Play 1b4!: Shock your opponents with the Sokolsky

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EVERYMAN CHESS Gloucester Publishers pic www.everymanchess.com

I

•

First published in 2008 by Gloucester Publishers pic (formerly Everyman Publishers pic), Northburgh House, 10 NOTthburgh Street, London ECI V OAT Copyright © 2008 Yury Lapshun and Nick Conticello

Contents

The right of Yury Lapshun and Nick Conticello to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Pat

I

ents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a re trieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978 1 85744 5602 Distributed in North America by The Globe Pequot Press, P.O Box 480,

Bibliography

4

246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437-0480.

Introduction

5

All other sales enquiries should be directed to Everyman Chess, Northburgh House,

1

The Sokolsky Gambit

11

10 Northburgh Street, London ECI V OAT

2

1 b4 eS 2 �b2 �xb4

35

3

Black Plays ... e5 and ... d 6

48

4

Queen's Indian Systems

73

5

Black Plays ... d5 and ...e6

100

6

Black Plays ... dS and ...�f5/�g4

121

7

1 . _c6, 1...f5 and Unusual Moves

143

Index of Complete Games

171

tel: 020 7253 7887 fax: 020 7490 3708 email: [email protected]; website: www.everymanchess.com

Everyman is the registered trade mark of Random House Inc. and is used in this work under licence from Random House Inc.

EVERYMAN CHESS SERIES

Chief advisor: Byron Jacobs Commissioning editor: John Emms Assistant editor: Richard Palliser

Typeset and edited by First Rank Publishing, Brighton.

Cover design by Horatio Monteverde. Printed and bound in the UK by Clays, Bungay, Suffolk.

Introduction

Bibliogra phy

I

by Nick Conticel l o

One Saturday evening in September

ideas to an English-speaking public.

Books

2004, I was sitting in the Marshall

But I have also contributed research

Debyut 1 b2-b4, Alexei Sokolsky (Minsk 1963)

Chess Club, mired in a dreadful slump,

and the occasional piece of analysis, so

1 P-QN4, Andrew Soltis (Chess Digest 1992)

when Yury Lapshun carne up to me

it can be said t hat this book is truly a

An Opening Repertoire for Black, Drazen Marovic and Bruno Parma (Batsford 1 987)

and asked if I would be interested in

cooperative effort.

An Opening Repertoire for the Attacking Player, Eduard Gufeld (Cadogan 1996)

helping him write a book on the move

Beating Unusual Chess Openings, Richard Palliser (Everyman Chess 2007)

1 b4. I gave the matter due deliberation

History of the Opening

Black to Play and Win with 1 ... g6, Andrew Soltis (Chess Digest 1988)

(a whole 20 seconds) and agreed. "It

The move I b4 had been played spo

Chess Openings for Black, Explained, Dzindzichashvili, Alburt and Perelshteyn

shouldn't take too

long:' he said.

radically by masters of iconoclastic

(Chess Information and Research Center 2005)

"Maybe three weeks? I'm going to be

bent before 1919, but without too much

Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings Volume A (Sahovski Informator)

busy after that." Three weeks? Once he

success. Here is the game B.Fleissig

My Best Games of Chess 1905-1930, Savielly Tartakower (G. Bell and Sons 1953)

realized we were writing a book and

K.Schlecter,

The New St. George, Michael Basman (Cadogan 1993)

not

sources are confused on the date), that

Winning Unorthodox Openings, Angus Dunnington (Everyman Chess 2000)

would take a bit longer. In fact it took

is

three years! (We finished the first draft

White:

1 b4 e6 2 il.bl li:lf6 3 a3 e5 4 b5 d5 5 d4 �a5+ 6 li:le3 li:le4 7 �d3 exd4 8 �xd4 il.e5 9 �xg7 il.xfl+ 10 Wd1 d4! 11 �xh8+ We7 12 �xe8 dxe3 13 j.,C1li:ld7! 14 �xa8 �xb5 15 il.f4 �d5+ 16 We1 il.e3+! 17 il.xe3 li:lf2! 18 il.xfl �dl+ 19 Wb1 'i!l'd1+ 20 lfia2 'iil'xc2 mate (0-1)

a

pamphlet,

he understood it

Databases

after two years, then found a pu blisher

Mega Database 2007

and rewrote the entire t hing.) Anyway,

The Week in Chess

once I had agreed, the benefits were immediate. The next day I played two terrifically creative games and finished second in a strong tournament. There's something about Yury ... My main function on this project has been to assist Yury, whose native

tongue is Russian, to communicate his

a

Vi!'nna

1893

(or

1895;

typically frightful beating

for

As we say in the USA, don't try this at home!

But in 1919 Savielly Tartakower

5

Introduction

Play 1 b 4 !

famously used it to beat Richard Reti

it too swiftly. Should the pawn ad

without much space to manoeuvre. It

in a match in Vienna (this game is

vance to the fifth rank, it may attack an

may be necessary t o sacrifice material,

covered in Chapter One). ] must take

enemy pawn chain (b7-c6-d5) or con

often the f-pawn or the b-pawn, to

this opportunity to correct Richard

trol the c6-square which might become

meet this strategic threat. The positions

Palliser's explanation in his excellent

weak after an exchange of Black's fi

after 1 b4 e5 2 .!ib2 f6!? (Chapter One)

book Beating Unusual Chess Openings. Tartakower recounts in his book My

anchettoed light-sguared bishop.

Best Games of Chess that he visited the

generally start life on b2 and exert con

The line 1 b4 c6 2 i..b2 a5 aims to

siderable influence on the a1-h8 diago

weaken the b-pawn before attacking it

before he tried 1 b4 against Geza

nal. The light-squared bishop has a

with pieces. We recommend the gambit

Mar6czy in the 1924 New York tour

choice, but a good rule of thumb is to

3 b5!? as the best option. White will

White's dark-squared bishop will

Central Park Zoo in New York just

nament. He was very impressed by the climbing skills of an orangutan and thought the 'climb' of the white b

1B...f5 19 gxf6 ILlxf6 20 lbg5 l:i:a7 21 .!ixh7+ �hB 22 h6 1-0

pawn was similar. So he dubbed the opening

'the

Orangutan'

and

the

name stuck.

require the most accuracy from both players.

put it on e2 or d3 against a Black set-up

lure the pawn to b4 and then attack

based on ... d7-d5, and to fianchetto it if

with a2-a3, as in the Benko Gambit (see

time permits against set-ups with ...e7-

Chapter Seven).

e5. This deployment, in conjunction However, this book would probably

with the thrust c2-c4, Tesembies an

Why should you play this opening?

never have been written without the

English Opening, and the reader is ad

There is one outstanding reason to play the Sokolsky: il is virtually certain that

The American master Anthony San

pioneering work of the Soviet master

vised to acquaint himself with that sys

tasiere played a version prefaced with

Alexei Sokolsky, whose games and

tem. Of course, against a King's Indian

1 ILlf3, and Reti himself often advanced

analysis in his book Debyut 1 b2-b4

your opponenl will be unfamiliar with

formation by Black, one may also play

the positions that arise. The best way to

e2-e3 and d2-d4, put the bishop on e2,

reach good positions from the opening

and play a French Defence with an ex

is to play reasonably sound systems

the b-pawn two squares in conjunction

demonstrated beyond any doubt that

with the fianchetto of the king's bishop

the Sokolsky Opening was a viable

in character with his eponymous sys

weapon at the highest levels of play.

tem. In more recent times the British

Great players such

as Smyslov,

tra tempo. Flexibility is one of the main

with which you are familiar and com

virtues of the Sokolsky.

fortable, and with which your oppo

International Master Michael Ba5man

Bronstein, Spassky and Larsen have

has played 1 b4 (or first 1 a3 or ev<>n 1

Against ... d5 defences White may

used this opening with success against

nents are unfamiliar and uncomfort

even opt for a Bird Opening set-up

h3!?) as part of his unique complex of

grandmasters. None of these experts

with f2-f4 and Iilf3, strong-pointing eS.

able! Under these conditions, your op ponents will surt?ly make mistakes

offbeat systems. Consider the follow

have used the Sokolsky frequently, but

But it's usually a good idea to avoid an

ing:

which you can exploit to win.

at the right moment it can be brutally

early d2-d4, as the weakness of the c4-

effective.

square may make itself felt.

General Theory

volve advanCing the e-pawn or d-pawn

not for you! After the best practical

The advance b2-b4 gains space on the

two squares at once, or playing an

continuation (in my opinion), 1 b4 e5! 2

M.Basman-B.Thipsay

British Championship. Eastbourne 1991 1 h 3 d 5 2 b41Llf6 3 ILlf3 e6 4 a31Llbd7 5 e3 .!id6 6 (4 (6 7 1Ll(3 o..() B .!ib2 l:i:eB 9 '/li'c2 a5 10 b5 C5 11 g4! dX(4 12 .!ixC4 ILlb6 13 .!ie2 .!ifB 14 g5 ILlfd7 15 h4 ILld5 16 h5 1Llxc3 17 .!ixc3 b6 lB .!id3! 6

Black's main defensive systems in

Notice [ said 'reasonably sound'. If you want to guarantee yourself a small advantage with no risk, the Sokolsky is

queenside from the outset and an

early ...c6 to attack the b-pawn quickly.

.!ib2 _lixb4!, Black can be assured of an

nounces a general policy of left flank

The move 1 . . .e5 is the most critical op

expansion. On the fourth rank the b

tion, as the blocking of the long diago

active position, at least for the first ten or so moves. However, we feel that

pawn is active in the fight for central

nal and the threat to dominate the cen

White is not worse here, and the first

control; it can dri.ve away an enemy

tre with ... d7-d5 may leave White, if he

player has the significant practical ad

knight from c6 or exchange itself for a

is not careful, with a passive position

vantage of being on familiar turf, given

c-pawn foolhardy enough to challenge

7

Play 1 b41

Introduction

proper preparation.

ing through databases for the most cor

So much for familiarity_ As fOT com

rert information, so one may assume

fort, the Sokolsky is flexible enough to

your adversaries will seek guidance

offer players of widely varying styles

from the standard opening reference

positions to suit their tastes. For in

works and repertoire books like this

stance, Alexei Sokolsky was a solid,

one. Fortunately for us, very few of

perhaps even a stolid, player; a plod

them offer really usef ul information.

der if you will. His contemporary, Bo

For instanc�, the late Grandmaster

ris Katalymov, an equally ardent devo

Eduard Gufeld, in his book An Opening

tee of this opening, was

Repertoire for the Attacking Player, rec

a

daring tacti

cian who revelled in risky flank at

ommends

tacks. Bukhuti Gurgenidze is a lover of

e3 cS S bxc6 bxc6, and now he gives the

un usual, closed structures, while the

move 6 �f3 after which Black grabs the

author of this book, Yury Lapshun,

initiative on the queenside. But

I b4 e6 2 il.b2 lbf6 3 bS dS 4

I prefer

detests closed games. There is truly

the continuation 6 c4! il.d6 7li:1f3 O-{) 8

something for everybody in the Sokol

'/IjIc2 lj)bd7 9 lbc3 il.b7 10 i.e2!, as

sky.

played in KNovikov-D.Pincher, Tula

If you want to explore untrodden

2000.

paths, if you enjoy thinking for your

Another book, A" Opening Reper

self, or if you prefer to ' play chess and

toire for Black by GMs Drazen Marovic

not variations', you have come to the

and Bruno Parma, considers only 1l7Jf3

right place. Memorization is required

lbf6 2 b4 and offers only one exam pie:

only for the sharpest lines occurring

2 ... g6 3 i1.b2 i1.g7 3 4 04 0-0 S e3 c6 6

after 1 b4 eS. Other first moves for

il.e2 dS 7 0-0 il.g4 8 lba3?! lj)bd7 9 bS

Black place a premium on understand

cxbS 10 lj)xbS dxc4 1 1 il.xc4 a6 12 lj)bd4

ing and judgment. A careful study of

eS 13 lbe2 e4 14 lj)fd4 J:tc8 IS il.b3 lj)cs

the material in this book will provide

16 il.a3lbfd7 17 ):tc\ 'i!!'aS 18 il.xcSlbxcs

you with a grasp of the basics of nu

19 h3 .kxe2 20 lj)xe2 lkdB 21 lj)g3 i1.eS?

merous structures your opponents will

(Marovic and Parma prefer 21 ... lIfe8)

try, and the confidence to confront

22 lIxcS! '/IjIxcs 23 lj)xe4, and White ac

them effectively.

tually won a long rook and pawn end ing, V.Smyslov-W. Uhlmann, Moscow

Opening books may not be too helpful What of your opponents who may be aware of your predilection for I b4?

li:If6 2 i1.b2 g6 3 i1.xf6�?, one may ask -

Where can they turn for guidance?

Indian is no sim pie panacea against the

Most of our readers will be club players, as will their opponents. The

1967. But what of the move order I b4 the authors offer no advice. The King's

lems for both sides. A few books, how ever,

do

make

decent

writing in these games. However, our primary purpose was

suggestions

to put forth Yury Lapshun's games and

against our opening. For example, the

ideas, as he is certainly one of the

American Grandmaster Andrew SoltiS,

strongest active players who regularly

in his Black to Play and Win with 1.. . g6,

plays the Sokolsk y. Yury has annotated

offers a sound King's Indian set-up and

more than 60 games here, including 20

considers the Sokolsky separately from

of his own best games, and I believe

the Nimzowitsch-Larsen. Our prefer

they are a valuable contribution to the

ences

literature of chess.

against this structure will be

found in Chapter Three. Two recent books, Chess Openings

Pronoun Questions

for Black, Explained by Grandmasters

For the remainder of lhis book, the

Dzindzichashvili, shteyn,

and

Alburt

Beating

and

Perel

pronouns '1', 'me' and 'mine' fpff'J to

Unusual

Chess

Yury Lapshun, and' co-author' refers to

Openillgs by 1M Richard Palliser, have

Nick Conticello. The authors under

presented a strong challenge based on

stand that a significant portion of our

the line 1 b4 e5 2 i1.b2 i1.xb4. How to

readership will be female, and there

deal

fore we have used gender-neutral pro

with their recommendations is

discussed in Chapter Two.

nouns whenever possible.

The Sokolsky Connection

Conclusion

Part of our mission in writing this book

J will now step aside and let Yury Lap

was to present the best of Sokolsky's

shun, with some help from Alext'i

work to the English-speaking chess

Sokolsky, guide you the rest of the

world. All the games played by Sokol

way. On behalf of Yury. I wish you

sky (except Game

f'very success in your games with 1 b4,

10),

and

several

other pre-1970 games (5, 26, 4S, 47, SO,

and J hope you experience as much

68, 74, 76 and 77) include notes based

pleasure in reading this work as the

heavily upon

authors enjoyed while writing it.

from

or directly translated

Sokolsky's

book.

OccaSionally

Sokolsky got somet hing wrong, and we

Nick Conticello,

have corrected his analysis where nec

New York,

essary. But we have tried for the most

March 2008

part to retain the flavour of Sokolsky's

Sokolsky. Many repertoire books don'l even

average non-professional will not be

discuss

familiar with the best methods of wad-

Nimzowitsch-Larsen

8

poses vastly different strategic prob

1 b4, considering only 1 b3 (the Attack),

which

9

Cha pter One

I

The Sokolsky Gambit

1 b4 e5

2 il.b2 f6!1 3 e4! (or 3 b5!1)

We begin our survey of 1 b4 with one of its most complicated and most theo retical variations, the so-called Sokol sky Gambit. With his second move Black embarks on a policy of building a strong, c1assical pawn centre, using it to blunt White's pieces, in particular the dark-squared bishop, and eventu ally expanding and breaking through on the kingside. must

combat

We

this

believe White

plan

by

drastic

means, including the offer of a pawn or

The

Katalymov-Estrin

twins

(Games 5 -6) consider the theoretically

two in 19th century style. We start with two classic Tarta

approved thrust 3 . ..d5. Instead of the

kower games that put the Sokolsky

pedestrian 4 exdS i..xb4,

Opening 'on the map' so to speak.

Angus

These games,

book Winning Unorthodox Openings, we

and

two

later

ones,

Dunnington in

as

given by

his

excellent

Fischer-Gloger (Game 3) and Kataly

recommend the lively 4 f4!. This thrust

mov-Muratov (Game 4), examine the

of lhe bishop's pawn suits my style

acceptance of the gambit with 3 .. . il.xb4.

better.

White replies 4 il.c4 with the idea of

My encounters with Laframboise

continuing with the advance f2-f4, and

and Blumenfeld (Games 7-8) illustrate

often f4-fS following a similar strategy

two logical but - perhaps rightly

to that used in the Vienna Game.

attempts by Black.

-

rare

These games,

I

11

The Soko/sky Gambit

Play 1 b4/

hope, will demonstrate that a thorough

lowed b y . . .lLlg6).

good for White.

understanding of the ideas from the

S f4

12 d 31Llf6 13l!!'g S h6 14 'ilfg3!

previous examples will enable you to

The immediate 5

"fYh5+ is White's

14 'ill'xg6?? allows Black to trap the

cope with the unexpected, even in such

main alternative (see Game 3).

queen with 14 .. 1Ig4!.

a wild opening as this.

S...dS 6 exds Jtd6

14 e4

Of course, not everyone will want

.•.

Latcr Colle tried 6 ...exf4 aga in st Tar

to play in this gambiteering way, and

takower (see Game 2).

for people of a more conservative tem

7 fxes fxes 8l!!' hS+ ILlg6 91Llf3

perament (like my co-author) we in clude three exam pies of the positional 3 b5, one of which was played and ana lysed by Alexei Sokolsky himself.

25 ...lIf6? But there is not enough com pensa

Gamel

tion for two pawns! 25 ... 'iII'c3!? is an

S.Tartakower-R.Reti

improvement.

Vienna 1919 Black is not ready to open the cen

1 b4 eS 2 il.b2 f6 3 e4 il.xb4 Black's

attempts

at refUSing

tre. 14 ... il.g4 , bringing another piece the

gambit are discussed in Games 5-8.

4.1/.<4!

out, would have been better. Tartakower i s strangely silent about the rest of the opening phase until move fourteen. Perhdps he felt

the

men I ions

16

'ill'xg6

16 dxe4

litg4

17

i:.xf6

16 �xg6! would have been more dangerous for Black. After 16 •.l:Ig4 17

9...0-0 10 ILlg5 h6 ] ] ltle6 ILlxd8 ILlxh5 13

ILlf4 12 1Lle6 J:(f7 14 ILlc3 looks a

'ill'hS ILlf6 1 8 il.xf6 �xf6 19 d4 White's strong centre outweighs any problems

bit better for White because of his lead

associated with the mispldced queen

in development and that powerful stal

on h5. Note that 19...litxd4? 20 �e8'

lion on e6.

..t>h7 21 �d3+ wins material for White.

10 0-0

16 il.g4

29'i!i'b8

..•

After 10 il.d3 0-0 1] il.xg6 hxg6 12

ILleS 13 0-0 the position is un

best move.

clear.

4...IiJe7

10 0-0 111LlC3 J:tf4 1l ... lLlf6 12 'ill'gS e4 131Lld4 il.xh2+ 14

This knight helps to prepare ... d7-

15_.II:xe4

endgame for White.

"l!i'xg6 •..

d5, and later on to protect f4 (for ex

..t>hl

ample, after f2-f4, met by ...exf4 fol-

1 4 ...lLle5 IS il.b3 h6 16 'iWh4 should be

(but

26 'iWxa7 !:tb6 27 d6! il'xd6 28 �c4+ ..t>h7

�xf6 18 il'xf6 gxf6 leads to a pawn-up

game was complex enough to dispense

9...lLld7

According to Sokolsky, this is the

to crack.

lS ltlxe4 1Llxe4

with any (urther comments on compli cations that didn't occur.

12

Tartakower

25...b6 26 c4, but even 26 ...'iWc3 is tough

not

14

'.t>xh2??

ILlg4+!)

16 ...'iWe8! ]7 il.d3l:Ixe4 is unclear.

17 'iWe1 il.xf3 18 J:txf3 J:txf3 19 gxf3 il'g5+ 20 '.t>h1 'ill'h 5 21 'ill'f2 I:If8 22 il.e2 il.e5 23 il.xe5 il'xe5 24 I:Ig1 1Llf4 25 .1/.f1 Black is a pawn down, but his ac· tive

pieces

probably

compensation.

offer

enough

Now the threat is il'g8 mate, and White is winning.

29_lLle6 30 il.xe6 �xe6 31 �x<7 'il'f6 321:txg7+! 'i!Vxg7 33 'ill'xb6 1-0 33 ... 'iWal� 34 Wg2! 'il'g7+ 35 '.t>f2, as given by Tartakower, is an easy win for White.

13

The 50kolsky Gambit

Play 1 b4!

18lli'xe3 Ilxe3 19 Ilbl!

Game 2 S.Tartakower-E.Colle

Bardejov 1926

6 f4exf4

nec�ss ar y to sto p ...liJb4 hpr e.

B lack has li ttle c ho ice, as the threat was f4-f 5 winnin g a pi ece.

19_ ..Ilc3 20 IIb2 b6 21 Ilf3 IIxf3 22 gxf3

7liJf3

T ar tako wer

poin ted out that i t's

Defending the d 4 p a w n with 22

The cldssic miniature B.Katalymov

-

G.Iliv itsk y, Fr unze 1959, sh ow s what

liJxf3 was a better option. 1 b 4 es2 il.b2 f6 3 e4 il.xb4 4 il.c4 liJe7

22...lId8 23 c4

c an happen i f B lac k is not c areful: 7 a3

Sf4 d S

d5 8 il .xd 5 c6 9 il.b3 lli' a5 10 eS' il. e7? 1 1

After 5...exf4 6 liJh3 d5 7 exd5 il.xh3

il.f7+! and B lack r eS ign ed .

8 lli' h5+ g6 9 lli'xh3 Whit e has a stTOng

7...liJc6

,

in itiati ve in r eturn for the pawn. 6 exdsexf4 7lli'f3

Probabl y 7lli' h5+ g6 and only then 8

31 as! f5

lli'f3, k eeping some pressure on t he f 6 -

Both captures on a5 lose.

32 axb6! fxe4 33 bxa7 1-0

pawn , was a better c hoic e. Add ition ally, White also had the po ssibi li ty of 7

After 33... liJd6 34 nb8 nxc4+ 35 We5

liJ h3 tr an spo sin g to the previous no te.

n a 4 36 a8lli' liJc4+ 37 Wxe4 liJb6+ 38

7_..il.d6 8liJe2 liJg6 9 d4 lli'e7 10 il.Cl!

'iWxa4 liJ xa4 39 wd4 thes tr anded kni ght is tr apped and wi ll s oon be c aptur ed. 23...liJb8

Neither

player no tic ed that af ter

Game 3

23 ... c6! 24 lIb3 (or 24 d xc 6 Il xd4 25 c5

R.Fischer-J.Gloger

b5 26 liJe4 liJc7) 24 ... cxd5 25 lla3liJb4 26

Cleveland (Simultaneous Display) 1964

lha7 d xc4 27 liJxc4 bS 28 liJ a3 liJc6 29 lIb7liJ xd 4 30liJ xb 5 liJ xb5 3] lhb 5 lId 1+ an extra pawn , although it's tru e that

the recapture o f the pawn and keeps

the posi tion c los e to equal. 10 0-0 was

Who c ould have im agin ed that such

a) 9 ...il.d6 10 lflf5 il.E' S 11 d4 d5 12 d xe5

c lass ic al

there ar e alm os t n o chanc es to win this

a

F isc her

dxc4 13 liJ xg7+ wf7 14 exf6liJg8 15 e5

po sition.

played the Soko lsk y O pen in g? This is a

'i!!'d S 16 0-0 lli'e4 17 �c3 'iW e3+ (or

24 wtz Wf7 2 S a4 c6 26 dxc6 liJ"c6 27

very

with F isc her

17 ...il.e6 1 8liJ xe6 Wxe6 19 'i\'g4+ 'i!!' fS 20

dS liJas 28 We3 liJb7 29 wd4 Ilc8 30

winning b y a direct attack on his o p

lli'e2 b5 21 lli'f3 nd8 22 g4 lli'g5 23lli'c6+

liJe4 h6?? (see following diagram)

ano ther possibili ty. 10__il.fs 11 il.d3 il.xd3 12 lli'xd3 0-0 13

30 .. f5 31 liJc3 liJa5 32 Ilb4 would

0·0 ne8 14 liJxf4 liJxf4 lS il.xf4 il.xf4

r eac h an equal p osi tion. T ar tak ower

16 J:l:xf4liJa6 17 liJd2lli'e3+

T he d ir ec t 8 liJh4 is a r eason ab le al ternativ e. OUf analysis runs 8...tDce7 9 a3 and no w:

32 wf2 Ild2+ 33 Wg3 Ilxa2 B lack has go t

T hi s passive - looking move assures

8liJc3

theor etic ian

im por tan t gam e,

as

pon en t' s king. Let's take a look at this

wf7 24 e6 + , whE'n the c en tr e pawns

m as terpiece.

m arc h to victory) 18 wh 1 lli' e4 19 ne1

1 b4 es 2 il.b2 f6 3 e4 il.xb4 4 il.c4liJe7

lli'd5 20 liJd 2 with a winning posi tio n.

slli'hS+

T his move has b een played m or e of

b) 9. . d 5 10 il.xd5 il.d6 11 liJc3 c6 12 .

il.b3 'iWd 7 13 h3 b 5 14 0-0i..c 7 15 liJf3 a s

poin ted o ut a nice w in sim ilar to the

ten than 5 f4.

1 6 a 4 il.b6+ 17 w hl b 4 18 liJe2 il.a6 1 9

17 ...liJb4!? 18 lli'b3 lli'e3+ 19 lli' xe3

game continuation after 30...�e7 31

S... liJg6

d3 il. e3 20 liJ ed4, when B lac k' s kin g i s

lhe3 20 c 4 J:l: ae8 m ay give B lac k a

lIg2 g6 32 Ile2 Wf7? (32 ... liJa5! m ight

sli ght adv antage.

ho ld ) 33 as! .

14

5 ... g6 c an b e met b y 6 'I'fll 4 (or even 6lli'f3).

tr apped in the c en tr e and White's b3bishop is very strong.

15

The Sokolsky Gambit

Play 1 b 4 !

S... �_xc3 9 �xc3 d 6 10 tZlh4 tZlce7 11 tZlfs

Black has also played 4 ...lhc6 5 f4

13...�xfS Alternatives lead to greater trouble for Black: 13...gxf6 allows male in one with 14 "iWh6; or 13 . ..It'lxf5 14 exf5 "iltc6

.i.xf6! nf8 9 lhh5! iLlxc4 10 IiIxg7+ Wf7

15 fxg6 "iWxc4 16 'l!i'h6!! 'l!i'g8 (] 6 ... gxh6

11 0-0 Wg8 12 "iWh5! lhf6 13 >:xf6 iLlg6

5 It\e2, as given by Andrew Soltis, seems more to the point. I-or example: a) 5... d6 6 c3! (Soltis) 6 ....lil.c5 (or

17 g7+) 17 "iWxf4 >te8 18 nael+ �e6 19

14 lhg6! hxg6 ]5 "iWxg6 Wh8? 16 It\e8!

6 ... .lta5 7 d4 exd4 8 O-O!

"iWa4+ c6 20 "iWb4 gxf6 2] "iWxd6 with a

"iWe7 17 tZlf6 1-0, A.Sokolsky-Strugach,

this is always the answer to Black's

crushing attack for White.

Minsk 1958, is a good demonstration of

... exd�) 7 d4 . lil.b6 8 0-0, and now

14 exfS d S

White's attacking chances in this line.

8 ... iLlh6 Iransposes to note 'b'.

b) 5 ... d6 is a passive but solid reac

b) s ..iLlh6 6 0-0 d6 7 c3 Ji.c5 8 d4

tion. We suggest 6 fS, after which Black

.lil.b6 9 a4 a6 10 as �a7 11 'l!i'b3 lhc6 1 2

gxh7+ II
must decide how to develop his king's

iLld2 iLlf7 13 f4 was slightly better for

"iWg4+ wf8 21 'lWxf4 lhh7 22 "iWxf6 'lWxf6

knight:

White in th� game E .Schiller-E.Richter,

.

bl) 6 ...iLlh6 7 "iWh5 Wf8, and now

correspondence 1971. This is a curious

Sokolsky's suggested improvement on

mixture of the Evans and King's Gam

a game of his against Veresov is 8 a3

bits!

�c5 9 lhc3, with ideas of castling long

s....lil.as 6f4 iL1c6

c6 14 "iWd4 b5 15 �d3 lhe5 16 �b4

and dropping the bishop back to a2.

15 fxg6gxf616"iWh6+ wgS 17 g7 3.-0

b2)

tZlxd3+ 17 cxd3 'l!i'd8 18 �d6 �e6 19

6 ... iLlge7

has

become

more

"iWc5 "iWb6 2 0 "iWc3 IId8 21 �c5 'l!i'c7, the

popular recently. After 7 "iWhS+ g6 8

outcome would still be very much in

fxg6 iLlxg6 9 tZlf3, as played in the stem

doubt.

game

12 0-0 'l!i'eS?

spondence 1963, the position remains

A

fatal mistake,

presumably

Possibly 1 4. . .tZlg8 is more resilient.

defence. After 12 tZlxe7 "iWxe7 13 "iWxd5

1 1 . . . d5! would have been a stronger

-

Then 15 �xg8 Wxg8 16 fxg6 gxt6 1 7

ending for White.

.•

iLlc6 in K.Richter-L. Relistab, Bad Oeyn hausen 1939.

a) 5...exf4 6 iLlh3iLlge7 7iL1xf4 tZla5 8

23 IIxf6+ should be a winning rook 11 .'Ms?!

and now:

cutting off his

A.Sokolsky-A.Gurvich,

Black needs to avoid 6 ... exf4?

7

'l!i'h5+ wd8 8 "iWxaS "iWxe4+ 9 Ji.e2. 715

corre

unclear.

king's escape. J2 ... "iWd7!? 13 tZlh4 'l!i'g4

14 tZlxg6+ "iWxg6 15 'l!i'f3 "iWg5 is a stronger defence. 13 �_xf6! Black loses material and his position is hopeless.

Game 4

Gaining more space for a possible

B.Katalymov-V.Muratov

kingside attack. As mentioned in the

Novgorod 1961

introduction to this chapter, f4-f5 is often part of W hite's plans.

This is a very complex game, in which we discuss some important the

16

5 a3 5 c3 didn't lead to any success for

ory.

White after S ... . lil.cS 6 'l!i'e2 d6 7 d4 .lil.b6 8

1 b4 eS 2 �b2 f6 3 e4 �xb4 4 �c4 "iWe7

a4 a6 9 as . lil.a7 10 liJd2 iLlh6 11 iLlgf3

7... d6?! After this mov� Black can forgel about castling. 7 ...g6!? 8 "iWf3 "iWc5 9 Ji.b3 iLld4 1 0

17

The

Play 1 b4 !

50kolsky G a m bit

i1.xd4 'i!fxd4 11 :ta2 0Je7 12 0Je2 'i!l'd6 13

0-0 'i!l'e5 1 9 lLlf4 'i!l'c5 2 0 a4 d3+ 2 1 W h l

had prepared thi' bishop move

lLlbc3 i s a typically unclear variation,

dxc2 22 .tIb2 a6.

novelty. Both continuations give White

quite common for the Sokolsky Gam

17 i1.ds c4?!

bit.

Too

late!

as

a

an initiative which compf'nsat� for the sacrificed pawn."

Black should continue

8 'tiI'hS+ \l;f8 9 lLlc3 i1.xc3 10 i1.xc3 i1.d7

17...ne8!? 18 0-0 lLlf7 19 lLlf4 a6 20 'tiI'g3

11l:!bl b6 12 'tiI'ez t
lLle5.

8...i1.fs 8...liJd7 is what Estrin chose two

18 'i!l'xd4 /i)xfs 19 'i!l'f2 .tIe8 20 0-0 'i!l'eS

years later (see Game 6).

21lLlf4lLld4

91Ji e2! "The move 9 ...i.xc2 doesn't make any sense. After 10 lLlxf4 the knight can jump to e6." 10lLlbc3lLld7 10 ... �xc2?! is weak on account 01 11

Every white piece is on a perfect square, and now the passed c-pawn

d3.

will decide the game.

11lLld4!lLleS 12 i1.b3lLle7 13lLlcbS!

39...f4 40 gxf4lLle6+ 41\1;c3 l:tf6 42 cS nxf4 43 c6lLlcs 4411f7+ %1Kf7 4S ::!xf7+ Wg846 );1f3+ \l;h7 47 i1.f7lLle4+ 48\1;<2 14lLlh3

t
Grabbing a pawn is a mistake: 1 4 i1.xd4? exd4 15 'i!l'xd4lLlxfS 16 'i!l'd3 .tIe8.

In two more moves White will have 22 'i!l'h4?1

a new queen.

22 c3! is much stronger, and here

14...bs IS i1.a2 cS

22...'l!!'xI4 23 'i!l'xd 1 'i!l'e5 24 'l!!'xa7 );Ie7 25

Game 5

'i!l'b8+ I1e8 26 'i!l'b7 'l!!'e7 27 .tIte! .tId8 28

B.Katalymov-Y.Estrin

i1.c6 i1.xc6 29 'i!l'xc6 'i!l'd7 30 'i'!'xb5 'i!l'xb5 31 l:!xb5 rearhes

a

Spartak Championship, Minsk 1962

winning rook end

game. 22...£e6? 22...\I;e7! 23 c3 lLlb3 24 d4 'i!l'g5 is more resilient and gives Black chances

16 i1.xd4?! 16

,;cd5!?,

16 ....tIe8

17

played

in

Minsk,

although

some

13 ...0-0-0? is metby 14lLlxa7+, while against 13 ... 0-O? White has 14 t;)xc7!

to hold on.

sources give Moscow as the location.

i1.xc7 15 d6+.

23lLl-<e6+ lLlxe6 24 );Ixbs

Notes in quotation marks are by Sokol

14 t;)xd6+ cxd6 lS 0-0 i1.e4

White's active pieces and Black's

sky, translated by Yury Lapshun.

Against 15 ... g5?, 16lLlxl5lLlxf5 1 7 g3

poorly placed king add up to a huge

1 b4 es2 i1.b2 f6 3 e4 dS 4 f4 exf4

13 18 d4! regains the pawn with a large

advantage for White. intending

13...a6 Sokolsky wrote that this game was

"A sharp variation, not yel· well in

initiative. Black's position would be

24..:'�'d4+ 2S ',!H2 'i!l'xf2+ 26 Wxf2 IiJcs

vestigated in practice."

riddled with weaknesses.

,;cxd4 exd4 1 8 0-0, i s stronger.

2711,;e3 a6 28I1b6lLlxe4 29 Wd4! lLlxd2

S 'l!!'hS+ g6 6 'l!!'xds 'l!!'xds 7 exds i1.xb4

16 :txf4 fS 17lLlf3! i1.xf3

16 exd4?!

30 J:i:dl c3 31l:1b7 hS 32 Wxc3lLle4+ 33

8i1.c4

•••

16 ... c4!? is perhaps a more promis ing option; for example, 17 'i'!'f3 exd4 18

18

wd4lLlgS 34l:!dbl h 4 3S .tIlb6 h3 36 g 3 l:!h6 37 ):txd6 fS 38.tIdd7 .tIg6 3 9 c4

17 ... lLlxd5?

loses

material

to

18

"In the game Sokolsky-Estrin (Baku,

lhe4! fxe4 !9 lLlxe5 dxe5 2 0 ii.xd5, and

1958) 8 lLle2 had been played. White

17 ... i1.xd5? 18lLlxe5 dxe5 1 9 i1.xe5 gives

19

The 50kolsky Gambit

Play 1 b4! White the better position.

Black gets counterplay."

18gxf3 g5 19 l:I.b4 0·0·0

36J:Ie2+Wf6 37 h4l:1.h3 38l:1.e8

"White, with a pair of active bish ops, is better." 19 .. .tilxf3+? is a mistake, as 20 Wf2

8...ltld7 9 iLle2 il.d6 10 iLlbc3

tion of the centre - especially the e6square - and the awkward position of

"Better is 38 g5+ with subsequent 39

the black king compensate him for his

l:!.e7. The entry of the black knight into

missing pawn.

the bat tie more than outweighs the loss

14...I!d815 iLlb5 Wg6

fl)es 21 .u.xb7 improves White's pieces.

of the d-pawn."

20 Wf2 1tl7g6 21 ne1 nhe822 d4

38...lilg6 39 il.xd6 .lIh2+?

15 ... il.e2!? 16 lilbxd6+ cxd6 17 IIfel f3 18 d4 lilg6 19 �a3 lilf4 20 lilxd6+

"By kicking the knight from the

"A timE> pressure mistake. By play

Wg6 21 wf2 g4 22 lilxb7 JIb8 23 lilcs

centre, White gains the possibility of

ing 39... lilxd6 40 .lIe6+ Wg7 41 .lIxd6

leaves Black a pawn down with noth

moving the rook to the e6-square."

lilxh4 Black had a chance to save the

ing to compensate for White's queen

22...ltlf7 23l:1.e6! iLlf4

game. I'or example: 42 .lId7+ Wg6 43 d6

side pawn mass.

J:Ih2+ 44 Wf] lilf3."

16 lilxa7 il.e2 17 lUe1 �a6 18 a4 iLlh6

"Black hoped to eliminate the rook from e6, but he was disappointed." 24 il.C1! iLlg6 "It' 5 very dangerous 10 capture the

However, in this position we (YL

19 lilb5 iLlhf7 20 d4lilg4 21lilc5 j),xc5

and NC) believe that White can win

22 dxc5 c6 23 dxc6 bxc6 24 il.xf7+ Wxf7

with 45 il.d5! iLld2+ 46 Wg1 Ite2 47 .!:te7

exchange. After 24 ... li1xe6? 25 dxe6

f3 48 .lIxe2 fxe2 49 wf2.

iLlh8 26 il.xg5 White should win."

40 Wg1 .lIxh4 41 il.e5+ 1-0

25 nc4+ Wd7 26l:1.c3 f4 27 a4!

"Here the game

10...Wf7?! Black has to develop. He should consider 1O lilb6, after which II il.b3 ..•

a5 12 a4 g5 13 lile4 il.e5 14 d4 j/.d6 1 5

was adjourned.

lilxd6+ cxd6 1 6 c4 lile7 1 7 il.a3 il.g4 1 8 il.xd6 iLlE5 1 9 il.cS lild7 reaches a n un

"It's necessary to involve the light

Black sealed the move 4 1 ...Wg5 and

squared bishop. By advancing the a

resigned without resuming. The diffi

clear mess. Positions that are so imbal

pawn, White achieves his goal."

cult, sharp fight in this game is very

anced are very difficult to evaluate.

typical for the gambit variation after I

11 0-0 iLle5 12 il.b3

27 .rLe7 •.

27 ...a5 28 il.c4! wins.

b4."

12 J:Ixf4? loses material after 12 ...gS!

28 a5 .!:tc8 29 .!:td3 lilf8 30 J:!f6 wd8 31

13 nd4 .iccS.

il.a3 lild7 32 l:I.e6lilf8 33 J:td2! g4!

12...g5 13 iLle4 il.g4 14lild4

Game 6

For a second time Black declines the

B.Kata Iymov-Y. Estrin

exchange. Accepting the sacrifice after

Spartak Champion ship, Moscow 1964

33...lilxe6 34 dxe6 lilh6 35 il.xd6 is ob viously not a good idea.

White has improved all his pieces.

34 J:txe7 "The best move. 34 fxg4 lilxe6 35 dxe6 iLlg5 36 ne2 Itc3 allows Black counterplay." 34...Wxe7 35 fxg4 "White should decline the pawn of

Now it's time to push the a-pawn, 1 b4 e5 2 .liI.b2 f6 3 e4 d5 4 f4 exf4 5

which should decide the game.

"iWh5+ g6 6 "iWxd5 "iWxd5 7 exd5 il.xb4

28...�.d5 29 a5 lilh6 30 a6 lilf5 31 il.f2

This was the second time Kataly

ter 35 J:Ie2+ wf6 36 c4!, White could

8il.c4

"Because of the threat of ...lilg5,

20

35 Wxf2 cxd5 361tlxf5 Wxf5 37 c6

against each other in a tournament game.

35.. .l:tc3!

g4 32 C4 g3 33 hxg3 fxg3 34 cxd5 gxf2+

mav and Estrin playpd this position

fered by his resourceful opponent. Af count on victory,"

25 lild6+ wg6 26 il.d4 .!:thf8 27 l:tab1 �c4 28J:l:b6

37 ...11a8 38 C7 .lIfc8 39 nC1 We5 40 >ile3

We prefer this natural move to 8 ltJe2!?,

Material is equal. but Black can't stop the ,"WO passed pawns.

which

was

played

A.Sokolsky-Y.Estrin, Baku 1 958.

in

Let's look at this position. W e can

f5 41 wd3 ng8 42 J:1e1+ Itf4 43 wd4

see a typical King's Gambit, but with

lhg2 44 nfH wgS 45 �C1 nc8 46 JIb8

out the white b-pawn. White's domina-

.!:td2+ 47 We5 1·0

21

The 50kolsky Gambit

Play 1 b4! 5 ...d5 6 exd5 cxd5 7 �h5+ g6 8 'iWxd5

Game 7 Y.Lapshun-M.Laframboise

many ideas. By playing 15 'iWf2, White:

lIxd6?!, when 23 ...lLlxf3 24 lIe6+ Wf7 25

'iWxd59 il.xd5ii.xb4 10 lhe2 is unclear.

1) Keeps an eye on a 7-g I diagonal;

);(f6+ Wg8 26 lil:g6+ wf7 27 l:l:f6+ Wg 8 28

6�e2

2) Defends the h4-pawn;

l:tg 6+ is only a draw.

3) CleaTs the e-file fOT the TOok; and

23 ...g4 24 �d2

Montreal 2004

4) Prepares to push the centTal pawns.

Once again White could play 24 ILlxd6
This was my final-round game at

Instead 15 h5 g5 16 hxg6 hxg6 17

for example, 26 ... Wf7 27 .!Idd6 l'l.d8 28

the Montreal tournament and I had to

l:txh8 ILlxh8 18 �h2 ILlf7 19 �xf4??

e5 .!:!g7 29 'iWc2 lH8 30 'iil'f5+ Wg8 31

win to claim a high place. My oppo

would not be a good idea in view of

'iWxhS 'iWf7 32 .!:!g6 ILlM 33 l'l.xg7+ 'iWxg7

nent was a young.. talented Canadian

19, ..il.h6!

34 e6, winning.

chess master who didn't have many

15 g516 d5!

24...gxf3

•.•

games on my database.! decided that it was time to use my favourite weapon... 1 b4 e5 2 �b2 f6 3 e4 e 6 6...d6

Black

should

speculate

with

6...�xb4 7 fl.b31Lle7 81Llf3. 7 ILltl ILld7 8 lLle3 lLle5 9 il.b3 ILlh6 10

0-0-0 il.e611 d41Llxf3 11 ...lLleg4 12 d5 il.d7 13 dxc6 bxc6 14 b S ILle3 15 bxc6 fl.xc6 161LldS il.xd5 17 ii.xd5 l:l:b8 18 ILld4! promises White a The aim of this move is to expose

strong attack, something that can be

A new move to me, at the time of

25l'l.xd6?

verified by using Fritz.

the black king and to manoeuvre the

12 gxf3 il.xb3 13 axb3 a6 14 h41Llf7 15

knight via e2 and d4 to fS or e6.

ILlxd6+! il.xd6 26 lIxd6 ILlf7 27 lle6+ wf8

16...lLle5 17 lLle2 h5 18 ILld4 exd5 19

28 ..i.d4 l:l:d8 29 J:l.gl b6 30 �c3 J:l.xd4 31

'iWf2!

ILlf5 'iWe7 20 );(xd5

this game at least. But with the themes of the previous games in mind, it's easy

The result of the breakthrough on move sixteen is that White's pieces

to construct a good plan against 3 ...c6.

At the Tisk of repeating myself, 25

�xd4 'iil'd8 32 � xd8+ ILlxd8 33 llxb6 l:l:e7 34 Itf6+ We8 35 l:l:xf4 and again White wins.

have much gTeater scope than their

25 ...lLlxe4! 26 bxe4 'iii'JCC 4+ 27 Wb1

gives it an exclamation mark, but it has

counterparts.

'iWxe4+ 28 Wu?

not been explored whatsoever at high

20..J;I,e8 21 hxg5 fxg5 22 l:l:hd1l:l:h7 23

level chess. One example, the best of a

e4

3.. .lne7!? is a rare alternative. Soltis

Another mistake - 28 �d 3! was bet ter. One possibJe line from here is 28... �xd3<

29 );(6xd3 il.xb4 30 J::d 4

bad bunch, is the following gem: 4

This is thematic, but alTeady White

�h51 ILlg6 5 f4 t'xf4 61Llf3 d6 (6...lLlc6 is

can play simply with 23 ILlxd6+! il.xd6

better) 7 ILlM lIg8? 8 il.c4' and Black

24 l:l:xd6 ILlxf3 25 l:l:e6+ wf8 26 l:l:d5 g4

pawns for the piece) 30 ...fl.cS 31 l:t el+

resigned,

27 lIfS+ lIn 28 .!IxhS, which should be

ne7 (31...W£8 32 nxf4 lH7 33 l'l.xf3 ncc7

T.Juscamayta

Zuegel

winning.

G.Semmler, Bad Wiirishofen 2000. 4 f4 exf4 5 �e4 �e7

22

A very difficult move to find, with

However, White should avoid 23

(Black is struggling despite having five

34 .!:!e6 is good for White) 321Llxe7 f2 33

lIfl Wxe7 34 );(xf4 We6 35j"d4 j"xd4 36

23

Play

1

The 50kolsky Gambit

b4!

1::txd4 lI<e5 37 :r:td2 ru8 38 :r:tdxf2 :r:txf2 3Y

have been stronger: 33...il.xb2+ 34Wxb2

48 <M6 b6 49 �e4+ wgS so i'W aS+ Wh7

:r:txf2 and White wins.

f2 35 i'Wb8+ We7 36 i'Wxb7+ Wf6 37

Sl i'Wxa6 1·0

2S i'WxfS 29 ):I dS

i'Wxa6+ Wg5 38 i'We2 h4 39 i'Wxf2 h3 40

My favourite b4-pawn survived the

i'Wc5+ II
whole game, even though it could have

30 \'l!'xd8+ 1I
43 "i!!' g4+Wf6 44 "i!!' xf4+ II
been captured many times.

33 :r:tg1+ il.g5 34 \'l!'b6+ II
White w i ns.

36 :r:tel lI<e8 37 "i!!'b8+ 1I
33 il.xb2+ 3411<xb2 ):I f7 3SII<0 h4

•..

29 :r:td8+ leads a draw after 29 ...lhJ8

..•

Game 8

35...Wd8! draws as Black is able to set: up a fortress: 36 i'Wd5+ l::!d 7 37

Y.Lapshun-R.Blumenfeld

i'Wxh5

Marshall Chess Club 2004

J:tc7+ 38 Wd4 l:!c6 39 II
1 b4 es 2 il.b2 f6 3 e4 as

:!:tc6 47 i'Wd4+ II
Another unusual try by Black.

