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'l'lris tltororrglr. rrrrrlet'sl:utrl:rlrlt'. urrrl rt'r't tr':rrl:rlrlc lttarrrurl gires rorr u lirrurrlaliorr orr rrlriclr to lrrrilrl \()ll'r'('lx'r'loirr'. ll'i;irrrrilrg:rrrrl ilrrprorirri4 r'lrt.ss lrlarers slrorrlrl gt't tlris lroncl'lirl lrook lrr'lirrr'lJtrr lrttr rtrt.1'ttlltel't'lrcss opt'nin14lrook!
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:utrl llrc ttrtrler rrr:rrlc lrrrtrl4l'r lirt'tttolr'. lrrrl lre gr'ls elrorri4lr slr':rl<'git'krrorrlerli4r':rrrrl ilrsirlt'r.lips lo i4r't.r'rcrr il'lr<';rllrs llre olrcnirril lirr'llrr' lirsl lintt'. ittlo.llrt' rrrirlrllr'g'anr(' sali'1r."' Rrx'hark. F)irnrpa \lagazinr. "
\ll
sr
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"l rlorr'l tlrink sonrr'llrirrg likr'(,lrt'ss ( )grcnirri{ lisstnli:rls.
irr tlris sizr'.rel t'risls. ('()\('rs:r l:rrg<'gr:u'l ol'llrc lrxtrl." lior'plart'r's rritlr lr latirrg rrp lo llXX). tlris lrook Sr'lrakeni. I lrfir
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26
lllllillilltiltlill
Chess Opening Essentials
Volume
2-
t.d4 d5/1.d4 various/Queen's Gambits
Praise for Chess Opening Essentials Volume 1: The Complete 1.e4 "The amount of information available on chess openings is so gigantic that one gets almost suffocated. In this book all l.e4 systems are clearly listed and presented, without losing itself in endless variations." FreeChess.com "Gives an outline of each opening and major variation in turn, explaining the ideas and most popular choices for the benefit of elementary players. I was impressed by the practical advice given in the notes in this well-produced volume."
British Chess Magazine "Full of great ideas, clear explanations and instructive games (...) I have frequently enjoyed browsing through the beautifully-presented volume." GM Paul Motwani, The Scotsman
"I think this is one of the few nearly indispensable works on the openings that belong in every amateur's library." The Chess Mind
"When you open this fat paperback for the first time, you will be surprised: color! Compared with this, books from Everyman, Gambit or Olms look like black-and-white television. (...) Not only is the main line explained and the reader made hungry for more, but he gets enough strategic knowledge and insider-tips to get, even if he plays the opening for the first time, into the middlegame safely." Erik Rausch, Rochade Eumpa Magazine
"It is about the basics of the opening, about ensuing middlegame positions, and about the plans one should pursue. Ideal for the club player who wishes to improve."
Nederlands Dagblad
'At
the beginning of each major variation there is an extensive exposition of ideas, structures and plans. The games do give a good impression of the style of a particular opening system and will help the student to decide if he feels 'at home' in the positions."
Thomas Berens. Chess-International
'A
complete overview of all 1.e4 openings, well explained with a large amount of readable text. Buy it for the clear cut explanationsl" John Elburg Chess Reviews
"Apatzer like me, let alone someone with an Elo rating under 1700, should not buy
a
complex monography on the Najdorf before getting this instructive opening book." Pekka Pakarinen, Suomen Shakki Magazine (Finland)
"Well organized, easy to follow, adequate space for notes to other opening references. Good explanations of why a particular opening is or isn't used by the world's best players." Mark Weeks, About.com
"I don't think
like 'Chess Opening Essentials', in this size, yet exists. For players rating up to 1900 this book covers a large part of the road."
something
with
a
Schakers.Info
The complete Chcss Opaing Esscnticls series:
Volume 1: The Complete 1.e4 Volume 2: l.d4 dS / 1.d4 various / Queen's Gambits Volume 3: Indian Defences, Complete Volume 4: l.c4 / l.6R / Minor Systems (appears 2010)
Stefan Diuric
- Dimitri Komarov -
Claudio Pantaleoni
Chess Opening Essentials Volume 2 -
t
d4 d5 / t.d4 various,/Queen's Gambits
New In Chess 2OO9
2009 New In Chess @ Messaggerie Scacchistiche 2005
Revised and updated English e&tion published by New In Chess, Alkmaar, The
Netherlands
wwwnewinchess.com This edition is published by arrangement with Le due Torri
-
It"ly
-
-
Chess Departrrent Store
www.chess.it
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by *y means, elecEonic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher. Editor: Pierluigi Passerotti Cover design: Steven Boland Editor English edition: Peter Boel Translator: Richard Jones Proofreading: Ren6 Olthof
Froduction: Anton Schermer ISBN-
1
3
: 97 8-90-569 | -269 -7
Preface This is an ideal book for the active club player who wants to und.erstand what's going a chess game. I believe Chess opening Essentials is:
on in the opening of
a
. o
Comprehensive:
it covers all main variations likely to arise
Easy-to-use: importanr moves and key positions are highlighted in colour LonS-IastinS: it doesn't outdate quickly because it is about the basics, not the latest
fashions
.
Complete:
o o
Down-to-earflr: simple, verbal introductions (no database-dump full of dead trees) Conzsenienf: every opening is illustrated with a number of instructive games.
it explains the plans and counterplans for both white and Black
The authors quite lucidly explain the plans behind rhe various openings, as well as many subtle similarities and differences between them. This way, without giving endless variations, they manage to get across the essence of every opening. Also, the often colourful history of variations is elaborated upon in an entertaining way. Although Chess Opening Essentinls is about understanding the ideas behind the openings, and not about following the latest fashions in top-level chess, we could not
do without
limited amount of updating. This volume of the originally Italian series Capire Ie Aperf zre (published in 2 0 0 5 has been brought up to date with new develop) ments and games unril rhe beginning of 2009. The colours in this book we believe to be a great help for the reader to navigate more quickly, and to distinguish between, for instance, main lines and others. Coloured text highlights important moves, and also key initial positions and positions arising after important sequences. Bold type, be it in black or in colour, indicates main lines, which are also classified and sub-classified. Lines given in italics areuna
sound lines that should be avoided. But this is not all. There are also numerous graphic fearures highlighting moves, plans, and suong or weak points. We believe that all this makes foi a highly pleasant and accessible presentation, and hope that you, our readers, will agree. I am convinced that by studying this book, beginners, casual players as well as club players can improve their game and enjoy a deeper understanding of the game ofchess in its entirety. For even stronger players it can be a tool to test and review their opening repertoire. Peter Boel
!0lt0r
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
Glossary of chess symbols !! l? ?! ?
brilliant moYe
+-
interesting move dubious move
+
?? blunder
N t +
t
mistake
novelty
initiative attack
+
+
-+
#
White has a decisive advantage White has a clear advantage White has a slight advantage equal Black has a slight advantage Black has a clear advantage Black has a decisive advantage checkmate
Contents Preface. Glossary of chess symbols
5
6 9
Introduction.
1.d4 Other
1.d4:Unusuallines. 1.d4: MinorDefences - Pseudo-Benoni.. - KeresVariation. - English Defence' - Modern Defence. - Defence 1...d6 . - Franco-Benoni&Schmid-Benoni'... - OldBenoni....' DutchDefence.... - LeningradDutch. - ClassicalDutch. - Ilyin-Zhenevsky. - StonewallDutch. I.d2-d4Queen'sPawnGamewithoutc2-c4.. - Blackmar-DiemerGambit - Pseudo-Trompowsky - Veresov' TrompowskyOpening. - ColleSystem - TorreAttack - London System MinorDefencesafter 1.d4d5 2.c4.. - ChigorinDefence. - AlbinCounter-Gambit..... - BalticDefence Queen's Gambits SlavDefence - Variation3.6c3. - ExchangeVariation - AlternativeMinorlines' - ModernVariation4...a6. - ClassicalVariation4...dxc4 - Mainline5...Af5
"" 13 "' . 16 "" 16 ""'17 " " 18 " " 19 '" " 24 .....27 .."28 ...." 31 "'36 ....45 ....46 .... 50 ..'......59 .........59 '.'... . 61 ..... 62 ...68 .......80 ........85 . . . .' 90 ....97 ... 98 ...'..101 ....'106 ...'ll2 ...112
..'....115
...118 ...121
....---127 ........131
- Volume 2 Queen'sGambitAccepted. - 3.e3 Variation- 3.e4 Variation- 3.af3a6!?Variation - Gambit Variation 4.6c3. - ClassicalVariation:4.e3... Queen'sGambitDeclined TarraschDefence- Schara-HennigGambit- Minorlines. - Mainline6.g3 Chcss Opening Essentiols
Minor Variations after l.d2-d4 d7-d5 2.c2-c4 e7-e6
--."
--...
. ... . ......153 ..
.
155
....-..L57 ......170 ... -.. L7l .-..L72
.....'173
--...175
3.6b1-c3
. . - . . . . 186
Queen'sGambitDeclinedExchangeVariation. .".... ... Queen'sGambitwittr9cl-f4.
Variation Gambitwith...Af8-M .
I47 147 148
Queen's Gambit Declined Eingom Queen's Ragozin Variation 5...h6. Westphalia Variation (a.k.a. Manhattan Variation)
...
190 198
2M
.. 2U
. . 208 5...4bd7 . - - . - .2W .......212 - Pseudo-Westphalia' - Vienna Variation 5...dxc4. ' . 213 ..218 Semi-TarraschDefence .....224 Semi-SlavDefence .......225 - Marshall-AlekhineGambit ......226 - NoteboomVariation. - Anti-Meran 5.995 . '.---.. 230 ........23I - MoscowVariation5...h6. ...-...233 - Botvinniksystem5...dxc4. ..,,237 - MeranDefence. - The Anti-Meran Variation Wc2 ' . , . 237 ......250 - CambridgeSpringsDefence ...'..263 Queen'sGambitDeclinedwith...AfS-e7 .,.263 - PeruvianGambit .....2& - DutchGambit. - 6...h6 7.3.xf6 Variation -...268 - LaskerDefenceT...ae4 ......n1 - TartakowerVariation7...b6. ......ns - OrttrodoxDefence6...6bd7.
IndexofPlayers....
-...285
After the move 1.d4, White has the same aim as with 1.e4, namely to advance the comparrion central pawn two squares so physically occupy the centre. Aware of this, Black normally will exert control over the e4-square with one of as to
the following moves in order to frustrate White's plan:
1...d5
AH ffEge rt *irt I r$*effi #r#is * ffi*.i# *i bffi t$iii
s*drii
In the second and third volumes in our series on the opening phase of the game we will study the positions that occur after the move 1.d4. We have decided to divide this into two volumes because of the large amount of material involved.
AffiA#AffiA
ra#g }afftr
1...4f6 (vol.3)
EffAg@#
= trtrtrtr **ffiffi#$i *ii :. aiitl . fii ffi ]$*i ffi
In this volume we will look at all the defences that are defined by the move 1...d5, and the less popular defences (the Dutch, the Modern, 1...e6
.
etc.). In the third volume we
will examine all the defences that arise after t...6f6 (the introductory move for the Indian defences).
A
tr or
-
l$:a
#,affAfli
aag€aa
more rarely
- with
tr
1...f5
E;hAHg,A E rtriiii nril,rtir:
&
.
A:
..,.A
':AAAAA.AA
CIAA
tr
:'
,
llAAA5
agg€aa
-.
',' "-
A A A
tr
.
";1
.::. A A A,A
AZlA'il AZI2l tr AAW€AA tr
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
After 1. e4, Black can ler White occupy the two centre squ;ues - by playing the French, thg far.6-Kann or the pirc also after 1.d4 Black can ignore White's threat to push his pawn ro e4 and play 1...e6, 1...d6 or 1...c6. Here White is allowed the opporrunity to play Z.e4 naturally, transposing into one of the semi-open games. However, most of the time, a l.d4-player will choose ro play 2.c4 so as to remain within the realms of the Queen's Pawn Game. Throughout our book, we use the term Queen's Pawn Game in its most general sense, i.e. for any chess opening which starts with 1.d4, regardless of whether White follows up with an early pawn advance to c4, or not.
Let's go back a step, and repeat the question we asked at rhe beginning of the firstvolume: What is thebest move in thispositionT
ffirh
W
W
ffi
ffi
w w Are ffis ffi
W
ffi
tacking initiative against the black monarch, something which is less common
in the Queen's Pawn Game.
if all this is true, why is rhe move 1.d4 equally popular and equally
WeIl,
strong?
The answer to this question lies in the fact that after Black's principal responses, White can continue with 2.c4t, leaving the c4 and d4 pawns aligned, with strong control of the cenue. This is not something that happens in a King's Pawn Opening;well, at least not in the open games, or when Black plays the Sicilian, with the very inrention of denying White the opporrunity to align the rwo centre pawns.
put things simply, you could say that 1.e4, Whire has the honourable intention of delivering a quick checkmate to the black king; while the move 1.d4 represents a more patient attempt to control the centre, acquire greater piece mobility, gain some material and win in the endgame. Therefore, we have the popular conceprion that l d4 is a positional move, while l.e4 is an agTio
ffir rffi I ffi
of moving the strategic centre of gravity to the kingside (where we usually find the two kings afrer castling), laying the groundwork for an atvantage
W
Affi FI
with
The classical approach is still to occupy the centre with pawns. But which pawn
gressive, tactically orientated one.
should we move first, given that there
if this way of seeing things is to a certain extent true, one should keep an open mind. For example, the young IGrpov - the quintessentially solid player preferred to open with 1.e4; Kasparov in the 1970's and 80's - when he was prob-
are two centre pawns to choose from?
As we noted before, our great-grandparents had few doubts: the move 1.e41 It favours the development of the king's bishop and the queen.It also has the ad10
Even
ably even more aggressive than at the end of his career - usually chose 1 .d4. With 1.e4, it is doubtlessly true that White often has a good initiative
against the black king from a strategic point of view - one only has to think of certain lines in the Sicilian. However, there are more than a few variations after l.e4 in which Black castles queenside, taking the king away from the heat
of the battle, with the intention of forcing a slow strategic struggle - the Classical Variation of the Caro-Kann immediately comes to mind. There is also no doubt that 1.d4 is the more solid choice; however, there are certain lines in the Four Pavms Attack of the King's Indian (which we discuss in Volume 3), and, even more so, in the
Botvirurik Yariation of the Semi-Slav, which are absolutely hair-raising for even the most seasoned attacking player.
The point is that it is fine to know and respect the general principles that have shaped our chess thinking since the
times
of Wilhelm Steinitz.
However,
they should be utilized with the awareness that every position has its unique characteristics, and therefore generalisations may be irrelevant in any given
position. Here is a useful example to make this idea clearer: if you employ three tempi to exchange a bad bishop for a good one, you perform a strategically justified manoeuwe. However, if in those three tempi your opponent can launch a winning attack against your king, your manoeuwe was simply a fatal error.
Thus, we see the difficulty and beauty of chess: the necessity to be able to
weigh up the interconnected relationships between dynamic and strategic/positional elements.
1l
1.d4: Unusuol Lines
This is a sort of Alekhine Defence played on the queenside: provocative, but not to be underestimated. Black invites the d-palvn to advance - an irrvitation that White can of course dedine if he so wishes.
We
will begin with some defences that
are more rarely played, but are nonetheless
worthy of mention:
1.
A)
b7-b5
2.e4 transposes to the Nimzowitsch Defence (see Semi-Open Games in Volume 1 of this series). 2.bf3 enters into the Chigorin after 2...d5 (2...d6!?) 3.c4; the move sequence 2.c4 eS 3.d5 6ce7 4.e4 696 S.AR Acs gives Black good piece play. The most thematic continuation would be to accept the challenge
2. d4-d5
3. e2-e4
4.
with 6c6-e5 e7-e6
t2-t4
4.h,c3?. prevents 2.c4, but after the obvious
2. e2-e4l 3. ab1-d2 4. gf1-d3
you
will
Ac8-b7 6g8-f6
transpose to the St George De-
fence (1.e4 a5) after Black plays ...a5, with good prospects for White. B)
1.
hb8-c6
E..,,.E
9€EAE
rlll,tl ,1..,.
:j':::t., =,:= A.A tr
A,,, rlrt
',:,
rg
-,r,',,
,
l
i=,...;
=.ti
..,,...
=
A AB.A* aaggaa tr
6e5-96
4.
EffiAffiE A grerffirffi ffi I ffi ffiffir w A ffi ffiAffi ffi
ffiffis *s grrai
ffiffiffi AffiAffi
ffi
xi€
ffiaffisffi g 5. d5xe6! 6. As1-f3 7. Ab1-c3
ffi
A
fTxe6
Af8-c5
and White has more fluid play, even if the highly atypical positions will be to the taste of a black player who likes avoiding conventional positions.
13
Chess Opening Essentiols
1.
c)
-
Volume
2
innumerable victims - especially in blitz games: 4,.Vb4+ 5.9d2 Wxb2 6.913?? (6.4c3! and White has the advantage) 6...4b4 7.Wd2 Axr,3 8.Wxc3 Wcl checktnate!
b7-b6
EflffiE=€ # A
ffi -r- I - I = -= =$= . = i=E
=+$i = .=-
ffiffi
ffi A
EffiEffi€=JA
rffirffir#r
ffi
#^ffi.ffi ffi=re. ffiffi#
A#A-A ffi 2l # #a#sffi A F?
After 2.e4 this leads to the Owen Defence (see Volume l). But usually White chooses 2.c4 and then, after 2...e6, you transpose to the English Defence, which we will discuss later. D)
1.
e7-e5?l
5. e2-e4
ffiffiffi ffiffiffi wreffi ffiffiffiffi AffiAffiAffiAffi affisffieffitr
The Englund Gambit. Black sacrifices a
in exchange for good piece play. It is reminiscent of the Budapest Gambit, however, it is probably not compawn
pletely sound:
6b8-c6 Ed8-e7
The materialistic 4.8d5 also
6c6xe5 c7-co
Af1'e2
and Black's pieces are anything but harmoniously placed: Black's lack of development and the position of the queen on e7, which obstructs its own pieces, give White a clear advantage.
rffir#r€rer
looks
good, while the natural +.Af+ is playable as long as you do not fall into the following trap, which has caught out 1+
4. 6.
E#ru3.=€ffia
2. d4xe5 3. 6g1-f3 4. Ab1-c3!
ffiffiffiaffi A#AWA*A
1.d4: Unusuol lines
Huerta,Dayron No gueiras Santiago Jesus
Eh3+ 40.€f2 Axe4 41.Ae7 trh2+ 42.€e3 AdS 43.Eg1 h3 44.4f6 EoS_2
Merida 2008 (6)
1.d4 b5 2.e4 €,b7 3.f3 a6 4.,ae3 96 5.9d3 Ag7 6.c3 d67.ole2 6d7 8.a4
bxa4 9.Bxa4 AfG 10.0-0
O-O
11.4d2 c5 12.b4 Ae8 13.bxc5 dxc5 14.Efb1 Wcg 15.4c4 Ac6 16.Wa3 o,c7 17.6bG Axb6 18.trxb6 AbS 19.c4 cxd4 20.495 Ad7 21.Axe7 Ee8 22.CdG gd8 23.8a5 trcB 24.at4 6e6 25.6xe6 9xe6 26.c5 Ah6 27.14 gh4 2&gd2 s5 29.93 ghs 30.f5 ad7 31.4e2 s4 32.at4 Ag7 33.Sd1 Exe4 34.Axg4 Eel* 35.Wxe1 Wxg4 36.cG Axf5 37Eaxa6 d3 38€a4 9f8 39.trc4 gf3 40.trb5 th3 41.trb2 Ee8 o-1
ff-",T*il,fffi Nizhny Tagii 2007 (3)
1.d4 6cG 2.d5 6e5 3.f4 6g6 4.f5 6e5 5.4f4 d6 6.e4 6f6 7.Axe5 dxeS 8.hc3 aO 9.gf3 e6 10.0-0-0 exfS 11.exf5 gd6 12.94 h6 13.h4
16.6,e4 €:e7 17.c4 6bG 18.62c3 hxgS 19.f6 Axf6 20.hxg5 trxh1 2l.gxf6 Egl 22.Wf2 EgG 23.fxg7 trxg7 24.Wc5 6c8 25.99,xe5+ €f8 26.af6 We7 27.6xd7+ sg8 28.Q:t6+ gfg 29.6ce4 Wxe5 30.8d8+
Bjelobrk,Igor Xie,George Parramatta
2008 (6)
6c6 2.d5 AeS 3.e4 e6 4.dxe6 fxe6 5.4c3 Ac6 6.6-rf3 gb4 7.9d3 6ge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.e5 We8 10.tre1 ghs 11.tre4 AcS 12.E9'e2 hg6 1.d4
13.6:a4 Ae7 14.4c3 bG 15.h4 trxf3 16.Wxf3 Hxf3 17.gxf3 Acxe5 18.h5
6xf3+ 19.€f1 Age5 20.9f4 6xd3 21.cxd3 9b7 22.tre3 Ad4 23.trc1 Efe 24.4e5 af3 25.Axc7 Ag5 26.9d6 Ht5 27.6e2 AxeS 28.fxe3
9cG 29.e4 trxhs 30.€f2 6e5 31.Ec3 Af7 32.Abg e5 33.9xa7 b5 34.8b3 trh2+ 35.€e3 h5 36.9c5 h4 37.Ec3 d5 38.Ec1 dxe4 39.dxe4
1-O
MikhalsY5ki,Yictor Corbblah,Jonathan New York masters 2003 ( I )
1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 AcG 3.6f3 AcS 4.4c3 fG S.exf6 6xf6 6.e3 d5 7.Ae2 Aga 8.6da AeS 9.Axg4 6txg4 10.h3 gh4 11.s3 gh6 12.4lt5 6xt2 13.Bxd5 gf6 14.0-0 c6 15.We6+ Bxe6 16.Q:xg7+ €e7 17.Axe6 6xh3+ 18.e92 Ad6 19.6d4 8:g5 20.4f5+ Se6 21.e4 trhg8 22.6xd6 €xd6 23.Ef6+ €e7 24.Ef5 6gf7 25.4e3 tr96 26.9c5+ €e6 27.6e2 b6 28.414+ gd7 29.trd1+ €eB 30.As1 Es4 31.c3 6sG 32.€h3 Eg5 33.6e6 trxfS 34.exf5 trc8 35.fxg6 hxgG
1-0,
15
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume 2
with 2...e6, but in so doing you avoid the annoying Trompowsky Defences
Attack (1...4f6 2.9gS). Now we will have a look at defence, which, though considered to be minor, have theoretical credibility; so much so that in the Information Age rhey have even begun to threaten the supremacy of the main defences in terms of poprr_ larity. We have nor included t...il_ce , as after 2.e2-e4 d7-d5 you ranspose to the Caro-Kann; and after 2.c2-c+ glack has no better move than 2...d7-d5, transposing to the Slav, which is dealt withlater. The moves 1...e6, 1...d6 and 1...96 have their own merits as it is rare that a l.d4-player is particularly experienced in playing against the French, the pirc and the Modern without c2-c4. 1.
Obviously,
this crafty trick is only relevant if you are prepared to play rhe French in the evenr that White oprs to play 2.e4. 2...f5 enters into the Dutch Defence, having avoided the Staunton Gambit: l.d4 fS 2.e4. The price for this is that Black now has fewer options: for exam_ ple, the popular Lenirrg114 Variation of the Dutch, which involves fianchettoing the bishop on 97, would now be a positional disaster.
Pseudo-Benoni
1. d2-d4 e7-e6 2. c2-d c7-6
e7-eG
A natural and flexible move that allows for a wide variety of possible continua_ tions after 2. c2-?A
This is a playable and, as yet, little ex_ plored opcion.
3. 3.6f3 cxd4
d4-d5 transposes to the Symmet-
ricalEnglish.
which, as we mentioned before, is White's most frequent response. Now 2...4f6 transposes to the Indian t6
3. 4. c4xd5 5. Abl-c3
e6xd5 d7-d6
When Black plays ...AfO (eitner imme_ diately or after the {ianchetto) we have entered a Modern Benoni, but here
1
E4hEg* ,, a E lltl g#rwllr ffi
Black has the possibility of an inreresting plan: to place the g8 knight on e7 instead of on f6. Compared to the Benoni there is the disadvantage of exerting less pressure on the centre, but
##*sffi
ffiaffi ffiAffi #ffi #ffi
ffi ffig*ffi#* Affi
there are positive features as well: on e7
the knight is less exposed to rhe thematic pawrr push e4-e5; Black's pavrn advance to f5 is easier to execute, and best of all... there is llttle theorv to study! A typical continuation could be
5.
g7-96
6. e2-e4 7. 6g1-f3
Af8-s7 6g8-e7!?
E
AABw.. E
.d.4: Minor Defences
ffiAffiAg$
affisffieffitr
Here, having nor yet moved the king's knight, Black can move it to f6 after the
pawn push ...fi-fs. Otherwise, he develops it to e7, and indeed in some variations to h6. For his part, White can choose not to play his knight to f3 which in the Bogo-Indian is a move
tr$ ffirg*r ffiffiffirffi *#
place his pawn on f3, from where
r..-
perfecdy playable ways, but rhe mosr
#Affi -.''a "re ,. ::, -':
,\ --i-, q) *:.1:". "(4.""' :o lJ 21. "i' il'l- t\e "A "t\
A .A
E gWgA.. E L Acl-f4 9. Af1-e2 1O. a2-a4
0-0 a7-a0 Ac8-94 with a slight advantage for White, but also Black has his chances given the complex nature of the position.
that has already been played
White
common choice is
3. Ac1-d2
a7-a5
After 3...4xd2+, Black's position becomes too passive, while 3...We7 4.e4 gives White the advantage.
4. 6b1-c3!? 698-f6 After 4...f5, the move 5.e41?
looks
promising.
5.
e2-e3
TffiEffiE
ffi rffirffi rfl&r
Keres Variation e7-e6
Af8-b4+ With this move you transpose to a type of accelerated Bogo-Indian (see the chapter on the Indian Defences in Vol-
it
e4-scuare. can counrer the check in three
I
ume 3).
so as ro
will control the crucial
E
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4
-
ffi ?t* 11
O
#ffir ffiffi #
;#Affi
#*
trrffi
ffig
*effi ffi
ffiAffi )ri, w
*sg ri
E*U=i
H
t7
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
6. s2-93 7. Afl-g2 8. 6g1-h3t
Arriving at a position reminiscent of
the Rubinstein Yariation of
the Nimzo-Indian, inwhich the bishop on d2 is probably more usefirl for White than the pawn on a5 is for Black.
Heading for e6 via f4. 8.
9.
0-0
10.
Bdl-c2t
English Defence
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4-
gf8-d6!? 9.d6-e5 0-0
ffig 3.nr I mx *s H I #al! x
e7-e6 b7-b6
This defence acquired its name due to its popularity wift English players such as Miles, Keene and Stean in the 1970's, and then later with fellow counEfmen
Short and Speelman.
6b8-a6 ba6-c5
x
In the best
A
hypermodern tradition, Black permits White to occupy the centre, \Mith the ambition of seeking counterplay by at-
ffi ll?
tacking it. The effectiveness of this suategy is made evident by the fact that nowadays White plays more prudently than in the past, and the ffrst of the following three responses has become the
Now there can be no doubt that White has a more harmonious position, even though this advantage is far from deci-
mostpopular:
However, naturally, the principled
B) 3.
A) 3.
a2-a3l? Preventing ...4U+.
lar, even
Ac8-b7 The curious move 3...96!? has its supporters: 'If I cannot dwelop my bishop to b4, I will put it on g7.' 4. hb1-c3 Now Black can continue with the solid +...4f6, uansposing to the Petrosian Variation of the Queen's 11fian, or otherwise maintain the defence's characteristic nature with the positionally demandingmove 4. t7-f5 5. d4-d5! A move thatis both good and thematic.
l8
e2-e4
is not only playable but also quite popu-
3.
5.
sive.
Ag8-fG
if it
does give Black the sort
of
position he wants.
3. 4. gfl-d3t? After
4.9c2 (to defend
9c8-b7 e4 without al-
lowing ...f7-f5), Kortchnoi's bold 4...9h4! has proved itself to be excellent: 5.6d2 gb4 6.9d3 f5!, and Black has good counterplay.
4. t7-15 This is very risky, but probably playable. 4...6c6? is quieter: after 5.6e2 ab+!, Black will gain the advantage of the bishop pair, even if the resulting delay in development should give White a small advantage.
I .d4: Minor
5. e4xf5
Af8-b4+!
Vacating the f8-square for his king, even if it allows White to defend g2.
5...4xg2? is now considered unsound as you then have e .whs+ 96 7.fxg6 Ag7 8.gxh7+ gfS 9.6'e2t!. 6. €e1-f1! 698-f6!
E ge= :E tr tA.Iir* i:*f ffi * *
t
.,,;: * A':.:
EAA ,.ilA€
De fences
Modern Defence 1,.d2-d4 g7-g6 (with c2-c4) Ifafter
1. d2-d4
97-96
White plays 2.e4, Black replies with 2...9:97 and White does not play the pawn push c2-c4, we transpose to the Modern Defence against 1.e4, which was discussed in the first volume of this series.
:i!:*
will be looking at the continuations in which White advances his Here we
pawn to c4, giving the resulting position the characteristics of the Queen's PawnGame. The pawn advance
.;i'l,
A$ :iil $A& EA gl€€flis
2.
c2-c4
and now the position is difficult to assess
both after the aggressive 7.c5!?, and
7.
Ad3-e2!?
Let's go back
to
1...e6.
E
AEE'sAfl'
lrllll
the subtle
It is worth not-
ing that White can continue with
t":
''
BB AA
the
interesting
2.
Ag1-f3!? instead of 2.c4. This knighr move renders ...4b4+ pointless and there is the possibility, after
2.
c7-c5 to transpose to the Sicilian with
3.
I
E
l
'
1.. :1..
NANAAA AACIZI AA
traaw aatr can also be played after the pawn push e2-e4, but for the sake of convention
we will look at the move when
e2'e4l The move 2.af3l? naturallv limits White's options as well: for example,
made at this point in the game. 2. Af8-g7
after
Or 3.e4immediately.
6g8-f5! it is no longer possible to play those aggressive variations with the moves 0c3 and Age2, which are very fashionable weapons against the NimzoIndian. 2.
3.
it
is
6b1-c3
d7-d6 The demanding 3...c5 4.d5 9xc3+!? 5.bxc3 f5!? was fashionable for a while in the late 1990's, but now it has lost its surprise value; the weakness of the kingside has proved itseif to be a more 3.
19
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
of a problem for Black than the doubled pawn on c3 is for White.
4.
been highly analysed and thus suitable for players who are imaginative... andlazy.
e2-e4 B)
3.H €ffiaH
ffi
4.
e7-e5
ffirffir
ffirffi ffi Affi AWffi
ffi ffi
$ffiffi
ffiffi
ffiAffi ffiaultr With the move 4...hf5, Black uansposes to a King's Indian (see Volume 3). However, players who use this move sequence in general prefer to stay in the realms of the Modern by choosing one of the following options:
D
4.
c7-c6
Also here the positional
5.
6s1-f3
it creates an unclear position; 5.d5 f5!? 6.exf5 gxfS! 7.9h5+ €fg and the exchange of queens with 5.dxe5 dxeS 6.Bxd8+ looks to be the best as
€xd8 7.f4! Ae6!? 8.6f3 6d7
leaves
Given that after 5.f4 tsbet e.hB 9g+, Black has a good game, it would appear
White with no concrete advantage.
to be better to proceed positionally:
After 5...exd4 5.6xd4 Ac6 7.9;e3 6ge7 8.h4! - the most dynamic - S...fs
5. 6g1-f3 6. Af1-e2 7. a2-a3l? 8. 0-0
a7-a0 b7-b5
Ac8-b7
m
r.ffi
Kr
rffi
*n
ffi.5
ffi
White has a more fluid game. Irn Black's favour, we have positions that have not 20
6b8-c6
5.
9.h5, White has
a
dangerous initiative.
With s...adZ you transpose to the
C3
variation.
6. d4-d5 7. gf1-e2
Ac6-e7 f7-f5!? After 7...6f6 8.0-0 0-0, we are in the Mar del Plata Variation of &g King's Indian. Instead, after 7...6h6!?, rhe standard response to this lateral deployment of the knight is 8.h4!, which - as usual-can be extremely dangerous. 8. e4xf5 g6xf5 9. 6f3-g5 6e7-g6 and both players have chances, even if White's position would inspire more confidence.
1
c)
4.
E
c1)
Ab8-d7
.d4: Minor
Defences
698-h6
6.
AB's& . ih E
would be an excellent way to prepare ...f7-f5 if White had already castled.
t #r
7. h2-h4! (Black can no longer play ...h6) fol-
ruata$r Hr .ia .-.:a: .:r:a i-: -= n --rr. /\n /\.71
:';!=
--
lowed by ha-hS, gives White good
:,.:',::r:
.:
,\
v-J
However, here
prospects. Indeed, after the solid
7.
A- A .A.l .21 2\',/ti ,A 'r^! H
x€
8. h4-h5 9. d4xe5!?
$wE HPA A
t7-t6 s6-95 d6xe5
10. Ac1-e3
To support ...e7-e5 without allowing
the advantage of White's superior de-
the queens to be exchanged off,
velopment is evident.
Black continues along the lines
of
the
King's Indian, with the option of not developing his knight to f6, which has both positive and negative aspects.
5.
c2)
is a cunning move to make while Black waits for White to castle.
7.
Ag1-f3
The most natural continuation.
5.
e7-e5
6. Afl-e2
A
:*
with 7. Ag8-h6 Now without a rook on hl the pawn advance to h4 is not so dangerous. Nonetheless, White still has a very strong move available to him:
=
!rl
:.-
l
Now, after 6...6gf6 we are in the Clas-
sical Yariation of the King's Indian. However, at this point Black usually prefers to prepare the advance ...f7 -f5. 6...f57 is not immediately playable for tactical reasons: 7.exf5 gxfS S.Ag5, which creates the twin threat of 6e6 and
Ahs+. Black
has three ways to pre-
pare this pawn push:
c4-c5!
E€E'gE*
-.--,t.
lir,,-, -.: .^--.q \ :-: :A.: /lAiA :) '4J<:
ctt
0-0
and only now Black proceeds
8. *-i
c7-co
6.
r#,#A€r#r ffiirffi ffirffi$ #str*i #a # -.! .X. :i.
-
V,J
A f\' AT-1,
:.:--,,F:.--.. t4): ,'::
.:-'
n.f\ - a A A:l'5: "HII
ffiisffitrffi
The idea is that if Black continues with 8...dxc5, after 9.dxe5 Black cannot take on e5 because the h6 knight will be en prise; and after 9...0-0 10.h3, database results favour White. It would therefore appear that the best move is: 21
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
8. which sacrifices
e5xd4l? a
Volume
2
D)
6b8-c6
4.
pawn after
9. -0c1xh6!
10.9dlxd4
Ag7xh6 0-0
11. c5xd6 However, control of the dark squares is probably not sufficient compensation for the lost material.
K3.E€
rilI
xx
KAMA ffi
m&
the sharper
7.
h2-h4
which gains space on the kingside. 7. h7-h6t
8. h4-h5 9.
d4-d5
s6-s5 t7-tsl
Before White has the chance
ffi
w
ffi An /A
C3) 6.
Ag8-e7 is the most common move. Now White can continue with the natural 7.0-0 0-0 8.4e3 h6!-preparing ...ff-fs - 9.9d2 €hZ tO.Eadl f5!?. Otherwise, there is
I
EAtr ffi I
E
This is both more active and more pop-
ular. Black puts pressure on the d4-pawn without fear of the move d4-d5. Ignoring the little-played 5.Age2, White now has two distinctly different plans to choose from:
D1) 5.
d4-d5
Accepts the challenge and gains space
to play
g2-g+.
without fear of conceding
the
d4-square to the black knight.
5.
10. e4xf5 10.94!? is interesting, risky and to assess.
10. ... 11. 6c3-e4
diflicult
6e7xf5
Ac6-d4
Perhaps the rare 5...6e5 - in the spirit of the Alekhine Defence - is also playable.
6. Ac1-e3 7. 691-e2
c7-c5
Contesting possession of the d4-square.
gd8-b6!
7.
xruffi I KAffiJh
KAWAffi
KKffiA AtrX WAffi
With an edge for White. However, Blackb counterplay should never be underestimated. 22
EwE
xe$aH
ffir* nrffir ffiffiWrW ffiXAKW ffianaw
ffi
ffingffi ANft NAXAilg ffi *ggAffitr 10.f4 gives White
a
6fe
9.0-0 0-0 comfortable game.
7...dxe2?t 8.9xe2
1
D11)
8.
gd1-d2
8...9ga? g.ft!
gxfi?
6. 6s8-f6
10.6a4!with a deci-
siueadaantage.
9. I2-t3 10. Eal-d1
af6-d7 0-0
11. b2-b3! White forces Black to exchange on e2 and has gained a small but indisputable advantage.
D12)
8. Q)e2xd4 c5xd4 9. 6c3-a4 Wb6-a5+
The crowd-pleasing 9...dxe3?
has
10.9e3-d2 10.b4 brings about a draw by repetition after l0...Wxb4+ l1.Ad2 Wa3 l2.Ac1
Wb++ 13.4d2 ga3.
10.... 11. c4-c5!?
an unclear
D13)
8.
Ba5-c7 6g8-f6!
position.
6c3-a4
8.
Wb6-a5+
9. Ae3-d2
Wa5-a6!
Forced. By attacking c4 this move stops Ac3.
10. Ae2xd4 9g7xd4 11. Aa4-c3 White's position is more harmonious and therefore it is not a coincidence that White's performance results are above average.
DD 5.
E Atse, aE ffirffi ffirffir #a$$ wrre €* *iAff €
*ga:*+a€ **
ffi * AA AAA # #iig#}Affitr
still manage to complicate *rings with 6...4ln6t? 7 .f3 fst?. 6c6-e7 6. With the text move, Black plays a type of King's Indian in which the thematic pawn push ...ff -fS is immediately playable; in addition, there is the possibility of exchanging off the bad bishop with ...4h6. After 6...6d4 7.Age2, Black can no longer manage to keep his outpost on d4.
is the most ambitious. with the idea of
Adz-c:
d4-d5
After the super-solid 6.Q)ge2 Black can
proved to be ulsound.
with
Defences
which is usually followed by
is the most solid. After
8.
.d4; Minor
Ac1-e3 White cemenrs his control of d4. Black has little choice but to respond with 5. e7-e5
At this point it is possible to continue quietly: 7.9d2 fs 8.f3 af6 9.4d3 o-o 10.4ge2, and White has his usual small plus. Instead, White can play the much more ambitious
7.
s2-g4l?
E AB,s aE
trffi Ilffir*r #ffis'## :.A;1;:A..A
*ffiilffis* AA :I A E i::w iawtr -A
which is the most popular choice. z3
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
After Black's pawn advance ,,,f5, White hopes to advantageously open up lines of attack on the black monarch.
7.
t7-t5t?
A very interesting alternative is 7...oif6 8.f3 hs e.gS Ad7.
8.
prepared theory represents.
94xf5
Consistent, but also the solid 8.f3 af6 9.h3 is not as innocuous as it would seem.
8. 9. udl-hs+ 9...€fs 1o.gh3 dfe goodforWhite. 1O.
e4xf5
g6xf5 6e7-g6t? 11.Wf3 looks
gd8-h4
The only way to hang on to the piece.
11.
gh5-f3!
Exchanging queens gives Black nice
counterplay even after the a7 pawn drops (6c3-b5xa7). 11. ... Ag6-e7 12. gfl-ds Ag8-h6 13. f5-f6l? followed by 14.6e4, with a difffcult position to iudge. However, until someone proves otherwise, it would appear to favourWhite.
Notwithstanding its recent populariry this is a defence without a name. Part
If we exclude 2.e4, which just takes us irrto the Pirc Defence (see Volume I of our series), White has two different plans to consider. Tic stop 2...e5 with Z.dgl-f3 or to continue in the spirit of the Queen's Pawn Game with 2.c2-c4.
A) 2. Ag1-f3 White must never forget that this prophylactic move limits his options in the event that Black heads 6gs x King,s In_ dian with 2...6f6: for example, the popular Simisch Yariation 5.f3 is no longer playable.
2.
9c8-ga!?
Effi geaa H xrl ilrl I
ffi ffixx WXffiK
ffiffiXE. w
Defence l...d6 of
the explanation for this is that ic frequently loses its individual identity as it often transposes to the Modern, the King's Indian, the Pirc, and at times, the Dutch. The idea of this defence is to play the pawn push ...e7-e5 as early as possible so as to achieve more active play than that normally offered by the classical defences to the Queen's Pawn Game, even if this approach involves 24
taking some positional risks. The great positional tension that is created and the possibilities for inventive play make this a defence that is well suited to stronger players who want to rob their adversaries of the comfort blanket that
HXffiaX AffiASgffig
mw
tr
This move was made famous by the English grandmaster Julian Hodgson. As in the Nimzo-Indian, Black is not worried about the possibility of exchanging his bishop for a knight, and he will decide on the appropriate cennal pawn formation later. Now White has a wide range of options: 3.e4, 3.e3, 3.abd2 and 3.g3. However, the most
1.d4: Minor
9.
played move, and the one that is most in
keeping with the spirit of the Queen's PawnGame. is
3. c2'c4
I3-f4
White frees himself of the doubled pav,rrs with a clear, even if not yet decisive plus.
which initiates queenside expansion. When this is followed by the move Wb3, we see an initiative develop on
B) 2. c2-c4
now weaker due to the
I I *:l
the queenside
-
bishoo's absence. 3. ab8-d7 Black can immediately create a doubled
pawn on f3 with 3...4xf3. Yet strangely, the strongest and most common way of taking the blshop is by 4.exf3l.
4.
6b1-c3
Also +.Wb3!? trb8 5.h3 Axf3 6.Wxf3 would appear to give Whlte an edge. 4. e7-e5 Perhaps the best thing for Black is to immediately play 4...Axf3l? and then fianchetto his bishop, leaving the centre
fluid.
Defences
e7-e5
E Eg&$A'E j* t'::tara.
n A .::i,'
AA Ff /1\ And now
I
I
.,l['
f
',
*
:'fl1; :.;... .:$; :,,1.,1 ',
a$ g',aAA:tr
it is clear that Black is not
concerned about a possible queen exchange: practice has shovm that
81) 3. d4xe5 d6xe5 4. Wd1xd8+ €e8xd8 offers nothing for White. Indeed, after
5. g2-g3!
6.
5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Ag4xf3
e2xf3
10. 11.
Ag1-f3 6b1-c3 e2-e3 Afl-e2 0-0
trf1-d1 b2-b3
12.9c1-b2 13.
tral-cl
t7-f6 Ac8-e6 ab8-d7 c7-c6 6g8-h6! ah6-t7 a7-as €d8-c7 6d7-c5
E:i* ,|,'i','i il iiAlf
. The doubled pawns are not as bad they seem
as
Black has already advanced his parnm to e5 and can no longer play e6 to control the light squares d5 and f5. After the sequence as
6. 7. 9f1-92 8. 0-0
6s8-f6 Af8-e7 0-0
rfi. itar
'B
il:* A ,i' ,:i,," :ti' ,,'. Ah &Q),'..., AAH F?AAAA .,,,,r,.,ii
,1.
.
EH
.na H
Black might even stand better Z5
Chess Opening Essentiols
B.2|.
3.
- Volume 2 85) 3. 6s1-f3
d4-d5
if
Positionally demanding, but playable.
is the most common move, even
t7-t5 To battle for control of the e4-square
6g8-f6 Ac8-f5
with 3. e5-e4!? which is the move that is most in keeping with the spirit of the defence. 4. 6f3-g5 More active than +.Afd2 or 4.Ag I . 4. t7-t5 The continuation 4...4f6 S.AcS AfS 6.94 9xg4 7.9;92 has not produced
AfS-gG
satisfactory results for Black.
3.
seems the mostlogical thing to do.
4.
e2-e4l?
If White reacts passively, Black will retain a promising superiority in the centre.
4.
5. abl-cg 6. 691-e2 7. he2-93 8. Acl-95
f5xe4
and White should be able to win back
as a
result the knight can be attacked
5. Ab1-c3 6. 6g5-h3!
Af8-e7 c7-c6
the pawn, with a position that is not
EffiEffi€WA
easy to assess.
83) 3.
ffiffir
ffiffi
e2-e3
is too passive to cause Black problems:
3. 4. 6b1-c3
ffirffi
t7-t5l?
698-f6
withafluidgame.
84) 3.
Abl-c3
a position often achieved by means
of
the English Opening: 1.c4 e5 2.hc3 d5!? 3.d4. It is now best for Black to continue dynamically with 3. e5xd4! and to seek to exploit the fact that the white queen is exposed to attack
4. tsdlxd4 5. gd4-d2 6. 92-93 7. 6c3-d5
6b8-c6 6g8-f6 Ac8-e6l
7.b3? ! d5! gh:es Blackthe adaantage.
... 8. b2-b3 9. 9d2-e3 10. Af1-g2 11. 6d5-c3 7.
and Black has active play.
26
7.
92-93
7 ...6f6 8.4e2 0-0 9.6f4 o,a6 r0.h4 dc7
7.e3 is an important alternative:
11.d5, with a complex game that offers both players chances.
7, 8. Af1-g2 9. 0-0
bg8-f6 0-0 Ab8-a6
Heading for c7 ,to support the centre 10. d4-d5 Or an immediate I 0.f3 ! ?.
10.... 11. t2-tg
6c6-e5 hf6-e4! 6e4-c5
Aa6-c7 e4xf3 The ambitious ll...b5!? also seems
c7-c6 a7-a5
playable.
12.
e2xt3
c6-c5
The position is dynamically balanced.
1
4. e2-e4 5. 6g1-f3 6. Af1-e2 7. 0-0
Franco-Benoni & Schmid-Benoni
1. d2-d4 2. d4-d5
.d4: Minor
c7-c5
Defences
97-96
Af8-97 0-0
This produces positions often reached White has gained space in the centre, in the Classical Variation of the Pirc but Black will seek in some way to take with 6...c5. advantage of the weakening of the 7. Ab8-a6 'exposed'position d4-square and the 6a6-c7 of 8. h2-h3 the d5 pawn. 9. a2-a4 b7-b6 10. Ac1-f4 White has a space advantage and a freer E E
aABsEa l: I l:,.:.,1 l. l.l I ,.i:.ti :..' . ::,: ' AAAAAAN
'''a
.
AAel
.
.:'.:
,...
t"
AzlI\1l
tr,hAW€AO,g with the responds with the natural ..4f6, you transpose to the Benoni in the strict sense of the term, which we will examine later (see the third volume on Indian defences).
If white
supports the centre pawn advance c2-c4 and Black
Ignoring the creative but somewhat dubious 2...16 and 2...e5, which we will take a look at in the next chapter, Black has the following choices:
A)
2. 3. 6b1-c3!
game.
B) 2. e7-e6 is the Franco-Benoni. It acquired this name because you are virtually dealing with a minor variation of the French Defence, given that the main line can be reached via 1.e4 e6 2.d4 c5!?. :..+ r.ul, ,T;""11,-* page 16
dealt with on in the section on the Pseudo-
Benoni.
3. 4. e4xd5
e6xd5
d7-d6 Also here White can support the d5 pawn with 5.c4, but he usually chooses todevelophispieceswith 5. 6g1-f3 Ag8-f6 6. 6b1-c3 Af8-e7
6g8-f6
In preparation for e2-e4. After 3.c4 we are back in the Indian Defences. 3. d7-d6 Often played by the German GM Lothar Schmid. 3...e5 is playable, but with the
c5-d6-e5 central paw.n structure Black usually prefers to postpone the development of the g8 knight - see Variation B.
A:A
6
6.
A,..' A A$
aw€e
tr
27
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
7.Abs+!? Abdz 8.aa o-o 9.0-0 a6 10.4e2 b5 il.4f4, with the usual space advantage for
White.
Old Benoni
1. d2-d4
2.
c7-c5 e7-e5
d4-ds
E ffiE*@ffia ffi
rffirffirffi
ffiffiffi
ffi
cost of giving Black easy play with 6...a67.a44g5.
wffi#nwffi
H tr a5
The aggressive 5.f4!? opens up the position after 5...exf4 6.Axfa, but at the
5.
6. a2-a4
ruWwffmWi
Persisting with the stntegy ef sxghang-
AffigEAtrI
In the Old Benoni,
ing off the bad bishop with ...gxf3 and...Ag5.
Black instigates
a
sfategy of closing rhe cenrre, which has the advantage of solidiry, but the disadvantage ofpassivity.
After
3. e2-4
with
4. ab1-c3 Usually White opts for the latter. In re-
can
ambitiously
ffanchetto the king's bishop and then play ...6e7 so as to prepare the pawn
push...f/-f5. However, more often than not he will play
9f8-e7
4.
towhich the mostcommonresponse is
5.
6s1-f3
Preventing ...4g5, which would allow Black to rid himself of his bad bishop. 28
7.
b2-b3t?
The idea behind this suange move is simply to allow the bishop to go to b2 if Black tries the previously-menrioned bishop exchange.
d7-d6
White must make the strategic decision of either taking more of the centre with 4.c4 or give precedence to piece play
sponse, Black
a7-aG
Ac8-g4
7. 8. gf1-d3 9. h2-hg 10. Wdlxf3 11. Ac1-b2 12.g2-g3 13. h3-h4
Ab8-d7 ad7-t8 Ag4xf3 Ae7-95 Af8-96 h7-hs As5-h6
14. 6c3-d1! So as to reposition the
knight to c4 or f5 via e3. White certainly stands better, but Black's solid posirion should nor be underestimated.
I.d4: Minor
Ac5 9.6d4 6te4 10.6xe4 fxe4 11.dxe6 dxe6 12.4e3 gf6 13.8c2 9d614.0-0 0-015.4b5 gfs 16.acg trad8 17.b4 axb4 18.axb4 2lai 19.b5 6c5 20.tra7 AaB 21.Axc5
9xc5 22.trxa9 trxa8
23.9xe4
sxf2+ 24.trxt2 trxf2
25.E9c1 tra3 26.Wxa3 trfS+ 27.Wxc5 trxcS 28.9d3 wf7 29.&92 trhS 30.94 trh6 31.6e4 e5 32.6g5+ €e7 33."trxh7 €dG 3a.6g5 €c5 35.€g3 cG 36.h4 cxbS 37.cxb5 €d5 38.he4 trhB
39.95trf840.h5
1-0
Beliavsky,Alexander Short Nigel Groningen 1997 (+)
1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6 3.e4 Ab7 4.9d3 fs
5.exf5 Ab4+ 6.sf1 AfG 7.9e2 O-O 8.c5 bxc5 9.a3 €a5 10.dxc5 4d5 11.af3 tuf5 12.b4 6xb4 13.axb4 Axb4 14.Ab2a515.h4 trds 16.9b3 Q:aG 17.6c3 Axcs 18.9c2 trfs 19.trh3 We7 20.€91 EafS 21.Efl do 22.6g5 h6 23.94 hxgS 24.gxf5 trxfs
25.4g4 trf4 26.t3 sxh4 27.Wh2 Wg5 28.trxh4 ads 29.trh8+ €fz 3O.Bg3 BcS+ 31.€h2 Axc3 32.9h4 Cf6 33.9h7 sc2+ 34.sh3 Exf3+ 35.axf3 6f4+ 36.€g3 Bxb2
37.8s8+ €g6 38.8h7+ &17 39.8'g8+ €g6 40.8e8+ gfs
41.Axb7 g5 42.trh6 Bc3+ 43.Af3 8:e2+ 44.w92 Af4+ 45.*h1 d5 46-wt7 1-0
3*lr*r:Boris hisldin,Eric (l) 1.c4 96 2.e4 997 3.d4 d6 4.4'c3 Helsingor 2008
D\d7 5.13 e5 6.d5 6e7 7.9e3 f5 8.g4 fxg4 9.fxg4 af6 10.h3 0-0 11.Age2
Defences
c6
12.{il93 cxdS 13.exd5 Wa5 14.Wd2 Ad7 15.Ace4 Bxd2+ 16.€xd2 6c8 'l7.Ae2 6xe4+ 18.Axe4 a6 19.trhf1 b5 20.trxf8+ €xf8 21.trt1+ €e8 22-c5 dxcS
23.Axc5 D,e7 24.6d6+ sdg 25.gb6x
1:0
Gelfand,Boris Aznaiparashvili, Zurab Dortmund 1990 (9)
1.d4 96 2.e4 9.g7 3.c4 dO 4.dc3 6c6 5.d5 6d4 6.9e3 eS 7.6:ge2 gb6 8.Q.a4 BaS+ 9.9d2 gd8 10.4c3 e5 11.dxe6 6xe6 12.€xg7 Axg713.Wd2 Af6 14.f9 AeG 15.6f4 8e716.0-O-0 Edg 17.Q.c3 0-018.g4 ad7 19.h4 ab6 20.b3 f6 21.Afd5 4rxd5 22.exd5 ec8 23.h5 9xh5 24.tre19f7 25.9d3 sh8 26.9h6 f5 27.gxh5 BfG 28.Wxf6 trxf6 29.hG 6e8 30.tre7 Eg6 31.,h92 Af6 32.414 tr93 33.Eh3 EggS 34.4e6 trd7 35.tr97 EgxgT 36.hxg7+ ExgT 37.kxg7 €xg7 38.tr93+ &t7 39.sd2 gd7 40.trs1 As8 41.Ehl €97 42.E.b1 ke7 43.b4 cxb4 44.Hxb4 bG 45.a4 6c8 46.a5 ef6 47.t4 &e7 48.Ebl bxa5 49.8h1 €fG 50.trxh7 6e7 51.&e3 9e8 52.trh8 Ad7 53.8d8 Ac8 54.Exd6+ ef7 55.9c2 hg6 56.trc6 gd7 57.trc7 €e8 58.Exd7 1-o Topalov,Yeselin Adams,Michael Dorrmund 1996 (5)
1.4f3 dG 2.d4 9.g4 3.c4 4'i,d7 4.e4 Axf3 5.Wxf3 96 6.6c3 Ag7 7.Bdt c5 8.d5 Qxc3+ 9.bxc3 4rgf6 10.f3 BaS 11.8b3 0-0-O 12.4e2 EdgS 13.trb1 Wc7 14.9e3 €b8 15.Wc2 z9
Chess Opening Opening Essentials Essentials -- Volume Chess Volume 22
30 30
EffiEge*Affi
ffirtrt tr *.t:
'''
ffi ffi
'-
.,,.
*ffir&*'
trtraKffiffi
ffi#ffiffi A:&A,;. A A-A
.. :,
*
AffigffiAffitr
colours.
l,, , -'
Named after the Dutch player and writer Elias Stein (17 48-1812), who in a
popular book of the tirrre wrote: If
This is without doubt the best move from a positional point of view. The problem with the ...f7-fs advance is that it robs the bishop of its mosr natural squares of development: f5 and 94. As a result, White hurries to take possession of the long light-squared diagonal before Black can fianchetto his queen's bishop. It is worth noting that if it were Black's move now and he chose ...b6, you would transpose to a perfectly playable variation of the Nimzo-Larsen Attack with reversed
the
Before we look at the variations that fol-
low 93, let's have a quick look
at
White's 2nd move alternatives:
A) 2. e2-e4
opponent opens by pushing the queen's pal/Jn
two squares, you cannot do better than to push the king's bishop pawn trao squares.
The idea of this move is to prevent 2.e4. Compared to the more natural 1...d5 or 1...4f6, development will suffer. But in compensation, the advance ...f/-f5 lays the groundwork for an attack against the white king (which will almost alnays castle kingside) that is rarely offered by the more classical alternatives.
2. g2-g3! gMAffiE ffin
ET
ffi
rffirffi
sfis ffi
A
affi
I
ffi $# #ffiffi rffi ffiffiffi ffi ffiffiffi ffi g$
ffiffi F:&
ffiffi
ff$AffiA €Sr
affisffi sffi
rt
6 W69-) ""4: E ttffi ,x*sffiE |*i
t
A
raffi rffi ffi I
rffis
6ffi
w
I
4#n*
#$s #* 4.stfa
A
:rr* n *w _ri$ a g*m /.r :i4S wu&;
]jffi
#€ :w A (+)
.a
The historic Staunton Gambit is not so feared today, but it definitely was in the past. Evidence of this is that the great champion and Dutch-specialist Mikhail Botvinnik never played 1...f5 in a regular tournament. Instead he preferred to respond with 1...e6 so as to enter the
Classical Dutch, or 1...96 in order to establish the Leningrad Variation... if
White made that possible, of course.
White hopes to make the most of 31
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
Black's lack
of control of the light
squares so as
to create an initiative on
6. 6e5-f7 An unusual but nonetheless excellent
the kingside. However, theory says that
landing post for the knight.
with correct play Black has nothing to fear. But as the Gershwin song says, 'it ain't necessarily so': recent developments could lead to a re-evaluation of
And White re-establishes material equality. Now after 7.h4 c6l 8.0-0-0
White's prospects.
grip
2. 3. Abl-c3 4. Ac1-g5 Seeking to
7.
WUe t, Black frees himself
f5xe4 Ag8-f6
win back the pawn.
The gambit continuation 4f3? ! proaes to be
unsatisfactory nfter 4...d5
!
4.g+!? has also been tried, but not very
E Eg,&A E lt:a|t n;* l
'
l-:,:l,l.l il
:
...,
11.
t."
',::;:
A
d-pawn.
Ac6-e5 c6 8.0-0-0 could
gd4-d2
6t7-d6l
Black prepares ...b5 with equal possibilities for both players.
B) 2. This central counterplay gives Black a nice game, and this move seems to be better than the solid 4...c6 or +...b6. which allow White to play a gambit wltn 5.I5:. The idea behind the knight move is that if White takes back the pawn with S.AxfeZt exf6 6.Axe4?. after 6...We7 he cannot play 7.We2, losing the
3Z
I
il:al:':]3
ii:jla
j* .gq l* ' t,t
:
W&AA tr
revitalise White's game.
0-0 c7-c5!
.,.''{j:
1t,.., g
5. d4-d5 6. gd1-d4 6.We2!? af7 7.]n4?
Af8-e7
A A*t t &A ,,/t :t -E':' aa
r.,::
Ar
e7xf6
,::,?: H@ ,tl:3
a:: '.., ,l '$ A, :,
6b8-c6!
t..rt,,,;,;;,,
from White's
E L:.,::..1gAI,
successfully.
t;:,,.t:.
7. 8. 6c3xe4 9. 0-0-0 10.6e4-93
E Ag
.
4.
Ag5xf6
Ab1-c3
Preparing the e2-e4 advance but, naturally, Black prevents it
2.
with 6g8-f6
2...d5!? is a good alternative: it is true that White can immedj.ately exploit the weakening of the e5-square
wjth :.Af+,
but it
should be remembered that with the Stonewall pawn structure that results White cannot apply the usual pressure to Black's centre as he has not yet played the c2-c4 pawn advance.
3. Ac1-g5 d7-d5 3...e6?l 4.e4 gives White a pleasant game.
Dutch Defence
EAESEE E fl'l 1' I l'I A
''t,,:,,,, ..:..1,L .,'l:l
/\n
White is unfazed by the prospect of the bishop being kicked about with h6 and
1g
95.
q\ AAAAAAA IIAAA AAA
4. Ag5xf6 The most thematic: White pins his hopes on a structural advantage, but he can also proceed normally with 4.e3, or try to transpose to a favourable variation
of the Staunton with 4.f3. In both of these cases Black wili have no problems equalising the game.
5. e2-e3 6. gd1-f3! 7. afl-b5!
e7xf6
Ac8-e6
gd8-d7
The critical move 2...0f6 gives White the sort of position he is looking for, i.e. an exchange on f6 for a risk-free advantage along the lines of Variation B. The move 2...g6, in the spirit of the Leningrad, is playable;but after 3.4c3 d5 4.9d2 Ag7 5.f3 followed by 0-0-0 and a possible h4-h5, White has a dangerous initiative.
3. Ag5-h4
af8-d6
With a small but annoying
advantage
forWhite.
weaknesses.
AAgEg.A
ll$lr
Cl) 4.
:.;,t ':ll:1ll :ll:l $ tl ..,:r:rtii r.,.,ii.i .
:a,:.4:
.':.1
a:a:
, i:,1:. l.t:'.
AAA AAAA tra g€aatr
e2-e3
EAAgwAdlrE
lrlrl
I LLt
a /g L\/
E
r
At this point White can
continue in two ways:
C) 2. Ac1-g5 E
g7-s5
Consistent. Black wishes to develop his g8 knight without allowing the exchange on f6, in the full knowledge that
this expansion on the kingside creates
Taking away the c6-square from the knight. 7. c7-c6
8. ab5-d3 9. 691-e2
h7-h6
2.
P, "..W€A tr
4.
A strange move with excellent performance results. It stops ...e6 and sets up the threat of a possible exchange on f6.
n./
AAA /AAA a ,g€aa tr
tr
a.Ag3 rransposes after +...of6 (4...f4? 5.e3) 5.e3.
698-fG without concern for the check on h5, which just favours 4.
Or 4...997
1?, played
JJ
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
Black's development after
...4f6.
5. Ah4-g3 6. h2-h4
...€f8
2
and
e2-e4 Tempting Black to win a piece... with the hope that he will have bitten off more than he can chew.
Ag8-f6!
4.
5.4$ fa? 6.Axf4! gxf4 7.Wh5+ &7s a.Wp+ &e8 9.4e2, with more than
a...Ag7? !
enough comp
ens
ation fo r the
5. e4-e5 6. e5xf6 7. Ah4-g3 8. gfl-d3 9. Wd1-h5+
p
iece.
e7-e6! Wd8xf6
t5-t4 6b8-c6 €e8-d8
10. c2-c3
ffi ffi r$rer$ffi ffi ffi ffi$$awffi r ffi ffi - ffi#Affi
ffi #ffi fllirs
s€i
ffiffi$ffiffi#
ffia## ffi A ffi ffi !*Saffi affiffi ffi ffis
:F,
3+
position that is not easy to evalu-
Ag8-f6 6b1-c3
White develops normally. These variations are attractive as they are strategically complex, yet until now not heavily analysed, thus allowing the stronger player to benefit from his superior strategic skills. Now, Black can continue in the classical mode, or along the lines of the Leningrad.
D1)
CD 4.
a
3.
Eh8-g8
tunities.
ate.
2.
d7-do
6...94 appears to be playable, even if it has the drawback of making Black's pawrt structure somewhat rigid. 7. h4xg5 h6xg5 8. Ab1-c3 e7-e6 9. t2-t3 White exerts irritating pressure on the centre, but the flexible nature of the position gives Black good practical oppor-
with
D) 2. c2-c4 Without g2-g3.
e7-e6
3.
4.
t2-I3l?
EffiEffigffi srcrffirffi# ffir
#$ ffirffi
ffi ffi #ffirffi €saffi #ffi ffi ffiaffi ag$ #ffi
E
ffisffis
AW€Affitr
Needless to say, White has lots of playable alternatives, such as 4.e3, +.4f3 or
4.Wc2
along the lines of
the
Nimzo-Indian. However. the text move is certainly the sharpest and the most ambitious. White has direct control over the e4-square, which in the Dutch is almost always Black's property.
4.
gf8-b4
Preventing the e2-e4 push seems to be the most logical thing to do.
5. Ac1-d2
6. a2-a3
0-0
9b4xc3 Ad2xc3 Now, Black - aware of the power of White's bishop pair - must be ex-
7.
Dutch Defence tremely careful not to open up the centre. The best way to continue would appear to be
7. 8. e2-e3 9. gd1-d2 10. Af1-d3 with
e6-e5 both
colours.
DD
g7-95
3.
4.
t2-t3
Kortchnoi's idea: White prepares to occupy the centre. +.tr4? has scored good results. The idea
is to open up the h-file, even lf it involves an exchange sacrifice on the h5-square (after 4...4g7 5.e4 fxe4 6.h5
Axh5 7.trxh5 gxh5 8.Wxh5+ €f8 9.4h6), but it may be too specularive for the average 1,d4-playea who usually
to take a more
prefers
approach. 4.
E
n$Eis
6:ia:
A A
Af8-s7 f5xe4 d7-d6
e;* €
I t#r ffi* tr*rffi # *xAw a" x* ffi€*
# rffi :*x
positional
is rare in the opening phase to gain a meaningful advantage if you just 'routinely' develop your pieces. 3. e7-e6 4. ab1-d2 Af8-e7 5. Ag5xf6!? Ae7xf6 6. e2-e4 White gives up the bishop pair in order to conquer the centre: it is not clear if it is too great a price to pay, but at least it creates some positional tension and adds zest to a position which otherwise would be inherently insipid. Nonetheless, after
6.
7. afl-d3
0-0! d7-d6
the position is still fairly even.
5. e2-e4 6. f3xe4 e
6s8-f6
Similar to the Torre Attack. The natural developing move 3.4f4 is of course also perfectly playable, but it
Ab8-c6
for
2.
3. Acl-g5
d7-d6 Wd8-e8!
11.691-e2 good opportunities
E) 2. 6s1-f3 Without c2-c4.
.n-"c/J
ffi#
'6.str&
".5+
E
ffiAffi iSAffitr
we are practically in a King's Indian rvithout the two f-pav,'ns. Ir is difficult to say which player benefits the mosr
Now that we have looked at the alternatives, let's return to what is by far and away the most played move. As we menrioned before this is
2. s2-s3 3. Af1-g2 E
Ag8-f6
dAAgEA
E
trffirt tr ws#ffiffi *# ffirffi *#iASffiW
#*&ffiffi AffiAiffiAffiA AAgi
)-;v-
w
from this. 35
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Vohme
2
Now we are at our first big crossroads: 3...g7 -96 or 3...c7-e6? Before looking at that decision, it would be worthwhile to take a quick look at a hybrid alternative that is often called
the Hort-Antoshin System. It is characterised by pawn advances to d6 and c6 typical of the Leningrad, but it also aims for an ...e7-e5 push - sometimes without fianchettoing the king's bishop. An example line is 3...d6 +.2'f3
c6 5.0-0 Wc7 6.c4 e5!? 7.68
e4
8.6gs h6 9.4h3
24.€xd3 cxd6 25.BfE traG 26.Edf1 €dg 27.9f7€c8 28.BxgB 1-0 Romero Holmes,Alfonso 'thlteio Pons,Franciscc l Leon II 1996 (l) 1.d4 f5 2.6c3 d5 3.Ag5 af6 4.9d3 eG 5.0-O-O c5 6.dxc5 abdT 7.t3 Q-:e5 8.9d2 AxcS 9.e4 fxe4 10.fxe4 d4
11.444 Ae7 12.Wxd4
Wxd4
t3.trxd4 AcG 14.AbS Ad7 15.gxfo AxfO 16.Edl bG 17.a13 O-O-O 18.trxd7 exdT 19.e5 aG 20€xc6+ gxc6 21.exf6 g)d6 22.tre1 e5 23.6c3trhg8 24.93 €cZ 25.4h4 t-o
Korna,fulius Hort,Ylastimil Osnava ch-CSR 1960 (9)
'1.d4 f5
2.afs hf6 3.g3 dG 4.4g2 c6 5.0-0 Bc7 6.c4 e5 7.hc3 Ae6 8.c5 e4 9.6g5 Ac8 10.cxd6 Axd6 11.f3
hG 12.4h3 exfs 13.Axf3
with positions reminiscent of those seen in the section on the 1...d6 Defence: White is a little better, but the complex strategic play that follows will favour the stronger player of the two.
0-O
14.9b3+ Sh715.Wc2 gb6 16.trd1 ha6 17.a3 €g8 18.4f4 9:e719.6a4
gdg 20.8b3+ gh7
21.6112 g5
22.Ae5 old7 23.e4 f4 24.gxf4 b5 25.6c5 Axe5 26.fxe5 6xc5 27.dxc5 Wc7 28.8c3 94 29.4s2 Ae6 30.b3
trf7 31.9f1 Ag5 32.ahl
gf4
Bronstein,David Dobosz,Henryk
33.trxf4 trxf4 34.trf1 trxf1+ 35.gxf1 EdB 36.6g3 gd7 37.Ae2 Wd4+ 38.Wxd4 Exd4 39.b4 €g6 40.€f2
Sandomierz 1976 (6)
trdz 41.*e3 tra2 42.9d1 €s5
1.d4 f5 2.e4fxe4 S.Ac3AfG 4.g4 d5
5.g5 hg8 6.f3 e5 7.txe4 dxe4 8.4xe4 Ac6 9.d5 6d4 10.c3 6f5 11.4c4 hgeT 12.o'e24s6 13.4293 6xg3 14.hxg3 AdG 15.Ae3 Af5 16.9b5+ Se7 17.4d3 Wd7 18.9d2 bG 19.0-0-0 Wa4 20.b3 BaS 21.c4 Wa3+ 22.€b1 a5 23.6xd6 Axd3+ 36
43.4e2trxa3+
o-1
Leningrad Dutch
1. d2-d4 2. 92-93 3. Af1-s2
t7-t5 6g8-f6 s7-s6
Dutch Defence
EAAg.gE € l' I ll l'l '..: I
al
.,,
A
.;;:;,''';
.'.i. l,',1 $l
AAA AAAA
Eaaw€ etr approach Theory usually judges this position to to the Dutch, reflecting the modern be better for Black, even if some of the preference for dynamic lines, even if chess engines are sceptical about the they involve positional concessions. merits of sacrificing the d5 pawn. Black plays a type of Kingt Indian with the plus of having already played the B) 4. Q.S1-h3 Af8-97 5. ah3-f4 Ab8-c6! thematic ...f/-f5 push. However, this approach leaves Black with the problem of a weak e6-square. .E In addition, if White succeeds in exe:I,.l cuting an e2-e4 push, he will be able to maintain considerable pressure on the
This is now the most popular
E A.g,€ l,:l.'1
a
e-Iile.
al
A
./\
f
I
,'\ \ v7
4. c2-c4 :;:..:::t: "::;;::' ,.,1 .A' White often plays this move after having first developed his king's knight and tr then castling kingside. For reasons of convention, we will discuss the move when it is played at that point in the This looks best; Black prepares to advance the pawn to e5, without allowing game. Below are some lines in which White White to fix the weak e6-souare as does not make this pawn push: would happen in the event of 5...d6
AAA AAAA
traAw€
6.d5.
A) 4.
6. d4-d5
6b1-d2
7. Ab1-c3 8. 0-0
Preparing the advance e2-e4.
4. Af8-97 5. e2-e4 f5xe4 6. 6d2xe4 6.f6xe4 7. Ag2xe4 d7-d5 8. 9e4-92 Ab8-c6 9. c2-c3 10. d4xe5
e7-e5! 6c6xe5
8.h41?,
Ac6-e5 0-0
with the idea of h4-h5, is inter-
esting.
8. 9.
c7-cb e2-e4 and it is not clear if White's centre is in fact stronp or weak. 37
Chess Opening Essenticls
C) 4. c2-c3 5. gdl-b3
- Volume 2 Dl) 6. b2-b3
Af8-g7
The most natural. White develops logi-
This was the idea of +.c3. Placing the queen here is an attempt to interfere
with Black's normal development. 5. 6b8-c6! White's'lateral' developmenr justifies this counterplay in the centre.
6.
491-f3
5.4h3 e5!? is a double-edged continuation that leads to an unclear game. 6. d7-d6
rffiffi#r
6
7.
ffi
7. 9c1-b2
this square the queen supports the
natives that are less popular.
8. c2-eA 8.abdz Ac6t with
tr
in the King's Indian, a6 is a nice
square
for the knight, giving it ready to b4, c5 or c7 , as the position
maydemand.
Now after the text move White
can
counter 7...e5 with 8.dxe5 dxeS 9.e4!.
e7-e6
0-o
€s8-h8
10.6e1-d3
L abl-d2 10.9d1-c2
c7-c6
Ac8-d7
and Black is playing on all pans of the board: he is now preparing ...b7-b5. Whether Black can get away with ...b7-b5 is open to doubt; in practice the resulting positions are tricky to play and double-edged. Indeed, after
and now after either the solid
Wd8-e7
or the speculative 10...e5, Black has satisfactory play.
D) 4. As1-f3 5. 0-0
6b8-a6
8.
As
abl-d2t
10....
effective
counterplay in the centre.
The natural-looking 7.0-0?! is rneak due to 7...e5 !, and Black has an initiatioe in the centre,
7.
e5
par,rm-advance as well eyeing several kingside squares on which she would
access
8. 0-0 9. 6f3-el l
Bd8-e8
A typical move in the Leningrad and the classical variations of the Dutch. From
be actively placed; this square may be fr , 96 or h5, depending on the circumstances. 6...c6 or 6...6e4 are solid alter-
EffiEffiEffi
ffiAffi ffir ffi ffirffi ffiffiffiffi ffisffi ffiaffi Affi WAffiA
cally and contests the strong presence of the g7 bishop, at the same time exerting control over the important e5-square. 6, d7-d6
Af8-s7
11. a2-a3 with the intention of ab7-b4 pawn advance, White's advantage - presuming there is
one-is purely academic.
DD 6.
b2-b4l?
0-0 At this point White has two options (ignoring 6.c4, which rransposes to the
line, but slightly more ambirious as it seeks to combine central control with
main line of the Leningrad).
queenside expansion.
56
The objective is similar to the preceding
Dutch Defence
ENAggE
d7-d6!? c7-c6 7...We8 is in the spirit of Variation D I Here White has scored well after 8.c4 c6 9.obd2lh6 1 0.Wc2l Aa6 1 1.4c3. 6.
7. Ac1-b2
.
8. c2-c4 H 5FA Ull/ E
6b8-a6!
l l.'., I h:':r f l
tion.
W 9. gdl-b3
5.
0-0
Now White most often plays
6.
9.4c3 ? invites 9...8)e4.
9.
6a6-c7 1O. a2-a4 h7-ho So as to be able to play the following n-ithout allowing 6g5. 11. Ab1-c3 Ac8-e6 With the possibility of placing the queen on f7 via e8, and then pushing
with the Lenin-
grad, White's pieces give the impression of being more harmoniously arrayed, but Black's counterplay should not be underestimated.
However,
.{rvare that White's move order
Ag1-f3
it is now becoming
ingly popular to initiate
increas-
a subtle plan
temporary pawn sacrifice) 9.dxe6 We7 10.0-0 Axe6 (Black is happy to give up his bishop in exchange for the strong white knight) 1 1.Axe6 Wxe6, and notwithstanding White's two bishops, Black's counterplay against the pawn on c4 has helped achieve decent results.
d7-d6
6.
0-0
in the
ingrad Variation (g3, ca, af3 /h3. i-c3 and 0-0) is highly flexible, we will :.rllrn our attention to the principal :rove, which as we said before is
Len
to
control the characteristic weakness on e6 with rhe move ah3-f4. Let's have a look: 6.6h3 d6 7.d5 c6 8.6f+ e5! (a
7.
4.
,\H q)H
Af8-g7 6b1-c3 Developing the other knight first usually leads to a simple move transposi-
C)
pawns to 95 and f4. .\s is so often the case
)<. IJ
4. 5.
Z:ZtA
trA..
.
B
ii:],i,.:.: :,:'::':' AAA
AliA AB
'
AAd\A AAEA
I Er I Al
,,
c2-c4
.\s is usual in Queen's Pawn games, \Vhite controls the dS-square, with an increase in his ability to apply greater pressure in the centre. 39
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
and we have reached what the Russians call the tabiya (key position) of the Le-
E
ningrad Variation.
ffi* €r
Ignoring minor lines such as 7...e6 or 7...8)a6, the most played moves by far are the three highlighted with arrows in the diagram. Each of them deserves de-
{J}
nKl AW
re AflreTffi q)
ll ffi
tailed examination:
A)
ffi€Hffi
ffiEffiT
xrer **ffi
ffirffi
ffiffi
#ffiffi ffi A gKAffi str ffitrffi
7. Ab8-c6 to play ...e5, unconcerned about the pawn push to d5 that White will
White's pieces seem to be more active and better placed, but the position is double-edged, and either side could
usually play.
win.
So as
8.
d4-d5
and now Black can choose between two moves that are more or less the same in
terms of both popularity and performance.
AD 8. 9,
A1) 8.
6c6-a5 Decentralising the knight in order to attack the c4 pawn: the position is comparable to the Panno Variation of the King's Indian with the difference that ...f5 has been played instead of ...a6.
9. at3-d2 9.9d3 and 9.Wa4 are both able.
c7-cs
9.
White's threat was to play bz-b+. 10. Eal-b1 e7-e5 jscSxe6 11. d5xe6 12. b2-b4l? Not forced, but interesting.
12....
c5xb4 Capturing on c4 allows the b7 pawn to be taken, with a big plus for White. 13. Eb1xb4 trf8-f7 14.6c3-d5 Ea8-c8 15. +0
Acl-b2
6f3xe5
After 9.Wb3. there is 9...6'fd7l.
9.
d6xe5
10. gd1-b3 Preparing c4-c5 and trd1, creating problems for the development of the c8 bishop. The old 10.e4 grants Black good counrerplay
also play-
6c6-e5
The most belligerent: Black is prepared to have his pawns doubled in exchange for a kingside pawn majority.
10.
wirh 1 0...f4!
?.
€g8-h8 on
...
Avoiding the dangers present light-squared diagonal. h7-h6 11. c4-c5 12. a7-a0
the
trfl-dl
Preventing
the knight
manoeuvre
Abs-a3-c+. 13.
Ac1-d2
96-95
14. Ac3-a4l With the idea of AaS and d6. White's initiative in the centre seems to be more concrete and thus more dangerous than on the
Black's embryonic initiative kingside.
Dutch Defence
EAHEr&? fr5lE I al ,A'A I f I a '.,.Wa;i " A. g.Ar €A'AA.$ ',;';",":'"
FI HHW
B)
FI
BD L d4-d5 8...9d7
e7-e5!?
is more solid.
9. d5xe6
AcSxeG
10. b2-b3 10.9d3!? is more aggressive, but the exposed queen favours the activation
of
the black pieces: 10...ha6 1 1.695 Ee8!, and it is not easy to know who stands better.
10.
c7-c6
7.
Ab8-a6
...
10...Oe4?! would appear to be doubtful
A flexible and useful move. White can continue with his deveiopment, or otherwise seek to take advantage of the
after 11.hxe4 Axal 12.Axd6 Wd7 13.4a3 Afe t+.e+. with more rhan
weak e6-square.
change.
81) 8. b2-b3
Wd8-a5!?
Preventing Aa3.
9. Acl-b2 gc7 10.d5 Aa5, wirh bal-
9.4d2!?
anced play.
e7-e5
9.
10.
wdl-d2!
Es ;',:.",'.:' f :!: Ef A1'r' ,....:lI, AA
'l l
AA ... AA Ag gAAAA tr€
E1'eing the unprotected queen on a5, White prevents 10...e4?, which would
bemetby 11.Axe4!.
10.... d4xe5 12. e2-e4l 13. e4xf5 11.
for the ex-
11. Ac1-b2 11.4g5 We7!? - in the Leningrad it is common for Black to happily concede the light-squared bishop: remembering that with this pawn structure it is a bad
bishop 12.6xe6 Wxe6 13.4b2 Ae4 14.Wcl d5, with good piece play to compensate for White's two bishops.
EaA
.tr,'..,
abundant compensation
Wa5-c7 d6xe5
6b8-a6! Ac8xf5!
Black's actively placed pieces compensate for his uglyJooking par m strucfure.
1
1.
...
12.6f3-95
Wd8-e7
Ae6-d7
Now that the d6 pawn is defended this retreat is possible, but instead Black can continue along the lines of the variation in the preceding note with 12...tradS!?. 13. gd1-d2 tra8-d8 14. tral-d1 Ad7-c8
.',tA,E E &.::.
l'l'"''l': g Ef
a ll .',:,.,,;,,:,
al I '::]::,:,.,. A
,ll::A
fi
,t.,
,......
Ag
.llll,lll ,.u,
WA.A:A
tr tr€
.' +1
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
In the opinion of the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO) White has an edge. However, performance statistics
tell a different story; Black's perfectly satisftctory results show that the weaknesses generated by the pawn moves to
d6 and f5 are academic
c)
7. E NE
w
Wd8-e8
vulnerable, but at a price: White's d5 pawn is also weak.
9e8-b5
9.
Ambitious but hazardous: it is not out of the question that 9...4d7 is better, with the idea of 10...4b6 or 10...4f6. 10. 6f3-95! c7-c6 10...h6 ll.6e6 has scored nicelv for White.
gb5-b6 gb6-b5
a2-a4 12. a4-a5l 11.
ffig.ffi ffi€
rffi \w I ffiffi ffi\ #ffi
ffiAtr$ &ry ffi ffi affi
xA g$ffi A ffi$A
1 2...Wxd4?! 1 3.9b3 l, with a clear plus forWhite. 13. e2-e4 With an opening of central lines that should favour White.
A
cD 8.
ffis trffi
This is the modern way to play the game, and this move is most in keeping with the spirit of the opening. Black prepares to push his parnm to e5 and swing the queen across to
f/,
96 or h5,
with a kingside initiative that seeks to justify the advance ...fi -f5. At this point the three most played continuations are:
C1) 8. 6c3-d5!? 6f6xd5 9. c4xd5 E
friA*:98
ela
ffiAffiffirffiffi
ffiffigffiffiffi
Agg
9. d4xe5 10. e2-e4 11. Ac3-d5! Ir
E
rresffi
#*^#*
g 16r,
ltf
gm
ffi*affi I
I ffi
I
ffiiA ffiA
ffi Affi A
hb8-c6! We8-d7!
ii€:
ffia#ffi
*S A
d6xe5
:}(: $K q) -? l'i
##ffi ffi .a1i
ffiaffiffi
#ffiAffi$A
g;*trytrF
White has made some important gains: the e6-square and the c7 pawn are both +2
are also playable.
*"
rffi ffi #&r ffi *t ffirffi
ffi ffi
b2-b3 White has not taken preventative measures against an ...e7-e5 push, so Black strikes while he can: 8. e7-e5!? The more disciplined 8...c6 or 8...h6
Producing a complex position. Who stands better? Notwithstanding the Iarge number of games played, the jury is still out on that one.
Dutch Delence
c3) 8. d4-d5 The thematic and the most popular choice. White prevents the alignment of pawns on the e5- and fs-squares and is ready to play 6d4 and Eb1 to support an advance of the b-pawn.
hb8-a6 is easily the most popular response. Not so much with the idea of going to c5, but to the c7-square after placing his paum on c6; from there the knight controls several k"y central 8.
This
squares.
9. tra1-b1 White prepares the push b}-b4, which looks logical. This move is now more popular than the oid approach of 9.hd4 gd7 10.e4 fxe4 1 1.6xe4 6xe4
As is so often the case with the Dutch. White's pieces are more harmoniously placed, giving him a small technical advantage. However, over the board it is difficult for White to find a convincing strategy to take advantage of this small plus, and thus, predictably, Black's results are satisfactory.
Bogoliubow,Efim
ItS:::::l1vie'v Karlsbad 1923 (8) 1.d4 f5 2.g3 AfG 3.4g2 96 4.c4 Ag7 5./Ac3 0-0 6.4h3 d6 7.0-0 AcG 8.d5
AeS 9.9b3 AfdT 10.4e3 6.g4 11.4d2 4c5 12.Wc2 a5 13.trad1 ad7 14.sh1 we8 15.b3 h6 16.f3
12.Axe4 c6l, giving Black a pleasant game.
9.
Ac8-d7 c7-c6
10. b2-b4 -\lso after 10...c5 White can take on c6 en passant.
11. d5xc6! b7xc6 Here from the wide choice available nost players choose the solid 12. a2-a3 r,,jth the idea of completing developnent with 13.9b2 after Black plays 12.... 6e6-c7
t :- fi :*g.Ee::t Et:fi r r E'
E
{i;:: ::ii:at:
ii:a:t
]::it i{J:
i:* -,\A )< )(
a*.
