCISE: How should White continue? ANSWER: 13.Rxf7!! The beginning of a devastating king hunt. 13...Kxf7 [ Taking the rook with the knight is no better: 13...Ncxe5 14.Qxe6 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 Nxf7 16.Nd5 0-0 17.Nxe7+ Kg7 18.Nf4 still gives White a crushing attack. ] 14.Rf1+ Ke8 [ Nor is 14...Kg7 an improvement: after 15.Nf4! Nf8 16.Nh5+ Kg8 17.Qf4 Qe8 18.Nf6+ Bxf6 19.exf6 , White is winning despite being a full rook down; e.g. Qf7 20.Ne4 Nd4 21.Bxd4 Bxe4 22.Bxe4 Rc8 23.Be5 and Black is completely tied down and losing. ] 15.Qxe6 Ndxe5 16.Ne4 So the knight reaches a much better square than e2. [ The computer suggests a different way to win: 16.Bxc6+ Bxc6 ( not 16...Nxc6? 17.Ne4 Qc7 18.Bf4 Bc8 19.Nf6+ Kd8 20.Qd5+ etc ) 17.Qxe5 Kd7 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.Qxd5+ Kc7 20.Bf4+ Kb6 21.Qe6+ Kb7 22.Bg5! , followed by Rf7 etc. ] 16...Qc7 17.Nf4? Although this leads to a beautiful win, it is actually a mistake and gives Black a chance to extricate himself. [ The precise, if prosaic continuation is 17.Nhg5! Kd8 18.Nxc5 Bxc5 19.Bxc5 Nd7 (forced) 20.Nf7+ Kc8 21.Nxh8 Nd8 22.Bxb7+ Kxb7 23.Qd5+ Qc6 24.Qxc6+ Kxc6 ( or 240

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen respond with ...Nc6-d4 as in the main game. For example, 6...Nc6 7.d3 ( or 7.Nf3 Nd4 8.Nxd4 cxd4 9.Nd1 Rc8 10.c3 Bc5 11.b4 Bb6 12.Bb2 Ne7 13.cxd4 d5 14.d3 dxe4 15.dxe4 Nc6 and White's position is very insecure, V. Dobrovoljc-S.Gumularz, Karpacz 2015 ) 7...Nd4 8.Qf2 Nf6 9.h3 Qa5!? 10.Qd2 ( 10.e5!? Bxg2 11.Qxg2 Nd5 12.Kf1! may be best ) 10...d5 11.e5 Nh5 12.Kf2 c4 13.Bf3 g6 14.g4 Bc5 15.Kg2 Rg8 16.Kh2 Qd8 with a complicated game, where Black came out on top, E.Pessi-M. Manolache, Sarata Monteoru 2011. ] 5...e6 6.f4 This is the most logical and popular continuation: White gains space, advances the f-pawn before developing the king's knight to f3, and leaves e2 for the other one. 6...d5 Equivalently, as we have seen in other lines with an early ...e7-e6, pushing the d-pawn two squares is Black's thematic reaction; [ but ...d7-d5 doesn't have to be B23 Harikrishna,P played immediately, or even at all Bu Xiangzhi necessarily: 71: Tiayuan 2005 a) 6...b4 7.Nce2 d5 ( or 7...Nf6 [Carsten Hansen] 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.0-0 Be7 10.h3 d5 11.e5 Nd7 12.Be3 0-0 13.g4 d4 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6 14.Bd2 f6 15.exf6 Nxf6 [ Bu switches from his usual 2...g6 with approximately equal chances, K. (see Game 27). ] Jakubowski-R.Kempinski, Polish [ After 2...a6 , the game continued League 2015; while 7...f5!? 8.Nf3 3.f4 b5 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 e6 6.d3 fxe4 9.Ng5 h6 10.Nxe4 d5 11.Nf2 , transposing to our main line below. ] Nf6 12.0-0 Nbd7 13.c3 bxc3 3.g3 b5 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.d3 14.bxc3 Bd6 15.Bh3 Kf7 produced a [ The immediate 5.f4 is also possible very double-edged position in E. (or indeed 3 f4), when e6 Tairova-I.Nepomniachtchi, Moscow A) 6.d3 transposes to the main 2006 ) line. -- ( 6...-- ); A) After 8.exd5 any of exd5 , B) Instead, 6.Qe2!? prevents ...d7( 8...Bxd5; and 8...Nf6 is fine for d5 for the moment, but Black can Black );

24...Nxc6 25.Rf7 ) 25.Be3 and White comes out two pawns up. ] 17...Bc8? Now all is well again. [ If Black finds 17...Kd8! , the best White can achieve is 18.Nxc5 Bxc5 19.Qf6+ Kc8 20.Qxh8+ Nd8 21.d4 Nef7 22.Qxh7 Qe7 23.Bxb7+ Kxb7 24.Bf2 Bd6 25.Qxg6 Bxf4 26.gxf4 with four pawns for the sacrificed piece, but with a relatively open king the win will not be straightforward for White. ] EXERCISE: How does White force the win? (Hint: It isn't easy, and the key move is White's 20th!) ANSWER: 18.Nf6+ Kd8 19.Qd5+ Qd6 [ Obviously 19...Bd6 20.Ne4 Ne7 ( or 20...Nf7 21.Nxc5 ) 21.Qxa8 is hopeless for Black. ] 20.Bxc5! [ The point is that 20.Bxc5 Qxd5 allows 21.Bb6# , so Black resigned on the spot. ] 1-0