4 bS il.cS 5 f4

36W d4

I guess he overlooked this impor

Again White goes for this f-pawn

.•

A blunder. 29 ...'l!I'g6?? also loses, to 30 Ite5+ :r:te7 31 'ii'd 7+ 1I
tant

in- between

move.

11

.!hgl??

push. Here 5 ...exf 4?? loses to 6 'l!Yh5+.

would have been met by IL ii'c5 win

S...d6 6 il. c 4 \'l!'e7 7 fSIiJh6

ning materiaL

With the idea of ...liJf7 so as 10 allow

29 :iWC2??

u d6!

.

,

u... ii'xd6 12 liJe4 "i!!' e7

Black to castle kingside. 7...g6 8 IiJc3

12 ... �b4 is met by 13 1;.c3! intending

gxf5 9 i'Wh5+ Wd8 10 exf5 'lIi'g7 11 \'l!'f3

13 ... ii'xc4?? 14 IiJd6+!. 1\ would proba

reaches an unclear position.

bly have been better to play 12 ...ii'c7.

S IiJc3 c6 9 g4

Then following 13 l:Ixgl cxb5 14 i.xb5+

33 'l!I'd5+ II
il.d7 15 ii'e2 'l'Ib6 16 0-0-0 il.xb5 17

"i!!'xh6 (35...lI<xh6 36:!:thl+) 36 \'l!'f5+ II< g8

ii'xbS+ "i!!'xb5 18 /fld6+ Wd7 19 IiJxbS,

37 :r:tgl+ :r:tg7 38 'l!I'xc8+. But Black can

White has only a small advantage.

survive by playing 29...'ii' g4! 30 :r:td8+

13ll:xgl

:r:txd8 31 i'Wxd8+ 1I
lW 34 l:!e5 f2! 35 l:!g5+ il.g7 36

36 <MS? ••.

i'Wd8+ II
Black can draw only if his king can

i'Wd8+ II
reach the queenside comer protected

39 'l!I'd8+ il.f8, when White must be con

by two connected pawns, as shown in

tent with perpetual check after 40 i'Wg5+

the previous note.

icg7 41 \'l!'d8+ l:tf8 42 i'Wd5+ :!:tf7 43

3711<es ):Ie7+ 3SII
'ii'd8+.

40 "i!!' gS+ W fS 4111<e6h3 42 "i!!' h6+

30 ):I dS+ !txdS 31 i'Wxc2?

Now the white queen will capture

9 .. dS? .

Just one of those days! 31 "i!!'xd8+!

Black's pawns one by one. Even so, 42

Opening the position with the king

Wf7 32 i'Wf6+ II
\'l!'h5! ne7+ 43 II
stuck in the middle is a bad idea. The

way.

Black is soon mated.

consistent 9 ...lbf7

31...lbd1+ 32 i'Wxdl.ig7 33 i'Wxf3

42...lI
much more sensible.

\'l!'xf3 �h7 46 \'l!'hS+ II< gS 47 \'l!'eS+ wh7

10 exdsil.xgl

This is natural, but 33 i'Wd6 would

24

would

have been 13 W dS? .••

13 ...cxb5 14 il.xb5+ il.d7 15 il.xd7+

25

Play 1 b 4 /

The

'i!i'f3 lUI7 17 SLa3 'WdS IS 'Wb3

17_ lt>a7

leaves Black's king caught in the cross

After

lUxd7 1 6

1

.•

J7 ...lLla6, White wins with I S

b4 has earned its ' citizenship' and is a

respectable member of the openings

fire of White's queen and bishop, but

'i!!'e3+ c S I9 ::tbl+ \Pa7 20 SLxa6.

family."

the text is even worse for Black.

18'i!l'eH b6

1-..e5 2 �_b2 f6

14 'i!!'f 3 <j;c7??

Soko/sky Gamb;t

"With this move Black assumes the

14 ... cxb5 15 SLxb5 'Wb4 16 'Wd3+ SLd7

obligations of a hig

17 ilxd7 lUxd7 IS <j;e2 'Wb6 19 .!tab 1

centre

and

a

potential

weakness on the a2-gS diagonal. which

'Wc6 20 SLa3 isn't pretty, but this would

White may attempt to exploit directly by

still have been

playing 3 e4!? SLxb4 4 SLc4, the so-called

better than Black's

choice in the game.

Gambit Variation. In addition Black's .. .f6

15 SLa3 'i!!'d7

does nothing to further his development. White's actual move eschews gambit play, hoping to undermine Black's centre

8 lUbd2 lUgf6 9 <4 c6 10 SLe2 0-0 11

by positional means."

lUg5 �e7

3 b5 d5 4 e 3 SLe6 5 d4

Alternatively 1 LSLfS 12 cxdS cxdS 13 e4! lUxe4 14 lUdxe4 SLb4.

A good exercise for students. It's White to rlay and win:

19 "l!i"xb6+!! A beautiful queen sacrifice, leading to a forced mate.

19_..Wxb6 20 lIb1+1-0 20 ... Wa7 21 il.cS is mate.

16 b6+l <j; xb6 16 ...\PdS 17 d4 blasts open the cen

Game 9 A.Sokolsky-A-Kotov Leningrad 1938

tre againsi the black king, e.g. 17 ... exd4 IS 0-0-0

neS 19 lUc5 .!te3 20 'Wf4 'We7 21

lUxb7+ "l!i"xb7 22 "l!i"xd4+ SLd7 23 "l!i"xe3 and White wins.

17 SLd61 White builds a mating net in the

"Better than 5 lUf3, which Black can answer with 5... c5."

[J the previous games seem too haz ardous for you, we offer now three ex

and now:

5...lUd7 "One

a) Sokolsky stopped his analysis af year

earlier,

in

the game

ter 15 Wfl? dxe4 16 'i!!'b3+ (16 ii.e4+ �h8

style of Petrosian's famous win against

amples of the positional approach - the

Sokolsky-Rovner from the Leningrad

17 lUf7. �xf7 IS SLxf7 'il'f6 gives Black

Pachman from Bled, 1961: I lUf3 c5 2 g3

safe 3 bS - preferred by Sokolsky him

Championship, Black played the in

lUc6 3 ilg2 g6 4 0-0 ilg7 5 d3 e6 6 e4

the advantage), believing that 16 .. .WhS

self. Notes in quotation marks are by

consistent S. .. exd4 6 'lIfxd4!, abandon

J 7 1Llf7+

lUge7 7 .!tel 0-0 S eS d6 9 exd6 "l!i"xd6 1 0

Sokolsky, translated by Yury Lapshun.

ing the attempt to build a big centre

for White. However, looking further on

lUbd2 'i!!'c7 1 1 �b3 �d4 1 2 SLf4 "l!i"b6 1 3

1b4

ILleS lUxb3 1 4 ILlc4 'i!!' bS 15 axb3 as 1 6

"This game was annotated by Kan

il d 6 iI.f6 17 'i!!'f3 <j;g7 18 .!te4 .!tdS 1 9

in the tournament bulletin under the

'tli'xf6+!! IPxf6 2 0 SLeS > \PgS 2 1 SLg7! and

title 'Irregular Opening'. The move 1

Black resigned.

b4 was not taken seriously. Nowadays

26

and rendering the move 2 ...f6 useless. The most natural answer was

5 ... e4."

6 dxe5 fxe5 7 lUf3 il.d6 "Black's pawn centre is dearly both a source of strength and weakness."

IJ.xf7 IS 'lIfxf7 would be good

IS ... 'i!I'b6! 19 'il'xfS ll:fS 20 'il'xfS+ j",xfS 21 lIdl lUeS is actually better for Black since White is undeveloped. b) We believe 15 il.c3! is the best move, improving on Sokolsky's line.

27

The 50kolsky Gambit

Play 1 b 4 !

Then

15. . .�xc3+ 1 6 �xc3 'iil' xg5 1 7

"ifxd5+ II
15...e 4 II

A move in the spirit o f the posi

Going back to the position after 21

lion provide enough compensation for

gxf3, we believe that Black actually can

the sacrificed knight. We don'l believe

win by playing 2L�e5!!'

this to be true and offer the following

an equal position.

tion. Otherwise 16 cxd5 cxd5 17 e4!

12 �xe6 "ifxe6 13 0-0

would be unpleasant. Now Black can

line as evidence: 28 II

count

the creation of an attack on

30 l:tf3 'i!'d4 31 l:tdl '&b4 32 l:lb3 "ifxa5

the kingside, and White should be on

33 "ifxe4. nf8 34 'l!I'e5 nb6 35 J:!.g3 nbf6

on

the alert!"

36 �c6 "ifb4 37 lhd5 "ifxf4 38 "ifxf4

16 �a3�e5 17 �xd6 J:!xd6

Ilxf4 39 nxc5 and White wins. 25 ...'l!!'f81

"The exchange of bishops decreases

"Better is 25. . .nf8, even though this

Black's attacking chances. After c4-c5 and �d2-b3-d4, White, gaining tempi,

abandons all pretence of aggression."

repulses Black's pieces. During the

26a6 "White misses a chance to finish the

struggle there comes a turning point when White captures the initiative."

struggle immediately by 26 j4! �4

18c5 l"!d7 19�b3 �fg4 20 h3

(26 ... exf3 27 'ii'xf5! wins) 27 �xc4 dxc4 For example, 22 f4 "i!i'xh3 23 fxe5

13 ...lt>h8

28 'iixc4, when Black remains a pawn

lID!! 24 IHdl Il.f5 25 14 exf3 26 �xf3

down with a bad position."

"Necessary. 13 ... l"!ad8 14 cxd5 cxd5

"ifxf3 27 "i!i'xfS (or 27 J:!d2 J:!df7! 28 �d4

26...l::tdf7 27 l:lb7 ! h6

IS e4! �xe4 (15 ... dxe4 16 �c4!) 16 �xe4

'i!'xe3+ 29 It>g2 J:!g5+ 30 II
"27 .... hf2? 28 l:lxf2 l::txf2 29 '//fb I !

dxe4 17 �g4 "ifg6 18 "ifd5+ II
Ilh2 Ilfl+ 32 Ilxfl "ifxfl mate) 27 ... "ifxf5

Ilxe2 30 llb8 Ilel+ 31 It>h2 wins a

�xd7 l"!xd7 20 J:! a e I! regains the pawn

28 Ilfl "ifg4+ etc.

queen."

and stabilizes the position."

2 1 �d4 "i!i'e7 22 as! �f5 23 �l
28llfb1 It>h7

24 bxc6 bxc6 25 l:lab1

We agree with this assessment. and our computer-aided analysis continues

Interesting here is the continuation

20 ... "iff5 21 "i!i'xe4 "ifxe4 22 lhe4 �c5 23

25 f4 �c4 26 �xc4 'iil' xc5! 27 �b3

�xeS �xf2+ 24 IIg8 25 a4 l"!d2 26

'iil'xe3+.

h3 g6 27 l"!c1 with a level endgame. 14 a4 l"!ad8 15 "i!i'c2

20 �h6 ••.

"Attempts to destroy White's posi tion by sacrificing don't work: 20 ...�f31 21 gxf3 (21 �xf3 exf3 - 2 Ll"!xf3 22 bxc6 bxc6 23 �d4 - 22 �d4 �xe3 23 �xe6 �xc2 24 �xf8 wins for White) 21..exf3 22 io_xf3 (22 �4 "i!i'h6 23 hxg4 fxe2 24 "ifxe2 also wins) 22 ...J:!xf3 23 �d4 "ifh6

IIWhite's advantage is obvious. The

(23 ... �xe3 24 �xe6 �xc2 25 bxc6 bxc6

task is only to find the most precise

26 J:!abl h6 is equal) 24 �f3 "ifxh3

method to convert it into victory. First� it's important to exchange one black

(24 ... l"!f7 25 hxg4 !:!xf3 26 l"!fcl wins for White) 25 "i!i'f5 '!;!d8 26 'liI'f4 and Black's attack is refuted."

28

Sokolsky stops here and opines that the two connected pawns in this posi-

rook to decrease the pressure on the f file."

29

The 50kolsky Gambit

Play 1 b4!

29 1Ixf7

Sokolsky believed 29 l:tb8 'iiVe7 30 Itl b7 'iiVg5!? 31 Ilxf7 Itxf7 32 f4 to be

a8'i!!' t 'itel lith2 41

Black, and 10 iLe2 0-0 II 0-0 e4 sees

'it
Black being forced to concede the d4-

wins for Black."

square.

gxf4 gxf4 19 l:r.gl+ \l;>h8 2 0 cxd5 cxdS 2 1

81i:lfd2 0-0 9 Ii:lc3 fS

1i:l3xe4'.

good for White, but we think that after

However, Fritz suggests 32 iLf1!!

32 ...'i'!'g3 33 'iiVcl (33 fxeS l:tf2 wins)

and gives the line 32...li:lf3+ 33 \l;>hl Ibel

33 ...d4 Black has a strong attack; for

34 'Wd1 Ii:lxg2 35 iLxg2 lhg2 36 'Wfl

example, 34 .lIb7 d3 3S iLg4 IH6 36

l:tg5 37 );Ib7 'i!!' f5 38 a7 'i!!'f3+ 39 Wh2 d4

l::txa7 Ii:lf3+ 37 iLxf3 exf3 38 'iiVd 2 fxg2 39

40 llb3 dxe3 41 :!Ixe3 'i!!'f 8 42 :!Ixe4 lldS

'iiVxd3 > .lIg6 40 llxg7+ Wxg7 41 'iiV d7+

43 );Ib4, which is winning for White.

Wh8 42 'iiV d8+ .lIg8 43 'iiVd4+ 'iiVg7 and

32... );IxgH 33 fxg3 'Wxg3+ 34 Wfl

Black wins.

'i!!' xh3+ 35 'it<el 'Wxe3! 36 'it

29 ...'i!!'x f7 30 l:tb7

"There are not many pieces left on the board, so it's hard for Black to at-

�b3 iLd6

On 17 .. .f4, there could follow 1 8

180-0-0

"36 'it
a2 'iiVa5+ 40 I!;>bl 'iiVb 4+ 41 'it
tack the enemy king. AI the same time White threatens a rook penetration to the seventh rank capturing the pawn on a7. Here White had to play 30 iLg4!

Game 1 0 A.Sokolsky-S.Zhukhovitsky

Kiev 1945

Ii:lxg4 (30 .. .lH6 31 f4; 30 ....lIg5 31 f4) 31 hxg4 ng5 32 f3 'iiVg6 33 l::tb7 with real chances for a win. The natural continuation in the game gave Black a

1 b4 e S2 iLb2 f 6 3 bS dS 4 e3 �d6

4 ...iLe6 is more often played, to hin

Black's pawn advances on the king side provide him with a space advan

An original position! The white

tage. On the other hand, White has cre

king is safe despite having no pawns

ated pressure against d5 and has the

defending it, and Black is being pushed

initiative on the queenside. A lively

back.

game with chances for both sides is in

18 h6 19 ,xdS cxd5 20 h4 g4?

chance to force a draw by perpetual

der the advance c2<4, (see Game 9).

prospect.

check."

Sc4c6 6 1i:lf3 lbe7 7 d4

10g3

30...'i!!'g6 31 );Ixa7 IlgS

White must prevent Black's in tended advance ...f4. 10 li:ld7 1 1 a4 1i:lf6 12 iLa3 J..c7 ..•

A mistake - Black loses valuable time trying to save his good bishop. In

..•

With this move Black abandons all hope of counterplay. The immediate 20 .. .f4 is doubtful after 2 1 hxg5 hxgS 22 gxf4 gxf4 23 iLh3, but the option of _ .f4 must be kept in reserve, not ruled out altogether. 2 1 .Il.d2 l'l.b8 22 Il:c2 iLx,S 23 iLx,S Ii:lc6

addition, its counterpart now creates

24 'iiVa3 J..d7 25 W b2 l:r.c8 26 iLe2 iLe6

uncomfortable pressure on the a3-f8

27 1i:la2 1i:le828.Il.hCl

diagonal. The right way was 12 ...iLxa3

White concentrates his forces on the

13 lha3 dxc4 14 iLxc4+ li:led5, occupy

only open file and Black cannot oppose

ing the important central square dS.

this plan.

13 as a6

28...lhb8 29 iLb4 llxc2+ 30 Il:xc2 'Wd7

White threatened a5-a6 to detonate

31 itl'l

7...e4

the enemy pawn chain, and 13 ... iLxa5? loses a piece after 14 iLxe7 'i'!'xe7 15

square.

"32 g4 h5 33 .!:taB hxg4 34 h4 llhS 35

7 ... /L)d7 is insufficient, because after 8 dxe5 fxe5 9 cxd5 cxd5 the defence of

lha5.

31...itl,6 n li:lb3 Ii:lxb4

a7 Ii:lf3+ 36 \l;>fl llxh4 37 );Ih8+ Wxh8 3 8

the centra1 pawns is a heavy burden on

14 b6 iLb8 15 Ii:lb3 �f7 16 itlcs gs 17

32 g3

30

The knight is heading for the c5-

32 ... li:lf6 is met by 33 Ii:lc5 'iiVc8 34 31

Play 1 b4!

The Sokolsky Gambit

'ii'a4, threatening 35 1Llxa6.

6 exd4 e4!

1 1 bxa6? is bad due to the reasons

19 il.xb4lLlxd4 20 il.xe7 'ii'xe7 21 'iWd2

33 'ii' xb4 ""'d6 34 'iWa3 'ii'xa3+ 35 'it>xa3

mentioned previously, and Black can

Here White could have played 21

ILld6 36 ill eS J:'te7 37 'it>b4 Wi7

continue with 1 1 ....!:txa6 12 il.g2 il.e4 1 3

'ii'f2! defending 13. After 2 l...1ile6 22

'ii'e3 IIe6. Instead 11 il.g2 looks like the

IIel na6 23 1Ll14 'ii'd7 24 Wg2 0-0 25

best chance for White.

lhe6 lhe6 26 1Llxe6 'l!i'xe6 27 lIel White

11...il.e4 12 'i!i'e2 axbS?!

has more lhan enough play for a pawn.

12 ...'ii'e7! 1 3 13 il.xc2 wins a pawn.

21...lLlxf3 22 'iWxdS 'ii'e4 23 'ii'b S+ 'it>f8 24 'iWb4+ Wg7

24 ...'it>g8 25 ILlf2 'ii' c6 26 'l!i'xb7 i!l'xb7 27 l:1xb7 h5 should be equal. 2S Iilf2 'iWe6 26 'ii'e 7+ 'it>g6 27 1bb7

After this strong move White has some problems to solve: his bishops 381Llxa6!

look bad, the b5-pawn is weak, and

The logical culmination of White's queenside attack. Now the b-pawn will march to its coronation.

Black has more space. 71LlC3 il.b4 8'iWhS+

Forcing a

weakening

38 bxa6 39 Lxa6 'it>e840 li[e6 Wd7 41

kings ide.

'it>cs 1-0

8...g6 9 'iWf3 a6 10 g3

•..

41 ._lLlf7 42 il.c8+ wins, as does 42

in

Black's 13 W fl

10 bxa6 J:l.xa6 only helps to improve Black's rook and weaken the a2-pawn.

b7.

Carnell

Ducking the pin and clearing el for the rook. Possible is 13 f3!? l:!a3 14 fxe4 il.xc3+ 15 il.xc3 l:1xc3 reaching a posi tion with chances for both sides.

27 lild2+ 28 W gl ILlf3+ 29 Wfl Iil d2+

13...il.xe3 14 il.xC3 lLle7 15 f3 iI.fS 16

30 W gl y.-y.

•••

il.xfs gxfS 171Llh31Llbe618l:1bl b4

K.VoIke-V.Kuprei(hik

18...Xlxa2 19 lhb5 'ii'd7 looks more

Minsk 1994

logical.

Perpetual check ends an entertain ing

game

in

which

both

players

showed their lactical skills.

1 b4 eS 2 il.b2 f6 3 bS dS 4 e3 cS 5 d4!?

A risky move, fighting for control of the centre. After 5 bxc6 ILlxc6 Black's centre looks very solid. S exd4 •..

5...cxd4 6 exd4 e4 7 c4 il.e6 8 ILlc3 il.b4 9 'iWb3 il.a5 10 cxd5 il.xd5 I I il.c4, as played in U.Kreuzer-P.Turati, corre

l o...il.fs

1O ... axb5 11 ILlge21Llc6 12 ii.g2 gives

spondence 1990, sees White maintain

White

ing dangerous pressure on the a2-g8

pawn.

diagonal.

11 il.h3

32

a

big enough initiative for a

33

Play 1 b 4 ! Summary

This is probably the most difficult chapter in the book from a tactical point of view. Players with sharp styles will relish the complications of the Sokolsky Gam bit (3 e4 il.xb4 4 il.c4 or 3 e4 d54 f4). Opponents who don't know what to do can meet the same fate as mine did in Games 7 and 8, and a study of these two en counters should give you some encouragement.

Cha pter Two

Players who don't enjoy complications should look more closely at 3 b5, as seen in Games 9-1 1 .

1

1 b 4 e 5 2 il.b2 f6 3 e4

I

b4 e S 2 .i. b2 .i. x b4

3 b5 d5 4 e3 (0) 4 ...il.e6

-

4 ...il.d6 4...c5

-

-

Game 9 Game 10

Game 1 1

3 il.xb4 ...

3 ...c6

-

Game 7

3 ... a5 - Game S 3 ... d54 f4 exf4 5"ill'h5+ g6 6 'i1!'xd5'i!fxd57 exd5il.xb4 8 il.c4 (0) 8 ...il.f5 Game 5 -

8 .. .tL'ld7

-

Game 6

4 iI.<4 fiJe7

4 ...'i1!'e7

-

4 ...fiJc6

Game 4

-

concedes an extra central pawn to his

Ozindzichashvili. Alburt and

opponent but hopes to develop quickly

shteyn,

and start an attack with his better mo

Openings by 1M Richard Palliser. Both

bilized forces.

of these books advocate the line 1 b4 e5

Black,

and

Explained

Beating

by

Unusual

GMs Perel Chess

2 31.b2 31.xb4 3 31.xe5 fiJf6 4 e3 0-0 5 fiJf3 ne8! 6 c4 d5 7 cxd5 fiJxd5.

common ...lilc6 attacking the e5-bishop (before or afler ... d7-
Game 3

ferent move orders but usually it just

5 ..•dS 6 exd5 il.d6 - Game 1

6 ...exf4

ings for

0-0 5 fiJf3. Games 12-15 examine the

Game 4 (notes) -

challenge to the Sokolsky: Chess Open

for Black, 1 b4 e5 2 31.b2 31.xb4. Black

The main line runs 3 31.xe5 fiJf6 4 c4

S f4 (0)

5 'i1!'hS+

Now we proceed to a popular defence

transposes) with subsequent plans for

Game 2

Black of . . . 31.e7-f6 and/or . . . 31.g4 or . . .31.f5. In all of these cases the extra centre pawn proves more useful than the lead in development. In Game 16, prodigy Ray Robson produces the interesting idea 8 _ .'i1!'d6, intending to swing the queen to g6 to spearhead an attack on the white king. Despite Black's reverse in this game, it strikes us as an idea worth testing.

8 iI.<4

5 /4

2.. ..fLxb4 has been recommended as Black's best option by some authorsl

and two recent books pose a strong

34

Here the books deviate, with Pal liser offering the more challenging lines after 8 31.b2 fiJf4! or 8 31.e2 .!!xp5! 9 lLlxe5 �f6 10 1"4 tL:Jxe3.

All this looks vE'ry dangerous, and

35

1 b4 .5 2 iLb2 iLxb4

Play 1 b4!

I recommend a

In principle, the exchange of a flank

slightly different version of a line sug

pawn for a central pawn favours the

gested by Palliser himself, namely 4 c4

side gaining the central pawn, as even

to bypass

the line

l:!c1 iLlxc4 15 .l1i.xc4 iLla5

21 l:i:O jte4 22 .l1i.e2 ncs2 3 IHc1 c6

Black wants to play ... c7-<:5, but he can't get

what he wants.

Better

How to increase the pressure on the

is

c6-pawn? White decides to exchange

.l1i.g6, and if 1 7 'i't'xb7?

both of Black's minor pieces which are

(Sokolsky's preference) 0-0 S a3! iLaS 6

tually that side will construct a strong

lS ... 'i't'd6 1 6 '!!Ib 3

iLlf3, with the intention of 6 ... IIe8 7 e3

pawn centre. In truth, Black gets an

then 1 7 .. .l:!ab8.

defending this pawn.

dS 8 cxd5 iLlxdS 9 iLe2 IIxeS 10 iLlxeS

advantage in development.

16.l1i.e2 b6

24 iLld2 iLd5 25 .l1i.f3 iLxf3 26 iLl"f3 f6

and

for

27h3 IledS 2siLld2 wfS 29 iLlb3 Ild5

'i!i'f6 11 iLlc4 (the point) 'i!i'xal 12 iLlxaS

some time \rVhite mus1 play precisely to

il.lS 13 0-0 'i't'b2 14 'i't'b3 'i't'xb3

IS iLlxb3

neutralize the opponent's threats.

This leads to a forced loss, although

with a playable position. S a3 also

4 c4 0-0 5 e3 iLlc6 6 .l1i.b2 d5 7 cxd5

even after 29 ... iLlxb3 30 axb3 cS 31 b4

avoids the main line offered in Chess

Il:dS 32 bxcS bxcS 33 'i't'c2 Black is losing

Openings for Black, Explained.

a pawn.

30 iLlxa5 Ilxa5 31 'i!i'C2 g6 32 nxc6

Of course, our analysis is untested and other possibilities may be possible for Black to pose new problems, for ex ample the tricky S a3 ne8!? But While can play differently too, even avoiding

2 . .Ihb4 altogether with 2 a3, in the . .

style of Michael Basman (one example from many you can find in databases is

This prepares the move ...c7-cS and

M.Basman-B.Kouatly, London 1979).

prevents the threat of 17 lIcS. But al

Game 17 considers the rare idea (af ter 3 iLxeS iLlf6 4 c4 0-0 S iLlf3 dS 6 e3) of 6 ... cS. We don't like this move, as the

Teady Whitels next move stops the

7...iLlxd5

movement of the c-pawn and Black

Recapturing with

the

queen,

as

must take care of the backward pawn

cS-pawn can easily become a target and

happened

Black's development is slowed by a

Litvinov from the same tournamentl is

17 .l1i.a3 io.e7 1S .l1i.xe7 'iii'xe7 19 'i't'a4

vital ternpo.

unconvincing. White didn'l use the

lIacS 20 .l1i.a6 IlcdS

in

the

game

Sokolsky

on the c-file. White not only wins a pawn but in vades the opponent's camp, and this

Finally, for true romantics, Game 18

chance to capture on f6, and came to

quickly decides the game.

explores the gambit idea of 3 f4, refus

regret it later on: 7... 'i't'xd5 8 .l1i.xf6 gxf6 9

32 Jld8

ing to take back the e-pawn. Tacticians

iLle2! .l1i.d6 10 iLlbc3 'i't'aS 1 1 iLlg3 with

might en joy the ensuing bizarre posi

better play for White.

32 .. .1hc6 33 'i't'xc6 Ilxa2, but in this case

tions, which bear more than a passing

siLlf3 .l1i.g4 9 .l1i.e2 !IeS 10 0-0 .l1i.e7

after 34 'iii'c8+ 'i't'e8 3S '!!Ib7! the threat

resemblance to the ideas seen in Chap ter One.

.•

Possibly Black had intended to play

.!l.c8 would force resignation.

The plan to transfer the bishop to f6

33 'i't'b3 l:i:ad5 34 l:i:1c4!

can't be the strongest continuation.

On the

No better is 10 ... io.d6 because of 1 1

Game 12 A.Sokolsky-Anishchenko

Minsk 1959

iLlc3.

Probably

Black

has

to

1O...'i!'d7 11 d4 !Iad8, but in this case

the open file in the proper manner, lin

White's position is better because of the

ing up his two rooks in front of his

36

queen. In lhis case the threat of coming

extra central pawn and the potential pressure on the c-file.

1 b4 e 5 2 .l1i.b2 .l1i.xb4 3 .l1i.xe5 iLlf6

immediate 34 Ilcl there

could follow 34 ... nSd7. White occupies

pia)'

11 d4 .l1i.f6 12 iLlbd2 .l1i.f5 13 iLl c4 iLlb6 14

Now White has rooks on the c-file.

time to double

to the seventh and eighth

rank

is

stronger. 37

1 b4 .5 2 �b2 il.xb4

Play 1 b4 ! 34...!'!Sd6 3S "iii'c3 ):1xc6 36 !'!xc6 Iti>g7 37

here, which is a measure against early

ter for White due to the strong position

"iii'c4 :!l:d6 3B dS wfB

...!'!e8 lines (instead of ... l2lc6J. was dis

of his knight.

this moment whether to advance the e

cussed in the introduction to the chap

lB �f3 c5?

pawn or the g-pawn.

The exchange 38...Ilx<:6 will lead to immediate death after 39 dxc6! 'j!jIc7 40

teT.

18 ...<:6 would have been a better

"iii'e6.

5... 121c6 6 il.b2 dS 7 e3 il.g4 B cxd5

choice.

39 g3 Wf7?

l2l"ds 9 il.e2

19 121b5

A waiting move

-

1 wasn't sure at

30...ndB 30 ... J:l.xa4 31 .I1l.xg7! 1We4 32 "iii'xe4

�xe4 33 .1lc3 still leaves \!\'hite a pawn ahead.

A mistake in a lost position.

31 'i!lib7 .lIdbB

40 nC7! 1-0

And here 31...:!l:xa4 32 J:l.xb6 !'!da8 33 n6b5 is good for White.

Game 13

32 'i!lic611cB 33 'i!lif3 .lIdB 34 11a1 'i!lid6 35

Y.Lapshun-LMilman

d4

New York Masters 2002

Sooner Or later

I had to get rid of

this weakness. Lev Milman is a very young and

35 ...'i!lid5 36 'i!lixd5 n"d5 37 as bxa5 3B

strong American chess master who has

.I1l.x35 .I1l.d6 39 .I1l.c3

beaten many GMs. and in 2004 he be

Much stronger is 39 1:1c1! nc8 40

came US Junior Champion. I heard his

��b6, when White wins a second pawn.

rating on the Internet Chess Club (ICC)

9 ...'i!lie7

was over 3100. He knew his openings very welt so I decided to play 1 b4.

Black can" defend a7 and b7 at the

More usual is 9 ...!'!e8 1O 0-0 'i!lie7 and now:

1 b4 e5 2 �b2 il.xb4 3 il.xe5 thf6 4 C4

aJ 11 'i!lic2 nad8 was agreed drawn in

G .Kochetkov-A.Kovalev,

39...1:Ixal+ 40 .I1l.xal fS 41 .t>g1 Wf7 42

same time, so White wins a pawn.

J::tb7+ .I1l.e7 43 Wfl cxd4 44 .I1l.xd4 g6 45

19 ...'i!lie7 20 lilxa7 .I1l.bB 21 121b5 l2lf5 22

11<13 We6 46 g4 fxg4+ 47 hxg4 h5

34 121d6 23 l2lxd6 !'!xd6

Minsk

1996. Note here that 12 d4? allows 12...121xe3! 13 fxe3 'i!lixe3+ ] 4 :!l:f2 il.xf3 IS .I1l.xf3 121xd4 when Black is winning. b) 1]

a3 .I1l.a5 12 'i!lia4!? (12 'i!lic2)

1 2. . .'i!lie4 13 'i!lixe4 lhe4 14 likl J:::e7 15 d4 .!id8 16 l2lc3 l2lb6 17 h 3 .I1l.f5 1 8 .I1l.b5 gave Whit.. an edge in the endgame due to his strong centre in M.Parry W.velker, correspondence 1 997.

100-0 nadB 11 33 il.d6 12 121c3 l2lxc3 13 .I1l.xc3 121es The best, according to Sokolsky. 4

Chances are equal.

c4 tries to control the centre and Black

14 l2ld4 'i!lih4 15 f4 .I1l.xe2 J.6 'i!lixe2 121g4

can only play ... d7-dS at a cost of ex

17 h3 121h6

changing his only central pawn.

4... 0-0 Sl2lf3 The suggestion of inserting 5 a3 38

48 g5?! 24 nfbl In this position

Here 48 We4! lita5 49 f5+ gxf5+ 50

I was trying to at

tack the weak l>- and c-pawns.

gxf5+ .t>d6 51 f6 .I1l.f8 52

J::tbB .I1l.h6 53

nh8 .I1l.g5 54 £7 is a sim pier win for

The only way. 17 ... thf6 18 thf5 'i!lih5

24...b6 25 :!l:bS .I1l.c7 26 J:l.abl :!l:ddB 27

White.

19 'i!lixh5 lLlxh5 20 g4 l2lf6 2] .I1l.xf6 gxf6

�b7 J:l.bB 2B 'i!lic6 .!rfcB 29 'i!lif3 .!raB 30

4B ...J:l.aS 49 J:l.b6+ w f7 SO .!rb7 We6 Sl

22 d4 lUe8 23 .t>f2 would be clparly bet-

Whl

nb6+ .t>f7 52 .I1l.e5 na7 39

1 b4 e5 2 iLb2 iLxb4

Play 1 b 4 !

while 9 ....lte7 is discussed in Game 15.

J.Bjorn, correspondence 1993.

.!:!g7 .lte7 55 '!:!xg6.

A

lS lll 1(e6 bxe6 16 ifd4 il.b3+ 17 axb3

53 fS! .ltxgs

9 ...iLf5; for example, 10 0-0 .ltf8 11 a3 a6

52. . ..ltxg5 loses after 53 IIb7+ We8 54

53... gxf5 54 g6+ wg8 55 J:!b8+ .ltf8 56

furth"r

possibility

for

Black

is

Wixe2+ 18We2 1-0

12 d4 h6 13 Illbd2 1ll b6 14 J:!el iVd7 15

S/.d6 is also hopeless.

h3 nad8 16 lZlc4 lZlxc4 17 .ltxc4 S/.e4 18

S4 fxg6+ We7 S5 g7 .!l:a8 56 .!l:g6

lZld2 iLg6 19 lZlb3 .lte4 20 lZld 2 'II_V"

56 IIb7+ We6 57 .ltb8 is a bit more

10 0-0 .ltf6 11 d4 .ltf5 12 lZlbd2 lZlcb4

G.Baranov-LYudasin,

Chigorin

ruthless.

morial, 5t P"tersburg 1998.

56._. .ltxe3 57 g8Wi J:txg8 58 l:Ixg8 .lte5

10 fxe3 Illxe3

Me

59 J:!g5 1-0

Game 1 4 Y.Lapshun-M.Sinn

13 Illb 3?!

World Open, Philadelphia 2003

13 lllc4, protecting the e3-pawn, is After playing 18 Wc2 I lefl t h e roo m.

stronger. Now after the tactics the re

This game was published by Joel

When I came back my opponent, the

Benjamin in the magazine New in Chess.

set and the clock had aU disappeared.

13

M y opponent sacrificed his rook, and

Five minutes later Mr. Sinn came back

16 Wid2 1ll xf1 17 �xf1 $..e4 18iLc4b6?!

my king survived all the dangerous

and announced his resignation.

threats. 1 b4 es 2 .ltb2 .ltxb4 3 iLxes lZlf6 4 e4 0-0 S lZlf3 lZlc6 6 .ltb2 ne8 7 e3 d S 8 exd5 lZlxd5 9 .1te2

11 'i!l'b3 At the board it seemed to me that this was the best way to proceed, and I lZlxg2+

Game 1 5 Y.Lapshun-D.Wang

Kapuskasing 2004

12 Wf2 lZlf4,

as

played

Wang is a young talent who had al

a known route 10 an advanlage (or

ready drawn against a Grandmaster in

White.

this tournament. He had prepared for

..•

12 Wf2 .lth3! is less convincing for

9 ....ltg4 transposes back to Game 12,

40

squares

c7

and

c6.

18 ...c6!?

looks

stronger. 19 iff4 .ltxf3 20 ifxf3 e5 21 il.b5

my favourite opening, but only for the moves to my game against Sinn, but

12 ..Ite6 13 'i!l'd3 'i!l'e7 14lZld4 1ll f4

Wang was not bold enough to sacrifice

1 4. . .J:!d8 is met by 15 Illxc6 bxc6 1 6

but in reality it doesn't work.

This is weakening, and in the future

first eight moves. We repeated the

White, as Black gets a strong attack. •.

This looks like a very good sacrifice,

lllc2 14 lId IIIcxe3 15 fxe3 lll ..e3

in

E.Engelhardt-J.Rollwitz, Berlin 1995, is

11 tZlxg2+ 12 Wd1!

.•

..•

Black could have problems with the

still think this is the case. 1 1 'i!l'c1

9 .l:txe3?

sulting position is unclear.

his rook.

'i!l'g3. Another game continued 1 4....ltd5

1 b4 es 2 il.b2 .ltxb4 3 .ltxes Illf 6 4 e4

15 1ll f5 'i!l'c5 1 6 J:!fJ J:!d8 17 .ltxg7 .1txd2

0-0 5 1llf3 Illc6 6 .ltb2 d5 7 cxd5 1ll xd5 8

18 tZlxd2 liJb4 19 1llh6+ Itxg7 20 'i!l'g3<

e3 lite89 il.e2 $..e7

2 1...lite7?

Wf8 21 'i!l'g8+ We7 22 IIxf7+ $..xf7 23

This is rare, but it's the same ap

'i!l'xf7+ Wd6 24 iVf6+ Wd7 25 .ltg4+ iff5

proach that Anishchenko used against

been preferable to the text.

26 .ltxf5< We8 27 Wif7 mat", H.Muri-

Sokolsky (see Game 12).

22 lId1! c4

2 1 . ..ne6 22 .!:!dl l:Id6 would have

41

1 b4 .5 2 iL b 2 iLxb4

Play 1 b 4 ! 22. . .cxd4 2 3 4:lxd4 iLxd4+ 2 4 �xd4

12-year-old Senior Master, Ray Robson,

'liVc8 25 i1.c4 Wh8 26 �g4 f5 27 ll:h4 'liVe8

who according to Kasparov is an ex

10..:�*,g6 11 0-0 iLh3! Forcing

28 'liVh3 'liVg6 29 :lIh6! is a neat win for

tremely talented player. I had no time

knight.

White.

to prepare for him and decided to use

12 4:lel

23 iLxe4 :lIe8 24 iLd3 'liVe8 2S II1 fl iLh4

my favourite opening weapon.

26 g3 );te3 27 '/IO'f2 '/IO'e6 28 Wgl iLgs 29

l b4

d5 'liVg4 30 :lIfl .!:tf8 3 1 4:lel 'liVd7 32 i1.a3

me

to

16 d4 i s more natural. undevelop

my

4:lJ
As Korchnoi said, "I'm preparing

This move made him smile, and he

16•..J:!e7 17 d4 a6 18 iLe2 4:ldS 19 iLxaS

were on the first rank, my position

my pieces for the next game!" This

wasn't worse and I

backward

20 4:ld2 lld6 21 a4

move actually contains a

was

ready to attack.

ll:es 33 'liVf3 ll: d 8 34 d6 i1.eH 3S It>hl

thought for about one hour over his

trap: on 12_.Ilfe8? there follows 1 3

During the game I felt this was the

iLeS

opening ten moves.

i1.hs! 'liVg5 1 4 f 4 'liVe7 IS 'liVf3, winning

best defence to the idea of ... 1:::c6, be

1... eS 2 i1.b2 i1.xb4 3 .1l.xeS 4:lf6 4 e4 0-0

material.

cause my queen needed more f reedom.

5 4:lf3 4:lc6 6 i1.b2 d5 7 cxd5 4:lxd5 8 e3

12 •••iLf5 13 "iliel

2 1...h 5

The d-pawn goes, but the attack rages on. 36 iLb2 :lIe3 37 'liVds J:i:e6 38 i1.<4 'liVxd6 39

'IiVxd6 :lIexd6 40 ll:xf7 ll:dl+ 41 Wg2

J:i:8d2+ 42 Wh3 hS 42...b5 43 i1.e6 ll:d6 44 �f6+ ll:xe6 45 J:txe6 �d2 46 ne2 is also winning.

Going for checkmate! Here I was

In this theoretical position my op ponent

played

a

dangerous

really beginning to worry over the

move

which nobody had previously used

safety of my king.

against me:

2 2 iLf3 4:lf6 23 'liVa3 h4 24 :lIn

8...'liVd6!?

43 nxg7+

Preparing to gain some freedom with 4:lc3, and also laying another trap. 13...�fe8 13 ... i1.xbl?! 14 lhbl i1.xd2?? is los ing because of IS 'liVxd2! "ilixbl 16 4:ld3 I thought I had remembered seeing

Look how the white rook and two

pawn after l:!xc7 and 'liVxd6. 2 4...4:leB

8... 'liVd6 in some book, and that the idea

queen.

bishops are building a mating net.

was to play at some point ...\\!i'g6 with

14 i1.e4 4:lb6

43 ..•Wf8 44 iLf6 We8 4S i1.f7+ .t>f8 46 i1.e6 .t>e8 47 nxa7 1.()

pressure on the g2-pawn. I had no idea what to do, so ] chose which

Game 1 6 Y.Lapshun-R.Robson

World Open, Philadelphia 2007

a

wailing move

decides where Black's

dark

42

With this and his following move

14 .. Jtad8 looks more natural. 1S iLb5 .!lad8

his pieces for the next game too! Right

Black can try to win a pawn with \\!i'xbl

'liVxbl

17 l:txbl

now he was experiencing some time pressure because he had spf"nt too

squared bishop goes and protects the

15 ...i.xb1?!

i.xd2, but here 18 4:lf3 i1.a5 1 9 i1.xc6

much of it in the opening.

future.

bxc6 20 l:tbcl 4:ld5 21 l:txc6 gives White

25 e4!

9 a3 i1.a5 10 �_e 2

a slight advantage.

4:lc3 and discouraging ... \\!i'g6.

16

my opponent seemed to be preparing

b4-square - this could be useful in the

I think 10 'liVc2 is best, preparing

I n this game I was playing against

Creating my first threat: winning a

'liVa2 17 4:lc1 'liVbl 18 iLd3, trapping the

16 iLe3 Trying to release the pressure, but

The beginning of my attack in the centre.

Black's

initiative

has

disap

peared and it was a time for him to

43

PlaY l b4 !

1 b4 e5 2 Ji.. b 2 il.Xb4 10 �xc5? tDxe5 1 1 tDxe5 il e6 12 �b5

trade pieces with 25...il. g4.

was already losing

25 ... il.e8?! 26 e5

41 �b4+ IPd8 42 'ilfb8+ lPe7 43 llel

Ilc8 13 /l)c4 'ilff6 14 Ila2 tDb6 15 tDxa5

�g4+ 44 Wf2 1·0

il.xa2 wins for Black.

Now White has a clear advantage. 26 •..l!dd7 27 il.e4 "lWh6 28 f4 IPf8

Defending the rook on e7 and thus

Black can't save the knight. This is a

a slightly better approach. 22 ...e3?!

Trying to win the h7-bishop, but this allows a lre-mendous attack on the

good exam pIe of a white pawn storm

black king. Instead 22... tDb3! 23 ILlxe6

threatening to capture the d4-pawn.

in the centre prepared by careful open

fxe6 24 Ildl 'i!!'h 4 25 (3 b5 26 il.e4 is un

29 d5

ing strategy.

clear, as Black f'ojoys some coun terplay on the queenside. 23 dxc3 g6 24 il.xg6 fxg6 25 C4

Came 1 7 B.Katalymov-S.Giterman

USSR Championship, Novgorod 1961 1 b4 e5 2 il.b2 il.xb4 3 il.xe5 tDf6 4 tDf3 0·0 5 e4 d5 6 e3

6 cxd5 ILlxd5 7 e3 tDc6 8 il.b2 would transpose to previous games in this chapter.

10 ...'i!!'e7 11 il.d3 h6 12 0-0 il.e6 13 l::tel il.b6 14 tDe3 Ilad8?

This move allows White to gain the two bishops and saddle Black with

6..•e5

weak doubled pawns on the b-file. 14 ...tDxc3!? 15 �xc3 f6 16 il.e4 tDa5 17

moving.

6 ... tDc6 7 .i_b2 ne8 8 cxd5 Iilxd5 9 il.e2 would reach Games 14-15.

il.c2 11fd8 looks about equal.

29...f5

7 a3 il.a5 8 cxd5 1Ll xd5 9 'ilfe2

15 tDa4 il.g4 16 tDel tDa5 17 Ilabl Ile8

25 ...lLlf6 26 'l!i'xg6 tDxc4 27 'l!i'xh6+ IPg8

18 h3 il.e6 19 tDxb6 axb6 20 tDf3 e4 2 1

28 'l!i'g6+ wh8 29 il.a1 I!f7??

An unbelievable position, in which all of Black's pieces have problems

This is the only way to complicate the position, but White's next move

il.h7+ IPh8

renders Black's position hopeless.

White has a crushing attack

Losing at once. 29 ... il.d7!? puts up more resistance, although after 30 llb4

30 d6! exd6

ILleS 31 'l!i'h6+ IPg8 32 l::txc8 .Il:xc8 33 tDb3

Or 30 ... lLlxd6 31 exd6 ::Xxd6 32 il.d3,

wf7 34 Ilf4 Ile8 35 il.c3 il.c6 36 iI.b4

with a good extra piece.

'l!i'd8 37 11Wh7+ lPe6 38 tDd4+ IPd5 39 'l!i'c2

31 il.xf5 't1e7 32 :1."e7?

il.a4 40 e4+ White is winning easily.

White could win easily with 32

30 ILlxe6 'l!i'xe6 31 J:'tb5! 1·0

il.xc8!, but in my calculations I missed

There is no defence to 32 .Il:h5<�.

that after 32 .. .lhc1 33 'ilfxc1 J:'tc7 White has 34 'ilfbl! ::Xxc8 35 'ilff5+ and 'ilfxc8.

Came 1 8

32 ...lhe7 33 il.xc8 ::Xxc8 34 'ilfb4!

Winning a couple of pawns.

White must try to prove that in the

34...lile6 35 'ilfxb7 :1.e7 36 �xa6 dxe5 37

middlegame two pawns in the centre

fxe5+ We7 38 lLlef3 h3 39 gxh3 'ilfxh3

are better than two pawns on the edge

40 �e4 ILlxe5?

of the board.

Blundering, although the position

44

Y.Lapshun-R.Kaufman

9. • .tDe6 10 il.b2

22 tDd4

National Chess Congress, Philadelphia 1999

22 il.e4!? tDb3 23 Ildl Ilfd8 24 tDd4 tDxd4 25 il.xd4 'l!i'xa3 26 il.xb6 might be

National Master Raymond Kaufman

45

1 b4 e5 2 iLb2 iLxb4

Play 1 b4! is the son of 1M Larry Kaufman. In the

White wins.