..xf :tt
tia,:.:rr
g F'
,4\ v\
*ti
::t ii:: :i*:A18: t$ A :A:ll :l1i:::
Ue €
-'-
H ci] 6
19.trxf2 €h7 20.9e3 b6 21.a4 AxcS 22.Axc5 AfO 23.9d4 e5 24.dxe6 9c6 25.4d5 Axd4 26.trxd4 Wxe6 27.9xc6 Be3 28.trxd6 cxd6 29.E-f3 Wc5 30.9xa8 trxa8 31.9d2 treg 32.e52 tre6 33.trd3 {9a3 34.€f2
€g8 35.9c3 Bc5+ 36.9d4 €f7
37.€f3 gb4 38.€f2 BcS 39.9f1 hs 40.sf2 WcG 41.Wd5 Wc5+ 42.Wd4 Hc6 43.8d5 BcS+ 44.st1 €e7 45.rg'd4 r&'c6 46.€/97+ *d8 47.trds gd7 48.9d4 &c7 49.9f2 9e7 50.e3 Ee4 51.Wc3 h4 52.94 txg4 53.sg5 93+ 54.hxg3 hxg3+ 55.Exs3 gf7 56.9d3 Eg'fs 57.Sg2 Ee7 58.Bxf5 gxf5 59.sfg €c6 60.trg5 trf7 61.trh5 trf6 62.trs5 trf7 63.e4 fxe4+ 64.€xe4 tre7+ 65.€f3 Eel 66.€ga Eg1+ 67.€f5 Edl 68.€gG trf1 69.f5 Ef3 7o.f6 gd7 71.&97 €e6 72.tr91 trxb3 73.f7 trf3 74J89
't'1
+3
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
Kasparov,Garry
52.6e3 Ag5 53.f84 €xb6 sa.bes
Gurevich,Mikhail
Af3 55.4e6 at7+ 56.*f5 hd6+ 57.€f4 Ae2 58.4d4 Ad3 59.€e5 €c5 60.6df5 Af7+ 61.€f6 6s5
l (2) 1.c4 f5 2.d4 at6 3.s3 d6 4.4g2 g6 5.6c3 Ag76.d5 0-o 7.4h3 c6 8.4f4 e5 9.dxe6 We7 10.0-0 Axe6 Amsterdam Euwe-mem lgg
11.4xe6 Wxe6 12.9t4 Wxc4 13.Wxd6 Aa6 14.trfd1 ahs 15.4g5 Af6 16.Axf6 hxf6 17.trac1 gb4 18.Sxb4 axb4 19.a3 AaG 2O.e4
txe4 21.6xe4 8txe4 22.Axe4 trad8 23.h4 €lc7 24.Ab1€s7 25.Aa2 €f6 26.€.g2 abl 27.94 h5 28.95+ €g7 29.trxd8 ExdS 3O.Ee1 trd7 31.tre8
AdG 32.8s8+ gh7 33.trbs €97 34.898+ €h7 35.9b8 *s7 36.Abr 6c4 37.tre8 Axb2 38.Ee6 Vzr/z GeorgierlKiril Nikolic,Predrag
62.Axh5 ah3 63.Ahf5
t-o
Simutowe,Amon Nakamura,Hikaru Cherry Hill 2007 (6)
f5 2.at3 rzrf6 3.c4 d6 4.g3 g6 5.Ag2 As7 6.0-0 0-0 7.hc3 Ac6 8.d5 6e5 9.Axe5 dxe5 10.e4 f4 11.gxf4 exf4 12.Axf4 Axe4 13.Scl 1.d4
e5 14.4e3 ad6 15.gg5 We8
16.4b5 Ef7 17.6xd6 cxd6 18.c5 dxcS 19.Wxc5 b6 20.8c4 Ab7 21.9h3 €h8 22.AeG trf5 23.9h4 Wb5 24.a4 Bxb2 25.Eac1 gbg 26.trc7 Axd5 27.trxg7 Exg5+ 28.Wxg5 Axe6
29.Wf6
t-o
Valievo 2007 (7)
fs 2.g3 AfG 3.4g2 sG 4.hf3 Ag7 5.0-0 0-0 6.c4 d6 7.4c3 6a6 1.d4
8.9b1 c6 9.b4 6'c7 1O.a4
ll.gds gh8
12.b5
AeG
Ag8 13.4a3
Ee8 14.4d2 e5 15.dxe5 dxeS 16.bxc6 e4 17.WxdB trexd8 18.cxb7 EabB 19.Efd1 hfeS
20.6dxe4 Exdl + 21.hxd1 fxe4 22.9.c5 6a6 23.Axa7 gdg 24.o.e3 AeS 25.Axe4 *g7 26.a5 Abg 27.trb6 6ec7 28.AxbB 6xb8 29.9d3 *f8 3o.hs4 At7 31.4e5 Ae8 32.f4 Se7 33.e3 Ed6 34.c5 ExbG 35.cxb6 4ca6 36.e4 4c5 37.*f2 gd6 38.€e3 6xd3 39.6xd3 €c6 40.f5 gxf5 41.exf5 €xb7 42.6e5 €a6 43.f6 €xaS 44.4c4+ €a6 45.6d6 Ac6 46.f7 adt 47.6c4 Afg 48.*d4 €b5 49.g4 gh1 50.h4 hG 51.h5 Ah7 ++
Karpov,Anatoly Yusupov,Artur Linares 1989 (4)
1.c4 f5 2.d4 A$ 3.93 g6 a.Ag2 Ag7 5.6c3 dG 6.4f3 0-0 7.0-O c6 8.b3 €fc7 9.Aa3 a5 10.trc1 Aa6 11.Wd2 4d712.trfe1 Ab413.gb2 e5 14.a3 Aa6 15.dxe5 dxeS 16.6b5 cxbS 17.cxb5 6c5 18.Axe5 gb6 19.exf6 AxfG 20.Wd5+ ae6 21.Bxd7 EadS 22.trci trxd7 23.trxb6 6c5 24.b4 axb4 25.axb4 6e4 26.e3 *f7 27.h4 Eb8 28.8c1 €e7 2g.Ad4 gf7 30.9xe4 fxe4 31.6eG gd8
32.495+ Axg5 33.hxg5
Ee8 34.trc4 €97 35.€92 Ef7 36.trd6 hG 37.gxh6+ €xh6 38.b6 EeS 39.8c7 EfB 40.trxb7 tref5 41.trd2 Ebs
42.Hd4
1-o
Dutcn uelenc€
Oll,Lembit
Classical Dutch
Topalov,Yeselin
1. d2-d4 2. s2-s3 3. Af1-92
Groningen PCA 1993 (10)
1.d4 f5 2.93 6f6 3.9g2 g6 4.6f3 Ag7 5.c4 0-0 6.4c3 dG 7.0-O Be8 8.d5 a5 9.4e1 6a6 10.6d3 Ad7 11.Ee1 Wt712.at4 trab8 13.9e3 hG 14.ka7 gbdg 15.9d4 b6 16.e4 fxe4 17.Q.xe4 g5 18.6e6 Axe6 19.dxe6 9g6 20.6c3 c5 21.4e3 6'c7 22.trb1 shg 23.4d5 AfxdS 24.cxd5 6b5 25.W94 6d4 26.4e4 gf6 27.&h1 b5 28.t4 Af5 29.9d2 gxf4 30.gxf4 h5 31.Wxh5+ gh6 32.Sga 6h4 33.tre2 Eg8 34.f5 gh7 35.9h3 gf6 36.Axa5 Ea8 37.4c3 Eh6 38.9d2 gh5 39.8f2 Wg4 40.Bxs4 trxg4 41.9d3 trxa2 42.9xb5 c4 43.trf4 Exf4 44.Axf4 Axb2 45.Axc4 tra4 46.Axd6 Exc4 47.Axe7 6xf5 48.d0
2xe7 49.d7 trd4 So.trxb2 €98 51.trb8+
1-O
Glek,Igor 2000 (4)
f5 2.g3 AfG 3.9g2 sG 4.c4 ig7 5.4c3 d6 6.4f3 0-0 7.0-O 1.d4
:eB
8.d5 a5 9.4d2 Ad7 10.Wc1
sd8
16.4e1
.ia6 11.4h6 6c5 12.Axg7 €xg7 13.b3 c6 14.9b2 €g8 15.trad1
gb6
e7-e6
EAASEE
lllr
lra vl at1
ll
g
)(
AAA.-....A.A4A
tr AAig.g A tr This pawn move characterises the Clas-
sical Dutch
-
the way the Dutch was
played before the advent of the Lenin^-- I 1/.-i Y41rd(lutl " '; ^xldu
4.
c2-c4
White can play this pawn push after developing his kingside pieces, but once again, for the sake of convention we
will
Beliavsky,Alexander Essen
t7-t5 698-fG
examine the move when it is played at this point in the game. Black has two fundamental approaches to choose from: . llyin-Zhenevsky: play the d-pawn to d6 - either now or later on. . Stonewall: play the d-pawn to d5 - elther now or later on.
17.ad3 6ce4
18.dxc6 Axc6 19.4f4 trfc8 20.Axe4 Axe4 21.Axe4 txe4 22.Wd2 gb4 23.Ads Sxd2 24.trxd2 Axd5 25.trxd5 trcS 26.trxc5 dxc5 27.8d1 €f7 28.trd5 bG 29.a4 €e6 30.g4 tra7 31.€92
Ed7 32.trxd7 *xd7 33.€93 e5 34.€h4 h6 35.€93 95 36.e3 €e6 37.f4 €fG 38.fxg5+ €xgS 39.€h3 1-0
When Black chooses the first option, he usuaily develops his bishop to e7 and then plays his pawn to d6. On the other hand, with the Stonewall Black usually plays ...d5 immediately (or after 4...c6) so that he can develop his bishop to d6. From the minor alternatives, it is worth mentioning 4...s'b4+!? (a subtle move that we also find in the Catalan, King's 45
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
Indian and Bogo-Indian, and which is obviously not possible if White delays the c2-c4 push) S.AdZ AeZ
- f,tra gsffi
ffi r# r:* :9!13 :":d i*'o
A
A
/1 :ffi?it {:
ffiffi
**9,*
ffi
ffirffi ffirffi
t{}*
;'' \i
Hq* q)Y'-5
:;{x '. - ,1
.di :/t
ffiAg3€A
^
Now
as
with the Leningrad, White has
a certain flexibility regarding the order in which he plays ac3, af3/h3 and 0-0. Here we look at an immediate
5. Abl-c3 but it is worth mentioning the following interesting line in which White does not play this move, but instead opts straight away to expand on the queenside:
5.4f3 0-0 6.0-0 d6 (the defining move of the llyin-Zhenevsky Variation)
7
.b+l?.
and unlike in the normal variations, Black hopes to demonstrate that the white bishop is worse off on d2 than it is on cl. In effect the bishop can no longer develop to b2 or to a3, the queen no longer defends d4 and the bishop on d2 often comes under attack with the move ...he4. However, these factors are academic considerations given that games with 4...4b4+ and 4...4e7 have more or less
Now the typical queen manoeuvre
the same performance results.
7...We8 S.Ab2 Wh5 seems to be
llyin-Zhenevsky
1. d2-d4 2. s2-s3 3. Af1-g2 4. c2-c4
re
t7-t5 6g8-f6 e7-e6
€f8-e7
ffiEffieffi ffi rtlg *r .:i; ifrffi i{
ffi ffirsffi ##a*s ffi w # $#w*s A ffi ffiAffiAffs affisffi
+6
ffi$s
Effi Affi ffieffi ffir ffi ffi rffiffi
ffiffir
*#* ffirffi -:Ei n s{l lGS
:2
-'Ji
_,i1**
A ^$€ 2\:,::i
A
Z-1:
A,qi ?l&$ ffi- :;;1.A.?EA
A:iiif:lfl^
HiD\
less
effective after 9.Abd2 6bd7 10.Wc2 with the idea of e2-e4. Therefore, probably the best for Black is 7...8)e4l? s.Ab2 a5 9.b5 a4l?, with unclear play. 5. 0-0 If Black wishes to play the Stonewall with ...4e7, it is a good idea to hide his intentions for another move and to wait for the king's knight to be developed. We will see later how insidious the move Ah3 can be against the Stonewall.
6. 6g1-f3 Here the move 6.4h3 doesn't look ap-
propriate: after 6...d6! 7.0-0 e5, Black has scored very well. Do not forget that 6.e4?! in this position is oremature: after 6...fxe4 7.Q)xe4
Dutch Delence
6xe4 8.Axe4 d5!, White is behind in development and his d4 pawn is weak.
d7-d6
6.
7.
0-0
7_^E'g| E=
lrl I v/L
6- ll
rri'
AA AA
a, : 6A
AA
AAAA
; gw g trg
A)
Af6-e4
7.
Not often played, but probably a better move than its reputation would suggest. Freeing the f6-square for the bishop seems logical. In addition, the thematic advance e2-e4, if not prevented, is at least delayed. Alekhine sometimes played this one move earher (in the position without d6 and 6c3), but postponing the move seems more reliable, even if it is less flexible.
EhAg Er'€ttr l;f .ll A ll ..t' I
We have now come to the key position
of this variation; Black can pick from rhe three variations that are indicated by
lr l: A
,h.&'
arrows.
A AEZ-1' A /5 A, A
Black's plan is to prepare an ...e7-e5 adr-ance
with
tr€
active kingside play, employ-
rrg the queen on h5 or 96. White for his Dart will rry to prevent the ...e5 push with o3 and Ab2, or he will follow the classic rdvice that is taught h insuuction manuals and defend against Black's kingside atack by opening up the centre. With that objective in mind, White will lrepare the e2-e4 advance with Wc2 or
Eel. Biack can physically prevent this r1' planting a knight on the e4-square;
rtherwise, he can allow the advance, and after the exchange on e4 hope that naximising his piece activity will comlensate for the weak e6-square. More :arely, Black will respond to the e2-e4 rush with a counter-push to f4, which .an lead to a dangerous initiative against the white king, however, it aprears to be positionally questionable as -t leaves White with an imposing centre rithree aligned pawns
t..,..,
8.
Wdt-cz
This is the most played move, avoiding
an ugly doubled pawn on c3 while at the same time attacking e4. 8.4)xe4 fxe+ 9.6d2 d5 is perfectly playable, but does not create any particular problems for Black. 8.
9.
Ae4xc3 Wc2xc3
A more solid alternative to the ambitious 9.bxc3 Ac6! 10.d5 6la5l 11.Wa4 b6 1 2.dxe6 Axe6 1 3.4d4 Axc4
14.6)c6l
Waz 15.Axe7+
WxeT
16.Axa8 Exa8, with excellent compensation for the exchange.
9.
Ae7-f6
Or 9...a5 10.a3 Ac6!?. 10. b2-b4! ab8-d7 11. Ac1-b2 e6-e5 '12.
d4xe5
d6xe5 +7
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
8.
13. e2-e4!
The white pieces seem to be better placed and the e5 pavm will become weak as it loses its companion on f5. However, as Black is a Dutch Defence player, he will not be unduly concerned about the positionally dubious nature of his game given that
it gives him
a
-
as
in this
case
-
chance to complicate play.
7.
a7-a5
AAg Eg ].l] lt] $ .f f t.l...l E
l
I
',,.
I
:;,,",..
l':,:t:
rn 'tt .,:i.rr:ti
A
rt::i:.aiir
'A. ,^j t4)
AA.
E :g
r.::i!
,.::a:...
-t\. q)bA
AAAA H .S1
An increasingly popular choice: it prevents b2-b4 and in some variations the
pawn supports the knight on the queenside. This is clearly seen in the Iine 8.Wc2 Ac6l 9.d5?l (9.a31 e5, with unclear play) 9...6b4 10.9b3 and now the b4 knight is defended, and after 10...e5
E ,,,,.48 E,* i:':,
il
At
la
'- ;.',.,A
ll
,.
l'l'
,,':Ll
iri.t'i:.'E,€
Black has a highly satisfactory position.
48
-
and the most solid
too.
Af6-e4!?
8.
As in the analogous line we have just looked at (without a5 and b3), Black eases the pressure by exchanging off a knight and vacates the f6-square for the
bishop. 8...We8 is more frequently played, but it transposes to the position that we will deal with in Variation C3.
9. Ac1-b2 10. Wd1-c2
Ae7-fG
6e4xc3
11. Ab2xc3 with a small plus for White.
7.
Wd8-eB
E A E.,,,-B
E.&
.*l l. E tf lla . l
',:,t
'
;-.,.,
The old main line. Black will move his queen to g6 or h5; more rarely he may instead play ...e5 after ...4d8.
O ',,,,' .* ']:ii:A . gA A AA AAAA
E :A
b2-b3
The most played
Cl) 8. trfl-el Preparing an e2-e4 push with resulting pressure on the e6-square. This is all very logical, but it should be said that the rook on a central file may prove to be vulnerable to attack. 8.
We8-96 stop e2-e4, but as it
This appears to turns out White can play the move with impunity.
Dutch Defence
tsdl-c2
9. e2-e4t After
9.
10.6c3xe4
f5xe4 Af6xe4
11. tre1xe4 the rook cannot be captured. The move
11...8xe4?
is followed by 12.4h4!,
and the queen has nowhere to escape to.
It is uue that after 12...9xh4 13.gxh4 Axtr+, Black's position does not demand resignation, but if White's advantage is not decisive, it is most certainly
We8-h5! C2> 8. The move most in keeping with the principal concepts of the defence: Black does not worry about preventing e4, and concerns himself with activating his pieces.
9. e2-e4 9,b3!? is more solid better.
EffiEffi ffiE
ffiffiffir 3rerffi rc tr
srcffiffi
6b8-c6! Preparing the ...e6-e5 advance, and the e4 rook is now being attacked for
ffi #rerffis ArcAffi ffi ffiaffi affiwffi
real. 12. Wd1-e2!
ffis
The alternatives l}.ah+ Bfzt and 12.Eel 6b+l l3.Ee2 ghs! both give
F?
Black good piece play.
13.
Acl-d2
e6-e5
Before White permanently prevents this
withAc3. 14.
10. d4xe5 11. 6c3-d5!
d4xe5
6c6xe5
tage.
15. Af3xe5 9f6xe5 16. Ad2-c3!? A dynamic approach: White accepts a compromised pawn structure so that he can take possession ofthe e-fiIe.
16.... 17. b2xc3
tre4-e7
&e5xc3 9c8-d7! tra8-e8 c7-c6
18. 19. Ag2xb7 and it is not clear who stands better.
d6xe5
1.hxe5? fxe4 12.f4 exf3 13.Axf3 Ac5+ 14.€h1 Afs, and Black has the 1
advantage.
... c4xd5
6f6xd5 9e7-d6 It is difficult to say objectively who is better off now; practice shows that Black's position seems to be easier to handle as he has a kingside initiative 11.
12.
14...dxe5 15.4c3 Afs t6.ah4 Axh4 17.trxh4 gives White a slight advan-
e6-e5l
9.
not far from it. 11. ...
12.... Ae7-f6 12...e5? does not work because of 13.dxe5 AfS t+.exd6l Axe4 1S.dxeZ Efesz t 6.Ah+, which picks up a piece.
and probably
that is less complicated to play.
c3) 8.
b2-b3!
The results at hand suggest that this is the best. White discourages the ...e6-e5
pawn push by bringing dre bishop to b2 or to a3. 8.
a7-a5 A useful waiting move. This position is often reached by reversing the order of
-
Chess Opening Essentials
Black's last two moves.
Volume
2
In response to
the natural but doubtful 8...Wh5, we have 9.4a3 l, and now it becomes very difficult for Black to play the thematic pawn push ...e6-e5: indeed, if Black plays 9...a5 so as to put his knight on b4, then 1 0.d5! e5 1 1.Axe5! follows. 9. Ac1-b2 Now after 9.4a3. there is 9...4a6 fol-
il
.;*A';..;.,- iE €:ri
*rg
L..;:; E A .ir"lllA
::a: arrli:lf:l
l. ,I AA r.tj ll: AaA A .s '.'.r. '& cb :l\,:;
:,.'.
;.,
.}
<::
d\ E /\Al
!i;:g'...''g €
Iowed by...c6 and ...b5.
White's initiative
We8-h5
9.
After the waiting move 9...4a6 there is 10.a3 gd7 11.Ae1t c6 12.4d3, and White is ready to push his pawn to e4,
with an edge. 10. e2-e3!
E ;:.rl,l:
nlAS: €i e ltt
:.:: f l, "'.' /\An''/\ . A ,,\ ts z)
*r
€ itrfi
AAA, AH F?$EH
in the
centre and on
the queenside starts to take shape, while
Black's counterplay on the kingside is yet to materialise. Needless to say, with all 32 pieces still on the board, no one should underestimate Black's opportunities to cause problems.
Stonewall Dutch
1. d2-d4
''-.:,,''
Uil/
2. 92-93 3. €:11-g2 4. c2-c4
,
.A q) /_1 '\ AN A: EA a
t7-t5 Ag8-f6 e7-e6
d7-ds
This variation acquired its name due to
m e
the robust, wall-like quality of Black's d5-e6-f5 pawn formation, which is of-
An atypical move, but very powerful:
ten supported by the c6 pawn.
White prepares to relocate his f3 knight onto the strong d3-square, and in doing so, he offers a queen exchange that is fa-
vourable to White. We must remember that in the Dutch Black has to give pri-
ority to piece activity, and with
the
queens off the board his task is naturally more difficult. Ab8-a6 10. ... 11. Af3-e1! gh5-h6 For the aforementioned reason, Black wants to keep his queen on the board.
12.a2-a3 13. 50
Ael-d3
c7-c6
However. with time we have discovered that this pawn wall is not as solidly built as it may first appear to be, and that occupation of the es-square, with an en-
Dutch Defence
suing characteristic weakening of the e6-squares, can give White a meaningful positional advantage. To prevent this Black must play actively, generally on the kingside, or more rarely in the centre with ...b7-b6 and ...c6-c5.It is interesting to note that until the 1950's the Stonewall was considered to be a Queen's Gambit variation, rather than belonging to the Dutch. This is because the ...f/-f5 advance was played after ...e6 as a radical method to prevent an e2-e4 advance. This approach is still used today in various variations of the Semi-Slav, in particuIar when White solidly plays his pawn to e3 and denies his bishop the possibility of going to f4. To make this concept clearer we wi-ll look at the following move sequence:
f4- and
I
.d4 d5 7.c4 c6 (Slav) 3.af3
e6
(Semi-Slav) 4.4c3. Now Black's aim is to prevent e7-e4; however, he may be put off by the amount of theory you need to know after +...o-f6, and he may not wish to run the risks associated with
After 5...4f6 6.e3 Ae7 i.Ad3 0-o 8.Wc2 De4 9.g4l,White Let's go back
has a big plus.
to the main line after
4...d5. E
* *:,:, :.:.,t
fia
$H: r *:; *iij da
rt iti: I il r=*! ' €r a *li ,:* :rt:?
ii
1*:a
j€
i:i::::
n ,$ A ,H
::i-l
a
.r=:
i:l* AA
g
::t€
-u:
:Aff
fttr
Black can also play this move, which characterises the variation after ...AeZ or ...c6. Given that in recent times Black prefers the variation with ...4d6, we will look at the move when it is played at this point in the game so as to maintain normal convention. S.6fg is White's usual choice at this stage of the game, and we
will
discuss
it
soon.
the Noteboom Yariation 4...dxc4. Black may therefore decide to play 4...f5?! and enter into a ri?ical Stonewall strucrure. Yet here there is still a problem for Black:
However, there is an important alterna-
the move 5.4f4! has helped White
At first this may appear odd; if
achieve excellent results.
weakness on e5 is the Achilles' heel
E
ll
ct)
,,. arlE
A EYe,A
I I I ,l A'\ A'J ,\ u/)
AA
trg
/fr
.g
a
a\
A AA
EA
F?
tive that has an even better performance:
5. 6g1-h3 the
of
Black's position, what could be more natural than to exert control over it with
af37 The answer lies in the fact that experience has taught us that the best config-
uration for the white knights is when they are on d3 and f3, from where they both bear down on e5; this placement is even more powerful after an exchange of the dark-squared bishops. 51
Chess Opening Essentiols
*
Volume
2
rffi ffi
diagrams: ia.!::
. i;a1;
*e*
- i*:
*tr €rffi
g
EiffiAffi€ffi
Let's have a look at the following two
**rwrffi'ffirffi
as
ffirffir$s .'::! i-::]
ffi I
-,& ^ -'g rl't Jl l[* r. 'lJ;U
;1::
-i-,-:; n:.
i'.!
rIrffi€
-i\:
6r!!t
;ffi*tr$
?ffF
.'
:-"t::
{a
ffiaffiw#strffi
?<e
with af8-d6 Given that this bishop is often
Black almost always proceeds
6.
ffieffi ffiffi #r $*r*s t1;ai -r :*:, -;s* Wr
changed on f4, the classical 6...4e7 has
a certain logic. In this case, White can still seek to exchange off the dark bish-
rIr**
ops with 7.b3 0-0 8.4a3 Axa3 9
.Q)xa3, but then his knight finds itself
away from the action.
e*
7. Ac1-f4 In both cases White needs 5 moves to get his knights to d3 and f3. However, in the second case, if Black plays ...Ado - as he so often does - White has the option to exploit the weaknesses on the dark squares with Af4. Naturally this is only the case if the knight is still on h3, from where it can take the black bishop
without compromising White's
parvn
structure with gxf4. This also explains why the move hc3,
which is so common in other Dutch variations, is far less frequent here. From c3 the knight requires a minimum of four moves before it can exert its influence on the e5-square.
Ad6-e7!?
Paradoxical-looking, but in reality logical: the f4-square is no longer available for the h3 knight. On the other hand, after the natural move secuence 7...0-0 8.4d2 b6 9.trc1
AUz 1b.cxd5 exdSl (10...cxdS?! 11.o,c4 , and White has a clear advan-
tage) 11.6f3 Ae4 12.Wa4, White's prospects are slightly better.
8. ab1-d2 9. Wd1-c2
0-0 h7-h6!?
ffis tr** ffi t €*rffir EffiEffi
ffi
*i* #r** r*# ".ii
q lJt..
;:: il'+5
:€::.
''.'- gtls :9>
q*
.sa:.'4"
Atr*gffi$A lJ'g
Let's go back to
5. 6. 52
Ag1-h3 0-0
ex-
c7-c6
trffi
a
Dutch Defence
EilABe,A
The idea is to advance the g-pawn to 95, denying the f4-square to the knight; but Black may be in for a surprise:
ll
never pays
to be
dogmatic; White
does not waste a second and immediately occupies f4. There is no doubt that to exchange a beautifully-placed bishop for an undeveloped knight would make
many opening experts of the past turn in their graves, but in this position practice has shoum this to be the best move: tra8xb8 10. 11. Wd8-e8
... ah3-f4 12.6t4-d3
13.
Ae7-d6
ad2-f3
White's control of e5 would obfectively give White an edge, but after g7-g5!? 13. ... Black's counterplay needs to be taken
rffiffiffi ffir#rffi $c
ffi ffir€#rffi €*aag ffi ffi *#affiaffi A Ag;': A &A&
Having digressed to examine 5.4h3 at some length, it is now time to look at the move that is actually the most popuIar choice:
5. 6g1-f3
l.f l^
ffiAffiA
ffiaffisffiffitrffi
We are again at a signi{icant crossroads, marked by where Black decides to place his f8 bishop.
n)6.
Af8'e7 The Classical Stonewall, which was how it was almost exclusively played in the past, when it was considered important to avoid exchanging the bishop for its white counterpart on f4.
7. ab1-d2
seriously.
ffiaffisffieffi
putting the knight on c3 is perfectly playable, but incompatible with the strategic need to control As we said before,
the e5-square. 7.b31? aims to thematically exchange
the dark-squared bishops. However, in practice the position after 7...0-0 8.4a3
abdT 9.Axe7 WxeT 10.Abd2 1
1.Wc2 Abz is difficult ro denr.
7.
8.
0-0 Wd1-c2
,iia EffiEffi Eg r
flKrffi ffi
ffirffir #s
flK
which is usually followed by 5. c7-c6 Indeed, ir is difficult for Black nor to
ffi ffi*rffi rffi
play this move, even if he can postpone doing so for a short time.
-4 i:l
6.
0-0
E
ffi ##^iffirffi ffiatrs #$ ffii* *#ag$ ffi A#s
10. Af4xb8!
It
.,
,/ lr
I ffi
ffiAffiK '"i/,i ffi
affi AffigffiA ffie
;t-.f"
ti X;
-:.S;l
trg 53
b6
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
A useful move: the queen keeps an eye on the f5 pawn so that after a timely
Rare but promising.
cxd5 Black carlnot recapture with the e6 pawn.
8.
8. Wd8-eB The standard plan. The alternative move 8...b6!? is solid but passive.
9. Af3-e5 10. he5-d3 '11. ad2-f3
ab8-d7 Af6-e4 €98-h8 Black prepares for ...g5, while White's intention is trbl and then b2-b4-b5. White's plan seems to have a firmer positional base - in theory anyway - but in practice attacks against the king are difficult to deal with and they are ofren more effective than theory would give
0-0
7.
Ac1-f4
af6-h5
9. e2-e3
Ahsxf4
s...Agal?.
e3xf4
10. ab8-d7 And after I 1.Axd7 or 1 1.4d2 the uncharacteristic positions that arise would appear to favour White.
BD 7, Wdt-cz A flexible and always useful move.
This line does not have its own individual identity per se, and usually you will transpose to one of the following Iines.
them credit for.
B)
6.
Af8-d6
is the Modern Stonewall
- a frequent approach since the 1980's. On this square the bishop is more actively placed and the queen can be usefully deployed on e7, while the much-feared exchange of bishops on f4 is no longer considered to be so dangerous. In the position in the following diagram White has several playable alternatives E gre
I
6{&Si
:
Effi
54
favour of
7.
0-0
8. Wdl-c2 9. tra1-b1
6t6-e4
10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
E
rg* grs-
A. u\#k
A ffiKAffi FT d{'T #ffi E;#
7.
in
queenside expansion.
e
Affi
81)
Abandons control of e5
b2-b4!
b4-b5 Wc2xc3 c4xb5 Wc3-b3
Wd8-e7
Ac8-d7! Ae4xc3 c6xb5 Ef8-c8 a7-a6l
ffiEffi& ffie#ffi
rffiAlg ffir I ffi& ffirffi ffi ffi affirffirffi ffiffiffiffi ffi wffi #watr$ A ffi# ffi A ffi$AffK trffi ffffitrffi ffi# ffi
ffir n A
83) 7. Ab1-c3
6f3-e5!?
with sufficient counterplay for Black.
Dutch Defence
84) 7. Ab1-d2 8. 6f3-e5 9. ad2-fg 10. Wdl-c2 11. 6e5-d3
0-0 b7-b6!?
gc8-b7 Bd8-e7 ab8-d7 12.9.c1-t4 Af6-e4 and we have a complex position in which Black prepares to play the freeing
-
r**
g A E,. e €
#r€ I ffi
*r
*€Aa *i*
A A
tat '}i:
:^-..
{:
i:..t-.i
liiiill
{3* &
;::,-N& ;i'EI
...c6-c5 push.
i.:t= i-la;r-
^)
]u:
*#
I
*_:
ffi
With equal chances: the technically bad 85) 7. 9c1-f4 Ad6xf4! black bishop is headed fot g6 (after the The dark squares become permanently nade of the 6e5 with ...4d7) where it weak, but White's pawn structure is won't be inferior to its white counterpart. compromised.
8. g3xf4 9. e2-e3
0-0
9.
Af6-e4!
86) 7.
b2-b3
To exchange the bishop via a3.
Naturally, White has other options, but 7. Wd8-e7t this move reinforces the pawn structure The advantage of the modern approach and should be played sooner or later is that this move prevents - or more precisely delays
anyway.
Immediatelyoccupying
-
Aa3.
thisoutposthas 861) 8. a2-a4
Ied to the best results, even if it is also This line, which perseveres with the possible to continue development with idea of exchanging the bishop on a3, 9...abd7 or 9...4d7. has proved itself to be a bit lame. After 10. ab1-d2 8. a7-a5l -a3 As always it is best to exert force on the 9. Ac1 Ad6xa3 e5-square. 10. 0-0
10....
Ablxa3
6b8-d7
11.6d2xe4 11.8c2 Be7 l2.Eacl €h8 and Black prepares to push his pawn to 95, with ruce counterplay.
11....
13.6e1-d3
6b8-a6
geir{i x ;* axgilr A tr**rfi r :xr:?it la A €azFA*gg#tr := EI
f5xe4
12. at3-d2 So as to be able to recapture on f3 with the knight.
't2.... 13. f2-f3 14.6d2xf3 15.6f3-e5
11.8-sa3-c2 b7-b6! '12.6c2-e1! Ac8-b7
ad7-f6 e4xf3 Ac8-d7 Adz-eg
i.ri:,'
!ti::
f$i{t
A A :;::
::::;
.ts?:
55
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
VoIume
2
White's pawn structure is inflexible compared to other similar variations, and without the possibility of pushing his pawn to b4, White will have lots of problems feeding pieces into his queenside initiative.
862)
8. Ac1-b2 9. ab1-d2
A ){
0:f3-e5 Ac8-b7 Ea1-c1 a7-a5l 12. e2-e3 4.b8-a6
10. 11.
has given Black reasonable results.
853) 8. 6f3-e5! The most promising. White immediately makes the bishop on 92 operative and the move ...b6 becomes more difficult to play. He also reserves the option of a timely exchange on d5. 8. b7-b6!? Experience has taught us that if Black wishes to fianchetto on the queenside, it is best done immediately. The alternative move 8...0-0 is usually associated with the plan of ...4c8-d7-e8-h5, which, while playable,leaves Black with a passive position after the usual white manoeuwes of 6bt -d2-f3lAe5-d3. 9. c4xd5! e6xd5 9...cxdS? reveals the idea behind heS, which is l0.6c4l; the knight is immune from capture, and if the bishop flees to c7 we have 11.4a3, with a big plus.
Ac1-b2
10. Ac8-b7 11. Wd1-c2 Now you understand why Black delayed castling: if he had done so, the bishop would still be on c8, the queen on c2 would be attacking c6, and ...AbZ would leave the f5 paum hanging. 56
A AAA.' AZJEiI.
0-0 b7-b6!
F? rn,r E-E
it is, he can instead play g7-96 11.... Then follows 12. 0-o 13. c6-c5 14. Ab8-a6! Heading for the optimum unoccupied However,
as
ab1-d2 tral-c1 ad2-fg
e6-square. The resulting position has the ingredients for a fighting game typ-
ical of the Dutch: White will only be able to take small comfort from his 'theoretical' advantage, which will be difficult to demonstrate over the board.
Maroczy,Geza
Tartakower,savielly Teplitz-Schonau
1.d4 f5
2.d
1
922 (+)
3.6c3 AfG 4.a3 Ae7 5.e3 0-O 6.9d3 dS 7.afg c6 8.(}-O Ae4 9.Wc2 gd6 lO.bg ad711.Ab2 EfG 12.trfel trh6 13.s3 g'f6 14.4f1 95 15.trad1 94 15.6xe4 fxe4 17.ad2 trxh2 18.€xh2 Wxf2+ 19.sh1 6fG 20.8e2 Wxg3 21.ab1 ahs 22.9d2 gd7 23.trt2 wh++ 24.€s1 Ag3 25.Ac3 Axf2+ 26.gxf2 g3 27.Wg2 trf8 28.Ae1 Exfl+ 29.€xfl e5 30.€g1 Ag4 31.Axg3 Axs3 32.8e1 Afs 33.9f2 WgS 34.dxe5 Af3+ 35.*f1 6g3+ eG
0-1
Dutch Defence
8.Ag5 6lbd7 9.Ee1 Wg6 10.e4 fxe4
Glucksberg,B
Naidorf,Migud Warsaw 1930
4.4f3 d5 5.e3 c6 6.4d3 ad6 7.0-O 0-0 8.6e2 6ibd7 9.6g5 Axh2+ 10.€h1 As4 11.f4 We8 12.s3 WhS 13.€92 Agl 14.axg1 wh2+ 15.*f3 e5 15.dxe5 Adxe5+ 17.fxe5 6xe5+ 18.€f4 ag6+ 19.€f3 t4 20.ert4 ag4+ 21.&xg4 6e5+ 22.fxe5 h5X 0-1 1.d4 f5 2.eA at6 3.6c3 e6
11.hxe4 6xe4 12.9te7 Ee8 139h4 aef6 14.8c1 af8 15.9b3 a5 16.c5 a4 17.Wa3 tra6 18.4f1 4d5 19.cxd6 Exd6 20.trxc7 EbG 21.trc5 D.d7 22.trc4 Ef8 23.9g2 gfs 244e7 tre8 25.gd6 a7t6 26.4e5 gd7 27.8:xd7 6xd7 28.trxa4 47f6 29.9c5 trc6 30.Ea8 trcc8 31.Exc8 trxc8 32.Wf3 Wc2 33.9h3 treB 34.trxe6 €f7 35.Exe8 €xe8 36.Wf5 B'c1+ 37.€92 €f7 38.8'e5 €g6 39.AeO 1-o
BogoliuboqEfim Alekhine,Alexander
Yusupov,Artur Dgebuadze,Alexandre
Hasrings 1922 ( l0)
1.d4 f5 2.c4 a+6 3.93 e6 4.492 Ab4+ 5.4d2 Axd2+ 6.6xd2 Ac6 7.69f3 0-0 8.0-0 d6 9.9b3 sh8 10.Wc3 e5 11.e3 a5 12.b3 We8 13.a3 WhS 14.h4 o,9415.tr95 Adz 16.f3 Af6 17.t4 e4 18.Efdl h6 19.Ahg d5 20.af1 Q:e7 21.a4 4'.rci 22.trd2 Ab4 23.9h1 WeB 24.H92 dxc4 25.bxc4 9xa4 26.at2 9'd7 27.ad2 b5 28.4d1 6d3 29.trxa5 b4 3O.trxa8 bxc3 31.trxe8 c2 32.trxf8+
sh7 33.at2 clB+
34.6f1 6:e1 gbs 35.trh2 Wxc4 36.8b8 37.Exb5 38.g4 6f3+ 39.Axf3 exf3 'E9xb5 40.gxf5 We2 41.d5 €gB a2.h5 sh7 43.e4 6xe4 44.6xe4 Bxe4 45.d0 cxd6 46.f6 gxf6 47.trd2 9e2 48.trxe2 fxe2 49.€f2 exflW+W 50.*xf1 €g7 51.€f2 €lt7 52.€e3 €e6 53.€e4
d5+
o-1
Hebden,Mark
Williams,simon Newport Pagnell 2008 (4)
1.d4 eG 2.4f3 f5 3.g3 6f6 4.9g2 Ae7 5.0-0 O-0 6.c4 d6 7.4c3 We8
Cannes
n 2005 (4)
1.d4 e6 2.4f3 f5 3.s3 AfG 4s;g2 Ae7 5.c4 dG 6.0-0 0-0 7.Sc2 SeB 8.6c3 AcG 9.b3 Bh5 10.4a3 adg 11.d5 cG 12.Ead1 \tT 13.dxe6 Axe6 14.e3 trad8 15.4e2 Acg 16.4f4 Wh6 17.h4 694 18.Efe1 s5 19.hxg5 €xg5 20.trd2 9:t6 21.tredl Ae7 22.4h3 trde8 23.&g2 6ge5 24.6'd4 Ag5 25.gxf5 c5 26.9xc8 cxd4 27.Eh1 g'f6 28.9e6+ €hg 29.trxd4 d5 30.gb2 Aa3 31.Axa3 1-0
Anand,Viswanathan Nikolic,Predrag Wijk aan Zee 2000 (2)
Af6 3.4g2 e6 4.c4 d5 5.4h3 cO 6.0-0 AdG 7.8/c2 0-0 8.ad2 gd7 9.af3 Ae8 1o.Af4 h6 11.9b3 b5 12.Efc1 Ae7 13.cxd5 6xd5 149d2 g5 15.4e5 a5 16.e4 fxe4 17.A:xe4 tra7 18.f4 gxf4 19.€h1 AfG 20.Axf4 gd6 21.Afg6 Axg6 22.Axg6 trff7 23s:t4 6xt4 24.gxt4 Ag7 25.Wh3 EfG 26.trc3 1.d4 f5 2.g3
57
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
b5 41.8b8+ &h7 42.s4 Ha4 43 31.9d2 6c4+ 44.€f4 95+ 45.€93 Wc732.trd3 tre8 33.trd6 c5 34.6g4 46.8b7 €g6 47.af1 EaG t trff8 35.4xh6+ €hg 36.494 EdB gxh4+ 49.6xh4+ €g7 5O:l 3zg92 qldo 38.8h3+ €gB €96 51.4d4 ^ 39.9h7+ €f740.Ag6+ 1-o Wxd4 27.Wg2 trd7 28.8g1 29.8g3 B'a7 30.4e5 tre7
;i1H*i;,fr",il", (10) Leningradmatch lg33
l,H,iitt"t:,ffi
on,
5.992 c6 6.0-0 gd6^]. 7.b3
ou We7
4.trs2 9:e7 8.9b2 O-0 9.Abd2 bG 10.6e5 Ab7 5.6c3 d5 6.4f3 c6 7.0-0 0-O 8.b3 11.8c1 a5 12.e3 6a6 13.We2 6re4 We8 9.9b2 4llbd7 10.gd3 gh5 l4.Adfg Ac715.Ad3 a416.Afe5 c5 11.cxd5 exdS 12.4d2 ae4 13.f3 17.f3 AfG l8.trfdl tra719.Wc2 trfa8 6xc3 14.Axc3 t4 15.Efe1 gd6 20.tre1 axb3 21.axb3 Ea2 22.gb1 16.4f1 Ef717.e3fxg3 18.6xg3 gh4 E2a5 23.cxd5 exdS 24.6lt2 tra2 19.4f1 AfG Z}.tre2 Adz 21.9e1 25.Ah3 gG 26.g4 lxg4 27.3{xg4 WgS 22.Ag3 Axg3 23.6xg3 h5 AxeS 28.dxe5 6xg4 29.6xg4 WgS 24.f4 Efg4 25.Ht2 h4 26.4f3 hxg3 30.tre2 d4 31.trg2 €g7 32.f4 WfS 27.Axgagxf2+ 28.€g2 6xg429.h3 33.gxf5 gxfS 34.trg3 Exb2 1.d4 e6 2.eAt5 3.g3 Af6
^f630'€xf26e4+
o'1
::3r":r:JI;?=E fr',,lgirT 0.1
":::"*" Niksic 1983 (2)
1.d4 eG 2.4 tS 3.g3 hf6 4.9g2 d5 5.4f3 Ae7 6.0-0 O-o 7.b3 c6 8.Wc2
Ad7 9.Ab2 AeB 10.4e5
AbdT 11.4d3 9hS 12.6c3 Ad6 13.f3 Ag6 14.e3 trc8 15.We2 Ee8 16.Wt2 a6 17.Eac1 We7 18.trfe1 gf8 19.tredl dxc4 20.bxc4 c5 21.4f1 Atl22.aa4 cxd4 23.exd4 b5 24.cxb5 axb5 25.6ac5 b4 26.8e1 We7 27.Ah3 WdB 28.6xb4 Wa5 29.hc6 Wxa2
30.Axd7 32.Eed1
6xd7 31.d5 E9,xd5 9c5 33.Exd5 Axf2+
34.€xf2 exdS 35.Axf5
Ab6 36.Axc8 6xc8 37.9a3 h6 38.trb1 EeG 39.4d4 tra6 4O.Ac5 Ad6 58
HT:ffi?ff"", 1.afg d5 2.d4 eG 3.c4 cG 4.g3 BdG 5.4g2 f5 6.0-0 Af6 7.Wc2 0-O 8.6c3 Ae4 9.trb1 Ad7 10,b4 a6 11.a4 We7 12.b5 axbS 13.axb5 6xc3 l4.Wxc3 Ea4 15.4g5 We8 16.4d2 ghs 17.Af4 Axf4 18.gxf4 AfO 19.bxc6 bxc6 20.tra1 Exal 21.Exa1 6e4 22.We3 6xd2 23.Bxd2 Ad7 24.we3 trb8 25.We5
We8 26.h3 Ea8 27.trb1 EfcS 28.gd6 Ae8 29-Eb3 gd7 30.we5 gf8 31.€h2 EdB 32.c5 EaB 33.8b8 Ha7 34.4f3 €g8 35.4h5 gG 36.Af3 Wf737.Ec8
Wd738.gb8
r-o
It is true that 2.e4 has some theoretical dignity as an answer to the Dutch which indeed aims to make e4 as difficult as possible to play. This is because after 1...f5 the pawn sacrifice is justified
In the Queen's Pawn Game, White will usually respond to 1...d5 or 1...hf6 by either immediately playing 2.c2-c4 or sometimes doing so after first making the solid move 2.6f3 . However, sometimes the idea of entering into a highly theoretical duel is not appealing, and White can choose from a number of reasonable alternatives in which he simply goes about developing his pieces without 'wasting time'with the c2-c4 advance. These alternatives offer White less control of the centre. but this is compensated for by the fact that the resulting positions are generally easier to play and do not require you to stay up to date with the latest novelties.
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
1. d2-d4
d7-d5
Here White can play the heretical
2.
e2-e4
Effi$Affi€ffiAffi
ffirffi ffirflrar ffiffi#*ffi ffi ffiffirffiffi ffiffiAffiffi ffiffiffiffiffi ffiffi
AffiAffi ffiAffi
ffiaffiwffiaffitr
Hang on, there must be a mistake! Doesn't Black play 1...d5 in order to make 2.e4 imoossible?
by the resulting weakening of
Black's
kingside. However, the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is another kettle of fish entirely. If this
gambit were sound, it would completely change the way we view the Queen's Pawn Game as a whole. And this it most certainly does not do. Even with best play White does not gain an advantage of any sort, and indeed he must usually struggle even to maintain equality.
You may then well ask why the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit attracts so marry enthusiasts lf it ls such a disaster (no grandmaster fans, if the truth be told). Indeed, there must be something to recommend it. Otherwise it would not have inspired the many books that have been
entirely dedicated to it, not to mention the many respected defences that carry
the names of great players of the past who believed the gambit to be sufficiendy problematic to merit their attention. Despite all this, the latest edition of ECO has seen fit to make no reference of any sort to the Blackmar-Diemer. The gambit's appeal is that it brings back memories of the Romantic School of play, which still has many devotees, especially at lower levels of competition. One of the virtues of the BlackmarDiemer is that it produces lively and entertaining games, and brilliant victories bv White are not uncorunon. To summarise:2.e4?l may not be objectively sound, but it can still be a deadly 59
Chess Opening Essentiols
weapon
-
Volume
in quick games, and
even
2
in
a
long game its surprise value can lead to
Let's look at the posirion: Black has no weaknesses, but White enjoys a good
fatal errors by Black.
space advantage and open lines;
Let's have a look at some of the variations:
tion his pieces are ready to be developed actively: bishops on c4 and 95,
2.
d5xe4
For the faint-hearted there is always the
choice to transpose to the Caro-Kann with 2...c6, or to the Frenchwith 2...e6.
3. Abl-c3
6g8-f6 One thing that is sure to sadden
rooks on
fl
in addi-
and e1. Isn't this enough to
justify the gambit? To repeat, the answer is still probably no. However, opinions do differ, and at rimes they are expressed with an almost religious
the hearts of devotees of this opening is the
fervour! Now we
dreary possibility that Black will respond with 3...e5!?, which leads to arid equality after the queen exchange that follows 4.dxe5 (the other fourth move alternatives do not impress). As an antidote to this, some creative players have tried playing 2.Q:8 and 3.e4 only after
The Bogoliubow Defence.
2...4f6
With the insidious idea of Wh+
has been played. However, rhe
solution to one problem has created yet a bigger one: 3...4xe4! (instead of the mechanical 3...dxea) gives Black the advantage.
4. I2-t3
have a quick glance at the three most common defensive options:
A)
4. 5.
*
*gq
ffi
;"j.{
A
60
tr$
##affi
and
9. We1-h4 10. Ac1-e3 11. Eflxf3 12. d4-d5
hb8-c6! Ag4xf3 e7-e5!
6c6-d4!
and Black has an edge.
5. e7-eo The solid Euwe Defence.
ffirffi I
ffiffi ffi ffiffi ffiffi *ffi
Af8-s7 0-0
B)
- ]gNEffi effi
ffi rffi
g7-96
then Ah6 and Ag5. 8. Ac8-g4 The most natural: Black plans to eliminate the f3 knight and in doing so, indirectly applies pressure on d4.
e4xf3
Ag1xf3
5.
6. Af1-c4 7, 0-0 8. Wdl-e1
Here is the idea: White hopes to get compensation by opening the f-fiIe. For those who like a quiet life, 4...e3 is a good alternative.
will
ffis
ffi*Affi H*a !"nL: #li ffiw ffia#ffi FI
6. Acl-95 7. gf1-d3
Af8-e7 c7-c5!
This is likely to be the best: to respond with a policy of passivity risks giving White concrete compensation.
8. d4xc5
Wd8-a5
Immediately taking back with the bishop allows the irritating move 9.6e4.
| .d2-d4 Queen's Pown Game without c2-c4
9.
Wa5xc5+ ab8-d7 White has some compensation but it is
We should remember that White can also try to play this gambit against
not clear exactly how much.
and in this case we do not advise 7.6)c3 d5 3.e4, which as we have seen is good
10.
0-0
€g1-h1
C) 5.
Ac8-g4 The Teichmanl Defence is the most popular: to take the pressure off with some piece exchanges seems the most logical way to proceed.
6. h2-h3
Ag4xf3
ALso possible is 6...4h5 7.ga A96 8.4e5 e6 9.Ag},with an unclear game. 7. Wd1xf3
1.
6g8-f6
for Black after 3...hxe4!. prefer the curious-looking
2.
f2-131.?
- ffira ffie fr& :Fii& ffi rgffi rffi rffi I t$** ffi
-ffi :iJ\*i i7 \".
Attacking b7.
c7-c6
7.
8.
gf3-f2!?
Defending the d4 pawn with the queen
instead of with the natural 8.4e3 a]lows for a more active development of the bishop to g5 or f4.
e7-e6
8.
9. gf1-d3 10. 0-0
Af8-e7 ab8-d7
10...0-0 is too riskv: 11.9h4 abdT 12.4g5 with concrete threats. 11. Ac1-g5 h7-h6 12.9g5-d2 Wd8-c7
ffir*affirffi wr$€rfr$ i!rr
::!:::: it; i{.:
il, ".:"*t< ?g
:;
t
.l
clAS AH'
X :4{i ;'-j'; A ffia** ,\ fa-f Ari4{iH A ;7s€ 41
ez_.lH
sffi ELIJ H
Nowwith the natural
2. 3. e2-e4t? 4. 6b1-c3
d7-d5 d5xe4
we transpose to the Blackmar-Diemer and White has sidestepped the loathed drawish 3...e5 variation, which we discussed at the beghning of this section.
ffi A
1. d2-d4 2. Ac1-95
d7-d5
g$affisffia *re rare ffirffi
A
JF
ffi ffi
Preparing to castle queenside, after which it looks like White does not have enough compensation.
a--S
I
'!-=-€
-.*"". ,)R ri ll * *:, ),8.,"" A -:rs. n .14,-
:"*",1 lf'' :ili$tt /a\ i:";l wr i,l:,
Pseudo-Trompowsky
E
:.i
Rather we
A
A
wffiffi ffiffirw ffi s# ds ##
ffiff$**
i*i** ffi:$ t\ :l
a:a_s ffiAffiAffiAr-: affi$sffiaffi ts-
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
This favourite of many Engllsh grandmasters (most notably Adams, Miles and above all Hodgson) is yet another way to stay off the beaten path. Com-
Veresov
1. d2-d4 2. 6b1-c3 3. Ac1-95
pared to the true Tlompowsky, in which the black knight is on f6, the bishop seems to be biting on air. White's plan is that if Black plays 2...c5, he will respond with 3.dxc5!a Queen's Gambit Accepted with an extra move - and after 2...4f6 fans-
d7-ds
6g8-f6
EAAS€-*
rt 1,:*-.l Er fi ,,'f
:: ,--1t.. g ,:.t;
pose to the Trompowsky with
l::t:
t,, & ,r.,i ..li: 'ni,
:::,
3.Axf6.
Af\ a ll, A
^ i'i: A
Experience has shown that Black's best
E:
-g€
.i;::
A A
.&
rJl
^;
plan is
h7-h6
2.
which kicks the bishop further away from the queenside, and after the retreat
3.
Ag5-h4
play
3. so as to
c7-c6! queen activate the on the
queenside.
4.
e2-e3 4.4f3 gb6 5.Wcl is a oawn sacrifice: after 5...g5 6.A93 g4 7.Q)eS Wxd4 8.ca Ag7 9.e3, the amount of compensation is unclear
4. 5. Bd1-cl 6. Ag1-f3
Wd8-b6 e7-e5!
The pawn is now immune from capture: 6.dxe5?? gb4+ and goodbye to the h4 bishop.
6. 7. Af3-d2 8. Ah4-g3 9. c2-c4
e5-e4
Af8-e7 h6-h5!?
h5-h4 with an odd position that offers chances to both sides. 6Z
In a fashion similar to the Spanish, White applies pressure to the black knight in preparation for central expansion - in this case by pushing his pawn to e4. However, here the plan would appear to be more difficult to execute than in its mirror version without reverting to fairly radical measures such as playing
the pawn to f3. tf you just think that with his second move White has already ignored the dogma of not blocking the c-pa\lTr when playing the Queen's Pawn Game, it is easy to understand why the Veresov was viewed with some scepticism
- in the beginning
at least.
However, this opening enjoys a certain popularity in an era in which it seems that virtually anything is playable: a period marked bv the search for unexplored territory that may offer a chance for creativity. Needless to say, with correct play, Black will have no problems achieving equality, but he still needs to stay on his toes; the Veresov should not
be underestimated (after all you
are
looking at the Chigorin Defence with
a
I.d2-d4 Queen's Pown move in hand). When Black confronts
rightly or wrongly are considered doubtful, it is easy to be defences that
overly ambitious and to aggressively try to exploit a perceived advantage that does not really exist. At this point, the natural 3...e6 turns
into a
Classical French after White
plays 4.e4, and therefore other continuations could be more appropriate:
A)3.
c7-c5 Playable but risky: and now we are really looking at a Chigorin with reversed
colours where the bishop is already usefirlly developed on g5.
4.
Reaching a position in the Chigorin variation (3.4f3 9g4 4.cxd5 Axf3 5.gxf3 €lxds 6.e3 e6), with the difference that White, with a move to the good, has already castled queenside; in the mirror-image Chigorin position White is generally considered to be slightly better of{, but here the extra move for White produces equality.
B)
c7-c6
3.
A flexible and logical continuation: it defends the d5 pawn with the intention
of transferring the queen to
the queenside, which is weakened by the bishop's absence. 12-13
4.
9g5xf6
4.e3 has not produced satisfactory results.
4. 5.
Gome without c2-c4
g7xf6!
e2-e3! 5.e4 dxe4 6.dxc5 f5! and Black has
a
The most ambitious. The alternative a.Axf6 exf6 5.e3 f5 does not give Whitemuch. gd8-b6 4. 5. gd1-d2!?
problem-free game.
5. 6.
c5xd4 Wd1xd4 5.exd4 h5! (stops WhS) 7.9f3 e6 8.0-0-0 Dc6 9.Q-:ge2 h4 and possession of the two bishops compensates for the
ffi EWe ffi ffi I ffiffire rffi I ffi rffi ffi* w
poor pawn structure.
€
6. 7. 0-O-O 8. wd4-h4
e7-e6 4-.:b8-c6
E
ffi
ffi
ffiE &ffi
rffi ffirffir ffiaffirffi ffirffirffi
ffi
ffirffi
ffi
ffi
ffi
Affi g& ffiffi A ffi AffiA ffis PT
ffi
Uffi
ffiffi effi
f6-f5
EffiAffigffi
ffi
5.Eb t is too passive.
5.
6. tral-b1 7. e2-e4 8. gf1-d3 9. Qtgl-e2
BbSxbZ BbZ-ag e7-e6 Af8-e7
White continues with e5 and f4, with a kingside advantage that should compensate for being a pawn down. 63
Chess Opening Essentiols
C) 3.
-
Volume
2
E AHs3.
Ac8-f5
,l f 'tAtrl.l,l
A natural move, but one which exposes the bishop to attack by a pawn push to
e4 or 94; otherwise, it may be
, .;l* :'::
ex-
E ,r..-
lr:r'-" A
changed off after Ad3.
A
4. f2-f3
6
This is the most popular choice also After the capture 4.Axf6 gxf6!? 5.e3 e6 6.69e.-2 c5 7.493 A96 S.ha h6, the position is balanced yet strategically
t,t.t.
AAA AAAA tr rr:.rWgAA E
here.
D1) 4. gd1-d3
complex.
Artificial-looking, but nor without
c7-c5 This is the most thematic move: how-
logic: the queen supports e4 and pre-
4.
pares queenside castling.
ever, 4...4bd7, which allows 5.6xd5
6xd5
6.e4, and then 6...h5!, is play-
able: 7.Ah+ Aes g.Wd: Axft 9.exf5 Ac5! 10.Wc3!. with an unclear siruation. 5. e2-e4 d5xe4
6. gf1-b5+ 7. d4xc5 8. Wdl-e2
gA.A
tempt to punish White's contrived development; after 5.e4 cxd4 6.Wxd4 e5 7.Wa4, it is not clear how both players should best proceed.
5. e2-e4 d5xe4 6. Ac3xe4 Af6xe4
af5-d7 gd8-a5
EA BE :' l:':::A l.ltl
7.
E
ir
c7-c6
4.
The most solid. 4...c5!? is a violent at-
Wd3xe4
This is a Caro-Kann structure. but here the missing knights and White's poorly
coordinated pieces make Black's job easier.
gd8-b6!
7.
E 'rAl.'a::gg, iE. I gr I ,,r,,.l.6t I ,il' I .&
AW
And we have a rich position that offers opportunities to both players.
D)
3.
The most popular move, yet not necessarily the strongest. It prevents a doubled pawn on f6, but the knight is a little passively placed on this square. o+
ri
AAAAAA A'JA H H
.6-/hr\H 'IAA WH.4JH
With the venomous idea. il the event of 8.0-0-0?, to play 8...Wa5, picking up the a2 pav,'n. Given that 8.b3 is too awful ro
1.d2-d4 Queen's Pown Gome without c2-c4 be taken into consideration. there does not remain anything worthwhile but
8. Ag5-c1
ad7-f6
And Black should be happy with the way things are going.
9.e6 is a vain attempt to extract some-
thing from the opening:
rav.
DD 4. t2-t3
6d7xf6 Af8-g7
9.
As always, this is the most direct, but here it looks less effective than in Variations B and C. 4.
c7-cG
The most played, but 4...c5 is a good thematic move: 5.e4 cxd4 (taking the e-pawn gives White promising play after 6.d5!) 6.Axf6t Axf6 7.Wxd4 dxe4
S.gbs+ Adz, wlth complex play. 5. e2-e4 d5xe4 6. f3xe4 e7-e5 it is also possible to immediately play 6...Wa5 7.e5 6e4 8.af3l. wirh an un-
10. gdl-d4
With optimum dark square control: it is significant that the chess engines show a
slight preference to Black.
Ds) 4.
Ag1-f3
Unambitious-looking, but it is not as imocuous as it would first appear to be. g7-gG
4.
After 4...h6 5.9h4 e6, White can gambit a pawn with 6.e4!? g5 7.4g3 Axe4 8.Axe4 dxe4 9.4d2 Ag7 10.hal Axda 11
.c3,
with unclear
play.
5. e2-e3 6. gf1-d3 7. 0-0
certarn game
7.
9...fxe6
10.4c4 Aa3! (an odd-looking move that puts White in crisis) 1 1.Wb1 Ae5 12.4b3 and White's pieces are in disar-
d4xe5
7.6f3 exd4, with equality.
if8-g7 0-o
Wd8-a5!
7.
A'g He *r xat rffl.tr,.r E'i-:
5l
.:l
l t;.,. g $ * ;ll:, ir* a** fiAl A AL\ A:i::..w.;.a. tre
.:i'ar:
=*.
€
:..
A
::=:
AA =,= -ri\ F? :B:&
JI]
7. So as to take on e5 with the knight without allowing a queen exchange.
8. The move
for White
Ag5xf6 8.6f3 only
as
8. 9.
creates problems
it is met by 8...4xe4.
g7xf6 e5xf6
*l'
:':.'.
ta* c7-c5
Or
otherwise, more solidly, 7...c6 8.8e1 tre8 9.e4 dxe4 l0.Axe4 Axe4 1 l.Exe4 Afe , with a balanced position. 8. trfl-el h7-h6 9. Ag5-h4 a7-a6l? 10. e3-e4 c5xd4 11. Ac3xd5! 65
_
Chess Opening Essenrials
Volume
2
l1.4xd4?
dxe4 12.6xe4 Axe4 l3.Axe4 Ac5 14.c3 Axe4 I 5 Ex; ;; t6.A93 f5 followed Uv f+ ,"a eT".i'n-.,
a
9:H"r Afs e.gh4 Ac6 10.Ah6 6g4 It.$1sz €xs7 12.h3 6es is.Jj 'eril ?:10 14.6s5 h6 rs.a_iz
plus.
1
1.
...
t
6f6xd5 6d7-t6
e4xdi 13.4f3xd4 Wd8xd5 With equal possibilities for both colours. 12.
D4) 4. e2-e3 This can lead into the previous varia_ tion, but this way White has ,fr. of the push f2-f4. "pii"., 4.
After +...e6,' the ,n".0?1;nl"r.
j-gfr,
with
queenstde
mind.
5. t2-t4t? 6. 6g1-f3 7. Af1_d3 8. o-0 9. Ea1_b1
is
."rrfr"f ,"
Af8-g7 O_O
c7_c5
gd8_b6
6.sxf7 axf 1 r z.sxfr
*r# r'i.slii
wh8 19.9e3 Axc2 2o.gf3-g;;; 2t.ghr 6eS 22.Eel Axg4 is]rni pxsa 24.wds+ zs.&oz-i'eJd 26.9xc7gh4+ "e Borrdick,Karl Heinz Arkhangelsky,Boris
t
Dresden 2003 (2),
2rs ds 3.e4
dxe4 4.Ac3 11 ?f6 efll.axrs as4 6.h3 a_rc z.slii g6 _B.Ae3 e6 e.Ad3 ail; ,o.j:i tf.e{z
fef-
rs;"i
0-0 l2.Eafr
"s +d1_ _:s rs.a,xre+-txid 1. g6 ro_.se4 17.Exf6 exd4 lg.Exf7 af6. 1e.Se6 gxfT ae4 22.Ads acs ]t.g.fl24&et Af6 2E.Ee7 grg !d: WxfT 27.Axrz gs ee.os:;i ^z!.Ufz jr.es6 h4 30.as
::*
20;";-ffi
d;;
s"8 ??to s"i ads 33.sf3 Efd;;.;;; :1-*f2 -rlo 6f4 35.Hxa76xg6
g6.b6
Miladinovic,fgor Bnrno,Fabio
And both players have chances.
.: Ellrich,Jochen Khenkin,Igor lld1.r"burg2007 (z) I 119: 2.e4 dxe4 s.0"", arc 4is exfs S.hxf3 g6 6.Ac4 egz z.o_b oli
-
66
s.ah4 c6 4.613 *ff1l:rufl. s-.Wcl g5 6.ag3 g; ,.a;;
.Hog.
Yrd4 8.e3 WcS s.c4 egi 1;:;;; Ae6 n.aaz 9:T. tr,axc4 abdT r+.as aei;;.#; la-Ads 16.8c2 ads lz.aue a;;; 5!9 Wxes 1e.6ct a"+ zojiz la,fee
ai
F9l
ees 22.s"1-E;; llwbl Wxcs 24.ads
ad6 2b.s;; 33f-9 26.Eac1 Excl r?E;;;G;;; 28.9f4 0-0 29.Ac5 gb3 E_c2.
3o;;;
I.d2-d4 Queen's Pown
6,c4 31.4c5 AdG 32.Ae3
1i,c4
33.4c5 Edg 34.4f2 6e5 3S.Axe7 Ed4 36.6e4f5 37.Wg3 o-1
Game without c2-c4
Chernyshov, Konstantin Beliavsky,Alexander
r."I.UHT.;'"'; i?r.unu Morozevich,Alexander
Kramnik,Vladimir Astana 2001 (5)
1.d4 d5 2.4g5 c6 3.6f3 hG 4.9h4 gb6 5.b3 Af5 6.e3 eG 7.Ad3 9xd3 8.Wxd3 Ae7 9.Axe7 6:xe7 1O.c4
ad7 11.4c3 0-0
12.0-O
13.trfd1 Efds 14.trab1 bG
E9'a6
ls.gfl
af6 fl.4.e5 dxc4 18.6xc4 6ed5 19.trc2 6xc3
EacS 16.8d2
20.trxc3 c5 21.dxcS b5 22.6e5 Ae4 23.trd3 24.Exd8+ ExdS
4d2
et;E.t
hxfl
26.Exd8+ sh7 2zc6
s6 4.Axr6
exf6 5.Wd3 f5 6.893 9s7 7.Abb ha6 8.8a3 c5 9.dxc5 0-O 10.e3 We7 11.6d5 6xc5 12.Wxc5 Ed8 13.0-O-O Wxd6 l4.Wxd6 Exd6 15.4f3 b5 16.4d4 b4 17.4e2 Ae6 18.8d3 a5 19.trhdl a4 20.9f3 EaS 21.a3 bxa3 22.Exa3 EbG 23.c3 Af8 24.b4 Ea8 25.€d2 t4 26.Eda1 fxe3+ 27.txe3 Ad7 2g.gxds Ee8 29.9f1 Ee7 30.&d3 Ag7 31.e4 Ae8 32.Ha2 Ec7 33.Eb1 Af8 34.b5 a3 35.c4 AcS 36.6,c2 Ea7 37.trba1 €97 38.trxa3 9xa3 39.Exa3 Ec7 40.4d4 Eb8 41.8a6 €f8 42.bG EcS 43.€c3 1-O
67
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
for the knight, if Black allows it, or otherwise to 'lose' a tempo relocating it after
2...4e4.
The Trompowsky Opening continues to
be a popular choice against the Nimzo-/Queen's Indian and King's Indian/Griinfeld. After 2...e6. White will play 3.e4, whereas against 2...g6, the ideal response is 3.Axf6. However, it is important to note that these continuations do not necessarily give an ob-
jective advantage to White. Nonetheless, we can safely say that the resulting
positions are not generally to the taste
of a black player who plays these well-studied openings, hoping to have
an advantage by virtue of their better knowledge of theory.
Ignoring Lasker's advice to develop knights before bishops! However, in this era of great pragmatism these maxims are often disregarded. This opening first came to light in the 1930's and it is the brainchild of the Brazfian champion Octavio Tiompowsky. It remained a rarity until the 1980's, when it was used with ever more frequency by many English players (in particular by Hodgson) who wanted to get away from
book and play something that
gave
greater scope to the imagination; as a result, the Trompowsky was to become the
most popular
of the so-called minor it is difficult to
lines. So much so that
imagire Black being taken aback by the opening anFnore, and the time is ripe for experimental players to look for greener pastures if they wish to surprise their adversaries.
With his second move White shows that he intends to exchange his bishop 68
Now we have come to Black's principal responses in order of ascending frequency:
A)
g7'96
2.
3.
Ag5xf6!
Not forced, but
as
we have said, it is the
most thematic.
3.
e7xf6
EffiEffi effi
ffirrer #ffirffiffi I
ffiffiffi r5€ r ffiffiffi ffiffi
ffiffi$
ffiffi ffiffiffi AffiAW AffiA
ffi
7\
ffia#ffis ffiAffi 4. e2-e3 5. 691-e2l? The bishop
will
Af8-97
be fianchettoed.
Trompowsky Opening
5. ... 6. s2-s3 7. Af1-g2 8. c2-c4
f6-f5 0-0 d7-d6 ab8-d7
8...c5!?, looking for counterplay on the dark squares; it is more aggressive yet at the same time more risky.
9. 0-0
ad7-f6
10. 11.
c7-c6 Ef8-eB
E
ffi :1*
ffi
4b'l-c3 b2-b4 s* E .H
ss#e
gFi:$
Ir&* $*Si ffi I ffir $re ffi *rffi
+"' ! IP'"" -
s:m
l'+{, 2\n '}\e
fis blir
ffi
a\
A
$b €
?{6
The most aggressive response and also
the most ambitious: Black
queenside dark-square complex, which has been weakened by the bishop's absence. As is so often the case in opening play, White can choose berween a solid and an aggressive continuation the same validity.
-;,
q) :?.R'ial ag$
with more or less
81) 3. Ag5xf6 g7xf6 With a pawn already on c5 and the resulting weakness on d5, this seems to be the only way to take the bishop.
gd8-b6
4. d4-d5
I
* ;tt*;
5. Wdl-cl
Without the dark-squared bishop the b2 pawn sacrifice, typical of the variation that immediately follows, does not make sense.
5. Black is not without resources, however, a typical King's Indian or Griinfeld (Z .g6) player would rather have a more dynamic position. It is probably for this reason that White's results are so good, considering they are not really justified by the objective merits of his position. B)
2. E
*
c7-c5
ffi A TlF sffiffi
I ffi- $rerffir
**i*
€
ffiffi **ffi ffi ** #* ffiffi a,{S: AffiAffi :,
ffi
f/ \i
){
s...Ahe l? 6.e3 (the bishop cannot be taken, excluding an exchange sacri-
fice by the al rook) 5...f5 7.g3 e5!? with an atypical position that can not be easilv assessed.
6. 92-93 7. c2-c3
,\ fJ"-$ltr q) a@i E
ffiAffi$tr
AI8-57 d7-d6
8. Af1-s2 ab8-d7 9. 6g1-h3! ad7-16 10. ab1-d2
E
-
ffi K*
<.
"r::
f6-f5
or
.'-,'-
#it* ;itr'
ffiAffiE ;:\:
II IT:
rffiffi rffirffiI ffiffi #ftffi r ;;"i
ffiAffi
Fl F;
w ffiffi
ff >'.;'
*-\ *i
i{t3?
;A
establishes
counterplay on the
ffig,*
:& q
,:n,- :Jse */ dl VJ^ ffiAffi* ES :i3: 3ffi ,n,
O
pe
w i{i{" e
69
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
You would think that possession of c4 and f4 would give some type of advantage to White, but practice has revealed
At this point, if Black wants a fight, the
this position to be highly complex and
Ae4-d6! 6. t2-t3 7. e2-e4 Af8-g7 with a timely ...f5, producing
Black also has excellent chances.
B.2) 3. d4-d5 is the move that seeks the most: White worsens his kingside dark-square weaknesses, but he gains space and gives some life to the 95 bishop; the price to be paid is the sacrifice of the b2 pawn.
3.
6f5-e4
best move is
g7-96!?
5.
counterplay against White's centre. The positions that result are double-edged and thus give chances to both players.
c)
2. d7-d5 Black is not worried about doubling his
Vaganian Gambit 4.6c3! Wxb2 5.4d2. This gambit's soundness is still open to debate, but it has given White
pawns and plays this normal pawn move so as to stop e2-e4. This move, which was not well liked in the past, is now seen as one of the simplest means to gain equality when playing against
great results after 5...Wb6 6.e4 d6
the Trompowsky.
The thematic move 3...9b6 allows the
4. ag5-f4
gd8-b6
7
.f4.
3. 9g5xf6
4...e6 5.f3 Ad6!? is a rarely played but promising alternative.
5.
af+-cr
EAEB€E €' 1f I: t:l I.l
!
AAAAAAA ACSA CIlJAA
EA:,:.9€AAtr The most consistent and popular. However, Black's good performance after
this move has increased interest in Paradoxical but excellent: White has used three of his last 5 moves to move his bishop, only to find it on its original
square; however, Black's piece place-
ment favours White's development, which with f3 and e4 will take control of the centre.
After the alternative 5.4d2, the move 5...Wxb2l? appears to be good. 70
3.e31?,
to which the best reply may be
the ambitious 3...c5
c1)
3.
!
?.
g7xf6
This recapture produces a central pawn phalanx ready to contribute to the ambitious plan of creating play on the dark squares with the pawn push to c5. The downside of this is a certain weakening
. of the kingside, in hS-square. 4. c2-c4l
particular
Stopping Black's plan to push his
tocS. 4. Themostactive. 5. e2-e3 5. Af1 xc4 7. e3xd4
the
pawn
d5xc4! c7-c5 c5xd4 Ab8-c6
Trompowsk/ Opening
It may appear contradicrory to open up play having jusr conceded the bishop pair, but if White does not put pressure on the cenrre ir is difficult to imagine him gaining any type of advantage. Sometimes this push is postponed: after
5.g3 c6 6.A92 0-0 7.de2 f5 8.0-0 ad7 9.adz dfe to.c+ dxc4, Black has active play ro compensate for his compromised pawn srrucrure.
After 7...497, rhe move 8.9hstz is inS. teresting, with the weakness on the Obviously.
d5xc4!
kingside becoming more
0-0 c7-c6
8. 691-e2 9. 6b1-c3 10.0-0 11. d4-d5
apparenr. Af8-97 0-0 f6-f5 6c6-e5
6. Af 1xc4 7. 6b1-c3 L Asl-f3 9. 0-0 10. Wd1-c2
AbB-d7 f6-f5
ad7-t6
12. Ac4-b3
-
Etg
f i:.:
=*lg ,:a,..aa:a:
l:i.::"
:- rA "ElJ, ,\ ** vl f] $ltr a\ (lE
,rr
::,t;,
And we have a dynamically balanced It is not completely clear to what extent game. possession of the bishop pair and more active piece play compensate for Black's D)
2.
e7-eo
problems with his pawn structure.
3.
C2) e7xf6 This solid move is the most played. In this way Black maintains a more compact kingside pawn structure and the f8 bishop is ready to be developed.
4. e2-e3
gf8-d6
The most natural.
5.
c2-c4 71
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Vo|ume
2
Black wishes to maintain a healthy pawn structure without the risks involved with playing 7...6e4. 3. e2-e4l This is the move that is most in keeping with the spirit of the opening. White takes possession of the centre at the cost
of conceding the dark bishop, which is certainly not going to perturb a Trompowsky playei. 3.6f3 transposes to the TorreAttack, which we examine next. 3. h7-h6 is the most consistent. The experimen-
White, who will have difficulty contestirg this control without his dark-squared bishop. Strangely, as a result
of these
factors,
opening up the position favours both players! Yet another reminder of how often generalisations prove to be unhelpful; each position should be assessed on the basis
of its individual
-
and often unique
-
characteristics.
tal 3...c5!? 4.e5 h6 5.Acll 6hztZ may also have a promising future. 4. Ag5xf6
White now has three main ways to proceed. Given that 5.4f3 - though oft played - lacks punch (a performance of well below S0%); it would appear that without the f2-f4 advance White can-
Obviously forced.
not hope to gain any type of advantage.
4.
gdgxf6
EffiE**€FE €" rffirerffirre
ffi ffirffi ffiffiffi WffiAffiffi
ffiffiffiffi AffiAffi
ffig AffigffiAffitr
D1) 5. Ab1-c3 A normal developing move that is not as popular as it once was; probably because of the response
5.
af8-b4l
The move 5...d6 leads us back into Vari-
ation D3.
gd1-d3 On 6.Wd2 c5! 7.a3 Axc3 8.bxc3 d6
6.
creates
a
promising position. c7-c5!
6. We have now reached the most important position in the Trompowsky, which
surface appears to be simple enough, but which in fact hides unexpected strategic complexities. There are two contndictory dynamic factors: on one hand, White's superior development, which will improve even more given the unhappy placement of Black's queen on f6: on the other hand, Black's pair of bishops - which guarantees good prospects on the dark squares - could soon prove to be a problem for
on the
72
7.
e4-e5l
This move
is now playable as the
f5-square is controlled. 7.
Wf6-e7
9. 0-O-O 10.6c3-e4
9b4-a5 c5xd4 Aa5-c7
8. a2-a3
The position is complicated now; and both White and Black have chances.
DD 5. gd1-d2 An attempt to improve on the previous
variation: White prepares
to
castle
Trompowsky Opening
queenside, and at the same time the queen controls f4; he delays hc3 in order ro stoo ...4b+. 5.
d7-d6 Also here 5...c5!? is a playable alternative: afrer 6.e5
gd8!
7.d5 exds 8.Wxd5
Wbe, we have a position in which not obvious who stands better. 6. 6b1-c3 97-95
it
is
EAA BE E . r I ':...'l ,': 'llg I
:rl:,:. '-. ::: AAT t\ t4\
AA
Ag
EAA
€AA
E
An 'ugly' move, that appears to be anti-positional. Perhaps, but Karpor', Topalov and Leko have all played it, which automatically means it cannot be too bad
a
move!
Its objective is predominantly prophyIactic; experience has taught us that after any other normal move by Black, 7.f4! will give White attacking chances notwithstanding the absence of the dark-
squared bishop. However, it is worth mentioniag the very interesting alternative 6...a6 7.f+ g5l? 8.f5! Ag7l, with a position that is not easy to weigh up.
Obviously, the move 6...95 has its downside: Black's kingside light-square complex is weakened and a possible e5 pawn push by Black can no longer be
Af8-g7 h6xg5 Ag7xh8 10. 0-0-0 Ab8-c6 11. gfl-b5 Ac8-d7 12.6-tg1-e2 0-0-0 And now the eternal question: is White's centre strong or weak? Difficult to say; we will limit ourselves to the non-committal assessment'a balanced 7.
8. h4xg5 9. trh1xh8+
position'.
D3) 5. c2-c3 A flexible move that puts the ball back in Black's court; it prepares the promising set-up created by AdS, Ae2, 0-0 and f4.
d7-d6
5.
The standard response, but it cannot be excluded that the French-style 5...d5!? is berrer: after 6.e5 Wd8 I .Q:fz cs 8.dxc5lAxcs q.Ad:6c6 10.0-0 Wc7. dark-square control compensates for being behind in development.
6. gf1-d3
7. 691-e2 8. 0-0 9. t2-14
h2-h4l?
7.0-0-0 Ag7 S.g3!?, with the idea of f4. is a reasonable alternative.
97-96
Af8-g7
E,AA. &l* .E :I.f :l :'.:'.rl.l l€' '.,.t I
A AA
considered.
7.
e6-e5
The paradoxical 6...Wg5!? seems playable; by simply attacking g2, it encourages White to create a weakness with 7 .93.
lJ4'
all F?.
r\
'
Brr I A
I.
A::t' g lA
W.:'.E€
73
Chess Opening Essenticls
9.
-
Volume
2
Black is wise not to open up the position: after 9...exd4 10.cxd4, White's cen-
thing about this, and as is so common at key points in the openings, he can choose between a solid continuation
tre seems to be too strong, notwith-
and an aggressive one.
Wf6-e7!
standing Black's two bishops.
10. 11.
d4xe5 f4-f5
E1)
d6xe5 0-0
12.6e2-g3 White has the freer game, but
Black's
position is still solid.
E) 2. It is easy to
see
6f6-e4 why this is the most
popular move: Black avoids compromising his pawn structure, and he also appears to gain a tempo attacking the undefended bishop. However, there is the other side to the coin: the e4 knight is exposed to attack, in particular to a thrust by White's central pawns. Now
9g5-f4
E ihEHsA lrllllll
E
tl
.:
l:';..:
YV
..
AAA':.:AA,AA
E.A:.',,WEAAtr
This is because the two principal alternatives 3.h4 (not as bad a move as it seems to be) 3...c5 4.d5 Wb6, and
3.4h4 g5 a.f3 gxh4 5.fxe4 c5 6.e3 Ahe both give Black good counterplay on the dark squares. If you look at the diagram position, it is easy to see that White is preparing to
with f3 followed by e4. Therefore, Black has to do some7+
s.
Q-sfe e .c+,
good followed
gf1-d3!
EAAg€ g .*' I ..'.'; '. & l'l I
.:.4''
,.AAA :,,' i:,.' l*'.l
occupy the centre
c7-c5
4.
After 4...9f5, White has queensideplay: 5.f3 by Ac3 and Wb3.
the most played move by far is
3.
d7-d5
3.
Playing against the e2-e4 push in Queen's Gambit fashion. It is true that a particularly aggressive White player may continue in the style of the Blackmar-Diemer with +.f3 Q-:fO 5.e4!? dxe4 6.6)8, (perhaps an unsound sacrifice, but over the board highly dangerous), but generally he will prefer the more solid 4. e2-e3 with the idea of attacking the knight with pieces.
.,:,.,.,,,::,,
*l
,.'t
AAA
:;,
,.:,,, .,lA A
AAA
AAA S'fl'.'1::grg e tr White has the option of conceding this bishop for the knight so as to damage Black's pawn structure, evidently a fixation for Trompowsky players! 5. c5xd4 Probably the best in that it interferes with the planned bishop exchange. Black can also play the more solid 5...4f6, but it is worth rememberinq
Trompowsky Opening
that after 6.c3, you are in the London Systemwithan extra tempo for White. 6. Ad3xe4 d5xe4 7. e3xd4 7.Wxd4 Ac6!, with equality.
Ab8-c6!? 8. 691-e2 Ac8-g4 9. 6b1-c3 Wd8-a5 Followed by queenside castling, with double-edged play that offers something to both players. 7.
ED
c7-c5 Black ambitiously looks for counterplay on the queenside dark squares, which are now weakened by the absence of White's distantly-placed dark-squared 3.
will only deal with 4. t2-t3 but it is worth remembering that 4.d5
bishop. Here we
is not only playable but also quite popu-
lar: you transpose with reversed move order to Variation 82. which was discussed before.
Wd8-a5+!
4.
bl knight the c3-square the most natural squa"re on which to de-
Denying the
velop. The alternative +...4f6 is also a reasonably popular choice, even if after 5.dxcS!? Wa5+ 6.6c3 Wxc5 7.e4, results tend to favour White.
5. c2-c3
Now Black's threat to take on d4 places White
at yet another crossroads.
E21) 6. d4-d5 is the move that tries to achieve
the
most.
Wa5-b6
6.
Again we see this typical counterplay against b2. The normal 5...d6 playable, and when followed by
is 7
also
.e4 96
we have a Schmid Benoni type of posi-
tion. The alternative 6...e6 7.e4 exdS 8.exd5 d6 has proved to be inferior after 9.Wd2t, with rhe simple idea of playing c4. Now; as in Variation 81, White's most common move is the paradoxical
7. Af4-c1 It should be noted that 7.b3 is perfectly OK. even if after 7...e6 8.e4 exdS 9.exdS gd6l 10.4g5 Ae7, White will have difficulty exploiting his space advantage.
Do not forget that the plausible-looking 7.Wd2? is a blunder by reason of the tactical motif 7...4xd5 ! 8.Wxd5 Wxb2. After the bishop retreat, the most promising move would appear to be
e7-e6
7.
which
endeavours
to
capitalise on
Black's better development.
Ae4-f6
8. c3-c4
e6xd5
The alrernarive 8...9b4+l? 9.6c3
Efi-:,A...i:g €.
i*r:*r*rtr ** i$ir tr - lr
dr*
=,-
**-t-s$ A A
A
I zl
d\' '€
)*' t3
playable.
9.
c4xd5
and Black plays the surprising
9. 1,.,
GA#; A.'A
.1 A ,
Wxc4 10.e4 is very risky but probably
A:A
8ff..,.W€AAtr
c5-c4!?
with the hope of exploiting the weak dark squares.
The other possibiliry is to play 9...d6, which in fact gives White a good version 75
Chess Opening Essenfials
_
Volume
2
of tlre Modern Benoni after 10.e4 96 I l.6e2l; rhis knight aims for c3 while rne other steed will go ro c4 via a3.
E221) t. ... Wa5-d8 Moving the queen back to its original square may seem odd, yet it has the"plus r--oflimidng the adversary,s
c3xd4! 9. e2-e3 B.
10.
afl_d3
pieces.
d7-ds e7-e6
The following may be a good choice for
aovenrure seekers; 1 1.9fl2 6c6 l2.Ect.
At this point, we now have 10. e2_e3! Af8_c5 11. €e1-f2 O-O 12. Af1xc4 Efg-e8 with compensation for the pawn that may be difficult to objectivel;
but which in pracdce t
satisfactory results.
Black to respond: 6.
7.
0-0
c5xd4
ss.=
g E
IA AA A AA A-AA A AA *ZJ g€eac tr will the queen rerreat
Wirh unclearplay.
E22D 7. ...
wa5-f5
Attacking the undefended bishop with
:.-p: would appear to be rhe most
rogrcal step, but after
8. Af4xb8! 9. Wdlxd4
tra8xb8
White first gains an imporranr rempo
by attacking the aZ pawn, and then con_ nnues to accrue other tempi by attack_ ing the queen. After 9.
10. e2-e4 76
Ab8-c6 af6-h5t?
move
F?slllll rl -A--
to?
11....
12.691-e2 1S. Af4-g3
a;i,-"lb;;
ad2-b3
And now w-here
10. ... Af8-b4+ 11. €el_f2 On this square the white monarch safe enough.
"r;l;;;: ", giu.., ef".i
E22) 6. 6b1_d2 A natural and solid developing
that rhreatens rhe move
l0.gali Ab++
b7-b6
gf5-f4!
Trompowsky Opening
11. Ag1-h3
Wt4-c7 Af6-g8
12. e4-e5 13. 0-0-o
ffi6 :F* e ffi
ffi
ffia
HKffi*I ffi rffi I ffi
ffiffiffi ffi#ffi
Affi
White seems to have a decisive lead in development. Yet strangely, after 13.... e7-eG
14.6h3-95 hg8-e7 (or 14.f4 f5l?) Black has scored acceprably well. Evidendy, the possession of the dark-squared bishop and Black's absence of weaknesses render White's advantage academic. That said, this is a challenging position to play from a psychological point of vieu4 and there are
not many Black players who would consciously enter into it. You get the impression that it is only relatively 'popular' by mistake: in other words Black often plays 7...Wf5 because he does not consider or ulderestimates 8.Axb8!. ...
Wa5-bG
The number one choice.
8. gd1xd4!
A A
:ca
{hl
tHq
H
Wffig
*kn
a ffi## Jl 5.j.j lrd
:-7
L;
?1
ffffiffi Affi
given that the obvious exchange of queens after 8...Wxd4 9.cxd4 d5 10.e3 e6 1 1.g4! has given White optimum results.
With the text move. Black shows he is not concerned about the ugly-looking doubled pawn on b6. We now have a classic battle in which one player has more dynamic piece play, while the other has
After
a
static positional advantage.
9. gd4xb6
a7xb6 Black's mobile pawn centre and the
semi-open a-file give
him
adequate
compensation.
Here White's most promising move would appear to be 10. ab3-d4!? considering that after the obvious 10.e4, Black obtains good piece play with 10...d5! 1l.exd5 Axd5. and after 10.4e3, he can continue ambitiously with 10...d5!? 11.axb6 e5, with optimum compensation.
This has shown itself to be better than the alternative 8.cxd4 Ac6! with the
of
ffiffi W
ffi
ffi #ffi a wffirc*fi# Affi ::* .vc Affi ffis
idea
I ffirffi r$re I
ffi Affi ffi
## 3&e -te *
aE=:
E223) 7.
ffi awffie ffi
I
E
6Sa
Ab8-c6!
8.
...e5, which seems nice for
Black.
At this point, the best move is the most unnatural-looking, namely :
Now Black's best option is 10. ... e7-e5!
11. Ad4xc6 e5xf4 even if I 1...dxc6!? gives a good return for the pav,n after 12.Axe5 Ae6 13.a3 b5. with the idea of ...b5-b4. 77
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
12.6c6-d4
Thompowsky,Octavio Endzelins,Lucius Munich olyrnpiad 1936 (9)
fu,,
1.d4 AfO 2.495 d5 3.Axf6 exf6 4.e3 Ad6 5.c4 dxc4 6.Axc4 c6 7.6cS 0-0 8.9h5 We7 9.6ge 2 ad710.6g3 s6 11.gfg t512.h4 AxgS 13.Wxg3 gf6 14.h5 Ee8 15.hxg6 hxg6 16.0-0-0
:::,1
lastX.
b5
17.gbs Wg7 18.8h4 AfG €f8 21.trh8+ €e7 22.8c7+ gd7 23.We5+ €d8
llll:ll:il:A:taA
19.trdh1 9e6 20.Wh2
aatr
One of the k"y positions in
24.tr1h7
1-0
the
Trompowsky: Black has a pawn struc-
Kortchnoi,Yiktor
ture which is truly ugly yet he still has some trumps to play: the f4 pawn ob-
Karpov,Anatoly
vulnerable dark squares make possession of the two bishops more
(lg) Af6 2.9g5 e6 3.e4 hG 4.9xf6 Wxf6 5.6f3 d6 6.4c3 s6 7.8d2 We7 8.0-0-0 a6 9.h4 Ag7 10.g3 b5 ll.Ahg b4 12.4d5 exd5 13.Axc8
^^-:-f.-l -rrrcdrrlrtr ul. Black plays
0-0 14.4b7 tra7 15.Axd5 c6 15:Ab3 Wxe4 17.Wd3 Wxd3 18.trxd3 6d7
structs development on White's kingside, the e3-square is weak, and the
12....
d7-d5!
to put a stop to the annoying move q)n5. Now White can try 13. e2-e3!? A radical attempt to solve his development problems. A quieter parh lies in 13.g3
Ad6 14.abs Ae5 15.gxf4 Axf4 with a bal-
16.e3 AeS 17.4h3 Ae6. anced game.