241

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen B) 8.e5 h5 ( 8...Ne7 9.c3 Nbc6 10.Nf3 Nf5 11.0-0 h5 12.d4 h4 13.g4 h3 14.Bh1 Nh6 was E.Rozentalis-I.Georgiadis, Athens 2006, where 15.f5! promises White some initiative on the kingside; e.g. exf5 16.gxf5 Nxf5?! 17.Ng5! Qd7 18.e6 fxe6 19.Nf4 and so on ) 9.Nh3 Nh6 10.Neg1!? Nf5 11.Nf3 Nc6 12.0-0 Qb6 13.c3 g6 14.Nhg5 Be7 15.Qe2 a5 with another position where both sides can fight for the advantage, J.Cubas-M.Lujan, Montevideo 2011. ] [ b) 6...Nf6 7.Nf3 d5 ( instead, 7...Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.h3 c4 10.g4 cxd3 11.cxd3 Nc6 12.Ne2 Rc8 13.Ng3 Nb4 14.Ne1 Qc7 15.Bd2 Nc2 16.Nxc2 Qxc2 17.Bc3 Qxd1 18.Raxd1 h6 was fairly balanced in E. Perelshteyn-M.Rohde, Philadelphia 1996; and 7...d6 is line 'b' ) 8.e5 Nfd7 ( or 8...d4 9.exf6 dxc3 10.0-0! cxb2? 11.Bxb2 gxf6 12.f5! e5 13.Nxe5! Bxg2 14.Ng4 Be7 15.Re1 Kf8 16.Qd2 h5 17.Rxe7 , G.C.Jones-O. Orlov, European Championship, Plovdiv 2008, and now 17 Rxe7! would have won at once ) 9.0-0 Be7 ( or 9...g6 10.g4 Nc6 11.f5 h6 12.Bf4 Nb6 13.d4!? Nc4 14.b3 cxd4 15.Ne2 Bc5 16.Nexd4 Nxd4 17.Nxd4 , G.C.Jones-J.Ashwin, Yerevan 2007, when Black had to find g5 18.bxc4 gxf4 19.Rxf4 Qg5 20.Qd2 bxc4 to remain in the game ) 10.Ne2 Nc6 11.c3 b4 12.g4 h5 13.gxh5 Rxh5 14.Ng3 Rh8 15.f5 Qb6 16.fxe6 fxe6 17.Ng5 Ncxe5 18.d4 led to great complications in T. Gelashvili-J.Ehlvest, Las Vegas 2013: cxd4 19.cxd4 Bf6 20.Kh1 ( or 20.Nh5 Ke7 21.Kh1 Rxh5 22.dxe5 Rah8! 23.exf6+ gxf6 24.Nf3 e5

with good play for the exchange ) 20...Nf7 21.Nxe6 Qxe6 22.Re1 Nfe5 23.dxe5 Nxe5 ( 23...Be7 is still unclear ) 24.Bf4 Kf7 25.Qe2?? ( after 25.Rc1! Rxh2+ 26.Kxh2 Ng4+ 27.Kh1 Rh8+! 28.Nh5 Rxh5+ 29.Kg1 , White comes out on top, since Qb6+ now fails to 30.Be3 ) 25...Rxh2+ 26.Kxh2 Ng4+ 27.Kg1 Bd4+ and White resigned. ] [ c) 6...d6 7.Nf3 Nf6 ( not 7...Nc6 8.0-0 Qc7 9.f5 e5?! 10.Nd5 Qd8 11.Bg5 Be7 12.Nxe7 Ncxe7 13.Nh4 f6?! 14.Be3 Qd7 , N.Faulks-D. Tyomkin, Bermuda 2001, where 15.Qh5+ Kf8 16.c3 Rc8 17.Rad1 leaves White dominating the whole board ) 8.0-0 Be7 9.e5!? ( or 9.h3 d5!? 10.e5 Nfd7 11.g4 h5!? 12.f5 hxg4 13.hxg4 Nc6 14.Bf4 Qc7 15.Qd2 0-0-0 16.Rae1 Nb6 with chances for both sides, D. Novitzkij-N.Rashkovsky, St Petersburg 2000 ) 9...dxe5 ( not 9...Nfd7? 10.f5! exf5 11.exd6 Bxd6 12.Bg5! f6 13.Nh4! and White has a very strong attack ) 10.fxe5 Nfd7 ( or 10...Nd5 11.Ne4 Nd7 12.Qe2 ) 11.Ng5 Bxg5 12.Bxb7 Bxc1 13.Qxc1 Ra7 14.Qf4 0-0 15.Bg2 Qc7 16.Rae1 and White has perhaps a small plus, R.Lau-B.Rechel, German League 1994. ] 7.Qe2 [ White accomplishes little with other moves: a) 7.exd5 Nf6 8.Nf3 ( or 8.Qe2 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 Bxd5 10.Bxd5 Qxd5 11.Nf3 Nc6 12.0-0 Be7 13.Be3 0-0 and Black can be happy with his position, V.Prosviriakov-I.Khenkin, Hastings 2015/16 ) 8...exd5 ( 8...Nxd5 9.0-0 Be7 is also fine ) 9.0-0 Be7 10.Nh4 Qd7 11.f5 h6 12.Bf4 Nc6 13.Qd2 0-0-0 ( or 13...0-0 ) 14.a3 242