S ummary

first round of this tournament they were

11 .1i.f6 1ilg6 12 e3 .1i.g4 13 �fl liJd7n

The reader should devote most of his or her attention to the lines stemming from

somehow paired Larry

Kaufman

against each other. protested,

and

they

Black should play

S...liJc6 (or S...dS followed by ...liJ(6), as it's the most popular way for Black to play

13 ...il.e6.

14 1iJ<3?

and several books recommend this as a good line against the Sokolsky. Robson's

were repaired. As a result, both of them

]4 iLh4! IiJxM IS 'l!Yxf7+ Wd8 16

lost: Raymond to me and Larry to the

'il'g8+ IiJf8 17 'il'g5+ We8 18 'il'xh4 was

young Canadian player Zhe Quan.

the right way.

1 b4 es 2 il.b2 il.xb4 3 f4!1 exf4

14...<6 I S 11bl as 16 a3 .1i.d6 17 l'(xb7

opponents with aggressive styles of play. 1 b4 es 2 .1i.b2 .1i.xb4 3 .1i.xes 3 f4

An adventurous move. We prefer 3 ... d6 4 fxeS dxeS S il.xeS IiJf6 6

8...'iI'd6 with the idea of ...'iI'g6 is worth studying, and this move will appeal to

IiJf3 0-0,

(0) - Game 18

3 ...liJf6 4 <4

4 e3 0-0 5 liJf3 Ile8 - chapter introduction

as played in a few games, which we

4 ... 0-0 5 IiJO

feel is slightly better for Black. 4 .1i.xg7 'i:l'h4+ 5 g3 fxg3 6 .1i.g2 gxh2+ 7

S a3 - chapter introduction

S ... 1iJ<6

Wfl hxgl'i!1'+

S...dS 6 e3 cS (0)

-

Game 17

S.. .ll:e8 6 e3 dS - chapter introduction 6 .1i.b2 dS 7 <xds liJxds S e3 (0) IleS 8 ...�d6 - Game 16 8...iLg4 9 iLe2 9 ... 'i!'e7 - Game 13 17...lt\desn

9 ...11e8 - Game 12

Another big blunder. 17 ...liJgf8

18

Ith6 IiJxf6 1 9 'l'I'xf6 jce6, although still

9 .1i.e2 .1i.e7 - Game 15 9...Ilxe3 - Game 14

good for White, was preferable to the text move. 18 IiJe2?! Several players chuckled whE'n they

Another slip.

18

iLxe5

IiJxe5

19

saw this position.

llbxf7 IiJf3+ 2 0 .!:(xf3 .1i.xf3 21 'i!'xf3 II'!'xf3

S Wxgl 'i:l'g3 9 .1i.xhS d S

22 il.xf3 would have finished Black off.

I think it's better to save the h-pawn by playing 9 .. .h6. 10 lIxh7 liJe7 1O.. . liJc6?? loses to I I .!:(g7!; for ex

ample, 1 1....1i.cS+ 1 2 e3 .1i.xe3+ 13 dxe3 'i!l'xe3+ 1 4 wfl 'ikf4+ IS 'ikf3 'ikc1 . 16 wf2 'i!l'xc2+ 17 'ike2' 'i!l'xe2+ 18 Wxe2 and

46

lS... �xe2 19 'i!'xe2 IiJg4?? Three

strikes

and

you

are

out.

19 ....1i.xa3 would have kept things go ing a while longer. 20 l'lh3

314

6... cS

8 e3

The queen can't escape. 20...lI'!'xh3 1-0

47

Black Plays The

most

solid

continuation,

in

It's hardly worth hurrying the b pawn, as the move h4-b5 is part of

Black remains cram ped. 14 'ilI'd2 il.e6 1s lZla3 The knight on a3 is poorly placed,

The development of the bishop on

27 and 29 feature the idea of quet>nside

approach by Black, the King's Indian

castling (or even no castling) by White

structure. Black eschews an immediate

in

tactical clash and

play and to counteral tack on that very

instead

adopts a

sound formation with which he or she will no doubt be very familiar.

an

attempt to evade Black's kingside

e7 is a little passive. Black was luckier

rary. The defects in Black's position are more serious; a weak d6-pawn and the

Sokolsky-Lilienthal from the final of

invasion square dS. The knight on e5

the 21st USSR Championship, where

can be easily pushed away.

the

1S•..il.fs 1613!

continuation

5...g6

followed

by

tem under the King's Indian umbrella

against Reti is not used more often by

since many players like to feint with an

modem players. Perhaps they are influ

early ... d6 before either fianchettoing

enced by the result, the Cuban's first

their dark-squared bishop or playing

loss in serious play since 1916! At any

...:;_e7. Games 19-22 pretty much run

rate, don't pass up on this fine game.

the gamut of Old Indian structures.

OUf final game shows a modem exam

There is one with an early ...e5-e4 by

ple of the Double Fianchetto defence in

Black, one without, one with a massive

a contest between two of Canada's best

space grab of ...e5-e4, ...f5, ... c6 and

players in recent history. It's not flashy,

... d5, and finally one in which White

but it's worth studying.

plays d4-d5 himself. Lapshun-Reeder (Game 23) shows an attempt by Black to imitate Smys defenoe

to the

English

Opening, but White's early space gain proves quite useful. The next six games explore

the possibilities

of

Game 19 A.Sokolsky-S.Flohr

USSR Championship, Moscow 195 3

6 lll f3 0-0 7 il.e2 c6 8 lZlc3 1:e8 9 0-0

lZlC2

e4!?

19 ..• dS !? Too active - Black is not yet devel oped

enough.

9...lZlbd7

intending

10 ...lZlf8 is stronger.

diagonal. Also, after 20 lZlxd5 lZlbxd5 21

Black kicks the knight out of the centre, but loses the

1 b4 e 5 2 il.b2 d6

This pawn sacrifice is the best prac tical chance. If 20 cxdS il.d6 Black ac quires dangerous pressure on the h2-b8

10 lZld4 c5 use

of the c5-

exd5 il.d6 22 14 lZle4 Black gains the initiative.

square. 1O ...'ilI'c7 is a better option.

20 exdS il.d6 21 f4 'iil'c7 22 g3 il.hs 23

11 lZlc2 lZlbd7 12 d3

lZle3

The natural reaction. By eliminating

standard

King's Indian play by Black. Games 25,

48

16 •..lZled7 17 e4 il.g6 18 ::!:ad1 lZlb6 19

It is surprising that Capablanca's double fianchetto approach in his game

... il.e6

Insisting on the advance e3-e4.

King's Indian Defence.

flank, and this plan is very promising

We also include the Old Indian sys

lov's

but this disad vantage is only tempo

in the games Sokolsky-Kholmov and

6 ... il.g7 was more in the spirit of the This chapter deals with a very common

the advance of the d-pawn, after which

White's plans. 4 bs lZlf6 S e3 il.e7

Black Plays ... e 5 a n d . . . d 6

open file and the weak d6-pawn. If J3 ...lZlb6, 14 e4! il.e6 15 lZle3 stops

3 c4 as

I

. e5 and . .. d6

12 ..•exd3 13 'ilI'xd3 lZles

Flohr's style.

Cha pter Three

..

the central e4-pawn, White opens the d-file and creates pressure on the semi-

23 il.xh5? is met by 23 ...lllxc4. 23 ..•il.xe2 Not 23 ...'ilI'e7? 24 lZlf5.

49

Black Plays . . . e5 and . . . d6

Play 1 b4! 24 IUxe2 IUe4

Black can't defend

the c6-pawn.

Or 24 ...'l!!'e7 25 lilf5 'l!!'xe2 26 'l!l'xe2

\t\'hite's active pieces are more than

Ihe2 27 il.xf6 IUxc4 (27...gxf6 28 IUxd6)

f"nough compensation for an exchange,

28 il.xg7 1:!xa2 29 il.f6 with the threat of

and White soon reaches a completely

30 lkl, and here retreating the bishop

winning endgame.

is inlpossible because of dS-d6.

20••.:!!'e8 21 �d4 il.b7 22 fi.. f3 �b8 23

2S 'l!!'d 3 'l!l'd7 26 111 g 2 hS 27 1UC3 IUf6 28

il.xb8 ll.xb8 24 il.xc6 il.a6 2 S f4 III f8 2 6

Il1bl

>l
White is threatening 29 il.xf6. After

Wf6 33 .i.xbs

28 ...lUe4 29 illd2 the exchange of the knight on e4 will be inevitable.

The beginning of the end.

28 ...lUg4 2 9 IUxg4 'iWxg4 30 IUc3 fS

33 ...Ila8 34 il.c6 ];!a6 3S bS r.!axc6 36 3 7 ::txf6! gxf6 3 8 'l!!' g6+ Wf8 3 9 'l!!'xf6+ 'l!l'f7

13 •..a4?!

Alternatively 39 ... Wg8 40 'l!!'g6+ 1It18

side only helps White \0 add more

41 i..c 1! 'l!l'f7 42 il.h6< We8 43 'l!l'e4+ Wd8

pressure to the other wing.

44 'iWe5 ::tc8 45 lUe4 IUd5 46 .i.d2, with a

14 'l!!'c 2 l:Ie8 ls li:le4 lUxe4?

winning attack for White. 40 'l!l'h6+ lIIe 8 41 1i:le4 'l!!' d s 42 'l!!' h8+ 1-0

able to reach this square. 3 1 Iitde1! litJee1 32 ::tXe1 il.xf4 33 ::te6!

Barcelona 2007

I5 ...lUd5!? 16 );lfdl f5 17 IUc3 IUxc3 18 il.xc3 e4 19 IUd4 lUe5 would restrict W hite to a small edge.

I t was very important for m e 1 0 de

lIIe6 44 'iWe7+ 11115 45 'iWf6+ Itxe4 46 'iW13

16 'iWxe4 .!l:a7 17 il.xeS

feat this talented Spanish 1M. A win

17 .i.d3 g6 18 .i.xe5 IUxe5 19 'ii' xe5 'l!l'd8 20 !:tadl il.f6 21 'ii'f4 !:td7 22 il.c2

By sacrificing a pawn, White's rook is

Game 21 Y.Lapshun-X.Vila Gazquez

The game is up. 42... Wd7 43 'iWg7+ is mate.

Preventing lUe4, but weakening e6.

IUxc6 .i.b7 37 e4 ..t.>g7 38 l::d6 fS 39 e5 1-0

Releasing the tension on the queen

Game 20 B.Katalymov-A.Suetin

USSR Team Championship, Moscow 1959

would give me a shot at a

G VI norm GM on

and an opportunity to play a

il.b2 23 IUd4 il.xd4 24· exd4 would leave

the top board next round. A perusa l of

White with an extra pawn, but also a

my

hard task to convert it into a full point.

me that the Sokolsky was my best bel.

opponent's repertoire convinced

17 ...il.f6 18 .i.xc7 J:[xe4 19 il.d6 il.xal

1 b4 eS 2 il.b2 d6 3 c4 fS 4 e3 IUf6 5 IUf3

20 lhu

.i.e7 6 IUc3 0-0

Not 33 ::tfl il.d6 34 'l!!'x f5IUxc4. H. .ic7

1 b4 eS 2 il.b2 d6 3 c4 i.e7 4 lilc3 c6 S

No better is 33... lUd7 34 h3 'iWg5 35

e3 IUd7 6 d4 lUgf6 7 1i:lf3 0-0 8 il.e2 a6 9

lUe2 il.c7 36 d6 il.b6 (36... il.d8 37 il.c1)

'l!!' b3 bS 10 cS as 11 dxeS dxeS 12 a3

37 'l!!'d 5 Wh7 38 il.c1 'iWd8 39 'iWxf5+, and

'ii'c 7 13 0-0

White wins.

White enjoys a comfortable posi

34 d6 lLd8 3S h3! 'iWxc4

tion. Black's e5-pawn is a target, while

(36 ... il.f6 37 ::txf5

White's c5-pawn claims considerable

'l!!'g6 38 IUd5!) 37 ::te8+ Wf7 38 'l!!'e2 'ii'f6

space on the queenside. Also, in the

39 lile4! is crushing.

luture White may be able to attack the

36 'l!l'xfs il.f6

weakling on c6.

35 ... 'iWg5 36 ::te5 g6

50

51

Black Plays ... e5 a n d . . . d 6

Play 1 b 4 ! Black has shut out the Sokolsky

the text move, Black can reach that

rather dangerous. After Is ... lZlxd5 1 9

good winning chances.

bishop and prepares to attack in the

same position with 14 ... .itxb2 15 1!i'xb2

.it c 4 �e6 2 0 'i'fu3 IZl c 7 2 1 1!i'xb7 lIcS 2 2

21 fxe3 '/We8

centre and on the kingside. White must

lZla6 16 .itxa6 nxa6 1 7 1Wxb4 !:ta5 IS

�b3 White's passed pawn and active

counter in the centre at once.

'i!fd4.

pieces promise him some advantage.

Ihc8+! nxc8 23 1tixh2.

7 d4 e4 8 1Zld2 c6 9 dS

14...lZld7 1S £xf6 1:!xf6

19 1!i'b6

22 'i'i'd4

The routine continuation 9 �e2 dS

21...lIxh2??

loses

a

piece

to

22

15 ...lZlxf6 16 'il'xb4 IZlxd5 17 .itc4 .ite6

10 a3 .ite6 11 0·0 IZlbd7 leaves Black

18 'i'fu3 1!i'a5 19 !:tfdl lIfc8 20 IZlfl lhc4

with an easy life. [ refused 10 allow

21 1!i'xc4 lZlf4 22 1!i'c2 IZld3 23 a4 is again

this!

unclear, and roughly eq ual

9".cxdS 10 IZlxdS lZlxdS 11 cxdS

16 '/Wxb4

During the game 1 thought that Ihis

the

sad

end·product of

B[ack's reverie. White covers every·

many threats on the queenside.

thing and enjoys two extra pawns_

19 ...f411 16 ..,nh6

This is

was a winning move because of my

22 ....itfS 23 lIc7 lIa4 24 nC4 lIa3 2S e4

The besl defence is not always a

�d7 26 .I1I.f3 liJg4 27 .itxg4 ii.xg4 28 ];c3

sacrificial counterattack! Black should

'/WhS 29 IZlh lIa8 30 1J.c7 1J.g6 31 fS ngs

This is probably the slarl of the bad

instead play 19 ...ltih8! avoiding all the

32 lIac1 lIe8 33 nc8 1·0

and

plan, which will eventually cost B[ack

threats, and after 20 �c4 '/We8 21 lIc2

White can also dream of getting a

the game. My opponenl was dreaming

li:ld7 22 '/Wc7 IZlc5 he can probably hold

knight to e6. Black wants to nab the d5-

of mating my well·guarded king, while

the

pawn, attack the king, and sink a

leaving his qUE-enside valuables in the

20 .. .f4!? (instead of 20 ... '/We8), although

knight into d3. Both sides have chances

lurch. Not all dreams can come true . ..

following 21 exf4 'i!!'h 3 22 IZlfl �g4 23 f3

for success.

1 7 g3

Let's evaluate this position. The d5pawn, though a weakling, offers White space

and

attacking

chances,

11 .•.il.f6 12 'i!!' b3 as

couldn't find

Black

can

also

try

exf3 24 lIc2 lile4 25 '/Wxb7 lIcS 26 lIet

] wasn't sure about this move, but I

Black tries to gain the c5-square for

queenside.

another

way

to

stop

�f5 27 'i!l'xc8+ .itxc8 28 llxe4 Itig8 29 nf2

l S...'i!I'h4.

pieces should give him a big advan·

but Black's undeveloped

17...liJf6

tage, albeit in a complicated position_

make me believe that m y position was

17 ... b6! improves Black's bishop and

Game 22 A.Sokolsky-S.Sama rian

Correspondence 1958

White passed pawn and well'p[aced

his knight. [ was afraid of this move, pieces did

Reality had finally set in, and Black resigned_

20 exf4 e3??

1 b4 e S 2 �b2 d 6 3 c4 White's goal is to capture space on the queenside. Against this Black in·

playable.

defends his queenside. After 18 liJb3

Black could show more resilience,

13 .ite2 axb4 14 0·0

.itb7 19 liJd4 1J.f6 both sides have win·

although probably nol save the game,

hoping to attack by

ning chancE-s_

with 20 ...ltih8. Following 21 'i'fus -..vfS

pawns on the kingside_

18 !:tfc1 '/Wd7

22 a4 'i!!'xd5 23 '/WxdS liJxd5 24 li:lxe4

3 .•.fS 4 e3 liJf6 S liJf3 �e7 6 d4 e4 7

White would have an extra pawn and

liJfd2 dS

14 1!i'xb4 leads to an unclear posi· tion after 14 ...lZla6 15 .itxa6 .itxb2 16 1!i'xb2 lha6 ]7 o'{) na5 18 1!i'd4. After

52

Accepting the pawn sacrifice is

tends to adopt the Dutch str ucture, advancing the

53

Black Plays ... e5 a n d ... d 6

Play 1 b4! successfully continues the queenside

18 ...!:IxcS 19 lUdl !:Ic7

26 ...i¥h5 27 nxd5 "l!I'f3! and Black is

attack. For Black it's harder to develop

winning. On 26 nfl or 26 .!l:c2, Black

kingside activity because he has to de

replies 26..."l!I'xa4.

fend the centre.

26..."l!I'b4 27 !:Icdl lZlb6 28 �c3 'i!Va3 29

12 �e2

'li'e4

8 bS W hite will play a further a2-a4 to

Black is trying to play ...!:Id7, getting

continue the queenside pawn attack.

rid of the unpleasant pin on the dome.

Possible is B "l!I'b3 c6 9 lZlc3 0-0, as in the

The following unexpected strike pre

game 50kolsky-5uetin (Minsk,

1955),

where White also had to play 10 a4 and later b4-b5. 8 .•.c6 9 a4 0·0

vents this idea. 12.•.cS!?

20 lZlxe4! lilxc4! 21 "l!I'xc4 fxe4 22 "l!I'xe4

In trying to get rid of the unpleasant

White gives up two pieces for a

pressure on the centre, Black decides to

rook and two pawns. It's difficult to

temporarily sacrifice a pawn to stabi

call this a sacrifice, as the material is

lize the position. But,

approximatel y level. The benefit of this

shows, opening the

This move is useful in order to pres

centralization

coordinates

29...�f7 Or 29 ... �b3 30 i... b2! "l!I'c5 3 1 !:Icl 'i!Vg5 32 f4! etc.

and d-files is in

continuation is obvious: the pin on the

30 �b2 "l!I'cs 31 .!l:n '!!f b4 32 "l!I'd4 '!!fxd4

White's favour. 12 ... 'i!VeB is better, to

d-file is maintained. Black has to search

33 �xd4 �b4 34 ndc2 1-0

which White would answer 13 i...a3.

for a way to release his knight.

13 lZlxdS lZlxdS 14 cxdS �f7 1s !:In

22 ..."l!I'd6 23 "l!I'g4 'li'h6

c-

If 34 ...liJxa4, the easiest way to win is 35 lilc7.

Nothing comes of 15 �c4 because of

Probably the best. 23 ... lZlf6 is bad

15 ...lZlb6. It's dangerous to try holding

because of 24 .!l:xd6 lZlxg4 25 .!l:d7, while

IS dxc5 lZlxc5 1 6

against 23 ...�f6 White answers 24 i.xf6

"l!I'c3: after 1 6 ...�f6 1 7 'i!Vxc5 jcxb2 I B

"l!I'xf6 25 'i!Vd4 'i!Vxd4 26 lilxd4 reaching a

l:i:bl ncB! 1 9 "l!I'xa7 �c3 White gets into

winning endgame. It's difficult to

a difficult position.

how Black can prevent the threat of e3-

on to the pawn with

10 "l!l'b3

as the game

This

\,Vhite's forces and clinches the win.

see

lS ....!l:c8 16 0-0 lZlb6 17 dxcS lZlJ(dS 18

e4 (after g3) with a subsequent occupa

�c4

tion of the seventh rank.

sure the d5-square and defend the e3-

On 18 lilfd l, Black could answer

square, preventing a possible break

IB ...lZlf4! 19 �c4 lZle2+ winning the ex

24 "l!I'd7 �e6 2 S "l!I'xb7 'li'h4 Finally

Black has threats on the

Game 23 Y.Lapshun-A.Reeder

World Open, Philadelphia 2003 I f you want to play I b4, you need to know something aboul the King's Indian Defence. This gamE'" shows how White can deal with Black's typical

through with 1O .. .f4 11 exf4 e3.

change. After the text move, IB... lZlf4 i s

kingside, but White can defend and

10..•�e6 l1 lZlc3 lZlbd7

not good because of 1 9 i.xf7+ IIxf7 20

keep the material advantage.

1 b4 eS 2 �b2 d6 3 c4 i...e6 4 e3 lZld7 S

exf4 "l!I'xd2 21 lilfdl 'i!Vxf4 22 lild7 with

26 1i1d2

lZlf3 fS 6 lZlc3 g6 7 d4

Let's

evaluate

this

complicated

position. White pressures the centre and

54

successfully

continues

an advantage for White.

Of course not 26 g3?, because of

pawn storm.

White leaves the paths of the Reti

the

55

Black Plays

Play 1 b4! il.xh5 liJxh5 26 'IlYf3 1l:g7 2 7 cxd6

. . .

•

5 and ...d6

without first playing d2-d4, but Black's

can pressure that pawn and use the d5-

There is not enough lime to COffi

bishop had been developed on e7. In

square and his queenside space for

7...il.g7 8 d5 il.f7 9 il.e2 h6 10 e4 0,e7

plptely secure the king, so White must

that game White was better, but here

counterplay.

11 �C2 0-0 12 0-0 f4

attack on the queenside.

Black will seize the initiative.

13 �C2

Opening and enterS an unorthodox King's Indian set-up.

27 ...cxd6 28 Il:fcl �h4 29 Il:c7 Il.g6 30

White prepares 0,d5 by luring the

Il:xb7 nf8 31 ncc7

enemy bishop from its defence of that square. 13 Wib3 d5! would open the game to Black's benefit.

13

..•

il.f5 14 'lWb3

Not the immediate 14 /))d5, because of 14 ... lLlf3+ 15 gxf3 exf3 16 il.d3 ILlxd5! with the twin threat of 17 ...'IlYg5+ or 17...0,b4.

14

.•.

hS! 15 0,ds 0,xd5

This trade ffees the c4-squafe for White's knight, but the stronger steed We have rpached a typical King's

7 ...e4! 8 1Lld4 <5 9 1Llc2

Indian battle scenario. White is trying to break through on the queenside while Black wants to checkmate the

on d5 could not be tolerated.

9 bxc5 dxc5 leaves White with a

31...Il.g311

backward pawn on an open file, and

31...0,g3 is a better try, although

surrenders the chance to place a pawn

16 cxd5 h4! The threat of ...h3, g2-g3, ...iLg4 etc forces a direct response f rom White.

white king on the other wing.

even here with 32 Il.c2' White puts an

on b5 for counterplay.

17 f4 exf3 18 gxf3 h3 19 II
13 0,d2 g5 14 lbcl h5 15 <5

end to all of Black's hopes of ...lLle2-t.

9 lLlc6 10 bS 0,e5 11 0-0 >"_e6

"l!I'c3

White must not delay this essential line-opening - the pawn sacrificed is not

too

important.

[n

fact,

32 hxg3 fxg3 33 �g4+ iLg5 34 Wixh4 il.xh4 35 0,h3 1-0

21 Il:xc5 ll:ac8 22 Il:fcl Il:xc5 23 Il:xc5 White

has regained his pawn

and

If 1 1 ...0,d3, 12 il.xd3 exd3 1 3 0,el creates problems only for Black

after

12 1Lla3 ne8

15 ... dxc5?! 16 0,a4 cxb4 17 Wixc7 b6 1 8 il.b5 0,c5 1 9 �xd8 Il:fxd8 2 0 0,xc5 bxc5

•••

Game 24 A.Sokolsky-R.Kholmov

USSR Championship, Kiev 1954

dominates the queenside.

15 ...g4 16 f3 0,g61! Maybe Black did not like 16 ...g3 be

1 b4 e5 2 il.b2 d6 3 c4 /))f6 4 e 3 g6 5 0,0 iLg7

cause of the obvious reply 17 h3, but

Black has chosen to defend with the

then Black could bring his knight to h4

King's Indian set-up. Here White's best

with the idea of a later sacrifice on g2.

choice is 6 d4.

17 fxg4 0,h4 18 t:iJdl 'IlYg5 19 0,f2

6 0,c3 0-0 7 il.e2

White needs more pieces to defend

Preparing ILlc4. The immedlate 20 li:lc4? allows 20 ... 0,xc4

Again 7 d4 is best. In the game

his king.

Sokolsky-Flohr from the semi-final of

19 ...0,f6 20 Widl hxg4 2 1 il.xg4 il.h5 22

this Championship

0,0 0,,,fH 23 il.xf3 il.h6 24 Il:c3 Il.f7 25

White also

56

21 >"_xg7 (21

il.xc4? il.xb2) 21 ...0,xdl. A

complex

position

has

arisen.

(see Game

19),

Black will use the e-pawn as the spear

allowed the move

...e4

head for a kingside attack, but White

20 if6 2 1 li:lC4 li:lg4 22 Wib3 1I.xb2 23 •.

li:lxb2 Not 23 �xb2? 0,f2-t 24 II
57

Black Plays

Play 1 b 4 1 when 2 S.. :ill'gS+ i s a killing threat.

blockading knight, so he keeps the

gives White good winning chances.

23 ... itles

queens on for attacking purposes. The

49 We4ll:b1 SO axb6 axb6 S1 wes

23...itlf2+ 24 Wg] 'il¥gS.

25 Wxf2

offer will not be withdrawn.

The idea of this move is to induce

'il¥g2+? (2S...'il¥h4+ draws by perpetual

33 'lil'f3 itlxg3 34 hxg3 \l;>g7 3S g4 'il¥d3

Black into blocking the f6-square from

check) 26 We] 'il¥xh2 27 itld] followed

36 Wh2 lle4

his own king. If 51 na3, Black plays

by 28 itlf2 will prevenl the h-pawn

This wins the d-pawn but leads to

from advancing.

an ending in which the rook is in a box.

24 itlc4 l::tad8 2S ll:aC1?!

Was there anything beller? I don't

White has beaten off the first wave

think so, since White also has threats,

of the attack and should now advance

for instance 36...'il¥b3 37 £5 with f6+

with 25 a4 at once. To delay gives Black

looming.

fresh chances.

37 ll:c3 'il¥xdS 38 d3 nd4 39 'lil'xdS lhdS

2S ...b6 26 a4 .i.c8! 27 f4

40 Wxh3 gS!

27 a5 is not quite fast enough, due to 27 ... .i.b7 28 axb6 .i.xd5 29 bxa7 'lil'g4!.

27 ... .i.g4! 28 .i.xg4 itlxg4

e5 a n d . . d6 .

10 a4 White plans to storm the queenside. The immediate threat is 11 .i.a3.

10.. .Il.d8 11 as itlbd7?! l 1. . cxbS!? 12 cxb5 .i.f5 13 .i.e2 a6 14

5 ] ... \I;>f6 followed by ... l:txb5

'l'!'b3 axb5 15 'i'hb5 itlc6 16 0-0 'iiic7 17

51 ...f6+ S2 wd5 nxbS 53 11a3 y,-y,

itlb3 .i.f8 18 .i.a3 itlxaS ]9 il.xf8 11.xf8 20

Now if 53 ... IIaS 54 1':[b3 1':[a6, 5S \I;>c6 threatening 56 nd3 guarantees a draw.

lJ.xa5 �xc3 2] l::txa8 l::txa8 22 'il¥xb7 reaches an equal position. 1 1 ... .i.e6, however, allows White to

Came 2S B.Katalymov-I.Zaitsev

Odessa 1972

The starl of a good and necessary

apply pressure with ]2 cxd5 .i.xd5 13 itlxd5 1hdS 14 'il¥b3 'lil'd7 1 5 a6 b6.

12 a6 From this poSition it's impossible to calculate the countless variations, but

manoeuvre to return the exchange.

41 fs ll:h8+ 42 Wg3 Wf6 43 \l;>f3 nes! 44

...

Katalymov played this crazy game

it's clear that Black is under consider

in the city and year of my birth. His

able pressure, which will continue un

ing.

opponent sacrificed many pieces going

abated.

29 lIf3 itlf2+ 30 wg1 itle4

for checkmate, but Katalyrnov won a

12 ... <S 13 .i.a3

28 ...'il¥xg4 29 ll:f2 gives Black noth

The

last

few

moves

have

itlxes wxes

seen

bishop and trium phed without moving

Black's attack growing in menace, so

his king's rook

White decides to offer an exchange to

1 b4 eS 2 .i.b2 'il'e7 3 c4 g6 4 bS .i.g7 S

slow Black down.

e3 itlf6 6 itl<3 <6 7 itlf3 0-0 8 d4 e4 9

31 'il¥d1! 'il¥g4+ 32 Itg3

ll\d2 dS

aT

king's bishop!

So we have an ending with equal material

and

equal

chances.

White Setting up a deadly pin. from which

chooses the simplest drawing line.

4S d4+! 1i>f6

it's difficult to escape.

13...'il¥e8?

Accepting the pawn sacrifice with

32 :�I'fS .•

Kholmov reckons that if he trades

4S ... cxd4 46 exd4> Wxd4 47 lIc7 is dan

13 ...dxc4!? 14 .i.xc4 bxa6 ]5 bxa6

gerous for Black. No better is 4S...WdS

'il'e8 is far from clear, for example after

46 dxcS dxcS 47 l::td3+ Wc4 48 l::td 7.

46 dxcS dxcS 47 l::td3 We7 48 as! l::t h 1

queens and l'akes the exchange h e will

4 8. . .bxaS 4 9 .!:ta3 lIb8 5 0 IlxaS .!:tb7 5]

not be able to win because of While's

We4 wd6 52 lIa6+ Wc7 53 WdS! even

58

Now we can see that Zaitsev, play

16 itlb5 'il'e7 ]7 'lil'a4 itlg4 ]8 'il¥a5 itlb6

ing a King's Indian system, has saved a

19 .i.e2 'lil'h4 20 g3 'lil'f6 2] .i.xg4 .i.xg4

tempo by pushing his pawn to dS in

22 jtxc5 .!! d7 23 itlc3 .i.f3.

one move.

14 dxcS

59

Black Plays . . . e5 and . . . d 6

Play 1 b 4 ! White's t wo extra pawns outweigh

White's king will eventually escape

Black's activity - White hasn't devel

all the checks, the black pawns will

After 9... Qidf6 10 �d3 il.f5 11 Qih4!

oped all his pieces, but his passed

disappear, and the white pawns will

Black's pieces are not well placed, and

pawns can crush everything in their

become queens. One possible line is 43

he will lose at least a pa wn.

path. In this hopeless position Black 's

nf3 '!!f g4+ 44 Wf2 '!!fd4+ 45 Wg3 �e5+ 46

10 d5 Qief6

only practical chance is to continue

Wg2 'OlI'b2+ 47 llf2 'OlI'd4 48 IIh3 'OlI'g4+ 49

This humiliating retreat is forced..

sacrificing pieces.

llg3 '!!f e4< 50 11ff3 '!!fe2+ 51 Wh3 '!!fh7+

Black now realizes that it's better not to

20 Itxd4 21 Qixd4 J::t d 8 22 Qic2 il. f3 2 3

52 g4 'i!l'e4+ 53 J::tf4 'i!l'e6+ 54 h4 'i!l'e5

trade the bishop on g7 which defends

'!!fu

55 ll.gf3, and White wins.

his king. On 1O .. .li:ldf6, White replies II

.•.

Qid4 and later f2-f3, kicking the knight

23 gxf3 is another way to win. After 23 ... Itd2 24 fxg4 Itxe2 25 il.xe2 Q\d7 26 c6 Qib6 27 il.f3 il.xe3 28 .!:ld 1 il.g7 29

14...d41 Another

�_c5 il.f8 30 il.xb6 axb6 31 IiIg2, White mistake.

It's

true

that

Game 26 B.Katalymov-Bakhtiar

Tashkent 1959

enjoys a decisive material advantage.

14 ... bxa6!? 15 cxd5 '!!fe5 1 6 1l.c1 Iilxd5 1 7

23 ...il.h6 24 Ii',ds il.xdS 25 cxdS .!:lxdS

Qixd5 '!!fxd5 18 c6 Qif6 19 bxa6 il.g4 20

26 h3 Qie3 27 Qixe3 Itlf3+ 28
'!!fc 2 .!:tac8 21 il.c4 '!!fe5 22 il.b2 is also

There was still time to blunder. If 28

9 'i!l'c2 f5

out of the centre. Black is trying to play ...Qif8 with the t urther ...e7-e5, which is probably the best he can do in this situation.

11 Qid4 Qif8 :J.2 il.f3 J::t b8 1 b 4 Qif6 2 il.b2 g6 3 e3 il.g7 4 Qif3 d6 5 d4 Qibd7 6 c4 0·0

The pawn on b7 must be protected. The immediate 12 . . .e5 would be weak,

good for White, but this is not as bad

gxf3?? il.xe3+ 29 h2 Il.g5, Black wins

If White's pawn were on the b3-

for Black as the text.

as there is no good way to deal with

square, we would have a famous, well

15 axb7 il.xb7 16 exd4 e3 17 Qib3!

the mate threats; for example, 30 '!!fg3

studied King's

lhg3 31 Wxg3 '!!fe5+ 32 IiIg2 '!!fg5+ 33

active move by the b-pawn lends a dis

exf2+ 18 Wxf2 Qig4> 19 Wg3 il.xf3 20

h2 il.f4 mate.

tinct flavour to White's position.

gxf3 iIle3 21 '!!fd 2 il.xd4 22 f4 Qif6 is

28 iIlxe1 29 Qixds '!!f e5 30 J:::Xe1 '!!f"fS+

7 il.e2 ll.e8 8 0-0

winning for Black, for example after 23

31 Wg1 '!!f xds 32 IiIh2 '!!f b3 H il.C1 il.xc1 34 .!:tXC1 '!!f e3 35 lld1 'i!l'xc5 36 g3

il.d7 leaves Black with chances for

W hite has to b e careful: 1 7 Qif3?

il.d3 il.xc3 24 '!!f xc3 Qie4+ 25 il.xe4 '!!f xe4

.•.

Indian position. The

after 13 dxe6 Qixe6 14 Qixe6 il.xe6 15 il.xb7.

13 Qic3 e5 14 dxe6 Qixe6 15 Qid5! Qixd5 16 �_xdS 16 Qixe6 is not good because of the in·between move 16 ...Qixb4!. The sharp 16 cxd5 Qixd4 17 il.xd4 �_xd4 18 exd4

26 IIhgl IId3.

h5 37 h4 g5 38 hxg5 h4 39 nd3 '!!f c2+

counterplay.

17...exf2+ 18 Wxf2 Qies 19 '!!f e2 Qifg4+

40 Wh3 hxg3 41 .!:txg3 '!!f h 7+ 42 IiIg2

16...c6 17 il.xe6+ icxe6 18 1lfd1!

20 Wg1

'!!fe4+ 1·0

8 ...Qie4 More often players continue with

B. . .e5 9 dxe5 Qig4. Bakhtiar's choice is original, but probably not correspond ing to the spirit of the position.

60

The exchange of the minor pieces

61

Black Plays . . . e5 and . . d6

Play 1 b 4 ! wou ld lead to an approximately equal

'l!i'a6 h5 29 lIae1 IIee8 30 'i!!' b7 �_e5

gam e. Despite giving the oppon en t a

30 ... 'i!fxb7 is a m istake bec au se of 3 1

pair of bishops, White beli eves that the

c xb7 nab8 3 2 lIc7 ice5 (preven tin g 3 3

tage, bu t the ac t�i vity and proximity of

pawns on the qu een side and then hides

the white forces enables the fi rst player

his kin g there, and som ehow i t works!

to c reate insu perable threats.

Bu t thi s plan i sn't really nt'w; Sokolsky

great position of the d 4-knight in the

itJc 6) 3 3 lId7 �e6 3 4 itJxe6 Ihe6 3 5

36 itJe6 'l!I'e8 37 itJe5 �e6 38 ne7 'l!I'e8

wrote abou t suc h an id ea 50 years ago.

c en tre promi ses him an unquesti on able

.lixe5 l:!:xe5 3 6 l:tc l ll,ee8 37 ncc7 etc.

39 .1:tf1!

1 b4 e5 2 �b2 d6 3 e4 g6

ad van tage. Black can't exchange this

31 f4 �d6 32 �a3! nebS

knight (18 ... .lixd 4?), bec au se weaken in g the squares on the m ain a I-h8 d i agon al c ou ld be fatal for him . 18.. .Sl.f7 19 e5! d5

Forc ed , otherwi se there would f ol low 20 c xd6 'il'xd 6 21 itJxf5 . Now White begin s the pawn storm on the qu een sid e. 20 a4 'ili'e7 21 b5 llbe8 22 lIaCl 'i!fd7 2 3 'i!i'e3

Blac k wants to forc e the queen ex

there c ou ld follow 3 9_.'l!i'c 2 40 lI fl 'ife4

0-0 itJc 6

tinue the fight by blockin g the d an ger

with c oun terpLay.

J.5herwin, New York J 959.

ou s passed pawn. But an unexpec ted

39 d4

33 Sl.xd61 nxb7

If Black do esn 't ac cept the queen sacrific e and plays 3 3 ...'il'xd 6, following 3 4 'l!I'd 7! ::ld 8 3 5 'l!I'xd 6 IIxd 6 36 lIal ! lId d 8 3 7 It>6 IIdc8 38 l:td a I White eas •..

b6?

ily forces a win (3 8 ... nc 7 3 9 l:txb6).

To preven t the threat of 24 'il'a5 , bu t

34 exb7!

23.. 'i!i'c7 wou ld have been a better way

Unexpected and very eff<>etive. Re

to d o this. The pawn move weakens

c a ptu ring I he qu een by 34 .lixc 7 llxc 7

.

the c 6-square and gi ves White a c hanc e

35 nal ne8! wou ld en able Blac k to re

to c reate a stron g passed pawn.

sist st rongly. Although Black's po sition

24 'i!i'a3! exb5

Black wou ld

wou ld still be inf erior, the realizat ion lose a pawn after

o f White's ad van tage wou ld need a

24... bxc5 25 bxc6 'ili'd 6 26 'ili'xc 5, whi le

c onsid erable in vestm en t of lime and

24. .. �f8 is really bad bec au se of 25 itJxc 6 bxc 5 26 'il'c 3 .

energy.

25 e6! 'l!i'e7 26 axb5 lle4 27 lIa1 lIa8 28

62

Qui te a rare m ove ord er. 3 ...itJd 7 4 g3 g6 5 ;tg2 ;tg7 6 tib3 tile7 7 1tlf3 0-0 8

c han ge and after 3 3 'l!I'xc7 i..xc7 con

queen sac rifice shatters all his hopes.

23

Whi te m oves the rook away from the potenti al thrust ... 'ili'c2. On 3 9 itJxg6

34...'il'xb7 35 :te7 'i!i'b8

Black has a sm all materi al ad van -

was equ al in S.Bemstei n

4 d4 itJd7 5 e3 il.g7 6 itJf3 e4 7 1tlfd2 fS

.••

Blac k pitc hes a pawn to c lear d 5 for

8 itJe3 itJh6 9 'iWb3 e6 10 itJe2

his bishop. 40 itJxg6 d3 41 lIe7 'l!I'e8 42 itJe7+ -j;f7

Not 42 ...-j;h8 bec au se of 43 Sl.e5+. 43 itJxf5+ -j;f6

Or 43. ..-j;g8 44 itJh6+ �h8 45 .lie5 m ate. 44 1ilg7 'l!I'g8 45 .lie5+ Ilig6 46 f5+ �xf5 4 7 1tlxf5 1-0

Game 2 l V.Alekseev-K.Sakaev

Petrov Memorial, St Petersburg 1996

At first sight thi s looks like a waste of time, bu t in ord er t o stop Blac k's ki ngsid e attac k Alekseev wanted

White d oes som ething qu ite un u sual in

thi s gam e. He pu shes hi s

to

gain c ontrol of the f4-squ are. 10...ltlf6 11 h4 il.e6 12 Itlf4 il.f7 13 a4

63

Black Plays . . . e5 a n d . . . d 6

Play 1 b 4 ! 0-0 14 b S

2S iLxg4 fxg4 2 6 IZlxe4 IZld3+ 2 7 J:lxd3

Here w e see our favourite queen side attack. Howeverl ] believe that

lO. . . aS!? 1 1 b 5 exd4 1 2 exd4 c5 13 0-0

'l!i'xb2+ 2S '/!!" xb2 �xb2+ 29 Itxb2 .!txe4

cxd4 14 Ii"lxd4 1Zlc5 15 'l!i'c2 is equal.

30 IZlxgs .!txC4

ll 1Zld2 hS

White is actually trying to close the queenside and castle there, and so it's Black's duty to prevent White from doing this by opening up the queenside. For example, 14 ... a6!? 16 axb5 lJ.xal

�

15 ....e2 axb5

17 ....xa1 with a level

position.

14 lZlhg4 15 ....e2 "i!Ye7 16 as cS 17 d S .•.

J:1aeS I S a 6 b 6 19 IZlfl lZles 2 0 IZlg3 IZlfg41

40 l'!:f4+

Sakaev would pay for not prevent

]t's curious how two strong chess

ing White's line-opening on the kingside. 20 ... h5!? looks like a better option.

21 hS "i!YgS 22 IZlh3 1!Yf6 23 hxg6 hxg6

players White has an extra pawn. but also

missed

checkmate

in

three

moves: 40 llg7+ Wf6 41 lIh6 c We5 42

some weaknesses. In order to maintain

ng5 mate.

the advantage, he must attack Black's

40...�g6 41 1ZlfS+ �g7 42 1Zle6+ 1-0

weak pawns.

31 e41! 31 .!:!.h6' would have been the best

reversed. White is attacking on the

After 42 ... �g6 White mates as in the

castle

Baburin, White has reaped the benefits from his decision to postpone castling.

1 b4 eS 2 .... b2 d6 3 c4 IZld7 4 e 3 g6 S

doubt.

IZlf3 .... g7 6 ....e2 lZlgf6 7 d4

35 �bl C4 36 .ll: h4 C3 37 J:bg4 .ll:c S n

White can also postpone the strug gle until a later stage by playing d2-d3,

there was no time to contemplate how

as Benko does in the next game.

to checkmate the white king. Instead

7 :Wie7

24 0-0-0! g5

Black should be content with a perpet

•.

After 7...0-{) 8 0-0 lle8 9 dxe5 ILlg4 10

After 24. . ."i!Yh4!? 25 l:!dfl IZlxf2 26

ual check, which arises after 37.. .l:!b2+!

IZlc3

IZlxf5 gxf5 27 1Zlxf2 '/!!" g3 28 l:!h3 '/!!" xg2 29

38 �a1 ....b3 39 lZle6+ �f7 40 l:!g7+ �f6

A.5okolsky-V.Kirillov,

IZlgxe5

II

'Wib3, as played Minsk

in

1957,

l:thh1!, with the further l'!:hgl White can

41 1'k7 J:!.a2 c 42 Wb1 l'!.b2< 43 �c1 l'!:c2<

White's plan of IZld5 affords him a

easily use the open lines to attack the

44 �b1 l'!.b2+.

standard positional edge.

black king.

3S l:!hl l:!c4 39 lLle6+ �f7

S ILlc3 0-0 9 'Wib3 l'!.eS 10 a4 e41!

64

to

as noted by the Irish GM Alexander

iLd3� 43 �a1 l'!:g7 the outcome is in

played in a similar way.

had

chooses

As we sa w in Alekseev-Sakaev, and

Petrov Memorial, St Petersburg 1996

l:!c2+ 40 wb 1 l:!f2 41 l:!xg4 iLb5 42 f5

Sokolsky

White

cS 16 dS IZlgS 17 b6 a6

V.Alekseev-V.Komliakov

�d2 l:!f6 37 l:!h4 l:!g6 38 f4 l:!b2< 39 �c1

earlier

to

12 h3 IZlfS 13 as C6 14 bS lZle6 1 S lZla4

Game 28

After 34...nb4+!? 35 �c3 lJ.b3+ 36

years

try

there ...

J:tdgl .ll:C 2+1!

Many

will

assuming

. ••

Black's king is in a mating net and

Black

�f6 45 llh6+ �e5 46 llg5.

31 iLeS 32 f3 ....xbS 33 J:tddl iLa4 34

so White is finally ready to castle!

while

checkmate the king on the other wing,

unclear again.

Now, with the queenside locked,

queenside

note above with 43 llg4+ �f7 44 llg7+

way forward. After 31 e4 the position is

the white monarch will be safe there,

We have reached a typical King's Indian Attack position, with colours

65

Black Plays

Play 1 b4! The most memorable w a s the first, al

18 0-0-0! I'
the W orld Open in Philadelphia more

lack. First of all, though, White im

than a decade ago. Benko was provid

proves the position of his pieces.

ing free game analysis for amateur en

il.fS 20 Wa2 Ibd7 2 1

trants. I was so upset after losing one of

Ibe] Ibes 22 l'!dg1 Ibd7 23 -,,-d 1 1bf6 2 4

my typically crazy games againsl an

18.h4 19 W b 1

...

€5 a n d

...

d6

4 .0-0 S e3 d6 6 -,,-e 2 eS 7 d3

American 1M that ] went to him and

-"-<2 Iil h S 2 S -,,- a 1 -,,- es 26 l'!e1 'iWf8

asked him to show me how could I have won. The Grandmaster played over the game, shook his head sadly, and in formed me that I should analyse the game with a computer, because Uno

3 s lbxe4

human being could possibly make sense

36

of this!" It was good advice; Fritz found

In contrasl to 7 d4, White does not

Ibxe4 -,,- xal 37 Iilxg3 'iWxpl 38 'iWxg6+

the win! It's a pleasure to include a cou

allow the advance of Black's e-pawn. 7

Wf8 39 l'!xel lhel 40 'iWxd6+ WgB 41

ple of his games in this book.

d3 also prepares an efficient develop

'iWg6+ wh8 42 lbe4 -,,-d4 43 Ibg5 ll:e7 44

1 1bf3 Ibf6 2 b4 g6 3 <4 -,,- g7 4 -,,- b2

menl of White's bI-knight.

35 Ibxg6! wins quickly: 35... fxg6

7 ):'te8 8 li'ibd2 Ibbd7 9 0-0 h6

Ibf7; elc.

•••

3S...'iWxh4 36 -,,- xg7 1b >:e4 37 -,,-b 2 'iWxf4 27 f4!

After 9 ... dS!? 10 cxdS lbxd5 11 a3 ( 1 1

38 litg4 'iWd2 39 litgxe4! 'iWxa5+

The first step of an attack is often

39 ...'iWxc2 40 ll:xe8 , Wh7 4]

'O'fu3!?) 1 Le4 1 2 -,,-xg7 exf3 13 -,,-xf3 .Il:xa8

Ibxe3 14 fxe3 Q;xg7 15 Ibc4 the position

the most difficult one. This move forces

'iWxc4+ 42 wbl should be winning for

looks roughly equaL

Black to open lines against his own

White.