13....
f4xe3
14. €e1-e2
An unnatural move, but it is the only way of winning back the pawn. 14.... Af8-c5 15. €e2xe3 Ac8-d7! With the idea of continuing with ...b6-b5-b4. It is difficult ro come to any firm conclusions as to who is better
off 78
Moscow match I 97 +
1.d4
19.tre1 Q:b6 2O.a4 bxaS 21.bxa3 a5 22.Ltde3 23.a4 c5 24.dxc5
ef6
dxcS 25.6d2 eg7 26.Efg trc7 27.ac4 6xc4 28.Axc4 Ed8 29.c3 EcdT 30.€c2 gd2+ 31.€b3 gd1 32.trxd1 Exdl 33.4b5 Eds 34.8e3 Ee5 37.&c4 trfs 38.8d3 trxf2 39.€xc5 AeS 40.9b6 Eg2 41.c4. Exg3 42.8d7 95 43.hxg5 hxg5 44.c5 trc3 45.c6 94 46.c7 93 47.AcG AxcT+ 48.Hxc7 €h6 49.EcB f5 50.trf9 Exc6+ 51.€xc6 €g5 52.trg8+ €f4
EeS 35.8d3 Ee2 36.Efg
53.€b5 ef3 54.€xa1 t4 55.*b4 €92 56.a5 f3 57.a6 f2 58.a7 flW 59.a8W+ gf3 60.Wa2+ gf2 61.WdS+ gf3 62.Wd2+ gf2
63.€c3 €sl 6a.Wd1+ €g2 65.9d3 BcS+ 66.€bg Wb6+ 67.&c2 Wc6+ 68.€d2 Wh6+ 69.We3 gh4 70.trb8
Trompowsky Opening
gf6
gfs 72.trb2 €h2 73.9h6+ sg1 74.9b6+ €h2 7s.gb8 €h3 76.9h8+ €g4 71.trb6
77.8b4+ gf3 78.9h1+ €f2 ?9.1:;
€a7 37.Wf2+ b6 38.trc1 €b7 39.h3 trc8 40,WfG 6d4 41.4d8+ *bB 42.Axe6
1-O
Vaganian,Rafael
Kupreichik,Viktor Adams,Michael Topalov,Yeselin
Leningrad ch-URS 197+ (3)
1.d4 6fO 2.4s5 c5 3.d5 Wb6 4.6c3 96
Sxb2 5.9d2 gb6 6.e4 d6 7.f4
Madrid t996 (8)
1.d4 AfO 2.Ag5 e6 3.e4 h6 4.Axf6
Bxf6 5.4c3 dG 6.9d2 95 7.0-0-0 Ag7 8.g3 6c6 9.4'b5 Wd8 10.4e2 a6 11.6bc3 b5 12.992 gb7 13.f4 6,e7 14.h4 94 15.h5 b4 16.4b1 a5 17.8e3 0-018.4d2 f5 19.Ehg1 fxe4 20.Axe4 Afs 21.9b3 d5 22.9xf5
exfS 23.trge1 tre8 24.at1 9a6 25.6g1 9c4 26.8a4 Axfl 278rt1 tre6 28.9b3 c6 29.trfe1 Exel 3O.trxel 9xd4 31.6e2 We7 32.€dl Af2 33.trf1 AcS 34.grd3 Ee8 35.tre1 We6 36.c3 bxcS 37.bxc3 d4
38.cxd4 Ab4 39.d5
t$4xd5
40.Wxd5+ cxd5 41.Egl Ee3 42.4lc1
d443.6b3a4
o-1
8.e5 dxeS 9.fxe5 AfdT 10.af3 997 11.trbl Wd8 12.e6 fxe6 13.695 af6 14.9b5+ gfg 15.dxe6 a6 16.4e3 WaS 17.0-0 hG 18.9d3 €sB 19.Wxs6
Axe6 20.6xe6 trh7 2l.trxf6 22.9xd7 1-o
A.ld7
Mamedyarov,Shakhryar Nedev,Trajce Dresden 2008 (1)
1.d4 af6 2.4g5 ae4 3.9f4 c5 4.f3 Af6 5.dxc5 b6 6.e4 bxcS 7.e5 4gB
8.6c3 6c6 9.4b5 6d4 10.6ge2 6xb5 11.Axb5 Ba5+ 12.6ec3 aG 13.6d6+ exd6 l4.exd6 gb4
€d8 16.9d2 ab7 6f6 18.Ehe1 AxdG 19.6e4 20.Axf4 6xe4 21.fxe4 tre8
15.we2+ 17.0-0-0
Anand,Viswanathan Karpov,Anatoly Lausanne Wch-match 1998 (6)
1.d4 af6 2.495 e6 3.e4 hG 4.€xf6 Blxf6 5.6c3 d6 6.9d2 g5 7.9c4 Oc6 8.69e2 9.97 9.trd1 gd7 10.0-0 0-0-0 11.4b5 a6 12.ha3 94 13.f4 gxfS 14.Exf3 8e715.c3 h5 16.Edf1 Edfg 17.b4 2,a7 18.6c2 gh6 19.We1 gbg 20.4d3 AcG 21.at4 trfs8 22.d5 Ae8 23.9f2 Ag7 24.ad4 9d7 25.dxe6 Axd4 26.cxd4 fxe6 27.e5 Ac6 28.6gG g'dg 29.AxhB Axf3 30.6f7 gh4 31.gxf3 Sxd4+ 32.€hl d5 33.trd1 t&xb4 34.8b1 Wa4 35.Wxh5 6c6 36.We2
qf4
22.W 94 Ee6 23.Wxg7 Ac6 24.Wf8+ tre8 25.Wxf7 1:0
Wclls,Peter Shirov,Alexey Gibraltar open 2005 (8)
1.d4
af6
af6 2.€95 6e4 3.af4 c5
4.f3
5.dxc5 WaS+ 6.Wd2 Wxc5 7.6c3 96 8.e4 9g7 9.0-0-0 O-O 10.69e2 b5 11.4e3 Wc7 12.6xb5 Bb7 13,6ed4 6c6 14.AhG Axh6 15.Wxh6 EbB 16.b3 d5 17.6xc6 Wxc6 18.e5 ad7 19.4d4 Bc3 20.9f4 6c5 21.6cG Axb3+ 22.axb3 Wxc6 23.19d4 Afs 24.4d3 70
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
Axd3 25.Wxd3 EfcB 26.trhe1 a5 27.tre2 trbS 28.e6 f6 29.€d2 a4 30.bxa4 EcS 31.€e1 Wxa4 32.gfl eg7 33.gdd2 it8c6 34.g3 Ed6 35.Sg2 WcG 36.We3 Ec3 37.9d4 Ea3 38.h4 h5 39.€f2 tra4 40.Wd3 Eal 41.Wd4 Ehl 42.&92 trb1 43.9f2 tLVa6 44.c4 dxc4 45.Wxd6 exd6 46.e7 Wa7+ 47.&s2 Bg1+ 48.Sh3Bh1+ Motylev,Alexander Ahn,Martin
(l) Af6 2.4g5 6e4 3.4f4 c5 4.f3 5.d5 d6 6.e4 96 7.c4 Ag7
Kallithea tt 2008
1.d4
af6
8.6c3 0-0 9.6ge2 Abd710.Ag3 h5 11.Ae2 h4 12.6t1 6h7 13.4e3 f5 14.exf5 gxfS 15.ef2 h3 16.gxh3 Axc3+ 17.bxc3 t4 18.4d2 6e5
19.6e4 Axh3 20.trg1+ gh8 21.Wd2
We8 22.6xci
dxcS
27.&c2 tre2+ 28.9b3 Ee3+ 29.8c3 tre2 30.h4 trd8 31.h5 Exh2 32,hxg6 hxg6 33.trxb6 Edd2 34.€a4 Exb2 35.Ebc6 trb1 35.tr3c4 g5 37.E4c5 fG 38.trf5 Ea2+ 39.€b5 Eab2 40.trfxf6 Exb4+ 41.sc5 trf4 42.trrt4 gxf4 43.&d5 trbs+ 1/zth
Colle System This opening system became popular since the 1920's thanks to the Belgian champion Edgar Colie, who played the opening with great virtuosity and attacking flair. After 1. d2-d4 d7-d5 (in those times 1...4f6 was a rarity) White continueswith 2. Ag1-f3 in and response to
23.9xc5 trfs 24.gd4 Af6 25.0-O-O
Whs 26.Wb2 bG 27.Wa3
2.
e7-e5
he plays
Exc4
The Colle System in the strict sense of the term requires 4.4d3 and 5.c3 after
gd6 30.€bl trhs 31.€a1 Ad7 32.Wc2 trc8 35.Wg2
6g8-f6
WeB
28.trde1 Wd8 29.Wa4
33.gd2 6xc4 34.gxc4
2.
or
1-O
McShane.Luke
Volokitin,Andrey Igualada 2005 (2)
1.d4 AfG 2.As5 Ae4 3.4f4 c5 4.f3 Wa5+ 5.c3 AfG 6.6ld2 cxd4 7.6b3 IEIbG 8.Wxd4 6c6 9.WxbG axb6
e5 11.Axc6 ext4 12.6td4 AcS 13.4h3 Ads 14.e4 fxeS 15.4c4 6b4 16.0-0-0 9xd4
3.
e2-e3
Black pushes his pawn to c5,
E
ArAge-€,
E
r# $rtr
x* *rffi ll "
1O.Ad4
17.Exd4 d5 18.cxb4 dxc4 19.tre4+
€f8
20.tre1 AxhS 21.gxh3 trxa2 22.&b1EaB 23.tr1xe3 96 24.trxc4 €97 25.Ee7 EheS 26.trxb7 Ee1* 80
awg
tr
reaching the position that knowledge-
able players will recognise as Semi-Slavwith
a
move in hand.
a
Colle System
It is a curious fact that the Semi-Slav
Black still is left
with many ways
4. gf1-d3 5. ab1-d2 6. c2-c3
is
famous for its ambitious and aggressive nature, while the Colle - the same formation but with an extra move - is considered to be solid and conservative at higher levels! Indeed, the opening's performance statistics are not extraordinary, but at the same time its straightforward nature makes it a frequent choice for lower-rated players. Like the Exchange Yariation of the French, it is often seen as an 'easy' way of drawing against a stronger player; an outcome that in fact does not usually occur as
7. 0-0 8. a2-a3
8. 9.
1. d2-d4
2.
A)
e7-e6
is the normal move for a Nimzo-Indianplayer.
3. e2-e3
Unable
to
b7-b6 develop the bishop
Black plays a type of Queen's
E
*€ $# /\ ]\. ' ',A JAAS 6'. +?
A AA
Ag
trl
The best plan.
9. 10.
0-0 c5-c4!? closing advance is
Acl-b2
Sometimes
this
good!
11.4d3-c2 b6-b5 with possibilities for both colours.
B)
g7-96 2. A move that anticipares the Griirrfeld or the King's Indian.
3. ab1-d2l
As8-f6
6g1-f3
2.
gs
tE# #r:tr*t: $a€r# rljxr#
of theory to study.
ofvictory for Black.
d7-d5
b2-b4l
E
that grant both players opportunities, with the advantage that there is not a lot
chances
Af8-e7
To make the e3-e4 advance possible.
The Colle produces balanced positions
most effective means of producing unbalanced positions that offer grearer
Ab8-c6!?
...2b+ and...Aa6.
win!
Defences, which probably represenr rhe
c7-c5
Preventing the e3-e4 advance because of the exchange on d4 followed by
ro
In the past, the Colle System only referred to the diagrammed position. However, now it can be viewed as a universal system for White that will see d4, Af3 and e3 played even when Black employs Indian sysrems, i.e. those defences that are initiated with I ...4f6. Indeed, let's starr with the Indian
Ac8-b7
to
Indian.
b4
It is important to be flexible: given that Black has not pushed his pawn to d5, White tries to make the pawn advance to e4 using only one tempo. The usual 3.e3 seems less good as Black obtains active play with a tlpical King's Indian plan of attack with ...4g7,... d6, ...Abd7 and...e5.
8l
-
Chess Opening Essentials
Volume
2
81) 3. d7-d5 Fighting against White's planned cen-
ffieffi ffirwr ffiA$rc ffir$s
E.HeAg
rre
tral expansion.
4. e2-e3 5. afl-d3 6. 0-0 7. c2-c3
E .n;; A g
Af8-97 0-0 c7-c5
"i
"*-+} 1S**t
ffia
*css ffi rrsffi
n}{{
a\
fi \.
)( .}L
.r4
"g Ei&
rffi
ffi
^ ::*ul
/\ i/\t ffi FI
h: i
'-i1l -"-;l
\li--.fl:t /r* /\."{i !
"-;--:--4
.ix-.:
VY
:;ffs ff
After the obvious 7...e5. White has the edge after 8.dxe5, and therefore Black continues
t€
l{ u
-:-.^: .a.j r'r
5:: H l$, $tr E :q--l: g \g
€
,,\ ?{i ag$ Y) 1384
rJl"; i) <-
:E:
tr$
G:l
Jrt:
ab8-d7
sffi Affi I ffir ffir ia
9'
with
7.
af6-d7!
with the idea of pushing the e-pawn on the next move and to take back on e5 with the knight. The resulting positions are dynamicallv balanced.
Black has set up a type of Catalan minus
a tempo, in which the opponent's
After this close look at the alternatives bishop is on d3 instead of e2. that the Indian Defences offer. we reThe position offers winning chances to turn to the Colle proper, that is: the poboth players. It is a strategically com- sition that arises after plex position, and for that reason one of 1. d2-d4 d7-d5 the best choices if Black is playing to 2. Ag1-f3 6g8-f6
3.
wrn.
82) 3.
Af8-g7 This is more in the spirit of the King's Indian.
4. e2-e4 5. af1-d3
d7-d6
the d4 square, but here White can again support the centre with c3.
6. 0-0
The most active.
7.
c2-c3
:'r.i:
EffiAffiEW
lEt
*r*re ffirry I
ffiffiffi ffi.*x.ffirffiffiii:l *s ffi #& {ffiaffi q -+: a a an :E{ rl:A--,
In the Pirc the bishop on d3 weakens
5.
e2-e3
0-0
}e
i-fi*
t5
::]*
t1**
l#{': _e,$
A
aJ 6ll
:1l;
ffiaffiwffia##
Ab8-c6 Black has various playable alternatives, remembering that 3...96!? and then
And we come to a position often +.6bd} brings us to a position from reached by means of the Modern De- Variation 81 that we examined fence 82
previously
Colle System
A)
c7-c6
3.
4. gfl-ds
4.c4!? transposes to
4.
a
Slav.
Ac8-94
5.
c2-c4l? The normal approach to the Colle of playing Abd2 appears to be slow here. 5. a7-a0t? Along the lines of the popular 4...a6 variation ofthe SIav. 6. ab1-d2 e7-e6 7. gd1-b3 Wd8-c7 8. Af3-e5 Ag4-h5 and we have a complex game.
D)
4. 4.
5. gf1-d3
After
5
e7-e6 The move 4...c6 is also a possibility, with a transposition to a Slav variation that usually continues 5.4c3 e6 6.6h4 Ae4! 7.f3! Age 8.8b3, with a riny advantage for White.
6b8-c6!?
5...Wc8 is the most prudent. ?
?
Acl-d2!
AU+, and ntack wins.
Ea8-b8 Ab1-c3
and White's pieces are more harmoniously placed.
C) 3. 4.
e7-e5 seize
the centre.
7. e3-e4! and the opening up
of the centre favours the better-developed white forces.
7.
8. c3xd4 9. Q)d2xe4 10. Ad3xe4
c5xd4 d5xe4
6f6xe4 e5xd4
11. 0-0
4.
6. 7.
6. ab1-d2
An overly ambitious attempt to
4.
6.Wxb7
Ab8-c6 Wd8-c7
...e6 we are in Variation E.
stop Adaz But naturally
6.
for
Black.
Ac8-f5 What could be more natural than to
5. gdl-b3
c2-c3
4.4d3 c4r 5.4e2 Af5 is good
B) 3.
c2-c4l follows andthen
c7-c5
3.
Ac8-g4 c2-c4l Also here *ris is the only move that can create difficulties for Black, who now must choose from 4...c7-c6, transposing to the Slav, and 4...d5xc4, entering into the Queen's Gambit Accepted.
and White wins back the oawn with superior position.
D3.
a
e7-e6
The 'normal'move.
4.
af1-d3 The move 4.c4 is playable, but it iust enters into Queen's Gambit positions in which White has played e3 a little prematurely. 4.
c7-c5 The most logical: in the Colle White does not exert pressure on d5, and Black makes the most of this by playing this 'freeing' pawn advance, which in the Queen's Gambit requires more work. At this point, after 5.0-0 c4! 5.4e2 b5, Black probably stands better. Therefore, White usually chooses from the following two alternatives.
El) 5.
b2-b3 is the Zukertort Variation. 83
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
EAB
,l, l
E
€l:ll "l aEla
I|
:'.:,.
A
...',4 '.,A AAA
E White wishes to activate his queen's bishop on b2 and then continues aggressively with Ae5, f4, 0-0 and transfers the queen to the kingside: it would appear to be a fairly crude attacking plan, but it often proves itself to be surprisingly effective, especially if Black plays mechanically.
5.
6b8-c6
A,:.,.
..:Wr:'';:tr
Preparing for ...e5
AA
€
or ...4a3 after
the
exchange on d4.
9. Af3-e5 10. 11.
e3xd4
Ab2xa3
c5xd4 9d6-a3 We7xa3
For a long time opening scholars thought this position was better for Black due to Capablanca's 1924 victory over Bogoljubow in New York. How-
The most natural move; however, per-
ever, Black's superiority has clearly been
haps the most effective antidote against White's plans is 5...cxd4!?, a
exaggerated:
move that is usually avoided by Black as it opens the e-file for White, but here there is the check that follows: 6.exd4 Ab++t 7.8 Ae7! (Black has closed the long diagonal) 8.0-0 0-0 9.abd2 b6 l0.We2 a5 11.a4 Aa6.
with equality.
6.
0-0
By first playing 6.9b2 you transpose, but by castling immediately you avoid variations with ...Ab++ or ...Wa5+.
af8-d6 Leaving the e7-square for the queen; 6.
12....
Ac8-d7!
13.t2-t4 And White's kingside initiative compensates for his queenside weaknesses.
ED 5. c2-c3
This is sometimes called the Koltanowski Yariation. It is, as we mentioned before, the classical way to play the Colle.
5. Naturally,
if
6b8-c6 Black plays 5...c4? the
bishop simply retreats to c2. 5...4bd7 is playable;though less natural, it has the plus that you can recapture on
6...4e7 is playable but passive. 0-0 7.
8.
12. c2-c3l Stopping...ab4.
Ac1-b2 ab1-d2
The immediate 8.c4!? is an interesting
c5 with the knight whenever White
alternative that gives both
plays dxc5, wtrich is the standard move in the main line. The disadvantage is that the lighter pressure exerted against d4
chances.
8. 8+
Wd8-e7!
sides
Torre Attock makes White's alternative plan stronger, i.e. the e3-e4 push without a previous exchange on c5: 6.Abd2 Ad6 7.0-0 0-0 8.Ee1! Wc7 9.e4 cxd4 10.cxd4 dxe4 1 1.6xe4 hxe4 1 Z.Exe4l?, with the idea of swinging the rook across to h4. Now you are dealing with a t)?ical isolated queen's pawn position in which White's dynamic possibilities are more promising than usual.
6. ab1-d2
gf8-d6
Torre Attack
In the 1920's this opening was made popular by the Mexican player Carlos Torre (especially after his famous victory over Emanuel Lasker). it is a solid tension-creating means of playing something a little different. In the strict sense of the term, the Torre Attack is defined by the following move
A more active and narural square than e7.
0-0
sequence:
1. d2-d4
7. 0-0 And now Black is ready to advance the
2. Ag1-f3 3. 9c1-95
pavrn to e5.
8.
d4xc5! Here the e3-e4 push is playable, but
produces
it
favourable isolated queen's pawn position. 8. 9d6xc5 9. e3-e4 This is perhaps the critical move in the Colle: White has pushed e3-e4 without acquiring an isolani and hopes that a well-timed e4-e5 will create kingside Wd8-c7! This move puts a stop to the e-pawn's further advance, whereas exchanging with 9...dxe4 10.6xe4 6xe4 1 1.Axe4 Wxdl l2.Exdl leaves Black with a position that is not easy to play because of the difficulties in developing on the 10. a
Bd1-e2
h7-ho
useful move.
11.
12. 13. 14. 15.
h2-h3 ad2-b3
We2-c2 Ad3xe4 Wc2xe4
Withequality.
used
to
describe
a universal system
characterised by the move 1.d4 folIowed by 2.6:t3 and then 3.495. Let's
beginwith
1. d7-d5 pointing out immediately that the
se-
quence
2. Ag1-f3
Ag8-f6 Ac1-g5 does not give White aplus after 3. Af6-e4!
3.
attacking opportunities. 9.
Always
e7-e6
But as with the Colle, the term is often
a less
queenside.
6s8-f6
af6-h5! hh5-g3!
E
jl'A$s€.
.E
rffi ffirffir
ffiffiffiffiffiffi g6 ffiffirffi#
ffiffi tr$^ffi ffiffi ffi#affi
ffi
AffiAffi#gffig
AffigffiAffitr
d5xe4!
hg3xe4 AcS-dG
Compared to the analogous bishop-attacking move in the Trompowsky, here the black knight cannot be kicked with 85
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
f3 and e4.Indeed, statistics make it
2
clear la) 4.
0-0 c2-c3! The immediate advance 5.e4 has pro-
5.
that Black is better after
4. Ag5-f4 c7-c5 5. e2-e3 gd8-b6 duced good results for Black after 6. Wdt-ct hb8-c6 s...d5! 6.e5 Ae4. Therefore, the Torre is only effective 5. d7-d6 against Indian Defences: if White con6. e2-e4 tinues with his policy of avoiding the 6.e3 is passive: 6...abd7 7.4d3 es mountain of theory associated with 8.0-0 We8! 9.Wc2 AhS and Black has 3.c4, he must fall back on the Colle, the active play London System or the solid 3.g3 with 6. c7-c5!
the idea of playing a Catalan withour 6...4bd7 7.4c4 e5 8.0-0 h6 9.Ah4 the risks of the open variarion (...dxca). We8 10.Eel Ah5 1 1.4f1!, leaving the However, in this last case Black will c4-square for the knight, and White has profit from the absence ofthe c2-c4 ad- anedge. vance by playing 3...4f5!, with easy 7. d4xc5! equality. The only move that can give White something concrete.
7.
Let's now look at
1. d2-d4
2. f
)
Ag8-f6
Ag1-f3
respond energetically.
2.
3.
d6xc5
White's mobile e4 pawn and his ownership of the c4-square force Black to
8. gfl-c4 9. 0-0 10. Ac4-e2
s7-s6 Ac1-95
Eam
asf effi
]8.
im E*
l
ffir ffir fffirffi I ffi# *Lrx r
ffi fltir i3:
&&t
hb8-c6 hc6-a5 Ac8-e6 And after ...a6 and ...b5, Black has achieved adequate counterplay on the queenside.
'i:=r ryi
#g* :/lj
liw .,'--l
rr -*i,. z-l
E -Y:
tr rffi
;q*t
i:.;j ^ :::*: tlo -i,rlt;*- ']fr A .J\"- A ]*:-i 2\ ?S Uffi a:2.5: e_1 ;+d
iH.u;un \
{(i .E
*ffiE ffi,a#ffi
Af8-g7
3...ke4 is less strong here than in the previously seen variation a.Af4 Ag7 5.abd2 d5 6.e3 c5 7.c3 Ac6 8.hxe4! dxe4 9.6d2, with a small plus for White.
4. abl-d2 86
A
A
lb)
:p:: 'j*;"
-1A,1
g:;:{a
;t{ --?€ ?g
4.
iS*A
ffi I .rffi ffir
--,';-i
3.
+ A:;:::;
:d
ffi !ffi{ A'
tr
ffiH##
ffi
2
(
a
:,ft;
ffie .*$
sffi
5. e2-e3 6. Afl-e2
a ;rqi
/\:21:
d7-d5 0-0
T
Usually White prefers to develop his bishop here so as to not expose it to a fork after ...e5-e4. 6.
c7-c5
7. c2-c3
ab8-d7
8.
trf8-e8
0-0
Preparing the ...e7-e5 advance.
L b2-b4l 'lO. a2-a4 11. b4-b5 12.6f3-e5 2.
3. 9c1-95
tron.
ad7-b6 Af6-d7!
Exchanging off pieces is almost always
ab1-d2 in the centre with
4.e4!?
transposition to Variation
4. 5. e2-e3 6. Af1-d3 7. c2-c3 8. 0-0
E g
C.
&c8-b7 c7-c5 Af8-e7 0-0 6b8-c6!?
E
,..'. I
A
A 4,6i.'
AA A AAA € gtr 9.
a2-a3l?
To prevent the intrusive ...b5-b4 after Black has played ...cxd4. 9.
tral-cl gd1-e2
achieved equality.
Now we will look at the Torre in the strict sense. which as we mentioned is defined by the following sequence:
1. d2-d4 2. 691-f3
3. Acl-g5
c5xd4
Ag8-f6 e7-e6
EAABgA E *lfill',''': l.ll
ra g
&...:,,
ra lal,l,l la la g ...'.,:. A
9g5xe7
Ac6xe7! Ea8-c8 trc8-c7! and after an uphill baule, Black has 11. 12. 13.
b7-b6 e7-e6
wiil concede the bishop pair after 4...h6 a
af6-ds
cramped position.
Seizing space and
10....
a good idea for the player with a
There are alternatives: 3...4b7 a.Axf6 exf6 5.6bd2 with a smail plus. 3...4e4 has scored well for White after +.Ah+1.
4.
The move 9...4d5!? is an interesring second choice which maintains tension in the centre. 10. c3xd4! The most played; after 10.exd+ Ad5! 1 1 .Axe7 Q)cxe7 1 2.Ee I Q:f+ t3.Af1 , Black should be satis{ied with his posi-
c5-c4!? a7-as
and Black's position is OK.
rf)
orre Atto.ck
n
,,1,.'.
A
.ra.... a
A A,.A. g€A EA tr A,,',,'.,,A
The starting position of the Torre Attack. By pinning the knight, White initiares a
struggle for control of the e4-square. In this light, Black has three principal continuations to choose from, remembering that 3...AeZ is playable but tends to lead into Variation C2 or C 3 . 87
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
A)
3. h7-h6 is the best performing move statistically.
Gambit. For this reason, some prefer to postpone the pawn push for one move,
While this does not mean it is objectively the best move, it is certainly high
and play it after
ously discussed lines of the Trompowsky, in which it was noted that to develop the knight to f3 makes White's position less aggressive.
4.
d7-d6!? 4...c5 5.e3 transposes to Variation C3 below While a...g5 5.493 Ae4 - so as
to deprive White of his bishop -
is
s. ab1-d2 6.
tive. The move 6...4c6 is also playable, but usually Black prefers to develop the knight to d7 so as not to obstruct the diagonal for the bishop on bZ and also to control e4.
7. gf1-d3 A
E;-.; E;-a:
ffi
E*#Effieffi ffi greAg*
ffi
ffiffi
ffi I -7
r ffi
ffiffirffiffi #ffi
<;
Ad:F
I tr$ffi .4S ;5!;
<';
*\
I
lr1t U
'^"i.
@
ff*a
b7-b6!
gt g A ffi rrer --2
wtr€ffiffiffi ffitr:€wffi* ffi #ffiaffiaffi AffiAffi ffA *1 ffisffi *ffis
c7-cs Af8-e7 ab8-d7
supported by an f2-f4 advance would give Whlte a dangerous kingside initia-
5. 6b1-d2 s7-s5 6. ah+-gs af6-h5 7. e2-e3 if8-g7 8. afl-d3 ab8-d7
ffi
c2-c3
.
The leading favourite: Black should not castle too early as a knight posted on e5
playable, it leaves Black too far behind in development.
r
...c5 4.e3
4. e2-e3
recommendation.
4. Ag5-ha 4.Axf6 Wxf6 5.e4 transposes to previ-
3
:?g :>€ H:
ffiffi n atl:
ut!-.E:|t;''a
.,nna a
;as
:!,ttr",
a et
+.j-ry*.
w
e
7...0-0?l 8.4e5! Axe5 9.dxe5 D,d7 I 0.9f4 f5 1 1.h4 has given White many brilliant victories. 7 ...Wc7 is Petrosian's idea for stopping czle5,
With complex play that offers
some-
B) 3.
d7-d5
but the closure of the long
light-square diagonal robs Black's posi-
tion of flexibility. In addition, Black must remember that with 4.c4 White can transpose 88
0-0
8.Wa4 is
Black prevents e2-e4 in the most natural
way,
8.
in essence a trap that has ensnared manv victims: 8...0-0 9.4e5
thing to both players.
to a normal
Queen's
Axe5?? 1o.dxeS 6,d7 11.9h4, picking up a prece.
Ac8-b7
8.
9.
6f3-e5
In the absence of a better plan, even the curious move 9.Wb1, which prepares bz-b+, is sometimes played.
Torre Attsck 9.
10. 11.
d4xe5
Ag5xe7
t2-t4
Ad7xe5!
Karpov himself has been one of its most
at6-d7
illustrious victims.
0-0-0 with a strategically complex position that offers both players a chance to win. 12.
C) 3. 4.
5. d4-d5!
Wd8xe7
e6xd5
The alternatives also leave White clear plus.
with
a
6. Abl-c3!
EffiAffi€# ffi *rc ffir$#rlffir
c7-cs
l+
e2-e3
4.c3!? is an interesting alternative that usually transposes to the main line. However. it can also lead to some dis-
-u";,_=t#*;l;_ ,"H sJ
tinct lines such as 4...9b6 5.Abd2l Wxb2 6.6c4! Wxc3*!? (or otherwise 6...gbs) 7 .g.dzgxc4 8.e4.
i;-:-:
:;.:fA:F"':*{: /:\,i *.
rn*{.r
1AV
g -"* /\n ,H. t\ /\."4r*
tr *
It is true that Black parts with his queen,
:q;:
:.i
7tr,7\:*ll;
-*l 1i1-
g -q. /\ ffl
Wgg: -.oo- ;-L
o
=-;
;:
tr -
but after 8...Wxf1+ 9.€xf1 Axe4. he will have two minor pieces and three pawns in compensation, and White may not find it so easy to demonstrate
Ac8-b7 Af8-e7 not 7...4xd5?l 8.Axf6 Wxf6 9.Wxd5 €lc6 10.0-0-0. with an almost decisive
that he has the advantage.
positional advantage.
Eff Ag ffi a* ix* --a a** rgre I
6.
7. 6c3xd5
8. Ag5xf6 9. c2-c3
60a
wr I ffi € # H
@
ffi
ffi
ffi
*w
*
Affi 'ei. n 'lgju
\
flg
ffi*- pr )< ;:
ffis
ffi
dl :-: -,f+' n
i5a
(!] 9*; ::e 5- i"i-::
:l*i
in the
Torre
with a clear plus for White thanks to his control of the important d5-square.
cD
in which Black has many
ways to proceed. Note that 4...d5 is not listed here as it enters into Variation II.
c1)
4. b7-b6?! Needless to say, it is rare to include a
Af8-e7
4.
Before playing b6, Black takes preventive measures against the thrust d4-d5.
5. ab1-d2 6. gfl-d3 7. c2-c3
EJ
The position in the diagram is a key one
Ae7xf6
b7-b6 Ac8-b7
and we are in Variation B.
c3)
h7-h6 b7-bo This is now possible, given that 4.
5. Ag5-ha
would simply lose
a
6.d5?
pawn after 6...95.
possibly doubtful move in a list of principal variations; however, this move is
6. ab1-d2 7. c2-c3 8. gf1-d3
both natural and common! The great
9.
0-0
Ac8-b7 Af8-e7 0-0 6b8-c6 89
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Vo|ume
2
With analogous positions to those fould in Variation B with the unimnortant dif: ference that Black has played ...he
c4) 4.
.
gd8-b6 -ea;
EffiEffi# E re €i 60ar
ffirffir *#*gsr&re I ffiffi ffi*I lfaffi
ffi *lK
iE
3i# K#ffi:JE ilgg ffiw affi
:,-e*s
-14
Aff$Affi ffin #K
ffiaffiw, Affi
Every self-respecting openilg has its poisoned paum variationl This queen placement is logical, inasmuch as it highlights the queenside weakness created by the bishop's absence. However, development is neglected while the queen gobbles up the b2 parvn. As you may imagine, these are some of the most complex and forcing lines in the whole
of opening literature: general
concepts take a back seat to concrete variations.
5. 6b1-d2l 5.Wc1 is playable but passive: afrer 5...4c6 6.c3 d5 7.abdz Aaz e.Aa:
Ec8, Black does not have any problems.
5.
6. gfl-d3
Wb6xb2
EIffiA *geffi ffi
ffirffi r##r'ffir ffirffi ffiffi *ffiffiw ffiffi$# AffiAffi ffi## AgA
ffi sffiffiAffi ffie
90
White simply continues to develop; he is in no hurry to double the pawn on f6 and plans to play hc4 after he has castled. 6.
d7-d5
Threatening 7...c5-c4. There is also another option that seems playable: 6...4c6 7.0-0 gb6, producing an unclear situation.
7. Ag5xf6
g7xf6 Wb2-c3! 6b8-c6 As is so often the case in these critical lines, it is not easy to say if the initiative compensates for the lost material. Game statistics slightly favour Black, but this may be misleading as Black's average
8. c2-c4 9. Ad3-e2
Elo rating was higher; we
will therefore
restrict ourselves to the non-committal assessment of unclear p osition.
However, there is one commenr we can
make
with certainty: the draw rate is
very low.
London System This opening system is named after the English capital because it was there in
the tournament of 1922 that the sequence 1.d+, 2.6ft and 3.4f4 was played several time against various black set-uos.
EffiEffi WA 6{a
rtr ffir ffi:rffi I
s re ffi*# ffi ##ffi
i,'x:*
"A '4i
r\ \ #& *# ffi tdi, AffiAffi A 4:", an i*]F
ffiaws
14 "*:-*u aa;:.
A .-"-*' EF*
London System
with the Colle, it is necessary to distinguish between the London when it is played against the Indian systems with As
1...6f6 and when it is against the classical response
1. d2-d4 2. 6g1-f3
D2.
employed 1
...d5
7.
in the
event
of
...
trf8-e8 equal
s7-s6 Af8-97
af1-d3
The move 5.4c3!? (sometimes played on the third move so as to make Black play ...d5) has been a very popular choice recently: after 5...0-0 6.AeZ c5 7
.Q)eS,we see double-edged play.
5.
:';
l\
a
strength or
a
weakness.
d7-d6 0-0
6.9il?! runs the risk of a fork
after
...e7-e5-e4.
6. 7. 0-0 8. c2-c4 9. gt4-h2
ab8-d7 Wd8-e8! e7-e5
And it is not clear how best to oroceed.
In Griirrfeldfashion.
5.
#i# -SW
5. h2-h3 6. Afl-e2
d7-d5
4.
EffiE{K ffi effi
King's Indian style.
chances.
81)
Ad7xe5
ffirffi ffi*r ffir &ffiaffi rs# ffi ffirffi ryffi*#ffi ffi ffi ffiK #Ka AffiAiM ffi )<::;* ffi ffisg*tr BD 4.
c5xd4!
ble Hedgehog set-up, with
3. Ac1-f4 4. e2-e3
e7-e5
ab8-d7
and Black establishes the solid and flexi-
B) 2.
0-0
expansion is
l.cxd4 Ads tz.Aga 6b+t. 11.
h2-h3
Ir is difficulr to judge if glack's cenrral
0-0 d7-d6
11. e3xd4 1
6b8-c6 at6-d7t?
11. Ad3-c2
h2-h3
7. 8. 0-0 9. 6b1-d2 10. Wdl-e2
c7-c5
c2-c3
'10. d4xe5
9c1-f4
To preserve the bishop ... n5.
ab1-d2
To assist the pavr.n push ..e7-e5.
9.
.
Ag8-f6
e7-eo b7-b6 This continuation by Black is along the lines of the Queen's Indian. 4. e2-e3 Ac8-b7 5. gf1-d3 c7-c5 6. c2-c3 Af8-e7
3.
6. 7. 8.
0-0
Let us now look at the London System when Black plays t...dS.
1. d2-d4 2. Ag1-f3 3. Ac1-f4
d7-d5
6s8-f6 c7-c5
A natural response, but the following is also worth looking at: 3...e6 4.e3 Ad6 5.493 2,e4t? 6.Abd2 Axg3 7.hxg3 c5 8.c3 Ac6, with balanced play.
9r
Chess Opening Essentiols
4. e2-e3 5. c2-cg
-
Volume
2
EffiEffiE 4. ffirffi ffi rffi
ffi^ffi ffi
ffi:r.:ffirffiffi ffi: .Hi{',
?5
*4S !:g
***s
tF{
?l #T ffigsffi$ a 13[ i!,ii a 2\:i(
i*:1
?J:
A
a*fl ffiaffiffisffi EE:
6. ab1-d2
e7-e6
af8-d6!
6...9:e7 is passive as it allows the creation of a dangerous white outpost on
e5: 7.4d3 o-o 8.4e5!? Ad7. It seems too risky to take on e5, given that Black has already castled; nonetheless, after 9.9f3, White's kingside initiative becomes menacing.
7. Af4-93 8. af1-d3
0-0
9. Af3-e5
d4xe5
11. t2-t4 with equal chances.
Ad6xe5! at6-d7 t7-t6
gd8-b6!? Putting the spotlight on an inherent weakness of the system: the unde-
B) 5.
fended b2 pawn.
gd1-b3
6.Wc2 961 7.Abd2
Afs
and Black has
no worries.
6. 7. Wb3-c2
c5-c4!
After 7.Wxb6 axb6, the pressure
exerted on the a-file compensates for the doubled pawns. 92
8. Bc2-c1 9. abl-d2 with
e7-e6 h7-h6
equaliry.
It is important that Black is aware of the
risks involved with this last line. If White astutely plays 2.9f4 and decides not to play 6f3 in the near future, the similar line 2...c5 3.e31? Ac6 +.c3 Wb6 5.9b3 c4 6.Wc2 Afsz is no longer on because of 7.Bxf5! Wxb2 8.Wxd5 (in the sister line the d5 pawn is defended)
Etr
E
t-.-H
; -f
::::
ilFrffi#
ffiAffi
ffiw$# ffi rg$ :{E ;{i
l{ I-:d o;*]\
gaw
g ffiAffi
rffirj'j-j; ffi c'lj B**
-i."-; 'i+l
s# 3A:f;;
6
;."iI
6tl
"tr: 1a.Y
A:'\:H E?jH
wd8-e7!
To support an ...e6-e5 push.
6.
gc8-f5!
8...Wxal 9.gbs
A) 5.
10.
7.
Ab8-c6
And White is clearly better.
Trompowsky
fixe4
, Colle, Torre,
London
Adly,Ahmed
35.Wxc5+ *xc5 36.trxa5+ €d4 37.&t2 trcG 38.c4 Eb6 39.Ea3 h5 40.9f3 h4 41.9f4 trbB a2.s4 h3 43.tra7 Exb3 44.trxf7 trb2 45.€g3 €xe5 46.€xh3 €d4 47.g5 e5 48.€93 €xc4 49.h4 €d5 50.9G Ebl 51.€s4 €e6 52.€95 tr91+ 53.gh6
Juarez FloresrCarlos
e4 54.h8 e3 55.trf3 e2 56.tre3+
11.Axe4 cxd4 12.Axh7+ €xh7 13.695+ sg6 ',t4.h4 trh8 15.trxe6+ 4f616.h5+ €h6 17.Exd6 Sa5 18.6xf7+ *h7 19.695+ €sB
20.9b3+
1-O
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Dresden olyrnpiad 2008 (3)
1.d4 d5 2.at3 c5 3.e3 6c6 4.c3 e6
5,4d3 af6 6.abd2 ad6 7.0-0 0-0 8.dxc5 Axc5 9.e4 dxe4 1O.Axe4 Ae7 11.We2 Wc7 'l2.afll 4xe4 13.Wxe4 f5 14.9e2 Axg5 15.Axg5 e5 16.Ac4+ €hB 17.Ead1 f4 18.f3 AfS 19.trfe1 trae3 20.Axf4 Ac2 21.Wxc2 ext4 22.9.d3 6e5 23.4e4 4.c4 24.Hd4 6e3 25.Wds Be7
26.Axh7
gh4
27.trxe3 trxe3 28.Bxe3 BxhT 29.We4 gh4 30.93 WS5 31.trd5 gh6 32.g4 Bb6+
33.€g2 Wxb2+ 34.&h3 €xc3 35.8h5+ €98 36.Wxb7 €el 37.Wd5+ trf7 38.trf5
gfl+
Be1+40.€h5a5
39.€h4 1-0
Moscow 2007 (6)
1.d4 AfG 2.afg e6 3.4g5 hG 4.Axf6 Wxf6 5.e4 d6 6.6c3 g6 7,Wd2 Ag7 8.0-o-o We7 9.h4 6d7 1o.g3 Ab6 ll.ghs 4d712.trhe1 0-0-O 13.€b1 €bg 14.9f1 Ec8 15.4b5 Ehdg 16.Wa5 Axb5 17.Wxb5 c5 18.a4 d5 19.a5 dxe4 20.axb6 a6 21.8a5 exf3 22.dxc5 gd4 23.b4 Axf2 24.Wal Axg3 25.Axa6 bxa6 26.trg1 t2
27.trgf! gb7 28.8c3 trxdl+ 29.trxd1 gf4 30.9d4 gf3 31.9d7
gb7 32.9d4 g5 33.gxf2
We4 34.trd4 We3 35.Wxe3 9xe3 36.8d7 f5 37.€b2 o-i Seirawan,Yasser
1.d4 AfG 2.6f3 e6 3.e3 c5 4.9d3 6c6 5.0-0 d5 6.b3 b6 7.4b2 Ab7 8.abd2 Ae7 9.6e5 6xe5 10.dxe5 ad7 11.t4 Bc712.We2 0-0-0 13.a4 g5 14.a5 bxa5 15.4a6 gxf416.trxf4 trhf8 17.trfa4 ab8 18.Axb7+ BxbT 19.trxa5 6cG 20.trb5 gdz 21.af3 €cZ 22.Aa3 trbB 23.trxc5 trb6 24.ad4 Axc5 25.Axc5 Efbg
26.Axb6+ trxb6 27.€,xci €xc6 28.9d3 hG 29.e4 dxe4 30.Wxe4+ wds 31.wa4+ !=4'b5 32.se4+ WdS
a5
Moscow 2007 (4)
gxh4
Yusupov,Artur Savchenko,Boris
33.We3
YusuponArttr Almasi,Zoltan
34.Wc3+
ii9c5+
Larsen,Bent Lirlares 1983
(i)
1.d4 Af6 2.atg e6 3.4g5 c5 4.c3 d5
5.e3 4bd7 6.abd2 Ae7 7.4d3 a6 8.0-O b5 9,6e5 9b710.f4 c4 11.4c2 6e4 12.Axe7 WxdT 13.Axe4 dxe4 14.6xd7 BxdT 15.b9 O-0 16.bxc4 bxc4 17.Wc2 Wc6 18.trabl a5 19.trb2 f5 20.trfb1 trf7 21.trb6 Wc8 22.tr1bs gds 23.9b2 gd7 24.Wa3 hG 25.gd6 Wxd6 26.trxd6 g5 27.at1ilaa7 28.ef 2 thfb7 29.trdb6 Exb6 30.Exb6 €f7 31.€e1 tra8 93
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
s2.&d2Eg8 33.s3 tra8 34.trb5 €f6 35.€e2 hS 36.h4 gxh4 37.gxh4 €e7 38.693 gd6 39.Axh5 Ac6 40.trc5 EhB 41.4g3 Exh4 42.6t1 Aa4 43.€f2 Ac2 44.&92 Eg4+ 45.693 gd1 46.€f2 trg8 47.trxa5 Ag4 48.8a4 €d5 49.8b4 tra8 50.a4 af3 51.trbs+ gd6 52.a5 trh8 53.d5
trh2+ 54.€f1 trd2 55.a6 trdl+ 56.€f2 trd2+ 57.€91 Ed1+ 58.9h2 trd2+ 59.&h3 Ag4+ 60.€h4 exdS 61.8a5 trh2+ 62.€s5 trh8
63.6xf5+ 9xf5 64.€xf5 65.&xe4 dxc3 66.€d4 c2 tra8 68.e4
Dortmund 2003 (8)
1.d4 af6 2.atg e6 3.4g5 c5 4.e3 Ae7 5.6bd2 d5 6.c3 abd7 7.Adg b6 8.4e5 Axe5 9.dxe5 ad7 10.Axe7 BxeT 11.f4 0-0 12.atg tE 13.trg1 €h8 14.94 96 15.h4 Abz 16.h5 fxg4 17.Exg4 g5 18..4xg5 d4 19.exd4 cxd4 20.cxd4 h6 21.6e4 Eg8 22.6,dG af6 23.Eg6 Exs6 24.hxg6 Ads 25.9h5 €97 26.fS
d4
1-0
G7.tra1 1-0
Carrasco MartinezJuan TiviakorlSergey Spain rt 200+ (2)
1.d4 at6 2.at3 eG 3.As5 c5 4.c3 d5 5.e3 6bd7 6.abd2 Ae7 7.Ad3 Wc7 8.0-O O-O 9.trc1 h6 1O.Ah4 b6 11.c4
Aa6 12.Wa4 dxc4 13.Axc4 Axc4 14.dxc4 gb7 15.6ce5 4xe5 16.6xe5 b5 17.9d1 cxd4 18.exd4 trac8 19.Wbg EfdB 21.afsa6 21.h3 g5 22.9g3 gds 23.Ac7 Wxb3 24.axb3 Ee8 25.AbO AdS 26.Ac5 6t4 27.tra1 Axc5 28.dxc5 trxcS 29.trxa6 EdB 30.Ea7 Edg 91.b4 trfs 32.tra3 6xh3+ 33.9h2 alt4 34.g3 HxaS 35.bxa3 6d3 36.€g2 Edb 37.trb1 €97 38.Eb3 e5 39.4h2 e4 40.trc3 Efs 41.t3 4e1+ 42.&t2 Axf3 43.54 trf4 44.6xt3 exf3 45.trxf3 Exg4 46.trf5 trt4+ 47.trxt4 gxt4 48.a4 bxa4 49.b5 a3 50.b6 a2 51.b7 alW 52.bgg gd4+ 59.€f1 wdg+ 54.€91 9e3+ 55.€f1 Wf3+ 56.€91 Wg4+ 57.&t2 f3 58.Wb2+ €h7 59.9b3 Bg2+ 60.ee3 We2+ 61.€f4 B'e6 o-l 9+
Radiabov,Teimour Naiditsch,Arkady
Yusupori,Artur Karpov,Anatoly London match 1989 (5)
1.d4 at6 2.afg e6 3.AgF c5 4.e3 b6
5.d5 exd5 6.AcS AeZ Z.6xd5 Ab7 8.Axf6 Axf6 9.c3 0,0 10.4c4 a6 11.0-0 b5 12.ab3 d6 13.9d2 ad7 14.trfd1 Axd51S.AxdS trbB 16.Wc2
AbG 17.Hd2 96 1B.Ead1 WcZ 19.We4 &97 2O.h4 Be7 21.Wf4 Ae5 22.6xe5 dxeS 23.Wg3 EbdB 24.h5 Hd7 25.b9 EfdS 26.e4 95 27.We3 hG 28.c4 Ec7 29.Ed3 4d7 30.Axf7 €xf7 31.Wd2 €e8 32.WaS bxc4 33.bxc4 trcc8 34.Wa4 trc7 35.Bxa6 trbg 36.896+ €fB
37.trf3+
1-o
Torre,Eugenio Almasi,Zoltan Calvia olympiad 200a ( la)
1.d4 at0 2.6rt9 e6 3.Ag5 h6 4.4h4
c5 5.e3 b6 6.c3 Ab7 7.abd2 :si:e7 e.Adg cxd4 9.cxd4 0-0 10.0-0 6c6 11.a3 d5 12.trc1 trcB 13.We2 2le4 14.Axe7 4xe71E.Ab5 A96 16.Aa6 6xd2 17.6xd2 Wd7 18.4d3 Ae7
Trompowsky, Colle, Torre
19.4rc f6 20.Wd2 gdo 2l.Exc8 trxc8 22.8c1 €f7 23.Exc8 AxcS 24.Wc3 AdZ 25.93 WcG 26.Wxc6 Axc6
27.€f1
Vzrlz
Merida Torre-mem 2004 (1)
1.d4 Af6 z.atg d5 3.4f4 Af5 4.e3 e6 5.4d3 AxdS 5.cxd3 Ad6 7.493
af6 2.6f3 e6 3.4g5 c5 4.e3
gb6 5.Abd2 Wxb2 6.Ad3 7,exd4 Wc3 8.0-0 d5
8.dxc5 Axc5 g.gbg
cxd4 9.tre1 Ae7
10.8e3 Wc7 11.6e5 6cG 12.c3 4xe5 13.dxe5 6g8 14.4f3 h6 15.9f4 gd7 16.4d4 Ag5 17.Axg5 hxg5 18.W94 Wxc3 19.ab3 ah6 20.Wxg5 Wb4 21.893 Wf8 22.trc1 f6 23.8e3 t5 24.6c5 f4 25.4s6+ €e726.Wa3
WbG
4c6 AhS 13.4a4 6xg3+ 14.hxg3 €e7 15.a3 &c7 16.trac1 gd6 17.trc2 EacB 18.Ehc1 trc7 19.4c3 Ed7 20.6b5 aG 21.6:c3 ola7 22.6a4 1O.Wxb6 Axb6 11.6c3
Leningrad ch-URS 1963 (9)
1.d4
London
Nogueiras Santiago,Jesus Ivanchuk,Vasily
c5 Spassky,Boris Osnos,Viacheslav
,
12.&e2
Abs 23.ad2 Ebg 24.ab3
Ec7
25.trxc7+ AxcT 26.t4 h5 27.€f3 96 28.e4 dxe4+ 29.dxe4 Ed8 30.Abc5 h4 31.€e3 hxg3 32.Dxb7 Ehg 33.trc6 trh4 34.Exa6 Axf4+
35.€d3 Eh2 36.9e4 6cT 37.&d4 0-1
1-0
Georgiev,Kiril Mchedlishvili,Mikheil Rubinstein"Akiba Tartakower,Savielly
Warsaw Ech
London 1922 (13)
1.d4 af6 2.atg d5 3.9f4 e6 4.e3 gd6 s.Abd2 €:xt4 6.exf4 c5 7.dxc5 Wc7 8.g3 Wxc5 9.Ad3 Ac6 10.c3
o-0 11.0-0 h5 12.4b3 Wb6 13.8e1 Ad7 14.8e2 EaeS 15.6e5 6xe5 16.fxe5 ahl 17.h4 f5 18.6d4 tre7 19.f4 €h8 20.h5 Eg8 21.&n 6tg 22.9h1 AeB 23.Eag1 6ld7 24.g4 6c5 25.9b1 fxg4 26.€g3 gf8 27.Hh2 tret7 28.trt1 a6 29.Wxg4
Abs 30.9f3 trfs 31.axf5 exfS 32.Axf5 trxfS 33.Wxf5 6e4+ 34.*92 Ae2 35.WsG Axf3+ 36.€xf3 gb5 37.sg2 gd3+ 38.€94 g5 39.Wf3 Wb1 40.fxg5 hxg5 41.h6 Wg1+ 42.tr92 Wc5
43.9f7 Wc8+ 44.eG 45.Wxg8+ *xg8 46.€f5
2005 (9)
1.4f3 d5 2.d4 at0 3.4f4 c6 4.e3 Ag4 5.c4 abdT 6.9b3 gb6 7.4c3
WgB 1-o
dxc4 8.Axc4 e6 LWc2 Ae710.Ae5
Axe5 11.Axe5 0-0 12.0-0 Ahs 13.a3 a5 14.trac1496 15.We2 ad7 16.4g3 a417.e4 trfe8 18.Efd1 Sa5 19.Aa2 trac8 20.f3 b5 21.Ae1 b4 22.4b1c5 23.dxc5 Axc5+ 24.&h1 6'e5 25.t4 hc6 26.f5 exfS 27.8d5 Exe4 28.Wf1 Wa8 29.trdxc5 b3 3O.6d2 bxa2 31.Axe4lxe4 32.Wc4 e3 33.Wxa2 €e4 1-o
34.8c4
Kamsky,Gata Gelfand,Boris Elista 2007 (2)
1.d4 AfO z.atg d5 3.9f4 c5 4.e3 6cG 5.9b5 cxd4 6.exd4 WaS+ 7.4c3 Ag4 8.0-0 e6 9.h3 Axf3 10.Wxf3 trc8 11.trfdl Ae7 12.9t1 95
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
O-0 13.6e2 b5 14.c3 b4 15.8'd3 wb6 16.cx4 alxb4 17.8b3 6e4 18.a3 6c6 19.wxb6 axb6 20.b4 95 21.Ae3 a'd622.6:c1f523.4b36c4 24.b5 ad8 25.a4 ajb7 26.ac1 f4 27.ae2 ab4 28.8a2 abd6 299d3 Ea8 30.€f1 4xb5 31.trc2 abd6
32.gd2 trxa4 33.Axb4 Exb4 34.bc1 6f5 35.9xf5 gxfs 36.4d3 eir gz.E" 2 tr17 38.€e2 ado 39.trda1 Abs 40.€d2 6xd4
18.Axc4 dxc4 19'6xc4 g'ds 2o.gib3 o-o-o 21.hxd6+ wxd6 22.g4 Eh3 23.Ehf1 Exh2 24.wa4 trdh8 25.9b5 g'ds 26.8a4 Eg2
27.wa3 trhh2 28.Ed3 trc2+
29.€d1 wc4 30.wf8+
€c7
31.Bxf7+€b632.Bg6gxa2
0-1
41.trc1
trbs 42.trc8+ trf8 43.trc7 traS
44.8b2 trf7 45.trc8+ sg7 46.4e5 Eb7 47.h4 gxh4 48.trb4 Ha2+ 49.€d3 hf5 So.Exf4 trba7 51.trc3 tr7a3 52.trxa3 Exa3+ 53.€e2 b5 54.trg4+ €f6 55.4d3 Ea8 56.€d2
e557.trb4e458.hc5Eg8 O-1
watson,charres
*i**u'
Ortegalexy skembris,spyridon verona open 200s (8)
af6 2.4f3 e6 3.4f4 d5 4.e3 c5 5.c3 hc6 6.abd2 €d6 7.493 we7 8.he5 ad7 9.f4 0-0 10.4d3 f5 11.adf3 af6 12.4h4 €'c7 13.He2 c414.9c2b5 15.gxf6 gxf6 16'dxc6 wxc6 17.h3 ad718.g €h8 19.891 trg8 20.9d2 b4 21.gxf5 exfs 1.d4
A';?T':ffiTfffi:1#fJ'J."-# H:; |1ff;,.*$1,,'?fl# -
r.aii-ar. i.i+ is 3 gf4 c5 4.e3 s1.Axr;
Wg7
32.Bxg7+ €xs7
ac6 5.c3 wb6 6.wc1 gfs 7.6h4 33.trb7+ €f8 34.4e6 Eg1 35.9xd5 ae4 8.6d2 e6 9.f3 9g6 10.6xg5 tre1+ 36.ef2 Ecl 37.4f5 ae1+
rr*e-rr.ab3 c4 ti.aaz ans
g8.e,fg trc2 39.Ebg trf2+ 40'€e4
c2 42axe8 "iH 'lr;;rtt'.j;'&i: ii*flIf"' **:;
OA
tions which involve less theory; the second reason is the widespread use of chess engines (free 'rhinkers'by definition). These programs get stronger ev-
E
AABsAa
lli
lrll .,
AA
ery day and they are extraordinarily gifted and tenacious defenders of so-called'doubtful' positions. They
E
have demonstrated that many secondary defences that preiudicial thinking thought were inferior are in fact playable. Certainly Black cannot hope for great positions if he faces a well-prepared opponent. However, the surprise effect of these defences and Black's inevitably greater familiarity with them
',',,1,,1",t
AX
€aa
tr
means that these are weapons that should not be dismissed.
The move 2.c4 (mentioned by Polerio as far back as 1575) immediately puts
pressure
on
Black's centre:
it is
the
strongest and most common response to d5. Most of the time after 2.c7-c4, Black will defend his pawn with either 2...e6 or 7...c6. or otherwise take the c4 pawn. However, Black has various other minor alternatives available to him and recent practice has shown them to be
much better than their
We will now examine the three most popular of the minor systems. But first we will take a quick look at the Sym-
metrical Defence c7-cs
2.
This is still considered to be borderline in terms of playability.
3. c4xd5 4. e2-e4l
previous
3A
of minor
A
II'
reputations suggested.
The ever-more-frequent use systems
6g8-f6
is a trend of modern
chess.
'
There are two reasons for this phenomenon: the first is the development of the
Internet and information technology now means that the catalogued games of any tournament in the world are immediately available, with an overabundant amount of accompanying analysis that has no precedent. It is therefore natural that players who do not have the time to constantly check the latest developments will be attracted to varia-
.t'l.
ti:,li:::jj
nn .JA A,ti\ E^n) 4. 5. 6. 7.
J+*cs 0g1-f3 6b1-c3
8.
Wd1xdS
-;
15:l
Af6xe4 6e4xc5 e7-e6 e6xd5
97
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
White's advantage is small, but at the
immediate pressure on White's centre
same time concrete and risk-free.
and to freely develop Black's queenside minor pieces, which in general suffer
Please note that the natural
Ag8-f6?!
2. is
definitely a second-rate move: after
3. Black is
6f6xd5
c4xd5
in an inferior
version
of the
Griinfeld, in the sense that after
4. Asl-f3
from
a
chronic absence of
space. We are
dealing with an active defence: indeed, it is essential that Black establish highly dynamic piece play in order to compensate for the good centre that the defence grants to White.
followed by 5.e4, there is no knight on c3 to exchange off, Therefore, White has conquered the centre without hassle, and he will not have to deal with any counterplay worth mentioning.
There are various continuations:
A) 3. c4xd5 4. e2-e3
Bd8xd5
White hopes to exploit the exposed po-
Inferior is the immediate 4.e4 af6 5.Q)c3 e5! 6.dxe5 W xd1 + 7.& xd1 6tg4, hitting both p
sition of the queen.
and e5.
As said, Black has to play actively.
4.
5. 6b1-c3 6. Ac1-d2
Chigorin Defence
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4
e7-e5
Af8-b4 Ab4xc3
d7-d5 6b8-cG
E;'Eg €€AE. ,&l' l :$ r: l
*
e1;::fl..':1
:,',.r
-
'Aa.\ NA ,:....
:
']j:i.ri,
..'""''' :i.i',,'"'""'
''
.
..:
t
A&
tr
:i];):lialr
,.,,,
..::'
:
t'.:t''t':'
AAAA
AAA'-1
aAg€aa ":,
tr
This defence was employed by the great champion Mikhail Chlgorin at the end of the 19th century, and then, at the end of the following century by Tony Miles and in turn Alexander Morozevich; it is no surprise that with this eminent patronage it has become the most respected of the minor Queen's Gambit defences. Its ambitious aim is 98
to apply
7.
b2xc3 A move which is slighdy more frequent than 7.Axc3 exd4 8.4e2 6fe 9.6xd+ 0-o 1o.abs!? wgs! 11.h+t? whe r, and Black maintains equilibri um.
7.
Ag8-f6 refined 7...9d6!?, which prevents c3-c4 and d4-d5;8.4d3 6)ge7 9.6e2 0-0 10.0-0, and Black's piece activity appears to
More natural than the
compensate for White's nice centre and his two bishops.
Chigorin
gd5-d6 hc6-e7
8. c3-c4 9. d4-d5 10. gd1-b1
double threat of the knight going to c2 or b3.
0-0
Black active play.
e2-e3
A timid-looking move, but not to
and it is not easy to ludge if Black has gotten enough compensation.
C) 3. 6s1-f3
at6-d7l
and the ...17-fS push that follows gives
B) 3.
be
underestimated. It is often played when
White is unfamiliar with the Chigorin. 3. e7-e5!?
The most common choice, especially because this position is often reached by 2.6f3 Q)c6 3.c4. 3. 9c8-94 4. c4xd5 4.Q)d e6! 5.e3 Ab+ witn a balanced game.
4. better.
5.
4.cxd5 Wxd5 transposes to Variation A
d5-d4 The position is reminiscent Albin Counter-Gambit. 5. a2-a3! Stopping .. .4U++. 4.
of
the
^
AA
AI
':.:.lft
AI\ /\NNAA
tr
.
,/\
g2xf3
The move 5.dxc6 has less nunch. After 5...Axc6 6.4c3 e6 t.ei AA+ s.f3 Wtr++tl 9.g3 Whs, Black has interesring attacking prospects on the weakened kingside. 5.
E EgBEaE f f l -:.,,1,}1 :':.'
9g4xf3
4...Wxd5? 5.4c3 and White is doing
3...4f6 is more solid. 4. d4xe5
The move
.
Ag8-e7
8.
Prepares e3-e4 and ties dom the c8 bishop to the defence of the b7 pawn.
10.... 11. e3-e4
Delence
6. e2-e3 7. 6b1-c3 8. Acl-d2 9. b2xc3
i:::i:
Wd8xd5 e7-e5
AfB-b4 Ab4xc3 Wds-do
in Variation A, the queen relocates to prevent c3-c4 and d4-d5. As
/\ 2\ 2\
aag€ea
tr
10. Ea1-bl 11. t3-I4l?
b7-b6
5.exd4 Wxd4 6.Wxd4 axd4 7.4d3 Ae6 followed by ...0-0-0 gives Black suffi cient compensation.
5. 6. hgl-f3 7. e3xd4 8. Afl-e2!
a7-as
Af8-c5 Ac5xd4l
8.6xd4 Wxd4 wirh equaliry: White cannot exchange queens because of the 99
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
Kasparov's brilliant move: White momentarily gives up a pawn in order to take possession ofthe centre.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
...
e3-e4 gd1-f3 Wf3xf4 Wf4-g3
e5xf4 698-e7 Wd6-a3! 0-0 Wa3xa2
afl-d3
Dl)
e7-e5
3.
This seems premature:
4. c4xd5 5. e2-e3 6. Ag1-f3 7. e3-e4 8. Afl-b5+ 9. gd1-b3
6c6xd4 ad4-f5 gf8-d6 Q:t5-e7
Ac8-d7
and White is ahead.
And notwithstanding the white centre. after 16....
imposing
17-fsl
DD 3. 4. 691-f3
6g8-f6
More solid than the alternative 4.cxd5 Axd5 5.e4 Axc3 6.bxc3 e5. and Black has nice counterplay.
Before we look at the main line. let's
look at the old continuation a...Aga (after 4...dxc4 we are in Variation D3), which is no longer played today because of 5.cxd5 Axd5 6.e4 6xc3 7.bxc3 e5 8.dS ab8 9.Wa4+ Ad7 10.Axe5 gf5 I l.Ae2!. it is not clear who is attacking and who is defending.
D) 3. Ab1-c3 iSia
Ue
-'
.,:A
-' c_}
4,,
5;
An innovation of the 1980's that gives White a clear advantage. 4. Ac8-f5!?
>< .,}{; .F+
The modern approach.
Objectively the best
-
and also the move
with the best performance. White interferes with the activation of Black's queen without fear of the c4 pawn being taken. 100
5. c4xd5 6. gdl-b3 7. e2-e4 8. e4xf5
Af6xd5 e7-e6
Ad5xc3 Ac3-d5
Black's position is not as bad as it looks.
Albin Counter-Gombit
D3)
7. Aflxc4 8. Wd1-c2 9. tra1-d1
d5xc4
3.
4. 6g1-f3 After 4.d5 he5, perhaps White has an edge, but in Black's favour White has to negotiate his way through a complex
White has
game.
pieces
An interesting alternative is: 4.e3 e5 5.d5 AceT 6.Axc4 a6!?, with a weird
weaKnesses.
position that is difficult to
assess.
+...9g+? 5.d5 Axf3 6.exf3 6es 7.Afa A96 8.Axc4!!, which threatens AUS+, and White has an obvious plus. 5. e2-e4 The other possibility is 5.d5 6a5! 6.Wa4+ c6 7.b4 bS 8.Wxa5 Wxa5 9.bxa5 b4, and it is not obvious now how either side should best proceed. 5. Ac8-g4
And we are
in the following
at.'
tr
in play and his position has no
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4
d7-d5 e7-e5
aaw€aa
tr
end of the 19th century by
l l l
::
IAA A '..;lra AAgg€g AAA fi
tage is purely academic: Black has all his
This defence was made popular at the
EBwAE :. .:.:.:..::
but this advan-
dia-
grammed position, which can also be reached via the Queen's Gambit Accepted:
l l.*
0-0
Albin Counter-Gambit
Ag8-f6!
4.
a nice centre,
Af8'b4
i'l:
tr
the Austro-Romanian Adolf Albin. It has always been feared at an amateur level,
but at the same time it was always viewed with great suspicion by top masters. However, good performance is always a convincing argument, and sceptics took notice in the early years of
this century when Morozevich brilliantly employed the Albin to beat play-
6.
Ac1-e3 Played more often than 6.d5, which nonetheless has given White good results after 6...4e5 t.Af+ 496 8.4e3 e5 9.Axc4.
ers of even the highest calibre. This has Ied - at least in part - to a re-evaluation
6. e7-eG The exchange on f3 is playable, but this move would appear to be more natural.
aspects as well.
of this counter-gambit, which not only offers dynamic possibilities to Black, but also has certain positive positional However, you cannot escape the fact that 'a parnm is a pawn', and therefore 101
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
some uncertainty about the counter-gambit's soundness still remains. Presuming that an Albin player does not wish to play a normal Queen's Gambit, he must have an answer to 2.4f3; indeed this move is often played so as to avoid this gambit, which though perhaps not entirely sound, is more than
of giving White a headache. In this event Black can choose 2...6c6 or
capable
2...4f5, which, after the likely pawn push c2-c4, transpose to variations of the Chigorin or Baltic Defences, but with White enjoying fewer options as he has already played Af3.
3. d4xe5
d3 so as to challenge the e4 pawn, but here the pawn move is punished tactically:
4. 5. Acl-d2 6. 9d2xb4?
Af8-b4+! d4xe3
Also 6.Wa4+ Ac6 7.Axb4 exfz+ 8.€xf2 Wtr++
gives Black a clear advantage, therefore the lesser of all evils is the
submissive 6.fxe3, which leaves Black
with
an edge after e ...Wh++ 7.g3 We4.
6. 7. E
egxf2+
€e1-e2
ffiEffie##a
*ili
.@tr
ffi rflK ffiffirffi I
d5-d4
ffiffi#s
ffi Effi effia ffi I ffi ffirffi **# ffi ffi# :4# E
*&
ffiffi Affi ffi w I Iffiffi A AffiA
ffi
ffiffiffiffi ffiAffi ffi
ffiffi ffiffiffiffiffi A Affi A ffi€$rea ffi ffie affisffieffi ffi
A
c{sg
t
A 3't&
es
i6
If
Black now promotes to a queen, White will exchange on d8 and recapture on g1 with equality, while after
ffiAffi
And here we have the idea of the counter-gambit: Black's pawn on d4 restricts
White's development by taking awaY the c3-square from the b1 knight, and at least for the moment e-pawn from going to e3.
by stopping
the white
-
The idea is reminiscent of the Falkbeer Coulter-Gambit in response to the
King's Gambit, and indeed here we dealing with a mirror image of the position on the queenside. are
7
. .
.
Ag4+?
?
,
obaiously
8
.Q-:f3 saaes the day
7.
.
t2xg16+
With check!
8.
€e2-e1
If White takes on
g
1
,
he receives a lethal
check on 94.
L
9. €el-d2
gd8-h4+ Ab8-c6
and Black has a decisive advantage.
B) 4.
a2'a3
it is only corrunon sense that White will make swe that he has conffol of the Given his fate in the previous variation,
A) 4.
e2'e3?
A verv common error. It is true that in the Falkbeer White immediately plays 102
b4-square before he plays his pawn to e3.
Albin Counter-Gombit
4.
5. e2-e3 5. Wdlxd8+ 7. Ac1xe3
Ab8-c6 d4xe3
€e8xd8 Ac6xe5
C) 4. e2'e4 Spassky's ambitious move. 4.e3 is an er-
ror, but 4.e4 is playable because of the en passant rule. Now after the check on b4, taking on e3 is no longer possiblel 4. Ab8-c6
t2-t4
E
*r1 *r r ^
tf:$lit
g -: €.
r
l*;r
xi €
:'lil
nAtA€#i
*: l*Afi A Ag cbl
,
*n.
AA
€,
ll
AIAA l
AA a'al agg€aa tr
.
In this way White maintains the extra pa\.Tr, but at the cost of being somewhat behind in development.
t7-t6! 5...6xe5? 6.fxe5 Wh++ 7.€d2 does not sufficiently compensate Black, while 5...g5!? - which undermines White's centre - is interesting; even if after 5.f5! Axe5 7.4f3 Axf3+ 8.Wxf3. 5.
White
g,;.'t:
=€==
-€.B'EE a E
aAA-zt
a3xb4
rectly defended by the threat of the knight fork on 92. 14. Wf3-e2 6c6xb4
With equality.
5.
11. ... Ag4xf3! 12. We2xf3 0-0! 13. trf8xf4 Now the idea is clear: the rook is indi-
scores well.
6. e5xf6
7. gf1-d3 8. Ab1-d2
9. a2-a3
10. Wd1-e2 11. 691-f3
Ag8xf6 Af8-b4+ Af6-g4 494-e3 Ac8-g4
It is difficult to
say
who stands better,
and not only for us: the various chess engines give very different evaluations for this position.
D) 4. 6g1-f3
ENAg€
tir.....
A€: i,iiirirXr
a:: :*
:
=.='.,:.,,'; *r,*&*: i,ili.lA
t.iiil
,.,:16,*2
A g A:$A& .Ar Ag'tr
Easily the preferred response today.
4.
%b8-c6
The old move played by Tartakower,
If now the bishop retreats, White con-
4...c5, appears to be too slow: after 5.e3 6c6 6.exd4 cxd4 7.4d3 AgeT 8.0-0
solidates his grip on the extra pawn, but
4g6 9.h3 Ae7 10.Ee1,
Black has the
brilliant:
Black will
struggle to win back hls pa\ m. 103
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
At this point, White has a choice between three principal variations, but these three moves can be played in different order and thus they often transpose.
D1) 5. a2-a3 Here we are dealing with variations without g2-g3 and without abd2. 5. Ac8-e6 There are also two other playable lines: 5...a5 6.e3 Ac5l or 5...6ge7, with the idea of ...6g6xe5. 6. e2-e3 d4xe3! 7. Wd1xd8+ Ea8xd8 8. Aclxe3 Ag8-e7
9. 6b1-c3 10. Ac3-b5 11. f2xe3
Q-:e7-f5l?
6f5xe3 Ed8-d7 and Black has established a balanced
6. a2-ag a7-a5t The other option of 5...496 7.ab3 6gxe5 8.Axe5 Axe5 g.Axd4leads to a position in which Black's compensation for the lost pawn is doubtful, given that he can no longer take on c4 for fear of the check on a4.
7. ad2-b3
and
should best proceed.
D3) 5. s2-s3 The number one choice: considering the problems associated with playing e2-e3, it seems more natural to develop the bishop on this diagonal. Black has tried various lines when faced with this position, given in the diagram below.
E.-.:AsggA ;.',1*:l a
8ame.
*-lt
D2\ 5. Ab1-d2 Here we deal with lines that include a2-a3 without the move g2-g3. 5. 6g8-e7!?
.i",.
..t,.
*
.:;.
AI AA AAAAA =
litllri af* tliia tti,
tr AW€A tr
A very fashionable move in the Albin Counter-Gambit, but the traditional conrinuation is still playable: 5...Aga 6.a3 We7 7.h3 AhS 8.Wa4 0-0-0. with equal chances. 10+
AT
:=
1€
..r.a
AA g AA A :A*:tr lA
rilllrtr ffrXr .,,,:.
::
,
i:.:lll. *
Eii..tA €A ..',rA*t:
6e7-f5
it is not obvious how either side
r' D31)
5.
Prepares
Ac8-f5
to
castle queenside and in
some variations there
is a
possible
...6,:b+.
6. Afl-g2 6.abd2? 6b+, and Black wins. gd8-d7 6.
7. 0-0 8. Wdl-a4
Or 8.9b3
I
? as
8. 9.
0-0-0
in Variation D3
3
.
gfs-h3 e5-e6!
Albin Counter-Gombit
i::g€
"€E
.AE $*Aa:g:,t.l.l,l, ls
,Ea€'l
;r:tg:iiiritl
i* l*,,Bll,ri f *if
A.:l::: *:: :,;:r." " 'i .''.;..l. Ntr E :,:,: g '1 ,,.. t:: XA.:.::.:'
::: :':
::4.:
A g
.1J.:
*
a
-:,,'A'A'A ,,,'E
s
A typical tactical idea aimed at gaining time and a possible initiative. 9.
10.
,,,'l '= ....'6 B = A:* fiA,A,A$ A AAAAA
W$A}
A\AA
i:i=
Af3-g5
Ah3xe6 698-e7
and White's position inspires more confidence.
1..,..;
:l:rrtr€
And White's queenside initiative appears to have more potential than Black's one on the kingside.
D33)
1't. b2-b4
i,iil
s.
Ac8-g4
The usual plan, but here Black hopes to be able to apply more pressure on White's centre.
6. Af1-92 7. 0-0 8. gdl-b3!
D32) 5. Ac8-e6 in the previous variation, Black, in
As
anti-Dragon fashion, prepares ...Waz,
Wd8-d7 0-0-0
trdl with an eye on
...0-0-0, ...4h3, and ...h7-h5-h4. Beginning with this move has the advantage of earning a tempo by attacking
Getting ready for
the c4 pawn.
After 8...4h3? we see the intent behind
6.
ab1-d2 It is also possible to give back the pawn by playing 5.Ag2l? Axc4 7.abd2, with an active game, but usually White prefers to hang on to the extra pawn. 6.
gd8-d7
7. 9j1-g2 0-0-0 h7-h5 8. 0-0 The variation 8...A"h3?l 9.e61 Axe6 10.495 has proved itself to be favourable for White. 9.
b7
as
well.
698-e7
8.
8.9b3: 9.e61 Axe6 1o.Ae5 gd6
1 1.Axc6 bxc6 12.Wa4. cisive advantage.
9.
with a near de-
Ef1-d1
Threatening 10.Axd4 due to the checkmate on b7. 9.
gd7-f5!?
Parries White's threat and supplies an escape square for the king without exchanging on f3, which would be positional capitulation. However, after
10.6b1-a3! 6e7-96
An unforced but quite promising sacri-
11.6a3-c2 White maintains strong pressure and
fice.
has better prospects.
b2-b4l?
9. 10. Wd1-a4
9f8xb4 D34)
5.
698-e7 105
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
A new; less direct approach on the part
of Black, who simply
seeks
to
Baltic Defence
restore
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4
the material balance while keeping the strong pawn on d4.
6. Af1-g2 7. Ac1-95!
6e7-96
Effi ffieffiA!ffi rffre ffirffir ffitrffi#ffiffi ffi wrffiaffi
Fighting against Black's plan. After 7.0-0 Agxe5, Black has no problems.
gd8-d7!
7.
E
ffiag$ ffi ffi ffiffiffiffi Affi ffiAffiA#
ffiffiaffieffi ffi
rffisffirffi I ffiAffiffi ffia ffiffiffiffi ffiAffi ffi ffi
AffigffiAffitr
ffiffi
ffi ffiffiaffi A ffi ffiAffiA re A
affiffiwffi ffi
a;s
A move that Morozevich reassessed as having merit; he is a player who has never been afraid to play moves that look ugly. It seems unnatural to block the c8 bishop. On the other hand, after 7...9:e7 8.Axe7, Black has problems to attack the e5 pawn without losing the
d4pawn.
8.
0-0
The move 8.e6!? used to be played, but following 8...fxe6 9.0-0 e5, it is difficult to decide if Black's centre has been reinforced or weakened.
L
d7-d5
Ac8-f5
In the Queen's Gambit Black's principal problem is usually how he should develop the c8 bishop... and here Black brings it into play on the second move! This is a move that would have horrified an opening expert of the old
schooll And indeed, we are dealing with a relatively recent opening - the product of the pragmatism that so strongly characterises the contemporary game.
a
3.
gd1-b3
To attack b7 and d5 is logical. To do so before Black has played ...e7-e6 has the extra advantage of avoiding the typical manoeuvre ...dc6-b+. However. the
move
h7-h6t
e7-e5!
3.
A true novelty: taking immediately on
Opening the diagonal for the f8 bishop
e5 gives White an edge.
with tempo and endeavouring to
9. Ag5-f4 Trying to keep the parnm, but perhaps the more conservative
9. 10.
g3xf4
9.Acl is better Ag6xf4 97-95!
and Black has optimum counterplay. 106
ex-
ploit the premature development of the queen.
4.
c4xd5
4.Wxb7 is playable: after +...D,d7 5.dxeS d4, a position ensues that is difficult to judge.
Boltic
4.
5. 6g1-f3 6. 6f3xd4
EffiffiffiE
e5xd4 Af8-c5
rerffi ffirffi ffiAffi ffi
White is a pawn up, but at a price: 6.
7. wb3-a4+ 8. d5xc6 9. Ba4-b3!
ffiffirffiEffi
ffiffiffi ffi ffiaw ffiaffi
9c5xd4 6b8-c6! b7-b5!
9.9xb5 6e7 10.e3 trb8 ll.9e2
would give Black too
0-01
10.
e2-e3
698-e7 gd4-f6
Black has adequate compensation, though to precisely what extent is hard to
say.
B) 3. bb1-c3
e7-e6l
With 3...c6?! you transpose to a notoriously inferior Slav variation that we will look at Iater on.
gd1-b3 move +.bf3 takes us into Variation
4.
The C.
6b8-c6!
4.
5.
c4xd5!
5.Wxb7? Axd4 and Black is clearly winning; 5.4f3 ab4t 6.e4 dxe4 7.c5 a5 !,
and Black stands well. 5. e6xd5
gf8-b4 6...4b4 7.e4 dxe4 8.4e5 Ae6 9.4c4 Axc4 10.8/xc4 We7 11.0-0, and
6. 6g1-f3
White has good compensation.
7.
a2-a3
The most direct.
7. Ab4xc3+ 8. Wb3xc3 Ag8-f6 9. Ac1-g5 0-0 h7-ho 10. e2-e3 11. Ag5xf6 9d8xf6 12.9t1-e2
ffi ffiAffiA tr
much
counterplay.
9.
Defence
White has a slight
advantage which, though largely academic, must at least give him marginally better chances. A frequent problem with these minor
defences is the black c-pawrr, whose path is obstructed by the c6 knight; this pawn
often represents a weakness. [n addition, the d5 pa\^'n can find itself without the support of its natural ally - the very same c5 pawn - and as a result, it becomes weal< too. It is true that Black can play ...trfc8, ...6e7 and ...c6, but in that case White can initiate an unpleasant minority attack spearheaded by b2-b4-b5, with its sights on the vuherable c6 pawn.
C) 3. Ag1-f3
e7-e6
Also here it is a mistake to transpose to the Slav with 3...c6?! as there is 4.cxd5
followedbyWb3.
4.
gdl-b3t?
4.68 is the normal
move. However. after 4...c6!. we are in a Slav without
...af6, which, after 5.8b3 Wbe e.cs Vc7 7.Af+ Bc8. has shown itself to be surprisingly resilient.
4. 5.
6b8-c6 c4-c5
An unnatural move, but strong: it stops ...4b+ and restricts Black's play. The
following is also played: 5.9d2 trb8 6.e3, with a small plus for White. 107
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
E
tssEaE *ifrt.tt.:f,tf
al
Yet the fact that Black can now still achieve acceptable positions - admittedly with some difficulty - is further
.g.ag
ning moves is far greater than what was thought possible before the advent of the Internet and chess engines. This is clearly a good thing as we thus continue to plumb the seemingly llmitless depths
,,,,t'' '6 1.,r,::,.1[ ...:: A rxlfr ,\ Hq) AA AAAA. .lcJ AIIAT\
€4"':,.E
evidence that the range of playable ope-
of the game. 5. The best way to defend b7.
6. Ac1-f4 7. h2-h3 8. e2-e3 9. Ab1-c3
6g8-f6 Af8-e7 a7-a6
It is not easy for White to gain any tangible benefit from his slight space advantage.
4.
Wd1-a4+ A nice finesse, defending a2 and preventing 6c6, before recapturing the piece. The normal 4.Exb1 is also playable: 4...Wxd5 5.a3 ac6 6.af3 0-0-0 7.Wc}l? (freeing himself of the pressure on the d4 pawn by giving it up!) 7...6xd4 8.Axd4 Wxd4 9.g3, with good compensation. 4.
D) 3.
c4xd5 The conceptually critical move; Black has not adequately defended the d5 pawn, and White takes it, seeking to make the most of the exposed black
9.f3.
5.
queen.
3. E
:*
Af5xbl
a 9e,€A E I I, l'l l.l
c7-c6!
Black would hardly be enthusiastic about the prospect of playing the endgame after 4...gd7 5.Wxd7+ AxdZ 6.trxb1 dgf6 7.9.d2 Axds s.e+ Asfe tra1xbl
5.dxc6 0xc6 6.Exbl would iust make Black's task easier after either the conservative 6...Wxd4, or the more aggres, sive 6...e5!?.
5. 6.
Wd8xd5
f2-t3 The most ambitious; however, most players opt for the soljd 6.4ft 6'd7 (with the idea ...4b6 and ...Wxa2) 7.a3 6gf6 A.e3 WfSl 9.Ea1 e5, with a satisfactory position. 6.
Naturally, Black
will not allow 6c3. It
seems reckless to move a bishop twice only to exchange if for an undeveloped
knight. 108
e7-e5
6...4f6 7.e4 Axe4?! 8.Ac4 WfS 9.fxe4! Wxe4+ 10.4e2 Wxbl 11.9b3, with a decisive advanrage for White.
Chigorin,
7. d4xe5 8. e2-e4 9. Q.g1-e2 10. Wa4-d4
ab8-d7 Wd5xe5 Q:d7-c5 We5-e6
11. 6e2-c3
White's good centre and possession of the bishop pair must in theory give him a small advantage. However, in practice the position is complex, which means that Black is not without resources.
Bouton,Christophe Raetsky,Ale*ar.de" Cappelle Ia Grande I 995 (3)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e4 6lc6
5t4 t6 6.exf6 Axf6 7.4d3 Ab4+
8.9f1 0-0 9.6f3 9s4 10.h3 gxf3 11.gxf3 AeS 12.Wd1 ahs 13.€g1
6:xt4 14.gxl4 trxf4 15.a3 gh4 16.Ae2 Ael 17.6d2 gt2+ 18.gfl Ae3+ 19.af3gf2x o-1
Rogozenlo,Dorian Morozevich,Alexander Istanbul olympiad 2000 (10)
1.d4 d5 Z.eA 8-:c6 3.cxd5 BxdS 4.e3 e5 5.6c3 Ab4 6.4d2 9xc3 7.Axc3 exd4 8.4e2 Af6 9.6xd4 0-010.4b5 Bg5 11.h4 gh6 12*Ae2 trd8 13.8c2 Ads 14.trd1 Ae6 15.a3 Ed7 16.4d4 6xc3 17.Bxc3 6xd4 18.trxd4 trad8 19.trxd7 trxd7 20.4f3 b6 21.93 gf6 22.gxf6 gxf6 23.h5 h6 24.Hh4 c5 25.4e2 Ab3 26.trf4 *g7 27.94 EdG 28.tre4 €f8 29.8f4 a5 30.tre4 trdg 31.trf4 se7 32.tre4+ €d6 33.4d1 ae6 34.4e2 f5 35.gxf5 gxf5 35.trf4 €e5 37.trf3 b5 38.e4 Ae6 39.trc3 c4 40.f3 €f4 41.trc2 gd4 42s:d1 b4 43.axb4 axM 44Ae2 *e3 45.trc1 trd2 46.Axc4 trh247.gt1Eh1 48.8c29h3 0-1
/lbin,
Boltic
Rcshevskpsamuel Godena,Michele Lugano 1988
1.d4 d5 2.c4 6,cG 3.e3 e5 4.cxd5 Wxds 5.4c3 Ab4 6.9d2 Axc3 7.bxc3 exd4 8.cxd4 AfG 9.4f3 4e4 10.9e2 9g4 11.0-0 0-0-0 12.9e1 trhe8 13.6d2 Axe2 14.Wxe2 Ed6 15.f3 4xd4 16.8c4 6xd2 0-1 Sarkar,Justin Deric Pinto,Eric New Delhi 2009 (2)
1.d4 d5 2.o4
a6
3cxd5 Wxd5 4.e3 e5 5.6c3 gb4 6Ad2 Axc3 7.bxc3 e4 8.c4 gd6 9.6e2 6f6 10.4c3 0-0 114e2 Ee8 12.94 h6 13.h4 a6 14.95 hxgS 15.hxg5 4h716.c5 Wg6 17.ads EdB 18.Axc7 trb8 19.gbg €/xgS 20.0-0-0 trd7 21.8h5 Be6 22.Edh1 trxc7 23.trxh7 WxhT 24.trxh7 €xh7
25.d56te726.9b0
1-o
593ltd"$l Miladinovic,Igor Murska Sobota tt 2008 (9)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 6cG
3.6f3 trg4 4.6c3 Ad6 7.AxdG
eG 5.cxd5 exdS 6.Af4
Bxd6 8.e3 6f6 9.Ae2 a6 10.a3 0-0 11.trcl trfe8 12.0-0 9xf3 13.gxf3 AdB 14.8c2 cG 15.Efd1 6e6 16.9f5 gd8 17.h4 s6 18.Wh3 h5 19.8s3 6g7 20.Wf4 6e6 21.Ws3 €tS7 22.6a4 6-te4 23.9f4 6,eG 24.9h2 o'g125.6:c5 6xc5 26.Exc5 6t5 27.93 WfG 28.4e2 tre6 29.W92
trae8 30.Ec3 €g7 31.b4
tre4 32.9f3 Exh4 33.trdc1 tr94 34.Axg4
hxg4 35.a4 Ad6 36.83c2 6.e4 37.9f1 Ag5 38.b5 axb5 39.axb5 Af3 4o.bxc6 bxc6 41.trxc5 gfs 42.tr6c3We443.8d1Eh8 0-1 r09
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
i*['Jn',ffi,
'*tI#;?J#",
*,,:,#,":*l ;.g',4:; 7.e4 af6 8.f3 9e7 9.9e3 0:0 eG 1O^Ad3 bG 11.0-0
Ab7
12.Wc2
€hg 13.Eac1 EcB 14.4b5 c5 15.6xa7 tra8 16.4b5 cxd4 17.Axd4 .Exa2 18.trfdl ad7 19.4c3 tra7 20.4b5 Aa6 21.8a1
Wc8 22.Exa6 Exa6 23.Axd7 Wc7 24.gb5 traS 25.Wf2 trd8 26.Axb6 trxd1+ 27.2lxd19c1 28.4e2 Eal 29.8g3 h6 30.4d4 f6 31.Wel AcS
32.Axc5 Bxc5+ 33.9f1 gd4 34.b4 EIbl 35.b5 €gB 36.g3 sf7
37.€g2 g5 38.h3 e5 39.Wc3 *gG 40.Wc2 Eal 41.Wb3 €g7 42.bG
Ea8 49.b7 Eb8 44.6e3 gd7 45.4f5+ €g6 46,AaG Wd2+ 47.&t'l Wcl+ 48.€e2 Wc5 49.h4 gxh4 50.gxh4 h5 51.We3 Wc2+ 52.9d2 WcS 53.€f1 gf8 s4.gd6 €f7 55.4c4+ €g6 56.wxf8 trxf8
57.Qle7+
1-o
!n] ,.0*"u d4 A.^rs 6cG 5.a3 a5 6.h3 9c5 7.&g5 {lge7 Labd2 hG 9.9h4 AeG 10.8c1 a4 11.94 Wd7 12.Ag26g6 13.Ag3 h5 14.gxh5 Exh5 15.h4 4gxe5 16.Axe5 6xe5 17.6e4 AbG 18.Axe5 trxeS 19.c5 9a5+ 20.€f1
'.i['H;:#
eb3 21.9d3 Ea6 22.6g5 ads
23.Axd5 Wxd5 24.Ehg treT 25.trc4
trd7 26.4f3 Ec6 27.Hxd4 BeG
28.4g5 Exd4 29.Wxd4 gd7 30.tre3+ 32.Wxd7+
Sargissian"Gabriel Slobodian,Roman
,;"1?;.'J
Albin,Adolf NewYork 1893 (12)
1.d4 d5 2.4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.4ltg 6cG 5.a3 Ag4 6.h3 Axf3 7.gxf3 6xe5 8.f4 6c6 9.492 Wd710.b4 a6 11.4b2 Ed8 12.4d2 kge713.Ab3
AfS 14.9d3 Ae7 15.9e4
AdG
!T)..a*.u d4 4.^ts
8.b5 6cxe5 9.Axd4 Axc410.e3 AeG
11.Wc2 ad6 12.4d3 Ah4 13.Axh4 t9xh4 14.0-0 Ae7 15.4d2 0-0 16.f4 EadS 17.a4 Ae8 18.4f3 gh6 19.Ead1
Lasker,Emanuel
€dB 31.Axf7+ *cg €xd733.6e5+ 1-o
Af6 20.Wxc7 Ads
21.Wc1
Ag4 22.4e4 We6 23.gb1 g6 24.h3 exf:t 25.trxf3 6xe3 26.trxe3 trxd4 27.Exd4 Ac5 28.Wd1 gb6 29.gh2 gxd4 30.trd3 trdB 31.Axb7 gd6 32.€h1 Wxf4 33.93 WeS 34€g2 trd6 35.Af3 Acs 36.h4 trfG 37.9d2 AdG 38.Wg5 gb2+ 39.Wd2 WeS 40wg5 wUe+ 41.wd2 wes 42.wg5
16.AcS Wc8 17.4f3 0-O 18.trg1 Ae8 19.6b3 gd7 20.0-0-0 gd6
21.&b1 Wxf4 22.trq4 gh6 23.AxcG bxc6 24.Hxd4 eOe 25.c5 Ee6 26.Wxa6 Bxh3 27.tr4dg Wg2 28.ad4 Ef6 29.8e3 AdB 30.4c2 1-O Exf2,31.trxd8 110
th-1h
Gordon,stephen Berg,Emanuel
,.#'H"r1}-',"';
f]o*,
d4 4.^ts
Oc6 5.a3 6ge7 6.b4 6g6
7.b5
Chigorin, Albin, Bcltic
6cxe5 8.Axd4 AcS 9.4b2 Wh4 10.e3 Ag4 11.Wc2 0-G0 12.Ae2 Axe2 13.Wxe2 9xd4 14.Axd4
i,'#'*.H511L*
Sokolotlvan
, Jro"J;Til ?ll , e6 4.613 6c6 5.cxd5 exd5 6.4f4 ^",af6 7.9b3 6a5 8.Wa4+ c6 9.e3 b5 10.Axb5 cxbS 11.6xb5 Ad7 12.4c7 gc8
Morozevich,Alexander
13.Bxa5
Exd4 15.exd4
Bxd4
o-1
Wijk aan Zee 2005 (9)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.6lt9 Ac6 5.6bd2 6ge7 6.4b3 oltl 7.a3 Ae7 8.g3 a5 9.9d3 a4 10.4M2 hS 11.9h3 g6 12.4e4 h4 13.4f4 hxg3
14.hxg3 6g7 15.4g2 Exhl+ 16.Axh1 Af5 17.6fs5 4a5 18.9f3 Ae6 19.4h7 Axe4 20.Wxe4 cG 21.e3 6b3 22.Hd1 WaS+ 23.Se2 Aec5 24.W92 Wa6 25.gfl Wxc4+ 26.€gl Wc2 27.9f3 d3 28.495 6e4 29.Axe7 6xt230.gxf2 Wxdl+ 31.€g2 Wc2 32€dO O-O-o 33.€g1 Wxf2+ 34.€xf2 EhB
gb7
14.6d6+ Axd6 15.Axd6 Ae4 16.4a3 Ec8 17.0-O f6 18.Efc1 gf7 19.9b4 Abs 20.4d2 Wd7 21.Axe4 dxe4 22.Wd6 gb7 23.d5 S96 24.trxc8 trxc8 25.We6 Ee8 26.Wg4+ Ul 27.trc1 Ad7 28.9d1 Ec8 29.trxc8 BxcB 30.h3 gc4 31.b3 €9c3 32.dG €eG 33.8g4+ f5 34.9h4 €d5 35.9d8 gcg 36.9e7 €cG 37.Wxg7 WaG 38.Wc3+ €d5 39.Wc5+ ge6 40.94 fxg4 41.hxg4 gbs 42.Wxb5 AxbS 43.€g2 €fG 4a.€s3 €g5 45Sc5 a6 46.9b6
0-1
Ehlvest"Jaan Postny,Evgeny
AbbasorrFarid Bad Wiessee 2007 (9)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.4ts 6c6 5.g3 hseT 6.9g2 6g6 7.Ag5
gd7 8.0-0 h6 9.4c1
Agxe5 10.6xe5 6xe5 11.b3 AcS 12.6d2
0-0 13.4b2 hc6 14.afg EeB 15.9d2 gd6 16.trad1 Afs 17.6xd4 6xd4 18.Axd4 Axd4 19.Wxd4 Erxd4 20.trxd4 Exe2 21.Axb7trbB 22.4d5 trxa2 23.tre1 etB 24.94 AgG 25.c5 EaS 26.b4 Ea3 27.4c4 Ec3 28.b5 Ea3 29. Rfl trc8 30.8d7 h5 31.h3 hxg4 32.hxg4 Ea4 33.f3 Ef4 34.€92 EfG 35.Ea1 c6 36.b6 axbS 37.cxb6 Ee6 38.b7 1-O
Rausis,Igors Rigazt 1995 (4)
1.d4 d5 2.4 A:t5 3.cxd5 Axbl 4.Wa4+ c6 S.dxc6 6xc6 6.trxbl Bxd4 7.Sxd4 6xd4 8.e3 Ac6 9.b4 eG 10.a3 gd6 11.4f3 af6 12€b2 €e7 13.93 HacS 14.A92 ghd8 15.ee2 gO 16.Ebc1 ad517.Ehd1 f6 18.trd2 aG 19.trdc2 f5 20.h3 4a7 21.695 h6 22.4t3 trxc2+ 23.trxc2 Ec8 24.trxc8 6xc8 25.6e5 Axe5 26.9xe5 AdG 27.€dg h5 28.h4 €d7
29.Axd5 exdS 3O.AxdG €xd6 31.sd4 bG 32.a4 ee6 33.f3 &dG 34.€c3 eeS 35.€d3 €eG 36.€c3 €e5 37.9d3 &eG 38.9d4 gdo 39.a5 bxaS 40.bxa5 sc6 41.€e5 sbS 42.€xd5 €xa5 43.sc5 1-o i11
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
It is important to note that 2...c6 is often played with the aim of initiating the Meran Yariation (see the section on the Semi-Slav) rather than the SIav in the strict sense of the word, which is defined by the moves 3...4f6 and 4...dxc4.