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Rhe8 15.Rae1 Bd6 and Black has no problems, Z.Andriasian-S.Zhigalko, Martuni 2013. ] [ b) 7.e5 Ne7 ( 7...Nh6 heads for the same square; 7...h5 first is also possible ) 8.Nf3 Nf5 9.0-0 ( or 9.Qe2 Nc6 10.Qf2 h5 11.0-0 Qc7 12.Ne2 d4 13.Bd2 Be7 14.a4 b4 15.h3 0-0-0 16.Rfc1 c4 17.Be1 c3 18.bxc3 dxc3 19.Kh2 Rd5 20.Qg1 f6 21.exf6 gxf6 22.Bf2 Rg8 with strong play for Black, M. Meinhardt-K.Sasikiran, Mainz rapid 2007 ) 9...h5 10.Qe1 Nc6 11.Nd1 Nb4 12.Qe2 d4 13.Ng5 Bxg2 14.Qxg2 Be7 15.Ne4 Rc8 16.a4 c4 17.axb5 cxd3 18.cxd3 axb5 19.Bd2 Nd5 20.Kh1 Rc2 21.Qf3 g6 22.Rc1 Rxc1 23.Bxc1 Kd7! 24.Bd2 Qa8 25.h3 h4 26.g4 Ng3+ 27.Nxg3 hxg3 28.Kg2 Bb4 29.Bc1 Qc6 and Black is completely winning (even if the database does end here with ½-½), D.Andreikin-V.Artemiev, Kirov (rapid) 2012. ] 7...Nc6 Following the example seen at move five. [ Instead: a) 7...d4 8.Nd1 Nc6 9.Nf3 Nf6 10.Nf2 Be7 11.0-0 Qb6 12.g4 0-0-0 ( or first 12...h6 13.g5 Nd7 14.h4 hxg5 15.hxg5 0-0-0 , as in R.Bellin-E. Berg, Gibraltar 2011 ) 13.Bd2 Nd7 14.a4 b4 15.b3 Rdg8 16.Nh1 e5 17.Ng3 and here a draw was agreed in Wang Chen-A.Kovalyov, Santa Clara 2014, although there is obviously tons of play left in the position. ] [ b) 7...Nf6 8.e5 (compared with 7 e5, the black knight cannot reach f5 so quickly) ( 8.exd5 Nxd5 is the note with 7 exd5 above ) 8...Nfd7 9.f5!? b4 10.fxe6 fxe6 11.Nd1 Nc6 12.Nf3 Qc7 13.Bf4 h6 14.h4 0-0-0 15.Bh3

Re8 16.Ne3 Nd4 17.Nxd4 cxd4 18.Ng4 Be7 19.h5 Kb8 20.Nh2 Bc5 21.Nf3 and White has the somewhat better chances, N.Cabarkapa-D. Nestorovic, Sarajevo 2013. ] 8.Nf3 Nd4 9.Nxd4 This is a central theme in this variation: the exchange of knights leaves Black with a slightly exposed d-pawn, who in return gains counterplay down the c-file. White's other knight will be rerouted via d1 and f2 where it will help cover the e4-pawn and may later find a nice post on d3. [ The alternative 9.Qf2 makes less sense: the queen gets in the way of the knight; b4 and 10...dxe4 forces White to exchange on d4 anyway; and 9...Nf6 may be even better for Black. ] 9...cxd4 10.Nd1 dxe4 [ After 10...Bb4+ 11.Bd2 ( or 11.c3 Bc5 ) 11...Bxd2+ 12.Qxd2 Qb6 13.0-0 Ne7 14.f5 dxe4 15.dxe4 d3+ 16.Qe3 Qxe3+ 17.Nxe3 dxc2 18.Rac1 Rc8 19.Rf2 , the players seems to be heading for a drawish endgame, but ultimately White managed to win, G.Giorgadze-M. Marin, Spanish League 2001. ] 11.dxe4 [ Swapping bishops as well with 11.Bxe4 Bxe4 12.dxe4 is also possible, and safeguards the c2-pawn since Rc8 13.0-0 Qc7 14.Bd2 Qxc2?? now just loses to 15.Rc1 . But White is not really concerned about the c2-pawn, and his king feels safer with the bishop still in the vicinity. ] 11...Rc8 12.0-0 Nf6 [ QUESTION: So what happens if Black attacks the c2-pawn with 12...Qc7 then? If White defends it with 13 Rf2, his rook is in the way of the knight and Black can play 13... 243