10 'iWc2 Ibf8 1 1 <S!?

king.

40 Wb1 'iWxe1+ 41 litxe1 lil.. e1+ 42 Wa2

27 .._exf3 28 gxf3 -"-x<2 29 'iWx<2 -,,-g 7 30

Jil.ae8 43 'iWf2 1-0

f4 lbh 7 31 1bf3 'iWe7 32 l'!hg1 Ibg3 H e4

This looks like a good time to re

White finally is able to advance the

sign. Black is down a bishop, his king

pawns in the centre. The oncoming

is in big trouble and his pawns are

avalanche will sweep away all resis-

weak A typical way to reach this position

tance.

33 ...Ibf6? Giving away an important pawn. 33 ...jcd4!?

would

at

least

prolong

Black's battle, although White does

via the Sokolsky move order would be 1

Game 29 P.Benko-V .Ciocaltea

lugano Olympiad 1968

Iixe4 38 litxg3 litxe2 39 litxg5+ Ibxg5 40

of the possibility 3 -"-xf6!? For example, 4 ...exf6 4 a3 -,,-g 7 5 g3 0--0 6 -,,-g2 f5 7 d4

remain on top after the continuation 34 Iig2 'iWf6 35 f5 g5 36 lbxd4 cxd4 37 lbe2

b4 Ibf6 2 �_b2 g6 3 Ibf3 -"-g7 4 c4. With this move order Black needs to be aware

G M Pal Benko is a famous H ungar ian-American chess legend

who has

d6 8 e3 c6 9 lbe2 Ibd7 10 0--0 Ibf6 11 c4

An unusual move, bUI the idea to

lile4 13 Iilbc3 ):k8 14 'iWd3 'iWe7

open the c-file in order to attack the

as 12 bS

Iixe2 wf8 41 'iWd3 IleB 42 nxe8+ Wxe8

crossed swords many times with World

IS lba4 �c7 16 lbee3 Ibxc3 17 Ibxc3 with

queenside is a logical one.

43 �xd4.

Champions. I had the honour to meet

an edge for White, CBulcourf-Llanos,

11...lb dS

34 Ibxh4 Ibfxe4

(but not play) him on three occasions.

correspondence 1987.

66

Attacking the b4-pawn and prepar-

67

Black Plays

Play 1 b4!

.e5 and ... d6

ing a dangerous pawn storm on the

kingside have taken considerable space

fered a draw which his opponent ac

c5-square.

kingside.

and start to cause problems.

cepted, even though White would have

12 a3 h6 n ltlfl <S 14 bs Itlf8

12 a3 fS 13 :lfdl

19.. li)xe4 20 Iflxe4

been in some trouble after 28 ...il.h6 29

.

This is a good move which prepares

Perhaps a better chance is 20 dxeS'?

an attack in the centre by pushing the

dS 21 c6 b6 22 Itlfl as 23 1tle3 'iWf7 24

e- and d-pawns. Another idea was 13

itld4, when White enjoys a slight ad

nacl, pressuring the queenside.

vantage in this com plica ted position.

13 ... il.e6 14 il.fl Wie7 is l'!acl il.f7 16

2 0.••fxe4 21 cxd6 cxd6 22 "i'!'xe4 dS 23

e41

'i!l'e3 e4 24 Ifles g4! I�ight on time! White lands a strong

Wih4 'iWxM 30 gxM I;)g6.

14 ...d5

15 cxd5 Itlxd5 16 Itlld2 'iWe7

17 l'!acl Itlc7 18 a4 l:ad8 19 1tlc4 Itld5 is

a good alternative. is e3 "i'!'<7 16 d4 �e4 17 'ilI'c3 exd4 18

Game 30 R.Reti-J.Capablanca

New York 1924

exd4 1tl6d7 19 "lWd2 cxd411 BefoTe you do something active, make sure your pieces are developed

This move contains many idea!:.,

optimally! Black should play 19 .. .l::ad8,

blow in the fight for the centre.

such as preventing White's f2-f3 break

This game is perhaps the most fa

16...Iof6 17 g3

and preparing to open up a diagonal

mous example of b2-b4 in the Reti

dxc5 dxc4 23 cxb6 'ilI'xb6 24 'iWel lIxdl

for the g7-bishop.

Opening. It has already been annotated

25 'iWxdl c3 26 il.xc3 'l!I'xbS maintains

2S "i'!'f4 hS

numerous times by many strong play

equality.

17 d4!? looks like the righ t idea, as all of White's pieces are ready for the

and here 20 llle3 Itlf6 21 I:ael dS 22

complications after this push. After the

ers, and we have little to add.

20 il.xd4 'iWxc4 21

possible

l 1tlf3 I;)f6 2 <4 g6 3 b4 Jl.g7 4 Jl.b2 0-0

"i'!'b2+!

continuation

1 7 ...ltlxe4

18

Itlxe4 fxe4 19 cxd6 cxd6 20 Wixe4 dS 21

i..xg7 ¢> xg7

22

5 g3 b6

"i!!'g4 e4 2 2 l;)eS il.e6 23 "i!!'g3 "i!!'d 6 24

S ... dS 6 cxd5 Itlxd5 7 il.xg7 ¢>xg7 8

11c51 White's active pieces offer him a

Wib3 Itlf6 9 il.g2 Itlc6 10 0-0 e5 11 d3

chance to fight for the advantage. That

il.g4 12 Itlbd2 'iWe7 13 b5 itld8 14 'iWb2

said, despite White's logical play it

itld7 15 Itacl, as played

can't be said that he has a real advan

A.Pokorny, Maehrisch Ostrau 1923, is a

tagf' - look at his dark-squared bishop,

bit better for White. Capablanca prefers

for instanCE.

a dou ble fianchetto and later adopts a

17 ... il.e6 18 il.g2 gs 19 d4!

in R.Reti

King's Indian formation. 6 il.g2 Jl.b7 7 0-0 d6 8 d3 Itlbd7 9 Itlbd2 eS 10 'iWc2 .te8 11 llfdl as

26 h31 Losing a pawn and a tempo. After the obvious 26 1:tc5 the position should

Capablanca

:lde1 ):Ixc5 28 ll:xc5 :!lc8 29 'iW c1 l'!xcS 30

22 •..¢>g8 2 3 :lxd6 "i'!'C5 24 J:adl l:ta7 White's pieces are well coordinated

"i'!'c3 il.xe5 34 "i'!'xe5 'iWxe5 35 il.xe5.

and Black is saddled with weak f6- and

26 •.•gxh3

c6-squares. The pawn on b6 is another useful target for White.

This simple move gives Black a

After improving his light-squared tre, but Black's advanced pawns on the

68

undprpsti

mated the strength 01 this move.

dxc5 .ltc8 31 'iWd2 'iWe6 32 b5 Itlh7 33

bishop, White decides to attack the cen

apparently

be equal; for example, 26 ... l:lac8 27

slight advantage.

2S ltle3 "i'!'hs 26 Itld4 il.xg2 27 Itixg2

27 il.f1 ¢>h7

"i'!'eS Black's position is virtually indefen

Prf'paring a dangerous 28... il.h6. 28 l'!cs

sible. For example, 27.. Jk7 28 Itlf3 lIe6

'I.-V.

Probably in this position Benko of-

Black is fighting for control of the

29 III d5 g5 30 I;)fS Itlf6

31 lIxe6 fxe6 32 69

Play 1 b 4 !

Black Plays

..

. e5 and . d 6 ..

�xf6 exfS 3 3 �xb6 g 4 3 4 lilh4 is hope

seur o f the English Opening, knew well

Opening. White's light-squared bishop

less.

thaI the Double Fianchetto is a tough

has nothing to target in this structure,

traded and it's soon time to agree a

28 lile4 �e5 29 lile6 lIe7 30 lile3 liles

nut to crack.

and in fact the white knight was a more

draw,

31 IhdS l-0

9 0-0 lilbd7

dangerous piece.

advantage. Almost all the pieces are

IS iLxf3 'fIe7 16 g3 l"Llf6 17 Itabl Itfd8 18 !l:d2 hS 19 h3 'iWd7 20 1:I.g2 eS 2 1 'fIb2 'fIe6 2 2 llbdl llb8 2 3 llc2?!

It is hard to understand why White didn't prevent Black's next move by playing 23 bS!? 23 ...bS 2 4 !Ibl

White could keep a slight advan tage with 24 'fIc3!?, with one possible line being 24 ... !Idc8 2S l:!dcJ a6 26 'fId2 bxc4 27 l:!xc4 cxb4 28 axb4 dS 29 !IcS

.

2 4... aS

If 31._lilc4, W hite replies 32 lhcs lilxb2 33 lIc2 lila4 34 lildS and wins a piece.

10�b3

Now with best play in this compli

The immediate 10 d4 looks more

cated position, neither side can gain an

2S 'fICl axb4 26 axb4 bxc4 27 );1>« 4 cxb4 28 llcxb4 llxb4 29 ll xb4 dS 30 l:!bs IIe8 31 l:!es IIxes 32 �xes e4 '/2-'/2

aggressive, but White wants to prepare this advance with l:!fd 1.

Game 3 1 K.5praggett-I.lvanov

Montreal 1981

10",l:!e8 1 1 1Udllile4 ] believe that this move favours

White because it allows the trade of Black's

important

King's

Indian

bishop. 1 lilf3 lilf6 2 b4 g6 3 iLb2 iLg7 4 e4 0-0

12 lilxe4 1:I.xe4 13 1:I.xg7 Wxg7 14 d3

S e3 b6 6 iLe2 d6 7 lilc3 cS 8 a3 iLb7

14 1:I.xf3 ..•

The late GM Igor Ivanov, a connois-

70

An idea borrowed from the Catalan

71

Play 1 b4! Summary

The King's Indian set-up is quite popularbut shouldn'! be too troublesome for the Sokol sky specialist. White·s early capture of queenside space will give him an im portant lead in the standard pawn races seen in many King's Indian games. In some lines it's worth considering castling long for White, as a way of hiding the king from the opponent's attack or even as a prelude to counterpunching on the

Cha pter Four

kingside (see Games 27-28). 1 b4 1llf6

I

Queen's I n d i a n Systems

l . ..e5 2 Ji.. b2 2 ... 'l!I'e7 - Game 25 2 ... d6 3 c4 3... a5 - Game 19; 3...Ji..e7 - Game 20; 3... Ji..e6 - Game 23; 3 ...lll f6 - Game 24; 3 ... g6 - Game 27; 3 ... llld 7

Game 28

3 .. .f5 4 e3 1ll f 6 5 1llf3 Ji.. e 7 (D) 6 1ll c3 - Game 21 6 d4 - Game 22 2 il.b2 g6 3 1ll f3

3 Ji.. xf6

-

Game 29 (I1otes)

5 g3 5 ...b6 (D) - Game 30 S .•. d6

Game 31

5...d5 - Chapter 7 6 d4

6 Ji..e2 - Game 29 6.. .lllb d7 (D) - Game 26

s...Ji.. e7

72

what to do about the b5-pawn must

...e5 systems and proceed to the more

always be uppermost in his or her

leisurely, amorphous, strategic life of

thoughts.

S b6 .••

6...lll bd7

White will generally develop the

Tactics and variations mean little here;

light·squared bishop via

plans and ideas count for much more.

Ji..e2, to cover b5 and leave a route for

It was quite difficult to decide

5.. .dS - Chapter 7 -

Black, and like it or not the question of

direct, cut-and-thrust opening play of

the reversed queen's pawn opening.

3 ... Ji..g7 4 <4 0-0 S e3

5...b6

In this chapter we move away from the

e2-e3 and

the d-pawn to advance two squares in

whether some of games given below

the

belonged to this or the next chapter. In

(Fischer-Ina, Game 43, is an example of

delayed

fight

for

the

centre

the end we decided that games in

the difficulties facing White should he

which the fianchetto of Black's Iight

fianchetto his king's bishop). After de

squared bishop was the dominant fac

veloping the king's knight to f3, with

tor, whether the move ... b6 was played

or without the Bird-like advance f2-f4,

early or late, would belong here.

White will castle and decide whether to

The basic idea of countering the

clarify the central position at once or

Queen's Indian set-up may be stated

proceed directly with queenside play.

quite simply: put a pawn on the b5-

Early direct attacks on the kingside are

square and keep it there as long as you

uncommon in this system.

can. A pawn on b5 takes the best

One of the key games in this chap

square away from the enemy queen's

ter is the encounter Sokolsky-Keres

knight and acts as a spearhead for an

(Game 32). Sokolsky's notes discuss in

attack on the left flank. The possibility

considerabl.. detail th.. strategic prob

of a white piece occupying the weak

lems in the opening, and the note to

ened square c6 must be respected by

move fifteen demonstrates the viability

73

Play l b4 1

Queen 's Indjan Systems

of his approach. This game and several

7 ...0-0 8 iLlbd2 b6 9 ie2 ib7 10 0-0

others in this book show Sokolsky as

'i!l'e7

Came 32 A.Sokolsky-P.Keres

an excellent defender and endgame expert.

USSR Championship, Moscow 1950

The ideas discussed by Sokolsky in the Keres game are illustrated well by

true that White has a weakness - the pawn on a4 - which needs defending.

The placement of the black pieces is

13 d4 na7 14 liles

the most natural, in the spirit of the position. 1O 'i!Yc7 is weaker because of •.•

1 1 I!c1! and later d3-d4.

Games 33-34. The notes to the former deal with the theme of the struggle for

1 b4 e6 2 .tb2 lilf6 3 bS

the centre, while the latter is a good

The most principled continuation.

example of solid positional play arising

The pawn on bS restricts Black's play

from the early thrust f2-f4.

while gaining space for '"uture opera

The remaining Sokolsky games here are

all

quite

Chekhover

instructive.

(Game

35)

Sokolsky

tions on the queenside. 3 <5 4 e3 dS •••

features the

The Simplest

and

queenside attack in all its glory as well

scheme of development.

as another well-played ending. His

S lilf3

perhaps best

encounters with Usov and Byvshev

Worth a look is 5 f4, taking control

(Games 36-37) demonstrate the im por

of eS. Without the knight on c6, Black

tant concept that White need not op

will find it difficult to push through

14...l:lfa8

[n this position equal. 11 a4

A

later

P.Atyashev.

the chances are

game.

USSR

A.5okolsky

Correspondence

pose rooks on an opened a-file when

...d5-d4. Can Black do this at once?

White's plan is to advance pawns

the heavy pieces have major tasks

Probably White can answer this with 6

on the queenside by a2-a4-aS, and

elsewhere.

iLlf3 or 6 id3 with 7 iLlf3 to follow.

Black feels impelled to stop this.

ibS c4 18 iLl bl iLlf6 19 .ta3 ic6 20

s iLlbd7 6 <4 �d6

11...aS

ixd6 'i!Yxd6 21 iLlc3 l:IaS? (21...:e7) 22

White's

space advantage

weighs heavily upon Black in these

•••

games.

This

continued

the

ixc6 'l!Yxc6 23 f3 l:!ca8 24 'il'd2 /i"e8 25 e4 tiJc7 26 litael, with White achieving

Scekic (Game 38) as an exam pie of a

sure,

an advantage.

virile counter to aggressive Black play,

played better in the game A .Sokolsky

also

included

Lapshun

is proba bly

on

1953/54,

14 ... Ik8 Is lilxd7 lilxd7 16 cxdS exdS 17

queenside, where Black is under pres

We've

counter-movement

Championship

not good.

Black

as well as a superb piece of entertain

V.Efremov,

ment. This is easily one of the two most

Championship 1 953/54. with l l . ..nad8

USSR

Correspondence

complex games in this book; its only

12 as ib8 13 axb6 axb6. Instead of 14

rival for top spot is the first of the Lap

d4 as in the game (which allowed

shun-Furdzik encounters in Chapter

1 4 ... eS!) White needed to play 14 'i!l'c2,

Six. We must note here that these two

moving

tactical

which would lead to a complex game

slugfests were played

at a

rapidplay time control of 30 minutes per player for the entire game! Thus

the queen from the d-file,

with mutual chances. 7 d3

12 bxa6 lba6

the notes will point out quite a few er

Instead of this, White can play 7

The opening of files on the queen

rors by both sides, which under the

il.e2 b6 8 d4. saving a tempo. Kataly

side is in principle better for White. [n

circumstances we hope will be par

mov recommends here 7 iLlc3, and if

addition. Black will have to spend time

doned by the reader.

7... 0-0 then 8 'iWb3; if 7 ...b6 then 8 a4.

repositioning his rooks. Of course, it's

74

1S f4

White overestimates his chances.

75

Queen 's Indian Systems

Play 1 b4! Instead 15 Illxd7 Illxd7 (15...� xd7?! is

33 ... IIxa4 34 Wh2 IIb4 35 .lia3 nd4!

answered by 16 cxd5 exd5 17 dxc5 bxc5

If 35 ...ne4 36 .lixc5 bxcS 37 ndS c4

18 Sl.xf6 gxf6 19 Sl.d3! with the threat of �h5) 16 cxd5 exd5 17 Sl.b5 would leave

38 ncs, White would reach a close-to drawing position.

White in a good position.

After 36... Sl.xa3 37 llxa3 b5 38 lla7

The threat is 17 ... Sl.xd2 18 �xd2

Wg6 39 g4 nd5 40 ne7, the black king

Ilxa4, so White must move the knight

can't approach the e5-pawn, the b

away from the d2-square, allowing the

pawn will be stopped by lhe rook from

black knight to enter e4.

the b7-square and the game should

17 liJdf3 liJe4 18 �b3 liJxe5 19 fxe5

finish as a draw.

W hite must avoid 19 Illxe5? Illd2, or 19 dxe5? Sl.c5+. 1!/..Jlc8 20 naC1

42 IIfH

42

e6?

nxe6 43

Sl.xg7

fails to

43...ng6i .

36 IIb3 IIe4

1S .•. cxd4 16 exd4 SLb4!

Here Black could trade rooks, but he prefers to transfer the king to e6.

42 .••We6 43 .!!d3 hS 44 Wf3 Wfs 4S g3 Sl.e5 46 e6!

37 Sl.b2

By 'gentle' play Black achieves a

White didn't risk 37 Sl.xcS bxc5 38

position in which he is winning the a

IIb7 nxe5 39 IIxf7 Wg6 because in this

pawn by (orce.

endgame Black has real chances to win.

31 nd8+

37 ...l::te1

White had based his hopes on 31 Sl.d4 Sl.xd4 (3l. ..nxa4? 32 Sl.xe3 nal+ 33 Sl.gl ) 32 nxd4, but Keres had prepared 32 ... b5! when Black is winning.

By decreasing the number of pawns

31•..wh7 32 nd3 .lies

on the board

White

increases

his

chances for a draw. 46._fxe6 47 Sl.xg7 na4 48 Sl.b2

Preventing 48...n a3

.

48..Jlb4 49 Sl.e3

49 Sl.a3 e5 50 1:c3 was another pos 20••.liJd2

sibility.

Black is trying to simplify into a fa

49•.Jle4

vourable endgame.

49 ...nb3 might be stronger, pinning

�8 nf3

21 liJxd2 �xd2 22 ne2 dxe4 23 nxe4

Probably better here was 38 g4 with

Black wins a pawn after 23 Sl.xc4 �g5 24 d5 �e3. 25 whl �xb3 26 Sl.xb3

the idea of cutting off the black king.

nxc2 27 Sl.xc2 Sl.xd5.

ter 38...IIe2i

23 ..•nxe4 24 Sl.xe4 �g5! 25 d5

The bishop endgame which occurs af 33 h�

39 Wg3 ne3+ 40 l:Ixe3

the white pieces. 50 Sl.b2 h4

This allows White to activate his piecesl but [ can't see how Black can

.lixe3 41 Wf3 Sl.c5 42 We4 Wg6 43 Sl.c1 is

improve his

drawish.

50 ... Ilc2 51 g4+ hxg4+ 52 hxg4+ Wg5 53

38..._ItgH 39 Wg3 Wg6

.lieS; 50 ...e5 51 .!!.dS Sl.d4 52 Sl.xM nxd4

position.

For example:

White has little choice: 25 nf2? Sl.e3!; 25 g3? Sl.e3+!; or 25 � g3 � xg3 26 hxg3

by 33 .lia3 llxa4 34 .lixc5 bxc5 35 Wgl

nxa4 and White loses a pawn with a

wouldn't offer White any hope after

After 39 ....!!.e3 40 wf4! '!! xf3+ 4 1 gxf3

bad position.

35 ... IIa7! 36 IIc3 IIc7 (not 35 ...c4? 36

25 ...�eH 26 Wh1 �xb3 27 Sl.xb3 Sl.xdS

l:Id7

Wg6 42 We4, pushing the pawn to f5 gives White serious counterchances.

draw.

28 Sl.xdS exdS 29 IId1 Sl.e3 30 llxdS h6

chances).

40 .lie3 .!!.e4 41 nd3 Wf5!

51 g4+Wg5 52 &e5 Ile2 53 Sl.e7 wg6 54

76

The transition to the rook endgame

Wg6

37

nc7,

with

drawing

53 nbS; and finally SO ... bS 51 .!M7. In all cases the endgame should finish as a

77

Play 1 b4 1

Queen 's Indian .systems

j>_d8 j>_f2 55 .l'!b3 Wf7 56 .ltxb6

pressure

With the capture of the passed b pawn, a draw becomes inevitable.

against

the

two

hanging

24 'il'd2 'il'h4 would give Black a win

axb6 axb6 3 4 "i!!' xf5 would have given

pawns on c5 and d5.

ning attack.

White an edge.

11 .l.e8

18 il.xc3 dxe4 19 lilxe4 Iild5

••

56 SLxb6 57 .l'!xb6 Il:h2 58 g5 Il:xhH 59

3 1 lile1+ 3 2 Wh Iil d3 33 axb6 axb6 • .•

34 il.c3

.••

Wg4 J:!h1 60 llb7+ Wf8 61 J:!h7 Il:gl+ 62

34 il.xb6! l:te5 35 l:ta5 c3 36 Wg2 c2

<j;f4 I1fl+ 63
37 l:ta8+ 'it>f7 38 l:!c8 Ille l+ 39 �f1 ]:!,xbS

l:th6 e4 66 J:tf6+ V.-V.

40 Wxel lhb6 4 1 11xc2 is a dead draw. 34...liJxh2+ 35 'it>g2 1ilg4 36 lila7 I1e2 37 il.d4

Game 33

Even though Black now has two ex

L Kiss-P.Kiss

tra pawns, White's two very active

Eger 1992

pieces provide enough com pensation. 37

In a

tournament i n Hungary

[

The

played an opponent named Kiss, and one of my students played another

<3

•••

position

after 37 ... ll:d2!? 38

il.xb6 c3 39 .l'!c7 c2 40 il.a7 Wf8 41 b6 12 'it>hl?!

Kiss. But I've never seen a game be

A complete waste of time - it's dif

20 SLb2

20 'il'c2! ? "i!!'d7 21 Iild2 1ilg5 22 il.xd5

lIxf2+ 42 'it>gl c1"1!f+ 43 J:lxc1 lZb2 44 .l'!cB+ We7 45 .l'!c7+ 'it>d6 46 J:txg7 offers

tween two Kisses, until now!

ficult to believe a master would play

il.xd5 23 f3 is about equal.

White some winning chances, bul we

1 b4 d5 2 SLb2 Iilf6 3 e3 e6 4 b5 <5 5

such a move before developing the rest

20...'iI'c7 21 'il'd2 lilef4 22 1ilc3 Iilxc3 23

think Black should be able to hold. 38 I1xg7+ W f8 39 J:l.c7 C2 40 il.xb6

Iilt3 Iilbd7 6 <4 b6

of his pieces. 12 "i!!c2 c4 \3 a4 'ite7 1 4

"l!fxC3 il.xf3 24 'itxf3 Iild3 25 J:l.xe8+

lilfcl a6 1 5 bxa6 j"xa6 would be

I1xe8 26 il.c3 h6 27 g3 'ite7 28 l:[a2 'il'e4

Sokolsky-Keres (see Game 32).

roughly equal.

29 'it>g2 f5

7 il.e2 il.d6 8 0-0 il.b7 9 <xd5 exd5 10

12

d4 0-0

liJt8 16 .t!e1 liJe6 17 e4?!

6 ... il.d6 7 d3 O,{) 8 Iilbd2 b6 was

••.

'iWe7 13 a4 <4 14 Iild2 il.b4 15 xf3

Black has very active pieces, but it's not enough to claim an advantage. 30 as 'itxd4

40...lile5?

40 lId2 41 'it>f3 Iile5. 42 'iPe3 :t:!d6 43 ...

il.a5 lIdS 44 lhc2li1xb5 45 il.c3 'it>e7 46 il.xe5 �xe5+ 47 Wf4 �f6 is a draw, ll liJc3

11 dxc5!? is another option. After

17 ...Ji.xc3?

while even simpler is 40 ...l:e5 41 J:txc2 31 il.xd4?

1 l ._bxc5 12 'itc2 lite8 13 Iilbd2 .!Ic8 1 4

1 7 ...lilf4' 18 'il'c2 (18 e5 Iild3) 18 ... il.xc3 19 il.xc3 dxe4 20 il.dl e3 21

l:tfdl 'ite7 1 5 il.d3 White can build

I1xe3 SLxg2; 22
sory! 31 J:!e2! 'il'd7 32 J:!xe8; 'il'xe8 33

78

In chess, captures aTe not compul

:r:!xb5. 41 il.e3! The bishop stops Black's c-pawn,

79

Queen's Indian Systems

Play 1 b 4 ! 1i> ..6 1iJd7

whereas the white b-pawn will run to

along the c-file, s o he pushes his

glory.

pawn and induces White to capture.

41, liJd3 42 1i>0 cl� 43 il.xC1 IiJxC1 44

15 bxc6 .icllc6 16 liJc3 ll:c8 17 '!'I'bl .icb7

W c6 is zugzwang, and 53...We6 54 1i>b6

IlxC1 llb2 45 ll:c5 f4 46 gxf4 Ii>g7 47

18 IiJb5 d5 19 odS .icxd5 20 .icd4

wd6 55 Ii>b5 Ii>d7 56 Wc5 li>e6 57 Wc6

.•

r

53 ...We7 54 wb6 1i>d6 55 b5 1i>e6 56

Ii>g4 ll:xf2 48 ll:c7+ Ii>f6 49 Ilc5 li>e7 50

reaches the same position.

Wfs hS Sl 1i>gS ll.b2 1-0

S4 1iJ"g6 IiJf6 SS IiJh4 li>e6 S6 IiJf3 Ii>d6

White grabs the h5-pawn,

S 7 IiJg5 c6 S8 WaS IiJd7 59 Wb4 1-0

after

which one of his pawns will become a

Two extra pawns, together with

queen.

Black's thret> weaknesses, are more than enough to win this position.

Game 34 M.Vokac-M.Tratar

34 ... liJf6 3S d3 Ii>d7 36 h3 Ii>c7 37 IiJ<S

Ceske Budejovice 1996

Ii>c6 38 IiJb3 Ii>d6 39 IiJd4 IiJd7 40 IiJf3

Game 35 A.Sokolsky-V.Chekhover

Leningrad 1938

IiJf8 41 liJg5 f6 1 b 4 liJf6 2 il.b2 e6 3 b5 b6 4 e3 .icb7 5

This move weakens Black's pawn White has managed to trade off his

f4

structure, but the only alternative was

1 b4 liJf6 2 �b2 e 6 3 b5 b6 4 e 3 il.b7 5

weak c4-pawn and now starts \0 attack

an undesirable king retreat.

1iJ0 i.e7

Black's vulnerable b-pawn.

42 liJf3 li>cs 43 IiJd4 Ii>d6

20..:'li'a2 2 1 liJc3 �xbl 22 ll.xbl .iccs 2 3 IiJxds IiJ x d s 24 g3 .icxd4 2 S t;',xd4 g6 2 6 Wf2 ll:a8 2 7 il.0 l:la2 28 il.xd5 exd5

Despite the two weak pawns, Blark should hold this ending. However, the task proves to be Loo difficult after a blunder by Black and some excellent endgame play by White. 29 We2 h5??

Black should rush his king to the With 5 f4 White is aiming to gain

centre with 29 ... wf8!' The text move

control of the e5-square. 5 IiJf3 is more

wastes time.

common: 5... .ice7 6 �_e2 (6 c4 0-0 7 �_e2

30 ll:bs Ilas 31 ll:xas bxas 3 2 liJc6 Wf8

d5 8 a4 was Sokolsky-Chekhover - see

Black plays in the style of the 44 1i>d2

Now the white king will circle

Winning a pawn, as 32 ... a4 can be

Queen's Indian Defence. White begins an advance on the queenside, where he

Game 35) 6 ... 0-0 7 0-0 d5 8 d3 c5 9

met by 33 liJe7� Wf8 34 IiJxd5.

round its counterpart.

has a space advantage.

IiJbd2 IiJbd7 10 c4 .icd6 1 1 Ilet �c7 was

n liJxas li>e7 34 liJb7

44.. ,liJd7 45 Wc3 IiJc5 46 IiJf3 liJa4+ 47

6 c4 0-0 7 il.e2 d5 8 a4 dxc4

equal in A.Miles-Z.Ribli, London 1984.

A long time ago somebody told me

wd4 1ilc5 48 IiJh4 1iJe6+ 49 1i>C3 Q)f8

Giving up the centre leads to an ad vantage for Whit... Black should play

5...a6 6 a4 axbS 7 axbs ll.xal 8 .icxal d6

that knight endgames are very similar

9 IiJf3 IiJbd7 10 .ice2 �a8 11 .icb2 .ice7

to pawn endgames, in which case an

lacking the two weaknesses on g6 and

8... c5.

12 0-0 0-0 13 c4 Ild8 14 �c2 c5

extra pawn is almost always a decisive

d5.

9 liJa3 <3 10 il.x<3 IiJd5

factor.

50 wb4 Wc6 51 d4 Ii>d6 52 1i>b5 f5 53

Black

80

seeks

active

counterplay

White's strategy is based upon at

And here too it's better to play

81

Play 1 b 4 ! 1 0...cS.

Quee n 's (ndian Systems 25 lZlxa5

11 il.b2 id6 12 il.xf6 'f¥xf6 13 0-0 ndB

40_. �d6 41 lZlfB �d3 42 g3 g5 43 lZlxh7 lZld7 44 lZla5

14 'i!!'bl! li'ld7

A natural move. Now on 14 ... cS, 1 5

Four pawns against the knight! A very interesting endgame to thp finish. 57._lile2 5B g4+! Wg6 59 Wd6 lilC3 60 e5 lile4+ 61 �d7 lile5+ 62 �e6 lZld3 63

lZlc4 lZld7 1 6 a s ! is very strong.

�d6 lZlf2 64 e6 lilxg4 65 e7 1i1f7 66 h5

15 lZlc4 lZlc5 16 liIC1

Of course not 66 �d7 because of

66 ... lZle5+ 67 ¢'d8 lilc6. , and against 66 g6. Black has 66 . �e8 67 g7 lilh6 68 . .

W e6 lilg8. 66...�eB 67 h6 lilf2 6B h7 lile4+ 69 �e5 lilxg5 70 hB'iW+ 1-0

25 .. .li!xCl+

Otherwise there would follow 26 lZlac6. 26 J:bCl WfB 27 f3 :!lcB

In the annotations to this game,

44u.g4

This is the only chance to compli

published in the tournament bulletin,

of his forces and threatens moves like

the chess master Alatortsev suggested

d2-d4, a4-aS or lZlc4-aS. Black's knights

for Black the variation 27... e5 28 lZldc6

fxg4 We7 47 g5.

must retreat.

Ji:c8, believing lhat Black could put up

46 lZle4+ �e7 47lild2 il.a2 4B fxg4 il.g8

16u.lZle7 17 d4 �e4

stiH resistance. Bu t White can win in a

49 lZlxf6 �xf6 50 h4

1 b4 e6 2 il.b2 lilf6 3 b5 a6

45 �e3 il.bl

White wins eaSily after 4S ... il.xbS 46

17 ...lZle4 would have been better,

study-like way, as tollows: 29 lZlc4!

but even in this case White develops

lZlxc6 30 lZld6 J:lc7 3J 1:!xc6! J:ld7 32 nc8.

strong pressure after 18 as.

We7 33 lZlfS. �f6 34 g4, and there is no

50...il.e6 51 g5+ �g6 52 lZle4 IiIh5 53

lB 'iWb2 il.d3

good defence to the threat 35 llc6+.

b6! il.xe4 54 �xe4 lilxb6+ 55 � e5 lila4+

2B llxcB+ Ii:'lxcB 29 1i:'lde 6 WeB 30 Ii'lxa7!

56 �d5 lile3+ 57 �xe5

il.xd3 20 lZlce5.

Odessa 1960

cate things a little bit. On 44 ... il.e2, White answers 4s lilc4 ' We7 46 li'ld2.

W hite has finished the mobilization

J8 ...lZld3 is bad because of J9 �_xd3

Game 36 A.Sokolsky-D.Usov

Passed pawns on both flanks ensure White's victory.

Using the strength of the far ad

Against 18 ... il.d3 White could reply

vanced b-pawn. White carries out a

19 �dl, but after 19 .. £>
small combination. After 30... lZlxa7 3J

Black would obtain some counterplay.

b6, the b-pawn becomes a queen.

The continuation in the game leads to

30u.lZlb6 31 Wf2 �d7 32 e4 f6 33 �e3

should be better for White, because he

an ending which is clearly better for

e5 34 ¢'d3 � f7

has more space.

White.

Finally t he black bishop can gel into

Trying to open the a-file. In princi ple opening a file on the queenside

4 a4 d5 5 e3 e5

19 dxc5 'iWxb2 20 lZlxb2 i.xe2 21 li'ld4

the game.

il.h5

35 1i1e3 l!/e7 36Wb4 il.a2 37 lZl7e6 g6 3B

been played in other games.

lZlb3 �bl 39 lZlc5 il.e2 40 lZle6+

6 lilf3 .lid6 7 e4

21...�g4 would have offered more chances for Black. 22 cxb6 cxb6 23 lZlc4 Ji:acB 24 as bxa5

82

40 WaS is easier, but this was the last move of the time control.

S ... axbS 6 axbS l:txal 7 il.xal has

White consolidates his space on the queenside. He now wishes to play d2-

83

Queen '5 Indian Systems

Play 1 b 4 ! d4, achieving central parity.

cxd5 .l>.xd5 1 9 .I1l.c4.

7 ...lbbd7 8 .l>.e2 b6 9 d4 'iIIe7

18 .lU2'i!i'e7

Black's decision to place his queen

Black's position seems active, but

here is both premature and poorly

after two further moves White's advan

judged, as White will soon open the c

tage becomes apparent.

file. Better is 9 ... .I1l.b7 10 ltlbd2 0-0 1 1 0-0

19 exds �_xdS 20 .I1l.c4

36 ltlg5+! lti>h6 3 7 ltlxf7+! 'ilIh7?

26 .l>.xb3 .••

Not a lot better is 26... exd3 27 ltld4,

Zeitnot! But 37 _ .'!!l'xf7 38 '!lVh8< 1l¥h7

when the d3-pawn should disappear.

39 'i!!' xb2 is hopeless for Black in any

27 .l>.xe4! ltlxe4 28 1l¥xb3

case. 38 'OiI'g8 mate (1-0)

"iIIe7, with a later ...lIfd8.

Game 3 7 A.Sokolsky-V.Byvshev

10 ltlbd2 .l>.b7 11 nel!

Lvov 1951 1 b4 ltlf6 2 .l>.b2 e 6 3 b S dS 4 e 3 a6 5 a 4 ltlbd7

Black could exchange rooks on the a-file, but this exchange probably fa vours White. With more room to ma The tactics have ended. White has 20...lIxb2

An exchange sacrifice - a result of

more likely to use this file.

chances to win. One might expect a

6 ltlf3 .l>.d6 7 e4 <5 8 d3

quiet transfer to a winning ending, but

A 'positionaJ' sacrifice, not of mate

Black accepting that his position was

soon complications arise again.

rial, but of a file! White 'sacrifices' the

not good. It's true that 20 ... .l>.xc4 2 1

28 ...ltleS 29 'ii'e4 lId2

open a-file, realizing that Black, with his

ltlxc4 e 4 22 ltld4, and 2 0. . .J:12a7 2 1 .l>.xd5

lack of space, can't do anything with it.

ltlxd5 22 ltlc 4 with t he threat of 23

this rook on the seventh rank.

lIidI, are not attractive for Black.

30 ltlf3 11b2 31 nn !

from the opening of the central files.

21 'ii'x b2 e4 22 ltlh2

This is the beginning of a wrong plan. 13 ...11ac8, and later ..."illb8, is a better option. 14 'ii' b3 nfa8 15 0-0 cxd4

White must play carefully: 22 ltld4 is worse because of 22 ...'ill e5. 22...l:ld8!

White decides matters b y capturing

If Black accepts the pawn sacrifice with 32. ..lhb5, then after 33 naB+ IIIh 7 34 'ii'f5+ g6 35 'i!!'c8 he can't escape from

lows 23 ... i1.xc4 24 J:Ixc4 (or 24 ltlxc4

checkmate.

Black can't continue slowly because

ltld3) 24 ...ltld3 25 1l¥c2 .l>.xh2+ 26 IIIx h2

33 'i!!' fS+ g6 34 'OiI'e8 h5

White can play nfd1 followed by ltld2-

ltlxf2 27 lIn 'ii'd6+ 28 111gI ltlxh3+!.

bl-c3, beginning central

2 3 ltlb3 ltld3! 24 i<_xd3 �a3

34...'i!!' f6 35 naB 'i'!'g7 is

with the threat of :!!.a7.

16 .l>.xd4 ltleS 17 "iIIb1 eS

25 'i!!'e3 .l>.x
35 lIa8 '!lVf6

White would start to attack with 18

84

of 27...i1.xg2! 28 111 xg2 'iIIe4< .

little more

achieves victory by playing 36 'i!l'e8

he still can't achieve material equality. Not 26 ltlxc1 exd3 27 ltlxd3, because

a

resilient, although even here White

sky-Byvshev (see Game 37). Against other moves, like 17...'ii'e7,

queen on e7.

31 ... h6 32 'i!!'d S! lti>h7

The best move, containing a clever

Black is regaining the exchange, but

In time the c-file can be opened, so

12 h3 nfe8

the a-file. How ironic!

trap. On the natural 23 J:::fd1 there fol-

himself as in the similar game Sokol

'ii'e 7

it was better for Black to place his

Releasing pressure in the centre.

operations

Another plan is to put pressure on d5 after 8 tilc3 and 9 'i!!' b3. 8...0-0 9 ltlbd2 b6 10 .l>.e2 .l>.b7 11 0-0

Black's counterplay is based upon

On the other hand, White will profit

11...axbS 12 axbS 0-0 13 h3 l'Ia2

noeuvre on the queenside, White is

got an extra pawn and plenty of

Now there follows a little combina tion.

13 lIel!

85

Play 1 b 4 !

Queen 's Indi a n Sys tems

Conceding

the a-file, White pre

White's active pieces, especially h i s

pares to open the centre with d3-d4.

bishops, and his strong b-pawn prom

:13.•. axbs 14 axbs I\a2

ise good winning chances.

Black's idea 10 use the a-file for counterplay doesn't work, as his rooks

3 2 ...l:txd6!

0--0,

Probably the best chance.

33 l:txd6!

22 ...<1)xds 23 ll xdS il.xd5 24 'lWxd5 'lWe7

played

in

A.Ornstein

t"ypical continuation.

It would have been a mistake to capture the queen because of 33 �xe6

25 lld 1

as

R.Akesson. Stockholm 1998, is a fairly

7 c3

I didn't want to see any of his pieces

can't be supported by the rest of the

nxdJ t 34 ""h2 nxb7.

in my camp. so I felt obliged

pieces duf' to a lack of space. II would

33 ....!:tb1+ 34 1t>h2 'lWe7 35 il.d5 g6 36 f4

this weird-looking move.

have been better to play 14 ...l:tac8 in

IIh6 38 I1b6 1-0

7...1Le7 8 C4 0-0 9 iLe2 d6

lending ... 1!Ib8.

The b-pawn will become a queen.

lS �b3 nea8 Black

10

play

A reasonable alternative is 9 ... d5 10 0-0 dxc4 11 iLxc4 axbS 12 axb5 :!l:xal l3

stubbornly

continues

the

iLxal.

Game 38

wrong plan. It was actually better to

Y.Laps hun-M.Scekic

return the other rook to a8.

Marshall Chess C l u b (Rapid) 2004

16 liJb1 'lWd8 17 !Hd1 Il2a4 After a random move like 17 _.h6,

10 0-0 e5 11 liJc3 liJbd7 12 d4 axb5 13 axb5 exd4

It would not be prudent to advance in the centre. After 13 ...e4 14 liJd2 .Il:xal

White would carry out his threat 18

I had se<>n that my opponent in I his

15 'ilKxal ne8 16 'lWa4 �f8 17 'f!I'c2 g6 18

liJa3, and if 18 ...lI8xa3, then 19 i<.xa3

game, the Yugoslav 1M Milos Seekic,

nal White can combine play on the

:!xe2 20 ""n trapping the rook.

2 5.•.<1)f8

18 liJc3 .!!:4a S 19 d4!

was a strong tactician,

On 25...liJf6 there could follow 26

With his pieces well posted, White

'lWd8+ �f8 27 il.xf6 il.h2+ 28 11<xh2 Ihd8

so

1 b4 was a

pawn.

1 b4 e6 2 �b2 liJf6 3 bS a6 4 a4 b6

14 liJxd4 llxal 15 'ilKxa1 l::e8 16 iLf3

will benefit from opening the centre.

29

three minor

For 4 ... d5 5 e3 c5, see Games 36-37.

19.. �b8

pieces tor the queen, White should win.

Another viable way for Black to play is

19 ...'�;-e7 would have been a slightly stronger choice. Now there follows an unexpected sacrifice.

il.xd8!, and

having

26 il.c4 118a7 27 liJe5! il.xe5 28 il.xe5

with 4...c6 5 bxc6 bxc6 6 liJf3 c5, as in

lIa4 29 il.d6 'ilKe6 30 b6!

K.Volke-Y.5hulman, Minsk 1 994.

The b-pawn decides. It's interesting

20 cxd5 exd5 21 dxc5 bxc5

open a-file with pressure on the e4-

very good positional choice.

5 liJf3 il.b7 6 e3

to observe the connection between the opening and the finish of the game!

30..JId7 31 b7 .Il:b4 32 'lWxcs

In order to occupy the weak d5- and c6-squares. I had to trade my light squared bishop.

16...1Lxf3 17 liJ.d3 liJc5 18 liJd4 18 liJd5 was more promising, for

6...il.b4!? 22 liJxdS! A

86

positional

6 ... axb5 7 axb5 .Il:xal 8 il.xa1 d6 9 exchange

sacrif ice.

_Q.e2 liJbd7 1 0 c4 'lWa8 J 1 liJc3 iLe7 12 0--0

example after 18 ...<1\c..4 19 liJd4 'f!I'd7 20 .!!.el liJc5 21 .!!.c3 liJxdS 22 cxdS

f5

23

liJc6 iLf6 24 lla3 1Lxb2 25 'ifxb2.

87

Play 1 b 4 ! lS

..•

'iI!'d7 19 l1:d1 lilfe4 2 0 li'lds �h4!

A good move, forcing a weakening of White's kingside and thus gaining countf'rplay. 21 g3 �dS 22 Wg2?! 22 �'a8! il.f6 23 �c6 �xc6 24 bxc6

Queen 's Ind;an Systems 28. ..fxp6 29 li'lh2 'l!I'g6 3 0 l1d4 li'lf6 with

'fIixf3 1Zl3e4 and it's Black who should

and both players were desperately

an equal position.

win. 33 _.gxf6 34 IZlxf6+ 1t>f7!

short of time!

2S li'lh2 'i!!' c s 29 f31

The slart of my combination. 29...li'la4 30 'i!!'a1 li'lees 31 li'lg4 fS 32

3 S li'lgS+ wg6 39 'lWa7?

34... Wh8 is bad on account of 35

Under time pressure it was not pos

IZlg4+ l:!g7 36 IZlh6 'il'e6 37 IZlxfS 'i!!' d7 38

sible for me to calculate that I could

g4 'il'f7 39 hS h6 40 IZlxh6 'ti'f8 41 IZlfS.

win with the sequence 39 'lIi'a2! 'lIi'h8 40

il.d8 25 f3 lilg5 26 lIal would have kf'pt

Alternatively, 34 ... wf8 35 tZlg4! l:!g7 36

'i!!'c2 li'ld4 41 �d 1 IZlb3 42 Wf2 'il'c3 43

an advantage.

'il'f6+ Wg8 37 li'lh6+ wh8 38 li'lxf5 'i!!'g8

hSi Wh6 44 Ihf5 lilc5 45 lIf7 lile4i 46

22 ...li'lgS 23 li'lf4 �f6 24 h4 li'lge4 25

39 li'lxg7 'i!!'xg7 40 'lWd8+ 'lWg8 41 'i!i'xc7 is

li'lxe4 llxe4 47 'il'd5 �c2 t 48 �f1 �xc4+

li'lf3?

also hopeless for Black.

49 �xc4 Ihc4 50 g4, reaching a win

3s lilxh71

ning rook ending. 39...lIe2+?

IZlhS lite7

I was afraid to play 25 f3! because of 25...i..e5 26 fxe4 �g4, but here 27 ll:gl li'lxe4 28 'i!!' el 1ta8 2 9 Wh2 l'ta4 30 ll:g2

After defending so well, it was a

I!xc4 31 'i!!' b1 li'lcs 32 'il!'fS beats of f the

pity for Black that he missed the oppor

attack.

tunity to play 39 ... �e8! 40 �xc7 lle2+

2S ...il.xb2 26 �xb2 'il'g4

41 \l;>h3, when 41..l!h2i I forces a per

Scekic was coming after me with his

petual check after 42 IIIx h2 �e2+ 43

whole army! I had to work hard to de fend his threatened sacrifices on g3 and

wgl 'il'e1+ 44 wg2 �e2+. My inluition told me that one of the

f2.

knighl sacrifices should win, but which

27 11ds

one?

40\l;>h3

I was thinking about li'lh6+,

tZlgf6+, li'lhf6+ and li'lxg7. At this mo ment bot h of us were in severe time trouble and I had to make my decision quickly.

Black keeps finding the best practi

n li'lgf6+!?

27 ...f611

3S ...IleS!

cal chance. Against 35 ... Wg8, White

Only 33 IZlxg7!! gives White a sure

wins after the sequence 36 li'lf6+ wf7 37

win. I saw it but was afraid of 33 ... fxg4.

li'lh5 Wg8 38 g4 'i!i'd8 (38 ... fxg4 39 l::tg5+)

However, White can play 34 li'lf5 gxf3+

39 Ilxf5 Ile5 40 :XeS dxe5 41 'lIi'xe5 wf7

35 Wft 'lWe6 36 IZlxe7+ 'il'xe7 37 l:tg5+

42 'iI'g7+ We6 43 lilf4+ wd6 44 e4 lild7

�f7 38 J:lg7+ winning the black queen,

45 'lWg6+ We7 46 'lWgs+ li'lf6 47 e5 �d2+

a point I managed to miss while calcu

48 Wh3.

lating the jungle of variations.