EffiEffi effi rh =Iti i€G raffi ffi I ffi
wrffi
tr
ffiffir *-ffi ffiAffi$ ffiffi g*F
]-r' =:#l
:*:*
ffi AgH AA ':+{t{:(: :?
ffiaffis tr5A
' However, the modern innovation . 4...a61? is considered to be a Slav varia-. tion. On the other hand, 4...e6 - the de' fining move of the Semi-Slav - used to -. be classified in old opening manuals as '. a simple variation of the Slav. Today it is .. considered a defence in its own right, := due to its great popularity and distinct .,.; tactical and strategic characteristics. Before examining the most frequent
Black uses his second move to support the d5 pawn with its companion on c6; as a result, the light-squared diagonal is now ready for the c8 bishop, which in
the Queen's Gambit Declined with 2...e6 is difficult to develop. Another plus is that in some variations there is
ations with a premature ...Afs, here the
placement
of the pawn on e3 limits
the possibility to take the pawn on c4 to achieve an improved version of the
White's options.
Queen's Gambit Accepted, given the additional opportunity to defend the
Variation 3. Ac3
black pawn on c4 with
..
.b 7 -b5
.
The first example of the Slav with 4...dxc4 was as far back as a game played by Steinitz in 1853 (!), but it was only in the 1930's that it became popular after a famous victory
in
1926 by the Slav player Vidmar over Alekhine (and hence the name of the defence). It
remained a frequent choice thereafter, and by the beginning of the new milIennium it was perhaps the number one choice against 1.d4. 112
of
the various options available to White, it is worth noting that if White defends the c4 pawn with the passive 3.e2-e3, then Black can immediately develop his bishop to f5 without any particular problems: compared to analogous vari-
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. Ab1-c3
d7-d5 c7-c6
This is a move that in the past was rela-
tively uncommon. At the beginning of this century it has become almost as popular as developing the king's knight. Generally it does not make much difference as there is often a simple move
transposition after 3...4f6 +.of3. will look at some individual variations. In respect to 3.Af:
However. here we
Slov Defence
this move, as always, has its own characteristic strengths and weaknesses.
=E AAg€A A E :l lt.'.i I'.l * I
':Ll't1..' a
:::l
11..,'
a,:,:ral::'
7,1,
..A A.
solve Black's problems.
t\ \
t/1
n a\
AAA A
This does not mean everything is rosy for White. as he needs to consider that Black can now play one of the following two continuations. These lines usually lead to complex positions that can be tricky to play for White. Nonetheless, White often plays 3.6c3 as many believe these two lines do not completely
::a),t:.a'.
'::.;:aa.
AA AA
A
A)
A
AW€.A
e7-e5
3,
The insidious Winawer CounterGambit was played with success as
The main benefit is that against 3...e6,
earlyas 1901!
which can introduce the difficult-to-
4. d4xe5! The prudent 4.e3 leads to a reversed French after 4...e4, while 4.cxd5 cxd5 (a position that can be reached by
handle Noteboom Yariation 4...dxc4, White can continue with the highly tactical and complex Marshall-Alekhine Gambit 4.e41?. For rhese two lines. readers should consult the section on
means
of the Exchange Variation)
5.dxeS d4 would appear to favour Biack
the Semi-SIav.
in comparison to the main line, due to
Another presumed advantage is that af-
the absence of the pawns on c4 and c6. 4. d5-d4
ter 3...6f5, if White does nor go into the main line with +.4f3, he can play an improved version of the Exchange Variation with 4.cxd5. If we presume that delaying the development of the knight to f3 is in fact an advantage, it is still not enough to give White anything
5.
hc3-e4
Wd8-a5+
concrete. Several openirig experts recommend that
after 3...4f6, it is best to play a.Ags. However, after 4...dxc4l 5.a4 Wa5 6.4d2 e5, White cannor hope to gain any advantage. The move 4.e3!? is interesting as it allows Black to transpose to either the Semi-Slav with 4...e6, or the Schlechter Yariation of the Grthfeld
With this
after 4...96. However, the Classical SIav is now a bad idea given that +...4f5 at
ular than the traditional o.AdZ, which proved to be ineffective after 6...4h61?
AA a tf. 11.
check
Slack wins back the
pawn.
6.
Ac1-d2!?
This ambitious move is now more pop-
this point is dubious due to the ex-
7.dft afs (wirh the idea ...he3), with
change on d5 foilowed by 6.Wb3.
a
position reminiscent of the Albin. 113
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
B) 3. d5xc4 Wa5xe5 at- This is probably the critical line. 4. e2-e4 Even the sober 4.e3!? b5 5.a4 b4 7. 6e4'93 6g8'f6 6.Q)e4t?isplayable. 8. Ag1-f3 We5-d6 4. b7-b5 9. Wdl-c2 White prepares to castle queenside. The very old 4...e5 can lead to the historic sacri{ice made by Alekhine: 5.6f3 9. Af8-e7 0-0 exd4 6.Axc4!? (6.Wxda!) 6...dxc3 10. 0-0'0 6.
Black gains an important tempo by tacking the knight.
11. e2-e3 To get
7
rid of the d-pawn, which is
.Axf7 + €ez S.Wb3
an
ENIAg
obstacle to White's development.
11.
...
:t1," l, i.
d4xe3
12.l2xe3l?
I
:.::. :,;::'' r.r :'.,
*W,l' AA: /\ /\
g
HA HE with
an unclear
position.
5. a2-a4 6. oc3-a2 6...e5 Kasparov's novelty, which has given the variation new life. 12.9xe3 is more natural from a positional point of view, but the reality is that it offers no more than equality. With the text move, White compromises his pawn structure, relying on dynamic chances on the semi-open f-file, and above all on the
nicely-placed bishop on c3.
12....
Wd6-c7
13. Ad2-c3 Results for games played from this posi-
tion have been good for White, even if it is perhaps not possible to speak of an objective advantage; suffice it to say that the principal chess engines have divergent opinions on who stands best. 11+
7
b5'b4 hg8-f6
.Af3l.
7. e4-e5 8. Aflxc4 9. 6g1-f3 10. O-0 11. Ac1'd2 12.6a2'c1 13. Ac1
e7-e6
Af8-e7 ab8-d7 a7'a5 Ac8-b7
'b3
EBsE 'AEf
=:;Ar, ....'I
af6-d5
r
l=
*f
iE ...- Ar& X ":
A :i*:EiAr TAA
;:X
al*tigit$a$ $ fss 'li:Wl tr€
.,... aiai
Sloy Defence
White has greater space with more harmonious piece coordination, but Black has a strong knight on d5, and after the appropriate preparation for a ...c6-c5 advance, he should be able to achieve a balanced position.
posing to the Winawer CounterGambit.
5. Sc1-fa
6b8-c6 Now we will discuss two lines for White: one with Af3 and one without.
A) 6. e2-e3 Exchange Variation
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. c4xd5
7. gd1-b3 L Afl-b5+ 9. Wb3-a4
d7-d5 c7-c6
c6xd5
tr
ffi#* c€!*
t\. z):
sffia
E
I
n E;:! sl&
A ts
li;
but by swapping pawns now there
play Black
can
achieve equality also here.
4. Ab1-c3
6g8-f6
Black can seek to make the most of the
of the knight on Af3 wirh the interesting 4...e5!? 5.dxe5 d4, transabsence
I ffiffi r:A,I
t Jli
t/{
;T6 r.**;
H
5t*5i
${S
s ffi
ffi*ffi
ffiffi
10.691-f3 11.
a7-a6
Ab5xd7+ 6f6xd7
12.0-0 And White
!&+
will
b7-b5
work cut out for him trying to make his advantage have his
meaningful.
B) 6.
Agl-f3
is
the plus that you can delay the development of the g1 knight and immediately play Ac3, Af4 and e3 with the possibility of the 91 knight going to e2. How-
accurate
.t^{t 'cJ
iw
excessive risks. This approach gives Black few problems in achieving equality; predictably the draw rare is very high. White can also posrpone the exchange for another move if he wants,
with
ss ;H:
ffip
!:-:{
After 3.cxd5 cxdS we have a symmetrical position where White will try to exploit his extra rempo without taking
ever,
e7-e6
***3
ffi t:tt'l
**Ags A
hc6-a5 Afs-d7
lj&} "El sw E# t&ffi A s - rri #*rffi I rffi ffi a ;':*
:ri.
ffi A #€g€ A ,E I ffi I s** ffi*# ffi rsg ffi w -? s.l
Ac8-f5
The normal move, but also the more prudent 6...a6 ? 7.4d3 Ag4 is playable.
E#ffiEffi ere
-i-:
"rE ;Er
gr*rffi I ffiAffi# ffi $**g ffiffir ffiffiffi ffiffi tr ffi ffiffi ##affi Affi ffiffi AffiA]ffi
ffir
##
ffi
ffiAffi
I 15_
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Vo|ume
2
E ABwA:= lr lll
The normal move that leads to the kev
position of the Exchange Variation. Black has many playable moves to choose from. We will examine the four most common lines in ascending order
al la fi6
AE a aa AA AAA
ofpopularity:
81)
6.
Af6-e4t?
As we have noted
in similar
81. ,ii.W€A..,:jtr
cases, the
fact that these weird moves have been proved to be playable make you appreci_ ate the great unexplored depths ofchess.
7. e2-e3 8. b2xc3
6e4xc3 97-96 Reminiscent of the Griinfeld-Indian. 9. Afl-bS Af8-s7 10.6f3-e5
EAtsgE ll rrEr al a ra A
AA AA
AAA
trw€tr
10. ... Ag7xe5! Black is not concerned about what dogma would tell us is a weakness on
Other, more passive alternatives leave White ahead due to Black's difficuhv in developing the c8 bishop.
8. 9.
A
afa-ss
gd8-b6
a2-a3
characteristic tactical idea: the b2
pawn is poisoned because of 6,a4. 9.
As5-h4 Ah4-93 h2xg3
10. 11. 12. 13. af1-d3 and White has an edge.
83)
6.
h7-h6 g7-s5 Ah5xg3 AfB-97
a7-a6l?
The fashionable move. This position is often a transposition from the Modern 4...a6 Yariation. Black has played a use_ ful move, reserving the option of developing the bishop to 94.
7. Ea1-cl!
the dark squares.
Af4xe5 0-O Ae5-g3 Ac8-f5 13.0-0 6c6-a5 11. 12.
with a dynamically balanced position: the bishop pair compensates for the
E AgsA E I lllr l:-,dh,.* fi :, :*:r it. I :,;
iL,i'
weak c4-square.
BD
6. e7-eG Very conservative, perhaps too much so.
7.
116
e2-e3
af6-h5!?
::A
.?
;
Slav Defence
After 7.e3 Ag4!, Black has scored Nowwehave 8.6e51.
well.
7. Ac8-f5 8. e2-e3 tra8-c8 9. 9f1-e2 e7-e6
10.0-0 11. af4xd6
12.6c3-a4
13.
Aa4-c5
g. Af4xe5
af6-d7 gd1-b3 After t0.Ag3 a6, Black does not have 10.
any problems.
10.... 11. d4xe5
af8-d6 wd8xd6
12. 13. 14.
0-0
Ec8-c7
White's queenside initiative looks better than it actually is; once Black re-
Af1-b5+
0-0 Ab5-e2
6d7xe5 Af8-e7! €e8-f8 a7-a6 b7-b5
E g+ E 5'. ::;,: EfXf
moves the outpost on c5 and there is an exchange of the major pieces on the
ll
c-file, the game is heading rowards a draw.
*
84) 6.
Ac8-f5 The classical continuation. If White wishes, he can choose from three lines that are likely to produce a draw. If on
I rAA gff.
al$i
*,,
:Ai.&a$1
fF? gA
the other hand he seeks more ambitious with a balanced game play, Black has resources that provide chancesforbothplayers. adequate counterplay.
7. e2-e3 e7-e6
E.., ,geE E ll llr
a la 1..1'.lA'r..; $ g, ii:. ','..
AA AA FT
a *]a:
wea
The move 8..Ad3 almost always pro-
841) 8. 6f3-e5
e. gd1-b3
offers
AfB-b4!
8...9b6 9.Bxb6, and White has the upper hand.
9. af1-b5 10.0-0 11. Ab5xc6 12.6c3-a4
0-O
Wd8-e7!? b7xc6
af6-h5
tr
duces a draw so if White wants an advantage he will choose from one of the following three options :
The simolest.
B,42)
that
6c6xe5!
:'i::,:
d\,,6: -4 ;iti *t;i **H A .'\' )( )( UU '€L, '=
-.
-:-'::
With sufficient counterplay for Black.
rt7
Chess Opening Essentials
843)
8. gf1-b5 e
::Laj
E
e{q;t
r
riEfr
4tx,{"
,Fl
ffKrffiffi A ffiffia
2
af6-d7!
effiffi
ffirffir
rffiffi
g'is
H
Before moving on, we will take a glance at a few alternative minor lines after
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4
3.
ffiAtrg
$U ?S+ .';,; i::i e*
This move, which controls e5, is easily the most popular.
9. Wd1-a4
Ea8-cB
The move S...WU6 is playable and also quite frequently seen. It can be followed
by 10.ah4 Ae4 11.0-0-0!?, with mixed chances. 10. Ab5xc6 10.0-0 a6 I 1.Axc6 Exc6 12.Efct AeZ.
with equality.
...
Wa4xa7
trc8xc6 Wd8-c8
11...4d3!?.
12.Wa7-a5
Wa5-c7 14.9t4xc7 15. Ac7-g3 13.
d7-d5 c7-c6
6g1-f3
ry.I
ffiaffiffi
w\l
rr i:'ff
10. 11.
Alternative Minor Lines
;r&:
it?{'i
a "e3
Volume
I ffiAffi
FS6tr* tr *I 5- fFs,{ ffi: i,ryr
-
Ec6-a6 Wc8xc7
gf8-b4 €e8-e7
A)
Ac8-f5?!
3.
This is premature. True, the main reason for playing the Slav is the better options it affords for developing the c8 bishop. However, this does not mean you can develop it without thought:
4. c4xd5
c6xd5
The move 4...4xb1 leads to an inferior line of the Baltic Defence.
5. gd1-b3
6. Ab1-c3 7. Acl-f4
Wd8-c8 e7-e6
Effisffi@reaiffi
rffi ffirffir
ffi #ffir#* ffi ffi.' s* r.&#ES* 6i: -:: i.t.
c:: E
-s
€$affi ffiwffi n -"^n. -r a .&. a :r+. a'4j: :+. a:?-: 4 A, H ,,' cfi €a6 ':"F? + =
and White has a big plus.
rffiaffirffi I E w ffirffi *
B) 3.
d5xc4
di*
ffi#rffiaffi **
:q[ ,li :Fi 4-+i
:"i
ix
':._:'i
,i{ .-Ai r\ .+fi.l kJ i-:: ill-'Z-J"* #hr in:2{.21n 13 A ptl H; f-{ *:: -::-"::i ';: -{i,: ,i-,i
ah
€.
:;i;
i"'i'
E
ffi gi*i n A
Black has more than enough compensation for the pawn. 118
$reEffi€*&a {=:
rw
ffirre r
w *rffi**#ffi
3**:
ffirrc ** *# $* ffia** ffi #$AffiA :*
affiwffiag*
<:
Slav Defence
This is playable, and it is surprising that it is not played more often, given the
Elh.
*.f
good scores it obtains.
4. e2-e3
b7-b5 The move 4...4e6 is not as bad as it Iooks, and no clear refutation exists. 5.695?? Wa5+ ls a quick way to lose
+
a
5. a2-a4 6. a4xb5 7. b2-b3
iiii...
A:*;
piece.
s g $1
#I + A ii:.i
ilir
i:*
*i *F ::iil
E'\ ]*a. $tr
e7-e6
r
I i,rii
=.:r
=
A
.i*
:1+
+ hs:5g.*: A
6
rA.: F? E-, H
c6xb5
White wins back the pawn, but
Black
White has some interesting alternatives to the'normal'4.Q)c3
has good counterplay on the queenside.
7. 8. Acl-d2 9. hb1xd2 10. b3xc4 E
E
*
Af8-b4+ Ab4xd2+ a7-a5l b5-b4
A) 4.
4. 5. Af1-s2
ffiE#9ffiAffi ffi #srffir
#* ffirffi
ffi
ffi*ffiffi ffiAsx ffi #g $* ff$a*s ffiffiffiAffi
E fre
6f3-e5!
after 6g8'f6
Wdl-a4+ the pawns are blocked, and White
ffiEffisffi ffi $* ffirgffir ##rffi ffi #s
A
The position is highly reminiscent of the Noteboom: White dominates the centre but Black's passed pawns are 11. 12.
d5xc4 b7-b5
rffiffiK# ffirffi *s ffi ffi ffiaffi A ffi w a g*affr affisffi
ffigffiAffitr
scary. There is no doubt that
s2-s3
A Catalan approach to rhe Slav is riskier than when it is played against 2...e6: Black can immediately develop his c8 bishop, but above all after
ffic
Black has more chances of advantageously hanging on to the extra pawn than in the analogous Catalan variations.
should objectively enjoy a certain advantage. However, in practice we have a B) 4. Wd1-c2 highly complex game ahead that either This protects the c4 pawn and prevents side couldwin. ...AfS. The most solid answer is:
4. Back to the main line:
3.
698-f6
97-96
preparing to fianchetto the bishop and to play ...9f5. With 4...dxc4 5.e4!? b5
1t9
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
6.b3 cxb3 7.axb3, we see an interesting but diffi cult-to-evaluate pawn sacrifi ce.
5. Ac1-f4
Ab8-a6l?
difficult to play the resulting positions.
The most aggressive move.
Ac8-f5 6. e2-e3 7. Wc2-b3 ha6-b4
*,-;
E ::m:
E
tr r#ffi iry
iry :--
sffiffi I'r;i r
$&rffi lkljnre{ ..*'; O *#r ''=. **;;'
ffias$ j;fu-'E+ A Str&' -1j'r"
Fffi E "--:-
n A t4t
,\ f-;" q):";:
zs
tJ,.l
.:.*-:"
A F.! -aA: "ti_.1, }<2{ ?<*l
ffiAffitr
But isn't the knight hanging?
8. Wb3xb4
e7-e5
Wins back the piece, but loses the b7 Dawn.
9. Wb4xb7
tra8-b8
10. Wb7xc6+ 11. Wc6xf6!?
Afs-dz
I 1.Wa6 exf4,
with good play on the
dark squares.
gdSxf6 11. ... 12. Af4xe5 gf6-b6 13. b2-b3 White has gained enough material to compensate for the queen, but Black has an unpleasant initiative: a position that is both difficult to weigh up... and to play.
C) 4. e2-e3 Old opening manuals told us that this Iine was innocuous because it applied less central pressure than 4.4c3, thus permitting the immediate development of Black's bishop. However, things are not quite that simple: often White will 170
maintain a tiny risk-free advantage, and a black player looking for a win may find it frustrating and psychologically
4.
9c8-f5
The most logical step, even if less thematically consistent substitutes are playable, e.g. +...4g+ or 4...a6. Note that 4...e6 transposes to the Semi-Slav.
5. 6b1-c3 5.4d3 Axd3 produces positions that are too barren. while after 5.cxd5 cxdS 6.9b3 Wc7! 7.4c3 e6. Black maintains the balance.
5.
6.
e7-e6
af3-h4!?
Effi gEre H r*ffi ffirffir
ffir**rffi ffi ffi w*rffiEffi ffiag& *tr ffi ffiffiffi#ffi A& :-." $Aff" ::" $Affffi ffigffiAffitr A move played by Fine in the 1930's, and which has recently been adopted by top-class players, with the result that there is now increased interest in 4.e3. 6.9b3 Wb6 does not advance White's cause at all, and Black usually draws without difncdql After 6.6h4!?, play is not particularly exciting either, but at least White takes one of Black's bishops and succeeds in unbalancing the position.
Af5-g6 6. Also the other two bishop moves are possible, encouraging White to create weaknesses with f7-f3 or h2-h3 and g2-g+, but returning to 96 is the simplest.
Siqy Defence
7. Ah4xg6 8. 92-93!?
h7xg6
ffi a +
The most recent attempt to inject a little venom into this line. as it has been
x#
demonstrated that the thematic S.gb3 does not cause Black problems after 8...Wc7.
##
8.
9. Aft-gz
v
ab8-d7 d5xc4
Black takes the pawn on offer, but if he chooses he can also decline to take it.
-
10.
gd1-e2
11.0-0 12. trf1-d1 13. e3-e4
Effi
Ad7-b6 Af8-e7 0-0
E
ffi€ffi r*# ffirffi
ffirsffirff5frs{* *gg*#gg s*rffiax# i* ffiffi$#ffi A A '..W8A*.
trtfii g
White has good compensation for the parnm, and charces are
more or less equal.
Modern Variation 4...aG This is often called the Chebanenko Variation. After 1. d2-d4 d7-d5 2. c2-c4 c7-c6
3. Agl-f3 4. Ab1-c3
6s8-f6
The standard move of the Slav is 4...dxc4. Since the 1990's, there has been an explosion of interest in the alternative move
4.
a7-ao
ing move: now the threat to take on c4 is real. Black prepares a possible pawn push ...b7-b5, and above all plans to develop the bishop to f5 or 94; of course that is after he has taken the pawn; and this is the point of ...a6: ro be ready for the thematic Wb:, to which Black can now respond with ...b5, or, surprisingly, even with ...Ea7. We are looking at moves that have put many purists' noses out of joint, but over time. results have demonstrated that they are perfectly playable. The only
drawback is the weakening of the b6-square, which in many variations permits White to push his paum to c5 without concern: after ...b6 we normally have cxb6, with an improved white pawn structure. It is worth noting that the f8 bishop can also be developed 'normally' to e7, d6 or to b4, and in some variations it can be fianchettoed. It is this very flexibility that atrracrs contemporary players, who are constantly looking for unconventional lines that will favour the stronger player! White now has a wide range of plans that are more or less equivalent: here we will look at the most frequently played. The move 5.cxd5 is not included; although a common choice, it t21
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
7
transposes to lines discussed in the section on the Exchange Yariation.
A) 5. s2-s3 This attempt to give a Catalan flavour to
the game transforms this line into
a
Ag5'fa
6.
6e4xc3
7. b2xc3 8, e2-e4 9. Af3-e5
d5xc4 b7-b5 Wd8-a5
10. 11.
true gambit:
5. 6. Af1-g2 7. 6f3'e5 8. a2-a4 9. 0-0 10. e2-e4 11. b2xc3 12.I2-f4
6.
6.h4 appears to be a little odd
d5xc4 b7-b5
af4-d2 ab8-d7! 6e5xc6 Wa5-c7
12.6c6'b4
Ac8-b7
Ac8-b7 e7-e6
af6-d5 Ad5xc3
ab8-d7 Af8-e7
- *..... ,,ia r,l "r 1,,1,,,:''l::l'. ' .,: o-' I:A A A & ',,,:t ',&'6fi
A $a rg.. gga,,. , E
,,8;
.:.
..;:-:.
With an optimum position for Black.
C) 5. a2-a4
&D
AWrr:iE'g White has some compensation for the pawn, but whether it is sufficient or not is open to discussion. That said, game results are slightly better for Black.
B) 5. Ac1-95 This continuation along the lines of the Semi-Slav appears to be less effective here as the f6 knight is not Pinned.
5.
E;hABEA
E
,l l,l I .;,1 lr,.
lla A
I
AA
a6
A ..A A A A :E' pgeA,, E
A controversial move; compared to the
ing to prevent f4, but lo and behold! we now have 11.f+l Wxf4? 12.Axf7+! &xf7
normal Slav, which side benefits more from the pawns present on a4 and a6? It ls difficult to say. White has more space and he has made ...b5 more difficult to play, but the weak b4-square could fa-
n.Wn+
vour Black.
6f6'e4 exf6 8.e4 7.9xf6t Af5 5...dxc4 6.a4 Ag4 9.Axc4 Axf3 10.gxf3 Wc7 seekfollowed by Wxb7, and White is
clearly ruinning.
r22
5.
e7-e6
Slav Defence To head
into a Semi-Slav seems logical
given the moves played. On the other hand, the thematic 5...4f5 followed by 6.9b3 Ea7 (one of the ideas of ...a6) 7.a5 - with the intention of Bb6 gives White a promising position.
6.
Ac't-95
Along the lines of the Botvinnik Variation of the Semi-Slav. In response to the more solid 6.e3, the move 6...c5 !?
.s -El, * $5lAffie # *x: Is: ffie'** ffirffi **
rtr ffi&r rffi
A
1'1 ,!{ i}{:"';{- u'L_J .iti-- 6,
a
i=n
F.
z\;
#sg
.".l :-*' .*"i ri\ :l-... t4 \l.'-
iSs* rA - t:-- H
has scored well for Black: paradoxical,
this enters into the Semi-Tarrasch a tempo down. The reality is that a2-a4 denies White the promising plan of dxc5 followed by a3 and b4, and therefore White's lead in development does not ffanslate into a concrete advantage.
ing ...4e7, ...0-0 and ...4a6-b4, is a playable alternative.
7. c4xd5 The Exchange Yariation of the Queen's Gambit Declined is the safest option, even if tlire a2-a4 push would appear to be a tad premature. After the
natural 7.e3, Black can respond with 7...Wa5 to reach a variation of the Cambridge Springs in which White's inability to play a2-a3 certainly favours Black.
7.
e6xd5
Taking with the other pawn is too passive.
8. e2-e3 a6-a5!? Hindering the minority attack (b2-b4-b5xc6) that
is so typical of
these variations.
9. gf1-d3 10. 0-0 11. gdl-c2
Af8-e7 0-0
Ef8-e8
as
6.
ab8-d7
reA
E ,*g*e
€s
I
r#
-*--,, ' '-a r ;€g; -
g 6{a E *€ -: a
:*g
I
*5
A
::'3:,:
€
eli. :tr
x# h.-,'-
-l
?A:
4
}{
A
@
rwaffirtr
#r*$ ffi ** ssr# w :; a ,-
A-* Aii
-"::
**
g5Affi 6 e;-
-
,-- eH
'-n-
A
.
i;l"i:* r.. {if: *d-FHAS%#*3
.#S x
ffisffi ffiaffi
rtr
I ff# rtr'
.
€;21 €!
E*#AffiE#@ffi
12. Af3-e5 White is only left with
centre-based
strategies.
't2.... 13.t2-t4
ad7+8 af6-d7!
14.
Wd8xe7
Ag5xe7
with balanced play. The move 6...a5, which fixes the weakness on b4,
with the intention of play-
D) 5.
e2-e3 123
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
The most common move - probably because it is the most natural-looking. However, this is certainly not the critical line.
5.
b7-b5!
EAAS&E t:l: '':;,::
g
*,'l,f I
lla .. I l''
is logical to try and get rid of the bad bishop.
7. Af1-e2 The most natural. The recent idea of 7.9d3 is also interesting as it leaves the e2-square vacant for the c3 knight, whereas the move 7.h3 has proved to be too hasty after 7...Axf3 8.Wxf3 e5l, with active play for Black. 7. e7-e6 ab8-d7 8. 0-0 9. h2-h3 Aga-h5 10. Ac1-b2 gf8-d6 11. 6f3-e5 Ah5xe2 12. Q:c3xe2 Wd8-c7! 13. c4xd5 c6xd5 14. Ea1-c1 Wc7-b8 15. 6e5xd7 €e8xd7!?
AA
t:l'. A.
AA
,6'6'.,.rr
AAA
,8. A'W€A ,,,E
The move 5...e6 transposes to
the
Semi-Slav.
The thematic 5...4f5 is playable, but it has the drawback of leaving White with a freer position after 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Wb3
Ea7 and White's rook goes to
cl.
6.
b2-b3 Maintaining the tension. 6.cxd5 cxd5 leads to a version of the Exchange Variation in which Black's queenside is weak, but given that White closed in his bishop when he played e3, it is unlikely he will be able to take advantage of this in any concrete way. A typical follow-up is: 7.Ad3 e6 8.he5 abdz 9.f+ Ab7 10.0-0 ae7 11.4d2 0-0 12.9f3 b4 13.4e2 6e4, and Black has maintained equality.
6.c5 has been seen a lot recently: 6...4bd7 (or the more solid 6 .S6) 7.4d3 e5 (thematic) 8.Axe5 6xe5 9.dxe5 69+ 10.f4 Axc5 11.9f3 gb6 12.€e2, with a position that is challenging to
assess.
Ac8-94 6. With so many pawns on light squares it 1Z+
After Black takes with the knight, White would get a nice game by pushing e3-e4.
16. 17.
f2-f3 gd1-d3
gb8-b7 €d7-e7
with equality.
E) 5.
c4-c5
This move leads to demanding play and at the time of writing, it is considered to be the critical move: it gains space, fixes the weakness on b6 and limits Black's counterplay.
Slov Defence
Effi Effi@ffi ffi ffir #ffi fl&rffir
r*x rffigmffi ggr ffi *t gsi
.;*5
ffi
ffi ffiaffi a& ^
::X:-)
&#
ffiAg$Affi
ffigffiAffitr
.H".
At this point, various ideas have been
Who stands better? It is not easy to say; human commentators lean towards equality, while the chess engines see the position as clearly favourable for White: probably because
they do not like the passively placed rook on a7.
E2)
5.
s7-s6
6. Acl-f4
Af8'g7
7.
h2-h3 tried: Vacating the h2-square for the f4 bishop in anticipation of ...AhS. E1) 5. Ac8-f5 7. 0-0 Black develops the bishop without con8. e2-e3 Ab8-d7 cern for the resulting weakness on the 9. Af1 -e2 Af6-eB queenside. A long manoeuwe with the aim of sup6. gdl-b3 porting the ...e7-e5 advance. The less thematic 6.gf+ is also often 10.0-0 6e8-c7 played: after 6...4bd7 7 .e3 e6 8.4e2 Freeing the e8-square for the rook. Hel g.Q\dz h6 10.b4 0-0. we have a 11.b2-b4 Ef8-e8 balanced position. 12. gd1-d2 e7-e5 6. Ea8-a7 s!t,:n -i-,..1 .L1'"to.;"1 '-:i5 e irli
ffige reffi rffit r ilxr I
ffir# ffiffi A "te, :] ffirxs
i:,'.-, 1'--
sffi# ffiffi affi ffiags ffiffi :-",
A
*
')€
=/t :f
"i:':
>{
U
A i'-. H E;-'H
3*g
r
-
EgE
- ffiAffi rgr 6**; t,
-":" - r
*€g
rffi
:f,n::
.
' I :"'j
a$rffi _7i'ffi -- t H ]*r:l::ir * trg ss qrr\'::-n /\a 2(;:;} ffiA ZJ- A'.F i €]1S
->c ,IJ
'
]H
ix-;
u
--t'-.
)(
-]F l
ffiffi H\#
After a series of exchanges on e5, White The pragmatic product of the contem- will have an edge. porary approach to the game; it may
not look pretqa but it works! It is worth E3) 5. ab8-d7 noting that 6...Wc8 is also playable. The most frequent move, with the aim
7. Ac1-f4
ab8-d7
8. h2-h3 h7-h6 9. e2-e3 97-95 10.
af4-h2 af8-g7
of preparing to push the pawn to e5.
6. Ac1-f4
af6-h5!
Before White has the chance h2-h3.
to
play
125
Chess Opening Essentiols
E31)
7. Ir
-
I
-
Volume
2
and both players have opportunities, even if White's space advantage would appear to be more significant than the
e2-e3
EEE I .,'A tr I r A {IIi &Fi 1"";t1":
weak d5-square.
.4.:. : :-;;ta::',., l
E32)
.Al
a
i r...i
rl.l
A/\
7.
gt4-d2 At the time of writing, this move is the
,8,'l a';1l :,''',4\ Al
most popular.
7.
ah5-f6
Controlling e4, but perhaps 7...961? which allows White to play e2-e4 - is Control of the e5-square fully compen- the best option. sates for the bishop pair. 8. Wd1-c2 7. Stopping ...4)e4. S.Af4 AhSI is a repe97-96 The following is also playable: 7...Q:xf+ tition. g7-S6 8.exf4 b6! 9.cxb6 Wxb6 10.9d2 e6 L 11.Ec1 c5!?, with a position that is 9. S2-g3 Af8-g7 hard to evaluate. 10. 0-0 8. Af1-dg Af8-g7 trf8-e8 9. 0-0 0-0 In order to free his game with ...e7-e5. After 9...f6 10.h3 e5 11.4h2! e4, the 12. tral-d1! fork is illusory because of 12.94 exd3 In anticipation of the opening of the 13.gxh5, andWhite has the upper hand. d-file. 10. Af4-g5 Changing your mind is sometimes the E lt.::r:Eg E ., .',@t::. ,,::t) best policy: White would now like to .r.,,..:A keep his bishop, given that 10.h3 6xf4 FT
af1-s2 11.0-0
I i''l A:l I :.::'.l'.l f::l:t: I
,ail:al:l
1
1.exf4 b6 gives Black
10.... 11. e3-e4 12. Ac3xe4
some
):l::1.,..::'
r,ra:ia:l
counterplay.
trf8-e8 d5xe4
A
O
.,:l:,:1.
:::':rll.
'A 1,,,,,:.
A
,
'.,..
a aa i&ggaaa& Fl E
12.... 13. d4xe5
,..:.,
Fl .9') EE
e7-e5 Q:d7xe5
After 13...Ag+ 14.e4! Axc5 15.4f4, . :il
AA
176
White is clearly better. 14. Af3xe5 tre8xeS 15. e2-e4! and White applies unpleasant pressure along the d-fiIe.
Slcv Defence
Classical
Va
riation 4...dxc4
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. 6g1-f3 4. 6b1-c3
EfiEgEA I
d7-d5 c7-c6
llll
:
ag8-f6 d5xc4
gsE
ll ll
-,
e
A
White knows that
it is impossible for
Black to play a6 and thus forces him to advance his pawn to b4, in the process weakening the c4 pawn.
6.
7.
b5-b4
6c3-a2
Attacking both pawns. The following is
7.6b1 Aa6 8.Ae2l c5l 9.abd2 c3 10.4c4!?, with an unclear
This is the starting position of the CIassical Variation of the Slav: by taking on
also popular:
c4, Black concedes the centre, but at the same time, he threatens to support the
oosition.
pawn with ...b7-b5, thus'forcing' White to play a2-a4, which will weaken
Aflxc4 Now White will move his a2 knight to b3 via cl, and Black must try to rid himself of the backward c6 nawn be-
the b4-square.
Black can now prevent the immediate
e2-e4 push by playing ...AfS and ...4U+. It is true that after suitable prep-
fore it is blockaded. 8.
in advancing his pawrr to e4, but in the meantime, Black can establish counterplay with pawn advances to
9.
aration, White often succeeds
10.
in the dia-
5. a2-a4 which we will deal with soon; but first let's take a glance a couple of interesting
in which White
Black to support the b5 pawn.
A) 5. e2-e3 6.
a2-a4
Ac1-d2
12. 13. 14.
Ac1-b3 gd1-e2 Ef1-d1
ab8-d7 9f8-e7 a7-as 0-0 Wd8-bG
Ac8-b7
c6-c5 balanced position that offers both Black and White possibilities.
with a
gram position is
alternatives
0-0
11.6,a2-c1
either c5 or e5.
The most common move
e7-e6
7.
8.
allows
B) 5. e2-e4 This becomes a true pawn sacrifice after Black's obvious resDonse
b7-b5 Known as the Geller Gambit. thi.s move 5.
b7-b5
has always been a favourite
with aggresl27
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
sive players (Kasparov played
2
it in his
tion is,
as
always, debatable. The foilow-
younger days). White puts his faith ln his strong centre and in the dynamic potential on offer without concern for
ing appears dubious: 7...AfS 8.axb5 Ab+ 9.Axc+t 8)c2+ 10.€e2 Axal
the fate of the c4 pa\ m.
White.
1
1.Wa4, with complications that favour
8.
EffiAgEffi
ffi ffirrer #*rffi ffi ffi rs* ffi. i*s a
::::::::::
&4'ii
other, more reliable options. The first is the Catalan-like 8.g3!?, which could be
followed by the sequence 8...4b7 9.AgZ a6 10.0-0 Ae7 11.4e4 h6
.': lzlilf
,'---':r-'ts*o.",.:l
.4. :-"-1. ,\ ,''.a U Y :. .t.:U \ ::-:; 'H .':.t. A /\A ;A:2{ .1"'; .xrr t{ 2\
a4xb5
Still the main line. However. at this point it may be worth considering
12.ah4l?, with uncertain compensa* e
This approach has lead to some scintillating victories - however, not always.
The problem is that a well-prepared
black player can often neutralise White's initiative, and the presence of the extra pawn on the queenside will then start to hurt. Well, that is what happens in the main line anFway, but as is the case with so many openings, a future re-evaluation of an unexplored secondary line may make us have to think again.
tion. The second alternative is 8.695!?,
which was relatively popular in the 1990's. After 8...4e7 9.ln4 h6 10.6ge4 (now there is the threat to take on b5) 10...b4 I LAbl Aa6, it is difficult to
say who stands better. 8. Ad5xc3 The black knight has to give up its central position in order to not lose the b5
pa\ m.
9. b2xc3
c6xb5
10. Af3-g5!
*ffi rffir ffiw
6.
e4-e5 The other option of 6.Wc2, although played occasionally, seems to be too slow to justify the gambit, while 6.a4? does not work because of 6...b4 and /...|L)xe+.
6.
A
af6-d5
-J :j*
<.-1
7. a2-a4 It is only logical to put the black pawns Seeking to exploit the temporarily weak
under pressure. 7.
e7-e6
The most natural, but also 7...h6 is interesting, as it puts a stop to the thematic Ag5. After 8.axb5 Axc3 9.bxc3 cxbS l0.Aa3, the degree of compensa128
Iight squares. 10. ... Ac8-b7 Countering the threat of 1 1 .Wf3. 11. wd1-h5 To provoke a kingside weakness.
Slov Defence
81)
11.
...
Litde played, yet srong:
it
gd8-d7 seems to be very
12.9f1-e2
wiil find it hard to establish anything concrete to compensate for
and White
12.o-xh7?l Ac6! 13.Axf8 Wxd4!l gives Black an obvious plus.
12.... 13.695xh7
gb7-d5 6b8-c6 14.6h7-t6+?t g7xf6 15. Wh5xh8 White has won the exchange, but Black seems to be the one clearly on top after
Ac6xd4!!
15....
Ae2-f3 h7-h5 Wg4-g3 6b8-c6 16.0-0 b5-b4 14. 15.
the lost pawn.
Now that we have discussed the alternative minor lines, we can at last look at the principal move 5. a2-a4 which, as we mentioned, prevents the ...b7-b5 advance at the price of weakening the b4-square.
E E' €$
il.lr.,.ir,rr ff*f
,E
la
with the idea of ...Axg2 and ...Wxd4. For this reason. White needs to content himself with the restrained 14.6xf8. and after 14...trxf8, it is truly a challenge to say who is better off,
BD
with Ac8-f5 eighty per cent of the time, but it is still worthwhile to look at the three alternaAt this point, Black continues
5.
tive minor lines.
g7-96
11....
D5.
The number one choice.
12. 13.
gh5-94 Af1-e2
Probably the best.
Af8-e7 gb7-d5 It prepares ...6c6 and
...b4. but first it defends e6 and blockades the d+ pawn. The old line 1 3 ...4d7 is feasible, but less reliable: after l4.Af3 Wc8! (defending e6) 1 5 .6e4 0 - 0 1 6.h4 f5 17 .exf 6 Q)xf 6
18.Axf6+ Axf6 19.Axb7
WxbT
20.h5, the situation is difficult to judge.
hb8-a6
This line was called the Smyslov Yariation in opening manuals of the past. It is a waiting move; Black intends to occupy the b4-square with his knight or bishop and then to wait for White to move his e-pawn forward; he will then pin the f3 knightwith ...Aga.
6. e2-e4 The critical move, but also the more solid 6.e3 is promising: 6...9ga 129
-
Chess Opening Essentiols
7.Axc4 e6 8.h3
Volume
Ahs 9.0-0
2
oA+
10.Ae2!? Ae7 11.he5 Axe2 12.Wxe2 and White is slightly better.
6. 7. Aflxc4
Ac8-94 e7-e6
7...AxB 8.gxf3 Ab+ S.Ae: e6 10.0-0 Ae7 1 1.€hl has scored extremely well forWhite. 8. Ac1-e3 8.Axa6 bxa6 has proved to be innocu-
ous; after s.Wd:
Axf:
White's pawns are weak
as
10.gxf3 a5,
in the Classical Variation (5...4f5) of the Slav the main line move for White is 6.4e5 without a gain of tempo! Yet, as is so often the case with the paradoxical creations of consider that
the great Russian grandmaster, there is no clear refutation and White has to content himself with a small plus, and even this is usually offset by Black's greater familiarity with the positions that follow.
6. Af3-e5
well.
Ag4-h5
8. 3ffi s[ .'# ry r*w Fre r*re I ffir -ir-i ffi ffi
E
ffiffieffiffi t* rffi ffirffir E
ffir*#rfi$
iffi
A
ffi
i$39 @
A
a\ A
60a
ffiAffiAffiAffi# ffi g$ €ffiffia## #sary$ *wsffi #*s
ffir:i{+ rc
qj.
A
M
a'i
:/s H
.!qi:F
*s ,}\J A
A :/s; /\
$ltr
&gg?*
1""-+:
FT
The idea is to keep the e-pavm pinned.
9. 0-0 1O. a4-a5l?
0-0
11. Ac4-e2 To
unpin theknight.
11. ... Wd8-c7 12. wd1-b3 White's attractive centre and space advantage are certain to give him a com-
fortable superiority though naturally it is well short of a decisive advantage.
B) 5.
Ac8-s4 it is therefore no surprise that it was a favourite of the maverick David Bronstein: it anticipates the pinning of the knight without any concern for the lost tempo after AeS. This is curious when you A provocative move, and
130
7.
Af8-e7
I2-t3
The most ambitious: White tries to occupy the centre with pawns. A quieter approach is 7.g3 e6 8.Ag2 AU+ s.o-o Ads l0.Ad2 a5 1 1.6xc4, with a bal-
anced position; while the aggressive 7.h3, with the idea of g2-g4, creates chaotic positions that are difficult to ASSCSS.
7. af6-d7t? A stylish move that challenges White's intentions by exploiting the weak dark
squares.
More prudent is 7...e6, which permits White's occupation of the centre with 8.e4. In the final analysis, this is probably the better choice.
8. Ae5xc4
e7-e5!
Slcv Defence
Efi :|l l:it*A i€l*t
A
Ei$ A g € €
H: ei
rt ?;I
dF
*, \,,
ilr
A.1.tn
rt;; tiiliirii
tr
t:taF;
:':*1;
A
ti*
The trap: g
if
White plays 9.dxe5??, nfter
...Wn++, the cLknight exits stageleft!
y.?lxe5!a tlxe5 IU.dxeS qlcl./ rs also ^A-.-A-Ar-.r
good for Black.
9.
s2-sg With the simple notion of defending h4, which somewhat surprisingly leaves Black scratching his head about what to do next; aiso the more complicated 9.6e4!?, which seeks to make the most of the weakness on d6, seems to
leave White better
off after the
quence s...Ab++ 1o.gd2 1
se-
We7
1.Axe5!?.
9.
gfl-h3!
10. 11. 0-0
Wd8-e7
Ah5-96
White is now significantly better as Black's pieces are badly coordinated.
c)
a t I ff /t\ \4l
'&
gEA tr
ris I
iA:lla:iiil ;:l:tra;lll
a ;* 5- t&
*,.li1
ru
Ei
*;iil
!lia
:i*s
ii li.-l.ll,
a'.*a:
,i].:*
*,1 aii.*
.i'j': UU iiil;,,l,
$s
E&r
... you reach a position
of the Queen's
Gambit Accepted. Black has used two tempi to get his pawn to c5, but in compensation White's a2-a4 advance has weakened b4. In theory this idea should not work, given that in the Queen's Gambit Accepted White frequently advances his pawn to a4, but in practice it appears to be playable, even if future analysis may prove otherwise.
Main Line 5...9.f5
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. Ag1-f3 4. Ab1-c3 5. a2-a4
d7-d5 c7-co
Ag8-f6 d5xc4
Hc8-f5
The key position of the Slav:
This looks like a move a beginner would make as it closes in the c8 bishop, and thus is not in keeping with the ideas behind the Slav. In fact, the move has been a recent favourite of
E,fi ,*g ,€ rgl rxr l;* t iii* :: ,i* : : A A I ffii$ ",\
some top-level players, and indeed has been used by World Champion Anand! After:
lr* a l&Alffi g:ffgwE
e7-e6!?
5.
6.
e2-e3
c6-c5
7.
Af1xc4
Ab8-c6
8.
0-0
:-
:-:':
-
.'ri]:
Aa:. A... EH
F?
White must win back the pawn and seek to occupy the centre if he hopes to 131
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
gain any type of advantage. There are two plans that are designed to achieve these twin aims: the first is the classical plan based on e3, Axc4, 0-0, We2 and e4; the second is the increasingly popular modern approach involving Ae 5, f3 and e4.
is in fact a third alternative, 6.ah+. which follows a wair-and-see policy. We will look at this move before There
proceeding further. Though little played in the past, it has now gained the prestige of being classified as an individual variation, even though it is important to
remember that transpositions
to
the
6.e3 line are possible.
Black's position has proved itself to be playable, notwithstanding his compro-
mised pawn structure and White's pair of bishops. At this point, you may well ask: doesn't this contradict basic positional concepts? The answer is that that factor only represents a strength or a weakness if it can be exploited. In the case in question, White can only make
the most of his bishop pair (the cl bishop is very passive) by opening up the position, but the doubled f5 parvn has the important duty of preventing or delaying the desirable e3-e4 push. Even
if after the preparatory f2-f3
White
does manage to make the advance, the resulting centre must be adequately
A) 6. Af3-h4
supported. Otherwise,
It was always thought that the best move for Black at this ooint was 6...Ac8. Theory also stated that in order to stop ...e5 on the next move, White
it would be a
weakness instead of a strength. Another point in Black's favour is that often his pawns end up on light squares, and, in effect, he has favourably exchanged
had to play 7.6f3 and we are back where we started. In reality, things are not so simple; Black can continue as lf there were nothing to worry about and
what would have been
play
wise to exaggerate the positive aspects of Black's position. The truth is that White can carry out a dangerous plan based on a g2-g4 push. Let's have a look.
e7-e6
6.
Surprisingly after
7. 6h4xf5 8. e2-e3
e6xf5
a
bad bishop.
At this point, your next question could well be: if that is the case, isn't Black better? The answer is no. It would be un-
8.
gf8-d6
The move 8...9b4 is playable but you
ffieffi ffi r&ffi ffirffi I ET
A A #ffi*
*n$
ffirffi
fi&
ffirgk
€$
sw ffi$r*$
ffiffiffi g& gffi ffi
^
-aa1:1
A -f,1'i #$a
r.:-l; Ff ffiwffiaw
r32
usually see this when you have 6.e3.
9. Af1xc4 10. h2-h3
0-0
6b8-d7
11. g2'g4t and now we see what White is up to: by undermining the f5 parnm White establishes the necessary conditions for a more effective e3-e4 advance and a subsequent kingside initiative. 11. ... hf6-e4!
Slcv Defence
In
exchange for the isolated queen's pawn and the knight away from the action, White has good dynamic potential; therefore, we have a balanced position with chances for both players. Now we will discuss the two main variations:
B)
6. e2-e3 as the Dutch Yariation.
Known Black has to activate his pieces to stay in the game.
12.
g4xf5
Wd8-a5
13. Wd1-c2 6d7-t6 14. Ef8-e8 15. f2-f3 The only way to remove the blockader
Ac4-d3
from e4.
15.... 16. trhl-g1 17. t5-t6l?
6e4-93 Af6-d5 Ad5xf6
18. €e1-f2 It is no easy matter to say who is on top. However. to a certain extent White still seems to be applying the pressure. To confirm the distinct nature of this variation, it should be pointed out that after the prudent 6...4c8, White is not obliged to return his h4 knight to f3. He can also leave the knight where it is
and allow ...e7-e5: 7.e31? e5 8.Axc4 exd4 9.exd4 Ae7 10.0-0 0-0 1 1 .tre I
This is the most played move, even if only just. Its popularity is not so much for its objective merits, but probably because it is simpler to play, and it has fewer critical lines compared to the Modern Variation (with 6.4e5). White regains the c4 pavm with the bishop and calmly prepares the e3-e4 advance,
usuallywithWe2.
6. 7. Aflxc4
8.
e7-e6
Af8-b4
0-0
ENA.€
E €::: gltr I
xl.lr;'.,.L,,',:
h
'r''
8A,AA g8 .:..t a t:'. $. ',',., A
q) :.t,,
A
g
:
'
r33
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
9. af3-h4
we are now at an importanr crossroads: 812) castle immediately or develop the knight first? The choice is important as it can create very different positions, each with its pluses and minuses. However, mutual transpositions are possible in these popular lines, which have more
af5-96
or less the same statistical success rate.
81) 8.
ab8-d7
This denies the white knight
in
e5-square
the
some important variaNow Black can castle queenside in response to the exchange on 96, and he can use the h8 rook for counterplay
tions.
B11) 9. gd1-b3
Throwing the spotlight on one drawback against the h2 pawn. of the knight move: after 9...We7?! Or 9...0-0!? 10.Axf5 exf5 (it is more 10.4a2, the pawn on b7 is now hanging. common to reach this position via the
L
a7-a1
9...9b6 10.e4 A96 1 1.Axe5l fxe6 12.a51 Axa5 1 3.Wxe6+ gdS 14.e5
6.ah+ variation) 11.Wc2 96
12.f3
WUe t 3.€h1 Eae8 14.Wf2 c5, with an unclear position.
10. Ac4-e2 may be playable, but in practice Black will find this line difficult to handle. Stopping .4h5. 10.
3f5-g6
10.... 11. 92'93 12.6h4xg6 13. Wd1-c2
Wd8-b6 h7xg6 0-0
E l:,1.
af3-h4
10.6a2 Ae7 11.Bxb7 leads to a draw by repetition after ...Eb8-a8-c8.
10.... 11. g2-g3 12.6h4xg6 13. Ef1-dl 14. Ac4-t1l?
I
'.
AA
O& U*
Wd8-c7l? 0'0 h7xg6 e6-e5
Etr, A",:.1 I
,I
al
A O
,A h AW AA A B' A '...E €
.,'ir;
I
AA
A
i',iI:WA
A
ti
lAll
AA
',E Atr';iA€ With
a
134
tiny advantage for White.
With
a
balanced game.
B13)
9.
Bd1-e2
The most thematic: it prepares e3-e4.
9.
Af5-s6!?
Slcv Defence
This move gives the impression of preventing e4. 9...0-0 transposes to 82. 10. e3-e4!?
With the plan to march on to a6, and when Black responds with ...b6, to pre-
Played anyway!
Black's position might hold with correct play, but there are few aficionados of the Slav who would enjoy the prospect of having to defend this position.
10. ... Ab4xc3 Consistent; the more prudent 10...0-0! also leads into BZ.
11. b2xc3 12. 9c1-a3
6f6xe4
pare the pawn march c3-c4-c5.
82'' 8.
0-0
It is more prudent for Black to
castle
immediately and leave the centre to White. 9. Wd1-e2 Now 9.Wb3 We7 offers nothing to White, while 9.4h4 usually transposes to B12. 9.
Black cannot castle kingside and the compensation
on the dark squares is
clear. Most chess engines prefer Black,
but in the world of human competition results have been much better for White.
12....
Wd8-c7
12.'6x8? n.Wb2 6xa414.Wl3!, with a
9...4961? stops e3-e4, which would be followed by ...Axc3 and ...6xe4 without compensation for White as Black has already castled.
However, White can continue with 10.4e5! abdT l1.6xg6 hxg6 12.Ed1 WaS 13.4d2 tradS 14.4e1. andWhite is a fraction better. 10.
e3-e4
decisiae aduantage.
13. trf1-c1 The most played, but also l3.Ad2 and 13.trfe1 give good compensation. 13. ... 0-0-0
14. a4-a5l
!f5-95!
g
-
*l
E &.,,
,, .A.,',,,
1r,. I €if l:rlt::l
f*f A:j:ll
:
AEA .'\i '..
t4
|
.
:
:
.
::,a.,
A ,,.l;
..l,t,,.
::.,r',,4.g:
.A .,:,.9f .ll H ri' HE
A A'A
trg
Now Black threatens the e4 pawn. An occasional alternative is 10...4g4, with the idea of ...e5. After 11.8d1 Wa5 12.e5 ad5 13.Axds cxds 14.4d3 (threatening 1 5.Axh7+) 14...h6 1 5.h3 r35
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
AfrS t6.ga A96 17.951, White has an unpleasant initiative.
Do not forget that in this position,
E fl$
10...4xc3?? would lose immediatelv after 11.exf5.
821)
n A
11.
e4-e5
af6-d5
12. dc3-e4 Here 12.Axd5 - in contrast to B22
-
ffiffiffisffi rffiaffirrer *€rffirffi
ffi
ffiffiffie
ffiffiAffiffi ffi$affiaffi ffi ffisffiaffi ffi* +e? SSS
#* ffissH
is
too slow.
12.... 9b4-e7 Ac4-d3 tra8-c8
12. e4-e5
13.
14.6e4-95 Threatening 15.Axg6 followed
by
We2-e4-h4.
After l}.Af+, Black achieves equality with l2...ge7l (with the idea ...Axf3 and ...e5) 13.e5 Ad5 14.Axd5 cxdS 15.trfc1 trfcS.
14....
Ae7xg5 The move 14...Ee8. with the idea ...4f8. isworthalook.
of
12....
af6-ds
13. hc3xd5
After 13.D'e4l? D.e7 1a.Ag3 Ag6
15. Af3xg5 Bd8-e7 15.Axg5 hxg6 (here there is no need to Defends e6 in order to be able to take take back with the f-pawn) 16.6e4 c5, on 96 with the f-pawn. neither side has an advantage. 16. Ad3xg6 f7xg6 c6xd5 16...hxg6? is met by 1-7.We4 followed by 14. We2-e3l
13....
Wru. 17. Ag5-e4
ffiEffi ffigffi
rffiAffi ffiT ffirffirffir ffiAWK W Affi ffiaffi$$ ffi
ffiffiffiffia wsffis w ffitrffi and White is a little better.
TheideaisAgS andtsh3. 14.... Ab4-e7! 15. Af3-e1t? Threatening 16.9h3, and Black cannot take back on g5 with the f-pawn. 15.495!? is worthy of consideration; the endgame posidon that follows after l5...Axg5 16.Bxg5 Bxg5 lT.Axgs Ab8 1s.gd2 Ac6 l9.Ac3 .A96 20.4e2
wffiw ffi€w * rw ffirffir wAw r ffi-e.w E
s6$!
A
A
B2D
gc4-d3
As6-h5l By pinning the f3 knight, Black pre11.
pares ...e6-e5. 136
ffir ffiffi wffi ffiffiffi ffi Wffi$ AffiAffi ffiwffitrffi
Slov Defence is not as easy for Black as to be.
15.... 16.
Ad3xg6
ffi ffi g ffiffi tr rffi ffi rffir ffir ffi ffiffi# *s ffi ffi Effi {lf{{
it may appear
E
Ahs-ge f7xg6!
Effiffiffi effi
ffirffiAffi
A
$nrf
Wffi
ffi
ffi
wffiffi ffi sffi ffi$ffiffis ags ffi
ffi ffi
ffiffi
FfSw w_JH
e7
a,@
1Ftr
{1
iffi trs
ffiffi ffirffiffi rffi
ffi ffiwrffi Affiffi
ffirfsi
str
tr;N
A ffiAffS
6ffiF? .5-{&$ e
cl)
6. e7-eG The old main line, which is probably no longer as popular as it was due to heavy analysis; the forcing nature of this varia-
tion has meant that many lines
It is worth remembering that in these types of position you often have no choice but to take back in this way, even if at first to do so may appear to be anti-positional. It is generally the safer option when you are not forced to as well; the weakness that is created on e6 is compensated for by the rook's greater
activity, the castled position is reinforced and Black still has the option of ...h7-h6 so as to dissuade an unwelcome intruder from arriving on 95. 17. Ae1-d3 Ea8-c8 18. We3-h3 Ef8-f5 19. Ac1-e3 Ad7-bB 20. Ef1-cl Ec8xc1+ 21. Ealxc1 Ab8-c6 and the position is balanced.
C) 6. 6f3-e5
than imaginative play, and there
assist an e2-e4 push, which gains a tempo. Black has to respond with vigour if he wishes to avoid having a passive position.
has
been a natural shift, at least by stronger players, to less explored territory.
7.
t2-t3
The thematicmove.
There is also a quite attractive alterna-
tive: 7.g3!? Ab+ A.AgZ 6e4 9.0-01? Axc3 10.bxc3 Axc3 11.4a3 Wxd4 12.6)xc4l.
E'h
''r€,.r,. "E. rffi ffir$ffir ffirffir$ffi ffi
ffi ffiw ffi$affiffi affiaffi ffi ffi
The Modern Yariation is now virtually considered to be the critical line: White vacates the f3-square for the pawn so as
to
have
been examined in detail right through to the endgame. As a result, a good memory has become more important
ffi ffi ffiffi
4CtS
ffiffi
?5,
a ffi$ag$ ;ffi
sffitrffi ^oco^&:*Y *
The chess engines may not be so impressed by White's position, but over the board anything could happen. 7.
gf8-b4
137
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
Kramnik's use of the move 7...c5!? has led to its reassessment: 8.e4 A96! (the complications that ensue after 8...cxd4
Threatening the e5 knight and threatening to give mate on f2. 11. Ac3xe4 Wd4xe4+
9.exf5 favour White) 9.4e3 cxd4
1l...AxdZ+ 12.6xd2l Wxe5+ 13.4e2 b5 is perhaps playable, but it offers
10.Wxd4 Wxd4
1
1.Axd4 afd7
.
Black fewer chances.
12. Wd1-e2 Ab4xd2+ 13. €e1xd2 White has gained a piece, but the price is high, as not only has he given up quite a few pawns for it, but he has also lost the right to castle: if he is not worse off, it is only by virtue of his superior development. The position is too com-
With
a
playable endgame.
8.
e2-e4 After a more conservative option, Black will gain equality with ...c6-c5. 8. Af5xe4! Retreating the bishop would represent a
9. f3xe4
Af6xe4
14.
10. Ac1-d2 According to theoryt 10.9f3 leads to an
'almost' forced draw: 10...Wxd4 I 1.Wxf7+ gdS l2.Ag5+! Axg5
to content himself with perpetual check 13.Wxg7, and Black has
13...Axc3 +... but is this really the
Wd8xd4
En :,rl.t,.
a g r ga.t |W ,rt.r 'rr,
case?
Almost nobody plays 14.€c3 now; probably to avoid inviting ...b7-b5-ba, even if the resulring position is far from dear.
14.
Ab8-a6
...
To have the option of giving check on b4 seems the most logical.
15. 6e5xc4
E
@I(
AI
I &:l:i*
l1l*i
We4-d5+!
&d2-c2
ll'
*:rg:::!i
*.f '.' . fl .L\ 'uu
coordinating his pieces effectively.
13....
strategic defeat.
10....
plicated to analyse fully here: we will just give a couple of representative example lines. After a queen exchange, the main theme is the struggle between White's pieces and the phalanx of advancing black pawns; the chief chalIenge for White is the difficult task of
I
.l I I
a ,..:tii]l
tr;::
:A E W ,A*tr.
.ta A A,' ;
t,.'l
138
Giving the king refuge on b3 !
':.,
Sloy Defence
cl1)
15....
b7-b5
It may seem a good idea to open lines on the opponent's king, but in reality White's plus in development will start to make itself felt
16. a4xb5 17. 18. tra1-d1!
€c2-c3!
6a6-b4+ c6xb5
The queen attacks a7 and prepares the redeployment of the e2 bishop on f3. Removing the queens from the board with 15.We5 should be reassuring for White, in view of his exposed king, but in fact it would give Black a playable endgame after 16...f61 l7.Wxd5 cxdS.
16....
and this complicated position favours White, bearing in mind that the imagi-
Atl-e2 18. trh1-g1 17.
native queen sacrifice
18....
b5xc4?!
Effi ffiffi&ffi ffi W ffiffirffir
ffiffirffiffi trffisffiffi ffi
ffirffi ffi
ffi*
ffi$
ffi$
ffiffiffiffi ffiwffiw a
Black has five pawns for the piece
19. Fearless.
trd1xd5
wins. 20.
tral-hl!!
ffieffiffi ffiffi ffi rffiffi ffiffirffir
ffirffirffi
6b4xd5+
ffiffiffiffi AffiffiAffi
has proved itself to be inadequate.
ls....
...
fend the bishop on e2, since after 20.We5? Wxe5 21.Axe5 Ee3. Black
20. €c3-d2!
c12)
trglxg7!
19. trd8-d3 And now the big question is how to de-
WtrffiAffitr
19.
6a6-c5 Wd5xg2 Wg2xh2
ffi
ffiEffi
ffi
WKgffiAffiffi
0-0-0
The favourite choice in the 1990's.
16. We2-e3!
ffiweffi ffi ffi rffi ffiffirffir affirffiwrffi$ ffi ffi ffiffisffi ffi AffiAffiffi
trffiffi
ffi€ffiffi
ffiffi
ffiffi
ffiffi
There is only one way to solve this, but it is nice.
20....
Wh2xh1
21. Ae2xd3
and White has a clear plus: White is better off in terms of material, and his active pieces make Black's position difficult to defend.
WffiAffiffi
A€ffiH
S:^W H
cl3)
15....
o-0 139
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
:ari:a:
The most popular choice in the new millennium. Now the rook is safer; however, it is worth noting that in the variations where the queens are exchanged, the king will be more useful on the queenside.
Perfect moves hardly ever exist in the opening phase of the game; you have to weigh up the pro's and con's of every move.
16. We2-e5 After 16.9f3 Wc5 17.€b1 Ab+. glack has good counterplay.
16....
Ea8-b8
The most common choice.
17. a4-a5l? To stop ...b7-b5: it is rare to see such a curious strategic subtlety in such an open position!
...
t7-t6 Black forces White to exchange and open up the c-file while enlarging his 17.
central pawn phalanx. 17...Wxel? is both a strategic and a tactical blunder: after 18.6xe5, White threatens both Axa6 and a fork on d7.
18.
We5xd5
c6xd5
19.6c4-e3 Here we have a characteristic position
for this line: White's light-squared bishop in combat with three central pawns for Black.
t+0
You would think that White has some-
what better chances with correct play, but the truth is that the stronger player will always dominate in such unbalanced positions, regardless of colour.
cD
ab8-d7
6.
g@ E:; .lll:,'.l,.'A
E
l:.l,l
la '.. i,,. aA..
A:*
I A,,l.i:.l::t..:.
r:,:: A
,,,,::
,,''
A A AA. E AW€A,', E which is why we have seen it become increasingly popular. 7. 6e5xc4 Wd8-c7 Less forcing,
This makes the most sense; 'threatening' to push ...e7-e5 denies White the time to carry out his plan based on f2-f3 and e3-e4. The other possibility of 7...6b6 is occasionally played, even if after 8.4e5 a5 9.f3 afdT ! 10.6xd7 hxdZ 11 .e4 A96, White's centre is not as strong as it looks. Therefore, on his 9th move White should consider the more Drom^A lsmg y.g5r/ or y.sg5.
Slqv Defence
Effi
8.
s2-93! In the changed circumstances the best move: it prepares to fianchetto, but above all it makes Af4 possible after the exchanges on e5.
It is useful to
remember the trick 8.9d2!? (this move does not seem to make sense, but it contains a drop of poison): if Black continues with the the-
ffiffi&ffi ffi
$ffirffiaffirffiKr
ffi#rffi
ffi*
5ffi $W ffiaffi a##affi affi ffi
#ffiffiffiffi ffi ffiAffiA ffisffi
*ffic
matic 8...e5? (8...96!) 9.dxe| 6xe5, he loses
11.Axes Axe5 12.Wd4 f6. with bal-
apazan after 10.Wf4!.
anced play. Now Black has four playable
Effi ffi&ffi rffi *#rffir
options:
ffir** ffi e# ffiffiffiAffi g arffia** it"\L.t
:*,*
Y
*: =!-
C21) 11. ...
Wdl-cl 13.0-0
12.
9f5-e6 14.6,c3-e4! Af8-e7
ffi
r. .n-. q -;t,] 'e5 .e,i -':; .1llt a ?J:
:":t"-
rN ij: w '4; :.$i -6i, HEi-+:E
tra8-d8 I7-t6
15. a4-a5
With an edge for White: he
controls
more space and his pieces have greater activity. Obaiously,15...9-xc4? ! would
The e5 knight is pinned and the
f5
bishop is
hanging. Black can saoe the piece by
r0...afd7 11.Wxf5 6xc4 13.f4
12.W e4+ 6ce5
c22,
11....
af5-e6
13.0-0
Ad7xe5 f7-t6 Af8-d6
12.6:c4xe5
f5, but after L4.Wxfs White is clearly
better.
8. 9. d4xe5
14.
Ld7xe5
15.6c3-e4
pinnedknight. ...
af6-d7
The following is less strong: 1O...trdS ll.Wcl Ade (forced due to the threat of Axe5 followed by Wf+) 12.Axd6+ Wxd6 l3.Ag2. In such an open position the bishop pair represents a concrete advantage.
11. Af1-g2
met
and White is a little better.
of the principal positions in the Slav; Black is well developed, but he must still resolve the problem of the One
10.
Wd1-c2
e7-e5
10. Ac1-f4
be
by L6.W xc4, with an erm greater adaantage.
c23)
11.
...
t7-t6
The old main line.
6d7-c5 O-O Ac4-e3! Af5-e6 b2-b4 tra8-d8 Wd1-c2 Ac5-a6 16. b4-b5 Aa6-b4 12. 13. 14. 15.
17. Wc2-e4 White has the beginnings of an initiative, but the complex nature of the position offers chances for Black as well. 141
Chess Opening Essentials
C24)
11.
...
E',,,i,
-
Volume
2
s7-s5!?
*gE
:x'r gai:..
' f:i:
'
r
,!\a
C243r12.6c4-e3 This may not necessarily be the best, but it was Kasparov's choice, and as a result it is the most played.
12....
l,
13.
a;a: e :t A .a,r: A. ''-- A A A'A A .,'W€ ', E
Ae3xf5
g5xf4 0-0-0 H
I
'D.a
Not even mentioned in the 3rd edition of ECO, this variation is now the most played Slav line! In 2000 Morozevich was the first top-class player to use this anti-positional looking move (allowing
playinfrontofyourownking),butto
AA.AAA
a5
F? A Taking
atllHA $trtr.+. HB
H .H
on 93 would activate the hl
the surprise of everyone it worked. The rook. idea is that the 95 pawn cannot be taken 14. Wd1-c2 because the c4 knight would be en White keeps his castling options open. prrse. 14.gxf4? Ac5 15.Wc2 Ac4 gives Black It is now difficult to decide on White's the advantage. best course ofaction.
C241)'|.2.6c4xe5 g5xf4 13. Ae5xd7 14. gdl-d4 15. Wd4xf4
0-0-0!? Wc7xd7
l5.Wxh8 WaZ+ 16.€fl Wxb2, unclear piay
1s.0-0-01?.
15. 0-0
with
gf8-d6 With good compensation for the pawn. 15....
14. ... 8:d7-c5 Another popular choice is 1a...eg6, with the plan of playing ...h7-h5-h4, to which the most ambitious renlv is
The rules prohibit queenside castling.
15. ... f4xg3 After 15...6e6 16.We4, White's pieces
look better coordinated. 16. h2xg3 C24D12. Af4xe5 Stopping the white pawn Focusing on deveiopment. 17. 12. ... 6d7xe5 The powerful f5 knight 13. gd1-d4 t7-t6 bishoo on f8. 14.0-0-0!? Af8-e7 18. Ed1xd8+ And the position is difficult to assess: 19. trf1-d1 White has better piece activity but 20. 6c3-e4 Black has both bishops. 21. Wc2xe4
tral-d1
r42
a7-a5 on a4.
h7-h5 dominates the WcTxdB
Wd8-f6
Ac5xe4
Slcv Defence
1.d4 d5
3:#,1
2.c4c53.4c3
6f64.e34f5
iX','f ;Y'd"?1',:f.T
1.d4 d5 z.eAc*.3.6c3 e54.dxe5 d4
ff: e?S #:'*.',tr3 H#:,1;?,:;
Ae8 0-011.e3 dxe312.fxe3 Wc713.Ac3 14.0-0 f6 15.e.dg Ef7 16.Wc2 f5 Ag4 14.9d3 AbdT 15.4f5 Axfs 17.6:e2 gd7 18.trf2 Ec81g.Ac3 16.6xf5 EfeS 17-Axg7€xg7 18.9f5 gb6 20.gd2 Ae7 21.trcf1 gbs Afg 19.h4 h6 20.94 Bc8 21.Wxc8 22.9b1 9a6 23.94 96 24.h3 trc7 traxc8 22.95 Ah7 23.e4 trcd8 11.f4 0-0 128c1 Axe5 13.fxe5
25.Eel 6ST 26.6t4 6,cB 27.9rt5 24.Hdt1 €f8 25.gxf6 Axf6 26.e5 gxf5 28.trg2 shS 29.€h2 E9c6 AgT 27.trhg1 c5 28.sc2 Ee6
l.3Jt.f
ffiigb7?,"1iri:flis , irT,l'l'ji* sc4 ar6 Q:e7 6c6 Af5
11.8e1 bG 12.b3
13.4b2
cxds 5.6c3
6.4f4
4cxd5 7.e3 e6
14.4e5 6gG 15.Adf3 he4 16.cxd5 8.9b5 Ad7 9.9a4 trcB 10.Axc6 exds 17.qb5 we7 18.6d7 EfdS Exc6 11.Bxa7 Wc8 12.9a5 Ad3 19.6xb6 EabB 20.6e5 9xe5 13.9d2 b6 14.Wa7 Ab4 15.trhc1 21.dxe5 Bc5 22.Wd4 Wxbs 23.e6 Abs 16.*d1 Axc3 17.bxc3 9a6 f:lt6^ 24.ad7 trxd7 25.exd7 WxdT 18.a4 O-O 19.a5 b5 20.6e1 g5 26.trac1 hG 27.t3 tre8 28.trxe8+ 21.4g3 t5 22.4i,d5 t4 23.ext4 trc7 BxeB 29.&t2 gbs 30.ge3 Aa6 24.Bxc7Wxc725.fxg5Bc426.Ab4 31.a4 Bb7 32.trc5 AhS 33.g3 Bd7 e5 27.alxa6 exd4 2*.alct dxc3
34.se1 Sh3 35.trxa5 Wxh2 36.9f2 29.a5 hcS 30.a78f1+ 0-1 r*9h1+ 37.9d2 gb1 38.9d4 gf1 39.Wxd5 We2+ 40.€c3 gb7 Vaganian R.afael 41.8;'xb7 Wel+ 42.&"A Bxa5 Gagunashvili,Merab 43.Ac3 grfs 44.gbS+ €h7 45.a5 Calvia olympiad 200a (ia) Wxf3 46.Wc7 6xg3 47.&b4 olt4 1.4f3 d5 2.d4 at6 3.c4 c6 4.e3 AfS 48.ea3 6e6 49.We5 Ae4 5O.Ab4 5.6c3 e6 6.6h4 Ag4 7.Hb3 Wc7 gdg 51.*a4 Ad4 52.9d5 fs 8.h3 ghs 9.s4 Ag6 10.6xs6 hxs6 53.Wc4 Wdl 54.Aa3 Hal 55.a6 11.95 6fd712.e4 dxe4 13.Axe4 e5 6c3+ 56.€b4 6:c2+ 5Z€c5 14.4e3 6a6 tS.Ag2 exd4 t6€xd4 Wxa3+ 5&€b6 4e3 0-1 6ac5 17.We3 0-0-0 18.0-0-0 Ee8 1+3
Chess Opening Essentiois
19.Ehe1
- Volume 2
Axe4 20.Axe4
Ab4
21.tre2 f5 22.gxti sxf6 23.Wfg EhgB 24.Axg6 trxe2 25.Bxe2 c5
26.WeG trxg6 27.8'e8+ gd8 28.Sxg6 cxd4 29.trxd4 We7 3o.gf5 €c7 31.h4 6e5 32.h5 WcS 33.8e4 b5 34.hG 6xc4 35.Eid5 6e5+ 36.Wxc5+ 9xc5 37.h7 6lt7 38.Eg4 €c6 39.trg2 ah8 40.trg8 at7 41.t3 1-O Khismatullin,Denis Dreev,Alexey Warsaw Ech 2005 (2)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.4f3 af6 4.e3 AfS 5.6c3 e6 6.6h4 AsG 7.Wb3 Wc7 8.6xg6 hxg6 9.h3 abdT 10.9d2 AbG 11.cxd5 exdS 12.gdg Ae7 13.0-0-0 a5 14.€b1 a4 15.Wc2 6c4 16.Axc4 dxc4 17.6xa4 0-0 18.h4 tra7 19.6c5 EfaS 20.a3 b6 21.4e4 8)xe4 22.Wxe4 9xa3 23.4c3 We7 24.Wxe7 AxeT 25.€c2 b5 26.d5 cxds 27.trxd5 b4 28.4d4 Ea1 29.trxa1 Exal 30.h5 trf1 31.e4 gxhS 32.Exh5 gf6 33.gxf6 Exf2+ g4.sd1
trxf6 35.trc5 Ef2 36.Exc4 b3 37.trb4 Exb2 38.93 gh7 39.Eb7 fO 40.trb6 sg8 41.trb7 sh7 42.trb6 Eb1+ 4g.&d2 b2 44.&c3 eg6 45.e5 Eel 46.trxb2 trxe5 47.€d3 Eg5 48.trg2 gfs 49.€e2 €94 50.€f2 trfs+
51.*gl
Ef352.€h2f5
0-1
16.We2 gd4 17.0-0 gf8 18.trfe1 Ebg 19.trad1 trb6 2O.Edg efs
21.trd2 gd6 22.9f3 €g7 23.trde2 gf6 24.4d1 tre8 25.b3 Ad7 26.Ws3 Ed6 27.tre4 h6 28.h4 €fB 29.Ef4 Wg7 30.trfe4 gf6 31.4e3 h5 32.4c2 AfS 33.trf4 9c3 34.Ee2
Wg7 35.6e3 gd7 36.tre4 f5 37.trxe7
1$xe7 38.494 t4 39.Bxc3 Wg7 40.6e5 Ag4 41.tre1 €g8 42.a4 Wf6 43.a5 €g744.g3 fxg3 45.Wxg3 Ac8 46.€h2 EfB 47.ads As4 48.*91 trc8 49.tre5 gf3 50.€h2 trcd8 51.EgS EfB 52.6xc5 Wa1 53.We5+ Wxe5+ 54.Exe5 trfs 55.trxf5 gxf5 56.M Eg6 57.6e6+ €f6 58.6g5 edl 59.Axa6 €e5 60.4b7 Ae2 61.6t7+ €f6 62.495 ee5 63.4c6 ac4 64.f4+ €xf4 65.b5 SeS 66.b6 Axd5 67.Axd5 €xdS 68.b7 trgB 69.a6 €c6 7O.6eG gb6 71.4c5 trdB 72.6d7+
€c773.b8€9+
1-o
Ivanchuk,Vasily Bacrot,Etienne Heraklion Ech-tt 200/ (5)
1.d4 d5 2.eA cG 3.4f3 Af6 4.6c3 a6 5.c5 AbdT 6.9f4 ahs 7.4d2 Ahf6 8.Wc2 g6 9.g3 e5 10.dxe5 694 11.e6 6xc5 12.ert7+ gxfT 13.e4 Ag7 14.A92 Axc3 1 5.Axc3 dxe4 16.Axh8 6d3+ 17.sfl exf3 18.€xf3 6gxf2 19.Wb3+ €e7 20.Ag7 gh3+ 21.Ag2 gd7 22.gxh3 Bxh3+ 23.€s1 Wf5
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar
24.Wxb7+
Bacrot,Etienne
25.wd4+
€dG 25.9b6
g/c727.g:e5+€c8
gf3 0-1
Baku 2008 (1 2)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.6c3 6f6 4.6f3 a6 5.c5 Abd76.Af4 ahs 7.Wd2 b6 8.e4 bxc5 9.exd5 cxd4 10.Bxd4 c5
11.9d2 6xf4 12.Bxf4 gG 13.6e5 6xe5 14.Wxe5 EgB 15.9c4 Ag7 1++
Alekhils,Alexander Tarrasch,Siegbert Hastings 1922 (7)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.Afg 6lt1 4.6c3 dxc4 5.e3 b5 6.a4 b4 7.Q:a2 eG
SIov Defence
8.Axc4 Ae7 9.0-O 0-0 10.We2 Ab7 l1.trd1 abd712.e4 aE 13.4g5 tre8 14.6c1 Wb6 15.4b3 h6 16.4e3 Aa6 17.Afd2 Axc4 18.Axc4 Wc7 19.EYf3 c5 20.4f4 Bb7 21.db exds
22.exd5 Wa6 23.trac1 Af8 24.6bxa5 6e4 25.dc6 95 26.Ae5 4,xe1 27.66xe5 f6 28.Bxe4 fxeS 29.d6 Ag7_ 30.9d5+ €hB 3t.Sxcs .:
1-O
Kasparol.Garry
l:r.,',il1#ilf,T,,
ilT*H*"'
(1l) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.4f3 AfG 4.Acg dxc4 5.a4 9f5 6.e3 e6 7.Axc4 Ab4 8.0-0 AbdT 9.8e2 496 10.e4 Axc3 11.bxc3 6xe4 12.Aa3 Wc7 13.Efc1 0-0-014.a5 ad6 154b3 ghs16.h3 EheS 17.aG b6 18.c4 c5 19.9a4 e5 20.dxc5 bxc5 21.Se3 tre6 22.49F trfO 23.9b2 hG 24.6e4 6xe4 25.Bxe4 Ee6 26.tre1 AgG 27.Wa8+ gbg 28.gxd7+ ExdT 29.Bxb8+ €xb8 30.Exe5 trdd6 31.trxc5 trxa6 32.Exa6 trxa6 33.Axg7 h5 34.t4 t5 Linares 199+
6f6 4.6c3 35.4e5+ €b7 36.trc7+ sbo dxc4 5.e4 b5 6.e5 4d5 7.a4 cG 37.9h2 €a5 38.€93 AeB 39.€h4 gb4 40.93 trgG 41.Exa7 *xc4 8.axb5 6xc3 9.bxc3 cxb5 10.6g5 Ab711.ghs Bd712.Ae2 hG 13.4f3 42.tra8 Ac6 43.tra3 AeB M.tre1 gds 45*gf6 Cd7 46.4c3 Ae6 Ac6 14.0-0 hd8 15.4e4 a5 164g5 Ads 17.trfe1 ac6 18.4h4 tra7 47.9b4 Ad7 48.Sxh5 Es8 49.Ac3 1.d4 d5 2.eA eG 3.4f3
19.tr'94 EhZ 20.4d6+
&dG 50.€h6 Ae6 51.€h7 tra8 52.g:b4+ €d7 53.€97 tra4 54.€f6 €f8 24.9f3 ad8 25.d5 exdS Ads 55.Ac3 Ae4 56.94 txg4 26.Axd5 BfS 27.8e3 gd7 28.Ead1 57.hxg4 Ac2 5B.Ee7+ gdg 59.Ae5 Axf6 29.exf6 6e6 304e4 trxdl Ea6+ 60.Ee6 trxe6+ 61.Sxe6 ee8 AxdG
21.Axd5 Ae7 22.Ae4 g6 23.4f6
:1ffi*,=,i;lb,,sf
wxer'ff ":::::1,'"::':"'*"
1.0
Smyslov,Yasily KievURS-YUG 19s9 (1)
1"d4 d5 2.d cG 3.Af3 AfG 4.hc3 dxeA 5a4 Af5 6.e3 e6 7Axc4 AM 8.0-0 AbdT 9.8e2 G0 10.e4 996 11€d3 Ah5 12.e5 6d5 13.hxd5
cxd5 14.We3 We7 15.6g5
hG
16.sh3 SG 17.91 hxgS 18.gxh5 fG 19.exf6 AxfG 20.hxg6 Ae4 2'l.t3ad2 22.trf2 6b3 23.Axg5 Wxg5+ 24.tr92 WeS+ 25.9h1 €s7 26.8h7+ *f6 27.w'|d,+ €g7 28.9.h7+ €f6 29.g7 'Sxd4 3O.gxf8B+ A:rf8 31.tre1 1-o 145
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
tr*tiilffi
16.AxgG hxg6 17.ad3 gb6
€g4 14.0-0 O-O 15.h3 Axf3 16.Axf3 e5 17.d5 tre8 18.93 Be7 19.b3 HadB 20.4e3 cxdS 21.6xd5 Axd5 22.Wxd5 b6 23.Wb5 9f8 24.Ead1 Wb4 25.4e2 ae5 26.Wxb4 axb4 27.Ac4€g7 28.€92 fG 29.gd5 trb8 30.Ec1 4a6 31.EcG AcS 32.a5 9xe3 33.fxe3 6c5 34.axb6 Ad7 35.trc7 tIeT 36.9c6 trxb6 37.Exd7
18.6xb4 Wxb4 19.b3 trac8 20.4a3
1-0
Bonn Wch-match 2008 (7)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 S.Afi Af6 4.4c3 dxc4 5.a4 9f5 6.e3 e6 7.Axc4 Ab4 8.0-O AbdT 9.We2 Ag6 10.e4 0-0 11.9d3 AhS 12.e5 6d5 13.6xd5 cxdS 14.We3 Ee8 15.6e1 Ag6
Wc3 21.trac1 WxeS 22.txe3 f6
23.gd6 g5 24.h3 €fl 25.€f2 €96 26.se2 fxe5 27.dxe5 b6 28.b4 trc4 29.Exc4 dxc4 30.Ec1 trc8 31.g4 a5 32.b5 c3 33.trc2 sf7 34.€d3 ac5+ 35.Axc5 trxcS 36.trx c3 ExcS* th:h
Grischuk,Alexander
WangYue ursta iooe (st
Kasimdzhanov.Rustam
Predoievic,gorki Germany Bundesliga 2007l08 (5)
1.d4 d5 2.4 cG 3.4f3 6f6 4.6c3 dxc4 5.a4 AfS 6.6e5 abdl 7.dxc4 Wc7 8.g3 e5 9.dxe5 4xe5 10,4f4 atdT 11.4g2 g5 12.6e3 gxf4 13.6xf5 0-0-0 14.Wc2 {'g615.0-0 fxgS 16.hxg3 h517.Efc1 €bg 18.b4 h419.4b5 Wc8 20.Wb3 h3 21.8e3 c5 22.Ae4 6f6 23.bxc5 €ls4 24.cG Ed1+ 25.Exd1 Axe3 Ze.6xe3 Uxce
1.d4 d5 2.c cG 3.4f3 AfG 4.6c3 dxc4 5.a4 Af5 6.he5 AbdT 7.8:xeA 6b6 8.4e5 a5 9.e3 g6 10.9d3 Ae6 27.trab1
I+6
cxbS 28.Exb5+ sc7
Let's look at a representative line that shows how disastrous an irrational defence of the c4 pawn can be:
3. 4. 5. 6.
e2-e3l? a2-a4l a4xb5 gd1-f3
b7-b5?! c7-c6
c6xb5?
and the a8 rook is lost. By taking on c4, Black seeks room for his pieces by opening up files and diagonals.
In doing so, he concedes White a central parvn majority; however, Black hopes to counterattack the cenfre pawns with either a ...c7-c5 or an ...e7-e5 advance: a type of precursor to the Griirrfeld. With correct play, White preserves the small advantage that is the colour's
bir*uight.
Nonetheless, the ensuing strategic tension gives Black reasonable chances, and therefore the defence is suited to players
who have a superior understanding of This opening is mentioned as far back as the 17th century (!) and it was played several times by Alexander
positional play.