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen Bc5 with the threat of ...d4-d3. A) ANSWER: White will not protect the pawn with the rook, but rather sacrifice it for the initiative; e.g. 13.Bd2 Qxc2 ( or 13...Qb6 14.Nf2 Rxc2 15.Rfc1 ) 14.Rc1 Qa4 15.Nf2 and White has a useful lead in development to compensate for the missing pawn(s).; B) In G.C.Jones-A.Hunt, Hastings 2008/09, Black did in fact play 12... Qc7, but if he was planning to take the c-pawn, he quickly changed his mind: 13.Nf2 Nf6 14.Bd2 Be7 15.Nd3 0-0 16.Rac1 a5 17.a3 Qb6 18.Qe1 Ra8 ( 18...b4!? 19.axb4 Bxb4 20.Bxb4 axb4 21.Qxb4 Qxb4 22.Nxb4 Bxe4 23.Bxe4 Nxe4 is perfectly playable too ) 19.h3 Bc6 20.Ne5 Be8 21.b4 axb4 22.axb4 Ra2 and Black had a pleasant enough game. ] 13.Nf2 Be7 [ Attacking the c-pawn with the queen is still possible as a feint, but taking it is just bad: 13...Qc7 14.Bd2 Qxc2? ( Black should adjust to the realities on the board and play 14...Be7 as in Jones-Hunt above ) 15.e5! Nd5 ( or 15...Bxg2 16.Rfc1 ) 16.Bxd5 d3 ( or 16...exd5 17.Nd3 Qc7 18.f5 , followed by 19 e6! etc ) 17.Qh5! g6 18.Bxb7!! gxh5 19.Rac1 and White wins, since if Qxd2? 20.Rxc8+ Ke7 21.Rfc1 , Black will have to give up the queen anyway to prevent R1c7 mate. ] 14.b3 0-0 15.Bb2 While the d4-pawn is definitely a target, Black has sufficient resources available both to defend it and put pressure on White's backward cpawn in return. 15...Qb6 [ If desired, there's an even simpler solution: 15...Bb4 16.Rfd1 Bc3

17.Bxc3 Rxc3 18.Qd2 Qc7 19.Qxd4 ( or 19.Rdc1?! Rd8 ) 19...Rxc2 and Black has nothing to worry about. ] 16.Rad1 QUESTION: Shouldn't White keep the queen's rook available to defend the c-pawn? ANSWER: Which is the right rook? That is often a troublesome question. Here it doesn't much matter since Harikrishna intends to advance the rook on the d-file, after which the f1-rook can go wherever it likes. 16...Rfd8 17.Rd3 Qc7 By attacking the c2-pawn Black aims to prevent the white rooks from doubling the d-file. [ Alternatively, he could just sit tight, since it is hard to see how White might arrange to take the d-pawn advantageously; e.g. 17...b4 (fixing the queenside) 18.Rfd1 Bc5 19.Qd2 ( or 19.e5 Bxg2 20.Kxg2 Nd5 21.R1d2 Nc7 , followed by ... Nb5 ) 19...Rd7 20.e5 ( or 20.Bxd4 Bxd4 21.Rxd4 Rcd8 22.Rxd7 Rxd7 23.Qe2 Rxd1+ 24.Qxd1 Nxe4 ) 20...Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Nd5 22.Ne4 Qc6 23.Kh3 ( not 23.Nxc5?? Nxf4+ and Black wins ) 23...Ne3 24.Nxc5 Qf3 25.Rxe3 dxe3 26.Qxd7 Qh5+ with a draw by perpetual check. ] 18.Rc1 Capturing the d4-pawn obviously achieves nothing, as Black just takes on c2. 18...e5? I'm not sure what prompted Bu to play this, unless he perhaps mixed up his move order. [ Instead, 18...Bc5 is perfectly okay; e. g. 19.Rcd1 ( or 19.c3 dxc3 20.Rdxc3 Qb6; or if 19.Qd2 then e5! ) 19...h6 (ruling out back rank tricks). ] 19.fxe5 [ QUESTION: Should White not just play 19.f5 and start rolling the pawns 244

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen on the kingside? ANSWER: It would be lovely if things were that simple, but White's pieces are not arranged to do that, so all it achieves is allow Black to set his dpawn in concrete. Even worse, after Qa5! , White is already struggling on the queenside; e.g. 20.a3 Bxa3 21.Ra1 b4 22.Bxa3 bxa3 23.b4 Qxb4 24.Rb3 Qe7 will leave Black a pawn up. ] 19...Qxe5 20.Rcd1 Qh5 [ Here 20...Bc5 fails to secure the dpawn, since White can simply play 21.c3! , exploiting the pin on the d-file with a clear advantage. ] 21.Bf3 Qg6 22.Bxd4 White has won a pawn, which means it is just a matter of getting his pieces coordinated before he can start converting his advantage, or so it might seem. In fact Black's actively placed pieces make that matter a great deal more complicated. 22...Re8 23.c3 Bf8 24.e5?! [ The e-pawn was en prise so White had to do something, but I think it might be better simply to defend the pawn with 24.Re3 (and Re1 too if necessary), aiming to consolidate further before making any committal moves. ] 24...Bxf3 25.Rxf3 Nd7 26.Nd3 Nc5 27.Nxc5?! The rule of thumb that you should swap pieces when ahead on material does not quite apply here, since White's weaknesses at e5 and c3 make a pure major piece endgame difficult to navigate. [ White does better to to play something like 27.Nf4 Qc6 28.Rdf1 Rc7 29.Qg2 Ne6 30.Rd3 , when any exchange of minor pieces will involve Black making a concession. ] 27...Bxc5 28.Bxc5