36 f4 lil b3!

After

the

game

Aleksander

36 ...lIxd5 allows 37 'fJ'f6+ Wg8 (or

40...li'ld2?

Allowing a simple tactic. 40 ...'i!i'e8 41 li'lf3l:te7 puts up more resislance.

27 ...li'le6 is stronger: 28 li'lxe6 (28

Wojtkiewicz told me t hat 34 J:tg5? (in

37... We8 38 �f8i wd7 39 li'lf6 t We6 40

li'ld4?! li'lxf4 t 29 exf4 h6 30 �f'2 'il!'c8

stead of 34 lilf5) was a winning move,

cxd5 mate) 38 �g6+ wh8 39 li'lf6 l:d2+

Good enough, but more precise is

favours Black; but it was worth consid

but the position is so complex that even

40 wh3, when Black cannot prevent

4 1 �a1! li'le4 42 li'lxe4 nxe4 43 h5+ \l;>h7

ering 28 'fIic2, for example 28 ...li'lxf4+ 29 exf4 li'lf6 30 rld2 li'lh5 31 l:!d4 'i!!'d 7 32

sl rong grandmasters can be mistaken: 34 ...gxf3i 35 wh2 l:!e5! 36 l:!xe5 dxe5 37

mate.

(43 .. .'.t>xh5 44 �g7) 44 �f6 l:!xc4 45

37 'lWxa4 1he3!

�e7+Wh8 46 h6 �g8 47 l:txf5.

l:!e4 li'lf6 33 lhe8+ 'fIixe8 34 li'ld4)

'lIi'xe5 'lWf8 38 li'lJ 5 li'lc3 39 'lWf4 'lWf6 40

88

The complications reach their peak,

41 11xd6+!

41...�hS

89

Queen 's Indian Sys tems

Play 1 b4! mate. A mere human can't possibly work this out with no time on the clock.

4S ... ll<xh6 46 \\!ff8+ whS

Sokolsky, and is sometimes employed

Or 46 ...�g6 47 1lle5+ It>h7 48 'i!!'f7 •.

47 'i!!' h8+ Il
by those more familiar with the Reti. S •••<S

42 ...lllf1 43 Illf3

A serious attem pi to claim the ini tiative by attacking the centre.

6 bXC5 After 6 b5?! a6 7 bxa6 il.xa6 Black enjoys an edge due to the isolated pawn on a3. This is a consequence of playing b4-b5 without I he precaution of il.b2.

6 bxc5 7 C4 Illc 6 8 0·0 il.e7 9 Illc3 0·0 10 d3 J:1b8 11 il.f4 d6 12 J:1b1 il.a8 •.•

42 J::rt6?? 42 'i!!'a l ? allows Black to save the

The pawn structure now resembles

game with 42 .. .Ibe4! (42 ... cxd6? 43 'i!!'g7

the English Opening. With the passive

lTh2+ 44 �xh2 'i!!'xc4 45 g4+ �xg4 46 lile4+ �xf4 47 lilxd2 \\!fe2;

48 'fil'g2

This beautiful checkmate excited

43 .J:1f2?? .•

12 ... il.a7 Black is trying to trade pieces

the 20 or so spectators who were

and achieve a draw.

watching the finale to this game.

13 'i!!'a4

'i!!'xg2+ 49 �xg2 is winning for White) 43 J:1d5 Illf2+ 44 Il
tables completely with 43 ...llle 3!! 44

Following 13 lhb8!? 1i!'xb8 14 'i!!'a4

46 J:1e5 Illxe5 47 'i!!' dl Illxc4 48 'i!!' xe2+

'i!!' al 'i!!'g8 45 Illg5 Illg4 46 1i!'gl Illxf6 47

'i!!'c7 (14 ...'i!!'b2?? 15 .!! bl 'i!!'xc3 16 il.d2

'i!!'xe2+ 49 �xe2 Ill d6.

'i!!' dl 'i!!'xc4, when Black is winning.

42 1lxd2!! is the only move thai wins here - who could believe such a thing? 42...J:1xd2 43 'i!!' al 'iil'e8

My opponent could have turned the

44 'i!i'a3! 'i!i'b7? This allows mate, but Black's mo

Game 39 D.Bronstein-B.lvkov

llle4 17 il.xc3 Illxc3 18 'i!i'c2 Illxb1 19

Amsterdam I nterzonal 1964

ment had already passed and White was now winning in any case.

'ill' xbl should be winning for White) 15 .!!b1 nb8 16 nxb8+ 'i!!'xb8, White's activ ity shouldn't be sufficient to win.

1 1llf3 Illf6 2 b4 e6 3 a3 b6 4 g3 il.b7 S il.g2

13 ...'i!!'d7 14 il.gs h6

44 Ill f3! (44 'i!!'g7 J:1h2+! draws by perpetual check) 44. ..J:1f2 45 'i!!' f6 'i!!'g6 46 'i!!'h8+ 'i!!' h6 47 'i!!'e8 'i!!'f6 48 'i!!'d7 \\!fg6 49 ille S 'i!i'f6 50 'i!i'h7+ and White forces 90

4S J:1h6+!! At this moment both of us had less than 15 seconds left on our clocks.

15 il.xf6 light

15 il.d2 was safer, but Bronstein al

squared bishop is a rare idea in the

ways tried to force the issue. By captur-

The fianchetto of White's

91

Queen 's Indian Systems

Play 1 b 4 ! to

Sokolsky's Opening, but in this game

strengthen his control of the squares e4

White chooses another path for the

and dS. But he succeeds only in im

Sokolsky bishop.

knight and prepare ...e6-eS.

proving Black's position.

9...cS 10 bxcS bxcS 11 d3

23 g4 itlf4 24 .l11.xf4 gxf4 25 gxfs ltif7 26 n b S nxb5 27 cxb5 nb8 28 J:!b1

ing

Black's

knight,

White

tries

:lS .l11.xf6 :l6 liJ e4 .i.. b2 :J.7 IUd1 fS •..

The position now looks very much

21 .l11.e3 d4 22 .l11.d 2 e5 22...g6 frees the g7-square for the

17...:tb6!? is the natural move, pre

as if it arose from the English Opening.

White should have an edge because

paring to double rooks and allowing

11 lIbl would have been another good

in this closed position a knight ought to

Black to fight for the initiative.

choice.

be stronger than a bishop.

:l8 liJed2 liJeS 19 'iWas

11... h6 12 .l11.f4 liJ h s 13 .l11. d2 fS 14 �ab1 .l11.c6

28...ltif6 29 b6 axb6 30 J:!xb6+ J:!J(b6 3:J. liJxb6ltixf5 32 a4 e4 33 f3 exd3 34 exd3

19 'iWxd7 liJxd7 20 liJel �b6 21 .l11. xa8 lIxa8 22 liJc2 lIab8 is better for Black.

19...liJc6 19 ...liJxf3+! 20 .l11. xf3 .l11.xf3 21 liJxf3

Game 41 B.Gurgenidze-G.Kalatozishvili

Kirovabad 1973 1 liJf3 itlf6 2 b4 e6 3 a3 iLe7 4 C4 b6 S e3 cs 6 bs .l11. b7 7 d3 0-0 8 .l11. b2 ds 9 liJbd2 liJbd7 10 �_e2 '/Wb8

Black should consider 14 ...liJb6!?

1 S liJgS! hxgS lS ... .l11.xg2 16 liJxe6 'iWc8 17 IlIxg2

liIb3 would have given Black an advan

wins a pawn for White.

tage.

16 .l11. xc6 nc8 :J.7 .l11. x d7?!

20 'iWa4 liJes 2 1 'iWas liJc6 22 'iWa4 liJes V.-V.

tage if he kept this active bishop by

White would maintain an advan playing 17 .l11.g 2.

Game 40 B.Gurgenidze-A.Schneider

:J.7 . . 'iWxd7 18 'iWa4 'iWxa4 19 liJxa4 nb8 20 h3 .

World Senior Championship, Biel 1994

Sokolsky-Byvshev (see Game 37) increasing

reached a very similar position. In that

every move.

game Byvshev tried to attack by cap

34 ...ltie6 35 Itif1 .l11.d 8 36 itlc4 il.c7 37 ltie2 ltids 38 Itid1 ltic6 39 1tiC2 Itib7 40 Itib3 Il1c641 1tic2 ltidS?!

turing the a-file, but this plan didn't

White's

:l liJf3 liJf6 2 b4 e6 3 a3 b6 4 g3 .l11. b7 5 .l11.g2 .l11.e7 6 0-0 0-0 7 C4 d6 8 'iWc2 liJbd7

advantage

is

41...ltib7 would have offered some

11 0-0 liJe8 12 a4 as

42 h4! g6 43 as Itic6 44 a6 .i.b8 4S Itib3 ltids

White's a-pawn.

47 ltia4 .i.c7 48 a7 Itib7 49 Itib5 and

Black should play 20...1tif7. In the endgame you

should

activate

your

king and also try to avoid creating weaknesses in your own camp. After 20... d5 White could have won a pawn

9 liJc3 9 .l11.b2 would be in the style of

92

Stopping

any

movement

from

13 J:!c1 itld6 Black is ready to push his f-, e- and

White wins.

d-pawns to gain control of the centre,

46 Iilb6+ Itic6 47 Iilc8 .i.es 48 liJe7+ Itib6 49 a7 Itib7 SO liJxg6 .l11.f6 51 h S .i.gS 5 2 Itic4 ltixa7 5 3 liJeS l!lb6 S4 liJf7 1-0

and White must prevent this plan.

becomes very dangerous, and Black

Black cannot stop the h-pawn and

should have dealt with the pin on his

with 21 cxdS! exdS 22 liJc3 d4 23 liJdS .l11 .d6 24 .i..xgS.

prepare an attack in the centTe.

drawing chances.

Or if instead 4S....l11.c7 46 llIa3 .i.b8

20...dS?

work and Sakolsky won. HeTe Kala tozishvili slowly regroups his pieces to

so

he resigned.

14 itleS liJxe5 15 .l11.xeS f6 16 .l11. g3 eS?! Now White's Iighl -squared bishop

knight in a different way. One of the

93

Q u e e n 's I n d ian Systems

Play 1 b4! possibilities was to play 1 6...�d8.

17 d4

A mistake. The move 23...f3! could

'ifxb8+! l:i:xb8 29 ttld6 lIg5 30 lIcs. and

decide which pawn structure he wants

lead to a drawish position after 24

following 30 ... 1I.xf3 31 l:(xg5 1I.dl 32

in the centre, and it's certainly safer to

ttlxg5 fxe2 25 'ifx('2 'ifxg3 26 ttle6 nae8

l:(cS 1I.xa4 33 b6 <;!tf8 34 b7 Black would

castle first, as we saw in the previous

27 'ife4 IIf6 28 nf3 'ifd6 29 'lWxd4 'ifxd5

be in big trouble.

two games.

30 'ifxd5 i.xd5 31 ttlc7 lle5 32 ttlxd5

2B ....!lxf6 29 1I.xd5+ 'it>hB

7 cxdS exdS B bS

l:l:xdS.

Suddenly Black might even be bet-

24 'lWxd4!

ter.

The only way to achieve an advan

30 'ifcS .!lfS 31 'ifc6

tage is by taking the initiativf> with this exchange sacrifice.

24 f3 25 j>_xf3 �xC1 26 IIxC1 II.ds •.•

Copying Sokolsky's idea from his game against Byvshev. After 17 cxd5 $'_xd5 18 �f3 'ifb7 19 'ifc2 �xf3 20 ttlxf3 the position would probably be equal.

Spassky demonstrates his positional

17 ...ttlf5 1B cxdS

ability. He fights for control of the c6-

White could secure a pull by con

square by occupying

tinuing 18 dxc5!? �xc5 19 cxd5 ttlxg3

31 .!lxdS?? Black couldn't find the right de

20 hxg3 �xd5 21 �f3 �xf3 22 'ifxf3.

bS.

passed d-pawn should give an advan tage, despite the small material deficit.

32 'ifxds

The knight is aiming fOT the d4-

Now White's passed pawn decides

If you have a passed pawn, push it! White should use his passer to confuse the enemy forces. After 27 d6! 'i!tf8 28

the game.

$>.xe4 ):(f6 3 2 'ifc7 'ife7 33 b6 ):(ff8 34 'i!tc6, only the slightly exposed white king offers Black any slim hope of sur vival. see,

14 ttle6 15 ttla ttle4 16 ttlcd4 ttl4es 17 il'c2 Now it's time to think about both the weak c6-square and the backward c7·pawn.

Game 42 B.Spassky-L.Lengyel

Moscow 1975

27...$'_xdS 2B ttlf6+? It's not easy to

square via c2. .••

32 ...'ifb6+ 33 'ifcS 'ife6 34 b6 l:te8 35 b7 'ifb3 36 ..whS g6 37 'iff3 "i!fb6+ 38 Wh2 gs 39 'ifc6 il'e3 40 'ifxe8+ 1-0

'ifxb6 llc8 29 l:l:dl �xe4 30 d7 ll:d8 3 1

17 1I.f6 18 ttlxe6 ttlxe6 19 .i.xf6 il'xf6 20 d4 �a8 21 ttles 'ife7 22 .Iil.g4 );leB 23 llC1 ••.

Let's take a look at what's going on. Obviously White slands better here

but Black has a

strong centre and advance his d-pawn.

problem with his bishop. White could

22 ...exf4 23 ttle4 $'_h6?

have exploited

94

and - f irst of all - putting his pawn on

8 ...a6 9 a4 axbs 10 axbS �xa1 11 .i.xa1 0·0 12 i.e2 ttlbd7 13 o-ottles 14ttla3

Black's pieces are poorly placed, and

White wants to break up Black's

his

'ifxa8?? loses to 32 ...'ifb6+ 33 Whl 'lWh6+ 34 WgI 'ifxc1 + and .. .!has.

White's well-placed pieces and a

27 il'xb6

22 f4!

with

fence. 31. . .llf8! was pOSSible, because 32

1B_cxd4 19 e4 ttlxg3 20 hxg3 fS 21 exfs �gS

d4

knight, placing the rook on the c-file

•..

this by

playing 28

1 ttlf3 ttlf6 2 b4 e6 3 a3 b6 4 �b2 $>.b7 5 e3 $>.e7 6 c4 dS?! It's perhaps too early for Black to

because: 1) His pieces occupy great positions; and

95

Queen 's Indian Sys tems

Play 1 b 4 ! 2) There are two weaknesses on the c-fiIe that are under attack: c6 and c7. I believe these advantages should be enough for White to win.

game after 29. . .lIxc6 3 0 bxc6 Wf8 31

bishop, just like in his favourite King's

�xdS lild8 32 Wf1 We7 33 We2 Wd6 34

Indian Defence. In this position 5 e3,

fl.g8 lilxc6 35 fl.xh7 lile7.

protecting the b5-pawn, is safer.

an unstoppable attack.

28 ..."f!i'xc6 29 lIxc6 Wf7 30 Wf:1 IId7 3:J. We2

5...a6 6 a4 axb5 7 axb5 .!! xa1 8 fl.xa:J. "f!i'd6 9 fl.g2 fl.e7 :10 0-0 0-0 U 'tlYc:J. 'tlYb4

22 ...g6 2 3 liJxd6 cxd6 24 tl'e6+ Wg7 25 'tlYxd6 exd4 26 fl.xd4 b5 27 'tlYc7+ �h6 28 l'1.a:1 :ac8 29 fl.e3+ g5 30 fl.xgs+! 1-0

After 31 gxfS!? gxfS 32 �e2 �e7 33

Black

exploits

the

absence

of

22 'tlYg4 Now White crashes through with

hS lId6 34 Itc1 there would be further

White's light-squared bishop on the 11-

White wins after 30 ...Wxg5 31 "f!i'g7+, Dr

weaknesses for White to attack.

a6 diagonal by attacking bS.

30 ... fxgS 31 lIxa6+.

32 IIe:1 We6 33 g5 h6 y..y. It's probably too early to take a

:J.2 lbc3 d4 :J.3 lila2 "f!i'xb5 :14 lbxd4 "f!i'a6 :15 lilc3 fl.b7 :16 e4 e5?!

draw here. 33 ... h6 34 lIg1 lIh7 35 h5

16 ...c5 offers good counterchances;

3:J. •••lild8

gxhS 36 fl.xhS hxgS 37 lhg5 nh6 38

for example, 17 liJde2 c4 18 tl'b1 lId8 19

fl.f3 is still slightly better for White.

.lid] fl.cs 20 d4 cxd3 21 cxd3 e5.

Game 44 D.Campora-F.Visier Segovia

Canete 1994

liJf5 fl.b4 18 liJd5 liJxd5 :19 exd5 f6 20 "f!i'd:1 fl.c5?

In this game we ran see how a

Black should play 20...g6, and fol

Grandmaster beats a FIDE Master from

:J.7

Game 43 R.Fischer-D.lna

23 g6 24 lilc6 'tlYd6 25 h4 .••

The continuation 25

11.xe6

fxe6

(2S...'tlYxe6 is answered by 26 lila7 win

Cleveland (Si m u ltaneous Display) 1964

ning a pawn - 26 ...lIa8? loses to 27 "f!i'xc7 lIxa7 28 "f!i'b8+) 26 lileS gives White many positional advantages.

25 ...f5 26 11.f3 11.xc6 27 'tlYxc6 lId8

lowing 21 liJe3 .!!e8 22 c4 liJd7 23 d4

a completely level endgame.

fl.d6 24 "f!i'c2 na8 25 fl.b2 tl'a4 26 tl'e2

:1 b4 d5 2 fl.b2 lilf6 3 lilf3 e6 4 a3 as 4...cS 5 bxcS fl.xcS 6 e 3 i s discussed

both sides have chances.

2 1 d4!

in Chapter Five (see Games 50-51).

:1 b 4 e 6 2 fl.b2 d 5

5 b5 liJbd7 6 e3

I n this and the following game,

6 d4 liJb6 7 liJeS 1i.d7 B e3 fl.d6 9 c4

Black commits to an early .. dS.

dxc4 10 lilxc4 liJxc4 11 fl.xc4 c6 was

3 liJf3liJf6 4 b 5

comfortable for Black in the game

.

For the alternative, 4 a3, see Cam

C.Skalicka-J.salas Romo, Buenos Aires

pora-Visier Segovia (Game 44).

1939.

4... b6 5 g3

6 ...c5 7 c4 dxc4 8 fl.xc4 b6 9 0-0 11.b7 :10 d3 fl.d6 u lilbd2

This excellent

advance

activates

White's pieces and shuts out Black's best unit - the bishop on cS.

28 g4!

2:J. ...fl.d6?

Striving to create another weakness

2Lexd4 22 fl.xd4 fl.xd4 23 lilxd4

in Black's camp. Instead White could

fl.cB 24 lIe1 is also good for White, but

have won a pawn with 28 "f!i'xd6?! Ihd6 29 lIc61 but it's not enough to win the

96

this would have been a better choice Fischer liked to fianchetto the king's

for Black than the tex!.

97

Queen 's Indian Sys tems

Play 1 b4! .!Ifd8 27 il.c3 il.f8 28 a4 'lWb7 29 Wh2

Summary

square, and the fact that a knight on

il.e7 would be okay for Black.

The Queen's Indian system o f development is a logical response to the Sokolsky,

that square can add more pressure to

26 dxc4 I!xd1 27 I!xd1 J:: d 8 28 Wf2 il.f8 29 il.c3 I!xd1 30 'lWxd1

on b5 and protect it, and look for the right moment to break in the centre. It's hard

White is thinking about the c4-

e5. All the bishops are pointing menac ingly at the kingside, and both sides

White has a slight advantage, but it

must also be careful since any pawn

shouldn't be enough to win. The only

movement in the centre could create

chance is a pawn storm on the king

some weak squares.

side.

11. .-0-0 12 e4 1Llg4 13 h3 ILlges 14 1Llel ILlg6 IS lLlef3 ILldeS 16 'IW<2 ILlxf3+ 17 ILlxf3 ILlh4 1S 'lWe2 ILlxf3+ 19 1IKxf3 1IKc7 20 'lWhs il.f4 21 es g6 22 'lWe2 I!ad8 23

30 ... il.e7 31 'lWf3 il.dS 32 We2 'i:fd7 33 g4 WfS 34 'lWe4 WeS 3S h4 ..tiS?! Perhaps

to be more specific; a certain amount of 'fee)' is required to play this type of posi tion well.

1 b4 1Llf6

Black

should

grab

l...e6 2 iI. b2 d5 3 ILlf3 ILlf6 4 b5 b6 - Came 43 4 a3 as 5 b5 /i)bd7 6 e3 c5 7 04 dxc4 8 il.xc4 b6

the

pawn on h4. Following 35 ... il.xh4!? 36 g5 il.g3 37 'lWf3 il.h2 38 'lWf2 Black has

g3 il.h6 24 f4 il.d5

but you should be able to deal with it comfortably if you remember to put a pawn

Came 44

2 ILlf3 e6 3 a3

the resource 38 ...1!i'b7!, and after 39

3. il.e7 4 c4 b6

'i:fxh2 �e4+ 40 Wd2 �xc4 41 Wc2 �xb5

3 ...b6

__

-

Game 41

42 'lWhl a4 43 Wd2 �c4 44 �f3 I believe

4 il.b2 - Came 42

the game should finish in a draw.

4 g3 il.b7 5 iLg2 (0)

36 h5 'oi>g8 37 il.e1 WfS 3S il.f2 �gS 39 1!i'aS 1!i'e7 40 il.e3 f5

-

2 il.b2

5 ... c5 - Came 39; 5 ...il.e7 - Came 40

2 ... e6 3 b5 b6 3...c5 4 e3 d5 5 1Llf3 1Llbd7 6 c4 6 ... b6

-

Came 33

6 ... il.d6 7 d3 0-0 8 1ilbd2 b6 - Came 32 3... a6 4 a4 (0) 4 ...b6 - Came 38 4 ... d5 5 e3 In this closed position both White and

Black

have

ineffective

5 ...c5 6 1Llf3 il.d6 7 c4 ILlbd7 8 il.e2 b6 - Came 36

dark

5 ...lLlbd7 6 1Llf3 il.d6 7 c4 cS 8 d3 0-0 9 1Llbd2 b6 - Came 37

squared bishops. I don't see any win

4 e3 il.b7 5 1Llf3 (0)

ning plan for Black, but White has

Came 3S

5 £4 - Came 34

some options. He can try to attack the black king by pushing his kingside pawns, but he must take care not to expose his own king by doing so as this

This looks suicidal, but

perhaps

Black was afraid that White would

would lead to big trouble. Also, White

play h6, il.xc5 and then b6.

can place rooks on cl and d 1 , prepar

41 exf6 �xf6 42 g5 �e7 43 il.d2 wf7 44 il.c3 'IW d7 45 hxg6+ 1-0

ing the push of the d-pawn.

25 I!ad1 il.xc4?!

After the recapture 45 ...hxg6, White

This poor move trades off a good

plays 46 'i!¥h l !, and here 46...'lWd6 47

piece and eliminates a white weakness

1!i'h7+ We8 48 1!i'xg6+ makes matters

at the same time. 25 ... .!Id7!? 26 .!Id2

pretty clear.

98

5

il.92

4 04 99

Black Plays ... dS and . , e 6 .

I

Cha pter Five Black Plays

.••

d S a nd

..•

pawns? Black has no great edge in the

ILlxe4 'i!!'xb5 1 2 ILld6+ would not be a

centre or in development at this mo

good idea.

ment, so why not?

8 ILlf3 ILlbd7 9 c4 'i!!'a S 10 ILlc3 ILlb6 Black is striving for active counter play, but it would be mOTe advisable to complete de velopment with lO .. . St..d6

and ... 0-0.

11 bxc6 Spassky wants to grab e5 for his

e6

knight,

so

he takes on c6 first to gain a

tempo. Probably

trading on d5 fol

lowed by il.e2 is a better option.

11... bxc6 12 ILles il.d7 13 il.e2 il.d6 14 f4 0-0 15 0-0 na8 The next two chapters are important

ends up getting in the way. The excep

because many Black players choose a

tion seems

reversed

opening

(Game 45), in which Black's queenside

against the Sokolsky (or, for I'hal mat

play nearly carries the day. Possibly

ter, against any unorthodox opening).

Spassky's

For the sake of convenience, in this

kingside was inappropriate.

queen's

pawn

chapter we deal with an early ...e6,

to

be Spassky-Smyslov

plan of attacking on the

In Simagin-Flohr (Game 50), White

whereas in Chapter Six we move on to

avoids b4-bS and uses the time saved

games where Black develops his light

to build an attack on the righl flank,

squared

but Flohr's carer ul defence neutralizes

bishop

outside

the

pawn

This position looks nothing like those seen in so-called standard theory. Nonetheless,

the

following

lively

struggle bel ween two top Grandmas ters shows there is plenty of scope for interesting play in this system.

6 ... c6 7 e3

White's threats. The classic encounter

chain. This

4 ... axbS 5 axbs .lba1 6 il.xa1

chapter

consists

of games,

Alekhine-Drewitt

(Game

51)

shows

many originally from Sokolsky's book,

what can happen against a less than

which examine attempts by Black to

perfect response.

Often in this variation White uses the a-file for active operations on the left flank. In this game White's outpost

play a reversed Queen's Gambit with his light-squared bishop locked in be hind his e-pawn, and not fianchettoed. This plan seems like a poor one from the

evidence

accumulated

here.

In

nearly every game Black feels the need

Game 45 B.Spassky-V.Smyslov

with control of the a-file and has room

play on the queenside.

16 g4! It's not every game you see one player pushing pawns on both wings

1 b4 liJf6 2 il.b2 e6 3 bs a6 4 a4 Not your everyday opening! Does it to

to make good use of it, especially as

make sense

Black's light-squared bishop often just

home and throw up the a- and b-

1 00

side attack, and Black will be the one to

Moscow- Leningrad Match, Moscow 1960

to open the a-file with ...a6 and ... axb5. The usual result is that White ends up

on e5 prepares the ground for a king

keep the centre pawns

7...dS Of course Black could take on b5, but the surviving b-pawn would be isolated. The forcing variation 7 ...cxb5

8 il.xb5 'i!!'a5 9 1Llc3 1Lle4 10 'i!!'bl il.b4? 1 1

in the first sixteen moves.

16 ...il.e8 17 'i!l'el lLla4 18 1Llxa4 18 g5 is met by 18 . ..lLle4. 18 ...'i!!' xa4 19 gs lLle4 20 d3 il.b4! 2 1 'i!!' h 4 1Lld6 101

Black Plays . . d5 a n d . . . • 6

Play 1 b4 !

.

2 L li'ld2 22 /tlg4 /tlxfl 23 �xg7 ice7

27 ices lIa2+ 28 'it>g3 i1.a4 29 lIal y,-y,

cept by placing his pawns

24 �xf1 is very dangerous for Black, if not losing outright. However, 21 ...'l!i'c2! looks to bl' winning for Black. Instead he prefers to bring his knight to f5 to

on

light

squares whl'n there are Iight-squarl'd bishops present. Nonetheless, in this

Game 46

exceptional case the decision is sound.

A.Sokolsky-A.Shagalovich

Black's bishop stays restricted by the

Minsk 1959

defend his king.

pawns, but its counterpart is active,

22 'ilI'f2 'ilI'c2 23 �g4

threatening Black's weakened kingside.

1 b4 e 6 2 iLb2 /tlf6 3 bS a 6 4 a4 axbs 5 axbS nxu 6 £xu d 5 7 e3 c5 8 /tlf3 iLd6 9 c4 0-0 10 iLe2 /tlbd7 11 0-0

So Black seeks salvation in an I'nding, but unfortunately for him this still fa vours his opponent.

2 3...'i!Jld4+ 24 Whl 'i!Jle3 25 'i!Jlh5 1i'g7 26 h4 'i!i'h6 27 'l!I'xh6+ Ii'xh6 28 nul Real threats begin to appear. Now

The a-file is at last in White's grasp,

17 .../tlxg4 is bad on account of 18 'ilI'xg4

and the imminent invasion of the sev

g6 (or 18 ... eS 1 9 'ilI'g3!) 19 'ilI'gS £e7 (not

enth

19 ... 'ilI'e7?, because of 20 iLf6) 20 'il'h6 f6

forces.

21 iLxe6+. Black also can't play 17... /tle4

28 ...l1d8 29 J:: a 7 lId7 30 Wgl Wg7

rank

will

terrorize the black

because of 1 8 d3. Finally, on 17 ... /tldS

Black gets nothing from 3O li'hS

or 17.../tle8, 18 fS! is very strong; for

because of 31 g3 Wg4 32 Ii'f2 Ii'hS 33

..•

The retreat of the knight has lifted

example, 17 ... /tle8 18 fS exfS 19 llxfS

iLdS iLc6 34 1:txd7 s.. xd7 3S iLc6 iLeB 36

all the prl'ssure off White's position,

iLc8 20 li'lh6+! and White is winning.

iLe8, when hI' is quite losl.

This is why Black allows the doubling

31 �f2 1i'f8 32 �e3 �g7

and he can now defend quite easily.

23 'ilI'xf2+

11 ...dxc4

••.

23 ... lIa2 24 'ilI'xc2 lIxc2 25 1H2 lIc1 +

of his pawns: it's better than losing ma

A mistake - it's wrong to give up

26 1Hl 1:tc2 27 nf2 draws at once.

the important c4-square. 1l ... b6 fol

24 IPxf2 dxc4

lowed by ... �b7, finishing the devel

After 24...na2+ 2S Ii'g3 dxc4 26 /tlxc4

opment of the minor pieces; is a better

li)xc4 27 dxc4 I1c2 28 I1dl iLe7 29 nbl

way forward.

iLd6 30 lIdl iLc7 31 iLd4 I1xc4 32 I1al,

12 /tla3! /tlb6

the penetration on the eighth rank, combined

with the pressure of the

so the upcoming exchange is forced.

13 /tlxc4 /tlxc4 14 iLxc4 b6 15 /tles

�aS 3S �e2 I1c1 36 ..l.b2 I1bJ 37 �a3i

White exploits the absence of a

�_b4 38 nbf! cS 39 iLxb4 .!hb4 40 lk8

knight from d7 to capture the impor

would even

tantcf'ntral square eS.

2S /tlxc4 /tlxc4 26 dxc4 cS The position has stabilized, and peace will soon be at hand.

1 02

..•

Obviously Black shouldn't allow a

draw clear. 32...g6 33 na8 1l
prospects.

17 iLe7 18 /tlxf6+ iLxf6 19 icxf6 gxf6 20 fS! es 21 'ilI'g4+ 'it>h8 22 e4! 'l!id7 23 d3

white knight to stay on the c4-square,

dark-squared bishop on g7, makes the

offer White the better

terial.

33 'it>d2? A sad mistake! White could have

Is...iLb7 16 f4 '/IiIc7 On 16 . .'/lil e7, Black is afraid of the

reached a bishop endgame with excel lent chances for a win by continuing 33 �dS! iLe6! 34 lhd7 iLxd7 3S iLc6 .tc8

.

reply 17 /tlc6!.

17 /tlg4!

White violates a well-known pre-

36 Ii'd2 'it>f8 37 'it>c3 �e7 38 �c4 �d6 39

1 03

Black Plays . . . d5 and

Play 1 b 4 f

. .

. e6

g 4 h6. In this position it's sufficient for

It's also worth noting the backward

winning a piece. Black prefers to cap·

White to lose a tempo to put Black into

pawn on the half·opened c·fiIe. If the

t ure the pawn on h2 but is trapped in a clever snare.

zugzwang, as follows: 40 iLd5 We7 41

pawn were on cS, Black wouldn't have

il. a8! wd6 (or 4 l . .. il.d7 42 il.c6! il.xc6 43

these problems.

24...lbxh2

bxc6 ..t.>d6 44 Wb5 Wc7 45 h5! etc) 42

Maybe Black counted on 25 llh4?

iLc6. The pawn endgame after the

1S ...il.b7 16 il.xf6 'OIVxf6 17 l2lb4 l2leS 18 l2ld4!

forced 42 ... il.d7 43 il.xd7 II<xd7 44 Wd5

Now both knights are controlling

II
c6, and Black can't avoid an unpleasant

winning for White; for example, 47.. .16+

invasion.

48 11<xf6 g4 49 e5 g3 50 e6 g2 51 e7 gl'i!l'

18 'Wgs 19 g3 'Wh6 20 'i!l'c2 'Wh3 •.•

Usually the pressure on the open

52 e8'i!1' 'i!l'd4+ 53 'i!l'e5+.

33 ...il.e6! Black at once seizes his chance to

8 121bd7 ..•

save the game. This move was im pos

Here it's better to play 8 ...c5. Leav·

sible before because of :!l'.a6, but now

ing a pawn on c7 keeps Black a little

after 34 11a6 there follows 34...il.xe4.

passive, and it will be difficuh in futurP

After the text move White must swap

to come up with

rooks but this exchange lacks the de·

9 il.e2 0·0 10 0·0 l2le8

sired effect.

34 �xd7 il.xd7 3S II<e3 M8 36 ..t.>b3 We7 n ..t.>a4 Defending

the

b5·pawn

allows

White to play il.d5, but Black of course

a

good plan.

l2lxf3, 26 .t.xf3 "i1t'f5!, meeting all the threats.

25 121fes! In this position 2S ... 'iI!'f5 10ses a piece after 26 'WxfS l2lxfS 27 IPxh2. Nor is Black saved by 25...'Wh6, because of 26

diagonal creates too many problems.

li!.M.

Here it's easily eliminated because the

2s ...'i!I'xe2

white knight is coming to c6.

21 121bc6 wh8 22 1131 So, the a-file is in White"s power!

Now, by sacrificing a queen, White forces a checkmate in four moves:

26 'i!l'xhH! 1·0

It's worth observing that the reply 22 ...li!a8 is not good for Black. Continuo

Again 1O ...c5 is stronger. Black's reo

ing 23 11xa8i il.xa8 24 'Wa4, White's

grouping of his pieces will not prove to

queen invades on the a-file, achieving

be successful.

the advantage. This is a logical turn of

11 e4 il.f6 12 l2le3 dxe4 13 il.xc4121d6 14 il.e2 b6 1S 121a2!

events, since on the queenside White has a space advantage, and using the

will not allow it to reach c6.

open a-file is easier for him.

37 ....liLe8 38 il.ds IId6 y,.y,

22 ...lbg4 23 l2lf3 'il!'hs 24 :a4!

Game 4 7 S.Bernstein-H.Seidman

(Co·author's note: My late friend Sidney Bernstein was guite proud of

US Cham pionship 1959

this elegant win against his old rival Herb Seidman, and I am pleased to

1 b 4 121f6 2 il.b2 e 6 3 bS a6 4 a4 axbS

include it in this collection.)

Lock at the diagram at the end of this game, and note how active a role White's

rook on the

a·fiIe played.

Game 48 A.Sokolsky-E.Geller

Black's previous move intended to

Should Black open a file for his oppo·

deploy his light·sguared bishop ac·

nent to capture? This question proba

tively, but White immediately aims the

bly doesn't need an answer.

knight on the route l2lc3·a2·b4-<:6, to

a choice of either of the pawns on bS or

S axbs l'lxa1 6 il.Xa1 dS 7 121f3 i.e7 8 e3

reach the accordingly weakened point.

h2. On 24 ... 121xb5 there follows 25 Ibh4!,

1 04

A beautiful idea! White offers Black

USSR Championship. Kiev 1957 1 b4 121f6 2 il.b2 e6 3 b s a 6 4 a 4 i1.e7 1 05

Play 1 b 4 1

Black Plays . . . dS a n d

Placing the bishop o n e7 i s a stan dard opening ploy and is hence unol:>

13 0-0 �xbS

Came 49 A.Sokolsky-N.Abzhirko

c4 will give White the belter chances.

5 e3 c5 6 llif3 �d6 is more active.

14 �xbS 'i!!'x bs

S "3 0-0 6 llif3 axbs?!

Whitp, who now has a base for activp

If 14...llixd2, White replies 15 llixd2! 'l!I"xbS 16 'l!I"g4 g6 17 'l!I"d4 f6 18 nbl 'i!!' xcs 19 l1xb7, arriving onto the sev

1 b4 llif6 2 �b2 e6 3 bs il..e7 4 e3 0-0 5

operations on the queenside. 6 ... d5 is a

enth rank with many threats.

llif3

stronger option.

1S llixe4 dxe4 16 'l!I"d4! �_f6 n 'i!!'xe4

7 axbs l:txa1 8 �xa1 dS 9 d4

�Xa1 1 8 X!.Xa1

the a-file is

good

for

06

are obviously in White's favour. The

Or 13 ...llixc5 J 4 'i!!'bl, and a later c2-

jectionable, but the continuation 4 ... d5

Opening

...

Omsk 1943

ensuing transfer of the bishop to c6 is probably the best that Black

can

do in

this position.

It's a matter of taste which move to prefer: s llif3 or 5 f4.

Ma ybe better here is 18 lligS g6 19 'l!I"M hS 20 l1xa 1.

5...c6

In this game Black decides to de

18... 'l!I"xc5 19 'l!I"xb7 'l!I"xc2

stroy the nuisance on bS. It's possible to do so by a more exact order of moves: 5 ... a6 6 a4 axbS 7 axbS x!'xa1 8 �xal c6 9 c4 dS. 6 a4 d5 7 C4 a6 8 llic31

12 ...il.d7 13 0·0 .!>.c6 14 llifd4 �dS 1S ):(c1 llibd7

The

tempting

continuation

15 ....!>.xc4 16 lhc4 'l!I'dS leads after 17 lIc7! �d8 18 llic3 to the loss of a pawn. 16 .!>.a3!

This move is probably not worse than the usual 9 c4. White plans to de velop by llibd2 and -'.d3. Black must open the game with ...c5 or else he will

The battl.. on the queenside has

remain cram perl.

ended

9 ••.cS

White's pieces are placed mOfe ac

Geller brings about a lively position with

this

mandatory

W hite's dark-squared

thrust.

True,

bishop comes

alive, but so do the black pieces.

pawns on the left flank and has thus assu red himself of not losing.

would

have

been

Now after the exchange of rooks on the a I-square White's queen will come to the a-file, and this greatly improves

After 20 llid4! 'l!I"c8 (20...'l!I"c3 21 l:!.bJ

Hoping to get in a useful ... '/WaS< , 1O ... �xc5

tiv..ly, but Black has ehminated all the

20 h3

10 dxcS llie4!?

but

satisfactorily for both sides.

his position.

�c8) 21 Itbl �d7 22 It\c6 'l!I"xb7 23 l::txb7

8 ... axb5 9 axbs r!xa1 10 'i!!' Xa1 dxC4 11

llif6 24 llieS, Black would still have to

�xc4 cxbS 12 llixbS

The goa l of this pxchang.. is to gain

stronger.

negot iate

before

Black has achieved his goal of de

11 llibd2ll1'as 12 �e2 �d7

achieving the draw. In the actual event

stroying the bS-pawn, but he has spent

where it can attack the pawn on b7.

After 12...llic3? 13 llib3! 'i!!'b4 14 'i!!' d 2 llia2 15 llI'xb4 llixb4 16 Ii>d2, the black

peace was concluded more quickly.

16..•.!>.xa3

20 ..:iWc6 21 );ta7 'iWxb7 22 l1xb7 llic6

too much time in doing so. Further more, the b7-pawn is now exposed as a

knight is in a precarious position.

Y.-Y.

weakness. The results of the opening

106

a

few

difficulties

the d6-square for the knight, from 17

'iil'xa3

It\b6

18

�xdS

llibxdS 19 l1id6

White has carried out his plan, but

107

Black Plays . . . dS and . • 6

Play 1 b41 Black defends admirably.

29 ...b6 30 /lc4, with threats of 31 filfS or

19... 'i!I'e7! 20 fil4bS fileB 21 g 3

31 1'4.

destructive.

30 'i'l'c4 fila6?

3B 'lWd1 ncB

An important preparation. White wants to push Ihe knight away from

37... 'lWe6 38 l:td6 'lWc4 39 filxh6+! is

here 7 c4 Ii:lc6 8 d4, which is probably

Equivalenl to g1vmg up. But after

dS, but 21 e4 allows 21. _filf4.

edge oj the board is a serious mistake.

38 ...filcs 39 'lWg4� Black has no defence

21 .. .filxd6 22 'l'fxd6 'liI'g s

Coming back to d5 leads to immediate

to the threats of 40 J:txcS or 40 filxh6; .

22...'l'fxd6 23 filxd6 b6 (23 .. JlbB 24

defeat: 30...fildS 31 filfS 'lWe6 32 J:hd5

39 nd7 1-0

filxb7!) 24 e4 iDf6 2S f3 IitbB 26 Wf2 etc

l:txdS 33 'i'l'xdS etc. Only 30 ... file6! offerS hopes of saving the game.

his early queenside activity into a dev

23 fild4

31 Ubs 1l: bB 32 'lWb3

astating attack on the olher wing.

Here it's possible to win a pawn, playing 32 Ji[xb7 nxb7 33 'lWc8+ Wh7 34

because of 23 ...b6 24 1.'lc6 filxe3. In turn,

'lWxb7 lbc7. But White is well aware thai

White is now threatening to sacrifice

realizing his extra pawn in such an

on e6.

ending is not an easy task, so he prefers

23 •. .I!dB 24 'l'fcs h6 2S 'i!lbs eS 26 file2

to keep the rooks on and increase the

White has successfully convl'rtl'd

32 ... g6 is not good because of 33 litb6 'l!I'c7 34 lhg6+.

7 d4 ii.e7

This is stronger than retreating to B l.ilbd2

And here 8 c4 was better. Flohr immediately exploits his opponent"s mistake.

Game 50 V.Simagin-S.Flohr

USSR Championship, Moscow 1955

pressure. 32...'lWd7

better than Simagin·s preference.

b6, which was Drewill's choice.

leads to a difficult ending for Black. Black was threatening the move

Alekhine·Drewitt,

Portsmouth 1923. Alekhine continued

Thl' transfer of the knight to the

23 ...filxe3!, and 23 litcS was no good

the beginning of

B ...b6! 9 files

Now after 9 .l1i.d3 or 9 c4 Black can continue 9 ... .l1i.a6!. The idea of White's actual move is to make it harder for Black to exchange I he light·squared bishops: 9 ... .l1i.a6 is met by 10 Ii:lc6! filxc6

1 b 4 d S 2 .l1i.b2 filf6 3 Ii:lf3 e6 4 a3

4 b S is stronger. Simagin writes that

1 1 .l1i.xa6. 9• . ..l1i.b7 10 .l1i.d3 1i:lc6

after 4 bS a6 S a4 Black can simplify the

33 IilfS �h7 34 'lWb2 f6 3S 'lWb1 l1
position with S... axbS 6 axb5 .thaI 7

h4

.l1i.xaI. But this exchange cannot be good for Black - il opens a file on the side where White has more space. Practice shows that in such cases White has more chances to play on this file. 4 ...c S 5 bxcS .l1i.xcs 6 e3 0-0

Black has defended very imagina tively until now. Here he has to play 26 ... b6, but in this case by continuing 27 filc3! filxc3 28 nxc3 1.'lb8 (or 28 .. Jlxd2

11 0·0

29 'liI'e8+ <;\;>h7 30 'liI'xf7) 29 Itc7 White

After 11 'lWf3 (with the idea of pre

could ke<>p an advantage. 26 •..'lWe7 27 );Ics 'lWd6 2B d4 exd4

paring 'lWh3) 1 1 ._li:lxeS 1 2 dxeS file4! 1 3 It's hard to defend when you can'l

Ii:lxe4 dxe4 1 4 �x1'4 .l1i.xe4 1 5 'l!!' xe4 nc8,

On 28... b6 there could follow 29 1.'lc6

make a good movf'. White threatens 37

even though Black has lost a pawn his

'lWe7 30 e4 filf6 3 1 dxeS filxe4 32 liIxb6,

hS followed by Ii:lh4. The move Black

position is not worse.

winning a pawn.

chooses permits White to include the

11 ... lile8 12 Ii:lxc6

29 iDxd4 filc7

rook in the allack.

It's difficult for Black to defend after 108

36•..\I; gB 37 ll:dS! 'lWc7

In the spirit of the position was 1 2 The game has started Similarly to

f4, to which Black should reply 1 2 .. .fS. 1 09

Black Plays . . dS a n d .

Play 1 b 4 ! White instead prepares the advance c2-

d5 l:!.e8.

12 il.xe6

19...I!e8

..•

•

6

side, but at least this avoids a quick

Weaker is 19 e4 dxe4 2 0 fxe4 �f4! 21

c4.

...

Game 5 1 A.Alekhine-J.Drewitt

So Black has succeeded in stopping

Portsmouth 1923

the ad vance of the e-pawn. White be

defeat.

13 t4 ll:ae8 14li1<1 lild7? Even here,

the

move

14...il.c7!?

could be played. 15 'i!l'f3 h6 16 c5 bS 17 SLxb5?! �xd4 18 exd4 it.xbS poses some

gins play along the c-file.

20 il.a6 'i!l'b8! 21 il.xb7 'i!l'xb7 22 '!ii' e2 h6 23 'i!l'e6 'i!l'e7

! had heard a bout this A!ekhine

awkward

problems

for

White,

al

game which features a famous two

though taking on b5 is obviously not

bishop sacrifice, but [ never imagined

forced.

the opening had been the Sokolsky.

1 121t3 dS 2 b4 e6 3 il.b2 l2lt6 4 a3 This i s m y favourite move, but some players - including Sokolsky prefer 4 b5.

4.. '<:S S bxes i.xes 6 e3 0-0 7 <4 13 e4 121t6 14 lle1 lle8 1S 'i!l'e2 il.b7

7 d4 was covered in Simagin-Flohr

White must resolve the tension in

(see Game 50).

7 121e6 8 d4 il.b6 9 l2lbd2 'i!l'e7 10 i.d3 ll:dS 11 0-0

the centre because of the threat of

•..

1 6...il.a6.

16 exds exdS Not 16 ... 'i!I'xd5 17 e4! 'i!l'a2? 18 I!bl, with a threat of 19 il.c4.

Flohr declines the exchange, think ing that with queens on the board it

15 l2lxe6 .!!:xc6? 15 ... bxc6 avoids an immediate catac;

will prove easier for Black to get coun terplay.

tmphe, but 16 c5 il.a5 17 il.c3 ii.xc3 1 8

24 a4 i.a3 2S 'i!l'e3 il.d6 26 'i!l'b3 'i!l'e6

liIxc3 l:tbB 19 l2lf3 l2lf6 2 0 'i!l'c2 ll:d7 2 1

26 ... 'i!I'd7 is weaker because of 27

):1.bl J:tdb7 22 J:!.cb3 J:!.xb3 23 ll:xb3 J:!.xb3

'i!l'b5.