MacDonnell against Louis de la Bourdonnais in their celebrated marathon match of 1834. It was later fre-
obligatory to play
quently employed by Alekhine. Today it is as popular as ever with highly ranked players wishing to create livelier play than that associated with the Queent Gambit Declined, but without running the risks inherent in the Indian Defences. The classification of gambit is nominal. Unlike in the King's Gambit, Black is usually unable to hang on to the pawn. The exceptions are a few very aggressive lines by White (e.g. the 4.4c3 variation), but of course it is White's choice not to oursue the pawn.
Let's have a look at the specific lines. In
the past, it was considered almost
3.
6g1-f3
in order to
prevent Black's liberating ...e7-e5 advance. However, as usual, things are not quite that simple. While 3.4f3 remains the most popular choice, the two alternatives presented next are
becoming more and more popular.
3.e3 Variation
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. e2-e3
d7-d5 d5xc4
With 3. e2-e3, White shows he is not concerned by the ...e7-e5 push, and that he immediately intends to take back the pawn. 147
-
Chess Opening Essentials
E
E
#SEffi € ffi
r# :,
$rc
--,:-
"
:]ER:
:'-':
ffi I
Zl
--rt
tre :*
{r
r--"--i
:il
affiw
3.
I
ffirfire
ffiAffi
rJtl
}<; :t-.s
-t5 A ';-
e7-e5
with an isolated
queen's
ffire
Taking on e5 is clearly awful: after the queen exchange and ...4c6, Black is better.
e5xd4
e3xd4 This position can be reached by means of the Exchange Yariation of the French in which after 4.c4, Black prematurely takes the c4 pavm. In the past, theory judged this to be equal: Black has a nice game with all of his pieces ready to develop smoothly and an opponent with a weak d4 pawn. In real life things are always more complicated.
6. As1-f3 7. 0-0 8. Ab1-c3 9. h2-h3 10. Wd1-c2!?
A
::;=;.
7{d1
/1:i5;
w ;&; :-r- H H
'7iii
.:?=
g
9f5, and entertaining at-
tacking ideas such
as
Axh6 followed by
Wg6+. The presence of the strong c4 bishop is particularly unpleasant. The move ...Ee8 cannot be considered because of Axh6, and the c8 bishop does not have a good slluare to go to. This is not to say that Black is objectively worse, but in
reality White's initiative, albeit temporary, seems to be more significant than
4. Aflxc4
5.
g$w**
Preventing
pa\ rn.
4. 5.
A
.a
the main line. The move 3...c5 is also playable: after 4.Axc4 cxd4 5.exd4, you reach a minor line of the Panov Attack of the Caro-Kann in which White gains smoother play than in analogous
1+8
ffirffi
ffi4ffi tji;a s'gffi .";1..,h zl .;:i": --,#* n ,1,{
5g*
The most thematic. However. Black will often prefer to play 3...4f6 and go into
positions
EffiAffi ffie*tr
4h !:D; ;E:
]#q
.2
*;aa
A
2
;'-'-"
ffirffi * .-n-
Volume
6g8-f6 gf8-d6
the potential weakness of the d4 pawn.
3.e4 Variation
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. e2-e4
d7-d5 d5xc4
EffiEg&ffiA€
trrc trtr *s**ffi x*ffiffiffi ffirffiAffi ffiw*$ffi affi
s* *5s
ffiawwffiaffitr
0-0
Ab8-c6 h7-h6
This now threatens the main line for the number one spot. At heart, 3.e2-e4 is a
particularly natural move; White occu-
Queen's Gambit Accepted
pies the cenhe with his third move, which is a luxury not possible in the mirror-image King's Gambit as there is the queen check on h4. Past theory considered 3...e51? (Variation D) to be a
big problem for White, but this is no longer taken as gospel, which is clearly demonstrated by the fact that Black prefers to play other moves with increasing regularity. 3. c7-c5 The only alternative that can be considered to be a little dubious.
4.
d4-d5!
More energetic than +.4f3 cxd4 5.Wxd4 Wxd4 6.Axd4. which also gives White a plus.
e7-e6 4...4f6 5.6c3 b5 is too optimistic: after 6.4f4! (better than the e4-e5 push) with the idea of AbS. ana White is 4.
better.
5. 6b1-c3 e6xd5 6. 6c3xd5 Ag8-f6 7. Aflxc4 6f6xd5 8. Ac4xd5 Af8-e7 9. 6'g'l-e2l? 0-0 10.0-0 ab8-d7 11. 6e2-c3
T ig.-,l,6
E
ffi -r ffi
*iss gres
ffieffiffi
A ffirffir
gs
!]!!@
d
yi* w
UE
gsg
-) <:
:x#
ffi#ffi
ffi .& ffiffi* 2\
I
a
Ab8-c6
3.
the arising positions are very complex
4. 6g1-f3 The most natural. 4.d5 Ae5 5.Afa A96 6.493 e5 is playable, but gives Black the sort of position he wants. On the other hand, 4.4e3 !?, which stops
...Aga, can be met by +...af6 5.6c3
A)
with
B)
An ambitious move in the spirit of the Chigorin Defence: if threatened, the knight is ready to go to e5 or to a5 and
Affiffi
ffiffiffi sffi ffiAffi ffi
$tr €
ffitrffi
slight advantage for White.
e5
6.d5 AaS! 7.Wa4+ AdZtt (instead of playing the obvious-looking ...c6; with aplomb, Biack leaves his knight in the firing linel) and after 8.Wxa5 a6l, the threat of,..b6 puts White in crisis as the queen
will
be under threat.
4.
Ac8-94 d4-d5 More vigorous than 5.Axc4, which
5.
nonetheless is playable.
5. 6. Acl-f4 7. Af4-e3 8. Aftxc+ 9. 6b1-c3
6c6-e5 6e5-g6 e7-e5
gf8-d6 Ag8-f5
10. Ac4-b5+ ASa-d7 11. ab5-d3 0-0 12. 0-0
Effiffiffig rffa#r#r ffiffiffia ffiAffiK ffi ffiffiAffiffi ffiAffiAffi Affi ffi ff$g ffiffi
ffiffiwffitrffi
White has a good space advantage, but Black's potential on the kingside should not be underestimated.
t+9
Chess Opening Essentiols
3.
C)
-
Volume
2
Ag8-f6
Another demanding move, this time in
the vein of the Alekhine Defence: Black invites White to expand with e4-e5, but in doing so, he gives the knight a new home on d5.
4.
The most played. Black gets ready to castle queenside, with pressure on the d4-square, with a position reminiscent of the Four Pawns Attack in the Alekhine Defence. 10. Ac1-e3 0-0-0 '11.
e4-e5
4.4c3 e5! 5.4f3! cxd4 does not
5.
Aflxc4
9f8-e7
*s ffi rffisffirffir ffiaffirffi ffi ffi#sffi
Black anv real headaches.
4.
a2-a3
give
af6-ds ads-b6
EtrA€e,A -E rffi ffirffir
ffiffi*ffiffi
:3::: :'-: :
!
ffiItt A*gffi ;-i :i:*r
5i:-::!
ffi Affiffi$#
ffi
:i*:{l
i'l''-i
$;*affiAffi
*$sffitrffi
and both colours have completed devel-
ffiaffiwffi ffis and now White can choose between two retreat slluares for the bishop, neither of which is objectively better than the other.
of Black's bishop to f5.
t'b8-c6
7.
Ag1-e2 After 7.4f3 Ag4! (which at first sight appears to be a beginner's blunder) 8.4xff+ *xf7 9.Ags+ €gS 10.Wxg4 Wxd4 11.We2l Wxe5. White's compensation is debatable.
150
CD 6. Ac4-d3
hb8-c6
to
say the move 6...8xd4?? will be met by 7.4b5+.
Here the bishop may be more active, but at the same time it does nothing to prevent the comfortable development
7. 8. 6b1-c3 9. 0-0
sion. May the best player win!
Needless
Cl) 6. Ac4-b3
6.
opment; same-side castling and a strong-looking white centre, which could be undermined if Black plays ...fr-f6, creates a lot of positional ten-
Ac8-f5 e7-e6
gd8-d7
7. 691-e2 The most natural. but also the move 7.Ae3l? has its merits. After 7...4b4 8.4e4, the strange-looking 8...f5! gives Black dynamic counterplay with equal chances. 7. Ac8-94!? Black tries to provoke f2-f3 before moving the bishop to e6. However, the
fact that many experts immediately play 7 ...4e6 makes you wonder if this is really a useful refinement.
8, +2-t3 9. 6b1-c3
994-e6 gd8-d7!
Queen's Gombit Accepted
9...4c4 10.Axc4 6xc4 gives White the
possibility to play the poisonous 11.e6!? fxe6 12.0-0!, with optimum positional compensation.
10.6c3-e4! White must to do something about the threat of ...0-0-0 followed by ...6xe5. 10.... 9e6-d5 11. Wd7-c8 12. a2-a3
6e4-c5
ous line with 4bd2, which we will Iook at soon, but in so doing Black is prepared to accept the equally dangerous 5.Ac3l? exd4 6.6xd4 (sharper
than taking back with the queen) 6...Q)e7 (against the threat of Wa4+) 7.Axc4 Abc6 8.4e3 Axd4 9.Axd4 0-0 10.a3 Aa5 11.0-0, and White's pieces are slightly more active.
5. 9f1xc4!
In order to play Wc2.
12....
e7-e6
13. Wd1-c2 Af8xc5 14. Wc2xc5
14.dxc5
E
AABe?Ea
*l1* .
a.dl t5.fa Axg2, wirh good ...
Wc8-d7
::li.t
ir'rl
,.:.lll _:::,:::
gaa
.:r:l:.i:l
::
A.
counterplay for Black. 14.
:a:..:
E
a'..:
:r.,:
l:...::::1
,','.'
AA
.:-)\
q-)
AAA
AAW€
E
5.Wxd4 Wxd4 6.axd+ af6 7.Q)c3 Ac5 8.4e3 Ag4 does not create problems for Black. After the bishop move, Black can give check on b4 if he wishes, or otherwise he has:
D1) 5. Black should be pleased: his control of d5 offsets White's possession of the two bishops.
D)
3. e7-e5 The most consistent continuation.
4. 6g1-f3! Even the material-hungry chess engines
no longer take moves such as 4.dxe5? into consideration. On the other hand, the sequence 4.d5 Af6 S.Ac: c6 apDears to be excellent for Black.
eSxd4
4.
+...9,b++
-
the idea of checking earlier
with the bishop is to avoid the danger-
Ab8-c6
Ever more popular with players who specialise in this opening.
6. 0-0
Ac8-e6
E ,'. ggEA,E il r:{ 'rr:1',1' l a-E ,..n .:P'l g;," ./\ t4) A.& .,,,:,:, *. g $ EAgg...g* Here's the idea: Black neutralises the power of White's light-squared bishop.
i51
Chess Opening Essentiols
7.
- Volume 2
Ac4-b5
7.Axe6 fxe6 8.9b3 Baz s.Wxb7 Eb8
10.9a6
6fe
t1.Wd3! Ad6, with
an
with a tiny plus for White;
unclear position.
7.
9"f8-c5
8. abl-d2 The alternative 8.b4!? is worth thinking
abour: S...Ab5t 9.a4 a6 t0.Axc6+ bxc6 11.a5 Aa7 lz.9'b), with an unclear game.
8. 9. 6f3-g5 10.695xe6
Zg8-e7 gd8-d6 tsd6xe6 10...fxe6?? loses a piece after 11.6'c4 and tz.Whs+. 11. ad2-b3 We6-d6 How much compensation there is after 12. Wdl-g4
(or t2.Wft/ 12.4f4!?) is open to
de-
bate, however, the fact the chess engines see the position as equal should be encouraging for White.
D2l
5.
6. Ac1-d2 7. 6b1xd2
gb4xd2+ 6b8-c6
EffiAffi€ffiA
the knight were on
f6) 8.0-0 0-0
9.4b3 Ac5 l0.6bxd4 Axd4 l1.Bxd4 Efxd4 12.6xd4 and White's advantage is bigger than he would have expected.
8.
0-0
6g8-f6!?
The most combative; by counterattacking e4, Black seeks to prevent the typi-
cal ad2-b3xd4. After 8...9f6, White with the move 9.b+!?. 9. e4-e5 6f6-S4l? The standard 9...4d5 Iooks less good after l o.Efb3 AaS I l.gb5+ c6 12.9c5. 10. h2-h3 6g4-h6 Now the fS-square is vacant. has scored well
11. ad2-b3 12. Ac4-b5
ah6-f5
Depending on the commentator, this position is usually seen as either equal or slighdy better for White.
D2D
6.
ab1-d2
if in reality no one has found a line that leads to a clearly better position for Considered be the sharpest, even
White.
rcrre wrffi I ffihffi ffi
ffiffiffiffi ffiAffiAffi ffiffiffiaffi Affiffiffi9
IJ
6.
7.
0-o
6b8-c6 hg8-f6
7...Wf6 is playable but perhaps risky because of 8.e5 tsge f .Ah+, while after 7...4e5 8.Axe6 fxee g.Abg, the move 9...e5? does not work because of the tactical motif 10.6xe5! 6xe5 1l.ghs+ 696 lz.Wbs+, which picks up the b4 bishop.
152
and
7...4h6!? (profiting from the absence of the cl bishop; it does not encourage White to play e5 as would be the case if
Af8-b4+
A natural move that is consistent with the principle that every piece exchange favours the defender. And now we are at another fork in the road:
D21)
The most natural. However, there are also less orthodox alternatives: 7...Wf6 8.ab3l? Ace 9.Abs Aez 10.Bxd4
Queen's Gombit Accepted,
8. e4-e5 9. 6d2-b3 10.
af6-d5 ad5-b6
Acl-95!?
Before we deal with the normal 3...4f6, it is worth mentioning the astute
3.
The most dynamic.
10. ... 11. Ag5xe7 12. gc4-b5 13. Ab5xc6
14.6f3xd4! 15. Wdl-s4
EffiEffi€ ffiAffi
WdBxeT!
ffirfliF ffi rffir rffiffi HS* ffi ffiffi#ffi* ?ffiffi *
Ac8-d7 AdTxcG Ac6-d5
3F;J
ffirryff
White appea$ to have developed a dangerous initiative. However, after the
ffiffiffiffi /\#
v7 \:!Elc
Affi$ ffig ffiAffi d\ :*:i" H
courageous
15....
ffi ffiffi ffie#ffi ffi rffi ffirffir ffiffi#ffiffi ffiffiEffi$ W ffiffiffisffi a#ffi ffi ffi$ ffi ffiagg ffig
A
w ffitrffi
16.f2-t4 (threatening Afs), ehck coolly plays g7'96 16. ...
17.6d4-15
18.6f5-h6+
We7-d7
€g8-g7
and White's initiative never really gets off the ground.
3.4f3 a6!? Variation
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4
d7-d5
d5xc4
Nowwe have come to
3.
ffiaffiwffi EC1,XH
0-0!
E
A
6g1-f3
which prevents ...e5. This is still the most popular move.
a7-a6l?
Ab4-e7
Its chief merit is that it
encourages
White to prevent ...b7-b5-b4 by play-
ing
4.a4?!, which
is
indeed quite often
White's response. This moae is probably dubious as
it
weakens the b4-square. The alter-
3.68 is also not ztery good because of 3...&5. and therefore two alternatives natiae
remain forWhite:
A) 4. e2-e3 White almost always plays this solid move (the surprise effect of 3...a61? may be the explanation for this safe choice). Now Black will often play 4...e6, transposing to the normal variations, but avoiding the dangerous 4.6:d gambit, which we will look at in
the following section (and this is another reason why 3...a6 is astute). However, Black can also try to supporr the c4pawnwith 4.
5. a2-a4 6. b2-b3! 7. a4xb5 8. Ealxa8 9. Aflxb5+
b7-b5!?
Ac8-b7 c4xb3! a6xb5 AbTxaB c7-c6 153
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
Effi W€ffiAffi
10. Ab5-c4 e7-e6 11. Wd1xb3 Ab8-d7 12. 0-0
trffi**** ffi ffirtr #rw#ffi wrffia#
Effi $EffiAH
ffi **Affirffir
€*l1 ffi-, ffiaffi -A A.q.
ffir*ffir$# ffi ffiffiffiffi *€ ffiAg& S* ffiiss# ffia*s :'" a:aA ffiaffi ffitrffi
'.
A:
': L\' A:4.:. a stri$-) 6 .' EFi JEEyESi
Now 8...b4 is not possible in view of the check on a4. Black has two possibilities:
81) 8. Black is behind in developmenr and has the weakness on c6. Yet in this era in
which dogma is often blithely ignored, Black's position is not considered to be as bad as
it
once was:
if
e7-e6
Coolly restrained: Black returns the parnm for development without weakNCSSCS.
9. Ac3xb5 10. Af1xc4
Black manages
Aa8xe4
gf8-b4+
to complete his development unharmed and then push his paum to c5,
11. Ab5-c3 Not 11.4d2? AxfS and lMite must
he has probably achieved equality.
backwiththe g-pawn.
11.
B)
4.
...
take
698-e7
12.0-0
e2-e41.
The move that casts a dark shadow over
Now the e4 bishop is hanging and the
Black's cunning move
check on a4 is unpleasant.
4.
3
...a6
:
b7-b5
12....
9e4xf3
The simplest.
EA'ABg*Aa
E
ffi *trffir ffi r*sffi#gw riffi ffi *s $*rgsa$# ffi ffi t# ffias* A*k ffi ffiAffi AffiWffiAffitr 5. 6.
a2-a4 a4xb5
7.
Ealxa8 6b1-c3
8. 154
Ac8-b7 a6xb5 Ab7xa8
13. 14.
Wdlxf3 trfl-d1
0-0 c7-c6 the bishop pair and his pieces' better manoeuvrability give White a small advantage, but with so many pawns exchanged, White's initiative will probably be short-lived.
BD
8.
c7-c6!?
A typical modern move: ugly to the eye but strangely effective. To deliberately wall in your bishop like this would have been inconceivable to chess scholars of the previous generation.
Queen's Gombit Accepted,
. 9. 9f1-e2 9.d5
af6!
After the usual
3.
seems to be hasty
9.
e7-e6
10.0-0
Ag8-f6
11.
h7-h6! g7xf6
Ac1-95 12.995xf6
If 12...Wxf6??, then B.Wal and one of the two abandoned minor pieces on the queenside is
allowing Black counterplay against the exposed queen with 4...6c61?. However, one of the most popular choices is the aggressive
about to leaue the board.
13. 14. 15. 16.
Wd1-a1 d4-d5!? e4xd5 trf1-d1
4. 6b1-c3
ab8-d7 e6xd5!
._
sf8-c5
E$sageffi lrl llll i ,..{ :.,,r. A
.
..
0-0
:
ffie:#
A #** :.-:tc*
a -a
Affir$*
ffif .Al ;itEl ass l
\:,
:?14 :2 \:
.-:-;6f
White's compensation
AA
ffi
:
#AffiAffi
tr*s
ffigffiAffitr
White immediately focuses on the e2-e4 push, but in doing so, he makes
ffi
for the
v,.-,, ;', i,l -;
4
:::.:
-
tr\
."*
,. -.,.':1.4 +,"'' .,. r:t "t"4",:; '"":AEA ..:,-
*xffiffi ffi ffir $sffi$ ;' v :]sa
6g8-f6
White can play 4.e3, which we will discuss later. Another choice is 4.Wa4+. which wins back the pavm at the cost of
pavm
seems to be abundant. In fact, things are
a little more complex; the weakness
of
Black's casded kirrg position is not easily
exploited without White's dark-squared bishop, and once the pavms on c6 and d5 are exchanged, Black's pieces will unexpectedly spring to life. In addition, if an endgame is reached, Black's horrible kingside pawn strucrure is compensated
capturing the c4 pawn difficult. As we see in the Open Catalan and the Semi-Slag the move 6c3 represents a true gambit in that White denies himself the possibility of taking back the pawn with the knight located on d2 or a3. It would be a good idea to stress the high number of transpositional possibilities that exist:
will
4...c6
-
see
the Slav.
4...e6 5.e4 AU+
-
see the Yienna
for by his queenside majority, which
Game.
may produce a dangerous passed pau'n.
4...6c6 - see the ChigorinDefence. Let's now look at some specific lines. At this point, it does not seem a good idea to prevent e2-e4 with the spontaneous 4...4f5; after 5.e3 e6 6.Axc4, we see a position similar to that found in the Dutch Yariation of the Slav without
Gambit Variation 4.hc3
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. Agl-f3
d7-d5 d5xc4
155
-
Chess Opening Essentiols
Volume
2
...c6 and a4, and therefore it probably favours White. It is true that Black can advance his pawn
to c5 in one
move,
but for White the possibility of control-
ling the key b4-square with a2-a3 wouid appear to be more significant. The morre 4...c5, though
playable,
seems risky: after 5.d5!
e6 6.e4 exdS 7.e5 6fd7 8.4g5 Ae7 9.Axe7 WxeT i 1
0.Axd5 gd8, both the moves 1.Axc4 and 1 1.Wc2 have scored
nicely for White. The best has proved to be
4. 5. e2-e4
a7-a6l b7-b5 Now, unlike in the analogous position in the 3...a6 Variation, the presence of the knights on c3 and f6 does nor allow
a2-a4, which would be mer by
doubtful due to 8.e6!; whereas 7...c6 is revealed to be inadequate after 8.axb5 6xc3 9.bxc3 cxb5 10.4g5!, with good attacking possibilities for White. Therefore, Black is left with two possibilities:
A)
e7-e6!?
7.
This move is now very popular, which is a comparatively recent trend that began in the 1980's. When you think thar at that time Black's principal alternative,
Variation B, had been played for 30 years, you realise that even with the most extensively analysed lines there often exists some unexpected moves which open new surprising pathways. 8. a4xb5 Andnow? 8. Ad5-b6!
...b5-b4.
6. e4-e5
7. a2-a4t
af6-d5
EAABgA :l.,.., I :lftf . 1
_':,..
.,l,
'.'.,,:.L A
t'A IA a
.t*
&: 'Q!
la
E
.
t
.-1;l'r,:
A .AA* tr ASEA tr
4\ESEE
E
/\A'\
I
IA A
A
I
rlr E
/\ 4,r....
AAA tr AW€A tr
'':";'
Nice idea; Black defends c4 insread of b5! With the same idea in mind, we have the playable S...Ab4 9.Wc2 Q_:Aet,
Applying pressure to rhe overexrended
but here White has the extra oprion of
queenside before Black has a chance to consolidate it has proved to be the only
the annoying move I 0.We4!.
strategy possible. Now the question is: how to defend b5 ? The move 7...4b+, with the possibility
The most played: rhe plan is to defend d4
of a fork on c2, is highly dubious because of 8.4e2!; while 7...Ab7 is rightly or wrongly considered to be 156
9. Acl-e3 in order to play AdZ followed by
Eaci in
a rapid case Black delays ...axbS. 9.Ae2
AAI | 0.bxa6 Exa6 | t.Elxa6 Axa6 12.0-0
Ae7 13.Ae3 0-0 l4.ad2 gaSl
15.f3 EdS gives Black good cormterplay
Queen's Gambit Accepted
9. 10. 11.
a6xb5!
tralxa8
Ac3xb5
AbGxaS
Aa8-b6
12.9t1-e2 12.4d7?l Aa6, and White does not have time to take on c4.
Af8-e7
12....
13.0-0 With balanced
0-0
10. Afl-g2 Threatening 1 1.4h4. 10. ... wd5-d7 11. Ac1-a3 To discourage Black from playing the pawn to e6. It is difficult to understand
why the following promising move is seen so rarely: 1 1.e6!? Wxe6* 1 2.4e3.
play.
1
1.
g7-96
...
12. h2-h4t?
B)
7.
8. b2xc3
6d5xc3
The sharpest.
Wd8-d5!
't2.... ab7-d5! Instead of castling, Black correctly reacts with play in the centre 13.h4-h5 ,rb8-c6
The traditional approach: defending a8 and maintaining triple control over e6. However. in this era in which so much is being re-evaluated the move S...Abi
which was once considered dubious of 9.e6! - has been shown to be playable: 9...f6 10.4e2 96 I1.0-0, with a position that is hard to judge. 9. g2-g3!
-
ET
I e
I A A
frA *r ffie &Sa ffi
L:
t:. A r #5i
rffi
?ffir
s& g5l t:gi
*€ ffi A lt€!
:ttl: :E; ."Fl
r# I
ffiffi ffieg$
.Hi t=l
I ffis*reirffi gtg I ffiA#ffi ffir r ffi*Eg:* *# A
because
ffirffi *# H ffi ffiffiaffi *KffiffiA tr 'a;-
ffiwffi ffi
t=
g&
g#
Who stands better? There is still
,\
clear verdict.
--;\a: t-l)';t5.,
?]H wffi %_, e,I;i
->
Developing the bishop to 92 seems to be the most logical thing to do with so many important pieces lined up on the long lighrsquared diagonal.
Classical Variation: 4.e3 1.
d2-d4
2. 3.
c2-c4
As1-f3
d7-d5 d5xc4
6g8-f6
We arrive at the principal move: by
Ac8-b7 9...4e6 lo.Ag2 WUz t1.o-0 Ads (an elegant manoeuwe, but it has required many tempi to execute) 12.e6! fxe6 13.4h4 (threatening Wfrs+; 13...96 14.Ee1, with more than sufficient
White immediately wins back the pawn (+...b5? does not work because of 5.a4 c6 6.b3) and he prepares to occupy the centre with e4 after development is
compensation.
comoleted.
9.
playing
4.
e2-e3
157
Chess Opening Essentiais
-
Volume
EAABgA *ll *ll:l t',t
t::i::i:rrl
..:''t
,:t la. ^
,r::'...l
hnq_)
t\
':a'-.,
A A
E
t",),,,
:
l,&
2
A ,l:;,,:; g.A A agig.
.rr,''f,
Before we look at Black's main response
(a...e6), we
will
once again take
a
glance at an alternative that has proba-
bly been underestimated, and which was in all likelihood less popular in the past more for reasons of fashion than because it has any objective defects. The
resulting positions are a little passive, but by way of compensation they are also reasonably solid and they can be played confidently without having to
spend countless hours studying
an
opening manual beforehand. The move in question is:
4. 5. Aflxc4
,ic8-94 e7-e6
Black has developed the problem child of the Queen's Gambit - the c8 bishop without any difficulty. It is true that the b7 pawn is always subject to attack by
the white queen from b3, but White 158
only rarely pro{its greatly from this. So has Black resolved his problems? Not quite. Black has brought out his pieces without any precise plan, and with the absence of the thematic ...c7-c5 push White can more easily prepare to advance his pawn to e4, which will grant him a slight superiority in the centre. However, Black is not without resources. 6. h2-h3 This move can be omitted, but generally it is more useful to have the pawn on h3 than on h2. The move 6.Wb3 seems premature as after 6...4xf3 7.gxf3 AbdT 8.Wxb7 c5, Black has good counterplay. 6.
7.
Ag4-h5
Ab1-c3
White makes ready to push his pawn to e4. 7.
ab8-d7
and Black in turn prepares ...e6-e5. The
prophylactic move 7...a6!?
is
more
solid.
8. 0-0 af8-d6 Temporarily preventing e3-e4 with 8...4b4 is uncommon but interesting. 9. e3-e4 e6-e5
The critical position of this line; Black
in the centre and he has put his trust in the limited capacity of has responded
Queen's Gcmbit Accepted
the pinned knight, with the hope of proving that White's centre is overextended. However, the presence of the bishop on h5 allows White to courageously seize the initiative: 10. g2-g4! In the past, it was usual to play the timid 10.4e2, but after 10...0-0 11.&e5 Axe5 12.6d+! Ac5l 13.ab3 Wxdl la.Axdl Ab6. White's advantage - presuming that in fact there is one
-
Now, finally, we take a look at 4. e7-e6 which is considered to be the main line of the Queen's Gambit Accepted: here
once again are the moves that have brought us to this point: 1. d2-d4 d7-d5 2. c2-c4 d5xc4 3. Ag1-f3 Ag8-f6 4. e2-e3 e7-e6 which is followed by the obvious
5. Aflxc4
is not going to be easy to exploit.
10....
d4xe5 12.6f3xe5 11.
13.12-141.
14. 15.
Wd1xd4
€91-h2 b2xc3 17. 94-95
Ahs-ge
Effi. Effig# ffdr f,ffi ffirffi I
Q:d7xe5 Ad6xe5
3{€
gd8-d4+! Ae5xd4+ Ad4xc3
16.
Ag6xe4 Ae4-d5!
18. trf1-e1+ 19. Ac4-d3
€e8-f8
€s**
trKr
ffi6
affiffiffi AffK ffi
m* ffiffi ffiaffi it lAl /\:t\f
-#r:t 1H':q)
Effi*xffi ffirffi &ffrffi I ffiffiffi ffiffiEffiffi ffi*ffirc ffiffieffiffi AffiffiffiS
#ffi #ss
ffisffi ffi
Now Black continues with the thematic 5. c7-c5 The move 5...a6 is also playable, though it usually results in a transposition unless Black does not make the ...b7-b5
ffi
@ A
push and delays the advance ...c7-c5. Such queenside expansion seems a little premature, given that it can be met by
a\
White's strong pawn push to a4.
White is a pawn down and the queens are off the board, and even though there are few pieces remaining, the po-
After the ...c5 push, the most natural
sition has more the feel of
which can be considered to be the main
a
move is the obvious
6.
0-0
middlegame than of an endgame; it is interesting to note that the chess en-
continuation.
gines, which are usually sceptical about positionai sacrifices, assess White's initiative to be more significant than the
Before looking at that, we would like to examine a move that deserves adequate
material deficit.
ation
discussion: the insidious Furman Vari-
159
Chess Opening Essentials
6.
Vo|ume
2
8.
Wd1-e2!?
r* gi* ffi€ rffirI I ffi& Kg \ ffi ;& K# ffi affi ffiAE
Ir
-
reCIa
!41
Er,
Y,:t:;
:e*k
*9it::t A a\
"
- ls {(\':
t i:t
t*t
gs * $tr : ffia* affi ,:.'H :-.-,-- F?
With this strange move, White plans for dxc5 without an exchange of queens, and supports the quick e3-e4-e5 push to follow. If Black is unprepared, he can quickly find himself in rrouble. However, even with correct play by Black, this line is still objectively dangerous, which is reflected by results that are much better than the Furman's reputation would suggest were possible. Nonetheless, it should be remembered that it is common to transpose to the principal variations with We2. 6.
a7-aG
6...cxd4!? gets
in the way of White's
plans, but exposes Black to the attacking
possibilities offered by the isolated queen's pawn. 7.exd4 Q)c6 8.0-0! 6xd4l? 9.Axd4 Wxd4 10.4c3. with clear compensation, even if it is difficult to exactly say how much.
7.
Ab8-c6
It also possible for Black to immediately play 8...b5, but it is more precise to play it only after White has advanced his
pawn to e4, so as not to weaken the queenside unnecessarily: l.Ad3 Ace 10.Ed1 Wc7 1 1.a4!, and indeed White seems to have a nasty initiative. 9. e3-e4
E.lrAg€"
: ","ltl
E
r€as*r
ffi :*g*A,ffi **w
*#ffi6& A gWffiAffi
,traA
E
Given the symmetrical nature of the po-
sition, this is the only plan that could give Black something to worry about. 9. b7-b5! 9...6ga?! 10.e51 ad4 l1.Axd4 Wxd4 12.6d2 Axe5 13.4b3! Wxc4 14.Wxe5 AfA t5.Ae3. with abundant compensation. 10. Ac4-b3 With a pawn on e4, the move 10.4d3 is not only ugly - it is also useless.
10....
Ac6-d4
Black seeks to take some of the Dressure
off, given that playing 10...e5 with
d4xc5
a
With 7.0-0 you transpose to the mainline of the QGA, which we deal with
bishop on b3 seems doubtful, and after
NCXT.
becomes serious.
Af8xc5
7.
8.
0-0
8.e4 b5l 9.4d3 8)c6 t0.Abd2 ag4 11.0-0 Age5, and neither side has the upper hand. 160
10...4b7 11.4c3 the threat of e4-e5 11. 12.
6f3xd4 Ac1-e3!
Wd8xd4
gd4-e5! Too risky is 12...Wxe4 13.4d2 gfs 14.g4, and White has
13.
a
plus.
Ae3xc5
We5xc5
Queen's Gambit Accepted.
a*we
E
i{hl @
I
=!,
c*:3:*
B*&
I
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ffi
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15
@6 p
;ffs* :!&a
n d{* A :t {n
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,\ q)
Black will find it difficult to prevent the pawn break d4-d5. At this point, White can choose from a large number of playable moves:
initiative
'l Hffi
gs
At first sight White seems to have the advantage due to his better development and because the rook is ready to slide to the cl-square after AdZ or Ac3. This is an optical illusion: Black can finish his development undisturbed and the only way White can cause him any problems is with an e4-e5 push, which is not without risks for White as
as
A) 7. Ab1-c3 I
e
I
ffiEffi effi ffi rffi ffi**r ffi I $;.r1" {,t,1 !w
ffi
ffi
@
ffiAffiS *i#
n A
rffi @ fs:*c
ffi ;{K4ffi ti& a
frffi
ffiffi ffiffitrffi .?<&
2{
ffis
A natural move, but it limits White's
well.
options: sometimes the white knight is developed more effectively on c4 by way of the d2-square: in particular,
Let's go back to the main line. As we
when White plays a2-a4 and provokes
have said, the most played move is
Black to push his pawn to b4.
6.
0-0
7.
whichis almost always followedby 6. E
ffi
a7-aG
ffi
I
I ffi*
ffi ffi
aA
**sffi ffi ffirffir
#ffirgm ffi ffi l;-a-,. f;i ;., ffiffi#ffi* ffi* g$affi ol$,a
/1.
I
** A
A
;a+
?#
ffi
trsag$
a sffitrffi
6...Q)c6 is
playable but in several variations the knight is better placed on d7; one possible line is 7.We2 cxd4 8.Ed1 Ae7 9.exd4 0-0 10.a3!. and White has the
given that
less flexible,
8. gc4-b3 9. Wd1-e2
trf1-d1 Ab3-c2
b7-b5
Ac8-b7 6b8-c6 Ac6-a5!? gd8-b6
10. 11. and neither side has the advantage.
B) 7. e3-e4 This idea by Geller is so ingenious it deserves a mention; White intends to play e4-e5, not afraid to sacrifice a pawn.
7.
b7-bs!
7...6xe4 is perhaps playable, but it proves to be very risky after 8.d5 . The same can be said for 7...cxd4 8.e5
afdT 9.Wxd4 6c6 10.9f4 Wc7 1 1.8e1 Adxe5 12.Axe5 Axe5 13.Wxe5 Wxc4 14.6c3,
with
good
compensation.
l6l
Chess Opening Essenticls
8. Ac4-d3 9. e4-e5
-
Volume
2
Ac8-b7!
Also after 9.Ee1l? cxd4 10.a4 bxa4!, Black does not have any problems.
9. 1O.a2-a4
af6-d5 c5-c4!
11.4e2 Ac6, and Black's grip on the centre promises
a
worry-free future.
C) 7. Ac4-d3 As in the Furman
D) 7. d4xc5 This move is certainly one of the most popular... and the most boring. Its draw rate of 70o/o is comment enough. So why is it played so often? Needless to say, the small chance of White losing has its appeal. In addition, the overall win rate of 55% reveals that Black wili not automatically achieve equality.
Wd8xd1
7.
Variation, White
makes ready for a rapid e3 -e4-e5
.
ab8-d7t? Also here Black can stop e4 with the strategically demanding 7...cxd4 8.exd4 2,c6 9.2,c3 Ae7 10.495 0-0 11.8c1 6A4lt 12.4b1 b5 r3.a3 6bd5 14.9d3 96, and the usual pro's and con's of an isolated queen's pavm posi7.
Also 7...4xc5!?, played without concern for the loss of the right to castle, makes little difference: after the king moves to e7 the themes are the same.
8. trflxd1
Af8xc5
tion offer both sides something. 8. e3-e4!? Consistent. 8.
c5xd4 e4-e5 af6-d5 10. Ad3-c4 With the positional threat of taking on
9.
ds. 10.
...
ad5-b4!
AA AA E
On its way to c6, after which White's compensation for the pawn seems doubtful. 162
The position is almost symmetrical, but there are the following differences: the b6-square is slightly weaker because the a-pawn is on a6, the d1 rook is already at work, and Black is still to decide on what to do with his king. These things may not be enough to allow us to speak of an objective advantage, but in practice, if Black makes even a small slip-up, he can find himself in trouble.
9.
ab1-d2
The knight has more options here than on c3: it can go to b3 or to c4, from
where it will control Black's squares on the queenside.
9.
ab8-d7
weak
Queen's Gambit Accepted
pin 9. ab1-d2 the d2 knight wlth ...trd8): 10.4e2 9.e4t? cxd4! 10.abd2l Ac6! 11.e5 Ed8 11.b3 b6 12.Abz AUz t3.Eacl a,d7 12.a'c4 AeTt 13.6xd4 Adxe5 6bd7 14.6c4Eac8,withequality. leads to an unclear situation; whereas 10. Ac4-e2 b7-b6 the viability of 9.a51?, with the idea of 11. ad2-b3 10.9a4+. still needs to be looked at. t1.Ac4 Alz r2.ad4 Ads! l3.ab3 9. Af8-e7! 9;e7 - againwith equality Simpler than 9...9b7, which permits
The move 9...0-0 is also played (to
11.... Ac5-e7 12.6't3-d4 Ac8-b7 13. I2't3 0-0 14. 15.
e3-e4 Acl-e3
trf8-c8
l0.e4followedbye5,withcomplexplay. 10. d4xc5!? Now 10.e4 fansDoses to the 9.e4!? Iine. 10. 0-0!
€g8-f8
11.
... e3-e4
af6-d7!
Neither side has achieved an advantage. 12. 6d2-c4 hd7xc5 And we have a balanced game.
E) 7. Ac4-b3 A flexible move: before developing his ED 7. 6b8-c6 knight, White puts the bishop where it 8. Wd1-e2 will always be usefully placed, holding 8.4c3 Ae7 9.dxc5!? has more venom back on the a2-a4 break, which White than you would at first imagine and it will only play after Black's ...b7-b5. At leads to positions dealt with in Variathis stage Black has two ways to proceed, tion D. ignoring the ever-present possibility in 8. c5xd4!? these classical QGA lines of the ...c5xd4 9. trf1-d1 d4-d3!? exchange, which leads to typical isolated queen's pawn positions, with all their asT E
ffiaiffieffi
r#ffi ffi#rffi I
sociated strengths and weaknesses.
E1) 7. Playable, even plan.
I ffia#ffi r *ffi ffi*$#ffi
b7-b5
if it
ffiffiffi AffirffiKAffi
falls in with White's
8. a2-a4!
b5-b4
EffiEffi€ffi ffi ffi# ffi#rffir
rffi
$ffirffi ffi ffiffiffiwffi a*re g$ ffi ffi
Affi ffi$Affi
ffiffiffiia affig#e-tr
Affi
#ffiWffiA
ffiaffitr#ffi ffi Simplifying the position: after the nor-
mal 9...4e7 10.Ac3l 0-0 11.Axd4l. White
has an unpleasant
10. 11. 12. 13.
trdlxd3 6b1-c3 h2-h3 e3-e4
initiative. Wd8-c7
Af8-c5 0-O
at6-d7 163
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
Black's position is solid, despite the fact
With the plan of pushing d4-d5
that he is slightly behind in develop-
then eventually play e2-e4 or a2-a4
ment.
F) 7. Wd1-e2
A natural move: it supports e4
and
Ieaves the d1-square free for the rook.
The move
7
.
..8)c6 is interesting. Here is
a possible follow-up: S.trdl b5 9.4b3
c4l? 10.4c2 6b+ I
1
1.6c3 6xc2
2.Wxc2. The positional threat
is
13.d5, and it is not certain if his possession of the light squares gives Black suf-
ficient resources.
EAAtsgA ..i'
I
:', I ti
gA
A tr
A ag
8.
E
''',1 | |
la 1,:1,::
AA\
WA A A r''i:E
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Ac4-b3
8.4d3 cxd4l
- in this type of position
the light-squared bishop is more effectively posted on the b3-square - 9.exd4
10.a4 bxa4!,
1
:,..'..'
A 2\
,A/i\
Eq)
A
i':,,'1..;1
A
A/:rq)
a-\
gA
F?. A H ,a "Ee
AA .+a
H
10. ... wd8-b6 Black moves his queen off the dangerous d-file. 10...9b8 usually transposes after an exchange on d5 and
...9b7.
11. d4-d5
11.a4?
c4 12.9c2 b4 13.a5 is
with a
12.6c3xd5 '13. Ab3xd5 14. Ed1xd5 15. e3-e4
Ab7xd5 e6xd5 Af8-e7
gb6-b7! 15...8d8 16.4e3 WUz t7.Ead1 0-0 1S.gd2, with disagreeable pressure fromWhite. 16. Ac1-s5 f7-f6 17. tra1-d1!? ad7-b6 18. As5-f4
satisfactory
position for Black.
8. 9.
Ac8-b7
trf1-dl
Black's results have been encouraging with the following line: 9.a4!? abdTl? 10.axb5 axbS 11.Exa8 Wxa8 12.6c3
b4 3.ab5 1
WUA
t 14.e4 cxd4l
15.Abxda Ad6. 9.
10.6b1-c3 r64
the
modern approach, with unclear play. 11. ... 6f6xd5
Plaved more often than the alternative
Ae7
EBgAE 'E A" Il'l I la .,l.,',:l
b7-b5
7.
and
ab8-d7 18.
...
0-0!
Queen's Gombit Accepted
9. trf1-dl
It is too dangerous to accept the ex-
9f8-e7
change sacrifice; White would push his pawn as far as d7, paralysing Black's po-
9...d3 is good in Variation E2, but here it is less effective: after 10.Axd3l Wc7
sition.
11.6c3, White will prepare e3-e4, with a dangerous initiative. 10. e3xd4 0-0 11. 6b1-c3
trds-d2
trf8-e8 With a dynamically balanced position 19.
that offers both sides chances.
G)
7.
E -'''&eA \lllr
a2-a4
Over the years the most frequent choice, even if it is not as popular nowadays. Its obvious point is to stop ...b7-b5.
.r.. l.'.'t. ;i:..:r:
,
,tr
Agg.:...tr
€
This seems to be the most logical move given the weakening of the b4-square.
8.
Wdt-ez
Usually the move 8.6c3 leads to a simple transposition.
8.
c5xd4 The most promising option would appear to be that of playing against an isoIated queen's pawn, considering the rigidity of White's queenside after the a2-a4 advance. However, the following more fluid option is often played:
gl\
A i:,it:l
U:
/hH gg
...,..
r::it ,ri\
,i\ t'U
::::
E A. €I€ E ,:,',illf 'l I A lA
-,:, li :ali A AA ,:,..' ,.', .'&'.6.' A t:", AAA
a l*'l
I ::..'A f
6b8-c6
7.
tu'r,-l Eg
.
u\
l;:ii:;il
.
UeA €UUU A Al E
Now there are two moves that are far more popular than the rest. 11. ... 6c6-b4 very to stop the advance It seems logical d4-d5 this way, but the move weakens
G1)
the e5-square.
12.6f3-e5!
Ac8-d7!
13. Ac1-g5 13.d5 exd5 14.Axd5 Abxd5 15.Axd5
Axd5 16.Exd5 Ag4l, and Black solved his problems.
13. 14.
... Ac4-b3
tra8-c8 Ad7-e8!?
8...Wc7 9.4c3 Ad6 1o.Ad2! o-o 11.trfd1 AaZl - to fianchetto this bishop would allow the effective advance d4-d5, whereas this way Black can take twice on d5 and, after ...6e7 and ...4c6, obtain equality 165
has
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
Black's position is solid, but White's kingside initiative is very insidious.
De la Bourdonnais,Louis
McDonnell,Alexander tondon match 1834 (45)
G2)
11.
af6-d5
...
Not a natural-looking move, but it is in all probability the strongest; the knight physically stands in the way of d4-d5, while the other knight controls the e5 outpost, which is the lynchpin for any possible attack by White. Black must never forget that in these lines with a2-a4, White has the extra option of transferring his a 1 rook into the attack by swinging it over to the kingside via
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 e5 4.Exc4
exd4 5.exd4 Af6 6.4c3 gd6 7.4f3 Ac6 8.0-0 o-0 9.h3 h6 10.a3 Af5 11.g4 6xg4 'l2.hxg4 Axg4 13.4e2 Axf3 14.Axf3 Wh4 15.tre1 Axd4 16.6e4 AhZ+ 17.€f1 EadS 18.4e3 6f5 19.Wc2 Bh3+ 2o.Ag2 Wg4
21.f3 wg$ 22.g,t2 6e7 23.Ead1
ad5 24.4e5 wc6 25.9b3 afl 26.Axf8 Wa6+ 27.&t2 trxd1 28.Afl Ag1+ 29.€xg1 ExeI 30.6d2 Be2
a3.
o_1
12. Ac4-d3!? The most ambitious. Remember that af-
ter 12.4e5 Axe5! l3.dxeS 6xc3
Atwood,George Philidor,Frangois
14.bxc3 Wc7, it is unlikely that White will be able to make his attack viable
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 e5 4.d5 c6
without the knights, after which White may start to become painfully aware of
5.Axc4 b5 6.9b3 c5 7.a4 c4 8.Ac2 Ab7 9.e4 a6 10.Ad2 Ac5 11.We2
the shortcomings in his pawn structure.
12....
13. gd3-b1 14. We2-e4
Q:c6-b4
Ac8-d7 97-96
15. Af3-e5
E g Er&:. :.:;:l : Agl I lli::::, :'l* I l,*i *a ,i,.i:'Afir i rt:..,..l
.,,
AA AW ,i\ 14\
A ffi66H" e' E.A&
o,e7 12.48
f6
13.axb5 axb5
14.trxa8 9xa8 15.0-O
Ab4
gb6 16.6c3
17.b3 cxbS 18.Axb3 0-0
€h8 20.dxe7 AxeT 21.trb1 22.6d5 Axd5 23.Axd5 f5
19.d6+
b4
24.6e1 fxe4 25.Axe4 aa6 26.4d3 b3 27.4d5 b2 28.trxb2 gd4 29.9b7 6c5 30.4e3 Wxd3 31.Axc5 Wxe2 32.trxe2 Axc5 33.8c2 Ad4 34.€fl
gG 35.trc8 trxc8 36.9xc8 €g7 37.h4 h5 38.€e2 €f6 39.€f3 &s7 40.€e4
...
.AAAA
London blind I 794
IJAA cir E
1lz-Uz
Gelfand,Boris Anand,Viswanathan Linares 1993 (5)
A strategically complex position that offers Black excellent chances for an even-
tual win... presuming that he is not checkmated along the wayl 166
1.d4 d5 2,c4 dxc4 3.e4 c5 4.d5
afi
5.6c3 b5 6.4f4 WaS 7.e5 6e4
8.6e2 Aa6 9.f3 Ab4 10.fxe4 ads+ 11.9d2 gG 12.b3 Ag713.bxc4 6xt4
Queen's Gambit Accepted,
14.6xt4 Axe5 1 5.6 e2 b4 1 6.Sa4+
Bxa4 17.kxa4 Axal 18.4xc5 0-0 19.4d3 a5 20.93 Ag7 21.Ag2 Aa6
22.6 trac8 23.c6 trfd8 24.trc1 Ah6+ 25.6tet4 Axd3 26.€xd3 e5 27.&4 exf4 28.tre1 fxg3 29.e5 Af4 30.hxg3 Axg3 31.Ee3
gf4
AbG 16.a4 a5 17.ad6+ €bg 18.9xd5 exd5 19.9d2 cxd6 20.Wxb6 dxel 21.f4 6f6 22.fxe5
Ae4 23.Axa5 dg
24.eG gd6 25.Bxd6+ Exd6 26.e7 EfO 27.trxf6 6xf6 28.trd1tre8 2g.gb4 th-1/z
32.He4
gh2 33.9h3 trc7 34.8e2 Ag3
Elianov,Pavel
35.Ee3 Af4 36.tre4 95 37.€c5 tre7
Kariakin,sergey
38.€d4 fG 39.d6 Axe5+ 40.trxe5
Warsaw Ech 2005
Exd6+
o-i
6b6 9.Ae3 axb5
Bareev,Evgeny
Mikhalchishin,Adrian Plovdiv Ech-tt 2003 (3)
1.d4 d5 2.4 dxc4 3.e4 4-fi6 4.eS 6rd5 5.Axc4 ab6 6.4d3 0lc6 7.6:e2 As4 8.f3 Ae6 9.Abc3 AdS 10.6xd5
WxdS 11.9e4
gd7
12.e6
fxeS
13.AxcG Wxc6 14.9f4 AdS 15.trc1 Wb6 16.Ae5 Eg8 17.6c3c6 18.We2 g5 19.0-o trg6 20.€h1 at4 21.Wc2
Ag7 22.8ta4
(2)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc{ 3.afg Af6 4.6c3 a6 5.e4 b5 6.e5 8:d57.a4 e6 8.axb5
gbs
23.Axg7 trxg7 Eg6 25.trfe1 b6 25.a4 Wb4 27.6xe6 gd6 28.Axf4 gxf4 29.tre4
24.Qsc5
0-0-0 30.trce1 trd7 31.h3 &bl 32.9c4 tr95 S3.tre6 gds 34.Wc2 Eg6 35.trxe7 Wxd4 36.Exh7 trxh7 37.9xg6 trd7 38.9f5 Sd2 39.tre8 trc740.a5 bxaS 41.Wf8 &aG 42.*h2 Ed7 43.trb8 Ec7 44.9f5 gd4 45.b4 axM 46.Sc2 Wds 47.trxb4 Wg5 48.8a2+ Kasparov,Garry Anand,Viswanathan Linares 1999 (3)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 e5 4.6t3 exd4 5.Axc4 Ac5 6.0-0 Ae5 7.4b5 AcS 8.Abd2,gd6 9.e5 WdS10.6g5 0-0-0 11.4c4 gd7 12.4xe6 fxe6 13.b4 Axb4 14.9b3 6d5 15.6e4
10.Exa8 6xa8 11.Axb5 4b5 12.4c3 6c6 13.4g5 ab4 14.9h5 g6 15.9f3 Be7 15.6ge4 6c2+ 17.&d2 6xe3 18.4f6+ €d8 19.wxe3 gb4 20.€c1 Ab7 21.4e2 9xg2 22.trd1 Ads 23.afxd5 6xd5 24.6xd5 exd5 25.9f3 Ah6+ 26.€b1 c3 27.Wxc3 Wxc3 28.bxc3 &e7 29.&c2 1/zr/z Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar
Zhang Pengxiang
(i) d5 2.c4 dxcA 3.4f3 Af6 4.4c3
Dubai open 2005
1.d4
a6 5.e4 b5 6.e5 Q:diV.a4 Ab78.eO fxe6 9.9e2 Axc3 10.bxc3 gd5 11.0-O 6c6 12.axb5 axb5 13.trxa8+ AxaS 14.Ee1 g6 15.4g5 kxd4 16.gf1 h6 17.cxd4 hxgS 18.8e5 gd6 19.h3 9s7 20.trxb5 Axd4 21.4e3 9f6 22.Wc1 Sf7 23.Axg5 trxh3 24.9t4 Wc6 2s.trbg trh8
26.trxh8 AxhS it.Wxcq Bxc4 28.Axc4 c5 29.f3 gds 3O.Ad3 Ab3 31.Acl Aal 32.4e4 c4 33.€f2 c3 34.€e2 Ab2 35.Axb2 cxb2 36.gbl Ac4+ 37.€d2 gfl 38.g3 Ahg
39.€c3 gfs 40.€xb2 Axbl
41.Sxb1 e5 42.*c2 e4 43.fxe4
44.€d3*g545.e5
*f6 o-t
167
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
Toth,Bela Meins,Gerlef
Pantsulaia,Levan Rublevsky,sergey
Germany Bundesliga 1998/99 (15)
Warsaw Ech 2005
4f6 4.4c3 a6 5.e4 b5 6.e5 4dS 7.a4 6xc3 8.bxc3 WdS 9.g3 Ab710.Ag2 gd7 11.4a3 gds 12.0-O 6c6 13.tre1 b4 14.Axb4 6xb4 15.e6 fxe6 16.cxb4 96 17.495 Axg2 18.€xg2 Wd5+ 19.9f3 WxfS+ 20.€xf3 gh6 1.d4 d5 Z.eA dxc4 3.4f3
21.Axe5 €d7 22.8tc5+ *d6 23.trad1 trhb8 24.Ee6+ €d5 25.tre5+ €d6
26.€e4
1-0
Graf,Alexander Goulie\r,Namig lMarsaw Ech 2005 (13)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.4f3 Af6 4.e3 e6 5.Axc4 c5 6.We2 cxd4 7.exd4 Ab++ 8.4c3 o-0 9.0'O bG 1o.Af4
Ab7 11.trac1 6bd7 12.trfdl Ee8 13.4e5 aC 14.d5 Axc3 15.art7 €xf7 16.dxe6+ gf8 17.4d6+ He7 18.exd7Aa5 19.We6
1-O
Istratescu,Andrei Sturua,Zurab Istanbul Ech 2003 (l l) 1.d4 af6 2.c4 eG 3.4f3 d5 4.6c3 dxc4 5.e3 a6 5.Axc4 b5 7.4b3 Ab7 8.0-0 c5 9.We2 abdz 10.8d1 Wb6 11.a4 c4 12.Hc2 b4 13.a5 Wc7 14.6a4 Wxa5 15.e4 Ec8 16.4s5 b3 17.9b1 Ab4 1s.gd2 Wb5 19.Axb4 Wxb4 20.4c3 AbG 21.d5 exd5 22.e5 Q-.re4 23.6xe4 dxe4 24.stxe4 We7 25.trd6 6a8
26.4d4 gC 27.4c6+
AxcG
28.6xc6 Wb7 29.e6 0-0 30.Wxc4 32.WeG Bc7 33.6e5 6c4 1-O
6b6 31.exf7+ trxf7 168
(7)
1.4f3 d5 2.d4 eG 3.c4 dxc4 4.e3 c5 5.Axc4 a6 6.0-0 Af6 7.dxc5 Wxd't 8.trxd1 AxcS 9.6bd2 0-O 1O.Ae2 Edg 11.4e5 Ae7 12.9f3 abdT 13.6xd7 6xd7 14.Qtc4 trb8 15.b3 b6 16.4a3 Axa3 17.Axa3 gb7 'l8.Axb7 trxb7 19.6c4 €f8 2O.trd6
€e7 21.tradl trdbg 22.trc6 6f6
23.f3 ad5 24.a3 trd8 25.&t2 gdd7 26.e4 6sf0 27.trdd6 b5 28.trxd7+ trxd7 29.4e5 Ha7 30.trc2 trb7 31.€e3 a,d7 32.a,c6+ €e8 33.4b4 gb6 34.8c6 trxc6 35.Axc6 e5 36.9d3 96 37.€c3 f5 38.*b4 fxe4 39.fxe4 Af6 40.€a5 Axe4 41.€xa6 6c5+ 42.€xb5 6xb3 43.6xe5 €e7
44.6t3 gd6 45.€b4 AcS 46.a4 4e4 47.&c4 h5 48.h4 Af6 49.a5 Ads 50.aG 6,e7 51.€d4 6f5+ 52.€e4 €c7 53.€f4 &b6 54.€g5 4e3 55.6e1 af5 56.4d3 €xa6 57.6t4 €b5 58.Axg6 Ae3 59.4f4 €c6 60.€xh5 €d6 61.g4 1-0 Ponomarion Ruslan Ivanchuk,Yasily Sochi u 2008 (5)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.4f3 e5 4.e3 c5 5.Axc4 a6 6.O-0 Af6 7.4b3 Ae7 8,8e2 cxd4 9.exd4 0-0 10.6c3 Ac6 11.8d1 6a512.s:c2 b5 13.495 Ab7 14.trac1 Ec8 15.4b1 6c4 16.6e5 hdS 17.Axe7 BxeT 18.6xd5 Axd5
19.6xc4 bxc4 20.4e4 gb4
21.Axd5 exd5 22.He1 trcG 23.Wc2 Wb3 26.tra5 tre6 27.Exe6 Wxc3 28.bxc3 fxe6 29.Exa6 trb8 3O.€f1 Ebl+ 31.&e2 el17- 32.Ha2 Ecl 33.€d2
Ba5 24.Wc3 Bxa2 25.tra1
Queen's Gambit Accepted
''.J;'H;:#i?*
3.613 e6 4.e3 br6 7.a4 Ac6 I'Se2 aG 6.0'0 5Axc4 c5 Bc7 9.trd1 Ae7 10.dxc5 O'0 11.b9 4e4 12.Aa3 Edg 13.Exd8+ WxdS
14.Wc2
6xc5 15.Abd2
ad7
16.Axe7 BxeT lzEdl AfC 18'Ae4 4d5 19.9xd5 exdS 20.6c3 Ae6 21.h3 h6 22.gbl 6b4 23.4e2 trcA 24.at4 WcS 25.6d 4 Ad7 26.g4 a5
27.&92b6 28.€91 gdo 29.Wb2 EcS 3O.Af3 We7 31.6d4 We5 32'Se2
Portisch,Laios Zagreb 1965 (13)
d5 LeA dxc4 3.4f3 6f6 4.e3 eO 5.9xc4 c5 6.0-0 aG 7.a4 6lc6
Se7 33.9f3 BeS 34.6te2 *fg 35.4f4 €gB 36.6fe2 €f8 37.€92
8.We2 Ae7 9.dxc5 Ae4 10.8d1 Wc7
al4 31'g3 4xe2 32.€xe2 AcS 33.f3 h5 34.4c4 gd7
€gS 38.4f4 Ec3 39.Wg3 Ec5 40.h4 96 41.€h2 Wc7 42.g5 h5 43.6fe2 €fB 44.Wxc7 trxc7 45.s92 €e7 46.sf1 Ag4 47.f3 Ad7 48.€e1 trcg 49.€d2 trc7 50.4c3 trc5 51.8f1 Ac8 52.f4 AaG 53.Ef3 6d3 54.6cb5 Ab4 55.f5 6c6 56.fxg6 fxg6 57.Ef6 axbS 58.Axb5 Ae5 59.6d4 &d7 60.ExbG Ec8 61.qbs €dO 52.Exa5 EfB 53.tra5+ €d7 64.9f6 Exf6 65.gxf6
#Hi""-frgJ'
ff:'3:J""
1.d4
11.b3 hxcS 12€;b2 0-0 13.Abd2 14.,e4 EfdS 15.We3 Ae8 16.4e2 a517.De.4 gf8 18.4d4 Ab4 19.Hac1 b6 20.8d2 gbg 21.Ecd1 Ea7 22.6a3 e5 23.adb5 Hxd2 24.HxdZ Ed7 25. E xd 7 AxdT 26.ac4 t6 27.6d24e6 28.ef1 gd8 29.9c3
gd7
AcdS 30.Aag
.ll *:if.*
ff.
68^a7
;ruU-d7
169
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
on d5. However, before we look at that move it would be worthwhile to briefly examine
3. E
4lg1-f3
aAgEEa E ,'' 11 I I ll.,
I l.l
I l.:.''
E
AAtsBAa
lrl
tllr
rll
AA
'(AAAAA
AA
tr
Given how natural it is to support the d5 pawn, it comes as no surprise that this move and 2...c6 are the two most popular choices. We have already discussed the pro's and con's of 2...c6 in our introduction to the Slav. Though the move 2...e6 has the defect of blocking the path of the c8 bisirop, it has the
advantage
of allowing the freeing
...c7-c5 push to be made in one move.
Whether this is best done on the third move, as
in the
Tarrasch Defence, or at
some later stage, is another question. Black intends to solve the problem of the light-squared bishop's development
later on: usually placing it on b7, or somewhere on the natural c8-h3 diago nal if White makes the common decision that it is opportune to play cxds. At this point, the most obvious move is 3 .rib I -c3, which increases the pressure t70
AtlAII
We now have a position that is often
AAAA
w€a
,\
.gagw€a:',.'" g
:,.1t ii:,,, r::: :t
AA g,a
AA
E
reached
by transposition after
the
or l.af3. Most of the time the move order makes little or no difference, and with the two knight moves you reach the same position. However, moves 1.c4
there are some differences which should be noted: on f3 the knight is less flexibly placed. Now it is no longer possible to develop it to e2, which in vari-
ous lines of the Queen's Gambit is a square on which it has proved itself to be particularly effective. With a knight on f3. defences with ...4U+ such as rhe Westphalia Defence or the Yienna
Yariation are possible, as well as less risky lines with a ...c7-c5 push like the Semi-Tarrasch. However, in compensation af3 avoids some sharp Black
gambit lines such as
the
Schara-Hennig Gambit, whlch we will Iook at soon; or after 4.4g5, the Dutch
& Peruvian Gambits. which - although probably unsound - can be tricky to handle for the unprepared. In addition, those who wish to play the Catalan can immediately play 3.g3, or
lndeed
:.Af:
followed by a.93, but not
3.6c3, which is usually inadvisable with a kingside fianchetto. After 3.4f3 Black usually responds with 3...4f6. Naturally, he can initiate the Tarrasch with the move 3...c5, and the fact that White can choose continuations without 6c3 does not appear to be significant.
At this point, if White does not want to
to normal
variations with 4.6c3, he can try the solid 4.e3 or the more ambitious 4.995. Now it is Black's choice as to whether he wishes to stay on the well-trodden path with 4...4e7, or instead play more ambitiously with 4...h6 or even 4...dxc4. These are relatively unexplored lines that offer both players chances. The move 4.g3 takes us into the Catalan, which we will discuss in Volume 3 on the Indian Defences. transpose
Let's return to
3.
Ab1-c3
As we said before. Black can immediately make the 'freeing' pawn push to c5. Whether this move really frees his position, or in fact ties him down to the
of an isolated d5 pawn becomes the central theme of the
defence
Thrrasch.
ENAg
* f
:ilil
..: *I :::ii:ai
.AA 2( 2( --t\
::a:ill ;:i:;i
... u\ AAi
AZJ
So named due
with the
A A, )\n -tt){ ,)\ ,)\'
,A /\ gg .$HE%J :
l
to its close
F? g
association
great" champion Siegbert
Tirrasch, who played it in the 1880's. The good doctor stated that it was the
or so he said anyway. In real life, only worthwhile defence against 1.d4
to have been far less dogmatic than his writings would suggest: he frequently played the Slav, Orthodox, and Dutch defences - and lo and behold! even the Albin CounterGambit. The ...c7-c5 push allows Black to develop his pieces to their most natural squares: the knights on f6 and c6, the
Thrrasch appears
bishops on e7 and e6/ 94. However, this easy development comes at a price: the
potentially weak d5 pawn.
It
was this
static weakness that condemned the defence to be classi{ied as dubious for decades. Then in 1969 Spassky chose to
play the Tarrasch no less than five times in his World Championship match with 171
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
Petrosian, gaining four draws and a win - a decisive factor in Spassky's victory. Petrosian was famous for his deeply positional style, and he was the last player
in the world that you would want
E
I l'l:,:
say,
,i\ vl AANAAA AA
the fact
that Spassky used the Tarrasch with
tr
such success against so formidable an opponent gave the defence's reputation an enormous boost. Its more than occasional use by Kasparov was another ma-
jor factor in ensuring that the Thrrasch came to be viewed as a major defence. At the beginning of this century the most noted admirer of the Tarrasch was the powerful Russian player Grischuk. It is worth noting that this defence is not so popular at the lower levels of competition, where there is a general reluctance to play with an isolani.
4.
the refinement of first giving check on
A)
5. Wdlxd4 6. gd4-d1 7. Wdtxos
e6xd5 Ac8-e6
...9.d7 transposes to Variation B
8. Wd5xd8+ Ea8xd8 9. e2-e3 a7-aG 10. Af1-e2 Ac6-b4 and after
€el-f1
11.
Tarrasch a little later on
d7-d5 e7-e6 c7-c5
Ab8-c6
The d5 pawn is pinned.
option of taking the pawn with his knight. We will look at the Semi-
Schara-Hennig Gambit
Ag€Aa'tr
pawrr immediately, or otherwise there is
7
taking advantage of the absence of the knight on f6. Naturally, he can also continue solidly with 4.e3 or 4.4f3, and then after 4...6f6 we are Iooking at the Semi-Tarrasch. in which Black has the
AC.\AA
in doing so, he brings White's queen into the centre with the hope of gaining tempi as he develops his pieces while attacking the white queen. White can grab the d4
with
c4xd5
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. Abl-c3 4. c4xd5
I l'l
Black loses a pawn, but
Let's have a look at the moves: White al-
most always continues
I
to
face when employing a positionally du-
bious defence. Needless to
[email protected]
I
E&EAE
I
..,t.,,..,::::
a ,\ NA AA F? E.A
lll
..,
..
q) .1
'''A
:l..t
A 2\ /AAAA. B 2\ 2(. /\ .&r wv\aih ts?
Now Black usually plays 4...exd5. However, there is also the interesting gambit
4.
172
c5xd4
Black seems to have gained sufficient compensation.
Tqrrosch Defence
B) 5. Wd1-a4+ E
e
*
14. 15.
fiagg$a,E
*' f *tA*r' 1*:.',l g. *a sa $: ^a*ii irr,; *lr ii,,
i*
l.li:
*l., A::'li
, ..a;,l', :i:it ;:., . !'.r A.ff '.:A ffA A €AAtr r.ia
$ ,,,::l:-,: il, ff ^ . A/frAAAr\ AH E':'A/1 g] :xwgrg
i.:,,.,
5. 6. Wa4xd4
tarrl
Ac8-d7
and now we see the idea: with
95-94
af3-d4
.r:€E !i E
t ::.r l::,, I *' I l:,: lt,,:
i::::.:.
Ac1-b2
the
Results favour White: the black king seems to be the more vulnerable of the two monarchs.
bishop on d7, the move 6...6c6 is not
PlaYable' 6. e6xd5 7. Wd4xd5 6b8-c6 8. Ag1-f3 Ag8-f5 9. gd5-d1
Minor Lines As we mentioned. the mosr common
4thmovebyBlackis:
4.
e6xd5
9.Wb3 Ae6 10.8a4 a6. with an unclear game.
9. 10.
e2-e3
Af8-c5 Wd8-e7
Preparing to castle queenside.
Af1-e2 0-0
0-0-0 97-95 A natural move when there is oppo11. 12.
site-side castling.
13. b2-b4!
Not even the most materialistic computer program would take on g5 as it
This pawn counter-sacrifice was the move opens the g-file for the black rook.
Now white usually plays the fianchetto. This puts him in the main line, which
we will discuss soon. Otherwise, he can that was recommended in old opening play one of the two minor variations manuals. Although not the only option, that follow - neither of which should it still remains the most energetic be underestimated: response.
13....
In
response
Ac5xb4
A) 5. e2-e4
to the alternative l3...ga rhis
thereis 14.6,d+1.
controversial gambit is the brainchild of Frank Marshall. 173
Chess Opening Essenticis
5.
6. d4-d5 7. 9c1-f4 8. Af1-b5+ 9. 6s1-h3
-
Vo\ume
2
d5xe4
Black's piece activity compensates for the potenrial weakness of the d5 par m.
t7_t5
gf8-d6 €e8-f7 6s8-f6
C)
5. d4xc5
White's compensarion is doubtful.
E
e.Ac+ 6_:fet 7.Wb3 cxd4l 8.Axf/+
ll
€e7 is good for Black.
B) 5. 6g1-f3 6b8-c6! 5...4f6 6.A95l is awkward. 6. Ac1-g5
A
,\ u\
A,A
E
E Ag,pEa E l::',' ,:'lll a ,' -,1' 1,,. g A
a ''.,' 6' AA AAAA g€a-tr 'i.'
tr
Often called the Burn variation. White trades off his bad bishop before playing e2-e3. 6.
7. AgSxeT 8. e2-e3
Af8-e7! Ag8xe7 c5xd4t?
Usually not a good idea, but in this
case
White's weakness on the dark squares justifies the move.
9. Q:t3xd4
AE9=
Wd8_b6!
The idea becomes clear: now the b2 pawn is threatened.
10. ad4_b3
174
'': AAAA,
.',& ' € I l'' rll
AA A
,
3c8-e6
Uiil
o-o
A
a7-aG
I
ET
Ae6 does not give White an advantage.
10....
rll
After 5...4f6, rhe move 6.A95 allows White to exerr a Iot ofpressurel 6. 6c3-e4 6.4b5?? loses a piece after 6...WaS+. On the other hand, the following is playable: 6.6a4 b5l (capturing on"cS gives White rhe advantage of the two bishops) 7.cxb6 axbe Sb3 Afe, with compensation that is difficult to assess. 6. 6b8-c6! 7. Ag1-f3 Ac8-f5 8. 6e4-93 AfS-g+ 9. Wd1-c2 AgS-f6 10. h2-h3 d4_d3l? 11. Wc2xd3 Wd8xd3 12. e2xd3 Ag4xf3 13. g2xf3 Af8xc5
6xd+ t 2.Wxd+ Wxda t3.exd4 11. gf1-d3 12. 0-0
-e-1 =
AW€AAE
The move 10.4b5 followed by 10...0_0
I 1.0-0
d5-d4
.,,,:,:.1. .'.:,: :. ::
A
i
,,
,::.-A 'rlAA A .,,;:: ',$1. .,, E
g €4,"
Torrosch Defence
White's pawn structure is a real mess. However, a pawn is a pawn, and in addition he has the bishop pair. The verdict? Due to the complexity of the position it would be unwise to give one.
D) 5. e2-e3 6.
Ab8-c6
6s1-f3
ffirff$ ffi
A at{:I 2j "es
}\: w
ps !is
ury
Very solid
-
6.
ffi
#*ffi a*#
g$Affi rfr lll: F? E:'{H
perhaps too much so.
6s8-f6 gf1-bs 7. 7.AeZ cxd4!? 8.Axd4 Aae S.o-o o-o 10.b3 AeSl (threatening ...6xd4,
...Axh2+, ...Wc7+ and ...Wxc3) 1
1.Axc6 bxc6 l2.9,bz Wde ghck's
play is sufficiently active and thus he no longer needs to be concerned about the isolated queen's pawn.
gf8-d6
7.
The most natural 7...a6 is playable, even
if
is 8.Axc6* bxc6 9.0-O Ad6 10.dxc5 Axc5 1 1.e4, and norwirhthere
standing his possession of the two bishops, Black has a few problems because of his backward development.
8. d4xc5 9. 0-0 10. 11. 12. 13.
tacking prospects on the kingside and a possible outpost for the knight on e4; White has the d4-square firmly under his control, and if he makes it through
the middlegame unscathed, he will have promising prospects in the endgame.
EffiEffie;ffiA re€ ffiiralnr **A** ffi #_s
A typical position: Black has good at-
b2-b3 Acl-b2 tral-c1 Ab5-e2
Ad6xc5 0-0 Ac8-s4 Ea8-c8 Ac5-d6 Ad6-bg
Main line 6.93 Now we are in the main line: Iet's look at the moves that have brought us to this point in the game: 1. d2-d4 d7-d5 2. c2-c4 e7-e6 3. 6b1-c3 c7-c5 4. c4xd5 e6xd5 5. As1-f3 6b8-c6 Without doubt the best move to play now is
6.
s2-s3
E##EffiEffiA ffirffi :,4 mmrffir
ffiffirffiffi _"." 'et : "s
"n'
?- ;-
-w
ffi ffiagK ffi a "n'i .:j: A A:' .hr A i1]9
.'",*
-af: E' gWgA': E a1
cl-
From the g2-square the bishop will bear down on the weak d5 pawn, and consolidate the defences of the soon-to-be castled king against Black's characteristically energetic piece play. This variation was played so successfully by Rubinstein that it brought the Thrrasch almost to the point of extinction before its revival in the 1960's. t75
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
Now we take the move so much for granted that it seems almost natural. Yet this is far from the case; even though 6.93 was first played by Carl Schlechter in 1908, it took 20 years of play at the
highest levels before it became clear that it was White's best move! Today, in the age of the Internet, this seems incredible, but in those days, tournaments
€sffi tr A s*gffir*rer * E
{".-,
ga ,:ri::
A
;**
rKffi I
i{af 3€
A.
ffi
UY A
h.l
A Zll
&
ffias # #a{s
1* sa* sffitrg*
were far fewer. and new ideas circulated neither freely nor quickly. Before we look at the most played
If 9...dxe4 10.6xe4 0-0, then 1 1.Wc2t gives White fluid play; while after lines, 9...4xc3 10.bxc3 dxe4 I l.Ad2, White
it is worth mentioning
6.
wins back the pawn with a plus. c5-c4
EffiAg€ffiAffi
trgx x*rffir
ffiAffiWW wrgg* €
ffirffiffi# ffirffiffiffi
1-- u/) t\ :.,,. q) ,\ ::A.. '': I -.' ,':. l1 -ff-' 'J"-A'al A -:f{. ;A'' A.J u
E
A"g€a,,. tr
The swedish Yariation. Nowadays, this move is rarely played. This is strange as White must play accurately in order to
e4xd5 Acl-95! 12.6c3xd5 13. a2-a3 14.6f3-e5! 10. 11.
Ae7xd5 Wd8-a5 Wa5xd5 9b4-a5
gd5-b5 With the bishop on a5, 14...Wxd4?? would lose a piece to 15.Axc6 Wxd1, due to the intermezzo check on e7.
a3-a4 16.6e5xc6 15.
Wb5-a6 b7xc6
White's position is more harmonious, and to the eye Black's pawns look weak; however, it is unlikely that white will be able to exrracr any tangible benefit from this perceived weakness.
gain just a small advantage. Another
problems Black sixrh move is usually associated with the isolated queen's 6. Agg-f6 parnn. However, his pawn structure be- which is followed by plus is that Black avoids the
comes static and an e2-e4 push by White now becomes favourable as it
will open up lines of attack.
7. Af1-g2
Af8-b4
To discourage e2-e4.
8. 0-0 9. e2-e4l
Ag8-e7!
176
don of playing it to 94.
8. 0-0
0-0 Now we are at the key position of the
Played anFway.
9.
7. Af1-92 Af8-e7 In the past, the other bishop would be developed to e6, either now or on the next move. However. ir was then realised that it was best to maintain the oo-
0-0!
Tarrasch Defence:
Tcrrosch Defence 13. 14. 15.
... af4xd6 Ac3-a4
b7xc6
wd8xd6 Ae6-f5
With equal chances.
B) 9. Acl'e3 To control d4 and c5 is logical, even
gwi:'tr g
if
now rhe bishop can be attacked by ...69+. c5-c4! The most ambitious continuation: now the bishop on e3 appears to be awkwardly placed, and the thematic e2-e4 9.
White can now choose from a wide range of options that we have listed in order of ascending popularity.
push is not easy to play.
A)
9.
Ac1-f4
The least effective of White's possibilities: this is an ordinary developing move made without any precise plan.
L
AcS-94
9...6ga is played often, even if after 10.4f4 Ae6 11.dxcS Axc5, opinions are divided on how useful
it is for Black
to have his knight on 94.
Af3-e5 h7-h6! Ag5, which would apply pressure to d5. Another fine reason for 10.
Both 9...c41? and 9...cxd4 l0.6xd4
Prevents
Wb6 are playable. 10. d4xc5
making this move is that it
10.4e5 Ae6.
10.... 11. 6f3-e5 12. tra1-cl
Kasparov's choice!
Ae7xc5 Ag4-e6
11.b3 cxb3l 12.8)xc6 bxc5 13.Wxb3
11. h2-h3
AcS-dG
a5,
with equality.
13. 6e5xc6
E '.,..t
I l'"
g
',t' A A
A
11. 12.
E'*,,..
l:'^ a-'^
JZ,EAA
t:l,,
was
l.l:i:'.'
13.
b2xc3
Ae7-b4 Ab4xc3 Ac8-f5!
14. g3-g4 t+.6xc6 Wd7.
14....
ll:4'..
sf5-h7
And we have a position that is not
a=
:..:.. ,$
.A AAA
lg W,..,, tr
...
Wd1-a4
€
Often in the Thrrasch, White will transform his struggle from that against the isolated queen's pawn to one against a c6-d5 pawn island, with an attempt to occupy the c5- and d4-squares.
tO
easy
ASSCSS.
c) e. b2-b3 It
seems natural
to develop the bishop
on the long dark-squared
diagonal.
However, the move does not put the d5 pawn under immediate pressure, and Black can occupy the outpost on e4 and activate his pieces. 177
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Vo|ume
2
Q:f6-e4l
9.
20.
Ac3-d5!
gf6-b2!
Axc4
9...Aga is simpler, but perhaps nor quite good enough: t 0.Ab2t tre8 (it is useless to take on f3 and then on d4: White will reffeat his bishop, play e3 and then take
White wins a parvn by exploiting the common tactical theme of a back-rank
on d5, with an
mate.
advantage) 11.dxc5
20...We5?! 21.bxc4
Axc5 12.Ecl with the positional threat
Ac1-b2
trc1-c2 22.b3xc4 21.
of Axd5, and White has an edge.
10.
*-..
ffi
After 1l.Q)xe4?l dxe4 1Z.AdZ Axd+ 13.Axd4 cxd4 14.6xe4 We7, if anybody is better off it is certainly not
A
trfl-el
I 3.dxcS usually transposes.
13.... 14. d4xc5
trf8-e8 Af6xb2 15. Q:a4xb2 b6xc5 16.6b2-a4 c5-c4 Not a pretty move, but the parnm must be defended.
17.6t3-d2t wd8-f6 f2 and thus preparing
Attacking
counterplay with ...tradS.
{*t A
A
#
19. Aa4-c3!? The latest development; the obvious alternative 19.bxc4 Ead8 leads to an unclear position.
178
6c6-d4
tra8-d8
!i*a{3
ffirffi I ffi# ,\s* .-r.r' -::
4:
,l-.: >o{ r
flffirffi
:-"{ w
g* A g$e t}{;i
U
#
s1{
sffig
and now it is not clear how best to proceed.
D) 9. d4xc5 Immediately creating an isolated d5 pawn, while denying Black the possibility of a ...c5-c4 advance. 9. Ae7xc5 Almost no one plays the old gambit line 9...d+, which is strange when you consider that it scores better and there is no known refutation. After 10.Aaa Af5 11.AfaAea!
18.6d2xe41? 18.Axe4 dxe4 1 9.6xc4 trad8 20.Wc2 Ad+ gives Black good opportunities to fight back. 18. ... d5xe4
*F
. L--"'
-l:-l _v11
11. ... b7-b6 11...b5? is a curiously frequent error:
12.6xc5 Axc5 (picking up a piece?) 13.trc1!, and White wins one of the two knights with a clear advantage. 12. tra1-c1 Ac8-a6
€i9*
i& "r'
White.
...
Wb2-e5
#t E *#e
:'lr:li
11. 6c3-a4!
19.
and
Ae7-f6
How to defend d4?
13.
22.Exc4
trxd5 23.Wc2l o,d+ 24.Wxe4
E
*s&H e rffi ffir ffi I ffiAffi ffi J-4
ffiw z) ffiffi F'
*ffi
ffiEffi
H ffi ffi&a A ffi ffiAffi
ffi# A
i?s 1i .&-
ffi ffiw#ffitr ffi
Tarrosch Defence
gd5
14.b4 Ead8,
Heading for c4, or sometimes for b3,
Black's has adequate compensation; an opinion shared by the various chess en-
whereas the other knight usually arrives on d3 via f4. The move 1 3.Ael !? is a rare alternative, yet it has achieved good results. The
12.trc1 Ee8 13.a3
gines.
10. Acl-g5 The only move that will give Black any
worries. After the alternative l0.Aa4 Ae7 1 1.4e3 Aga, the game is bal-
best response would appear to be 13...a6! 14.4d3 Aa7, with a balanced game.
anced.
10....
d5-d4
After I 0...4e6 (a position
13...a5
often
of 9.495) 1l.Axf6 Wxf6 12.6xd5 Wxb2 13.4c7 EadS 14.Wc1 Wxcl 15.Elaxcl b6 16.Axe6 fxe5, Black has to face an endgame which, though playable, offers few reached by means
prospects:
11. Ag5xf6! 11
itself to be innocuous. 11. ... 12. Ac3-d5!
E
ffie
Wd8xf6
ffieffi
ffi rffir ffiffia ffi ffiffiffi ffii affiffi ffi ffi ffiffiffi ffi' ffi affi n *fi& ffin A a.$ #;;q u ffisffi wffi trffi
ffi
rffi
13.... Ef8-e8 so as to allow the bishop to re-
treat to a7- is uncommon but playable.
It is often followed by l4.trcl
Aa7 15.af4 Ag4!. On the other hand the
'brilliant' 13...4h3 14.Axh3 15.9b3 only weakens the light unnecessarily.
14. Ha1-c1 Ac5-b6 If the bishop leaves this diagonal, the d4 pawn will suffer after Ab3. 15.6d2-c4 Ac8-94 16. trfl-e1 Ab6-a5!? Forcing White to part with his beautifully posted knight. 17.6c4xa5 Wd8xa5 18. b2-b4l? 6c6xb4! 19. Wd1xd4! The move 19.9d2 is useless: 19...6c6 20.Bxa5 Axa5 21.6c7 d3l. with equality 19. 20.
cramps the white pieces.
12.... 13.
af3-d2
gf6-d8
...
Wd4xg4
6b4xd5 tra8-d8
ffi rffiffiEffieffi ffirffir
This is a move played by Timman in the 1970's, and it has now replaced the old 12.Ae4, which gives White nothing af-
ter 12...We7 13.Axc5 Wxc5 14.Ecl Wbe; the d4 pawn deep in the adversary's position may be isolated, but it
Wxd5
squares
ffiWWffi ffiAffiffi ffi
ffi ffi{ ffisffi ffiWffi A ffi ffiAffiAffi
ffi
ffiffiffi
179
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
7
Things are about equal: the inferiority of the knight to the bishop is compensated for by the queenside pawn majority, which could produce a dangerous
The most popular; the idea is to create a weakness on c6 before playing b3. The more ambitious 1 1.f4 (with the *reat to
continue to f5) allows I 1...hga! 12.Axg4!Axg4 13.Axd5 Axg5 1a.fxgS
passed pawn.
E) 9. Ac1-s5 It comes
as
increase
the pressure on d5. At this
no surprise that this is the most played move: it is very logical to stage, Black can choose between two
continuations, (ignoring 9...4e6, which after 10.dxc5 Axc5 takes us into the 9.dxc5 variation:
Wxg5 I S.Ef+, with unclear piay 1 1. ... b7xc6 12. b2-b3 Wd8-a5 13. Ac3-a4 3.Wc2 trfdS 14.e3 c5l?. and it is hard to predict what will follow 1
13.... trf8-d8 After 13...cxb3 14.axb3, the weakness of c6/ c5 appears to be more significant than that of b3.
E1)
E Ag Eg I l Ar I r
a'l
aA
I
rA+\ +a las AA Aggg
g
H
downside, Black's game is less smooth and White can focus his strategy on centre play with Ae5, and breaking up Black's pawns with b2-b3 or e2-e4. 10. Af3-e5 To immediately play 10.b3 seems hasty in view of l0...cxb3! 11.axb3 h6, with
c6-c5! g7xf5
Forced. However, the doubled pawns are not such a grave problem.
16. d4xc5
with a diffi-
16.bxc4 cxd4 17.exd4. cult-to-ludge position. 16. 17.
AE
Positionally demanding, but playable. The d5 pawn ls less weak in this variation, and the queenside pawn majority could become a trump card. On the
I
...
Wd1-h5 EET
Ae7xc5 tra8-c8
,:,,..,,,,€
A A
ll I
$tr €
-=-
q) n A
I A.'
A
n
U
fl6A
O&D
At first sight White appears to have an obvious advantage; in fact Black's actively placed pieces and potential passed
c-pawn give him his fair share of
equality.
10.... d5 needs to be defended.
11. Oe5xc6 180
e2'e3 15. Ag5xf6 14.
9.
9c8-e6
chances. It must be admitted that White does have an edge, but with correct play
Black should not lose.
qrnf
I 0rrdscn uerence
ED 9.
E2D 12.9d1-b3
c5xd4
The number one choice: before playing
...h6, Black takes on d4 so as not to leave the c5 pavm undefended.
h7-h6! 10. Af3xd4 Indirectly protecting d5, given that after the exchange on f6, the knight on d4 would be under attack. 11. 9g5-e3!
The best square for the bishop
Forcing Black to play 12...6a5; however, it should not be presumed that on a5 the knight is less well placed than on c6.
12.... 14.
...
trf8-e8
17.
After Now
I
7
testimony to the fact that no convincing plan for White has yet been found.
E21) 12. a2-a3
18.6f5xd4
This has the strong recommendation being Kasparov's choice.
13.6d4xe6 14. Wd1-a4 15. tra1-c1 wi.th
a
balanced position.
fTxe6 Ea8-c8
€g8-h8
d5-d4! piece.
a
tre2xl2
yes.
Wd1-a4
€g1xg2
€g2-g1
trf2xg2+! Wd8-d5+ Aa5-c4
assess if Black has sufficient compensation for the exchange.
It is not easy to
E23) Ac8-e6
...
...trxf7?, t 8.AxfOt wins
19. 20. 21.
More flexible than 11...Aga, in that it grants the option of ...4e6 or ...4d7 in response to Wa4. At this stage White has many ways to proceed. None of them much better than others. which is
Ae7-b4 9b4xc3 Ee8xe2
17. Wc2-d1!? Threatening 18.h3.
equate compensation for the pawn.
11.
ad{-ti
15.9e3-d4 16. Ad4xc3
as
11...694 would allow the d5 pawn to fall. 1 1.Af+ does not give White much after 11...Aga 12.h3 Afrsl 13.af5 A96 14.Axe7+ WxeT! 15.Axd5 Axd5 16.Wxd5 Ead8 17.Wc4 Ad+,wtthad-
6c6-a5
13. Wb3-c2 Ac8-94 The most active move.
12.
Wdl-a4
Ac8-d7
trfl-d1!? Otherwise 13.Eadl Ab+ t+.Wbg aSI 15.a4 (you cannot take on d5 as after the exchange, the move ...4h3 followed by ...4U+ wins the exchange) 15...trc8 16.trd2! with a oosition that 13.
of
is hard to evaluate. 181
Chess Opening Essentiols
13.
*
Volume
2
9e7-c5!
...
E gE s t. t,'rl:ii:A*; f lr a al 1:1. A
l;;'',.,
18. 19.
Ag4-f5
Taking on a2 now would lose the exchange after 20.8a1 Wc4 21.Wxc4 and
22.4xc6. 19.
wa,6, .A: *:i :'.:[ [A& AA gtr€ ,t
h2-h3
gdl-d4!
Ea8-b8!
...
,
e.. =
'.
,' E l:iai€
,,l l
fil
G:
14. 15. 16. 17.
l ''','rAr,',r,: g
Ad4-e6 f7xe6 Ae3xc5 b7-b6 Ac5-e3 Ac6-a5
'.ii": AA
AA
A.g E:. A
Wa4-c2 Ea8-c8 Black's active piece play offsets the weaknesses on the dark squares.
E24J 12. tra1-c1 The most natural and the most played.
12.... Ae7-f8 Or 12...4g4 13.h3 Ae6 (now after the exchange on e6, the annoying Ah: is no longer possible) 14.9h2 gdi 1 5.Axc6 bxc6 I 6.Aa+ AfS I 7.Ac5 AdS! 18.4d4 Ae4, and neither side is on top.
13.6d4xc6 Setting in motion a typical manoeuvre, first played by Rubinstein. If White immediately plays 13.ha4, the move I
3...4e5
I
?
... 14.6c3-a4
b7xc6
Ac8-d7
15. Ae3-c5
It is strategically correct to exchange dark-squared bishops so as to be sure to havecontrol ofcS/d4. 15. ... Af8xc5
16.6a4xc5 17. Efl-el
182
'
and we have a classic Tarrasch Defence position. White has undoubted strategic advantages, Black's pieces are nice and active. Depending on the commen-
tator, this type of position is usually judged as being either equal or slightly better for White. It is worth noting that
in the contemporary chess scene greater weight is given to dynamic fac-
tors than previously, and as a result more and more experts would see the position
as
equal.
Golod,Yitali
is interesting.