[ Leaving the bishop alone is not clear either; for example, after 28.Qe3 Bd6 (intending ...f7-f6) ] [ or 28.Qf2 Bxd4 29.Qxd4 ( or 29.cxd4 Rc2 ) 29...Qh5 ] [ or even 28.Qd3 Rcd8 29.Qxg6 hxg6 30.Re3 Rd5 , Black still has considerable counterplay. ] 28...Rxc5 29.Rd7?! Bangiev assessed this position as winning for White, but in fact 29 Rd7 throws away the remainder of White's advantage. 29...Rf8? Black misses his chance. [ Obviously he can't play 29...Rcxe5? due to 30.Qxe5! etc; ] [ but 29...f6! creates headaches for White: 30.exf6 Rxe2 31.f7+ Qxf7 32.Rfxf7 Rxc3 and White's second rank issues are no less serious; after 33.Rxg7+ Kf8 34.Rdf7+ Ke8 35.Rxh7 Rxa2 36.Rc7 Rxc7 37.Rxc7 b4 , Black should not have too much difficulty in holding a draw. ] 30.Rd6 Qh5 31.e6 Rc7?? One bad move follows another. [ Black had to play 31...Re5! 32.Qf2 f6 and while White has the clearly better chances, Black is far from lost. As we've already mentioned, These purely heavy piece endgames (or middlegames) are notoriously difficult to play. ] 32.Rd7! Now White is winning. 32...Qc5+ [ Swapping the rooks is no better: 32...Rxd7 33.exd7 f6 34.Qe6+ Qf7 35.Qd6 Rd8 36.Rd3 and so forth. ] 33.Qe3 Qxe3+? This makes it even easier; [ 33...f6 would prolong the game. ] 34.Rxe3 Rcc8 35.e7 Rfe8 36.Red3 [ And with no effective way of meeting Rd8, Black resigned; e.g. 36.Red3 f6 37.Rd8 Kf7 38.Rxc8 Rxc8 39.Rd8

245

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 11.Nxe7+ Qxe7 12.Qd2 seems better, despite the appearance of castling into it ) 8.Nf3 Be6 9.Nd2 Qd8 10.Nd5 Nf6 B24 11.c3 Nc6 12.g5 Nd7 13.h4 Krapivin,A and White has the initiative, M. Gorbatov,A Vokac-P.Jirovsky, Pribram (rapid) 72: Moscow Championship 2009 1998.; [Carsten Hansen] C) 3...e6 4.Bg2 ( or 4.d3 d5 5.Bg2 d4 6.Nce2 e5 7.Ng3 Nge7 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 8.Nh3 Ng6 9.0-0 Bd6 10.Nf5 0-0 [ As an offbeat try for White, I'd also 11.f4 exf4 12.Nxd6 Qxd6 13.Nxf4 like to mention 3.g4!? . Obviously this Nce5 with a comfortable game for is not really a Closed Sicilian, but it is Black, J.Alonso Moyano-A.Bofill reasonably close. I will call it the Mas, Catalunya 2014 ) 4...h5!? Accelerated Closed Sicilian, because 5.gxh5 Nf6 6.d3 Rxh5 7.Nge2 d5 White hopes to save a move by 8.Ng3 Rh8 9.Bg5 Be7 10.h4 g6 throwing the pawn two squares ( here 10...d4!? 11.Nb1 Qb6 forward at once, rather than having it 12.b3 Qa5+ 13.Bd2 Qc7 halt at g3 and perhaps move on later. looks quite pleasant for Black ) That being said, Black does not need 11.Qd2 ( 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Qd2 to be accommodating and play a line improves, but Black is still fine ) where having the pawn on g4 actually 11...d4 12.Nce2 e5 makes sense. If you want to bring up with a comfortable game for Black, the argument that early g2-g4 attacks who eventually won the game, as I are in fashion in many openings, recall watching on German these typically only occur when Black television, V.Hort-S.Kindermann, has a knight on f6, which is not the Bath 1983.; case here. Objectively speaking, 3 D) 3...h5!? 4.g5 g6 5.h4 Bg7 6.Nd5?! e6 7.Ne3 Nge7 8.Ne2 g4!? is a fun-looking line, but it is Ne5?! playing for a cheapo; hardly worth pulling it out of the ( 8...d5! looks more appropriate ) pocket except for rapid or blitz games. 9.Bg2 d6 10.d4 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nevertheless, here are a few is now a strange sort of Open variations: Sicilian, which is probably about A) 3...g6 4.d3 Bg7 5.Bg2 e5 6.Nh3 Nge7 7.f4 (now g2-g4 is equal at this point, S.Drazic-M. quite useful) f5?! ( 7...d6 Pucovski, Novi Sad 2016. ] is not so bad ) 8.gxf5 exf4 9.Nxf4 3...Rb8!? QUESTION: Seriously? Isn't 0-0 10.0-0 gxf5 11.Nh5 Bd4+ this ridiculously premature? 12.Kh1 d6 13.Bg5 and White is ANSWER: Although it looks a little clearly better, H.Nakamura-R.Blum, absurd, moving the rook to support the Lloydminster 2010.; advance of the b-pawn, even as soon as B) 3...d6 4.h3 Nd4 5.Bg2 e5 this, is not a bad idea; and an early Rb1 6.d3 Be7 7.Be3 Qa5?! ( 7...h6 is quite common with colours reversed 8.Nd5 Nf6 9.c3 Ne6 10.Ne2 0-0 in the English Opening.