24 'i!!'xb3 leaves White with the advan

27 il.a3 il.xa3 28 'i!l'xa3 Ile8 29 lheS+ 'i!l'xe8

tage

The

situalion

has

16 c5 121xe5

White's small threats are easily dealt

17 f3

This White enjoys a very comfortable

clearly

desperation,

but

position because his pieces are control

bxa5 19 il.c3 l:tb8 20 lIbl lil:xbl 21 'i!!' xbl

30 'i!l'e7 'i!l'a6 31 'i!l'b4 'i!l'd3 32 h3 hS 33 h 4 'i!l'e2 34 'i!l'a3 'i!l'e1! 35 'i!l'd3!

ling the centre and Black has a bad

l2lf6 22 il.xaS is hopeless for Black) 18

bishop on c8.

il.bS

1L . .il.d7 12 121e5 il.e8

16 ...il.c7 17 il.b5.

A preferable way to prepare the

The sim plest: after forcing the ex change of the pawns on the edge the ,

12 ...il.c7!? 13 ll:cl ll:ac8 14 f4 dxr4 15

18 f3. Also worthy of attention was 1 7

position is more stabilized.

l2ldxc4 121d5 1 6 'i!!'f3 f6 17 121xd7 'i!l'xd7 18

il.f5.

35 :iixh4 36 'i!l'a6 'i!l'e1 37 �xa7 �b4 38 'i!l'a8+ \t>h7 39 'i!l'e6 \t>gS y.-y,

'flI'h3 g6 leaves White with attacking

110

is

16 ... il.a5 17 l2lb3 ii.c7 (l7...b6 18 l2lxaS

st ruggle is now inevitable.

central push was with 17 llxc8! 'i!l'xc8

17.. 1'!xe1! 18 llxe1 il.d6 19 l2lh

to his stronger minor

pieces.

sim plified.

with, and the drawish outcome of the

thanks

.•

chances because of Black's loose king-

wins

the

exchange,

as

does

17 dxes il.xcs 18 lit3 il.xa3 19 ll:xe6 il.xc6 Now comes the thematic double bishop sacrifice:

111

Black Plays " .dS and , . e6

Ploy 1 b 4 ! l:!h3. \!'h6 2 1 nxh6 . 'OlIxh6 22 'lil'd7 Sl.f6

1 ...<6 2 il.b2

cIS 3 e3 liJf6 4 IiJf3 e6

fend my bishops and couldn'l find any

23 \1I'xb7 wg7 24 l:!fl nabS 2S \1I'd7 Itfd8

When my opponent shut in his

26 \1I'g4+ �f8 27 fxeS iLg7 28 e6 l:!b7 29

light-squared bishop with this move, I

yes, but the black pieces ar" in a differ

'lil'g6 f6 30 l:!xf6i Sl.xf6 3 1 'l'fxf6i 'OlIeS 32

began to feel comfortable.

ent time zone from the white king.

'lil'hSi 'OlIe7 33 'l'fg7+ 'OlIxe6 34 'lil'xb7 .l'!d6

5 a3 as 6 b5 Sl.d6 7 <4 0-0

35 'i!l'xa6 d4 36 exd4 cxd4 37 h4 d3 3S

other way to do

14

0-0

so.

It looks very risky,

Sl.xb5

15

'ii'xb5

(15 ... 'iII'xc3?? allows the queen

Ile8 to be

\1I'xd3 and Black resigned, Em.Lasker

trapped by 16 l:!fd) 16 nfd should be

).Bauer, Amsterdam IS89.

<,qual.

14...Sl.xbS 15 'lil'xbs liJd7 16 l:!hc1 IiJf6 My opponent could not rf'Sist the

Game 52 Y.Lapshun-J.Szabolcsi

temptation to give

Budapest 2007

2 0 �xh7+!! 'OlIxh7 21 l:!h3+ 'OlIg8 22 �xg7 1-0

a

check with his

knight on e4, but now White can trade his lousy bishop and create problems for Black.

After 22 .. .£6 23 iLh6 'lil'h7 24 'lil'h5

I played this game in a 'First Satur

�fS 25 'lil'g4+ 'OlIf7 26 iLxfS White wins a

day' tournament in Budapest. The op

piece; or 22 ... 'OlIxg7 23 'lil'g4+ and White

position consisted

mates with 23 ... 'OlIf6 24 l:!h6 or 23 ...'OlIf8

IMs, so I knew it wouldn't be easy.

24 l:th8.

Even though I finished tied for last

Grabbing the bigger share of the centre, at a cost of weakening the im

mostly

17 iLb4! liJe4+ 18 wd3 'i'l'e7 IS ... liJxf2+?? 19 We2 'fIr'dS 20 Sl.xd6

of sll ong

'lil'xd6 21 lllxf2 and Black loses a piece.

8 d4

This type of sacrifice was made fa

place, I was very happy to have played

mous by Emanuel L asker, who used it

some wild games. After a short draw

portant e4-square. But, as Fischer said,

to win a classic game over tOO years

against a GM in the first round, my

you gotta give squares to get squares.

8 . _dx<4 9 1iJ<3

ago: 1 f4 d5 2 e3 liJf6 3 b3 e6 4 iLb2 iLe7

next

5 Sl.d3 b6 6 1iJf3 Sl.b7 7 liJc3 IiJbd7 8 0-0

chess coach, 1M Janos Szabolcsi. Dur

0-0 9 liJe2 c5 1 0 IiJg3 'il'c7 11 liJe5 liJxe5

ing my preparation for the game, 1 got

iLc6 12 IiJc3 liJbd7 13 e4 is also good.

12 Sl.xe5 'i'i'c6 13 'il'e2 a6 14 IiJhS IiJxhS

pretty nervous because I he guy had

9 .. _liJd5 1 0 il.X<4 IiJxc3 11 il.xc3 'lil'c7 12 'il'd3 cxb5 13 il.xb5 il.d7 14 W d2!?

opponent

was

the

Hungarian

four good defences against 1 e4. After

19 Wxe4 axb4 20 axb4 �xb4

.

9 il.xc4!? cxbS 10 �xb5 �d7 1 1 �d3

hours of hard work, the best I could find against them was a very small edge. This was not particularly satisfy ing, so I figured it was time to trot out

What is going on here? The white

1 b4 for its maiden appearance in this

king is not afraid of anything and

event. After reviewing a few Sokolsky

demonstrates that he is a valuable

games (this book wasn't available yet!)

member of the team. Black can'l. do

I was ready ...

anything to harm him, and later on he

1 b4 The

will return to his shelter. Meanwhile, other

competitors,

all

titled

Black will have big problems with his

players, came over to my board one by IS Sl.xh7< 'OlIxh7 16 'il'xhS+ wgS 1 7 Sl.xg7 'OlIxg7 IS 'l'fg4+ 'OlIh7 1 9 .l'!f3 e S 20 112

weak b-pawn.

one and each of them left with a big smile -

I get this reaction all the time!

Fritz or some other computer en

Steinitz, anyone? I wanted to de-

gine will tell you that this position is 113

Black Plays . . . d5 a n d . . . e 6

Play 1 b4! equal. but don't you believe it! I felt

nice inviting cubby-hole on e5.

then, as I feel now, that White is win

25 .jcd6

The b-pawn will also drop shortly,

Now the position looks like i t arose

and the rest requires no explanation.

from a reversed Sicilian Defence.

9 IiJg5 0-0 10 "iW<2 h6 11 h4! e4

that Black has a better defence here

29 'i!l'f7 30 'i!l'd5 J:.e7 31 J::!x b5 J:.xh4 32 g3 J:.f6 33 'i!l'xf5 'i!l'a7 34 IiJc5 J::!a 8 35 'i!l'e4 'i!l'a1+ 36 Wg2 l:IdS 37 IiJd7 'i'l'a6 3S ll:b6 1-0

with 22 ... .l>.d6! 23 'i!l'xb7 'i!l' xb7+ 24 llxb7

My opponent had seen enough and

IiJd5 "iWd8 17 f4 l'tb8 1 8 J:.c3 J:.e6 19

lla2 25 l:!d7 .l>.f8 26 liJe5 lhf2 27 lld8

gave up. So after two rounds I was tied

IiJxf6 > "iWxf6 20 "iWh7 > 'il
fS+ 28 Wd3 1:lxg2 29 h4 llh2 30 IiJd7 Wf7

for the lead, but I then lost my next

Black has succeeded only in losing a

31 IiJxf8 We7 32 l:tc8 l:!xh4, with very

three games. My play was as reckless

pawn.

good chances to draw because White's

as my king's wanderings in this game!

12 liJ<3 J:.f5 13 g4 I2ixg4 14 liJd 5

-

ning a pawn and has a big advantage.

•..

21 l::txaS! l:!xaS 22 l:!b1 f5+ Despite my faith, I must point out

Accepting

the

sacrifice

is

quite

risky: after 1 1 . ..hxg5 12 hxg5 IiJbd7 13 IiJc3 ne8 14 gxf6 IiJxf6 15 bxa6 bxa6 16

14 liJgxe4 axb5 15 J:.xbS ,!:ldB 16 ,!:lcl

knight doesn t have anywhere to go. '

23 Wd3

ttJa6 is unclear.

Game 53 V.Akopian-S.Ganguly

2 6 h4

14... "iWeS 15 f4

Goodricke Open, Calcutta

I liked the idea of moving this pawn out of the bishop's firing line, but the direct 26 liJg5 was an excellent alterna

4 ... J:.e7 5 f4 0-0 6 J:.d3 a6 7 a4 axb5 8

ll:xb7 ll:al+ 29 We2 ll:a2+ 30 Wf3 e5 31

axb5 lhal 9 J:.xal IiJbd7 10 1iJf3 liJe4

dxe5 .l>.xe5 32 ll:e7 J:.d6 33 :I1e8+ J:.f8 34

looks level. S.Tartakower-G.Maroczy,

liJxh7 Wxh7 35 lhf8 leaves White with

New York 1924. The moves 4 ...a6 and

a winning rook ending.

4.. cS, in conjunction with an early . . b6,

26 .ll:c2 27 'iil' b 3

were discussed in the previous chapter.

Another good way was 27 "iWxb7

23...lla3+ In comparison to the previous note, after 23 ... .l>.d6 24 'i!l'xb7 'i!l'xb7 25 llxb7

1 b4 e6 2 J:.b2 1iJf6 3 b5 d5 4 e3 J:.d6

tive. Then 26 ...lla8 27 'i!l'xb7 'i!l'xb7 28

llcl+ 28 We2 llc2+ 29 WeI llcl + 30 Wd2

.

.

5 liJf3 a6 6 a4 "iWe7 Black is preparing to advance in the

l:!xbl 31 'iil'x bl, with an extra pawn.

centre with ... es.

27 .llcs 28 liJg5 b5 29 liJxe6

7 <4 dxc4 S J:.xc4 e5

__

Even a computer does not under stand what is going on in this crazy

l:!a2 26 l:!d7 .l>.f8 27 liJg5 l:!xf2 28 IiJxe6

position. White has a very dangerous

l:!xg2 29 ll:d8 Wf7 30 liJxf8 We7 31 l:!a8

attack, but his king is not castled, his

1Ixh2 White is winning as the knight

rooks are not connected and the knight

can escape (d4-d5 followed by liJe6). In

on g5 is under threat

this line Black can choose to defend

15 ...axb5?

with 27...l:!a6, but White has excellent chances to convert his advantage.

24 We2 l:!a2+ 25 Wf1 It was thoughtful of the rook to es

.

IS ...Wh8 looks like the best defence; for example, 16 J:.a3 axb5 J7 .l>.xb5 "iWd8 18 1iJxc7 l:ta7 19 J:.e2 J:.xa3 20 lha3 "iWe7 21 liJ b5 ll:a5.

cort my king home, but this really

15 ...liJd7, on the other hand, could

hasn't accomplished very much fOT

lead to lhe following aesthetic varia

Black. And now White possesses that

tion: 16 bxa6 bxa6 17 "iWc3 liJdf6 18 J:.e2

114

115

Black Plays . . . dS and ... e 6

Play 1 b4 ! ibh5 19 �gl hxg5 20 S/.xg4 S/.xg4 21

'ilfd4 'ilfe6 28 >tIdl /bf3 29 'i!i'e5 t:d8 30

Ilxg4 <6 22 'iii' Xg71 !! ibxg7 23 ibf6. Wh8

ibd4 ibxd4 31 exd4 e3 32 dxe3 1-0

ibXa1 20 IIxal ibd7

34 "iWd5! ltc8 3 5 "iWxb5 'ilfc3 3 6 S/.d2

'i!i'c6 37 "iWxc6 I1xc6 38 iLxa5 is dpad

24 hxg5! ibf5 25 ibxe8+ \t>g8 26 ibf6+

equal. Fischer was probably "till trying

\t>g7 27 ibxe4. \t>g6 28 ]:tel, and White

to win!

is winning.

Game 54 R.Fischer-K.Walters

34. .."iWb4 35 S/.b6

San Francisco (Simultaneous Display) 1964 1 b4 ib�6 2 �b2 e6 3 b5 d5 4 ibf3 C6

This idea is not

seen

very often.

Usually Black plays instead 4 ... a6!? 5 a4 axb5 6 axb5 ]:txa1 7 �xal (transposing to Bernstein-Seidman, see Game 47), 4 .. .<5 5 e3 (Games 32-33) or 4 ... iLd6

(Game 53). 16 'ifc3l S/.e5 17 fxe5 bxc4 18 e6 f6 19

21 "i!O'b2

21 'i!i'g4!? might be stronger. 2Libf6 is met by 22 S/.xf6 iLxf6 23 li'ld6 'ilfd7 24

5 e3 cxb5 6 iLxb5+ iLd7 7 iLxd7+

ibxc8 iLxal 25 'i!i'c4' g6 26 "il'a6 'iii' c7 27

lilbxd7 8 0-0 S/.e7

ibxa7, when White wins a pawn and

e7 hxg5

35..."iI'xe4??

has very good winning chances.

19 ..ibe5 20 exf8'i!V+ 'il!'xf8 21 ibxc7 is

35...a4! would have collected the

21 ...f6 22 I1bl

.

hoppless for Black. 20 iLa3

Fischer scalp. For example, 36 "il'fS a3

22 a5!? b5 23 a6 'O!¥c6 24 t;)a5 "il'xa6

37 Ila7 'i!i'c4 38 'i!i'd7 b4 39 S/.d8 'i1t'c5 40

25 ibb3 'i!i'd6 26 1:txa7 leads to very in

iLxe7+ lhe7 41 J:ta8+ ¢>f7 42 'ilfd8 "i!O'c6

teresting complications after 26...e5!,

43 'i1t'g8+ \t>g6 and White runs out of

which in all likelihood will boil down

ideas. After the text move, however,

to equality after 27 'i!i'a2 �f8 (27 ... exd4

the tables are abruptly turned .

28 I1xd7!) 28 IIa6 "il'c7 29 IIa7.

36 iLes! 'i!i'f4+

22 ••.e5 23 iLC3 ibes 24 'i!i'a2?

36... S/.xcS allows mate in one with

24 'i!i'c2 'i!i'd5 25 ibb2 ibe6 26 ibdl. preventing annoying Black moves such as .. .'1l1a2 and ... S/.b4, makes sure that Black has achipved a fairly comfort

n li'lxfs li'le5 24 hxg5

able position from the opening, with a

24..•'i!i'd5 25 ltdl ibxd3 26 J:txd3 'i!j'xe4 27 "il'd2 "il'xa4

White has managed to achieve a de

White 15 two pawns down and com

Fischer exchanges his weak c-pawn.

pletely lost.

11...dxe4 12 lilxe4 IIae8 13 a4 IIfd8 14

28 IId7 'i!i'a3

'i!i'e2 b6 15 Itfel 'lWb7 16 h3 ibe5

28...\t>f8!, preventing

37

g3 1-0 Poor Walters missed the chance of a

lifetime in this game.

nice c�file and no weaknesses.

9 d3 0-0 10 t;)bd2 'fie7 11 c4! 20• . .ibd7 2 1 exf8'if+ ibxf8 22 ibe7+ >tIf7

White holds the balance.

37 'i!i'f7.

29 'ilfd5,

is

Game 55 B.Gurgenidze-A.Dgebuadze

Georgian Championship, Tbilisi 1996

stronger.

ClSlve material advantage without moving his king or either of his rooks.

ing a4, b3, d3 and e4.

29 'ilfd5+ 1t>#8 30 �d2 h6 31 'ilfe6 l:e8 32

1 ibf3 ibf6 2 b4 e6 3 a3 d5 4 e] c6 5 c4

24 ...'ilfd7 25 ll:f1 ibfg6 26 gxf6 gxf6 27

17 ibd4 �xd4 18 S/.xd4 ibb3 1 9 �ebl

e4 b5 33 iLe3 as 34 �h2

iLe7 6 iLe2 0-0 7 0-0 ibbd7 8 exd5 exd5

116

The knight on c5 is a danger, attack

117

Block Ploys .. dS a n d .

Ploy 1 b4 !

9 �b2 a s

'i!l'e8+ Wg7 39 'ilfe7+ Wg6 40 'ilfe8+ Wg7

Planning a possible liJh4-g2-f4, add

gain some control in the centre.

ing pressure to dS.

10 bS CS 11 a4 ne8 12 d3 b6 13 liJbd2 �b7 14 I1C1

16.. �g7 17 liJh4 ncB 1B liJg2 1:C7 19 'ilfu

•6

After 36 'ilfel 'ilfd4+ 37 il'e3 il'd5 38

1S...g6 16 g3

A good move, which helps Black to

...

41 'ilfe7, Black should allow the p�r petual check, as 41...'ilff7 42 tixf7+ Wxf7

knight on f4. Black decides to strike

43 liJe3 is good for While. 36...'i!I'ds 37 'i!l'xf6 'i!l'h1+ 3B ..t>f2 'i!l'xh2+ 39 >!<e3 39 Wfl 'ilfd2 40 'ilfe6+ is probably

first, but probably the counterattack is

also a draw.

premature and 19 ...'ilfe7 is safer.

39 ...'lil'xg3+ 40 Wd2 1-0

White wants to attack the d5-pawn with the queen on a2, bishop on f3 and

19...d4 20 liJc4

The game should be drawn after 40 Wd2 'lil'f4+ 41 'lil'xf4 gxf4 42 liJd3 h5 43

36 liJe1

liJxf4 h4, but maybe Black lost on time.

Such a position can easily occur in the Sokolsky. Ideally White would like to swap off Black's d-pawn by playing e�4,

but

Black's

concentration

of

forces on that square makes this idea impractical. So instead White conceives a plan of direct attack on the enemy's

20.. .IiJeS?!

central bastion.

Black should play 20 ...'iiI'a 8�?, when

14 ...�f8 1S 1l:c2

21 liJel dxe3 22 fxe3 1l:e6 23 �dl offers chances for both sides.

21 liJxeS Ilxes 22 exd4 cxd4 23 l:! .KC7 'iil' xc7 24 �xd4 l:!xe2 25 �xf6 � d6 26 'ilfxf6 White has won a pawn, but Black's pieces are active and it will be hard to make it count.

26 ...l.e6 27 'iil' d4 27 'iil' a l! �xg2 28 Wxg2 'ilfd7 29 );tdl keeps the extra pawn and offers some winning chances. Defending

both

bishops

preparing a thematic 'ilfa1.

118

and

27 ..Jl.d6 28 'iil'e5 'ilfd7 29 liJf4 f6 3 0 'ilfe3 gs 31 liJg2 l:!xd3 32 'ilfxb6 'e'dS 33 f3 Ilxf3 34 Ilxf3 'ilfxf3 35 'ilff2 'ilfd1+ 119

Play 1 b4!

Summary

I

The Queen's Gambit set-up without ...b6 is less logical than the Queen's Indian players don't employ the Queen's Gambit as White by locking in their queen's bishop anymore, do they? The recipe for White is often the same as the one sug

Cha pter Six

gested in Chapter Four. put a pawn on b5, cover it, and then strike at the centre. However, playing with a more restrained a2-a3, as in Garnes 50-52, is also possible. It's not covered here, but the Bird set-up with f2-f4 mighl be worth exploring, and this

can

be compared with a similar approach in the

imzowitsch-Larsen At

tack with 1 b3 (a good source is Dunnington's Winning Unorthodox Openings).

Black Plays

Ld5 2 il.b2 ibf6 3 ibf3 e6 Game 54; 4.. .ltd6 5 e3

-

dS and

... �fS / ... �g 4

1 b4 ibf6

4 b5 (D): 4 ... c6

.••

.

-

Game 53

4 a3 4 ... c6

-

Game 52; 4 ... c5 5 bxc5 -,,-xc5 6 e3 O-{) (D)

7 c4

-

Game 51; 7 d4

This chapter is devoted to reversed

Game 50

queen's pawn openings in which Black

2 il.b2

2 ihf3 e6 3 a3 d5 4 e3

-

Game 55

-

.

tre with ... e7-e6.

3...a6

Against an early ...S:l.f5 White can

Game 49; 3 ... d5 - see I dS ...

borrow an idea from the Nimzowitsch

4 a4 axbS

4 ...il.e7

-

1 b4 ds 2 il.b2 Si.fs 3 lZlf3 e6 4 e3 lZlf6 S

a3

Larsen Attack and play a quick f2-f4 to

Game 48

S axb5 l:[xa1 6 il.xa1 dS (D)

6...c6 - Game 45

White's main alternative, 5 c4, is

seize the eS-squace. Larsen was quite

discussed

fond of this plan and dubbed it ·the

(Game 57).

in

Katalymov-Litvinov

Dutch Orangutan', an acknowledge

7 e3

7 lZlf3 il.e7 8 e3 lZlbd7

Las Palmas 1974

hemmed in when he supports the cen

see I . .d5

3 ...Si.e7 4 e3 0-0 5 lZlf3 c6

B.Larsen-W.Browne

pawn chain so that it will not be

2 •••e6 3 bS

3 a3 d5 4 ibf3

Game 56

develops his c8-bishop outside the

-

ment to another common name for 1

Game 47

b4. My encounter with Gravel (Game

7 ...(5 B lZlf3 Si.d6 9 (4 - Game 46

59)

explores

this

approach,

while

Games 56-58 concentrate on the more usual development with ibf3 followed by a quick c2-c4. One of Black's most challenging de fences to the Sokolsky consists of play ing L.d5 followed by ...S:I.g4, either on the second move or a bit later. The final seven games of this chapter will examine various White plans against this 4 bS

120

6...0·0

6.•.dS

set-up.

5 <5 .•.

5 ...lZlbd7 6 c4 dxc4 7 il.xc4 as 8 b5

121

Black Plays . . . dS and ... j,.fS I. .. � 9 4

Play 1 b4!

<7lb6 9 .1l.e2 -'-d6, as playe d in E.Agur

f3 pxf3 23 g xf3 <7le5 reaches a dynamiC

S.Dudakov, Netanya 1973, is a sound

position w ith rough material equality -

path to a reasonable position for Black.

our assessment is 'unclear'.

35 .lixc6 'l!!'d6+ 36 g3 lIbl 37 l:!xe8' Wg7

6 <4!? cxb4 7 axb4 liJ<6

17 liJxd 5! liJxa3 18 <7lxe7+ llIxe7 19

38 liJd4 h5 39 Wg2 llb6 40 nc8 nb2 41

White starts a queenside attack.

'ilixa3 b6 20 nd2 l:!ac8 21 l:!ad1 nc7 22

.liB n b4 is fascinat ing but far from

6...il.e7 7 liJd4 j"xb1 8 n"bl c6 9 g4!?

h3 lUc8 23 llIa1

clear. White may be better, hut we

After 7 ....lixb4 8 III a4+ liJc6 9 liJd4 .lie7 10 liJxc6 bxc6 11 'l!!'xc6+ I.!;f8 12

32 .lib5

weaknesses and exploit the poorly

32 b7 liJc6 33 !la8 al'i1i 34 .lib5 'l!!'f6

liJc3, the awkward position of Black's

would not be surprised to

king assures White of an advantage.

as the final result.

8 'l!!'a4 .lie7

32 .•.liJc6?

8....1l.xb4 transposes to the previous

see

placed king on f8. 6 C5

a draw

Browne could have reached a com

note.

pletely drawn position after 32 ... al 'l!!'!

9 cxd5 exd5 10 liJd4 �d7 11 b5 liJb4

33 lhe8+ Wg7 34 b7 liJa6 35 .lixa6 nbl 36 b8'l!!' l:txb8 37 ll.xb8 'l!!'xa6 38 nb2. Probably he was very short of time, but who wouldn't be in such a game? 33 .1l.xc6 al'l!!' 34 axe8+ IP g7 35 b7

Now White gains a decisive mate

rial advantage.

This could be the move either of a

35._Itb1 36 b8'l!!' l:!xb8 37 nxb8 'i!!' a 5 38

total beginner or a very st cong player.

White possesses a strong knight on d4,

ll.b7 Wf8 39 e4 '!!Vc5 40 .lids f5 41 liJe5

A f ter pTessing on the queenside, White

but Black has a passed pawn on a5.

1·0

This

position

should

be

equ al:

23 ...g6 24 liJf3 il.e8 25 .!!. d 6 llIxd6 2 6

l:! ..d6 l:!C1+ 27 ll1xcl l:tx<1+ 28 W h 2 a4

begins attacking the k ingside! I don't

After 41... '!!Vd6 (what else makes any

really believe in t his attack, but such

sense?), 42 lH7+ We8 43 �.c6+ IPd8 44

crazy moves did help Katalymov to

Now it begins to get really compli

nd7+ wins what's left of Black's posi

win a considerable number of games.

Let's take a look at this position.

cated. It's very difficult for most play

tion. Just anot her day at t he office for

White is trying to finish his de velo p

ers to calculate all th ese crazy varia

the Great Dane.

ment. He does have an isolated b5-

tions, but for Larsen it's not a big deal.

pawn, but the knight on d4 is strong

29 J:txb6 a] 30 nbS WfS 31 b6 a2

enough to protect all the weaknesses. Black has almost finished his develop

l1ea8 16 lha2 lha2 17 :a1 lha}' 18

Game 5 7 B.Katalymov-V.Litvinov

Minsk 1971

ment, but he must protect the isolated

d5-pawn. I prefer White's position be

.i.xal leaves White with a minimal ad vantage in space. The text is much more ambitious! 9...e5

Castling into it with 9 ...0-0 allows

cause his pieces - when they are devel

1 b4 d 5 2 il.b2 il.f5 3 e] liJf6 4 liJf3 e6 5

oped - have the potential to exploit

C4 liJbd7

Black's weaknesses later in the game.

9 -'-e2 as 10 a3 axb4 11 axb4 0-0 12 0-0 l1e8 13 f4 llIc7 14 1!I'c2 lla2 IS Ital

After 5...il.xb4 6 'lli'a4' liJc6 7 liJd4,

White to build a promising attack al ter

10 g5 liJe8 11 f4 e5 12 fxe5 liJxe5 13 h4 as 14 liJb3 liJd7 15 a3 axb4 16 axb4.

12 .1l.a3 as 13 liJc3 0-0 14 .1l.e2 liJe4 15

7... 'lli'd6?? is a blunder which drops a

0-0 liJxd2 16 nfd1 liJc4

piece to 8 liJxc6 bxc6 9 a3 �c5 10 d4

After 10 ...0-0 1 1 d4 exd4 12 �xd4

1 6...liJe4 would have been stronger, and 17 liJxe4 dxe4 18 liJf5 il.xf5! 19

il.b6 11 c5. Instead, 7...Ji.e7 8 <7lxc6 bxc6

liJe8 13 il.e2 il.f6 White can abandon the

9 'l!!'xc6+ Wf8 10 il.d4 dxc4 11 '!!Vxc4 of

plan of a direct attack by playing 14 0-0,

l:!xd8 l:!fxd8 20 il.c4 il.f6 2 1 .!Idl liJd3 22

fers White chances to attack Black's

which still leaves him with an edge.

122

10 Illf5 g6

123

Black Plays . . . d5 a n d . . 1<./5 1.. >l.g4 .

Play 1 b 4 ! 6 bS dxc4 7 il.xc4 il.e7 8 a4 0-0 9 0·0,

1 1 lilg3 0-0 1 2 h4 lile8 13 g S fS 14 f4

terial with 2 2 lilxg6! lilxg6 23 'lIfxf5+

'lIf c7?!

lIte7 24 iLxg7 j.xg7 25 'flI'xg6.

as

22 'i!!'h 8+1!;>f7

Netanya 1 968, is nothing special for

14 ... exf4!? 15 exf4 offers chances for

played

in

H.Ree· Y.Bernstein,

both sides, for example after 15 ... lilg7

White. Against 6 a3, 6 ... a5 is rather an-

16 h5 as 17 hxg6 hxg6 18 a3 axb4 19

noying, while 6 ... dxc4 7 il.xc4 as is also

axb4 ;/:te8 20 lile2 1<.f8 21 ..wb3.

not bad. White can also play in the

lS 'lIff3

same style as Katalymov, with 6 c5

.

his own knight. 26..Ac8?!

26 ...�f8, centralizing the king, is stronger.

(compare Game 57). 6 •..exdS 7 a3 il.d6 8 il.e2 0-0 9 d3 'lIfe7 10 lilbd2 lilbd7 11 0-0

White has nothing here, and 1 1 ...a5! is a strong idea. After Black's actual choice, I could see a favourable struc ture shaping up. 11...lileS 12 lilxeS iLxeS 13 il.xeS 'lIfxeS 23 'flI'xf8+!

This is decisive, winning a piece

14 lilf3 'lIfe7 lS 'lIfd2 il.g4 16 lild4 il.xe2 17 'lIfxe2

27 I1bcl lilfS?!

23 .••lIt xf8 24 lile6+ �g8 2S lil"c7 lil f3+ lS ...1H7?

And here 27 ...I:ta8!? lessens the force

26 lIte2 :txc7 27 lith8+ �f7 28 � xf3

of the thrust b4-bS.

cxb4 29 1<.es l1e7 30 lith7+ 1·0

28 lilxfS lhfS 29 Ilcs I1d8 30 bS axbs?

Black should seek counterplay with

30...cxbS!? 31 axbS �f8 would have

15 ... a5!?, although White is still better

at least avoided the immediate loss of a

after 16 h5. One possible line runs 16 ...axb4 17 hxg6 hxg6 18 Ilh6 lilg7 19 I1xg6 IItn 20 I1h6 lIte8 21 lilh5 lilxh5 22 'lIfxh5+ �d8 23 g6 lilf6 24 1<.xe5 'lIfxe5 25

Game 58 Y.Lapshun-O.Adu

pawn. 31 axbS Wf8 32 bxc6 bxc6 33 d4

Richard Aronow Memorial, Philadelphia 2002

White wins a

33 • .Af6 34 Ilxc6 l:l.xc6 3S l:l.xc6 l1te7 36

fxe5 lZlxh5 26 IlxhS �xcS 27 :tb2 lIte8, and here 28 1<.d3 gobbles the f-pawn because it's all over after 28.. .f4? 29 exf4 Ilxf4 30 Ilh8+ Ilf8 31 g7. 16 h S ! iLf8 17 lile2!

Defending the f4-pawn, and prepar

I will always be grateful to Mikhail Belorusov for organizing the Aronow Memorial tournament, because in it I achieved. my third and final Interna

g4!

The exchanges have left White with a superior minor piece and a clear plan:

tional Master norm. This game marked

to play the Minority Attack on the

ing to move the queen to the h-file.

my first test with 1 b4 against an 1M.

queenside.

White is able to attack without moving

1 b4 dS 2 iLb2 c6 3 e3 j.fS 4 lilf3 e 6

his bishop or rook.

Black has chosen a reversed London

17•. Afe8 18 llfcl a6 19 l:l.abl 'flI'es 20 l:!C2 lild7 21 'flI'g4 l:l.ad8 22 'flI' g3 lilb6 23

System. This is also known as the New

'flI'xeS tlxeS 24 lilb3 lilc8 25 a4 lild6 26

York System, since Emanuel Lasker

lild4

comes deadly.

used it to defeat R<'ti at the 1 924 New

19...lIg7 20 fxes lilxes 21 lilf4 bxcS

York tournament.

White is happy to have his pawn on d3 to keep Black's knight out of e4 and

S C4 lilf6 6 cxd S

c4. In contrast, he has the d4-square for

17 ... b6 18 hxg6 hxg6 19 'lIfh3

After this move White's attack be

Against 21...lItn, White can win ma124

pawn and keeps

enough on the board to clinch t he win.

125

Black Plays . . . dS and . . · il.fS I ... :>.. g 4

Play 1 b4! 3 6. . •I!aS 37 \!ig2 \!id7 3 S ll:b6 \!i(7 3 9

weak e-pawn and e4-square, but at

shut out the black bishop.

It b 2 W ( 6 4 0 h4 nes 41 l:ta2 Ii>b6?

least in return I was getting the e5-

23 fS .!!:XC1 24 .!!:X<1 'ifgS?!

square for my knight.

4 2 lld8 a4 4 3 d 6 .l:!d4 44 il.g4 f3 4 5 gxf3 h5 46 il.e6 Ii>h7 47 icf5+ Wh8 48 Ii>g3 b5

This tempting counter will fail, al

49 d7 a3 50 :ta8 b4 51 d8'if .!!:xd8 52

the threatened 42 ll:a7.

beit in an amusing fashion. 24 ... b6

l:Ixd8 b3 53 �e4 a2 54 .!laB b2 55 .!lxa2

42 na!

would ha ve been stronger.

and White wins!

2S l:I(7

33 Itih2

4l. ..ne7! ? is the right way to meet

It"s useful to cut off the black king

from the rest of his army. 42 .•.ndS 43 n(S f6 44 gs fxgs 45 hxgs hS 46 gxh6 gxh6 47 111 g3 J:: gS+ 4S Ii>h3 JUS 49 ltig2 nfS 50 f4! 1-0

50 ... h5 51 IIIg3 1i>b7 52 e4 is decisive. So I won, but it seems that the reversed

London System is a viable defence to 1 b4.

Game 59 Y.Lapshun-S.Gravei

Montreal 2004

13...ihb6 14 ille s n<8 15 �_f3 (xd4?!

15 ... c4 is strongeri later on Black can work on White's weaknesses. 16 exd4

It took a long journey to reach this

I had to calculate many variations,

33...lle8??

and eventually I decided that my king

Black had to try 33 ....I:!e6, although

would be safe after a short trip round

White is still winning here after 34 l:Ic6

game. My Canadian friends drove me

my g-pawn.

'i!l"e3 35 M a4 36 hxg5 'ifxg5 37 'i!l"xg5

from Kapuskasing to Montreal. a trip

2S ...ll:e1+ 26 Itif2 'i!l"d2+ 27 Ii>g3 'iIo>h8!

hxg5 38 d5 J:e8 39 lhb6 �h7 40 llb7

of more than ten hours. When I finally

28 1I(8+ il.g8 29 'i!l"g4 .!!:e 3+ 30 il.f3 b6

il.g6 41 lla7 llb8 42 d6.

arrived, I was about 30 minutes late. It

34 'ifhs Wh7 35 �g4!

was very difficult to find the venue

It's hard to say for sure whether or not it's wise to interpolate 30... 'ifel+ 31

because all the signs were in French. I

'ot>h3.

rook to prevent il.f5+.

had absolutely no idea what my oppo

31 f6 g5 32 h3

3S ...'iff2 36 llxe8 'i!l"f4+ 37 'iIo> g1 'ifxd4+

n ..nt liked to play, so I figured this was

It's time to move my king to h2. 32

a good time for the Sokolsky.

the e5-square. 4 illf3 e6 reaches Games

3S ltih 1 'ifxf6 39 il.e2 Ii>g7 40 'l!l"f3 1-0

h4!? was also possible, but I wanted to

1 b4 ill f6 2 il.b2 dS 3 e3 il.fs 4 f4

The idea of this move is to control

Winning, as Black must give up a

hide my king, not expose it! 16.••ill (4?!

Black should have prepared this

32... 'ife1+

32_ ..l:te6 is possible too. Fritz offers

Game 60 Y.Lapshun-A.Hahn

US Championship, San Diego 2004

move.

the following variation, which may

4.. .e6 5 a3 as 6 bS (S 7 illf3 ill bd7 S (4

n ill xc4 ll:X(4 1S illx dS ill xd5 19 il.xds

uncover the truth, but it's too difficult

il.d6 9 (xdS exdS 10 il.e2 0-0 11 0-0 h6

]:ttl 20 �_C1 il.xa3 21 'iff3 jc 1« 1 22

for any human ( know to work out

J:taX<1 ]:teS

over the board. Take it for what it's

In this game I beat a US Women's

White has emerged well from all the complications, with an active bishop

worth: 33 llc6 J:::el 34 Ii>h2 'ife3 35 h4 :tbl 36 iLdl lhb5 37 :tc8 'iff4+ 38 'ifxf4

Champion with 1 b4. Before I played her, I looked at her games and didn't

and a passed pawn. The next step is to

gxf4 39 .l:!d8 :tf5 40 .l:!d6 l:Ib5 41 dS l:Ib4

know which move to open with. I was

56-58.

My opponent didn't wan! to have to part with his bishop afler illM. 12 ill (3 il.h7 13 d4!?

I was worried about giving myself a

126

127

Black Plays

Play 1 b4 ! thinking about 1 <'4, but she plays vari

S a 3 il.e7 6 i:.e2 il.xe2 7 Illxe2 < 6 8 <4

ous openings after this; the Sicilian Or

0-0 9 0-0 as 10 <S

1...e5, with the Ruy Lopez or Marshall

axb4 b6 13 d4 li:le4 14 �e1

can use the a5- and cS-sq uares.

__

odS and _ _ _ SLJ5 1 ___ Ji.g4

39 ... \Pxf7 (39 ... li:lc7? 40 li:lxh6+ gxh6 41

6 11 'lil'c3 axb4 12

'Il'g3i il.g5 42 h4 l:!xb2 43 hxg5 hS 4 4 f6 li:leB 45 'Vife5 g ives White a winning at

Gambit. Before the game I was talking

tack ) 40 �e6+ \Pf8 41 'il'c8+ �f7 (41 . _ il.d8 is more resilient but White

with my roommate, Salvijus Bercys, and he toJd me I was preparing too

still en joys a strong attack after 42

much for my opponents, and that it

li:le6+) 42 li:le6! (42 't!i'e6i �f8 is a draw)

was taking up too much energy. So [

42 ... il.e7 43 tie I l:!xb2 44 li)g5 >!, and

decided to take his advice, forget

White mates after 44 ...hxg5 45 �e6+

preparation, and play ] b4. She played

\Pf8 46 't!i'xe7-t \Pg8 47 'i'e8+ IiIh7 48

great chess in the opening but [ de

't'fh5+ IIIg8 49 ne8

cided to attack when she got into time

39...il.gS??

.

trouble, and I won. Maybe she could

Instead the move 39 ... � d8! defends

.

have defended with 39_.i!'dB, but by

31,,_li:l b8 32 \Ph1

then I was doing well. 1 b4 dS 2 SLb2 SLg4 3 �C1

After the continuation 40 li:lxI6+ 'fj'xf6

I'm not sure if this is the best move, The white queen defends the b pawn and - indirectly - the aJ -rook, while preparing to attack the black

but a little prophylaxis can't hurt.

43 li:ld7! 't!i'xfS 44 li:lf8+ �88 45 li:lg6+ IIIh 7 46 li:le7 wins for White) 43 il.a 1

32 _._li:le6 33 'i!I'<3 h6 34 f4

My opponent's time pressure and

41 'l'!'e8+ III h7 42 'i!l'xbS 'i'xf5! (42 ...Ilxb2

a

Ilxg2! 44 Wxg2 't'fgSi 45 't'fg3 'i'xcJ 46

king after f2-f3 and 'i!l'g3.

bad knight on b8 convinced me to

'l'!'d3+ \Pg8 47 't'ffl 'i!l'd2i 48 'i'f2 'fI'dl 49

14_,,'IiI'b8

make my first attacking move.

't'fgJ �d2+ 50 't'ff2 't'fdl, White cannot

The black queen indirectly attacks the b2-bishop and also points at the white king.

34 lIa4 3S fS lil<7 36 lilbcS na8 37

improve on a draw.

li:leS

40 'il'e8+ \Ph7 41 'l'!'xf7 'il'd8 42 li:le6 1-0

It was a huge pleasure to have two

1S f3 li:lf6 16 iI.<3 li:l<7 17 li:ld2 li:lbs 18

great knights on c5 and e5, but I also

il.b2 :xa1 19 IlI'xa1 'Il'b7 20 llI'a4 :a8

wanted to improve the b2-bi shop

21 'il'b3 li:l<7 22 li:lc1 nb8 23 iI.<3 li:ld7

37. li:lbs 38 'i!l'e1 na2

.

24 'i'<2 li:lbs 2S .\tb2 e S

Black i s trying t o break up White's The idea of this move is to play 4 e3

centre, but it is standing like a rock.

and later .\te2, so that the knight will

1 his

recapture the bishop with a tempo for

breaking it up with 26 dxe5 would give

centre

is

worth

maintaining;

development

Black plenty of play after 26 ...bxc5 27

3".li:lf6

bxc5 il.xc5 2811el il.a3_

.

3... liJd7 fE-ached a very similar posi

26 1i'1d3 exd4 27 exd4 il.f6 28 lil b3 11a8

28 ...I1e8 is also reasonable. White

The deadly attack by White's queen

6]).

has nothing after 29 f4 bxc5 30 bxc5

and two kn ights forces Black to resign.

4 e3 e6

il.d8 31 ]:tel ]:txel + 32 li:lxel.

After 42 ... 'I'!'g8 (or 42 ...'i!I'e7 43 121f8+ \PhS

4 . ..li:lbd7 5 c4 e5 6 b5 il.d6 is equal, S.Rocha-V.Akopian, World Junior Ch.,

29 l:te1 li:l<7 30 cxb6 �xb6 31 n<1

44 li:lg6+), a flight is taken from the

Mamaia 1991.

Black's c-pawn is very weak and White

tion in Lapshun-Paschall (see Game

lZ8

White has two isolated pawns, but

39 li:lg4

39 lbxf7!? is an interesting sacrifice:

black king and White forces mate with 43 li:lxg5+ hxg5 44 'i!l'h5.

1 29

Black Plays . . . d5 a n d . . �f5 1. . . >l.g4 .

Play 1 b 4 !

Game 61 Y.Lapshun-W.Paschall

New York Masters (rapid) 2003

holds the balance. Black's choice in the

Benko demonstrates an unusual and

game deprives him of counterplay.

risky way to play this opening.

18 cxb6 'i!!'xb6

1 b4 dS 2 .ltb2 1l.g4 3 h3 il.hS 4 g3

B...as!

Giving White another headache. 9 C3

Black has too many problems: the

White must close the diagonal of

squares cS and e5 are weak, and in ad

the Sokolsky bishop for the moment.

dition Black has to defend his a-,

This position now looks more like a

c-

and

e-pawns.

Philidor than a Sokolsky.

gested that my game against 1M Wil

19 IlaC1 IZlb8 20 Itlf3 .!:If8 21 Itlf4 .!:Ie8

9... 1l.d6 10 /t)bd2 'i!!' b6 11 J:l.b1 0-0 12 g4

liam Paschall deserved to be on the

n ltles Ila6 23 'i!i'e2 .ltd6 24 Itlfd3?!

The

tournament

organizer

sug

In order to castle White is forced to

Internet. When I asked why, he said

24 Itlxc6 Itlxc6 25 b5 l:ta5 26 l:txc6

weaken his kingside. as 12 O-O?! 1l.xg3

that people like the way I play 1 b4. He

'i'Kb8 27 �_c3 l'la7 28 b6 Ilb7 29 '/!!b 5

13 bxa5 'i!!' a7 (13 ... .!!xa5? 14 c4 'i!!' a7 1 5

was joking, but in the end I decided

would have been a simpler way to \Ivin.

1l.d4! wins a piece) 1 4 a6 bxa6 15 Itld4

that if people want to see it, they will

24 ..•:a7 2 S l:!c2 1tlf7 26 J:tfC1

.ltf4 16 Itlxc6 'i!!'c 7 leaves Black with the

see it!

advantage.

1 b4 dS 2 1l.b2 i.g4 3 'i!i'c11tld7 4 c4 e6 S

12...1l. g6 13 0-0 J:: adB

e3 Itlgf6 6 a3 as 7 cs c6 B i.e 2 i.xe 2 9

The dOllble fianchetto is an interest

Itlxe2 b6 10 d4 1l.e7 11 0-0 0-0 12 Itld2

ing approach. A

'i!I C7 13 'i!i'c2

certain familiarity

Another

with the Reti Opening. particularly the

level chances.

so-called Capablanca System. is a use

14 c41l.bB

ful thing to have if you want to play

active

alternative

is

13 ... axb4 14 axb4 J:l.a2 15 c4 .ltf4. with

After 1 4... axb4?! 15 axb4 .ltxb4 16

this way.

1l.c3 c5 1 7 1l.xb4 cxb4 18 'i!!'a 4 'i!!'c7 19

4 ...e6 S 1l.g2 Itlf6 6 a3 Itlbd7 7 Itlf3 c6 8

'iil'xb4 Itlcs 20 'i!!'b6. White has

d3

fortable position and a target on b7 to

a

com

attack. 15 'i!!'c2 26...ltlxes?

This move loses material. Black should play 26... Ilc7. 27 dxes i.fB 2B i.d4 'i!!' a6 29 i.xa7 'i!!'xa7 30 IZlcs g6 31 .c:c3 i.g7 32 f4 .UB

I felt at the time. as I do now. that

this position is evenly balanced and

33 h4 h6 34 �f2 lle7 35 'iil'c2 :teB 36 'i!!'d1 g s 3 7 hxg5 hxg5 3 B 'i!i'hs 1-0

offers chances for both sides. 13• ..liJg4 14 g3 fS?!

There are two problems with this move. Black is left with: 1) A weak e-pawn; and

Game 62 P.Benko-J.Belion Lopez

Torremolinos 1973

2) A weak e5-square. 1s ltlf4 Ilf6 16 h3 Itlh6 17 Itld3 a4?

17 ...axb4 18 axb4 IlffB 19 Itlf4 �f7

130

I don't trust this passive set-up be cause the b4-pawn can become an ob ject of Black's attack. White has to solve

Here's another example of 1 b4 be ing played by a great American legend.

this problem by weakening himself further.

1S .•.'i!!'c7

15 ... axb4 16 axb4 dxc4 17 Itlxc4 'i!!'c7 would have been safer. AfteT the text

131

Black Plays . . . dS a n d . . . fLJ5 1. .. fLg4

Play 1 b 4 ! move, 16 bxa5!? �xa5 1 7 1I.xf6 Ibxf6 1 8

iLf4 2 4 l:!c2 l:la8 25 lbe4 l:lfc8 2 6 e 3 iLh6

ILxb7 �xa3 1 9 lHbl 11.f4 20 Ibd4 is dan

White has a good position, but Black

gerous for Black.

does at least have some counterplay.

ponent for me. Fifteen years ago, when

14 ... iLd6 15 iLe2 0-0 16 0-0 l:la8 100ks

16 nfC1 dxc4 17 lbxc4

23 e3 �h6 24 Ibas! l:lf7 25 Ibxb7

I started my career in New York City,

equal, and in fact is easier for Black to

It's taken a while, but at last we have a Reti structure that favours

cxd5 exd5 10 1b<3 as 1 1 a3 axb4 12

ment award from the USCF. Bonin has always been a tough op

axb4 Il1
1b7xb6 26 lbxc5 l:la7 27 l:lu i..d 6 28 d4

he beat me like a drum. Now, of

play with all his pieces well posted.