13.
i'.'1
Ad7-ga Wd8-a5
Manca,Federico Lido Estensi open 2003 (7)
1.c4 eG 2.d4 dS 3.6c3 c5 4.cxd5 cxd4 5.Wa4+ gd7 6.Wxd4 exds 7.Bxd5 6cG 8.4f3 Af6 9.8d1 Acs 10.e3 We7 11.a3 0-0-0 12.b4 Ag4 13.9d2 gd4 14.9c2 AxfS 15.sxf3 €b8 16.Ae2 Axc3 17.Axc3 Ad5 18.b5 Ec8 'l9.Axg7 6xe3 20.8e4
Tqrrasch Delence
Wxe4 21.fxe4 [lc2+ 22.€f1 trhg8
Ab4
23-bxc6 ExgT Z4.cxb7 €xb7 25.8b1+ €a8 26.e5 Ec3 27.H91 Exgl+ 28.*xg1 6xa3 29.8b4 a5
14.94
ad6
12.Wa4 Axc3 13.bxc3 AfS ah7 159f4 Ee8 16.trad1 a6 17.Ag3 b5 18.Wa3 WbG 19.Wc1 Ae4 20.Axe4 Axe4 21.4d7 gd8 22.Q:c5 A96 23.Wd2 a5 24.t3 b4 25.e4 b3 26.axb3 cxb3 27.6xb3 dxe4 28.fxe4 Axe4 29.c4 gbo 30.6c5 EadB 31.9f2 6xd4 32.6xe4 Exe4 33.Wxf7+ €h7 34.€h2 WcG 35.trf2 Ed7 36.WfB
50.€g4 he4 51.f4+ €e6
Wxc4 37.Edf1 Ee2 38.Exe2 Wxe2+ 39.Ff2 Be4 40.8f4 We2+ 41.Htz We6 42.Wag gds 43.9f8 a4 44.h4
30.8a4 €b7 31.trxas gb6 32.8a6+
gc5 33.tra7 €d4 34.trxf7 €xe5 35.trxh7 ac2 36.8e7+ &f4 37.trd7 Ea3 38.trd1 SeS 39.*92 tra2 40.€f1 6d4 41.9g4 Abs 42.8d3
43.Ee3+ gf4 44.h3 ae4 45.4e2 trc2 46.trf3+ €e5 47.trf8 Ec1+ 48.€g2 trc7 49.€f3 6g5+ 1'o
LarsenrBent
f##,"#f,Til,,-, 1.4f3 Af6 2.e.4 c5 3.4c3 e6 4.93 d5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.d4 6c6 7€g2 Ae7 8.0-O O-O 9.Ae3 c4 10.4e5 ho 11.8a4 a6 12.6xc6 bxc6 13.b3 trbB 14.bxc4 trb4 15.9d1 trxc4 16.6a4
gfs
17.ab2 trc3 18.trc1 Excl 19.Wxc1 Wa5 20.Wxc6 Wxa2 21.4d3 Ae4 22.Atg a5 23.4c5 9xf3 24.exf3 EeB 25.ad7 trdg 26.6xf6+ A)do 27.gb6 a4 28.AxhG a3 29.4c1 trc8 30.h4 Ec3 31.4e3 Wc2 32.Wa5 a2 33.h5 Ae7 34.wa8+ Af8 35.h6 tra3 36.wxd5 alB 37.hxg7 AxgT 38.8d8+ Af8
39.Bxa1 Exal* 40.€92 Wh7 wss+ Bg6 42 wh4 trdl otf-f
trb7 45.Wa3 We4 46.€h3 trb3 47.gf8 a3 48.95 Bht + 49.Ss4 h5+
";.#;
01
Ivkov,Borislav
J"H'
{"'"'o"J, 3.4c3 c5 4.cxd5 , exd5 5.6f3 AcG 6.93 6fG 7.4g2 9e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.dxc5 9xc5 10.495 d4 11.gxf6 gxf6 12.4d5 gd8 13.4d2 Ee8 14.Ec1 gd6 15.4b3 AeS 16.4c5 EbB 17.Wa4 Ad6 18.trfe1 Axc5 19.Exc5 Wd6 20.b4 gd7 21.6+4 a6 22.trd5 We7 23.a3 tred8 24.Wc2 Ae8 25.9d2 Exds 26.6xd5 SeS 27.e4 dxe3 28.Exe3 gd4 29.We1 Ad7 30.af4 gf6 31.9d2 Ae8 32.We1 gfg 33.4e5+ €g8 34.4c5 €f8 35.trxe8+ 1-o
fj
wang
Hao
iix r? +."*as
i..;T,,ffi'?:"#:r* #"ff'"fr}*:{#T,1g 183
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
13.gxf6 gxf6 14.6xc6 bxc6 1S.trfc1 EacB 16.bxc4 dxc4 17.a3 Axc3 18.Bxc3 Sxc3 19.trxc3 EfdS 20.e3 c5 21.d5 Axd5 22.€;d5 trxd5 23.Exc4 trb8 24.Eacl trb5 25,&92 €g7 26.h4 €f8 27.tr1c2 tra5 28.a4 gd6 29.trf4 €e7 30.€f3 €eG 31.tre4+ €d7 32.tr94 €e7 33.trcc4
gb6 34.trgf4 tre6 35.Hc2 trcG
36.€g4 *fB 37.trcc4 hG 38.gfg gb6 3g.trfs Eba6 40.trd5 trc6 41.trd8+ €e7 42.trd5 gfg 43.trh5 €97 44.tr94+ €f8 45.€e2 traa6 46.Exh6 c4 47.8h8+ €e7 48.tre4+ €d6 49.trd4+ €c5 50.h5 f5 51.9f8
Exa4 52.trxt7 Ha2+ 53.trd2
Ea1
54.trd1 Ea2+ 55.trd2 tra1 56.trxf5+
€b4 57.8b2+ €c3 58.trbb5 tra2+ 59.€f3 Eb2 6O.Ebc5 trbb6 61.g4 €d362.95c363.h6 c264,h7 1-0 Gelfand,Boris Grischuk,Alexander Sochi tt 2004 (i) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 eG 3.4rc3 c5 4.cxd5 exdS 5.6f3 6cG 6.93 6,tG 7.9g2 Ae7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Ag5 c4 10.6e5 Ae6 'l1.bg Ba5 12.9d2 trad8 13.bxc4 Ab414.Axc6 bxc6 15.trfc1 dxc4 l6.Axf6 gxf6 17.e3 c5 18.d5 Axc3 19.trxc3 AxdS 20.Axd5 trxdS 21.Wc2 EcB 22,trxc4 Bd2 23.trc1 Wxc2 24.Hlxc2 trcG 25.€92 tra6 26.a4 hG 27.g/t} ef8 28.se2 EaS 29.Hb2 trd6 30.trb8+ €e7 31.trh4 trbG 32.trc8 sd7 33.Ehg Eb4 34.tr4xh6 trb6 35.g6h7 trxa4
36.Exf7+
Sc6
37.trxf6+ sbs
38.Exb6+ axb6 39.h4 tra2+ 40.€f3 c4 41.h5 tra7 42.trc8 Ef7+ 43.€e2 &b4 44.54trh7 45.t4 1-o 184
Bacrot,Etienne Halkias,stelios Istanbul Ech 2003 (10)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 eE 3.4f3 c5 4.cxd5 exdS 5.g3 Af6 6.A92 Ae7 7.4c3 6c6 8.0-0 0-O 9.495 c4 10.4e5 Ae6 11.t4 2lg4 12.6xg4 Axg4 13.Axd5 Axg5 14.fxg5 Bxg5 15.trf4 Ae6 16.A92 EadB 17.d5 4e718.e4 6s6 19.8f2 gd7 20.9d4 Ae5 21.Wxa7 4'd3 22.8e2 We5 23.gb6 As4 24.Ed2 trd6 25.8e3 f5 25.trf1 trdf6 27.d6 trxd6 28.h3
Ahs 29.8s5 Ag6 30.exf5 hG
31.9h4 Sc5+ 32.€h1 Axf5 33.8e7 Ef7 34.Wxf7+ &xt7 35.6e4 We3
36.hxd6+
€e6
37.dxc4 €xg3 38.tre2+ €f6 39.4e3 96 40.6xf5 gxfS 41.trf3 Wg5 42.Exd3 Wcl+ 43.*h2 gf4+ 44.€91 wc't + 45.4f1 wg5+ 46.8g2 Wf4 47.trt2 Wg5+ 48.€h1 gh4 49.trdf3 €e7 50.trxf5 We4+ 51.€91 We3 52.trf7+ €d6 53.trxb7 WgS+ 54.492 Bc1+
55.€h2
1-o
Stefansson,Hannes Akobian,Yaruzhan Lubbock 2008 (6)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.6c3 c5 4.cxd5 exdS 5.4f3 6c6 6.93 2lti 7.Ag2 Ae7 8.0-0 0-0 9.495 c4 10.6e5 Ae6 11.6xc6 bxc6 12.e3 6d7 13.Axe7 BxeT 14.6a4 trab8 15.€c2 trb416.b3 trfb8 17.trfd1 gG 18.Wc1 gd6 19.Ed2 gfs 20.6c3 cxb3 21.axb3 trxb3 22.trda2 Vb4 23.tra3 trb2 24.tra4 Wb3 25.tr4a3 trc2 26.we1 gb4 27.9f3 Eb7 28.94
Ae6 29.tia4 We7 3O.Ae2 31.Adg gh4
h5
32.Axc2 Wxg4+
Torrcsch
Def.ence
185
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
Queen's Pawn Game and
We have already examined 3...c7-c5, and we will soon look at 3...4g8-f6. At this point, we will discuss some interesting third move alternatives, remembering that 3...c7-c6 will be examined in the section on the Semi-Slav. and the dubious 3 ..f7 -f5 has already been considered when we studied the Dutch. .
D3.
d5xc4
EffiAffiE ffin
ffirffi ffi rffi I
ffiffir ffiffiffi
sffi
a2-a3l?
5. b2xc3
F7
is a type of Queen's Gambit Accepted that is generally thought to be doubtful. However, here too it is diflicult to find a line for White that yields a clear plus. 4. e2-e4 a7-a6l? 5. Aflxc4 b7-b5
6. Ac4-b3
9c8-b7 with an unexplored position in which White enjoys his customary small advantage.
gf8-b4
The Marshall Yariation is a hybrid that
combines features from the classical 186
4.
- along the lines of the Simisch Yariation of the Nimzo-Indian - has a certain logic: with the black pawn already on d5, the pawn on c3 is only temporary doubled, and White maintains good possibilities of dynamic play after:
4.
i! r;
B) 3.
having conceded his dark-squared one. In this respect the move
5=
ffirffi wtr$ffi Affi ffig ffis
the
Nimzo-Indian. In contrast with the latter, Black has not yet developed his g8 knight and may perhaps play it to e7. However, this is probably of little significance. More important is the less flexible nature of slack's pawn structure. Black no longer has available to him those typical Nimzo-Indian lines based on the pushes ...d7-d6 and possibly ...e6-e5 or ...c7-c5 which aim to conserve his light-squared bishop after
9b4xc3+ 698-e7l?
The advantage is that here the knight is not subject to a pin, whereas on f5 it becomes pinned after Ag5. 6. e2-e3 0-0
7. gf1-d3
8.
c7-c5
6g1-e2
and White has an edge. White also has the option of playing the
more solid 4.e3 or 4.Wa4+ Ac6 5.e3, which gives Black the opportunity to
transpose with ...4f6 to
the
Nimzo-Indian or the Ragozin.
c)
3. a7-aG This move by Ianowski put a few noses out of joint when it first appeared (in
1899!). In reality
it is less bad than it
Iooks, and it appeals to the modern taste for an early ...a7-a6. Black holds back
Minor Voriarions ofrer 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.6c3 on taking on c4 until he feels the time is right. In reply to the natural4.e4, Black responds effectively in the centre with 4...dxe4 5.Axe4 AU++ 6.4c3 (6.4d2? Wxd4, and compared to the analogous
Semi-Slav variation there
is no
weak
Closing the bishop's diagonal.
5. 6.
Black's light squares.
e6xd5
Creating a tfpe of Exchange Yariation
in which ...a7-a6
does not
seem adequate, especially after the reply
5. E
I ffi
Ac1'f4!
r=q cfla a i*t ffi e6 tfif
.Ei: .;T:
I :IK I
I ffi
x3*{
-
t\l
##
ffis
,q -fil
**
:gg.
w **
n ;;,1 A .a- A
5. 6. e2-e3 7. Af4-s3 8. 6g1-f3 9. gd1-b3
u\
:ha
?s -r{: MI
:l
sg
11:
;].a1
',=1-;:
ffi
i:!l-'
:ff: 2\ n ."x; "t$ ?1: A '.'; H
7.
:i?f-i
1=+
Forced!
Z\ I
af8-d6 rf 7...6d7 S.Abs Afo l.Ags,
Black is in big trouble.
gf8-d6 6g8-e7 Ac8-f5
gd8-d4
White is clearlv better.
D)
of
the 'true' Tartakower Yariation 7...b6. which we will examine later) is borderline in terms of playability.
Ac8-b7
€e8-f8 Ad6xe5
with the idea of a check on c8. and
position is perfectly playable. 3. b7-b6 Tartakower's move (the little brother
8. Wd1-g4 9. Af1-c4 10. d4xe5 11. Ac4-d5!
c7-c6
White is a little better off, which is only right and proper. Nonetheless, Black's
4. Ag1-f3
:& ffi
$tr €
-lll:
the d5 pawn hanging, so Black plays:
c4xd5
re0a
/\:/ril
Now 5...4d6?, which would be good from a positional point of view, leaves
5.
Effi s ffiArg* Affi *t9: rffir ffi ffi -.ix{i ;;
a3**
:tx:,
ffi r\":P€
7.
ffi ,1:--
;w* :wa
VJ
A
a
d5xe4
6.
6f3-e5! Threatening 8.4c4.
best idea is probably
position
e2-e4l
Tactically taking advantage of his superior development and the weakness of
d6-square) 6...c5. Therefore White's
4. c4xd5
e6xd5
E) 3. Af8-e7 The Alatortsev Yariation; this is the most popular of these minor variations. In the past, it was a favourite of Geller and Petrosian, and -oi" r"."ntly Kar-
pov and Kasparov. Impressive patronage indeed! In effect, we are looking at a
high-class waiting move: Black stops Ag5 and waits for White to play +.af3
transposing to normal lines of the Queen's Gambit with 4...4f6. In this way Black avoids one of White's most r87
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
insidious lines, namely the Exchange Yariation with 0ge2 (which we will
White's hope is that the space advantage that this energetic move grants will be
look at later). However, when you prevent one varia-
worth the resulting weaknesses on the kingside. The more solid 7.6ge2 ad7 S.Ag3 A96 9.4e2 Agf6 10.h4 h5 creates a position that cannot be easily
tion you make possible another,
and
here White can play
4. c4xd5 5. Ac1-f4!
e6xd5
assessed.
7.
Af5-e6!
If Black had instead played :...Afe , he could now respond with 5...4d6 or
Better than 7...496 8.h41 h5! 9.95 Ad6
5...9b4, with
White once the knight arrives on f4.
easy equality.
5. The idea is to play
8. h2-h4
c7-co
...9f5, which would be an error if it were played now as ir would be immediately punished by Wb:. fhe following is also possible: 5...4f6 6.e3 o-o i.Ad3 c5 8.Age2 Ac6 9.dxc5 Axc5 10.0-0, with the typical academic advantage for White granted by the isolated llueen's pawn.
6.
10.6ge2, with a small advantage for
e2-e3
The move 6.WcZ, so as to stop ...Af5, is
At this point in the game, Botvinnik after the open aggression of 7.g4 used to follow up with the restrained 8.h3, and
after 8...4f6 9.4d3 c5 l0.Af3 Ac6 1 1.*f1! 0-0 12.&g2, neirher side stands better.
L ab8-d7 Taking the pawn is dangerous: 8...4xh4 9.Wb3! b6 1o.af3 AeZ I I .Ae
interesting: 6...g61 7.e3 Af5 8.WdZ af6 9.f3 hs!? 1o.Ad3 Axd3 il.Wxd3 6a6, and we have a balanced game. 6. Ac8-f5 Now 7.Wb3 would be useless because of 7...Wbe
5,
with good compensation. h4-h5
9.
ll
.
I
AEI I ..a
A
l '','t
A
A. gA
At this
stage, White usually continues with Botvin n ik's surprising move
7.
g@'.''..'a E
I
92-94
AA AA
9. 10,
a ,, 'i{
.
,,,1..,
w€aa
Eal-b1
tr
gd8-b6 6g8-f6
1't. t2-f3 It is difficult ro judge whether the advanced pawns are a strength or a weakNCSS.
We
will
be conservative and settle for
the safe annotation'ecual chances'. 188
Minor Vqriations ofter 1.d4 dS 2.c4 e6 3.6c3
llffi:ff:i*,,, nu'fa.f,iitrt[;tfti
57.tra1
1-0
189
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
native,
it
should be sufficient reassurit was played four times
ance to say that
by
a
certain Bobby Fischerl 4. e6xd5
EffiA, erc .€ trtl:,: it**irffir ffi €
'e #rffi ffi *ils€# *Ai&ffi ,*t #,{i
f*AffiAffi Sgg]Affitr
IIiE u$
I
rt
sniil a::!r4,4
s,ii=
it.iii*
i=.
*iill
=:iE A
!$rl
,
AI:
al L!.
i,*
t\ V)
60a ::;;;,:1
i;*
g.
r I -i
I ffi
?!f;;
:iii i:i
A iri:
#
:&
3t& tltt
r*
ia**
:& A'\ g ffa EYJ
gjl A
F?
A characteristic pawn structure is created, which is sometimes referred to as the Karlsbad Structure. White has a central pawn mafority, and Black has one on the queenside, even though he will have an uphill battle to create a passed
pawn. Indeed, this queenside maiority will be the subject of an unpleasant pawn assault: the aforementioned mi-
nority attack (when Black The Exchange Yariation is a very inter-
esting option. This exchange can be played as early as the third move, but it is not rare to see it played later. Beyond its interest as an opening variation, this variation also represents an op-
porrunity to study the important strategic theme of the minority attack, which is most often seen in this very line.
Before we go any further, it is important to stress that the reply 4...exdS is by no means certain. If Black does not like to play the typical positions that the Exchange Variation creates he can play
a...Axd5!?, with a likely transposirion to the Semi-Tarrasch. For those of you who may doubt the merits of this alter190
plays ...c7-c6. White with b2-b4-b5xc6 will create an isolated pawn on c6, and then attack it on the semi-open c-file). As an
alternative plan, White can try for a central initiative, calmly preparing to advance his pawns to f3 and e4.
So White has nothing but advantages? Naturally, the answer is no. Fortunately for the game of chess, every opening has its good and bad points. If this were not the case, there would not be thousands of openings, but just one perfect one. In most of the variations without cxdS the c8 bishop is a problem; here it has free rein. In addition, in the lines with a minority attack White directs his forces to the queenside, and in doing so, he runs
Queen's Gcmbit Declined Exchonge Voriqtion
appeal to a player who chooses the Queen's Pawn Game.
it stops 6...9f5. The very natural move 6.e3 is a frequent choice, and usually transposes, unless Black decides to play 6...4f51?. In the past, this move was considered dubious because of z.Wf3t. which would create a doubled oawn on f6. In reality, after 7...A96 e.A*fe Wxfot 9.Wxf6 gxf6, Black's compromised pawn structure has proved itself remarkably difficult to exploit, and White can claim no more than a slight
Nowwe will look
advantage.
the risk of being ill-prepared for a sudden attack by Black on the kingside: a not uncommon occurrence.
The variations involving f2-f3
and
e2-e4 remain the most promising (and as we said before they are the reason
why Black frequently plays 3...4e7). However, the resulting positions are very unbalanced and tactical, which is not the sort of game that will necessariiy
at
5. Ac1-95 We will examine the variations with Af+ in the next section: it is a good idea to remember that Afi4 is premature if 3eZ has not been already played. This is because with ...4d6 or ...4b+ Black obtains reasonable counterplay. The move 5.4f3 normally transposes to main lines wlth Af3, but it gives Black
the option of playing the Ragozin or Westphaliawith the move 4...4b4. c7-co
5.
The move 5...4e7 is obviously playable and transposes.
The text move has the advantage that
The most precise, as
Af8-e7 5...96 7.e3t (7.6xds?! Wxd5 s.Axf6 Ab++ 9.€d1 0-0 gives Black too much counterplay) 7...4f5 8.9b3, and Black is in difficulty as he cannot play ...9b6. 7. e2-e3 0-0 7...abd7 8.4d3 Ahsl? gers an occasional outing. The following is then possible: 9.Axe7 WxeT 10.6ge2 96 1 1.0-0-0 6b6, and we have a complex position that offers a little more to White than to Black. 6.
8. afl-d3 Threatening 9.9xf6 and 10.Axh7+
L
abS-d7
Biack now 'rhreatens' 6...9f5. which if played now would be an error because
of e .Wb:.
6.
Wd1-c2
Ar:
;
r-f.-'
We now stand at an important crossroads: White can develop his king's knight to e2 or to f3. 191
Chess Opening Essentiols
9.
D
-
Volume
2
6s1-e2
Better to consolidate the centre before
Leaving the f3-square free for the pavr'n,
while the knight looks forward to brighter future on 93 or f4.
9.
trf8-e8
Yacating f8 for the knight
10.0-0!
AgtEffiE*;
$r la rtr g :*lg'*
**q) z5ax . .'
t\
12....
.A A -...
A W A**a$ E ii$A*:tr
13.9s5-h4! seems best, as the bishop is ready to retreat to f2 so as to support the centre.
With these positions, any result is possible; however, White's prospects are
B) 9. As1-f3 The classical continuation.
Ef8-e8 10.0-0 This positional approach seems to be more in the spirit of the variation than the aiternative 10.0-0-0. which creates positions that are difficult to evaluate. 10.... ad7-f8 9.
ExE, :Efie
tr*la Er*r
*t **r* g
than the traditional minority attack with I 1.trab 1 and b4-b5; even though
x
this attack is still quite commonly seen in the variations with 0f3.
...
A
T1 E
9c8-e6
Supports d5 and prepares a ...c6-c5 advance. The move 1 1...4h5 is playable: it forces the parn'n advance e3-e4. After
a
little bit better.
Nowadays this plan is more popular, and most important of all scores better,
11.
Ea8-c8
And now the immediate push 13.e4 dxe4 14.fxe4 6:g+ 15.Axe7 WxeT 16.9d2 c5 17.d5 Ad7 gives Black adequate counterplay. For this reason
Given that the modern plan is to push the centre pawns, the king is safer on the kingside. The old plan of a flank attack with opposite-side castling is now less common: 10.0-0-0 hfS t t.h3 a5 12.g4 b5 13.*b1 a4 14.4\93 Wa5 15.Ace2l AaZ, and anything could happen. 10. ... ad7-t8 11. f2-f3!
E
the e3-e4 push.
a
A U
ffiaffa Ag * A -::- ,,, A --
:-:.
A.
Fl .q^t -',-- EE
Now White can choose from a
vast
range ofalternatives:
81)
12.Axe7 WxeT 13.e4 dxe4 14.fxe4 Ae6! (which prepares ...c6-c5 without having to worry about 6xd5), White's
Preparing the so-called Pillsbury Formation (Ae5 followed by f2-fa), which
presuming that in fact there
in the Queens's Pawn Game has helped
advantage is one
-
-
is minimal.
12. tra1-dl 192
11.
6f3-e5
White achieve manv brilliant victories. 11.
...
6f6-g4!
Queen's Gambit Declined, Exchange Voriation
EffiffiEffiEffiE
ffirffi ffirffir ffiffirffiffi
ffi
ffiffirffiffi
ffiffiffiffia ffiAffi ffi affiw$ ffia ffi
Taking off the pressure and preventing
Black prepares to play ...c6-c5 in response to the thematic b4-b5: usually this is a dubious plan as it creates both an isolated d5 pawn and a d4 outpost for White. However, in this particular case Black gains sufficient dynamic compensation because of his control of the dark squares.
14. Eal-b1 Ae7-d6 15. gd3-f5 Ag4-h5 And things are pretty eYen.
fT-f+. 12. Ag5xe7 Wd8xe7 13. 6e5xg4
13.4f3!?. 13. ... Ac8xg4 14. Ea1-e1 So as to push the f-pawn.
14.... 15. t2-t4
Ag4-h5 t7-t6
and the position is balanced.
BD
11. Ag5xf6
So as to be able to push bz-b+ without the necessity of preparatory moves.
11. ... 12. b2-b4
AeTxfO
E
$#** "S^ ffiEffiEffiM E*gss
ffi
ffiffi
ffi
rffi
ffirffi
ffirffi*
r:ffir
ffiw
ffi$ffiffi ffi ffi A
ffi
q$il
about.
13....
18. 19.
Ir
ffiffie
12..a6 I 3.a4 is still subject to debate. 13.
Af3-d2
Ee1xe4
A A
h7-ho
Efl-el ffi*
ffiE ffiffie w
I ffiffiffi]W ffi rffia ffi ffi ffi
12....
Ac8-s4 Which player benefits most from
d5xe4
14.6t3-d2 I7-t5 15. f2-f3 e4xf3 16. Ad2xf3 Ac8-e6 17. e3-e4 f5xe4
ffi
ffiAffiA rlffi ffisffiffi ffi aas
ffi
83) 11. Ea1-el Not so much to aid the e3-e4 advance. but more to defend e3 and to prepare for an improved version of Variation B1 (Ae5 andf4). 11. ... 6f6-e4! 12. Ag5xe7 12.Af+ Afst, wittr equality. 12.... Wd8xe7 13. Ad3xe4! Positionally risky but it is the only way to give Black something to worry
ffiffi s&H
ffi
w
ffiffiffi affi
ffiffi
ffiffis
Af6-e7! 193
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
It is not easy now to say who is on top: the d4 pawn is weak and with lots of open diagonals Black's bishop is a very powerful piece. However, in practice White has optimum chances because of his good centre control and the pressure exerted along the e-file.
With a characteristic position: White has his strategic trumps, above all the weak backward c6 pawn. However, the sight of so many black pieces hovering
around his king is sure to unsettle White. In short: both sides are well equipped to cause trouble. May the best player
84)
winl
11. Ea1-bl
Preparing bz-b+, launching the the-
85)
matic minority attack. 11. ...
11. h2-h3!
E ABEAg
a7-a5 The most played. However, there are some who do not make the advance as they would rather retaln the possible future option of playing the pawn to a6. 12. a2-a3 6f8-96 Now that White is focusing his atten-
*t la r*r
tion on creating trouble on
H
the queenside, it seems logical for Black to activate the knight on the kingside. 13. b2-b4 a5xb4
14.
a3xb4
Ae7-d6!?
14...6e4 15.Axe7 WxeT is another typical plan that offers both players possibilities.
15. 16. 17. 18. 19.
b4-b5
Ag5xf6 b5xc6 Eb1-b6 Af3-d2
h7-h6 Wd8xf6 b7xc6
Ac8-94 6g6-h4
1.,
l'., A
;{
el ,,1,1.
A
A AA A,",,, A AA
AW
H&
This refined waiting move is now the favourite. Experience has shown us that
it is useful to deny Black the resource of either ...4g4 or ...694, and the slight weakness created (there is the possibility of a future ...Axh3) seems an acceptable price to pay. Often, when there is a wide range of options available, it is best to adopt a wait-and-see strategy.
851)
11. 12.
...
Ag5xf6!
Af8-s6 Ae7xf6
13.b2-b4 White is ready to push b4-b5, whereas the 96 knight has nowhere to go to, excluding a return to f8. 13. ... Af6-e7!? Looking for a better future on another diagonal.
14. b4-b5
15. b5xc6 19+
Ae7-d6 b7xc6
Quee
16. 6c3-b1!?
ffi3. ru8ffi€
E
e
ffir$ffir ffi ffi^*#
tr ]#l
ffi-
**
ffi
A
A
rffiffi ffiffiffi AffiAffiA
ffis ffi
iaffi
ffiAffiffi
n's Gcmbit Decline d Exchonge Variotion
Effi ffiEffi ffiffi ffirWr ffirffi wrffi ffirffiAffi ffiffiffiffi i ffisffiaffia ffiffiffiAffi trffiffiffiffi
B53) 11. ... 12.
Attacking c6 with an eye on c5 via d2-b3. 16.
Ac8-dz
...
17. ab1-d2
tra8-cB
852)
11.
#
tlcffi
!:P-@
-
&ffi gSX#
has an edge.
gK a
...
So as to play
Effi*Affi Effi g Frerffi ffi ffiwI ffi ffirffi T ffi ffiffir agffi ffiffi
18. Ea1-c1
andWhite
Af6-e4 t7-t5
Ag5-f4!
s7-s6 ...6e5 without losing the
Wffie
ffi
wi A ffi
XJ-O
ffi
AflSWffi #H'ffi{e A aa
ffie
h7 pawn.
12. tra1-bl Af8-e6 13. Ag5-h4 In case of 13.Axf5 Axf6 14.b4 a6 15.a4 gd6 l6.Efc1 Aaz t7.b5 axb5 18.axb5 c5! 19.dxc5 Axc5. Black has active play.
13....
6e5-97
With the idea of ...4f5.
b2-b4 a7-a6 a2-a4 gc8-f5 16. b4-b5 a6xb5 17. a4xb5 gfSxd3 18. Wc2xd3 Ag7-f5 19. Ah4xf6 Ae7xf6 20. b5xc6 b7xc6
The move 12...695 seems to be too slow. It would probably be followed by 13.Axg5 Axg5 1+.Ah2. 13.6f3-e5 Af8-g6 14. Ae5xg6 h7xg6 15. f2-f3 andWhite has a slight advantage.
14.
15.
21. trf1-c1 Black's counterplay on the kingside has
barely got
off the ground, whereas
854) 11. ... Ac8-e6 The most solid, overprotecting d5 so that if White pushes his pawn to b5 Black can respond with .. .c5-c5 12. tral-bl a7-a5 13. a2-a3 af6-d7l? .
14. Ag5-f4! 6f8-g6 15. af4-h2 ad7-b6!? Aiming to relocate the knight to c4 and
it with ...b7-b5 if white
White s minority attack is already likely
then support
to produce a concrete gain.
does not exchange it off, 195
Chess Opening Essenticls
16.
af3-d2
'17.
Ah2xd6
-
Volume
2
Ae7-d6 Wd8xd6
18. b2-b4
Transposing to the diagrammed position in Variation 83, with the difference that both players have made two extra moves along the way!
E :::la
t
r
f tt
filrT :a::r
i :e $fia twfi iai
Van Wely,Loek
Short,Nigel
A
wijk
:,li:
'i::larir:r
:::a::1i
7\l
tr a€
and White has a small plus.
B55) 11.
af6-h5
...
*Agtefi*i:: riti: rtr :* f lt: ;t: i:: at r tt: A t: $ til:l tt .t' nA$A:r::A g:tt &A* E
*:
:at:r::
,ui:,t:i3i
&
FI
*
.::trg
To trade off the bishop without granting it the option of retreating to f4. 12. Ag5xe7 Wd8xe7 13. trf1-el!
aan Zee 2005 (13)
1.d4 6:lt6 2.c4 eG 3.6c3 d5 4.cxd5 exdS 5.Ag5 cG 6.e3 AfS 7.9f3 AS6 8.Axf6 Bxf6 9.Wxf6 gf6 lo.Afg ad7 11.4h4 Ae7 12.g3 Ab6 13.f3 a5 14.€f2 a4 15.trc1 6c8 16.4e2 AdG 17.trhd1 O-o 18.gd3 EfeB 19.g4 Af8 2O.Q:e2 Ah6 21.f4 Axd3 22.trxd3 Af8 23.4g3 traS 24.trc2
Eb5 25.ahf5 fac4 26.b3
axb3 27.trxb3 trxb3 28.axb3 AaS 29.4h5 tre6 30.8a2 b6 31.tra4 t-o
Kasparov,Garry Ivanchuk,Vasily Wijk aan Zee 1999 ( 1)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 eG 3.6c3
hf6
4,cxd5
exdS 5.495 c6 6.Wc2 AaG Ze3 Ab4 e.gd2 AfS 9.trc1 a5 10.a3 AaG 11,kge2 hG 12.4f4 Ad7 13.693 AeG 14.e4 Ab6 15.exd5 hxd5 16.6xd5 Bxd5 17.9c4 Bxg2 18.8e3 O-O-0 19.Axe6+ *ee 20.Wxe6+ Hd7 21.We8+ trdg 22.We6+
Vz-1/z
The idea is e3-e4.
13.... 14. tra1-b1
ah5-f6 dt6-e4l?
15. Ad3xe4 16. af3-d2 17. t2-f3
d5xe4
18.6d2xf3 19. e3-e4 20. tre1xe4 21. trb1-e1 196
t7+5 e4xf3 Ac8-eG f5xe4 h7-h6
Heberla,Bartlomiei ZeberskiJakub btomysl2009 (8)
6f6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.495 Ae7 6.e3 c6 7.4d3 abdT 8.Wc2 O-0 9.Age2 Ee8 1.d4 d5 2.c4 eG 3.6c3
10.0-0-0 AfB 11.h9 Ae6 12.€b1 6:e4 13.Axe7 6xc3+ 14.6xc3 WxeT 15.f4
f6 16.g4 Afl l?.trdel
Queen's Gombit Declined Exchange Vqriotion
HacS 18.84'd2 b6 19.h4 c5 20.g5 c4
21.Ac2 gd6 22.h5 a6 23.9G hxg6
24.hxg6 Axg6 25.f5 Ah7 26.Wg2 EcdS 27.8h3 tre7 28.tr91 b5 29.a3 a5 30.8g3 EddT 31.Axb5 1E/b6 32.4c3 Wb7 33.€a1 €hg 34.trh1 €g8 35.trgh3 EdB 36.9h2 EbB 37.4la4 *f7 S8.trxh7 4lxhl39.Wxh7
Exe3 40.trg1 trgB 41.4c5 Wb8 42.ale6 Eg3 43.19'h5+ ge7 44.Ee1
@d645.4c5
1'o
Alexandrov,Alexander Atlas,Eduard St Petersburg
200S (2)
exdS 8.Ad3 c6 9.Wc2 Ee8 10.0-0 Af8 11.6e5 694 12.9:xe7 WxeT 13.6xg4 Axg4 14.trae1 gf6 15.a4 tre7 16.b4 EaeS 17.b5 Wg5 18.f4 gf6 19.Wd2 gfs 20.a5 Wg6 21.exf5 Bxf5 22.a6 cxb5 23.Axb5 gd7 24.axb7 a6 25.6c3 WxbT 26.trb1 Wc6 27.trfc1 gd6 28.4d1 6g6 29.g3 h5 3o.We2 h4 31.9h5 hxg3 32.hxg3 Afg 33.trc5 trdg 34.Ebc1 g6 35.8f3 6e6 36.trc8 €g7 37.ExdB 6xd8 38.8c5 6e5 39.wxd5 wb6 40.trc1 gb4 41.4t2 Bd2 42.8e5+ fG 43.Bxf6+ €xf6 44.ae4+ sf5 45.axd2 g5 46.d5
1.d4 d5 2.c4 eG 3.6c3 6fG 4.cxd5 exdS 5.&g5 :ie7 6.e3 0-0 7.8d3 c6
gxf4 47.gxil 4lrt4 48.exf4 *xf4
LWc2 abdT 9.49e2 Ee8 10.0'0 Afg 11.f9 Ahs 12.exe7 ExeT 13.e4 6f6 14.e5 6e8 15.f4 Ec7 16.Ead1 Ag4 17.h3 Axe2 18.Wxe2 gh4 19.*h2 Ae6 20.g3 Bh6 21.4c2 g6 22.f5 Af8 23.8f4 6g7 2a.trha Wg5 25.Eg4 gds 26.fG Ase6 27.We3 WeB 28.gh6 trdB 29.trd2 a6 30.6e2 EddT 31.4s1 c5 32.4f3 cxd4 33.9b3 Wc8 34.Edxd4 Ecl
52.8c7Ed853.d7€d554.Ec8
35.gxd5 Exd5 36.Exd5 37.EdB
Bc5 38.Ee8
=dl
Wc6
39.Exf8+ 1'0
Pillsbury,Harry ShorralterJackson New York ch-USA m 1898 (5) 1.d4 d5 2.eA eG 3.4c3 AfG 4.9g5 9e7 5.e3 abdT 6.4f3 0'0 7cxd5
49.trc5
H-d7
50.4c4 €e4 51.d6 Sd4 1-o
Gelfand,Boris Ivanchuk,Vasily
'r.ifffi';.'J"". ,.^,.
ds 4.aco {;bd7 5.cxd5 exdS 6..995 Ee7 7.e3 O-O 8.Ads Ee8 9.Wc2 AfB 10.0-0 cG 11.h3 96 12.Habl AeG 13.4h6 Q-:g7 14.b4 aG 15.a4 Af5 16.4e5 EcB 17.Axg7 Axd3 18.6xd3 €xg7 19.trb3 sd6 20.b5 cxbS 21.axbS a5 22.9b2 b6 23.6a4 Ec4 24.tra1 4le4 25.tg 6g3 26.4e5 Axe5 27.dxe5 Wc7 28.€h2 6t5 29.t4 Hc2 30.Ec3 Sxc3 31.Bxc3 trxc3 32.6xc3 6xe3 33.ha4 d4 34.tra3 4c4 35.trd3 Ed8 36.€93 trds 0-1 37.&t2g5 38.g3 €g6
197
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
The alternative 6...b6 is a little too pas-
sive: after 7.cxd5 exds 8.4d3 Ab7 9.0-0 c5 10.4e5 Ac6 11.Bf3l cxd+ 12.6xc6 Axc6 l3.exd4, White has a nice kingside initiative. 6...4bd7 might well be playable, but White is left with a significant space advanrage after 7.c5 c6 8.4d3 b6 9.b4 a5 10.a3.
7.
d4xc5!
The only way to extract a plus from the
E ffi 3.ffi €
ffi
I
$re
I:**
ffi ffi rc r$re I
opening; after 7.cxd5 4ixd5! 8.Axd5 Wxd5, Black does not have any problems.
7.
ffi ffi I ffi ffi ffi iffi ffir ffi ffi ffi ffi Affi ffi ffi affi tr* ffi ffi A A A A ffi ffi ffis re
ffi Effi ffiE
I ffi ffirffi I w ffirffi w ffi*ffi ffi W KW# €
Affi
As
e
ffi
we noted before, after
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. Abl-c3
6g8-f6
before playing
5.
Ac1-f4
ffi ffiaffi rffi ffis ffi ffiWffiAffi F?
d7-d5 e7-e6
if White wishes to play the bishop to f4, it is a wise idea to first play 4. 6g1-f3 and then wait for 4. Af8-e7
Ae7xc5
At this
stage
White can choose from
three principal variations
:
A) 8. c4xd5 The simplest, and recently the most popular.
A1) 8.
0-0 c7-c5 This is the most thematic, as the white bishop does not exert central pressure
e6xd5 Af1-e2 Maintaining conrrol of d+; g.Ad3 does not seem so good with the black knight still protecting the kingside, preventing the threat of AxhT+, which is present
from,f4: indeed, this freeing
in Variation A2.
Now there is 5.
6. e2-e3
pawn push is doubtful in the variations with
Ags. 198
9.
9.
10. 0-0
6b8-c6 9c8-e6
Queen's Gambit
Ea8-c8
11. Ea1-c1
12. a2-a3
Wg ffi ffie
rffi I
rffi
ffiffia ffiE ffi
ffi ffirffi
ffiffi
ffi Bt3
4€ a-s D\ffi
*s
ffi ffiA ffia trffi 2.6xd5 ? is a tactical blunder: 12...Wxd5 l3.9xd5 6xd5 l4.Exc5 6xf+ tS.exf4 Ad+1, winning the exchange: l6.Ee5 Axe2+ 17.Exe2 Ac4. 12.... h7-h6
11. gfl-d3 Threatening AxhT+. 11.
... 12.0-0
with 9c1-f4
Ac5-b6 Ac8-94
12...d+l? is the most thematic move,
but after 13.e4!, White has
scored
slightly better.
h2-h3 14. b2-b4 15. Ea1-c1 13.
Ag4-h5
a7-a6 Ef8-e8 15...d4 16.9+ A96 17.e4 Ee8 is the most combative. 16. Ad3xa6!
1
13.9f4-93 Threatening l4.Axd5.
13....
Ac5-b6
14. Af3-e5
E 4*9fi
***$
g,\
Sffii e
Effi
rw#
HA ffie ffiH
#a rffi ;n.
;
A&Y ge !]w-
IiFBS
advantage.
w ffin trffi
A curious tactic:
16.
,..
Ea8xa6
16...bxa6? L7.Exc6 and Black has no compensationfor the pawn.
AD 8.
6f6xd5
The most played, even if theory states that when you have an isolated pawn you should maintain your attacking forces by avoiding exchanges.
9. 6c3xd5
e6xd5
10. a2-a3
And now we see why Black took back with the knight: White has to lose a tempo to prevent 10...g'b4+
10....
If Black wants to
ffi # #ft A ffi
A A affi {": ffi .*!*a #ct
Now the ...d5-d4 push does not completely solve Black's problems, and after 14. ... 6c6-e7 White maintains a small but unpleasant
rwtr I
ffi
6b8-c6 stay
in the game he has
to play actively, with the pawn move ...d5-d4 uppermost in his mind.
17. 18. 19.
b4-b5 b5xc6
Ea6xa3 b7xc6 Ec1xc6 Ea3-a7! Experience has shown that sacrificing
a
pawn is best.
trc6-d6!
20. Ha7-d7 21. WdlxdS trd7xd6l 22. Wd5xd6 gd8xd6 23. Af4xd6
With correct play the game is now a draw. However, Black is not going to have any fun knowing that he has to play the rest of the game a pawn down with no winning chances. 1,99
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
B) 8.
9.
a2-a3 It is always useful to keep control of the
H6
b4-square.
8. 9. Af1-e2
H&
e&
l.,1... ','l i I A IA illlr''' l'. ', .:. g
Ab8-c6
'.'r
9.Wc2 fiansposes to the next variation.
9.
Wd8-a5
,:6 iiE
eii
d5xc4!
ri. A A'\
t\
U
,.. .,Aa''., lA A U €.4'i|
.::
\
Au&
A'':
UE
Unafraid of b2-b4 as the a3 pawn is pinned. Now Black has the positional threat of ...d5-d4. The akernative line A l^ 9...s.d7
It might
seem a good idea
to
the
ease
r ^ s r. 10.trd
I trc8 is nor often s
played. This is strange as it has obtained good results.
tension by exchanging off queens, but
in doing so, you remove almost all chances of complicating the game, therefore of
winning.
and
Cl)
10. Af3-d2
Threatening
to pick up a piece with
ab3.
Taking the pawn is obviously more ef10. ... Ac5-e7 fective after White has played Ae2. Or the ambitious 10...4b4 I l.cxd5 10. Ae2xc4 af6-h5! exdS t2.Ad3 d4 13.0-01 (this move of 11. Wdlxd8 trf8xd8 Kortchnoi's was responsible for this 12. Af4-c7 trd8-d7 line's re-evaluation) 13...Axc3 14.6c4 13. Ac7-e5 Ac6xe5 WtrS t5.bxc3 - at the time of writing, 14. Af3xe5 Ed7-d8 recenr resuks would suggesr that this is 15. 0-0 ah5-f6 unsarisfacrory for Black. 16. trf1-d1 Ac8-d7: 11. Af4-93!?
C) 8. Wdl-c2 Preparing Edi, and you do not run the risk of
a
queen exchange after ...dxc4.
8. 9.
Ab8-c6 a2-a3
S.Edt Wa5 10.AeZ allows rhe inreresring 10...4e+l? 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Exd5 Axc3 13.bxc3 Ab+ (13...6e7t? is safer) r4.cxb4 Axb4+ 15.Ed2 Ag4, with an unclear game. 200
E',:.4-1,
,l'l 9
,.''.'
$@,..',,
,Ef &f
a .:ila ,,,i,';
l
A
i.'
,a a,a a AgA A A:;gA ;s''
..:. @Q
Queen's Gombit with
Stopping the typical ...e5 followed by
...d4. 11.Ed1 and 11.0-0-0 transpose to C2 and C3 respectively.
... Af1-e2 13.0-0 11.
12.
Ac8-d7 trf8-c8 Wa5-d8!?
14. ... Taking back with the pawn is also playable: 14...exd4 15.4e2 Ag4! (sacrific-
ing a pawn for the initiative) l6.Axe7 WxeT 1 7 .Q)xd4 (l 7.4d5 would appear more pruden| 17...Wh4 1S.g3 gh3, with good compensation. 15. Ab3xd4 e5xd4
10. tra1-dl
: *3 :* I E
16.6c3-b5
Now after the
i&i= al{]i:
14. e3xd4
14.9e2 is a comparable alternative: 14...a51 15.4a4! (preventing ...a4) I 5...961, and neither side has a plus.
with balanced play.
C2\
16.9.e2?, there is on top.
*:
gg lg:i:i
Not This position was the subject of theoretical debate in the 1970's and '80's. White's usual plan is to activate the knight with ad2-b3 in order to chase away the queen that was pinning the knight. Black, on the other hand, seeks central counterplay with ...e5 /...d4.
AcS-e7 Although the fork is not yet a threat, Black usually retreats the bishop immediately. Karpov's 10...Ee8 was shown to be too ambitious: 11.4d2 e5 12.495 10.
...
ad4t? r3.gb1!
Acl-f4
Afs
14.4d3
is
normal-looking
16...WaS, and Black
16. ... Ac8-g4!? 17. Ed1xd4 Ef8-e8 18. Ag5-e3 l8.Exd8?? because of tS...Ab+
checkmatel
18....
gd8-b6
gfl-d3 The queen is still 19.
safe from capture: 19.Exg4? Q)xg4 20.Axb6 Ab4+ 21.&d1
EeTmate.
19.... 20.0-0
Ae7-c5 Ac5xd4
21. Ae3xd4
e4
15.4c2, with an advantage for White. 11. e6-e5
af3-d2
12.€:t4-g5
d5-d4 13. Ad2-b3 Wa5-d8 After 13...9b6 the d4 pawn is not pinned. However, after 14.Axf6! Axf6 l s.ads Was 16.9d3 96 17 .exd4 Axd4 18.Axd4 exd4 19.Axf6+ Wxf6 20.0-0. White is a little better off,
White has lost the exchange, but he is a pawn up, and the h7 pawn is about to
z0r
Chess Opening Essentiols
- Volwe 2
be taken: in addition. Black will have uglyJooking doubled pawns on rhe f-file (taking back on f6 with the queen allows Ac7). The position is complicated, but probably White has berter chances.
c3)
riod in which it had the advantage of surprise, it has had an optimum 60% performance in a sample of hundreds and hundreds of games. This clearly shows that its virtues outweigh its defects. Let's have a look at what exactlv those advantages are:
I
10.0-0-0t
EffiEFffi ffiEg ffirffiifr ffirffir
ffi^ffirffi gffirffi*
:$€
*gA*j* g€ € gF ff ffiA*
ffisffi H
a
;..:, rA ..:. w H A ".',Jgr'- 'E
r$+
the most obvious one is that with g2-ga-g5, White launches a danger-
ous attack on the kingside. 2 the pin on the c3 knight is less annoy-
ing compared to lines with Edl as White does not have to lose time
with the knight manoeuvre Af3-d2-b3 that is necessary with kingside castling. pressure applied by White to the centre makes the devel-
3 the immediate
of the c8 bishop problematic, a typical considerarion in the opment
How theory changes! This move was not even mentioned in opening manuals before its debut in 1988; now it is the most played, and also considered to - for now anl.way!
be the best
It is not surprising really that it took so long to come up with the move: before the advent of Kasparov in the 1980's, the approach to the game was less dynamic than today, with more weight given to static, positional considerations (with the exception of the whirlwind Tal in the 1960's). Therefore, a move of this sort would have been instinctively dismissed in the past; nobody in their right mind would have considered the idea of uansferring the king to the very part of the board where Black has amassed so many pieces with a probable opening of the c-file. However, the performance data we have today shows that this continuation is in fact excellent. Ignoring the initial pe202
Queen's Gambit Declined. 4 as we have seen, Black's counterplay with ...e5 and ...d4 is very dangerous when the king is in the centre, and therefore the white monarch is orobably safer on c I than on e I AII this does not mean that you should .
come to the exaggerated conclusion that Black's situation is hopeless! It is true that there are many difficulties to be overcome before Black has a playable
position, but they are by no means insurmountable. Let's look at the specific moves: 10. ... Ac5-e7 A natural move that liberates the c-fiIe. allows the queen to defend d5, and supports the f6 knight against Afa-g5xf6. The alternative move 10...4d2 is playable. The idea is that after ...trfc8, glack can establish an interesting defensive set-up: the bishops on f8 and e8 and a
Acl-f4
Queen's Gombit with
knight on e7. After I 1.ga trfcS 12.€bl Afs t:.gs Ahs t+.Ag3 2,e7 15.4e5 Ae8 l6.Ae2 f6 17 .gxf6 gxf6
12.... d5xc4! It is wise to simplify; after 12...a6 13.4b3! WUe 14.c5 Waz
15.Ac7
White is on top.
13.6d2xc4 Wc2xd1
14. 15.
Black
E .:H
#g
Ed8xdl+ WaS-d8
Wd1xd8+ Ac6xd8 will require a couple of moves to
complete development, but his position is solid. With the queens off the board and the absence of threats to the black king, White will find it difficult ro gain anything concrete from his small advantage.
it is truly
a challenge to decide who is
attacking and who is defending.
11. h2-h4
This is the most recent approach. The classical I 1.g4 (so to speak! The enrire
10.0-0-0 variation has only just reached adulthood) allows 11...dxc4 12.Axc4 e5!? 13.g5 exf4 14.gxf6 Axf6 r 5.4d5 6)e7 | 16.8)xf6+ gxf6 l7.Ehg1+ €h8, and Black's position has proved itself to be sustainable, notrvithstanding the tripled f-pau,ns. 11. ... Ef8-d8 This move has now overtaken in popu-
larity the previous favourites ll...a6 and I 1...dxc4.
12. at3-d2
steinie;wilhelm
I.:,,,
Schallopp,hnil Nuremberg 1896 (1)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.4c3 Af6 4.4f3 €.e7 5*&f4 0-0 6.e3 b6 7.cxd5 exdS 8.trc1 aGl 9.4e2 gb7 10.0-0 Ahs 11.4e5 €ld7 12.6,e1 AhfO 13.493 EcB 14.6d3 Ae4 15.6xe4 dxe4 $.AA c5 17.394 95 18.6h5 f5 19.Wb3+ €h8 20.dxc5 txg4 21.gfd1 Af6 22.We6 6xc5 23.Exd8 6xe6 24.Edxc8 ExcS 25.trxc8+ AxcB 26.Axf6 Ac5 27.AeS Sg7 28.Q)xe4+ €96 29.6d6 Ae6 30.a3 ads 3t..gd4 ae4 32.Ac8 ,Ab7 33.6xb6 h5 34.4c4 Ad5 35.6e5+ sfs 36.f9 gxf3 37.gxf g 6d238.e4+ Axe4 39.fxe4+ Axe4 40.€f2 €f4 41.6t7 94 42.9e3+ €f5 43.ad6+ €e5 44.6xe4 t&xe4 45.495 SfS 46.4d8 &t447.b4 1-0 Leko,Peter
Kramnik,Vladimir Brissago Wch-match 2004 (S)
1.d4
af6 2.c4
eG
3.4f3 d5 4.6c3
-ie7 5.9f4 0-0 6.e3 c5
7.dxc5 203
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
AxcS 8.cxd5 6xd5 9.6xd5 exdS 10.a3 hc6 11.4d3 Ab6 12.0-0 4g413.h3 ahs 14.b4 tre8 15.8c1 a6 16.ExaG Exa6 17.b5 Exa3
18.bxc6 bxcS 19.trxc6 H,a7 20.trd0 trd7 21.Bxd5 Exd6
22.WxdG Wxd6 23.Axd6 AxfS 24.gxf3 gd8 25.trb1 Af6 26.€g2 gG 27.t4 €97 28.trb7 Ee6 29.EdT tre8 30.Ea7 tre6 31.9c5 Ec6 32.tra5 Ac3 33.8b5 Ea6 34.trb9 Af6 35.Ebg h5 36.8b5 Ac3 37.gbg Af6 38.e4 Ea5 39.4e3 tra4 40,e5 Ae7 41.9b7 €fB 42.trb8+ €9743.€f3 Ec4 44.&e2 tra4 45.€d3 Ah4 46.4d4 Ea3+ 47.&c2 tra2+ 48.9d3 Ea3+ 49.€c4 Ea4+ 50.€d5 traS+ 51.sc6 Ea4 52.€c5 9e7+
53.€d5 EaS+ 54.€e4 Ea4 55.Hc8 th4 56.e6+ gf6 57.e7 Exd4+ 58.€e3 AxeT 59.€xd4 ah4 60.f3 f5 61.8c7+ €f6 62.9d5 Ag3 53.trc6+ €s7 64.€e5 h4 65.8c7+ €h6 66.trc4 €97 67.*e6 ah2 68.8c7+ €?h6 69.€f7 1-0
Kofichnoi,Yiktor Karpov,Anatoly Baguio Ciry Wch-match 1978 (21)
1.c4 6fG 2.6c3 e6 3.6f3 d5 4.d4 9e7 5.9f4 0-0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Axc5 8.Wc2 Ac6 9.trd1 Wa5 10,a3 Ee8 11.6d2 e5 12.495 Ad4 13.9b1
gfs
14.9d3 e4 15.4c2 6xc2+ 16.Wxc2 rEVa6 17.Axf6 Wxf6
18.Abg AdG 19.Exd5 EeS 21.ad4 Ec8 21.Exe5 tsxeS 22.6xf5 Wxf5 23.0-0 Exc4 24.Hd1 We5 25.93 aG
26.9b3 b5 27.a4 Eb4 28.9d5 WxdS 29.Exd5 Af8 30.axb5 a5 31.trd8 Exb2 32.tra8 f5 33.trxa5 Ab4 34.8a8+ €f7 35.6a4 Ebl+ 36.€g2 Ad6 37.Ea7+ €f6 38.b6 Abg 39.tra8 Ae5 40.ac5 gd6 41.b7 &e7 42.tr98 AeS 43.f4 exfS+ 44.€xf3 Sf7 45.8c8 €e7 46.h3 h5
&t7 48.Eds g5 49.s4 hxg4+ 50.hxg4 €e7 51.8g8 fxg4+ 52.€xg4 €f7 53.trc9 gd6 54.e4
47.trg8
Egl+ 55.sf5 94 56.e5 trfl+ 57.€e4 Ee1+ 58.gd5 Edl+ 59.4d3 Exd3+
60.€c4
Tig"*
Kortchnoi,Yiktor
Petrosian,
Beliavsky,Alexander
Filip,Miroslav
Amsterdam OHRA 1990 (10)
Curacao
1.c4 e6 2.4...ilc3 Af6 3.4f3 d5 4.d4 9e7 5.9f4 0-O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Axc5 8.Wc2 6c6 9.a3 WaS 10.4d2 gb4 11.cxd5 exdS 12.4d3 d4 13.0-0 Axc3 14.6c4 ghs 15.bxc3 dxe3 16.6xe3 AeG 17.Eabl ads 18.trb5
Efdg 19.c4 6,d4 20.9b2 6xb5 21.cxd5 Axd5 22.9xb5 Ae4 23.Ac7
Edcs 24.trc1 BgG 25.9:d7
trfB 26.h4 €hg 27.9f4 trad8 28.Ec7 fG
29.9b49f730.h5 z0+
1-0
1-0
Yartanovich
ct 1962 (14)
1.c4 eG 2.6:c3 d5 3.d4 Ae7 4.4f3 Af6 5,4f4 0-o 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Axcs 8.a3 6c6 9.Sc2 Ae7 10.trd1 Wa5 11.4d2 e5 12.Ag5 d4 13.4b3 gd8 14.4e2 Ag4 15.Axe7 WxeT
16.exd4 Wh4 17.93 gh3 18.d5 6d4 19.Axd4 exd4 20.trxd4 Wg2 21.We4 Wxf2+ 22.&d2 6f6 23.We3 Wg2,24.WgI ghg 25.trh4 gdz 26.9d4 EeB 27.gdg 96 28.trf1
1-0
Queen's Gombit with
Valleio Pons,Francisco Short,Nigel Wijk aan Zee2009 (2)
1.4f3 d5 2.d4 616 3.c4 e6 4.6c3 9e7 5.9f4 0-0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 9xc5 8.Wc2 6cG 9.a3 Ae7 10.trd1 WaS 11.4e2 dxc4 12.Axc4 Ah5 13.4d3 g6 14.4h6 trd815.0-o Ad716.Ae2 aG 17.Qsd2 AfG 18.9f4 e5 19.4g5 AeG 20.hg EacS 21.Axf6 Axf6
22.Ag4 Axs4 23.hxg4 ad{ 24.Wa4 o,e2+ 25.9h2 Wxa4
26.frxa4 Ae7 27.AbG Ec2 28.6dc4 e4 29.€h3 €g7 30.b4 Af6 31.f9 exf3 32.gxf3 4c3 33.Ed7 ExdT
34.6xd7
Abs 35.6xf6 €xf6
36.4b6 6xa3 37.8d1
Ec5 38.4d7+ €e7 39.6c5 Ec7 40.95 6c2 41.trb1 a5 42.dd3 Ec3 43.8c1 Exd3 44.trxc2 axb4 45.9c7+ gfg
46.Exb7 trxe3 47.Sg3 gb3 48.trb8+ €s7 49.€s2 trbl 50.€g3 h6 51.f4 bs 52.€f2 b2 53.*92 h5 54.*h2 Ef1 SS.ExbZ trxt4 56.€h3 Eg4 57.9b5 f5 58.gxf6+ €xf6 59.8a5 Ee4 60.trb5 95 61.€93 Ee3+ $2.&tz
Acl-f4
Speelman,Jonathan Short,Nigel London match 1988 (3)
1.d4 af6 2.eA eG 3.4f3 d5 4.6c3 9e7 5.9f4 0-0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Axc5 8.Wc2 6cG 9.a3 €9a5 10.0-0-0 Ae7 11.g4 trd8 12.h3 a613.4d2 e514.95 6e8 15.6b3 gb6 16.6xd5 trxds 17.cxd5 exf4 18.dxc6 fxe3 19.fxe3
Axg5 20.€bl bxc6 21.Ac4 Ha7 22.trhf1 AfG 23.We4 €f8 24.9xh7 g6 25.e4 c5 26.e5 Ag7
27.eG
1-o
Carlsen,Magnus Ivanchuk,Yasily Bilbao 2008 (7)
1.d4 af6 2.c4 eG 3.4f3 d5 4.olc3 Ae7 5.4f4 0-0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Axcs 8.Wc2 6c6 9.a3 BaS 10.0-0-0 Ae7 11.h4 trdg 12.6d2 a6 13.4e2 b5 14.cxd5 exdS 15.94 &e6 16.6b3 gb6 17.g5 Ae4 18.6xe4 dxe4 19.Exd8+ 6xd8 20.9b1 Ec8 21.gdl 6c6 22.h5 a5 23.96 a4 24.ad2 b4 25.grt7+ AxfT 26.Ad Wb7 27.Wxa4 bxa3 28.6xa3 AxaS 29.Bxa3 Ab4 30.b3 Ad3 3r.Axd3 exd3 32.trc1 d2 0-1
205
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
The concept is to develop aggressively
with Ag5 and Edi or 0-0-0, with
a
probable future e2-e4 advance.
5.
6. Acl-95
0-0
This move discourages ...c7-cS due to the resulting pressure on the d5 pawn.
It is wise for Black to play acrively, which explains the eccentric move:
6b8-a6!?
6.
6...dxc4 7.e4 8],c6 8.8d1 b5!? is playable but risky.
7. a2-ag 8. d4xc5
c7-cs 6a6xc5
Now after
9.
Ea1-d1
or the aggressive 9.0-0-0!?, the position is too complex for a simple evaluation.
Roiz,Michael Abramovic,Bosko Before we go any further, we should take a glance at an interesting alternative reply to 5.Af+ (and to 5.4g5) that is starting to get people's attention:
5.
Wd1-c2
EAAgs!? E tf f :$l i,l .,,:::l'
.......::lh :::
I AA
** A. ;;f A.A'g'i- A'A A tr' A €A r,E ,,,,..
.
Zlatibor 2008 (6)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Afg hf6 4.4c3 9e7 5.Wc2 0-0 6.A95 c5 7.dxc5 dxc4 8.e4 hG 9.9f4 Axc5 l0.Axc4 AcG 1'1.0-0 ahs 12.Ead1 9a5 13.9d2 Bc7 14.Wc1 AeS 15.6xe5 Bxe5 16.Ae2 Ab6 17.9h1 AfG 18.4f4 BaS 19.4d6 Hd8 20.e5 trxd6 21.exd6 Ad7 22.9f3 trb8 23.9d2 €f8 2a.€,g1 Wg5 25.6le4 6xe4 26.Axe4 Wxd2 27.trxd2 A:ci 28.Hc2 b6 29.b4 Axb4 30.Ec7 trdg 31.trxa74e8 32.trd1 Hxd6 33.ExdG Axd6 34.a4 h5 35.h4 96 36.gfl AcS 37.€e2 @97 3e.f3 €fG 39.Adg €e5 4O.93 f5 41.4c4 Ag1 42.tre7 1-0
706
lowing variations, depending on whether Black plays ...h6 or ...4bd7. However. there is the considerable advantage that White avoids having to face the Vienna Yariation and that Black no longer has the option of ...dxc4 in the Ragozin Defence. For example, in the variation 5...exdS 6..995 h6 White can play z.Ah+t
E
re
ffi AffiEffi
ffi I ffi
ffirffi
ffiffi ffirffi ffi re ffiffi ffi ffiaffi
ffiAffi @ffiffi
rflffi ffi ffiwffirffir ffi#r ffiffi r*re
ffinffin ffi 2\ tPS 2\ F$
ffiF*
ffiAffi ffiffi ffi ffiaffi A ffiffi AffiAffi ffiAffitr
ffiffisffiaffi without having to worry
anymore about the c4 pawn. After 7...g5 S.Ag3
o,e4 9.ad2l hxc3 l0.bxc3 Axc3 Whenever
White plays 6f3 in
the
1
1.Ecl, the ensuing
complications
to favour White. Therefore Black
Queen's Gambit, Black has the interest-
seem
ing option of playing ...4b+, which is particularly logical as White can no longer play dge}, and thus control the e4-square with f3. We are dealing with a hybrid NimzoIndian that has the virtue of creating more strategically complex positions than those which usually arise in the Queen's Gambit Declined. White's most natural move is to counterbalance Black's pressure on the centre with 5. Ac1-95 We should stress that at this point it is also very common to play 5.cxd5. Usurlly there is a transposition (after 5...exdS 6.495) to one of the two fol-
would be wise not to take the pawn and insteadplay 9...4xg3 10.hxg3 c6.
EffEEffi@ffi
rerffi ffirffi
ffirffiffiffi ffirffi ffi ffirffi ffi ffiffiffiffi ffiffiwffi A# ffiAffiAffi
ffi ffigffiAffitr With
a playable position, not'\ rithstanding the weakness on h6. After the bishop move, Black can take his pick from three principal variations,
207
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
stra- Consistent: White attacks d5 and b4. tegic characteristics are seen as distinct After 8.8a4+ 6c6 9.e3 0-0 10.4e2 and separate Ae6 1 1.0-0 a6 12.Eac1 Ad6, the posi-
which by virtue of their individual
tion is equal.
Ragozin Variation
5...h6
8'
c7-c5! e2-e3 9.a3 Axc3+ 10.Wxc3 Ad7 does not
9.
Some people call the system with ...4b+ the Ragozin Defence. However, create problems for Black. it is more precise to use Ragozln for the 9. 0-0 position arising after 10. d4xc5! 5. h7-h6
irABs s.l$ :r.:l'
E
E
fiA.€ €€*,
* l
E
* t,,;,tt,L.';*'fn |.1 :,,:; g
:.' I i$ g t ,,-'.t'',=
.la. * l;,,:,: ,,n E ,:t ':,;. ''.:,:.
:*,ge, AAAAA
;$'4:::.a .:; A& AA AAA Ai ts? .&A
e This is the most solid of Black's
tives. 6. Ag5xf6
alterna-
)95-
F? E
It would appear dubious to open up the game when your opponent has the two bishops, but the d5 pawn is en prise
and now the b4 bishop is being at-
After 6.Aha dxc4l?, Black is in a favour- tacked. able version of the Vienna Yariation. 10. ... Ab4xc3+ This is because White cannot play e2-e4 Otherwise the d5 pawn falls. as Black can reply with ...g5. 11. b2xc3 6. WdSxfG After 11.Wxc3 Wxc3+ 12.bxc3 Ae6 Black has the two bishops, but White 13.4d4 Ec8 14.Eb1 Od7, things are
has more harmonious development.
Now:
even.
11.
12.
A) 7. c4xd5
... at3-d4
Ac8-eG
ab8-d7
13. Wb3-a3
Stopping the option of ...dxc4, but at 13.Wxb7 Axc5 gives Black good the cost of opening the c8-h3 diagonal counterplay. for Black's light-squared bishop. You 13. ... trf8-c8 often see 7.9b3 c5 8.cxdS exd5, which and the game is balanced. simply transposes to the main line.
7. e6xd5 L Wdl-b3 208
B) 7. e2-e3 8. tra1-c1
0-0 d5xc4!?
Queen's Gombit
This is now considered to be more reliable than 8...c5, which is solid but passive.
9. Af1xc4
c7-c5
!
in the spirit of the Queen's Gambit Accepted Black has ceded the centre in exchange for counterplay with ...c7-c5, and in the hope of making the most of his two bishops.
10.0-0
c5xd4
11. 6f3xd4!
e
- ffi-E
W I ffi ** ffir ffi
ffi rffi ffi w w
ffi
ffi #€ w W w* ffi ffie wte ffi
ffi #atr
w.
A ffi
ffi
fls
w4
&H&
ffi A F?
Black's chief worry is his backward development on the queenside. 11. ... Ac8-d7l 12. 6b8-c6t
gdl-b3
13.6d4xc6 14.9b3xc3
Ab4xc3 Ad7xc6
14...Wxc3?? 15.4e7+
15.
Wc3xf6
g7xf6
and White's advantage (the doubled f-pawns) is purely academic.
Westphalia Variation (a.k.a. Manhattan Variation)
s...abd7
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. 6b1-c3 4. Ag1-f3 5. Ac1-g5
with ...€f8-b4
On the long slow boat journey from Westphalia to Manhattan many players who were on there way to the famous New York rournament
of
1927 lnad
plenty of time to deeply analyse this defence: hence the alternate narnes.
Effisffieffi
ffirigrcaffir#rer
ffi ffirffi
ffiffirffiffi reAffi ffi wffiffiaffi Affi$
ffiAffiA,
ffi ffisffiaffitr
Black supports the other knight before initiating typical queenside counterplay
with...c5 and...BaS. 6. c4xd5 White almost always plays this exchange either now or on the following move. 6.e3 is playable, but after 6...c5 7.4d3 9a5 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Axc4 Axc3 I 0.bxc3 b5 ! Black has active play.
6.
e6xd5
A) 7. Wd1-c2 For a while this was considered to be the best, but with time Black players started to find adequate countermeasures. White immediately defends c3, prepares a3, and keeps open the option of retreating the bishop to d2.
7.
0-01
7...c5, although playable, has given d7-d5 e7-e6 Ag8-f6
gf8-b4 ab8-d7
White good results after 8.dxc5! or 8.a3.
8.
a2-a3 The critical move, but the more solid 8.e3 c5 9.9d3 Wa5 10.0-0 (along the lines of Variation B) is safer.
209
Chess Opening Essentiols
8.
-
Volume
2
Ab4xc3+
9. Wc2xc3 h7-h6 10.
Ag5-h4 c7-c5!
E::.:lAg E &:::l::, rr:r':'A l.
I
l,I.
al
9.
c5-c4 A positionally risky move rhar aims for control of e4. 10. 0-0
gd3-f5 11. 0-0
a
pawn push to e4.
12.... E
This dark-square strategy seems suicidal, but Black is counting on the advantage of his piece activity
11. d4xc5
trf8-e8
Continuing the struggle for e4. 12. afs-d2l It is vital to stop ...Q)e4, and to prepare 97-96
EAEB I 1,,r..''A, I g
;r:'-:l
,,,.t1
al ' Ag
Ala a, ,a A AgA A A A H H.$.
1.4d2 is probably best. 97-95 E EH 616-e4 6d7xc5 Ac8-d7!? Black has and a promising game: after 81) 13. Af5xd7 Af6xd7 the greedy 15.Wxd5?l Aa4! 16.Wxd8 14.t2-l3l? Eaxd8, White has big problems de- Theodd 1+.h+!? isthelatestnovelty: it
The curious
1
11.... 12. ah4-93 13. Wc3-d4 14. tra1-d1
fending his back rank.
defends the 95 bishop so as to be able to play e3-e4.
B) 7. e2-e3
14....
7. 8. gf1-d3
c7-c5
have any problems.
Wd8-a5
The validity of the recent idea 8...c4 still needs to be established: 9.4f5 6Aett.
9.
Wd1-c2
HA
ea
8.Absl? is insidious, but if Black plays correctly after 8...Wa5, he should not
8.
ad7-b6
15. tra1-el
The normal continuation.
I l',:
a ury. ET A.
cl_\
AAg .
,
r.:'i::
'.'i:'':
After 9.0-0, Black usually does not take the pawn on offer, but continues with The immediate 15.e4 does not give 9...0-0 and after 10.Wc2 c+ 11.4f5, White much after l5...Axc3 16.Wxc3 transposes to the main line. Wxc3 17.bxc3 AdZ. 210
Queen's Gcmbit
15....
Ac8-d7
rJ
ffieffi ffiir ffir
:g
16. h2-h4 To prorec the bishop on the 5rh rank in preparation for ...dxe4l
16.... 17. b2xc3 18. Eel-cl
w. ffi Fffiffi
ffi ffiaffi AWWffi ffiA, gp
difficulr-to_assess position.
aD 13. Af5-h3 Ab4xc3! With the recenr 13...€gZl? Black sim_ ply defends the f6 knighl w.irh rhe king in order to free the other knight. Thii positionally less demanding rnove is a good choice if you wish to riraintain the
tension.
14. Wc2xc3 l4.bxc3 does nor give White anythins concrete after I +...o,e+ l5.Axe+ dxe4] 16.4h6 Af6l t7.Axc8 Eaxc8 1s.f3 14. 15.
...
b2xc3
16.6d2xe4 As is typical
in
Wa5xc3 6f6_e4 dSxe4t
ffiAffi
17. Ah3-s4! In order to reposition the bishop to e2 so as to attack the c4 pawn. It is logical to get rid of the knight with t7.e{xd7.
However, this deadens the position and it is:vrg:nr.rhat the game is heading for a probable draw The new q l7.trfb| does nor achieye
more rhan equaliry either after 1 Z.. .Ab6. 17. ... ad7-b6
18.
Ag4-e2 AcB-e6 6xfi 20.Hac1 b5
Ls.-ad7? 19.Axc4
21 .Axf7+, with an adaantage for White that isprobably decisiae.
19. tra1-b1!
This pressure on bZ des down Black,s game a little. 19. ... Ea8-c8 20. Efl-cl Defending c3 prevents ...AdS.
20.... 21.
t2-t3
Ec8-c7 Ae6-d5t
"ffi_ ffiE@effi
Erffis
these variations, the un_
natural capture of the pawn closes the semi-open file, but conced.es the dS-square to the knighr. We should not torget that control of this square is Black s principai defensive resource in
the Westphalia.
ri
ffi .jkry6€
ffieffi
effi_
a
ffi ffi
Ab6-a4 Eeg-e6
Kffiryffi#ff# affirffi ffi
With
ffirw l
Ab,4xc3
*ffi3ffirffir
with .. .Afg_A+
ffirwr
'ffiryffiryffi*ffi A
wff.ffi-effi.i 211
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
EAAB
As always, Black is blockading on the squares. White has a slight initiative, but with correct play Black should not have any problems holding his posi-
1, 1,,
light
Ew
l I I it '',,., 'l 1...r. g t,,tt
AA
tion.
t,t a &h. AA g€A' AAA : E, tr
Pseudo-Westphalia
5. Acl-95
0-0 A)
E n-€.g ,ll{
8. Af1-d3
c5-c4
E6'ggt::'lll €€
il'
a
'''.a, :l. 1.;,,,.; AAANAA ALl
AIIAA
EW€4tr
Strangely, until a few years ago this highly natural move was considered to
'
A
ATA '.t., 6A A6 AA AAA E ':' Wr€ '" tr
And now the reason for the term be doubtful. It was thought that after 'pseudo' becomes clear: in the analoBlack's ...c7-c5 advance, the weak d5 gous position in the Westphalia proper pavrn (which results from cxd5 and (with ...Abd7 instead of ...0-0) White dxcS) was a significant factor. However, plays 9.4f5!. Here f5 is controlled by tournament play over recent years has the c8 bishop. demonstrated that the active piece play 9. Ad3-c2 Ab8-d7 that Black acquires is enough to balance 10. 0-0 Ab4xc3 things out. 11. b2xc3 Wd8-a5 There are some who prefer an immedi- Black has a satisfactory position. ate 5...c5, but given that rhis is almost always followed quickly by castling, B) 8. d4xc5! there is usually a transposition. Creating a position characterised by Also here it is important to remember contrasting static and dynamic features, that White often exchanges on d5 be- namely an isolated d-pawn and greater fore playing Ag5. In this case, after piece activity; ir is this interplay of op5.cxd5 exdS 6.495 0-0 (or 6...c5) you posing elements that makes chess so uanspose to the main
6. e2-e3 7. c4xd5 212
line.
c7-c5 e6xd5
enthralling.
L 9.
abS-d7 Ea1-c1
Queen's Gqmbit
with
..
.Af8-b4
superiority and extra parnm more than justify the exchange sacrifice.
E A
Es
*1...,.'..{\.,,:.rf*f ':'
*i :: ffi E
.Brrtt :::t:t:.:.:
$ A 81) 9. The safest bet, but of interest.
10. 11. 12. 13.
it
gdl-d4 Ab4xc3+ Wd4xc3 Ac5-e4 Ag5xf6 Wd8xf6 Wc3xf6 Ae4xf6
lrf
lr..'.t,ff
;1':.
an ac5
-. i!$,i
* n -, f
ui,:''.
:...1,.
'.
.,*
3t 'a..!: : Aiff
€4tr
Black's disadvantage
is not significant
enough for him to lose. However, he has zero chance of winning.
82) 9.
Wde-as
10. a2-a3!
After 10.9d2. the move 10...b61 is
:X AAA
Li-.1i:
.&a*.::
€ €W€A*iE
robs the position
E;:::::-€.:*, :,H,€a*
,..:
A
6d7xc5
*:.
It is no easy task to evaluate this position. Until now White's results have been great, but as is always the case, before long
a
remedy
will
be discovered.
Vienna Variation 5...dxc4
1. d2-d4
2. 3. 4. 5.
c2-c4 Ab1-c3 As1-f3 Ac1-95
d7-ds e7-e6
6g8-f6 gf8-b4
d5xc4 The most aggressive and most ambitious of the 5th move alternatives.
En-e.H&.r:: g
:l*. .,,:l*l i'l '.ii:,':;,l ffi li;: ,,r';.
Era '.-''.': a ,i'.6::: :li:j]:
::'','.';"
''A$A *, :,:a$a*
good: 11.c6 (11.cxb6? d4! with a disli.'.,'W€A*.E covered attack on the 95 bishop) I 1...d4! with unclear play. On the other hand, after 10...4xc3+ 5. d5xc4 l1.Exc3 Ae4 the rook is pinned, but Black concedes the centre, with the inthere is now 12.b4! Axc3 13.9a1! tention of attacking it with a ...c7-c5 Wa4 14.Wxc3 - White's dark-square push. 213
-
Chess Opening Essentiols
It
Volume
2
no surprise that in the 0's the Viennese master Ernst
comes as
19 3
The most recent idea: it 1
1.9h7.
employs
a
It is lmportant to
ab8-d7
and in a chaotic position such as this,
similar strategy.
Black wishes
gd8-f6
10.... 11. d4xc5
Gninfeld admired this line: he was the creator of the eponymous defence that
threatens
remember that
if
anything could happen.
to avoid 5.cxd5, which
will force him to adopt other defences, he must take the c4 pavm one move earlier. Indeed, after 4...dxc4 White has nothing better than 5.e4 Ab4 6.495, returning to the Vienna. 6. e2-e4 Naturally, White does not waste a second.
6.
c7-c5
B) 7. Aflxc4 This modern variation remains the number one choice.
7. L hf3xd4
c5xd4 Ab4xc3+
The most ambitious and the most played: Black is prepared to suffer on the dark squares in order to compromise White's pawn structure, and thus gain good endgame prospects.
A) 7. e4-e5 The old classical variation is now be-
8...WaS was the surprise choice of Anand in his 2008 match with
comin g fashionable again.
Kramnik, and thus we can safely assume
h7-h6 Simpler than the very old continuation 7...cxd4l? which, after 8.Wa4+ 6c6
it is better than previously thought.
7.
EdhA & :,.:l::
9.0-0-0 AaZ 10.4e4 Ae7 I 1.exf6 gxf6 1 2.9,h4 Ec8 1 3.€b
1
'|'rl
6a5, creates
an unclear position.
8.
0-0, with equality.
':::":'l.,:
h6xg5
10. Wd1-c2!?
2t+
g.
A.
cird HE
la
AAA A-,
..:..
r.'li:.'
Now White can choose from three variations to parry the threats on 95, c3 and e4:
iilf ,,I: ::j:l: I'. ETA .lii fi. :iiA,i::lll A.A F? .ts.
E
I l'l'l
A AAA El '.'ltg'€ ",:. E
trh8-g8
E;hABs E * I i:tr ll,1 I
i:r:
{EA
e5xf6 Or 8.4d2 Axc3 9.bxc3 6e4 10.Axc4
8. 9. f6xg7
gd8-a5
9. b2xc3
81)
A A. F? E.
10. ad4-b5 Karpov's move: it seems only natural to focus on the weak dark squares, but White's artificial piece placement allows Black to maintain the balance:
Queen's Gambit
10.
Without
6f6xe4!
...
fear.
10...0-0? is not advisable: I 1.Axf6 gxf6 12.Wga+ and the king's defences have been permanently compromised.
11. Ag5-fa
EAA s
E
r,,l *,r i* f
84:;,,
l.$
I
t
;:,
with
..
.€.f8-b+
ening 13.Ecl) 12...0-0 13.Wg4, and White appears to have a winning attack. 12. Eal-cl Wc3-a5 13. Ac4-b5+ The move 13.h4 is interesting. The idea is to develop the rook to d3 via h3. On the other hand l3.Axe6?, with the
intention of giving check on c8, is not playable because of 13...4xe6 14.6xe6 Wa6+. and Black wins. 13. ...
&e8-e7
*A:.tlAA '/1
n.:A
/\
AA Fil E
Str.fr EE
11.9d4 0-0! 12.Wxea a6 (winning back the piece because if the knight budges, we have 13...Wxc3+) 13.4e7! (th. *reat to the rook is less serious than the tlueat of 14.4b4) 13...axbS l+.A'b+ Wc7 15.Axf8 €xfS 16.4b3 Wxc3+ 17 .&eZ WUZ+ 18.€e3 Wc3+, with perperual check: a curiously frequent outcome in hlper-aggressive lines. 11. ... 0-0 12. 0-0 9c8-d7! '13. a2-a4
13.6c7?l e5 14.Axa8 exf4 15.9d5 Ac5 | gives Black
a
plus.
13.... 14.
gd1-s4
!d7-c6
and a certain degree of compensation on the dark squares is evident. Whether it is suffi.cient or not is another cuestion.
82)
10. 11.
Ag5xf6 €el-fl
Wa5xc3+ g7xf6
with check is dubious: 1 1...Wxc4+? 1 2.€g1 (threat-
Strangely, taking a piece
If 13...9d7?: 14.Ec8+: while 13...4d7? 14.Exc8+!* Exc8
Forced.
l5.Axd7+ €xd7? 16.4b3+ picks up the queen.
14. e4-e5! Brilliant-looking, but it leads to only a draw; while after other replies there is doubtful compensation for the pawn. f6xe5 14.... 15. wd1-h5 ab8-d7! 15...exd4? 16.Wg5+ f6 17.Wc5+ €f/ 18.4e8+ ExeS 19.Wxa5. 16.
Wh5-95+ €e7-f8
16...*d6 17.4e2! is too 16...*e8 I 7.Wxe5
riskv:
is even worse.
17. trc1xc8+ tra8xc8 18. Ab5xd7 Wa5-d8! A forced defence against the threat
of 19.Axe6+. 20.9f6+ and 21.4e6
checkmate. 215
-
Chess Opening Essenticls
Volume
2
19. Ad4xe6+! f7xe6 20. Wg5-h6+ €f8-f7 21. Wh6xe6+
EgE
T:lijr,'i1f$€::e.l ;€ *,W3,i, t,,i .,, * ff i:.
*ri,
€ *
x
:i::: ::a;,' "ii ,r:..:; :*
:g:,aff
iit€
tr
come an outpost for the black knight. However, the doubled f-pawas compromise king safety regardless of whether the king castles or seeks refuge on e7. A possible continuation would be:
r rith perpetual check.
83)
10. Ac4-b5+
The most frequent choice.
10....
Ac8-d7
It is strange that almost no
one plays 10...4bd7, as there is no refutation that
we know of, After 11.Axf6 Wxc3+l 12.€f1 gxf6 13.h4! (again with the idea of activating the rook via h3) 13...a6 t+.Eh3 Wa5 15.4e2, White certainly has obtained good compensation, but few would consider White to have an objective advantage. g7xf6 11. Ag5xf6 Now 11...Wxc3+? loses because of gc I -cd+.
12.9d1-b3
a7-a6
12...0-0!? is playable but risky as after 0-0 and c3-c4 the white queen is ready to transfer to 93 and h4.
The same goes for l2...Axb5!?: after 13.6xb5 0-0 14.0-0 Ac6 15.c4 Ead8 16.Wg3+ €h8 17.9h4 €g7, white can force a draw with l8.Wg3+ or continue to attack with f2-f4. 13. Ab5-e2 6b8-c6 14.0-0 Ba5-c7 216
Defending bZ andpreparing ...4a5. The position is interesting; the c3 pawn is weak and the c4-square could be-
15.
Ea1-d1
Ea8-c8
1s...0-0 !? 16.8d3 Ae5 17.Eg3+ Ag5 could be an improvement. 16. Wb3-a3 6c6-a5 17. Wa3-c1
t.. E..,:.€,.,:;
,ili:t.l
gA *
ti::+
I ll fi "* ::'':1 €,,
,1,:;
t
,.,,1
l*:
A€
,& lr,.
,E:
7,.,,,',
A*.] ?:...A$Aff :x wtrgtr
with the idea of Wh6. and White seems to have a dangerous initiative.
DautovrRustem'
'
Khalifualr"Alexander Berlin cup 2003 (2)
1.d4 eG 2.4 4lti 3.4f3 d5 4.4c3 Ab4 5.495 hG 6.AxfG gxf6 7.e3
Queen's Gombit
O-0 8.8c1 dxc4 9€xc4 c5 10.0-0 cxd4 11.6xd4 gd7 12.a3 Axc3 13.trxc3 6c6 14.6f3 trfd8 15.Wc2 EacS 16.Ec1 Ae5 17.4xe5 Wxe5 18.4d3 trxc3 19.Bxc3 Wxc3 20.trxc3
EcB
Vzt/z
Capablanca,Jose
Spielmann,Rudolf New York 1927 (13\
1d4 d5 2.6f3 eG g.c4 adT 4.6:c3 AgfS 5.4g5 Ab4 6.cxd5 exdS 7.Wa4 Axc3+ 8.bxc3 O-0 9,e3 c5 10.9d3 c4 11.4c2 Be7 l2.O-0 aG 13.Efe1 We6 14.4d2 b5 15.Wa5 Q.:e4 16.Axe4 dxe4 17,a4 gds 18.axb5 Wxg5 19.9xe4 gb8 20.bxa6 EbS 21.8c7 SsbG 22.a7 Ah3 23.Eeb1 trxb1+ 24.trxb1 f5
25.Arcil26.ext4
1-o
Moiseenko,Alerander fobava,Baadur Gothenburg Ech-a 2005 (7)
d5 2.c4 e6 3.4c3 gb4 4.4f3
1.d4 6fG 5.cxd5 exdS 6.4g5 O-0 7.e3 c5 8.9d3 c4 9.4b1 Axc3+ l0.bxc3 AbdT 11.Wc2 WaS 12.6d2 4le4 13,Axe4 dxe4 14.4h4 AbG 15.0-0 Ee8 16.4g3 ads 17.trc1 Wa3 18.9d2 gfs 19.f3 f6 2o.af2 b5 21.txe4 Axe4 22.9.xe4 trxe4 23.trab1 a5 24.Wb2 Bxb2 25.trxb2 Ab6 26.€f1 gf7 27.&e2 €eG 28.9f3 €d5 29.9a EaeS 30.tra1 €c6 31.a4 6xa4 32.trxa4 bxa4 33.9b4 a5 34.trxc4+ gbs 35.8c5+ €bG 36.trc4 tr4e6 37.trxa4 €b5 38.tra3 tra6 39.d5 a4 40.e4 €c4 41.Ag3 gd3 42.dG trdB 43.s5 €c2 44.c4 sb2 45.tre3 a3 46.gxf6 gxf6 47.e5 a2 48.exf6 trdxd6 49.4e5+
with .. .Af8-b4
€c2 50.tre2+ sbg 51.trb2+ €xc4 52.trxa2 trds+ 53.€e4 Exa2 5417
trt2
0-1
Grischuk,Alexander Morozevich,Alexander Mexico City 200i (5) 1.d4 AfG 2.c4 e6 3.af3 d5 4.6c3 Ab4 5.cxd5 exd5 5.495 6bd7 7.e3 c5 8.4d3 BaS 9.Wc2 c410.Af5 0-0 11.0-0 tre8 12.6d2 g6 13.4h3 €g7 14.Eae1 Qle4 15.hdxe4 dxe4 16.4f4 f5 17.f3 Af6 18.a3 Axc3 19.bxc3 hs 2$.gf2 Ad7 21.W93 WxcS 22.Ae5 Wxa3 23.fxe4 HxeS 24.ext1 Exf5 25.Axf5 Axf5 26.trxf5 EeB 27.tre5 gd6 28.trxe8 4xe8 29.9f3 b5 30.9b7+ o,c7 31.Wxa7 b4 32.e4 cS 33.e5 We7 34.Wb7 gh6 3s.trf1 c2 36.trc1 Sg5 37.trxc2 We3+ 38.trf2 4e6 39.Wxb4 Wcl+
40.trf18e3+41.€hl
1-0
Karpov,Anatoly Aronian,Levon Hoogeveen 2003 (3)
af6 2.c4 eG 3.afg d5 4.6c3 dxc4 5.e4 Ab4 6.995 c5 7.Axc4 cxd4 8.6xd4 Axc3+ 9.bxc3 SaS 10.4b5 6xe4 11.4f4 0-O 12.0-0 Ad7 13.a4 Ac6 14.4c7 bG 15.gd6 AxdG 16.Bxd6 a6 17.4c7 Wg5 18.W93 Bxg3 19.fxg3 Ea7 20.6xe6 1.d4
trc8 21.695 Ae8 22.trael hG 23.Exe8+ ExeS 24.trxt7 trxf7 25.Axf7+
€fg
26.Axe8 €xe8
27.2,e5 et7 28.6lc7 aS 29.&t2 6dl 30.€e3 6c5 31.&d4 6xa4 32.4d5 b5 33.6c7 b434.cxb4 axb4 35.€c4 6c3 36€xb4 Qse4 37.4b5 ad2 38.4d4 Afi 39.afg *f6 40.€c4
€f541.€ff€ga
Vz-1h
zt7
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
This defence is usually known as the Semi-Tarrasch. However, in some opening manuals it is called the Improved Tarrasch (3...c5!? players would not agree!), or in others, more correcdy, the Tarrasch Defence Deferred.