etc. ] 1-0

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The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen [ There are two or three other minor options for Black worth mentioning: a) 3...h5!? 4.Bg2 (there's no need to touch the h2-pawn yet) h4 5.g4 ( if White ignores the pawn advance, then Black actually achieves what he wants; e.g. 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Qd2 h3 8.Bf3 g6 9.0-0-0 Bg7 10.Nge2?? Ne5 11.Ng1 Nxf3 12.Nxf3 Bg4 13.Qe2 , R.Hess-Z. Andriasian, Dos Hermanas blitz 2008, and now Nd7 is more or less winning for Black ) 5...h3!? ( after 5...e5 6.h3 Nge7 7.d3 Ng6 8.Nge2 Bd6 9.Nd5 Nce7 10.0-0 Nxd5 11.exd5 0-0 12.f4 Nxf4 13.Nxf4 exf4 14.Bxf4 Bxf4 15.Rxf4 , Black has a thankless defence ahead but not necessarily a hopeless one, Ji.Nun-B.Gurgenidze, Hradec Kralove 1978 ) 6.Nxh3 e5 (Black hopes the dark square weaknesses in White's position are worth the pawn sacrifice, which is a little optimistic) 7.Ng1 Nge7 8.d3 Ng6 9.h3 d6 10.Be3 Be6 11.Qd2 Be7 12.Nd5 Qd7 13.c3 0-0-0 ( 13...Nh4!? is a better try ) 14.Nf3 and Black does not have enough for the pawn, A.Stripunsky-A.Shabalov, New York 2003. ] [ b) 3...e5 can easily transpose to other lines if Black follows up with a kingside fianchetto, but this move order gives White the freedom to choose a critical set-up, such as one with Nh3. Therefore, Black might be advised to adopt a non-standard formation; e.g. 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.Nge2 ( or 6.Nh3 Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Kh1 Nd4 9.f4 Bg4 10.Qd2 h6 11.Ng1 Bd7 12.Nd1 Qc7 with chances for both sides, although I would much rather play White in this position, V.Sergeev-S.Sztercsco, Kosice 1997 ) 6...Be7 7.h3 ( or 7.0-0

0-0 8.Nd5 Nxd5 9.exd5 Nd4 10.c3 Nxe2+ 11.Qxe2 Bf5 12.Be4 Bxe4 13.dxe4 Qd7 and Black has completely equalized, L.Krajnc-D. Leben, correspondence 2005 ) 7...Rb8 8.0-0 b5 9.f4 0-0 10.g4 b4 11.Nb1 exf4 12.Nxf4 Be6 13.Nd2 Nd7 14.a3 a5 15.Nf3 Nde5 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.axb4 axb4 18.Be3 and here a draw was agreed in V. Malaniuk-Y.Vladimirov, Sverdlovsk 1987, which doesn't tell us much except that Black probably stands no worse. ] [ c) 3...Nf6 4.Bg2 d5?! ( this is better prepared by 4...e6 as in Chapter Twelve; otherwise, 4...g6 5.d3 Bg7 and ...d7-d6 will transpose to a main line with ...Nf6; while 4...d6 5.d3 e5 is line 'b' ) 5.Nxd5 Nxd5 6.exd5 Nb4 7.Ne2 Nxd5 ( or 7...Bf5 8.d3 Nxd5 9.0-0 Qd7 10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Rd8 12.c4 e5 13.Bb2 f6 , N.FerrariI.Nemet, Baden 1999, and now 14.f4 looks very good for White ) 8.d4 e6 9.0-0 Be7 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.c4 Nb6 12.Qxd8+ Kxd8 13.b3 Ke7 14.Nc3 f5 15.Bg5+ Kf7 16.Rad1 a6 17.Be3 Bxe3 18.fxe3 Ke7 19.e4 and White is clearly better, D.Bronstein-G. Lisitsin, Leningrad 1947. ] 4.Bg2 b5 5.d3 [ Obviously 5.a3 is possible, but then White is committed to answering ...b7b5 with a2-a3 in whichever standard variation Black prefers: g6 ( or 5...e6 . )] 5...b4 [ Gorbatov actually delayed this for a move and played 5...g6 first, presumably waiting for White again to commit to a set-up; then 6.Be3 A) 6...b4 (otherwise 7 Qd2 will give the knight the d1-square) 7.Nce2 247