%leaS 29 i.. b2

course, I do much better. We've played

1S .ltb2 .lkb4 16 .lke2 lbcs 17 "ii' c2 d4!?

White" since Black's pieces are in odd

each other in hundreds of serious

Jay decided to sacrifice a pawn to

places and White can execute a minor

games, and God only knows who is

keep my king in the centre. Of course

ity attack with his Sokolsky pawn.

ahead because we have stopped count

he could have just castled and stood

17.••axb4 18 axb4 lbd5 19 b5 f6

ing.

perfectly okay.

1 b4 d S 2 iLb2 iLg4 3 h3 iLh5 4 Ibf3

18 exd4

19 ... cxb5?! 20 Ibce5 Ibxe5 21 1I.xeS �xc2 22 nxc2 b4 23 iLxb8 nxb8 24 lbh4

iLxf3 5 gxf3

ILfc8 25 l:1xc8+ lhc8 26 iLxd5 exdS 27 l:lxb4 is better for White. 20 iLa3 c5 21 b6!

Benko cleverly trades all the pieces to reach a winning endgame. 29.. .fI.f7 30 !'!xa7 l:lxa7 31 "ii'd 3 "ii' g 6 32 "ii'x g6 hxg6 33 lbe1 l:la2 34 ({)ed3 Q,b4 35 iLc3 Ibxd3 36 lbxd3 iLa3 37 l:lb1 l:lc2 38 iLb4 iL xb4 39 !'!"b4 ({)d5 1-0

Probably Black lost on time in this

White's b6-pawn sticks like a bone in Black's throat. Black cannot take the

my remaining six pawns being weak,

position. After 40 iLxd5 exdS Black will

cause I don't know what to do about

but I did at least have an extra pawn

face severe problems trying to survive

the possibility of an isolated d-pawn in

and the two bishops for my sulfering.

a pawn down and with several weak

that variation. 5 ...lbf6 6 c4 dxc4 7 iLxc4

18 ..•lbe6?

nesses.

e6 8 O-D Ibbd7 9 a3 iLe7, as played in

pawn, as 21...({)7xb6 loses material to 2 2 lbxb6 lbxb6 23 11.xc5. 21 ...�f4 22 �d2

22 lbaS? allows Black to com plicate with 22 ...lbe5, and after 23 lbxb7 iLxd3!

I was nervous playing with all of

I prefer this capture to 5 exf3 be

G.Baranov-A.Payen,

Gome 63 Y.Lapshun-J.Bonin

Marshal l Chess Club 2002

24 � xd3 Ibxd3 25 exd3 nc8 26 Ibxc5

St

18 ... lbcd7 19 lile4 0-0 20 bxc6 bxc6

Petersburg

21 �xc6 Ibxe4 22 fxe4 iLxd2+ 23 1lIf]

1998, illustrates the d-pawn problem

"ii'a 2 is more consistent and a better

quite clearly. White doesn't want to

choice, If Black does not like this posi

play d2-d4 and close the line of his

tion, he shouldn't offer the pawn in the

dark-squared bishop; the move d2-d3,

first place.

obstructing the light-squared bishop, is

19 1be4! IbdS 20 bxc6 0-0 21 cxb7 "l'tb6 22 l:lg1

Jay Bonin is a renowned 1M from

also undesirable; and finally leaving

who has more chances to win.

New York. He's won countless tour

the d-pawn at home may lead to a

Fritz prefers 22 lilc5 Iilxc5 23 dxc5

22•.Ac8?

naments, defeated many GMs and won

weakness on the d3-square. I think

iLxc5 24 .ltd3 .lkxf2+ 25 II

Losing the b7-pawn doesn't help

many club and state championships; he

White is struggling to equalize here!

iLxh7+ II
matters. After 22 ... �xd2!? 23 Ibfxd2

recently received a lifetime achieve-

5 ... c6 6 e3 e6 7 c4 Ibf6 8 "ii' b3 Ibbd7 9

but this position didn't look so great to

�d6 27 b7 ILcd8 it's probably Black

132

1 33

Black Plays

Play 1 b 4 !

...

d5 a n d

...

iLI5 1

...

fi-g4

m e at the board. The move I played

astonished b y his rapid grasp o f the

tre.

seemed simpler and stronger.

position and his original but accurate

Quinteros

22 .. .'!'>'xb7 23 il.c4 lilef4 24 'i!fb3 wh8 25

approach to strategic problems. I al

weakens his d ynam ism in the centre.

32 hxg5 'i!l'xg5+ H Wh2 'i!fh4 34 'i!fe5

'iild 1

ways come away from these sessions

16 1Lla4 e5 17 Iilxb6 axb6 18 il.f3 e4 19

IId7 35 J:!g1 'i!fxf2+ 36 );tg2 'i!fh4

feeling like a humble student who has

dxe4 dxe4 20 �e2 J:rae8

I couldn't find a safer place for my

Lombardy into

now an

provokes

advance

which

king.

been taught by a true master.

25 ... 11b8 26 l::tg 5! il.e7 27 'i!fxb7 nxb7 28

1 1ilf3 Iilf6 2 b4 c6 3 c4 d5 4 e3 �g4 5

of White's two-bishop advantage by

il.xd5 IIxb2 29 ne5

il.b2 e6 6 'i!fb3

playing 20...il.eS

29 );tfS is also strong. 29 ... lilg6 30 il.xf7! Iilxe5 31 dxe5

In most games White defends the

free Black from White's grasp. 29 gxh4 g5 30 .!!. xb6 J:rd8 31 'i!fa1 'i!ff5

It would have been better to get rid .

21 J:rad1 �b8

b4-pawn by pushing it or protecting it with a2-a3. Here Lombardy uses an interesting idea - defending it with the queen. 6 ... lilbd7 7 cxd5 exd5 8 il.e2 il.d6 9 h3 il.e6

I believe the e6-square isn't the best choice for the bishop in this typf' of structure, and instead

37 l:!xf6 ! 1-0

Black should

White is winning in all variations:

maintain the pin with 9 ...il.hS.

37 ...'i!fxf6 38 ):I.g8+ Wh7 39 'i!fhS+ 'i!fh6 40

10 Iild4

'i!fxh6+ 'iilx h6 41 l::t xf8; or 37 .. l!xf6 38 'i!fe8+ Wh7 39 'i!fxd7+ It>h6 40 'i!fg7+ WhS An unsuccessful attempt to check-

In this winning position J had only five minutes left and wasn't able to keep

of time, and White uses this to strike

any further score of the game. Little by

back in the centre. It wasn't too late to

little I was able to push my passed

trade

pawns forward and eventually I forced

playing 21 ...�eS.

my opponent to resign.

White's dangerous bishop

by

Game 65 Y.Lapshun-R.Furdzik

New York Masters (Rapid) 2002

22 J:rd2 'i!fa 23 g3 'i!fc8 24 Wg2 'i!l'f5 2 5 'i!fd1 �e5 26 .i.xe5 'i!fxe5

Game 64 W.Lombardy-M.Quinteros

Torremolinos 1974

41 'i!fh7+ .!:th6 42 il.f7 mate.

mate the white king only leads to a loss

This ambitious move blocks thp dS pawn, attacks Black's bishop and helps

M r. Furdzik is

a

National Master

After wasting so much time Black

who has beaten some GMs. He plays

has finally traded bishops, but he has

openings creatively and well, but de

lost the initiative.

spite this I have bpaten him with I b4

27 il.c4 h5?!

many times. Even though he knows

Black continues to attack the king,

what I will play against him, the result

to attack both flanks.

but it was time to fight for control of

is always the same. Here is ont" exam

to the World Junior Championship

10 ...'i!fe7 11 b5 c5 12 Iilxe6 fxe6 13 d 3

the d-file and defend the weak b6-

ple of his I b4 woes.

with a perfect 1 1-0 score fifty years ago,

0-0 1 4 0-0 Wh8 1 5 1il c 3 1ilb6

pawn. 27...'l!I'c7 would have helped to

1 b4 d5 2 il.b2 1ilf6 3 e3 c6 4 f4

G M William L ombardy, who swept

is a legend of American chess. I've ana

This position offers levt"l chances:

lysed with him several times at the

White enjoys the advantage 01 the two

Marshall Chess Club, and I'm always

bishops, while Black has a strong cen-

134

solve these problems. 28 lJ.d6 h4

A desperate pawn sacrifice can't

4 Illf3 iLg4 5 c4 reaches Lombardy Quinteros (Game 64). 4 .••�g4 5 il.e2

135

Black Plays .. d5 and .

Play 1 b4! For 5 ltlf3, see the next game. S ...�xe2 6 1!i'xe2 e6 7 a3 ltlbd7 S ltlf3

ltlxc6 ltlc4 offers Black good compensa

tending 22 e4 'iO'b6 23 'i!l'c4 nab8.

tion for the queen. 15 ... .lil.xf4! is even

22 e4 c4 23 'lIt'f3 J:ldS

···

�f5 /. . . � 9 4

2 7..•whS?

White enjoys a big advantage after

stronger, as 16 .!1xf4 1!i'xb2 17 .!l:ffl 1!i'b6

27... lli'xf7 28 12le4 cxb2 29 ltlg5< Ili'f8 30

square.

would leave White with nothing fOT

'lIt'e6 .lil.d4+ 31 ltlxd4 'lIt'e8 32 lil:xb2, but

S... .lil.d6 9 c4 0-0 10 0-0 as 11 cxdS exdS

the missing pawn.

the text is even worse for Black.

12 bS neS

1S... cS 16 ltlfs

28 .lil.a1?

Continuing

to fight for the <,5-

16 ltldb5 d4 17 ltlxd6 'lIt'xd6 18 ltlb5

28 ltlxc3 'lIt'c8 (or 28 ...ltlxc3 29 IHe l !

1!i'b6 19 a4 is roughly equal.

and :e8+) 29 'lIt'xc8+ lhc8 3 0 ltlxd5

16._.lil.fS

ltlxd5 31 littel lite3 32 ltlfl lhe] 33 1hel

Furdzik could have probably forced

leaves White with two extra pawns and

a draw here with 16 ... j.xf4· 17 .!l:xf4 1!i'xb2

18

nan

d4

19

ltle4

should lead to victory.

dxe3

28

(l 9 . . I!xe4? 20 llxe4 ltlxe4 21 1!i'g4 g6 22 Ibh6< Ili'h8 23 1!i'xei .!l:f8 24 Ibxf7< Ili'g7 25 1!i'e7 1!i'b8 26 ltld8+ wh6 27 Ilxf8 ltlxf8

13 bxc6?

.lil.xc3 24 eS?!

28 'lIt'xf8+ is winning for White; and

In such a complex position, it is

]9 ...lbxe4 20 'lIt'g4 dxe3 2] Iilh6+ IiIh8 22

natural that both sides make mistakes.

ltlxf7+ Ili'g8 23 ltlh6+ is another draw)

24 .lil.d4 is stronger, with White obtain

20 'lIt'xe3 ltld5 21 ng4! ltlxe3 22 ltlh6+

ing an attack after 24...1!i'b7 25 f5 ltle8

Ili'h8 23 ltlxf7+ Ili'g8 24 ltlh6+, when the

26 "iil'f2 .lil.xd4 27 12lxd4 liId7 28 e5.

Black too much play, and 13 ltld4! is

game ends in perpetual check.

24.. Jl.d3 2 S 1!i'<6I2lfds 26 e6 <3?!

much stronger.

17 nab1 d4 1S ltlbs g6 19 12lg3

This

premature

exchange

gives

13 ...bxc6 14 ltld4 1!i'bS

litfel

is

also

good

enough:

28 ...'i!l'f8 29 ltlxc3 J:lc8 30 'lIt'b5 ltlxc3 3]

.

litdxc3

32 :e8,

winning the

queen. 2S...'iII'fS 29 fS 'ill' xf7 30 ltld6 'lIt'd7

26 ...15 is the best try here. Following 27 .lil.xg7 Ili'xg7 28 ltld6 ltle7 29 ltldxf5+ gxf5 30 1!i'xb6 'lIt'xb6+ 31 J:lxb6 Ili'f6 32 J:lcl J:lxa3 33 J:lxc4 J:le3 34 na4 J:lxe6 35 J:lb5 J:lea6, Black has good chances to hold the dra w. 27 exf7+ 31 'lIt'xaS+!

White is trying to build a mating net, even though his bishop on al can't move! 31...ltlxaS 32 J:lbS+ .lil.fS 33 J:lxfS+ Ili'g7 34 fxg6 'l1t'aH? 19 ....lil.g7?! 1s ltl c3

19 ...1!i'b7 20 f5 nab8 2] a4 ltld5 22 e4

I overestimated my chances when playing

this

tricky

15...'lIt'xb2!? 16 .!l:fbl

move.

Now

Amazingly,

Black

can

play

34 ... 'lIt'xd6!. After 35 ltlf5+ Wxf8 36

ltlSb6 would have been okay for Black.

ltlxd6+ Ili'g7 37 gxh7 Ili'xh7 38 ltle4

20 1!i'd3 dxe3 21 dxe3 Ibb6 ?!

ltlab6 39 Ibf2 .!l:d2 40 ltle4 J:ld3 41 ltlf2

�xa3 17 .!l:xb2

Black should have restrained the

J:ld2 42 ltle4 it's a draw by repetition -

.lil.xb2 18 lla2 .lil.xc3 19 dxc3 ltlb6 20

force of 22 e4 by playing 2] ....ll:d8, in-

White can hard Iy try to win with his

136

137

Black Plays

Play 1 b 4 ! bishop locked i n the corner.

two

3 S \I;hl hxg6

pawns.

does obtain the g-file for the rook.

39 ...WhS 40 Jii h 7+ Wg4 41 h3+ 1-0

8•.•�c7 9 c4

rooks,

t wo

knights

and

two

...

d5 a n d

..

. iLf5 1

...

iLg4

is controlling the centre and White

It's mate next move after 41...J:!.xh3+ 42 gxh3.

Game 66 Y.Lapshun-R.Furdzik M a rshall Chess C l u b 2002

Here's another exciting win over 2 3 ..•gxh5 24 J:tc5

Furdzik. In this game he onc� more

White is down a pawn, but look at

gets mated, and my king doesn't even 36 lbge4?!

36 I18f7+ �xf7 37 lbxf7 l2lab6 38 4\e5 is simpier. 36...�d4 37 lbg s ? lbac7??

make a single move. 1 b4 dS 2 Si.b2 c6 3 e3 lbf6 4 f4 �g4 S lbf3 e6 6 a3 lbbd7 7 fLe2

7 c4 fLd6 8 cxd5 exd5 9 �e2 0-0 10

all those weak black pawns' It's time to 9...es?!

This opened the centre for my two

collect them in a harvest. 24.••J:td8 25

't!j'c3 d4 26 il:e5+ �f8 27

bishops and my opponent was going to

�cS+ �d6 28 11>'f5+ \l;>e7 29 Jl:e5+ 1t>f8 30 il:f5+ �e7 31 'ill' c4 J:thf8 32 J:te5+ 1t>f6

37 ... Ji!e3! is the best try. White can

0-0 J:!.e8 11 lbc3 J:!.c8 was fairly comfort

pay for this. As I usually tell my stu

still win, though, with 38 lbe8+! (38

able for Black in A.Ornstein-5.Hansen,

dents, "Before you do something ac

33 lIexhS JIg8 34 Il:xh7 'iO'ds 3 5 'riIIc7

J:!.xa8? l'I'f6! 39 :IIa7+ \l;g8! 40 J:!.a8+ \l;g7

Gausdal 1999. White can continue with

ti ve, develop YOUT pieces!"

�e6

41 J:!.a7+ \l;>g8 is only a draw) 38 ... .l:txe8

moves such as lbd4 and 'i!!'c2, trying to

10 cxd5 lbxd5 11 fxe5 lbxeS 12 lbc3

39 1:txe8 lbac7 40 �d8 a4 41 Ji!d7+ Wh6

control the squares £5 and cS.

liJxc3

42 lbf7+ Wg7 43 h3 �c5 44 ll\e5+ Wh6

12 ...ll:d8 is stronger. 13 fLxc3 f6

45 lbg4+ \l;g5 46 :IIel, when at long last

This is an unpleasant move to play,

the black king is caught. 38 !it8f7+'it>h6 39 l.'l de4!!

but it's forced because of the pressure exerted by White's c3-bishop. Now White can exploit the new weaknesses on the light squares. 14 f4 lbd7 15 fLh5+ g6 16 fLg4 fLg7 17 �b3 liJb6 18 fLe6 f5 19 h4 lbd5?

Black would still be okay af ter 19 ...Jhc3 20 �xc3 lH8 21 fLb3 (21 h5 g5! is quite unclear.) 21...0-0-0. 7... fLxf3 8 gxf3?!

I was nervous about recapturing this way because it spoiled my pawn White has built a mating net with

138

20 fLxd5 cxd5 21 fLxg7 �xg7 22 Ji!Cl 'i!!'d7 23 h5!

After creating weaknesses on the

36 ll:7h6+

36 J:tf7+ also wins after 36 ...�xf7 37 �e5+ \l;>g6 38 �g5 mate, or 36... Wg6 37 J:tgl + � h5 38 J:th7+ �h6 39 �e5+ �h4 40 l':txh6 mate.

slTucture, and I had to think about king

queenside, it is now time to force con

36 ...J:tg6 37 J:txg6+ \l;>xg6 38 �h7+ �f6

safety. On the other hand the f3-pawn

cessions on the other wing.

39 J:!h6 mate (1-0)

139

Black Plays

Play 1 b4! knight will go to the c4-square.

.ikxg6+ 'iWxg6+ 2 4 'iWxg6+ lhg6 is un-

. . .

d5 and

...

iLf5 1

...

fl.g4

liJxb7+ 1-0

clear - Black has a piece for three

Game 6 7 Y.Lapshun-A.Smith

pawns) 19 .. .lhg6 20 .ike2 liJef6 21 .ikf3 .ikd6 22 We2 is better for White, who

Canadian Open, Kapuskasing 2004

has two bishops and many pawn tar gets.

Black's actual choice is considerably One day before this game I was

worse.

analysing some openings together with

17.••'iWa5? 18 .ikxe4 dxe4

GM Dmitry Tyomkin and his coach Mark

Tseitlin,

a

very

18 .. .fxe4 19 'iWe6+ Wd8 20 'iWxdS

humorous

Ilxg6 21 'iWxb7 Ilb8 22 'i!!'xe4 leaves

Grandmaster from Israel. During our

White two pawns ahead and winning.

analysis, whenever the king was uncas tied in the middle, he was constantly repeating "The father is in the middle!"

19 'i!!'xf5 'i!!' b4 20 'i!!'e6+ 13... h5

With this move my opponent was

White can also win by playing 20

My opponent resigned because he

'i!!'f7+ Wd8 21 �xg7 .ikxg7 22 'iWxg7

thought that after 29... We8, 30 'iWf7 was

Next day, against the Canadian player

trying to stop my kingside attack. In

'i!!'xa3 23 'i!!' xh6 'i!!'b2 24 Ildl.

mate, but in fact Black's king can

Andrew Smith, my king didn't make a

order to finish his plan. he would have

20• . .wd8 21 J:lbl 'i!!'a S 22 'i!!' xe4 'i!!'b6 23

cape to d7. Instead I was considering

single move in the entire game. When

to push his pawn to g6. I had to pre

flgl liJf6 24 'i!!'f s .ike7 2 S .ikeS We8 26

29 ... We8 30 liJd6. Wd8 31 liJf7. We8 32

ever I was away from the board I

vent this.

liJ<4 'i!!' d 8 27 'i!!'e6 'iWd3 28 liJd6+ wd8 29

'i!!' c6+ Wf8 33 'i!!' xa8+.

would laugh like crazy, and constantly

14 h4 :!!.h 7 IS <xdS exdS 16 g6! Ilh6 17

repeat "The father is in the middle!"

'i!!' h 3!

es

1 b4 <6 2 .ikb2 dS 3 e3 liJf6 4 f4 a5 5 b5 <5 6 lilf3 .ikg4 7 h3 .ikxf3 8 'l!¥xf3 e6 9 <4 liJbd7 10 g4!?

A t this moment, I thought that I was simply winning a pawn and that my opponent could already give up, A very risky move, but if need be

but I was wrong - he could have de

W hite can always castle long.

fended with 17 ... 'iilb6. Then 18 ti'xf5

10...IiJe4 11 g5 a4 12 .ikd3 fS 13 liJa3

'iWxg6 19 'i!!'xg6+ (19 'iWxd5 'iWg3+ 20 Wdl

This looks strange, but

140

soon

the

liJf2+ 21 Wc2 Ild6 22 'i!i'xhST g6 23 141

Play 1 b4! Summary

Systems with ....!tf5 are certainly playable for Bldck, but Games 56-59 show that White has chances to fight for the advantage. II does seem, however, that White cannot get much against ... �g4 systems, and often it's necessary to take some risks. White's kingside pawns may become compromised, as in Lapshun-Bonin (Game 63), and dynamic play is required to compensate for this. In general, the

Cha pter Seven

earlier Black gets his bishop to g4, the better off he is. 1 b4 dS 2 .!tb2 .!tfS

I

1 . . . c6, 1 . . . fS

and U n u su a l Moves

2 ... .!tg4 3 h3 .!th5 4 g3 - Game 62 4 lbf3 - Game 63 3 'fWd (0) 3...lbf6 - Game 60 3...lbd7 - Game 61 2 ...lbf6 3 e3 c6 4 lbf3 .!tg4 5 c4 - Game 64

We conclude our study of the Sokolsky

�b6, when White is forced to incarcer

Opening with an examination of 1. ...c6,

ate his bishop with 6 d. We prefer in

the Outch Oefence ( .. .f5) and some un

stead the thrust 3 b5.

usual tries by Black.

4 f4

First we consider the ambitious

4 ... a5 - Game 67

1. ..c6, and after 2 .!tb2 Black has two

4... .!tg4 (0)

main options: 2 ...'ill'b 6 and 2 ... a5. This

5 lbf3 - Game 66

defence is sharp and White must react

5 .!te2 - Game 65

aggressively, otherwise he ends up

3 e3 e6

with a poor position. Against 2 ...'&b6

3...lbf6 4 f 4 - Game 59

(Games 68-70) White can neut ralize

4 lbf3 lbf6

Black's early threats with the variation

4 ... c6 - Game 58

3 a3 as 4 c4 axb4 5 c5!, and if 5 .. .'lWxc5?

5 a3 (0) - Game 56

then 6 axb4 attacks two pieces and

5 c4 - GameS7

wins material. In this line White gains some space on the queenside but Black obtains

targets

for

counterattack;

chances seem roughly balanced. By the

ing a later target for

way, we should mention here that

style line opening on the queenside, is

142

4···$;.94

S Q3

a

Benko Gambit

1 . ..c6 is Richard Palliser's 'fallback' de

discussed in Games 71-73. Rudenkov

fence in his book Beating Unusual Chess

Strugach (Game 74) displays a delayed

Openings, and we cover his recommen

but no less effective version of the

dations in the notes to Game 69.

gambit.

Against 2 . . .a5, we don't like the

3 'fWC%

This move, offering a pawn to dis rupt Black's pawn formation and creat

spineless 3 a3 axb4 4 axb4 Ihal 5 J1/.xal

The

three

main

approaches

for

Black in the Outch are the Fluid System

1 .. <6, 1 . . .f5 a n d U n u Jual Move> .

Play 1 b 4 ! (sometimes called the Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation), the Stonewall, and the Len ingrad. We offer an example of White's play against each of these possibilities.

tends to occur more from games start

hibit the move l2le4. In the case of 10

13 ...d6! 14 �xf6 dxcS 15 bxcS �aS.

ing J tIlf3.

cxd6 �xd6 (not 1O exd6?, because of

13.,.d6 14 �a1 �e7

..•

Finally, after 1 b4 dS 2 �b2 you are

1 1 ltldS!) J 1 ltle4? ltlxe4 12 il.xh8 f6,

Or 14 ... dxcS 15 bxcS lild7 16 d4 b6

not likely to encounter moves like

White's bishop on h8 is trapped. Such

17 cxb6 �xb6 18 il.d3, with the better

In Katalymov-Kondratiev (Games

2 ...'lWd6 or 2 ... 121d7 very often, but the

an approach probably couldn't lead to

position for White.

75-76), White counters Black's 'small

final two games show sensible ways to

success, and this is why White should

15 cxd6 'i!l'xd6 16 'i!l'd4 'i!l'e7

centre' approach by first grabbing the

meet them, and should comfort those

choose either 10 cxd6 'i!l'xd6 1 1 bS or

Black has his reasons for not trading

centre and

who worry about dealing with bizarre

immediately 10 bS! cxbS 1 1 ltlxbS �xcS

queens, because in the ending White

12 il.d4 �c6 13 ltlf3, with strong pres

will be more active. By the way, soon

then advancing on

the

queenside as in the English Opening.

variations.

sure for a sacrificed pawn.

By the way, '75-76' is not a misprint; we submit two versions of this game,

Game 68

one with OUf own notes, and one with

vantage in I he future.

B.Katalymov-V.Sakharov

Sokolsky's. Yury had written notes to

17 �e2 lild8 18 �f4 �f5 19 0·0 il.e4

Kiev 1962

this game by himself, overlooking that

The best chance for Black. 19 .�e4 _

is a mistake because of 20 �c7, win

Sokolsky had included it in his book. After reading both sets of notes, Nick

the white rook will occupy the open a file, and this will be a substantial ad

1 b4 <6 2 �_b2 �b6

ning the pawn on b7.

suggested leaving both versions intact,

Another try for an opening 'refuta

With 19 ...il.e4 Black prevents White

to provide the reader with two signifi

tion'. This prepared idea is met by a

from capturing the open a-file. On 20

cant viewpoints of an interesting game,

strong counter.

nal there follows 20 ...�xb4, when 2J

from two strong players with vastly

3 a3 a5 4 <4 axb4 5 <5!

d3 is bad because of 21. ..�b2, and in

different styles and outlooks.

Teply

In Game 78, Dutch 1M Gerard Well

to

21

�xf6

Black

answers

2 1 ...�d6.

ing counters the Stonewall by holding

10 ltle4! 0-0 11 1i.xf6 il.xf6

back his central pawns and blasting

20 ltld4 f5 21 d3 il.d5

Obviously 1 1 . ..exf6 is not good be

open the kingside with h2-h3 and g2-

cause of 12 ltld6.

g4, a sort of 'mirror English', and the

12 ltlxf6+ exf6

idea of frustrating the Stonewaller's am bitions by keeping a pawn on d3 is a noteworthy

concept.

In

Shiffler

Schmidt (Game 77), White borrows yet another English Opening idea, used by Larsen and Karpov, of giving up the queen's bishop to double the enemy's

Interesting play! Katalymov's nov

(-pawns. This Trompowsky-like ap

elty demonstrates the waste of time by

proach is especially effective against a

an early queen move. The queen can't

Dutch set-up.

take the pawn, so she is forced to re

Games 79-80 cover 1... as, while Games 81 -82 supply a few examples of

5 .. ,111"<7 6 axb4 .Ibn 7 �xn ltlf6 8 e3

play in a Griinfeld (or Schlechter) type

g6 9 1t1<3 �g7

set-up for Black,

144

which admittedly

22 b5

treat.

Here Black has to play 9 ...dS to pro-

22 nbJ is also not bad. 22...<5 23 1t1<2 1t1d7 13 1t1f3

Not immediately 13 'i!l'al, because of

This allows White to penetrate via c7, but it's difficult to find a better al-

145

1 . . . c6, 1 . . .J5 a n d U n u s u a l Moves

Play 1 b4!

temative. On 23...'ifd6 there could fol

sacrificing a pawn.

low 24 lIi'xd6 :!lxd6 25 d4 (or 25 :!la1),

3 3...f4!1

with an advantage for White in the

after which 8 e 3 d 6 9 lba3 bxc5 1 0 bxc5

ending.

terplay with 34 ...lbf6 35 'O'Nxb6 I xe3 36

24 'ifc7! naS 2S na1 I,!xa1+ 26 Ibxa1 b6

fxe3 'ife4.

27 lbc2 'O'Ne6

34 'O'Nxf4 lbes

Black sidesteps the pin and defends

At firsl sight il seems Black has real

his pawns on the queenside. Even so,

chances to save the game, but White's

dxc5 11 Ibf3 offered White compensa

Game 69 L.Yudasin-V.Epishin

Now on 34 'iYc6, Black gains coun

tion

New York Open 1990

c)

The

main

continuation

here

next move will demonstrate that he has

4... axb4 5 c5 'OIVc7 (5...'OIVxc5?? 6 axb4!) 6 axb4 nxal 7 il.xa1,

defend the pawn on b6. White inlends

an initiative.

now to trade light-squared bishops and

3S lli'gS! f6

in

7 ...lbf6

reaches

Katalymov

A forced weakening - White was threatening to play 36 f4. Now 36 lbf5+

A logical continuation of the in

is no good because Black defends by

tended plan. Less clear are the results

playing 36 ...wf7 37 Ibh6. Wg7 with a

of the sharp 30 g4.

draw

30.,.il.xf3 3l lbxf3 'O'Nds 32 d4 cxd4

way 10 continue the attack.

.

pawn

is

not only a material advantage, bUI also

32 . .c4? is mistaken because of 33

sacrificed

s lbe3

1 b 4 e 6 2 il.b2 l1i'b6 3 a3 as 4 e4 d6

difficulties, and he has to constantly

2S Ibel Wg7 29 h3 ""-as 30 il.f3

Ihe

Sakharov (see Game 68).

Black is not able to eliminate all his

bring into Ihe game the knight on c2.

for

M.Bosboom-S.Emst, Dieren 1999.

I

but White finds an interesting

36 l1i'g3 'ifa2 37 f4 lb c4 38 fs

'ifc6!. It's worth noting the active role

s...lLlf6

the pawn on bS plays in this game.

Grabbing the b-pawn with S... axb4 6 axb4 Ihal 7 'OIVxal 'OIVxb4? is punished

33 Ibxd4

and now:

by 8 lbd l ! Ibt6 9 il.xt6 exf6 10 'OIVa8, win

a) Palliser's main line runs 7... d6 8

ning material.

d4 with two branches: al) 8 ... e5 9 e3 (Palliser stops here)

6 bs g6 7 n b l 'OIVdS S g 3

9 ... lbf6 10 dxe5 dxe5 11 ILlf3 with a

White has an edge after 8 ... lbxc6 9 ,,4

comfortable

il.g7 10 d4 0-0 11 Ibf3 il.g4 12 il.e2 Mc8

position

Y.Lapshun-J.Gonzalez

for

White,

Diaz,

Sants

2006. 3 s...lbd2?

Possibly 8 bxc6 should be preferred.

13 il.c1 lIi'd7 14 il.e3. S.. ,il.g7 9 il.g2 0-0 10 ILlf3 dS

a2) 8 ... lbf6 ("a solid continuation" -

This position looks like an English

Palliser) 9 Ibc3 b6 10 cxd6 'iiixd6 1 1 b5

Opening where \Vhite has gained some

lI!'b4 12 e3 Ibd5. Here we vary with 13

extra tempi.

necessary to revert to defence, playing

'OIVc1

11 bxc6 bxe6 12 0-0 il.a6

Even after many exchanges, White

38 ...lIi'a7. Even so, the queen ending

13 ... e6 14 il.d3 c5 15 Ibf3 cxd4 16 ILlxd4

12 ... dxc4 13 'OIVc2 'OIVd6 14 lIfe] il.g4

has preserved his advantage. Now he

after 39 fxg6 hxg6 40 IbfS+ Wf7 4] Ibd6+

il.c5 17 0-0, when White has no prob

15 lba4 lbbd7 16 lIi'xc4 is roughly equal.

A mistake in a lost position. It was

(instead o f Palliser's

13 'OIV(2)

is threatening to play 34 lIi'c6!, and after

Ibxd6 42 'ifxd6 should be winning tor

lems and can fighl for an advantage.

13 cxds cxds 14 d3 Ibc6 lS 'OIVa4 neS 16

exchanging queens the b-pawn win

White.

We must remind the reader that this

nfel

advance to become a new queen. In

39 lbe6+ wf7 40 lIi'c7+ WeS 41 ilidS+

analysis is untested in practice.

response Black tries to free himself by

\!;>f7 42 'iffS mate (1·0)

146

b) Another option for Black is 7 ... b6,

White exerts some pressure on the queenside, so Black has to be careful

147

1 . . . c6, 1 .f5 a n d U n u s u a l M oves ..

Play 1 b 4 ! here. Epishin solves his problems with

1 b4 c6 2 il.b2 'iii' b6 3 a3 as 4 c4 d6 5 d4

- White has a weak d5-square, a vul-

2 2 ...'iii'f7 23 il.xf4 liJxf4 2 4 'iii' xf7+ Wxf7

a pawn sacrifice.

e5

nerable d4-pawn and a bad bishop on

25 ll:abl

16.,.e6 17 liJdl 'iii' d7 18 il.c3 h 6 19 il.xa5

This surprised me. My b4-pawn

liJxa5 20 'iii'xa5 ILxCl 21 ILxCl 'ilVb5 22

was under attack and J was afraid to

'iii'x b5 il.xb5

open the centre by playing 6 dxe5. [t

b2. Black has a backward pawn on b7,

In trying to add pressure to the b7-

and holes on b6 and d6. Whoever is

pawn, my d4-pawn had also become

able to exploit the enemy weaknesses

vulnerable.

more successful1y will win the game.

25 ...l:l.d7 26 Iileg5+!

26...Wg8

Black's two bishops should provide

took me more than 20 minutes of think

enough compensation for the pawn

ing time to understand that I had to

15...liJds 16 liJe4 liJf4 17 il.c4 .1xc4 18

deficit, and this proves to be the case.

bring my pieces out first and only then

'l!!'xc4

23 ,l:l.bl j td7 24 liJe3 ,l:l.a8 25 liJc2 il.f8

decide on how to open the centre.

After 26...fxg5 White wins a piece:

White pressures the f7-pawn, but

27 liJe5+ We6 28 liJxd7+ Wxd7 29 lhb7+

26 d4 il.a4 27 liJfel ncB 28 liJb4 J:i:C3 29

5 ... axM 6 c5 'iii'c7 7 axb4 I!xal 8

Black has total control of the d5-square.

Wd8 30 litf7 liJg6 31 f4! gxf 4 32 h 4 .l1I.e7

::tal liJe4 30 liJed3 liJd2 31 e3 liJc4 3 2 liJ c 5 jI_xc5 33 dxc5 liJa5 34 lfla6 y.-y.

il.xal e5 9 e3 reaches the position dis

18...liJf6 19 liJe5 liJ6d5 20 J:tfel f6 2 1

33 h5.

cussed in the note ' aJ ' to Black's 4th

liJf3 il.f8 22 .l11. n

27 liJe6

After 34 liJa6 liJb3 35 l:tbl liJxc5 36 liJxc5 nxc5 the position is equal.

Game 70 Y.Lapshun-C.Stevens Guelph 2004

move in Game 69.

This strange-looking backward step

Reaching here was easy. but can the

is the best move according to Fritz.

knight escape later?

liJgf6 10 liJc3 Ji.e7 1 1 il.e2 0-0 12 0-0

With my following move [ would solve

27 ...liJd5 28 Wfl

lHd8 13 'iWcz

the problem of the bad bishop.

6 'ilVd2 il.e6 7 C5 'iii' c 7 8 liJf3 liJd7 9 e3

Sidestepping the

rook on dB. I

wanted to bring my rook from f1 to dl,

28 liJd2!? is another possibility. 28.. Jl'.e8 29 l'l.b2 J:l.de7 30 liJxf8 Wxf8 31 lhe7 :!!:x e7 n liJd2 liJc37

but first of all my queen needed a safer

32 ... a4! 33 liJc4 .li:e4 34 .li:d2 .li:h4 35

place. It's unbelievable, but both of us

h3 liJc3 36 liJe3 liJb5 37 liJc2 J:[e4 38 f3

This was my final-round game at

had spent about an hour for the first

J:[e8 leaves Black marginally better,

the Guelph Open. After five draws in a

twelve moves. It was time to move

although White should hold easily.

row against GMs and a loss to an 1M, [

more quickly, and [ managed to do this

33 liJc4 J:[d77

had to beat Stevens. He was a young

more effectively than my opponent.

player and I didn't have many games

13 ...dxc5 14 bxc5 exd4 15 exd4

33 ...:e4! 34 liJxaS J:txd4 35 g3 J:ta4 36 liJxb7 J:[xa3 37 J:[b6 J:[a7 38 liJd8 liJe4 39

of his in my database. In this situation,

Finally Black has released the ten

J:txc6 We7 40 ,l:l.e6+ Wxd8 41 l:xe4 Wd7

what to play on my first move became

sion in the centre. Let's take a look at

reaches a tenable rook endlng for

obvious.

this position. Both sides have problems

Black.

148

149

1 . . . c6. 1 .../5 and U n u s u a l M o ves

Play 1 b 4 ! 34 ltld6

but he will lose his c-pawn first and

Anguix Garrido (Game 72), and 5 ... ltla6

After 16 ...il.h5 1 7 ltlbd2 "ill' d5 18 il.a3

then his kingside pawns too.

is the subject of Volke-Wegner (Game

e6 19 J:!e1 f6, White doesn't have nearly

73).

enough for his two pawns.

Game 11 Y.Lapshun-I.Figler

Marshall Chess Club (Rapid) 2004 Ilye Figler, originally from Mold ova, is a strong FIDE Master who has

5... �b6 6 li'If3 e6 7 �c4 ltlf6 8 �xf6

dS ltlxds 21 ltlxds 'lli'xds 22 lHd1 'i!i'fs

12 lba3 leaves White with compensa

23 g4 'i!i'gS 24 h4 'l!i'xh4??

tion,

K.Volke-A.Aleksandrov,

Minsk

After 24 ... 'i!i'cS 25 nacl �b4 26 .i.c3 'i!i'a4

6 es ltlds 7 �c4 ltlb6 8 �bS ltlc6 9 ltlf3

27 nal �b3 28 il..xg7 J:!g8 29 nabl �a4,

dS 10 exd6?!

Black keeps a winning advantage.

10 axb4!? axb4 11 ):Ixa8 tiJxa8 12 0-0

correspondence player with a solid

�d7 13 ltlg5 �a5 14 e6 �xe6 15 �h5

knowledge of openings. I had played

I had been dreaming about landing

normal systems against him without

�xf7 �c5 1 9 �xg7 �xg7 20 �xg7 ne8

on d6 with my knight about 20 moves

great success, so on this occasion I

21 �xh7 leaves White a pawn ahead.

ago, and finally my dream came true.

thought the Sokolsky might come as an

It's hard to assess, but I believe that

34•.•ltlbS 3S tiJ"bS cxbS 36 lhbS lhd4

unpleasant surprise.

White is better.

37 llxas

1 b4 c6 2 �b2 as!?

10 •.•'lli' xd6 11 0-0 �g4

I am always a( raid of this move be

40 J:ta7+ �g6 41 �e2 J:txc5 42 J:txa4

cause it practically forces White to sac

would

leave

Black

with

drawing

Black has to defend the b5-square.

1 994.

scored two 1M norms. He is also a good

37 Ihb7 nc4 38 nbS a4 39 na5
17 �xf3 �c6 18 'i!i'e2 e6 19 ltlc3 il.e7 20

gxf6 9 0-0 �c7 10 �e2 b6 1 1 axb4 �xb4

2S j>_xg7!

rifice a pawn, as 3 a3 axb4 4 axb4 l::x al

chances.

5 �xa I 'l:fu6 6 c3 e5 is pleasant for

37 ...J:!d2 38 l:[a8+
Black. 3 bS!? cxbS 4 e4 b4 S a3

2S ...f6

25 ...J:!g8 is met by 26 'i!i'b5 mate. 26 'i!!'xe6 na6 2 7 'i!i'c8+ wf7 28 �xh8 J:!c6 29 'i!i'd7 ne6 30 .!:!d4 neS 31 �xb7 hS 32 'i!i' b3+ �f8 33 J:!C1 I:cs 34 J:!xcS �xcS 3S 'i!i'b8+ � f7 36 �b7+ iLe7 37 I!e4 fS 38 �dS+ 1-0 12 d4?!

I don't like this move here: it weak

ens c4 and also makes d4 a target. White should instead consider 12 h3!? il.. h5 13 �e2 e6 1 4 'i!i'e3. In this position my opponent re signed. After 39 ... l:[d7 40 c6 bxc6 41

Game 72 D.Campora-J.Anguix Garrido

Canete 1994

12 .••�dS! 13 c4?

Welcome to the Sicilian Defence,

13 �e2 ltlc4 14 �c1 e6 15 axb4 �xb4

1 b4 c6 2 �b2 as 3 bS cxbS 4 e4 b4 S a3

ltxd7+ �xd7 we have a classic illustra

Wing Gambit!

16 c3 gives White chances for equality.

bxa3 6 ltlxa3 d6 7 d4 e6 8 �d3 ltlf6 9

tion of the power of the outside passed

S...ltlf6

13•••ltlxc4 14 il.xc4 'i!!' xc4 1S axb4 ltlxb4

ltle2 il.e7 10 0-0

pawn. Black will capture the a-pawn,

150

5 ... bxa3 is discussed in Campora-

16 h3 il.xf3

White has developed almost all his

151

1 . . .c6, 1 . /5 a n d U n u s u a l Moves

Play 1 b 4 !

.

pieces. and he's also captured the Cf'n tre and the b5-square. This adds up to

21 'il'd4 1ba4 22 �a1 li'\c5?!

22 ... d5!? leads to another messy po

10 0-0, White's centre provides suffi·

sition after 23 liJf5 IiJc5 24 'il'e3 liJfe4 25

vestment.

J:l:g3 IiJxg3+ 26 'il'xg3 �g5 27 'il'xg5 f6 28

8 �c4 d6 9 0-0 4ijf6 10 .,hf6

10..•liJc6 11 l11 h 1

'il'g4 g6 29 'il'd4 'il'xf5 30 'il'xc5 J:tad8 31 �gL On this occasion we think the

lO ... dxeS 1 1 IiJxeS �e7 12 �bS+ IiJd7 13

waste of time, but many players like to

chances are level.

'il'g4 �f6 White can play 14 na2, de

prepare the [·pawn push in this man-

2 3 liJf5 liJe6 24 'il'h4!

fending his loose bishop and thus free

compensation

for

the

missing

I believe this prophylactic move is a

nero

20 exd5 exd5 21 �xd5

cient compensation for the pawn in

pawn.

full

.

10 e5 is also possible. Following

ing his knight on e5 to move.

11...liJb4 12 �b5+ �d7 13 C3 �xb5 14

10...gxf6 11 C3 �d7 12 cxb4 IiJxb4 13

IiJxb5 liJc6 lS liJg3 0-0 16 c4liJb4 17 d5

IiJc3 �e7 14 I1bl liJc6 15 d4

exd5

White retains com pensation after 17...'iI'd7 18 'il'e2 exdS 19 cxdS J:t£e8 20

\,Vhite has a saff" king and activf"

:I:1fb 1.

pieces; Black possesses the two-bishop

18 exdS

advantage but is saddled with three

Also possible was 1 8 cxd5!?; for ex

isolated pawns. The overall verdict:

ample, l8 ... 'iI'd7 19 IiJd4 nlc8 20 IiJgf5 �d8

21

na3 with

White is better.

a strong attack

21•..il.e5 22 IiJf3 na6 23 'il'e2 il.e8 24

against the black king. 18 ...'iI'd7 19 l:!a3 lilbxd5 20 l:!f3

nfd1 nd6 25 'il'a2 �f5 26 :!tbel b6 27 h3

Now White enjoys a clear advan

lle8 28 IiJh4 il.e8 29 'il'bl i..a 3 30 :!te2

tage. Black's two extra pawns are

�c5 31 'ii c1 ne5??

meaningless when compared to the aggressiveness of White's pieces. 24. • ltfe8 2 S liJxe7+ 'il'xe7 26 lhf6!

This is winning. 26...gxf6 27 il.xf6 'il'd7 28 f4!

Kicking out the last defender on e6. 28 ...lilf8 29 'il'g5+ 1-0

After 29 ...liJg6 30 'il'h6, Black cannot prevent mate with 'il'g7.

This beginner's blunder will cost White has enough play. His pieces

Black an exchange. After 31. ..ll:e7 32

are well developed and they are ready

ncd2 :t:I:ed7 33 lilf5 lilb3 34 'il'c2 lilxd2 35

to attack Black's weakened pawns.

38 IiJb5 'iig8 39 lilxd6 il.xh3 40 g3,

�bS+ IIIc8 1 8 IiJd4 i s a promising alter

White's dominating knight promises

native, as White's pieces can quickly

him full play for his pawn, bul no

swarm around the black king.

more.

15 ... 0-0 16 d5 lila5 17 dxe6 fxe6 18

32 1iJg6+ 1-0

Black loses material, as 32 ...hxg6 al

�a2 III h8 19 lild4 20•••lilb6

20 ...nlc8 21 cxd5 'il'xb5 22 lilf5 J:tc7 23 'il'al �d8 24 l:!el 'i!t'xd5 25 lilxg7 1iJe4

Game 73 K.Volke-H.Wegner

German League 1993

White

has

found

another weak

19...d5?!

19 ...'iI'c8 20 'il'd2 lilc6 21 lildbS liJe5

reaches an unclear position in which

1 b4e6 2 �b2 a5 3 bs exbS 4 e4 b4 S a3

lildb5 lile5 26 �a2 lla6 repeats the posi

we believe White maintains slightly the

liJa6 6 lilf3 e6 7 axb4 axb4

tion, and this is Black's best option ac

better chances.

152

After 7 ... lilxb4 8 �_b5 lilf6 9 e5 lil£d5

lows mate in one with 33 �6.

pawn on e6 and hastens to attack it.

22 l:tfcl l:ta6 23 lild4 lilc6 24 il.c4 na8 25

26 nxe4 'il'xe4 27 ne3 'il'xe3 28 fxe3

IiJxd6 il.xd6 36 �c6 nc7 37 'il'xd2 nxc6

15 nxb7 lilaS 16 J:txd7 IIIxd7 1 7

cording to Fritz.

Game 74 Rudenkov-Strugach

Correspondence 1961 1 b 4 c 6 2 e3 'il'b6

153

1 . . . c6, 1 .. ./5 and U n u s u a l M o ves

Play 1 b4! It would have b""n better to play

Black is trying to refute White's opening, but this early move by the

the immediate 9... e6.

queen leads to difficulties.