Postponing ...c7-c5 by a move completely changes the strategic nature of
E{hAtssA
E
ffirffi ffirffir ffiffi ffirffi ffi ffi $rerffi ffi ffiAffiffiffi ffi ffi ffiffiaffiffi Affi" ffiA ffiAgS ffi ffigffiAffitr
..-
t.
d7-d5 e7-eG
6b1-c3
6s8-f6
EffiAffi effi
ffirffi
ffirerffi
ffiffi rffiffi ffiffir ffiffi ffiffiAffi * ffiffi ffiffi AffiS AffiA: ffi
ffiAffi
Here White often continues
with
4. 6g1-f3 instead
and this gives Black the opportunity to play
c7-c5
and enter the Tarrasch Defence with the knights already developed on f3 and f6. 218
will
it is dubious
after 4.495, as we
see later.
$ 5. e2-e3 White contents himself with having an extra tempo in a symmetrical position. 6b8-c6
5.
The move 5...a6!? is worthv of consideration. The idea is ...dxc4 followed bv ...b5 and ...s,b7, and to take on d5 with the parnm if White plays 6.cxd5.
6.
a2-a3l
Affi effi Effi -;1€r' ffirffi ffirre I Affiffi rffi ffi# hr ffiffiffi m aa ]ltF a-$ ffi jtre gxaffi #&T tdl *€^ rt ?s ffi *sa c*#F
of the immediate 4.495,
4.
Tarrasch the draw rate is much higher. Remember that the advance ...c7-c5 is possible in the diagram position; however,
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3.
the game. This is because after cxdS, Black can take back with the knight and therefore avoid the isolated d5 pawn that characterises the Tarrasch proper. The game takes on a much more strategic nature and both colours run fewer risks: it is not surprising that the overall performance of the two sister defences are the same, however, in the Semi-
tr$**
+€F H2
ffis ffiAffi FI
Semi - Torras
Experience has taught us that this apparently unassuming move is the most insidious. The aim is to expand on the
queenside with dxc5, b+ and AbZ. 6.cxd5 transposes to Variation B after 6...4xd5, or to the Tarrasch proper after 5...exdS. a7-a6 6. The natural 5...9d6 loses a tempo, unlike in the main line. 6...cxd4 is the
principal alternative, after which White can play a promising Thrrasch with reversed colours by playing 7.exd4: after 7 ...4e7 , the move that offers the most
is 8.c5, which seeks to exploit the queenside pawn majority.
it is worth noting that this position is often reached via the Panov Attack against the
Caro-Karl!
7. d4xc5
L b2-b4
9f8xc5 Ac5-d6
ch Defence
EffiAggffi
ruf ffi .l,-:Ff tf {[tf gl]$rffi $t $A,:ii* 1:r'l fi*; i& * #
W ffi AA
ir*ai*$i A A.A
#s
aiilittr
5...exdS transposes to the Tarrasch, while 5...cxd4 (very reminiscent of the Schara-Hennig) is probably better than its reputation: 6.9a4*l AdZ Z.Wxd+ exdS 8.Axd5 Wa5+ 9.4c3 Ac6, with compensation which may not oblectively be sufficient, but in practice Black has scored well with this line.
81) 6. s2-s3
This is more natural than the playable
Giving a 'Cataian' quality to the game. The resulting positions are often
6...9a/.
reached through the English Opening.
9. Ac1-b2
0-0
10. 11.
Ac8-d7 Ea8-cB Ac6-e5!
Wdl-c2
Ea1-d'1
12.9j1-e2
6. 7. Af1-g2
6b8-c6 Af8-e7 After 7...4db4!?. the best would
seem
to be 8.e3 !.
8. 0-0 9. e2-e4
0-0
9.Axd5 exd5 takes us into a type of Tarrasch without knights on c3lf6: it is not so clear who stands better, but performance results favour Black. After l0.dxc5 Axc5 11.4g5, theory states that Black maintains equality with the strange move
1
1...9d71.
ad5-b6 most however, both The combative; 9...4db4!? and 9...4xc3 are possible. 10. d4-d5 l0.dxc5 has some venom, yet it is not the perfect choice if you play for a win. 9.
with a complex position with
chances
for both sides.
B)
5.
c4xd5
Af6xd5
219
-
Chess Opening Essenticls
10. 11.
... e4xd5
Volume
2
e6xd5
6c6-b4
Eia,.Eg E &i::', .*l ,,.i:,,tgf *f ,,:,'::,: fi ::* ,l *tl t* .
n
A ::,':..
,\ L/)
..
AA
tr ag
.
/\ . q)
:,':,,
9. Ac1-d2 10. Wdlxd2
A as
AAA
tr€
Ab4xd2+ 0-0
11. Afl-c4! Supporting a possible d4-d5. 11. ... 6b8-c6
After 11...ad7 12.0-0 b6
6d5xc3
has
an edge; Black is applying less pressure on White's centre compared to the
Griinfeld, and the possibility of d4-d5 and the creation of a dangerous passed pawn is always on the cards.
12.0-0 13. tra1-d1 14. trf1-e1
b2xc3
13.Ead1
AUz t+.Efel Ec8 15.Ab3, white
e2-e4
The most ambitious. 6. 7.
ous, but Black's resources should not be underestimated.
',.:..'
12. 6f3-e1! Ae7-f6 13. Acl-e3 Af6xc3 14. b2xc3 6b4xd5 15. Ae3xc5 Ef8-e8 16. gdl-d4 and White is slightly better off
BD 6.
9.9.c4 b5!? 10.Ae2 (the pawn cannor be taken because of the check on b5) 10...4b4+ l1.Ad2 Wa5 12.d5! exd5 13.exdS 6eZ 14.0-0 Axd2 15.6xd2 0-0, the d-pawn appears to be danger-
b7-b6
9c8-b7 Ac6-a5
Trying to prevent the pawn advancing to d5.
15. Ac4-d3 tra8-c8 16. d4-d5! e6xd5 17. e4-e5!
I A 7.
c5xd4
The b4-square needs to be vacated; after 7...Q)c6? 8.d5t. whire has a clear advantage.
8. c3xd4
9f8-b4+
The most common. Also 8...6c6 should be considered, lf for no other reason than Fischer olayed it! After zz0
17. 18.
...
6a5-c4
gd2-f4 With the idea of AxhT+ and Ag5+ White
has a dangerous attack.
Semi - Tarros
83) 6. e2-e3 The most solid.
;r{#,i{lri
E Egie
H rsi$i $*rrur
*
^t*rg*
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-A-t\ ,t*'t4)
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A.5
€
fill
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$ffa $ffe a#$ J\ ":ll: "." (4.
ffi€il;*
r$r ra
ffi
ffi* ffiia*
Ab8-c6
6.
ch Delence
,
"i
.....
;*
r
:--:.1
.:i
*:i; :.*ta '*r!l ii:it A,.. t4)
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12. wd1-d3
.-r\.. A 'f\
tJAAl
12.4e5 Ac6!?. 12....
€W€A=.:rtr
g7-gG
The move 12...h6 is also playable.
7. gf1-d3
13.
After Botvinnik's 7.4c4, Black usually replies with 7...cxd4 8.exd4 Ae7, or otherwise with S...4b4, which produces positions that can be reached by
rvay of the Panov Attack and the Nimzo-Indian. 7. c5xd4 -\lso here, Black prefers to create a typical isolated queen's pawn position.
8. e3xd4
Af8-e7
The alternative 8...4b+ transposes to the PanovAttack in the Caro-Kann. 9. 0-0 0-0 '10.
10.a3
trfl-el
is also played a lot: 10...9f6
11.4e4 Waer r2.gd3
h6
t3.Ed1
Ad7, wlth a balanced posirion. 10.... Ae7-f6 The most natural: besides controlling e5, it vacates e7 for the knight. 11. Ad3-e4 ...
6c6-e7
Reinforces d5 and supplies further pro-
tection to the kingside. l2.Ags! Axg5 13.Axg5 White is slightly better.
Af6-g7
14. 15.
wd3-d2!? ad5-f6! tra1-d1!? Af6xe4
16.6c3xe4
E Eg E€ #rli' ffirHr
I* *ra
-t..i,i A ',.* & *lrtg#at*n, AA AAA =
a
:ii':trE
and White keeps a small but unpleasant advantage.
Rotlewi,Georg Rubinstein Akiba
Preparing Wd3.
11.
Ac1-h6
Black is cramped, and therefore it is appropriate to seek to exchange off the bishops.
If
11...9d6 t+.asl,
6fo
Lodz 1907
1.d4 d5 2.6ltge6 3.c4 c5 4.e3 6lc6 5.6c3 Af6 6.dxc5 AxcS 7.a3 a6 8.b4 gd6 9.9b2 (}-0 10.9d2 We7
11.9d3 dxc4 12.Axc4 b5 139d3 221
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
Edg 14.We2 gb7 15.0-0 Ae5 16.6xe5 Axe5 17.t4 A:c7 18.e4 EacS 19.e5 Ab6+ 20.sh1 4lg4 21.Ae4 Wh4 22.93 ExcS 23.gxh4 trd2 24.Wxd2 Axe4+ 25.992 Eh3 0'1
9xg6 36.€e5 €f7 37.€d6 b5 38.b4 €f6 39.g5+ hxg5 40.fxg5+ gxgS 41.€xe6 €f4 42.€d5 €e3 43.€c5 1-0
Spassky,Boris
Fischer,Robert
Zukertort,Johannes
Steinitz,wilhelm St Louis
Wch-match 1886 (7)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.4c3 Af6 4.e3 c5
5.4f3 Ac6 6.a3 dxc4 7.Axc4 cxd4 8.exd4 Ae7 9.0-0 O-0 10.Ae3 Ad7 11.Wd3 Ec8 'l2.Eac1 Sa5 13.4a2 trfdg 14.trfe1 Ae8 15.4b1 g6 16.We2 Af8 l7.Eedl Ag7 18.Aa2 oie7 19.9d2 Wa6 20.As5 Afs 21.94 6xd4 22.Qsxd4 e5 23.6d5 Excl 24.Wxc1 exd4 25.trxd4 6xd5 26.trxd5 Exd5 27.Axd5 €e2 28.h3 30.We3 Wd1+ 31.€h2 Ac6 32.4e7 AeS+ 33.f4
Reykjavik Wch-match lg72 (g)
1.d4 af6 2.4 e6 3.4f3 d5 4.4c3 c5 5.cxd5 Q:xdl 6.e4 €rxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 AcG 9.4c4 b5 10.Adg ab4+ 11.ed2 axd2+ 12.wxd2 a6 13.a4 0-0 14.8c3 Ab7 15.axb5
axbS 16.0-0 gb6 17.trabl b4 18.9d2 6xd4 19.4xd4 Bxd4 20.trxb4 Wd7 21.9e3 trfd8 22.Htb1
9xd3 23.Wxd3 trxd3 24.trxb7 gE 25.trb8+ trxb8 26.trxb8+ €g7 27.f3 E'd228.h4 h6 29.hxg5 hxgS Vztlz
h6 29.4c4 gfg
axf4+ 34.Bxf4 Bh1+ 35.*g3 Wgl+ Goloschapov,Alexander
Golod,Vitali Germany Bundesiiga 2006/07 (8)
1.d4 Af6 2.c4 eG 3.4f3 d5 4.4c3 c5 5.cxd5 6xd5 6.93 cxd4 7.Axd5 Bxd5 8.Wxd4 gbs 9.e4 Wb4+ 10..Ad2 6cG 11.Wxb4 Axb4 12.8c1 axd2+ 13.€xd2 €e7 14.ab5 gd7 15.trc5 a6 16.AxcG AxcG 17.€e3 trhc8 l8.trhcl Ad7 19.trc7 €dg 20.Exc8+ trxc8 21.trxc8+ AxcS 22.&d4 t6 23.4d2 bG 24.6c4 &cl 25.e5 ad7 25.s4 ac6 27.6d6 €d7 28.f4 Ads 29.a3 hG 30.6e4 €e7 31.h4 fxe5+ 32.€xe5 Axe4 33.€xe4 €f6 34.h5 g5 35.hxg6 222
Krasenkow,Michal Lopez Martinez,Josep Manuel Spain
tt 2007 (s)
1.4f3 af6 2-c,4 eG 3.d4 d5 4.4c3 c5 5.cxd5 hxdS 6.e4 6xc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 gb4+ 9.4d2 Axd2+ 10.Bxd2 0-O 11.4c4 bG 12.d5 6a6 13.dxe6 fxe6 14.€xd8 trxd8 15.€e2 19.9h4 trac8 20.trf4+ €g8 2t.Ae5 22.trc1 €xc4 23.trxc4 gd1 24.trd4 Eal 25.trd2 tre1+ 26.He2 trdl 27.t9 trcd8 28.trc2 tre1+ 29.He2 tredl 30.94 6d3 31.6xd3 tr8xd3+ 32.&t2 tr1d2 33.e5 Exe2+ 34.€xe2 tra3 35.Hc4 Exa2* 36.€e3 EaS 37.8c8+ 9h738.f4 trcS 39.tre8 Ec6 40.f5 exfS 41.gxfS b5 42.e6 trcl 43.€d4 Ee1 44.tra8 b4 45.Hxa7 Ed1+ 46.gc,4 Efl 47.e7 Ec1* 48.€b3trc849.fG 1-0
9a6
Semi - Torrqs
I,:hTftTH:1i 1.d4 d5 2.eA eG s.Afg
6f6 4.6c3 c5
ch Delence
9e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.a3 cxd4 10.exd4 9f6 11.tre1 Ad712.Ee4 trc8 13.h4 6ce7 14.4d2 gb6 15.trb1 afs 16.4e5 Axe5 17.dxe5 AcG
5.cxd5
18.Axd5 Axd5 19.9b4
8.exd4 Ae7 9.0-0 0-0 10.tre1 6f6 11.a3 a6 12.4g5 b5 13.9a2 Ab7 14.Wd3 b4 15.6a4 WaS 15.9xf6 Axf6 17.4c5 Wc7 18.tracl bxa3 19.bxa3 trfd8 20.4xe6 fxe6 21.Exe6 €hB 22.9b1 1-o
20.We2 trfe8 21.tre1 AcG 22.tr9a
Mamedyarov,shakhriyar PinterJozsef
,.oi%il T.iL'Z'"s.ars d5 4.6c3 c5 5.cxd5 4xd5 6.e3 6c6 7.9d3
gd7
23.Ac3 gG 24.h5
Wc7 EcdB
25.trc2 697 26.hxg6 fxg6 27.trd1
gf7
2s.Ad2 trds 29.Ag5 gbs
30.8e3 Wc7 31.9b3 Exe5
32.Wxa7 tre2 33.AfG Efg 34.sd4 6f5 35.Ac3 4lg7 36.9d4 Eexf2 37.Axe6+ ghg 38.gd6 BxdG 39.Exd6 trfl+ 40.€h2 9e8 41.g,b4 bS 42.a4 h5 43.axb5 €h7 44.b6 gf7 45.gxg7 *xg7 46.8d7 Hf6 47.trxt7+ EGxf748.Axf7 1-o
223
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
game that may not be to the taste of a conservative positional player. Even after 5.e3 the continuations can be tactically complex as we will see when we examine the Meran Variation; all of which explains the increasing popular-
ity of the
EAgEsA E f l '; r',: I fl
means
Semi-Slav as an effective for Black to play for the full
point.
Kasparor-'s patronage
Before we go further, we should examine the variarions in which Black delays the development of the king's knight.
3.
d7-d5 e7-e6
6b1-c3
For 3 .Af3 please consult page 3.
AEggAA ll ltl I I
After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Lc3 Lfe +.LfZ c6 you have the starting position of the Semi-Slav. Naturally this is only one of
E
several move sequences that arrive at this position. The pawn moves ...e7-e6
224
17
0.
E
&
and...c7-c6 can be played in reverse or-
there the move ...dxc4 has the sole aim of developing the c8 bishop to f5. However, in the Semi-Slav if White does nor immediately play 5.e3, he runs the risk of not being able to take the c4 pawn, and he will have to play a double-edged
the
importance.
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4
der either after or before . ..af 6. The Semi-Slav is characterised by the pawn triangle c6-d5-e6: like a Colle with reversed colours. However, here the aim is not to push the pawn to e5, which in general leaves Black with an inferior position; instead Black seeks to create queenside counterplay with ...dxc4. This also occurs in the Slav, but
of
defence has been of significant
q)
/\ANAAAA /\
tr
/\ /\ /\
21
gwgaatr
Black already 'threatens' to take on c4 and to then support the extra pawn with ...b5; this is not the case with the Slav. Here there is a pawn already on e6, and therefore Black has the resource of
...4U+. A solid White player, when with the diagram position, will be
faced
tempted to play 4.e2-e3.If Black replies
a...Og8 f6 we will probably see the Meran. However, Black has the extra option of +...f1-fStZ, producing a varia-
Semi-Slqv Defence
4. 5. 6c3xe4 6. Acl-d2
tion of the Dutch which is favourable because the
cl
bishop's path is blocked
by the e3 pawn. Needless to say, White can avoid risky play by simply exchanging pawns with 4.c4xd5 which, after 4...e6xd5, transposes to the Exchange Yariation of the Queen's Gambit Declined; however,
d5xe4
Af8-b4+
according to theory 6.Q\c3 c5 should give Black easy equality.
this may not be part of the white
6. 7. Ad2xb4
Wd8xd4
EaA w
AE
:Iif
player's normal repertoire.
Besides +.of3, which we will look at next, there is an increasingly popular alternative: the aggressive 4.e2-e4l?.
t,,,.
Wd4xe4+
::a::: l:l:,:,f
ll
:;.
',1t.,
t;l]::,,:
,,.,.l,,.'
rl f
AA g
&,€4.E,
,.,,,,:.:,,
rt. *
rrB :*llW€lAA.g
'.1,,1,.
AA
I .t I
It is scary to , '.:
tt:t, A .tr
'r ZIAA.
€.4fitr
Marshall-Alekhine Gambit
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. Ab1-c3 4. e2-e4
d7-d5 e7-e6 c7-c6
This move was frequently played by the
American champion Frank lv{arshall at the beginning of the 20th century, and then later by the Franco-Russian World Champion Alexander Alekhine. At first, it would appear to be the most natural of moves, but in reality we are dealing with a pawn sacrifice. The thing that is
surprising is that after a century of study we have not yet fully examined the many extreme consequences that arise as a result of this move.
AAA
create these dark-square
weaknesses, but a pawn is a pawn.
8.
Af1-e2 The consequences of 8.4e2 are still not fully understood: 8...6a6 (the most played) 9.Af8l? Ae7 (the bishop is immune from caDture due to checkmate
on dS) 10.4xg7, and now chess
after
or
10...hb41?, not even the engines agree on who is better.
10...trgS
L
Ab8-a6 The move 8...c5 is also occasionally played so as to tactically exploit the bishop's presence on c5 after 9.Axc5 Wxg2 10.4f3 Wgs 11.4d6 or 11.4a3, with an unclear game. Black's other alternatives, though not demonstrated to be unsound, are not played anymore.
9. gb4-d6 This is currently considered to be the critical line. 9.4c3 is a playable alternative, while after 9.4a5 b6 10.Wd6 gd7 I l.Ac3 f6, Black defends successfully.
9.
We4xg2 225
-
Chess Opening Essentiols
Volume
2
Ciearly risky but this appears to be good. The solid 9...e5 will see White
with the 11
advantage
after l0.Af3 Ag+
,0-0 0-0-0 12.b4!. 10. gd1-d2!
Preparing to castle queenside.
6g8-f6!
10....
The greedy 10...Wxh1? loses as there is
I I .0-0-0
(threatening
11...We4 12.4e7!1. 11. Ae2-f3
12.0-0-0
I Z.Af3 )
Wg2-g6 e6-e5!
If White takes on e5, Black will have given up a pawn in order to castle kingside. However, White can choose to maintain the tension and play:
13.691-e2
Ac8-e6
Noteboom Variation
4.
d5xc4
tempt to transpose into
gives Wh ite suffi ci ent compensation. Another possibility is to play in Catalan
6g1-f3
Here Black can reply with the normal
+...4f6. which we will discuss Otherwise. there is also
d5xc4!?
soon.
style with 5.g3, but also here after s...bs 5.492 gb7 7.0-o ad7, white still has to prove he has received enough compensation for the pawn.
gf8-b4
5.
AE
lr
fiAg&.,.,.A E l'''11:t.. 'i:.,4I I I E
ll
iltl:::.:,!
'f' A df
726
the
Anti-Meran line if Black plays 5...4f6. However, after 5...f6 followed by ...b5, it is not clear if the weakening of e6
d7-d5 e7-e6 c7-c6
Now we will examine
4.
solid 4.Wc2.
White usually stops ...b7-b5 with 5. a2-a4 The move 5.4g5!? is an interesting at-
could happen.
4.
satisfactory, which explains the popularity of the previously discussed Marshall Gambit +.e+. Another popular way of avoiding the Noteboom is 3.4f3 (instead of 3.2c3) followed by the
Let's return to
followed by ...0-0-0, and now anything
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. 6b1-c3
usually known as the Noteboom, but in some books it is called the Abrahams Yariation. Black tries to hang on to his extra pawn, or at least to create - as in the main line - two dangerous passed pawns on the a- and b-files. This is a risky strategy: the price is to concede the centre and compromise king safety. However, Black's results are more than
:.,, A A
a lt.
AATA :' a.l.'fl..-'i'
A, A.A.A A E AW€A.., E
Semi
The defining move of this variation: it prepares the defence of the c4 pawn
with the advance ...b5. 6. e2-e3 6.e4 appears to be natural, but the e-pawn may become weak. After 6...b5 7.Aez Afe s.Wcz Abz. white's results have been disappointing.
b7-b5
6.
7.
9c1-d2
Attacking b5.
a7-asl The old move 7...We7 is now a rarity; nevertheless. after 8.axb5 Axc3 9.Axc3 cxbs (threatening ...b4) 10.d5! af6! 11.d6! wUZ t2.B abdz 13.bxc4 b4 14.9d4 a5, Black's position seems 7.
12. b3xc4 b5-b4 13. Ac3xf6 Otherwise the d5 pawn will fall.
Wd8xf6 Not 13...gxf6?l 14.6d4 exd5 15.c5!, and White is ahead. 14. wdl-a4+ ab8-d7 15. af3-d4 e6-e5 The courageous 15...€e7 16.d6+ €xd6 17.trd1 is perhaps playable, but few players would feel comfortable with their king so exposed to attack. 16. ad4-b3 €e8-e7! With the knight no longer pinned Black can finish development. 17. 9j1-e2 Eh8-c8 18.0-0 13....
promising.
8. a4xb5 9. Ad2xc3
-Slov Defence
g;* ;iti rl;* A$lriiiA r$r :i:. l;il} 'iti }C A.* t A it; *.':: ;i *3i Alilfir :ffi 1iit.,.1 i:itA A
Ab4xc3 c6xb5
Ir i;::
E
10. b2-b3 Winning back the pawn
as Black cannot play I 0...b4 without losing it. 10. ... Ac8-b7
..';.
,.,,,.
NE
;driil
.:
tr
Defending the a8 rook, and preparing the ...b5-b4 push: the central theme of the Noteboom.
A)
11.
d4-d5!?
6s8-f6
If ll...f6? l2.bxc4 b4 l3.Axb4!.
the
check on a4 wins back the piece now that c6 is nrotected.
As you can see, the position is very complex: the white pawn duo in the centre are a threat and the uncastled black king is out in the open and subject to attack, in particular after the push f2-f4. However, if Black survives the storm in the middlegame, his two passed queenside pawns - for the time being well blockaded by White - could prove to be a decisive factor; as supported by Black's satisfactory performance. Needless to say, with such a position there is a below-average draw rate. LL/
Chess Opening Essentiols
B)
-
Volume
2
3. 6b1-c3 4. 691-f3
11. b3xc4
fi B&'' 4'E' '. I l.l A',,. ,.:.. ,,1 ,' .:, .
IA/nAr\ A E
:: ..
t\
. .:.. :
Meran) or 5.4c1-g5 (Anti-Meran).
t4)
,-.'.:p$p
c7-c6
and we now have the diagram position at the beginning of this section. As we said, Black is planning ...dxc4, and nine times out of ten White continues with 5.e2-e3 (usually leading to the
:
i'1.,
Ag8-f6
'.':
However, before discussing those, we should take a glance at some minor lines worthy of mention.
g
Ac3-b2 gf1-d3 0-0
$
5.
12. Ag8-f6 13. ab8-d7 14. 0-0 15. Ef1-e1 Preparing the advance e3-e4 is the most
Usually played out of fear: White does not want a theoretically complex duel and simplifies
natural. After 15.4d2 (with the idea 1 6.f4), Black equalises with 1 5...e5 !.
With the c8 bishop's path blocked, it does not seem such a hot idea to play
15.
...
Af6-e4!
This scores very well (though the discovery of a remedy may be just around the corner). 1 5...Ee8, preparing the advance ...e6-e5, has few supporters now. 15...Wc7 16.e4 e5 17.c51 exd4 18.Ec1
Ae5 19.c6 gives White a promising initiative. 16.
Bd1-c2
f7-f5!
This move is definitely the product of
the contemporary approach to
the
game. Black remains unconcerned about the weak e6 pawn and puts his faith in his piece activity. For example, after 17.c5 Ac6 18.4c4 We7 19.9b3 €h8!, capturing on e6 is weak as there is 1 9...6cxe5!, and White has a plus.
Let's now return to the normal Semi-Slav wlth...hf6.
1. d2-d4
2. c2-c4 zz8
d7-d5 e7-eo
c4xd5
e6xd5!
5.
5...cxd5, and transpose to the SIav Exchange Yariation. After the e-pawn has
been taken we are in the Exchange Yariation of the Queen's Gambit Declined in which White can no longer play the line with Age2.
B) 5. gd1-b3
E|lAEsA I 1",' :,' |t
l I ra
.'
Wh
5.
1
AA2\ 2{
AA F? A
.H.5-
E
a.:,.,
6.,:..,
AAAA .firi g&
eF?
d5xc4
Black chooses to play actlvely, counting on taking advantage of the exposed
white queen.
Semi-Slov Def.ence
6. Wb3xc4 7. Wc4-d3
b7-b5
ter Oleg Romanishin.
The latest fashion. It is now often played
of the standard 7.9b3, which has allowed Black to score well after instead
7...abd7 8.495 c5!.
7. 8. e2-e4 9. 6c3-a4 10. b2-b3
Ab8-d7 b5-b4 Wd8-a5
9c8-b7
5.
*€1
b7-b6!?
ffi-€. gsffi
H
*ffir#r
hl;l -g* **rffii ** ! )A{ ::--€ '-1,
rffi
*g
re€#ffi
,\: K v\ s*#a* A 21, wag:*agsi ,S 0
6. 7.
e2-e4 b2-b3
,...' H
Ac8-a6 b6-b5!
Here Black should be fairly pleased.
D) 5.
g2-g3
EffiA#tsffi iffi rffi ffir#r ffirffi#rffi ffi
ffirffi ffi ffi#Affi ffi ffi ffi ffiaiffi ir -9{: l:"r- 11 :fi.
A -fJ
i;n
6. Afl-g2
Ab8-d7
Stopping Ae5.
b7-b5
Acl-g5!?
Instead of the usual 8.e4.
This defence of c4 is somewhat unnatural, but the idea is also to support e4.
K
on c4; however, here we are looking at a true gambit.
8.
c) s. gd1-d3
*r
5. d5xc4 In the Open Catalan (the line with an early ...dxc4) the knight is still on bl, and thus it is easy to win back the pawn
7. 0-0
and both sides have chances.
I E f&
A speciality of the Ukranian grandmas-
A -A-"
..rk
11
ffisffia# tr
8. 9. a2-a4
9c8-b7 Wd8-b6
After 9...b+ l0.he4!, the point of 8.4g5 becomes clear. 10. Af3-e5
Effi ffi@g* €:
a'*ffia#* r;ilF r ffirffira( sff r*sffiw affirffi *;*g$ffi
ffi $a* ffi ffiAffiAffi essffitrffi
Black is not only under pressure, but also behind in development. However, the extra pawn on the queenside gives
him excellent endgame prospects. As is so often the case with gambits, it is difficult, if not impossible, to objectively assess the amount of compensation that has been obtained; usually assertive claims - either for or against - are the result of a prejudiced evaluation. When we use inconclusive annotations such as unclear position, we are aware that we run the risk of frustrating readers who are looking for a more certain opinion. 229
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
However, often these non-committal diagram position was seen for decades, evaluations are the only appropriate but everybody played the natural comment, and they correspond nor 5...4b8-dZ or 5...4f8-eZ. only to the complexity of the position The connibution of the great Soviet in question, but also to rhe highly championwastoappreciatethepowerof complex nature of chess in general. 5. d5xc4!
Anti-Meran 5.4g5
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. 6b1-c3 4. 691-f3 5. €c1-95
d7-d5 e7-e6
698-f6 c7-co
In fact, this move had been played before by Stahlberg, Grunfeld and Euwe. However, it was only Botvinnik, in several games played in the 1940's and '50's, who made clear the continuation's potential for Black.
A mountain of theory has been created with the study of this move in recenr years. It is played with great frequency at all levels, and it produces positions that are among the most interesting
and
6. e2-e4
7. e4-e5 8. Ag5-h4 9. Af3xg5! 10. Ah4xg5 11. e5xf6
b7-b5 h7-ho g7-g5 h6xg5!
ab8-d7 Acg-b7
complicated in all opening theory. In particular with 5...dxc4 the scale and depth of analysis is such that we can do no more than make an introductory examination here. At this point, we musr make a brief digression to discuss the variation's no-
menclature. Recently it has become widespread to use the term Botvinnik System for all the positions that arise after 5.4g5. This is historically unjusti- If we now do a pawn counr, it is White fied. The Botvinnik System is a gambit who is a pawn up; rherefore... 5.Ag5 that is played by Black - not White! The does not sacrifice a pawn - it wins one! 230
Semi
The move 5.e2-e3, which usually leads
ro rhe Meran after 5...4bd7 6.4d3 dxc4, has always been the most popular
choice, and therefore
it is logical that
the move 5.4c1-g5 was usually labelled the Anti-Meran: the name which seems to be the most accurate. After 5.4c1-g5 Black can choose from two independent variations; ignoring 5...abdi, which after 6.e3 WaS transposes to the Cambridge Springs Defence, which we will look at later; and 5...4e7, which leads to a line of the
Orthodox Defence in which Black has prematurely played ...c7 -c6. Now White can achieve a good position with 6.e3 0-0 7 .Wc7t abdT 8.Edl. We will now discuss the two independent lines available to Black: 5...h7-h6 and 5...d5xc4.
D
6. Ag5xf6
-Slqv
Def ence
Wd8xf6
EAA EA
E
:tirr;*r ,,..ti.l*
l$
*li,tir,, Xf t; *
'1::,;:t'
AA
*: fi. ;141,r:l AA AAAA ili.i:ig
Al':iir:ltr
Black has the two bishops. In compensation, White has a slight space advantage and a small lead in development.
7.
e2-e3
The most natural. An interesting substi-
tute is to play 7.g3 in Catalan fashion, but Black equalises with 7...6d7 8.Agz dxc4 9.0-0 e5.
It may be worth considering 7.9b3, Moscow Variation 5...h6
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
d2-d4 c2-c4 6b1-c3 6g1-f3 Ac1-g5
d7-d5 e7-e6
698-f6 c7-c6 h7-ho
with the idea of advancing e2-e4 without having to worry about ...4b4+. 7. ab8-d7 gf1-d3 8. d5xc4 It is also possible to play 8...96 or 8...9d8. However. with rhe rwo bishops it is probably wiser to open up the position.
9. Ad3xc4
And now we have the critical question of what to do with the bishop: retreat it to h4 and sacrifice a pawn, or take on f6 and be left
with only one bishop?
g7-go
Better than 9...9d6, when the bishop would be subject to e4-e5. 231
Chess Opening Essentiols
10.0-0
-
Volume
2
n .:.'.€ E. la l
Af8-97
E
11. Wd1-c2 1
1.e4 e5 gives Black
a
satisfactory
I
game.
11. ... 0-0 Is White better or has Black equalised? The answer probably lies somewhere
.r:ti
n A a-lfl
between the two!
B)
lll
Igf A.i::w& A
/t\ UZ)
tr€A tr
With uncertain compensation for
EaAEsA E I l' I la I ll
IAA 6AA AA AAAA
is soon in the public eye. The associated each
trggE
new top-level tournament, in which the line almost inevitably appears. The the-
ory for 6.4h4 is still evolving and it will be well some time before it is fullv
9.
9...b+
examined. 6.
7. e2-e4
d5xc4! 97-95
the
pawn.
Mexico City. Any line played at this level
theory continues to grow with
E
i1 5A
6. Ag5-h4
Until a few years ago this was considered to be a gambit of dubious merit; nowadays, it is increasingly popular and well respected. Comment enough is that it was played a good 5 times (4 draws and I black victory) in the 2007 World Championship tournament in
.A
1
1
.Ae5
is too risky: !
Afe
Ac8-b7 10.Q)a4 6xe4
t Z.AcS ! is too risky.
10. 0-0!
7...b5 8.e5 transposes to the Botvinnik Variation. 8. b7-b5
At the time of writing, this move has clearly overtaken the old main line
Here we see a real parnm sacrifice: White puts his faith in his nice centre
but the line 10...g4 11.4e5 h5 12.0-0 abdT 13.Wc2 Axe5 14.Axe5 Ag7 1 5.Ead 1 is yet to be fully explored. 10.... ab8-d7 11. 6f3-e5! Clearing the way for the f2 parnm and increasing control of the ga- and
Aha-93
and the effectiveness of oavm breaks on d5 and h4.
L Afl-e2 The number one choice. However, the immediate 9.6e5 is a very interesting second choice: 9...9'b7 (9...h5!? 10.h4 94 1 1.4e2 AUZ transposes to the 10.h4line in the following note) 10.h4 94 rl.Axg4! Axg4 12.Wxg4 Wxd4
l5.gcll. 237
10.h4, which has lost a lot of its appeal,
h5-squares.
1. ... Af8-g7 The ambitious 11...h5 is also a popular 1
choice: after 12.6xd7 WxdT 13.4e5 Ehe t+.Wct, we have a critical position;
Semi
it is not easy to say which of Black's possible replies is best: 1a...trg6, 1+...69+, 1+...4}.7 or 14...c5.
12.6e5xd7
14. trf1-e1!
In anticipation of the e-file opening. It is difficult to say to what extent White's initiative compensates for the pawn.
E *s. ;a#affir
E"
Botvinnik System 5...dxc4
ffirffirffi rwg*t t
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. 6b1-c3 4. 691-f3 5. Acl-95
KTffiAffi ffi a::"9 A.A' j'AAA*
d7-d5 e7-e6
698-f6 c7-c6
d5xc4
Black shows his intention of supporting the pawn with ...b5. Now White's most logical move is
ffisffitrf$
From a positional point of view, the most appropriate move. However, recently some top players have experimented with the extraordinary 12.Q)xf7 l?: after 1 2...&xf7 1 3 .e5 Ad5 14.8)e4 €e7 1s.ad6 WUo t6.A94, at {irst glance it would seem that White has not obtained enough compensation for the piece, but in fact he has. 12.... 6f6xd7 If the queen recaptures, White continues with e5 and Ae4, with a good ini-
6.
e2-e4
which attacks c4 and threatens e4-e5.
ETiAffi€' s.
I t,,"- r*, ;:
r- -Xr ;' --.$'l.'" ra' .-'-" ... illt
"'
,.,_""1.4.
Kffi# Affiffi
ffi
13. As3-d6 Stopping Black from castling. 13.... a7-aG In preparation for a future ...c6-c5
E# ge ffi€ ffiEffiAffi r# rffir# r ffi$rn
$6rw ffi $ **rffia ffiffi !is* **ffis* Affi #sA ffiAffi HH1 g.$a
.
:
,u.uit*
A *!i*
q..-'.
ffi'a
ffisffi "e- :-::
6. 7. e4-e5
tiative.
ffi$wffi
-Slov Defence
b7-b5
7 .a4l? is an interesting alternative that has litde theory attached to it. After 7...9b6 or 7...Abl rhe positions are
too complex to be evaluated easily. 7.
L Ag5-h4 9.
h7-h6 s7-s5
hf3xg5
This pseudo-piece sacrifice is the strongest move. Now and then the gambit
9.exf6 pops up: 9...gxh4 10.4e5 (threatening | 1.6xf7) 1 0...Wxf6 1.a4 (1 1.g31?) 1 1...c5! 12.6)94!? We7 I 3.dxc5 AbZ, with an unclear game. 1
233
Chess Opening Essentiols
9.
-
Volume
2
h6xg5
The exchange sacrifice g...6dS is intriguing, but probably unsound. However, with lines as complex as this one improvements are always possible. After
1o.Q)xf7t Wxh4! 11.Axh8 gb4
1
2.Ec
I c5
I 3 .dxc5l
ad7
1...b4 is brilliant-looking but dubious: 12.Q\e4 6xe4! (now we see the idea) 13.Axd8 €xd8 (three pieces for the queen is not bad, but here they are badly coordinated) 1+.9.92 f5 15.f3! Ag5 16.Wcl, with a clear advantage for White. 12. h2-h4l l2.Axf6 does not create any great problems for Black, whereas the paraioxical move 1 Z.9]h+l? is worth a look. Eg8xg5! 12.... 1
I
a.Ae2
Axes 15.0-o AAI 16.4h5+
&e7
17.We2!, the threat of 18.Bxe5 and fork on 96 gives White a clear Plus.
a
10. Ah4xg5
White wins back the Piece. 10.... 10...4e7 is probably better than its reputation would suggest: 11.exf6 Axf6
2.Axf6 Wxf6 13.g3 gb7 la.Ag2 Q)a6 15.Ae4l (15.4xb5 0-0-0 gives I
Black sufficient counterplay) 1 5...We7 16.0-0 0-0-0 17.a4, and Black's king
The idea behind the previous move.
13.
h4xg5
seems to be the one that is more exposed; nonetheless, over the board anything could happen.
A)
11. g2-g3 i
with
B)
Lilienthal's move: White is in no hurry to wln back the piece, and instead immediately prepares to put the bishop on the best diagonal. Usually the game transposes to Variation B, but there are also a couple of possible alternative moves' 1
234
1.
...
trh8-98!
af6'd5
Black has two minor Pieces for the rook, but White still has the initiative' f7xg6 14. g5-g6! 15. gd1-s4 wd8-e7! 16. Af1'g2! €e8-d8!?
ir-
an unclear game.
11. e5xf6
Semi-Slav Defence
Ac8-b7 The variations with ...Wa5 (played either here or on the following move) rvere popular in the 1980's. Now they are out of fashion as it is open to debate if White enjoys an advantage after 11...WaS 12.g3t Aa6!? l3.gf3! b4 11.
...
-a
14.8)e4.
12. g2-g3l -{s always, the best option is to develop the bishop to 92.
12....
c6-c5
12...9b6 l3.agZ 0-o-o l4.o-o gh6!? (1a...6e5 15.dxe5! has proved to be good for White; 14...c5 15.d5 leads into the main line) l5.Axh6 Exh6 16.b3! appears to be promising for
According to recent analysis, the provocative 13...4xf6 seems to be play-
able: la.Ag2 Ae7 15.0-0 6xd5 A -Agxe/ t. '.I b.HXe/
White. 13. d4-d5
With a position that is difficult to assess.
14.9t1-g2 0-0
0-0-0 b5-b4 Having finished development, Black tries to win the d5 pawn. 16.6c3-a4 Uhlmann's curious move 16.8b1!? is also often played. After 16...Wa6! (taking on c3 is suicide) 17.dxe6! Axg2 18.e7, we have a position that has been played many times. Yet no clear verdict on who stands better has been reached. White has scored quite well; however, the feeling is that Black should be able to hold his own with correct play. 16. ... wb6-b5! On 16...Wa6 the queen encourages the opening of the a-file after 17.a3!; also, 15.
gd8-b5 13.... The most natural: it defends b5 and e6 as well as preparing to castle queenside. Among the alternatives, 13...b4? is no good: 14.dxe6! AxhT 15.Axc4 615 16.exf7+ axJT L7.A,bs+; after 13...ab6, Polugaevsky's important idea 1 4.dxe6! gives White a plus.
The popular 13...4h6 14.Axh6 Exh6
15.9d2 Wxf6 t6.0-0-0 €fsl (anticipating Aea-d6+) produces unclear play.
235
Chess Opening Essenticls
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Volume
2
16...9d6 17.dxe6l Wxe6 18.Ee1 Ae5 produces a complex position that detailed analysis has shown to clearly favourWhite. 17. a2-a3
with the determined idea of maintaining control of the d4-square at all costs: 19.Axb7+ €xb7 20.hca (20.4f41?) dxc3 2l.Wd5+ €be zz.Af+ (and now
how do you handle the threat of 23.Eas?) 22...Eh5!! 23.Wxh5 cxb2, and the experts are still unsure as to who stands better!
19.995-e3 With the simple threat of 20.4xa7. 19. ... 2,d7-c5 20. Wd1-94+ trd8-d7 20...€b8? does not work because of
2l.gd4l; the other king 20
It seems logical to open the a-file, even at the cost of losing the d5 pawn.
If
Axg2 18.€xg2 Wc6+ 19.f3 Wxe6, and the more exposed king of 17.dxe6
the two is White's.
17.
e6xd5
...
The following two variations are no Ionger played very often: 17...6e5 18.axb4 cxb4 19.Wd4 Ac6 20.dxc6l and 17...6b8 18.axb4 cxb4 19.9d4 Ac6 20.dxc6l. Both lines lead to the
..
.&c7
l? is
move, not such a hot idea either.
ln
1996 Ivanchuk stunned the chess world with the extraordinary queen sacrifice 2 1 .Bg7ll? AxgT 22.fxg7 Eg8 23.6xc5. In exchange for the queen White gets two pieces and a lasting initiative. However, later came the discovery 23...Exg7! (at first this was thought to be bad) 24.6xd7 WxdT 25.Exa7.
same favourable position for White.
18. a3xb4 c5xb4 In a game as inexhaustibly rich as chess, new resources are always there waiting to be discovered: recently we have seen 18...d4!?
gg 'E
I.lg "'.t6 ;::],,
..,gl
l:
:]:1r:,.
e':,,.:a ll
it
,:,,,,
.E,.
E 236
This leads to a balanced position, and the initial enthusiasm for the queen sacrifice quickly began to wane. Therefore
tt.t",,
'.W
is probably best for White to try and build on his small advantage - presuming there is one - with: 21.6a4xc5 Af8xc5 22. Ae3xc5 Wb5xc5
Semi-Slcv Delence
path of the cl bishop. White is counting on the fact that Black's passive pawn structure will allow him calmly to pre-
23. trf1-e1
iH ffieg t,r** E#E*S - g*!
*sgr# #*
!-+
ffirs*l :i** :*
iil
$
pare to advance the parnrn to e4.
The most flexible: 5...a6 is another in-
teresting move, sometimes knovr.n
.": Uff,,,-: e,;,
'--"#-'''32
the Godena Variation. to which
e;
most thematic reply is 6.c5
ffiA#s ffiffi I H; -:.: 11-
-H-:
.+'r
.H
It is not a simple task to weigh up this position. White has an initiative and a menacing passed pawn on the h-file. But also Black's d-pawn could become threat.
E#ffiAA*e
:I,; RI
'i#
ffi ffirffi
c7-c6
E
w ffirffiffi*g *#a#5
ee' ffi a$affi a ''A- .,-. -){2\ -n. q
-d, )q
ffigffiAffitr
Indirectly defending the c4 pawn, but with the drawback of obstructing the
9c2
Wd1-c2
Ag8-f6
tr# #rtr #r#riffi tr
The Anti-Meran Variation
ffirffii*affi rffi I
EffrABsA
'Y.t---
another attempt to avoid the Meran:
d7-d5 e7-e6
Remember that both Ac3lhf3 and ...e6/...c6 can be played in reverse order. Now the move 5. e2-e3
2<)<
!.
At this stage, 6.4d3 dxc4 takes us into the Meran, which we will look at soon. But first we would like to examine an important fashionable line that is yet
6.
Let's review the moves:
d2-d4 c2-c4 6b1-c3 6g1-f3
as
the
a
Meran Defence
1. 2. 3. 4.
ab8-d7
5.
-',i
ffirwr lry --::: A -,J[-' -j{")()d
- ,r* :4 \
:.1 i-:r--::--,:
'tJ4
Affigffi
HS:ffi '€:
:n:' -? \.l ]#;
t:i&
;iii::
a#
str ffi
"lI:E :/ \; "X':
..:: FI
\!:-:--',
An objectively good move that has the plus of allowing you to avoid the most forcing lines of the Meran. The downside is that it has become so popular that the amount o[ related theory has reached alarming proportions... or more precisely, alarming for the average
player with limited time to study! White delays development of the f1 bishop and instead moves the queen to c2, which is always a useful move. Now if Black takes on c4, White can play 237
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
E:''.'.g r'.';pX@:3!. * l:r:. Ar:,, ,:::i.: I ,* I
Axc4, and thus using one tempo he can play a more favourable version of the
,,,1 &
Meran.
gf8-d6 Given the increasing popularity of 7 .g4 (Variation F), some people play the 6.
.::i,,::,
solid 6...b6!? at this point so as to avoid this line (the g7 pawn is undefended). we then have 7.4d3 Ab7 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Axc4 c5.
Egfg?AE *A::-'A.,:.1 ,€ln I ;l.
all 'li
EA
::.
::::'1;":' A
.'\A,\. (./)
A H
Ag ril E
"'t'
tS
q)
with
This line is too recent for a definitive evaluation.
After the bishop move, White has many playable lines to choose from:
A) 7. e3-e4
ad7-t6 Ac8-e6 b7-b5
0-0-0 afl-d3
an unclear game.
B) 7. Ac1-d2 Preparing to castle queenside.
7.
AAA
F? .s. H)#
13.... 14. 15.
8. 0-0-0
0-0 c6-c5!
It would appear to be logical to
open
lines of attack on the white king, even if this involves moving the pawn a second time. We have a complex position that has allowed Black to achieve satisfactory results.
c) 7. b2-b3
This move, which was the original idea
Less innocuous than you would first think: it prepares the fianchetto, and af-
behind WcZ, is now infrequently
ter...dxc4, White has the option of tak-
played.
ing back with the pawn.
7. L Ac3xe4 9. Wc2xe4 10. d4xe5
d5xe4
Af6xe4 e6-e5 0-0!
11. e5xd6
An interesting queen sacrifice. However, it does not give White the advantage he hopes for.
11. ... trf8-e8 12. We4xe8+ Wd8xe8+ 13. Ac1-e3 238
7.
0-0 Af1-e2 The most common move. The immediate 8.AbZ e5! gives Black active play as
8.
White's kingside is weak. 8.
a7-a6l?
Preparing ...e5 without having to worry about Ab5. 8...e5 can be played immediately; however, Black's plans must include an isolated d5 pawn after
9.cxd5 cxds
l0.Ab5 Ab++t ll.Ad2
Semi-Slav Delence
Axd2+ l2.6xd2
a6
FA
I 5.OXe5 ?txe5
1+.6d+.
E)
7. gf1-d3
The bishop is more actively placed than
9.
Ac1-b2
e6-e5
9...b5!?.
with Ae2, but it is more exposed to attack after ...e6-e5.
10. c4xd5 11. d4xe5 12. tral-d1!?
#Effi €$ g# rw rer ii*r I *ewtr$ *** E
x€ €33 :ffi
A
reCIa
wrffi Affi *XA gsffiag$ :::4,
*
-"..tr
7.
c6xd5 6d7xe5
g
:d.
"-:.:
8. 0-0
Remember that after 8...dxc4, which is probably the best option, the move 9.Axc4 transposes to Variation D, while after 8...We7 9.c5! Ac7 10.e4. White has a small plus.
9. c4xd5
*w
EffiAffi ffi*#ff
trffiaffirrur ffiffi#r$ #tr ffi #rffi gsa*s ffi ffi ffia#as# affiwffi ff$n ffiffiffitrffi
Affi .:.'l w u
with positional characteristics typical of the Tarrasch Defence: Black has an isowith active piece play as compensation.
lated d5 pawn, but
D) 7. Af1-e2 The most solid approach. White wishes to complete development before he advances the pavrn to e4. 7.
8.
0-0
0-0 d5xc4
The most active.
With 8...e5 Black establishes a type of Colle with reversed colours; after 9.cxd5 cxdS 10.4b5 Ab8 1 1.dxe5 Axe5 12.4d2. White's conrrol of the d4-square gives him an edge.
The move 8...Ee8 is playable but passive: 9.b3 We7 10.Ed1 b6.
9. Ae2xc4 10. trf1-d1 11. Ac4-e2 12. e3-e4
a7-a6t? b7-b5 Wd8-c7 e6-e5
and things are pretty even.
c6xd5
10. e3-e4!
€:i
--,--.-
0-0 e6-e5
The move that made people re-evaluate the line. 10. ... d5xe4 10...exd4 is playable, but after 1 1.Axd5
Axd5 l2.exd5 h6 13.4xd4. White
has
more actively placed pieces. 11. Ac3xe4 6f6xe4 12. Ad3xe4 h7-h6 13. Ac1-e3 e5xd4 14. Ae4-h7+ A subtlety; with the endgame in sight, Black's king is now flurther from the centre.
14.... 15. Ae3xd4 16. gh7-f5 17. Af5xc8
€g8-h8 ad7-t6 Wd8-a5
trf8xc8
18. Wc2-b3 and White is a little better off,
239
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
F) 7. s2-s4
and the 97 pawn leaves the board. It is true thal B]ack will remain a pawn up after 8...AxhZ 9.Q)xhZ Axh2 10.trxg7 afS 11.Eg2 Ac7 12.e4, but White's compensation seems excellent. For this reason, the more solid 8...f5 or 8...Wf6 are probably better. There are also some players who like 7 ...9,b+, which leaves the e4-square for the knight. However, the reply 8.4d2
r !. H e€: A gII, @El I'.1''.''r.5 ,::',' L'L, L e
rE r c\ ., l '/\ AA Ar'\ UH
A AW
UUE
F? .H.
&/i-
A\
2
',.,"'
.r;':::::,r
'"':rtfi.
AAH
.6-A HEH
This incredible move was the brainchild of Shabalov, but it was Shirov who popularised ir in 1992. hrrists were horrified as they could not believe that such an in-
herently ugly move could be of any worth. But Whlte's good score was a convincing argument to the contrary and it is now the most played move.
The theory attached to this variation is still evolving and thus it would be imprudent to give a definitive judgement. Though at first it is not apparent, the idea of the Shabalov Yariation is a positional concept: the aim is to chase the knight away from f6, maklng a subsequent opening of the centre with e3-e4 more effective. The immediate threat is g4-95, and the f6 knight does not have a good square to go to.
The 94 pawn is not being threatened. Indeed, 7 ...6xg4 will be met by
EEgE ,.ll ,.fr,', llf l:rlt
rar '.1.,.,rt:.
E ,'
AA A :::t,,, a, ,,4,4 AAW gtr A A .E
A,
z+0
8
.
Eg
1
has scored nicely for White. Therefore, the following two variations are, for the
time being, considered to be the most reliable options for Black.
F1) 7.
d5xc4
Vacating the d5-square for the knight.
8.
Af1xc4
Now theory tells us that the advance 8. e6-e5 is strategically impeccable: the best way to meet an attack on a wing is with action in the centre. However. theorv is one thing, and practical play is another.
9.
Ac1-d2
Better than 9.g5, which allows Black to acrivare his knight on d5.
9. 9...0-0 is safer. 10. Af3xd4
e5xd4
Ad7-e5
11. Ac4-e2 Here Black can capture on 94 in three different ways, and with correct play he should be able to defend himself after each one. But in a real game, once White has castled queenside, he will have some good chances thanks to his better development and the open g-file.
FD 7. h7-h6 With the idea of preventing g4-g5. This is currently the most popular move.
Semi-Slov Def.ence
8. Ac1-d2
d5xc4
After 8...We7, which prepares ...e5, 9.Eg1 (9.0-0-0?! Axga, attacking f2) 9...e5 10.cxd5 Axd5 11.6e4, White is
vourable for Black: for example, dxc4 8.Axc4 b5 9.4d3 c5.
7. b2-b3! 8. Acl-d2 9. 0-0
more actrve.
9. Aflxc4
Black's position
b7-b5
Here the thematic adaance 9...e5? ! is doubtt'ul as there is 10.95 hxg5 11.6xg5; fi is weakand 1L...0-0? Ioses after 12.W 96!.
10.
Ac4-e2!
Ac8-b7
B)
1
1.e4. For his part, Black
can castle queenside or keep the king
in
the centre and prepare the ...c6-c5 advance. May the best man
win!
Defence is
af1-d3
t ii::tl ..-l 6
E
,ge
E
A=f * I tjgi I r...,.,',l fi' f Iti .A T
a.::r::
i,i,r.'
1,i..,:,,i
ill.r.l'
1n;:.,
.:* alA ai
A,rrll
a
11:
F?
9/)
gf8-b4
6.
Eb4-a5 0-0 Wd8-e7
d5xc4 e6-e5
12. Ac4-a2l andWhite is doing weil.
c)
Traditional theory states that now White's principal move in the Meran
6.
0-0 Wd8-e7
is a little passive but
7. a2-a3l 8. 0-0 9. Wd1-c2 10. Ac1-d2 11. Ad3xc4
ll.trgl, or expand in the
with
af8-b4
Anticipating e3-e4, but instead there is
tactically complex. White can either immediately advance g4-g5, activate his centre
.0-0
playable.
The position is both strategically and
rook with
7
Af8-e7
6.
A 'beginner's move'; playable but passive
-
the bishop does not influence e5.
7. 0-o 8. b2-b3 9. Acl-b2 10. Wd1-e2
trfl-dl Ea1-c1
0-0 b7-b6 Ac8-b7 tra8-c8 Bd8-c7 Wc7-b8
11. 12. 13. e3-e4 with a good space advantage.
(---)
A$fl;,.., ,'.,..i.,i'' $ 4.l
g
D) 6. l
'1,rr,E
Before we examine the Meran in the strict sense of the term (6...dxc4), let's take a glance at other alternatives for Black.
gf8-d6
The most popular minor line.
7. e3-e4! In this position the pavrn must be pushed immediately. The move 7.Wc2 transposes to line E of the 6.8c2 variation; whereas 7 .0-0 0-0 8.e4 dxc4 9.Axc4 e5 produces a balanced
position.
A)
6.
a7-a6l?
An interesting attempt to enter a Meran
Variation that is considered
to be fa-
7.
d5xe4
The advantage of the immediate e3-e4
is that now the classic black
seauence 2+1
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
7...dxc4 8.Axc4 e5 leaves the fZ oawn
the Meran tournament of 1924, and
hanging.
hence the name.
8. 6c3xe4 9. Ad3xe4 10.0-0
7. Af1xc4
6f6xe4 0-0 h7-h6
b7-b5
E AgsbE E l a lll I la
The safest; it prepares ...e6-e5 by eliminating tactical possibilities on h7.
11. Ae4-c2!
H A{9, H &::..: -E;t ':'l'lr l:..:.:.,4 ;*l€1,.r: * E
t'
llX *;
;:x
A : tt] t:r1 ;:.,., 6 A A-,.. A- gaAAt-l X
':r,,':
,,1.
Before playing the freeing ...c6-c5 ad-
.:r::.:
vance, Black gains queenside space.
E 9, tr 11....
Now, by far and away White's most popular reply is
8. 9c4-d3
e6-e5
Before we explore that move, it is worth
12. Ef1-el! Forcing Black to concede the centre
gd6-b4!
12....
It is always a wise policy to exchange pieces if you have a cramped position. 13. 14. 15. 16.
If
quickly examining two alternatives for White:
Ac1-d2
Ab4xd2 e5xd4
Wd4-c3
c6-c5
off
Wd1xd2 Wd2xd4 gd8-b6
Black immediately plays 16...4f6, White will advance his pawn to c5. 17. tral-d1 ad7-16 White is somewhat ahead in development, but with correct play Black's position should hold. Now
at last we
will look
at
d5xc4!
6.
which leads to the Meran in the true sense of the
word.
This line was played with success first by Rubinstein and then by Grunfeld in L+L
D
8.
Ac4-b3
The Kortchnoi Variation is venomous if glack mechanically prepares ...c6-c5 as a rapid e4-e5 gives White a dangerous initiative.
b5-b4!
8.
9.
2'c3-e2
9.Q)a4 Aa6 is satisfactory for Black. 9. Ac8-b7
10. 0-0
11.
6e2't4
12.6f3-95 13. e3xf4
af8-d6 0-0 Ad6xf4! c6-c5
and the position is baianced.
B) 8.
9c4-e2
The Capablanca Yariation is solid and not to be underestimated. The idea is that if Black contilues along the lines of the
Semi-Slov Def.ence classical principal variation by playing
8...a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cxd4. then White can play 1 1 .Wxd4, with an advantage.
8. 9.
9c8-b7
e3-e4 9.0-0 is more solid: 9...9.e7 10.e4 b4 I l.e5 bxc3 l2.exf6 Axf6! l3.bxc3 c5 !?, and
neither side has the advantage.
9.
b5-b4
Positionally forced. 10. e4-e5 b4xc3 11. e5xf6 c3xb2 The move I 1...4xf6 is safer, but it takes
all the fun out of the game: 12.bxc3 AeZ I 3.0-0, with equality. 12.f0xg7 b2xalW otherwise 12...4xg7 13.Axb2 Wa5+ 1 +.ad},with balanced play 13. g7xh8W Wd8-a5+ 14.
*
afs-d2l
Ew
ffiffieffi ffi reEffiffiAffirffir ffiffirffirffiffi
ffiffiffiffiffi ffiffiffiffi ffiffiffiffiffi Affiffi
ffiAffiA
An
established theoretical variation with four queens on the board is a rarity! With so many immediate tactical shots in the air, the position is not simple to evaluate.
ff
ss.g:
a$rtr HrJIi #r rH H+ lti i:;ii
E iiiii-A.
,i,l+
.{'+
ii'.:
a
A# 1*
:F? 6: "e; E
ai::""j
ttr w€$s$
A) 8. b5-b4 The old Lundin Yariation was once viewed with suspicion. It is yet another case of recent re-evaluation: if a famous Meran expert such as Sveshnikov plays it, then it certainly cannot be too bad. 9. hc3-e4 E
tr
til
ffiEffi sre
Hi
ffia ffirffi I
ffi&
ffirffi# r#$ ffiffi
ffiffi /r
ffiffi r\ ffie *s"Jffiq A ffiffi aga ;s4 ffi
ig*gg
ffi
Hq*
v1 \ .w&&
#ff::
ff1i
A
ffis
43W 'G
ffiffi
9.Q)a4 c5 ! has scored well for Black.
9.
Af6xe4
The simplest; after 9...4e7 tO.Axf6+l Axf6 1 1.e4, Black still has a few problems to dealwith. 10. Ad3xe4
The black pawns on c6 and b4 do not look so nice, but these are temporary weaknesses.
And now we come to
8.
Ac4-d3 which, as we noted, is the principal move. Black now has four paths he can follow:
10. ... 11. Wd1-a4
Ac8-b7
An interesting alternative is the pawn sacrifice I 1.a3 bxa3 12.0-0!? (see Variation C1). 243
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
11.... Wd8-c7!? It seems unnatural to place the queen on the c-file; however, here it will not be disturbed by hd2-c+ as it would be after...Bbe 12.9c1-d2 c6-c5 13. Ae4xb7 Wc7xb7 .
14.0-0
gf8-d6
and White's advantage is only minimal.
still not clear what the best antidote for
this line is. Some love the aggressive 9.695 - the knight has its eye on the e4-square - but the most natural approach would be to advance the pawn to e4.
11. 6c3-e2! To activate it on the kingside, and if necessary to recapture on d4 with this knight. 11. ... Ef8-e8 12. Ac1-g5
r{$
"l5 t4) .: '' '{1?J'E s A .A. -A. " AZ_1 i A A A'
E* Eg E:=g=
1li€tr
Another move that has chailenged
i*
j3f
"-1.::
,;-.
Sr
es-
tablished theory! This was a rare move
the past was Vadim Zviagintsev in the 1990's. However, suddenly it became one of the most popular (and successful) options for this position, enjoying the patronage of elite players such as Anand, Aronian, Leko and Gelfand. In the past it seemed unnatural to place
the bishop on d5, given that on this square it is exposed to the advance e4-e5, or a possible attack by a knight on e4. However, the contemporary approach to the game puts results before anything else, so as long as this line continues to score well players will not be put off by academic objections.It is
a
r$=r#r fi# ,rcg
:.4;-:.
uI { -;:::-::
until recently and virtually the only top player to use it in
24+
e6-e5
8...4d6.
''U:
& gg,g
...
And now we see the idea behind
E*s3.ge* r t =iJch€r **r rA$ x
*rgi * rA
1.a3 a5 and Black is OK.
10.
gf8-d6
8.
0-0
10. e3-e4 More direct than the solid 1O.WcZ AbZ 1
B)
9. 0-0
!:::::
Affi '€' F?.
:: -.-:
.!,H €l*a.gis ,j...*
affia# w ;ei ,-.-
=gr --'.s
g-
This is too recent a line to allow an audroritative evaluation. However, this type of position will allow the stronger player to impose himself more than usual.
c)
8.
Ac8-b7
Originated by Wade and brought to the
world's attention by Larsen in
the
1960's and '70's, when 8...a6 was still the main line. It is now the most popular choice.
Semi
EBgAE tE*14;rr.l t I I la '*
*tf* .Ai
,t;il.
:S* ffiAil :A*€
AAgsgAAA
*s
Black waits
for White to advance the
pawn to e4 before playing ...b4, thus denying the c3 knight access to e4.
Cl) 9.
a2-a3
b5-b4
af3-d2
13. 14. b2-b3
10.6c3-e4! White believes that the open b-file will be of more use to him than to Black.
10....
6t6xe4
11. Ad3xe4 b4xa3 Tranposing to the line discussed in the note for the Lundin Variation ( 1 1 .a3). 12. 0-0!?
E'.
g@$ €
Aii:' f t f ta# **r *.t* "
:;,:''" i= 9.i, x* i$ta,* ts* # *ii $a j::::
:
Def ence
0-0
(1a.6caAxh2+l). With the plan Axa3. White has a technical advantage, but Black will quickly advance his backward pawn to c5, and immediately equalise.
c2) 9. 0-0 Keeping the e4-square free for the knight so Black will not want to push the pawn to b4 immediately. 9. a7-aG
10. e3-e4 11. d4-d5
Transposing
9...a5 !?.
-Slov
c6-c5
to a position from
8...a6 variation, which we soon.
the
will examine
Cg) 9.
e3-e4 The most direct and the most interesting; White allows his knight to be diverted to a4, but in exchange he gets a strong advanced pawn on e5 and good attacking prospects on the kingside.
9.
b5-b4
10.6c3-a4
c6-c5!
11.
af6-d5
e4-e5
.,:: -:.
W::rlg
More energetic than 12.bxa3, which does not give more than equality.
12....
af8-d6!
Capturing on b2 gives White more than abundant compensation, and somewhat
surprisingly the usually material-hungry chess engines also decline the gift:
12. 0-0 This move was played by Portisch and is
now the most popular. Larsen had the 2+5
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
insight to realise that after 1 2.Axc5 Axc5l? (12...4xc5 is also possible) 13.dxc5, Black can play 13...6xc5 without fear of the check on b5: after l4.Ab5+ €fg, the beautifully placed knight on d5 compensates for the precarious position of the black king.
12.
...
The alternative is 1 2...h6!
c5xd4 ?.
13. trf1-e1!
The idea is to support e5 so rhat the knight can take back on d4. An immediate 13.Axd4 is possible but a little speculative: after l3...Axe5 l4.Ab5+ ad7 15.Ee1 Ec8!, play is
Here there is a significant fork in the road as White must decide which of the pawns to advance.
D1)
unclear.
10. e4-e5
13....
Af8-e7 Larsen's original idea 13...96 has remained a favourite. After 14.495 Ba5 15.Axd4 a6 16.4d2!. White has a small initiative, but Black should be able to resist.
14.6f3xd4 15. gd1-s4 Threatening Ah6. 15. ...
16.9.c1-h6 17. Ah6-g5 18.9g4-93 19. Eal-c1 20.h2-h4
8.
trf8-e8 Ae7-f8
gd8-bg a7-ai 97-96
Af8-g7 e5
a7-aG
This move defines the so-called Classical Meran. Black defends b5 to prepare the advance ...c6-c5.
9.
e3-e4
Naturally, White grabs the cenrre.
9.
2+6
c6-c5
€
f
ra ,
=l* :,:: .A. ,'
pau.n is a cause for concern.
D)
l
€ -:',1t;
f
.,,,:
',,1,.
= A* !r.:,, &Aff w fttr
0-0
White has an initiative, but the weak
E**A. € i*f /\ ut\ E.
,li\' t4)
This move has half-jokingly been described as 'a serious strategic error'. It is true that the white centre usuaily disappears. Nonetheless, dynamic factors tend to favour White. 10. ... c5xd4! Naturally, now there is the reply 't1. Ac3xb5! Biumenfeld's move is easily the most played. Once in a while you see 11.a,e4t? AaSr r2.0-0 h6 13.a4. the consequences of which have still not been thoroughly studied. On the other hand, 11.exf6? dxc3 gives Black a clear advantage.
Semi
Af6-g4 D11) 11. ... Variation is highly The Rabinovich complex and unclear: 12. Wd1-a4
1s.Wg3 Wae
14.6e5xd7 15. Ac1-d2
It may well be that 12.4d6+ 13.exd6 9a5+ t+.Wdzt is a
E. *iir$r ea g
opening.
12....
Ac8-b7!
14.0-0
E*
:5:lt:rfi ,;';:,:
gd8-b6 Af8-c5
€g **
= rtr f g. ifi,ilf ,.j.i,&
a:* t;i: ^ -;-:
t.
*A:.;iA::X
X*Er & s*:i..,:.,4:j fi. $Affi *A -n
t4 \'--".
Ac8-d7 Wd8-a5+! Wa5xb5
16.6d7xf8
to gain something from the
13.6b5xd4
t.
13....
Axd6
safer way
Def ence
It is worth mentioning the 'historical' 13.9f3, even if it gains nothing for White after 13...4b4+ 14.€e2 trbS
This was once considered the refutation of this line, but the reality is more com-
plex.
-SIav
$*
.
*
',,-' =:
A{\
Ff.
16....
Eh8xf8
Black is one pawn down, but all of his
The fact that both Kasparov and Bareev considered this to be the best move would be recommendation enough for most chess players; it's such a shame you cannot castle and capture at the
pieces are nice and active.
same time!
all
15. 16.
.::.
Eg h2-h3! h3xg4
-n n -n'
II A
ZI:
-.-:,- Fl
17.a2-a4l
!b7xf3
gf3-d5!?
To prevent
and White's supposed advantage is not
18. 19. 20.
easv to see.
D12) 11. ...
Ad7xe5
Wb5-c4
White from castling.
b2-b3 gd1'f3
Wf3xe4
Wc4-d3
gd3-e4+! 6f6xe4
and thanks to the dangerous
passed
This move by Sozin again illustrates the idea of dne desperado: before taking on b5, Black 'sacrifices' his knight on e5 so as not to lose the one on f6. a6xb5 12. Af3xe5 13. Ad3xb5+
d-pawn Black should be able to balance the presence of White's two passed
It is
g7xf6! Once again, how theory changes! 20 years ago this move would have been followed by a big fat question mark, to-
obviously risky not to take the pawn: after 13.0-o Was t+.We2 Eb8 or 14...4a6, White's compensation is debatable.
pawns.
D13) 11. ...
a6xb5
The simplest.
12.
e5xf6
2+7
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
g ffiffi EffiA ffi <
day it is considered to be the best! How-
ever, 12...9b6 is still playable: l3.fxg7
#ffi4
AxgT la.0-0 gb7 lS.Eel 0-0 l6.gf4 AaSt 17.4e5 Axe5 18.Axe5 Axe5
rffi
{h w r$re
r$re A
l9.Exe5 f5, and Black's position holds.
ffi re
13.0-0 After 13.hxd4 WUet ltfris move by Chernin has led to the re-evaluation of this line) l4.Axb5 (1a.Axb5?l AU++; 1a...Egs 15.0-0 AUZ t6.g3 6e5, with
r
I ffiffi ffi A w w
# A A
ffiffi affi
-* ffi ffiffi ffi grcAre
Are
g
ffi
ffie ffilJ
l+...b+. Black leaves the b5 pawn hang-
The Reynolds Yariation was introduced only at the beginning of the 1930's, and it is now the most popular move. White intends to take on e5. If Black closes the position with ...e5, White's hope will be eventually to make the most of the passed pawn after he
ing and directs his
has blocked Black's queenside majority.
a
lot of compensation for Black.
gd8-b6 13.... 14. Wd1-e2 Ac8-b7! Anand uncorked this novelty in his 2008 match with Kramnik. It has higher ambitions than the obvious pieces towards White's castledking. 15. Ad3xb5 trh8-98 Also I 5...4d6 is promising. 16. Af8-d6 17. f6-f5
Acl-f4 9f4-g3
Effi
ffiffirffiffi Affi ffiTffi
ffi$reffiw ffi ffiaffi Affi
ffigffiAffi tr
This is a complex position: the defences
around White's king are under pressure, but Black's king is also exposed to attack. In addition, the respective passed pawns contribute to the positional tension.
248
11. 12. 13. 14.
ffi@ffiEffi
AWAffiTffiT
D2\
D21) 10. ...
10. d4-d5
e6xd5
This appears to be doubtful:
e4-e5 Acl-g5 e5xf6 h2-h3
6f6-g4 t7-t0 Ad7xf6 6g4-h6
15.0-0!? and White is ahead.
D22\
1O....
e6-e5
This was once considered to be the best, now it has fallen out of favour.
11.
b2-b3!
c5-c4!?
After 11...9d6 12.0-0 0-0 13.Eel! (13.aa c4l l4.bxc4 b4) 13...Eb8 14.gfl, White is slightly
12.b3xeA 13.9c1-d2
bemer.
gf8-b4 b5xc4
14. Ad3-c2 The safest; l4.Axc4 Wc7 gives Black some opportunities.
14....
0-0
15.0-0
6f6-e8
Semi
vance, which has good and bad points as with every opening choice.
16. Eal-b1 and White has an edge.
D23)
10....
Ac8-b7
11. 0-0
E#
-SIqv Defence
11. 0-0 9c8-b7 12. d5xe6 The move 12.b3 is interesting if White wishes to prevent ...c4.
12.... f7xe6 Ad3-c2 Af8-do 14.6f3-g5 ad7-tB
ffi€ffi
13.
EffiAffiT$rer rffi ffir#.ni
rroAffi
## ffiAffi
l't-'i
ffiAffiAffi ffi:. n
n =ita Wi au-s ffi
a$zl
#sffitr
15.t2-t4
e4-e5
h7-h6
16. 0-0-0! with a position that is difficult to judge.
D25)
10....
c5-c4
Now 11...c5-c4 or 11...Wd8-c7 trans-
A committal move; Black vacates c5 for his own pieces, but concedes the d4-square to the white knight.
poses to one of the following variations. It is worth noting that this position is
11. Ad3-c2 The move 1 1.dxe6 gives Black the op-
often reached by means of the Wade-Larsen 8...4b7 when White
tion to play 11...cxd31? (11...fxe6 usually leads to a transposition to the main line) l2.exd7+ 9xdZ 13.0-0 AbZ l4.Eel! Ae7 15.e5 6d5. with com-
plays 9.0-0; then you have 9...a6 10.e4 c5 I 1.d5.
plex play.
D24) 10....
Wd8-c7
EffiEffiE# ffi
ffi r#*Affirffir ffirh-{r ffirffiAffi ffi ffi ffia*s ffi €s ffieffiaffi Aff ffi ffiA*. ffisffi ffis
in old opening manuals, this is now the most popular Barely mentioned
choice. When Black advances the pawn to c4, it often Eansposes to C25. Here
we will
only deal with variations in
which Black does not play this pawn ad-
1
1.
...
Wd8-c7
Black is unconcerned about the capture
on e6 and continues normal development. He can also close the position with 11...e5, but the text move is more ambitious.
12.0-O Ac8-b7 After 12...4c5 l3.dxe5 fxe6 14.e51? Axe5 15.4f4 Ad5 l6.6xe5 Axe5 17.Axe5 Wxe5 18.8e1, White has good compensation. 13. d5xe6
In the end, White decides to take on e6. After I 3 .ad4 Ac5 I 4.b4 cxb3 I 5.axb3 b4 16.6a4 6cxe4, play is complicated and unclear.
13....
f7xe6
14.6t3-d4 749
-
Chess Opening Essentiols
Volume
2
It is not easy to estimate the worth of the two gambits 1a.Ag5 4c5 1 5.e5 !? Bxe5 16.Ee1. and 15.Ae3l? h6 16.Axe6! Axe6 17.e5 Wxe5 18.496+. 14. ... 6d7-c5
g7-96
16....
l5.We2 Aae t 6.f4 e5 does nothing for
The supposed refutation 16...4cxe4 17.6xe4 Axe4 hands White a nice initiative afrer 1 8.Wga af6 I 9.9h3. 17. af5-h6 1 7.4g5 !? is hazardous because of 17...6)fxe4l 18.Axe4 Axe4 l9.Axe4
White.
Axe4 20.Af6 gxfSl.
15.9c1-e3
15. I
E
...
:.::.:.
*.:; A
I
e6-e5!
ifie€
''E:
r Erltt iiltt ffi t:i
I fit3x laa
i::::;a
,::i::
ilE= A.:.:-: n.a
al A: E. -><.--
-E: tsil
e5A
$s$tr
:a',::a.t:,
-4, ./ \,
16. ad4-f5!
17.
Af8-97
...
E.'..!,
r:i:t
E. l;..;.€ ::-i Al ,.€ 5.1 A' q\ :rg
*ag l.rl:i
*g =r 1.= ''.::. :.'.
6
ffir
I
:::::: :::::
1:aa::
i.-::.',
:::::i :+,:l:
A.AA AAH t38 s .li:,t.$*€ Ft .9-i The position is balanced.
l6.af3 is no longer played due ro Kasparov's discovery 16...4e7 l7.695 0-0!!. Black ignores the threat l8.Axc5
Cambridge Springs Defence
Axc5 19.4e6 Wbe zo.Axf8 trxf8.
It may come
:.t
aia. "H. Ei E l.
#r ffi
:2aaa
-:=
as a surprise to find the Cambridge Springs in the section on the Semi-Slav. Most opening manuals
classify it as a minor variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined after l.d2-d4
d7-d5 7.c2-c4 e7-e6 3.6b1-c3 698-f6 4.Ac 1-g5 ab8-d7 (instead of the normal 4...4e7) 5.e2-e3 c7-c6 6.dg1-f3 Wds-as.
With optimum compensation for the exchange. Maybe a chess engine could maintain the balance with the white pieces, but for a flesh-and-blood player it is an exacting task to defend a posi-
tion that offers no possibility of counterplay. 250
1fr. 'E
-;.i'i.::r
'.'
,\.-, q)
*A
(D .&'=ir 6F? E
.ti?r--:j'':: ut{4
Semi-Slav Delence However, as you can see in the diagram,
form the characteristic triangle that we associate with the
Black's pawns
Semi-Slav. Ignoring the similarity in pawn geometry, the simple fact is that nowadays this position is almost always reached by means of the Semi-Slav. Many players who include the Meran in their repertoire have neither the time nor the desire to studv the Botvinnik
Variation (s...dxca) after 5.495, and instead fall back on 5...4bd7 6.e3 WaS, which takes them to the position in question.
It would
appear that for these players the Cambridge Springs has the benefft of being easy to study, but at the same time sufficiently combative to offer
to a5 was considered to be premature. The modern trend is to interpret the position flexibly free of the constraints of rigid dogma. A good example is that in the 1970's the Sveshnikov Variation in the Sicilian was dismissed as unsound: now it is one of the most played lines! A notewort\ outing for the Cambridge Springs was when Smyslov used it at the
highest level
in his Candidates' match in 1984: even though
against Kasparov
Smyslov drew two games and lost the other two, this was not the fault of the defence. Indeed, Smyslov left the ope-
Ied to the Cambridge Springs in recent
ning phase in good shape, proving the validity of the defence and reviving interest in this old line. From the modern positional viewpoint - where the creation of dynamic play takes precedence over positional con-
years:
siderations
winning chances. Let's look at the typical move order that Black
1. d2-d4
2. c2-c4 3. 691-f3 4. Ab1-c3 5. Acl-95 6. e2-e3
-
the queen move is consid-
ab8-d7
ered to be more than acceptable. As with many other variations, the presence of a bishop on 95 whose retreat path is blocked by the pawn on e3 justifies an early excursion by the queen in
Wd8-a5
order to exploit the
d7-d5 c7-c6
Ag8-f6 e7-e6
weakened
The defence acquired its name after its repeated use in the famous tournament held in the U.S. spa town of Cambridge Springs in 1904. Its use became widespread in the 1920's and '30's, especially at arnateur level, where the many
queenside. The Tlompowsky, the Torre Attack and various Sicilian lines are examples of this idea in action. In the Cambridge Springs, Black also has annoying tactical themes such as ...6e4,...4U+ and ...dxc4, which allow
pitfalls for White were, and still are, a big selling point. However, its popularity waned over the following decades to
the queen to attack the 95 bishop along the fifth rank. This can be so oppressive for White that he will sometimes feel
the point that it was almost completely forgotten. The dynamic approach to the game that stailed in the 1980's ended a
obliged to sacrifice a pawn in an attempt to get something from the
long period dominated by highly dogmatic theory, in which the queen sortie
opening. Enough of theory. Let's look at the con-
crete world
of the moves themselves. 251
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
8. 9. Ad3xc4 10. gd1-c2
First, some minor lines:
A) 7. gf1-d3? A common beginner's
7. Ir
*
mistake. d5xc4!
.'1:.,9,,,:i& E
I A;i,:l l,l
llfl,tl:iffi
g,.
IA
' A ..A. A8
c6-c5
Black has succeeded in creating a little tension, and the position is balanced.
C) 7. Wd1-c2 8. c4xd5!
6f6-e4
8.4ffi?? is another mistake often played by noztices: after 8...dxgl 9.6xg5 dxc4.
t\ 5= /fr -A. r\ 'L\ t4) t4)
J\ I\AA
eF?
8.
x
d5xc4!?
gf8-b4
$ltrc{.l
:H
=6
Ag5xf6
8.Axc4 Ae4, attacking 95 and c3. 8. Wa5-b4! picking up at least a pawn.
B) 7. As5xf6 Many choose this insipid move because IMitehastwopiecesunder attack. they are fearful of tactics that target the 8. e6xd5 9. Afl-d3 95 bishop. The move may be playable, but it certainly does not cause Black any The threat of 9...4b+ forces White to problems concede the bishop pair.
7.
8.
9.
6d7xf6 af1-d3
: *..A.,,'r:&€ ,El ]* l:1r', $al Il:l t'''': E
.t::.1fl
g f::: l, L:,,:,, :, *.:A*
,..,r,,,,'
tr:
fiAffa'l''l'l'' '':. A& X ,t? W€i , 'E
rll
A
6f3xg5 As5-f3
10. 11. And we are
in
a line
Ae4xg5 h7-h6
Af8-d6
of the
Exchange
Yariation of the Queen's Gambit Declined that is favourable for Black. Now we will examine two moves that are by far and away the most played in the key position of the Cambridge Springs:
.,,.,
D) 7. c4xd5 Also here White often blunders: 8.a3 The most energetic and most principled 4,e4 9.8c1 6xc3 l}.Exca? 00.Wd2l) move. However, many of the subse70...4xa3! andBlackzuins. quent lines are forcing, so many White 257
Semi-Slov Defence
players choose the more positional ternative 7 .6'dZ (see Variation B).
7.
al-
9. tral-c1 10. Ag5-h4
6f6xd5
11. a2-a3l?
Effias#ffi€ffi ffi
EffiAffiffiEffi
f,rtrrffiaffirffi
iirerffiaffirffir ffi#rffis*rffiffi
h7-h6! c6-c5
ffiffi
ffirffi$ ffi
ffi ffi^ffi ffiffisffiffi ffi ff$affi ffiffiffiAffi ffi ffiAffi#tr
ffi#
ryw^ffiffi ffiffi#ffiffi# ffi ffi ggaffi# A'#,o', KA# ffi ffigffiAffitr
ffiffi
The sharpest.
11. ... Ab4xc3 counterplay against 12.b2xc3 b7-b6 with one of the two pawns transposes 12...Wxa3 is risky as there is 13.e4 to inferior lines of either the Slav or the ASfO t +.Aa:. Exchange Variation of the Queen's 13. c3-c4!? GambitDeclined. As there is the hope of obtaining a 8. gdl-d2 better endgame position, this is more Even though S.gb3 looks playable, for commonthan 13.Ad3 some reason it is almost never used. 13.... Wa5xd2+
obtains c3. Taking back
Black concedes the centre, but
8.
af8-b4
The most narural move. 8...47b6, with the idea of his knight joining the attack
White 6xc3 Ads 11.0-0!Wxc3 l2.We2.
on c3, has fallen out of favour
as
has done very nicely after 9.4d3 !
10.bxc3
Effi -A.#*effi ffi
I ffii# ffirffir rffirffi g*affi iffi ffi ffi##affi
ffiAffiA*
Affi ffisg$ affi
ffi
&ffitr
White has enduring compensation for the pawn.
14.613xd2
ad5-f6
15. Af1-e2 Ac8-b7 16. f2-f3 This position is easier for White to play as he has the bishop pair and the centre is fluid. However, Black is not obiectively worse.
E) 7. af3-d2
E -'-A*-*B.A
E
rffiffiaffirffir
ffirffirffi ffi ffiffirffi ffi ffiAffi ffi #$
ffiffiffi## A& :fr & ffiA
ffisffia#ffitr
253
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
but
safer. White frees the worries associated with
Less ambitious,
himself of the pinned c3 knight, exerts control over e4, and he is ready to take back on c4 with the knight, attacking the queen. On the downside, the 95 bishop is undefended and after ...dxc4 it must be exchanged offon f6, and lack ofcontrol over e5 will favour a pawn push to that very square by Black.
an initiative, but he has no weaknesses and he possesses the two bishops. We are dealing with one of those positions that inspired one grandmaster to make the crack that White is
BD
d5xc4!?
7.
Concedes the centre, but gains a tempo by attacking the bishop.
8. Ag5xf6
9.
gf8-b4
7.
8. Wdt-cz
Ad7xf6
1
of 9.Axf6l Axf6
be dubious: 9.6dxe4 dxe4 10.4h4 gives White a clear plus.
9. Af1-e2
taking back the parvn wirh rhe bishop.
9...dxc4.
Wa5-c7
10. Af8-e7 11. g2-g3 Obviously, it is possible to develop the bishop to e2 or d3. 11. ... 0-0
12.9t1-s2 13.0-0 14. a2-a3 15. b2-b4
16. E $re
gd1-b3
trf8-dg
af6-d5 Ac8-d7 Ad7-e8
EffiffiE ffiffi rffi I
ffirgre
ffirffi rffiffi
ffia ffiffi ffiaffi ffi ffi sffi ffiffiK ffi ffi ffiAAffi ffitrffi *#ffi
with a characteristic position: Black has allowed White to gain both space and 25+
10.dxe5 Ae4
The even older 8...6e4 is considered to
Tnke note that
Ea1-c1
0-o
1.cxd5!.
6d2xc4 This seems to be more consistent than 9.
little better, but
Few like the old gambit line 8...e5 because
81)
a
Black has achieved equality.
9.4ffi??
loses
a piece after
9. c6-c5 The best response to the provocative 9...e5!? is to ignore the pawn offer and play 10.0-0! exd4 I 10. 0-0!
l.ab3.
The best reply to 10.4b3 has proved to be the excellent 10...Wa4!.
10. ... c5xd4 11, Ad2-b3 Wa5-b6 12. e3xd4 d5xc4 13. Ae2xc4
EffiffiEffiffi
ffiE
#ffirffiaffirffir ffi ffirffi
ffiffiffi
ffiAffiffiffi
ffiaffi ffi
ffiw
Affig#ffi ffiAffi
ffiffiffitrffi
Better development compensates for the isolated d-pawn.