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen transposed below. ( 7.-- ); B) Black has also tried 6...Qa5 , but then White might well play 7.a3! , followed by Nge2 and 0-0, after which it is not clear what the queen is doing on a5, apart from encouraging b2-b4 perhaps. ] 6.Nce2 [ Here 6.Nd5 e6 7.Ne3 A) 7...g6 8.f4 Bg7 9.Nf3 transposes to Game 61. ( 9.-- ); B) But Black can also play as in Chapter Twelve with 7...Nf6 8.f4 d5 9.e5 Nd7 10.Nf3 , when the knight on e3 is not particularly well placed; e.g. Be7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Qe1 Qc7 13.h4 Nd4 14.Nh2 Nb6 15.h5 Na4 16.Nhg4 c4 and Black's queenside initiative is more significant, Ja.Havasi-Am. Peter, Hungarian League 1993 ] 6...g6 [ If Black opts for 6...e6 now, White should castle quickly and break with d3-d4; e.g. 7.Nf3 d5 ( or 7...Nf6 8.0-0 d6 9.d4 Nxe4 10.Nd2 d5 11.Nxe4 dxe4 , K.Valkesalmi-M. Kivisto, Espoo 1991, and now 12.Bxe4 Bb7 13.Bf4 Rc8 14.c3 looks good for White ) 8.exd5 exd5 9.0-0 Bd6 10.d4 Nge7 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.Bf4 Ra8 , G.House-O. Kozlitin, Budapest 2014, when 13.c4! bxc3 ( or 13...dxc4 14.Ne5 ) 14.Nxc3 gives White the better chances against the isolated d-pawn. ] 7.Be3 [ Instead, 7.f4 Bg7 8.Nf3 returns to Game 61 again (see the note with 8 Ne2). ] 7...Bg7 On the face of it, the positions after the impending ...d7-d6 are similar to those in Chapter Three, except that Black's rush forward with the b-pawn has prevented the white knight from

retreating to d1, so the early 3...Rb8!? has already proved itself quite justified. 8.Qc1 Defending the b-pawn and lining up a possible Bh6. [ It is far too soon to play in the centre; e.g. 8.d4?! Qa5! (highlighting White's uncastled king) 9.Qd2 ( or 9.Nf3 Ba6 , intending 10.0-0? cxd4 and Black wins material ) 9...Ba6 10.c3? bxc3 11.bxc3 cxd4 12.Bxd4 Nxd4 13.cxd4 Qxd2+ 14.Kxd2 Rb2+ 15.Kc3 Rb6 and White is in big trouble, M.Coimbra-D.Hamelink, European Women's Championship, Kishinev 2005. ] [ Or 8.c3 bxc3 9.bxc3 Qa5 10.Qd2 Ba6 11.Nf3 Nf6 12.h3 , S.Glinert-D. Cummings, Guelph 2002, and now 0-0 13.0-0 c4! is good for Black. ] [ White has also tried 8.Rb1 d6 9.f4 Qc7 ( here too 9...Qa5!? should be considered ) 10.Nf3 Nh6 (an idea reminiscent of Game 14) 11.0-0 Ng4 12.Bd2 f5 13.h3 Nh6 14.exf5 gxf5?! ( 14...Nxf5 is preferable, despite no longer hitting the bishop ) 15.c4 0-0 16.Be3 Nf7 17.b3?! ( the immediate 17.d4! is stronger, when e5?! 18.fxe5 dxe5 19.Nxe5 is good for White ) 17...Rd8 18.d4 e5 and both sides have their share of the chances, A. Krapivin-A.Areshchenko, Moscow 2008. ] 8...d6 9.Nf3 Keeping the c1-h6 diagonal open; [ after 9.f4 Bd7 10.Nf3 f5!? 11.0-0 Qb6 12.h3 e6 13.Rd1 Nge7 14.g4 0-0 15.Ng3 Nd4 , Black was fine at this point, An.Karpov-J.Smejkal, Trinec 1966/67. ] 9...Bg4 [ Another of Smejkal's games saw 9...Bd7 10.d4?! (again premature) ( 10.0-0 is the sensible move ) 10...cxd4 11.Nexd4 Nf6 12.Bh6 0-0 248

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Nxc6 Bxc6 15.Nd4 Ba8 16.Qe3 e5 17.Ne2 Qb6 18.Qxb6 Rxb6 19.f3 Rc8 20.Kd2 d5 and Black has a decisive initiative, J.Tompa-J.Smejkal, Oerebro 1966. ] 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 QUESTION: Didn't Black just hand over the bishop pair for no reason? ANSWER: This is actually a standard plan, both here and in the English Opening (with reversed colours). It helps Black maintain better control over the centre, as well as limiting White's active options somewhat. 11...h5!? Not necessarily standard, but not a bad move either, even if Black has no reason to fear Bh6. [ For instance, 11...Nf6 12.Bh6 0-0 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.0-0 Nd4! (highlighting an issue with Qc1; White has nothing better than to take the knight) 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.b3 Qc8 17.Qb2 , A.Krapivin-U.Eliseev, Moscow 2011, and now e5 18.Kg2 Qc5 leaves Black on the better side of a draw. ] 12.Bg2 Nd4 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Bd2 Qb6 15.0-0 Nf6 16.a3! bxa3? This seemingly logical move is harshly refuted; [ 16...a5 17.axb4 axb4 18.Ra4 Qc5 is more or less okay for Black, even if the two bishops make White's position more appealing. ] 17.b3! This little trick is worth remembering and is a wake-up call for Black. Instead of recapturing on a3 at once and ceding control of an open bfile, White pushes past, leaving Black with serious issues on the a-file, primarily with his isolated a-pawn. 17...0-0?! Simply letting the a-pawn go doesn't offer Black much hope. [ He might as well try 17...e5!?