10 IiJf3

cause of 18 l:txa5 IiJc6 1 9 .!! b5. 18 liJb6 .!l:b7 19 liJa4

Maybe it's better to make an ugly move, 21...lIIe7, not weakening the light squares. Black has a dark-squared

3 a3 as 4 bS!

bishop and his pawns are also placed on dark squares, which is not good from a positional point of view, 22 We2 il.e7 23 f4 111 a 24 l:thC1lI:e8

The complications have ended with 10...e6

material eq uality and a White advan

sacrifice,

On IO ...bxc4 there follows I I il.xc4!,

which Black must accept, otherwise his

and here 1 1...�xc4 would be bad be

and superiority in the centre. Black's

play makes no sense.

cause of 12 Rcl !.

passed pawns are blocked and pose no

4.•. cxbS S IiJc3

11 liJ es! 'lil'b7 1 2 'lil'f3! d 6

serious danger.

An

interesting

pawn

White knights occupy positions i n the centre, but both o f them are under attack. White's next move reveals the true state of affairs. 13 /tjb6! Ra7

Obviously not 13 ...�xb6, because of 14 'l!i'xf7+ IIId 8 15 'l!i'xf8+ III c7 16 'l!i'xg7+.

tage. He has a pair of active bishops

19...liJd7 20 g3!

Black's e6-pawn is the juiciest target in his camp. The natural 20 d4 is weaker - White doesn't want to close the diagonal for

26.. .lbd5,

27

Ji[cbS l:lxbS 33 �xbS 1-0

Black's risky play to grab a pawn at the start, combined with a loss of time

In the game White snatches back

with the queen, was strongly refuted by White.

14 'l!i'xf7+! 'l!i'xf7 1S IiJxf7 lhf7 16 1iJ1
consistent. Against other replies White

There is no way to exploit White's

plays 6 il.xb5 and 7 rtbl, achieving the

isolated knight, which is surrounded

better development.

by black pieces. On 16 ...lIId7, White

6 axb4 �Xb4 7 il.a3 �b6 8 liJds

answers 17 liJa7 followed by IiJb5.

1 54

or

27 e6 IiJdf6 28 IiJx<S il.xcs 29 lh<S+

the pawn.

8...�c6 9 C4 bS

Against 26 ... liJe4 il.g2 is very strong.

III d6 30 .!:taxaS lII e 7 31 i.eS .!:td8 32

IiJxa8 e4 16 'lil'g3 'lil'xa8 17 'lil'c7 etc.

8 l'lbl is also good here.

2S .•• dxcS 26 fxes liJg8

2 0• . .liJgf6 2 1 il.h3!

teresting variation: 14 i.xf8 IIIx f8 15

Playing to save the pawn is f ully

White decides matters quickly by blasting open the position.

the bishop on b2.

On 13 ... dxe5 there could follow an in

S. ..b4

2S cS!

Came 75 B Katalymov P Kondratiev .

-

.

Spartak Championship, Minsk 1962

17 il.b2 111d8

It was senseless to play 17 ...l:Ib7, be-

2 1...eS

1 b4 fs 2 iLb2 lbf6 3 e3 e6 4 bs i..e7

155

1 . . . c6, 1 . . ./5 a n d U nusual M o ves

Play 1 b 4 ! the open a-file assures him o f a slight

you are defending, it's a good idea to

2 1I.b2 lilf6 3 e 3 e6 4 b5 1I.e7 5 e4 0-0 6

advantage.

trade pieces. (Remember what I said

lll e3

14 'i!l'a8!? liJd7 15 Wd2

before about hitting back in the cen

White prevents 16 ... liJcS followed

tre?)

Perhaps 6 liJf3 or 6 f 4 is a better op tion. Obviously this move, developing

by 17 ...liJe4. So the black knight tries to

26 Jixe7+ Wxe7 27 exd5 exd5 28 liJe5

a piece, is also possible.

get to e4 via the f6-square, to attack

4'le4+ 29 iLxe4 dxe4 30 We3 jets 3 1 <5

6 ...lbe4

White's dangerousl y centralized king.

we6 3 2 1ll< 6

Black hastens to engage in direct

15 ...1I.e7 16 11.d3 liJt6 17 ll:u !

combat. Now 7 Ill xe4 fxe4, with pres sure on the f2-square, is no good for White. And it's too early to play 7 d3 because of 7. . .lllxc3 8 s..xc3 a6 9 a4 d5, with counterplay. Finally, after 7 Illf3 Black has possibilities of expansion on

5 e4

5 liJ f3 0-0 6 c4 d6 7 liJc3 cS 8 bxc6

the kingside with ... f5-f4 or . .. g7-g5.

liJxc6 9 1I.e2 b6 10 0-0 was equal in

Katalymov decides to prevent such

W.lombardy-L.Evans, New York 1962.

plans.

5 ... 0-0 6 liJc3 liJe4?!

7 f4! il.f6 8 d4 1ll xc3

Black

shouldn't hurry with this

trade. 8 . . .d6 or 8 . . .dS would be a better choice.

32 ...g617

White consistently pursues his at

32 ...bxcS! 33 dxcS g6 34 .!l:a6 wf7 35

tack along the a-file.

lIa7 We6 36 lIa6 wf7 should hold.

17.•.1I.d7?

33 d 5 + ! wxd5

17...dS! was the right move. Black

After 33...wf6, White wins with 34

shouldn't trade queens when the white

cxb6 cxb6 35 d6 gS 36 d7 Jixd7 37 lJ:xd7

where your opponent has

king is in the centre. In general, if

I1e8 38 litd6+ ll'.e6 39 lhe6+ w xe6 40

vantage, and this is borne out by the

somebody is attacking you on the

fxgS hxgS 41 Wxe4.

development of events in this game.

flank, try to hit back in the centre, es

34 1lle 7+ 1·0

11 axb5 lIXU 12 'i!l'xa1 d6 13 lllt3 b6

18 'i!l'xd8 I1xd8 19 I1a7 I1e8 20 1I.b4 wf8

7 t4 1I.t6 8 d4 liJxe3 9 1I.xc3 a6 10 a4

21 h3 h6 22 g4

Maybe this is not too bad, but I

axb5 11 axb5 1bu 12 'i!l'xu d6 13 liJf3

The bishop never gets to b7, and in

don't think a sacrifice is necessary_

Game 76 B.Katalymov-P.Kondratiev

Spartak Championship, Minsk 1962

the future the weak c6-square can pre

his

controlled manner.

C-,

e- and/or g-pawns to win in a

a

space ad

develop the bishop on thp main diago nal, but an intrusion by the white queen will prevent this possibility. 14 'i!l'a8 1lld7

Black intended here to force White's qUef>n to retreat due to the threat of

White should calmly prepare a push of

sent Black with a number of problems.

it's a mistake to open a file on the flank

Of course it's no\ unfavourable to

pens to be situated there.

needs to develop some pieces first.

b6?!

Probably this trade is the primary reason for Black's defeat. 1n principle

pecially if your opponent's king hap It's too early for this activity; Black

9 Sl.x<3 a6 10 a4 axb5

1 b4f5

This answer has some logic. To

15 ... lllc5!. 1 5 Wd2!

Fritz likes 13 ...liJd7!? in order to reply

22 .•.fxg4 23 hxg4 Illxg4 24 e4 Illt2 2 5

White 's pawn thrust on the queenside,

With this move vVhite solves a ff'w

to 14 1I.d3 with 1 4 ... eS!. Of course

il. b 1 d 5 !

Black replies in a similar fashion on the

problems: the bishop on c3 is defended

other wing.

and the threat of Is ...lllc5 is neutral-

White could instead play 14 i.e2, and

156

When you have extra material and

157

1 . . . c6, 1 . . ./5 a n d Unusual Moves

Play 1 b 4 ! ized; a transfer o f the rook t o the open

liJe4+

a-file becomes easier; and Black's plans

Probably the only move. White was

pawn mobility on the kingside.

tent. B y plaCing his pawns on dark

3•••exf6

squares in conjunction with owning a

of counterplay on the kingside (possi

threatening 29 1ilxd7 followed by �f5;.

ble with White's kingside castling) are

On 28 ...�e6, 29 c5 is very strong.

Black's king is in danger.

ated an original and harmonious posi

destroyed.

29 �xe4 dxe4 30 .tIe3 �f5 31 e5 o;t.e6

4 e3!

tion.

Obviously not 3...gxf6? 4 e4!. when

light -squared bishop, White has cre

Less successful is a retreat of the

Black's king must leave the seventh

bishop with IS �a 1 , or IS �b4 because

rank. On 31. wf6 there could follow 32

of IS ...ll:e8! followed by ...e6-eS. But the

.!!.a6 ll:b8 33 d5! (with a threat of d5-d6)

Black is trying to keep some life in his

text move is excellent, helping the fu

33...il.c8 34 J:!a7 bxc5 (or 34 ...J:!b7? 35

position.

ture mobilization of \,yhite's forces.

.!!.a8 �f5 36 c6, winning a rook) 35

12 b5 liJe5 13 e4 liJxd3+ 14 'i\l'xd3 dxe4

15 .•. �e7 16 �d3 liJf6 17 l:1a1 �d7

nxc7, and White should win.

15 "i!!' xe4 �e6 16 'i\l'e2 0-0

In these conditions, when Black

Immediately losing. But after the

play, the plan of trading pieces with a

best defence 32 ... bxc5 33 dxc5 g6 34

goal of decreasing White's pressure is

J:!a6! wf7 35 liJd4 Wg7 36 liJxf5+ gxf5 37

natural.

ll:c6, White is winning because of the

White was threatening to play li:les,

It's

to prevenl a4-a5.

threat of b5-b6!. It's instructive to ob serve the active role of the b-pawn in

exploiting the undefended bishop on

all t hese variations.

e7.

33 d5+! Wxd5

21 h3 h 6

This and White's next few moves meet with the position's demands. Af ter

After 33...wf6 34 cxb6 cxb6 35 d6

exchanging

the

dark-squared

bishop, White places pawns on the

Black is losing a piece, and it's not dif

dark squares.

defend c7 and his pieces don't have

ficult for White to win.

4 ... d5 5 e3 �d6 6 �d3!

much space. But it's not easy to find a

34 liJe7+ 1-0

White i s much better: Black has to

necessary

32 1Zle6 g6?

probably can't hope to create counter

18 'i\l'xd8 l'bd8 19 l1:a7 lJe8 20 �_b4 wf8

10 a4 liJd7 11 f4! as!

_

White takes aim at the f5-pawn, not

17 bxe6

plan to exert pressure on such a stable

The pressure on I he open a-file and

allowing it move forward.

It's easier here to play 17 IZlbc3 with

enemy position. Katalymov decides to

the presence of the far advanced pawn

6•.• �e7 7 liJe2 e6 8 �e2 g6

<;I;>f2 to follow. White's task involves

make an interesting pawn sacrifice on the kingside to prepare a breakthrough

on the queenside enabled White's suc

restricting the enemy bishops if possi

cess in this interesting ending.

ble while creating good squares for his knights. To open the c-file Black sooner

in the cen tre. 22 g4! fxg4 23 hxg4 liJxg4 24 e4 liJf2 25

or later has to capture

Carne ll LShiffler-Schmidt

�bl d 5

Rather than wait, Black decides to

A careless capture of the pawn on c6 would lead to big problems after ]8

threats is illustrated in the following variation: 25...hS 26 e5 dxe5 (the threat

bS, when

17 .. . bxe6 18 liJb<3

Correspondence 1950

counterattack. The strength of White's

on

White will answer IZlxb5.

1 b4 f5 2 �b2 Iilf6 3 �xf6!?

"li'xc6 nfc8.

was 27 exd6 winning a piece) 27 �xe7+

An interesting solution. White gives

Wxe7 28 fxe5 i..e8 (otherwise 29 �g6 is

up a beautifully placed bishop and

An interesting exchange sacrifice,

unpleasant) 29 d5 exd5 30 cxdS �xb5

concedes the bishop pair in exchange

and working out the resulting compli

31 �f5 �d7 32 d6+ Wd8 33 e6! etc.

for

2 6 �xe7+ Wxe7 2 7 exd5 exd5 28 liJe5

pawns on the f-file, decreasing Black's

158

inflicting

upon

Black

doubled

18 ..•nab8 19 liJd4 �e4!?

9 h4! h5

Otherwise h4-h5 will be quite po-

cations will prove to be very difficult. More natural was 19 ... i..d7 20 Wf2, with

1 59

1 . _ . c6, 1 .f5 a n d Unu sual M o ves

Play 1 b 4 !

.

chances for both sides.

14 itle5!? il.e8 15 exf4 nxf4 16 d4

WC3 "i!l'b4+ 37 'Ot>d3 g5

There is no perpetual check after

dxc4 17 b6 itld7 1 8 itlxc4 is roughly

White bravely meets the danger

37.. "i!I'e4+ 38 We2 "i!l'g2+ 39 Wdl "i!l'fl+ 40

equal. White would be doing well were

head-on, and a maelstrom of complica

'Ot>c2 "i!l'c4+ 41 lilc3. But the text move i s

it not for the weaklings on d4 and b6.

the equivalent o f resignation.

14...fxe3 15 dxe3 exb5 16 cxb5 il.xb5 17

20..:i!Vb7 21 itlxbS "i!l'xg2 22 0-0-0 .... a3+

3 8 hxg5+ fxg5 39 "i!l'c6+ 'Ot>g7 40 fxg5 h4

itlg5 il.d7?

23 'Ot>b1 IlxbS+

41 "i!l'h6+ wg8 42 'i!l'g6+ Wh8 43 itld6 1·0

20 itlxe6!

tions arises on the board.

.

An original game with a very sharp

17 ... il.xe2!? 18 Wxe2 itlc6 19 "i!l'd3 g6

itle4+ �c4 47 Wg3 �d5 48 Wf4 ii.f7 49 Wg5 'Ot>e5 50 il.d6+ 1·0

Game 79 Y.Lapshun-L.Oms Fuentes Barcelona 2007

20 f4 Ilad8 offers level chances.

fight.

1 b4 a5 2 b5 c6

2 ...itlf6 3 il.b2 g6 is the subject of Akesson-Ernst (see Game 80).

Game 78 G.Welling-R.Achleitner

3 a4 itlf6 4 il.b2

Velden 1994 1 b4 d5 2 e3 e6 3 ii.b2 f5

Black

plays

the Dutch

Defence,

Stonewall variation. 4 c4 itlf6 5 itlf3 c6 6 a3 il.d6 7 itlc3 0-0 8 'i!l'c2 'i!l'e7 9 il.e2 il.d7

24 itlb5!

An unexpected move! If Black now

In the Stonewall Black often mao

plays 24 ... il.xb5, then after 25 �b3+

noeuvres his bad bishop via e8 to h5.

Wg7 26 axb5 White beats off the attack

10 h3

and remains with a material advan

18 "i!l'd3! g6 19 'i!!'d4! e5 20 "i!l'xd5+ Wg7 2 1 l:!d1 il.c7

After 2 1 ..J:!f6 22 f4 il.c6 23 fxe5 il.b4+ 24 axb4 Ilfl+ 25 nxfl il.xd5 26 I remember how several titled play

tage.

IIxdS, White has extra material as well

24•.:,Wd5 25 'Ot>a1 il.b3

as the attack.

ers who inspected our board sepmed

22 "i!l'xb7 il.c6 23 'i!!'xc7 'i!!'xc7 24 1tle6+

shocked that two players trying to fin·

llbl.

wf7 25 itlxc7 il.xh1 26 il.xe5 lla7 2 7

ish high in the standings could reach a

26 "i!l'e7 Ilb7 27 "i!l'e8+ wh7 28 Ilb1 il.b2+

il.c4+ We7 2 8 il.d6+ wd7 29 itl b 5 il.f3

position like this.

3 0 il.xf8+ il.xd1 3 1 itl "a7 ii.xg4

4...d5 5 e3 il.f5 6 itlf3 e6 7 e4 e5 8 exd5

Now on 25...il.xb5 there follows 26

At first glance Black has achieved success...

After a long tactical middlegame

2 9 Ilxb2!

Black is down a bishop. White has a

exd5 9 d3

9 d4 il.xbl 1 0 Ilxbl c4 gives Black a passed pawn and a smal1 advantage.

...but this exchange offer dashes his

completely winning position and the

hopes! In the event of 29 Wxb2 il.xa4,

rest of the game requires no further

9 ...il.d6 10 itlbd2 0·0 11 1I.e2 l:I.e8 12

Black enjoys a huge attack.

comments.

0·0 itlbd7 13 l:e1 itle5?

Very business-like. Black remains a piece down. 31 ..."i!I'xb3

32

�xb7+ wh6

33

'il'd7

"i!l'xa4+ 34 'Ot>b2 "i!l'b4+ 35 'Ot>e2 "i!l'a4+ 36

160

I3 .. JIc8 is a good move.

Preparing a kingside attack with a

32 il.h6 'Ot>d6 33 il.f4+ �c5 34 il.xb8

pawn on g4, rook on gl and bishop on

'Ot>xc4 35 itlc6 wb3 36 itlxa5+ Wxa3 37

14 itlxe5 il.xe5 15 .i.xe5 llxe5 16 d4!

b2.

itlc4+ wb4 38 itle5 il.e6 39 il.d6+ �e3

cxd4 17 itlf3 Ite8

10...a5 11 b 5 itle4 12 g4 itlxe3 13 'i!l'xe3

40 f3 We2 41 Wf2 Wd2 42 il.b4+ We2 43

1 7...dxe3?! 18 itlxe5 exf2+ 19 Wxf2

f4 14 h4

itlg4 wb3 44 il.f8 'Ot>c3 45 itlf6 h5 46

itle4+ 20 Wfl "i!l'b6 21 itld3 "i!l'e3 22 .!Ia2

29..."i!I'xh1+ 30 J:l.b1 "i!l'd5 3 1 Ilxb3!

161

1 ... c6, 1 . . ./5 and Unusual Moves

Play 1 b4! 'tWh6 23 -lif3 'tWxh2 24 na3 nc8 2S �_xe4 i.xI'4 26 'il'g4 'il'hl+ 27 We2 'tWxg2 + 28

.!te7 b6 30 'tWc3 h5 31

1 b4 as 2 b5 liJf6 3 il.b2 g6 4 g3

h4

'ti'xg2 �xg2 29 J;!cl is winning for

White is still slightly better, but

White.

couldn't se(' how I could win.

lB IL\xd4

31...'i!I'f6??

I

Fixing the weak b6-pawn and rein

A typical King's Indian pawn race

Stopping Black's kingside attack.

forcing the outpost on bS. In addition,

looms after 4 e3 il.g7 S IL\f3 0-0 6 c4 d6 7

Black has to take care of his d6-pawn

d 1 ll\bd7 8 il.e2 eS 9 liJc3 e4 10 Iild l ne8

and the dS-square. He should play th..

11

'i!l'c2

'i!l'e7.

This

was

played

in

prophylactic 19 ... liJd7!?, intending to

A.Sokolsky-Y.Nikolaevsky, Kiev 1957.

answer 20 f4 with 20 ... exf4 21 lbxf4

with White eventually winning.

IL\xf4 22 nxf4 illeS.

4...�_g7 5 il.g2 0·0 6 c4 d6 7 liJO e5 B d3

19...'tWd7?! 20 f4 liJc5 21 1H3

2] f5!? was the most logical way to attack the black king. 21 ... 'tWh3 22 Wh 1 'i!kh5?!

22 ... liJg4!? 23 liJgI 'i1i'hS 24 IL\bS J:[d7 25 h3 f5 would have been a better try, although we bl'lieve While would still have I he advantage. 23 Wg2 g5?!

23...nc7 24 liJbS ll:d7 2S h3 l:Ie6 26 White, with a strong knight on d4

Finally Black has made a mistakl',

and an isolated pawn to attack, has the

and he pays for it.

advantage.

32 liJc61 'tWxc3 33 .u xc3 -lixc6 34 J:[7xe6

lB ..• -lid7 19 J:[C1 'ti'b6 20 .if3 J:[aeB 21 'ti'd2 -lie6 22 1L\b3 );laB

Black can't defend all his pawns.

-licl is not quite as bad as the lex\. 24 ng5 'tWxg5 2 5 nef1

White piles on more pressure down A typical English Opening!

the f-file, and on all the black weak-

34...ndl+ 35 Wh2 nd2 36 wg3 l:Ie5 3 7

B ... liJbd7 9 liJa4 neB 10 'i!!'C2 llbB 11 e3

nessE'S there.

lhb6 g 5 3 B J:[bc6 gxh4+ 3 9 Wf4 J:[eB 40

b6 12 liJe2 il.b7 13 �xb7 Ilxb7 14 e4

2 5 ...'i!I'g6 26 IL\d1!?

tlc2 Ild1 41 nb2 1-0

The strength of my passed b-pawn and the task of defendmg his numer

In this closed position Black is sad dled with weak c6- and d5-squares. W hite tries to prepare f2-f4.

ous islands (only Japan has more) con

14 ...liJfB 15 liJac3 liJe6 16 0-0 'il'd7 17

vinced my opponent to resign.

l:!ae1 c5 1B bxc6 'lWJ(c6 19 a4

Game 80 R.Akesson-T.Ernst

Kraft Chess Cup, Skelleftea 1999 23 l;tc3

I met GM Ralf Akesson in Barce

23 'ilI'd4! 'ilI'xd4 24 1L\xd4 nec8 25 1L\b3

lona. I spent many rounds in that tour

b6 26 ttc6 looks very dangerous for

nament placed between his board and

the magical f5-square.

Black.

his countryman GM Lars Karlsson's. I

26...lilfxe4

23 ...lL\e4 24 il.xe4 dxe4 2 5 1L\d4 'ti'd6 26

kidded them that they were my two

J:[ecl g6 27 'tWcz -lids 2B h3 l:IadB 29

SwedIsh bodyguards!

1 62

This knight is going to e3 and on to

A desperate sacrifice in an awful position. Black refuses to lose slowly

163

1 . . . c6, 1 .. .f5 and Unusual M o ves

Play 1 b 4 ! and tries to survive in the tactical wil

b 5 'i1!'b 6 9 'i1!'cl �e6 10 lile5) 8 �xg7

A tactical trick, which only serves to

derness.

�xg7 9 'i1!'c1 Wg8 10 'iWxc4 c6 11 O.{) lild 7

improve White's pawn structure. Soon

27 dxe4 'iWxe4 2S 'iWxe4 lilxe4 29 .IId 3

12 'i1!'h4 e5 13 lilg5 lil7f6 14 b5 lbe7 15

White is able to take control of the cen

lilcs 30 l:Ia3 e4 31 �xg7 Wxg7 3 2 lile3

bxc6 bxc6, and White enjoyed a slight

tre.

WfS n lilf4

advantage due to the weak c6-pawn.

10 bxe5 'iWxb3 11 axb3 �xb2 12 J:l.a2

4 �g2 �g7 5 �b2

�f6 13 exd5 exd5 14 lilbS lba6 15 d4

This is winning for White, who has an extra knight for just two pawns.

White employs a double fianchetto

n .•J:1eS 34 .!Idl .II d7 3S l"lbl l"lb7 36

against the Griinfeld sel-up.

liledS lild7 37 Wf2 IreS 3S lile3 IicS 39

5.,.c6 6 lila3

lilfdS f6 40 .!!b b3 Wf7 41 l:tbs .!!cbS?

�dS 34 We3 .11 3S 3S 37

�d7 16 lile3 lilb4 17 .IId 2 .!'I.aeS lS lila2

Wresting control of the b4-square will give White added possibilities on the queenside. lS..,lilxa2 19 .!'I.xa2 a6 20 e3

Black needed to defend b6 with 41...l:tc6. 42 lilfS We6 43 lilf4+ 1-0

White wins after 43 ...Wf7 44 lilxd6+

35,..f5

We745 lilxb7.

3S ... f6 36 h4 h6 37 g4 hS 38 f3 Itid6 39 gxhS gxhS 40 naS Wc6 41 We4 �d6 42 .l:l:a6+ We7 43 f4 �d7 44 fS exfS+ 4S

Game 81 D.Bronstein-V.Lepeshkin

WxfS is a typical winning line - White

USSR Championship, Tallinn 1965

king. The text move shortens the proc

can always gain an entry square for his ess. Another extraordinary idea from

l lilf3 lilf6 2 g3 g6 3 b4

36 J:1.a5+ 1-0

Bronstein: \Nhite prepares to strike at the centre with his c-pawn. 6,..0-0 7 e4 'iWb6 S 'iWb3 lile4

8 ... aS!? 9 cxdS cxdS 10 b5 reaches an

After 36...�d6 37 wf4 h6 38 M, 20,..b6?!

Black runs out of useful moves and

This overambitious Ihrust merely creates

weaknesses.

Black

should

equal position.

choose 20 ... J:[c7, with a defensible posi-

9 0-0 lile5

tion.

must allow the white king to penetrate and eventually gobble up some more pawns.

21 b4

21 cxb6 �bS 22 ll:fal J:!b8 23 lbeS J:[fd8 24 l:tcl .lhb6 25 .!lac2 is close to

Game 82 B.Gurgenidze-E.Mnatsakanian

USSR Team Championsh ip, Mos[QW 1972

equal. 21...�b5 22 l:!:e1 �e4 23 ll:aal e6 24 �f1 as?

l.osing a pawn, and the game. After 3...d5

V.Hort-M.Krisko, Trinec 1972, conti

24 ... �xf1 2S �xf1 bxcS 26 bxcS l:tc6 27 ll:aS White has only a small advantage.

l lilf3 lilf6 2 b4 g6 3 e4 � g7 4 £b2 0-0 5 e3 d 5

The drawback o f playing a Griin

nued 3... �g7 4 �b2 O.{) 5 c4 d5 6 �g2

25 �xe4 dxe4 26 bxa5 bxc5 27 nxe4

feld

dxc4 7 lila3 lild5 (the attempt to save the

exd4 2S ll:xeS J:l.xeS 29 lilxd4 �fS 30 a6

Opening is that Black's important dark

c4·pawn doesn't succeed after 7 ...'i1!'d6 8

�xd4 31 exd4 We7 32 �g2 wd6 n �f3

squared bishop is likely to be traded.

164

set-up

in this

pseudo-English

1 65

1 . . . c6, 1 . .f5 a n d Unusual Moves .

Play 1 b 4 ! 6 exdS ttlxdS 7 .fI.xg7 \tixg7 S 'l!!'el

This knight is racing to c5, but it

33 fxeS l-o

probably nol good. By attacking the b4-

was more logical to castle first.

pawn, Black gains time to create a

lS ...il.c6 19 ttles ttleS 20 I!b2 ttld6 21 ttle6+ ttlxe6 22 il.xe6

position

pawn centre, but in future the poor of

his

queen

will

weigh

against him.

The while bishop on e6 inhibits

3 a3

Black's movement, but after his reply

White could offer a pawn sacrifice

the dark side of failing to castle be

by continuing 3 b5, intending 3 ...'lWb4?

comes apparent.

4 il.c3 'i!i'xbS 5 p4 with I he initiative. Instead Black should reply consistently with 3...e5, as in the IPxt. 3 ...es 4 ttlf3 f6

This is essential, as it's unfavour able to allow White's pieces to invadE"

White puts his queen on a dark

It's more than likely that Black lost

square (now thai the dark-squared

on time here. A possible conclusion

the centre after 4. . .e4 5 ttld4. In addi

bishops have gone) and indirectly de

could be 33 fxeS ttlxe4 34 Itd4 lte7 35

tion, the continuation 4... ttld7 5 e3 il.e7

fends his pawn: 8 ... ttlxb4?? 9 'l!!' c3+ wins

a4! (35 ttlxe4 Ilc4+ 36 Itd3 l1xe4 37

followed by a later ...ii.f6 is simply un

the knight.

1:!xbS :txe5 38 lhaS looks drawish)

realistic.

S •..f6 9 a3 e6?!

35 ... 1:!cl 36 axb5 ttlxd2 37 1:!xd2, and

S e3 il.e6 6 d4 e4

Maybe Black should play 9. ..fI.g4!? .

Maintaining the centre by playing

White wins.

Too many pawn moves is risky. 22....fI.bs 23 ttld2

To get his king's rook into Ihe fray, White relreats the knight to prepare f2f3 followed by \tif2.

23 ...fS 24 f3 \t>f6 2S dS .fI.eS 26 \tie2 .fI.f7

6. ..tZld7 7 dxe5 {xeS requires consider

Game 83 A.Sokolsky-F.Villard

Kiev 1955

8...dxc4 9 'lWxd6 il.xd6 10 ttlg5 i1.d5 1 1 ttl(3) 9 cxd5 cxdS 1 0 /2\c3 a6 1 1 ttlg5 ttlgf6 12 ttlxe6 'lWxe6 13 'i!i'b3 - there is strong

27 il.xf7 \tixf7 28 :tel ntes 29 :txeS IlxcS 30 \tid 3 bS

able concessions after 8 c4! c6 (or

1 b4 ds 2 il.b2 'i!i'd6

pressure

on

Black's

central

pawns. 7 ttltd2 ts 8 <4 e6 9 ttle3 ttlf6

White's edge has evaporated, but Black must still be careful to restrain his opponent's ambitions in the centre. 31 e4 eS

A

step in the wrong direction.

31 ... 11<£6! 32 f4 fxe4+ 33 ttlxe4+ ttlxe4 34 10 d4 as 11 bS 'l!!' b6 12 bxe6 'i!i'xe6 13

\tixe4 Ilc4. 35 \tif3 looks drawish.

ttlbd2 il.d7 14 'i!i'xe6 ttlxe6 lS il.e4 ttle7

32 t4! 1:!es?

16 1Ibl

The rook ending after 32 ... \tif6 33

White's strong centre and Black's

fxeS , \tixe5 34 ttlf3. Itf4 35 e5 ttlc4 36

weak b-pawn add up to give White the

lhb5 ttlxe5+ 37 ttlxe5 (37 \tid4?? Ilc4

advantage.

mate) 37...ltxe5 38 lha5 ncl should

16 ...:tabS 17 l'Ib6 ttla7 lS ttle4

probably end as a draw.

166

This early movement of the queen is 167

1 . . . c6, 1 .. ./5 and Unusual Moves

Play 1 b41 Black has advanced pawns into the

�h2+ 22 Whl �g3 23 d5 etc) 21 �3.,.

centre and hopes to develop the initia

Wh8 22 axb4, when even though Black

tive. But it's possible to spot two bad

has an extra piece, he can't escape de

omens for Black: the poorly placed

feat because virtually every move he

28 lll b6 gxh2+ 29 Wh 1 IiJhs 30

queen on d6 and the undeveloped

makes will lose something.

'l!/'g6 31 Wxh2 1:tfs 32 lllc8! lllf6 33 i<xf6

queenside. Under these circumstances,

16...li)g4

gxf6 34 1lld 6 and White soon won (1-{J).

White is first to begin active operations on the queenside.

opening th� poSition, and 16 ...liIg4 is a serious mistake. 16 ...b6 is a much bel ter move.

cxd5 cxd5 1 2 111b5.

n �xg4 fxg4 18 cxdS cxdS 19 'Wb3

11 111 a4! 'i'fd8

�xcS

Admit! ing the mistake of 2 ... 'Wd6.

20 dxcS IP h8 21 l:Icd1 il.fS 22 1ll b1 il.e6

strong.

2 3 111 c3

Being better developed, White now prepares to open the c-file.

misses the mark.

7... �g7 would have avoided the im pending disaster.

'i!!'u

Game 84 M.Vokac-P.Bazant

Czech Championship, Turnov 1996

Forced, o therwise a pawn goes.

On 1 1 . ..111 bd7, 12 Ill c5! would be very 12 111cs i
sacrifice. 6...111b 6 7 �b3 and only then

A desperate counterattack, which

Black should try to attack without

10 �c2! a6

White was threatening to play 1 1

26 111c7 'Wf7 2 7 li1xa8 g3!1

And finally,

10

end this book we

show how a strong player (raled nearly

Black's resources have run out. He

2300) lost in seven moves against Ihe

7 il.xf7+!! 1-0

must lose material.

Sokolsky!

2 3...'iI'e8 24 111 x dS

1 b4 dS 2 �b2 lll d 7 3 lllf3 lll gf6 4 e3 g6

8 lllg5+ WeB 9 llle6, while 8. ..WgB is

5 c4 dxc4 6 1I.xc4 �g7??

even worse because of 9 'i!l'b3+, mating on f7.

13,.•�e7 14 �e2

Here it's possible to play 14 cxd5

Black fails to see a thematic bishop

lll xd5 (not 14 ... cxd5, because of 15

White wins the queen after 7 _. �

IIIcxe4 !) 15 �c4. 14...0-0 15 0-0 il.d6 16 f4

24...111 d7

After this Black loses an exchange, but who can give advice in this posi tion? On 24 ...'Wf7 or 24 .. .lH7, very strong is 25 f5!. White is prepared for a sharp fight,

25 'iW<3 lll f6

in which the advantage in develop

Nor would the result be any differ

ment should be felt. For example, 16 ...exf3 17 �xf3 'lIic7 18 h3 b6 1 9 cxd5!

ent after 25 .. 'ili'f7 because of 26 lll c7 1I.b3 27 'lIixg7+ 'lIixg7 28 �xg7+ Wxg7 29

bxc5 20 dxc6! cxb4 (or 20 ...lllxc6 21 bxc5

lhd7+, winning easily.

1 68

.

169

Play 1 b 4 ! Summary

The Dutch is best handled by the 'avoidance' strategies we offer here (English Opening and Reti players will have no problems with this). Of the other Black op tions studied in this chapter, time memorizing lines here,

1 . .. c6

is the most critical. It's worth investing some

as inaccurate play

could get punish ed

.

Index of Co m p lete G a mes

l b4 c6 1...fS 2 iLb2 itlf6 (0)

I

3 e3 - Games 75-76; 3 iLxf6 - Game 77 I._aS 2 bS

2. . .c6 - Game 79; 2.. . itlf6 - Game 80

1 . ..itlf6 2 i;.b2 g6 3 itlf3 iLg7 4

c4 0-0 S e3 dS - Game 82; 4 g3 dS 5 iLg 2 c6 6

itla3 - Game 81

1...dS 2 iLb2

2. ..'i!i'd6 - Game 83

Akesson.R-Emst.T, Kraft Chess Cup, Skelleftea 1999. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . 162

2 ... itld7 - Game 84

Akopian.V-Ganguly.S. Goodricke Opm, Calcutta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . ........ 115

2. . .e6 3 e3 fS - Game 78

Alekhine.A-Drewitl.J, Portsmouth 1923. . .. . . .... . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. .. . . .... . . .. . ... .. . . . . . .. . . ... . . ....... 1 1 1

2 il.b2

Alekseev.V-Komliakov.VI Petrov Memorial, S I" Petersburg

2 e3 - Game 74 2 ...'i!i'b6

Benko.P-Bellon Lopez.J, Torremolinos 1973 .. . .. .......... .... . . ...... . .... ... .... . ... .. ... . . ...... ....... 130

2. . .aS 3 bS cxbS 4 e4 b4 S a3 (0)

5

Benko.P-Ciocalted.V , Lugano Olympiad ]968. .. . . . . . . . . . . . .

itlf6 - Game 71

...

S ... bxa3 - Game 72

66

Bronstein .D-lvkov.B, Amsterdam Interzonal 1964 . . . .. ........ . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .......91 Bronstein.D-Lepeshkin.V. USSR Championship.

(0) d6

Campora.D-Anguix Garrido.J, Canete

4 ... axb4 - Game 68, Game 69 (notes)

1994

.

Tal linn .

1965 . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

.

.

.

.

.

. . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .

151

Campora.D-Visier Segovi.F, Canete 1994 . ... . . .. . . .. . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . .... . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . .. .. . .. . 97

5 itlc3 - Came 69 S

...................................................

Bemstein.'i-Seidman.H, US Championship 1959. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . 104

S...itla6 - Game 73

3 a3 a5 4 <4

1996 ................................... 65

A lekseev. V-Sakaev.K, Petrov Memorial, 5t Petersburg 1996 . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... 63

Fischer.R-Gloger.J, Cleveland (Simultaneous Display) 1964 . . . .... . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . .. .. .. . . . . .. . .

d4 - Came 70

... . . .

15

Fischer.R-lna.D, Cleveland (Simultaneous Diplay) 1964,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 96 Fischer.R-Walters.K, San Francisco (Simultaneous Display) 1964, ......... ................ ... . 116 Gurgenidze.B-Dgebuadze.A, Georgian Championship, Tbilisi 1996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 117 Gurgenidze.B-KalatozishviILG, Kirovabad 1973 ..... .. ......... . ..... . ................ .... . ..... . .... ....... 93 Gurgenidze.B-Mnatsakanian.F, USSR Team Championship, Moscow 1972

..............

Gurgenidze.B-Schneider.A, World Senior Championship, BieI 1994.........

165

. .......... 92

Katalymov.B-Bakhtiar, Tashkent ]959 ... ..... ...... .. . .... ... ........................................

. ........ 61

Katalymov.B-Estrin.Y, Spartak Championship, Minsk ]962. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............ 19 Katalymov.B.Estrin.Y, Spartak Championship, Moscow 1964 ...........

2••.tt:.J6

1 70

5 03

4 <4

. ................ 20

Katalymov.B-Giterman.S, USSR Championship, Novgorod 1961 . .. . .. .. . ... . . .................... 44 Katalymov.B-Kondratiev.P, Spartak Championship. Minsk 1962 .. . .. . ..... ........ ..... ..... .. 155

1 71

Play 1 b4 !

Index of Complete G o mes

Katalymov.B-Kondratiev .P, Spartak Championship, Minsk 1962 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............ .. 157

Sokolsky.A-Chekhover.V, Leningrad 1938. . . . . . . ... . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . ... . . .... . . . . .. . .. . .. . . . . .. . .... . .. . .... . ..

Katalymov.B-Litvinov.V, Minsk 1971 ..... . .... . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. ....

Sokolsk y.A-Flohr.S. USSR Championship, Moscow 1953 ...

.. .. .. ...

....

....

... . .... . . . . ... . .... . ... ......... 123

Katalymov.B-Muratov.V, Novgorod. 1961.....................................

.

.................... . 1 6

Katalymov.B-Sakharov.Y, Kiev 1962. .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . ... ..... ... . ... . . . . . .. . . ... . . . . . ... . .. . . . . .... ... . . . ... .. . 144 .

.

.

.......

. ...... .... ......... ..... . ... .

Sokolsky.A-Geller.E, USSR Championship, Kiev 1957 .. .. .. ... . ... ...... . . .. . . . .

Sokolsky.A-Keres.P, USSR Championship. Moscow 1950 . .

....

.

..........

.. . . . .

...

81

. ...

..48

...

105

. .. . . ... .. ...... ..... . . .... . . .74

....... . .

.

.50

Sokolsky.A-Kholmov.R, USSR Championship, Kiev 1954 ... .... .. . ... .. . . . . . . . . . ..... . ... ... .... .. . 56

KataJymov.B-Zaitsev.l, Odessa 1972 .. . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. ....... . .... . .. .. . . . . . .. . . .. .. . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . .... . .. .59

Sokolsky.A-Kotov.A, Leningrad 1938. . .... .. .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . ... . .... ... . . ... . . . . . . . . .. . .... ... . ... . . . . .. ... . . .. 26

Kis•.l-Kis•.P, Ege.- 1992 . . . . ... . . ... . . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. .. .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. ... . . . .. . . . .. .. . . . .. . . .

Sokolsky.A-Samarian.S, Correspondence 1958 .. ... . . .... .... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . .. .. . .........

Katalymov.8-Suetin. A, USSR Team Championship, Moscow 1959 . .._ _. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .

lapshun.Y.Adu .O. Richard Aronow Memorial, Philadelphia 2002. . . . . . . . .

.....

. .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .

.

.......... .........

78

124

.

.

Sokolsky.A-Usov.D, Od<ssa 1 960 . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .... ... . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . ...

lapshun.Y- Bonin.j, Marshall Chess Club 2002 . . .. . . .. . . . . ..

Sokolsky.A-Villard.F, Kiev 1955 .

.

.

.

.

. . . . ...

.. . . . . . . . . ..........

...................

130

.

.

.. . . . . .

.....

53

Sokolsky.A-Shagalovich.A, Minsk 1959. ... . .... .... .. .. . . .... . .. ... . . ... . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . .. .. . ..... 102

lapshun.Y-Blumenfeld.R. Marshall Chess Club 2004 . .. . .. . . .. . .. . . . .. . . . ... . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . ...... .. .. 25 .

.

.

.

. . ..

.

.

. . . ..

.. . . .

... . ...

. . ...

.

. . .. . . . . . . .

. . . .. .. . .. .. . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . ... . ... . .. .. . ... .. . . . . .. . .. . .

.

....

. ... 83 .

.

.

. ... .. . . .

..

. 167

.30

tapshun.Y-Figler.l. Marshall Chess Club (Rapid) 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .. . 150

Sokolsky.A-ZhukhovitskyS, Kiev 1945 . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . .. . . . .. . . ... . .. . . . .. . . .. . . ... .. . .. .

lapshun.Y-Furdzik.R, Marshall Chess Club 2002 .. . ..

Spassky.B-lengyeI.L, Moscow 1975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .. . . . . . . .. . . . . .. ... .. .. ... .. . ... . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . ... . . ... 95

.

. ...

lapshun.Y-Furdzik.R, New York Masters (Rapid) 2002

.. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. 138

..

..

...

.

. . . .. . . .. 135

Spassky.B-Smyslov.V, Moscow- Leningrad Match. Moscow 1 960. . . . . . . .. . . . .. .. .... . . . .... . 100

Lapshun.Y -Gravel.S, Montreal 2004 .. . . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .... .. .. .. . . . ... . . . .. .. . . . ... . . ... . . . . .. . . ... . .. . 125

Spraggett.K-lvanov.l, Montreal 1981 . .. .. ......................... .. . ........ . ...... . . . . . . .. .. .. . .. . . . .. .. . .... .. .. 70

lapshun.Y -Hahn.A. US Championship, San Di�go 2004 .. .. .. .. . .

Tartakower.S-Colle.E, Bardejov 1926 .... . .... ... . ...... ...... . . . .. . . . . ....... . . . .. . . . .. . .. .. .. .. ..... ...

..

.

...

.

...............................

. .........

.

................... ....

. 126

.

.

.

.

.

.

. .

.. ...... .. . 14

.

lapshun. Y-Kaufman.R, National Chess Congress. Philadelphia 1999 .. .. . . . . ... . . . . . . . .. . . .. .45

Tartakol'l'erS·ReHi.R, Vienna 1919 .. . .. . .... . . .............................. .. . ................. ... . .. .. ...... ..... . . . . . 12

Lapshun.Y -Lafram boise.M, Montreal 2004 .

Vokac.M-Bazant.P, Czech Championship, Tumov ] 996 . . . . . . . .

.. ..

.... ... ... . . . .. . .. ... .... .

.

Lapshun.Y-Milman.L, New York :Masters 2002 . . . .. ... . . . . . . . . .. .

Lapshun.Y-Oms Fuentes.L, Barcelona 2CXJ7 . . . . . . . .

. ..

.

.

..

Lapshun.Y-Reeder.A , World Open, Philadelphia 2003 . . lapshun.) -Robson.R, World Open, Philadelphia 2007

.

...

. ._ . . ........... .

.....................

161

. ... . . . . . . . . .. ... . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. 129

.. .

.. . . .

.

.

.

.

.

. ................... .. 22

. . .. . . . ._ .. . ....... . ... . ... . ... ... . . . .. . . 38

_ ...._. . . . .. _ . _ . . .

Lapshun .Y-Paschall.W, New York Masters (rapid) 2003. ....

.. . ... .... .. . . . ..

.

. . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . 55

. . . . . ..

..

. .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . .42

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

.

. . . . .... ... ... .. . . .. .....

.. .

.

Vokac.M-Tratar.M, Ceske Budejovice 1996 ................................ ......

............

.

.

. . ..

.

...

. ... . 169

..... . . .. _ ... . _ . 80 .

Volke.K-Kupreichik,V , Minsk 1994 . .... .. . ............................. .. ....... . ... .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. .... . .. .. _ .. . . 32 .

.

Volke.K-Wegner.H, German Leag ue 1993 . . . . . . . ... . .... . . . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . . .. . . . . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. . . . . . .... Welling.G-Achleitner.R, VelMn 1994 . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... ....

. ..

.

.... .... . . . ...

. .. . .

. . . ..

.... ....

152 160

Yudasin.L-Epishin.V I New York Open 1990 .... .. . . . .. . . . . .. .. . . ... . . . . . .... . .. . . . .. .. . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . ... 147 .

.

.

.

tapshun.Y·Scekic.M . Marshall Chess Club (Rapid) 2004 ...... . . . .. . ... .. .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . .. . . 87 lapshun.Y-Sinn.M. World Open, Philadelphia 2003 ........... ................... ....................... . 4 0 lapshun.Y-Smilh.A, Canadian Open, Kapuskasing 2004 .. . . .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . .. ...... . . . . .. . . . ... . . . . . 14U .

lapshun.Y-Stevens.C, Guelph 2004

. .. .. . . . . ...... . . . .. . . . . . .

.. .

..

.... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . .. . . . . .. . 148 .

.

lapshun.Y-SzabolcsLj, Budapest 2007 .. . . . .. .. . .. . . . . .. . .. ... . . .. . . . . . ... . .... . . .. .. . . ... . .. . .. . . . . . . .

...

.. .. .. . 112

Lapshun.Y-Vila Gazquez..X, Barcelona 2007 ... . .. . . . .. . . ... . ... .... .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . .... . . . ... . .... . . ... . .. . 51 .

lapshun.Y-Wang. D, Kapuskasing, 2004 ................... ........................................ ................. 41 Larsen.B-Browne.W, Las Palmas 1 974 .. . . .. . .. . . . .. . . . .. .. . . . . . . . .. .. . ... . . .. . . . .. . ... .. . .. .. .... . . . . .. . . _...

121

lombardy.W-Quinteros.M, Torremolinos 1974

134

.

.

.

. ..

.

.

.. . . . . ... ....... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

Reti.R-Capablanca. j, New York 1924 ... . . . .. . .... . . . . . . . .. . ... .. .

.

..

.

.

.. . . . . . . . . . . .

Rudenkov-Strugach, Correspondence 1961 . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . ... . . . . . ..

......

. .. . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . 69

. .. . _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 153

.. ..

.

Shiffler.L-Schmidt, Correspondence 1950 .. . . .... .. .. . . . ........ . ... .............. .. . .. . . .... ........ . .. . . . . . . .. 158 .

Simagin.V-Flohr-S, USSR Championship, Moscow 1955 . . . .. . ..

.

Sokolsky.A-Abzhirko.N, Omsk 1943

. . .

.

. . . . . . . . . .. . ... . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sokolsky.A-A nishchenko, Min�k 1959 . . .... . . ... .. . ... . . .... . . . .. . . .... . .

Sokolsky.A-Byvshev.V. Lvov 1951 . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 71

.

.

. . . ...

... . . . . . . . .

..

.

.

..

. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 109

.. .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . ..

. . ....... 107

........ .... .. ... .. ...... ... . . .. .. .. . . . 36

....

. .. . ... . ... . . . . .

.. ..................... 85

1 73

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