Semi-Slov Delence
5.4xe4 Ab4+ 6.ed2 Wxd4 7Axb4
Sxe4+ 8€e2 4a6 g.gd6
bo
10.4f3 gb7 11.0-0 trdB 12.Wd2 c5 13.Ead1 6b4 14.a3 4,c6 15.Ad3 t&'94 16.h3 Whs 17.Wf4 f6 18.trfe1 gf7 19.9f5 Ac8 20.4e4 Ad7 21.Ac7 Ec8 22.495 fxgS 23.Wxf7+ €xf7 24.Exd7+ €,ce7 25.4d6 a5 26.9f3 h5 27.trb7 trh6 28.trxb6 afs 29.Hb7+ 6ge7 30.trd1 €f6 31.4c7 Ad4 32.gxa5 94 33.hxg4 hxg4 34.&xg4 EchB 35.9h3 g5 36.f3 Ag6 37.EcT at4 38.Exc5 6xh3+
;lil:l"r#:J,
40€s2
=xl;
25s
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
a4 24.traclgd6 25.gh3 b3 26.4f5 a3 27.6xb5 trxb5 28.Axa3 Exa3 29.Axd7 AxdT 30.8c6 b2 31.9f5
BxcG
o-1
trxa4 4O.&t2 trd4 41.€e2
42.Ae3
a5 1-o
Carlsen,Magnus Anand,Viswanathan
Onischuk,Alexander Shirov,Alexei
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.4f3
Khanty-Mansiysk 2007 (3)
5.995 hG 6.gh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.4c3 c5 4.hf3 dxc4 5.e3 b5-6.a4 Ab4 7.4d2 a5 8.axb5 Axc3 9.Axc3 cxbS 10.b3
11.bxc4 b4 12.4b2 af6 13.4d3 o-o 14.0-0 AbdT 15.Eel Ae4 16.Sc2 t5 17.c5 Wc7 18.Ab5 AdS 19.8e2 adf6 20.h3 95 21.6e5 94 22.hxg4 fxg4 23.4d3 Wg7 24.414 gh6 2s.trf1 g3 26.4h3 gxf2+ 27.trxt2 6xt2 28.dxt2 axg2
Ab7
29.€xg2 tra7 30.Eh1 Wg6+ 31.sf1 hg4 32.AeB gbl+ 33.€92 trxf2+ 34.gxf2 Bxhl+ 35.€xh1 4rrt2+ 36.€92 hdl 37.4c1 b3 38.e4 b2 39.Axb2 6xb2 40.4b5 a4 41.d5 exdS 42.exd5 a3
Romanishin,Oleg Ivanchu-k,Vasily Kharkiv ch-UIG 200+ (2) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.4f3 6fG 4.4c3 e6
5.93 dxc4 6.Ag2 abdT 7.0-O b5 8.Ag5 Abz g.a+ b4 10.6e4 c5 11.atd2 Wc7 12.Af4 Bc8 13.Ec1 6xe4 14.dxe4 f5 15.6xc5 hxcS 16.dxc5 Axg2 17.€xg2 Bxc5 18.e4 WcG 19.Wd4 trc8 2O.trfel €f7 21.f3
€g6
22.exf5+ exf5 23.tre5 h6 896 27.g4 c2 28.h4 trc3 29.8e4 Wc6 3O.Exf8+ Wxe4 31.trxh8+ sxhS 24.Ece1 €h7 25.trxf5 c3 26.b3
32.Exe4 trxb3 33.8c4 Eb2 34.4c1
tra2 35.g5 hxg5 36.hxg5 sh7 37.Exb4 756
tral 38.8h4+ €gG 39.trh1
Morelia,/Linares 2008 (3)
6f6 4.4c3 e6
8.Ag3 b5 9.6e5 h5 10.f3 h4 11.ef2 Ab7'f2.Ae2 abd7 13.hxd7 dxdT 14.0-0 e5 15.a4 aO 16.d5 trh6 17.dxc6 Axc6 18.axb5 axb5 19.ExaB WxaS 20.Wc1 trg6 21.Ed1
AcS 22.Axc5 Axc5 23.8e3 6b3
24.9b6 ad4 25.Exd4 exd4 25.6xb5 Axb5 27.Bxb5+ WcG 28,we5+ Ee6 29.Bxd4 gb6 3O.WxbG trxb6 31.9xc4 Exb2 32.g3
f6
33.Ae6
€e7
34.Ag4
Ee2
35.gxh4 gxh4 36.h3 €d6 37.s.f1 trb2 38.f4 €c5 39.e5 trb4 40.exf6 trxf4+ 41.€e2 €d4 42.4f3 trxf6 43.4b7 trb6 44.Ac8 €e4 45.A94 trb2+ 46.€e1 €e3 47.&f1 €f4 48.€e1 €g3 a9.€f1 trf2+ 50.€e1
trf4 51.Ac8 trf8 52.4g4 €92 53.€e2 Ee8+ 54.€d3 €f2 55.9f5 tre3+ 56.€d4 €f3 57.4g4+ €f4 58.9d5 treS+ 59.€d4 tr95 0-1 Kasparov,Garry Dreen Alexey Moscow ch-RUS 2004 (6)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.4f3
6f6 4.hc3 e6
5.4g5 hO 6.4h4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.A93 b5 9.4e2 9b7 10.h4 g4 11.fle5 h5 12.f3 abd713.fxg4 hxg4 14.0-0 6xe5 15.Axe5 6d716.9xh8 Bxh4 17.Axg4 WxhS 18.e5 Axe5 19.dxe5 AcS+ 20,trt2Wxe5 21.We2 Bxe2 22.l:xe2 trdg 23.€f1 Axf2 24.&xt2 €e7 25.€e3 a6 26.8d1
Se
trxd1 27.Axd1 f5 28.g4
txg4 29.axg4 €d5 3o.he4+ gd5 31.4f3 Ec8 32.4h5 a5 33.9f3 e5 34./ag5+
€c5 35.6e4+ gds
36.a3
AaG
37.9h5 Ac8 38.4f3 Aa6 39.6g5+
€c5 40.4e2 Ac8 41.6t7
b4
42.6xe5 AeG 43.a4 c3 44.4d3+
€b6 45.bxc3 gb3 46.c4 9xa4 47.&d4 ac2 48.c5+ €c7 49.4f3 Ab3 50.4e4 €;a4 51.€c4 Ac2
52.4f3 Aa4 53.6e5 gb7 54.4e4 €c7 55.4f3 ad1 56.4d4 aa4 57.9.c2 Axc2 58.6xc2 €d8 59.a1;
mi -Slov Def ence
g5 9.6x95 hxgS 10.Axg5 Ae7 11.exf6 Axf6 12.4e3 6d7 13.g3 Ab7 1a.Ag2 Wc7 15.a4 a6 16.0-0 0-0-0 17.axb5 cxbS 18.Axb5 axb5 19.8a7 6c5 20.Wa1 Ab3 21.Axb7+ WxbT 22.trxb7 6xa1 23.trxf7 ab3 24.trxf6 &d7 25.h4 b4 26.Ee1 tra8 27.k14 6xd4 28.4e5 a'c2 29.8d1+ €e7 30.trf4 EhcS 31,4d6+ €e8 32.trf8+ €d733.9b8+ 1-o Cheparinov,Ivan Pavasovic,Dusko Dresden 2008 (5)
Topalov,Veselin
Kramnik,Yladimir Wijk aan Zee 2008 (9)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.4f3
6f6 4.4c3
eG
5.4g5 hO 6.4h4 dxc4 7.e4 g5
8.4s3 b5 9.4e2 gb7 10.0-0 abd7 11.6e5 9;57 12.6xt7 €xf7 13.e5 ads 14.6e4 €e7 1s.Ad6 gb6 16.4g4 traf8 17.Wc2 Wxd4 18.WgG Wxg4 19.Wxg7+ €d8 20.6xb7+ &cB 21.a4 b4 22.trac1 c3 23.bxc3 b3 24.c4 trfg8 25.4d6+ €c7 26.9f7 Ef8 27.cxd5 trxf7 28.trxc6+ €bB 29.Axf7 tre8 30.4d6 trh8 31.trc4 We2 32.dxe6 Ab6 33.trb4 €a8 34.e7 Q:d5 35.Exb3 Q)xe7 36.gfbl ads 37.h3 h5 38.4f7 trcB 39.e6 a6 40.Axg5 h4 41.4d6 trs8 42.tr3b2 Wd3 43.e7 Af6 44.4e5 Ad745.Ae6
1.d4 d5 2.c4 eG 3.4f3 Af6 4.4c3 cG 5.4g5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 hO 8.9h4 95 9.4x95 hxgS 10.Axg5 6,bd7 11.g3 trg8 12.h4 Exg5 13.hxg5 AdS 14.96 fxg6 15.Wg4 We7 16.4g2 €d8 17.Axd5 cxd5 18.Wxg6 Ag7 19.6xb5 Af8 20.Wg4 trbg 21.6,dG
trxb2 22.o-o Ah6 23.9f3 gd2
24.Hab1trbG 25.trxb6 axb6 26.9a3 Wg7 29.Wc1 he7 30.8h8+ &d7 31.9h1
AaS 27.&g2 Ag6 28.trh1
Wsa 32.Wh7 Wg6 33.9h4 Ad2
34.hxc8 AxcS 35.9d8+ 36.wxc8+
€b5
€cG
37.we8+ wxeS
38.Exe8 9c3 39.trxe6 Axd4 40.tre8 c3 41.eG c2 42.trc8 9:c5 43.e7 c1W 44.eBW+ €b4 45.We2
d4 46.trh8 €c3
47.trh1
Wc2
48.Wxc2+ &xc2 49.f4 b5 50.trh5 1-0
Denker,Arnold
Botvinnik,Mikhail Beliavsky,Alexander Agrest,Evgenii Dresden 2007 (8)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.4f3 Af6 4.hc3 e6 5.4g5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 hO LAh4
telex URS-USA 1945 (1)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 eG 3.4c3 c6 4.6f3
6f6 5.4g5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.9h4 95 9.6x95 hxg5 10.Axg5 abdT 11.exf6 Ab7 12.4e2 gb6 257
Chess Opening Essentiols
- Volume 2
13.0-0 0-0-0 14.a4 b4 15.6e4 c5 16.9b1 Wc717.6g3 cxd4 18.Axc4 BcG 19.f3 d3 20.Wc1 AcS+ 21.€h1 gd6 22.W14 trxh2+ 23.€xh2 trh8+ 24.Wh4 trxh4+ 25.Axh4 Bf4 o-1
Lilienthal,Andor Botvinnik,Mikhail Moscow ch-URS Lg4+ (2)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 eG 3.6c3 cG 4.6t3 "z.f6 5.e95 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.4h4 95 9.Axg5 hxgS 10.Axg5 fllbd7 11.93 9:b7 12.992 BaS 13.exf6 O-O-O 14.gfg AbO 15.0-O trxd416.trfd1 trxdl+ 17.Bxd1 ads 18.6e4 b419.a3 bxa3 20.4d2 gb6 21.bxa3 wda 22.wc1 ac5 23.trb1 EdB 24.6xc5 Wxc5 25.gb2 gb6 26.Wa1 BcS 27.trc1 9a6 28.gf1 AbG 29.Ae3 gfs 30.a4 c5 31.WaS EdS 32.Ag 2 6ld7 33.Axd5 Wxd5 34.9f4 e5 35.495 6f8 36.f3 6e6 37.WeS Ab7 38.trc3 e4 39.fxe4
Wxg5 40.Bxg5 Axg5 41.trxc4 6xe4 42.h4 sd7 43.g4 Ad5 44.Hc1 se6 45.g5 €e5 46.a5 c4 47.&t1 c3 48.€e2 €d4 49.trd1+ €c4 50.€e3 c2 51.Eg1 €c3 52.€f4
An 53.€e5 Adl 54.gG c1E9' 55.Eg3+ sb4 56.sxd5 WcS+ 57.ee4 fxg6 O-1
15.b3 cxb3 17.6e4 Axf6 18.4c5 b2 19.trb1 e5 2O.Wd2 trhS 21.Wxb2 exd4 22.Qsxb7 €xb7 23.a4 a6 24.trtc14d5 25.a5 €xa5 26.Wxd4
gb6
27.Wg7 trfs 28.8b2 €c7 29.tre2 gd6 30.h4 gf6 31.Wg4 treS 32.trd2 19e6 33.9d4 trel+ 34.trxe1 Bxel+ 35.9h2 a5 36:Ec2
a4 37.4e4 gb4 38.gdg
trd6
39.4f3 €b6 40.gf5 gb3 41gd1 6c3 42.Ed2 Be6 43.Wf4 trxd2
44,Sxd2 6xdl 45.Wxdl a3 46.9'd4+ €b7 47.h5 gds 48.gh8 a2 49.h6 gdl 50.gf6 a1B' 51.gxf7+
€b6
o-1
Onischuk,Alexander Yan Wely,Loek Biel 2007 (4)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.6c3 Af6 4.6f3 e6
5.4g5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 Lgh4 95 9.6xg5 hxgS 10.Axg5 abdT 11.exf6 Eb7 12.g3 c5 13.d5 4:xf6 14.Ag2 AhG 15.Axf6 gxf6 16.0-0 O-O-0 17.Axb5 a6 18.4c3 exdS 19.8e1 €b8 20.6a4 Afg 21.8c1 Ac6 22.bg AhG 23.trc2 gd4 24.gb1 €a7 25.bxc4 Axa4 26.trb2 Ed6 27.Axd5 trxd5 28.trb7+ €aB
29.gb6
1-o
Polugaevsky,Lev
Sasikiran,Krisbnan Yan Wely,Loek
,..T:LT.[tl'r.^,. af6 4.ac3 e6 5.Ag5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.gh4 g5 9.6xg5 hxg5 10.Axg5 AbdT 11.g3 Ab7 12.Ag2 gb6 13.exf5 0-0-0 14.0-0 Ah6 15.Axh6 Exh6 258
Torre,Eugenio Moscow l98l (6) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.af3 Af6 4.6c3 eG 5.ig5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.:;rh4 95 9.Axg5 hxgS 10.Axg5 AbdT 11.exf6 €b7 12.93 c5 13.d5 4-rb6 14.dxe6 Bxdl+ 15.trxd1 Axhl 16.e7 a6 17.h4 gh6 18.t4 b419.trd6 trb8 2O.Ad1 9xg5 21.fxg5 6d5
Semi
22.Axc4 6xe7 23.fxe7 €xe7 24.trt0
trhf8 25.4e3 Ae4 26.trxa6 trbd8 27.Ht6 trd6 28.trf4 trd4 29.h5 gd3
30.6d5+ €d6 31.trxd4 cxd4 32.9b3 Ac2 33.Axc2 €xdS 34.9b3+ €e5 35.94 gf4 36.g6 €e3
37.g7 Ec8 38.€f1 d3 39.€g2
€f440.h6
1-0
Uhlmann,Wolfgaog Alexandria,Nana
hf6 4.4f3 e6 5.4g5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.9h4 95 9.Axg5 hxgS 10.Axg5 abdT 11.g3 Ab7 12.492 WbG 13.exf6 0-0-0 14.0-0 c5 15.d5 b4 16.trb1 Wa6 17.dxe6 Axg2 18.e7 Axfl 19.gxf1 bxc3 20.Wd5 AxeT 21.txe7
c2 22.exd9W+ trxd8 23.trc1 c3+ 24.&g2 cxb2 25.Wa8+ Abg 26.Hxc2 gb6 27.Axd8 €xd8 28.9d5+ ad7 29.8d2 wb5 30.a4 1-0
Ivanchuk,Yasily Shirov,Alexey Wijk aan Zee 1996 (3)
6f6 4.4f3 e6 5.4g5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 hG 8.4h4 95 9.4x95 hxg5 10.sxg5 4lbd7 11.exf6 Ab7 12.93 c5 13.d5 Wb6 1a.Ag2 0'0-0 15.0-0 b4 16.4a4 gbs 17.a3 exdS 18.axb4 cxb4 19.4e3 .ec5 20.W94+ trd7 21.W97 AxgT 22.Ixg7 tr98 23.Axc5 d4 1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.4c3
24.9xb7+ trxb7 25.2;b7 gb6 26.Axd4 Wxd4 27.trtd1 Wxb2 28.4d6+ €bg 29.trdb1 WxsT
€c7 31.Ea6
Def ence
Ponomariov,Ruslan Shirov,Alexey Wijk aan Zee 2003 (4)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.4f3 6fG 4.6c3 e6
5.4g5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.9h4
g5 9.6x95 hxgS 10.Axg5 abdT 11.g3 Ab7 12.492 9b6 13.exf6 0-0-0 14.0-0 c5 15.d5 b4 16.8ta4 17.a3 exds 18.axb4 cxb4 19.4e3 Ac5 20.Wg4+ trd7 21.Wg7 AxgT 22.txg7 Eg8 23.Axc5 trxg7
gbs
24.6:xd7 WxdT 25.trxa7
Halle 1981 (3)
1.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.6c3
30.trxb4+
-Slav
trb8
32.trxa7+ €xd6 33.Exb8 Bg4 34.trd8+ €c6 35.tra1 1-0
EgG
26.trfa1 Ee6 27.4d4 tre2 28.h4 trd2 29.9e3 trxb2 30.tr1a5 b3 31.trcS+
€d8 32.Exb7 WxbT 33.trxdS+ WxdS 34.Axd5 Eb1+ 35.€g2 b2 36.4e4 trd1 37.495+ €e8 38.4f6
blg
41.g4
39.Axb1 trxb1 40.h5 €fa Ed1 a2.Ab2 €sB 0-1
Oms PalliseJosep Pelletier,Yannick Calvia olympiad 200a (3)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.e3 6f6 4.6c3 e6 5.4f3 abdT 6.Wc2 Ad6 7.4d3 0-0
8.0-0 dxc4 9.Axc4 b5 10.4e2 Ab7 11.e4 e5 12.495 exd4 13.Axd4 Wc7 14.6f3 trfe8 '15.a3 a5 'l6.Ad3 6,g4 17.g3 h6 18.9d2 AcS 19.trfe1 6xd3 20.Wxd3 EadS 21.Wc2 b4 22.axb4 axb4 23.6a4 c5 24.trac1 trc8 25.6h4 c4 26.6f5 gfg 27.9t4 9c6 28.b3 cxb3 29.9d1 Wxa4 30.Wxg4 €h7 31.Axh6 gxh6
32.9f5+ €s8 33.Wg4+ €h8 34.Wh5 Excl 35.Axc1 WcG 36.9b2+Ag737.trc1WeG 0-1 Morozevich,Alexander
Kramnik,Yladimir Moscow 2008 (3)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.4c3 Af6 4.e3 259
eG
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
5.af3 abdT 6.8c2 Ad6 7.s4 6xs4 8.trg1 6xh2 9.6xh2 Axh2 10.trxg7 Ae7 14Axe7 WxeT 15.0-0-0 dxe4 16.6xe4 t517.2,d2 c5 18.dxc5 Ad7 19.b4 O-O-O 20.trg3 e5 21.Ed3 Ae6 22.tra3 a6 23.c6 bxc6 24.c5 Wg5 25.trxa6 €d7 26.9c4 Axc4 27{8xc4 6e7 28.€c2 €e8 2g.atg
gf6 30.trd6 trxd6 31.cxd6
1-0
DobrorYladimir Shirov,Alexey Tallinn raoid 2005 (5)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c63.6c3 6f6 4.4f3 e6 5.e3 AbdT 6.Wc2 Ad6 7.g4 dxc4 &Axc4 e5 9.g5 6d5 10.6e4 Acl 11.9d2 exd4.12.6xd4 6e5 13.Ae2 O-O 14.0-0-0 Aa5 15.trdg1 Axd2+ 16.Bxd2 We7 17.493 gde 18.€b1 c5 19.6df5 Axfs+ 20.6xf5 we6 0-1
Sadler,Matthew Payen,Arnaud
gb6
22.9d2
€g8 23.b9 gd4
24.Ebe1 Ed8 25.Ee4 6lc7 26.trxd4
6xa6 27.trxd8+ ExdB 28.Axa6 Bxd2 29.Ac4 €f7 30.sh1 gxf2
31.93 €e7 32.tra1 e5 33.a4 e4 34.trf1 Ec2 35.eg2 Ad4+ 36.€h3 Exc4 37.bxc4 b3 38.€g4 gd6 39.€f4 €c5 40.€xe4 €xc4 41.h4 b242.g4 s!b6 o-1
Bowinnik,Mikhail Euwe,Machgielis The Hague,/Moscow Wch 1948 ( I 2)
2.flt3 6f6 3.c4 e6 4.6c3 c6 5.e3 6bd7 6.4d3 dxeA 7.9xc4 b5 8.9d3 aG 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cxd4 1.d4 d5
11.Axb5 axbS 12.exf6 WbG 13.fxg7
(l) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c63.Af3 6f6 4.6c3 eG 5.e3 6bd7 6.ed3 dxc4 7,Axc4 b5 8.Ae2 Ab7 9.e4 b4 10.e5 bxc3 11.exf6 cxb2 12.fxg7 bxal W l3.gxh8g Wa5+ 14.ad2 c5 15.0-0 Hastings open 1990/91
Wxd4 16.Wxh7 Wxa2 17.4c4 Waal 18.Axe6 0-O-O 19.gxf7gd6 2O.6c4 Ac7 21.4d5 Aa6 22.Wxd4 E9xd4 23.gb2 Wd3 24.We6 Abs 25.tre1 sb8 26.6e3 gd2 27.trb1 Ab6
28.4e5 gd3 29.9e4
s.afg abd7 6.Adg dxc4 7.Axc4 b5 8.gd3 Ab7 9.e4 b4 1o.6a4c5 11.e5 6d5 12.6xc5 6xc5 13.dxc5 Axc5 14.4g5 Wc715.0-0 Bxe5 16.8a4+ &e7 '17.drt7 &xt7 18.9d7+ ge7 19.Wxb7 trhc8 20.Efa5 Ac5 21.Eb1
Be2
30.9xc7+€xc731.8e5+€c8
1-O
AxgT 14.0-0 6c5 1s.gf4 Ab7 16.tre1 Edg 17.trc1 trdS 18.Ae5 Axe519.trxe5 Exe5 20.hxe5 6xd3 21.Wxd3 f6 22.Wg3 fxeS 23.Wg7 trfg 24.trc7 t$xcT 25.Wxc7 AdS 26.Wxe5 d3 27.8e3 Ac4 28.b3 trf7 29.f3 trd7 30.9d2 e5 31.bxc4 bxc4 92.&t2 €f7 33.€e3 €eG 34.9b4 Ec735.€d2 Ec6 36.a4 1-o
Kramnik,Vtadimir Anand,Yiswanathan Bonn Wch-match 2008 (3)
Kaidanov,Gregory Gelfand,Boris
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c63.Af3
Ashdod 2004 (3)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.6c3 6fG 4.e3 260
aie +.a"s
6M7 6.4d3 dxc4 7.Axc4 "e b5 8.9d3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cxd4 5.e3
eG
11.6xb5 axbS 12.exf6 gxf6 13.0-O
Sem i -Slcv Defence
gb6 14.9e2 Ab7 15.Axb5 Ad6 16.trd1 Hg8 17.s3 Eg4 18.Af4 Axf4 19.6xd4 h5 20.Axe6 fxe6 21.trxd7 sfg 22.19'd3 trg7 23.Hxg7 €xg7
24.gxt4 Ed8 25.We2 sh6 26.€f1 Eg8 27.a4 As2+ 28.€el Ah3 29.Ea3 tr91+ 30.€d2 'i4d++ 31.€c2 ag4 32.f3 afs+ 33.4d3 Ah3 34.a5 trS2 35.a6 Exe2+ 36.€xe2 Af5+ 37.€b3 Be3+
38.€a2 Wxe2 39.a7 9c4+ 40.€a1
wfl+
41.&a2abt+
0-1
Kramnik,Vladimir Anand,Yiswanathan Bonn Wch-match 2008 (5)
6f6 4.6c3 e6 5.e3 6bd7 6.9d3 dxc4 7.Axc4 b5 8.4d3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cxd4 11.4xb5 axb5 12.exf6 gxf6 13.0-0 gb6 14.We2 Ab7 15.Axb5 trg8 16.4f4 Ad6 17.4g3 f5 '18.trfc1 f4 19.4h4 Ae7 2O,a4 Axh4 21.6xh4 &e7 22.tra3 trac8 23.Exc8 trxc8 24.tra1 WcS 25.W94 WeS 26.4f3 WfG 27.tre1trc5 28.b4 Ec3 29.Axd4 Wxd4 30.trd1 6f6 31.trxd4 6xg4 32.trd7+ €f6 33.trxb7 trcl+ 34.4f1 6e3 35.fxe3 fxe3 0-1 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.4f3
KasimdzhanorlRustam KasparonGarry
e3 25.Efd1 Wd6 26.a4 gG 27.axb5 axb5 28.g3 ah5 29.894 Axg3
30.hxg3 Axg3+ 31.€92 Ef2+ 32.€h3 Afs 33.trh1 h5 34.9x96+
Bxg6 35.Ehg1 Wxgl
€f7
36.trxg1+ o-1
Marshall,Frank Teichmann,Richard Cambridge Springs 1904 (8)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 eG 3.6c3 6f6 a.Ags 4Abd7 s.afg c6 6.e3 WaS 7.4d2 he4 8.cxd 5 Q.xd2 9.Wxd2 exd5 10.Ed3 gb4 11.0-0 0-0 12.a3 €xc3 13.bxc3 Ee8 14.f4 AbO 15.f5 f6 16.9f4 Q:c4 17.We2 b5 18.9xc4 bxc4 19.9h5 gd7 20.trf3 Wxc3 21.trat1Wd3 22.g4 tre7 23.95 Axf5 24.gxtB gxf6 25.9h6 9g6 26.9h4 We4 27.trxf6 tr97 28.Wxe4 Axe4+ 29.9xg7 €xg7 30.trxc6 trbg 31.trc7+ sh6 32.€f2 trb2+ 33.es3
trbS 34.&t4 gd3 35.trs1
EbG
35.€e5 Ae4 37.E93 trbg 38.trc6+ €h5 39.EfO Ebl 40.trc6 trb8 41.tr57 tre8+ 42.Ee6 trc8 43.8f6 Ag6 44.tr9x96 hxg6 45.€xd5 c3 46.Ef1 €g4 47.€e4 c2 48.trg1+ €h3 49.trc1 g5 50.d5 94 51.dG €xh2 52.€e5 trc3 53.e4 €g3 54.€d4 trcB 55.e5 gf4 56.d7 trd8 57.e6 €f5 58.sd5 1-o
Linares 2005 (9)
1.d4 d5 2.cA cG 3.6c3
6f6 4.e3
eG
5.4f3 AbdT 6.9d3 dxc4 7.Axc4 b5 8.gdg Ab7 9.0-O a6 10.e4 c5 11.d5
Wc7 12.dxe5 fxe6 13.Ac2
c4
14.6d4,2c5 15.9e3 e5 16.hf3 Ae7 17.695 0-0 18.Axc5 -Rxc5 19.6eG Wb6 20.4xf8 trxf8 21.4-:d5 Axd5 22.exd1 €xf2+ 23.€h1 e4 24.We2
Kasparov,Garry Smyslov,Vasily Vilnius match i984 (7) 1.d4 dS 2.hf3 616 3.c4 c6 4.A'c3 eG 5.9g5 abdT 6.e3 WaS 7.ad2 eb4 8.Wc2 0-0 9.a3 dxc4 10.Axf6 6xf6 l1.Q,xeA Axc3+ 12.Wxc3 9xc3+ 13.bxc3 c5
14.€e2
1/zr/z
761
-
Chess Opening Essentiols
Volume
2
Grischuk,Alexander Dreev,Alexey
11.a3 Axc3 12.bxc3
Poikovsky 2005 (2)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.6c3 6f6 4.4f3 eG 5.4g5 abdT 6.e3 WaS 7.cxd5 Axd5
8.9d2 Ab4 9.8c1 h6 10.9h4 c5 11.a3 Axc3 'l2.bxc3 b6 13.c4 Wxd2+ 14.6xd2 6e7 15.f3 Aa6 16.4e2 trc8 17.0-0 Af5 18.4f2 €e7 19.trfel 95 20.4f1 ad6 21.a4 trhd8 22.trc3 6f6 23.trc2 Ad7 24.trec1 abg 25.a5 cxd4 26.axb6 axb6 27.exd4 b5 28.c5 AfS 29.tra2 6xd4 30.4e4 e5 31.f4 gxf4 32.4h4+ €e6 33.Axd8 trxd8 34.cG trc8 35.c7 1-o
Potkin,Yladimir Malakhov,Vladimir Serpukhov 2008 (Z)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 cG 3.6c3
252
5.4g5 abd76.e3 WaS 7.cxd5 6xd5 8.9d2 ab4 9.trc1 h6 10.ah4 c5
4f6 4.6f3 e6
b6 13.c4
wxd2+ 14.4xd2 6e7 15.f3 6f5
16.4f2 AaG 17.Ad3 6d6 18.g4 €e7 19.4s3 EacS 20.€f2 EhdS 21.ghdl aba 22.h4 ab7 23.d5 exdS 24.Af5 6d7 25.cxd5 gG 26.4b1 c4 27.h5 Adc5 28.e4 95 29.at1Ab3 30.trc3 6d6 31.a4 f6 32.6e3 6c5 33.Ac2
at7 34.4f5+ €fs 35.€e3 ad7 36.4d4 6c5 37.hf5 ad7 38.4d4 Ac5 39.trb'l trd740.a5 trb741.axb6 Exb6 42.tra'l 6e5 €.4f5 trc7 44.tra5 6b3 45.tra3 6c5 46.€d4 Ab3+ 47.Axb3 cxbS 48.trcxb3 Hc4+ 49.€e3 Ea4 50.Axe5 fxeS 51.trxa4 trxb3+ 52.&t2Eb6 53.tra5 €f7 54.Ec5 trb2+ 55.€g3 trb3 56.Ec7+ €fg 57.d0 Ae2 58.d7 1-o
The only move that can give White an advantage. Now 5...exdS?! would take Black
into an inferior line of the Tarrasch Defence. However, Black has other ideas.
Peruvian Gambit
A)
Before we look at the most frequent reply to 4.Ag5 - namely 4...Rf8-e/ we will look at a couple of rare lines.
-
1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. 6b1-c3 4. Ac1-95
d7-d5 e7-e6
698-f6
gd8-b6
5.
Attacking b2 and d4: it is so named because of its association with the Peruvian player Canal. Once again, Black beIieves that the very early development of the bishop on 95 justifies the activation of the queen, which objectively looks to be premature.
6. Ag5xf6! 6.dxe6 cxd4 7 .exf7 + &xf7 8.6a4 Ab++ is not as clear as the text move. 6. Wb5xb2 Achieving the goal of the variation.
Black can play in a way that is considered to be somewhat dubious: the cou-
7. tra1-c1
L
g7xf6
e2-e3
rageous
c7-c5
4.
In theoretical terms this ls not such a hot move, considering White's control of d5. Nonetheless, the strange fact is that Black does not score so badly with this linel Is this due to its surprise value, or is it actually playable?
4.
c4xd5
:::r,.
fi
l
A'sl lrl,l $ :.lt g a 263
-
Chess Opening Essentiols
8.
9.
e3xd4
10. Afl-b5+ 11. Ab5xd7+
12.6s1-e2 13.0-0!
Volume
2
c5xd4
and Black does not seem to have gained
af8-b4 Ac8-d7
enough compensation.
Ab8xd7 Ea8-c8
Now at last, we examine the most common reply to 4.Ac 1-g5: the move
4.
Af8-e7
and after
Ab4xc3
13....
14. gdl-d3 White wins back the piece with
a
plus. /ii:i :EJ
:
Dutch Gambit
..:a :
. ..;.
B) 5.
c5xd4
if.
The similarity with the Schara-Hennig is evident. However. White should ben-
ggAff
efit from the fact that ...Afe and Ag5
Black unpins the knight and re-estab-
have already been played. Now there is:
Iishes central balance.
6. Wd1xd4
5.
Af8-e7!
e2-e3
6...D,c6?! 7.9:xf6t, and White has a big
5.4f3 usually transposes, but at times
plus.
White does not play e2-e3, for example
. 7.
e2-e4
Less energetic moves
will not worry
when Black plays 5...h6 5.Axf6 Axf6 7.9d2.
Black.
7. 8. gd4-d2!
6b8-c6
*r E
-{h,
:l:.,;
e
A
lilr,i,tlil
tr
fiiil{!
,.i., i.::
A ,':::::i :r':l.:i
A :::3
alirii
t'r:"az
il lr',
An'
6..
ri$r
A
a;:,ir!
At{
-l
i& =f t :3r$ *j r i:,i:
.,.
-.::An
i:.-l
ftWN A N. .€
i:l
s!:
g ,AI\ i*An A, aatr'J:
';
'11,.:
E
lilil
;
rt,
€:.':l
U
U
U,
A]
EAiii::
8.
e6xd5
9.
The sequence adopted by Kortchnoi, 6.4h4 0-0 7.Ec1!? seeks to gain advantage from the delay of e2-e3. This is an attempt to enter into a favourable ver-
Ae7xf6 Bd8-e7+
sion of the Tartakower in the event that Black plays 7...b6 (see diagram next
.Fr
t::,::'::;a
Ag5xf6 10. e4xd5 11. hg1-e2
26+
ii::
Fi
=r n=. ..:
!4\
-sl Il
IT3 E@ -:':.
.-i-. ) < U
llitillirii
!4:::.
."
:,rt,rt,l
A' .*
page).
Queen's Gombit Declined
E
AEg
,,8,
&
I r I Er r ra I :.., I ',::" g AA 'A 6 NB NNAA AA AAAA ..: trw€a tr '.,,';,
However, with Karpov's move 7 ...dxc4l, we are in a type of Queen's Gambit Accepted position that looks satisfacrory
for Black.
If
instead Black plays normally with
5...0-0
EAIEB Es :l I I E,l I I
la
AA .. a.$ AA AAAA
trg€Atr
it is important to be aware thar White can play 6.Wc2!?, and transpose to rhe Eingorn 5.Wc2 variation, which was discussed previously.
with
..
.AfS-eZ
EAES E € trl El,ll la
..,tl.]j] l, ,,,, A
.'6AA Aa
AA AAA EW*AE 6...h6 7.Axf6 Variation Here Black faces an important choice: whether to play ...h7 -h6 or not. Experience has taught us that to have a pawn
on h6 often proves to be useful for Black if he wishes to play along the lines of the Tartakower. if he wants to open a queenside fianchetto, or if he would like to play a Lasker type variation, simpiifying with ...Q)e4. However, Biack should put off playing ...h7-h6 if his intention is ro play Orthodox type posirions with ...abd7 (for reasons that will be explained Iater). Therefore 6...b6 and 6...4e4 are playable; however, it is more accurate to play these moves after ...h7-h6 if White plays Ah+. lndeed, nowwe
will examine
6.
h7-h6
Let's return to
5. e2-e3 which is usually followed by 0-0 If Black has the intention of playing 5...h6, he can do so immediately. However, it does not really change anyrhing, and usually just results in a transposition.
5.
6.
Og1-f3
EaAB' Es
lrr art ra I IA AA AA
a
AA
aa
AAA
trgEAtr
26s
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
and postpone our discussion of
A)
8. gd1-d2 is an
6...4bd7 until the final part of this sec-
Pctrosian's favourite
tron.
can play an interesting alternative that is
move: the move vacates the dl-square for the rook in anticipation of a future opening of the d-file; it defends c3 with the intention of replying to a possible
only played 10% of the time, but which, curiously, has a much better
...c5 with dxc5, without having to worry about the doubled paurns that
performance.
hang on to the two bishops is very
would be created by ...Axc3+; from dZ the queen eyes the kingside, knowing that there is the prospect of unleashing
strong!
an amack wirh h2-h4lg2-g4-g5
At this point, White is not obliged to continue with the normal Z.Ah+; he
It would appear that the basic instinct to
all-purpose
and
e3-e4.
8.
The move in question is
7.
d5xc4
Ag5xf6!?
Ea*49
&r& ;,1
'. l& cz)
a*g
FI E
The simplest move,
This move was very popular at the end of the 1980's following its employment in the Karpov-KasparoY encounters. However, now it is a little neglected. White concedes the bishop pair as otherwise he would lose time retreating the bishop. The capture aiso deprives Black of typi-
The aggressive 8...4c6!? 9.Ecl
cal simplifying manoeuvres with
Removing the weakness on c7. 11. Ef1-d1 c5xd4
...6)e4. In addition, the freeing pawn push to c5 is more difficult to execute
9. Aflxc4 1
0.0-0-0
?.
12.6t3xd4 Ac4-e2 14, Ae2-t3
13.
Ae7xf6
there are the following choices: 266
!
10....
Black 7.
ab8'd7
10.0-0
with the bishop on f6. After
a6
10.Ae2 dxc4 11.Axc4 e5 12.d5 Ae7 13.6e4 AfS is playable, but gives White an edge.
c7-c5
ad7-bo Ac8'd7 gd8-b8!?
wjll soon achieve parity.
B) 8. Wd1-c2
Ab8-a6!?
Queen's Gcmbit Declined
E A'g Es 'lI IrI A, TA I
H
E
r ,\ ,lgrI I ga
AA
a Ag
&''6-l
A F? E
AAA c+rd H EE E
AA AA
with the option of
...Qlb+. The move 8...c5 is also possible: 9.dxc5 dxc4 10.Axc4 Wa5 1 1.0-0 Axc3, with equality.
9.
Ea1-dl
9.a3!?.
9. 10. 11.
d4xc5 c4xd5
'12.
at3-d4
c7-c5 Wd8-a5
6a6xc5
If
12.dxe6 Axe6, and Black has excellent compensation for the pawn.
12.... a2-a3
13.
it.
,^ /\Ai wL)
AAA $ltr
Fl .91
12. h2-h3! White maintains the tension, and stops the possibility of
12.
...4g4.
...
e5xd4
In the absence of an alternative plan. 13. e3xd4 Ad7-b6 14. Ac4-b3 And we have a classic isolated queen's
pawn position in which ownership of the two bishops should make Black's task easier. Well, that's the theory anyway; however, in the specific position in question, White's pieces are more harmoniously placed.
6c5-e6
Even that great master of positional play
Karpov had difficulties playing with the
C) 8. tra1-cl The most natural way to discourage r(
8. c7-c6 This Semi-Slav-like approach seems ro be the safest. 8...a6 has been quite popular recently: 9.a3!? c6 l0.Ad3 AdZ 1 I .0-0 b5 !? I 2.cxd5 cxdS. and White has a tiny plus.
black pieces in this position, which means it is always going to be an uphiil battle for ordinary players.
14....
Ac8-f5 15. trf1-e1 a7-a5l This would appear to be the only way to gain equality: as we will explain later. the immediate 15...Ee8 is less preclse. '16.
17. 18. 19. 20.
ab8-d7 d5xc4 e6-e5
This is better than the other ...c6-c5.
I
e6xd5
with equal chances.
9. gf1-d3 10.0-0 11. Ad3xc4
r'\\ ,7
H
This move was played by Kasparov and
prepares ...c7-c5
,Eg
A $II/ EE3
'i,',,
l,
"'::':''
with ...AfA-el
breal<
a2-a3 trf8-e8 trelxe8+ Wd8xe8 gd1-d2 We8-d7 trc1-e1 Ea8-e8
trelxe8+ Wd2-14 22. Ab3xe6 21.
Wd7xe8
Af5-e6! We8xe6 267
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
E E-g E,&'* I 1.,t Al.$ /\l
L\ A
At this point, without the two pawn moves 15...a5 and 16.a3, White would play WbS+ and Wxa7. However, now 23.9b8+ would be followed by
23...WcS, and everything is defended. Therefore, White has no other choice but to play 23. Wf4-c7 It appears that Black will lose material, but he still has resources:
23.... 6b6-c4 24.Wc7xb7 Af6xd4! Saving the day.
25.6f3xd4 We6-e1+
26.
€g1-h2
Wel-e5+
27. g2-g3 Avoiding perpetual check.
27.... 28. 29.
We5xd4
gb7-c8+ €g8-h7 Wc8-f5+ €h7-g8
and White has nothing better than to give perpetual check himself.
Lasker Defence 7...6e4 1.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. ?,68
d2-d4 c2-c4 6b1-c3 Ac1-95 e2-e3 Ag1-f3 Ag5-h4
d7-d5 e7-e6
hg8-f6 Af8-e7
The defining move of this defence. Black is aware of the principle that exchanging offa couple ofpieces favours
the player with a cramped position. More specifically the black queen has a nice destination on e7, and the rooks would then be ready for action. Naturally, the downside is that moving the knight a second time neglects development. The other negative aspect of the
- though at this stage of the game, perhaps a little academic - is that the black bishop that will be exchanged off is the good one, and thus in an endgame Black may have the disadvantage of playing with a bad bishop. move
This defence has the plus of denying White the opportunity to complicate play, and therefore even though the over-
all performance is not less than with other lines, predictably the draw rate is higher. Whether this is a good or a bad thing depends on Black's ambitions. After decades in the doldrums, this line becarne very popular at the beginning of the 1980's when Yusupov demonstrated its viability more rhan once ar dre highest levels of competition.
0-0 h7-ho
8. Ah4xe7 8.493!?, conceding one of the two bishops so as to avoid too many ex-
6lf6-e4
changes, is a rare but interesting idea.
Queen's Gombit Declined
8. D
e.
WdBxeT
Af1-d3
This gives Black easy equality after
9.
10.
Ae4xc3 d5xc4
b2xc3
11. Ad3xc4 The bishop moves again.
11. ... 12. 0-0 13. Wd1-e2 14. Efl-d1 15. e3-e4
c7-c5 b7-b6
Ac8-b7 ab8-d7
with
..
White now has a semi-open b-file and there is a pawn that can advance to c4 for the second time in the gamel Black, for his part, gets a semi-open e-fiIe, and he no longer has problems developing the '-'- cR "^"-'*r' -" hichnn 11. wd1-b3 Attacking d5 and tying dornm the bishop to the defenceof b7
.
1. ... Ef8-d8 The alternative 11...Wae tZ is less common but scores well. 12. c3-c4 d5xc4 1
13.9f1xc4
Ab8-c6!
Threatening 14...Q)aS as
t *
.Afg-el
well
as
14...4xd4. 14. Wb3-c3 After the solid 14.4e2. Black restores the balance with I +...b6 | 5.0-0 Ab7 ar H H a rl A ^ roiloweo Dy...uia) ro.sacr' sacd ano ...c5.
Compared to similar positions in the Queen's Indian, Black's defensive task is easier as the dark-squared bishops are off the board. B)
9.
fi
::,]i?:
5ir
ix: A
:ti
i:$ll
A 5it:.1
t Ix *t. :?t
.f.
E'
{rh :3t:;
5t -t U ttiat
Ac8-94 kg4xf3 We7-f6
tra8-c8
Ae4xc3 e6xd5
c4xd5
10. b2xc3 EI
14.... 15.0-0!? 16. g2xf3 17. 9c4-e2
I
e$;
fi
r-n;,i.::t
;ial::
31i
**
*:: ttrt F.
q) a ..]ir tl: 475
-::dl
;-I UUcir, €E'
.:
E
So the c6 knight is free to move. Now it is difficult to decide who is better off; White has an imposing-looking centre, but Black's active piece play should allow him to create sufficient
counterplay. 269
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
E.i: i!;t :E * r,a=:agrx ll I 'I
C) 9. 6c3xe4 d5xe4 10. af3-d2 e6-e5!
Aa
w aa A* AA. ', *t *tr€ Better than the ordinary 10...f5, which produces unclear play after 11.c5!? e5
12.9b3+. 11. d4xe5
11.ds
gfs!. 11. 12.
...
We7xe5
Wd1'c2 Ac8-f5 13.4f1-e2 Ab8-c6 Black should be happy things are going.
You could imagine that White is doing better, given his connol of the centre and space advantage. And indeed he would be if all the pieces were still on the board, but here, with four minor pieces gone, Black's work is made easier.
E) 9. tra1-c1
The most played. It stops the natural-looking9...ad7?,whichwouldlose
with the way apawnafter
9.
10.cxd5.
c7-c6
D) 9. Wd1-c2 Attacking e4 in such a way that White can take back on c4 having used only
Preparing ...4d7. 10. afl-d3 The move 10.Axe4 does not gain anything: l0...dxe4 ll.adZ f5 12.c5 6d7
one tempo.
13.4c4 e5.
9.
c7-c0t? A refinement; 9...4xc3 10.Wxc3
.Axc4 gives White an edge, so Black tries to create the same nosition with 11
10. af1-d3 Taking twice on e4 does not give White anything as there is the check on b4, but 10.Ec1l? is interesting. It can transpose to line E.
10....
6e4xc3
11. 12.
ab8-d7
Ad3xc4
13.0-0 14. tra1-cl 270
1 1 ..
.ad7
1
d5xc4 b7-b6 Ac8-b7
2.cxd5
12. 13.
the pawn already on c6.
Wc2xc3
10.... 11. Ec1xc3
dxc4
I.
Ad3xc4
0-0
6e4xc3 d5xc4 ab8-d7 e6-e5
Queen' s Gombit Declined
Otherwise 13...b6 and 14...4b7, along the lines of the previous variation.
14. Ac4-b3!? Exchanges on e5 would free Black's game. Curiously, we have reached the same position found in the main line of
the Orthodox with the difference that there is a pawn on h6 instead of h7
'14....
!
e5xd4
It is unlikely that 14...e4 15.4d2 af6 16.Wc2 will give Black the kingside
ex-
Ef8-d8!? We7-d6 ad7-f8!
Ag
ll
rg '.u .N
H
E'e Ff
\SA4/
I
cq1
Ey
Black still has problems related to his backward development, but with precise play he should be able to equalise.
Tartakower Variation 7...b6 1.
2.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
I A' It ''..' I 'AA ,\
..
A A,'''.
t4_)
AlA E
g.fr
A,A,A tr
wgg
The defining move of this defence.
role of the b7 bishop is reduced to that
AH
3-
AA
EAEE P'$'". i l A f ..l'' ''t
,.",' A A A
... Ef1-el Ec3-e3
ll
.Afg-el
r'i\
in
change for dynamic play.
E
..
Frequently played by Tartakou,.er in the 1920's, it was to become the trusted weapon of champions such as Spassky, Geller, Karpov, Bellavsky and Short. If this is not impressive enough a list, the defence has also been given occasional outings by many other top-levei players, including Kramnik and Kasparov. It seems wise to develop the bishop to b7, given the perennial problem of the c8 bishop in the Queen's Gambit. White permitting, Black's plan is to play ,Ar Ar r...Hb -/ . ...uLbd / and ...c5. Minor inconveniences: the long light-
initiative that he hopes for. 15. e3xd4! Accepting an isolated d-pawn 15. 16. 17.
with
d2-d4 c2-c4 6b1-c3 Ac1-95 e2-e3 6s1-f3 Ag5-ha
d7-d5 e7-e6
2tg8-f6 Af8-e7 0-0 h7-h6 b7-b6
squared diagonal remains closed and the
of supporting Black's centre. Another defect compared to the main line of the
Orthodox Defence is the weakness of the c6-square, which in some lines can be become unpleasant. In addition, the black queen has some difficulty finding a good square; e7 is taken by the bishop
and b6 is not available. This is something
that does not happen ln those lines of the Semi-Slav or Queen's Gambit Accepted in which the extended fianchetto (...a7-a6 and...b7-b5) gives more space on the queenside.
White can choose from a wide variety of plans. The fact that no single line is 271
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
EAE E " ll lg I ....,3. *
considered to be clearly better than another is testimony to the validity of the Tartakower Variation.
D
8. c4xd5
6f6xd5!
The modern approach; Black reduces the pressure by exchanging. 8...exd5 has not passed the test of time: after 9.4d3 AAI t0.0-0, results plainly fa-
' 'A l'l
g
t:',.
A
aa .:;:;:
AAF?.$.lFi AAA EE'e
vour White.
9.
Ah4xe7
Avoiding piece exchanges with 9.4g3!? is conceptually correct, but the reality is that after 9...c5 10.4d3 cxd4 11.exd4
9a6. Black is OK.
15. d4xc5 b6xc5 16. trclxcS Ec8xc5 17. Wa3xc5 6b8-a6 Black has sufficient counterplay to compensate for the loss of the pawn.
9. Wd8xe7 9...6xe7 maintains a fluid centre. Yet it is not even mentioned in many books, perhaps because the great Capablanca lost to Flohr after playing rhis move. However, it has recently been employed by the opening specialist Dorfman, which in itself would suggest that it couldn't be such a bad move. 10. Ac3xd5 e6xd5 11. tra1-c1 Ac8-e6! 12. Wd1-a4! The queen swings into action so as to
It would appear
attack the hanging pawns.
change
12....
c7-cs
13. Wa4-a3 trf8-c8 14. gf1-b5! Restricting the development of the b8
knight. 14.
...
We7-b7!
Geller's sacrifice resolves Black's problems. The queen defends the a8 rook,
and Black threatens ...a7-a6, which would genuinely attack the bishop. 14...a6 from the famous 1972 Spassky Fischer match leaves Black in a precarious position after 15.dxc5 bxc5 16.0-0. 272
B) 8.
Ah4xf6
EAAS E& l Elr', I ls I 11
AA
""
,AAa *6AAA tr .g€g tr paradoxical
to
ex-
off the bishop, having just re-
treated it to h4 on the previous move.
The idea is to take on d5, forcing Black to recapture with the pawn, which produces a static black pawn formation and makes the c8 bishop bad. It would be more precise to wait one more move before exchanging on f6 and d5 so as to deny Black the option of developing the bishop to e6. It is this concept that is behind the lines we look at next.
8.
9. c4xd5
AeTxfG e6xd5
Queen's Gcmbit Declined
And nou4 depending on what White plays, you transpose to one of the variations in which White exchanges on f6 on the ninth move. which is what almost always happens.
c) 8. gd1-b3 9. Ah4xf6 10. c4xd5
D) 8. Wd1-c2
ffis $ AtE E.
With this sequence, White tries to dis-
i*&l
r
liai
EP".
rre
X*r*#
;ir::
:' g: '
9. Ah4xf6 10. c4xd5
Ae7xf6 e6xd5
n
11. tra1-d1
Ac8-b7
; )< }{
X*
e6xd5
.AfS-eZ
..
t! ffir ffiffi
i$3
ac8-b7 Ae7xf6
with
ffi#
li a:i:i u1 \:": q iirl: .i: a t5, ffiig** .llA ..,. ;,. ii"i E t- --- H lJ
courage the pawn push to c5.
11. 12.
... Afl-d3
trf8-e8 c7-c5l?
Played anyway!
The other option of 12...c6 13.0-0 gives White a small plus.
13.
d4xc5
ad7
abB-d7l
. E**exx Ax:rt tEt: *: :t i*r E*€
Z-1
a9a , E€.', ::-
:1
l',q
:-:4.
T=1
A
launch his attack. 12. g2-g4
White goes king-hunting.
a1
I 2.dxc5 AdZ t gives Black sufficient counterplay.
. Fr "- e
Putting his faith in his superior devel-
opment and the idea ...1 c\
of ...d4
and
.
14. c5-c6! After this move, Black's position loses its dynamic quality. 14.cxb6 gives Black too actrve a game.
14....
15.0-0
Ab7xc6 6d7-c5 Ea8-c8
...
c7-c5! Played without concern for the now weakened pawn on d5. Less energetic moves make it easier for White to 11.
ffir*:: t* 1 *::l *! :i*: *wwa:&a *wwaffia gAAAA 4..l
11. 0-0-0!? The most aggressive line against the Tartakower. It is less popular today than in its heyday in the 1980's. Obviously, the plan is to play lnz-h+, g2-g4 and g4-g5 with a kingside attack.
16. Wb3-c2 A classic battle lies ahead - Black has an isolated pawn on d5 but his pieces are active. Both sides have their trumDs.
'12.... 13. e3xd4 14. h2-h4
c5xd4 6b8-c6 97-96
g H& $ax* t*'r ta*s I t tX t|* r *$ rcxt E$5
:3:;
s\ ffia ;* A$g$t
:ffil
H ,:- rl H--- E
A pg
D
':t
.lil
tiSi; i:ti:3;
;; I-T
)77
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
It is difficuk ro say if this attack will work: White's assault looks menacing, but in reality Biack has control of the
11. b2-b4
ffiffiffie Effi ffiTre #ffi# ffi w ffirffi $# ffiffiffi ffi ffi ffi d$a#ffi ds A EI
dark squares, and even a pawn sacrifice
$re
to open the h-file will not necessarily is needed for a winning
create what attack.
E) 8. tra1-c1 9. Ah4xf6 Axd5
9.cxd5
Ac8-b7
1O.AxeZ WxeT
1
ffi
Axd5l.
9.
Ae7xf6
10. c4xd5 e6xd5 11. b2-b4 Opposing the ...c7-c5 push. 11. ... c7-co
- ffi6
ffiffi effi
ffi Affiffi ffiT ffi
$rerffi ffi ffi
ffiffi wffi
A
ffirffi
ffiffiffi ffi ffi ffisa Affi ffiffiffi ffi ffiw
The position is similar to Variation
but here White can save the
1. ... c7-c6 Also here this is a more secure move than 1 1...c5!? 12.bxc5 bxc5 13.trb1 Ac6. However, the latter is playable. 12. 0-0 a7-a5l? 1
13. b4-b5 Also 13.a3 and 13.bxa5 are possible, but the text move seems the most
promising
... 14.6f3-e5! 15. e3xd4 16. d4xe5 13.
Stopping b4-b5. This is more solid rhan
At1-e2 13. gdl-b3 14.0-O 12.
gd8-d6 ab8-d7 a7-a5
and things are about even.
F) 8. Af1-e2 9. Ahaxts
27+
c4xd5
QtcS-a4
c6-c5 c5xd4 Af6xe5! d5-d4 Wd8-95
an unclear game.
G) 8. gf1-d3 9. 0-0
Ac8-b7
White develops in normal fashion with
will
see an advantage,
given Black's difficulty
in
complering
harmonious development.
9.Ecl dxc4!? 10.Axc4 Q*at n.0-0 c5 l2.Be2 a6 13.a4 cxd4 14.6xd4 6c5 1 5.f3 We8 !, with equality 9. Ae7xf6 10.
17.
with
the hope that he
Ac8-b7
E,
tempo
needed to play Ec1.
ffisffia gffiE
theunclear 11...c5!?.
ffiAffiA
ffisffi ffi#
1.Axd5
e6xd5
9.
ab8-d7
10. Wdl-e2
Romanishin's move 10.493!? is becoming ever more popular. The devious
idea is 10...6e4?l 1 1.Axe4l
dxe4
Queen's Gcmbit Declined
Iz.adz f5 13.4b5, picking up a pawn; is 10...c5 11.We2 Ae4 l2.cxd5 exd5 13.Eadl 6xg3 l4.hxg3,
E(.l.',.,,.,3.9.8,&'..r,.,
lrlaElll la IA
however, there
with a complex game. 10. 11.
E
...
c7-cs
UL '\A,\
ll AA
ila
AAAA, n ff!&rA A
trEg
I 6
IJIJ+
HAIILl
Aq)
/\AAAAA /\
){ )( ){ 'g€a tr tr
El da
laI aErl B AA
AA
trfl-d1
U_u
A
in the introduction, Black does not have a good square on which
As we said
to develop the queen, bearing in mind that it is important ro get rhe queen off the back rank in order to connect the rooks. His play is therefore aimed at making e7 available for her. 11. ... 6t6-e4 12. Ah4-93! c5xd4 13. e3xd4 6e4xg3 14. h2xg3 d5xc4 15. Ad3xc4 6d7-t6 16. Af3-e5 Notwithstanding the isolated pawn and Black's two bishops, White has established an unpleasant initiative.
wirh .. .AfS-el
This flexible knight move is the classical approach. Black keeps open the option
of advancing the pawn to either c6 or c5, or otherwise to play ...dxc4 followed by ...c5, depending on rhe circumstances.
White can now choose from three lines, which we will look at in ascending order of importance:
D
7.
Af1-d3
Natural but innocuous.
7. The developmenr
d5xc4!
of the bishop to
d3
justifies this move.
8. Ad3xc4 9. 0-0 10. a2-a4 11. e3xd4 12. Ac4-b3
c7-c5 a7-a6
c5xd4!? ad7-b6 Ac8-d7
13. a4-a5
13.4e5
Ac6! 14.6xc6 bxc6, with
equality.
13.... ab6-d5 14. Ab3xd5l Af6xd5
Orthodox Defence 6...4bd7
1. d2-d4 d7-d5 2. c2-c4 e7-e6 3. hbl-c3 6g8-f6 4. Ac1-95 Af8-e7 5. e2-e3 0-0 6. 6s1-f3 fb8-d7
15.6c3xd5 16. Ag5xe7
e6xd5
9d8xe7
The white knight seems to be stronger than the black bishop, but in practice it is difficult to exploit the outposrs on c5 and e5. 275
Chess Opening Essentiols
17. 18.
gd1-b3 trf1-e1
-
Volume
2
.E g ": 'i.:Ag l l...'..'Afil,l I :I"': I
we7-d6 t7-t6l?
E
with equality.
B)
7. Wd1-c2 Rubinstein's move: the idea is
to
use
only one tempo to take back on c4 after 7...dxc4, and then play trd1 or possibly 0-0-0 after the solid 7...c6. Instead, after 7...h6, the move 8.cxd5 l has proved to be surprisingly strong; now 8...exd5! is followed bv 9.Af+t
,\,u\ ,\,{W
This move is less common
than 9...Wxe7. but it scores better. This is be-
cause after 10.6xd5 exd5 11.4d3 g6 12.dxc5, Black is left with an ugly isolated pawn on d5.
7.
10. af1-d3 c5xd4! Along the lines of the note to Black's eighth move. 11. ad7-t6 12. €c8-d7 gd8-b6 13. And Black steers the game towards
Af3xd4 0-0 trf1-dl
a
draw.
The most effective wav to
achieve
counterplay.
8.
c4xd5
is OK after 8.0-0-0 b6!? and 8.Edl WaS 9.cxd5 Axd5 10.Axe7 6-txe7 1 1.4e2 af6 12.0-0 Aaz 1 3.4e5 cxd4!? 14.6xd7 AxdT
Black
15.Exd4 Afa t e .Af: traUs. White may be able to annoy Black with 6.clxc5:a cLxcS
g r. ^ v.acll. Dut
alter 9...6ce4. Black should be able to maintain equality. 8.
Af6xd5
Also after 8...cxd4!? 9.Axd4 6xd5 10.Axe7 AxeT 11.4e2 Af6 12.0-0 Aaz t3.trfdl Wbe, slack should be able to hold his own.
9. Ag5xe7 276
6d5xe7!?
c)
7.
Ea1-c1
E Ag Eg lllaErrr rA IA AA
a
AA
aa
AAA
trg€A
tr
The number one choice: to immediately transfer a major piece to the centre makes the immediate freeing pawn push to c5 a bad idea for Black. It also prevents the Lasker-like 7 ...de4?, which loses the c7-pawn after the exchangesoneT andd5.
Queen's Gcmbit Declined
cl)
:A E@:t:; r*::' :Xrfi tX
E:
7. b7-b6 This type of delayed Tartakower looks
1g r tAE r:X r
doubtful: the knight being already placed on d7 weakens the light squares
lg
on the queenside.
8. c4xd5 9. Wd1-a4!
with ...AfS-el
AA
e6xd5
. .r\ tt | AAnnr<
.A ,i\ 7\.q \-
ail
A good alternative to this is 9.4b5!?, which keeps open the option of ex-
*: €:w
rJAr5
ax*tr
changing the bishop for the d7 knight. The idea is that the spontaneous 8.9d3 dxc4! 9.Axc4 b5 10.4d3 c5 1 1.0-0 Ab7 gives Black natural and harmonious de-
Ac8-b7 Ab7xa6 c7-c5 trf8-e8
9.
10. Af1-a6 11. Wa4xa6 12. 0-0 13. Efl-d1 and White is doing a little better.
cD
velopment. There are two problems with tJris Line: 8.cxd5!? exd5 9.4d3 c6 uans-
to the Exchange Variation, in which the pawn on a6 has litde point. poses
d5xc4
7.
However, the bigger problem is:
With the bishop not yet on d3, this
is
9.4d3 c5 1 0.4e5
l? is
a7-a6
worth a iook. c7-c5
9. 10.0-0 11. e3xd4 12. Ac4-b3 13. af3-e5
point is that
8.. .e5 ? is not playable as the d5 pawn is undefended after 9.dxe5 .
c5xd4
8.
t'd7-bo
Ac8-d7 adZ-cet Now after the exchange on c6 the d4 pawn (which can no longer be advanced) is just
as
weak as the c6 pawn.
12. wd1-d3! With ideas such as Wh: or Abt. Wtrlte has an unpleasant initiative.
c3)
7. a7-a6 high-class waiting move. It was played 8 times by Alekhine in his his-
A
toric 1927 match with (with the
c4-c5!
which higblights the weakness of the b6-square and obstructs Black's queenside counterplay. This is also a factor in analogous lines in the SIav. The
less good than in Variation A.
8. Af1xc4 9. a2-a4
8.
c7-c6
With the idea of ...e6-e5. The
move
8...4e4 does not solve Black's problems of 9.Axe4 dxe4 10.Axe7 Wxez 1 r.Ad2 6fe 12.6)c4 Ad7 13.4e5. 9. gf1-d3! because
E Eg Eg *xA r tir r*:rtsrfi3:t &rix $
:*ir
Capablanca
commendable result
of
draws and I win); however, today not so popular.
it
7
is
aA ,A a
.'.: ':'"'
A A
4"5
H SMcb :€€-
a:
]
H 277
-
Chess Opening Essentiols
Volume
2
For White pawn structure problems are a minor detail: he is after the black king. 9. e6-es
the pawn to c5, exra tempo.
If
The normal move. Instead of this move, you sometimes you see a battle centred on saving tempi: White delays the developmenr of the f1 bishop in order to take on c4 using only one tempo; aware of this Black delays taking on c4. A typical sequence is 8.Wc2 a6 9.a3
9...b6, then 10.cxb6 c5 11.0-0 c4 12.Abl Wxb6 13.Wc2 gives White a
slight advantage. 10. d4xe5 6f6-e8 Now Black plans to calmly take back the pavm after I l.AxeZ Wxe7... but there is:
11.
h2-h4l
6d7xc5
11...h6 lz.Af+, and Whlte is ready to begin
a
kingside assault with g2-g4-g5. 12. ad3-b1
E ll
AgA'E
I ' grlr@:..:
fif A & ; At, AA 'AaAA A tr.W€ E
.....
,,,,'
Threatening 1 3.Axd5 followed by gxc5.
12.... 13. gdl-c2 14. Ag5-h6
Ac5-e6 g7-g6 6e8-97
15. h4-h5 with
a
L
it will now involve an
afl-d3
h6 10.4h4 Ee8 1 1.h3 dxc4 (there are no more waiting moves, and Black gives up and takes on c4) 12.Axc4 b5 (now the standard 12...4d5 is nor as good) 13.4e2 AUz t4.0-o c5, with eaualitv. 8. d5xc4! 8...a6 9.c5 transposes to Variation C3, while 8...h5 9.4h4 dxc4 t O.Axc+ AdS
allows 11.4g31.
9. Ad3xc4
af6-d5
E Ag E&.,,, ,'4,€lll ll
. ll A' AA Eal
6 AA
A
AA AAA
trw€
tr
strong attack.
cD 7.
c7-c6
This classical continuation was employed a good 13 times by Capablanca
in the same 1927 match with Alekhine ( 1 2 draws and a loss); match may be the wrong word - it was more like an exercise in opening theory! Now Black is ready to take some of the pressure off with ...4e4. However, if he wants to get 278
The classic simplifying move. Now ir becomes clear why it is best to avoid a premature ...h6 in the Orthodox: the bishop cannot rerreat to 93 and can be exchanged off.
Though still unexplored,
the Merano-like continuation 9...b5!? is in-
creasingly popular: 10.4d3 10...4b7). 10. Ag5xe7
a6
(ot
with
Queen's Gombit Declined
..
.9f8-e7
Janowski's insidious move 10.h4 has few supporters. 10. ... Wd8xe7 11. 0-0 Alekhine's move 1 1.4e4 avoids the exchange, but it looks a little artificial. It is still not clear how to best proceed; the classical 1 1...45f6 is a liule out of fashion: 12.693 Wb++ 13.9d2 and few Black players would look ahead to the endgame with enthusiasm. Today, most
he can't do this without {irst resolving the tension in the centre. All of which gives me a clear strategic goal. I will wait and in the meantime prevent a possible gain of tempo with ...6b6.' The same idea lies behind alternatives
I2.0-0 Ab/
able to generate concrete threats on the
players prefer I | ...b61?
13.4g3 cS 14.e4 45f6, with unclear play.
...
11. 12.
trc1xc3
HA
6d5xc3 e6-e5
such as 13.Wc2 or t 3.Wb1.
13.
kingside. 14. 15. 16. hf3-e5!
e3xd4! Ef1-e1
I
x r: /i A' -EA
::::l
::::i
E @..1
'li:i:l::l:*:r ]n] ii::t
*:::
'4,
,;aa.
Xi:
':::::it .. :::rit: .. .:
-
--:
:;A$:
Black has achieved his strategic objectives: he has exchanged a couple of pieces and with this pawn advance he
opens the long diagonal for the c8 bishop. However, his backward development is a problem and he faces an uphill march.
C41) 13. Ac4-b3!? As in Variation E of the Lasker Defence,
White plays
::* t:tw
w *tr tr.€
^aeo^
a useful
waiting move. The
thinking is: 'Black wants to finish his development and bring the bishop into play followed by the rooks. To do this he has to move the d7 knight. However,
-
i& ::* :*
i*e AK:i:i
q"
,:ttt]l A.
::lt::
We7-d6
H'e
r iltr
t:r::iA
ad7-fo
7-a
€er;:*
E5
AA
eSxd4
...
l4.ad2 af6 15.Ec5. with an advantage for White; without his dark-squared bishop, Black will not be 13...e4
i
:A:*l
White has a disagreeable initiative: the ff pawn is weak and the rook on the 3rd rank is ready to slide across to f3 or 93. Perhaps Black's safest bet is
:
Ac8-e6!? Ab3xe6 f7xe6 which takes the dynamism out of White's position at the cost of an ugly-looking pawn on e6. In addition it makes the weakness on d4 more significant. This theme is also present in those variations with an isolated queen's pawn in which Black takes back with the b-pawn after Axc6 so as to 16. 17.
...
279
-
Chess Opening Essentiols
Volume
2
achieve counterplay against d4 without having to worry further about a pawn break on d5.
C4D 13.d4xe5 This is a less refined approach. White is interested in opening up lines of attack
on the black king by pushing
the
f-pawn.
13.... 14.
Ad7xe5 We7xe5
6f3xe5
15.t2-t4l
E*E*: rH &i€' l'l* lfl I Br AA 1..,..'
illtil
|'.
AA
..1. i,.:Wt..,E €, White should not allow Black to finish his development in peace.
15.... We5-e4 In order to obstruct the advance of the
cenrral pawns. After 15...9f6 16.f5 (stopping ...4e6) 16...bs 17.Ab3, White has a promising initiative.
16. gdl-e2 The sacrifice of the e3 pawn with
16.4ffi is highty dubious, whereas afrer l6.gb3 (wirh rhe plan of Ac2) Black can maintain the equilibrium with 16...Ae6 t z.Acz Wb+.
16.... 17. gc4-d3 18. e3-e4
19.We2-f2l
280
20.
€g'txf2
21.
trfl-dl
Ac8-f5 9e4-d5 Wd5-d4+ Wd4xf2+ Af5-d7
Slightly better for White? Equality? This
is one of many positions in which a temporary initiative eventually peters out against correct play. We can therefore say that with opponents of equal rank a draw is very likely most of the time, but once in a while White manages to chalk up a victory.
Gelfand,Boris
Kramnik,Yladirnir Dortmund l9g7 (7)
1.d4 af6 2.c4 eG 3.4f3 d5 4.6c3 Ae7 5.495 0-0 6.e3 h6 7.Axf6 Axf6 8.Hc1 c6 9.9d3 6d7 10.0-0 dxc4 11.Axc4 e5 12.h3 exd4 13.exd4 Ab6 14.4b3 tre8 15.tre1 Afs 16.9a Ae5 l7.Axe6 trxe€ 18.Exe6 fxe6 19.8e2 We7 20.tre1 tre8 21.Wc2
wt7 22.ae4 gd8 23.Ac5 axd4 24.dxd4 trxd4 25.6xe6 trd6
26.8e4 trdi 27.t4 ad7 28.ads gf6
29.8e8+
€h7
3O.We4+ €g8 1/z4z 31.We8+ €h732.9e4+ KasparonGarry KarporlAnatoly Leningrad Wch-match 1986 (22)
1.d4 AfG 2.c4 e6 3.4€ d5 4.dc3 Ae75.Ag5 h6 6.gxf6 Axf6 7.e3 0-0 8.8c1 cG g.gdg 6d7 10.0-0 dxc4 11.Axc4 e5 12.h3 exd4 13.exd4
Queen's Gombit Declined
AbG 14.9b3 gf5 15.Eel a5 16.a3 tre8 17.Exe8+ WxeS 18.9d2 Ad7 19.Wf4 Ag6 20.h4 Wd8 21.6a4 h5 22.He1b5 23.4c3 WbB 24.We3 b4 25.8:e4 bxa3 26.Oxf5+ Axf6 27.bxa3 hdS 28.Axd5 cxdS 29.6'e5
Wd8 30.Wf3 tra6 31.trcl €h7 32.Wh3 trb6 33.trc8 Wd6 34.Wg3
a4 35.tra8 We6 36.Exa4 gfs 37.tra7 trb1+ 38.€h2
trc2 40.f3 trd2
trcl
39.trb7
41.?,d7 trxd4
42.4t8+ €hG 43.trb4 trc4 44.trxc4 dxc4 45.Wd6 c3
46.Wd4
with
..
.AfS-eZ
6xc3 11.9xc3 4:d7 12.cxd5 exdS 13.4d3 Af6 14.0-0 tre8 15.4d2 a5 16.Hc5 9e6 17.Wxe7 tsxe7 18.trc3 Ae8 19.trfc1 AdO 20.tra3 Ad7 21.trc5 bS 22.b4 Ab7 23.trc2 EeeS
24.trb9 axb4 25.trxb4 tra3 26.trb3
Ha7 27.trbb2 Ad6 28.g4 6c4 29.6xc4 dxc4 3O.Af5 Axf5 31.gxf5 trxf5 34.axb5 cxb5 35.e4 trf4 36.Exb5 tr94+ 37.€f1 tra1+ 38.€e2 trxe4+ 39.8f3 Exd4 40.Eb4 Ea3+ o-1
trd8 32.trb4 trds 33.a4
1-o
Portisch,Laios
Prusikhin,Mihailo
Sargissian,Gabriel Khalifrnan,Alexander
Miskolc 2004 (9)
ICC Peuosian-mem 2004 ( 1)
1.d4 af6 2.c4 e6 3.4f3 d5 4.hc3 Ae7 5.4g5 h6 6.4h4 0-0 7.e3 6e4 8.Axe7 WxeT 9.cxd5 hxc3 'lO.bxc3
exdS 11.9b3 trdg 12.c4 dxc4 13.Axc4 hc6 14.Wc3 Ag 15.0-0
Axf3 16.gxf3 gf6
17.€.e2 trd6 18.trad1 Ee8 19.Wb2 b6 20.€h1 4)e7 21.Wb5 tred8 22.14 Ad5 23.trc1 gfs 24.gfg gh3 25.9.g2 gh4 26.We2 c6 27.9f3 Ab4 28.trc4 AdS 29.trfc16:,e7 30.h3 gf6 31.9h5 tre6 32.a4 trdd6 33.a5 trdB 34.trb1 AdS 35.axb6 axb6 36.9f3 gh4 37.Ebc1 gf6 38.f5 tree8 39.trxc6 Wg5 40.Wg4 6te7 41.trxb6 Wxf5 42.Wxf5 6xf5 43.trc7 Axd4 44.exd4 trxd4 45.trbb7 He1+ 46.9h2 Ht447.Hxf7 1-o
1.d4 i-ltB 2.c4 eG 3.af3 d5 4.4rc3 Ae7 5.395 h6 6.9h4 0-0 7.e3 6e4 8.9xe7 Bxe7 9.trc1 cG 1o.ad3 "Axc3 11.Exc3 dxc4 12.xxc4 kd7 13.0-0 e5 14.Wb1 exd4 15.exd4 AbG 16.9b3 gd6 17.We4 Ae6 18.Axe6 Wxe6 19.Wxe6 fxe6 20.tre1 trae8 21.tra3 AcB 22.g3 Ad6 23.&g2 abs 24.Hbg tre7 25.d5 trdB 26.a4 6c7 27.dxc6 bxc6 28.83c1e5 29.trxc6 e4 3O.tzh4 Q:dS 31.4f5 trf7 32.trd6 trxd6 33.Axd6 trc7 34.Eb8+ €h7 35.trb7 ExbT 36.Axb7 €g6 37.4d6 e3 38.f4 6b4 39.€f3 ads 40.ae4hc541.a5 1-o
CapablancaJose
Tartakower,Savielly London l9Z2 (8)
Lputian,Smbat Onischuk,Alexander Poikovsky 2003 (5)
1.d4 AfG 2.c4 eG 3.4f3 d5 4.6c3 Ae7 5.4g5 h6 6.4h4 0-0 7.e3 Ae4
8.Axe7 WxeT 9.trc1
c6
10.Wc2
1.d4 AfG 2.4f3 d5 3.c4 e6 4.6c3 Ae7 5.495 0-0 6.e3 h6 7.4h4 bG 8.cxd5 exd5 9.8b3 9e6 10.trd1 c6 11.Wc2 8-,e4 12.kxe7 '&xe7 13.6xe4 dxe4 14.Wxe4 Wb4+
E.Ad2 Wxb2 16.9d3 gG 17.Wf4 281
Chess Opening Essentials
-
Volume
2
€g718.h4 Ad719.Ae4 Wxa2 20.hs 95 21.wg3 Wa5+ 22.&e2 f5 23.6xg5 hxgS 24.Wxg5+ €f7 2S.h6 tsg8 26.8h5+ €e7 27.h7 Exg2 28.sfl gds 29.h8g trxh8 3O.Wxh8 gf3 31.trd2 sd5 32.€e1 trg8 33.Wh4+ gd6 34.trf1 9e6 35.trc2 a5 36.Wh2+ €e7 3t.Ae2 'Be4 38.€d2 c5 39.Ad3 Bg2 40.Wh4+ Bg5 l.Wxg5+ Exg5 42.E.b1 t4 1/zr/z
Romanishin,Oleg Neverov,Valery Kharkiv ch-Utr3. 200+ (t) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.4f3 6f6 4.6c3 Ae7 5.Ag5 h6 6.4h4 O-0 7.e3 b6 8.9d3 gb7 9.0-0 AbdT 10.9g3 c5 11.8e2 cxd4 12.exd4 dxc4 13.Axc4 Ahs 14.d5 Axg3 15.hxg3 exd5 16.Axd5 trb8 17.trad1 Af6
'l8.Se4 Axc3 19.Axb7 9c7 20.trxd7 WxdT 21.Ac6 gd6 22.bxc3 Wa3 23.6e5 EbcS 24.c4
Psakhis,Lev
Geller,Efim Erevan Zonal 1982 (4)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.hc3 Ae7 4.6f3 4rf6 5.€g5 h6 6.Ah4 0-0 7.eS b6 8.AxfG gxf6 9.cxd5 exdS tO.Wd2 AeO 11.Ed1 We7 12.93 c5 13.dxc5 Edg l4.cxb6 d4 15.992 Ac6 16.4xd4 6xd4 17.exd4 Ah3+
18.gfl trxd4 19.8e3 gb7
20.f3
Exdl+ 21.Lxd1Sa6+ 22.€gl Ed8 23.af24d4 24.Wc1
9xf2+
o-1
Kapnisis,spyridon David,Alberto Pa.leochora 2008 (6)
1.d4 Af6 2.c4 eG 3.afg d5 4.4c3 €e7 5.A95 h6 6.9h4 0-O 7.e3 b6 8.8c2 Ab7 9.exf6 Axf6 lO.cxds exdS 11.0-0-O c5 12.g4 cxd4 13.exd4 Q:cG 14.h4 gG 15.g5 hxg5 16.hxs5 997 17.8d2 gd6 18.Ab5 trac8 19.trde1 6a5 20.4e5 aG 21.t4
axbS 22.f5 gxf5 23.9h2 trxc3* 24.bxc3 trc8 25.9h7+ sf8 26.Wxf5 trxc3+ 27.&d1 trc7 28.Eht 2lc4 29.19Yh3 6xe5 30.Eh8+ &e7 31.96 BxgG 32.9h4+ fG S3.trxe5+ €fZ o-1
282
Bxa2 25.4d5 Ec7 26.496 gdg 27.8:e7+ sf8 28.4c6 trdc8 29.8h7 Exc6 30.tre1 tre6 31.Axe6 Hd2
32.trf1
1-o
Carlsen,Magnus Topalov,Yeselin Bilbao 2008 (3)
1.d4 af6 2.c4 e6 3.4f3 d5 4.4c3 Ae7 5.Ag5 h6 6.9h4 0-o Z.eS b5 8.gd3 gb7 9.0-O abdT 10.€g3 c5 't1.cxdS Axd5 12.Axd5 9xd5 1S.e4 Ab7 14.trc1 a6 15.b4 cxb4 16.4c7 We8 17.We2 b5 18.Aa5 EcB 19.9b2 6f6 20.Exc8 WxcS 21.4ld2 Wc3 22.Wxc3 bxc3 23.gxc3 Ec8 24.&a5gd8 25.gxd8 ExdS 26.trd1 trxd4 27.6lbs trd8 28.f3 €f8 2s.&t2 ad7 30.Ae2 €e7 31.6a5 Aa8 32.trc1 sd6 33.*e3 Ab6 34.f4 trcB 35.Exc8 6rxc8 36.€d4 6le7 37.gfg €c7 38.6b3 gb6 39.€e5 6g6+ 40.€d6 axf4 41.4c5 b4 42.h4 a5 43.93 ah3 44.ad7+ &a7 45.€c5 f5 46.9b5 fxe4 47.4h5 e3 48.€xa5 96 49.4g4 h5 50.4e2 691 51.€fl e2 52.Axe2 Q)xe2 53.AfB ge4 54.Axe6 6xg3 55.ef4 €b7 56.sxb4 €c6 o-1
Queen's Gcmbit Declined
Steinitz,Wilhelm
..
.AfS-eZ
Radiabov,Teimour KrasenkowlMichal
Lasker,Emanuel Montreal Wch-match
with
1
89+
(1
Antalya Ech Z00a ( I 2)
6)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.hc3 6f6 4.4g5 /lAbd7 6.e3 0-0 7.c5 t::e4 =.e7 5.Lf3 8.6xe4 dxe4 9.Axe7 Wxe710.ad2 Af6 11.6c4 b6 12.b4 Ad5 13.9b1 f5 14.6e5 a5 15.6c6 WgS 16.h4 Wf6 17.cxb6 f4 18.Wxe4 fxe3 19.f3 Ab7 20.b5 Axc6 21.bxc6 cxb6 22.4d3 Wh6 23.g3 trac8 24.trc1 trc7 25.0-0 EdB 26.f4 Wg6
1.d4 d5 2.c4 eB 3.4f3 Q.t6 4.Q:c3 Ae7 5.9g5 0-0 6.e3 AbdT 7.8c2 c5 8.cxd5 6xd5 9.Axe7 6,xe7 10.4d3 cxd4 11.6xd4 AfO 12.0-O gd7 13.trfdl eib6 14.Le4 Led515.Bc5 trfd8 16.Wxb6 axb6 17.6xf6+ Axf6 18.9e2 Ae4 19.f3 Af6 20.f4 9c6 21.4:xc6 bxc6 22.a3 c5 23.Af3
27.Wxg6
26.€e3 6e8 27.4e2 AdG 28.Eac1
hxg6 28.Axg6
6e7 30.4f3 Afs 31.trfe'l €f7 32.trb1 6xg3 33.trxb6 6f5 34.trb7 trxb7 35.cxb7 trb4 36.trc1 6da 37.€92 Eb2+ 38.€93 trxb7 29.A.e4 trxd4
39.axb7 he2+ 40.€f3 6xc1 41.€xe3 Axa242.&d4 €f6 43.€c5 6c3 44.&c4 6e2 45.€b5 Axf4 46.€xa5 6s6 47.h5 Af4 48.9f3 €f5 49.€b4 e5 50.€c3 e4 51.4d1 e3 52.9f3 €s5 53.€c2 &h4 54.€d1€g3
trac8 24.&12 gf8 25.e4 €e7
trd7 29.trc3 fG 30.trdc1 tra8 31.trb3 Ebz 32.4f3 Ea4 33.e5 Afs+ 34.9f2 6d4 35.exf6+ gxf6 36.trd3 Axf3 37.Sxf3 e5 38.fxe5 fxeS 39.Eb3 €d6 40.€e2 tre4+ 41.Ee3 trxe3* 42.€xe3 Eg7 43.Ed1+ ee6 44.g3 h5 45.trd8 h4 46.9f3 trf7+ 47.€e3 Eg7 48.€f3 Ef7+ 49.€e3 e4 50.€xe4 Vzt/z
0-1
Alekhine,Alexander Capablanca,Jose
R6ti,Richard Znosko BorovskpEugene London I9Z2 (12\
1.d4 d5 2.c4 eG 3.hc3 6f6 4.4g5 6,bd7 5.e3 Ae7 6.4f3 0-0 7.Wc2 c5 8.trd1 cxd4 9.exd4 dxc4 10.Axc4 h6 11.4h4 ab6 12.4b3 9d713.0-0
trcB 14.8e2 a6 '15.trfe1 gb4 16.he5 Axc3 17.bxc3 95 18.Ag3 trxc3 19.h4 afds 20.9h5 €g7
21.Axd5 exdS 22.6xf7 trxf7 23.4e5+ trf6 24.hxg5 hxgs 25.wxg5+ €f7 26.9h5+ €s8
27.trb1 trcc6 28.trb3 Ae8 29.trg3+ AgG 30.trxg6+ trxg6 31.WhS+ €f7 32.WxdB trc8 33.Wh4 1-0
Buenos Aires Wch-match 1927 ( 12\
1.d4 af6 2.c4 e6 3.hc3 d5 4.4g5 abdT 5.e3 Ae7 6.4f3 0-0 7,trc1 c6 8.Wc2 a6 9.a3 hO 10.4h4 tre8 11.trd1 b5 12.cxb5 cxb5 13.4d3 ab7 14.0-0 Ec8 15.9b1 wa5 16.6e2 Ab6 17.4e5 Oc4 18.Axf6 Axf6 19.4h7+ €fB 20.o,d7+ &e7 2'l.kcl Wb6 22.6xb7 WxbT 23.9d3
trc7 24.Wa2 trec8 25.b3 ad6 26.9d2 WbG 27.trc1 €d7 28.trxc7+ trxc7 29.9b1 Ae7 30.af4 €c8 31.We2 96 32.6d3 4e4 33.b4 Ec3 34.Wb2 Wc7 35.4c5 Axc5 36.dxc5 WeS 37.t41 WS7 38.Axe4 dxe4 39.€f2 39...9fG 40.93 95 41.trcl 1-o 283
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
trfd8 16.b4 trac8 17,9e2
Af6 18.4e5 6d7 19.6xd7 ExdT 20.9f3
Capablanca,|ose
Alekhine,Alexander Buenos Aires Wch-match 1977
trdc7 21.Wc4 gG 22.Hc2 e5 23.dxe5
(21)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 eG 3.AcS 6f6 a.Ag5 abdT 5.e3 Ae7 6.4f3 O-O 7.Ecl a6 8.a3 h6 9.4h4 dxc4 10.Axc4 b5 11.9e2 €:b7 12.0-0 c5 13.dxc5 Axc5 14.ad4 trcg 15.b4 dcdT 16.Ag3 Ab6 17.9b3 Afds 18.Afg trc4 19.6e4 WcB 2}.trxcA 6xeA 21.E.c1 Ba8 22.6c3 trc8 23.6xd5
AxdS 24.gxd5 Bxd5 25.a4 Af6 26.dltg €]b2 27.tre1 trdg 28.axb5 axb5 29.h3 e5 3O.Hb1 e4 31.4d4 Axd4
32.trd16xe3
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Yolkov,sergey Halkias,Stelios Warsaw Ech 2005 (13)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.6c3 A;e7 4.ht3 Af6 5.4g5 AbdT 6.e3 0-0 7.8c1 cG 8.Wc2 h6 9.4h4 o'e4 10.Axe7 WxeT 11.a3 6xc3 12.Wxc3 dxc4 13.Axc4 bO 14.0-0 gb7 15.trfd1
784
Wxe5 24.trcd2 tre7 25.h4 €g7 26.h5 gxhS 27.trd4 trcc7 28.trh4 Be6 29.Wc3+ 9e5 30.Wc2 c5 31.trxhS WfG 32.Axb7 cxb4 33.We2
ExbT 34.axb4 tre4 35.b5 trbe7 36.8h3 tr7e5 37.Ed7 tra4 38,€h2 trfs 39.f4 €h8 40.9d3 Bs6 41.trd0 Bg442.trdxh6+€9743.trh7+ 1-0 Dao Thien Hai Ly Hong,Nguyen Phu Quoc Zonal 2007 (1)
1.d4 Af6 2.c4 eG 3.Afg d5 4.4c3 Ae7 5.4g5 0-O 6.e3 abdT 7.8c1 c6 8.a3 a6 9.Wc2 tre8 10.4d3 dxc4 11.Axc4 b5 12.9;a2 c5 13.dxc5 6xc5 14.4b1 g6 15.h4 Ab7 16.h5 Ace4 17.Axf6 Axf6 18.hxg6 hxg6
19.6e5 gfg 20.art7
€xf7
21.9xg6+ €e7 22.trd1 Ads 23.e4 WdG 2a.Wg5
€f725.e5
1-o
lndex of Plavers The numbers refer to pages.
If the page number
is
boldthe player was Black.
A Abbasov
lll
Abramovic
zo6 29, 79
Adams
Bouton Bronstein Bruno
109
36 66
Adly
93
Agrest
zs7
c
Ahn Akobian
80 184
Calapso
92
Capablanca
96,217 ,281,
AIbin
110
Alekhine
57
Alexandria Alexandrov Almasi Anand
Arkhangelsky Aronian
Carlsen Carrasco Martinez
Cheparinov
755,257
197
Chernyshov
67
93,94 57 ,79, 1+6, 166,167,256, 260,261
Chigorin
110
Colle
9Z
Corbblah
t5
169 ,
1i1
Atlas
197
Atwood
166 29
9+
D
66
Atalik
Azmaiparashvili
283,284 205, )56,282
, 1+3, r+4, 283 284 259
189,217
B
Dao Thien Hai
284
Dautov David De Ia Bourdonnais Denker Deric Pinto
716
Dgebuadze Dobosz
57
Dobrov
760
Dreev
144,256,262
282.
r66 757 109
Bacrot
r44,18+
Bareev
Beliavsky
1.45,167 29, +5, 67
Berg
257 110
Blelobrk
15
Ehlvest
111
Bogoljubow
+3, 57
Elianov
167
OC)
Ellrich
58, 189,257, 258,260
Endzelins Euwe
66 78
Bondick
Botvinnik
,204,
36
E
260 285
Chess Opening Essentiols
-
Volume
2
Ivkov
F
r83
Filip Filippov
204
Finegold
255
J Janowsky
110
Fischer
222
Jobava
Lt7
Flohr
58
Jones
28
Juarez Flores
93
G Gagunashvili Gelfand
Geller Georgiev Gleizerov Glek
189
28,
t43
Kaidanov
Kaliberda
t5
260, 280
Kamsky Kapnisis
95
Karjakin Karpov
Khalifman
r67 ++,78, 79,9+, 204,217,280 146,261 44,58,143, 145,167,183, 185,189,196, 2s6,261,780 216,28r
Khenkin
66
Khismatullin
282 ++,95 58 4S
Gligoric
1+5
Glucksberg Godena
57
Golod
182,222 222 110 168 168
Gurevich Gustafsson
Kasimdzhanov Kasparov
109, 189
Goloschapov
Gordon Gouliev Graf Grischuk
K
29,95, 166, 18+,197,255,
260
282
t+6,184,2r7,
Khuzman
t+4 l+3
262
Kobalia
255
44
Kortchnoi
78,20+
255
Kozma
36 109
Kozul
H
Kramnik
Halkias
r84,284
Hasidovski Hebden Heberla
223 196
IGasenkow
67, 1+5, 146, 169,203,2s7, 259,260,261, 280 222,255,283
Hort
36, 183
Kupreichik
79
Huerta
15
57
L
I
68
Istratescu
I
Ivanchuk
95, 144, 145,
169,196,
Lerner
723
Lasker
168, Lautier
r97,
2O5,256,259 286
Leko
93,183 l 10, 283 145 203
Larsen
Index of Ployers
Lilienthal
258
Lopez Martinez
222
Lputian
281
Ly Hong
284
Ortega Osnos P
M
Pantsulaia Pashikian
30, I 68 zs7 260 259 58, 169,189, 20+
Malakhov Mamedyarov
262 79, 1++, t67 ,
Pavasovic
Pelletier
Manca
223 182 56
755,261
Petursson
Maroczy Marshall
96 95
Payen
Petrosian
14
145
r66
Philidor
t66
Piket
255
Meins
95 80 168
110,197 223
McDonnell Mchedlishvili McShane Mezentsev
111
Pillsbury Pinter Pogromsky
Michelakis
189
Polugaevsky
258
Mikhalchishin
167
Mikhalevski
l5
Ponomariov Portisch
168,2s9 169,281
Miladinovic Miton
66, tO9
Postny
111
58 217
Potkin
262
Moiseenko Morozevich
Motylev
67 ,
rO9,
217 80
,259
ttr,
Predojevic
t46
Prusikhin
281
Psakhis
282
R Radjabov
N
15
Naiditsch
94
Raetsky
94,283 r09
Najdorf
57
Rausis
lll
Nakamura
44
Reshevsky
109
Nedev Neverov
79
283
282
R6ri Rogozenko
Nikolic
44,57,143
Roiz Romanishin Romero Holmes
206
Nogueiras Santiago
15,95
Nordin
29
o O'Hanlon
92
oll
+5
Oms Pallise Onischuk
2s6, 258, 281
259
109
256,292 36
Rotlewi
221
Rubinstein
95,221
Rublevsky
168, 169
s Sadler
260 287
Chess Opening Essenticls
-
Volume
2
t69
Torre
94,258
I r0, 281
lotn
Sarkar
109
Sasikiran
2s8
Trompowsky Tu Hoang Thong
168 78
Savchenko
29,93 203
Sadvakasov Sargissian
Schallopp Schlechter Schneider Seirawan Shanava
255 255 93 30
58
U Uhlmann
259
v Vaganian
79, l+3 36, 205
79,143,2s6, 2.s9,260 29, 196, ZOs
Vallejo Pons Van Wely
Vidmar
t43
Showalter
197
Volkov
284
Simutowe
Volokitin
80
Skembris
+4 96
Skomorokhin Slobodjan
58 110
Smyslov Sokolov
145,185,261
Spassky
Shirov
Short
196,25s,258
w Wang Hao
169,183 146 96
95,222
Wang Yue Watson Wells
Speelman
205
Williams
57
Spielmann
2r7
Stefansson
184
Steinitz
t+3,203,222,
111
79
x 15
Xie
283 Sturua Sveshnikov
168
255
Y Yuldashev Yusupov
Teichmann
Timman IMaKOV Topalov
288
57
,93,
94
T Tarrasch Tartakower
183
44,
tro, t44 43, s6,9s, 281 26r lu5 94 29 , 45, 79, 189 , 257.282
z Zapolskis Zeberski Zhang Pengxiang
t4
Znosko Borovsky
283
Zukertort
r43,222
196 167