18.Rxa3 ( or 18.Qxa3 Rb7 ) 18...0-0 19.Qa1 Rb7 , even if it looks quite unpleasant. ] 18.Qxa3 e5 19.Qxa7 Qc6 20.Qa2 Rfc8 21.Rfc1 White is a pawn up for no compensation. All that remains is the technical task of converting that advantage. 21...h4 This doesn't improve Black's position at all. [ A better plan might be to try and activate his minor pieces with 21...d5 and ...Bf8, even if it means allowing the g2-bishop more scope at the same time. ] 22.g4 Nd7 23.b4 Ra8 24.Qb2 Rxa1 25.Qxa1 Ra8 26.Qb2 Qa4 Black is correctly trying for as much activity as possible, but controlling the a-file does not accomplish much in itself, so White begins to move on the queenside. 27.c3 Qa2 28.Rb1 Qxb2 29.Rxb2 Ra1+ [ 29...dxc3 30.Bxc3 Ra3 is met by 31.Bd2! Rxd3 32.b5 and the passed pawn is too strong; e.g. Ra3 ( or 32...Nb6 33.Bf1 Ra3 34.Be3 ) 33.b6 Ra8 34.b7 Rb8 35.Be3 Nc5 36.Rb6 Nd7 37.Rb4! Nc5 38.Bf1 Kf8 39.Bc4 f6 40.Bd5 Ke7 41.Rb5 Kd8 42.Bxc5 dxc5 43.Rxc5 and Black's position is hopeless. ] 30.Bf1 dxc3 31.Bxc3 Nb6 Black has established a blockade of the b-pawn which can be reinforced by ...Bf6-d8, but this is unlikely to hold in the long run. 32.b5 [ Another option is 32.Bd2 Bf6 33.Be3 Bd8 34.Rc2 Rb1 35.Rc6 Rxb4 36.Rxd6 Bc7 37.Rc6 Bd8 38.Bc5 Rb1 39.Bd6 f6 40.g5 and so on, but there's no real need to give up the b-pawn, nor any real hurry. White prefers to bring his lightsquared bishop into the game before undertaking concrete action. ] 249

The Closed Sicilian Move by Move - Carsten Hansen 32...Bf6 33.Kg2 Bd8 34.Rc2! Ra4 35.Be2 Kf8 36.Bd1 g5 37.Rb2 [ Leaving the rook on the c-file with 37.Rc1! is stronger; e.g. Ra7 ( or 37...Ra3 38.Bb4! Rxd3 39.Bc3 and 40 Be2 traps the rook ) 38.d4 exd4 ( or 38...f6 39.dxe5 fxe5 40.Bb4 and 41 Rc6 etc ) 39.Bb4! Be7 40.Rc6 Rb7 41.Bxd6 Bxd6 42.Rxd6 Nc4 43.Rxd4 Na3 44.Be2 Nxb5 45.Bxb5 Rxb5 46.Rd5! with a winning rook or pawn endgame. ] 37...Ra1 38.Bb3 Ke7 39.d4 With his forces now fully mobilized, White breaks again in the centre. 39...f6 40.dxe5 fxe5 41.Bb4 [ Here 41.Bd2 Kd7 42.Be3 Ra5 43.Bd5 is a simpler realization of White's plan; e.g. Nxd5 ( or 43...Ra4 44.Bc6+ Kc7 45.Rc2 Kb8 46.Rc3 , followed by Bc1 and Rf3-f5 ) 44.exd5 e4 45.b6 Kc8 46.b7+ Kb8 47.Rb4 and wins. ] 41...Kd7 42.Bd5! By offering his bishop up for exchange, White aims to create a path for his king into Black's position; [ whereas after something like 42.Rd2 Bc7 43.Rd3 Rb1 , it's no longer clear how White makes progress. ] 42...Nxd5 43.exd5 Rd1? Black has few chances of resistance once the white king penetrates. [ The best try is 43...e4! (keeping the king out) 44.Bd2 Kc7 , but after 45.f4! exf3+ ( or 45...gxf4 46.Bxf4 Rd1 47.b6+ Kb7 48.g5 Rxd5 49.g6 Bf6 50.Rb4 ) 46.Kxf3 Ra4 47.b6+ Kb7 48.Be3 Rc4 49.Rb3 Kb8 50.Ra3 Rb4 51.Ra1 , Black finds himself in zugzwang and loses anyway. ] [ 43...Ba5 44.Bxa5 Rxa5 45.Kf3 Ra3+ 46.Ke4 Rxh3 47.b6 Kc8 48.b7+ Kb8 49.f3 is a winning rook

endgame. ] 44.Bd2 Kc8 45.Kf3 Kb7 46.Ke4 And White is winning. The remaining moves look like they were played in a time scramble. 46...Rf1 47.Bb4 Bb6 48.Bxd6 Rh1 49.Rb3 Re1+ 50.Kf5 e4 51.Ra3 Bxf2 52.Ra4 Rd1 . I'm guessing that Black's flag fell here. 1-0

250